Jtnews | October 30, 2009

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the voice of jewish washington

Joel Magalnick

Andrew, a volunteer at the Jewish Family Service food sort on Sun., Oct. 18, wheels bags and boxes from the dropoff spot at the Acme Food Sales warehouse to a table where the packages were then sorted by type. After they were sorted, the food was taken to be boxed for easy identification. In under two hours, a record 350 volunteers finished sorting about 50,000 pounds of food, a dip of about 10,000 pounds over last year (though still more than the 40,000 donated in 2007).

Round two: Next Haq trial begins Leyna Krow Assistant Editor, JTNews The second trial for Naveed Haq began on Wed., Oct. 21 at the King County Superior Court. Haq, 34, the man who wounded five women and killed one at the office of the Jewish Federation in July of 2006, first stood trial in the spring of 2008. But after almost six weeks of testimony, members of the jury were unable to agree on 14 of the 15 counts against Haq. This time around, the charges against Haq have been lessened to eight counts in hopes of decreasing the number of points the new jury must agree upon to reach a verdict. Again, Haq is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity, with the defense claiming that mental illness aggravated by changes in his medication and treatment led Haq to attack the Jewish Federation. “If Mr. Haq was not mentally ill, you would have the perfect cold-blooded killing. But the evidence will show that this was because of an illness,” defense attorney John Carpenter said during his opening statement. Carpenter cited erratic behavior, road rage incidents, increased paranoia and an inability to hold a job as evidence of Haq’s declining mental state in the months prior to the shootings. He noted, however, that Haq had always been attentive to his own mental health needs, seeking out treatment from the time he was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder in college until just three days before the attack at the Jewish Federation when he checked in with his medication nurse. “Something that’s consistent in Mr. Haq’s history is that he has always sought help,” Carpenter said, later adding that, “It was the mental illness and medication that caused this shift .” Senior deput y prosecutor Don Raz argued that although Haq clearly suffers from mental illness, his actions cannot be attributed to his disorder. Rather, the shootings were a deliberate choice made out of anger, not delusion.

“Naveed Haq’s mental illness did not cause him to attack the Jewish Federation,” Raz said. “His anger did.” Raz pointed to well-thought-out documents Haq had written on a computer at his parents’ home in Pasco in the days before the shooting that detailed his frustration with both Israel’s war with Lebanon, which had been occurring at that time, and the U.S.’s involvement in the Middle East. Raz then described the process Haq went through to acquire the guns and ammunition he used for the attack, as well as his Internet searches that led him to learn about the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, all of which, according to Raz, indicated rational premeditation on Haq’s part. “He said he was doing this just to make a political statement,” Raz said. “In this day and age, what’s the quickest way to make a point? Get a gun, shoot a bunch of people and get on CNN.” In his opening statement, Raz also made reference to including newly admitted evidence to this trial, specifically, the phone calls that Haq made to his parents from jail in the days following his arrest in which he allegedly said he was proud of what he had done and assumed he would be hailed as a celebrity. In pretrial hearings, deputy prosecutor Erin Ehlert argued that the phone calls reflect Haq’s state of mind most closely to the time of the shootings, including his initial justifications for why he committed the attack and ought to be heard by the jury. They had not been heard during the first trial in 2008. “Why a person does something is extremely relevant,” Ehlert said. Judge Paris K. Kallas agreed to allow the jury to hear the phone calls. The trial’s first week focused primarily on testimony four of the five surviving victims of the shooting, Carol Goldman, Cheryl Stumbo, Christina Rexroad and Layla Bush. The first witness to take the stand was Kelsey Burkum,

Implications of Israeli inquiry into Goldstone present dilemma Leslie Susser JTA World News Service

ANALYSIS

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing one of the most acute dilemmas since his return to power last March: How to respond to the U.N.sponsored Goldstone report’s charges that Israel may have committed war crimes in the Gaza war last January. Pressure is mounting to establish an independent Israeli commission of inquiry. Key international players including the United States, Britain and France — even Richard Goldstone, the author of the U.N. report — have intimated that if Israel sets up a credible civilian inquiry, in Goldstone’s own words, it “would be the end of the matter.” Ending the Goldstone process would constitute a considerable diplomatic gain for Israel, and several members of the Israeli government, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, are advising Netanyahu to go that route. But Defense Minister Ehud Barak and the Israel Defense Forces are strongly against such an inquiry. They argue that a civilian-led investigation could cause chaos in the army, with senior officers looking for lawyers instead of focusing on military planning and training. On Oct. 25, after convening a meeting of his top advisers, senior ministers and the top IDF brass, Netanyahu made some initial decisions. He promised the army that whatever commission was finally decided on, no officers or soldiers would be called upon to testify. He also ordered a team of professionals under Justice Minister Yaacov Neeman to come up with a set of proposed legal, diplomatic and public relations counterpoints to the Goldstone report as soon as possible. On the commission of inquiry, Netanyahu seems to be leaning toward a compromise proposal by Attorney

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M.O.T.: Member of the Tribe Community Calendar What’s Your JQ? Arts & Entertainment Lifecycles The Shouk Classifieds

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November/December Family Calendar For complete details about these and other upcoming JFS events and workshops, please visit our website: www.jfsseattle.org For pArentS

Jewish Single Parent Family Get-Together Share ideas for the upcoming holidays and make fun crafts with your children. m november 8 (Sunday) 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Held at JFS, 1601 – 16th Avenue, Seattle Advance registration required. Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or [email protected]

Emotion Coaching An Essential Part of Your Parenting Toolbox! Class is full, please contact us to be placed on the wait list. Emotion coaching helps parents guide their children through life’s ups and downs in a way that builds confidence, resilience and strong relationships. m november 17 (tuesday) 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Held at JFS, 1601 – 16th Avenue, Seattle Advance registration required. $12/person or $18/couple. Scholarships available. Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or [email protected]

PEPS

For children oF Aging pArentS

Understanding Changes in Our Aging Parents: A Focus on Dementia & Memory Loss Part of the Caring for Our Aging Parents Workshop Series m december 7 (monday) 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Held at BCMH in the Seward Park neighborhood of Seattle Advance registration encouraged. $10/person. Scholarships are available; please ask if interested. Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or [email protected]

For AdultS Age 60+

Endless Opportunities A community-wide program offered in partnership with Temple B’nai Torah & Temple De Hirsch Sinai. EO events are free and open to the public.

A Taste of Israel november 3 (tuesday) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Temple De Hirsch Sinai – Foyer 1441 16th Ave., Seattle m

A New Partnership with JFS! PEPS is now offering a peer support group experience for parents of newborns within a culturally sensitive context. Jewish and interfaith parents are invited to join us! Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or [email protected] or go to http://www. pepsgroup.org/register-for-peps/jfs.

Mom2Mom Provides ideas, support and connections to 1st or 2nd time moms through peer mentorship. Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or [email protected]

Volunteer & mAke A diFFerence! Rewarding opportunities are currently available. For details, please see Volunteer Opportunities on our website, or contact Jane Deer-Hileman, Director of Volunteer Services, (206) 861-3155 or [email protected]

Check out the new Jewish Family Service website at www.jfsseattle.org!

For the community

AA Meetings at JFS tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. JFS, 1601 – 16th Ave, Seattle Contact Eve M. Ruff, (206) 861-8782 or [email protected] m

When Someone You Care About is Ill Jewish Tradition and Bikur Holim Learn how our Jewish tradition provides meaningful and practical guidance for visiting the sick and infirm. m november 19 (thursday) 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Held at Congregation Beth Shalom 6800 35th Ave NE, Seattle Advance registration required. $10/person. Scholarships available. Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or [email protected]

Latkes Taste Great with Everything! Chanukah Potluck for Interfaith Couples & Families Blending two tastes together is part of being an interfaith family. Join us for this special dinner with a chance for discussion and songs to get you ready for Chanukah and the winter holidays. We will provide kosher potato pancakes and a dessert; please bring a vegetarian dish to share. m december 5 (Saturday) 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Held at Montlake Community Center 1618 East Calhoun Street, Seattle Advance registration required. Contact Emily Harris-Shears at (206) 861-8784 or [email protected]

For JewiSh women

Outing to The Museum of History and Industry Exhibit of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest m november 5 (thursday) 1:15 – 3:00 p.m. Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) 2700 24th Ave. East, Seattle

“Who’s Minding the Store?” Celebrating 150 years of Jewish Business and Commerce m november 12 (thursday) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Temple De Hirsch Sinai – Foyer 1441 16th Ave., Seattle

“The Golden Age of Radio” With Neal and Linda Schulman m november 19 (thursday) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. Temple B’nai Torah 15727 NE 4th St., Bellevue RSVP Ellen Hendin, (206) 861-3183 or [email protected] regarding all Endless Opportunities programs.

Programs of Project DVORA (Domestic Violence Outreach, Response & Advocacy) are free of charge.

Kids Club Helping Children Who Have Witnessed Domestic Violence A 12-week series of classes for mothers and their children aged 9-12. FREE Registration deadline for this class is January 5, 2010. Contact Project DVORA, (206) 461-3240 or [email protected] for dates, times and location

Hanukkah Celebration For Survivors of Intimate Partner Abuse Join Project DVORA and spiritual leader Ruz Gulko for an afternoon of food, discussion, ritual and song. m Sunday, december 13 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Confidential location. Contact Project DVORA, (206) 461-3240 or [email protected]

1601 - 16th Avenue, Seattle www.jfsseattle.org / (206) 461-3240

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rabbi’s turn

On the economy within

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The solution to our economic malaise is to throw off the chains of greed and fear

Rabbi Chaim Levine LivingJudaism The problem with trying to find the solution to the current economic instability is that the answer has nothing to do with money. The solution is this: We are Blessed. Beyond imagination. How could this be the answer? Aside from the fact that it is one of the most fundamental truths we can ever know, gratitude is a spiritual state that unleashes creativity, perspective, and all the wisdom we need to walk through life. Imagine if collectively, as a nation, we turned toward gratitude. How would that change our thinking about how much money we have, what we consume, and our understanding of what is happening right now? Judaism teaches that what happens in the outside world is always, always, a reflection of what is happening on the inside world. A greedy mind is a mind without wisdom and common sense. A fearful mind is a mind without wisdom and common sense. The insecurity we

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.

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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

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see today is the inevitable result of people living in a state of agitation, without peace of mind. The solution therefore  is in the opposite direction. Seeing with eyes of gratitude; feeling like “but for the grace of God go I,” is a simple, honest truth about our lives, no matter what our financial position may be at the moment. It’s also the most practical course of action we could take to deal with the financial situation or any situation. The reason is simple: What perpetuates downward and upward spirals is the very thing that created it in the first place. People  feel bound by their fearful or sometimes greedy thinking. The moment this changes we will begin  again to do commerce with perspective and confidence. Our minds will automatically move from focusing on what we don’t have to seeing what we can do with what we do have. This shift spurs the creativity, perspective, and vision to see and capitalize on the daily opportunities that are being created around us. On any given day in Jewish life, gratitude  is being  imbedded in our experience  through the blessings we make

during the day. There is a custom to say a beautiful prayer of thanks the moment we open our eyes in the morning. We have blessings in the morning for the most simple, yet fundamental, things about being alive. We make blessings of thanks before and after we have the privilege of eating. The Talmud actually states that we should strive each day to say at least a hundred blessings; a hundred moments of focusing us on gratitude; a hundred opportunities to not focus on what we don’t have and to treasure what we do. On a personal level, this moment in time is an opportunity for all of us to have a shift in our relationship to money and its value in our life. We have to ask ourselves, if what we truly value is all the things money cannot buy — family, love, giving — then why does it frighten us so much if we lose money? Have we started to believe that people who don’t have money can’t have those things? That is impossible. So, as they say these days, “It’s on us.”  Having said that, we are all human and have our moments of frailty. It’s a given that we are going to have moments of feeling frightened, regretful, and like we’ve

“lost” that something that makes us feel secure. There will be times that it looks like security can only come from something outside of us. How do we relate to those moments? Does it seem like our human frailty is coming out, or more like we really have something to be afraid of?  I’m not suggesting there aren’t people going through great challenges. People have been forced to sell their homes, declare bankruptcy, and file for unemployment. However,  many of the people who face these challenges go through with great grace, perspective, and yes, even gratitude. We have all met people like this in our lives. What allows them to do so is their level of understanding about where value and joy come from at any given moment. Their understanding protects and guides them through the most difficult times and lights a path for the rest of us when we are feeling challenged. It’s time for us to turn away from the “problem” and continue looking toward the solution. Time to look for the feeling that  comes from seeing we are truly blessed. As always, gratitude will save the day.

Letters Making us look bad I was puzzled by the story, “Answering questions on Iran” (Oct., 16) about the meeting at De Hirsch on “the Iran threat.” The puzzle is that Iran is not a threat and every rational person who examines the details agrees with the inspectors that the notion that there is a threat is a fiction. To host a “discussion” in which a false view of reality is contained in the title (“Facing the Iranian Threat”) of the event indicates someone is intent on fostering lies and confusion. As a Jew and an informed and moral human being, I am disgusted that any Jewish organization, indeed any organization committed to justice in any form, would sponsor an event that clearly is just a pack of lies, simple war mongering. Why are so many Jews so gullible when it comes to right-wing nuts trying to make war? It is just like Iraq all over again and people pretend there is a discussion to have, an open issue to debate. There is not. There simply is no threat! Must the right-wing nuts constantly embarrass us? Why do we let the insane fanatics define the way the world perceives “the Jewish perspective”? These jackasses just lie to create war for their own profit and they make us all look bad in the process. Who are these lying pigs and why does anyone listen to them? Dr. Richard Curtis, Seattle

A danger to the free world The Islamic Republic of Iran is a despotic fundamentalist military dictatorship whose goal is hegemony in the Middle East. Iran’s ability to acquire nuclear missile technology is a threat to Israel, its Arab neighbors, Europe and America and would set off an arms race in the Middle East. Richard Silverstein in his Special to JTNews “Misunderstanding the Iranian threat” (Oct. 16) would have you believe that the diplomacy that hasn’t worked for the past 30 years with Iran is the sensible way to proceed and all who disagree with him are “partisan and hard-line.” He, on the other hand, is even-handed and moderate. Nothing could be further from reality. Mr. Silverstein, who is more comfort-

able with the likes of Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky, has assembled a disgruntled former AIPAC employee, the head of the National Iranian Council of America (no partisanship there), and a political scientist from the University of Pennsylvania to be on a panel to discuss the true path in dealing with Iran. Mr. Silverstein gets many of his facts a bit skewed as well.  In a recent Washington Post/ABC poll, 78 percent of Americans favor strong sanctions against Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. That number approaches 90 percent among Jews. He states that 1/3 of Jews don’t favor an attack on Iran. What is more telling is that 2/3 would favor such action even though none of the organizations that support sanctions against Iran favor an attack unless it is an absolute last resort. He makes a point of saying that unless you visit Iran one cannot comment on its “history and political landscape.” Tell that to all the journalists and academics  who have been silenced, imprisoned or worse for commenting on  this landscape. Mr. Silverstein’s description of the brutal, repressive, terror-supporting, Holocaust-denying  and murderous Iranian  regime as an “unsavory lot” says much about how he views this threat. Mr. Silverstein is certainly entitled to air  his views on Iran, but he should  be careful when he  labels people who disagree with him as right-wing warmongers. Iran is a danger to the free world and preventing them from developing a nuclear weapon by placing strong sanctions as an incentive is recognized by all serious Iran analysts as well as our European allies as the way to proceed. We are hardly rightwing warmongers. Dr. Michael Spektor, Bellevue

Apologists I was dismally shocked and horrified to see JTNews run an Op-Ed by Edwin Black a few weeks back that used the title “Holocaust Industry,” (“Confronting the Holocaust ‘industry,’” Oct. 2) the phrase invented by the country’s worst Jewish anti-Semite, Norman Finkelstein, to justify the claim by neo-Nazis that Israel uses the

Holocaust to justify its “crimes.” Was the JTNews trying to grant credibility to Finkelstein, himself generally seen as a neo-Nazi and Holocaust denier? And then soon following that, JTNews saw fit to run a column by Seattle’s leading apologist for Finkelstein, the anti-Semitic Jewish blogger and pro-terror, Israel-hating smear master Richard Silverstein. Silverstein has yet to hear of an Islamic terrorist he does not wish to cheer on as a “moderate,” nor an Israeli he does not think needs to be bombed in order to promote peace. He favors Israel’s annihilation as part of the so-called “one state solution,” in which Israel is replaced by a Muslim Arab state with a Jewish minority. William Arenstein, Ramat Gan, Israel

The absurdity Thank you for your support of Referendum 71 (Editorial, Oct. 16). I agree that it is absurd to put people’s happiness and rights to a vote. These rights and responsibilities are important to me, my partner of 22 years, and many, many others in Washington. Lisa E. Schuchman, Seattle

Enough laws You are absolutely incorrect in your portrayal of Referendum 71. Everyone has the ability to make out a power of attorney that will enable him/her to do everything you say some people can’t do now. We already have in place the legal means and don’t need another. Suzette Cohen, Steilacoom

The missing ingredient Just wanted to say a great big thank you to everyone at JTNews who helped solve the problem of the missing ingredient. I was in the midst of making the Beekeeper’s Bundt Cake (“Eat something sweet!” Sept. 11) when I realized that there was an error in the ingredient list. It was late in the afternoon when I called, hoping to get a hold of Emily Moore, the food columnist. Emily was unavailable, but your staff was so incredible. Within 30 minutes, (and

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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 3 n future deadlines may be found online

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viewpoints

Expanding the tribe What Israelis need to know about intermarriage in North America Edmund C. Case JTA World News Service NEWTON, Mass. (JTA) — In the wake of the Masa “Lost Jews” controversy last month, reports that Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky believes that Israeli Jews need to understand Jewish life in the Diaspora better are welcome. But what do Israelis need to know about intermarriage — and who is going to tell them? By implicitly equating assimilation and intermarriage, the ad by the Jewish Agency for Israel-funded scholarship organization (MASA) expressed a misconception that appears frequently in the English-language Israeli press. All agree that assimilation — the loss of Jewish identity and connection — is terrible. But intermarriage does not necessarily result in loss of Jewish identity. To the contrar y, intermarriage is already enlarging American Jewish communities. The 2005 Boston Jewish Community Survey found that 60 percent of interfaith families are raising their children as Jews, and concluded that “although intermarriage is generally presumed to have a negative impact on the size of the Jewish population, in Boston it appears to have increased [it].” In addition, more than 25 percent of the member families in Reform synagogues are intermarried; the Reform movement has been growing in both numbers and market share.

Moreover, the influx of non-Jewish partners has the potential to qualitatively enrich Jewish life. At InterfaithFamily.com, we’ve attracted thousands of personal narratives. Many Jewish partners express a very strong commitment to Jewish life and have very supportive non-Jewish partners. One intermarried man wrote to his father about his young daughter: “Dad, you won’t believe this, but she speaks Hebrew. She goes to synagogue and observes Shabbat. She almost knows more about our people and our religion than I do, probably because she pays more attention in services than I ever did. She is a Jew, Dad. I want you to know that.” Many people tell us that because they are in interfaith relationships, they work harder at their Jewish involvement. One interdating Jewish woman described her feelings as she brought her non-Jewish boyfriend to meet her Holocaust-survivor grandparents: “I desperately wanted my grandparents to know that dating Nathan had not made me any less Jewish and had, in many ways, strengthened my personal commitment to a faith that was easy to take for granted in a Jewish home, a Jewish grade school, and a largely Jewish community.” Many intermarried parents recognize the importance of giving children a single religious identity, and there are particular aspects of Jewish life that appeal to them. One wrote about Shabbat, “When

we sit down together, there’s a peacefulness that comes over us. Something about it, about the ancient Jewish prayers, about being linked to a worldwide tradition, about sharing it together, all of us, has truly brought the beauty and bond of Judaism into our intermarried home.” Another wrote, “I enjoyed the Jewish encouragement of asking and answering questions. I am still fascinated that through the guidance of texts, traditions and teachers, I have the freedom to question my religion and search for answers.” Intermarriage also has the potential to increase support for Israel in America. The entire extended family of the non-Jewish partner becomes related to a Jew, and to that extent connected with the Jewish community. Many young adult children with one Jewish parent are interested enough to participate in growing numbers in Birthright Israel trips, returning to America with strengthened Jewish identity. One non-Jewish wife on an Israel Encounter interfaith couples’ trip told us that when the tour director greeted the group by welcoming them “home,” she bristled, thinking, “I do not agree with the politics of this country and this is not my home.” “But by the end of the trip, I felt as though I was leaving my extended family, leaving my home. I am carrying this momentum with me back to Atlanta,” she said. “For the first time in I am embarrassed to admit how long, we went to

Shabbat services. It just seemed right after being in Jerusalem for our last Shabbat. I purchased a transliterated siddur so that I can follow along at services next Friday. I am also attempting to learn Hebrew. I am determined to read and speak some basic Hebrew when we return ‘home.’” Israelis don’t have a monopoly on viewing intermarriage as a danger; there are North American critics of the Boston survey and of the Reform movement. Rabbi Norman Lamm’s hateful comment that Reform has grown by “add[ing] goyim to Jews” suggests that he would write off the young woman who now thinks of Israel as “home.” So it is very important in providing Israelis with information about Jewish life in North America that some of the perspectives come from people who consider intermarriage not a threat but an opportunity that cries out for a positive response. The “Lost Jews” ad was interpreted in America as attacking mixed marriages, and that generated a very negative reaction. People will not be attracted to a community, a country or a way of life if they do not feel welcomed. Helping Israelis to learn not to think and talk about intermarriage as the equivalent of assimilation will contribute to increased Jewish identity and connection among intermarried families — something that is of vital interest to the Jewish communities of both North America and Israel. Edmund C. Case is CEO of InterfaithFamily.com. This originally appeared in The Jerusalem Post.

QFC Invites You to Share Your Feast This Holiday Season By Kristin Maas, QFC Public Affairs Director

What’s for breakfast or dinner is something we may not always know or plan ahead for, but most of us know that there will be something for breakfast, lunch and dinner today. Unfortunately, many families in our region are going hungry — more than ever in recent memory. Food Lifeline is Western Washington’s largest hunger relief agency; providing more than 17 million meals in 2008. • 51% of the hungry people Food Lifeline serves must choose between food and paying for heat. • 40% of the hungry people Food Lifeline serves must choose between food and paying for medicine or medical care. • 40% of the hungry people Food Lifeline serves must choose between food and rent. So, what can we do to help? In 2002, QFC launched our annual Share Your Feast food drive benefiting Food Lifeline and their more than 300 member agencies, including neighborhood food banks, shelters, and hot meal programs. QFC is offering several ways customers can get involved: • Customers are able to purchase and donate $10 prepackaged bags of groceries for neighborhood food banks (a savings of up to 43% off regular retail prices). • Customer can donate cash at any QFC checkstand November 1st, 2009 through January 2nd, 2010. • Customers can donate their 3¢ bag reuse credit to Food Lifeline. • Customers can purchase and donate food bank recommended items, identified by shelf tags throughout the store.

We also have 3 vendor partners who are offering donations to Food Lifeline: • Kendall-Jackson will donate $2 for every case of selected wines sold in QFC stores during Share Your Feast. • Full Sail Brewing Company will donate $1 for every case of selected beer varieties sold in QFC stores during Share Your Feast. • Certified Angus Beef ® Brand will donate one pound of ground beef for every $10 Share Your Feast bag sold in QFC stores, up to a total donation value of $25,000. WOW!

We all know that the economy is tough and that everyone has tightened their financial belts. But if each of us can help a little, it will make a huge difference in the lives of hungry people throughout our community. No one should go hungry — please join us and Share Your Feast this holiday season. Thank you!

Kristin Maas is the Director of Public Affairs for QFC. She can be reached at [email protected] or 425-990-6182.

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Jews on the ballot: Fred Taucher

Jews on the ballot: Dave Kaplan

Everett port commissioner candidate brings unorthodox experience and ideas to his campaign

Des Moines councilmember up for reelection focuses on keeping city services sustainable

Leyna Krow

Joel Magalnick

Assistant Editor, JTNews Fred Taucher speaks the language of international business. Literally. Not only is he fluent in both Japanese and German, Taucher boasts several decades’ worth of experience working with foreign corporations as a former employee for the European Space Administration and Canon Camera in Japan, and as a member of the Advisory Board Trade Development Alliance and the Washington-China Relations Committee. “None of the [current] port commissioners have that kind of experience,” he said. “None of them know how to get business to Everett.” That’s why he’s applying for the job. Taucher, who will be 77 in January, is one of five candidates running for the District 2 position of commissioner for the Port of Everett. Taucher ran before for port commissioner in 2005 and lost. “That was my first time running for any political office. It’s very rare to win your first time,” he said. “I think my chances are a little better now.” If elected, Taucher said he hopes to make changes to both the kind of business the port does and the way the port is run. Currently, the Port of Everett has three commissioners who each serve six-year terms. Taucher would like to see instead five commissioners serving for four years each for the sake of expanding the diversity of opinion on the commission and increasing the amount of thought and discussion that goes into port decisions. As for the port itself, Taucher said he would focus heavily on developing foreign business partners for the Port of Everett. “For instance, right now automobiles coming from Asia are going to Tacoma or Portland rather than Everett,” he said. “There’s no reason for that.” Taucher said he hopes to foster relationships with automobile manufacturers in Japan as well as China, which he expects will begin selling cars to the U.S. in the coming years. Focusing the Port of Everett’s attention on automobile shipping will have an added benefit for Everett residents as well by decreasing the need for unsightly cranes along the Everett waterfront. “Most cars come from the factory with enough gas in the tank to be driven on and off the ships,” he explained. Taucher said that he has been attending community meetings to introduce himself to people in Everett and explain his goals for the port. Campaigning for port commissioner is particularly challenging however, he said, because it’s not a position most people know a lot about. “I try to talk about why I want to be port commissioner, and then afterwards

Letters t Page 3 after closing time) I had a call back from the JTNews Honey Cake Department with the missing ingredient and the amount. You saved the day, and the cake was awesome. My family and guests all send a great big thanks! Marcia Rubenstein, Silverdale Editor’s Note: For those still hoping to make the cake, the missing ingredient was 1/2 cup white sugar. The corrected recipe can be found online at www.jtnews.net.

people come up to me and ask what a port commissioner does,” Taucher lamented. Taucher admits that he may not have much in the way of political experience, but likes to think that he makes up for it with life experience. Well past the age most people choose to retire, he still serves as chairman for Corporate Computer, Inc., which he founded in the 1980s. Taucher is a U.S. military veteran who served during the Korean War. He has traveled extensively and is a martial arts black belt, claiming expertise in Judo and karate. Yet his childhood was far different from most of his contemporaries: Taucher spent his early years hiding from the Nazis in Berlin during World War II. Born the same year Hitler came to power in Germany, Taucher’s survival to adulthood hinged on luck and personal connections. He and his brother were sheltered and given fake ID cards by a pair of German women who were friendly with Taucher’s parents. The siblings were the only members of their family to survive the war. Today, Taucher volunteers as a speaker for the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center, telling his story at local schools. He also recently returned to Berlin to participate in a documentary being made about Jewish children hidden during the war. Taucher is a member of Temple Beth Or. He lives with his wife in Everett.

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Editor, JTNews David Kaplan’s got work to do. The second-term Des Moines cit y councilmember originally ran for office in 1997 because he saw a need for economic development and an intransigent council standing in the way. Today, his platform is based on those same issues, though with different circumstances. “It’s a very difficult economic climate,” Kaplan told JTNews. “It’s horrible. There’s a lot of businesses that have closed just this year, and we anticipate that there’s going to be others before it all shakes out.” T h is sma l l cit y of about 29,0 0 0 (according to 2006 figures) and almost seven square miles has long had trouble attracting business development, Kaplan said, and one of his ongoing goals has been to make the town more business-friendly. “The city’s at a crossroads and…we need to continue to make some progress in terms of [having a] business base in town if we’re able to sustain the services that the city’s currently providing,” Kaplan said. Though he does see some of the city’s council unw illing to move for ward, the majority, he believes, are in favor of doing what it takes to strengthen the Des Moines economy.

Courtesy Dave Kaplan

This next term, should he be reelected — he’s got two challengers for his seat — will be about addressing the city’s revenue streams and business base. Kaplan said that in its current state, since the passage of Initiative 695, Des Moines has been running off of one-time infusions into the budget. I-695 is the 10-year-old initiative that reduced the state’s motor vehicles excise tax to $30. While the initiative itself was declared unconstitutional, the gist of the bill was later passed into law by the legislature. “There are no more one-time projects to bail our butt out,” Kaplan said. “We need to make the budget sustainable and we need to bring in revenue.” Some of the ideas he said he is working on include development of about 90 acres of land purchased by the Port of Seattle when it developed the second runway at SeaTac Airport that have gotten “nibbles” from developers, he said, as well as

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to honor israel’s soldiers

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

Confidential help is just a phone call away. Contact Eve M. Ruff at (206) 861-8782 or e-mail [email protected]. You have questions, we have answers.

Des Moines City Councilman and candidate Dave Kaplan.

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community news

Fighting the blowback Visiting Israeli StandWithUs fellows meet with appreciation, resistance for Jewish State Joel Magalnick Editor, JTNews W hat surprised Naama Lev i and Doron Dvir was the appreciation they got from people outside of Seattle’s Jewish community. The two Israelis, ages 25 and 24 respectively, spent six weeks in the area as fellows for the international arm of the Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs. They had an often-full daily calendar of speaking at both Jewish and non-Jewish institutions, including schools, churches and synagogues about daily life in Israel and their experiences serving in the army. “They assumed it was going to be critical throughout and many people were very welcoming,” said Rob Jacobs, executive director of StandWithUs’ Northwest chapter. But plenty of people wanted to hear what these Israelis had to say. When they went to visit high school classes, they said that though some of the students asked if Israelis traveled by camel, they learned from Levi and Dvir’s lives, including stories about their army experience and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which they said they did their best not to portray as a black-and-white issue. “After so many years of hearing that speakers were going out to the schools sort of representing the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel perspective, it was nice to be able to put some young people in front of the students who they were able to identify with,” Jacobs said. Levi mentioned a mixed group of Jews and non-Jews at an informal event they attended during one of their last days in town. “They wanted to know. They were curious about our experience as Israelis. They put some good questions, some hard questions. They were looking to hear answers, but they weren’t blocked,” she said. “They were there to listen, and

Joel Magalnick

StandWithUs International Israeli fellows Naama Levi and Doron Dvir, who spent six weeks in Seattle representing their home country. I think that’s what we accept the most — people willing to be curious and openminded about how does it really go.” “We’re trying to show all sides of the conflict,” Dvir said. “When they finish our lecture, [their] time with us, they feel, I think, they’re getting a lot of information from both sides.” Yet the pair was also surprised by the amount of misinformation they heard from Seattleites about their home country. “I had conversations with people from the Jewish community and from the nonJewish community, and I heard a lot of things I felt like, ‘This is not the army or this is not the country I know,’” Dvir said. “We heard that the Israeli soldiers [were] authorized to rape and kill Palestinian women, and Israeli soldiers killed Palestinians and buried them in unmarked graves, and just hitting and beating up innocent Palestinians,” said Dvir, who served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces. “[These are] not the things I was told to do and these were not the orders I received as a soldier.” What they had learned during their ninemonth training period — a volunteer effort done concurrently while they attended uni-

versity, and from which they were selected out of about 150 applicants — was that they would expect to find “anti-Israel” sentiments on college campuses throughout the U.S. Seattle was no exception. “[We] read all kinds of materials that were spread around the university — terrible, terrible things about the state of Israel, about the IDF,” Levi said. “Then you go and you talk to people from the Jewish community, and you expect them at least to be supportive of Israel, the Israel that you know and grew up in in the past 25 years.” They were shocked, however, in the instances that that was not the case. “People who barely visited Israel are putting facts to your face that they read somewhere or some rumors that they’ve [heard] about,” Levi said. That included an event they attended that featured two Israeli Army refuseniks strongly critical of its policies. “I couldn’t believe that someone out of my country, an Israeli girl at the age of 18…told that to people,” Levi said. “These people [that hear] that later on go to other people and say, ‘Yeah, we heard this Israeli say — and this and that and that.’ That’s so wrong.”

But expressing those sentiments to outsiders wasn’t all that was wrong, Levi said. So were their facts, particularly in regard to statements she said they made about Israeli discrimination against women. “A lie that is told is still a lie, no matter how many times you are telling it,” Levi said. “[This refusenik] chose not to go in the army, and I’m a lieutenant in the Israel Defense forces…. There are a number of women in the Israeli parliament — more than in America. We had a prime minister who was a woman. Our head of the Knesset is a woman…. The head of the Supreme Court is a woman. That’s fact. It’s not what I think about it.” Dvir said he was disappointed that their visit to the Kadima Reconstructionist Community was met with closed minds. “They were very polite, but I felt all the time while I was talking, they asked me, is it true…about Israelis torturing or killing, or…illegal orders of the Israeli soldiers against the Palestinians,” he said. Dvir said he never received orders he felt were illegal or immoral, and that he and his fellow soldiers would jeopardize their own lives to keep civilians safe. His response was greeted with disbelief. “I saw them looking among each other and smiling, and in the end they told me, ‘Okay, maybe you’re just saying half the truth, maybe you’re lying, you’re naïve. It’s not what’s going on there.’ What can I say? I served there. I’ve seen it,” he said. “I felt like I’m talking to someone who has already made up his mind. They were very polite, and they were very nice, but I felt like they [didn’t] come there to listen.” Rainer Waldman Adkins, Kadima’s program director, said he didn’t feel those sentiments from his congregants. “I did not get a sense that people were telling them that they were naïve or speaking half-truths,” Adkins said. “I heard from a number of Kadima people that they really admired [Levi and Dvir] being there and their comportment, sharing their stories and responding to people, and that people appreciated…that the two of them had a more complex view of things than might have been the stereotype.”

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community news

Awards and honors all around Also: Coke and a smile • Virginia Mason CEO recognized

Diana Brement JTNews Columnist A UW graduate is rubbing shoulders and leashes with some of Hollywood’s most popular stars and their pets. Jacob Fenton, originally from Portland, graduated from the Universit y of Washington in 2001 with a business degree. While attending the U, he served as undergraduate president of Hillel and chair of the Senior Student Body Council.

Courtesy Jacob Fenton

Jacob Fenton, who received the Golden Heart award from Much Love Animal Rescue, with his best friend. Now living in Los Angeles and working for United Talent Agencies, he’s an active volunteer for Much Love Animal Rescue (www.muchlove.org) and recently received their Golden Heart Award. This is given annually to an animal advocate for helping abused and neglected animals. Jacob’s friend and client Tori Spelling presented the award at the organization’s “Bow Wow Howlywood” fundraiser in August where Jacob shared the stage with Priscilla Presley and other Hollywood luminaries. Jacob has been involved with the nokill shelter since moving to California almost nine years ago. His family, owners and operators of the Elmer’s Restaurant chain for many years, has a long history of community activism in the Northwest. •••

Adam Ray

George Cox, president of the Alexander Hamilton Friends Association. George Cox, president of the Seattle-based non-profit Alexander Hamilton Friends Association, has been invited to serve on the 2010 National Selection Committee of the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. The foundation, established in 1986 by Coca-Cola bottlers and The Coca-Cola Compa ny, prov ides college scholarships for outstanding young people across the country. George says he is excited and honored to have been chosen, “but it is less of a personal recognition than it is a reflec-

tion of the work we have done these past five years at Hamilton Friends.” Hamilton Friends recognizes high school juniors around the country who exhibit the characteristics of the young Alexander Hamilton — economically challenged high achievers with proven public service records — by enrolling them as Hamilton Scholars in its Hamilton Leaders Academy. The academy is a mentoring program that helps students develop strong character traits and leadership skills, gain an appreciation for America’s heritage, become financially literate and successfully transition to college and beyond (www.hamiltonfriends.org). J. Mark Davis, president of the CocaCola Scholars Foundation, says several Coca-Cola scholarship winners have been Hamilton scholars and it did not go unnoticed. “That’s what brought Hamilton Friends to our attention,” said Davis. “They are obviously doing something right.” The foundation awards 450 scholarships annually. Slightly more than half are for $20,000 ($5,000 per year renewable up to four years). The remainder are for $10,000, also on a renewable basis. This represents a commitment of $7 million over a four-year period. When he’s not involved in the Hamilton organization (which he founded), George works at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, and says, “I’m still on the board of Temple Beth Am and I’m still married to Puddin [his wife, also known as Carolyn].” ••• Gary S. Kaplan, M.D., chairman and CEO of Seattle-based Virginia Mason Medical Center, was recognized twice by his peers with important awards this month. First, he was given the Harr y J. Harw ick Lifetime Ach ievement Award during t he Med ica l Group Management Associat ion’s a n nua l conference. P resented to Courtesy Virginia Mason one individual Virginia Mason CEO each year, the Gary Kaplan. award recognizes contributions to health-care administration, delivery and education. A few days later, Gary accepted the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award from the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission (a hospital accreditation group). He was quick to share the honors with the people with whom he works. The awards “really reflect the work of a fabulous team effort at Virginia Mason committed to breaking new ground in quality and patient safety and creating the perfect patient experience,” he said. It is “all about a commitment to leadership [of a] team, and commitment to finding the very best ways to…create an environment where people can do their very best work.” As a member of Health CEOs for Health Reform, Gary is part of a coalition of health-care leaders dedicated to creating a more sustainable health system. He was part of a select group invited to the White House earlier this year to discuss health-care reform and share the achievements of his VMMC team. Gary is married to Wendy, a member of the board of the Seattle chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

The Jerusalem Post Crossword Puzzle By Matt Gaffney

Across 1 Country retreat 6 Like some kugel 10 Mimics 14 When some seders end 15 Prefix for phobia 16 Cleveland Jewish News location 17 Noted Dustin Hoffman portrayal 19 Black Jew Bonet 20 “Previously owned,” in ad-speak 21 Streisand-Hepburn 1968 Oscars event 23 Gay Jewish writer Raphael 24 Allegra Goodman’s workplace, perhaps 27 Arctic bird 29 “Fear Street” creator 31 He shared a Nobel with Menachem 33 Mountain’s top, maybe 36 Laughter sound 38 Biblical verb ending 39 Unlike Sarah Michelle Gellar 42 Before 43 Mayim Bialik’s show 46 “___ To Me” (Tim Roth show) 47 Finished 49 ___ Alamos (Feynman’s hangout) 50 TV miniseries of 1981 52 Wallenberg facilitated many 55 Mexican bread 56 It borders Gaza 58 But, to Browning 60 Second in command, for short 61 His wife became a pillar of the community 62 Electronics giant 65 Temple no-no 67 Tons 69 Yiddish speakers 74 “There you have it!” 75 26-down, er, delicacy 76 Make one 77 Shabbat does it with Havdalah 78 Skater Lipinski 79 Actor George

Answers on page 9

Down 1 Goldman Sachs concern 2 Singer DiFranco 3 Dr. Brown’s ___-Ray soda 4 Overseas donations 5 Irving and Tan 6 Second book of the Bible 7 Jeweler’s stock 8 It’s often shooed 9 Entebbe hero Netanyahu 10 It comes before “.com” 11 “Einstein on the Beach” composer 12 JTS Chancellor Arnold 13 Wine variety 18 Zionist poet Goldberg 22 Computer key 24 Used frumster.com 25 First month in Madrid 26 Sondheim classic 28 Sadat once addressed it 30 Zeta Beta ___ (Jewish fraternity) 32 Teacher 34 Extra pds. 35 Hemingway title word 37 Fitzgerald of scat 40 Beach resorts 41 Passover no-no 44 Alley ___ 45 It may show Israel 48 Uri Geller claim 51 Ship’s route 53 Jewish Comm. ___ 54 Kathy Griffin, for one 56 Send to cloud nine 57 Heights of controversy 59 Poetic work 63 Rank of Dreyfus, e.g. 64 Iran’s setting 66 Burden 68 Profs’ helpers 70 Part of HMS 71 Inspirational speaker Ziglar 72 “Make ___ double!” 73 Voice actor Blanc

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Dave Kaplan t Page 5 sprucing up the limited number of commercial areas in the city. “In the past we haven’t been able to take advantage of it, and we can’t afford to do that anymore,” he said. The four-year gap in Kaplan’s council career came from a scandal that resulted in the resignation of the city’s appointed mayor Don Wasson in 2003. Wasson was alleged to have stacked the Des Moines council with candidates who would have been in favor of building SeaTac’s third runway, a position the city was firmly against. A developer who

had hoped to create a conveyor system on the city’s waterfront to provide the runway’s infill was alleged to have given $1,000 to Wasson and $49,000 to the three candidates’ campaigns, which they narrowly won. The total expenditures for all nine city council candidates in this year’s race was, as of Oct. 21, less than $17,000. When the expenditures were not filed with the state’s Public Disclosure Commission, Kaplan said he filed a complaint that resulted in the investigation that led to Wasson’s resignation. Kaplan won reelection in 2005, and he said the first two years of this term

were spent fixing the issues that had been neglected during what had been a fouryear stalemate. Kaplan considers himself somewhat active in the Jewish community — he attends Bet Chaverim, his hometown synagogue, and has gone to events at Kol HaNeshamah in West Seattle. He is a contributor to the Federation campaign, and going back a ways, he says, “I belonged to ZBT back in school.” Kaplan took his first trip to Israel about a year and a half ago. “I was so inspired I wound up writing daily e-mails to myself, keeping track of what I did,” he said.

Upon h is ret u r n, Kapla n t u r ned those e-mails and his photos into a small book, which he gave to family and friends. He is also one of between 15 and 20 openly gay officials that serve in Washington State. It’s a position he hopes to keep, for the sake of finishing a job he and his fellow council members have started. “I’ve been blessed with two terms on the council and I’d like one more to be able to complete the changes the city needs to be able to survive in the long run,” Kaplan said.

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friday, october 30, 2009

jtnews 9

n community calendar

November 1 – 18, 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 10/30/09 11/6/09 11/13/09 11/20/09

5:38 p.m. 4:24 p.m. 4:18 p.m. 4:05 p.m.

November Sunday 1 ■■10 a.m. – “If Not Higher” Alysa Rosen at 206-525-0915, ext. 210 or [email protected] A dramatic reading (in English) of the story “If Not Higher” by Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz. At Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle.

Tuesday 3 ■■10 a.m. – A Taste of Israel Ellen Hendin at 206-861-3183 or [email protected] A cooking workshop led by Israeli women visiting from Seattle’s sister city of Kiryat Malachi. Hosted by Jewish Family Service’s Endless Opportunities Program. Open to all. Donations appreciated. At Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 1441 16th Ave., Seattle. ■■6:15 p.m. – A Taste of Ethnic Israel Carol Benedick at 206-524-0075 or [email protected] or www.bethshalomseattle.org A special evening of food, storytelling and cultural exploration with a group of women from Kiryat Malachi, Israel. $10 for adults, $3 for kids child 5-12. Free for 4 and under. Pre-registration required. At Congregation Beth Shalom, 6800 35th Ave. NE, Seattle.

Wednesday 4 ■■12:30 p.m. – Law School Lox ’n’ Learn Jacob at [email protected] This monthly event is sponsored by the UW Jewish Law Students Association. Non-law students welcome to join. Lunch will be provided. RSVP requested. At the University of Washington Law School, room TBA. ■■4 - 7 p.m. – Spice It Up: Flavors of the Middle East! Josh Furman at [email protected] A cooking workshop led by Israeli women

visiting from Seattle’s sister city of Kiryat Malachi. At the Hillel UW kitchen, 4745 17th Ave. NE, Seattle. ■■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 5 ■■6 p.m. – First Thursday Art Walk With Jconnect Josh at [email protected] Join Jconnect for the Art Walk in Pioneer Square. Meet at the Globe Building, 105 S Main St., Seattle.

Friday 6 ■■6 p.m. – Shabbat Dinner with Women from Kiryat Malachi 206-723-3028 Women visiting from Seattle’s sister city of Kiryat Malachi share stories from Israel. Ezra Bessaroth members: $20/adult, $15/ child 12 & under, $85 per family. Nonmembers: $25/adult, $18/child, $105 per family. RSVP required. At Congregation Ezra Bessaroth, 5217 S Brandon St., Seattle.

Saturday 7 ■■1:15 p.m. – Rabbi’s Tisch Carol Benedick at 206-524-0075, ext. 4 or [email protected] An hour of study and discussion with Rabbi Jill Borodin on mitzvot and middot. At Congregation Beth Shalom, 6800 35th Ave. NE, Seattle.

Sunday 8 ■■10 a.m. – Labor Unions: Where are We Today? Alysa Rosen at 206-525-0915, ext. 210 or [email protected] Robby Stern, chair of the Healthy Washington Coalition, will discuss the new directions the labor movement is heading in this country. At Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle. ■■1 p.m. – Jewish Single Parent Family Get-Together Marjorie Schnyder at 206-861-3146 or [email protected] An opportunity for single Jewish parents to share ideas for managing the upcoming winter holidays, and to make Jewish crafts with their children. At Jewish Family Service, 1601 16th Ave., Seattle.

■■4:30 – 7 p.m. – A Taste of Ethnic Israel Roni Antebi at [email protected] A cooking workshop led by Israeli women visiting from Seattle’s sister city of Kiryat Malachi. For Hebrew speakers and the Israeli community. $15 per person. RSVP for location, Issaquah. ■■7:30 p.m. – NYHS Open House Melissa Rivkin at 206-232-5272, ext. 515 or [email protected] Open house for prospective NYHS students and their families. At Northwest Yeshiva High School, 5017 90th Ave. SE, Seattle.

Monday 9 ■■7 p.m. – Kristallnacht Program: Readers’ Theater Carol Benedick at 206-524-0075 or [email protected] or www.bethshalomseattle.org In commemoration of Kristallnacht, Congregation Beth Shalom and the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center present a readers theater performance of Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressman Taylor. No charge. RSVP appreciated. At Congregation Beth Shalom, 6800 35th Ave. NE, Seattle. ■■7 p.m. – Bowling at the Garage Madeline Bellar at 425-502-0255 or [email protected] Bowling, socializing, and drinks with the Tribe at Temple De Hirsch Sinai. At the Garage, 1130 Broadway Ave., Seattle.

Wednesday 11 ■■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 12 ■■8 a.m. – Jewish Day School Hanukkah Bazaar Risa Coleman at [email protected] The Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle is hosting a Hanukkah bazaar. At the Jewish Day School, 15749 NE 4th St., Bellevue. ■■12:30 p.m. – School of Social Work Lox ’n’ Learn Jacob at [email protected] Rabbi Will Berkovitz or Rabbi Jacob Fine will lead an informal discussion on a topic to be announced. Non-social work students are welcome. RSVP requested. At the UW School of Social Work, room 116.

Friday 13 ■■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. At Temple De Hirsch Sinai, 1441 16th Ave., Seattle.

Sunday 15 ■■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 ■■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. – Nimble Finger Knitting Anna Frankfort at 206-774-2226 or [email protected] A group for beginning and advanced women knitters sponsored by Women’s Philanthropy in conjunction with the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. Location provided upon RSVP, Seattle.

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.

register now! the 3rd Annual Herzl-ner tamid

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The cryptic, short story of Enoch tells of a life ended before its time

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Rivy Poupko Kletenik JTNews Columnist Dear Rivy, With the fall holidays now over, we’ve begun to read the Torah from the beginning. Determined to have a new beginning myself, I attended services on that first Shabbat of the new Torah cycle. Following along the reading I came across a very puzzling character: Enoch. After Googling around, I am still quite perplexed about him. Did he die or not? What does it mean to be taken by God? Is there another Enoch who is in later books, such as the Book of Enoch? Given t he a l most u n fat homable nature of the six days of creation, the Garden of Eden and angels falling from heaven, I am impressed that you noticed the diminutive episode of Enoch. I share your curiosity and find myself oddly drawn to Enoch as well. Though an extremely minor character in the Bible, he takes on an unforeseen second life, when he returns almost center stage in the Second Temple era to star in several apocryphal and pseudepigraphal works, including, of course, the Book of Enoch. He is a Zoharic mystical figure and is listed in Derech Eretz Zuta as one of those who entered the Garden of Eden while yet alive. Actually, what with the r umor of remarkable remova l f rom this world, it is, ironically, quite fitting for him to enjoy a pronounced literary comeback. Yet his name does not appear in either of the Talmuds and the sages in Bereshit Rabbah are quick to denounce Enoch. He is far from perfect and certainly not supernat ura l. The world seems to be divided: Enoch devotees vs. Enoch detractors. But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s go to the source; time to open the Enoch files. Consider the verses starting from the beginning of the fifth chapter of Bereshit. Notice that in this seemingly methodical rote listing of one begat after another, there is a surprising, abrupt deviation: Generation number seven. Here we learn that Adam lives 930 years, Sheth 912, Enosh 905, Kenan 910, Mahalalel 895, Jared 962, Enoch 365, Methuselah 969, Lamech 777 and Noah 950 years. Of the 10 generations, seven live into their 900s, one into his 800s, and another into his 700s. Yet Enoch lives a stunted 365 years, a stark contrast and almost a third of that of his own son, Methuselah, the longest-living human ever. The others listed have no storyline, just quick data: How old at the birth of their child, how many years lived, and then end of story. But suddenly, with Enoch, our begat list is interrupted with perhaps the shortest of short stories: “And Enoch walked with God, and he was not; for God took him.” This terse tale has led to much spilled ink, and for good reason. Our biblical ears perk up when reading enigmatic expressions such as “Walked with God,” “And he was not” and “God took him.” The parsing of each individual phrase is the key to our unlocking Enoch.

First, “and Enoch walked with God.” He was the first, but certainly not the last to walk with God. We know of others who “walk” with God. There is Noah, then Abraham, whom God specifically instructs to walk with him but ends up walking before God. Walking before God is something decidedly different than walking with God. According to Rabbi Amnon Bazak, an Enoch detractor, there is walking and there is walking. He theorizes that Enoch walked with God, to the exclusion of others and was therefore taken from the world before his time. Noah, too, walked with God without being involved with the world around him and was secluded on the ark while the rest of civilization perished. It is only Abraham who walks before God, as if showing the way for others and can then become the patriarch of the People Israel. The expression “and he was not” stands out for Dr. Avivah Zornberg. She links this notion of “einenu” related to the word, “ein” none — “and he was not” — to the sale of Joseph, where the same expression is used by brother Reuben, and then later to Prophet Jeremiah describing the weeping of Rachel for her children, because they too “were not.” “Were not” feels very different from a more definite and unequivocal expression, such as “died.” Why say of Enoch that “he was not,” if it could have been stated as directly as all the others? Why the pronounced switch to this demure poetic expression? Is our say-it-like-it-is Bible going euphemistically Victorian? Zornberg explains the phrase in her book, The Beginnings of Desire, “it does and does not mean death. All one can speak of is the surprise, the shock, the speculations, the hope, that ‘not being’ evokes.” Enoch’s age should provoke us and wake us up to the reality that even when the numbers are drastically out of the ballpark relative to our lifespans, 365 is dying young — and that is not okay, even biblically speaking. It is riveting, poignant and should feel as if it cannot quite be the finality that the word death would bring. “And he was not.” Enoch “was not” — he was taken before his time. The third phrase: Is there more to “being taken” than decorous niceties? There must be. The Torah has no compunction of offering the full rawness of life and the leaving of it. If the word death could be used but was not, there must be more going on. For some, it conjures up Elijah — like chariots of fire and being translated up to the Divine sphere. Apotheosis central, folks. We’re talking full-scale transformation to an all-spiritual being of an angelic nature. Indeed, an early t ranslat ion of t he Torah, the Targum Yonaton renders the verse way beyond the basic removal to Heaven and has Enoch becoming the angel Metatron, the great scribe of the upper world. This “being taken” is the base upon which all of the mystic legends of the Second Temple period are built. That this very language “being taken” is used in other biblical verses to describe uncomplicated everyday death is irrelevant to those who wish to see here a supernatural mystical movement heavenward, certainly irrespective of staunch rabbinic dismissal of such approaches.

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Branching out Dying tree in front of Anne Frank home to have rebirth in Seattle Joel Magalnick Editor, JTNews Even trees have life spans. But one tree, a horse chestnut known to generations of teenagers the world over as the only connection to the outside world for a young woman in hiding during the Holocaust, is getting a new life. Eleven new lives, actually. “There was some talk of cutting it down about a year or two years ago, and there was a big uproar and protest,” said Ilana Kennedy, director of education at the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center. When she began to read reports that authorities in Amsterdam would take cuttings from this storied tree and grow saplings so it could live on, Kennedy tried figure out a way to get one of those saplings to Seattle. “I couldn’t quite connect the dots on what we could do with a tree,” Kennedy said. “What was I going to do, plant it and water it or something?” But then Kennedy, who said she has “a very black thumb,” got a call from the Seattle Dept. of Parks and Recreation. It turned out that the parks superintendent had been paying attention to the plight of the Anne Frank tree and was hoping to bring one of the saplings to Seattle as well. So one of the foresters called Kennedy and made the connection.

Huliana90212/Creative Commons

The tree, still in its original home outside of the house where Anne Frank was hidden during the Holocaust. “He was going to take care of it, they were going to plant it, find the place,” Kennedy said. “We just had to come up with the educational plan, which is what they were looking for, which is what we’re about anyway.” So Kennedy drew up the proposal to the New York-based Anne Frank Center, which had to show how the tree might be used to teach tolerance and commemorate some event in t hat community that had displayed a type of intolerance.

“The timing on this is actually quite interesting,” Kennedy said, “because what I proposed was I wanted the tree to symbolize not just tolerance, and to be a reminder in Seattle of this, but to also commemorate the [Jewish Federation] shooting that happened here in 2006.” Kennedy had testified in the Federation gunman’s retrial the day she spoke with JTNews. But more than memorialize the shooting at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle itself, she wanted to show how different groups within Seattle’s community responded after that tragedy. “I thought, that’s what we want to remember: What happens when we all come together over something,” she said. “So we put that in the proposal, along with our educational plan on teaching about the Holocaust and about teaching tolerance.” Kennedy contacted several organizations both in and out of the Jewish community to sign on as supporters of the application, and built a list that includes the Washington State Jewish Historical Society, the Jewish Federation, the Northwest African American Museum, the Pride Foundation and others. The Holocaust Center learned on Oct. 16 that they would be one of 11 sites in the U.S. to receive saplings from the tree. Other locations include the White House, the Boston Common, Idaho’s Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial,

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and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York. According to Yvonne Simons, executive director of the Anne Frank Center USA, which decided upon the recipients of the saplings, the Holocaust Center’s application was chosen both because of the proposed site and “your excellent online resources to involve the community and the fact you have a Holocaust speakers bureau,” Simons said in a statement. “Your message of tolerance was well received and compelling.” Simons also cited the Federation shooting as a consideration. Mark Mead, an urban forester who works in the parks department, said they decided upon Volunteer Park in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood partly because of its central location, but also because of its historical status as a John Olmsteddesigned park and the draw for the Asian Art Museum and the conservatory. The tree will likely not need to acclimate to Seattle weather. “The species is very adapted to this area, and there’s no real consideration in regard to [that] other than standard preparation,” Mead said. Reports had stated that the saplings at the 11 locations would be held under a two-year quarantine before being allowed to take root, but in Seattle’s case at least, the parks department has a workaround.

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The sounds of a forgotten language Sephardic singer makes her mark with strong vocals and introducing Ladino to listeners around the world Joel Magalnick

to sing with me day and night until she felt I was ready to step out as a singer. The funny thing is that I always thought that as a daughter of two singers, I wouldn’t be able to become anywhere near as good as they were.

Editor, JTNews Renowned Israeli singer Yasmin Levy has broken through as an international sensation in part because of her album Mano Suave, which is sung largely in the Sephardic language of Ladino. Levy, the daughter of well-known Turkish composer and cantor Yitzhak Levy, will make a stop in Seattle next month as a part of her first U.S. tour. She connected with JTNews via e-mail. JTNews: Though you’ve studied music most of your life, was it your father’s Ladino music and cantorial recordings that inspired you to become a professional musician? What about your mother? Levy: I was inspired by both my father and my mother. My mom taught me how to sing, but she always considered my dad as the great teacher, even if I didn’t really

The cover photo from Yasmin Levy’s Mano Suave.

JTNews: When you began your musical career, did you hope to have the opportunity to work as internationally as you have?  Levy: My first album was released when I was 24 years old. I never thought I would be a singer and definitely didn’t think my music would reach international markets. After all, I sing music which is considered as a ver y small niche of the world music market, so I never imagined that people from all over the world [would] find an interest in it.

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jtnews 13 celebrate women

If you go: Yasmin Levy will perform at the Triple Door, 216 Union St., Seattle on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets cost $30. Visit www.tripledoor.net for tickets and information.

Suave. How were you connected to these artists and how were you originally exposed to their work? Yasmin Levy: I worked with some of these musicians for many years. Others I met through the album’s producer, Lucy Duran. I am always happy to get to know new artists who are bringing their own musical world into mine. I find it very exciting. It makes me richer both as a person and as a musician. JTNews: Describe your process in creating an album — do you envision collaboration with a specific artist, or does the music as you’re writing it present itself with opportunities for artists that have a certain sound or genre you’d like to work with? Levy: Usually when I write a song I know who I would like to hear in it. For years I dreamt of collaborating with two artists: Ibrahim Tetlises (from Turkey) and Eleni Vitaly (from Greece). As for Eleni, when I wrote “Por que,” a song from my next album Sentir, I could really hear her voice in my head long before I even approached her about the idea of collaborating with me. It is like I knew the song was born for her. And with Ibrahim I was very happy to be a guest on his national television show in Turkey last year and to sing with him. JTNews: Do you feel like you’re an ambassador for the Ladino language and Sephardic traditions? What do you think your music has done for Ladino studies or inspiring people to begin writing or speaking it? Levy: I never set out to be an ambassador of Ladino; all I wanted was to sing. But now, I do see that I’ve become some-

What’s Your JQ? t Page 10 For them, Enoch is the elusive charac ter whose shor t l i fe is ex tended through Divine intervention. A tempting approach, but in this case the Torah is teaching somet hing st ill greater: Even at the very start of the world, we need to get used to the painful reality that there are those of us who leave

thing like an ambassador of these songs and culture and I am very happy for that. I get letters from people all over the world who tell me that after they were exposed to this music and language, they want either to sing or to speak Ladino and it makes me very happy and proud. JTNews: You may know that Seattle has a large Sephardic population, many of whom come from Turkey. Do you have relatives here? Have you made connections in the area either ethnically or musically? Levy: Though my father was born in Manisa, Turkey, I don’t know of any relatives in Seattle. But I can tell you that when I go to Turkey I feel like I’m coming home. The Turkish people give me so much love and they treat me as if I was one of them. JTNews: You serve as a Goodwill Ambassador for Children to help kids in the Middle East crisis. How do you help those children and how do you present that work to your audiences? Do you feel your work has made an impact? How? Levy: My personal ethos is to respect people, their religion, their way of life, their dreams, and so on. I don’t think that I as a person, or my music, can change the world. But I do believe that music can be a vehicle to create and share it in harmony with others. I think that in this way we can show the world that it is possible to create harmony in life, and it is possible to dream, and make dreams come true. That is exactly what I want to bring with me to these beautiful children of the Middle East and it is why I have agreed to be an Ambassador for Children of Peace. JTNews: Will Sentir be released in the U.S.? When? Levy: It definitely will be released but my record company wanted to start with Mano Suave, which has been something of a breakthrough record in other countries. I am sure Sentir will be released next year in the U.S.

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october 30, 2009

Tuesday, November 3, 6:45 p.m.

Writing Jewish in America with Art Feinglass Lecture Through songs, poems, short stories and film clips, this class will look at how some extraordinary writers have grappled with what it means to be a Jew in America, focusing on the works of Irving Berlin, Stephen Sondheim, Emma Lazarus, Bernard Malamud, Phillip Roth, and Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the creators of Superman. Free and open to the community. For more information, contact Alysa Rosen at 206-525-0915, ext. 210 or alysa@templebetham. org. At Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle.

Wednesday, November 4, 8 p.m. UW World Series: Vogler Quartet Music

Friday, October 30, 9 p.m.

Sasson Halloweenishe Costume Party Music Seattle-based klezmer/gypsy band Sasson will perform at this pre-Halloween costume party along with DJ Funkscribe and Gems. Cost is $6. At ToST Lounge, 513 N 36th St., Seattle.

the arts

oct. 30 – nov. 7

In honor of their 25th anniversary and in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Vogler Quartet will perform “The Zimro Project: Golijov and Music of the New Jewish School” for their UW World Series debut. Sponsored by PlanitJewish. For ticket information, call 206-543-4880. At Meany Hall, University of Washington, Seattle.

November 1, 8, and 15

Saturday, November 7, 7p.m.

For three Sundays in a row, the Congregation Beth Israel program committee will show classic Jewish films. The culminating event will be a sing-along screening of Fiddler on the Roof. All shows begin at 7 p.m. At the Gateway Centre, 1313 E Maple St., Bellingham.

Joel Schalit, online editor for Zeek magazine, will read from his new book Israel vs. Utopia about the disconnect between the image of Israel that exists in the minds of American Jews and the actual country. This event is co-sponsored by Zeek and Jew-ish.com. At Elliott Bay Book Co., 101 S. Main St., Seattle.

Congregation Beth Israel’s Mini Film Festival Film

Joel Schalit Author reading

25

th

What’s a Jew to do? E-mail k

Drop us a note and let us know what

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

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.

arenc@ jtnews. net with yo ur ideas .

Include places y ou like favorite to go, spots fo r a bite to eat or a cup c a k e & tea. What ou tings do you and kids en your joy whi l e s c h And wh ool’s ou ere are t? t he best ups onl growny holida y hot sp ots? Please s end you r ideas away, a right nd no la t er than Novemb er 15. Th anks!

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friday, october 30, 2009

Project Homecoming Local youth ask ‘What if?’ in play about Germany’s Jews Lillian Tucker Special to JTNews What would happen if 6 million Jews were invited to go back to Germany? That is what playwright Israel Horowitz asks in Lebensraum. Seattle will get the chance to witness his answer to this question when it unfolds on stage at Seattle Public Theatre at the Bathhouse on Green Lake, starting the weekend of Nov. 6. With a cast of 18 local high school students, the play will explore what happens when a contemporary Germany, in an act of redemption, invites back the people it brutalized half a century before. As the director of a play full of “what ifs,” Shana Bestock has some questions of her own. “What is the relationship of history to the present? To the future? Why do we look at mistakes of the past and say ‘Never

Lillian Tucker

Noelle McCabe, left, and Jessa Lowe play the roles of Maximillian Zylberstein and Axel Rosenweig, two Buchenwald survivors who have spent the last 60 years as bickering buddies. The two polar opposites were both relocated to Australia after the war.

If you go: Lebensraum opens Fri., Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. Admission is free; however, donations to the youth program are accepted. Other show times are Nov. 7, 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on Nov. 8 and 13. For more information call the box office at 206-524-1300 or visit www.seattlepublictheater.org.

again’ when we keep making the same mistakes?” she asks. “What does it take to move on from past wounds and deep hurts? What is the relationship of politics, economics and retribution? What is the role of storytelling in all this?” Raised as a secular Jew, Bestock has used theater as a tool of learning and expression before. At 15, she says she had her real Bat Mitzvah experience when she played Anne Frank in a professional

production. Now, as artistic director for Seattle Public Theatre, she is working on a project that is close to her heart. “I did make a little speech to the actors on the first day about how sometimes I’d be able to laugh and joke about the title, about the play, about many things,” she says, “but that some days I would find my sense of humor gone and in its place an inexplicable, unfillable well of sorrow. That has proved true.”

The title itself stirs emotion. The word “lebensraum,” which essentially means “living space,” was a rhetorical tool used by Hitler to justify expansion east, which involved the ethnic cleansing of Jews. The words once used to describe the foreign policy of the Third Reich have now been appropriated for the hypothetical act of redemption. On the Bathhouse’s small stage, Lebensraum strings together an array of characters, emotions and locations. The cast and crew of teenagers — save three adults, including Bestock — have worked from the beginning to help the audience track the story as it jumps through time and space. Through the magic of theater, as Bestock puts it, they work with minimal sets and props in the intimate space allowing room for the house to use their collective imagination. “With this play we wanted a heightened sense of theatricality and storytelling, since so much of it is breaking the fourth wall,” says Bestock, referring to the imaginary barrier between the actors on stage and the audience. “But we also wanted to be able to hide behind the fourth wall when necessary.” The actors are committed to their roles and the thespian craft. For the last six weeks they have balanced school, study and extracurricular activities with rehearsals. While Seattle Public Theatre

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community news

Repairing the broken glass Upcoming reading from 1938 novel based on Kristallnacht shows two sides of the Nazis’ rise Morris Malakoff JTNews Correspondent

If you go:

November 9, 2009 will mark 71 years since the Nazi pogrom known as Kristallnacht signaled the public beginning of the dark years to come for Jews across Europe. As synagogues burned and the windows of Jew ish-ow ned shops were smashed across Germany that night, one could barely imagine that within less than seven years, 6 million Jews would vanish from the continent. This year, Congregation Beth Shalom and the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center will mark the date with a dramatic reading from Katherine Kressmann Taylor’s Address Unknown. Kressman’s book was written as a collection of letters between two German émigré art dealers who had been partners in San Francisco. One, Max, was Jewish; the other, Martin, was gentile. Martin returns to Germany as the Nazis come to power. He is enamored of what they have done to turn the country around after its ruinous defeat in World War I. Max, meanwhile, has heard from others that life for the Jews in Germany is becoming more dangerous by the day. W hen his sister disappears, Ma x writes Martin to ask for help in locating her. He eventually tells Max she is dead — and that he turned her away when she came to him for help. Martin asks Max to stop writing him, as he feels the letters could make trouble for him. With that, Max takes his revenge with letters doing just that, ending with

Address Unknown by Katherine Kressman Taylor will be staged on Mon., Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Shalom, 6800 35th Ave. NE, Seattle. Admission is free. The reading will be preceded by a candle lighting ceremony.

one returned and stamped “address unknown.” The letter is actually stamped “Adressat unbekannt” or addressee unknown, but Taylor apparently misinterpreted the German or changed the translation for English-speaking readers. Kressman’s book was first published in 1938 and made into a film in 1944. It was first adapted for the stage and first performed in 2001. The play has been staged around the world in the intervening years. In 1995, when Portland-born Kressman was 91, the book was reissued and translated into more than 20 languages. The book finally appeared in Germany in 2001. It had been banned by the Nazis when it was originally published. According to Carol Benedick, programming and adult education director at Congregation Beth Shalom, the reading is emotionally powerful. “I saw it in Israel a couple of years ago and was amazed by it,” she said. “I was surprised by the way it made me feel. I knew it was something I wanted our community to see.” Benedick says that she expects that some sur vivors of Kristallnacht will

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attend the November 9 reading as well as children and grandchildren of those who lived through the horror of that night and the Holocaust that followed. Benedick said this performance contains strong enough material to make

it likely inappropriate for those under about the age of 10. The reading at Beth Shalom w ill be performed by Brian Rapalee and Anthony Moore and directed by Rebecca Osman Polyakovsky.

Project Homecoming t Page 15

shaking a bit and my eyes are watering, because getting into Zylberstein’s character includes me having to live through his memories, images I never want anyone to experience in their lifetime.” Casey Bouldin, also 16, plays Rudolph Stroiber, the Chancellor of Germany whose shame for his grandfather’s role in the Holocaust drives him to create “Project Homecoming.” “I have been taught to look at both sides of things,” he says. “Some are easier to understand than others. But for this play, it is a matter of simply putting yourself in your character’s shoes and understanding why they feel what they feel. And again, that is what acting is all about.” Theatrics are a good way to discuss issues like culture, genocide, guilt, anger, economics and retribution, says Bestock. The play allows experiences to be shared and questions to be raised w ithout answers. And the occasional comedic relief helps too. As Maximillian Zylberstein puts it: “If you don’t laugh, you cry.” “All good tragedy has comic elements. All good comedy is tinged with tragedy,” says Bestock. “Human beings are complex creatures; our joy springs from our knowledge of sadness and pain. And vice versa.”

is not a drama school, its staff considers it an educational program. Here the students learn about the professional world of theater, which includes, according to Bestock, working together, self-discovery, taking risks and being challenged by the theatrical craft. In this case especially, the cast has had to think and discuss critically the themes of the play and their personal connection and responses to them. Noelle McCabe, with the help of glue and fake facial hair, plays Maximillian Zylberstein, a Buchenwald survivor in his 70s who is accepted into the “Project Homecoming” and moves back to Germany. She says it is interesting to dive into a character who has some comic relief elements but is also damaged, vengeful, sad and grieving. Also, it is challenging for a 16-year-old girl to play an old man. “Men move differently and have subtleties that no one would really notice in real life. However, in theater those subtleties are able to be seen,” says McCabe. “And if I’m not totally in character and start standing around like I would in real life, as a teenage girl in the halls at school, Zylberstein wouldn’t be as believable as a character.” In this production, body language is not the only thing she worries about. “When I get offstage sometimes, I am

Lillian Tucker is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.

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TAcomA Chabad-Lubavitch of Pierce County 1889 N Hawthorne Dr. 253/565-8770 Temple Beth El (Reform) 253/564-7101 5975 S. 12th St. TRi ciTiES Congregation Beth Sholom (Conservative) 312 Thayer Drive, Richland 509/375-4740 VAncouVER Chabad-Lubavitch of Clark County 9604 NE 126th Ave., Suite 2320 360/993-5222 E-mail: [email protected] www.chabadclarkcounty.com Congregation Kol Ami 360/574-5169 Service times and location can be found at www.jewishvancouverusa.org VAShon iSLAnd Havurat Ee Shalom 206/567-1608 15401 Westside Highway P O Box 89, Vashon Island, WA 98070 WALLA WALLA Congregation Beth Israel 509/522-2511 E-mail: [email protected] WEnATchEE Greater Wenatchee Jewish Community 509/662-3333 or 206/782-1044 WhidbEy iSLAnd Jewish Community of Whidbey Island 360/331-2190 yAkimA Temple Shalom (Reform) 509/453-8988 1517 Browne Ave.

jtnews 17

n arts & entertainment

friday, october 30, 2009

Commemorating Jewish courage through music Music of Remembrance opens season with modern odes to unsung heroes of Holocaust Claire Burns Special to JTNews On the eve of the 71st anniversary of Kristallnacht, Music of Remembrance will begin its 12th season with a concert that commemorates Jewish acts of heroism during the Holocaust. The Nov. 9 fall program, “Cantillations,” incorporates contemporary pieces as well as works from Holocaust-era composers to remember the past and inspire the future. The t wo contemporar y works are “Sparks of Glory” by American composer Paul Schoenfield and “Cantillations” by Israeli-born Ofer Ben-Amots. Also, soprano Megan Hart of the Seattle Opera will perform Yiddish art songs by Lazar Weiner. The remaining pieces are by Czech composer Pavel Haas and Hungarian composers Sándor Vándor and László Weiner, all murdered during the Holocaust. MOR’s artistic director Mina Miller said audiences can expect a deeply spiritual experience through the performance. “It strengthens one’s soul,” she said. Schoenfield started playing piano at age 6 and wrote his first composition a year later. He was an assistant to Russian-born composer Nikolai Lopatnikoff at Carnegie-Mellon University and then at age 22 received his doctorate in musical arts from University of Arizona.

Courtesy MOR

Mikhail Shmidt, left, Leonid Keylin, center, and Laura DeLuca, who will perform in this year’s Kristallnacht Music of Remembrance concert. “Sparks of Glory” premiered on the West Coast in MOR’s 1999 concert. He wrote “Sparks of Glory” in 1995 based on accounts written by the Polish-Israeli journalist Moshe Prager. Prager worked as a journalist for the Warsaw daily Dos Yiddishe Tageblatt, and became a secret worker for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee after Nazi Germany invaded Poland. He persuaded JDC officials to carry on relief and rescue activities and proceeded to smuggle himself and the Gerrer Rebbe, Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, to Brit-

h a m a mp R

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ish-controlled Palestine. Prager published his first collection of stories, titled “Sparks of Glory,” there in 1952. Schoenfield took four of these stories and condensed them with the help of lyricist Frank Oteri to transform the work for a concert setting. In the introduction to Prager’s collection, he writes that his stories “are all accurately recorded. And if they appear to border on the miraculous, it is because they mirror an age of miracles. And if they make the soul tremble, it is because they are echoes of a terrible and lofty time.”

If you go: Music of Remembrance’s fall concert will be held on Mon., Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle. Tickets cost $36 and can be purchased at www. musicofremembrance.org or by calling 206-365-7770. A pre-concert interview with Paul Schoenfield will begin at 6:30 p.m. Yet, Miller said, “There is a spark of human spirit through all of these stories that resonates with our mission and looks to the future.… They are precious gems of Jewish courage.” Clarinetist Laura DeLuca, a frequent performer with MOR, played Schoenfield’s “Sparks of Glory” back in 1999. “Paul is a great composer and he really captures the angst and sweet and sourness of what was going on at the time,” she said. DeLuca said to expect high energy from Schoenfield’s piece, and even a feeling of frenzy. She has not worked with the composer of “Cantillations,” Ofer BenAmots, but said his work represents to her beauty over tragedy. “This piece doesn’t have a narrative,” she said. “It emulates what you would hear in a synagogue.” “Cantillations” is a short 10-minute piece in two movements that draws on synagogue motifs by blending Judaica and the cantorial style found in the Berlin-Frankfurt region with contemporary effects.

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friday, october 30, 2009

obituary

He’d just become a Bar Mitzvah Three days before his death, Samuel Ruben Owen became a Bar Mitzvah. Sam, who turned 13 on Oct. 11, died Oct. 21. He had been diagnosed with Burkitt’s lymphoma in February of this year. “He was just a very sweet child, and always wanting to do good and to do the right thing,” said Rivy Poupko Kletenik, head of school at the Seattle Hebrew Academy, where Sam would have been an 8th grader this year. Before he fell ill, Sam had played electric guitar and loved to hike, camp and fish. He participated in cross country and basketball for SHA and his baseball team won the Rainier District Little League Minors Championship in 2007. Sam was a huge sports fan, and during his illness he had made friends with several players on both the University of Washington and Seattle Seahawks football teams. A video of his ad-hoc Bar Mitzvah posted on the YouTube online video site showed his hospital room with an ESPN banner hanging on the wall while Sam lay on his bed, wrapped

in a Huskies flag. A signed Huskies football sat just above his pillow. E v e n w h i l e he was sick, Sam had studiously prepared for his Bar Mitzvah, a nd w as ada ma nt ab out h av i ng t he ceremony, according to a blog written by his mother, Jodilyn Owen, that documented her son’s cancer. Friends read his Torah portion for the ceremony that had been scheduled for the following Shabbat, Oct. 24, while the rabbis of Seattle’s two Sephardic synagogues, Simon Benzaquen and Salomon Cohen-Scali, led the Torah service and presented Sam with gifts. “Today is a day that Hashem made and we’re going to celebrate and rejoice in Hashem on this day of your Bar Mitzvah, Sam,” said his father, Rabbi Benjy Owen, on the video.

Sam, whose family on both parents’ sides extends back in Seattle four generations, was well-known and well-loved. As his mother wrote on the blog, his friends champed at the bit to visit him during his stay at Seattle Children’s. These were friends who stuck with Sam before his illness and all the way through. “There is something very unique about Sam and the handful of friends who he has been with essentially since they were all in diapers,” Jodilyn Owen wrote. “They

all have an enthusiasm about participating in their community and enjoying each other within the context of who they are as Jewish boys and as friends who enjoy sports, learning, and hanging out.” Just as much as she had appreciation for the friends and family who spent so much of their time reaching out, Jodilyn Owen also expressed frustration at her inability to do anything for her son, even as she and her husband realized time was running out. “There are moments where I just get so aggravated that his body is not cooperating with the rest of him and that we do not have any medical tools to help him fight this,” she wrote. “What I wouldn’t give.” Still, she told JTNews in an e-mail, “Sam had a sharp wit, was an empathetic young man, and refused to ever give up his goal of beating cancer.” The sanctuary at Congregation Ezra Bessaroth, where the funeral was held, was standing room only with even more people standing in the lobby. The procession to the cemetery had more than 100 cars. Sam leaves behind his parents Benjy and Jodilyn Owen; older sister Julia and younger brother Jeff; four grandparents, a great-grandmother, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Goldstone Inquiry t Page 1

Not all members of the government are convinced his model will be well received on the international stage. Dan Meridor and Michael Eitan of the Likud Party and Avishai Braverman and Yitzhak Herzog of Labor argue that an independent commission with a much wider mandate is necessary. Otherwise it will look as though Israel has something to hide. They argue that no one will take seriously an investigation carried out primarily by the IDF — the very body facing charges. An independent commission with a wide mandate would be far more credible than one restricted to an evaluation of IDF findings. There is one other argument for a civilian rather than IDF-dominated probe. A

prestigious Israeli committee headed by a former justice not only would be able to close the international file on Goldstone, it would be able to present the international community with proposals for a revision of the laws of war when fighting militia groups are embedded in civilian population centers. This could make it much clearer what armies like the IDF in Gaza, or the Americans in Afghanistan or Iraq, can or cannot do against enemies using human shields in urban areas. It also would highlight the key question ignored by the Goldstone committee: How is a modern state supposed to defend its civilians against rockets fired from inside heavily populated urban areas? Herzog maintains that Goldstone’s

most serious allegation was not aimed at the IDF but at the government of Israel: That the government actually ordered the destruction of the civilian infrastructure in Gaza in a deliberate campaign to target the people of Gaza. IDF  probes cannot possibly touch on the allegation, thus Herzog argues that a much wider investigation is needed to refute it. Interior Minister Eli Yishai says all that would be necessary to show how wrongheaded Goldstone’s claim is would be to make public the logs of the Cabinet meetings during the war. Herzog agrees it won’t take much to discredit Goldstone on this point. “If the claim is investigated,” he said, “it will be shown to be absurd.”

Samuel Ruben Owen: October 11, 1996–October 21, 2009

General Menachem Mazuz. To keep the IDF happy, Mazuz has proposed relying on its internal probes into the allegations of war crimes, but adding credibility by establishing a committee of jurists and ex-generals to scrutinize the IDF’s work. Mazuz also proposes that cases in which the military police launch criminal investigations against individuals now come under the purview of the Attorney General’s office. In other words, Mazuz wants to take the IDF’s work and civilianize it through overarching civilian scrutiny — but without the civilian authority being able to subpoena witnesses or interrogate soldiers.

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Courtesy Seattle Hebrew Academy

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friday, october 30, 2009 Send submissions to: JTNews — Lifecycles, 2041 Third Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 [email protected] Phone: 206-441-4553 Submissions for the November 13, 2009 issue are due by November 3. Download forms or submit online at www.jtnews.net/index.php?/lifecycle

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jtnews 19 lifecycles

Rhoda Mittenberg May 19, 1928–July 20, 2009 Bat Mitzvah Sara Beth Adelson

Bar Mitzvah Noam Samuel Kurland

Sara celebrated her Bat Mitzvah on October 24, 2009 at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue. Sara is the daughter of Jeff Adelson and Nancy Grayson Adelson of Sammamish and the sister of Danielle Bernard and Lori Adelson. Her grandparents are Ethel Abelman Rocco of Oro Valley, Ariz., Mike and Hella Grayson of Falls Church, Va. and the late Mike Adelson and June Almo Adelson. Sara is in the 7th grade at the Eton Veladare Academy. Her hobbies include soccer, fast-pitch softball, volunteering, fostering cats and dogs, and completing 3D puzzles. For her mitzvah project, Sara fostered puppy mill dogs and sick kittens for the Seattle Humane Society.

Noam will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on October 31, 2009 at Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation on Mercer Island. Noam is the son of Cantor Bradlee Kurland and Sandy Samuel of Mercer Island and the brother of Akiva and Talya. His grandparents are Inez Kurland of Revere, Mass., Miriam Samuel of Castro Valley, Calif., the late Morton Kurland and the late Bernard Samuel. Noam is in the 7th grade at the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle. Noam loves sports – particularly football and basketball – music, hanging out with friends and creative writing. He has a passion for Israel and for Camp Young Judaea.

Sydney P. Rogers

Branching Out t Page 11

Bar Mitzvah Sam Petrini Sam will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah on October 31, 2009 at Temple B’nai Torah in Bellevue. Sam is the son of Laura and Andy Petrini of Bellevue and the brother of Sarah and Leah. His grandparents are Sally and Morton Schweitzer of Pittsburgh, Penn. and Carole and Francis Petrini of Conneaut, Ohio. Sam is in the 7th grade at Tillicum Middle School. His hobbies include reading, playing the trumpet and competitive swimming.

Rhoda Mittenberg of Cottehill, N.Y. died July 20, 2009 at the age of 81. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on May 19, 1928, she was the daughter of the late Morris and Anna Rifkin. In her early years she worked in insurance and was a volunteer English teacher to immigrants in Brooklyn. Upon moving to Seattle she worked at the University of Washington, where she was employed for over 20 years. As a lifelong member of Hadassah, she served as a president of the Golda Meir chapter. Rhoda moved back to upstate New York in 2008. She is survived by two sons, Michael from Brooklyn, Robert and wife Valerie; and her granddaughter Hannah; sister Barbara Peltz and her husband William. She is pre-deceased by her son Steven. Rhonda enjoyed the love of her many nieces, nephew and great nieces and nephews. A graveside service was held in August in Kingston, N.Y.

Because there is already a stand of horse chestnuts in Volunteer Park, and the conservatory imports plants, the location passed muster. The sapling will be kept in the conservatory, though accessible to the public, for two years until it’s ready to be planted. Mead said his department was excited about the prospect of working with the Holocaust Center in building a new home for this descendant of the Anne Frank tree. “We feel it’s going to be a real focal point and we’re looking for a lot of buy-in from the community,” he said. Kennedy agreed. “I think Anne Frank is k ind of a common denominator when you talk about the Holocaust and intolerance and you’re looking at youth who are being persecuted,” she said.

April 17, 1929 – October 14, 2009 Sydney Prottas Rogers, born April 17, 1929, passed away on October 14, 2009. Sydney was a member of one of the earliest Jewish families in Seattle. He was active in Boy Scouts in his younger days, and served as Scoutmaster when he was not much older than his scouts. He served in the army in California during the Korean War, where he posed a challenge to any officer desiring to impose the discipline required of soldiers. Sydney knew he could never work for a boss, so he owned and operated Rogers Clothing for Men in downtown Seattle for over 40 years, where he would often be found conversing with customers and passersby from all walks of life. Sydney was preceded in death by seven brothers and sisters, and is survived by sons Michael (Susan) and Mark (Tami), daughter Elizabeth, brother Robert, and granddaughters Molly and Samantha Dubow. Funeral service was held on October 16 at Bikur Cholim cemetery. Donations may be made to Northwest Kidney Centers Foundation, P.O. Box 3035, Seattle, WA 98114; or L’Arche Noah Sealth, P.O. Box 22023, Seattle, WA 98122-0233.

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friday, october 30, 2009

community news

Jewish single parent family get-together An opportunity for Jewish single parents to share ideas for managing the upcoming winter holidays, and to make Jewish crafts with their children. Advance registration required. Contact Marjorie Schnyder at 206-861-3146 or [email protected] for more information or to RSVP. Sun., Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. at Jewish Family Service, 1601 16th Ave., Seattle.

Labor unions: Where are we today? Robby Stern, chair of the Healthy Washington Coalition, will discuss the new directions the labor movement is heading in this country. Free and open to the community. Contact Alysa Rosen at 206-525-0915, ext. 210 or alysa@ templebetham.org for more information. Sun., Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. at Temple Beth Am, 2632 NE 80th St., Seattle.

Ethnic flavors of Israel A group of women chefs visiting from Seattle’s sister city Kiryat Malachi, Israel will lead several workshops on Israeli cooking at a variety of

locations between Nov. 3 and 8. The women represent a wide variety of ethnic groups and will be sharing culinary traditions that reflect their personal background – Moroccan, Yemenite, Iraqi, Kurdish, Ethiopian and Bukharan. For dates, locations and cost of individual events, go online to www.jewishinseattle.org/news-events/ news/ethnic-flavors-israel-communityevents, or see the community calendar section of this issue. 

Shabbaton with Rabbi Milstein The Seattle Kollel presents a weekend Shabbaton with Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein. Rabbi Milstein is the host of a regular weekly radio program on WNSRAM in New York and has been a senior lecturer for Aish HaTorah’s Discovery Seminars for the better part of two decades. Takes place Nov. 13-15. For exact times and locations, contact Marilyn Leibert at 206722-8289 or [email protected].

Seeing balance in family, love and life The Stroum Jewish Community Center, Parent Map, Community of Mindful Parents, Katan, and Herzl-

Ner Tamid present an evening with Dr. Pepper Schwartz. Dr. Schwartz is a professor of sociology at the University of Washington and the author of several books, including Finding Your Perfect Match and Everything You Know About Love and Sex is Wrong. Adults only. Donations requested. Mon., Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. at the Stroum JCC, 3801 E Mercer Way, Mercer Island.

Israel Unplugged info session The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is holding an information session for anyone interested in learning more about its upcoming community trip to Israel from May 23 to June 1, 2010. The trip will include stops in a va r iet y of locat ions a nd unique experiences like tubing down the Jordan River, Jeep rides in the Golan Heights and hands-on social justice projects in Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon. Tues., Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at a private residence in Bellevue. Location prov ided upon RSV P. Contact Anna Frankfort at 206-774-2226 or annaf@ jewishinseattle.org for more information or to register.

Israel’s Consul General to the Pacific Northwest, Akiva Tor, right, talks with moderator Dave Ross at the “Facing the Iran Threat” event held on Oct. 21 at Temple De Hirsch Sinai. Tor was one of three panelists who talked about many different facets of the issues facing the world in relation to Iran, how its government policies affect its population, the country’s growing military and nuclear capabilities, and what world leaders are doing about the rogue nation. The topic of Israel pervaded the conversation, including a request by Tor that citizens contact governmental agencies and request their investment boards divest from countries that do business with Iran.

Joel Magalnick

Music of Remembrance t Page 17 “People [will be] exposed to beautiful melodic fragments, that real people use in their synagogue,” Ben-Amots said. “It connects us to these people just by listening to the music. Ben Amots said that these melodies that survived the Holocaust were a reminder of those who did not. “Once upon a time these people were singing these things,” he said. “These people are no longer here, but the melody lives forever.” Miller said Music of Remembrance concerts usually draw in crowds from all over the United States, but she hopes this season brings in more of the Seattle community. “[People] think that it will be depressing,” she said. DeLuca ack nowledged that some music the audience will hear did come “from the pen of a composer whose destiny led to a tragic ending. “T here’s a lway s t he u nderly i ng reminder, referring back to that time and what was going on,” she said. However, Miller emphasized that the music is uplifting and consistent with MOR’s mission to allow voices to be heard that were once silenced during the Holocaust. Ben-Amots said that concert series like MOR are increasingly important “as time goes on and history fades into the past, and people forget the Holocaust and this remarkable part of history.” But it shouldn’t just be history that brings listeners to Benaroya Hall on Nov. 9. “Everything is in the highest quality and level of musicianship,” Ben-Amots said. DeLuca added that the composers and musicians involved in the concert are all dedicated to the concerts and keeping the music alive. This is a “one-night-only concert with the best musicians in the world,” Miller said. “It’s not just a concert that can be easily duplicated.” Claire Burns is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory.

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22 jtnews

n friday, october national & international news

Haq Trial t Page 1 the teenage niece of Federation staffer Cheryl Stumbo, whom Haq used to gain entrance to the building by holding a gun to her back when she came to the front door. Testimony was also heard from other Federation employees who escaped unharmed and police who responded to 911 calls. Ilana Kennedy, education director at the Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center, whose office is located on the first floor of the Jewish Federation building, described for the jury her reaction once she realized gun-

30, 2009

shots were being fired in the rooms above her. “I grabbed my coworker and headed out the door. Outside the building I could still hear the screaming from the second floor. I just stood there on the sidewalk,” Kennedy said. T he prosec ut ion t hen played a recording of the 911 call Kennedy made in which screams could be heard in the background. Officer William Collins and detect ive Thomas Mooney of t he Seatt le Police Department were part of a crew of four officers who arrested Haq after he agreed, while speaking to 911 operators, to surrender. They described how

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quickly the attack played out, with Haq in police custody a matter of minutes after they first arrived on the scene. When asked about Haq’s demeanor at the time of his arrest, Mooney replied that he “appeared calm.” However, defense attorney Carpenter made clear in his opening remarks to the court that the defense will attempt to show that although Haq appeared in control of himself at the time of the shooting, the choices that led Haq to commit the shooting were not decisions he would have made had he not been suffering from mental illness. The trial is expected to continue into late November or early December.

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White House to J Street: We have your back Notes from the Washington, D.C. conference of liberal Israel supporters Ron Kampeas and Eric Fingerhut JTA World News Service WA SH I NGTON (J TA) — Isr ael’s ambassador turned down an invitation to speak this week at the inaugural J Street conference shortly after his spokesman was quoted as saying that some of the group’s positions would “impair” Israel’s interest. The Obama administration seemed to have a different message for the group: We have your back. On Sunday, before the official launch of the conference, the White House’s top outreach official urged Jewish and Arab leaders to change their communities’ “hearts and minds” about President Obama’s peace push at a joint session convened by J Street and the Arab American Institute. “We need to build support” for Obama’s efforts to restart Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, Tina Tchen said. “There are hearts and minds in the United States that need to be changed.” On Tuesday, another Obama administration official — James Jones, the White House national security adviser — hammered home the point to the 1,500-plus attendees at the Grand Hyatt Washing ton. His message f rom t he White House to the J Street conference was one of inevitability: of peace, of a strong U.S.-Israel relationship — and of J Street. “You can be sure this administration will be represented at all future conferences,” Jones said. Jones’ message was otherwise boilerplate — Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states need to do more to achieve peace, President Obama is committed to a two-state solution, Iran must stop enriching uranium. He did, however, add a new wrinkle to the Iran equation,

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making it clear that the United States expects Iran to give up all, not just some, of its low-enriched uranium. But t he “I’ll be back” assurance earned an extended round of applause and meant a great deal to an organization that struggled to attract mainstream and right-wing speakers. A behind-thescenes campaign from some other proIsrael groups and conservative pundits had warned away establishment figures. (Among the critics’ complaints: J Street backs U.S. pressure on Israel and the Palestinians, it slammed Israel’s invasion of Gaza and it has criticized other Jewish groups.) Jones’ message was echoed by U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), who introduced the Obama administration official. Until his recent announcement that he was quitting Congress to head a Middle East peace think tank, Wexler was about as mainstream as it gets in Congress’ unofficial Jewish caucus. He was very strongly pro-Israel, and his wife works for the American Jewish Committee. Wexler, who was candidate Obama’s lead Jew ish outreach point person, remains loyal to the president’s insistence on broadening the dialogue. “As Americans, we are among the most fortunate people in the world,” he told the crowd. “I applaud your political energy; we need more of it.” Boos, cheers for Yoffie Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, drew cheers from the crowd on Monday during a discussion with Ben-Ami when he said that too many Jewish communal leaders have their “heads in the sand” when it comes to Israeli settlements. “You cannot convince Americans that it makes sense for an Israel that supports a Palestinian state to main-

tain a large settler population in the heart of the West Bank where that state must come into being,” said Yoffie. “The simple fact is that it makes no sense at all and Americans, being a sensible people, know that.” Later, however, Yoffie was booed when he criticized Richard Goldstone, the South African jurist who chaired the United Nations commission that issued a report stating that Israel and Hamas might be guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. “R ic h a rd G old s tone s hou ld b e ashamed of himself,” Yoffie said, “for working under the auspices of the U.N. Human Rights Council.” Yoffie, a longtime backer of a twostate solution and critic of Israeli settlement expansion, welcomed the creation of J Street. But he ended up harshly condemning the organization for criticizing Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Debating pro-Israel money It’s not every day that two Jewish congressmen politely debate whether Jew ish polit ica l cont r ibut ions control U.S. policy in the Middle East. Or that one of those members gets a major applause after saying he voted against a resolution that condemned a Nation of Islam leader. But that’s what happened Monday afternoon at the J Street conference. It all started when Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.) told the story of voting against a 1994 resolution condemning the hateful and anti-Semitic speech of Khalid Abdul Muhammad, at the time a top lieutenant of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. Filner said he couldn’t condemn the speech because of the First Amendment — “How can Jews survive without the First Amendment?” he asked — and was the only Jewish member of Congress to vote against it.

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Filner said the vote hurt him among Jewish supporters, costing him $250,000 in contributions per election cycle. “That kind of money is an intimidating factor. I raised a lot less money in succeeding years, but my conscience was cleared,” he said to huge applause. As the discussion among Filner and Reps. Jan Schakowsk y (D-Ill.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Charles Boustany (R-L a.) cont i nued, Pol is caut ioned that “we need to be careful to not give cover” to those “who think there is a Jewish conspiracy” to control U.S. foreign policy. Filner retorted by citing two members of the Congressional Black Caucus — Earl Hilliard of Alabama and Cynthia McKinney of Georgia — who were defeated with the help of proIsrael donors. “That intimidates people,” Filner said. Polis responded by saying that the proIsrael lobby is no different than any other single-issue interest group in American politics, from labor unions to low-tax proponents like the Club for Growth to supporters of gun rights. “This is not unique to American politics,” Polis said about the pro-Israel lobby. “Nor is this even one of the most influential groups in either of the parties.” But Filner persisted, arguing as an example that labor unions were at least providing health benefits for the members — but on Israel, members of Congress “are taking positions that can lead to war” based only on how it affects their campaign coffers. “The Republican Party doesn’t give a damn about Israel,” he said, but only supports it on political grounds. That finally led Boustany to chime in, suggesting that Filner not “generalize about Republicans.”

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Use your words Mumblecore director (and member of the tribe) Andrew Bujalski’s third film, Beeswax, marks an exciting leap forward in both his own work and the tenor of the entire genre. By Leyna Krow

CourTESY CINEMA GuILd

Tilly and Maggie Hatcher star as twin sisters Jeannie and Lauren in Beeswax. Before watching Beeswax, I tried to explain to a friend who’d agreed to see the movie with me what the Mumblecore genre of film is all about. My description as “movies where amateur actors sit around having awkward conversations with each other and there’s no discernible plot,” did little to convince him that he’d signed on for anything other than a boring, pretentious art flick. True, Mumblecore movies can be slow. And lacking in a clear story arch. And at times painful to watch for their stammering, all-tooreal dialogue. Beeswax, the third movie by writer, director and editor Andrew Bujalski is no exception. But in its slowness, directionlessness and awkwardness it is a near-perfect little film. Bujalski, the man often considered the godfather of Mumblecore (as much as one can be considered the godfather of anything at the age of 32), has created a set of characters so honest and so believable that watching Beeswax almost feels like an act of voyeurism. The film centers around twin sisters Jeannie and Lauren, played by actual twins Tilly and Maggie Hatcher. Jeannie is the introspective wheelchair-bound co-owner of a vintage clothing store who worries that her business partner is planning to sue her over a never-defined contractual dispute. Lauren, playful, unfocused, and underemployed, is not so much Jeannie’s opposite as to be obnoxious (Look! They’re twins, but they’re sooooo different!), but provides a nice foil to her sister’s pensiveness and occasional social ineptitude. Straddling the divide between Lauren’s youthful missteps and Jeannie’s very adult concerns is Jeannie’s ex-boyfriend Merrill. Fresh out of law school, Merrill, who has not yet passed the bar, is enlisted by Jeannie to help shed some light on what she fears may soon be an ugly legal battle over the future of the store. They end up having sex instead. After that, Merrill becomes a fixture in Jeannie’s life, not quite as her boyfriend, not quite as her lawyer. It’s unclear just how much Jeannie wants from Merrill in either capacity — she seems more inclined toward a casual hook-up and some advice, while he’s angling for a relationship and a retainer.

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Top Ten Jewish Halloween costumes 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

The Golem The Torah The baby Jesus A box of matzoh Whatever you wore for Purim

>> Getting back together isn’t something either Jeannie or Merrill ever talks about, of course. Instead, they talk around it. No single scene in Beeswax leads the characters toward any defining moment. Yet, after an hour and a half of watching Jeannie, Merrill, Lauren, Jeannie’s employees, Lauren’s ex-boyfriend and his brother, etc., it’s impossible not to know them, and not to like them. This is where Bujalski’s talent lies — in eliciting through mundane conversations, failed jokes, and phone calls about broken cash registers the essence of his characters and the connections they have to one another. The majority of scenes take place in just a handful of locations: Jeannie’s bedroom, the clothing store, Jeannie’s car, and the twins’ mother’s house. For the most part, the characters interact with one another while sitting on couches or lying in bed. The cinematography is utilitarian, not always catching the actors at their best angles. This sort of straightforward, frills-free photography (a Mumblecore staple) complements the circling, vernacularized dialogue. No one knows just the right thing to say. No one is a hero. No one is inaccessibly beautiful or graceful. Most of the action of the film involves Jeannie navigating her wheelchair around her house or the store, getting in and out of her car, moving objects from one place to another. This adds to the feeling of slowness, and deliberateness, of the film. Jeannie’s disability is never specifically mentioned (Tilly Hatcher uses a wheelchair in real life) and her fellow characters move seamlessly around her without offering pity. As well it should be. Life with a disability is not all about the disability, yet I can’t recall ever having seen another movie involving a physically handicapped character without some accompanying scene where he or she tells the serious and oh-so-revealing story of how it happened. In Beeswax, everyone is well beyond that point in their own relationships with Jeannie and the film refuses to backtrack for the audience to catch up. Where Bujalski’s first two films, Funny Ha Ha (2002) and Mutual Appreciation (2005) are marred ever so slightly by their entrenchment in hipster/scenesterism, Beeswax rises above the pretension of cool kids trying to make movies for other cool kids. Gone from Beeswax are the house parties, the casual drinking, and the allusions to the indie music scene of the previous films. Gone too is the just-out-of-college slacker angst that characterizes not only Bujalski’s earlier works, but the bulk of the Mumblecore canon. Although Beeswax is still cast with 20-somethings, the problems the characters face are both more mature and more universal: business woes, financial insecurity, familial responsibility, and the sticky, tenuous emotions involved with getting back together with an ex. It’s this stickiness from which the film likely takes its name. The community of friends and relatives in which the twins live is something of a hive. They have built their social universe around themselves and, for better or for worse, are a little stuck in it. They talk, in various ways, about making changes to their situation. But whether or not any action will follow the talk is unclear, and frankly, it’s none of Beeswax’s concern. In a film with no plot, action, special effects or Hollywood sets, all that’s left are the words. Beeswax’s dialogue is a study in both the powers of forthrightness and subtlety. It’s about using language to say exactly what you mean, and still not getting it right. At times, the honesty is almost shocking. Bujalski has made a career replicating the way people actually talk to each other, as stumbling and convoluted as those conversations might be. And in Beeswax, he’s managed to turn the minutiae of human communication into both a science and an art.

OverHeard On

Overheard on October 20 “I’m only interested in being a part of religions where I get to speak in tongues.” — Heard at a housewarming party welcome to our world

jew-ish recommends… Sat., Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Israel vs. Utopia Author Joel Schalit, online editor of Zeek magazine, will discuss his book Israel vs. Utopia about how American Jews’ ideal of Israel does not match the reality. At Elliott Bay Books, 101 S. Main St., Seattle. Sponsored by Zeek and jew-ish.com.