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Jewish Journal

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June 23, 2005

TV Probes Kaballah

Leave a Comment / Up Front /

Is the celebrity-studded Kabbalah Centre bringing the benefits of age-old Jewish mysticism and learning to the masses, or is it a multimillion-dollar family enterprise scamming the gullible?

That basic question, raised with growing frequency and ever-larger headlines in recent years, was given a surprisingly well-balanced national airing last week on the ABC-TV newsmagazine, “20/20.”

Founded in 1971 in Los Angeles by Philip Berg, addressed as The Rav by his followers, the Kabbalah Centre is an American success story, with 40 branches around the world, many thousands of faithful students and followers and a thriving commercial enterprise. The center’s recent explosive growth and fame can be largely credited to an enviable Hollywood roster, led by Madonna. The celebs testify that they have found spiritual renewal and insight through Kabbalah Centre studies.

Celebrity titillations aside, the most useful aspect of the 40-minute segment for the open-minded viewer was a rare question-and-answer session between co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas and members of The Rav’s family: Karen Berg, The Rav’s wife, and their sons, Michael and Yehuda. The three Bergs have been running the center network since the founder suffered a debilitating stroke last year.

The Bergs insisted that all their teachings, however popularized, are based on the Zohar, the authoritative kabbalist text, and that even glancing at the book would infuse the practitioner with God’s energy.

“We teach a hipper, user-friendly form of kabbalah,” Karen Berg said.

The Bergs made no apology for the commercial portion of their ministry. The center sells a range of items that are supposed to be spiritually beneficial, such as red strings, candles, T-shirts, shot glasses and bottled water. They tout their merchandise as being able to cure diseases, dispel radiation and bring prosperity.

“You can do with kaballah what you want,” Berg said. “We are not God’s policemen.”

The mainstream rabbinical view was presented by Yitzchok Adlerstein, an Orthodox rabbi who teaches Jewish law and ethics at the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. Adlerstein, who consulted a lawyer before venturing on the program, proved a restrained but witty commentator.

He compared the “real” kabbalah to the Bergs’ version as like “taking astrophysics and reducing it to ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.'”

When shown a photo of Britney Spears with one of God’s 72 names in Hebrew tattooed on her neck, Adlerstein commented dryly that this would contribute to Spears’ prosperity as much as it would help him to tattoo “Britney’s name on my neck.”

Although there were snippets of Madonna in her “Kabbalists Do It Better” T-shirt and also video cameos of red-string wearers Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and others, the only celebrity interview was with Roseanne Barr.

“Kabbalah gets you off yourself and your ego,” she said. “I am now a calmer, gentler person than I used to be.”

Neither the TV program nor other pro-and-con arguments are likely to sway those who believe in the Kabbalah Centre’s power to effect spiritual and physical healing.

The poster boy for the center featured by “20/20” was not a lost-and-found Jewish soul, but Don Ellis, a Southern Baptist, ex-FBI agent and lawyer in a small Texas town. He has spent thousands of dollars buying a complete set of the Zohar in Hebrew and Aramaic from the Kabbalah Centre. He cannot read a word of the languages, but no matter.

“That’s my telephone line to God,” he declared, pointing to the books. “All I have to do is plug it in.”

 

TV Probes Kaballah Read More »

Israel Has Wish List for U.N.’s 60th

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

As the United Nations prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its founding in San Francisco, the occasion is bittersweet for Jewish observers.

It was the United Nations that sanctioned the State of Israel’s birth in 1948, but it gave the Jewish state the status of an ugly stepchild — constantly singling out Israel for condemnation and excluding Israel, alone among U.N. member states, from full membership in the regional groupings that apportion key positions at the world body.

That said, Israel recently has made strides at the United Nations.

In the past year, the U.N. Department of Public Information convened a daylong conference on anti-Semitism, devoting more time to the topic than the United Nations ever before had.

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camps, the U.N. General Assembly held a special session and a Holocaust exhibit in the lobby of U.N. headquarters was launched with the playing of Israel’s national anthem and the recitation of a Jewish mourning prayer.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan also attended the opening of the new Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem, the first time a secretary-general had traveled to Israel.

This month, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella group of 52 Jewish organizations, reported a very friendly meeting with Annan.

And last week, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, Dan Gillerman, became one of 21 General Assembly vice presidents, the first time Israel has held the position in more than half a century.

“All these things, beyond their symbolic importance, are also things that herald a totally new treatment of Israel at the U.N. — and for Israel, a symbolism in this very difficult and hostile environment is also very important,” Gillerman told JTA.

The recent Jewish achievements and the 60th anniversary of the United Nations — founded on June 26, 1945 — come as Annan strives to push through a package of reforms for the world body.

Jewish officials praise Annan for backing some critical Jewish initiatives, but say a test of the secretary-general’s strength is the extent to which he makes fair treatment of Israel a part of his reform plans.

Annan’s reform package doesn’t explicitly cite fairer treatment of Israel, but Jewish officials believe that steps he is demanding to streamline the organization bode well for Israel. For example, Annan’s idea to make the U.N. Commission on Human Rights into a smaller council — not populated by serial human rights violators — could change that body’s agenda.

In addition, Annan plans to review any committee that has existed for more than five years. That would include special committees devoted exclusively to the plight of the Palestinians that Israel and Jewish officials view as propaganda organs and are eager to close.

“The singling out of Israel is the elephant in the room of the whole U.N. reform debate,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of U.N. Watch in Geneva. The anti-Israel agenda “is not a small issue. It’s a material issue. It dominates and monopolizes so many U.N. bodies.”

As examples, Neuer cited the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, which issues more resolutions against Israel than against any other country, and the World Health Organization, which last month held a special session on the alleged damage Israel causes to Palestinians’ health and condemned Israel in a resolution opposed by only a handful of countries.

Furthermore, Annan’s supportive statements, while positive, need to reach beyond the Jewish community, Neuer said.

For example, in his Jerusalem speech, Annan pressed for Israel’s full participation in the Western European and Others Group. Israel has full membership in the regional group at U.N. headquarters in New York, but not at U.N. offices in Geneva, Nairobi or Vienna.

But when he spoke in April to the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Annan “didn’t mention a word of it — and that’s where the change has to happen,” Neuer said.

On the other hand, Felice Gaer, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for Human Rights, praised the fact that Annan told the Human Rights Commission it was not credible and needed to be replaced.

“Kofi Annan has been courageous and has broken with past secretaries-general in reflecting honestly on the U.N.’s failings when it has come to Israel and anti-Semitism, but he still needs to do more,” she said, pointing to entrenched bias at the institution.

“We’re finally beginning to get these issues out from the shadows. We finally have the straight talk about anti-Semitism from the front office. What we don’t have is it coming from the political bodies,” she said. “I would like to see the secretary-general’s leadership mirrored by others who serve as top officials of the U.N.”

Amy Goldstein, director of U.N. affairs for B’nai B’rith International, had sharper words.

Ever since the United Nations fulfilled the Jewish right to self-determination by granting Israel statehood, it has tried to erode those rights, she said.

“After 60 years, we need to reform the United Nations to return it to the original ideas of the framers and to make it a place where all peoples, including the Jewish people, are treated equally,” Goldstein said.

Others feel more optimistic.

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Presidents Conference, said the recent meeting with Annan was a success.

The meeting addressed many issues, including the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, anti-Semitism, Iran’s nuclear program, the ongoing killings in Darfur and Israel’s full membership in its regional grouping.

“He was actually pretty responsive to everything,” Hoenlein said of Annan.

Hoenlein noted that Annan “indicated support for the idea of pursuing the ‘road map'” — an internationally backed peace plan — and not backing the Palestinian demand to jump immediately to final-status negotiations before the two sides have met their commitments in intermediate stages.

For his part, Gillerman views the recent advancements as irreversible.

A new world view is taking shape among member states after Sept. 11, Gillerman said, pointing to shifting politics in the Middle East, from Israel’s Gaza withdrawal plan to the potential reignition of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to Syria’s withdrawal of troops from Lebanon.

Israel lobbied diplomats for six months to attain a vice presidency of the General Assembly, where Gillerman said he will try to steer the agenda away from the usual slew of anti-Israel resolutions.

Israel now is working for a coveted seat on the 15-member Security Council, the only U.N. body with binding authority.

“Nothing is impossible for Israel anymore, and whatever position is available, we will fight for,” Gillerman said. “The sky’s the limit.”

 

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Conservative Jews Face Turning Point

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

It has become axiomatic in certain circles to say that the Conservative movement is at a crossroads as it considers its future.

With the announcement this month of the upcoming retirement of Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, longtime chancellor of the movement’s flagship Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), elements of that future are now slightly less clear, and may hinge in large part on who is selected to succeed Schorsch.

“I think it’s a turning point,” said Rabbi Neil Cooper, spiritual leader of Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El in suburban Philadelphia. “I think that when the chancellor took over 20 years ago, the challenges facing the seminary and the movement were very different.”

Roundly praised for bolstering what he calls “serious Jewish education” among Conservative Jews, Schorsch is retiring at a time of uncertainty for the movement as a whole.

During his tenure, the number of Conservative day school students jumped, as did the number of students at the seminary, and the seminary established a large graduate school for Jewish education.

Yet, insiders said the movement today is in the throes of an identity crisis, facing dwindling numbers of Americans identifying as Conservative, internal debate over the place of gays and non-Jewish spouses in the fold and difficulties speaking in a unified voice. How the movement resolves such contentious issues will be significantly impacted by the next chancellor.

It seems clear that those charged with choosing a new chancellor would be well aware of candidates’ stands on these issues, and that their selection could be a bellwether for the future direction of the movement.

“I think that the next chancellor is probably going to be addressing those issues more directly,” Cooper said. “All of those kinds of things are pulling at us.”

In a June 15 letter to the JTS community and supporters, Schorsch said he would step down officially on June 30, 2006, approximately 20 years after taking the reins.

“I do so with more than a tinge of sadness, because throughout my tenure, I have found my work deeply fulfilling,” wrote Schorsch, who will be 70 when he retires. “But I decided long ago to step down while still in top form.”

Under Schorsch’s watch, the movement’s camping and day school arms have grown, with 25,000 students currently attending Conservative Schechter Schools and an additional 25,000 Conservative students in community day schools — nondenominational Jewish academies. Conservative students, JTS said, now comprise 25 percent of the national day school population.

The JTS student body also has grown, jumping from 500 students in 1994 to 700 today. The school’s faculty has increased from 90 in 1994 to 120 today.

In 1996, JTS established the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, which the seminary said is the largest school of its kind in the country. Schorsch further has worked to bolster the Conservative movement’s affiliates in Russia, Argentina and Israel.

He also has raised $500 million in annual campaign dollars and more than $265 million in the school’s capital campaign that ended in 2004.

Under Schorsch “we consistently have strong annual campaigns, a balanced budget and effective financial management,” a seminary spokeswoman said in an e-mail.

That’s despite news reports that emerged in December indicating that JTS was in debt and was selling off buildings and instituting a hiring freeze to cover loans. JTS denies it froze hires, and continues to maintain that its financial position is strong.

As JTS’ vice chancellor for institutional advancement, Rabbi Carol Davidson often is on the road with Schorsch, raising money for the school. Although he is 20 years her elder, she said, when she’s tired after a day of strenuous fundraising, Schorsch still has the strength to debrief and analyze the day’s events.

That’s indicative not only of his “boundless energy,” but also his “laser vision about just how important serious support of the institution is,” she said.

Since its inception, the Conservative movement has walked a fine line between adhering to Jewish law and embracing modernity and a modern approach to religious observance. Schorsch, for his part, often has come down on the side of tradition, a stance that has not been without controversy.

“It’s much easier to join a movement that doesn’t have norms,” he said in a recent interview. “The challenge of Conservative Judaism is to be in and of the world without surrendering the importance of norms and boundaries.”

Among these boundaries is the movement’s policy precluding the ordination of openly gay rabbis and against allowing its rabbis to officiate at same-sex weddings. Some have said privately that it was unlikely these policies would be changed as long as Schorsch was at the seminary’s helm.

Schorsch, for his part, dismisses the argument.

“I don’t exaggerate my influence,” he said. “I think I’ve been a voice. I’m not sure I’ve been a determinative voice. The debate will continue.”

In March, the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards of the movement’s rabbinic arm will meet to examine several teshuvot, or responsa, on the place of homosexuality in the Conservative movement. Those with knowledge of the committee’s workings say it could pass teshuvot both in favor of and opposing an easing of the movement’s restrictions on homosexuality.

A teshuva that garners a certain threshold of votes can be deemed an acceptable point of view by the committee, even if another responsa gets a majority of the votes.

In such a case, they said, the new chancellor will play a significant role in determining which teshuva to rally around and, by extension, how the movement approaches the issue in the future.

The role of women in the rabbinate may be another area in which a new chancellor could make strides, observers said. Conservative women rabbis are paid less than their male counterparts, occupy fewer senior positions and are more likely to be unmarried, according to a movement survey.

A new JTS head could work to ensure that those arenas that are supposed to be egalitarian “are truly egalitarian,” said Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism in (UJ) Los Angeles, the movement’s other main seminary — and could work to move gender issues into the public eye.

“I think that the new chancellor can continue to work on issues of halachic pluralism,” he added.

Conservative leaders said Schorsch’s commitment to educating Conservative Jews has borne fruit.

“What Schorsch has done incredibly well is build the seminary into a first-rate academic institution,” said Rabbi Elliot Dorff, a professor at the UJ.

Compared to his student days at the seminary in the 1960s, Dorff — who was a visiting teacher at the seminary in 1999-2000 — said JTS is “a better place to learn and teach, both for students and faculty,” something he called an “incredible achievement.”

“I think a new chancellor would hopefully build on that base academically, but may also be able to help to coordinate the arms of the movement more effectively,” he said. “One of the things we have lacked is some kind of a structure for the movement to speak as a movement. That, at least, has not happened to this point, although there have been attempts. It was not that Chancellor Schorsch didn’t try.”

Schorsch for his part, said he doesn’t envision a lame-duck year as he prepares to step aside. He hopes to raise “more money that ever” this year, and to continue pushing “the agendas I’ve been pushing.”

Above all, he said, “I’d just like to bring the plane in for a safe landing.”

 

Conservative Jews Face Turning Point Read More »

Could Home Dream Become Nightmare?

Leave a Comment / On the Market /

The American dream is owning your own home, and for more than half a century the government has encouraged home ownership through low-interest loans and tax breaks. Today, about two-thirds of American households own their homes. Or I should say, partly own them. Banks and other mortgage lenders own the other part. And here’s the potential problem.

You see, homes are about the only assets whose value has increased during these bleak economic times. That’s at least partly due to the fact that interest rates are at rock-bottom lows, meaning that a lot of people can now afford a mortgage to buy a home, thereby boosting the housing market.

Low interest rates also make it easy for many cash-strapped Americans who already own their home to borrow more money against its value, and banks are only too happy to oblige. Homeowners are using the cash to buy all sorts of things they otherwise couldn’t afford. More likely, they’re using the cash to pay down mounting credit-card debt. You see, interest rates on home-equity loans are only about half that on credit card debt, and home-equity interest payments loan can be deducted from income taxes.

Last year, homeowners raised $130 billion through home-equity loans. That’s nearly double the amount they raised the year before. So far this year, the home-equity borrowing binge keeps growing. Now, what happens if you can’t repay your home equity loan because you lose your job or your paycheck starts shrinking? Well, as long as the value of your home keeps rising, you can always take out another loan — which is exactly what many people are doing. Or if worse comes to worse, you can sell your home for more than the amount you owe, pay off your debt and settle into a smaller house.

But here’s the catch. When interest rates start heading upward again, a lot of home prices will start heading south. That’s because mortgages will become more expensive, which means fewer people will be in the market to buy a home. With all the new homes being built right now, some housing markets are already facing a glut. Home prices are softening in Oklahoma, North Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and Washington state.

If you can’t repay your home-equity loan and the price of your home is flat or declining, you’re in trouble — and so is your bank. “Equity delinquencies” are on the rise. In Oklahoma alone, there was a fourfold increase at the end of last year. Not only will a lot of people lose their homes, but a lot banks will be holding pieces of paper not nearly worth their face value.

I can’t predict the future, but I can tell you three things for sure: First, interest rates will be heading up again. I mean, just look at projected federal budget deficits and you’ll find reason enough. Second, many people have taken on way too much home-equity debt and are going to find themselves in hot water. Third, a lot of boomers who assume their homes will be their nest eggs in retirement are going to have an unpleasant surprise.

Robert Reich, former secretary of labor in the Clinton administration, is professor of social and economic policy at Brandeis and the author of “Reason: Why Liberals Will Win the Battle for America.”

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Could Home Dream Become Nightmare? Read More »

The Circuit

Leave a Comment / Circuit /

Willkommen, Shalom

Leading representatives from Germany, Israel and the local Jewish community mingled cheerfully at the Brentwood home of Lee and Larry Ramer on June 8, to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the federal republic and the Jewish state.

Remarking on the evolution of a relationship from deadliest enemies to political allies were consuls-general Ehud Danoch of Israel and Dr. Hans-Juergen Wendler of Germany, and Sherry Weinman, L.A. president of the American Jewish Committee.

The occasion was also a farewell address of sorts for Wendler, who served in Tel Aviv in the 1980s and will be retiring soon from his country’s diplomatic service.

“After 40 years, we have intensive relations between Israel and Germany,” he observed. “But they are not normal relations, because of the enormity of the Shoah.” — Tom Tugend, Contributing Editor

ADL’s ‘Delovely’ Night

With the elegant Bel Air Hotel as a backdrop, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) donors were honored for their support recently when they were treated to an evening of cocktails and the lilting tones of popular cabaret singer Andrea Marcovicci. A welcome speech by ADL Regional Director Amanda Susskind reiterated the organization’s successful economic turnarounds and sang the praises of departing ADL favorite Loren Stephens, director of major gifts and planned giving for the ADL Pacific Northwest region for 14 years. Almost 100 guests sat enrapt, listening to Marcovicci’s Cole Porter presentation “How’s Your Romance?”

Marcovicci awed the guests with a selection of Porter from his most popular, “Let’s Misbehave,” to lesser-known works from earlier shows; her rendition of “Every Time We Say Goodbye,” was a crowd pleaser. In addition to the honorees, those in attendance included Sam and Sooky Goldman, Dr. Alfred and Cec Katz.

Lasorda a Good Sport

Leagues of fans recently turned out to fete legend Tommy Lasorda and raise money for Vista Del Mar — and both efforts were accomplished with style at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

Almost $1 million was raised to help children as attendees bid on numerous auction items and enjoyed the comedy stylings of Paul Rodriguez. Sports permeated the atmosphere as some diners actually snuck away to view the Pistons/Heat confrontation on the plasma TV displayed with the other prizes in the lobby.

Charity honcho and longtime Vista Del Mar supporter Stanley Black hosted the festivities. The event has long been a favorite and a big fundraiser for the group that serves the Los Angeles community and its children in need.

Crosby Gets Fried

Comedy was king recently when Norm Crosby was roasted at the Friars Club when his comic friends showed up to honor a legend.

The packed room nibbled and sipped while exchanging showbiz stories to mark the occasion of the release of Big Vision Entertainment’s “The World’s Greatest Stand-Up Comedy Collection.” The series was compiled from Crosby’s television series “The Comedy Shop” and features early performances from some of today’s comedy giants.

Attending the star-studded event were Monty Hall and wife, Marilyn; Loni Anderson; Red Buttons, whose significant other, noted American artist Jane Wooster Scott, was en route to Sun Valley for the summer; a newly extreme made-over comic Steve Mittleman; George Schlatter; Mitzi Gaynor, looking youthful and radiant; Murray Langston (aka The Unknown Comic); Max Alexander and a host of others.

Comedy aficionados got their laugh fix for the year just standing in the midst of so much raw humorous energy.

Cheers to the Federation

Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc., continuing a heritage of supporting The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, recently presented a $100,000 check to the organization.

The donation will support a wide variety of education, social welfare and human services provided on a nonsectarian basis by the federation and its 22 local, national and international agencies.

Since 1993, Anheuser-Busch has donated more than $1.1 million to The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles and a total of $5.3 million to Jewish agencies nationwide.

Hope Inspires Hope

It was an upbeat and happy evening recently when The Greater Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) hosted the 28th annual Miracle Dinner — The Miracle of Hope Gala — at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. Nearly 400 guests enjoyed dazzling performances by the internationally renowned performing dance troupe Le Masquerade, danced to music from the Gold Record Award-winning artists of Fifth Avenue Orchestra and participated in silent and live auctions.

Hope Anisgarten, Randi Grant, Cathy Greenly and Sherry Porat were presented with the A.J. and Claire Levine Distinguished Service Award for Exemplary Dedication to the Greater Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter.

Proceeds from the Miracle of Hope benefit biomedical research, education programs for patients and physicians, support groups and a summer camp program for children with inflammatory bowel disease.

 

The Circuit Read More »

Kids Page

Leave a Comment / Kids & Teens /

Puzzle Place

Life is a puzzle, don’t you think? It’s just not always that easy to put all the pieces together in order to see the big picture. But the more we practice, the better we get at it. So, here are a bunch of fun puzzles to get your juices going!

Torah Challenge

Can you answer these questions from this week’s portion, Shelach-Lecha?

How many spies did Moses send into Israel?

a. 10

b. 12

c. 40

The spies came back spreading lies about Israel. What did they say?

a. The land is bad for planting

b. The inhabitants are as big as giants

c. The country is covered in grasshoppers

Only two of the spies said the land was good. What were their names?

a. Reuven and Levi

b. Joshua and Caleb

c. Menashe and Efraim

Mathmagic Land

Start with the number of Dalmatians in the title of the Disney movie, minus the number of commandments on the tablets, minus the number that is the square of 3, plus the number of stars you need to see in the sky to know that Shabbat is over.

Or, in simple terms:

Dalmatians –

commandments

– square

of 3 + stars = ?

What number do you get?

Alphabet Soup

Unscramble the 16 letters below to make a common three-word phrase for a victorious contestant:

E E F I I I N N R R R S T Z

F __ __ __ __ P __ __ __ __ W __ __ __ __ __

 

Kids Page Read More »

Letters

Leave a Comment / Letters to the Editor /

The Gaza Fight

Imagine a person’s agony when the doctors tell him that in order to save his life, he must amputate a limb. (“The Battle Over Gaza in America,” June 17). Imagine the increased agony when a second group of doctors tells him that not only will amputation not help his condition, it will actually worsen it.

I think this is an apt analogy when thinking of the imminent withdrawal from Gaza.

Regardless of a one’s political and/or religious sentiments, every Jew should feel a great sense of agony over what is occurring to our brethren in Gush Katif. Necessary or unnecessary, it is nothing less than an amputation of our people from their land.

That is why I appreciated your fairly written cover story on Jon Hambourger and savegushkatif.org. Hambourger is a level-headed, pragmatic person, who respects and loves all Jews regardless of their political and religious affiliation. Despite the fact that his political views may not exactly coincide with yours or mine, he has earned my respect as a Jew who will not stand by silently amidst his brothers’ and sisters’ pain.

We stand together with Hambourger and savegushkatif.org, and pray on behalf of our troubled brethren in Israel.

Rabbi Daniel Korobkin
Kehillat Yavneh
Los Angeles

In February of this year, I traveled with my sister to Gush Katif. My life changed. My main mission became how I could help save this precious place. In the Gush (Kfar Darom) I saw schools, shuls, factories and, most important, a people who are dedicated in their belief in God, surrounded by a murderous enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy them. Please all God-fearing Jews and non-Jews, help save the Gush and Shomron. Without them, there goes Israel!

Mimi Matasar
Via e-mail

I just don’t understand what drives people like Jon Hambourger and his anti-Gaza disengagement group. They use two lines of argument to base their insistence on retaining Gaza: 1) Eretz Israel, including Gaza, was given to the Jews by God, and 2) Gaza is needed for Israel’s security. The first argument is weak, and the second is incorrect.

How good is a biblical claim from more than 3,000 years ago in the modern world, especially considering that the claim was not maintained for most of those 3,000 years. It is true there have been Jewish residents of Jerusalem, Hebron and the Galilee continuously since before the Babylonian exile, but except for about 100 years during the first century B.C.E. Hasmonean (Maccabee) Kingdom (which did include Gaza), there has not been Jewish control of the land until the U.N. partition in 1948. The land was controlled by Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabians, Christian Crusaders, Ottoman Turks and the British.

Israel’s right to exist comes from the U.N. separation, and the fact that for almost 60 years, millions of Jews have lived on the land and built a democratic, economically successful nation. But we must not forget that Palestinians have lived in the region for far longer, and they, too, have earned rights to the land. And that brings us to the security question.

Israel’s security ultimately relies on Israel being a democratic society. Sure a strong military can maintain control in the short term of an Israel that includes the West Bank and Gaza. But a Palestinian population that is treated as second-class citizens and feels dispossessed will be a continual security threat. To control that population, the Israel government will continue to get less democratic. The Palestinian population will develop into the majority over the few years, which brings up the very worrisome demographic problem.

Surely the demographic problem is one of the reasons that pushed Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to back Gaza disengagement. It puts off the demographic problem for about 15 years.

So why do anti-Gaza pullout people like Jon Hambourger want to retain Gaza? It will surely make them feel good. But, as a Jewish American, I worry that if they are successful, it will result in a weakened Israel and will end Israel’s being a Jewish homeland.

Jeff Warner
La Habra Heights

The Real Brains?

After reading this article in the June 10 edition of your newspaper, I was hard-pressed not to think it was racist (“Rare Ailment Occurs More in Ashkenazis”). Yet, in a strange way, I was also flattered, as my husband and I are both Tay-Sachs carriers, and I can only think that some other “sphingolipid-storage”- challenged researchers came up with the tests to determine if a fetus has the disease. Thanks to them, we have three healthy, intelligent kids.

Amy Schneider
Northridge

The question of Ashkenazi intelligence has previously been discussed by Max Dimont in his book, “Jews, God and History,” where he connects it to genetics and social values, coupled with natural selection and Darwinian evolution. If finches in the Galapagos can evolve into different species within generations, then Jewish intelligence can be linked to the tradition that sends the first-born son to the Yeshiva and marries him to the daughter of a rich father who can support him and his family while he devotes his life to study. All of which is in contrast to the Catholic tradition of giving the first-born son to the church and a life of celibacy without issue.

E Richard Cohen
Encino

Correction

In “Israeli Artist Paints a Path to Healing” (June 17) Rhea Carmi’s age should have been listed as 63. Her relative who died in the Yom Kippur War was her brother-in-law.

Merchant Mistake

I read your article in an April 1 issue titled, “Zucky’s Counter Culture,” where you quote Zucky Altman as saying that in 1954, “Santa Monica had one Jewish merchant, a dress shop.”

Altman’s memory is incorrect. I can remember at least four Jewish merchants in Santa Monica in 1954, and I believe there were a number of additional ones:

1. My mother (Rose Gold) and uncle (William Shalat), who had a ladies’ clothing store at 1431-1433 Third Street (I count these as “one merchant”).

2. Adolph Braun (my godfather), who owned Braun’s Men’s Wear next door to my mother’s store.

3. Marty Goodfriend, who owned Goodfriend’s Jewelers.

4. The Jewish owner of another ladies’ clothing store across Third Street from my mother’s store. I cannot remember that person’s name.

Arnold H. Gold
Studio City

Chabad Necessity?

I wish I could agree with Jacob Neusner’s praise of Chabad in your June 17 article (“Why Reform, Chabad Are Necessary”). I find them to be a bigoted, self-servicing religious body best described as a cult with lots of chutzpah, and whose pockets are lined with lots of money, and no lay board to govern them. Nor do we need ghetto living in America.

Hyman H. Haves
Pacific Palisades

As I read Jacob Neusner’s column I was reminded of the old adage, “Those who know, do; those who don’t know, teach). It is a shame that one who teaches Judaic studies apparently knows so little about Orthodox Judaism. I am a member of both a Conservative and a Chabad shul and have attended a Reform synagogue a few times in order to say Kaddish and as a bar mitzvah invitee. Contrary to Neusner’s assertion that the Reform movement is “willing to cope with problems that Orthodox reading of halacha treat as cut and dried, and which they botch completely,” and that “there is a human dimension to take into account,” which Reform takes into account completely misstates the Orthodox and especially the Chabad movement. The non-Jewish woman he cited who raised “three Jewish children” and could not be buried in a Jewish cemetery did not raise Jewish children. She gave three children, born of a Jewish father, a Jewish education for which Hashem should bless her. She had the chance to become Jewish by converting prior to her death but, for whatever reason, she did not do so and therefore cannot be buried in a halachically Jewish cemetery. It is not a matter of being heartless but of observing Torah Judaism. If you want to be buried with your spouse in a Jewish cemetery you should marry a Jew. It is one of the things that people intermarrying should discuss beforehand but probably never do.

Morton Resnick
Oxnard

 

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Obituaries

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Robert F. McGuire Jr., ‘Irish Moses,’ Dies at 94

Robert F. McGuire, Jr., a pilot dubbed the “Irish Moses” for his key role in airlifting 45,000 Yemenite Jews to the new-born State of Israel, has died at the age of 94 at his home in Northridge.

McGuire, an Irish American, was the chief pilot of Operation Magic Carpet in 1949-50, when Alaska Airlines, for which he worked, was contracted by the American Joint Distribution Committee for the secret and risky airlift. Flying over hostile Arab territory during Israel’s War of Independence, McGuire and fellow pilots crammed their human cargo into DC-4 planes, at three times their normal capacity.

Despite numerous close calls, the airlift never lost a plane or passenger.

Even after Alaska Airlines bowed out of the operation, McGuire continued the work by buying and leasing planes and setting up Near East Air Transport.

Before Magic Carpet, McGuire had been hired by the United Nations and relief organizations to fly Jewish refugees from China to Israel.

McGuire, a World War II veteran, never talked and sought recognition for his services to the Jewish state, even after then-Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion lauded him as the “Irish Moses.”

His feelings for the Jewish people may also have been influenced by his father, who served as an American judge at the Nuremberg war crimes trials.

Last year, the Simon Wiesenthal Center conferred its medal of valor on McGuire. — Tom Tugend, Contributing Editor

Blanche Abrams died May 26 at 95. She is survived by her sons, Rabbi Arthur (Claire) and Stanley (Phyllis); five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman

Leo Balkin died May 29 at 85. He is survived by his wife, Betty; daughters, Bonnie Anketell and Renee Wouters; three grandchildren; and brother, Sol (Janell). Mount Sinai

ERNEST BERKOWITZ died May 28 at 58. He is survived by his wife, Deanna; son, Ben; and sister, Rachel Benveniste. Groman

LOUIS BREWSTER died May 27 at 97. He is survived by his son, Barry (Phyllis); daughter, Sondra (Bob) Duran; and five grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. Groman

Kurt Cahn died May 25 at 89. He is survived by his wife, Eva; sons, Peter (Nadine) and Robert; daughter, Nancy (Steve) Steinhardt; and grandchildren, Erica and Matthew. Mount Sinai

Henry Corden died May 19 at 85. He is survived by his wife, Angelina Corden. Malinow and Silverman

BERNARDINE EDMUNDS died May 28 at 88. She is survived by her sons, Rod and John (Gennie); two grandchildren; and sister, Frances Hirsh. Hillside

ZION GABRIEL EYTAN died May 19 at 78. He is survived by his wife; and daughters. Chevra Kadisha

GERTRUDE FELDMAN died May 27 at 89. She is survived by her husband, Abraham; son, Sandy Singer; stepdaughter, Barbara; one grandchild; and one great-grandchild. Groman

Gerald Fleishman died May 27 at 72. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, sons Jeffrey and James; two grandchildren; and three stepgrandchildren.

Florence Frank died May 25 at 86. She is survived by her daughter, Marsha Frank Berke; son, Barry (Hatiga); two grandchildren; and one great-grandchil. Malinow and Silverman

Lieza Gitelis died May 29 at 81. She is survived by her son, Vladimir (Sofiya); daughter, Rina (Mark Pravin); three grandchildren; and one great grandchild. Mount Sinai

REIZA GITMAN died May 29 at 91. She is survived by her daughter, Sarra (David) Finkel; and four grandchildren. Sholom Chapels

JULIA GOODE died May 29 at 87. She is survived by her son, H. Allen Benowitz; and daughters, Marilyn Benowitz Denman and Bonnie Winters; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Groman

Ruth Goodley died May 26 at 95. She is survived by her daughter, Eleanor (Sam) Heeger; Dr. Paul (Devora); seven grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

MICHEL GOODMAN died May 25 at 85. She is survived by her son, Carl; daughters, Ellen (Robert) Eveler and Mya Wilkinson; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Groman

Maxine Hartman died May 25 at 79. She is survived by her son, Jonathan (Corine); and granddaughter, Julia. Mount Sinai

BEATRICE HASSEN died May 30 at 84. She is survived by her son, Dennis Jacobs; daughter, Leslie Jacobs; and sisters, Margie Berman and Marcella. Groman

ISADORE HELFING died May 26 at 83. He is survived by his wife, Lucile; sons, Sheldon (Barbara) and Robert (Laurie); three grandchildren; and brother, Henry (Sarah). Chevra Kadisha

SOLEIMAN KERMANI died May 26 at 76. He is survived by his wife, Parvin Kohan. Chevra Kadisha

EDWARD KOSLOWSKI died May 25 at 79. He is survived by his wife, Beatrice, son, Ron, and grandchildren, Chloe and Madison. Hillside

PHIL KORNSTEIN died May 26 at 78. He is survived by his sons, Barry (Nancy Renick) and Howard (Theresa); three grandchildren; brother, Dr. Bernard Korenstein; sister, Claire Herman; and two nieces. Groman

ELISSA IONE KOTLER died May 28 at 49. She is survived by her fiance, Shawn Robinson; brother, Ronald (Carolyn); two nieces; and one nephew. Namkung. Hillside

RANDALL CURTIS KRAMER died May 30 at 45. He is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; sons, Sydney and Noah; brother, Derek (Nancy); two nephews; aunts Lana (Mike) and Gail (Tom); and uncle, Albert (Karen). Hillside

Sanford Marvin died May 25 at 78. He is survived by his wife, Arlette; sons, Alan and Samuel (Terry); daughters, Lois (David) Friedman and Sheryl (David) Best; five grandchildren; and sister, Rhoda Garber. Mount Sinai

STEVEN MAZIN died May 30 at 53. He is survived by his son, John Kenneth; sister, Sharon; aunt, Bernice Manocherian; uncle, Stan Schneider. Groman

Edward Mendel died May 26 at 84. He is survived by his wife, Florence; daughters, Lynne (Austin) Godsey and Debra (Steve) Freedman; and granddaughter. Mount Sinai

LILLIAN OBER died May 26 at 90. She is survived by her son, Charles. Groman

DOROTHY PRINCE died May 27 at 95. She is survived by her sons, Arnold and Michael (Brenda); and one grandchild. Hillside

Sara Prujan died May 26 at 88. She is survived by her husband, Jack; sons, Dr. Ross (Linda) and Robert; daughters, Caryl (David) Lightfoot and Jan Farquhar; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and sister, Lee Hudson. Mount Sinai

MIRIAM SALTZMAN died May 25 at 86. She is survived by her daughters, Susan Barnett, Barbara Kinoshita and Marjorie Krug; and two grandchildren. Hillside

IRWIN SAXON died May 29 at 73. He is survived by his brother, Joseph. Groman

Miriam Schaefer died May 26 at 82. She is survived by her daughter Elise (Dr. Carl) Hartman; and one grandchild. Malinow and Silverman

Laurie Shubb died May 30 at 61. She is survived by her son, Zack (Hyla); daughter, Lindsay; sister, Susan (Davina River) Shwarts; and ex-husband, Rik (Patricia). Mount Sinai

LILLIAN SILVERMAN died May 26 at 85. She is survived by her son, Ron (Christy); grandaughter, Lauren Boiles; and sister, Shirley Gold. Hillside

SIGMUND STEINBERG died May 30 at 93. He is survived by his daughter, Diane Wetheim; three grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and sister, Shirley Friedberg. Groman

JOAN WATNICK died May 25 at 77. She is survived by her daughter, Sandra Nadel; brother, Howard (Thelma) Lockwood; and grandaughter, Marsha Nadel. Chevra Kadisha

EVELINE WEISS died May 25 at 83. She is survived by her husband, Barnard; daughter, Debra; and four grandchildren. Groman

Richard Wessler died May 30 at 81. He is survived by his wife, Maureen; daughers, Susan (Ignacio) Enbom, Caryl Lippman and Deborah; four grandchildren; and sister, Rose Gorday. Mount Sinai

ALLAN WHITE died May 27 at 88. He is survived by his son, Steve; daughter, Sherry Endresen; one grandchild; sister, Elinor Goodman; and nephew, James Goodman. Hillside

ERIC WOYTHALER died May 30 at 94. He is survived by his sons, Julius, Albert and Ben; six grandchildren; and brother, Rabbi Bert. Groman

 

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Dorothy Who?

Leave a Comment / Up Front /

The Broadway blockbuster by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, which tells the story of what happened in Oz before Dorothy dropped in, has been selling out in ticket presales on its national tour. So you might have better luck finding a pair of ruby slippers than a seat at the Pantages, where it flies in from now through July 31, starring Stephanie J. Block, Kendra Kassebaum and Carol Kane.

But this tale, with its Grammy Award-winning music, based on the book by Gregory Maguire, isn’t your grandmother’s “Wizard of Oz.” (Judy Garland never used words like “swankified” or “disgusticified.”) This show is all about Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda (a.k.a. the Good Witch of the North) — who used to be best friends.

But who was really “wicked” and who was really “good?”

“If you take a familiar story and you come at it from another point of view, the tension between the audience’s preconception and the approach you’re taking to the story adds an extra level of response,” said composer-lyricist Schwartz, who explored similar territory with “The Prince of Egypt.”

Although Schwartz said he never experienced the alienation Elphaba feels while he was growing up in New York City, the Oscar winner can relate, in part, to the idea of being different — a central theme in “Wicked.”

“I think it’s possible that being a Jewish kid in a school and community that was overwhelmingly Christian — although I never felt any overt prejudice or exclusion — contributed to my sense of ‘otherness,’ which is certainly reflected in the central character of Elphaba,” Schwartz told The Journal. “I think it may be a component of why I am often attracted to write about characters who feel themselves alienated or have difficulty fitting in with their societies.”

As a popular stage success, “Wicked” is likely to be flying around years after other productions have gone back to Kansas.

For tickets to the near-sold-out run, you can participate in a day-of-performance lottery. Arrive two and a half hours prior to show at the Pantages Theatre box office, 6233 Hollywood Blvd. Names will be drawn 30 minutes later for 26 orchestra seats at $25 each, (cash only, limit of two tickets per person). For more information, visit Dorothy Who? Read More »

Israel, Palestinians Coordinate Withdrawal

Leave a Comment / Worldwide /

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon conceived the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank as a unilateral step, but it’s increasingly being coordinated by Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.

The two sides are working on joint military plans to stop Palestinian terrorists from firing on Israeli soldiers and civilians during the pullback, slated to begin in mid-August. They also are putting together a string of ambitious economic projects to provide incentives for the Palestinians to keep the peace long after the withdrawal is complete.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s lightning-quick visit to Ramallah and Jerusalem over the weekend was part of a concerted American effort to encourage coordination, and Sharon’s meeting Tuesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also focused, at least in part, on the coordination effort.

In the two-and-a-half hour meeting, Sharon and Abbas discussed a number of key coordination issues, including deployment of P.A. police during the evacuation, arrangements for control of the “Philadelphia route” on the border between Gaza and Egypt, administration of border-crossing points between Gaza and Israel and demolition of evacuated settler homes.

Sharon also agreed to transfer the West Bank cities of Kalkilya and Bethlehem to P.A. control within the next two weeks.

But Sharon’s main message to Abbas was that Israeli-Palestinian military and civilian coordination will have little credibility unless the Palestinian Authority starts making good on its pledges to crack down on terrorism.

Israel claims there has been an increase in attacks by groups like Islamic Jihad over the past few days, and that the Palestinian Authority is doing very little to stop it.

On Monday night, Israeli forces arrested more than 50 Islamic Jihad activists after the group claimed responsibility for killing two Israelis in recent days. The message was clear: If the Palestinian Authority doesn’t take action, Israel will.

In her visit to the area, Rice met separately with Palestinian and Israeli leaders and emphasized to both sides the importance the United States attaches to coordinating the withdrawal. She left no doubt that the Americans see a coordinated, relatively peaceful pullback as the key to creating a favorable climate for renewed peace talks.

Coordination is “absolutely critical,” Rice said.

The military coordination talks are going ahead on three levels: ministerial, top brass and officers in the field.

To strengthen the Palestinian Authority’s prestige and policing capacity, Israeli negotiators, headed by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski, the army’s deputy chief of staff, are proposing:

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• Handing over more West Bank cities, such as Jenin and Ramallah, to P.A. control before the withdrawal from Gaza. The Israeli side, though, insists that the Palestinian Authority first fulfill promises to disarm terrorists on Israel’s wanted list.

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• Transferring P.A. police from the West Bank to Gaza to beef up their presence in key areas.

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• Setting up joint Israeli-Palestinian operations rooms to coordinate movement of forces on the ground before, during and after the withdrawal.

The Israeli side has provided maps of the settlements and asked the Palestinians to come back with a detailed security plan that would dovetail with Israel’s overall blueprint for protecting the withdrawal.

But some Israeli leaders are skeptical. Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argues that because Israel is not demanding anything from the Palestinians in return for the withdrawal, members of terrorist groups have no motivation to keep the peace.

On the contrary, he says, apart from any agreement Israel reaches with the Palestinian Authority, terrorists almost certainly will fire on the departing troops because they want to create the impression that Israel is being forced to leave.

The civilian coordination talks aim to provide incentives for a more enduring commitment to peace. At least five major projects are under consideration:

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• A rail link between the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

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• Completing construction of a seaport in Gaza.

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• Reopening the Gaza airport.

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• Streamlining border crossing points between Gaza and Israel.

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• A massive housing project for Palestinian refugee resettlement.

In early June talks with the Palestinians, Israeli Cabinet minister Haim Ramon proposed a rail line from Erez on the Gaza border to Tarkumiya, near the West Bank city of Hebron.

“The idea is to show the Palestinians that the planned withdrawal is not a case of ‘Gaza first and last,’ as many of them fear, but rather that it is a first step leading to a full-fledged, unified Palestinian state incorporating both Gaza and the West Bank,” Ramon said.

Even more important for the “economics of peace” are the border crossing points between Gaza and Israel. Israeli officials admit that the way the crossing points operate at present could stifle Palestinian economic development by holding up the transport of goods to ports in Israel for export.

To solve the problem, the Defense Ministry has drawn up plans for rapid, high-tech security checks, and the World Bank has agreed in principle to help meet the cost of building a pilot, state-of-the art crossing point.

Another key issue on the civilian agenda is the fate of evacuated settler homes. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed to demolish the houses after the Palestinians said they don’t want them — because what they need in densely populated Gaza are high-rise buildings, not villas.

According to the agreement, Israel will destroy the homes but the Palestinians will remove the debris and use it in the construction of the Gaza seaport.

Another Israeli proposal, that the international community help finance a major high-rise housing project in the evacuated area for the resettlement of Palestinian refugees, also is under consideration.

American economic envoy James Wolfensohn, who until recently was president of the World Bank, is reportedly trying to raise $3 billion for Gaza rehabilitation projects.

“The hope is that if they materialize, these projects will provide work for thousands of Palestinians and help stabilize the security situation,” a senior Israeli official told JTA.

Such actions amount to conflict management, Menachem Klein, a political scientist at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, told a hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill in Washington. What the United States needs to advance to is conflict prevention, he said, by producing a breakthrough between the sides that would help placate Israeli fears of renewed violence and Palestinian fears that Sharon wants to squeeze them out of a state.

Currently, “the U.S. strategy is to help Mahmoud Abbas to survive — not succeed, but survive,” Klein said. “In my view, conflict management is not enough because we face the renewal of the intifada.”

With the evacuation less than two months away, finalizing these ambitious coordination plans will be a race against both the clock and Palestinian militiamen. Indeed, the degree of coordination could decide the immediate future of Israeli-Palestinian relations: whether or not the ongoing violence finally gives way to economic cooperation and the beginning of a credible peace process.

JTA Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas contributed to this report.

Leslie Susser is the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Report.

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