*Text is a photo of the plaque at the entrance to the Holocaust

Transcription

*Text is a photo of the plaque at the entrance to the Holocaust
JEWISH FEDERATION
OF THE DESERT
69-710 Highway 111
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
(760) 324-4737
*Text is a photo of the plaque at the entrance to the Holocaust Memorial in Palm Desert Civic Park
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit #113
Santa Ana, CA
On the cover....
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
*Text is a photo of the plaque at the entrance to the Holocaust Memorial in Palm Desert Civic Park
JEWISH FEDERATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bill Chunowitz,
Chairman of the Board
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: E. RANDOL SCHOENBERG, the attorney
featured in the film of the true story of the recovery of
“The Woman in Gold” painting. RSVP by going online to
www.jfedps.org or call Linn Menne at the Jewish Federation
Office, 760-324-4737.
Nancy Ditlove, Co-Chair, Campaign
Libby Hoffman, Co-Chair, Campaign
Marjorie Kulp, Co-Chair, Campaign
Phil Glass, Treasurer
Bernard Reiter, Secretary
Celia Norian, Past Chair
Board
Buce Landgarten,
Chief Executive Officer
Sheri Borax
Elliott Cohen
Ellen Glass
Sondi Green
Bobbi Holland
Vernon Kozlen
Ron Langus
Allan Lehmann
Howard Levy
Allan Nyman
Roberta Nyman
Dr. Paul Ross
Stephanie Ross
Gary Schahet
Sherry Schor
Elisa Schwartz
Sandy Seplow
Table of Contents
Vol. 42 • No. 10
Community Calendar
14-16
Federation
1-3, 5, 24
Women’s Philanthropy 2, 6, 12, 13
Food23
Jewish Family Service
11
Schools20
Simchas & Classifieds
22
Temples Listing
14
Tolerance Education
11
Tributes16
2 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
Tikkun Olam – Repairing the World
From the CEO
BRUCE
LANDGARTEN
Jewish Federation
Chief Executive
Officer
“All Jews are responsible for one
another”… Kol yisrael arevim zeh
bazeh ... A short phrase with big
implications.
Something to think about: You can
invest in an insurance policy that will
ensure that your children will grow up
in a thriving Jewish community, your
elders will receive the care that they
need, your community will provide
multi-generational opportunities for
Jewish education and engagement,
and that needs will be proactively
monitored and addressed. Would you
invest in such an insurance policy?
Fortunately there is such a policy;
it is called The Jewish Federation
Annual Campaign, and I am proud
that we offer this opportunity for our
community to invest.
Aside from the insurance analogy,
there is a higher meaning and
imperative for the Campaign. The
phrase Kol yisrael arevim zeh bazeh
is the basis of the notion of communal
responsibility in Jewish law.
Kol Yisrael implies an obligation on
all Jews to ensure that other Jews have
their basic needs for food, clothing,
and shelter. Simply by virtue of being
a Jew, one is responsible for the wellbeing of other Jews, and vice versa.
This philosophy and obligation are the
engine and the imperative that drive
the work of the Jewish Federation.
Throughout our history we - Jews
- have found ourselves alone against
the world. We have seen that the best
friend of the Jewish community is, in
fact, the Jewish community. We can’t
isolate ourselves from the community
simply due to geography, political
affiliation, or other superficial reasons.
In modern times, the Holocaust
demonstrated the reality of Jewish
isolation. Modern Israel, irrespective
of its political leaders, continues to
experience such isolation and the
need for Jewish self-sufficiency, and
Jews in Europe and other places
around the world continue to feel
more isolated by the day.
Here in the Palm Springs and
Desert Area we are not so isolated.
We have Temples that represent
every stream of Judaism. We have
community agencies, religious
school, Jewish enrichment for both
adults and children, and more. I
would argue that we have it as good
as any Jewish community in the
Federation system. The issue is that
this success can cause us to become
short-sighted in our view of the needs
that persist. The fact is that there are
still Jews, here in our community,
who are not able to experience the
greatness of our community. They are
the home bound elderly, Holocaust
survivors, children with special needs,
families with crushing economic
circumstances, and others with a
myriad of circumstances. These
community members should not
need to look any further than their
own Jewish community for support.
This is our role.
Jewish Federation is the insurance
policy that guarantees that Jews in
our community and around the world
have a place to turn for support. We
enable our community to fulfill our
collective commitment to Kol Yisrael.
In concert with our local and global
partners, we ensure that Jews in the
Desert and Jews worldwide do not
feel isolated from community.
Our 2016 annual campaign is
underway. Your participation is the
“insurance policy” that underwrites
the many financial demands that
face our community. We need your
tangible commitment to do the job.
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 3
Earl Greif 1925-2016
A giant of our
community passed
a w ay Fe b r u a r y
24, 2016. Short
in stature but a
goliath in his vision,
determination,
passion and
commitment,
E a r l G r e i f wa s
an extraordinary man. A child of
the Holocaust, the nighmare of that
experience forged what has become
his enduring legacy.
Like most survivors, Earl did not
speak of his experiences, not even
to his family. A news program on
Holocaust deniers changed that. On
hearing their claims that the Holocaust
had all been fabricated, he decided
that the lives of his family members
and the 11 million victims, including
6 million Jews, must not be forgotten,
and he made this his life's mission.
Not long after moving to the
Coachella Valley, Earl learned of Joe
Brandt’s vision to build a Holocaust
Memorial in our community, and put
his energies into raising the funds to
make it a reality. After its completion in
1995, both men were often seen at the
site, meeting with young and old, local
and visitors, sharing their experiences.
Earl was an active participant
amongst our community’s survivors
to go into the schools to speak about
the Holocaust. However, as he grew
older, he realized that a permanent
center was needed to make sure the
testimony of the Holocaust would not
end with the passing of those who lived
through the horror. Further, he saw
that intolerance was too often ignored
and genocide recurring. With his wife,
Shirley, by his side, he conceived,
designed, and fundraised to make the
Tolerance Education Center in Rancho
Mirage a reality. Opening its doors
in 2009, it has been visited by tens
of thousands of adults and children,
who have learned about some of the
most devastating events in history, told
by those who have survived them,
including the Holocaust, the Civil
Rights Movement, the Cambodian
and Armenian Genocide and LGBT
intolerance.
The Tolerance Education Center’s
At March 6, 2016 Memorial Service: Melisse Banwer, Tolerance Education Center Executive
Director; Bruce Landgarten, Jewish Federation CEO; U.S. Congressman Dr. Raul Ruiz;
Rabbi Andrew Bentley, Temple Sinai; Randy Greif, Earl’s son.
Remaining Nazis
Arutz Sheva
000Israel and its allies have continued
to use their resources across the globe
to pursue those responsible for carrying
out the Holocaust, even though the
majority of perpetrators are now
close to death. In January the Simon
Wiesenthal Center - named after a
famous Nazi hunter - produced a
list of 10 alleged Nazis who could
be prosecuted in 2016. Of the 10,
four have trial dates already slated in
Germany this year.
Efraim Zuroff, director of the center,
said they would continue to chase
every remaining perpetrator as "we
owe it to the victims." "The passage
of time in no way diminishes the
guilt of the killers. Old age should
not afford protection to people that
committed such heinous crimes. The
trials send a powerful message about
the significance of the Holocaust."
As the number of World War Two
Nazis alive diminishes, Zuroff said they
are also seeking to focus on historical
accuracy - with strands of different
societies in Europe keen to play down
their role in the killings.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, warned that anti-Semitism
was again growing in Europe. "Even
respected Western opinion leaders
have become afflicted with hatred for
the Jewish people and the Jewish state,"
Netanyahu said, without specifying
4 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
mission reflects Earl’s dream, “to
promote tolerance, civility, respect and
understanding by the elimination of
atrocities, hatred and bigotry … so that
visitors will leave with a mind-set that
rejects prejudice and hate, questions
stereotypes, and promotes diversity.”
Earl Greif left an indelible mark on
the many people he touched in our
community and we are all the better
for it.
Shirley and Earl Greif
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
NEWS
A Publication of the
Jewish Federation of the Desert
VOL. 42, No. 9
EDITORIAL
Bruce Landgarten,
Chief Executive Officer
Miriam H. Bent, Editor
Bailey Communications,
Layout & Design
JCN STATEMENT
The Jewish Community News seeks
to provide news and feature material
of special interest to its readership,
and to create a heightened sense
of Jewish identity through the
dissemination of information about
people, events and issues at home
and abroad. The JCN seeks to serve
as a forum for the exchange of
ideas and opinions in the Jewish
community.
The JCN is published monthly,
ten months a year by the Jewish
Federation of the Desert,
69-710 Highway 111,
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270,
760-324-4737, fax 760-324-3154.
ARTICLES & ADVERTISING,
Miriam H. Bent, Editor
760-323-0255
[email protected]
Earl lighting candle at Yom HaShoah
Observance
names. "The obsession with the Jews the fixation on the Jewish state - defies
any other rational explanation."
In the presence of Holocaust
survivors, the Simon Wiesenthal
Center presented documents from
their archives, including requests
for clemency from Eichmann's wife
Vera and his five brothers, along with
Ben-Zvi's letter to his justice minister
rejecting the appeals. Also in the
collection, recently digitized by the
presidential archives, are a transcript of
Eichmann's defense counsel's Supreme
Court appeal, the handwritten opinion
of Justice Minister Dov Yosef, and a
note by prosecutor Gideon Hausner
for his opening address.
ADVERTISING
The JCN does not endorse the
goods or services advertised in its
pages and makes no representation
as to the kashrut of food products
and services in such advertising.
The publisher shall not be liable
for damages if, for any reason
whatsoever, it fails to publish an
advertisement or for any error in
an advertisement. Acceptance of
advertisers and of advertising copy is
subject to the publisher’s approval.
The JCN is not responsible if ads
violate applicable laws and the
advertiser will indemnify, hold
harmless and defend the JCN from all
claims made by government agencies
and consumers for any reason based
on ads carried in the JCN.
Bach to Broadway
(Left to right) Gabriel Schwabe, Howard Levy, Dennis & Nancy Ditlove, CEO Bruce
Landgarten, Bernard Reiter, Board Chair Bill Chunowitz, Josh Salama, and Asi Matathias.
On March 21st, approximately 275
community members came together
at the California State University San
Bernardino Palm Desert Campus/Indian
Wells Theater to hear four of Israel’s
finest young artists perform “Bach to
Broadway.” The four were brought to
the desert through the auspices of AICF
(America-Israel Cultural Foundation),
which has assisted their careers through
promoting them to audiences throughout
the United States.
Performing were Asi Matathias,
violin; Victor Stanislavsky, piano; Gabriel
Schwabe, cellist; and Omer Shaish,
singer.
In his opening remarks, Bruce
Landgarten, CEO, Jewish Federation
of the Desert, stated “Music has no
language...music knows no boundary....
and what better way to bring together
a common platform than the beautiful
medium of music.” He also expressed
that a nation’s support of its arts “is
a matter of both national pride and
cultural survival. The Jewish Federation
is proud to present these world class
Israeli performers.”
Before the concert began, Landgarten
spoke about the mission of the Jewish
Federation, stating, "What we do is of
critical importance. We are a melting pot
of the community: trans-denominational,
apolitical, seeking to ensure a flourishing
Jewish community. Our focus is caring
for the most vulnerable, educating
Clockwise from bottom left: Asi Matathias (violin), Howard Levy, Victor Stanislavsky
(piano), Omer Shaish (singer), Nancy Ditlove, Bernard Reiter and Gabriel Schwabe (cello).
and engaging our diverse community,
supporting Israel and Jews in 70 countries
worldwide. We do this in times of peace,
in times of crisis, in times of plenty, in
times of need. That is who we are."
Landgarten boldly declared the
event as a triumph ..."This was a truly
remarkable event, and we are justly
proud of what we achieved."
Novel WoundClot Bandages Can Stop Severe Bleeding Within Minutes, Save Lives
By Alice Menichelli, NoCamels
Compression is one of the simplest
ways to prevent severe bleeding, and yet
it is not suitable in all cases, especially
when the injured may have internal
bleeding. Israeli-developed WoundClot
bandages could offer a solution, saving
lives within minutes – before the injured
even reaches a hospital.
Developed by nano-materials
specialist Dr. Shani Eliyahu-Gross
of Core Scientific Creations of Kafar
Saba, Israel, WoundClot is composed
of highly absorbent gauze made from
regenerated cellulose (what plant cell
walls are made of). When applied to a
wound, this single-use, sterile bandage
turns into a gel-state membrane, forming
a stable membrane with the platelets
(clotting blood cells) from the wound.
By enhancing the natural process
of coagulation, WoundClot stops
hemorrhaging within minutes. Perhaps
more importantly, the membrane lasts
up to 24 hours.
According to the company,
uncontrolled bleeding is the number
one cause of death in battlefield and
conflict zones, and the problem is
twofold: Stopping the bleeding as
quickly as possible, and ensuring that
the body doesn’t further hemorrhage
before reaching a hospital.
WoundClot provides a treatment
for both issues, but also provides a
solution in cases where compression is
not effective or even damaging, such as
stab wounds, head and neck traumas,
or internal bleeding.
Yet, the most impressive feature of
the bandage is that it breaks down in the
body. “Our product is unique because
it is bio-absorbable,” according to CEO
Yuval Yaskil. “It means you want the
product to break down, but also to
have a very stable membrane. And that
is basically the trick for the patent that
we developed.”
After the bleeding has stopped, the
remaining residual membrane can be
irrigated out of the wound safely without
pulling on the soft tissue or the existing
clot.
Priced at under $10 per bandage ($100
for larger surgical products), WoundClot
is by far not the cheapest bandage on
the market. But the company is aiming
to replace other less effective products,
even those with active ingredients
intending to promote coagulation,
which end up costing much more,
according to Core Scientific Creations.
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 5
University of California Approves Statement Against anti-Semitism
The University of California's
governing board adopted a statement
condemning anti-Semitic behavior,
becoming the first public university
system to do so since campaigns for
boycotts of Israel have taken root on
many college campuses
The University of California's
governing board adopted a statement
condemning anti-Semitic behavior,
becoming the first public university
system to do so since campaigns for
academic and economic boycotts of
Israel have taken root on many U.S.
college campuses.
The board also unanimously and
without discussion adopted a
companion report urging campus
leaders to confront intolerant antiZionism, or the rejection of Israel's
right to exist. It stopped short of
equating anti-Zionism with the hatred
of Jewish people after that language
alarmed critics.
Many have raised concerns that
the statement and report will stifle free
10-campus UC system to affirm its
opposition to anti-Semitism.
"For far too long, Jewish students
have become victims in the often
profoundly contentious anti-Zionist
movement on campus," Tammi
Rossman-Benjamin, a Hebrew
lecturer at the university's Santa Cruz
campus who led the campaign, said
after the vote.
University of California President Janet
Liz Jackson, a staff attorney
Napolitano at March Board of Regents
with
Palestine
Legal, praised board
speech. Critics also were disappointed
members
for
rejecting a blanket
that the declaration singled out antiequation
of
anti-Zionism
and antiSemitism for condemnation at a time
Semitism,
but
warned
that
civil
rights
when Muslims and other groups in the
organizations
will
sue
if
the
principles
U.S. increasingly face discrimination,
including hostile remarks from are used to stifle or punish criticism
of Israel. She and others say the
presidential candidates.
The board's action comes amid statement and report hardly touch on
growing campus tensions between intolerance faced by other campus
Israeli supporters and backers of communities, underscoring a lack of
Palestinian rights. Some Jewish equal treatment.
The system's 10-paragraph
groups say they are concerned that
declaration
seeks to spell out the
anti-Semitic behavior is increasing
difference
between
the healthy
because of the highly emotional
intellectual
debates
that
the
university
debate. Last year, they urged the
says it encourages and the "acts of
hatred and other intolerant behavior"
campus leaders have a duty to
combat.
For example, one section says
candidates for leadership positions
should not be discredited based
on bias or stereotyping. It was an
apparent reference to a UCLA student
who sought a seat on the student
government's judicial council and
was asked whether she could be
impartial given her Jewish heritage.
An initial statement presented to
a board committee stirred criticism
by condemning anti-Zionism. So the
committee made a last-minute tweak,
adding language barring anti-Semitic
"forms" of anti-Zionism activism.
The statement does not outline
sanctions for violating its terms but
reminds faculty and staff to impose
discipline in cases that violate existing
anti-discrimination policies, UC
officials said.
European
Students Declare Opposition to BDS, Condemns Anti-Semitism
By Andrew Pessin, The Jerusalem Post
A major European student
organization this week issued a
sharp statement against campus AntiSemitism and the Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions (BDS) movement
against Israel, The Jerusalem Post
reported on March 9th.
“There are rising violent anti-Semitic
attacks,” said the joint statement by
the University of Vienna’s Green Party,
Socialist Student Association and the
Communists-Left List, “on, above
University of Vienna
all, American universities, which are
connected to BDS and Israel Apartheid
Week. Academic events from Jewish
professors are regularly disrupted.”
Nor are American campuses
alone in this, noted Camila Garfias, a
member of the Socialist student group:
“Anti-Semitic violence is part of daily
life in Europe.” The joint statement
asserted that Jews no longer felt safe
in France, and that synagogues and
business had been vandalized in Paris
and in Germany.
Karin Stanger, a student from the
Green Party, added, “As a student
organization at the University of
Vienna, we condemn every form of
antisemitism … and Anti-Semitism in
the new form of BDS.”
The three student groups issuing
the statement form the governing
coalition in the student parliament at
the University of Vienna.
The Jerusalem Post noted that this
appeared to be the first significant
European opposition to the growing
anti-Israel and anti-Semitic climates
on campuses in Europe and abroad.
Lady’s Card Day a Resounding Success
Women’s Philanthropy’s “Lady’s Card Day” was a success in every way. Over 100 women
came together on March 24th at The Springs Country Club for lunch and a day of playing Bridge,
Canasta and Mah Jongg … and raised $3,500 for the Jewish Federation’s Tzedakah Fund. The
day was coordinated by Lana Landa together with Lainie Weil and members of the Women’s
Philanthropy Council Outreach Committee, under the leadership of Debra Star and Judy Cohn,
Outreach Committee Co-chairs, and Sheri Borax, Women’s Philanthropy Council Chair.
6 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 7
After Brussels Attack, World Looks to Israel as Model for Airport Security
Amid string of extremist incidents targeting heart of Europe over past year, leaders may have to resort to much tougher measures
By Vladimir Isachenkov and Venessa Gera, The Times of Israel.
Authorities in Europe and across the
world tightened security at airports,
railway stations, government buildings
and other key sites after deadly attacks
March 22nd on the Brussels airport
and its subway system.
With Brussels in lockdown and
To apply for
Emergency Funds
from the
TZEDAKAH
FUND
call the
Jewish
Federation
at
760-324-4737
the French prime minister saying that
Europe is “at war,” European leaders
held emergency security meetings
and deployed more police, explosives
experts, sniffer dogs and plainclothes
officers, with some warning against
travel to Belgium.
The nervousness was felt far and
wide. In New York City, authorities
deployed additional counterterrorism
units to crowded areas and transit
locations.
After a string of extremist attacks
targeting the heart of Europe over the
past year, some analysts say Europe
will finally have to implement a much
tougher level of security not only at
airports, but also at “soft targets” like
shopping malls — the kind that Israelis
have been living with for years.
“The threat we are facing in
Europe is about the same as what
Israel faces,” said Olivier Guitta, the
managing director of GlobalStrat, an
8 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
international security consultancy.
“We have entered an era in which we
are going to have to change our way
of life and take security very seriously.”
Strong criticism of Belgian security
came from Pini Schiff, a former security
director at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport,
which is considered among the most
secure in the world. After Palestinian
attacks on Israeli planes and travelers
in the 1970s, Israeli officials put in
place several layers of security at that
airport in Tel Aviv, meaning an attacker
who escapes notice at one level of
security would likely be captured by
another.
Schiff said the attacks at the Brussels
airport mark “a colossal failure” of
Belgian security and that “the chances
are very low” such a bombing could
have happened in Israel.
There are some, however, who
fear that little more can realistically
be done.
“The public needs to understand that
if we are to continue to enjoy living
in a free society we have to respond
in a proportional way,” said Simon
Bennett, director of the Civil Safety
and Security Unit at the University of
Leicester, England. “In my opinion,
airport security is as tight as we can
reasonably make it in a free society.”
Philip Baum, author of “Violence
in the Skies: A History of Aircraft
Hijacking and Bombing,” said “putting
people through more hoops,” isn’t the
answer to the ever-evolving threat. He
said security personnel need to start
using behavioral analysis to focus
on negative intent. He also said they
need better training, more flexibility
and should start using more animals.
“It’s all about making security less
predictable.”
In Moscow, Russian Transport
Minister Maxim Sokolov told Russian
news agencies that authorities will
“re-evaluate security” at Russian
airports, although its measures are
already among some of the toughest
across Europe. There have been
mandatory checks at the entrances to
airports since a 2011 suicide bombing
at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport that
killed 37.
New Anti-BDS Strategy Scores Win as U Minnesota Drops Boycott Resolution
By Andrew Pessin, The Algemeiner
A new strategy against the campus
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
(BDS) movement scored its first
win March 8th, The Algemeiner has
learned, when the Student Association
at the University of Minnesota voted
to remove a BDS resolution from the
agenda, rather than debate or vote on
it.
The Minnesota chapter of Students
Supporting Israel (SSI) immediately
issued a statement celebrating the
result and describing the new strategy,
in which pro-Israel campus advocates
moved “from defense to offense.” The
statement read, in part:
About a month ago a BDS campaign
was launched at the University of
Minnesota Campus. The activists of
SSI came up with a pioneer strategy:
instead of defending ourselves in the
student government against the BDS
resolution, our own resolution was
submitted to be presented on the exact
same day, making the debate in the
student government a two-sided story
by facing two resolutions.
SSI’s resolution called for the
condemnation of anti-Semitism as
defined by the US State Department,
which includes certain forms and
levels of criticizing Israel. Faced with
the prospect of debating and voting
on the two opposing resolutions, the
student government decided to remove
both resolutions from the agenda, and,
according to SSI’s statement, “BDS
at the University of Minnesota was
defeated.”
Minnesota Hillel, which worked
with SSI and others on the anti-BDS
campaign, released its own statement
after the vote:
“This evening, the Minnesota Student
Association (MSA) voted to strike
a resolution that would have called
upon the [university] to divest from
companies that do business in Israel …
We are extremely proud of the students
at Minnesota Hillel, SSI, and the entire
[anti-BDS] community for their tireless
work on these measures. Pro-Israel
students showed extraordinary resolve
in fighting for the moral and intellectual
integrity of the university …”
Hillel additionally thanked
community organizations — including
the Jewish Federations of Minneapolis
and Greater St. Paul, and the Minnesota
Rabbinical Association — for “their
tremendous leadership.”
University of Minnesota President
Eric Kaler issued his own statement
prior to the student government
meeting, which read in part:
“The University does not endorse
measures advocated in the … [BDS]
resolution. The BDS Movement, while
not directly mentioned in the resolution,
has called for a comprehensive
academic, cultural, economic and
consumer boycott of Israel. In general,
our university should be wary about
such boycotts, given our core values
of academic freedom … and concerns
that we may be unfairly singling out
one government and the citizens of
the country in question. In this case,
my concerns are heightened by the
fact that the Global BDS movement
does not seem to distinguish between
opposition to the policies of the
government of Israel and opposition
to the existence of Israel.”
Kaler also shared concerns that the SSI
resolution would “limit the prospects
for constructive campus dialogue, in
light of its possible implication that
supporters of the divestment resolution
are also supporters of anti-Semitism.”
New Survey Reveals Vast Majority of Americans More Sympathetic to Israel than
PA; Still Support Palestinian Statehood
By Ruthie Blum, The Algemeiner
Findings of a Gallup poll released
on February 29th revealed that
though most Americans are more
sympathetic to Israel than to the
Palestinian Authority, a majority
also favors the establishment of an
independent Palestinian state.
The survey further indicated that
Republicans are more likely to be
disposed favorably to Israel than
Democrats.
The poll, conducted by phone
at the beginning of February, among
a random sample of 1,021 adults
(18 and older) across the United
States, also showed that Americans’
views about the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict have remained steady over
the past year, with 62 percent saying
their sympathies lie more with the
Israelis, as opposed to 15% favoring
the Palestinians.
According to Gallup, these findings
are consistent with patterns in the US
spanning the last 15 years, with “dips
and spikes,” depending on current
events. For example, sympathy for
Israel increased in 2006 to 59%,
from 52% the year before, in a poll
conducted in the aftermath of the
2006 Palestinian elections, which
gave the terrorist organization,
Hamas, a parliamentary landslide,
enabling it to take control of the Gaza
Strip.
Since then, Gallup has found
support for Israel among Americans
remaining at 58% or higher, with both
Republican and Democratic support
for Israel increasing over the past
decade, but with the former growing
by a larger margin.
Gallup concluded that, given
these findings, “It is intriguing that
more Americans continue to favor
than oppose the creation of a
Palestinian state. The finding suggests
that despite the lack of US diplomatic
activity on this issue in recent years,
it is still something Americans would
generally welcome should the next
president be willing to work toward
it.”
Representing Buyers and Sellers throughout
the desert for more than 28 years
When you think of real estate, "Just Ring a Bell"
760.902.9206
[email protected]/www.beverlybell.com
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 9
A Holocaust Story: Marcel Marceau
Pantomime artist Marcel Marceau
not only entertained with his funny,
graceful, exaggerated movements, he
saved lives – including hundreds of
orphans during the Holocaust.
As a teenage member of the
resistance movement fighting the
Nazi occupation of France, he
masqueraded as a Boy Scout director
and evacuated a Jewish orphanage
in Eastern France by convincing
the children that they were going
on a hiking vacation in the Alps,
then shepherding them to safety in
Switzerland. He avoided detection
on the perilous journey by charming
the children with silent pantomime.
“He was miming for his life,” said
documentary filmmaker Phillipe
Mora, whose father was Marceau’s
partner in the French resistance.
Marceau was born to a Jewish
family as Marcel Mangel on March
22, 1923, in Strasbourg on the
Rhine. He professionally performed
what he called “the art of silence”
worldwide for more than 60 years. It
all began when he discovered Charlie
Chaplin at age 5 and amused friends
by imitating the silent-film star. He
changed his last name to Marceau
at age 16 to avoid being identified as
Jewish when the Nazis had invaded
France.
Young Marcel traveled with his older
brother to Limoges and joined the
underground. Marcel not only mimed
to keep orphans quiet as they crossed
the border into Switzerland, but he
also performed a sleight-of-hand,
changing the ages on the identity
cards of scores of French youths,
both Jews and Gentiles. He wanted to
make them seem too young for labor
camps or work in German factories
for the army.
In 2001, when accepting the
Raoul Wallenberg Medal in memory
of a righteous Gentile who saved
thousands of Jews from death in the
Holocaust, Marceau said, “I don't like
to speak about myself, because what I
did humbly during the war was only a
small part of what happened to heroes
who died through their deeds in times
of danger.”
“We shall never destroy evil,
unfortunately. But good exists also
among the majority. I will speak only
briefly about my own deeds. It is true
that I saved children, bringing them
to the border in Switzerland. I forged
identity cards with my brother when
it was very dangerous because you
could be arrested if you were in the
underground. I also forged papers, not
to save only Jews, and children, but
to save Gentiles and Jews, especially
Gentiles because there was a law in
Vichy-occupied France – to send the
young French men, who were 18, 19
years old, to factories in Germany to
work for the German Army. And then I
had an idea to bribe the officials, and
make people look much younger in
their photos.”
The great mime hadn’t spoken
about his World War II experiences
earlier in his life. His silence wasn’t
surprising, according to University
of Michigan professor emerita Irene
Butter, who introduced him as the
Wallenberg Medalist.
“Many, if not most, survivors of
the Holocaust were not able to speak
about it for nearly half a century,”
explained Butter, herself a Holocaust
survivor. “Marcel Marceau is known
as the Master of Silence – it may have
been particularly difficult for him to
break the silence about this tragic
period in his life.”
In 1944, after Paris was liberated,
Marceau enlisted in the French Army,
serving side by side with American
G.I.s. As he recalled, “We were
already at peace in December 1945,
but we were still mobilized. I went to
Frankfurt where there was the Sixth
Army of General Patton, and I met
Captain Parker. He said to me, ‘Young
man, what will you do later?’ I said,
‘Pantomime…you know, Chaplin,
Keaton, I want to make theater
without speaking.’”
The captain asked Marceau to
demonstrate. He obliged with shticks
about walking against the wind,
climbing stairs and engaging in a
tug of war. Then Parker asked him
to entertain the U.S. troops – 3,000
strong.
With white face, arched eyebrows
and red lips, Marceau continued to
communicate to audiences through
movement for decades.
Until his death on Yom Kippur at
age 84, Marceau performed 300 times
a year and taught at his pantomime
school in Paris. He would have been
93 this year. The artist who brought
poetry to silence was laid to rest in a
Paris cemetery in 2007.
Woman Rips up Israeli Flag at Brussels Memorial
by Arutz Sheva Staff
A woman at a memorial for the victims
of the ISIS attack in Brussels ripped up an
Israeli flag on live television. The French
TV station RTL was filming visitors
gathered at Brussels' Place de la Bourse
Square, which was filled with flags from
around the world in an expression of
solidarity. One woman, however,
10 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
preferred to take the opportunity to
express her hatred for Israel, rather than
her empathy for Belgium. She lifted an
Israeli flag, ripped it up, and hid the
remains under a nearby sign. She was
not identified, but was seen wearing a
hijad and a black-and-white keffiyeh
and carrying a Palestinian flag.
Jewish Family Service
of the Desert
“Count on us… for life”
NOTE NEW ADDRESS:
490 S. Farrell Drive, Suite C,
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 325-4088 • www.jfsdesert.org
For more information on all these programs,
please check out the TEC website (above)
Free movies are shown on
Wednesdays at 10 am and 1:30 pm
One Night Only is finally here!
Join us for a fabulous night of
entertainment
As Michael Childers presents
April 6 - All Quiet on the Western Front
(1930 NR)
April 13 - What Our Fathers Did
(2015 NR)
April 20 - Salvador
(1986 R)
April 27 - The Last Days
(1997 PG-13)
May 4 - The Hunt
(2012 R)
May 11 - Steve Jobs
(2015 R)
May 18 - Arsenic and Old Lace
(1944 NR)
May 25 - Trumbo
(2015 R)
“One Night Only”
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 –
McCallum Theatre
Contact JFS at 760-325-4088
for more information
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
For further information about these
services and others, please call the
JFS office, 760-325-4088.
COUNSELING & FAMILY SUPPORT:
Experienced therapists help individuals,
couples, and families address life’s challenges.
SOLUTIONS FOR SENIORS: Serves older
adults to maintain independence and help
them enjoy a higher quality of life.
DESERT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
JFS EXPRESS: Provides homebound seniors (60
and older) with limited transportation services
to medical appointments. Must be ambulatory;
unable to accommodate wheelchairs. For more
information, please call 760-325-4088 Ext. 104.
YOUTH SUMMER CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS:
Scholarships available to Jewish youth age 8-16
who plan on attending summer camp. For
more information or to receive an application
please call 760-325-4088 Ext. 101.
BEREAVEMENT GROUP: Free to the local
community. For more information, please call
760-325-4088.
FRIENDLY VISITORS: JFS volunteers visit home
bound seniors to provide companionship and
support. For more information please call 760325-4088 Ext. 101.
SHABBAT-IN-A-BAG: JFS volunteers provide
companionship and celebration during the
Shabbat observance to home bound seniors.
For more information please call 760-325-4088
Ext. 101.
Thursday, April 14 – 7:00 pm Opening
of Exhibit “Crimes Against Humanity,
Crimes Against Peace.” Free.
CAFÉ EUROPA GROUP: Social programming
for holocaust survivors. Transportation may be
available. For dates, times & more information
please call 760-325-4088 Ext. 101.
PLEASE RSVP FOR ALL THE SPECIAL
PROGRAMS - 760-328-8252
The Desert Holocaust Memorial is located in the Palm Desert Civic Center Park
at San Pablo Avenue & Fred Waring Drive.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit this moving memorial,
a place of remembrance and monument of hope.
LET’S DO LUNCH! PROGRAM: Bi-monthly
activity program for home bound, isolated
seniors. Participants take part in social
activities; transportation and lunch are
provided. Some restrictions apply. Please call
Kraig Johnson for further information and to
register 760-325-4088 Ext. 101.
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 11
Lion of Judah Luncheon
Nancy Ditlove Named 2016 Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland
Award Honoree
A highlight of the Women’s
Philanthropy’s March 2nd
Lion of Judah Luncheon
was
the announcement
that our community’s 2016
Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland
Award Honoree is Nancy
Ditlove. This award is the
Women’s
Philanthropy
national recognition of
women who exemplify the
Jewish Federation’s spirit of
Lion of the Judah through a
proven and demonstrated
commitment
to
their
community. Nancy is the
sixth woman so honored by Libby Hoffman presents Nancy Ditlove
with Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award
our Federation, with past
honorees being Barbara
Platt (2004), Cora Ginsberg (2008), Celia Norian (2010),
Roberta Nyman (2012) and Libby Hoffman (2014).
In presenting Nancy with the award, Libby Hoffman,
the immediate past recipient, spoke of Nancy’s
lifetime of commitment to helping others, serving on
Minneapolis’ Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary Board to
treasurer of her Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Hadassah
chapter, to founding and chairing that community’s
Women’s Division of United Israel Appeal. Coming
to Palm Springs in 1990 she immediately became
involved with the Jewish Federation of Palm Springs and
Desert Area where she has since held many positions
including Chair of the Lion of Judah Luncheon and
Chair of the Major Gifts Dinner. She has served as Cochair of Campaign and has also served on the Board and
Executive Board of Federation.
Nancy will also be honored at this year’s biennial
International Lion of Judah Conference September 11
through 13 in Washington, DC.
Because the Coachella Valley welcomes so many
winter residents, unlike most communities throughout
North America, we have a significant number of KipnisWilson/Friedland honorees living and active in our desert
community, including Becky Benaroya (Seattle, 2004),
Lois Zoller (Chicago, 2004), Maxine Kirshenbaum
(Omaha, 2004), Nancy Siwak (St. Louis, 2004), Sondi
Green (Vancouver, 2004), Gail Richards (Des Moines,
2006), Frances Horwich (Chicago, 2012), Jane Sherman
(Detroit, 2014) and Rita Philip (Portland, 2014).
1
3
2
8p117
8
12
10
9
14
13
5
4
15
16
17
18
23
24
28
25
29
20
19
21
22
27
26
30
31
32
33
7
34
35
6
11
1. Women’s Philanthropy Chair Sheri Borax, Keynote
Speaker Sharon Tal, Jewish Federation CEO Bruce
Landgarten, & Lion of Judah Co-chairs
Frances Horwich & Carol Horwich Luber
2. Sharon Tal, Head Designer of Israeli Design House
Maskit
3. CEO Bruce Landgarten & Jewish Federation Board
Chair Bill Chunowitz
4. WP Fundraising Co-chairs Chickie Steinberger &
Stephanie S. Ross
5. Joanne & Bill Chunowitz
6. Chickie Steinberger & Marion Cowle
7. Edith Familian, Nancy Ditlove & Barbara Platt*
8. Carol Resnick, Adrienne Garland & Gail Scadron
9. Barbara Platt*, Barbara Weisberg & Pat Hubbard
10. Rose Grossinger & Carol Parsow
11. Carol Horwich Luber, Sharon Tal & Frances Horwich
12. Wendy Goodfriend, Bobbie Stern & Libby Hoffman
13. Ann Lehrer, Betty Feinberg, Rita Philip & Ellen Glass
14. Joanne Hirschfield & Laverne Hecht
15. Joanne Chunowitz & Michelle Carafiol
16. Susan Langus & Barbara Fromm
17. Stephanie L. Ross, Toby Berman, Barbara Fromm,
Annette Lerner, Annette Novack*, Debra Star & Edith
Familian
18. Lana Landa, Lainie Weil* and Sheri Borax
19. Libby Hoffman & Barbara Fremont
20. Ruth Beschloss, Fran Kaufman* & Carolyn Ausman
21. Joan Goldberg & Joyce Freund
22. Madeline Redstone & Phyllis Schahet
23. Cathy Pitts
24. Mildred Conney
25. Women’s Philanthropy Director Tina Friedman
26. Sherry Salzman
27. Lori Fritz, Susie Diamond & Diane Cohen
28. Helen Greene & Ellen Bakst
29. Nancy Siwak & Maxine Kirshenbaum
30. Nora Spak & Marilyn Malkin
31. Sherry Schor & Elaine Blitz
32. Barbara Lieberman, Lois Zoller & Marjorie Kulp
33. Reni Belzberg & Sylvia Cristall
34. Nora Kaufman & Annette Novack*
35. Barbara Cook, Lila Rauch, Lenore Wyatt &
Cora Ginsberg
* Past Women’s Philanthropy Chairs
Shabbat and Holiday Information
Check the websites or call the synagogues for the full schedule of their services.
BETH SHALOM (Member, United
Synagogue of Conservative
Judaism)
Ken Hailpern, Spiritual Leader
79-733 Country Club Drive,
Bermuda Dunes, CA 92203
congregationbethshalom.net
760-200-3636
8 pm Friday/9:30 am Saturday
Shabbat Services. Sit down Kiddush
after Shabbat morning services.
Friday, April 8 – 6:30 pm Shabbat
Dinner in lieu of Erev Shabbat
Services. Paid reservations
required.
Friday, April 22 – No Erev Shabbat
Service.
Passover services: 9:30 am April 23,
29 and 30.
Weekday minyan on hiatus for the
summer months.
CENTRO CULTURAL HEBREO DE
MEXICALI (Conservative)
Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
Contact: Ron Cohen
www.judiosdemexicali.com
760-960-3392 US (686) 216-7152
Mexico
CHABAD OF PALM SPRINGS &
DESERT COMMUNITIES
Rabbi Yonason Denebeim
425 Ortega, Palm Springs, CA
92264
www.chabadpalmsprings.com
760-325-0774
Shabbat services Friday/Saturday;
daily morning and evening minyan.
CHABAD OF PALM DESERT
A project of Chabad of Palm Springs
& Desert Communities
Rabbi Mendy Friedman
www.chabadpd.com 760-9692153 / 760-969-2158
CHABAD OF RANCHO MIRAGE
A project of Chabad of Palm Springs
& Desert Communities
Rabbi Shimon Posner
72295 Via Marta, Rancho Mirage,
CA 92270
www.chabadrm.com 760-7707785
Shabbat services Friday: check
website for service times. Saturday
10 am; children’s program/service
11:15 am. Daily morning and
evening minyan. M-F 7:00 am;
Sundays 8:00 am/check website
for mincha/maariv times.
CONGREGATION HAR-EL
(Member, Union for Reform
Judaism)
Rabbi Richard Zionts
[email protected] 760-779-1691
For information contact Har-El by
email or phone.
DESERT HOT SPRINGS
Monthly Friday Shabbat Service
with Rabbi Faith Tessler September
through May. Call Jewish
Federation, 760-324-4737, for
schedule.
SHADOW HILLS JEWISH
OUTREACH GROUP
Monthly Shabbat services
third Friday of the month at 6
pm, with Rabbi Julian King. 760406-3323 Montecito Clubhouse,
Sun City Shadow Hills.
TEMPLE HAR SHALOM, Idyllwild
Monthly services with Rabbi Julian
King. Saturday, April 23 – 6 pm
Potluck Passover Seder at Rainbow
Inn, Idyllwild. Seder open to all.
For information email Pam at
[email protected].
TEMPLE ISAIAH
Rabbi David Lazar.
332 West Alejo Road, Palm
CONGREGATION SHALOM BAYIT
Springs, CA 92262 760-325(Reform)
2281. www.templeisaiahps.com.
Rabbi Kenneth Milhander
First
Friday 6:30 pm; rest of month
1320 W. Williams Ave., Banning,
7:30
pm /10 am Saturday Shabbat
CA 92220.
Services.
Contact 951-769-3678/769-7514
No
services Friday, April 22. Pesach/
rd
Shabbat Service 3 Friday/
Shabbat
services 10 am April 23 &
st
Havdallah 1 Saturday evening.
30 (Yizkor).
Community Seder Saturday, April
23. Call 760-325-2281 for
information.
TEMPLE SINAI (Reform)
Rabbi Andrew Bentley
73-251 Hovley Lane West, Palm
Desert, CA 92260.
www.templesinaipd.org
760-568-9699.
7:30 pm Friday/8:45 am Torah
study; 10 am Saturday Shabbat
Services.
Saturday, April 2: Bar Mitzvah of
Ethan Horne.
Friday, April 15: Shabbat dinner
6:00 pm; Shabbat Zimra Service
with Tick Recht at 7:30 pm. Call
the Temple office to RSVP for the
dinner.
Community Seder Saturday April
23. Call 760-568-9699 for
information.
Friday, May 6 – 6 pm Shabbat
Dinner for Families with children.
BIKUR CHOLIM
A project of Chabad of Palm Springs
& Desert Communities
(Community Outreach)
Rabbi Yankel Kreiman
www.BikurCholimPS.com
760-325-8076
April thru May 15 Community Calendar
Mondays
6:45 pm Chabad of Rancho
Mirage Women’s Torah and Tea.
A weekly journey into the soul
of Torah. Call 760-272-1923 to
RSVP and for directions.
Mondays
7:00 pm Chabad of Rancho
Mirage Men’s Torah Class with
Rabbi Benny Lew. For more
information call 760-636-2897
or email rabbibenny@chabadrm.
com.
14 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
Tuesdays
10:00 am Temple Sinai Yiddish
“Mamaloshen.”
Tuesdays
2:00 pm Temple Sinai Talmud
Class.
Tuesdays
5:00-7:00 pm Chabad Rancho
Mirage’s weekly BBQ. Affordable,
fun and kosher! Reservations not
required, but helpful: 760-7707785. Note: No BBQ during
Pesach.
April thru May 15 Community Calendar
Wednesdays
9:00 am Temple Sinai
Introduction to Judaism
Saturday Shabbat Social. Visit
www.ShalomGroupPS.com for
more information and to RSVP.
Wednesdays
10:00 am and 1:30 pm Tolerance
Education Center free movies.
See page 11 for list of upcoming
month’s films.
Sunday, April 3, 17, May 1
10:00 – 11:15 am “ Coffee House
Rabbi” Coffee and conversation
with Rabbi Sally Olins. Hyatt
Palm Springs.
Wednesdays
Noon Temple Sinai Lunch and
Limud.
Tuesday, April 5, 12, 19, 26
7:00 – 8:15 pm Temple Isaiah
& St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Interfaith Mini-Course “Studying,
Speaking and Singing the Psalms”
at St. Paul’s. Call 760-325-2281
for details and to RSVP.
Wednesdays
3:00-4:15 pm Temple Isaiah
ExploraTorah with Rabbi David
Lazar.
Thursdays
2:00 pm Temple Sinai Kabbalah
Class.
Chabad Rancho Mirage
Children’s Programs
C Teen Global Teen network
offering social, educational &
humanitarian programming.
C Teen Jr. For 7-8 graders.
Educational and social
programming.
C Kids ages 4-11. Meets Sundays
10:30-noon. Trips. Art. Cooking.
Teaching life skills.
Call 760-272-1923 or email
[email protected] for
information about the groups and
meeting date.
Friday, April 1
4:00 pm Tolerance Education
Center “Mixed Nuts” with Lila
Rose, Melisa and Fleet Easton.
$15. See page 11.
Saturday, April 2
4:00-6:00 pm Shalom Group First
Wednesday, April 6, 13
4-5:30 pm Congregation HarEl Galen Trimester Course with
Rabbi Jordan Ofseyer on “The
American Jewish Condition.”
Call 760-779-1691 or email
[email protected].
Wednesday, April 6
6:00 pm Temple Sinai
Mitzvah Food Bank Volunteer
Appreciation Dinner.
Wednesday, April 6
6:30-8:00 pm Temple Isaiah “PrePesach Workshop” with Rabbi
Lazar.
Thursday, April 7
9:30 am Sabra Hadassah of the
Desert “Why This Night in Israel
is Different from other Nights.”
Speaker: Rabbi Andrew Bentley.
Sun City Shadow Hills Montecito
Clubhouse Main Ballroom. RSVP
must be received by March 31.
Continental breakfast couvert:
$13 if received by March 7/$18 at
door. For more information call
Debbie at 760-289-7987.
Thursday, April 7
4:00 PM Book Club discussion
of “The Wedding Jester” by Steve
Stern, led by David Baellow. For
information call 760-200-3636.
Wednesday, April 13
11:30 am Jewish Federation
Women’s Philanthropy Pearl
Society Luncheon. See page 2
for more information.
Thursdays, April 7, 14, May 5, 12
… through to June
6:30-8:30 pm Temple Isaiah.
19 week course “On One
Foot” (Introduction to Judaism).
Instructor: Rabbi David Lazar.
Fee. Call 760-844-7305 for
information and schedule of
classes.
Thursday, April 14
5:30 pm Temple Sinai
Brotherhood Dinner and a Movie.
Thursday, April 7
4:00 pm Tolerance Education
Center “Spinning into Butter”
(Dramatic Reading by local actors
and students). $15. See page 11
for details.
Saturday, April 16
7:00 pm Tolerance Education
Center. L.A. Women’s Theater
Project presents “The Improvables
of the Desert – Seriously Funny
Night of Comedy.” $20.00. RSVP
760-328-8252.
Saturday, April 9
5:00 pm Temple Sinai Tikvah
Preschool 5th annual fundaiser at
J. WIllott Gallery, Palm Desert.
Sunday, April 10
1:00 pm Tolerance Education
Center movie “The Passionate
Pursuits of Angela Bowen”
followed by refreshments and
discussion with Director Jennifer
Abod. Suggested donation $5. See
page 11 for details.
Tuesday, April 12
11:00 am Jewish National Fund
Women for Israel Brunch. At The
Club at Morningside. Speaker:
Alisa Bodner. $36. RSVP to
Stacey Lewis at [email protected] or
760-864-6208, Ext. 964.
Thursday, April 14
7:00 pm Tolerance Education
Center Exhibition opening
“Crimes Against Humanity:
Crimes Against Peace.” No
charge. See page 11 for details.
Sunday, April 17
1:00 pm Tolerance Education
Center. ACLU Forum.
Monday, April 18
NoonX Lunch and Learn.
“Keeping Our Physical and
Mental Health: Does a Fountain
of Youth Exist?” Speaker: Dr.
Stewart B. Fleishman, MD.
Couvert: $5, includes beverages
and dessert. Please bring a dairy
lunch. RSVP required. Call 760324-4737.
Wednesday, April 20
Jewish Family Service: Michael
Childers presents “One Night
Only.” McCallum Theatre.
Contact JFS 760-325-4088 for
more information.
NEW FEATURE FOR THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR:
Recognizing that our readers often didn’t have enough advance knowledge to attend events occurring the very beginning of the month, the
Jewish Community News’ Community Calendar shall cover five weeks of events: the current month and the first two weeks of the next month.
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 15
April thru May
15 Community
Calendar
Thursday, April 28
1:00 pm Jewish Family Service
Café Europa Passover Seder at
Temple Sinai. For information call
760-325-4088, extension 101.
First 2 Weeks
In May
Sunday, May 1
3:00 pm Jewish Federation
of the Desert Community
Yom HaShoah/Holocaust
Remembrance Observance.
Helene Galen Auditorium –
Annenberg Center for Health
Sciences at Eisenhower Medical
Center, Rancho Mirage. Keynote
Speaker: Stephen D. Smith,
Executive Director, USC Shoah
Foundation.
Wednesday, May 4
3:00 pm Jewish Federation of the
Desert Annual Meeting.
See page 2 for details.
Thursday, May 5
9:30 am Sabra Hadassah of the
Desert “Marlon Brando and Mind
and Body Connection” featuring
Dr. Karen Golob, Hypnotherapist.
Sun City Shadow Hills Montecito
Clubhouse Main Ballroom. RSVP
must be received by April 28.
Continental breakfast couvert: $13
if received by March 7/$18 at door.
For more information call Debbie
at 760-289-7987.
Saturday, May 7
4:00-6:00 pm Shalom Group First
Saturday Shabbat Social. Visit
www.ShalomGroupPS.com for
more information and to RSVP.
Thursday, May 12
5:30 pm Temple Sinai Brotherhood
Dinner and a Movie.
16 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
Airborne but Grounded: All-Female Arab
Crew Flies into Saudi Arabia
By Stuart Winer, The Times of Israel
The first all-female Royal Brunei Airline
crew recently flew into the company’s
history books on a plane that touched
down in Saudi Arabia — where they are
unable to get behind the wheel of a car.
As part of the independence
celebrations for Brunei’s National Day,
Captain Sharifah Czarena Surainy, Senior
First Officer Dk Nadiah Pg Khashiem and
Senior First Officer Sariana Nordin flew
flight BI081 from Brunei to Jeddah on
February 23.
But once they left the cockpit of the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the women
would have needed to take a backseat
to a man if they wanted to get anywhere,
because Saudi Arabia prohibits women
from driving.
Czarena already made headlines
three years ago when she became the
first female pilot in Southeast Asia. In an
interview with the The Brunei Times in
2012, she said, “Being a pilot, people
normally see it as being a male-dominant
occupation. As a woman, a Bruneian
woman, it is such a great achievement.
It’s really showing the younger generation
or the girls especially that whatever they
dream of, they can achieve it,” she said.
Women’s driving rights has become
a campaign issue in Saudi Arabia
and there is a Facebook group that
encourages women to post pictures of
themselves motoring in the kingdom. In
2014 the Saudi King’s advisory council
recommended that the government lift
its ban on female drivers, a member of
The all-female flight-deck crew of a Royal
Brunei Airlines plane (l-r) Captain Sharifah
Czarena Surainy, Senior First Officer Dk
Nadiah Pg Khashiem and Senior First
Officer Sariana Nordin
the council told The Associated Press at
the time. The council’s recommendations
were not obligatory on the government,
but the recommendation itself was a
major step after years of the kingdom
staunchly rejecting any review of the ban.
Under the recommendations, only
women over 30 would be allowed to
drive and they would need permission
from a male relative — usually a husband
or father, but lacking those, a brother or
son. They would be allowed to drive
from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday
through Wednesday and noon to 8
p.m. on Thursday and Friday. It wasn’t
immediately clear why the restrictions
would be different Thursday and Friday, as
the Saudi weekend was changed by royal
decree in 2013 to Friday and Saturday.
Those recommendations also required
that a female driver wear conservative
dress and no makeup, the official said.
Within cities, they would be able to
drive without a male relative in the car,
but outside of cities, a male’s presence
would be required.
Tribute Card Donations
Sending tributes and memorials is a meaningful way to honor loved ones.
Honorarium Tributes –
In Appreciation For:
• Miles and Sally Berger, Thank you from
Sanford and Rosemary Hertz, Frances
Horwich, and Susan Walpert and Sandy
Seplow.
• Nancy Ditlove, In honor of receiving the
Kipnis-Wilson/Friedland Award, from
Linda Ketover and Sherry and Howard
Schor.
• Hal and Diane Gershowitz, from Jeffrey
and Suzanne Feder.
• Roz Hack, Thank you from Sanford and
Rosemary Hertz.
• Stan Hack, Happy big birthday, from
Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.
• Margot Halperin, Thank you from Jane
Effress.
• Mal and Ruth Kaufman, Mazel tov on
the birth of your great grandson, from
Richard and Barbara Rosenfield.
• Sherwin Leff, Happy special birthday,
from Marnie Miller and Joe Noren.
• Trudy Schwartz, Happy birthday from
Margot and Jerry Halperin.
• Jane and Larry Sherman, Thank you
from Susie and Bob Diamond, Marilyn
Malkin and Larry Wolf.
• Leonard Sherman, in honor of the B’nai
Mitzvah of your grandsons Eli and Jacob,
from Judy and Marty Cohn.
• Allan Steinberg, Happy 85th birthday,
from Marnie Miller and Joe Noren.
• Linda Sussman, Congratulations on the
marriage of Michael and Carey, from
Cora and Ted Ginsberg.
All contributions received by the Jewish Federation for
Tribute Cards are placed in our special Tzedakah Fund,
which provides direct monetary intervention for needy
Jews living in the Coachella Valley.
• Peter and Nan Tynberg, Thank you from
Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.
• Shelly and Steve Zucker, Thank you
from Susie and Bob Diamond.
Refuah Shleimah –
Get Well Wishes To:
• Loreen Jacobson, Wishing you a speedy
recovery, from Barbara Platt and Norm
Lewis.
• Janet Reiter, Wishing you a speedy
recovery, from Roberta and Allan
Nyman.
• Barbara Schrayer, Wishing you a speedy
recovery, from Audrey and Joe Bernstein,
Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.
Memoriam Tributes –
Condolences Sent To:
• Penny Anixter, Our deepest sympathy
on your loss, from Gail and Bob
Scadron.
• Kathi Balaban, In loving memory of your
husband Dick, from Audrey and Joe
Bernstein.
• Beverly Bell, In loving memory of your
son-in-law Philip Midgen, from Sondi
and Bruce Green.
• Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Cohen, In
memory of your beloved son, from Ruth
and Mal Kaufman, Marnie Miller and Joe
Noren.
• Marion Fern, In memory of your beloved
father, from Marnie Miller and Joe
Noren.
• Jeannette Galante, In memory of your
beloved brother, from Cora and Ted
Ginsberg.
• Dr. and Mrs. Jay Goodman, In loving
memory of your mother Shirley, from
Chickie and Claude Steinberger.
• Family of Phyllis Grant, In Phyllis’
memory, from Marnie Miller.
• Lois Johnson, In memory of your
beloved husband Mitch, from Audrey
and Joe Bernstein, Sanford and
Rosemary Hertz, Margie and Stephen
Kulp, Fern and Stan Weiss.
• Mr. and Mrs. B. Kazan, In loving
memory of your uncle, Buzzy Cooper,
from Chickie and Claude Steinberger.
• Joyce and James Meitus, in memory
of your beloved mother Fay, from Toni
and Bobby Garmisa, Frances Horwich,
Margie and Stephen Kulp.
• Leslie Pepper and Family, In memory of
your beloved mother and grandmother,
Crystal Mendelsohn, from Roberta and
Allan Nyman.
• Steve and Alana Polacheck, In memory
of your beloved mother, from Susie and
Bob Diamond.
• Linda and Jay Schiff, in loving memory
of your mother Fay Meitus, from Frances
Horwich, and Margie and Stephen Kulp.
• Sandy Schwartz, In memory of your
beloved brother Robert Rose, from
Audrey and Joe Bernstein, Margot and
Jerry Halperin, Gail and Bob Scadron.
• Tolerance Education Center, In memory
of Earl Greif, from Jewish Family Service
of the Desert.
• Roberta Zale, In memory of your
beloved husband Edward, from Ruth and
Mal Kaufman.
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 17
A Righteous Gentile: A Story from WWII
The Nazi soldiers made their orders
very clear: Jewish American prisoners
of war were to be separated from their
fellow brothers in arms and sent to an
uncertain fate.
But Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds
would have none of that. As the
highest-ranking noncommissioned
officer held in the German POW
camp, he ordered more than 1,000
American captives to step forward
with him and brazenly pronounced:
"We are all Jews here."
He would not waver, even with
a pistol to his head, and his captors
eventually backed down.
Seventy years later, the Knoxville,
Te n n e s s e e , n a t i v e i s b e i n g
posthumously recognized with
Israel's highest honor for non-Jews
who risked their lives to save Jews
during World War II. He's the first
American serviceman to earn the
honor.
"Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds
seemed like an ordinary American
soldier, but he had an extraordinary
sense of responsibility and dedication
to his fellow human beings," said
Avner Shalev, chairman of the Yad
Vashem Holocaust museum and
memorial. "The choices and actions of
Master Sgt. Edmonds set an example
for his fellow American soldiers as
they stood united against the barbaric
evil of the Nazis."
It's a story that remained untold
for decades and one that his son, the
Rev. Chris Edmonds, only discovered
long after his father's death in 1985.
Edmonds was captured with
thousands of others in the Battle of the
Bulge in late 1944 and spent 100 days
in captivity. His son vaguely knew
about his father's past from a pair of
diaries Edmonds kept in captivity that
included the names and addresses
of his men and some of his daily
Roddie Edmonds
thoughts.
But it was only while scouring
the Internet a few years ago that he
began to unravel the true drama that
had unfolded — oddly enough, when
he read a newspaper article about
Richard Nixon's post-presidency
search for a New York home. As it
happened, Nixon purchased his
exclusive upper East Side town house
from Lester Tanner, a prominent
New York lawyer who mentioned in
passing how Edmonds had saved him
and dozens of other Jews during the
war.
That sparked a search for Tanner, who
along with another Jewish POW, Paul
Stern, told the younger Edmonds what
they witnessed on Jan. 27, 1945,
at the Stalag IXA POW camp near
Ziegenhain, Germany.
The Wehrmacht had a strict antiJew policy and segregated Jewish
POWs from non-Jews. On the eastern
front, captured Jewish soldiers in
the Russian army had been sent to
extermination camps.
At the time of Edmonds' capture,
the most infamous Nazi death camps
were no longer fully operational, so
Jewish American POWs were instead
sent to slave labor camps where
their chances of survival were low.
U.S. soldiers had been warned that
Jewish fighters among them would
be in danger if captured and were
told to destroy dog tags or any other
evidence identifying them as Jewish.
So when the German camp
commander, speaking in English,
ordered the Jews to identify
themselves, Edmonds knew what
was at stake.
Turning to the rest of the POWs,
he said: "We are not doing that, we
are all falling out," recalled Chris
Edmonds, who is currently in Israel
participating in a seminar for Christian
leaders at Yad Vashem's International
School for Holocaust Studies.
With all the camp's inmates defiantly
standing in front of their barracks,
the German commander turned to
Edmonds and said: "They cannot all
be Jews." To which Edmonds replied:
"We are all Jews here."
Then the Nazi officer pressed his
pistol to Edmonds head and offered
him one last chance. Edmonds merely
gave him his name, rank and serial
number as required by the Geneva
Conventions.
"And then my dad said: 'If you
are going to shoot, you are going to
have to shoot all of us because we
know who you are and you'll be tried
for war crimes when we win this
war,' " recalled Chris Edmonds, who
estimates his father's actions saved
the lives of more than 200 JewishAmerican soldiers.
Witnesses to the exchange said
the German officer then withdrew.
Stern, who currently lives in Reston,
Virginia, told Yad Vashem that even
70 years later he can "still hear the
words."
About 6 million European Jews
were killed by German Nazis and
their collaborators during World War
II. The names of those honored for
risking their lives to protect Jews are
engraved along an avenue of trees at
the Jerusalem memorial.
More than 26,000 have been
designated "Righteous Among the
Nations," the most famous being
Oskar Schindler, whose efforts to
save more than 1,000 Jews were
documented in Steven Spielberg's
1993 film "Schindler's List," and Raoul
Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat who
is credited for having saved at least
20,000 Jews before mysteriously
disappearing.
But prior to Edmonds, only four
were Americans, who belonged to
the clergy or volunteered for rescue
groups. He's the first serviceman and
the first whose actions saved the lives
of fellow Americans. A ceremony for
Edmonds is planned next year. And,
thanks to his son's efforts, Edmonds
is now also being considered for a
Congressional Medal of Honor.
Irena Steinfeldt, the director of
the Holocaust memorial's Righteous
Among the Nations department, said
all rescue stories were unique. She
said Edmonds actions were reflective
of those of a military man, who was
prepared to take a quick, clear, moral
decision.
"It's a matter of five minutes and
that is it. When he tells the German,
'No,' that is something that can kill
him," she explained. "It is something
very dangerous that is happening in
one moment. ... But it is very heroic."
Chris Edmonds, who leads a Baptist
congregation in Maryville, Tennessee,
said he believed his father had a "deep
moral conviction" instilled in his faith
that inspired his actions. "All he had
to fight with was his will power and
his wits," he said. "I'm just glad he did
the right thing.”
The Jewish Federation of the Desert is now a registered nonprofit with Amazon Smile!
It couldn’t be easier to register:
1. Go to smile.amazon.com 2. Register Jewish Federation of the Desert as your
favorite charity 3. Shop! 4. Bookmark the smile.amazon.com page and don’t forget
to only shop through this link! We earn .5% of each purchase.
Purchases made through regular amazon.com will NOT lead to charitable contributions.
18 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
OF THE DESERT
We appreciate your support!
Israeli Innovation Could Save Countless Stab Victims
By Ari Soffer, Arutz Sheva
An Israeli researcher at Ariel
University in Samaria has discovered
a revolutionary new method to stop
the uncontrolled bleeding common
in victims of stabbings, a medical
innovation which could save countless
lives in Israel and worldwide.
Over the past several months
Israel has been engulfed by a wave of
Arab terrorism, the majority of which
have involved stabbings, as well as
shootings and car ramming attacks.
More than 30 people have been
murdered in the attacks and hundreds
have been wounded. Many of the
victims, which have included the
elderly, children and mothers, bled
to death after suffering multiple stab
wounds and the accompanying rapid
blood loss.
Along with ceaseless incitement,
Palestinian terror groups such as
Hamas and Fatah have circulated
detailed instructions on how to most
"effectively" stab or slash a victim to
cause maximum damage, and as a
result the injuries inflicted to Jewish
victims are often extensive and
extremely dangerous.
Until now the only blood stopping
solutions for the type of deep wounds
caused by such violent stabbings are
either too weak to effectively deal
with them, or so strong that they cause
deadly blood clots. Even the most able
medical first responders often do not
have the most effective solutions to
save lives when every second counts.
But Israeli scientist Moshe
by victims of terror or accidents.
However, it is vital to get this discovery
from the lab to the clinic as quickly
as possible. The sooner it gets to the
market, the sooner it can be used
effectively to save lives."
At this stage, gallium has to undergo
studies to determine the optimal dose
Stab victim arrives at Shaare Tzedek and delivery method prior to filing for
Hospital, Jerusalem marketing authorization by the health
Rogosnitzky has discovered that authorities. In addition, a comparative
gallium, a biometal currently used efficacy trial with other technologies
to stop bone loss in cancer patients, for stopping bleeding needs to occur.
"Unfortunately, there seems to be
can, in liquid form (known as gallium
no
immediate
end in sight to the kind
nitrate), rapidly halt bleeding from
of
violent
attacks
facing Israelis," said
deep wounds without causing blood
Rogosnitzky.
"Gallium
can provide
clots.
instantaneous
help
to
victims
in Israel.
The use of gallium for stopping
"Our
goal
is
to
place
gallium
in every
bleeding from deep cuts provides
first
aid
kit
and
every
ambulance,
additional benefits as well. Extensive
research has shown that gallium is ensuring that every stabbing victim
a very powerful anti-infective and has an increased chance of survival.
speeds the healing of injuries caused In order to move forward quickly we
by deep gashes which are often need resources for clinical testing.
"Moreover, as blood loss remains
produced by the knives and other type
the leading cause of death from
of weapons used by terrorists.
Gallium works by inducing
"flocculation" of the clotting protein
in blood known as fibrinogen. This
results in external clot formation. In
stark contrast to other treatments for
bleeding wounds, gallium does not
induce clotting mechanisms in the
blood. This avoids the highest risk of
existing technologies that run the risk
of causing deadly internal blood clots.
According to Rogosnitzky, Gallium
has the potential to "dramatically
increase the chances of survival
stabbings and other external injuries,
it is our hope that this innovation can
help innocent victims of violent crime
or accidents throughout the world by
significantly reducing mortality rate
and providing an effective and safe
answer for blood loss from wounds."
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 19
IDF Joins with Meir Panim to Fight Poverty and Hunger in Israel
Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) are
renowned for their fierce fighting and
skill at defending their country. Perhaps
lesser known is the fact that the army
mandates that its recruits also work to
fight the enemies within Israel, namely
poverty, hunger and loneliness.
Meir Panim, a charity organization
which provides both immediate and
long-term relief to the impoverished,
young and old, in Israel, has been
working alongside the IDF almost
since its inception ten years ago.
Nissim Elmakayes, the Director of
the Meir Panim Dimona branch
in southern Israel, approached his
neighbor, a commander in the IDF, to
ask if he could get a few strong soldiers
to help with carrying heavy loads and
other needs at the free restaurant-style
soup kitchen.
“The soldiers who helped were so
moved by the work of Meir Panim that
they began volunteering on a regular
basis,” explained Elmakayes. “The
more soldiers helped and told their
friends about the great work of Meir
Panim, the more soldiers wanted to
be included.”
This led to the Israeli army officially
recognizing the benefits to soldiers
and society at large when they
volunteer at Meir Panim. “It was clear
that soldiers developed a greater
social responsibility towards isolated
and marginalized people through this
work,” shared Meir Panim’s Goldie
Sternbuch.
Today, as part of their training,
soldiers from every battalion now
give their time and energy to helping
wherever Meir Panim needs a hand.
“Both male and female soldiers from
non-combat and logistical staff to high
ranking officials all volunteer at Meir
Panim,” added Sternbuch.
(Meir Panim is a recipient agency
of the Jewish Federation of the Desert’s
annual campaign.)
Father Jailed for Convincing Son Not to Grant Divorce
Judgment hailed by rabbis as unprecedented and groundbreaking measure in the efforts to fight get-refusal
By Daniel Douek, The Times of Israel
The Tel Aviv Regional Rabbinical
Court Monday sentenced a JewishAmerican tycoon to 30 days in prison
for being the influence behind his
son’s refusal to grant his wife a Jewish
writ of divorce.
The court’s decision sets a significant
precedent for Orthodox Jewry around
the world, marking the first time a
person has been arrested for someone
else’s refusal to issue a get, or Jewish
divorce.
The 45-page judgment handed
down March 14th stated that the
father of the husband “plays a central
and active role in his son’s ongoing
refusal to grant his wife a divorce,”
The court ruled that the get-refusal
Community Schools
RELIGIOUS/HEBREW SCHOOLS
Aleph Academy
A Project of Jewish Sunshine Circle
Director: Shaindy Friedman
73-550 Santa Rosa Way, Palm Desert,
Ca. 92260
alephacademy.org • 760-413-4425
Temple Sinai
Director: Leslie Pepper
73-251 Hovley Lane West, Palm Desert,
CA 92260
www.templesinaipd.org
760-568-9699
PRE SCHOOLS
Temple Sinai Tikvah Pre-School
Director: Debbie Midcalf • 24 mos - Pre-K
73-251 Hovley Lane West, Palm Desert, CA 92260
760-568-6779
The Gan @ Chabad – a place where Aleph Schoolhouse- A warm, childchildren develop and blossom. Chabad centered environment nurturing each
of Rancho Mirage Early Childhood child's sense of wonder, love of learning,
Program ages 18 months – 5. Part and and Jewish identity. Ages 18 months- 5
full day options. Contact Chaya Posner for years. Call Dina Pinson 347-721-8782.
more information and to register Chaya@ School Address: 73-550 Santa Rosa Way
chabadrm.com or 760-272-1923.
in Palm Desert.
20 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
was dependent on the father, paving
the way for him to be jailed. However,
the 30-day jail sentence has been
suspended for 10 days while the
father, a major donor to the Jerusalembased Erlau Hasidic court, appeals the
verdict, Haaretz reported.
The refusing son is an ultraOrthodox Jew who married his wife
in the US 19 years ago. His name
and the name of his father were not
released to the public.
The American husband was
visiting Israel with his wife and two
children in 2005 when the wife had
a serious stroke that left her disabled,
according to media reports. She
partially recovered three years later
and asked her husband for a divorce.
The husband had abandoned his
family in Israel and returned to the
United States, where he went into
hiding, supported by his parents and
the Haredi Orthodox community.
The man, though refused to grant his
wife a Jewish divorce, leaving her an
aguna — the Jewish term for a woman
whose spouse refuses to grant her a
divorce, making it forbidden for her
to re-marry.
A thorough cooperative
investigation conducted by Israel’s and
the US’s rabbinical courts revealed
that the father, a wealthy businessman
known to be a heavy contributor to
the ultra-Orthodox sector, is behind
the refusal.
When the defendant’s parents
came to Israel on a visit, the court
summoned the father to testify
officially, even issuing him with a
ban on leaving the country until he
does so.
The Rabbinical Court’s decision
to punish the father for inciting his
son’s refusal is viewed as a step up in
the Orthodox Jewry’s efforts to crack
down on the issue of get refusal,
according to Rabbi Shlomo Shtasman,
the judge presiding over the case.
Shtasman commented, “The ongoing
and cruel refusal to grant the plaintiff
a divorce is one of the most difficult
cases the rabbinical court has been
dealing with.”
African Muslim Leaders Visit as Israel-Africa Ties Strengthen
Imams and other religious leaders from six African countries visit Jewish state, meet top officials, as part of Israeli pivot to Africa.
By Arutz Sheva Staff
Imams and other senior Muslim
religious leaders from six central
African states arrived in Israel for a
landmark four-day visit, as the Jewish
state continues to strengthen ties with
African nations.
The Muslim leaders hailed from
six different countries - the Republic
of South Sudan, Zambia, Cameroon,
Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia and were hosted by senior Israeli
officials. The African delegates also
serve as leaders of their respective
communities, and as such are
influential political players in their
countries.
The group met with Foreign Ministry
Director General Dr. Dore Gold,
who hailed the burgeoning relations
between Israel and Africa and noted
that Prime Minister Netanyahu plans
to visit Africa this year.
"Israel is coming back to Africa;
Africa is coming back to Israel," Gold
said, quoting the PM during a recent
launch of the Knesset's new Africa
Caucus.
Foreign Ministry Director General Dore
Gold Welcomes African Imams
"I am pleased that you will have
the opportunity to see the situation in
Israel first-hand," he added.
Gold, who hosted the delegation
as official guests of the Israeli Foreign
Ministry, recounted his recent visit
to South Africa. Ironically, given the
strong support for the anti-Israel BDS
Movement in South Africa - which
attempts to equate Israel with the
apartheid regime as part of a campaign
to advocate an international boycott
of the Jewish state - he recalled noting
that South Africa can in fact learn a lot
from Israel about coexistence.
"I have just returned from a visit
to South Africa. There I witnessed
apartheid, with separate hospitals
for whites and blacks," he said. In
contrast, Israeli hospitals - as with
all Israeli public institutions - do not
discriminate in any way.
"I invite you to visit Hadassah
Hospital, where you can see the
staff and patients, Jews and Arabs
side by side. We also established a
field hospital in the Golan Heights
to treat wounded Syrians. They are
by definition of our enemies, but we
treat them as a humanitarian mission
of the first order."
Israel has of late embarked on a
campaign to strengthen once-strong
ties with the African continent, based
on mutual interests including battling
Islamic terrorism, combating drought
and cooperating in the fields of
technology and medicine.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry
emphasized the importance of a
strategic alliance between Israel and
Africa.
"At the present time, when African
states are confronting threats from
Islamic jihadist terrorism, we attach
prime importance to meetings with
moderate Muslim religious leaders,"
the statement read. "These meetings
could serve as a stabilizing factor and
boost Israel's connection to these
sectors of African society."
The delegation was arranged by
the Africa Division and the World
Jewish and Interreligious Affairs
Bureau of the Israel Foreign Ministry,
in conjunction with the American
Jewish Committee. According to the
Israeli Foreign Ministry, "the visit aims
to familiarize the visitors with sociopolitical aspects of Israel; to generate
an interreligious, intercultural
dialogue; and to explore possibilities
for economic and agricultural
development cooperation."
They also met with the Israeli Chief
Rabbis to discuss coexistence, and
are receiving diplomatic and strategic
briefings from top officials, as well as
touring the country's religious sites,
including in Jerusalem, Jaffa, Haifa
and Acco.
Latin American, Caribbean Lawmakers Sign Pro-Israel, Anti-BDS Resolution
Parliamentarians from 13 Latin
American and Caribbean nations have
signed a resolution in support of Israel
and against the Boycott, Divestment
and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The lawmakers met in early March
for the Israel Allies Foundation’s Second
Annual Latin America Summit on Israel,
according to a document obtained by
the Jerusalem Post.
The resolution, written in
Spanish, states that the signatories
“unequivocally declare, personally, our
support for the Jewish people to live in
peace, safety and security in the Land
of Israel” and that “strong relations
between the Western Hemisphere
and Israel are crucial to the spread
of freedom, democracy and justice
around the world.”
“Boycotts and sanctions against the
State of Israel and its products contribute
to an anti-Semitic attitude inspired by
anti-Semitism and opposition to the
Jewish State…[and] are detrimental to
a peaceful resolution of the Arab-Israeli
conflict, and must be rejected by all
actors that seek peace,” it also states.
The resolution also affirms that “the
eventual existence of countries with
nuclear weapons in the Middle East
poses an existential threat to Israel and
for peace around the world.”
Uruguayan Minister Ruperto Long
said that his country was the first in Latin
America to have an Israeli embassy.
The “Jewish people have played a
very important role in Uruguay for
more than a century, and we need to
honor that tradition. It is unbelievable
that after more than three thousand
years the Jewish people have not been
allowed to have their own country
where they can live in peace. For me,
this is an essential human rights issue
to fix,” he said.
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 21
Simchas
Mazel tov to Ethan
Horne, son of
Clara and Michael
H o r n e , wh o i s
being called to
the Torah as a Bar
Mitzvah on April
Ethan Horne
2nd at Temple Sinai
... Two of Desert
Business Association’s 2016
Business and Community Awards
presented March 7th recognized
one of our desert Temples and a
not-so-well-known (yet) member
of ou r Je w i sh C o m m u n ity.
C o n g ra t u l a t i o n s t o H e d dy
Salerno of Inside Plants, honored
as “Business Person of the Year”
and Temple Isaiah’s Temple
Isaiah’s Community Center
as “Outstanding Community
Service Organization,” the award
accepted by Executive Director
Douglas Morton and Facilities
Heddy Salerno
Douglas Morton and Christopher Greene
(second & third from left)
Coordinator Christopher Greene.
Share your Simchas with us.
Email or call Miriam Bent at
[email protected] or 760323-0255.
Bill paying, reconcile bank
Classifieds statement, run errands, drive to
appointment. Computer help:
MS Office, QuickBooks, emails.
CAREGIVER AVAILABLE. Let Notary. 2 hours minimum.
me give you a helping hand at Trustworthy, discreet, dependable.
a reasonable rate. Experienced 760-408-5260.
in personal care, Alzheimer’s,
Parkinson’s, Stroke cases. DAVID’S CONSTRUCTION
Cooking, errands and light Conscientious licensed, insured,
housekeeping. Strong. Reliable.
bonded, general contractor.
References and background
Catering to all your home repair
check available. Call 760-668- needs. No job too small or big.
6764.
Room additions, remodeling,
patio covers, decks, carpentry,
CONGREGATION HAR-EL, electrical, plumbing, masonry,
Member, Union for Reform drywall, cement, wood floors,
Judaism, is WALKING THE
tile, fences, painting, sprinklers,
WALK. Offering a contemporary landscaping, swamp coolers,
approach to Study, Worship custom homes and more. License
and Creating Community. You
#506-370. davidsconstruction@
are welcome to join Shabbat ymail.com 760-671-4476.
services, Galen Courses,
Membership, and Passover JFS VOLUNTEERS WELCOME:
Seder. For your organization, JFS has rewarding volunteer
Rabbi Richard Zionts is available opportunities available and is
for a presentation on Jewish and now accepting applications for
general topics. Call 760-779- the following positions: Let’s Do
1691 or email harelurj@gmail. Lunch! Program Driver, Let’s
com . See Har-El ads on pages Do Lunch! Program Volunteer,
10, 16 and Sage cartoon on page Friendly Visitor, JFS Express
Senior Ride Transportation driver,
17.
P E R S O N A L A S S I S TA N T / Front Office Assistant. For more
PERSONAL AFFAIRS MANAGER information contact 760-325Excellent local references. 4088, extension 101.
Candle Lighting Times
Friday, April 1
Friday, April 8
Friday, April 15
Friday, April 22
Saturday, April 23
Friday, April 29
Friday, May 6
Friday, May 13
Shabbat Parah
Shabbat Hachodesh
Shabbat Metzora
Shabbat Pesach
2nd Night Pesach
Shabbat Pesach
Shabbat Acharei
Shabbat Kedoshim
6:24 pm
6:30 pm
6:35 pm
6:40 pm
After 8:06 pm
6:46 pm
6:51 pm
6:56 pm
We Mourn the Passing of...
Sweet faces of children attending Aleph Schoolhouse, a pre-school program
of Chabad of Palm Desert.
22 • JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org
Mark M. Frenkel, Earl Greif, Rose Lee Pomeranz, Kim Robbins,
and Dr. Richard Stone. Our deepest sympathies to their families
and friends. May their memories endure as a blessing.
Have A Nosh With Miriam
By Miriam H. Bent
HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU
Need more evidence that Jews are ‘the People of the
Book’? Besides bookmobiles in reverse – bookshelves
in bus shelters and on beaches, lending libraries that
work on an honor system are being extended to 15
public camping grounds along Shvil Israel (the Israel
National Trail) that runs the length of the country – 940
km - from Dan to Eilat, stocked with titles ranging
from fiction to poetry and philosophy. Readers can
pick up a book at one spot and return it at another
stop when they are through.
Another feature of Shvil Israel, the entire length of
the Israel National Trail is now accessible by PC for
those who cannot walk it, documented step-by-step
with a 360 degree Google Street camera mounted on a knapsack – a
project that took three months to complete. (Israel HaYom).
THE PREZ IS A MENSCH
It’s rumored that many world leaders never carry
wallets … that aides pick up the tab when such VIPs
are ‘out and about’ but Israel’s President is setting
new standards.
When Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin grabbed a simple
grilled tuna sandwich and bottle of club soda in
the lounge of the Dan Carmel Hotel prior to an
evening conference in Haifa he was to attend, the
President of the State of Israel paid the 58 NIS bill
out-of-pocket, but in the rush as he was ushered
into the hall, President Rivlin forgot to tip the waiter.
When the event was over, the President set off on his own (much to the
dismay of his security detail), darting into this and that corridor off the
lounge in an attempt to locate the short-changed waiter, Asher Amir, but
was forced to leave his exceedingly generous tip for the oversight – a 100
NIS ($25+) note – at the reception desk. (On receiving the tip, Amir was
floored, saying it was the largest tip he had ever received in ten years on
the job! (Yediot)
DIAL 120
We all know the shortcuts in time of emergencies. 911 is used
throughout the U.S. to reach police, fire or ambulance. In Israel they dial
100 for the police, 101 for an ambulance and 102 for the fire department.
Israel now has a fourth three-digit access code for a service nobody
else has, dial 120 for a death in the family. The round-the-clock answering
service initiated by Minister of Religious Affairs David Azolei will operate
seven days a week – including the Shabbat, providing guidance to nextof-kin about who to call in such circumstances. It should be noted that
there are no ‘commercial funeral homes’ in Israel. National Insurance
covers everything and the local burial society or hever kadisha handles
arrangements.
Snippets items garnered from Chelm-on-the-Med.com
When recently chatting with
Women’s Philanthropy Director
Tina Friedman about preparing for
Pesach, we both observed that we
really didn’t care for the “matzah
meal/ground nuts texture” that
typifies so much of Pesach baking ... which inspired me
to select recipes this year that rely on eggs and potato
starch to give you finer textured cakes. The pound cake
has been a prized recipe for over 40 years, the chocolate
cake for about half as long! Both are lovely additions to your Pesach meals. The
cookies do use a ground almond base, but are really good! Chag samayach! Have
a wonderful Pesach. MHB
PESACH “POUND CAKE”
6 eggs, separated
1 lemon, juice and grated rind
6 heaping tablespoons sugar
6 Tbsp. potato starch
Beat egg yolks and sugar until very thick. Mix in lemon rind and juice, then potato
starch and, lastly, the beaten egg whites. Bake in a spring form pan at 325̊ for 30
to 40 minutes. While cooling prepare the filling/frosting, then split cake in half and
fill layers and top of cake with frosting.
MOCHA FILLING AND FROSTING
½ cup very strong coffee, cooled
dissolved in a little water
2 egg yolks
1/4 lb. (1 cube) unsalted pareve
2½ handfuls sugar
margarine
1 heaping teaspoon potato starch,
Put coffee in small saucepan. Stir in egg yolks, sugar and diluted potato starch. Bring
to a boil over a medium flame. Let it cool, stirring occasionally. In a small mixing
bowl, cream the margarine, then add coffee mixture by spoonfuls, incorporating
into a fluffy frosting.
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 cup pareve margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
10 oz good-quality semisweet or ¼ teaspoon salt
bittersweet chocolate
¼ cup sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon
6 large eggs, slightly beaten
potato starch
1 cup sugar
Assorted berries for garnish
½ cup cocoa
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 10-inch springform pan, then line bottom of pan
with parchment paper. In a small saucepan, combine chocolate and margarine
and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted.
Remove from heat and let cool. In a large work bowl, combine sugar, cocoa, and
salt with a whisk until incorporated. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Add 1/3 of chocolate mixture and stir until incorporated; repeat with remaining 2/3
of chocolate. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 minutes, until just set but
still soft in the center. Let cool completely before removing from pan. Meanwhile,
combine the ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon potato starch in a blender and whirl at
high speed to create Pesach acceptable “confectioner’s sugar.” Sift over the top of
the cooled cake. Serve with berries.
Truffle-like CHOCOLATE SPARKLE COOKIES
½ lb. semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup ground almonds (take a
3 Tbsp. pareve margarine, room
teaspoon from the sugar and grind in
temperature
food processor)
2 eggs
“Confectioner’s sugar” for garnish (see
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
above recipe for Pesach version)
Melt the chocolate ( I do it in short bursts in the microwave oven). Remove from the
heat. Cut the margarine into a few pieces and mix into the chocolate until melted.
Beat the eggs with an electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar until ribbons form.
Fold in the chocolate-butter mixture. Gently add the ground almonds. Cover and
refrigerate overnight to set.
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a
cookie scoop to form the dough into 1" balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar,
place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart and immediately place in the oven.
Bake until the center of the cookies is no longer wet, 10 - 12 minutes. When slightly
cool, lightly dust the cookies with confectioner’s sugar. Makes about 36 cookies.
JCN • April 2016 • Adar II/Nissan 5776 • www.jfedps.org • 23