December 2011 - Capitol Knesset

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kislevTevet 5772
december 2011
www.JewishSac.org
JCRC, area rabbis address civility
by E l i ssa P r ovance
The Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of The Jew-
Community
Development
Grants
Awarded
  
Teens Reach
New Heights
  
5
7
National Efforts
Aimed at
Campus AntiSemitism
  
Mitzvah
Week
  
11
12
El Dorado’s
Jewish
Community
Takes
Action
  
15
Candle Lighting
Times for Shabbat
Dec. 2 – 4:24 p.m.
Dec. 9 – 4:24 p.m.
Dec. 16 – 4:26 p.m.
Dec. 23 – 4:29 p.m.
Dec. 30 – 4:33 p.m.
ish Federation of the Sacramento Region
identified civility as a priority issue at
its annual retreat in August. Members
of the Greater Sacramento Area Rabbis
Association agreed to talk about civility
during the High Holidays. Congregation
Bet Haverim (CBH) hosted a speaker to
discuss civility as part of the Year of Civil
Discourse Initiative.
So when did we become so uncivil?
Like any human
behavior, the now apparent lack of civility
is not the result of one
disagreement, one
conflict, or one issue.
San Francisco JCRC Project Facilitator Rachel Eryn Kalish, who has 30
years of experience helping people with
diverse views come together and engage
in civil dialogue, framed the big picture
discussion at CBH as the result of deep
wounds dating back to the Holocaust.
“When you look at the pre-Holocaust
Jewish community, it was not organized,”
she explained. “After the Holocaust, the
community created a unified message so
if it happened again, no one could say the
Jewish community was not organized.”
The problem was that critical voices
were left out of the discussion and splinter groups began appearing.
“Anything that becomes suppressed
has more energy,” Kalish said. “It’s
blocked up anger and frustration. The
post-Holocaust community became fearful about acknowledging fear and being
vulnerable out loud. We have not unpacked those issues thoughtfully.”
In 2010, the Year of Civil Discourse
Initiative trained six Bay-area institutions
“The way we argue can either destroy
communication or build it up.”
with between 12-30 participants committing to an entire year; engaged in public
conversations at Film Festivals, Jewish
Community Centers, book groups, and
synagogues; conducted a retreat for rabbis; worked with Jewish day schools, and
convened a leadership cohort. Kalish saw
startling results from both a personal
and systemic vantage point, for example,
relationships built between people with
diametrically opposing viewpoints and
synagogue leaders who once treated Israel as a taboo subject were now inviting
F Page 22
Federation joins area, regional nonprofits in the GiveLocalNow movement
by E l i ssa P r ovance
The Jewish Federation of the
Sacramento Region has joined more
than 100 area non-profits participating
in GiveLocalNow, a grassroots campaign
designed to inspire charitable giving
throughout Sacramento, El Dorado,
Placer, and Yolo counties.
Spearheaded by the Sacramento
Regional Foundation and the Non-Profit
Resource Center and launched in Sepnon-profit org.
u.s. postage
paid
sacramento, ca
permit no. 342
tember by 17 local philanthropists that
provided resources and leadership, the
campaign is a response to a May 2011
study of 2,000 households that found the
average Sacramento region household
donated 11 percent less to charity than
its national counterparts. The results of
the study, the most comprehensive of its
kind in the region, led to the following
three goals to be addressed during the
next five years:
p Close the giving gap and bring the
regional average for non-profit support to at least 67 percent (up from
62 percent).
p Increase the average annual contribution from regional households
to the national average ($1,990 vs.
$2,355).
p Increase the local share of giving
from 63 percent to 68 percent.
Achieving these goals would mean
an additional 42,000 donors putting
$250 million each year into the hands of
regional non-profits to support the critical work they do in the community— an
diverse points of view to be shared within
their walls.
CBH Rabbi Greg Wolfe acknowledged the difficulties of civil dialogue and
encouraged the audience of more than
30 participants to “create a sacred space
and honor how difficult this process is.”
The conversations, Kalish agreed,
can be daunting because of how deep the
issues run. And when it comes to Israel,
the issues run really deep.
“It’s never been as safe to talk about
Israel in all of its complexities here like in Israel,” she
explained.
The local tipping point
for the Sacramento-area
community seemed to focus
on one man— Richard Goldstone, the
South African judge, who, in 2009, led a
United Nations Human Rights Council
fact-finding mission to investigate international human rights and humanitarian
law violations related to the 2008 Gaza
War. The Goldstone Report, as it became
known, sparked outrage in the Jewish
world for its accusations that Israel committed war crimes (it found the same
conclusion for Hamas). Goldstone had
increase of
nearly $15
million.
Participating
non-profits
focus on the
arts, education, the
environment,
health, human
services, economic development,
youth, and other local needs.
Steven Weiss, a consultant with the
project, noted, “We’re agnostic where
people give, whether it’s to a Temple,
Federation, or the Boys & Girls Club. We
want people to give to what is meaningful but collectively, we want the region
to give more. Just by being average, we
can raise the equivalent of building two
Crocker Art Museums every year in the
community.”
Nancy Brodovsky, a Mosaic Law
Congregation member who sits on
GiveLocalNow’s Marketing Committee,
F Page 19
Connecting Our Community. FEDERATION
matters
From the President
by l i sa k ap l an
An important priority during
my term as Federation President is a renewed investment in our
S av e t h e D at e !
Rick Recht Concert!
January 29, 2012
youth. We are following through on
that promise with increased financial and human resources dedicated
to education, youth groups, The PJ
Library, and more recently, a trip to
Israel. For the first time, the Jewish
Federation is funding a bus for 40
young adults to travel to Israel for 10
days on Birthright.
I am a firm believer that actions
speak louder than words and am excited to announce that I am joining our
young adults
on Birthright
this month.
Investing
in our youth
starts from the
top. By joining
our young adults on this trip, I will
have the opportunity to bond with our
next generation and hear directly from
them what is important to them. In
reading an article about the importance of investing in our youth, a 17year-old boy said, “Allow interaction
between different sects of Judaism so
that we can all learn from each other
and experience aspects of Judaism we
never knew existed. We can’t segregate
ourselves from each other and expect
to have a real community.”
My
hope is
that this
Birthright
trip will
allow
young
adults
to learn
Lisa Kaplan
from
each other and establish stronger ties
to Israel, Judaism, and our community
as a whole.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t
tell you that
this trip to
Israel is an
opportunity for me to
explore on a
deeper level
my spiritual ties to Israel and Judaism.
While I grew up observant of our holidays and what it means to be Jewish,
I did not grow up attending a synagogue, and I never celebrated my Bat
Mitzvah. As the trip to Israel grows
closer, I know there is an opportunity
for me to have that experience while
I am there. Knowing that opportunity
exist gives me much to think about. I
look forward to sharing more with you
next month.
Investing in our youth
starts from the top.
The Crest Theatre
4:00 p.m.
Top-touring musician in Jewish music, Rick Recht
is coming to Sacramento! Rick plays more than 150
concerts a year in the United States and abroad.
Tickets $10 (Free to children who don’t need a seat.)
VIP Packages available!
Purchase tickets at www.jewishsac.org/rickrecht.
NOMINATE AN OUTSTANDING
TEEN FOR A $36,000 AWARD
The 2012 Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards will recognize up to five
Jewish teens – ages 13 to 19 – throughout California for exceptional
community service and leadership in helping to repair the world.
Nomination Forms & Information
web:
www.jewishfed.org/teenawards
phone: 415.512.6437
email:
dillerteenaward@sfjcf.org
Deadline for Nominations
Friday, January 6, 2012
Congratulations to our 2011 winners! Gabe Ferrick, Santa Rosa; Liza Gurtin, La Jolla;
Naftali Moed, Pacifica; Casey Robbins, Carmichael; Daniel Sobajian, Los Angeles
Generously funded by the Helen Diller Family Foundation
kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
FEDERATION
From the Executive Director
matters
by me l i ssa chapman
A few years ago, a colleague
of mine started lecturing me
about the overuse of plastics, paper
goods, and products with chemicals.
She took special interest in adding me
to her messaging army, knowing I was
a former vegetarian and small liberal
arts school graduate.
I was an obedient soldier and
started my own personal mission to
go green, reduce my carbon footprint,
and think sustainably. I swapped all
my products, from hair care to kitchen
cleanser; started collecting batteries, light
bulbs, and electronics; reduced twothirds of my garbage
by recycling; considered a compost pile
until I remembered
that I lived in the heart of Chicago,
where alley rats rule; authored a City
Girl’s Guide to Living Green with a
comprehensive, yet witty (if I might
say so) offering of how to make an
impact in the environment without
impacting your wallet or routine; and
found ways to tie in my actions with
Jewish values.
A UN resolution from a 1987
conference on the environment and
development states, “Meeting the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, should
become a central guiding principle of
the United Nations, Governments and
private institutions, organizations and
enterprises.” It highlights the notion
that people have to work together to
meet the needs of present and future
generations. This is our story.
Repairing the world (tikkum olam)
We simply can’t continue
to consume our resources
without replenishing them.
and ensuring our future is at the core
of our ideals and part of nearly every
Jewish organization’s narrative. In
Israel, we honor the laws of Shemittah
and allow the land to rest and regenerate every seven years. Considering
our history of struggle for survival over
the past 2,000 years, sustainability, on
every level, lies at the heart of Jewish
consciousness.
Luckily, it has become chic to be
The Jewish Voice
A monthly publication of the Jewish Federation of the
Sacramento Region. Supported by your generous contributions.
All stories written by Elissa Provance unless indicated otherwise.
green. Sustainability
is the new
buzzword.
Sacramento offers locally grown
produce,
Melissa Chapman
meats and
wine, easy and fantastic recycling, and
respect for the environment (have you
seen the fines for littering?).
And then I look a level deeper.
Do we have what it takes to make a
sustainable Jewish community? Can
we really dream of that kosher deli
or a JCC? We can start by taking the
time to identify what is most important to us and how we might make
a contribution to those things. Take
a drive to Davis to see the inspiring
new Hillel House going up. Send your
teenager to one of the Teen Adventure programs. Meet the new head of
Shalom School. Enroll in our Write
On For Israel program. Volunteer for
any of the meaningful projects during
Mitzvah Week. Make a financial donation to a Jewish institution or discuss
an estate plan with the Jewish Community Foundation of the West.
While very little is in our control,
we are most certainly the captains of
our own Jewish identities and futures.
If we don’t become active participants
in our own destinies, who will? We
simply can’t continue to consume our
resources without replenishing them.
Roslyn
levy-WeintRaub
RealtoR®
Residence
Cellular
Office
Email
(916) 920-3339
(916) 952-6602
(916)484-2030
roz@dunniganrealtors.com
Dunnigan Realtors
2401 American River Drive, Suite 150
Sacramento, CA 95825
Jewish Voice
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The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region
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Connecting Our Community. beneficiary agencies
and programs
Fall Happenings at
Hillel House
As students eagerly await the completion of the new Hillel House, Jewish
life at Hillel has not slowed down. The
academic year began with “Welcome
Week,” featuring events such as
Extreme Challah Baking with Challah for Hunger that brought more
than 100 students to Hillel to try their
hand at kneading, stuffing, and braiding some of the most creative challot you have ever seen, as well as an
Israel Night, and Hillel’s first Shabbat
dinner of the year. Each week, whether to celebrate one of the (many!) Jewish holidays that fill the fall calendar,
enjoy a free kosher meal on Tuesday
at lunchtime, volunteer with Challah for Hunger, or participate in one
of Hillel’s many social, educational,
spiritual, or Tzedek programs, hundreds of students found their way to
the (temporary) Hillel House location
this fall.
Some of Hillel’s most memorable
Shabbat programs this fall included
a beautiful Shabbat under the sukkah in the backyard of our temporary
home, as well as Shabbat services and
dinner at the Alpha Epsilon Pi house,
the Jewish fraternity on campus at
the University of California, Davis. As
this article is being written, several of
our students are preparing for what
is sure to be an incredible Shabbat
Retreat at URJ Camp Newman, made
possible by a generous grant from The
Jewish Federation of the Sacramento
Region’s Community Development
Grant Program.
Israel programming and education are central to Hillel’s work. Upon
the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli
soldier held captive by Hamas for
more than five years, Israel Fellow
Oded Gvaram, along with Hillel’s two
UC Davis student joins in challah
baking.
Koret Israel Interns, facilitated a lively
discussion about the terms of Shalit’s
release and provided historical context
for his capture and captivity. Students
brought their questions, opinions, and
emotions to the participatory program.
In line with Hillel’s reputation for
cooking some of the best kosher food
this side of Brooklyn, Hillel hosted
an Israeli cooking competition (in
the style of the TV show Iron Chef),
requiring students to use a secret
ingredient along with other, fresh ingredients, to create an Israeli-inspired
meal to impress a panel of judges. In
addition, Assi Azar, the host of the
Israeli version of Big Brother, visited
UC Davis in mid-November to present
his latest documentary.
Save the date for Hillel’s Grand Opening Gala on May 6, 2012 from 4:30-7:30
p.m. For more information about Hillel
at Davis and Sacramento, visit www.hillelhouse.org or contact 530.756.3708.
— Maiya Chard-Yaron,
Program Director
Your Campaign contributions to Federation
help support and maintain the following agencies,
organizations, and community outreach efforts:
The PJ Library®
Israel and Overseas Support
Teen Adventure Program
Partnership Together
Schwab Rosenhouse
Scholarships
Write On For Israel
NextDor
Community Programming
Jewish Heritage Festival
Committee on Inclusion
and Disabilities
Community Development
Grants
Taglit-Birthright Israel
E-Voice
The Jewish Voice
Community Calendar
Hillel at Davis
and Sacramento
Shalom School
...and more!
Jewish Community
Relations Council
kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
Each December, Shalom School
sponsors Grandparents Day. For
grandparents Diane and Allen
Greenberg, this day is only one
of many visits to Shalom School.
Diane and Allen regularly volunteer their time and talents at the
school. As Diane said, “Shalom
School is a family. It brings
people together.”
A retired family nurse practitioner, Diane first started volunteering while recuperating from
back surgery.
“I was looking for something
to get me out of the house and
back into life,” she explained.
What started out as a few
Diane and Allen Greenberg
hours became a weekly labor of
love, and when Allen (a retired
adding, “Shalom School enculturates
high school teacher turned
the children. It gives them a sense of
banker) retired from his banking
who and what they are. It’s the only
career, it felt right to follow in Diane’s
school in the region to offer academic
footsteps.
excellence in a Jewish environment.
Their core duties— helping out in
The total involvement creates a Jewish
the library and at lunch— are merely
child, not just a child whose religion
a jumping off point. The other opporis Judaism. I love the fact that there
tunity their generosity affords them is
is excellent day care, that the cama very up close and intimate look at
pus is safe, and that the children get
the environment and education that
excellent supervision. This allows for
is provided to their grandchildren,
the warm family environment and
Malcolm and Miriam, who are the
you see it everywhere. The students
children of their daughter Suzanne
and teachers love each other and the
and her husband Chuck Brabec.
teachers work well together.”
Allen acknowledged this, saying,
One of the oldest debates in
“They have a quality curriculum and
education is whether home or school
teachers who are dedicated, talented,
ultimately makes the most difference
and creative. The continuity and comin the development of a child. Thanks
munication between staff cannot be
to people like Diane and Allen Greenoverstated. The test scores speak for
berg, Shalom School is able to gift its
themselves.”
students with the best of both worlds,
“My grandson speaks Hebrew
thus giving them the opportunity to in
with an Israeli accent, and is learnturn be gifts to the world.
ing both conversational Hebrew and
prayers. It’s wonderful!” Diane said,
Two issues within the Sacramento
Region’s Jewish community have
bubbled to the surface and JCRC is
tuned in, listening, and acting. The
subject of civility continues to occupy
our thoughts, especially in the days
of communal reflection following the
High Holy Days. The second issue
demanding our attention is the rising
anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on
our college campuses, and the needs
of our young adults as they face these
hostile environments.
Dialogue on Israel was the subject
November 13th at Bet Haverim in
Davis, where Rachel Eryn Kalish led
a civility program as part of the Year
of Civil Discourse (see Cover story).
As we plan our own programs, we can
learn from established leaders in this
area.
JCRC also is exploring the issue
of hostility that Jewish students face
on college campuses. The Board has
committed itself to finding ways to
empower students in addressing this
issue at the local level, as well as contemplate larger systemic interventions.
We started by hosting StandWithUs
college campus liaison Matt White
at a recent Board meeting. White is
a recent graduate of the University of
California, Berkeley, who was part of
the response to Boycott, Divestment,
and Sanction activity on that campus.
(See more on anti-Israel activity on
college campuses on p. 11.)
Additionally, JCRC and the
Federation are sponsoring 10 college students for Write On For Israel
(WOFI). WOFI is a five-month skills
development program designed to
develop rhetorical speaking skills and
a knowledge base of Israel. The goal is
to help Jewish adults of all skills and
abilities effectively advocate for Israel.
For more information about JCRC,
contact Boisa at 916.486.0906 ext.
308.
— John Boisa, JCRC Director
FEDERATION
matters
Building community
one activity at a time
Thanks to the Jewish Federation of
the Sacramento Region, almost 900
children now receive a monthly blue
and white envelope with a beautiful
free Jewish book. This year, as part of
Federation’s Mitzvah Week (see pp.
12-13), The PJ Library is partnering
with another non-profit organization,
Milk + Bookies, to provide an opportunity for our children to “pay it
forward” and share the excitement of
receiving new books with less fortunate children in our community.
In 2004, Meredith Alexander, a
mother of two young children who resides in Los Angeles, created the nonprofit organization Milk + Bookies and
now serves as its Executive Director.
Her motivation was to provide children with opportunities to give back
to the community using books as their
currency. Since its creation, Milk +
Bookies has raised 22,586 books and
inspired 5,315 young philanthropists.
At a Milk + Bookies event, children
select, purchase, and inscribe books
that are then donated to local peers
who do not have access to books of
their own. These fun-filled events
combine two essential values: the promotion of literacy and the importance
of tzedakah. A typical Milk + Bookies
event includes story time, art projects,
and, of course, milk and cookies! The
donated books are gathered at the end
of the event and immediately delivered to a local organization.
Melanie Passovoy, who is part
of The PJ Library in Sacramento,
discovered Milk + Bookies a few years
ago and suggested it as a partnership
organization during Mitzvah Week.
“I felt this is a way to show kids
how good it feels to give something
to someone else who needs it, and
Meredith’s way of accomplishing
that was through kids giving books to
underprivileged kids in their own community,” Passovoy said. “When I saw
the promotional video, I was reminded
that this would be such a great
program to link to The PJ Library in
Sacramento. Alexander shared her enthusiasm
about this partnership.
P H O T O G R A P H Y
“We are thrilled to participate
with the Sacramento PJ Library community, especially during the holiday
season. Our hope throughout the year
is to get children as excited about
giving as they are about getting and
we can’t think of a better organization
with whom to share this goal. Knowing that The PJ Library celebrates
children and books, as we do, it is a
perfect and natural fit to promote our
message of service learning.”
The National PJ Library is taking
notice of this partnership as another
example of Sacramento working
with the community to promote PJ,
literacy, and community.
“We are delighted to learn about
Milk + Bookies through our Sacramento community,” Judi Wisch, from
the national office, said. “By adding
a child literacy tzedakah component
to a PJ family program, families have
the opportunity to discuss and act
upon the values found in many of The
PJ Library books such as generosity,
learning, and doing a mitzvah. Sacramento is on the mitzvah cutting edge
and bringing this partnership to the
attention of other PJ Library communities!”
During Mitzvah Week, The PJ
Library community is excited to return
to the Albert Einstein Residence
Center (AERC), a senior independent
living residence center, for their
Milk + Bookies event.
“I can’t imagine a better way to
begin the celebration of Chanukah for
our PJ Library families,” shared Sokoler. “These PJ Library parents are so
committed to Jewish values and creating strong Jewish identities for their
children. Being able to pay it forward
for other children and to learn from
our elders is a priceless opportunity.”
The event takes place on December 20,
2011, the first night of Chanukah. AERC
is located at 1925 Wright St., Sacramento. For more information, contact
Sokoler at pjlibrary@jewishsac.org or
916.486.0906. For more information
about Mitzvah Week opportunities, see
pp. 12-13.
B ’ N A I M I T Z VA H
WEDDINGS
PORTRAITS
Karen Bearson
karenbearson@comcast.net
by Ste v e Or k and, C ha i r , Co mmun i t y
D e v e lo pment G rants Co mm i ttee
As the Jewish Federation
works toward its goal of commu-
nity building, one thing has become
very clear: partnerships work. Given
the diversity and geographic scale
of the Sacramento region, the need
for mutual respect and support has
become obvious. Through the Community Development Grants Program, the Federation has been able
to provide “seed money” to many
organizations in a cooperative effort
to implement creative community
programming. This fall, 13 organizations submitted 18 applications for
development grant funding. Grants
were made for 12 projects, totaling
$23,842.
These projects were diverse, reflecting the variety of needs within our
community.
Education is a high priority for
the Grants Committee. This year we
will partially fund a series of Teen
Adventures sponsored by the Jewish
Federation. This program teaches
our young people to find the sacred
in nature, to bond and have fun at
the same time. Rabbi Evon Yakar, a
specialist in youth engagement programming, leads it. We will continue
supporting the successful Eleanor
J. Marks Holocaust Essay Contest,
sponsored by the Brotherhood of
Congregation B’nai Israel. Students
throughout the region who want to
participate are asked to submit essays
dealing with the Holocaust. This is
a powerful educational experience,
directed at a generation that is now
far-removed from this historical event.
Chabad JCC of Folsom sponsors an
educational speaker’s series, and we
will provide partial funding for this as
well. We also will help The Commission for the Preservation of Pioneer
Jewish Cemeteries and Landmarks
in the West produce an educational
video dealing with Jewish history in
California.
We support organizations with social action goals. The National Council of Jewish Women has proposed a
Stop Human Trafficking Initiative,
meant to educate our community and
others about this growing Sacramento-area problem. The hope
is to inspire volunteers
to become more active in
agencies that serve the
victims. The Grants Committee also will help fund
The Committee on Inclusion and Disabilities’ efforts to work with the synagogues and other Jewish organizations
to place mezuzot at wheelchair level
in at least one entrance way of their
buildings. We also will help Home of
Peace Cemetery place engraved markers on unmarked graves present since
the cemetery was founded in 1850.
A number of initiatives were
designed to enhance Jewish religious
and cultural life. Congregation Beth
Israel Chico is planning a Sephardic
Jewish Festival that will educate and
celebrate the culture of Sephardic
and Mizrachi Jewry. A musical concert, lectures, film, food, photography,
and costumes will be offered. Hillel
of Davis and Sacramento will serve
Jewish college-age students by developing a series of theme-specific
Passover seders. This will encourage
students, away from their families, to
participate in this holiday celebration.
And Chabad of Davis is preparing a
traditional Shabbaton experience for
students in that city. All these education efforts are supported by grants.
Finally, the Federation encourages
communitywide programming that
brings people together from diverse
Jewish backgrounds. We will support
Family Fun Sunday, a family-oriented
musical program sponsored by The
Women of B’nai Israel and a Community Programming Series planned by
the Jewish Federation in partnership
with local synagogues. The entire Sacramento Jewish population will be invited to attend these activities, which
will foster a feeling of k’lal Yisrael.
In many cases, synagogues and
other Jewish community organizations
would be unable to offer diverse programs such as these without financial
support. The Community Development Grants Program is funded entirely by generous anonymous donors.
For more information about Community Development Grants, including how
to contribute to this effort, contact
Federation Executive Director Melissa
Chapman at mchapman@jewishsac.org
or 916.486.0906 ext. 301.
916.457.4050
Interested in
Adverting in
The Jewish Voice?
Call Kelley at
916.485.7270
for details.
Connecting Our Community. community
Editorial
voices
How the Gilad Shalit deal is like
the Hillel sandwich
by Ben Pastcan
When I was in Israel just two years
ago on a work trip, I remember seeing
signs that said, “Gilad Addayin Chai!”
These signs meant that Gilad Shalit
was still alive. I vividly remember
the feeling in Israel that most people
would do almost anything and everything to bring Gilad Shalit home to
Israel and prove he really is alive. But
could that really happen? I had my
doubts. After all, peace deals and negotiations in Israel I have learned can
crumble as easily as matzah.
When I woke up bleary eyed and
saw the news early in the morning on
October 18th from my computer, it felt
like I digested a Hillel sandwich from
the Passover seder. The sweetness of
the charoset (symbolized as mortar)
represented seeing Gilad Shalit being
rescued against all odds after 5 ½
long years in dark captivity, the maror
(bitter herbs) represented the 1,027
prisoners being released with blood on
their hands from brutally murdering
Jews, and the matzah represented the
two sides of the Jewish people (one
supporting the Gilad Shalit deal and
the other in opposition).
The pessimist would see the two
pieces of matzah and claim how divided Jewish people are after this deal.
But I am learning to be an optimist
(this can happen when working at
a Jewish day school) and to see the
Hillel sandwich as a complete whole.
What really brings the two pieces of
matzah, the charoset, the maror, and
all of us together as Jews are the two
commandments are pikuach nefesh
(to save the life of another at any cost
even if violating any of the commandments in the Torah) and kol yisrael
zeh b’zeh (all Jews are responsible one
for the other). After all, it was Rabbi
Hillel who stated these famous words
in Ethics of the Fathers, 1:14: “If I am
not for myself, who will be for me? If
not now, when?” All of these values
and tastes I was reminded of this
day which triumphed my skepticism.
Thank G-d Gilad Shalit is home now
with his family and friends. Gilad Shalit v’ Yisrael addayin chai! May Israel
and Gilad Shalit still live!
Ben Pastcan is a librarian at Shalom
School and a member of its leadership
team for Israel and WASC (Western
Association of Schools and Colleges).
He visited Israel in 2009 with Shalom
School as part of a grant with the Jim
Joseph Foundation and BASIS (Bay
Area Schools Israel Synergy/BAtei
Sefer Israel San Francisco). The viewpoints and observations expressed
here are solely his own.
The Jewish Voice is please to allocate space in our monthly newspaper for a
Letters to the Editor section to provide a place to respond to our coverage of
local and regional news and to stimulate sincere dialogue about issues facing
our community. All letters should be no more than 300 words in length, and
should include the writer’s name, address, telephone number, and email (we
will not publish this information). All letters become the property of The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region and are subject to editing for length,
content, grammar, punctuation, etc. Editorials, not to exceed 500 words, will
also be considered for publication. Although we may not be able to publish
all submissions, we appreciate the interest and value the views of those who
take the time to send us their comments. Please email Letters to the Editor
to Elissa Provance at eprovance@jewishsac.org or mail them to 2014 Capitol
Ave., Suite 109, Sacramento, CA 95811.
Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I read with interest your article, UC
Davis professor part of international
team of scholars writing a history of
Hassidism). However, I was surprised
to read his severely lacking and shallow assessment of Chassidism and its
founder, the Ba’al Shem Tov.
To neglect to mention the profound impact that Chassidism has
had on the Jewish world is more than
an oversight; to me it seems deliberately negligent. And to compare the
Ba’al Shem Tov, a great Torah scholar
and revered Jewish leader, to Jesus,
is completely inaccurate and beyond
distasteful and disgraceful.
It amazes me to see how Prof.
Biale could think that the teacher of
some of the greatest Torah scholars
could have been less of a scholar himself.
To clarify: the Ba’al Shem Tov
was not just a simple spiritual doctor;
he was the founder of a movement to
whose credit is the literal survival of
the Jewish people today.
Chassidism breathed life into a
floundering Judaism and provided
many Jews with the spiritual firepower
to overcome persecution; to survive
vehemently anti-religious communism; and on the other hand not be
distracted by the openness of Western
emancipation.
The notion that Chassidism is
nothing more than a social club is
to demonstrate a profound lack of
knowledge of the subject and should
disqualify the esteemed professor from
writing and speaking on the topic.
And his idea “that sexual intercourse has nothing to do with pleasure and instead, is experienced as
pain” is unfounded and without a
credible source.
Being born and raised in a Chassidic family, I have inside knowledge
into the philosophy, customs, and
traditions of Chassidism and I would
be willing to share my knowledge with
Prof. Biale.
Dear Editor,
According to the article, UC Davis
professor part of international team
of scholars writing a history of Hassidism), Dr. David Biale is part of
an international team exploring the
origins of Hassidism. What the article
didn’t mention was that he practically
broke his arm patting himself on the
back for being invited onto the team,
because he had been so successful
with the previous tome he edited,
Cultures of The Jews. This time, the
individual contributors would not be
credited with any particular chapter.
If you have read that work, you would
know why.
The typo in the article (Jesus was
the founder of Christ) doesn’t help
his case. It’s common knowledge that
the Apostle Paul was, and no one,
not even the Hassidim, claims the
Ba’al Shem Tov wrote down any of his
teachings. Writing amulets to cure the
people? First I have ever heard that
one. A community functionary? So
what, Jesus was a carpenter. Apparently low-status jobs make you unfit to
be heard; the meritocracy run riot.
The article speaks of networking, a
phrase Dr. Biale managed not to use
in his talk. He averred that Eastern
European Jewry had already recovered
following the Khmelnytsky massacres
in 1648 and the Shabtai Tsvi debacle
in 1666. Not bad for a community
that had reached an estimated low of
25,000 by 1700. Anything to prove his
point that the Ba’al Shem Tov was not
a cause of the resurgence.
To close, Dr. Biale manages to
condemn Hassidism as simultaneously pre-modern, the beneficiaries of
modernity and its opponents, without
ever defining modernity. I would hope
for better from a graduate of Hebrew
University, but then the political slant
of most of the faculty there explains
the arrogance (we studied there at
about the same period).
Home of Peace Cemetery
Cemetery and Mausoleum
Our Jewish Community Cemetery
of the Greater Sacramento Region
Established 1850
Home of Peace is our non-profit Jewish Community cemetery
and mausoleum serving all Jewish people in the greater
Sacramento area. Cared for perpetually with the sensitivity,
sacredness and dignity befitting consecrated ground enshrining
the mortal remains of our loved ones, Home of Peace offers a
variety of interment options. Individual and double gravesites
are available in many different sections of the Cemetery.
Crypts and double crypts are available in the mausoleum. Also,
sections of the Cemetery have been set aside for people desiring
strict adherence to halachic standards, for interfaith married
families, and for cremains.
Pre-need arrangements are encouraged. Pre-need eases
the burden on surviving family members while ensuring
that final wishes are carried out as desired.
Rabbi Yossi Grossbaum
Chabad of Folsom
David Peters
For further information, please contact
Lew Rosenberg, Executive Director
Phone (916) 446-1409
Fax (916) 446-1458
The Home of Peace Cemetery Association
is a non-profit Community organization.
MelanieMagesPhoto.com
916-485-3435
kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
FEDERATION
Teen Adventures:
Reaching New Heights
Federation joins the
world of ‘wikis’
by R a b b i E vo n Ya k ar
“Wait, there are more of these
programs?!” one participant asked
excitedly.
His reaction was shared by many
as 40 area Jewish teens neared the
end of the first “course” of Federation’s premiere Teen Adventures event
The second “course” on the menu
was a hike to and along the American
River Parkway, which provided the
young people an opportunity to talk
about their challenge course experiences, forge stronger bonds to one
another, and to engage in Jewish
These programs express and experience
how important the youth are to the health
and vibrancy of our Jewish community.
Community Development Grants Program,
Teen Adventures continues on January 22nd,
March 18th, and April
29, 2012.
These programs
express and experience
how important the
youth are to the health
and vibrancy of our Jewish community. With
synagogue-based educational and cultural programs and Federation’s
Teen Adventures social
and community building
events, the Jewish community is stronger and
better.
on November 6, 2011. These teens
learning. Sharing stories that built the
gathered and worked together to, literbridge between our Jewish tradition
ally, reach new heights. Peak Advenand the natural world taught teens to
tures at California State University,
appreciate this great resource in their
Sacramento, led teens and staff on a
backyard through Jewish eyes.
journey through team challenges and
So the answer to the surprised and
a ropes course.
excited teen who asked, “Wait, there
For more information
The afternoon was filled with the
are more of these programs?” is yes!
on Teen Adventures,
first-ever Jewish Federation Olympics,
With the support and significant partcontact Yakar, Teen Programming Coordinator,
including the creation of an “eggnership of the region’s synagogues, and
at rabbiyakar@jewishdrop” contraption using duct tape, a
funding through the Federation and
sac.org.
Ziploc bag, a paper plate,
and a handful of other
materials. The competition also involved constructing a bocci ball,
eye glasses, and other
items created from the
same limited resources.
In the end, smiles were
all around as the eggdrop builders climbed the
tower to test their mettle,
or at least their egg’s
mettle! Others strutted
their stuff on the “runway” with their duct tape
eye glasses. In the end,
the Olympics gave teens
the opportunity to be
creative, work together,
and spend an afternoon
Area teens participate at Peak Adventures as part of the premiere Teen Adventure
outside.
program.
Torah Words
by R a b b i Larry M o l d o, Co ngregat i o n Beth S ha lo m ,
M o desto
D
uring the month of December we review the story arc
from Jacob’s departure to the “Old
Country” through Jacob leading his
fairly large family toward Egypt.
The text contains numerous lessons in how not to behave toward
each other, with a few nuggets of
hope thrown in here and there.
Despite being generally decent
people, Jacob’s 13 children tend
to ignore each other’s perspective.
Nobody asks for Dinah’s story,
Joseph doesn’t understand that the
brothers don’t want to remain his
servants, and the brothers ignore
the possibility that Reuben might
feel a shred of responsibility. Everybody proceeds with their own lives,
taking the chances life offers as
they come up, each probably hoping that they will add to the family
legacy of turning disaster into opportunity.
Some of them are fortunate
enough to do teshuvah; the brothers
have the great fortune of having the
opportunity for teshuvah organized for
them.
Jacob never gets the opportunity
to do teshuvah. While he and his
brother Esau reconcile, they remain
distant. During the moments Jacob is
Israel, he transcends the trickery he
engaged in throughout his life. When
he remains Jacob, he slips back into
the mentality of “trick or be tricked.”
The younger generation doesn’t
have a role model for teshuvah. They
have yet to understand the spiritual
benefits to discovering you really are
better than you were.
Joseph doesn’t do teshuvah either.
He takes after his father, reconciling
with his brothers yet not living in their
neighborhood.
Yet while Joseph doesn’t do teshuvah, he organizes the possibility of
his brothers’ teshuvah. Through the
matters
trickery of eavesdropping, he finds out
that the brothers are
no longer the monsters he remembered.
He then sets up the
series of events that
will culminate in
Judah’s teshuvah.
The thought
of revenge often
keeps many of us
going when things
are difficult. Maybe
we should learn our
lesson about how
to cope from the
climactic efforts of
Joseph and Judah:
focus on helping to
set up teshuvah situations, and being on
the lookout for times
we can show we have
improved.
T
he Jewish Federation of the Sacramento
Region is among the first new users to
join an online community-based resource
page.
Fashioned after the highly successful
Daviswiki, Sacwiki is designed to connect
the Sacramento area and become a microcosm for all things Sacramento. Senate Pro
Tempore Darrell Steinberg’ district office is
working to expand the site, which launched
in 2007, by reaching out to non-profits.
“The Sacramento Wiki has the potential
to be a truly great resource for constituents
and for the community,” Steinberg said. “As
an informational website about everything
in Sacramento, it has an important role
helping people connect with city or county
services, find good schools, and get more
involved in their communities.”
In deciding to join the Sacwiki community, Federation Executive Director Melissa
Chapman said, “As the central address
for the Jewish community, we are always
looking for new ways to engage Jews in our
region. This has the potential to be a great
outreach tool for us and one that will help
us connect with the 20-30 somethings.”
“Wikis,” like Wikipedia, are websites
that allow users to post and edit information
about any number of topics. Sacwiki also
includes user reviews, like Yelp, on business,
community resources, restaurants, or other
commentary. Page design is also open for
editing as is the ability to add links to other
content, for example, partner pages.
“The Daviswiki functions as a community portal,” said Nicholas Barry, a District
Representative with Steinberg’s office. “It’s
a terrific resource. We’re working to add
content to the Sacwiki to get people to use
it.”
Barry functions as an administrator,
monitoring the site daily to ensure that
content fits within wiki conventions. Users
who post abusive or vulgar content— which
Barry said is rare— are warned or banned
from the site. An additional built-in protection allows users to bookmark pages and receive notifications when their page content
has been edited.
In reaching out to non-profits, Angel
Jennings, also with Steinberg’s office, noted
that Sacwiki is a way to promote organizations and give supporters the opportunity to
say good things about them.
“The best part of Daviswiki is the comments,” Jennings said. “They show how the
community is involved.”
Barry said a study of the Daviswiki
indicated that in a week’s time, 25 percent
of Davis residents used the wiki to look up
business hours, find places to bike and picnic, or to post comments about businesses.
“We are trying to get critical mass of
content and users,” he explained of the current effort. “We want to see enough people
add content so it is not us being the main
driver.”
Steinberg would like to see the same
results.
“My office has been involved by building up the constituent resources on the
site,” he said. “One of my greatest hopes is
that it will give people the tools they need
to resolve problems and concerns, engage
more with government, and make their
voices heard.”
Connecting Our Community. outreach
community
In our continued effort to support our community in tangible
ways, Federation is pleased to begin offering dedicated space
in The Jewish Voice to our area and regional synagogues as
well as our Jewish community organizations. The Community
Outreach section allows for the promotion of educational,
recreational, and community-building events and programs.
While participation is not required, we hope synagogues and
organizations will take advantage of this opportunity each
month to further their outreach efforts in the community.
Mosaic Law welcomes rabbinic intern
by ra b b i reu v en taff & Dan i e l Ott
Mosaic Law Congregation is very
pleased to have Joseph Robinson,
a sixth year rabbinical
student serve as its Rabbinic Intern for the next
eight months. Robinson
initiated his internship on the
weekend of Yom Kippur by joining
Rabbi Reuven Taff on the pulpit
for Kol Nidre and also participated
in the Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur services. Robinson also had the opportunity to be part of the Family Service
and United Synagogue Youth (USY)
Service on Yom Kippur, where he was
able to meet and interact with many
Mosaic Law members, young and old.
An anonymous group of families
stepped up in 2010 when Mosaic
Law initiated its rabbinic internship
program with Matt Shapiro, who did a
wonderful job during his brief tenure.
Continuing in that tradition, during
Robinson’s time with us, on eight selected weekends, he will preach from
the pulpit, conduct a learner’s Minyan
on Shabbat, teach a class Shabbat afternoon, coordinate a Sunday Mitzvah
project, and be an additional resource
to our congregation’s religious school,
youth program, and Havurot as well as
join Rabbi Taff in attending to some
pastoral needs of our congregants.
Robinson has come highly recommended to this internship by respected rabbis.
Robinson was born in Southern
California and received a Bachelor’s
degree in Sociology with a minor
in Judaic Studies from
San Diego State University. While there, he
was active in Hillel and
KOACH, the Conservative movement’s college outreach
program. He developed and implemented curriculum for the San
Diego Hebrew High School and acted
as a 6th-grade educator for Congregation Beth Am in Del Mar Heights. Additionally, he spent several summers
leading USY’s Pilgrimages to Eastern
Europe and Israel. After completing his secular education, Robinson
studied in Jerusalem at the Conservative Yeshiva for two years. His passion
for youth work has afforded him the
opportunity to work in the Ramah and
Jewish Community Center’s camping
world.
Currently Robinson is finishing
his final year of rabbinical school at
the American Jewish University in the
Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.
He is the only son of Deborah and Jay,
and the middle child between sisters
Sarah and Rebecca. Robinson has
been married for two years to Emily
Hausman. He looks forward to becoming an integral part of the Mosaic
Law congregation and Sacramento
community overall.
For more information, visit
www.mosaiclaw.org.
KOH Library and Cultural Center
by J o l i e Bar o n
Following are two upcoming events in
the KOH Library and Cultural Center
you won’t want to miss.
On December 11, 2011 at 2:00
p.m., the film Attention Aux Enfants!
will be shown. This is a documentary
about the orphans and displaced children of the Shoah who were hidden
in Montmorency (a suburb of Paris)
during the Nazi occupation of France.
For many years, they refused to tell
their stories of childhood, hidden
from society, their separation from
their families, and parents who were
deported to death camps. The film
has won several prizes and has been
shown at film festivals in Paris, New
York, and Atlanta. It is in French with
English subtitles. Margo Kaufman,
who lived in two of these homes and
was responsible for translating this
film into English, will be leading a
discussion and answering questions.
(Suggested donation of $5.)
December 18, 2011 marks the
first arts and crafts fair at KOH Library and Cultural Center from 10:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Exhibitors will feature unique quality handmade crafts
and fine
arts just
in time for
holiday gift
shopping.
There will
be something for everyone, including photo
art, paintings, fused glass jewelry and
art, T-shirts, and more. Hot drinks and
sweets will be available for sale. This
event is free to the public.
In addition to these events, our
monthly KOH Fiction Book Club will
meet on December 13, 2011. Books
for 2012 will be chosen at this meeting. The first book club meeting will
be January 10, 2012 when we will
welcome author Linda Frank who will
discuss her book After the Auction,
which is about a woman who glimpses
a family treasure looted by the Nazis
at an art auction and her quest for
justice and restitution spanning three
continents. Books will be for sale and
the public is welcome to attend.
For more information about the KOH
Library and Cultural Center, visit www.
kohlibrary.blogspot.com.
kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
Mitzvah Project endowment
by T erry Kaufman
In the last two days of 2009, Sandi
Redenbach of Bet Haverim in Davis—
with the help of the Jewish Community Foundation of the West— pulled
off something of a miracle. Just before
the year concluded, she established
the Sandi Redenbach Mitzvah Project Endowment Fund through the
Foundation.
“Sandi called me on December
29th and said she wanted to set up an
endowment,” recalled the Foundation’s Director of Philanthropy, Hannah Olson, “so I jumped in my car
and drove down to Davis with all the
paperwork and we did it.”
For Redenbach, it was a dream
come true. A former educator, she had
given a lot of thought to the way in
which our society teaches— or fails
to teach— children about charitable
giving.
“I primarily worked with at-risk
youth, and I founded a drop-out recovery school. I made it a requirement
that the students perform community
service as a condition for graduation.
These were former gang members,
kids who didn’t have anybody giving
them anything. I was so touched by
the things these kids did. I knew that
one of the things we don’t do enough
of in this world is allow our kids to
experience the sheer joy of giving of
themselves.”
From that experience, Redenbach
conceived of a fund whose purpose
is to encourage philanthropy among
Jewish youth. In October, the first
annual “Mitzvahs and Memories”
essay contest was held, with prizes
funded through
the endowment.
The contest was
open to anyone
between the
ages of 12 and
22 who had
completed a
mitzvah project
in the prior year
and who resided
in or performed their project in Yolo
County.
A panel of six judges, including
Redenbach, evaluated the entries and
awarded a first-place prize of $500 to
Nathaniel Spilkin, a Davis resident
whose project for his bar mitzvah
at Mosaic Law Congregation was a
martial arts event benefiting St. Jude’s
Children’s Hospital. Second prize,
a $100 check, was given to Matti
Siltanen, an 18-year-old at Congregation Bet Haverim who built a gaga pit
at his synagogue as his Eagle Scout
project. Students at the University of
California, Davis, who worked with
underprivileged children in Miami,
Florida during their Spring Break
were awarded a third-place Certificate
of Merit.
Redenbach feels privileged to be
able to “pay it forward.”
“My life has been full of challenges, and I’m lucky that I’m in a position
to do this,” she said. “The Foundation
made it very simple for me.”
For more information about Mitzvahs
and Memories or how to set up your
endowment fund, visit www.jcfwest.org
or contact Hannah Olson at director@
jcfwest.org.
NCJW’s past and present
by car o l e jaco by
The National Council of
Jewish Women (NCJW)
began reaching out to
the community more
than 100 years ago.
From greeting newly
arrived immigrants at Ellis Island to
helping develop day care programs
in our schools, NCJW members have
been in their communities helping
others.
For more than 50 years Sacramento NCJW members have been
making a difference. Early in the section’s history NCJW provided teaching tools to handicapped children,
transcribed reading materials for the
blind, and helped originate the “Call
3 for Action” program. More recently,
NCJW members have championed
programs that include registering
children for the “Healthy Families”
program, campaigning to promote the
vote, and refurbishing the intake room
at the South Area Sacramento Crisis
Nursery. NCJW members give their
time and talents to the Sacramento
community. Volunteers devote time
advocating for social justice, locally,
nationally and internationally.
Today, ongoing projects include a
domestic violence hotline that educates teens on healthy relationships,
and information for the community
about the large and dangerous presence of Human Trafficking locally
and nationally. NCJW members and
friends lovingly knit more
than 500 baby blankets,
hats, and booties to give
to grateful families of
newborns; members have
served nearly 600 meals
at Sister Nora’s Place for homeless
women, and funded a grant to the
Sacramento Crisis Nursery to train
staff to care for children under stress.
NCJW has made Elder Abuse awareness and prevention forums available
to the Sacramento community with
great success. And more events are
planned. The popular annual Chanukah party brings holiday food, gifts,
and entertainment to our seniors.
Community service is a fundamental Jewish value, exemplified by
the many volunteer hours NCJW
members give to the Sacramento community.
NCJW: A faith in the future, a
belief in action. Discover how you and
NCJW can make a difference.
The NCJW Chanukah party, in conjunction with Mitzvah Week, is December
21, 2011–at 11:30 a.m. at Albert Einstein Residence Center (AERC), 1935
Wright St., Sacramento and includes
latkes. The Congregation Beth Shalom
Children’s Choir is providing entertainment. No charge and no reservations
are necessary. For more information
contact Doris Gray at 916.649.3047.
For more information about NCJW,
visit www.ncjwsac.org.
outreach
community
Circumcision in the 21st century
R a b b i s N anc y and Dav i d W echs l er -A z en
TOR teen brings awareness of
Invisible Children
by T ed B lumenste i n
While the San Francisco initiative to
outlaw male circumcision has been
circumvented for the moment, the traditions and questions that have led to
some divisions emerging even within
our community offer an opportunity
for us to spend some time examining the issues involved. Congregation Beth Shalom will study Jewish
Responsa and analyze current sociological trends regarding Brit Milah
on December 11, 2011 as part of our
One Shot of Espresso series.
The blessing of the birth of a
Jewish baby is enormous, and filled
with celebration and some anxiety
attendant with the “bris.” With the
exception only for poor health, a male
infant is brought into the covenant on
the eighth day. Actually, “milah” refers
to the act of circumcision, whereas
females are also part of the covenant,
and in the last decades, “bris” has
also been something celebrated for
our girls, whether it is a “bris bat,”
covenant for a daughter, or some kind
of welcoming ceremony, or simply the
naming of the child in synagogue.
Not only Jewish boys have been
circumcised, as the practice antedates
and transcends religious affiliation.
Current data shows that circumcision
reduces the risk of HIV infection, with
strong enough evidence for the World
Health Organization to deem the
practice “an important intervention
to reduce the risk of heterosexually
acquired HIV.”
Yet, against the
backdrop of our
tradition and the
recommendations
of the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention, male circumcision rates are
on the decline in the
United States; one
set of data suggests
that fewer than half of all boys born
in hospitals from 2006-2009 were
circumcised. The American Academy
of Pediatrics has been neutral on the
issue.
Several reasons are commonly
advanced to explain the decline: 1)
Some Medicaid and private insurers
stopped covering the procedure; 2)
The U.S. has a growing Hispanic population that does not share a tradition
of routine circumcision; 3) the message from anti-circumcision advocates
has resonated with those parents who
believe that “natural” signals “good.”
Among our own Jewish community is a vocal group called Jews Against
Circumcision, which has defined
arguments opposing the tradition.
Voicing medical, psychological and
ethical arguments, they vehemently
oppose Brit Milah.
This topic will be discussed on December 11, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, 4746 El Camino Ave.,
Carmichael. For more information,
contact 916.485.4478.
Challah happens in Chico!
by L i sa R appap o rt
Congregation Beth Israel
(CBI) in Chico continues
to feed Jewish souls with
innovative programming
made possible by a Community Development Grant
from the Jewish Federation.
Its recent endeavor is the
Motzi Mitzvah project, which teaches
congregants how to make challah and
provides our community with fresh
challah weekly.
The goal of Motzi Mitzvah is to
increase the observance and pleasure
of Shabbat through the making, giving, and receiving of a fresh, homebaked challah. Bakers are recruited
from our own congregation who
run the gamut from novice to accomplished. We’ve had Chico State
Professors, financial advisors, retired
seniors, stay-at-home moms, and the
Rabbi participate in baking.
Every aspect of this process
enlivens the senses and nourishes
its participants in a truly Jewish way.
Meeting Friday mornings at CBI,
bakers receive the experience of mixing and kneading the dough, aware
that Jews all over the world are doing
the same. While the dough rises, the
Motzi Mitzvah bakers enjoy coffee,
noshes, and each other’s company.
After doubling in size, the dough is
punched down and braided. Each
participant then completes the baking
process at home.
The bakers leave the
synagogue at this point for
two reasons. First, the synagogue kitchen is not equipped
to bake 12 or more loaves
simultaneously. Secondly, and
perhaps more importantly for
spiritual nourishment, is the beauty
of being in a home that smells like
fresh baked challah. This satisfying,
nostalgic, and down right intoxicating
experience lasts for hours after it is
out of the oven.
Each baker keeps one challah for
his or her own Shabbat table. Then
the real fun begins: the mitzvah of
giving the other two away! At least
one challah goes to a CBI member
upon request. The other loaf is given
to someone in the larger community.
Each challah is delivered in a white
bakery bag along with the blessing
to recite over challah in Hebrew and
English.
Yes, everyone loves challah. Yet in
our busy, overscheduled lives, few of
us have time to bake one every week.
Several locations in Chico sell challah
or what they call “braided egg bread,”
but nothing beats the experience of a
challah made with love and intention
by a Jewish baker who delivers it to
your doorstep in time for Shabbat!
For more information, visit
www.cbichico.org.
Eden Friedman is a member
of Temple Or Rishon and
active in the teen group,
TASTY. This past February, she had the privilege of
attending the NFTY Convention 2011 in Dallas where she
participated in a workshop about the
Invisible Children.
Invisible Children is a movement
that uses innovational methods to call
attention and put an end to the use
of child soldiers in central and east
Africa. Its mission is to restore peace
and prosperity to the communities
who have been terrorized by a rebel
army called Lord’s Resistance Army, or
LRA, lead by Joseph Kony, for the past
25 years.
In the workshop, Friedman
watched a film called Tony, which
documented a boy growing up amidst
the hardships and threat of abduction
in war-torn Uganda. In addition to the
movie, Tony spoke on behalf of Invisible Children and shared his story.
This experience moved her in a way
she found difficult to translate so she
decided that others need to know
more about Invisible Children.
Last June, Friedman
started working on a plan,
under the auspices of the
Temple Or Rishon TASTY group, to
have a service that focused on Invisible Children. On November 4, 2011,
TASTY hosted a screening of the
movie Tony with speakers from Invisible Children. The congregation heard
from Roy, a Ugandan young man who
was a recipient of a scholarship Invisible Children provides. He shared his
story with the Or Rishon congregation
and inspired us to take action.
Friedman said, “By bringing Invisible Children to my community, I hope
to inform others about the atrocities
occurring and hope that they become
inspired to take a stand against social
injustice and work toward change. If
nothing else, I hope to spread awareness about the people that Invisible
Children is trying to help and protect.”
For more information, visit www.invisiblechildren.com/resources. For more
information, visit www.orrishon.org.
A weekend honoring Rabbi Mona Alfi
by D e i dra M e y ers
Congregation B’nai Israel (CBI) is
honoring Rabbi Mona Alfi and her
covenant of dedication and service
to B’nai Israel and the Sacramento
Jewish community through a weekend
of study, worship and acts of loving
kindness.
This is Rabbi Alfi’s 13th year of
ordination— a sort of bat mitzvah for
her— and she’s spent all of her 13
years at Congregation B’nai Israel.
After serving as our Assistant Rabbi
and as the Executive Director for
Hillel, she became the Senior Rabbi
in 2006. For the past 13 years Rabbi
Alfi has helped CBI celebrate birth,
mourn death, educate children, and
recover from the arson of 1999. She
has energized the congregation with
heart, soul, warmth, and humor. She
has instilled CBI with the spirit of
tikkun olam, overseeing the creation
of congregational task forces devoted
to the homeless, sustainable living,
gay rights, and “adoption” of Jedediah
Smith Elementary School. As the spiritual leader of CBI, Rabbi Alfi fosters
a caring community that is engaged
both in the life of the synagogue and
in our broader society.
Merging religion and social action
has been at the center of Rabbi Alfi’s
career and is reflected in the celebration of her 13th year of ordination during Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend
from January 13th-16th:
January 13,
2012 – Shabbat Services,
Dinner, and
Donation Drive
for Local NonProfit Organizations
January 14,
2012 – Torah
Study & Morning Services at CBI
January 15, 2012 – Communitywide
Mitzvah Day
January 15, 2012 –Dinner Gala
January 16, 2012 –31st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. March & Celebration
A special Dinner Gala honoring
Rabbi Alfi takes place January 15,
2012 at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento from 6:00-10:00 p.m. Rabbi
Alfi will be presented with a tribute
book filled with dedications from the
community. The tribute book is an
opportunity for members of our community to send a message of congratulations, love, and gratitude.
RSVPs and tribute book submissions
are due by December 13, 2011. For more
information or to RSVP, contact Event
Chair Deidra Meyers at 916.990.2104 or
deidra.meyers@gmail.com. To download the tribute book form and details
for the weekend of events, visit www.
bnais.com, click on “Upcoming Events,”
and click on Rabbi Alfi Bat Mitzvah.
In the November issue, the story, The PJ Library,
NextDor share traditions with Einstein residents,
identified Albert Einstein Residence Center (AERC)
as an assisted living facility; however, AERC is an
independent living community.
Connecting Our Community. Teens Unite at Synagogue
and Community Programming!
Kesher (Connection)
Congregation B’nai Israel, Sacramento
dTorah (learning), Avodah (worship), and Gemilut Chasadim (community service)
opportunities.
dTuesday evening classes that allow students to explore their Judaism through student
involvement and serves as a form of leadership development.
dThrough social programs such as the End-of-Summer Teen Party, the B’nai Israel Senior
Youth (BISY), and monthly community building, students have the opportunity to engage
and connect with the Jewish community.
8 & 9th-grade students: Two Tuesdays per month 6:15-8:00 p.m.
10th-grade Confirmation: Tuesdays 6:15-8:00 p.m.
th
11 & 12 -grade students: One Tuesday per month 6:15-8:00 p.m.
Intersession courses, youth philanthropy course, and other “Kesher-Connections” during the year.
8th & 9th Grade: $355
10th-grade Confirmation: $380
11th & 12th Grade: $330
Contact Kesher Coordinator Daniela Korman
Daniela.Korman@gmail.com or 916.961.6775
Keshet (Rainbow)
Congregation Bet Haverim, Davis
d Program creates a youth community of Jewish learners who interact with Jewish tradition
and its values through Jewish study, worship, celebration, social action, and social activities.
Wednesday 7:00-9:00 p.m.
First hour is grade specific with core curriculum
Second hour students choose and elective
Tuition: $325 + $20 snack fee (parents volunteers
reimbursed for bringing snack from the “snack bank”)
Contact Director of Education Malka Sansani
School@bethaverim.org or 530.758.0842
Midrasha Community High School: Every Why Invites a Because
Congregation Beth Shalom & Mosaic Law Congregation,
Carmichael and Sacramento
dCollaborative offering between Congregation Beth Shalom and Mosaic Law Congregation.
Judaism as a faith, as a concept and as action!
Wednesdays 7:00-9:00 p.m.
First Semester: October 26, 2011-January 25, 2012 at Congregation Beth Shalom
Second Semester: February 1, 2012-May 2, 2012 at Mosaic Law Congregation
Tuition: $360 + $40 registration fee (Scholarships Available)
Contact Joint Midrasha Program Coordinator Ian Lobel
Sacramentomidrasha@yahoo.com
Congregation Beth Shalom: 916.485.4478
Mosaic Law Congregation: 916.488.1122
Teen Or
Temple Or Rishon, Orangevale
d Post-B’nai Mitzvah programming for the 8-12th graders of Temple Or Rishon.
d Three learning blocks paired with the four Federation-sponsored Teen Adventures.
dBlocks meet one Wednesday evening, one Sunday afternoon, and a longer program
day or Shabbaton.
d Sessions explore Jewish identity, community, and relationships.
dIncludes a Shabbaton and Shul-In with Temple Bat Yam in South Lake Tahoe.
d Additional courses for 10th-grade Confirmation
Tuition: $350 (Scholarships Available)
Contact Educator Marcia Greene, Educator
educator@orrishon.org or 916.988.4100
Teen Adventure Programs
The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region
November 6, 2012 (More than 40 kids attended!)
January 22, 2012
March 18, 2012
April 29, 2012
Free
Contact Teen Adventure Coordinator Rabbi Evon Yakar
rabbiyakar@jewishsac.org
10 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
news
community
New national efforts aimed at addressing anti-Israel
activity on college campuses
A campus hotline launched by
a Jewish civil rights group and
the endorsement by the national public affairs arm of the organized Jewish
community reinforcing civil rights
protections for Jewish students are
the latest efforts in the fight against
anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity on
college campuses.
“The first thing that’s important
is there is increased, problematic
activity on college campuses and a
dramatic increase of concern about
it,” said Ethan Felson, Vice President
and General Counsel for the Jewish
Council of Public Affairs (JCPA), the
New York-based organization that
serves as the public voice of the organized Jewish community and parent
organization of the Jewish Community
Relations Council.
Recent anti-Israel activity included
the disruption of a speech by Israel’s
Ambassador Michael Oren at the University of California, Irvine in February
2010 by members of a Muslim student
group (10 students were found guilty
of misdemeanors in the case); a Kent
State University professor shouting
“death to Israel” during a lecture given
by a former Israeli diplomat; and a
Anti-Israel Apartheid Week, or campus groups organizing to assist flotillas
attempting to enter the Gaza Strip.
The organization, which was
established in 2003 in Tel Aviv and
recently opened a New York office,
would receive phone calls such as the
following, said its Director of American Affairs Ken Leitner. “‘There is
a whole generation of kids who are
very active against Israel. Can you do
something?’”
Realizing it could not act effectively on second- or third-hand
information, Shurat HaDin launched
a campus hotline in October.
“We set up the hotline for people
on the ground level,” Leitner explained. “We’re a legal organization
with a legal point of view. To engage
with what’s happening, we needed to
do first-hand investigations.”
Prior to setting up the hotline,
Shurat HaDin sent a letter to approximately 150 college presidents across
the country alerting them to anti-discrimination laws and the boundaries
of free speech as well as informing
them of their obligation to prevent a
hostile learning environment and the
dangers of having their facilities and
Leitner concurred, referring to
the dozens of calls already received
since launching the hotline, which
is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week. “They are not all smoking
guns,” he said. “The nuance is in the
details.”
Depending on the nature of the
call, the law center might take a number of actions, from opening up an
independent investigation to tracking
the patterns of calls over time.
In the end, both efforts are aimed
at protecting students from feeling
isolated on what might potentially become a hostile environment that is not
conducive to learning and providing a
continuum of support when needed.
“We can help be agents of reconciliation,” said Felton, “rather than
agents of conflicts.”
For more information about JCPA, visit
www.jcpa.org. For more information
about Shurat HaDin, visit www.israellawcenter.org. The Campus Hotline
number is 718.907.9258.
“We support and continue to
support the manifestation of antiIsrael activity rising to the
protection of the Civil Rights Act.”
Columbia University student being
discouraged from taking a particular
class because she was Jewish.
While noting that most Jewish
students feel safe and secure, Felson
said increased attention to the issue is
necessary so students feel supported
on campus. That is why the JCPA
board endorsed a statement referencing Title VI— the 1964 Civil Rights
Act— that calls for increased efforts
to combat a climate of anti-Israel and
anti-Semitic activity on college campuses. In 2010, under pressure from
the Jewish communal world, the Department of Education broadened the
interpretation of Title VI to include
protection against “harassment of
members of religious groups,” which,
in essence, included Jews. Prior to
the expanded language, the legislation
only prohibited discrimination on the
basis of race, color, or national origin.
JCPA’s statement, issued in October,
“recognizes the important civil rights
Jews and other members of protected
groups have to ensure that a school
eliminates hostile environments.”
The statement will be considered as a
policy resolution by 14 national and
125 community member agencies at
JCPA’s May Plenum.
“This change is an important
one,” Felton explained. “We support
and continue to support the manifestation of anti-Israel activity rising to
the protection of the Civil Rights Act.”
Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center
began receiving calls from parents and
others who contacted the civil rights
organization to express their concerns
about anti-Israel campus activity, including Boycott, Divestment, Sanction
efforts aimed at delegitimizing Israel,
resources used by students or groups
of students who provide support that
may be used by terrorist organizations.
“They have an obligation to monitor activities,” Leitner pointed out,
adding that his organization received
a positive response to the letter from
dozens of school administrators. “It
was very constructive. They said, ‘We
take our obligations seriously and we
know things are going on.’”
The next step is to reach out and
develop relationships with different
campus organizations so students
know there is a resource for them.
“We want them to know we are
concerned and that they are not
alone,” Leitner said. “There is someone to call if they are seeing things
that are problematic.
Felson agreed, noting, “Often,
Hillel and other students groups are
looking to address the situation on
campus and they need our support.
It’s important that we do what we can
to work together to shape strategies in
concert with student leadership. They
need to be supported so they’re not
denied the education they’re entitled
to. They also should be in a role that
is shaping how their campus responds
to threats.”
The legalities of the situation also
come into play. While JCPA supports
the use of Title VI as a remedy, Felson
said it should be used judiciously.
“A pro-Palestinian cultural festival
is different than programs that attack
Zionism as racism, which are different
from programs that assail Jewish engagement in the political process,” he
said. “The differences are important
and they should be understood. You
can’t throw everything in the mix.”
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Connecting Our Community. 11
Chanukah 2011:
Dedicating
ourselves to
our community
by E l i ssa P r ovance
What’s in a word?
A lot if the word is
mitzvah (command-
ment) since G-d gave the Jews
613 mitzvot to observe. And since mitzvot are
expressed in terms of action, Federation organized
Mitzvah Week in conjunction with Chanukah to give
community members a number of opportunities to
act.
“During the past few years, local non-profit
organizations that serve critical needs in our community have been suffering economically,” said
Federation Executive Director Melissa Chapman.
“In the spirit of Chanukah, we wanted to dedicate
ourselves to the community and take action as a way
to show that we care about what is going on in our
own backyards.”
Federation reached out to several agencies and
organizations with requests to partner on existing
projects or to create customized projects that would
be of maximum assistance to them. The result was a
week of diversity in terms of the needs addressed.
Mitzvah Week kicks off by serving meals at
Loaves and Fishes along with fellow community
members who regularly participate at the downtown
agency on Jewish Community Day, which is the
third Monday of every month. Other projects that
address the needs of the homeless throughout the
greater Sacramento area— including individuals,
children and families— are St. John’s Shelter, Family
Promise, and Families First in Davis.
Several non-profits that either serve food or
collect food for distribution also are beneficiaries
of Mitzvah Week including the
Elk Grove Food Bank, Hospitality
House in Grass Valley, River City
Food Bank, Sacramento Food Bank &
Family Services, and The Salvation Army.
“These agencies are on the front lines of serving
individuals and families on the brink of homelessness,” Chapman said. “We are encouraging children
and youth to participate in Mitzvah Week so they
can expand their view of the world and learn the
importance of volunteering and service to others.”
In addition to mobilizing the general community, Federation also wanted to take advantage of its
built-in communities such as The PJ Library and its
Committee on Inclusion and Disabilities.
That means if literacy is important to you,
The PJ (as in Pajamas) Library, Federation’s Jewish literacy and outreach program, you can team up
with Milk + Bookies, a Los Angeles-based organization that collects new books and distributes them to
children in need. Since it began in 2003, the organization has donated more than 22,000 books and
inspired more than 5,000 children to give tzedakah
while enjoying story time, decorating bookplates,
and, of course, enjoying milk and cookies.
And thanks to a Community Development
Grant from Federation, the Committee on Inclusion
and Disabilities created Mezuzot for All, a project to
mount accessible mezuzot at local synagogues and
Jewish organizations. Mezuzot delivery begins during
Mitzvah Week.
Federation’s Campaign Associate Jennifer Morrison, who helped organize the seven days of activi-
“Our hope for Mitzvah
Week is that everyone
can find a project that
speaks to them and
participate in a way that
is meaningful to them.”
ties— the first time Federation has embarked on
outreaching to multiple communities, both locally
and abroad— said, “We are also reaching out to
Jewish communal agencies, synagogues, and organizations such as the National Council of Jewish
Women, Hadassah, Temple or Rishon, Congregation
Beth Shalom, Congregation B’nai Israel, and Congregation Bet Havreim.”
Unique service opportunities are available, such
as supporting the South Sacramento Crisis Nursery
that provides emergency care for children; a Senior
Safe House for abused and neglected seniors; and
California Defenders of Freedom, which supports
the needs of active soldiers and their families.
“There are so many ways that we can support our local, regional, and global communities,”
Chapman said. “Our hope for Mitzvah Week is that
everyone can find a project that speaks to them and
participate in a way that is meaningful to them.”
For a complete list of specific projects and associated
details, see the calendar and project descriptions.
To register for a mitzvah project, visit www.jewishsac.
org/mitzvahweek. For more information, contact
Morrison at 916.486.0906 ext. 306 or jmorrison@
jewishsac.org. Information presented here is current
as of the print date. Visit www.jewishsac.org for upto-date information.
Mitzvah Week
Beneficiary Organizations
California Defenders of Freedom supports
U.S. troops on active duty, wounded soldiers,
war veterans, and military families. They provide
aid for veterans, support groups for families,
care packages for wounded soldiers and deployed troops, and raise public awareness.
Elk Grove Food Bank is dedicated to fighting hunger through a variety of food distribution services. In addition to a year-long food
closet, the Elk Grove Food Bank Services gives
free food to eligible senior citizens as well as
provides confidential nutritional packages for
HIV/AIDS patients.
Families First serves children in crisis as well
as advocates for improvements in the government systems through initiating change in local
and federal policy. Services include mental
health treatment, foster care, rehabilitation for
abuse victims, and assistance for rebuilding
livelihood.
Family Promise is dedicated to helping homeless families establish stability and self-sufficiency by providing shelter through a local interfaith
network of 16 congregations and individual
volunteers including synagogues in our community. These congregations and volunteers provide
the families with meals and accommodations.
Family Shalom is a program of the National
Council of Jewish Women that educates and informs about domestic violence in Jewish homes
as well as assists in finding rescue and relief for
victims.
12 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
Garden of Gan Shalom is a plot dedicated for
Jewish burials on the property of Sunset Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento.
Home of Peace Jewish Cemetery is the greater
Sacramento area’s Jewish Community cemetery. It is
a non-profit cemetery that exists for the sole purpose
to serve our Jewish community. Hospitality House serves hot meals daily to the
needy in Grass Valley. It provides a variety of medical services, recreational activities, clothing, crisis
support, and job counseling.
Loaves & Fishes provides food and shelter for the
homeless in Sacramento. Additional services to the
needy include, but are not limited to, free private
school, shelter for women and children, on-site
library, mental health counseling, and jail visitation
programs.
Milk + Bookies provides an avenue for children
and their parents, schools, and organizations to
donate new books to children. While eating milk
and cookies, the children write a personal message
on bookplates that are placed in the new donated
books.
River City Food Bank located in Midtown Sacramento, strives to eliminate hunger through emergency food and shelter services. For 40 years they have
been serving the homeless and the “working poor” in
the Sacramento community.
Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services
serves families in need through the emergency
food provisions and eight additional free programs
including nutrition counseling, clothing distribution,
parenting workshops, adult education, artistic activi-
ties, day care, after-school youth programming,
youth computer training, and senior services.
It reaches approximately 15,000 individuals
monthly.
Senior Safe House is a six-bedroom house
available for abused or neglected seniors age
62 and older. Guests of the Senior Safe House
receive shelter, meals, and private living quarters
for 30-days in a “home-like environment.”
South Sacramento Crisis Nursery is part
of the only Sacramento Crisis Nursery and is a
program of the Sacramento Children’s Home.
It provides emergency child care for infants and
children up to 5 years old to prevent situations
of abuse or neglect.
St. John’s Shelter Program for Women
and Children is a shelter for families in crisis
that enables women to re-establish livelihood
through a multistep training process toward
self-sustainability. The process includes gradual
training through a safe work environment, independent housing, and aiding families to re-enter
society without requiring government assistance.
The Cold Weather Shelter is a rotating
shelter from November-March located in Davis
that provides meals and accommodations for the
homeless. Each week, a different congregation
in Davis hosts the shelter.
The Salvation Army is an international
organization that helps the needy in countless
ways including clothing for the poor, emergency
medical services, food for the homeless, shelters
for women and children, youth programming,
crime and drug rehabilitation, and more.
Connecting Our Community. 13
Salvation Army
(Roseville)
Join Temple Or Rishon and
serve a spaghetti dinner at the
Salvation Army in Roseville.
Shift time: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 5
Ages: 12+
Location: 100 Lincoln St.,
Roseville
Chanukah Party with
Milk + Bookies at
Carlton Plaza
Join Hadassah and celebrate
Chanukah with the residents
of Carlton Plaza. Bring a new
book to donate to children in
need and decorate book plates
for the donated books. Milk,
cookies, and other holiday food
provided.
Shift time: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 20
Ages: All are welcome
Location: 1075 Fulton Ave.,
Sacramento
St. John’s Shelter for
Women and Children
Help take care of the children
in the children’s room.
Shift time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 5
Ages: 16+
Location: 4410 Power Inn
Rd., Sacramento
Sacramento
Location: 1321 North C St.,
5 per shift
Ages: 14+
Volunteers needed:
Loaves & Fishes
Prepare and serve a meal in
collaboration with monthly
Jewish Community Day.
Shift times: 7:30-10:15 a.m.,
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
19
Monday
Chanukah Party with Milk +
Bookies at the Albert
Einstein Residence Center
Join The PJ Library as they host
a Chanukah party for residents.
Bring a new book to donate to
children in need, sing Chanukah
songs, and light a candle for the
first night of Chanukah. Milk
and cookies provided.
Shift time: 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 25
Ages: All are welcome
Location: 1935 Wright St.,
Sacramento
registration to maintain
confidentiality.
Volunteers needed: 4
Ages: 18+
Location: Provided upon
11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Shift time:
Senior Safe House
Serve lunch, clean up, and spend
time with the guests.
Elk Grove Food Bank
Bag and distribute food.
Shift time: 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 5
Ages: 10+
Location: 9820 Dino Dr.,
Elk Grove
South Sacramento
Crisis Nursery
Sort and organize donations for
infants.
Shift time: 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 6
Ages: All are welcome
Location: 6699 South Land
Park Dr., Sacramento
20
Tuesday
Chanukah Cards for IDF
Soldiers
Write a greeting for an Israeli
soldier. Letters will be shipped to
Israel in time for Chanukah.
Shift time: 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: As many
as possible
Ages: All are welcome
Location: The Jewish
Federation, 2014 Capitol Ave.,
Sacramento
Sacramento
Volunteers needed: 5
Ages: 16+
Location: 1935 Wright St.,
11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Shift time:
Chanukah Party at the
Albert Einstein Residence
Center
Join NCJW (National Council
of Jewish Women) and celebrate
the second day of Chanukah
with residents.
River City Food Bank
Work in the stock room, prepare
bags, and distribute food.
Shift times: 11:15 a.m.-1:15
p.m., 1:15-3:15 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 8 per
shift
Ages: 10+
Location: 1322 27th St., Sacramento
21
Wednesday
California Defenders
of Freedom
Donate and assemble Chanukah
care packages for Jewish veterans
and their families.
Shift time: Noon-1:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 10
Ages: All welcome
Location: The Jewish
Federation, 2014 Capitol Ave.,
Sacramento
Garden of Gan Shalom
Tidy the grounds.
Shift time: 10:00-11:30 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 4
Ages: All are welcome
Location: Sunset Lawn
Memorial Park, 4701 Marysville
Blvd., Sacramento
23
Friday
Shabbat
24
Holiday Party for Family Promise: Congregations Beth Shalom
and B’nai Israel are hosting a party at Congregation Beth Shalom for
the families of Family Promise one evening during the week. Contact
Sandy Kaufman at 916.395.1236 or kaufman.sandy@gmail.com.
Family Shalom: Provide transportation and yard work services for
a woman from Family Shalom living in a new home. Contact Jennifer
Morrison at 916.486.0906, ext. 306 or jmorrison@jewishsac.org.
Family Promise Wish List: Join Sababah (the 20-30 somethings of
Congregation B’nai Israel) and purchase holiday gifts for the families
of Family Promise. Drop off gifts at the Federation office MondayFriday between 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Contact Jennifer Morrison at
916.486.0906, ext. 306 or jmorrison@jewishsac.org.
Bread and Broth: A volunteer-based organization that serves weekly
meals to the hungry in South Lake Tahoe. The program is comprised
of volunteers from all faiths, races, and ages. Contact 530.544.3533 or
breadandbroth.org.
Blood Drive: Temple Or Rishon is hosting a blood drive in their
parking lot on December 11th from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Contact Vivian
Marguleas at 916.988.4100 or viv421@comcast.net.
Saturday
Hospitality House
Join Congregation B’nai Harim
and serve dinner to the
homeless.
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 8
Ages: 18+
Location: TBD, Grass Valley
Families First and the
Cold Weather Shelter
Join Congregation Bet Haverim and decorate fleece scarves
for the children at Families
First in Davis as well as prepare gift bags, make cards, and
donate and prepare food for
the Cold Weather Shelter.
Shift time: 3:00-5:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 30
Ages: All are welcome
Location: Congregation Beit
Haverim Social Hall, 1715
Anderson Rd., Davis
25
Sunday
Torres Shelter: Join Congregation Beth Israel in Chico and donate,
prepare, and serve dinner at the Torres Shelter December 28, 2011.
Contact Congregation Beth Israel at 530.342.6146.
Partnership Together-Kiryat Malachi/Hof Ashkelon: The
Jewish Federation’s Sacramento Community Birthright participants
are collecting and donating art and school supplies for a school in
Kiryat Malachi, which our Federation supports through Partnership
Together. Contact Jennifer Morrison at 916.486.0906, ext. 306 or
jmorrison@jewishsac.org.
Mezuzot for All: The Committee on Inclusion and Disabilities
received funding through Federation’s Community Grant program to
mount accessible mezuzot at local Synagogues and Jewish Organizations. Mezuzot delivery begins December 18th. Contact Melissa
Chapman at 916.486.0906, ext 301 or mchapman@jewishsac.org.
Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento (ICGS):
Join Federation’s Jewish Community Relations Council in partnership with the ICGS and donate sleeping bags and mats to the
homeless to be delivered on December 25th. Contact John Boisa at
916.486.0906, ext. 308 or jboisa@jewishsac.org.
Additional Mitzvah Opportunities During December
Home of Peace
Jewish Cemetery
Clean the pews and help
landscape.
Shift time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 6
Ages: All are welcome
Location: 6200 Stockton Blvd.,
Sacramento
Sacramento Food Bank
& Family Services
Sort and hang clothes, distribute
to clients, and bag groceries.
Shift time: 9:00 a.m.-Noon
Volunteers: 20
Ages: 16+
Location: 3333 3rd Ave.,
Sacramento
22
Thursday
December 19-25, 2011
Join Us for Mitzvah Week!
14 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
news
community
Iran Nuclear
Concerns Grow
by J o hn B o i sa
I
n November, the Sacramento Jewish
Community Relations Council joined
a teleconference on Iran’s ambitions to
build a nuclear bomb following a troubling report by the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), which confirmed
fears that the Islamic Republic’s nuclear
program was intended for militaristic
purposes. The featured speaker was.
Michael Eisenstadt, a Senior Fellow and Director of The Washington
Institute’s Military and Security Studies
Program. Jewish Federations of North
America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs hosted the call.
Eisenstadt’s assessment of the issue was grim, not only for the U.S. and
Israel, but for neighboring Arab states as
well.
“These are trying times for everybody,” he said, as he outlined the specific
dangers posed by Iran’s nuclear weapons
program. While characterizing Iran as
a careful and calculating country that
avoids confrontation with strong enemies, Eisenstadt noted that Iran has a
long history of “over-reaching recklessness.” He offered a number of examples,
with the foiled assassination attempt
of the Saudi Ambassador to the United
States Adel al-Jubeir as the most recent.
“If Iran had nuclear weapons, they would
still engage in reckless acts,” he said.
Eisenstadt has published widely on
the history of nuclear weapons proliferation in the Middle East as a Senior
Fellow with the Washington Institute.
The Institute reported November 8th on
the IAEA report, saying that for the first
time, a clear chronology of Iran’s undeclared nuclear weapons work was laid
out. The report revealed that this work
began in the late 1970s and early 1980s,
coinciding with the February 1979 overthrow of the Shah. The report refers to
a “clandestine nuclear supply network”
assisting Iran, presumably referring to
Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan
and his supply network.
The possibility of direct military action against Iran by Israel weighed heavily on the discussion. Eisenstadt explained
that Iraqi air space has been under U.S.
control as part of U.S.-Iraqi defense
agreements, which would complicate any
Israeli military measure taken against
Iran’s nuclear program. Those defense
agreements expire at the end of this year,
explained Eisenstadt, adding that no new
defense agreements are in place and that
the Iraqi military has already assumed
control of its airspace in anticipation of
those agreements expiring.
“After this year, Israel may fly over
Iraq because the U.S. won’t be there,” he
said.
The IAEA report also contains an
assessment of Shahab-3 missile, Iran’s
Medium Range Ballistic Missile, which
is believed to have a range covering all of
Israel, as well as neighboring Arab states.
The report “concluded that any payload
option other than nuclear...could be
ruled out.”
Eisenstadt was asked about possible
Arab reactions to a preemptive Israeli
military strike.
“Privately,” he answered, “Arab
countries might welcome Israeli intervention.”
El Dorado Jewish community
takes social action
Tucked away in
El Dorado Hills is
Temple Kol Shalom,
a small Jewish community with an average of 40
families who participate in
a Sunday School housed
at the Spiritual Center for
Positive Lives in Cameron
Park. They offer Shabbat
services at the Spiritual
Center as well as at rotating homes, B’nai Mitzvah
preparation (they celebrate
three or four during the
year), adult education
opportunities, and social
action projects. And while
larger synagogues and
temples have organized
tikkun olam agendas, TKS
has more of a grassroots
approach.
“When we have a person or group interested in
planning an activity and the
Board supports it, we do it,”
said TKS President Shama
Chaiken. For example, the
Temple youth group has
cleaned and maintained the
Jewish cemetery and participated in collecting funds
for local food banks.
This fall, TKS supported social action projects
that included the El Dorado
CROP Hunger Walk on
October 9, 2011 and visiting Folsom Prison, a project
brought by a community
member who moved to the
area from San Francisco.
“The 11th Annual
CROP Walk, or Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty, is primarily
organized by members of
the Federated Church
organization,” Chaiken
explained, adding that 12
TKS members participated
in the 3-mile walk that
took participants through
downtown Placerville while
carrying signs with the
motto, “We walk because
they walk.”
One-quarter of the
funds raised benefitted
designated local organizations. This year’s beneficiary agencies were the
Community Resource
Center, a triage center for
homeless families, and
the Housing Emergency
Lodging Program (HELP),
a temporary emergency
shelter in El Dorado. The
remaining funds are used
globally to support sustainable development projects,
meet emergency needs, aid
refuges, and address root
causes of poverty.
Judah Rosen reached
out to TKS after moving
to Placerville a year ago
(he still retains membership at Congregation Beth
Sholom in San Francisco).
A self-described “socially
From left, Rachel Rosenberg, Naomi Lempert Lopez,
active guy,” he participates
Judah Rosen, Katharine Hollander, and Max Cherney
in Torah study and is induring a visit to Folsom Prison.
volved at TKS “to be with
Jews.” What he brought to
mately 60 participants, one-quarter
the area was a project that Rabbi Alan
are Jewish. Others are African AmeriLew (z”l) began 12 years ago in San
can or Latino and are interested in
Francisco where Rosen lived for more
finding out more about the roots of
than four decades.
their own faiths or have family mem
Rosen explained how during
bers on the outside who are Jewish.
Lew’s tenure and with his support,
Although he doesn’t know much
an inmate at Folsom Prison, who was
about the crimes committed, Rosen
a member of Beth Sholom, started a
said, “Each has had a different life’s
program for Jewish inmates. When
path that was deemed by Hashem and
he was paroled, he returned to the
are in circumstances different from
congregation.
mine. What would I have done in
Rosen took over coordinating the
their circumstances? They are people.
visits— twice each year— and also
They could be in the yard or getting
noted some inmates have pen pals (he
tattoos but they choose to come to the
has had three in 12 years). The Jewish
chapel. It’s important they know we
chaplain at Folsom Prison, Rabbi Ira
think about them on the outside. We
Book, who was instrumental when
are k’lol Yisrael.”
this program started and retired last
year, oversaw every aspect of prison
life for Jewish inmates including
kashrut, Friday night services, Torah
study, and Hebrew classes. Rabbi Yossi
Korik, of Chabad in Roseville, is the
full-time chaplain. (Rabbi Yossi Grossbaum, of Chabad in Folsom, also is
a full-time prison chaplain at Mule
Creek.)
“Every prisoner is entitled to
practice his religious faith,” Rosen
said, adding that there even is a sweat
lodge on the prison grounds for Native
American inmates as well as a Wiccan Garden. “This is America. Even
in jail, you are allowed to express your
religion.”
In fact, some prisoners wear
tzitit and some are signed up for the
kosher program. The 90-minute visits
typically involve Rosen giving a D’var
Torah, a mishebeyrach prayer, general
Turn your party into a red
sharing, and an oneg, sans the food
carpet event with a movie.
or wine— just schmoozing. Prisoners and visitors also participate, and
one of the prisoners also gives a D’var
Mark a birthday or
Torah.
anniversary with a story
“(The oneg) is what they all like
for the ages.
best,” Rosen said, then, less jokingly,
he added, “I’ve never heard anyone
who has gone not find it meaningful.”
Pass on your family stories
That’s the case for Jews and nonand history to generations
Jews alike since out of the approxi-
Pass your family
heritage to the next
generation. Turn your
photos & videos
into a movie.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Tribute Films
Family legacy
to come.
Memorial Films
Family Shalom
a great way to celebrate
loved one’s life.
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Connecting Our Community. 15
community
news
The Sephardim experience of the Holocaust
While exploring archives in
Jerusalem, University of California
(UC), Davis, Associate Professor Susan Miller came across the document
of a Moroccan woman who was active
in rescuing Jews during World War II.
“Her name doesn’t appear in the
history books,” noted Miller, who
teaches in UC Davis’ Department of
History and is the second speaker in
Congregation B’nai Israel’s Master
Lectures Series, adding, “The larger
issue is the role of the Jews of North
Africa and the Middle East during the
Holocaust. The Holocaust is the seminal event of modern Jewish history. It
has transformed Jews’ understanding
of themselves and their history.”
Explaining that the Holocaust
often is thought of within the context
of European Jewry, with the Jews
of the Middle East being “at best a
slideshow” during that period, the historian of North African and Mediterranean history said the question is, “In
what ways was the Holocaust an event
for Jews in the Middle East who were
not involved in the killing machines
but still were effected?”
Two issues emerge: How the “evil
social engineering” of the Holocaust
affected Jews everywhere and the
specific effects on Sephardic Jews.
Miller, who earned a Master of
Arts degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis University
and a Ph.D. in Modern Middle Eastern and North African History from
the University of Michigan, reviewed
the roots of Sephardic Jewry, which is
associated with Jews from Spain who
were exiled in 1492 and ended up in
North Europe, Turkey, and elsewhere.
However, many Jews who lived in the
Middle East were neither Ashkenazi
nor Sephardic but Mizrachi Jews who
were indigenous to the region and
never left Babylon, Iraq, or Egypt but
received their brethren from Spain
leading to mixed communities in the
Arab world. Essentially, Miller explained, “Sephardim” became shorthand for the Jews of North Africa.
Regarding the existence of antiSemitism in the region, Miller said,
“We know anti-Semitism was the
engine of the Nazi death machine
and has its roots in the 19th century
and that it led Theodore Herzl to the
notion of creating a Zionist state. This
kind of anti-Semitism didn’t exist in
the Middle East prior to the 20th century.”
What did exist was prejudice—
Jews not being considered equal and
subjugated to a set of laws that made
them submissive to Muslims. Still,
Miller said, “Hatred was not part of
the Muslim repertoire.”
Trouble began after World War I
when Jews and Arabs clashed leading
to the rise of modern anti-Semitism
UC Davis Associate professor
Susan Miller
in Palestine and other places— what
Miller termed a “new discourse in
the Middle East with different roots.”
This meant the infiltration of Fascist propaganda from Germany and
Italy and the rise of anti-Semitism in
France following the Dreyfus Affair, which was transferred to North
African French colonies. By the
1930s, turmoil existed in the Jewish
communities of the Middle East and
Jews become dissatisfied with being
subjugated. They increasingly turned
to the West for relief when a new
regime that saw the beginnings of
World War II began affecting them,
for example, the Vichy race laws of
France— quotas placed on Jewish
businesses, prohibiting education, or
being kicked out professions such as
banking— were expanded to French
colonies like Morocco and Tunisia.
“People lost their livelihood, education, and status in the community,”
Miller explained.
During the war years, Iraqi Jews
suffered under the Nazi regime, being
subjected to a farhoud or special tax
and, worse, rounded up and killed.
Germany retreated in 1942, preventing another Holocaust, but not before
hundreds of Tunisian Jews died in labor camps. Greek Jews from Salonika
also suffered a terrible fate with the
transportation of more than 60,000 of
them to Auschwitz.
“For the Middle East, the Holocaust was not an experience like it
was for European Jews; however it
left and deep and lasting impression,”
said Miller, who has taught at Wellesley College, Brandeis University, and
Harvard University, where she headed
the Program in North African Studies.
“People from the Middle East have
difficulty explaining to European Jews
that they too suffered. All Jews were
affected.”
Teen raises money for hospital that
treated her brother
When Clara Shader-Seave
was 7 years old, she learned
a new word: cancer. Her brother
Sawyer, who was 5 at the time, was
diagnosed with medulloblastoma, or
pediatric brain cancer, and treated at
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in
Palo Alto.
“It definitely affected me during
the first few years,” the now 17-yearold, whose family is a member of
Congregation Beth Shalom, said. “I
didn’t have a complete sense of what
was going on. I saw my parents less
and stayed with friends a lot. It was
serious. I noticed they were worried.”
When she visited Sawyer, who
underwent two years of treatment,
including chemotherapy and radiation
in addition to brain surgery, ShaderSeave noticed he was pale, had lost
his hair, and had dark circles under
his eyes. She also noticed he received
many cards from well-wishers. Five
years after her brother officially was
declared a “survivor,” Shader-Seave
has decided to give back by designing
and selling her own line of art cards
and donating the proceeds to the hospital that cared for her brother.
“I’ve always liked to draw,” the
St. Francis High School senior said.
“I love doodling and I took a fashion
drawing class in New York.”
Rather than sell her creations one
by one or upon request, Shader-Seave
decided to market her collections to
area specialty stores under the brand
Coquille Cards. “Coquille,” the teen
explained, means “shell” in French
and was a name she had chosen for
herself when she began studying the
Available for catering
16 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
language in 7th grade. Her cards
now are available at Puddles, Collected Works, Trezhers, and The
Posh Shoppe Florist.
“Local boutiques like to carry
local work,” she explained, adding
that some of the stores have begun
requesting specific themes such as
baby designs and flowers.
Making the decision to donate
the proceeds from her business
rather than keep them for herself,
the National Merit Scholar and designated California Arts Scholar has
raised about $200 thus far. Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Lucile Packard Hospital has expressed
its appreciation for her efforts, as
has her family and school.
Samples of Coquille Cards created by Clara
“Clara’s decision to use her art- Shader-Seave to benefit Lucile Packard
istry toward improving treatment for Children’s Hospital.
other pediatric brain tumor patients
made us very proud but reminded us
Shader-Seave said she learned
again that her life was enormously
about the significance of making a
impacted by her brother’s diagnosis,”
contribution to her community in
said her mother, Meryl Shader.
Sunday School at Congregation B’nai
Debbie Austin, the Guidance
Israel where she celebrated her Bat
Department Chair at St Francis High
Mitzvah.
School, noted, “Clara serves as a great
“The ideas of tzedakah and tikkun
example to teens and adults alike by
olam were important,” she noted.
combining her passion for art, French,
Added Paul Seave, the teen’s faand fashion with her financial and
ther, “We like to think that raising our
emotional commitment to the cause
children with Jewish traditions and
of medulloblastoma awareness and
values encouraged them to recognize
treatment.”
that it is both a responsibility and a
As for Sawyer, who now is in high
privilege to give back.”
school and enjoys tennis and rock
For more information about Coquille
climbing, Shader-Seave said, “He
Cards, contact coquillecards@gmail.
think’s it’s cool that I’m trying to help
com or view the Facebook page for
people who are in treatment since it
Coquille Cards.
had a big impact on all of our lives.”
news
community
Finding treasures in Congregational histories
Congregation B’nai Israel
(CBI) members Leah Ezray and
Debbe Gordon, along with sister congregation member Judy Persin from
Mosaic Law Congregation (MLC),
know that the only way to understand
the future is to know your past.
Just meander around Heritage
Hall at CBI and you’ll understand this
sentiment also. The walls, covered
with black and white photographs and
documents prepared with a quill and
ink jar, sit above display cases with
event programs, newspaper clippings,
awards, and traditional Jewish artifacts, all of which honor the 100th
anniversary of women’s suffrage in
California. The exhibit, entitled The
Role of Women at B’nai Israel: From
the Gold Rush to the 21st Century was
one of 21 archival displays at the First
Annual Sacramento Archives Crawl in
October hosted by the California State
Archives, California State Library,
Center for Sacramento History, and
the Sacramento Room at the Central
Library.
CBI archivists Ezray and Gordon
meticulously combed through worn
minute books, some with broken
spines and yellowed pages, to identify
the first mention of women, which
noted that “ladies and gentlemen
should sit together.” The date? 1859.
“A motion was made that the
community should be instructed to
fix a plan to seat the ladies together
with the gents,” Gordon explained,
noting that CBI began as an Orthodox
synagogue in 1849 (giving it the distinction of being Sacramento’s oldest
synagogue) and became reform 30
years later. “It lost by one vote.”
The duo also came across evidence of women being the fundraisers, running the religious school, and
joining the Executive Board in 1972.
“Because I’m a baby boomer, I
was surprised at how long it took to
have women on the Executive Board,”
Gordon noted. “They were on the
Board, but not the Executive Board.
In the 1960s, it began to change.
Looking back from 2011, it was a
gradual process of women taking a
greater and greater part.”
Scouring through material that
is now neatly organized in 50 boxes,
categorized, (Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Life Cycles, Conversions, B’nai
Mitzvah, and others), and stacked in
an 8 x 10-foot room at CBI, Ezray
and Gordon had the daunting task of
selecting items for the archive display.
“We tried to pick ladies we
thought were special and still active
such as Estelle Opper and Betty Reuben,” Ezray said, noting that she and
Gordon were novices when they began
archiving several years ago. A retired
teacher, she added, “You have to know
where you’ve been to know where
you’re going.”
Gordon noted that CBI women
still are strong and fiercely independent.
“The women haven’t changed,”
she said. “The circumstances have.”
Persin started MLC’s
archives more than a decade
ago and created a centennial
project in 2000. She, like
Ezray and Gordon, pulled all
of the records from storage
when congregant Jeffrey
Burger donated a site in
which to work.
“Boxes are stacked to
the ceiling,” Persin noted,
adding they are filled with
papers, photos, and documents that tell the story of
A section of the display at Congregation B’nai
the synagogue. Like CBI,
Israel for the Role of Women at B’nai Israel: From
Persin has begun to sort
the Gold Rush to the 20th Century.
through newspaper articles,
fundraising event programs,
explaining how much of the collechonors received, youth group awards,
tion was destroyed in the 1986 flood.
and more.
“It tells the story of the congregation,
“It fills in the story of the synahow it grew, and where it came from.”
gogue,” she said, noting such finds as
Since she’s been an MLC mempapers filed in Hebrew and an anber, Persin has seen changes in the
nouncement of High Holiday services
rabbi, growth of the community, the
in the newspaper.
congregation’s move from different
A workshop with Nancy Zimmellocations, groundbreakings, and more.
man Limoil, head of the California
She worries that in today’s world, the
State Archives, is planned for the
personal touch that people she and
future and open to all synagogues
Ezray and Gordon discovered in their
interested in learning how to organize
research is lost.
their materials. Persin, a history buff
“We have the resources and it
who has been an MLC member since
would be terrible to lose them,” she
1964, also has put a call out to the
said before echoing Ezray’s sentiment:
synagogue— especially those fami“History repeats itself. If you know
lies who have been longtime memhistory, you know how to plan for the
bers— for photographs, newsletters,
future.”
programs, and invitations.
“We are looking for items and
stories from the early days,” she said,
The international rules of law in a game of terrorism
Using the appeal to the High
Court of Justice in Israel as the
cornerstone for discussion, Rafi Bitton, a lecturer in Tel Aviv University’s
Law School, presented How Israel
Targets Terrorists— Ethical and Legal
Questions on November 6, 2011 as
part of Congregation Bet Haverim’s
Israel Matters programs.
Bitton defined “targeted killing” as
an “administrative killing” by a state of
a person of known identity.
“This is not like the death penalty
where a suspect has due process,” Bitton explained. “We are talking about a
specific person not unlike soldiers in
war. We don’t care who the enemy is
or who the soldier is.”
Tracing the practice of targeted
killing by Israel to the Salameh family, the members of whom headed
the Black September terrorist organization responsible for the Munich
Olympics massacre on Israeli athletes,
among other notorious attacks, Bitton
described the covert operations and
strategies involved in their killings as
well as what he called The B Team or
four other terrorists involved in the
Munich massacre. Other targeted
killings included Sheik Ahmad Yassin
and Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, co-founders
of Hamas, and Abu-Ali Mustafa, who
helped establish the Marxist Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine
in 1967.
“Each killing demonstrates different operational aspects and legal and
ethical aspects that occurred between
the two Intifadas in the 1990s,” Bitton
explained, as he recalled of several
other terrorists killed during that time,
for example, those responsible for the
attack on a Jerusalem bus and the
TWA Flight 847 hijacking.
The lecturer, who currently is
working as a consultant at the University of California, Berkeley, to help
open the newly created Institute for
Jewish Law and Israel, also noted
retaliation killings that resulted from
Israel’s actions, citing the attacks in
Buenos Aires.
“Had they known the response,”
he said, “they would have thought differently.”
Petitioners to the High Court
of Justice, including human rights
groups, argued that Israel’s policy
of targeted killings is illegal because
it violates international norms, is
immoral, and is not effective. Noting these cases are a “nightmare” for
Israeli judges because it puts them
in a position where each decision
bears consequences to Israel and the
Supreme Court, Bitton said Justice
Aharon Barak’s verdict took more
than three years to publish— so long,
in fact, that the petitioner had to file
another petition to hear the verdict.
The High Court established four
primary criteria to justify targeted killings:
1. Convincing information regarding
terrorist activities.
2. If a civilian is taking part in direct
hostilities he/she cannot be attacked if less harmful means can
be used.
3. An independent investigation
must be conducted following the
attacks to determine who the
target was and the circumstances
of the attack.
4. Every effort must be made to
minimize harm to civilians.
“The rules that apply are international and apply to all countries,” he
explained. “These are customary rules.
That’s how humanity acts and thinks
and how it should act. The rules of
war are like the rules of soccer. If
you want to play, okay, but you play
only with your legs. It’s the same for
the rules of war. If you want to be a
combatant, wear a uniform and show
yourself as a combatant. You can’t kill
someone outside of the game. If you
act according to the rules, you get
protection. Soldiers are not murderers. They did not decide to go to war.
They are in a personal situation of
risk— kill or get killed.”
Bitton also noted that those targeted for killing could be combatants,
civilians, or illegal combatants.
“The classification is important,”
he said. “If you don’t observe the rules
of law, you are not entitled to POW
status.”
The High Court ruled that international law does not forbid targeted
killings. In his verdict, however, Barak
said the terrorists were not combatants and not illegal combatants, which
means they were civilians and therefore the Israel Defense Force cannot
target them for killing. Bitton said the
Justice arrived at the decision because
of his interpretation of international
law, which he is not at liberty to rewrite.
“Therefore, targeted killings,” Bitton said, “will be decided on a caseby-case basis.”
SAVE THE
DATE!
15th Annual
Sacramento
Jewish Film
Festival
Saturday, March 10 and
Sunday March 11, 2012
Crest Theatre
1013 K Street
Downtown
www.sacjff.org
Connecting Our Community. 17
18 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
news
community
Give Local Now, from Cover
which is responsible for public
awareness, social media, and
social marketing efforts, said the
May study also noted that regional households with incomes of
more than $200,000 gave below
other households by roughly
27 percent or $11,041 versus
$17,719 statewide and $18,112
nationally.
“This is a striking difference,”
she noted.
Weiss agreed, adding, “The
most startling part was also that
households with higher education
had a greater discrepancy, giving
more in general, but less than
peers in other communities.”
For Brodovsky, giving is a way
to support your community as
well as to be a role model for your
family.
“Where are the lessons for
your children if you don’t personally give?” she asked. “My mom
was a professional volunteer. I
so admired that and said I would
emulate it.”
And she has. Brodovsky has
served or currently is serving on
several non-profit boards including the MIND Institute, the
Anti-Defamation League, Shalom
School, Country Day School, Federation, the Crocker Art Museum,
and others.
“I’ve always been very cognizant and passionate about philanthropy and giving and giving
back,” she said.
Realizing many non-profits were not being targeted for
participation in GiveLocalNow,
Brodovsky went to work and
met with leaders and advisors of
several non-profits who now are
potential beneficiaries, including Mosaic Law Congregation,
Shalom School, and Federation.
Federation Executive Director
Melissa Chapman said the decision to participate in GiveLocalNow was an easy one.
“Like the other organizations
that have joined this campaign,
Federation wanted to be part of
a philanthropic movement that
encourages local giving,” she said.
“It is only through the generosity of the community and the
creation of a culture of giving that
non-profits can successfully address the needs of our community
in so many different areas. This
is what community building is all
about.”
Added Weiss, “This is largely
a government town. The nonprofit sector is so critical as government shrinks.”
He and Brodovsky hope to
continue community outreach
efforts with individuals and businesses.
“How can we be more successful at telling stories of inspiration?” Weiss asked. “It’s really
word of mouth within the community that spreads so far and
wide.”
“The more people talk, the
more buzz there is,” Brodovsky
added. “We cannot be passive
about giving and we have to have
a sense of pride.”
For more information about GiveLocalNow, visit www.givelocalnow.
org.
Goldie teaches Golde and others
Fiddler characters
When the lights dimmed at
Oak Ridge High School’s theatre on November 3, 2011, Goldie
Block sat front and center. More than
an avid theatre goer, Block served as
the official Consultant to Director
Janet Henke and her cast during the
production of Fiddler on the Roof.
“I was concerned because I wanted to do this production,” Henke explained, “but I wanted to do the play,
the history, the Jewish culture, and
the Jewish religion justice. That’s the
cog in this whole wheel. It’s important
to pay attention to the details.”
Enter Block, who performed in
Fiddler twice when she lived on the
east coast more than 20 years ago,
once playing the main character of
Golde, and who also performed a onewoman show in Yiddish. The Mosaic
Law Congregation member taught
the 16- and 17-year-olds how to kiss
a mezuzah when they entered a room,
the finger on which a wedding ring is
placed, why a head covering is worn,
what the seven blessings for the bride
and groom mean, how to set the Sabbath table, and even where on their
throat to place their finger to make
the “ch”sound as in challah, l’chaim,
or Chava.
“They were so willing to learn,”
Block noted. “I think throughout the
play, they had respect for how we
feel about our faith. I had the great
privilege of seeing them develop their
characters. I
enjoy when I see
people who are
not Jewish learn
because they
become more
sympathetic and
more understanding of us.
These are young
children with a
lifetime ahead
of them. In the
future, should
they hear antiSemitism, they will not look at it the
same way.”
Of her Consultant and newfound
friend, Henke said, “Goldie has a
wealth of knowledge and the children
loved her. They wanted to please her
and get it right. She has a background
in music and theatre and also understands the Yiddish language and
the Jewish religion— all of its customs and traditions. She really raised
awareness.”
The play’s director also noted that
like most teenagers, her students were
narrow-sighted and focused on themselves but Block changed all that.
“Goldie’s input has opened their
eyes to not only the suffering of the
human condition but the hope and
faith with which the Jewish people
lived,” Henke said. “The kids were understanding their characters and what
they went through.”
Block also explained
the likely future for the
characters of Fiddler,
which was set in 1905.
“These were people
who were murdered unless they escaped,” she
told them, alluding to the
Holocaust. “Those that
went to the United States
were lucky. The students
reacted with horror, asking how could that happen? They all came away
a little wiser.”
Added Henke, “Fiddler is so rich
in culture and history, not just for the
Jewish community but as a human
community— what people suffer.”
The director has been teaching
drama for 40 years in both public and
private schools to middle school, high
school, and adult education students.
Past productions include Brigadoon
and Once Upon a Mattress, but Fiddler
will hold a special place in her musical heart.
“This was a production that was
just meant to be,” she said. “I think it
will be a masterpiece.”
Oak Ridge High School generously donated 50 percent of the proceeds from
the November 6, 2011 performance to
Shalom School. For more information
about the school, visit www.orhsonline.
com.
Paris When It Sizzled explains the role of Jewish artists
In spite of the obstacles that
Jews faced in becoming artists, they
succeeded in putting their unique
stamp on the art world of Paris in the
early 20th century.
“We, as Jews, were not expected
to lead a very austere, visual life,”
noted Sheila Braufman, an independent curator and consultant, and the
first presenter in Congregation B’nai
Israel’s Jews and the Arts Series.
Some of the reasons for this view,
Braufman pointed out, were the Second Commandment —“You shall not
make for yourself a graven image, nor
any manner of likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, that is in the
earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth”— as well as other
biblical details about which images
were allowed and the concern for
idolatry during a time when monotheism was a radical concept.
In addition, explained Braufman,
because Jews were scattered around
the world, it made it difficult for them
to adopt the art form of a particular
country and, in some cases, Jews were
restricted to certain professions or
trades and forbidden to make art. The
situation loosened up after the French
Revolution and Jews from the ghettoes were released and began to enter
art school.
Braufman, who most recently
curated a permanent exhibition on immigration for the San Mateo County
History Museum in Redwood City,
took the audience on an art history
odyssey, from Eastern European life
with Moritz Daniel Oppenheim and
Isador Kaufmann to Jewish leaders
in the art movement such as Joseph
Israels and Camille Pissarro to postimpressionist influences including
Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne.
She continued with the “circles” of
Paris and the likes of Matisse and
Picasso and ended the journey with
the “Circle of Montparnasse” and artists such as Marevna, Max Weber, and
Marc Chagall.
In her discussion about specific
Jewish artists who came on to the Paris scene, Braufman mentioned Oppenheim, born in the late 1800s and one
of the first unbaptized Jews to achieve
fame as an artist, and Kaufmann, who
painted Jewish life (among his works
was Sabbath Candles) and studied in
Vienna.
“He opened a window to what
Jewish life was life in the 19th century,” she said of Kaufmann.
Jewish artists from Poland, Holland, Germany, Russia, the West
Indies, and elsewhere left their
impression of Jewish life and Jewish
identities in their paintings, reflecting
both their rich traditions and the trials
and tribulations of being Jewish.
Following the Industrial Revolution, living conditions in Europe
improved and a middle class formed.
“There was an air of freedom and
creativity,” described Braufman, who
has been lecturing and teaching art
for more than 30 years. “There were
artists, musicians, and performing
artists who interacted and influenced
each other. It was not unlike an artist
to make scenery for a ballet, for example. There were so many immigrants
emigrating— there were no rules so it
Marriage portrait of Charlotte von
Rothschild 1836 by Jewish artist Moritz
Daniel Oppenheim.
was advantageous for newcomers.”
The influx of Jews had a dark
side, however, and anti-Semitism was
exacerbated under the backdrop of the
Dreyfus Affair (the French-Jewish officer who was convicted of treason in
1894).
Still, Jewish gallery owners and
dealers sprung up in the early 1900s
and home salons and cafés became
meeting places for artists of all
kinds— poets, writers, and others— to
exchange ideas.
“Artists,” Braufman explained,
“were suddenly free from their families and in an environment where anything went. It was difficult to maintain
the equilibrium. People were poor but
there was so much interaction. It was
a very exciting society.”
Connecting Our Community. 19
20 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
news
community
Our Forgotten
Brethern: presented by JIMENA
and StandWithUs
by G a i l R u b i n
The International Festival features
fashion indigenous to Jews from the
Middle East and North Africa.
The main stage of the Davis
International Festival was
regaled with a parade of Jewish wed-
ding fashions from the Middle East, as
a first-ever show unfolded on October
1, 2011. JIMENA (Jews Indigenous
to the Middle East and North Africa)
partnered with the Davis chapter of
the international Israel education organization StandWithUs and the Israel
Matters Committee of Congregation
Bet Haverim to present the spectacular event, which was put on by the
Davis International House. The event
was held at the Veteran’s Memorial
Center in Davis.
The San Francisco-based nonprofit JIMENA seeks recognition for
the nearly one million Jewish refugees
indigenous to the Middle East and
North Africa, most of whom have
settled in Israel. The show presented
JIMENA’s impressive collection of traditional costumes from Libya, Tunisia,
Yemen, Egypt, Morocco, and Israel. It
concluded with a couple representing
modern-day Israel, a celebration of
“Unity in Diversity.”
While volunteers modeled the costumes on stage, Gina Waldman, JIMENA’s director, described the 2,000-year
history of Jews in the Middle East and
North Africa. She explained, “More
than half of Israel’s current population
is descended from these immigrants.
Although forced to flee from their native lands, these people preserved their
beautiful ethnic traditions in Israel’s
vibrant Democracy and shine as part
of the multicultural tapestry of the tiny
state’s society.”
The film,The Forgotten Refugees,
a documentary on the Jewish exodus
from around the Middle East to Israel
produced by JIMENA, was hosted by
Davis resident Dan Ovadya, whose
father Joseph Abdel Wahed is featured
in the film.
The Davis International Festival
reflected the cultures of 20 different
countries. In addition to the JIMENA/
StandWithUs fashion show, the main
stage in the multipurpose room was
a whirlwind of activity with Mexican,
Thai, folk, Chinese, African, and Indian dance, singing, and music.
For more information about the Festival, visit www.internationalfestivaldavis.
org. For more information about StandWithUs, visit www.standwithus.com and
for JIMENA, visit www.jimena.org.
Celebrating Chanukah Jelly Belly style
On December 22, 2011,
Fairfield’s Jelly Belly
factory will be transformed
into a winter wonderland to
celebrate the wonders of the
season— the Chanukah season
that is.
Thanks to the efforts of
Chabad of Solano County, the
factory, famous for its gourmet
candy confection with flavors
such as cappuccino, buttered
popcorn, and chocolate pudding (no word on a latke-flavored bean yet), will celebrate
all things related to the holiday
of dedication. Attractions include an 8-foot menorah made
out of clear PVC pipe and
filled with 100 pounds of certified kosher jelly beans, olive
oil tasting, latke and doughnut
(souvganiyot) demonstrations,
New York-style deli, kids’ activities, and more. Of course, Mr.
Jelly Belly, dressed as Judah
the Maccabee, will be on hand
to guide the crowd, which last
year, reached 400 people.
“We hope to surpass last
year’s numbers,” said Rabbi
Chaim Zaklos, noting that the
first factory holds up to 1,000
people.
Zaklos, who arrived in Solano
County with his wife Aidel in 2009
from Crown Heights in Brooklyn to
create the Chabad of Solano County,
said they were told there were no Jews
in the area.
“We were hardly on the radar in
2009,” Zaklos explained. “Everyone
was saying, ‘Don’t come.’ We had to
convince ourselves that we were ready
for the challenge.”
After doing some research, the
rabbi estimated 2,000 Jewish families
live in the area— primarily Vacaville
and Fairfield, although Vallejo and
Benicia are also part of the service
area— and now he has approximately
200 names on his contact list.
“Everyone we met said, ‘I felt
alone. I thought I was the only Jew,’”
Zaklos noted. “We felt a lack of community.”
Due to their outreach efforts, they
now have 10 students ages 6-11 in
their weekly Hebrew School, Torah
and Talmud study classes, High Holiday services and holiday programming
throughout the year (their Passover
seder drew 75 people last year and
100 this year), day camps, and life
cycle events. They have reached all
kinds of Jews, from secular to religious. They also have built relationships with city officials who, last year,
were on hand to light the first menorah in Vacaville’s Town Square.
“It was covered by all of the newspapers in anticipation of the mayor
lighting the menorah,” Zaklos said.
“It was a tremendous turnout— the
largest Jewish assemblage in Solano
County history.”
Feeling as if they had “arrived,”
Zaklos approached Jelly Belly Factory
officials and asked if they would host
an event. They responded enthusiastically.
This year, city officials will light
the Jelly Belly menorah.
“They consider it a source of
pride,” Zaklos said.
The rabbi will continue reaching
out to area Jews in the hopes of addressing the needs of the small community.
“We find that what gets one
person interested in their heritage is
not the same for someone else,” he
explained. “Our challenge is to find
new avenues to get the information
into people’s hearts.”
The Jelly Belly Wonderland is December 22, 2011 from 3:00-8:00 p.m. The
factory is located at 1 Jelly Belly Lane
in Fairfield. For more information about
the event, visit www.jewishsolano.com
or contact Zaklos at 707.592.5300.
Professor Barry Rubin addresses Chabad JCC
of Folsom
by dav i d peters
Opening with a lament
expressed by a prominent
Egyptian intellectual asking
why, after the centuries of Arab
and Moslem greatness, the
Arab world was behind almost
everyone in science, economic
development, and cultural attainments, Professor Barry Rubin of the GLORIA (Global Research in International Affairs)
Center, a research institute in
the Interdisciplinary Center,
located in Herzliyah, Israel
began his discourse not just on
the Arab world but the Middle
East, a broader but more complexly interwoven topic.
Starting with Tunisia,
Rubin commented on the
high vote percentage for the
Islamist party, in a country
where women had attained
high positions in the government as lawyers, doctors, judges, and the like. The expectation that the turn to Sharia law
would reverse many of these
gains was a disappointment
to those inside and outside of
Tunisia who were hoping that
the Arab Spring would bring
an enhanced trend to more
modern values. But, he was
not surprised by the extent of
the victory of the Islamists.
Moving on to Egypt, Rubin
made many of the same observations, with the added fillip
of the size and proximity of the
Egyptian army to Israel. He
reviewed the tension between
the military desirous of keeping the peace and a growing
Islamist movement that would test the
with President Obama’s address in
limits of the 1978 peace treaty. He
Cairo in 2009 and continuing with
noted that Egypt is expected to run
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton’s
out of funds to pay for basic foodstuff
depiction of Islamists as moderates.
imports within a year. The Egyptian
Asked if Israel is making contacts
Army will continue to play a large role
with countries on the Arab periphery,
in the future of Egypt, if only to avoid
Rubin stated that Israeli goods are on
anarchy.
the shelves all over Iraqi Kurdistan.
Regarding Jordan, the profesWhat this will lead to is an open quessor commented on (and more or less
tion, but he noted that several promiagreed with) King Abdallah’s statenent Kurds attended a Kurdish Jewish
ment that the moderates in the Arab
festival recently in Israel. An Israeli
world could not rely on the U.S. One
embassy is underway in the newly-inconsequence is an invitation from the
dependent South Sudan. Azerbaijan
Gulf Co-Operation Council to Jordan
is buying, among other things, Israeli
to join the council, which includes,
drones. And the list goes on.
among other things, Saudi Arabia.
All in all, he portrayed the region
He expects Jordan to remain reasonconsistently and without histrionics,
ably stable, with the monarchy’s main
neither excusing nor excoriating any
pillars, the Bedouin and the settled
of the parties concerned. An erstwhile
tribes, continuing to support the moncandidate for Knesset on the Labor
archy.
Party list, he said he has no partisan
Rubin did comment on the
axes to grind.
Obama Administration’s ill-conceived
The audience was mixed, from all
foreign policy statements, which have
across Sacramento County and the El
encouraged the Palestinian AuthorDorado foothills, from, among others,
ity to change their pre-conditions for
CUFI congregations, self-identified
restarting negotiations, as when PresiLibertarians, and ACT for America.
dent Obama stated the negotiations
This is the first in a series of speakers
should start with the 1967 Green
from outside the Sacramento region.
Line, or that there
should be a freeze
on new construction, both of which
Certified Music Teacher
led to new PalestinMA in Music from Columbia University
ian pre-conditions
to restart negotiations. Further,
Patient, personalized
instruction by
he made note of
enthusiastic
professional
the failure of the
•
Guitar,
Bass
and Piano
Obama Administra321-591-1954
tion’s “outreach” to
Introductory session is free!
or
the Arab and MusLessons in or near Gold River and Davis.
916-985-8415
lim world, starting
Bob Comarow Music
Connecting Our Community. 21
calendar
recurring
events
Sundays
Men’s Tefillin Club. First Sunday of every
month to lay Tefillin, learn some Torah, and enjoy
a great breakfast! 9:00-10:00 a.m. Chabad Jewish
Community Center, 302 B South Lexington Dr.
Folsom. For more information, contact 916.608.9811
or visit www.JewishFolsom.org.
Israeli Dancing. For more information about dates
and venue, join Israelidancesac-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or contact Jeanette at 916.799.7213.
Rabbis’ Monthly Lunch and Learn. Rabbi
Alfi and/or Rabbi King-Tornberg explore issues in
Contemporary Judaism. First Tuesday of the month.
Join us with your lunch at Congregation B’nai Israel,
3600 Riverside Blvd. Sacramento. Noon-1:00 p.m.
No RSVP required. For more information, contact
RabbiKT@bnais.com.
Jewish Genealogical Society of Sacramento.
December 18, 2011. Mark Heckman hosts a game
of “Genealogy Jeopardy” featuring answers relating
to Jewish genealogy as well as family research in
general. 10:00 a.m. Albert Einstein Residence Center, 1935 Wright St. Sacramento. For more information, visit www.jgss.org or e-mail jgs_sacramento@
yahoo.com.
Wednesdays
The Yiddish Club meets the second Sunday of
every month from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the Albert
Einstein Residence Center, Wright St., Sacramento. For more information, contact Goldie Block at
916.480.9193.
Shalom Gan K’ton. For children 18 months-5
years. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. 10:00 a.m. $50/10 sessions with scholarships
available. For more information, contact educator@
orrishon.org.
Mondays
Derech L’Chaim JACS (Jewish Alcoholics,
Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others). Every Monday morning. 2nd Floor
Card Room, Albert Einstein Residence Center, 1935
Wright St. Sacramento. 10:30-11:30 a.m. JACS is
based on the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous with
a Jewish focus. Completely confidential and anonymous. Please contact 916.591.8608 before attending
for the first time.
Jewish Book Club at Temple Or Rishon. Every
fourth Monday at 7:00 p.m. 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. All are welcome. For our reading list, go to
www.orrishon.org, select Programs for All Ages, then
Book Club. For more information, contact Alison
Braverman at 916.988.7110 or alcinp1@aol.com.
Loaves and Fishes. The third Monday of each
month, the Jewish community serves lunch to the
homeless at Loaves and Fishes. 1321 North C St.
Sacramento. Volunteer at 7:30 a.m. to help prepare
food or at 10:45 a.m. to help serve. For more information, contact mary@mosaiclaw.org.
Tuesdays
Baby and Me. Program for families with children
birth to 2 years. Art, singing, movement, and fun!
Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale.
10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Marcia at
916.988.4100 or educator@orrishon.org.
The Jessie Yoshpe Hadassah Study Group.
“Pray Tell: A Hadassah Guide to Jewish
Prayer.” Books may be purchased by contacting
800.880.9455. $20.99/members, $29.99/non-members. 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. 9:45-11:00 a.m. KOH
Library, 2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. For more
information, contact Soni Meyer at 916.383.5743.
Freilache Menschen. December 14, 2011.
Barbershop music by a group of well-known local
women from the Sacramento Valley Chorus and
potluck Chanukah lunch. Latkes and drinks provided. Last name A-J main dish, K-P side dish, R-Z
dessert. Free. Noon. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel
Ave. Orangevale. For more information, contact Rina
Racket at 916.944.1980.
Thursdays
David Lubin Lodge, B’nai B’rith. Third Thursday of each month. 8:00 p.m. Albert Einstein
Residence Center Eatery. 1935 Wright St. Sacramento. For more information, contact Bernie Marks
at 916.363.0122.
Leisure League Luncheon with Harpist Michelle Silver. December 1, 2011. $5/person. Make
check payable to TOR Leisure League and mail to
Pearl Cohen, 2540 Clubhouse Dr. West, Rocklin,
CA 95765. Noon. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel
Ave. Orangevale. For more information, contact
916.988.4100.
Jewish Women’s Support Group. Talk about
lifestyle issues with other women in a safe non-judgmental atmosphere. Lead by Zalia Lipson. Chabad
of Roseville, 3175 Sunset Blvd. Suite 104A Roseville. 6:45 p.m. $40 per session. For more information or to register, contact 916.624.8626 or ZaliaL@
aol.com.
Fridays
Gan K’Tan. Program for young children 18
months-5 years and the adults who love them. Sing,
play, create, listen to, and taste all the wonders of
being Jewish, along with preparing for Shabbat.
10:00 a.m. $10/class. Enrollment and fees required.
Scholarships available. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. For more information, contact
Marcia at 916.988.4100 or educator@orrishon.org.
Tot Shabbat. Services, Singing, Storytelling, and
Oneg for all children, including all who are young at
heart. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact
Marcia at 916.988.4100 or educator@orrishon.org.
saturdays
Taste of Torah. Every second Saturday. Come join
us as we learn, laugh, sing, and “taste” the Torah.
Free program for families with young children and
children of all abilities. Temple Or Rishon, 7755 Hazel Ave. Orangevale. 10:30 a.m. For more information, contact Marcia at 916.988.4100 or educator@
orrishon.org.
jewish life
Varieties of Shabbat Experiences
December 3, 2011. Varieties of Shabbat Experiences: Contemplative Morning Service. The musicfilled contemplative service is comprised of heart
opening chanting and praying of Jewish prayers, sacred silence, as well as a short, group Torah study of
the weekly portion. 10:00-noon. Congregation B’nai
Harim, Nevada County Jewish Community Center,
506 Walsh St. Grass Valley. For more information,
contact Laurie Williams at laurieRwilliams@aol.com
or 510.325.2216.
Circumcision in the 21st Century
December 11, 2011. Circumcision in the 21st
Century. 7:00-8:30 p.m. Congregation Beth Shalom,
4745 El Camino Ave. Carmichael. For more information, contact office@cbshalom.org.
special events
AIPAC Annual Sacramento Membership
Luncheon
December 4, 2011. Honoring the generation
that began supporting the U.S. and Israel relationship from the early years and that passed it on to
future generations. Co-Chairs Veronica & Dr. Ben
Kaufman and Jodi & Dr. Eric Leiderman. Honorary
Chairs Marcy & Mort Friedman. $45/person. 11:30
a.m. Radisson Hotel. Register online at www.aipac.
org/NorCalEvents/sacramento.html. Register by telephone at 415.989.4140.
Civility, from Cover
become a persona non grata for Jews— or so it was
thought. When the judge was extended an invitation
this past spring to address the Leonard Friedman
Bar Association, the gloves came off and the computer was turned on.
“When the Bar Association invited Judge Goldstone, emails were sent from members of the congregation to each other,” began Mosaic Law Congregation’s Rabbi Reuven Taff, a member of the Greater
Sacramento Area Rabbis Association. “It escalated
into a very ugly discourse. We were all affected by the
incivility of the conversation.”
This electronic war of words led Taff and his
rabbinic peers to the decision to discuss civility in
their High Holiday sermons. While the details differed, the meta message was designed to counter
what has become acceptable negativity and lack of
civility encountered in the media, among politicians,
and in our communities. And although Goldstone
recanted his position at the Bar event and recently,
more publicly, saying that if current evidence was
available to him at the time, the report bearing his
name would have been different, the proverbial
damage had been done— globally and locally.
As Rabbi Alan Rabishaw of Temple Or Rishon
and Chair of the Rabbis’ Association noted, “Goldstone was the issue that brought this to our attention but the same conversation that can be had for
Israel, can be had among the right and left or black
and red. It’s different manifestations. We need a
commitment to the values we share and get focused
22 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice
on the story that belongs to all of us, not live in two
extremes. We need to rededicate ourselves to Israel
as a value, not about left or right.”
Rabbi David Wechsler-Azen of Congregation
Beth Shalom mirrored this message, asking his
congregation how the community can expand to
embrace more than one thought when talking about
Israel without tearing each other apart.
The method of how we “talk” to each other in
21st century debates has itself become the subject of
debate.
“Email lends itself to being impersonal and that
is contrary to Jewish values,” said Rabbi Mona Alfi
of Congregation B’nai Israel. “We talk to each other
directly.”
Referencing rabbis Hillel and Shammai, who
helped shape Judaism, and the Korach rebellion,
where one Jew was able to unite the Jewish people
against Moses, she explained in her High Holiday
sermon, “The way we argue can either destroy communication or build it up.”
In selecting civility as one of the Sacramento
JCRC’s three priority areas, its Vice Chair Jack
Mador said, “Israel has become the lightening rod of
discord in America because of religious and political
issues. The political dimension is bifurcated even
more— you are too much of a Zionist or a Palestinian sympathizer. It creates the beginnings of discord
within the community.”
Kalish agreed, saying dialogue within political
spheres is more difficult to connect with than within
personal relationships.
And noting that addressing the issue of civility
is not unique— the Jewish Council of Public Affairs
and the Anti-Defamation League are also engaged
with this topic— Mador said, “We’ve put a name
to the problem of how we communicate with each
other.”
This was the theme of Taff ’s sermon on Kol
Nidre— not what we communicate but how we communicate. Designed to create greater connections
among people, the rabbi framed the power of speech
within a Jewish context.
“Of the 43 sins listed in the Al Chet confessional prayer, 11 are sins committed through speech,”
he told his congregation. “The Talmud tells us that
the tongue is an instrument so dangerous that it
must be kept hidden from view, behind two protective walls— the mouth and the teeth— in order to
prevent its misuse.”
Although the rabbis know that one sermon
cannot turn things around— Rabishaw admitted,
“We know better than to think that things change
because of one sermon,”— they have made a commitment to continue talking about the lack of civility
even if people are uncomfortable.
Kalish, too, will continue taking and working
within the Jewish community to address the diverse
views of Israel.
“I keep hearing this voice saying that I trust Jewish morality,” she said. “If we can talk to each other,
we can crack the code with what’s going on there.”
calendar
Sababa and Family Fun Day
December 4, 2011. Concert features Steve
Brodsky, Robbi Sherwin, and Scott Leader. Tickets
$7 in advance or $10 at the door. To reserve tickets, send your name and number of tickets to WBI,
3600 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95818. Make
checks payable to Women of B’nai Israel. Doors
open at 1:30 p.m. Congregation B’nai Israel, 3600
Riverside Blvd. Sacramento. For additional information, contact Andee Press-Dawson at andeedawson@
sbcglobal.net.
BloodSource Blood Drive
December 11, 2011. Blood Mobile in Temple Or
Rishon Parking Lot. 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. 7755 Hazel
Ave. Orangevale. For more information, contact Vivian Marguleas at 916.771.2041.
Documentary Film
December 11, 2011. Attention Aux Enfants!, a
documentary of the orphans and displaced children
of the Shoah who were hidden in Montmorency
during the Nazi occupation of France. $5 suggested
donation. 2:00 p.m. KOH Library and Cultural Center, 2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. For more information, visit www.kohlibrary.blogspot.com.
Latke Cup Basketball Game
December 17, 2012. 11th Annual Latke Cup Basketball Game between Congregation B’nai Israel and
Mosaic Law Congregation. 6:30 p.m. KOH Library
and Cultural Center, 2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento.
For more information, contact 916.488.1122.
Arts & Crafts Fair
December 18, 2011. First Arts and Crafts Fair
features unique quality handmade crafts and fine
arts, including photo art, paintings, fused glass
jewelry and art, T-shirts, and more. Free and open to
the public. 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. KOH Library and
Cultural Center, 2300 Sierra Blvd. Sacramento. For
more information, visit www.kohlibrary.blogspot.com.
israel & the environment
December 18, 2011. Irving Schiffman, professor
emeritus at California State University Chico. How
Israel tackles its environmental problems, including water quality, air pollution, and threats to the
natural habitat. 3:00-4:30 p.m. Congregation Bet
Haverim, 1715 Anderson Rd. Davis. Sponsored by
the Israel Matters Committee. For more information,
contact George Rooks at gmrooks3@gmail.com or Al
Sokolow at 530.758.3246.
chanuakah
events
Latke Tasting
December 1, 2011. Congregation B’nai Harim
Sisterhood Latke tasting. 1:15 p.m. Congregation
B’nai Harim, 506 Walsh St. Grass Valley. For more
information, contact Fieni Verdooner at fieni@verdooner.net.
b’nai harim chanukah party
December 18, 2011. Congregation B’nai Harim’s
Annual Chanukah Party with A Step Above DJ.
1:00-4:00 p.m. Love Building in Condon Park Grass
Valley. Open to the entire community. For more information and to RSVP, contact 530.477.0922.
education
The PJ Library
December 2 and 16, 2011. Join us for a funfilled morning of Jewish stories, songs, art, play, and
snack led by parents of The PJ Library. 10:00-11:30
a.m. Federation office, 2014 Capitol Ave., Sacramento. For more information, contact The PJ Library
Director Ardyth Sokoler at 916.486.0906 ext. 311 or
pjlibrary@jewishsac.org.
Shalom School Scholarship
Applications
December 16, 2011. Due date for scholarship applications for School Year 2012-13 for students entering Kindergarten-6th Grade. For more information,
contact 916.485.4151 or visit www.shalomschool.org.
Submissions are due by the 10th of the
month at noon prior to publication and
should list name of the event, date, time,
sponsor, brief description, cost (if any)
and contact information. Please do not
include any additional formatting or
design. Send to eprovance@JewishSac.
org. Thank you for your cooperation.
Stay in touch
with community
events by signing
up for Federation’s
E-Voice.
Contact
916.486.0906.
Connecting Our Community. 23
24 kislev-tevet 5772 / december 2011 The Jewish Voice