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Jewish Journal

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August 18, 2010

Obituaries: Aug. 20-26, 2010

Leave a Comment / Obituaries /

Robert Abelson died June 13 at 84. He is survived by his son, Seth. Hillside

Michael Adler died June 14 at 77. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; sons, Jeffrey (Cheryl) and Allan; and five grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Ronald B. Adler died June 8 at 69. He is survived by his wife, Patricia; daughter, Allyson; sons, Jeremy and Gabriel; four grandchildren; and brother, Frank. Mount Sinai

Gertrude Brauer died June 8 at 88. She is survived by her daughter, Karen Stein. Malinow and Silverman

Anne Bell died June 8 at 98. She is survived by her daughter, Dianne Muha; and son, Terrance. Mount Sinai

Florence Cherry died June 6 at 85. She is survived by her sons, Jerold (Luann) and Richard; and two grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Morris Cohen died June 8 at 85. He is survived by his sons, Morley and Michael. Hillside

David Coleman died June 7 at 98. He is survived by his daughters, Susan and Michele (Alan) Tesler; and two grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Stanley Fann died June 12 at 83. He is survived by his wife, Lynn; daughters, Sheri Wills and Gayle; stepdaughter, Diane (Raymond) Bernstein; and stepson, Michael Kovach. Hillside

Mitchell Fleitman died June 11 at 22. He is survived by his parents, Jeff and Margie; grandmother, Beatrice Ladesma; and brothers, Jared, Sam and Jack. Malinow and Silverman

Joseph Freeman died June 9 at 94. He is survived by his wife, Helen; daughters, Rene (Daniel) Grifka, Cece (Bill) Feiler and Lillian; son, Louis (Peggy); and eight grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Ann Gelberd died June 6 at 93. She is survived by her daughter, Helene (Leslie) David; sons, Howard (Sarah) and Morton (Florine); four grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Mount Sinai

Freda Ghram died June 5 at 97. She is survived by her daughter, Francine Werner; and son, David Applebaum. Hillside

Paul Greene died June 7 at 89. He is survived by his sons, Larry (Lucille) and Marc; two grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Alfred Groen died June 12 at 91. He is survived by his wife, Joan; daughter, Kamila (Francesca) Alnajjar; son, Martin (Heather); and four grandchildren. Hillside

Paul Gutman died June 13 at 78. He is survived by his wife, Diana. Mount Sinai

Murray Handler died June 14 at 85. He is survived by his wife, Evelyn; daughter, Julie (David) Gottlieb; sons, David (Sandy) and Steven (Erin); 10 grandchildren; and sister, Rusty (Norman) Waldman. Mount Sinai

Nancy Hathaway died June 13 at 54. She is survived by her sons, Brett Russel and Elisah Shane; mother, Natalie Bloom; sister, Michelle Casino; brother, Richard Craig (Lynne) Bloom; and three nephews. Mount Sinai

Miriam Heirshberg died June 12 at 94. She is survived by her daughter, Janice; son, Arnold (Shelley); three grandchildren;  and four great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Joan Hersh died June 15 at 88. She is survived by her husband, Michael; daughter, Jane (Dennis) Stuart; son, Tom (Adelle); four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.  Hillside

Murray Kolnick died June 7 at 82. He is survived by his sons, Steve and Jeff. Hillside

Clara Bratman Levine died June 8 at 92. She is survived by her daughters, Linda Siegel and Paulette Dauber; three grandchildren; sister, Tobie Michelson; and sons-in-law, Larry Siegel and Lewis Dauber. Groman

Isidore Lodawer died June 14 at 93. He is survived by his wife, Leona; daughter, Laura Leonard; son, Martin; and seven grandchildren. Hillside

Seth Marsh died June 11 at 49. He is survived by his wife, Allison; and brother-in-law, Gary Marks. Mount Sinai

Michael Mervis died June 12 at 47. He is survived by his sister, Amy (Darryl) Cherness; and brother, Rick (Fay). Hillside

Blake Alan Philpott died June 7 at 9 days old. He is survived by his parents, Chris and Michele; grandparents, Alan and Linda Ringer and Cindy and Gus Baglio; great-grandparents, Clark and Ruby Browning; godparents, Jeff and Dawn Ringer; and uncle, Marc Ringer. Mount Sinai

Richard Popkin died June 7 at 76. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; and son, Jonathon Popkin. Hillside

Tilly Rincover died June 7 at 85. She is survived by her sons, Larry, Arnold (Joan) and Neil (Silvana); eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

William Charles Rosenfeld died April 25 at 88. He is survived by his son, Rabbi Ira (Cantor Beth); daughters, Sue-Rae (Frank Balazs), Peri (Stuart Blander) and Freda (Hillel Wallick); and nine grandchildren.

Yelena Samsanova died June 15 at 52. She is survived by her husband, Mark; daughter, Natalya; son, Alax; mother, Sima Spivak; and brother, Arkady (Ella) Spivak. Mount Sinai

Joseph Sarfaty died June 13 at 88. He is survived by his companion, Sylvia Aptekar; daughters, Valerie (Eric Kujawsky) and Lauri Trifon; son, Steven (Raquel) Trifon; and four grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Max I. Snyder died June 14 at 85. He is survived by his daughter, Tina (Chris Norton); sons, Ken and Steve; and two grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Jack Sternfeld died June 12 at 95. He is survived by his daughter, Lois Rosenfeld; son, Michael (Ellen); five grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. Mount Sinai

Ruth Stillerman died June 13 at 80. She is survived by her daughter, Barbara (David); and brother, Morris (Helen) Ostroff. Mount Sinai

Patricia Waxman died June 6 at 75. She is survived by her daughters, Jill and Michelle (Philip) D’Arbanville; son, Bennett; and four grandchildren. Malinow and Silverman

Doris Weintraub died June 7 at 94. She is survived by her daughters, Sara Ostrov and Sandra Bright; and son, Steve. Malinow and Silverman

Renee Wolf died June 9 at 84. She is survived by her daughter, Rhonda; sons, Barry and Michael (Ellen); one grandchild; and brother, Gerald Garden. Mount Sinai

Esther Wollock-Wolf died June 15 at 80. She is survived by her husband, Marvin Wolf; daughter, Qlara Michelle Wollock; son, David Wollock; five grandchildren; stepdaughter, Denise Wolf; and stepson, Alan Wolf. Hillside

The Jewish Journal publishes obituary notices free of charge.  Please send an e-mail in the above format with the name, age and survivors of the deceased to {encode=”obits@jewishjournal.com” title=”obits@jewishjournal.com”}.  If you have any questions, e-mail or call (213) 368-1661, ext. 116.

Obituaries: Aug. 20-26, 2010 Read More »

Parashat Ki Tetze (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19)

Leave a Comment / Torah /

With approximately half of American marriages ending in divorce, the social crisis unfolding within the institution of the American family concerned me deeply as a congregational rabbi during the 1980s and ’90s, my first two decades in the pulpit. I spoke about it. I wrote about it.

And then I experienced it.

It’s fascinating when theory steps aside to make room for reality. In theory, for example, we love the Jewish people. In reality, however, do we love the Jew next door? I learned this during my 17 months between marriages.

During that year and a half, I learned how lonely Shabbat can be as a single. As an Orthodox Jew, my Shabbat does not include traveling by car, watching television, shopping for stuff or blogging. Rather, my Shabbat is a day of rest celebrated within the conceptual framework circumscribed by the written and oral laws of the Torah, found in the Chumash and Talmud.

When you are married, an Orthodox Shabbat is wonderful. It can be even sweeter with kids growing up at home. The wonderfully long and festive Friday night dinners. Adorning the table with fine china, crystal and silver. You talk about your week and learn about everyone else’s. You discuss the Torah portion, maybe even argue about ideas stemming from it. The kids share their drawings of Abraham and Sarah, challah and candlesticks. As they get older, they engage in the discussions, too. As the meal starts winding down, we sing the zemirot — the special Shabbat table songs. Afterward, we relax. Maybe we study Torah. Maybe we read books. Maybe we get on the floor and have a rematch of the games Scrabble or Apples to Apples.

On Shabbat morning, we walk to shul. Few memories in a lifetime are as sweet as a parent’s 20-minute walk with his or her child every Shabbat morning. The day is spent with family, with friends. More Torah discussion and learning; more singing and relaxing. Another Scrabble rematch.

It took my divorce to teach me that Shabbat, for a single, can get very, very lonely. You eat by yourself, sing to yourself, play Scrabble with yourself. It took my divorce for me to understand fully all those sermons I had preached over the years about caring for the orphan, the widowed, the poor, the stranger. A contemporary addition: the unmarried adult.

In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tetze, we read: “Do not pervert the justice due a convert and an orphan, and do not take the garment of a widow wrongly as a pledge for a loan. And remember that you were a slave in Egypt” (Deuteronomy 24:17-18). Moreover, when you reap your agricultural harvest, leave behind the bundle that you forget, the gleanings that you drop, a corner of your field, some olives on the tree, some grapes on the vine — leave that for the convert, the orphan and the widow, because you were a slave in Egypt (Deuteronomy 19-22).

What does my slavery in Egypt have to do with someone else being a convert, an orphan or a widow? It is a personalized, raw and grating reminder of what it feels like to be out of normative social status. Sure, everyone “felt” for the widow and orphan, while “admiring” the convert. But feelings and admiration do not sate an appetite or provide shelter from the storm. So the Torah reminds us: You know how it feels. You experienced social helplessness and abandonment. Just think back to the days when you were a slave, and you will know what to do.

I often challenge my rabbinic colleagues — not all — for failing to adequately sensitize our communities to the needs and social status of the unmarried. Some feel that singles are not worth the time because, at best, they pay only half a family membership, and they probably will leave the temple anyway if they do marry. Besides, they have JDate and Frumster, and there are matchmakers. It almost sounds like a bad parody of Ebenezer Scrooge waving off those soliciting alms for the needy: Are there no poorhouses? Are there no shadchens? Are there no Web sites? Are there no singles mixers?

If you know someone who is unmarried, bring that person into your Shabbat home. Invite him or her regularly to Shabbat meals. Arrange with others in your temple to assure that singles get to meet others; that the widowed and the divorced enjoy the warmth of the Shabbat home. For this — and only this — one issue, become a busybody and ask friends whether they know someone who could be a good match.

Not a shadchen? You are hereby deputized.

In my day, two married women saw me through my dark period: Lilli Kahn-Rose made sure that I never had Shabbat meals alone, and Linda Scharlin matched me with the love of my life, Ellen. Ten years later, I have never forgotten what they did. That is how much this mitzvah means: Remember the orphaned, the widowed, the stranger — and the unmarried. Because you were once single and alone, too.

by Rabbi Dov Fischer

Rabbi Dov Fischer, adjunct professor of law at Loyola Law School, is a columnist for several online magazines and is rabbi of Young Israel of Orange County. He blogs at rabbidov.com.

Parashat Ki Tetze (Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19) Read More »

Rolling Out the Mitzvah

Leave a Comment / Bar & Bat Mitzvahs /

Tyler Hochman may refer to himself as a little kid, but the Beverly Hills eighth-grader has made a big impact with an ambitious bar mitzvah project.

“My dad told me that I should pick a bar mitzvah project as a coming-of-age project,” Tyler explained. “He told me that to become a man, I had to help the community.”

Tyler embraced the idea. As the 12-year-old Brentwood School student was researching possible projects, American Wheelchair Mission Executive Director Chris Lewis, the son of actor and philanthropist Jerry Lewis, happened to walk into Tyler’s father’s office. Tyler looked up the organization online that night, and, as his dad describes it, he was hooked.

Story continues after the jump.

Lewis estimates that there are at least 100 million people in the world who need but can’t afford a wheelchair and can’t be helped by any other mobility device. American Wheelchair Mission provides them wheelchairs.

Tyler said what drew him to the organization was the number of people he could help. “When you give a wheelchair, not only does it help one person, but it helps 10 people,” said Tyler, explaining that the gift of mobility not only helps the person getting the wheelchair, but also that person’s caregivers, friends, neighbors and families. “I was thinking about what’s the way I can affect the most people. I realized that if I gave away 180 wheelchairs — times 10, that’s 1,800 — that’s affecting so many people.”

After talking with Lewis, Tyler decided to do more. He committed to raising $42,000, enough for 280 new wheelchairs, in order to send a full container of wheelchairs to Israel.

Tyler had never raised that kind of money before, and he had four months in which to do it. With Lewis’ help, Tyler created a four-minute video appeal, which included footage of Tyler delivering wheelchairs in Southern California. One chair went to a Vietnam veteran; another went to a 14-year-old girl about to have surgery on both ankles.

Tyler sent the video — titled “A Little Snowball,” because he hoped his effort would be like a snowball rolling down a hill, gaining in size and momentum — to foundations, family, friends and businesses.

“The voice of a child goes a long way, especially when it comes from the heart,” Lewis said.

Nathan Hochman, Tyler’s father, said that just about everyone gave something. And Tyleralso gave a significant portion of his barmitzvah money to the effort.

In addition to raising the funds, Tyler needed to find a partner in Israel that could help him distribute the chairs. The Hochmans and Lewis met with Chabad, and the organization agreed to coordinate distribution in Israel. With Chabad’s 302 hospitals, rehabilitation centers and other outlets in Israel, Lewis said it was a perfect partnership. The relationship allowed the American Wheelchair Mission to make its first delivery to Israel, and Lewis said his organization plans to do more now that the distribution mechanism is in place.

“It’s one of those situations where you hope that you impart to your kids early and often about the magic of charity and tzedakah [righteousness],” Nathan Hochman said, “that in some ways you get more out of it than the people receiving it. It’s hard to do that if you’re sending a check from far away. So one of the ways to do that was to actually go there and deliver the wheelchairs ourselves.” 

So Tyler, his parents and his younger brother and sister traveled to Israel to assist with the distribution. Lewis, whose great-grandfather Morris was a rabbi, also took the opportunity to make his first trip to Israel.

The 280 wheelchairs — which Tyler dubbed Hoch-Mobiles — were distributed to hospitals and rehab centers serving Israeli Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians as well as to areas where Israelis had been victims of recent violence.

Tyler recalls distributing a chair at the home of a man who had lost his leg during a Qassam rocket attack. He said the man had very little and was using a chair with a broken wheel and no brakes. “It was a very emotional experience because I got to see firsthand what it was like to live in Israel; I got to see what their life was like,” Tyler said.

“After this experience, after all the joy I got from it and everything I accomplished, there’s no down side,” he said. “I will keep working in charities for the rest of my life. It brings you joy, and it brings the people around you joy. There’s nothing like it,” he added.

Tyler said that he and his family will keep helping the American Wheelchair Mission after seeing what a difference they make in people’s lives. And his father agrees that this is just the beginning. Tyler’s younger brother’s bar mitzvah is in a year, and the family is talking about a bar mitzvah project to raise money and deliver more wheelchairs. Tyler said he has also inspired several friends to get involved with the organization.

Lewis said the American Wheelchair Mission plans to recognize Tyler at its fundraising dinner in October.

“Tyler is a pretty exceptional young man,” he said. “Tyler will be the cornerstone for other kids that see this as something they can do for their bar mitzvah project.”

For more information about American Wheelchair Mission, call (805) 205-0069 or visit amwheelchair.org.

Rolling Out the Mitzvah Read More »

Ten Commandments for B’nai Mitzvah Parents

Leave a Comment / Bar & Bat Mitzvahs /

The bar/bat mitzvah is an important milestone for both child and family. It can be a sacred, spiritual experience for everyone. For many families, having a child become bar/bat mitzvah is as exciting as it is overwhelming and stressful. This is not just about one’s child coming of age but also about the family entering a new developmental stage.

As with any journey, it is helpful to have a guide who has been there before. I have had the pleasure and honor of teaching b’nai mitzvah students for many years and have learned much along the way — from the teaching, from my colleagues, from the students and from the parents. My hope is that the following Ten Commandments for the parents of b’nai mitzvah students will help make the experience one that will be more meaningful for everyone (and perhaps a bit less stressful).

Thou Shalt Communicate
The parents, child, tutor and clergy are a team with a common goal: for the young person to be well prepared, have a meaningful and motivating experience, and, ultimately, to feel confident on the big day. The team should regularly communicate so that challenges can be resolved sooner, not later. Ask to sit in on a lesson; arrange to check in at the end of lessons. This time also presents a wonderful opportunity to build your relationship with the clergy. Getting to know the tutor and clergy sends a message about your investment in the process.

Thou Shalt Help Thy Child Create a Study Schedule
While some young people are self-directed, others need focus and support. Discuss the expectations (and how to achieve them) with the tutor and your child. You may have to remind your child to study for the first weeks, but with consistency he/she likely will become increasingly responsible. When that happens, acknowledge it. Becoming a bar/bat mitzvah is about taking on responsibility (and not having your parent nag you to study). This is an opportunity to watch your child take ownership of his/her studies.

Thou Shalt Get Thy Child to B’nai Mitzvah Appointments
Be sure your child is at all tutoring and b’nai mitzvah-related appointments. When this is not possible, provide as much notice as you can. This communicates the value of the partnership and respect for everyone’s time.

Thou Shalt Learn the Blessings
Your child is studying for an average of six to eight months. All those who will be chanting blessings should also prepare. This sends the message that the bar/bat mitzvah is being taken seriously, that learning is a lifelong process and that Jewish ritual life is relevant beyond age 13. If you don’t know the blessings, ask your child to help you. This is good practice for your child as well as a great opportunity for you to learn from your child and demonstrate that this is important to you.

Thou Shalt Include Thy Child in Decisions
There are many decisions associated with the process of becoming a bar/bat mitzvah. Some decisions must ultimately be made by adults, but give your child the opportunity to share in discussions when appropriate. Help your child understand why you made a particular decision. Having conversations about decisions exposes your child to considerations involved in decision-making. This is part of becoming an adult.

Thou Shalt Focus as Much Energy on the Service as on the Celebration
There are many details involved in the preparation for the bar/bat mitzvah. It is not uncommon for the parents to focus on the celebration, with the assumption that the student, tutor and clergy are “worrying” about the service details. Let your child see that you are as invested — if not more invested — in the service as you are in the celebration that follows. Get engaged in the lessons, the studying, the d’var Torah writing. Ask your child questions about what he/she is studying. Your engagement will send the message that the party is a celebration of something sacred, a developmental milestone — a religious moment. 

Thou Shalt Use Positive, Encouraging Language
Becoming bar/bat mitzvah can be a sacred and wonderfully positive experience, due in large part to the spoken and unspoken messages the student gets from others, especially parents. Be aware of the potential impact of your words. Comments like “You just have to get through it” or “I had to do it, now you do” do not help your child approach this as a positive experience. In families of divorce when there is conflict between the ex-spouses, shield your child from the confrontation and seek support from clergy. Your child should not be anxious about a potential conflict as the big day approaches.

Thou Shalt Enjoy the Journey
There is much to appreciate in the journey and the preparation. Seek out resources (from the clergy, tutor, friends, etc.) to enhance the journey and the day.

Thou Shalt Continue Thy Child’s Jewish Education
Your child may be an adult in the eyes of Judaism, but some decisions belong to the parents. Becoming bar/bat mitzvah marks the beginning of a new phase in Jewish life: a different connection to the Jewish community and commitment to Jewish education. There is much more for your child (and you) to learn.

Thou Shalt Remember That This Is About Thy Child
Of course it is about your whole family and your community, but when making decisions, keep in mind what this is really all about: a 13-year-old — your 13-year-old — becoming an adult in the Jewish community. Be sure that the choices you make reflect this.

Jeff Bernhardt is a Jewish educator and b’nai mitzvah tutor. He is also the author of the play “Standing at Sinai,” among others.

Ten Commandments for B’nai Mitzvah Parents Read More »

Goldstone Follow-up Panel Enters Gaza

Leave a Comment / Goldstone Report, Worldwide /

A United Nations committee charged with following up on the Goldstone Report on the Gaza war arrived in the coastal strip.

The 16 committee members crossed into Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt late on Aug. 15, the French news service AFP reported.

They are scheduled to spend three days in Gaza and evaluate judicial procedures that Israel and the Palestinians can take in light of the Goldstone Report.

The Goldstone commission report, headed by former South African Judge Richard Goldstone, accused the Israelis and the Palestinians of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the month-long Gaza war, called Operation Cast Lead by Israel.

The Goldstone Report recommended that if Israel and Hamas do not conduct credible investigations, it will transfer its findings to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, AFP reported.

Israel’s military has completed its investigations in all but one of 30 cases singled out in the Goldstone Report, the Israel Defense Forces said, according to the Jerusalem Post.

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Israeli Army Slams Ex-soldier for Facebook Photos

Leave a Comment / Israel /

A former Israeli soldier is being criticized for posting Facebook photos of herself with Palestinian prisoners.

Eden Aberjil put the pictures in an online album on her Facebook page called “The Army: The Best Days of My Life,” according to a BBC report.

In one photo widely circulating on the Internet, Aberjil is smiling in the foreground while three blindfolded Palestinian prisoners sit behind her.

The Israel Defense Forces condemned the ex-soldier in a statement that read in part, “These actions are ugly and callous; details of the incident have been forwarded up the chain of command.”

Aberjil completed her mandatory military service in 2008 and may no longer be subject to military discipline. Facebook has removed her postings.

Earlier this summer, six Israeli soldiers drew criticism for posting a video of themselves dancing while on duty in Hebron.

The army took no disciplinary action against them, saying no harm had been done.

Israeli Army Slams Ex-soldier for Facebook Photos Read More »

World of GLBT Jews Convenes at UCLA

Leave a Comment / Community /

The 20th World Conference of GLBT Jews, Aug. 13-15, was planned without the much-publicized Proposition 8 overturn in mind, but the fact that it took place alongside the turning of tides in California’s gay marriage law reflected increasing acceptance of the GLBT community.

“The timing is just wonderful, because we’re doing it on an up,” said Howard Solomon, president of the World Congress of GLBT Jews — though the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals continued the stay on the ruling and temporarily upheld Prop. 8 two days after Solomon spoke on Aug. 16, changing the picture for now.

Rabbi Denise Eger, spiritual leader of West Hollywood’s Congregation Kol Ami, shared Solomon’s enthusiasm. “There are people here from all over,” Eger said, which “speaks to the diversity of the GLBT Jewish world.”

Held at the Hillel at UCLA, the three-day conference featured programs, Shabbat services and entertainment for GLBT Jews of all denominations — “from cultural and secular Jews to religious Jews — Jews of every variety under the LGBTQ rubric,” said Robin Podolsky, a rabbinical student who attended.

Approximately 30 seminars on Saturday and Sunday focused on a range of topics, from “Best Practices for LGBT Inclusion in Jewish Institutions” to “Queer Jewish Improv.”

Elissa Barrett, executive director of the Progressive Jewish Alliance, delivered the keynote speech for the event, which drew approximately 150 people, from local GLBT-friendly synagogues Beth Chayim Chadashim and Congregation Kol Ami, and from as far as Europe, South Africa and Australia, Solomon said.

Reflecting on the important role that social justice plays in creating interconnectedness between communities—especially during the month of Elul, with the High Holidays approaching—Barrett said: “When we stand together for those deemed ‘others,’ we stand on the side of tolerance, progress and justice.”

Rabbi Lisa Edwards, spiritual leader of Beth Chayim Chadashim, who sat in on several seminars, observed that the conference celebrated the “people who took risks in the early years for LGBT inclusion in the Jewish community.”

The conference’s programming focused less on state, national or international GLBT advocacy and more on providing a venue for candid conversations about everyday challenges the GLBT community faces, including GLBT Jewish identity and what role the world congress will play in the future.

During a seminar on “How Do I Advocate for My Kids in a Mainstream World?” Robin Berkovitz from Beth Chayim Chadashim said her daughter, whom she adopted from Guatemala, is proud of her three-pronged identity — being Jewish, Guatemalan and the child of a gay-parented family — and that she says to her friends, “I have two moms!” proclaiming it, rather than hiding it. One woman, an LGBT mother who requested that she be identified as “Tammy,” said that she is more concerned with who her son’s teacher will be in the coming school year than with gay issues. She wondered aloud if she was losing her gay identity.

During a seminar on “The World Congress Through 35 Years: Challenges Then and Now,” those who actively shaped the world congress in the ’80s and early ’90s shared hopes for the congress’s future. Sandy Warshaw hoped for increased outreach to women. “I don’t see a lot of women around here,” Warshaw said to a room that had nearly twice as many men as women.

Congress board member Lo Woudstra, attending from Amsterdam, said the congress — a world congress — should do more outreach internationally, particularly in European GLBT communities.

During a seminar called “Beyond Pink,” Janelle Eagle, the director of development at JQ International, a Jewish GLBT community-building movement, and Elissa Barratt, a graduate student in public policy at UCLA, presented data from a survey they recently conducted examining how GLBT Jewish women maintain Jewish identity and how their religion affects their relationship with the LGBT community.

One of Eagle and Barratt’s findings show that LGBT women who are “most Jewishly engaged” — who go to synagogue and observe holidays and Shabbat — “are the most likely to be activists in the LGBTQ community.” Additionally, more than 50 percent of those surveyed have attended synagogue five or more times in the past 12 months, Eagle and Barratt’s data showed.

In Saturday seminars and in the lunch line, conversations veered toward virulently anti-Semitic, anti-gay picketing by the Westboro Baptist Church that had taken place on Friday night outside UCLA’s Hillel building. Warshaw said the picketing reveals an unsettling reality: That even if the prospect of gay marriage in California looks promising, there still exists discrimination against the GLBT community that can’t be ignored. Finding solutions must be a part of the world congress’s mission, she said.

Edwards said she believes the future of the congress lies in looking outward. Whether the issues of concern are gay marriage, establishing relations with the next generation of GLBT Jews or Israeli politics, Edwards said, the world congress must “continue being a world voice.”

World of GLBT Jews Convenes at UCLA Read More »

IDF Reserve Commandos Speak Out

Leave a Comment / Blogs, Community /

When Capt. John D., an Israeli university student and champion swimmer, was called up as a reserves commando of Shayetet 13 — Israel’s equivalent of the U.S. Navy SEALs — to train for the operation to stop the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla,” he says he expressed immediate concern regarding the use of paintball guns, a training weapon.

“They said: ‘What are you worried about? These are peace activists. Nothing will happen,’ ” John, who, for security reasons, would not reveal his full name, told a sympathetic audience of more than 500 Jews and Christians at Stephen S. Wise Temple on July 25. “I said, ‘You sure?’ And they said, ‘We’re sure.’ I thought: ‘They know what they’re doing. Let’s go.’ ”

John D. and his former Shayetet 13 comrade, Maj. (Res.) Yair Schindel, M.D., came to Los Angeles as guests of the Israel Christian Nexus/Alliance for Jerusalem to engage the Christian and Jewish community about their involvement in special operations. To better present its side of the flotilla incident, the IDF lifted the caution usually placed on special IDF forces that keeps it from going public about its operations. 

“The world is so upside down for me that I have to come here to the United States — not to Libya and Syria — and hide with a hat … to apologize for defending my own nation from terrorists,” John D. said in an Israeli accent to a round of applause. Disguised with sunglasses and a dark-blue cap, he is keeping his identity secret as a precaution against potential European indictments and Muslim threats.

John D. was the last to rappel onto the Turkish passenger ship Mavi Marmara, where, according to the commandos, pro-Palestinian activists deliberately staged a violent confrontation under humanitarian cover. The melee left nine Turkish rioters dead and seven IDF soldiers wounded, triggering international condemnation and marring Israeli-Turkish relations.

“They made us act like that,” John D. said.

In the Black Hawk helicopter on their way to the fleet, John D. described how “everybody was so cheerful. It would be a piece of cake. We’re going to meet peace activists.”

The worst they expected was insults. Suddenly, their helicopter was diverted to the troubled Mavi Marmara.

“Everybody got really confused,” he said. “We got to the Marmara and went down. It’s like a movie. Nothing is clear. Nothing is like we we’re told. Those guys were nothing like peace activists.”

About 500 nonviolent activists had moved to the lower decks of the ship, while some 100 others, armed with metal rods and knives, remained on the upper deck.

“We understood that’s not really what we were prepared for,” John D. said. “We took the guns out of our holsters and started our job. In about 30 minutes, we took over the ship. The image before us was horrible. … I remember telling my teammate, ‘What a waste of life.’ ”

IDF medics spent the next 10 hours treating the wounded on both sides.

“A lot of things could have been done differently if we had better intel,” said Schindel, a former medical officer who is the founder of Atalef, a support organization for Israel navy veterans. He lives in Boston, where he works in the field of medical technology. 

Some of the same staunchly pro-Israel audience members, most of them past middle age,  came the next evening to the Luxe Hotel on Sunset Boulevard to hear the war stories of Maj. (Res.) Guy Meadan and Israeli American Ariel Siegelman. The two spoke about leaving their wives and young children to fight side by side during Operation Cast Lead, Israel’s incursion into Gaza in the winter of 2008-09, as reserve commandos of Unit 646, an elite paratroopers unit specializing in Gaza and southernIsrael. The event, organized by Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, drew more than 200 people.

Meadan believes the IDF’s handling of the flotilla reflects a deeper problem, fed by disproportionate international scrutiny: moral “confusion” among many Israelis.

“First, we have to win, and we’re going to do it,” Meadan said. “We’ll do what it takes. Then we have to defend the lives of our citizens, then the lives of soldiers, then the lives of innocent citizens on the other side. And that is the order it should be.”

Moral confusion, he said, led the IDF to shuffle this “order” during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, a war widely seen as a failure. But, he said, the IDF reevaluated its hierarchy of values before he led Unit 646 into the heart of Gaza.

“I was certain I was coming back with at least 10 coffins,” he said. “After what happened a few years before, I didn’t want to face the families again.”

All of his men came out of the mission without a scratch. The entire operation saw 10 IDF fatalities, compared to the 121 IDF fatalities during the Second Lebanon War. Meadan described Palestinian fighters fleeing battle scenes and booby-trapped positions because of the IDF’s corrected strategies.

But Meadan believes international criticism against Cast Lead, particularly the criticism of the Goldstone Report, again shifted the IDF’s values, and the flotilla is one result.

“Going in with paintball guns against 600 people, in which most of them, as you later find out, were a part of a terrorist organization and wanted to be shahids — martyrs — you shouldn’t expect anything else,” Meadan said.

The overlap in the audience and enthusiastic response to the commandos’ words prompted one questioner at both events to lament that they were “preaching to the choir,” which in itself elicited applause.

“This choir is very important for us and the safety of Israel,” Meadan said. “Without the support of the United States and especially the Jews in the United States, we’re pretty much f—-ed.”

The audience burst into laughter. Meadan attributed his foul language to Israeli informality, and then turned serious.

“Many people whine about the poor PR in Israel. It can be improved, that’s for sure, but I want to remind you [of] something: Jews were put on trains and sent to Auschwitz and Treblinka not because of bad PR. We can have the best spokesman, but we are judged by different standards.”

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Jewish Groups’ Stand on Proposed Mosque Criticized in L.A. Times

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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the Simon Wiesenthal Center love to see their names in print, but even they might consider the three separate articles in the Aug. 11 Los Angeles Times a bit much.

In the same issue, the Times reported in three different ways on the public reactions by the two Jewish organizations to the plan to build a large mosque two blocks from the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The mosque, named Cordoba House by its backers and “Ground Zero mosque” by its detractors, has been advertised as a future cultural center and meeting place for members of all religions to talk, view exhibits, visit bookstores and go swimming.

The harshest Times criticism came in an unsigned editorial, which claims that in questioning the propriety of building a mosque close to where 3,000 people died in an attack carried out by Muslims, ADL and the Wiesenthal Center went counter to their professed ideals of tolerance and anti-discrimination.

Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Wiesenthal Center, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles, has expressed personal opposition to the location of the Cordoba House, comparing it to the German government building a cultural center facing Auschwitz after World War II.

However, Hier urged that the decision on whether to locate the mosque near Ground Zero should be left to the families of 9/11 victims, rather than politicians.

The Times editorial ends somewhat snidely with the advice that the Wiesenthal Center “should take care not to be seen as hypocritical for opposing an Islamic community center on grounds of insensitivity, while moving forward with the construction of a deeply controversial new Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem, located on an old Islamic burial ground. Sensitivity, like opposition to bigotry, must run both ways.”

On the op-ed page, Tim Rutten, a respected Times columnist, wrote of the “nativist agitation” by the mosque’s opponents and the ADL’s “ill-advised intervention in the controversy.”

Like Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek’s international editor, Rutten has been the recipient of ADL’s annual Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedom Prize.

But unlike Zakaria, who has announced that he is returning the award and accompanying monetary prize to ADL in protest of its stance on the mosque, Rutten wrote that he will not do so.

He explained that “ADL’s misguided excess of feeling in a case in which clear thinking was requisite is not part of a pattern, which is why it stands out so clearly as a mistake. In fact, since 9/11 the organization has spoken out clearly against discrimination toward Muslims.

“In an era of revived nativism like this one,” Rutten added, “ADL, even if it occasionally errs, is an organization I regard as indispensable.”

In the entertainment section of the same issue, staff writer David Ng reports that the Wiesenthal Center is “not opposed to the new structure — at least not in principle,” and also quotes Hier’s suggestion that the families of 9/11 victims should have the final word.

“Ground zero is the site of one of the greatest atrocities ever committed on U.S. soil. It may be too much to bear for families of those who were murdered,” the article quotes Hier.

Backers of Cordoba House won a major victory earlier this month when New York’s Landmarks Preservation Committee removed one obstacle by turning down a request to grant historic status to the former Burlington Coat factory, now standing on the proposed mosque site.

A leading voice in support of the mosque project has been New York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg. On its Web site, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) publicly thanked the Jewish mayor for his stand.

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