spring blossoms • bornblum solomon schechter students grant wish

Transcription

May 2008
Spring Blossoms • Bornblum Solomon Schechter Students Grant Wish
FRIENDS OF ISRAEL
Waverly
A Community of Caring
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Waverly
Gardens
features an
emphasis
on personal
services for
independent
living
Some of the services that the
Waverly communities offer:
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Waverly Glen fills
the need for assisted
and memory care
residents with
Alzheimer’s or other
forms of dementia.
$BMMUPBSSBOHFBUPVSBOE&/+0:-6/$)0/64
May 2008 I Jewish Scene
Contents
31 Arts & Entertainment: Reviews
Editor/Publisher
32 Men In Philanthropy:
Jay Tanenbaum
Art Director
33 On the Sidelines:
Season Intern Ethan Bagen
Art Assistant
34 the scribbler:
Can We Talk About Spring?
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Agency Highlight:
Bornblum Solomon Schechter
Students Live and Learn Tzedakah
35 Mazel Tovs
36 Agency/ Advertiser Listings
14
Health & Fitness:
Sleep More, Lose More Pounds!
37
coming attractions
BE SCENE
15
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT:
Menage Merges Knowledge with
Know How
16 Beth Israel, Jackson, MS
Temple Israel, Memphis
22
TEEN SCENE:
BBYO/Fed Challenge/NFTY/Team Trek
Experience/Building Bridge to Israel
Through Friendships
18 Etz Chayim, Benton, AR
Beth Sholom, Memphis
Memphis Jewish Federation
4
HOME & GARDEN:
Spring Blooms Offer Brilliant Color
7
BESHERT:True Stories of Connection
Shiva
8
senior living: Positive Downsizing
10
Travel: Unique River Cruising
11
feature: The Whole Megillah
12
26
From the Kitchen
of Extreme Events:
Spring Food on the Run
27
L’Chayim: Patio and Pools Beckon
28
Feature: Distinguished Journalist
Finds Southern Niche
29
Dollars and Sense: It’s Not
What You Earn, It’s What You Keep
30
Arts & Entertainment:
Comic Jordan Rubin
Dustin Green
David Miller
Rebecca Miller
Jennifer Lefkowitz
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Linda Schlesinger
Lawson Arney
Bob Bernstein
Regina Bryant
Gary Burhop
Shoshana Cenker
Seth Feibelman
Chris Arpe Gang
Mark Hayden
Karen Karmel
Jennifer Lefkowitz
Elise Meyer
Ted Roberts
Harry Samuels
Tonya Tittle
17 ASBEE, Memphis
19 City Scene – Memphis
20-21 Boca City Scene
Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County
Donna Klein Jewish Academy
Account Executives
24 BSSS, Memphis
MHA/FYOS, Memphis
Chief Financial Officer
25 Plough Towers, Memphis
Memphis Jewish Home
Business Manager
Bob Drake
Bari Eiseman
Larry Nieman
Don Heitner
Alice Drake
Editorial Assistants
4
21
Calendar & Scrapbook Editor
Editorial Contributors
Jewish Scene is dedicated to creating awareness among the Jewish community; and promoting and supporting the
religious, educational, social and fundraising efforts of Jewish agencies and organizations.
10
Susan C. Nieman
Bettye Berlin
Emily Bernhardt
Alice Drake
Volume 2 Number 8
May 2008
Nissan / Iyar 5768
Jewish Scene magazine must give permission for any
material contained herein to be copied or reproduced in
any manner. Manuscripts and photographs submitted
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not necessarily reflect the publisher’s opinion, nor
can the publisher be held responsible for errors. The
publication of any advertisement in this issue does not
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Phone: 901.624.4896
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www.jewishscenemagazine.com
From the
EDITOR
Dear Readers,
I can say it has been quite a Spring!
From gala’s to gale storms and tornadoes,
Larry and I have seen it all while we continue
to introduce the magazine throughout the
South and meet many interesting people in
very active Jewish communities.
In March we had the honor of attending Boca
Raton, FL’s Donna Klein Jewish Academy’s
annual gala that raised more than $620,
000 for the school’s academic and tuition
assistance programs. We met and danced
to the tunes of the Supreme’s Mary Wilson.
Then it was off to Jackson, MS, where we
first spent Friday afternoon in the middle of a
tornado and attended services by candlelight
at Temple Beth Israel.(The power was out
because of the massive number of old trees
that were knocked down.) On Saturday
afternoon we attended an opening reception
for Lou Shornick’s extraordinary photography
exhibit at the Ridgeland Public Library. For
almost 90 years, Lou has been in the right
place at the right time. That evening, while
everyone was glued to the TV watching the
University of Memphis Tigers beat the pants
off of UCLA in the Final Four, we were on
way back through (a short stop to watch the
recorded game) Memphis to Nashville, to
cover the Temple Arts Festival hosted by
Congregation Ohabai Sholom.
143 Beale Street • Memphis TN, 38103 • 901 578 3031
Mention this ad from Jewish Scene
and receive 20% off your first visit
I hope you enjoy reading about the fascinating
people we encounter in our travels. They are
as eager to learn about agency activities in
other communities as I am to collect the
information to share with you.
Please stay tuned as Jewish Scene continues
to connect our Jewish communities.
Just call me the Wandering Jew!
P.S.
Visit www.jewishscenemagazine.com to
view the latest and all past issues, subscribe
or change your address. And please
remember to tell our advertisers you saw
their ad in Jewish Scene.
Specialists in custom invitation design.
Let us take the stress out of planning
your wedding and special events!
We carry unique and original
gift collections that will impress and awe.
Shalom,
1FSLJOT&YUJO-BVSFMXPPE1MBDF
t.PO4BUBNQN
Susan C. Nieman - Publisher/Editor
HOME & GARDEN
D
Spring Blooms Offer Brilliant Color
By Chris Gang
Dr. Ira Weinstein likes seeing cars slow down in front of
his home in the 5500 block of Walnut Grove, in Memphis.
If it’s early spring, he knows the congestion is not
due to an accident or especially heavy traffic. It’s because
his display of tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths and other
spring bulbs is so colorful drivers want to take time to lock
it in their eyes.
“I tell you, it’s very
gratifying,” said Weinstein,
who is 80.
Always a gardener,
Weinstein is devoting even
more time to his hobby
since he retired as head of
pharmacology education at
the University of Tennessee
Health Science Center. Each Home of Eileen and Steve Wishnia
year he plants hundreds of tulips in his front yard, choosing
a different color scheme each time. This year it was yellow,
orange and red. His growing collection of daffodils, many of
them fragrant with orange centers, return each year as do
the grape hyacinths that have naturalized into a thick ring
around the base of a flowering tree.
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Photos: CHRIS GANG
He grows the flowers and his wife, Debby, cuts more
than a few to use in arrangements. When the bulbs finish
blooming, he will replace them with begonias, impatiens
and other colorful annuals.
“I’ve always been interested in gardening,” said Weinstein,
adding that he wanted to become a horticulturist at one time.
“I’m one of those few people
who actually enjoy weeding.”
Not only does he
beautify his own yard with
flowers, he also designs
and plants a spring display
of some 1,500 bulbs at
the home of his son and
daughter-in-law, Cindi and
Dr. Joe Weinstein.
“He really has a knack
for designing,” Cindi said. “The colors are absolutely
stunning.” Thousands of blue grape hyacinths edge
plantings of red tulips rising above blue pansies. Her fatherin-law also helped in designing their entire landscape.
Over the years, Weinstein has purchased lots of
bulbs from Temple Israel’s Women of (continued on page 6)
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HOME & GARDEN
Mid-South Bulb Growing Tips:
• The bigger and firmer the bulb, the better the bloom. TI Sisterhood prides itself on
selling high quality bulbs.
• After daffodils bloom, cut off the flower heads but allow the green foliage to die back
naturally for at least six weeks. This allows the plant to put all of its energy into building
a strong bulb for the next season.
• If your daffodils did not bloom as well as you think they should, they probably need
dividing. As soon as the foliage browns, lift the clumps and gently divide. Replant.
• Since most tulips do not reliably return, they can be cut back or pulled out as soon as
the flower is spent.
• Plant bulbs to a depth that is 2 ½ to 3 times the diameter of the bulb. Add organic
matter such as rotted cow manure or compost to the bed or planting hole.
• In the Mid-South, it’s best to wait until after Thanksgiving to plant tulips. Before that
time, the soil is too warm to be ideal for them.
• Daffodils and other bulbs can be planted from October to December.
• To get the biggest bang out of your tulip buck, plant them in clusters in several places
where you can enjoy them the most. Their visual impact will be greater when clumped
than spreading them out as single flowers.
(continued from page 4) Reform Judaism-
Home of Esther Lubin
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Sisterhood. He also buys from Costco.
To improve drainage, a fundamental
requirement for bulbs, he adds some
sand to every planting hole.
Esther Lubin, who lives next door to
the Weinsteins, likes to have her spring
bulbs planted in a bed near her garage. “I
can see them from my kitchen window,”
Lubin said. “It just brightens my day to
have that scene in my sight.”
Landscaper Mieneke Drake, who
is a native of Holland, plants about
100 bulbs and 7 to 9 flats of pansies for
Lubin every year. “I have early, midseason and late blooming tulips so the
flowers last a long time,” Lubin said. “I
really enjoy them.”
Lubin also buys from TI’s
Sisterhood as does Eileen Wishnia,
a past president of the organization.
Wishnia had clumps of colorful tulips
and daffodils placed in various beds in
front and behind her home. “I like to
have them where I can see them from
my windows,” Wishnia said.
Last fall the sisterhood donated
about 2,000 pink tulip bulbs to Memphis
Park Services to be used at the new
Richard and Annette Bloch Survivors
Park on Perkins Ext. across from Theatre
Memphis. The bulk of the bulbs was
planted at the base of a sign at Southern
and Perkins Ext.
“We plan to continue donating
bulbs to the park,” said Joyce Graflund,
who heads up the bulb sale project with
Judy Royal and Joy Bearman. Temple’s
sisterhood has been selling bulbs for
more than 50 years. The proceeds have
funded many projects at Temple and for
outreach endeavors.
“We feel like we help beautify the
community,” Royal said. “Our tulips
and daffodils are in almost every
neighborhood in Memphis.”
Tulips are the biggest sellers with
Red Dixie Glory, a hybrid Darwin, being
the most popular. William the Silent, a
big yellow bloomer, is the top daffodil.
Also available are grape hyacinths,
crocuses and amaryllis.
To get a color sales brochure, call
Joy Bearman at 901.682.4103. Bulbs are
ordered now and delivered or picked up
in the fall when it is time to plant them.
Chris Arpe Gang was a feature writer at The
Commercial Appeal for 33 years. Retired from
full-time work, she is now a freelance writer.
Her weekly gardening column, Green Thumb,
appears Fridays in The Commercial Appeal
and she has recently created a
Web site, midsouthgardens.
com, a comprehensive source of
information for area gardeners.
She and her husband, Gregory,
daughter, Madelyn, dog and cat
live in Germantown.
BESHERT
BESHERT: True Stories of Connection
SHIVA
By Murray Habbaz
During the late 1940s, Ralph Habbaz lived in Brooklyn with
his wife Mary, his daughter Rennee, and his son Murray. Ralph’s
physician insisted that he remain at home for a minimum of two
weeks following surgery. His elderly mother, who lived nearby,
came each day to prepare meals for her son while everyone else
was working or at school. Following a week of inactivity, Ralph
announced that he felt better and thought he would return to
work early, contrary to his doctor’s instructions. “Better I should
die and you should be forced to stay home sitting shiva for me,”
his mother exclaimed. (Upon the death of a parent, most Jews
observe seven days of mourning, remaining in their homes
while close family members and friends visit the bereaved and
participate in prayer services held there. The word shiva means
seven in Hebrew.) Two days later her words appeared prescient
when she was found dead in her bed. Her son was then obligated
to remain home by the stricture of his tradition.
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During the following week, Murray felt confined, staying
in their apartment day and night. One day he walked outside
and onto the upstairs landing. (They lived on the second floor
of a two-unit flat.) There he saw a man dressed in a white suit,
standing alone. He asked if he could be of help, and the man
replied that he was hungry. The Habbaz family invited him
into their apartment, giving him a meal and a few dollars. As
the man started to leave, there was an audible groan from the
adjoining bedroom. It was Murray’s mother Mary who suffered
from terrible headaches. The man asked if he might see her, and
when he was taken into her bedroom, he placed his hands upon
her head. Immediately, she felt relief.
As the stranger left the apartment, Ralph directed his
son Murray to bring him back. He wanted to give him some
additional money. Murray ran to the stairway, the only entrance
and exit from the apartment, but the man had left. He called to
his sister who was sitting at the entry of the building downstairs
and asked her to tell the man to return. She said that she had
been there for the past thirty minutes, and no one had entered
or left during that time.
Harry Samuels is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and has
devoted many years to volunteerism in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife, Flora,
have been married for 46 years and are the parents of Martin,
William and the late David Samuels. Proceeds from the sale of his
books go to charity.
Beshert and Mr. Samuels newest book, Crossroads: “Chance or
Destiny?” are available in Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Amazon.
com and Iuniverse.com. Beshert is also available at Barnes
and Noble, Borders, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Memphis Jewish
Community Center.
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SENIOR LIVING
A House of David in the Land of Jesus
C
ompelling “History of Goodness.” True story of
tolerance emanating from the heart of the Deep South.
One of the most ecumenical communities in America.
Worth emulating. Heart warming, ending with a vision.
Positive
Downsizing
By Bob Bernstein
Paperback $18.50
amazon.com
Hardcover $26.50
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Robert Lewis Berman
The best place for anyone, as we age, is in our own
home. However, it is important to consider safety and
socialization issues.
Is it be better, then, to downsize and get rid of all the “clutter”
accumulated during the past, 20, 30, 50 years or more?
One thing is certain – it is not easy to make the decision
to downsize and move into an alternative living situation.
This is often extremely stressful and may feel as a finalization
of your life.
Hopefully this article can be of assistance to you and
your loved ones as you face the prospect of leaving your
home and downsizing.
How many times have we heard, “we have lived in our
house for over 40 years; we have raised our children here; our
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Jewish Scene
I May 2008
whole life has been involved with our home and now you want
me to move; I need some assistance because I can’t do all the
things that I used to when I was 35 years old?” Harsh words
indeed to swallow.
However, the issue of downsizing and the possibility of
making life a little easier or needing assistance is very normal!
It is important to plan ahead and become aware of the many
resources your community has to offer. Keeping a positive
outlook comes in handy too.
The housing continuum has changed dramatically in the
SENIOR LIVING
past 15 years. There were once only two choices of housing
– our own home or a nursing home. Now there is a whole
continuum to meet our own level of care – congregate/
independent housing, retirement/independent living, assisted
living/special Alzheimer care and of course the last part of the
continuum – the nursing home/rehab facility.
The best part about continuum-of-care is that you can
enhance your quality of life and receive needed care while at
the same time remain as independent as you are able.
Remaining in our own homes may not always be the perfect
answer. A big disadvantage is that many people are affected by
isolation and the ability to get out and do every day errands, go
shopping, go to the doctor, etc.
Alternative living facilities answer all of these problems.
Each offer a wide range of activities, provide transportation
services and some even provide pre-Shabbat programs
These, along with family get-togethers, provide you with a
quality life style.
“I feel like I am always on a 24-hours-cruise,” says one of my
clients living in a local independent retirement community.
Changing lifestyles and moving out of our homes can be
very traumatic and depressing, but one must keep an open
mind and focus on the positive aspects of downsizing.
A good thing to remember is that a house itself is just
another material thing we have accumulated thru life – material
things can always be replaced. You will take the many wonderful
memories you experienced while living in your house. You can’t
replace memories like you would an old sofa. Your memories all
go with you to your new home.
When making the decision to downsize don’t do it alone.
In fact, it is better to pack up with friends, family members
and even a professional mover that specializes in working with
seniors and their families.
While packing up, reminisce over pictures, old keepsakes,
etc. Bring back all of the wonderful memories that made your
life special. Don’t think of downsizing or leaving the “old
homestead” as a finalization of your life but as a new beginning
or exciting new chapter in your life.
Remember that pre-planning this event or move can
alleviate a lot of stress and turmoil. Don’t wait until you’re in a
crisis mode, plan ahead for eventualities.
Happy Downsizing!!
Bob Bernstein is a Master Level Licensed Social Worker.
Through his company, Geriatric Consultants, LLC in Memphis,
he works with seniors and their families and consults agencies,
organizations, senior living facilities and hospitals in developing
services and programs. His TV program, “The Time of my Life,”
appears on local Memphis Comcast Cable Channel 17 every
Wed. at 2 and 9 p.m. He can be reached at 901.374.0707.
TRAVEL: SPONSORED by CARLSON WAGONLIT
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O
ne of the best ways to see Europe, Russia or
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Modern ships, wonderful service and
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Unlike a bus tour, you will not spend hours
on the highway; and unlike ocean cruising,
you will spend all of your time being there, not
getting there. You will sail directly through the
very heart of your destination.
Most river cruise suppliers handle all of
the travel arrangements. Air flights, luggage
handling, land tours, etc., will be taken care of
directly by the river cruise specialists. You don’t
have to lift a finger.
Most cities are organized around rivers, so
often times the river cruises dock in the center
of town. You can walk right off the ship and
join the day’s activities or sightsee on your
own. Since you book and pay for your cruise
in the United States, you never have to worry
about currency fluctuations.
On upscale river cruises, you will experience
all-inclusive vacations. All itineraries include
a shore excursion in port virtually every day.
From cultural performances to tours and
meals, when you compare, you will find you get
significantly more for your money than ocean
liner cruises. Some river cruises even have
all-inclusive beverage packages. You may prepurchase these packages for regional wines,
soft drinks, and cocktails.
Activities on board may include enriching
learning experiences such as language lessons,
hands-on demonstrations, tasting
of local specialties, such as an apple
strudel-making class and sampling,
lectures on European or Asian
history and culture, or even a Tai
Chi lesson by a Chinese master.
If you are wondering if you will
get the same cabin quality as on
the ocean liners, don’t worry. You
will feel as if you were staying in a
five-star hotel. Most upscale river
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Call Carlson Wagonlit for prices and dates.
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Regina Bryant has been in the travel industry for 15 years.
She specializes in international vacation planning throughout
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[email protected], www.
carlsontravel.com/garner
by Regina Bryant
FEATURE
Rabbi Valerie Cohen, Lois Steiner and Micheal Steiner
The Whole
Megillah
M
By Susan C. Nieman
ichael Steiner brought home from Israel a special
gift to share with his Jackson, Mississippi, Beth
Israel congregational family. The hand-written Scroll of Esther,
or Megillah, was carefully chosen in loving memory of his
grandparents, Frank and Sadie Smith.
“I really enjoyed spending a few days traveling around
Jerusalem looking at the quality of the work of different certified
religious scribes,” said Michael. “I felt that this was a good way to
recognize the love that I fell for my grandparents and my heartfelt
appreciation to the synagogue.”
Michael moved to Jackson and joined Beth Israel in 2004.
“Rabbi Valerie Cohen and the entire congregation embraced
me when I moved here,” explained Michael. “I’m happy to
give the synagogue their first hand-written scroll that will be
read each year.”
This Megillah of Esther is read once a year during Purim, the
Feast of Lots, on the 14th day of Adar. Purim is one of the most
joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar, celebrating the
time when the Jews of the Persian Empire in the fifth century
BCE were saved from extinction.
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11
AGENCY HIGHLIGHT
Bornblum Solomon Schechter Students
Live and Learn Tzedakah
By Karen Karmel and Elise Meyer
A
ccording to Judaism the
world stands on three
principles;
Torah,
loving
kindness and service to God. Sure
it’s a great concept; but how do
you teach it to children?
Bornblum Solomon Schechter
School (BSSS) students daven
(pray) everyday and give tzedakah
(charity) on Fridays. Which is all
very good; but two years ago, friends
and BSSS moms Karen Karmel and
Elise Meyer thought it would be a
valuable lesson for the children to
live and learn giving of themselves.
“When we first met with Sally
Whitehorn, senior development
coordinator of Make-A-Wish
Foundation® of the Mid-South,
we told her we were ‘a small but
mighty school,’” said Karen. “Sally
began to referring
to us as the little
school that could.”
The students
kicked off the month
of November with
“I Gave up a Night
of Chanukah” for
M a k e - A -Wi s h .
Each child donated
$18 to help create a
“miracle” during the
holiday season.
Taking ownership of this
mitzvah project, the children felt
a connection to a child whom they
did not even know. During their
morning tefillah (prayer) they
began thanking God for making
and keeping them well and became
more aware of children who face
life-threatening conditions and
may be in the hospital.
12
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
photos by Sheliah Lansky
As spring arrived, it was
time for “Your Change Makes
a Difference.” Each child came
to school with pennies, dimes,
nickels and quarters. Each day the
children would walk by and ask
how they were doing that day. It
all added up until they finally met
their goal.
For the second consecutive
year the student body of just 200
worked hard and fast to raise the
$5,000 needed to sponsor a wish
for a deserving child.
On March 14 the second
BSSS recipient, Jalen, arrived at
Schechter to play “Let’s Make a
Deal.” With the entire student
body dressed in silly hats, they
were ready for a celebration.
After students greeted Jalen and
his family, they
were all treated
to a performance
by the BSSS trash
can band. Then
games began.
The emcee
offered trades of toys
and treats for odd
items the students
had brought with
them. Next, two
of Jalen’s sisters
played and were given cameras and
DVD players for their trades. Not
knowing why they needed cameras,
their questions were soon answered
when Jalen got up to play. With
Jalen’s final trade for the big red box
behind door number three, Minnie
and Mickey Mouse appeared.
After
placing
official
Mickey Mouse ears on Jalen’s
1
2
3
4
AGENCY HIGHLIGHT
head, the “mice” presented him and his family with a weeklong trip to Walt Disney World. What a spring break they were
going to have.
The students cheered and many parents and teachers could
be seen dabbing away their tears. Once again, the students of
BSSS could see the benefits of their generosity. They left school
for the weekend knowing the true meaning of their mitzvot
(good deeds).
The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children
with a life-threatening medical condition, between the ages
of 2 ½ and 18, to enrich the human experience with hope,
strength and joy.
For more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation
of the Mid-South, call 901-680-WISH (9474) or visit www.
midsouthwish.org.
Revitalize Your Smile With
Lumineer
Edward Wiener, D.D.S.
Photos
1. Jalen Griffin and his family
2. Lisa Menuskin, Elise Meyer, Shana Giles, Karen Karmel,
Melissa Conner, Gregory Hollis
3. BSSS Garbage Can Band
4. Jalen and his family with Spiderman (Debra Saharovich),
Mickey Mouse (Andrew Vogel), Minnie Mouse (Rachel Ostrow)
5. Jalen watching the show
6. Spiderman and Sponge Bob (BSSS teacher Amir Sharabi) walk Jalen
to his seat.
7. Jalen & 8th Grade Class
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13
HEALTH AND FITNESS
Sleep More, Lose More Pounds!
By Tonya Tittle
Want to shed unwanted pounds? It’s
not just exercising three to four times per
week for at least 30 minutes per session
and eating well-balanced, nutritious diet
that promotes weight loss.
Ouch! Isn’t that pretty tough for
you already?
Hang on! The eating and exercising
combo may not be the “all” to losing weight.
This reinvented thing called SLEEP, or
rather enough sleep, is a huge factor.
Wait, wait, wait... don’t get your
pajamas just yet. I must add that the
combo of exercise and a healthy diet is still
very much your prime focus.
Sleep is the third component or rather,
the missing piece to the puzzle of losing
weight. According to studies the amount
of sleep you get, plays a big role in your
weight control.
How much sleep is enough? Seven to
eight hours per night
Did you know the following are virtues
of getting enough sleep?
-Restoration of body cells and tissues
-Renewal and rejuvenation of your body
-Recovery from sickness, stress and fatigue
-Boosts immune system
And so on and so forth....
Researchers have found a correlation
between sleep and body weight.
So, if you make-do with five to six
hours of sleep per night now (due to
various reasons), it’s time to clock
in one
14
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
or two more hours per night to manage
and control your weight.
This is because during sleep, you
produce leptin (in combination with other
body chemicals) that will help you to
control your appetite.
Two hormones affect appetite,
the production of which
depends big time on whether
you sleep enough:
More often than not, on those wakeful
hours in the nights (when you should be
sleeping), you could be rummaging through
foods to eat and end up consuming far
more calories than you should.
Ghrelin and Leptin: dubbed
the “yin” and “yang” of hunger.
These hormones work as a
check-and-balance
system
that controls whether you
feel hungry or not.
Well, what I want to say is that unless
you can’t sleep due to specific reasons
(like certain sleep disorders, menopausal
insomnia or drug-related sleeplessness),
you should sleep more; sleep enough to
control your weight. It will do you tons of
good; and you know it.
Ghrelin = hormone for
hunger and leptin = hormone
for energy balance (in short,
calorie balance).
If you’ve been pining on losing weight
thru the combo of exercise and healthy
diet, sleep therapy (sleep more, enough
sleep) could be the third component, to
make it a trio:
1) Exercise 2) Healthy diet 3) Sleep more
Tonya Tittle
Energy Fitness
www.EnergyMemphis.com
Tonya Tittle is the owner of Energy Fitness; a Personal
Training Studio located in downtown Memphis. She
holds a masters degree from the University of Southern
Mississippi in Exercise Science
and is an ACSM-certified
personal trainer with over 14
years experience in the fitness
industry. You have a question
you want answered in t h e
n e x t issue contact Tonya at
www.EnergyMemphis.com or
901.523.2348.
Leptin (high levels) = signal
your brain that your body
has sufficient food and hence,
you feel full. When they’re
low, the opposite happens.
Follow the arrows below to see
how are these two hormones
are affected by sleep.
Not enough sleep ; low
leptin levels ; not full after
meals ; ghrelin levels up ;
stimulates appetite ; you
crave for more food.
High levels of ghrelin ;
cause you to eat more,
at times even overeat ;
leads to weight gain and
obesity, in the absence of
adequate exercise.
Ménage
Merges
Knowledge with Know how
ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
L
ee Ernst, who has been painting all her life and
designing invitations and certificates for the
last 20 years, decided to use her skills and knowledge in
a retail enterprise.
She opened Ménage Stationery and Gifts in East
Memphis last summer and filled it with art, crafts, gifts and
unique paper items.
Some of the many invitations available at the store are
her own creations marketed
as Lee Ernst Designs Inc.
“Tom (her husband Dr.
Thomas Ernst) and I went
to a national stationery
show and he kept telling
me I could do designs, too,”
she said.
Others include die-cut
invitations by Stevie Streck
that can be printed on the
customer’s computer or at
the store and stationery
by Dempsey & Carroll,
the preferred papers of
President Ronald Reagan and Katharine Hepburn.
Brides and their mothers, hosts for adults and
children’s parties and the parents of bar and bat mitzvah
children comprise the clientele for invitations and custom
printing services.
“Color is in for bridal invitations,” Lee said. “Brides
aren’t looking for plain invitations. They want their unique
mark on them.”
The store also features appropriate gifts for wedding
attendants and a selection of elaborate, “cake plateaus”
available for rental on the wedding day. In addition to the
traditional silver cake plateaus, Lee has designed new ones
with fabric and Swarovski crystals.
Every February Lee and Tom attend the Celebration of
Fine Art in Scottsdale. They buy art for the store from the
same artists whose work they display in their home.
By Chris Gang
The merchandise includes glass, pottery, metal pieces
and paintings from artists such as Cohn-Stone Studio in
Richmond, California and Arizona artists Janie Anderson,
Michael Wineburg, Ramona Stites, Rosa Trombitas, Kat
Strickland and Neil and Francine Prince.
Lee, who grew up in a shipping family in New Orleans,
comes by her artistic talent naturally.
“Everyone in my family draws or paints,” she said.
She and Tom, a pediatric
anesthesiologist,
moved
to
Memphis in 1982 when he joined
the medical staff at Le Bonheur
Children’s Medical Center.
They are members of Baron
Hirsch
Congregation
and
Anshei Sphard-Beth El Emeth
Congregation. Lee is also a
member of Hadassah.
They have two children,
David and Tanya Boyle, and
two grandchildren.
They chose the French name
“Ménage” for their business
because it means family.
“Our family of artists is truly outstanding,” she said.
Ménage Stationery and Gifts is located at 430 Perkins Ext.,
(901) 683-6809. Visit the website at menagegifts.com.
Chris Arpe Gang was a feature writer at The Commercial Appeal for 33 years.
Retired from full-time work, she is now a freelance
writer. Her weekly gardening column, Green Thumb,
appears Fridays in The Commercial Appeal and she
has recently created a Web site, midsouthgardens.
com, a comprehensive source of information for area
gardeners. She and her husband, Gregory, daughter,
Madelyn, dog and cat live in Germantown.
15
SCENE
BETH ISRAEL
Jackson, MS
Annual Sisterhood Bazaar
Paula Loeb, Susan Figman,Tammy Rubinsky
Sheriff and Chief of Police Malcolm McMillan
Suzanna Freedman, Rabbi Valerie Cohen,
Lisa Palmer, Nina Mabry
Memphis, tn
-PurimspielThe Megillah has Soul
The Band
Wendy Browning as Mustang Sally
16
Jewish Scene
Asher Katz, Hannah Humphrey
I May 2008
King Ahasuerus (Mike Weiss) and Tam Riggs
(Queen Esther)
Marcia Walch, Helen Greenberg, Dana Larkin
Deni Hirsch and the Girls
Mike Weiss and Rusty Graber (Mordechai)
SCENE
Memphis, tn
Purim Carnival
2110 Merchants Row, Suite 3
Germantown, TN 38138
901-755-9850
1-866-908-5833 (Toll Free)
17
SCENE
religious school
YAD
Young Adult Department
Casino Night
It was a night filled with Poker, Black Jack,
Craps, Roulette, a raffle and silent auction
where more than 170 involved participants
filled the Memphis JCC’s Social Hall.
Sharona Rubinstein holds the Megillah
as Rabbi Aaron chants the names of
Haman’s sons in one breath
Rebecca Berris displays her butterfly
princess costume and brother Matthew
Berris came dressed as a fireman
18
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Sharona and Maya Rubinstein set the
tone for celebration with a Purim song
s
i
h
p
m
Me SCENE
SCENE
Extreme Event’s open House at Harbor
Landing on Mud Island
Seth Feibelman and Peggy Lichterman
Catlady welcomes guest
Seth and Sylwia Feibelman
Three Cantors Concert at Germantown Performing Arts Center
19
SCENE
n
o
t
a
R
Boca SCENE
Inaugural Metro Women’s Business
cocktail reception at the Marriott
Boca Center featured internationally
prominent executive business and
women’s life coach Suzy GirardRuttenberg, who presented, “Gelt
Without Guilt: A Jewish Women’s
Guide to Worth,Work and Wealth
with Less Worry.”
Terri Meyers, Event Co-chair and with Corporate
Sponsor Kluger, Peretz Kaplan & Berlin; Douglas
Boneparth/Ameriprise Financial, Corporate Sponsor;
Marjorie Horwin, Event Co-chair; Terri Meyers, Event
Suzy Girard-Ruttenberg, Keynote Speaker; and
Co-chair; Suzy Girard-Ruttenberg, Keynote Speaker;
Corporate Sponsors Sue Daub/Regions Bank, Jon
Elaine Bucher, Event Co-Chair
Marquez/South Florida Business Journal, and Evinlori
Lumsden/Regions Bank
Lisa LeVerrier, Dana Charles-Kodner, Marjorie Fisher
Jan Rothenberg, Audrey Pearlman, Elissa Tobin
Carl Siegel; Dr.
Robert Colton;
Howard Kaye,
Metro Business
Honoree
National Jewish leader and
Minnesota Vikings Owner Mark
Wilf addressed business leaders
at a Federation Metro/Mitzvah
Society event. Howard Kaye and
Attorney Ronald L. Siegel, Esq.
were honored.
Mitzvah
Society
members
welcomed that evening: Richard
Steinberg, Jeffrey Baskies, Paul
Labiner, and Fred MacLean.
Steve Brown, Event Co-Chair; Howard
Kaye, Metro Business Honoree; Mark Wilf,
Keynote Speaker; Ronald L. Siegel, Esq.,
Mitzvah Society Honoree; Elyssa Kupferberg,
Professional Advisory Committee Chair
Jonathan Louis,
Metro Division
Co-chair; Linda
Melcer
Actress, author and social activist Camryn Manheim spoke to women of all ages about “Stepping Up to a New Era of
Leadership” at the Polo Club in Boca Raton during a joint luncheon of the Dorothy Seaman Department of Women’s
Philanthropy and Metro Women of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County.”
Ralph and Linda Behmoiras/Boca Raton Observer,
Corporate Sponsor; Camryn Manheim; David Stern/ Emily Grabelsky,Women’s Philanthropy Vice Chair;
Designing Jewelers, and Dr. Rafael C. Cabrera/ Rosa Golish, Event Co-chair; Camryn Manheim;
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Corporate Sponsors
Susan Rahn and Dale Pratt, Event Co-chairs
20
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Emily Grabelsky,
Wendy Pressner, Camryn Manheim, Cindy Nimhauser,
Ellen R. Sarnoff (Federation Campaign Chair), Anne
Jacobson, Meryl Gallatin
SCENE
Donna Klein Jewish Academy’s
24th Benefit Ball & Auction held
at the Polo Club Boca Raton was
a ‘Supreme’ event and the most
successful gala in the school’s
history.
Approximately
400
guests paid tribute to Richard
Siemens, recipient of the Linda R.
Kaminow Visionary Leadership Award, and danced to the
lively entertainment of Mary Wilson of the Supremes. The
gala raised more than $620,000, with proceeds directly
benefiting the school’s academic programs and need-based
tuition assistance.
What a creative way to
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Auction Co-Chairs Gregory and Tami Michael and Marcia Beckerman,
Starr, and Jill and Yori Galel, with Mary Wilson of the Supremes, and
Benefit Ball Chairs Larry D. and Allan and Shirley Solomon
Deborah Silver
Dr. Stephen and Emily Grabelsky
EdibleArrangements.com
Copyright © 2008 Edible Arrangements, LLC • Franchises Available. Call 1-888-727-4258
Richard Siemens, Linda R. Kaminow, and
DKJA Head of School Karen Feller
Gemma and Ian Burlakoff of King Linda and Ralph Behmoiras of The
Toyota and the Burlakoff Family, Boca Raton Observer, Exclusive
Presenting Sponsor
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meeman.rhodes.edu
21
TEEN SCENE
SCENE
BBYO Update
In my three years of high school, I have found that
River City put on a fashion show to raise money for
BBYO’s greatest asset is that it provides many outlets for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. They sold tickets and ads for
Tikkun Olam, repairing the world.
their ad book. There was not a specific goal except that a
Throughout March and April, Memphis BBYO actively minimum donation for Make-A-Wish is $1,000.
engaged in community service projects,
Okeon’s annual Summertime play was
which took hours of labor and care from
“Billy Madistein,” a spin-off of Adam Sandler’s
the members themselves. They proved to
“Billy Madison.” Every year the boys put on
be a great way to get members involved
this charitable event and donate the money
cotton states region
and enthusiastic about not only supporting
to the organization of their choice.
their chapters, but also supporting local and
Thank you to all of the philanthropic
national organizations.
Memphis organizations and families that contributed to
Kriger BBG hosted their “Mr. AZA” contest. The our events!
performance – a pageant of AZA members – raised money
through sponsors and ticket sales for the American Heart Jennifer Edelson is a 17-year-old junior at White
Station high School and former vice president and
Association. In addition they collected money from all the secretary of River City BBG
AZA’s and “Mr. Congeniality,” became the AZA member
who raised the most money for the association. Kriger’s
goal was $3,000.
Feinstone Yeshiva Of The South Students
Shine At Fed Challenge Competition
In March 10 students from the
Goldie Margolin School for Girls and
the Cooper Yeshiva High School for
Boys entered the sleek and awe-inspiring
doors of the Federal Reserve Building in
downtown Memphis.
After passing through security,
they were quickly ushered up to an
impressive “holding room” to do some
last minute preparations. Waiting for
them in a breathtaking conference room
on another floor was a committee
of prominent academicians and
economists.
Each of the two teams consisted
of five members, each of whom was
prepared to discuss a major economic
indicator that impacted the American
economy and the policies of Ben
Bernanke and the Federal Reserve
Board. The teams were responsible for
creating a unique presentation, limited
to exactly 15 minutes, which included
a PowerPoint consisting of graphs
and charts, statistics and data, to fully
substantiate the analysis.
In a sense they had been getting ready
for this all year. Most of the participants are
in Dr. Camille Collins’ AP Economics class,
and as an outstanding economics teacher
at the MHA/FYOS and Germantown
High School, as well as lead coach of the
Germantown team since the inception
of Fed Challenge in Memphis, she knew
exactly how to prepare the students. The
teams worked diligently for weeks, under
the careful direction of Dr. Collins and
Mrs. Abbe Kaplan.
After much preparation, the high
school students went confidently into
the competition. The real test came after
the presentations, however, with intense
Despite some snowy surprises at NFTY-So
Spring Conclave hosted by MeFTY Temple Israel
Youth Group, more than 135 teens from around
the region, including Little Rock, New Orleans,
Jackson, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, and Pensacola
enjoyed the weekend. Themed “Exist: Where do
we go from here?” programming focused on Jewish
survival in the past, present, and what we need as
a people to survive in the future. MeFTY won the
NFTY-So Region Best Temple Youth Group award
and the Overall Yearly Programming Award.
22
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
NFTY
questioning by the judges. But despite
their anxiety, both Fed Challenge Teams
answered the questions accurately,offering
intelligent answers about the sub-prime
loan’s effect on the financial markets, the
effect of the falling value of the dollar on
our exports and the skyrocketing inflation
of oil and food prices.
As a testament to their efforts, the
students of the Feinstone Yeshiva of the
South put together and delivered an
excellent performance and shared in a
rewarding and memorable experience.
Arel Kirshstein is a senior at the
Cooper Yeshiva High School for
Boys where he is active in the
school’s theatre program and
was a part of this year’s CYHSB
Fed Challenge team
SCENE
Memphis Jewish High School
Team Trek Experience
In March, MJHS students experienced an adventure known
as Team Trek. Team Trek is an 800-acre wooded area on Greer’s
Ferry Lake in Heber Springs, Arkansas, where life-like scenarios
are created to help your team grow (in this case our school) and
practice leadership and team building skills.
No one knew what to expect. One of the first things that we
did was jump off of a 35-foot platform and try to catch a bar.This
helped build our confidence in each other, since our teammates
were belaying us, or holding our rope, so we did not fall.
Then there was a ropes course where each team member
was a FedEx deliveryman who had to cross over remote parts of
a jungle to reach their destination. This also required teamwork
to help send the ropes back to our teammates and help them
keep their balance. We really grew as a team by trusting each
other more and helping each other finish the event successfully.
Our final event was climbing up a 12-foot wall. To make the
event even harder, we had to do it without speaking and with
four people blindfolded. By gaining so much trust in the previous
events and utilizing the leadership skills we had learned in the
earlier days, we were able to accomplish this feat.
In the beginning, not everyone seemed excited about going
on this trip, but at the end, everyone was glad they went. It turned
out to be a lot of fun, and it taught us so much about leadership
skills and being more responsible for our own actions. Through
the whole experience, our school really bonded and became a lot
closer to one another.We really grew as a whole unit and became
a complete team that really works well together.
Monte Eiseman is a 16-year-old sophomore at the
Memphis Jewish High School. He is student council
president and a writer for the newspaper. He is a
member of Peres AZA. Monte is the son of Dr. and
Mrs. Robert Eiseman
SOUTH PALM BEACH TEENS BUILD BRIDGE
TO ISRAEL THROUGH FRIENDSHIPS
Ten energetic teens arrived at the
Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach
County from Israel to join local high
school students for week filled with visits
to local synagogues; schools; the Holocaust
Memorial, a “Free the Captive Israeli
Soldiers” rally, and a boat cruise in the
Miami area; as well as shopping malls and
time to get to know their peers.
The Israeli teens talked excitedly
about what they most looked forward to,
with a clear consensus: going shopping and
going to Universal Studios theme park, but
during their week, their preferences and
priorities changed quite unexpectedly.
“Now in its fourth year, this youth
component of the Federation’s Partnership
2000 exchange program has 40 local
Roots teens,” said Dr. Leon Weissberg, JEC
Executive Director. “From Donna Klein
Jewish Academy, Weinbaum Yeshiva High
School, and other area public and private
schools, they build a ‘Gesher Chai,’ a living
bridge with students from the community’s
sister City, Kiryat Bialik.”
“It’s amazing to have real friends in
Israel who are our age, who we are in
touch with all the time electronically,” said
Amy Schwartzer, 16, a student at Donna
Klein Jewish Academy.
Dr. Leon Weissberg and teens at Miami Beach
Holocaust Memorial
Teens tour B’nai Torah Congregation
Teens get acquainted cruising around Miami
23
SCENE
Everyday
Math Games
preparing lunch at Plough
Towers during Tikun Olam
Upper graders
Harper and Jack Lazarov show their mother
how to play
Eighth graders Andrew Vogel, Mallory
Moskovitz, Ashley Vogel and Juliana
Harkavy prepare boxes to be mailed to
military personnel in Iraq
First grader Gabriella Cassius and her parents
Sixth grader Sam Ostrow
The students of the Goldie Margolin High School for Girls
put on a stunning performance of Sophocles’ Antigone
Spirit Week
Who do you want to be when
you grow up? Rena Mashinsky
– a master teacher
24
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
SCENE
Physical Therapist Sam
Brunner from Momentum
Rehab, with Ann Wager, at
Exercise Program
Solomon Schechter Tikkun Olam Day at Plough Towers
Ruth Diamond with student enjoying
special lunch
Rena Rosenberg, Exec. Director,
congratulating students for a great day
Jay Delugach doing arts and crafts
with students
Visit from WILDLIFE ON
WHEELS (WOW) from the
Memphis Zoo
25
FROM THE KITCHEN OF
By Seth Feibelman
Grilled Chicken Club with Spicy Honey Mustard
Ingredients: 2 chicken breasts grilled and sliced into strips • 4 pieces of prepared turkey bacon 1/8
pound of shaved salami • Lettuce • 1 sliced tomato • 1 sliced avocado • 3 slices white bread toasted
Directions
Spread all pieces of toast with honey mustard. Layer chicken, turkey bacon, then lettuce. Add another
piece of bread and layer avocado salami and tomato. Top with final piece of bread. Stick 4 toothpicks
in sandwich and cut into triangles.
Spicy Honey Mustard
Tangy Asian Slaw
Ingredients: 1 cup mayonnaise •
1/4 cup Dijon mustard • 1/4 cup
yellow mustard • 1/2 cup honey 1/2
tsp cayenne pepper • 1/2 tsp garlic
powder • 1 Jalapeno chopped • Salt
and pepper
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Napa cabbage • 1/2 cup purple cabbage
1/2 cup carrot, peeled and julienned • 2 chopped scallions
Mix cabbage and carrots thoroughly in bowl.
Slaw Dressing Ingredients
Mix ingredients until well blended
Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey • 1 Tbsp ginger, minced • 1/2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup Mirin (found at any Asian market) • 1/2 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
3/8 cup dry mustard • 1/4 cup light soy sauce • 1/2 quart olive oil • 1/8 cup sesame oil
Directions: Mix all ingredients for slaw dressing in a food processor until thoroughly blended.
Add enough Slaw Dressing to coat (less than 1 cup) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
The remaining slaw dressing can be stored in the refrigerator for later use.
Homemade Lemonade
Ingredients:
1 cup water •1 cup lemon juice •1 cup sugar •1 lemon sliced •1 orange sliced
Mix all of the ingredients together. Place in refrigerator for at least one hour. Serve chilled.
Spring is upon us and we all have
different ways of enjoying the nice
weather. Some enjoy outdoor activities
such as canoeing or rock climbing.
Others work in their gardens or enjoy
a stroll in the park. It is important to
maintain one’s energy with a hearty
meal while providing something that
is easy to eat on the go. A sandwich is
an obvious selection, but you should
not have to sacrifice taste. And instead
of those fattening potato chips, try a
healthy alternative such as a Tangy
Asian Slaw and refreshing beverage of
homemade lemonade.
Seth Feibelman lives in Memphis
with his wife Sylwia and their
dog, Czarny. He is the food
and beverage director for Mud
Island Riverpark as well as the
General Manager for Extreme
Events Catering.
Extreme Events Catering
280 Island Drive • Memphis, TN 38103 • 901.528.001
Corporate Events
Weddings
Private Parties
Family Reunions
Extreme Events Catering will do whatever it takes to make your event truly exceptional. We’ll
fearlessly jump through hoops and do backflips to exceed all your greatest expectations. From
delicous hors d’ oeuvres to extravagant menus indulge every taste imaginable. We even offer
a variety of themed menus that make planning your event easier. Cooked expertly by some of
the best chefs in Memphis, both you and your guests can expect excellence in every bite.
www.extremeeventscatering.com
26
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Patio and Pools Beckon
M
By Gary Burhop
ay in Memphis can be
glorious; and plans for outdoor
entertaining are blossoming along with
the shrubs. This is a good time to take a
look at the Great Wines & Spirits picks
for your late spring enjoyment.
cut hay – others of my morning glass of
grapefruit juice. I have to say I prefer
those in the middle and those that just
might have a bit of Semillon blended
in as Whitehall Lane (about $17) does.
French wines from much of the Loire
Valley are made from Sauvignon, too,
White wines first come to mind as cool and tend to be crisp, zippy and clean.
and refreshing.
Prices range from mid-teens to about
$30 for the French versions.
I like Pinot Grigio from Italy and Pinot
Gris (same grape variety) from Oregon. Chardonnay continues to be my favorite
Well-made Pinot Grigio should have white variety, what can I say. My picks
a roundness and depth of flavor that are those that are finished with less oak
hints at peaches. The finish should be aging and that have not completely gone
crisp and clean but not taste of lemons. through malolactic fermentation. In
Among my favorites are River Aerie other words, they are clean and vibrant,
Pinot Gris (about $16) from Oregon with fruit not masked by woody flavors
and Vidussi Pinot Grigio (about $20) and a finish that is crisp, not buttery.
from Italy.
From California, I like Saintsbury ($20).
French wines from the Macon region
Rieslings can be wonderful and match
many warm weather dishes. My palate
prefers drier, or less sweet styles. Great
examples of this would be Hagafen
Riesling (about $18 and kosher) and
McWilliams Riesling from Australia
(about $11). A sweeter style is Vision
Cellars Riesling from California (just
under $20).
can be terrific and run mid-teens to
about $30. Luigi Bosca Chardonnay
from Argentina is a nice choice as well
(about $17).
Gary Burhop is owner of Great
Wines & Spirits, 6150 Poplar
Avenue in Regalia, Memphis, TN,
38119, phone 901.682.1333,
and is available to help with any
wine or spirits question.
Flavor profiles of Sauvignon Blanc
vary widely. Some remind me of fresh
27
FEATURE
D
istinguished Journalist
Finds Southern Niche
Southerner with a passion
for history, writing and
journalism, has combined
his three loves to create a long and
successful newspaper career.
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, Paul
Greenberg is the editorial page editor of
the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
“I received a Bachelor of Journalism
from the University of Missouri in
1958 and went on to get a master’s in
history,” explains Paul. “After a brief
stint in the army, I attended Columbia
University for post-graduate studies in
American History.”
Immediately after Columbia in
1962, Paul took a job as the editorial
page editor of the Pine Bluff Commercial
in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
“I loved it there so much,” says Paul.
But a few years later, an opportunity
transferred him to Chicago, where
he worked as an editorial writer for
the Chicago Daily News. “But I really
missed the South and the paper,” says
Paul. “So, I went back to Pine Bluff
after just a year.”
Paul continued to work for the
Pine Bluff Commercial from 1967 to
1992. He then moved to Little Rock,
for his current position at the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette.
“The paper was formed in
November of 1991 when the Arkansas
Democrat became the surviving paper
in its long newspaper war with the
28 Jewish Scene I May 2008
Arkansas Gazette,” explains Paul. The
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is now
Arkansas’ only statewide newspaper.
“I spend my days editing writers’
editorials,” says Paul of his daily duties.
“They submit articles, I check the
writing, make suggestions, hand it
back and the writer reworks it. We go
through this process several times, until
its just right.
“I want the reader to enjoy
the writing and enjoy reading our
opinions,” says Paul, who also writes his
own opinion articles. “I’m interested
in writing about culture and how it
changes and doesn’t change.
“I also especially enjoy when the
paper observes the anniversaries of
four important birthdays in history;
Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee,
George Washington and Martin Luther
King Jr.,” says Paul, who attends services
and studies at Temple B’nai Israel.
Paul is also the proud father of
two grown children. He was married
for 30 years to Carolyn, who passed
away in 1995 after battling cancer.
Their son, Daniel, is an Arkansas State
Representative and their daughter,
Ruth, co-hosts the Jewish Conference
on the Well, an online community.
She is also president of Ma’ayan Torah
Initiative for Women in Boston. Both
Daniel and Ruth have two children,
making Paul a very happy grandfather.
Paul, an award-winning author,
By Shoshana Cenker
has also published four books with
collections of his opinion columns
and has received several honors over
the years. Most notably, Paul was
awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his
editorials on Civil Rights in 1968.
“That was great,” says Paul humbly
of his award. “I like writing about
Southerners as a race and ethnic
group. I use my strong personal voice
and take a historical perspective.”
Other outstanding honors include
the H.L. Mencken Award, the ASNE’s
Distinguished Writing Award, serving
as a BBC commentator and honorary
doctorates from Rhodes College
in Memphis and Lyon College in
Batesville, Arkansas.
With much appreciation for the
awards and honors, it really all comes
back to the writing for Paul. “Above
all, I want my articles to say something
different, new and interesting.”
Shoshana Cenker was born and raised in Memphis,
graduated from White Station High School in 1998
and from Indiana University in Bloomington in
2002 with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and a
minor in Hebrew and Jewish Studies. She studied
abroad at Hebrew University
of Jerusalem in Israel. She is a
news writer/producer for WSB
TV and freelance writer for
CNN International. She and
her husband Dovid, live in
Atlanta, GA.
DOLLARS AND SENSE
DOLLARS AND SENSE
spONSORED BY MORGAN KEEGAN
It’s Not What You Earn, It’s What You Keep
Provided by Lawson Arney, financial advisor, Morgan Keegan
Y
ou work hard for your money. So why shouldn’t you try to
keep as much of it for yourself as you can? Here are some
ways to pay less tax and keep more of your hard-earned dollars.
Tax deferrals rule
Take advantage of tax-deferred retirement plans, such as
401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans, offered by your employer.
They all allow you to make pretax contributions of up to
$15,500 in 2008 ($20,500 if you’re age 50 or older), and
403(b) and 457(b) plans may also have special catch-up rules
that might let you defer even more. The tax savings can be
significant. For example, if your marginal tax rate is 28% and
you defer $15,500, you’ll save $4,340 in current taxes. Your
$15,500 contribution will generate tax-deferred earnings for
you until you withdraw the funds from the plan, when you
may be in a lower tax bracket. And, if your employer matches
your contributions, the deal is even sweeter.
Another common way to use tax deferrals to save more
of what you earn is by setting up a health-care flexible
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set aside can be withdrawn tax free to pay a wide variety of
health-related expenses that aren’t covered by your health
plan. See IRS Publication 502, Medical and Dental Expenses,
for a list of qualifying expenses.
And don’t forget traditional IRAs. If neither you nor
your spouse is covered by a retirement plan at work, and
you’re not yet 70½, you can make a deductible contribution
of up to $5,000 to an IRA in 2008 ($6,000 if you’re age 50
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all or part of your contribution may be deductible, depending
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But tax free is even better
If you’re an income-oriented investor, consider investing
in municipal bonds. The income generated is free from
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Another way you can generate tax-free income is by
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Unlike pretax deferrals, Roth contributions don’t reduce your
income, so there’s no current tax savings. Because you’ve already
paid tax on your contributions, they won’t be taxed again when
you withdraw them from the plan. But what really sets Roth
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earnings are also tax free if you satisfy a five-year holding period
and certain other requirements are met.
If you have children, don’t pass up the tax incentives
offered by Section 529 plans and Coverdell education
savings accounts (ESAs). Again, your contributions to
these plans aren’t tax deductible, but your savings grow tax
deferred and withdrawals are tax free at the federal level (and
typically at the state level too) when used to pay qualifying
educational expenses. You can contribute up to $2,000 to a
child’s Coverdell ESA in 2008, and most 529 plans let you
contribute more than $300,000 over the life of the plan.
Think long-term –for capital gains
Long-term capital gains tax rates are currently very
attractive – a maximum of 15% through 2010. Short-term
capital gains, on the other hand, are generally taxed at
ordinary income tax rates – currently as high as 35%. To
qualify for long-term capital gains treatment, make sure you
hold your securities and other capital assets for more than
one year before selling them.
Disclosure Information – Important – Please Review
This information is for illustrative and discussion purposes only. Morgan
Keegan does not provide legal or tax advice. You need to contact your legal
and tax advisors for additional information and advice before making any
investment decisions.
Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc.
Members New York Stock Exchange, SIPC
Securities are not bank guaranteed, not FDIC insured, and may lose value.
Copyright 2006 Forefield Inc. All rights reserved.
Lawson Arney is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and works
as a financial advisor at Morgan Keegan with his uncle, Elkan Scheidt.
Lawson and his team work with their clients to provide comprehensive
custom solutions for their financial and investment needs.
For all your financial needs.
Morgan Keegan
Lawson Arney, Financial Advisor
50 North Front Street, 17th Floor
Memphis, Tennessee 38103
901.529.5320 • 800.366.7426
Fax 901.579.4276
[email protected]
29
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Art
s Ent
ert
ainment
Kosha’ ‘Rubin’
By Jennifer Lefkowitz
Comic Jordan Rubin
“Every morning I would leave my apartment and Show,” then continued writing for Jimmy Kimmel on
a bunch of rabbis would surround me and raise me “Crank Yankers.”
above their head on a chair and dance the Hora,” says
“Eventually, I branched off and wrote for Kilborn
Hollywood writer and comedian
and Carson Daly’s show,“Last Call,”
Jordan Rubin. “It was a strange way
Jordan says.
to be transported to school.”
Just last year he was head writer
Jordan
started
standup
on the “MTV Movie Awards.”
while still in college at New York
During the writer’s strike, The
University. He later interned on
Writers Guild (WGA) made a
“Saturday Night Live” and “The Late
deal with The Weinstein Company,
Show with David Letterman.”
which allowed selected feature
“LA is a very Jewish town – it
film projects, and Jordan wrote reis amazing how many of the people I
writes on Craig Mazin’s,“Superhero
work with in Hollywood are Jewish,”
Movie.” During this period, Jordan
says Rubin.
anchored a live talk show (“The Talk
Playing on his long list of
Show”) with Hollywood starlets at
television credits are “Late Night
LA’s Improv. Olympic. Part of the
with Conan O’Brien,” “Last Call
proceeds were donated to the
with Carson Daly” and “The Late
Writer’s Guild Strike Fund.
Late Show.”
“Our Massive Planet” is
David Chappelle encouraged
Jordan’s current pulse; a fake
Jordan to perform stand-up. Jordan Rubin, Courtesy Saki Photography and fun nature show, and video
“Standup was rough at first, still is, but eventually I podcast on Tbs.com, hosted with fellow comedian
started to have enough material that I felt confident Jim Gaffigan. “One night, Jim Gaffigan and I were
with,” explains Jordan.”
hanging out at my place in LA and I put on a ‘National
Jordan describes the scene of a dingy bar like a Geographic’ DVD,” he says. “We turned off the
ragged hat. “I would go to an open mic at some crappy sound and just started improvising, pretending we
bar on the lower east side and pick a number out of a were animal experts. I recorded some of it, then we
hat, which would determine when I would get on stage.” brought the tape in and pitched it to TBS.”
After performing he would go to what he points out as
Wow – Jordan and animal podcasts.
“a real comedy club” and sit in the back, hoping that one
He likes pets and Sadie, his Labrador retriever. “I
of the comedians booked wouldn’t show up. “Eventually raised her until she was four and then my father took
that started happening,” he says. “They started giving me her. Comedian Jeff Ross has a very funny poem about
regular, paid spots during the week.” A couple of years her in his act called, ‘Sadie Get Off The Couch.’”
went by and he was a regular on the weekend.
Jordan is currently constructing an animated
“I started submitting to write on TV shows after series, “Gypsy Cab,” that he developed for Comedy
I’d been doing comedy for a few years,” he says. “I’d Central – about the life of a dilapidated Gypsy Cab and
also submitted a few jokes to ‘Saturday Night Live’s his passengers. He’s also working with Jim Abrahams,
Weekend Update.’” Many of his jokes only made it to writing a new movie (not yet green-lit) for New Line/
dress rehearsal. “It was very frustrating, but it prepared Warner Brothers.
me for my future as a writer/comedian. “You write so
“When I was a teenager, if you had told me that
many bad jokes just to get one good one,” he says.
one day I’d be writing a movie with Jim Abrahams, I
Soon after the woes of dress rehearsal, Jordan probably would have fainted,” he says. Um-be-shrien.
hired a manager who encouraged him to write on “Also, I’m editing together a greatest hits reel from that
TV shows. “I probably submitted to about 15 different talk show we did during the strike and intend to start
shows one year without getting any feedback from the pitching it to networks.”
show runners at all,” says Jordan. Friend and fellow
Jordan signs-off, “Thanks for including me in Jewish
comedian Jeff Ross convinced Jimmy Kimmel to hire Scene. I’m honored to be a member of your tribe!”
him on “Comedy Central’s,” “The Man Show.” “And Jennifer Lefkowitz is a native of Memphis, Tennessee and graduate
that’s when my writing career began,” he said.
of Academy of Art University, Motion Pictures & Television,
Jordan wrote for four seasons of “The Man Screenwriting in San Francisco, CA. JenniferLefkowitz.com.
30
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Reviews by Jennifer Lefkowitz
Music
Coconut Records
Yael Naim
Nighttiming
Young Baby Records
Yael Naim
Atlantic Records
The signature track in the trunk, “West
Coast” is a scenic drive down the road. Jason
Schwartzman, challa! Coconut Records,
Nighttiming is the first album released on
Young Baby Records, a label Schwartzman
founded. Young Baby promises a “surprise” gift with each CD, and that
each one is handled “specially.” Nighttiming merges sound in the schpeal
of indie: experimental, rock, folk and bits of banjo, country-esque
rhythms. Underrated in the mainstream music mafia, mad props go to
Coconut Records, Nighttiming. The album is lyrically fun and cute,
and instrumentally possesses anti-knock properties. “…I say girl, you
say yeah, I say I love you.” The dark and handsome actor from “I Heart
Huckabees” is single, maybe.
“I’m a new soul I came to this strange
world hoping I could learn a bit about give
and take…” Israeli singer Yael Naim
lands on Atlantic with her self-titled
album, Yael Naim. Recorded in her
Paris flat with musician and percussion player, David Donatien, the
album features a dominance of Hebrew songs. The song,“Shelcha”
looks at love with no future.“Yashanti” and “Lachlom” deal in dreams
and others surface in magical realism. The track, “New Soul” is the
fresh and optimistic song for the new Apple Airbook ad. “Toxic” is
the shameless Britney Spears cover, and flipped right side up. Yael
Naim is a rich album with heavy-hearted lyrics that stand alongside
artists, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos.
books
Black Jews, Jews and Other Heroes
How Grassroots Activism Led to the Rescue
of the Ethiopian Jews
A Dream Of Zion
American Jews Reflect On Why Israel
Matters To Them
Howard M. Lenhoff
Gefen Publishing House
Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin
Jewish Lights Publishing
“He who saves a single life it is as if he has
saved the entire world.” -Talmud
Black Jews, Jews and Other Heroes
is a memoir of the untold stories behind the rescue of black Jews
from Africa; how the American Association for Ethiopian Jews
(AAEJ) worked secretly to rescue over 1,000 Ethiopian Jews and
black Africans as free people, and furthermore the rescue of 14,000
Ethiopian Jews in one day. Lenhoff ’s amazing memoir depicts the
politics of religion, the law of return, and the courageous, noble
and daring heroes and Ethiopian Jews on a journey to salvation – a
historic drama of liberation and relief.
“As Americans and as Jews, we are
eternally connected to that tiny
piece of land at the crossroads of
three continents, where amid all the
diversity, we find ourselves at home.” -Matthew Brooks
A diversity of views is amongst the pages; from top scholars,
business leaders, professionals, politicians, authors, ar tists,
and community and religious leaders, all reflecting on why
Israel matters to them. A Dream Of Zion also offers a
glimpse into the histor y of Zionism with statements from
Jews who witnessed the beginnings of the movement.
Yershalayim – the land of sacred beauty, and as positioned
are the reflections in this read.
The Story of Israel
From Theodor Herzl to the Roadmap for Peace
Martin Gilbert
Carlton Publishing Group
This is not just a book – it’s a ‘piece’ for
your bookcase. Sixty some pages make
up the dramatic story of the founding of
modern Israel. The cover is an outstanding image of the Western
Wall. (The rectangular shape matches that of the holy brick on
the Western Wall.) Over 200 powerful photographs and over 30
rare previously unpublished pullout fasmile documents bring this
Ouy
Not bad
story and book to life. Author Martin Gilbert commemorates the
60th anniversary of Israel’s Declaration of Independence. He is a
leading authority on Jewish history who has written 20 books on
the subject. The Story of Israel is a road map and a game
of Scrabble, and looking at old-timey photos in a family photo
album to trace and piece heritage. Invite friends over and test
their knowledge of Israel. (& bet Gelt!)
Rating Scale:
Good
Mazel-Tov, Outstanding!!!
Note: Challa @ Cha! JS wants to know what you make of these ‘precious items!’ Mail: Jennifer Lefkowitz, [email protected], TODAY!
31
MEN IN PHILANTHROPY
By Shoshana Cenker
“O
h definitely, my parents, Jerry and Pat, were a huge
influence on my giving back to the community,”
says Dumas, Arkansas-born Jay Tanenbaum with a big grin.
“I observed their commitment to philanthropy, and not
just Jewish communities, but secular as well. They started
in leadership positions in our own community, and
t h e n in regional positions in the Reform movement
and Sisterhood.”
So Jay, who now lives in Atlanta with Babette, (his
wife of 30 years this summer), knew how important it was
to pass those values along to his own kids, 26-year-old Jill,
who survived Hurricane Katrina and attends Tulane Medical
School and 22-year-old Jason, a Tulane University senior.
“The only way to pass on giving back to your community
is to lead by example,” says Jay. “You have to demonstrate;
you can’t just talk about it, you have do it, show it. I always
thought it was just the right thing to do.”
Tulane is somewhat of a family affair for the Tanenbaums.
Both of Jay’s parents attended, as did Jay, Babette and now
their children.
After Jay graduated in 1978 with a psychology degree, he
and Babette married. “I worked in New Orleans for a year,
while Babette finished her senior year,” explains Jay. “After
she graduated we moved to Hong Kong for a year and I
worked in my family’s retail business.”
The couple then moved to New York for about a year.
Jay spent the next two years earning an MBA from Harvard
Business School in Boston.
In 1982, Jay began working with investment banking
company, Raymond James, in the Tampa Bay, Florida area.
Twelve years later they moved to Atlanta where Jay started a
new division with Raymond James. But after about a year, “I
decided to begin my own business,” says Jay.
In 2004 a Shanghai company needed financing assistance
and called on Jay’s company, Middle Kingdom Alliance,
which does business in China. It’s a public investment
vehicle, otherwise known as a Special Purpose Acquisition
Corporation or SPAC. “I liked the project and we signed on.
I travel on business to China nine or 10 times a year.”
Jay is investigating how he can use his philanthropic
connections with the Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)
to help Jewish families living and working in China. He is
serving his second three-year term as the ISJL’s board chair.
32
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
“It’s
been
a
great experience to
be chair,” says Jay,
who attends services
at Temple Sinai in
Atlanta, which is also
where his kids went to
Jay Tanenbaum
religious school.
Jay became involved with ISJL through his close friend
Macy Hart, who developed the vision for the Institute
and served as director of Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica,
Mississippi. “Jacobs Camp was very important to my
childhood,” says Jay. “My father was involved in establishing
the camp, and I was a counselor there for three years.” It is
also where he met Babette.
“What excites me and charges me up about ISJL is that
we’re enabling people to live Jewishly in small communities,
in the way they want to live their lives,” says Jay. “We supply to
those smaller communities Jewish education, traveling rabbis,
speakers, cultural programming and even film festivals.
“Jews living in smaller communities are an integral part
of the American fabric, they’re woven throughout, if you
will,” says Jay. “They live Jewish values by demonstrating
their Judaism, living by it and supporting not just the Jewish
community, but aiding the secular community as well.
“Right now, I’m working on a Tikun Olam division,” says
Jay. (Tikun Olam is a Hebrew phrase that means ‘repairing
the World.’) “The program will supply communities with
educational support and programs and diversity training,
including showing teachers how to teach Holocaust history.”
Jay will remain on the board after his term ends as
Board Chair.
“At the Institute of Southern Jewish Life, we work to
preserve Jewish history and enable Jews to continue and
maintain their Judaism,” says Jay. And just as his parents did,
“I’ll continue helping.”
Shoshana Cenker was born and raised in Memphis,
graduated from White Station High School in 1998 and
from Indiana University in Bloomington in 2002 with a
B.A. in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Hebrew and
Jewish Studies. She studied abroad at Hebrew University
of Jerusalem in Israel. She is a news writer/producer for
WSB TV and freelance writer for CNN International.
She and her husband Dovid, live in Atlanta, GA.
ON THE SIDELINES
THE
ON SIDELINES
Season Intern
Ethan Bagen
Hopes For Winning Season
W
By Mark Hayden
hen baseball players jump from the Double A level
to the major leagues in one season, we know it can
be a herculean task. But within that span of time, Redbirds
Operations Assistant Ethan Bagen has gone one step farther:
Ethan Bagen
organization. He hopes his experiences add a few wrinkles
he has gone from working in rookie ball to the Triple A level.
The 23-year-old native from Atlanta spent a year with to the Redbirds’ way of doing things. “Sometimes we tend to
the Appalachian League’s Burlington Royals rookie club last miss things when we see the same things over a number of
season. As operations intern with the North Carolina club, years,” said Ethan.
But he has no doubt he will learn a lot this year; a year
he helped with the stadium’s business, oversaw game day staff
and dealt with pre-game events. This year’s responsibilities that got underway when he was first introduced to the 14,300
capacity AutoZone Park. It left him pretty much speechless.
with the Redbirds are similar but on a much larger scale.
“I think the effort that I put into my job last year showed “It’s an amazing facility,” he said.
He is referring to a facility that is almost four times as
that I would be ready to come here,” said Ethan. “If something
needed to get done on two different sides of the stadium last large as his 2006 baseball home. “I bring experience from
season, I had to be in two places at one time. With more a smaller level to a bigger one as opposed to the other way
around,” he explained. “But I still
people and more communication
hope to prepare the organization and
over here, I’ve got more of a chance
the game day staff to be more prepared
to concentrate on one thing.”
and ready to do their job.”
And he’ll have to concentrate
Ethan’s stewardship began at
over a much longer haul this season.
North Carolina’s Elon University
While business hours extended from 8
where he earned a sports management
- 5 p.m. in January, the regular season
degree. His work with little league ball,
has tacked on a few more hours to
Special Olympics and a wheelchair
his daily workload. Once the game
hockey league led him to Burlington
ends it’s post-game clean up and
Eric Berger, Ethan Bagen, Adam Krouse and now to Memphis.“I’ll stay here as
preparation for the next day.
That’s far from the June through August rookie ball long as they like me,” he said. But he hopes it will help him
schedule that he worked last year, and that means an continue to climb the sports ladder.
And a winning season on the field for the Redbirds would
adjustment for the soft-spoken Bagen. ‘I’ll have to remember
that it’s warmer and more humid here, and that the season help lead to a winning season off the field, too. “Having a
is longer,” he said. “I’ll just have to pace myself so I don’t get team that wins definitely helps and puts you over the top,
but here we offer such a range of options for a family to come
burned out.”
As a self-professed sports fanatic, that shouldn’t be a out,” said Ethan. “There’s still the great food, the facility itself
problem. “Just have to keep doing my job,” he said. “Just keep is wonderful; the boardwalk has all kinds of games. So there’s
on doing it and not think about what’ll come up tomorrow.” a whole range of things to do even if everyone’s not into the
Why does he call himself a sports fanatic? His favorite game. It’s just a great family atmosphere.”
That family atmosphere should be playing
sports movies are “Field Of Dreams,” “Caddyshack” and
“The Program,” and his favorite sports moments are when he in downtown Memphis through September.
attended game six of the 1995 Atlanta Braves World Series
and a trip to the Masters golf tournament a few years ago.
Mark Hayden has written about Memphis sports for a
Both trips have linked him even closer to sports and variety of magazines. For story ideas please contact Mark
added to the overall approach he learned from the Royals’ at [email protected].
33
THE SCRIBBLER
r
e
l
b
b
i
Spring? Scr
Can We Talk About
THE
ON THE ROOF
P
esach is over. We have commemorated our deliverance and
cherished the last sweet lingering thought of who would we
be - where would we be - if the Lord G-d of Hosts had not led
us through the wilderness.
We have eaten the last matzo ball and just yesterday
finished up the saucerful of chopped liver remnants. So, what’s
to look forward to, now?
Nature lovers, cheered by those first shivering daffodils
answer, “SPRING”!
I open the fridge and see that pitiful
saucerful of chopped liver, one lonesome matzo
ball and cold Tzimmus from the second Seder
and I, too, think SPRING!
About a week after Passover - unless you
live in Rejavik, Iceland - the Creator’s greatest
miracle is on its way - SPRING!
Elijah, the guest at every Seder table, heralds
the Messiah, they say. It’s a comforting thought,
but sadly, after 3,300 years of Seders, we’re still
waiting for the Anointed Peacemaker who the
prophets tell us will restore our body and soul
and portfolio of hi-tech stocks. But don’t knock
the prophet. Every year - without one failure - he
has brought us the Messiah’s understudy - SPRING! He has never
missed. Not once. There is always Spring!
Elijah shows up at the Seder with a daffodil pinned to his
lapel and next thing you know here comes the revival we call
Springtime. He hasn’t missed once. He’s Barry Bonds at the
plate and every hit is a home run.
But that’s the problem with miracles like Spring - especially
annual miracles. They’re too regular. Maybe the Creator should
have teased us with a random season of rebirth that only
popped up now and then. Or maybe like leap year - every four
years. It involves the same emotional conundrum as kissing
your wife. Once a day is a thrill - three times a day is a bore. It’s
an old human flaw. Regularity breeds contempt.
If I could have a brief soliloquy with my Creator - if he
still encouraged chats with Abraham, Moses, Job and Elijah
like in bible times - I’d have a few suggestions to make about
that time of year when lawn mower salesmen rejoice; when the
sap rises in the tulip tree and in the hearts of young lovers. It’s
Springtime, flingtime, singtime, ringtime. But if the Creator of
seasons gave me a few minutes of his time, I’d ask Him to spice
up our life with a little suspense.
I’d inquire, “Sir, why must Winter, Spring, Summer, and
Fall follow each other so consistently”? It never fails. Not
34
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
By Ted Roberts
once - I mean never has Summer come before Spring. So
predictable. So dull. Why not surprise us once in a while.
Wouldn’t the world gasp at your power if say, just one year
out of six - SPRING FOLLOWED SUMMER!! And along the
same lines - once in a while let’s just skip Winter. Get the idea?
Why this boring consistency?
Then there’s this infinite universe we float around in. No
end - no beginning - no sides. No top or bottom to box in our
small, dizzy earth. We stand in our backyard
and look out into it. Stars, planets, galaxies
light up the sky. And rarely, about as often as
a surge of spiritual ecstasy moves our hearts in
synagogue, do we pebbles on the beach of time
say WOW! What a mystery. Starry nights, what
a light show put on by the Master empressario!
Gasping with awe, we rarely understand that
we’re not looking at specks of light, but the
elements of your imaginative mind. Why waste
such grandeur every night?
Now here’s my idea. Show the moon’s
radiance only monthly and light up the entire
heaven only once every 10 years. The grandeur
of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, sounded on the
hour like the cuckoo clock on your wall, soon turns to boredom.
And who can thrill at the sonnets of Edna St. Vincent Millay
over breakfast, lunch, supper and a midnight snack? You’re
overdoing it. Too much at once for feeble human minds.
Don’t you see that if you rationed out your galactic glory,
five billion men, women, and children would stare at diamonds,
not rhinestones? What radiance - what transcendental
authority, they’d say. “We need to follow in His ways.” That’s
what we humans would say - just like your prophet, Micah.
Micah, who stood on a dark Judean hillside and watched your
shining face every night - and still saw majesty, not pinpoints
of light. But most of us don’t have his imagination. Help us by
rationing out your wonders. And that’s exactly the point I’m
trying to make about Spring! I’d say once every three years
would be just about right.
Ted Roberts is a syndicate columnist whose work appears
frequently in the Jewish press.
Ted Roberts (“The Scribbler on the Roof”}
Website: http://www.wonderwordworks.com
Blogsite: http://www.scribblerontheroof.typepad.com
[email protected]
MAVEL TOVS
Irv Geffen has joined the Jewish
Federation of South Palm Beach County
as Executive Vice President, Financial
Resource Development, bringing 25 years
of non-profit fundraising and management
experience to Federation, including
almost 20 years with Jewish Federations
and agencies.
Jonathan “J.C.” Cohen, director of the URJ Henry S.
Jacobs Camp in Utica, MS was awarded a NFTY Lifetime
Membership, the Reform Youth Movement’s highest
honor during last weekend’s NFTY board meeting.
Sheri Sable was appointed Director of
Development, Midwest Region, at Hebrew
Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
in Cincinnati
Sherry Weinblatt was recently named director
of Hillel of Memphis. Her varied resume reflects her
experience and interests. She has been editor of a Jewish
community newspaper, Jewish school administrator,
member of a public school board, high school teacher
and an active volunteer in both the Jewish and non-Jewish
communities. She and her husband, Allan, moved to
Memphis from Youngstown, Ohio a year and a half ago to
be with their daughter Betzy Weinblatt-Lynch, assistant
director of the Memphis Jewish Community Center, and
her family.
“We are delighted to welcome Sheri Sable to
our administration, and look forward to the
benefit of her expertise in advancing fund
raising strategies, nurturing philanthropic
relationships, organizing complex events,
developing proposals and presentations, and advancing marketing
and communications to strengthen the College-Institute’s mission
and outreach throughout the Midwest region of the United
States,” stated Rabbi Ellenson, HUC-JIR President.
Cheryl Epstein received the 2008
Gerald Legow Outstanding Achievement
in Jewish Education (OAJE) Recognition
Award at the South Palm Beach County
Teachers’ Conference.
“It’s so hard to imagine getting an award for
doing something I do because I love it so much,”
said Epstein characteristically, shocked and
tearful when she was named.
“While I feel a bit young to be receiving a ‘life membership’
to anything,” Cohen, 40, said jokingly, “I’m truly honored by
this award.”
BBYO is incredibly excited to welcome Debra Olswing
as Memphis BBYO’s Senior Program Director. Debra is a
BBG alumna and a past Memphis BBG Advisor, who brings
over 25 years of corporate sector experience with her, in
addition to her immense creativity, passion, and personal
experiences with teens. She’s a seasoned professional,
open to new ideas, accommodating, enthusiastic, and
ready to bring new life and energy to the Memphis
BBYO program.
CREATE YOUR JEWISH LEGACY THROUGH
A GIFT IN YOUR ESTATE
Create Your Jewish Legacy is a deferred gift initiative spearheaded by the Jewish Foundation of
Memphis. Join with us in this important endeavor so you can help define the future of the
Memphis Jewish community and hand down the beautiful gift you were given.
You can Create Your Jewish Legacy through:
• Bequest
• Life Insurance Policy
• IRA/Retirement assets
• Charitable Remainder Trust
• Charitable Gift Annuity
C R E AT E
YOUR
JEWISH
LEGACY
A Deferred Gift Initiative
For Our Community
Contact the Jewish Foundation of Memphis today for more information on ways you can Create Your Jewish Legacy 901-374-0400 or
email at [email protected].
Sponsored By:
The Jewish Foundation of Memphis is not engaged in rendering legal or tax advisory services. Individuals
considering charitable gifts to the Foundation or to participating organizations should obtain the services of
a financial advisor, such as an attorney, certified public accountant, or chartered life underwriter
.
35
AGENCIES, SCHOOLS, SYNAGOGUES
ARKANSAS
BENTONVILLE
Congregation Etz Chaim
P.O. Box 477, 72712, 474.464.8001
HOT SPRINGS
Congregation House of Israel
300 Quapaw Ave., 71901-5203,
501.623.5821
LITTLE ROCK
Congregation Agudath Achim 7901
West 5th St., 72205, 501.225.1683
Congregation B’nai Israel
3700 N. Rodney Parham Rd., 72212,
501.225.9700
Hebrew Academy of Arkansas
11905 Fairview Rd., 72227,
501.217.0059
Lubavitch of Arkansas
11905 Fairview Rd., 72227,
501.217.0053
FLORIDA
BOCA RATON
Adolph and Rose Levis JCC
9801 Donna Klein Blvd., 33428,
561.852.3200
Boca Raton Jewish Learning Center
19801-6 Hampton Dr., 33434,
561.883.5439
Donna Klein Jewish Academy
9701 Donna Klein Blvd., 33428,
561.852.3301
Hillel of Broward & Palm Beach
Levine Weinerger Jewish Life Center
777 Glades Rd., Building LY-3A, 33431,
561.297.4097
Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach
Richard and Carole Siemens Jewish Campus
9901 Donna Klein Blvd., 33428-1788,
561.852.3278
Solomon Schechter Day School
333 SW 4th Ave., 33432, 561.750.4240
Temple Beth El of Boca Raton
333 SW 4th Ave. 33432, 561.391.8900
Boynton Beach
Temple Shaarei Shalom
9085 Hagen Ranch Rd., 33472,
561.364.9054
West Palm Beach
Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County
4601 Community Dr., 33417,
561.242.6637
MISSISSIPPI
GREENVILLE
Hebrew Union Congregation
504 Main St., 38701, 662.332.4153
HATTIESBURG
Temple B’nai Israel
P.O. Box 15636, 39404-5636,
601.545.3871
JACKSON
Congregation Beth Israel
5315 Old Canton Rd., 39211,
601.956.6215
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of
Southern Jewish Life
PO Box 16528, 39236, 601.362.6357
TUPELO
Temple B’nai Israel
1301 Marshall St., 38802, 662.842.9169
UTICA (Serving AL, AR, LA, MS,W.Tenn)
URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp
601.885.6042
TENNESSEE
CHATTANOOGA
Jewish Community Federation of
Greater Chattanooga
P.O. Box 8947, 37414, 423.493.0270
CORDOVA
Memphis Jewish Home
36 Bazeberry, 38018, 901.758.0036
Margolin Hebrew Academy/
Feinstone Yeshiva of the South 390 S.
White Station Rd., 38117, 901.682.2409
KNOXVILLE
Knoxville Jewish Alliance
6800 Deane Hill Dr., 37919,
865.690.6343
Memphis Jewish
Community Center
6560 Poplar Ave.,
38138, 901.761.0810
MEMPHIS
Anshei Sphard Beth-El Emeth
Congregation (ASBEE)
120 East Yates Rd. North, 38120,
901.682.1611
Memphis Jewish Federation
6560 Poplar Ave., 38138, 901.767.7100
Baron Hirsch Synagogue
400 S. Yates, 38120, 901.683.7485
Beth Sholom Synagogue
6675 Humphreys Blvd., 38120,
901.683.3591
B’nai B’rith Youth Oranization
6560 Poplar Avenue, 38138,
901.767.7440
Bornblum Judaic Studies
301 Mitchell Hall, University of
Memphis, 38152 901.678.2919
Bornblum Solomon
Schechter School
6641 Humphreys Blvd., 38120,
901.747.2665
Chabad Lubavitch of Tennessee
6629 Massey Ln., 38120, 901.766.1800
Hadassah Memphis Chapter
422 Miracle Pt., 38120, 901.683.0727
Hillel of Memphis
3581 Midland, 38111, 901.452.2453
Jewish Family Service
6560 Poplar Ave., 38138, 901.767.8511
Memphis Jewish High School
1203 Ridgeway Rd., Park Place Ctr.,
Suite 203, 38119, 901.767.4818
National Council of Jewish Women, P.O.
Box 17921, 38187-0921, 901.685.8976
Plough Towers
6580 Poplar Ave., 38138, 901.767.1910
Sam Schloss Lodge # 35 of B’nai B’rith,
P.O. Box 17616, 38187-0616, 901.761-0300
Temple Israel and Barbara K. Lipman
Early Learning Center
1376 East Massey Rd., 38120,
901.761.3130
Torah MiTzion
390 S. White Station Rd., 38117,
901.606.7059
Young Israel
531 S. Yates, 38120, 901.761.6060
NASHVILLE
Congregation Ohabai Sholom
5015 Harding Rd., 37205, 615.352.7620
Jewish Federation of Nashville &
Middle Tennessee
801 Percy Warner Blvd., 37205,
615.356.3242
Jewish Foundation of Memphis
6560 Poplar Ave., 38138, 901.374.0400
ADVERTISERS
A House of David in the Land of Jesus
page 8
The Granite Guy
page 5
Kittie Kyle
page 19
State of Israel Bonds
Inside Back Cover
Carlson Wagonlit Travel
page 10
Great Wines
page 27
Menage
page 3
The Village at Germantown
page 5
Comfort Keepers
page 9
Harkavy Shainberg Kaplan & Dunstan
PLC
Inside Front Cover
Mona Spa & Laser Center
page 11
VistaCare Health Services
page 9
Morgan Keegan/Lawson Arney
page 29
Waverly Gardens/Waverly Glen
page 1
Rhodes College
page 21
Ed Wiener DDS
page 13
Edible Arrangements
page 21
Extreme Events
page 26
Falk Plumbing Supply
page 7
Firehouse Subs
page 13
Friends of Israel 60th Anniversary
Celebration
page 1
36
Jewish Scene
I May 2008
Ittabena
page 3
Jason’s Deli
page 19
Jewish Foundation of Memphis
page 35
Jude Fine Gifts
page 17
Leaddog Web Design
page 8
River Oaks Maselle/ Blumbeks
page 7
Seriously Fun
page 17
Stanford Financial Group
Back Cover
Your Israel Bonds Investments Help Israel
Continue 60 Years of Economic Miracles
Not Just A Bond.
A Bond With Israel.
Development Corporation for Israel/State of Israel Bonds
12600 South Belcher Road, Suite 101A • Largo, FL 33773
727-539-6445 • 800-622-8017
This is not an offering, which can be made only by prospectus. Read it carefully before investing to fully evaluate the risks associated with investing in State of Israel bonds. Issues subject to availability.
May 2008
WEEKLY MEETINGS & EVENTS
ARKANSAS
HOT SPRINGS, HOUSE OF ISRAEL
FRIDAY
4:30, 5:30 & 6 p.m. Torah Study,
Oneg, Ser vices
SATURDAY
10:30 a.m. Ser vice, 2nd Saturday of
the month
SUNDAY
9:30 a.m. Religious School
2:30 p.m. Adult Hebrew class
FLORIDA
BOCA RATON
WEDNESDAY June 11, 18 & 25
6 p.m. Temple Beth El Rape
Aggression Defense System for women
MISSISSIPPI
JACKSON, BETH ISRAEL
FRIDAY
6:15 p.m. Services, first Fridays Shirim Choir
SATURDAY
9 a.m. Services, 10:15 a.m. Talmud study
TENNESSEE
MEMPHIS
TUESDAY
9 a.m.
Baron Hirsch Torah One on One Learning
Noon
Baron Hirsch “Call Torah” call-in-class
Young Israel Lunch & Learn, 5350
Poplar Avenue #550, Development of
Jewish Law and History
7 p.m.
Beth Sholom Israeli Folk Dance
Hillel Sip and Schmooze (bi-weekly)
Baron Hirsch Living Jewish
WEDNESDAY
10:30 a.m.
Baron Hirsch Ladies Parsha Class
11 a.m.
Young Israel Ladies Parsha Class
Noon
Baron Hirsch Reframing the Parshaat
B.A. Framer, 1905 Troyer
7 p.m.
Baron Hirsch Jewish History
7:30 p.m.
Beth Sholom Limmud class
Temple Israel Conversational Hebrew
THURSDAY
9:15 a.m.
Temple Israel ELC “Mommy and Me”
Noon
Beth Sholom Lunch & Learn, bring a
dairy or pareve lunch
1:30 p.m.
Temple Israel WRJ-Sisterhood Mother
Bear Project
4:30 p.m.
Beth Sholom Adult Hebrew Class
8 p.m.
ASBEE Telecast of Rabbi Frand portion
of the week
SUNDAY
Young Israel class w/ breakfast, “Yoreh
Deah,” Practical Jewish Law for Men
8:30 a.m.
Baron Hirsch Talmud Class,
Chabad Lubavitch Bagels, Lox &
Tefillin. Minyan
9 a.m.
Beth Sholom Yiddish Class
9:15 a.m.
Baron Hirsch IE Hanover Lecture on
World Events
11 a.m. (thru May 4)
Temple Israel What They Didn’t Tell
You About the Jewish Holidays
8 p.m.
Baron Hirsch Shoah & Tkuma Class,
10th-11th graders
SATURDAY
8:45 a.m.
Temple Israel Torah Study
1-1/2 hours before sundown, ASBEE
Portion-of-the-week class
Visit www.jewishscenemagazine.com
and click on Events Calendar for details
and more coming attractions.
COMING ATTRACTIONS
ARKANSAS
BENTONVILLE
Congregation Etz Chaim
May 2-3
Shabbat Services and Holocaust Remembrance
Service, www.etzchaimnwa.org
FLORIDA
BOCA RATON
May 4
9:30 a.m. Temple Beth El Mitzvah Day, call
561-391-8900
May 7
6 p.m. Jewish Federderation of S. Palm
Beach Yom Ha’atzmaut – Celebrate Israel
at 60 at Mizner Park www.jewishboca.org
May 9
6 p.m. Temple Beth El Yom Ha’atzmaut
dinner & Israel’s 60th Independence Day
Celebration Shabbat
May 11
9:30 a.m. Temple Beth El Mother’s Day
Breakfast w/entertainment
May 15
11 a.m. Temple Beth El Beading Together
Word of Torah while studying the mystical
idea of the Kaballists
May 23
8 p.m. Temple Beth El Kesher L’Shabbat,
an original music service w/ composer/
performer Steve Dropkin and The
Rhythm Project
MISSISSIPPI
JACKSON
Throughout April and May
Ridgeland Library – Lou Shornick’s
photographs on display
UTICA
URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp
May 24-31
Camp Dream Street,
www.dreamstreetms.org
June 11
Opening Day for Campers
TENNESSEE
MEMPHIS
May 1
7:30 p.m. Women’s Rosh Chodesh
Celebration /Pirkei Ima-ot, home of
Sally Rosenberg
May 3
10:45 a.m. Beth Sholom Shabbat First
for infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers and
their families
May 4
8:30 Hadassah Annual 5K Fun Run/Walk
for Breast Cancer Research at Audubon
Park Cancer Survivors Park
May 7
7 p.m. Baron Hirsch 60th Anniversary of
State of Israel Celebration with ASBEE &
Torak MiTzion Kollel
May 8
10 a.m. Jewish Foundation of Memphis
“Creating Your Jewish Legacy,” at Town
Village RSVP 901-374.0400
6:30 p.m. Beth Sholom “Old Enough to
Know Better” dinner and evening of fun for
60 and older, RSVP 901.683.3591
May 10
8:30 a.m. Baron Hirsch special Israel Shabbat
May 11
10 a.m. Baron Hirsch First Annual Baron’s
Battle Chess Tournament
10:30 a.m. Beth Sholom Religious School
Celebration of Jewish Learning followed by
congregational brunch
5:00 p.m. Temple Israel Mom & Pop’s
Symphony Picnic
May 12
Temple Israel Brotherhood Golf
Tournament, Ridgeway Country Club
Noon: Lunch, 1 p.m. Tournament, 6:30 p.m.
Dinner by Ruth Chris Steak House
May 13
7p.m. Beth Sholom Israeli Dance
Workshop sponsored by the Lemsky Fund
May 14
4-8 p.m. Beth Sholom Blood Drive, for
time slot 901.452.0139 or alaynes@
earthlink.net
6:30 p.m. Hadassah Installation/dinner, Beth
Sholom, RSVP 901.683.0727
May 15
12:15 p.m. ASBEE Sisterhood lunch/
study group
May 16
6 p.m. Beth Sholom Tot Shabbat & family
dinner, RSVP
6:00 p.m. Temple Israel 154th Annual
Meeting and Election
May 18
10:30 a.m. ASBEE annual meeting
11 a.m. Beth Sholom Torah Fund Brunch,
home of Dr. Craig and Andrea Sander, w/
soprano Rachel Cornette and Claire Julian
RSVP 901.767.2060/901.767.8345
May 21
Noon Baron Hirsch Kol Rena So-shuls
lunch & entertainment $3
7 p.m. Memphis Jewish Federation Annual
Meeting, JCC Social Hall
May 22
9:15 a.m. Barbara K. Lipman ELC Shalom
Ceremony
6 p.m. WRJ-Temple Israel Sisterhood
Board Installation Dinner
6:30 p.m. Beth Sholom Book Club
(Rosendorf ’s Quartet)
8:30 p.m. ASBEE Lag B’omer Bonfire
May 30
7:15 p.m. Drum Circle home of Rabbi and
Sharona Rubinstein
Comedian Michael “Ziggy”Danziger, winner of the Funniest Person in Memphis, performances sponsored by the Institute of Southern Jewish Life:
May 15 7p.m. Hot Springs, AR, House of Israel • May 16 7 p.m. Monroe, LA, B’nai Israel • May 17 7:30 p.m. Jackson, MS, Beth Israel • May 18 7 p.m. Shreveport, LA, B’nai Zion
37
V I J AY S I N G H
HIS LEGENDARY TALENT HELPED HIM
SOAR PAST SNEAD IN THE RECORD BOOKS.
HIS UNWAIVERING PASSION LANDED HIM IN
THE WORLD GOLF HALL OF FAME.
A N D C O M E S U N D AY, H E M AY E V E N E A R N H I S W I N G S .
Tickets for the 51st playing of the Stanford St. Jude Championship are available now.
FOR TICKETS GO TO www.stanfordstjude.com OR CALL 748.GOLF
desire. IT’S BACK BABY
JUNE 2-8, 2008 TPC SOUTHWIND / Memphis

spring blossoms • bornblum solomon schechter students grant wish

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