jtnews | january 28, 2011
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t h e v o i c e o f j e w i s h w a s h i n g t o n
january 28, 2011 23 shevat 5771 volume 87, no. 2 $2
professionalwashington.com
connecting our local Jewish community
www.facebook.com/jtnews
@jew_ish @jewish_dot_com @jewishcal
10 15 16 22
the best of 2010 bang for your book international honors the heroes trip
A Tributeto Debbie
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letters to the editorthe rabbis turn
Everything is very real its a mystery, but there are vampires, ghosts and werewolves, etc., who play in.
Librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl, who is speaking at the Jewish Federations Connections event on Sunday, about what shes reading these days.
Luchot vshivre luchotmenuchim baaron Te
whole tablets and the broken
tablets rested inside the Ark
o the Covenant (Babah
Batra 14b). Te whole and the
broken rest together in our
sacred covenant.
Tis past week we read in
our orah portion Yitro about
the receiving o the en Com-
mandments. And in a ew
weeks, we will read in the orah portion Ki
isa about Moses coming down the moun-
tain, bringing rom God the tablets. Beore
the tablets can be given to the people o
Israel, they become broken, as Moses hurls
them in his anger as part o his response to
the building o the golden cal.
Tis is one o our national low points
having quickly lost condence in our leader
and having demanded an idol be built, and
Moses acting upon his anger to destroy
that which had been written by God. And
yet, our tradition teaches us to redeem this
low point, these broken shards, and to place
them in our sacred ark with the new, whole,
unbroken second set o tablets.
I requently reect on this teaching o
the broken and whole tablet pieces being
housed together in the ark. I wonder about
how the broken tablets made it into the ark.
Did Moses pick them up himsel, or was he
too angry or disappointed that he could not
help collect them? Was there one person or
a team o people working on it together?
Did they get cut picking up the shards or
were they able to collect them without get-
ting hurt? Were they aware o the sanctity
amongst these shards?
One o our greatest challenges today is
allowing the broken and the whole to live
peaceully together. I see this problem on
two dierent levels in the internal and
the external.
How do we enable the broken and the
whole within our souls to coexist? How are
we kind to the broken bits o our souls?
How do we give them attention, attend to
them and see them as a source o growth
and vision into our souls, rather than run
away rom them or bury them deep.
And how do we create sacred commu-
nities to allow the broken souls and the
whole souls rest side by side? It is so easy
to label people who appear dierent as
broken, overlooking their humanity and
their wisdom, orgetting they too are cre-
ated in Gods image, and how our commu-
nities are richer when they welcome and
treasure the diversity o our population,
welcoming all and the gis they bring.
Te rabbis o the almud understood
how easy it was to dismisswhat appeared as shards and
brokenness. R. Yehoshua ben
Levi cautions his children:
Be careul regarding how
you treat an elderly individ-
ual who has orgotten his
learning due to an extenu-
ating circumstance (i.e., old
age, sickness, accident, strug-
gle, to make a livelihood, as
opposed to where his learning may
have deserted him due to lack o inter-
est, belie, or regular review). As we
say, Te ablets as well as the broken
pieces o the ablets were placed in the
Ark. (almud Berachot8b andMena-
chot99b)
Te arks contents are not complete
without both, and yet we so oen ool our-
selves into believing we are complete when
we cut o or deny the brokenness within
ourselves, and when we close our com-
munities to those who seem more broken,
more in need, than we are.
Experiencing brokenness does not make
us less holy, less worthy, less the object o
Gods love. Our brokenness may enable us
to reach higher than we ever did beore.
he almuds discussion o Moses
broken tablets continues: he broken
tablets were set at the bottom o the ark,
and the complete set was arranged right
on top, the broken set orming a steady
base, a oundation or the new set.
Not only are the broken and the whole
together in the ark, but the broken orm
the oundation or the new set. hese
broken tablets may even be allowing the
new tablets to reach higher than they
would have on their own, and bring with
them their own richness and importance.
Tis teaching o the important roles
both broken and whole vessels play is
shared by many cultures. Yose Jacobson
tells the story o an elderly Chinese woman
who owned two large pots:
Each hung on the end o a pole,
which she carried every day on her
shoulders to ll with water rom the
stream located at the end o the vil-
lage. One o the pots was complete and
always delivered a ull portion o water;
the other pot was cracked and arrived
home each day only hal ull.
O course, the complete pot was
proud o its accomplishments. he
poor cracked pot, on the other hand,
was ashamed o its own imperections
and that it could only do hal o what it
Th whl and th brknrst tgthr
Rabbi Jill boRodin Congregation Beth Shalom
had been made to do.
Aer six years o what it perceived to
be bitter ailure, the humbled broken pot
nally opened its heart to the woman at
the stream. I hate mysel, the cracked
pot cried, I am so useless and value-
less. What purpose does my existence
have when each day I leak out hal o my
water? I am such a loser!
Te old woman smiled and said,
Did you notice that there are owers
on your side o the path, but not on the
other pots side? Every day while w
walk back rom the stream, you hav
the opportunity to water them.
For six years I have been able
pick these beautiul owers to decora
our home. Without you being just th
way you are, we would have never cr
ated this beauty together.
May we too see and be able to integra
the holiness o both our ragmented an
whole pieces.
in defense of our defenders
David Shaynes otherwise excellent column defending the IDF against the truly scurri-
lous charge of war crimes has a statement that I strongly object to (Dishonest message
could have promoted hate crimes, Jan. 14). He writes, If the IDF deserves to be singled
out, it is for having a remarkable absence of the kind of incidents that plague other mil-
itaries engaged in warfare, including our own U.S. military, which has its own shameful
record of war crimes against civilians (My Lai, Haditha).I am a combat veteran of the U.S. military. Our record is not shameful, it is exem-
plary and every American should be proud. The attack on Poland in 1939, the bombing of
English cities and the Holocaust were war crimes, as were the Rape of Nanking and the
treatment of captured combatants and civilians by the Japanese. These atrocities were
carried out on a national scale as a matter of policy and cannot be compared to an inn -
itesimally small number of isolated cases of individual soldiers whose character was not
up to the stress of war.
Shaynes comment adds to the clatter on the left, especially in our educational system,
to damn the U.S. as an evil empire and an aggressor nation. That is an intolerable revi-
sion of history and a complete loss of perspective. America is a nation with a moral pur-
pose that ghts against war criminals to preserve freedom and peace in the world, and I
will not sit quietly while anyone slanders our military.
r W, bv
Clarifying the defense
Re: Mr. Wilkes letter (whom, for sake of full disclosure, I consider a dear friend) in
which he took understandable umbrage at my remarks about My Lai and Haditha, I am
truly sorry my words were understood the way he did. He states, I am a combat vet-
eran of the U.S. military. Our record is not shameful, it is exemplary and every American
should be proud, and I could not agree more. The men and women who risked (and still
do) their lives or actually gave their lives are, in my mind, forever enshrined in the roles of
the ultimate American heroes, as people who did the hardest thing any person can ever be
called on to do ght and risk death and injury for our country. I certainly never meant
to cast dispersions of any kind on the U.S. military as whole.
Having said that, it is a sad but undeniable fact that My Lai and Haditha happened
unforgivable mass murders carried out by U.S. soldiers aberrations, very uncharacter-
istic of the glorious and proud history of our armed forces when viewed in totality. Indeed,
Im sure many of the thousands of U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan
died as the result of policies of restraint intended to minimize civilian deaths.
The IDF in its past history also has some events for which it should be ashamed, in
1948 and later years. But, to the best of my knowledge, it has been many decades since
any IDF unit carried out mass murders, and certainly no such thing happened in Cast
Lead. As such, the IDF has, in my opinion, perhaps the cleanest record of any modern
army facing actual combat conditions, at least in the last two or three decades, completely
opposite of the impression Ed Masts group tried to convey (Provocative bus ads go to
highest levels of county government, Dec. 24).
So, again, I apologize to my fried Robert and any one else who thought I meant to
belittle the U.S. Armed Forces. I am very proud of both the U.S. Armed Forces, and of the
Israel Defense Forces, and Americans and Israelis are all fortunate to be so well served
by their ghting men and women. And to my friend Robert, thank you a thousand times
over for your sacrices and your service.
dv s, s
Write a letter to the editor: W w v m ! o w
c www.jw./.pp?/_.m
p m ppm 350 w. t
f 1. f m
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Fill Your Spiritual Toolbox...
Holy Arrogance! The Spiritual Art of Brutal HonestyFriday, February 4 from 8-9:00pm A Program for AdultsKabbalat Shabbat Service at 5:00pm, Dinner at 6:15pm
Dinner reservations & prepayment required by January 31st$12.50/member. $25/non-member. Children 3 years and under freeChildcare available by pre-registrationRegister at www.bethshalomseattle.org or call (206) 524-0075
Dvar TorahSaturday, February 5 at Shabbat morning services
Services begin at 9:30am. Kosher kiddush lunch at 12:15pm
Childrens programming during services
Your Spiritual ToolboxBringing Jewish Prayer to LifeSaturday, February 5 from 1:15-2:15pm, Childcare available.
Texting, Technology and Torah: Spirituality
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Supervised movie available for children in grades K-5 by pre-registration
Six Ways to the Seventh Day: Bridging the Idealand the RealMaking Shabbat HappenSunday, February 6 from 10:30am-noon
All events take place at Congregation Beth Shalom6800 35th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98115
(206) 524-0075 www.bethshalomseattle.org
Lectures are open to the public and free of charge.
Rabbi Shawn Fields-MeyerEdwin L. Bierman
Scholar in Residence
February 4-6, 2011
Jwish dlusins and th thrat t th Jwish ppl
RobeRt Wilkes Special to JTNewsRobert Wilkes is a political columnist who
writes from a conservative viewpoint. Roberts
column this week concerns matters of Jewish
survival and is not about American politics.
I you think American politics is dis-cordant, Israels is a cacophony. Since the
beginning o the Zionist movement and
continuing aer independence, the loci o
political philosophies regarding the mean-
ing, mission and destiny o Israel have
been arther apart than our parties ever
have in America.
Herzl and his political heirs ought a
erce battle over the idea o a Jewish state
against actions that, among other visions,
wished or nothing more than an intellectual
and cultural center or the Jewish people. Te
debate was eventually won by David Ben-
Gurion on May 14, 1948, when Jews became
sovereign over their land once again.
Founding arguments resuraced in the
late 1980s as Israel attempted a rapproche-
ment with Palestinians in their midst
aer the Six-Day War. Te doves came to
power under Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon
Perez with high hopes or peace. Instead,
they gave the world Araat, the debacle o
Oslo, and all that ollowed including
the withdrawal rom Gaza and subsequent
Hamas totalitarianism.
he Israelis have since learned their
bitter lesson and awakened to reality. Tey
are quietly supportive o Benjamin Netan-
yahus wary but realistic policy toward peace
negotiations. Te American administration,
we may hope, is coming to recognize its
own limitations aer a bad beginning.When events such as Oslo leave us bewil-
dered, we ask, What were they thinking?
Tis is precisely the question answered in
Kenneth Levins brilliant book, Te Oslo
Syndrome: Delusions of a People Under
Siege. I discovered the book during a talk by
George Gilder, author oTe Israel est.
In his speech, Gilder made three inter-
esting observations: Palestinian negotiat-
ing strategy can be explained in terms o
game theory; Israels obsessive pursuit o
peace to the point o jeopardizing its own
security at Oslo and aer can be under-
stood in terms o a psychological delu-
sion; and nally, animosity toward Israel
can be understood as envy and resentment
o Israels success. I leave it to the reader
to learn more about game theory and the
Israel test rom Gilder himsel.
Levin, a polymath, scholar, and psy-
chiatrist, elucidates the Oslo delusion this
way: Chronically besieged populations sub-
ject to bigotry, denigration or assault suer
delusions in which they believe their accus-
ers are right, and believe they must accom-
modate and change themselves to win
acceptance rom the society at large. He
illustrates his thesis by charting eorts at
assimilation (and, in many cases, abandon-
ment o Jewish identity) among German
Jews in the century beore the Holocaust.
Fast orward to the early 1990s. Occupa-tion atigue and an overwhelming hunger
or peace and security created a national
delusion during Oslo. Israel brought Araat
and his 7,000 armed gunmen rom unisia,
hoping to make them peace partners. Te
Peace Now movement promoted its leaders
into the government, and Yossi Beilin, a lead-
ing dove and deputy oreign minister under
Rabin, held secret talks with Palestinian coun-
terparts. Beilin oered everything and any-
thing to the Palestinians, the Golan Heights,
East Jerusalem even the Western Wall.
Araat responded with suicide bomber
attacks and continued incitement ollow-
ing his Plan o Phases, a deception with
the goal o destroying the Jewish State.
Te ruse was evident to a small number
o Israelis monitoring Palestinian media,
yet Israeli media, the American Jewish
press, and the Israeli government publicly
ignored it. Israel continued to educate its
schoolchildren to believe in the possibility
o a nal and enduring peace.
Israelis have awakened with heavy
hearts rom their delusion. Tey under-
stand the sel-evident reality that they
can do nothing by themselves to reach
ormal peace with the Palestinians. T
Palestinians will not abide it short o ann
hilation o Israel as a Jewish state.
Tose who think dierently remai
aicted with the Oslo Syndrome. ManAmericans do, and many o them ar
Jewish. hey support pro-Palestinia
groups and the BDS movement (boy
cott, divest and sanction), and seek t
delegitimize Israel. Tey employ trope
such as apartheid and Israeli-Naz
war machine to create a smokescreen o
twisted acts and history giving currenc
to Lenins adage, A lie told oen enoug
becomes the truth.
Among them are Seattle blogger Richar
Silverstein, Rabbi Michael Lerner oikkun
Naim Ateek o Sabeel Institute, Noam
Chomsky, Norman Finkelstein, the Inter
national Solidarity Movement the li
goes on. Tey hyperbolically depict Isra
as a Nazi state inicting a Shoah on the Pa
estinians. Well meaning? I cannot assum
otherwise. Deluded? Without doubt.
Now that we know what they are think
ing, the question remains, Why are the
doing that? Dr. Levins keen psychoan
alytical paradigm has them pegged. Te
adhere to ar-le ideologies that despis
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friday, JaNuary 28, 2011 . www.JTNews.NeT . JTN iNside
JTNewsis the Voice o Jewish Washington. Our mission is to
meet the interests o our Jewish community through air and
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opinion and inormation. We seek to expose our readers to
diverse viewpoints and vibrant debate on many ronts, includ-
ing the news and events in Israel. We strive to contribute to
the continued growth o our local Jewish community as we
carry out our mission.
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P u bL i S hE d b y J E w i S h t r aN S Cr i Pt m E d i a
t h E vo i C E oF J E w i S h w aS h i Ng t o N
tell our adverisers you saw hem i Jtnews
Remember when
inside this issue
look or
feb 11Jwish Wddings
feb 25bar/bat Mitzvahs
yiddish lesson
by Ruth PeizeR
Az men hot gelt, iz men i klug, i sheyn, i men ken gut zingen.
I youve got money, then youre smart, and handsome, and you can sing well, too.
Remember When
From the Jewish ranscript, Jan. 22,
1993, Page 1
Te joy o bagels: A baker loads up
the oven at the Bagel Oasis in Seattles
Ravenna neighborhood in a story about
the bagel craze sweeping the nation.
Eighteen years later, Bagel Oasis is still
making the areas avorite, as voters made
clear in the annualJNews Best o Every-
thing 2010 survey, which can be ound
on page 10.
te s n
The ads critical o Israel were cancelled rom running on the sides o Seattle Metro buses, but that doesn
mean the saga is over. Last week, the ACLU led suit against King County to have the ad campaign
reinstated.
tecn e ec-svv
Education directors rom Reorm temples will be in town next week or their annual convention. This years
theme: Teaching the iPhone generation.
te bes Even 2010 1
You voted. We listened. And now the tallies are in. The best o everything Jewish, rom corned bee to
comedian, can be ound here.
te gz c 1
Dr. Izzelden Abuelaish, who visited the area earlier this month, lost three daughters and a niece when his
house was shelled during the Gaza War two years ago. The book he completed ater that tragedy, howeve
preaches not revenge, but peace.
a leln lve ks
Librarian Nancy Pearl has long held celebrity status in Seattle, and she was just named Library Journals
2011 Librarian o the Year. Plus, shell be speaking at this Sundays Connections event. JTNewscaught u
with Pearl in anticipation o the event.
rel le n isel 1
Assa Nisenboym is spending six months in Seattle as a ellow or StandWithUs Northwest, talking to
students and synagogues about lie in Israel and how theres more to it than confict.
a e dee
Debbie Friedman and her music are among the most infuential contributions to the current generation o
Jewish liturgy. Her death this month inspired mourning and in true Debbie ashion poetry. We invite
you to add to the tribute that begins on page 20.
wsnn lees e isel 2
Hope or Heroism, a local organization that helps injured Israeli soldiers deal with their physical and psy-
chological wounds, took leaders rom around the state to visit these soldiers in Israel and possibly create a
similar program at home.
wsnns fs Jes 3
Asher arrived last week, and his parents say hes a keeper!
morE
m.o.t.: a c ns p e sescpe
ws y JQ?: te Jes e e
Css 2
Cn Clen 2
te as 2
Leccles 3
te Sk Clssfes 2
wen, lee e cnl-ps eHow about a weekend on a quiet lake, with good ood (that you dont have to cook),
spiritual renewal, and a time to connect with other Jewish women? Te men have had their
Schechter weekend o poker and boating or years. Now its the womens turn. For the rst
time, Camp Solomon Schechter is oering its Reresh, Renew and Reconnect womens
retreat rom March 2527.
Activities will include a mitzvah project, ropes course and zipline, a chance to unwind
with riends, a lchaim or two, and, ollowing Shabbat, a chick ick without snickers rom
your spouse and kids. Dish washing strictly prohibited.
For more inormation, contact the camp ofce at 206-447-1967 or visit www.camp-
schechter.org.
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Te controversy over ads critical o
Israel banned rom King County Metro
buses last month became a legal matter
on Jan. 19. In conjunction with the Seattle
Mideast Awareness Campaign, the ACLU
o Washington led suit in U.S. DistrictCourt requesting an injunction that would
place the ads on buses as soon as possible.
Te 12 ads, which read Israel War
Crimes: Your ax Dollars At Work, were
slated to run or our weeks beginning on
Dec. 27, 2010. On Dec. 23, King County
Metro announced the ads would not be
run, and that an interim policy or non-
commercial advertising would be imple-
mented.
At a press conerence announcing the
suit, SMEC spokesman Ed Mast cited
other controversial bus ads run by King
County Metro, including one related to
the Israeli-Palestinian conict in Gaza.
We rejected stronger language, said
Mast. We abided by King County guide-
lines or what was appropriate speech in a
public orum. What we want is not some
kind o punitive action. We want our
ads back up as they were approved and
accepted.
Attorney Jerey Grant, who represents
SMEC in the suit, said that legally the case
boils down to ree speech.
Tis case is about more speech, not
less, said Bender. People have compet-
ing views on this, strongly held. But thats
the whole idea about the First Amend-
ment; that people should get their ideas in
the marketplace and let people talk aboutthem.
Rob Jacobs, director o Israel advo-
cacy organization StandWithUs North-
west, said he is concerned that the bus ads
would not necessarily amount to a serious
dialogue.
We had hoped that this would go away
and that there would be an opportunity
or dialogue and serious communication
thats more than slogans on the sides o
buses, Jacobs said.
A statement released by the Jewish
Federation reinorced the organizations
support or the Metro decision not run
the ads, calling them inammatory and
destructive.
Tis kind o demonization o Israel
is contrary to reconciliation and does not
contribute to urthering the peace process.
Our core values direct us to seek ways to
build bridges, not to destroy them, the
statement said.
Te case may rest on King Countys
claim that the running the ads and cor-
responding response ads submitted by
groups such as David Horowitzs Freedom
Center would be disruptive to Metro ser-
vice. Te county is currently in the process
o creating a new policy or dealing with
non-commercial metro ads.
Te county sells advertising to raiserevenue or the provision o bus service,
said Frank Abe, director o communi-
cations or King County Executive Dow
Constantine. Te escalation o this issue
rom one o 12 local bus placards to one
o widespread and oen vitriolic inter-
national response introduced a new and
legitimate risk o harm to or disruption o
our bus system.
I the injunction sought by ACLU and
the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign
is granted, then Jacobs said his group
would run ads encouraging a ocus on the
peace process. He also suspects that nega-
tive ads would be run by parties on both
sides o the Israel-Palestine issue.
Mast acknowledged the controversy
surrounding the ads but explained that he
would remain unsatised until they were
accepted by King County Metro as appro-
priate and nally run.
Certainly the controversy spread the
slogan wider than we had anticipated,
Mast said. But at the same time we need
to stand by it as appropriate speech.
aCLu ses cn ve s s
eRic nusbaum Assistant Editor, JTNews
Get involved.
Donate. Volunteer.
Its what being
Jewish feels like.Your one gift can:
Help support Jewish education
Provide meals for the hungry
Help send a child to a Jewish camp
Support the future of your Jewish community
Thank you to the more than 600 women joining
us at Connections 2011 and supporting our
Jewish Community through our 2011 campaign.
Live Generously. Make your gift today at
www.JewishInSeattle.org/DonateNow
www.JewishInSeattle.org/DonateNow
Make 2011YourYearof Giving
nationalism, especially within powe
ul, advanced nations such as the U.S. an
Israel, whom they judge troublemakers an
oppressors. Tey adopt utopian universa
ist prescriptions illuminated in Lennon
dreamy Imagine theres no countries
assuage their particularist Jewishness.
Te Oslo Syndrome is a threat to Jewissurvival. Clarity on this point can be oun
in the question, What does it mean to b
a Jew? For me, there are three pillars
Jewish lie: God, orah and Israel. I a
proud o our history and our people, an
I nd it difcult to imagine Judaism su
viving i Israel is deeated. A blow so de
astating to Jewish identity must hasten th
day Judaism slowly ades away, sharing th
ate o cultures and religions over the cent
ries that have been overcome by raw powe
Will a child be called to the orah (I pray i
not a Kindle) in 200 years? We dont know
but as Jews we must do everything we ca
to preserve the religion and the people th
gave the world the one God and the law.
O 257 countries rom Aghanistan
Zimbabwe, many newer than Israel, man
egregious by any standard, scores o the
theocracies, only one nds that it mu
deend its legitimacy. Only one is a perm
nent item o concern on the UN Huma
Rights Council agenda. Only one.
Stand with decency. Lose your del
sions. Fight or Israel.
wilkesW Page 4
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friday, JaNuary 28, 2011 . www.JTNews.NeT . JTN commu NiTy News
Frances & Howard Keller, the Keller Family Lecture Series and Temple De Hirsch Sinai proudly present
Americas Preeminent Moral Philosopher
Michael SandelEthics After the Financial CrisisValues, Leadership, and Moral Argument
January 31, 2011 7:00 pm
Free & Open to the PublicTemple De Hirsch Sinai1441 16th Avenue, Seattlewww.tdhs-nw.org
Michael Sandellecturing engaging students at his immenselypopular undergraduate course at Harvard University.
s
r
Americas pre-eminent moral philosopher, Harvad Professor and best-selling
author ofJustice, Michael Sandel brings his open-mike style of ethicalproblem solving to engage the Seattle community with a discussion ofmoral values, ethics and leadership after the recent financial crisis.
Michael Sandel challenges us to examine the moral and ethicalassumptions underlying Americas debated political and socialissues. Te Washington Post called him perhaps the mostprominent college professor in America, and Kirkus Reviewsdescribed him as the professor we all wish we had.
Contact Elizabeth Goertzel at 425.460.0230 or [email protected] request an invitation or to make a tribute honoring
Laurie and Jerry or JDS. Visit www.jds.org for more information.
Honoring Laurie Minsk & Jerry DunietzFor their extraordinary commitment to the JDS Community
Sunday, March 13, 20117 Adar II 5771
Meydenbauer Center11100 NE 6TH Street, Bellevue, 98004
Co-ChairsTamar Boden & Robin Castrogiovanni
Doors open at 4:00 PMDietary Laws Observed, No host bar
Cordially invites you to
Tese days it is an act o sheer deter-
mination engaging students who arrive
at aerschool Hebrew and Judaic Stud-
ies classes each week absorbed in tweets,text messages, and the latest iPhone apps.
In the hopes o helping teachers shrink
the tech divide in the classroom, the
National Association o emple Edu-
cators, an organization associated with
the Reorm movement, will meet or
its annual conerence at the W Hotel in
downtown Seattle starting on Jan. 30. Te
conerence is titled Imagineering Jewish
Education in the 21st Century.
Te world o education is changing so
dramatically, rom moment to moment,
that the experience o youth growing up
today is undamentally shited, Beth
Young, one o several certied Reorm
Jewish education directors attending and a
conerence co-chair, toldJNews rom her
home in Coral Gables, Fla., where she is
the director o education at emple Judea.
Young has been associated with NAE or
the last nine years.
We no longer live in an age where the
teacher is the person who has knowledge
and imparts that knowledge to students,
said Young. Te role o the educator
becomes one o helping students navigate
inormation. Its much more o a coach-
ing-modeling role.
A pre-conerence, one-day boot
camp will give education directors, dayschool teachers, and regional education
representatives who dont eel completely
comortable with technology a chance to
have some hands-on experience with the
basics. Darim Online, a national com-
pany that provides technical solutions or
Jewish organizations, will acilitate.
Still, NAE executive director Rabbi
Stanley Schickler cautions that Jewish edu-
cators shouldnt throw the baby out with
the bath water.
I believe that the use o technol-
ogy denitely has the potential to attract
Jewish youth to Jewish learning, Schick-
ler toldJNews via e-mail, but technology
is only the hook. I there is no substance
behind the technology, then I dont believe
that the youth will stay.
Rabbi Melissa Buyer, a NAE board
member, conerence co-chair, and the
director o religious school, youth and
camp programs at Stephen S. Wise emple
in Los Angeles, Cali., told JNews that
more technology in the Jewish classroom
really can orge increased bonds with
todays students and their parents.
te ne Jes ecn: helpn sensnve ec-lle l
Janis siegel JTNews Correspondent
Buyer implemented a digital report
card system at her temple with weekly
parent updates, and a 4th-grade distance
learning program called iLearn, where stu-
dents spend one day a week at the school,
and one day in a session via a Webinar
chat room.Many o our students have not known
lie without technology and it is relevant
and ever-present in the lives o the next
generation o Jewish learners, Buyer said.
While I dont believe technology is the
magic bullet, I do believe technology can
help us rethink and reshape Jewish educa-
tion and perhaps community.
I think people are being pushed by
whats going on with the kids because it is
their world and were responding to their
reality, said Elizabeth Fagin, a longtime
supplementary school teacher who served as
director o education at emple Bnai orah
in Bellevue or nearly 10 years. She said
she had to switch her own communication
strategies to students when she realized that
kids just dont read e-mail anymore.
I started texting them, Fagin said. I
I was a director today, I would be using
Facebook or tweeting them.
Locally, more than 20 education direc-
tors will be attending the conerence,
thanks to a $2,000 grant rom the planning
and community services department o
the Jewish Federation o Greater Seattle.
So how can congregations aord
upgrade their classrooms, make lapto
computers and the Internet availab
to students, and compete with some
the best Jewish Web sites out there, lik
JewishRockRadio.com, where mus
becomes a teaching tool?Te act o the matter is that mo
o our students carry smart phones, an
have small computers on their person
Buyer said. Its time to move away ro
labs [and ask], What more could we b
doing with mobile technology? Tat real
doesnt cost us anything except or th
training o our aculty.
Fagin agreed.
It doesnt require that classrooms hav
technology, she said. You can provid
homework experiences with their amilie
in the library, or in their schools, and sen
kids on Web searches.
Largely, NAE conerence organize
want the conerence educators that atten
to leave Seattle with something any pa
o a program they interact with here th
they can bring back to their schools an
teach their teachers.
Its a way o stretching the day an
asking, How can we expand the day by ut
lizing technology that students and am
lies are already using 24/7, Young sai
We need to start to think o students c
phones as tools instead o distractions.
-
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8/32
8 m.o.T.: member of The Tribe JTN . www.JTNews.NeT . friday, JaNuary 28, 201
Temple B nai Torahivts Yu T a Sv Wk Cus o Juds
Taught by ourSenior Rabbi James L. Mirel
and guest scholars
Sudys, 9:3010:45 amFebruary 6 and 13,
March 6, 13 and 27,April 17 and 24
FREE and OPEN to all.For those who are interested in exploring Judaism
and those who want a reresher courseHolidays, History, Belies, Lie Cycle & Philosophy.
15727 NE 4th, Bellevue, Wa 98008
www.templebnaitorah.org 425 603 9677
No need to register in advancejust come to frst class.For more inormation: [email protected]
Judaism 102
wwwwww.jtnews.net
1Its become harder and
harder to be a physicianin private practice these
days, especially in primary
care, as Dr. Mindy Blaski
can attest. We chatted on the
phone last month about her
recent retirement. It wasnt
just about the challenges o
the current health-care envi-
ronment she admits shes
reached retirement age.
Mindy didnt always plan to be a
doctor. Born into an Orthodox amily in
Budapest just aer World War II her
parents survived Auschwitz (separately)
she struggled against their expectation
to marry young to become the rst in her
amily to go to college. She was majoring
in Poli-Sci at Brooklyn College with only
one basic science class on her transcript
when she decided to go to medical school,
adding two years o pre-med courses to
her education.
Sexism in medical school was still
strong in the 1970s, she remembers,
but she orged ahead, ueled by ideal-
ism and the eminist idea
that women needed to be
treated better in the health
care system. welve years
o yeshiva education at Beth
Jacob schools in New York
also shaped her sense o jus-
tice.
Ater medical school at
SUNY Bualo, and a three-
year amily medicine resi-
dency at the University o
Caliornia at Irvine, her hus-
bands love or the Paciic
Northwest brought them to
Seattle. Like many, we came or a visit, saw
Mt. Rainier on a beautiul sunny day, and
bought a house.
It was hard, she says, getting her career
on track in a new town, and aer a ew
years working or other practices, she
decided to open her own in 1985.
Mindy loved seeing patients and help-
ing people, but her practice became over-
whelmed dealing with multiple health
insurance companies and competing with
larger organizations or sta recruitment.
I tried to nd alternatives to retiring,
but I really couldnt, she says.
Hospitals and larger practices can hire
ull-time administrators to handle insur-
ance paperwork but most small groups
cant. She calls this insurance company-
imposed burden way out o line Its all
about their huge executive salaries, and
stock-holder prots, she says.
She points out that health insurers
made their largest prots ever last quarter
while primary care doctors are working
harder to treat patients in less time.
Te American public
paying more and gettinworse outcomes than oth
industrialized countries, sh
adds.
Mindys unwillingness
give up the time she neede
to spend with patients
provide the best care, oe
caused long waiting tim
or patients and late nigh
or me.
Although the doctor is ou
Mindy is not completely retire
It takes time to close a practice and pape
work is still being processed. She serves o
the board o the Western Washington chap
ter o Physicians or a National Health Pr
gram (www.pnhpwesternwashington.or
and continues to advocate or a single-pay
system. Shell do ll-in work or other do
tors, too.
From the perspective o retiremen
Mindy marvels at the trajectory o her li
From the ashes o Auschwitz, sh
says, thats how Im thinking o it.
Although she let the ultra-Orth
dox liestyle in which sh
grew up, she says it was
grounding Jewish exp
rience. Despite her ather
authoritarian nature, she w
inspired by his determin
tion to achieve a better lie o
his amily, and by the wor
ethic o both her parents.
In addition to spendin
winter hiking and dryin
out in ucson, and the kni
ting shes always enjoye
Mindy is an active memb
o emple Bnai orah, whe
she has ound great support rom the cler
and community, and learned to leyn (chan
orah. Her husband Paul is the Northwe
regional rep or the International Union
Rooers and Waterprooers. Tey have tw
grown daughters living in the Bay Area.
2Seattle attorneyJames Rogers w
recently selected as Outstandin
Plaintis rial Lawyer by th
Washington Deense rial Lawyers at th
organizations judicial reception in Oc
2010. Te WDLs members are 800 law
yers statewide engaged in civil deense lit
gation. Jim was nominated by his pee
other members o the organization
and nal selection was made by the WD
board.
Jim is not only a Jreader (or ra
script as he wrote, and we ondly remem
ber), but a member o a multi-generation
Seattle Jewish amily. His great-grand
ther Solomon Rogers was a ounder
emple De Hirsch in 1899.
Rtird MD lks back ncarr Als: An attrnyaward
diana bRement JTNews Columnist
tribe
CouRTESy MiNDy BLASKi
Dr. Mindy Blaski, after decades
as a physician, has hung up her
stethoscope from private
practice.
10th Annual
Fundraising Dinner
Congregation Shaarei Teflah-Lubavitchinvites you to join us or our
honoring esteemed community membersMichael and Lesley Weichbrodt
eaturing live entertainmentSaturday, February 5, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Congregation Shaarei Teflah-Lubavitch
6250 43rd Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington
$65 per person
Register online at www.CSTLSeattle.org
Rabbi Sholom B. Levitin | Dr. Jose Greenberg, President | Shprintze Kavka, Dinner Chair
BH
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friday, JaNuary 28, 2011 . www.JTNews.NeT . JTN whaT s your Jq?
futureofthehe
oftfaces
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Doors Open at 4:30pm
Grand Hyatt Seattle
721 Pine Street
Seattle, WA 98101
Auction Co-Chairs:
Bayla Friedman Treiger
Julie Varon
Silent and Live AuctionsJohn Curley, Auctioneer
HONORING
Moshe Genauer Ruben Owen
PhotosbyDebraRe
ttman
Save
theDate
Northwest Yeshiva High School Dinner and Auction
Visit www.nyhsauction.com to
check out and donate items!www.nyhs.net
NEWVENUE
Dear Rivy,
Are Chinese mothers
elbowing out Jewish moth-
ers in the super-crazed,
ambitious, drive-your-child
department? How did we letthis happen? I thought that
Jewish mothers were frmly
planted in the top slot o
wild parental determina-
tion. Are we sliding? Do you
think Jewish mothering has
changed? Is this a good thing? Is there an
accepted model or Jewish mothering?
Amy Chua is grabbing headlines with
her shocking revelations o hours o com-
pulsory, epic-long piano practices, harsh
treatment or B+ grades, not to men-
tion ongoing merciless sleepover depri-
vation meted out cruelly to her children.
Everyones got something to contribute
in the way o Amy Chuas instant notori-
ety. Youve got the pro-Chua team, as in,
She knows what shes doing! Why didnt
I do that? versus the con-Chua team
she is cruel and inhumane, with varying
degrees ranging rom she is damaging her
children at one end to she has denied her
children real lie experiences at the other.
Whats a mom to think?
And what then is the Jewish angle in
all o this? We are used to being the ones
grabbing the headlines in the area o psy-
chotic mothering. Do I hear Sophie Port-
noy rolling over in her grave? Is that
Marjorie Morningstars mom chuckling
up there in heaven, giddy with delicious
schdenfreude as the attention deects
rom tomes dedicated to the demoniza-
tion o Jewish mothers en masse, shied
over to a whole other ethnic group? Say it
isnt so! I wish I could but as with many
other matters in this world, the Chinese
are pulling ahead. Woe are we.
On second thought, lets be glad. Te
glory days o Jewish mother mocking are
over let the word go orth no more
Jewish mother jokes! On to the next exploi-
tation o an immigrant stereotype! Tank
you, Ms. Chua, or dethroning us! Jewish
mothers o the world, it is sae to come out,
we have been relegated to the realm o the
normal it was only a matter o time.
Now would be a good time to pause
and regroup. Most o us were not thrilled
with the archetypal Jewish mother o pop-
ular culture. Its ading away gives us an
opportunity to recast ourselves. What is
Jewish mothering? Is there such a thing?
Where would we go to nd it?
Let it not be le to the Ayelet Wald-
mans o the world to set the new Jew tone
to mommy redux. It is time to hit the col-
lective reresh button and locate a work-
able image o Jewish mothering that will
resonate or the 21st century.
Who knows our? Four Jewish moth-
ers who can speak across times and con-
tinents our mothers whose lives speak
to the needs o the uture,
the challenges o the pres-
ent while having lived in the
past? A composite sketch is
in order, as we peruse the
pages and pictures rom thepast to pinpoint Magnii-
cent Moments in Matriarchal
Mothering; Four Foremoth-
ers, with our big Jewish ideas
in Jewish mothering.
First, Your Voice. As God
exhorts Abraham to ollow
the advice o his wie Sarah
regarding a precarious domestic situation
details o which we will not enter into
here God Almighty adjures Abraham,
to shema bekolah, listen to her voice. Te
rst tenet o mothering: Find your voice
and do not hesitate to use it. Tis new
mothering upon which you are embarking
must be an authentic expression o your
own deep belies; as such, they must be
voiced and notpassive aggressively com-
municated through olded arms over the
chest and side-swiping comments.
Second, Your Search. From whence
has come that voice, one might ask? As
Rebecca experiences her challenging preg-
nancy, she goes lidrosh et Hashem to
seek answers rom God. Tis short narra-
tive teaches an important idea: Answers
are not simply ound. Te action required
o us is lidrosh, a determined search that
involves doggedly seeking answers, some-
times rom a Higher and Deeper place
than we may conventionally turn to. o
raise Jewish children, a spiritual quest is in
order. What are your deep belies and how
will you pass them on to your children?When did you last set aside time or study
and contemplation?
Tird, Your ears. Te prophet Jere-
miah depicts mother Rachelcrying or her
lost children. Tis is not an easy undertak-
ing. We may be tempted to make light o
all the mothering shenanigans, but this is
serious stu. Raising up the next gener-
ation o Jews cannot help but be raught
with drama. Pictures o sel-sacriic-
ing Jewish mothers be they, Hannah and
her seven sons o Hanukkah or mothers
whose children were grabbed rom them
during painul moments in Jewish his-
tory, mothers who poignantly adjured,
Gedenk du bist a Yid remember, you
are a Jew to their young sons as they were
conscripted into the zars army, or moth-
ers who sent their children on the Kinder-
transport rescue mission to Great Britain
rom 19381940, these loom large in our
Jewish minds. Tough we live in blessed
21st-century times we cannot help but
harbor uncertainties about our childrens
continued engagement in Judaism. It
may take a leap o aith, but ear not, God
assures Rachel, be comorted, your chil-
dren will return.
Fourth, Your Appreciation. Upon th
birth o Judah, matriarch Leah declar
joyully, Tis time I will thank God
Te name reects a very special gratitud
Rabbi Yochanan, quoting Rabbi Shimo
bar Yochai, says, From the day that Gocreated the world there was no huma
who thanked Him, as it says this time
will thank God.
Leah is the rst person to walk th
earth to turn to her Maker and say
simple thank you. She teaches us grat
tude. Her motherly thank you becom
the name Judah, the name o the Jewi
people. It took a Jewish mother to teac
the world appreciation let its lesso
not be lost on us. Trough all the rus
o carpools, bedtime bedlam and morn
ing meshugas, dont orget to slow dow
and say a quick thank you or all the bles
ings tumbling around you. In days o ou
where the lie o rush and the tides o ce
phone rings, texting and Facebook pos
ings bring a everish pitch to lie, we nee
to say a Leahs thank you or all we hav
as messy and as complicated as it may b
its ours.
Rivy Poupko Kletenik is an internationally
renowned educator and Head of School at
the Seattle Hebrew Academy. If you have a
question thats been tickling your brain,
send Rivy an e-mail at
Jwish tigr mthrs
Rivy PouPko kletenikJTNews Columnist
JQ
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10 The besT of everyThiNg 2010 JTN . www.JTNews.NeT . friday, JaNuary 28, 201
The people have spoken. The results are in. Beore weget too wrapped up in 2011, lets pause or one last lookback at the things we loved in 2010. The results o our
annual Best o Everything Survey might look amiliar insome places Island Crust pizza, anyone? but theyare also even more reective o our Jewish communitythan ever beore. How is that, you ask? Its simple: Morepeople flled out the survey than ever beore, shatteringthe record set just last year. But enough introduction andonto the best o Jewish Washington...
Mazel Tov!Pi Cbti
Best Place for a Wedding
Well kick things o with a wedding celebration. This yearthe people said, I do to the Seattle Sheraton, locatedright in the heart o downtown. Outdoor suggestions likethe Arboretum and Ballard Locks were popular, but thiscorrespondent suggests that anybody considering thosevenues wait a ew months or the weather to clear up.
Best Place for a Bar MitzvahStep right up, Congregation Beth Shalom. Well behearing more about you soon.
Best local Party Band or dJ
Mazel Tov to DJ Nicky B aka Nick Barrat, a frst-timewinner.
Best Place to Buy a Wedding/
engageMent ring
Seattles most amous Jewish jewelers are at it again.This category goes to Ben Bridge. Although one reader(obviously looking or something more dangerous than
a wedding ring) said hed head over to a BMWdealer: Id get a motorcycleinstead.
Best KetuBah artist
The voters expressed their own creativity with this vote,once again, or Joan Lite Miller, who designs classic and
contemporary ketubot, incorporating calligraphy, collage,and exotic papers.
Best PhotograPher
In an upset pick....just kidding. Perennial winner DaniWeiss Photography is the peoples choice. Go Dani!
Best videograPher
Our winner or videography is Edit 1 Media based inTacoma, but operating throughout the region. Also aspecial mention that bears passing along one personvoted or Josh Isaac, not an event videographer, but aflmmaker and mensch who passed away this past year.
Best florist
I you saw this action ick The Townthis year, you knowhow orists can pack a surprising punch. Anna Brandt,
however, reserves her talents or the task at hand,starting with a ree consultation and working all the waythrough the event.
Best hotel for a siMcha
Why i it isnt the old Seattle Sheraton again...
Best extreMe Party sPace
Our frst tie is as extreme as this category: A three-waydraw between the Space Needle, Camp Kalsman, andthe Georgetown Ballroom. I it were me, Id do all three:a sunny aternoon at camp ollowed by dinner at theNeedle and dancing until dawn.
Best caterer
The winner is Nosh Away, in a category that always
gets the competitive juices (and competitive appetites)owing. Speaking o which, I think Im going to go grabsome lunch...
Best Wedding caKe BaKer
Nosh Away takes this one, too with a nod to pastryche Rumi, who received special mention rom amultitude o voters.
DelI-CIousBest corned Beef sandWich
Some o our voters in this category reached beyondSeattle with their choices, but i you want that New Yoravor, you can fnd it at I Love New York Deli, withlocations in the Pike Place Market and the U-District. Pathe brown mustard!
Best Knish
You done with that corned bee? Make room, but dontget up. I Love New York Deli takes it though somereaders expressed their longing or the ormer storero
(and kosher) oerings o Leahs.
Best sMoKed fish
One reader suggested one location or whitefsh andanother or lox. But no matter how you smoke it, the
winner is Dressel Collins o South Seattle.
TraDITIon!Best rugelach
Unortunately, my grandmothers rugelach was not anominee in this category. But it still may not have beateNosh Away, whose pastries let the rest o the feld in aproverbial twist.
T Bt Jwi Wit 2010:Y t, y pyd, y picd t bt
eRic nusbaum Assistant Editor, JTNews
Abeautifulket
ubahbyJoanL
iteMiller.
Jon Jacobs of I Love NY Deli, with a fresh
brisket
Heres to lusting afterthat which is black andwhiteandreadall over.
Join the Tribe now andwell send you a copy
of one of the great bookswell be reviewingFebruary 11 in JTNews.Hurry! This offer is only good through February 11, 2011.Find out more on the back page. Call Becky at 206-774-2238 to join, or log on to www.jtnews.netand click on the MOT button. Important! When you sign up online, be sure to include the wordConnections in the company field so we know to send you a free book!
MOT membership is only $15 for six months.
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friday, JaNuary 28, 2011 . www.JTNews.NeT . JTN The besT of everyThiNg 2010 1
Best challah
Once again, Nosh Away wins the day. It turns out that thecaterers are beloved or more than sweets. Although Igive bonus points or confdence to the person who wrotemy own.
Best Bagel
In a battle that came down to two kosher titans, BagelOasis o Ravenna repeated as champion in a ver yclose match-up over Noahs at University Village. But a
contender has entered the ring. Up-and-comer Eltana,serving their Montreal-style bagels up on Capitol Hill, willbe a orce in next years vote.
DInIng ouTBest Burgers
Red Mill burgers are decidedly not kosher but theyare decidedly delicious, as voters chose them by a widemargin. Especially popular was the Veggie Verde burger. Idig their onion rings and taste or playing nothing but theRolling Stones. Remember to bring cash.
Best Pizza
We have a tie! Deending champion Island Crust Pizzaand Seattle icon Pagliaccis were all-even in this category
where the competition is sti but the crust never is. Keepin mind, however, that Island Crust is the kosher option.
Tutta Bella came in a close third.
Best sunday Brunch
And yet another tie! This one between Portage BayCa and Saltys on Alki. In my book, Saltys wins in theambiance and view departments, but Portage Bay gets anod or its organic and locally sourced ingredients.
Best foodie-style restaurant that
KnocKed your socKs off
In a category that does service to the old two Jews, threeopinions joke, the oodie-style restaurant that knockedthe most socks o was Jerry Traunelds Poppy on CapitolHill. Readers love their veggie options and their Thali(small dishes served on a large tray) concept.
Best neW asian/fusion
The runaway winner is Bellevues red-hot Spiced: Truly
Chinese Cuisine. They ocus on the Asian, serving upauthentic Szechuan recipes loaded, as you mightguess, with spicy red peppers.
Best roMantic dinner
I used to always wonder why there were alwayslimousines parked on the edge o the Aurora Bridge inQueen Anne. Then I realized, Oh, thats a restaurant.
Then I realized that it must be popular and ancy.
Delicious ood. Delicious wine. A stunning view. Ladiesand gentlemen, Canlis.
Best Kid-friendly restaurant
O course the best kid-riendly restaurant winner is a pizzaplace. It could also very easily be called the best dude inhis early- to mid-20s restaurant. The winner here notie this time is Island Crust Pizza in Mercer Island. Tothe reader who picked Camp Kalsman: Remember thatmeals are only supposed to be a small part o the camp
experience and not even the best part at that!
Best sushi
As a Wallingord resident, my heart is with the sushi(and the prices) at Musashi on 45th St. But the peoplethink otherwise; perhaps I ought to get in my car androll (ahem) over to Lake City to try Toyoda Sushi arunaway winner.
Best MoBile food trucK
This category is hard to keep up with. One, the trucks alwaysmove around. Two, it seems like a new delicious ood truckappears every week. The winner is Marination Mobile, theKorean/Hawaiian truck you might have seen in Belltown, orin Fremont, or in West Seattle, or on Beacon Hill....
Best BBQ
The Pacifc Northwest has a wonderul culinary tradition,
but other than the propensity or Seattleites to put onshorts and start grilling when its 50 degrees in Marchbecause the suns out, we have no great barbecuetradition. However, i you do want it, look south toColumbia Citys Jones BBQ and SODOs Pecos Pit.
Best Middle eastern
Cedars in the U District oers a delicious Indian menu inaddition to gyros, hummus and baba ghanoush. Make areservation it gets crowded.
Best indian
Voters went the kosher route in this category, declaring a
strong preerence or Pabla. The Golden Samosa goes tothe two locations, in Issaquah and in Renton.
lChaIM!Best Wine list or Wine Bar
The downtown location o Purple is an all-glass cubethat looks like a giant fsh tank. Except instead o water,JTNewsreaders apparently preer to swim in wine. Theca and wine bar, which opened in Woodinville a decadeago and also has locations in Kirkland and Bellevue, was a
huge hit in this category. Pour mea glass o Cab, please.
Best local
Bartender
What makes a good bartender?Familiarity? Sti drinks?
Theatrics? JTNewsreaders seemedto fnd the right combination inMurray Stenson at Zig Zag andAndrew Friedman at Liberty.
Best cocKtail
When the Beatles came to Seattlein 1964 they stayed at theEdgewater Hotel on Pier 67. I Ihad to guess, I would say at leastone o them probably wet his gullet at the hotel bar while
staring at the waters o Elliott Bay.
Best haPPy hour
Monas in Greenlake is a Mediterranean-style bistro.What better way to celebrate the Mediterranean liestylethan by spending an aternoon eating and drinking? Withdrinks starting at $3 and ood items or $5, count me in.
Best Place to Meet friends or
Watch a gaMe
The winner here is Montlake Ale House. With 15 rotatingbeers on tap, maybe this category could have been BestPlace to Have a Beer. I youre into those less traditional
sports, you could heed the advice o one voter and heato Camp Kalsman where there will surely be room orspectators at the gaga and capture the ag matches.
sWeeT TooThBest BaKery
The regions best pastries are in West Seattle, says you.Head to Bakery Nouveau or delicious treats both sweetand savory, then take a walk along Alki Beach to burn the calories.
Best chocolatier
Our readership, whatever itspolitical belies, has at least onething in common with PresidentObama: a love or FransChocolates. But o course, Fransmakes high-end, delectable treatthat anybody can enjoy.
Best ice creaM,
gelato, or frozen
yogurt
This wasnt even close. I youveseen the lines that orm outsideo the Molly Moon locations inWallingord and Capitol Hill, you
know the winner. Ive heard rumors o people who will
avoid walking past altogether because the smell o resice cream and wae cones is too overpowering.
Best cuPcaKes
Trophy, with a location just two blocks rom Molly Moon (aat U Village and The Bravern in Bellevue) is the winner.
CoMMunITY MaTTersBest local JeWish organization
Jewish Family Service, with its deep programmingoptions, counseling, ood bank, and so many otherservices resonates across all parts o the community, anonce again takes the prize.
JoEL MAgALNiCK
Frans salted caramels are not only
your vice theyre the presidents.
The Jewish FederationCongratulates All the WinnersJTNews 2010 Best AwardsYou are what helps make our community
a great place to live, work and play.
To find Jewish events and activities visit, calendar.jtnews.net
www.JewishInSeattle.org
CongratulationstoNANCYPEARL,OurFeatured
SpeakerattheJanuary30
Connections2011:Disco
veringCommunityThroug
hBooks
WomensPhilanthropyBr
unchonbeingnamed
LibrarianoftheYearby
theLibraryJournal.
JoinustohearNancythisS
unday.
Reservationsatwww.Jew
ishInSeattle.org/Connec
tions
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12 The besT of everyThiNg 2010 JTN . www.JTNews.NeT . friday, JaNuary 28, 201
Best youth organization
The options or Jewish youth in this town are plentiul.The close race between USY, NFTY, NCSY, and BBYO thisyear exemplifed that all our organizations remainstalwarts. But this year, USY came out on top.
Best JeWish caMP
And here it is. Garnering more votes than ever y othercategory, the meanest, toughest, scrappiest competitiono em all. In one corner: Camp Solomon Schechter. In
the other: Camp Kalsman. The winner, ater going eightrounds is...Camp Solomon Schechter.
Best JeWish WeB site
It makes sense that the Best Jewish organization wouldalso have the Best Jewish Web site, and that JFSSeattle.org
would be our winner. Check it out or anything you need toknow about the goings on at Jewish Family Service.
Best Place to volunteer
JFS is the pick or volunteering, not just because o allthe organizations good work, but because it oers avolunteer so many dierent ways to help. Be a mentor,tutor an English learner, help prepare holiday baskets, orlend a hand in the ood bank.
The realITYof The sITuaTIon
Best local food BanKAnd speaking o the JFS ood bank, it pops up again!
Thankully, Seattle has a great deal o organizationshelping eed the hungry, like JFS, Helpline, Hopelink, andNorthwest Harvest.
Best counseling services
And the winner here, once again, is JFS. Their counselingservices were the clear avorite among voters.
Best vocational/training
servicesJFS takes it again, but not all the way. Seattle CommunityColleges rounds out the tie or frst place. Each has itsadvantages, depending, o course, on the specifc natureo the training.
Best free activity for Kids
Our avorite answer in this category was being togetheras a amily. Assuming that, the winning suggestion wasa walk around the Seward Park loop. Perect or a sunnyday and ree all days except SeaFair.
Best source for local cheaP
stuff to do
The best source or cheap stu is, o course, The CheapBastards Guide to Seattleby local Jewish writer andhumorist David Volk. Its only $15, or i youre reallycheap, fnd the Cheap Bastards cheap deal o the day onFacebook. For ree.
relIgIousrefleCTIons
Best congregationIn this category voter turnout matters more than any other.Thats because most people rightully think highly otheir own synagogue communities. This year, CongregationBeth Shalom takes home the prize. Mazel Tov!
Best JeWish suPPleMental school
As Maimonides once said, where there is a strongcongregation, there is also a strong Jewish religious school.And this, perhaps, is why Congregation Beth Shalom is our
winner despite heavy competition rom so many others.
Best adult education
Once again, Congregation Beth Shalom is numberone. With a ull slate o classes with titles youd neverexpect rom your athers shul, and a teacher who hasbeen recognized nationally or her work, o coursereaders chose Beth Shalom.Best Mohel
Rabbi Simon Benzaquen is an artist with a paintbrush and more importantly or young Jewish boys in Seattle,hes not bad with a knie, either. The Sephardic BikurHolim rabbi is also no stranger to this honor; this is yetanother notch in his toolbelt.
Best local JeWish hero
Beth Huppin is a hero on behal o the people who say should value teachers, doctors, and frefghters insteado actors, athletes, and rock stars. She teaches at Seattl
Jewish Community School, Congregation Beth Shalom,and based on her votes in this category, she certainlymakes an impact. A special shout-out to nominee LeaHanan, who graciously donated a kidney to her ather.
shoP TIl YouDroP - anD The
relaxaTIon afTerBest fitness cluB
The voters kept things within the tribe, selecting theStroum Jewish Community Center as a great place toexercise (and gossip). The lavish Pro Club came in a verclose second, though I can relate to the voter who wroteFitness? Are you kidding me?
Best sPa exPerience
Ater a long day at the gym or or some o us, a veshort day what could be better than a relaxing spa
Pike Place Market
93 Pike St. #4
206-381-DELI
University District
5200 Roosevelt Wy NE
206-523-0606Thanky
ouforvotingus
BestCornedBe
efSandwichan
dBestKnish!
SHRAgA EL
A demonstration of what the best synagogue does: At a Pajama Havdallah party at Congregation Be
Shalom on Jan. 22, two of the 350 participants learn Oseh Shalom in sign language.
JoEL MAgALNiCK
Cheap bastard David Volk was so cheap he got
a likeness of his new book, The Cheap Bastards
Guide to Seattle, printed onto the cake at his
launch party instead of putting on a real-live
version of the book. Then again, isnt printing
images onto a cake kind of expensive?
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Thanks for voting usBest Brunch
in Seattle!
Open daily 7:30am2:30pm
in Ballard, South Lake Union
and the U-District
Best Independent Toy ShopLittle independent shop that stands out
MondayFriday 9am9pm Saturday & Sunday 9am7pm
104 North 85th Street, Seattle 206-782-0098 www.toptentoys.com
Keeping Healthy Play AliveThankyo
u
forvotingus
Thanky
ou,JTNewsRea
ders
forvoting
CongregationB
ethShalom
BestCongre
gation
BestJewish
SupplementalSc
hool
BestAdultEdu
cationProgram
and
BestPla
cefora
Bar/BatMitzva
h
Congregation Beth ShalomAn egalitarian, participatory community!
6800 35th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115
206-524-0075
www. bethshalomseattle.org
A Dynamic Home
for Judaism
Congregation
Beth Shalom
session? The top spot or spa experiences in this years pollgoes to Olympus Spa in Lynnwood. But not i youre a guy.Regardless, its a ar cry rom the shvitz my grandatherused to visit in Jersey.
Best destination When iM
shoPPing for clothes for Myself
The voters went with a classic in this category, namingMacys. But is it Macys they love or do they miss the oldBon March?
Best KidsWear
Voters this year chose The Gap or their kids clothes. Oras I call it, the number one destination or kids who dressbetter than most adults.
Best indePendent shoes and
accessories
The Shoe Zoo has been in business or more than twodecades, outftting the eet o Seattles youth. Located behindUniversity Village, this is the place or everything romminiature wingtips to popular Crocs. But remember, kids only.
Best indePendent toy shoP
Top Ten Toys is not your average toy store: or one, theJTNewsreaders have chosen it (again) as their avoriteo the past year. But they also put some thought into theproducts they oer no toy guns, and or the sake o
parents, no toys that make annoying lights and sounds.
Best outdoor shoPPing
Yes, University Village is the winner or best outdoorshopping and why wouldnt it be? It has everything,rom Frans Chocolates to Noahs Bagels to Trophy cucakesto the kosher QFC. So why not?
Best local, little, indePendent
shoP
Seattle is blessed with many o these gems, and thenominees ranged rom clothing boutiques to tinybookstores. The winner is Cakespy, a new Capitol Hillstoreront with a little bit o everything rom art and gitsto the newest dessert trends.
Best Judaica
Rumor has it that the olks at Temple Bnai TorahsJudaica shop can get you anything you need, even i itsnot in stock. Psst. Hey you. Yeah, you! You wanna buy amezuzzah?
Best gift shoP
Light your sparklers! Fireworks with fve locationsaround the Puget Sound region oers everything romcreative Judaica to handcrated products by local artistsand designers.
PeoPle of The Book(anD sCreen)
Best indePendent BooKshoP
Obviously the move to Capitol Hill hasnt slowed the olksat Elliott Bay Book Co. down at all. I anything, its been aboon as they edged out Third Place Books or the title oSeattles avorite.
Best JeWish BooK of 2010
Readers voted and critics would likely agree thatthe best Jewish book o 2010 was David Grossmans Tothe End of the Land. The Israeli novelists story o a amily,meted out on an aimless hike through the Galilee, is hismost personal yet. Another popular choice was rom localrabbi Mark Glickman and his new book Sacred Treasure The Cairo Genizah.
Best JeWish author of 2010
For this category, the voters went local, selecting NoahFriedland, a computer scientist whose frst novel, A HouseDivided, tells the story o an ambitious Israeli academicliving in the United States who gets drawn back into thepolitics o his home country when his brother dies.
Best JeWish-theMed or israeli filM
of 2010
Ajamitells the story o a Jaa neighborhood o mixedJewish, Muslim and Christian population. A collaborationbetween Christian and Jewish flmmakers, the flm wascritically acclaimed in Israel.
Best JeWish actor of 2010
There is no shortage o talented, dramatic Jewish actors. Butthis year, the people have chosen to go or unny. Grownups
star Adam Sandler wins here, although an awkward shruggoes out to the person who nominated Larry David.
MakIn frIenDs...anDMaYBe a BIT More
Best Place to hang out and Meet
other fun JeWs
JConnect wins here, which makes sense: One o the slogansconsidered by the UW Hillel young adult organization wasA Great Place to Hang Out and Meet Other Fun Jews.
Best Place to Meet a nice JeWish
Boy or girl
And by meet other un Jews they really meant meetother un Jews o the opposite sex (or or those with adierent orientation, o the same sex not that theres
anything wrong with that). Yes, JConnect takes the prizehere as well.
Best online dating site
The competition or Jewish dating sites is slim, so nosurprise that JDate racked up nearly all the votes. And
who could deny the greatness o a dating site that asksright away i you keep kosher?
Best JeWish PicKuP line
My avorites range rom the simple (Nice kippah!) tothe hilariously Jewish (Is that a bagel in your pocket?)to the almost uncomortably direct though sure toappeal to mothers (Hi, Im a doctor).
graB BagBest (or Worst) Political antic of
2010
The winner squeaked in beore 2010 ended. Readerspraised the eort to prevent bus ads critical o Israel romrunning on King County Metro lines. In other news, SarahPalin elicits strong emotions rom our readers.
Most iMPortant Political issue
of 2010
Here our readership turned away rom specifcally Jewish
issues toward something more universal (though i you asome people, not universal enough): Healthcare reorm.Also checking in with high vote totals were, o course, theconomy. And WikiLeaks? Not even a WikiSqueak.
Best local sPorts teaM of 2010
This award goes out to the only Seattle sports team to wa title this year, the Seattle Storm, starring Jewish pointguard Sue Bird! The award or best Jewish team nameheads over to Rock, and the 613s o Northwest Yeshiva
High School.
Whats so JeWish aBout tea
Parties or flash MoBs? naMe
the Most stunning, aMusing,
thrilling, or otherWise
suPerlative local neWs of
2010. and tell us hoW it relates
JeWishly, if you can.
There are two winners in this category. The frst relatesto the aorementioned 613s o Northwest Yeshiva HighSchool, whose girls basketball team, as one reader notgraciously oreits a tournament that ell on the Fast oEsther. The second goes to Beth Huppin, our local Jewishero, who was honored with the 2010 Covenant Awardor Jewish Education.
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14 commuNiTy News JTN . www.JTNews.NeT . friday, JaNuary 28, 201
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o many in the Middle East and
beyond, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish represents
a triumph o aith, hope and determina-
tion over squalor, suering and righten-
ingly long odds.
Te oldest o nine children, all bornin the Jabalia reugee camp, he became
known as the Gaza doctor, the rst Pal-
estinian physician on sta at an Israeli
hospital, a globally respected obstetrician
and gynecologist specializing in human
ertility with a masters degree in public
health rom Harvard.
Ten his wie Nadia, the mother o their
eight children, died o leukemia at age 45.
Four months later, on January 16, 2009, three
o his daughters, Bessan, 21, Mayar 15, and
Aya, 14, and a niece, Noor, 17, were killed
when someone in an Israeli tank shelled the
amily home during the Gaza war. No Israeli
authority has asserted there was hostile re or
any other sign o resistance rom the house.
Abuelaish, an observant Muslim, sub-
sequently completed a book he had been
contemplating or three years, I Shall Not
Hate, an autobiographical plea or peace
and human dignity that he brought to a
pair o recent Seattle-area book signings.
It is important to eel anger in the
wake o events like this; anger that signals
that you do not accept what has happened,
that spurs you to make a dierence, he
wrote. But you have to choose not tospiral into hate. All the desire or revenge
and hatred does is drive away wisdom,
increase sorrow, and prolong strie.
In an appearance beore about 275
people at emple Bnai orah in Belle-
vue on January 17 and a presentation
that drew 310 at own Hall in Seattle two
nights later, Abuelaish never wavered
rom that theme.
In Seattle, where the audience appeared
to be more sympathetic to the Palestinian
cause, he was berated by a middle-aged
man who said he grew up in a reugee
camp on the West Bank and served time
in an Israeli prison.
How can you say dont hate them?
the man said.
For many Palestinians, we hate the Israeli
army. Tey are our killers they murdered
your daughters, he continued, raising his
voice. Youre asking us to love them?
Killing cant be
solved by killing.
Whats important to
me is my daughters,
Abuelaish replied.
hey will nevercome back.
he Palestinian
cause is holy and
noble. We must use
the holy and noble
means away rom
any hate, he said.
Keep conident in
your cause with rationality, with wisdom.
At the synagogue, a center o interaith
eorts, the audience was predominantly
Jewish but included Christians and Mus-
lims, including women in headscarves.
Asked what he would tell Hamas about
justice and violence, Abuelaish said he
would not single out Hamas, that his
message was the same to the Palestinian
Authority and the Israeli government:
Violence will never win words are
stronger than bullets.
He has repeatedly asked personal
acquaintances in the Israeli governme
why his house was shelled, people wh
know what happened, and the respons
he said, has been nothing. Tey turn
dea ear.
Beore his appearance in Bellevu
Abuelaish was asked how trying to pr
mote understanding and ease tensio
between the Israeli and Palestinian pe
ples could be translated into governme
and political action.
Th Gaa dctr
tim klass Special to JTNews
Page 1X
TiM KLA
Because of Temple Bnai Torahs work in the interfaith community, Dr. Izzeld
Abuelaishs appearance was a mix of Jews, Muslims and Christians, includin
some in headscarves that greeted Abuelaish as he signed books.
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friday, JaNuary 28, 2011 . www.JTNews.NeT . JTN The arTs 1
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First the bad news: Book Lustis nished.
Now the good news: Nancy Pearl, the
creator o the series o books that helps
hungry readers nd the right book at theright time and Library Journals 2011
librarian o the year, isnt giving up her
personal quest to promote literacy and
the pure joy o reading. Its just that she
has so many new channels to spread the
word her blog at www.nancypearl.com
and a witter eed (@Nancy_Pearl) with
recommendations that she updates on a
regular basis.
Its so much un to witter. I wit-
ter every day about a book, Pearl told
JNews rom her home in Seattle. I think
thats an easier, maybe even more efcient
way to do it.
Tis woman who has spent so much
time with other peoples words has also
embarked upon something new: Her rst
novel. But Pearl is somewhat daunted by
the thought o putting her own characters
on the page.
Its much scarier, she says. Even
though the novel that Im working on is not
autobiographical at all, it eels much more
personal than the Book Lust books did.
Its your characters and your ideas and your
way o putting the words together.
Pearl, who retired as director o the
Seattle Public Librarys Center or the
Book in 2004, is certainly
not lacking or what to do.
Aside rom writing, she
reads. A lot. On the morningJNews spoke with Pearl,
she had completed reading
a 19th-century antasy novel
by Ben Aaronovich called
Midnight Riot.
Everything is very real
its a mystery, but there
are vampires, ghosts and
werewolves, etc., who play
in, Pearl says.
Pearl also talks books
on NPR, travels to various cities to train
librarians and readers to help them advo-
cate or literacy and works with students
in the University o Washingtons Library
and Inormation Sciences program.
But shell take a break rom all o that on
Sun., Jan. 30, when shell be the speaker at
the Jewish Federation o Greater Seattles
annual Connections womens event.
Pearl oers up two books or readers