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Courtesy Seattle Hebrew Academy
The first day of school at the Seattle Hebrew Academy found middle schoolers trekking across the I-90 bridge, partly in fulfillment of SHA’s theme for the year, “Building Bridges,” but also in solidarity with classmate Sam Owen, who is undergoing a bone marrow transplant this week. Donations to Seattle Children’s Hospital were made in Sam’s honor for each student and teacher who successfully made the one-and-a-half mile walk across the bridge.
Iran policy reveals split between U.S. Jewish and Israeli left Ron Kampeas JTA World News Service
ANALYSIS
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel’s highest-ranking female soldier, Brig. Gen. Yisraela Oron, was sounding all the right notes for her J Street hosts. At the tail end of a U.S. tour for the left-wing pro-Israel lobby, Oron was lending her considerable security credentials to its platform: A two-state solution, territorial concessions by Israel, and a robust U.S. peacemaking role. The conversation with a group of reporters then turned to Iran and its nuclear potential, and Oron was unequivocal: Yes to engagement, but on a timetable that would be tied to punishing sanctions. “The thing that worries me and that worries other Israelis is that it is not limited in time,” Oron said as the faces of her J Street hosts turned anxious, adding, “I’m not sure I’m expressing the J Street opinion.” She was not. J Street explicitly opposes a timetable and has reservations about proposed additional sanctions. The awkward moment pointed to a potential split between left-wing pro-Israel groups and the Israeli constituents for whom they claim to speak. Unlike the IsraeliPalestinian issue, little dissent exists among Israeli politicians over how to deal with Iran. That puts left-wing U.S. Jewish groups at odds with Israeli left-wingers. “There is a more hawkish perception among virtually all circles in Israel” than there is in the United States, said Yossi Alpher, a consultant who has worked with Americans for Peace Now. “It’s very natural. Iran doesn’t say the U.S. has no right to exist and doesn’t do the equivalent of denying the Holocaust. It doesn’t deploy proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah against the United States and on its borders.”
Birthright experience a high for Seattle-area participants
Right now, the differences are not pronounced — the administrations of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama are virtually on the same page on the need to confront Iran, and soon. That could change, however, if Iran makes a serious counter offer to Obama’s proposal to engage. Last week, the Iranians said they had made such an offer. Its details are not known, but it will be part of the “reassessment” Obama has pledged to complete by the end of September, when the major world powers meet at the U.N. General Assembly. “If Iran engages and the Obama administration argues that a deal has been made, the Israeli government will be very wary,” Alpher said. “This could immediately create a whole world of suspicions.” Under those circumstances, the vast majority of American Jewish voters who backed Obama last year would be faced with the first either-or U.S. vs. Israel issue in decades, and groups that describe themselves as proIsrael and pro-peace will find themselves for the first time speaking for virtually no one in Israel on a critical issue. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations planned to lobby in Washington on Sept. 10 and will rally outside the General Assembly on Sept. 24 for sanctions that would end the export of refined petroleum to Iran, which imports 40 percent of its refined oil. On Israel’s left, the Labor Party, currently part of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, aggressively backs sanctions. Its leader and the current defense minister, Ehud Barak, makes Iran’s isolation the centerpiece of his exchanges with his counterparts in the West. The smaller Meretz Party, to Labor’s left, also backs Iran’s isolation. It routinely frames its arguments for robust peacemaking in terms of the need to contain Iran’s ambitions.
By now, Cody Solomon is back home on Bainbridge Island and has delivered the message in person that he asked me to convey to his parents, Julie and Robert, on his behalf: “Mom and Dad, you have to come. I’d fly you here if I could. I want you to experience Israel, too.” Cody was one of 40 young men and women from the Seattle area who visited the Jewish State last month, courtesy of Birthright Israel, the program that provides free 10-day trips to young Jews, ages 18 to 26, from around the world. I met Cody, who is entering his senior year at the University of British Columbia this semester, in Tel Aviv one afternoon where he and the others in his Birthright group were extolling the trip, explaining how it has opened them up to the land, people and state of Israel, and to each other. That’s the idea behind Birthright, launched almost a decade ago by a small group of American mega-philanthropists, and joined by the Jewish Federations of North America and the State of Israel in a $100-million-a-year project that to date has brought more than 220,000 young people to Israel. Beyond showing young adults the sites, the organizers are seeking to strengthen the sense of love of Israel, support for the state of Israel, and commitment to Jewish peoplehood among the participants, most of whom are visiting the country for the first time. “My younger and older brothers were here and lived on kibbutz for a time,” Cody told me, “but now it is my turn, and this is a lovely and intense experience.”
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M.O.T.: Member of the Tribe Community Calendar National & International News What’s Your JQ? Jewish on Earth The Shouk Classifieds
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September/October Family Calendar For complete details about these and other upcoming JFS events and workshops, please visit our website: www.jfsseattle.org For pArentS
Programs of Project DVORA (Domestic Violence Outreach, Response & Advocacy) are free of charge.
Kids’ Club / Fall 2009
Parenting & Teshuva: Rupture, Repair & Return Parenting is filled with constant adjustments and challenges — yet these challenging moments can ultimately bring us closer to our children. Join us as we explore questions of forgiving and moving forward in our parenting through discussion, text study and activities. m tuesdays, September 15 & 22 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. At a Queen Anne location in Seattle $20/person, $30/couple. Scholarships available. Space is limited, advance registration required. Register online through http://www.kavana.org/ family/parenting-and-teshuva or call Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146.
Helping Children Who Have Witnessed Domestic Violence A 12-week series of classes for mothers and their children age 5-8. All families, religions, communities and cultures are welcome. FREE Must register by 4:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18. Contact Project DVORA, (206) 461-3240 for dates, times and location.
Tashlich for Survivors of Intimate Partner Abuse Join us for an evening of discussion and ritual, led by Danica Bornstein, MSW, LICSW. This event is open to all survivors of intimate partner abuse and women with controlling partners. All levels of Jewish observance are welcome. m September 23 (wednesday) 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Confidential location Must register by 4:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18 For more information and to RSVP, please contact Project DVORA, (206) 461-3240 or
[email protected].
Bringing Baby Home A Workshop Series for Couples Be the best parenting team possible through this interactive, hands-on class! m october 1 - november 5 (Six thursdays) 6:15 – 8:30 p.m. JFS, 1601 16th Ave, Seattle Couples of all backgrounds are welcome. $150/couple includes workbook and materials. Scholarships are available. Advance registration is required. Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or
[email protected].
PEPS 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]
For AdultS Age 60+
For JewiSh women
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
Challah-Palooza! Top challah vendors will share their delicious creations, just in time for the New Year. m September 11 (Friday) 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. FREE Held at Whole Foods Market Roosevelt Square, 1026 NE 64th, Seattle Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or
[email protected].
Shaarei Tikvah: Gates of Hope A Celebration of Rosh Hashanah for People of All Abilities A community wide, non-denominational service for persons with disabilities to celebrate with their friends, families and other members of the community. m September 19 (Saturday) 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Temple De Hirsch Sinai 1441 – 16th Ave, Seattle FREE Kosher dietary laws observed RSVP is encouraged. To discuss special accommodations, please contact us by September 10. Contact Marjorie Schnyder, (206) 861-3146 or
[email protected].
Endless Opportunities A community-wide program offered in partnership with Temple B’nai Torah & Temple De Hirsch Sinai. EO events are open to the public.
Moses & His Web of Seven Women September 15 (tuesday) 10:15 – 11:45 a.m. Mercer Island Library 4400 88th Ave SE, Mercer Island For directions go to http://www.kcls.org/ mercerisland/ m
A Tikkun Olam Outing: Food Drive Food Sort! october 18 (Sunday) 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Advance registration is required! Contact Jane Deer-Hileman, (206) 861-3155 or email
[email protected] m
Energy: New Technologies, the Weather & Conservation With Andy Wappler of Puget Sound Energy m october 20 (tuesday) 10:00 – 11:30 a.m. NOTE NEW LOCATION with our New Partner!! Temple B’nai Torah 15727 NE 4th St, Bellevue
Luncheon with Justice Bobbe Bridge Founder of the Center for Children and Youth Justice m october 29 (thursday) 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Catered lunch - Kashrut observed Temple De Hirsch Sinai - Foyer 1441 16th Ave, Seattle Space is limited; register early RSVP Ellen Hendin, (206) 861-3183 or
[email protected] regarding all Endless Opportunities programs.
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, at (206) 861-3155 or
[email protected]
Check out the new Jewish Family Service website at www.jfsseattle.org!
1601 - 16th Avenue, Seattle www.jfsseattle.org / (206) 461-3240
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A “Shabbosdiger” year
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Though the shofar announces God as king of the universe, even that call can be silenced by something even more holy: Shabbat
Rabbi Yechezkel Kornfeld Congregation Shevet Achim Everything in Judaism is both constant and unique. The reason for this seeming paradox is that Torah is our life. Just as we want our life to be constant and also unique, the same applies to our Torah behavior. The New Year 5770 is upon us, and another Rosh Hashanah is about to be observed. This Rosh Hashanah is basically the same as the thousands that were observed by our ancestors. We will hear the shofar, pray extra-long and extra-special tefillat, dip apples in honey, listen to sweet-voiced cantors and be inspired by our rabbis’ sermons. We will cast our sins into bodies of water at Tashlich, and strengthen our communal ties with our fellow congregants at synagogue. Philosophically and mystically, this Rosh Hashanah will represent major tenets of Judaism. We will acknowledge that God Almighty is the king of the uni-
verse, and particularly, Melech Yisrael. We will confirm that He is a personal God, who cares about us, and is intimately familiar with all our affairs. The blowing of the shofar is a yearly coronation of God, and a recommitting of ourselves as His servants. These concepts and more are relevant and meaningful every Rosh Hashanah. However, this year is a unique lesson that we are taught. The sound of the shofar will be silent on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Despite the fact that it is a biblical mitzvah to hear the shofar; despite the fact that by blowing the shofar we coronate God as King of the universe; despite the fact that the shofar arouses and inspires us to improve our behavior and become more moral, ethical, spiritual, observant, and pious Jews — the shofar is silent. Why? Because there is something more important, holy and crucial that trumps the significance of shofar. Shabbat! Shabbat is so much more holy and relevant for Jews that we silence the shofar because we are worried that the Shabbat will be compromised. When Rosh Hashanah occurs on a weekday, the world appears to be an existence, separate from God. When we blow the shofar, we accept God as our King,
and behave appropriately in the world. We are empowered to receive the world in its true essence — permeated with Godliness, completely and constantly dependent on God for its continued existence. Therefore we don’t have to blow the shofar to remember the Divine King. The whole world shouts the fact! On the second day when the world reverts to its weekday status, we will blow the shofar.
This year when its rosh, its head, is Shabbat, it is appropriate to renew our commitment to this weekly holy day. Light the candles, recite kiddush, have special meals with family and friends, go to shul, and refrain from weekday activities. Affirming this resolution before Rosh Hashanah will surely call forth God’s favor, and bless each and everyone with a happy, healthy, sweet New Year.
Yes for homes! Why Seattle’s Jewish community should feel at home supporting the Seattle housing levy Alison Eisinger and Sally Kinney
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:
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Special to JTNews Our Jewish traditions are deeply rooted in the concept of home. Our most beloved holidays center around the home, both literally and metaphorically. On Passover, we gather at home — not in the synagogue — to celebrate our release from Egypt and our hope of making a new home in a new land. On Sukkot, we erect simple outdoor huts to remind us that after we left Egypt, we wandered homeless in the wilderness and made shelter of what we could find. When we celebrate Shabbat, whether we observe a whole day or share an evening meal, we distinguish between the outside world of work and worry, and the home world of family, security, and togetherness. We don’t confine this traditional yearning for home to our own houses. Through thousands of years, we have brought warmth, comfort, and a sense of belonging into our synagogues, settlement houses, schools, and community centers. We joyfully welcome the strangers in our midst and strengthen those in need by giving them assistance, as Maimonides urged. That assistance often involves helping people to regain independence and create or re-create their own homes. This fall, our Jewish community has an especially important opportunity to put into practice our traditions and help others secure the blessings of home. We can act on our common belief that everyone deserves the safety and stability of a home by supporting Proposition 1, which will renew Seattle’s housing levy. We will be joining many other Seattle residents of various religious and secular traditions who care about making our city home for everyone. Seattle voters first passed a housing levy in 1981. Since then, Seattleites have
voted to renew the levy four times. This November’s Proposition 1 will renew the expiring levy, bringing in $145 million over the next seven years, and will cost a typical Seattle homeowner only $5.50 a month, or $65 a year. This modest property tax has produced great results since 1981. Over 28 years, the levy has: • Funded 10,000 affordable housing units for seniors, families with children, and low-wage workers • Provided rental assistance to people on the brink of homelessness • Helped extend loans to 600 first-time, moderate-income homebuyers • Dedicated funds to repair and maintain existing low-income housing. We may not think of it this way, but most of us have lived in subsidized housing at some point in our lives. Perhaps we’ve lived in a college dorm, or military housing, or a relative’s basement. If we are homeowners, we take a federal mortgage interest deduction. Through Proposition 1, we can extend that same privilege to our neighbors and community members who might otherwise be without homes. In the current economic crisis, it is especially important to renew the levy in order to keep Seattle from becoming a city divided between those who have the resources to both live and work here, and those who work here but can’t afford to call it home. Over the next seven years, a renewed levy will: • Build or preserve 1,850 affordable homes that will serve thousands of households over 50 years • Prevent homelessness for more than 3,000 families and individuals • Create hundreds of jobs and leverage millions of additional state and federal dollars to build and rehabilitate housing in Seattle.
Fixed-income seniors, minimum-wage workers, people with disabilities, veterans, and those emerging from domestic violence or homelessness will be housed through levy programs. This renewal is primarily designed to help Seattleites whose income is less than a third of local median income. In a city where the average twobedroom apartment rents for $1,200 a month, levy resources will help a family of three living on $1,895 or less afford housing and be able to cover groceries, childcare, transportation, utilities, and insurance. In Leviticus 19 we are told: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall not pick your vineyard bare or gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.” We share our harvest in many ways. We grapple during High Holy Days with our responsibilities to one another. We make collective and individual commitments each year to advance a more just and whole world. This fall, let us celebrate the new year by practicing the Jewish tradition of sharing the harvest with those who have less. Support Proposition 1: Yes for Homes! On behalf of all who will be helped by this sharing, thank you. For more information about Yes for Homes! Proposition 1 to renew the Seattle Housing Levy, please contact Tera Bianchi, Campaign Manager, at 206-9544663 or visit www.yesforhomes.org. Alison Eisinger is executive director of the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness and sits on the steering committee of the Yes for Homes! campaign. Sally Kinney is a member of Temple Beth Am, the Lake City Task Force on Homelessness and the Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness.
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 september 22 n future deadlines may be found online
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A time to reflect, a time to move forward s, Dear Friend on in the ry is going a in rd o a y; tr Something ex e Seattle Hebrew Academ in th ge t a ga classrooms children en ess. As our n li g the o h in y a in d a every ly sust ri ve re a ey th is holiness. Torah study a part of th be n aily ca u o Y nctifying d world. sa in s u in lot to jo rah and Tefi I invite you To f o y d u st d the edication. learning an es Hayom d rn a P a h it at SHA, w Year, Healthy New A Happy & o Kletenik Rivy Poupk ool Head of Sch
PARNES HAYOM is a unique partnership between our donors and SHA children. This meaningful program enables donors to dedicate Torah learning or tefilot in honor, memory or commemoration of someone or a special event. The study of Torah elevates that milestone and imbues it with holiness while connecting you to the majesty of Torah and the tefilot of SHA schoolchildren. Dedicate a day, week, month or year in honor of a child, family member or friend. Mark the memory of a loved one, recognize a special occasion or make a gift towards a refuah shelemah, a speedy recovery. Consider celebrating a bar or bat mitzvah, graduation or special occasion with a donation in their honor. Your Parnes Hayom commitment will be recognized with veneration in the beautiful SHA building, our classrooms and in print. With each day of learning will come reverence for those who came before us and commitment to those who daily devote their lives to Jewish education and to the eternity of our traditions. Our sages say: “the world endures only for the sake of the breath of school children”.
2008–09 Parnes haYoM donors Year Eli & Rebecca Almo Month Michael & Henrika Sandorffy Week Steve & Linda Harer JeWish holidaYs Dr. Bobby & Beth Cohanim Marshall & Elaine Hartholz rosh Chodesh David & Wendy Amyakar David Balint & Liz Azose Norman & Lisa Behar Elliot & Allyson Cohen Michal & Lea Geller Elie Goral Dr. Harvey & Giselle Greisman Stan Handaly Rabbi Charna Klein Rivy Poupko Kletenik & Rabbi Moshe Kletenik Dr. Saul & Joyce Rivkin Oren & Bonnie Rosenbloom Alex & Rachel Sassoon Alan & Carol Sidell Sheldon & Irene Steinberg Althea Stroum daY Jacob & Leah Almo Joel & Dr. Sarah Baskin Dr. David Cassius Bahram & Lee Cohanim Rabbi Bernard & Shirley Fox Morris & Mary Frimer Ezra & Aliza Genauer Jay & Robin Gindin Joshua & Sara Gortler Roger Ligrano Scott & Sasha Mail Jon & Naomi Newman Marc & Leslie Rifkin Paula S. Rogers Alan & Leslie Rosen Aaron & Joanna Sandorffy Yoav & Pam Schwartz Josh & Elana Zana
teaCher learning Victor & Susan Alhadeff David Cohanim & Melissa Rivkin Cohanim Robert & Leah Gladstein Dr. Shlomo Goldberg & Karen Treiger Sonny & Gena Gorasht Nisan & Jana Harel Beau Harer Jamie Holland Joel & Heather Jacobson Dr. Menachem & Judy Maimon Benji & Lois Mayers Steven Phillips & Joyce Bloch Phillips Dr. Scott & Karin Pollock Peter & Debra Rettman Eric Schneider Dr. David & Ilene Siscovick Rabbi David & Tzippy Twersky Morning tefilah Dr. David & Audrey Aboulafia Daniel & Leora Alhadeff Drew & Kelley Artiaga Jordan & Jenny Assouline Etan & Sonya Basseri Albert Behar David & Sigrid Benezra Dan & Francine Birk Yehudit Blume Joel & Bonnie Braunstein Dr. Charles F. Broches & Connie Kanter Janet Drake Brett & Sabrina Endres Dr. Marc & Maria Erlitz Don & Deanne Etsekson Richard Fruchter & Tricia Breen Ruth Genauer Jeff & Janet Gindin Kevin & Lea Hanan Stella Hanoh-Coleman Joel & Daphne Harris Steven Hartholz Kris Hawley Aaron & Margie Holzer
Jon & Leah Jacobson Dr. Martin & Charla Jaffee Eric & Debbie Joslin Dan & Jo Kershaw Dr. Aaron & Shira Levin Dr. Elie & Miriam Levy Mike Loebe Susan Matalon Greg & Katie May Sam & Sharon Mezistrano Jana Miller Edwin & Pnina Mirsky Rabbi Morton & Leya Moskowitz Rick & Jodi Negrin Avi & Malkie Nowitz David & Kaden Oppenheimer Rabbi Yehuda & Neomi Rapoport Rabbi Jay & Janine Rosenbaum Chaim & Anna-Aliza Rosenbaum Rabbi Yoni & Kochava Sacks Ruth Sassoon Robert Schoenfeld Jon & Shari Schwartz Judith Stoloff Jonathan & Margalit Tiede Joe & Hannah Voss Michael & Lesley Weichbrodt Jim Manicini & Nomi Winderbaum
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Let the High Holidays be a time that we think about hunger and feeding those without food on their plates Mark Richard Schuster Special to JTNews Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur provide a time for each of us each year to reflect upon ourselves and our place in the world. It is during these times we address issues within ourselves that are not necessarily pleasant or easy. However, it should also be a time when we reflect upon what is good in our lives and what aspects we wish to enhance. Have we become, in Gandhi’s famous words, “the change we wish to see in the world?” These questions spin through our heads during the High Holy Days, but when another year passes us by and we ask ourselves the same questions without much sign of improvement, that is when we know that a change must be made. Asking the question is the first step, making a change is the next. One change we can all make, or improve upon, is addressing the problem of hunger in our communities. While I could go on about the inequities and the wrongfulness of hunger existing in the richest country in the world, I will save that for another time. Today, as Jews, these upcoming holy days are a time of both repentance and giving. Many synagogues during these holidays now collect bags of groceries from their congregants, providing much-needed food for various food banks. It’s important to bring those bags back full of food, but it’s even more important to consider giving all year long. There are over 40 million people in the United States who don’t have enough to eat, and approximately 15 million of them are children. The Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 2004 expires on Sept. 30, 2009 —
just a few days after Rosh Hashanah. This year, lawmakers must ask themselves a number of questions to understand how the Child Nutrition Program can best address the needs of hungry kids and how nutritious meals can be provided to children in school on a daily basis. The Child Nutrition Act supports a series of programs, including the School Breakfast Program and the National School Lunch Program, that provide daily nutritious meals to school children in need. Every five years, lawmakers work together to model improvements and reauthorize the federal Child Nutrition Program. In 2008, President Obama set a goal to end childhood hunger by 2015. Let this Rosh Hashanah be the year to set that goal into motion. This year, ask yourself how you can become part of the solution. Ask yourself how you can help prevent these children from augmenting the mounting negative statistics. There is no reason to wait, now is the time to act. Throughout t he High Holy Days season, I challenge all of us to speak and act from our hearts. We turn the pages of the machzor and listen to the clarion call of the shofar as it is blown to welcome the New Year. But what happens when there are no more pages to turn and the blasts of the shofar have been silenced? Look within yourself and ask the question: How can I help? As the Jewish community continues to grow and strengthen, our hearts do the same. L’shanah tovah u’metukah, a good and sweet New Year. Mark Richard Schuster serves on the national board of directors of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and also serves on the Seattle Advisory Circle for UNICEF.
Courtesy NYHS
From left to right, Shana Jacobson, class of 2013, Jamie Schwartz, class of 2011, Hannah Robsman, class of 2013, and Shoshana Goldberg, class of 2009, get ready to climb a 50-foot climbing wall at Camp Kiloqua in Stanwood during Northwest Yeshiva High School’s annual first-week-of-school retreat.
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Birthright Israel t Page 1A Cody ’s ent husiasm is echoed by everyone with whom I spoke. Lindsay Goldberg, 24, a graduate student in environmental studies, appreciated that the tour lacked “dogma” and allowed participants to think for themselves. “They give us the groundwork,” she said appreciatively. Goldberg said she planned to stay in Israel for several weeks and visit kibbutzim in the south that teach about the environment. Lindsay’s father is Jewish, her mother is Catholic. Troy Ba n n ister, a not her Un iversity of Washington student with whom I spoke, is also the child of an interfaith marriage. Indeed, Birthright officials say that a substantial number of participants now are in that category. As a result, these young people, many with little Jewish identity, are given the opportunity to choose a Hebrew name for themselves during the trip, and some have Bar or Bat Mitzvah ceremonies during which they pledge to commit their lives to the Jewish people. Troy, a college junior, lives on Mercer Island with its sizable Jewish population. He says his Catholic father, Jeff, and Jewish mother, Candace, have given him the option “to make my own [religious] choice.” “This is a very interesting time for me,” he says. “It is having a real impact. I am proud of Israel and proud to be connected to its history.” Ariel Winger, a graduate of the University of Washington from Port Angeles, said she initially came on the trip because she “heard good things about it
Josh Furman
Attendees from a Seattle contingent of Birthright Israel take advantage of the mud baths at the Dead Sea. — and it’s free.” She said that her mother, who is Jewish, has “a big, strong, Jewish cultural connection,” and this experience is making Ariel “want to learn more about and share this part of my heritage.” A key challenge for Birthright remains follow-up programs to keep enthusiastic Birthright participants connected to Jewish life. Josh Furman, who helped to staff the trip, is associate director of JConnect, the Seattle social network program that serves approximately 1,500 people, ages 24 to 32, about one-third of whom have been Birthright participants. He said the program broadens young people’s Jewish horizons, from spiritual pursuits to cooking classes, and credits Birthright with opening up a sense of Jewish interest among many of its participants.
Now approaching its 10th anniversary, with plans for a gala reunion in the
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works, Birthright is proving to be “the most positive Jewish experience anyone can have,” Birthright CEO Gidi Mark tells me. “It is the only Jewish programming in the world with a waiting list.” Thanks to Birthright, he said, “this is the first generation where more young people have been to Israel than their parents.” The challenge, Mark said, is not only to continue to fund the ambitious project during a time of serious recession, but to inspire former participants to give back with their commitment, ideas and financial support because, he says, “it’s essential for the future of the Jewish people.” Leni Reiss is the American Jewish Press Association’s liaison to Do the Write Thing, a journalism project for Jewish collegians.
Courtesy MMSC
In the Menachem Mendel Seattle Cheder’s Montessori preschool program, children spend their first day of school learning about how to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
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friday, september 11, 2009
community news
More than just Inspector 12 Longtime shatnez inspector hands his practice to a new set of eyes Janis Siegel JTNews Correspondent Ah, summer. As the season for wearing cool linens and comfortable lightweight cottons draws to a close, a Jewish detective-in-training is gearing up for his busiest season coming in the fall. His work is like a Jewish CSI episode, but he’s no crime scene investigator. Rabbi Yehoshua Pinkus has taken over the NW Shatnez Lab from Rabbi Chaim Tatel, who has been tearing apart people’s newly purchased garments in the Northwest for the past 37 years to look for shatnez, the Hebrew word for material that has a mixture of linen and wool in it, a combination expressly forbidden in the Torah for Jews to wear. Tatel officially retired from the role as of late August, mainly due to painful arthritis in his hands. In this highly specialized position, he used a microscope, chemical solutions, and even fire to investigate the threads of fabrics found in everyday clothing such as men’s and women’s suits and shirts, and children’s wear. After receiving the intensive weeklong training program offered once a year at one of the “premiere” shatnez training labs in the country in New Jersey, Rabbi Pinkus will do the same. Until t hen, Rabbi Zalman K rems from Portland will travel to Seattle and perform the tests for customers. Both Tatel and Pinkus said that business increases around Yom Kippur and the New Year. “Before the holidays is always the busiest,” Pinkus told JTNews. “Each inspection takes about 30 to 45 minutes. This is
our first week and we had five suits. That’s pretty good for the first week.” Pinkus teaches classes at the Seattle Kollel and is involved in programming there. He said they plan to do a series of community seminars and events on the topic of shatnez to educate people about this little-known mitzvah. “Shatnez hasn’t gotten the visibility in
Pinkus agrees. “We’re using our technology and we bow to his superior wisdom,” he said. Once a part of the garment is found to contain shatnez, the customer must take it to a tailor and request a polyester or synthetic replacement part. “This is a service to the community,” said Tatel, who was raised in Seattle. He
The commandment of shatnez: “Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together.” the world. For food, you have the FDA, but for clothing you don’t have that. Knowledgeable people know about this and the more knowledgeable the community becomes, they want higher standards,” Tatel said. The commandment against wearing shatnez is found twice in the Torah. The first is in Leviticus 19:19, which prohibits the interbreeding of different animals, the planting of mixed crops, and the wearing of a garment that contains two materials. However, in Deuteronomy 21: 11, the Torah is more detailed and states: “Lo tilbash shaatnez tzemer u’phishtim yachdav: Thou shalt not wear a mingled stuff, wool and linen together.” Tatel, who has worked at Boeing for 22 years in the model management group for the 737 program, said that religious authorities can’t really tell you why the mixing of these two threads is not allowed. “We don’t really know why,” Tatel said. “God said it, and that’s it.”
told JTNews the practice was something he originally started as a student in the ’70s to help out the community, and it just kept on going. Tatel is not too unhappy about handing over the reins to a new rabbi. He’s been at this work for a long time. “I got my training when I went to a Yeshiva in Baltimore,” he said. “In the summers, when I came back, I would bring my kit with me. When I moved back here in 1984, I started it again.” Pinkus and Tatel are both members of Bikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath Congregation. Inspection fees are generally low. Tatel’s 1997 prices are still advertised today, charging $10 for a suit, $7.50 for a jacket, $2.50 for a pair of pants, and $10 to remove the “non-kosher” threads or padding. Tatel always investigated commonly used tailoring support pieces like canvas, which will change color after being treated with a solution, or will have a
unique smell when burned. He warns all those who want to avoid the forbidden blend of materials that mislabeling is more common than most people think. “Most of the shatnez issues will be in the men’s garments and it’s in 95 percent of kids’ stuff,” said Tatel. “They put a lot more stiffeners and canvas in them. For women, it’s generally the shell and the liner and that’s it.” “You would be surprised how often [clothes] are mislabeled,” Pinkus said. “And you wouldn’t believe the many different parts of a suit or a jacket. We learn how to carefully examine it without doing damage to the garment. It comes back to the client virtually the same.” As investigators, Pinkus said, they take fiber samples from different parts of the fabric then put it under a microscope. “You have no idea what’s in other parts of the garment, like the stitching or the shoulder pads,” he said. What’s Tatel’s best piece of advice to consumers trying to keep this commandment? “Test first, then alter it,” he said. “This way you can return it to the store. They’re not required to tell you anything except the shell and the lining. You can’t trust the labels.” Can’t find the time to make an appointment or have too many clothes to test? Pinkus has a solution for that. “We also do house calls,” he added. “We’ll come to your house and check them all on the spot.” For more information about getting a clothing inspection, contact 206-2033739 or
[email protected].
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Friday, Sept. 18 5–9 PM Architects, Consultants & Contractors Construction Contact Information Now Online! Check www.kcls.org/buildings for information about KCLS construction projects. You’ll find the latest available details on current and pending projects:
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jtnews
n arts & entertainment
friday, september 11, 2009
Ready to make it big Two comedians bring their Jewish neuroses to the stage Masada Siegel Special to JTNews Two guys whose careers are based entirely around the neuroses of Jewish families are about to hit it big. Sam Wolfson and Bryan Fogel, creators and stars of the off-Broadway hit Jewtopia are back on stages around North America, just before their creation heads to the silver screen. Their latest venture is a combination of standup humor and a scene from their play mixed in with a multimedia presentation, kind of, says Wolfson, like Al Gore. This speaking tour is keeping them busy until they start filming what they hope to be a Hollywood blockbuster, which is loosely based on the stage production of Jewtopia. The play is about Chris O’Connell, a non-Jewish man looking to marry a Jewish woman so he never, ever has to make a decision again in his life. He meets up with his old friend Adam Lipschitz, who guides him in his quest. Jewtopia opened in Los Angeles in 2003, and then moved to New York, where it became an off-Broadway hit. While the show recently closed in New York, it will be opening up in Toronto, Tampa and Roch-
If you go: “Laugh Your Way to Giving,” the Jewish Federation’s community campaign kickoff event, will be held on Wed., Sept. 16 at Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., Seattle. Admission costs $36. Visit www.jewishinseattle.org to purchase tickets.
ester, and, on Sept. 16, in Seattle. Fogel and Wolfson will be performing “World of Jewtopia” at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle’s community campaign kickoff event at Benaroya Hall. In the play, Wolfson plays the character Chris. I asked Fogel if Chris is a ref lection of his own personality. He immediately burst out laughing.
the show, they initially did all the marketing and even sold tickets. Their philosophy of hard work is no laughing matter — it’s how these two small-time stand-up comedians came to be so successful. “Bryan and I put the show’s expenses on our credit cards,” Wolfson said. “Altogether we spent 80 grand. Our parents each chipped in thousands of dollars. We wrote the play to get noticed — we were both struggling at that point in our careers.” Their wishes came true and the “Jewtopia” concept expanded into a book
Courtesy Jewtopia
Bryan Fogel, left, and Sam Wolfson, right, the masterminds behind Jewtopia, with the women who made it all possible: Their moms. “Sam and I very different from the characters we play,” he said. “As a matter of fact, I’m the one who needs to make all the decisions. I don’t like other people deciding for me.” Perhaps not wanting other people to decide their fate is what propelled the duo to take their careers into their own hands. After each struggled for years in horrible Hollywood jobs, they were introduced to each other by a mutual friend because they were the only two Jews he had ever met. They decided to work together and created Jewtopia. Not only did they write, produce, and act in
From all of us at Evergreen BBYO Wishing the Jewish community a Sweet New Year!
where their independent streak became even more apparent. “Warner Brother books gave us an advance to create a book,” Wolfson explained. “We did not just want to do a book, we wanted pictures and drawings. So we put an ad on Craigslist, hired 15 people that worked out of our apartments, and spent the entire advance money on creating the book. Our agent thought we were out of our minds and told us that if Warner did not like the book, we would have to return all the money. But we were determined and wanted it to be great.” The book Jewtopia, which pokes fun
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at Jewish stereotypes such as overprotective parents and obsessive cleanliness, has sold more than 40,000 copies. While they mock Jewish mothers, Wolfson and Fogel know it’s always important to use the big guns when it comes to promoting their work. Joking aside, who could give them a greater endorsement then, well, you guessed it — their mothers? “We put our mothers’ phone numbers on the back of the book, so they could help with publicity,” Wolfson said. “It is not beneath us to pawn our goods,” Fogel said. “One day we were on the Upper East Side of NYC in a Barnes and Noble. Our books were out in front, so we started signing them. Since we had our ‘Jewdar’ on, we pounced on anyone we knew was Jewish — to buy our book and have us sign it for them.” They moved back to California after having a ball in the Big Apple, and now both live in Malibu, a few miles away from one another. They were amused when this reporter asked if they lived a Hollywood lifestyle. “A c t u a l l y ou r l i v e s a r e pr e t t y mellow,” said Fogel. Wolfson surfs and Fogel, an avid skier and cyclist, bikes a few hundred miles a week. At the moment the two are working feverishly on their movie, which is scheduled to start filming in mid-October. “It’s going to be a crazy, fun, wild, hysterical movie,” Wolfson said. If their chutzpah and past performances are an indication of what is to come, it’s best to catch them while you can. No doubt a live preview of actors soon to be on the big screen just might be the hottest ticket in town.” Masada Siegel, otherwise known as the Fun Girl Correspondent, is a freelance writer and can be reached at
[email protected].
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Wishing the community a happy and healthy New Year.
Come join us… in our celebration of the High Holy Days Services held at Seattle First Presbyterian Church 1013 - 8th Ave in Seattle
9/18 Erev Rosh Hashanah 7:30pm Service 9/19 Rosh Hashanah 9:30am Children’s Service 10:30am Main Service & Tashlich 9/27 Kol Nidre 7:30pm Service 9/28 Yom Kippur 9:30am Children’s Service 10:30am Main Service 2pm Study Sessions 4pm Afternoon Service
Visit kol-haneshamah.org
for more information and childcare reservations
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n friday, m.o.t.: member of the tribe
september 11, 2009
Laughing about our kids, not at them Local comedic talent turns to writing books • Also: Making movies
Diana Brement JTNews Columnist Ilana Long is a funny person; and if you saw her perform stand-up comedy in the days before she had kids, you know this. For those who have missed those days, Ilana has written a book, The Binky Conspiracy: True Tales of Mommydom, so you can access her funny stories at any time. As t he publ ish i ng i ndust r y goes through massive upheavals, I’m always i nterested i n how w r iters a re getting their books published. Ilana selfpublished t h roug h Create Space, a branch of Amazon.com. Amazon sells the books and prints them as they are ordered, charging the author a fee per book. “It really wasn’t about the money,” she says, “I had stories I wanted to share” and conventional publishing wasn’t even considered. “I just wanted to get it out there.” Many of the essays are about the year she and her husband, Steve Blatt, spent in Mexico. Steve had been a Peace Corps
Courtesy Ilana Long
Ilana Long, author of the parenting book The Binky Conspiracy, with children Benji and Marina. volunteer in Thailand before he met Ilana, and as a couple they nourished a long-standing dream to live and work overseas. About two years ago, they took their then-4-year-old twins Benji and Marina to Cancun, where they taught at the International American School and the kids attended bilingual kindergarten at the sister school, Communidad Educa-
tive del Sol (www.iasces.com). Having taught language arts for many years at Northwest Yeshiva High School, and now middle school at Open Windows School in Bellevue, Ilana found teaching overseas challenging. “It was very hard. I was teaching seven classes a day,” she says, as opposed to four or five in the States.
Originally from Cleveland, Ilana moved to Seattle in the early 1990s. She came to perform in a play after working with Second City in Chicago. One of her first local jobs was as a drama camp counselor at the SJCC. Having laughed my way through most of our interview, I wondered if her students thought she was funny. “My [middle school] students would be very surprised to find out I do standup,” she says, although her yeshiva students thought she was funny. “My own kids think I’m funny,” and she says being around a comedian has led them to have a very sophisticated sense of humor — “or at least sarcasm.” Steve and Ilana are not formal members of a synagogue, but his family are long-standing members of Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Bellevue, and she grew up at Park Synagogue in Cleveland, one of the nation’s largest Conservative synagogues and where her grandfather, Armond Cohen, served as rabbi for more than 50 years. In the ’90s, Ilana was active in Kulanu, “a big [singles] havurah of East Coasters who ended up, a lot of them, marrying each other,” she says. Ilana’s book is available on Amazon. com and look for information about an official book launch in early October at thebinkyconspiracy.blogspot.com.
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Leah’s Catering Celebrating 12 fabulous years
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