January 2011 - Capitol Knesset

Transcription

Tevetshevat 5771
january 2011
www.JewishSac.org
As fire strikes Israel, it also hits home
in Sacramento
by E l i s sa P r ova n c e
As the deadliest fire in Israel’s
history raged, Elad Lerech, Dwora
Izzy Smith:
Lover of
Baseball &
People
  
Regional
Judaism:
After the
Gold Rush
  
6
8
G-dcast.com
  
10
Jewish
Communal
Professionals
  
11
Artist Paints
Her Way
Through the
Torah
  
12
Candle Lighting
Times for Shabbat
January 7 – 4:26 p.m.
“I got a phone call Thursday morning from JAFI (Jewish Agency for Israel)
asking if everyone was okay,” said Lerech,
Allon, and Judie Panneton slept. They
Federation’s Community Shaliach (Emishad no idea that nearly 10,000 miles
sary) who calls Haifa home. “I didn’t
away, their homes or members of their
know what they were talking about. I
family were in danger.
called home right away and
spoke to my parents and sister.
Everyone was okay.”
Carmel Forest Fire*
The fire broke out on
December 2, 2010, on the
Population Evacuated: 17,000
outskirts of the Druze village
Confirmed Fatalities: 42
of Usafiyya. (At press time,
Total Acreage Affected: 12,355
investigators were still unclear
Number of Trees Lost: More than five million
about the definitive cause
U.S. Response: $1.3 million in various aid
of the fire, although several
International Response: 24 countries
minors had been arrested and
Houses Destroyed: 250
investigations were ongoing.)
Preliminary Damage Estimates: $55 million**
Allon, mother of Federation Board Member and native
*Source: USAID
Israeli Gil Allon, was in Sacra**Estimated to reach $276.4 million once damage
mento for a long-term visit.
assessments are completed.
“My family tried not tell me,” she
said. “They thought (the fire) would be
quick.”
But Allon knew something was
wrong when she spoke with Gil’s wife,
Karin, on the phone while shopping.
“She was different,” Allon said. “I
thought she was just busy.”
When she arrived back to Gil’s home
and checked her email, Allon received a
message from a friend that began, “I’m
sure you heard about the disaster and
F Page 14
Former
Federation
executive
remembered
JCRC represents Jewish, Israel
interests while building relationships
and community
The Jewish Community Relations
Council educates and advocates
issues of vital importance to the
Jewish community.
This is the mission of the Jewish
Community Relations Council
(JCRC), a program of The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region. So how is
this mission operationalized? What issues
are designated as ones that have “vital
importance” to our community? How do
JCRC members “educate and advocate”
for Jewish issues locally and globally and
mobilize others to join them in their efforts? How does the JCRC build support
for Israel?
non-profit org.
u.s. postage
paid
sacramento, ca
permit no. 342
“The JCRC is perhaps best known
for fighting anti-Semitism within our
community,” said JCRC Chair Barry
Broad. “For example, our most recent efforts to counter the Boycott, Divestment,
and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, whose
national campaign hit locally in the Davis
and Sacramento Food Co-ops.”
Broad is referring to BDS proponents who target local food Cooperatives
in an effort to persuade them to boycott,
and ultimately remove, Israeli products
from their shelves. JCRC assisted Davis’
Jewish community and Co-op members
in their successful effort to defeat these
efforts last year.
When BDS supporters moved from
the Davis to the Sacramento Co-op,
JCRC mobilized once again and garnered
the support of dozens of community supporters and Co-op members who spoke
against boycott efforts, most recently at
the Sacramento Co-op Board’s December
7, 2010 meeting, noting that the existing
boycott policy was in direct conflict with
the Co-op’s guiding principles and that
the Co-op is not the place for political
debates.
“The Co-op’s fiduciary responsibility
is to provide healthy, safe food for the
Sacramento region and nothing else,”
noted Barry Hirshowitz, a 20-year member of the Sacramento Co-op and former
P
hillis Cohen, a former Executive Director of The Jewish
Federation of the Sacramento
Region, who family, friends, and
colleagues remember as organized,
witty, and the consummate professional, passed away December 11,
2010 from brain cancer. She was
62 years old.
“Her work at Federation was
so very meaningful to her,” said
Cohen’s daughter Meredith, who
lives in Boston. “It reconnected her
to Judaism in so many ways. We actually talked about it recently. She
became more active in the Jewish
community and built a network of
friends. That is evident by all of the
people who contacted me.”
Cohen was originally hired
in 1998 by Beryl Michaels to be
Federation’s Program Director.
“Phillis used to work in public
relations,” Michaels recalled.
“When she came to Federation, she
wanted to do something with more
F Page 15
F Page 16
For Ourselves. For Our Children. For Israel. Forever. FEDERATION
matters
From the
President
Torah Words
by M i c h a l Ko h a n e , D i r e c to r ,
T h e I s r a e l Ce n t e r
T
he description of the Exodus
begins with what seems like
a peculiar navigation error. In the
Torah portion of B’shalach (to be
read in synagogues around the
world on January 29, 2011, G-d
decides not to take the Children
of Israel through the faster,
coastal path but instead, through
a desert and roundabout route.
Like a good Jewish parent, G-d
“worries,” saying that perhaps
the people see war and turn their
back to go to Egypt. This would
be semi-understandable when
talking about a band of recently
escaping slaves fearing further
confrontations, except the next
verse doesn’t match this.
It says: “…vachamushim alu
Bnai Yisrael m’Eretz Mitzrayim,”
most often translated as “…and
the Children of Israel came up
from Egypt armed.”
But wait, if they were armed,
why would they be scared?
Rashi, based on the Midrash,
plays with the root of chamushim
by n e i l s o s k i n
(“armed”), which, if you remember even the most basic Hebrew,
might sound familiar— chamesh
(the number 5) or Chumash (the
five Books of Moses). Accordingly,
he claims that while the Torah
was trying to portray the People as
strong, they were really vulnerable,
since only one-fifth(!) of those
living in Egypt left with Moses and
the Exodus. Instead of embarrassing them, it was concealed in a
word with double meaning.
Sadly, today we see similar
numbers: throughout Northern
California, it is estimated that only
about 20 percent or one-fifth of
Jews are connected with anything
Jewish, and only about 3-5 percent
are Federation donors. I hope that
now as then, G-d is guiding us in
a roundabout way that will save us
from harm. But just in case some
help is needed, let’s do our part of
guarding our
people
andretire
watching
When
you
you’ll
out for our future too.
Shabbat Shalom.
It is late December as I write
to all of you. Chanukah has passed
and the secular new year is upon us.
Earlier today I had the pleasure of
attending the annual AIPAC (America
Israel Public Affairs Committee) luncheon and fundraiser. As usual, it was
a sell out with 600 people attending.
It was both inspiring and informative.
The two keynote speakers were
incredible. DeeDee Coleman, an
African American pastor from my
hometown of Detroit, was downright
miraculous. Her sermon, which is
what I must call it for all of its passion, was an incredible call to action.
The warm and strong support of our
friends in the non-Jewish community
months
since
I took
on the
Federation Neil Soskin
presidency,
and during
the preceding 12 months when I was
preparing to take on the job, I have
been exposed to far too much friction in our small community. I am not
pointing fingers, as we at Federation
are accountable as well. Why is it that
I heard that the Sacramento Jewish
community cannot work together,
cannot make a common cause, and
cannot get past stale disagreements,
both big and small? Well, I am here
YOUR RETIREMENT
Those of us who have agreed to take
BILL OF RIGHTS
on leadership positions must learn to
listen more, to compromise more, and
have the
to: how fortunate we are to have
toright
recall
1. Throw out your alarm clock.others in our community of good will
2. Spend more time with your family.who want to work together.
YOUR RETIREMENT
BILL OF RIGHTS
3. See the world. Twice.
YOUR RETIREMENT
When you retire you’ll have the right to:
gives all of us strength. Her discussion
was so moving I wanted to volunteer
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________?
4.
at her church just to hear her speak.
1. Throw out your alarm clock.
She was followed by Congresswoman
Shelley
Berkley
fromTo
Lasget
Vegas.
Unfortunately,
itself
isn’t
a right.
the
2. Spend more
time withretirement
your family.
Though
there
is
no
way
wild
When you retire you’ll have theretirement
right to: you want, you have to plan for it today. horses
could have dragged me into followSeeclock.
the world. Twice.
1. Throw out your 3.
alarm
ing Pastor DeeDee on the stage, the
Together
we
can
develop
a retirement savings
Congresswoman
more thanstrategy
held her
____________your
_____________family.
___________________________________________________________________________________?
4. with
2. Spend more time
own. Her clear and vivid description
that makes sense. Call today.
of legislative and diplomatic efforts
3. See the world. Twice.
Unfortunately, retirement
itself isn’t a right.
To get
the were educational.
Jeff Gordon
on Israel’s
behalf
__________________________________________________________?
4. __________________________________________________retirement
Financial
Advisor
Once
you want, .you have to plan for
it again,
today.AIPAC, showed us the
wonderful
talent of our friends both in
Briggs Ranch Plaza
Unfortunately, retirement itself isn’t a right. To25004
get the
Congress
and
from elsewhere in our
Blue
Ravine
Rd
Ste
117
Together we can develop a retirement savings strategy
retirement you want, you have to plan for it today.
community.
(See
p. 5 for more on the
Folsom,
CA
95630
that makes sense. Call today.
916-985-9600
AIPAC Sacramento Luncheon.)
Together we can develop a retirement savings strategy
As the program ended I stood up
that makes sense. Call today. Jeff Gordon
www.edwardjones.com Member SIPC
Financial Advisor
and looked over the room. Then it
.
Jeff Gordon
hit me, our little town of Sacramento
Briggs Ranch Plaza
Financial Advisor
was actually able to get 600 Jews into
25004 Blue Ravine Rd Ste 117
Briggs Ranch Plaza
a room and enthusiastically work as
Folsom,
CA
95630
25004 Blue Ravine Rd Ste 117
916-985-9600
a single group— a tribe. In the six
Folsom, CA 95630
BILL OF RIGHTS
Have IRA Questions?
LET’S TALK!
.
916-985-9600
www.edwardjones.com
www.edwardjones.com
Member SIPC
to bear witness that it is simply not
true. For as I saw with my own eyes,
we can and do come together. We do
know how to put aside differences in
order to focus on the greater good for
our small and threatened community.
So now the secret is out. We no
longer have the excuse of being a
divided community to blame for lack
of progress on our community’s challenges. While we may be divided on
many issues, we have no excuse to
not work together. Those of us who
have agreed to take on leadership
positions must learn to listen more, to
compromise more, and to recall how
fortunate we are to have others in our
community of good will who want to
work together. Thank you to all of my
fellow Jewish organization lay leaders
for what you do and for your visions of
our community.
Member SIPC
Your contributions to Federation help support and
maintain the following agencies, organizations,
and community outreach efforts:
PJ Library
Yachad
Jewish Community Relations Council
Schwab Rosenhouse
Scholarships
Israel and Overseas Support
NextDor
Partnership 2000
Community Programming
E-Voice
Jewish Heritage Festival
The Jewish Voice
Connections
Community Grants
Hillel at Davis and Sacramento
Shalom School
...and more!
tevet-shevat 5771 / january 2011 The Jewish Voice
FEDERATION
Jewish Community Foundation
welcomes new directors
matters
by Te r ry Kau f m a n
The Jewish Community Foundation of the West installed four
new members to its Board of Directors in December. These four join
an impressive roster of community
leaders whose vision and passion for
philanthropy have successfully guided
the Foundation since its inception 11
years ago.
New
directors
include Steve
Turtletaub,
a member of
Mosaic Law
Congregation
who has been
active on the
Foundation’s
Marketing Committee for the past
year; Daniel Khazzoom, a member
of both Mosaic Law and Kenesset
Israel Torah Center who is a former
economics professor at UC Berkeley
and recently authored a book about
the exile of the Jews from Baghdad;
Joel Hass, a mathematics professor at
UC Davis and Past President of Hillel
at Davis and Sacramento; and Mike
Dean, a member of Temple Or Rishon
whose wife Lynn was a past secretary
of the Foundation.
“The new Board reflects our desire to recruit from all areas of the
Jewish community,” said Hannah
Olson, the Foundation’s Director of
Philanthropy. “These four new members will bring a fresh perspective and
a range of talents to strengthen our
organization.”
The new Board members were
welcomed by President Michael Rochman and Treasurer Kent Newton, as
well as existing board members Andy
Baron, Mark
Cohn, Anne
Eisenberg,
Don Gilbert, Terry
Kaufman,
Veronica
Kaufman,
Harold
Rosenblume,
Larry Saltzman, Ariel Shenhar, and
Tim Taylor.
“We are pleased to welcome them
to the Foundation,” said Rochman.
“They bring both diversity and new
energy to our group. Our ongoing
mission is to invest and build for our
community’s long-term future. We
are really lucky to have such excellent
volunteers dedicated to that mission.” Turtletaub and his wife Judi have
demonstrated their commitment to
the Foundation’s mission by establishing a new philanthropic fund.
“After learning about the Foundation and the good work it has done
Our ongoing mission
is to invest and build
for our community’s
long-term future.
and will continue to do, we felt that
it was the right thing to do,” said
Turtletaub. “I hope to be able to see
the Foundation grow through my work
on the Marketing Committee.”
For more information about the Jewish
Community Foundation of the West,
visit www.jcwest.org. For information
about participating on a committee,
contact Olson at [email protected].
Roslyn
levy-WeintRaub
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Sacramento, CA 95825
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Jewish Voice
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For Ourselves. For Our Children. For Israel. Forever. FEDERATION
matters
achad
THE PLACE FOR JEWISH TEENS
achad
THE PLACE FOR JEWISH TEENS
Every Thursday afternoon, Hillel House is bustling with students
kneading, braiding, baking, and packaging loaves of deliciously flavored
challah to be sold on campus and
to be used for Hillel’s Shabbat dinners. This project, called Challah for
Hunger, aims to “bake a difference”
by splitting the proceeds from sales
50/50 between genocide relief efforts
in Darfur and the Yolo County Food
Bank. Challah for Hunger, a national
organization that was brought to our
region by UC Davis students this fall,
is just one of many new programs and
initiatives that have taken off at Hillel
in the past few months.
Hillel hosted its first ever Pink
Shabbat for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, one of many
themed Shabbatot that packed the
House. In mid-October, a group of
former Israel Defense Forces soldiers gave presentations in both
Sacramento and Davis, sharing their
personal experiences with students
and community members. Thanks to
a grant from KOACH, the Conservative Movement’s college outreach
program, Hillel hosted two Shabbat
Lunch-and-Learns, providing students
a chance to not only enjoy Shabbat lunch, but to delve into a Jewish
topic. An evening focusing on Jewish
Women on Screen in November was
one of the many opportunities for discussion and learning offered through
Hillel this fall.
The remaining months of the
academic year will see many other
new programs, including an Interfaith
Shabbat Celebration and a day-long
Maccabiah sports competition with
other Northern California Hillels. In
March, a group of students will spend
Spring Break in Miami volunteering
in schools as part of Hillel/City Year’s
Alternative Spring Break program.
On February 27th, Hillel will host
the Fourth Annual Northern California Israel Advocacy Conference at UC
Davis. This year’s conference, which
is open to college students and high
school seniors, will focus on peer-topeer advocacy skills and developing a
strong knowledge base vis-à-vis Israel.
We are fortunate to have a talented
cadre of Israel Fellows from Hillels
throughout Northern California,
along with other guest presenters, to
facilitate workshops and share their
expertise. Participants will have the
opportunity to select from a variety of
sessions to ensure that they are gaining the skills most relevant and useful
to them, given their prior knowledge
and experience. It is certain to be a
day filled with dynamic learning and
tangible skill-building, as participants
deepen their knowledge about Israel
and gain confidence in speaking about
Israel on campus and amongst their
peers.
Finally, please join us at our Honorable Menschen Brunch (see Calendar for details).
On January 10, 2011, beginning at
4:30 p.m., Shalom School teachers
for grades 1-5 will present a preview
of next year’s programs. Parents, both
those currently enrolled and those
who are “shopping” schools, are encouraged to attend.
Shalom School offers a dual curriculum (Secular Studies and Hebrew/
Judaic Studies). Additional opportunities and programs include Physical
Education, Computer Instruction,
Library Science, Israel education,
Band and Music Instruction, and a
wide variety of elective courses. The
School, in its 32nd year, is in its fourth
year of occupancy on a new campus.
Prospective parents will experience
an Open House format, and the
amenities of the new building will be
highlighted. Campus Tours also can
be prearranged.
As the California public schools
face deeper cuts in budgeting, the
implications are serious for many
students. Fortunately, students at
Shalom School continue to enjoy an
extraordinary experience even in these
For more information, visit www.
hillelhouse.org or contact
530.756.3708.
— Maiya Chard-Yaron, Program Director, and Guy Bershadsky, Israel Fellow
It’s going to be absolutely awesome!!
That is what’s in store for teens who
attend the upcoming winter retreat
with the East Bay Midrasha in Santa
Rosa for the weekend of January
28-30, 2011. The retreat, open to all
8th-12th graders, is scheduled to have
at least 180 teens from the East Bay.
The retreat, which starts on Friday
afternoon and ends late morning on
Sunday, is going to be held at Walker
Creek Ranch outside of Santa Rosa.
Yachad provides bus transportation if
20+ teens sign up (imagine not having
to shlep or arrange carpool)! And how
awesome would it be to get away for
the weekend and meet other teens?
The weekend prior to the retreat, Yachad will commemorate Tu
B’Shevat on January 23, 2011 (start
time approximately 1:00 p.m.). Check
back with the Federation on where
we’re meeting and where we’re headed
to foster the environmental growth of
our unique region.
We ended 2010 with a bang
with Yachad celebrating the annual
“Hanukah Happening,” hosted by
Congregation B’nai Israel. After Rabbi
King-Tornberg led students in lighting
the chanukiah for the eighth night of
Chanukah, the teens were divided up
into groups and created skits based on
biographies of different American or
Israeli heroes. The rest of the group
had to guess who it was— no one was
stumped! We ended the evening with
latkes, donuts, and the students making candy menorahs and dreidels. A
great time was had by all!
Applications for the January retreat
are available online at www.jewishsac.
org. You do not need to be enrolled in
Yachad but it certainly helps if you are.
Scholarships are available. For more
information, contact Caren Zorman at
916.486.0906 ext. 302.
Students work with their buddies and the SMART Board to table and graph.
tough economic times, for example,
a low teacher-student ratio, hands-on
experiential learning, cross-age peer
relations with the Buddy Program,
advanced academic skill development across curricula, differentiated
instruction, and strong thematic units
for deep content learning.
Shalom School continues to advance in educational technology and
is at the forefront of teacher-driven
technology-based instruction. Each
classroom, grades 1-6, is equipped
with a SMART Board, is a large
interactive whiteboard that greatly
improves the learning outcomes of the
students. Combining the simplicity of
a whiteboard with the power of a computer, the SMART Board is the tool
teachers use to deliver dynamic visual
lessons, write notes in digital ink, and
save class work— all with the touch of
a finger.
Students study the Modern Hebrew language four days a week. In
addition, they study Biblical Hebrew
through Torah and prayer study. Ethics are reinforced through the Character Counts program and all teachers
use the model to teach students about
moral dilemmas, social skills and tikkun olam— repair of the world.
No child in our community
should be left out. Shalom School has
While NextDor’s events are always
great places to meet and talk to other
Jewish young adults in person, most
people in younger generations (and
many in the older ones!) have online lives that are nearly as rich as
their offline interactions. Today, this
manifests itself in the soaring popularity of social media communities like
Facebook.com, which is now the most
visited site on the Internet.
This tidal wave of change has
swept the Jewish community along as
well. Organizations like the Federation
now are engaging with their stakeholders in the multilevel conversations
that social networking facilitates.
NextDor has embraced social networking tools in a big way since our
founding. If you are one of the 500
million people active on Facebook, our
group page puts you in contact with
hundreds of peers. We also recently
created a Meetup group (meetup.com/
nextdor) that has been a great way to
reach Jews who are new to our region
(as well as a lot who are already here).
The centerpiece of NextDor’s
online community is our own website,
NextDor.org. More than 200 people
have created profiles there, making it
a true hub. If you haven’t checked it
out, do so today! Everyday, interesting people are having conversations
around blog items on Jewish-related
topics and in groups like “singles,
families, health professionals, and
cyclists”— not to mention tons of
photos!
This site was built as a social
network, so any member can post
and comment on blog articles, comments, and photos or share them on
Facebook and Twitter. (And while you
are there, be sure to click on the ads
on the right side of the page— the
revenue goes right to NextDor.) Many
thanks are due to Dan Cohen and
Brian Fischer for their work to set up
the NextDor.org site and get it ranked
highly on search engines.
All of this is in addition to our
e-newsletter, which reaches about 450
interested people every week. To sign
up, just visit NextDor.org!
NextDor.org also includes a constantly updated events calendar, where
you can find out about NextDor’s
activities and other events of interest to our community. Coming up on
January 16, 2011 is a Tu B’Shevat
service project: Tree planting at a local
school site, followed by a seder! For
details and RSVP, visit our website,
or our Facebook page, or the Meetup
group.
— Jason Weiner
For more information, visit
www.nextdor.org.
committed significant resources to
scholarships to ensure any interested
family can enroll.
— Shelli Lavender, Director K-6, with
assistance from Frannie Magnani,
SMART Board trainer and
5th grade teacher
For more information about Preview
Night, contact 916.485.4151 or visit
www.shalomschool.org
news
community
AIPAC addresses new Congressional leadership,
Iran’s nuclear threats
This month, 112 new members of the United States
Congress will be sworn in—
96 to the House and 16 to the Senate.
These leaders represent a variety of
professions but none are experts in
foreign policy and, as such, need to be
educated about the special relationship between the U.S. and Israel.
“How can we ensure our policy
leaders see Israel the same way we
do?” asked Barry Broad, who
with his wife, Joan Markoff,
served as Co-Chairs for the
annual AIPAC Sacramento
Membership Luncheon on
December 12, 2010. “In the
midst of the greatest economic downturn in decades,
who will educate our country’s leaders
about the value of Israel to the world
as 112 new members of Congress are
sworn in? Who will be the ones to
take them to Israel for the first time?”
The answer, he said, is AIPAC,
which plans to take numerous delegations of political leaders and their
staff, up and coming journalists, and
others to the Jewish State.
“We have to get them to Israel,”
said Zack Bodner, AIPAC’s Northern
California Director. “It changes the
whole conversation.”
That’s exactly what happened to
the Reverend Dr. DeeDee Coleman
from Russell Street Missionary Baptist
Church in Detroit.
“I come today to let you know
you are not alone in your struggle for
peace and security in the homeland,”
said Coleman, whose most recent trip
to Israel was in December.
A native New Orleanian, the Reverend told the audience of 600 proIsrael supporters, including numerous
local and regional dignitaries, clergy,
and lay leaders, about her first trip to
the Jewish State in 2008.
“I had never been to Israel,” she
said. “My trip with AIPAC changed
my life. Now when I preach, there is a
stirring in my soul like never before.”
Coleman described meetings with
Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, her
visit with Ethiopian immigrants where
she met Black Jews for the first time,
and spending time with families in
Sderot who she said, “dare to live with
the audacity of hope and wonder if
they will wake up in the morning.”
Speaking on the ever-looming
subject of Iran, Coleman said that the
country must be prevented from attaining nuclear weapons and stressed
the importance of enforcing recent
sanctions signed into law by President
Barack Obama in July.
“Our job is to ensure domestic
policy and support for a secure and
peaceful Israel,” she said. And addressing the President by name, she
added, “Mr. President, Israel is being
threatened everyday as Iran builds
nuclear weapons and as Gaza shoots
rockets. Don’t think for a moment
that we need to let up.”
The preacher had the audience
on their feet when she declared, “I be-
for world leaders to say there is no
historical connection for Jews to the
land. “Israel is exactly where it is supposed to be. It has been the homeland
of the Jewish people since Abraham
set foot on the sacred ground.”
Like Coleman, Berkley stressed
the importance of preventing a nuclear Iran and the impact of enforcing
sanctions, for example, money from
Iranian banks identified as funding
Israel is exactly where it is supposed to be.
It has been the homeland of the Jewish people
since Abraham set foot on the sacred ground.
lieve Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,
I believe the Embassy of the United
States belongs in Jerusalem, and I
believe Israel is the Jewish State.”
Keynote speaker Congresswoman
Shelley Berkley, a Democrat who represents Nevada’s 1st District, followed
Coleman and presented her long-term
commitment to Israel and AIPAC.
“I was an AIPAC activist long
before I was a Congresswoman,” she
said, noting that she is planning to attend her 24th National AIPAC Conference this year.
A firm believer in “no linkages,”
Berkley said, “If only there was a
Palestinian state, then there would be
no more problems in the Middle East
as if it’s Israel’s fault there are problems. If there were a Palestinian state,
would Syria stop transferring weapons
from Iran to Hezbollah? Would the
Sunnis and the Shiites stop killing
each other? Would Iran stop maniacally producing nuclear weapons?
There is no linkage between what is
happening in the Middle East and
Israel is not responsible.”
The Congresswoman, who has
served in the House for almost 12
years, also pointed out the “blunders”
by Obama, the most notable of which
was elevating the settlement issue,
which only served to keep Palestinian
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
away from the negotiating table.
“Twelve hundred apartments are
not an impediment to peace,” she
said.
A second generation American
whose grandparents were from Salonika, Greece and the Russian/Polish
border, Berkley confronted Obama’s
acceptance of the Arab rhetoric that
Israel was created as a result of the
Holocaust.
“That is patently wrong,” she
said, adding that it is just as wrong
terror or funding Iran’s nuclear program has decreased from $30 billion/
For more information about AIPAC,
month to $200 million/month. Other
visit www.aipac.org.
Iranian banks have
decreased their
holdings from between $60-70 bil>LIHG=BG@MHHF>LMB<;NL>BGMA>
>PBLA?:FBER
lion to $20 billion
since September.
“We are making
HG?B=>GMB:E>EI?HK=NEML>>GL
remarkable progress
but haven’t been
w|xz~}}}
able to get them to
stop nuclear projPPP?:FBERLA:EHFHK@
ects,” Berkley said,
explaining that U.S.
KH@K:FH?:MBHG:EHNG<BEH?
>PBLAHF>G:<K:F>GMH><MBHG
partners in Europe
Family Shalom
The 14th Annual
Sacramento
Jewish Film Festival
At the Historic Crest Theatre
Saturday, February 5 and
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5
7:00 p.m.
NORA’S WILL
Winner of 7 Ariel Awards!
With the short film HAVE NAGILAH WHAT IS IT?
Coffee and Desserts in the lobby between films
9:30 p.m.
Single tickets $10.50 general,
$9 seniors/children/members
Day passes $20 general,
All festival passes $38 general,
Support our
Advertisers in
The Jewish Voice!
lament the inability to enforce sanctions and the revelation— thanks to
Wikileaks— about the fears among
the Arab world with regard to a
nuclear Iran despite public comments
to the contrary.
“We will never be able to get
Iran if (Arabs) can’t look at their own
people and say, ‘This is a threat to the
Arab world.’”
Berkley closed with a story about
joining a delegation for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz,
where she was joined by Elie Weisel
who said, “We are 60 years too late
but we are here now.”
To that Bekley added, “I never
want my grandchildren to say, ‘Where
were you 60 years ago?’”
Avoid the lines!
Advance tickets available at the
Crest Box Office, tickets.com or for mail
order info call 916-442-5189.
C r e s t T h e at r e
1013 K Street, Downtown
Validated parking at 10th & L
HALF
REMEMBERED
STORIES
With film makers in person!
Sunday, February 6
12:00 P.M.
FIVE HOURS
FROM PARIS
With the short film GEFILTE FISH
Coffee and Desserts in the lobby between films
2:15 p.m.
ANITA
www.sacjff.org
For Ourselves. For Our Children. For Israel. Forever. news
community
Izzy Smith: Lover of baseball
and people
“Do you like baseball?”
It was a question that was always
on the lips of Isadore “Izzy” Smith.
A native son who never left home
but for his service in Hawaii during World War II, Smith began his
love affair with America’s pastime in
Sacramento’s Hollywood Park neighborhood. He passed away November
14, 2010 at the age of 91 from complications of a stroke.
“He just played ball in the streets
with other kids,” said Smith’s daughter
Marlena Spieler, who lives in London.
Spieler and Smith’s sister-in-law,
Estelle Opper, described how in his
later years, this baseball aficionado
made his family carry around two
treasured photos that he passed out
to anyone who shared his love of the
game, whether they were sitting in
a restaurant or on the front steps of
their house. One picture was Smith
alongside Joe DiMaggio and the
other was a team that, in addition to
DiMaggio, included baseball greats
Jerry Priddy, who played for the New
York Yankees, Washington Senators,
St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers,
and Mike McCormick, who played
for the New York and San Francisco
Giants, the New York Yankees, and the
Kansas City Royals.
“He made us crazy with those
pictures,” Spieler said, “but they connected him to the world. Giving the
pictures away renewed him. It was like
suddenly his star came back.”
Isadore “Izzy” Smith
A member of the Sacramento
Sports Hall of Fame, Smith played on
the American Legion and Manhart
Legion teams. He was drafted by Cincinnati, however, he chose to stay in
Sacramento and work for his brotherin-law Sy Opper (of blessed memory)
at Howard’s Plumbing for more than
three decades, while attending all of
the family’s Little League games over
the years.
Despite his devotion to the game,
Smith didn’t follow a particular team.
“His loyalty was to the game, not
a team,” his daughter explained. “He
carried his love of baseball his whole
life.”
In a letter from Joe DiMaggio’s
granddaughter Kathie DiMaggio Stein
that paid tribute to Smith, she wrote,
“We are proud of ‘Big Joe’s’ accomplishments but truly love him for the
wonderful human being he was. I am
sure you all share the same feelings
about Izzy… We wish you sincere
condolences and are glad to know that
Izzy and Big Joe were soldiers, teammates, and friends. Hopefully, they are
together now sharing stories.”
Smith grew up going to synagogue and was a longtime member
of Congregation B’nai Israel. Opper
explained how they met at a Jewish
dance and how she introduced him to
her sister Caroline in 1947. They were
married for 59 years.
“I said, ‘Do I have a girl for you!’”
Opper recalled, adding, “His life
revolved around his family. We ate
Sunday dinner together for years. We
shared shimchas and heartaches. Our
lives were intertwined.”
In addition to baseball, Smith
gained tremendous enjoyment from
his coffee group, which met regularly
at La Bou near the Sacramento Zoo.
“That was the focal point of his
later years,” Spieler said.
“He was great with people,” added
Opper. “He was comfortable with any
group. He didn’t strive to be a model
citizen but he always played by the
rules. If there were more people like
him, you could dismantle the police
force. He was a Boy Scout without a
uniform.”
Hadassah honors area women at its
annual Women of Distinction luncheon
Or Rishon
begins Israeli
program for
young children
by E l i s sa
P r ova n c e
Y
oung children from 18
months to 5 years old in
Orangevale, Folsom, El Dorado,
and beyond now have the opportunity to touch, feel, and taste
Israel thanks to a new program
at Temple Or Rishon, made
possible through a Community
Development Grant from The
Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region.
“Shalom Gan K’ton is all
about Israeli culture, music,
holidays, movement, crafts, and
games,” explained Or Rishon
Education Director Marcia
Greene. “We’re trying to reach
out to the community in our
area. We have a lot of Israeli
families but I realized we don’t
talk much about Israel.”
The program is an extension of Gan K’ton, which began
six years ago, and is taught by
Efrat Gubezskis, who also will
immerse the youngsters in the
Hebrew language.
The ultimate goal, said
Greene, is for “families in our
area to walk away with a wonderful feeling and partnership
with Israel.”
Shalom Gan K’ton meets
Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. beginning January 19, 2011 at Temple
Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. in
Orangevale. Cost is $50/10 sessions with scholarships available.
For more information, contact
Greene at educator@orrishon.
org.
Sixteen women representing
a variety of Jewish agencies
will be honored January 30, 2011 at
Hadassah’s annual Women of Distinction luncheon.
“Hadassah women come from all
of these community organizations,”
said Monica Shapiro, who is CoChairing the event with Marcy Silliman. “We Hadassah women support
the work they do everywhere within
the Jewish community and we want to
celebrate that. The Sacramento Jewish community is like no other Jewish
2011 Hadassah Women of Distinction
Albert Einstein Residence Center: Carol Salasky
Atidainu Group, Hadassah: Marlo Dewing
Chabad of Sacramento: Yafa Plaut-Cappon
Congregation Beth Shalom: Renee Schoch
Congregation B’nai Israel: Barbara Ullman
Hadassah of Sacramento: Renee Schaffer
Hillel at Davis and Sacramento: Laura Cypress
Jewish Community Foundation of the West: Kent Newton
Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region: Gabrielle Wolf Stahl
Kenesset Israel Torah Center: Marijke Melman
Mosaic Law Congregation: Goldie Block
National Council of Jewish Women: Dr. Nanette Wong
NextDor: Shari Brokowsky
Temple Or Rishon: Cheryll Goldsheid
Shalom School: Sarah Zeff
Theta Delta Xi (TDX): Terry Kaufman
community I have seen. In many communities the different Jewish organizations may not have anything to do
with each other but here in Sacramento, we tend to be very supportive
of all of our organizations.”
The fundraiser supports Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America, which was founded
in 1912 by Jewish scholar and activist
Henrietta Szold, who was dedicated
to “Judaism, Zionism, and the American ideal.” The organization’s mission
states that Hadassah “is a volunteer
women’s organization, whose members are motivated and inspired to
strengthen their partnership with
Israel, ensure Jewish continuity, and
realize their potential as a dynamic
force in American society.”
Shapiro said that money raised
from the event supports Hadassah’s
main projects, which include the
Hadassah Medical Organization, a
world-renowned medical complex
in Jerusalem that provides state-ofthe-art health care to more than one
million patients each year, regardless
of race, religion, or nationality; Hadassah College in Jerusalem, which offers
Bachelors and Associates degrees in
Health Sciences and Information
Communication Technology; and
programs for children at risk in Israel,
youth programs for children and teens
in the U.S, and environmental programs in partnership with JNF (Jewish
National Fund).
Shapiro also described the rich
history of Hadassah in the community.
“The Sacramento Hadassah
Chapter was founded in 1931 so we
are celebrating our 80th birthday
locally at about the same time,” she
noted, adding that many local women
have relatives who are part of Hadassah’s history. “We have many members
whose mothers, grandmothers, and
great grandmothers were involved
with Hadassah as they are too. I think
Hadassah women feel connected from
generation to generation.”
The Women of Distinction Luncheon is
January 30, 2011, 10:30 a.m-1:00 p.m. at
the Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa, 1220
Arden Hills Lane, Sacramento. Brunch
is $45 and a minimum donation of $55
is requested. For more information,
contact Shapiro at shapiro2@comcast.
net.
news
community
Chico State student awarded CAMERA Fellowship
There are three things that
Jessica Leitner loves:
1. Socializing
2. Exercising
3. Judaism
As a Hillel Intern and
CAMERA Fellow, she’s
definitely got number three
covered.
CAMERA or the Committee for Accuracy in
Middle East Reporting in
America, is a membership
organization that monitors the media in order to promote
accurate and balanced coverage of
the Middle East. When distortions or
inaccuracies are discovered, staffers
contact reporters, editors, publishers,
and others to refute errors and offer
factual information. Members also are
encouraged to write letters and communicate with media officials. The
organization pays special attention to
college campuses, which increasingly
have become the target of anti-Israel
propaganda.
“It’s important to get Jewish college students involved,” Leitner, a
Chico State University sophomore,
said. “A lot don’t take it upon themselves to observe anything. My goal is
to make it easy for them.”
Born and raised in Chico, Leitner
lived in Israel for two years.
“I love Israel,” she said. “It’s my
favorite place in the world. It hurts me
to see what is happening but the best
way to learn is through education.”
As a CAMERA Fellow— one of
only 24 student Fellows around the
world— Leitner is responsible for
writing three articles for the student
newspaper and organizing three proIsrael events during the year.
Leitner had the opportunity to
attend a CAMERA Conference in
Boston where she heard from lawyer Alan Dershowitz and journalist
Melanie Phillips and
also learned techniques
to use on campus, such
as distributing factual information about
Israel during anti-Israel
events.
In fact, her application essay asked the
The general climate of Chico
is not aware and not caring so
it’s important to start educating
before they form an opinion.
Toward that end, she already
has authored one story about how
anti-Zionism can be anti-Semitic and
has brought Ishmael Khaldi, the first
Bedouin to serve as Deputy Consul of
the State of Israel, to Chico’s campus.
“He spoke about his story,” Leitner said, adding that approximately
200 Political Science students came
to hear him speak. “The general
climate of Chico is not aware and not
caring so it’s important to start educating before they form an opinion.”
The Kinesiology major and Modern Jewish and Israel Studies minor
also described anti-Israel activity on
campus such as students chanting, “I
reject Israel’s right to exist.” In addition, the Palestinian Solidarity Club’s
President recently was elected Associated Student President.
“(The group) is very violent
and aggressive at pro-Israel events,”
Leitner explained, adding that at the
local Farmer’s Market, the Peace and
Justice Center also tries to encourage
people to boycott Israeli products.
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question, “If there was an anti-Israel
event on campus, what would you do
and why?”
“The best way to respond,” she
answered, “is to get a group of students to go to the event and hand
out pamphlets with facts about Israel
outside the door. Violence is not the
answer.”
For more information about CAMERA,
visit www.camera.org.
Jewish Disabilities Awareness - Celebrating Inclusion
We Need Your Special Gifts! The Sacramento Jewish community celebrates
Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month in February 2011. Mark February 4 - 6
on your calendars, and plan to join in a weekend of learning, praying, and having your eyes opened to the wonderful diversity within our community.
If you or a family member have any kind of disability, your help is sought for:
- Friday evening services at Congregation B’nai Israel
- Saturday morning services & children’s program at Mosaic Law Congregation
- Sunday morning at Congregation Beth Shalom for involvement in disability
awareness activities, training and a Jewish perspective on disabilities and inclusion
Contact Sheri Zeff at 916-424-8043 or at [email protected] if you would like to participate.
Support for JDAM provided through the Community Development Grant Program of
the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region
Home of Peace Cemetery
Cemetery and Mausoleum
Our Jewish Community Cemetery
of the Greater Sacramento Region
Established 1850
Home of Peace is our non-profit Jewish Community cemetery
and mausoleum serving all Jewish people in the greater
Sacramento area. Cared for perpetually with the sensitivity,
sacredness and dignity befitting consecrated ground enshrining
the mortal remains of our loved ones, Home of Peace offers a
variety of interment options. Individual and double gravesites
are available in many different sections of the Cemetery.
Crypts and double crypts are available in the mausoleum. Also,
sections of the Cemetery have been set aside for people desiring
strict adherence to halachic standards, for interfaith married
families, and for cremains.
Pre-need arrangements are encouraged. Pre-need eases
the burden on surviving family members while ensuring
that final wishes are carried out as desired.
For further information, please contact
Lew Rosenberg, Executive Director
Phone (916) 446-1409
Fax (916) 446-1458
The Home of Peace Cemetery Association
is a non-profit Community organization.
Introductory session is free!
Lessons in or near Gold River and Davis.
For Ourselves. For Our Children. For Israel. Forever. “Never doubt that a small
group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world; indeed,
it’s the only thing that ever does.”
— Margaret Mead
O
It was the mid-1800s
when a variety of
ethnic and national
groups heeded the cry to “go
ne might say that the above applies to numerous small
groups of Jews throughout Sacramento’s outlying region
who, since the days of the Gold Rush, have created thriving
Jewish communities. Despite some obstacles and challenges,
young and old in every direction are enjoying Jewish life and
offering members of their communities an array of educational, cultural, and social programs. Here are some of
the stories that describe what’s been happening “After
the Gold Rush.”
Regional
Judaism:
pura building in 1991,” said TBY Rabbi Jonathan
chased
Freirich. “They wanted Jewish culture for their kids
in
and to create a strong Jewish presence where there
1969,”
was none.”
by e l i s sa p r ova n c e
said CBI Rabwest” to seek their fortune and
bi Julie Danan,
We’re Here. Now What?
Jews were no exception. Whether
who moved to the
Once established, these synagogues and comor not they found gold, they did settle
area from San Antonio,
munities began creating a local Jewish life that
and establish communities, which have
Texas in 2003. “It was built by
suited the size of their congregations as well as
grown and prospered ever since. By 1861, the Jewhand by the congregation.”
their unique needs, beginning with how to worship
ish presence flourished. Jews in Nevada City, Grass
Congregation Beth Shalom (CBS) has an 80when you don’t even have a sanctuary.
Valley, Jackson, Placerville, Marysville, and Sonora
year history in Modesto.
For example, TKS, which 30-40 families call
gathered to observe holidays and established cem
“The first set of people got together and detheir spiritual home, often worships in the Golden
eteries. Those cemeteries are still being cared for,
cided there should be a congregation for a group of
Hills School gym, where Dale Wallerstein leads
in part, by some of the locals.
Jews in the cattle and other businesses,” said Rabbi
services.
“We’re in the Gold Rush area here in PlacerLarry Moldo. “In some ways, it’s a community, not
“Dale is more of a cantorial soloist who also
ville,” said Shama Chaiken, President of Temple
just a congregation.”
serves as a rabbi,” explained Chaiken. “She leads
Kol Shalom (TKS) in El Dorado Hills, “so kids
Those with a more recent history include anmost services but we also have lay led services in
from our congregation help keep the pioneering
other Congregation Beth Shalom (CBS)— this one
people’s home.”
Jewish cemeteries in the area clean.”
in Marysville— and Temple Bat Yam in South Lake
The Temple has a Torah that is stored at vari
The same is true for Congregation B’nai
Tahoe.
ous homes and brought to services, an ark that is
Harim/Nevada County Jewish Community Cen
“(Congregation Beth Shalom) started back in
stored at the school, and a portable ark for when
ter (NCJCC) in Grass Valley, which began after a
the 70s with a group of
moving among locations.
group of Jews began getwomen who wanted to
Root remembered when her congregation—
ting together for seders,
have a Jewish identity for
just slightly larger than TKS at 50 families— also
and whose Men’s Club
their children,” said its
traveled with a Torah before a generous member
members also care for
President Miriam Root.
helped purchase a building in 2002 and they were
the area’s cemeteries.
able to stop
“These are not active
leasing space
cemeteries,” Jay SondJay Sondheim, President, B’nai
as they had
heim, NCJCC’s Presithroughout
Harim/NCJCC
dent, explained, “but if
the1980s and
weeds get overgrown,
1990s.
it’s a bad impression of
“We
how we take care of our
rotated
around
deceased.”
After the
different
build
These and other synagogues or Jewish commuwomen began a
ings,
for
examnities are the result of a small group of Jews who
Sunday School,
ple, churches
were looking for an identity for themselves and
they connected
Miriam Root, President,
and the paint
their children.
with others who
Congregation Beth Shalom (Marysville)
factory that has
Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) in Chico dates
had been meeta large conferback to 1917, when its first Board of Trustees was
ing together
ence room. We
installed. Shortly after, a building, which had the
casually and
had a closet to
distinction of being the only synagogue north of
melded the two
store
the
ark
and
would
go
early
on
Shabbat for
Sacramento, was established. After the decline of
groups.
set-up.
We
also
had
free-standing
menorahs.
We
the Jewish population in the 1930s, the synagogue
Temple Bat Yam (TBY) was founded in 1983
would
set
up
a
place
of
worship
each
time
we
met.
disbanded and was briefly revived during World
by a small group of families who felt the need for a
The
group
worked
together
to
create
a
holy
setting.
War II before being formally reorganized in 1958
Jewish presence.
It’s not the stuff— it’s the people who create the
and taking the name Beth Israel— the one that had
“They started meeting in homes and the basesetting, the mood, and the feeling. We’re so fortubeen used in 1918.
ment of the Presbyterian Church before buying
nate that we all get along.”
“The current building was
CBS in Marysville, which
also serves about 50 families,
outlying areas of the jewish federation of
now has a part-time rabbi, Alan
the sacramento region
Greenbaum, who leads services,
Torah study, and adult discussions. The other half of his time
is spent 45 minutes away as the
rabbi at NCJCC, where he retired after serving a congregation
in Thousand Oaks.
“He moved to Grass Valley and joined the Temple as a
member,” explained Sondheim.
“The Board approached him and
now he leads services on the
second and fourth weekend. By
happy coincidence, the Chair of
our Ritual Committee is knowledgeable about how to conduct
services.”
In fact, lay leadership and
relationships are critical when
dealing with small numbers of
families— and an even smaller
number of active families— and
limited resources.
“The main desire is to be
of service to the Temple.”
“To make things happen, you have to
participate. We have resources but
you can’t sit back and expect it to
happen. You have to make it happen.”
After the Gold Rush
“A major challenge in the Tahoe area,” noted
Freirich, who began in 2003 as the first full-time
rabbi at TBY, which serves between 60-75 families,
“is there’s a particular person who moves to Tahoe
to get away from it all. That impetus is not part of
the Jewish milieu. If one goes to a community to be
left alone, one is less likely to show up for a discussion. What this means is, people are happy to have
a meaningful conversation— they just don’t want to
put it on their calendar. They like the idea of making something Jewish, but not showing up for it.”
Sondheim added, “Apathy is a challenge— getting people out to attend services and participate in
activities.” He himself fell victim to that until his
wife, “kicked me in the butt and said why don’t you
get involved?”
Moldo, who arrived in Modesto about 18
months ago, said, “Often, support comes from those
who don’t affiliate. Most have their
niche and volunteer for everything.”
And said Root, “Small congregations are all volunteers. There is no
paid staff. To make things happen, you
have to participate. We have resources
but you can’t sit back and expect it to
happen. You have to make it happen.”
“They have to get involved,” Danan said.
“Sometimes, they have a stronger identity because
you have to assert it and be strong about it.”
In Modesto, students meet at religious school
twice a week for Hebrew learning and learning
about the holidays. Some of the families whose
children attend are not members but identify as
Jewish. Moldo said they also have a highly involved
USY Chapter (the Conservative movement’s youth
group) that is involved in activities throughout the
All Are Welcome
While most of the synagogues identified themselves on paper as Reform or Conservative, they
strive to welcome all.
“We are very inclusive of different kinds of
families,” noted
Chaiken. “We
have a large percentage of dual
faith families and
a lot of family
units with same
gender parents.
Kol Shalom
We invite and
honor all of the
different ways
that we sustain
our faith. We’re the Jewish family in the Foothills
and we operate like a family. There’s an advantage
because everyone knows everyone.”
Beyond the friendships, the TKS President
pointed out some practical advantages, for example, everyone gets to hold the Torah and everyone
gets to participate in creating the congregation.
“There are no bystanders,” she said. “There
really is a sense of ownership that members have
about participating, contributing, and creating the
congregation.”
It is the same for Freirich from South Lake
Tahoe who said, “We identify as Reform in terms
of social issues but are fully egalitarian. We include
gays and lesbians and non-Jewish partners. Our
style of worship is not standard Reform. Our desire
is to be available and accessible to people from different backgrounds.”
Sondheim recently urged his fellow congregants to make “welcoming” the descriptive word of
the congregation.
“It is so important,” he said. “We lived in the
desert and I was not active. We had friends of a
large temple who invited us to services. We went
but nobody made an effort to welcome us.”
Moldo, whose congregation is between 100150 families, said, “We are the Jewish institution.
We try to provide what people need spiritually and
religiously and provide different opportunities.”
“We are not affiliated with any movement,”
Danan said. “We are so diverse. We are serving
some who grew up Reform, Conservative, secular,
“There are no bystanders. There really is a sense of
ownership that members have about participating,
contributing, and creating the congregation.”
Shama Chaiken, President, Temple
year and they recently
began a Mommy & Me
program for preschool
children.
NCJCC’s religious school serves apRabbi Jonathan
proximately 30 students
Freirich,
from 5 years-B’nai Mitzvah age and includes a
Temple Bat Yam
preschool program and
a Hebrew School for
students in grade 4 and
beyond. Confirmation
classes also are offered to post-B’nai Mitzvah teens.
A very active Sisterhood creates programs such as a
benefit Fashion Show and the newly revived Men’s
Club participates in sukkah building and other
activities.
“The main desire is to be of service to the
Temple,” Sondheim said, adding that other programming includes a Deli Night for the entire
community, a Bagel Booth at the County Fair,
holiday programming such as an annual seder and
Chanukah party, and Adult Education, for example,
“My job is to
make everything
feel Jewish.”
Education, Recreation,
Communication
and monthly bike rides that culminate in thematic
discussions.
“I always add a Jewish dimension,” Freirich
said. “My job is to make everything feel Jewish.”
For many of these communities, education was at the core of their establishment and true to that mission, all of
them offer an array of education and
social programming for both youth and
adults.
A parent-led Sunday School with anywhere
between 20-40 kids from kindergarten-B’nai Mitzvah age is offered at TKS. Some post-B’nai Mitzvah
students even teach at the school. The program
includes tefillah, Hebrew reading according to ability, and Hebrew reading grouped by age.
“The curriculum is based on Jewish history,
values, Torah study, and Jewish culture,” explained
Chaiken, who chaired the Sunday School for seven
years before becoming President.
TKS also has a junior youth group for kids ages
10 and older
and KOSEY
(Kol Shalom El
Dorado Youth),
a division of
NFTY (part
of the Reform
movement),
Rabbi Larry Moldo, Congregation Beth Shalom (Modesto)
for high school
students. Adult
education
includes Torah
speakers from AIPAC and Dr. Ralph
study and Beginning Hebrew.
Beren, who recently spoke about Jewish
At CBI in Chico, which serves about 100 famihumor.
lies, offerings include most everything for children
Root, of CBS in Marysville, said the
from early childhood through high school, includneeds
of their membership are cyclical.
ing a Tot Shabbat and playgroup; religious school
“Five
years ago, we had a large confor pre-K to B’nai Mitzvah; Confirmation; youth
tingent
of
youth so parents stepped up
Rabbi Julie Danan, Congregation Beth Israel
groups; and an active Sisterhood and senior group
for
a
youth
group,”
she
explained.
“Now
called Sages.
those kids are in college. Two years ago,
“We are very active for a synagogue of our
we had a contingency of primary age
size,” Danan noted, while also pointing out some
children so we had a Sunday School led
challenges of a small congregation.
Sephardic, non-Jewish, and interfaith.”
by parents every other Sunday. The frustration is
“We have people who want to live a traditional
Marysville’s CBS President Root put it all in
we can’t do it all. You really want congregants to
Jewish lifestyle, for example, keep kosher,” she
perspective.
have the experience and opportunities they would
said. “We now have a Trader Joe’s but still have
“The only difference between small and large
have in a large synagogue but there are limited hua group for whom those rituals are a challenge.
congregations
is the number of people,” she said.
man and fiscal resources.”
There is no Jewish Day School so people looking
“The
issues
are
the same. We all are working
TBY’s programming takes advantage of the
for that kind of high level of traditional options
toward
the
same
goal— to create a Jewish environsetting with many outdoor activities, such as a
won’t find it in Chico.”
ment.”
“Purim in the Powder” fundraiser, “Bike and Beer,”
Another challenge is identifying a peer group
for kids.
“We are the Jewish institution. We try to provide
what people need spiritually and religiously
and provide different opportunities.”
“We are so diverse. We are serving
some who grew up Reform,
Conservative, secular, Sephardic,
non-Jewish, and interfaith.”
For Ourselves. For Our Children. For Israel. Forever. news
community
G-dcast.com creator uses online media
to teach Jewish stories
Sarah Lefton attended Hebrew School, joined a Youth
Group, enjoyed summer camp, and
was Confirmed but she really couldn’t
tell you much about Judaism.
Raised in a small South Carolina
Jewish community, Lefton went to
college in the northeast and was surrounded by Jews for the
first time in her life. Her
reaction? Drop all Jewish
communal life.
“Who needs it?” she
asked herself.
Then she began taking
dating seriously and wanting to meet a Jewish man,
so she began attending
services. She never met a guy but she
reconnected to Jewish communal life.
“I went to a Kabbalat Shabbat service and began crying,” she recalled.
“I wanted back in.”
There was one problem, though.
“I would hear the parasha but
was embarrassed that I didn’t know
what was going on,” she explained. “I
was an elite college graduate who has
always been at the top of my class but
I couldn’t participate in simple conversations about basic Jewish stories.
It was a striking lack of recall and the
greatest failure of my Jewish education.”
After working in the advertising
and digital media field, Lefton asked
other words, the whole Megillah— in
four-minute video clips was born.
G-dcast, whose narrators include
Joseph Telushkin, David Saperstein,
Mayim Bialik, and Lawrence Kushner, has two main target audiences:
Educators from Sunday Schools, Day
Schools, camps, and youth groups
and viewers, or people
who are looking for
Jewish content on the
Internet. (“Like a girl
who is embarrassed that
she doesn’t know what’s
going on…,” Lefton
said.) Its mission is “to
raise worldwide Jewish
literacy, spark great conversations and revolutionize religion
by demystifying core Jewish texts with
accessible and entertaining media,
including animated shorts, featurelength films, and games.”
Lefton has come a long way from
her failed Jewish education experience. Forward 50 named her one of
the most influential Jews of 2009, she
How can we try to build Jewish
engagement with Israel and
its people if we don’t even
know our own stories?
herself a different question.
“What if there were funny, easyto-watch, You Tube-style animated
videos about Torah stories that operate like Cliff notes— you get the basic
storyline, which is easier to read than
the original?”
G-dcast.com, a website devoted to
delivering the entire Tanach, including the Psalms and the Prophets— in
is a recipient of the Joshua Venture
Group Fellowship for Jewish social entrepreneurs, G-dcast was named one
of North America’s most innovative
Jewish non-profits by Slingshot, and
she was a guest of President Obama’s
at the 2010 White House reception
for Jewish Heritage Month.
Despite the accolades, Lefton had
one last question and answer:
“How can we try to build Jewish
engagement with Israel and its people
if we don’t even know our own stories?
If we don’t have stories, we have nothing.”
Lefton will speak about Cyber Study n
the Global Shtetl: How New Technologies Help Bring Torah Into Our Homes
on January 30, 2011, 11:00 a.m., at
Congregation B’nai Israel, 3600 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento, as part of the
Shirley Seave Lecture Series. For more
information, contact 916.446.4861. For
more information about G-dcast, visit
www.G-dcast.com.
Three centuries of Jews and medicine in Germany
So did you hear the joke about
the Jewish man who is in the hospital
and wakes up the next morning to lay
tefillin? The anti-Semite says, “Sure,
one night in the hospital and the Jew
already knows how to take his own
blood pressure.”
It is with this opening that John
Efron began his presentation, Medicine and the German Jews: A History,
based on his book by the same name.
The event was part of the Martin London Lifelong Learning Lecture Series.
Noting that in pre-war Germany,
50 percent of doctors in Berlin were
Jewish and in Vienna, the statistic
was 60 percent, Efron examined how
medicine became the expression of
Jewishness and how this played out in
the German discourse.
A Koret Professor of History and
Jewish Studies at the University of
California, Berkeley, Efron covered
three episodes related to the history
of medicine in Germany between the
18th and 20th centuries.
In the 18th century, Germany
witnessed the emergence of modern
Jewish history or the period of Jewish
enlightenment known as haskalah. It
is during this period, Efron said, that
the modern Jewish doctor emerges
and is solely a doctor as opposed to a
doctor and rabbi.
“The modern Jewish doctor only
saw himself as a man of science,”
Efron explained. “The first Jewish
intellectual to choose not to attend
yeshiva were those who attended
medical school.”
This, the author explained, would
radically change the face of German
Jewry as Jewish doctors began pub-
lishing texts exhorting Jews to take
care of themselves. The emancipation
of the Jews in 1871— the same year
Germany became a nation state— led
to productive citizens who could
contribute to the country, for example,
pay taxes. Prior to this, Jews were seen
as lacking productivity because they
were in an educational system.
“Judaism is an indoor culture,”
Efron noted, “because it is a school
culture and scholarship takes place
indoors.”
This age of
modernity led to
concerns from
those who were
unnerved by Jewish medical care
and a system that
was distraught by
Eastern Europe’s
reliance on surgeons and folk remedies. This eventually resulted in the
isolation of Jews and the notion that
Jews were abnormal.
By the 19th century, the rise of
anti-Semitism saw Jewish practices
that were considered barbaric and that
came under assault, such as kashrut
and brit milot. The issue of emancipation was raised again and there was a
movement to reverse the process by
attacking Jewish rituals.
“Modern science became employed in defense of ancient tradition,” Efron noted. “It illustrated the
link between medicine and modern
Jewish culture and how medicine was
politicized between Jews and nonJews. The Jews were emancipated but
doubts about whether they could contribute to culture were still debated.”
10 tevet-shevat 5771 / january 2011 The Jewish Voice
Those who opposed emancipation
said the Jews wouldn’t fight on Shabbat— which Efron said was untrue—
wouldn’t eat unkosher food, and they
were too short.
“You can change your behavior
but not your height,” the author said.
“This meant Jews were perpetually condemned to being physically
incapable of being real Germans and
joining the army.”
And again, the anti-Semites were
The Jews were emancipated
but doubts about whether
they could contribute to
culture were still debated.
saying all sorts of things about the
Jewish body, leading to the stereotype
of the weak, unhealthy Jew which is
the antithesis of a European nation.
However, statistics about Jewish
health told a different story: Jews lived
longer, had a lower infant mortality
rate, and were less subject to the common elements of disease. For example,
the average life span of Christians in
the 19th century was 36.7 years; for
Jews, it was 49.
“In spite of evidence that the
Diaspora produced healthy Jews, it
suited the whims of the anti-Semites
to create a counter image,” Efron
explained. “Medicine portrayed Jews
as a group at risk.”
In the 20th century, medicine
played a role in the emergence of
German Jews’ self-awareness. German Jews, said Efron, began to see
themselves on par with Babylonian
and Spanish Jews. Jews attended
university in far greater numbers than
the general population and entered
the sciences for three primary reasons: occupational restrictions in civil
service; the middle class produced
German scientists; and anti-Semites
would not allow Jews to teach. All of
this meant Jews were forced into the
underdeveloped field of medical science. In 1900, nearly half of all Jews
at University were studying medicine
and by the turn of the 20th century,
Jews represented 1 percent of Germany’s population but 16 percent of all
doctors.
In addition, Efron said, “Jews
were free to enter the intellectual
fields of science and medicine.” This,
he added, “gave rise to envy and antiSemitism” that resulted in “systemic
anti-Semitism manifested in accusations of malpractice and denial of
professor appointments.” This led to
specialization in medicine at a time
when Jews were coming to Germany
in droves and eventually led to an
enormous number of Jewish doctors.
“Expectations by young physicians
and parents changed,” the author explained. “Jewish aspirations of becoming a doctor were insufficient. Now,
becoming a professor of medicine was
the ultimate goal.”
Efron added, “Doctors were a
dime a dozen so professorship became
the goal.” Still, he said, “Medicine
allowed for respect and a decent living. You could live the German Jewish
dream.”
Medicine and the German Jews: A History is available at amazon.com.
news
community
Study reports findings on Jewish communal
professionals
A recent study of Jewish communal professionals reveals
notable findings related to Jewish
education, pay equity, and commitment to Israel.
Profiling the Professionals: Who’s
Serving Our Communities?, conducted
in 2009 and 2010 by the Jewish Communal Service Association of North
America (JCSA) with Dr. Steven M.
Cohen of the Berman Jewish Policy
Archive at the Wager School and
New York University, surveyed nearly
2,500 Jewish communal professionals throughout the United States
and Canada to answer the questions:
“Who are our constituents?” and
“How should we serve them?”
Following are six major findings:
1. Jewish communal professionals
derive disproportionately from
stronger-than-average Jewish
home and educational environments.
2. The role of Israel travel and study
in shaping these professionals
bears special mention.
3. Professional identities can be
shaped, and their professional
skills can be augmented.
4. Commitment to the Jewish collective (people, Israel, communities,
family) is in decline generally in
the Jewish population, and communal professionals, particularly
younger professionals, are no exception to this general tendency.
5. The economic downturn has
affected younger workers, those
who recently entered the job
market, more than older professionals.
6. Although women comprise about
two-thirds of the professional
workforce, their salaries, on the
whole, continue to lag significantly below their male counterparts.
Regarding the home and educational environments in which Jewish
communal professionals grew up, Cohen pointed to two competing narratives in the field: One is an exaggerated inclusiveness, meaning everyone is
the same and can contribute equally,
versus the important of Jewish
education.
“Efforts to put money into
day schools, camp, Israel, and
Hillel matter,” he said. “It actually pays off. This represents a
success story of Jewish education. Philanthropists who put
money there should be reassured you are making a difference.”
The role of Israel also is key.
“The Israel experience is especially critical,” Cohen explained, noting the importance of programs like
Birthright and MASA. “Both experiences showed up higher than in the
general population. Other studies also
point to the increased value of MASA.
All point to the power of long-term
experiences in Israel.”
Cohen said he was impressed
by the study result that implied that
younger professionals have not fully
formed their Jewish professional identity.
“We need to work more with the
younger generation to form their
professional identity,” he said. And in
response to the declining commitment
to the Jewish collective, he added,
“The younger generation scores lower
than their counterparts despite having
more Jewish education and Israel experience. Something is going on in the
reshaping of the Jewish community.
We’re concerned about the different
expressions toward the collective.”
Lisa Colton, Founder and President of Darim Online, which provides
Internet strategies for Jewish organizations and their communities, noted,
The next generation
strives for a work
life blend, not a
work life balance.
“The nature of the Jewish community
is changing rapidly. The study gives a
snapshot and the call is to prepare for
the future. We need to be planning for
a different workforce for the upcoming generation. To inspire the best and
the brightest to work in the Jewish
community, we have to have competitive salaries, benefits, flex time, and a
different work culture. The next generation strives for a work life blend,
not a work life balance.”
Barry Rosenberg, Executive Vice
President of the Jewish Federation of
St. Louis, expressed concern about
the broader community and what he
called “a crisis in Jewish communal
service.”
“We don’t have adequate numbers
of qualified workers to meet the challenging needs in a challenging envi-
ronment,” he explained.
The report noted “a dissonance
between the Jewish communal professional and those we serve. Generally,
young professionals are assigned to
work with the young. That may be reinforcing negative attitudes. We need
to insert and assert notions of peoplehood in professional activities.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, the
economic downturn, according to the
study, has had a greater impact on
younger workers.
Colton pointed out, “Millenials are transitory. When we invest in
them, we need to make sure they are
staying in Jewish professions— not
taking their skills elsewhere. We have
to differentiate between losing someone from a specific organization and
how it may benefit the field.”
Added Rosenberg, “(The younger
generation) views this work as a job,
not as a calling.”
Pay equity and gender also reared
their heads in the study’s results.
“Men and women differ in salaries
by $28,000 on average,” Cohen noted.
“There also are different levels of hierarchy in the system— men hold more
senior jobs.”
Even accounting for different job
titles, the gap still holds at $20,000
per year.
This, Cohen added, means that
if a woman worked for 30 years, she
made a $600,000 contribution to the
Jewish community.
For more information or for a copy of
the report, visit www.jcsana.org.
Secularism and the Jewish tradition
In the Talmud, a debate ensues
about whether a certain oven is kosher. All but one rabbi, Rabbi Eliezer,
said it was not. Eliezer, explained
David Biale at a Congregation B’nai
Israel lecture entitled, “Is Secularism
Part of the Jewish Tradition?” brought
miraculous proof to show he was
right but the other rabbis were not
impressed.
“Then he calls upon G-d to issue a bat kol or ‘heavenly voice,’” he
said. “Whatever Rabbi Eliezer said is
halacha. The Rabbis said, ‘No, (the
answer) is not in the heavens.’ The
Torah was given in Sinai. Now we rule
what it means.’”
In other words, said Biale, the
Emanuel Ringelblum Professor of
Jewish History at the University of
California (UC) Davis who spoke as
part of the UC Davis Academic Lecture Series, the Rabbis reinterpreted
the Bible to mean what they wanted.
“Is this secularism?” he asked.
“Not exactly. The Rabbis believed in
G-d and that He was the author of
the revelation at Sinai. But for 2,000
years, there was a sense that we
control the texts. We decide what they
mean— not a rabbi. David Ben Gurion, Sigmund Freud, Abraham Joshua
Heschel were activists, not rabbis.
They interpreted the text of Judaism
for themselves.”
These and other Jewish thinkers
led Biale, author of several books, the
most recent of which is Not in the
Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought, to examine how Jewish
secularism is grounded in pre-modern
Judaism within three categories: G-d,
Torah, and Israel.
Beginning with G-d, Biale, who
earned a Ph.D. in History from UCLA
and also was educated at Harvard
University, UC Berkeley, and Hebrew
University, explained how Maimonides
offered a definition of G-d that was so
radical, only a few people adopted it.
“G-d was so different from our
world that there is nothing we can say
about G-d that can be meaningful,”
the author said. “We can only state
what He is not. Our language is inadequate to speak of G-d.”
Enter Baruch Spinoza, who Biale
described as the “founding father” of
Jewish secularism. Excommunicated
by his community in Amsterdam,
Spinoza read against Maimonides and
declared “G-d is the world.”
“G-d is nature for Spinoza,” Biale
explained. “This is the first step in a
secular appropriation in the concept
of G-d.”
Spinoza went on to read 12th
century philosopher and Torah
commentator Abraham ibn Ezra,
who believed the Torah was written
following Moses’ death and that it
was written in the language of human beings and, therefore, did not
contain all knowledge. Spinoza interprets this to mean that the Bible
is no longer the book, but a book
that contains limited knowledge,
explained Biale.
“It contains only the history of the
ancient Israelites,” he said. “You have
to go to the library for other topics.
Spinoza writes an anonymous public
treatise, then is outed and everyone
goes after him for heresy.”
With regard to Israel, Biale said,
traditionally Jews are constituted by
a covenant with G-d but also constituted as a tribal group.
“Spinoza said the Bible is worthless as a work of philosophy and
religion,” the professor continued.
“Where it has value is in the political
constitutions of ancient Israel. The
reason Israel was a successful nation
was because of its political genius.
The Jews were chosen by G-d, not
for ethical or religious qualities, but
for political qualities. ‘Chosen’ as in
character. In the 17th century, Jews
had no politics
to speak of.
When he
looks at the
covenant
at Sinai, he
interprets it
as a social
contract. The
revelation at
Sinai is a democratic moment of a social contract.
Spinoza thought once Jews constituted a state, they lost their reason to
exist— there was nothing political.”
Furthermore, Biale pointed out
that Spinoza’s treatise said, “‘Maybe
G-d will choose them again and they
will have a state again.’ This idea generates political Zionism,’” he said.
In Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of Jewish Secular Thought, the
author shows the relationship between
secular Zionism and religion.
“The book shows how because
secularism emerges out of religion,”
Biale said, “the fact that they coexist
should not be surprising.”
Not in the Heavens: The Tradition of
Jewish Secular Thought is available at
amazon.com.
For Ourselves. For Our Children. For Israel. Forever. 11
arts
&media
Bible Raps to rock
Sacramento
Artist paints her way
through the Torah
Ever hear of a Jewish rapper
from Iowa City, Iowa?
Years ago, artist
Barbara Mendes,
Participate in the joint Scholarin-Residence program with Congregation Beth Shalom (CBS) and Mosaic
Law Congregation (MLC) and you’ll
get to hear Matt Barr, a Jewish rapper
originally from Iowa and Executive
Director of Bible Raps, and his Creative Director and Musical Producer,
Ori Salzberg, perform raps about Cain
and Abel, David and Goliath, Rachel,
Rabbi Akiva, and more.
Bible Raps began when Barr
taught Hebrew school and would
reward his students for good behavior
by performing a rap song about the
lesson during the last two minutes of
class. For the past two years, he’s been
rapping on the road, bringing Jewish
text to life. The project also offers an
educational toolkit for educators that
contains innovative ways to use technology, rhythm, and rhyme in their
classrooms, such as webinars, digital
tools, and podcasts.
Rabbi Nancy Wechsler-Azen was
in Jerusalem when she first heard Barr
and Salzberg.
“They are so low key, so committed, and so funny, but they are really
serious about their text,” she said. “It
resonated deeply with me. He hits
the core of the human experience and
turns it into text. He is such a committed Jewish educator.”
Wechsler-Azen teamed with
MLC’s Program Director Rina Racket
to bring Barr to Sacramento. The
Scholar-in-Residence weekend, funded though a Community Development
Grant from Federation, has something
for teens and adults, including Torah
study, spinning raps, and a concert.
“For teens, anything we can do to
ignite a spark in them is great,” Racket
said. “The goal is to have all teens
have an excited and unified experience
together.”
Barr said he was one of a handful
of Jews in Iowa City, adding that there
were a lot of “High Holiday” Jews,
including his family. He had his Bar
Mitzvah at a Reform synagogue but he
said he wasn’t really “nurtured” Jewishly.
“I wasn’t informed from a Jewish
tradition until about five or six years
ago when I started to learn Torah,”
he explained. “That’s what captivates
my attention. I always knew intuitively that how I looked at reality was
through a Jewish lens.”
Barr studied at Pardes Institute
of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, where
his “burgeoning interest in Beit Midrash” was confirmed.
“I need to see the subtleties,” he
P H O T O G R A P H Y
Scholar-in-Residence
Activities
January 28, 2011: Kabbalat
Shabbat at Mosaic Law Congregation followed by dinner at
Rabbi Reuven Taff ’s home for
Congregation Beth Shalom and
Mosaic Law Congregation 9th-12th
graders. 6:30 p.m. (Participants
may walk from synagogue or drive
there.)
January 29, 2011: Adult text
study. Congregation Beth Shalom. Open to the community.
8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
January 29, 2011: Write, record, and prepare raps. Congregation Beth Shalom teens (6th-12th
graders). 6:30-8:30 p.m.
January 30, 2011: Write,
record, and prepare raps. Mosaic
Law Congregation teens (6th-12th
graders). 1:00-3:00 p.m.
January 30, 2011: Concert at
Congregation Beth Shalom. Open
to the community. 5:00 p.m.
Suggested donation $5/person,
$18/family. Kosher hot dogs and
soda available for purchase.
Congregation Beth Shalom is
located at 4746 El Camino Ave. in
Carmichael. Mosaic Law Congregation is located at 2300 Sierra
Blvd. in Sacramento.
explained. “That’s what we’re trying to
introduce.”
Wechsler-Azen wants teens to
have fun with the text and to see Barr
and Salzberg as role models.
“I feel like we’re bringing master teachers who electrify with rap,”
she said. “We hope this will have an
impact on our community— teens and
adults— and create a surge of Jewish
learning. We’re so happy to be focused
on teens. It’s a mystery of how to serve
them.”
Racket added that she wants
teens to feel “inspired and connected.”
“If they have those two things,”
she said, “they will wear their Judaism
out into the world.”
For more information about the Scholar-in-Residence weekend, January
28-30, 2011, contact Wechsler-Azen at
916.485.4478 or Racket at 916.488.1122.
For more information about Bible
Raps, visit www.bibleraps.com, facebook.com/bibleraps, or www.biblerapsnation.com.
B ’ N A I M I T Z VA H
WEDDINGS
PORTRAITS
Karen Bearson
[email protected]
916.457.4050
whose mural of Vayikra will be on display
at the KOH Library &
Cultural Center January 9, 2011, found a
piece of writing in her
father’s attic that read:
The Mendes family was
expelled from Portugal
1496; prominent members of the family were
Gracia Mendes, cultured
wealthy champion of
her people, influenArtist Barbara Mendes
tial at certain Courts,
eulogized by Usque and
a candle.”
her nephew Jose who became Duke of
Describing herself as an artNaxos; refused title of King of Cyprus;
ist since the age of 5 and “a hippie
presented with the city of Tiberius in
searching for spirituality in the 60s,”
Palestine by Sultan Sueiman the Magat age 45, Mendes was approached
nificent; tried to settle Jews there.
by a man while she was painting a
Gracia Mendes, born into a family
restaurant on Fairfax Blvd. in Los
of Spanish Jews that immigrated to
Angeles.
Portugal after being expelled in 1492,
“The man said, ‘Paint my synaconverted to Christianity and was
gogue,’” she recalled, adding that the
called Beatrice de Luna. Marrying
encounter ignited a chain of events
into a wealthy
that led to
Jewish family
her becomand widowed
ing an Orjust 10 years
thodox Jew.
later, Mendes
“The
inherited
secular bent
control of the
is still strong
family fortune
in me,” the
and proved
artist admitted, “but a Jew is a Jew. I
to be an excellent businesswoman.
believe in one planet, in all people.
Called Gracia (the Spanish equivalent
Judaism gives the light.”
of Hannah) in private, she used the
Mendes studied art her entire life
family’s contacts to help Jews escape
and calls herself a “narrative painter”
the Inquisition. She went on to deal
who draws from memory, not neceswith kings and Popes and is credited
sarily from what is in front of her.
with delaying the Portuguese Inquisi
When she began attending
tion. She fled to Italy and settled in
synagogue, she listened to the Torah
Ferrara, where she lived openly as a
portions and was “blown away.” She
Jew. From there she went to Turkey
began painting murals of each book
where she established synagogues,
of the Torah and has so far completed
yeshivot, and hospitals She died near
B’reishit, Sh’mot, and Vayikra, the
Istanbul in 1569.
latter of which took three years to
“How many illustrious women
complete.
do we have on the planet,” asked
“It is a superhuman effort,”
Mendes, Gracia’s namesake. “To me,
Mendes said of portraying the 859
it’s a miracle.”
sentences in the book. “There is no
The family tree doesn’t end there,
sentence that doesn’t say something.”
however.
Mendes, of course, would like
Mendes’ illustrious family also
to finish the entire Torah before the
included her great grandfather Henry
end of her life and would like to be
Periera Mendes, Rabbi of Shearith
remembered as an artist whose art
Israel for 60 years and founder of
fowarded positive ideas for humanity.
the Orthodox Union, and Gershon
“My ancestors were big thinking
Mendes Seixus, Rabbi of Shearith
people who impacted the times they
Israel in New York during the Revolulived in,” she said. “I want my legacy
tionary War.
to be that I had something to say and
“During the Revolutionary War,
said it hard and hope it will reach out
when the British captured New York,
to people long after I am gone. I want
he evacuated with a Torah scrolls,”
people to take from me the courage to
Mendes explained. “The British
challenge big ideas.”
burned down the synagogue and
Touro Synagogue (in Newport, Rhode
An artist reception takes place on
Island) became the oldest building.
January 9, 2011 at the KOH Library
and Cultural Center, 2300 Sierra Blvd.
When I visited Touro, they talked
in Sacramento at 4:00 p.m. Mendes’
about Shearith Israel.”
exhibits runs through February 24,
Mendes herself was born to a
2011. For more information, contact
Russian Jewish but secular mother
Mehrnaz Halimi at KOHArtsProgram@
whose family founded labor unions,
gmail.com. For more information about
and a secular father.
Mendes, visit www.barbaramendes.org.
“I had secular humanist parents
who were freedom fighters,” she said.
“I was raised with a Christmas tree, I
never heard of Shabbes, I didn’t know
the significance of challah, I never lit
I want people to take
from me the courage
to challenge big ideas.
calendar
recurring
events
Sundays
Men’s Tefillin Club. First Sunday of every
month to lay Tefillin, learn some Torah, and enjoy
a great breakfast! 9:00-10:00 a.m. Chabad Jewish
Community Center, 302 B South Lexington Dr.
Folsom. For more information, contact 916.608.9811
or visit www.JewishFolsom.org.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Sacramento.
January 16, 2011. Lynn Brown, a family historian
for more than 35 years, discusses what has replaced
the INS and how this can affect and improve your
efforts to uncover alien, naturalization, and related
records. Albert Einstein Residence Center, 1935
Wright St., Sacramento. 10:00 a.m. For more information, visit www.jgss.org, e-mail jgs_sacramento@
yahoo.com, or contact 916.486.0906 ext. 361.
Mondays
Derech L’Chaim JACS (Jewish Alcoholics,
Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others). Every Monday morning (except the
3rd Monday of each month or holidays). 2nd Floor
Card Room, Albert Einstein Residence Center, 1935
Wright St. Sacramento. 10:30-11:30 a.m. For more
information, visit www.jacsweb.org.
Temple Or Rishon Jewish Book Club. Fourth
Monday of the month. 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale.
7:00 p.m. For our reading list, visit www.orrishon.
org, choose Programs For All Ages, then Book Club.
For more information, contact Alison Braverman at
916.988.7110 or [email protected] or Richard Pauly
at 916.419.9730 or [email protected].
Tuesdays
Discussion Group. Stimulating discussions on
current events, history, and cultural issues led by
Rabbi Joseph Melamed on the second and fourth
Tuesdays of every month. Albert Einstein Residence
Center Parlor. 1935 Wright St. Sacramento. 11:00
a.m. For more information, contact Hal Stein at
916.641.0306.
Baby and Me. Program for families with children
birth to 2 years. Art, singing, movement, and fun!
Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale.
10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Marcia at
916.988.4100 or [email protected].
Israeli Dancing. January 4 at Congregation Beth
Shalom. January 11, 18, 25 at Congregation B’nai
Israel. All are welcome from beginners to intermediate, circle, lines, and partners. 7:00 p.m. Co-sponsored by Congregation B’nai Israel and the Jewish
Federation. For more information, join
[email protected] or
contact Jeanette at 916.799.7213.
Rabbis’ Monthly Lunch and Learn. Rabbi
Alfi and/or Rabbi King-Tornberg explore issues in
Contemporary Judaism. First Tuesday of the month.
Join us with your lunch at Congregation B’nai Israel,
3600 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento. 12:00-1:00 p.m.
No RSVP required. For more information, contact
[email protected].
Wednesdays
Freilache Menschen, Family of Friends. Featuring a speaker and entertainment for ages 55+.
Second Wednesday of each month. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. Noon. For more
information, contact Gert Jacobs at 916.967.6516.
Thursdays
B’nai B’rith meeting. Second Thursday of every
other month. 8:00 p.m. Albert Einstein Residence
Center Eatery. 1935 Wright St. Sacramento.
For more information, contact Bernie Marks at
916.363.0122.
Mosaic Law Leisure League Luncheon. February 3, 2011. Entertainment is the Red Clark and
The Rotary Rooters. $5 per person for those checks
and reservations received by January 31, 2011.
Make checks payable to Mosaic Law Leisure League
and mail or deliver to 2300 Sierra Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95825. Payment at the door of $10 accepted
only if you have called in your reservation. For more
information or to help with set-up and serving food,
contact to Lloyd or Sandy at 916.332.6561.
Jewish Women’s Support Group. Talk about
lifestyle issues with other women in a safe non-judgmental atmosphere. Lead by Zalia Lipson. Chabad
of Roseville, 3175 Sunset Blvd. Suite 104A. Roseville. 6:45 p.m. $40 per session. For more information or to register, contact 916.624.8626 or ZaliaL@
aol.com.
Fridays
K’ton ton Program for parents and children
ages birth-5 years old. Includes music time with
Rabbi Taff. Runs every other week through May.
Bring a dairy lunch. Mosaic Law Congregation.
2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. 10:00 a.m.-noon.
$36 per year. For more information, contact Barbara
Blue at 916.488.1122.
Gan K’Tan. Program for young children 18
months-5 years and the adults who love them. Sing,
play, create, listen to, and taste all the wonders of
being Jewish, along with preparing for Shabbat.
10:00 a.m. $10/class. Enrollment and fees required.
Scholarships available. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. For more information, contact
Marcia at 916.988.4100 or [email protected].
Meditation and Shabbat with a Beat! January
21, 2011. Meditation with Lisa Bertaccini at 7:00
p.m. Shabbat Services with the Beth Shalom Band
at 7:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Shalom, 4746 El
Camino Ave. Carmichael. For more information,
contact 916.485.4478 or [email protected].
Choir Service & Second Friday Speaker.
January 14, 2011. Shabbat service featuring the
voices of the CBS Choir and a special blessing for
veterans. Guest Speaker David Daniels will speak
about “The Enneagram’s Gift to Vital Relationships.”
Congregation Beth Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave.
Carmichael. 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact
Choir Service. January 28, 2011. Congregation
Beth Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave. Carmichael. 7:30
p.m. For more information, contact 916.485.4478 or
[email protected].
Jessie Yoshpe Hadassah Study Group. Topic
is And You Think Your Family Has Problems. First
and third Wednesday of every month. Mosaic Law
Congregation Chapel. 2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. 9:45 a.m. For more information contact Soni
Meyer at 916.383.5743 or [email protected].
Family Shabbat Dinner and Service. January 7,
2011. 6:00 p.m. service followed by 7:00 p.m. dinner. $10 per adult. $8 per child. Congregation Beth
Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave. Carmichael. For more
information or to RSVP, contact 916.485.4478 or [email protected].
Shalom Gan K’ton. January 19, 2011. For children 18 months-5 years. Temple Or Rishon, 7755
Hazel Ave. Orangevale. 10:00 a.m. $50/10 sessions
with scholarships available. For more information,
contact [email protected]. (See story, p. 6.)
Tot Shabbat. Services, Singing, Storytelling, and
Oneg for all children, including all who are young at
heart. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact
Marcia at 916.988.4100 or [email protected].
saturdays
Submissions are due by the 10th of the
month at noon prior to publication and
should list name of the event, date, time,
sponsor, brief description, cost (if any)
and contact information. Please do not
include any additional formatting or
design. Send to [email protected].
Thank you for your cooperation.
Torah Study. Congregation Beth Shalom, 4746 El
Camino Ave. Carmichael. Join the Rabbi as we study
the Parashat. 9:00 a.m. For more information or to
RSVP, contact 916.485.4478 or [email protected].
Taste of Torah. Every second Saturday. Come join
us as we learn, laugh, sing, and “taste” the Torah.
Free program for families with young children and
children of all abilities. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Marcia at 916.988.4100 or educator@
orrishon.org.
Antelope Roseville Jewish Congregation. January 7, 2011. Shabbat Evening Service. Chapel at the
Misty Wood senior apartments. 1275 Pleasant Grove
Blvd. Roseville. 7:30 p.m. Learning Time For Kids
and Adults. All learning activities meet in the former
State Farm Insurance office located in the shopping
center at 3535 Elverta Rd. at the corner of Black
Eagle Dr. January 8, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. and January
1, 15 and 29, 2010 at 10 a.m. Weekly Torah study.
January 29, 2011. Kids of all ages are invited celebrate Tu B’shvat, the new year of the trees. 10:00
a.m. Crafts and activities. For more information
contact Rabbi Friedman at [email protected] or 916.726.2424.
jewish life
How to Lead a Shiva Minyan
January 6 & 13, 2011. Rabbi Taff teaches how
to lead a Shiva Minyan. Mosaic Law Congregation.
2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. 7:00 p.m. Free. For
more information or to register, contact Blue at blue@
mosaiclaw.org.
Tu B’Shevat
January 9, 2011. Thought-provoking discussion
led by Rebecca Zuckerman. Congregation Beth
Shalom, 4746 El Camino Avenue. 9:30 a.m. Donations welcome. To register, contact 916.485.4478 or
[email protected].
Men of Beth Shalom
January 9, 2011. Join the men of Beth Shalom as
they gather for brotherhood and discussion. Congregation Beth Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave. Carmichael. 9:00 a.m. For more information or to RSVP,
contact 916.485.4478 or [email protected].
Rosh Chodesh Shevat
January 9, 2011. Pharmacology and Naturopathy
with guest speakers John Ortego, PharmD, and Priscilla Monroe, ND. Congregation Beth Shalom, 4746
El Camino Ave. Carmichael. 7:00 p.m. Bring a snack
to share. For more information or to RSVP, contact
Family Havdalah Program
January 22, 2010. For families with children birth
through 2nd grade, celebrating Tu B’Shevat. Mosaic
Law Congregation, 2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento.
4:30 p.m. Free. For more information, contact Rina@
mosaiclaw.org.
Religious School Breakfast
January 23, 2011. Bring your wedding, baby
or B’nai Mitzvah albums to share. Congregation
Beth Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave. Carmichael.
8:30 a.m. $5 per person. For more information or to
RSVP, contact 916.485.4478 or [email protected].
Tzedakah and Mutual Aid: Helping
Each Other in the Goldene Medina
January 23, 2011. Thought-provoking discussion led by Rebecca Zuckerman. Congregation Beth
Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave. 9:30 a.m. Donations
welcome. For more information or to register, contact
Jewish Film Festival
February 5-6, 2011. Crest Theatre. For more
information, visit www.thecrest.com.
Holocaust Essay
March 15, 2011. Deadline for middle and high
school students enrolled in religious education
programs either at their synagogue, Shalom School,
or Yachad. $150 awarded each to the winning essay
at Sacramento’s Community Yom HaShoah Commemoration. For more information, contact the head
of the Jewish learning institution in which a student
is enrolled, or Rabbi King-Tornberg at 916.446.4861
x16 or [email protected].
Communitywide Yom Ha’Shoah
May 1, 2011. Sponsored by the Jewish Community
Relations Council of The Jewish Federation of the
Sacramento Region. Congregation B’nai Israel. 3600
Riverside Blvd. Sacramento. For more information,
contact [email protected].
Stay in touch with community events by signing up for Federation’s E-Voice. Contact 916.486.0906.
calendar
special events
Barbara Mendes Artist Reception
January 9, 2011. KOH Library and Cultural Center. 2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. 4:00 p.m. Free.
For more information, contact Mehrnaz Halimi at
[email protected]. (See story, p. 12.)
Beginning a New Year:
For the Children
January 13, 2011. Join Congregation Beth
Shalom, SALAM, and St. Mark’s United Methodist
Church for an evening of solidarity for all children.
SALAM, 4541 College Oak Dr. Sacramento. 6:30
p.m. For more information, contact 916.485.4478 or
[email protected].
National Council of Jewish Women’s
Founder’s Day
January 16, 2011. Sacramento Bee Columnist
Dan Walters. Hilton Hotel. Sacramento. 11:30 a.m.
$36. Prospective members may apply $10 toward
dues. For more information, contact Doris Gray at
916.649.3047.
Shalom School’s Hebrew & Judaic
Studies Tu B’shvat Festival
January 20, 2010. 2320 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento.
11:00 a.m.-noon. For more information, contact
916.485.4151.
Was Israel Born or Born Again
in 1948? 33 Centuries of Jewish History
in the Holy Land
January 23, 2011. Part of Congregation Bet
Haverim Israel Matters Committee Programs.
1715 Anderson Rd. Davis. 3:00 p.m. For more information, contact Al Sokolow at 530.758.3246
or [email protected].
Scholar-in-Residence Matt Barr
January 28-30, 2010. Matt Barr of Bible Raps.
Joint program of Congregation Beth Shalom (CBS)
and Mosaic Law Congregation (MLC). See weekend details on p. 12. For more information, contact
916.485.4478 or 916.488.1122.
Hadassah’s Women of Distinction
10:30 a.m. For more information, contact info@
sachadassah.org. (See story, p. 6.)
Jewish Heritage Night with
the Sacramento Kings
February 1 and April 3, 2011. Bring your group
out to these specially priced games featuring a Q&A
with Omri Casspi and Kings-branded Jewish Heritage merchandise. Prices as low as $17.50/ticket.
For more information, contact Beth Gelender at
Jewish Disabilities Awareness Month
February 4-6, 2010. The Sacramento Jewish
community celebrates Jewish Disabilities Awareness
Month. Friday evening services at Congregation
B’nai Israel, Saturday morning services and children’s programming at Mosaic Law Congregation,
and Sunday morning at Congregation Beth Shalom
for involvement in disability awareness activities,
training, and a Jewish perspective on disabilities and
inclusion. For more information, contact Sheri Zeff at
Taco Night at Casa de KI: Honoring
a local Family and Chai Lifeline
February 6, 2011. Kenesset Israel Torah Center’s
teen youth group, NCSY, is creating a vegetarian
(dairy) restaurant to raise money for the West Coast
Chai Lifeline. Download the meal order form at
www.kitcsacramento.org and reserve your meal. Carry out available. Event includes a raffle with 100% of
proceeds going directly to Chai Lifeline. 1165 Morse
Ave. Sacramento. 5;00 p.m. For more information
or if you wish to volunteer, contact Julia Bailey at
Private Shopping Event at Chico’s
February 13, 2011. The National Council of Jewish Women. Arden Fair Mall. For more information,
contact Cheryl Weiner at 916.485.6557.
Crocker Art Ark Family Night @
Shalom School
February 16, 2011. 2320 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. 4:00-6:00 p.m. For more information or a tour,
contact 916.485.4151 or www.shalomschool.org.
January 30, 2011. Arden Hills Resort & Spa.
California Lectures Presents
Amy Bloom and Art Spiegelman
February 23, 2011. An Evening with Amy Bloom.
Bloom is the author of Where the God of Love
Hangs Out, Away, and Normal.
April 29, 2011. An Evening with Art Spiegelman.
What the %@&*! Happened to Comics? Speigelman is the author of Breakdowns, In the Shadow of
No Towers, and the Holocaust narratives MAUS &
MAUS II.
Crest Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Tickets $30 or $15 with
student ID. Tickets available at Tickets.com,
800.225.2277, or at the Crest Theatre, 1010 K St.
Sacramento (call for hours). For more information,
contact www.californialectures.org.
Women’s Sexuality and Health Issues
February 27, 2011. Dr. Sondra Altman. Congregation B’nai Israel. 3600 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento. 2:00 p.m. For more information, contact
Elaine Berghausen at [email protected] or
916.456.7462.
First Annual Sacramento Jewish
Chess Tournament.
March 6, 2011. Final four and championship match. All levels of play are encouraged to
participate. KOH Library and Cultural Center. 2300
Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. For more information, contact Hillel Damron at [email protected].
Hillel at Davis and Sacramento’s
Honorable Menschen Brunch
March 6, 2011. ARC Ballroom at UC Davis.
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For more information, contact
Debbie Gritts at 530.756.3708 or administrator@
hillelhouse.org.
Dennis Prager
March 29, 2011. Save the Date! Temple Or Rishon. 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. For more information, contact 916.988.4100.
Open House & Mural Dedication
May 5, 2010. Shalom School. 2320 Sierra Blvd.
Sacramento. 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact
916.485.4151.
Fire, from cover
tragedy in Haifa.”
In fact, she hadn’t heard about the fires, nor did
she know at the time that her other son’s family had
been evacuated.
Allon is used to fires near her home; however,
this one was different because of the wind’s direction, strength, and height of the flames.
“The wind typically goes southwest to north
because of the sea,” she explained. “This time the
wind was from the east. The wind is called chamsin,
which means 50 in Arabic. The Arabs believe there
are 50 days of dry, hot eastern winds each year.”
Allon said she began thinking about the home
that she and her husband built from the ground up.
“It’s a creation,” she explained. “What would I
take? Pictures? Documents?”
Judie Panneton, whose daughter, Haley, is a
student at the University of Haifa, received an email
from Hanan Alexander, a University Professor and
head of its International School and the Center for
Jewish Education.
“…I want to reassure you that all of our international students are safe…,” it read. “…By 5:00 p.m.
(students) were evacuated from the campus and
arrangements had been made for those who did not
have plans to leave the area for the weekend to be
(916) 509-1172
Nancy Bragg, RN BSN
2443 Fair Oaks Blvd. #444
Sacramento, CA 95825
hosted by nearby families away from the flames…”
“When the fire broke out, I was in my dorm
room on campus,” Haley Panneton said. “I knew
about it because the sky was smoke filled and the
sunlight was distorted— it looked like sunset but
it was only 1:00 p.m. About an hour later, an announcement was said over the intercom, in Hebrew
and English, to all dorm rooms that there was a fire
in a nearby Druze village and the campus needed to
be evacuated. They also said to take your valuables
and enough clothes to wear for at least one day. I
was immediately concerned, not for my life or that I
was in immediate danger, but being asked to evacuate is clearly a serious situation. I went straight to
my family’s house in Ra’anana, near Tel Aviv, so I
knew I would be safe.”
Coming to Israel’s Aid
By the time news of the fire hit locally, fatalities
were confirmed, tens of thousands of people were
evacuated from their homes, and nearly half of the
Carmel Forest was gone.
“It’s been a very sad four days,” said Nancy
Lindborg, USAID Assistant Administrator for the
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian
Assistance, during a briefing. USAID (United State
Agency for International Development)
provides economic and humanitarian
assistance around the world. “There’s
been an extraordinary mobilization
and interagency effort from USAID,
the lead agency for what has become a
robust government response. People are
working around the clock with Israel for
what is needed.”
Specifically, a 10-person team that
included disaster response and wildfire
fighting experts arrived in Haifa, three
days after the fire broke out. More [email protected]
mediate and nearby assistance came
www.gentlecarebabynurse.com
in the form of firefighting aircraft from
Israel’s neighbors, including Greece and Turkey.
“All around, in the midst of this tragedy, it is
heartening to see how the world reaches out with a
hand of friendship,” Lindborg said, referring to this
and additional aid from the Palestinian Authority,
Egypt, Jordan, and other countries. “We’re all able to
help each other in ways that are most meaningful.”
During the same briefing, Daniel Shapiro, Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa
on the National Security Staff at the White House,
explained, “The largest and most pressing need from
Israel was for fire retardants and fire suppressant
materials.”
Toward that end, between December 4th and
December 6th a total of five Department of Defense
C-130 aircraft flew to Israel carrying approximately
54.7 metric tons of fire retardant and 3,800 gallons
of fire retardant concentrate. Additional aid was on
standby; however, the rains made it less likely that
this was needed.
“We are ready in a moment’s notice to help our
ally,” Shapiro explained.
From Black to Green
Nearly 82 hours after the fires began, the assessment of damage began.
Among the 43 victims was 16-year-old Elad
Riven, a volunteer firefighter and a classmate of
Michal Kohane’s nephew. Kohane, former Executive Director of the Federation and now Director of
the Israel Center in San Francisco, shared an email
she received from her sister-in-law in Haifa: ‘Bad
news. Our son’s classmate who was a volunteer firefighter was just killed in the blaze. I later heard that
the young man left school, with permission, to go
help. His mom met him on the way to the hills and
brought him his fire gear.”
Lerech’s family described the smell.
“Ten to 15 minutes away from the fire and you
can still smell it,” his family told him, adding, “It
feels like war. Ambulances, fire trucks, police cars,
calendar
Craig Taubman
May 21, 2011. Save the Date! Temple Or Rishon.
7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. For more information,
contact 916.988.4100.
Jewish Heritage Festival
May 22, 2011. West Steps of the Capitol. For more
information or for sponsorship opportunities, contact
Caren Zorman at [email protected].
education
May 15, 2011: Sending Your Child to College.
Emptying the Nest: What Does a Jewish Life Look
Like Now?
Led by Marci Ortega (Master’s degrees in Jewish
Communal Services and Social Work) and Cheryl
Bremson (Master’s degree in Special Education).
Congregation B’nai Israel. 3600 Riverside Blvd.
Sacramento. 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free and open
to the public. For more information, contact 916.
446.4861.
Mussar Study Group
Shalom School 1st-5th Grade Class
Previews for School Year 2011-12
January-June. Meets the second and fourth
Sundays. 1330 21st St. Sacramento. 3:00-5:00 p.m.
$120/month. For more information, contact Rabbi
Shula Stevens Calmann at 916.442.7315.
January 10, 2011. 2320 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento.
4:45-6:00 p.m. For information about secular and
Jewish education, contact 916.485.4151 or visit www.
shalomschool.org.
Single Shot of Espresso
Inequalities Among Jews in Israel
January 2, 2011. Part of a series of discussions
about Jewish life led by Rabbi Nancy. This month’s
topic is “Jewish Views of the Afterlife.” Congregation
Beth Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave. Carmichael.
7:00 p.m. For more information or to RSVP, contact
January 26, 2011. Speaker Aziza Khazzoom. Part
of the UC Davis Academic Lecture Series 20102011. Sponsored by Congregation B’nai Israel. 3600
Riverside Blvd. Sacramento. 7:00 p.m. Co-sponsored
by The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region.
For more information, contact 916.446.4861.
A Season of Mussar: Information
Session
Shalom School Admission Forms for
School Year 2011-12
January 9, 2011. A Program for All Seekers of
Spiritual Connection. This is a free informational
evening. Mosaic Law Congregation, 2300 Sierra
Blvd. Sacramento. 10:00 a.m. Classes start January
23rd and continue for 13 weeks. $100 for Mosaic
Law members and $110 for non-members. For
more information, contact Debbie Azer Brown at
530.676.0548.
Jewish Parenting Series
January 9, 2011: Helping Our Children Establish
Balance in Their Lives.
February 13, 2011: How to Address Death and
Dying.
March 13, 2011: Navigating a Multi-Cultural
World.
April 3, 2011: Modeling Competitiveness and
Tzedakah: Can We Do Both?
January 28, 2011. Due date for admission forms.
2320 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. For more information
or a tour, contact 916.485.4151 or www.shalomschool.org.
Jewish Communities in Latin America.
January 30, 2011. Panel of three speakers discusses their respective Jewish communities in Chile,
Mexico, and, Peru, including family history, childhood memories, and community descriptions. Followed by Q&A and general discussion. Adult Education Committee of Congregation Bet Haverim. 1715
Anderson Rd. Davis. 2:00-4:00 p.m. Free and open
to the general public. For more information, contact
530.758.0842.
Congregation B’nai Israel
Shirley Seave Lecture Series
January 30, 2011. Sarah Lefton, Executive Produc-
er of G-dcast. Cyber Study in the Global Shtetl: How
New Technologies Help Bring Torah Into Our Homes
March 27, 2011. Rabbi Lee Bycel, Executive Director of The Redford Center, and Daniel Kaufman,
Founder of One Percent Foundation. Tzedakah in
the 21st Century: A Little Can Go a Long Way.
All lectures take place at 11:00 a.m. in the CBI
Sanctuary, 3600 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento. For
more information, contact 916.446.4861.
Contemporary Judaism: An Interfaith Family Discussion
Rabbi Alfi leads a series of discussions dealing with
the challenges faced by interfaith families.
February 13, 2011: How to Create an ‘Authentic’
Jewish Home Experience
April 10, 2011: Death and Dying
Discussions are 10:30 a.m.-noon. Congregation
B’nai Israel Conference Room. 3600 Riverside Blvd.
Sacramento. No charge. Feel free to come to any or
all of these sessions. For more information, contact
916.446.4861.
Zionism Yesterday and Today:
Its Role in a Democratic, Diverse State
February 13, 2011. Zionism is broadly defined as
the deep-seeded desire among Jews for a national
homeland. From Herzl (and before) to contemporary Israel and the Diaspora— how has the concept
and its practice evolved? Join a panel of knowledgeable commentators in a thoughtful consideration of
this core concept of Jewish life. Congregation Bet
Haverim. 1715 Anderson Rd. Davis. 3:00 p.m. For
more information, contact 530.758.0842.
The Politics of Sentimentalism: On
‘Fiddler on the Roof,’ Philanthropy
and Photography.
March 9, 2011. Professor Ari Y Kelman, Department of American Studies. Part of the UC Davis
Academic Lecture Series 2010-2011. Sponsored
by Congregation B’nai Israel. 3600 Riverside Blvd.
Sacramento. 7:00 p.m. Co-sponsored by The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region. For more
information, contact 916.446.4861.
Phillis Cohen, from cover
and helicopters flying above.”
The Shaliach also recalled memories of spending time atop the Carmel Mountains.
“The Carmel Forest is one of the most beautiful
places in Israel and definitely in Haifa,” he said. “My
friends and I used to meet there during the army
when we were home. We sat in the forest and talked
about what we did. The road that goes down the
mountain is one of the most beautiful in Israel.”
Allon noted that according to experts, it would
take 20-40 years to rebuild the forest.
The Jewish National Fund (JNF) already has
raised $2 million dollars in emergency funds toward
a $10 million commitment, according to JNF President Stanley M. Chesley.
During a JNF briefing, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu discussed two priorities:
1. Restore the buildings, homes, and various communities that were destroyed
2. Restore the Carmel Forest
“How do we turn the Carmel region from black
to green?” he asked, adding that what is needed is
to renew the forest in a way that is compatible with
ecological concerns. “There is a substantial difference between normal fire fighting and forest fires.
We have to address the possibility of fires that will
consume the country. The normal means we have
are inadequate.”
Marc Kelman, Assistant Vice President of JNF’s
National Campaign, traveled from Arizona to Israel
with only three hours notice.
“I’ve seen forest fires in Arizona and California,” he said, “but they never meant anything to me.
These trees are our trees. We know what it took to
plant them— blood and sweat. There is a human
story behind each of these trees. I couldn’t help but
wonder what the motivation was 50-60 years ago to
get these trees planted. They did it for us. We need
to do it for the future.”
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)
has set up an online donation form in response to the
community involvement, something more important,
something more significant.”
Cohen did just that by working on the program
for Israel’s 50th anniversary, community events, and
mobilizing people following the 1999 fires.
“She rounded up a lot of community leaders and
served as point person for a huge solidarity event at
the Community Theatre,” Beryl said.
In 2000, Cohen was named Interim Executive
Director and then later Executive Director of Federation.
Skip Rosenbloom, who served as President during Cohen’s tenure, remembered the Chicago native
as someone who got along with everyone.
“She had no enemies,” he said. “She seemed to
have an ability to understand various issues and have
good relationships with the rabbis and community
leaders.”
“We were good colleagues,” Michaels noted,
adding, “She had a distinct sense of humor. Her
observations could be jaundiced in a funny, sardonic
way. There was a difference between what I would
expect her to say and what she would actually way.
She was devilish.”
Cohen had a background in public relations and
advertising and headed large campaigns while living
in Palm Springs, Fla.
“She brought a lot of life back to Palm Springs,”
her daughter said.
After moving to Nebraka, she worked as Assistant Director of Development for the Strategic Air
and Space Museum.
Cohen was diagnosed in September with an
inoperable brain tumor. Although doctors were opti-
mistic, she experienced a downward turn.
“We thought we had eight months to a year,”
Meredith Cohen said of the most recent prognosis
in November. “It turned into three weeks.”
In addition to her daughter, Cohen is survived
by her husband, Michael— the couple was just shy
of celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary— her
son-in-law, Walter John Carl III, and two grandchildren.
Cohen was laid to rest December 16, 2010 at a graveside service in Chicago. A Sacramento Memorial Service is in the planning stages. Donations in her name
may be made to Magen David Adom (the Israeli Red
Cross) at www.afmda.org or the Rose Blumkin Jewish
Home in Omaha at www.rbjh.com.
Carmel Forest Fire. To donate, visit www.jewishfederations.org/servertransfer.html?targetURL=/ft2/form.
html?__id=21144. You may also send your donations
by check (note Israel Fire Relief Fund) to The Jewish
Federation of the Sacramento Region, 2014 Capitol
Ave., Suite 109, Sacramento, CA 95811.
The Jewish Federation wishes
our community here and abroad
a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!
2014 Capitol Ave. | Sacramento, CA 95811
916.486.0906
[email protected] | www.JewishSac.org
JCRC, from cover
JCRC Chair. “I’ve seen Boards get in
trouble when moving away from their
mission.”
Hirshowitz was joined by others who expressed opposition to the
boycott, stating that such action
would be a violation of the purpose
for which the Co-op exists; divide the
community; and limit what consumers may purchase. Others pointed to
the complexity of the issues facing
the Middle East, which have no place
taking center stage within the Co-op’s
communal responsibility.
After discussing the current policy
related to boycotts, which, along with
public input, included consultations
with the Board’s attorney; a Co-op
historian; and a former member of
the International Cooperative Alliance, an independent organization
that represents co-ops worldwide, the
Board voted unanimously to abandon
its boycott policy and leave purchasing
decisions in the hands of consumers.
“The favorable vote by the Sacramento Co-op Board on this issue
shows how JCRC can mobilize people
to exercise their right to free speech
and impact an outcome,” Broad said.
“These kinds of efforts are critical to
fighting anti-Semitism and other attempts to delegitimize and demonize
Israel.”
While the BDS issue requires
the development of strategies and the
need to take action on a moment’s
notice, the JCRC also participates in
events presented by the community at
large, ensuring a Jewish presence. In
the past two months, Broad participated in the 2010 Hate Crimes Awareness Conference; the Day of Inclusion
Celebration; and a Children’s Holiday
Reading program at the California
State Library where he read The
Christmas Menorahs: How A Town
Fought Hate to children and their
families.
In addition to Broad, the Hate
Crimes Awareness Conference, held
November 18, 2010 and coordinated
by the Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), featured representatives
from the Muslim. African American,
Gay, and Hispanic communities. OCA
began in 1973 and is a national organization “dedicated to advancing the
social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the
United States.”
“(OCA) promotes civic participation and leadership and recognizes the
importance of building coalitions and
strong ties with other communities,”
said OCA President Michael Head,
noting that Sacramento is one of 80
OCA chapters nationwide and that
the Forum began in 2003.
“The fact is (hate crimes) will occur,” Head said. “We have a conscious
decision about the society we want to
live in. If we do nothing, people won’t
think twice about racial slurs or off
color jokes.”
The Day of Inclusion, spearheaded
by Assemblymember Mike Eng, who
brought forth Assembly Concurrent
Resolution (ACR) 76 declaring December 17th as the Day of Inclusion,
celebrates the contributions of all
immigrants to the United States. The
date was chosen to honor the Magnuson Act, signed into law on December
17, 1943, which repealed the Chinese
Exclusion Act of 1882. The event was
held December 6, 2010 at the California State Railroad Museum.
“We are here today for one reason,” Eng said. “To commemorate the
end of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
This should not be cause for more exclusion but cause for celebration and
more inclusion.”
Broad, who represented the
JCRC, explained the Hebrew words
tikkun olam or repairing the world.
“It is the duty of all of us to make
the world a better place,” he said.
“California is a better place because of
our diversity. Driving down the street,
I saw an Iranian market, a Korean
grocery store— every ethnic group is
represented. To me, this richness is
the core of what is so fabulous about
our country and society.”
In addition to Broad, representatives from the Chinese, Hispanic, African American, and Muslim communities were on hand to help celebrate
the inclusiveness of California.
On the lighter side, babies to big
kids enjoyed a series of holiday books
read by members of the community
including Assemblywoman Mariko
Yamada and Rivkah Sass, the City of
Sacramento Librarian. Broad read
The Christmas Menorahs: How A Town
Fought Hate, which tells the true story
of the Billings, Montana community
that rallied together after a Jewish
family had a rock thrown through its
window where an electric menorah
had been displayed.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to talk about hate, bullies, and
friendship, Broad told his captivated
audience, “When you see someone
being bullied, go up to them, pat them
on the back, and say you’ll be their
friend. By that action as children, the
whole world can change.”
For more information about JCRC,
contact Federation at 916.486.0906.

January 2011 - Capitol Knesset

Transcription

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