June 12, 2003

Mission to Argentina

Leave a Comment / Community / Jewish Journal

Last month, seven Los Angeles rabbis and five community leaders traveled to Argentina for a whirlwind 72-hour trip. The mission, organized by The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, helped them gain firsthand knowledge of the crisis in Argentina. Upon their return to Los Angeles, the leaders have begun promoting the Federation’s Lifeline to Argentina campaign, a $1 million challenge grant matching every dollar raised. Below are some of their thoughts and photos of the trip.

“We all promised this Jewish family of ours that we in Los Angeles — whose lives are so blessed — would not forget them. At our final meeting we were able to visit the now-abandoned Jewish community center (one of several that has had to close) that is currently used for only one purpose — a unique “community pharmacy” that the Tzedaka Foundation and JDC run to provide free medicine for those in need. We watched in awe as a combination of paid and volunteer pharmacists showed us how they process 16,000 prescriptions a month that literally are keeping the Jewish people alive.” — Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation

“One of our most memorable experiences was a visit to a nonsectarian soup kitchen sponsored by the JDC. Downstairs, JDC staff and volunteers serve a hot meal each day to children who live in the local shantytown. Upstairs, their mothers learn to weave colorful fabrics into clothing to provide a meager income for their families. Amid the pain and suffering, the JDC brings a message of hope as it carries out its mission of tikkun olam.” — Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, executive vice president, Board of Rabbis

“I was most moved by the unity and cooperation between the various movements and denominations within the Argentine Jewish community. I did not feel the polarity that exists here between Orthodoxy and non-Orthodoxy. The Argentine community is a great example of how crisis brings people together and breeds innovation and fosters unity. There is a lot we can learn and emulate from the Argentine Jewish community.” — Rabbi Daniel Bouskila, Sephardic Temple Tifererth Israel

“For me, the highlight of the trip was to see the creativity the Jewish community has used to address the problem of decreasing enrollment in Jewish schools because of the poverty. They responded by building afternoon schools where they feed children a hot lunch and then offer a variety of Jewish and secular programs in a Jewish environment. Such a program is Morasha, organized by the Orthodox community of Buenos Aires. It serves 1,200 students and reaches out to the entire spectrum of Jews.” — Rabbi Elazar Muskin, Young Israel of Century City

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Helpful Hints for Dad

Leave a Comment / Books, Entertainment, Up Front / Jewish Journal Staff

Assuming a father already possesses his children’s love, honor and respect, what more could he wish for? How about the power of persuasion? Sure, the little critters might love us, but how can we get them to obey us?

In this quest, fathers of the English-speaking world will find a new book quite helpful — even inspiring. "Words That Shook the World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events," by Richard Greene with Florie Brizel (Alpha Communications), offers the annotated text of modern history’s most memorable spoken words. How did Winston Churchill get the free world to gird itself for battle with a much stronger German foe? How did former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo fire up Democrats at their 1984 convention? What did Ronald Reagan say to comfort a nation and convince its people to support future space travel following the Challenger disaster?

The book collects those speeches, as well as oratory from Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Theodore Roosevelt and Lou Gehrig, among others. Yitzhak Rabin’s call for peace is here, as is Anwar Sadat’s. Finally, there is President Bush’s post-Sept. 11 address to the nation — and we forgot just how effective a speech that was.

The speeches are annotated paragraph by paragraph by Greene, an L.A.-based public speaking coach, who dissects how each address achieved its maximum impact, word by word, image by image. The authors also provide archival photos, historical background and — perhaps best of all — each book comes with a two-CD compilation of the speeches as they were delivered (though actor James Gandolfini stands in for Gehrig, and Edmund Morris for Teddy Roosevelt).

At $50, "Words That Shook the World" may be a splurge, but if it helps dad finally get his way, it’s worth it.

Richard Greene will sign his book at Barnes & Noble, 16461 Ventura Blvd., Encino, 1 p.m., Sat., June 14.

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Star of the Canyon

Leave a Comment / California, Up Front / Mojdeh Sionit

The Canyon Country Store — the star-studded grocery featured in the older woman/younger man film "Laurel Canyon," starring Frances McDormand — is actually run by two Persian Jews.

Owner David Shamsa and manager Tommy Bina have tried to maintain the store’s authenticity.

Shamsa, who was an influential Persian Jew in Iran during the shah’s regime, was the head of National Iranian Steel Mill Corporation and director of Iran Hotel Corporation, hosting many American officials such as Henry Kissinger, and Sens. Barry Goldwater and Ted Kennedy.

Just a few months before the Islamic revolution, Shamsa fled to the United States and, in 1982, bought the building in Laurel Canyon.

The only store nestled in the verdant Laurel Canyon, Canyon Country Store, built in 1919, has served as a location for several films and is also a hangout for many artists, musician and actors. The cozy, friendly place is reminiscent of a small-town store — whose patrons have included celebrities like Liam Neeson, Sophia Loren and Mick Jagger. Downstairs is a restaurant, Pace ("peace" in Italian), and adjacent is a wood house where Jim Morrison used to live.

Bina told The Journal he feels a responsibility for the entire neighborhood. Together with other locals, he has formed a voluntary group to clean up Laurel Canyon’s surrounding area, for which he has received an award.

"The city doesn’t take care of this area very well," he said. "We do this to protect the environment."

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Your Letters

Leave a Comment / Letters to the Editor / Jewish Journal

Jewish Churchgoers

I truly enjoyed the churchgoing Jews article (“Jewish Churchgoers on the Rise,” June 6), for I have found myself to be among that group of people. I am affiliated with a Reform synagogue here in Los Angeles, the kids go to Sunday school and we even light candles for Shabbat each Friday night.

Why do I find myself in church then? For the personal feeling and relationship with God that I haven’t yet found in a synagogue. For the warmth and open arms that I am greeted with. For all of the Bible study classes and Mommy & Me classes that are on a donation-only basis.

I wish more synagogues offered that “come-on-in feeling” that I have found in church. I am still feeling my way through this, and I sometimes wish that I felt differently. But perhaps if the synagogues were more personal and humble, more Jews would find there way back there.

Amy Lord , Los Angeles

Bush at Auschwitz

In recent weeks, notables in the organized American Jewish community repeatedly have charged Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas with denying the Holocaust in his doctoral dissertation. Dr. Rafael Medoff does so in The Jewish Journal (“Bush at Auschwitz: Troubling Contradictions,” June 6).

However, no American Jewish leader has acknowledged Abbas’ statement — in the same dissertation — that nothing in his discussion “does in any way diminish the severity of the crime committed against [Jews], as murder even of one man is a crime that the civilized world cannot accept and humanity cannot accept.” In his May 28 Haaretz interview, Abbas called the Shoah “a terrible, unforgivable crime against the Jewish nation.”

The point of making peace is that we do so with people who do not like us. Even as we make it clear to Abbas that we expect him to be consistent in his condemnation of murder, regardless of whether it is perpetrated by members of the SS or the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, we should welcome the opportunity to find common ground with the new Palestinian leadership. Exercises in trust-building are good for everyone — even American Jews.

J. Shawn Landres, Lecturer Jewish and Western Civilization University of Judaism

Risky Situation

You tell your readers that James Besser’s “U.S. Jewish Leaders Face Risky Situation” (May 30) is “analysis.” However, not once does Besser tell his readers the names of the “Jewish leaders” he is referring to, nor does he identify the “polls” that support his conclusions. With “analysis” like this, who needs “opinion” pieces?

Roy Young, Beverly Hills

James Besser responds:

Of course, the reader is correct; it would be much better to use only named sources. But like politicians, Jewish leaders increasingly speak their minds, express their worries and talk candidly when unnamed. Without using such sources, we would simply be rewriting the press releases of organizations. The polls were not named only because there are several of them pointing to the same conclusions.

Exit Strategy

Mark, it’s not that I’m without sympathy for your plight (“Exit Strategy,” May 30), but are we supposed to take your pain more seriously because you’re a guy? Your former girlfriend simply chose to dump you according to “The Guy Playbook”: she left. I know no woman who hasn’t been dumped multiple times in this manner.

None of us like actually to be the one saying “no,” but at this point in my life, I’m sparing myself the additional pain of “making nice” — only to end up emotionally bludgeoned by guys who can’t take “no” for an answer — and I imagine your former girlfriend is doing the same.

Elin Guthrie, Los Angeles

Correction

The Journal wrongly attributed the op-ed piece, “Time to Stand Up Against Suicide Bombing” (May 30) to Ismail Ibrahim Nawwab. Nawwwab, a columnist for The Arab News, did not write the essay. It appeared as an unsigned editorial in The Arab News. We deeply regret the error.

It was poet John Keats who died in Rome, not Percy Shelley (“A Short Escape to Prewar Italy,” June 6).

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The Circuit

Leave a Comment / California, Circuit / Michael Aushenker

Power Lunch

"One land, one people, one bond."

A powerful slogan for any organization, but all the more powerful coming from State of Israel Bonds, which held its "Women of Power" annual spring luncheon, organized by Israel Bonds’ Golda Meir Club, at the Four Seasons Hotel.

This year’s gifted females in the spotlight: Grammy-nominated pianist sister act Mona Golabek and Renee Golabek-Kaye, overachieving Jewish community volunteer Annette Shapiro and Michele Bohbot, who with life partner and business partner Marc Bohbot, forged a fashion empire with their Bisou Bisou label.

More than 200 people packed the luncheon, which was a who’s who of Mrs. Hollywood: Marilyn Hall, wife of "Let’s Make a Deal" host Monty, and Shirley Turtletaub, wife of veteran TV producer Saul Turtletaub and mother of feature film director Jon Turtletaub. And, of course, there was the grand dame herself, beloved emcee Rhea Kohan, wife of veteran TV writer Buzz and mother of "Will & Grace" co-creator David, who kept the crowd in stitches with her verbal sleight of hand.

Kohan wasted no time skewering the other end of women with power: Heidi Fleiss, Monica Lewinsky and Anna Nicole Smith.

Shapiro, who has contributed to the Los Angeles Jewish Community Foundation, The Jewish Federation and Beit T’Shuvah, was visibly moved by her honor. She thanked husband, Leonard, for supporting her volunteer efforts in the Jewish community over the years.

"My husband and I," Shapiro said, "we share our 55th anniversary within a month of the State of Israel."

The Fez, Morocco-born Bohbot, who moved to Los Angeles from Paris in 1987 and helped build a company that nets $80 million annually and has 350 employees, touched on the anti-Semitism she encountered in both Morocco and France. The mother of seven shared her Jewish pride with the room and her glee with her husband, who was in the audience waiting with a bouquet.

Before performing at the function, Golabek and Golabek-Kaye told the poignant story of how parents Michel and Lisa, through good fortune, survived the Holocaust to find each other. The sisters said that their mother, before she passed away, urged them to always use their talents, as Mona put it, "In service of your people, in service of Israel and for the betterment of mankind."

Carole Shnier, who is on the committee to organize Israel Bonds’ fall mother-daughter fashion show, has enjoyed being active with the organization since 1997.

"It’s been rewarding in terms of meeting interesting people," Shnier said, adding that she believes in the cause — supporting Israel.

Investing in Israel Bonds is an investment in Israel’s economy, stressed organizers. The champions of State of Israel Bonds — the Western region’s own women of power, including club President Beverly Cohen and Women’s Division Director Myrtle Sitowitz — explained the mechanics of how contributing to the organization multiplies financial support for Israel. For example, buying bonds at a $750 annual investment over five years translates into $100,000 windfall for various areas of Israel’s infrastructure.

Also in attendance: Iris Rothstein, luncheon co-chair with Hall; Joyce Black; Diane Glaser; Marilyn Ziering; Rosalie Zalis; Beverly Hills Courier publisher March Schwartz; and Mr. Blackwell, whose introduction made everybody in the room just a tad fashion conscious.

Big Mack

The American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Los Angeles chapter honored John Mack, the Los Angeles Urban League’s president since 1969, with the C.I. Neumann Lifetime Achievement Award at its 58th annual meeting at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Both organizations have been "successful in making Los Angeles a more livable city for all people," said Peter Weil, AJC chapter president.

During his acceptance speech, Mack emphasized that no one group has a monopoly on virtue or vice. Reducing the city’s growing violence is not just a "problem for African Americans or the poor," he said. "We need everyone to be involved."

Mack believes that geographic divides compound Los Angeles’ problems and that there is a need to redouble efforts to get to know each other.

"Mutual respect can get us through the difficult times," Mack told The Circuit, adding that he would like to see Angelenos "reinvigorate the enthusiasm of the Tom Bradley era."

Rabbi Elliot Dorff, rector of the University of Judaism, delivered the keynote address on the future of interfaith work. He said that while religious pluralism challenges us on a deep philosophical level, it’s crucial to learn the traditions of others in a city with such tremendous diversity.

"You need to learn to get along," Dorff said. "Interfaith relations are not just a matter of not killing each other."

Also in attendance: City Council members Bernard Parks, Jack Weiss and Wendy Gruel; City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo; Police Chief William Bratton; Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Rabbi Harvey Fields; Julie Korenstein, Board of Education president; KTLA reporter Larry McCormick, and Dr. Steven Windmueller, director of the Irwin Daniels School of Jewish Communal Service at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. — Adam Wills, Associate Editor

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Give a Little Bit

Leave a Comment / Kids & Teens / Abby Gilad

Last week, I watched as Adam, a preschooler at Temple Akiba in Culver City, handed a beanbag to Melissa. She was crying because she didn’t have one. He had two. In Parshat Naso (Numbers 4:21-7:89), we are told that we must give one-tenth of our yearly income to the Levites. Can you tell me what percentage of his “property” Adam gave to Melissa?

Sometimes we think, “No way! I’m not giving part of my allowance to tzedakah.” Or, “Uh-uh! I wanna eat my whole lunch. I don’t care if Brandon forgot his today.” Chances are you don’t need it all. You just think it’s too valuable to give away to someone else. God teaches us: The portion you give away is much more valuable to God than the portion you keep. So, if you only have to give away 10 percent, how much do you get to keep?

Father’s Day

This Father’s Day, which falls on June 15, you will have a chance to appreciate the person who has taught you so much about life: how to share, how to ride a bicycle and how to take care of yourself. Show him how much you’ve learned: make him breakfast, clean up your dirty room and give him a big hug!

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Peace ‘Road Map’ Lurches Off-Track

Leave a Comment / Israel / Leslie Susser

A week ago, the path to peace seemed bright following the formal launch of the “road map” peace plan at a summit in Aqaba, Jordan.

One violent week later, many are wondering if the road map is already roadkill.

Wednesday’s bus bombing in downtown Jerusalem capped a gory week and illustrated the dilemma facing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

On Sunday, a coordinated attack among three Palestinian terrorist groups killed four Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip. As warnings of further terrorist attacks proliferated and the Palestinian Authority did not act against them, Sharon on Tuesday ordered the army to take out Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantissi, who has directed the organization’s military operations in recent months, Israeli intelligence officials say.

The attack failed, killing two Palestinians but only wounding Rantissi. It elicited a stern rebuke from President Bush as pundits around the world questioned Sharon’s commitment to peace.

Wednesday’s bus bombing, which was claimed by Hamas, was widely interpreted as a response to Tuesday’s missile strike. The attack killed at least 16 people and wounded more than 100.

For Sharon, then, the dilemma is familiar: If Israel does not respond to attacks, it may embolden terrorists who believe Israel’s hands are tied by the road map, leading to further Israeli deaths. If Israel does strike back, it may be blamed for provoking the terrorists and ruining the peace plan.

Indeed, it’s difficult to know just how much military pressure may encourage the Palestinians to keep their obligations under the road map, and how much may scuttle the plan’s chances for success.

The volatile situation on the ground raises a fundamental question: Can three committed leaders impose a new reality based on the Aqaba vision, or are Israelis and Palestinians destined to be sucked into another vicious round of violence?

Israel has begun to fulfill its obligations under the road map by dismantling illegal West Bank outposts. Sharon has had to face down fierce criticism from his right wing in the process, though critics contend that the settlement moves were largely symbolic.

As for the Palestinians, despite his declaration at Aqaba that the armed intifada was over, Abbas so far hasn’t been able to deliver even a brief cease-fire. Israeli officials see three main reasons for this: Hamas, the Fatah movement’s Tanzim militia and Yasser Arafat.

Against the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas, Sharon is taking a hard line. To bring to heel the unruly armed gangs of the Tanzim — who this week collaborated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists on a rare joint attack — Sharon is allowing the imprisoned Marwan Barghouti, who has more clout with the Tanzim than anyone else, to work for a cease-fire from his jail cell.

As for Arafat, Sharon again is considering expelling the Palestinian Authority president. The issue has come up in talks between Israeli and American officials, who agree that Arafat is doing all he can to obstruct and humiliate Abbas.

But Sharon seems determined to press ahead with the “Aqaba process” despite the shooting. In a 180-degree reversal of policy, he says he won’t allow a lone terrorist to derail moves toward peace. Before, Sharon had demanded a week of absolute quiet on the Palestinian side as a condition for talks. But given the new degree of American involvement, pressure and oversight, Sharon wants to be seen as giving Abbas every chance to lead the Palestinians out of the cycle of violence. He does not want to be blamed for the collapse of the process.

Still, given the degree of ongoing terrorist activity, Israeli officials say Tuesday’s strike at Rantissi was meant to convey a clear message: Israel will not stand for a situation in which Hamas tries to jack up its price for a cease-fire by continuing to kill Israelis.

Sharon hopes that as long as he keeps his side of the initial road map bargain, the Americans will allow him a free hand in fighting terrorism, even if it means a delay in achieving a cease-fire.

He may have miscalculated, however: Bush’s criticism of the Rantissi strike, which he said might make it harder for Abbas to fight terrorism, was his strongest of an Israeli military move since Israel invaded the West Bank during Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002.

As for Abbas, Bush and Sharon both are convinced of his genuine commitment to the peace process, but they are less sure of his ability to deliver.

Israel and the United States have tried to sideline Arafat because of his alleged involvement with terrorism, but they agree that he remains a significant spoiler to Abbas’ plans. If Israeli and American officials decide that expelling Arafat would play to Abbas’ advantage, they will go ahead. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the Knesset’s Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that the time was not yet ripe for Arafat’s expulsion — but, he added cryptically, “it could be very soon.”

Senior Fatah officials predict that if Arafat stays, Abbas won’t last six months as prime minister. A lot will depend on whether he can achieve a cease-fire deal with Hamas, despite the attack on

Rantissi.

Egypt sent its intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, to mediate, and Barghouti reportedly has sent a mediator of his own to negotiate with Hamas leaders in Damascus. Most observers believe Hamas leaders are not against a cease-fire per se, but are holding out for a larger slice of power.

“What will Hamas have to negotiate about if it is not allowed to join the security forces or the P.A.’s ministerial positions?” senior Hamas spokesman Mahmoud Al-Zahar asked Monday, welcoming Abbas’ call for a resumption of the dialogue that Hamas broke off over the weekend.

But that was before the attack on Rantissi. It could take weeks before Hamas again is ready to discuss a cease-fire, and there could be further deterioration in that time.

If there is to be a new reality, observers say, it will depend on President Bush finding a way to deal with the intricacies of Israeli domestic politics, Palestinian factionalism and the cycle of terror and retaliation.

At Aqaba, Bush went a long way toward winning the Palestinians’ confidence and convincing them that the United States will not favor Israel. In a key session with leaders from both sides, Bush came down several times in favor of the Palestinians. That helped strengthen the Abbas thesis that if the Palestinians can keep a cease-fire, Bush will deliver Israel.

Indeed, after the attack on Rantissi, the Palestinians already were calling on Bush to intervene. But as committed and determined as the president may be, given the situation on the ground, it’s going to be a very tough task.

Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report.

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Bombing Shatters Lives, Peace Moves

Loans Give Hope to Infertile Couples

Leave a Comment / Community / Marc Ballon

When Susan First married five years ago at 35, she badly wanted children. With her “biological clock” ticking, she and her husband wasted little time trying to expand their new family.

First had more than time working against her, though. The former customer service representative had long-standing ovulation problems that decreased the chances of her getting pregnant. Nonetheless, she and her husband, Michael First, aggressively tried to conceive, even dipping into their personal savings to pay $2,000 for fertility drugs and $10,000 for an in vitro fertilization procedure. Their efforts came to naught.

Determined to give it one last try, the Chatsworth couple opted for another in vitro. Problem was, they had largely depleted their savings. With financial worries weighing on them, they turned to the Jewish Free Loan Association (JFLA) for help.

For the past four years, JFLA has offered interest-free loans of up to $10,000 for fertility treatments to Jewish couples like the Firsts. The 13 loans made by the nonprofit group since 1999 have resulted in the birth of 16 children, including one set of triplets and two pairs of twins. (Only one couple that received a loan failed to have children.)

“It makes us very happy that there’s more Jewish children in the community because of this,” said Evelyn Schecter, JFLA’s chief operation officer.

The fertility loan program, an outgrowth of JFLA’s adoption loans, came into being after several infertile couples sought money from the agency for fertility treatments. But the program’s exclusion of Christians, Muslims and other non-Jews raises some ethical questions. Schecter said JFLA has turned away a few non-Jewish couples seeking fertility loans, although she declined to say how many.

“There’s always a concern when organizations earmark funds based on race or ethnicity,” said Paul Root Wolpe, senior fellow at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania and brother of Sinai Temple Rabbi David Wolpe. “We’re extremely sensitive to discrimination against groups for racial or cultural traits, and I think that’s appropriate.”

Still, Wolpe and others said restricting charitable giving is generally ethical. Some Catholic, African American and other groups have long reserved scholarships, grants and other assistance for their own. However, he said, dark-skinned blacks discriminating against light-skinned African-Americans or Reform Jews excluding Orthodox Jews would cross the line.

Jeffrey Seglin, a business ethics columnist for The New York Times and author of “The Right Thing: Conscience, Profit and Personal Responsibility in Today’s Business,” said JFLA deserved credit for living up to its self-described goal of helping the community.

“I think if the mission of the JFLA is to help Jews lead a good life, raise a Jewish family and serve its constituents, then the organization’s providing a good service,” he said.

Robin Desowitz is a beneficiary of JFLA’s largess. She and her husband, Bill, had failed to conceive for two years and ran up $8,000 on their credit card for unsuccessful fertility treatments.

Desperate, they turned to JFLA, which years before had lent Robin Desowitz $250 while a college student at San Jose State University.

JFLA lent the San Fernando Valley couple $6,000 for drugs and an in vitro fertilization procedure. Robin Desowitz soon became pregnant and later gave birth to her first son in late 2000. If it wasn’t for JFLA, “there would not be a Benji,” she said.

Their good fortune continued. Around the time the couple paid off the loan, they had a second son, Andrew, in December 2002.

JFLA, a beneficiary agency of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, makes a variety of loans ranging from emergency payments to the unemployed to helping seniors purchase wheelchairs. About 25 percent of its loans go to non-Jews, although JFLA’s raison d’etre is to help Jews.

The group’s fertility loans come at a time when the local Jewish population appears to be in decline. The triple-whammy of intermarriage, a low birthrate and assimilation could reduce the Southland’s Jewish population by nearly 50 percent over the next half century to 300,000, according to demographer Pini Herman.

The “reproductive crisis” is so acute — partly because educated Jews marry so late — that Rabbi Elliot Dorff believes Jews should have as many children as possible.

“I personally think be fruitful and multiply is the most important commandment today for Jews, bar none,” he said.

Susan First, the San Fernando Valley woman who received a JFLA fertility loan, has done her part to keep the faith alive. After three frustrating years, she finally became pregnant when her second in vitro treatment succeeded.

On March 28, 2002, First gave birth to triplets Melanie, Robin and Garrett. Although she no longer can afford manicures and her long days are filled with “Sesame Street,” bathing infants, attending Mommy & Me classes and bottle feeding, First said she has no complaints.

“We felt like something was missing because we didn’t have kids. Now, my life is very full,” she said. “We’re very happy.”

For more information on the Jewish Free Loan
Association, call (323) 761-8830 or visit www.jfla.org .

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Torah, Prayer Then Death From the Air

Leave a Comment / Community / Julie Gruenbaum Fax

The night before he died, 78-year-old Tibor Reis stayed up until 2 a.m. studying Torah. When he awoke early the next morning, he went to the mikvah (ritual bath) and then to pray at Young Israel of Los Angeles, where he had been a member for more than 30 years.

After shul last Friday, Reis went home to rest. At 4 p.m., a small plane plummeted out of the sky and crashed into his second-floor apartment at the corner of Spaulding Avenue and Clinton Street in the Fairfax area, killing him.

Although Reis’ body was too charred for the ritual pre-burial washing to be performed, Young Israel President Joseph Mizrahi found some consolation in the fact that Reis had just been to the mikvah that morning and that his last hours were spent in Torah study and prayer.

"He lived a righteous life and died as a tzadik [righteous one]," Mizrahi said.

"He was a pleasure — a wonderful, beautiful, smiley person," said Rabbi Shalom Rubanowitz of Young Israel.

The other victims of the crash, all aboard the plane, were Marina del Rey residents Tony Vinatieri, 42, and Bonnie Vinatieri, 41, who had joined the flight to Sun Valley, Idaho, to see houses built by contractor Jeffrey T. Siegel, 50, the pilot.

Siegel, who was born in Beverly Hills, and his wife, Judy, had joined Wilshire Boulevard Temple two years ago. They were involved in the religious school, where their sons, Jason, 10, and Steven, 8, attend. Rabbi Neal Weinberg, head of the Introduction to Judaism Department at the University of Judiasm, met the Siegels when the two took classes prior to Judy’s conversion.

Weinberg, who will officiate at the funeral at Hollywood Forever Beth Olam cemetery on Monday, said that Judy described her husband as an energetic, athletic and passionate man who loved people — most especially his sons, to whom he was extremely dedicated. Siegel is also survived by his mother and stepfather, Cyrelle and Lee Siegel, and his sister, Renee, mother of Jennifer Kaplan, who also died in the crash.

At 24, Kaplan was an accomplished screenwriter. She emerged as something of a Hollywood wunderkind at the age of 17, after selling her screenplay, "Powers That Be," for a reported $150,000 to New Line Cinema, while still a student at Crossroads School in Santa Monica.

Kaplan’s screenplay has been retitled "Havoc" and is in preproduction. Producer John Morrissey said of Kaplan, "She was a magnificent person. She was a person of quick instincts and a depth of insight…. She, without question, would have been a substantial contributor to the American culture."

Kaplan and her family belong to Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, where a memorial service will be held Friday at 3 p.m.

The 14-unit building struck by the plane was built in the early 1950s by Mae and Edward Zipperstein, who still own it. They named it The Sharon for their daughter.

Mae Zipperstein’s stream-of-conscience Borscht Belt banter has landed her on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno five times, after a chance encounter with Leno.

"But I don’t want to joke when people are suffering," she said on the phone this week. "I kid around, but my heart is bleeding."

Reis, who never married, was a fixture at Young Israel of Los Angeles, where he prayed three times a day, always staying to schmooze.

Rubanowitz said Reis had hidden stores of knowledge, always interrupting his classes to add more points or to ask insightful questions.

"It’s like taking the aron [the Holy Ark] out of our shul," Rubanowitz said of Reis’ death.

Reis, who had a booth in the downtown Jewelry District, where he repaired watches and jewelry, was also somewhat of an institution on Fairfax Avenue, where he went shopping every day. Many on Fairfax recognized the round little man carrying heavy bags and often gave him a ride home, during which they were treated to his friendly banter.

Reis, who was reared in Slovakia, was liberated from Matthausen concentration camp, where he helped his father survive, according to Rubanowitz, who spoke this week with one of Reis’s brothers. His mother and two brothers perished, while two other brothers, one now living in New York, the other in Israel, survived. Soon after the war, Reis was sent to a Soviet prison for smuggling Jews over the border.

After spending a few years in New York, he moved to Los Angeles.

When fire marshals cleaned out his apartment after the plane crash, they said everything was charred. They were able to rescue three items: a kitel (the white coat worn on Yom Kippur and at a seder) and two tallises (prayer shawls). The garments are also traditionally used for burial.

Tibor Reis will be buried in those garments later this week in Israel.

Donations in Tibor Reis’ memory can be sent to the Tibor Reis Memorial Fund, care of Young Israel of Los Angeles, 660 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Staff Writer Michael Aushenker contributed to this story.

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Jewish Journal

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Jewish Journal

Mission to Argentina

Helpful Hints for Dad

Star of the Canyon

Your Letters

The Circuit

Peace ‘Road Map’ Lurches Off-Track

Bombing Shatters Lives, Peace Moves

Loans Give Hope to Infertile Couples

Torah, Prayer Then Death From the Air

Jewish Journal