Aug - Jewish Federation of Tulsa

JewishTulsa.org
The Tulsa Jewish Review
August 2010 • Av 5770
Volume 81, Number 8
Irwin Kula
Speaks at Frank
Memorial Lecture
Jewish Campers
Build Jewish
Identity
Jews On First?
Garrett Wittles
At Bat
www.JewishTulsa.org
JFT Helps Build Jewish Identity
BARRY ABelS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
JEWISH FEDERATION OF TULSA
It feels like yesterday. I was having a conversation with
Martha Kelley, our CSJCC Youth Programs Director, about
preparations for Camp Shalom. Then I blinked and we are
nearly at summer’s end. Camp Shalom has one more week
and some folks are fitting in their last vacations before
school starts. For many of our Jewish youth it was a very full
summer. Campers at Camp Shalom enjoyed art, cooking,
golf, soccer, drama and a wide variety of other activities.
And with this summer’s heat they especially enjoyed swimming at our wonderful pool.
Camp Shalom is also an opportunity for our young teens
to experience their first jobs as counselors in training and as
junior counselors. Every morning as I entered the building
parents and children were signing in and connecting with
CIT’s to get to their activities. It was loud and boisterous,
with kids laughing and smiling — full of expectations of a
fun day. When asking campers at the end of the day, “Did
you have fun at camp today?” I always got back an enthusiastic “Yes!”
Other pre-teen and teen Jewish Tulsans had great experiences attending Greene Family Camp, Camp Ramah, and
Camp Sabra. These Jewish overnight camps have long been
the summer destinations for Tulsa youth and this summer
was no exception. Twenty-four of our kids attended these
camps — with 19 attending Greene Family alone.
Ten young Jewish Tulsans took trips to Israel, some on the
five week Temple Israel’s confirmation trip and others on
trips ranging from three weeks to one that will last through
the fall school semester.
Whether it is Camp Shalom, Greene, Ramah or Israel, our
young people will come away with a Jewish experience. It
might be Shabbat, saying a motzi before eating or experiencing an archeological dig. It might be being around more
Jewish kids than usual. These summer programs allow our
youth to experience things as Jewish kids — from a Jewish
perspective.
Even with the large number of kids from the general Tulsa
community that attend Camp Shalom, they too experience
learning Hebrew words, they are exposed to Israel’s history
and culture, lighting Shabbat candles and more.
I am sure you have heard this before, but to reiterate, trips
to Israel and attending Jewish summer camps do more to
ensure a child will chose to identify as Jewish, and practice Jewish faith and traditions than any other experience
outside of home influence. We are fortunate that so many
Tulsa parents promote and encourage these experiences and
that the community, through the Federation’s various special funds, ensures that any child, regardless of means, can
participate. It is without a doubt one of the most important
functions that your Federation provides to our community
and your children.
Every year Federation budgets between $25,000 and
$30,000 for Jewish Intensification that funds a portion of the
children that attend the different overnight camps and some
of the Israel trips. These funds are matched by the Charles
and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Twenty-one of
our overnight campers received some level of stipend and
all of the students going to Israel on trips other than the
Confirmands trip, received stipends. Confirmation students
can take advantage of having one-third of their experience
funded by the Brodsky/Robinowitz Confirmands Endowment, specifically established in the JFT Foundation to support those trips. And for some Camp Shalom campers, their
experience is made possible by support from the Dave R.
Sylvan Camp Scholarship Fund.
I am positive that we are having an impact on these young
people’s lives by sending them to Jewish camps and to Israel.
Many of these kids write me when they return telling me of
their experiences, what the summer meant to them, and to
thank the Federation for the support. Together, we’re making a difference in their lives.
Sites To See
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The Tulsa Jewish Review
(ISSN # 2154-0209) is published monthly by the
Jewish Federation of Tulsa
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Founded in 1930 by Tulsa Section, National Council of Jewish Women • Published by the Jewish Federation of Tulsa
Over $18,000 raised by the Jewish Federation of Tulsa’s emergency
campaign, initiated shortly after last January’s earthquake in Haiti, is part
of the $7.4 million raised by the Federations throughout the country. Our
Federation-supported partners, JDC, along with ORT and VOAD, are working with many international NGOs to help Haiti rebuild.
• JDC, together with ORT, has invested in training 900 Hatian construction workers.
• JDC, together with Magen David Adom and Israel’s Tel HaShomer hospital, has launched a comprehensive rehabilitation center for amputees
in Haiti’s largest hospital, Hospital Universite D’etat D’Haiti.
• In partnership with the Israel Trauma Coalition, JDC is reaching out
to hundreds of religious leaders, key community figures, and school
principals to equip them with tools to identify and respond to those
suffering from post traumatic stress disorder.
• The JDC is building clean water towers, installing more than 80 so
far that provide 440,000 gallons daily for hundreds of thousands of
people.
Paula Milsten
Vice-Chair
JewishTulsa: The Tulsa Jewish Review
• JDC the NGO Prodev created after-school activities at the tent cities for
young people
Barry A. Abels
Executive Director
David Bernstein
Director, Community Relations
To Submit Story Ideas,
Letters and Opinions
to the Editor:
Jason Brimer
918.852.3838
[email protected]
Advertising Deadline
Reservations, August 13th
Material, August 20th
Contribute Today to
A JFT Fund!
www.jpost.com
Haiti Emergency Campaign
Shirley Burger
Chair
JewishTulsa: The Tulsa Jewish Review
Editorial Deadline
August13th
www.haaretz.com
Your Gifts at work
Charlotte Miller March of the Living
Fund
Scholarships for March of the Living
trips to Auschwitz and Israel
JFT Building Facility
Endowment Fund
Enables enhancements and capital
improvements to Center Building
Jewish Federation of Tulsa
Officers and Board
Gloria C. Estlin, President
Alex Goldberg, Vice President and President Elect
Klara Bode, Vice President
Harvey Cohen, Treasurer
Lori Frank, Secretary
Philip Kaiser, Asst. Secretary
Board Members
Alice Blue
Karen Blum
Fred Benjamin
Klara Bode
Shirley Burger
Sharon Cash
Harvey Cohen
Drew Diamond
Gloria Estlin
Lori Frank
Alex Goldberg
Cindy Guterman
Philip Kaiser
Edward Kaplan
Ginny Katz
Myron Katz
Mark Lobo
Andy Marcum
Paula Milsten
Shiela Mudd
Leor Roubein
John Sieler
Fred Strauss
Barbara Sylvan
Eva Unterman
Ryan Welner
Jack Zanerhaft
Corrected from the June issue - editor
The Mission of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa is to preserve and enhance Jewish life and well-being in Eastern Oklahoma, Israel, and the entire world.
Turn On.
Tune In.
Shvitz Out.
Rabbi Irwin Kula to Deliver Frank Memorial Lecture
Rabbi Irwin Kula, President of CLAL (The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership), will deliver the
second annual Irv and Sharna Frank Memorial Lecture in
Judaism and Contemporary Issues. Kula’s lecture, Judaism
in the 21st Century: Taking Jewish Wisdom Public, will take
place at the Sylvan Auditorium of the Shusterman JCC at
7:00 pm on Sunday, August 22nd. The lecture will be followed by a reception.
Rabbi Kula—who knew the Franks, and studied with
their dear friend Irving “Yitz” Greenberg—is the author
of several award-winning texts on religion and spirituality,
including Yearnings: Embracing the Sacred Messiness of Life.
He has appeared on numerous television programs (including the Today Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Frontline), and has hosted two television specials, Simple Wisdom
with Irwin Kula and The Hidden Wisdom of Our Yearnings.
Kula received the 2008 Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom
Award, and has made Newsweek’s annual list of “Top 50
Rabbis in America” four years in a row.
Rabbi Kula plays an important part in the 2002 PBS
special Faith and Doubt at Ground Zero, in which he was
filmed chanting cell phone calls and text messages sent by
people trapped in the World Trade Center to their family
members and friends. In the film, Kula answers the question “Where was God on 9/11?” by explaining that God was
present in these messages, which are pure expressions of
love between human beings. The day after Faith and Doubt
at Ground Zero first aired, Kula received 3,000 emails from
viewers across the religious spectrum.
The Frank Lecture honors Irv and Sharna’s creative vision
and foresight by providing a forum for the serious exploration of Judaism and contemporary issues. Last year’s lecturer was David A. Harris, Executive Director of the American
Rabbi Irwin Kula will deliver the second annual Irv and Sharna
Frank Memorial Lecture Sunday, August 22 at the CSJCC.
Jewish Committee. For more information about the lecture,
please call Mindy Prescott at 495-1100 x112, or email her at
[email protected].
JewishTulsa Web Extra
For an interview with Rabbi Kula, go to our Web site,
www.JewishTulsa.org.
JCPA Works to Pass Child Nutrition Act
(JTA) The Jewish Federation of Tulsa’s Community
Relations Committee’s national organization, the Jewish
Council for Public Affairs, encouraged the U.S. House of
Representatives to pass a child nutrition funding act before
its August recess.
The House Committee on Education and Labor approved
the act on July 15 in a 32-13 vote, and it will now be
considered by the full body. The bill reauthorizes funding
that would improve the quality of school-based food
programs and make more students eligible to receive them. “It is incredibly important that Congress continues
to take steps to ensure these programs are fully funded
and our nation’s most vulnerable children have access to
those programs that can most benefit them,” said JCPA
Chair Conrad Giles and President Rabbi Steve Gutow in a
statement. “Time is running out and Congress must act as
2 JewishTulsa
soon as possible.”
JCPA’s There Shall be no Needy Among You initiative aims
to eliminate poverty in the U.S. It was launched in 2007 to
help advance legislation and programs that provide food,
shelter, work and education to those who need them.
“Child nutrition is one of the things we’re most concerned
about, both on a local and national level,” said the JFT’s
Community Relations Committee Chairperson Alice Blue.
Save The Date
The Jewish Federation of Tulsa
presents a comprehensive program on
Jewish Genetic Diseases
Sunday, October 10th • 2:00 - 4:30 p.m.
Couch potato? Exercise nut?
Why not the be best of both?
The Fitness Center at the CSJCC features Personal
Entertainment Player outfitted Precor cardiovascular
equipment, letting you watch videos from your iPod or
tune in shows on cable while you improve your health
and shed some pounds.
So get off of the couch and go watch some TV.
Try A Week For Free!
Feel like working out, or just catching up on your shows? Try
a week on us. For a guest pass, contact Amy Underwood at
918-495-1111 or [email protected].
The Fitness Center at the CSJCC
Personal Training • Strength Classes • Massage Therapy
Since the days when Jewish kids started their letters with
“Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah,” they’ve relayed how lifechanging Jewish camp is to everyone who attends.
Below are a few notes we’ve received lately.
We’d like to hear from everyone, young or old, about how
Jewish camp (or a trip to Israel) changed your life. (We’re
talking to you Greene Family Campers!)
Send your stories to [email protected].
Send Akiva to Israel
Shalom everyone! For those of you who do not know
me, my name is Akiva Leonoff, and by the time you’ve
read this I will be in Israel on a program called Ramah
Seminar. This program is very important to me because
it marks the conclusion to 8 years of Jewish summer
camp experiences for me, as well as a new start in Israel.
This program will have many aspects I have come to
know and love from camp, as well as many things that
will be fresh and exciting. I will hike, explore, study and
pray throughout the country. I’ll receive a greater appreciation for our Jewish heritage as well as wonderful
new experiences with old friends and new ones.
I want to express my love for the state of Israel, my
camp friends, and for the wonderful Ramah programs I’m
blessed to be part of. I’m very grateful to the Jewish Federation and the Tulsa Jewish community for giving me all
the opportunities though the years and always helping me
become the better person (and better Jew) I am today.
I could never repay this community for what it has
given me, but I do everything I can — from working at
the Synagogue on Sundays to volunteering for programs
like Festival Israel.
It’s not just me either. On behalf of all the Jewish teens
here in Tulsa, thank you so much for everything.
Simon’s Ramah Outdoor Adventure
There really aren’t enough words to describe camp, but I’ll
try my best. I did mountain biking, horseback riding, backpacking, rock climbing, wilderness survival and more. It was
pretty cool being at the very first session of a brand new
camp, and also the first and only Tulsan there even though I
didn’t know anyone at the beginning. I made lots of friends,
even with the counselors (who were awesome, by the way).
It was a conservative/orthodox camp, which meant that everything was kosher, we laid tefillin, said birkat after every
meal, strictly observed Shabbat, and more. It was really cool
to be outside during everything, even services in the beautiful
rocky mts. I highly recommend this Ramah camp to everyone
eligible. It was definitely the highlight of my life so far, besides getting a little sister.
Rachael goes to Ramah
I was at Ramah Daron for a month. This was my fourth year.
We prayed every morning and Saturday we prayed three times.
At camp we follow the traditions, like no electricity on Shabbat.
You should definitely go. It’s the time of your life!
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Welcome to our NEW online shop!
You are just a click away from all your Judaica.
templetulsa.judaicabeautiful.com
Mark Mietkiewicz
Although it may shatter some stereotypes, there are plenty
of Jews who take the opportunity to say goodbye to the city
– and even the cottage – and venture into the wild. There
they find the ideal setting to commune with friends and nature – and to also do some davening and Jewish learning.
You don’t have to convince Stephen Altbaum and his buddies about
the virtues of
getting out.
For over three
decades, they
have explored
Ontario’s waterways and
wilderness
in “an excursion of faith,
friendship
and food.”
“Wherever we
are we make
Kiddush and
light candles
on Shabbat,”
organizer
Altbaum said.
“We also do
Havdalah
on Saturday nights.” As for the camaraderie, “There’s this amazing
chemistry between us. Sure, we’ve had our small problems,
someone will get on someone else’s nerves. But this group
has kept a lot of psychiatrists out of work.”
There is more to observing Shabbat than just refraining
from lighting a fire. And that has probably frightened more
than one observant lover of the outdoors from camping
from Friday to Sunday. Aside from kindling, there are prohibitions regarding extinguishing, building, cooking, laundering and carrying in areas outside the boundaries of an
eruv. You can get an idea of what Shabbat campers need to
be aware of and some possible solutions at this site. [http://
bit.ly/jcamp7] The National Jewish Girl Scout Committee
has recommendations about keeping kosher and enjoying
Shabbat in the wild. [http://bit.ly/jcamp4]
If you have the longing to get outdoors but don’t have
the skills, equipment or nerve to do it by yourself, there are
groups which will guide your body and nurture your soul.
BurningBushAdventures.com offers New England-based
hiking and canoe trips in the spring and dog sledding trips
in the winter. The site quotes from the Midrash Rabbah,
“Wilderness is a necessary condition for every revelation,
for every true internalization of the Torah’s teaching: Whoever would wish to acquire Torah must make himself own-
erless like the wilderness.”
Rabbi Mike Comins’ TorahTrek.com has organized “Spiritual Wilderness Adventures” into Joshua Tree National
Park, across Wyoming’s Wind River Range and by kayak in
Yellowstone National Park. Meanwhile, AdventureRabbi.
com leads groups around Boulder, Colorado while TevaAdventure.org has ventured as far afield as Alaska and the European Alps.
[http://bit.ly/
jcamp5]
North of
the border,
Toronto’s
Village Shul
organizes an
annual threeday Canoe
‘n Learn in
Ontario’s
Frontenac
Provincial
Park. “We’re
not offering a
camping
trip geared
to super
athletes,”
explains
organizer
Richard
Bassett. “We’re hoping for a group of about 24 men
for frum-friendly leisure and learning in the great
outdoors.” [http://bit.ly/jcamp6]
And to prove that there really is a community of likeminded outdoor enthusiasts out there, visit the Facebook
group, “Jews don’t go camping...?” There, you’ll read comments like:
• I have met Jews that camp at the Ritz or go solo
camping in the mountains. DNA does not preclude any of us from trying new things for sure.
• As a Single Jewish Mom I took my boys camping
many times pitched the tent and did the rest!!!!!
• That’s nonsense. … Where is it written that Jews
must fall into the stereotypes that were created
for us? [http://bit.ly/jcamp8]
Perhaps it shouldn’t be so surprising, this Jewish wanderlust, this urge to explore the great outdoors. After all
it’s been in our blood for thousands of years. As it says in
Exodus 19:2: “They entered the wilderness of Sinai and encamped in the wilderness.” If our ancestors camped out for
40 years, is it really so odd if some Jews want to do it for a
few days?
Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer
who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet.
Jews in Canoes
The Tulsa Jewish Review 5
Support for Israel Near Record High
DiMaggio. Koufax. Wittels — Jewish Batsman Eyes College Streak
WASHINGTON (JTA) Support for Israel among Americans is at a near record high, a new poll showed.
According to the Gallup Poll, 63 percent of Americans say
their sympathies in the Middle East conflict are with Israel,
while 15 percent side with the Palestinians.
The rest favor both sides, neither side or have no opinion.
Support for Israel was higher only in 1991, shortly after
Israel was hit with Scud missiles during the Gulf War, when
it was at 64 percent.
The poll, conducted in early February, was part of Gallup’s
annual World Affairs survey in which Americans were asked
a series of questions about their opinions of 20 countries or
entities, including Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Israel’s ranking, at 67 percent favorable, was among the highest
of the countries surveyed.
The Palestinian Authority, at 20 percent, was among the
lowest.
Support for Israel increased more among Republicans
and independents than Democrats, the poll showed. Since
2001, there has been an increase of 25 points among Republicans and 18 points among independents. Support for Israel
among Democrats has stayed about the same.
Asked whether peace eventually will be reached in the
Middle East, 67 percent of respondents answered “doubtful”
and 30 percent said “there will come a time” when there will
be peace.
In a general trend over the past 10 years, Democrats were
more optimistic than Republicans about the chances for
peace. Thirty-nine percent of Democrats said it will come;
25 percent of Republicans agreed.
NEW YORK (JTA) Joe DiMaggio, Yankee Clipper. Garrett
While his slate of good luck rituals has been noted
Wittels, Jewish Hitter.
repeatedly in the mounting media coverage of the streak,
The first is an icon, the other started the 2010 college
the mainstream media has missed this one: Before each
baseball season at Florida International University as a
game, Wittels recites the Shema, the Jewish prayer declaring
virtual unknown. Now both are inextricably linked to the
the unity of God.
number 56, and FIU is hoping to send Wittels’ popularWittels also carries a travel mezuzah, which contains the
ity soaring with a grassroots campaign to win him the
Shema prayer, and on road trips he brings a copy of the
ESPY award as male college athlete of the year.
Jewish Wayfarer’s Prayer, according to his mother, Lishka, a
Wittels, a 20-year-old sophomore, finished this season sit- member of Miami’s “Jewban,” or Cuban-Jewish community.
ting on a 56-game hitting
“This is a very spiristreak, the second-lontual house,” his father,
gest in college baseball
Michael, told JTA. “My
history. The total matchwife’s family were Turkes DiMaggio’s legendary
ish Jews. We have that
Major League record
culture, plus all of the
set in 1941, a mark that
other meshugas” he said,
most baseball observers
referring to his son’s prewould say was even more
game habits.
impressive than his marAs a 20-year-old, Witriage to Marilyn Monroe
tels has said that he does
(after all, two other men
not yet consider himself
managed that feat). a role model, but his
Of course Wittels,
mother said, “the Jewishwho is Jewish, may have
ness plays a very big part
more in common with
in his life.”
another baseball Hall of
“He has said he would
Famer: Sandy Koufax,
marry a Jewish girl and
the Dodgers’ lefty who
talks about how imporfamously refused to pitch
tant it is to carry on the
in the World Series on
Judaism with his life,” his
Yom Kippur.
mother said. “My son is
Wittels will attempt
the most spiritual, nonto break the collegiate
traditional young athlete
record of 58 consecutive
you will ever meet. He
games held by ex-Major
carries his religion in his
Leaguer Robin Ventura
heart.”
FIU’s Garrett Wittels at bat.
next spring.
It’s an unlikely accomplishment considering that Wittels was a utility infielder
Individual
who barely managed a .250 batting average as a freshman at
Miami’s Florida International. His streak started in February with a bloop bunt single against the University of Maryland -- and he never stopped hitting this season, propelling
him into the national spotlight as both the poster boy for
FIU and NCAA baseball. His success earned him an ESPY
nomination, ESPN’s version of the Oscars.
Like most high-level Jewish athletes, Wittels doesn’t wear
his Judaism on his sleeve (or his head -- he’s not the second
Pre-K through 5th grade enrollment now open. Classes begin August 12th.
coming of one-time Orthodox basketball phenom Tamir
Goodman, who wore a kipah while playing). But baseball
is a game of superstitions, and it’s there that Wittels’ Jewish
Zarrow Campus • 2021 E. 71st
918-494-0953 • MizelSchool.org
background emerges.
David Dopp
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6 JewishTulsa
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attention.
Small Classes.
Big Results.
The Tulsa Jewish Review 7
Ted Hyman
Freshman, Cornell University
&
Hillary Krisman
Freshman, University of Oklahoma
Jeanette Altman Frieden’s impressive persona has
many faces. She is at once a fervent member of the Jewish
community, an unassuming philanthropist and a model
for Jewish women everywhere. Having never had the
opportunity to attend college, she recognizes the role higher
education plays in a successful life.
Since 2004 Mrs. Frieden has annually awarded a generous
scholarship to a college-bound member of BBYO who in
her opinion best exemplifies the young adults that BBYO
creates.
After attending BBYO Presents, a fundraiser which
includes performances from the organization’s members,
Mrs. Frieden was moved by the talent and initiative of
the young men and women of BBYO. She recalled how
her children’s time in BBYO had brought them lifelong
friendships and invaluable experiences in their transition to
college, and saw this new generation of members working
to reap the same benefits. She worked with David Finer and
the Tulsa BBYO to create her namesake scholarship.
During the BBYO Spring Installation Ceremony in May,
the scholarship presentation was scheduled as the final
event of the evening. To no one was this fact more apparent
than the six applicants hoping to receive the endowment,
who tensely watched as Mrs. Frieden took the podium.
“Will the following members please join me in front?”, she
asked as the applicants looked around, confused, “Cailtin
Cash, Julia Chasen, Ted Hyman, Hillary Krisman, Ari
Prescott, and Josh Roubein.” One by one, the teens took to
the stage, their hearts racing as if the deciding factor among
our applications would be a public game of Russian roulette.
Mrs. Frieden began with a familiar introduction, stating
that the achievements of this senior class were impressive
and unique, making this year’s decision especially difficult.
All six seniors were visibly and unbearably anxious when
Mrs. Frieden’s announcement finally broke the tension. Not
one, but six scholarships would be given this year, one for
each applicant.
No generous contribution should go without its due
credit, and Mrs. Frieden’s extraordinary endowment to the
youth of the Jewish community is no exception. She has
single-handedly done as much for Tulsa BBYO as anyone
in the organization’s history, and deserves the gratitude
of anyone who has good fortune enough to meet her. On
behalf of the six recipients of this year’s award and all of
Tulsa BBYO, we wish Mrs. Frieden many more years of
vitality, enjoyment, and charity.
8 JewishTulsa
Celebrations
Jeanette Altman Frieden BBYO
Scholarship(s)
Rachael
Brodsky’s
Bat Mitzvah
August 21st
at CBE
Randi and Paul Brodsky are pleased to
announce that their daughter, Rachael Hannah,
will formally celebrate her Bat Mitzvah on
Saturday, August 21st, 2010.
A graduate of Heritage Academy/Mizel
JCDS, Rachael will be starting the seventh
grade at Union Middle School in the
fall. Rachael will also continue her Judaic
studies through Midrasha.
Rachael enjoys spending time swimming,
playing games with her brother, or just
spending quiet time at home with the family.
Derrick
Bryan’s Bar
Mitzvah
August 21st
at TI
Derrick Montgomery Bryan, son of Kelley
and Vincent Bryan, is very proud, excited and
happy to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah Saturday,
August 21st, 2010.
Derrick is entering his final year at Thoreau
Demonstration Academy. He was recently
inducted into the National Honor Society and
is currently involved in his second summer
internship with the Junior National Young
Leaders Conference in Boston.
Katz/Hayes Marriage
Be Prepared
Rabbi Charles P. Sherman
TEMPLE ISRAEL
I don’t want to intrude on your summer leisure. I do hope
that you’ve been able to use the summer months as an opportunity to enjoy life at a slower pace. For rabbis it means
that the Holydays will soon be upon us. Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur are times of introspection and self-inventory
and soul-searching. We want to greet the new year with anticipation and enthusiasm. I believe that means that we all
should follow the Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared.
The 40 days leading up to Yom Kippur are devised to
help us let go of the past and look forward to the future
with hope and confidence in ourselves. Judaism believes in
change and teshuvah. We have control over our destiny and
the path we travel. Yet change takes time to consider where
we have been and to plan for where we want to go. The
weeks prior to the High Holydays provide us this opportunity if we will take advantage of them.
According to a rabbinic story, Moses descended Mount
Sinai on Rosh Chodesh Elul – the beginning of the month
prior to Rosh Hashanah (the eve of August 10th this year).
He found the Israelites worshiping a golden calf. Enraged
at their idolatrous behavior, Moses smashed the tablets he
had carefully carried down the mountain. Once again he
ascended Sinai to receive another set. Moses returned to the
people a second time on the tenth of Tishri – the day we observe Yom Kippur.
We learn from our rabbis that the people spent these 40
days during Moses’ absence praying and preparing themselves through teshuvah. When Moses returned, they wanted to be ready to receive God’s gift.
May we too utilize the remaining summer days as a period of introspection and preparation for the Days of Awe.
Kosher & Non-Kosher
Meats and Provisions
William Katz, son of Ginny Katz, married
Michelle Heffner Hayes on June 17, 2010, in
Lawrence, KS where the couple both work and
reside. Michelle is a Professor at the University
of Kansas and William is Regional Director
of the Small Business Development Center in
Lawrence.
Temple Israel Featured In Film At National
Museum of American Jewish History
Temple Israel will be one of 13 synagogues featured in
films exploring the post-World War II role of synagogues
in the United States. The films were created for the new
National Museum of American Jewish History, which will
open in Philadelphia in November 2010. Located on the
second floor of the Museum’s core exhibition covering 1945
to the present, the films will offer virtual tours of synagogues built following World War II in an effort to immerse
visitors in inspirational and diverse examples of 20th century synagogue architecture.
“We chose Temple Israel because it represents a key example of post-World War II architecture,” said Dr. Josh
Perelman, the Museum’s historian and deputy director of
programming.
“These films aim to demonstrate the lively expansion
of American Judaism in the latter half of the twentieth
century,” continued Perelman.
The films will appear in a section of the exhibition relating
to the movement of American Jews into suburban neighborhoods in the years after World War II, when synagogues
became focal points of American Jewish life.
Jewish communities built, or rebuilt, well over one
thousand synagogues between 1945 and 1965. These new
synagogues often emerged as both the center for individual
Jewish identity as well as an important education and social
center for the community.
Last November filmmakers from Local Projects, the museum’s interactive media partner, traveled from New York
City to Tulsa for a full-day shoot of the Temple’s architectural features. They also conducted interviews with members
of Temple Israel’s staff and congregation, including Rabbi
Sherman, his wife, Nancy, librarian Susan Woitte, and congregation members Allan Avery and Sheldon Miller.
The National Museum of American Jewish History is constructing a new 100,000–square-foot, five-story building,
designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. The new Museum stands directly across from the Liberty Bell, a block south of the National
Constitution Center, and one block north of the birthplace
of American liberty, Independence Hall.
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Editor’s note: Sproutz does not keep a kosher kitchen, but is
very delicious.
The Tulsa Jewish Review 9
A Tulsa Meet Up... in Jerusalem
George Leonard
All paths lead to Jerusalem.
At least that’s how it seemed on Tuesday night when Tulsans Lynn Schusterman and Rabbi Jack Zanerhaft reconnected in Jerusalem to celebrate, along with hundreds of
others, the fifth anniversary of ROI, which is underwritten
by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
— and is Lynn’s signature program.
Launched in 2006, ROI provides critical funding, training,
and support for a host of Jewish entrepreneurial ventures
Lynn Schusterman and Jack Zanerhaft in Jerusalem to celebrating
the fifth anniversary of ROI.
such as Challah for Hunger, Moishe House, PresenTense,
and Jewcology. Its ultimate goal: to identify and nurture the
Jewish leaders of tomorrow.
More than 100 of them gathered with scores more friends,
community leaders, investors, and local entrepreneurs in
an open courtyard at Jerusalem’s JVP Media Quarter, where
they greeted and thanked Schusterman for her support of a
program that’s redefining the traditional notions of community leadership.
“We are living in challenging times, and questions abound
regarding how best to nurture our individual and collective connections to each other as Jews,” says Schusterman.
“We have seen how the network, skill building and other
resources we provide have led to collaborations that are
helping to enhance and enrich Jewish communities all over
the world.”
These online and in-person collaborations reflect a shift in
10 JewishTulsa
the center of gravity in the Jewish world to more of a global
network that empowers local innovation and initiatives. In
other words: Less talk from the top, and more ideas and action from the grassroots.
As if to set an example, Schusterman — at an event to celebrate her project — let others do the talking.
That sort of leadership is pure Lynn, says Rabbi Zanerhaft,
who is in Jerusalem to study at the Shalom Hartman Institute. Back home in Tulsa, he’s a lawyer specializing in personal injury defense — and the first rabbi at Congregation
Etz Chaim in Bentonville, Arkansas.
“We know Lynn on a local level,” says Zanerhaft. “We see
her at shul and at the JCC. We see her out shopping with
her kids and grandkids. And while we’re cognizant of her
role in world Jewry, we also feel like she’s one of us.”
As Israeli musician Kobi Oz entertained the crowd with
songs from his new album, Songs for the Perplexed, Schusterman mingled... then slipped out quietly into the night.
ROI is all about Jewish vitality and making the world better for our children and their children that is part of our
foundation’s logo, and it says, “As our parents planted for us,
so will we plant for our children.” I think that’s a beautiful
phrase, which highlights that we are engaged in a process –
one that is bigger than each of us, and will last longer than
each of us. Yet, we still have to be engaged in that effort to
make the world better for our children and their children.
That is a real motivator for me, and I get so much pleasure
out of helping to make the world a little bit better.
She left behind the seeds of a new Jewish future, a realization of her eponymous foundation’s motto: “As our parents
planted for us, so will we plant for our children.” Thanks to
Schusterman, these young leaders from all over the world
are rediscovering an ancient Jewish truth: when the future is
in your hands, it’s reassuring to have friends who share the
same spiritual home.
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Exploring Jewish Ancestry Through Food
By Linda Morel
NEW YORK (JTA) Teiglach came along with Tina Wasserman when she moved to Dallas in the 1980s.
Wasserman, a cooking teacher and the food columnist for
Reform Judaism magazine, didn’t literally transport clumps
of the sticky pastries whose dough is wrapped around nuts
and simmered in honey syrup. But among her most cherished possessions, she packed her recipe for the traditional
Rosh Hashanah sweet hailing from Lithuania.
“No one had seen it down here,” said Wasserman, the
author of Entree to Judaism: A Culinary Exploration of the
Jewish Diaspora (URJ Press, 2010), until she served the
dessert to her new friends.
She then introduced the recipe in cooking classes. Before
long, teiglach became part of the Jewish culinary scene in
Dallas.
The incident is typical of how Jewish foods have traveled
around the world, says Wasserman, whose goal in writing
her cookbook was to educate about Jewish culture while
providing sensational recipes that tell the story of Jewish
history.
As Jews migrated from country to country, they carried
their recipes and kiddush cups. Like Johnny Appleseed, they
spread their favorite foods. But they also adapted to the cuisines they encountered wherever they went.
“I wanted to create a link to our ancestry through food,”
said Wasserman, who feels that such a connection will keep
Judaism alive.
She began assembling recipes for Entree to Judaism with a
question: What makes a food Jewish from a historical viewpoint? Her conclusion: Kosher laws and Sabbath observance
were the reasons for the invention and evolution of Jewish
recipes.
For instance, Wasserman says that Caponata, the popular
Italian appetizer of simmered eggplants, tomatoes and peppers, is a 500-year-old Sabbath dish. During the Spanish
Inquisition when Spain occupied Sicily, 40,000 Jews fled to
mainland Italy to escape persecution, bringing with them
this make-ahead recipe that can be served cold or at room
temperature.
Each recipe in her cookbook includes the story of its
origins, when and why it was eaten, and who cherished it
enough to bring the preparation method to a new part of
the world.
Ever wondered why some Ashkenazim eat kreplach at
Rosh Hashanah? During the Middle Ages, Jews from Central and Eastern Europe sealed their dishes in pouches of
dough and wore them as amulets. Because they didn’t want
to waste this precious food, they put it into soup.
While Ashkenazim dip apples in honey to connote
sweetness in the New Year, Turkish Jews convey the same
wishes by partaking in Dulce de Manzana, sweet apple
preserves infused with rose water, the signature flavor of
many Sephardic pastries.
One of Wasserman’s favorite recipes is Syrian Eggplant
with Pomegranate Molasses, which is similar in consistency
to babagonoush. Pomegranates are traditionally eaten at
Rosh Hashanah because their seeds symbolize prosperity
in the New Year. The recipe is great as an appetizer, hors
d’oeuvres, first course salad or part of a meze assortment, an
array of appetizers typical of Sephardic cuisine.
“I’m all about connecting to the Jewish community at
large,” said Wasserman, whose website cookingandmore.
com creates a community around food. “We’re a shrinking
population who used to live everywhere in the world.”
Try Wasserman’s Dulce De Manzana recipe and find her
recipes for Syrian Eggplant with Pomegranate Molasses,
Lubiya and Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Cazuela at
JewishTulsa.org. - editor
DULCE DE MANZANA
This Rosh Hashanah, try dipping challah into this sweet
treat that Turkish Sephardic Jews eat to wish each other a sweet New Year.
Ingredients
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
2 pounds apples, Jonagold, Gala, or Delicious
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon rose water or 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Preparation
•Place the sugar and water in a 3-quart saucepan
and bring to a boil over medium heat.
•While the mixture is heating, peel the apples and
grate them by hand with a coarse grater. Immediately add the apples to the hot sugar syrup.
•Reduce the temperature to medium and cook for
30-45 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is quite thick. Stir the mixture
occasionally to prevent sticking.
•While the mixture is cooking, toast the almonds
in a 350-degree oven for 4 minutes, or until lightly
golden. Set aside.
•When the mixture is thickened (it will get thicker
when it cools), add the rose water or vanilla. Place in
an open container until cool. The toasted almonds
may be added to the mixture at this time or sprinkled
on top as a garnish just before serving. Refrigerate
until serving.
Yields 3-4 cups
The Tulsa Jewish Review 11
Butterflies
“Light to Life” Tribute Fund Helping to Keep the Light Burning
IN LOVING MEMORY
Lillian Koffler
Dr. E. N. Lubin
Ida & Max Ontman
Rae Roberts
Beulah “Kay” Wolitarsky
ANNIVERSARY
Stephen & Phyllis
Zeligson’s 50th
IRVING CORETZ MUSIC
FUND
In honor of Stan & Irene
Burnstein’s 50th Wedding
Anniversary
HONORING
Martin Brody for his
70th birthday
SPEEDY RECOVERY Janis Finer Rita Newman
Martha Strauss
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Barry Davis
Rosalee Minsky
Rose Schlanger
Tamara Wagman
Dr. William Johnston Wiseman, July 13, 2010
Pastor emeritus of Tulsa’s First Presbyterian Church,
in the 1980s he became involved in the National
Conference of Christians and Jews, serving on its local
board and as a national trustee.
CONTRIBUTIONS
RECEIVED FROM
Mr. & Mrs. Melvyn Abels
Joy & Julius Bankoff
Gerry & David Bernstein
Gail & Robert Burns
Iris Chandler
Mollie Coretz
Frieda & Marty Grossbard
Sherry & Jerry Heller
Myrna Lubin
Patricia & David Ressequie
Mary Sanditen Schwartz
Anne & Stan Shapiro
Martha & Fred Strauss
Patty & Bryan Watt
Nancy & Andy Wolov
Herman Feldman, July 16, 2010
Born July 26, 1918, in Tulsa, OK, Herman Feldman
was the second of three children of Robert and Gussie
Feldman. Herman had been married to Tillie Feldman
for 64 years when she passed in 2005. Herman and
Tillie retired to Tulsa in 1996, to be close to family,
and Herman quickly became involved in the Tulsa
community, volunteering and auditing college courses.
He enjoyed being an active member of Temple Israel and
attending cultural events.
Herman is survived by his son Ron Feldman and wife
Gloria Leitner, of Arlington, MA; his daughter and
her husband Barbara and Bill Geffen, of Tulsa, OK
and their children; and his daughter and her husband
Janet and Ken Werker, of Vancouver, BC, Canada and
their children. Herman is also survived by his very
close brother and sister-in-law, Raymond and Nancy
Feldman, of Tulsa.
Honoring Donors to the
Tulsa Jewish Retirement & Health Care Center
'Call Charles'
'Call Charles'
'Call Charles'
TM
Terry and Madelyn Rosenthal
(918) 584-3323
Fax - 918 584-7378
[email protected]
[email protected]
918.605.2995
4105 S Rockford Ave
Tulsa, OK 74105
(918)592-6000
fax (918)398-5396
Personal &
Business
Services
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7647 East 46th Place
Bobbi and Bob Warshaw
Office 918.747.3807; Cell 918.852.5302
www.errands-to-go.com
Dee Ann Beal
[email protected]
918.688.5467
McGraw
R e A l T O R S ®
B o va s s o & B e a l T e a m
12 JewishTulsa
Marcelino Rosas, July 17, 2010
Marcelino Rosas, age 33, husband of Lori Lieb Rosas. He
was born June 18, 1977, in Hidalgo, Mexico. He was a
manager of a local Mexican restaurant.
He is survived by his wife, his son Jordan Rosas and
stepson Bradley Hemphil of Tulsa, mother Sophia Rosas,
brother Nicholas Rosas and sister Adelina Rosas, all of
Mexico.
P.O. Box 471100
Tulsa, OK 74147-1100
BovassoandBeal.com
Sharna B0vasso
Of Blessed Memory
FUN & FITNESS
at the Charles Schusterman JCC
ABS class is designed to strengthen and tone your core with various
exercises for the upper lower and oblique abdominal.
12:00 Noon – Tues/Thurs Intermediate to advance.
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AQUA AEROBICS is an invigorating fitness activity. Exercising in
water provides a safe, enjoyable challenge for people of all ages,
fitness levels and abilities.
10:30 a.m. – Tues/Thurs All fitness levels.
and end of camp pool party
BOOT CAMP is approximately 45 minutes of high intensity exercises
that will keep the heart rate up and challenge your muscles.
12:00 Noon – Wed Intermediate to Advance.
Saturday, August 7 • 7 p.m.
Sharna and Irvin Frank Aquatics Center
BRING IT ON YOGA is an invigorating, non-impact, complete body
workout that builds strength, balance and flexibility.
6:00 p.m. – Mon Beginners welcome but geared toward
intermediate.
CSJCC Members: Free • Non-members: $10 per family
Call 495.1111 to RSVP by Wednesday, August 4
CARDIO MOTION is a fusion of low impact cardio and bodyshaping exercises designed to maximize effectiveness and kick your
metabolism into high gear.
9:30 a.m. – Tues/Fri All fitness levels.
CIRCUIT TRAINING is an efficient and effective way to get a full
body workout at your own intensity level. A fun-filled hour of muscular
conditioning and cardiovascular conditioning. This class is unique in
that no one in the room will be doing the same exercise at the same
time.
9:00 a.m. – Tues/Thurs All fitness levels.
MUSCULAR ENDURANCE is the ability to resist fatigue and to
continue to exercise over a prolonged period of time. The class begins
with a quick stretch session, moves into continual free weight exercise
designed to work all muscle groups used in day to day activities. The
class has some lower body work at the ballet bars and finishes with a
stretching session.
9:00 a.m. – Mon All fitness levels.
SPINNING is an indoor bike ride that is proven to achieve faster
weight loss than any other indoor exercise. The spinning instructor
plans a terrain, and sets the ride to music. This class lasts for about 45
minutes.
9:00 a.m. – Fri All fitness levels.
STRETCHING & AEROBICS is a challenging workout that will prove
to increase ease of movement throughout the rest of the day. This
class begins with a warm-up/stretch then moves into a low-impact
aerobic segment to make sure all muscles are warmed up and the
body is totally prepared for what's ahead.
9:00 a.m. – Wed All fitness levels.
REMEMBER - all the classes listed above are FREE with
your current, paid CSJCC membership!
Yoga is an excellent means of stress reduction.
Individualized instruction makes this class
suitable for the participant at any level. This
yoga class features stretching, increased
flexibility, relaxation, and stress reduction.
NEW SESSIONS BEGINNING SOON!
NOTE: There is an extra charge for this class.
AVAILABLE WHILE YOU WORK OUT
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
(6 months – 5 years; 2 hour max)
For more information on any of the above programs,
call 918.495.1111 or visit csjcc.org.
Keren
Náama
Questions? Contact Martha Kelley, 495.1111 or
e-mail [email protected]
extend yourself sunday, aug 22
Jewish Community Blood Drive
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Temple Israel ~ 2004 E 22nd Pl, Tulsa
Give the "Gift of Life". Call Mindy at 935.3662 to register.
Photo is copyright of Arthur Leipzig
t
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Games
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SUNDAY, AUGUST 8 ~ DINNER & A MOVIE
With hosts, Anne and Stan Shapiro
Narrated by Hector Elizondo, New York Street Games discusses the origins
of the street games that were played and shared by city children across
the nation. The film profiles all of the games we played and loved as kids.
We revisit Stickball, Boxball, Skully, Punchball, Ring-o-Levio, Johnny on a
Pony, Stoopball, Over the Line, Chinese Handball and many more. Visit
newyorkstreetgames.com to find out more about this film that captures
a special time in American history.
Charles Schusterman JCC
6:00 p.m.
$12.50 CSJCC Members
$20 Non-members
A social club for singles
or couples 55+
YOUR CHECK IS YOUR RESERVATION!
PLEASE NOTE “YOUNG AT HEART DINNER”
ON YOUR CHECK.
ALL CHECKS MUST BE RECEIVED BY
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4.
For more information, contact Mindy Prescott
918.935.3662 or e-mail [email protected]
Photo by Ed Vill
Something Rotten Coming to Tel Aviv
John Lydon at the Hammersmith Odean in London in 2008.
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(JTA) Johnny “Rotten” Lydon, the former Sex Pistols
front man, will not cancel his August 31st show in Tel Aviv
despite receiving hate mail.
In his announcement on BBC 6 Music News, Lydon said
he would not let “the political powers-that-be” dictate his
audience.
Other performers, including Carlos Santana, Elvis
Costello, The Pixies, The Klaxons, The Gorillaz, Dvendra
Banhart and Gil Scott-Heron, have canceled performances
in Israel.
Lydon said he would ignore the hate mail and stir up
trouble musically.
“I’m anti-government ... and I shall be making that loud
and clearly proud once I’m in Israel,” Lydon told the BBC.
Pro-Palestinian activists picketed Lydon’s July 11 show in
Bristol, England, to protest his Tel Aviv show.
CHARLES SCHUSTERMAN JCC
C ALENDAR OF EVENTS
AUGUST 2010
5
yiddish buddies
Yiddish with Isrella. Everyone welcome.
CSJCC
11 a.m. – 12 Noon
6
Camp shalom ends
Last day for Camp Shalom 2010
CSJCC
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
7
Goodbye party
End of camp pool party for summer Shilchim.
AQUATICS
CENTER
7 p.m.
8
younG at heart
Dinner and the movie, NEW YORK STREET GAMES.
CSJCC
6 p.m.
11
retired men's Club
Guest speakers and luncheon.
CSJCC
12 Noon
21
haVdalah and
diVe-in moVie
Enjoy a family movie at the Sharna and Irvin Frank
Aquatics Center.
AQUATICS
CENTER
Dusk
22
blood driVe
Jewish Community Blood Drive at Temple Israel.
CSJCC
9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
29
pool party
Celebrate the end of the summer season with a great, AQUATICS
family pool party. Everyone welcome!
CENTER
6 – 8 p.m.
For more information, call 918.495.1111 or visit csjcc.org!