Jlife 0316

GOT KIDS?

LOOK I NS I DE!

MAGAZINE

March 2016Adar I/Adar II 5776

Of Courage and Hate Lessons of Purim

Forward, March! JFFS Program Propels Women Forward

50 Shades of Shatner An Exclusive Interview with our Favorite “Captain”

WEB

SP

ON

SOR

PA

GE

by Bekah Brunstetterdirected by Marc Masterson Are

Going Placeàlready

to a where you

Love, Life…and Beyond

LEARN MORE

March 6 – 27 • Julianne Argyros Stage

FEATURING

Linda Gehringer Hal Landon Jr. Rebecca MozoStephen Ellis Christopher Thornton

Roberta’s claim to have gone to heaven and back sounds crazy. But is it?

Honorary Producers: YVONNE AND DAMIEN JORDAN & DR. SL AND BETTY HUANG/HUANG FAMILY FOUNDATION

2 MARCH 2016 | Jlife


MARCH 26, 2016Silent Auction

Pasta Bar Dinner at 6:00 pmCasino Opens at 7:00 pm

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Optional Theme Attire - Roaring 20’s/Speakeasy

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18

48

42

VIEWPOINT

20Israel SceneGuffaw

21A Letter from the PublisherIntroducing JlifeBuzz.com

24On the Lighter SideBabs Revisted

26Israeli GuyShushan Purim

FEATURES

34With Chesed (Loving Kindness)Honoring Developmental Disabilities Month

36Forward, March! JFFS Program Propels Women Forward

37CIAO, Orange County! An Unparalleled Investment in Aronoff Preschool Faculty Professional Development

38Of Courage and HateLessons of Purim

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

42JununA Film/Album Review

44Cooking JewishWith Judy Bart Kancigor

48Out & AboutA Guide to OC Fun

52Crossword On the Edge (revisited) All About Bill

LIFESTYLE

58Fresh Orange JewsO.C.’s Fresh Faces

60Drinking as A Religious ObligationPurim in Israel is a national party.

61Annual Biblical TrialWas Moses Guilty of Destroying G-d’s Property?

62History/BlogsOrange County’s JewishHistory & The Blogosphere

IN EVERY ISSUE

16Letters/Who KnewWords from our Readers

18First & ForemostThe Other Queen

56News & JewsO.C. Jewish Scene

64Seniors CalendarFitness, Education & More

66Advertising Index

Look inside for Kiddish, our insert publication, right after page 34.

28 On the Cover50 Shades of Shatner An Exclusive Interview with our Favorite “Captain”

Cover photo by Rory Lewis

insideJLIFE | Adar I/Adar II 5776 | MARCH 2016

Page 53


Publish and share your thoughts, news, pictures or videos with the

Orange County Jewish Community.

It’s as simple as 1,2,3!

1. Go to www.jlifebuzz.com2. Click on ‘Submit an Article’

3. Fill in the necessary information

Create a buzz with your own original content!

Space is limited: RSVP at [email protected]

IF YOU’RE: an inquisitive learner

THEN YOU’RE INVITED TO: LIMMUD TVT

What: A Showcase of Jewish Learning by Students of the Samson Institute of

Advanced Jewish Studies

When: March 10th, 6:00-8:00 PM

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Leader or Enlivener THEN YOU’RE INVITED TO: SEDER STRATEGY

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Made Possible by a Community Impact Grant Founded in loving memory of Naomi Gelman Weiss

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LEARNING FOR EVERYONE



Jlife is published monthly by Orange County Jewish Life, LLC. Subscription rate is $24 for one year (12 issues). Send subscription requests to Jlife, 1 Federation Way, Irvine,CA 92603. Jlife is a free and open forum for the expression of opinions. The opinions expressed herein are solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflect the opinions of the publishers, staff or advertisers. Orange County Jewish Life, LLC is not responsible for the accuracy of any and all information within advertisements. Orange County Jewish Life, LLC reserves the right to edit all submitted materials, including press releases, letters, articles and calendar listings for brevity and clarity. Orange County Jewish Life, LLC is not legally responsible for the accuracy of calendar or directory listings, nor is it responsible for possible postponements, cancellations or changes in venue. Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to Orange County Jewish Life, LLC become the physical property of the publication, which is not responsible for the return of such material. Orange County Jewish Life, LLC is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. All contents © 2014 Orange County Jewish Life.

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A BOUTIQUE SHUL THAT YOU CAN JOIN BY INVITATION ONLY

I would like to tell you about my shul and me — and why we might be a good fit for you . . .

My name is Rabbi Dov Fischer. Some call me “Professor Fischer” because I am an adjunct at two prominent Orange County law schools. Some call me “Counselor” because I bring fifteen years sophisticated legal practice to my rabbinical role, and I continue practicing litigation as an active member of the State Bar. Most just call me “Rabbi” — because that is my calling, my vocation and my life’s avocation. A Rabbi for 35 years — and I love it.

In my role as Rav, I counsel couples in crisis, and I counsel other couples looking to reinvigorate their marriages. I conduct weddings. I counsel teens and college kids — and families. I teach pre-teens for bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah. I also advise and counsel some of the most prominent leading rabbis throughout the United States, in a role that my colleagues call “A Rabbi’s Rabbi.” And I root for the Mets (and Yankees) (and Giants) (and Jets).

But most of all, I teach Torah for adults of all ages and backgrounds. I teach Torah with commentaries. I teach Hebrew Language and Conversation. I teach Talmud. Virtually every night of the week, I teach Torah here in Irvine. On Sundays, I teach the only class of its kind for Women in Orange County: a challenging, intensive, text-based class on Judaic values, texts, history, and ideas. And I conduct a modest Prayer Service every Friday night, Shabbat Morning, and Sunday Morning.

I have been the Rabbi for eight Orange County Orthodox conversions to Judaism. I conduct weddings. (I let another guy do the brisses.) In short, with my darling

and wonderful wife as my life companion and best buddy, my life is devoted to serving the Jewish community. Our shul is called “Young Israel of Orange County.” (“Young Israel” is a national body of 140 congregations, named for the young adults who founded the Modern Orthodox movement in America a hundred years ago. Most of us are between 40-65, with lots younger and older.)

Our 80 member households include a remarkably exciting blend of well educated and sophisticated people, successful and dynamic men and women, creative minds. Doctors, entrepreneurs, attorneys, realtors, accountants, high-techies, interior decorators, professors, whatever. Not all come to us with great Jewish backgrounds, but all love to learn and grow. None of us feels it ever is too late to grow Jewishly. Our “Boutique Shul” accepts our members carefully. That way we have a great group, and we leave kvetchers and “shul politics” for other places in town. We are diverse — even six families who are Democrat liberals.

We were founded February 29, 2008. In this our eighth year, we just celebrated our second anniversary (the “Pirates of Penzance” thing.) We need the guys among you to help us with making minyan, and we would love to welcome you all into our family and into our Torah classes — each and every Jewish man and woman in The O.C. who would like to grow and evolve Jewishly. Just drop us an email at [email protected]. Give us a call at: (949) 300-8899. Check

us out online at www.yioc.org. It can be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Just in time for all our Purim events (Megillah, dinner, movie) March 23-24. — Rabbi Dov Fischer

Rabbi’s Office(949) 300.8899www.yioc.org


PH

OTO

BY

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L E T T E R S

GENETIC MEMORIES?Dear Editor:

In a recent issue, there is an invitation for readers to write about our experiences with genetic genealogy.

When I converted to Judaism, almost 49 years ago, I had no suspicion that later a DNA test would indicate that I had Jewish ancestry. I took the DNA Fingerprint Plus test given by DNA Consultants. It indicated both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish ancestry. On my world population matches, Jewish was in first place.

I have had many experiences that just don’t make sense without Jewish ancestry. For example, when I first started attending Jewish services, I often experienced strong, nostalgic feelings about Jewish things. Later, a Jewish lady was extremely surprised when I told her that I was a convert. She said, “A Jew can usually sense another Jew, and I didn’t question it one bit when you told me you were Jewish.”

A few years prior to my DNA test, I

started suspecting that I must have Jewish ancestry, but it didn’t seem to make sense. The people whom I read about, who found out as adults that they had Jewish ancestry, were children or grandchildren of immigrants. In contrast, I had ancestors in this country before, or soon after its founding. When I found out that there are identifiable descendants of the crypto-Jews of Spain and Portugal, who converted to Christianity but continued to practice Judaism in secret, a chill ran down my spine. Descendants of those Spanish and Portuguese crypto-Jews are still secretly practicing at least some aspects of Judaism. My DNA test did indicate some Portuguese ancestry. I suspect that there is crypto-Judaism on at least one side of my family, but unfortunately, the evidence is only circumstantial.

Even though I can only wonder about the crypto-Judaism, knowing from the DNA test that I have some Jewish ancestry enables me to make sense of my unusual experiences.

Norma Kellam

Kvetch & Kvell

We welcome your letters! Email [email protected] with your feedback.

Who Knew?Leonard Simon Nimoy (March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, film director, photographer, author, singer and songwriter. He has an incredible body of work, but he is best known for his role as Mr. Spock of the Star Trek franchise. And did you know that Nimoy is Jewish? He is the son of Jewish immigrants from Iziaslav, Ukraine. Not only that, but for the character of “Spock” Nimoy drew upon his childhood experiences.

“Spock is an alien, wherever he is,” said Nimoy. “He’s not human. He’s not Vulcan. He’s half and half—what we used to call a half-breed... he’s not totally accepted in the Vulcan culture because he’s not totally Vulcan. And he’s certainly not totally accepted in the human culture because he’s part Vulcan. That alienation was something I learned in Boston. I knew what it meant to be a member of a minority—and in some cases, an outcast minority. So I understood that aspect of the character, and I think it was helpful in playing him.”

Nimoy also goes on to say that the iconic “live long and prosper” salute that he created for the character was remixed from a Jewish benediction ritual.


Have you ever had Shabbat dinner or lunch at the home of an Orthodox rabbi and rebbetzin? Just you, a companion, and maybe two or three other people at an intimate Shabbat table?

Come join us for Shabbat dinner or lunch — free of charge; it’s our mitzvah — and experience Shabbat with us.

Drop us an email, and let’s do it!

Rabbi Dov Fischer Young Israel of Orange County [email protected]

This program will EMPOWER you to effectively deal with the rising anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment that many college campuses are experiencing due to the growth of the BDS Movement.

Over the course of FOUR Sunday evenings, you will meet other Jewish teens and learn about:

• What is the BDS Movement?• What’s the Big Deal with this Israeli/Palestinian Confl ict?

• How do I deal with Anti-Semitism on campus?• How should I handle and analyze Biased Media Reporting?

February 28, 2016, 5:00PM at University Synagogue (dinner included)

March 6, 2016, 6:00PM at Congregation B’nai Israel (snack included)


March 20, 2016, 6:00PM at University Synagogue (snack included)

To register or for more information, contact Rabbi Robin Hoffman at Congregation B’nai Israel: (714)-730-5161 or [email protected]

Calling all Jewish High School Juniors and Seniors – Are You Prepared for College?

PUT “KNOWLEDGE FOR COLLEGE” ON YOUR TO DO LIST.

This program will EMPOWER youanti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiment that many college campuses are experiencing due to the growth of the BDS Movement.

Over the course of FOUR Sunday evenings, you will meet other Jewish teens and learn about:

• What is the BDS Movement?• What’s the Big Deal with this Israeli/Palestinian Confl ict?

• How do I deal with Anti-Semitism on campus?• How should I handle and analyze Biased Media Reporting?

February 28, 2016, 5:00PM at University Synagogue (dinner included)



March 20, 2016, 6:00PM at University Synagogue (snack included)

To register or for more information, contact Rabbi Robin Hoffman at Congregation B’nai Israel: (714)-730-5161 or [email protected]

Knowledge For CollegeKnowledge For College is partially funded by the Jewish Community Foundation of Orange County.


FIRST & FOREMOST

WHEN IT COMES to selecting a costume for their Purim party, most little girls choose to dress up as Queen Esther. But I would like to put forth—for your consideration—anoth-er choice Queen Vashti.

The book of Esther begins with a descrip-tion of the Persian King Ahasuerus celebrating with the leading men of his kingdom. After seven days of feasting and drinking, the king calls Queen Vashti to appear before him. The text says he calls her “in order to display her beauty to the people and nobles, for she was lovely to look at” (Esther 1:11). But Queen Vashti refuses and “then the king became furious and burned with anger” (verse 12). One of the King’s ministers advis-es him to make an example of her, lest the women of the kingdom learn of her behavior and begin refusing their husbands demands. Exit Queen Vashti.

Though the text doesn’t explain why Vashti refused to appear, a variety of theories have been suggested. According to Esther 1:11, Queen Vashti was told to appear “wearing her royal crown,” so one rabbinic tradition inter-prets this as the king’s instruction to wear only her royal crown—in other words, to appear naked. According to that tradition, Queen Vashti refused because she did not want to be put on display. This view is not found in the biblical text, nor is it supported by history.

However, it is likely that Vashti refused to appear because she would have been humili-ated in some way. Think about it: the king and his men had been feasting and drinking for seven days. How noble could their intentions have been in calling her to the party? One can

readily assume that her atten-dance at the feast was sought to entertain the men in some way. So she said NO!

In a 2013 post, Isabel Kaplan makes a good case for Vashti. She points out that, “rabbinic scholars were eager to prove that Vashti was wicked, conceited and deserved her fate. They asserted some pretty ridiculous reasons for her eventual demise.” However, these unflat-tering descriptions of Vashti are not found in the Book of Esther, but come from later commentary. Kaplan continues explaining that Talmudic scholars came up with a host of theories and explanations about Vashti and her fate - theories that ranged from unfounded to absurd: from leprosy to the sudden growth of a tail.

“These theories,” writes Kaplan,” are based on the assumption that Vashti did not refuse the king’s summons because of her principles and dignity, but rather because she was ashamed of her body because of some deformity.” Besides being highly improbable, the Megillah offers no

evidence to support this; on the contrary, in it, Vashti is described as beautiful.

Perhaps for Esther to rise, Vashti must first fall, and if Vashti’s fall was deserved and justified, the story is simplified. Then we can ignore poor Queen Vashti and can move on with the story and its primary focus—saving of the Jews.

Kaplan asks isn’t the Purim story, the town of Shushan and even our own world big enough for two or more female heroes? I too feel that it is high time that Vashti “receives the appreciation and respect that she deserves, as a woman who said ‘No.’ As Kaplan says, let’s celebrate Vashti for hav-ing the courage to stand up to a drunken, salacious and demanding king, just as we celebrate Esther for persuading that same drunken king to free the Jews. A

Florence L. Dann, a fifth year rabbinical stu-dent at the Academy for Jewish Religion in LA has been a contributing writer to Jlife since 2004.

Rabbinic scholars were eager to

prove that Vashti was wicked,

conceited and deserved her fate.

THE OTHER QUEEN A Case for Vashti BY FLORENCE L. DANN


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Israel Scene | BY ANDREA SIMANTOV VIEWPOINT

GuffawFinding humor in times of trouble.

ONE DAY I

COULDN’T

REACH MY

HUSBAND

AND

KNOWING

HE’D BEEN

WORKING IN

DANGEROUS

TERRITORY, I

GOT A LITTLE

CRAZED.

THERE IS SOMETHING to be said about living in a country that is always a hair’s-breadth away from war. Not that hugging a husband who packs a pistol isn’t occa-sionally awkward, or having my purse searched before buying milk doesn’t get tedious after a while. But between the spikes in tension and fear, lie moments of unbridled mirth. Sometimes you just have to laugh. Dishes break, the dog poops on the Persian carpet, the car won’t start; I still choose laughter over disappointment because I live in Israel where chuckling is a rarity on most days.

Until I moved here, the word “war” evoked images and feelings that are so very different from the technicolor reality. War was far away and bore foreign faces; war was villages without running water and poorly thatched huts with dirt floors. Soldiers were large, generic and laden with khaki rucksacks, helmets, muddy boots and heavy weaponry. The other opinions I held about the military were so uninformed, I’m too ashamed to share.

Israel is under siege. Under siege by virtue of media lies, overt and orchestrated anti-semitism and really bad people with bombs, firearms, runaway tractors and knives. The Middle East’s only democracy experiences war unlike my childhood imagination. War is in our parking lots and hospital cafeterias. Our soldiers are the once-baby boys and girls who watched Barney and that we rocked to sleep with lips pressed to fevered brows. Our homes are not huts; we have marble floors and indoor plumbing.

Still, it seems that every day there is a blood-bath somewhere in our land and, despite the hair-trigger vigi-lance of our security forces, wily murderers frequently elude the defensive measures. They’re usually shot dead,

resulting in a feeble Facebook round-of-applause, but take it from someone sitting in the front row of the con-flict: Dodging inner-city guerrilla attacks takes a toll on one’s emotional well-being. It affects marriages, parent-ing and workplace productivity.

Which brings me back to that laughter thing: One day I couldn’t reach my husband and knowing he’d been working in dangerous territory, I got a little crazed. When he finally called, it took some time to regain my balance. Eventually calm, I was chopping vegetables for soup when I heard what seemed to be a huge explosion coming from the bathroom. It was merely the dryer falling off it’s perch from atop the washing machine. Unfortunately, the door was closed and it became jammed. Water was seep-ing from under the door and the dryer-drum continued it’s loud cycle, stuffed with damp laundry. Waiting for the handyman husband to return home, I tried in vain to pry the door open when I lost traction and fell. One foot rammed the wall and I broke a toe.

Wet, injured, and concerned about the cost of the still unknown damages, I was still sitting on the sopping floor when my husband came home. He took one look at me, the mess, and together we exhibited the most Israeli of responses.

We laughed. A

New York-born Andrea Simantov is a mother of six who moved to Jerusalem in 1995. She frequently lectures on the complexity and magic of life in Jerusalem and can be contacted at [email protected].

ILLU

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N B

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E F

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L E T T E R S


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I AM HAPPY to introduce you to www.jlifebuzz.com - a new “virtual town hall,” which is about giving a voice to every person who wants to contribute to the vibrant conversation about Judaism and Jewish life in the O.C..

Jlifebuzz is designed to allow a casual readership, while encouraging readers to get involved, providing their own comments and, even more exciting, their own written pieces. Look for the blue “Submit An Article” button, which allows anyone in our community to provide stories, opinion pieces and local news directly to the website. JFFS, the JCC, temples, local rabbis and any member of the community can now contribute to the local discussion in their own voice.

The jlifebuzz.com events calendar is an excellent resource for announcing upcoming events, and as a venue for Jews from all across Orange County to discover what’s happening within the community. Jlifebuzz also hosts a local arts and entertainment section that features interviews with Jewish performers, authors, speakers and artists coming through the O.C., and an Entertainment Calendar for planning outings to these events and more.

I invite you to log onto the site, roam around, contribute your articles or comments, and get involved with this great community of ours. Your thoughts or questions are always welcome and can be sent to [email protected].

We look forward to your contributions. Happy reading!

Mody Gorsky, PublisherJlife Magazine

DEAR READERS,

F r o m t h e P u b l i s h e rL E T T E R S


AFTER YEARS OF hearing mothers lament about how Barbie poi-sons young girls’ minds with an unrealistic ideal of womanhood, Mattel created a new line of Barbies, with three dif-ferent body types (short, tall and curvy), 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles. These are not “friends” of Barbie, but actual Barbies.

I should be rejoicing. But instead, I feel a little disquieted.

It was so much easier to bash Barbie when she was the mean girl from high school, with the perfect coif and the impossible bust-line. But seeing her transformation is like running into your nemesis 20 years after graduation in the plus-size aisle at Target and having her bend your ear about her scaring divorce.

I need Barbie to remain ridiculously proportioned and blonde. The uber shiksa with the unobtainable curves. I need her to be that way because—after all these years¬—I realize that my problem with Barbie wasn’t a problem at all.

As it turns out, I relied on Barbie to be blonde and button-nosed because I needed a foil for my Jewishness. I needed her to represent the ideal for assimilation, as well as the ideal for womanhood, so that I could know what to push back against, as well as what to embrace.

It’s not for nothing that Barbie was created by a Jewish woman. Ruth Handler named the iconic doll after her daughter, Barbara (yes, Handler’s son’s name was Ken). At the time, the dolls were part of the feminist revolu-tion. Barbie had a career, a home, a great car and an amazing wardrobe. And she did it all without a husband.

After a while, though, girls stopped seeing Barbie as a role model and started focusing on her looks. I was one of them.

My kinky brown curls were far more conspicuous in the face of her silken blonde locks; my olive-toned hands stood out as I manipulated the perfect peachness of her plastic flesh. In creating my own funkier furni-ture for her Malibu dream home, and letting Skipper take the wheel of Barbie’s Corvette, I could discover how integral “otherness” was to my identity.

What I learned by playing with Barbies is not that I wanted to be a scientist (in high heels) or an astronaut (in high heels) or a doctor (in high heels). It’s that I wanted to be a rebel. The counter-culture Jew girl who never wore a drop of makeup.

In the absence of something to rebel against, what am I?

This is the question that I’m left with now that Mattel has transformed this aspirational symbol of glamour into a panoply of gals who look as though they’re headed to Applebee’s on their lunch break.

It’s the question that I’ll have to puzzle over as I decide whether to buy a Barbie for my daughter. But, it’s a question I welcome. After all these years, Barbie has given me something to play with. A

Mayrav Saar is a writer in Los Angeles.

Babs Revisted What happened to the doll moms loved to hate?

I NEED BARBIE

TO REMAIN

RIDICULOUSLY

PROPORTIONED

AND BLONDE.

THE UBER SHIKSA

WITH THE

UNOBTAINABLE

CURVES.

On the Lighter Side | BY MAYRAV SAAR VIEWPOINT


ON FRIDAY MARCH 25, while Jews in the rest of the country (and the world) will be getting ready for Shabbat, the Jews of Jerusalem will be celebrating Purim—complete with Megilah reading in the morning, sending baskets of food items to neighbors (“mishloach manot”), and sitting down to a festive Purim meal.

The reason for Jerusalem’s Purim stems from the end of Megilat Esther, where we learn that the Jews of Shushan were given an extra day to slay their foes, and so, they celebrated Purim on the 15th day of the month of Adar. In Jewish tradition, this day became known as Shushan Purim, a day for Jews living in walled cities (like Shushan) to celebrate the holiday. As an acknowl-edgment to the centrality of the Land of Israel, which lay in ruins at the purported time of the Purim story (fifth century BCE), the rabbis determined that all walled cities from the time of Joshua would celebrate on that special extra day. Today, because of this decision, Jerusalem is the only city to exclusively observe Purim on the 15th day of Adar.

I asked a few of my Jerusalem friends if there is anything special about celebrating Shushan Purim. Jonathan Duitch says that the day “reminds me how special the city is—our Sages changed the parameters of the holiday [by backdating “walled cities” to Joshua’s time] to give honor to Jerusalem.” Jonathan also notes a major advantage in celebrating Purim on the night of the 15th: celebrants are not concluding a day-long fast. For the rest of the Jewish world, which begins celebrat-ing Purim on the night of the 14th (which this year is Wednesday night March 23), the reading of the Megilah is incorporated into the evening service that concludes the Fast of Esther. During the Megilah reading, you sort of can tell who is fasting—they are the ones looking at the noisemakers with murder in their eyes.

Most of my respondents wrote that they do not find anything unique per se to the celebration of Shushan Purim. Madeleine Lavine and Frances Oppenheimer in fact point to the down side in celebrating a day late. Madeleine says: “I think the Purim experience in Jerusalem is just a longer one!” And Frances explains: “I think the biggest problem with Purim in Jerusalem is that when it finally happens I am already sick of it—

school parties, maybe a grown-up party and then finally it’s Purim in Jerusalem.”

Many people who live in communities close to Jerusalem have friends who invite them for the Shushan Purim festive meal. For me, that friend is Shira Twersky-Cassel, a Jerusalem resident for approximately half a century and my mother’s dearest friend. I am happy to close here with Shira’s comment: “If our Sages’ inten-tion in having Shushan Purim be observed separately in walled cities, specifically Jerusalem, was to insure the rebirth of life in Jerusalem for future times, they suc-ceeded tenfold.” A

Teddy Weinberger, Ph.D., is Director of Development for a consulting company called Meaningful. He made aliyah with his family in 1997 from Miami, where he was an assistant professor of religious studies. Teddy and his wife, Sarah Jane Ross, have five children.

Israeli Guy | BY TEDDY WEINBERGER VIEWPOINT

Shushan Purim An extra day to celebrate.

THE RABBIS

DETERMINED

THAT ALL

WALLED

CITIES FROM

THE TIME

OF JOSHUA

WOULD

CELEBRATE

ON THAT

SPECIAL

EXTRA DAY.

The walled city of Jerusalem


PH

OTO

BY

MA

NFR

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BA

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AN

N.C

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COVER STORY


Don’t miss a great opportunity to hear Mr.

Shatner speak on March 6 at Temple Bat Yahm.

William Shatner is going to be 85 years old

soon. Not long after he hits that milestone,

Star Trek, the franchise that made him

famous, will hit a milestone of its own, as

it celebrates its 50th anniversary. During

Star Trek’s half-century reign as one of

pop culture’s most beloved science fiction

franchises, William Shatner learned to lean

into his Captain Kirk roots and the fandom

that’s embraced him for the past 50 years

(and counting). That includes several

generations of diehard Trekkies, NASA

engineers, and even real-life astronauts!

COVER STORY

Shades

An Exclusive Interview with our Favorite “Captain” BY TANYA SCHWIED & DR. LISA GRAJEWSKI

Shatnerof


In addition to his iconic roles on televi-sion he’s made albums, won Emmys, directed films, written novels, “moon-lights” as the Priceline negotiator, and

just recently ended a run of his one-man show Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It. I’m tired from just writing all of that! You would think Mr. Shatner would start to slow down but he is only starting to ramp up for another banner year. His most recent endeavor is a powerfully emotional book, Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man, which has already received rave reviews. Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner first crossed paths as actors on the set of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Little did they know that their next roles, in a new science fiction tele-vision series, would shape their lives in ways no one could have anticipated. In seventy-nine television episodes and six feature films, they grew to know each other more than most friends could ever imagine.

In his book, Shatner tells the story of a man who was his friend for five decades, recounting anecdotes and untold stories of their lives on and off set, as well as gather-ing stories from others who knew Nimoy well, to present a full picture of a rich life. Over the course of half a century, Shatner and Nimoy saw each other through personal and professional highs and lows. As much a biography of Nimoy as a story of their friendship, Leonard is a uniquely heartfelt book written by one legendary actor in cel-ebration of another.

Recently, Jlife Magazine’s very own co-editors got to sit down and chat (via phone) with the Enterprise captain himself about his legacy, his friendship with Nimoy, and he finally sets the record straight with the age-old question: Star Trek or Star Wars?

Tell us about the book Leonard and one story that you believe best describes Leonard [Nimoy] and your friendship, perhaps one piece of advice that he gave you. The book is about friendship. The book, by the way, is getting rave reviews. It’s about friendship over a 50-year period, but also how difficult friend-ship is for men—specifically that men have more difficulty making friends and keeping

them than women. Whether that is nurture or nature I’m not sure. In my case, I never had friends that were of the depth of Leonard, but slowly over the years we became brothers that define that kind of friendship. That’s what the book is about. I never had that kind of thing before, and having achieved it was remark-able to me. His death was a severe loss in my life. When you lose somebody you love, with whom you’ve had life experiences, all of those life experiences are not validated any-more. ‘Remember when we did this?’ There’s nobody left to say that to, so that memory is lost. A part of your life goes.

As for a story about Leonard, one that comes to mind is, his grandfather worked in leather—he either made shoes or repaired shoes—something like that. When [Leonard] would go home to Boston and [this] grand-father lived with his parents, Leonard would go home and while talking to his grandfa-ther, he would find his grandfather’s fingers in his shoes feeling around the leather and the heel. And he realized he was checking them out to see whether he had the money to have his shoes repaired, thus he was able to ascertain how well Leonard was doing.

This year is Star Trek’s 50th anni-versary; we would like to know how playing the iconic role of Captain Kirk has impacted your life. Look how much good it has impacted upon me. I am talking to you, 50 years later, about a friendship that happened because of Star Trek. And I dealt with a whole circle of life with Leonard, from birth—the birth of his children, the birth of him as an actor—to death—his death, his passing, dealt with the grief, the eternal questions of what happens to a soul. All of the meaningful questions of life we awaken to and deal with when some-one dies came to the forefront as a result of Star Trek. Add to that, on March 6th we are having an event that will help people, and people are coming to celebrate that. All as a result of what Star Trek has brought.

The March 6th event you are refer-ring to is that you are appearing at Temple Bat Yahm here in Orange County. What can we expect and look forward to? I don’t know. I am appearing and answering questions.

Scott Siegel, President of Temple Bat Yahm, chimes in: You’re providing concepts from the book about humanity and a search for G-d. Not only does it have a search for G-d, it has moral questions on when to stand on principle and when to be politic. As the director of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the creation and meaning behind the film was quite a spiritual experi-ence, considering the plot is how Captain

COVER STORY

Continued on page 32

Shatner tells the story

of a man who was

his friend for five

decades, recounting

anecdotes and untold

stories of their lives

on and off set.


Need an experienced Rabbi to talk to, in a pastoral context?A spiritual issue? Marriage counseling? Family issues?

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Kirk and his crew must deal with Mr. Spock’s long-lost half-brother who hijacks the Enterprise for an obsessive search for G-d at the center of the galaxy.

We are a Jewish lifestyle magazine. You were raised in Conservative and Orthodox Judaism and your grandparents were Jewish immi-grants from Austria, Poland, Hungary and Ukraine. What aspects do you still incorporate in your life today? I am more spiritual in my Jewishness than in the formality; my parents had a kosher home, I do not. I was brought up with kashrut, treif was treif—no seafood. But I eat seafood. I imparted to one daughter the social and spiritual meaning of Judaism and as a result she holds Passover services at her home, which we all go to, and I used to attend Yom Kippur with Leonard at his shul—I would get seats with him—and we both worshiped at that shul and made sure we said [Yizkor] the prayers for the dead.

Speaking of Leonard and Judaism, we read somewhere the “live long and prosper” phrase was Leonard’s idea based on the blessing of the Kohanim. Did he ever speak with you about that? That is part of the book as well as the shekinah, where he got this finger thing. Yes, he was very much more Jewish than I am. In fact he was raised speaking Yiddish, and I saw a piece of film of him doing Hamlet, “To be, or not to be” in Yiddish.

As an author of over 30 books, we wonder what you are reading right now? I have 20 or 30 books on my telephone. I just finished a book on Attila the Hun. I am in the middle of a book about the Lusitania, that took America into World War I—The Wake. I finished The Martian. And I just completed the Revenant.

We also read you are doing a new mini-series, can you tell us a little bit about it? Yes, it is called Better Late than Never, in which Terry Bradshaw, George Foreman, Henry Winkler, and myself spend a month in Japan, Thailand, Korea, and … someplace else in Asia. It will be on in May.

In the mean time I’m out on tour with my one-man show, called Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It. I was on Broadway with it and toured for a while—now I’m touring for a couple of weeks. In addition to that I have a science fiction novel coming out in late fall.

You are involved in equine thera-py. Can you speak to that and how it impacts your life? Thirty years ago I saw a Thalidomide Baby [thalidomide was a drug marketed in the 50s and 60s as a mild sleep aid that caused phocomelia, a side

effect in babies born to mothers who took the drug. Phocomelia is a condition that causes extremities to be attached close to the trunk.] She was missing one leg, had no arms and she was holding the rein of the horse in her toes - a beautiful child with that kind of handicap. The women who were running the program were discontinuing it as they could not raise the funds to keep it going. And I blithely said, “I’ll take over the horse show” thinking, “how difficult can that be?” So, 30 years later and several million dollars of contributions later, we have helped many, many children’s charities around this area, including many having to do with equine therapy. It was discovered, or rediscovered, that individuals—and this now applies to our veterans coming back from the wars, because they suffer many of the ills that these children suffer from, dissociation, mental, social—and the horses have a benign effect on them—a magical effect on the children and the veterans. It has to do with the physi-cal [nature] of the horse, the largeness, the control that the people have on [the horse’s] back. It is also suggested, and I believe this myself, that the horses have a spirit that is a calming spirit that is part of the magic of the horse and the human being.

Our last question to you: Star Trek or Star Wars? Infinitely Star Trek! Thank you, it was a pleasure to speak with you.

There you have it folks, the man the myth the legend. Be sure to check out his website for all things Shatner, williamshatner.com, and check your local TV listings for the new series, Better Late than Never on NBC. It might be cheesy but it’s the only way to properly end a William Shatner interview…Live long and prosper. A

Tanya Schwied graduated from New York University, studied abroad in Israel, and cur-rently works for the CEO and President of Jewish Federation & Family Services.

Lisa Grajewski, Psy.D. is a licensed psy-chologist and adjunct Assistant Professor at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has been a contributing writer for Jlife magazine since 2004.

COVER STORY

Continued from page 30

“I dealt with a

whole circle of life

with Leonard, from

birth—the birth of

his children, the

birth of him as an

actor—to death—his

death, his passing.”

PH

OTO

BY

MA

NFR

ED

BA

UM

AN

N.C

OM


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Hanukkah at the Mandel House.

F E A T U R E S

IN 1987, PRESIDENT Ronald Reagan declared March as Developmental Disabilities Month. As a community we celebrate those with intellectual and developmental disabili-ties in our Orange County Jewish Community.

It can be understood that Judaism has always been enlightened when it comes to special needs; the Torah specifically prohibits “cursing the deaf or putting a stumbling block before the blind” (Leviticus 19:14). However, society tainted the way many, including our own Jewish community, viewed those with special needs. Often the intellectually and developmentally disabled were institutional-ized and subjected to neglect and barbaric treatments. Children were kept ostracized from other children in “special” classrooms, and the lifespan of a child with a developmen-

tal disability was substantially shorter than a typical child. Until the 1980s, we often failed to see the value and importance of caring for individuals with developmental disabilities. The answer was to shut them away—either in hospital rooms, “special” classrooms—or by disabling them further with psychosurgery and medication.

According to Reega Neutel, MSW, Coordinator, Special Needs Services at JFFS. “Taking care of [the] developmentally disabled in our society is a fundamental requirement in any community.” It is especially relevant to the Jewish community due to the concepts of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), Tzedakah (charity), and Chesed (loving kindness). And it is especially relevant now. As our population grows so does today’s population of children

and adults with learning disabilities, includ-ing Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and Down syndrome. According to Neutel, recent research reports the average lifespan of a person with Down syndrome in the U.S. is approximately 60 years. That is an increase of 35 years since 1983. Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased 289.5%, ADHD 33% and developmental disabilities 17% in the last 15 years. This indicates that awareness and inclusion are key.

Look around the Orange County Jewish Community and inclusion appears to be at the forefront. Programs like Friendship Circle provide a wide range of programming for families and children with special needs; Jeremiah Society serves the needs of Jewish adults with special needs; and Mandel House is Orange County’s first Jewish residential home for adults with developmental and intel-lectual disabilities. Under the direction of Dr. Lauren Gavshon, JFFS Interim CEO, Mandel House has become part of the solution to a shortage of housing and residential facilities for the growing population of adults with special needs.

In all of the Jewish programs support-ing intellectual and developmental disabili-ties, dignity is part of the theme that runs through the Orange County Jewish commu-nity. Programming highlights the core values of dignity, respect and compassion for those served. We have come a long way from the days of shame, secrecy, and misguided thera-pies… But we still have a long way to go.

In honor of March, the Whiteboard at work asked the simple question: How can we include those with intellectual and develop-mental disabilities? My question back: How can we NOT? A


WITH CHESED (LOVING KINDNESS) Honoring Developmental Disabilities MonthBY LISA GRAJEWSKI, PSY.D.


MARCH 2016

ORANGE COUNTY’S JEWISH YOUTH & PARENTS

A Symphony of Uniqueness

Jewish Diversity in The O.C.

Celebrate Each Day!

A Lifetime of Positivity

Purim 101Put on Your Party Pants

2

a peek insidemarch 2016

A SYMPHONY OF UNIQUENESS

BLOOM’S TAXONOMYPURIM 101

CELEBRATE EACH DAY!

Celebrating Jewish Diversity in the O.C.

Good for Teachers, Good for Parents

Don’t forget the lessons of this celebratory holiday.

Set your children up for a lifetime of positivity.

Irvine Hebrew Day School Moves

also inside!Editor’s Note 06

Super Shabbos 07

Kosher Dog 15

For March

Calendar Events

please visit:

www.ocjewishlife.com

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OCJL is published monthly by Orange County Jewish Life, LLC. Subscription rate is $24 for one year (12 issues). Send subscription requests to OCJL, 5665 Oberlin Dr., Ste. 204, San Diego, CA 92121. Orange County Jewish Life is a free and open forum for the expression of opinions. The opinions expressed herein are solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflect the opinions of the publishers, staff or advertisers. Orange County Jewish Life is not responsible for the accuracy of any and all information within advertisements. Orange County Jewish Life reserves the right to edit all submitted materials, including press releases, letters, articles and calendar listings for brevity and clarity. OCJL is not legally responsible for the accuracy of calendar or directory listings, nor is it responsible for possible postponements, cancellations or changes in venue. Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to OCJL become the physical property of the publication, which is not responsible for the return of such material. Orange County Jewish Life is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. All contents © 2014 Orange County Jewish Life.

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6 EDITOR’S NOTE kiddish

Hello Dear Readers and welcome to a new edition

of Kiddish magazine. Spring is here and the time

for celebration has sprung! In addition to the

aroma of California wildflowers, the smell of

Purim is in the air. The hamentaschen is baking, the wine (for

parents) has been selected and the costume ideas are too

many and too cute to decide upon. However, there is more

to Purim than just boisterous Halloween-ish revelry. Purim

is actually a great time to celebrate our family and friends

and give back to people in need. In fact, one of the lessons of

Purim is matanot l’evyonim (giving charity). Another lesson

is that of mishloach manot (giving gifts to one another).

Specifically, this lesson instructs us to give the gift of food

(one gift of two portions of ready-made food). Hello yummy

casseroles and tasty nibblers. What a great excuse to show

your love in a creative way that goes straight to the heart (and

tummy). It is also a perfect opportunity to spend some time

in the kitchen as a family and teach the next generation the

family recipes you so cherish. Rarely do we get the excuse to

really indulge in tasty treats and acts of kindness so why not

use this opportunity to spread the love (and the carbs). After

all, it is a time to celebrate!

— Tracey Armstrong Gorsky, Editor in Chief

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7

8 MARCH 2016 kiddish

We have all heard the

comical saying: “Ask

two Jews, Get three

opinions!” With over

100,000 Jews in Orange County today,

imagine the number of opinions among

us about what a Shabbat service should

look like, how to conduct a Passover seder

or the best bagel in town. We are all of

the same tribe, yet it presents a mind-

boggling challenge to identify the thread

that could unite us as a people.

Our best clue, perhaps, comes from a

quote from the Ethics of Our Fathers,

“Ben Zoma says: Who is wise? He

who learns from all people.”

At Irvine Hebrew Day School we

embrace this adage by guiding our

Celebrating Jewish Diversity in the O.C.

BY TAMMY KECES M.A.

A Symphony of Uniqueness

Let’s celebrate our

differences.

9kiddish MARCH 2016

Jewish knowledge is

a unifying tool,

the way music is

to a symphony.

children in the celebration of diversity

which begins with learning from one

another. Our children practice listening

without judgement, asking respectful

curiosity questions and solving differences

cooperatively as a community. Beginning

with our children, we are uniting Jewish

families from all backgrounds, teaching

them to rejoice in that which unites us

and to embrace our differences. As Rabbi

Jonathan Sacks says: “We celebrate both

our commonalities and differences,

because if we had nothing in common we

could not communicate, and if we had

everything in common, we would have

nothing to say.”

How does one celebrate Jewish

diversity and create true Jewish unity?

Just as musicians must learn music

fundamentals to create complex harmony,

Jewish people can be equipped with

core Jewish knowledge as a unifying

tool. Our traditions, values and teachings

belong to each one of us, regardless of our

differences; and as we delve into Jewish

texts and learn more about our heritage,

we stop focusing on the colors of the

individual thread, but enjoy the tapestry

as a whole.

To build unity and celebrate our

uniqueness, let us teach our children

that Jewish individuality is the force that

strengthens us as a people. ✿

Tammy Keces M.A. is the principal of Irvine Hebrew Day School and a lead Certified Positive Discipline Trainer.

JEWISH PEOPLE CAN BE EQUIPPED WITH CORE JEWISH KNOWLEDGE AS A UNIFYING TOOL.


Irvine Hebrew Day School is

relocating to its new home on

the fully renovated Temple Beth

Shalom campus! Situated on five-

acres including playgrounds, open fields

and gardens for organic planting and

meditation, students will enjoy both the

open play spaces for outdoor exploration

as well as the spacious classrooms

designed for state of the art, progressive

learning.

Irvine Hebrew Day School values

and celebrates diversity, and is honored

to join a campus that shares those values.

Most importantly, IHDS teaches children

the language of celebrating diversity;

showing them how to rejoice in that

which unites us, and enjoy the process

of exploring our differences. In teaching

the language of mutual respect, we are

creating a united Jewish future.

IHDS is committed to inquiry-

based and experiential learning in all

subjects, using the most proven and

reputable curricula to investigate, think

analytically and discover. It fosters

Jewish creativity and self-expression

through our innovative music program,

supported by a JFFS grant and a generous

private donation, which blends spiritual

exploration with best practices in music

education. IHDS has also designed

a unique multi-modal arts program

supported in part by a JCF grant, which

explores Jewish themes in a variety of

creative art forms.

Our contemporary Jewish education

is one that achieves spiritual growth

through Jewish literacy, questioning,

active engagement, personal connection

and meaningful discussion. Achieving

fluency in both Hebrew language and

Jewish studies sets the foundation for a

lifetime of spiritual fulfillment, Jewish

connection and continuity.

Students from south Orange County

and Irvine will have access to a shuttle to

and from the Beth Jacob/Samson Family

Campus. We look forward to welcoming

the community to an open house on our

new campus in the very near future.

To learn more about IHDS visit our

website at www.irvinehebrewday.org. ✿

Get ready for some

new views.

New Digs!Irvine Hebrew Day School MovesBY KIDDISH

949-478-6818www.irvinehebrewday.org

Now EnrollingKindergarten–3rd Grades

CONTEMPORARY JEWISH EDUCATION

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

POSITIVE TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

A rich learning experience that includes:

• Engaging Academic Rigor and Social Emotional Learning

• Dynamic Torah Education and Hebrew Immersion

• Small Student-Teacher Ratio and Individualized Learning

• Affordable Tuition

• Before and After School Care Available

• Partnering with Families and Open Communication

• Instilling Pride and Connection to Jewish Heritage

11


“It is what we make out of

what we have, not what we

are given, that separates one

person from another.”

—Nelson Mandela

Waking up every morning is cause

for celebration! A brand new day, filled

with sunshine (or inclement weather),

food, human interaction and often, love.

We are truly blessed to experience the

beauty of each new day, to enjoy the

unknown potential and promise the

day holds for us, and even to face the

challenges that it may bring our way.

Of course life isn’t perfect! We may

have an accident on the way to the

grocery store, hear about a sick friend

losing their fight with an illness, come

face to face with a tragedy, or be in

the midst of a personal or professional

struggle. However, we are blessed to be in

the position to confront these challenges!

We wake up to a new day and are able to

problem solve. Where there is life, there

is hope - each new day brings additional

possibilities.

Nelson Mandela’s quote reminds

us that we each have our personal

baggage and struggles, but how we deal

with them is what defines us. For our

children to see us celebrating each new

day, finding meaning and relevance in

every situation, facing the world with a

positive outlook, sets them up for success.

We are modelling optimism and helping

them face their future with sunshine and

rainbows. ✿

Sue Penn is a mother of three, Director of Congregational Learning at University Synagogue, president of Jewish Reconstructionist Educators of North America and a member of the Jewish Educators Assembly.

Celebrate Each Day!Set your children up for a lifetime of positivity.BY SUE PENN

Every new day

brings with it new

possibilities.

13kiddish MARCH 2016

Purim 101Don’t forget the lessons of this celebratory holiday.BY KIDDISH

There are four commandments to be fulfilled on Purim. These are in addition to

the custom of disguising ourselves in costumes in commemoration of how

G-d concealed himself when orchestrating the miracle of Purim (G-d’s

name does not appear in Megillat Esther). The four commandments are:

Reading the Megillah (Kriyat Megillah)

On Purim, Jews gather to read the story of the holiday as it is recorded in the

Book of Esther. It is customary to make noise whenever the name of Haman

is read in order to “blot out” his name.

Giving Charity (Matanot L’evyonim)

On Purim, Jews are required to give gifts to the poor in order to

commemorate the charity G-d gave the Jews by overturning Haman’s evil

decree. The requirement is to give at least one gift to two different needy

people, at least two gifts in total.

The Festive Meal (Seuda) In the afternoon of Purim we are instructed to partake in a festive meal.

According to the Vilna Gaon this feast is commemorative of the feast

Esther had with the King and Haman where she asked the King to save

the Jews.

Sending Gifts to one Another (Mishloach Manot) We are commanded to give one another food gifts on Purim. The

commandment is to send one gift of two portions of ready-made food

to another. This commandment is commemorative of the brotherly love

that awoke amongst the Jews after the story of Purim occurred. The most

common food to be given in these gifts is Hamentaschen, triangular pastry

pockets with various fillings.

Special Prayers On Purim, there are also special prayers recited. Al Hanissim is added to the

Amidah prayer and Birkat HaMazon. The Megillah is read twice, once at night and

again in the morning. ✿


Our preschool recently

opened up next year’s

registration (already?!) and I

was bombarded by the age-

old question of “play versus academics.”

Again, I am here to tell you, that is the

wrong question. The question to ask is

how to best encourage critical thinking.

Amongst many philosophies and

practices, teachers are almost universally

taught Bloom’s Taxonomy when

addressing critical thinking. What’s good

for teachers, is surely good for parents.

Bloom’s Taxonomy, classifies six cognitive

levels of thinking and learning:

• CREATE: invent, imagine, construct

• EVALUATE: select, recommend, rate

• ANALYZE: explain, investigate, compare

• APPLY: use, illustrate, complete

• UNDERSTAND: discuss, describe, give an example

• REMEMBER: state, label, find

When our children recite the

alphabet or repeat stories, they

demonstrate REMEMBERING. As

they answer questions about stories,

they retell using their own words,

demonstrating UNDERSTANDING. Again,

not a higher level skill.

Higher level thinking requires us to

strive for ANALYZING, EVALUATING and

CREATING.

What does this look like in our busy

lives? Reading gives us plenty of fodder

to develop critical thinking skills. Start by

asking:

Why do you think she did that?

What do you think he was thinking then?

(ANALYZING)

What do you think is going to

happen next? Do you think their plan is

going to work? (EVALUATING)

What would happen if they did

something different? (CREATING)

For an afternoon’s fun, dig in your

kitchen drawers; find obscure tools

relegated to dark corners. To encourage

analytical thinking, ask what the function

of the tool is. What are its parts or

features? How does it compare to…? To

develop evaluation skills discuss all the

jobs the tool might do and the many ways

it may be of use. To create, put the tool to

use. Did it work? ✿

Lisa Monette has worked with children for over 20 years, she is the Director of the Sheila and Eric Samson Family Early Childhood Center at the Merage JCC. Contact Lisa at [email protected].

Bloom’s TaxonomyGood for Teachers, Good for ParentsBY LISA MONETTE

15kiddish MARCH 2016

kosher dog

15 CONTESTS kiddish

MEET MARCH’S TOP DAWG!

Be our next winner! Our pets are definitely part of

our families, and here at Kiddish

magazine we want to know what

your four-legged friends are up

to. Please send a picture of your

pooch to [email protected]

and tell us what they love to do

in our wonderful Orange County

neighborhood (a picture at the

location is even better). Pictures

of kitties are welcome too! We’ll

pick a winner each month and

put their picture in the magazine.

This is Sandy. One of her favorite

things to do in Orange County, is

take a trip to PetSmart in Garden

Grove. She gets to pick out toys

and treats from a vast array of fun items.

— Danny Krebs, Orange County

Available at www.rachelbellinsky.com

Tails from the Fishbowl is a collection of animal portraits taken by Rachel Bellinsky while walking her dog through their Southern

California neighborhood. This 72-page book features colorful, charming images of a world where every pet has a room with a view.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Humane Society.

Take a walk around the

neighborhood

As seen on MSNBC.com

Sports Broadcasting CampBack for our

8th yearAugust 8-12, 2016

Nation’s #1 Sports Broadcasting CampFor information call

800-319-0884

• Boys and girls 10-18 will have an opportunity to learn from the pros in the industry.

• Meet sports celebrities.• Make sports anchor tapes in a TV studio.• Make reporting tapes from professional stadiums.• Make play-by-play tapes of the NBA Finals and

Super Bowl.• Participate in sports talk radio and PTI style shows,

trivia contests and much more.• Day/overnight sessions available.

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Come be a part of our

community! For subscription or advertising info, call

Mody at 949.734.5074 or visit ocjewishlife.com.

Join us on Facebook for news, updates and more. Come and say hello. We’d love to hear from you.

We like you.It’s ok if you like us too.

www.ocjewishlife.com 949.734.5074

16


F E A T U R E S

CINDY JOHNSON, M.ED., CPCC and Nancy Almaleh at Jewish Federation & Family Services (JFFS) are empowering women to make changes in their lives. At transition-al junctions in their lives, women over 40 are getting a chance to reinvent themselves through the unique and innovative Women Forward Career Coaching program. The pro-gram, designed to provide coaching and sup-port in securing employment and conquering long-term financial independence, also pro-vides a no-cost speakers series. Entitled “From Ordinary To Extraordinary: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities,” the series will begin March 6 and carry on through September 2016. Speakers this year include Fortune 500 company executives, authors and members of law enforcement among others.

The Women Forward event happens thanks

to Johnson, Coordinator, Career Coaching Programs and Almaleh, Case Manager. Both have had a consistent presence in the program and have years of professional experience. Johnson, a certified career and life coach has extensive experience in leading univer-sity, corporate and outplacement agencies. Almaleh, who provides financial coaching to participants, brings an extensive background in job development, community resources and financial literacy. And it is more than career and financial coaching, says Johnson, “Women Forward is not just about learning business or job search skills, although these tools are used. It’s not just about solving problems, although problems get solved. It’s not just about attain-ing goals, though this certainly happens. The heart of the program is about discovery, aware-ness and making positive choices for forging a

new path forward.” The women who benefit from Women

Forward are diverse, and represent a wide swath of age, ethnicity, culture, background and experience. While most clients are women in their mid to late 50s, clients range from 40 to 73. The challenges of participants include everything from divorce and loss of a loved one, to domestic violence, health issues and long-term unemployment. Most women are seeking full or part-time employment, but some have developed a micro business or expanded an already existing business. Women in the program may also benefit from other wrap around services, such as counseling and emergency financial assistance, that help to bridge the transitional gap.

Women Forward has enabled women to grow not only financially, but emotionally. Almaleh and Johnson both convey that it is a privilege for them to coach women who are often in a scary and vulnerable place. “I become very excited when a client tells me how she reduced a bill and used the savings to start an emergency fund. It’s wonderful to see a client take control of her financial life!”

Funding for the Women Forward Program comes from the Marisela Foundation, which has enabled the Women Forward Program to continue to provide career and financial coaching to women over forty years of age who are working to be gainfully employed.

For more information on the Women Forward Program or to attend the career coaching seminars at no charge, contact JFFS at: (949) 435-3460 or go to familyservicesoc.org/employment/women-forward. A


Cindy Johnson and Nancy Almaleh work with a grateful client.

FORWARD, MARCH! JFFS Program Propels Women ForwardBY LISA GRAJEWSKI, PSY.D.


F E A T U R E S

DAN BERNSTEIN, MERAGE Jewish Community Center President and CEO, recently announced that the Merage JCC is sending its first cohort of nine teachers to Reggio, Italy, the home base of the Reggio Emilia curriculum the JCC’s preschool school espouses. The Reggio Emilia Approach is an educational philosophy focused on preschool and primary education. It was developed after World War II by a teacher, Loris Malaguzzi, and parents in the villages around Reggio Emilia in Italy. Following the war, people believed that children were in need of a new way of learning. Malaguzzi believed that peo-ple form their own personality during early years of development, and that children are

endowed with “a hundred languages” through which they can express their ideas. The aim of this approach is teaching children how to use these symbolic languages (eg., painting, sculpt-ing, drama) in everyday life. The program is based on the principles of respect, responsibil-ity, and community through exploration, and discovery in a supportive and enriching envi-ronment, based on the interests of the children through a self-guided curriculum.

According to Bernstein, this is just the first step in this professional development initiative. The JCC plans to add professional development opportunities in Israel as well, providing every faculty member with diverse and unparalleled opportunities. “We intend

to dig deeper into practices and philosophies that engage children and equip our teachers and families with leading-edge knowledge.” Research suggests that, like many professions, effective teaching is the result of study, reflec-tion, practice, and hard work. Schools that provide team-based professional development demonstrate that they are serious about all educators performing at higher levels. Not surprisingly, additional research confirms that the most important factor contributing to a student’s success in school is the quality of teaching. “This is truly a remarkable undertak-ing that will touch every aspect of our com-munity, our children’s growth and education. The word incredible is just not big enough to describe the school’s investment, the learning experience or the knowledge gained.” – Laura Landman, Merage JCC board member and Aronoff Preschool mom.

Lisa Monette, Director of the JCC’s Eric & Sheila Samson Family Early Childhood Learning Center, explained, “The Reggio approach follows several key principles, chief among them is the idea that every child is ‘capable and competent.’ We’ll access presenta-tions and seminars by pedagogistas (curricu-lum liaison), teachers and atelieristas (artists and naturalists) on this principle of the Reggio philosophy and on its values overall. Topics will cover the image of the competent child; observation, interpretation and documenta-tion; the role of the environment; the peda-gogy of listening; and a specific emphasis on parents’ involvement in the life of the school.” The teachers expect to return with more tools and resources to tap into every child’s indi-vidual creative processes. A

Tanya Schwied graduated from New York University, studied abroad in Israel, and cur-rently works for the CEO and President of Jewish Federation & Family Services.

A lil’ postman in training.

CIAO, ORANGE COUNTY! An Unparalleled Investment in Aronoff Preschool Faculty Professional DevelopmentBY TANYA SCHWIED


F E A T U R E S

MOST OF US are familiar with the story told in the Book of Esther. Haman, an evil minister of the Persian king, seeks revenge against the Jewish courtier, Mordechai, who refuses to bow down to him. Haman then spends a good deal of energy and his own money to coerce the king to annihilate the Jews. The king agrees, until it is revealed that his beloved queen is also a Jew. So instead, the king allows the Jews to have weapons to defend themselves, hangs Haman and his clan,

and appoints Mordechai to a prestigious gov-ernment position. The Jews have survived, the evil plan is foiled, and its instigator is killed. Time to celebrate!

“While in this particular instance the out-come was a favorable one, the mere possibility of a situation of mass murder of innocents is a terrifying one,” writes Mark Kirschenbaum in Tikkun Daily. And indeed there was a mass murder. “In recent years,” Kircshenbaum con-tinues, “Purim has come under criticism from

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some Jewish thinkers, in large measure because of the bloodiness of the triumph at its conclu-sion (the Jews killed 75,000 Persians in a sin-gle day).” Is such a triumph to be celebrated? We are taught at Passover that we should not rejoice in the death of the Egyptians. How can that teaching be reconciled with the joy at the end of the Purim story? Well, there is doubt among commentators and historians that the actual story occurred as written; therefore, perhaps we can read it as the metaphorical overcoming of evil, rather than the mass devastation of a people.

But there are some real lessons in the story; one is that of prejudice and hate speech. Kirschenbaum points out that a central theme of Purim, “teaches a few lessons about response to hate speech. Haman pitches his genocide to the king, by stating that the Jews are dangerous because they are widely dispersed throughout the kingdom, and thus in some way threatening.”

Haman’s prejudice is evident. When Mordecai refuses to bow down before Haman, he is furious - but as the Book of Esther

states, “... it was not enough for him to pun-ish Mordecai alone, for having been told who Mordecai’s people were, Haman plotted to do away with all the Jews” (Esther 3:6). Because of his anger at one man, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews.

Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs reminds us that this is a textbook example of prejudice: “Feelings about or against an individual that grows into a generalized prejudice against as entire group. As Jews we are well aware

of that kind of discrimi-nation. The prejudice we see in the book of Esther,” adds Fuchs, “has confront-ed our people many times throughout history and continues to rear its head with frightful frequency.” We are not alone. It con-fronts many other groups as well. “Racism, sexism, age-ism, and homophobia are just some of the prejudices that plague our world today. The Purim story provides

a vivid example of this phenomenon that we can profitably discuss with groups of all ages,” concludes Fuchs.

And of course, we cannot discuss the les-sons of Purim without mentioning Hadassah Continued on page 41

There is doubt among commentators and historians that the actual story occurred

as written.

Hatach showing Esther the copy of the writing of the decree.



who became Esther. Rabbi Elliot Tepperman points out that there is a reading of Purim that is critical of Esther precisely because she intermar-ries, hides her Jewish identity, and participates in a sordid beauty contest? The rabbis warned us against participating in all of these activi-ties, but these were the exact actions that put her in the right place at the right time to save her people. Let us not forget that Esther didn’t have to do it. She could have refused to put her-self in danger, and cast her lot with the entire Jewish people.

The decision of Queen Esther, a hid-den Jew who reveals her true identity, manipulates events “to set the stage for a massive score-settling is the story we celebrate,” writes Fuchs. “This dra-matic turn of events certainly helped endear the holiday to many generations of perse-cuted Diaspora Jews, and especially to those hidden Jews of Spain, for whom the Feast of Esther was among the most important vestiges of Jewish practice.” It is when Esther accepts her own reality that the positive out-

come is possible.Tepperman continues to say that “Esther

teaches us that our power and privilege are meaningless protections if we do not use them to ensure the safety of our people and others in

the world. She recognizes that as long the Jews are oppressed she too is in danger. And if she or Jews are oppressed – others may face the same danger.” Part of our challenge as Jews is to determine what it takes to protect people when they are in danger. “Esther’s example,” adds Tepperman, “also speaks to the importance of cre-ating communities where all Jews feel welcome.”

So, this year, as we revel in the fun and games, music and hamantashen, let us remember some of the lessons of Purim. And as Fuchs suggests, modeling courage, rec-ognizing prejudice, and combating it “make the Story of Esther one that can enrich our Jewish souls long after the celebration is over.” A

Florence L. Dann, a fifth year rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion in LA has been a contributing writer to Jlife since 2004.

Continued from page 39

F E A T U R E S

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Our power and privilege are meaningless

protections if we do not use them to ensure the safety of

our people.Esther beseeches King Ahasuerus to revoke his decree against the Jews.


THE TRADITION OF pilgrimage to India in the music industry, made fashionable by the Beatles, has recently attracted Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, and Israeli com-poser Ben Tzur Ben Tzur. In the town of Jodhpur they joined the Indian ensemble, the Rajasthan Express. American filmmak-er, known for such works as Boogie Nights and Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson also accompanied them. Greenwood had previ-ously composed scores for Anderson’s There Will Be Blood.

Junun is the name given to both the film that Anderson produced, as well as the record that Greenwood and Ben Tzur recorded with the Rajasthan Express. The word “junun” is Hindi for “passion,” but more commonly means “obsession” or “madness.” It is an appropriate title for a project that is both acutely chaotic and intensely focused, wildly ambitious, but profoundly relaxed. Junun cap-tures the energy and philosophy of the Indian musicians as well as the beautiful setting.

It is a project that transcends boundaries. When Greenwood riffs on the guitar and Ben Tzur plays the flute with the variety of

percussionists, vocalists, and other musicians of the Rajasthan Express, it isn’t just genres coalescing. Also blended are the musical heri-tages of the musicians. While Ben Tzur has been classically trained in Indian classical music, Greenwood is most familiar playing alternative, experimental rock and electronic music. When he breaks out his lap top and starts programming beeps and dings, need-less to say, all the Indian musicians’ heads turn. When Anderson decided to commit the entire production to film, the project also transcended mediums, merging the auditory with the visual.

The vocals on the album is one of my favorite aspects of the project. While the majority of the lyrics are sung by Ben Tzur, he is accompanied on some songs by two elderly Indian singers—laden with stern mus-taches—and two young, female singers. Each pair adds a range and depth to the tracks they perform, despite, we learn, not understand-ing most of the words they are singing. The songs that aren’t in Hindi or Urdu are Hebrew translations of ancient Sufi poetry. The talents of the Indian singers are best showcased on

the songs, “Hu” and “Chala Vahi Des.” In my opinion, the best performances by the horns and percussion sections are “Mode” and “Julus.” Ben Tzur shines on the track, “Azov,” and Greenwood adds the patented Radiohead, “Idioteque-esque” sound to the song, “Roked.”

Twice during the filming of the project, the power went out and the band was forced to pause their recording. Anderson took advan-tage of the pause in music to give us a window into daily life on the streets of Jodhpur. We saw men buying clothing from a harassed-looking shopkeeper, boys riding in a taxi cab with their backpacks fastened to the back all along a very busy street. And the scene ended with one of the vocalists lighting incense and explaining the faith of the Manganiyar caste. He says that it is all-inclusive, believing in the gods of all religions and allows him the privilege and plea-sure of playing music in “a temple, a mosque, in a holy tomb and a Sufi shrine.”

Perry Fein is a contributing writer and editor to Jlife magazine.

JUNUNBritish Musician and American Filmmaker Make a Musical PilgrimageBY PERRY FEIN

A & E R e v i e w

Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson

and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood.


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A & E

IF EVER A holiday cries out to be celebrated, it is Purim (beginning this year at sundown on Wednesday, March 23). Merriment and joy are the order of the day–we are actually commanded to eat, drink and be merry.

The iconic Purim food, of course, at least for Ashkenazim, is hamantaschen, our beloved three-cornered filled cookie. Various legends explain its origin, one being that its shape represents Haman’s pockets, which supposedly held the lots (purim) he cast in order to choose the date for the slaughter of the Jews. Some say the shape represents Haman’s hat. However,

according to the late food historian, Gil Marks’ “Encyclopedia of Jewish Food”: “Persians never wore tri-cornered hats.” Mystics invoked the three patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – as the meaning behind the three corners. Hidden foods eaten on the holiday, such as the filling hidden inside the dough, represent G-d’s hidden presence in the Purim story, as there is no mention of G-d in the Megillah.

Until the arrival in America of Eastern European Jews toward the end of the nineteenth century, hamantaschen were unknown here. Marks cites the first recording of the word in the 1903 “Jewish

Encyclopedia”: “The Haman Tash, a kind of turnover filled with honey and black poppy seed, is eaten on the Feast of Purim, but probably has no special meaning.”

Among the Sephardim, fried strips of dough dipped in honey or sugar syrup called Haman’s Ear (“Oznei Haman”) are popular for Purim, perhaps because they are shaped like ears, or maybe, Marks suggests: “Eating a pastry bearing the name of the archfiend or formed to represent part of Haman’s clothing or anatomy–most notably his pocket, hat, foot or ear – thereby symbolically eliminating some part of Haman and erasing his name, contributed to the enjoyment and theme of the holiday.”

Legends aside, hamentaschen are cookies, and who doesn’t love a cookie? Cookies are our earliest treats. Give a baby her first cookie, and she looks at you as if to say, “I’ve been eating strained squash and spinach, and all this time you’ve had these?”

We learn to bake by making cookies. There’s mom in her organdy apron, pumps, and pearls, guiding your grubby little hands as you sift, stir and roll. She lets you lick the bowl…or at least she did before the raw egg police came along to spoil the fun <sigh>. This is the stuff of which memories are made…well, maybe your memories. My mother never baked cookies when we were growing up. She didn’t buy them either. Dad was a diabetic and we were supposed to be on diets. But when no one was home, one could always sneak upstairs to Mama Hinda and Papa Harry’s apartment. They weren’t diabetic and they didn’t diet either, so don’t cry for me, Argentina.

Somehow between the organdy apron and the feminist movement cookie baking got a bad rap, as in the expression “staying home and baking cookies,” usually uttered with a supercilious sneer by some shrill virago probably wearing ill-fitting shoes. Like you have to “stay home” to bake cookies! Hah! That’s the beauty of cookies. Baking them doesn’t have to be a complicated, all-day project. Working moms

Legends aside, hamentaschen are cookies, and who doesn’t love a cookie?

PURIM GOODIES

Hamantaschen

Celebrate the holiday in tasty style. BY JUDY BART KANCIGOR


can create memories too.Here are some tips for creating perfect cookies:

• To measure flour, stir, then spoon lightly into a measuring cup and level it off. (You’ve been scooping and sweeping, haven’t you?)

• Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. Greasing the pan makes for burnt bottoms and overspread cookies. (Of course silicone liners are fine too).

• Oven temperatures vary, so adjust baking times accordingly. Cookies bake for such a short time that even a minute can make the difference between a delectable bite and a burnt offering.

• For rolled cookies, roll the dough between sheets of parchment or waxed paper while it is soft. Then refrigerate or freeze before cutting them out.

• Most cookie doughs (except for soft cookies) may be frozen for up to 1 month. Take out as much or as little as you like and create your own memories.

And why beans for Purim? Legend has it that Esther, while living in the king’s palace, ate only vegetarian foods in order to keep kosher. Therefore, the eating of beans, chickpeas and the like has become tradition for Purim in some communities.

HamantaschenThese hamantaschen adapted from “Cook, Pray, Eat Kosher” (Oakhurst) by Mia Adler Ozair, are a fun project to bake with your children or grandchildren, who love to cut them out, shape and fill them.

Makes: About 5 dozen

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup shortening

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons orange juice

4 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon orange extract

Melted butter or margarine, for brushing

2 pounds filling of choice (poppy seed, fruit jams or jellies, chocolate spread or chips, etc.)

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2 Cream sugar, oil and shortening; add eggs and juice and mix well.

3 Blend with dry ingredients and roll dough into ball; divide dough into four parts. Roll each part approximately 1/8 inch between two sheets of waxed paper and refrigerate until firm enough to handle (2-24 hours).

4 When ready to bake, reroll dough within the paper to even it out. With rim of cup or glass cut into dough to make circles. Place 1/2 to 2/3 teaspoon of filling in middle of each circle. To shape triangle, lift up right and left sides, leaving bottom side down and bring both sides to meet at center above filling. Lift bottom side up to center to meet other two sides and pinch together.

5 Brush pastries with melted butter or margarine; place on cookie sheet and bake until starting to turn golden, approximately 18 minutes. (Start checking bottoms after 16 minutes.)

Pumpkin and Black Bean SoupThis hearty soup comes from “Celebrate” by Elizabeth Kurtz (Feldheim). “A home- cooked meal is something to be cherished and remembered forever,” says Kurtz, creator of the kosher website www.gourmetkoshercooking.com. (Proceeds from sale of the book benefit Emunah’s Children’s Homes in Israel.)

Makes 10 to 12 servings

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin, or more to taste

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained

1 (29-ounce) can diced tomatoes

6 cups beef broth, chicken broth, or vegetable broth (no salt added)

1 (29-ounce) canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup dry red wine

Toasted pumpkin seeds and Tofutti sour cream, for garnish (optional)

1 Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper; cook until softened, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Add black beans and tomatoes to stockpot; cook additional 2 minutes. Add broth, pumpkin, and wine; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, about 25 minutes.

2 Remove from heat; cool, uncovered. Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth. Serve warm.

3 Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and sour cream before serving, if desired.

Jlife food Editor Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” (Workman) and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook” (an e-book short from Workman), a columnist and feature writer for the Orange County Register and other publications and can be found on the web at www.cookingjewish.com.

A & E

That’s the beauty of cookies. Baking them doesn’t have to be a complicated, all-day project.


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LUNDEBERG: A RETROSPECTIVELaguna Art Museum is proud to be organizing the first comprehensive exhibition of the work of a key figure in twentieth-century California art, artist Helen Lundeberg (1908-1999), on exhibit through May 30, 2016. This exhibit will feature approximately sixty to seventy paintings that surveys Lundeberg’s career systematically, beginning with her landmark Post-Surrealist paintings of the 1930s.

ST. LUCIASt. Lucia is the stage name for South Aftrican-born performer, Jean-Philip Grobler, who will be playing in the OC at the Observatory on Fri, March 11. He is signed to Neon Gold Records, which released his self-titled EP and his debut album “When the Night.” His second full-length album, “Matter,” was released Jan. 29, with cover art designed by New York-based artist duo Olivia Abbonizio and Devin McNulty. Grobler was part of the prestigious Drakensberg Boys Choir that sang in front of Nelson Mandela at the opening of the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

48

out&about

REVEREND HORTON HEATRockabilly-genre revamp artist, Reverend Horton Heat will be at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano on March 25. Formed in 1985, The Reverend Horton Heat exploded on the scene by playing gigs around their hometown of Dallas, TX, mixing elements of surf, country, punk, big band and rockabilly to create a genre that took the world by storm.

TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH On March 10 – 13, the Pacific Symphony will be presenting the sumptuous tone and melodic mastery of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, which culminates in a triumphant final movement. The night will include Pablo Villegas on guitar performing three pieces; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Rodrigo’s Fantasy for a Nobleman and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5.

IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!The incomparable Mel Brooks comes to Segerstrom Center on March 13 at 3 p.m. for an exclusive, inside look at his storied career, and the making of the legendary and groundbreaking movie “Blazing Saddles.” This outrageous masterpiece, considered one of the top comedy films of all time, will be presented on the big screen followed by a live conversation and audience Q&A with Mel Brooks himself.

out&about

49

Bill MaherComedian Bill Maher

will bring his signature brand of politically charged humor to City National Grove of Anaheim on Saturday, March 5. Born in New York City, his father was a network news editor and radio announcer and his mother was a nurse. He was raised in his Irish American father’s Roman Catholic religion and until his early teens, he was unaware that

his mother was a Hungarian Jew.

For more than twenty years, Maher has set the boundaries of where funny, political talk can go on American television. First on “Politically Incorrect” (Comedy Central, ABC, 1993-2002), and for the last thirteen years on HBO’s “Real Time,” Maher’s combination of unflinching honesty and big laughs have garnered him 34 Emmy nominations.

Maher finally won his first Emmy in 2014 as executive producer for the HBO series, “VICE.” In October of 2008, this same combination was on display in Maher’s uproarious and unprecedented swipe at organized religion, “Religulous,” directed by Larry Charles (“Borat”). The documentary has gone on to become the eighth highest grossing documentary ever.

In addition to his television program--which has featured

such regular visitors as Vice President Joseph Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kerry Washington, Michael Steele, Howard Dean, Michael Moore, Eva Longoria, Drew Barrymore, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gen. Wesley Clark, Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, Gary Hart and Pat Buchanan—

Maher has written five bestselling novels: “True Story,” “Does Anybody Have a Problem with That? Politically Incorrect’s Greatest Hits,” “When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden,” “New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer,” and most recently, “The New New Rules: A Funny Look at How Everybody But Me Has Their Head Up Their Ass.”

Maher started his career as a stand-up comedian in 1979, and still performs at least fifty dates a year in Las Vegas and in sold out theaters all across the country. Four of his ten stand-up specials for HBO – 2014’s “Bill Maher: Live from DC,” 2007’s “The Decider,” 2005’s “I’m Swiss,” as well as the hilarious, “Bill Maher … But I’m Not Wrong” – have been nominated for Emmy awards.

ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE | March 2016

Bill Maher

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SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR UGLY NAILSACTUAL BEFORE & AFTER PICTURES FROM 2015 PATIENTS. READ WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:

CROSSWORDCROSSWORDCROSSWORDCROSOn the Edge

ACROSS 1 Faith in G-d and Torah,

to many Jews

8 Was punished in gan

15 Unlike drilling in the Mediterranean

16 Joining the army at 18, e.g.

17 Had a siyum

18 Title for Moses?

19 “___ sher!” (“Bivadai!”)

20 What is won in the Knesset

22 “As it glared ___ the river’s waves...” Emma Lazarus

23 Opening for Annie Leibovitz

25 Airer of Noah Wyle’s “Falling Skies”

26 Jake Gyllenhaal is considered one

27 Middle, to Rabbi Sacks

29 Schmatta

32 Musician Rotenberg

33 Poor crossword solver’s need

34 Like one who is visited, hopefully

35 34-Across, e.g.

36 What would be hanging from this puzzle, if it were a garment

39 Snakes in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

43 The ADL, e.g.

44 Sakharov of Jerusalem’s Sakharov Gardens

49 Nationality of Ambassador to Israel Jakr Boon- Long

50 Studio founded by David Sarnoff

51 Family or Orthodox

52 Actor Glen on Benioff’s “Game of Thrones”

53 ___ in Uriah

55 Shawarma rod

56 It can help you get around Isr.

57 What Goldberg might call his shoulder muscles

60 Operation Solomon locale: Abbr.

61 Some tosses from Cy Young winner Steve Stone

63 Fancy car destroyed in Michael Bay’s “The Rock”

67 Home of the El Ghriba Synagogue

68 Jerusalem Post fees

69 Shot locale for Paul Newman’s Fast Eddie Felson

70 Gets back on a good derech

DOWN 1 Building locale for a macher

2 Haman, perhaps

3 Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, billionaire dubbed the Russian ___

4 Rehovot need?

5 Kind of joke attempted by Borat

6 Before, to Lazarus

7 Many a cab in Israel

8 Hillel, for one

9 Indian tourist locale that sounds like a recently unearthed fortress in Jerusalem

10 Chalav Yisrael source

11 Rahab ran one

12 They played “Spiderwebs” in Tel Aviv in 1997

13 Nationality of some in the southwest corner of The Old City

14 A makolet might be one

21 Make 36-Across

24 Yehuda ha-Nasi and King George: Abbr.

25 ISIS creates it

26 “The Mirror ___ two faces” (Streisand film)

28 Official at Bloomfield Stadium, for short

30 Medit. land

31 Makes like the face of Moses

37 Be a nudnik

38 Cat that would be of no use in Eilat

39 Olmert was caught in one

40 Get back on a good derech

41 Chaver, in Sicily

42 Reason for a sacrifice

45 Tim Whatley on “Seinfeld”, e.g.

46 Says the Amidah, like a chazan

47 East-African country whose President went to Israel for medical treatment in 1993

48 Words of introduction for Yuri Foreman

54 Comparable to an animal that epitomizes tref

57 Jon Stewart reported behind one

58 New York county that’s home to a kosher animal city

59 Test before Cardozo

62 Hoffman quirk in “Rain Man”

64 Address ending for YU

65 Education basics, in grammar school but not gan

66 Did the Jerusalem Marathon

HINT: 29 ACROSS

BY: YONI GLATT } [email protected] } DIFFICULTY LEVEL: CHALLENGING

OOPS!Remember last month when we ran the wrong puzzle square for these clues? Here is the correct one for your crossword restitution. SPOILER ALERT: the answers for this puzzle are on the opposite page - try not to peek!


CROSSWORDCROSSWORDCROSAll About Bill

ACROSS 1 Guest passes

6 A Mama

10 Recipe amts.

14 West Indies folk magic

15 Half of this: #

16 “___ on Down the Road” (song in a Lumet film)

17 Award-winning role for Mr. Shatner

19 Stitch (with Bubbe, perhaps)

20 The Second Temple ___

21 “The Matrix” role

22 Behavior of 17-Across, at times

24 John hit “sung” by Mr. Shatner in 1978

28 Like a Bat Mitzvah girl

31 Giant Chris who married the coaches daughter

32 Actress Green

33 Grip on a Firestone

34 Nintendo DS competitor

37 “The ___ Love”, title by REM and

Al Jolson

39 Show, for Alex Clare

40 Where Mr. Shatner had a “Nightmare” in 1963

45 Fifth-century warrior

46 “Holy cow!”

47 Movie/video-game chain letters

48 “___ ha-shalom”

50 Month in Spanish

52 (False) god of war

56 Cards most Rabbis would frown upon

57 Website pitched by Mr. Shatner

60 Beans brand

62 Bagel topper

63 Sault ___ Marie

64 First name of Magneto

66 Name you knew HAD to be in this puzzle

70 It’s often fixed

71 Elvis Presley’s middle name

72 Zellweger of “A Price Above Rubies”

73 “Bullets ___ Broadway”

74 Like Brooks or Rivers

75 Moses displayed it at the Sin of the Golden Calf

DOWN 1 Some workers on Aish.com

2 Fairy king, in Shakespeare

3 Khan, for one

4 Hero in Spielberg’s “Hook”

5 Jewish rapper exiled in Israel

6 One way to look for crossword answers

7 Battery type

8 Fig. in identity theft

9 Author Silverstein

10 Novels by Mr. Shatner

11 Where many dress up as 66-Across for Comic-Con

12 Telepathy, e.g.

13 Prepare a Shabbat table

18 Time zone for most of Eur.

23 Spiritual being

25 Observed (Kosher)

26 Procrastinator

27 Da ___, Vietnam

29 Warren Beatty, according to Carly Simon

30 Rock’s The ___, husband of Morleigh Steinberg

35 Casspi, after a game

36 Pure tref

38 Radio band, for short

40 Word between “I am”, in Exodus

41 Kind of skirt

42 “Beam me up, Scotty!”

43 Shabbat light

44 Enthusiasm (for Israel)

49 T.J.___

51 Like Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Artist”

53 On the way up

54 Roast chicken, but probably not gefilte fish

55 One looking (for new life and civilizations)

58 Trigonometry abbr.

59 What a Jewish mother often has after a meal

61 Bit open

64 Freudian topic

65 Hasidic leader

67 Notable role for Jeremy (Piven)

68 Call from a korban

69 Watanabe in Zwick’s “The Last Samurai”

February Answers

BY: YONI GLATT } [email protected] } DIFFICULTY LEVEL: MANAGEABLE

HINT: 62 ACROSS


News&Jews

Irvine Has Heart Food Drive The City of Irvine, in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, will host Irvine Has Heart, a community food drive, from Feb. 12 through March 31. The goal of the drive is to collect 3,500 pounds of canned food to help families and seniors in need. Donation barrels will be available at various city facilities, libraries and other locations, including the Irvine Civic Center and Irvine Police Department, 1 Civic Center Plaza, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For a complete list of drop-off locations, visit cityofirvine.org. For additional program information, call (949) 724-6680.

Top 100 Wines of 2015What do Castel Petit Castel and Flam Blanc have in common? They are three of the 100 wines featured in a first-ever kosher wine top list produced by KosherWine.com, a subsidiary of The JCommerce Group. The KosherWine.com team selected the most exciting wines of the year from the thousands the site carries to put together its “Top 100 Wines of 2015.”

What Will Your Legacy Be? Twelve local Jewish institutions working together, $162,000 in unrestricted incentive grants and 330 new legacy commitments for our community with an estimated future value of over $12,000,000 – that’s the Jewish Community Foundation’s Create a Jewish Legacy program at work! Join us by contacting the Foundation’s Executive Director Wendy Arenson at [email protected] or (949) 435-3490 to create your Jewish legacy benefitting the synagogues and Jewish organizations closest to your heart.

Jewish Music & Hot Latin Rhythms Yale Strom and his band, Hot Pstromi, take us on a musical journey from the Eastern European Shtetl to the swinging nightclubs in Miami Beach & the Catskills. Learn how Jewish and Latino musicians worked together in the 1950’s and 1960’s popularizing Latin dance rhythms to new audiences. Presented by Yale Strom a world renowned klezmer historian, violinist, scholar and a current Jewish Studies Artist in Residence at San Diego State University. He will perform with his band of gifted musicians Hot Pstromi. Sunday, March 6 at 4- 5:15 p.m. at Merage JCC, 1 Federation Way, Irvine (949) 435-3400. JCC Members $20, Public $25.

OC JEWISH SCENE | MARCH 2016

Purim Extravaganza at CBICelebrate Purim with Congregation B’nai Israel Sunday, March 20th from 12-2 p.m. for carnival games, food and fun and March 23rd at 5:30 p.m. for a family celebration and the costume parade, at 6:15 p.m. for a Shushan feast ($10/adult, $5/child), and at 7 p.m. for Megillah reading and musical Purim Shpiel. For more information and full service schedule please call (714) 730-9693 or check out www.cbi18.org. Congregation B’nai Israel is located at 2111 Bryan Avenue, Tustin.


Navigating Teen Challenges On Sunday, January 24th, over 200 teens and parents filled Temple Beth El’s sanctuary for the first-ever Navigating Teen Challenges Conference. Clinical psychologist and best-selling author, Dr. Wendy Mogel, gave the keynote address followed by workshops on social media, college admissions, substance abuse, mental health, communication strategies and more. Attendees had access to over 30 organizations at the resource fair. The Conference, co-sponsored by Temple Beth El, Jewish Federation & Family Services, CHOC Children’s and St. Joseph Health/Mission Hospital, focused on breaking through the stigma around the issues that families face as they navigate through modern adolescence.

Dr. Wendy Mogel

Stem Cell ResearchThis Monday, Feb. 8, representatives from Israel’s Ministry of Science and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) will gather at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to sign a major collaborative agreement fostering university-to-university partnerships and joint funding opportunities in stem cell research. The agreement will provide a new framework for advancing this research, with CIRM and Israel’s Ministry of Science providing funding for institutions from California and Israel, respectively. The Israeli-American Council served as the facilitator for the agreement, helping to bring together the two signatories and develop the framework through which the partnership will function. For more information, please see the attached release. The ceremony will begin at 2:00 p.m. and is open to the media. For more info please e-mail Meira Feinman at [email protected] or call (310) 571-8264.

CSP Features Dramatic Israeli Short Films from the Ma’aleh SchoolAs part of her multi-city tour of the USA, Neta Ariel, Director of the Israeli Ma’aleh School of Television Film and the Arts, showed three dramatic short films at a Community Scholar event on February 9. Arie Katz, founder and chair of CSP introduced some Orange County residents to the school during an October 2014 trip to Israel. One film, “I’m Ready,” (in a clip shown here,) outlines the desperation of a grown son with Down syndrome and his elderly father, who realizes he is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and knows that they will have to be separated.

News&Jews

National Jewish Book Awards “The Secret of Chabad-Inside the World’s Most Successful Jewish Movement” was named a finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards. The prestigious awards recognize outstanding achievement in Jewish writing. Rabbi David Eliezrie, columnist for Jlife is the author of the book.

The Lost Tribes of IsraelRabbi Marvin Tokayer will talk about the “The Lost Tribes of Israel–Tales of Jews of the Far East” on Sunday, March 13th at Congregation Beth Meir HaCohen/Chabad in Yorba Linda. Tokayer served as a rabbi for over two decades in the far east and is a great story teller. The program features a buffet breakfast followed by the talk. Sunday March 13th at 9:30 a.m., reservations online at OCJewish.com or call (714) 693-0770.

Rabbi David Eliezrie


L I F E S T Y L E

Shalom Family & JewGlue On Saturday, January 9, JewGlue hosted over 60 young adults at the second annual “Jews on Ice” event. JewGlue enjoyed a fun game of Broomball at Anaheim Ice following a Happy Hour at Gypsy Den Café & Bar. On Wednesday, February 3, JewGlue sang their hearts out at a Karaoke Happy Hour, providing an opportunity for our hidden musical artists to shine!

Shalom Family hosted Jewish Parenting University, a three-part series designed for expectant and new parents focusing on an exploration

of Jewish traditions and rituals connected to

parenting through a Jewish lens. Jewish Parenting University was made possible by partial funding from the Jewish

Community Foundation of

Orange County.

Shalom Family and JewGlue are outreach and engagement initiatives of NextGen, the young adult department of Jewish Federation & Family Services (JFFS). For more information about NextGen and to learn about upcoming events, contact us at [email protected] or visit JewishOC.org/NextGen.

Join NextGen

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Ultra Orthodox men celebrate Purim in Mea Shearim.

GROWING UP, MY favorite community holiday was Purim. We’d get together with the other Chabadniks (my very secular Israeli father insisted we only attend services entirely in Hebrew), there was always a magician, everyone would dress up, and all the attend-ees were boisterous and friendly. Years later, I realized that the friendliness was due in large part to the congregation’s wholehearted commitment to ad delo yada, the religious

requirement to revel in Purim by drinking until we couldn’t tell the difference between Mordecai and Haman (hiss, boo). The one sour spot of every holiday was that, without fail, a girl dressed as Esther would always win the costume contest. I guess the woman who saved us from the Persians does beat an enchanted dragon witch queen, or whatever amalgamation of crazy my young mind had concocted that year, but when I was younger,

it made little sense to me. Nowadays, I’d defi-nitely support a defender against the Persian hordes, but that’s a topic for an entirely dif-ferent article.

Returning to the story of the Megillah, it was with great excitement that I learned, upon moving to Israel, that the Book of Esther is the touchstone of some of the most impres-sive displays of public revelry in the country. If you’ve ever been in Israel the month or so leading up to Purim, you may have seen pop-up shops along Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem or throughout Tel Aviv filled with costumes, the way Halloween shops emerge in the States. Parades and events for children are juxtaposed with huge street parties held for older mer-rymakers engaging in their religious require-ments, though both are usually supported by the municipality.

Purim festivals date back to around the end of the Second Aliyah, the wave of Zionist immigration to Ottoman Palestine. The lon-gest-running parade, Adloyada, was first held in Tel Aviv in 1912 and boasted provocative costumes and puppets, a tradition continued for decades. In 1933, a puppet of Hitler with a sign around its neck reading “Kill Jews” earned a rebuke from the German consul in Jerusalem, who demanded an apology from Tel Aviv Mayor Meir Dizengoff. Dizengoff refused. Today, the parade, still widely attend-ed, has moved south, to Holon, and is much more child-friendly.

The holiday has lost its political overtones. Street parades and parties are populated by “Simpsons” characters, or whatever costume can be cobbled together. A savvy Purim celebrant can even enjoy two a year! In Jerusalem, the holiday is celebrated the day after the rest of the country, on Shushan Purim, the 15th of Adar. A

Merav Ceren grew up in Southern California, where she attended UCI and led the re-estab-lishment of Anteaters for Israel.

DRINKING AS A RELIGIOUS OBLIGATION Purim in Israel is a national party.BY MERAV CEREN

L I F E S T Y L EL I F E S T Y L E


Moses breaking the tablets of the law.

“AS IN THE past trials, leading lawyers will present the case to audience “jurors” on Sunday, March 13.”

Exodus 32:19 cites, “And it came to pass, as soon as he (Moses) came unto the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mount.”

Was this an impetuous act or a deliberate one? Is acting out of anger acceptable? And did Moses have the right to destroy G-d’s work, G-d’s writing? This is the subject of University Synagogue’s Biblical Trial, “The People vs. Moses: Destruction of the Tablets of the Ten Commandments”

There are several “explanations” about why

Moses broke the tablets. One says the tablets “weighed too much to be possibly carried by a single human being; but the divinely etched letters engraved within them miraculously lightened them, enabling Moses to carry the tablets. When the letters “saw” the golden calf which the Jewish people had made, they were revolted and “flew” out of the tablets, back to their divine source—leaving Moses with a burden he could not bear, and which he therefore dropped.”

Others commentators say that Moses broke the tablets in order to discourage G-d from annihilating the Jewish people creating a new chosen nation from Moses and his descen-dants (see Exodus 32:10). “Upon breaking the

tablets, he told G-d, ‘Now I am a sinner just like them. If you decide to eradicate them, destroy me as well.’” But just what responsibil-ity does Moses bear?

University Synagogue holds its popular biblical trial program each year to determine that responsibility. In 2013, Moses was on trial for the murder of an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Now, three years later, Moses is back in court charged with theft by embezzlement and vandalism for the destruction of the tablets.

As in the past trials, leading lawyers will present the case to audience “jurors” on Sunday, March 13. UC Irvine School of Law Founding Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, and Laurie Levenson, professor of Law and direc-tor, Center for Ethical Advocacy, Loyola Law School, will argue the case before Associate Justice Richard Fybel, 4th District Court of Appeals.

After the lawyers argue the case and present their evidence, there will be a lively panel dis-cussion of timeless and timely moral, ethical and philosophical themes. The panel will be led by Rabbi Arnold Rachlis, and will feature Dr. Jack Miles, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and UC Irvine Professor of English and Religious Studies, and the Reverend Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano of Fairview Community Church, Costa Mesa, CA.

“To have hundreds of people studying Torah in a fun, thoughtful and ethical way on a Sunday afternoon,” commented Rabbi Arnold Rachlis,” with peerless attorneys and an engag-ing panel is truly a dream. This is exactly what Reconstructionism strives to offer – relevance, reason, intellectuality and joy.”

For program information, call (949) 553-3535. Or to order tickets visit www.universi-tysynagogue.org. A

Florence L. Dann, a fifth year rabbinical student at the Academy for Jewish Religion in LA has been a contributing writer to Jlife since 2004.

ANNUAL BIBLICAL TRIAL Was Moses Guilty of Destroying G-d’s Property? BY FLORENCE L. DANN

L I F E S T Y L E

UNIVERSITY SYNAGOGUE PRESENTS


L I F E S T Y L E

ORANGE COUNTY’S JEWISH HISTORYOutstanding Selfless Dedication and Devotion BY DALIA TAFT

PURIM—NOT YOUR JEWISH HALLOWEEN

Purim is a great festival: great fear of annihilation, at first, and great joy after the salvation, at last.

www.jewishboston.com

THE PURIM BLOG

How one family celebrates Purim.

thepurimblog.wordpress.com

THE STORY OF PURIM: THE BOOK OF ESTHER ABRIDGED VERSION

In the third year of his reign, the King of Persia, Ahashverosh (also known as Ahasuerus and Ahashuerus) decided to have a feast…

holidays.net/purim/story2.htm

BLOGOSPHEREJlife wants to acknowledge some of the interesting blogs related to the Jewish community. Enjoy!

RETIRED PEDIATRIC CARDIOLOGIST Stanley Kegel, born and raised in Los Angeles, received his medical degree from the UC San Francisco School of Medicine in 1956 and did his post-graduate work at the LA County General Hospital and the UCLA Medical Center. He later moved to Orange County, where he began his medical practice, raised his family, and became very active in both the Jewish community and wider commu-nity that compromises Jews and non-Jews. Dr. Kegel was involved with, among others, the Anti-Defamation League, the OC Hillel Advisory Board, B’nai B’rith, the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes and the UCI Interfaith Foundation. In 1977, he received both the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the O.C. chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews and was honored as Man of the Year from the National Foundation-March of Dimes. As if that wasn’t enough, he was the founding president of the Jewish Community Council of Orange County (today’s Jewish Federation & Family Services OC) from 1965-1967 and received Federation’s President’s Leadership Award in 1971 “in recognition of outstanding selfless dedication and devo-tion on behalf of the Jewish community of Orange County.”

Dalia Taft, archivist of the Orange County Jewish Historical Society - a program of Jewish Federation & Family Services - highlights images from the archives every month. For more information, please visit jew-ishoc.org/historical. You can also contact Dalia at [email protected] or at (949) 435-3484, ext. 167.

Anaheim Bulletin, January 7, 1967


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The Merage Jewish Community Center is located at 1 Federation Way Suite 200, Irvine, (949) 435-3400 x 303. For reservations please contact Geri Dorman, Prime Time Adult Director at: [email protected].

The Ezra Center is located at Temple Beth Emet on Monday & Thursday 1770 W. Cerritos, Anaheim, (714) 776-1103 and Temple Beth Tikvah on Wednesday1600 N. Acacia, (714) 871-3535.

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L I F E S T Y L E

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