JEW ISH FED ER A T IO N OF THE DESER T 69

JEWISH FEDERATION
OF the desert
69-710 Highway 111
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
(760) 324-4737
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit #113
Santa Ana, CA
Israel
Under
Seige
On the cover....
JEWISH FEDERATION
OF THE DESERT
69-710 Highway 111
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
(760) 324-4737
Nonprofit
Organization
U.S. Postage
Paid
Permit #113
Santa Ana, CA
Israel
Under
Seige
jewish federation
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
A Message from the Editor
Dear friends,
Israel is under siege as we are
putting this issue of the Jewish
Community News to bed. The
situation is changing hour by hour.
As a monthly paper, we realize
we cannot offer you the up-to-themoment news that the television,
daily papers and the internet can bring
you. What we can do, as our Jewish
community’s newspaper, is give you
perspective, background and, most
important, what all of us can do to
help. Even if, G-d willing, the fighting
has stopped by the time you get your
paper, Israel will need critical support
to recover from the trauma of these
Officers and Executive
Committee
Celia Norian, Chairman of the Board
Sondi Green, Co-chair, Campaign
Libby Hoffman, Co-chair, Campaign
Vernon Kozlen, Treasurer
Bernard Reiter, Secretary
Howard Levy,
Immediate Past President
Roberta Nyman,
Immediate Past President
Board
Joseph Bernstein
William Chunowitz
Elliott Cohen
Nancy Ditlove
Ellen Glass
Phil Glass
Marjorie Kulp
Ron Langus
Allan Lehmann
Allan Nyman
Dr. Paul Ross
Stephanie Ross
Elisa Schwartz
Sandy Seplow
Andrew Teitel
Lainie Weil
Bruce Landgarten,
Chief Executive Officer
Table of Contents
Vol. 40 • No. 1
Calendar
12-13
Federation
2, 3, 4, 6, 17
Legacy
20
Young Adults Division
7
Jewish Family Service
11
Schools
21
Simchas & Classifieds
22, 23
Temples
12
Tolerance Education Center
11
Tributes
14-15
2 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
past weeks of assault. The article of
Bruce Landgarten, Jewish Federation
of the Desert CEO, on the facing
page plus supplemental information
throughout the paper, will give you
the important facts and information
you will want to know and have at
your fingertips when you hear Israel’s
actions being condemned by people
you encounter in your day to day
lives. Most important, his article asks
us to step up and help by giving funds
to the Emergency Campaign. We’ve
made it easy. You can go online to
a secure site (see bottom of page 3)
and contribute 24/7. The reality is that
only Jews help Jews and now is a time
to step up.
There is a second “theme” to this
month’s JCN. There are five health
related articles on phenomenal
advances by Israeli scientists in the
areas of Alzheimer’s, breast cancer,
cervical cancer, blindness and
radiation therapy. We felt it was
important to counterbalance the
stories about Israel Under Fire with
a reminder of Israel’s contributions
to the world. These projects will
fascinate and amaze you.
Miriam H. Bent, Editor
of a ceasefire continue
es
op
H
l.
ae
Isr
at
s,
ed
nd
Dear Fire
lt,
s have been fir
Israel remains difficu
ore than 2,200 rocket
in
m
n
s,
tio
es
ua
pr
sit
to
e
go
th
e
w
As
s
000A
m the
er the attacks.
rockets and terror fro
lis continue to weath
ly
ae
ad
Isr
de
So
of
.
s
ed
ar
sh
ye
da
to
to be
lp the
put an end
ttles with Hamas to
emergency funds to he
ba
ise
y
ra
m
to
ar
li
ng
ae
ui
in
Isr
nt
e
th
co
and
g so as
Federation is
, please consider doin
ed
aza Strip, our Jewish
ut
G
d
rib
lle
nt
tro
co
t
on
no
-c
ve
as
ha
am
H
ues. If you
li soldiers
r time of need contin
n under fire and Israe
ei
ai
th
m
as
re
l
ae
ns
Isr
lia
vi
of
ci
le
,
w
op
no
pe
time is
itical time.
e needs are real, the
contribution at this cr
a
e
ak
m
se
ea
pl
d
quickly as possible. Th
an
of rest and recreation
yone to step forward
ds
er
rio
ev
pe
to
r
al
fo
s
pe
ea
ap
ar
e
ed
W
t
are dying.
ave the affect
d support for the mos
children and teens le
an
li
es
ae
ic
Isr
rv
lp
se
he
al
to
ci
so
ed
e
us
g
g to
ed to enhanc
Money raised is bein
Funding also is goin
nds also are being us
s.
fu
nt
e
ra
Th
ig
.
m
try
im
un
w
co
ne
e
d
th
apped an
sing
in other, safer parts of
as the elderly, handic
services for an increa
a
ch
su
um
n,
tra
tio
nd
la
pa
pu
ex
po
to
e
Local
attacks and
vulnerable parts of th
rdest by the conflict.
damaged by rocket
ha
t
en
hi
be
es
s
iti
ha
un
ty
m
er
m
op
co
pr
tance” for 13
assistance
assist those whose
eted for “flexible assis
tacks. Targeted local
rg
at
ta
to
so
s
al
se
is
on
ey
sp
re
on
d
M
.
an
services
es.
number of Israelis
managing community
individual communiti
of
of
e
nt
nc
fro
ie
re
sil
fo
re
e
e
th
th
at
g
e
in
s, enhanc
out to hit an
municipalities ar
rnment aid and need
cket from Gaza is ab
ve
ro
a
go
e
n
ee
tim
y
tw
er
be
ev
p
ga
en
e
sir
helps bridge th
d Alert has interrupted
ert,” which sounds a
Re
Al
s,
ed
et
“R
ck
d
ro
lle
of
ca
ds
p
re
ap
fired hund
There is a free iPhone
lis have had to run to
has indiscriminately
ae
as
Isr
am
of
H
ns
as
io
ys
ill
da
M
.
w
ily
fe
m
last
t 15
with my fa
Israeli city. Over the
They have only abou
e shower, at work or
.
th
ng
di
in
,
ed
ep
w
r
le
as
he
at
am
e
I
id
le
rten to a br
me constantly—whi
playing in a kinderga
n
re
ild
ch
m
fro
r,
te
el
labeled
the nearest bomb sh
if I had to. If Hamas,
do
to
t
ha
w
ow
ty.
kn
fe
t
tell you
ly, I wouldn’
seconds to reach sa
Mirage I couldn’t even
ove an inch and, frank
ho
m
nc
to
d
Ra
ha
in
r
s
ve
et
ck
ne
I
ro
,
launching
Unlike them
tandable and
e US and the EU, was
king then are unders
th
ta
is
th
t
bo
en
m
by
rn
n
ve
tio
go
za
li
ni
a terrorist orga
The steps the Israe
. population centers.
u?
.S
U
yo
d
le
ul
ab
er
Co
ln
is.
r
vu
te
on
el
mb sh
d
were falling
where our nearest bo
conflict is a negotiate
vernment if missiles
e
go
bl
r
rri
ou
te
m
is
th
fro
e
ss
lv
le
so
re
no
to
pect
e only way
aceAmericans would ex
to empower those pe
nt to remember that th
er
rta
th
po
ge
im
to
so
k
al
or
is
w
l
it
al
e
t
e. We mus
At this challenging tim
ssity.
stinians to live in peac
le
Pa
d
an
lis
e Red Alert a sad nece
ae
ak
Isr
m
th
at
bo
th
s
w
as
lo
al
am
H
at
to you
e
th
lik
solution
ow have not, I appeal
condemning groups
kn
u
le
hi
yo
w
le
,
op
es
pe
sid
or
th
t,
bo
u have no
seeking parties on
grateful to you. If yo
am
I
,
ed
ut
rib
in Israel to give now.
nt
ily
co
m
y
fa
ad
d
re
an
al
ds
ve
en
ha
fri
u
r
yo
If
ncerns for ou
you know who has co
ne
yo
an
ay
sw
to
d
an
Bruce Landgarten,
r
Chief Executive Office
ld like to
ing needs. If you wou
nt
ou
m
e
es
th
s
es
dr
ey will go to ad
0 percent of the mon
10
d
an
le
tib
uc
ed
x-d
nors
ta
All contributions are
nual campaign, and do
[email protected].
An
or
r
ou
37
to
47
4ns
io
32
ut
0rib
76
Trew at
d beyond cont
gift stock, contact Jim
being sought above an
e
ar
l
ae
Isr
r
fo
ns
io
ut
campaign.)
ntrib
rticipate in the 2015
(These emergency co
pa
to
d
ke
as
be
ill
w
y Fund still
to the Israel Emergenc
Contributing online at
jfedps.org
The quickest way to contribute to the “Stop the Sirens” Emergency Campaign is to go to the Jewish Federation’s secure
online link at jfedps.org and click on the “DONATE” bar. Or mail your checks to the Jewish Federation of the Desert,
69-710 Highway 111, Rancho Mirage, CA 92270.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 3
Jewish Federation Annual Meeting May 8, 2014
The Jewish Federation of the
Desert Annual Meeting, held
at the Federation offices, was a
celebration of the achievements of
the prior year and a presentation
by Chief Executive Officer Bruce
Landgarten on challenges for the
future.
The board continues to be
headed by Celia Norian for the
third year. The other officers are
also continuing in their positions
from last year. Leaving the board
after nine years of service is Fran
Kaufman, who had served as
Board Secretary and Women’s
Philanthropy President during
those years.
New members to the board
include Bill Chunowitz, Ron
Langus and Andrew Teitel.
Attending this year’s Annual
Meeting were five prior Federation
Presidents, Jim Greenbaum,
Barbara Platt, Allan Nyman,
Vernon Kozlen and Roberta
Nyman. State Assemblyman
Manuel Perez presented Bruce
Landgarten with a Certificate
of Recognition on behalf of the
Jewish Federation.
JEWISH
COMMUNITY
NEWS
A Publication of the
Jewish Federation of the Desert
VOL. 40, No. 1
Celia Norian, Board Chair
Allan Nyman, Roberta Nyman and Barbara Platt
Above: Bruce Landgarten
with proclamation
Left:Assemblyman
Manuel Perez and Bruce
Landgarten
EDITORIAL
Bruce Landgarten,
Chief Executive Officer
Miriam H. Bent, Editor
Bailey & Co., Layout & Design
JCN STATEMENT
The Jewish Community News seeks
to provide news and feature material
of special interest to its readership,
and to create a heightened sense
of Jewish identity through the
dissemination of information about
people, events and issues at home
and abroad. The JCN seeks to serve
as a forum for the exchange of
ideas and opinions in the Jewish
community.
The JCN is published monthly,
ten months a year by the Jewish
Federation of the Desert,
69-710 Highway 111,
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270,
760-324-4737, fax 760-324-3154.
Bill Chunowitz
Andrew Teitel
Ron Langus Jim Greenbaum
Fran Kaufman Vernon Kozlen
Articles & Advertising,
Miriam H. Bent, Editor
760-323-0255, fax 760-320-6085,
[email protected]
ADVERTISING
The JCN does not endorse the
goods or services advertised in its
pages and makes no representation
as to the kashrut of food products
and services in such advertising.
The publisher shall not be liable
for damages if, for any reason
whatsoever, it fails to publish an
advertisement or for any error in
an advertisement. Acceptance of
advertisers and of advertising copy is
subject to the publisher’s approval.
The JCN is not responsible if ads
violate applicable laws and the
advertiser will indemnify, hold
harmless and defend the JCN from all
claims made by government agencies
and consumers for any reason based
on ads carried in the JCN.
4 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Forget PINs and Passwords, NICE brings Voice Authentication to the Call Center
The Israeli technology helps organizations to easily and securely authenticate callers to reduce handle time, improve customer
experience and reduce fraud.
By Viva Sara Press, Israel 21C
Forget your mother’s maiden name
or the name of your first pet, Israel’s
NICE System has raised the curtain
on a new technology that will make
contacting a call center easier and safer.
The NICE Real-Time Authentication
solution can validate customers as they
conduct a conversation with an agent,
using their voice as a unique identifier,
all without PINs, passwords, or key
phrases to remember.
“Customers today are tired of
having to jump through hoops when
contacting their service providers,”
said Dan Miller, Senior Analyst at
Opus Research. “Multi-layered,
knowledge-based authentication
processes have become increasingly
complex, leading to many legitimate
customers failing authentication on
their own accounts.”
NICE Real-Time Authentication
is already being used by several
large financial institutions across the
globe. The new solution authenticates
legitimate customers and can identify
known fraudsters.
NICE’s patent-pending Seamless
Passive Enrollment process uses a
customer’s previous call recordings
to create a voice print that then
automatically confirms the caller’s
identity.
“Most voice-based projects have
failed because they put a burden on
the customer to set up their voiceenabled profiles in advance – an
additional time-consuming task,”
said Yochai Rozenblat, President of
the NICE Enterprise Group. “With
NICE’s Seamless Passive Enrollment,
if a customer has called before, they
can be automatically authenticated
using their voice the very next time
they call.”
According to analyst firm Contact
Babel, most call centers currently take
up to 60 seconds to verify the identity
of a customer. The NICE solution
automatically authenticates the caller
in less than 15 seconds. “A 45-second
reduction in call handle time can mean
millions of dollars in annual savings for
a large call center,” said Rozenblat.
NICE solutions are used by over
25,000 organizations in more than
150 countries, including over 80 of
the Fortune 100 companies.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 5
Log on to www.jfedps.org
Sharing Their Simcha with a Mitzvah
Dr. Stewart Fleishman and Dr.
Bruce Radler were married on
January 19th, and while every
wedding is special, what Stewart
and Bruce asked of their guests was
a generous and thoughtful mitzvah.
Their invitation asked that in lieu
of personal gifts, contributions be
made to the Tzedakah Fund of the
Jewish Federation.
Stewart and Bruce are two
of the four steering committee
members the Jewish Federation’s
new LGBT Alliance, committing
their time and energies to our
Jewish community.
Mazel tov and todah rabbah …
congratulations and thank you to
two very special people!
Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration
Several hundred desert residents celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s 66th birthday,
at a concert on May 4, 2014, hosted by the Jewish Federation, featuring Gilat
Rapaport and her In-Joy Orchestra.
6 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Israeli Discovery Could Reverse Alzheimer’s Damage
By David Shamah, The Times of Israel
Research by a Tel Aviv University
team may point the way to
protecting cells from the damage
wrought by Alzheimer’s disease,
and even reverse damage that the
disease caused before treatment.
The method involves a protein
similar to one which protects the
brain from damage, but which is
lacking in Alzheimer’s patients.
What causes Alzheimer’s
is still a mystery, but the direct
physical conditions leading to
the dementia associated with the
disease are very clear to scientists.
Plaque accumulations and tangles
in neurons kill brain cells in
Alzheimer’s sufferers, leading to the
degeneration of cognitive function
and the loss of memory associated
with the disease.
One of the most important
objectives of Alzheimer’s research
has been to figure out ways to
protect brain cells from these senile
plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
In a study published in the May
edition of the Journal of Alzheimer's
Disease, Tel Aviv University Prof.
Illana Gozes describes how NAP,
a snippet of a protein essential for
brain formation, has been proven in
previous studies to protect cognitive
functioning. Loss of NAP exposes
cells to physical damage that
eventually destroys them, but
applying proteins with NAP-like
properties makes them healthy
again.
It’s just such a protein that Gozes
and her team have discovered. The
research, she said, could eventually
lead to development of drugs to
treat Alzheimer’s.
Gozes holds the Lily and Avraham
Gildor Chair for the Investigation of
Growth Factors and is director of
the Adams Super Center for Brain
Studies at the Sackler Faculty of
Medicine and a member of Tel
Aviv University’s Sagol School of
Neuroscience. “Several years ago
we discovered that NAP showed
Prof. Illana Gozes
efficacy in Phase 2 clinical trials in
mild cognitive impairment patients,
a precursor to Alzheimer’s,” she
said. “Now, we’re investigating
whether there are other novel NAPlike sequences in other proteins.”
NAP, also known as davunetide,
is an eight-amino acid peptide that
has been shown to provide potent
neuroprotection in several human
trials. NAP is derived from activitydependent neuroprotective protein
(ADNP), a molecule that is essential
for brain formation.
“NAP operates through the
stabilization of microtubules – tubes
within the cell which maintain
cellular shape. They serve as ‘train
tracks’ for movement of biological
material,”saidGozes.“InAlzheimer’s
disease, these microtubules break
down. The newly discovered protein
fragments, just like NAP before
them, work to protect microtubules,
thereby protecting the cell.”
In the study, Gozes and her team
examined the tubulin (a subunit of
the microtubule) and the proteinTAU
(tubulin-associated unit), important
for assembly and maintenance
of the microtubule. Abnormal
TAU proteins form the tangles that
contribute to Alzheimer’s. The larger
the tangles, the more cognitive
function is damaged.
In tests on mice suffering from
dementia-like
characteristics
which found the abnormal TAU
proteins, a tubulin fragment with
NAP-like sequences was applied
to cells with very promising results,
Gozes said. As NAP “evaporated,”
the brain cells were less protected
and deteriorated. The tubulin
treatment reversed the damage. “We
looked at the mouse ‘dementia’afflicted brain and saw there was a
reduction in the NAP parent protein,
but upon treatment with the tubulin
fragment, the protein was restored to
normal levels,” she said. In addition,
the treatment restored the size of
mice brains, which had shrunk due
to the disease.
Further tests are set to be conducted
on more animal cohorts. Eventually,
an effective treatment for Alzheimer’s
and other dementia-related diseases
could come of this research, Gozes
believes. “We clearly see here the
protective effect of the treatment,”
she said. “We witnessed the
restorative and protective effects
of totally new protein fragments,
derived from proteins critical to
cell function, in tissue cultures and
on animal models.” Further work
is needed, she said, but the team’s
research could one day turn into
a treatment to alleviate, or even
reverse, Alzheimer’s disease.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 7
Mobile Phones to Detect Cervical Cancer
MobileOCT: The Incredible Social Startup That Uses In Third-World Women
By Michael Lefkoe, NoCamels
In 95 percent of cases, cervical
cancer is an entirely treatable disease
and can be treated for $28 in less than
40 minutes. Yet, due to lack of access
to physicians and reliable medical
equipment, hundreds of thousands
of women in low-resource settings are
dying unnecessarily every year simply
because they are not getting diagnosed
in time. However, one Israeli startup
seems to be well on its way to changing
that. Meet MobileOCT— a social
startup which is using mobile phones
to accurately detect cancer in people
who live in the developing world.
Five billion people have a phone,
but no access to medical care
Recently featured on ‘Forbes’ list of
25 Hot Israeli Tech Startups To Watch,
MobileOCT is trying to address the fact
that while five billion people around the
world have access to mobile phones,
many of them do not have access to a
physician. The company’s first project
is to take on cervical cancer, the
number one cause of cancer deaths
for women in low-resource countries.
To do so, they are producing a mobile
colposcope that can be used with any
mobile phone, anywhere in the world.
“Technologically we’ve gotten to a
place where we have very advanced
sensors in everyday objects. And
what MobileOCT is seeking to do is
to help save lives with those sensors,”
explained Ariel Beery, MobileOCT‘s
CEO and Co-Founder.
Typical colposcopes used by
Western physicians cost between
$5,000 and $14,000, a price range
that is undoubtedly out of reach for
the 3.2 billion people who live on less
than $3 of income per day. Clinically
tested mobile colposcopies of
comparable imaging quality produced
by MobileOCT, on the other hand,
will likely sell at the $400 price point,
according to Beery. But diminishing
the cost is only one of the ways that
MobileOCT is impacting the future of
cancer screening.
In the developed world, women
between the ages of 21 and 65 are
regularly screened for cervical cancer
using what is known as the Pap test,
and if any sort of abnormalities are
found, the Pap test may be followed
by a colposcopy (a medical diagnostic
procedure to examine an illuminated,
magnified view of the cervix) as well as
a biopsy to determine whether or not
she has cervical cancer. However, in
low-resource settings these expensive
diagnostic procedures are nowhere to
be found.
“The problem is that for over two
billion women around the world the
only way they’re able to diagnose
cervical cancer is with the naked
eye,” Beery explained, which has
very low accuracy, only 17 percent.”
Representing Buyers and Sellers throughout
the desert for more than 27 years
When you think of real estate, "Just Ring a Bell"
760.902.9206
[email protected]/www.beverlybell.com
8 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Mobile Colposcope
Despite this dismal success rate,
naked eye inspection continues to
be used widely in the developing
world because it is the only affordable
option. In addition, “Five out of six
women who are diagnosed positive
are misdiagnosed.”
Once fully developed, the devices
will be sold to community health
workers in developing countries
currently screening for cervical
cancer using VIA. All they need to do
is attach the device to their mobile
phone, follow the instructions given
in MobileOCT’s app, and upload the
captured data and images to a secured
server. That information is then made
available to a screening physician
who can provide close and continued
instruction to the clinician as well as
create a patient file to track progress.
Building an affordable, high-quality
colposcopy for the mobile phone
The “brains” behind the operation,
co-founder Dr. David Levitz, PhD, is
the CTO of MobileOCT and deserves
much of the credit for the device’s early
research and development. While
at Tel Aviv University for his postdoctoral fellowship, Levitz sought to
develop a multimodal imaging probe
that combines infrared thermography
and optical coherence tomography
(OCT), hence where MobileOCT got
its name.
The first version of the mobile
colposcopy, which MobileOCT claims
will be ready to sell in the coming
months, would nearly triple the
accuracy of cervical cancer detection
from 17 percent (with VIA) to 45
percent. However, as Beery points
out, “a woman in the developed world
goes back for a biopsy (the removal
of tissue to determine the presence or
extent of the cancer), and that enables
a gynecologist to know whether or
not to operate, but a woman in the
developing world does not have that
opportunity.”
Since biopsies are too expensive
for most women in low-resource
settings, MobileOCT has plans to
offer another more sophisticated
mobile colposcope in the future that is
multimodal, meaning that the device
would have several imaging modalities
for looking at tissue. Thus, in addition
to the Bright-Field Imaging used in all
colposcopes, MobileOCT intends to
add two additional layers of imaging
modalities: Potential Difference
Imaging and Spectral Imaging. This
more advanced version of the device
would further increase diagnostic
accuracy to 70 percent, and will be
available in the next couple of years
pending the successful completion of
multiple clinical trials.
MobileOCT currently has five pilot
programs in five countries to examine
the usability of the device. As of May,
they have partnerships with several
leading global health organizations
such as Partners in Health, UPenn’s
Botswana Group, Scripps Medical
Center, and the Montefiore Medical
Center. In January, the device was
validated by Dr. Bruce Kahn at
Scripps, and was shown to provide
magnification and resolution of skin
tissue that is comparable to typical
colposcopes.
Holocaust Contest Essay Winner Moves Audience at Yom HaShoah Observance
Almost 500
people attended
the community
observance of Yom
HaShoah on April
27, 2014 at the
Galen Auditorium,
Annenberg Center
a t E i s e n h ow e r
Medical Center,
presented by the
Jewish Federation of the Desert and
chaired by Ellen Glass. Community
leaders and survivors participated
in the candle lighting ceremony
remembering all who were lost and
all who helped to save those who
survived. Keynote speaker was Claire
Goldstein Simmons, a nationally
noted Jewish educator, who is driven
by a passion to empower the next
Claire Goldstein
Simmons generation of Jews to embrace their
history and commit to Jewish survival,
a message she shared that afternoon.
In conjunction with the annual
Yom HaShoah Observance, our
community holds an essay and art
contest for local middle schools
and high schools, coordinated by
our Tolerance Education Center. The
Jewish Federation awarded cash
prizes to the first, second and third
place winners in the high school
and middle school divisions. This
year’s topic was “Discuss some of
the American responses during the
Holocaust and how do they compare
to what is happening in the world
today.” The most moving moments
of the afternoon came when Vashti
Adams, a senior at Desert Hot Springs
High School, read her winning essay,
reproduced below.
Holocaust Season
By Vashti Adams
There comes a time every year when old, tearing boxes of The Diary of Anne Frank are hauled out, dusted off, and dutifully
read; when black and white copies of Schindler’s List are rented from libraries and screened for rooms full of weepy students;
when field trips are taken and fresh crops of naive students are shocked and horrified by the Holocaust's many. There comes
a time when the honor and pride of the stars and stripes are wiped away, revealing for the young students the ugly, scarred,
and blemished reality hidden beneath. This time is Holocaust Season. Students, scarred by the knowledge of gas chambers,
firing squads, and concentration camps, are left to wonder how an event such as this could occur. But as surely as the
questions begin, they end; lessons plans move forward and the books, movies, and heart wrenching stories are tucked back
into the cabinets, cupboards, and libraries to await the arrival of next year’s Holocaust Season.
While the gory facts and figures of the Holocaust have been well learned, the lesson has unfortunately been lost. It has
been lost because while we spend so much time on the “what” we neglect to study the “why”. More specifically, why the
Holocaust was allowed to happen, why this odious reign of terror was allowed to ravage the globe without so much as a
Vashti Adams
yellow flag from the self-proclaimed forces of justice; why the pleas of orphaned children and the tears of childless mothers
fell to deaf ears; why the screams of tortured innocents hit the solid wall of indifference. We know what happened, but to stop it from happening again,
we must study the why.
Open an American History book and from the pages will spring words of stunning patriotism. Dig below the surface and the true American Spirit
becomes evident: a spirit of failure. No historical event can better reveal this disheartening reality than the Holocaust. The media is tasked with providing
an unbiased recount of events; to alert the public of occurrences, and on this count the American media failed. Out of twenty-four thousand front
page headlines, The New York Times featured the Holocaust only twenty six times. When the Holocaust did make headlines, it was only in its most
watered down format. The victims were referred to as “refugees” or “persecuted minorities”. The media certainly did not stand alone in failure-the State
Department and Congress played an equal role in the decision to be inactive. Despite the calls and messages from Jews aboard the St. Louis, there was
no response. Immigration quotas were strictly enforced and even orphaned children were turned away. It is in these actions that The Statue of Liberty’s
welcoming message proved to be nothing more than empty words.
The lesson we seemed to learn from the Holocaust was not that every life has worth or how to face adversary, but how and when to cower. How to
make earplugs out of rules, visas, and affidavits; how to make blinders out of media coverage; how to forge shields out of public opinion. We took these
“lessons” to heart and applied them in earnest when African refugees cried out to us in Sudan, Darfur, and Rwanda. We hid behind these “lessons” as
machetes hacked away at an entire population. We used these “lessons” to justify sitting idly as dogs feasted upon the rotting remains of human flesh.
The stars and stripes we held in such high esteem were representative not of selfless bravery and honor, but of cowardice, of the lives we did nothing to
protect. Our flag flew red for the innocent blood shed on our watch, white for our chilled indifference, and blue for the tears we did nothing to prevent.
Our flag flew the colors of cowards.
The real lesson we must learn from the Holocaust is to be brave. A nation is only as great as its youth are strong; not strong in might or force, but
strong in spirit. Today’s youth will inevitably become tomorrow’s leaders, and as such, we must be strong enough to take a stand. America’s future does
not end with this generation; the lessons of the Holocaust must be taught to new generations so that our future can be one of courage, compassion, and
justice. We must challenge unjust authority and take responsibility for our own problems and failures. We must question our peers, leaders, and even
ourselves. If we do not, we are doomed to be mere puppets of public opinion. We must learn and interpret the lessons of the Holocaust for ourselves
so as to not be pulled by the strings of our ancestors. History will not be repeated if we learn from our mistakes.
Our future is yet to be written; if we learn the lesson of the Holocaust and other atrocities, we can write into its pages “Never Again”. We can fly
our flag knowing the red stripes represent the love we have for not only Americans, but for the human race, that the white represents the sanctity of a
human life, and that blue is a reminder to be an anchor of morality amidst tumultuous seas of human nature. We can truly open our arms to the tired,
poor, and huddled masses. We can be the America we once sought out to be.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 9
Israelis Develop First Blood Test for Breast Cancer
Israel 21c
After eight years of painstaking
research, Israeli life-sciences company
Eventus Diagnostics (EventusDx) has
produced a blood test for the early
detection of breast cancer. The Octava
Pink test is now available in Israel
and Italy, and is undergoing clinical
trials to receive U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approval.
This is the first blood test ever
that can reveal cancer, not merely
markers that might indicate cancer
or something else. Its innovation also
lies in its examination of antibodies
in the blood to pinpoint this specific
cancer.
Molecular biologist Galit Yahalom,
a 43 year old mother of two from
Modi’in, who heads the research
team at the EventusDx offices
and lab, located in Moshav Ora
outside of Jerusalem, explains the
breakthrough.
“For the last decade, we have
known that there is a connection
between cancer and the immune
system. We know that it recognizes
cancer as an external enemy that
must be destroyed. It is possible that
each of us has had instances of cancer
we were unaware of, because our
immune systems killed it when it was
still very small. For whatever reason,
the immune system of people with
cancer is not functioning properly.”
It was from this angle that Yahalom’s
15-strong team of biologists (and a
Molecular biologist Galit Yahalom at
EventusDx.
computer expert) attempted to tackle
the problem. After collecting data from
hundreds of healthy women and as
many diagnosed with breast cancer,
Yahalom’s team looked for the proteins
of the immune system responsible for
detecting both. They also examined
immune-system activity in women
with ovarian cancer and men and
women with intestinal cancer, to see
the distinction from those with breast
cancer.
Yahalom says that comparing the
panels of elements characteristic of the
women with breast cancer to those of
healthy women created “pictures” of
each group.
“Imagine that one is a picture of
a flower and the other of a heart,”
she says. “Yours might be a flower
with four petals instead of five, and
another woman’s might be a heart
with a bulge, but you both fall into
one of the two categories.”
These categories are arrived at
through a mathematical algorithm
developed by EventusDx, a private
company funded by American
investors. The precision of the
algorithm is high, with only a five
percent margin of error.
“And even this small amount might
not actually constitute error,” says
Yahalom, “but rather the possibility
that someone’s immune system
detected a cancer that is either no
longer there — because antibodies
destroyed it — or that has not erupted
yet.”
Since the release of Octava Pink in
Israel in September 2013, Yahalom’s
lab has performed 400 such blood
tests. The test is already available in
Israel and Italy.
Another innovation is the
nanotechnology developed at
EventusDx, which enables testing 96
blood samples simultaneously. This
process takes no more than three
hours, allowing a woman’s doctor to
rule out or confirm breast cancer very
quickly.
Speed, of course, is as important in
breast-cancer detection as accuracy
– not only for those whose results
confirm their physicians’ suspicions
or diagnoses of breast cancer, but also
for those found to be cancer-free. This
is because false positives and false
negatives are frequent. According to
Yahalom, “Only 20 to 30 of every
100 biopsies performed as a result of
growths detected in mammograms
reveal cancer; the rest are benign.
Meanwhile, 50% of young women
with breast cancer, and 30% of
older women with breast cancer, are
diagnosed as healthy.”
The Octava Pink test has had
astounding results, correctly
diagnosing 95% of the healthy women
and 75% of those with breast cancer.
Though one in nine women will
contract breast cancer at some point
in their lifetime, only three in 1,000
have it at any given moment. This is
why it is important for women to get
regular checkups and to be provided
this extra tool to assuage their fears.
This particular tool costs NIS
700 (about $200), not including
the fee charged by the doctor who
purchases the Octava kit and sends
it to Yahalom’s lab.
The product’s name was chosen
in reference to a metaphor used to
describe the immune system: “A song
sung in a low octave or a high one is
still the same song,” says Yahalom.
“But if one or more of the notes is off
key, it is a different song. The same
goes for the immune system. One
person’s may work slowly and another
person’s may work quickly; what we
detect are the off notes.”
Her team is now working to improve
the test, while exploring other cancers
to target in the future.
For more information, see www.
eventusdx.com
Support the Emergency Campaign
10 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Jewish Family Service
of the Desert
“Count on us… for life”
801 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Suite 202
Palm Springs, CA 92262
73750 Catalina Way, Ste. A,
Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 325-4088
www.jfsdesert.org
We show free movies Wednesdays at
10 am and 1:30 pm.
AUGUST 6 – ANNIE HALL (1977) 94 min., PG.
Comedian Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) examines
the rise and fall of his relationship with struggling
nightclub singer Annie Hall (Diane Keaton.
AUGUST 13 – IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
(1934) 105 min., NR
Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert team up
for laughs as mismatched lovers in this 1934
screwball comedy classic. It Happened One
Night was the first movie to be honored with all
five major Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best
Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.
AUGUST 20 – DALLAS BUYERS CLUB
(2013) 117 min., R
Matthew McConaughey headlines director
Jean-Marc Vallée’s biographical drama centering
on the story of Ron Woodroof, a Texas
electrician who was diagnosed as HIV-positive
in 1986, and who subsequently devoted his life
to providing fellow HIV patients with non-FDAapproved drugs and supplements during an era
when doctors were still struggling to understand
the devastating disease
AUGUST 27 – FROST/NIXON (2008) 122 min., R
Film of the 1977 television interviews between
journalist David Frost (Michael Sheen) and
former president Richard Nixon (Frank
Langella). Three years after being forced out
of office and with the Watergate scandal was
still fresh in everyone’s minds, Nixon had
remained notoriously tight-lipped until he
agreed to sit down with Frost.
The Tolerance Education Center
proudly presents
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Help us help seniors by providing
companionship to the home bound
as a Friendly Visitor.
Help us help seniors with
transportation needs as a Volunteer
Driver. Make a Difference.
Contact us now:
760-779-9400 Ext. 204.
PROGRAMS & SERVICES
For further information about these services and
others, please call the JFS office, 760-325-4088.
COUNSELING & FAMILY SUPPORT:
Experienced therapists help individuals,
couples, and families address life's
challenges.
DESERT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL
SOLUTIONS FOR SENIORS: Serves older
adults to maintain independence and help
them enjoy a higher quality of life.
BEREAVEMENT GROUP: Free to the
local community. This group meets every
Wednesday at the JFS Palm Springs office,
3.30-5.00 p.m.
OL’ DOC RICKENBECK
FRIENDLYVISITORS: JFS volunteers visit home
bound seniors to provide companionship and
support. For more information please call
760-779-9400 Ext. 204.
SHABBAT- IN- A- BAG: JFS volunteers provide
companionship and celebration during the
Shabbat observance to home bound seniors.
For more information please call 760-7799400 Ext. 204.
Friday, August 29, 2014 – 5:00 pm
Admission - $20
Ol’ Doc Rickenbeck (Dvid Hertsgaard – Ol’
Doc; Rick Eisenhart – Rick; and Rebecca
Hertsgaard – Bec), two classically trained old
hippies and a Princetonian, will regale us with
the music of John Denver, Gordon Lightfoot,
Crosby, Stills and Nash, Dan Fogleberg, James
Taylor, The Kingston Trio, The Chad Mitchell
Trio, the Eagles and Peter, Paul and Mary, and
many others of the genre. Come sing along
or just listen and enjoy a heartwarming trip
down Memory Lane. A wine and cheese
reception will follow. Reserve your seat now
by calling 760-328-8252.
SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAM: JFS
counselors serve elementary school children
in Palm Springs Unified School District with
on-site counseling and now with a new
5th grade curriculum to teach drug refusal
and interpersonal skills to prepare them for
success in middle school.
CAFÉ EUROPA GROUP: Social programming
for holocaust survivors. Transportation
available, for dates, times & more information
please call 760-779-9400 Ext. 204.
The Desert Holocaust Memorial is located in the Palm Desert Civic Center Park
at San Pablo Avenue & Fred Waring Drive.
Residents and visitors are encouraged to visit this moving memorial,
a place of remembrance and monument of hope.
LUNCH IN & OUT PROGRAM: Bimonthly activity program for homebound
or isolated seniors. Participants take part in
social activities; transportation and lunch are
provided. Some restrictions apply. Please
call Lisa Schmid for further information and
to register 760-779-9400 Ext. 205.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 11
Shabbat and Weekday Service Information
Check the websites or call for times of services.
BETH SHALOM
(Member, United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism)
Ken Hailpern, Spiritual Leader
79-733 Country Club Drive,
Bermuda Dunes, CA 92203
bethshalom18.wordpress.com
760-200-3636
Friday/Saturday Shabbat Services.
Morning Minyan on hiatus.
Resumes in November.
CENTRO CULTURAL
HEBREO DE MEXICALI
(Conservative)
Mexicali, Baja California,
Mexico
Contact: Ron Cohen
www.judiosdemexicali.com
760-960-3392 US
(686) 216-7152 Mexico
CHABAD OF PALM SPRINGS
& DESERT COMMUNITIES
Rabbi Yonason Denebeim
425 Ortega, Palm Springs, CA
92264
www.chabadpalmsprings.com
760-325-0774
Shabbat services Friday/Saturday;
daily morning and evening
minyan.
CHABAD OF PALM DESERT
A project of Chabad of Palm Springs
& Desert Communities
Rabbi Mendy Friedman
www.chabadpd.com
760-969-2153 / 760-969-2158
CHABAD OF
RANCHO MIRAGE
A project of Chabad of Palm Springs
& Desert Communities
Rabbi Shimon Posner
72295 Via Marta, Rancho Mirage,
CA 92270
www.chabadrm.com
760-770-7785
Shabbat services Friday/Saturday;
daily morning and evening
minyan.
CONGREGATION HAR-EL
(Member, Union for Reform
Judaism)
Rabbi Richard Zionts
47-535 Hwy 74, Palm Desert, CA
92260
[email protected]
760-779-1691
5 pm Friday evening Kabbalat
Service, followed by speaker
or discussion, Rosh Hashanah
through end of May.
CONGREGATION
SHALOM BAYIT
(Reform)
Rabbis Larry and Linda Seidman
1320 Williams Ave., Banning
951-769-3678/769-7514
Shabbat Service 3rd Friday/
Havdallah 1st Saturday evening.
BIKUR CHOLIM
A project of Chabad of Palm
Springs & Desert Communities
(Community Outreach)
Rabbi Yankel Kreiman
www.BikurCholimPS.com
760-325-8076.
Desert Hot Springs
Monthly Friday Shabbat Service
Rosh Hashanah through May.
Contact 760-324-4737 for service
information.
TEMPLE ISAIAH
(Conservative)
Rabbi Sally Olins
332 West Alejo Road, Palm
Springs, CA 92262
www.templeisaiahps.com
760-325-2281
Friday/Saturday Shabbat Services;
morning minyan Mondays &
Thursdays.
TEMPLE SINAI
(Reform)
73-251 Hovley Lane West,
Palm Desert
www.templesinaipd.org
760-568-9699
Friday/Saturday Shabbat Services
August Community Calendar
Sunday, August 3
12:30 pm Beth Shalom Decision
Day 2014 Informal Open
House for current and potential
members. Complimentary Lite
Lunch. Call 760-200-3636 for
information.
Monday, August 4, 11, 18, 25
6:30 pm Chabad of Rancho
Mirage Men’s Talmud Class
given by Rabbi Benny at Chabad
of Rancho Mirage. For more
information call 760-636-2897
or [email protected].
Wednesdays, August 6, 13, 20, 27
10:00 am and 1:30 pm Tolerance
Education Center free movies.
See page 11 for August movies.
Wednesday, August 6 & 13
4:00-5:15 pm Har-El Summer
Study Course “The Secret Jews
Among Us.” Presenter: Rabbi
Richard Zionts. Guests are
welcome. No fee but registration
required. Call 760-779-1691 or
email to [email protected]. See
ad page 4.
12 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Wednesday, August 6, 13, 20, 27
5:00 pm Temple Isaiah
Introduction to Judaism course
led by Rabbi Sally Olins.
Call 760-844-7302 for more
information.
Wednesday, August 6
7:00-8:00 pm Chabad of Rancho
Mirage Torah and Tea. Topic: “No
Pain, No Gain, Making Sense of
Suffering.” Everyone welcome. For
more information call 760-7707785 or www.chabadrm.com.
Wednesday, August 7
3:00 pm Hadassah presents
screening of The Rape of Europa”
at the Tolerance Education Center,
Rancho Mirage. $5. Seating
limited. Prepayment required. For
more information call Jan Popkoff,
760-360-1616.
Friday, August 8
5:30 pm Har-El Panel discussion
on “Anti-Semitism Around the
World, what led to the presentday conflict in Gaza, what are the
solutions and how do we respond
August Community Calendar Continued
to friends and family,” moderated
by Rabbi Zionts with Beverly
Irom, Len Kapner, Joel Kocen,
Steve Moyer and Rick Stein. Panel
follows 5:00 pm Shabbat service.
Shabbat dinner available by
prepaid couvert. Call or email
Har-El at 760-779-1691 or
[email protected].
Wednesday, August 13
7:00-8:00 pm Chabad of Rancho
Mirage Torah and Tea. Topic: “The
Twilight Zone: How to jump-start
the afternoons of life.” Everyone
welcome. For more information
call 760-770-7785 or
www.chabadrm.com.
Wednesday, August 207:00-8:00
pm Chabad of Rancho Mirage
Torah and Tea. Topic: “Something’s
Fishy: The animal kingdom’s
lessons in character development.”
Everyone welcome. For more
information call 760-770-7785 or
www.chabadrm.com.
Sunday, August 24
2:00 pm Temple Isaiah Music for
a Summer Afternoon. Recital of
classical music. See classified ad
page 22 for details.
.
Wednesday, August 27
7:00-8:00 pm Chabad of Rancho
Mirage Torah and Tea. Topic:
“Dancing with the Stars: The Jewish
view of astrology, soothsaying and
omens.” Everyone welcome. For
more information call 760-7707785 or www.chabadrm.com
Thursday, August 28
4:00 pm Beth Shalom Book Club
Discussion “People of the Book” led
by Bill Amplo.
Friday, August 29
5:00 pm Tolerance Education Center
presents Ol’ Doc Rickenbeck Trio
playing the music of John Denver,
Gordon Lightfoot, Kingston Trio and
much more. $20. Wine and Cheese
reception follows. Reserve your seat
by calling 760-328-8252.
See page 11 for details.
IDF Creates Field Hospital for Injured Palestinians
by Maayana Miskin, Arutz Sheva
The IDF will create a field hospital
outside Gaza in order to treat injured
Palestinians, army sources announced.
Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has
approved the measure.
The hospital will be located near
the Erez crossing in northern Gaza,
near the site of recent heavy battles.
It is expected to be active by 8 p.m.
July 20th.
It will be available to treat ill as well
as injured patients, and will include a
delivery room.
On Sunday morning, a soldier
reported that he and other IDF
medical staff had saved the life of a
Gaza terrorist. Soldier Daniel Albo
told Yediot Aharonot, “My team and
I saved the life of a terrorist who tried
to kill us because we are IDF soldiers
and citizens of Israel. We saved him
because we are human." “I’m proud
to serve in the IDF,” he concluded.
Israel has attempted to limit
civilian casualties in Gaza by warning
civilians to leave areas where fighting
is expected. The IDF halted fire for
several hours on July 17th to give
Gaza residents time to evacuate
safely. However, Hamas called on
civilians to stay where they were, and
praised "martyrs" who died as human
shields.
Order your Holiday
Greetings today!
Deadline August 10.
See Back Page.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 13
Tribute Card Donations
Sending tributes and memorials is a meaningful way to honor loved ones.
Honorarium Tributes –
In Appreciation For:
• Sally and Miles Berger, Thanks for a great
evening, from Judith and Elliott Cohen,
Nancy and Dennis Ditlove.
• Sera and Gary Brill, Thank you for a lovely
evening, from Myrna and George Green, and
Pat Levy.
• Mort Cohen, Happy 90th birthday, from Edith
and Arnold Familian, Philip and Ellen Glass,
Lainie and Tom Weil.
• Richard Cohen, In honor of your special
birthday, from Nancy and Dennis Ditlove.
• Jane Effress and Harvey Lambert, Thanks
for a great evening, from Judith and Elliott
Cohen.
• Barbara and Bernie Fromm, Thank you, from
Wilma and Bert Finmark, Arlene and Ernie
Mazur, Evey and David Simon.
• Sandy Goldman, We miss you. Hurry back!
Pat and Howard Levy.
• Micki and Jack Goldner, Thank you for
sharing the heartwarming movie, from Pat
Levy.
• Micki and Jack Goldner, Thank you for a fun
afternoon, from Mimi and Harold Paley.
• Helene Galen and Jamie Kabler, Thank you
for a lovely evening, from Marvin and Phyllis
Eisenberg.
• Helene Galen and Jamie Kabler, Thank you
for your generosity, from Phyllis and Gary
Schahet.
• Bobbe Gendel, Thank you for the lovely
dinner party, from Sanford and Rosemary
Hertz.
• Morris Glesby, Best wishes for a wonderful
birthday, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg.
14 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
All contributions received by the Jewish Federation for
Tribute Cards are placed in our special Tzedakah Fund,
which provides direct monetary intervention for needy
Jews living in the Coachella Valley.
• Rosie and Sandy Hertz, Thank you for the
most wonderful Passover, from Wendy and
Bill De Woskin.
• Terry and Paul Lubar, Thank you for a
wonderful evening, from Judith and Elliott
Cohen.
• Mr. and Mrs. Michael Jacobs, in honor of
your upcoming marriage, from Paul and
Stephanie Ross.
• Mr. And Mrs. Don Maltzman, Thank you for
a wonderful evening, from Judith and Elliott
Cohen, Gail and Bob Scadron.
• Herb Jacobson, Best wishes for a wonderful
birthday, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg,
Barbara and Ronnie Kahn, Barbara Platt and
Norm Lewis.
• Cheryl McArthur, Thank you for the lovely
party, from Sanford and Rosemary Hertz.
• Mal Kaufman, Happy 85th birthday, from
Ellen and Phil Glass; Nancy and Al Gorman.
• Eunice Meister, A very happy special
birthday, from Libby and Buddy Hoffman.
• Harriet Mestel, Thank you for a lovely
afternoon, from Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Mal and Ruth Kaufman, In honor of your
grandson’s wedding, from Libby and Buddy
Hoffman.
• Jody Minsky, Happy birthday, from Edith and
Arnold Familian.
• Nora Kaufman, On your special birthday,
from Marvin and Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Lewis and Jane Morgan, Happy 50th
Anniversary, from Ann and Paul Fishman.
• Carol and Bill Kaplan, In honor of your
daughter’s wedding, from Susie and Bob
Diamond.
• Linda and Gary Nathanson, In honor of the
birth of your grandson, from Susie and Bob
Diamond.
• Leanie Kaplan Thank you for friendship and
lunch, from Barbara Feldman.
• Norma Nelson, Thank you for a lovely
afternoon, from Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Konheim,
Congratulations on your 50th anniversary,
from Libby and Buddy Hoffman.
• Myrna Odwak and George Green, Thank
you for a fun evening, from Judith and Elliott
Cohen, Gail and Bob Scadron.
• Ian and Joy Kravitz, Thanks for including us,
from Ann and Paul Fishman.
• Ann and Bob Osterman, Congratulations on
your 60th anniversary, from Judy and Marty
Cohn.
• Rabbi Yankel and Rochel Kreiman, Mazel Tov
on the marriage of Mendy and Chaya, from
Barbara Platt.
• Seymour and Sonia Levinthal, Happy 65th
anniversary, from Judy and Marty Cohn.
• Bertel Lewis, Happy birthday wishes, from
Cora and Ted Ginsberg.
• Mr. and Mrs. Jim Lewis, Wishing you
happiness in your new home, from Myrna
and George Green.
• Gail and Stan Richards, Thank you. We
love being with you, from Judith and Elliott
Cohen.
• Barbara Richter, Thank you for friendship
and lunch, from Barbara Feldman.
• Rella and Monte Rifkin, Thank you for
the lovely dinner party, from Sanford and
Rosemary Hertz.
• Alan Salzman, In honor of your birthday,
from Myrna and Jerry Kessler.
Tribute Card Continued
• Linda Schiff, Thank you for friendship and
lunch, from Barbara Feldman.
• Beverly and Ken Schoenfeld, Best wishes for
a wonderful anniversary, from Cora and
Ted Ginsberg.
• Gloria and Michael Scoby, Thank you for a
lovely evening, from Marvin and
Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Carolyn and Don Shagrin, Thank you for a
lovely evening, from Marvin and
Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Rena and Bernie Shapiro, Thank you for the
great party, from Edith and Arnold Familian.
• Iris and Thom Smotrich, Mazel tov and
thank you from Judy and Marty Cohn.
• Debra and Mickey Star, Thank you for a
wonderful evening, from Judy Torodor.
• Rabbi Faith Tessler, In honor of a great
teacher we miss, from Robert Clark and
Lee Larsen.
• Helen Varon, Thank you for a lovely evening,
from Marvin and Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Barbara and Shelly Weisberg, Thank you.
We love being with you, from Judith and
Elliott Cohen.
• Barbara and Shelly Weisberg, Happy
anniversary, from Edith and Arnold Familian
Refuah Shleimah –
Get Well Wishes To:
• Sandy Goldman, Wishing you good health,
from Audrey and Joe Bernstein, Nancy and
Dennis Ditlove.
• Carol Luber, Best wishes for a speedy
recovery, from Gail Scadron.
• Larry Novack, Wishing a speedy and
complete recovery, from Barbara and Bernie
Fromm.
• Ruben Poplawski, Get well wishes from
Audrey and Joe Bernstein, Judith and Elliott
Cohen, Susie and Joel Cohen, Nancy and
Dennis Ditlove, Philip and Ellen Glass,
Margot and Jerry Halperin, Sanford and
Rosemary Hertz, Libby and Buddy Hoffman.
• Norm Lewis, In memory of your son, from
Marvin and Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Sherry Salzman, Wishing you a speedy
recovery, from Judith Cohen, Phyllis and
Marvin Eisenberg, Myrna and Jerry Kessler,
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Philip.
• Marc Richards, in memory of your mother,
from Melinda and Stanley Goodman.
• Albert Silverman, Wishing you a speedy
recovery, from Susie and Bob Diamond,
Libby and Buddy Hoffman.
• Sandy Lichtenstein, In memory of Jewel
Paley and Linda Franklin, from Barbara and
Bernie Fromm.
• Family of Gladys Rubenstein, In
memory of Gladys, from Sanford and
Rosemary Hertz.
• Mr. and Mrs. Mural Josephson and Family,
In memory of your beloved father, Albert,
from Gail and Bob Scadron.
• Sheila Sloan, In memory of Richard,
from Ellen Bakst, Fran and Sam Belzberg,
Audrey and Joe Bernstein, Susie and Joel
Cohen, Lilo and Leslie Cooper, Edwina
Davis, Wendy and Bill De Woskin, Edith
and Arnold Familian, Barbara Feldman,
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Fellman, Diane
and Hal Gershowitz, Darlene and Larry
Gilford, Ellen and Phil Glass, Muriel and
Ron Goldberg, Myrna and George Green,
Sanford and Rosemary Hertz, Jeanne
and David Himy, Frances Horwich, Pat
and Gordon Hubbard, Lily Kanter, Harriet
and Ernie Karmin, Margie and Stephen
Kulp, Barbara Schrayer and Cal Levin, Pat
and Howard Levy, Paul and Terry Lubar,
Fred and Renee Mayer, Cydney and Bill
Osterman, Dottie and Gil Palay, Richard
Rosenfeld, Gail and Bob Scadron, Sandy
Schwartz, Gloria and Michael Scoby,
Annette and Leonard Shapiro, Richard
and Joan Sharfstein, Ginger and David
Smerling, Chickie and Claude Steinberger,
and Ruthie and Harold Tivol.
• Esther Korn, In memory of your beloved
husband, Carl, from Marvin and
Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Dr. Adam and Sheila Spitz, in memory of
your mother, from Melinda and Stanley
Goodman.
• Ana Landau, in memory of your beloved
husband, Samuel, from Dr. Mark and
Fran Kaufman.
• Claude Steinberger, in memory of
your mother, Alice, from Marvin and
Phyllis Eisenberg.
• Helene Lesnick, In memory of your beloved
husband, Joel, from Cora and Ted Ginsberg.
• Family of Joyce Yorba, in memory of Joyce,
from Marvin and Phyllis Eisenberg.
Memoriam Tributes –
Condolences Sent To:
• Family of Alvin Benatovich, In memory of
Alvin, from Richard and Marsha Bernhard.
• Toby Berman, In memory of your beloved
mother, from Philip and Ellen Glass.
• Marlene Brager, In memory of your beloved
husband, Stuart, from Cora and
Ted Ginsberg.
• Marjorie Eissler, The Eissler and Komm
Families, Thinking of you all from Martin
Komm and Edward Thomas.
• Jeanne Himy, In memory of your mother,
from Philip and Ellen Glass.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 15
The
Top Ten Israeli Inventions That Allow the Blind To ‘See’
By Shiri Wasserman, NoCamels
Reading someone’s facial
expressions; looking at the night sky,
or browsing the internet – these are
mundane tasks that hardly require
our attention. But not everyone
can call them routine; for the 285
million people worldwide who
are visually impaired, these simple
tasks are nearly impossible.
Known as the Startup Nation,
Israeli startups have now taken
their expertise in innovation and
technology to create revolutionary
tools for the blind and visually
impaired.
Here are ten Israeli companies
whose vision is brightening the
lives of those who cannot see.
EyeMusic: Seeing is Hearing
Do you know what a square sounds
like? You may argue that shapes
don’t have sounds, but the Israelideveloped EyeMusic application
was designed in order to help
the blind “see” these common
visual perceptions through sound.
EyeMusic conveys the sounds of
common shapes and colors by using
soundscapes – assigning different
musical notes and pitches to shapes
and colors. A diagonal line, for
instance, sounds like a chord of
rising music notes. The EyeMusic
application, available for iOS and
Android, is based on the 2013
research by Prof. Amir Amedi and
uses a simple algorithm to convert
images from the device’s camera
into a complicated array of sounds.
Over time, users learn to differentiate
between sounds and associate them
with particular shapes, colors, and
eventually objects.
OrCam: The Google Glass
Competitor
Artificial vision technology called
OrCam is a tiny camera that clips
onto your glasses, similar to Google
Glass. When users direct their glass’
vision at newspaper articles, labels,
or a street sign, OrCam verbally
identifies what they’re looking at
and translates it into spoken words.
The OrCam device is connected
to a small pocket-size computer
that stores the verbally interpreted
information and is able to remember
different objects, places, and people
that the device has seen before,
with the help of special algorithms.
Orcam can also connect with
hearing aids and cochlear implants,
so that it not only serves the blind
and visually impaired, but also
the deaf-blind and mute. Earlier
this year, Orcam Technologies
received a $20 million investment
from Intel for the development of
its technology, which is based on
research conducted by Prof. Amnon
Shashua of the Hebrew University,
also the founder of the successful
Israeli startup Mobileye. Nano Retina: The Dream of
Restoring Sight to the Blind,
Realized
Restoring sight to the blind is
for many a dream that may soon
become a scientific reality with
Nano Retina's retinal implant
technology. Macular degeneration,
the leading cause of blindness for
individuals 60 years and older, is
caused when a specific section of
the eye’s retina dealing with object
recognition begins to deteriorate. In
order to combat the visual decline,
Nano Retina’s founder Yossi Gross
designed a miniature chip to replace
the tiny but critical retinal part with
an electric one. The implanted chip
converts light into electric signals,
which are then transmitted to the
brain, with every image broken
down into 600-pixel images and 100
different shades of grey, enabling
sight in basic digital camera quality.
Nano Retina completed its first
clinical trial in 2010, in which 11
blind people were able to recognize
surrounding objects, and hopes
to be on the market in Europe by
2016 with the help of its investors
Sony and Medtronic. 16 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Bionic Contact Lens: Seeing is
Feeling
Scientists at Bar Ilan University
developed a unique bionic contact
lens based on the classical method
of touch-based Braille reading.
According to Prof. Zeev Zalevsky
who headed the research team,
there are 600 times more sensors
in the cornea of one’s eye than in
one’s fingertips, which are used
for reading Braille. Therefore, the
contact lens that Zalevsky and his
team created allows the blind to see
by transmitting visual information
collected using a tiny camera to
the bionic contact lens, which
then sends signals to the cornea
and sensory brain areas. The lens
figuratively ‘presses’ images onto
the eye’s surface through electrical
signals, at which point the brain
deciphers what the wearer is looking
at, enabling them to see the full
picture. Zalevsky believes that this
contact will primarily help those
who are blind from birth, giving
them the ability to really ‘”feel”
images without the need for invasive
procedures.
Project RAY: Taking the ‘Eye’ Out
of IPhone
The invention of the smartphone
has made life much easier, and thanks
to Project RAY's revolutionary
technology, this sight-driven gadget
will make the lives of the blind
easier too. Project RAY’s visionfree smartphone was designed
around touch and speech, letting
the user select which application or
message they want to open using a
sliding motion, instead of the usual
tapping, together with a voice and
vibration function. In addition, the
device orients itself around the user’s
fingers, making it easy to search for
applications, send text messages
and even post on Facebook. Project
RAY is also equipped with sensors,
text-to-speech, and audio feedback
features, as well as a public
transportation navigation system, an
emergency orientation system and
a library for the blind that features
audio magazines and books.
Holography: Restoring Sight
Using ‘Google Glass’ for the Blind
An inherited degenerative
condition called retinitis
pigmentosa (RP) causes the gradual
degeneration of light sensing cells
and ultimately leads to vision
impairment or blindness later in life.
Now researchers at the Technion
Institute of Technology have found
a futuristic way of restoring light
sensitivity to vision cells by using
a computer-driven technology
called holography. In what the
researchers call optogenetics, a
light-sensitive protein is taken from
another organism and inserted into
a target cell to photosensitize that
cell, making it capable of sight. A
bright light source is then projected
on the cell, like a laser or holograph,
activating the cell and enabling the
RP patient to see. The team hopes to
develop a headset similar to Google
Glass that will be able to convert
visual images into light that would
allow the hundreds of thousands of
people with RP to finally see past
the shadows.
BlindAid: Letting the Blind Feel
Out Their Surroundings
When exploring new places,
the blind rely almost entirely on the
people around them to get to know
their surroundings. However, Dr.
Orly Lavan of Tel Aviv University
has created a software tool to help
the blind navigate through new
and unfamiliar places with ease.
The BlindAid 3D haptic device,
connected to an existing joystick,
digitizes spatial information and
virtually maps it out. As the user
approaches a wall, sidewalk curb,
or other obstacles, the joystick
connected to the device stiffens,
letting the users know the boundaries
of their surroundings. The program
Continued on next page
can also be designed to emit sounds,
like a telephone ring, when the
user approaches a reception desk,
or a car speeding off as they near
a vehicle.
Implanted Telescope for Macular
Degeneration
A tiny telescope designed by
Dr. Isaac Lipshitz is on its way to
dramatically improve the most
common cause of blindness in
the elderly: age-related macular
degeneration (AMD). The miniature
telescope is implanted into one eye
and works by enlarging central
images over the damaged retina,
while the other eye supplies the
peripheral vision for mobility.
This breakthrough technology is
already helping the elderly in the
United States not only see better
but recognize facial expressions
and nuances they would otherwise
miss.
Inpris’s UpSense Keyboard:
Creating a Language of Movement
Bulky external Braille keyboards
are a hassle for the tech-savy, but
now Nissan Yaron and his father BenEtzion invented an efficient keyboard
that enables the blind to freely
type on tablets and smartphones.
Designed by the father-son team,
UpSense Keyboard allows users to
create their own intuitive language
of finger gestures that their device
is able to interpret and remember.
In addition, the UpSense Keyboard
can be activated at any point on
the device’s screen, eliminating the
Solomon Society Event
difficulty endured by the visually
impaired with finding the right
spot on the screen to start typing.
Recently, Inpris was nominated for
the CSS Design Awards.
Notal Vision ForeseeHome AMD
Monitor
We’ve already mentioned
that macular degeneration in the
leading cause of blindness in the
elderly, affecting nearly 10 million
people in America alone, but
one Israeli technology is already
working towards minimizing this
statistic. Founded in 2000, Notal
Vision created the first home-based
system to monitor patients with
age-related macular degeneration
(AMD) between eye exams, which
has proven effective in detecting
Best Quality!
Best Price!
Guaranteed!
important visual changes at an earlier
stage. The system posts the patient’s
current data on a secure website
where the physician can review it at
any time to monitor their progress. In
2009, Notal received FDA approval
for its Foresee Home AMD Monitor
and it is currently being sold, with
great success, out of its St. Louis
headquarters.
voted
#1 in
quality
Since 1987
RELIABLE
ROOFING
"NO BULL!...Just 1st Class Roofing!"
ALL TYPES • NEW ROOFS
RE-ROOFS • REPAIRS
Shingles - Foam
Torch Down - Tile
Lic#764608
(760) 568-1673
Jewish Federation of the Desert Solomon Society members visit Angel
View, one of the Federation allocation recipients to learn about their
program and how our funds are being used to support their programs.
LGBT, Jewish, and Proud
The Jewish Federation of the Desert’s
ongoing work to build welcoming,
diverse, inclusive and dynamic Jewish
community in the Palm Springs
and Desert Area continues apace.
The growth is evolving and there is
good news to report, including the
announcement of a new steering
committee of our LGBT Alliance,
with Andrew Teitel, Stewart Fishman,
Bruce Radler and Spencer Howard.
For more information contact Bruce
Landgarten, Federation’s CEO, at
[email protected].
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 17
Foreign Journalists Acknowledge Hamas’ Human Shields Tactics
least two, disguised as women,
were seen walking off with weapons
partly concealed under their robes.
Another had his weapon wrapped
in a baby blanket and held on his
chest as if it were an infant.
From Honest Reporting, Defending
Israel from Media Bias
Buried in a number of foreign
media reports from Gaza are
acknowledgments that amid the
images of Palestinian civilians,
Hamas terrorists are operating
amongst the population. Here are
some examples:
1. Globe and Mail correspondent
in Gaza, Patrick Martin, wrote in
his July 20 article:
The presence of militant fighters
in Shejaia became clear Sunday
afternoon when, under the cover
of a humanitarian truce intended
to allow both sides to remove the
dead and wounded, several armed
Palestinians scurried from the scene.
Some bore their weapons openly,
slung over their shoulder, but at
2. Canadian TV correspondent
Janis Mocakey Frayer tweeted
the following on 20 July: Inside
Shejaiyya we also saw several
#Hamas gunmen. One passed
dressed in a woman’s headscarf...
tip of a gun poked out from under
cloak.
3. Washington Post correspondent
Willian Booth reporting from Gaza,
wrote in and article from 15 July:
At the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City,
crowds gathered to throw shoes and
eggs at the Palestinian Authority’s
health minister, who represents the
crumbling “unity government” in
the West Bank city of Ramallah. The
minister was turned away before
he reached the hospital, which has
become a de facto headquarters for
Hamas leaders, who can be seen in
the hallways and offices.
4. Another report by Washington
Post correspondents from 17 July
recounts: During the lull, a group of
men at a mosque in northern Gaza
said they had returned to clean
up the green glass from windows
shattered in the previous day’s
bombardment. But they could be
seen moving small rockets into the
mosque.
5. Wall Street Journal Correspondent
Nick Casey tweeted the following
(since removed):
6. The Japanese daily Mainichi’s
correspondent in Gaza reported
on 21 July: Hamas criticizes that
“Israel massacres civilians”. On the
other hand, it tries to use evacuating
civilians and journalists by stopping
them and turning them into “human
shields”, counteracting thoroughly
with its guerrilla tactics…
Hamas’s “Human Shield” strategy is
also aimed at foreign journalists…
During the current battle, Hamas’s
checkpoint was bombarded, and
there was temporary checkpoint
at another location. To some 20
journalists who wished to leave,
Hamas staff member suddenly told,
“Israel closed the checkpoint…
However, when I called IDF
personnel at the checkpoint, he
said that “We haven’t got attacked
and we are open as usual…”. While were discussing what to
do, the same Hamas staff member
shouted, “in 5 minutes Israel seems
to conduct an airstrike on here.
Return immediately to Gaza!” All
the journalists returned to Gaza
by car. But we remembered that
Hamas, during the conflict with
Israel in November 2012, also
closed checkpoints to block
outflow.
7. Huffington Post’s Middle East
reporter, Sophia Jones, tweeted on
15 July: “Journalists, including very
sick Palestinian patients seeking
treatment in Israel, are stuck in gaza
now bc border closed by Hamas”
Log on to
www.jfedps.org
To apply for Emergency Funds from the
TZEDAKAH FUND
Call the Jewish Federation 760-324-4737
18 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Log on to www.jfedps.org
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 19
‘The Voice’ Contestant Sings from Ashdod Bomb Shelter
American singer Sara Merson covers Matisyahu song in pro-Israel video aimed at countering misinformation
By Renee Ghert-Zand, The Times of Israel
To deal with her Operation Protective
Edge-induced anxiety and inform
about what is happening in Israel,
Merson put together a video of herself
in a bomb shelter singing Matisyahu’s
international hit song “One Day.”
The video includes footage of her
boyfriend Sagi Hassin’s family taking
When Sara Merson came from Palm
Beach Gardens, Florida to live and
volunteer as an English teacher in
Ashdod a year ago, she had no idea
she would end up on the televised
singing competition show “The
Voice.” She also had not expected to
be terrorized by Hamas rockets.
CREATING a Jewish legacy empowers you to support the Jewish
causes you care about. Because all of us, regardless of age, wealth, or
affiliation, have the ability to secure our people’s traditions, promote
Jewish values, and create a strong future for generations to come.
To learn more about Legacy Giving, contact Bruce Landgarten,
Jewish Federation Chief Executive Off icer, at 760-324-4737.
69-710 Highway 111,
Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
760-324-4737
20 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
The Strength of a People.
The Power of Community.
cover as the air raid siren sounds, as
well as clips from news broadcasts
showing the damage caused by
rockets that landed in her city.
“This video has nothing to do with
my being on ‘The Voice,’ Merson, 22,
told The Times of Israel. “I was seeing
so many anti-Israel comments and
so much misinformation on social
media, and it made me want to do
something. I was mad, so I made the
video,” she explained.
“This is the reality of what’s going
on here… Over 1,000 rockets have
been sent to Israel from Hamas in
Gaza. Even after the ‘cease fire,’
Hamas continued to send rockets our
way. We are fortunate here to have
the Iron Dome anti-missile system to
intercept some of them, but without
it, these rockets would land in heavily
populated civilian areas and many
would be killed,” she wrote in the
video’s description on YouTube.
“The Israeli government and the
IDF are doing all they can to protect
its citizens from the barrage of rockets
coming from Gaza. I have faith in this
country, its military, and its people.”
Merson chose “One Day” because
she thought its lyrics about hoping for
peace were fitting and reflected her
own thoughts and emotions. “Sagi
played guitar and we recorded the
song in one take in our apartment.
Then we went down to the bomb
shelter beneath the house and filmed
the video,” she said.
Shalom
Community Schools
RELIGIOUS/HEBREW SCHOOLS
Chabad Hebrew School
A project of Chabad of
Palm Springs & Desert Communities
Director: Sussie Denebeim
73550 S. Rosa Way,
Palm Desert, CA 92260
www.chabadpd.com
760-341-6501
Temple Sinai
Director: Miri Ketayi
73-251 Hovley Lane West,
Palm Desert, CA 92260
www.templesinaipd.org
760-568-9699
NURSERY SCHOOL
Temple Sinai Tikvah Pre-School
Shalom
The finest in Jewish Living
Director: Debbie Midcalf
24 mos - Pre-K
73-251 Hovley Lane West,
Palm Desert, CA 92260
760-568-6779
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 21
was the Bailin Family’s rabbi at
Temple Isaiah, and previously the
Traxler Family’s rabbi in Dallas ...
Mazel tov
Mazel tov to Joe Feldun and Irene
t o To d d
Spero on their May 4th wedding...
Bailin,
How exciting when mother and
son of
daughter get their dream jobs serving
Sheila and
the Jewish
Chuck
c o m m u n i t y.
Bailin of
Leslie Pepper
Rancho
began her
Mirage,
new position
a n d
Todd & Steffanie Bailin a s R e l i g i o u s
Steffanie
School Director
Siegel-Traxler of Dallas, Texas, who at Temple Sinai
were married June 29 in Rancho July 21 st and a
Leslie Pepper
Mirage. The marriage was held at few days later
Mission
daughter Elana
H i l l s
Pepper began
Country
her position as
Club with
Administrative
R a b b i
Assistant for
Jordan
the Southern
Ofseyer
Pacific Region
officiating.
of AIPAC.
R a b b i
Mazel tov!
Elana Pepper
O f s e y e r Joe Feldun and Irene Spero
Simchas
Classifieds
KRISTINE A. KAUFFMAN - SENIOR
CARE SPECIALIST. Driving for
appointments, shopping, dining,
etc; Errands (groceries, banking, etc);
Bill paying and other miscellaneous
tasks; Companionship. Dog sitting,
walking. References available. 4-hour
minimum 760-902-3490.
Woman seeks person to SHARE
2 BEDROOM furnished garden
APARTMENT in Palm Springs.
Female preferred. $700/month,
Includes utilities and amenities.
Convenient parking. Home is
kosher. Call 760-668-7890.
CAREGIVER AVAILABLE. Let
me give you a helping hand at
a reasonable rate. Experienced
in personal care. Alzheimer’s,
Parkinson’s and Stroke cases.
Cooking, errands and light
housekeeping. Strong. Reliable.
References and background check
available. 760-668-6764.
Save the Date: Sunday, November
9 for Hadassah’s SHOPPING
E X T R AVAG A N Z A A N D
LUNCHEON; 10:00 am to 2:00
pm; Omni Rancho Las Palmas
Resort; Details soon.
TEMPLE SINAI GIFT SHOP: One
of a kind and largest Judaica shop
here in the desert. For all your
traditional needs and unique gift
items. Special orders available.
For information call the Temple
office at 760-568-9699.
DAVID’S CONSTRUCTION
Conscientious licensed, insured,
bonded, general contractor.
Catering to all your home repair
needs. No job too small or big.
Room additions, remodeling,
patio covers, decks, carpentry,
electrical, plumbing, masonry,
drywall, cement, wood floors,
tile, fences, painting, sprinklers,
landscaping, swamp coolers,
custom homes and more. License
#506-370. davidsconstruction@
ymail.com 760-671-4476 .
22 • JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org
Mazel tov! Incidently, Elana’s sister,
Jordana, has made aliyah, lives in
Tel Aviv, and has been living with
the nightmare in Israel these past
weeks. Jordana and Elana’s father
and paternal grandmother are also
desert residents, Lenny Pepper
and Phyllis Pepper, as is maternal
grandmother Crystal Mendelsohn ...
Jeremy Ginsberg, son of Lynda and
Trevor Bailey
and grandson of
Irving Ginsberg,
has added
another kudos
to his list of
achievements.
He was just
notified that he
Jeremy Ginsberg
has been invited,
along with 24 college students
from around the United States, to
be a CAMERA Campus Fellow for
the 2014-15 year. CAMERA - The
Committee for Accuracy in Middle
MUSIC FOR A SUMMER’S
AFTERNOON Three young guest
musicians will perform a recital
of classical music on Sunday
afternoon, August 24, 2014, at
Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs.
Solo pianist Danny Holt, professor
of piano at College of the Desert,
will perform keyboard works by
Mozart and Mendelssohn, and by
contemporary Los Angeles composer
Mike Garson. After an intermission,
cellist James Waldo and pianist
Alyona Aksyonova—known as the
A.W.Duo—will perform a program
entitled “Tales of the Russian Soul,”
featuring works by Rachmaninoff,
M y a s k o v s k y, a n d o t h e r s .
Danny Holt has appeared with
musical ensembles throughout
PERSONAL ASSISTANT/PERSONAL
AFFAIRS MANAGER Excellent local
references. Bill paying, reconcile
bank statement, run errands, drive
to appointment. Computer help:
MS Office, QuickBooks, emails.
N o t a r y. 2 h o u r s m i n i m u m .
Trustworthy, discreet, dependable.
760-408-5260.
East Reporting in America - is a
watchdog organization working
to set the record straight about
distorted journalism about Israel
... It is a special pleasure for those of
us who have lived in the Coachella
Valley for 20+ years to see how
the children we knew as infants
have developed into committed,
enthusiastic, contributing members
of the Jewish communal world.
Congratulations to Elana and
Jeremy and their families ... In
the middle of June, Judge Jackie
Drucker emailed to say her family
of 103 descendants was growing
to 104 in July, only to learn that on
June 30th the family grew to 105
descendants, with the arrival of
twin great grandsons! Mazel tov
to Jackie and the whole family .…
Share your Simchas with us. Call or
email Miriam Bent at 760-323-0255
or [email protected].
the US and Europe, including the
Los Angeles Philharmonic and the
famous “Blue Man Group.” James
Waldo and Alyona Aksyonova have
most recently performed at Lincoln
Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York,
and the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber
Music Festival in North Carolina.
The concert will begin at 2:00
p.m. in the Bochner Sanctuary of
Temple Isaiah. There will be an
intermission after the first half of the
concert, during which soft drinks
may be purchased. This will be
followed by the second half of the
concert. Tickets can be purchased
at the door, or in advance online
at PalmSpringsChamberMusic.
BrownPaperTickets.com. The price
is $20/person.
DOOR PROS We specialize in repair
of garage doors, sliding glass and
screen doors. Reasonable pricing.
Same day service. Fully insured and
licensed #889442. 760-360-9300.
Classifieds Continued
CHECK OUT HAR-EL, Member,
URJ, for interesting, stimulating
and diverse programs being offered
throughout the year. The 20142015 Galen Trimester Course
brochure is available now. Call or
email 760-779-1691 /haelurj@
gmail.com. Free course offered
in August: Wednesday, August 6
and 13, 4-5:15 pm “The Secret
Jews Among Us.” No fee but preregistration required. Also, persons
interested in membership and
attending High Holy Day Services
at Har-El are invited to call.
Candle Lighting Times
JFS VOLUNTEERS WELCOME:
JFS has rewarding volunteer
opportunities available and is
now accepting applications for
the following positions: Lunch
In & Out Driver, Lunch In &
Out Program Volunteer, Friendly
Visitor, JFS Express Senior Ride
Transportation driver, Front
Office Assistant. For more
information contact 760-7799400 Ext. 204.
Call 760-323-0255 to place
your Classified ad today!
Friday, August 1
Friday, August 8
Friday, August 15
Friday, August 22
Friday, August 29
Shabbat Devarim
Shabbat Va-Etchanan
Shabbat Ekev
Shabbat Re’eh
Shabbat Shoftim
7:04 pm
6:58 pm
6:50 pm
6:42 pm
6:33 pm
We Mourn the Passing of...
Frances Cohn, Thelma “Tiby” Eisen, Marvin Goldberg, Dr.
Phillip Goldstein, Bill Gross, Shirley Kimmel, Carl Korn, Sorita
“Mitzi” Mayer, Rabbi Yitchok Zalman Posner, Shirley Rothman,
Herb Sanders, Nathan Selikson, Marcelle Silvin, Dick Sloan,
and Dr. Kurt Wegner. Our deepest sympathies to their families
and friends. May their memories endure for a blessing.
Order Your Holiday Greetings Today!
Deadline August 10. See Back Page.
Laugh out Loud
Stories in the news that bring a smile!
HOUSEHOLD NAME
U p u n t i l n ow t h e r u l e wa s
‘anything goes’ when it came to
names people could choose for
themselves or for their offspring.
One Israeli even changed his
name to Mark Zukerberg, a request
that was approved, although the
clerk asked the applicant, with
a frown, whether his mommy
approved. As a result, there is a
girl named Grapefruit or Eshkolit…
actually given in memory of the
late president of the State of Israel
Levi Eshkol. But a new bill before
the Knesset wants to empower
children as young as ten to turn to
the courts to change their names,
even against their parents’ wishes.
(What if dozen of crazed teens will
appeal to change their names to
Justin Bieber?) The sponsor of the
legislation said she submitted the
bill after receiving an appeal from
a girl whose family had decided to
call her Avelut (Mourning).
IF THE SHOE FITS…
The owner of a shoe store chain was
at a loss – literally and figuratively:
Why in the world would someone
repeatedly steal one pricy lady’s
shoe out of the display window
in his branches throughout the
country? Putting two-and-two
together, the businessman realized
in every case the left shoe had been
taken from one store, and the right
matching shoe had disappeared
from another branch in the area,
with dozens of pairs of shoes having
gone missing in the course of three
months. A private detective planted
a miniature GPS tracer in the heel
of a hot flashy platform-heeled
shoe as bait and sat down to wait.
Sure enough, within days the ‘trap
was tripped’ and the GPS signal
led him to an Arab village adjacent
to Karmiel where he cornered the
creative shoplifter with the goods,
and called in the cops.
IS THERE A DIRECTOR IN THE
HOUSE?
Who wants to be a director in
a government company? Who
doesn’t! No less than 14,000 persons
responded to an ad in the papers
placed by the Ministry of Finance
inviting qualified individuals in
the public-at-large to submit their
candidacy for a place on the
board of one hundred government
corporations: 8,800 of the applicants
held a master’s degree and 1,250
had a PhD; 1,500 had served or
were presently serving as directorgenerals of business entities; and
150 had already served as chairs
of the board of director elsewhere.
Four thousand three hundred
of the candidates were women.
The Government Corporation
Authority commission mandated
to choose 500 new directors has
waded through and weeded out
10,000 applications – only three
hundred rejected for lack of basic
credentials.
DISSOLVING MARRIAGES
In May we wrote about Member of
Knesset Professor Uzi Even and his
partner Dr. Amit Kamah, who had
tied the knot in a civil ceremony in
Canada eight years ago, decided to
part ways after successfully fighting
to have their status recognized by
the Israel Ministry of Interior (on
orders from the Israeli Supreme
Court). While a civil court
recognized their separation, when
the 72-year-old Israeli physicistturned-parliamentarian wanted to
wed a different partner, Canadians
demanded that Professor Even first
prove he was legally divorced, not
just legally separated. Ironically,
because both men are Jewish,
Ministry of Interior regulations
required confirmation of their
divorce by a rabbinical court …
which never recognized their union
in the first place! The issue has now
been resolved, thanks to another gay
couple whose New York marriage
went on the rocks. An Israeli
Family Court issued a declaratory
order “dissolving the marriage as
registered” on the mutual consent of
the parties, while delicately skirting
the issue whether their marriage was
legally binding under Israel law in
the first place.
JCN • August 2014 • Av/Elul 5774 • www.jfedps.org • 23
wish everyone a
Happy New Year!
Order your
greetings today!
A wonderful
opportunity to
Order your wish everyone a
greetings
today! Happy New Year!
Order your
Order your
greetings today!
A wonderful
opportunity to
wish everyone a
Happy New Year!
O r d e r Yo u r G r e e t i n g s To d a y !
(A) $150
OrderA
wonderful
greetings
today!
Ayour
wonderful
greetings today!
A wonderful
opportunity
opportunity
to
opportunity to
A wonderful
Order your
wish
wish
aa
toeveryone
wish
opportunity
toeveryone
Happy
New
Year!
greetings
today!
wish Happy
everyone
a
Order
your
New
Year!
everyone
Happy New greetings
Year!
A wonderful
today!
a Happy
opportunity
A wonderfulto
New
Year!
wish
everyone
opportunity
to a
Happy
New Year!
wish
a
Ordereveryone
your
Happy today!
New Year!
greetings
ORDER FORM
A wonderful
opportunity to
wish everyone a
Happy New Year!
Wishing You A Sweet Year
(D) $45
Order your
greetings today!
A wonderful
opportunity to
wish everyone a
Happy New Year!
(C) $60
May you be blessed with a
year of health & happiness
(E) $45
Happy New Year
(B) $100
(F) $30
Order your ad today! Deadline August 10. Call Miriam Bent
760-323-0255, for prices on custom and larger ads