OpinionThe Jewish National EditionPost&Presenting a broad spectrum of Jewish News and Opinions since 1935.

Volume 80, Number 1 • September 25, 2013 • 21 Tishrei 5774www.jewishpostopinion.com

Cover art by Suzy Friedman (see About the Cover, p.2).

show up for the High Holidays. In a society where Jews are only 2 percent ofthe population, this large turnout provides asense of community, a feeling of belongingand being a part of something bigger than oneself.

I had the privilege to worship in some ofour local synagogues for Rosh Hashanahand Yom Kippur. It was wonderful to experience the warm welcome from therabbis and congregants in the differenthouses of worship. What I noticed this year were more similarities than differences among the denominations.Every congregation had inspiring shofar blowing ceremonies, interestingsermons on diverse topics and Jews praying intently. It was heartwarming tosee and hear a children’s service withyoung children singing and participating.

On Sun., Sept. 22, I attended an eveningminyan in a beautiful wooden sukkah nextto a water fountain in a pond. (See photoon page 20.) It was a gorgeous day, about68 degrees, with a crystal clear blue sky. Hearing the flowing water from thefountain hitting the quiet water below inunison with the sounds of our utteredprayers was a mesmerizing experience.With the fragrant smell of the etrog and abutterfly fluttering all around, I felt like Ihad been transported to olam habah, theworld to come.

As I also mentioned in our Indiana edition, I finally met Bernie De Koven,who lives in Indianapolis. He wrote a regular column for this newspaper from2009–2011 in which he gave numerousexamples on how to include more fun into this brief game called life that we play while here for approximately 75years. I met him at the Irvington neighborhood bookstore where he waslaunching his new book, The Well-Played

Game: A Player’s Philosophy.Without even looking in the book, I can

guess what it is about. Bernie understandsbetter than most that life is simply a gameand the goal is not about winning or evennecessarily keeping score but about howto make the most of our shared timetogether. If his book is anything at all likehis columns, reading it will be time well

2 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

Miriam Zimmerman, who has beencontributing to this publication for 25years, was visiting Indiana recently toattend her high school reunion in TerreHaute. (See her column on page 14.) Shestopped by The Children’s Museum inIndianapolis because she wanted to the seethe growing sapling I had written about inour May 1 issue. It had been planted infront of the building on April 14.

That sapling (See photo on page 20.) isfrom the chestnut tree that stood outsidethe secret annex in Amsterdam whereAnne Frank hid with her family duringWorld War II. She had written about it inher diary. It gave hope to a teenage girlwho was barred from the outside worldfor two years.

The timing of my meeting with Miriamwas ideal because we were able to watch alive performance inside the museum wherean exact replica of the secret annex exists.An actress, Christa Grimmer portrayingMiep Gies, a female employee of OttoFrank who aided the family while in hiding, did a short monologue. Afterwardshe answered questions from the audienceand then a short film was shown.

Even though Anne’s story is well knownto Miriam and me, we both had tears inour eyes at the conclusion of the skit andthen the film. Miriam’s late father was aHolocaust survivor from Germany andshe said the accent of the actress was “spot on”. She also looked just like Giesdid when she was young.

Since I have written extensively aboutThe Children’s Museum and their exhibiton “The Power of Children: Making aDifference,” I won’t go into more detailsnow except to say the museum is doing asuperb job teaching children about thedisastrous effects of prejudice, intolerance,and discrimination.This leaves one feelinguplifted instead of depressed.

Annually,The Children’s Museum holdsThe Power of Children Awards open tochildren nationally in grades 6–11. This isintended to honor and further empoweryouth who have made a significant impacton the lives of others, demonstrated self-lessness, and exhibited a commitment toservice and the betterment of society. Tohear what has been created by theseaward-winning children is truly inspiring.Applications can be found at this site:www.childrensmuseum.org.

As I wrote in our Indiana edition, if any time of year could be considered special for Jews – it is now. Besides several holidays in a row all taking place in September this year, many who do not attend services at any other time,

Editorial Inside this Issue

(see Cover, page 4)

1427 W. 86th St. #228Indianapolis, IN 46260email: jpostopinion@gmail.comphone and fax: (317) 405-8084website: www.jewishpostopinion.compublisher & editor: Jennie Cohengraphic designer: Charlie Bunes

OpinionPost&The Jewish

Jewish News and Opinion since 1935.

Editorial.....................................................2About the Cover ......................................2Rabbi Benzion Cohen

(Chassidic Rabbi).....................................3Shaina Herring ........................................3Melinda Ribner

(Kabbalah of the Month) .........................4Rabbi Moshe ben Asher andMagidah Khulda bat Sarah

(Gather the People)..................................5Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.

(Wiener’s Wisdom)..................................5Bernie De Koven

(Posting the Past)....................................6Jim Shipley

(Shipley Speaks) ......................................7Amy Hirshberg Lederman

(Jewish Educator) ....................................7Ted Roberts

(Spoonful of Humor) ...............................8IU seeks J-History scholar .....................8Morton Gold

(As I Heard It).........................................9Irene Backalenick

(Jewish Theater).....................................10Jewish calendars ....................................11Sybil Kaplan

(Seen on the Israel Scene)......................12Dr. Miriam Zimmerman

(Holocaust Educator) ............................14Henya Chaiet

(Yiddish for Everyday) ..........................15Rabbi Elliot B. Gertel

(Media Watch).......................................16Dr. Morton I. Teicher

(Book Reviews) ......................................17Sybil Kaplan

(My Kosher Kitchen) .............................18Yiddish magazine returns....................18Professor Arnold Ages

(Book Review)........................................19

j i

This artwork by Suzy Friedman depictsthe Jewish holidays we celebrate andobserve throughout the year. Friedmancreated it with an eye for being decorativeas well as meaningful. She finds it enjoyable to move from one image to the other within this piece and remembercelebrations with family and friends.

This mosaic would be anice piece for a synagogue,Jewish Community Center,Jewish Federation office,or Jewish museum. Forfurther information or to order, contact her at suzyfriedmanarts.com,email her at suzyfriedman

About the Cover

(see Editorial, page 3)

Friedman

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 3

Every mitzvah that we do makes theworld into a better place. This is anotherway that doing mitzvahs makes me happy.I know that I am making the world betterfor all of us.

It is now up to each of us to do moremitzvahs is order to complete the job ofmaking the world better and thus bringour complete and final redemption. ThenMoshiach will help us to make the worldcompletely good and wipe out all evil.

Let us start by doing the mitzvahs of the festival of Succos and dancing andrejoicing with the Torah on Simchas Torah.

We wish all of our readers a happy holiday and a good and sweet and happyyear. We want Moshiach now!

Rabbi Cohen lives in K’far Chabad, Israel. He can be reached by email at bzcohen@orange.net.il. AAAA

Here is some good news. A few weeksago Friday night I walked to shul with fourgrandsons (ages 5–10). At one point theydecided to have a race to a nearby lightpole. They ran off. I said to myself “Thatlooks like fun!”Then they decided to raceagain. This time I joined them. The goodnews?

1. I have grandchildren, baruch Hashem.2. They love their grandfather,

baruch Hashem.3. They walk to shul with him Friday

night, baruch Hashem.4. I can still run, baruch Hashem.5. My 7 and 10 year old grandsons can

really run fast, baruch Hashem.6. I came in third, and not last,

baruch HashemThe moral of the story? “Serve the

Lord with joy!” Life is like a cup that is half full. If you look at the half that is full,you can always be happy. If you look at the half that is empty, you can easily getdepressed. I could have said “Oy vey, I am getting old! My 7 and 10 year oldgrandchildren outran me.”

This is especially important now, as we celebrate the holiday of Succos, “The season of our rejoicing.”

We all need happiness. I consider myselfvery fortunate that I found it. Until the ageof 18 I lived a rather secular life. I lookedhard for a good time, for happiness, butcould not find it. I tried, unsuccessfully, to bepopular. I tried out for sports, but did notmake the teams. (Now I realize that eventhose who were popular and successful atsports were not much happier than me.)

I finally found true happiness 44 yearsago. I looked into Lubavitch and foundthere happy people. I decided to try it out.I started to learn Torah and do mitzvahs.As it says in Psalm 19: “The Torah of theLord is perfect, restoring the soul…Theprecepts of the Lord are just, rejoicing theheart. The mitzvah of the Lord is clear,enlightening the eyes.”

One mitzvah that brings me a lot ofhappiness is “Love thy neighbor”. When I am able to help someone, to cheer upsomeone, they feel better. And I also feelmuch better, that I was able to help them.Now I go five days a week to the geriatricward of our local hospital to help thesepeople to pray, to give them hope andcheer them up. Their happiness is my happiness. And nothing makes me happier than giving one of my children or grandchildren a big loving smile, andgetting an even bigger smile back.

BY RABBI BENZION COHEN BY SHAINA HERRING

Chassidic Rabbi

Good News

j i

The New Year is the perfect time to setnew goals about our fitness and nutrition,but it is often challenging to do so becauseof the lavish meals that are traditionallyassociated with the holiday. Now, withRosh Hashana behind us, Sukkot providesus with time to relax and enjoy the crispfall air, eat delicious seasonal foods suchas pumpkin and squash, and look towardthe year ahead. In addition, Sukkot is aholiday filled with physical rituals – weuse all of our strength to build the sukkahstructure, eat and sleep in it, and shake the lulav and etrog – so what a greatopportunity to reflect on how we cannourish our body in the upcoming year.

Along with these and other physical rituals, there are many time-honoredJewish teachings which emphasize healthyliving. For example, Deuteronomy 4:15implores us to be “extremely protective of[our] lives,” from which the rabbis derivethe concept of shmirat haguf, or protectingone’s body. Today this is viewed to includethe protection of physical, mental, andspiritual health.

In addition, the rabbis in the Talmudemphasize the importance of exercise and caring for the body, which they viewas a container for the soul. Similarly,Maimonides stresses the importance ofstaying healthy, since humans are made inthe divine image. He teaches that “bykeeping the body in health and vigor one walks in the ways of God.”Given thehistorical Jewish emphasis on caring forour health, our Jewish community is anideal setting in which to work towards living a healthier lifestyle.

Yet, this is typically not the case. While we

might burn some calories dancing the Hora,many traditional Jewish activities (like thetypical American lifestyle) are sedentary.Also, while food is an important part ofJudaism, traditional Jewish foods are notalways conducive to a vibrant, energizedlifestyle. Shabbat and holiday meals oftenconsist of fatty meats, foods that are highin refined carbs, and sugary desserts.

We might love the taste of deli roll,kishke, and rugalach, but these foods canhave a detrimental impact on our health.Traditional foods don’t need to disappearfrom our holiday tables, but we should belooking for ways to make them healthier.This might include adding more fruits,vegetables, and whole grains to traditionalrecipes while reducing the butter or margarine, processed sugar, and fat.

Given the themes of renewal and reflection, which are heard throughout theJewish month of Tishrei (September/October), Sukkot provides us with theperfect opportunity to set new goals aboutour fitness and nutrition. But where tostart? Here at the offices of Camp Zeke,the first Jewish camp where kids celebratehealthy living, we have a few tips:

• Go for a brisk walk on Shabbatafternoon with your family or friends;

• Pledge to have at least oneunprocessed, organic, plant-basedShabbat or holiday meal every month;

• Nourish your spiritual health and connect with your body by trying yoga or meditation;

• Switch to whole wheat challah forShabbat to increase the amount of wholegrains in your diet;

• Try to get into the gym more often orfind some fun group fitness classes at alocal JCC.

Let’s make a resolution as a Jewish community to encourage and supporthealthy eating and exercise. Don’t forgetto bring your family and friends along too,as studies show that working out withfriends is better than exercising alone.Here’s to a happy and healthy New Year!

Shaina Herring is a Masters student inthe Dual Degree Program at New YorkUniversity studying Health Policy andManagement as well as Jewish Studies. Asthe program developer at Camp Zeke,Shaina integrates fun Jewish lessons intoall of Camp Zeke’s fitness and cookingprograms. AAAA

To a Happy andHealthy New Year

j i

spent. We have reprinted one of hiscolumns on page 6 (and see photo p. 20).

We hope you, our dear readers, will havea Good, Sweet, and Peaceful 5774.

Jennie Cohen, September 25, 2013 AAAA

EDITORIAL(continued from page 2)

@comcast.net, or call 317-501-3107.Suzy Friedman creates distinctive,

special occasion art using Judaic themes.Each piece reflects Suzy’s love of Judaismand its traditions.

For many years Suzy has been using herartistic talent in media as diverse asmosaics, hand-dyed and painted silkatarot for talitot and torah covers, cardsand invitations, and hand-painted ketubot.Lately she has been working in pastelsand oils focusing on landscape and stilllife. She also creates three-dimensionalGiclee-process ketubot and other Judaicthemed prints.

Suzy’s commissioned artwork can befound in synagogues and homes throughout the country. She has taught art to secular and religious school students. She now teaches mosaic classesin her home studio.

Her training includes a BA in Fine Artfrom Indiana University and a Masters inArt Education from IU-PUI at Herron. AAAA

COVER(continued from page 2)

4 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

In olden times, the granaries werestocked up at this time to sustain peoplethrough the cold winters. Similarly, duringthis month of Tishrei, we stock up on theblessings of Godliness with each holidayto sustain us for the year ahead.

After being purified and cleansed onYom Kippur – hope you had an amazingawesome Yom Kippur – we enter in theholiday known as Sukkot. The Torah tellus “You shall dwell in booths (sukkot) for aseven day period, in order that your generations shall know that I caused themthe children of Israel to dwell in boothswhen I brought them forth from the landof Egypt.”(Lev 23:42)

The Torah futher tells us, “Celebrate toGod for seven days in the place that Godwill choose, since God will then bless you in all your agricultural and otherendeavors ... so that you will be happy.”(Deut. 16: 16). Though all Jewish holidaysare times of joy, Sukkot is the only holidaythat is called the time of rejoicing. Sukkottransmits to us the secrets of how to live ajoyful life, no matter what is happeningaround us. Sukkot began Sept. 18 in theevening and continues unto the 25th.

It seems important to note at this timeof heightened tensions in the world, thatduring each day of Sukkot, the Jewishpeople in ancient times brought offeringsin the Holy Temple in Jerusalem in honorof the 70 nations of the world. Accordingto the Torah, 70 nations are the roots of allthe diverse national groups and cultures.How beautiful that the Jewish people prayand seek atonement even for their enemies. We still do this holy service in adifferent form to this day. I wish the world,even our many enemies, would know howthe Jewish people pray and work for thewell being and perfection of the world.

The main mitzvah (commandment) ofthis holiday of Sukkot is to sit and eat inthe sukkah. Simply sitting in the sukkah isto imbibe the spiritual qualities of faith,joy and simplicity. It is a direct experience,much more potent than reading aboutsomething. Do we want the experience oflove or do we simply want to read aboutit? If yes, then go out and find a sukkah tosit, eat and meditate in.

Sitting in the sukkah is a total bodyexperience. People talk about experiencingGod’s loving protection, but when we areactually in the sukkah we feel it almost

Kabbalahof the MonthBY MELINDA RIBNER

Time of rejoicing

magically. The sukkah is a place where itis easy to feel connected to other peopleand to the Land of Israel.

When we sit in the sukkah we arereminded that we are all on journey whilewe live here on this physical earth.Nothing is permanent.

The book of Ecclesiastes (Koheleth) isread during Sukkot. King Solomon whohad wealth, women, power, fame, andknowledge, reviews all of these things andconcludes that none of them really matter.

“All is vanity.”The only possession thatis really important is our God connection.We cannot take anything physical with us when we leave this world. We can only take what we have cultivated in ourconsciousness.

It seems like each day we hear about anew tragedy – fires in California, floods inColorado, a murder in the Navy yard inWashington D. C., chemical weapons inSyria. Life feels more fragile. More thanever, we each need the experience ofGod’s loving protection, symbolized by asukkah. We may build beautiful structuresin our lives that give us an illusion of permanence and stability. We can havemany accomplishments, we can be rich orwe can be poor, but when we sit in thesukkah during this holiday of Sukkot welearn what is really important in life.

All the externalities that we are concernedabout are not really important, they do notmake us really safe. They cannot make usjoyful. Furthermore, if we identify withthem too much they may actually separateus from others, from God and even fromourselves. On Sukkot, we learn that it isonly our God connection that is thesource of true joy and protection. Nothingphysical can ever replace that.

As we sit in these fragile cute dwellingsduring this time, we are also reminded onSukkot that we are guided and protectedalong our journey called life, just like thechildren of Israel were as they journeyedin the desert. When you sit in thesukkah, take time to receive your personalguidance. All that we really need in life isthe faith and joy of sukkah consciousnessthat we can internalize deeply within ourselves, so let’s be happy and gratefulfor all that we have been given in life.

I want to conclude with a little Torahfrom my teacher Reb Shlomo Carlebach ofblessed memory on Sukkot.

“After Yom Kippur we feel homeless inour own homes. We don’t want to live in ahouse where the protection is made out ofstone or wood. We want to live in a housewhere it’s clear to us that G-d is protectingus. I don’t want to live in a house where Icannot see the stars in the sky. I want to livein a house where every little star can sendme a message of light. I don’t want to live ina house where maybe even one Jew does not

feel at home. I want to live in a house whereevery Jew, and eventually the whole world,feels at home.

When I was in Russia on Sukkot, two non-Jewish girls in Moscow showed me the wayto the synagogue. They stayed with us halfthe night in the sukkah and then walked meback to the hotel. When they said goodbye,they said something prophetic to me:

‘Maybe there shall never be peace in ourdays – maybe we shall never taste a peacefulworld, but we shall always remember thosefew hours in the Sukkah of Peace, sitting inParadise in the shade of G-d.’

My beautiful friends, every second in thesukkah, you can taste Paradise in the mosteternal way. Once a year we sit with ourholy Mothers and our holy Fathers in thesukkah. I bless you and me, let it also be withour children – all the children of Israel andeventually all the children of the world.”

Transcribed by Rabbi Samuel Intrator,Brooklyn, New York; Original version inConnections Magazine,Volume IV Number1 – Succos 5749 Copyright (C) 1988; The Inner Foundation.

Melinda Ribner L.C.S. W. is the author ofThe Secret Legacy of Biblical Women,Everyday Kabbalah, Kabbalah Month by Month, and New Age Judaism.Internationally known for her pioneeringwork in kabbalistic meditation and healing,she is also a spiritual psychotherapist and formore than 30 years has used kabbalistic wisdom as part of treatment. She offers a free newsletter on meditation, healing, kabbalistic energies of the months, holidays,and so forth. www.kabbalahoftheheart.com. AAAA

j i

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 5

Shemini atzeret calls upon us to gatherup all the spiritual treasures that we havecollected during the days of the Festivals,so that we can step over into the course ofour ordinary lives, prepared to use them totransform the ordinary into the holy. Inthat respect, we are like travelers fromanother time, who hold on tightly to thetreasures they have found in anotherworld but which they intend to put to usein this world.

The day called Shemini Atzeret comesto tell us, once again, to impress what wehave learned upon ourselves so deeplythat it becomes a part of us, a part thatcannot become lost in the vicissitudes ofthis dimension. If we can do that, then wecan live in the real world in the presenceof the Shechinah. Chag sameach!

© 2013 Moshe ben Asher & Khulda bat SarahRabbi Moshe ben Asher and Magidah

Khulda bat Sarah are the Co-Directors ofGather the People, a nonprofit organizationthat provides Internet-based resources forcongregational community organizing anddevelopment (www.gatherthepeople.org). AAAA

What is Shemini Atzeret?The shortest answer to this question is

that it is one of the moadim. Moeid, fromthe root yud-ayin-dalet, means a fixedtime; it is our national meeting time withGod. Think of the moadim (as RabbiAbraham Joshua Heschel did of Shabbat),like palaces in time – palaces in which festivities take place, in which we are forbidden to work. And clearly this eighthday – that’s the shemini part – does notbelong to the Sukkot festival, but is anindependent moeid of its own. (Succah 48a)

But why do we need it? After all, we’ve been doing nothing but

meeting with God, it seems, since thebeginning of Tishrei. Shemini Atzeret isseemingly not characterized by any specialmitzvah. And the seventh day of Pesachis also called atzeret. So how is this daydifferent from any of those days?

The scripture (Vayikra 23:36) says aboutit: Atzeret hi. The root ayin-tzade-reish,seems to mean holding together and concentrating. And, as Rabbi SamsonRaphael Hirsch (1808–1888) teaches, if welook at the places in Tanakh where the rootayin-tzade-reish is used, we will find thatin the majority of cases it has the meaningof holding onto – persons, things, or forces– to guard against their becoming lost.

But what exactly is it that we are in danger of losing?

Rabbi Hirsch answers that SheminiAtzeret is not a day to bring new lessonsand new truths for us to accept. It hasinstead the mission to hold us beforeGod’s Presence. But how is that possible?

Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak,1040–1105) tells the story of a king whoinvited his children to a feast for a certainnumber of days, and when the time camefor them to leave, he said: “My children,please, stay with me one more day, it isdifficult for me to part with you.”

Most of us know this feeling (at leastwith our own children). Perhaps evenMoses himself knew this feeling comingdown the mountain from his meetingswith God. Is it possible to hang on to theShechinah and still live in the real world?

Imagine that your boss gives you the

assignment of traveling to another worldto observe a certain phenomenon in a verylimited amount of time. Upon your return,your boss immediately presses you fordetails. What would your response be?Most of us might say something like: Waita minute! I have to have time to thinkabout this. I need a day to reflect on whatI saw and heard.

And so it is with us at this time of theyear, at the end of the cycle of festivals. Weneed a day to think back on the meaningfor our own lives of what we have learned.We need to ask ourselves: how do we notbecome lost in the craziness of life, whenthe world wants so very much of us, whenthe world demands our time, our energy,and even our souls? Shemini Atzeretbrings the gift of time.

The words atzeret hi tell us that to saveourselves from being lost, we mustaccomplish two acts. We must remain with God, and we must hold on to thelearning we have acquired. But we canreally only do the former when we haveaccomplished the latter.

BY RABBI MOSHE

BEN ASHER, PH.D.AND MAGIDAH

KHULDA BAT SARAH

Holding us beforeGod’s Presence

j j i i

Gather the People Wiener’sWisdomBY RABBI IRWIN WIENER, D.D.

Sukkot givesmeaning, purposeto our lives

Sukkot is one of the pilgrimage holidays – a time set aside to reconnect toour roots. A time to come together torejoice and give thanks for all that we areand all that we have. And much more.

It is different from the other two pilgrimage holidays Passover and Shavuot.Passover commemorates the concept offreedom. Shavuot acknowledges the purpose of our existence, our religiousidentity. Sukkot, on the other hand,incorporates the meaning of the other two and adds a significant dimension:Sukkot emphasizes the tenuousness ofour lives, the fragility of our existence andthe temporariness of our sojourn here.

Sukkot is also a reminder of G-d’s protection. Just as the sukkah we erectgives shelter, G-d attempts to shelter usfrom the consequences of our choices. Justas the temporary dwelling reminds ushow precarious is life’s journey, G-dattempts to guide us through the paths wedetermine for ourselves. And just as thelodging can disappear without warning,

G-d reminds us how fleeting our existenceis and comforts us in our time of need.

The holiday is known by several names,my favorite being “Z’man Simhateinu” – a time for celebrating. We have just completed our High Holiday observance,and we are satisfied that our expressionsof contriteness and our wishers for a better tomorrow have been accepted. It iscertainly a cause for jubilee.

Additionally, Sukkot gives us the opportunity to succeed in our efforts tounderstand that all is not good nor iseverything bad. We need to learn thatgood and bad are connected, and we arethe link that can separate them enough togive meaning to our lives.

Sukkot enables us to comprehend thetrue meaning of life, to be thankful for allthe harvests of our days. And G-d is whereG-d should be in our hearts and minds, inour deeds and actions, in our relationshipsand understanding of each other.

Sukkot should help us realize that weare responsible for each other and thatthere can be no true jubilation withoutthis moral standard. The rabbis loved todemonstrate this with the story of a mansitting in a boat filled with many people.All of sudden the man began drilling ahole under his seat. The other passengerswere outraged and admonished him fordoing something so foolhardy. His replywas that he was drilling the hole under his seat and could not understand thecommotion. Everyone exclaimed that if hecontinued to drill the hole, the boat wouldfill with water and everyone would drown.

(see Wiener, page 6)

6 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

heaven. Lighting the candles, dressing in his finest clothes, he began to sensehimself preparing for a kind of fun thatwas truly and uniquely Yom Kipperdik –the fun of devoting yourself totally to G-d.Forget work. Forget eating or drinking.Give yourself over entirely to your relationship with the divine. To makingyourself pure enough to join with yourpeers, acknowledging to each other thevery basic of base humanity – the sins, themistakes that we have all made, the holiestof us, the weakest of us. To absolute, totalregret – not just for all your own failedintentions, but for a whole congregation-worth of broken promises. Together, everyJew, wherever, acknowledging, before G-d, our very human limits.

Ah, thought Simcha Dick, this is a special kind of fun in deed – not yourlaughing kind of fun, not your sweet, sillyfun, but a fulfilling, transcending, out-of-body kind of fun. A oneness kind of fun,all these Jews, together, clean enough,pure enough, finally, at least for thismoment, to stand together before G-d.

And then, almost immediately after thefinal blowing of the Shofar, hungry, thirsty,tired, but infused with the incredibly deepjoy of connection and absolution, SimchaDick found himself thinking about thekinds of fun Sukkot will bring.

Ah, Sukkot fun – a fun as vivid as camping, as playing house. Building thesukkah, decorating the sukkah, the kidsmaking their paper chains and paintings,the parents and their friends building thewalls, making a roof that really isn’t a roof,that never allows them to think of thehouse they are building as anything otherthan temporary. Day by day, taking shape,the schach and hanging fruits creatingtheir own, sweet, Sukkahdik incense. Thebeautiful table, sumptuously spread, thefood glowing in the candle light.Everybody in the family making it happen,together. What thorough, magical fun.And everyone a magician.

And the singing. And the tasting. Eventhe Lulav and Etrog, ancient beyondunderstanding, bringing a smell andsound that embraces everyone.

Even the outsider who finds himselfwelcome and wanted and celebrated.

And then a week of visiting each other’ssukkot. Everyone delighting in the delightthey can bring to everyone else. Ah,thought Simcha Dick, this is full-bodiedfun, this is total body fun.

Out-of-body, full-body, oy, such fun lessons in fun.

Even before he had a chance to taste the fun of Simchat Torah, Simcha Dick was convinced that the Sukkot kind of fun was in deed the fun that he, personally,cherished above all others. Such accessiblefun. Fun that even the kids could

understand. Fun that everyone couldshare, cross-age or abilities or language or understanding. Simple, thorough fun,that touches everyone, that welcomeseveryone, that everyone can understandand rejoice in together.

And then, just as Simcha Dick wasabsolutely certain he had found the holiday that had the most to teach themost of us about the most meaningful,most penetrating kind of fun, cameSimchat Torah. And Simcha Dick, dancingwith the Torah, knowing the kind of complete, entirely, totally rejoicing fun –the dancing fun that we usually think of as belonging only to children unwrappingthe one gift they’ve wanted ever so longingly long – a fun as deep as YomKippur fun, a fun that somehow reachesas high as even the highest of holidays.

And Simcha Dick, despite his most profound efforts, despite his most searching introspection, when he tried to determine which fun he thought to bethe most meaning-ful – from thesweet fun of thenew renewal ofRosh Hashanah,to the out-of-bodyfun of Yom Kippur,to the fun ofwhole-body fun of Sukkot to thesacred dancing funof Simchat Torah –just couldn’t come to a conclusion.

Fortunately, since this is just a story, it can.Bernie De Koven (see photo p. 20) is the

author of The Well-Played Game: A Player’s

Posting the PastBY BERNIE DE KOVEN

Higher funDear Funsmith,

With all these holidays – Yom Kippur,Sukkot, Simchat Torah – I was wondering ifyou could say something about the one youthink, from the fun perspective, has the mostto teach us about fun. ~ Sue Kkot

Dear Ms. Kkot (if that is really your name),I’m just guessing here, but I think you

might already know my answer.So, instead, I thought I’d tell you a little

story about another funsmith. It’s from the well-loved, unwritten and entirelyapocryphal “Stories of Simcha Dick.”

It was right after Rosh Hashanah, andSimcha Dick, the taste of honey still in his body, the echo of the Shofar still resonating in his soul, asked himself thevery same question you just asked me.And he, being far more steeped, tradition-wise, and far higher, steeply speaking,decided that he would meditate significantly during the next few weeks on the kinds of fun each of the three holidays to come had to offer him, andwhich of holidays had the deepest lessonsabout life and fun and joy and stuff.

To prepare himself, he spent every dayuntil Yom Kippur noticing the kinds of funhe was given to enjoy, the daily fun thatcame just from being alive. At first he wasa little bit sorry that he didn’t start earlier,for Rosh Hashanah was in deed full of fun – sweet tastes, sweet moments with family and friends and community, the joy of a renewed commitment to the holy.But, being true to his name, regret wasn’tsomething he spent much time doinguntil Yom Kippur. So, instead, he looked toeach new moment of fun that the daysbetween had to offer him. And many werethese moments – from washing his face inthe morning, saying the brachot, walkingto shul in the early fall – the days stillwarm, the trees just beginning to show the first intimations of color, and then, inshul, winding the tefillin around himself,wrapping himself in the tallit, daveningwith the minyan – so many kinds of fun, somany deep delights.

And when it finally came to be YomKipper, a new kind of fun started openingto him, and he to it. Eating a very carefulselection of foods (nothing too salty orheavy) in preparation for a night and dayof fasting, he felt like he was getting readyto embark on a voyage to the very gates of (see De Koven, page 9)

WIENER(continued from page 5)

We are responsible to others for ouractions and for the consequences that willresult. We are responsible to G-d for thosethings that relate to our spiritual wellbeing. We are responsible to ourselves toensure that our lives will have meaningand purpose.

Our lives are tenuous, our existenceindeed fragile, and the gift of life so temporary that we must take the time tocelebrate, rejoice, and give thanks. Thenthe ultimate blessing of the season –sukkat shalom – peace, in our homes,which translates into peace in our lives,will be our reward.

Rabbi Wiener is spiritual leader of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation nearPhoenix, Ariz. He welcomes comments atravyitz@cox.net. His new book Living withFaith can be purchased at Amazon.com.Reprinted from 9-23-09. AAAA

j i

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 7

BY JIM SHIPLEY

Another shotI don’t know, maybe it is age, but the

years roll around awfully fast (yeah, it’sage). Was it a full year ago we werepreparing for the High Holy Days? Okay – so we know that Jewish Holidaysare never “on time”.

“Oy! Didn’t Yom Kippur come early thisyear?”“Passover is when? Too late this year!”

The drill is the same. Ten days to figureout who you really wronged over the pastyear and make amends. That is highlysubjective. Did I really wrong him? “Ah –he deserved it and besides he wouldn’teven notice!”

That’s not the idea and he probably did– both things. This according to our sagesis not enough. You know when you werewrong and you know to whom. So, ‘fessup and make the call.

Tough one is the second half. Standingbefore God with an empty stomach andcoming to grips with your personal failures over this past year. That’s tough.You are being asked to identify your ownfailures. And, in theory you are facing abeing, a philosophy, an omniscient “God”that already knows what the real failureswere this past year.

Probably does not involve money, muchas you may think different. It is, I amafraid, not so much the things we havedone as much as the things we have notdone. As the world has gone digital, one ofthe victims has been the daily newspaper.Not only do we do so much readingonline, we do a lot without checking thereliability of the source.

So we can so easily spread “LashonHarra”– false accusations and gossip thatappear as credible as the truth when theydrip from the computer screen.

How many times in this past year didwe engage in “Tikkun Olam” the duty ofevery Jew to “Heal the World”? Thereremains so much misery and injustice inthe world that there certainly is enoughfor all of us to do – and most of it withoutany great sacrifice on our part.

Tikkun Olam reaches beyond faith, color,nationality. Wrong is wrong. And rightingwrong is what healing the world is allabout. Chances are you cannot take off forIsrael on short notice and find a project inneed. Money – yeah, there’s always that.

Stand before your God and tell him (orher) that you dispensed money to this orthat cause. And that’s good! But where

was your personal involvement? Whatemotions or passions did this involve. Doyou actually know the life or lives of thosetoward whom you wrote that check?

We Jews have always been at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.First of all because we are intimatelyinvolved. Anti-Semitism in today’s world?Damn straight! But what have you doneabout the Voter Suppression Acts that areroiling states across the nation?

Have you voiced concern to your stateor national representatives? Attended atown meeting? Blogged? Jews havealways been leaders in any movement forpositive change. This is no time to stopand this time of year is a great one forreflecting on what our true responsibilitiesare as Jews.

Hey! Did not mean to get “preachy”butas I contemplated this column I lookedinward and decided – you know, I am notfully taking my responsibility as a Jew –not enough. So, this is for me at least asmuch as for you, dear reader, to reflect on.

The world is in at least as much chaosthis year as last. As Jews we look at whatwas called the “Arab Spring”and see whatthat has wrought. Nations that were cobbled together by European interestsafter the first World War breaking apart, asthey had to eventually.

Egypt, the largest of them in such turmoil as our new year approaches, wewonder what new Pharaoh will emerge.The Muslim Brotherhood was not and isnot a friend to Israel or any Jew. But whatwill the crackdown bring? More Jihadists?

Look to Syria and realize this is not acivil war as much as a religious battlebetween various types of Islam. What possible good can this do Israel?

Israel remains strong and resolute. Itsnew government is wrestling with a number of internal issues and hey, theyare all Jews, so the arguments go on.

Look, be a good Jew this year. Tell Godyou will take care of your own little corner.Based on what I just wrote, it is apparentthat he has enough on his hands withoutyour kvetches.

Shana Tova to all of you. May this indeedbe a sweet year and one where we gatherthose who count around us and bask inthe joys of belonging to such an amazingpeople.

Looking at history, I guess we have noright to be still here. But here we are. Andnext year at this time let us be able to tellGod that, yeah, we did good.

Jim Shipley has had careers in broadcasting,distribution, advertising, and telecommuni-cations. He began his working life in radio in Philadelphia. He has written his JP&Ocolumn for more than 20 years and is directorof Trading Wise, an international trade andmarketing company in Orlando, Fla. AAAA

ShipleySpeaks

The holiday of Sukkoth (which means“booths”in Hebrew) was not a big one onthe Holiday Hit Parade in the town whereI grew up. I did not know that it markedthe season of harvest for Jews in ancienttimes or that it was the third pilgrimagefestival after Passover and Shavuot. Notone single person I knew built a sukkah intheir back yard, so when my own son camehome from our synagogue preschool andasked if we could have one, my initialresponse was less than enthusiastic.

“Why don’t we just go and pick pumpkinsinstead?” I asked, hoping that Halloweenmight be a bigger draw.

“I want a sukkah!”Josh responded withgusto. “We can eat in it every night andsleep in it, too. It’s a mitzvah,”he concluded,as if he knew that would clinch the deal.

And so, we dragged palm fronds fromthe alleyway and built a small lean-to inthe back yard with sheets nailed on tothree sides. It wasn’t fancy, but it was asukkah in every sense of the word. A fragile, temporary structure that a strongwind could have destroyed, our firstsukkah withstood the weight of my children’s expectations as well as that ofthe numerous gourds and ears of driedcorn that we hung from its thatched roof.

As the years passed and my family’scommitment to Jewish tradition grew, sodid the size, shape and durability of oursukkah. I will never forget the proud lookon my husband’s face the year we lived inJerusalem and he built a sukkah the size ofmy first apartment (and decorated in muchbetter taste!). Strings of bright coloredlights and paper mache pineapples,strawberries and apples dangled over ourheads as we dined with our friends forseven glorious nights.

Sukkoth is the start of the rainy seasonin Israel and prayers for bountiful rain,called Hoshanot, are recited every day ofthe holiday. It must work, because the veryfirst night of Sukkoth, the sky unleashed astorm so great that it caused the reds andyellows of our paper fruits to bleed ontoour T-shirts and chairs in a colorful patternthat no amount of bleach would remove.

As Jews, we are commanded to dwell

Sukkoth: Comingtogether under one roof

JewishEducatorBY AMY HIRSHBERG LEDERMAN

(see Lederman, page 9)

Avram.“Baal! (He was the biggest of theclay figures and priced accordingly.) Gostand immediately to the right of theentrance to the shop.” If Baal could haveheard, he would have said “yes sir” andoccupied the premier position. But sincemolded clay figures are deaf, dumb,immobile, he took not a step.

“How disobedient,” said Terah. “Let’sgive him a push.” So he did and all sixfeet of Baal fell flat on the floor and brokeinto three dozen pieces. “Maybe he wassick,” said Terah; father and teacher. So,next he picked Delmonte, god of corn,beans, and vegetables.

“Here, let me help,” he said. Anotherpush – another job for the lady whoswept out the store. On and on until thefloor was ankle deep in pottery shards.

“Avram, they are only clay figures. Idolsare for selling, not worshiping,” which to skip four millennia and several dimensions of realty, reminded me of my old boss, who owned a liquor store.I, while attending college, was the nightclerk. “Teddy,” he said, “whiskey’s for selling, not drinking.”

Roberts is a syndicated Jewish columnistwho looks at Jewish life with rare wit andinsight. Check out his Web site: www.wonderwordworks.com. Blogsite: www.scribblerontheroof.typepad.com. His collected worksThe Scribbler on The Roof can be bought atAmazon.com or lulu.com/content/127641. AAAA

8 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

A midrash, you know, is a story, a parable – maybe told by an identifiablerabbi – maybe only an anonymous tale,gray with age. Of all the great and inspirational midrashim told by our rabbis,the one I like least is that story of Avramand his father, Terah. There’s no questionthat the profession of Terah, father to the inventor of monotheism, was anembarrassment. He was in the idol business.You remember.

(“So, Avram,” asked his Hebrew schoolpals. “What’s your papa do?”

“Oh, he’s got a Hobby Lobby franchiseover on the highway. Pottery, carving,ya know.”)

Long, long ago when most of us were in Sunday school kindergarten we heardthe midrash about Terah. We’re talkingcirca 2000 BC – pre-Sinai, pre-Torah. Atime when the dictionary of professionswas limited to five categories – merchant,shepherd, farmer, soldier, and cadaver dueto starvation. According to this bizarremidrash, Terah was a merchant and hisgoods, his inventory, was idols. What astrange line of merchandise for the fatherof He who founded monotheism. It’s asthough Henry Ford’s pop was a dealer inhorses. Or Alexander Graham Bell’s fatherhad an exclusive line of megaphones.

The midrash tells us that Terah leavesAvram in charge of the store and theyoung man, in a fit of righteousness,smashes the idols. His explanation whenPop returns? “Oh, the clay figures we callidols had a heckuva fight – and only thisbig guy is left!”If you’re an idol worshiperyou gotta believe the story, right? But itreflects badly on Father Terah and it failsto explain his son’s sudden insight.

Since I, too, am the father of a righteousson, I prefer the following version. Okay,Terah has this glitzy store in downtownHaran and one day leaves young Avramin charge. Sorta scary, thinks the child.It’s dark and rainy outside and the gloomof the store is packed with dozens ofdusty shapes who, according to theirclientele, can bring life or death, riches orpoverty. Often Avram was in charge. Likea good son, he helped his father.

How often had the boy heard his pop’ssales pitch? “Avram, bring me that specialmantelpiece carving of Gulak. So powerful

An idol’s mind isthe devil’s workshop

Spoonful of HumorBY TED ROBERTS

it requires minimal sacrifice. Notice, too, hispleasing shade of blue goes with almostany interior.”And never did Terah considerthe damage to this dutiful son’s soul.

Today Terah appoints his son temporarymanager of Idol Mart. “Watch the store,”says Terah as he goes out the door.

What’s to watch, thinks the young seller of idols. I’m alone in here. So, hecracks open a long papyrus scroll – it’s abest seller, When Schmuel Met Rachel.Appropriately, he has hidden it behind an idol of Astarte the Goddess of Love.

But no sooner has he unrolled it to line387 – that’s where Schmuel tells Rachelthat he likes her better than honey cake –when an idol speaks up. I said an IDOL!Who one month ago was soggy earthbeside the riverbank! The molder of theuniverse has decided to take the pulpit inthe education of Avram.

Says the clay figure; “Why am I priced atonly two handfuls of copper coins whenshimshak over there by the door has aprice tag of ten pieces of silver?” He wasfollowed by a chorus of idol voice – allloudly complaining. This one too cheap –this one overpriced.And a lot of complaintsabout shelf space and location. Everybodywants center aisle, front door.

Young Avram, the only human in thisroom full of angry pottery was also theonly one with a zipped lip. He is awed bythe garrulousness of his father’s clay andwood products. “Papa wouldn’t believethis,” he muttered to himself.“You’re onlymerchandise to dress up a pagan livingroom or decorate an otherwise drab anddesolate bedroom. You have no powers to bring rain, make the sheep fertile, growthe lush ears of corn, or push the riverover its banks. Something else does that.Who or what, I know not, but I stronglysuspect it’s not a clay figurine on a shelf.But how is it that I hear you talking? Andsuch silly fiddle faddle as your price andlocation, and. . .”

Just then the door opened and inwalked Terah, back from his errand. Hisson rushed into his arms.“Father, Father,the idols were talking like you and me. Iwas frightened. They talked like humans.Just now, the store was full of their voices.”

Terah looked deeply into the face of his only son whom he loved. Thisidol business was a good living, but notgood enough to justify the corruption ofthis promising, but naive child who listened too closely to his old man’s salespitches. Dramatic maybe, even skillful.But harmless. Or so he thought. He was a marketer, not a worshiper of idols.

Meanwhile, his son continued to rantabout these products of the village potterand their complaints. “Yes, Papa, they allwanted to stand by the door.”

“Well, let’s help them,”said the father of

j i

Indiana University – Bloomingtoninvites applications from outstandingscholars in the field of Modern EuropeanJewish History for the Alvin H. RosenfeldChair in Jewish Studies, an endowed Chair established to honor the foundingdirector of the Borns Jewish StudiesProgram. The successful candidate willhave a joint appointment at the full orassociate rank in the Borns Jewish StudiesProgram and the Department of History.Ph.D. or equivalent required. Review ofapplications will begin Nov. 1, 2013. Thereview of applications will continue untilthe position is filled.

Interested candidates should review theapplication requirements and submit theirapplication at: indiana.peopleadmin.com/postings/479. For additional informationon the Borns Jewish Studies Program,please see www.indiana.edu/~jsp/index.shtml and on the Department of Historyat Indiana University please see www.indiana.edu/~histweb/. AAAA

IU seeks ModernEuropean JewishHistory scholar

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 9

As I Heard ItBY MORTON GOLD

My kind of serviceThere is much discussion these days

concerning such things as creativity in thesynagogue, especially in the area of music.As usual I have my own ideas on the subject and since I am free to state what Ithink without being concerned what somemachers (movers and shakers) may think, Iwill do so.

First of all it would be fair to state that I am distressed at the music I hear sung to most of the prayers. It is not necessarilythe tunes that I object to but the thinkingbehind their usage. It should be a giventhat there should be a relation betweenthe prayer and the music. While that is or should be obvious, these days it is not.Tunes are used that are either Ukrainianmarket songs, albeit with Hebrew words,always with syncopated rhythms to makethem appealing to pre-adolescents andtheir parents as well. Some melodies by R. Sholomo Carlebach would illustrate this idea.

Mindless hand clapping with a lot of ai-ai-ai’s frequently meld with these tunes.Then there is the commercial rock type oftune, albeit again with Hebrew text. Theselend neither an air of spirituality, religiousfeeling nor anything remotely suggestingsomething connecting the service. Musicfound on many CD’s performed NOT byhazzanim but by musical personalitiesought be to put under cherim (a Jewishversion of being banned, or having theequivalent of a fatwa placed against theirusage in the synagogue. So much for whatI am against.

(There is more!) What I would like to seeis bringing back the idea that the cantor(Hazzan, NOT reader) is the musical representative of the congregation andnot merely the leader of congregationalmelodies. He or she should sing, all byhim or herself at least one setting of aprayer of his or her choosing each service.

I should like to see the preliminary service shortened substantially. Three(plus) hours is far too long for a service,at least it is for me. I should like to seecongregational and rabbinic discussion ofthe Torah portion either eliminated or heldbefore the service itself starts. When it isstated that a service starts, say at 9 a.m., itshould really start then, not when onefeels like actually showing up. We couldtake a lesson from our non-Jewish friendsin this regard.

We should also encourage the creationof mixed choirs comprised of people fromthe congregation. At first they might simply provide a few modest amen’s,but then could (should) branch out to perform real compositions, created for use in the synagogue.

What should the congregation do youmay ask? They should listen! This shouldenhance the religious as well as musicalexperience one should feel during a service. A service is not, should not, besimply a social gathering with a discussionas the central and time consuming portionof the service. One should encourage concerts of Jewish music by indigenousmembers of the temple rather than bringing in outside attractions.

These may raise money but will donothing to encourage neither creativity norperformance by members of the congregationitself. One should also bring back the use of the organ as the accompanyinginstrument. We are not in the desert thesedays, nor at an outdoor campfire.

I suppose that if one cannot find a capable organist, one might (in extremis)use a pianist or even (sigh) use an individual playing an acoustic but neveran electric guitar. (UGH!) I would like tosee contests not for a new (upbeat?) song,but rather a new setting for any prayerused during a service. What about a newwork for piano solo, clarinet, any chambergroup? And so on.

I would like to see in additional tochoral groups, instrumental groupsformed, and by this I do not meanKlezmer style groups. There is so muchmore to Jewish music than Klezmer stylemusic. It is out there even though it is notin vogue these days.

I should also love to hear any setting ofAdon Olam that reflects the spirit andmeaning of the words and not merely be alively way of concluding the service. Do Iwant too much? I want to have a servicethat is a service and not merely an excusefor us entertaining each other! Somethingto think about? I also wish my readers ahappy, healthy and prosperous new year.L’Shana Tovah.

Dr. Gold is a composer/conductor and anarts reviewer for the Post & Opinion. Hewas the recipient of the Kavod Award by theCantors Assembly and a retired educator. AAAA

in the Sukkah (Leviticus 23:42-3) and to“take the fruit of the citron tree (etrog), thebranches of date palms, twigs of a braidedtree (myrtle), and willows of the brook (combined to make the lulav), and rejoicebefore the Lord for seven days” (Leviticus23:40).

The basic commandment is to takethese four species in your hand and shakethem while reciting certain blessings. Butwhy these four items rather than an orange,banana or peanuts? We find answers inthe Jewish midrash, interpretations ofBiblical passages. One such midrash viewsthese four items as symbolic of parts ofour body. The etrog is our heart, the willow is our mouth, the myrtle representsour eye and the date palm branch is ourbackbone. The idea is that we can reachour highest potential as humans andhonor God best when we bring our heart,mind and body to the task, just as the fourspecies are brought together during theholiday of Sukkoth.

My favorite midrash suggests that thefour species represent four types of Jews,each one in a different relationship withhis or her faith and commitment to Torah.Some Jews are knowledgeable but do notact in ways that reflect Jewish values likecompassion and justice. Others may leadwith their hearts but have no formalJewish training. Some may “feel Jewish”but not know how or where to begin tobecome connected to their Jewish roots.And others may have both the knowledgeand the commitment to live their livesaccording to Jewish laws and values,becoming our role models and inspiration.

Sukkoth is an annual reminder thateach one of us is unique and different butthat together, we form the Jewish people.We all begin at different starting points;we encounter different challenges and areblessed with different strengths. We live indifferent cities and countries, we have different family compositions and weencounter the world with different eyes,hearts and minds. When we dine togetherin the sukkah, we are called upon to create a time and place to honor these differences. For only when we are able tobring all Jews together under one roof, willwe be able to reach our highest potentialas human beings and as Jews.

Amy Hirshberg Lederman is an author,Jewish educator, public speaker and attorney who lives in Tucson. Her columnsin the AJP have won awards from theAmerican Jewish Press Association, theArizona Newspapers Association and theArizona Press Club for excellence in commentary. Visit her website at amyhirshberglederman.com. AAAA

LEDERMAN(continued from page 7)

j i

Philosophy. See more on deepfun.com. Hewas a regular columnist for this newspaperfrom 2009–11. This column is reprintedfrom Sept. 23, 2009. You can see his othercolumns in past issues on our website underArchives. AAAA

DE KOVEN(continued from page 6)

10 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

and Ron Orbach (his ornery teacher).Soul Doctor inevitably recalls, not only

The Jazz Singer, but Godspell and MyName is Asher Lev. But even Shakespeareborrowed heavily from earlier sources,and repetition can be forgiven if the storygets a fresh slant. Soul Doctor may have its failings, but the interweaving of modern music with the Jewish faith isindeed intriguing.

OblivionA new Jewish-American writer is making

her mark among today’s playwrights – oneCarly Mensch. And her own backgroundprovides the source and inspiration for hercurrent offering – Oblivion.

Mensch is several generations removedfrom traditional Judaism, going back to hergrandparents. Her own parents followedthe humanistic, secular path. Moral decisions, for them, were based on theeffects of human beings on one another,not upon a higher power.

Thus we have Oblivion, which played firstin the Chicago area and now in the NewYork area – namely the Westport CountryPlayhouse in Connecticut. Whether thisnew play warrants acclaim is open toquestion – at least for this reviewer.

Oblivion, as I view it, is a mixed bag, withdeep human issues wrapped up in an all-too-familiar, over-used plot. It is the playitself, not the production, which falters –

JewishTheaterREVIEWED BY IRENE BACKALENICK

Soul Doctorand Oblivion

A brand new rock musical has arrivedon Broadway. Well, perhaps not so new,since Soul Doctor follows the fortunes of arabbi-turned-jazz musician. Shades of AlJolson’s landmark film of the 1920s – TheJazz Singer!

But Soul Doctor is actually based on a truestory, focusing on one Shlomo Carlebach(who wrote music and additional lyrics forthis show). This is a potentially movingtale, even if it was preceded by thatfamous film. Carlebach and his family –Orthodox Jews – escape Hitler, leavingVienna in the late 1930s. His father, oncethe Chief Rabbi of Vienna, sets up shop inBrooklyn, raising his two sons to carry onthe family business.

But Shlomo, early on, hears music in his head, as he struggles with his innerconflict between his strict Jewish faith and a contemporary beat. He is stronglyinfluenced by the black singer Nina Simone,whom he meets by chance in a bar.

The tale is strong, with adversaries lined up on either side – his father, brother,and former Yeshiva teacher pitted againstthe world of modern music. Shlomo himself will never abandon his faith,though it takes a different turn. He goeson to become a successful recording andperforming artist, even as he maintains hisown hippie congregation through the1960s and 1970s.

In this particular Circle in the Squareproduction (directed by Daniel S. Wiseand choreographed by Benoit-SwanPouffer), the music is indeed authenticand mesmerizing (though often repetitious). And the story moves aheadwith brio, backed up by a hard-workingchorus. Unfortunately, at its core is apleasant but bland Shlomo (played by Eric Anderson). Where is the charisma necessary to draw in so many followers tohis congregation?

But his scene with Nina Simone (portrayed by the excellent Amber Iman)is deeply moving. At last Shlomo comesvividly to life, and no little thanks is due toIman, who in fact gives heart, soul, andsubstance to the show. Other performersare fine – among them Ethan Khusidmanand Teddy Walsh (as the young Shlomoand his brother), plus Jamie Jackson andJacqueline Antaramian (Shlomo’s parents)

Cast of Soul Doctor staring Eric Anderson (ctr.), with Ian Paget, Teddy Walsh, RyanStrand, Alexandra Frohlinger, and Abdur Rahim Jackson. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

which simply does not deliver enoughgoods. Oblivion joins an ever-growingcontemporary list of family-issue plays,but adds no new direction to that list.

Yet, to do her justice, playwright CarlyMensch offers lively, believable – evenentertaining – dialogue, quickly capturingthe audience. It is familiar territory – comfortable, easily recognizable.

Mensch takes on the parent-child relationship embroiled in a clash ofbeliefs. Parents Pam and Dixon are free-spirited souls, former hippies whose values reflect America’s revolutionary1970s. And when daughter Julie turns to a traditional Christian faith, the mother is appalled. Where did she, as parent,go wrong? “The Bible sounds like aHallmark card,” she summarizes at onepoint. The parents, it seems, are Jewish,but if Julie had turned to OrthodoxJudaism, the mother would have beenequally unhappy.

Indeed, this is familiar grist for the play-writing mill. Children, in teen-age rebellion,

Scenes from Oblivion with (left, L-R)Johanna Day, Katie Broad, and RegRogers. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

(see Backalenick, page 15)

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 11

BY ROSE KLEINER

Each year, as the new Jewish calendarscome off the press, they signal a rediscoveryof our people’s history, art and spirit.While reminding us of the importantdates, in the Jewish year, these calendarstake us on a 12-month odyssey, into theamazing world of Jewish culture.

The following 16-month calendars provide us with weekly Torah readings,dates of Jewish holidays, and candle lighting times for major cities throughoutthe continent.

Pomegranate publishers, have twocharming calendars this year. Their JewishMuseum Calendar (with works from theJewish Museum in New York) is gracedwith images of art works and paintingswhose provenance is from many lands,and from many eras of Jewish history.Included too are contemporary works of art.These works communicate the aestheticvalues and spirit of their creators, enrichingour understanding and appreciation of theJewish experience through the ages.

There is a Marriage Contract fromIsfahan, Persia (1879), a Chanukah Lampfrom Eastern Galicia (18th century), and apainting by C.W. Eckersberg, Joseph’sBrothers Bring His Coat to Jacob (1811).

Among the more recent pieces illustratedis a painting by Arthur Szyk, Jewish SailorsExporting Polish Products Through thePort of Danzig (1927); an avant-garde rendering of an image from a verse in theHad Gadya Suite by Russian artist ElLissitzky, which is engraved both in theYiddish and Aramaic languages (1919),and paintings by Melissa Meyer (1992),Jack Levine (1938), as well as DanaFrankfort (2007).

Pomegranate’s second wall calendar,Jewish Celebrations, with paintings byMalcah Zeldis features joyful, colorfulillustrations of such holidays as Chanukah,Rosh Hashanah, Purim and Pesach. There is also the celebration of Shabbat, of awedding, and Bar and Bat Mitzvah in the

brilliant paintings of this family-orientedcalendar. Each of these images comes with explanatory notes or commentariesregarding its history and the customs thatit represents.

Universe Publishing has both a wall calendar and a desk calendar for the year5774. Aside from listing all Jewish andnational holidays, Torah readings, andcandle lighting times, the wall calendarlists Jewish holidays through the year 2027as well. Its beautiful illustrations covertreasures from the Collection of the JewishHistorical Museum in Amsterdam. In thiscollection there are lovely paintings,such as the Portrait of a Woman by Maijerde Haan of Amsterdam (1882), or thepoignant gouache by Charlotte Solomon,The Wedding of Franziska Knarre andAlbert Kaan (1940–42).

Among the striking silver ceremonialobjects in this calendar (from countriessuch as the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia,Germany, Russia and Poland), two ultra-modern pieces are of special note.The firstis an impressive silver Havdalah set, whosecurved lines reflect some of today’s modern architectural structures, by Yaakov Greenvurcel, Jerusalem (1981).The other is a Lulav Stand, by Zelig Segal,of Jerusalem (1983). Etrog holders arecommon, but lulav stands are less so.

The Jewish Calendar for the desk fromUniverse, can serve as an excellent quickreference for navigating one’s way, all year,through the many Jewish holidays, feastdays, fast days, and other significant datessuch as Rosh Chodesh (new month) andthe counting of the Omer. This calendaralso lists the weekly readings from theprophets, along with the Torah readings.Its unique ‘spreadsheet’ guide containscolumns such as the Theme, HistoricalSignificance, Seasonal Significance,Mood, and Selected Customs of each of

the holidays listed.In addition to all the above features of

this desk calendar, its illustrations depictmagnificent objects that will please theeye throughout the year. Such is theunique silver Torah Shield from Rhodes,Greece (1859–1860); Ilya Schor’s MezuzahCase (1960) and a stunning silk TefillinBag from 18th-century Italy. One of theunusual illustrations here is a photographof a pair of ‘Mikveh Shoes’, from theOttoman Empire (c. 19l0). All the aboveitems are part of the collection of theJewish Museum in New York.

One of the most interesting Jewish calendars on the market is My Very OwnJewish Calendar by Judyth Groner andMadeline Wikler (Kar-Ben Publishing).This calendar cum compendium of trivia,anecdotes, stories, historical data, andrecipes has been delighting youngsters,and the young at heart, for many years. Italways manages to inform and inspirewith its lively celebration of Jewish life andtraditions throughout the world.

Right from the first Hebrew month,Tishri, one is greeted with a quote fromthe Talmud, and a data-filled account ofthe significance of the pomegranate fruit,so ubiquitous during this time of year – itsetymological, historical, biblical, kabbalisticand nutritional significance – all in onecompact paragraph. Of course, the recipeof the month cannot include anythingother than a pomegranate.

Other very simple, interesting recipesare Injera, Ethiopian bread; a Tu B’ShvatFruit Fondue; a Purim taste change in theform of Pizza Taschen. A calendar page onthe Jews of India gives an easy recipe for

The Jewish calendar –panorama of a people’shistory, art, and spirit

(see Kleiner, page 18)

12 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

And so it became of third importance inIslam after Mecca and Medina.

According to Barkay, the Temple Mount isthe most significant archaeological site inIsrael and the most excavated place on earth,but the Temple Mount was never excavatedbecause of its sensitive political position.

For Jews, all synagogues of the world facethe Temple Mount. The outer framework,the retaining walls, was built by Herod2,000 years ago. Interestingly enough, theTemple Mount was mentioned for the firsttime by the 8th century BCE prophet, Micah.

Recent HistoryIn 1967 when Jerusalem was reunited,

Israel gave up the right to supervise theTemple Mount to the Islamic Wakf,the Islamic Trust also controlling andmanaging the Islamic Al Aksa mosque.They declared it open to Moslem prayersbut not to others.

In the 1990s, US President Bill Clintonwas advised (and had the naive dream)that the Temple Mount was the key to the solution of the Israel-Arab conflict.His think tank suggested sovereignty besplit – the underground to the Israelis and above ground to the Palestinians – animpractical, useless, idiotic idea.

In 1996 a mosque or Moslem prayerhall was illicitly built in a subterraneanarea under the Temple Mount called“Solomon’s Stables” which could hold10,000 people. In 1998 a subterraneanmosque, “Ancient Aksa,” converted into a prayer hall was built instead of an emergency exit for this mosque of a passageway. About the same time,denials that the Temples existed began.

In 1999 Prime Minister Barak gave permission to make the emergency exit;instead, bulldozers were brought in to diga pit, 131 feet long and 40 feet deep and 400 truck loads were barbaricallyremoved. Earth was dumped, mixed withmodern garbage in the Kidron Valley.

Outrage by Israelis ensued, including 82 of the 120 members of Knesset, as well as many other noted people, whosigned a petition against this project.The Committee for the Prevention of theDestruction of Antiquities on the TempleMount was thus created.

The main entrance to the subterraneanmosque, “Solomon’s Stables,” was thenclosed to all non-Muslims.

One day, while teaching at Bar IlanUniversity, two of Barkay’s studentsbrought him two plastic bags from thedump and urged him to get a license tosift the materials being dumped. After four years and Barkay’s threat to go to theSupreme Court, the Antiquities Authoritygranted him a license.

A New York lawyer answered his adlooking for funds and gave him the first

funding for the project. The City of DavidFoundation also adopted the project.

Come and SiftOn the day we joined the archaeological

experience, our convoy of cars took thehighway to the Jewish suburb of MaalehAdumim past the Arab neighborhood ofWadi Joz, heading toward the Mount ofOlives, past Augusta Victoria Hospital tothe neighborhood of A Tur and the TzurimValley. After some twists and turns, wedrove down a dirt road by an olive treegrove, and approached Tzurim ValleyNational Park and the Temple MountAntiquities Excavation.

Inside the large tent were low stonewalls for sitting, a bulletin board on oneside holds articles written about the project, and a replica of the Western Wall is in front with each group of stones ableto turn to reveal informative material onthe other side. On the floor are bucketslabeled pottery, glass, bones, mosaic stone,metal and special stones. Next to them arebuckets with water and stones.

One takes a bucket and dumps it onto a screen, allowing the water to flowthrough and the stones to stay on thescreen. The bucket is first cleaned with aspray, and then the stones are given ashower. One then spreads out the stonesby hand and places potential finds in asix-part plastic cup holder. When done,a member of the staff checks out the contents of the cups and the remainingmaterials, then the remains are dumpedinto a wheel barrow.

In the nine years of sifting, small findslike daily objects (e.g., seals, an arrowhead,fragments of figurines and lumps of claywith impressions in Hebrew, called Bulla)have been found dating to the First TemplePeriod. An arrowhead and a seal from a jarhandle from Rhodes, stone vessel fragments,combs, tiles, and fresco fragments areamong finds from the Second Templeperiod. Objects have been found datingfrom then to today. More than 5,000 coinshave been found. Fifty per cent of the250–300 truckloads of material movedhere has been gone through by more than

Among the many people who becameour friends when we joined KehillatMoreshet Avraham Synagogue is GabbyBarkay, Israel archaeologist. When heoffered a “do-it-yourself” archaeologicalexperience, including sifting from theTemple Mount, we were quick to sign up.

Hungarian-born Gabby came to Israelat the age of six; he received his Ph.D.from the Hebrew University, and is arecipient of the Jerusalem Prize for his life’swork as an archaeologist of Jerusalem.

In 2005, he and another archaeologistestablished the Temple Mount SiftingProject, now funded by the Ir DavidFoundation, a mind-boggling project validating the Jewish connection to theTemple Mount for 15,000 years.

BackgroundAccording to Barkay, the Temple Mount

is the “soul, heart and spirit of the Jewishpeople, first created by the almighty” andreferred to as the “house of the Lord.”Untilthe Babylonian destruction, it was themost significant site of Jerusalem, theMount Zion and Mount Moriah of theJewish Bible, 20 times mentioned in theNew Testament.

In 638 CE, it was conquered by theArabs; in 691 CE a replacement forSolomon’s Temple called the Dome of theRock was built on this site. AlthoughJerusalem is never mentioned in theKoran, there is only a reference toMohammed’s night trip to a “far mosque”as well as a legend of his having gone toheaven on a winged horse from this site.

Seen on theIsrael SceneBY SYBIL KAPLAN

Sifting through15,000 years ofarchaeological finds

Gabby Barkay points out layout of theTemple Mount and items found throughthe sifting project.

The sifting tent. Photographs by Barry A. Kaplan.

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 13

a quarter of a million volunteers as well asIsraelis and staff.

At the end of our visit, we looked overfinds of the day which included a coin, twoglass bracelet fragments belonging to ayoung girl, glass wall mosaics, a lamp froma chandelier, nails for a horseshoe, bonesfrom animals, a large storage jar handleand a roof tile.

How You Can ParticipatePeople interested in assisting the

process of sifting through 15,000 years ofmaterials can make a reservation throughthe City of David, *6033 and specify thelanguage required (Hebrew, English orFrench). The tent is open year round withtent flaps up and cold water for washingthe materials in summer and heating andwarm water in winter.

Hear Dr. BarkayDr. Barkay has a US speaking tour

Sept. 15–Nov. 15. He will be speaking in Pittsburgh, Villanova, Beaver Fallsand Williamsport, Pa.; Princeton, N.J.;Abilene, Dallas, Belton, Waco, Ft. Worth,Lubbock, College Station, and Boerne,Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Franklin, Tenn.;Springfield, Point Look Out and KansasCity, Mo.; Wichita, Kan.; Deerfield, Ill.;Dubuque, Iowa; Madison, Wis.; Ithaca,Bronx, Croton on Hudson, and NewRochelle, N.Y.; Spafford, N.H.; Stoughton,Mass.; Niagara Falls, Canada; and Omaha,Neb. Check the official website of Dr.Gabriel Barkay for the exact day and city.

Visiting the ArmenianQuarter of the Old City

When you enter Jaffa Gate and bearright, past the police station, you are soonon a very narrow road called ArmenianOrthodox Patriarchate Road. In thissouthwestern part of the Old City, on yourleft, is a walled area where Armenians,seminary students and functionaries ofthe church live. Estimates of populationrange from several hundred to a thousandpeople reside here.

To be guided through this secluded areaby Reverend Fr. Pakrad Berjekian, directorof the real estate department of theArmenian Patriarchate is both an honorand a privilege, inasmuch as the public is only permitted into some of these buildings one-half hour a day.

Armenians claim to have come toJerusalem in 70 CE as soldiers. They were the first nation to adopt Christianityin the middle of the 3rd century CE. In the 3rd century CE, they also establisheda Christian Armenian community inJerusalem and flocked to Jerusalem astradesmen and pilgrims.

KLEINER(continued from page 11)

The quarter also contains a school, alibrary and a museum, but our first visit was to the Cathedral of St. James,a Crusader structure built in the 12th century over a 11th century Georgianchurch. This sits on the site of the beheading of the cousin of Jesus, James,by an order of Herod in 44 CE and thetomb of James, the older brother of Jesus,who was the first bishop of Jerusalem.

The cathedral is unique architecturallyand is built according to Armenian design.It is shaped like a cross with a dome sittingon four central piers and arches. Silverincense lights are everywhere, and thereare many magnificent crystal chandeliershanging from the ceiling; carpets cover the tile floors. The adjoining room hasceramic tiles on one wall done byArmenian artists. In the front pews,seminary students perform their afternoon vespers, and a member of theclergy walks through the church, wavingan incense burner.

The Reverend explains that theArmenians, like the Greek Orthodox andthe Catholics, live under monastic ruleand are guardians of holy places. Theywake up at 5:30 a.m., have morning services and then do administrative workuntil afternoon vespers.

He ushers us into another area, up asteep set of steps, to a long hall withpaintings on both sides of the walls. This is the residence of the patriarchate, datingto the 1840s and not generally open to the public. Upholstered designed chairsline the walls under the Royal familypaintings. In this room, heads of state andchurches are officially welcomed, and onfeast days, performances take place in thisroom. On both sides are the doors of theprivate living quarters of the patriarchate.

Every moment spent in the ArmenianQuarter for us is a fascinating experiencebecause visitors are generally not privileged to see the church buildings ofthese secluded people.

Many visitors to Jerusalem purchasethe blue and white designed tiles andother decorative pottery of the Armenians.Contrary to popular belief, the potterydoes not originate in Armenia but wascreated by Armenians in Jerusalem about

100 years ago. In 1917, Neshan Balian, amaster potter in Turkey, and MegherdichKarakashian, an artist, were brought toJerusalem to repair the tiles of the Domeof the Rock. They opened a workshop afew years later to produce pottery.

In 1965, the families split and each continues to produce hand-paintedceramic tiles and pottery – the Balian family in East Jerusalem produceArmenian pottery of Jerusalem, and theKarakashian sons and grandson produceArmenian pottery and tiles including the street name tiles throughout the OldCity from their studio on Via Dolorosa.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, food writer,lecturer and cookbook author. AAAA

Chicken Curry. An entry about the world’slargest kosher barbecue event, the KosherBBQ Contest and Festival in Memphis,Tenn., provides a BBQ Sauce recipe thateven kids can put together.

The calendar has various environmentaland community entries, with great ideasthat children and adults can implement intheir own cities and neighborhoods.Among the community projects coveredhere is Leket, Israel’s food bank and rescue effort, which involves thousands ofvolunteers and even has a Nighttime FoodRescue program.

Who knew that Jews were involved inthe art of chocolate making since theirsojourn in Spain. After the expulsion fromSpain they brought this art to France,Belgium and other European countries. By1832 it was a young Jewish apprenticechef, Franz Sacher who created Vienna’sworld famous Sacher Torte. An E-Z SacherTorte recipe is part of this calendar.

Keeping up with the times the calendarhas a Regifting entry where websites arepresented for youngsters and adults todonate gently-used toys, clothing, and cellphones. This calendar also has candlelighting times for the major cities on thecontinent, and a five-year listing of Jewishholidays. AAAA

j i

Inside Cathedral of St. James.

Official Reception Room of Patriarchate’sliving quarters.

14 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

Jew by choice.You can read his story here:www.jweekly.com/article/full/26983/german-who-fought-for-hitler-happier-man-as-a-jew/.

These have been my guest speakers forat least the last five years. It is humblingthat for 18 years, student feedback hasbeen almost universal that the best thingabout my course is the guest speakers. Idread the day when I no longer have theliving voices of those who lived throughthis era to speak to my class. Fortunately,the digital recordings provided by mygrant will help fill in the gaps.

I have also kept my Holocaust coursecurrent by incorporating a greater emphasison genocide. Across the nation, HolocaustStudies Departments are rebranding as“The Holocaust and Genocide Studies.”For the NDNU Founder’s Day faculty presentations, I created a Powerpointposter display titled, “The Holocaust as aModel for Genocide Prevention.”

My presentation began with a discussionof the definition of “genocide” as coined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944. Lemkin,1900–1959, was a Polish-Jewish lawyerwhose family died in the Holocaust.He devoted his life to getting genociderecognized as an international crime.He persisted despite the inertia of the“international community”at that time andpermanently changed how crimes againsthumanity are viewed and prosecuted.

Defying linguistic protocols which dictate that new terms should deriveeither from Latin or Greek, Lemkin coined“genocide” from the Greek word, genos(race, tribe); and the Latin word, cide(killing). Lemkin’s initiative to outlawgenocide and crimes against humanityculminated in the 1948 GenevaConvention on the Prevention andPunishment of Genocide. Lemkin wastwice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.

Students have trouble understandinghow the genocide of the Jews could takeplace in a society as “advanced”as Germany.Over the years, I developed an eight-stagenon-linear model that helped studentsunderstand the gradual progression from normal society to extermination, asfollows: Identification: defining who is a Jew, forced wearing of the Star of David; Discrimination: political, cultural,professional via Nuremberg Laws;Dehumanization: propaganda campaigns,Jews depicted as vermin, sub-human;Aryanization: economic deprivation,confiscating businesses, excluding Jewsfrom professions and civil service;Ghettoization: physical separation,curfews; Deportation: relocation “to theEast,” to slave labor camps, transit campsor death camps; Extermination: by deathcamp gassings, disease, Einsatzgruppen,

Since 1995, I have had the good fortuneto teach a 15-week, three-unit coursetitled,“The Holocaust,”at Notre Dame deNamur University (NDNU) in Belmont,Calif. When I attend Holocaust educationconferences in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem,the Israeli institution dedicated toHolocaust memory, education, andresearch, other educators express envythat I have so much time to devote to thissensitive curriculum.

As a former faculty administrator atNDNU, I know the importance of keepingcurricula current and relevant and verymuch appreciate my stand-alone course onthe Holocaust. Last year, with the blessingof my department chair, Dr. Judy Buller, Iapplied for and received a generousFaculty Development Grant from theUniversity to record my guest speakers, allof whom are in their 80’s or 90’s.

Herman Shine is not only an Auschwitzsurvivor, but also one of the few whoescaped from Auschwitz-Buna and survived. Read about Herman here:www.mercurynews.com/ci_19256055.Michael Franzblau, M.D., is an internationalexpert on the Nazi abuses of medical practice. Browse to this link to read hisdiscussion of Nazi doctors: www.mazal.org/archive/documents/Franzblau/Franzblau01/FRA01.htm. Rolf Beier is a former memberof Hitler youth and the Wehrmacht, butcame from a pacifist family. He married anAmerican Jewish woman shortly after thewar and in 2001 at the age of 79, became a

HolocaustEducatorBY MIRIAM ZIMMERMAN

Educate to end genocide

If your summer reading list includedWitness to the Storm: A Jewish Journey fromNazi Berlin to the 82nd Airborne, 1920-1945 by Werner T. Angress (2012) orChildren of the Holocaust: Conversationswith Sons and Daughters of Survivorsby Helen Epstein (Penguin Books, 1979),you might be a 2nd generation Holocaustsurvivor. If you live in the San FranciscoBay Area and attended all or most of theHolocaust-themed movies in the recentSan Francisco Jewish Film Festival, you are no doubt a 2nd generation Holocaustsurvivor.

If you are a member of the Facebookgroup, “Children of Holocaust Survivors”or if you’ve “liked”the “Children of JewishHolocaust Survivors” page on Facebook,you’re probably a 2nd gen Holocaust survivor.

If your adult children accuse you of having raised the topic of the Holocaust at every family dinner while they grew up, you are probably 2nd gen. If they further accuse you of making Holocaustconnections to every current event, everybook and every class assignment that theyhad, then you are definitely “in.”Childrencan be so critical (sigh). Except for theFacebook connections, I am guilty of all of the above. I am a 2nd generationHolocaust survivor.

I admit that on my chest of drawers,which I do not share with my husband,stands a picture (at right) of the memorialstatues at the Ravensbrück concentrationcamp in Germany. Ravensbrück was the“for women only”concentration camp, thescene of horrendous medical experimentsand brutal torture.

Taken by award-winning photojournalistIra Nowinski, the black and white pictureof two women inmates reminds me dailyof the many blessings I enjoy that weredenied to a whole generation of Jewishwomen. Nowinski himself gave me thepicture when his photo montage, “InFitting Memory: The Art and Politics ofHolocaust Memorials” was on display atthe University of San Francisco when Iwas teaching there in the 1980s. The photos can be seen in a book with thattitle, text by Holocaust scholar Dr. SybilMilton, z”l, former senior historian at theU.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.

The memorial statues at the Ravensbrückconcentration camp. Photo by photojournalistIra Nowinski.

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 15starvation, torture; and Denial: deathmarches, destroying records, revisionism,minimization. These stages of theHolocaust overlap, and many of the earlierstages continued as the momentumtoward extermination increased.

My NDNU presentation listed thosestages with explanation and comparedthem with a “generic”model of the stagesof genocide, as agreed to by contemporaryscholars. I explain to students that thepurpose of defining these stages is so thatthe “international community” can takeappropriate steps to prevent genocidefrom happening.

Students easily notice the overlapbetween these two topologies, as follows, Classification: “Us vs. them”;Symbolization: use of hate symbols;Dehumanization: Equate “them” withvermin, animals, disease; Organization:training of special army units or militias to murder; Polarization: Extremists drivethe groups apart. Hate groups broadcastpolarizing propaganda. Extremist terrorism targets moderates, intimidatingand silencing the center; Preparation:Victims are identified and separated outbecause of their ethnic or religious identity.Death lists are drawn up. Members of victim groups are forced to wear identifyingsymbols. Extermination: mass killingsmay provoke revenge killings (bilateralgenocide, e.g. Burundi); Denial: burnbodies, intimidate witnesses, blame thevictims. Scholars used Holocaust historyto forge these stages.

To read the appropriate intervention, ateach stage, needed by the internationalcommunity to stop genocide, read theexplanation by Genocide Watch, an NGOwhose “purpose is to build an internationalmovement to prevent and stop genocide,”at this link: www.genocidewatch.org/aboutgenocide/8stagesofgenocide.html.

To the extent that recent gassings bySyrian President Bashar al-Assad occurredwithin the context of Sunni vs. Shi’aIslamists, the gassings constitute an act of genocide. I admit that when confrontedby current events such as PresidentObama lobbying Congress to approve amilitary strike over Syria to prevent futuresuch gassings, I see the event through the filter of genocide prevention. Withinme, the conflict is between my inherentpacifism and my belief that the use ofchemical weapons by a tyrant will not stopwithout outside intervention. It is not aneasy decision, whether or not the UnitedStates should become militarily engagedwith Syria.

I pray that our President and leaders inCongress will find the wisdom to stopAssad from his criminal behavior withoutcreating more warfare and loss of innocentlives. Those of us whose memory of the

Holocaust is ever present know that thereis a time when appeasement of tyrannywill not work. If the United States will notprotect the innocent and vulnerableworld-wide, who will? Most of us who are2nd gen have memory of the time whenunspeakable atrocities occurred and theworld did nothing. Are we now, onceagain, at that point?

If a friend emailed you an announcement,“For the first time two major organizations,Generations of the Shoah International(GSI) and the World Federation of JewishChild Survivors of the Holocaust andDescendants (WFJCSHD) will hold a jointconference for the Holocaust survivorcommunity” from Nov. 1–4, 2013 near Las Vegas, both you and your friend areprobably 2nd generation Holocaust survivors. If you are seriously interested inattending, for more information browseto: http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GenerationsoftheShoa/604b326453/1a9d54629e/6c38b0b17b. If you clicked on this link, it provesthat you are 2nd (or 3rd) generation.

Dr. Zimmerman is professor emerita atNotre Dame de Namur University inBelmont, Calif., where she continues to teachthe Holocaust course. She can be reached atmzimmerman@ndnu.edu. AAAA

invites you to visit her website: nytheaterscene.com or at: jewish-theatre.com. AAAA

Ah gooten un gehzunter yor allehmeineh Yiddish lehenershaft un frynt.(A good and healthy New Year to all myYiddish readership and friends.)

Ich vil eich dertzalen vegen meinzaydes sukeh. (I want to tell you aboutmy zayde’s sukkah.)

Yeder yor glych nauch Yom Kippurfleckt der zayde tzuzamen shtelen zeinsukeh. (Every year right after Yom Kippurmy zayde would put up his sukkah.)

Err haut dos gehmacht fuhn bretterun zeh flegen zich tzuknaytzen tzu avetlaygen. (He made them from woodenboards and they would fold up to store.)

Mein baubeh fleckt bah shanen deesukeh mit ah forhang ahf dos klehnehvindeh un klehneh eppelach fuhnzayer baim. (My grandmother wouldbeautify the sukkah with little curtains onthe window and she hung crabapplesfrom their tree.)

Yeder nacht flegen zeh einladen ayntauchter un eareh kinder essen in zayersukeh. (Every night they would invite one[of their five] daughter[s] and her childrento eat in their sukkah.)

Shabbos, nauch shul, flegen deegantzeh mishpokhe zein tzuzamen farKiddish in der zaydes sukeh. (Shabbos,after shul, the entire family would haveKiddish in zayde’s sukkah.)

Mein zayde fleckt essen un shlaufenin der sukeh. (My grandfather would eatand sleep in the sukkah.)

Daus zeinen meineh gootehzichroynes fuhn dem leiber yomtovsukahs. (These are my good memories ofthe loving holiday of Sukkos.)

Henya Chaiet is the Yiddish name forMrs. A. Helen Feinn. Born in 1924 ten daysbefore Passover, her parents had come toAmerica one year prior. They spoke onlyYiddish at home so that is all she spoke untilage five when she started kindergarten. Shethen learned English, but has always lovedYiddish and speaks it whenever possible.Chaiet lived in La Porte and Michigan City,Ind., from 1952 to 1978 and currentlyresides in Walnut Creek, Calif. Email:afeinn87@gmail.com. AAAA

Childhood memoriesin the sukkah

BY HENYA CHAIET

Yiddish forEveryday

j i

reverse the values of their parents,whatever they might be. Julie has nowhereto go, when she chooses to rebel, but awayfrom secularism and into religion.

Mensch adds further complicationsbetween husband and wife – she is successful in her career, while he strugglesand fails as a writer. Added to the mix isJulie’s friend Bernard, an aspiring film-maker, whose confused creative effortsfocus on Julie as his star. All four, to doMensch justice, are sharply-drawn characters.

Moreover, director Mark Brokaw directsbriskly, supported by a first-rate cast. Inthe hands of Brokaw and his talented cast– Katie Broad, Johanna Day, Aidan Kunze,and Reg Rogers – Oblivion provides anentertaining evening. Characters play offeach other with intensity, and the dramacomes to life.

But Oblivion could have offered somuch more – if the underlying ideas hadleaped out of the page – fresh, original,and provocative.

Theater critic Irene Backalenick coverstheater for national and regional publications.She has a Ph.D. in theater criticism fromCity University Graduate Center. Her bookEast Side Story – Ten Years with the JewishRepertory Theatre won a first-place nationalbook award in history. She welcomes comments at IreneBack@sbcglobal.net and

BACKALENICK(continued from page 10)

j i

16 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

Rules of Engagement, featured a line givento the show’s lead character, Jeff (PatrickWarburton), who says to his wife: “You know what else is romantic? Thecoat room in the boathouse. Don’t act likeyou don’t remember that bar mitzvah.”

Personally, I hope that Rules writer MikeHaukom does not join How I Met writerChris Harris in a collaborative bar mitzvahepisode.

Did the USA series, NecessaryRoughness, conclude this summer seasonwith some telling names? The engagingprogram is about divorced psychologist,Dr. Danielle “Dani” Santino (CallieThorne), who is trying to pick up her lifeand her career and to raise her teenagechildren after her husband’s extramaritalaffair ends their marriage. She lands onher feet as the counselor to a footballteam, achieving a modicum of success inadvising star player Terrence “T.K.” King(Mehcad Brooks). She encounters intrigueand romance in her relationships andchallenges with the team, but even morewhen she takes a position (in the thirdseason, just ended) at a Manhattan sportsand entertainment management firmheaded by scheming Connor McClane(John Stamos).

By this summer’s finale we learned thatConnor has been conspiring to dope uphis sports clients with a cutting edgeDNA-changing anabolic hormone thatdecreases recovery time from injuries.From behind the scenes, Connor almostlures T.K. into taking the prohibited elixir,but Dani, haunted by the suicide of a colleague, has labored with dogged determination to unearth the rot withinthe firm. Her mysterious love interesthelps her to solve the mystery. She hasdefinitely helped T.K. to find his moralcompass, and he demonstrates fine, evenheroic character both off and on the field.

The firm’s principals have enlisted a Dr.Strauss (William Ragsdale) to be the primepeddler of the illegal, untested drugs.Also, T.K.’s new girlfriend-then-fiancee, amodel named Sheera Kane (Kate Miner),is quite open about her hopes that theirromance be exploited for a lucrative marketing deal. After T.K. is injured,Sheera disapproves of his refusal to beshot up with the gene-changing dope,especially after she learns that he can only get caught if comparisons can bemade to previous DNA readings. Lackingin morality, Sheera vehemently proclaims,“It’s not cheating if no one knows aboutit.” T.K. has to remind her that “juicing”with the stuff could ruin his health as wellas his reputation. When Sheera proteststhat it is not in her five year plan to bemarried to a has-been, T. K. declares,“Youdon’t have a heart, Sheera, and I’m not thewizard. I can’t give you one no matter how

hard I try.” He rightly accuses her ofregarding love as a tool and breaks offtheir engagement.

Since Necessary Roughness is about apsychologist, I would pose the question:What might be in the psyche of writersand producers who identify no Jewishcharacters per se, but name their immoral,corrupting personae Sheera (a form of the Hebrew name, Shira) and Strauss?Ironically, they have Dani give TK classicJewish advice on the importance of a goodname: “There’s no greater bling [a termbetween them] than a man’s reputation.”

While pondering the question posedabove, we ought to consider that last summer writers/producers Liz Kruger andCraig Shapiro, who also penned this season’sfinale, couldn’t resist exposing Dani to ahard-nosed IRS agent named DarrylZelman (Marc Farley), who was identifiedas a “nosher.”Zelman, who was insensitiveto Dani’s suffering because of the financialand other sins of her ex-husband, is readyto come to “a sort of compromise” whenoffered a favorite dish which she prepareswell, but is then visited by a severe allergicreaction to hazelnuts.

Elderly Jews were mentioned in asequence in which Dani looks for T.K. inthe hospital. Scared that Terrence hadpassed away, Dani is told by a nurse,“There was a complication. He didn’tmake it…Mr. Rothstein was a lovelyman.” Clearly, we are supposed to berelieved that Mr. Rothstein passed awayand not Terrence. After Dani returns hometo find her son in bed with his tutor, a senior at his high school, Dani lets himknow, “Mrs. Bernstein’s going to be yourtutor now – old, ugly, Mrs. Bernstein.”

Is there some pattern with Jewishnames – with name-calling, as it were – inthis series, where the young and middle-aged people so named are morally deficient or inconsistent, and the eldersare conveniently dead or ugly?

Rabbi Gertel has been spiritual leader ofcongregations in New Haven and Chicago.He is the author of two books, What JewsKnow About Salvation and Over the |Top Judaism: Precedents and Trends inthe Depiction of Jewish Beliefs andObservances in Film and Television. He hasbeen media critic for The National JewishPost & Opinion since 1979. AAAA

MediaWatchBY RABBI ELLIOT B. GERTEL

How I Met YourMother, Rules ofEngagement andNecessary Roughness

Last TV season, How I Met Your Motheroffered an episode called “The BroMitzvah” to celebrate Barney’s bachelorparty. It seems that endearingly obnoxiousBarney (Neil Patrick Harris) has envisionedhis ideal bachelor party as a bar mitzvah-like ceremony. He has dreamed of wearing“bro-mulkes” and spinning the “bro-del”while listing his wish-list of activities in aTorah-like scroll called a “bro-rah,”writtenwith “he-bro” lettering. Among the itemsof “wisdom” inscribed in the scroll are“booze,”“cigars,”“strippers.”

Friend Ted (Josh Radnor) briefly questionsthe tastefulness of Barney’s program with a sarcastic and predictable pun,“Notat all bro-offensive.” But the productioncrew obviously went to a lot of trouble toproduce a facsimile “Torah” and to haveTed toast “Mazal tov” at the end, eventhough none of the characters has beendepicted as Jewish (though Radnor andanother lead actor are Jewish, and therewas a line in one episode which suggestedthat Ted is “half Jewish.”). The “moral” ofthe episode, as written by Chris Harris, isthat Barney’s friends concocted an “awesome” plan to act out his bachelorparty requests in “the most twisted waypossible,” making a tongue-in-cheekmorality play of his “Torah” list whichmocks both the list and morality!

The episode is not so much about the bar mitzvah ceremony as about thelevel of “Jewish humor” of the show’s production and writing staff at this pointin their lives. Strangely and coincidentally,this was not the only CBS series with barmitzvah on its mind that night (April 29,2013). The beginning of the next show,

“The Bro Mitzvah” episode on How I MetYour Mother. (© CBS)

(L-R) John Stamos and Callie Thorne inNecessary Roughness. (© USA Network)

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 17maintain secrecy while insuring thatMadeline is released alive, the PrimeMinister enlists the help of Gabriel Allon.

What follows is an exciting series ofescalating and intriguingly complexadventures that move from Corsica toIsrael, to London, to several different locations in France and England and,finally to Moscow where Allon has manypowerful enemies. The Russianoil and gasindustry is involved through a Russianenergy company controlled by Russia’sforeign intelligence service. Killings andnarrow escapes keep readers on edge asthe story hurtles to a startling conclusion.Some readers will undoubtedly insist thatthis is Silva’s finest story to date.

A final note – throughout the GabrielAllon series, he has been urged to becomethe head of Mossad. This pressure comesto a conclusion as the book ends. In anauthor’s note, Silva tells his readers that the Russians are increasing their spying activities. This may be a hint toAllon’s future activities, regardless of his status in Mossad. Whatever futureadventures Silva has in store for GabrielAllon, his many fans will eagerly await the next book in the series.

Novel about woman without “get”(Jewish divorce)

The Gallery of Vanished Husbands. ByNatasha Solomons New York: Plume,2013. 339 Pages. $16.

This is the thirdnovel written byNatasha Solomonswho lives inDorset, Englandwith her husbandand young son.Mr. RosenblumDreams in Englishwas followed bybest-seller, TheHouse at Tyneford,which takes placeduring World War II. All three stories areset in England except for a brief episode inthe United States in the newest book.

The protagonist, Juliet Montague, is celebrating her 30th birthday as the storyopens in the London suburb where shelives near her observant parents with hertwo children, Frieda, age 11, and Leonard,age 8. When Juliet was18, she marriedGeorge; he left her six years later in 1952.Since he simply disappeared, there was no divorce. In accordance with Jewish tradition, this made Juliet an aguna, achained woman, since George had not

Illuminated, concluding rather abruptlywithout any effort to summarize what hasbeen so ably presented.

This surprisingly unexpected endingdetracts from what is otherwise a thoughtfulconsideration of how American Jewish life has been depicted on the screen.Goldman leaves the door wide open for asequel on the contemporary Hollywoodscene in which he might examine the contribution of the Coen brothers, StevenSpielberg, Holocaust films, Jewish actorstoday and other manifestations of Jewishinfluence in the world of film.

13th book a superlativespy thriller

The English Girl. By Daniel Silva. NewYork: HarperCollins, 2013. 483 Pages.$27.99.

Before publishing his first novel (TheUnlikely Spy) in 1996, Daniel Silva was a journalist, serving as the Middle Eastcorrespondent in Cairo for United PressInternational. He then worked for CNN’sWashington officeas a producer until1997 when he leftto write full time.His 1996 novel wasfollowed by twomore in 1998 and1999 before Silvabegan the GabrielAllon series in2000 with The KillArtist. The EnglishGirl is the 13thbook featuring Gabriel Allon, a Mossadagent who, between assignments, worksas a skilled art restorer, specializing in Old Master paintings. He is a master spy whose exciting adventures put him in the same category as James Bond and the books about him are popular best sellers, consistently demonstratingSilva’s superlative control of the spythriller genre.

The English girl is Madeline Hart, a rising star in British politics who seems on the way to a seat in Parliament and toa cabinet position. However, she is confronted by a serious hurdle. Madelineis having a secret love affair with thePrime Minister that would ruin them both if it were revealed. The risk becomesintensified when Madeline disappearswhile on vacation in Corsica. Her kidnappers have threatened to kill her inseven days and, eventually, they demand aransom payment of 10 million euros. Sincethe Prime Minister is a wealthy man, thissum is within his means. However, hecannot afford a scandal and so in order to

Jewish influence in the world of film

The American Jewish Story ThroughCinema. By Eric A. Goldman. Austin:University of Texas Press, 2013. 264 Pages.$25 – Paperback; $55 – hardcover.

As the title suggests, this bookexplores AmericanJewish history byexamining moviesas reflections ofthe experiencesencountered byAmerican Jews.Author Goldmanis well-qualified to undertake thistask. He is a teacher in the field of filmstudies, lecturing at Queens College,Yeshiva University, and the JewishTheological Seminary.

After an over-view introduction,Goldman devotes six chapters to lookingin depth at nine films, beginning with thefirst talking picture, The Jazz Singer,starring Al Jolson, in which the stressesand strains between American Jews andtheir immigrant parents are explored.Later versions appeared that featuredDanny Thomas, Jerry Lewis, and NeilDiamond. Yiddish variations of The JazzSinger were also produced. The immigrantgeneration is personified in the father, acantor who is ill or dying just before YomKippur. The American Jew has inheritedhis father’s singing ability but is using it tobecome a Broadway star and the conflictfocuses on whether or not he will take hisfather’s place in the synagogue for Kol Nidre.

Gentleman’s Agreement and Crossfire, bothreleased in 1947, explored anti-Semitismin the United States. Interestingly, severalleaders of American Jewish organizationsand Hollywood moguls, mostly Jews, wereopposed to making these films. It was a non-Jewish producer, Daryl F. Zanuck,who successfully advocated makingGentleman’s Agreement. Both films werewell received and, according to Goldman,they “were part of a coming of age forAmerica’s Jews.”

A chapter on Irwin Shaw’s The YoungLions ably examines how this film represents American Jews in the periodfollowing World War II. This is followed by a chapter on Barbra Streisand, focusingon The Way We Were and The Prince ofTides. The last two chapters discussAvalon, Liberty Heights, and Everything Is

Book ReviewsREVIEWED BY MORTON I. TEICHER

(see Teicher, page 18)

given her a get, a Jewish divorce. Sheremained married to him and was unableto marry another man. The problem of the aguna and the stigma attached to this status has been addressed by contemporary American Jews, especiallythe late Orthodox rabbi, EmanuelRackman, with limited success.

Juliet’s parents are determined to findGeorge in order to arrange for a get so thatshe can remarry. They are driven in part byher going out with other men. Several ofthem are artists who paint her portrait.She decides to open an art gallery, givingup her job inher father’s eye glass factory.The gallery is quite successful, makingJuliet a wealthy woman and an importantpart of London’s art scene in the 1960s.She has a romantic affair with one of theartists and so, hoping to marry her lover,she is unable to refuse her parents whenthey succeed in locating George through aprivate detective.

They obtained a copy of the New YorkJewish Daily Forward that has photographsof 20 men, including George, labeled A Gallery of Vanished Husbands. Formany years, this rogue’s gallery actuallyappeared in the paper several times aweek. An address for George in Californiawas identified. To learn what happenedsubsequently requires reading this first-rate book that concludes with an“Author’s Note.”

Solomons ends by telling her readersthat the actual model for her story is herhusband’s grandmother, Rosie, who isburied in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1948,Rosie’s husband left her with two smallchildren and without any money. Shebecame an aguna who was never divorcedand who never remarried. Years later,when she heard that hehad died, she was“perturbed.” Rosie managed to stay alivelong enough to attend the bar mitzvahof her grandson, David, who is theauthor’s husband. Although the authornever met her husband’s grandmother,she heard many stories about her and was “inspired by her” to write this book.She finishes by saying that she hopes hercharacter, Juliet Montague “possesses adash of Rosie Solomons.”

Dr. Morton I. Teicher is the FoundingDean, Wurzweiler School of Social Work,Yeshiva University and Dean Emeritus,School of Social Work, University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill. AAAA

TEICHER(continued from page 17)

18 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

3 cups noodles8 fish filets6 Tbsp. margarine6 Tbsp. flour3 cups milk2 egg yolks3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place fish ingreased baking dish with a little water and bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven.Raise temperature to 400°. Place 2 Tbsp.margarine in frying pan. Add scallions,salt, pepper and wine. Cover and cook 10minutes. Place spinach in boiling water.Cover and cook 2 minutes. Drain. Cooknoodles in boiling water 7 minutes. Drain.Melt 6 Tbsp. margarine in a saucepan.Add flour to make a roux then add milk.Add fish liquid. Cook 5 minutes then addegg yolks.

Grease a large casserole. Spoon in noodles then add spinach. Place fish ontop. Spoon sauce on top. Sprinkle withParmesan cheese. Bake in preheated

My KosherKitchenREVIEWED BY SYBIL KAPLAN

Fish dishesThis is one of my favorite fish casseroles

and it’s really quick to make.

Salmon Loaf (8 servings)2 lbs salmon (canned or

cooked and flaked)1/2 small grated onion4 eggs1 cup sour cream1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups crushed corn flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease alarge loaf pan. In a bowl, mix togethersalmon, onion, eggs, sour cream and cornflakes. Mold into a loaf shape and place inpan. Bake in preheated oven one hour.

Cucumber Dressing1 large chopped cucumber1/4 cup dill weed2 cups sour cream

Mix together and serve on the side withsalmon loaf.

Leftover Chinese-style Tuna Casserole(8 servings)1 cup Chinese noodles2-1/2 cups water and3-1/3 tsp. cream of mushroom soup mix*2 cans tuna1 cup chopped celery1/2 cup water chestnuts or

bamboo shoots or 1/4 cup of each1/2 cup chopped onions2 tsp. soy sauce2 tsp. sherryChinese noodles

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a casserole or rectangular baking dish.

Combine noodles, soup mix, water,tuna, vegetables, soy sauce and sherry andblend. Put in greased baking dish. Bake inpreheated oven 30 minutes.

*You can also use a can of cream ofmushroom soup and half a can of milkinstead.

Fish, Spinach and Noodle Casserole(8 servings)2 Tbsp. margarine3 Tbsp. chopped scallionssalt and pepper to taste2/3 cup dry white wine1-1/2 pounds spinach

You can’t find today’s most excitingyoung Jewish writers and poets in TheNew Yorker or the American LiteraryReview. They’re writing for the newlyredesigned Yugntruf – and they’re writingin Yiddish.

After a five-year hiatus, this Yiddish-language literary journal of poetry, shortstories, editorials, and articles hasreemerged as a bright, colorful magazinepublished by Yugntruf – Youth for Yiddish,a non-profit dedicated to spreading mame-loshn among young people worldwide.

“The Yugntruf journal is now the onlynon-Hasidic Yiddish language magazinewritten by and for young people,” saidJordan Kutzik, who co-edited the rebornpublication with recent Harvard graduateArun Viswanath.“Yiddish writers need tohave an outlet for their work; Yugntruf is atestament to the continued cultural creativitytaking place in the Yiddish language.”

Now available in hard copy or as onlinedownload at magcloud.com, this newestissue of Yugntruf attracted a flood of submissions from young Yiddish writers inthe US, Israel, Germany, Sweden, Mexicoand Argentina through the journal’s 2012Literary Competition for Poetry and Fiction.

Forty years of past Yugntruf issues have been digitized and can be read atwww.yugntruf.org. For more informationplease call Jordan Kutzik at 267-257-8555or email him at jordank@yugntruf.org. AAAA

New generation of Jewish writersdebuts in Yiddish

j i

400°F. oven 15 minutes. Reduce heat to350°F. and bake 25 minutes more.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, food and featurewriter, and author of nine kosher cookbooks. AAAA

j i

September 25, 2013 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT 19

American Post-Judaism: Identity andRenwal in a Postethnic Society. By ShaulMagid. Indiana University Press.(Bloomington, 2013) 388 Pages.

It is rather unfortunate that the name ofthis extravagantly important book hasbeen clouded by atitle that reflectsrarefied academicjargon – which willserve as a bowwow warning tothe non specialistto approach itscontents. (Thebook jacket unfortunately is as disappointing as the title.)

This is a pity because Magid’s soberreflections on Judaism in the 21st centuryis one of the most profound, challengingand irritating studies this reviewer hasencountered in years. They deserve to beexposed to a large reading public becauseof the author’s control of classic Jewishsources and his willingness to engage inlateral thinking. This exercise will unnervesome of the book’s readers, as they mentally refute many of the author’sanalyses but the investment in time is wellworth the energy required to graspMagid’s universe.

The author is a professor at IndianaUniversity who has spent many years inIsrael, has dabbled in Hassidic-mysticallore and had analyzed with unaccustomedacuity of vision the seismic changes inrecent years within Jews and Judaism,especially on the American scene. His personal odyssey from Orthodoxy to amore liberal theological outlook (which hedoes not discuss in this book – a pity!)reminds one of Renan’s famous quip thatthe best person to analyze religion is onewho once believed but no longer does.

In a book as detailed and complicated asis Magid’s thesis it is impossible to isolateevery theme which the author addresses(and he does so magisterially) but thereare several that this reviewer at least, hasdetached for special consideration. Theyinclude: the consequences of Americandemocracy for the freedom of Jews toredefine themselves, the examination of

Reflections on 21stcentury Judaism

REVIEWED BYPROFESSOR ARNOLD AGES

the possibility of expanding our idea ofconversion to Judaism, the identificationof specific individuals who are leading the charge to rethink the lineaments ofJudaism, the success of the Artscroll pub-lishing empire and – new interpretationsof the Holocaust.

Magid holds that thesociologists of the 1960swho spoke about Americaas a great melting potwere actually right on,despite the occasionalscorn that was heaped on them when their theories were first pronounced. That melting pot, according to Magid, hasblurred the frontier lines between ethnicgroups, religious collectives and racialdivisions.

Insofar as Jews are concerned, intermar-riage is a clear indication that the rigidbarriers between Jews and gentiles havebeen breached and in a peculiarlyAmerican way. Magid cites the example ofan online organization of intermarriedJews who seek the support of like-mindedpeople who do not see conversion as asolution to a problem. They expresswarmth towards their non Jewish partnersand solicit advice and accommodationwithin American society.

The author is very audacious in his ideasabout conversion suggesting that perhapsthe time has come to welcome less stringent norms in the interest of embracing a larger tent of people.Magid, of course, is the theological chessplayer par excellence and he anticipatesevery argument the opposition might careto lob at him with regard to this issue.Thus he invokes Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s category of the “ger toshav”(theBiblical resident alien) or those known as“yirei Shomayim” – God fearing people,as a possible models for the possible softening of traditional standards for conversion to Judaism. Magid knows thatthis category of non Jews is an inexactmodel but he nonetheless uses it withquiet gusto to further his argument.

Equality spirited is the meditationMagid supplies anent Holocaust interpre-tation. He covers the foothills by payingrespect to Fackenheim, Greenberg,Rubinstein and some of the other out-standing exegetes of the Jewish tragedy inEurope but he provides even more spaceto examining the ideas of equally intensecommentators such as Jacob Neusner,Henry Feingold and Jeffrey Sandler. Magidis especially respectful of Neusner, whoalthough an expert in ancient Judaism, haswritten cogently about the Holocaust asan event inducted through the prism ofAmerican society. With Feingold andAlexander, the universalizing element of

the Holocaust is deftly dissected to showhow the Jewish trauma has produced aglobal moral equation.

But probably the most rewarding ofMagid’s observations on this issue comeswith his repeated references to ZalmanSchachter-Shalomi, the onetime HillelDirector at Canada’s University ofManitoba in Winnipeg, for many years aprofessor at Temple University and a man actively involved in both interfaithactivities and Jewish Renewal – of whichhe has been a leading exponent and toShlomo Carlebach, the late lamentedHassidic troubadour. This reviewer mustconfess some surprise at Magid’s elevationof these two figures to great heights as theinaugurators of Jewish renewal on theNorth American continent.

The reasons for the author’s enthusiasmfor Schachter-Shalomi and Carlebach willnot be embraced by everyone but Magid’srationale for his apotheosis of the twodeserves a hearing. Although Carlebach is well known for his magnificent musicallegacy as a “soul doctor” (in fact there is now a play about him on Broadwaybearing that title – see review page 10),he did not write anything about Jewishtheology, the Holocaust, or the State ofIsrael. Magid reports however, that afterone of his concerts, he mentioned a propos, a discussion, about the Holocaustand the Torah that “perhaps it was thewrong Torah” that governed Jewish life inpre-war Europe.

This comment leads the author to alengthy analysis of what exactly Carlebachwas driving at when he uttered thosewords and the explanation comes, in part,from Schachter-Shalomi’s surmise thatthe pre Holocaust generation was an insular one in which the Torah’s strictureshelped segregate Jews from gentiles andthat perhaps it is time to “unsegregate”Jews from the non Jewish world. Magid,of course, is ready with his own rebuttal of this thesis by alluding to the fact thatJewish insularity was caused by centuriesof anti-Semitism and not by the Torah.Yet after reading Magid’s exploration ofthe outreach approach that Schachter-Shalomi and Carlebach use and used intheir métiers, the reader is left with thedisconcerting notion that there may besome merit to Carlebach’s offhand remark.

Shaul Magid’s book reminds thisreviewer of Kafka’s idea that a good bookis like an ice axe that opens up the frozenoceans of our mind.

Arnold Ages is “Distinguished EmeritusProfessor” University of Waterloo, Ontario,Canada and the Scholar-in-Residence at theBeth Tzedec Synagogue, Toronto Canada. AAAA

Book Review

Shaul Magid

20 The Jewish Post & Opinion – NAT September 25, 2013

1427 W. 86th St. #228Indianapolis, IN 46260

OpinionPost&The Jewish

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

US POSTAGEPAID

INDIANAPOLIS, INPERMIT NO. 1321

The new waterfall park called Teddy Park across from The Old City in Jerusalem. Photoby Reuven Schwartz (8/15/13).

(Above) Sapling from “Anne Frank’s tree.”(Right) Sukkah I attended. (see Editorial p. 2)

Bernie De Koven