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MARCH 2011 | ADAR I/ADAR II 5771

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Cover Story20 Super Mitzvah

Chai Lifeline takes Adam Wolf to the Super Bowl

SiMCha/Mitzvah Spolight22 helping hands

Choose a mitzvah to benefit people in Orange County, Israel and elsewhere.

26 one Stop Shop Mitzvah Party Central is truly a mitzvah.

30 inspired invitations Printing technology from Israel launched Artiface Custom Invitations in 1994.

FeatureS34 AddreSSIng COMPLex

ChALLengeS The reut Institute takes a proactive response to the systematic attempt at delegitimzing Israel.

38 FrOM dreAM TO reALITy Congregation B’nai Israel’s “genesis Committee” will be honored at annual gala.

41 MOTher OF ALL PurIMS For Israelis Purim never seems to end.

42 deALIng WITh dISASTer Israeli fire serves as wake up call.

artS & entertainMent46 Karen green’s Kitchen

51 Book review: In Ishmael’s House (A History of Jews in Muslims Lands) by Martin gilbert, reviewed by Benjamin J. hubbard

proFileS52 Cantor Susan deutsch talks about

trip to Poland and Israel.

55 Circumcise Me chronicles one man’s road to conversion.

viewpoint58 Kids Konnection: B’nei Mitzvah are

easier the second time around. By Barbara Boarnet

60 Parashah of the Month: Judaism says much about the value of salt. By A. Simantov

62 On the Lighter Side: Pregnancy makes one feel like a golem. By Mayrav Saar

64 Finding the divine in Purim: holiday is replete with meaning. By rabbi david eliezrie

69 Turmoil in the Middle east, My Take: egyptian situation could be a wake up call for democracies. By naomi ragen

liFeStyle

48 J List, a Jewish

Community Calendar

61 The next generation

63 Obituary: Jerry Lasensky

66 Senior Calendar

70 Fresh Orange Jews

in every iSSue

8 Choice Words: editorial

10 Letters

14 Israel Scene

45 Panorama

59 Society roundup

71 Celebrating Orange

County’s Jewish history

on the Cover:

Adam Wolf of Irvine goes to the Super Bowl, courtesy of Chai Lifeline,

and gets an autograph from Quam Cosby of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Phot

o by

Dan

iel M

elm

an

4 | OCJL | MARCH 2011 | www.ocjewishlife.com

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www.ocjewishlife.com | MARCH 2011 | OCJL | 5

OCJL is published monthly by Orange County Jewish Life, LLC. Subscription rate is $24 for one year (12 issues). Send subscription requests to OCJL, 5665 Oberlin Dr., Ste. 204, San Diego, CA 92121. Orange County Jewish Life is a free and open forum for the expression of opinions. The opinions expressed herein are solely the opinion of the author and in no way reflect the opinions of the publishers, staff or advertisers. Orange County Jewish Life is not responsible for the accuracy of any and all information within advertisements. Orange County Jewish Life reserves the right to edit all submitted materials, including press releases, letters, articles and calendar listings for brevity and clarity. OCJL is not legally responsible for the accuracy of calendar or directory listings, nor is it responsible for possible postponements, cancellations or changes in venue. Manuscripts, letters, documents and photographs sent to OCJL become the physical property of the publication, which is not responsible for the return of such material. Orange County Jewish Life is a member of the American Jewish Press Association and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. All contents © 2011 Orange County Jewish Life.

Publisher · Dr. Mark S. Moss

Co-Publisher · Mark Edelstein

Editor in Chief · Ilene Schneider

Food Editor · Karen Green

Contributing Editor · Harriette Ellis

Art Director · Rachel Bellinsky

Advertising Director · Mark Edelstein

Contributing Writers:

Barbara Boarnet, Martin Brower, Florence Dann, Aaron Elias, Rabbi David Eliezrie,

Judy Florman, Lisa Grajewski, Reina Kutner, Carine Nadel, Naomi Ragen,

Rabbi Jack Riemer, Mayrav Saar, Andrea Simantov, Teddy Weinberger

Contributing Photographers/Artists:

Casper Photography (Bill Casper), Pepe Fainberg,

Rachel Bellinsky, Daniel Melman

Advertising Representatives:

Asaf Betesh (Senior Account Executive),

Diane Benaroya (Senior Account Executive),

Alan Moss

Editorial: (949) 786-6270

Advertising: Phone (949) 812-1891,

(949) 812-1165 or [email protected]

Circulation & Subscriptions:

[email protected], (949) 734-5574

Editorial & Listings:

[email protected]

Art: [email protected]

Orange County Jewish Life is published monthly

by Orange County Jewish Life, LLC

5665 Oberlin Drive, Suite 204 · San Diego, CA 92121

MARCH 2011 | AdAR I/AdAR II 5771


The recenT ousTer of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt could mean anything from a victory for democracy to a domino effect of toppling stable regimes in the Middle East and paving the way for more control by radical Islamic leaders. As of this writing, Mubarak may be relaxing in Sharm-El-Sheik, in a coma, whisked out of the country for his own protection or assassinated. People elsewhere in the Middle East may be getting their own ideas about launching a coup. Where does that leave Israel, and what is Israel doing about it?

According to Caroline Glick of the Jerusalem Post, “One of the first casualties of the Egyptian revolution may very well be Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel. The Egyptian public’s overwhelming animus towards Jews renders it politically impossi-ble for any Egyptian leader to come out in support of the treaty…The junta now ruling Egypt refused to explicitly commit [itself ] to maintaining the treaty. Instead, under intense American pressure they sufficed with stating that they would maintain all of Egypt’s international obligations.”

However, Leslie Susser of JTA (“With Egypt in turmoil, Israel rethinks readiness for multi-front war,” February 15, 2011) said that Egypt would not be “quick to wage war on Israel or abrogate the peace treaty between the two countries. If Egypt did, at the very least it would forfeit the $1.3 billion it receives in annual American military aid. Moreover, to launch a ground war against Israel, Egypt would have to order the American-led multinational peacekeeping force out of Sinai, the huge buffer zone between the two countries. That’s something a new regime would be unlikely to undertake lightly.”

Still, Egypt’s population has doubled since the signing of the treaty, and most people are exceed-ingly poor. When people are living on a few dollars a day, the climate is ripe for a change in power. Anyone who promises an economic fix will appeal

to the masses. What will happen next?Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in

International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, said, “The Muslim Brotherhood will continue to maneuver patiently for power. The military will set limits and implement them. All the radical dictatorships and movements that hate America, the West, Israel and real democracy are still working all-out (and far more cleverly than their Western opponents) around the clock. If one side is sophisticated and realistic while the other engages in fantasies, who do you expect to win? And those roles are precisely the opposite of what Western hubris thinks.”

Meanwhile, Israel is preparing for the whole range of outcomes. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing for the possibility of an all-out war. Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi is concerned about emerging threats in the region, citing “tectonic changes,” leading to “gains for the Iranian-led radical axis at the expense of the region’s moderates,” according to Susser’s article. Furthermore, Ashkenazi “pointed to the growing dominance of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Islamist shift in Turkey and now the danger that Egypt, once the linchpin of the moderate camp, will fall into the orbit of radical Islam. Things could get even worse, he said, when the Americans finally pull out of Iraq, leaving that Shiite-dominated country free to lurch toward the radicals.”

Still, some people in Israel – and in the U.S. – think that “a wave of democracy will sweep the Middle East from Cairo to Tehran, making war in any form less likely,” Susser’s article said. Realistically, most of the region is not known for democracy or stability, but one can only hope for the best.

— Ilene Schneider

F E A T U R E S

Is It Good for the Jews?Pundits try to predict the outcome of Mubarak’s

ouster as Israel prepares for all possible scenarios.

C h o i c e W o r d s

Things could get

even worse when the

Americans finally pull

out of Iraq.


F E A T U R E S

AbouT DebbIe FrIeDmAnI just had a chance to look at the February issue of OCJL. Thank you for your “Choice Words” about our beloved friend and mentor, Debbie Friedman (z’l), whose life changed the soul of Jewish music and worship through her life’s work. As you noted by Rabbi Heidi Cohen’s words, she would have enjoyed her funeral, except for the multitude of tears that were shed by all of us in attendance. Her life was like a magnet, bringing together the four corners of the earth so that whenever we gathered to be part of her concert, workshop or other occasion, we became one community, one family, one voice. She wasn’t satisfied with “just singing” the words. She urged us to “pray the words,” so that spontaneous harmonies, angelic sounds came from places beyond understanding. And she looked into each of our souls to create bonds that united us as “One People.”

We will continue to sing, and pray and to keep Debbie’s memory alive by singing her melodies in our schools, our camps, and our congregations. May Debbie’s memory be a blessing to all of us who knew and loved her.

May you go from strength to strength with the work that you do on behalf of our community.

Miriam Van Raalte, Temple Administrator Director of Education, Temple Beth Tikvah

An open LeTTer To The VoIce For peAceI read about your support for the UCI Muslim stu-dents in my local newspaper.

My thoughts follow: When God chose the Jews to be his chosen people, I don’t believe He meant us to be His punching bag. As long as our persecutors can find one Jew who is able to find excuses for them, we will continue to be persecuted. When that last Jew says “enough is enough,” our persecution will end. The only thing bullies and radical Muslims under-stand is to be faced down. A bully’s reaction to being pushed back is, “This isn’t fun anymore. Let’s pick on someone else.”

You are very wrong to support these bullies.

Don Stone

more AbouT The oLIVe Tree InITIATIVeI am impressed with our Jewish youth at UCI and their efforts – with the support of Hillel, the Rose Project and our Federation – to build bridges to the Moslem students, including three trips to Israel with the Olive Tree Initiative. Sometimes in dialogue there will be disagreements and, yes, speakers who take anti-Israeli-government positions. The goal is to listen in order to understand, not necessarily to agree. The goal is to enable our Jewish students to become advocates for Israel, which they are doing with our support and trust. Thank you, Ilene Schneider, for a fine article that gives context to the thoughtful decisions of our Hillel and Federation leaders and acknowledges the worthy investment in our youth by communal members.

Rabbi Elie Spitz

We commend Dee Sterling for taking the emotion out of the Olive Tree Initiative (OTI) debate in her letter

to the editor published in the February 2011 issue of Orange County Jewish Life. We agree that OTI has not lived up to its full potential. Mrs. Sterling fails to mention, however, that the students have had many pro-Israel encounters as a result of the OTI program. This type of public discussion, without rancor and emotion, is healthy for our community.

Anti-Semitism is on the rise here and abroad. There are many who advocate for bringing an end to the state of Israel. There are many who state that Jews should not have the right to self-determination. These are very significant existential threats. And this is where, together, as a community, we must focus our efforts.

James M. Weiss, M.D., Co-Chair, Rose Project Jeffrey H. Margolis, Co-Chair, Rose Project

WE’VE GOT MAIL!and we want more...

Orange County Jewish Life welcomes your letters. Email your feedback to [email protected], accompanied by your full name, street address, and daytime phone number. OCJL will publish letters anonymously if requested.

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