New Jersey Jewish Standard, 12/13/13

JSTANDARD.
COM
2013 83
Harmonica Rascal
DECEMBER 13, 2013
VOL. LXXXIII NO. 14 $1.00
page 22
FRISCH STUDENTS DIGITIZE LODZ DOCUMENTS page 8
WOODCLIFF LAKE TORAH MAKES HOUSE CALLS page 12
A FISHY FUNDRAISER IN TEANECK page 16
STUDYING TORAH AND SPRINGSTEEN AT RUTGERS page 39
Harry Feinberg of
Elmwood Park was a
teen musical star.
Then he was drafted.
J e w i s h S t a n d a r d
1 0 8 6 T e a n e c k R o a d
T e a n e c k , N J 0 7 6 6 6
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JEWISH STANDARD DECEMBER 13, 2013 3
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OPINION ................................................ 18
COVER STORY .................................... 22
TORAH COMMENTARY ................... 37
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CONTENTS
F.Y.I.
Local Jewish praise for Pope Francis
On Wednesday, Time magazine
named Pope Francis its person
of the year, citing the way in which
his warmth and humility have cap-
tured the hearts and imaginations of
Catholics and non-Catholics around
the world.
Locally, Jews involved in the
interfaith world praised the decision.
Rabbi Noam Marans of Teaneck,
the American Jewish Committees
director of Interreligious and
Intergroup relations, was part of
a Jewish group that met with the
pope soon after he was elevated,
and had thought him a genuine
mensch then. Its an inspired
choice, Rabbi Marans said. Its
a delight to see a religious leader
chosen.
Pope Francis has succeeded
both in style and in substance
in capturing the imagination of
everyone who believes in religion as
a force for good.
And his outreach to the Jewish
community has been superb. We are
grateful that he has extended his hand
in friendship, based on decades of
positive Catholic-Jewish experiences in
Buenos Aires.
Rabbi Dr. Eugene Korn is the
American director of the Center
for Jewish Christian Understanding
and Cooperation in Israel. This is a
wonderful choice, he said. Like the
choice of President Obama to receive
the Nobel Peace Prize early in his
presidency, it is based on hope for the
future that Pope Francis has given us all.
He has shown a new face of the
church, one that is open, loving and
humble. I personally experienced his
warm heart and personal concern
when I met Francis this past June.
His gestures toward Jews and Israel
fill us with great hope for deeper
mutual understanding and increased
cooperation on religious and practical
interests.
The pope is planning a trip to Israel in
the spring, Rabbi Korn added.
Angelica Berrie of Englewood,
chair of the Center for Interreligious
Understanding, has met Francis two
predecessors, Benedict XVI and John
Paul II. She, like Rabbi Marans, was
enthusiastic about the choice.
She said that his identity as a Jesuit
equips him with many advantages.
The church does not draw its popes
from their ranks, it is outside the
hierarchy, and its officials usually see
them as outsiders. Theyre not even
part of the conversation. He has that
outsiders point of view. They also have
a tremendous global network, and they
work on the ground, so they are really
in touch with people. Francis is a man of
the people.
I believe he brings back a sense
of trust in the church, of integrity,
spirituality, and humanism, and the
feeling that God is among the people.
All the people.
As a Jew, Ms. Berrie thinks that we
cannot find a better friend. Thats not
just because he co-wrote a book with
a rabbi. (When he was the cardinal
of Buenos Aires, the pope, then Jorge
Mario Bergoglio, and his friend Rabbi
Abraham Skorka collaborated on On
Heaven and Earth: Pope Francis on
Faith, Family, and the Church in the
Twenty-First Century.) If you look at
his statements, from long before he
became a cardinal, you will see a long
history of being open and working with
the Jewish community in Argentina.
Rabbi Jack Bemporad of Englewood
is the director of the Center for
Interreligious Understanding. He is
thrilled about the new pope. I think
he will revolutionize the church by
building bridges to other religions, and
concentrating on social justice, he said.
Thats a real transformation. The
church always has been concerned with
those matters, but in terms of dogmatic
theology, Pope Francis has said that
we have to embody the ethics of the
Hebrew prophets.
Thats revolutionary.
In just a few months, he has
redirected the church in the direction of
issues of conscience and social justice.
His main concern is how the church
can be a force for good for humanity.
Putting that front and center is
amazing, Rabbi Bemporad concluded.
JOANNE PALMER
Candlelighting: Friday, December 13, 4:10 p.m.
Shabbat ends: Saturday, December 14, 5:14 p.m.
Ad men vs. mad men
Rule one for an advertising agency: Know your audience.
Dog wins big in Israeli court
With great pets come
great responsibilities.
An Israeli court has
ruled that a couple that
abandoned their Doberman
are responsible for its care
and maintenance as well as
$590 worth of medical bills.
Pets have a special status in
Israels law books and are not
considered mere objects, wrote
Judge Lior Bringer of the Eilat
Magistrates Court in a decision
reported by Haaretz. Their owners
have a responsibility to protect and
maintain them, and to care for their
needs. They are responsible for their
pets.
The ruling came in response to a
suit by the group Let the Animals
Live. A volunteer from the group
found the dog wandering in the
street, suffering from dehydration and
fever, and took her to a veterinarian.
The rescuer recognized the dog; she
said shed seen it at their house.
The owners told the court that it
was not their dog.
Under Israeli law, abandoning a
pet is a criminal offense, subject to
a year in prison or $20,000
fine. Let the Animals Live says
it has referred dozens of cases
to the police but no indictments
followed. This case was tried in a
civil court.
LARRY YUDELSON
COVER PHOTO BY JERRY SZUBIN
So what was the Israeli
agency Twisted thinking
last month when it put up
a billboard in the charedi
town of Bnei Brak with a
picture of an attractive
womans face?
Didnt they know it would
be immediately defaced
and vandalized?
It turns out they did.
But when vandals removed
the face, the real message
emerged:
International Day for the
Elimination of Violence
against Women 11/25/13
LARRY YUDELSON
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Noshes
Were good at talking about ritual. Were
good at debating law. Were not great at
talking about the love of God.
David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times, giving the keynote address
at Yeshiva Universitys annual fundraising dinner Sunday night.
JS-5*
ter Bilbo Baggins. Brit
STEPHEN FRY, 56, ap-
pears as the Master of
Laketown, the leader of
a settlement near Lonely
Mountain. The films
score is by HOWARD
SHORE, 67, who won
three Oscars for his work
on Jacksons Rings films.
(Opens today.)
Orlando Bloom has a
co-starring role as the
fierce warrior Legolas. Its
been a long time since
I laid out Blooms odd
background so here it
is again: When he was
born in England in 1977,
Orlandos legal parents
were HARRY BLOOM
(1913-1981), a South
African-born Jew, and
Sonia Copeland Bloom, a
non-Jewish writer who
was much younger than
her husband. Harry was a
top lawyer in South Africa
and the UK, a talented
anti-apartheid novelist,
and an anti-racism activ-
ist who was close friends
with Nelson Mandela. He
wed Sonia in 1969, but
suffered a stroke in the
early 1970s that made him
an invalid.
Reportedly, all parties
consented to Sonia hav-
ing a relationship with a
family friend, a non-Jew
who became Orlandos
biological father. Orlando,
who was raised Protes-
tant but long has been a
Buddhist, was told about
his biological father when
he was 13.
Gal Gadot
BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS:
Gadot lands
wonder role
Helen Slater
Dina Meyer Stephen Fry
Israeli actress GAL
GADOT, 28, was
much in the news
last week. Gadot is best
known for co-starring in
the original Fast and Fu-
rious movie (2009) and
Fast and Furious Five
(2011). The tragic auto
accident death of Fast
and Furious movie series
co-star Paul Walker on
November 30 led media
outlets to ask her about
his death. Of course, she
expressed her shock and
sadness about Walkers
death. Then, on Decem-
ber 4, she got some very
good news: She beat out
scores of other actresses
for the coveted role of
Wonder Woman in a
sequel to Man of Steel,
the hit 2013 Superman
movie. The sequel (per-
haps named Batman v.
Superman) will also fea-
ture Batman, as played
by Ben Affleck.
Gadots resume and life
history reads like the bio
of a Jewish superwoman:
born and raised in Rosh
Hayin, a town of about
38,000 in central Israel,
she grew up in what she
describes as a very Jew-
ish and Israeli family envi-
ronment. In 2004, when
she was 19, she won the
Miss Israel pageant and
represented her coun-
try at the Miss Universe
competition. She contin-
ued to model part time,
as she performed her
two-year military service
(2005-2007; she was
a sports trainer for the
military). In 2007, she got
an Israeli film role, and
since then she has had
guest roles on several
American TV shows. But
wait! Shes also an avid
high-performance motor-
cycle rider and a mother
she married an Israeli
businessman in 2008 and
they had a girl in 2011.
Gadot follows four other
Jewish women whove
played comic-book su-
perheroes in movies/on
TV (no others have had
military training, howev-
er). Heres my list: HELEN
SLATER, now 49, title
role in Supergirl (1984);
ALICIA SILVERSTONE,
now 37, Batgirl in Bat-
man and Robin (1997);
DINA MEYER, now 44, as
Batgirl/the Oracle in the
2002 TV series, Birds
of Prey; and SCARLETT
JOHANSSON, now 29, as
Natasha Romanoff/the
Black Widow in sev-
eral films, including The
Avengers (2012).
The Hobbit: The
Desolation of
Smaug, is the sec-
ond film in director Peter
Jacksons trilogy adap-
tation of J.R.R. Tolkiens
Lord of the Rings pre-
quel book, The Hobbit.
The mostly British cast of
the first film returns, with
Martin Freeman again
starring as lead charac-
Crystal on film: Show
recounts life with father
BILLY CRYSTALs hit stage show, 700 Sundays, will
be ilmed on Broadway in early January and broadcast
on HBO sometime in 2014. The title comes from Crystals
2005 book of the same name, in which he recounted his
relationship with his father, JACK CRYSTAL, who sud-
denly died in 1963, when Billy was 15. The title refers to
the fact that Billy spent 700 Sundays over 15 years with
his father. (His father worked long hours the rest of the
week). Crystal wrote the book as a script for a one-man
show and his 2005 original Broadway version of the play
won a special Tony Award. N.B.
On November 30,
MTV premiered a
new, six-part real-
ity series, Generation
Cyro. (New episodes
air on Tuesday evenings,
encores run all week, and
it is available free online.
Finale on December 30.)
In short: It is about the
daughter of a sperm do-
nor meeting with her 17
half-siblings in different
parts of the country.
(As I write this, we
know that at least two
of the half-siblings are
members of a religious
Jewish family.)
Advance reviews do
not say if the donor will
be named and shown,
but we know hes a
5'10"Jewish man in Oak-
land, Ca.
N.B.
Access one Holy Name doctor
and benet from all of them.
Find a Holy Name physician whos right for you.
holyname.org/network 1-877-HOLY-NAME (465-9626)
www.HolyName.org/Network
Cardiology David Wild, MD, Cardiology
Billy Crystal
Local
JS-6*
Generational enigma
In Closter, Hartman details how longer lives threaten the stories we tell
JOANNE PALMER
It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times,
and
a glass half full or half empty,
and
snatching victory from the jaws of
defeat,
and even
snatching defeat from the jaws of
victory.
The wild flourishing of these and similar
truth-based clichs shows that there is a
deeply human need to acknowledge that
almost nothing is purely good or bad.
Everything, even something wonderful,
comes with a price. Life! Everything is a
trade-off.
At his talk tonight as scholar in residence
this weekend at Temple Emanu-El in
Closter, Donniel Hartman, who is an
Orthodox rabbi, son of the late Rabbi
David Hartman, and head of the Shalom
Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, will
discuss the inherent tensions and built-in
problems that come from a major human
accomplishment.
Four generations now share this world.
Its not only outliers, those few freaks
of nature whose good luck in the genetic
lottery allows them to hang on long past
their peers. Its now not at all uncommon
for families to include great-grandparents
and grandparents as well as parents and
their children.
But this wonderful truth inevitably
changes and possibly harms the way we
transmit memory, Rabbi Hartman, who
spent many years living in Bergen County
as he taught at the Kaplen JCC on the
Palisades in Tenafly, said in an interview.
When the life cycles are much shorter,
the relationship between the personal
experience of a story and the way the next
generation uses that story allows for a lot
of freedom, he said. And that freedom is
necessary to preserve the memory. Thats
because ossified memories cannot change
in a way that allow them to be meaningful
to each generation.
Its not that each new generation makes
up its own stories, he continued; its that
to keep it active, each generation has to
tell the story in its own way.
But when the first, second, third, and
fourth all exist at the same time, there is
an inherent tension. The first and second
want to maintain the story as it is, but then
the third and fourth generations cant
breathe.
Then it cant be their story.
There is another, particularly Jewish
dimension to the situation, as well. We
are at the moment of transference of key
stories that have defined Jewish history,
some for the last 70 or 80 years, some
for the last 1,000, Rabbi Hartman said.
Those stories are the Holocaust, Israel,
Jewish peoplehood, membership, and
identity.
The torch is being passed. What those
stories have meant for Jews in the past is
not what they will mean for Jews in the
future.
There are many historical examples of
the shift in focus as stories travel through
time. Tisha bAv, the day when Jews
commemorate the destruction of the first
and second Temples, began as a day just of
mourning, but now it is about sinat chinam
the sin of senseless hatred that began the
chain of actions that led to the destruction.
It shifted from the loss of the Temple to
the question of what does it mean, what
do Jews have to do, to create a society
worthy of survival, Rabbi Hartman said.
Passover is another prime example.
The Pew study shows that many Jews go
to a seder, and many people certainly
not all of them read from the Haggadah.
That text, which tradition tells us recounts
the story of the Exodus, in fact doesnt
tell that much of it. Its a very strange
book, Rabbi Hartman said. And for many
people, Pesach is the time that we tell the
story the way our parents told it, with
our own twists. Each generation takes,
adds, changes, shifts focus, takes its own
meaning.
Now we have to make our own shifts
in understanding as the narratives of our
time evolve, Rabbi Hartman said.
Hol ocaust survi vors and t hei r
contemporaries have as their primary
experience of the Shoah pain and
suffering, he said. The second generation
feels that, and feels personally injured by
it. But the third and fourth generations
do not feel that. That is why, he said,
Holocaust museums are not tolerance
museums. The assault no longer feels as
personal, and so the threat can be seen as
more universal.
Younger Jews dont live in a world
where the Holocaust is the defining feature
of how they experience the world. And
if half of young Jews are intermarried,
how could they look at the Holocaust as
defining the way Jews and non-Jews look
at each other?
Intermarriage itself is the strongest
example of the fact that we are living in a
post-Holocaust world. Non-Jews are now
willing to marry Jews. It once would have
been an act of suicide. We are now in a
very different place.
Israel evokes similarly crossed signals,
Rabbi Hartman continued.
When it was created, it was to be a
safe place for Jews. Now thats largely
i rrel evant, he sai d. And Jewi sh
peoplehood, which had been a defining
To keep it active,
each generation
has to tell
the story in its
own way
Rabbi Donniel Hartman will be scholar in residence at Temple Emanu-El in Closter this weekend.
Local
JS-7
www.jstandard.com
factor of Jewish life, the idea that we are
a people before a religion we have a
new generation of Jews for whom that
idea is not clear.
Some of the difference in approach
is on display in the tension between
two Israel advocacy groups, JStreet and
Aipac.
Its an intergenerational issue, he
said. What does it mean to love Israel?
What do you do to love Israel? The idea
of uncritical support comes naturally to
the first and second generation, not so
much to the generations that follow.
You see the battle with advocacy and
education programs, he said. They
seem to be trying to create a bunch of
mini-me programs; if you can be just like
me, I win.
Its pathetic. We all know its pathetic,
but still we do it.
He speaks to rabbinical students
in Israel, and the idea that young
rabbinical students dont love Israel any
more it isnt true, he said. They just
love Israel differently.
The first and second generations
now bear a huge responsibilit y,
Rabbi Hartman said. Now, when
vitally important narratives must be
transferred, history has conspired to
make the gaps in understanding between
the second and third generation far
wider than before. The older generations
must work to bridge that gap; if that is
not done successfully, what people
think of as a victory actually could be a
huge loss for Jewish life.
He returned to the subject that is as
inexorably magnetic to professional Jews
as a sore tooth is to a tongue the Pew
study, the recent survey that seems to
overflow with bad news for Jews.
The Pew study has first- and second-
generation categories for third- and
fourth-generation Jews, Rabbi Hartman
said. Like the category of Jews without
religion. It looks at contemporary Jewish
life in first- and second-generation terms
they say that if you dont belong to
a synagogue you are a Jew without
religion. They look at intermarriage
as assimilation, and at synagogues as
communal identity. They say that if you
arent affiliated with a synagogue or if
you are not married to a Jew you are
outside the religion.
But those categories do not work
for many younger people who identify
themselves as Jews, Rabbi Hartman said.
They thi nk that despi te those
characteristics, which historically would
have disqualified them from considering
themselves Jews, according to the Pew
study they are inside the religion, he
said, according to their own definition.
There are some people who are non-
Jews, with no conversion and no Jewish
relatives, who are defined in second-
and third-generation terms as part of the
Jewish people.
This talk, after services and Shabbat
dinner at Emanu-El, is for the shuls
patron members. Most of them represent
the first and second generations. It
takes great courage and great maturity to
recognize that no matter what you want,
Jewish life just cant stay the same, he
said. Not if it is to survive.
Synagogue membership. What does
it mean? If we insist on it as a sign of
commitment, we will be shutting them
down across America in the next 30
years quicker than you can imagine. We
have to figure out how to bring people
in, but it may be in a very different way.
This unique transition will need great
love and great trust.
On Shabbat morning, Rabbi Hartman
will analyze Hillels famous Judaism-
on-one-foot definition Do not do to
others what you would not have them
do to you. The rest is commentary; go
study.
Its a complicated and complex
answer, Rabbi Hartman said. In order
to survive, a community has to be able to
define its essence.
Thats not the elevator speech to
which modern leaders are so devoted,
he added. Its not about marketing. Its
about getting to the core.
Rabbi David Seth Kirshner of Temple
Emanu-El is a graduate of the Hartman
Rabbinical Leadership Initiative,
a three-year program that allows
participants to learn with each other
and from the intellectually cutting-edge
Hartman faculty in Jerusalem. It was
a transformative experience for me
and my rabbinate, he said. And one
of the most impactful teachers I had
through my four years of study there
was Donniel.
And he was more than a teacher. He
was he is a mentor and a friend.
There are few people who are as
dialed in to the issues facing the Jewish
community today. He thinks creatively,
reasonably, and wisely about the ways to
respond to those challenges.
Who: Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman
What: Is scholar in residence
Where: At Temple Emanu-El of
Closter, 180 Piermont Road.
When: Speaks during 7 p.m. Kab-
balat Shabbat services, and on
Shabbat morning during 9 a.m.
services; a kiddush follows.
Why: Rabbi Hartman, president
of the Shalom Hartman Institute,
will give wide-ranging talks on the
challenges facing American Jews.
How: The community is welcome,
as always, to services; for informa-
tion call (201) 750-9997 or go to
www.templeemanu-el.com.
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Local
JS-8*
Name that prophet!
Local man, former winner,
promotes adult Bible contest finals in Israel
ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMAN
Do you know which biblical king directed
which priest to collect money for repair-
ing the Holy Temple, and where that priest
deposited the money? (Hint: See Kings II.)
Can you name the prophet who said,
Let them use grain for our food and water
for our drink? (Hint: Its in the book of
Daniel.)
If you have a gift for Bible trivia like this,
and if you will be at least 25 years old by
June, youll be happy to know that regis-
tration is now open for the next Bible Con-
test for Adults in the diaspora. The applica-
tion deadline is April 1, 2014.
Those contestants who score the highest
on preliminary rounds in their native coun-
tries will be eligible for a free trip to Israel
for the international finals, to be held on
the final night of Chanukah, December 23,
in Jerusalem. The trip includes 10 days of
rehearsals, touring, and accommodations
in five-star hotels, all paid for by Israels
Ministry of Education.
Teanecks Rabbi Ezra Frazer, who coor-
dinates the National Bible Contest for Jew-
ish Youth sponsored by the Jewish Agency
for Israel, says he can think of two great
reasons to sign up. And he should know;
Frazer took second place in the interna-
tional adult contest during Chanukah 2011,
winning the equivalent of about $8,000 in
addition to other prizes.
There are two ways people can look
at it, said Rabbi Frazer, an instructor of
Bible at Yeshiva University. If you have a
chance of being a winner, the experience
Family passion becomes school project
Frisch twins and dad help make Holocaust records accessible
LOIS GOLDRICH
Sometimes, its hard for students to truly
understand the enormity that is the death of
six million people, Dr. Kalman Stein said. But
they can understand the suffering of one per-
son especially when they hold a document
telling that persons story in their hands.
That really connects them to it, said
Dr. Stein, who is the principal of the Frisch
School in Paramus.
Seventy-five Frisch students about
half the senior class are participating in
the World Memory Project, a joint ven-
ture between the United States Holocaust
Museum and Ancestry.com.
According to the latters website, the proj-
ect has been created to allow anyone, any-
where to help build the largest free online
resource for information about victims and
survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi persecu-
tion during World War II.
The initiative uses software and processes
developed by the Ancestry World Archives
Project. Working with digital images of his-
torical documents created by the Holocaust
Museum, volunteers help make the docu-
ments searchable online by entering informa-
tion from the digital images into a database.
I think that the students will feel that they
are contributing to a body of information
that will make Holocaust revisionism that
much more difficult, Dr. Stein said, adding
that working with information relating to one
person at a time has real emotional impact.
He pointed out that millions of docu-
ments containing details about victims
of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution
during World War II still exist today, but
for some reason they remain inaccessi-
ble. Through the World Memory Project,
students will work to make the victims
records searchable online, thereby restor-
ing the identity of people whom the Nazis
tried to erase from history, he said. The
goal is to restore the identities of victims
and survivors and to enable families to
discover the fate of family members lost
during the Holocaust and its aftermath.
Participating students will be trained by
the twins Caroline and Jonathan Brauner,
Frisch seniors who already are working
independently on the project, together
with their father.
Theyve been working on it for many
months and have entered a lot of names, Dr.
Stein said. Its a family passion.
Caroline Brauner talks about the world memory project as her brother, Jonathan, stands by.
The 2012 finalists on stage at the Jerusalem International Convention Center. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is at the center and Rabbi Ezra Frazer is fifth from left.
Local
JS-9
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large variety o proein bars
all your health food needs
of going to Israel at Chanukah time and meeting Jews
from all around the world from diverse backgrounds
is a very special experience.
If you wont be a contender to win, it can be eye-
opening and exciting to learn these texts for the first
time or second time. Especially for those who once
learned the material perhaps teachers who teach
the same curriculum again and again, or adults who
dont have time to review what they learned in their
youth this is a chance to refresh your memory.
In 1994, when he was a sophomore at the Torah
Academy of Bergen County, Rabbi Frazer won the
National Bible Contest for Jewish Youth, and he placed
fifth in the 1995 international competition. He said that
studying the texts as an adult gave him new insights.
The overall motto of the Bible Contest for Adults is
Returning to the Book of Books; the theme for next
years competition is wisdom.
Contestants will need detailed familiarity with the
entire book of Genesis; Exodus 1-24 and 31-34; Leviti-
cus 19 and 23-25; Numbers 10-36; Deuteronomy 20-34;
Joshua 1-11, 14, 17-18, and 22-24; and the entire books of
Judges, Samuel 1-2, and Kings 1-2. Those who advance
to the diaspora nationals on September 16 also will
be responsible for studying Isaiah 1-12 and 40-66; Jer-
emiah 1-23 and 30-33; Ezekiel 1-14 and 33-39; Proverbs
1-10 and 22-31; the Song of Songs, Ruth, and Esther;
Ezra 1, 3, 4, and 7-10; and the entire book of Nehemiah.
The adult version of the contest was revived in 2010
after a long hiatus and was opened to diaspora Jews
the following year, for the first time in 32 years. More
than 300 Jewish men and women in 42 countries par-
ticipated in the early stage, and 23 qualified for the
international contest, where they were pitted against
He said that Allan Brauner, the twins father and the
son of a survivor, learned about the project while doing
research at the Washington museum.
He told us that nearly two million of the six million are
either unknown or that they are known but that informa-
tion about them is not digitized in any way and [therefore]
inaccessible, Dr. Stein said.
Allan, Caroline, and Jonathan Brauner started entering
information into a database. In the process, Allan Brauner
found a document from Auschwitz bearing his own moth-
ers signature.
It was something she was required by the Nazis to sign
to keep up the charade that she was getting paid the going
rate and was not a slave, Dr. Stein said.
The principal said that with guidance from Caroline
and Jonathan Brauner, the new Frisch volunteers will
learn how to work on documents from the Lodz ghetto.
When a student signs on for a document, hell get
something such as a work permit, Dr. Stein said. From
that, he can extract information such as name, address,
birth date, and other information, which can then be
entered into the Ancestry.com database.
Dr. Stein said he hopes that by Yom HaShoah, all Frisch
students will be involved in the project.
Hopefully, well get other schools, synagogues, and
organizations involved as well, he said, noting that Frisch
is one of only two high schools participating in the initia-
tive. Its a massive undertaking. I want the kids to feel like
theyre part of the process.
Dr. Stein said he will schedule special sessions to pro-
vide students with help in some key areas. For example,
some of the documents have been handwritten, and stu-
dents will need help reading European handwriting. In
addition, since many of the items are written in German,
the students will have to learn some key German words.
Israeli national winners. They came from countries includ-
ing Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, England,
France, Georgia, Germany, India, Italy, Russia, Spain, Uru-
guay, and the United States.
Margalit Gabbay of Israels education ministry said that
contestants ages ranged from 28 to 67, and many of them
otherwise could not have afforded a vacation in Israel. It
was very emotional for us and for them, especially for those
who had not been here before, she said. The international
group became close during their pre-contest touring, and
continue to share photos and updates on their Facebook
pages.
Ms. Gabbay added, Last year was a pilot, so it was a small
version of what we are planning for next year. Our goal is
to have more national competitions, like we have with the
youth competition, and more competitors.
The Israeli national winner, Bible teacher Menahem Shim-
shi, was chosen on December 3 and will face the diaspora
finalists next year, along with second- and third-place win-
ners Hanenel Malka and Yoram Gold.
For information on applying for the diaspora competition,
go to Edu.gov.il/ibc.
Local
JS-10*
For out of Paramus go Hebrew speakers
Ben Porat Yosef students show Hebrew Language Council that fluency is possible
LARRY YUDELSON
W
hen the new Hebrew Lan-
guage Council of America
held its first meeting last
week, two eighth graders
from Yeshiva Ben Porat Yosef in Paramus
opened the event.
The students were chosen to show off
their Hebrew. They did that by reciting a
chapter of Psalms, delivering a Hebrew
speech they wrote themselves, and then
talking in Hebrew with the gathered Hebrew
teachers and advocates seeking to expand
Hebrew literacy in America.
They were amazing, said Diti Bechor,
who works for the World Zionist Organiza-
tion and arranged for the New Jersey stu-
dents to speak at the gathering.
She brought them to demonstrate that
its possible for American-born students
to become fluent in Hebrew after years of
dedicated education.
Their ability to speak to the people
around them in fluent Hebrew was very
exciting, said Ms. Bechor, who heads the
American office of the WZOs program
to send Israeli teachers to teach in the
diaspora.
That ability is due in large measure to
Ben Porat Yosefs use of those teachers as
the backbone of the schools Judaic studies
department, starting in kindergarten.
Ben Porat Yosef employs 11 WZO teachers
or shlichim representing nearly 10 per-
cent of the 130 educator shlichim in North
America. (Another 110 work in South Amer-
ica, Europe, and Australia.) The school has
372 students.
Weve made the decision to hire teach-
ers who can teach fluently in Hebrew, said
Rabbi Tomer Ronen, who heads the school.
Thats why the model of the shlichim really
works well for us, he added.
BPY is unusual among day schools across
the country because its entire Judaic studies
faculty is made of shlichim. Two other Para-
mus day schools have hired shlichim. Two
of them a married couple work at the
Yavneh Academy, and there are four two
couples at Yeshivat Noam.
Ms. Bechor said the program recruits
experienced Israeli teachers for the Ameri-
can teaching positions, which last up to four
years. Last year, she said, there were 400
applications for 70 positions.
The WZO looks for whatever sorts of
teachers schools want; while the bulk
teach Hebrew and Jewish subjects, We
have music teachers and have been asked
to recruit movement and theater teach-
ers, Ms. Bechor said.
Although the WZO recruits the teachers,
they are selected and hired by the schools.
Rabbi Ronen said that he is not adverse
in theory to hiring Americans, but its very
rare to find an American-born-and-trained
teacher who can speak with the Israeli flu-
ency he wants for his students. He believes,
though, that such fluency can be taught, if
you try and insist on it and not give up.
Immersive Hebrew education known
as Ivrit bIvrit has been both an ideal in
American Jewish day school education and
the topic of debate. Is it possible?
When children are immersed in Hebrew,
they can have a conversation about any
topic, Rabbi Ronen said. As the school,
founded in 2001, has expanded, he has
found this is true even in junior high. (The
current eighth graders will be the schools
first graduating class.)
The beauty of it is that they can really
understand the text of the Chumash,
the Mishnah and the Gemara at a much
higher level because they are fluent in
Hebrew, Rabbi Ronen said.
Im speaking to them exactly like I
spoke in Israel. Maybe a little slower,
said Rabbi Pinchas Yarhi, who teaches
Jewish studies in Ben Porat Yosef s junior
high school. I usually dont translate
into English. If we see a really hard word
well use mime or Ill draw on the board
until they understand the correct mean-
ing of the word. I speak fluent Hebrew.
Even the jokes are in Hebrew.
Rabbi Yarhis wife, Tehilla, teaches kin-
dergarten at Ben Porat Yosef. Technically
she is not an a WZO emissary shlichim do
not teach children younger than first grade.
Like at least one teacher in each of the
schools early childhood classrooms, Ms.
Yarhi speaks to the children only in Hebrew.
Odelia Fried, one of the students who
spoke to the Hebrew Language Council,
said she has been learning Hebrew since she
was 2 years old and began Ben Porat Yosefs
early childhood program.
Teachers always spoke to you in
Hebrew, she said. We figured out on our
own how to translate and think in Hebrew.
Speaking to the Hebrew Language Coun-
cil was really cool. Its something you dont
get to do every day, she said, noting that
she got to meet Israeli Knessset members
and diplomats while she was there.
The Hebrew Language Council meeting
coincided with the WZOs annual training
session for its teachers.
Its part of an increased effort by the WZO
to train the shlichim, both before and dur-
ing their educational work here.
We want to prepare them more, Ms.
Bechor said. We try to send people here
who will teach the children, but will learn
the environment they are working in. The
WZO looks for shlichim who will be a little
bit humble, who will work with the Ameri-
cans, not just tell them what to do.
Ms. Bechor knows about working as
an Israeli emissary in America firsthand.
Twenty-something years ago, I was the
Young Judea shlicha for the Midwest, she
said. I have many friends from Ann Arbor
from that time.
Before coming to New Jersey, Rabbi Yarhi
taught in high school and junior high in
Israel. He applied for the WZO program
because he was fascinated by Jewish com-
munities around the world.
I really wanted to go overseas, meet new
people, and be part of the influence on Jew-
ish education, he said.
He found the variety within the north Jer-
sey Jewish community eye-opening.
Every shul is so different from the other,
he said. Every school has its own agenda.
Its beautiful to see how theres so many col-
ors and together theyre creating a beautiful
picture.
When he returns to Israel at the end of
this year, I really want to introduce this
world to my friends and colleagues, to show
them what a beautiful thing there is here
that I didnt know about, he said.
Odelia Fried and Joseph Yudelson, students at Ben Porat Yosef, address the Hebrew Language Council of America last month.
Their ability to
speak to the
people around
them in uent
Hebrew was
very exciting.
DITI BECHOR
JS-11
TO REGISTER OR FOR MORE INFO, VISIT
jccotp.org OR CALL 201. 569.7900.
UPCOMING AT
FAMILIES ADULTS
KAPLEN JCC on the Palisades
ADULTS
EGL FOUNDATION COMPUTER CENTER
FOR ADULTS 40+
Open House & Orientation
Sharpen your computer skills, meet our
instructors and coaches, attend a FREE class
on Most Interesting Websites and hands-
on practice sessions, and enter to win a free
computer course.
Tue, Jan 7, 10:30 am-12:30 pm, Free
CLASSES START JANUARY 16 Register for
classes by Jan 13 and get 20% of all classes. For
more info call Rachel at 201.569.7900 ext. 309.
Bubble Mania
Ordinary becomes extraordinary in the
hands of a bubble artist! This humorous
soapy spectacular guarantees to amaze
and amuse the entire family, AGES 5-95,
with giant oating spheres, and amazing
cube and spaceship bubbles.
Pre-registration required by Dec 18. For
more info, call Michal at 201.408.1467.
Wed, Dec 25, SHOW 11-11:45 am,
LUNCH 11:45 am12:30 pm,
$45/$55 family (includes 2 adults & 2
children), $15/$19 individuals
Project NOTE!
GREETING CARDS WITH A MISSION
Support Project NOTE!, a greeting card business
operated by the Adult Day Program at the Guttenberg
Center for Special Services at the JCC. We have
beautiful handmade cards for every season and
occasion. Cards for sale in our lobby every Tuesday and
Thursday. Proceeds go directly back to the program.
The Aordable Health Care Act:
Whats It All About?
DISCUSSION WITH JEFFREY LEVITTCFP, MBA
Join us for an information session to better understand
and address misconceptions surrounding AHC and how to
get the most out of your healthcare dollars. Q&A to follow.
Sponsored by the Berit and Martin Bernstein Open Forum
Endowment Fund and the Edwin S. Soforenko Foundation.
Wed, Jan 15, 4 pm, Free and Open to the Community
Youre Hungry. Sit Down. Eat!
FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN AGES 10+
Come with your children and learn how to
make great food like your Bubbi used to make!
This month we are baking scrumptious
Rugelach and Mandel Bread.
For more info call Jessica at 201.408.1426.
Wed, Dec 18, 6 pm, $36/$40 per session,
per family
THURNAUER CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY 21ST SEASON
A Celebration of Strings
TANEYEV: String Quintet in G major, Op.14
SCHUBERT: String Quintet in C major D.956
A season of masterpieces and surprise gems of the
chamber music repertoire performed by our own
ensemble-in-residence.
Sharon Rofman, violin; Max Mandel, viola; Yari Bond,
cello; Richard Goldsmith, clarinet. Guest artists Jessica
Lee, violin and Clancy Newman, cello.
The Thurnauer Chamber Music Society is made possible
by a generous contribution from Eva Holzer and the
Konikow Chamber Music Endowment.
Call 201.408.1465 to purchase tickets.
Sat, Dec 14, 7:30 pm, $16/$20, Subscribe to the
3-concert series and save: $42/$52
Local
JS-12*
Bringing the Torah home
Pascack Valley families to host traveling scroll
PHIL JACOBS
W
hats a Torah doing in your
living room?
That would be a fair
question for any visitor
confronted with a portable arc holding
a scroll at home. And now, thanks to a
new program at Temple Emanuel of the
Pascack Valley in Woodcliff Lake, people
will be asking that question.
The Conservative shul is about to begin
Torah@Home, a project that sends a
Torah home with congregants for a week
at a time. In the comfort of their home,
family members will be able to open up
the Torah, feel its parchment, and read
the Hebrew. Participating families are
encouraged to invite friends and even to
form study groups. Children are being
asked to invite their friends and class-
mates as well.
The project is part of a celebration as
Emanuel gets ready for the completion of
its new Torah, which will be finished in
time for Shavuot 2014.
Rabbi Benjamin Shull, the synagogues
religious leader, had heard of a similar
congregational project at a synagogue
in Florida and decided to modify it and
bring it home. The idea, he said, was to
remind congregations of the mishkan,
the Tabernacle that housed both the
whole and broken tablets inscribed with
the Ten Commandments and Gods pres-
ence and accompanied the Israelites as
they wandered through the desert dur-
ing the Exodus from Egypt.
Were in the process of having a new
Torah written for us, Rabbi Shull said.
Over the year-and-a-half-long process,
weve had a number of educational com-
ponents at our synagogue to go along
with the new Torah.
It was more than 10 years ago when
Rabbi Shull first heard of the South Flor-
ida congregation that kept Torah scrolls
in members homes. That was done for
practical reasons. The Torahs often were
too heavy for aging congregation mem-
bers to lift out of the synagogues ark. But
in a home, the Torah could be opened
and read with far less lifting. Keeping the
scrolls in homes made it more likely that
they would be opened.
This was the germ of the weeklong
Torah home visits in Woodcliff Lake.
There is something beautiful about the
idea of having a Torah in ones home,
Rabbi Shull said.
Ive always been concerned about
enhancing holiness in the home. The
synagogue shouldnt be the only focus of
Torah learning, but it should be shared
with the home. Home should be the
central place of a persons
Jewish life.
Ilysa Stupak, who is co-
chairing the project with
Helen Friedland, said that
her family will be hosting
the Torah at home.
Rabbi Shull wants to
build on our sense of com-
munity through Torah,
she wrote in an email
interview. The essential
idea is to engage our com-
munity in its learning and sharing of the
Torah in a personal way. And what better
way is there than creating a sanctuary in
your home among friends?
Ms. Stupak added that the whole idea
is to get close and personal to the Torah.
Of course there is a protocol as to how
we do that, and that is also part of the
learning process which we will learn this
week.
Rabbi Shull said that the Torah would
be housed in a portable ark. He added
that the Torahs hosts are being taught
appropriate ceremonies to welcome the
Torah into their homes. Also, he said,
families are being encouraged to invite
other family members and neighbors
into each others homes.
We have suggestions of things they
can do to enhance the connection to the
Torah, Rabbi Shull said.
For many people, hav-
ing a Torah at their finger-
tips is something entirely
new. The Torah reading
usually is done on the
bimah; the scroll is kept
somewhat apart from the
congregation.
So being around the
Torah could bring its own
share of nervousness.
We have concerns of
reducing the anxiety of
being with a Torah, he said. For most
Jews when they think of holiness, they
think of the Torah. But when you look
at a Torah scroll and its origin, a piece
of animal skin, we learn that holiness
comes from the way we treat the Torah.
We make it holy with God. The words on
the skin are what is really holy.
Rabbi Shull said that he wants people
not to be intimidated by the Torah.
I want there to be a closeness between
the Torah and to people, he said. Deu-
teronomy tells us that the Torah should
be near to you and to your heart. Theres
a balance between reverence and inti-
macy. And that reverence doesnt have
to be standing up on the ark away from
you.
Families are just beginning to sign up
for opportunities to take the Torah home,
he said.
Ms. Stupak said that she feels the Torah
will help her home make the transition
from being just a house into becoming a
beit midrash a house of learning. Each
home will become a sanctuary for learn-
ing Torah, and we learn how to behave in
the presence of Torah, she said. No one
is ever too young or too old to learn, and
a community that learns together gains
strength.
Her husband, Darren, and their chil-
dren, Sarah and Max, will join her as they
welcome the sefer Torah to their home.
When the rabbi comes to deliver the
Torah, he will tailor the program to each
group that is attending, and mine is very
kid-focused, Ms. Stupak said. We want
it to be fun and engaging for the kids.
Rabbi Ben Shull
Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valleys Rabbi Ben Shull wants to foster a closeness between the Torah and people.
COURTESY TEMPLE EMANUEL OF THE PASCACK VALLEY
The synagogue
shouldnt be the
only focus of
Torah learning,
but it should
be shared with
the home.
RABBI BEN SHULL
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Local
JS-14*
Remembering Esther Manischewitz
HELEN WEISS PINCUS
E
sther Ostrovsky Mani sch-
ewitz, originally of Jerusalem
and then of Teaneck, died on
November 15 at 92. The story
of her life is in many ways the story of
Jewish Teaneck.
Jerusalem-born Esther Ostrovsky was
wrapping up her five-week vacation in
the United States in 1950. Since arriv-
ing in this country, she had spent four
weeks visiting her older brother, Akiva,
in Birmingham, Ala., where he was a
cantor, teacher, and highly respected
Jewish community leader. Surprised and
dismayed by the racial segregation in
Birmingham and aware that this might
be her only opportunity to visit Amer-
ica, Estherke, as her family called her,
decided to visit another part of the coun-
try. She headed to New York, where she
had other relatives.
Born into a pioneering Zionist family
in 1922, Esther, then 25, was certain she
would be returning to Israel. Her brother
Akiva was the only family member who
had left, and he had done so reluctantly.
Parnassah in hazzanut was not that
much in Israel then It wasnt so easy
to earn money as a cantor Esther said
in an interview soon before she died.
Her father, Mordechai, originally from
Pinsk, and her mother, Rachel, from a
small village near that city, both moved
to Israel as children.
My fathers fathers lifes wish was to
live in the Old City, Esther said. But his
wife, Chaya, said she could not leave
her poor in Pinsk. She fed hundreds of
people, who would stand in line next
to her kitchen door. She could not des-
ert them. My grandfather did not want
to leave without her. When Mordechai
was 13, however, his father decided that
although he could not live in Eretz Yis-
rael, at least his two younger sons would
study there. He stayed with the two boys
for seven months and then returned to
his wife and other children.
Her maternal grandfather, Dov Ber
Baiver, a Lubavitch Chassid, also yearned
to live in the Holy Land. The desire was
so strong that he left his wife and five
children, planning to bring them when
he could afford it. During those difficult
times in pre-state Israel, people could not
be overly selective about work. Reb Dov
Ber rolled up his sleeves and sweated
with other pioneers, draining the areas
legendary swamps. Mosquitoes feasted
on the new arrivals. Malaria resulting
from these encounters was frequently
fatal. When Dov Ber was stricken with
the disease, a doctor told him that the
only way to save his life was to get out of
the swamps either return to Europe or
go to Jerusalem.
Leaving Israel was not an option for
the determined Zionist, so, working with
an Arab partner, Dov Ber acquired a flour
mill in Jerusalem. The mill flourished,
and within a year he was able to have his
family join him, settling in the Old City.
Esther does not know how her parents
met, but she remembered her mother
recalling that every day she and her sis-
ters would watch the two brothers walk-
ing to the yeshiva through a narrow alley,
hand in hand.
The Ostrovsky family moved beyond
the Old Citys protective walls when
Esther was two, and with five other
families founded the western Jerusalem
neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe. In that
garden suburb of single family homes
surrounded by greenery, her family
built the house in which Esther grew up.
Named for Moshe Montefiore, the area
was and is home to Merkaz HaRav Kook
Yeshiva and has become a popular reli-
gious community.
Back to Esther, the Israeli tourist was
enjoying her last week in New York when
a chance encounter changed her travel
plans. A cousin and his wife were sailing
into New York and Esther
went to meet them at the
port. Someone else also
was meeting this cousin.
Jacob was a first cousin
of mine, she said. He
came to America several times a year. He
sent me a telegram Please come to the
pier. This was a week before I was sup-
posed to leave.
Jacob was also a first cousin of my
[not yet] mother-in-law, so she sent
her son Bill to meet the boat. Bill got to
them before me and when I came he was
already standing next to Jacob. Turning
to the man next to him, Jacob said, Do
you know who this is?
No, Bill Manischewitz replied. But
Id sure like to!
Thi s, Jacob sai d, i s Estherke
Ostrovsky.
Bill and Esther had met years before,
when his family had sent him to study
in Israel. He was overwhelmed by her
transformation from little girl to grown
woman.
And so Esther Ostrovskys visit to
America was extended.
As Esther Manischewitz, she and her
husband, Bill, helped create the commu-
nity of Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck.
Bills paternal grandfather, Rabbi Dov
Ber Manischewitz of Lithuania, had to
chose between conscription in the Czars
army or a one-way ticket to America. He
went west and arrived in Cincinnati,
where lanzmen from his home town had
settled. In the time-honored tradition of
newcomers, the rabbi earned a living by
peddling.
For Pesach, Rabbi Mani schewitz
baked his own matzot. Apparently his
homemade bread of affliction was deli-
cious, and the Jews in Cincinnati said
Stop peddling and make matzah. The
Manischewitz Company was founded in
1888 in Ohio. In 1932 the company built
a production site in Jersey City, and the
Manischewitz family relocated to New
York.
After Bill and Esther married, they
lived in Manhattan. But in 1953, after the
birth of Leora, their first daughter they
had two other daughters, Ofra Parmett of
Teaneck and Sharon Bills mother sug-
gested that they move out of the city.
A place in New Jersey with the odd
name of Teaneck had a large Conserva-
tive synagogue with an Orthodox rabbi,
and reportedly a breakaway Orthodox
minyan had been started. But when they
moved there, the family found that there
was no such minyan. After eight years of
occasionally going to New York for Shab-
bat, and davening at home with family
and neighbors for Shabbat and the High
Holy Days, the Manischewitzes consid-
ered another move. They intended to buy
Above, Esther Manischewitz spoke at Yeshiva University in
November. At left, a young Esther, and husband Bill. Her
husbands family founded the Manischewitz Company. COURTESY YU
Local
JS-15*
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FIND OUT ABOUT OUR...
a house in Paterson, then home to both the Yavneh
Academy and an Orthodox shul.
And then the dream of founding an Orthodox shul
in Teaneck began to become a reality.
A Yeshiva University-sponsored adult study pro-
gram with classes at Congregation Ahavath Torah
in Englewood and at the Yavneh Academy galva-
nized the five Teaneck families who ultimately cre-
ated Bnai Yeshurun the Grundmans, the Lan-
daus, the Bravermans, the Kopitnikoffs and the
Manischewitzes.
The families asked YU for advice, and Victor Geller
of the Community Service Department arrived with
the formula for creating an Orthodox shul. The first
required component was a place. Lillian Kopitnikoff
volunteered her basement. Then add a sefer Torah.
Bill Manischewitz volunteered to supply one. Then
a minyan appeared, a rabbi was hired, and Bnai
Yeshurun, which was known as Congregation Lils
Basement, began to grow and has kept on growing.
On her 80th birthday, several years ago, her
daughter Ofra described her mother as a role model
for self renewal, inner strength and the ability to
adapt and continue to grow. Esther was modest,
dignified, energetic, and charming, but beneath her
gentle exterior was a Haganah fighter; at 15 she deliv-
ered secret messages under the eyes of the British,
and she learned how to fire and hide weapons.
During Israels War of Independence, Esther did
not fight, but her role was challenging nonetheless.
They gave me a job teaching in a school with only
men, she said. Most of the male teachers were in
the army. I was the only woman with a thousand
men students and teachers.
It is not possible to list all Esthers achievements
and merits, but two cannot be ignored. She created
the local Mizrachi Women group, the Sinai Chapter,
and was its first president. (Mizrachi Women now
is known as Amit Women.) Esther also gets credit
for naming Bnai Yeshurun. The main shul in Jeru-
salem in my time was Yeshurun, she said. That ele-
gant Yeshurun Central Synagogue, founded in 1923,
became a beacon of religious Zionism.
Although she did not live in her beloved birth-
place, Esther Manischewitz had a key role in creat-
ing a vibrant and impressive Orthodox community
strongly united with Israel.
A longer version of this story appear in Yediot
Yeshurun, the bulletin of Congregation Bnai
Yeshurun.
Above, Esther Manischewitz spoke at Yeshiva University in
November. At left, a young Esther, and husband Bill. Her
husbands family founded the Manischewitz Company. COURTESY YU
Esther was modest,
dignied, energetic,
and charming, but
beneath her gentle
exterior was a
Haganah fighter; at 15
she delivered secret
messages under the
eyes of the British, and
she learned how to re
and hide weapons.
Local
JS-16*
Herring fest!
Local shul offers fishy delicacies
HEIDI MAE BRATT
F
or my father, no meal could start
without a foreshpise of herring.
He married the glistening
piece of bony fish with a slice
of raw onion and tomato, and laid it onto
small piece of well-done rye toast. A bite
or two of herring was chased with a few
thimblefuls of vodka.
Herring was not just a fish in our home.
It was a lifestyle.
Nostalgia for that way of life will share
the stage with nouvelle cuisine in an eve-
ning in which a dizzying and mouth-water-
ing array of herrings will be showcased at
the 2013 Bergen County Herring Festival
tomorrow night at Congregation Netivot
Shalom in Teaneck.
Its held every two years, and its really
a fun event, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot said
of the shul fundraiser. Most of the pro-
ceeds go to his modern Orthodox con-
gregation; 10 percent is donated to the
Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corp.
People come from all over Bergen
County and New York City and else-
where and sample different gourmet her-
rings from several purveyors, said Rabbi
Helfgot, who admits to being a fan of a
newfangled flavor, garlic-infused herring.
Shul members Jonathan Shore and Noah
Rothblatt, who have organized the festival,
say theres something there for aficionados
and newbies, alike.
We had a van come in last year from
Connecticut, said Mr. Shore, a self-
described foodie. And quite a number
of our guests are young, in their 30s. This
year, I think that our vendors have really
stepped up their game and are taking this
very seriously.
That is entirely true, said Stuart Kahan,
co-owner of Maadan in Teaneck. He is
planning on bringing about 60 pounds
of herring to the festival, including such
varieties as mustard flavored herring;
spicy herring with a chipotle kick; shtiglitz,
a pareve variety of the popular herring
in cream sauce; herring in pesto; garlic-
infused herring, and a few other top-secret
varieties that Mr. Kahan has created and
will unveil at the festival.
They are a surprise, he said, adding
that the soon-to-be-revealed varieties will
be available at the store.
At Teanecks Essex and Grand, deli man-
ager Yitz Stern says he is very excited about
the stores participation in the festival. Mr.
Stern also will bring about 60 pounds of
the fish, in varieties that include matjes,
schmaltz, Texas-style, wasabi and haba-
nera, Danish, and Dijon mustard sauce.
A third vendor, the Brooklyn-based
Schwartzs, also will be on hand so guests
may sample herrings including matjes and
schmaltz.
In addition to the spectrum of herrings,
guests will also have the chance to sample
premium vodkas and single-malt scotches.
There also will be tastes of smoked salmon
and roes, all accompanied with breads,
olives, potatoes, beets, and hard-boiled
eggs in the traditional Finnish style.
For those who long for the past, an old
school table will remind everyone of their
fathers and grandfathers kiddushes, with
such staples as old-style schmaltz herring
with the bones in.
This, the third Bergen County Herring
Festival, grew out of the typical Shabbat
kiddush, which Mr. Shore had helped to
set up each week. He started bringing in
a variety of herrings he found when he
worked on the Lower East Side.
The idea to go bigger, better, and
upscale was conceived after one of his kid-
dush colleagues read a New Yorker article
about a chi-chi herring tasting event in a
Manhattan penthouse put on by Russ and
Daughters, the Lower East Side appetizing
icon. Et voila! The Bergen County Herring
Festival was born.
Nearly 100 people came to last years
festival, and organizers are hoping for
even more herring lovers this time around.
Herring Fun Facts
Where does the term red herring come
from?
Probably from herrings that are kip-
pered by smoking and salting until they
turn reddish-brown. Before refrigeration,
kipper was known for being strongly pun-
gent. In 1807, William Cobbett wrote about
how he used red herrings to lay a false trail
as he trained hunting dogs.
Characterized by a small head and
bright, sleek, silvery body, herring fish
are widely found in the shallow waters of
North Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Herrings have a life expectancy of 12 to
16 years. The Southern herring can live up
to 23 to 25 years.
Herrings have been a significant source
of staple food for human beings since
3000 B.C.E.
It can be eaten fermented, pickled,
smoked, cured, or raw. Herrings also are
used for manufacturing fish oil. They
serve as a good source of vitamin D and
omega-3 fatty acids.
What: 2013 Bergen County Herring Festival
When: Saturday, December 14, 8:30 to 11 p.m.
Where: Congregation Netivot Shalom, 811 Palisade Ave., Teaneck,
201-801-9022
How: Admission is $50. For reservations or more information, email
herringfestival@gmail.com. Or just show up with your appetite.
Herring can tempt the taste buds whether it is fermented, pickled, smoked, cured, or eaten raw.
Guests will
also have the
chance to sample
premium vodkas
and single-malt
scotches.
Local
JS-17*
Registration
open for Norpac
mission
Norpac offers special early bird rates
for its mission to Washington, D.C., on
Wednesday, April 30. The trip includes
small group meetings with members of
Congress, roundtrip transportation,
and glatt kosher breakfast, lunch, and
dinner.
Laurie Baumel, Richard Schlussel,
and David Steinberg are mission
chairs. For information, call (201) 788-
5133 or go to www.norpac.net.
Middle States grants accreditation to Yavneh Academy
Yavneh Academy was granted accredita-
tion by the prestigious Middle States Asso-
ciation of Colleges and Schools at its recent
meeting in Philadelphia. In its summary
report, Middle States noted that Yavneh
met or exceeded each of the bodys 12
standards. The entire Yavneh commu-
nity the faculty, staff, administration,
students, parents, and board members
collaborated on the protocol, Designing
Our Future. The accreditation process
resulted in an extensive, introspective self-
study, a four-day visit by a team of Middle
States educators, and setting future goals.
Under the guidance of head of school
Rabbi Jonathan Knapp and retired
associate principal Elaine Weisfeld, who
was internal coordinator, the Yavneh
community examined every facet of the
school and its programs. The Middle
States report specifically commends
the variety of courses, programs, and
activities designed to meet the varied
needs of the students, the newly codified
mission and belief statements, the open
lines of communication among the
stakeholders, and the fact that Yavneh is
already addressing the next step of the
accreditation process, achieving the goals
set in Designing Our Future.
COURTESY YAVNEH
Wayne shul
lists service times
Congregation Shomrei Torah, the
Wayne Conservative synagogue, con-
ducts services at 9:30 a.m. on Shabbat
mornings (9 a.m. on holidays). On the
first and third Fridays of the month,
it offers Wine & Welcome oneg Shab-
bat at 5:30 p.m., with services at 6.
Services on the second Friday of the
month are at 8, with either a speaker or
a Jewish journey theme. There is also a
Shabbat dinner on the third Friday fol-
lowing services. Every fourth Friday,
there is a musical Shabbat service at 8.
For information, call (973) 696-2500,
go to www.shomreitorahwcc.org, or
email office@shomreitorahwcc.org.
Sari Ort zl
Davidi Perl Shani Sim
PHOTOS COURTESY JNF
JNF Fair Lawn
breakfast
Jewish National Fund hosts a community
breakfast at Congregation Shomrei Torah
in Fair Lawn on Sunday from 9:30 to
11 a.m.
Mayor Davidi Perl of Gush Etzion and
Shani Abrams Simkowitz, director of
the Gush Etzion Foundation, are guest
speakers. Michael Bodner, JNF board
member, is the event chair.
All are welcome to the free breakfast.
Funds raised at the event will benefit
JNFs special campaign in support of
the revitalization of the Gush Etzion
Visitor Center at Kibbutz Kfar Etzion. For
information, call (973) 593-0095, ext. 823,
or email jinglis@jnf.org.
Record number attend Ohel gala
More than 1,225 guests and
elected officials attended
Ohels 44th annual gala, this
year called Ohel Sees the
Star in Everyone, at the New
York Marriott Marquis on
November 24.
The honorees were New
York St at es Governor
Andrew Cuomo; its Assembly
speaker, Sheldon Silver; New
York City Mayor-elect Bill
de Blasio, and U.S. Senator
Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).
For more than 44 years,
Ohel has provided programs
and services inspired by
the principle that every
person counts and deserves to
be a cherished member of the
community.
Ohel services include a foster care
program, domestic abuse shelters,
residential facilities, Camp Kaylie,
programs for the siblings of children
with developmental disabilities, and
employment services.
The guests of honor, Chani and
Jay Kestenbaum, have been friends
of Ohel for more than 20 years.
Their latest contribution to Ohel
will help continue to enable seven
men with disabilities to live happy,
successful lives in the newly named
Kestenbaum Family Residence in
Lawrence, N.Y.
Domeni ck A. Cama, seni or
executive vice president/COO of
Investors Bank, was the corporate
honoree. Two All Stars of Camp
Kaylie, Ohels premiere summer
camp Nina Bernheim, daughter
of Malkie and Josh Bernheim of
Bergenfield, and Malkie Rubin,
daughter of Tzivia and Yossie Rubin
of Teaneck, also were celebrated.
Ohel golf committee chairs were
honored for 10 years of hard work
and sold out golf events.
Gala videos are posted at www.
ohelfamily.org. To support Ohel, call
(718) 972-9338.
Malkie Rubin and Nina Bernheim
COURTESY OHEL
www.jstandard.com
Chai Lifeline gala
set for Dec. 18
This years Chai Lifeline annual gala,
The Roads to Healing, is set for
December 18. Charlie Harary will be
the master of ceremonies at the event
at Manhattans Marriott Marquis begin-
ning with a reception at 6 p.m., fol-
lowed by dinner at 7:15.
The event also celebrates the
dedication of the Friends N Fun
Weekends, and is in memory of Sari
Ort.
For information, call (212) 699-6658
or www.chaidinner.org.
Editorial
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Publisher
James L. Janoff
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Marcia Garfinkle
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Editor
Joanne Palmer
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Guide/Gallery Editor
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Phil Jacobs
Correspondents
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Abigail K. Leichman
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About Our Children Editor
Heidi Mae Bratt
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Founder
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City Editor
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Editorial Consultant
Max Milians (1908-2005)
Secretary
Ceil Wolf (1914-2008)
Editor Emerita
Rebecca Kaplan Boroson
Misplaced frugality
I
t would be wrong to say that
Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-
yahus profligate ways are the
stuff of legend, because there is
nothing legendary about the lavish life-
style he expects the State of Israel to
treat him to as its head of government.
Thats despite the fact that Israel is run-
ning a nearly $12 billion deficit and his
government recently raised taxes and
cut funding for childrens needs.
According to a report reluctantly
released in May, Mr. Netanyahu and his
wife, Sara, spent more than $1.5 mil-
lion on their two residences the offi-
cial one in Jerusalem and their private
home in Caesarea in 2012. The amount
included, among other things, about
$19,500 for hairdressing and makeup,
and $360,000 for cleaning and main-
tenance. It also included $2,800 for a
steady supply of pistachio and vanilla
ice cream from Mr. Netanyahus favor-
ite parlor, Metudela, which is near his
official residence in Jerusalem. That
expenditure belatedly came off of this
years budget, but only after an Israeli
economic newspaper reported on it.
When he flew to London in April for
the funeral of the late former prime
minister Lady Margaret Thatcher, a
journey of less than five hours, Mr.
Netanyahu nevertheless felt the need
to install a bedroom with a double
bed on the chartered plane the gov-
ernment hired at an added cost of
$141,000. (He could have saved money
by booking the Royal Suite at Londons
Lanesborough Hotel for $17,600 a night,
including 24-hour butlers service and
a view of the gardens of Buckingham
Palace.)
Yet when it came to joining other
world leaders at Tuesdays memorial
service for Nelson Mandela, one of the
greatest figures of our time, accord-
ing to Mr. Netanyahu, he neverthe-
less announced that he would not go
because it cost too much.
To be sure, Mr. Mandela was no sup-
porter of Israels presence on the west
bank (our freedom is incomplete with-
out the freedom of the Palestinians, he
told a South African audience in 1997),
but he also recognized that Israel could
not risk the security of its people. I
cannot conceive of Israel withdrawing
if Arab states do not recognize Israel
within secure borders, he said during
his 1999 visit to the Jewish state.
In Long Walk to Freedom, his
autobiography, he wrote that Jews are
more broad-minded than most whites
on issues of race and politics, perhaps
because they themselves have histori-
cally been victims of prejudice.
It is no wonder, then, that South
Africas Jewish community held its own
memorial service on Sunday night, or
that Rabbi Norman Bernhard, who has
been out of public view for many years
because of serious illness, rose from his
sickbed to attend.
It is no wonder that South Africas
chief rabbi, Warren Goldstein, deliv-
ered the opening prayer at Tuesdays
official memorial service. Likening the
late South African leader to the bibli-
cal Joseph, who also rose from prison
to lead a nation, Rabbi Goldstein said,
Nelson Mandela spoke to our hearts.
He brought us comfort. And through
his mighty power of forgiveness he sus-
tained us, and liberated our country
from the pit of prejudice and injustice,
unleashing the awesome generosity of
spirit of millions of South Africans.
It is no wonder, as well, that South
African Jews feel a profound sense of
disappointment and even some anger
at Mr. Netanyahus decision.
In many ways, Israels prime minis-
ter let an important opportunity slip
by when he decided that like ice cream
from Metudela, Mr. Mandelas memo-
rial service was one expense too many.
TRUTH REGARDLESS
OF CONSEQUENCES
The death
of privacy
T
his column is an end-of-year obituary.
It mourns the death of privacy.
Privacy died in 2013. It was on its
deathbed for years but this year it
finally succumbed.
Not because more teenagers than ever are
posting pictures of their bodies on Facebook,
although they are. And not because adults are
posting sex tapes on the web, although that
has become the surest road to celebrity. And
not even because more everyday people are
confessing their most embarrassing behavior
on reality TV shows, although that too has
become mainstream.
Rather, we discovered that privacy had
finally kicked the bucket in 2013 when the
wor l d l ear ned,
through Edward
Snowden and oth-
ers, t hat we re
spied on, by the
NSA and foreign
governments, every
time we scratch our
buttocks and we
all just shrugged.
No one gave a
damn. The biggest
revelations about
government moni-
toring our phone calls, tracking our move-
ments, monitoring our purchases, and follow-
ing our texts produced only a collective yawn.
No big deal. No one even felt violated. Heck,
were revealing all that stuff voluntarily.
Does it matter that we no longer value pri-
vacy? Are there consequences for a society
that can no longer distinguish between the
public and the private? Will it change a wom-
ans relationship when she posts pictures of
herself and her boyfriend in intimate settings
for the whole world to see?
Yes, yes, and yes.
The very first casualty of the loss of privacy
is the loss of intimacy. In the same way you
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach of Englewood has
written 29 books. His most recent, Kosher
Lust, is due out soon
JS-18*
Angst in Montreal
Just five and a half hours away by car
from our offices in Teaneck, the Jewish
community of Montreal is uneasy about
its future. It has been worrying since
1976, when the xenophobic center-left
separatist Parti Qubcois first came
to power. (The PQ now is a minority
party.)
The PQ has proposed a Charter of
Quebec Values that takes aim, among
other things, at the wearing of religious
head coverings, including kippot. The
pquistes, as party loyalists are called,
would prohibit all civil employees and
medical personnel from wearing the
banned head coverings while at work.
This is only the latest manifestation
of the problem. Since 1976, as many
as 40,000 Jews left Quebec because of
their unease over the PQs anti-minor-
ity tendencies; some of these Quebec
ex-pats now live in northern New Jersey.
Montreal itself lost nearly one-fourth
of its Jewish population in the 10 years
between 1991, when its Jewish popula-
tion peaked, and 2001.
The PQ now is fielding a candidate
named Tania Longpre in a special
election for a parliamentary seat in a
Montreal neighborhood. Ms. Longpre
recently came under fire for positions
she expressed in 2011 favoring a ban on
ritual circumcision and removing the
word Jewish from Montreals Jewish
General Hospital because it receives
provincial funding. She insists she no
longer holds either position, but that
the PQ would choose someone who
held such views in the past is disturbing.
The values measure now is before
Quebecs parliament. Montreal Jewish
General Hospital has said it will defy
the head coverings ban if it does pass,
and the Jewish community has joined
with Muslims and Sikhs in opposing
it. It is doubtful that the PQ can mus-
ter enough votes to win the measures
passage this time around, but that is
not very comforting to the Jews of Que-
bec, to the Montreal ex-pats living in our
area, or to us.
Rabbi
Shmuley
Boteach
Op-Ed
cant have an intimate moment in a public place,
you cant have an intimate relationship when all of
you has become public.
Relationships thrive on intimacy. Whether its
the physical intimacy of husband and wife, the
emotional intimacy of mother and child, a secret
shared between friends, or a private confession
from man to God, relationships rely on the inti-
mate connection that can only be created via
exclusivity. If nothing is private than everything is
public. And if everything is public, then nothing
is special.
The special things in life are those that are hid-
den away from the world in our innermost sanc-
tum, shared only on special occasions, in special
settings, and with special people.
This is true of all of our lives. Does the whole
world need to know you hate your father, and can
the relationship ever improve if so many strangers
have crowded in? Is it really anyones business that
the reason that you got divorced is that your hus-
band had out-of-control halitosis, and is the world
ennobled with that information?
Make no mistake I love social media. Twitter
gives me the ability to share my thoughts on val-
ues, items in the news, and religious and political
life. Facebook allows me to interact with people
all over the world. It also allows me to share public
family occasions and I am a great believer in pro-
moting the integrity of the family. The TV show I
hosted on TLC, Shalom in the Home, was focused
on fixing families in crisis, and I was immensely
proud of the show because it was not exploit-
ative. There were many occasions where families
revealed troubling truths that would have helped
our ratings. But we edited it out of the final version
because the revelation would hinder their healing.
But I need to always ask myself, as do you,
whether what Im sharing with the public is truly
public, or whether, exposed to communal glare, it
will be like a negative destroyed by too much light,
or a precious flower exposed too long to the suns
rays.
The Kabbalah Center promotes a red string to
ward off the evil eye. Does anyone really believe
a silly yarn about a piece of yarn? The evil eye is
not a mystical concept or a superstition. Judaism
doesnt deal with furry rabbits feet. Rather its a
moral concept. If people see you flaunting your
success its going to make them feel like failures.
It will create envy. The solution is to try and be as
modest about our blessings as possible.
All of us comprise two dimensions, the public
and the private. Public life has its virtues. We dont
want our children marrying only among family. We
dont want to celebrate our birthdays and have our
friends forget. It can be lonely to work from home
alone, just as it can be exhilarating sitting with 50
thousand fans, complete strangers, cheering for
the same team at a football game. But then there
are the aspects of our lives that are supposed to
be shared only in an intimate circle, or even with
a single person.
Perhaps as a new years resolution for 2014 we
can attempt to breath some life into the rotting
carcass of privacy and reclaim the part of us that
is exclusive and intimate.
And lets give our government the same message.
The only entity that is supposed to be all-seeing
and all-knowing is God
JS-19*
Be who you are
How to be Jewish in rural Pennsylvania
I
was accepted to Kutztown University in Feb-
ruary of 2013. It was a dream come true; it
was the only school where I could imagine
myself spending my college years. But there
was one problem: fewer than one percent of Kutz-
town students are Jewish.
Coming from northern New Jersey, I always
have been surrounded by a strong Jewish com-
munity. All of my closest friends have been Jew-
ish. What would happen when I lost this support
system?
My mind would wander to a story my grand-
mother told me about her first year of college.
Granted, it was the nineteen fifties, but hey, isnt being
out in the country like time travel? They have horses and
buggies.
My grandmother went to school in Saratoga Springs.
When she told her roommate that she was Jewish, her room-
mate responded by asking if my grandmother would allow
her to touch her horns. I certainly did not want to have to
deal with that experience when I started college.
Being Jewish felt almost like a liability.
I was worried, afraid of how I would be accepted. Its
hard enough to make friends, and the less you have in com-
mon with someone, the harder it can be. I decided quickly
that being that Jewish girl from New Jersey quickly would
become my identity. It is who I am, and who I always was.
I arrived at Kutztown in late August, anxious as ever, eyes
still swollen with tears from the previous night, and a stom-
ach aching with nerves. I unpacked, said goodbye to my par-
ents, and there I was. Trapped among strangers. What I had
forgotten, though, was that everyone else was in the exact
same situation as I was (minus the religious identity crisis).
My neighbors were incredibly friendly, and we quickly
became close friends. We found common interests and ties
that connected us. I had been so silly the fact that I was
Jewish didnt matter to them, just as the fact that my friends
were Christian did not bother me. I couldnt believe that
I had been the closed-minded one, assuming that others
would not be accepting. The stress of going somewhere new
elevated such a minor issue into something all-consuming.
It was absurd.
Something else I have learned since coming to Kutztown:
being Jewish is like being a unicorn. Sud-
denly, I am a rare commodity. Judaism and
its traditions are fascinating to my new
friends.
When it was Rosh Hashanah, I received a
care package of apples and honey from my
family. To be able to share such an uncom-
mon tradition with my friends is a moment
I will never forget. We listened to Jewish
music, noshed on the holiday treats, and
even listened to the sounds of the shofar
via YouTube. It certainly was a unique Rosh
Hashanah experience.
The following evening, we performed tashlich. After fin-
ishing dinner at the dining hall, my friends and I stuffed
slices of bread into our pockets. We made our way to the
schools only moving body of water, the fountain on the
north side of campus. Together, we cast off our sins, and
even though a dog playing in the fountain started eating the
soggy crumbs, a bond was made.
It seems that I really have made quite an impression on
my group of friends. My newfound uniqueness has become
an opportunity to teach. It always surprises me when I hear
one of my friends throw a little Yiddish into their everyday
vocabulary. Just the other day, I heard one of my friends
state matter-of-factly, He is such a schlemiel. I could hardly
believe that a nice Catholic girl from the Poconos said that.
Looking back, I cannot believe what a wreck I was over
something so absolutely unnecessary. I had been so con-
sumed with the fear of not being accepted that I forgot to
be open.
Everyone who starts college is trying to fit in, but it is so
important to remember to be yourself. It is the easiest way
to face new experiences.
We all have assets and it is essential that we all learn to
recognize this. Whether you are trying something new or
moving to rural Pennsylvania, be who you are. Be aware
that you too have something unique to bring to the table.
Laura Seltzer is a freshman at Kutztown University of
Pennsylvania, where she is majoring in art education. She
grew up in Wayne, attending Shomrei Torah, the Wayne
Conservative Congregation.
Laura
Seltzer
Through the front door
Opening our synagogues to people with disabilities
Twice a month, Shira walks into her synagogue with her
daughter.
She feels that they should be there. She feels that they
could belong there one day.
But she walks in the side entrance, into the school build-
ing, not the main sanctuary. And she walks straight into the
assigned classroom, without interacting with others.
Once she is in the classroom, she has the most amazing
two hours with her family. They experience a wonderful ser-
vice for families who have kids with disabilities. They sing,
pray, hear Torah stories, and read the Torah together.
And then she walks out of the building with her family
and goes home, again through the side door.
Shira and her family have a magical time every two weeks
for two hours, but synagogue life is more than that. If a
synagogue is about creating holy
spaces for people to gather and
connect, than missing a family
like Shiras pierces a hole in that
holiness.
Making our synagogues more
accessible to people with dis-
abilities is more than just about
creating new programs and new
opportunities. It is about more than building a ramp up to
the bimah. To create an inclusive synagogue, we have to
think beyond programming, physical structure, and per-
sonnel, and push ourselves to create cultural and attitudi-
nal change.
Elana
Naftalin-
Kelman
SEE FRONT DOOR PAGE 20
Op-Ed
JS-20*
Nelson Mandela and Zionism
S
ince Nelson Mandelas death
on December 5, there has been
much reflection on his life and
legacy. We can anticipate a febrile
exchange over his true views on Israel and
the Middle East in the coming weeks.
We shouldnt underestimate the signifi-
cance of such a debate. The former South
African president has entered the pan-
theon of 20th-century figures who exer-
cised extraordinary influence
over global events, touching
the lives of ordinary mortals
in the process.
In the 1940s, many Britons
could tell you exactly where
they were when Churchill
delivered his famous blood,
sweat and tears speech to
the House of Commons; in
the 1960s, it was hard to find
an American who couldnt
remember his or her pre-
cise location when the news
of Kennedys assassination came through;
and in the 1990s, it seemed, at least to
me, that absolutely everyone could recall
what they were doing at the moment the
world learned that Mandela had been
released after serving 27 years in a South
African jail.
I certainly remember where I was on
February 11, 1990, when Mandela finally
left prison. Along with thousands of oth-
ers, I stood at the gates of the South Afri-
can embassy in London, an imposing edi-
fice on the eastern side of Trafalgar Square.
During my late teens, Id become a regular
attendee at rallies and protests outside the
embassy demanding Mandelas release. I
can still hear the joyous roar of the crowd
gathered around me, as we celebrated the
fact that Mandela was no longer a prisoner
of the apartheid regime.
Before thi s account gets overly
saccharine, I should add that not every
opponent of apartheid was a consistent
advocate of democracy elsewhere in the
world. Many of the protestors around me
were, frankly, diehard Stalinists. And while
they accurately perceived the monstrosity
that was apartheid, they were only too
happy to excuse the brutal crimes of the
Soviet Union and its satellite states. They
had copious words of condemnation for
the white minority regime
in Pretoria, but they rolled
their eyes in irritation at the
suggestion that the Soviet
KGB, the East German Stasi,
and the Romanian Securitate
were just as bad, if not worse.
Indeed, I couldnt help think-
ing that they regarded Man-
delas release as welcome
relief from the gloom that set
in when communism unrav-
eled around the same time.
Which brings me to the
question of Mandelas political legacy.
There will be no shortage of platitudes
on the left about Mandelas nonetheless
heartfelt commitment to racial tolerance,
painstaking negotiation, and civil disobe-
dience in the face of injustice. Equally,
many on the right will accurately recall
that Mandelas African National Congress
was closely aligned with the Soviet Union
and with a host of thoroughly unpleas-
ant terrorist organizations, like the PLO,
who dressed themselves up as libera-
tion movements. As a recipient of both
the Soviet Order of Lenin and the Amer-
ican Presidential Medal of Freedom, it
might be said that Mandela embodied this
contradiction.
Still, Mandela was no orthodox leftist.
In his autobiography, he discusses how
he was strongly influenced by the Atlan-
tic Charter of 1941, a mission statement
shaped by the visions of Churchill and
FDR for a post-war order in which free-
dom would reign, fear and want would
be banished, and self-government would
emerge as a core principle. Elsewhere
in the book, he takes care to distinguish
the African nationalism he subscribed
to from the communist beliefs that pre-
vailed among those he worked with and
his understanding of nationalism bears a
close resemblance to the national move-
ments that surfaced in Europe at the
end of the nineteenth century, including
Zionism.
This latter point is important because
there is a widespread misapprehension
that Mandela was an opponent of Zion-
ism and Israel. In part, thats because
a mischievous letter linking Israel with
apartheid, purportedly written by Man-
dela, went viral on the Internet. (In fact,
the real author was a Palestinian activist
named Arjan el Fassed, who later claimed
that his fabrication nevertheless reflected
Mandelas true feelings.) Yet its also true
that in the Cold War conditions of the
time, the ANCs main allies alongside the
Soviets were Arab and third-world dicta-
tors like Ahmed Ben Bella in Algeria and
Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt. The confu-
sion is further stirred by the enthusiasm
of some of Mandelas comrades, like Arch-
bishop Desmond Tutu, to share the South
African franchise on the word apartheid
with the Palestinians.
But those activists who want to make
the Palestinian cause the 21st-century
equivalent of the movement that opposed
South African apartheid in the 20th cen-
tury will assuming they conform to basic
standards of honesty find it very difficult
to invoke Mandela as support. Mandelas
memoirs are full of positive references to
Jews, and even to Israel. He recalls that he
learned about guerilla warfare not from
Fidel Castro but from Arthur Goldreich, a
South African Jew who fought with the Pal-
mach during Israels War of Independence.
He relates the anecdote that the only air-
line willing to fly his friend Walter Sisulu
to Europe without a passport was Israels
own El Al. And the ultimate smoking gun
the equation of Israels democracy with
apartheid doesnt exist.
Mandela once wrote that Jews, in his
experience, were far more sensitive about
race because of their own history. Now, it
is absolutely true that there are parallels
between the oppression suffered by South
African blacks under racist white rulers,
and Jews living under hostile non-Jewish
rulers. The notorious Group Areas Act,
which restricted black residency rights,
brings to mind the enforced separation
of Jews into the Pale of Settlement by the
Russian Empress Catherine in 1791. Many
of the other apartheid regulations, like
the ban on sexual relationships between
whites and blacks, carried echoes of the
Nazi Nuremburg Laws of 1935.
Mandelas diagnosis was that Africans
should be the sovereigns of their own des-
tiny. Similarly, the founders of Zionism
wanted nothing less for the Jews.
Sadly, none of that will stop todays
advocates of the boycott, divestment, and
sanctions movement from falsely claiming
Nelson Mandela as one of their own. But
the truth is subtler than that. Mandelas
complicated legacy doesnt really belong
to any political stream and that is one
more reason to admire him.
JNS.ORG
Ben Cohen, JNSs Shillman analyst, writes
about Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern
politics. His work has been published in
Commentary, the New York Post, Haaretz,
Jewish Ideas Daily, and many other
publications.
Ben
Cohen
We have to think about how the mem-
bers of our community are now, who are
not members and deserve to be, and why
those people cannot gain access to it. We
must recognize that in order to be a truly
holy community, all kinds of people must
be equally represented and equally hon-
ored as contributing and critically impor-
tant members.
Up until now, most synagogues that
have done something to address the need
have solved it by thinking episodically and
reactively.
Episodically, in that they create lovely
one-time programming. Maybe it is once
a month, maybe its four times a year, but
more often than not the program does not
support the participants to move beyond
it to reach any other aspects of synagogue
life.
And they have been reactive. Most pro-
grams have started because a mother,
father, grandmother, or friend has advo-
cated for a specific program or the modi-
fication of an existing program so that it
could support their family member better.
The synagogue has waited to get the knock
on the door before its leaders have started
to reflect on their own ability to reach all
members and potential members of their
community.
So how can our synagogues be more
inclusive of people with disabilities? Here
are three important but uncomplicated
ideas:
1. Be proactive. Look around your syn-
agogue. Who should be there but is not?
What is it about this service/program/
event that might not be accessible? Is there
a ramp? Is there sign language interpreta-
tion? Is the community welcoming and
inviting to people of all abilities? Plan for
the people who might never come, hoping
that one day they might.
2. Think holistically and systemically.
How can you make a cultural shift so that
you no longer have to work at being inclu-
sive, because you simply are? How can
you engage in deep conversations about
who is not at your table, to assure that one
day everyone can be? This way of think-
ing should become part of the fabric of the
community as a whole.
3. Be thoughtful, deliberate, and consis-
tent. On all levels of institutional life, think
about what can be done to assure inclu-
sion of all types of people. Should the front
desk guards be trained? Does the person
who answers the phone know about avail-
able resources? Should inclusive language
be required on all emails and flyers?
Ensure that next time Shira and her fam-
ily go to synagogue, they can walk proudly
in the front door, daven with the whole
community, join everyone at kiddush, and
take part in the family Friday night service
and the Hebrew school too. Shira and her
family should be celebrated and welcomed
for their abilities, and recognized as valu-
able members of their community.
EJEWISH PHILANTHROPY
Elana Naftalin-Kelman, the Ruderman
Fellow of the Joshua Venture Group and a
member of Upstart Bay Area, is the founder
and executive director of Rosh Pina and
the Tikvah director at Camp Ramah in
California.
Front door
FROM PAGE 19
Letters
JS-21
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who answers the phone know about avail-
able resources? Should inclusive language
be required on all emails and flyers?
Ensure that next time Shira and her fam-
ily go to synagogue, they can walk proudly
in the front door, daven with the whole
community, join everyone at kiddush, and
take part in the family Friday night service
and the Hebrew school too. Shira and her
family should be celebrated and welcomed
for their abilities, and recognized as valu-
able members of their community.
EJEWISH PHILANTHROPY
Elana Naftalin-Kelman, the Ruderman
Fellow of the Joshua Venture Group and a
member of Upstart Bay Area, is the founder
and executive director of Rosh Pina and
the Tikvah director at Camp Ramah in
California.
Purim in December?
I read the op ed by Rabbi Kerry Olitsky
and Dr. Steven M. Cohen (Conversion
shouldnt be the only path to joining the
Jewish people, December 6). Then I
reread it. And read it again. My only con-
clusion was that it must have been a part of
a Purimspiel that became separated from
the larger program. But still: Why Purim
in December?
Stephen Sidorsky
River Edge
Messianics are not Jews
Shame on you for printing a mislead-
ing propaganda article for a missionary
organization (Messianic Jews want in,
November 22).
First of all, the article accepted at face
value that there are 20,000 members of
the Union of Messianic Jewish Congre-
gation. How does the author know that?
Many of the so-called congregations are
either storefronts or paper organizations.
Many of its members are not Jewish.
Secondly, who is this Professor Ariel
who is championing this organization?
Who are the federations who know-
ingly permit so called Messianic Jews to
participate in Federation activities? I do
not know of any.
Jews who accept Jesus as their messiah
cannot be in any way part of the Jewish
people. Acceptance of Jesus makes the last
two thousand years totally irrelevant and
makes a mockery of Jewish martyrdom.
The very fact the spokesman for this orga-
nization can make this claim indicates that
our community has done a lousy job of self
definition.
What was left out of this article is why
Jews resent proselytization. The reason
is that the bulk of identifying Jews have
a strong sense that they are heirs to reli-
gious, cultural, and historic heritage,
whatever their level of observance is. To
tell the Jew he must accept Jesus devalues
that heritage. Other non-Christian believ-
ers have the same reaction.
Alan Levin
Fair Lawn
Jews who accept Jesus are not Jewish. If
they are considered Jewish, then so are
Christians who celebrate Easter with
seders.
Deb Herman
Weehawken
Conserving Orthodox unity
In his letter, Applying standards consis-
tently, (November 29) Aaron Friedman
objects to my letter of November 22 (Too
open to be Orthodox,) urging Aaron
Mlotek and his fellow students at Yeshivat
Chovevei Torah to confront their leader-
ship in order to conserve a modicum of
unity in the modern Orthodox community.
Unfortunately, he entirely misses the
essence of my letter, or worse, deliber-
ately obfuscates the seriousness of the
issue at hand, when he cites examples of
what he claims are similar issues at other
organizations and institutions that are not
dealt with properly. The examples he cited
relate to alleged accusations of bad judg-
ment, shortsightedness, or worse, but
do not reflect changes in basic Orthodox
ideology or theology. In other words, the
institutions and organizations referred
to did not condone sexual abuse or per-
mit homosexual behavior or allow mixed
seating in the synagogue. In contrast, as I
wrote in my original letter, Yeshivat Cho-
vevei Torah and the open Orthodox move-
ment have not clarified their stance on
issues that relate to fundamental beliefs
that underlie and define Orthodoxy.
We must rise above mudslinging and
realize what is at stake. Given that Mr.
Friedman identifies himself as having close
personal connections to YCT, I implore
him to join the ranks of the students in urg-
ing their leadership to clarify where they
stand, before it is too late, in order that the
open Orthodox remain within our existing
modern Orthodox community.
Israel Polak
Teaneck
From the publisher
We are part of a diverse community with a wide range of views on many issues.
The views reflected in the opinion columns and letters we publish do not neces-
sarily reflect our own views, or the views of most of the community; they do
reflect the range of beliefs both in our community and the larger Jewish world.
We welcome your letters; we will publish them, edited for style and space, if we
can. Send them to jstandardletters@gmail.com.
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www.jstandard.com
U.S. talk of framework
agreement roils Palestinians
RON KAMPEAS
WASHINGTON Amid simmering tensions over Iran
policy, the Obama and Netanyahu governments appear
to have quietly forged common ground in recent weeks
on Israeli-Palestinian talks, with the United States
accepting that a possible framework agreement might
not address every outstanding issue in the negotiations.
Such an agreement, the United States and Israel seem
to agree, would maintain a role for Israel in providing
for its security, presumably by maintaining some form
of military presence in the west bank.
Whats not clear is if the Palestinians will go along.
As recently as October, Martin Indyk, the lead Ameri-
can peace negotiator, told J Street that an interim agree-
ment was not in the cards. The objective, he told the
liberal Israel policy group, was a final-status agreement.
Yet over the weekend, addressing the annual Saban
Forum in Washington, President Obama and Secretary
of State John Kerry each suggested there would be a mid-
dle phase aimed at addressing Israels lingering security
concerns.
I think it is possible over the next several months to
arrive at a framework that does not address every sin-
gle detail but gets us to a point where everybody recog-
nizes better to move forward than move backwards, Mr.
Obama told the annual forum on Saturday.
We have spent a lot of time working with Prime Min-
ister Netanyahu and his entire team to understand from
an Israeli perspective what is required for the security
of Israel in such a scenario, he said.
Mr. Netanyahus comments to the forum, delivered
the next day via satellite, reiterated Israels longstand-
ing position that under any agreement, it must retain the
ability to provide for its own security.
I think that any kind of peace well have is likely, ini-
tially at least, to be a cold peace, Mr. Netanyahu said.
So there must be ironclad security arrangements to
protect the peace, arrangements that allow Israel to
defend itself by itself against any possible threat. And
those arrangements must be based on Israels own
forces.
For years, the question of Israels long-term security
presence in the west bank has dogged attempts by Israel
and the Palestinians to return to peace talks. Israel long
has maintained that it must retain a security corridor in
the Jordan Valley. Palestinian Authority President Mah-
moud Abbas has said that keeping Israeli forces in place
would fatally undermine a deal.
The Obama administration appears to have sided with
Israel on this point by accepting that at least initially,
Israel will have a role in securing borders and fighting
terrorism in Palestinian areas, among other security
responsibilities.
Needless to say, for a period of time this will obvi-
ously involve Israeli participation, Mr. Kerry told the
Saban Forum. It has to.
On Monday, Jen Psaki, the State Department spokes-
woman, denied that references to a framework
agreement implied the administration is backing away
from its pursuit of a final-status agreement, though she
declined to elaborate on what framework means.
The secretary and this may have caused some of
the confusion and the president both used the term
framework this weekend, Ms. Psaki said at her daily
media briefing. I think some thought took that to
mean interim. It does not mean interim. We still remain
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry hold a joint news con-
ference in Jerusalem on December 5. KOBI GIDEON/GPO/FLASH90
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focused on a final-status agreement.
Nevertheless, the administrations language was
perceived as marking a dramatic departure from pre-
vious understandings.
This contradicts completely what we were prom-
ised by the American secretary of state at the begin-
ning of this peace process to avoid any partial or
interim agreements, Yasser Abed Rabbo, a top Abbas
aide, told the Voice of Palestine radio on Monday,
according to a report in the Associated Press.
The shift follows a comprehensive review of Israeli
security needs led by Gen. John Allen, a former com-
mander of allied forces in Afghanistan. Gen. Allen was
present at the Saban Forum but did not speak publicly.
Both Obama and Kerry suggested that they under-
stood that the Palestinians would not welcome the
shift.
Were going to have to see whether the Israelis
agree and whether President Abbas, then, is willing to
understand that this transition period requires some
restraint on the part of the Palestinians as well, Mr.
Obama said. They dont get everything that they want
on day one. And that creates some political problems
for President Abbas, as well.
Mr. Kerry said those who believe there might be an
unfairness by making Israeli security a preeminent
factor in advancing toward a peace deal should look
at the history and understand why thats a fundamen-
tal reality.
Jonathan Schanzer, the vice president of the Foun-
dation for Defense of Democracies, said Israel might
have demanded the shift in part because it needs
strong security assurances in the wake of upheaval in
neighboring Eypt and Syria. Israel also is concerned
that the recent deal between world powers and Iran
could spur rather than prevent the Islamic Republics
pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Schanzer, who just published State of Fail-
ure, a critique of Abbas governance, said Mr. Kerry
deserved credit for keeping the parties at the table
after differences over preconditions kept them apart
for almost three years.
The administration has exceeded all our expecta-
tions, he said. Were halfway through a process that
is still going.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Framework
FROM PAGE 31
The administrations
language was
perceived as marking
a dramatic departure
from previous
understandings.
JS-33
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BRIEFS
Israel lobbied
against death penalty
for Mandela
Newly declassified documents reveal
that the Israeli Foreign Ministry, under
the leadership of future prime minister
Golda Meir, in 1964 convinced Jewish
philosopher Martin Buber and Israeli
author Haim Hazaz to send a letter ask-
ing the South African apartheid gov-
ernment not to seek the death penalty
against Nelson Mandela and other Afri-
can National Congress (ANC) members
in their trial.
Talk to them. Listen to them. They
have something to say. You will not
silence their voices by hanging them. ...
From the land of Israel, we ask you to
assert your faith in the nobility of man,
whatever the color of his skin. And if you
do unto others in accordance with this
faith, the future is yours, and theirsand
the worlds, Buber and Hazaz wrote,
according to documents released Sun-
day by the Israel State Archives, Israel
Hayom reported.
Mandela, who died December 5, had
been indicted for sabotage and conspir-
acy. He was sentenced to life in prison,
but earned his freedom in 1990 and
became South African president in 1994.
JNS.ORG
Germany selling
Israel guided missile
destroyers
Germany has reportedly agreed to
sell Israel two advanced guided missile
navy destroyers as part of a 1 billion euro
($1.3 billion) defense pact between the
countries.
According to the German daily Bild,
Yossi Cohen, the head of the Israeli
Prime Ministers National Security Coun-
cil, visited Berlin last week to finalize the
deal. A German government spokesman
confirmed the visit, but did not describe
the nature of the trip.
Israel will apparently use the torpedo-
equipped destroyers to protect its vast
offshore natural gas fields.
JNS.ORG
World Bank financing
Red Sea to Dead Sea
water pipeline
The World Bank is financing a major water
deal between Israel, Jordan, and the Pales-
tinian Authority that will establish a pipe-
line from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea and
a desalination plant, the financial newspa-
per Globes reported.
The project, which has been in the
works for several decades, will feature a
180-kilometer pipeline that will run from
a desalination plant in Aqaba, Jordan, to
the Dead Sea, providing more than 100
million cubic meters of brine water to
replenish the Dead Sea, which is losing
about 1.4 meters of water a year.
The pipeline will take advantage of the
400-meter drop in elevation between
the Red Sea and Dead Sea, the lowest
elevation in the world at -427 meters
(-1,401 feet), to transport the brine water,
which is a byproduct of desalination
plants. Additionally, the Aqaba desali-
nation plant will produce freshwater for
southern Jordan, Israel, and the PA. The
project will cost an estimated $200-400
million. JNS.ORG
Cleveland Jewish day
schools to offer tuition
discounts for Jewish
community employees
Two Cleveland Jewish day schools on
Dec. 3 announced a new tuition incen-
tive program for Jewish communal
employees who wish to send their chil-
dren to a Jewish day school beginning in
the 2014-15 school year.
The two schoolsthe Agnon School in
Beachwood, Ohio, and the Gross Schech-
ter Day School in Pepper Pike, Ohiowill
offer tuition discounts of 40 and 35 per-
cent, respectively.
Agnon will offer the discount to par-
ents who work at agencies affiliated with
the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, syna-
gogues, and other approved Jewish com-
munity organizations.
Were pleased that both schools
are offering the incentive, said Marla
K. Wolf, religious school director at
Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in
Beachwood. It makes a lot of sense to
help out Jewish communal workers and
educators.
CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS/JNS.ORG
Egypt government
mulls declaring
Muslim Brotherhood
terror organization
Egyptian media reports indicate that the
military-backed government is mulling
the possibility of declaring the Muslim
Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
According to Egypts El-Watan newspa-
pers, interim Prime Minister Hazem el-
Beblawi has discussed with his ministers
a directive that will declare the Islamist
group a terror organization. Egypts mili-
tary blames the Muslim Brotherhood for
organizing violence and protests since
the July 2013 ouster of former Islamist
President Mohamed Morsi. JNS.ORG
JS-35
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ANNUAL GALA 2013
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The roads to healing are many
Chai Lifeline makes the journey easier for more than 4,300 children and
families every year. Join us in celebration and gratitude on December 18.
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Maimonides Medical Achievement Award
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Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
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DR. STEVEN & MARJORIE
KELLNER
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Camp Simcha Appreciation Award
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Medical Leadership Award
BRENDA KOHN, MD
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Dvar Torah
JS-36
Vayechi: Dont stop thinking about tomorrow
I
n the Torah portion
of Vayechi, we read
about how when Jacob
was old, ill, and nearly
blind, Joseph brings him
his two sons Menasheh and
Ephraim to receive his bless-
ing. Joseph places his older
son Menasheh to Jacobs right
and his younger son Ephraim
to Jacobs left. Jacob, however,
crosses his arms and places
his right hand on Ephraim,
the younger son, and his left
hand on Menasheh, the elder
son. Jacob then blesses his
grandsons with his arms crossed.
Traditionally, the firstborn receives the
greater blessing, which is bestowed by
the right hand. Accordingly, Joseph gen-
tly attempts to uncross his fathers arms,
to place Jacobs right hand on Menashehs
head. Jacob rebuffs Josephs attempt to
uncross his arms. Jacob explains to Joseph
that he is deliberately giv-
ing the greater blessing to his
younger grandson, Ephraim,
because, although both grand-
sons would be great, Ephraim
would be the greater of the two.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe
often emphasized that the
word Torah means lesson,
and hence the Torahs pur-
pose is not to merely tell tales,
but rather to teach deep les-
sons with each tale. Menasheh
and Ephraim represent two
aspects of life, both of which
are important, but that rep-
resented by Ephraim should receive the
greater focus.
The Torah tells us that Joseph named
his elder son Menasheh, saying, because
God has caused me to forget all my hard-
ships and all that was in my fathers
house. Joseph was afraid that he was for-
getting his roots, his family, his traditions,
and his God, and so he named his
eldest son Menasheh as a constant
reminder against forgetting his fathers
house. Joseph named his younger son
Ephraim because God has made
me fruitful in the land of my subjuga-
tion. Joseph named his younger son
Ephraim as a constant reminder to be
fruitful, that is to strive, to excel, and
to change the world for the better.
Putting the right hand on Menasheh,
then, would place primacy on the past.
Jacob tells Joseph that the past is impor-
tant, for without it we are anchorless
and rudderless, but it is the present
leading to the future that must hold our
focus.
Jacob does not want his son Joseph
to make the same mistake that he him-
self had made years earlier, when he
learned Joseph was alive and was the
viceroy of Egypt. Jacob, who was a
wealthy man with many children and
grandchildren, descended with his fam-
ily and wealth to Egypt, where he had
an audience with Pharaoh. At a time
when Jacob should have been elated
and filled with joy and excitement for
the future, Jacob lamented to Pharaoh
that the years of his life had been few
and miserable. Jacob could not turn
away from the past for even a moment.
Last week the world lost a modern-
day inspiration, a Joseph of sorts, Nel-
son Mandela. Mr. Mandela, who had
spent 27 years in jail for fighting racial
segregation and who then went on
to become president of South Africa,
stated, As I walked out the door toward
the gate that would lead to my freedom,
I knew if I didnt leave my bitterness
and hatred behind, Id still be in prison.
Mr. Mandela did not want to forget the
past he formed the Truth and Recon-
ciliation Commission to record the past
for posterity but he refused to be bit-
ter about it. He let bygones be bygones.
Nor should one dwell too much in past
accomplishments, reveling in the glory
days of yore. If you wish, record for your
eulogy your successful and charitable
past, that you once ran a marathon, and
that you were good to your wife and chil-
dren. But right now, while you still live
and breathe, focus on the good you can
still do and what you can still achieve.
When the Lubavitcher Rebbe celebrated
his 70th birthday, people urged him to
slow down. The Rebbe responded by
establishing 71 new educational and
social institutions. While at 70, the
Rebbe already had a most impressive
list of achievements behind him, those
pale in comparison with what he had
achieved by age 80, which, in turn, are
a fraction of what he achieved by age 90.
In sum, dont dwell too much on your
past (whether good or bad), because
past performance is not necessarily
indicative of future performance.
Rabbi Levi
Neubort
Anshei Lubavitch,
Fair Lawn,
Orthodox
Solution to last weeks puzzle.
This weeks puzzle is on page 38.
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Youth Conservatory Presents

December 13-15, 2013
Friday at 8:00pm
Saturday at 8:00pm
Sunday at 2:00pm
At the Becton Theatre, 960 River Road on the
Teaneck Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University

Buy tickets at www.garagetheatre.org or 201-569-7710
$16-children 12 and under and seniors
$20-General admission

Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks film that started it all, SHREK the
Musical brings the hilarious story of everyone's favorite ogre to dazzling new life
from the land of Far Far Away to the stage in New Jersey

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PUBLISHING DATE: January 17th DEADLINE: January 10th
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Crossword BY DAVID BENKOF
Across
1. Sort of bag
5. Borscht ___
9. Early Streisand number Love Is ___
14. French human rights crusader Cassin
15. L. ___ (Steve Bochco TV show)
16. Wore
17. Hillel Levines Death ___ American
Jewish Community
18. Anthony Weiners wife Huma Abedin,
to Hillary Clinton
19. Igloo or sukkah
20. Scandal-maker of 1971
23. ___ Sleep, Odets play
24. Second person?
25. ___ Finkle (protagonist in Bernard
Malamuds The Magic Barrel)
27. ___ Gadol Haya...
28. Im thinking!
31. Part of Europe where Hasidism origi-
nated
34. Klezmer instrument, sometimes
36. Torah portion about Nazirites
37. New Yorks ___ Convention Center
40. Talmudic voice
42. Game at Wynns casinos
43. Nebuchadnezzars realm
46. ___ Gotta Be Me (Sammy Davis,
Jr. tune)
47. Rd. thru Malibu
50. Post-apartheid party: Abbr.
51. Tillie Olsens home st.
53. Father of all Torah commentaries
55. Leading decisor of Jewish law of the
last generation in America
60. Google competitor
61. Painter Meidner
62. Portnoys Complaint subject
63. Awake and Sing! playwright
Clifford
64. Pole, e.g.
65. Chicks ending
66. No Einstein
67. Berlins Oh, How I ___ to Get Up in
the Morning
68. Convinced
Down
1. Midnight Run star Charles
2. Repair the surface of
3. Pineapple in French and Hebrew
4. Neighbor of Niger and Nigeria
5. God worshiped by Jezebel
6. He wrote Night and Dawn
7. It might serve cholent
8. Tribes number
9. King of Israel, ninth century BCE
10. Dylans It Aint Me, ___
11. Lulav and willow, of the four Sukkot
species
12. Hammersteins musical collaborator
13. Suffix with Ess
21. Felix Adlers ___ Culture
22. Red or Dead
26. Kiryat ___
29. Sound from a red heifer
30. Hank Greenbergs org.
32. They guard the Western Wall
33. Skin designs, for short
34. Fluctuate
35. Jewish advocacy org. founded in
1906
37. Onetime mayor of Amsterdam
38. Being Jewish by ___ L. Goldman
39. In gematria, its number six
40. Dershowitzs org.
41. Like Lake Nasser
44. ___-liner (Henny Youngman spe-
cialty)
45. Org. for Jewish mental health pro-
fessionals
47. ___-Messiah (Shabbetai Zvi, e.g.)
48. ___ for yourself two tablets like the
first ones... (Ex. 34:1)
49. Suggested
52. Kiss Me, Kate co-writer Spewack
54. Ayn Rand novel, ___ Shrugged
56. Barflies
57. Water source
58. ___ alone because of Thy hand...
(Jer. 15:17)
59. ___ Tzedek (Tel Aviv district)
60. Hebrew letter before Kaf
The solution for last weeks
crossword is on page 37.
ROBERT WIENER
A
s an associate profes-
sor of Jewish studies
and classics at Rut-
gers Universitys New
Brunswick campus, Azzan Yadin-
Israels main interests lie in inter-
preting biblical texts and rabbini-
cal stories.
His studies have taken him to
such diverse parts of academia
as the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the
University of Chicago Divinity School, the
Jewish Theological Seminary in New York,
and the University of California at Berkeley.
But this semester a course has taken him to
new territory, where the Jersey Shore meets
the Promised Land, and where saints and
sinners gather in a land of hope and dreams.
Dr. Yadin-Israels one-credit course, Bruce
Springsteens Theology, looks at the work of
New Jerseys rock laureate through the lens
of religion.
I started to think of biblical themes in
his writing, he said. I attended two of his
concerts and I have been a fan of his for a
very long time. I knew he was singing about
the Promised Land, but I thought it was some
sort of a metaphor and thought no more of it.
Then I would see it again in another place and
another place and another place.
Dr. Yadin-Israel bought a Springsteen
songbook and parsed the lyrics with the
diligence of a talmudic scholar.
I went through all the songs and marked
up terms and allusions and images, he said.
He estimated that there are biblical
references in several dozen of the hundreds
of songs Springsteen has composed since his
first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.,
was released in 1973.
With some, it became clear that you
could not actually understand the song
without going back and looking at the biblical
narrative, he said. One prime example is
in Adam Raised a Cain, from Darkness on
the Edge of Town. Springsteen has called the
song emotionally autobiographical.
He is using the Cain and Abel story in
Genesis to say, Look at how difficult, how
problematic, relationships are between
fathers and sons, Dr. Yadin-Israel said. The
story is usually read as a conflict between two
brothers. Like a midrash in a way, Springsteen
refocuses these characters.
Bruce Springsteen was born in Long
Branch and raised as a Catholic in Freehold.
Nonetheless, with exceptions like
Jesus Was an Only Son, most
of his biblical references are Old
Testament, Dr. Yadin-Israel said.
Jesus Was an Only Son does
the same thing as Adam Raised
a Cain; it takes the focus away
from Jesus as the son of God
to Jesus as the son of Mary, he
continued. Mary had been
completely marginalized in the
classic telling, but the song is
about a mother losing her son. It is a part of
the story we dont usually pay attention to.
This is not the first time Dr. Yadin-Israel has
applied his religious studies to pop culture.
In 2010 he wrote an article for the Jewish
Review of Books on biblical and theological
references by an Israeli hip-hop group called
Hadag Nahash.
Boasting a mixed upbringing in Israel
and the United States and a mixed heritage
academically as well, Yadin-Israel belongs to
the Conservative Congregation Bnai Tikvah
in North Brunswick.
I have often written about the intersection
between modern religious thinkers and
religious thought, he said, even as he
conceded that the concept of Springsteen
studies is far afield from my primary
scholarly interests. My main work is on
classical texts.
Dr. Yadi n- Israel may wri te about
Springsteens lyrics some time in the future.
But his latest book is called Scripture
and Tradition: Rabbi Akiva and the Ironic
Triumph of Midrash. It is scheduled for
publication by University of Pennsylvania
Press in 2014.
What might Azzan Yadin-Israel ask Bruce
Springsteen if the two should ever meet?
First and foremost I would thank him for
writing his music, he said. Wed have a beer
and Id see where things went. It would be
great if we could sit down and chat about how
he sees his own writing. But it really doesnt
matter. The biblical references are clear.
Dr. Yadin-Israels course is part of the Byrne
Seminars, a special program for freshman
students.
I know Springsteen is a very popular guy
and a huge rock figure, but that doesnt mean
he is not a serious writer or that he is not
trying to say something in interesting ways,
Dr. Yadin-Israel said.
This story first appeared in the New Jersey
Jewish News.
Arts & Culture
JS-39*
The Boss
and the Bible
Finding the midrash in Springsteens lyrics
Azzan Yadin-Israel
Calendar
JS-40*
Friday
DECEMBER 13
Shabbat in Franklin
Lakes: The Chabad
Center of NW Bergen
County holds its monthly
character tot Shabbat,
with songs, cartoon
character guests, food
crafts, and dinner, for
children up to age 6,
4 p.m. 375 Pulis Ave.
(201) 848-0449 or www.
chabadplace.org.
Shabbat in Englewood:
Congregation Ahavath
Torah offers an
Inspirational Shabbat
of Song with Cantors
Yanky Lemmer and
Alan Miller along with
the Shimon Miller Choir.
During kabbalat Shabbat,
there will be a tisch. On
Shabbat morning along
with services there will
be youth activities,
inspirational davening,
gala community kiddush,
and afternoon classes
focused on prayer,
inspiration, and song,
Seudat Shleesheet, shiur,
and Havadalah and
Melava Malka services.
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin,
Ahavath Torah head rabbi,
and Rabbi Mordechai
Gershon, assistant
rabbi of the Benaroya
Sephardic Center at CAT,
will join the cantors in a
kumzitz. 240 Broad Ave.
(201) 568-1315 or www.
ahavathtorah.org.
Shabbat in Teaneck:
Cantor Ellen Tilem
leads services featuring
the music of Shlomo
Carlebach at Temple
Emeth, 8 p.m. 1666
Windsor Road. (201) 833-
1322.
Shabbat in Jersey
City: Congregation
Bnai Jacob offers
Friday Night Live! with
old and new melodies
and instrumental
accompaniment,
8-10 p.m. 176 West Side
Ave. (201) 435-5725 or
bnaijacobjc.org.
Shabbat in Woodcliff
Lake: Temple Emanuel
of the Pascack Valleys
Cantor Mark Biddelman,
on guitar, hosts Shabbat
Yachad, Hebrew prayers
set to easy-to-sing
melodies, accompanied
by flutist Debra Blecher,
keyboardist Jonathan
Hanser, bassist Brian
Glassman, and drummer
Gal Gershovsky, 8 p.m.
Free copy of CD with
service melodies
available at the shul. 87
Overlook Drive. (201)
391-0801 or www.tepv.
org.
Saturday
DECEMBER 14
Shabbat in Wyckoff:
Rabbi Ziona Zelazo leads
an alternative meditative
prayer service in Temple
Beth Rishons library,
10 a.m. 585 Russell Ave.
(201) 891-4466 or www.
bethrishon.org.
Shabbat in Jersey City:
Cantor Marsha Dubrow
leads Torah Lessons
with a discussion on
Parashat Vaykhi at
Congregation Bnai
Jacob, 10:30 a.m.
Kiddush lunch follows.
176 West Side Ave. (201)
435-5725 or bnaijacobjc.
org.
Remembering Chaya
Newman: At a lecture
hosted by Bruriah High
School in Elizabeth in
memory of its longtime
principal Chaya Newman,
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
discusses Turning
Negatives Into Positives,
7:30 p.m. Refreshments.
35 North Ave. (908) 355-
4850, ext. 6214 or Bruriah.
theJEC.org.
Film in Fort Lee: Young
Israel of Fort Lee screens
the film Space Shuttle
Columbia Mission of
Hope, for its Sonia Gold
Memorial Film Festival,
7:30 p.m., followed by
pizza. 1610 Parker Ave.
(201) 592-1518 or yiftlee.
org
Leslie Frost
Gabriel Schaff
PHOTOS COURTESY
TEMPLE ISRAEL
Music in Ridgewood:
Temple Israel and JCC
of Ridgewood kicks off
its season of Winter
Music Saturdays with
Duo Music, violinist/
musicologist Gabriel
Schaff and pianist Leslie
Frost. Program includes
pieces by Beethoven
and Jewish composers
including Salamone
Rossi, Henryk Wieniawski,
Anton Rubinstein, C.V.
Alkan, Aaron Copland,
and Kurt Weill. Havdalah
at 7:45 p.m.; concert
follows. 475 Grove St.
(201) 201-444-9320 or
www.synagogue.org.
Sunday
DECEMBER 15
Ample Harvest in
Franklin Lakes:
AmpleHarvest.
org founder Gary
Oppenheimer talks about
his vision millions of
gardeners eliminating
malnutrition and hunger
in their own communities
at Barnert Temple,
9:3011 a.m. 747 Route
208 South. (201)
848-1800 or www.
barnerttemple.org.
Childrens program in
New Milford: Solomon
Schechter Day School
of Bergen County hosts
Schechter Rocks for
All Ages, for 2- to
10-year-olds, with Story
Pirates, musical sketch
comedy featuring stories
by kids, at the school,
275 McKinley Ave.,
10-11:30 a.m. (201)262-
9898 or www.ssdsbergen.
org/schechter-rocks.
Preschool program in
Woodcliff Lake: Temple
Emanuel of the Pascack
Valley holds Club Katan
for children who will
begin kindergarten
in September 2014,
10:15 a.m. 87 Overlook
Drive. (201) 391-0801,
ext. 12.
Israel summer program/
gap-year fair in
Teaneck: The Bergen
County High School
of Jewish Studies
hosts its Israel summer
programs/gap-year fair
at Maayanot Yeshiva
High School for Girls,
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
School and program
representatives will be
there. 1650 Palisade
Ave. (201) 488-0834 or
office@bchsjs.org.
Christianity and
Judaism: Rabbi David
J. Fine, Ph.D., concludes
The History of Judaism
and Christianity,
an adult education
program at Temple
Israel of Ridgewood,
with Christian and
Jewish Perceptions and
Polemics in the Middle
Ages, 10:30 a.m. 475
Grove St. (201) 444-9320
or office@synagogue.org.
Bowling for special
needs children: The
Friendship Circle of
Passaic County offers
a bowling league at
Holiday Bowl in Clifton,
noon-1 p.m. Volunteers
will be on hand to assist
the children. $5. 564
Van Houten Ave. (973)
694-6274 or www.
FCPassaicCounty.com.
Afterschool program
open house:
Congregation Gesher
Shalom/JCC of Fort Lee
offers an open house
for its winter afterschool
program, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Classes include tennis,
Zumba, and Fit-
alicious.1449 Anderson
Ave. (201) 947-1735 or
anat@geshershalom.org.
Mental health forum
in Teaneck: Temple
Emeths social action
committee hosts a
mental health forum,
moderated by Sandi
Klein; panelists are
leaders of Vantage
Health System, the
Bergen County
Department of Mental
Health, the National
Association of Mentally
Ill, and the Bergen
County Correctional
Department. 2-4:30 p.m.
1666 Windsor Road.
(201) 833-1322 or Elaine
Bergman, (201) 969-
0432.
The Jewish Museum in Manhattan will
present Gustafer Yellowgold, a concert for
families featuring award-winning illustrator/
songwriter Morgan Taylor, Sunday, 2 p.m.
Adults are asked to accompany their children. (212)
423-3337 or TheJewishMuseum.org/familyconcerts.
Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street.
COURTESY JEWISH MUSEUM
DEC.
15
Concert in Hackensack
Serio Divertimenti, a
chamber music ensem-
ble, performs a mixture
of classical, contempo-
rary, and pop music
at Temple Beth El on
Sunday, December 22,
at 2 p.m. The temple is
located at 280 Summit
Ave. For information,
call (201) 342-2045
or visit www.temple-
bethelhackensack.org.
Calendar
JS-41*
Monday
DECEMBER 16
Interfaith relationships:
Temple Emanuel of
the Pascack Valley
in Woodcliff Lake
continues its Keruv
series, Keeping in
Touch, with a discussion
on Dual Loyalties?
led by Rabbi Leanna
Moritt, at a private
home, 7:30 p.m. The
program was developed
by the Federation of
Jewish Mens Clubs to
help couples, parents,
extended families, and
synagogues deal with
interfaith relationships
and marriage, (201) 391-
0801 or keruvte@aol.
com.
Tuesday
DECEMBER 17
Blood drive in Wayne:
The mens club of
Congregation Shomrei
Torah in Wayne holds
a blood drive with
New Jersey Blood
Services, 3:30-9 p.m. 30
Hinchman Ave. Donna,
(973) 696-2500, www.
ShomreiTorahWCC.org,
(800) 933-2566 or www.
nybloodcenter.org.
Wednesday
DECEMBER 18
Yiddish club: Khaverim
Far Yidish (Friends for
Yiddish) of the Jewish
Community Center of
Paramus/Congregation
Beth Tikvah meets
for a post-Chanukah
celebration, 1 p.m.
Group meets the third
Wednesday of the
month. East 304 Midland
Ave. Varda, (201) 791-
0327.
Thursday
DECEMBER 19
Blood drive in Teaneck:
Holy Name Medical
Center holds a blood
drive in the hospital
parking lot, 1-7 p.m. All
donors will receive a red
Super Community Blood
Drive wristband and
have the opportunity to
win two tickets to Super
Bowl XLVIII. 718 Teaneck
Road. (800) 933-BLOOD
or www.nybloodcenter.
org.
Movie for seniors in
Emerson: The Significant
Seniors group watches
the film Hava Nagila
The Movie, 1:30 p.m.
Refreshments. Donations
welcome. 53 Palisade
Ave. (201) 265-2272 or
www.bisrael.com.
Friday
DECEMBER 20
Tot Shabbat in Closter:
Temple Beth El holds its
monthly tot Shabbat, led
by Rabbi David S. Widzer,
Cantor Rica Timman,
with songs, stories, and
crafts, 5:15 p.m. Family
Shabbat dinner at 5:45
followed by services at
6:45. 221 Schraalenburgh
Road. (201) 768-5112 or
www.tbenv.org.
Saturday
DECEMBER 21
Learning in Teaneck:
The Jewish Learning
Experience continues
its popular educational
prayer service, led by
Zvi Weissler, 9:45 a.m.,
at Congregation Beth
Aaron. 950 Queen Anne
Road. Rabbi David
Pietruszka, (201) 966-
4498, rabbip@jle.org,
www.jle.org.
Shabbat in Fort Lee:
Congregation Gesher
Shalom/JCC of Fort Lee
offers tot Shabbat with
songs, props, stories,
and a giant siddur, led by
Roberta Seltzer. 11 a.m.
1449 Anderson Ave. (201)
947-1735.
Sunday
DECEMBER 22
JWV meets for
celebration: The
Jewish War Veterans
of Fair Lawn hosts a
complimentary holiday
luncheon for members,
guests, and prospective
members at the Crows
Nest Restaurant, 1-3 p.m.
309 Vincent Ave. (Route
17 South), Hackensack.
Reservations,
Commander Mel Kaplan,
(201) 796-3795.
Singles
Sunday
DECEMBER 15
Singles meet in
Caldwell: New Jersey
Jewish Singles 45+
meets at Congregation
Agudath Israel for lunch,
ice-breakers, and a
discussion, 12: 45 p.m.
$10. 20 Academy Road.
(973) 226-3600 or
singles@agudath.org.
Sunday
DECEMBER 22
Brunch/discussion:
North Jersey Jewish
Singles (40s-60s) at the
Clifton Jewish Center
offers a bagels and
conversation brunch,
noon. $15. Karen, (973)
772-3131 or join North
Jersey Jewish Singles 45-
60s at www.meetup.com.
Wednesday
DECEMBER 25
Singles meet in
Caldwell: New Jersey
Jewish Singles 45+
meets at Clearview
Caldwell Cinema 4, 3 p.m.
317 Bloomfield Ave. (973)
226-3600 or singles@
agudath.org.
Persian kosher chef/cookbook
author in Teaneck
Reyna Simnegar, author of Persian
Food From the Non-Persian Bride,
offers a cooking demonstration using
her recipes at Chabad of Teaneck on
Tuesday, December 17, at 8 p.m.
Simnegar, born to a Catholic family
in Venezuela, discovered her familys
Marrano roots when she was a teenager.
She moved to the United States in 1995,
met her Persian husband, and embraced
her Jewish roots.
The cost, $25 a person, includes a
grand buffet of Persian and Sephardi
dishes.
Chabad of Teaneck of Friends of
Lubavitch of Bergen County is at 513
Kenwood Place. Call (201) 907-0686 or
email rivkygee@aol.com.
Rubenstein memorial basketball
tourney begins this weekend
Emunah of America will host the sixth
annual Rabbi Jacob and Deborah Memo-
rial Junior Varsity Basketball Tourna-
ment, from December 15 to 22. Prelimi-
nary and semi-final games are played in
seven different venues in the New York/
New Jersey area, culminating in Cham-
pionship Sunday at SAR High School in
Riverdale, New York.
The tournament, the largest and most
prestigious JV tournament of Jewish high
school teams in America, includes 16
yeshiva league teams including top flight
teams from Bergen County, Manhattan,
Long Island, Brooklyn, and Westchester.
Avi Borenstein, head coach of the
JV and Varsity Flatbush Falcons, is the
tournament coordinator. Joining him
on the committee are Elli Orlinsky, head
JV coach at Torah Academy of Bergen
County in Teaneck and tournament
bracketologist, and Jill Usdan, tourna-
ment program coordinator. Ronnie
Faber represents Emunah.
The goal of the tournament is to pro-
vide a positive forum for young men to
honor the memory of Rabbi Jacob and
Deborah Rubenstein, longtime spiri-
tual leaders of the Young Israel of Scars-
dale, who perished in a Friday night fire
eight years ago. Funds raised benefit the
Emunah Beit Elazraki facility in Netanya,
Israel, a childrens residential home that
the Rubensteins supported.
The home provides each of the 240
children with individual services and
therapies including tutorial, psychologi-
cal counseling, and animal therapy, to
help them have a successful future.
For information, call (201) 370-6597 or
email Ronnie Faber at faberronnie4@
gmail.com.
COURTESY TEMPLE BETH EL
COURTESY CHABAD
For cooking ideas
visit the
Cooking with Beth
blog at
www.jstandard.com
Jewish World
JS-42*
Better Jewish living through data?
Synagogues hoping to build relational communities using better information
JULIE WIENER
B
efore Sacha Litman shares his
data analysis with his syna-
gogue clients, he likes to have
the board members and staff
guess the contents.
Which programs are most expensive
and most popular? Who is more satisfied,
senior citizens or nursery school parents?
How many Hebrew school parents would
recommend the congregation to a friend?
Eighty percent of the time, Mr. Litman
says, synagogue leaders assumptions are
disproved by the data.
Synagogue board members often make
decisions based on what they heard from
a friend at kiddush or at the Shabbos
table, said Mr. Litman, the founder and
managing director of Measuring Success,
a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm.
Its their job to represent the needs and
interests of all the [synagogue] members,
but if they dont understand what theyre
feeling and thinking, how can they claim
to do that?
Mr. Litmans firm, which has worked
extensively with Jewish day schools and
community centers across the country, is
a key player in an effort backed by federa-
tions and the national arms of the Reform,
Conservative, and Orthodox movements
to bring data-based decision making to the
synagogue world.
Perhaps counterintuitively, the data
champions argue that by taking a page
from for-profit giants such as Amazon and
Netflix, whose data analysis algorithms
enable them to gain powerful insights
about their customers, synagogues can
shift from a transactional to a relational
model of serving their members.
Good use of data, the advocates say,
can help synagogue members feel less
like a number and more like part of a
community.
The more that synagogues know about
their existing and potential congregants,
hopefully the more able they will be to cus-
tomize programs, meet needs, and make
congregants feel they are known and not
anonymous, said Adina Frydman, execu-
tive director of Synergy, the synagogue
services department of UJA-Federation of
New York.
Over the past four years, Synergy has
invested almost $750,000 in promoting
more sophisticated data use among syn-
agogues, the bulk of which has gone to
cover Measuring Success work with 12
New York-area congregations.
Founded 10 years ago, Measuring Suc-
cess works exclusively with nonprofit orga-
nizations and foundations, roughly half of
them Jewish. Mr. Litman calls Measuring
Success for-prophet because its fees are
lower than the for-profit sector.
The 12 New York synagogues learned
to develop useful surveys and better ana-
lyze their financial data to determine how
much they are spending in various areas
and whether it aligns with what the con-
gregants want.
In some ways the support was very tech-
nical, and in other ways it was holding up
a mirror, helping synagogues to be reflec-
tive and ask the right questions, Ms. Fryd-
man said.
At Temple Shaaray Tefila in Manhat-
tan, leaders explored, among other things,
why Hebrew school parents werent more
involved in the community and what
could be done to keep the kids involved
after their bar or bat mitzvahs. Leaders
of the large Reform congregation had
assumed that Hebrew school parents
simply werent interested in connecting
socially because they rarely showed up
for events.
But a 2009 survey revealed that parents
had a hunger to get to know each other.
The problem, synagogue leaders discov-
ered, was that time-pressed parents didnt
want to attend separate programs.
So the synagogue began incorporat-
ing programs for parents into existing
programs, like holding a cocktail party
for parents after they dropped off their
children for a synagogue sleepover. Other
changes included assigning parents to
invite and welcome other parents to class
activities.
To address post-bar/bat mitzvah reten-
tion, the synagogue lowered fees for
teen programming, offered new options
for those not interested in confirma-
tion class, and assigned clergy mem-
bers to meet individually with sixth- and
seventh-graders.
As a result, the percentage of parents
who said they would recommend the reli-
gious school to a friend increased from 33
percent in 2009 to 47 percent in 2012. In
2009, there were 65 students in grades 8
to 12 involved with the synagogues youth
programming. Today there are 121.
Did the synagogue need a consulting
firm to figure that out? Barri Waltcher, the
congregations vice president, says yes.
No one really had the time or compe-
tency to do the activity-based accounting
analysis, Ms. Waltcher said. Without a
consultant, undertaking something like
that wouldve only happened if the one
right person with the right skill set was in
our community.
Beyond that, in trying to get at the
culture of anecdote, which is so perva-
sive on the board level, its helpful to have
someone come in from the outside and in
an impersonal way talk about why those
types of anecdotal conversations arent
helpful.
Lisa Colton, the director of Darim
Online, a provider of digital media training
and professional development to Jewish
organizations, says a good database pro-
vides a range of useful information, from
lists of those attending synagogue events
and which members they know to learn-
ing about which members attendance has
waned.
Effective data use can also help syna-
gogues target communications to the peo-
ple most likely to be interested in a par-
ticular program or event, thus reducing
extraneous emails and phone calls.
But even Ms. Colton acknowledged that
data has limits.
Data is a great starting place, but its not
the end of the story, she said. Congrega-
tions are about people and relationships
and community in its deepest sense.
Data can be a backbone to provide
structure to achieve this vision, but must
inform softer, relational, human attentive-
ness to actualize its full potential.
JTA WIRE SERVICE
Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York used data analysis to increase participation of teens in programs like the High School
Teen Exchange. JTA WIRE SERVICE
Obituaries
JS-43
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W-150 Route 4 East Paramus, NJ 07652
201.843.9090 1.800.426.5869
Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel, Inc
Jewish Funeral Directors
FAMILY OWNED & MANAGED
Generations of Lasting Service to the Jewish Community
Serving NJ, NY, FL &
Throughout USA
Prepaid & Preneed Planning
Graveside Services
Gary Schoem Manager - NJ Lic. 3811
Obituaries are prepared with information
provided by funeral homes.
Correcting errors is the responsibility
of the funeral home.
Gary Asher
Gary P. Asher, 61, of Fair Lawn, formerly of Paramus,
died on December 9.
A senior trial attorney at Tobias & Kuhn, he is survived
by his children, Sara and William, and many friends.
Arrangements were by Robert Schoems Menorah
Chapel, Paramus.
Martin Burman
Judge Martin Burman, 69, of Blue Bell, Pa., died
December 8 at Mercy Hospital in Norristown, Pa.
Born in Jersey City, he attended Lincoln High School,
Ohio Wesleyan College, and Temple University School
of Law. He was a member of the New Jersey and
Pennsylvania bars since 1969 and was a Pennsylvania
workers compensation judge since 1987. He is among
the longest living recipients of a heart transplant in
July, it would have been 25 years.
He is survived by his wife, Lorraine, ne Buchanan;
a sister, Phylis Burman (Karen Rappaport); and nieces
Russita Buchanan and Kristina Rappaport.
Donations can be made to Second Chance c/o Gift
of Life Donor Program, Philadelphia, Pa.
Arrangements were by Eden Memorial Chapels,
Inc., Fort Lee.
Lewis Shapiro
Lewis Seymour Shapiro, 83, a lifelong Paterson
resident, died December 8.
He graduated East Side High School, New York
University, and Stern School of Business. An Army
veteran of the Korean conflict, he was a financial planner
for major brokerage firms for 40 years, finishing his
career with Ameriprise Financial Company in Paramus. He was
a longtime member of the Edgewood Country Club.
Predeceased by his siblings, Molly, Lilian, Ann, Gertrude, and
Meyer, he is survived by a brother, Ted, of Westwood, and many
nieces and nephews and their extended families.
Arrangements were by Robert Schoems Menorah Chapel,
Paramus.
Classified
JS-44
(201) 837-8818
We pay cash for
Antique Furniture
Used Furniture
Oil Paintings
Bronzes Silver
Porcelain China
Modern Art
Top Dollar For Any Kind of Jewelry &
Chinese Porcelain & Ivory
Over 25 years courteous service to tri-state area
We come to you Free Appraisals
Call Us!
ANS A
201-861-7770 201-951-6224
www.ansantiques.com
Shommer
Shabbas
ANTIQUES
ANTIQUES
201-894-4770
Tyler Antiques
Established by Bubbe in 1940!
Antiques Wanted
Top Prices Paid
Oil Paintings Silver
Bronzes Porcelain
Oriental Rugs Furniture
Marble Sculpture Jewelry
Tiffany Items Pianos
Chandeliers Bric-A-Brac
Shomer Shabbos
tylerantiquesny@aol.com
Sterling Associates Auctions
SEEKING CONSIGNMENT AND OUT RIGHT PURCHASES
Sculpture Paintings Porcelain Silver
Jewelry Furniture Etc.
TOP CASH PRICES PAID
201-768-1140 www.antiquenj.com
sterlingauction@optonline.net
70 Herbert Avenue, Closter, N.J. 07642
ANTIQUES
Fuel surcharge added up to 10% Additional charge may be applied to credit card payment
CAR SERVICE
Residential Dumpster Specials 10 YDS 15 YDS 20 YDS
(201) 342-9333 (973) 340-7454
WE REMOVE
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month rental. 201-797-5348
MOVING SALE
MOVING SALE
Queen Size Rosewood
Bedroom Set
Antique Chest
Chinese Rug
Queen Anne Table &
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Plus Assorted Furniture &
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201-489-4747
CRYPTS FOR SALE
BETH ISRAEL Cemetery, Wood-
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Outside garden level 4. $7,500, ne-
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Value over $20K. 917-445-5293
HELP WANTED
LIVE-OUT NANNY - Tenafy
Loving family looking for warm
& trustworthy full-time Nanny for
sweet/smiiey 3-month-old-boy.
Must have exp. w/infants, prior
employment as a nanny for a
family, own car, & excellent
refs. 60 hours/wk. If interested
call Karen: 917-488-5039
SITUATIONS WANTED
A CARING experienced European
woman available now to care for
elderly/sick. Live-in/Out. English
speaking. References. Drivers lics.
Call Lena 908-494-4540
A responsible woman looking to
care for elderly. Live-in or out.
Reliable! Pleasant! Experienced!
References. Own car. Waiting for
your call 347-816-1363
CARING, reliable lady with over 20
years experience willing to work 10
to 12 hours anytime/nightime shift
at $10. hour. Excellent references.
201-741-3042
CHHA with 10 yrs experience,
live-in/out, excellent references,
valid drivers license. Call 973-342-
2160; 973-392-3028,
CHHA -Live-in; experienced, excel-
lent references. Call Mary 862-215-
4459 or 908-265-2763.
CHHA to care for elderly. Live-
in/out. Available weekends & holi-
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ence! References! Drives own car!
201-580-0300
SITUATIONS WANTED SITUATIONS WANTED
COMPASSIONATE Caregiver to
care for elderly/sick. Over 20 years
experience with Jewish families.
Live in/out. Excellent references.
Own car. 973-809-9186
RICHALEX DIGNITY
Provides Certifed Home Health
Aide Services
Assistance w/bathing
Hsekeeping Companionship
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Laundry Medication reminder
Compassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness & patience.
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paperwork,
bal. checkbook,
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Resolve medical
insurance claims
Free Consultation
RITA FINE
201-214-1777
www.daughterforaday.com
CLEANING SERVICE
HOME CLEANING by perfection-
ist, meticulous, caring person. Ex-
cellent references. Bi-Weekly or
Weekly Call 973-461-3082
Estates Bought & Sold
Fine Furniture
Antiques
Accessories
Cash Paid
201-920-8875
T U
NICHOLAS
ANTIQUES
MEN'S CLOTHING FOR SALE
. Mans medium Black Leather
Jacket with removable lining,
signed by J. Park of Cou-ture at
Barneys.
Mans medium/large Dark Grey
Suit with vest. Hammonton Park
Clothes at Barneys.
201-343-8540
JIMMY
THE JUNK MAN
Low Cost
Commercial Residental
Rubbish Removal
201-661-4940
FLOORING
PLUMBING
CLEANING & HAULING
American Oak
Hardwood Floors
25 Years of Experience
Installation of All Types of
Carpets, Floors & Borders
Staining & Refinishing
Complete Repair Service
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Free Estimates
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Oakland Rutherford
201-651-9494 201-438-7105
Your Neighbor with Tools
Home Improvements & Handyman
Shomer Shabbat Free Estimates
Over 15 Years Experience
Adam 201-675-0816 Jacob
Lic. & Ins. NJ Lic. #13VH05023300
www.yourneighborwithtools.blogspot.com
HOME IMPROVEMENTS
BEST BEST
of the
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Carpentry
Decks
Locks/Doors
Basements
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Plumbing
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Painting
Kitchens
Electrical
Paving/Masonry
Drains/Pumps
Maintenence
Hardwood Floors
NO JOB IS TOO SMALL
24 Hour x 5 1/2 Emergency Services
Shomer Shabbat Free Estimates
1-201-530-1873
BH
General Repairs
Complete Kitchen &
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Boilers Hot Water Heaters Leaks
EMERGENCY SERVICE
Fully Licensed, Bonded and Insured
NO JOB IS TOO SMALL!
201-358-1700 Lic. #12285
APL Plumbing & Heating LLC
RUBBISH REMOVAL
CHICHELO
RUBBISH REMOVED
973-325-2713 973-228-7928
201-704-0013
Appliances
Furniture
WoodMetals
Construction
Debris
Homes Estates
Factories Contractors
Gallery
JS-45
n 1 Rabbi Shmuel Gancz led a Chanukah
festival for the Chabad Jewish Center of
Suffern on December 2. COURTESY CHABAD
n 2 The Moriah School dedicated its
renovated Herschmann Social Hall last
month. From left, James Schwalbe,
board president Evan Sohn, Rachel and
Alex Herschmann, Eric Herschmann,
and David Kramer stand together at
the dedication. Eric Herschmann en-
dowed the project. COURTESY MORIAH
n 3 JStreet vice president Alan Elsner gave
a talk, When Should We Speak About Is-
rael and What Should We Say? American
Jews and the Two-State Solution, at a
Brotherhood breakfast at Temple Sinai of
Bergen County last month. From left, Rabbi
Jordan Millstein; J Street regional field
organizer Amy Levin; Mr. Elsner; brother-
hood president David Klein, and rabbinic
intern Johan Zinn. OPHELIA ADIAO YUDKOFF
n 4 Staffers at Teanecks Temple Emeth
Early Childhood Center participated in
No nuts, no eggs, no dairy no prob-
lem! a workshop about recipes for
preschoolers with allergies, led by
Ilene Kandler. COURTESY TEMPLE EMETH
n 5 Students in the Howard and Joshua
Herman Educational Center at the
Fair Lawn Jewish Center/Congrega-
tion Bnai Israel tie-dyed challah cov-
ers for the December 13 Shabbat dinner
at the synagogue. COURTESY FLJC/CBI
n 6 Anita Calabro, who was married to
the late John Calabro, a sculptor and
portrait painter, stands beside a bust of
President John F. Kennedy her husband
created. To mark the 50th anniversary
of JFKs death, Ms. Calabro, a resident of
the Jewish Home Assisted Living in River
Vale, displayed the statue in JHALs cen-
ter hall on November 22. COURTESY JHAL
n 7 The Buds classes at Yeshivat Noam
made patterned Native American head-
dresses, beaded necklaces, and drums
for a Thanksgiving feast. Each class
prepared a different dish, using foods
the Pilgrims used. STEFANIE DIAMOND
1 2
3
4 5
6 7
JS-46
Window Fashions Direct Advantage:
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Asian Art Clocks
Bronzes Music Boxes
Collections Porcelains
Military Tiffany Gold
All Jewelry Fine & Costume
And Anything Unusual
Grannys Attic Antiques
201-632-0102
619 N. Maple Ave. Ho Ho Kus, NJ
www.grannysatticnj.com
Open 7 Days 10 to 6

READERS
CHOICE
2013
FIRST PLACE
ANTIQUE DEALER
Nice Jewish boy, looking to buy all antiques, fne art,
Judaica, military, Tiffany lamps, bronzes, paintings,
Persian rugs, dolls, toys, very fne furniture and
everything wonderful!
Were only in business for 47 years
Largest antiques store in the Tri-state
Located in a 30,000 sq. ft. warehouse
Complete estates & clean outs
Like us on Facebook
Home Design
facebook.com/jewishstandard
Conserving energy
The importance of turning lights off
DIANE SCHLINDWEIN
When you were a teenager, your par-
ents probably not only told you to turn
down that music but to also turn off the
lights when you left a room. You may or
may not have listened then, but now as
an adult, you really should pay attention
to what experts have to say about con-
serving enery.
Its amazing what a difference simple
behaviors can have on your comfort
and enery bills in your home,
says Barbara Buffaloe, sustainability
manager for the city of Columbia, Mo.
Just something as simple as opening
and shutting curtains or blinds can really
affect the temperature in a room.
In the wintertime Buffaloe says its
best to keep the curtains open on the
east, south, and west sides of your home
to allow those rooms to soak up the suns
free solar heat. At night, you can close
those curtains tightly and keep all of
that warm air inside to keep the room
more comfortable, she says. Insulated
curtains also help because they act as
an additional layer of insulation. In the
summer youll want to close the curtains
during the day.
Paul Frantz, chief marketing officer
of the enery supplier Enery Plus,
advises that you take control of home
temperatures. In winter set your
thermostat to 68 degrees or less during
the daytime and 55 degrees before going
to sleep or when youre away during
the day, he says. During the summer
set thermostats to 78 degrees or more.
Frantz also suggests using appliances
efficiently. Set your refrigerator
temperature at 38 to 42 F, while your
freezer should be set between zero
and 5 F. Use the power-save switch if
your fridge has one, and make sure the
door seals tightly, he says. You can
check this by making sure that a dollar
bill closed in between the door gaskets
is difficult to pull out. If it slides easily
between the gaskets, replace them.
Frantz says to avoid peeking inside
the oven more than necessary. Check
the seal on the oven door and use a
microwave oven for cooking or reheating
small items, he says.
When meals are finished, use your
dishwasher wisely. Wash only full loads
in your dishwasher, using short cycles
for all but the dirtiest dishes, he says.
This saves water and the enery used to
pump and heat it. Air-drying, if you have
the time, can also reduce enery use.
Buffaloe says some appliances even
use enery when they are off. Small
electronics with LED lights and/or
clocks on them are constantly pulling
electricity. The little red light on the
DVD player and television doesnt have
to be on when youre not watching
television, she says. Even some
cellphone chargers pull electricity when
no phone is plugged in.
The enery used by these electronics
when not in use is called vampire load,
and its a waste of enery that can add
up over the course of a year, she says.
Instead, Buffaloe suggests plugging
in small electronics and chargers to a
power strip that allows you the ease of
turning off multiple vampire loads
with the click of one switch.
Following last years warm winter,
this year is liable to seem even colder.
Buffaloe says to remember to control
the power you have on your own
comfort. Your grandmother was on to
something when she said, Youre cold?
Put on a sweater. Every blanket or layer
of clothes adds an additional layer of
insulation to your body making you
more comfortable in your own home or
on the go.
You know that addi ng more
insulation to your attic is good for your
home enery bills, Buffaloe concludes.
Put that into practice with adding an
additional layer onto your own body and
you wont have to turn up the thermostat
as high and thus heat more space than
youre even occupying. CREATORS.COM
Reading near a win-
dow can eliminate
the need for a light
to be on.
CREATORS.COM PHOTO
COURTESY DIANE SCHLIND-
WEIN
Imagine yourself in the kitchen youve always wanted.
See every Sub-Zero and Wolf product in its natural environment at The Living Kitchen.
Make yourself at home. Get hands-on with the complete line of Sub-Zero and Wolf products
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Paramus
469 Route 17 South
Fairfield
65 Passaic Avenue
East Brunswick (NEW!)
251 Route 18 South
Madison
300 Main Street
Other Karls Locations: Orange-557 Main Street Sparta- 10 Main Street
888-98-KARLS www.karlsappliance.com
JS-47
Imagine yourself in the kitchen youve always wanted.
See every Sub-Zero and Wolf product in its natural environment at The Living Kitchen.
Make yourself at home. Get hands-on with the complete line of Sub-Zero and Wolf products
as you move from one full-scale kitchen vignette to the next. Once youve been inspired by
all that your new kitchen can be, our specialists will help you turn your dreams into reality.
Paramus
469 Route 17 South
Fairfield
65 Passaic Avenue
East Brunswick (NEW!)
251 Route 18 South
Madison
300 Main Street
Other Karls Locations: Orange-557 Main Street Sparta- 10 Main Street
888-98-KARLS www.karlsappliance.com

JS-48
Home Design
JS-48
Metziya - noun: a great product at a great price; a real bargain; a purchase worthy of bragging about; such a deal your mother will kvel.
www.hardware-designs.com
135 New Dutch Lane, Fairfield, NJ 07004 T: 973-808-0266 E: info@hardware-designs.com
Fashionable Faucets That Wont Soak You
Even if youre frugal, weve got a lot of beautifully styled faucets
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well help you find the perfect faucet that gets you clean without
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Stop in soon and check out our faucets along with the vast array
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Enhancing Fine Homes with Exceptional Products
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HardwareDesigns_Metziya_JewishStandard_hlfhor_Layout 1 12/9/13 11:49 AM Page 1
HOME
FURNISHINGS,
ACCESSORIES, GIFTS,
AND MORE
67 Closter Plaza Shopping Center
Closter, New Jersey 07624
Phone: 201-784-6061 Fax: 201-784-6082
25% OFF ONE ITEM
Expires 12/30/13
Not Valid on Sales, Clearance & Florals
Reg. Price
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Adam J. Goldberg
171 Garfeld Avenue
Passaic Park, NJ 07055
T 973-471-9696 F 973-471-7610
kiwiclosets@yahoo.com
Great Designs at
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maximize your space
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Adam J. Goldberg
171 Garfeld Avenue Passaic Park, NJ
973-471-9696
kiwiclosets@yahoo.com
Why shlep to California?!
CLOSETS
KIWI
Prepare for winter
weather emergencies
Imagine living without heat, power or communication
during the coldest days of the year. During a winter
weather emergency, not only can these conditions be
unpleasant, but dangerous too.
Making a plan, winterizing your home, and stocking up on
supplies are all essential steps to prepare for winter emer-
gencies. Use this crucial stay-safe checklist now to help your
household prepare for blistering conditions all winter long:
Make a Plan
Storm heading your way? Follow the news closely so you can
make last minute preparations before the weather turns dan-
gerous. As part of this process, create an emergency plan
and review it with your family. The plan should also address
specific scenarios, such as what to do if someone is separated
from the group and is unable to call for help.
Stay Powered Up
In the event that the power goes out, you will need a reli-
able alternative power source to charge essential commu-
nications equipment like your phone and computer, as
well as heat sources, such as space heaters.
A durable and compact USB solar charger that is com-
patible with smartphones, tablets, and even laptops, can
be a lifesaver.
Winterize
Ensuring that your home is protected from the elements
can turn a bad situation into a life-saving scenario. Install
storm windows and apply weather-stripping to help insu-
late your home. In the event the heat goes out, youll
be trapping warm air in and keeping cold air out. And
remember you can never have too many blankets and
warm clothes.
Pack an Emergency Kit
When extreme weather hits, it is important to have essen-
tial supplies within an arms reach. Be sure that you have
a well-stocked, up-to-date first aid kit and an extra supply
of all family members prescription medications.
Your kit should also include several gallons of clean
water, as well as enough non-perishable food to last three
days, including formula for young children. Pick items
that dont require cooking or preparation. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency recommends replacing
these stores every six months. Lastly, make sure you have
a battery-operated radio and plenty of batteries on hand.
Dont wait until that big storm comes your way to start
preparing.
Real Estate & Business
JS-49*
Real Estate Associates
Ann Murad, ABR, GRI
Sales Associate
NJAR Circle of Excellence Gold Level, 2001, 2003-2006
Silver Level, 1997-2000, 2002,2009,2011,2012
Direct: (201) 664 6181, Cell: (201) 981 7994
E-mai l : anni eget si t sol d@msn. com
123 Broadway, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677
(201) 573 8811 ext. 316
Each Ofce Independenty Owned and Operated
ANNIE GETS IT SOLD
EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY
HOUSING EQUAL HOUSING
OPPORTUNITY
Need Help With
Your House Purchase?
We can help with a wide variety of
available programs, quick underwriting
and closings! Rates are still low, so call
us for a pre-approval or to look into
renancing into a 15-year xed,
ARM or for cash out!
Classic Mortgage, LLC
Serving NY, NJ & CT
25 E. Spring Valley Ave., Ste 100, Maywood, NJ
201-368-3140
www.classicmortgagellc.com
MLS #31149
Larry DeNike
President
MLO #58058
ladclassic@aol.com
Daniel M. Shlufman
Managing Director
MLO #6706
dshlufman@classicllc.com
SERVING BOCA RATON,
DELRAY AND BOYNTON BEACH
AND SURROUNDING AREAS
Advantage Plus
601 S. Federal Hwy, Ste. 100
Boca Raton, FL 33432
Elly & Ed Lepselter
(561) 826-8394
THE FLORIDA LIFESTYLE
Now Selling Valencia Cove
and Villaggio Reserve
FORMER NJ
RESIDENTS
SPECIALIZING IN: Broken Sound, Polo, Boca West, Boca Pointe,
St. Andrews, Admirals Cove, Jonathans Landing, all the Valencia
communities and everywhere else you want to be!
Orna Jackson, Sales Associate 201-376-1389
TENAFLY
894-1234
TM
TEANECK MAGICAL $278,800
Charming Arts & Crafts 3 bedroom colonial features enclosed front porch, living
room with fireplace, dining room with original fixtures & stained glass window, sun
filled reading room, country kitchen with pantry & mud room
opens to deep yard & garage.
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS
568-1818
TENAFLY
894-1234
CRESSKILL
871-0800
ALPINE/CLOSTER
768-6868
RIVER VALE
666-0777
TEANECK
OPEN HOUSES 1-3 PM
For Our Full Inventory & Directions
Visit our Website
www.RussoRealEstate.com
(201) 837-8800
READERS
CHOICE
2013
FIRST PLACE
REAL ESTATE AGENCY
1360 Dickerson Rd. $525,000
First Time Offered. Prime W Englwd Col. 3 BRs, 1.5 Bths. Ent
Foyer, LR/fplc, FDR/Built-Ins, Birch Kit/Bfst Area, Den, Porch.
Fin Bsmt. Gar. Perfect for Expansion/69' x 132' Prop.
85 Lees Ave. $330,000
Reduced! Lov 3 BR Col on Quiet St. Mod Kit/Granite Cntrs/
Bkfst Bar/Door to Patio. H/W Flrs, C/A/C, Fin Bsmt, 2 Car Gar.
259 Elm Ave. $339,000
Well Maintained 3 BR (incl Mstr on 1st flr), 2 Bth Cape on
50' X 150' Prop. Updated Kit & Bths. H/W Flrs. Fin Bsmt.
C/A/C. Gar.
PARAMUS
OPEN HOUSE 1-3 PM
385 Burlington Rd. $580,000
Expanded Col /1st Flr BR, 4 Addl 2nd Flr BRs, 2 New Full
Bths. LR, Mod Eat In Country Kit, Fam Rm/Slders to Deck.
C/A/C. Fenced in Yard. Low Taxes! Many Updates!
BY APPOINTMENT
Teaneck $430s
Corner Prop. Ent Foyer, Form DR/Sldrs to Deck, Granite
MEIK. C/A/C. Polished H/W Flrs. 2 Car Gar.
All Close to NY Bus/Houses of Worship/Highways

FOLLOW TEAM V&N ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER
www.vera-nechama.com
201-692-3700
SMART * EXPERIENCED * BOLD
SUNDAY DEC 15TH - OPEN HOUSES
105 Cherry Lane, Tnk $739,000 1:00-3:00pm
196 Van Buren Ave, Tnk $519,000 1:00-3:00pm
127 Frederick Pl, Bgfld $469,000 1:00-3:00pm
420 Windsor Rd, Bgfld $419,000 12:00-2:00pm
UNDER CONTRACT
261 Schley Pl, Teaneck
36 Dudley Drive, Bergenfield
PRICE CHANGE
105 Cherry Lane, Teaneck - $739,000
First time homebuyers seminar
Spend an evening at Dougies in
Teaneck on Wednesday, Decem-
ber 18, at 7 p.m. learning about
the issues relating to your first
home purchase. The presenta-
tion will be provided by David
Siegel, HLO for Citibank; Marc
Stein, broker owner of Links Res-
idential; and Judah Fuld, a local
real estate attorney.
The presentation will help
you learn how to evaluate mort-
gage options; explore the legal
issues of purchasing a home;
learn about the buying process;
and meet local agents to work
with.
Space is limited so reserve in
advance by contacting David
Siegel at david.siegel@citi.com
Miron Properties welcomes Michelle Weitzner
Miron Properties, a residential real estate brokerage
firm located in Bergen County, announces the hire
of Michelle Weitzner, a 20-year Bergen County resi-
dent who comes to Miron Properties with four years
of real estate experience, previously having worked
for Coldwell Banker in Tenafly.
Specializing in assisting buyers and sellers in Engle-
wood, Teaneck, and Tenafy, she has not only worked
extensively in the area but raised her six children
there. Originally from Monsey, N.Y., Ms. Weitzner
holds an education degree from Queens College.
Michelle is a hard-working, dedicated profes-
sional, genuinely concerned about her clients and
committed to getting them the very best deal, stated
firm owner Dr. Ruth Miron-Schleider.
Jeff@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com
Ruth@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com/NJ
Each Miron Properties office is independently owned and operated.
Contact us today for your complimentary consultation!
ENGLEWOOD
Exquisite E.H. Georgian Colonial.
ENGLEWOOD
Beaut C.H. Col. Picturesque setting.
ENGLEWOOD
Magnicent 8 BR home. + acre.
ENGLEWOOD
401 DOUGLAS STREET $1,345,000
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
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D
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O
P
E
N

H
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A
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2
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4
TENAFLY
Tuscany in Bergen County. $879K
TENAFLY
Spacious E.H. home. Deep lot.
TENAFLY
Old world charm. Timeless elegance.
TENAFLY
Sprawling Ranch. E.H. cul-de-sac.
U
N
I
Q
U
E
C
O
L
O
N
I
A
L
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
HAWORTH
Expanded 4 BR/3 BTH ranch.
RIVER EDGE
Lovely ranch. Mint condition.
TEANECK
Top-of-the-line 2 BR/2.5 BTH townhouse.
TEANECK
Phenomenal property. Private oasis.
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
CHELSEA
Spacious ex 1 BR. $700,000
MURRAY HILL
Magnicent loft living. Roof deck.
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
Pre-war bldg. Magic in Bklyn.
WILLIAMSBURG
Great duplex with city views.
C
H
E
L
S
E
A
G
E
M
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
J
U
S
T
S
O
L
D
!
WILLIAMSBURG
Stylish building. Heart of Bklyn.
REGO PARK
2 BR w/terrace & garage. $422K
TRIBECA
Posh penthouse. Prime location.
CHELSEA
Grand 3 BR/2.5 BTH. $3,750,000
S
O
L
D
!
G
R
E
A
T
V
A
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U
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S
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O
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U
M
!
Jeffrey Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NY
Ruth Miron-Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NJ
NJ: T: 201.266.8555 M: 201.906.6024
NY: T: 212.888.6250 M: 917.576.0776
Remarkable Service. Exceptional Results.
Real Estate & Business
JS-50
Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corp. an equal opportunity company, equal housing opportunity, owned and operated by NRT Inc.
Renee Bouaziz Coldwell Banker 130 Dean Drive Tenay, NJ
Cell 201 233-1852 O ce 201 567-7788 Fax 862 345-2468 www.reneebouaziz.net
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Tank you to my Dear Clients for trusting me with your
real estate needs in 2013. I look forward to being at your
service in 2014.
Highlights of Marketed & Sold Properties
Englewood, 187 Hudson Ave.
Englewood, 372 Audubon Rd. Englewood, 285 Morrow Rd.
Englewood, The Roosevelt, 380 Broad Ave.

SELLING YOUR HOME?
Cell: 201-615-5353 BergenCountyRealEstateSource.com
2013 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC.
Call Susan Laskin Today
To Make Your Next Move A Successful One!
The Elisabeth Morrow
School announces
open house
The Elisabeth Morrow School, a three
through eighth grade country day school
in Englewood, is hosting an open house
on Wednesday, January 15. The program,
starting at 9 a.m., will feature remarks from
the Head of School and a panel discussion
with members of the Class of 2014. After
the presentation, families are invited to see
the classrooms and to tour the 14-acre cam-
pus that includes technology labs, science
labs, performance spaces, libraries, playing
fields, two gymnasiums, working gardens
and nature trails.
We believe that theres no better way
for families to understand all that Elisa-
beth Morrow has to offer than by seeing
the school in action and listening to our
eighth graders talk about their experience
here, says Blair Talcott Orloff, director of
admissions and financial aid. Since we are
in a residential neighborhood, parents are
often surprised to see how expansive the
campus is, and just how well it meets the
needs of children, both academically and
physically. She adds that busing is avail-
able from New York City and many parts of
Bergen County and more than 70 commu-
nities are now represented in the student
population.
At Elisabeth Morrow we have intention-
ally created an environment that meets the
needs of students at all stages of childhood
from three-year-olds to emerging adoles-
cents, said Aaron Cooper, head of school.
Our experienced teachers and our chal-
lenging curriculum ensure that as children
mature, they are offered many opportuni-
ties to discover their passions and become
leaders. That is what families see when our
eighth graders speak.
Families planning to attend the Open
House should RSVP to the Admissions
Office at (201) 568-5566 x7212 or via email
atadmissions@elisabethmorrow.org.
Give the gift of life at Community Blood Services
Community Blood Services is asking
volunteer blood, platelet, and plasma
donors to consider giving the gift of life
by donating blood this season to help
ensure that patients who need life-giving
transfusions can spend the holidays with
their families.
Its important to remember that the
need for blood doesnt take a holiday at this
time of the year, said Karen Ferriday, com-
munity affairs director at Community Blood
Services. In fact, the need is more crucial
than ever because many donors go on
vacation and there are fewer blood drives
at this time of the year.
Ferriday is urging donors to schedule
their lifesaving appointments in the next
few weeks to help offset the blood shortages
that typically occur at this time of year by
calling (201) 251-3703 or scheduling online
at www.communitybloodservices.com. She
noted that the center is offering several pro-
motions to thank those donors who take
time out of their busy holiday schedules to
donate.
On Monday, December 23, and Tuesday,
December 24, the center will offer a Shop
Rite gift card to donors at its Paramus and
Lincoln Park donor centers. Donors who
donate on those days at the Montvale donor
room will receive a Fresh Market gift card.
On Thursday, December 26, and Friday,
December 27, donors will receive an Out-
back gift card at the Paramus and Montvale
locations. Donors also will be entered into a
raffle for a 32-inch LG LED TV; the winner
will be chosen on January 6.
The blood we collect from our donors
stays in our community to serve patients in
our community hospitals. We dont ship it
elsewhere, Ferriday noted. She said Type
O negative blood, the universal blood type
which can be transfused to patients with
any blood type, is especially in demand
at this time of year. Platelets for cancer
patients and A and AB male plasma to treat
bleeding disorders and for trauma victims
are also needed.
Community Blood Services, a not-for-
profit blood center, supplies blood and
blood products for patients in more than 18
local hospitals in the region.
Seniors enjoy a
provocative look at
modern marriage with
Twos a Crowd
Residents of the Village Apartments of the
Jewish Federation, a senior living com-
munity in South Orange, enjoyed a lively
discussion following a screening of the
documentary, Twos a Crowd, which
highlights the unorthodox marriage
arrangement of a Manhattan couple. The
pair decides to live apart until, after a rent
increase, the husband moves into his wifes
tiny rent-controlled apartment to save
money. The seniors who attended the film
screening then discussed the differences
between traditional concepts of marriage
versus alternative ways some couples share
their lives today.
The program was sponsored by the
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW)
as part of its NCJW Film Festival. The
discussion was facilitated by Ellen Barocas,
a member of the organization and the vice
president of the board of trustees of the
Jewish Community Housing Corporation
of Metropolitan New Jersey ( JCHC); the
JCHC is the non-profit organization that
owns and manages four senior living
communities in Essex and Morris counties,
including Village Apartments. Barocas also
presented the program at the JCHCs Jewish
Federation Plaza in West Orange. The JCHC
offers monthly cultural, educational, and
social programs for its residents that foster
an engaged and active lifestyle.
According to Barocas, the NCJW
selects films of social relevance that are
written and/or produced by women or
are about women. She felt the unusual
lifestyle showcased in Twos a Crowd
would generate some thought-provoking
conversation among the seniors who
watched, it and she was right.
Initally, the group could not understand
the arrangement the couple in the film
had, Barocas said. As we delved deeper
into the topic, they came to the consensus
that even though they do not relate to it,
one should not be judgmental about how
others choose to live, particularly in regard
to their children and grandchildren. It
was a very open discussion that led to
greater tolerance of cultural changes in our
society. Barocas said that taking the film
festival to senior communities is part of the
NJCWs community outreach.
JS-51
Jeff@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com
Ruth@MironProperties.com www.MironProperties.com/NJ
Each Miron Properties office is independently owned and operated.
Contact us today for your complimentary consultation!
ENGLEWOOD
Exquisite E.H. Georgian Colonial.
ENGLEWOOD
Beaut C.H. Col. Picturesque setting.
ENGLEWOOD
Magnicent 8 BR home. + acre.
ENGLEWOOD
401 DOUGLAS STREET $1,345,000
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
O
P
E
N

H
O
U
S
E
S
U
N
D
A
Y

2
-
4
TENAFLY
Tuscany in Bergen County. $879K
TENAFLY
Spacious E.H. home. Deep lot.
TENAFLY
Old world charm. Timeless elegance.
TENAFLY
Sprawling Ranch. E.H. cul-de-sac.
U
N
I
Q
U
E
C
O
L
O
N
I
A
L
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
HAWORTH
Expanded 4 BR/3 BTH ranch.
RIVER EDGE
Lovely ranch. Mint condition.
TEANECK
Top-of-the-line 2 BR/2.5 BTH townhouse.
TEANECK
Phenomenal property. Private oasis.
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
CHELSEA
Spacious ex 1 BR. $700,000
MURRAY HILL
Magnicent loft living. Roof deck.
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
Pre-war bldg. Magic in Bklyn.
WILLIAMSBURG
Great duplex with city views.
C
H
E
L
S
E
A
G
E
M
!
S
O
L
D
!
S
O
L
D
!
J
U
S
T
S
O
L
D
!
WILLIAMSBURG
Stylish building. Heart of Bklyn.
REGO PARK
2 BR w/terrace & garage. $422K
TRIBECA
Posh penthouse. Prime location.
CHELSEA
Grand 3 BR/2.5 BTH. $3,750,000
S
O
L
D
!
G
R
E
A
T
V
A
L
U
E
!
S
O
L
D
!
I
N
D
I
G
O
C
O
N
D
O
M
I
N
I
U
M
!
Jeffrey Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NY
Ruth Miron-Schleider
Broker/Owner
Miron Properties NJ
NJ: T: 201.266.8555 M: 201.906.6024
NY: T: 212.888.6250 M: 917.576.0776
Remarkable Service. Exceptional Results.
in a residential neighborhood, parents are
often surprised to see how expansive the
campus is, and just how well it meets the
needs of children, both academically and
physically. She adds that busing is avail-
able from New York City and many parts of
Bergen County and more than 70 commu-
nities are now represented in the student
population.
At Elisabeth Morrow we have intention-
ally created an environment that meets the
needs of students at all stages of childhood
from three-year-olds to emerging adoles-
cents, said Aaron Cooper, head of school.
Our experienced teachers and our chal-
lenging curriculum ensure that as children
mature, they are offered many opportuni-
ties to discover their passions and become
leaders. That is what families see when our
eighth graders speak.
Families planning to attend the Open
House should RSVP to the Admissions
Office at (201) 568-5566 x7212 or via email
atadmissions@elisabethmorrow.org.
JS-52
RCBC
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Supermarket on
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