Non-profit OrganizationU.S. POSTAGE PAIDPermit # 482Scranton, PA

PLUSOpinion ..........................................................2D’var Torah ..................................................8Federation Annual Report .............. Insert

JUNE 21, 2012

Candle lighting

Jewish Federation of NEPA601 Jefferson Ave.Scranton, PA 18510

Address Service Requested

INSIDE THIS ISSUECoexistence at ulpan

An ulpan in Jerusalem is creating bonds between its Jewish, Christian and Muslim students.

Story on page 6

In brief...Senators introduce a Jackson-Vanik repeal for Russia; the IOC warns against athlete boycotts; more.

Story on page 11

South Koreans in Israel Israel has a growing community of South Koreans, who are there to study or stay permanently.

Story on page 4

June 22 ............................................8:22 pmJune 29 ............................................8:22 pmJuly 6 ................................................8:21 pm

Federation on Facebook

The Jewish Federation of Northeast-ern Pennsylvania now has a page on Facebook to let community members know about upcoming events and keep connected.

The

Jewish Federation of Northeastern PennsylvaniaPublished by the VOLUME X, NUMBER 13

By Dassy GanzFifty-eight members of the Jewish Fed-

eration of Northeastern Pennsylvania visited New York City to march with thousands more in the annual “Celebrate Israel Parade” on June 3.

Participants ranging from preschool students to senior adults were led by Mark Silverberg, executive director of the Federa-tion, and Dan Cardonick, executive director of the Scranton JCC. Several teenagers par-ticipated, guided by Aaron Brooks, advisor to Scranton’s BBYO Chapter, in addition to whole families from both Scranton and the Poconos.

The theme of this year’s parade was “Israel Branches Out.” The Federation used the theme to celebrate a number of local families who have made aliyah (become Israeli citizens). Though the Federation could not obtain photos of everyone who has made aliyah through-out the years, the banner read “NEPA Branches take ‘root’ in Israel” and displayed photos of the Glassman and Rosenschein families; Steve and Linda Grossman; Dan and Andrea Cutler Lu-

Federation members attend new york “Celebrate Israel” Parade

At left: BBYO members Becky Fal lk , Ethan Kreinces, Murray Fallk, Rachel Pollack, Scranton BBYO Chapter advisor Aaron Brooks and Ali Epstein carried the JCC banner.

Parade marchers from Northeastern Pennsylvania communities attended the “Celebrate Israel Parade” in New York City on June 3.

The Federation’s banner for the Celebrate Israel Parade was hung in the JCC lobby.

bitz; Avi and Chana Esther Ganz; Akiva and Sara Weiss Davis; and Amram and Tziona Ackerman Rister.

“What a thrill to be part of the most auspicious showing of support for the state of Israel in the United States,” com-mented a Federation representative. “The entire length of Fifth Avenue was lined with enthusiastic throngs cheering the marchers, while Jewish and Israeli music filled the air.”

After the parade, the group visited Tean-eck, NJ, to enjoy an early dinner at a kosher restaurant. Mary Beth Lorber brought a hand-out describing the choices of res-taurants, including kosher sushi, Japanese fusion and corned beef and pastrami on rye. With the extra time available, participants visited a Judaica store, as well as a kosher take-out and bakery.

The Federation expressed thanks to Marcia Ufberg and Starr Uniform in Scranton for the parade T-shirts, as well as to Barth Rubin of the Budget Inn and Suites on Interstate 80 East for the use of his establishment for a Pocono pick-up location.

The Federation also thanked B’nai B’rith and the Arenberg Fund of the JCC for help in sponsoring the event this year. Thanks yous were offered Silverberg and the Federation

as well for sponsoring the event, and for their commitment to the Jewish community and the state of Israel.

2012 UJA Campaign

Update To Life! To Life!

“For ourselves, for our children,

for Israel, forever”

as of 6/18/12

Goal: $900,000

For more information or to make a donation please call 570-961-2300 ext. 1 or send your gift to: Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania 601 Jefferson Avenue Scranton, PA 18510 (Please MEMO your pledge or gift 2012 UJA Campaign)

$870,884

THE REPORTER ■ junE 21, 20122

A MATTeR OF OpInIOn

“ The Reporter” (USPS #482) is published bi-weekly by the Jew-ish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510.

President: Margaret SheldonExecutive Director: Mark Silverberg

Advisory Board Chair: Margaret Sheldon

Executive Editor: Rabbi Rachel EssermanLayout Editor: Diana SochorAssistant Editor: Michael NassbergProduction Coordinator: Jenn DePersisGraphic Artist: Danielle EsquivelAdvertising Representative: Bonnie Rozen

FeDeratIon weBsIte:www.jewishnepa.org

How to sUBMIt artICLes:Mail: 601 Jefferson Ave., Scranton, PA 18510e-mail: jfnepareporter@epix.netFax: (570) 346-6147Phone: (570) 961-2300

How to reaCH tHe aDvertIsInG rePresentatIve:

Phone: (800) 779-7896, ext. 244e-mail: bonnie@thereportergroup.org

sUBsCrIPtIon InForMatIon: Phone: (570) 961-2300

oPInIons The views expressed in edi-torials and opinion pieces are those of each author and not necessarily the views of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Letters The Reporter welcomes letters on subjects of interest to the Jewish com-munity. All letters must be signed and include a phone number. The editor may withhold the name upon request. aDs The Reporter does not necessar-ily endorse any advertised products and services. In addition, the paper is not responsible for the kashruth of any advertiser’s product or establishment.DeaDLIne Regular deadline is two weeks prior to the publication date.

teach children to be their own Internet filterBy eLIezer Jones anD DavID PeLCovItz

(JTA) – Tens of thousands of Jews filled Citi Field in Queens recently and heard from haredi Orthodox leaders that the Internet should be avoided in the home at all costs and used spar-ingly at work, and then only with a filter blocking content that could be damaging spiritually.

Debate as you will what some may see as draconian edicts to protect the Jewish community from moral corrup-tion. But at the heart of the matter is a question that should concern us all: How do we keep our children safe on the Internet?

We know that we cannot work around the Internet. Research from the Pew Foundation indicates that 54 percent of children say they go to Google first when they have a ques-tion, as opposed to 26 percent who say they go to a parent and 3 percent to a teacher. Rather, we must figure out how parents and teachers can make this important tool work safely and effectively for our kids.

The difficulty is that even the simple solutions are incredibly complicated. Powerful filters can block illicit images and material, but those filters often block out the good with the bad and limit far too much useful information.

This solution has been discussed and debated on our own campus concerning Internet access in dormitories.

Some yeshivot have considered avoiding technology altogether and sticking with books and blackboards. But that would leave students without the digital competence required to succeed academically in college and beyond, not to mention that it would rob teachers of increasingly exciting and effective educational tools.

The only real answer is that as par-ents and teachers, we must instill in our children a strong value system based on Jewish morals and traditions that allows our children to become their own filters when exploring the Internet. That would be far more powerful than any protective software.

The onus is clearly on us because it seems that children will listen to our rules, at least when it comes to the Internet. Only three in 10 young people reported to a Kaiser Founda-tion survey that they are given clear rules about how much time they may spend using a computer, watching TV or playing video games. The average child with no rules spends more than three hours per day on such media. Those who are given rules spend con-siderably less time.

Yeshiva high school students said they would be receptive to rules. More than half of those surveyed by researcher Debbie Fox, director of

the Aleinu Family Resource Center, a program of the Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, said that they would welcome more guidance from parents regarding Internet use.

These same students, in fact, said that they would be far stricter with their own future adolescent children regarding responsible Internet use than their parents, and would monitor their children much more closely.

The dangers of the Internet are not limited to challenging content. A 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study showed that about half of students in grades seven through 12 said they do their homework with media open that do not pertain to their task at hand. In other words, about 50 percent of middle and high school students are doing homework with divided attention. And while some kids may believe that they are being more efficient, multitasking has been proven in adults to cause higher levels of stress and lower levels of efficiency.

While some kids can multitask well, it’s up to parents to actively determine if their children work more efficiently while doing so or while focusing on their work without interruption. Parents should collaborate with their children to test whether they are more efficient when not being interrupted or distracted, and then meter their back-ground activity accordingly.

The greatest challenge of all, how-

ever, may be making sure that our kids completely separate from the Internet at times. According to the Pew Foun-dation, 75 percent of American teens prefer texting to in-person contact with friends. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that this generation’s empathy levels among adolescents are significantly lower than those of previous generations.

It may seem that adolescents in every generation feel isolated and tuned out at some point or another. But it turns out that their computer habits may be compounding the problem. Parents need to teach children that some of their relationships must include direct face-to-face interaction without the distraction of text messages and cell phone calls.

While some of what occurred at Citi Field recently might seem for-eign, we must work to ensure that our students and our children can grow up as highly moral and successful Jewish digital citizens.

Dr. Eliezer Jones is the educational technology specialist at Yeshiva University’s Institute for University-School Partnership. Dr. David Pelcovitz is the Gwendolyn and Joseph Straus chair in psychology and Jewish education at YU’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. For more information about safe Internet rules and guidelines, visit www.yuschoolpartnership.org/parentguidedigitalage.

President obama’s “Polish death camps” mistake is common

By MICHaeL BerenBaUM (JTA) – President Barack Obama

made a simple and very basic mistake when he spoke of Polish death camps during the presentation of a posthumous Medal of Freedom to Jan Karski, a Pol-ish resistance fighter who was among the first to report German atrocities in his country. The president spoke during the May 29 ceremony of how the Polish underground “smuggled [Karski] into the Warsaw Ghetto and a Polish death camp to see for himself.”

The next day, after objections from the Polish government, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council said the president “misspoke” and meant “Nazi death camps in Poland.”

There were death camps and they were situated in Poland – deliberately so – but there were no Polish death camps. The most accurate way to refer to these camps is “Nazi death camps in German-occupied Poland.”

Let me tell you why: Poland was occupied by Germany. Occupation was an act of state, not of the Nazi Party. So there was no Nazi occupation, no Nazi army, no Nazi laws. There was German occupation, a German army – the Wehrmacht – and German laws. These were instruments of the state.

These mistakes are all too common even in articles written by scholars and

historians. For example, the “Ency-clopedia of the Holocaust” commonly refers to Nazi occupation. Its editor is a distinguished scholar.

That which was undertaken by the Nazi Party to realize its ideology can be prop-erly referred to as Nazi. Hence the death camps were Nazi in origin, conception and operation, but they were situated in German-occupied Poland, an area known as the General Gouvernment (except for Auschwitz, which was situated in Up-per Silesia, and Chlemno located in the Warthegau).

Another caution: Between Septem-ber 1939 and June 1941, Western Poland was occupied by Germany and Eastern Poland by the Soviet Union. So Soviet – not Russian – occupation was the rule in Eastern Poland for 22 months. Thereafter, Germany occupied these lands until the Soviet Union re-entered these territories in its march to victory in 1944 and 1945.

For clarity’s sake, we should specify that Poland itself was divided. Some Western areas were annexed to the Reich, some were occupied by the Reich – the General Gouvernment.

In the areas incorporated into the Reich, all existing Polish institutions were dissolved and new administrative units were established. In the occupied but non-incorporated territories, not all

Polish institutions were dissolved.One other common mistake: Many

write of the Jews who “perished” in the Holocaust. Jews did not perish in the Holocaust, they were murdered, annihilated. Extermination is a Nazi term; something that is done to vermin and rats, not to people. We should not use Nazi terms, except when we specify that they are Nazi terms.

The Poles are properly sensitive to the common mistake of speaking of Polish death camps. They have labored hard in the post-Communist era to correct this mistake and to change common usage. Their efforts deserve our support. Simply put, they are truthful.

The president’s speech writers ill served him and ill served the late Jan Karski, the man so deserving of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. They should have known better or verified these matters. The president’s mistake is entirely forgivable. I can cite many distinguished scholars who have made the very same mistake.

His correction is equally proper. It might go a long way toward ensuring that this mistake is not repeated.

Michael Berenbaum is director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust at the American Jewish University.

3 JUNE 21, 2012 ■ THE REPORTER

Visit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on FacebookÊ

COMMunITy newS

Visit the Jewish Federation

on Facebook!

DEADLINE

DEADLINESThe following are deadlines for all articles and photos

for upcoming Reporter issues.ISSUE

Thursday, June 21 ....................................July 5Thursday, July 19 ................................August 2Thursday, August 2 ...........................August 16Thursday, August 16 .........................August 30

By eMILy trUnzoTemple Hesed finished a Shabbat School year with a

program and cookout at McDade Park on May 12.The event began with music led by Rabbi Daniel Swartz

and the students. The students then spoke about kehillat kedoshah, holy community, which they had studied.

The students and their families played different games to demonstrate how working together as a community can lead to accomplishment. Participants started by choosing partners, who could be parents or siblings if they wished. The smaller partner had to lead around the bigger partner with his or her eyes closed. The exercise taught them that they could trust their partner.

Students also formed into groups that were twisted around while holding hands, forcing them to work together to untangle. They finished the game part of the day with a “Set the Shabbat Table” relay race.

The event ended with a cookout prepared by the parents.

First person

BannersBy Mary BetH LorBer

“You want me to what?” This was how it started. I was speaking on the phone with my friend and she was inviting me to march in the Celebrate Israel Parade. Let me offer a little background here: My friend is none other than Dassy Ganz, assistant director of the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania. She was coordinating this year’s trip to the parade. She was speaking to me about things like showing our support for Israel, highlighting the families from our community who have made aliyah (moved to Israel) and the experience of uniting with Jews from all around the world for a common purpose.

My thoughts in response were much less majestic. “She has got to be kidding” was my first thought. After all, this meant I was going to be giving up my normal Sunday plans to ride a bus from Scranton back and forth to New York City, where my sole function was going to be marching in the hot sun carrying a flag or banner (not even a Starbucks Frappuccino). But my second thought, gratefully, was less selfish and I remembered what a good friend Dassy was, and that I had no real excuse, so I said, “Yes, my husband and I will both be glad to come.”

Well, Sunday morning dawned and my husband had come down with a real winner of a cold, and I was thinking that the day was off to an inauspicious start. I then went in to wake my teenage daughter to see if she would like to accompany me and was expecting the usual whiny teenage “Why me?” or “Do I have to?” reply. I was surprised by a happy and excited, “That sounds like fun.” So, with one of us excited, my teenager and I boarded the bus to New York City.

From the moment our trip began, my feelings changed. First, I looked around me on the bus and noticed the diversity of our Jewish, non-Jewish, religious, non-religious, black, white, young, old, male and female group. Then I began to hear the individual stories. There was an older Jewish man from a small out-of-town community who had brought his young bar mitzvah student on the trip to further his Jewish education by uniting with Jews from other communities. Next, I was honored to speak with a World War II veteran proudly displaying his uniform hat reflecting service in both the United States Navy and Army. Then I observed a baal teshuvah as he made connections with a religious Jewish family for future Shabbat observance. Another baal teshuvah said she was awed by being in New York City and seeing all the different types of Jews. That was when the beauty of the Celebrate Israel Parade struck me: It was the banners.

Each of the people that I spoke with that day had a unique reason for being there and a contribution to make to the whole. Each person has a banner to carry in life, but for one day we were all united under one banner, our support for the state of Israel. Our group wore matching T-shirts as we marched down Fifth Avenue together. These shirts showed the mission or banner of our local Federation, “NEPA branches take ‘root’ in Israel.” Behind us marched a very enthusiastic and vocal young group from Miami. Their shirts reflected their mission and banner, which they were proud to share with reporters who presented it to the rest of the world. This same scene was repeated many times over by different school, Federation and organizational groups. Some groups had floats. Some had music and dancing. Each had its own banner or way of expressing its mission, and yet each were united for that day under the one banner: support Israel. That unity inspired me.

We have all heard the old joke, with two Jews you get three opinions. This reflects our ability to have healthy discourse and dissent on any topic. However, the Celebrate Israel Parade reflects that on the issue of a state of Israel, there is no valid dissenting opinion. That was the banner that we all marched under at the Celebrate Israel Parade and it was indeed glorious for the entire world to see.

temple Hesed shabbat school completes another year

Awards were given by Swartz for best attendance and for fulfilling service requirements.

“Temple Hesed is looking forward to another success-ful year as 2012-13 begins in September,” noted a temple representative.

This year, the kindergarten and first grade was taught by Cheryl Friedman; the second and third grade class was taught by Donna Kostiak; and the fourth and fifth grade was taught by Shane Reilly. Emily Trunzo taught the sixth grade, and Don Minkoff and Swartz taught seventh, eighth and ninth grade.

Rabbi Daniel Swartz reviewed kehillat kedoshah with the students.

Notice to our Pocono ReadersNotice to our Pocono Readers911 Emergency Management Services has been updating mailing addresses in Monroe County and Lehman Townships in Pike County. Please don't forget to notify the Federation so you

will continue to receive The Reporter.Thanks,

Mark Silverberg, Executive DirectorJewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania

THE REPORTER ■ junE 21, 20124

Members of the Korean community in Israel gathered in Kfar Menachem on May 10. (Photo by Dr. Kangkeun Lee)

Love for the Bible: south Koreans’ interest in IsraelBy MICHaeL orBaCH

KFAR MENACHEM, Israel (JTA) – It’s become a main-stay of Saturday nights on the Ben Yehuda Street pedestrian mall in Jerusalem. Between the crowds of Israeli revelers and American teens at the frozen-yogurt shops, a group of Koreans singing hymns vies for attention.

It’s one of the most public signs of Israel’s small, but grow-ing, community of South Koreans, many of whom come to the Holy Land because they are evangelical Christians. Not far from Ben Yehuda, there is a Korean restaurant on nearby Shamai Street and five small Korean churches.

“Israel reflects the truth of the Tanach,” Yung Doo, a Korean man in his late 30s who moved to Israel two years ago with his family to pursue a graduate degree in Bible studies, said, using the Hebrew word for Bible. “This is the land of David and Saul.”

While official estimates are hard to come by, South Korea’s ambassador to Israel Ilsoo Kim estimates that there are about 800 Koreans in about 300 families living in Israel. The number, he said, has been growing in recent years. They mainly reside around the French Hill and Pisgat Ze’ev neighborhoods in the Jerusalem area. “Many have lived here quite a long time,” Kim said. “This reflects their feelings.”

Most Koreans in Israel are visitors to the country on multiyear student visas. Many study Bible at Israeli uni-versities or at Holy Land University, a Christian graduate

school that caters to Asians. Roughly 30 percent of Koreans are Christian.

A handful have come to Israel to stay. Kim OK Kyung, 67, is a gregarious Korean-American transplant who ar-rived from New Jersey three years ago with her husband, a pastor, who had just retired from his church. “There is no place in the world like Jerusalem,” said Kyung, who calls herself Hannah, after the mother of the biblical Samuel, and

peppers her speech with quotations from the Bible. “He who blesses the children of Abraham will be blessed

and he who curses Israel will be cursed,” she said, citing a passage in the Bible often quoted by evangelical Christians. “The president of Iran cursed Israel. I want to see what will happen to him.”

Some Koreans here have had difficulties adjusting to life in the Jewish state. “It’s not easy to approach Israelis,” said Eunah Hur, who spends her day learning Hebrew in Jerusalem and attends a messianic church near her apartment. But it’s possible “to have good relationships. Israelis are warm and loyal,” she said. “We have a specific word for these relation-ships, ‘jung.’ It’s different from love and friendship.”

There are a number of similarities between Israeli and Korean cultures: a strong focus on education, a proficient high tech-sector, compulsory military service for males and, perhaps most importantly, an existential threat from neighbors.

“The North invaded once in 1950,” Kim said. “Then the 1967 war took place and people saw what Israelis were do-ing: overwhelming their enemy’s forces. Our teachers told us to learn from Israel. If [the North] invades, we have to do the same thing. Our memory of Israel started that day.”

Both Israel and South Korea also are in similar straits due to their limited natural resources, he said. “Without natural resources how can you have results? Human capital,” Kim said.

See “Koreans” on page 7

Are you on the Jewish Federation’s email list?We send updated announcements and special

event details weekly to those who wish to receive them.

Send Dassy Ganz an email if you would like to join the list.

Dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

Planning on leaving town for a few months? Going on a long vacation? Moving any time soon?

You can help save the Jewish Federation money by informing us of your plans and preventing the U.S. Postal Service from charging us for returned

mail and address change notices.

Before you go, call the Federation office or send us an email and let us know if you would like the mail sent temporarily to a different address, at no charge to you, or halted for a certain number of months. Give us a chance to get it

right for you on the first mailing.

Contact Dassy at (570)961-2300 or dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org

5 JUNE 21, 2012 ■ THE REPORTER

Visit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on FacebookÊ

Miri Gold, an Israel i Reform rabbi, petitioned the Israeli courts t o h a v e t h e government fund her salary as it does for Orthodox rabbis in the country. (Photo from Miri Gold's Facebook page)

Israeli gov’t decision to fund reform, Conservative rabbis sets precedent for equality with orthodox

AnAlySISBy Ben saLes

NEW YORK (JTA) – The recent announcement that the Israeli government for the first time will pay the salaries of some non-Orthodox rabbis represents a major victory for the Reform and Conservative movements. But it’s a victory more of principle than major practical changes – at least, so far. The Israeli attorney general’s office said on May 29 that Reform and Conservative rabbis in some parts of Israel will be recognized as “rabbis of non-Orthodox communities” and will receive wages equal to those of their Orthodox counterparts.

For now, the decision applies only to Israel’s regional councils – large districts of rural communities – but not Israeli cities. And the non-Orthodox rabbis, unlike their Orthodox colleagues, will have no authority over Jewish law or ceremonies such as marriage or divorce. Rather than being funded by the nation’s Religious Services Ministry, they will receive their salaries from the Ministry of Culture and Sport.

Even though the decision will not affect most Israeli Reform and Conservative Jews because the vast ma-jority of them live in large metropolitan areas such as Jerusalem and metro Tel Aviv, the decision nevertheless opens a door toward full equality with the Orthodox, non-Orthodox Israeli leaders said.

The Reform movement has a petition in court to give Reform rabbis in cities the same rights of those in regional council areas. It’s not clear when the Israeli courts will decide on the Reform movement’s petition, but if the petition is accepted, the change would affect virtually all Conservative and Reform congregations.

The recent announcement followed out-of-court ne-gotiations over a 2005 petition by the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism and Rabbi Miri Gold, a Reform rabbi from Kibbutz Gezer in central Israel. Gold had petitioned the state to fund the Gezer Reform community just as it funds Orthodox communi-

ties and their leaders. Initially, the government has agreed to fund 15 non-Orthodox rabbis in the regional council areas. But the fund-ing could increase as more Conservative and Reform congregations are established.

Yizhar Hess, the executive director of Israel’s Conservative movement, known as Masorti, said there is a more important is-sue than the initial number of communities receiving financial support: Conservative and Reform Jews in these areas no longer will have to donate privately to support their rabbis while also paying taxes to support the Ortho-dox-dominated Rabbinate. This, he hopes, will allow more Conservative congregations to form and reduce the Israeli movement’s dependence on donations from America. Three-quarters of the Masorti movement’s annual budget of approximately $4.5 million now comes from the Diaspora.

For years, the government has held the position that non-Orthodox rabbis deserve these rights: A 2008 government memoran-dum to the court in Gold’s case said that “a town with

a non-Orthodox community that is interested in cultural and communal activities deserves funding from the state.” The attorney gener-al’s office used that memorandum as a basis for its decision, but by defining non-Ortho-dox activities as “cultural and communal,” it shifted responsibility for overseeing the activities to the Ministry of Culture and Sport – meaning that Reform and Conserva-tive rabbis still do not have state-recognized authority over Jewish law.

David Lissy, executive director of the Masorti Foundation in New York, pointed to two recent surveys of Israeli Jews showing increased awareness of and identification with non-Orthodox movements. One, a recent report by the Israel Democracy Institute and the Avi Chai Foundation, showed that 30 percent of Israeli Jews had attended a Conservative or Reform service. “More and more people feel that they would like to take responsibility for their Jewish identity,” Hess said. “They understand that there is more than one way

to be Jewish.”

Sign up today!Sign up today!

NEPA Jewish Federation Business & Trade Alliance in Groups

The Jewish Federation is proud to give a helping hand

to the businesses, business professionals, and

non-profit organizations of NEPA during these difficult

economic times by creating the

NEPA Jewish Federation Business & Trade Alliance.

It will allow people from Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Wayne and Pike counties 24/7 access to: . Exchange Business Leads . Post Job Opportunities and Receive Resumes

. Promote your Business . Increase Search Engine Optimization

. Develop Critical Business Skills and Solutions . Socialize and Network with Other Successful Business people

Sign up for membership at http://JewishNepaBTA.org If you have not yet registered your business on our new Alliance web site, please contact Mark Silverberg at 570-961-2300 (ext. 1)

or mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org with your contact person, business name, business phone number,

business e-mail address, and regular business postal address to ensure further Business and

Trade Alliance communications and event invitations.

NEPAJFedBTA NEPA Jewish Federation Business & Trade Alliance

THE REPORTER ■ junE 21, 20126

Ulpan creating bonds between Jews and MuslimsBy MICHaeL orBaCH

JERUSALEM (JTA) – As an Arab living in eastern Jerusalem, Mohamad Neiroukh simply wants to learn Hebrew. That’s why he is enrolled in an ulpan, an intensive Hebrew language program that has been a rite of passage for Jewish immigrants since the state’s founding.

“I needed to learn Hebrew. Everyone speaks He-brew,” the 22-year-old college graduate said during a class break at Milah, as he stood with several other Arabs and Jews on a second-floor balcony overlooking a trash-filled alley off the city’s Ben Yehuda Street.

Milah, which means “word” in Hebrew, differs greatly from the ulpans – which today number more than 90 – that have educated millions of new im-migrants and visiting Jewish students from abroad. Founded in 1994 with funds from the Morrison family of Birmingham, AL, Milah enrolls about 500 students a year. Since 2000, the number of Muslims has soared from 5 percent to 50 percent today.

The school also has attracted visiting Korean students,

Students learning Hebrew at the Milah ulpan in Jerusalem. (Photo courtesy of Milah Institute)

Spanish preachers and Italian nuns. Its Jewish students, too, are diverse in their background. One classroom alone has Jewish students from Canada, Ethiopia, France and Russia. So it’s no surprise that the word “coexistence,” written in English with a crescent, cross and a Magen David, along with its Hebrew equivalent, casually crops up in the first few lessons of most class levels.

It’s all made Milah a friendly meeting ground. Neiroukh admits that he is surprised by how many Jewish friends he has at Milah. “They help me all the time,” he said.

That’s exactly what longtime Milah Director Clila Gerassi-Tishby wants. “My vision was a place that students from all over the world and any walk of life – all religions, cultures, languages – where people could study Hebrew,” she said on a recent Sunday afternoon while sitting in her tidy office. “It will be an island of peace, and that’s what it is.”

To accommodate its growth in Arab students, the school offers four Arab-only classes, and this year it hired its first Arab office employee: Afaf Ibrahim, 38, a registered nurse and a single mother from eastern Jerusalem.

Motivated by the licensing exams she was required to take in Hebrew for her Israeli nursing license, she was first a student at Milah. “The Israel government said that you need to do the test in Hebrew,” she said, dressed in a hijab, the hair covering of religious Mus-lim women. “I was [also] embarrassed that I couldn’t speak or write Hebrew. The government sends us letters and we weren’t able to explain what was in the letters, and we needed to find someone who could speak Hebrew.”

Ibrahim since has begun a love affair with the Hebrew language, completing most of the courses available at the ulpan.

For Gerassi-Tishby, the increase in Arab students is a direct result of the country’s changed security situ-ation in recent years. “Until the second intifada, the [Arabs from eastern Jerusalem] didn’t need to study Hebrew,” she said, as they typically worked in Arab communities in the West Bank. “[Now] it’s really hard

to get into Jericho and Ramallah. It’s really hard to work outside of Jerusalem. Because of the borders and walls, movement became much harder.”

The ulpan’s collegial atmosphere, she adds, stems from the students’ professionalism and commitment. Most Arab students are university graduates, including lawyers and doctors studying for licensing exams. “They want to find work,” Gerassi-Tishby said. “Sometimes [they say] if we go shopping or to restaurants. Sometimes they say it’s important to be a part of the country, but that’s rare.”

Some are like Rouia Jabar Assal, an accountant and mother of four whose blue blouse was color coordinated with her blue hijab. She says she always wanted to learn Hebrew. “If I go to the mall, everything is in Hebrew,” she explained. “Now I can read papers and call Israeli companies.”

Sadie Lynn, who is from Arizona, says she was looking forward to talking to the Muslim women in her class. “I want to compare notes on what it’s like being a religious woman in either culture,” Lynn said, adding that she was

See “Ulpan” on page 10

Graduates in our Federation Fam

ily

2012

High SchoolYonasan AichenbaumAlexandra (Sasha) AronzonTzvi Ben-DovBrittany BensonAyelet ElefantRacheli EpsteinYitzchak FlamChana FreemanMayer FreemanRachael FriedmanShimon GoldbergTamara GreenAvigayil GuttmanNechama HerberMenachem Mendel ItkinYocheved KofmanTaylor KreincesShmuel KurtzerEli LauryMoshe LuchinsJoshua RuttaChaim SaksEsther SchnaidmanGoldie SeiffShaul ShkediMichelle WadikaChanoch WegGershon Weinreb

If you would like to have your name published on our list of graduates please

notify Dassy Ganz at 961-2300, ext. 2.

Degrees of DistinctionJosh Herlands Harvard Law School

Congratulationsto all!

UniversityAllison Hollander Temple UniversityAryeh Rosenberg Fairleigh Dickenson UniversityMichael Tischler Syracuse UniversityLeo Aronzon Fairleigh Dickenson UniversityMichal Fink Stern College for WomenScott Monsky Cornell UniversitySteve Herman Syracuse University

Use this planned giving quick reference guide to help determine the best strategy for achieving your philanthropic and financial goals. For more information or to discuss these planned giving options, please contact: Mark Silverberg,

Executive Director, Jewish Federation of NEPA, 570-961-2300 (x1) or at mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org.

Make a quick & easy gift Simply write a check now An income tax deduction and immediate charitable impact

Avoid tax on capital gains Contribute long-term A charitable deduction appreciated stock or plus no capital gains tax other securities

Defer a gift until after Put a bequest in your Exemption from federalyour lifetime will (gifts of cash, estate tax on donations specific property, or a share or the residue of your estate

Receive guaranteed fixed Create a charitable gift Current & future savingsincome that is partially tax-free annuity on income taxes, plus fixed, stable payments

Avoid capital gains tax on Donate the real estate or An income tax reduction plusthe sale of a home or other sell it to a charity at a reduction or elimination of real estate bargain price capital gains tax

Avoid the two-fold taxation Name a charity as the Tax relief to your family onon IRA or other employee beneficiary of the inherited assetsbenefit plans remainder of the retirement assets after your lifetime

Give your personal residence Create a charitable gift of Tax advantages plus use ofor farm, but retain life use future interest, called a the property retained life estate

Make a large gift with little Contribute a life insurance Current & possible futurecost to you policy you no longer need income tax deductions or purchase a new one & designate a charity as the owner

Receive secure, fixed income Purchase a charitable gift Tax advantages & possiblefor life while avoiding annuity or create a increased rate of returnmarket risks charitable remainder annuity trust

Give income from an asset Create a charitable lead Federal estate tax savings onfor a period of years but trust asset & income tax retain the asset for yourself deductions for donatedor your heirs income

Create a hedge against Create a charitable Variable payments for lifeinflation over the long term remainder unitrust plus tax advantages

Make a revocable gift Name a charity as the Full control of the trust during your lifetime beneficiary of assets in a living trust terms during your lifetime

If Your Goal is to: Then You Can: Your Benefits May Include:

Planned GivingQuick Reference Guide to

7 JUNE 21, 2012 ■ THE REPORTER

South Korea and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1962. Today, the trade volume between them is roughly $2.5 billion annually; it is especially heavy in automobiles and cell phones. In 2007, Korea-based Samsung acquired Transchip, an Israeli chip design firm that special-ized in image sensors in digital cameras. Israeli streets are filled with Korean-made Hyundais and Kias. Korea also buys Israeli weapons to the tune of almost $50 million a year, according to Kim.

Hyounju Ji, who lives in Kibbutz Kfar Menachem, is one of an estimated 40 Kore-ans in Israel married to Israelis. As a volun-teer at the kibbutz 13 years ago, she met the man who would become her husband. She married him over her parent’s objections. “Korea is a really closed society. They don’t like mixed couples,” she said. “Israeli and Korean character is very similar. They’re both so proud of their people and want to keep their uniqueness.”

On May 10, while Israeli Jews marked Lag B’Omer, many Koreans in Israel gathered at Kfar Menachem to host their own celebration. Many were taking a day off from Bible-related graduate programs to observe Family Day in Korea and the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations

between Korea and Israel. They played games of Jokgu, a competitive mix be-tween soccer and tennis, and ate a meal with homemade kimchi, Tok Pokkum rice soup, and a Korean-style barbecue called bulgogi.

Helen Kim, a sociologist at Whitman College in Washington State and a sec-ond-generation Korean-American who studies the relationships between Asians and Jews, said she is not surprised by the Korean identification with Israel. “There is a massive evangelical presence in Korea,” she said. “There is a general acceptance or understanding and looking to as Jews as re-ally smart, well-educated, financially strong people. For a country that has experienced a lot of economic and political change over such a short time that hasn’t always been on the upswing, it’s not surprising that they would look to Jewish texts and to the Jewish people as examples of a people that have weathered the worst of all storms for close to 6,000 years.”

For visitors such as Yung Doo, the con-nection is far more personal. “I feel my prayers have a greater–,” he said, paus-ing while he searched for the right word, “shoresh here.”

“Shoresh” is the Hebrew word for root.

Koreans Continued from page 4

David Sender at the 2009 Maccabiah Games Tel Aviv. (Photo courtesy of Maccabi USA)

Gymnast David sender’s olympic Games journey began in Israel

By Dvora MeyersNEW YORK (JTA) – Nineteen years

ago, gymnast David Sender and his family attended the opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah Games in Israel, where the then-7-year-old told his mom, “Someday, you’re all coming back here to watch me back down here.” Sixteen years later, Sender was one of the U.S. contingent’s official flag bearers at that year’s Maccabiah Games in Israel. The gymnast went on to win five medals, including three gold ones.

Now, at age 26, Sender successfully competed at the recent National Champion-ships in St. Louis, the first competitive step in the process that will select the men’s U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. The Maccabiah Games was supposed to have been Sender’s final international meet as an elite gymnast. But less than a year ago, he announced his return to training and competition with an eye on making the U.S. gymnastics team for the London Games.

A fluke training accident had kept him from vying for a spot on the 2008 squad

in Beijing. In 2008, Sender had just won the men’s gymnastics competition at the National Championships. He was practicing on the high bar during an Olympics Trials training session. He jumped up to still the apparatus, something male gymnasts do thousands of times without incident. When he jumped down, he rolled his ankle, forcing him to withdraw from the event.

His Olympic bid, however, was not necessarily doomed. After the Trials, nine gymnasts were named to the training squad and the Beijing lineup was chosen after a selection camp.

Sender petitioned for a spot on the training squad, hoping to be sufficiently healed by the time of the team’s selection. He was rejected.

Sender retired from the sport after finish-ing his undergraduate studies and NCAA eli-gibility at Stanford University. He went on to veterinary school at the University of Illinois, which has a strong men’s college gymnastics program. In fact, the team just won the 2012 NCAA title and is coached by Justin Spring, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic bronze medal-winning men’s team.

Sender insisted that he would not return to gymnastics, Spring said, and was content to be the athlete representative on the men’s selection committee. Still, Sender frequently worked out in the gym. He even practiced on the pommel horse, his worst event and the bane of most male gymnasts’ existence.

Spring and the rest of the Illinois team might have expected and welcomed Sender’s comeback announcement, but his parents were more wary. He told them about it over the telephone. Sender acknowledged his family’s ambivalent support. “My family was a little bit nervous about me coming

See “Gymnast” on page 10

Jewish Federation of NEPA

Facebook ® is a registered trademark of Facebook, Inc

THE REPORTER ■ junE 21, 20128 D’VAR TORAh

By raBBI steven natHan, eDUCatIon DIreC-tor, reBa anD art DoUGLass reLIGIoUs sCHooL, teMPLe IsraeL oF sCranton

Korach, Numbers 16:1-18:32This week’s parasha is Korach (Bamidbar/Numbers

16:1-18:32). It begins with the rebellion against the leader-ship of Moses led by Korach, Dathan and Aviram. These three tribal leaders question the authority of Moses and end up being swallowed by the earth. The parasha then ends with a reminder that the first born of every human being and animal is meant to be dedicated to God. However, the first born (male) of each human being is instead to be redeemed by the priests and replaced by the Levites, who are to serve in the Mishkan, Tabernacle, and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. Furthermore, the first born of impure (unfit) animals are also to be redeemed, but the first born of cattle, sheep and goats are not to be redeemed, for they are to be dedicated to God through ritual sacrifice.

Surprisingly, there is a connection between these two parts of the parasha. This common thread is the concept of “opening.” In the rebellion narrative, the earth “opens up its mouth” to swallow the rebels. In the latter passage, the first born is referred to simply as “pehter rechem” – the one who “opens up” the womb.

Korach’s demise can be viewed as an instance when the earth – from which God created (gave birth to) human be-ings in Genesis – opens up its mouth to swallow, or destroy, human beings. The image of giving birth is also that of an opening, but in this case, it is to bring life into the world. Though different Hebrew words are used, the image bears a striking similarity, albeit of polar opposites. One image is of destruction and the other is of creation. Yet, it is an open-ing that allows the powerful force of the Divine to enter the world, in both cases to either destroy or create life.

In addition, the phrase pehter rechem (one that opens the womb) can be interpreted another way. Though rechem is the word for womb, it is also the root of the word racha-mim, “compassion.” Keeping this in mind, I believe for pehter rechem I would like to interpret the phrase as “the opening of compassion.” This way, I would interpret verse 18:15 as “All things that open up compassion to all living creatures shall be yours to bring near to God.” It is open-ing up to the womb-like quality of compassion within all living creatures that brings us near to God. It is our ability

to be compassionate that elevates us, like an offering, to the realm of the holy.

This type of opening is the antithesis of the opening that swallowed Korach and company. In that part of the narrative, the opening is not a natural one, like birth or compassion. Rather, the Torah tells us that the death of the rebels is caused by something that is decidedly outside of the natural order. For the earth to open and destroy human beings is not only outside of the natural order, it is the antithesis of compassion!

The swallowing of the rebels can actually be seen as a reversal of the processes of birth and opening to compas-sion. For what brings about the opening in the earth is not a natural birthing process or a drive toward creation or compassion, but rather the rebels’ excessive drive toward control and domination. However, the rebels are clever, for they couch their demands in the language of egalitarianism: “You have gone too far! For all of the community are holy, all of them, and God is in their midst. Why do you [Aaron and Moses] raise yourselves above the congregation?” (Numbers 16:3-4) However, what they actually desire is not equality, but more power for themselves.

It is their obsessive desire and drive toward power and control that eventually brings about their demise. It is the power of their desire that eventually creates a fissure in the natural order, and that causes the earth to split open and devour the source of this negative energy.

In both cases, the image of opening is central and yet the words used in the text point to different types of opening. In the rebellion narrative the rebels are warned that the mouth of the earth will “burst open” (p-tz-h). The earth is then de-scribed as “tearing open” (k-r-’) to swallow the rebels. This is clearly a violent and intense response to the violent and intense passion and obsession of the rebels. The intensity of their need to control begets the intensity of their destruction, which ultimately represents their lack of control.

In describing birth, which we know is an intense, and even violent, physical experience, the verb pehter implies a sense of separating, removing or setting free. In other words, the opening of the womb separates the fetus from its mother, but it also sets it free to live as a unique human being. This is peaceful and embracing, as is the language of compassion. For when we separate ourselves from the

Images of openings

See “Images” on page 10

Dear Friend of The Reporter,

Each year at this time the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania calls upon members of our community to assist in de-fraying the expense of issuing our regional Jewish newspaper, The Reporter.

The newspaper is delivered twice of month (except for December and July which are single issue months) to each and every identifiable Jewish home in North-eastern Pennsylvania.

As the primary Jewish newspaper of our region, we have tried to produce a quality publication for you that offers our reader-ship something on everything-from opinions and columns on controversial issues that affect our people and our times, to publicity for the events of our affiliated agencies and orga-nizations to life cycle events, teen columns, personality profiles, letters to the editor, the Jewish community calendar and other

columns that cover everything from food to entertainment.

The Federation assumes the financial respon-sibility for funding the enterprise at a cost of $26,400 per year and asks only that we

undertake a small letter writing mail campaign to our recipi-

ents in the hope of raising $10,000 from our reader-ship to alleviate a share of that responsibility.

We would be grateful if you would care enough to take the time to make a donation for our efforts in bringing The Reporter to

your door.

As always, your comments, opin-ions and suggestions are always

welcome.

With best wishes,Mark Silverberg, Executive Director

Jewish Federation of NE Pennsylvania601 Jefferson Avenue

Scranton, PA 18510

Friends of The Reporter

I WILL SUPPORT CONTINUATION OF OUR EXPANDED FEDERATION REPORTER BY CONTRIBUTING

$36 $54 $100 OTHER AMT $

Name (s) (as you wish to appear on our list of “FRIENDS”)

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

Address:________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone:_________________________________________________________________________________________

__Check here if you prefer your name not to be published

Please write and send tax deductible checks to Jewish Federation, 601 Jefferson Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510

ABINGTON TOR AH CENTER_______________________Rabbi Dovid SaksPresident: Richard RuttaJewish Heritage Connection108 North Abington Rd., Clarks Summit, PA 18411570-346-1321 • Website: www.jewishheritageconnection.orgSunday morning services at 8:30 amCall for other scheduled services throughout the week.

BETH SHALOM CONGREGATION___________________Rabbi Yisroel Brotsky1025 Vine St., Scranton, PA 18510, (corner of Vine & Clay Ave.)570-346-0502 • fax: 570-346-8800Weekday – Shacharit: Sun 8 am; Mon, Thurs. & Rosh Chodesh, 6:30 am; Tue, Wed & Fri, 6:45 am; Sat & Holidays, 8:45 am. Mincha dur-ing the week is approx. 10 minutes before sunset, followed by Maariv.

BICHOR CHOLEM CONGREGATION/ CHABAD OF THE ABINGTONS ____________________Rabbi Benny RapoportPresident: Richard I. Schwartz749 Northern Blvd., Clarks Summit, PA 18411570-587-3300 • Website: www.JewishNEPA.comSaturday morning Shabbat Service 9:30 am.Call or visit us online for our bi-weekly schedule

CHABAD LUBAVITCH OF THE POCONOS____________Rabbi Mendel Bendet570-420-8655 • Website: www.chabadpoconos.comPlease contact us for schedules and locations. CONGREGATION BETH ISR AEL____________________Affiliation: Union for Reform JudaismRabbi Allan L. SmithPresident: Henry M. SkierContact Person: Len London (570) 698-9651615 Court Street, Honesdale, PA 18431570-253-2222 • fax: 570-226-1105

CONGREGATION B’NAI HARIM____________________Affiliation: Union for Reform JudaismRabbi Peg KershenbaumPresident: Phyllis MillerP.O. Box 757 Sullivan Rd., Pocono Pines, PA 18350(located at RT 940 and Pocono Crest Rd at Sullivan Trail 570-646-0100 • Website: www.bnaiharimpoconos.org Shabbat Morning Services, 10 am – noon; every other Saturday Potluck Shabbat Dinner with blessings and program of varying topics, one Friday every month – call for schedule.

JEWISH FELLOWSHIP OF HEMLOCK FARMS__________Cantor Charles Osborne President: Steve NattForest Drive 1516 Hemlock Farms, Lords Valley, PA 18428570-775-7497 • E-Mail: jf hf@enter.netFriday evening Shabbat service 7:30 pm, Saturday morning Shabbat Service 9:30 am.

MACHZIKEH HADAS SYNAGOGUE__________________Rabbi Mordechai FinePresident: Dr. Shaya Barax600 Monroe Ave., Scranton, PA 18510570-342-6271

OHEV ZEDEK CONGREGATION_____________________Rabbi Mordechai Fine1432 Mulberry St, Scranton, PA 18510Contact person: Michael Mellner - 570-343-3183

TEMPLE HESED__________________________________Union of Reform JudaismRabbi Daniel J. SwartzPresidents: Eric Weinberg 1 Knox Street, Scranton, PA 18505, (off Lake Scranton Rd.)570-344-7201Friday evening Shabbat, 8 pm;Saturday morning Shabbat, 11:15 am

TEMPLE ISR AEL OF DUNMORE_____________________President: Isadore Steckel515 East Drinker St., Dunmore, PA 18512570-344-3011Saturday morning Shabbat 7:30 am; also services for Yizkor

TEMPLE ISR AEL OF THE POCONOS_________________Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative JudaismRabbi Baruch MelmanPresident: Chuck FeinsteinContact person: Art Glantz 570-424-7876660 Wallace St., Stroudsburg, PA, 18360(one block off Rte. 191 (5th Street) at Avenue A)570-421-8781 • Website: www.templeisraelofthepoconos.orgE-Mail: tipoc@ptd.netFriday evening Shabbat, 8pm; Saturday morning Shabbat, 9 am

TEMPLE ISR AEL OF SCR ANTON____________________Affiliation: United Synagogue of Conservative JudaismRabbi Joseph MendelsohnPresident: Michael Mardo918 East Gibson St., Scranton, PA, 18510(located at the corner of Gibson & Monroe Sts.)570-342-0350 Fax: 570-342-7250 • E-Mail: tiscran@epix.netSunday, 8 am; Mon & Thurs, 7:15 am; Tue, Wed & Fri, 7:25 am;Rosh Hodesh & Chagim weekdays, 7 am; Shabbat Morning Service, 8:45 am; evening services: Sun – Thurs, 5:45 pm; Friday Shabbat and Saturday Havdalah services, call for times.

Regular Schedule of Services

9 JUNE 21, 2012 ■ THE REPORTER

OF NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA

Reach into your giving heart as if your life

depended on it... some people’s do.

Every donation you make changes a life in Northeastern Pennsylvania for the better. Our Annual Campaign Tzedakah box needs your pledge. I f If you have not already made your personally meaningful pledge or would like to increase your 2012 pledge, please do so. Call us at 570-961-2300, email us at mark.silverberg@jewishnepa.org, mail your pledge to the address below or stop in our o�ce at the JCC today!

Every gi� makes a difference.

We are at 97% of

our 2012 campaign

goal. Help us fill the

Tzedakah box now!

N G I A P M A C 2 1 0 2

: L A

O

G

N

G

I A

P

M

A

C

0

0

0

, 0

0

9 $

601 Je�erson Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510 . 570-961-2300 . fax 570-346-6147 www.jewishnepa.org

THE REPORTER ■ junE 21, 201210 Gymnast Continued from page 7

Images Continued from page 8

ego’s need to control, we then open ourselves to the others and allow compassion to go forth from within; we are set free into the world as a force meant to heal, comfort and bring compassion.

In the rebellion narrative, the opening is actually a clos-ing that ultimately destroys. Pehter rechem, the opening of the womb, is a true opening that brings life, compassion and holiness into the world.

We are each capable of opening up to the compassion within and to birth it into our world. This is what it means to bring God into our world and our lives. We are also capable of focusing so much on ourselves and our ego that we sepa-rate ourselves from the compassion within us. We then focus instead on the ego-driven need to control. In doing so, we risk forcing an opening to occur which in the end destroys us and those around us, closing us off from the world.

It is all a matter of choice and free will, as is everything. May we each use the God-given power within us wisely. May we choose compassion over control, creation over destruction, holiness over ego. In doing so we can then truly say that we have learned our lesson from Korach and his followers.

not sure how to broach the conversation. “I don’t know if it’s just social anxiety or some real or imagined taboo.”

Not all the Muslim women students appear to be tra-ditional in their observance. Aseel Yassin, 24, an eastern Jerusalem pharmacist whose streaked blond hair and tight jeans belied a more liberal religious outlook, says her study of Hebrew has helped her better understand Jews. “As you learn the language, you don’t see things in the perspective you [once] saw them,” she said.

She and other Muslim students are largely using pro-Israel educational material common in ulpans. “I have to be aware that their stories and histories are different from ours,” said Avishag Rozenberg, 37, a teacher at the ulpan. “When the text is very Zionistic, I don’t stress it.”

Asked if the program’s rise in Muslim students could help nudge along the peace agreement, Gerassi-Tishby laughs. “I hope so, but I’m not so naive,” she said. “Hopefully there will be better coexistence. That’s my vision and hope. Maybe it’s a good sign. Life is stronger than politicians.”

Ulpan Continued from page 6

back to the sport,” he said, referring to their concern for his physical and emotional well-being.

This time, Sender is not a student-athlete; he has taken a year off from veterinary studies. It was easier as an un-dergrad, he said, to miss classes for national team training camps and international competitions. In graduate school, he simply cannot miss a week of labs and patient hours to compete in gymnastics events nationally or abroad.

The effort is showing positive results so far. Sender had a strong showing at the Winter Cup, the midseason re-rank-ing of the men’s national team. Before the competition, most of the buzz was about Hamm’s comeback. But that soon shifted to Sender, who placed sixth in the all-around, second on the vault and third on the still rings.

Perhaps even more heartening for Sender than the of-ficial results was the warm reception he received from gymnastics fans. “I think that at least some of the fans out there feel bad that things didn’t go very well for me in 2008 so they’re hoping I have a good comeback,” Sender said appreciatively.

Sender knows it will be even more difficult to make the 2012 team; the International Olympic Committee has reduced the number of athlete spots from six to five. Back in 2008, Spring added, Sender was a solid all-around competi-tor, but he did not have a “wow” event. He does now with the return of the spectacular Yurchenko double pike vault he debuted in 2009 and upgrades he’s made to the parallel bars. Most significant are the improvements he’s made to pommel horse, the weakest event for the U.S. men’s team. “He has a better shot this year,” Spring said.

A Stranger Among Us - A New York policewoman enters the Hasidic community to investigate a diamond robbery/murder.Cast a Giant Shadow - U.S. Colonel David “Mickey” Marcus goes to 1940’s Israel to help re organize its army.Defiance - The extraordinary true story of the Bielski brothers who turned a group of war refugees into powerful freedom fighters against the Nazi regimeFrisco Kid - It’s 1850 and new rabbi Avram Belinski sets out from Philadelphia toward San Francisco. Cowpoke bandit Tom Lillard hasn’t seen a rabbi before. But he knows when one needs a heap of help. And getting this tender-foot to Frisco in one piece will cause a heap of trouble - with the law, Native Americans and a bunch of killers.Gentleman’s Agreement - A magazine writer (played by Gregory Peck) posed as a Jew to expose anti-Semitism in 1940’s America.Good - Featured at the 2009 Jewish Film Festival of NEPA In an attempt to establish its credibility, the new Nazi government is seeking out experts to endorse its policies, and they trip across Johnnie Halder’s (Viggo Mortensen) sensitively written 1920s novel of a husband who aids his terminally ill wife in an assisted suicide. Although John-nie despises Naziism he is flattered by the attention paid to his novel, and accepts (with misgivings) an honorary commission in the SS. This opens the door to promotions at the University. He becomes Dean of Literature after the former Dean, Herr Mandelbaum “leaves in such a hurry.” He is tapped to inspect facilities for the care of the mentally ill, based on his “humanitarian” writings. Throughout “Good”, Johnnie is “good,” but he becomes increasingly blind to what is happening around him as he travels down the slippery slope that eventually takes him to Auschwitz on an inspecton tour. Never evil, Johnnie Halder is an Everyman who goes along, accepts what he told without question, and is increasingly co-opted by flattery and comfort. In the end, he comes to realize that he is stumbling through a waking nightmare of which he in part created. Not judgmental of its protagonist, GOOD invites us to question just what a “good” man is and does and where the bounds of responsibility lie.Kazablan*- Israel’s all-time Great Musical, nominated for two Golden Globe Awards. This 1970’s mega-hit is Israel’s answer to the musical West Side Story, with its story of star-crossed lovers, street gangs and cultural differences. With its exhilarating music and choreography, Kazablan is sure to entertain.Lies My Father Told Me - The heart-warming story of the Jewish immigrant community of 1920’s Montreal. Da-vid, the grandson, lives with his parents, his grandfather Zaida and Zaida’s aging horse Ferdeleh.Noodle - (PAL version- can only be played on computer NOT regular DVD players)At thirty-seven, Miri is a twice-wid-owed, El Al flight attendant. Her well-regulated existence is suddenly turned upside down by an abandoned Chinese boy whose migrant-worker mother has been deported from Israel. The film is a touching comic-drama in which two human beings -- as different from each other as Tel Aviv is from Beijing -- accompany each other on a remarkable journey, one that takes them both back to a meaningful life. Schindler’s List*-The Academy Award winning film by Steven Spielberg tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, the man responsible for saving the lives of hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust. School Ties - A young man from the wrong side of the tracks gets a football scholarship to a private school, which will lead to his entrance to Harvard. He is well accepted at the blue blood school until it is revealed that he is Jewish.The Angel Levine - Things couldn’t get worse for Jewish tailor Morris Mishkin (Zero Mostel). His shop has gone up in flames, his daughter has married outside the faith and, worse yet, his wife is slowly dying. But just when he decides to give up on God, a mysterious man (Harry Belafonte) appears, claiming to be his Jewish guardian angel! Doubtful that the stranger is Jewish, never mind an angel. Mishkin must overcome his skepticism if he want ones last chance at redemption.The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz -*A Jewish teenager is determined to “make it” no matter what it takes. On his path to success he faces anti-Semitism, betrays family and friends, and faces the responsibilities of being an adult.The Boy in the Striped Pajamas -* Set during World War II, this is the story of Bruno, an innocent, and naïve eight-year –old boy who meets a boy while romping in the woods. A surprising friendship develops. The Impossible Spy*- Elie Cohen was a family man leading a quiet, normal life, when at the age of 35, he was re-cruited by Israel’s secret service (Mossad) and assigned a mission that would forever change his life, and the history of Israel. Today he is regarded as a legend and a national hero.The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob -*In this French comedy, Louis de Funes stars as Victor Pivert, a hope-lessly bigoted man. Victor loves people, as long as they’re Caucasian, French, and Catholic. But when it comes to foreigners, Victor draws the line. His ultimate nightmare becomes a reality the day of his daughter’s wedding, when he stumbles across a group of Arab revolutionaries and is forced into hiding as a rabbi. Gerard Oury’s film features an onslaught of hilarious chase sequences.Ushpizin- A fable set in the orthodox Jewish world in Jerusalem, Ushpizin tells the story of a poor childless couple, Moshe and Malli (played to perfection by award winning actor Shuli Rand and his real-life wife, Michal Bat-Sheva Rand) whose belief in the goodness of the Almighty follows a roller coaster of situations and emotions but leads to the ultimate happiness, the birth of their son.

Blessed is the Match*- In 1944, 22-year old Hannah Senesh parachuted into Nazi-occupied Europe with a small group of Jewish volunteers from Palestine. Theirs was the only military rescue mission for Jews that occurred in World War II. Told through Hannah’s letters, diaries and poems, her mother’s memoirs and the recollections of those who knew and loved her, the film traces her life from her childhood in Budapest to her time in British-controlled Palestine, to her daring mission to rescue Jews in her native Hungary. Budapest to Gettysburg*- The past and present collide as a world-renowned historian confronts a history he has refused to study- his own. Gabor Boritt is an expert on Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. But it took his son’s urging to get him to return to his native Hungary and learn about the Jewish experience there from the time of his childhood until, together with his family, he escaped to the United States.Constantine’s Sword - Constantine’s Sword is an astonishing exploration of the dark side of Christianity, fol-lowing acclaimed author and former priest James Carrol on a journey of remembrance and reckoning. Warning of what happens when military power and religious fervor are joined, this new film from Oscar-nominated director Oren Jacoby asks: Is the fanaticism that threatens the world today fueled by our own deeply held beliefs? I Have Never Forgotten You - The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal*- Wiesenthal, a Holocaust sur-vivor who lost 89 family members, helped track down over 1,00 Nazi war criminals and spent six decades fighting anti-Semitism and prejudice against all people.Into the Arms of Strangers - A superb documentary that chronicles the Kindertransport, an extraordinary res-cue operation to save the youngest victims of Nazi terror.Making Trouble - A just released documentary telling the story of six of the greatest female Jewish comics entertainers of the last century- Molly Picon, Fanny Brice Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner and Wendy Wasserstein.Night and Fog - One of first cinematic reflections on the horrors of the Holocaust, Night and Fog, filmmaker Alain Renais investi-gates the cyclical nature of man’s violence toward man and presents the unsettling suggestion that such horror could come again.Steal a Pencil for Me*- 1943: Holland is under Total Nazi occupation. After deportation Jack his wife and his new love find themselves living in the same barracks in a concentration camp. This documentary chronicles the secret love letters written by Jack and Ina which gives them the strength to survive the war.The Case for Israel - Democracy’s Outpost Famed attorney, Alan Dershowitz, presents a vigorous case for Israel- for its basic right to exist, to protect its citizens from terrorism and to defend its borders from hostile enemies. Featured commentators include: Ehud Barak, Caroline Glick, Dore Gold, Tzipi Livni and Natan Sharansky.The Jewish Americans - A Series by David Grubin*- This series traces 350 years of Jewish American history from the arrival of the first Jews in 1654 up to the present day.The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - As baseball’s first Jewish star, Hammering’ Hank Greenberg’s career con-tains all the makings of a true American success story. An extraordinary ball player notorious for his hours of daily practice, Greenberg’s career was an inspiration to all and captured the headlines and the admiration of sportswriters and fans alike. This is the story of how he became an American hero.With All Your Heart- (Hebrew with English subtitles)The poignant true story of the life of Leut. Roi Klein, who gave up his life to save his battalion during the Lebanon War of 2002.

Jewish Federation of NEPA

Jewish Film LibraryThe Jewish Film Library Update - Check out new titles in both feature & non-feature films.

Contact Dassy Ganz dassy.ganz@jewishnepa.org for information. Feature FiLms CurrentLy avaiLabLe- september 2011

*Films marked with an * are newly acquired by the Film Library.

non-Feature FiLms

11 JUNE 21, 2012 ■ THE REPORTER

Visit the Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania on the web at www.jewishnepa.org or on FacebookÊ

newS In bRIeFFrom JTA

Peres calls for renewed peace talks in medal ceremonyReceiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama, Israeli

President Shimon Peres called for a renewal of peace talks with the Palestinians. “Israel and the Palestinians are ripe today to restart” peace talks, Peres said at the White House ceremony on June 13. “A firm basis already exists. A solution of two national states: A Jewish state – Israel. An Arab state – Palestine. The Palestinians are our closest neighbors. I believe they may become our closest friends.” Peace talks have been stalled since 2010, with the Palestinians demanding a freeze of settlement building in the West Bank and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting on no preconditions for their restart. Peres, addressing about 140 dignitaries in the White House East Room, also thanked Obama for pressuring Iran to end its suspected nuclear weapons program. “Mr. President, you worked hard to build a world coalition to meet this immediate threat,” Peres said. “You started, rightly, with economic sanctions. You made it clear, rightly again, that all options are on the table.” Obama also emphasized peacemaking in his remarks. “Shimon knows that a nation’s security depends, not just on the strength of its arms, but upon the righteousness of its deeds – its moral compass,” he said. “He knows, as Scripture teaches, that we must not only seek peace, we must pursue it. And so it has been the cause of his life – peace, security and dignity, for Israelis and Palestinians and all Israel’s Arab neighbors.”nJ congressman visits jailed Chasid in Bolivia

U.S. Rep. Christopher Smith, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs human rights subcommittee, visited with a jailed American Chasidic man in Bolivia. Smith (R-NJ) accom-panied American businessman Jacob Ostreicher the weekof June 14 to a hearing and argued against the Bolivian government’s charges against the New Yorker, a father of five. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” Smith said in a statement. “Jacob has been cooperative, patient to the extreme. There is no evidence offered against him. The rule of law must prevail in Bolivia. Innocent people must have a path to justice. He must be released.” Ostreicher was arrested a year ago by Bolivian police after it was alleged that he did business with “people wanted in their countries because of links with drug trafficking and money laundering.” Ostreicher, of the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, belonged to a group of investors that sunk $25 mil-lion into growing rice in lush eastern Bolivia. He is on an extended hunger strike to protest his imprisonment by the Bolivian government. “He has lost 60 pounds and is increasingly weak,” Smith said in the statement. “He has been subjected to repeated body searches and jail blackouts. He seemed at the end of his rope, but was happy to see us, to know he wasn’t forgotten. No one should go through what he has had to go through.”Day school catcher Max Ungar, drafted by nationals, to play college ball

Max Ungar, the Maryland day school catcher drafted by the Washington Nationals, will forego the pros to play at Denison University in Ohio. The Washington Jewish Week reported that Ungar, 17, who recently graduated from the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, will fulfill his commitment to enroll at Denison. He was picked in the 36th round of the Major League Baseball draft. “The Nationals will offer me a contract, and I will decline the offer,” Unger told the paper. “I was recruited by Denison and plan to go there to study and play baseball. I really like the academic challenges of the school and know that if I play well the Nationals or another team can draft me again after my junior year of college.”IoC warns against boycotting athletes at London Games

The International Olympic Committee warned that a refusal by any participant in the July Games to compete against an athlete from a particular country is against the IOC’s Code of Ethics. The warning came on June 14 in response to an Algerian kayaker who withdrew in May from a World Cup event after learning that he would be competing against an Israeli. “Refusing to participate in an Olympic event because of a fellow athlete/team’s religion or nationality would not only be unsporting behavior but a serious breach of the IOC’s Code of Ethics, the principles of the Olympic Charter and the Athletes Oath,” IOC spokesman Emanuelle Moreau said in a statement. Moreau advised athletes who object to competing against participants from other countries to “stay at home.” Following the World Cup incident, the head of the Algerian Olympic committee told the Times of London that all Algerian Olympic competitors may refuse to compete against Israelis at the London Olympics in July. “There is an obligation to ask our government if we have to meet Israel in sport,” Rachid Hanifi told the paper the week of June 8. Athletes from Arab states and Iran have boycotted Israeli athletes at recent Olympics. senators introduce Jackson-vanik repeal for russia

A bipartisan slate of U.S. senators introduced a bill that would graduate Russia out of Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions. The bill, introduced on June 12 by Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT), the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee; John Thune (R-SD), the senior Republican on the Senate’s International Trade subcommittee; John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee; and John McCain, the senior Republican on the Armed Services Committee, finds Russia “in full compliance with the freedom of emigra-tion requirements” of the law passed at a time when the former Soviet Union was inhibiting Jewish emigration. Russia wants the 1970s-era restrictions on trade lifted to facilitate its joining the World Trade Organization. The WTO invited Russia to join last November. The Baucus bill is backed by NCSJ: Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia. “Russia has satisfied the central requirement of the amendment’s intent: the right to emigrate,” NCSJ Chairman Richard Stone said in a statement. “Jews are able to decide to emigrate or to choose to remain in Russia, where they can practice Judaism and participate in Jewish culture without reservation.” A number of human rights groups oppose lifting Jackson-Vanik, and legislation is under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives that would sanction officials implicated in human rights abuses.Demjanjuk’s death hastened by medication, complaint says

An attorney for convicted Nazi war criminal John Demjanjuk filed a complaint with German prosecutors claiming that his death was hastened by medication administered at a nursing home in Bavaria. Ulrich Busch asked prosecutors in Rosenheim, Bavaria, in a 12-page complaint to open an investigation of five doctors and a nurse, the Associated Press reported on June 13. The complaint posits that a specific pain medication, common in Germany but banned in the United States, led to Demjanjuk’s death in March as he awaited an appeal of his conviction last year by a Munich court for his role in the murder of 27,900 people at the Sobibor death camp in Poland. Born and raised in Ukraine, Demjanjuk immigrated to the United States following World War II. In 1986 the Cleveland-area autoworker was sent to Israel to face trial on charges of being the notorious Treblinka guard “Ivan the Terrible.” An Israeli court sentenced Demjanjuk to death, but the Israeli Supreme Court ordered him released due to reasonable doubt while noting that substantial evidence emerged during

the trial identifying him as a guard at Sobibor. Demjanjuk returned to suburban Cleveland in 1993 and resisted multiple attempts to strip him of his U.S. citizenship and deport him again. But in 2009, U.S. authorities deported him to Germany, and in May 2011 he was convicted for his crimes in Sobibor. Demjanjuk was sentenced to five years in prison. Jewish organizations petition U.s. gov’t on food justice

In a petition sponsored by seven national Jewish organizations, 18,000 individuals urged the U.S. House of Representatives and the Obama administration to focus on food justice in the upcoming Farm Bill. The petition, which has been circulating since October, was delivered on Thursday to coincide with the House Agriculture Committee’s markup of the Farm Bill in the coming weeks. A coalition of Jewish organizations called the Jewish Farm Bill Working Group sponsored the petition. The coalition includes the American Jewish World Service, the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, Hazon, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Union for Reform Judaism. Abby Leibman, president and CEO of MAZON, noted in a statement that the Farm Bill authorization process, which occurs every five years, gives the Jewish community “a chance to reexamine our national priorities with regard to food. The Farm Bill governs the kinds and levels of as-sistance we provide to hungry people, helps regulate what crops are planted, establishes whether sustainable farming and conservation practices will be implemented, and influ-ences whether our food is healthy and affordable,” Leibman said. “Each and every one of us has a stake in the Farm Bill.” Ruth Messinger, president of the American Jewish World Service, added that the outpouring of support for the petition was a sign of the bill’s importance to the Jewish community.

Jewish Federation Acquires New Film Festival Picks

Dassy Ganz, assistant to executive director of the Jewish Federation, announces that thanks to the generosity of the Glassman family of Scranton, the

Federation film library has acquired a number of newly released films recently shown at film festivals around the country.

Film Library Continues to Grow Thanks to Your DonationsThanks to the generosity of Ms. Lindsay Leventhal, the film library now owns

5 new films of Jewish interest:A Film Unfinished- Using footage completely unparalleled, A Film Unfinished provides new insight into the Nazi propaganda machine further exposing an agenda already known to be deceitful beyond our greatest beliefs. (non-feature)

A Matter of Size- Winner of numerous international awards, this Israeli comedy is a hilarious and heart-warming tale about four overweight guys who learn to love themselves through the Japanese sport of sumo wrestling. (not rated)

Blessed is the Match- The life and death of Hannah Senesh (non-feature)

Inglorious Basterds- This popular WWII revenge fantasy film follows a Nazi-scalping squad of American soldiers is on a daring mission to take down the leaders of the Third Reich (rated R)

Komediant-(non-feature) The glory days of the Yiddish stage are brought to life in this funny saga of a legendary theatrical family, the Bursteins. Smoothly in-corporating rare archival footage and interviews with Yiddish stage veterans, this tightly edited and briskly paced documentary is as richly bittersweet and the Yiddish theater itself.

Nora’s Will- When his ex-wife Nora dies right before Passover, Jose is forced to stay with her body until she can be properly put to rest. He soon realizes that he is part of Nora’s plan to bring her family back together for one last Passover feast, leading Jose to reexamine their relationship. (not rated)

Rashevski’s Tango- Just about every dilemma of modern Jewish identity gets an airing in this packed tale of a clan of more or less secularized Belgian Jews thrown into spiritual crisis by the death of the matriarch who has held all doubts and family warfare in check. (not rated)

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas- Based on the best-selling novel, this movie is set during WWII and tells the inspiring story of two boys and the power of the human spirit. (rated PG-13)

The Hidden Child- A gripping tale of survival, The Hidden Child tells the story of a six-year-old girl and her sister, separated from their parents, dodging bullets, lying for survival, and relying on the compas-sion of strangers

To Take a Wife- A powerful drama about a woman’s struggle for independence and emotional freedom in the face of family tradition. (not rated)

The following are also now available for private and synagogue viewing:

Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story. This excellent documen-tary, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, portrays the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story was shown at the 2012 UJA Kick-Off in Scranton this past September.

The Debt- Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren and two-time Academy Award® nominee Tom Wilkinson star in The Debt. In 1966, three Mossad agents were assigned to track down a feared Nazi war criminal hiding in East Berlin, a mission accomplished at great risk and personal cost - or was it?

Sarah’s Key- Julia Jarmond (Kristin Scott Thomas), an American journalist mar-ried to a Frenchman, is commissioned to write an article about the notorious Vel d’Hiv round up, which took place in Paris, in 1942. She stumbles upon a family secret which will link her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl, Sarah. Julia learns that the apartment she and her husband Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand’s family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wlady-slaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and 4-year-old Michel.

Please contact Dassy Ganz at the Federation to borrow these or other films in our library.

THE REPORTER ■ junE 21, 201212