Hot HanukaH olam - Jewish Scene Magazine · 6 TRAVEL David MillerAboard the Celebrity Solstice 8...

®

November/December 2011

Hot HanukaH FindsGivinG Backtaste YummYFor tHe FunreadinG and cookinG

tikkun olamsavinG tHe World one

communitY at a time

BoB silvera Heart oF

Gold

2 November/December 2011 I www.jewishscenemagazine.com

30

Contents4 HOME AND GARDEN Designer by Day, Singer by Night 6 TRAVEL Aboard the Celebrity Solstice

8 AGENCY HIGHLIGHT Bob Silver – A Heart of Gold

10 FEATURE Changing the Face of Hospital Foods One Plate

at a Time

11 BESHERT: True Stories of Connection Out of Africa

12 FEATURE Dance DNA… Traditions Passed from

Generation to Generation

14 ON THE SIDELINES Memphis Spartans Set Goals High for 2012

15 DOLLARS AND SENSE Year-End Investment Planning: The Clock is Ticking

16 HOT HANUKAH FINDS 18 HEALTH , BODY & SOUL 6 Extraordinary Tips For Making 5772 Your

Best! Year Yet In Health, Fitness & Wellness!

19 L’CHAYIM Cotes du Rhone Red Wines Deliver Great Value

20 COLLEGE SCENE Tikkun Olam

21 TEEN SCENE My Teen Israel Experience

22 TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS Loving Deeds Pirkei Avot 1:2

24 TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS A Way of Life at Temple Israel

25 TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS Beth Sholom… Fighting Food Insecurity

26 TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS Plough Power

27 TIKKUN OLAM JACKSON Peaceful Negotiations

28 TIKKUN OLAM NASHVILLE Social Action Stretches Beyond the Local

Community

29 TIKKUN OLAM NASHVILLE Tzedakah Gone to the Dogs

30 TIKKUN OLAM LITTLE ROCK Social Action in Action Temple B’nai Israel Begins 8th Year as Top Chef

for Little Rock Shelter

31 ARTS AND CULTURE Music Reviews

32 SCENE Beth Israel, Jackson, Miss.

33 SCENE Memphis Jewish Home Advertiser Listing

On The Cover: Chanukah By Susan C. Nieman

Publisher/EditorSusan C. Nieman

Art Director David Miller

Art AssistantLaura Ehrhardt Rebecca Miller

Arts & Culture EditorJennifer Lefkowitz

Photography ContributorsSylvia FeldbaumNorman Gilbert Photography LLC

Editorial ContributorsLawson ArneyGary BurhopErma CohenCarol FradkinSandy FriedmanChristine Arpe GangCara GreensteinMark HaydenJennifer Lefkowitz

Account ExecutivesBob DrakeLarry NiemanSusan Strickland

Chief Financial OfficerDon Heitner

Editorial AssistantsBettye BerlinEmily BernhardtAlice DrakeRae Jean Lichterman

Volume 6 Number 2Cheshvan/Kislev 5772November/December 2011

Jewish Scene magazine must give permission for any material contained herein to be copied or reproduced in any manner. Manuscripts and photographs submitted for publication are welcome by Jewish Scene, but no responsibility can be taken for them while in transit or in the office of the publication. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the publisher’s opinion, nor can the publisher be held responsible for errors. The publication of any advertisement in this issue does not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser’s product or services by this publication.

Jewish Scene is published by Jewish Living of the South, Inc. Subscription rates for the U.S.: single issues $5, annual $18. Canada and foreign: single issues $10, annual $36.

Send name and address with check to:Jewish Scene1703 Tamhaven CourtCordova, TN, 38016Phone: 901.624.4896Fax: 901.624.3389Email: [email protected]

Jewish Scene is dedicated to creating awareness among the Jewish community; and promoting and supporting the religious, educational, social and fundraising efforts of Jewish agencies and organizations.

6

Jewish Scene Thanks Our Mailing Sponsors For Their Support

Shornick FamilySponsors help offset the growing cost of mailing Jewish Scene Magazine

not covered by advertising dollars.

16

Baylee LessBecca MarinoJim PfeiferJo L. PotterDebbie RosenthalHarry SamuelsMalkie SchwartzMelissa Worthington

Jewish Scene I November/December 2011 3

Publisher/EditorFrom the

Dear JSM Readers,

As a small child of the 60s, I remember bringing my pennies, nickels, dimes and maybe a quarter to Sunday School each week and at home placing coins in a blue and white JNF (Jewish National Fund) box to send to Israel to plant trees. Not much has changed over the decades, except perhaps the amounts. As Jewish children we are taught that it is our obligation to help save the world through tzedakah – charity, and tikkun olam – repairing the world. To help save a single person, we are told, is as if saving the whole world.

Last month I asked congregations throughout Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee to shares stories of all of the good works with which their communities are involved. I am happy to pass those on to you in this annual Tikkun Olam/Tzedakah issue. Perhaps their programs will spark an interest and inspire your group to try something new.

If your story did not make it to me in time for press, we are happy to continue sharing your stories online at www.jewishscenemagazine.com and in future issues.

I hope you’ll check out this year’s Hot Hanukah Finds on page 16 and 17 and even more at www.jewishscenemagazine.com. I chose these products based on convenience of ordering, how yummy they tasted, how fun they looked and most importantly – in the giving back section – because a portion of their proceeds are given to charities to help raise awareness or research and more. I had so many products coming to my attention and only so much space in print. So from now until the holidays, I plan to update the site, at least weekly, with more products and the stories behind the company’s founders and their passion.

Happy holidays to you and your family.

Shalom,

Susan C. Nieman - Publisher/Editor

PlEasE suPPortJEwish scEnE MagazinE

advertising, starting at $150 per issue, and donations help offset the cost of mailing FrEE.

Visit www.jewishscenemagazine.com

sEnd donation chEcks to:Jewish scene Magazine

1703 tamhaven court, cordova, tn 38016

FROM THE EDITOR

Stacy’s Hallmark • La Baguette Bakery & Bistro • Pelli’ Aesthetics Seize the Clay • Ella • Hair, Inc. • Primary Care Specialists

Pier 1 Imports • Fountain Art Gallery • JM’s Beautiful You Maternity Kelly Beers Salon • Mrs. Post Stationery • Just for Lunch

7th Avenue • Jimmy Graham Interior Design • David Johnson Designs Lisa Mallory Interior Design • Kittie Kyle • More T.H.E.R.A.P.Y

Poppies • A. Shaw Jewelry

3092 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN (next to the main public library)

Walk into Lisa Palmer’s SummerHouse showroom and you may find yourself thinking you’ve entered your favorite beachside getaway. And that is exactly what the designer-by-day and singer-by-night intended.

“During a family trip to Seaside (Florida), I asked my husband, ‘Can you imagine if we lived here all the time,’” said Lisa. “Right then I knew I had to choose a name for my showroom that reminded people of what it felt like to be on vacation.”

The light and airy space, open from one end of the store to the other, offers customers an uncluttered, unfussy experience. “We are all drawn to natural light,” explained Lisa, who describes her furnishings as classic with a bit of modern funk. “Customers always tell us that they love the way it feels.”

Lisa is passionate about her new 6,900-square-foot SummerHouse, located in the fast-growing Ridgeland, Miss., community north of Jackson. “It is a lot of work, but it is so fulfilling,” she said. “Not only does it give people jobs (she employs 14), but it also gives us an opportunity to showcase local and regional artists.”

Coming from an artistic and musically talented family, Lisa chose interior design as a practical way to earn money and still have time to enjoy her other God-given talent – music. “I knew I didn’t want to become a starving artist,” she chuckled. She even helped pay her way through college by singing. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1983, Lisa worked as an interior designer in Hattiesburg before moving back to Jackson in 1988 with her husband, who had just finished his residency. Her first SummerHouse was a quaint 1,000-square-foot boutique in Jackson’s Fondren art district. “I was on my way to market at 6:30 that morning when I received a call that the store was on fire,” said Lisa. That was in 2005.

“From the ashes rises the Phoenix,” said Lisa, who took her vision and ideas to the next

HOME & GARDEN


Designerby Day,singerby night

By susan C. nieman

Lisa Palmer in her

SummerHouse showroom in

Ridgeland, Miss.


HOME & GARDEN

Fine Stationer Gifts&Fine Stationery

level by opening a larger store in a growing community. “Home styles in Jackson were mostly traditional. I saw a need for modern, streamlined, clean traditional furnishings.”

“SummerHouse feeds her artistic passion. But singing feeds her musical soul. As members of Jackson’s Beth Israel since she was 11, Lisa and her sister, Nina Mabry, have sung with the volunteer choir most of their lives. “I feel that by sharing my music and singing with our Shirim Choir, I am able to give back to the community,” she said.

During the 1990s Lisa performed every weekend for two years with a jazz band. Now she and Nina perform at bar and bat mitzvahs and have worked with Josh Wiener, the Temple’s choir director, at performances throughout the Mississippi Delta. Lisa also sings with a local jazz band that rocks Jackson’s nightspots and has performed with the Mississippi Symphony. She recently performed with the Shirim Choir and the Mississippi Mass Choir at Beth Israel’s 150th Anniversary Celebration with Joshua Nelson.

Lisa’s three sons have inherited their mother’s musical genes. Her 10th grader, who is also a member of the Shirim Choir, performs with his high school marching band. A son at the University of Southern Mississippi is a drummer and performs with three bands, and her oldest, singer, songwriter and up-and-coming Nashville artist, Brian Fuente, designed her new SummerHouse Web site as well as Beth Israel’s.

SummerHouse showroom is

light and airy offering clients an uncluttered,

unfussy experience.


TRAVEL

Debbie Rosenthal, Independent CruiseOne Specialist, is your “one-stop shop” in Memphis for the best leisure, corporate and incentive cruises

and specialized land vacations.1.800.278.3005 • 901.682.5600 • www.CruiseOne.com/drosenthal

Blog: [email protected]

My husband, David, and I recently sailed aboard the Celebrity Solstice for 12 glorious nights in the Mediterranean. With ports of call to places of which I have only dreamed, I never imagined I’d arrive there in modern luxury, taking in the breathtaking views from my spacious veranda. I had to pinch myself every time we pulled into port, as one was more spectacular than the last.

I experienced legendary, picturesque sites such as Mykonos, Santorini and the Amalfi Coast, and ancient cities such as Rome, Athens, Ephesus and M’dina – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – all the while indulging in all that Celebrity has to offer. With Celebrity’s superlative service, globally-inspired cuisine and stunning spaces, I felt as though I was being welcomed home every time I returned to the ship, to my sanctuary at sea, where my experience was enhanced further with stunning sea views and magnificent sunsets from my suite.

Outstanding Dining

Celebrity has elevated their award-winning dining program by bringing on Jacques Van Staden, who has been nominated for a Rising Star Award by the James Beard Foundation. He brings a lifelong passion for food and an appreciation of excellence to the dining program, inspiring not just memorable meals but unforgettable experiences, whether in the main dining room or any of the unique and inspiring specialty restaurants.

For guests interested in kosher meals, Celebrity has introduced an industry first: premium kosher meals offered as an option amidst the brand’s vast array of other dining selections. Among Celebrity’s entrees are herb-roasted salmon, BBQ quartered chicken, beef brisket, citrus-glazed chicken breast and citrus-glazed tilapia. Breakfast items include traditional lox and bagels, Belgian waffles, wild mushroom omelets or pancakes. All selections are Glatt Kosher certified and made from scratch in kosher kitchens. Celebrity’s premium kosher meals are available for a fee, and the line’s more limited, complimentary kosher selections will continue to be offered. Guests participating in the premium kosher program can make their specific menu selections for each day onboard, 24 hours in advance of dining. Kosher wines and champagne are also available, with Celebrity’s highly skilled sommeliers poised to offer recommendations.

Exceptional ServiceWith more than two staff members per table,

guests are provided with service that is highly personal yet completely instinctive, whether it’s an

unforgettable dish prepared tableside or the expert advice of a sommelier to guide you through an extensive wine selection of over 480 choices. Each professionally trained member of the team stands ready to fulfill every guest’s desire without intruding on the moment. Your stateroom attendant will remember your name and your bartender will make note of how dry you like your martini.

The new “Personal Concierge” program emphasizes the extraordinary customized onboard service that has long set Celebrity Cruises apart from its competitors. By individually communicating with guests to learn their personal preferences, tastes and needs, Celebrity’s Personal Concierges deliver individualized attention, minimizing the guests’ effort but maximizing their enjoyment, heightening special occasions and creating new ones. They are experts in matching onboard offerings to guests’ individual desires for a particular event or experience, helping guests to arrange private shore excursions, book spa and specialty dining experiences, and more, for no other reason than to make the most of their vacation. There is a range of experiences designed for discerning cruisers who vacation on Celebrity’s award-winning ships, which are known for outstanding cuisine and engaging, life-enhancing activities set against a backdrop of stunning spaces and compelling destinations.

Enriching ExperiencesCelebrity Life is a series of palette-pleasing, life-

enhancing onboard programs designed to bring you the most sophisticated fun in premium cruising. The onboard enrichment activities program encompasses three distinct categories: Savor, Discover and Renew, and continues to expand and evolve to suit vacationers’ interests.

Guests who have a passion for food, wine and spirits can enjoy food and wine pairings, Molecular Mixology, Star Chefs cooking competition and guest chefs, as well as Savor your Destination experiences through food- and wine-focused activities and comparative wine workshops sanctioned by the renowned Riedel Crystal.

Wellness and self-renewal offerings are designed to enhance serenity and increase vigor, including an introduction to acupuncture, skin renewal, youth-enhancing lifestyle tips, presentations on how to boost one’s metabolism, and more.

Smithsonian Journeys speakers (historians, archaeologists or ar t history experts, marine biologists, naturalists, astronomers or aviation historians) will present enrichment lectures, immersing guests in various aspects of their upcoming ports of call.

Interested in gaining a working knowledge of your choice? Choose from among 13 languages with Rosetta Stone. Dance enthusiasts can share the stage with Celebrity’s own professional dancers during itinerary-influenced, interactive productions, and in addition to participating in cultural and world lessons, guests can also learn ballroom dance. Stargazers will be inspired as you learn about celestial navigation, during special stargazers’ parties and “star hunts” designed to identify the evening’s brightest constellations and planets. An additional charge applies to certain activities.

On Celebrity Solstice, Equinox and Eclipse, the Hot Glass Show, presented in collaboration with the highly respected Corning Museum of Glass, dazzles guests with live demonstrations of the ancient art of glass blowing.

Celebrity sails to Alaska, Australia/New Zealand, Bermuda, Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Europe and Israel, Hawaii, the Pacific Coast, Panama Canal, South America, Asia (including Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam) and year-round Galapagos Islands on the line’s megayacht. Guests who wish to deepen their experience can take advantage of a cruisetour, which combines a cruise with a pre- or post-cruise escorted land package. For details or to book your Celebrity cruise vacation, contact Debbie with CruiseOne at 901.682.5600 or visit us at www.cruiseone.com/drosenthal. Book by Jan. 31, 2012, to receive up to $200 onboard credit.

Some of Debbie’s Solstice MUST DOS – unwinding on the Solstice Deck, the martini and wine tastings, the Solstice Show, which resembles Cirque du Soleil, the mac and cheese in the Tuscan Grill, the crepes at Bistro on Five, drinking Creole Mojitos while watching the glass blowing on the Lawn Club, watching the captain and crew versus the passengers pool volleyball game, the bridge tour and attending the captain’s Q&A session.

AboArd the Celebrity SolStiCe by debbie

rosenthal


Debbie Rosenthal, Independent CruiseOne Specialist, is your “one-stop shop” in Memphis for the best leisure, corporate and incentive cruises

and specialized land vacations.1.800.278.3005 • 901.682.5600 • www.CruiseOne.com/drosenthal

Blog: [email protected]

If it’s worth framing, it’sworthframingright!

1910FRAMEWORKS has the perfect frames and mats to give new life to your art, photos, posters, and memorabilia. With our creative framing we can personalize your space.

• Unique frames, mats and accents to fit any style

• Thousands of framed and unframed art prints

• Sculptures and other home accessories

Over 100 Years Experience Framing Memories901-274-1910 • 2029 Union Avenue

1910FrameWorks.com

Mention our ad in Jewish Scene magazine and receive 20% OFF your Custom Framing order!

Holloway Furs

Since 1992

404 Perkins Ext. Memphis, TN 38117901.685.FURS (3877)

Mon.-Fri. 10 am – 5:30 pm • Sat. 10 am – 4:30 pm

”If You Don’t Know Furs, Know Your Furrier”Jim Holloway - Master Furrier

We carry a full line of long hair mink, sheared mink, beaver, and fur trimmed leather and cashmere outerwear.

Appraisals, Monograms, Repair, Restyle, Clean, Glaze, Condition, and Cold Storage

All work done on premises

No

rman

Gilb

ert

Ph

oto

gra

phy

During Bob Silver’s 36 years at the helm of Jewish Family Service (JFS) in Memphis, he has helped the Jewish and general community ride through a roller coaster of changes.

“Bob has always assessed the needs of the community and gotten people involved to create services to address those concerns,” said Steve Wishnia, longtime friend of Bob and JFS. “He has done an excellent job of creating programs needed during difficult and changing environments, and many of those programs are still important in the community today.

“Some people may not know that Bob is a very funny guy,” said Steve. “And being personable is the key to success.”

“A social service agency needs an executive director with a business sense, someone who understands fund raising,” said Mike Stein, JFS president. “You also need a compassionate leader. Bob understands and emanates both.

“Throughout his tenure, the agency has passed its audits every year, has never had a controversy and during the recent economic down turn, the entire staff took a pay cut,” explained Mike.” But even as, or more, important is Bob’s compassion.

“Bob always takes the time to talk with someone in need,” said Mike. “No matter who that person is, he will shut his door to listen. Every person walks out feeling that they are the most important thing to Bob at that moment.”

“Guided by our Jewish tradition of repairing the world, the JFS staff and board of directors have always worked in a collaborative effort to broaden our reach while treating people with dignity and compassion,” said Bob. “I take great pride in having the opportunity to deliver the essential human services that help alleviate suffering, sustain healthy relationships and support people in time of need.”

Programs initiated over the years include Jewish Singles Weekends (resulting in seven marriages), Children of Divorce Classes, Social Singles Group (for adults with special needs), Care Givers Support Group, Jewish Family Life Education Programming, Adoption Connection Program, Senior Connection, Shalom Taxi, Kosher Frozen Meals Program (for shut-ins), Senior Resource Fair, and funds created to benefit clients and help underwrite JFS services: Margolin Family Assistance Fund and Nate and Minnie Bernstein Scholarship Fund.

“Our community was extremely fortunate when Bob arrived to become Ira Steinmetz’s assistant director at the JCC,” said Bob Bernstein, friend, board member and Senior Resource Fair co-chair. “Bob epitomizes one who cares and is committed to improving the quality of life of those he serves. I have cherished, not only working with him for 40-plus years, but also my close personal relationship with Bob, his wife, Judi, and their family. His retirement will leave a void in our community, and many will miss his leadership! I look forward to our continued friendship and more time to have lunch together!”

BoB Silver – A Heart of Gold

BOB SILVER As a visionary leader, Bob and his staff have responded to the changing needs of our community. Some major milestones include over 500 adoptions, 297,000-plus counseling sessions, $486,000 for emergency assistance

and 5000 Shalom Taxi vouchers for seniors.

AGENCY HIGHLIGHT


Rarely does one person encompass all of the qualifications needed for a position within a community, particularly with an organization that provides services that are constantly changing with every generation.

By Susan C. Nieman

Judi and Bob Silver at the opening of Penny’s Place.


AGENCY HIGHLIGHT

Learn more about ways you can support your favorite Jewish

organizations in Memphis through:

www.jfom.net 901-374-0400

• Supporting a permanent endowment fund of the Memphis Jewish community

• Managing your current giving• Gifts through your will• Gifts through life insurance or retirement plans• Gifts of real estate• Gifts that provide current income and support the

Jewish community

nowis the time to

go the extra mile.

help us turnsilver into gold

Your year-end contribution to JFS in Bob Silver’s honor assures that JFS can continue their commitment

to the Memphis Jewish Community! Please share a story, photo or personal message

for inclusion in Bob’s special scrapbook.

No-Go Tribute Chairs:Eileen & Steve WishniaNancy & Richard Robinson

Call us at 901-767-8511 for information on donating or visit us online: www.jfsmemphis.org

Jewish Family Service

As Bob steps down from his official post as executive director, his wish is that with your support he can leave the agency in better shape than ever. “As a lifelong runner, I view the work at JFS as a race with no finish line,” said Bob. “So please join me.”

Now is the time to go the extra mile for Bob Silver as JFS begins to turn “silver into gold” and asks that you consider making a special year-end contribution in Bob’s honor. In addition, the staff is creating a scrapbook of memories. Friends and supporters are asked to share a personal story, photo or a note and email it to [email protected].

Donations (and scrapbook inclusions) in honor of Bob can be made to Jewish Family Service, 6560 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38138, at 901.767.8511, or by Paypal at www.jfsmemphis.org.

Bob is looking forward to volunteering for his favorite organizations and spending more family time with Judi and their children, Larry and Amy Silver, Caryn and Zumi Brody and Tami Silver and their eight grandchildren –Sydney Silver, Ava Silver, Gabi Silver, Emma Lefebvre, Ilan Brody, Gail Brody, Tiki Brody, Eitan Brody.

“Jewish Family Service is a reflection of Bob Silver,” said Cary Rotter, board member and Senior Resource Fair co-chair. “His eminent grace, humility, warmth, dedication to serving others, and his passionate devotion to Jewish ethics have been the hallmarks of the agency under his inspired leadership. Bob has made an indelible imprint on JFS and the Memphis community by touching countless lives in a profound way.”

During Bob’s 44 years of Jewish communal service, which began at the Miami Jewish Community Center in 1967, he has served on the executive committee of the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies and in 1992 received the Distinguished Service Award from that association. He served as chairperson of the local United Way

Food and Shelter Board and board member and President of the southern region of the Association of Jewish Center Workers. He also received a Certificate of Honor from the UT College of Social Work. Bob was also an avid runner and has proudly completed a New York marathon as well as two Memphis Marathons. He is now an avid walker.


FEATURE

Mention “hospital food” at Saint Francis Hospital of Memphis and most patients, doctors and visitors will admit that the quality and service they receive is exceptional.

And while it is often quite a challenge to a staff of 100-plus food service employees, who serve more than 3,000 meals, 365 days a year, they always strive to go above and beyond when it comes to pleasing diners, no matter what their dietary limitations.

“Quality of care is our biggest concern,” explains Jeffrey Kay, director of Food and Nutrition. “We work to ensure that every patient enjoys their meals, especially those with dietary restrictions including fats, sugars, starches, and special diets related to blood problems, texture and swallowing, or even kosher dietary laws.”

Jeffrey explained that it takes a trained staff that knows how to ask the right questions. With 12-plus years experience in food management and a B.A. in hotel and restaurant administration from the University of Tennessee, Jeffrey received eight months of intense dietary training with Morrison Food Management Services before starting this new position. In-service training for the entire staff is ongoing.

“We train our staff to know what to look for when speaking to patients and to understand cultural perspectives,” he said. “Through our Catering to You patient program, every patient chooses from a selective menu and receives care from the same catering associate during a 12- hour shift, with 12 visits per day.”

That is quite a feat considering the team, including eight full-time dietitians, a clinical nutrition manager and three culinary trained chefs, oversees all executive, patient and retail, catering and doctors dining,

and provides nutritional assessment, counseling, custom menu reviews, diet education, work shops, diagnoses malnutrition and obesity within the hospital, the long-term care facility and large bariatric surgery program. They also participate in health fairs, classes, not for profit donations and manage the cafeteria.

Even with this abundance of daily activities, Jeffrey and the staff put personal service at the top of the list.

With his knowledge and experience in kosher dietary laws, Jeffrey has gone the extra mile to train the staff to ask about each person’s individual concerns – from whether they eat a strictly kosher-only diet, will eat food prepared in the hospital’s kitchen, will not eat pork or shellfish, or meat with milk. During a recent in-service training, he explained the variety of kosher symbols and gave staff examples of quick, acceptable snacks that are immediately available to patients. “If someone is only going to be in the hospital for one or two meals, we have pre-prepared microwavable kosher meals in-house,” explained Jeffrey. “We also purchase kosher foods from a local grocery store.”

Morrison is working to redefine the entire concept of hospital food – one where people come to expect a menu full of healthy food choices that are rich in texture and full of intense, robust flavors. “All of our meals are fresh-made, great-tasting, healthy food choices that fit into a healthy lifestyle,” explained Jeffrey. “This job gives me the opportunity to do something in my life that affects people’s lives in a positive way. My goal is to take the best care of as many people as possible.”

If you are a Saint Francis patient and would like to speak directly with Jeffrey Kay, he is available at 901.765.1945.

Changing the Face of Hospital Foods One Plate at a Time

By Susan C. Nieman

Jeffrey Kay, director Food and Nutrition, Saint Francis Hospital, Memphis

Jeffrey leads on-going in-service training for associates. He recently showed staff how to identify the variety of kosher symbols on foods.


BESHERT

Marty and Ruthie Geller attended a party on Long Island, New York, with eight other couples, some of whom were complete strangers. They played a game called “Six Degrees of Separation” in which participants would tell of unusual ways in which they or their friends had made connections with other people.

One of the couples, Sylvia and Morris Ostrow, mentioned that while traveling eight years earlier, they had crossed paths with George Levitt in the middle of Africa while they were on different safaris. When George learned they were all from cities on Long Island, he asked if they knew his good friend Marty Geller, his marine buddy during the Korean War. Everyone was impressed by the story, especially when it was acknowledged that the Gellers and the Ostrows had never met until that very evening at the party.

“But there is an addendum to this story,” said Sylvia. Turning to Marty, she asked,

“Do you and Ruth remember sitting in a restaurant in Spain eighteen years earlier? Next to you was a table with three college girls. You could tell from the conversation of the young ladies that they were obviously Americans and that they were very low in funds. As a thoughtful gesture and without mentioning what you were doing,” she said to Marty, “you picked up their dinner check. When the girls walked to the cashier and learned their check had been paid, they asked the name of their benefactor.”

That is how Sylvia and Morris first learned of the names Marty and Ruth Geller. One of the three girls in the restaurant that evening in Spain was the Ostrows’ daughter.

Since meeting the Gellers eleven years ago, we have become very close. The act of kindness they extended to those girls in Spain reflects their character and personality. We feel blessed to know them.

Harry Samuels is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, and has devoted many years to volunteerism in Memphis, Tennessee. He and his wife, Flora, have been married for 50 years and are the parents of Martin, William and the late David Samuels. Proceeds from the sale of his books go to charity.

Beshert and Mr. Samuels newest book, Crossroads: Chance or Destiny? are available in Davis-Kidd Booksellers, Amazon.com and Iuniverse.com and the Memphis Jewish Community Center.

OUT OF AFRICABESHERT : True Stories of Connection A Monthly Selection froM the book written by hArry SAMuelS

By Martin and Ruth Geller


FEATURE

At almost every simcha, Jews rush to the dance floor at the first sounds of “Hava Nagilah,” a traditional song whose lyrics and infectious beat urge us to “rejoice and be happy.”

Jews have been dancing in joy for thousands of years, most famously during the Exodus when Miriam inspired the women to dance after they crossed the Red Sea. When everyone joins hands in a circle for a freestyle and often-frenzied version of the “hora,” probably only a few know they are doing an Eastern European folk dance adopted and adapted in the 1920s by early settlers of Israel.

Those pioneers didn’t stop with one version of the hora. Before Israel gained statehood in 1948, some 75 folk dances combined the music and moves of many countries into a spirited new style of folk dancing that was integral in establishing a new culture for the diverse Israeli population.

Today there are more than 5,000 registered Israeli folk dances; some traditional; some created by contemporary choreographers using popular music for new steps; lyrics with secular and religious themes. The dance form spread all over the world as lovers of Israel and its music perform it in circles, lines and in pairs.

It’s done at 7:15 every Monday night when Memphis Shalom Israeli Folk Dancers meet at Beth Sholom Congregation, 6675 Humphreys.

About 200 miles to the East, Nashville Israeli Folk Dancers also meet on Mondays – from 7:30 to 10 p.m. – at Vanderbilt Hillel.

Both groups have no fees and welcome everyone from beginners to experienced dancers;

Jewish and non-Jewish; young and not so young.Dancers participate for the fellowship,

exercise, music and more.“For me it’s a way of showing my love and

support for Israel,” said Jody Sosh, one of the founders of the Memphis group and its lead teacher.

She was introduced to Israeli folk dancing while working on a kibbutz during the summer between her freshman and sophomore year at University of Memphis.

In the early 1970s she joined a local group of international folk dancers, which included a few Israeli dances in its repertoire.

Her passion for Israeli folk dancing was further ignited when she attended weekend workshops led by the late Fred Berk, who is often called the “father of Israeli Folk Dancing in America,” at Blue Star Camp in North Carolina.

Berk, who was born in Vienna in 1910, started teaching Israeli folk dancing in 1951 in New York and in the 1960s, organized the folk dancing program at the 92nd street YW-YMHA.

Sosh still attends an occasional weekend there and works folk dancing into her daily fitness routine of walking two miles and doing traditional exercises.

“I don’t really like exercising or walking, but I love dancing,” said Sosh, a recently retired elementary school teacher.

About 10 years ago, she and four other members of the international group – Debbie Beeler, Ken Sigel, Emily Smith and Howard Morris started the Memphis group.

“Jody really keeps the group going year after year,” said Janet Light, who rejoined the group when she moved back to Memphis four years ago. “She’s very patient with us and is always introducing us to new dances.”

Like many Jewish youngsters, Light was introduced to Israeli folk dancing in Sunday school at her Valley Beth Israel synagogue in North Hollywood and at Jewish camps.

As a college student in LA, Light danced almost every night of the week at numerous venues offering Israeli folk dancing.

Her 21-year-old daughter, Eliana, caught folk dance fever, too.

Eliana started dancing with the Memphis group when she was about 10.

“My mom would take my brother and me with her to folk dancing. He would sit in a corner and do his homework. I always wanted to dance,” said Eliana, now a junior majoring in sociology at Brandeis University. “I feel like it’s always been a part of my life and that it will

For members of the Memphis group, the dancing is great but the group fellowship is even better. “In other groups I’ve been in, everyone is friendly while you are dancing but they don’t have parties or do anything outside of dancing. Here we really develop friendships. The camaraderie is fabulous.” Ellen Chapman

Dance DNA… Traditions Passed from Generation to Generation By Christine Arpe Gang


FEATUREalways be something I want to do.”

Every Thursday night she dances at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a large group of men and women of all ages.

Eliana takes comfort in the universality of Israeli folk dancing and knows she can easily join the fun wherever she might find it because the familiar patterns of steps are repeated in all of the dances.

“When I do the old dances created by the pioneers long before statehood, I feel especially connected to Israeli culture and history,” she said.

As she dances to the beautiful music of Israel, Lynnie Mirvis feels as though she is “transported” to another world.

“When we are all together in our circle, it sometimes feels like we’re flying,” Mirvis said. “I’m with a great bunch of friendly people who love to dance.”

When Ellen Chapman left Memphis for Houston in 1997, there was no Israeli folk dancing group. So when she was planning to move back about four years ago, she checked the Internet first.

“I was excited to find a group here,” she said.Chapman had been in a performance troupe

as well as a dance-for-fun group in Houston and had also attended a Fred Berk workshop at Blue Star in the 1970s.

She continues to go to weekend dance workshops several times a year to learn the latest dances.

“People don’t realize that new Israeli dances are being created all of the time,” she said. “Choreographers like to use popular music and there are lots of dances for pairs. It’s not always so folky anymore.”

The Memphis and Nashville groups offer a mix of dances: old and new, simple and more complex at their sessions.

“It’s a challenge to strike the right balance for everyone in the group,” said Carol Rubin, who founded the Nashville group in 1993.

Rubin, who was a professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University before retiring this year, started as a “total beginner” and with practice, became an accomplished dancer and dance teacher.

Several members of the Memphis group teach the group new dances learned at workshops or even on the Internet. They include Chapman, Arie Lipski, an Israeli who recently joined the group; and Terrie Diestch, a non-Jewish former ballroom dance teacher who is now smitten with Israeli folk dancing.

“I love it,” said Diestch, who attended her first weekend Israeli folk dance workshop recently in North Carolina. “Some of the dances are simple and relaxing and others are quite challenging.”

For Sarah Burns, joining the group revealed a talent she didn’t know she had. “I never danced when I was growing up because I had bad asthma and trouble breathing,” Burns said. “But when I started folk dancing, I found out I have rhythm and can coordinate step patterns.” More than

just a hobby, dance is an important part of her life. Because of her health issues, she doesn’t take being able to dance for granted.

“I appreciate every minute I can do it,” Burns said. “I feel like it’s a gift from G-d.”

While the Memphis group is focused more on fun than performing, it has demonstrated and taught Israeli folk dancing at the Memphis Friends of Israel Festival at Shelby Farms, to residents at Plough Tower, at Beth Sholom and for other non-profit organizations.

For members of the Memphis group, the dancing is great but the group fellowship is even better.

“In other groups I’ve been in, everyone is friendly while you are dancing but they don’t have parties or do anything outside of dancing,” Chapman said. “Here we really develop friendships. The camaraderie is fabulous.”

Light agrees.“We’ve become very close over the years,” she

said. “In happy and sad times, we are there for each other.”

Chris Arpe Gang was a feature writer at The Commercial Appeal for 33 years. Retired from full-time work, she is now a freelance writer. Her weekly gardening column, Green Thumb, appears Fridays in The Commercial Appeal. She and her husband, Gregory, daughter, Madelyn, dog and cat live in Germantown.


ON

TH

E S

IDE

LIN

ES

: by

Ma

rk

Ha

yD

EN Despite losing two all-star players to

graduation, Memphis’s White Station boys soccer coach Ben Lewis believes his Spartans might represent a bigger threat to the preps in 2012. This comes after posting a 15-4-3 mark last year, mind you.

Lewis, starting his second season at the helm of the varsity group, can afford to feel confident, primarily because he’s experiencing a bit of deja vu. With only a few exceptions, this group is virtually the same squad that went undefeated as a junior varsity team for him two years ago.

“I was very fortunate to coach them,” said Lewis. “And while I was able to establish some rapport with them and their parents, I saw some of their talents develop. I’m fortunate now to have the core of that undefeated team back.”

What also excites him is the diversity he sees in his team’s makeup. And for a city school that’s smack dab in the middle of town, that’s quite astonishing.

White Station’s melting-pot-of-a-team includes four Jewish players, an African-American ballplayer, and those with roots in Turkey, Iran and Guinea. “I believe in coaches being positive role models. It excites me to facilitate a positive environment for these guys,” Lewis added.

While the immediate future looks promising for the squad, the Spartans aren’t just replacing typical players. Ethan Felsenthal and Andrew Edelman were two of the hallmarks of last year’s team – the first-ever White Station soccer squad to advance to the state semifinals. The Spartans fell to eventual

AAA champs, Hardin Valley, in May.“Ethan was definitely our most influential

player over the last few years,” Lewis said. “He wasn’t our biggest guy, but he was an extremely fierce player who won every tackle for us. When we needed a goal, he usually came through. He was our game changer.”

The loss of Edelman in goal represents a loss in leadership. However, Lewis sees little decline in this year’s team or in goal.

“I think we’ll have the most talented team White Station has ever had,” said Lewis. “Now, whether that translates into getting back to the semifinals again, you never know. I believe we have a better-rounded team this year, but there are a lot of schools, here in the city, that have had their own success.”

That’s where his Jewish core of players comes in: Zack Rubnitz, Max Cohen, Alex Underburg and Daniel Zuo. While the first three players will be counted on to provide some of that lost leadership, Zuo, a newcomer to the varsity, brings his own talents to the lineup.

“He’s not the biggest player, but he’s the smartest player I’ve ever coached,” said Lewis. “He rarely makes a bad decision.”

Lewis, a third-year medical student at UT Health Sciences and volunteer coach for the Spartans, opens the year with White Station perched among the top squads in Class AAA – an achievement his players don’t want to overlook nor take for granted.

“I like that everyone puts in their maximum effort, and everyone has the same goal of a state championship,” Cohen said.

“Everyone on the team supports one another,” chimed in Underburg. “Everyone has to work together or nothing would work on the field.”

Zuo and Rubnitz agree with their teammates, while underscoring the tight and lasting bond created among the players. It’s that same bond that extends to the coach.

“I get to work with these guys five days a week and see their development as people and players,” said Lewis. “I grew up playing soccer in East Tennessee; played for various clubs and then started coaching. I do what I do because I believe in being a positive influence on the community. I believe in coaches being positive role models.”

Mark Hayden has written about Memphis sports for a variety of magazines. For story ideas please contact Mark at [email protected].

MeMphis spartansset Goals hiGh for 2012

Alex Underberg

2010 White Station Soccer Team

Max Cohen

Zach Rubnitz

Ethan Felsenthal

Andrew Edelman

Daniel Zuo

Phot

ogra

phy

by E

ric G

lem

ser

@ s

occe

rogr

aphy

.com


DOLLARS AND SENSE

harvest tax losses if appropriateIf you plan to harvest losses to offset capital gains, you may want to think about the cost basis of those shares. To maximize your losses for tax purposes, you would sell shares that have lost the most, which would enable you to offset more gains. Unless you specify which shares of stock are to be sold, your broker will typically treat them as sold based on the FIFO (first in, first out) method, meaning that the first shares bought are considered to be the first shares sold. However, you can designate specific shares as the ones sold or direct the broker to use a different method, such as LIFO (last in, first out) or highest in, first out. You can also use a standing order or instruction to specify that a particular method is to be used.

As of this year, brokers must report to the Internal Revenue Service your cost basis for the sale of any shares of stock bought after January 1, 2011. That will make it even more important to make sure when preparing your tax returns that your cost basis records for such sales are accurate and agree with those of your broker. If you decide to specify stock shares in order to determine your cost basis, you must do so by the settlement date (typically, three days after execution of the trade) in order for your broker’s records for the stock sale to be accurate.

Mutual funds, dividend reinvestment plans, bonds, and other securities eventually also will be subject to the same mandatory cost basis reporting requirement.

don’t procrastinate on tax break for small business stockIf you plan to invest in a qualifying small business, you may want to do so by December 31. That’s because 100% of any capital gains on the sale of qualified small business stock issued after September 27, 2010, and before January 1, 2012, can be excluded from your taxable income. (The exclusion is scheduled to revert to 50% next year.)

To claim the 100% exclusion, you must have acquired the stock at original issue (with some exceptions for stock acquired as an inheritance or gift). Also, the business must satisfy certain requirements, and you must hold the stock for at least five years. There are limits on the total amount of gain that is eligible for the exclusion. There also may be special considerations if you roll over the gain from the sale of your stock to another qualified small business stock, or if you receive qualified stock as part of your deferred compensation plan. Don’t hesitate to get expert help with your specific situation.

consider the potential impact of higher interest ratesInterest rates have been at historic lows in recent years, but as the economy continues to heal, that won’t always be the case. The Federal Reserve Board has said that raising interest rates won’t be its first step in reducing the support it has given the monetary system. However, at some point, interest rates are likely to begin moving up again. When that happens--and there’s no way to know for sure when that might be--bond prices will begin to feel the impact. As bond yields begin to

rise, bond prices will begin to tumble, since prices move in the opposite direction from bond yields.

don’t let payroll tax increase derail long-term plansIf you’ve benefited from the 2% reduction in workers’ Social Security taxes in 2011, congratulations! However, be aware that the provision is scheduled to expire at the end of this year. If you’ve been saving or investing that money, your long-term plans will benefit if you can figure out how to replace that source of funding for your investment efforts.

disclosure information – important – Please review

This information is for illustrative and discussion purposes only. Morgan Keegan does not provide legal or tax advice. You need to contact your legal and tax advisors for additional information and advice before making any investment decisions. Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. Securities and insurance products are not FDIC insured, not a deposit, not an obligation of or guaranteed by Regions Bank, its affiliates, or any government agency and may lose value. This advertisement was prepared for Lawson Arney using material prepared by Forefield, Inc. Copyright 2011.

Lawson Arney is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and works as a financial advisor at Morgan Keegan. Lawson and his team work with their clients to provide comprehensive custom solutions for their financial and investment needs.

Year-end Investment PlannIng: the CloCk Is tICkIng

Provided by Lawson Arney, Financial Advisor, Morgan Keegan

F O R A L L Y O U R F I N A N C I A L N E E D SMorgan Keegan

Morgan KeeganMorgan Keegan & Company, Inc. | Member FINRA, SIPC

Not FDIC Insured | May Lose Value | No Bank GuaranteeNot a Deposit | Not Insured by Any Government Agency

• Comprehensive financial and retirement planning

• Estate planning services

• College planning

• Money management and asset consulting services

• Stocks, bonds and mutual funds

Lawson S. Arney

FINANCIAL ADVISOR ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT1100 Ridgeway Loop, Suite 600Memphis, Tennessee • 38120901.818.7638 • 800.873.6871Fax: 901.766.7709

investment planning at the end of 2010 was complicated by uncertainty over whether existing tax rates would be extended. this year, it’s the congressional “supercommittee” charged with tackling the country’s deficit financing problem that’s the source of uncertainty. Even though you may not be sure how the committee’s work might ultimately affect you, here are some factors to keep in mind as you plot your year-end strategy.


HOT HANUKAH FINDS

HOT HANUKAH FINDSReAD mORe AbOUT THeSe pRODUcTS AND OTHeRS AT www.jewISHSceNemAgAzINe.cOm

...that give back

iMitt© is the perfect solution to texting in cold weather. Hand-knit by a woman’s cooperative in South America using hand-dyed 100% alpaca yarn sourced from the region, $38.www.knitouttathebox.com

Tiny Revolutionary tees (Infant to toddler) that

inspire/motivate. Produced sweatshop free, printed on 100% organic cotton, non-

toxic and water-based inks. With its “Tiny Bucks” program for charity, customers earn $1 per item purchased to donate to an approved partner. $20 to $35. www.tinyrevolutionary.com

Limited edition Movember Country Gentleman 100% flannel plaid button-down by Five Four. 20% of each purchase supports the

Movember campaign to raise awareness for men’s health and cancers that affect men, $50.

www.fivefourclothing.com

With so many books coming our way this season, it was hard to chose. Check the rest out online!

Left: 1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life (Seal Press/ $16/ November 2011) Linda Cohen, shares her two-and-a-half-year journey from sorrow to inspiration through simple daily acts of kindness.

Right: Kosher Revolution (Kyle Books/ $29 /October 2011) by kosher caterer and former Food Network kitchen prep cook Geila Hocherman and acclaimed food writer Arthur Boehm. The title says it all, the duo has transformed traditional kosher cooking with adventurous recipes by simply swapping ingredients and technique.

Add a little Ooh Lah Lah to your car

or locker with these 6-inch magnets. While you’re

sprucing up your car, you’ll also be helping the environment. The

company donates a portion of the proceeds from each magnet

to non-profit organizationsthat offset carbon emissions.

$8.99 each, free shipping.www.CarLahLah.com

...to read


HOT HANUKAH FINDS

Dig into this super kosher snack feast of gourmet goodies including Toblerone Swiss chocolate triangles, milk chocolate covered pretzels with white drizzle, chocolate chip cookies, milk chocolate peanut clusters, caramel popcorn, honey mustard pretzel nuggets and smoked almonds, $25.95.www.capalbosonline.com/View-All-Kosher-Gifts/products/67/

These tasty kosher-certified, made-from-scratch baked goods are just like grandma’s. And you don’t have to do any of the work. Awesome Apricot Squares! A buttery crust topped with apricot preserves and a delicious streusel containing coconut and walnuts. 6 bars in white bakery box $15, 8 bars in keepsake tin $24. www.sweetsallys.com

Decadent, handmade, preservative-free and

kosher-certified. Flaky pastry combining cream

cheese and unsalted butter rolled around generous

fillings of dark chocolate chips, juicy currants or

crunchy walnuts (8) $9.95 or (18) $19.95.

www.debbiesrugelach.com

Theater fanatics and trending “Gleeks” of all ages will enjoy Be A Broadway Star! a theatrical-themed board game that pays homage to Broadway’s greatest productions in musical history, $39.99. www.BeaBroadwayStar.com

Blanket Buddies by Stephen Joseph are cozy fleece little kid-sized blankets

with an adorable matching character tote: horse, butterfly, owl and ladybug, 19.99. Sold in hundreds of locations across the U.S. and online.www.stephenjosephgifts.com

Made for the iPhone 4, RIBBZ® Protective Cases effectively guard your phone from

damages associated with shocks and drops. Requires no tools and looks great in any of the seven vibrant available colors, $29.99.

Staples, Best Buy, www.ribbzcase.com

The Jewish Film Club by www.FilmMovement.com makes the perfect Hanukah gift! This bi-monthly subscription service gives members access to award-winning Jewish-themed films via online streaming and DVD. www.JewishFilmClub.com

...that fill the tummy

Start planning your gatherings or gift-giving for those near or far with these delicious gourmet gifts. Pizza lovers will be giddy over this take of their favorite food! Cookies n’ Cream Menorah Chocolate Pizza, $32.

www.EdibleGiftsPlus.com

...just for the fun of it

HEALTH, BODY & SOUL

t his year, you CAN achieve extraordinary health as an individual and as a family! In this article I want to focus on tips and

practices that will empower you with the clarity and focus you need to make this your best year yet in health, fitness and wellness.

Clarity. Focus. Awareness. Consider this...Awareness precedes choice, which precedes change; with better awareness of how you want to feel; how you want to function; how you want to look; the kind of health and wellness you want to achieve, you’ll make better choices and when you make better choices you WILL experience better results!

GET CLEar.Create your BEST! Me (individual) and BEST! Us (family) Vision. Your Health,

Fitness and Wellness.

Vision defines:On the last day of 5772... •Howdoyouwanttofeel? •What kind of health do you want to be

in – a healthier blood pressure, off your cholesterol medication, etc.)?

•Howdoyouwanttolook? •Whatwillyourenergylevelbelike? •Whattypesofactivitieswillyouengagein? •Howwillyourespondtostress?

sample Visions: •MyBEST!Me™ Vision over the next three

months is to know I am doing my best to be fit and active.

•It isnotsomuchaboutwhatsizeIamorwhat the number is on the scale.

•IwanttofeellikeIamworkingonaregularbasis towards being fit and healthy.

•Icantelladifferenceinmybodyfromthemonths of boot camp and the year-plus of Pilates I have been doing, I want to make those changes more pronounced, get more fit and feel better!

kNOW WHErE yOU arE.Reflecting on where you are now and

where you want to be (the vision you defined in #1), rate yourself and then your family. On a scale of 1-10, how close you are to achieving your vision? (1 = nowhere close and 10 = mastery. Living it everyday!) Write down your numbers. Awesome! Now, if you didn’t right down a 10, that means there is a gap between the health you have now and the health you want to achieve. I say we close that gap!!

CLOSE THE GaP.Imagine someone who is living your

vision, someone who is at a 10 because they have mastered the level of health, fitness and wellness that you want to achieve. They are feeling, functioning, looking and living the way YOU want to live. Now, answer these questions: •What type of lifestyle behaviors are they

engaging in on a daily basis? •Whatdoestheirrelationshipwithfoodand

nutrition look like? •What is their relationshipto theirbody–

how do they treat it? •What are they doing to honor their

unique body’s needs? to respect it? give it what it needs?

•Whatdotheirsleepinghabitslooklike? •What daily practices are they engaging in

that allow them to live at the level of mastery regarding their health, fitness and wellness?

Woohoo! Now you’re clear on what it takes to close that gap and achieve a 10! Or, maybe you don’t know what someone living your vision would be doing, and you need some guidance. Woohoo to you too! Again, there is POWER in having awareness. Now you know what you need to do. Seeking the help of a qualified professional such as a certified lifestyle coach, wellness coach or personal trainer is a great way to work on filling that gap and empowering yourself in the process by expanding your knowledge and awareness of what you can do to improve your health!

GET INTIMaTE.Take a few moments to put your vision

on an index card or other tangible. Now, choose three (3) or more places that you frequent on a day-to-day basis and strategically place these cards so that you will see them each time you’re there! The more time you spend thinking about your vision, the more intimately connected and aware you will become. For example, I’ve had clients who’ve placed them in their vehicle, on their refrigerator, on their bathroom mirror, in their pocket, on their screen saver at work...

VISUaLIZE.There is POWER in visualization. Become even more connected, more

intimate with the level of health, fitness and wellness you want to achieve for yourself and your family through scheduling time everyday to see YOURself living the vision you have defined...to FEEL what you’ll be feeling...to DO what you’ll be doing...

believe it. bring it. achieve it!

I’d like to close with this, remember that 1% WINS!!... Small, consistent, daily improvements lead to stunning results! •1%improvementtoday •7%improvementattheendoftheweek •30%healthierattheendofthemonth •365%HEALTHIERattheendoftheyear! “Those who don’t make time for exercise must eventually make time for illness.” -Robin Sharma

Remember, if you don’t have your health you can’t enjoy your family, and you won’t be able to experience your dreams…MAKE TIME. INVEST IN YOUR HEALTH TODAY. I believe in YOU!

I wish you and your loved ones a year full of happiness, connection and world-class health.

check out our stellar new website at www.BelieveitBringitachieveit.com

Have more enerGY! lose incHes! Build muscle! strengthen Heart!call today to train with the best and get your results!

Find Us On

Extraordinary Tips For Making 5772 your best! year yet In Health, Fitness & Wellness! by becca Marino

“awareness Choice Change”

Becca Marino, N.S.C.A. is a Certified Personal Trainer with more than seven years experience. She received her B.S. in Exercise Science at George Mason University. Becca is the owner of Fitness Inspiration and BWV INSIDEOut Inc. She designed and facilitated the fitness component of the new Shelby Farms Park Woodland Discovery Camp as well as an after-school BEST! Me Boot Camp for Girls Inc. Memphis.


R E S T A U R A N T & B A R5040 Sanderlin Avenue | 901.818.0821 | interimrestaurant.com

Every great party starts in the kitchen.

Join us for Lunch, Dinner or

sunDay Brunch

Private rooms available for your

simcha celebrations

LUNCHMon. - Fri. 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

DINNERMon. - Sat. 5:30 - 10 p.m.

Sun. 5 - 9 p.m.

BRUNCHSun. 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

The Rhone River Valley of southeastern France may be producing the best-kept secrets of the world of wine. This large area stretching from just south of Lyon to the Mediterranean Sea produces wine from more than 20 different grape varieties. Some appellation controlees use but a single varietal, as in Côte-Rotie where syrah rules the day, or Condrieu, long the only source of pure viognier. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a veritable mixing pot and one where Chateau Beaucastel utilizes 13 different varieties some green-skinned the others red, forming an age-worthy wine that ranks among the best in the world.

The wines labeled Côtes-du-Rhône are the lowest appellation designation and can be made from grapes grown within the largest geographical area. Red wines are typically Grenache and Syrah, but often include Cariganne, Cinsault, Mourvedre and more. Current rules require the wines to be at least 40% Grenache. White and rose wines are also produced but account for only 2% and 4% of production, respectively.

From a flavor profile, Côtes du Rhône reds offer pleasant fruit forward hints of raspberry and Bing cherry. The mid-palate is generous and

full. The finish can range from amazingly smooth to one with hints of white pepper. In all, they are food-friendly, pairing nicely with any grilled meat or vegetable, cheeses, red sauces and pizzas. They also are great values, typically found in the $10 to $16 price range in Memphis. Wines from specific areas designated as Côtes-du-Rhône Villages are about $14 to $20.

Recommended wines to try include two kosher offerings – Cellier des Dauphins from Coteaux de Tricastin ($15) and Bagnolet Cuvee du Centenaire ($20). Non-kosher wines I can recommend include Saint Cosme ($16), Domaine des Orgnes ($16), and a group of wines from the Couran family: Domine de Couran Côtes du Rhône ($15), Côtes du Rhône Villages ($16) and a Coteaux de Tricastin ($12).

Gary Burhop owns Great Wines & Spirits located at 6150 Poplar Avenue in Regalia, Memphis, Tenn., 38119 and invites your questions and patronage. Contact him at 901.682.1333 or [email protected].

Côtes du Rhône Red Wines Deliver Great Value By Gary Burhop


COLLEGE SCENE

As a Jewish people, we are asked—or commanded, for that matter—to repair the world, one deed or mitzvah at a time. No matter how tiny the task, it is our duty to give back to the communities whose foundations built the lives we enjoy, not only as Jews, but also as privileged citizens. Yes, the idea of performing tikkun olam and fixing such a substantial world can be daunting at times; yet I have learned through my college experience that fulfilling this commandment is more than possible—it’s tangible and achievable.

Initially, philanthropic opportunities present themselves via the Vice President of Philanthropy’s weekly report of upcoming community service events at Alpha Epsilon Phi (Austin, Texas) meetings. As the only Jewish sorority on campus, my sisters and I have pledged to prioritize tikkun olam in our weekly schedules and engage in the repair of the greater community of Austin. From making gift bags for underprivileged children of Austin’s Camp Mabry and volunteering in the JCC’s Purim Carnival, to baking for “Challah For Hunger” with Texas Hillel and petitioning for “Real Texans Don’t Use The R-Word,” (a pledge which empowers students to refrain from use of the word “retard” in hopes of transforming treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities), the needs and opportunities seem endless.

Yet personally, my tikkun olam experience in a college environment was not complete without a connection to my most valuable communal endeavor every summer since my freshman year of high school. Camp Dream Street is a weeklong overnight camp for

children with severe mental and physical disabilities. Dream Street takes place four hours south of Memphis at URJ Jacobs Camp and continually transforms the lives of every camper and every counselor touched by this demanding and life-changing experience.

Dream Street not only opened my eyes to an empowering setting, but more importantly, to an empowering set of people. One of these individuals, Kim Lindauer, carried her passion for Dream Street back to Austin, where she began a weekly gymnastics class called “Bravo Team” for children with disabilities. I reached out to Kim when I moved to Austin and now regularly volunteer for the class throughout the year. The hour-long class is just one example of repairing the world through an act of loving kindness (gemilut chasadim). But I feel an extra sense of giving and deeper sense of connection — carrying my Jewish duty to help others with a personal connection to the Dream Street roots I now share with Kim here in Austin.

Many have heard the song, “Wherever You Go, There’s Always Someone Jewish,” a classic tune that I love to sing during summer camp song sessions. The message of the title may or may not be true. But it is certainly the case that spreading good deeds and goodness in the world—wherever we are—is a big part of what it means to be a Jew. At least for me.

Cara Greenstein attends the University of Texas. She is an assistant board member of Alpha Epsilon Phi and development intern of Texas Hillel.

tikkun olam By Cara Greenstein


TEEN SCENE

Bell Fine Art Jewelers4726 poplar ave. suite 1 poplar village

memphis tn 38117 901.763.4049Professional Silversmiths for 25 years

repairs and complete restorations

I am forever changed because of my trip to Israel. In all honesty, Israel made me feel differently than I ever have before. I constantly felt a surge of energy that has never been present in my life. Israel makes anyone, especially Jews, feel alive in a way that is not comparable to any other place on Earth. Hopefully, I can portray even the simplest beauties of Israel with my words.

This past summer, I went on the International Leadership Seminar in Israel with BBYO (B’nai B’rith Youth Organization). We stayed on the Alexander Muss High School campus for most of the trip, but we also stayed in hotels in Tzfat and Jerusalem. On the first day of the program, we were all placed in classes and assigned to a teacher. Throughout the trip

our teachers gave us the history of Israel in a way that is unequivocally better than the typical Israel tour guide experience. Our teachers challenged us to form our own opinions about pressing issues in Israel and to respect Israel and all that it stands for. Not only did I form a relationship with my own teacher, I can also genuinely say that one other mentor practically became a father figure to me.

The teachers’ role in the program played a large part in helping me to fall in love with Israel. But the land itself sparked a light inside of

me that has still yet to extinguish: Masada, the Dead Sea, the Kotel, Tzfat’s rolling mountains, the cobblestone streets in the Old City, the metropolitan buildings of Tel Aviv and the kibbutzim scattered across the small country. I fell in love with every place we went, every single place. Israel is a beautiful place filled with riveting people.

Before my trip to Israel, I was nervous. I was nervous that I would not feel a connection to the Homeland of the Jews. I was nervous about leaving America, the only home I knew, for the first time

in my life. When I landed in the Ben Gurion airport, I was still nervous. I hadn’t felt a connection yet, and I thought that I would never love Israel the way my friends do. Truthfully, when I left America, I wasn’t leaving my home, instead, Israel became my home, and now as I sit in my bed writing this, I still feel that a small part of me is missing.

Israel made me feel strong. Israel made me feel proud [of who I am and being Jewish]. I have never felt more like myself than when I was in Israel, even when I was just eating lunch in a park in the outskirts of Hod Hasharon. I’m not really sure what happened to me when I visited Israel, but all I know is that I want to go back, and I know that I will.

Baylee Less is senior at White Station High School. She is a member of River City BBG and sweetheart of Okeon AZA.

Baylee Less plants a tree in Israel.

My TeeN IsrAel exPerIeNCe By Baylee Less

O ur private dining rooms provide the perfect venue for holiday celebrations,

rehearsal dinners, business meetings, and bridal showers.

Lunch and Sunday Brunch, 11:00-2:30Dinner Sunday - Thursday, 5:30-9:00;Friday & Saturday, 5:30-10:00

4550 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38117

901-818-9951

Baylee treks through the Golan Heights with friends Melissa and Josh.


TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS

Originally G-d’s stewards in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, even after banishment from the garden, were called to continue G-d’s work through performing “loving deeds,” one of the three things on which the world depends, we’re told in Ethics of the Fathers*. These are expressed through tikkun olam, repairing brokenness in the world, and tzedakah, reaching out to others through acts of justice and righteousness.

One new such venture began this spring in Memphis after Young Israel Congregation was looking into a community need that wasn’t being met, especially during these lean times. And the Memphis Kosher Food Pantry (KFPM) was born.

“When the idea was broached of establishing a Kosher Food Pantry, Jewish Family Service (JFS) confirmed that such a service was needed,” explained Young Israel president David Katz. “After our initial, successful fund drive, KFPM opened the first of March to a great response and has already applied to be an affiliate member of the Mid-South Food Bank and have been invited to their next orientation meeting.

David emphasized that the process is kept strickly anonymous. “Possible recipients are qualified through a rabbi or JFS staff member, the only individuals who know the recipient’s identity,” he said. Recipients are given a number on the intake sheet they fill out.

This number is used to process orders, thus protecting anonymity.

“Although requests have slowed down somewhat lately, all indications are that the need is still great, and KFPM is ready to meet it,” explained David. He suggests that rabbis who know of people needing this service speak to them confidentially and reassure them their identity won’t be revealed. KFPM is prepared to respond rapidly to requests. For further information, call 901.331.4618.

KFPM food donations can be made at any Memphis-area synagogue or school and at the Memphis JCC. Monetary donations can be made through Memphis Jewish Federation, but designate “KFPM” in the memo line on your check.

Or Chadash Conservative Synagogue regularly reminds its members to bring kosher non-perishable food items for their KFPM collection box every time they come to the synagogue, Sunday through Friday. In addition to KFPM, Beth Sholom also collects food for the general population for the Memphis Food Bank. (See page 25)

Temple Israel’s member program God’s Unfinished Business or GUB, as it’s more fondly called (See page 24) grew out of a sermon by Rabbi Emeritus Harry K. Danziger, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah 27 years ago, about the limitations of a staff even as large as Temple’s

loving deedsPirkei Avot 1:2

by Jo l. Potter

From the beginning, Bereshit, g-d expected us to be co-workers with him in the ongoing process of creation.

Temple Israel’s Mother Bear Knitters

Rabbi Shai Finkelstein helps with Chesed Box Packing

Baron Hirsch Chesed Packing Group

Baron Hirsch Knitting Group


TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHISin meeting all the needs of all the synagogue’s members. Not a list of big things, like cures for deadly diseases or bringing about world peace, but smaller, important things, personal gestures that would bring “real life where there is only existence.” It usually requires only an hour or two, the ability to dial a phone number, or a driver’s license and car.

Today, Temple has a GUB corps of 250 men and women, with Dr. Nadine King as volunteer coordinator and Cantor John Kaplan as clergy liaison. This group provides companionship, condolence phone calls, hospital lunches and visits, house sitting during funerals, meals for the sick, delivery of MIFA meals, transportation, help for those grieving “after the death of a loved one,” and calling congregants who’ve been in the hospital to offer support and services during recovery. All of GUB’s services are designated for Temple congregants, except for their bereavement support program, Moving On: Life After Loss. This three-session program is open to the entire Jewish community.

Beyond the programs the Memphis Chabad Center for Jewish Life provides for the needy and for the elderly in independent living facilities and nursing homes, Rabbi Levi Klein is the Jewish chaplain for prisoners in all the regional prisons and visits them regularly. He is also the Jewish liaison at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and provides for any Jewish needs when there are Jewish patients there.

Baron Hirsch hosts two special groups, Mitzvah Knitters chaired by Hazel Blockman and Irma Sacharin and the Chesed Food Box group chaired by Jay Daneman. The knitters meet every second and fourth Monday in the I.E. Hanover Library and make items for the Israel Defense Forces, Memphis Jewish Home and Rehabilitation Center and MIFA. Over the past 10 years, twice each year, before the major holiday seasons, Baron Hirsch members gather to pack and deliver food boxes for some 100 Memphis-area families.

At Anshei Sphard Beth El Emeth, Rabbi Joel Finkelstein and Cantor Aryeh Samberg are committed to leading ASBEE in the direction of outreach and community service.

Many Memphis synagogue-centered tikkun olam and tzedakah efforts are supplemented by other community-wide endeavors organized by numerous Jewish agencies, organizations and men’s and women’s groups. In addition, the Jewish community has been deeply involved in charitable services offered by dozens of Memphis-area non-profit organizations.

When and where there is need, members of the Memphis Jewish community, recognizing the call for tikkun olam or tzedakah, echo Abraham, Moses and Samuel, and respond, “Heneni.” (“Here I am”).

Jo L. Potter is a freelance writer, editor and promotion, marketing and development consultant.

Kosher Pantry stocked and ready to provide assistance.

Young Israel volunteers pictured below


TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS

God’s Unfinished Business… It all started more than 25 years ago with one of Rabbi Harry K. Danziger’s High Holy Day sermons. Since then, Temple members have been helping other Temple members through this outreach program affectionately known as GUB.

“When God finished creating the world after those six days in tradition, He said it was very good. He didn’t say it was perfect,” said Rabbi Danziger. The rabbi explained that God left a lot of work unfinished, and that’s where the congregation could help. And help they have – by the hundreds. Hardly a day goes by without a volunteer making a condolence call, visiting the hospital, delivering a meal, driving someone to a doctor’s appointment, and much more.

But one day a year, Temple Israel combines the energy of its whole congregation to help the entire Memphis community during Mitzvah Day. Volunteers of all ages, from children in Temple’s religious school to 90-somethings, reach out into the community to make a difference. Throughout its 14-year-history 11,000 Mitzvah Day volunteers have delivered 35,000 hours of service to 130 agencies.

The 20l1 Mitzvah Day chairs, Elaine and Brett Cohen, Susan Edelman, Susan and Raymond Evans, Marilyn Glazer, Janice and Jimmy Ringel, and Connie Sherman, spoke of the most recent Mitzvah Day.

“We fed the hungry, made blankets for the homeless, shared love and doggie kisses with the elderly, cleaned city parks and agency yards, prepared hundreds of meals and baked thousands of cookies, and so much more,” they explained. “We rolled up our sleeves to perform simple, yet deeply felt, acts of loving kindness to lift the spirits of others and show them that we care. Mitzvah Day is, in fact, one of the most rewarding days Temple Israel congregants can experience.”

Rabbi Micah Greenstein, quoting Rabbi Israel Salanter, said, “‘Every act of kindness is a prayer – a prayer that walks, moves, breathes and lives.’

“The constant since year one, thanks to the generosity of Mickey and Warren Wurzburg, Sr., of blessed memory, is to live the words we

pray and make a difference in the community we call home,” said Rabbi Greenstein. “What changes is that with each passing year, new projects and new agencies emerge.”

And, as good comes from good, a wonderful bridge began between Mitzvah Days – Mitzvah Opportunities. Sometimes favorite projects are repeated during the year and new ones explored. Every year, Temple hosts four Life Blood drives to help fill the critical need for blood in the Memphis community. Volunteers serve at Wells Station Elementary School, Temple’s adopt-a-school and deliver goody bags to Jewish residents at assisted living facilities. Chanukah and Pesach meals are delivered to Temple members in need of a little love.

WRJ-Temple Israel Sisterhood touches lives at Colonial School Vision Center, Manna House, MIFA’s Estival Communities. Through its Mother Bear project, hundreds of hand-knitted bears are sent to African children affected by AIDS. MRJ-Temple Israel Brotherhood serves Memphis Jewish Home and Rehabilitation Center, Ronald McDonald House, and has had the highest team fundraising average for nine straight years in the Multiple Sclerosis MS 150 Bike Ride.

One of the cornerstones of MeFTY, Temple’s high school youth group, has been tikkun olam, the repair of the world. Recent activities include making sandwiches for the homeless, assembling school-supply packages for children at a local family shelter and delivering Halloween goody bags to Target House. In addition, youth group conclaves, here and across the country, include a social action component.

Hundreds of Temple members personally engage year-round in tikkun olam in countless ways. Dating back to its beginning in 1854, Temple Israel, has a long history of embracing social action causes and helping others. Spanning yellow fever epidemics, floods and tornadoes, world wars, economic depression, and just plain everyday life, its members have reached out – and continue to reach out – to make our world a better place.

By Erma Cohen

A Way Of Life At Temple Israel

Mitzvah Day volunteers at work throughout Memphis cleaning, sprucing, preparing, cooking and building.


TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS

NO MOSQUITOES.

NO KIDDING.

MSF

_3240

Call today for yourprotective barrier spray!

901.682.0999

Nearly every week the large blue Mid-South Food Bank bins in Beth Sholom’s lobby entrance are filled with about 300 pounds. That translates to 300 meals for Memphis-area neighbors in need.

“For years the synagogue has been asked to bring cans or packages of non-perishable food every time they come to the synagogue,” said executive director Barbara Newman. “Traditionally, we held two annual food drives – during the High Holidays and the week before Thanksgiving.”

Then two years ago, after learning about the dramatic effect the economic downturn had on the community and the personal stories of families and single mothers and fathers struggling to put food on the table for their children, then president Rose Morrison, and Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein issued a challenge to members to fill the bin in two weeks instead of three. The call was answered with inspiring generosity and the bins were filled in one week.

At least 48 million Americans live with food insecurity, defined

as “not always having access to enough food to meet basic needs.” The food insecurity rate in the area served by the Mid-South Food bank is 19.9%, almost 400,000 people. Each year the Food Bank serves approximately 186,500 people, and 22,500 people rely on them for their next meal. Every year since 2006, emergency food agencies have reported increases in the number of clients who come to the emergency food sites. Items most needed are canned meats, peanut butter, canned fruits, canned vegetables, canned 100% fruit juice and any non-perishable items (no glass containers.)

Anyone in the community can drop off food donations on Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. and on Saturdays between 9:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the outer lobby of Beth Sholom Synagogue, 6675 Humphreys Boulevard, Memphis, TN 38120.

For more information about Beth Sholom’s efforts to relieve hunger and food insecurity in the Memphis area, or for directions to the synagogue call 901.683.3591.

Fighting Food insecurity

By sandy Friedman

tikkun olam highBeth Sholom’s Tikkun Olam High is in its second year with 17 involved teens. All Jewish teens, 8th-12th graders, are welcome, even if you are not a synagogue member. The group meets on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month to perform community service work such as: •ServelunchattheUnionMission •CleanandwalkdogsattheColliervilleAnimalShelter •VolunteeratCaritasVillage •CleanupatMemphisZoo •ParticipateintheStepupforDownSyndromeWalk •GardenpreparationattheAngelusCommunityGardenwith

Grow Memphis •BakehamantaschenwithSisterhood •AssistwithBethSholomSynagogueCemeteryCleanup •HelpwithUSYCarWash •HelpmakeShabbatmorningminyanatMemphisJewishHome •RenovatingthebutterflygardenwithHillelofMemphismembers


TIKKUN OLAM MEMPHIS

Acts of loving kindness and saving the world, tikkun olam, are an integral part of everyday life at Plough Towers in Memphis.

Since this independent senior living facility opened its doors 31 years ago, residents have been volunteering and giving back to others – inside the building and throughout the entire Memphis community. “In fact there are almost 100 Plough Towers’ residents and community volunteers who participate in some type of volunteerism every day,” said Plough Towers executive director Rena Rosenberg. “These volunteers, working on at least 14 different projects, help to make Plough Towers such a special place to live.”

“You don’t even have to leave the building,” said Marina Barredo, who helps make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each week for the Soup Kitchen at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

She is also one of the knitting ladies who makes lap robes, caps, blankets, babies’ booties, scarves and other hand-made items for MIFA’s Love Caps and the Shelby County HealthLoop Programs.

Does your organization have a direct mail piece? Then join the Brooks Museum, Hadassah and the Memphis City School’s Optional Programs who all utilize the services of the mailing group to sort, organize, label, stuff and seal envelopes.

Front desk volunteer receptionists not only answer phones and questions for residents, they also have the inside scoop on all the comings and goings of residents, visitors and more.

The Resident Hot Meals Program would never work so smoothly without the help of those dedicated volunteers who often work five days

a week. Then there are the shoppers and convenience store workers who make sure the Plough Towers’ store is stocked and opened up daily; and the “I’m OK” Floor Monitors who check on their fellow residents each day.

What makes the Plough Towers’ Volunteer Programs even more special is their partnership with other programs and groups to reach even more people in need. Like during the annual United Way’s Day of Caring, (where corporate volunteers partner with non-profit agencies all over the country) when the group made brown bag lunches for St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen.

“We were able to get donated fruit from a local Kroger’s store and used money donated by the B’nai Tzedek Teens of the Jewish Foundation of Memphis to purchase extra cookies and sandwich items,” said Rena. “As a result, the United Way Volunteers and the Sandwich-Makers made approximately 150 extra lunches for the homeless.”

The good deeds and programs, which this year alone racked up more than 12,000 volunteer hours, at Plough Towers have not gone unnoticed. The Memphis Inter Faith Association (MIFA) and the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) through the local Aging Commission of the Mid-South have awarded Plough Towers’ residents for their volunteerism. This year, 95-year-old Joseph “Joe” Ashendorf was awarded Volunteer of the Year.

Recently, the Plough Towers Board of Directors sponsored a Volunteer Recognition Reception just to say thank you to all of those who have given their time to others.

“The evening was so special and meaningful for everyone,” said Jimmy Ringel, president of the Board of Directors. “These residents don’t do it because they have to, but because they want to help to heal the world. One day at a time.”

Volunteers embody the spirit of tikkun olam at Plough Towers and make a difference each and every day. They care, share, and are truly making a difference in Memphis.

Plough PowerBy Susan C. Nieman

Joseph “Joe” Ashendorf with his RSVP Volunteer of the Year Award & Certificate

Roger Messinger receives a Volunteer Recognition Certificate

Sandwich-Makers Marina Barredo and Milton McGhee with United Way Day of Caring Volunteers from the Internal Revenue Service

“these residents don’t do it because they

have to, but because they want to help to

heal the world. one day at a time.”


TIKKUN OLAM JACKSON

In 2009, The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) in Jackson, Miss., launched its Department of Community Engagement to support and grow the Jewish community’s commitment to Tikkun Olam in our region. We recognize that Tikkun Olam often involves meeting people at times when they are vulnerable and may feel as though their inefficiencies are being highlighted for others to see. While we work to repair social ills, our activities highlight the strengths rather than the deficiencies of individuals and communities. For example, our peer mediation program, a pilot program in its second year and similar to those found in schools around the country, demonstrates the ability of Jackson’s Blackburn Middle School students to work with their peers to come up with peaceful resolutions to their conflicts.

T.A.P., as the students named the program, is a wrestling reference and an acronym for Talk About the Problem. Implementation began in fall 2010 after a group of 10 students was trained as mediators. Blackburn’s staff and students have felt the impact of the program. From mid-November until mid-May 2011, the student-led mediation sessions produced 13 written agreements, none of which was broken during the remainder of the school year.

This year, the ISJL will be working with over 50 student-mediators. We are conducting the training for the mediators and providing ongoing support to each of the schools that implements the program. Last year, the Blackburn student-mediators acted in an instructional DVD that demonstrates the skills that are included in the training. The creation of this DVD has made it possible to offer the Conflict Resolution/Peer Mediation program and curriculum to more middle schools throughout our region. Upon its completion and the completion of the curriculum, the ISJL will work with community partners to bring the program to schools beyond the Jackson Metro Area.

T.A.P. clearly addresses a need in our schools. As one principal put it, “Our dedicated and superb teachers are often blamed for our students’ poor academic performance. Yet, it is fights among students that make it impossible for teachers to teach and students to learn.” Rather than focusing on fixing this “problem,” T.A.P. provides an alternative for students seeking to resolve their conflicts peacefully. This approach to a recognized issue acknowledges that students have the strength and the capacity to appropriately resolve conflicts.

Marietta Carter, Blackburn principal, recognizes that her students have the ability to be advocates for peace in their school. “T.A.P has been instrumental in our holistic approach to the development of our students into well-rounded individuals who are able to resolve conflicts in a positive manner,” she said. “This approach ensures that the skills that are mastered through peer mediation and the emphasis on peaceful responses to conflict remain with the students after school hours. The students and their skills combined with the resources that we offer, together contribute to a more peaceful world.”

Malkie Schwartz is the director of Department of Community Engagement at the Institute of Southern Jewish Life in Jackson, Miss.

Peaceful Negotiations By Malkie Schwartz

Brontë General Manager Dan Souder withFirst Class Linen Route Salesman George McClanton

and Sales Manager James Teat

901.969.0121 w 601.899.9206 w 888.619.9482Owned and Operated by the Rubinsky Family

Photo by Sylvia Feldbaum

www.firstclasslinen.comOwned and Operated by the Rubinsky Family

North Mississippi / Memphis

901.969.0121Jackson

601.899.9206

Teacher/Mediator Mrs. Harkins with student mediator and Malkie Schwartz.


TIKKUN OLAM NASHVILLE

Nashville’s The Temple Ohabai Shalom, through its Social Action Committee and its religious school, participate in a wide variety of social action activities and projects throughout the year. And we are always open to new opportunities.

In fact, the Green Committee hosted its first Earth Day Green Shabbat in April and has offered several activities since.

In response to a request from Birmingham’s Temple Emanu-El, after the terrible tornadoes this summer, a group of Temple congregants made the trek and devoted a total of 28 workdays to help repair the massive storm damage. Temple Emanu-El members graciously opened their homes for the volunteers, some who worked with Habitat for Humanity literally rebuilding homes that had been flattened. Others worked in a mission warehouse that was filled with donations and emptied at least 30 times since the disaster. They took inventory, sorted items and packed boxes for recipients to pick up from one of the 105 distribution centers that the mission serves.

Temple volunteers participate in projects within the congregation and throughout Nashville.

Our Medicare Prescription Review program assists seniors within the congregation by reviewing their options regarding Medicare Part D coverage for medications and sometimes results in significant financial savings. Medical professionals in the congregation provide this service in the late fall each year, using information provided on the CMS website.

Very successful Blood Drives are held at The Temple twice a year. The key has been calling congregants and setting up appointments; then making reminder calls on Friday. Many people don’t donate because no one asked them to! Periodically a Marrow Donor Drive is held at the same time. A simple form and a cheek swab are all that is needed to join the Registry. For more information, contact the National Marrow Donor Program at www.marrow.org or 1-800-MARROW2.

Each year on Thanksgiving Day, the congregation in conjunction with two area churches, participates in the Boulevard Bolt, which benefits an array of city agencies and programs that serve the homeless. The event, which raises over $160,000 a year, is now one of the largest five-mile races in the country.

room in the inn: Each Monday night from November through March, The Temple hosts approximately 10-12 homeless women. We provide round-trip transportation from the community’s Campus for Human Development, dinner and a safe place to spend the night. The

ladies are awakened early, fed breakfast and given enough lunch to share with others before they leave in the morning.

Foster children, who frequently need to move from home to home, have nothing but a black plastic trash bag in which to carry their belongings. In the fall of 2010, The Temple held our first Suitcase Drive. Members donated a huge number of duffel bags, canvas bags, tote bags and suitcases, which were transported to the Davidson County Department of Children’s Services. We’re told that the children were very pleased to have their own bags, and we plan to make this an annual event.

The Temple is excited about continuing our projects, and is always on the lookout for others that are manageable for our committee to run.

nashville’s social Action stretches Beyond the Local communityBy Carol Fradkin

The 2011 Boulevard Bolt marks the 18th anniversary of this annual Thanksgiving Day event. Every year, people all over Nashville and beyond come together to run or walk the 5-mile course on Belle Meade Boulevard.

Phot

o Cr

edit:

R. E

lves


TIKKUN OLAM NASHVILLE

Screened, Bonded & Insured

Light Housekeeping & Laundry

Transportation/Errands

Respite & 24-Hour Care

Homemaker Services

Meal Preparation

Personal Care

State Licensed

S d B d d & I dd

EACH OFFICE INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED

FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION!901-752-1515 • 662-393-1110

Cary & Wendy Rotter

Children at Gordon Jewish Community Center’s Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) are in for a treat when the recipients of their next Tzedekah collection come for a school visit.

Through the end of the year, the students and their families will collect money for the Nashville Humane Association. The ECLC JPTA votes on a variety of organizations and last year 24 trees were planted in Israel as a result of their efforts!

The goal they have set for this project is very aggressive. “We hope to raise $1000,” said JPTA representative Heath Jackson. “We would appreciate any help from the greater Jewish Community.”

The Nashville Humane Association is one of the oldest service organizations in the Nashville area. The Association does more than just pet adoptions, which is very important. They educate the community about humane animal care, provide free neutering and spaying, care for lost and found pets, maintain the community pet food bank (which has become more of an issue with the struggling economy) and PPAWS (prison puppies achieving worthy service).

The PPAWS program is one of its most novel programs. Dogs waiting to be adopted are sent to the Tennessee Prison for Women for a six-week training program. There, a team of two inmates train and care for the animal under an Animal Behavior Manager. The dogs learn life skills such as leash walking, sitting, staying, crate training, house training and waiting at the door to name a few. The dog is also learning to socialize with humans and other animals in different situations and environments, which makes the dog a well-mannered pet for someone.

Learn more at www.nashvillehumane.org or contact GJCC member and Nashville Humane Association board member Leslie Dabrowiak at [email protected].

Tzedakah Gone to the Dogs

Donations can be sent to: Melissa Worthington

Early Childhood Education DirectorGordon Jewish Community Center

801 Percy Warner Blvd.Nashville, TN 37205

[email protected]

By Melissa Worthington


TIKKUN OLAM LITTLE ROCK

The Social Action Committee at Temple B’nai Israel in Little Rock, Arkansas, has their hands in quite a few local community projects, “and I feel we are making a difference,” said chairperson Becky Marks, who coordinates the projects and purchases supplies.

The Thanksgiving Basket Project, which kick-started the Social Action Committee’s work in 2007 with about a dozen baskets, provides a holiday meal to needy high school students and their families. With funds solicited from the congregation, Becky buys everything for the annual volunteer Basket Stuffing at the Temple. “Each basket is lined with a blanket, filled with non-perishable groceries and a $15 grocery card to purchase a turkey, and is beautifully wrapped in fall colors,” said Becky, who has led the project for the last four years. Guidance counselors at Central High School distribute them to some of the most needy families. “Each year we receive wonderful letters from the principal and counselors. However, the ones that touch me the most are the ones from the students themselves and their families. Many express that our basket enabled their family to have a celebration that would not have otherwise occurred. Each year our numbers increase. In 2009 we had 38 baskets, in 2010, 50 baskets. Who knows about this fall?”

In 2009, the committee took on a school backpack project to help three greater Little Rock elementary schools whose guidance counselors were helping children without supplies. “We purchased 100 backpacks to stuff

with basic school supplies,” explained Becky. In 2010, they ramped up the numbers and were able to provide 150 backpacks. “Even with the bad economy, my goal this year was to provide at least 150 bags but hoped for more,” said Becky. “Our wonderful congregation came through with generous donations, and we provided 191 stuffed backpacks plus several cases of paper, folders, pens, pencils to one of our local middle schools!”

This year they were distributed to five local elementary schools and to children living at Our House Shelter! (See side bar).

“The response from the principals, counselors and children was overwhelming,” said Becky. “Many expressed that these students were able to begin the school year with supplies they would not otherwise had and with their dignity intact.”

Harmony Clinic is a health clinic for those who do not have insurance or government assistance. The clinic operates two days a week and is staffed completely by volunteer nurses, doctors, dentists, medical techs and clerical staff. “Once a month, our Temple delivers a meal for clinic volunteers, most who come directly from their day jobs,” said Becky. The group makes and delivers about 25 meals.

“A special benefit comes from being involved with our loyal and generous group,” explains Becky. “We’ve had the opportunity to make new friends and meet members of our congregation who we may have never met.”

SOCIAL ACTION IN ACTION By Susan C. Nieman

Temple B’nai Israel Begins 8th Year As Top Chef For Little Rock Shelter

By Jim PfeiferOur House is more than a shelter. On the grounds of the old Veterans Hospital, it is a highly respected part of the Little Rock, Ark., community.

Our House provides the working homeless – individuals and families – with shelter, housing, job training, education, free childcare and summer youth programs, in order to equip them with the skills to be successful.

Temple B’nai Israel of Little Rock and Jewish Federation of Arkansas have long supported Our House through donations, Christmas dinners and special projects. Perhaps the most fun support of Our House has been the Social Action Committee’s monthly dinner, which the committee plans, buys materials, cooks from scratch at the shelter and serves.

Our House staff contracts with area groups who provide meals for about 100 residents on one regularly assigned night each month. Rita Fagan, past Jewish Federation of Arkansas director, and now Becky Marks have been our Chef de Cuisine and lead even the most clueless cooks among the group to produce meals, which bring rave reviews from diners.

Regular cooks, ranging from age 8 to 85, and our menu items have varied from Barbequed Brisket to Trudy Jacobson’s fresh-from-the-garden squash and onions. (We made a bet the latter wouldn’t go over, but diners were coming back for thirds!).

The most fun part of the project is that we don’t have to clean up! That’s the assigned job of the residents. Wouldn’t that be nice if we could avoid that every night in our own kitchens!

Basket Stuffers: Front: Jane Levine, Jill Bauman, Annie Bauman, Dina Epstein,

Helen Benes, Ann Storthz, Ilyssa Fox, Back: Kathy Grundfest, Marilyn Sorrells, Rabbi

Gene Levy, Bobbye Levy, Becky Marks, Anna Marks, Phyllis Storthz, Curt Foxx


ARTS & CULTURE by Jennifer Lefkowitz

After their noted self-titled debut in 2009, Fool’s Gold returns with much nachus. Luke Top vocalist, bassist; guitarist Lewis Pesacov, drummer Garrett Ray, multi-instrumentalist Brad Caulkins

and percussionist Salvador Placencia shape the sound of the LP: Leave No Trace. Rhapsodic vocals, lyrics and sand blasting beats blend with synthesizers and guitar melodies. Co-founder Lewis Pesacov says, “I grew up listening to music from the Caribbean and Africa, as well as 60s soul and blues. When we first started Fool’s Gold, Luke and I were fascinated by the similar musical thread stitched through all of these different sounds. As we went deeper, we realized that we also shared many other musical influences from growing up with older siblings in LA during the late 80s/early 90s – the sound of synth-based English new wave. I started to realize that there was a serious overlap in the Venn diagram of the guitar tones and playing styles of my favorite Malian or Congolese guitar

players and that of Johnny Marr or Robert Smith.” Unlike their self-titled debut album, Leave No Trace is literally sung in English.

“As the words and themes for this record started to take shape, I knew I had to express them in English, my first language,” says performer and songwriter Luke Top. Produced by Lewis Pesacov, the bulk of the album was recorded live. “We recorded at Infrasonic Studios in Alhambra in East LA, which I like very much as the people who run it have the same intense, if not embarrassingly nostalgic lust for analogue gear and the golden age of studio recordings as I do,” he says. The band recorded in one large tracking room. “Recording as a live band is essential for us to play off one another, to feel the heat, to push the poly-rhythms we’re so used to in the live concert setting. Recording at an anachronistically slow tape speed on an old two-inch tape machine was the perfect format to capture the sonic warmth of the hazy, late-night musical space these new songs engender.”

Five meshuggies respectively comprise Meshugga Beach Party. The schpeal includes Mel Waldorf and Danny “Shecky Shekels” Synder, guitar; Stuart “Brooklyn Beat” Brandt, drums; Karen

“Shayna Maydele” Dobronyi, keys; and Steve “Treyf ” Bacon III, bass. Hot Rod Hanukkah marks the band’s third release and arrives just in time for the holidays. Dressed like rabbis, Meshugga Beach Party is famous for high-energy live performances in the San Francisco Bay Area. Venues include Jewish heritage festivals and Lebowski Fest. Hot Rod Chanukah is hipster instrumental surf music, which features the popular Jewish songs “Oh Hanukkah,” “Dreidal Dreidal” and “Ose Shalom.”

MuSic reViewS :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Fool’s GoldLeave No Trace :: I Am Sound

Meshugga Beach PartyHot Rod Hanukkah :: Halakahiki Records

Jennifer Lefkowitz is a native of Memphis, TN and a graduate of Academy of Art University, Motion Pictures and Television in San Francisco, CA.

Fool’s Gold double takeCourtesy Pitch Perfect Public Relations

PARTY DeTAILSThe band has performed around the San Francisco Bay Area since 2003.

In 2010, Meshugga Beach Party competed in the Portland semi-finals of “America’s Got Talent.”

The group recorded an original song with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Duane eddy.

Mel Waldorf’s guitar compositions have been featured on television and film: “Sponge Bob Square Pants,” “MTV’s Real World” and “Walt Disney’s My Favorite Martian.”

Hava Nagila/Misirlou” has over 500,000 views on YouTube.

Meshugga Beach Party - surf‘s upCourtesy Meshugga Beach Party

With beach towel hibernation on play, we

shuffle tunes with ocean side chill...

BERT A. LESS President

2240 Union Ave.Memphis, TN 38104Office: 901.272.9028Fax: [email protected] Property Management. Real Estate Sales.

30 years experience managing rental homes

235 Germantown Bend Cove, Cordova TN 38018www.SailleHealingPath.com • 901.545.9086

Specializing in Pain Managementand Wellness Care

• Certified Aromatherapist • Deep Tissue Therapy• Trigger Point • Myofasical Technique• Kensiotaping

Kat Farber, LMTSaille Healing Path

Coming Soon!January/February 2012

Simcha SceneWeddings / Bar/Bat mitzvahs / Celebrations

march/April 2012Holocaust Remembrance

israel independenceSpring Festivals

Commit to 6 consecutive issues at the regular rate (any size ad) and get the 6th issue at half price.

inquire about advertising in Jewish Scene magazine for as little as $150 per issue.

beth Israel 150th anniversary celebration dinner and concert with Joshua Nelson accompanied by the Mississippi Mass

Choir and the Temple’s Shirim Choir

SCENE



Breast Cancer is notthe only silent

killer...

Learn more aboutOvarian Cancer @

www.ocafoundation.org

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS

TheOlive TreeArtisanGallery

Unique Gifts, Art & Creative Accessories

Specializing inPaintings, Pottery, Jewelry,

Metal and Bronze Sculptures, Stained Glass, Painted Furniture

by local artists

www.olivetreeartisangallery.com

Open Monday-Friday10:00 am to 5:00 pm

70 Timber Creek Dr., Ste. 3Cordova, TN 38018

(901) 343-0320

ADVERTISER LISTING1910 Frame Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Bell Fine Art Jewelers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Carriage Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Chickasaw Oaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Comfort Keepers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

CruiseOne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Crye-Leike / Rick Baer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Dobbs Ford, Lincoln, Mercury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Embassy Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

First Class Linen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Fitness Inspiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Gardens of Germantown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Germantown Plantation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Great Wines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Hard Rock Café Memphis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back Cover

Holloway Furs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Interim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Jewish Family Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Jewish Foundation of Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Leco Realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Memphis Jewish Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Menage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Morgan Keegan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Mosquito Squad of Memphis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Norman Gilbert Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Olive Tree Artisan Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Ovarian Cancer Awareness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Saille Healing Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Saint Francis Hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front Cover

Sugar Plum Consignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

The Grove Grill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Memphis Jewish home19th annual Golf tournament

Photos: Sylvia Feldbaum

memphis315 beale st.

+1-901-529-0007 • hardrock.comthe official food of rock.

mazel tov rock!looking for a truly unique venue for your bar/bat mitzvah event?

Call our event professionals for more information.

UNT2061ME10_Memphis_JewishScene_8.375x10.5x11.indd 1 10/28/10 2:29:32 PM

Hot HanukaH olam - Jewish Scene Magazine · 6 TRAVEL David MillerAboard the Celebrity Solstice 8...

Documents

Transcript of Hot HanukaH olam - Jewish Scene Magazine · 6 TRAVEL David MillerAboard the Celebrity Solstice 8...