Jtnews | November 13, 2009

vol. 85, no. 24

f r i d ay , n o v e m b e r 1 3 , 2 0 0 9

n

n

2 6 h e s h va n 5 7 7 0

n

jtnews.net

news

JT the voice of jewish washington

Courtesy Temple B’nai Torah

Carrots, anyone? Members of Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue participated in a gleaning project at Stocker Farms in Snohomish on Nov. 1. The temple’s brotherhood planned the event, which resulted in 50 boxes filled with fresh carrots and beets being donated to the Northwest Harvest food bank and food distribution network.

Camp Young Judaea ceases operations — for now Janis Siegel JTNews Correspondent After 100 years of offering summer fun, Jewish-style, to youth throughout the Western United States, Hadassah’s Camp Young Judaea West, a pluralistic, unaffiliated, and kosher camp will be closed for the summer of 2010 due to a lack of funding. The camp closure is the latest cost-cutting measure by the Hadassah organization, which was already feeling the effects of reduced donations due to the recession, when they were blind-sided last December by the news that it had lost $90 million in investments it had with Bernard Madoff’s fraudulent investment funds, according to reporting by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency news service. “Although it is painful to lose a programmatic center that has served hundreds of our members and their families,” reads a press release from Hadassah’s New York office on the matter, “we are hopeful that, in time, CYJ West will resume its operation.” According to JTA, in December 2008, Hadassah reported that it had lost $40 million that it had invested in Madoff’s scheme, and that it would not be receiving another $50 million that it projected to earn from the investment income. Hadassah’s endowment, whose estimated value was approximately $500 million is now said to be worth $412 million. Local and and national Hadassah leaders did not return JTNews’ phone calls or e-mails to comment further on the camp closing, but the painful reality was pronounced in the voice of Esther Caplan, a former Hadassah regional president and the current West Merchav chair. “We are extremely sad about it,” Caplan told JTNews, “but there is a group of dedicated individuals who are trying to bring it back.”

Haq prosecution introduces phone evidence in second trial

The CYJ West camp, which is one of five camps in the Young Judea camp system, has served more than 100 campers throughout the Western region each summer. Camp enrollment had been on the rise, due mainly to $1,000 grants made to first-time campers from the Campership Incentive program, a partnership between Hadassah and the Foundation for Jewish Camp. CYJ West does not own land for a permanent camp location. It has been renting various camps each year, mainly securing a Long Beach, Wash. site. “We have not owned our camp and we would love to have a permanent site,” Caplan said. “We’ve been a rental camp for many, many years. We’ve rented camps in Long Beach, Wash., Ocean Park, Ore., and we’ve rented a 4H camp in the past. It’s time that we find a permanent home. Kids are touched by these camps.” CYJ West serves Jewish youth from many locations including Colorado, El Paso, Tex., Northern California, San Diego, Calif., Las Vegas, Nev., and Tucson, Ariz. Last summer, Hadassah mounted a campaign to raise $200,000 to fund the camp’s operating costs but it was only able to raise $50,000 from 100 donors and alumni around the country. “We didn’t get that far without any major donors,” said Caplan. “But our donations came from all over the country with very passionate notes from people about how much effect [the camp] had on them.” In an effort to maintain the Jewish camping experience for as many of the CYJ West campers as possible, other regional camps are providing scholarships, reduced rates, and travel discounts to Jewish youth who are without a summer location. Through November 15, 2009, CYJ Midwest is offering its t wo three-week sessions to CY J West and

Two weeks after the start of the second murder trial for Naveed Haq, prosecuting attorneys finished presenting their case to the court on Nov. 5. Haq is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity for killing one woman and injuring five others during an attack on the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle in July 2006. The state is attempting to prove that Haq, who has suffered from bi-polar disorder for most of his life, was fully in control of himself and aware of his actions when he planned and executed the shootings. The first trial in the spring of 2008 ended in a mistrial with jurors unable to agree on 14 of the 15 criminal charges brought against Haq. This time around, the state focused its case against Haq largely on the testimony of the attack’s survivors, law enforcement who responded to the 911 calls, and detectives who investigated the aftermath of the shooting. The last week of testimony for the prosecution included the questioning of former Jewish Federation employee Dayna Klein. Klein, who was shot in the arm, recalled for the jury how Haq walked through the office barking instructions for employees to stay put and not to call the police. “He didn’t scream it, he didn’t yell it. He just said it emphatically,” she said. Klein then described how, ignoring Haq’s orders, she crawled back to her office to call 911 and, upon being discovered by Haq, asked if he would be willing to speak

u Page 21

u Page 21

Leyna Krow Assistant Editor, JTNews

M.O.T.: Member of the Tribe A View from the U Jewish on Earth Community Calendar Lifecycles The Shouk Classifieds

new at

www.jtnews.net a

j e w i s h

t r a n s c r i p t

p u b l i c a t i o n

7 8 10 11 17 22

n

inside

Page 12

Page 16

$ 1 . 5 0

2

jtnews

n

friday, November 13, 2009

viewpoints

Remembering the Holtzbergs A commemoration of the young couple killed one year ago in Mumbai, India Paula Begoun Special to JTNews Editor’s Note: Seattle businesswoman Paula Begoun, founder of Paula’s Choice skin care products, regularly travels to remote destinations and has often visited Chabad Houses in different countries. Before leaving for a trip to Mumbai, her second, at the end of last month, she wrote this letter to Chaim and Techiya Levine of the LivingJudaism organization. I was in Mumbai last year, May 2008. As I often do when I’m in a new city in another country, I went to the Chabad House that was near my hotel. At the time it was just another Chabad House, another shul, another opportunity to connect with Jews in a relatively remote part of the world (well, remote for me). I had been to so many Chabad houses over the years from Sydney, to Paris, Toronto, Beijing, Mexico City, Singapore, Melbourne, and of course Seattle. Like all of them, the Chabad House in Mumbai wasn’t particularly unique and it was barely memorable. When I say not unique, that’s only because I’ve grown accustomed to the warmth and kindness you find at any Chabad House you visit. It’s always a little hectic, always a strange mixture of Jewish travelers from all over the globe and random locals, but regardless, there is always the under-

standing that as a Jew, no matter who you are and for whatever reason you end up on their doorstep, you are welcomed with no expectation of having to give anything back. We Jews have a home almost everwhere around the globe. That is Chabad. T he rabbi a nd rebbet z i n at t he Mumbai Chabad House seemed impossibly young, especially considering their task of building something out of nothing in an area of the world that barely knows what a Jew really looks like. Their building was tucked behind streets you could only describe as slum with goats in doorways, endless small barren shops, crowded alleyways where aimless men and women sat listless and weary, and children ran about barefoot wearing rags in oppressive heat and stagnant air. But most everyone knew where the Chabad House was, as the rabbi and rebbetzin often fed those in need. When I walked in, there was Rifka with one baby on her hip and another child following behind. She greeted me and my boyfriend, gave us some water and we went through the Jewish game of who you know. The rabbi rushed in after evening prayers and quickly went through the same routine. It was sweet, fun, very Jewish, and remarkable that we were all in downtown Mumbai socializing and being as Jewish as if we were in New York or Jerusalem.

Welcome to the 8 Fried Nights of Hanukkah! With oil having played such a big role in the story of Hanukkah, tradition says we should eat fried foods during the holiday’s eight days. So we have found a selection of delicious treats that you can make at home. Some are traditional Ashkenazi while others are Sephardi. Some require preparation while others can be done quickly, even with kids (though keep them away from that hot fryer!). But they’re all guaranteed to taste great and stink up your house in the process. But what the heck? It’s Hanukkah!

Night 1



Night 2

Night 3

Brought to you by our sponsors: Keftes de Prassa (Leek Patties) • Page 8 urj camP kaLsman Cajun Sweet Potato Latkes • Page 10

jewish federation of greater seattLe Sufganyiot • Page 11

Leah’s catering

Night 5

jewish federation of greater seattLe



Night 6

Night 7

Night 8

benign. But rather, in a twist of appalling fate, the young couple who had blessed it have become unwilling martyrs and I cannot get their faces out of my mind. Their untimely deaths, nauseating in its utter depravity, was completely evil and has no explanation. The death of all the victims on that horrific day has no explanations. There is no answer from God because this is one of His best-kept secrets we can never know while we are on this earth. So the question isn’t, why? The question is, what can we do now to turn something unholy into something holy? How can we turn evil into goodness? How can we honor the Lord and ourselves? That is our only job, no matter what happens in life. We can choose to bring the holiness of God to any moment. My choice is to continue to discover meaning in my faith. In the essence of Torah is the hand of God and the path our souls can take to find solace and a way of living with compassion, integrity, and peace. My choice is to continue supporting Chabad so that Jews have a home all over the world that no one can take away. I choose to support Chabad so those who hate us can’t erase our presence in the world. Chabad’s resolve to create Jewish neig hborhoods wherever t hey ca n, against all odds, is a beacon in the dark for Jews everywhere.

Community-Wide

SUPER SUNDAY Phone-A-Thon

November 22 9am-5pm

stroum jewish community center

Night 4

This moment would have come and gone being just another interesting, minor travel episode in my life until a few months later, Thanksgiving weekend 2008, when the news headlines exploded with the terrorist attack in Mumbai. All the places I had been to were part of the terrorists’ murdering rampage. The Taj, where I had stayed, the Oberoi, where I ate, the train station where I traveled, and in the most vicious attack of all, the Chabad House, where t he you ng fa m i ly representing the best of the Chabad community was slaughtered by malicious mad men armed with a determination and fervor that rivaled any level of insanity you could fathom. The terrorists took more than 50 percent of their group and arsenal to kill a handful of Jews. That was more important, more holy to them than their stated goal of killing as many people as they could. I believe 5,000 was the number they were after. They sacrificed that goal because murdering two or three Jews was more important than any other destruction, annihilation, they could ignite. The depth of such single-minded vile hatred is not something a normal mind can understand, and I don’t want to try to understand. I want to obliterate these atrocities from the world and my memory. What is left in the wake of this terrorist attack is that a once-simple part of Mumbai is no longer ordinar y or

Birmuelos • Page 15 Kubeh (meat-filled grain Patties) • Page 15 temPLe de hirsch sinai Basic Latkes • Page 16 kLine gaLLand Apple Latkes • Page 16 cynthia wiLLiams Ginger Doughnut Rounds • Page 23

Volunteer. Give Time.

Raise Money. Save Lives. Impact YOUR Community. For more information or to register, visit www.JewishInSeattle.org/SuperSunday or call Carol at 206 774-2219

&WFOU
MPDBUJPO
4USPVN
+FXJTI
$PNNVOJUZ
$FOUFS
r

&
.FSDFS
8BZ
.FSDFS
*TMBOE


friday, november 13, 2009

n

jtnews

rabbi’s turn

The rainy season

3

page viewpoints

The clouds roll in, but the water that falls marks for us a more conscious spirituality

Rabbi Jessica Marshall Temple Beth Or Lying in bed, the soft dawn light peeking in through my curtains, still in that state between being asleep and awake, I listen to the sound of softly falling rain. My visions of a morning run in the sunlight foiled again. As a newcomer to Seattle, acclimatizing to this environment has brought an unanticipated spiritual experience. My heightened sensitivity is two-fold: The exuberance on a radiant sun-filled day is a phenomenon about which I had heard, but I was unprepared for the spirited exhilaration — the attitude of “stop everything, come outside and soak up the sunshine.” The second part of this sensitivity is an appreciation of Judaism’s liturgical and festival ties to the rainy season. Shemini Atzeret, the holiday that falls at the end of Sukkot, marks the beginning of the rainy season following the harvest in Israel. On this day, we begin

The JTNews is the Voice of Jewish Washington. Our mission is to meet the interests of our Jewish community through fair and accurate coverage of local, national and international news, opinion and information. We seek to expose our readers to diverse viewpoints and vibrant debate on many fronts, including the news and events in Israel. We strive to contribute to the continued growth of our local Jewish community as we carry out our mission. 2041 Third Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121 phone 206-441-4553 fax 206-441-2736 E-mail: [email protected] www.jtnews.net JTNews (ISSN0021-678X) is published biweekly by The Seattle Jewish Transcript, a nonprofit corporation owned by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, 2041 3rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121. Subscriptions are $39.50 for one year, $57.50 for two years. Periodicals postage paid at Seattle, WA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to JTNews, 2041 Third Ave., Seattle, WA 98121.

Staff

Reach us directly at 206-441-4553 + ext. Publisher *Karen Chachkes 267 Editor *Joel Magalnick 233 Assistant Editor Leyna Krow 240 Account Executive Lynn Feldhammer 264 Account Executive David Stahl 235 Account Executive Stacy Schill 292 Classifieds Manager Rebecca Minsky 238 Art Director Susan Beardsley 239 Accountant Louise Kornreich 234 Production Artist Elisa Haradon Proofreader Mordecai Goldstein

Board of Directors

Scott Michelson, Chair*; Robin Boehler; Don Edmond; Lisa Eggers; Nancy Geiger; Cynthia Flash Hemphill*; Allen Israel*; Stan Mark; Daniel Mayer; Cantor David Serkin-Poole*; Sandy Sidell Richard Fruchter, CEO and President, Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle Ron Leibsohn, Federation Board Chair *Member, JTNews Editorial Board

The opinions of our columnists and advertisers do not necessarily reflect the views of JTNews.

to recite the prayer requesting rain for a plentiful year. The second part of the Sh’ma also proclaims a direct relationship between the rains we receive and the life choices we make: “And if you will carefully obey my commands which I give you today…I will give rains for your land at the right season…. Beware lest your heart…turn and serve other gods and worship them, for then the Eternal’s anger will blaze against you, and God will shut up the skies so that there will be no rain.” As we mentally and spiritually prepare ourselves for the months of rain ahead, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, offers a path to view the forces of sun and rain as our inner spiritual lives. Sunlight cannot be generated by the earth itself — it must come from an outside source. Thus, if we view sunlight as enlightenment, as the absolute and transcendent in our lives, sunlight urges us to step back and open ourselves up to an outside power. Rain, on the other hand, originates as moisture that rises from the earth, forms clouds, and returns as life-giving waters. So the earth is not a passive beneficiary of the rain falling from the heavens. She generates it herself, raising columns of mist from her oceans and lakes to water her soil. While the earth generates her own moisture, we can view the Eternal’s presence in this process as enabling us to reach upward in our own search for truth and meaning in life, and thereby generate a spiritual nurture of our own making — rain. Both divine gifts are crucial to the spiritual life of our souls. On one hand, we recog n i ze ou r i n herent l i m itations. We understand that if there is to be anything that is infinite and transcendent in our lives, it is beyond us. We open ourselves to a higher truth — a truth to which we can relate only as passive recipients. This truth is beyond anything we could generate ourselves. Ra in, however, is cha racter ized by human endeavor and initiative. The Eternal may accompany us in our pursuits as we seek to create holy lives, but we are the architects, we generate our destiny.

••• If we return to our Jewish yearly cycle, the summer months from Nisan to Tishrei are characterized by God’s unilateral divine manipulation: Our Passover exodus, when God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm save us from the Egyptians; and Shavuot, when God gives us Torah amidst trembling mountains and smoke on Mount Sinai. Our Jewish calendar accordingly reflects the seasons of the soul. In the summer months, we are passive recipients of God’s power. The sunlight aspect of our spiritual lives is fixed and unwavering. During this time, we surrender ourselves to this higher truth, to what is infinite, perfect and abs ol ute.

The winter months, the Season of Rains, on the other hand, is a halfyear characterized by human endeavor and initiative. In the month of Tishrei, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the Ten Days of Repentance are a time of teshuvah, of soul-searching and selfimprovement. The Season of Rains also contains the two festivals instituted by the rabbis: Hanukkah and Purim. Unlike the biblical festivals, which were

commanded by God, these were created by humans as our own responses to historical events. Our Jew ish calendar accordingly reflects the seasons of the soul. In the summer months, we are passive recipients of God’s power. The sunlight aspect of our spiritual lives is fixed and unwavering. During this time, we surrender ourselves to this higher truth, to what is infinite, perfect and absolute. But during the winter months when we turn to our rainmaking selves, our initiatives and achievements are subject to our human fluctuations. As we endeavor toward our aspirations, as we strive to apply the lessons from our teshuvah, we stumble with setbacks and missteps, sometimes progressing and sometimes faltering. This is both the strength and weakness of our rainy season. While we suffer from our human instabilities, this is also a time of flexibility, where a lack might be transformed into a gain and a vulnerability considered a source of blessing. Now, as we anticipate the winter months, may we have the strength to renew our goals and passions as the rains pour down upon us. May we be patient with our frailties, reconsidering them as junctures for cultivating our fortitude and spirit.

Letters Not a celebration I noticed on the front page of the October 30 JTNews a little note that said, “Celebrate Women! page 12.” I turned to page 12 and what I found was an article about a female singer ejected from the Arts & Entertainment section surrounded by ads for electrolysis, weight loss, and other cosmetic procedures. This is not a celebration of women. This is a marginalization. Women are being told to look pretty and stand aside. I’m not putting this issue of JTNews out where anyone can see it — I’d be ashamed for people to see it and think I agree with the idea that women be segregated into a women’s section (what’s next, exclusion from Torah studies?) or valued primarily for our looks. Cheryl Trooskin-Zoller Seattle

The flawed report Leslie Susser’s insightful front-page column was quite informative (“Implica-

tions of Israeli inquiry into Goldstone,” Oct. 30). Susser rightly points out that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces one of the most acute dilemmas since his return to power last March. Also, “the key question ignored by the Goldstone committee: how a modern state is supposed to defend its civilians against rockets fired from inside heavily populated urban areas.”  It is interesting to note that House Resolution 867 condemning the Goldstone report as “irredeemably biased” against Israel was overwhelmingly passed by the House of Representatives on Tuesday (Nov. 3). The general secretary of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference said his group was the “initiator” of the report that helped push it through the Human Rights Council. Even Justice Goldstone himself, the author of the report, has cast doubts about the fairness of the report and said it would not stand up to legal scrutiny.

The draf t resolution at the UN includes only allegations against Israel without a single phrase condemning Hamas. Not surprisingly, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other top officials called the report “one-sided and deeply flawed.” They have also expressed “grave concerns” about the fact-finding mission. The majority of Americans polled believe that Israel fought a defensive war and that Hamas has primary responsibility for the civilian deaths. It is sad that the UN human rights community did not seriously stop Hamas from shooting rockets indiscriminately at Israel’s south before Israel’s defensive war was launched. The Obama administration should do all it can to prevent the UN from passing any resolution unfairly blaming Israel in fighting a defensive war in Gaza.  Josh Basson Seattle

We would love to hear from you! Our guide to writing a letter to the editor can be found on our Web site: www.jtnews.net/index.php?/static/item/611/ The deadline for the next issue is november 17 n future deadlines may be found online

4

jtnews

n

friday, November 13, 2009

community news

A remedy for feeling SAD

Two languages are better than one Kavana opens Hebrew immersion preschool Leyna Krow Assistant Editor, JTNews It has been well documented that the younger a child begins learning a second language, the easier it is for him or her to pick up. That’s the idea behind the Kavana Cooperative’s Gan Kavana Preschool, which opened in September. “With language, kids are like sponges at that age. They just absorb it,” said Ilana Mantell, director of operations for Kavana. The preschool currently has six students between the ages of 2 and 4 and two staff members. Along with regular preschool activities, the program focuses on building basic Hebrew vocabulary and grammar. “The classroom leader is Israeli and everything she does is with the goal of talking to the kids in Hebrew,” Mantell explained. “The idea is that kids learn by hearing and by doing and playing.” Children aren’t scolded for speaking English, of course. But with classroom games and activities taking place in Hebrew, the students easily slip between the two languages. “I don’t think they have a conscious understanding of what lang uage is when they’re that young,” Mantell said. “They’re just doing it.” She gave an example of an activity where students were offered bite-sized cookies. After counting out the cookies in Hebrew, the instructor asked each child how many

they wanted. The kids responded using Hebrew numbers seemingly without thinking about it because that was the language the instructor was using. Although a number of other congregations in Seattle offer early childhood education in various forms, Gan Kavana is the only Hebrew immersion program in the area.

their level of observance. Hebrew seemed like a safe point of common interest. Of the six kids in the program, Mantell said that only two come from homes with parents who know Hebrew. She noted that a number of parents have begun coming early to pick up their kids so they can sit in on the last part of the class and learn a few new words themselves. “Many of the parents are inspired to learn also,” she said. “We’ve had parents starting to ask for vocabulary lists or basic books that they can read together with their kids.”

Courtesy Kavana

Students and instructors at the Gan Kavana Preschool, which opened in September. “There are other Jewish preschools in Seattle,” Mantell said. “What we wanted was to emphasize Hebrew language.” She added that because Kavana’s partners represent a wide range of religious backgrounds, it was important to Kavana leadership to make sure that the preschool focused on aspects of Judaism that would be relevant to any family, no matter

Funding for the preschool comes from student tuition and from a grant through the Legacy Heritage Foundation. Families do not need to be Kavana Cooperative partners to enroll children in the school, although there is a discount in tuition for those who are. The preschool meets Tuesdays and Thursdays and is based at Kavana’s Queen Anne facility.

For many people, particularly in the Northwest, the end of Daylight Saving Time and the onset of winter weather can trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly known as SAD. SAD is a depression that occurs each year at the same time, usually starting in fall or winter and ending in spring or early summer. This mood disorder is often attributed to the lack of light during the colder months of the year and affects between 10 and 20 percent of the U.S. population. Three-quarters of those who suffer from the mild symptoms associated with the disorder are women. You may be experiencing SAD symptoms if you: • Sleep excessively or feel of extreme fatigue • Overeat and gain weight during the fall or winter • Have an inability to maintain regular activities • Have feelings of sadness, loss of feelings, apathy and irritability • Feel a lack of interest in social interactions or lose interest in activities you find enjoyable • See that it all goes away in the spring and summer. SAD is diagnosable and treatable. To help anyone concerned about him or herself or a loved one, Jewish Family Service is offering a Web-based mental health self-assessment. Users receive immediate, customized feedback and the opportunity to schedule an appointment for further evaluation. This service will be provided free of charge throughout November. To take the questionnaire, visit www. jfsseattle.org’s counseling page and click the “Online Screening for Depression” link.

Camp Solomon Schechter

friends of the israel defense forces and temple b’nai torah invite you to the

JoIn uS

idf orchestral ensemble in concert

for the

temple b’nai torah

Summer of 2010

thursday, november 19, 7;30pm 15727 ne 4th st., bellevue 98008

   

General Admission, $25 each (Seniors $15, Children 12 and under $10) $180 Supporter Package for 2 (includes 2 tickets priority seating, Ensemble CD) $360 Supporter Package for 4 (includes 4 tickets priority seating, Ensemble CD) $1000 Supporter Package for 6 (includes 6 tickets priority seating, 2 Ensemble CDs and Soldier’s Book)

Name Address

City

Tel

E-mail

State

Zip

 Please charge my __ Visa, __MC, __Discover, __ Amex for $ _____ Card #

registration

Exp date

Signature

 Enclosed please find my check for $ ______  I am unable to attend, but wish to make a tax-deductible contribution of $ _______ to support the soldiers

has begun.

reServe now Please make checks payable to Friends of the IDF E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 425-603-9677 (Karen) Mail: Temple B’nai Torah, 15727 NE 4th St., Bellevue, WA 98008 or Friends of IDF, P.O. Box 3086, Kirkland, WA 98083 For more info: [email protected] or 425-753-5550

Sign up today!

Friends of the IDF is top ranked by Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) and is an IRS code 501(C)3 tax exempt organization.

Check us out… www.campschechter.org [email protected] 206-447-1967

friday, november 13, 2009

n

jtnews

5

community news

Back in the saddle Jewish Day School interim leader takes over as permanent head of school Joel Magalnick Editor, JTNews It took meeting the candidates for the position to convince Maria Erlitz that she truly wanted it for herself. “I fell in love with the place yet again,” Erlitz said. “I think I had to go through the process of seeing myself not here to know that I really wanted to be here and see the school through the long term.” The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle, which turns 30 next year, has had Erlitz’s fingerprints all over it from the beginning. As one of its co-founders, Erlitz served on the lay side as a longtime board member, including president. She moved over to the professional side when both the head of school and assistant head of school simultaneously left JDS, and she resigned from the board to act as interim head until a replacement came. She served as head of school and assistant head on both interim and permanent bases in intervening years before moving on to a successful career as a consultant working with heads of school at other Jewish academies. But when JDS’ previous head of school, Tom Elieff, decided to move back to his hometown in 2008, the board asked Erlitz to come back while it conducted a search for a new leader. She was clear from the start that the position would be temporary, but then something changed.

“[B o a r d p r e s ident Robert Sulkin] was always saying as t he ca nd idates came… ‘No need to wor r y about a nyt h i ng , Ma r ia c a n ac t a s a c oac h,’” Erl it z sa id. “Usually, when I coach a head of school, I get to what their agenda is and help t h e m t o d e v e lop their agenda. I kept t hink ing, ‘W hat about my agenda?’ I couldn’t take myself Courtesy JDS out of the picture.” Maria Erlitz, after more than a year of serving as interim head Sulk in said she of school, has decided to take on the job permanently. didn’t need to convince the board to “All of the independent schools lost hire her permanently. enrollment, so private school is looked “It was always open to her,” he said. at as a luxury in some places,” Erlitz said. “Maria always could have had the job. “When a parent lost a job…they felt they And I made that clear to her.” couldn’t afford that.” The students are apparently excited One of the promises she made last year to have Erlitz onboard as well: They to parents was that no child would be spent the week surprising their princidenied an education at JDS due to inabilpal with different activities, including a ity to pay. They made good on that promrainy-day soccer game for which she had ise, but at a cost. to postpone her interview with JTNews. “It doubled our financial aid line,” But Erlitz faces some challenges the Erlitz said. school must overcome, most notably due Part of the way the school made up for to the economy. Enrollment, she and that loss was by eliminating six full-time Sulkin both said, is down.

B”H

at

positions, though Sulkin emphasized none of those cuts affected the quality of the education. “We’ve cut no programs, no teachers,” Sulkin said. “The programming has actually been increased, which is amazing considering what is going on elsewhere.” But with many parents having been laid off from the region’s business titans, the money to cover a private school education needs to come from somewhere. One way is through vigorous fundraising. Erlitz, Sulkin said, is key to that. “Any great institution needs strong leadership, and people buy into her vision and have great respect for her,” Sulkin said. But the school also approached the Samis Foundation, which already partially subsidizes K-12 students in Washington State’s Jewish day schools, for further assistance. “We were afraid we would really lose a good chunk of the school, so we went to Samis and basically asked them for help,” Erlitz said. “We said, if you live in the Orthodox community you send a child to a Jewish day school. That’s just it.… Our parent body chooses this school. It’s not a natural if they lost a job that they would send their kid anyway.” Samis responded with a $400,000 matching grant that would give $2 for

NYHS MMSC Day School

cordially invites you to honor

Just a few of the great schools NYHS alumni aƩend!

u Page 21

Call toda y fo an a r ppli c a tion 2062325 Grad 272 es 9th - 12t h!

Barnard, Brandeis, Columbia, Johns Hopkins, NYU, SeaƩle U., Smith, Washington U. in St. Louis, UCLA, UW, and U. Penn

Jamie Schwartz 2011

Rabbi & Mrs. Yechezkel and Devorah Kornfeld

NYHS delivers a superb college preparatory and Jewish educaƟon without the pressure of a large school environment.

Annual Lamplighter Tribute Dinner At our

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 ~ 29 Kislev 5770 Venue: Herban Feast

Northwest Yeshiva High School (NYHS) is the Pacic Northwest’s premier college preparatory, dual curriculum Jewish high school located on Mercer Island.

3200 1st Avenue S., Ste 100, Seattle WA 98134

Registration: 5pm

Dinner & Program: 6:00 – 9:00pm Special thanks to:

Samis Foundation ~ John and Judy Mills

5017 - 90th Avenue SE Mercer Island, WA 98040 206.232.5272

www.nyhs.net

NYHS is a beneficiary agency of the Samis Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

CONNECTOR

2 0 3 1 T h i r d Av e n u e | S e a t t l e , WA | 9 8 1 2 1 - 2 4 1 2 | p : 2 0 6 4 4 3 - 5 4 0 0 | I n f o @ J e w i s h I n S e a t t l e . o r g | w w w. J e w i s h I n S e a t t l e . o r g

Innovative & Diverse Events Welcome, Benefit All

Flavors of Israel, Super Sunday & Blood Drive and Pajama Jam reach hundreds in our community

8 Events, 650 Participants, Endless Flavors of Israel Sometimes events are just magical.

Last week, fifty members of Endless Opportunities, a program of Jewish Family Service for adults age 50 and up, gathered at Temple De Hirsch Sinai for a spice demonstration. From the start of the Ethnic Flavors of Israel event, it was clear that the gathering was far more than just a cooking workshop. While attendees left with full bellies and a cookbook filled with wonderful recipes, the real meat and potatoes came in the form of the women sharing their inspiring stories of aliyah (immigration to Israel). The seven Israeli women, all immigrants from the Middle East, Africa or Europe, were brought to Seattle by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle as a part of the TIPS Partnership, a collaboration of the Jewish communities of Tucson, Phoenix and Seattle. During their week-long visit to Seattle, the women led eight spice workshops, cooking demonstrations and buffet dinners at various synagogues and private homes. The draw was incredible. The Jewish Federation’s event for women on a weekday evening sold out 50 spots in under 3 hours. All in all, 650 members of our diverse Jewish community were treated to ethnic food and touching stories of adversity, struggle, family and community. Their tales of survival were often told through an interpreter and with the storyteller wearing an ornate ceremonial costume representative of their culture. The group’s visit was the culmination of a 14-week course designed to provide these immigrant women with the skills necessary to launch a cooperative food business in their hometown of Kiryat Malachi, a development town of 22,000 immigrant residents and their children, located 45 minutes from Tel Aviv.

The hope is that their success will inspire other women in Kiryat Malachi and the surrounding region of Hof Ashkelon to start their own small businesses. While the histories of these brave women from Yemen, Morocco, Iraq, Ethiopia and Bukhara include very different experiences–many entailing brave, elaborate escapes from profound persecution and war– they share a common ending. Each woman ultimately settled in Kiryat Malachi and lives there with their families in a unique, united community of melded international cultures. Many of the women enjoy positions of leadership–some are teachers; others work with new immigrants to Israel. The women were able to accomplish all this while creating rich home lives for themselves and their many children and grandchildren. The event at De Hirsch was peppered with jokes and more than one traditional Hebrew song, which brought most of the room to their feet in collective song and dance. As the voices joined together to sing Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, it became even clearer that while we all come from different backgrounds, what we share as Jews is far greater and more powerful than what divides us.

For more information on the TIPS Partnership, please visit www.JewishInSeattle.org/TIPS

Volunteer. Save Lives.

It’s not every day that we can say we helped save a life. On Sunday, November 22, the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is hosting Super Sunday, a community-wide phone-a-thon and blood drive. We need you!

Just last year, Community Campaign funds: • Helped feed and provide medication for elderly Jews in the Former Soviet Union • Supported Jewish Family Service in their food bank work and other direct service • Equipped the Kiryat Malachi Emergency Medical Clinic in Israel

Your donated blood can be a life-line for someone facing an acute medical need. The Puget Sound Blood Center and volunteers will be on-site to facilitate this life-saving opportunity. By volunteering your time to make calls and by donating to the Jewish Federation’s Community Campaign, you are helping connect the Jewish community and save lives.

Community-Wide

SUPER SUNDAY Phone-A-Thon

November 22 9am-5pm

• Supported SAFE Washington, which trains and provides a communications network for local Jewish organizations with law enforcement • Supported government affairs advocacy efforts which led to passage of a provision for a local Jewish hospice • And so much more…

Join the army of callers at Super Sunday Special thanks to Super Sunday Chairs: Sara Engesser, Henry Honig & Matt Titelbaum. GOT QUESTIONS? Contact Cameron at [email protected] or 206 774-2249.

Come connect with the community at the Stroum Jewish Community Center and support our partner agencies, nosh, schmooze and win prizes. It’s an entire day of community and mitzvot!

Sign up to volunteer at www.JewishInSeattle.org/SuperSunday

Calling All Kids: Come Celebrate Hanukkah In Your Pajamas!

ram S Prog A JKID

The Jewish Federation and Stroum JCC are excited to host the first-ever Hanukkah Pajama Jam, a FREE event especially designed for families with young children. The Hanukkah Pajama Jam promises to be a delightfully fun afternoon to connect with friends over live music, arts and crafts, storytelling, Hanukkah nosh and more!

The attire for this event is pajamas, so please come elegantly dressed in your finest PJs. Feel free to bring guests–including siblings, friends 1 roum Je nter and maybe even mom or dad. The whole family will enjoy one of e @ St munity C the two concerts by award-winning children’s performer ROBBO, Com

4pm 2:30 - wish

performing at 1:30pm and again at 3:00pm. As you express your creativity through some amazing arts and crafts, parents also have the opportunity to attend a special parent education seminar facilitated by Jewish Family Service. Get in the spirit of Hanukkah and don’t forget to come in your pajamas! (Blankets and bears are welcome, too.) Brought to you by the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and Stroum Jewish Community Center. Lead Event Sponsors: Samuel Israel Foundation, JTNews, ParentMap. See ad in this issue for full list of community sponsors.

I invite you to come to one of our Israel Unplugged information sessions. You are sure to get excited about our trip itinerary and meet fellow travelers! YALLA! Let’s go! ~Jacquie Bayley, Chair Attend an information session: Nov. 17, 7–8:30pm, Mercer Island • Dec. 2, 11am–12:30pm, Seattle • Dec. 6, 10:30am–noon, Northend & Seward Park For more information about Israel Unplugged, contact Anna at [email protected] or 206 774-2226.

REGISTER at: www.JewishInSeattle.org/IsraelUnplugged

Israel Unplugged

A Seattle Jewish community journey to Israel

MAY 23 - JUNE 1, 2010 

jtnews

n m.o.t.: member of the tribe

friday, november 13, 2009

7

Media and kids award for local doc Also: Young performers in Joseph

Diana Brement JTNews Columnist Don Shifrin, M.D. was a tad nonchalant when I spoke to him about winning the American Academy of Pediatrics Holroyd-Sherry Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of children, adolescents and the media. It’s clear, however, that he is extremely passionate about his area of expertise that he’s developed in his years as a pediatrician and clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. “There wasn’t much research in those days,” he says, when the award was established. Now there’s a lot on the media’s impact on kids, most showing that it’s “significant and life changing.” Parents don’t need to be told that kids today are using one form of media or another almost constantly. “It’s the one thing they do more than sleep,” says Don, and in the case of teenagers, maybe even more than that. “This has both positive and negative effects…. The research is pretty young,” generally pointing to a positive effect in learning games and a “somewhat negative” impact on time. “All media teaches something,” he says. The question is, what do we want kids to learn? A good example is the Baby Einstein company. The company, which was bought by Disney a few years ago for quite a bit of money, claimed that kids watching their videos would become a genius of Einstein or Mozart proportions. Of course it isn’t true, and the company was finally forced — through legal action — to retract those claims. “Einstein never did watch ‘Baby Einstein,’” quips Don. “These are just distractions.” The question remains if they are better than other “distractions,” such as playing with blocks. The academy has developed a curmudgeonly reputation for cajoling parents about limiting television and computer time for young kids. Don says it’s better to teach parents how to set limits, but even when pediatricians talk to parents about media limits (many don’t), parents think they’re being unrealistic. “We talk about the nag factor,” says Don of his peers. “Our job is to point out to parents that there is a downside to this kind of thing,” just like they point out that babies should sleep on their backs or kids should use seat belts. “We set the bar high,” because “the optimal health of the child” is the concern. Teens have different issues, of course, with their near-constant reliance on screens. As a parent himself, Don knows it’s hard to talk to them about overuse and abuse of phones, mp3 players or computers. They don’t just roll their eyes, they do “the whole Exorcist thing,” (spinning their heads around, vomiting pea soup). Parents need to know that they have control, especially of phones. Many are “not aware that they can eliminate texting,” or picture mail, he says. Don has served on the AAP’s council on communications and media for over two decades. In that role he has met with the movie ratings board and worked with

The Jerusalem Post Crossword Puzzle By Matt Gaffney

Microsoft on Internet safety software. He has testified before the Federal Trade Commission and has voiced, for the past 11 years, the AAP’s one-minute educational radio spots on WBBM Chicago. You can hear these pieces at aap.org. Go to the “Parenting Corner” and click on the logo. Don is the current chair of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s Maimonides Society and says he and his wife, Bobbi Chamberlin, have a “mixed marriage” — she belongs to Temple De Hirsch Sinai and he belongs to Herzl-Ner Tamid. •••

Courtesy Lisa Kranseler

Daniel Kranseler of Bellevue, here with the star of the show Anthony Federov, served as a chorus member in the 5th Avenue Theater’s production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Daniel Kranseler’s mom Lisa says the acting bug bit her son when he was just 5. His older sister Julie cast him in a play she wrote as a Bat Mitzvah project. “He loved that,” says Lisa, proving himself “a little ham.” Daniel, now 12, just wrapped up a three-week run in the chorus of the 5th Avenue Theatre’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which played in Seattle from Oct. 10 to Nov. 1. It was very demanding, says Daniel. Kids began rehearsing in August, more than a month before regular rehearsals began. “It was…hard work,” he says, but “awesome…fun,” and “worth it in the end.” He also learned a lot about the inner workings of professional theater and “gained a lot of people skills.” The show starred Anthony Federov, best known for placing fourth on season four of the “American Idol” reality show. Federov was “really nice,” Daniel says. He willingly signed autographs and keeps in touch with the kids from the cast through e-mail and Facebook. This was Daniel’s fourth production this year (amateur and professional). Now he’s preparing for a role in Youth Theater Northwest’s mainstage conservatory program and will be dancing in the Emerald Ballet Theater’s Nutcracker. All this while keeping up his grades in the Spanish immersion program at Tillicum Middle School in Bellevue, playing piano in the school jazz band, and getting ready for his Bar Mitzvah at Temple B’nai Torah in June! (I’m tired just thinking about it.) Daniel’s parents are Kenny and Lisa, who is the executive director of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society. His older brother Andrew is a junior at Newport High School, and his aforementioned sister is a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. Lisa notes that B’nai Torah members Jenna Oratz and Andy Burnstein were also in the Joseph cast.

Across 1 “___ and Sons” (Lloyd Webber song) 6 Jeweler’s measurement 11 Jerusalem’s Biblical ___ 14 Texas tourist trap 15 Drenched 16 Business for a shtetl Jew, sometimes 17 1976 Mel Brooks movie with Marcel Marceau 19 Latkes necessity 20 Where to place the kugel 21 Slippery fish 22 Fanny Brice or Lenny Bruce 24 State where AZA started 25 Carter adviser Eizenstat 26 Clay baker 28 1968 Mel Brooks movie later to become a Tony-winning show 33 Like a bad matzoh ball 36 “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” actor Wallach 37 Read Torah 38 Freud’s comment to a patient 39 With 45-Across, 1974 Mel Brooks movie in black and white 41 “Cogito ___...” 42 Gouda rival 43 Grandfather at the bris 44 Stuart Markowitz’s show 45 See 39-Across 49 Overcooked latke? 50 613, e.g. 51 Tisha B’av substance 54 “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “Art” 57 “___ too!” (taunt) 58 Manhattan’s is 22.7 square miles 59 Golem 60 1977 Mel Brooks movie spoofing Alfred Hitchcock 64 She played Kitty in “Exodus” 65 Meat or potato 66 Basketball’s Grunfeld 67 Purim mo., usually 68 Computer org. 69 Braun and Seacrest

Answers on page 17

Down 1 ___ Aronson, Inc. 2 Like Bernard Madoff 3 Joshua’s colleague 4 Thunderclap, in some plays 5 “___ Voyage!” (“N’siah Tovah!”) 6 Started to be discussed 7 Fleeing the IDF, e.g. 8 “Shalom ___” 9 “___ see it...” 10 Enemy of chicken soup 11 “Poalei ___” (workers’ group) 12 “The Sarah Silverman Show will be ___ 5 minutes!” 13 Just 18 Head, to Henri Bergson 23 Tameh 25 Unlike Bette Midler 26 Cologne, Germans say 27 “That makes sense.” 28 “___ Milonakis Show” 29 Signs on to go back to Gaza, e.g. 30 Arthur James, first ___ of Balfour 31 Sir Isaiah Berlin’s birthplace 32 Rare Tel Aviv sight 33 Tick off 34 Macintosh ___ 35 ___ world record 39 Jeuland of “Being Jewish in France” 40 Sound never heard at a kosher slaughterhouse 44 “Yid ___” (yarmulke) 46 Stuffed intestines 47 Oral and Written 48 First forest 51 Milieu 52 “___ his ways” 53 Yale’s Judaica professor Christine 54 “The New Colossus,” e.g. 55 It’s spewed 56 In galut, perhaps 57 Hollywood Chinese man’s comment 58 Word in the Jerusalem Post’s “For Rent” ads 61 ___ and outs 62 Freedom fighters 63 Generation-___

jtnews

8

n

friday, November 13, 2009

a view from the u

Post-racial society? It ain’t necessarily so! How history’s attempts to brush ethnic and cultural differences under the rug compare to today’s

Martin Jaffee JTNews Columnist Since Harvard’s famous professor of African-American studies, Henry Louis Gates, was arrested in his own home last summer, many bystanders have professed to be shocked — shocked! — at America’s failure to become a “postracial” society. Maybe I’m dense, but I can’t help wondering what exactly people mean by a post-racial society. Do they mean a society where racial minorities of all kinds are — to echo the words of Dr. King — “judged by the content of their character, rather than by the color of their skin?” Well, who can argue with such a goal? Yet, after about 250 years of legalized slavery of Africans, the near-extinction of Natives, and another century at least of official blindness to the impact of both calamities upon the descendants, can anyone realistically expect that Americans will, overnight, conceive of race as a meaningless matter of melanin? We Jews, of all people, should know better. Not because “we were slaves in Egypt.” But because we were Europe’s first experiment with “affirmative action” of absorbing a despised racial minority into the majority culture. Contemporary American “post-racialism” has its ideological roots, after all, in the 18th-century European program of Jewish Emancipation. The enlightened European peoples would, out of highminded commitment to the principle of universal human rights, release the “de-

formed Jewish race” from its medieval status as servae camera (“slaves of the royal chamber”). The theoretical fathers of emancipation argued that, once the laws of the state freed Jews to participate as equals in the new European societies, they would inevitably lose their “Jewish deformities,” “rediscover their human nature,” and eventually become absorbed into Europe. In a nutshell, emancipat ion was Europe’s solution to the problem of surplus de-formed Jews, and was explicitly designed to re-form them — i.e., facilitate their disappearance — within a few generations. Well, we all know where that great plan wound up. It didn’t take too long before alert Europeans noticed that the Jews were, so to speak, breaking the rules of emancipation. Yes, they did adopt and adapt European values and social mores. But they didn’t stop being Jews. In fact, in many cases, they invented entirely unanticipated ways of remaining Jews in the context of some larger “European identity.” We know their cultural creations still as Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Modern Orthodoxy, and even some kinds of socialism (remember the Bund?). But, as we sadly know, the wholehearted passion that Western European Jews brought to their acculturation in Europe did not satisfy their partners in multiculturalism. Terrified of the “Judaization” of Europe, the European enemies of affirmative action disinvited their Jewish guests — even the nonassimilated “Oriental Jews” — and sent them all packing to their vaporization in the East. Well, that’s one model of “post-racial” society that I’m sure no reader of these lines endorses! Shall we try another, more recent model?

I can remember when enlightened Europeans considered racism an “American thing.” In the 1960s, the liberal citizens of, for example, England, the Netherlands, and France cluck-clucked about the fate of African-Americans, while priding themselves in appreciating expatriate jazz and blues artists who fled the U.S. for Europe’s freedoms. During those same years, Europeans also prided themselves on welcoming vast numbers of labor-immigrants from former colonies in Asia, Africa, and the Mideast. Well, Europeans still love jazz, it seems; yet now, virtually all of the EU countries are considering legislation to restrict the residency rights of the European-born grandchildren of the very immigrants welcomed with open arms two generations ago! By the 1990s or so, Europeans began to realize what their own experience with the Jews should have already taught them — that “multiculturalism” as a program of social assimilation works only where all the cultural parties have the same goal. The subcultures must sincerely pledge allegiance to a larger common culture, while the common culture must prepare to see itself transformed in important ways by the cultural creativity of the subcultures. That is, the multicultural ideal is something like a mixed marriage — it will fall apart unless both partners are fine with the idea of a Hanukkah bush in the living room on Dec. 25! This is, in fact, the point of a recent book by Christopher Caldwell, Reflections on the Revolution in Europe: Immigration, Islam, and the West (Doubleday, 2009). He argues that post-Fascist Europe, sick of tribalistic mass murder, was more than ready for some multicultural rock ’n’ roll. But Europe’s new ethnic-immigrant minorities, being mostly Muslim, were dancing to a different tune. Europe’s

white multiculturalists, presumably tolerant of Hanukkah bushes, are a bit less comfortable with well-attended mosques in quaint little villages outnumbering the empty churches that mock the vanished glories of imperial Christendom. Even the third generation of Englandborn Pakistanis has not become Anglican. What for? The English themselves are no longer Anglican! Similarly, living in an aggressively secularist society, France’s Algerians have resisted secularization. Why? Because many — correctly or not — see exported European secularism as the very cause of the homeland troubles (political chaos, ethnic warfare, poverty) that inspired their emigration in the first place. And not without reason, do many of Germany’s third-generation Turks regard the religionless societies of the EU nations as morally corrupt and spiritually empty. And need I mention Osama? To make a long story short, Europe should have learned from its experience with the Jews that multiculturalism is a sham unless the majority is prepared to accept powerful changes in its traditions stemming from those of its ethnic minorities. And what it is now learning from Islam is that multiculturalism works only to the degree that the minority is as eager as 19th-century Jews to embrace the majority’s principal traditions. And in the post-9/11 reality, of course, how ready is Europe — or its naturalized Muslim citizens — for such wholesale compromise? In comparison, the American racial dilemma pales! Martin S. Jaffee currently holds the Samuel & Althea Stroum Chair in Jewish Studies at the University of Washington. His award-winning columns for JTNews have recently been published in book form as The End of Jewish Radar: Snapshots of a Post-Ethnic American Judaism by iUniverse press.

clutch

An Early Childhood – 8th Grade Orthodox Jewish Day School

Seattle’s Only Independent Handbag Boutique The Best of Both Worlds Exceptional Academics… Inspiring Jewish Studies

Open House for Incoming Kindergarten Parents Tuesday, December 8 10:00 am – 11:45 am

n n n

n n n

Rigorous General and Judaic Studies curricula A rich Jewish setting for all families State-of-the-art campus featuring science lab, art studio, computer lab, library and full-size gym Fully licensed early childhood program Bus service from Mercer Island and Seward Park PNAIS accredited

For more information, to RSVP and/or schedule a tour, contact Sari Weiss at [email protected] or 206.323.5750 x 239 Rivy Poupko Kletenik, Head of School www.seattlehebrewacademy.org 1617 Interlaken Drive East, Seattle, WA 98112

over 20 of your favorite designers

1212 4th avenue, seattle

1st

n

206.624.2362

n

www.clutchseattle.com

Night of Hanukkah

Keftes de Prassa (Leek Patties) 3 leeks 1 cup mashed potatoes 3 eggs 1 tsp. salt, pepper to taste 2 Tbs. matzoh meal Wash, chop and cook leeks. Drain off all water. Mash leeks and mix with other ingredients. Form small patties and pan-fry in vegetable oil. Drain off oil on paper towels. Serve warm or cold with lemon wedges. Courtesy of Rachel’s Sephardic Delicacies 1st Night sponsored by:

stroum jewish commuNity ceNter of greater seattle great things are happening at the j! www.sjcc.org • 206-232-7115

friday, november 13, 2009

n

jtnews

9

community news

Young family spice night Parents, grandparents and young children are invited to a multi-generational Havdallah. This event also includes dinner, followed by songs and stor ytelling. Members and nonmembers welcome. Cost is $20 per family. For more information, contact isolde@ h-nt.org. Sat., Nov. 14 at 4:30 p.m. at HerzlNer Tamid Conservative Congregation, 3700 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island.

Adults’ night at teen lounge Adults are invited to take over NCSY’s Teen Lounge for a night of food, drinks and arcade games.

21+. Cost is $20 per person with proceeds benefiting NCSY. For more information, contact Julie at 206-721-0970 or julie@ bcmhseattle.org. Sat., Nov. 14 from 8-10 p.m. at the Yavneh Youth Building behind BCMH, 5145 S Morgan St., Seattle.

History of food in the Northwest Food historian Jackie Williams will give a talk on the history of food in the Northwest, including what people ate on the Oregon Trail and how the first pioneers cooked. Williams is the author of The Way We Ate: Pacific Northwest Cooking, 18 43-190 0. For more information, contact Alysa Rosen

at 206-525-0915, ext. 210. Sun., Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. at Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle.

Reception: Women’s Torah Project art/artists The Kadima Women’s Torah Project presents a special reception linking art and Torah. Panels of the Women’s Torah will be available for viewing as well as an exhibit of selected works from the WTP art auction. Participating artists will speak about their work. Open to the public. Donations appreciated. Sun., Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. at Kadima House, 12353 8th Ave. NE, Seattle.

When someone you care about is ill Rabbi Elana Zaiman w ill lead discussion about the mitzvot of bikur holim, v isit ing t he sick. Rabbi Zaiman has a background in social work and chaplaincy. Cost is $10 per person. Scholarships available. For more information, or to RSVP, contact Marjorie Schnyder at 206-8613146 or [email protected]. Cosponsored by Jewish Family Service. Thurs., Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom 6800 35th Ave. NE, Seattle.

Honorary Masthead

2010

Honorary Editor $100 + Honorary Reporter $50 +

JTNews

Special to JTNews

Please make a gift that will help JTNews start 2010 healthy and strong. Become an Honorary Masthead sponsor today!

$25 + Guest writer give what you can! If you like, please tell us why you support local Jewish journalism or include a greeting to the community here:

Because you know the value JTNews brings to our local Jewish community, and support the cause of local Jewish journalism, we’re asking you to contribute to our annual Honarary Masthead sponsorship event. We’ll thank you for your generosity by including your name and a line of greeting on our Honorary Masthead, published January 15, 2010. Simply choose your sponsorship level and complete this simple form either here or online.

Your name: Your e-mail address: Your mailing address:

Thank you very much for your support!

Check enclosed

The JTNews Team

Bill my VISA / MC #

The Voice of Jewish Washington

exp.

Mail to JTNews . 2041 Third AVE . Seattle, WA 98121. Or call 206-441-4553. Thank you for your support!

10 jtnews

n

friday, November 13, 2009

jewish on earth

The green business of Hanukkah Pushing for the reinvention of the entire supply chain

Martin Westerman JTNews Columnist You’ve torn open eight days’ worth of presents, and you’re still disposing of holiday wrappings and packaging. Before Hanukkah, you’d have expected me to remind you of the Torah and rabbinic admonitions to make no waste (ba’al tashchit) and heal the Earth (tikkun olam). So, you’ll have given and received long-lasting or biodegradable gifts, recycled or composted the wraps and packages, and left nada for the garbage, right? Who am I kidding? We occupy the tail ends of massively long animals called “supply chains.” They stretch from Latin America, Asia and Europe, across land bridges and oceans, into our very own homes. They grew into behemoths by giving low prices to us buyers, and profits to their owners and shareholders. How? They hunt out the cheapest capital, labor, materials, manufacturing and transport systems, add fees at every step, yet miraculously deliver

digital thermometers and reading glasses to us for 3-for-$20 at Costco, and a buck each at the Dollar Store. Making these fossil-fueled Leviathans “sustainable” is ludicrous, since — hel-lo? — they can’t go “green” unless they stay in business. Converting them to sustainable enterprises means — yikes! — re-inventing everything we “know” and depend on about business, earning our wages and salaries, and living our lives. Specifically: “greening” means shortening the chains — by sourcing within our continents and regions rather than globally (with few exceptions); investing capital here in infrastructure and opportunity, raising pay for labor, cutting pay for management; eliminating all supply chain waste products; and ultimately, as customers, buying less and paying some higher prices. We regard these huge enterprises as entirely uncontrollable, rather like giant cats. Who but the most wildly optimistic, deranged, or ingenious people would try to retrain these massive creatures? We’ve kind of made them into discomfiting house pets, which are unintentionally killing us. Examples? We got gold for our jewelry and electronics from the Berkeley Pit mine near Butte, Montana, but the sulfuric acid pumped underground to free it has polluted drinking and irrigation wells, and is seeping with dissolved heavy

Russ Katz, Realtor

metals toward the Clark Fork and Columbia Rivers. To grow abundant grain from America’s Midwest “breadbasket,” agribusiness farms are sucking the vast Oglala aquifer dry for irrigation, and wiping out the topsoil. To supply our petro-products, oil and gas companies erased northern Gulf of Mexico wetlands, polluted surrounding fresh water wells, and opened the way for Katrina to destroy New Orleans. Though the scale of global supply chains is beyond biblical and Talmudic scope, the sages did offer guiding principles for business conduct: Understand the pain of living things (tsar ba’aleh chayyim), ba’al tashchit, and tikkun olam. They were locally focused and pragmatically commercial. The fruit trees they prohibited cutting during wartime, for example, could be felled in peacetime to clear land for building if they were more valuable for their lumber than for their fruit. Today’s sustainable business people are similarly pragmatic, and arguably more principled. They focus globally on a “triple bottom line” of economic, environmental and human capital. They judge enterprises on their movement toward balance in these three areas. Their progress is hampered, however, by supply chain customers themselves, who assume that:

• Humans must unconditionally breed, get new supplies of food, energy and water, and make useless and dangerous waste, • Human imperatives trump those of all other living things, and • Change is frightening. Humans reap fabulous sums of money, abundance, things to strive for, and low prices from this system. It underpins our economy. Recall George Bush’s call to America after 9/11: “Go shopping!” Ironically, shopping may lead to change: we “vote” with our money. Companies whose products we buy prosper; others go bankrupt. Suppose you were presented with nothing but “green” purchasing options? Your money would enrich resource efficient companies, build alternative and “smart” power and water systems, and conserve natural resources. Suppose you could get a “green” mortgage that awarded you with a 1/2-percent lower interest rate for improving the resource efficiency of your home? How about a national co-op network that connected you with a vast array of competitively priced green products and services? Would you support programs that educate and empower Third World women, to help lift their families out of poverty, and lower their

u Page 21

specializing in real estate on mercer island and the eastside

Windermere Real Estate/Wall St. Inc. 206-284-7327 (Direct) www.russellkatz.com

JDS Grad & Past Board of Trustees Member Mercer Island High School Grad University of Washington Grad

Associate Broker Residential Specialist

206.949.2845

Ken Shiovitz

Associate Broker E-mail: [email protected]

206-718-2140

Serving the community for over 25 years 206-526-5544 http://home.sprynet.com/~shiovitz

get ready for the holidays!

Vicki Robbins, ctc

Robbins Travel at Lake City

15% Off

Voted Best Travel Agent 2006

(Offer good through January 5, 2010)

Gift certificates available

We are your experts for Israel— our specialty!

Celebrating 100 years — 1907 to 2007

UW special contract fares

All In-Home Services

—JTNews readers

El Al wholesaler Multi-lingual Great prices on Hawaii packages, cruises, international tickets and tours. Fine Rug & Upholstery Specialists Since 1907 1105 Rainier Avenue S., Seattle, WA 98144

Phone: 206-322-2200 Fax: 206-325-3841 www.emmanuelsrug.com

Your key to the world. 12316 Lake City Way NE • Seattle, WA 98125 Tel: (206) 526-5010 • (206) 364-0100 Toll free: 1-800-621-2662 [email protected]

2nd

Sandra Levin Your Home, My Commitment

www.sandralevin.com

Night of Hanukkah

Cajun Sweet Potato Latkes 2 lb. (about 3 large) sweet potatoes, peeled 3 large eggs 2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. Cajun spice blend (see right) 1/3 cup chopped cilantro 1/3 cup chopped celery 1/3 cup chopped green peppers 1/3 cup chopped white onions peanut oil sour cream

Cajun spice blend: 1 Tbs. filé powder 1 Tbs. black pepper 1 tsp. dried mustard powder 2 Tbs. sea salt 2 Tbs. freshly chopped garlic

Coarsely grate the sweet potatoes and rinse under cool water for 1 minute. Drain. Transfer to a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs. Sprinkle the Cajun spice blend into the eggs and whisk. Mix in the cilantro. Add egg mixture to the grated potatoes. In a large skillet, heat the peanut oil until very hot but not smoking. If you are using a thermometer, get the oil to 375º. Add the sweet potato mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Fry until golden, flip and fry until golden on the other side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the potatoes are used. Serve with a dollop of sour cream. Yield: 14-18 latkes From Phyllis Rosen, owner of Seattle’s Catering By Phyllis. 2nd Night sponsored by:

urj camp kalsmaN www.kalsman.urjcamps.org 206-443-8340

friday, november 13, 2009

jtnews 11

n community calendar

November 13 – 22, 2009 The JTNews calendar presents a selection of ongoing events in the Jewish community. For a complete listing of events, or to add your event to the JTNews calendar, visit www.jtnews.net. Calendar events must be submitted no later than 10 days before publication. Looking for the ongoing section? Find recurring events online at www.jtnews.net.

Candle Lighting Times 11/13/09 11/20/09 11/27/09 12/4/09

4:18 p.m. 4:10 p.m. 4:05 p.m. 4:01 p.m.

November Friday 13 ■■5 p.m. – Shabbat of Inspiration with Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein Friday night dinner following services and a lecture on “Living an Inspired Life and Inspiring Others.” $18 adults, $10 children. Co-sponsored by the Seattle Kollel. At Sephardic Bikur Holim, 6500 52nd Ave. S, Seattle. ■■6 p.m. – Who’s Minding the Store? Devlin Donnelly at 206-323-8486 or [email protected] Seattle Rock Shabbat followed by dinner and a lecture by members of the Washington State Jewish Historical Society about the history of Jewish businesses in Washington State. At Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 1441 16th Ave., Seattle. ■■9:30 p.m. – Special Oneg Honoring Author Molly Cone Alysa Rosen at 206-525-0915 or [email protected] A special oneg following Shabbat services to honor author Molly Cone in celebration of Jewish Book Month. At Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle.

Saturday 14 ■■9 a.m. - 4 p.m. – Rummage Sale 425-802-5400 A rummage sale to benefit Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue. At 7934 NE 65th St., Redmond.

■■11:45 a.m. - 2 p.m. – Shabbat of Inspiration with Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein [email protected] Shabbat lunch and lecture on “Living an Inspired Life Through Challenging Times.” $12 adults, $6 children, $40 families. At the Seattle Kollel, 5305 52nd Ave. S, Seattle. ■■4:30 p.m. – Young Family Spice Night [email protected] Parents, grandparents and young children are invited for dinner, Havdalah, songs and storytelling. All welcome. $20 per family. At Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation, 3700 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island. ■■8 p.m. – Adults’ Night at Teen Lounge [email protected] or 206-721-0970 Dinner, drinks and arcade games for adults. 21 plus. Cost is $20 per person with proceeds benefiting NCSY. At the Yavneh youth building behind BCMH, 5145 S Morgan St., Seattle. ■■9 p.m. – Sodom and Gomorrah Party Josh at [email protected] Party hosted by Jconnect with music provided by Jewish DJs. $7. Proceeds go to Lifelong AIDS Alliance. At Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St., Seattle.

Sunday 15 ■■9:30 a.m. – Shabbat of Inspiration with Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein [email protected] Outreach training workshop for those interested in learning the tools for sharing the beauty of Judaism and Torah with unaffiliated Jews. Free. At Seattle Kollel, 5305 52nd Ave. S, Seattle. ■■10 a.m. – “The Way We Ate” with Jackie Williams Alysa Rosen at 206-525-0915, ext. 210 or [email protected] Author and food historian Jackie Williams explores the history of food in the Northwest. Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle. ■■2 p.m. – SJCS Open House [email protected] Parents of prospective students are invited to visit the Seattle Jewish Community School to learn about the curriculum and meet members of the staff and faculty. At SJCS, 12351 8th Ave. NE, Seattle.

■■5 p.m. – 2009 AIPAC Washington State Membership Event Sarah Persitz at 206-624-5152, ext. 6201 or [email protected] Annual event for local AIPAC members. At the Westin Hotel, 1900 5th Ave., Seattle.

Monday 16 ■■7 p.m. – Seeing Balance in Family, Love and Life A discussion with author and sociologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz. At the Stroum JCC, 3801 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island.

Tuesday 17 ■■6 p.m. – A New Moon, A New You chabadbellevue.org Pizza, Hanukkah trivia and a lecture with Rochie Farkash. Women only. $20. At Island Crust, 7525 SE 24th St., Mercer Island. ■■7 p.m. – Israel Unplugged Info Session Anna Frankfort at 206-774-2226 or [email protected] Find out about the Jewish Federation’s upcoming community trip to Israel. Location provided upon RSVP, Bellevue. ■■7 p.m. – Coffeehouse at the Ravenna Kibbutz [email protected] Monthly workshop for performing and visual artists in the Jewish community. Ravenna Kibbutz Commons Bet, 6316 23rd Ave. NE, Seattle. ■■7 p.m. – Nimble Finger Knitting Anna Frankfort at 206-774-2226 or [email protected] Group for all women knitters sponsored by Women’s Philanthropy in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Location provided upon RSVP.

Wednesday 18 ■■12 p.m. – Eastside Lox ‘n’ Learn Jacob at [email protected]

Lunch and a discussion led by Rabbi Jacob Fine. RSVP requested. At Microsoft, building 9, room 2569, Redmond. ■■7 p.m. – Torahthon3 206-232-8555 A night of learning at Herzl-Ner Tamid’s third annual Torahthon. At Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation, 3700 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island.

Thursday 19 ■■6 - 8 p.m. – Downtowners Happy Hour Josh at [email protected] Join fellow Jewish professionals for happy hour. Hosted by Jconnect. At the Columbia Tower Club, 701 5th Ave., Seattle.

Friday 20 ■■6 p.m. – “Oy Vey! Hurry Up and Tell Me Already!” Kristine Ganes at 206-528-1944 or [email protected] Shabbat potluck with the Secular Jewish Circle and a program exploring questions and facts related to humanism, secularism, and atheism. Location provided upon RSVP.

Saturday 21 ■■10:30 a.m. – GLBTQ Shabbat Brunch Josh at [email protected] Brunch with Kolanu, Jconnect’s GLBTQ Jewish group. Address provided upon RSVP.

Sunday 22 ■■6 p.m. – Moishe House Challah Baking and Cooking Workshop [email protected] Instruction on how to make challah from scratch, as well as red lentil soup, hummus and tzatziki dip. Adults 22-30 only. At Moishe House Seattle, 6230 23rd Ave. NE, Seattle.

Full service real estate

Mary Frimer

Residential Specialist

206-391-6161 [email protected]

3rd

11040 Main Street, #200 Bellevue, WA 98004

Night of Hanukkah

Fluent in Spanish

First class service — First class results

Sufganiyot Jelly doughnuts for the Pajama Jam 2 packages of active dry yeast 3-1/2 cups flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup warm water 1/2 cup milk 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup butter 2 large eggs Jam — try a variety of jams for the filling Oil for frying Powdered sugar

Creative Commons/Mykl Roventine

Dissolve yeast in warm water. In a large bowl, mix together half the flour, sugar, yeast, water, milk and salt. Stir in butter and add eggs. With an electric beater, mix batter until smooth. Add remaining flour and knead by hand. Cover bowl with a dish towel and let dough rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in bulk. Knead dough for a minute or two on a lightly floured surface, let rest for about 10 minutes, then roll it out to 1/2-inch thickness on a floured surface. Use a round 2-inch diameter cookie cutter to cut out circles. Place a tablespoon of jam on every other circle and cover with another circle of dough. Pinch the sides together all the way around. Cover with a dish towel and let rise for about one hour, until doubled in size. Pour about 2 inches of oil into a heavy skillet and heat until it shimmers. Gently place a few of the doughnuts into the oil and fry, turning once, about 1-2 minutes per side. When done, remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Yield: About 18 doughnuts From Linda Morel of the JTA World News Service. 3rd Night sponsored by:

The jewish federaTioN of greaTer seaTTle www.jewishinseattle.org 206-443-5400

Save tHe Date

SJCS Gala 2010 Sunday, February 28th A festive Purim evening at SJCS

Honoring

Moss Patashnik and Dr. Peg Hall Presenting the 2010 SJCS Kaplan Award to

Carl and Joann Bianco www.sjcs.net | 206.522.5212 | [email protected]

12 jtnews

n

friday, November 13, 2009

community news

Seven angels Erez Ben-Ari JTNews Correspondent Kiryat Malachi, located in the south of Israel, might not be considered an attractive place to many Israelis, but seven women visiting from the region showed off a different side of this little town. Hosted by the Jewish Federation

Dina Tanners

Chilot Gethon fries up a dessert pancake, known as mufleta.

of Greater Seattle, the “Taste of Israel” series of events held during the first week of November gave more than 500 Seattlearea Jews a glimpse into the some of the unique cultures of Israel. During the week, the seven women, Sima Kadori, Yehudit Shitri, Rina Golan, Aliza Surat, Clara Davidov, Chilot Gethon and Mazal Caravani, all originally hailing from different parts of the world, participated in a series of public events in which each of them cooked and shared with the audience some of their authentic ethnic foods, as well as insights into their lives and histories. Some of the women suffered incredible hardships until they finally settled in Israel, and they shared those tales with their audiences. The person who brought these women together, Smadar Kaplinski, specializes in feminine empowerment. She gathers women from across Israel, and helps them find their inner strengths, then works with them to nurture and grow their gifts and talents. In the case of the Kiryat Malachi group, these talents are cooking, and the ultimate goal of the project is to establish a commercial entity to harness these talents and better the lives of these women. Kiryat Malachi is a small development town, about 30 miles south of Tel Aviv.

Israeli immigrants from across Africa and the

Dina Tanners

Clara Davidov, left, Aliza Surat, center, and Sima Kadori show off piles of their mufleta, which was similar to a pancake. Originally named Malachi, or angels in Hebrew, to honor the Jewish community of Los Angeles, which had contributed significantly to its founding, the town was settled by immigrant Jews from Arab nations. Later on, thousands of immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union settled there, making it a diverse and unique community. Sima Kadori, 55, was born in Casablanca, Morocco to a well-to-do family. She left her home country while still a baby.

“My father, who is no longer with us, met my mother when she was merely 12 years [old], and it took two more years for their parents to agree for them to get married,” she told one audience. “My parents were well-off financially, as my father was a tailor and served the upper classes and royalty of Morocco.” Upon arriv ing in Israel, t hrough France, her family was placed in Kiryat Malachi “in a neighborhood with many

u Page 13

Holiday Celebrations Come in your pajamas to...

What is Seattle Really Missing?

Limited Tickets Available; Buy Yours Online Today!

One throw-down, blow out

HANUKKAH PARTY! Amazing Food Booths of Fun Arts & Crafts

(which parents will actually want to take home)

Music from Chris Ballew

of The Presidents of the United States of America (aka Caspar Babypants)

Magic by GG Green

December 6

benefiting uncompensated care at

A chance to spin the Giant Dreidel for prizes!

12:30 - 4pm • FREE ADMISSION Stroum Jewish Community Center

Face Painter Extraordinaire, Jacqueline Brulotte

Sunday, December 13th 12pm - 3pm at MOHAI

ARTS & CRAFTS • RAFFLE • FOOD • STORYTELLING A

program. Brought to you in partnership by: Lead Event Sponsors: Samuel Israel Foundation • JTNEWS • ParentMap

Museum of History and Industry in the Montlake neighborhood

www.thebigspin.org

Join us After Sunday School!

Fueling local Jewish families with Hanukkah thrills since December 2009

Community Sponsors: Camp Solomon Schechter • Congregation Beth Shalom • Eastside Torah Center Herzl-Ner Tamid • Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle • Jewish Family Service • Seattle Hebrew Academy Seattle Jewish Community School • Seattle Kollel • Secular Jewish Circle • Temple Beth Am Temple B’nai Torah • Temple De Hirsch Sinai Event Chair: Talya Jeffries

The Mitzvah Mama GuilD TBS_JT_AD_QTR_V_mech.indd 1

10/18/09 8:55:27 PM

friday, november 13, 2009

n

jtnews 13 community news

Middle East cook their native dishes for Seattleites Seven Angels t Page 12

Dina Tanners

Sima Kadori, who left Morocco when she was a year old, mixes raw meat in preparation for one of the dishes she cooked.

ethnic groups that coexisted warmly, and we were all very proud of our new country of Israel,” Kadori said. “I grew to become a kindergarten teacher, and did that for 35 wonderful years which also involved teaching preschool teachers how to work with special-needs children.” Kadori retired a year ago and joined the Ethnic Flavors group to be able to share her native Moroccan cooking with people both in Israel and abroad, she said. The women told stories, danced and sang in their native dress, and, of course, with the help of many local volunteers, cooked and shared the delicacies of their native countries. The Jewish Federations of Tucson, Phoenix and Seattle, all of which have a long-standing relationship with Kiryat Malachi and the Hof Ashkelon region, have formed a part nership, named TIPS, that works toward several goals in improving the livelihoods of the people who live there. This visit is one result of their work.

cial booklet published by the TIPS part“One such goal,” Federation volunnership. One of those recipes can be teer Dina Tanners told JTNews, “is the found on night #5 of the 8 Fried Nights of strengthening of Kir yat Malachi, an Hanukkah, on page 15. often-neglected area of Israel, and the second is supporting and strengthening the relationship between the people of A merican communities w it h t he p e ople of K i r y at Malachi.” Tanners said that this coope r a t ion h a s a l s o helped to facilitate exchange of social workers, teachers, students, camp counselors, as well as many volunteer projects. Dina Tanners Many of t he Clara Davidov and Mazal Caravani, dressed in clothing from recipes the women their native countries, sing for their audience at Congregation cooked have been Beth Shalom. collected in a spe-

Holiday Celebrations

Weddings. Special Occasions. Getaways. Come to the Extraordinary On the Shores of Lake Washington

See what we have in store for you this holiday season Daily Happy Hour n 4–6 p.m. & 9–close Saturday & Sunday Brunch n 7 a.m.–2 p.m.

900 M adison street 1.800.426.1265 See our web site for more events www.hotelsorrento.coM

Thanksgiving Dinner n Thursday, 11/26 Hunt Club & Fireside Room n $50/person Reservations: www.opentable.com Afternoon Tea begins Friday, 11/27 n Fireside Room Daily from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. n $35/person Reservations: 206.343.6156 Christmas Eve Dinner n Thursday, 12/24 5–10 p.m. n Hunt Club Christmas Day n Friday, 12/25 n 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Hunt Club & Fireside Room n $60/person Reservations: www.opentable.com or 206.343.6156

The Woodmark Hotel is the only hotel uniquely located on the splendid shores of Lake Washington, offering our guests quiet luxury for getaways, a relaxing spa treatment, a lakeside wedding or b’nai mitzvah. Get away from the ordinary and come to the extraordinary on the shores of Lake Washington. AT C ARIL L O N PO INT, K I R K L A N D, WA H OTE L R E SE RVATI O N S: 8 0 0 .8 2 2 .3 7 0 0 SA L E S & C ATE R I N G : 4 2 5 .8 2 7 .19 8 6 T HEWOODMARK.C OM T HEWOODMARKS PA.C OM

14 jtnews

n friday, arts & entertainment

November 13, 2009

Now–December 15

Saturday, November 14, 9 p.m.

Drash: Northwest Mosaic, a Seattle-based literary review for writers, poets and photographers, seeks submissions for its fourth issue. Drash presents work with Jewish, Northwest and universal themes that comments on the world, illuminates and provides connections, and educates and entertains. Deadline is Dec. 15, 2009. Submissions can be mailed to Wendy Marcus, Drash Editor, Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle, WA 98115. Additional guidelines can be found at www.templebetham.org/music/drash.  

Musician Ari Hest is touring in support of his album 12 Mondays, which was the end product of a project to write, record and produce one song a week for a year. 12 Mondays is comprised of 12 fan-picked songs from the original 52. Cost is $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Must be 21 or over. At the Highdive, 513 N 36th Ave., Seattle.

Literary submissions for Drash

the arts

Feb. 22–Mar. 12

Thursday, November 12, 6-7:45 p.m. It’s About Time Author reading

The It’s About Time Writers Reading Series presents readings and discussion by local authors Jeremy Halinen, Carol Guess, Elizabeth J. Colen and Kim-An Lieberman on the theme of “the writer’s craft.” At the Ballard Library, 5614 22nd Ave. NW, Seattle.

Ari Hest Music www.arihest.com

November 14 & 15, 2-4 p.m. Rudd Studio Art show and sale www.joanruddsculpture.com

A show and sale of work by artist Joan Rudd including ceramics, drawings, sculptures, and paintings. Much of Rudd’s work is based in Yiddish folklore and informed by the Jewish experience. Fifteen percent of the total sales will go to Path with Art, a Seattle non-profit organization that works with adults living in transitional housing. E-mail joan.rudd@ comcast.net for address and directions.

Holiday Celebrations Host your next party at Seattle’s historic

MarQueen Hotel

Come discover Seattle’s best kept secret. Our intimate meeting space is perfect for groups of up to 25 people. Whether you’re planning a business meeting or social reception, we can personalize our services to meet your needs. The MarQueen Hotel is happy to offer guest room blocks for weddings, corporate events, family reunions, theater groups or your unique event. The MarQueen family awaits your arrival. Ask about special rates for JT News readers and groups.

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS 

at Woodland Park Zoo

600 Queen Anne Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 (888) 445-3076 (206) 282-7407

505 First Avenue North Seattle, WA 98109 (800) 952-5053 (206) 282-7357

Our Advertisers Want to Hear From

You!

… And remember to tell them you saw their ad in JTNews!

Create Your Own Winter Wonderland Woodland Park Zoo offers facilities for: s (OLIDAYPARTIES s #OMPANYDINNERS PICNICSANDCOCKTAILPARTIES s 7EDDINGS RECEPTIONSANDREHEARSALDINNERS s "USINESSMEETINGSANDRETREATS s "AR-ITZVAHSAND"AT-ITZVAHS

For event planning... call 206.548.2500 or email [email protected]

Photos by Ryan Hawk

WWWZOOORG

jtnews 15

n arts & entertainment

friday, november 13, 2009

Sunday, November 15, 1:30-3 p.m. Jewish Women in Film Lecture

The Washington State Jewish Historical Society presents a look at the role of Jewish women in film. Lecturer Art Feinglass, adjunct professor of film at NYU, will use clips from classic films including The Jazz Singer, The Poseidon Adventure and The Way We Were. RVSP requested. Contact Lori at 206-774-2277 or [email protected]. Cost is $5 for members, $10 for non-members. At Council House, 1501 17th Ave., Seattle.

Saturday, November 21, 8 p.m. Eprhyme and The Erev Ravs Music

The Ravenna Kibbutz will host a community concert and dance party featuring Olympia-based klezmer band The Erev Ravs, self-described “radical Jewish renaissance rapper” Eprhyme, and DJ Sweet Elite. Suggested donation of $10-$20. At Ravenna Kibbutz House Gimel, 6211 23rd Ave. NE, Seattle.

Sunday, November 15 at 7 p.m. Mary Kantor and the Klezmer Quartet Music

Temple B’nai Torah kicks off its 2009–2010 Cultural Arts music series with a concert featuring Mary Kantor with the Klezmer Clarinet and the String Quartet. This event will also include a performance by the Shalom Ensemble with the temple’s own rabbi, Jim Mirel. Free and open to the public. At Temple B’nai Torah, 15727 NE 4th St., Bellevue.

Monday, November 23, 7 p.m. Angella Nazarian Author reading www.angellanazarian.com

Jewish-Iranian author Angella Nazarian will read from her new book Life as a Visitor, a true-life account of the her relocation to Beverly Hills after being forced to flee Iran in 1979 and her quest to find “home” in the years that followed. At Elliott Bay Books, 101 S Main St., Seattle.

November 18 & 19

Sunday, November 29, 2-5 p.m.

Friends of the Israel Defense Forces presents two performances in Western Washington by the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra. The ensemble will play on Wed., Nov.18 at Temple Beth El, 5975 S 12th St.,Tacoma (contact Tovah Ahdut for time and reservations at 253-7526852), and Thurs., Nov. 19 at Temple B’nai Torah, 15727 NE 4th St., Bellevue (contact Karen for time and reservations at 425-603-9677).

A free concert and sing-along with the Seattle Jewish Chorale and special guests Kesselgarden Klezmer Duo and Sandra Layman. Barnes & Noble shoppers that day are encouraged to present a Bookfair fundraising voucher at the register (available at the store or from Seattle Jewish Chorale) and the store will donate a percentage of the purchase to the chorale. At the University Village Barnes & Noble, 2675 NE University Village St., Seattle.

IDF Orchestra Music

4th

Night of Hanukkah

Birmuelos 2 pkg. dry yeast 1 cup warm water 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbs. sugar 3 cups water 6 to 6-1/2 cups flour 2 Tbs. oil Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Add salt and sugar. Add 3 cups water and add the flour gradually, working to form soft dough. Brush dough with oil. Cover with a towel and let the dough rise for an hour or until double in bulk. Punch down the dough and shape into walnut sized balls. Twirl each ball of dough in your fingers, gently pushing your thumbs into the center to form a hole and ‘doughnut’ shape. Let rest on work surface until a few birmuelos are formed. Drop the shaped dough into 350º hot oil and cook on one side until golden brown, turn once and finish cooking. Remove birmuelos with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with syrup, honey or dusted with powdered sugar. Courtesy of Leah Jaffee of Leah’s Catering, as taught to her by Katherine Scharhon of Sephardic Bikur Holim.

4th Night sponsored by:

Leah’s cateriNg Pacific Northwest’s Premier Kosher Caterer www.leahscatering.com 206-985-2647

Become a fan > jtnews

Seattle Jewish Chorale pre-Hanukkah performance Music

5th

Night of Hanukkah

Kubeh (Oval meat-filled grain patties) 2 onions 2 lb. ground meat 2 lb. semolina 1 lb. bulgur wheat 2 tsp. chopped parsley 1/2 tsp. black pepper A little salt 1 tsp. chicken soup powder A little Baharat spice (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baharat) 1 tsp. sweet paprika Water (as much as you will need) The filling: Fry the meat with a little oil. In a large pan, fry onions with a little oil. Add meat, spices and parsley. Cook for 5 minutes, and then cool. The dough: Soak the bulgur for 15 minutes in water. Wash and rinse well. Add semolina, adding a little water and oil as you go. Mix for a soft, elastic dough. Make 1-1/2” balls out of the dough, and flatten to about 3”. Fill with meat and close to a nice ball, and then drop the balls into the boiling soup. Stir well to make sure the balls do not stick together and cook for 1 hour. 5th Night sponsored by:

The jewish federaTioN of greaTer seaTTle www.jewishinseattle.org • 206-443-5400

Tweet with us > jew_ish

16 jtnews

n friday, arts & entertainment

November 13, 2009

Sculptor looks back on life’s work Exhibit and book gives Phillip Levine chance for reflection Diana Brement JTNews Columnist On the Shabbat before Simchat Torah, at the weekly Torah study at North Seattle’s Temple Beth Am, Rabbi Beth Singer asked regular participants to share their favorite Torah verse. Most offered stories from Genesis, a few noted the Exodus from Egypt while others singled out Moses’ final speech. But sculptor Phillip Levine’s (say “vine,” not “veen”) favorite verses begin in Exodus 35, when the Israelites begin receiving directions for building the tabernacle. It starts with a description of “all these wondrous materials,” Levine observes, followed by an “extremely detailed process” of construction. Most fittingly, we read repeatedly in Lev. 36:1 of “every skilled person whom the Lord has endowed with skill and ability.” Levine, who works mostly in bronze, has never spent much time trying to dissect where ideas come from. He’s the kind of guy who just wants to get to work — so Torah reflection is new to the 78-year-old artist. “These are all late thoughts,” he says, adding that he and his wife Rachael only started going regularly to Torah study about four years ago, although they’ve belonged to the congregation since the early 1960s. “I don’t think it’s made me more spiritual,” he observes, but says with age he has become more philosophical. “You realize you’re part of that context.” This fits in with an insightful phase that began with putting together a book, Myth, Memory & Image: Sculpture and Drawings. The book was designed to complement a retrospective exhibit of his work that was mounted at the Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner this past spring. “The book was a reflective process,” Levine says, and gave him the opportunity to think about his work in an objective way he hadn’t tried before. Published

by the museum and distributed by University of Washington Press, it’s short on words and long on pictures, with photos of about 100 of the 700 to 800 sculptures he’s produced in his long working life. “ I d o n ’t b e l i e v e anyone knows what I’ve done in the larger sense,” he says of the overview. Br on z e s c u lpt u r e comes to us through an industrial process, so it’s Diana Brement fitting that the Levines Phillip and Rachael Levine, with one of Phillip’s larger live in far-South Seat- sculptures, at their home and studio in Seattle’s South tle. To get to their quiet Park neighborhood. neighborhood you need to pass through the city’s most indusMaster’s degree in sculpture and teaching trial neighborhoods, flanked on the way at the University of Washington in 1961. by trucks of all sizes, with a view of facThe couple raised three sons in the tories, warehouses and scrap metal piles. house where they still live. His studio shares the lot with his home, “I raised them in the studio,” says Philbut for a period of time he had a larger lip, whose home studio allowed him to studio in South Park where he produced be a stay-at-home dad before that was in large commissioned works such as Triad, vogue. “That was wonderful.” a piece for Martin Selig, which resides at Josh and Aaron are now both artists 300 Elliott Avenue West in Seattle. “I love and craftsmen in their own right. Phillip being close to [industry],” he says, noting and Rachael’s youngest son Jacob was an that he owned a foundry for 25 years. artist, too, but also a pilot who died tragiBorn in Chicago, Levine grew up in cally in a plane crash when he was just 25. Denver and went to the University of ColLevine’s specialty is the figure, and parorado, expecting to study that most traditicularly the figure in action. He was athtional of Jewish subjects, medicine. After letic and “doing sports and the awareness two years he found himself unhappy of what the body does and the pleasure of with the subject and took a variety of it was underlying much of the sculpture,” courses, including one in three-dimenhe says. sional design. Norman Lundin, professor emeri“I enjoyed working with my hands, “ tus of art at the UW, states in an essay he recalls, saying he was also “doing well in Levine’s book that getting the human in accounting,” but he just walked out of figure right is an enduring problem in that class. Returning to school as a junior, Western art, but Levine “gets the gesture he spent two years taking art classes, right.” You can see it in “Woman Dancgraduating with a degree in the subject. ing,” the sculpture on the East Capitol After a brief time in New York, he and Campus in Olympia, or in “Leap,” the figRachael moved to Seattle so he could get a ures that spring down the steps of Spo-

6th Night of Hanukkah

7th

kane’s Veterans’ Arena. Tom Jay, the other contributor to Levine’s book, calls the sculptor “a midwife to wonder.” These days, Levine works mostly on a smaller scale, making models that can easily be created in his studio. He uses what he calls a “lost carbon” method, creating a sculpture out of wood, cloth, paper, or other carbon-based material. A mold is built around the sculpture and the molten bronze is poured in, vaporizing the carbonbased materials. It’s a faster concept-tosculpture process for the artist compared to the “lost wax” method, in which the creation of the sculpture and mold may take six months. He has also returned to oil painting after many decades. “I didn’t paint for 45 years,” he remarks. Occasionally he opens up his studio to exhibit and sell his work, but he doesn’t show much in galleries now. Levine now has more of the luxury of time, time to reflect, time to enjoy his four grandchildren and, of course, to continue creating. “To do something well,” he says, “that has been my main focus.”

9OUDONTHAVETOBEATRADITIONAL*EW TOSHAREIN*EWISHTRADITIONS

*OINUSINCELEBRATING

3HABBAT

.OVEMBERTH  PM •

3HALOM3UNDAY3CHOOL +  "NAI-ITZVAH!DULT%DUCATION 0LEASECALLFORATOUR •

&ORMOREINFORMATION PLEASECONTACTUSAT   INFO SECULARJEWISHCIRCLEORG WWWSECULARJEWISHCIRCLEORG 3EATTLESONLY(UMANISTIC*EWISH#OMMUNITY !FFILIATE 3OCIETYOF(UMANISTIC*UDAISM Jewish community

Night of Hanukkah

Plain ol’ basic no-frills latkes

Apple Latkes (Dairy)

4 to 5 medium to large Yukon Gold potatoes 1 large onion, shredded (you can use a food processor) 2 eggs 1-1/2 Tbs. flour or matzoh meal 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. black pepper Oil for frying

1 egg 2/3 cup plain yogurt 1 cup flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbs. sugar 1 cup grated apple (I like Granny Smith) Oil for frying Maple syrup or confectioners’ sugar and ground cinnamon for garnish

Peel and cut two of the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Boil the chunks in salted water until tender (15 to 20 minutes). Drain and mash the potatoes slightly. Sprinkle the flour or matzoh meal on top of the mashed potatoes and set the mixture aside. Shred the remaining potatoes and mix them, in a large bowl with the shredded onions (this mixing is to keep the potato from turning brown). Squeeze and drain as much liquid as possible from onion/ potato mixture. Add the eggs, pepper, and salt to the onion mixture and mix to combine. Add the mashed potatoes to the shredded potatoes and mix to combine. Make 3-inch patties. Heat oil and fry the patties in 1/4 to 1/2 inches of oil. Cook for about 5 minutes on the first side and then turn them over with a spatula and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Yield: Approximately 8 to 12 latkes, depending upon size.

In a bowl combine the egg with the yogurt, mix to combine and set aside. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. Peel and core the apples, then grate them; you can use a food processor. Pour egg-yogurt mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture, add grated apples and fold all the ingredients together. Pour enough oil to come about 1/4 inch up a skillet and put on stove to heat. Dollop spoonfuls of apple batter into sizzling oil; a rubber spatula — the one you used to fold the batter together — will help you scrape the batter off the spoon and press down on the little latkes in the pan. Fry for a minute or two, until latkes are golden brown on underside; you can see from the top as they start firming up underneath. Flip them with two metal spatulas, and fry for another minute on the uncooked side. Remove to tray lined with paper towels or brown paper to blot excess oil, and continue cooking until you’ve used up all the batter. Serve with syrup or confectioners’ sugar and ground cinnamon. Yield: about 20 2-1/2 inch latkes

From food columnist Eileen Goltz.

From food columnist Eileen Goltz.

6th Night sponsored by:

Temple De HirscH siNai seattle 206-323-8486 Bellevue 425-454-5085 www.tdhs-nw.org

Creative Commons/IsobelH

Don’t forget our Latke Dinner December 11 at 6 p.m. in Seattle

7th Night sponsored by:

The caroliNe KliNe GallaNd home The summiT aT firsT hill The polacK adulT day ceNTer The KliNe GallaNd fouNdaTioN

friday, november 13, 2009 Send submissions to: JTNews — Lifecycles, 2041 Third Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 [email protected] Phone: 206-441-4553 Submissions for the November 27, 2009 issue are due by November 17. Download forms or submit online at www.jtnews.net/index.php?/lifecycle

n

jtnews 17 lifecycles

A tribute in memory of Ann Moises By Sheryl Stern Ann Moises, long time Seattle resident, passed away August 26, 2009 on a beautiful summer’s day in Boca Raton, Florida. She was my mother. Ann lived a full and vibrant life to the age of 85. She died peacefully in hospice, with her two children by her side. Ann was born in Seattle on April 24, 1924 to Hyman and Ethel Lerner. Her father died when Ann was just 5. She and her mother then moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Ann spent her youth. At age 16, Ann returned to Seattle. She attended Garfield High School. Ann then met and married her future husband, Harry Moises. After their two children were grown, Ann attended the University of Washington, graduating with a degree in education, realizing her life-long passion of becoming a teacher. During retirement Ann and Harry traveled the world. They later moved to Florida to be close to family. Ann taught English and American Literature at Federal Way High School for 27 years. Ann was a popular teacher. She was tough. She expected the best from her students. She inspired them through her high standards of teaching and by her genuine concern for them. She helped shape their lives by teaching them to believe in themselves. Many of Ann’s colleagues and former students, from all over the country, were deeply affected by her passing. My mother, Ann Moises, was a woman of wisdom and beauty, strength and courage. I am forever grateful for her love and guidance, her devotion to family, and the positive influence she had on my life. Thank you, Mother, for being my role model. For teaching me good moral values. For inspiring me to be a better person. For helping to make this world a better place. Thank you for your unconditional love. You kvelled when I first smiled, began to crawl, took my first steps, and said my first words. You nursed me when I was sick, wiped my runny nose, and dried my salty tears. Thank you for your encouragement and support. You were the best customer at my lemonade stand. You applauded the loudest at my ballet performances, piano recitals, and school plays. You believed in me. You told me I could succeed at whatever I put my mind to. Thank you for teaching me about the big world out there, and for giving me a safe place to come home to when the world was overwhelming. Thank you for teaching me that life isn’t always fair.

Thank you for teaching me to love kites and canoes, daffodils and dandelions, stars and sand castle, puppies and parades. Thank you for the wonderful birthday parties and family picnics, vacations and holiday celebrations. Thank you for demonstrating love for people, loyalty and learning. You taught me concern for others, truth and honesty, and to never give up on my dreams. Thank you for teaching me pride in being a Jew. We were members of Herzl Conservative Congregation, going all the way back to the early 1940s. You were very active in the synagogue, serving as Sisterhood president in 1950. Thank you for enrolling my brother Hylan and me in Hebrew School and providing us with a good Jewish education. At home I remember welcoming the Sabbath on Friday nights. I remember blessing the Shabbat candles with you. We called it benching licht. I remember the warmth and glow from the candles, and the peace and joy it brought into our hearts and home. I remember the beautifully set Shabbat table. I remember you opening our home to guests. Mother, you were my teacher, my advisor, my confidante, my inspiration and my friend. You laughed with me and cried with me. You praised me and consoled me. And at my wedding, you beamed with happiness and danced with joy. Mother, your accomplishments were many, but it was your love of family, strength of character, and good deeds that will become your lasting legacy. All those who knew you will miss you. May Hashem bless you and may you rest in peace in Gan Eden. Ann was laid to rest at Bikur Cholim Cemetery in Seattle. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Harry Moises and her grandson Mark Stern and is survived by daughter Sheryl (Eddie) Stern, son Dr. Hylan Moises and daughter-in-law Dr. Dianne Longo; grandchildren Leslie (Dr. Paul) Kaplan, and Justin Moises; greatgrandchildren Zachary Kaplan, Brooke Kaplan, and Zoe Stern. Donations to Ann’s memory may be made to The City of Hope. Remembrances may also be sent to Sheryl Stern: [email protected].

U.S. Postal Service

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION (All Periodicals Publications Except Requester Publications) 1. PUBLICATION TITLe JT News

2. PUBLICATION NO. 0021-678X

3. FILING DATe 10/31/09

4. 5. 6. 7.

ISSUe FReQUeNCY: Bi-weekly. Number of issues published annually: 26 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION PRICe: $39.50 COMPLeTe ADDReSS OF KNOWN OFFICe OF PUBLICATION (Not Printer): 2041 3rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121-2412 CONTACT PeRSON: Louise Kornreich, 206-441-4553 8. COMPLeTe MAILING ADDReSS OF THe HeADQUARTeRS OR GeNeRAL BUSINeSS OFFICeS OF THe PUBLISHeR (Not Printer): Same as above 9. FULL NAMeS & COMPLeTe MAILING ADDReSSeS OF PUBLISHeR, eDITOR AND MANAGING eDITOR: PUBLISHeR: Karen Chachkes, 2041 3rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 eDITOR: Joel Magalnick, Same as above MANAGING eDITOR: None 10. OWNeR: Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, 2031 3rd Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 11. KNOWN BONDHOLDeRS, MORTGAGeeS, AND OTHeR SeCURITY HOLDeRS OWNING OR HOLDING 1 PeRCeNT OR MORe OF TOTAL AMOUNT OF BONDS, MORTGAGeS, OR OTHeR SeCURITIeS (if none, check box)



 None

12. TAX STATUS: (For completion by nonprofit organizations, authorized to mail at nonprofit rates.) The purpose, function, and nonprofit status of this organization and the exempt status for federal income tax purposes: Has not changed during preceding 12 months. 13. PUBLICATION TITLe: JT News 14. ISSUe DATe FOR CIRCULATION DATA BeLOW: October 31, 2009 15. Extent & Nature of circulation a.

Average No. Copies each Issue During Preceding 12 months

Total Number of Copies (Net Press Run)

3,800

Mailed Outside-County Paid Subscriptions Stated on PS Form 3541. (Include paid 632 b. Paid distribution above nominal rate, advertiser's Circulation proof copies and exchange copies) (By Mail and (2) Mailed In-County Subscriptions Stated on Outside PS Form 3541. (Include paid distribution the Mail) 2,700 above nominal rate, advertiser's proof copies and exchange copies) (3) Paid Distribution Outside the Mails Including Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, 25 Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid Distribution Outside USPS (4) Paid Distribution by Other Classes of Mail 0 Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail®) c. Total Paid Distribution (Sum of 15b (1), (2), (3), and (4)) 3,357 (1) Free or Nominal Rate Outside-County d. Free or Nominal 0 Copies Included on Form 3541 Rate Distribution (2) Free or Nominal Rate In-County (By mail and 0 Copies Included on Form 3541 Outside the Mail) (3) Free or Nominal Rate Copies Mailed at Other Classes Through the USPS 63 (e.g. First-Class Mail®) (4) Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside 380 the Mail (Carriers or other means) e. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution (Sum of 15d (1), (2), (3), and (4)) 433 f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) 3,800 g. Copies Not Distributed (See Instructions to Publishers #4 (page #3) 350 h. Total (Sum of 15f and 15g) 4,150 i. Percent Paid (15c divided by 15f times 100) 88% 16. Publication of Statement Ownership  Publication required. Will be printed in the November 13, 2009 issue of this publication. 17. Signature and Title of editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner

2-for-1 “Get Well Soon” Cards When you let JFS “Tribute Cards” do the talking, you send your best wishes and say you care about funding vital JFS programs here at home. Call Irene at (206) 861-3150 or, on the web, click on “Donations” at www.jfsseattle.org. Use Visa or MasterCard. It’s the most gratifying 2-for-1 in town.

Bat Mitzvah Ariella Kleiman Ariella will be called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah on November 1, 2009 at Congregation Beth Shalom in Seattle.  
 Ariella is the daughter of Sidney and Israella Kleiman, the big sister of Caleb and Gabrielle and little sister of Jessica Crain and Kandra Kleiman. She is the granddaughter of Ellis and Vera Kantor of Kirkland and the late Rosa and Solomon Kleiman. 
Ariella is a 7th grader at Eckstein Middle School. She enjoys soccer, violin, piano, hanging out with family and friends, listening to music, shopping, dancing and school.

Bar Mitzvah Matthew Jonah Manner Matthew will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on November 21, 2009 at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue. Matthew is the son of Paul and Denise Manner of Mercer Island and the brother of Karl and Jessica. His grandparents are Phyllis Manner of New Rochelle, N.Y., the late George Manner and the late Theodore and Gloria Joffe. Matthew is in the 7th grade at Islander Middle School. His interests include football, baseball and making movies. For his mitzvah project, Matthew made care packages for U.S. soldiers.

No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date

3,600

(1)

Joel Magalnick, editor

624 2,639 25 0 3,288 0

Dennis B. Goldstein & Associates

0

Certified Public Accountants

45 0 200 3,533 350 3,883 93% Date

Personalized Consulting & Planning for Individuals & Small Business Tax Preparation 12715 Bel-Red Road • Suite 120 • Bellevue, WA 98005 Phone: 425-455-0430 • Fax: 425-455-0459 [email protected]

11/10/09

I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. I understand that anyone who furnishes false or misleading information on this form or who omits material or information requested on the form may be subject to criminal sanctions (including fines and imprisonment) and/or civil sanctions (including civil penalities).

EVENTS BLOGS NEWS

JEW-ISH.COM

REVIEWS FORUMS MORE

18 jtnews

n

friday, November 13, 2009

obituaries

Obituary: Rabbi Arthur A. Jacobovitz Former Hillel director still visited, met with students years after retiring More than two decades after he left his post, former students who had attended events at Hillel at the University of Washington still stopped in to ask how Rabbi J, as people knew him, was doing. That’s the impact Arthur Jacobovitz had on the Seattle Jewish community, said Rabbi Will Berkovitz, Hillel at the UW’s current executive director. “He was tremendously giving,” Berkovitz said. “To this day, I still get calls from his old students asking me if I know where he is or what he’s up to.” Rabbi Arthur Jacobovitz died Tues., Nov. 3 at the age of 79. He had been in ill health for the past several years. Though it was more than 20 years since he retired, Rabbi J would still come to events, most recently for a meal in the Hillel sukkah, as well as to the annual Passover luncheon he originally created. When he arrived in Seattle in 1959, he was a young Orthodox rabbi sent by the national Hillel Foundation to rescue an organization in disarray, having been through five directors in 10 years. He indeed brought stability to Hillel — he served in his position for nearly 30 years. He also worked with Jewish students and the community to make Hillel a magnet for the area’s Jewish students, regardless of belief or affiliation. “He had a lot of struggles as an Orthodox rabbi coming to this town and to this

If you go: A memorial service honoring Rabbi Arthur Jacobovitz will be held at Hillel at the University of Washington, 4745 17th Ave. NE, Seattle at 7 p.m. on Tues., Nov. 17.

Joel Magalnick

In this 2004 photo, Rabbi Arthur Jacobovitz, left, creator of the Hillel Passover lunch program that brings in hundreds of Jews from all walks of life in the Puget Sound region, with Paul Malakoff, former luncheon committee chair. Rabbi J, as he was known, died Nov. 3. university and making this place a Jewish center for all students,” said Rabbi Dan Bridge, who was not only Jacobovitz’s successor, but a student active in Rabbi J’s Hillel. “He did it. If you look back to the years in the ’60s, the ’70s, the ’80s, there were Jews from every Jewish walk of life.” Jacobovitz was well-read and relished intellectual conversations with his students and community members. Rob Spitzer, whose involvement in Seattle’s Jewish community for nearly his entire adult life can be attributed to Jacobovitz, agreed. “He was an extremely learned and devout and pious Jew, and at the same time, he had an openness and kind of a wonder about the world,” Spitzer said. “It was just a combination I’d never seen before.”

S

E

N

The Best Move You’ll Ever Make! merrill gardens at the university Located just two blocks from University Village, Merrill Gardens at the University offers an array of features that are sure to exceed your expectations. • 123 Independent Retirement and Assisted Living Apartments

approached community member Herb Pruzan to help him establish and manage the Jacobovitz Institute. The philanthropic foundation gave a major gift to rebuild the Karen Mayers Gamoran Family Center for Jewish Life, Hillel’s center that opened in 2004, and still funds organizations that further the cause of appreciation for Judaism. “He was seeking to dispel anti-Semitism and its evils through an enhanced image of the Jewish people,” Pruzan said. “This was what he felt was important. He felt Jewish people had been maligned throughout history.” Though he retired from his job, Rabbi J never really left Hillel. Until the new building opened, Jacobovitz served as mashgiach, ensuring the facility kept up its kosher standards, and provided advice on Jewish law to both of his successors. One of the downsides to being so involved with the organization and the students was that he never settled down with a family of his own. “He was a great people person and he always had relationships,” Spitzer said. “I think the great tragedy in his life was that, in a way, Hillel always came first, so that kept him from having his own family.” Students from the ’60s said Jacobovitz always expressed interest in their dating lives and overlooked what may have been considered unseemly behavior at the time — as long as the partner was Jewish. In many ways, the people he met at Hillel and stayed in touch with throughout the years were his family. Even as his health grew more fragile, a group of women who had maintained a following over the years would bring him groceries and help him get to doctor appointments, Bridge said. Jacobovitz left behind a niece and some cousins. He was buried in Israel. — Joel Magalnick

It was that openness that Spitzer said made Jacobovitz so successful in his position. Each week, Rabbi J would hold court at Clark’s, a now-shuttered restaurant near campus, for heated discussions that would go late into the night. “During the radical times, there were people from all political backgrounds, all religious backgrounds, all Jewish religious backgrounds coming to debate, to talk,” Bridge said. “Everything he really built was to help students grow, to kind of be prickly, to push them to grow. Hopefully that’s something we’ve continued.” Yet as open as he was, he was also opinionated and always seeking to teach others. That part of his personality would sometimes create friction in his relationships. “He stood up for what he believed, and he got into a lot of conflicts with people because of that,” Bridge said, “but he also spoke, in the vernacular today, his truth.” The Hillel that exists today is largely built upon much of what Jacobovitz created. That includes the kosher Passover lunches that bring Jews together from across the religious spectrum, weekly campus discussions for anyone — not just Jews — over bagels, and Grads Plus, the precursor to Hillel’s popular Jconnect program for young adults ages 22-32. “We stand on the shoulders of those who came ahead of us,” Berkovitz told a class of students he teaches when word came of Jacobovitz’s death. One of his disappointments during his tenure was his inability to get a Hebrew language program started in the Arab Studies dept., prior to the creation of the Jewish Studies Program. He ended up teaching Hebrew at Seattle University instead. Upon his ret irement, Jacobov it z

I

O

R

S

EVERGREEN SPEECH & HEARING CLINIC, INC. Managing your hearing, speech, and balance needs since 1979

Come out of your shell and leave the isolation of hearing loss behind you...

• Walking Distance to Shopping and Restaurants, Ravenna Park and the Burke-Gilman Trail • Anytime Diningsm Restaurant • 24-Hour Staff • Weekly Housekeeping • Scheduled Transportation • On-Site Maintenance • Library • Wine Bar • Salon and Barbershop • Movie Theater • 24-Hour Gym • Secure Parking Garage

Better Hearing...Better Life!

• Pets Welcome • All Utilities Included (except phone), Cable Provided

Call now for your personal tour and ask about our 2 bedroom special!

Call for a hearing consultation with one of our Doctors of Audiology today!

Three convenient Eastside locations Bellevue 425.454.1883 Kirkland 425.899.5050 Redmond 425.882.4347

(206) 523-8400 5300 24th Avenue NE • Seattle 98105 www.merrillgardens.com Photos courtesy of Oticon.

Visit us online at www.everhear.com

friday, november 13, 2009

n

jtnews 19 Generations

Election day The president’s had a rough few months, but there was, at first, optimism Masada Siegel and Stefanie Zweig JTNews Columnists Generations is a series of across-theocean e-mail conversations between 70-something author Stefanie Zweig and 30-something writer Masada Siegel. From: Masada Siegel Tue, Nov. 4, 2008 at 11:32 a.m. To: Stefanie Zweig Subject: I Voted Today! Hi Stefanie! I voted today! I get emotional about voting — call me an international/ national policy geek — but I feel blessed to be able to vote. There was a time in the USA when women couldn’t vote, and I know all over the world today there are places where people, especially women, can’t vote, so I know it’s a privilege. What’s wonderful is everyone in my family votes differently. It’s not group think, it’s an individual choice in my family. So many families all vote the same way. My sister and I have a variety of viewpoints, sometimes we vote the same, sometime differently. Speaking of my sister, Audrey and I had a nice long talk this morning. She’s absolutely wonderful and so great to talk with. She’s kind, logical and prag-

should be allowed to vote who are intelligent and well-educated. By the way: Voting isn’t a privilege, it is a duty. Off to my book now. Somebody is coming to steal my time this afternoon and draw a picture of me for a local museum. Love, Stefanie

matic. She amazes me. I don’t know how she manages to work full-time, cook full-time, be a mom full-time, and even occasionally be able to read two pages of a book before she passes out to sleep. I think my brother-in-law is exceptionally lucky to have married her! We will see how the election plays out today. Both McCain and Obama have worked really hard, and I am happy to see democracy in action. However, being president of the United States is truly a thankless job. Whoever wins will have a lot of work ahead and will need to pull this country up out of what is looking like a rough next few years economically! No matter, it’s good to be an American! We’ll see what the future holds — hopefully only wonderful new adventures! Hugs, Masada

Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. From: Masada Siegel To: Stefanie Zweig Hey Stefanie! It’s a good morning in America, confirming my belief that I do live in the greatest country in the world, and that if you can dream it, you can make it happen — with a lot of hard work. I wasn’t immediately sold on Obama, especially since I have met Senator McCain and Hillary Clinton over the years of my working in TV news and they both have gone out of their way to be nice to me. (Really, I’m just your average American, so it was always inspirational that world leaders took time to talk, both as a journalist and sometimes just as a person). Over time, I investigated Obama’s Web site and the more I learned, the more I liked him. I am a little biased, as we both are alumni from Columbia University, and my father is also African. Great things are in store for America and the world. This election made me

From: Stefanie Zweig Wed, Nov. 5, 2008 at 12:25 a.m. To: Masada Siegel Subject: Congratulations Dear Masada, Congratulations on Mr. O. I hope you voted for him. I certainly held thumbs up for him, but I was sure he would win. Good that you take such pride in voting. I take it for natural by this time — though I often say (half-jokingly) that only people

S

E

N

It’s the JTNews Crafty Dreidel Making Contest! Does is spin? Use whatever you like to create this year’s winning Crafty Dreidel. From chewing gum to popsicle sticks, mosaic tiles to feathers, just let your imagination run wild. All dreidels welcome! While we’re envisioning the 3 dimensional kind that spins, feel free to let your creativity flow! Send us your free form and conceptual dreidels as well. Submit your dreidel creation by Friday, December 4 to: Crafty Dreidel at JTNews . 2041 Third AVE . Seattle, WA 98121.

I

O

R

think how my actions have been shaped by my own personal history, and how perhaps somewhere in my future I too can have a positive impact on the world. Obama being elected shows everyone in the USA and the world that their actions should not be taken lightly. Hard work, brains, luck and timing can change the planet. His acceptance speech was excellent last night, no big surprise. He was smart to set realistic expectations. The USA is in a mess financially, we have two wars, and the rest of the world is looking to expand their own power, so it is no easy task ahead to literally solve the world’s issues. Mark my words, while the press and the people love Obama now, political coverage always goes on a curve. At first the press loves the candidate for a few years, and I hate to say it, but it also happened with Clinton. There comes a point where the press starts to get rough with politicians and, well, then it is downhill. Alas, I think too much — it’s time to celebrate a new direction, with a really smart president. While he’s the first African American to become president, I hope in a few days that discussion goes away. It’s time to see the world not in black or white, but in action and deeds, so I hope we get past the color and really see the man! Enough said! Where is your lovely portrait going to hang? I hope you are smiling for your painting for all eternity to see. No pressure. Heh, heh, heh. Big hugs! Masada

S

Live the good life every day of the year The SummiT aT FirST hill, a showcase of retirement living, currently has beautiful one- and two-bedroom apartments as well as a limited number of assisted-living units available for immediate occupancy at competitive market rates. There are no entrance fees. a full complement of services is provided in a traditional Jewish environment. amenities include beautiful common area gathering places, an outdoor terrace, library and more. a stimulating recreational and educational activities program is offered daily, plus scheduled transportation and home care services including an in-home nurse clinic complete The Summit retirement living. The Summit is a part of the Kline Galland Center’s continuum of services, along with The Polack adult Day Center and the Caroline Kline Galland Nursing home.

a s ’ t a h t Now dreidel! y t f a r c

For additional information and tour appointments, call Trudi Arshon-Rosenbaum at (206) 652-4444.

A fAmily of residentiAl And community services supporting Jewish seniors of greAter seAttle

November 13, 2009

Networking Our Local Jewish Community

CoNNeCTING ProFeSSIoNAlS wITh our jewISh CoMMuNITY

Care Givers Home Care Associates A program of Jewish Family Service 206-861-3193 www.homecareassoc.org  Provides personal care, assistance with daily activities, medication reminders, light housekeeping, meal preparation and companionship to older adults living at home or in assisted-living facilities.

☎☎

Hyatt Home Care Services, LLC In-Home Care Aides 206-851-5277 ✉☎ [email protected] Assisting with non-medical tasks & home support needs • Housekeeping Personal care • Respite care • Meal preparation. Washington State Licensed Home Care Agency

☎☎

Quality Home Care for Seniors 206-459-5255 ✉☎ [email protected] Rivka Park, RN offers private geriatric nursing care coupled with unique domestic skills in support of seniors seeking to maintain quality of life at home. Extensive references.

☎☎

Catering Goldberg’s Famous Delicatessen 425-641-6622 ✉☎ [email protected] www.goldbergsdeli.com  Catering for weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs Birthdays, business events & all your Special occasions • Contact Khled/James

☎☎

Leah’s Catering, Inc. Seattle’s Premier Kosher Caterer 206-985-2647 ✉☎ [email protected] Full Service, Glatt Kosher, Delivery or Pickup All your catering needs. Va’ad supervised.

☎☎

Madison Park Cafe Simmering in Seattle for over 30 years 206-324-2626 Full service catering for all your Jewish life passages: Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • Weddings • Brit Milah • Special Occasions. Karen Binder

☎☎

Matzoh Momma Catering Catering with a personal touch 206-324-MaMa Serving the community for over 25 years. Full service catering and event planning for all your Life Cycle events. Miriam and Pip Meyerson

College Placement

Dentists

College Placement Consultants 425-453-1730 ✉☎ [email protected] www.collegeplacementconsultants.com  Pauline B. Reiter, Ph.D. Expert help with college selection, applications and essays. 40 Lake Bellevue, #100, Bellevue 98005

Warren J. Libman, D.D.S., M.S.D. 425-453-1308 www.libmandds.com  Certified Specialist in Prosthodontics: • Restorative • Reconstructive • Cosmetic Dentistry 14595 Bel Red Rd. #100, Bellevue

☎☎

Linda Jacobs & Associates College Placement Services 206-323-8902 ✉☎ [email protected] Successfully matching student and school. Seattle.

☎☎

Counselors/Therapists Jewish Family Service Individual, couple, child and family therapy 206-861-3195 www.jfsseattle.org  Expertise with life transitions, relationships and personal challenges. Jewish knowledge and sensitivity. Offices in Seattle and Bellevue. Day and evening hours. Subsidized fee scale available.

☎☎

Frances M. Pomerantz, MS Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist 425-451-1655 ✉☎ [email protected] Specializing in couples and individuals. Facilitating better communication, more satisfying relationships, increased selfawareness and personal growth. Day & early eve hours available. 1621 114th ave. SE, #224, Bellevue 98004

☎☎

Dentists Galina Borodyansky, DDS 425-644-8787 UW School of Dentistry faculty • Implant, Cosmetic, Family Dentistry • Personalized care in a friendly environment • Preferred provider for most insurances 14535 Bel-Red Rd. #101B, Bellevue

☎☎

B. Robert Cohanim, D.D.S., M.S. Orthodontics for Adults and Children 206-322-7223 www.smile-works.com  Invisalign Premier Provider. On First Hill across from Swedish Hospital.

☎☎

Dennis B. Goldstein & Assoc., CPAs, PS 425-455-0430 F 425-455-0459 ✉☎ [email protected] 12715 Bel-Red Rd., Suite 120 Bellevue 98005

☎☎

Newman Dierst Hales, PLLC Nolan A. Newman, CPA 206-284-1383 ✉☎ [email protected] www.ndhaccountants.com  Tax • accounting • Healthcare Consulting

☎☎

Funeral/Burial Services

Invitations Occasionally Yours Adrian Lustig, owner 425-644-8551 ✉☎ [email protected] Specializing in Jewish Wedding and Bar/Bat Mitzvah Invitations 20% Discount • Hebrew type

☎☎

Congregation Beth Shalom Cemetery 206-524-0075 ✉☎ [email protected] This beautiful new cemetery is available to the Jewish community and is located just north of Seattle.

Arnold S. Reich, D.M.D. 425-228-6444 www.drareich.com  Just off 405 in N. Renton • Gentle Care • Family • Preventive • Cosmetic Dentistry

Hills of Eternity Cemetery Owned and operated by Temple De Hirsch Sinai 206-323-8486 Serving the greater Seattle Jewish community. Jewish cemetery open to all pre-need and at-need services. Affordable rates • Planning assistance. Queen Anne, Seattle

Mohelim

Graphic Design

All About Graphics Joel Dames Photography 206-367-1276 www.joeldamesphotography.com  Events, Commercial, Portraits, Graphics, albums • all Your Photographic Needs

☎☎

Michael Spektor, D.D.S. 425-643-3746 ✉☎ [email protected] www.spektordental.com  Specializing in periodontics, dental implants, and cosmetic gum therapy. Bellevue

☎☎

Wendy Shultz Spektor, D.D.S. 425-454-1322 ✉☎ [email protected] www.spektordental.com  Emphasis: Cosmetic and Preventive Dentistry • Convenient location in Bellevue.

☎☎

Financial Services Hamrick Investment Counsel, LLC Roy a. Hamrick, CFa 206-441-9911 ✉☎ [email protected] Professional portfolio management services for individuals, foundations and nonprofit organizations.

☎☎

Mass Mutual Financial Group Albert Israel, CFP 206-346-3327 ✉☎ [email protected] Jamison Russ 206-346-3266 ✉☎ [email protected] Retirement planning for those nearing retirement • Estate planning for those subject to estate taxes • General investment management • Life, disability, long-term care & health insurance • Complimentary one hour sessions available

☎☎ ☎☎

Solomon M. Karmel, Ph.D First Allied Securities 425-454-2285 x 1080 www.hedgingstrategist.com  Retirement, stocks, bonds, college, annuities, business 401Ks.

☎☎

☎☎

☎☎

Spear Studios, Graphic Design Sandra Spear 206-621-0240 ✉☎ [email protected] • Newsletters • Brochures • Logos • Letterheads • Custom invitations • Photo Editing for Genealogy Projects

☎☎

Insurance Abolofia Insurance Agency Bob abolofia, agent 425-641-7682 F 425-988-0280 ✉☎ [email protected] Independent agent representing Pemco since 1979

☎☎

Eastside Insurance Services Chuck Rubin, agent 425-271-3101 F 425-277-3711 4508 NE 4th, #B, Renton Tom Brody, agent 425-646-3932 F 425-646-8750 2227 112th ave. NE, Bellevue We represent Pemco, Safeco, Hartford & Progressive www.e-z-insurance.com 

☎☎ ☎☎

United Insurance Brokers, Inc. Linda Kosin 425-454-9373 ✉☎ [email protected] F 425-453-5313 Your insurance source since 1968 Business, group and personal insurance 50 116th ave SE #201, Bellevue 98004

☎☎

☎☎

Rabbi Simon Benzaquen 206-721-2275 • 206-723-3028 Fastest Mohel in the West Certified Mohel

☎☎

Photographers

☎☎

Dani Weiss Photography 206-760-3336 www.daniweissphotography.com  Photographer Specializing in People. Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, parties, promotions & weddings. Reasonable rates Digital or film

☎☎

Senior Services Jewish Family Service 206-461-3240 www.jfsseattle.org  Comprehensive geriatric care management and support services for seniors and their families. Expertise with in-home assessments, residential placement, family dynamics and on-going case management. Jewish knowledge and sensitivity.

☎☎

The Summit at First Hill 206-652-4444 www.klinegallandcenter.org  The only Jewish retirement community in the state of Washington offers transition assessment and planning for individuals looking to downsize or be part of an active community of peers. Multi-disciplinary professionals with depth of experience available for consultation.

☎☎

Our Professional Services Directory has changed! Now you can promote your business online as well as in the pages of JTNews.

Now in print

☎☎

Certified Public Accountants

(continued)

Your Business Category Your Company Name Your Name or Company Your Phone Number ✉☎ Your E-mail address Your Web site  A few lines of copy about your business. Your business address

☎☎

and online! Post your own listing on our Web site and choose even more options, including your logo, up to five photographs, and detailed text you can update any time you like. If your business is on the Eastside or South Sound, call Lynn at 206-774-2264; Northend or West Seattle, call Stacy at 206-774-2292; Urban Seattle, call David at 206-774-2235 Call 206-441-4553 for more information, or log on to www.jtnews.net and click on the Professional Directory logo to get started.

Please call Becky at 774-2238 to update your print listing and receive an online listing free for a limited time!

You come highly recommended.

friday, november 13, 2009

n

jtnews 21 community news

Camp Young Judaea t Page 1

Haq Trial t Page 1

West Merchav campers at a 10 percent reduction. Also, campers who attend a threeweek session at CYJ Midwest for the first time are eligible for two years of funding. The grant application is available online at www.onehappycamper.org. CYJ Midwest is also looking to hire West Coast staffers to fill staff positions there for the upcoming summer season. “We want to welcome West campers not as guests but as additions to our family,” said Noah Gallagher, the director for CYJ Midwest, in Hadassah’s press release about the camp’s closing. In a subsequent e-mail, Gallagher noted he has been hearing from CYJ West Coast families. “We hope that 50 or so will come to us,” he wrote. “The others are eligible for Camp Tel Yehudah for [high school]-age campers. I have spoken to about 12 families. I don’t know how many have applied for camperships.” CYJ West leadership plans to meet with national representatives this fall in Northern California to organize a board of directors and develop a business plan that could attract corporate donors. Hopefully, this will attract the $200,000 it needs to reopen the West Coast camp. “We’re open to any help t hat we can get from anybody,” Caplan said. “We’re ask ing those who’ve already donated whether they want their money returned, put into a scholarship fund, or left with us for its original purpose. So far, many donors have chosen to leave it with us.”

with the 911 operators. Klein teared up a number of times during her testimony and had to leave the courtroom once to regain her composure after describing how she had to walk past the body of her friend and colleague Pam Waechter as police led her from the building. On Wed., Nov. 4, prosecutors introduced new evidence to the court that had not been heard during the first trial — a series of phone calls Haq made to his parents from prison in the weeks following the shooting. In one tape, Haq explained to his mother, and then to a female family friend, why he attacked the Jewish Federation. “I want you to know the reason I did it. I want to be a martyr,” he said on a tape played to the jury. Haq told his mother she should be proud of him and she in turn expressed concern about his mental illness, telling him that what he did was wrong and that he should pray. His mother then put a family friend on the phone and Haq told the woman,

Back in the Saddle t Page 5

“I’m a jihadi now,” and asked that she tell everyone she knows about him. Both the defense and the prosecution told the jury during their opening statements that they do not believe Haq’s action was undertaken as martyrdom in the name of Allah, however. The day after the tapes were played, the detective responsible for searching Haq’s computer told the court that his search did not turn up any of the phrases that are thought to be terrorist code words, nor any Internet searches for extremist or violence-inciting Web sites. In the year prior to the shooting, Haq had converted to Christianity, but then returned to Islam a few months later. The defense began presenting its case to the jury on Nov. 6 and has called witnesses who knew Haq personally to discuss his history of erratic and anti-social behavior, as well as mental health professionals who spoke about the various medications Haq has taken and the course of his treatment. It is the defense’s aim to prove that Haq, despite consistent attempts to seek help, had been consumed by his mental illness and was not fully in control of himself at the time of his attack on the Jewish Federation.

Jewish On Earth t Page 10

ever y $1 donated to JDS. They also helped with financial planning that Erl it z sa id w i l l hopef u l ly keep t he school on a more sustainable footing. Despite the challenges, when Erlitz stepped in last year as interim head, she didn’t want to act as merely a caretaker. She instituted an enrichment program to help kids whose intelligence levels rose above the challenges of the dual Jewishgeneral curriculum. “We found that we were losing students to gifted schools,” Erlitz said. “Once we put the enrichment piece in, we didn’t lose a single child.” She is also working to institute what she called “character education” throughout the curriculum. “Especially as a Jewish day school, it’s woven into our values,” she said, but this new program will have a code of ethics to which teachers, students and their parents will all adhere. One big difference Erlitz has seen in the school since she was last involved is in the makeup of the students, which she sees as much more of a microcosm of the greater Jewish community than in the past. “We draw from such a wide variety of not only ZIP codes, but denominations. We have kids here with tzitzit, we have kids who don’t belong anywhere, kids whose parents are intermarried. Just the widest range of Jewish practice,” she said. “We have to service that microcosm in a way the school has not done before.”

What you buy for Hanukkah, or any other time of year, can change the world. It’s that simple. It may be difficult for you to see the light at the end of the tunnel right now. But it’s there, and it’s green.

birthrates? Would you buy from companies that operate so efficiently they create no carbon footprint? What about from companies that take good care of their employees and the environment? Would you buy groceries from stores that sell local and organic, and power themselves entirely with renewable energy?

Author and teacher Martin Westerman writes and consults on sustainable living. He can be contacted with questions at [email protected].

Support JtNewS with your

hanukkah G R E E T I n G S

ORdER TOday deadline dec. 4th

1

Hanukkah Greetings are published December 11!

There’s no better way to greet family & friends for the holiday than with a personalized greeting in our big December 11th Hanukkah issue. Hanukkah is right around the corner! Complete this simple 1-2-3 form and mail it back to JTNews with your payment today. Or call Becky to charge your greeting by phone: 206-774-2238.

2

Print all names as you want them to appear in the Greeting, like: “Bob and Lucy Goldberg” or “Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg” or “The whole Goldberg Family”, etc.…

Give us your E-mail address for a $5 discount

Make your selections by indicating the artwork you want, the message you want and the size ad you want.

(

1

2

Circle the size greeting you want.

3

4

3” box

 4” box

76

$

39

$





59

$

2” box

150

$

8” box

5

93

$

$

304

quarter page

114

$

6” box

E-mail Name Address City/State/zip Day Phone

3

Payment Details Total $

Please enclose your check for the full amount, or use your VISA or MasterCard.

 5” box

A Great Miracle Happened There Happy Hanukkah! Hanukkah Greetings! Chag Sameach!

Same as last year)

Card # Exp. / Signature

5% discount by November 30th All greetings must be paid in full in advance! FINAL GREETING DEADLINE 12/04/09

CLIP AND RETURN THIS AD ALONG WITH YOUR CHECK OR CREDIT CARD NUMBER TO: jTNEWS, 2041 THIRD AVENUE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98121-2418. Call Becky for assistance or to charge your greeting to VISA or MasterCard: 206-774-2238. Fax: 206-441-2736. Email:[email protected]

the shouk help wanted

photography

real estate

RacHel's

photography by anat

call loraine behling-krainess, gri

meDIterranean cUIsIne Phone for price list and orders

425-793-1945 [email protected]

www.sephardicdelicacies.com

Head of School Opportunity

Visit www.sjcs.net for details or e-mail [email protected] volunteers wanted

volunteeR WeB developeR Jtnews seeks a volunteer web developer to help with Web site upkeep and renovations. Volunteer must be well-versed in HTML, CSS and PHP (preferred) and have some working knowledge of content management systems. Candidate may work varied hours from home. For more information, please contact JTNews editor Joel Magalnick at [email protected].

insurance services

For insurance and Financial services tiM J. CAshMAn AgEnt — LUtCF

state Farm Insurance company

206-232-1024

[email protected] 7435 SE 27th Street, Mercer Is., WA 98040

tutoring

improve your child’s hAndwriting!

Joan lite miller 206-527-6320 Learn legible, rhythmic, rapid handwriting with calligrapher/ artist/elementary school tutor trained in multisensory approaches.

experienced cantor-tutor Bar/Bat Mitzvahs—all levels Officiates all Lifecycles college placement

a college eDUcatIon Is a maJor InVestment Sensitive professional assistance to ensure a succesful match between student and school

linda Jacobs & associates college Placement services

206/323-8902

[email protected] announcements

seeking writers Poems (3 max) and/or essays and fiction (under 5,000 words) on Northwest and Jewish themes from established and emerging writers for Spring 2010 issue of Drash. Include separate page with contact info and short bio. Deadline: December 15, 2009 submit by snailmail only to: Wendy Marcus, Music Director Temple Beth Am 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle 98115 206-525-0915 www.templebetham.org

WE NEED CARS! • Free Pick-up • No DOL filing • No smog certif. • Running or not

Donate your used car to Chabad & receive a tremendous tax write-off. • Any vehicle okay • Plus RVs, boats, real estate, lots, etc.

206-527-1411

jtnews

catering

sepHaRdic delicacies

Growing egalitarian, community school in Northeast Seattle seeks a dynamic leader for our Transitional Kindergarten through 5th Grade program.

@

november 13, 2009

Experienced piano & voice teacher

206-715-8796

Cantor Marina Belenky [email protected] www.cantormarina.com

bEginnERs hEbREw & FREnCh Elementary grades through adults • First lesson free • • Flexible hours • Excellent service • Reasonable rates • My house or yours • Seattle/Eastside Call Malka Garni 425-486-9815 E-mail: [email protected]

hebrew instruction & tutoring

Events, special & formal occasions, weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, music & educational Seattle & Northwest Excellent references please contact anat at 206-853-2286 or e-mail: [email protected] printing Janee Hahn

call 425746-6733

Renovated & turnkey 5 bed/3 bath home w/lg rec rm & bonus rm, located 1 blk from Herzl & SJCC. $849,000

• InvItatIons for all occasions • Hebrew type • Discounts on total order

Contact Rameen Youssefieh Windermere Real Estate 206-601-5400 E-mail: [email protected]

p: 206.784.6350

f: 206.782.8108 [email protected]

home services

caregiving caRegiveR companion/cna, nuRsing caRe • Private care, your home, nursing facility or hospital • Single woman, companion, excellent cook • Special training in Alzheimers, dementia, diabetes • Transportation to appts., shopping, outings, etc.

If not satisfied with your nursing care, please give me a call: 425-941-6323 Excellent references

handyman/reliable maintenance Affordable, 20 year’s experience. Construction, plumbing, electrical Remodels & additions welcome. Licensed • Insured • Bonded Excellent references • Free estimates call rick Petersen 425-736-3433 funeral/burial services cemetery gan shalom A Jewish cemetery that meets the needs of the greater Seattle Jewish community. Zero interest payments available.

next issue: novemBeR 27 ad deadline: novemBeR 20 call Becky: 206-774-2238

For information, call temple Beth am at 206-525-0915.

cleaning services

domestic angels

Traditional Jewish funeral services provided by the Seattle Jewish Chapel. For further information, please call 206-725-3067.

Clean your house and office

Burial plots are available for purchase at Bikur Cholim and Machzikay Hadath cemeteries. For further information, please call 206-721-0970.

Call Yolimar Perez or Maria Absalon

quiring

Reasonable rates • Licensed/Bonded Responsible • References • Free estimate Seattle/Eastside 206-356-2245 or 206-391-9792 [email protected]

monuments

housekeeping Housecleaning/companion

General housecleaning Shopping • Errands Doctor appointments

Serving the Jewish Community for over 80 years

hbxnt Preserving memories since 1925

Experienced, have car & transportation

call Anat

Eastside/Seattle

or e-mail [email protected]

need real estate help?

neW listing! mercer island

All ages Bar/Bat Mitzvah students My home or yours • Seattle area

206-853-2286

certified residential specialist

9608 Aurora Avenue N, Seattle, WA 98103

References available

Call Cici • 425-213-9802

206-522-8400 www.monuments.com

Help Wanted? Room for Rent? car for sale? tutoring?

adveRtise RigHt HeRe call Becky 206-774-2238

friday, november 13, 2009

n

jtnews 23 community news

A midwife to the soul Local rabbi works to help others find their spiritual centers Janis Siegel JTNews Correspondent Rabbi Zari Weiss is a spiritual friend, and a companion for the soul. As she practices a technique she’s been trained in since 1996, called “Spiritual Direction,” her clients often become very quiet as they try and listen to that knowing, intuitive voice inside them. Weiss calls it holy listening or discernment. “It’s not therapy,” Weiss told JTNews from her home and office near Seattle’s View Ridge neighborhood. “There’s no explicit intention to heal anyone or to improve one’s psychology, and it’s not coaching. It’s a contemplative model. I function as a midwife to the soul.” For more than 15 years, Weiss has been helping people get closer to the voice of God inside them, although she won’t necessarily call it God in one of her sessions. Her work in Jewish spirituality began after graduating from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York in 1991. Weiss was a co-founder of Lev Shomea, a training program in Spiritual Direction at Elat Chayyim, a Jewish spiritual retreat center. In this work, Weiss uses Jewish prayers, or philosophy, or scripture to gently nudge a seeker of one’s own truth and to come to terms with what he or she may not want

Home owners club 1202 harrison

to face in life. It could be a deep struggle with his or her self-image or image in the community, or a decision about life changes that are too sensitive to confront. Whatever it is, Rabbi Weiss will listen, and gently push this truth seeker deeper. She works with Jews and people of other faiths as well. “Most [Jewish] people go to services to connect with God in a Jewish way,” Weiss said. “Some have that relationship but don’t identify it as Jewish. Others have a longing for that but can’t name it or access it.” Weiss’s job is to put a name to that connection. In a series of classes called “Cultivating a Meaningful Relationship with God” that she teaches at Tree of Life Books & Judaica in Seattle, Weiss points out to students that Jewish people are often surrounded by stories of miracles given to ancestors of the faith. These stories contain rituals meant to remind us of God’s commitment to us, but we often don’t nail down the role of God in our own lives. However, said Weiss, we also don’t look for the meaning or the answers to our personal needs and desires, yet we sense that they, too, must be part of the “bigger plan.” “There are sociological and historical reasons for this,” Weiss said. “Today, we’re a product of the modern world. Faith, however, cannot be proven and it

8th

®

seattle 98109

Have you ever worried about which

(206) 622-3500

www.homeownersclub.org

A unique approach to music lessons Ages 3 to adult Leschi/Mt. Baker

Jay Hamilton

www.soundand.com 206-328-7694

I Saw Your Ad In JTNews!

Cinema Books 4735 Roosevelt Way ne

206-547-7667   

Books Posters stills

From all your favorite movies

2008 voted best thai restaurant by viewers of king 5 evening magazine

Factoria



3717 Factoria Blvd. SE Bellevue • 425.641.4008



1841 42nd Ave E, Seattle • 206.324.6467



Madison Park

Redmond Town Center 16480 NE 74th St. • 425.558.4044

Authentic Thai Cuisine

their everyday experience. “There is no agenda, and for some, it provides exactly what they need,” Weiss said. “Spiritual direction is really spiritual companioning. I might ask them if they have a spiritual practice and take them through maybe one of the daily morning prayers in a personal way. I use prayer a lot. “Or I might study text, or work with them to find an image for the feeling, or use a ritual. I also use scripture, and other writings.” According to Weiss, in the last 10 years, Spiritual Direction has been offered as part of the curriculum at the Jewish Theological Society, in the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, and Hebrew Union College. That is a strong indication, she said, that it is a missing element in traditional Jewish training programs but that it needs to be an essential component in their curriculums. “Sometimes a person is in the dark night of the soul where they don’t have trust,” she said. “I can hold that trust for them through their despair and anguish, or negativity and cynicism. There is in them that longing, to have more synthesis and more meaning. I really believe that the spiritual is the only salvation.” More information about Rabbi Zari Weiss’s spiritual exploration can be found at www.mishkanasacredplace.org or by calling 206-524-9274.

Night of Hanukkah

Ginger Doughnut Rounds

electrician to call for help? Which painter or carpenter or appliance repairman? For over 50 years the Home owners club has assisted thousands of local homeowners in securing quality and guaranteed home services! To join or for more information call…

sound and silence

cannot be compartmentalized. Also, the Holocaust was a breach of faith. And the institutionalization of religion has lost a lot of its realness.” For most Jews today, this intimate sharing of such sacred stories is unusual, if not foreign; so Weiss has developed a contemplative model called Mishkan, the Hebrew word for a sacred place of dwelling. As she uses this concept in her work, she wants Jews to open up and allow an “intimate sharing.” Maybe, she said, they can shed what she calls “their ambivalence or distrust” of the Godly realm. “Science is not the whole story, it’s not enough,” Weiss said. “We are spiritual beings. We have a longing for more. We want to know what it’s all about.” Weiss will be offering a three-class series on “Cultivating the Mind of God” for the Kadima Reconstructionist Community in December. In the class, she uses traditional teachings about God and prayers to help students explore their own relationship with God. Much like her one-on-one sessions, the class uses a combination of text study, discussion, and practice with Jewish prayer. According to Weiss, it doesn’t work for everyone all of the time, but for some, it provides a perfect setting for revealing truth, or bringing deeper meaning into

Issaquah

4512 Klahanie Dr SW klahanie qfc • 425.369.8233

Pacific Place

6th & Pine Sts., Seattle • 206.749.9100

Safeco Field

100 Level at Home Base

www.thaiginger.com

4 cups all-purpose flour 4 tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. baking soda 1-1/2 tsp. salt 1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1-3/4 cups sugar 2 oz. crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk 1/2 stick (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly 2 large eggs About 3 quarts vegetable oil for deep frying Special equipment: A 1-3/4-inch round cookie cutter; a deep-fat thermometer Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger in a large bowl. Whisk together 1 cup sugar and remaining 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger in a shallow bowl, to use for coating doughnuts after they’re fried. Pulse crystallized ginger with remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in buttermilk, butter, and eggs until smooth. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until a dough forms (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently 10 to 12 times, until it just comes together. Form into a ball. Lightly dust work surface and dough with flour and roll out dough into a 13-inch round with a floured rolling pin. Cut out rounds with floured cutter and transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet. Gather scraps, reroll, and cut out more rounds. (Reroll scraps only once.) Heat 3 inches oil in a 5-quart wide heavy pot until it registers 375°F on thermometer. Fry doughnuts in batches of 7 or 8, turning once with a wire skimmer or a slotted spoon, until golden brown, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Serve doughnuts warm, dredged in ginger sugar. Yield: About 42 small doughnuts. Time, start to finish: About 40 minutes. Cook’s note: The doughnuts can be fried (but not dredged in ginger sugar) up to 4 hours ahead. Cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 250°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, cool slightly, and dredge in ginger sugar.)

From Gourmet Today by Ruth Reichl (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009) 8th Night sponsored by:

CyNthia Williams • 206-769-7140 associate Broker, EcoBroker [email protected] Quorum-laurelhurst, inc. • www.seattlehomesforsale.net

24 jtnews

n

friday, November 13, 2009

in his own words

Return to Berlin A visit, by invitation, to the city of his birth from which he was forced to flee is a welcome change Henry Haas Special to JTNews Recently my wife and I spent one week in Berlin, Germany as guests of that city — a far different experience from when I visited in 1963, or when I was three months old and my parents had to flee the city to save our lives. The city invited us under a program initiated by Germany to reconcile its past with “former persecuted citizens of Berlin.” Trips like these are part of a broader national policy, which tries to make retribution while never forgetting its role. On April 8, 1938, I was born in Berlin into a Jewish family. We were forced to flee Germany, so my parents and I spent 1939 to 1947 in refuge in Shanghai, China, and subsequently emigrating to the United States in 1947. While in Shanghai, we, along with about 18,000 other Jewish refugees, lived in squalid and poor conditions and, for most of the war, under Japanese occupation. Now, in September 2009 in Berlin, we were part of a group of 36 former refugees and their spouses or guests who had been born in Berlin between 1931 and 1939 and forced to flee to many parts of the world. Everyone had a story. The participants came from the U.S., England, South America, South Africa, and Israel. The group included a Harvard medical professor, a cinematographer, engineers, librarians, an architect, business people, many from other walks of life, and me — a lawyer. Six of us had spent the war years in Shanghai. We shared our stories of survival, how we made it to our ultimate destinations, made our careers, and grew our families. New friends were made. The city wined and dined us for seven days, took us on tours of the city to the

Courtesy Henry Haas

Former Berliners who had escaped to Shanghai during the Holocaust before emigrating to the United States upon the war’s end. They were invited back at the behest of Berlin’s current mayor last summer. Local residents in this photo who visited were Rolf Preuss, left, of Seattle and Henry Haas, right, of Tacoma. historical Jewish sites, to the new Jewish Museum of Berlin, and to all of the Holocaust memorials, of which there were many. We visited City Hall, the German Parliament, cruised on the river Spree, and on and on. There were receptions, greetings, and remarks by the mayor of Berlin, the vice president of the German Parliament, the president of the Berlin House of Representatives, and the chief protocol officer of the city. The general tenor of the German representatives was one of accountability, determination that the events of the Holocaust would not be forgotten, and the prevention of a repetition addressed by legislative mandates. We were even treated to a performance of the opera La Traviata at the restored Berlin Opera house, located adjacent to a plaza where, on May 10, 1933, the Nazi party ordered the burning, in one night, of 20,000 books from authors throughout Germany and the world. Sitting in this plaza is a memorial: A trans-

Join the members of

Share your

Temple B’nai Torah, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, Episcopal Church of the Holy Apostles, and St. Louise Roman Catholic Church In giving thanks to God in prayer and song at a special

Thanksgiving Eve Interfaith Community Worship Service Wednesday, November 25th 7:30 pm at Temple B’nai Torah Rabbi James Mirel Cantor David Serkin-Poole Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg

15727 Northeast 4th Bellevue, WA 98008 425.603.9677

www.TempleBnaiTorah.org

parent glass panel in the plaza’s center where, upon looking down and through it, one can see only empty library shelves. Nearby is an inscription of a quote from the German philosopher Heinrich Heine: “There, where they burn books, so too in the end will they burn people.” There were many moving personal moments, such as standing where my family lived, where I was born, where my parents married and where my mother went to school. However, t he most moving and emotional event for me was when I stood on the train platform where my grandparents were transported to Auschwitz on March 23, 1943. Tears were shed, a flash of anger erupted. When in Berlin in 1963, I wanted to see where my parents, grandparents and many members of an extended family lived, worked, and worshipped, enjoying a full and rich life. Approximately 150 members of my family lost their lives in the Holocaust. In 1963, the Berlin Wall

divided the city, but what I wanted to see was in the eastern sector. My wife and I crossed at Checkpoint Charlie and, after an interrogation and a thorough search of our car, we spent the day in East Berlin. Back then it was a dark, dreary, and foreboding place and we were glad to return to the western sector, which had already begun its restoration. However, at that time, my personal mood was somber and angry. I particularly resented the plea “Aber, Herr Haas, wier haben nichts gewusst” (But Mr. Haas, we knew nothing). I simply did not accept the proposition that the generations old enough to have lived through the events of the 1920s and 1930s were not complicit. I did not have a sense of their collective or personal social or political accountability. Reflecting on the comparison between the 1963 and 2009 visits, there was a real and substantial difference. Certainly, the now-united Berlin is a much more beautiful city. Nevertheless, more important, there is a sincere acknowledgment of historic responsibility and a determination to ensure that similar events cannot be repeated. My persona l feel i ngs have a lso changed. The fact that current generations memorialize the Holocaust and are committed to prevent a recurrence is reassuring; there are numerous visible, public memorials about the Holocaust and one example among many is the lamppost banners in the area of the Bayerische Platz. The 2009 trip was a wonderful experience and a great gesture by the people of Berlin, and I am grateful I made the decision to accept the city’s invitation. Henry Haas, an attorney, lives in Tacoma.

Heart and Help make a Home!

The Temple De Hirsch Sinai Homeless Women’s Shelter is seeking volunteers The TDHS Women’s Shelter needs additional volunteers one night per month from 8:30 p.m. until 7 a.m., Monday through Friday. Both men and women are welcome, alone or with a friend, and training is provided. To volunteer or for more information: [email protected] or 206.323.8486

you like to do on X-mas eve and day. What’s open in your neighborhood? Where’s the party for You? We’re looking for things to do on the 25th specifically. But this year more

Drop us a note and let us know what

than ever, families will be looking for fun ways to pass the time closer to home while school’s out

Send your ideas to [email protected].

for two weeks.

So from arcades to museums, boat rides to mountain getaways, tell us all the best things to do around town, and we’ll include your ideas in our issues published December 11 &

December 25.