December 09-January - Washtenaw Jewish News

In this issue…Bicyclingin IsraelsChanukahWonderlandCommunityPhoto Album:JCC BookFestivalWashtenaw Jewish Newsc/o Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor2939 Birch Hollow DriveAnn Arbor, MI 48108Presort StandardU.S. Postage PAIDAnn Arbor, MIPermit No. 85Page 2Page 8Page 22December 2009/January 2010 Kislev/Tevet/Shevat 5770 Volume XXXIV: Number 5 FREEFalse witnessesArt Aisner, special to the WJNIt was a cloudless and picturesque morningin Ann Arbor, when the sunlight peekedthrough the rustling leaves overhead anddanced across rhythmic shadows along thepavement and grass lining Washtenaw Avenue.Between the sounds of squirrels scurryingacross the fallen leaves and the occasional humof the passing vehicle, resonated the clicketyclackof heels hitting concrete.A crowd of finely dressed people—manycarrying talit bags and some with baby strollersin tow—hurriedly moved toward the crosswalkslining Beth Israel Congregation with purposeas this Sabbath was also Rosh Hashanah. Somecongregants were in deep discussion about thesignificance of the Jewish New Year, while otherstalked of lighter issues, like celebrity namesand schoolmate’s text messages.In front of them, across the four lanes ofAnn Arbor’s most heavily traveled roadways,wait four protesters with audacious signs aimedfor their eyes. One decries Israeli statehood, anotherputs down America’s support for it, andstill another demonizes the Zionist belief thatStaci Kennedy, special to the WJNJewish Family Services of WashtenawCounty will honor Judie and Jerry Laxwith the Claire and Isadore BernsteinLeadership Award on Sunday, January 24,2010. The event will take place at 3 p.m. inthe Morris Lawrence Building at WashtenawCommunity College.This award is given each year to membersof the Ann Arbor area who have demonstratedoutstanding community service. Past recipientsinclude Ambassador Ronald N. Weiser andAlbert M. Berriz (McKinley Associates), KennethFischer; Phyllis and David Herzig,;andRachel Bendit and Mark Bernstein. The pastrecipients have graciously agreed to serve asthe honorary chairs for this event.The theme of this year’s event, “Delightful,Delicious, De-Laxes,” will set the tone for anafternoon of desserts, good cheer, and wonderfultributes to a couple that has done somuch to help and enhance the Ann Arborcommunity.Detroit natives Judie and Jerry met in MayHenry Herskovitz Sol Metz Marcia Federbush Gloria Harba Jewish national home belongs on territorywhere Jews have lived for thousands of years,whether in or out of power.For nearly seven years, the congregation ofAnn Arbor’s most visible synagogue has beensubjected to the display of signs and the peoplewho hold them.Originally calling themselves “Jewish Witnessesfor Peace,” the group has held “vigil,” asthey call it, outside regardless of the weather, onevery Saturday, on every bar and bat mitzvah,of 1968 and marriedthree months later atAdat Shalom Synagoguein Detroit. Judieearned both a BA ineducation and an MAin special educationfrom the University ofMichigan. She enjoyeda distinguished careerin education and indevelopment whilealso devoting muchof her life to volunteerwork of all kinds. Withher father and severalfriends serving as role Judie and Jerry Laxmodels, Judie has spent her years in Ann Arbordedicating herself to many worthy causes, includingArbor Hospice, the Ann Arbor PublicSchools, Center for the Education of Women(where she was both on staff and later a memberof their board), Performance Network andevery holiday held on Shabbat. When their callfor reinforcements—publicized on ElectronicIntifada.org—broughtfew Jews, the groupeventually acknowledged demographic realityby adding to their name “and Friends.”On this day, among the holiest on the Hebrewcalendar, those in the crowd do their bestto ignore the demonstrators and try not to givecredence to the signs calling for Israel’s “control”over Congress to end and that Zionismdestroys Judaism.Jewish Family Services to honor Judie and Jerry Lax on January 24the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor.Jerry also attended the U-M, graduatingwith a B.A. in philosophy and then moving onto Harvard Law School where he earned his JurisDoctorate. Jerry has established himself ascontinued on page 30And though the congregants avoid eye contact,they see them, without question. Some,even when parking is at a premium like on theHigh Holidays, park in the neighborhoods behindthe synagogue and walk along the side ofthe building in order to completely avoid thedemonstrators.A crowd of synagogue officials greet congregantsat the door to check their tickets forseating, and to make sure the demonstrators arecontinued on page 26Community invited to JCCChanukah celebrationMargi Brawer, special to the WJNThe Latke Hop, a family Chanukah celebration,will take place at the Jewish Community Centerof Greater Ann Arbor on Saturday, December5, from 6–9 p.m. Highlighting this year’s eventwill be surprise entertainment with nationallyknown mystery musicians. There will be gamesand crafts; havdalah; dinner and live music;dancing; and candlelighting.Tickets for members are $12 for adults and$5 for children ages two and older. Nonmembertickets are $14 for adults and $6 for children.For reservations, call the JCC at 971-0990or visit the JCC website at jccannarbor.org.

I CommunitySave the date: bike trip in Israel, November 4–14, 2010Eileen Freed, special to the WJNThe Jewish Community Foundation of GreaterAnn Arbor has announced the Ann ArborCommunity Bike Trip in Israel to take placeNovember 4-14, 2010. A committee, chaired byHillary Murt, is working with trip coordinatorsRabbi Bob Levy and Eileen Freed to develop anexciting itinerary focused on northern Israel,Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.“Cycling trips have become my preferredtype of vacation,” said Murt. “This trip willcombine my love of cycling with my interest inseeing parts of Israel not usually encountered ona normal tour of the country.” There has beensignificant participation in organized cyclingvacations among many in the community. Thistrip is designed to offer a similar combinationof great cycling, interesting sites, and deliciousfood. An added bonus will be a stay in AnnArbor’s Partnership 2000 community, MoshavNahalal, and the participation of members ofNahalal in some portions of the ride.The trip provider, Ecobike Cycling Vacations,specializes in bike tours in Israel and theMediterranean. Its co-founder, Amir Rockman,has cycled across North and Central Americaand has guided tours in Israel, Turkey, and theUnited States. During the past two summers,Rockman and Rabbi Levy co-led the Olin-Sanger-Ruby Union Institute’s “Wheels Aroundthe Lake” program, a four-week teen bike triparound Lake Michigan. “Amir is an outstandingguide and really knows his bikes,” said RabbiLevy. “His expertise and dedication will ensureour group has an exceptional experience.”An introductory meeting about the trip willbe held Sunday, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. at theJCC. For more information, contact Eileen Freedat eileenfreed@jewishannarbor.org or 677-0100.Chaverim B’Shirim to perform at JCC on December 13Margi Brawer, special to the WJNChaverim B’Shirim will perform composerHarold Rome songs at the Jewish CommunityCenter of Greater Ann Arbor on Sunday,December 13, at 3 p.m.Chaverim B’Shirim will perform selectedsongs from Rome’s popular Broadway musical,Call Me Mister, which ran for 734 performancesin late 1940s. The musical celebrated the joys ofcivilian life and gave expression to the post-wareuphoria sweeping the United States. ChaverimB’Shirim director Marilyn Krimm promisesthat the performance will be very enjoyable, especiallythe choir rendition of “South America,Take It Away.” The choir will also perform excerptsfrom Rome’s The Zulu and The Zayda,and Fanny at the concert.Rome’s first Broadway musical revue, Pinsand Needles, was sponsored and performed bymembers of the International Ladies GarmentPlan now for March 2010 AIPAC Policy ConferenceFlorence Gerber, special to the WJNThe AIPAC Policy Conference is the pro-Israelcommunity’s preeminent annual gathering.Register today and join more than 6,000community and student activists from all 50states, more than half of the Senate, a third ofthe House of Representatives and countless Israeliand American policymakers and opinionleaders. Past speakers includ Hillary Clinton,Newt Gingrich, Steny Hoyer, John McCain,Benjamin Netanyahu, Barack Obama, andNancy Pelosi.For more than half a century, the AmericanIsrael Public Affairs Committee has worked tohelp make Israel more secure by ensuring thatAmerican support remains strong. As America’sleading pro-Israel lobby, AIPAC works withboth Democratic and Republican political leadersto enact public policy that strengthens thevital U.S.-Israel relationship. With the supportWorkers Union. It had the longest run of anymusical during the 1930s and the productionreflected a new socially conscious outlook thatfollowed Roosevelt’s presidency. Rome wroteseveral other revues and shows following CallMe Mister throughout the 1950s and 1960s,and in 1982, he was inducted into the SongwritersHall Of Fame. Chaverim’s B’Shirimwill celebrate Rome’s musical legacy at boththeir December concert and their spring concertin April 2010.Chaverim B’Shirim promises an exceptionalafternoon of music and song as they honor theworks of an exceptional songwriter. Admissionis a $5 donation and refreshments will beserved. The event is sponsored by the Marilynand Sam Krimm Musical Arts Fund. For moreinformation about the concert, call 971-0990 oremail lesliebash@jccfed.org.of its members nationwide, AIPAC has workedwith Congress and the Executive Branch on numerouscritical initiatives—from securing vitalforeign aid for Israel to passing legislation aimedat stopping Iran’s illicit nuclear program.From March 21–23, 2010, Policy Conferencedelegates will have the opportunity tochoose from dozens of informative sessions andparticipate in the pro-Israel community’s largestadvocacy day.On Monday evening attend the Gala Banquetwith two thirds of Congress, foreign diplomatsand staff from the Obama administration.On Tuesday visit your congressional representativeand Senators Levin and Stabenow.Register by December 31, 2009, to receive a$100 early bird discount. For more information,check www.aipac.org or call Florence Gerberat 973-2593.2935 Birch Hollow DriveAnn Arbor, Michigan 48108voice: 734/971-1800fax: 734/971-1801e-mail: WJN.editor@gmail.comwww.washtenawjewishnews.orgEditor and PublisherSusan Kravitz AyerCalendar EditorClaire SandlerAdvertising ManagerGordon WhiteDesign and LayoutDennis PlatteStaff WritersNoa Gutterman, David Erik Nelson,San SlomovitsContributing WritersArt Aisner, Jacob Berkman, Margi Brawer,Rabbi Lisa Delson, Sharlan Douglas, EmilyEisbruch, Annette Fisch, Eileen Freed,Florence Gerber, Rabbi Aharon Goldstein,Ben Harris, Peretz Hirshbein, Susan Horowitz,Deborah Huerta, Jasmina Kelemen, StaciKennedy, Claire Kinberg, Dina Kraft, ChanaKroll, Joan Levitt, Robin Little, Linda Morel,Merrill Polliner, Edmon J. Rodman, MaeSander, Cindy Saper, Penny Schwartz, GilShefler, Dina Shtull, Ronnie Simon, ElliotSorkin, Bert Stratton, Mira SussmanThe Washtenaw Jewish News is a free and independentnewspaper. It is published monthly,with the exception of January and July. It is registeredas a Non-profit Michigan Corporation.Opinions expressed in this publication do notnecessarily reflect those of its editors or staffMember ofAmerican Jewish Press Association©2009 by the Washtenaw Jewish News.All rights reserved. No portion of the WashtenawJewish News may be reproduced withoutpermission of the publisher.Signed letters to the editor are welcome; they shouldnot exceed 400 words. Letters can be emailed to theeditor at WJN.editor@gmail.com. Name will bewithheld at the discretion of the editor.Circulation: 5,000Subscriptions:$12 bulk rate inside Washtenaw County$18 first-class su bscriptionThe deadline for the February 2010 issue of theWashtenaw Jewish News isFriday, January 8.Publication date: Friday, January 27Extra copies of the Washtenaw Jewish Newsare available at locations throughoutWashtenaw County.IIn this issue…Advertisers................................................... 39Around Town................................................ 38Calendar...................................................... 31Congregations.............................................. 10Israel............................................................ 14Kosher Cuisine.............................................. 28On Another Note.......................................... 24Seniors........................................................... 5Youth........................................................... 16Vitals............................................................ 39Women.......................................................... 4World Jewry................................................. 122 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

ICommunityJewish Community Center to host Harvey Ovshinsky’s“How to Complete Your First Movie Script in Six Months”Sharlan Douglas, special to the WJNHave you ever dreamed about writingyour own screenplay? Do yousee yourself as the next Larry Kasdan(Raiders of the Lost Ark), Bruce Joel Rubin(Ghost) or Nora Ephron (Julie and Julia)? Howdo you start? Where do you go to learn how towrite your first movie script?The answer is the Jewish Community Centerof Greater Ann Arbor where, starting in January,local awarding-winning screenwriter anddocumentary producer Harvey Ovshinsky willhost his popular screenwriters support group,“How to Complete Your First Movie Script inSix Months,” co-sponsored by the MichiganProduction Alliance.Ovshinsky’s group has been created specificallyfor aspiring screenwriters who feel the needfor extra direction, motivation, and personal attention.“Although we teach the nuts and bolts,learning how to write a movie isn’t that difficult,”Ovshinsky said, “The real challenge for new orfrustrated writers is what do you do, where doyou go for support while you’re actually writingyour first screenplay? That’s the hard part andthat’s where we come in.”In the past, Ovshinsky has presented hispopular “How to Complete Your First MovieScript in Six Months” screenwriters group atCranbrook, the Community House in Birminghamand The Grosse Pointe War Memorial.The JCC is Ovshinsky’s first Ann Arborvenue.“’Every writer needs an address’,” saidOvshinsky, quoting Isaac Bashevis Singer. “Sodo writing teachers, which is why I’m delightedthe JCC of Greater Ann Arbor is our group’s addressin Washtenaw county.”The Detroit News has described Ovshinskyas “one of the country’s finest storytellers.” Hewrote the award-winning script, The Keyman.His Movie-of-the-Week script, PJ and the Dragon,was represented by Creative Artists AgencyCo-founders of Hand in Hand Schools to speak December 9Eileen Freed, special to the WJNLee Gordon and AminKhalaf, co-founders ofHand in Hand Schools inIsrael will speak on Wednesday,December 9, at 7:30 p.m. at BethIsrael Congregation. While thereis no cost for the program, preregistrationis required.Hand in Hand Schools,founded in 1998, has grown to anetwork of elementary and middleschools in four locations inIsrael. The schools educate Jewishand Arab children and offer a bilingual,bi-cultural curriculum.The talk, sponsored by the JewishFederation of Greater Ann Arbor,will explore the state of integratedJewish/Arab education in Israeland its future prospects as theproject enters its second decade.Khalaf currently serves as president of Handin Hand. Born in the Israeli Arab village ofMuqeble in the Galilee, he earned his bachelorof art and masters degrees at Hebrew Universityin Jerusalem. He has taught in both Arab and(CAA) and optioned by LongbowProductions (A League ofTheir Own).Harvey Ovshinsky and hisAnn Arbor-based video productionand story consultingcompany, HKO Media, havebeen awarded broadcasting’shighest honors including anational Emmy, a Peabody, aduPont-Columbia UniversityAward and the American FilmInstitute’s Robert M. BennettAward for Excellence.Ovshinsky has won awardsat both the Toronto and SanFrancisco Jewish Film Festivals.His film about Franklinartist Arthur Schneider washonored at the Detroit Film Theatre at theDetroit Institute of Arts and the Lenore MarwilJewish Film Festival. HKO Media has producedvideos for the Jewish Vocational Society(JVS), the Jewish Community Council of MetropolitanDetroit, and the Jewish Federation ofWashtenaw County.“Harvey’s gift,” recalls Jeanette Keramedjian,former director of the Cranbrook PM programwhich first introduced Ovshinsky’s screenwritingworkshops and groups, “is that he combineshis real world knowledge of the industry with ahands-on teaching style that is as nurturing andsupportive as I have seen in any classroom.”“For me, this work is deeply personal as wellas professional,” Ovshinsky said. “I believe eachone of us has the power to light up the worldwith our stories. The trick is to find a way tofan the flames of our creativity so that otherscan see the light that shines inside.”Ovshinsky taught screenwriting and documentaryfilmmaking at Wayne State University.He has been a guest lecturer at the University ofHarvey OvshinskyJewish and Arab school children at Hand in Handschool in the Galilee.Jewish public schools in Jerusalem and lectureson education at the David Yellin College ofEducation in Jerusalem.Originally from the United States, Gordonlived in Israel for two decades, duringMichigan, Michigan State University,Eastern Michigan University,Oakland University,Madonna University, SchoolcraftCollege and MacombCounty Community College.His series of videotaped lectures,Letters to a Young Filmmaker,is fast becoming a viralsensation on YouTube and apopular teaching tool in manyfilm schools.“We’re very excited thatthe Jewish CommunityCenter can bring Harvey’sscreenwriters’ group to ourcommunity,” said LeslieBash, JCC executive director.“With so much interestin the state’s film incentives, more and morepeople are looking for ways to tell their storiesin the form of movie scripts. We may be the‘people of the book,’” Bash adds with a smile,“but I believe history has shown that Jews canalso be very adept at putting pen to paper.”Harvey Ovshinsky’s screenwriting group,“How to Complete Your First Movie Script inSix Months,” will meet at the JCC from 7–10p.m. on the first Monday of every month,starting on January 4, 2010, and ending onJune 7, 2010. Participants will receive a samplescript, a complete bibliography of screenwritingbooks, publications, and contests, plus informationabout helpful computer formattingsoftware. Also included is the latest version ofOvshinsky’s popular, The Ten Most ImportantFirst Rules of Storytelling.The cost for all six group sessions is $300 forstudents, and members of the Michigan ProductionAlliance. General admission is $325. Toregister call Leslie Bash at 971-0990. For moreinformation, call 996-8011. nwhich he was actively involved inJewish-Arab dialogue and partnershipprojects. Gordon earnedan masters degree in social workfrom the Hebrew University andgraduated from the Mandel Institute’sprestigious School forEducational Leadership. He currentlyserves as executive directorof American Friends of Hand inHand which works to raise supportand awareness of the schoolsthroughout the United States.The Federation has madeannual allocations to Hand inHand since 2005, and has madeseveral visits to its schools in theGalilee and Kafr Kana. The 2009allocation provides funding toimplement a leadership andsocial justice program for sixthgraders in the Galilee school.To RSVP, contact Cindy Adams at cindy@jewishannarbor.org or 677-0100. For moreinformation, email Eileen Freed at eileenfreed@jewishannarbor.org.nWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 20103

I WomenJewish Women’s Circle meets for friendship, creativity, and learningMae Sander, special to the WJNThe Jewish Women’s Circle of WashtenawCounty is celebrating mitzvot this fall. Atthe meeting on December 7 at 7:30 p.m.,the group will make candles and talk aboutcandle-lighting in Jewish tradition. Participantswill also discuss the role of candles in celebratingShabbat, Chanukah, and other festivals. The goalsof the Women’s Circle are to enable participantsto develop friendships, learn about a wide rangeof Jewish topics, and foster their creativity.At the two earlier meetings this fall, participantsmade challah and learned moreabout its meaning, and visited Ann Arbor’smikvah and learned about this Jewish traditionand how it is continued today. Each ofthe first three Women’s Circle topics relatesto a particular mitzvah for women.At the challah-making meeting in September,old and new attendees had a chanceto get to know one another while sharing theexperience of forming and baking the dough.Twenty-four women came together for thisactivity, including one who had just arrivedby plane that day for a stay in Ann Arbor. Eachparticipant made her own small loaf of challahto take home. Esther Goldstein, one of theorganizers, says “As women we have the privilegeof making challah and lighting candles—part of the mitzvah of honoring Shabbat.”To begin the October meeting, the 14 participantsintroduced themselves by describinga mitzvah (good deed) in her experience.One woman had recently made a majorcommitment as a volunteer at Jewish FamilyServices. Others mentioned small things liketaking a field trip with a child’s class, telephoningan older or unwell friend, receivinghelp with leaf-raking, or just giving a hug atthe right moment. Esther Goldstein, who ledthe meeting, then discussed various meaningsof the word mitzvah, including ethicaland humanistic obligations and religious obligations.She then explained about the mikvahand its relationship to Jewish family life.The group watched a video and toured themikvah at Chabad House. Opportunities toask questions and discuss the topic occurredthroughout the evening.The January meeting will be held onMonday, January 25, at 7:30 p.m. The topicembodies a change of pace: “Reflect, Relax,Renew: Low Impact Yoga and Personal Reflection.”In celebration of the secular NewYear, the group will explore a dimension ofspiritual and physical activity through anevening’s yoga practice with Ann Arbor yogainstructor Rachel Portnoy. Attendees areasked to wear comfortable clothing in whichthey can do yoga and to bring a large towelor (if they have one) a yoga mat.At the Chabad House mikvahAll Jewish women in the community areinvited to the Jewish Women’s Circle meetings,no matter what their religious affiliationsor non-affiliations are. Organizers areEsther Goldstein, Mimi Weisberg, and others.Organizers maintain a Facebook page, entrieson community calendars, and an emaillist to inform participants of activities andthe location of each meeting. For those whowould like to sponsor the Circle, an annualvoluntary contribution of $54 is requested.There is a meeting fee of $10. nFor more information about Women’s Circleevents, contact Esther Goldstein at 995-3276or esther@jewmich.com or Mimi Weisberg atmimi.weisberg@gmail.com.Beth Israel Women’s League newsFlorence Gerber, special to the WJNBeth Israel CafeThe third Beth Israel Café sponsored byWomen’s League will be held on Sunday,December 6, from 9 a.m. to noon at Beth IsraelCongregation. Men and women are invitedto relax, nosh, and shmooz. Other BethIsrael Cafes will be held on January 17,February 14, and April 18, also at 9 a.m.December meetingVanessa Ochs, research fellow at theUniversity of Michigan Frankel Institutefor AdvancedJudaic Studieswill explainher research“Beyond theMenorah andTzedaka box:How do ObjectsMake aJewish HomeJewish?” onThursday,December 10at 7:45 p.m.at Beth IsraelCongregation.Ochs, associate professor of religiousVanessa OchsHadassah Chanukah celebrationAnnette F. Fisch, special to the WJNstudies at the University of Virginia, is ananthropologist of Jewish life. Ochs will reporton research that includes the Ann Arborcommunity and the households of BethIsrael Women’s League members.Ochs is the author of numerous works,including Inventing Jewish Ritual, winner ofa 2007 National Jewish Book Award; SarahLaughed; The Jewish Dream Book (withElizabeth Ochs); and Words on Fire. For herwriting, she was awarded a fellowship fromthe National Endowment for the Arts. Shewas also scholar in residence at the most recentWomen’s League Biennial Convention.Women’s League Chanukah Gift ShopDo your Chanuah shopping at Women’sLeague Gift Shop on Sunday mornings orWednesday afternoons during religiousschool. For an appointment, call DorisMiller at 662-5926.The Gift Shop is selling all occasion cards(milestone, get well, mazal tov, condolence,special occasion, rejoicing, thank you, andnew baby) to benefit the Jewish TheologicalSeminary, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies,and the Schechter Institute of JewishStudies. All cards are $2 except for new baby,which sell for $3. Women’s League memberSherri Peller (994-4013 or sgpeller@comcast.net)will mail cards for purchasers foran extra $1 per card.On Thursday, December 17, at 7:30 p.m., the Ann Arbor Chapter of Hadassah will celebrateChanukah at the home of Julie Ellis, 3929 Waldenwood. Attendees should bring a regiftableitem for the “white elephant gift” exchange, and bring an appetite for latkes. Reserve by December13 to Martha Young, 769-7523 or youngmmarth@comcast.net.ORT Chanukah partyJoan Levitt, special to the WJNThe Ann Arbor chapter of ORT America willhold its Annual “Chai’Nukah” party on Sunday,December 6, from 3–5 p.m., at the CommunityRoom at Nature Cove Condominiums,2115 Nature Cove Court.The party will feature a Latke Cook-off,with participants sharing their favorite latkesand the latke recipe. There will be prizes for thebest latkes. There will also be a “white elephantaccessory” exchange. Guests should wrap a favorite,gently-used accessory, such as a scarf,purse, or jewelry, for a Chanukah gift exchange.ORT members and prospective members arewelcome to join the fun. In the spirit of “Chai,”all party-goers are asked to make an $18 donationto ORT America. Rides to the party areavailable to those who need them.ORT America supports World ORT’sschools and high-tech training programs in 62countries, empowering 300,000 students andbeneficiaries annually. The cutting edge educationacquired at ORT schools, colleges, andinternational programs provide marketableskills that enable students to attain successfulcareers, become community leaders, and livewith dignity. ORT’s global network educatesindividuals, impacts communities, and improvesthe world.For more information or to RSVP, callJeanne Thomas at 429-5948, or send an emailto jthoma25@gmail.com, with “ORT RSVP”in the subject line.4 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

ISeniorsSPICE* of Life*Social, Physical, Intellectual, Cultural, and Educational Programs for AdultsDecember and JanuaryTuesdays11 a.m. – Energy Exercise with Maria Farquhar.$4 per session, or 3 sessions for $10Noon – Dairy Lunch Buffet. $3 per person1 p.m. – Games and Activities. Join in for a variety of gamesand activities including mahjong, quilting, art projects, andother card games. *New* Bridge club at 1 p.m.1:30 p.m. – Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group). Opento the public as well as University of Michigan faculty, staff andstudents, all ages and levels welcome. Beanster’s Café, ground floor,Michigan League. Free. For more information, call 936-2367.Thursdays10 a.m. – Energy Exercise with Maria Farquhar. $4 per session,or 3 sessions for $1011 a.m. – Current Events with Heather Dombey. A Jewishperspective on this week’s news. Bring items of interest forgroup discussion.Noon – Dairy Lunch Buffet. $3 per person1 p.m. – Thursday Special Events and Presentations(see box for details)2:15 p.m. – Literary Group facilitated by Sidney Warschausky,Call Merrill Poliner, 971-0990, for more informationand the current book.Fridays1:30 p.m.– Yiddish Reading Group at the Jewish CommunityCenter. Call Ray Juni for additional information at 761-2765Thursday special events and presentationsDecember 312:30 p.m. Birthday celebration for all with Decemberbirthdays. Bring your family and friends for lunch andbirthday cake. 1 p.m. Mariko Foulke, social worker at theUniversity of Michigan Turner Clinic, will lead a presentationand discussion on depression and older adults.December 1012:30 p.m. A registered nurse from Care Responsewill take and record blood pressures and address anyquestions. Free. (This event is repeated the second Thursdayof each month.)1 p.m. The first decade after World War II witnessedmajor changes in how we lived: family, housing, education,music, appliances and work. Join the fun in rememberingwhat you were doing back when.December 1711 a.m. Join the children, families and staff of theJCC’s Early Childhood Center for an intergenerationalChanukah celebration including singing, dancing, craftsand discussion.12:30 p.m. Allison Pollock, MSW, Jewish Family Servicesgeriatric social worker will be available for discussion,questions and assistance.1 p.m. Rabbi Levy of Temple Beth Emeth joins SPICEfor Chanukah.December 241 p.m. Local stand-up comedienne, Paddy Ash, willentertain the group with her healthy humor.December 311 p.m. Come to the JCC for an hour of favorite comedian,Jack Benny, the archetypal ongeblozen tightwad on video.January 712:30 p.m. Birthday celebration for all with Januarybirthdays. Bring your family and friends for lunch andbirthday cake. 1 p.m. A representative from the JewishGenealogical Society of Michigan will illustrate how toget information about one’s ancestors.January 1412:30 p.m. A registered nurse from Care Responsewill take and record blood pressures and address anyquestions. Free. (The second Thursday of each month.)1 p.m. University of Michigan School of Music violinperformance student, Paul Dryden Trapkus will performa recital.January 2112:30 p.m. Allison Pollock, MSW, Jewish Family Servicesgeriatric social worker will be available for discussion,questions and assistance.1 p.m. Arie Lipsky, musical director of the Ann ArborSymphony Orchestra, returns to the JCC for music anddiscussion.January 281 p.m. University of Michigan doctoral student,Tam Perry, will facilitate a presentation and discussionon the various ways that the process of moving may affectseniors.Shop with theTemple BeTh emeTh GifT Shop2309 Packard St, Ann Arbor665-4744If you missed our Chanukah Bazaar on 11/21 & 11/22,join us for the best deals in town at a special:Chanukah SaleSunday, December 6, 3 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.Or shop during our regular hours:Mondays and Wednesdays 4:30-6 p.m.Sunday evenings 6-7:30 p.m.Friday evening hours 6:30-7:30 p.m.Or by appointment, for your convenience.Sponsored by Temple Beth Emeth SisterhoodWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 20105

I CommunityJStreet Conference historic eventClare Kinberg, special to the WJNSeveral Jews from Ann Arbor joinedthe overflow crowds at the JStreetConference “Driving Change, SecuringPeace: The First National Conference forProgressive Pro-Israel, Pro-Peace Advocates,”October 25–28 in Washington, D.C.“The feeling there was of participating ina historic moment,” says Tamar Weaver, anIsraeli American and member of Ann Ar-Rebecca Kanner and Aaron Ahuviabor’s Brit Tzedek v’Shalom chapter. Weaverdescribes the experience, “The conferencebegan for me with the greetings from TzipiLivni, representing the largest Israeli politicalparty and from Shimon Peres, Israeli president…the atmosphere was euphoric—finally,American Jews coming together to show aninterest in loving Israel and recognizing thedifferent voices in the Israeli public.”Fifteen hundred people attended the twodayconference, followed by a day of lobbyingon Capitol Hill. The Michigan delegationmet directly with Representatives SandorLevin and Mark Schauer, and with staffpeople in the offices of Debbie Stabanow,John Conyers, Dale Kildee and John Kilpatrick.Each member of Congress was asked tomake a public statement expressing supportfor the peace process.The conference also marked the officialmerger of Brit Tzedek v’Shalom withJSteet. Brit Tzedek staff and members noware field organizers for JStreet. Last year thecampus-based Union of Progressive Zionists(UPZ) alsomerged withJStreet, becomingthe campuswing. The span ofages at the conferencewas noted inseveral reports;young, old and inthe middle cametogether with acommon agendaof supporting Israelto reach a negotiatedtwo-statesolution. Theworkshops andplenaries werestanding room only. Another participantfrom Ann Arbor, Rebecca Kanner, attendeda workshop titled “How to Stop Talking toOurselves,” in which Rabbi Melissa Weintraubdescribed her work arranging opportunitiesfor American and Israeli Jewishleaders—including federation directors, rabbis,and even settlers—to meet with Palestiniansin Israel and the West Bank.The delegates returned to Ann Arbor inspiredby the hope and energy of the conference.Both the Ann Arbor Brit Tzedekv’Shalom chapter and University of MichiganHillel’s UPZ have several programs inthe works for the coming year. nJFS partners with Red Cross for refugee awarenessprogram on December 10Mira Sussman, special to the WJNIn celebration of Red Cross Red Crescent’s 150thanniversary, the Washtenaw County Red CrossChapter is participating in “Expressions ofHumanity Week,” December 4–December 11.Jewish Family Services is partnering by sponsoringa one-night event, “Building NewLives—Refugees in Washtenaw County” onThursday, December 10, 7-9 p.m. at the AnnArbor Art Center, 117 West Liberty Street. Theevent is free and open to the public.The Resettlement Program at JFS assistsrefugees and their families with critical socialservices needed to ease their transition into anew way of living. With this help, individualsbecome self-sufficient and are able to createa stable living environment in the Ann Arborarea. Since August 2008, JFS has helpedresettle nearly 100 refugees, mainly fromwar-torn Iraq, with hundreds more familiesresettled from around the world since JFSbegan in 1993.Come hear first-person accounts fromrefugees of the Iraq War—their experiencesin Iraq, in transit, and here in Michigan.For other Expressions of Humanity WeekExprEssions ofHumanityDecember 4, 2009 through January 3, 2010events, including lectures, panel presentations,photo and art exhibits, go to www.jfsannarbor.orgor www.wc-redcross.org.Jewish Family Services accredited by CARFRobin Little, special to WJNJCorps founder wins first Jewish Community Heroes awardBy Jacob BerkmanNEW YORK (JTA)—After weeks of deliberationand the tally of more than 600,000online votes, the Jewish Federations of NorthAmerica has named its first Jewish CommunityHero—Ari Teman, thefounder of JCorps.A panel of judges fromoutside the federation systemchose Teman, 27, for the$25,000 Jewish CommunityHeroes prize after whittlingdown a list of more than 400nominees.The Jewish Federationsannounced the choice Tuesdayat the closing plenarysession of its General Assemblyconference in Washingon.The contest was part ofthe federation system’s newAri Temanmultimillion-dollar marketing and rebrandingstrategy to broaden its base of support.Teman’s organization sets up young Jewswith volunteer opportunities in nine citiesover three continents—all while working onvirtually no budget.Teman, a standup comedian by day, runsJewish Family Services of WashtenawCounty has been accredited by theCommission on Accreditation of RehabilitationFacilities (CARF) for a period ofthree years. This achievement is an indicationof the agency’s dedication and commitmentto improving the quality of the lives ofthe clients served.This accreditationdecision representsthe highestlevel of accreditationthat canbe awarded to anorganization andshows the organization’ssubstantialconformance to the CARF standards. Anorganization receiving a three-year accreditationhas put itself through a rigorous peerreview process and has demonstrated to ateam of surveyors during an on-site visit thatits programs and services are of the highestquality, measurable and accountable.CARF International is an independent,nonprofit accrediting body whose mission isto promote the quality, value, and optimaloutcomes of services through a consultativeaccreditation process that centers on enhancingthe lives of persons served. Foundedin 1996 as the Commission on Accreditationof Rehabilitation Facilities, and now knownas CARF, the accrediting body establishedconsumer-focused standards to help organizationsmeasure and improve the quality oftheir programs and services.Following a two-day site visit in August,the CARF report was received in October.The report outlined multiple areas ofstrength at JFS, including:• Exceptional, dedicated, and forward-lookingboard of directors• Positive, strong, and vibrant leadership• Knowledgeable, capable, highly-motivatedand dedicated staff• Supportive funders who see JFS as a modelfor other community agencies• Respect for the individual cultural diversityof clients served• Dedication to quality assurance and improvementWith goals of long-term sustainability andfinancial viability, JFS will now be engagedin efforts that leverage the capacity buildingand financial opportunities afforded byCARF accreditation. These efforts includemoving forward with third party billing forreimbursement of services (i.e., assistancewith immigration and naturalization, supportfor aging in place and mental healthcounseling) that are covered by both governmentand private insurance providers.JFS received grants from the Jewish Federationof Greater Ann Arbor, the Ann ArborArea Community Foundation, and the JamesA. & Faith Knight Foundation, that helped tofund the staffing and other agency costs associatedwith accreditation. nJCorps as a volunteer on a budget that isprobably less than the award he will takehome. Yet the organization has enlisted some10,000 volunteers for local community serviceprojects in the UnitedStates, Canada and Israel.“This will enable us totake in a lot more volunteersrapidly without having toworry, ‘Do we have to slow itdown because we can’t affordto bring more people in?’ ”Teman told JTA.Teman said he startedJCorps in 2007 on somethingof a late-night whim abouthow he could meet moreJewish people.The money will help theprogram expand and perhapsallow Teman to hire his first professionalstaff member.“The first year we started with $300,” hesaid. “We like to say that if we had no moneywe could still keep running, which is great,because it means the money we put in is forgrowth.”Senior photography exhibit at JCCAll photographers 55 and over are invited to submit recent photographs to the JCC’s SeniorPhotography Exhibit. Photographers can submit up to six photographs of new work, anysize, suitable for hanging. Call Merrill Poliner at the JCC at 971-0990 for more informationand applications.6 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

Local couple visits Jewish groups operating in RussiaEileen Freed, special to the WJNWhen Sheldon and Geri Markelsigned up for a University ofMichigan alumni tour of Moscowand St. Petersburg, Russia, they thought theyshould see and learn more about the local Jewishcommunity. Since this was not a part of thegroup’s itinerary, they turned to the Jewish Federationof Greater Ann Arbor. Federation staffcontacted the American Jewish Joint DistributionCommittee (JDC), whose staff arranged avariety of visits for the Markels.The JDC operates a wide range of programsand institutions in the Former SovietUnion (FSU) includingJewish communitycenters and anetwork of socialservice agencies forsenior services calledHesed Avot. In Moscow,the Markels visitedthe NikitskayaJewish Cultural Center(JCC) and wereimpressed with therange and quality ofprogramming. “Thecenter was so busy;there was somethinghappening for everyBronislava Roubanova (left) and herhome care aideage throughout the building,” said Sheldonof his visit. The center, located in a renovatedmansion, offers classes and programsfor children and adults of all ages, includingMarkels do crafts with pre-school childrenat the Moscow JCCdance, yoga, fitness,theater, art and a widerange of Jewish classesand experiences. “Iwas quite impressedwith the sophisticatedceramics and animationstudios and thequality of the work,”recalled Geri.In St. Petersburg, the Markels visitedYESOD, St. Petersburg’s newly renovated“Jewish Community Home.” In addition toa similar high level and variety of programming,YESOD housesan impressive theaterand offers a range ofservices to senior citizensincluding medicalconsultation, ahair salon, volunteeropportunities and hotmeals. “The seniors areliving on a very smallpension,” said Geri.“These services helpkeep them involved inthe community andliving a meaningfullife.”JDC staff broughtthe Markels to thehome of BronislavaMikhailvona Roubanova,a 79-year-old woman who is confinedto her fourth floor apartment due to ill healthand disability. “From the outside, the buildinglooked fine,” said Sheldon, “but on the inside,the paint was peeling and there was exposedelectrical wire. The apartment was a tiny roomwith a bed and a kitchen sink; not much more.”Roubanova, who survived the German siegeof Leningrad (St. Petersburg), never married,suffers from epilepsy and other medical conditions,and has no family to care for her. If it werenot for the 80 hours of home care a month providedby Hesed, she would be completely aloneand unlikely to survive on her pension of $414a month.“This was a very important visit for us.It is important for people in Ann Arbor tobe aware of the very difficult situation of theelderly in the FSU as well as the impressiverenaissance of the Jewish community,” saidSheldon. “A portion of the overseas allocationmade by the Jewish Federation goes tothe JDC to pay for these necessary services.I’m so glad I had the opportunity to see theseprojects first-hand.” Geri added that, “in spiteof their heavy workload, the JDC staff wasable to accommodate us on very short notice.I was very impressed with their professionalismand the care they clearly put into everyaspect of our visit.”To learn more about enriching visits toJewish communities while traveling abroad,contact Eileen Freed at eileenfreed@jewishannarbor.orgor 677-0100. nSheldon and Geri Markel inSt. Petersburg, RussiaJPros offers professional developmentMira Sussman and Eileen Freed, special to the WJNLeaders of local Jewish professional developmentgroups gather in Malibu.It may come as a surprise, but Ann Arbor’sJewish community is home to a group thatexists in only eleven other cities in NorthAmerica. Despite the community’s small size,it is home to something that Toronto, Atlanta,Chicago and Detroit do not have—a group dedicatedto the continued education and developmentof its Jewish professional leadership.The local organization, Jewish Professionalsof Greater Ann Arbor (aka JPros) is open to allprofessional staff who work for Jewish agencies,synagogues, schools and organizations, and isin its third year as an active group. Membersrun the gamut of professions; from rabbis toadministrators, teachers to development directors,program staff to service generalists. JPros’mission is to enhance its members’ skills, facilitatecommunication among colleagues fromdifferent organizations, and encourage thehighest professional standards and communityesteem for its members—all with an eyeWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010towards strengthening professional service tothe community.In November, Steering Committee ChairMira Sussman, represented the Ann ArborJPros at a professional development conference,“Professional Excellence in Challenging Times,”in Malibu, California. The conference featuredkeynote speaker Rabbi Mark Charendoff, presidentof the Jewish Funders Network. Breakoutgroups included “Negotiating the Multi-GenerationalWorkplace,” “New Approaches toSupervision in the Down Economy,” and“Building Community in a Digital World.” TheJewish Communal Professionals of SouthernCalifornia organized the conference.In addition, Sussman participated in programmingspecifically designed for the fifteenlocal group leaders who represented their localchapters. They discussed successes and challengesfaced in local chapters, networked withpeers, and discussed how to better guide thelocal efforts.In Ann Arbor, the theme for the year’s programmingis “Boundaries.” The group will explorehow boundaries serve to protect thoseworking for Jewish agencies, as well as how toovercome boundaries that hinder individualsand agencies from better serving the community.Ann Arbor is blessed with a wealthof Jewish and secular resources, and the JProsSteering Committee looks forward to anotheryear of development for its Jewish professionalleadership. nFor more information about JPros, become afan on Facebook, or email Mira at mira@jfsannarbor.org.Lullaby on Broadway Concert fitting memorialMerrill Polliner, special to the WJNOn Sunday, October 25, the Jewish CommunityCenter of Greater Ann Arbor was host to fiveperformers from the Michigan Opera Theatre’sCommunity Programs Department. For39 years, the Michigan Opera Theatre, oneof the country’s ten largest opera companies,has been regarded as one of the finest culturalresources in the State of Michigan. For 31 ofthose years, the MOT’s Community ProgramsDepartment has brought varied musical programsto many groups in Michigan.What could have been a somber occasionbecame an afternoon of musical pleasureduring the “Lullaby of Broadway Concert”sponsored by the Fishman-DiPietro fund.The fund was created in memory of SybilFishman and Pauline DiPietro, the mothersof Alice Fishman and Michael DiPietro, withthe purpose of providing special events forthe seniors of the JCC. The concept of a musicalafternoon with a Broadway theme wasdecided in honor of Steve Fishman’s longand successful career as a property master onBroadway. Steve passed away on October18,2009, and the concert became his memorial.The performance, attended by over 110people, exceeded the expectations of the concertsponsors, organizers and audience withPaul DiPietro, Alice Fishman, and Michael DiPietro (center front) with members ofthe Detroit Opera Theater.a program that included selections of vocalmusic by Irving Berlin; Rodgers and Hart;Lerner and Lowe; Bizet; and Andrew Lloyd-Webber and a solo piano arrangement of“Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The audienceparticipated with a sing-a-long versionof “Always,” one of Steve’s favorite songs.The Fishman-DiPietro family and the JCCare looking forward to another concert in theseries sometime in the Spring of 2010.7

I ChanukahChanukah lightsRabbi Ahron Goldstein, special to the WJNChanukah! The Festival of Lights. Mostof us learned the story of the Maccabees—howthe few overcame themany and the weak vanquished the strong.Most of us learned the story of the miracleof the oil—the oil that lasted eight days. Afterdefeating the Hellenists, when the Jews enteredthe Temple to rededicate it, they foundone small jar of oil, enough to light the menorahfor one day. It would take another sevendays to obtain new, pure oil. They lit the menorah,and the lamps burned for eight days.Most of us learned the story of Hannahand her seven sons. And the story of Judith,who beheaded Holofernes. Yes, there aremany stories associated with Chanukah,many miracles, many lessons.But the lights themselves tell a story. Orrather, they have something important tosay, a lesson that penetrates the darkness,the daily distractions from holiness. As theprevious Lubavitcher Rebbe said, “One mustlisten to what the lights relate.”One of the laws of Chanukah is: “Thecandle of Chanukah should be placed by theopening (doorway), close to the outside.”The candle: What is the concept of acandle? One takes oil and a wick—physicalobjects, and a person kindles these physicalobjects until they catch fire, producinga flame that is visible to the physical eye.This tells us what we accomplish through“a mitzvah (commandment) is a candle andTorah is light” (Proverbs 6:23). The “mitzvahcandle” produces a spiritual flame that willbe visible to the physical eye in the times ofMoshiach.Of Chanukah: This alludes to the doubleconcept of dedication and education—thedouble meaning of the word chinuch, fromwhich Chanukah comes. There must be adedication and initiation of something newin the celebration and establishment of holiness,just as occurred when the altar andTemple were dedicated—re-dedicated—inthose days at this time. It also alludes to educationand Torah study: the mitzvah of theChanukah candle teaches those who fulfillthe commandment and instructs all withinone’s “circle of influence.” What is this innovativeteaching, this new order of Divine service?Simply that, just as we increase the lightof Chanukah each night, so, too, we mustcontinuously increase our learning, increasethe light of Torah we bring into the world.Should be placed: The candles are litwhere they are placed. And they are set inplace. Let them stand where they are, withoutmoving them or changing their position.Similarly, one’s Divine service—one’s orderof learning Torah, one’s schedule of mitzvoth—shouldbe fixed, the routine of one’slife, installed in one’s soul.By the opening: This fits with the greatprinciple of the Torah, “Love your neighboras yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). How shouldone perform the above mentioned Divineservice? In an open way, a way that is seen,that enlightens (a true enlightenment—thatof Torah and mitzvot), a way that influencesothers, those “outside” one’s self. Whichbrings us to ...Close to the outside: Chanukah, the menorah,its message, Judaism itself must beplaced near, made available to, all those who,for whatever reason, are “outside” (albeittemporarily) the concepts of Chanukah. Thismeans, those who are yet—momentarily—”outside” Judaism in general.And may it be the will of the source oflife, who with His light, His Torah, instructsus in our daily lives—may He give His blessingsto everyone, in matters internal andspiritual and matters external and public, inthe most exemplary fashion.And may we receive the ultimate blessing,in a way visible to all, the complete Redemptionthrough Moshiach, when the menorahin the Temple will again be lit and send itsmessage—tell its story—to all mankind. nChanukah Wonderland offered by ChabadChana Kroll, special to the WJNJewish families looking for an interestingand exciting way to bring the holidayof Chanukah to life won’t have farto look this winter. Local communitymember Shternie Zweibel—known to many parents and kidsas the director of Camp Gan Israelprograms—will once again be usingher formidable organizational skills,and her well-honed sense of fun, toprovide the third annual ChanukahWonderland in Ann Arbor.The Wonderland will be open tothe public from Sunday December 13to Wednesday, December 16, witha live fire juggling show kickingoff events on Sunday afternoon.Throughout the week, there will bea wide selection of crafts activities,games, live entertainment, videos,and other programming. There willbe a menorah lighting each eveningat 5:30 p.m.. This year the ChanukahWonderland will be located in the Briarwoodmall in the Sears wing, next to H&M.“There is really something there for everyage group, and there is enough variety tokeep kids interested throughout the week,”reported Ann Arbor resident Stacey Lee, whotook her then three- and six-year-old daughtersto last year’s Wonderland. “We went severaltimes last year and because of it we reallywere able to keep up the excitement of Chanukahall week,” she added.“A big part of this event is the communityatmosphere,” said Zweibel, “and the chance itprovides for Jewish parents to do what otherparents have always been able to do—to taketheir kids to the mall and have a fun holidayexperience, one that relates to what theirfamily is celebrating at home.”Lee concurred, saying that “It is so nicethis time of year to have our own holidayspace and to be able to go there, to run intoother families from the community and sayhello, to really be celebrating Chanukah togetheras a community.”Some of the popular attractions that willbe returning from previous years include achance for kids to dress up as Judah the Macabeeand have their picture taken, and helpbuild a giant Lego menorah. Also returningto the Chanukah Wonderland will be an oliveoil press kids can use to make their ownolive oil for menorah lighting, a candle makingworkshop, a mini-kitchen where kids(and parents) can make the latkes and jellydoughnuts traditionally eaten at Chanukah,and a moon bounce. In addition, this year’sWonderland will feature a computer centerand new arts and crafts kiosks. In betweenactivities, families can relax and have a bite toeat at the kosher Chanukah Café. There willalso be a Chanukah superstore.The Wonderland will be open from1–7 p.m. on Sunday thru Wednesday . Anyschools interested in bringing students on afield trip are invited to contact Zweibel—theWonderland will be open from 9 a.m.–1 p.m.for schools. nAsk the expert: Chanukah bushFrom MyJewishLearning.comQuestion: My kids (ages 5 and 8) reallylove Christmas trees. They knowthat I won’t have one in our housebecause we’re Jewish, but recently someone toldthem about a Chanukah bush, and they’ve beenasking if we can get one of those. How can I explainto them my discomfort with the traditionwithout seeming like a Grinch?—Henry, NashvilleAnswer: Oy. I try to be impartial aboutthese things, Henry, but I’m with youwhen it comes to Chanukah bushes.I just don’t like them.First of all, you might want to get your handson the children’s book by Susan Sussman calledThere’s No Such Thing as a Chanukah BushSandy Goldstein. The situation it deals with isnot precisely the same as yours, but reading thebook might be a good way to start the conversationwith your kids.The concern I think most people have withChanukah bushes is that they are too close forcomfort to Christmas trees. There’s not muchdifference between the two, as far as I can tell.Slapping a Jewish star on something and thencalling it a Jewish ritual item is like putting a lionmask on your dog, having him run around inyour backyard and calling it a safari.When you’re talking with your kids about this,you can discuss how Jewish holidaysaim to keep the traditions and historyof the Jewish people alive. Youcan look at other ritual items youmight have in your home—a sederplate, a siddur, a noisemaker, etc.—and talk about how all of them areconnected to things in Jewish history.Then talk about a Chanukahbush and how it really doesn’t havea Jewish history at all.One thing that I think is helpfulin this kind of situation is focusing on the waysthat your kids can celebrate with others withoutnecessarily taking on their ideology. Your kidscan visit friends who have Christmas trees, andcan enjoy the trees that are out in public spaces.But they should do this to be happy for others,not to take on non-Jewish rituals as their own.The best way to combat Christmas envy isto amp up your own Chanukah celebrations inways that aren’t purely derivative of Christiantraditions. Consider making your own windowdecorations to help publicize the mitzvahof lighting Chanukah candles. Make Chanukahfoods from scratch (latkes and sufganiyotare Ashkenazi options, ortry Sephardi/Mizrahi bimuelos andatayef), and set up a dreidel tournament.You can even have a contestin your family to see who can makethe most interesting chanukiyahfrom things around the house. Theeight nights of Chanukah are also agreat opportunity to invite friendsto celebrate with you.I think the key to really gettingyour children to enjoy all of these holiday activitiesis to steer the conversation away from directcomparisons to Christmas. Celebrating Chanukahshouldn’t be about providing an alternativeto Christmas. If you bill it that way, you’ll alwayslose out to Santa and Christmas trees.Chanukah is about focusing on maintaininga Jewish identity even in the face of a strongcultural current that defies that sentiment.Another way to focus the discussion is toremind your kids about all of the holidays onthe Jewish calendar. After Chanukah we have Tub’Shvat, then Purim and Passover. You can talkabout the traditions that go with these holidays,and all the exciting and fun traditions that leadup to them, whether it’s making small gifts forfriends at Purim or searching the house for chametzat Passover.If you own a children’s book or game aboutthe Jewish calendar, now is a great time to bringit out. If you have family pictures from Jewishholidays in years past, this is a great time to lookat them. Kids love looking at how much they’vechanged and grown up, and enjoy reminiscingabout how they celebrated holidays—buyingnew clothes for Rosh Hashanah, eating togetherin a sukkah, etc.As the secular year comes to a close, you cantake the time to look forward to the whole cycleof wonderful Jewish holidays that will beginagain next year.Good luck and chag urim sameach! nFor more information about Judaism and Jewishlife, visit MyJewishLearning.com.8 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

New kids’ books hitting the shelves for ChanukahBy Penny SchwartzBOSTON (JTA)—From all corners of theglobe, to under the sea and above the skies, anew crop of children’s books for Chanukahtakes readers on a worldwide spin with delightfuland informative books for kids of all ages.Hanukkah Around the Worldby Tami Lehman-Wilzig,illustrated by Vicki WehrmanKar-Ben; $16.95 hardcover; $7.95 paper; ages 8-11Move over latkes, make room for precipizi.And sufganiyot, debla cookies andburmelos. These are among the traditionalsweets eaten in Jewish homes from Italy toIsrael, Tunisia and Turkey during the eightdayFestival of Lights. Recipes for the treatsare featured in Hanukkah Around the Worldby Israeli-American children’s writer TamiLehman-Wilzig. The illustrated traveloguetakes young readers to eight faraway placesaround the globe.First stop, the Israeli city of Modi’in, theancient biblical home of the Maccabees wherethe Chanukah story began 2,000 years ago. Todaythe city comes alive to celebrate its belovedholiday with a relay race to Jerusalem and eightdays of kid-friendly festivities, Lehman-Wilzigwrites in an e-mail from her home in Israel.Each of the eight cities featured includes ashort fictional story that highlights local customs,historical notes, current events and easyto-followrecipes. Back pages include Chanukahpotpourri from other locales and a glossary.The custom that most impressed Lehman-Wilzigwas in Turin, where a customconnects the summertime observance ofTisha B’Av, commemorating the ancientAt Chanukah, lighting up the tzedakah stairwayBy Edmon J. RodmanLOS ANGELES (JTA)—What lights the Festivalof Lights? What really ignites the eightdays, turning them into a hot winter glow?Is it the oil, the candles, the songs, the latkes,the gifts?What would you give for an answer?It’s dark and I am walking to Canter’s, a famousLos Angeles delicatessen, to buy a halfdozenbagels. I see by the blue and white cookiesin their bakery window that it’s Chanukah.Near the entrance, seated on a crate, is a guywho appears to be homeless. Is this his home?As I pass he holds out a paper cup andshakes it. Coins jingle.“Any spare change?” he asks.It’s an exchange that happens daily in bigcities and small, at the Mobil station, outsidethe Piggly Wiggly, in the mall parking lot,outside the restaurant. No matter where orhow high up you live, it happens. It’s happenedto me in Beverly Hills.The question is always same: “Do youhave any change?” Yet our responses vary.At Chanukah time or anytime—on thestreet, at your door, in the mail or online—there are many ways you can respond to requestsfor tzedakah.Maimonides, the influential 12th centuryJewish philosopher, wrote that there are“eight degrees of tzedakah, each higher thanthe next.” That is, eight distinct, clarifyingways you can respond to human need. Thedestruction of the Temple, with Chanukah,recalling the rededication of the Temple.“It’s a wonderful way to close the circleand is a custom to be cherished,” she writes.Menorah Under the Seaby Esther Susan HellerKar-Ben, $17.95; ages 4-8Menorah Under the Sea is a photo essaystylebook that follows the explorations ofDavid Ginsburg, a marine ecologist fromLos Angeles who takes readers on an adventureto McMurdo station in Antarctica. Thejournal-like narrative describes how Ginsburgand his research partner, who arrivedin Antarctica on the first night of Chanukah,use rubber dry suits to emerge under thetreacherous waters.While collecting sea urchins and starfishfor his research, Ginsburg is inspired suddenlyto create a menorah on the sea floorusing the neon-like sea urchins and starfish.Captured on film, and reproduced in thebook, the glowing menorah is a sparklingand inspiring wonder. Notes at the book’send explain that sea urchins are invertebratesand have no central nervous system. DuringGinsburg’s menorah assembly, readers arereassured that no animals were harmed.degrees are like steps progressively rising;kind of an early stairway to heaven.Proverbs tell us that a “mitzvah is a lamp.”On Chanukah we can light up the nights withgiving. Consider each step of the tzedakahstairway a candle that is lit each night; eachlight is an act of giving tzedakah, of doingjustice in the world.The lowest level is giving like a Grinch,too little and with a cheapster attitude, aswhen a panhandler is in your face and youfeel put out.“Do I look like a sucker?” you wonder.“Isn’t there an agency for this?” you think. Soyou flip him a dime.The countering Jewish idea in play here isfrom Devarim, Deuteronomy: “Give to himreadily,” it says, “and have no regrets.”The second step is the sunny side of thefirst—still giving too little, but with a smile.Like when a condolence card comes aroundat work and you pull a five out of your walletwhen it’s full of twenties. Devarim alsotells us when considering the needy, “do notharden your heart and shut your hand … .”How much is too little? Hey, this isn’t aseasonal piece on tipping but on doing justice.Do you need an accountant to paint youa picture?The third step is giving as much as isneeded, but waiting until someone asks.A tough standard, as most of us don’t giveThe Rabbi and the Twenty-Nine Witchesby Marilyn HirshMarshall Cavendish, $17.99; ages 4-9This is a republication of a Jewish children’sclassic, by the late Marilyn Hirsh, aninternationally acclaimed, award-winningartist and writer. Hirsh brings a light-heartedtouchto thisold legendfromthe Talmudabout a cavefull of witches,frightenedvillagers, thefull moon anda wise rabbi. Herwhimsical blackand-whiteline illustrations,withblue throughout, willdelight readers; eventhe wicked witches aremore slapstick than frightening.Hirsh, who died of cancer in 1988, was aconsummate professional and a uniquely talentedartist, recalls the noted children’s writerDavid Adler, who worked with Hirsh whilehe was an editor at the Jewish PublicationSociety. Adler recalls that in the early 1980s,though she was ill and hospitalized, Hirsh illustratedthe JPS’s 50th anniversary edition ofThe Adventures of K’ton Ton, the classic Jewishchildren’s series by Sadie Rose Weilerstein.The Amazing Menorah of Mazeltownby Hal Dresner and Joy Fate,illustrated by Neil ShapiroRed Rock Press, $16.95; ages 4-8.When Molly and Max find an old, grimymenorah in their father’s junk shop, they discoverthe power of the menorah to transformtheir dreary town in the dark days of winter.until we are approached. The idea here is tocut down on the humiliation for the asker.Today, when institutions do much of theasking, the concept updates to what if JewishBig Brothers Big Sisters has to ask X numberof times in letters or e-mail before werespond? Each letter costs, ultimately diminishingyour contribution.The fourth step flips the third: Giving asmuch as is needed before being asked. Thinkabout it. This puts the giver on the lookoutfor tzedakah opportunities. It gets you twitteringwith finds and on the street, takingnote of Jewish social service storefronts.People put their entire energies into lookingfor investments, why not tzedakah? Isn’t breakingthe poverty cycle the best investment?The fifth step includes the previous elementsand adds one more; giving tzedakah when youdon’t know the recipient but the recipientknows you. It’s like having your tzedekah labeled“This gift brought to you by… .”This uneven equation allows for corporateboasting about its contributions: Rememberthose ads that ran after Katrina?Still, it’s tzedakah.Sixth step: The recipient is known to thegiver, the giver is unknown to the recipient.Talk about randomness. Imagine leavinga box of groceries at some unknown yetneedful person’s doorstep. Food pantries likeSova in Los Angeles or the Harvey KornblumHappy Hanukkah, CorduroyBased on the character created by Don Freeman,illustrated by Lisa McCueViking, $5.99; ages 6 months to 3 yearsThe popular, cuddly bear of the classic DonFreeman books enlists the help of his animalfriends to celebrate Hanukkah, lighting the menorah,eating latkes, singing, and playing dreidel.A Chanukah Present for Me!by Lily Karr, illustrated by Jill McDonaldScholastic, $6.99; ages 6 months to 3 yearsThis brightly colored board book is packagedas a gift. Each two-board spread featuresa Chanukah tradition with large format wordsand collage illustrations. There are latkes,dreidels, chocolate gelt or coins, fried doughnutsand, of course, colorful candles in a menorah.In the end, a smiling family celebrates.Jewish Food Pantry in St. Louis, where “confidentialityis strictly enforced,” illustrate thisconcept. As a giver, you know the items aregoing to someone in need, but they neverknow you.No. 7: Anonymous giving and receiving.Anonymity is a tough sell today; we aretrained from birth to put our names on everything.Historically, in the Temple in Jerusalemthere was a darkened room, called “lishkatchasha’im,” literally a “chamber of secrets,”where the giver could leave money and thepoor would receive it without shame.A tzedakah box, or pushke, is a relatedidea. Pick up a box from your favorite Jewishcharity, or make one yourself, and join therighteous ranks of the famous unknown.The highest level, “exceeded by none,”Maimonides tells us, is self-sufficiency as aresult of outright gifts, loans, partnerships or“finding employment.” At a time when everydollar for the poor is debated, Maimonidesreminds us to “strengthen” the poor.In many cities, Jewish free loan societies,Jewish vocational service agencies and internationalagencies such as ORT help movepeople toward self-sufficiency. Handicraftworkshops for the needy elderly and disabledsuch as Yad Lakish in Jerusalem, beautifullykeep this concept alive. n(Edmon J. Rodman is a JTA columnist whowrites on Jewish life from Los Angeles.)Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 20109

I CongregationsActivities at Beth Israel in December and JanuaryElliot Sorkin, special to the WJNWednesday Lunch and LearnRabbi Kim Blumenthal will leadWednesday Lunch and Learn sessions fromnoon–1:15 p.m. on a wide range of topics.Participants are asked to bring a dairy lunchwith refreshments and desserts being providedfree of charge by the congregation. Checkthe Beth Israel Website (www.bethisrael-aa.org) for the weekly topics. They will takeplace on December 2, 9, and 16, and January6, 13, and 20.Walking with God Part II—MedievalTexts through ModernityThis course, designed by the ZieglerSchool of Rabbinic Studies, presents a widerange of insights and conceptualizationsof God. Through exploring sacred texts ofvarious time periods, students will engage incritical study and grow in their own relationshipsto God. This course includes readingone short essay in preparation for each session.Each session will include some smallgroup text study and discussion. Texts will bedistributed in Hebrew and English. In orderto prepare materials in advance, registrationis required for this course. Contact Mary, at665-9897 or email rabbisoffice@tds.net byJanuary 12, 2010, to sign up for the winterseries. It is not necessary to have participatedin the fall series to join this course. All classesbegin at 7:30 p.m. with Maariv, the eveningservice. This class is faciliated by Rabbi KimBlumenthal. The dates of the class are January19, 26, February 2, and February 9.Sweatshirt Shabbat with CholentKiddushThis special Shabbat service and kiddushwill take place on Saturday, December 5, withthe service starting at 9:30 a.m. Participantsmay wear their favorite sweatshirt from camp,college, or travel while spending the morningin comfort. The reception following features acholent sit-down kiddush with an internationallyinfluenced array of hot and hearty cholentsplus other foods, prepared by Beth Israel membersand Nikki Klein, the Beth Israel kitchencoordinator. There is no charge for lunch.Beth Israel CaféOn Sunday mornings December 6 andJanuary10 from 9:30 a.m.–noon, parents (bothmen and women) are invited to come into thelarge Social Hall for a few minutes or the entiremorning for free coffee and bagels. They mayuse their lap tops (the entire synagogue is wireless)socialize or read. The cafe planned andsponsored by the Women’s League.LatkepaloozaLatkepalooza is a Chanukah celebrationextravaganza for all ages on Sunday,December 13, starting at 5 p.m. There will be alatke bar for dinner, featuring both traditionalpotato pancakes as well as exotic latkes. Therewill be a community candle lighting ceremony,games, crafts and activities. Entertainmentwill also include musical performances.The evening will conclude with a “Latke–Hamantash” debate in order to determinewhich form of Jewish cuisine is the most deliciousand the most emblematic of the Jewishpeople. There is a charge and reservationsare required. Contact programs@bethisraelaa.orgor call 769-1651.Tot Chanukah DinnerOn Wednesday, December 16, the TotChanukah Dinner will take place at Beth Israelstarting at 5:30 p.m. Children kindergarten-ageand younger are invited to celebratethe sixth night of Chanukah with a latke dinnerand dreidel games. There will also be artsand crafts, songs and stories to celebrate theholiday. Plus, all children will receive a smallgift. Families are asked to bring a Hanukkiahfrom their home for the candle lighting ceremony.Reservations are required, and thereis a charge.Junior Congregation/Moadon andKehillat Shabbat on SaturdaysJunior Congregation provides a Shabbatmorning program for kids in first throughfifth grade. It begins at 10 a.m. with Moadon,an opportunity for children to hang outand play games led by the high school Madrichim.At 11 a.m. there is a Shabbat servicefor children that offers a mixture of teachingand prayer, and a chance for the children tolead their own service. Junior Congregationwill meet on Saturdays, December 5, 12, and19, and January 9, 16, 23, and 30. The innovative“Kehilat Shabbat” provides an enrichededucational program and service forfirst through fifth graders exploring themesfrom the Torah portion and Jewish teaching.Kehillat Shabbat is facilitated by GabePachter and meets on Saturdays, December12 and January 9Saturday Morning Tot ShabbatTot Shabbat is held at 11:15 a.m. the secondand fourth Saturday of most months forchildren through kindergarten and their families.Tot Shabbat is led on alternating weeksby Peretz Hirshbein and Jessica Kander, andfeatures songs and stories in a special Shabbatcelebration for the youngest members ofour community. Tot Shabbat concludes withgrape juice and challah and the saying of kiddushand hamotzi. Afterwards, the familiesare encouraged to join the regular Kiddushreception upstairs at a special tots table. TotShabbat will meet December 12, December19, January 9, and January 23. There is nocharge for this program.Quiz NightBeth Israel’s third annual Quiz Night willtake place on Saturday evening, January 16at 7 p.m. People will compete in teams forfabulous prizes and to earn the coveted titleof Quiz Night Champions. The competitionincludes multimedia trivia challenges, writtenpuzzles, and friendly rivalries. There willbe a dessert break midway through the competition.The cost is $10 for adults, and $5 forhigh school students.Judaism 101: An Introduction and aRefresherJudaism 101 is a continuing class meantfor anyone who is looking to learn or reviewsome of the fundamentals of Judaism. Fourtopics are still to be covered through the endof the course: Shabbat, Prayer, ConservativeJudaism and Sacred Texts. Each topic will beexplored for three weeks. Adults are welcometo sign up for one topic, a few topics, or allfour topics. All classes begin at 7:30 p.m.with Maariv, the evening service, and arefacilitated by Rabbi Kim Blumenthal. Sessionson the subject of Shabbat will takeplace on December 2, 9, and 16. The sessionon Prayer will take place on January 13, 20,and 27. The session on Conservative Judaismwill take place on March 10, 17, and 24. Thesessions on Sacred Texts will take place onApril 21, and 28, and May 5.Overnight Homeless Sheltervolunteers neededBeth Israel Congregation will again participatein the Ann Arbor Shelter Associationof Washtenaw County’s rotating shelterprogram. From December 21–January 4,Beth Israel will host up to 25 overflow guests(each night) from the main shelter on 312 W.Huron. Three to four volunteers are neededeach night, and two to three drivers areneeded each morning and evening to drivethe guests to and from Beth Israel.The men permitted to participate in theprogram are free of serious substance orpsychological issues. Online signup will beavailable through the Beth Israel website,ww.bethisrael-aa.org, or offline through RebeccaKanner at 994-5717.The Shelter Association serves the largestpercentage of those experiencing homelessnessin Washtenaw County: single adultmen and women. All of the clients share twocharacteristics: they have no place to live, andthey do not currently have the resources tosecure and maintain housing. Many of theclients are unable to obtain housing on theirown, because they are facing multiple barriersthat impede their ability to do so.The Shelter Association offers a varietyof services and programs to help individualswho are experiencing homelessness. Servicesrange from providing emergency shelter, referralsfor substance abuse treatment, clothingvouchers, transportation, and food toproviding health care, housing assistance,and money management.Award winning author Eileen PollackOn Sunday, January 10, 7:45–9:15 p.m.Eileen Pollack, Ph.D., will present “WhatWe Don’t Know about the People We LoveCould Fill a Book” at Beth Israel as part ofBeth Israel’s Current Topics in Jewish StudiesSeries. There is no charge for this program,which includes refreshments.Pollack was born and grew up in Liberty,New York, the heart of the Jewish Catskills,where her grandparents owned and operateda small hotel and her father was the towndentist. A graduate of Yale University witha bachelors of science degree in physics,Pollack later earned an masters of fine artsdegree from the University of Iowa, whereshe was awarded a teaching-writing fellowship.She is the author of a collection of shortfiction, The Rabbi in the Attic And Other Stories,a novel, Paradise, New York, and a workof creative nonfiction called Woman WalkingAhead: In Search of Catherine Weldon and SittingBull, which won a 2003 WILLA finalistaward. Pollack’s essays, articles, and reviewshave appeared in many periodicals; her innovativetextbook and anthology, Creative Nonfiction:A Guide to Form, Content, and Style,with Readings, was published in January 2009by Wadsworth/Cengage. A new collection ofstories and novellas called In the Mouth wasEileen Pollackpublished in 2008 by Four Way Books and wasnamed the winner of the 2008 Edward LewisWallant Award, which is presented annually toan American writer whose published creativework of fiction is considered to have significancefor the American Jew, in addition to beingshortlisted for the Sophie Brody Medal forJewish literature, being chosen as a finalist forthe Paterson Fiction Award, and winning a silvermedal in ForeWord Magazine’s 2008 Bookof the Year Awards.Pollack has received fellowships from theNational Endowment for the Arts, the MichenerFoundation, the Rona Jaffe Foundation,and the Massachusetts Arts Council.Her stories have appeared in journals suchas Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, MichiganQuarterly Review, SubTropics, Agni, and NewEngland Review. Her novella The Bris waschosen to appear in the Best American ShortStories 2007 anthology, edited by StephenKing, while her stories have been awardedtwo Pushcart Prizes, the Cohen Award forbest fiction of the year from Ploughshares,and similar awards from Literary Review andMQR. She lives in Ann Arbor and is the ZellDirector of the MFA Program in CreativeWriting at the University of Michigan.Mayor Hieftje at Beth IsraelOn Friday, January 22, after the Fridayevening service that begins at 7:30 p.m.,Mayor HieftjeAnn Arbor Mayor John Hieftje will addressthe congregation at 8:30 p.m. Mayor Hieftjeis the 60th mayor of Ann Arbor, and waselected in 2000.The evening includes refreshments as partof the Oneg Shabbat. This is a part of the dynamicnew Shabbat Take the Time series.continued on next page10 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

continued from previous pageAdult Hebrew Classes at Beth IsraelBeth Israel Congregation is offering 12-week Adult Hebrew classes this winter beginningthe week of January 4, with variouslevels of difficulty. New students are askedto meet with the instructor to determinethe best class for their backgrounds. Thereare five levels of conversational Hebrew andthree levels of biblical Hebrew. There is onebeginning Hebrew reading class in the afternoon.Contact Mary at Beth Israel to receivethe full brochure mary@bethisrael-aa.org,or call 665-9897. Anyone in the communityis welcome to join these classes. There is atuition fee.The classes are taught by two veteran Hebrewinstructors, Malli Holoshitz and PauliWeizman. Holoshitz is a native Israeli whohas taught Hebrew for many years; she isnoted for her lively and animated teachingstyle. She earned a Ph.D. in education fromthe University of Michigan, and teaches atthe Frankel Jewish Academy of Metro Detroit.Holoshitz also teaches at the School ofEducation at Eastern Michigan University,as well as at the University of Michigan.Weizman has been teaching Hebrew atthe University of Michigan since 1987, andis the recipient of an “Excellence in Education”award by the Department of NearEastern Studies. She is a native Israeli andhas earned two masters degrees — one inTeaching English as a Second Language andthe other in social work; she also has a bachelor’sdegree in Hebrew linguistics.World Wide WrapOn, Sunday, February 7, at 9:30 a.m.,Beth Israel Men’s Club will sponsor locallythe “World Wide Wrap.” This program is aproject of the Federation of Jewish Men’sClubs and encourages Jews around theworld to put on tefillin and pray together.Beth Israel will provide extra sets of tefillinand experienced tefillin teachers will beavailable to assist anyone (man or woman)who would like to participate in this importantmitzvah.Beth Israel is known for its post servicePolar Bear Tefillin Photo that captures allthe tefillin-clad participants in the out-ofdoors,regardless of the weather.Following the Shaharit service, participantswill be served a brunch of bagels, lox,and coffee. Beth Israel’s sixth grade Bar/BatMitzvah program and the seventh graderswill join in the morning.The Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs isan organization of approximately 270 Conservative/MasortiJewish men’s groups consistingof 25,000 individuals across NorthAmerica and the world. The FJMC involvesJewish men in Jewish life by building andstrengthening Men’s Clubs in the Conservative/MasortiMovement.General community is alwayswelcome to eventsAll of Beth Israel’s events, plus all educationalofferings are open to the generalcommunity, often at no cost. For furtherinformation, call 665-9897 or visit www.bethisrael-aa.org.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010Temple Beth Emeth ProgramsRabbi Lisa Delson, special to the WJNMovie TuesdaysDecember 8 and January 12 at 1 p.m.Movie Tuesday is a free way to explore Judaismand Jewish culture through film anddiscussion for those with flexible schedules.In December, participants will watch TremblingBefore God, a documentary that includesinterviews and follows several gay and lesbianOrthodox Jews, and also interviews severalrabbis and psychologists regarding their viewson homosexuality in Orthodox Judaism. InJanuary, participants will watch The LemonTree, an Israeli drama depicting the lives ofPalestinians and Israelis and their struggleto come to grips with family history, politicalstrife, the beauty of the land, and love. Allmovies are free and open to the public. Childcare is available with advanced notice.Tot Chanukah-Tot Shabbat—stories,music, crafts and latkesFriday, December 18, at 5:30 p.m.The Tot Shabbat Service for the last nightof Chanukah will include lighting the menorahand special stories for Chanukah. After the service,all are invited to stay for the Tot Chanukahcelebration with crafts, songs, and the normaltot Shabbat dinner ($5) that will include latkes.Reservations are encouraged to help withplanning quantities, but are not necessary. Toreserve, call the TBE office, at 665-4744.Shabbat Chanukah serviceFriday, December 18, at 7:30 p.m.Celebrate Shabbat at TBE on this last night ofChanukah, and join in the tradition of lightingdozens of menorahs at the end of the service.Renaissance Group activitiesTemple Beth Emeth’s Renaissance Group,for members ages 55 and up, meets monthlyfor social gatherings. On Saturday, December12, at 7 p.m., the annual Chanukah Party potluckdinner and "white elephant" gift exchangewill take place at the Chapel Hill Clubhouse.On January 9, the group will attend the opera,Der Rosenkavalier, in the series “LIVE at theMET” on the big screen at Quality 16 Theater.Tickets are $17.50 for seniors over age 62 and$22 for others. Contact Judith Rose or theTBE office, 665-4744, for details.Music Man at the Michigan Theater,December 25Continuing an annual tradition, TBE willbring the musical, Music Man, to the MichiganTheater the morning of December 25. Thisis more than just a morning at the movies.Doors open at 10 a.m. and bagels are availablefor breakfast. The movie begins at 10:30 a.m.,and pauses for a lunch intermission when kosherhot dogs (and veggie dogs) are availablefor purchase. Door prizes, a sing-a-long, anda morning of community camaraderie are instore for everyone in attendance. Tickets are$7 per person, and are available in advanceboth in the TBE office and on line at www.templebethemeth.org.Bible, Morality, and the 21 st Centurywith Dr. Cobi SacerdotiMondays, January 11, 25, and February 8,from 7:30–9 p.m.TBE will host a three-part course onBible, Morality, and the 21 st Century. Thiscourse is an intellectual look and an emotionaljourney into the moral wisdom of theBible where arrogance, pride, jealousy, love,and devotion impact human life. This classwill discuss the way Jewish ancestors’ moralfaults and strengths can shape present dayJews and be a lesson in the 21 st century. Dr.Sacerdoti will discuss three Bible stories; theTower of Babel (how arrogance diminisheswisdom), The Twelve Spies (seek the truth,do not hide behind a lie), and Absolam’s Rebellion(nobody can acquire honor by doingwhat is wrong).Dr. Sacerdoti, an Israeli-born scholar,taught Hebrew language and literature at theUniversity of Michigan and was the departmenthead of Hebrew at the Frankel Academyof Metropolitan Detroit. She has publishedmany books and articles on a wide range ofJewish topics as well as Israeli life.Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Robert LevyFridays, January 8 through February 26,at noon“Issues of Israel over Time and Space.”Each week Rabbi Levy will lead a discussionon Israel as a hope, dream, fantasy, power,home, and destination through the lens of Israelas an eternal idea and also a modern nationstate. Feel free to stop by for one or all ofthe sessions with a lunch.Spirituality Book ClubJoin Cantor Annie Rose as she leads a journeythrough nine books over nine months on the firstTuesday of each month, from 7:30–9 p.m.The class is designed with everyone inmind: firm believers, non-believers, gentleskeptics, or interested seekers. December’sbook is A New Earth, by Eackhart Tolle. Accordingto Tolle, humans are on the verge ofcreating a new world by a personal transformationthat shifts one’s attention away fromone’s ever-expanding ego. Naturally, the authorunderstands his material so thoroughlythat he is able to convey it in an enjoyablemanner, but Tolle’s gentle tone and dialectbegs his audience’s attention simply throughits straightforward approach.January’s selection is Kitchen Table Wisdomby Rachel Remen. Remen has a uniqueperspective on healing rooted in her backgroundas a physician, a professor of medicine,a therapist, and a long-term survivorof chronic illness. In a deeply moving anddown-to earth collection of true stories,this prominent physician shows life in all itspower and mystery, and reminds the readerthat the things one cannot measure may bethe things that ultimately sustain and enrichone’s life.The book club is free to join, with the exceptionof the cost of the books. Books areavailable on amazon.com or through otherbooksellers. Sign up for the book club byemailing Cantor Annie Rose at cantorannie@gmail.com.Mourning and MitzvahThis course, offered Thursdays in Januaryat 7:30 p.m., provides an opportunity to gaina deeper understanding of Jewish mourningcustoms and practice through reading, discussionand writing. It is designed for thosewho have experienced loss as well as thoseseeking knowledge and insight into this importantaspect of Jewish life. The course isfree, but there is a charge for the textbook.Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah’s Simchat TorahBrayan Zivan studies the Torah, part of the Ann ArborReconstructionist Havurah’s Simchat Torah celebration,which took place at its annual retreat. Havurah memberDebbie Field looks on, as she helps hold up the scroll.11

I World JewryCrime, plus politics, propelling Jews out of VenezuelaBy Jasmina KelemenCARACAS, Venezuela (JTA)—Esther Benchimolde Roffe arrived in Venezuela as a youngbride, leaving northern Morocco more than50 years ago to meet her groom in a prosperousforeign land.The young couple fit in easily in a countrywhere, as Spanish-speaking Sephardim, they alreadywere familiar with the language and theJewish community was established. Her husbandbuilt a successful business, and Benchimolraised a family and earned internationalrenown singing the ancient Sephardic hymnsshe had learned as a child in Alcazarquivir.“It was a rich country, there were a lot ofopportunities,” reminisces Benchimol, now74. “We had many friends and there was areal sense of brotherhood. There was neverany racism against us.”Her tone changes, however, when sheconsiders the futures of her grandchildrenand whether she would advise them to stayin Venezuela.“I wouldn’t stay here,” Benchimol said.“I’m speaking as a grandmother.”It’s not anti-Semitism that causes her tofear daily for the safety of her grandchildrenbut “la inseguridad”—insecurity. It’s the generalterm Venezuelans use now to describean unrelenting crime wave that cuts acrossthe country’s economically and ideologicallypolarized society. The issue consistently topssurveys here as Venezuelans’ biggest concern.Venezuelan Jews say that as citizens ofa state in which many have lost faith in thepolice and judicial system, they fear randomviolence far more than anti-Semitic attacks.They consistently cite crime as their mainsource of anxiety.Last year, Foreign Policy magazine calledCaracas the murder capital of the world, tallyingthe homicide rate at 130 per 100,000residents. Official statistics are hard to comeby because the government has stopped providingdetails.In order to gauge crime, journalists relyon the city morgue in Caracas to report howmany bodies arrived over the weekend asthe result of violence, publishing their tallyin newspapers on Monday mornings. Inone wave of weekendviolence in earlyOctober, 56 peoplewere reported murderedin this city ofjust over 4 millionpeople.In addition tomurder, kidnappingsfor ransom—asource of high anxiety for the city’s wealthierinhabitants—are said to be on the rise. Jewssay they feel at particular risk due to the perceptionthat the Jewish community can ponyup a large ransom for a kidnapped Jew.Yair Rosemberg, a 28-year old theater producer,is less than a month away from gettingmarried. Where crime was once regarded assomething he read about in the papers, nowit has touched a growing number of his acquaintances,he said.He and his fiancee probably will move toIsrael after they are married; the couple recentlyreturned from a trip there to exploretheir options. Rosemberg cited it as his mainreason for wanting to leave.That fear, combined with President HugoChavez’s verbal broadsides against Israel andstill fresh memories of a shocking assault lastJanuary against the community’s main synagogue,Tiferet Israel, is prompting many Jewshere to consider whether there is a future forthem in Venezuela. Over the past decade, theIt’s not anti-Semitism thatcauses her to fear daily for thesafety of her grandchildren but“la inseguridad”—insecurity.Jewish community has fallen from a high ofabout 20,000 members to the oft-cited figuresof 13,000 to 10,000, according to localJewish activists.Throughout his decade in power, Chavezhas referred to the United States as imperialistand belligerent. Following Israel’s incursioninto Gaza last winter, Chavez severed diplomaticties with Israeland ratcheted up hisrhetoric against theJewish state. He refersto Israel as a genocidalstate. Once he referreddisparagingly to Colombiaas the region’s“Israel” while voicinghis displeasure at anagreement to allow the U.S. military access toColombia’s military bases.Meanwhile, he’s built friendships with andwelcomed the presidents of Iran and Libya,part of what he has described as his efforts tobuild a counterweight to U.S. “hegemony.”Venezuelan Jews say there is a wide gapbetween the president’s anti-Israel rhetoricand the attitudes of the Venezuelan peopletoward Jews. Venezuela has not seen the anti-Semitismthat exists in some other LatinAmerican countries.“I would rather be a Jew here than inSpain,” said Paulina Gamus, a local politicalcommentator and outspoken critic ofChavez, responding to a question aboutwhether Venezuela is still safe for Jews.“There, anti-Semitism is among the people.Here, with all of the government’s hostility,the people aren’t hostile.” she adds. “Thereisn’t a personal sense of anti-Semitism.”Gamus is the only Jew to have served inVenezuela’s National Assembly.While Gamus insists that her home is inVenezuela, the younger generation of herfamily has mostly left the country. All of herchildren, nieces and nephews live abroad toescape the security situation, she said.While not explicitly anti-Semitic, localJews fear Chavez’s constant barrage of anti-Israeli discourse could breed hostility towardstheir community, adding another layerof stress in a city where many citizens alreadyfeel helpless coping with one of the highestmurder rates in the world.“There’s a lot of fear that there couldbe an attack against the community,” saidCamila Roffe de Levy, a 51-year old biologistin Caracas and Benchimol’s daughter.“No one has attacked us,” she explained.“It’s not the people, nor your neighbor northe guy who lives down the street from you.But what scares us is this anti-Israeli discoursethat could be wrongly interpreted bypeople who don’t know any better.”A lawyer who divides her time betweenMiami and Caracas says there is a generalbreakdown of trust toward the government,which she feels both as a Venezuelan citizenand even more so as a Jew.She requested anonymity due to her workpromoting human rights in Venezuela.Since the synagogue attack last January, authoritieshave stepped up protection at Jewishhouses of prayer. Many said they were pleasedwith the security provided during Yom Kippur.But that day, while many Jews were in synagogue,Chavez praised Libyan President MuammarGadhafi and invited him to speak on nationaltelevision in a ceremony that all of the nation’spublic channels were forced to broadcast.“With this man [Chavez] you just neverknow,” said Benchimol. “It’s not somethingyou can understand. It’s unpredictable.” nVienna’s Jews look to immigration to boost declining numbersBy Ben HarrisVIENNA (JTA)—From a shelf in his office,Ariel Muzicant extracts a weathered copy ofa May 1985 community newsletter whosecover sports a graph depicting the Jewishpopulation of Vienna nosediving.From its postwar peak of about 9,000 inthe early 1960s, the graph projected the Jewishpopulation dipping below 5,000 by theturn of the millennium.Nearly a quarter-century after that direprediction, the worst has been avoided: Thenumber of registered community membersin Vienna stands at about 7,500 and, accordingto Muzicant, the community president, itis “technically growing.”But leaders of the Viennese Jewish community,Muzicant among them, again arewarning of disaster unless the communityincreases its ranks. And the consensus onhow to do it can be summed up in a singleword: immigration.“We need people,” said Ilan Knapp, principalof a Jewish vocational high school inVienna and the head of a communal commissionworking to bring Jewish immigrantsto Vienna from the former Soviet Union.“The only possibility is to bring Jews fromthis area.”Over the past two decades, Jewish communitiesin Western Europe whittled downby intermarriage and assimilation have sustainedthemselves with immigration by Jewsfrom the East, where communism had leftJews trapped until the fall of the Iron Curtain.The largest pool of potential immigrants,from the former Soviet Union, havebeen migrating West in significant numberssince the fall of communism.Skeptics in Vienna say it’s a mistake topin the community’s future on the hope thatmore Russian-speaking immigrants will arrivehere.“Those who wanted to come, came,” saidRabbi Nechemia Rotenberg, the religiousprincipal of a Jewish high school in Viennawho also works on continuity issues as thedirector of Zehut (“Identity”).Current projections show the total populationof Austrian Jews declining by half inthe next 10 to 30 years—a prediction thatappears to vary largely on the degree of pessimismof those making it. Vienna’s substantialJewish infrastructure—four schools,more than a dozen synagogues and an arrayof Jewish welfare agencies—are in danger ifthe community cannot amass a larger poolof members to support it. Knapp pegs thetarget at about 25,000.“Communities which today are below10,000 don’t have the critical mass to survive,”Muzicant said, noting that perhaps athird of European Jewish communities arein a situation similar to Vienna’s and are indanger of disappearing.In trying to draw more Jewish immigrantsfrom the former Soviet Union, Austria’s Jewsare looking with both envy and trepidationat Germany, their neighbor to the north.Some 120,000 Jewish immigrants from theformer Soviet Union have transformed GermanJewry and, by some accounts, saved itfrom oblivion.Knapp, whose school, Jüdisches BeruflichesBildungszentrum, helps train andassimilate Viennese Jews into the Austrianjob market, is confident the community canabsorb a large influx more successfully thanGermany did.“They have the people but not the institutions,”Knapp said. “We have the institutionsbut not the people.”Neither Muzicant’s diagnosis nor his solutionare universally accepted in Vienna.Rotenberg says the community is mistakento pin its hopes on a significant Russianspeakingimmigration. The few Jews that arecoming to Vienna, he says, are from smallercommunities with fewer religious options,such as Germany. He concedes the number isquite modest but says it could be increased.Yvonne Feiger, 28, the director of the JewishSalons chapter in Vienna and a memberof the community board, said the idea of immigrationto save Austrian Jewry is absurd.Instead, the community should focus itsresources on the Jews who already live hereand, she believes, are not well served by existingcommunity institutions.“They’re not very good at finding creativeanswers instead of just saying what is bad,”Feiger said.Muzicant, a real estate executive with asomewhat fearsome reputation, is unlikelyto be dissuaded by such views.During an interview with JTA in his officein the city center, Muzicant cited themany times during his long communal careerin which his ideas were dismissed as pipedreams only to be eventually realized.“Part of my success is not genius,” he saidwith the faintest glint in his eye. “It’s beingstubborn.” n12 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

IArts and CultureREPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: 20 YEARS AGOThe change has come to Jewish life inEastern EuropeBy Ruth Ellen GruberROME (JTA)—Covering the development ofJewish life in Europe in the 20 years since the fallof communism, I have witnessed many landmarkmoments.Among them are many “firsts”—the firstrabbis to take up their posts, the first bar mitzvahsand Jewish weddings in decades, the firstnew synagogues, the first kosher restaurants, thefirst Jewish schools, etc.There were also the first conflicts betweenReform and Orthodox, between young generationsand the establishment, between rival Jewishfactions struggling for communal power.Sometimes thesymbolism was overwhelming:Jewish lifeand free expression ofJewish identity were reemergingin the onetimeJewish heartland,in countries whoseJewish populationshad been decimated by the Holocaust and wherea Jewish presence was long considered a closedchapter of history.The image it often conjured up for me wasof fragile tendrils emerging through ashes.Over time the tendrils took hold. The newlife they represent is still delicate and still needsa lot of nurturing—financial and otherwise.Eastern Europe’s emerging Jewish communitiesface internal and external challenges, and it’sdoubtful that many of the tiny far-flung communitiesultimately will survive.But Eastern European Jewish life generally ishere to stay. That was not at all apparent beforethe collapse of the Iron Curtain.In Warsaw in the early 1980s, when I firstmet the Jewish author and journalist KonstantyGebert, the sense was that there was no futurefor Jews in Eastern Europe.“I believe we are the last ones. Definitely,”Gebert told an interviewer.Recently, however, Gerbert heralded PolishJewish life, present and future.“There is a bar mitzvah in my shul nextweek. The yearly Festival of Jewish Culture inKrakow is just around the corner. Midrasz, theJewish magazine, comes to my mailbox regularlylate, as always,” he wrote in a recently publishedessay. “My younger son graduated fromthe city’s Jewish school. My older son was pressspokesman of the Warsaw kehilla for some time.My invitation for the Israeli Independence Dayreception just came in.”In Prague, where the affiliated Jewish communitynumbers at least 1,600 and the variousJewish denominations have five active synagogues,I remember the intensity of emotionat a 1992 ceremony when Karol Sidon, a writerand one-time anti-communist dissident, wasinaugurated formally as the city’s rabbi.It was the eve of Rosh Hashanah, and astanding-room crowd filled the opulent sanctuaryof the ornate Jubilee Synagogue.“All my life I’ve been moving in a circle towardthe inauguration,” Sidon had told me afew days earlier. “People do things unconsciously;they don’t always consciously decide what todo. Their subconscious leads them to it.”Sidon was born in 1942 to a Jewish fatherwho died in the Terezin concentration campWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010In July 1995, a conference washeld in Prague to plan strategyfor the future of Jews in Europe.and a gentile mother who survived the war. Asan adult, Sidon formally converted and escapedto Germany, where he studied Judaism in the1980s before completing his rabbinical studiesin Israel.Sidon, who is Orthodox, is still Prague’schief rabbi, though he was ousted briefly in2005 during bitter infighting between Jewishcommunity factions.“I remember when all of us would be hidingin one synagogue and leaving in a waythat no one would spot us,” said Peter Gyori,deputy chair of the Federation of Czech JewishCommunities andalso head of the non-Orthodox Beit Praha,recalling the bad olddays when almostanything Jewish wassuppressed or suspect.“We live now inthe luxury of ‘fighting’among various communities and groups,” hesaid, “and not going to this or that synagogue.”In July 1995, Prague was the scene of anotherfirst—the first conference since the Holocaustthat was dedicated to planning strategy for the futureof Jews in Europe. It may seem odd to singleout a conference as one of the key moments ofJewish development in post-communist Europe.But this one, called “Planning for the Future ofEuropean Jewry,” was in fact a landmark.The three-day meeting aimed to assert, forthe first time, “that Jews in Europe can take thefuture into their own hands, an attitude inconceivablebefore 1989.”It drew 200 Jewish community leaders, policymakersand scholars from 25 countries acrossEurope, East and West, as well as the UnitedStates and Israel.Participants included Orthodox and secularJews, rabbis and laypeople. Many, meeting for thefirst time, forged networks that persist to this day.The meeting was the first international forumto identify and outline many of the issuesthat have since dominated the European Jewishpolicy agenda: relations between Diaspora Jewsand Israel; how to define Jewish identity and whatconstitutes a Jewish community; anti-Semitismand interfaith activities; the relationship of Jews toEurope; how to reach out to the unaffiliated.Speaking to the meeting, Gebert describedthe Jews of post-communist Europe as “shipwreckedJews” who were struggling to reclaim aJewish identity that had been submerged undercommunism, and in many cases did not knowwhich way to turn.The conference was an exciting moment—the first formal occasion in which the conceptof a post-communist, pan-European identitywas broached.As such it reflected the energy and optimismthat exploded after the fall of communism andled many observers to dub the 1990s “the Jewishdecade.”Czech President Vaclav Havel, whose firstforeign trip after becoming president in 1989was to Israel, met with participants.“I believe Jews will continue to live a life oftheir own,” he said, “and that new generationswill emerge.” nWhat the use of Yiddish phrases can tellus about contemporary American JewryBy Marissa BrostoffNEW YORK (Tablet)—The results are in: thewords “shpiel” and “klutz” have been thoroughlyabsorbed into the American vernacular, while“mensch” and “kvetch” remain primarily in thelinguistic domain of Jews. A third of JewishAmericans who did not grow up in New Yorkhave nonetheless been told that they soundlike they’re from that city. Sixty-eight percentof Reform Jews pronounce the word for theannual Jewish harvest festival “soo-COAT,” asIsraelis do, while only 34 percent use the Yiddishpronunciation “SUK-kiss”; among the ferventlyOrthodox, those numbers are basicallyreversed. And gay non-Jews use more Yiddishthan straight non-Jews, though gay Jews andstraight Jews use about the same amount.These are just a few findings of the Surveyof American Jewish Language and Identity, theresults of which were published online late lastmonth by linguist Sarah Bunin Benor and sociologistSteven M. Cohen. Dozens of surveysabout American Jews have come out the pastfew decades—but this is a rare one that showsrather than tells. Instead of asking respondentshow religious they are or whether theirgrandchildren will be Jewish, Benor and Cohenasked questions like, “When you say ‘Mary’ and‘merry’ in regular speech, do they sound thesame or different?” and “How do you refer tothe Jewish skullcap?” By hitting the question ofJewish identity at a slant rather than head-on,the researchers have come up with an unusuallynuanced portrait of contemporary AmericanJews.“Patterns of language use can tell us thingsabout identities and communities that mightnot even be known to the actors themselves,”said Cohen, who has been conducting Jewishidentity surveys of the more direct variety forsome four decades. “There are things we can seethrough the side door that we can’t see throughthe front door.”Benor and Cohen’s survey technique, likethe questions they asked, was untraditional.Instead of using a random survey sample, theyemployed a “snowball technique,” e-mailing thesurvey to 600 friends in July 2008 and askingrespondents to forward it in turn. They makeclear in the introduction to their report thatthis approach has both its advantages and itsdrawbacks. On the one hand, 41,696 peoplecompleted the survey just in the first few weeksof its life on the Internet. (You can still take thesurvey online, though only data from those first41,696 respondents has already been analyzed.)By contrast, the National Jewish PopulationSurvey, conducted every 10 years by Jewish Federationsof North America, has a sample size ofabout 5,000. On the other hand, Benor and Cohenacknowledge, “We know it over-representsJews with strong Jewish engagement and socialties”—the kind of people most likely to takesuch a survey of their own volition.As Benor expected from her previous scholarship(like Cohen, she teaches at HebrewUnion College-Jewish Institute of Religion, theReform movement’s seminary, which sponsoredthe survey), the data suggests that for themost part, American Jews across the religiousspectrum draw from the same “repertoire” ofdistinctive speech elements—that is, they areEnglish speakers who use varying amounts ofYiddish or Hebrew phrasing and grammar todistinguish themselves both from non-Jews andfrom Jews elsewhere on the spectrum. With theexception of those fervently Orthodox Jewswho use Yiddish as their primary language,Benor said, American Jews fall somewhere onthis “continuum of distinctiveness” rather thanbeing separable into different dialect groups.“My favorite example is ‘gmar cha-tee-MAHto-VAH,’ ” she said, enunciating each syllable ofthe traditional Yom Kippur greeting: in English,“May you be inscribed in the book of life.”“That’s the most modern Hebrew pronunciationyou can get. Then there’s ‘gmar cha-TEEmahTO-vah,’ ‘gmar cha-SEE-mah TO-vah,’and then ‘gmar ch’SEE-mah TOY-vah.”For those in the know, each pronunciationsignifies a different spot on the religious continuum:a non-Orthodox Jew probably woulduse the modern Hebrew pronunciation; as youmove along the spectrum of observance, thegreeting becomes more Yiddish-inflected.One of the key findings of the survey waswhat Benor and Cohen call “the growth of linguisticdistinctiveness among the Orthodox.”Distinctive strains of Yiddish-inflected Englishare not only still in everyday use among youngergenerations of Orthodox American Jews, theirprevalence is growing. Take the phrase, “She’sstaying by us,” which borrows a Yiddish grammaticalconstruction to mean, “She’s stayingat our place.” Fifty-three percent of OrthodoxJews who took the survey use the phrase (versus21 percent of non-Orthodox Jews). But a fullthree quarters of Orthodox Jews between theages of 18 and 24 use it, compared to 12 percentof Orthodox respondents 75 or older. Accordingto the report, “such words and phrases areso important for Orthodox identity that manybaalei teshuva (newly Orthodox Jews) make aconscious effort to incorporate them into theirspeech, even when some people consider themto be incorrect English.” Observant Sephardicand Mizrahi Jews, whose ancestors never spokeYiddish in the first place, have adopted Yiddishreligious terminology as well.Benor attributes this to the fact that Orthodoxcommunities have in general become moreconservative, politically and culturally, in recentyears. “Part of that shift to the right is a linguisticshift: some Jews who used to use less distinctEnglish are now incorporating more Yiddishismsinto their English,” she said.In non-Orthodox Jewish communities, twotrends are happening concurrently, the surveyfound: As members of an older generation dieand takes certain language patterns with them,younger Jews are using more Yiddish and Hebrewthan before (and certainly more thantheir more assimilationist parents’ generationdid). But the words disappearing and thosereappearing aren’t necessarily the same words.Though Jews (and non-Jews) of all ages still say“shmutz” and “mazel tov,” seniors are more likelythan their grandchildren to use Yiddishismslike “heimish” (homey), “macher” (big shot),“nu?” (so?), “naches” (pride), and “bashert”(predestined). Where the younger generation isovertaking their grandparents is with religiousterminology—Yiddish words like “shul,” “daven”and “bentch” (for the blessing after meals).“You see more Jews now identifying asa religious rather than as an ethnic group,”Benor said. “Those Yiddish words that arecontinued on page 3913

I IsraelJewish support for Israeli-Arab causes goes mainstream, irking someBy Gil SheflerNEW YORK (JTA)—When the Reform movementpassed a resolution endorsing advocacyfor Israeli Arabs, it wasn’t the first time anAmerican Jewish group had backed the causeof Israeli-Arab equality.In recent years, a growing number of AmericanJews have thrown their support towardIsraeli-Arab causes, including civil rights andadvocacy organizations, women’s empowermentcourses, student-exchange programs andeven film festivals.More than 80 Jewish groups belong to theInter-Agency Task Force on Israeli-Arab Issues,which works on behalf of equal treatment of IsraeliArabs and Jews.The Jewish federations’ Venture Fund forJewish and Arab Equality and Shared Society,a mix of 21 private family foundations, federationsand philanthropists, has raised morethan $1 million for Israeli-Arab causes since itslaunch in 2007. And in 2006, the Jewish Agencyfor Israel announced it would invest in projectsbenefiting Israeli Arabs, scrapping a policy, inplace since its founding in 1922, of exclusivelyhelping Jewish causes.Last week’s unanimous endorsement of thecause by American Jewry’s largest religious movement,at the biennial conference in Toronto of theUnion for Reform Judaism, was the latest signthat Jewish support for Israeli-Arab causes hasgone mainstream.“There’s no doubt that more money has beengiven to this issue then ever before. It’s becomea mainstream issue,” said Rabbi Brian Lurie, cochairof the Inter-Agency Task Force, a formerCEO of the Jewish federation of San Franciscoand one of the key Jewish activists raising moneyin the Diaspora for Israeli Arabs. “Whether yourmind-set is equality, whether it’s the security of Israel,whether it’s building bridges, all three reasonsare involved and these are compelling reasons.”Arab citizens constitute approximately 20 percentof Israel’s population of 7 million. Thoughthey have the same rights accorded Israel’s Jewishcitizens, studies have shown that Israeli Arabsroutinely suffer from employment discriminationand receive fewer government funds thanIsrael’s Jewish sector in such areas as education,infrastructure and welfare.In 2006, an Israeli government committee setup to investigate riots in October 2000, in whichIsraeli police fire left 12 Arab protesters dead, determinedthat Israel long had neglected its Arabcitizens. The Or Commission finding helped pavethe way for mainstream Jewish groups to supporta cause long championed by organizations suchas the New Israel Fund and the Abraham Project.Not everyone is happy about it.Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organizationof America, says American Jews shouldnot be sending funds to an Israeli communitythat is disloyal toward Israel. He cited visits byIsraeli-Arab lawmakers to enemy states such asSyria by way of example.“I think it’s a mistake to be raising money forIsraeli Arabs, at least until they show their supportfor Israel and its rights,” Klein said. “There’s beenan inverse relationship between the monies beingallocated to the Israeli-Arab communities andtheir loyalties and commitment to Israel.”The New Israel Fund, for example, has comeunder fire for its support of Israeli-Arab advocacygroups that take controversial positions, includingcalls for eliminating Israel’s Jewish character. Justlast week, three NIF-funded Arab Israeli groupswere behind a poster for a conference on women’srights in the Arab world that suggested Israeli soldierssexually violate Palestinian women, promptingcritics to cry foul.The NIF defended its position even as it criticizedthe poster. “While we certainly defend theconference as appropriate—and as always, maydisagree with our grantees on some key issuesbut see no reason to force them into ideologicallockstep—there’s no question that the poster inquestion is unnecessarily provocative and misleading,”NIF communications director NaomiPaiss told JTA.Other Jewish organizational officials say theIsraeli-Arab community needs to be held to account.“We need to hold the leaders of the Israeli-Arab community or any other community to beresponsible,” said Malcolm Hoenlein, executivevice chairman of the Conference of Presidents ofMajor Jewish American Organizations, which isa member of the Inter-Agency Task Force. “Thatmeans that when there are incitements or actionsthat are detrimental, they need to counter it.”Warning that some of the money donated withthe intent of bolstering Israeli society by reachingout to Israeli Arabs is used for “questionable purposes,”Hoenlein said donations by Diaspora Jewsshould be put to use effectively “to counter theIslamist forces, encourage moderation and createconditions that are inductive to it.”American Jews who support funding Israeli-Arab causes say they do so out of concern for Israel’sdemocracy and Jewish values.“Israel’s strength and survival depend onthe democratic nature of the Jewish state,” saidthe Reform movement’s resolution on the issue.“These imperatives require that we be ever sensitiveto the aspirations and just demands of Israel’sminority citizens.”Jessica Balaban, the executive director of theInter-Agency Task Force, says her mission transcendspolitical and ideological boundaries.“With better education, people understandthat improving the quality of life for the Arab citizensof Israel is not only a moral imperative butalso in our self-interest, and it’s been well receivedby the Arab community here,” she told JTA byphone from Israel.Rabbi Pesach Lerner, vice president of the NationalCouncil of Young Israel, an umbrella organizationfor Orthodox synagogues, said he objects tofunding Israeli-Arab causes as a matter of priorities.“Tradition teaches us priorities, and those prioritiesdictate that we give to our own families first,” Lernersaid. “Jews in Israel have needs, and you don’t seethe Arabs giving money to the Jews.”Rabbi David Ellenson, president of the HebrewUnion College-Jewish Institute of Religion, subscribesto an opposing theological view. Quotingthe biblical injunction to “welcome the stranger inyour midst,” Ellenson says it’s a religious imperative—andeventually it will strengthen Israel.“In general,” he said, “I think that people whoare treated with respect and dignity tend to respondto those who treat them this way.” nPlans for new Palestinian city in West Bank raise hopesBy Dina KraftRAWABI, West Bank (JTA)—Dusk has fallen ona terraced hillside and workers clearing the redearth hurry to finish planting trees in the twilight,their labor the initial step in the construction ofthe first-ever planned Palestinian city.The city, with a construction price tag of some$350 million, already has its city limits registered,a name—Rawabi, Arabic for hills—and fundingfrom the government of Qatar. It’s located aboutfive miles north of Ramallah.The project’s Ramallah-based developers,who plan to start building soon, hail the projectas a prized and much-needed example of Palestinianeconomic development. Israeli officialsare among those citing it as a symbol of Palestinianprogress.“At the heart of this, it’s about building anation,” says Bashar Masri, chairman of theboard of the Bayti Real Estate Investment Company,which is running the project. “We havedreamed about a liberal, advanced state with ahigher standard of living, and this project is partof those aspirations.”Masri, 48, sits behind a sleek, lime-coloredglass desk at his office. He envisions the city asa place of both good living and employment.He talks animatedly about the work opportunitiesnot only in construction but at a commercialcenter.Eventually, Masri says, Rawabi will haveschools, a hotel, a shopping center, health clinics—andup to 40,000 residents.The sunny plans for Rawabi, despite lingeringbureaucratic challenges with the Israeli and Palestinianauthorities, dovetail with an increasinglypositive picture of economic growth in the WestBank, economists say.In Ramallah, the most prosperous Palestiniancity and its financial hub, high-end restaurants arecrowded, a new chain of cafes recently opened,billboards advertise top-of-the-line washing machinesand cranes building high-rise buildings dotthe hilltops. One building under construction willeven feature a rotating rooftop restaurant.How the unstable Palestinian political situationwill impact that growth is unclear.For the time being, International MonetaryFund officials say economic growth in the WestBank could reach as much as 7 percent in 2009 ifIsrael continues to relax restrictions, notably the removalof roadblocks. Such growth would indicate amajor improvement in living standards in the areain the past three years, although the economy hasyet to recover to pre-intifada levels from the summerof 2000. Unemployment in the West Bank is18 percent, down from 25 percent in 2004.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahulikes to tout Palestinian economic prosperity inthe West Bank paving the way for political peace.Since coming to office in March, Netanyahu hasremoved a series of checkpoints, helping ease themovement of people and goods between WestBank towns and cities.By contrast, Hamas-controlled Gaza remainslargely blockaded by both Israel and Egypt, itseconomy in shambles.Palestinians say that while some relief hascome with the dismantling of checkpoints, theones that remain—including makeshift onesthat move daily—contribute to a fragile situation.Economic growth is not a substitute for politicalprogress, they say.“Economic progress helps and is desperatelyneeded to make peace dividends stick, but youcannot ensure economic stability without politicalprogress,” Masri says. “Political instability canalways blow up in our faces.”In 1995, inspired by the prospects for peacefollowing the signing of the Oslo accords, Masrireturned to the West Bank after years living in theUnited States. When the second intifada began in2000, the road outside his office was often crowdedwith Israeli tanks and army jeeps. His officesare in the same neighborhood as the Mukata, thePalestinian Authority headquarters where YasserArafat spent time under siege.Envisioning a different future, Adi Ashkenazi,who directs the economic research division ofIsrael’s Office of Regional Cooperation underMinister Silvan Shalom, says Israel is supportiveof the plans for Rawabi.“Israel views with greatimportance assisting economic projects in thePalestinian Authority,” Ashkenazi said. “We believeeconomic peace will improve our relationsand help bring us to a place of dialogue and thereal basis for future.”Ashkenazi talked to JTA while en route to aceremony to mark a new Israel-West Bank crossingpoint that will make it easier for Israeli Arabsto enter the northern West Bank city of Jenin andspend money in the hopes that it will boost thelocal economy. Israeli Jews are not permitted toenter Palestinian cities.Rawabi is to sit on Palestinian Authoritycontrolledland, but developers are still awaitingfinal Israeli approval for the building of anaccess road, part of which will cut near a roadused by Jewish settlers that falls in an area underIsraeli jurisdiction.Palestinian economist Samir Hazboun seesthe plans for Rawabi, which aims to attract educated,middle-class Palestinians, as a good sign.“It show Palestinians interest in investingand improving their own standard of livingand at the end of the day will be a new examplethat something is moving towards the future,”Hazboun said.Rawabi was heralded at a conference lastmonth in Jerusalem by British Jewish businessmanSir Ronald Cohen, who heads a nonprofit that encouragespolitical stability through Israeli and Palestinianeconomic development. The group, thePortland Trust, is helping support Rawabi.Cohen says he sees the city as part of a largereffort to foster a more moderate Palestinianelectorate. “We have to support private sector becauseit’s the only way to have sustainable growth,”Cohen said. “If people are feeling desperate, it’svery hard to arrive at reasonable negotiations.”In Rawabi’s promotional video, 3-D architecturalimages depict people walking in a moderncity with gleaming high-rise buildings, greenparks and shopping areas. For now, the site ofRawabi remains one of wild sage tucked amidcraggy white rocks, rows of new cypress and pinetrees, and a bumpy dirt road.A young civil engineer who is part of its designteam looks out at the view and says he hopes oneday soon he’ll be beyond planning the city; he’llbe living in it. n14 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

Jean-Yves Thibaudet pianoSat, Dec 12 | 8 PMHILL AUDITORIUM“Every note he fashions as a pearl…the joy, brilliance, and musicalityof his performance could not be missed.” (The New York Times)A master of color, nuance, and interpretation, pianist Jean-YvesThibaudet is recognized for his sophisticated performances andpoetic soul. Considered one of the great pianists of our time, hehas been praised by the press as “a musical treasure of this age.” Hisabsolute artistry, virtuosity, and charisma will be on display in HillAuditorium just a few days before his Carnegie Hall recital.PROGRAMRavel Pavane pour une enfante defunte (1899)Ravel Miroirs (1904-05)Brahms Sonata No. 3 in f minor, Op. 5 (1853)CO-SPONSORED BY NATALIE MATOVINOVIĆ AND DONALD MORELOCK.MEDIA PARTNER WGTE 91.3 FM.Souad MassiFri, Jan 8 | 8 PMMICHIGAN THEATERAlgerian singer/songwriter/guitarist Souad Massi began her careerfronting the Algerian rock band Atakor, which was influenced by LedZeppelin and U2. Her music, which prominently features the acousticguitar, now displays Western musical influences such as rock,country, and Portugese fado, but also incorporates oriental musicalinfluences and instruments such as the oud. She performs in manylanguages, including Algerian-Arabic, French, English, and Berberdialects, even within the same song. Her three solo albums delveinto the personal rather than the political, expanding on themes oflove and loss.FUNDED IN PART BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN.MEDIA PARTNERS METRO TIMES AND MICHIGAN CHRONICLE.Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We PrayBill T. Jones/Arnie ZaneDance CompanyBill T. Jones artistic directorFri-Sat, Jan 22-23 | 8 PMPOWER CENTERChoreographer Bill T. Jones commemorates the Abraham Lincolnbicentennial with a production exploring the life and legacy ofthis nation’s complex figure. This dance-theater work featuressophisticated movement set against a backdrop of film and amodern set, all accompanied by original live music for cello, guitar,piano and voice. The phrase taken from Lincoln’s Second InauguralAddress to title the work, Fondly Do We Hope…Fervently Do We Pray,captures the vision of the piece: an examination of what Lincoln andhis time mean today, and our hopes for the future.Dec/Jan EventsOpera in Concert: Bartók’s Bluebeard’s CastleChicago Symphony OrchestraPierre Boulez artistic directorMathieu Dufour fl u t eMichelle DeYoung mezzo-sopranoFalk Struckmann bass-baritoneWed, Jan 27 | 8 PMHILL AUDITORIUMThe Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conductor emeritusPierre Boulez perform a stunning program that includes a rareconcert performance of Bartók’s one-act opera, Bluebeard’sCastle, in which the lovely Judith opens the seven doors inher new husband’s castle, discovering something horrible andterrifying behind each. The program is balanced by Ravel’sdelightful Le Tombeau de Couperin and a new flute concertoby Marc-André Delbavie.SPONSORED BY THE LINDA AND MAURICE BINKOW PHILANTHROPIC FUNDAND THE CHARLES H. GERSHENSON TRUST, AND AN ANONYMOUS DONOR.MEDIA PARTNER WGTE 91.3 FM.Ladysmith Black MambazoSun, Jan 31 | 4 PMHILL AUDITORIUMSince Paul Simon’s Graceland catapulted Ladysmith BlackMambazo to worldwide fame in 1986, the vocal group hasremained true to the idea of opening doors to South Africanculture through music. For more than 30 years, the group hasmarried the intricate rhythms and harmonies of their nativeSouth African musical traditions to the sounds and sentimentsof gospel music. The result is a musical and spiritual alchemythat has touched a worldwide audience representing everycorner of the religious, cultural, and ethnic landscape.SPONSORED BYFUNDED IN PART BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN.MEDIA PARTNERS WEMU 89.1 FM, ANN ARBOR’S 107ONE, METRO TIMES,MICHIGAN CHRONICLE, AND BETWEEN THE LINES.131st Seasonums09|10MEDIA SPONSORFUNDED IN PART BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AS PART OF AMERICANMASTERPIECES: THREE CENTURIES OF ARTISTIC GENIUS; ARTS MIDWEST’S PERFORMINGARTS FUND; AND THE METLIFE COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS FUND OF THE NATIONALDANCE PROJECT, A PROGRAM ADMINISTERED BY THE NEW ENGLAND FOUNDATION FORTHE ARTS.MEDIA PARTNERS BETWEEN THE LINES, METRO TIMES, MICHIGAN RADIO 91.7 FM,ANN ARBOR’S 107ONE AND MICHIGAN CHRONICLE.CALL OR CLICK FOR TICKETS!734.764.2538 | WWW.UMS.ORGHOURS: Mon-Fri: 9 am to 5 pm Sat: 10 am to 1 pmWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010Ad #6 — Washtenaw Jewish News First Proof of Ad Due: Thu, Sep 3 Final Ad Due to WJN: Wed, Sep 9Size: 9 13 /16 x 12.75 Color: B&W Ad Runs: October15

I Teens/YouthSAVE THEDATE!DELIGHTFUL, DELICIOUS,DE-LAXESStarring: JUDIE & JERRY LAXBody piercing—kosher or not?Noa Gutterman, staff writerRecently, I’ve wondered, is God’s nosepierced? I know practically nothingabout God, so why not? Who’s to saythat God doesn’t have a pierced nose? Fourdays ago, I got one too. Even though I had beenanticipating it for a long time, getting my nosepierced was one of the most terrifying experiencesof my life. Accompanied by two friendsand my mother, I found myself in Pangea Piercing.Four days later, the pain has subsided andI could not be happier with my new nose. Myinterest in nose piercings has been around foryears. However my interest was renewed withan experience I had last semester in Israel. I wasin line in a small shop to get my ears pierced,and the two young women in line behind mewere preparing to get their noses pierced. Theseyoung women were also Orthodox Jews.My nose piercing has elicited many questionsabout the Jewish ethics behind piercings.And what I found was not at all what I expected.My first biblical find was a section whichstated that if a slave chooses to stay a slave, heshould get his ear pierced to signify his loveof his master and to brand him as a permanentslave. I may be mistaken, but I hope thatpeople who meet me assume that I am not aslave. In fact, even most Orthodox Jews acceptear piercings on women as a social norm, yetthey still discourage nose piercings. The secondJewish teaching I found was in regards to humansbeing created in the image of God. SomeJews argue that God gave us bodies in the imageof God and we should not deface ourselves withpiercings. This immediately seemed strange tome. Who’s to say that God doesn’t have a piercednose like mine? Why should any kind of piercingbe labeled as defacing God’s image? What rightCelebrate Chanukah with Ken PardesEmily Eisbruch, special to the WJNdoes a human being have to tell another humanbeing what God wants or doesn’t want? Andanyway, who would think that being created inthe image of God included a body at all.Yet, the aspect of Jewish tradition that wasmost striking was the idea that Jews with piercingsand tattoos must be buried in a separatepart of a Jewish cemetery or, in some cases, cannoteven be buried inside the cemetery boundaries.Much to my surprise, this statement isentirely false. Nowhere, in any Jewish text doesit say that pierced or tattooed Jews must havedifferent burial procedures. In fact, this differenttreatment of pierced and tattooed Jews could beconsidered as a violation of the commandmentto honor the dead.My findings were not only surprising butalso reinforced the fact that my piercing did notviolate any Jewish law or tradition. Please don’tmisinterpret my foggy conclusions about God’slikes and dislikes when it comes to piercings. Noone on this earth knows whether or not Godapproves of piercings. And for that reason, noone should make judgments about what is acceptablein Judaism and what is not. Piercingsare a form of self-expression. Piercings are not amethod of rebellion against God or against thereligion of Judaism. My piercings should not affectmy faith. I still believe in God and in Judaismjust as much as I did four days ago.Piercings are a serious decision. I waited along time before I (and my parents) were readyfor me to get a nose piercing. But piercings arealso an aspect of style, just like clothing, or shoes,or hair products. I may never know if God has apiercing. However, I know that my nose piercingwill now serve as a constant reminder of myabiding faith in Judaism and in God. nSunday, January 24 • 3 pmWashtenaw Community College – Morris Lawrence BuildingKen Pardes Youth Group at the group’s Sukkot event in October.Jewish Family Services honors Judie and Jerry Laxwith the Claire and Isadore Bernstein Leadership Award(734) 769-0209 • www.jfsannarbor.orgKen Pardes, the local branch of Habonim Droryouth movement, is off to a great start for the2009-2010 school year. Ken Pardes, also associatedwith Camp Tavor, held a wonderful kickoffpicnic at Bandemer Park in September. In October,they had a sukkah decorating party, completewith cider, doughnuts and games aboutJewish history. Several other well attendedevents, including a November Shabbat dinner,rounded off the fall’s activities.According to Yael Warshai, one of the coordinatorsof the youth group this year, “Comingup on Sunday, December 6th, we welcomeeveryone to a fun Chanukah party. We are afriendly, fun group and we love meeting newkids! All kids, from age seven and up are invited!”Contact Yael Warshai, at 223-8388, forfull details on when and where to meet for theChanukah party.Leadership development is a big focus ofKen Pardes. According to Yael, “At the end ofDecember, there will be a Habonim leadershipseminar in Philadelphia to be attended by theleadership of Ken Pardes (11th graders and up).Many kids are already starting to look forwardto summer 2010 at Camp Tavor as well.”For information about Ken Pardes youthgroup activities, contact Yael Warshai atyaelw07@hotmail.com or Ron Sussman atronsussman@aol.com. For Camp Tavor information,contact Kate Sandler at registrar@camptavor.org. n16 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

JCC youth department offers full range of programsDeborah Huerta, special to the WJNWinter Break programsThe Jewish Community Center of GreaterAnn Arbor will offer Winter Break Fun Dayprograms from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. on December21–24 and December 28–31. Each Winter BreakFun Day will feature a fun field trip or specialactivity, plus crafts, games, and gym time oroutdoor recess. Students may sign up for one ormore days. Programming details for each daywill be available in early December.The Winter Break Fun Day programs arefor JCC members ONLY in grades K-5; middleschool students are also welcome to participateas helpers for a reduced fee. The cost for eachday is $36 for care from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. ($32 foradditional siblings) and $10 for Extended Carefrom 4–6 p.m. Registration and payment aredue by Monday, December 14.Youth Enrichment ClassesThe JCC is planning an exciting scheduleof after school-classes for the January-February session. Youth Enrichment classesfor elementary students will run for 6 weeks,Programming robots at a JCC enrichment classbeginning Monday, January 11, and continuingthrough the week of February 15. Thesefun and stimulating afternoon classes run from4:20-5:20 pm and are open to both JCC membersand non-members. Snack and supervisionin the JCC’s after school programs before eachclass are included for all class participants.The enrichment schedule will be finalized inDecember, but will likely include several returningfavorites such as Fit Kids, Gym Sports, andLego Robotics, as well as some new offeringssuch as Chess, Drama, and Art. In addition tothe afterschool enrichment classes at the JCC,another session of the popular Swim with Kimclass will be offered on Tuesday evenings from5:30-6:30 p.m. at High Point School.Registrations and payment for the classeswill be due by January 7. Class fees vary.MLK Day School’s Out ProgramThe JCC will offer two programs on MLKDay (January 18)—a free community performancein the afternoon and an all day School’sOut program.All youth in the community and their familiesare invited to celebrate MLK Day by attendingthe free afternoon performance, which will featurethe group Singers Of United Lands. S.O.U.L.is a unique quartet of four professional youngadult singers, each from a different country. Thefour singers are remarkable for their high-qualityvocal musicianship, geographical diversity, andenthusiasm for sharing about their respective cultures.The performance times and details will beavailable in mid December. RSVPs for the performanceare requested by January 14.In addition to the community performance,the JCC will offer a full day School’s Out/JCC’s Inprogram from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. for JCC membersONLY in grades K-5; middle school studentsmay also participate as helpers for a reduced fee.Participants in the School’s Out day will enjoythe afternoon S.O.U.L. performance as well asspecial workshops with the S.O.U.L. singers andother fun activities. The cost for the School’s Outday is $36 for care from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. ($32 foradditional siblings) and $10 for Extended Carefrom 4:00-6:00 p.m. Registration and paymentare due by Thursday, January 14.For additional information about theSchool’s Out day or to RSVP for the communityperformance, contact Deborah Huerta atdeborahhuerta@jccfed.org or 971-0990.Kid’s Night Out on Tu B’ShevatEvery other month, the JCC offers a Kids’Night Out event featuring games, crafts, dinner,and a movie or other special activities. The nextKids’ Night Out will be held on Saturday, January30, from 6:30–10 p.m. at the JCC.Since Tu B’Shevat falls on January 30 thisyear, the theme for the event will be celebratingtrees and taking caring of the environment. Participantswill make crafts with recycled materials,play fun games, and maybe even plant seeds ordecorate a cake to celebrate the birthday of thetrees. A pizza dinner will also be served and theevening will end with a viewing of the delightfulmovie Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest. Thisanimated film follows the story of the magicalinhabitants of a rainforest who fight to save theirhome from the threat of logging and pollution.Kids’ Night Out events are open to JCC membersand non-members in grades K-5. The cost forJCC members is $20 (additional siblings: $18). Thecost for non-members is $25 (additional siblings:$23). Registrations and payment will be due byThursday, January 28. Registration forms will beavailable at the JCC and at www.jccannarbor.org.Snow DaysThe Youth Department of the Jewish CommunityCenter of Greater Ann Arbor will onceagain offer Snow Day programs this winter. Ondays when the JCC is able to open but Ann ArborPublic Schools are cancelled due to winterweather conditions, a Snow Day program willbe offered from 10 a.m.–6 p.m. for students ingrades K-5; middle school students may participateas helpers for a reduced fee.Students will enjoy games, gym activitiesand fun in the snow under the supervisionof Youth Director Deborah Huerta and otheravailable staff. Students should bring a nut free,dairy lunch and appropriate clothes for playingoutside (weather permitting).The Snow Days program is for JCC membersonly and the program fee is $50 (additionalsiblings and Kids’ Konnection / Kids’ Club participantsreceive discounts). Registration in advanceis not required, but parents will be askedto fill out a registration form and submit paymentwhen they arrive.Athletes sought for Maccabi Games 2010Each summer the Jewish Community Centerof Greater Ann Arbor sends a team of athletesages 13-16 to the JCC Maccabi Games, anOlympic-style sporting competition that incorporatescommunity service and social activitiesto combine for an unforgettable experience forJewish teens. This past summer, Ann Arbor andits Partnership 2000 (P2K) sister community,Moshav Nahalal, joined forces to send eightteens to compete in the JCC Maccabi Gamesin San Antonio, Texas, from August 9–14. Theathletes brought home an impressive total of 18medals, along with many wonderful memoriesand new friendships.Emma Share, who participated as a dancerin both the 2008 and 2009 JCC Ann ArborMaccabi Teams, had this to say about her experiencelast summer: “The 2009 San AntonioMaccabi experience was amazing. There is justsomething cool about being part of a week-longevent where you’re competing with, hangingout, and befriending Jews your age. Maccabi isa place where you can be proud of your Jewishnessand the city you are from. It’s amazing tobe able to represent Ann Arbor in a city as big asSan Antonio filled with athletes from across thenation. And the three Israeli athletes who joinedthe Ann Arbor delegation this year made the experiencetruly special…. I would recommendMaccabi to any Jewish teen who likes to havenew adventures, have a lot of fun, and makelong-lasting memories.”Next summer, Ann Arbor’s athletes willonce again be joined by Israeli athletes fromNahalal and the combined team will attendthe JCC Maccabi Games in Omaha, Nebraska,from August 1–6, 2010. At the Omaha Games,teens will be able to compete in basketball, soccer,volleyball, bowling, dance, golf, swimming,table tennis, or tennis. Athletes of all abilitiesare welcome to participate and scholarship assistanceis available to help defray the costs ofattending the Games. Teens must be 13–16 asof July 31 to participate.For more information about participatingas an athlete, coach, or volunteer, contact JCCyouth director Deborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.orgor 971-0990. A limited numberof spots on the team are available each year,so interested families are encouraged to contactthe JCC as soon as possible.For additional information or to register for JCCyouth programs, visit www.jccannarbor.org orcontact Deborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.orgor 971-0990.Home sick? HDS students stay connected through distance learningDina Shtull, special to the WJNThe United States and Michigan Departmentsof Education and theCenter for Disease Control have allrecommended that schools ensure continuouslearning for children who are home sick.They suggest creating virtual classrooms andelectronic learning communities where studentsand teachers interact even though studentsmay not be physically present in theclassroom. Hebrew Day School has been doingjust that—keeping students with the fluconnected with their classmates and theirlearning while they are at home recovering.“I felt very honored to be able to talk and dowork with my class while I was sick,” says DanielZacks, a fifth grader who was out for four daysearlier this semester. Zacks and Adi Bamberger,who was also out sick, stayed connected a numberof different ways. Descriptions of what wasdone in class, homework assignments and alink to a YouTube video of a math lesson wereall posted on web-based Wikispace. (If schoolbookswere not at home, work was modifiedand special directions were given.) Video conferencingwith Skype allowed the students tofully participate in the class math lesson ondividing decimals. The students could bothbe heard, and Adi, who had a webcam (digitalcamera connected to her computer) could beseen on the SMART Board screen in the classroom.When teacher Carol Gannon was computingproblems on the SMART Board, thewebcam was turned to the Board so that thestudents could see what was written.The students were also an integral part ofthe class science experiment with mealworms.During the observation and documentationof the mealworm behavior, the video camerawas positioned next to the class science partnerso that the mealworm activity could be seen.HDS student participates in classroomlesson from homeThe student in the classroom and the studentat home together discussed and documentedtheir observations. Literature class was next.The class was reading an historical novel,Behind Rebel Lines, as part of their study ofthe Civil War. Zacks and Bamberger followedalong and participated in the class reading.A school day includes lighter moments suchas recess or a snack break. Students at home didnot miss those moments either. When it wastime for a break, teacher Carol Gannon put thewords to the class song on the SMART Board,and all the students sang together. If laughter,learning, and friendship can help speed up recovery,it did. Zacks and Bamberger came backto school as if they had never been “home” sick.“I loved being with Skype and learning in theclassroom. It was fun, and I could see my classmates,”said Bamberger. nFor more information about Hebrew DaySchool, call 971-4633. Tours and Open Housesare scheduled for January 12 at 9 a.m. and January21 at 7 p.m.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201017

The Jewish Cultural SocietyA Community for Cultural JewsYou are invitedto our annualHannukahPartySunday, Dec 13th, 10-noonat the JCC.Fun activities for kids of all agesMoon BounceMenorah constructionCandle makingArts and CraftsLots & Lotsof Latkes!CandlelightingCeremonyCome sing and dance, bring a friend!We look forward to celebrating with you!The Jewish Cultural Society2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor MIwww.jewishculturalsociety.org734.975.9872I YouthEarly Childhood Center goes greenPeretz Hirshbein, special to the WJNAfter lunch in the Kangaroo room ofthe JCC Early Childhood Center, apreschool-aged child picks up herplate, cup, and utensils, walks over to a bucketlabeled with one of Ann Arbor’s ubiquitous“Compostable” stickers, scrapes off her plate,and then proceeds to rinse her plate, cup, andutensils in a wash bin of soapy water. Then shetakes the yogurt container she brought fromhome and places it in a recycling bin. Later, Louis Perry and Shaul Toviuse found materials tosift and sort.the bucket will be emptied intoa large compost bin, and thecup, utensils, and plate will besanitized and used again, andagain, and again. In the spring,the compost will be used asplanting resumes in the ECC’svegetable garden. A similarscene is played out in each ECCclassroom after every mealtime.This environmentally friendly mealtimeroutine, with all that surrounds it, originatedwith the ECC’s director, Noreen DeYoung, whosaid, “I really had a vision of teaching childrento be better ecological citizens of the world. Iwanted to see us engaging in Tikkun Olam everyday.” Slowly but surely, over the last eighteenmonths, the JCC’s early childhood programhas integrated green practices into the daily lifeof the program, and its students. Some greenpractices started small, but grew over time.The worm box in the hallway that transformsrelatively small amounts of organic waste intorich soil led to full-fledged composting that accommodatesa large amount of the ECC’s dailywaste. The use of durable drinking cups for thechildren many years ago led to the introductionof durable plates in the classrooms last schoolyear, and then real, metal, child-sized utensilsthis school year.Aurelia Schaedig recyclesher yogurt containerAn environmental consciousness exists notonly in the mealtime routines that reduce wasteand preserve resources. It also manifests itself inmany of the learning materials that are manipulatedby the children in the various interest areasof their classrooms: During large group time inthe Zebra room, a group of two-year-olds bangmaterials together in time to the beat of a song.While some of the children use egg shakers anddrums devised for this purpose, another childuses the grate from an air conditioning vent anda stick, while another child uses a washboard, anold-time favorite. During Work Time in the Girafferoom, a group of preschool-aged childrenplaying “family” sets the table in their “house” areawith real plates and real utensils, and pretends tocook food in a real skillet with a real spatula, allprocured at the Ann Arbor PTO thrift shop. Duringgroup time in the Duck room, a small groupof older infants engages in sensory-motor explorationof interlocking metal rings and tin cans, allfound at Recycle Ann Arbor’s Re-Use center.The increased use of these “found,” real materialsbegan a number of years ago, when someof the ECC’s teachers began to re-use commonhouseholditems to equipthe parts oftheir classroomsdevoted to children’spretendplay. Two yearsago, however,the ECC adopteda curriculumapproachthat demandeda re-evaluationof all classroommaterials. TheHigh/Scope approachutilizedby the ECCplaces great emphasis on materials that reflectthe real lives of children, that appeal to morethan one sense, and that can be used in anyway a child can imagine. Now, every classroomregularly uses “found” materials not onlyfor children’s dramatic play, but also as musicmaterials, sensory materials, and art materials,which provide a greater opportunity for explorationand imagination.While green routines around mealtimeshave reduced the ECC’s daily waste dramatically,and the use of “found” materials in all areasof the classrooms have enriched children’slearning, these practices have also led to thegrowth of children for whom the first reactionis not going to be to throw things in the trash.While many children understand the need torecycle and re-use, the development of greenhabits is critical to making a real connectionbetween the ideal of Tikkun Olam and actionsthat repair the world every day. n18 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

JCC Camp Raanana earns rave reviews for Summer 2009 programsDeborah Huerta, special to the WJNIt is not even winter yet, but many localchildren are already counting the daysuntil summer begins so they can returnto Camp Raanana. Located on a beautiful privatebeach front at Independence Lake, CampRaanana is the Jewish Community Center ofGreater Ann Arbor’s outdoor summer daycamp for children entering grades K-8. Thecamp offers nine 1-week sessions each summerand provides swim lessons, arts & crafts,Judaics, nature exploration, music, sports,free swim, weekly special events or field trips,and Shabbat celebrations.Campers are not the only ones looking forwardto Camp Raanana’s 2010 debut. CampRaanana’s counselors are also excited for thenext camp season, and several of them willbe coming back for their fifth or sixth year onthe camp staff. The high return rate for bothcampers and staff helps build a wonderfulsense of community at Camp Raanana andmakes the camp truly special.Why do families return to Camp Raananayear after year? Comments from CampRaanana’s 2009 Parent Survey provide someclues. For returning camp parents Dan andHilary Green, the outdoor and Jewish experiences,excellent value, and strong sense ofcommunity make the difference: “The kidshave a great experience, learn things about theoutdoors, Judaism and themselves, and comehome dirty, tired, and happy – just the waythe summer should be! We really appreciatehaving swimming lessons incorporated intocamp, rather than as an extra with an additionalcost. The other wonderful thing aboutthe camp is how many of the counselors andstaff are from our own Jewish community andhave been to the camp themselves.”Campers enjoy the outdoor camp experienceOther parents also point to the importanceof Camp Raanana’s staff and the presenceof mature male and female role models.Jodi Reel, whose daughter attended CampRaanana for the first time last summer, hadthis to say about camp: “Our daughter reallyblossomed this summer and it all happenedso quickly... the independence, the maturity,the connection, all thanks to the camp directorand staff. Through the positive leadershipof the delightful young women who were hercounselors, she has decided at the age of almostseven that she wants to be a counselorone day! Camp Raanana truly exceeded ourexpectations and was one of the best five weekinvestments we’ve ever made.”Another important factor behind CampRaanana’s high return rate is the camp’s abilityto appeal to campers of all ages with itsnurturing programs for grades K-2, weeklyspecialties for grades 3–5, and Pioneer AdventureProgram for grades 6–8. Laurie Adamsfelt that camp provided an excellent transitionbetween the JCC’s Early Childhood Centerand kindergarten: “I think Camp Raananais a great way to get the youngest group readyfor kindergarten by putting them in a ‘new’situation, while keeping them comfortablebecause they still know many of the kids intheir group.” Pamela Ramseyer, parent of athird grader, was pleased with the activitiesoffered to third–fifth graders, “My son wenton one of the overnights this summer andtalked about it for days. What a great experience!”Laura Hirshbein, another third gradeparent, was similarly enthused: “My son lovedthe specialty offerings at camp this year. Hecame home chatting and excited about science,sports, and photography.”Parents cited many other reasons for theirsatisfaction with Camp Raanana, includingthe effectiveness of the swim lessons, the excitingall-camp field trips, and the helpful weeklyemails and pictures. But sometimes it just comesdown to the fact that their kids love the CampRaanana experience. Sakina Zerrel reported,“Of all the camps my daughter attended thissummer—and that includes sports camp, boatingon a tall ship at the Ocean Institute of DanaPoint on the Pacific Ocean, and even learningabout and taking care of sea lions and seals atLaguna Beach’s mammal hospital—Camp Ranaanawas still her favorite camp!”Along with the positive feedback on the2009 Parent Survey, parents also includedsome suggestions for improvement, and theCamp Raanana staff is working hard to makenext summer even better for its returning andnew campers. Changes planned include a revampedcamp website, improved car-line procedures,and new field trip destinations andmitzvah projects for Pioneer campers.The camp dates for summer 2010 are June21–August 20. Early Bird Registration forCamp Raanana will begin when brochuresare available in late January. For more informationabout Camp Raanana, visit www.CampRaanana.com or contact camp directorDeborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.org or 971-0990. nCamp Raanana hiring staff for 2010Deborah Huerta, special to the WJNAssistant camp director soughtCamp Raanana, the Jewish Community Centerof Greater Ann Arbor’s outdoor summer daycamp, is seeking an experienced and dedicatedindividual to serve as assistant camp directorfor the 2010 camp season. The assistant directorposition is a salaried position that is vitalCamp Raanana’s success and smooth operation.The assistant director works closely withthe camp director in the development, implementation,and supervision of all key aspects ofthe camp program. In addition to the salariedperiod from June-August, the assistant directorwill be paid on an hourly basis for assistingwith pre-camp preparations in the spring.Applicants for the assistant director positionmust be at least 21 years of age by the start ofcamp, have previous supervisory experience,and have extensive familiarity and experiencewith Judaic and camp programming. Applicantsmust also have a minimum of eight weeksof full-time experience working with elementaryor middle school aged children, includingat least four weeks of full-time administrativeexperience in a camp or similar program (unithead, program coordinator, head counselor,etc.). Applicants should have or be workingtoward a bachelor’s degree in a related field(education, Judaic studies, social work, campadministration, etc.) and have special certifications(lifeguard, health officer, CDL license, etc.)or willingness to attain certification preferred.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010Now hiring new counselors, specialistsCamp Raanana has several staff openings fornext summer. Counselor-in-Training positionsare available for teens who have completed8th or 9th grade, Junior Counselorpositions are available for teens who havecompleted 10th, 11th, or 12th grade, and HeadCounselor and Specialist positions are availablefor college and post-college students.The Counselor-in-Training program is afun and supportive program for teens whohave completed 8th or 9th grade and are makingthe transition from camper to counselor.CITs receive training and hands-on experiencein child development, leadership andteam-building, conflict resolution, programplanning, and first aid. CITs also get to participatein social activities and special field trips.Teens may register for one or both four-weekCIT sessions ($360 for the initial four-weeksession, $60 for a second four-week session)and will receive an honorarium for their workupon successful completion of the program.Teens must fill out an application and meetwith the camp director to receive approval toenter the program. Accepted applicants willbe required to attend several pre-camp trainingsessions in June. A limited number of CITpositions are available; interested families areencouraged to contact the camp director inJanuary or February.Teens who have completed 10th, 11th, or12th grade are eligibleto work as JuniorCounselors at camp.This is a paid positionwhich requiresa four or eight weekcommitment. CampRaanana’s JuniorCounselors work directlywith a groupHead Counselor whoacts as a mentor andinvolves the JuniorCounselor in planningand implementingall camp activities.Junior Counselorsmust have previousexperience in a camp setting and be able toattend several pre-camp training sessions inJune. Interested teens should contact the campdirector in December or January to request anapplication.Camp Raanana is also seeking mature andtalented individuals to fill several eight-weekHead Counselor and Specialist positions. Applicantsfor these positions must have completedat least one year of college (or equivalent),have previous experience in a camp setting,and be able to attend several pre-camp trainingsessions in June. Positions available may includelifeguard; arts and crafts specialist; JudaicMembers of Camp Raanana’s praise-winning staffprograms specialist; sports specialist; naturespecialist; special needs coordinator; aftercarecoordinator; general counselor; and middleschool travel group counselor. Applications willbe accepting beginning in December; interestedindividuals should contact the camp director assoon as possible to request an application andobtain details about the available positions.For more information about working at CampRaanana or to request an application, contactCamp Director Deborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.orgor 971-0990.19

I YouthBuilding life skills and Jewish identityfor the youngestSusan Horowitz, special to the WJNWhen infants and toddlers arrivefor school each morning atthe Jewish Community CenterEarly Childhood Center, their day promisesto hold much more than simple daycareroutines. Through interactions with teachersand other students, activities centeredon the children’s interests and skills, and anage-appropriate Jewish curriculum, even theyoungest of children gains important social,emotional, communication, and self-helpThey needyour help.Now.The Washtenaw Schools Millage did not pass.As a result, the Ann Arbor Public Schools Educational Foundation is askingfor your immediate donation. We have a 17-year history raising privatedonations for the Ann Arbor Public Schools – and today we’re pleading foryour help on behalf of our community. Our kids. And our collective future.We’re asking you to donate the amount you were willing to pay through aMillage “Yes” vote as seen below. It won’t solve the budget shortfalls. But itwill take us one step closer to keeping our schools innovative and excellent.And 100% of your money will stay in Ann Arbor.Home value (or more) Taxable value Suggested donation$150,000 $75,000 $150$200,000 $100,000 $200$250,000 $125,000 $250$300,000 $150,000 $300$500,000 $250,000 $500$750,000 $375,000 $750$900,000+ $450,000 $900+Note: Taxable value is estimated at 50% of home value.As one infant explores a textured material, anotherwatches intentlyskills throughout their time in the program.Supporting the exploration and discoverycentral to a young child’s life is one of theprimary responsibilities of a successful infant/toddlerprogram. In the infant/toddlerprogram at the JCC, the support is offered innumerous different ways. Much of the day isdevoted to free choice time, where childrenhave the opportunity to explore the array ofclassroom materials. The interests expressedby the children during free play also formthe basis for teacher-initiated small andlarge group activities. Many of these materialsand activities pose challenges and questionsfor the children: How does this stringof beads move through this tube? What willthis sponge feel like in my hands, on my face,or against my tummy? What will happen if Ibang these spoons together? Through theirplay, the children not only discover the answersto these questions, but also gain importantproblem solving skills and a sense ofindependence. Additionally, exploring withthese materials in the presence of peers andToddlers look at bookstogether.caregivers provides thefoundation for developingearly social skills. Watchingand interacting withothers triggers a wholedifferent set of questions:What is that child doingwith her blocks? Can Imimic that action? Howcan I communicate to myfriends or teachers that I need help solvingthis problem?In addition to these life skills, at the JewishCommunity Center children also get asense of what it means to be Jewish from thevery beginning. Celebrating Shabbat is animportant part of the week for infants andtoddlers. The Jewish holidays are the basis formany special activities throughout the year,including making and tasting traditionalfoods, learning new songs, and communitywideprograms and celebrations. Words like“torah,” “challah,” and “shalom” are a part ofthe children’s vocabulary from the time theybegin to speak. The Jewish Community Centeroffers a sense of Jewish identity for eventhe youngest of children.Infant/toddler care is about so much morethan just care. It is about interacting with others,solving problems, and developing a senseof self. A successful infant/toddler programprovides young children with the foundationfor developing a sense of personal identityand skills that will last a lifetime. nTo be part of the solution, visit www.supportannarborschools.org/urgentneedor call Christy Perros at 734.355.8597At Sukkot time, the toddlers encounter a pumpkin20 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

Learning what is Jewish about a moose(and much more!)Cindy Saper, special to the WJNThe Jewish Educators Council of AnnArbor recently hosted Jewish NaturalistGabe Goldman as Scholar-in-Residence. Dr. Goldman is the Director ofExperiential and Environmental Educationat American Jewish University. He is wellknown for his unique teaching style thatblends his love of Jewish text with his knowledgeof nature and the environment. Duringhis visit to Ann Arbor, he led a workshop forarea teachers, and visited the Early ChildhoodCenter of the JCC, Hebrew Day School,Temple Beth Emeth Religious School, BethIsrael Religious School, Ann Arbor ReconstructionistHavurah Beit Sefer, and JewishCultural Society School. Rounding out hisvisit were two Shabbat family Nature Walks.Teachers and students alike had many “wow”moments as they engaged in hands on learningduring the workshops. Following are justa few comments:“I found a lamed in the bush!” JCS student.“I loved Gabe’s open, welcoming and encouragingteaching style.” BIRS teacher.Gabe Goldman with ECC students“Who knew that the moose is the world’slargest kosher animal?” TBE teacher.“Wow, ink from wasps?!” JCS parent.“What fascinated me the most was seeing,for the first time, a gall nut and learning howit is used to make the ink used for the writingof the Torah.” BIRS teacher.Gabe showing students how ancientheroes made fire“Gabe’s presentation was perfectly pitchedto my students. The next week students werestill talking about how exciting it was to holdthe moose antler.” Havurah teacher.“The middle school students were mesmerized!Gabe raised their curiosity and theywere very tuned in to his message that God’screation is to be explored and admired.”BIRS teacher.“My students who are studying Jewishheroes learned about survival skills neededback in biblical times. Learning how to makea fire with flint and stone, and how to maketea from sumac, gave them a whole new perspectiveto their classroom learning.” TBEteacher.As all these comments show, Gabe wasable to connect in a very unique way withthe entire community. Teachers were so impressedwith his ability to engage everyonein the study of nature from a Jewish perspective.From the relatively simple idea of havingstudents look up to find the shapes of theHebrew letters in the trees to the more complicatedhalachic discussions of why variousanimals are considered kosher, teachers wereinspired to continue exploring our Jewishconnection to nature with their students. TheJewish Educators Council’s annual Scholarin Residence program is made possible by agenerous grant from the Jewish Federationof Greater Ann Arbor. nJewish educators test the strength of rawhideWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201021

316 S. Main • Ann Arbor • www.TheArk.orgCall for tickets: 734-763-8587I JCC Book FestivalJan. 128 PMRED SEA PEDESTRIANSYIDDISHE CUPJan. 238 PM1234 56722 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

8Wishes You aHealthy,Happy Chanukah1091111. The Local Authors Brunch celebrated the community's creativity2. Author Judith Endelman3. Ira Berkow signing Karen Silverman's book at Baseball Night4. Book sales were brisk throughout the week5. Author Karen McGinity6. The nine Lunch and Learn programs were enjoyed by many7. Debra B. Darvick read her book I Love Jewish Faces with the aid of Fran Martin8. Author Dan Senor signing at JCC Book Festival9. Brunch at the Local Authors Fair was a big success10. The book sale continues at the JCC through Chanukah11. Sammy Margolis, Cammy Brown, Elaine Margolis, Julie Brown, andHelen Brown at the American Girl Doll TeaWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201023

Chelsea Flower Shop, LLC203 E. Liberty St. Phone 662-5616Ann Arbor, MI 48104www.chelseaflowersllc.comOver 60 years of excellence services• Whole Foods• Giddy Up!• Maggie's OrganicsWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201025

I FeatureFalse witnesses' “vigil” continues into seventh year, continued from page 126not the last people they see before entering themain sanctuary to worship their God.Back across the street, also observing the protestersare a couple bicycling along the side streetswith their teenage daughter trailing close behind.They slow up at particular intersectionacross from one demonstrator when the fathersays “It’s a holiday, but those people are Jewishtoo,” in response to an inaudible question fromthe girl, no older than 15.“So, wait, the Jewish people are against Israel?”she asks, her eyebrows furrowed underneathher protective helmet.“Yes. Well those ones are,” he responds, pickingup speed as they whiz by, “But you’ve got toconsider the source.”Indeed.Though they’ve become visible fixturesalong that stretch of roadway on the Sabbath,not much is known of the individuals whoare loathed by some and strangely revered byothers in the community as examples of theConstitution in action.And most of them like it that way, happyto lend the soles of their shoes to a cause theybelieve in, but eager to operate in silence andvirtual anonymity. One hijab-wearing protestoron the synagogue sidewalk covered her facewith a placard when confronted by a photographer.Her sign alerted cars on Washtenaw Avenue:“Zionist Lobby Inside.” Peeking out to findthe photographer still there, she ducked backbehind the sign and screamed, “I know you’regoing to assassinate me!”Once at least a dozen strong—with otherswilling to come in the carload from neighboringYpsilanti and even Dearborn—the weeklyvigils are down to about four regulars.Resilient, and seeking as much attention aspossible along Ann Arbor’s main entrance-waythoroughfare, the group makes up for their lackof numbers, and over-abundance of signs byplacing them on car windshields, leaning themagainst fire hydrants, and making use of speedlimit signs and hulking tree trunks.Now well into their sixth year of standing,they have yet to gain any meaningful dialoguewith the synagogue’s leadership or base congregation.They have also fallen short on repeatedattempts with local elected bodies to boycottIsraeli goods or repudiate its sovereignty as aJewish state.The driving forceThat said, the core of the group remainscommitted to a belief that not just Israelis, butall Jews who support a Jewish national home,are responsible for inflicting tragedy upon tragedyon Palestinians.Despite their dwindling numbers and lossesbefore the University of Michigan Student Assembly,the U-M Board of Regents, the Ann ArborCity Council, the Ann Arbor People’s FoodCo-op, and the Interfaith Council for Peace andJustice, don’t let them hear you say they’ve lostAimee Smith of the Huron Valley Greens Party amplifies her objections to Celebrate IsraelDay outside the JCC on May 17, 2009. Though not Muslim, Smith who wears a hijab, scoldedthe crowd, “Stop pretending you’re from Arabia. Be proud of your European roots.” At aprevious JCC event she chanted, “Defecating on children’s drawings will not bring peace.”Smith, who brought her daughter to help shout down the Jewish community event, was herparty’s candidate for Congress.any momentum for their cause or activism on alarger, more meaningful scale.“We don’t measure it, but there is a preponderanceof support among passersby who honk,and increasingly so,” said Witnesses founder andvigil creator Henry Herskovitz.“Certainly, we get three or four middle fingerseach day, but no one’s running their car offthe road at us.”While most of the demonstrators prefer obscurity—manyrefused to be interviewed undertheir real names for this story—the same can’t besaid for Herskovitz, their unequivocal leader.Herskovitz, 63, is a long-time Ann Arborresident and recent retiree from an engineeringfirm in Tecumseh. He said he works part-timedriving a vehicle for a local car dealership he refusedto name for publicity purposes.Although he claims to have attended servicesat the synagogue he now pickets, an initial searchrevealed no member by that name. Perhaps it isbecause for much of his time in Ann Arbor thePittsburg native was known by his given name,Henry Henry. (“Can you imagineparents saddling a kid withthat?!” he once complained to amember of Beth Israel.) Thoughcoy about his previous career,Herskovitz is very comfortablesaying his advocacy on behalf ofPalestinians has become his life’swork and true calling.He first started demonstratingin 2003, he says, out of frustrationfrom being denied a forumamongst other Jews to discuss hisparticular view of the conflict,which he says was shaped greatlyby a visit to Palestinian refugeecamps in 2002.He said he hoped to appeal to the Jewishconsciousness after the suffering he saw, alterthe congregation members’ course of actionand have them question their support of Israel.If those motives were true, the extreme tacticsbackfired, delegitimized their mission and insteadgalvanized a Jewish community againstthem, Jewish and non-Jewish observers of thesituation said.“I’ve heard a pretty wide range of opinionsabout the Middle East [in the congregation] includingno lack of people very critical of theIsraeli government,” said Dan Cutler, an AnnArbor resident and Beth Israel member. Butthe picketers don’t care about actual opinionsamong real people in the congregation, he contends.They use the Jewish families simply as abackdrop to denouncing opinions they imaginecongregants hold. Cutler cites a disturbing encounterwhen the picketers first showed up. Onetold him, “Jewish prayers should be disrupted.You pray for genocide.” A white-haired womanholding a sign denouncing Israel rushed overto add, “It’s true! It’s true!” and when he turnedto enter the synagogue she yelled, “Come backhere. I’m not through with you yet!”Cutler’s disdain is shared by many, includingthose who have no connection to the synagogue,but who respect the congregation’s rightto worship free of outside disturbances. “Thething that twinges me is that it’s the improprietyof doing it in front of a place of worship,”said Stephen Pastner, a retired anthropologyprofessor at the University of Michigan, withan Islamic world focus that causes him to beparticularly irked by distortions of historical/cultural fact. Pastner has created his own commemorativet-shirts with caricature depictionsof the protesters, whom he likes to call “Herskovites.”They tend to label Herskovitz and othermembers of the group as “self-hating” Jews andhonestly question some members’ sanity.Herskovitz acknowledges regularly attendingsessions with a therapist over the years, butinsists he isn’t crazy.“I think that critics always want to find areal personality flaw and try to exploit thatand say, ‘that’s the reason,’” he said. “What thatdoes is create a cheap diversion of the public’sattention. Pay no attention to the Israeli atrocities,but focus on Henry so nobody wants totake up the issue.”The wingmanIf Herskovitz is the captain, then Sol Metz iseasily his first mate in the protest effort.No longer right by his side, Metz, cofounderof the group, typically stands two to three feetfrom Herskovitz each and every week, carryingMozhgan Savabiesfahinihis own signs and blown-up photo he took ofa Palestinian woman weeping over the rubbleof her demolished home. His long white hairand frothy, prolonged beard make Metz hard tomiss, and he isn’t hiding from anybody.Somewhat of a throwback from Ann Arbor’scounter-culture and anti-war movements, Metzoften spoke his mind on the Israeli-Palestinianconflict through frequent letters to the editorsubmissions to the Ann Arbor News, and has attemptedrational dialogue with opponents.But don’t expect much objectivity on thetopic. The retired computer programmer saidhe grew up in a Jewish home with blind love forIsrael instilled by his parents. But his disillusionwith the Vietnam War spread to the Arab-Israeliconflicts of that time and provided a new line ofthinking about the Jewish state.Decades later, his own journeys to disputedterritories after the second Intifada solidified hisdesire to take his ex-hippie wares to a new cause.But Metz’s story is replete with contradictions.He married his first wife, Rosemary, inDetroit in 1967, but only after she converted toJudaism, he said.“I had already pretty much rejected (Judaism)at that point and I didn’t really want herto, but she did, for me,” he said recently whenconfronted with facts from court records.Their marriage lasted nearly 20 years andtook almost another two years to dissolve, accordingto divorce records. Though not specificallydetailed in legal briefs, diverging views onJudaism had become a factor in the marriage,he said. They settled on joint custody, but Metzhad physical custody of the couple’s four children,ages 4 to 17, at the time of filing.Though he is now a Quaker, Metz—after along pause—acknowledges that two of his fourchildren are practicing Jews today and don’thave much respect for his efforts.It was right before and during that period oftransition through the divorce that finances becamea stiff challenge, he said. He insists that atRosemary’s urging, he turned to the local JewishFederation for help with clothing and otherneeds for his family.Along with the Shabbat protests, Metz is afixture with his signs outside the Federation’slarger gatherings and planned to picket thisyear’s Main Event, featuring nationally syndicatedradio talk show host Peter Sagal.He said groups like the Federation are whatneed to be stopped because of the money theyraise for Israel. He is convinced the majoritygoes to military projects and settlements ratherthan humanitarian causes, despite his own experiencewith them.continued on nextpageWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010Photo by Gregory Fox

continued from previous pageHe’s aware of the hypocrisy, but remains unfazedby it.“That’s fair to say, but I don’t see a big problemwith it,” Metz, 66, explained. “The U.S.government helps me too, but I don’t have anyproblem criticizing them either.“I didn’t want the (Federation’s) help and Ididn’t think they [his children] needed it.”Metz said he has recently remarried to someonenot as active in the cause, but a believer whostands firmly behind him.The othersAlso protesting is Gloria Harb, a resident ofGlencoe Hills apartments in Pittsfield Township.She said she participates because she believesthe United States’ political system is corruptedby Jews intent on furthering Israel’s agenda beforeAmerica’s. Though a staunch liberal, Harbsaid her greatest concern is that the pro-Israellobby is so prevalent and powerful in WashingtonD.C., that President Barack Obama willcave to pressure on the Middle East peace processand allow harmful concessions.She sat dumbfounded after a recent protestpondering the notion that hawkish right-wingersboth here and in Israel have the same fear.“I’m just one member of the group, and Ifocus on the American public and breaking thesilence,” she said. “I know there are some of uswho hold out hope of reaching some of thosepeople in the synagogue, but not me.”On most Saturdays, congregants and passersbywill also see Marcia Federbush holdingsigns. Though the smallest in height and theoldest at 75, Federbush brings some noteworthystature to the group.In 1988 she was inducted into the MichiganWomen’s Hall of Fame for her pioneering workbattling gender discrimination in education.She divorced her husband before their 32 nd anniversaryabout a year later. Until about a yearago, her daughter, Laurel, was a mainstay at theShabbat protests and staunch defender in localmedia and blogs.However, she no longer joins them and is nowa member of Beth Israel Congregation herself.“She had an epiphany, of sorts, I guess,” Herskovitzsaid. “Laurel’s gone to the dark side. Shequit the vigils, and voted for McCain.”Apparently no longer with the group are Dr.Katherine Wilkerson and immigration attorneyBlaine Coleman.Herskovitz said Wilkerson stopped participatingin the demonstrations after losing herposition with the Packard Community Clinic.She stood trial on misdemeanor charges of interferingwith police and emergency medicalpersonnel at a speech protest on the Universityof Michigan campus that also involved Coleman,police reports show.Wilkerson was acquitted by a jury in 2007, butshe was fired a year later over a contract dispute.The circumstances were less dramatic forColeman, who was asked to leave, Herskovitzsaid without really elaborating.“It’s accurate, we threw him out of the group,”he said bluntly about a rumor circulated aboutColeman’s departure. “I won’t say much elseabout it other than people have to be responsiblefor their own decisions. But he’s on the right sideof the issue as far as I’m concerned.”Pastner, an unpaid watchdog of the protesterson area blogs, said he knows Coleman’swriting after years of engaging it via on-linechatrooms and messageboards, and doesnot buy into reports ofColeman’s inactivity.Not just a JewishproblemWhat has becomeincreasingly clearover the years is thatthe group’s futilityin terms of swayingmainstream Jews totheir cause has notprevented them frombeing as ineffectiveoutside the local Jewishcommunity.Their membershave been removed bypolice from Ann ArborCity Council meetingsand their behaviorMarcia Federbushforced changes to Council’s public commentpolicies. The Interfaith Council for Peace andJustice decided to close down its Middle EastTask Force and disruptive behavior has beenbanned from ICPJ meetings and gatherings.According to Chuck Warpehoski, “Earlier thisyear the Interfaith Roundtable had Henry escortedout of their meeting by the police. Sincethen the Roundtable has changed their format toinvitation-only, in part to promote deeper sharing,but I think also to stop Henry’s disruptions.Henry’s actions have been very disruptive in thecommunity. I’ve heard him heckle speakers at arally organized by the Muslim community, andI’ve seen him counter-protest a candlelight vigilfor peace in Gaza and southern Israel.”Herskovitz and his group’s actions haveearned them a reputation, to say the least.“They are annoying, they are distasteful andthey sometimes can be painful, but ultimately,they’re not serious,” said David Shtulman, executivedirector of the Jewish Federation ofGreater Ann Arbor. “In medical terms, they’dbe hemorrhoids.”Yet in their search for legitimacy among AnnArbor’s progressives, they have been able to disrupta few Ann Arbor institutions where you’dleast expect. In one example, former protestersAimee Smith and Michelle Kinnucan ascendedto leadership positions in the local Green Party.Once focused on building-block issues likethe environment, instant run-off voting, anddomestic social justice, the party quickly becamelaser focused on Palestinian rights underSmith’s and Kinnucan’s leadership.“It was very difficult for the Greens to getany traction locally since we were blamed forlosing the 2000 election for (Democratic Nomineeand Former Vice President Al) Gore and wewere building it back,” said former local partymember, founder and city council candidatePeter Schermerhorn.“But it’s gone, and it’s been gone ever sincethey [Smith and Kinnucan] were put in charge”Schermerhorn, also a member of the AnnArbor’s People’s Food Co-op’s board of directors,saw the disruption they caused by trying to pusha boycott on Israeli products, and follow-up attemptsto join the group’s leadership in 2008.Because of their involvement, and specificallybecause of opposition to their tactics of protestinga house of worship, both efforts were defeated,soundly, Schermerhorn recalled.But with a newboard and unclarifiedby-laws on a boycottprocess, the Co-op wasnot prepared for thecontroversy those affiliatedwith the “Witnesses”and blowbackthat followed.“We spent about$5,000, lost a year ofwork and our outreachsuffered becausewe couldn’t focus onmuch else. It totallytook us off mission,”said former boardpresident Linda DianeFeldt. Again, theirtactics overshadowedtheir message.“It really just closeddoors, and that’s thetragedy in this,” Schermerhorn said. “An opendiscussion would’ve done some good, at leastsome educating,” he said.What’s next?After years of disrespect and public acrimony,the congregation and protesters are aspolarized as they’ve ever been, each resolute notto budge on principle and pride.Is there any room to maneuver toward someresolution?Herskovitz insists he won’t stop without adialogue with Beth Israel’s Rabbi Robert Dobrusin,and an incredible gesture on the congregation’sbehalf.“I speak for myself, but if they take the flagdown from the bima, I’m gone,” he said. “Showthe rest of the world that you are truly a placeof worship and not a place of national supportfor the State of Israel. Take the flag down, andHenry’s gone.”The request is absurd, Rabbi Dobrusinsaid.“It will not happen,” he insisted. “We haveno obligation to them to consider what they askus to do.”Though not a religious symbol, the flag hasa place in the synagogue in order to represent asovereign state, recognized by the world as theJewish homeland, he added. Dialogue with anyreligious, political, or humanitarian group ispredicated on mutual respect and acceptanceof the legitimacy of the State of Israel.Don’t bet on it, said Metz, reveling in thesupposed momentum gained by the grouplast year when Hiller’s Market made a minorchange to some print advertisements after afeeble boycott attempt.“I’m confident there will be a resolution to theconflict in the Middle East,” he said. “I’m not sure itwill happen in my lifetime but I think it’s happeningquicker now because of the work we’re doing.”Shtulman said dialogue with the protestersseems futile and he doesn’t mind takinga more direct approach to refute their claimsof effectiveness.If it didn’t break spirit of Shabbat, he’drun the sprinklers every Saturday while servicesare underway.“There’s a sense of entitlement they havethat everything they want to do is okay, and Idon’t think the Jewish community needs to acceptit,” Shtulman said. “It’s my wish that theyshall become pariahs in the community.”Herskovitz and the others said they feel ahardening of spirits from the congregation.“I think it’s unrelated to the tactics,” he said.“I think, I hope, that we’re humble enough tosee if there is another group reaching a synagogueor a Jewish community somewhere elseusing tactics different than ours, we’ll followtheir tactics. But I haven’t seen it.”In the meantime, the congregation will remainresilient.“What I tell people is to join us inside,” RabbiDobrusin said. “We live in a great country wherepeople have the right to free speech and wherewe can gather as a people to celebrate who weare. And that part is not going to change.” nMagen David Adombeneficiary of picketers'persistanceWJN staff writersSPURN (Synagogue Protest UNACCEPT-ABLE! Respond Now!) was created as a grassrootscampaign by Beth Israel congregants asa way to alleviate the frustration caused bythe picketing outside their shul. Congregantschose to respond by doing good deeds; specifically,raising money for American Friends ofMagen David Adom (AFMDA, website http://www.afmda.org/) to help fund Israel’s nationalemergency medical, disaster, ambulance, andblood bank service. They chose Magen DavidAdom because it is a humanitarian organizationserving all victims of violence withoutregard to ethnicity or religion.SPURN (website http://www.aaspurn.org/) has been raising money since July 30,2004. Thus far, they have raised over $141,000,and have received contributions from morethan 500 donors. A small cadre of SPURNdonors continues to contribute based on thenumber of picketers each week (or in a lumpsum each year). Other donors have given oneor more contributions unrelated to the numberof picketers. Many congregant families(and their relatives) have donated, but theyhave also received contributions from AnnArbor residents without a direct Beth Israelconnection, and literally from people all overthe world. “In the end,” states SPURN organizerBarry Gross, “we cannot control whatthose outside our doors are doing. What wecan do is to make sure that the prejudice theyflaunt every Saturday results in good actionsthat benefit Jews and others in need.”To stand with SPURN, send checks to:American Friends of Magen David Adom,ARMDI Midwest Region, 3175 CommercialAvenue Suite 101, Northbrook, IL 60062.Write SPURN on the check or on an accompanyingnote. Donors may also call AFMDAwith credit card information and specify thatthe donation is for SPURN. The toll free numberis (888) 674-4871. Also, donations cannow be made on-line at https://www.afmda.org/. The website has been revamped and thenew link does not go directly to “donate now.”A donor must sign up and log in before makinga donation. The donor needs to click thebox for this question—“Would you like thisdonation to be made in honor of one of ourcampaigns?” And then, a drop down menuappears. SPURN is one of the choices.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201027

Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201029

Lax, continued from page 1an outstanding attorney specializing in zoning,employment law, and litigation. He is listed inThe Best Lawyers in America 2010 and is alsoprofessor emeritus in the department of urbanplanning at the U-M. Since 1990, Jerryhas been a partner at Bodman, LLP. In additionto Jerry’s professional career, he has alsolent his many talents to a wide array of importantcauses. Jerry has served on the boards ofthe Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor,Temple Beth Emeth, Performance Networkand Planned Parenthood.How have Judie and Jerry managed to findso much time for volunteer work while still balancingtheir professional lives? Their choicesand decisions arise from the causes which mostalign with their personal interests and to theneeds of the community. “In a community likeAnn Arbor,” Jerry noted, “there are so manyworthwhile organizations that I would find itdifficult not to make the time for participatingin their work.” Judie summed it up well, “Youget back more than you give”—words of truephilanthropists.The Claire and Isadore Bernstein LeadershipAward was established to honor thefounding members of Jewish Family Services.In 1977, Claire and Iz (z”l), organized a resettlementcommittee to assist Russian Jewswho came to Washtenaw County and theseactivities led to the creation of JFS in 1993.Today, JFS remains the primary WashtenawCounty resource for resettlement of immigrantsand refugees. JFS also assisted with thetemporary resettlement of families displacedby Hurricane Katrina and is currently helpingto resettle hundreds of local refugees.But this is only a part of JFS’s mission. Theagency also provides crucial support to familiesin crisis, at-risk children and teens, isolated andlow-income older adults and their caregivers,career services for unemployed individuals, aswell as services for refuges and émigrés. Lastyear’s award recipients, Rachel Bendit and MarkBernstein, established an Emergency Aid Fundto assist individuals and families impacted bythe current economic crisis. Since September2008, JFS has served 800 clients in crisis, providingmore than $20,000 in direct cash assistancefor eviction prevention, utility shut-off andunexpected bills (medical, auto repairs, homerepairs, etc.).JFS has leveraged gifts from individual donorsand rabbis, as well as a $15,000 CommunityEmergency Fund established by the JewishFederation of Greater Ann Arbor, to apply forand obtain additional funds on behalf of clients.FEMA and the Washtenaw Home BuildersAssociation Foundation have provided anadditional $13,500 in funding for emergencyaid. These gifts and grants, along with supportfrom United Way and other community partners,also partially subsidize the part-time crisisintake social worker who is the point-of-entryat JFS for crisis calls, information and referral,and case management.Judie and Jerry have requested that proceedsfrom the January 24 event, as well as giftsin their honor, be earmarked to the EmergencyAid Fund. This request is another example oftheir commitment to the community at thistime of need.To register, or for more information aboutthe event, visit the JFS website at www.jfsannarbor.orgor contact Robin Little at 769-0209 orrobin@jfsannarbor.org. nA2SO CD release, continued from page 2430WJN: It’s a wonderful recording. At our house,we’ve been listening to it constantly.Lipsky: You know, you wonder why a personlike Paul is not more recognized. I’ve askedmyself that many times. And if you have achance to talk with him, you’ll understand.You know, in this age, you have to knowhow to market yourself. He is so shy… hewouldn’t do anything to promote himself.He’s really old school, European. “You like it,fine. If you don’t like it, it’s OK.” And in thisenvironment you need to have a little of thatpush. As my father used to say, a schpilke intoches, [Laughter] a needle in the toches,somebody to push you. [More laughter]Of course, I didn’t know Paul when hewas forty or fifty. But, I’ve heard this fromseveral people that he’s always been this way.You know how some people mellow withage. He’s always been like that. But, whenyou read his resume, and you see the peoplewith whom he studied, Boris Blacher in Berlin,Paul Hindemith at Yale. These are giants.And then you hear his music, where he gotall these ideas, and you speak with him andhear him describe his style as, ”progressivelyricism.” Progressive, because he uses anobviously 20th century language, but it’salways something you can relate to. He is alwaysinviting you. You can be sure, that if yougive it a second hearing, you’ll like his music.It’s something that really grows on you. So, Ihope and I feel that this will put him wherehe needs to be. Because I think he’s one ofthe United States most important composers,on the same level as the great foundersof the 20 th century American scene, like Coplandand Barber. I hope that this CD willcontribute to this understanding, and that,as a result, more orchestras will performthese pieces and his other important pieces.And I hope that he will be able to join us. Ithink next year he turns 90. That’s a big one.WJN: Are you planning more recordings?Lipsky: I hope we can do more of these. The orchestrahas proved it can really go throughthat. Because it’s such an undertaking. It’s anexpensive and musically challenging experience—forany orchestra. I imagined, once wehad the first one done, that it would be easierto do another one, but then, with the economicclimate… I guess we’ll have to wait todo the second one. But, you know, once youhave the first baby, the second is easier.WJN: That’s what they say. I wouldn’t know.[Laughter]Lipsky: That’s right. [More laughter]The Ann Arbor Symphony will host a celebratoryCD release party on Thursday, December17, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Michigan Theatre.Paul Fetler, Arie Lipsky, Aaron Berofsky andTom Blaske will all be there. For more information,check the A2SO’s website, www.a2so.com.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

I CalendarDecember 2009Tuesday 1SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m., $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingmahjong, quilting, art projects and card games,and weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. Every Tuesday.“Monotheism and Mutiny: Holy War in AncientJudaism.” Frankel Institute. Presentedby Aharon Openheimer. Room 1022, 202South Thayer Street. Noon.SoulQuest: Jewish Learning Institute. “The JourneyThrough Life, Death, and Beyond.” Fall semestercourse examines the twin mysteries oflife and death that have fascinated philosophersand laymen since the dawn of time. 9:30–11 a.m.at Chabad House and 7:30–9 p.m. at the JCC.Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group):All ages and levels welcome including UM andnon-UM participants. 1:30 p.m. at Beanster’sCafé, ground floor of UM Michigan League.For information, call 936-2367.Spirituality Book Club: TBE. Led by CantorAnnie Rose. This month’s selection is A NewEarth, by Eackhart Tolle who contends thathumans are on the verge of creating a newworld by a personal transformation that shiftsour attention away from our ever-expandingegos. 7:30 p.m.“Walking with God Part I–Tanakh and RabbinicLiterature:” BIC. Presented by RabbiKim Blumenthal. 8 p.m.Topics in Jewish Law: AAOM. Class led by RabbiGlogower covering various topics treated overa period of one to several weeks. Material ispresented in English and Hebrew. 8 p.m. atU-M Hillel.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Wednesday 2Lunch and Learn: BIC. Bring dairy lunch.Drinks and dessert provided. Noon.Board Meeting: TBE. 7:30 p.m.Judaism 101: BIC. Shabbat. 8 p.m.Thursday 3Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10;Current Events with Heather Dombey, a Jewishperspective on this week’s news, 11 a.m.; $3Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon; Weeklyspecial events and guest presentations (see descriptionbelow); Literary Group with SidneyWarschausky at 2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Polinerat 971-0990 for name of current book.Presentation: JCC Seniors. Birthday celebrationfor all with birthdays in December for familyand friends. Lunch and birthday cake at 12:30p.m. followed by presentation and discussionon depression and older adults led by MarikoFoulke, social worker at the University ofMichigan Turner Clinic. 1 p.m.“The Stories Jewish Homes Tell.” Frankel Institute.Presentation by Vanessa Ochs. Room2022, 202 South Thayer Stree. Noon.Mussar: TBE. With Judy Freedman. 7:30 p.m.Talmud Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad.Sharpen your wits and knowledge of the Jewishlegal system by following the intriguing discussionsin the Talmud. The Talmud is a compositeof practical law, logical argumentation andmoral teachings. Study of the original Talmudtractate Taanit chapter 2. 8 p.m. Every Thursday.Friday 4Mussar: TBE. With Judy Freedman. 11:30 a.m.Weekly Yiddish Reading Group: JCC Seniors.Meets at the JCC. 1:30 p.m. Call Ray Juni at761-2765 for information.Tot Shabbat and Dinner: TBE. Followed bysongs and popsicles. 5:30–7 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at end of calendar.Saturday 5Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.,followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30 a.mSweatshirt Shabbat: BIC. Followed by CholentKiddush. 9:30 a.m.Mystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Family Latke Hop: JCC. Games, crafts, havdalah,dinner and live music. Special mystery guestswill headline the event. $12/adult members;$5/children over age two. $14/adult nonmembers;$6/children over age two. RSVP at971-0990. 6–9 p.m.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and study ofJewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown. EverySaturday.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendar.Sunday 6Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Beth Israel Café: BIC Women’s League. Open toparents of religious school students, both menand women. 9:30 a.m. Beth Israel Social Hall.Seasons of Mussar II Group: BIC. 9:45 a.m.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Chanukah Party: ORT. The Ann Arbor chapter ofORT America will hold its annual “Chai’Nukah”party at the Nature Cove Condominiums CommunityRoom, 2115 Nature Cove Court. Latkecook-off with prizes. Party-goers asked to bring$18 donation to ORT plus a wrapped, gentlyusedaccessory for gift exchange. RSVP to BrendaRiemer or Jeanne Thomas at 429-5948. 3–5 p.m.Workshop: TBE Sisterhood. Jewish Cooking101: Latkes. 6 p.m.Basic Judaism: TBE. With Rabbi Lisa Delson.7:45 p.m.Lilith Salon: TBE Sisterhood. 7:45 p.m.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 7English as a Second Language Daily Classes: JFS.Ongoing class from 9 a.m.–noon on Mondays–Fridays and 1–3 p.m. on Mondays–Thursdays atJewish Family Services, 2245 South State Street.For more information, contact JFS at 769-0209or email andre@jfsannarbor.org. Ongoing.Women’s Torah Study: TBE. With Cantor AnnieRose. 7 p.m.Tuesday 8SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m., $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingmahjong, quilting, art projects and card games,and weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. Every Tuesday.SoulQuest: Jewish Learning Institute. “The JourneyThrough Life, Death, and Beyond.” Fall semestercourse examines the twin mysteries oflife and death that have fascinated philosophersand laymen since the dawn of time. 9:30–11 a.m.at Chabad House and 7:30–9 p.m. at the JCC.Movie Tuesday: TBE. With Rabbi Lisa Delson.Viewing of the film Trembling Before God, adocumentary that includes interviews andfollows several gay and lesbian OrthodoxJews, and also interviews several rabbis andpsychologists regarding their views on homosexualityin Orthodox Judaism. 1 p.m.Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group):All ages and levels welcome including UM andnon-UM participants. 1:30 p.m. at Beanster’sCafé, ground floor of UM Michigan League.For information, call 936-2367.Chanukah Wonderland: Chabad. Chanukahstore in heart of downtown at 500 LibertyStreet. Chanukah supplies for sale plus programsfor children all week. Party for adultsand children on Sunday, December 13 from5–7 p.m. Store open through December 16.Men’s Torah Study: TBE. Bi-monthly men’sstudy group. 7:30 p.m.“Walking with God Part I–Tanakh and RabbinicLiterature:” BIC. Presented by RabbiKim Blumenthal. 8 p.m.Topics in Jewish Law: AAOM. Class led by Rabbi Glogowercovering various topics treated over a periodof one to several weeks. Material is presentedin English and Hebrew. 8 p.m. at U-M Hillel.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Wednesday 9Lunch and Learn: BIC. Bring a dairy lunch.Drinks and dessert provided. Noon.Judaism 101: BIC. Shabbat. 8 p.m.Thursday 10Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10;Current Events with Heather Dombey, a Jewishperspective on this week’s news, 11 a.m.; $3Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon; Weeklyspecial events and guest presentations (see descriptionbelow); Literary Group with SidneyWarschausky at 2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Polinerat 971-0990 for name of current book.Health Check and Discussion: JCC Seniors. At12:30 p.m. a registered nurse from Care Responsewill take and record blood pressures andaddress questions. (This event is repeated thesecond Thursday of each month.) Followed at1 p.m. by a discussion of how the first decadeafter World War II witnessed major changes inhow we lived, covering family, housing, education,music, appliances and work. Join the fun inremembering what you were doing back when.Presentation: BIC Women’s League. Dr. VanessaOchs, research fellow at the University ofMichigan Frankel Institute for Advanced JewishStudies, will explain her research, “Beyondthe Menorah and Tzedakah Box: How Do ObjectsMake a Jewish Home Jewish?” 7:30 p.m.Affordable design for brochures,advertising, invitations and all ofyour personal or business needs.Make your nextdesign project aby Dennis Platte734.483.9619dplatte2@aol.comWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201031

I CalendarTalmud Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad.Sharpen your wits and knowledge of theJewish legal system by following the intriguingdiscussions in the Talmud. The Talmud is acomposite of practical law, logical argumentationand moral teachings. Study of the originalTalmud tractate Taanit chapter 2. 8 p.m. EveryThursday.Friday 11Weekly Yiddish Reading Group: JCC Seniors.Meets at the JCC. 1:30 p.m. Call Ray Juni at761-2765 for information.Tot Shabbat and Dinner: TBE. Dinner, songsand popsicles. 5:30–7 p.m.Human Rights Shabbat: TBE. 7:30 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at end of calendar.Saturday 12Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.,followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30 a.m.and Sanctuary Service at 10 a.m.Kehillat Shabbat: BIC. For 1 st through 5 th graders.11 a.m.Tot Shabbat: BIC. For preschoolers and theirfamilies. 11:15 a.m.Mystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and study of JewishEthics, 1/2 hour before sundown. Every Saturday.Chanukah Party: TBE Renaissance Group.Dinner and white elephant gift exchange.The Renaissance Group is a social group formembers ages 55 and up. 6 p.m. at ChapelHill Clubhouse. For details, call TBE office at665-4744.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendar.Sunday 13Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Concert: JCC. The Chaverim B’Shirim choirwill present a concert featuring the music ofHarold Rome. Songs from the musical CallMe Mister will be featured. $5 donation requested.Refreshments will be served. 3 p.m.Latkepalooza: BIC. Latke dinner with games,crafts, stories and lighting of the Hanukkiot.5 p.m.Basic Judaism: TBE. Led by Rabbi Lisa Delson.7:45 p.m.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 14English as a Second Language Daily Classes:JFS. Ongoing class from 9 a.m.–noon onMondays–Fridays and 1–3 p.m. on Mondays–Thursdaysat Jewish Family Services,2245 South State Street. For more information,contact JFS at 769-0209 or email andre@jfsannarbor.org.Ongoing.Women’s Study Group: BIC. Contact RabbiBlumenthal at 665-9897 for meeting placeand more information. 8 p.m.Tuesday 15SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercise withMaria Farquhar, 11 a.m., $4/session or $10/3 sessions;$3 Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon;Games and activities including Mahjong, quilting,art projects and card games, weekly BridgeClub, 1 p.m. Every Tuesday.Shalom Baby Class: JCC. One-time class formoms and babies (newborns to crawlers) featuring“Post-Baby” Strength and Body Sculptexercises and parenting discussions. For informationor to register, contact Halye Aisnerat 971-0990 or email halyeaisner@jccfed.org.Register by December 11. 9:30–10:30 a.m.SoulQuest: Jewish Learning Institute. “TheJourney Through Life, Death, and Beyond.”Fall semester course examines the twin mysteriesof life and death that have fascinatedphilosophers and laymen since the dawnof time. 9:30–11 a.m. at Chabad House and7:30–9 p.m. at the JCC.Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group):All ages and levels welcome including UM andnon-UM participants. 1:30 p.m. at Beanster’sCafé, ground floor of UM Michigan League.For information, call 936-2367.“Walking with God Part I–Tanakh and RabbinicLiterature:” BIC. Presented by RabbiKim Blumenthal. 8 p.m.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Wednesday 16Lunch and Learn: BIC. Bring a dairy lunch.Drinks and dessert provided. Noon.Tot Chanukah Dinner: BIC. 5:30 p.m.Meditation: TBE. 7:30 p.m.Judaism 101: BIC. Shabbat. 8 p.m.Thursday 17SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. No exercise orcurrent events session today. IntergenerationChanukah Celebration at 11 a.m. (seedetails below). Special events and guest presentations,1 p.m.; Literary Group with SidneyWarschausky at 2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Polinerat 971-0990 for name of current book.Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.Intergenerational Chanukah Celebration: JCC-ECC. Children from the Early ChildhoodCenter and seniors will celebrate Chanukah together.Seniors will share Chanukah stories, artifactsand Chanukiot with the children. Singing,dancing, crafts and lunch follows. Parents andgrandparents invited. 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Discussion: JCC Seniors. At 12:30 p.m., AllisonPollock, MSW, Jewish Family Services GeriatricSocial Worker, will be available for discussion,questions and assistance. At 1 p.m.,Rabbi Levy of Temple Beth Emeth will joinSPICE for Chanukah program.Caregiver Conversations: JFS. Monthly facilitateddiscussion for adult children in a varietyof caregiving roles for aging parents. Thismonth’s topic is “Jewish Perspectives on Caregiving.”Caregiver Conversations is sponsoredby the Community Foundation for SoutheastMichigan, and co-sponsored by the JCC,AARH, TBE, BIC, and JCS. For informationor to register, contact Abbie at 769-0209 oremail abbie@jfsannarbor.org. 6:30–8 p.m. atthe JCC.Mussar: TBE. With Judy Freedman. 7:30 p.m.Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad. Sharpenyour wits and knowledge of the Jewish legalsystem by following the intriguing discussionsin the Talmud. The Talmud is a composite ofpractical law, logical argumentation and moralteachings. Study of the original Talmud tractateTaanit chapter 2. 8 p.m. Every Thursday.Friday 18Mussar: TBE. With Judy Freedman. 11:30 a.m.Meditation: TBE. 1 p.m.Weekly Yiddish Reading Group: JCC Seniors.Meets at the JCC. 1:30 p.m. Call Ray Juni at761-2765 for information.Tot Shabbat, Dinner and Services: TBE. TotShabbat and dinner with menorahs and astory, followed by tot Chanukah dinner includinga craft project and songs. Open to thecommunity. $5/person for dinner. Reservationsencouraged at 665-4744. 5:30 p.m.Latke Dinner: TBE Brotherhood. Open to thecommunity. $10/person. Reserve at www.templebethemeth.org.Chanukah Celebration: Hadassah. The AnnArbor Chapter of Hadassah celebrates withlatkes and a white elephant gift exchange atthe home of Julie Ellis, 3929 Waldenwood.Bring an item for the gift exchange. Reserveby December 13 to Martha Young at 769-7523or email youngmartha@comcast.net.Chanukah Shabbat: TBE. For all ages. Bring amenorah and candles to celebrate the lastnight of Chanukah. 7:30 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at the end ofthe calendar.Saturday 19Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.followed by morning minyan at 9:30 a.m.Mystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and study ofJewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown. EverySaturday.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendarSunday 20Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 21Winter Break Fun Days: JCC Youth. Duringschool breaks, the JCC Youth Department offersfull day field trips and special activitiesfor JCC members only in grade K-5. Middleschool students may participate as helpers fora reduced fee. Bring nut-free, dairy lunch andappropriate clothing for outdoor play. $36/day; $32/additional siblings. $10/aftercare.8 a.m.–4 p.m.; Aftercare from 4–6 p.m. Forinformation, contact Deborah Huerta at 971-0990. December 21–31.Women’s Torah Study: TBE. With CantorAnnie Rose. 7 p.m.Tuesday 22SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m., $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingMahjong, quilting, art projects and card games,and weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. Every Tuesday.SoulQuest: Jewish Learning Institute. “TheJourney Through Life, Death, and Beyond.”Fall semester course examines the twin mysteriesof life and death that have fascinatedphilosophers and laymen since the dawnof time. 9:30–11 a.m. at Chabad House and7:30–9 p.m. at the JCC.Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group):All ages and levels welcome including UM andnon-UM participants. 1:30 p.m. at Beanster’sCafé, ground floor of UM Michigan League.For information, call 936-2367.Men’s Torah Study: TBE. Bi-monthly men’sstudy group. 7:30 p.m.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Thursday 24SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10;Current Events with Heather Dombey, a Jewishperspective on this week’s news, 11 a.m.;$3 Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon;Special events and guest presentations, 1 p.m.;Literary Group with Sidney Warschausky at2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Poliner at 971-0990 forname of current book.Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.Comedy Presentation: JCC Seniors. Localstand-up comedienne, Paddy Ash, entertainswith her healthy humor. 1 p.m.Talmud Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad.Sharpen your wits and knowledge of the Jewishlegal system by following the intriguing discussionsin the Talmud. The Talmud is a compositeof practical law, logical argumentation andmoral teachings. Study of the original Talmudtractate Taanit chapter 2. 8 p.m. Every Thursday.Friday 25Movie: TBE. Showing of The Music Man at theMichigan Theater. Doors open at 10 a.m.Film shown at 10:30 a.m. $7/ticket per person.Concessions for breakfast and lunch, from bagelsto kosher hot dogs. Prizes. Dress in costume,if desired. Tickets in advance at www.templebethemeth.org or in the TBE office,2309 Packard, Monday through Thursdays, 9a.m.–5 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m.–3 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at the end ofthe calendar.Saturday 26Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.,followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30 a.m.Mystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and studyof Jewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown.Every Saturday.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendar32Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

Sunday 27Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 28English as a Second Language Daily Classes:JFS. Ongoing class from 9 a.m.–noon onMondays–Fridays and 1–3 p.m. on Mondays–Thursdays at Jewish Family Services, 2245South State Street. For more information,contact JFS at 769-0209 or email andre@jfsannarbor.org.Ongoing.Tuesday 29SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m.; $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingmahjong, quilting, art projects and cardgames, and weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. EveryTuesday.SoulQuest: Jewish Learning Institute. “TheJourney Through Life, Death, and Beyond.”Fall semester course examines the twin mysteriesof life and death that have fascinatedphilosophers and laymen since the dawnof time. 9:30–11 a.m. at Chabad House and7:30–9 p.m. at the JCC.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Thursday 31SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10;Current Events with Heather Dombey, a Jewishperspective on this week’s news, 11 a.m.;$3 Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon;Special events and guest presentations, 1 p.m.;Literary Group with Sidney Warschausky at2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Poliner at 971-0990 forname of current book.Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.Video: JCC Seniors. Enjoy one hour of favoritecomedian Jack Benny, the archetypal ongeblozentightwad. 1 p.m.Talmud Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad.Sharpen your wits and knowledge ofthe Jewish legal system by following the intriguingdiscussions in the Talmud. The Talmudis a composite of practical law, logicalargumentation and moral teachings. Study ofthe original Talmud tractate Taanit chapter 2.8 p.m. Every Thursday.Visit ourwebsite atwww.washtenawjewishnews.comJanuary 2010Friday 1Weekly Yiddish Reading Group: JCC Seniors. 1:30p.m. Call Ray Juni at 761-2765 for information.Tot Shabbat and Dinner: TBE. Followed bysongs and popsicles. 5:30–7 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at the end ofthe calendar.Saturday 2Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.,followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30 a.mMystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and study ofJewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown. EverySaturday.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendar.Sunday 3Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 4English as a Second Language Daily Classes:JFS. Ongoing class from 9 a.m.–noon onMondays–Fridays and 1–3 p.m. on Mondays–Thursdays at Jewish Family Services, 2245South State Street. For more information,contact JFS at 769-0209 or email andre@jfsannarbor.org.Ongoing.Women’s Torah Study: TBE. With Cantor AnnieRose. 7 p.m.Tuesday 5SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m., $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingmahjong, quilting, art projects and cardgames, and weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. EveryTuesday.Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group): Allages and levels welcome including UM andnon-UM participants. 1:30 p.m. at Beanster’sCafé, ground floor of UM Michigan League.For information, call 936-2367.Spirituality Book Club: TBE. With Cantor AnnieRose. This month’s selection is KitchenTable Wisdom, by Rachel Naomi Remen, whohas a unique perspective rooted in her backgroundas a physician, professor of medicine,therapist and long-term survivor of chronicillness. 7:30 p.m.Topics in Jewish Law: AAOM. Class led by RabbiGlogower covering various topics treated overa period of one to several weeks. Material ispresented in English and Hebrew. 8 p.m. atU-M Hillel.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201033

I CalendarWeekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Wednesday 6Lunch and Learn: BIC. Bring a dairy lunch.Drinks and dessert provided. Noon.Board Meeting: TBE. 7:30 p.m.Thursday 7Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10;Current Events with Heather Dombey, a Jewishperspective on this week’s news, 11 a.m.; $3Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon; Weeklyspecial events and guest presentations (see descriptionbelow); Literary Group with SidneyWarschausky at 2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Polinerat 971-0990 for name of current book.Birthdays and Presentation: JCC Seniors.Birthday celebration for those with Januarybirthdays. Family and friends invited to joinfor lunch and birthday cake at 12:30 p.m. Followedat 1 p.m. by a representative from theJewish Genealogical Society of Michigan whowill illustrate how to get information aboutancestors.Mourning and Mitzvah: TBE. First session ofseries with Cantor Annie Rose. 7:30 p.m.Talmud Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad.Sharpen your wits and knowledge of the Jewishlegal system by following the intriguing discussionsin the Talmud. The Talmud is a compositeof practical law, logical argumentation andmoral teachings. Study of the original Talmudtractate Taanit chapter 2. 8 p.m. Every Thursday.Friday 8Lunch and Learn: TBE. With Rabbi Levy. Discussionof “Issues of Israel over Time andSpace,” examining Israel as a hope, dream,fantasy, power, home and destination throughthe lens of Israel as an eternal idea and also amodern nation state. Noon.Weekly Yiddish Reading Group: JCC Seniors.Meets at the JCC. 1:30 p.m. Call Ray Juni at761-2765 for information.Tot Shabbat and Dinner: TBE. Dinner, songsand popsicles. 5:30–7 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at the end ofthe calendar.Saturday 9Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.,followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30 a.m. andSanctuary Service at 10 a.m.Kehillat Shabbat: BIC. For 1 st through 5 th graders.11 a.m.Tot Shabbat: BIC. For preschoolers and theirfamilies. 11:15 a.m.Opera “Live:” TBE Renaissance Group. See theopera Der Rosenkavalier live at the Met on thebig screen at Quality 16 Theater. The RenaissanceGroup is a social group for membersages 55 and up. $17.50/seniors over 62; $22/others. For details, call TBE office at 665-4744.Noon.Kol Halev Cabaret: TBE. Evening of music bymembers of Kol Halev. 6 p.m.Mystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and study ofJewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown. EverySaturday.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendar.Sunday 10Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Jewish Cooking 101: TBE Sisterhood. 6 p.m.Presentation: BIC. Ellen Pollock, PhD, presents,“What We Don’t Know About the People WeLove Could Fill a Book.” 7:45 p.m.Basic Judaism: TBE. Led by Rabbi Lisa Delson.7:45 p.m.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 11English as a Second Language Daily Classes: JFS.Ongoing class from 9 a.m.–noon on Mondays–Fridays and 1–3 p.m. on Mondays–Thursdays atJewish Family Services, 2245 South State Street.For more information, contact JFS at 769-0209or email andre@jfsannarbor.org. Ongoing.Adult Learning: TBE. “Bible, Morality, and the21 st Century,” with Dr. Cobi Sacerdoti. Threepartcourse providing intellectual look andemotional journey into the moral wisdomof the Bible, where arrogance, pride, jealousy,love and devotion impact human life. AlsoJanuary 11, January 25 and February 8.Women’s Study Group: BIC. Contact RabbiBlumenthal at 665-9897 for meeting placeand more information. 8 p.m.Tuesday 12SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m., $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingMahjong, quilting, art projects and card games,weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. Every Tuesday.Movie Tuesday: TBE. This month’s selection isThe Lemon Tree, an Israeli drama depicting thelives of Palestinians and Israelis and their struggleto come to grips with family history, politicalstrife, the beauty of the land, and love. 1 p.m.Afterschool Classes Begin: JCC Youth. A varietyof enrichment classes begin this week for elementarystudents during the January–Februarysession. Classes run 4:20–5:20 p.m. and areopen to both JCC members and non-members.Snack and supervision in the JCC’s afterschoolprograms before each class are included for allclass participants. Registration due by January7. Class fees vary. For information or to register,call Deborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.org of phone 971-0990.Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group):All ages and levels welcome including UMand non-UM participants. 1:30 p.m. at Beanster’sCafé, ground floor of UM MichiganLeague. For information, call 936-2367.Men’s Torah Study: TBE. Bi-monthly men’sstudy group. 7:30 p.m.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Wednesday 13Lunch and Learn: BIC. Bring a dairy lunch.Drinks and dessert provided. Noon.Judaism 101: BIC. Prayer. 8 p.m.Thursday 14Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10;Current Events with Heather Dombey, a Jewishperspective on this week’s news, 11 a.m.; $3Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon; Weeklyspecial events and guest presentations (see descriptionbelow); Literary Group with SidneyWarschausky at 2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Polinerat 971-0990 for name of current book.Presentation: Frankel Institute. NaomiFeuchtwanger-Sarig of Tel Aviv Universitypresents, “On Reading Art: Text, Image andInterpretation in Early Modern Ashkenaz.”Room 2022, 202 South Thayer Street. Noon.Health Check and Recital: JCC Seniors. At 12:30p.m. a registered nurse from Care Responsewill take and record blood pressures and addressquestions. (This event is repeated thesecond Thursday of each month.) Followedat 1 p.m. by a performance by UM School ofMusic violin student, Paul Dryden Trapkus.Mourning and Mitzvah: TBE. Second session ofseries with Cantor Annie Rose. 7:30 p.m.Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad. Sharpenyour wits and knowledge of the Jewish legalsystem by following the intriguing discussionsin the Talmud. The Talmud is a composite ofpractical law, logical argumentation and moralteachings. Study of the original Talmud tractateTaanit chapter 2. 8 p.m. Every Thursday.Friday 15Lunch and Learn: TBE. With Rabbi Levy. Discussionof “Issues of Israel over Time andSpace,” examining Israel as a hope, dream,fantasy, power, home and destination throughthe lens of Israel as an eternal idea and also amodern nation state. Noon.Weekly Yiddish Reading Group: JCC Seniors.Meets at the JCC. 1:30 p.m. Call Ray Juni at761-2765 for information.Tot Shabbat and Dinner: TBE. Followed bysongs and popsicles. 5:30–7 p.m.Corned Beef Dinner: TBE Brotherhood. Opento the community. $10/person. 6 p.m. Reserveat www.templebethemeth.org.Shabbat Service Honoring Teachers: BIC. HonoringBIRS teachers followed by dinner. 6 p.m.Shabbat Service with Kol Halev: TBE. 7:30 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at end of calendar.Saturday 16Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50a.m., followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30a.m. and Sanctuary Service at 10 a.m.Mystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and studyof Jewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown.Every Saturday.Quiz Night: BIC. Annual quiz night. 7 p.m.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendar.Sunday 17Beth Israel Café: BIC Women’s League. Open toparents of religious school students, men andwomen. 9 a.m. in the Social Hall.Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Presentation: Frankel Institute. “Voices of theHolocaust,” presented by Caroline Heltonand Kathryn Goodson. Kerrytown ConcertHouse. 4 p.m.Basic Judaism: TBE. With Rabbi Lisa Delson.7:45 p.m.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 18MLK Day Performance and School’s Out Day:JCC Youth. Free community afternoon performancefeaturing the group Singers of UnitedLands (time TBA), plus full day programfor JCC members only in grade K-5. Middleschool students may participate as helpers fora reduced fee. Bring nut-free, dairy lunch andappropriate clothing for outdoor play. $36/day; $32/additional siblings. $10/aftercare. 8a.m.–4 p.m.; Aftercare from 4–6 p.m. RSVPfor the performance and registration for theSchool’s Out Day are requested by January 14.Contact Deborah Huerta at 971-0990.Women”s Torah Study: TBE. With Cantor AnnieRose. 7 p.m.Tuesday 19SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m., $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingMahjong, quilting, art projects and cardgames, and weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. EveryTuesday.Yidish Tish (Yiddish Conversational Group): Allages and levels welcome including UM andnon-UM participants. 1:30 p.m. at Beanster’sCafé, ground floor of UM Michigan League.For information, call 936-2367.“Walking With God Part II–Medieval TextsThrough Modernity:” BIC. Presented byRabbi Kim Blumenthal. 8 p.m.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Wednesday 20Lunch and Learn: BIC. Bring a dairy lunch.Drinks and dessert provided. Noon.Meditation: TBE. 7:30 p.m.Judaism 101: BIC. Prayer. 8 p.m.Thursday 21Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.34Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

Chanukah isDec 11-18Celebrate the Festival of Lightswith TraditionaL Jewish FoOdsHere are some of our favorite things for holiday feastingor gift-giving with food-loving family and friends.Olive Oil CakeMade with toasted almonds, lemon zest and lots of great extravirgin olive oil. It has a great balance of sweet, savory and tangythat lingers long after the slice is sent south. Makes a great gift,or serve for dessert! Available at Zingerman’s Deli, Bakehouse orat www.zingermans.com.latkes for breakfastAvailable for a limited time, made with Cornman Farms heirloompotatoes. Breakfast served weekdays 7am-11am. 734.663.3663Latkes from the deli!We’re hand-making 2000 latkes—that’s 16 batches of our big, thick potato pancakes!–in one week. Pre-order by calling 734.663.3354.chanukah FoOds Gift BoxOur printed gift box stuffed with favorites,to ship coast to coast. Visit www.zingermans.comor call 888.636.8162 to order.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201035

216 N. Fourth Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104(734) 994-9174 • http://peoplesfood.coopGo CO-OP thisholiday season!Members Save 10%December 5 - 6 (Sat - Sun)36 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

I CalendarSPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercise withMaria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10; CurrentEvents with Heather Dombey, a Jewish perspectiveon this week’s news, 11 a.m.; $3 HomemadeDairy Buffet Lunch, noon; Special events andguest presentations, 1 p.m.; Literary Group withSidney Warschausky at 2:15 p.m. Call MerrillPoliner at 971-0990 for name of current book.Discussion and Music: JCC Seniors. JewishFamily Services Geriatric Social Worker AllisonPollock, MSW, will be available for discussion,questions and assistance at 12:30 p.m.At 1 p.m., Arie Lipsky, Musical Director of theAnn Arbor Symphony Orchestra, returns tothe JCC for music and discussion.Mourning and Mitzvah: TBE. Third session ofseries with Cantor Annie Rose. 7:30 p.m.Talmud Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad.Sharpen your wits and knowledge of the Jewishlegal system by following the intriguing discussionsin the Talmud. The Talmud is a compositeof practical law, logical argumentation andmoral teachings. Study of the original Talmudtractate Taanit chapter 2. 8 p.m. Every Thursday.Friday 22Lunch and Learn: TBE. With Rabbi Levy. Discussionof “Issues of Israel over Time andSpace,” examining Israel as a hope, dream,fantasy, power, home and destination throughthe lens of Israel as an eternal idea and also amodern nation state. Noon.Meditation: TBE. 1 p.m.Tot Shabbat and Dinner: TBE. Followed bysongs and popsicles. 5:30–7 p.m.Kabbalat Services: BIC. Followed by a presentationby Ann Arbor Mayor John Hieftje. 7:30 p.m.Shabbat Learner’s Service: TBE. Honoring newmembers. Rabbi Levy explains the choreographyand meaning of Shabbat prayers. 7:30 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at end of calendar.Saturday 23Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.,followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30 a.m.Tot Shabbat: BIC. For preschoolers and theirfamilies. 11:15 a.m.Mystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and study ofJewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown. EverySaturday.Shabbat services: See listing at the end of the calendar.Sunday 24Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Season of Mussar II: BIC. 9:45 a.m.Library Book Club: BIC. 10 a.m.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Award Reception: JFS. “Delightful, Delicious, De-Laxes.” Jewish Family Services presents the Claireand Isadore Bernstein Leadership Award to Judieand Jerry Lax. Reception at 3 p.m. at WashtenawCommunity College. $50/person. For information,phone Robin Little at 769-0209.Basic Judaism: TBE. With Rabbi Lisa Delson.7:45 p.m.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Monday 25English as a Second Language Daily Classes:JFS. Ongoing class from 9 a.m.–noon onMondays–Fridays and 1–3 p.m. on Mondays–Thursdays at Jewish Family Services, 2245South State Street. For more information,contact JFS at 769-0209 or email andre@jfsannarbor.org.Ongoing.Adult Learning: TBE. “Bible, Morality, and the21 st Century,” with Dr. Cobi Sacerdoti. Secondof three-part course providing intellectuallook and emotional journey into the moralwisdom of the Bible, where arrogance, pride,jealousyh, love and devotion impact humanlife. Also February 8.Tuesday 26SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 11 a.m.; $4/session or$10/3 sessions; $3 Homemade Dairy BuffetLunch, noon; Games and activities includingmahjong, quilting, art projects and card games,and weekly Bridge Club, 1 p.m. Every Tuesday.Men’s Torah Study: TBE. 7:30 p.m.“Walking With God Part II–Medieval TextsThrough Modernity:” BIC. Presented byRabbi Kim Blumenthal. 8 p.m.Weekly Torah Portion—for Women: Chabad.Reading the Bible may be easy, but understandingit is no simple matter. Study thetext in the original, together with the classicalcommentaries. 8:30 p.m. Every Tuesday.Wednesday 27Judaism 101: BIC. Prayer. 8 p.m.Thursday 28Prayer, Weekly Torah Reading and Jewish Philosophy–forWomen: Chabad. 9 a.m. at the JCC.SPICE of LIFE: JCC Seniors. Energy Exercisewith Maria Farquhar, 10 a.m., $4 or 3/$10;Current Events with Heather Dombey, a Jewishperspective on this week’s news, 11 a.m.;$3 Homemade Dairy Buffet Lunch, noon;Special events and guest presentations, 1 p.m.;Literary Group with Sidney Warschausky at2:15 p.m. Call Merrill Poliner at 971-0990 forname of current book.Presentation: Frankel Institute. Michael Kravel-Toviof Hebrew University presents, “Riteof Passing: (Ex)change of Identities Betweenthe State and the Subject in ContemporaryOrthodox Conversion in Israel.” Room 2022,202 South Thayer Street. Noon.Discussion: JCC Seniors. UM doctoral studentTam Perry will facilitate a presentation anddiscussion on the various ways that the processof moving may affect seniors. 1 p.m.Mourning and Mitzvah: TBE. Fourth session ofseries with Cantor Annie Rose. 7:30 p.m.Talmud Study Group–Jewish Civil Law: Chabad.Sharpen your wits and knowledge of theJewish legal system by following the intriguingdiscussions in the Talmud. The Talmud isa composite of practical law, logical argumentationand moral teachings. Study of the originalTalmud tractate Taanit chapter 2. 8 p.m.Every Thursday.Friday 29Lunch and Learn: TBE. With Rabbi Levy. Discussionof “Issues of Israel over Time andSpace,” examining Israel as a hope, dream,fantasy, power, home and destination throughthe lens of Israel as an eternal idea and also amodern nation state. Noon.Weekly Yiddish Reading Group: JCC Seniors.Meets at the JCC. 1:30 p.m. Call Ray Juni at761-2765 for information.Tot Shabbat and Dinner: TBE. Followed bysongs and popsicles. 5:30–7 p.m.Sisterhood Shabbat Service: TBE Sisterhood.7:30 p.m.Friday evening services: See listing at the end ofthe calendar.Saturday 30Torah Study: TBE. Led by Rabbi Levy at 8:50 a.m.,followed by Morning Minyan at 9:30 a.mMystical Insights to the Torah–for Women:Chabad. Learn more about the mystical dimensionsof the Torah: Chabad. 1 hour beforesundown. Every Saturday.Tu B’Shevat Kids’ Night Out: JCC Youth. Featuringgames, crafts, dinner and a movie. Thisyear’s theme is celebrating trees and taking careof the environment. Partticipants will makecrafts with recycled materials, plant seeds, andwatch Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest. Kids’Night Out events are open to JCC membersand non-members in grades K-5. $20/members($18/siblings); $25/non-members ($23/siblings). Register by January 28. For information,contact Deborah Huerta at deborahhuerta@jccfed.orgor phone 971-0990.Laws of Shabbat–Jewish Ethics: Chabad. Studygroup code of law for Shabbat, and study ofJewish Ethics, 1/2 hour before sundown. EverySaturday.Shabbat services: See listing at end of calendar.Sunday 31Reading Hebrew through the Prayer Book–forWomen: Chabad. An in-depth study into theprayer book, an overview of the weekly Torahreading, with Jewish philosophy. 9:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Tanya–Jewish Mysticism: Chabad. Delve intothe basic text of Chassidism and open youreyes to the beauty of Judaism. 10:30 a.m. atChabad House. Every Sunday.Basic Judaism: TBE. With Rabbi Lisa Delson.7:45 p.m.Tu B’Shevat Seder: Chabad. Featuring full Sederdinner of the special foods and drinks of Israel,a study session on the meaning of the day,and the Jewish perspective on ecology. 8 p.m.Jewish Concepts–for Women: Chabad. Learningthe deeper meanings to the Jewish way oflife. 8 p.m. Every Sunday.Weekly Friday night Shabbat servicesShabbat Service: AAOM. Services held at UMHillel. 4:45 p.m. Call 994-9258 in advance toconfirm time.Shabbat Service: BIC. 6 p.m.Shabbat Service: TBE. Tot Shabbat at 5:30 p.m.followed by Shira at 6 p.m.; Shira: TraditionalService at 7:30 p.m. For information, call 665-4744.Shabbat Service: Ann Arbor ReconstructionistHavurah. 6:15 PM at the JCC the last Fridayeach month. Musical Shabbat service followedby vegetarian potluck. Tot Shabbat with optionalkid’s pizza dinner at 6:00 PM. All are welcometo attend. For information, call 913-9705, emailinfo@aarecon.org or visit www.aarecon.org.Shabbat Service: Chabad. Begins at candlelightingtime. Home hospitality available forShabbat meals and Jewish holidays. Call 995-3276 in advance.Weekly Shabbat servicesShabbat Services: AAOM. Morning service, 9:30a.m. Evening service, 35 minutes before sunset.Call 662-5805 for information. Mincha/Ma’ariv with Seudah Shlisheet and Dvar Torahevery week. Torah topics and a bite to eat. Discussionsled by Rabbi Rod Glogower and otherlocal scholars. Home hospitality available forShabbat meals. UM Hillel.Shabbat Services: BIC. 9:30 a.m.; 6 p.m. Mincha.Morning childcare from 10 a.m.–12:15 p.m.Shabbat Services: AA ReconstructionistHavurah. Discussion-based format with topicschanging monthly. For info, email info@aarecon.orgor call 913-9705 or visit www.aarecon.org.Shabbat Services: Chabad. Morning services at9:45 a.m. Afternoon services 45 minutes beforesundown.Shabbat Services: Pardes Hannah. Generallymeets the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of eachmonth. Call 663-4039 for more information.10 a.m. Led by Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg.Shabbat Services: TBE. Torah Study at 8:50 a.m.Chapel Service at 9:30 a.m. Sanctuary Serviceat 10 a.m. Call the office at 665-4744 or consultwebsite at www.templebethemeth.org forservice details.Home Hospitality for Shabbat and HolidayMeals: AAOM. Call 662-5805 in advance.Home Hospitality and Meals: Chabad. EveryShabbat and yom tov (Jewish holiday). Call995-3276 in advance.Phone numbers and addressesfrequently listed in the calendar:Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan (AAOM)1429 Hill Street 994-5822Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah (AARH)P.O. Box 7451, Ann Arbor 913-9705Beth Israel Congregation (BIC)2000 Washtenaw Ave. 665-9897Chabad House715 Hill Street 995-3276EMU Hillel965 Washtenaw Ave., Ypsilanti 482-0456Jewish Community Center (JCC)2935 Birch Hollow Drive 971-0990Jewish Cultural Society (JCS)2935 Birch Hollow Drive 975-9872Jewish Family Services (JFS)2245 South State Street 769-0209Jewish Federation2939 Birch Hollow Drive 677-0100Pardes Hannah2010 Washtenaw Ave. 761-5324Temple Beth Emeth (TBE)2309 Packard Road 665-4744UM Hillel1429 Hill Street 769-0500Shabbat CandlelightingDecember 4December 11December 18December 25January 1January 8January 15January 22January 294:45 p.m.4:45 p.m.4:46 p.m.4:50 p.m.4:55 p.m.5:02 p.m.5:09 p.m.5:18 p.m.5:27 p.m.Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201037

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You’ll enjoy very attractive savings through12/31, so schedule your appointment with our certified Dysport TMprovider, Shari Martuscelli, RN, or one of our physicians today!Call for your appointment: 734 712-2323Paul Izenberg, MDDavid Hing, MDRichard Beil, MDDaniel Sherick, MDIan Lytle, MDReichert Health Area, Aesthetic Suite 5008, Ann Arbor www.cprs-aa.comI Around TownGoing out in the coldDavid Erik Nelson, staff writerDespite intermittently frightfulweather, there are many great opportunitiesto bundle up, bravethe storm, and enjoy an evening of theater,comedy, or music. In West Bloomfield, theJewish Ensemble Theatre (6600 West MapleRd., (248) 788-2900, www.jettheatre.org) will have two new shows opening inDecember and January. The Big Bang is a“spirited and downright goofy“ (Douglas J.Keating, Philadelphia Inquirer) 80-minutemusical overview of human history, and willrun from December 8–January 3 (with twoNew Year’s Eve performances). At the endof January the JET will open it’s productionof Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’sWife, a multiple Tony Award-nominatedcomedy following the Manhattanite’s midlifecrisis.Closer to home, the Ann Arbor CivicTheater (971-0605, www.a2ct.org) offersNine, Arthur Kopit and Mario Fratti’s musicaladaptation of filmmaker Federico Fellini’squasi-autobiographical 1963 film 8 1/2,from January 14–17.Meanwhile, alongside their ever-excellentselection of new and classic films (includingthe January 28 Sundance Film Festival USA,a one-night nationwide extension of theSundance Film Festival), the Michigan Theater(608 E. Liberty, 668-TIME, michtheater.org) will have several new live performances.The first, part of their Not Just For Kids series,will be Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing,adapted from the classic Judy Blume coming-of-agestory of the same title (Sunday,December 6, at 1:30 p.m.). In January theMichigan will host the popular four-womancomedy Menopause The Musical (Tuesday,January 26 and Wednesday, January 27 at 8p.m.)MSU’s Wharton Center (517) 353-1982,www.whartoncenter.com/) will bring twonotable stand-up acts in December. On Sunday,December 13, Jeff Foxworthy (who, incidentally,has authored 11 best-sellers andbeen nominated for three Grammies) willperform the MSU Auditorium at 7 p.m.Four days later, Jerry Seinfeld will grace theCobb Great Hall (Thursday, December 17 at7 p.m.). Little-seen on screen since the finalepisode of Seinfeld, the actor and comedianhas spent the last several years back on stage;as he told Jess Cagle of Time magazine: “Toactually do your creative thing right in frontof an audience and have them judge it rightthere—that’s exciting.”January and December likewise offermusic for any palate. At the end of January,the Tecumseh Center for the Arts (400 N.Maumee, Tecumseh,; 517.423.6617; www.thetca.org) will host an evening with theMonkees’ dreamy front-man Davy Jones(Saturday, January 30, 7:30 p.m.) Invariablynumbered among the top-ten teen idolsof all time, Jones and his seven-piece bandcontinue to impress audiences. The TCA hasmade special arrangements to have the Monkeemobileon hand for the event, and rumorhas it that ever-affable Jones will be availableto chat and sign autographs after the show.The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra(994-4801, www.a2so.com), under the batonof Arie Lipsky, will perform two shows celebratingWolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birthday(January 27, 1756). On Saturday, January 23,at 8 p.m., the Mozart Birthday Bash at HillAuditorium will include Mozart’s incomparable“Requiem,” as well as “DivertimentoK136” and the demanding “Horn ConcertoNo.3.” The following day (Sunday, January24, 4 p.m.) the A2SO will perform the MozartWorld Tour: Ann Arbor at the MichiganTheater as part of their Family Series. Ticketsfor either performance start as low as $6.Finally, in January and December theUniversity Musical Society will offer severalnotable performances. On Saturday,December 12, at 8 p.m., UMS will host pianistJean-Yves Thibaudet at Hill Auditorium.Renowned for his “extraordinary technicalfacility,” the New York Times has called Thibaudet“an exquisite interpreter of musicby Debussy, Ravel, [and] Satie.” Thibaudet’sSaturday program will include two pieces byRavel (“Pavane pour une enfante defunte”and “Miroirs”) and Brahms’s “Sonata No. 3in f minor, Op. 5.” (the same program Thibaudetwill perform three days later at CarnegieHall). At the end of January the ChicagoSymphony Orchestra returns to Hill Auditoriumfor its 201st Ann Arbor performancewith the music of Bartók’s one-act opera,Bluebeard’s Castle (on Wednesday, January27, at 8 p.m.).In contemporary world music, UMS hastwo excellent shows scheduled for January:On Friday, January 8, at 8 p.m., singer/songwriterSouad Massi will perform at the MichiganTheater. A native of Algeria, Massi firstdistinguished herself with the Algerian polirockband Atakor. The band’s inflammatorypopularity lead to death threats, and Massifled to Paris, where she developed a personal,acoustic style influenced by American country,roots, and rock traditions, as well as Portugesefado, and traditional Middle Easternmelodies and instruments. Her songs oftenweave Algerian Arabic, French, English, andBerber lyrics over a single melody. At the endof the month, on Sunday, January 31, at 4p.m., Ladysmith Black Mambazo will maketheir UMS debut at Hill Auditorium. Thegroup—first popularized by their supportingvocals on Paul Simon’s Grammy awardwinning1986 album Graceland—continuesto powerfully blend traditional South Africanrhythms, American gospel, and isicathamiya,the folk a cappella music of SouthAfrican mine workers.UMS shows aren’t limited to the purelymusical. In late January UMS will offer anew production by the Bill T. Jones/ArnieZane Dance Company (at the Power Centeron Friday, January 22, Saturday, January 23,8 p.m.; youth performance on January 22, 4p.m.) Jones’s new production, Fondly Do WeHope… Fervently Do We Pray, explores thelife and evolving impact of Abraham Lincoln,as well as speculating on what mighthave followed had Lincoln survived to completepost-Civil War Reconstruction.To make your evening out complete, stopby the Blue Nile (221 E Washington St., 998-4746) for family-style Ethiopian cuisine beforeor after your show. All weekend dinerswith a University Musical Society or PerformanceNetwork ticket in hand receive a 20percent discount (not including alcohol). n38Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010

I VitalsMazel TovEmilie Weisberg on her bat mitzvah, December 6.Scott Lieberman on his bar mitzvah, December 6.Benjamin Shapiro on his bar mitzvah, December 6.Tuval Vaknin on his bar mitzvah, December 20.David Hankin in his bar mitzvah, January 31.Mark and Sharon Weiner on the birth of their twins, Shayna and Aaron Moses, onSeptember 22.Chuck and Sharon Newman's son and Dorothy Newman's grandson, Michael Newman, onhis marriage to Patricia Cavuoto, on November 7.Jason and Rachel Robinson on the birth of their son, Benjamin Jacob Robinson, alsograndson of Carol and Joseph Brown.Gilla and Ami Wiesel on the birth of their daughter Ayelet.CondolencesJodi Wallo on the death of her great uncle, David Vanek, October 10.Lolita Fisher on the death of her husband, Robert, October 14.Lisa Ensfield on the death of her aunt, Hinda Burchman, October 23.Steven Russman and sons Daniel and David, on the death of their wife andmother, Rochelle Kostant, November 8.Arthur Riba on the death of his brother, Leonard Riba.I AdvertisersAfternoon Delight ..................................2Amadeus Cafe/Patisserie ......................31Amer’s & YogurtRush ...........................39Ann Arbor Educational Foundation ...20Ann Arbor Symphony ..........................33The Ark ...........................................22, 25Ayse’s Café ............................................25Bank of Ann Arbor ..............................33Bivouac .................................................30Blue Nile Restaurant ............................36Center for Plastic andReconstructive Surgery ........................38Chelsea Flower Shop ............................25Craig Claunch ......................................38Dennis Platte Graphic Design .............31Fawzi’s Westgate Auto Repair ..............35Frankel Center ......................................22Georgetown Gifts .................................31Gold Bond Cleaners ...............................4Cantor Samuel Greenbaum; mohel ....30Haifa Falafel ..........................................23Hiller’s Market ......................................29iSoldIt .....................................................4JET: Jewish Ensemble Theatre .............36Jewish Community Center ..................40Yiddish, continued from page 13increasing [in use] have to do with religiouslife.” Thus, the phenomenon one survey respondentreported: “When I was growing up, Icalled it temple. When my children went to dayschool, I called it synagogue. I now call it shul. Iam not sure why.”Though Jews across the religious spectrumsaid they would be likely to consider Hebrewnames for their children, baby names are “animportant resource for Jews to indicate intra-Jewish differences.” Less observant Jews, theyfound, are most likely to prefer anglicized biblicalnames such as Jacob, Ethan, Hannah or Abigail.Modern Orthodox Jews were most likelyJewish Cultural Society ........................18Jewish Family Services .........................16Joe Cornell Entertainment ..................33Josephson & Fink .................................18Ken Lussenden .......................................3Kenville Studios ....................................33Lewis Jewelers .........................................5Mediterrano/Carlyle ..............................2Modern Closets ....................................38Modern Mechanical .............................30Paper Station ..........................................4People’s Food Co-op ............................36Polo Fields Golf& Country Club ...................................21Probility Physical Therapies ................23Christopher Sevick, PLC ......................30Simply Scrumptious.............................36Studio K40 ............................................25Summers-Knoll School ........................16Temple Beth Emeth ...........................5,18Trusted Loving Care ...............................5University Musical Society ...................15Village Apothecary ...............................31Woman Safe Health .............................23Zingerman’s ..........................................35to choose modern Hebrew names such as Ezra,Ari, Talia or Eliana, often substituting themfor the equivalent Yiddish names of deceasedrelatives (so, for example, they might name adaughter Tova, meaning “good” in Hebrew, aftera grandmother named Gittel).For the most part, only fervently OrthodoxJews said they would consider giving a child aYiddish name like Moyshe, Mendy or Basya.In one of the survey’s least surprising findings,only two percent of Jews said they’d considernaming their baby Christopher.(Reprinted from Tabletmag.com, a newread on Jewish life.) nAMER’SDELICATESSENProudly serving Southeast Michigan and Ann Arbor since 1988Now featuring our Sandwich of the Month,the Pesto Luck, #42 on our menu!Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Basil Pesto madein-house from fresh basil leaves, olive oil, pinenuts,fresh garlic and parmesan, served between hand-slicedand grilled, seedless Jewish RyeDaily Soup choices made in our kitchens, served withbread, only $2.59Over 80 sandwiches featuring premium meats fromfreshly cooked Sy Ginsberg Corned Beef or Pastrami toWhite Albacore Tuna Salad or our homemade FalafelA daily selection of over 30 green, pasta & potatosalads, hummus & tabouli all proudly made fromscratch in our kitchensA wide variety of homemade tortes and cheesecakessuch as our famous Intense Chocolate Mousse or ourseasonal Pumpkin CheesecakeWe ‘ll deliver your dinner or cater your lunch!Catering(734) 761-6000312 S. State St.312 S. State St.Ann Arbor(734) 761-6000Delivery(734) 769-1210611 Church St.Michigan Union(734) 668-67701st FloorIntroducing Ann Arbor’s newest yogurt bar--an experience unmatched anywhere in Michigan.Self serve tart yogurt made to order by you!6 unique flavors, over 40 diverse toppings including fresh &dried fruits, candies, cereals, nuts, sprinkles and our homemademochi!Just grab a cup. Fill it with yogurt. Top with fruit. Or top withcandy. Mix it up. Make a meal. Make a dessert. Make it yourway. The choice is yours.49¢/oz.22 cal / oz. Vanilla ∞ 29 cal. / oz. Tart ∞ Fat FreeGluten Free ∞ Kosher Certified ∞ Active Yogurt Cultures611 Church St.Ann Arbor(734) 769-1210amersdeli.com ∞ yogurtrush.comWashtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 201039

Join us for a summer of fun and excitement!Early bird registration begins in January.THE JCC’S OUTDOOR DAY CAMP FORCHILDREN ENTERING GRADES K-8June 21 - August 20, 2010• Beautiful, natural setting and private beach at Independence Lake• Exciting and unique programs geared for grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8• Flexible scheduling with nine one-week sessions and am/pm careVisit www.CampRaanana.com or contact Deborah at deborahhuerta@jccfed.org or 734-971-0990 to find out more!40 Washtenaw Jewish News A December 2009/January 2010