Cleveland Jewish News, Nov. 9, 2018

Dettelbach falls to Yost in Ohio AG race

MICHAEL C. BUTZ | CJPC LIFESTYLES EDITOR mbutz@cjn.org

During his campaign to become Ohio attorney general, Steve Dettelbach talked to “millions of people” throughout the state – including many in the Jewish community.

“We’ve been to (Jewish) federation meetings in Cleveland and Columbus, and we’ve been to the JCC in Cincinnati,” Dettelbach, a congregant at Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike, told the Cleveland Jewish News on Election Day morning. “The Jewish community in Ohio has been an incredible source of strength in a really, really long campaign – and it’s been fantastic.”

By the end of the day on Nov. 6, however, the Solon Democrat learned his efforts wouldn’t carry him into office.

State Auditor Dave Yost, a Columbusarea Republican, defeated Dettelbach, 2,226,368 votes (52.42 percent) to 2,021,194 votes (47.58 percent), according to final, unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s office.

In speaking to a crowd of family, friends and supporters at Windows on the River in Cleveland, where the Democratic Party of Cuyahoga County held a party to watch election results roll in, Dettelbach thanked his supporters. He also thanked

DETTELBACH | 6

Voters say yes to Beachwood schools issue

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER

jkaufman@cjn.org

| @jkaufmancjn

Separating two issues was the charm for voters in the Beachwood School District, who passed Issue 2 on Nov. 6, 3,558 votes (59.3 percent) to 2,442 votes (40.7 percent). Beachwood voters rejected a combined 8.7-mill

package by five votes in May that included both the levy for the operating budget and a school bond that would have paved the way for the demolition of Bryden and Hilltop, Beachwood’s elementary schools, and expanded the Fairmount Early Childhood Center to include a new elementary school.

BEACHWOOD | 6

Thousands of Jews, others pack pews for Solidarity Shabbat

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

As part of a sweeping gesture of support across the world, Jews gathered with people of many faiths to pack synagogues and temples in Northeast Ohio for Shabbat services on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3.

On Oct. 27, a gunman armed with an assault rifle walked into Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh and gunned down 11 people attending Shabbat services and injured six others, including four police officers responding to the scene.

The names of the victims – Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David

Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger – were listed and/or read at many of the services.

At B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Pepper Pike, which planned an interfaith vigil as part of its Shabbat morning service Nov. 3, 900 people attended, including clergy and

community representing a wide swath of faiths and cultures: Baptists, Muslims, Sikhs, Hispanics, Chinese, Catholics, among others.

“Our hearts are darkened by these terrible acts of hate,” B’nai Jeshurun Senior Rabbi Stephen Weiss told those

Steve Dettelbach, who lost his bid to become Ohio’s next attorney general, is joined by his son, David, as he talks to supporters following his concession speech at an elections watch party Nov. 6 at Windows on the River in Cleveland. | CJN photo / Michael C. Butz

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Here’s hoping hope prevails over hate

REGINA BRETT columnists@cjn.org | @ReginaBrett

The antidote for hate is hope.

It’s easy to give up hope after a gunman opened fire during Shabbat services at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, killing 11 people and wounding six more.

Especially when you read about the anti-Semitic graffiti posted after the murders at temples in California and in Brooklyn, N.Y., where someone wrote, “Kill all Jews” on the temple walls.

But signs of hope and resilience abound.

Right after the shootings, more than 2,500 attended a vigil in Pittsburgh, including some Clevelanders who drove two hours to honor the dead and wounded. In that City of Steel, people left flowers and candles, turning street corners into shrines.

An overflow crowd filled the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood and the Schottenstein Auditorium in the Jewish Community Center of Columbus. More than 500 gathered at each event for a prayer vigil.

We outnumber the haters and the shooters and the anti-Semites. We outnumber them all. Let’s not forget that.

That lone shooter in that temple was outnumbered by all those who donated blood for the victims in Pittsburgh. Those hateful graffiti scrawlers are outnumbered by all those who have chalked messages of love and hope on the sidewalks outside of temples across the country.

The haters are outnumbered by the thousands who attended rallies and the vigils and interfaith prayer services across the country at colleges, temples and churches.

By the untold masses who changed their Facebook logos to the modified Pittsburgh Steelers logo, yellow, red and blue, “Stronger Than Hate” with a bright yellow Star of David at the top.

People are standing up to hate.

The far-right social media site where the suspect posted his hatred against the Jews, gab.com, went silent, hopefully forever, after its domain server, GoDaddy, told it to find a different domain. PayPal banned the site from using its payment service.

Robert Bowers, who is accused of the slaughter at the synagogue, had posted his anger toward a Jewish nonprofit that serves refugees and wrote, “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”

Facebook and Instagram banned a farright group called Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls a hate group.

The New York Times reported two Muslim groups raised more than $200,000 to help the victims and their families of the massacre. Tarek El-Messidi, an activist in Chicago, tweeted, “Muslims, let’s stand with

our Jewish cousins against hate, bigotry, & violence.”

He created an online campaign with two Muslim groups, CelebrateMercy and MPower Change. Celebrate Mercy tweeted, “MUSLIMS: Let us stand with our Jewish cousins against this senseless, anti-Semitic murder. Guided by our faith, @CelebrateMercy & @MPower_Change ask you respond to evil with good. Donate now to help shooting victims with funeral expenses & medical bills: http://launchgood.com/synagogue.”

Iranian immigrant Shay Khatiri started a GoFundMe Campaign for the synagogue, even though the 29-year-old lives in Washington D.C., and has never even been to Pittsburgh,

His GoFundMe page reads: “An antiSemite attacked and killed several attendees to a baby’s bris at a Pittsburgh synagogue. This fundraiser is meant to help the congregation with the physical damages to the building, as well as the survivors and the victims’ families. Respond to this hateful act with your act of love today.”

Within six days, he had raised more than $1 million.

If you look for the helpers, they far outnumber the haters.

It’s either ironic or perhaps a beautiful grace that Mr. Rogers once lived just blocks from the synagogue. Fred Rogers urged parents to tell their children in times of crisis, “Always look for the helpers. There are always people who are helping.”

And the helpers? They even helped the shooter.

The helpers put aside any hate they had for Bowers, who was shot by police and ended up at Allegheny General Hospital. Some of the medical personnel who treated him were Jewish. So is the president of the hospital, Jeffrey Cohen.

Cohen told CNN, “Isn’t it ironic that somebody who is yelling in the ambulance and in the hospital, ‘I want to kill all the Jews,’ is taken care of by a Jewish nurse and there’s a Jewish hospital president that comes in to check on him afterwards?” Cohen knew nine of the people who died.

Ever since the shooting, this Mayan proverb has given me hope: “They thought they could bury us. They didn’t know we were seeds.”

The shooter left us 11 people to bury.

He had no idea how many acres upon acres of hope would spring forth.

Read Regina Brett online at cjn.org/ regina. Connect with her on Facebook at ReginaBrettFans. 2018 Best Columnist, AJPA Louis Rapoport Award for Excellence in Commentary.

gathered. “They shake us to the core, reminding us that there are still forces of evil in our midst, forces that seek to divide us, marginalize us and even harm us. But that darkness cannot overcome us. In the end, it is God’s light and love that will be victorious.”

Weiss said African-American pastors and ministers were among those in attendance, and he specifically highlighted the recent killings of Maurice Stallard and Vickie Lee Jones, whose deaths outside a Jeffersontown, Ky., supermarket Oct. 24 are being investigated as hate crimes. Their names were included in El Maley Rachamim, the memorial prayer, and at the reciting of Mourner’s Kaddish.

B’nai Jeshurun’s service included Psalm 121, Debbie Friedman’s “Mishaberach,” Psalm 23, “Od Yavo Shalom” and Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America.”

“The most beautiful thing was that the clergy turned around and invited other clergy, and they invited their communities to come,” Weiss said.

At Green Road Synagogue, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Beachwood, there are usually three separate Friday night services.

“I very much wanted the congregation to come together as a whole, and I also wanted to invite people from the outside,” said Rabbi Binyamin Blau. “I wanted to stress the light. And the response of the Jewish community, and even the non-Jewish community, has been so supportive,”

Blau said he invited people from all three services to join in the main sanctuary. That pushed attendance to 400.

“Because we built that as an opportunity to show our unity and solidarity, I think more people came out,” he said, adding that the main service on Friday night typically draws 70 to 80 people. “There were tears. It was such a powerful expression.”

On Nov. 3, he said the synagogue’s three services numbered “well over 400.” Blau also stressed the need to call out antiSemitism whenever it is seen.

Rabbi Lauren Werber at Temple B’nai Abraham, a Reform temple in Elyria, said she was surprised by the response of the wider community. At Temple B’nai Abraham’s Friday night service, there were 250, including representation from three other synagogues, 15 churches, a mosque and a Hindu temple. That number contrasts with the about 30 people who ordinarily attend Shabbat services.

“For us, it was pretty remarkable because we didn’t advertise heavily,” Werber said. “We were blown away by the response and by how kindly and gently and generously these people came and

joined us.”

Prior to lighting Shabbat candles at B’nai Abraham, Yartzeit candles were lit in memory of the victims. Werber said there were memorial readings.

“It’s really hard to express just how amazing the evening was, how heartwarming it was for us, but also how meaningful it was to our guests,” she said.

Temple Am Shalom, a Reform temple in Mentor, also saw its numbers swell at Friday night services to a full house of 100 and a full parking lot, according to its president, Andrew Kenen. The temple has 37 families. Membership from four churches was represented at its service.

At Park Synagogue, a Conservative synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike, where services normally draw 350 to 500, 700 people turned out for services at the Pepper Pike location Nov. 3. Rabbi Joshua Skoff said he spoke about the importance of uniting with people of other faiths.

“We got larger, but we’re a shul-going shul,” he said.

He said that the Nazis were most effective when they divided people of different faiths.

“There are many more of us than there are of the bad guys,” he said.

Skoff said he encouraged congregants to nominate each other for aliyahs as a community-building exercise.

“The way you become a community is you learn something about the people sitting next to you,” he said.

At The Temple-Tifereth Israel, a Reform temple in Beachwood, Senior Rabbi Jonathan Cohen estimated close to 500 people attended Friday night services, including members of clergy from other faiths. He said Friday night services typically draw 120 to 150 people.

“We had a moving candlelighting ceremony in memory of the 11 lives that were lost in Pittsburgh, and we had a very meaningful gathering and drew comfort from each other’s presence and from the presence of community leaders and others who reached out to us,” Cohen said.

While Robert Nosanchuk, senior rabbi at

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, a Reform temple, made a trip to Columbus to visit with Fairmount Temple students attending The Ohio State University, Rabbi Joshua Caruso led a Shabbat service Nov. 2 that drew more than 400 to 500 to the Beachwood temple. Friday night services typically draw 150 to 300.

“The building of hope began this week for me,” Caruso said in his sermon, “when I, kipah resting on my head, was standing in line at a local Walgreens behind a gentleman who glanced at me and said, ‘Hey, man, I’m sorry about what happened to your people in Pittsburgh.’ I thanked him, and I thought, ‘It’s no less tragic than what happened in Charleston or Sutherland Springs.’ And it is a reminder that the demonization of Muslims and immmigrants in our country today is widespread and unacceptable.”

Nosanchuk said he listened at his dinner with 14 students in Columbus.

“I didn’t come down to do a program, just to spend time with them and to remind them of how precious they are,” he said. “It’s hard when you’re just beginning your young adult life to navigate Jewish identity. There were a number of students amazed that I was there only for them.”

He said those questions may have been heightened by the shootings in Pittsburgh, but he also said that this generation of young adults has grown up with frequent large-scale shootings.

Masroor Malik of Solon, a board member of the Chagrin Valley Islamic

Center in Solon, attended two services at different Beachwood congregations.

“I went to Fairmount Temple on Friday night, and then I went to Shaarey Tikvah on Saturday,” he said. Of the 45 to 50 families he regularly worships with, he estimated 15 to 20 people joined him at Fairmount Temple and four or five went to Congregation Shaarey Tikvah on Saturday. He said word of Solidarity Shabbat went out on the Islamic Center’s Facebook page and in its weekly email.

“I’d never been to a Jewish service before,” he said. “It was nice to hear similar messages that I normally hear at our mosque.”

He expressed gratitude to Caruso for allowing Muslims to use a room to pray at one of the five prescribed times of day: sunset.

“We just want to make sure we show our support and we are standing shoulder to shoulder with all faiths at any time of need,” said Malik, who also spoke at the Mandel Jewish Community Center vigil in Beachwood on Oct. 29. “I think the most important thing is to stay united and defeat hate.”

Clergy of many faiths join on the bimah Nov. 3 at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike during Solidarity Shabbat. | Submitted photo

Masroor Malik of Solon of the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center in Solon stands among the crowd at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood during a Nov. 2 Solidarity Shabbat service. | CJN photo / Bob Jacob

“The most beautiful thing was that the clergy turned around and invited other clergy, and they invited their communities to come.”

Senior Rabbi Stephen Weiss B’nai Jeshurun Congregation

For complete Tree of Life Congregation coverage, visit

After that defeat, Superintendent Robert P. Hardis recommended, and the school board approved, going back to voters to request funding for school operations.

On Nov. 6, Beachwood schools sought and received a 5.9-mill operating levy that would raise an estimated $4.3 million to help offset a forecast deficit of $4.6 million in the current operating budget.

Hardis said Nov. 7 he feels grateful to Beachwood voters, whom he called savvy.

There is no immediate impact to the Beachwood schools’ budget based on the passage of the operating levy, Hardis said, and no plans to restore funding to areas that were cut.

“As the year progresses,” he said, “it is our intent to maintain the budget that we started the year with.”

Hardis said the widespread but small budget cuts to the current school operating budget guaranteed that no one area was affected deeply. Any potential additions to the budget, he said, would be tested on their merits.

Homeowners will be assessed an additional $413 for every $200,000 of market valuation.

The levy will mean that Beachwood schools will not need to go to voters for additional operating funds for the next four to five years, as the schools face current and anticipated state funding cuts, Hardis said.

He also said there is no anticipated discussion of what to do with city’s aging elementary schools.

“We promised the community that everything to do with our aging elementary schools was on hold, and that they are on hold indefinitely,” Hardis said.

A local political action committee, Low Tax Citizens, opposed the levy.

Mikhail V. Alterman, assistant treasurer and spokesman of the group, said, “The battle will continue despite the negative coverage of the Cleveland Jewish News. It’s not over.”

The Beachwood schools’ operating budget for the current fiscal year stands at $34,774,816.

Beachwood schools have an enrollment of 1,637 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade with a staff of 300.

two very important people who weren’t able to be in attendance: his parents, Marcia and Thomas Dettelbach, both of whom passed away in 2017.

“I started this campaign with both my parents and didn’t end this campaign with my parents, but I know they’re looking down and saying what all of us feel, which is the fight for justice, the fight to be right, the fight to make things better is something that never ends in one night,” he said. “It goes on and on and on. It will go on for me, and I know it will go on for everybody in this room.”

Yost will replace term-limited Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine as Ohio’s top cop and highestranking lawyer. The office oversees four crime labs, a police training academy and the state’s debtcollection system. The attorney general also writes legal opinions, assists district attorneys, and helps local and federal law enforcement. His four-year term will begin in January 2019.

“(Dettelbach) is a smart man. I’m sure we’ll hear more from him, but tonight, tonight belongs to the Republicans,” Yost told supporters at the Sheraton Columbus Capitol Square in Columbus. “Let us remain true to our principles, let us never waiver from our duty and let us govern with passion and compassion in the days ahead.”

Dettelbach’s effort to become Ohio attorney general marked his first attempt at winning an elected office. He said he drew inspiration along the way from the Jewish community.

“I’m very proud I’m the only person who’s running for statewide office who’s a member of the Jewish community,” he said shortly before voting at Grantwood Golf Course in Solon. “I’m also proud that I’m part of a lineage of candidates from the Jewish community who’ve held statewide office in Ohio – both Republicans and Democrats – ever since Howard Metzenbaum became our (U.S.) senator.

“Our community has always given and contributed and punched above our numbers in this state, and I’m very proud of that,” Dettelbach continued. “I’ve worked a lot in the Jewish community, met with people in the Jewish community, and I think there’s a real feeling in the Jewish community – in the Cleveland Jewish

Fudge defeats Goldstein for Ohio’s 11th Congressional District

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, D-Warrensville Heights, was re-elected to Ohio’s 11th Congressional District seat Nov. 6, defeating Republican opponent Beverly Goldstein and independent write-in candidate James Jerome Bell.

According to final, unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, Fudge earned 197,147 votes (81.94 percent) to Goldstein’s 43,443 votes (18.06 percent) and Bell had 20 votes (0.01 percent).

community and Columbus Jewish community –that we’re far from done. We want to continue to be contributors in every sector: business, law, medicine and government. So, it’s really a great feeling because there’s pride in our community about that – and that goes for Republicans and Democrats, because we’ve had both in different offices.”

Dettelbach cast his ballot on Election Day joined by his wife, Karil Bialostosky, and their two children, Allie and David. As he exited his polling location, he described voting for himself as “both a surreal and humbling experience.” By day’s end, he admitted being “deeply disappointed” by the results while acknowledging “this is our democratic process.”

“These aren’t the results I wanted, (and) they aren’t the results I expected, but it’s the way the vote came out,” he said. “For me, my whole career – my whole life – I’ve spent trying to fight for justice and to make the world a better place, and that’s what I plan to keep doing.”

Staff Reporter Ed Carroll contributed to this story.

Michael Goldstein, Beverly Goldstein’s husband and spokesperson, said the center of her campaign was providing the opportunity for employment for people in the inner city through education and job training. Without these options, those residents will not be able to get a job and will remain on government assistance “for the rest of their lives,” he said.

“The problem is getting that message across,” he said. “(Beverly Goldstein) had fabulous numbers on social media within the district, but apparently that isn’t enough to get the message across. People in the district decided they would remain with the current congresswoman, who has provided no leadership for 10 years and doesn’t even recognize the root of the problem.”

Bell wished Fudge “the best,” but said he looks forward to 2020 and developing a platform that will resonate with the people of the 11th district.

“I also think that my platform of reparations, abolishing the Second Amendment, universal basic income and also environmental sustainability was truly, most magnificently, at the core of redemptive spirit of a new America,” he said. Fudge did not respond to a request for comment from the Cleveland Jewish News.

Fudge

Beachwood schools Superintendent Robert P. Hardis and his son, Asher, 10, brave the rain Nov. 6 outside of Hilltop Elementary School. | CJN photo / Bob Jacob

Ohio Attorney General-elect Dave Yost, a Republican, gives his victory speech at the Sheraton Columbus Capitol Square hotel in Columbus on Nov. 6. | CJN photo / Ed Carroll

DETTELBACH

Weiss elected Shaker Heights mayor

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

Shaker Heights interim Mayor David E. Weiss defeated Julianna Johnston

Senturia in the Shaker Heights mayor’s race, 8,126 to 5,191, according to final, unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

Weiss, 57, received 61.02 percent of the vote, while Senturia got 38.98 percent of the vote.

Weiss will serve the rest of former Mayor Earl Leiken’s unexpired term, meaning he will need to run again in 2019. Senturia, 49, served as vice mayor under Leiken in 2016 and 2017. She is a city council member whose second term expires in 2019.

Weiss addressed supporters at the South Park home of his campaign treasurer, Sheri Morford, at about 10:30 p.m. Nov. 6, when 62 percent of the vote had been counted and Weiss had 61.72 percent of the vote.

“As many of you know, I do have some workaholic tendencies,” said Weiss, standing in the kitchen of Morford’s home.

“So you won’t be surprised to hear me say that I look forward to getting back to city hall and focused on the key issues that we have really talked about throughout the campaign: expanding our economic development, working to secure our financial security, pursuing opportunities to retain and attract residents and promoting transparency and inclusiveness.”

Weiss thanked his campaign team, his supporters and his family.

He started his speech by referring to his father, who told him, “You should never read, you should decide what you want to say and then you should say it.’”

He said he would make an exception to that rule because of his lack of sleep over the final few days of the campaign.

“Thank you all for joining us tonight, especially to Sheri and Joe for opening up their home,” he said.

“I am of course incredibly humbled by the faith that this community has shown in me. It’s an honor and a privilege to serve you all. As I joke and as I speak to students who come to city hall, I work for you all in the truest sense. That is not lost on me and I appreciate it very much. Together we’ve accomplished a great deal over the last few months and despite the future challenges that we know we will inevitably face, I’m

Solon rezoning issue defeated

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

Solon’s zoning amendment Issue 110 was defeated 7,965 (70.47 percent) to 3,338 (29.53 percent), according to final, unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

The proposed issue would have rezoned the more than 100 acres at 39350 Bainbridge Road in Solon’s Ward 3. BNH Enterprise Corp. in Cleveland Heights and its CEO, Yisrael Harris, led the drive behind the $200-million project, which would have resulted in the rezoned land classified as single-family residential to mixed-use district.

Issue 110 did not include approval of a site plan, but would have changed the land uses.

Alan Melamed, spokesperson for BNH and Harris, said Harris and BNH bought the property with the intent to develop it, which is still the goal. Melamed added he did not know if a lawsuit was planned, but he said the developer is evaluating options for the project. With its current zoning plan, it could be developed with 88 houses on 1-acre lots.

Solon Ward 3 Councilman Jeremy Zelwin and Solon Mayor Edward H. Kraus and other city officials opposed the issue. According to Solon’s charter, the issue

needed to pass citywide and specifically in Solon’s Ward 3, where many neighbors, particularly those in the nearby Thornbury development, objected to the project. It was defeated in that ward, 1,373-391, according to final, unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections.

The proposed plans included single and double-family dwellings, a small specialty retail, a boutique spa hotel, a parking garage and a winery and vineyard, according to Melamed.

Bud Thomas, treasurer of The Residents for Reasonable Zoning political action committee and a Thornbury resident, said he wasn’t surprised by the results as the committee did a lot of grassroots groundwork, including canvassing the four weekends before the election and formed phone banks to call through the community. The results, he said, sent a message that Solon is united and “residential zoning should stay residential zoning.”

“Our objective was to protect reasonable rezoning and to protect the city’s master plan,” he said. “We believe the result of this election demonstrates that both of those are important to Solon. We hope Mr. Harris respects the will of the people and that he will work with Solon in finding the appropriate use for that beautiful piece of property that he owns.”

Zelwin said the issue failed in part from

incredibly excited and hopeful about the opportunities that lie ahead.”

When Weiss addressed his supporters, he had not yet spoken with Senturia.

“I’ll tell her what I’ve told many of you,” he said, “which is we’ve both achieved our goal, and one of our goals was to be able to show we could provide and run campaigns in the finest democratic tradition where we don’t always have to agree, but we can do it without the rancor and vitriol that we see so much across our country.”

Weiss out-fundraised and out-spent Senturia. He raised $53,000, according to Morford and spent approximately $30,000 as of the election. Morford said she expected to spend about $5,000 to $7,000 more to close out the campaign.

Irene Meyerhoefer, Weiss’s campaign manager, said about 100 volunteers worked for the campaign, split between Shaker Heights High School students volunteering to meet their government service credits by holding signs at polling sites and adults who held meet-and-greets, canvassed for Weiss or went with him door to door or did literature drops.

Senturia raised and spent $25,000 and had an estimated 45 to 55 volunteers. When absentee ballots were counted showing Weiss with 3,462 votes to Johnston

the approach the developer used to get the issue on the ballot.

The issue originally started as an initiative petition that gathered 870 signatures, more than the needed amount to be submitted to the city, according to a previous Cleveland Jewish News article. Solon city council then proceeded with it’s three reading rule of the petition Aug. 6 in accordance with the city’s charter. By doing so, the petition would have missed the Aug. 8 deadline to be added to the general election ballot.

Alternatively, council could have waived the three-readings rule and considered the measure as emergency legislation, thus allowing members to act on it at the Aug. 6 meeting, but that didn’t occur.

The Kerem Lake mixed-used district backers filed a lawsuit Aug. 9 with the Supreme Court of Ohio against the city of Solon and its officials for failing to act in time to approve an initiative petition. Ohio’s high court ruled Sept. 7 in favor of the backers and ordered the rezoning issue associated with the mixed-use development be placed on the November ballot.

Before he knew if the issue passed or failed, Kraus said he believed it would have had more support from the Solon community if it would’ve gone through the proper process where studies of the land could have been completed. By using an initiative petition, he said the project was rushed.

“For me, when it started out, I thought

Senturia’s 1,916, former Shaker Heights Mayor Earl Leiken told Weiss he thought he could be confident that he would win the election.

“If the early vote is really close, you can’t tell,” he said, but Weiss’ lead at that point was 64.37 percent to Senturia’s 1,916.

Weiss graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a bachelor’s degree in political science and graduated from the The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in Columbus. Weiss practiced law and was executive vice president, general counsel and secretary at real estate investment trust DDR Corp. from 2003 to 2017. He owns Juma Gallery and Brew in Shaker Heights. Weiss was a member and chairman of the zoning board of appeals and the planning commission. He served as a city councilman from 1996 to 1999.

Senturia is the executive director of the Heights Schools Foundation and a consultant for the Cleveland Heights-University Heights School District on philanthropy issues. She graduated from Ohio University in Athens with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She has a master’s degree in American politics and policy from Ohio University and a master’s degree from John Carroll University in University Heights in nonprofit management.

Staff Reporter Alyssa Schmitt contributed to this report.

it was a great project but you can’t rush these projects,” he said before votes were final Nov. 6. “I think the community would have liked it because what was originally proposed – things like a retailer, a winery, a spa or a hotel – are something that people love but you have to do the studies and it has to be done right. It could take a year or two. I think the biggest mistake that the developer made was not going through the public channels and trying to rush it before it was ready.”

In a statement, Harris said he was grateful for the support the issue did receive.

“We are gratified and thankful to the thousands of Solon voters who joined in our dream or engaged in the election process,” he said. “We are humbled by the outcome and still hope we can find a way to share our beautiful site with the entire Solon community.”

Weiss

Michael C. Butz, Cleveland Jewish Publication Company lifestyles editor, contributed to this report.

Publisher’s Note: Kevin S. Adelstein, publisher and CEO of the Cleveland Jewish News and president of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, is a member of the Thornbury Homeowners Association board of directors.

Three Jewish candidates have home in Ohio House

Greenspan re-elected in 16th District

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

Incumbent Dave Greenspan, R-Westlake, will retain his Ohio House of Representatives 16th District seat for a second term after defeating a challenge from Democrat Cassimir Svigelj of Rocky River in the Nov. 6 election.

Greenspan garnered 29,182 votes to Svigelj’s 24,969, according to final, unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s website. Greenspan received 53.89 percent of the vote to Svigelj’s 46.11 percent of the 54,151 ballots cast.

He will rejoin a Republican-controlled state House.

Greenspan spent election night at Panini’s in Westlake with about 150 supporters and volunteers.

He said during his five-month campaign, about 200 people helped him make 55,000 voter contacts door-to-door or by telephone.

He also had a series of annual campaign events.

“I don’t like just cold-calling people and asking for money,” he said. “That’s not my style, I want to develop the relationship, and often when I develop relationships, they don’t inolve fundraising at all. It’s just building relationships and seeing how I can be an effective legislator.”

In addition, he has held periodic town hall meetings, roundtables, and a Saturday morning event called “Donuts with Dave” for one-on-one conversations with constituents.

As a member of the Heroin, Opioids, Prevention, Education and Safefy Task Force he also arranged a HOPES Task force event that involved MetroHealth to highlight the

Weinstein elected to District 37

AMANDA KOEHN | COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF akoehn@cjn.org | @AmandaKoehnCJN

opioid crisis. Greenspan made the opioid crisis his first priority in the campaign, and said he hopes to be able to continue to work on that issue. He also said he was relieved that voters rejected Issue 1 in the Nov. 6 election,

Greenspan is chairman of the House Finance Subcommittee on Transportation, which develops the state transportation budget. In addition, he serves on the following committees: transportation and public safety; the finance committee, which approves budget; government accountability and oversight; and community and family advancement.

He praised his poitically diverse district for its collaborative approach to issues and said Attorney General Mike DeWine will be a consensus builder as Ohio’s next governor.

“I would expect it to be very, very collegial,” he said, “And one that we’ll be able to work together to address his priorities as well as the priorities of the House and the priorities of the state.”

Greenspan has introduced 17 bills in his two years as a legislator. Three have become law. Three are in the House and 12 are in the Senate.

Leland retains seat in 22nd District

AMANDA KOEHN | COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF akoehn@cjn.org | @AmandaKoehnCJN

Incumbent David Leland, D-Columbus, will retain his Ohio House of Representatives 22nd District seat after defeating Republican opponent Doug Moody in the Nov. 6 election.

According to final, unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, Leland received 32,277 votes (73 percent) to Moody’s 11,932 votes (27 percent).

“I appreciate the support and the outpouring of support from the people in my district,” he said.

Going into his third term, the Columbus resident

Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, defeated opponent Mike Rasor, R-Stow, in the Nov. 6 election to become the next 37th District Ohio state Representative. According to final, unofficial results from the Ohio Secretary of State’s website, Weinstein received 27,930 votes (50.5 percent) to Rasor’s 27,391 votes (49.5 percent).

Weinstein said he wanted to thank his supporters for putting their trust in him.

“I want to note that I would not have won without bipartisan support because of the Republican heritage in the district,” he said. “And I plan to operate that way with a bipartisan spirit so I’m representing everybody in the district.”

Weinstein is a Hudson city councilman and Rasor is a Stow city councilman.

Current 37th District Ohio State Rep. Kristina Roegner, R-Hudson, was term-limited and thus ineligible for re-election.

On Nov. 5, Weinstein filed a Hudson police report and posted a video on Facebook, saying with his wife, Amanda, that his family was targeted for their religious views via notes left at their door.

“We haven’t called it specifically anti-Semitic, but it was clearly kind of intended that way,” said Weinstein, a member of Temple Beth Shalom in

said he’s looking to oppose a “stand your ground” gun bill in an upcoming lame-duck session, as well as push forward legislation he introduced in August 2017 to condemn neoNazi and white supremacist groups that has not yet passed. The bill would direct Ohio law enforcement to recognize neo-Nazi and white nationalist groups as domestic terrorist organizations and investigate such groups with similar resources dedicated to other homegrown terrorist groups.

Hudson.

Weinstein told the Cleveland Jewish News the notes contained old social media posts he had written from a private account, promoting Jewish and civil rights causes.

According to the Hudson police report, one of the papers left at his home read, “As a concerned member of the Hudson Community, I wonder why Casey Weinstein decided to delete his twitter account? Are his views in line with yours?”

Hudson police charged it as criminal trespassing and the police report said the notes contained nothing threatening.

Weinstein said the person or people who came to his door to leave the notes woke up his kids and dog, and it made him feel “disappointed.”

“In that we are so far away from talking about the positive messages or how we can make positive change in people’s lives, and instead we are focusing on … how you pray essentially,” he said. “It brought it home for me the divisiveness that we have in our country today – it was literally brought to my doorstep. It also made me concerned for my family’s safety.”

Weinstein added that in light of the incident, the community was supportive, which made him feel more positive about the race.

“It really reclarified in my mind that we do live in a welcoming, accepting community and that those kinds of ... anonymous notes that question your religious beliefs are really the outlier. It’s the exception, not the rule.”

Greenspan

Leland

“I want to develop the relationship, and often when I develop relationships, they don’t inolve fundraising at all. It’s just building relationships and seeing how I can be an effective legislator.”

State Rep. Dave Greenspan, R-Westlake Weinstein

STATE ROUNDUP

Brown wins re-election; DeWine elected governor

CARLO WOLFF | SPECIAL TO THE CJN contributor@cjn.org

U.S. Sen. Sherrod C. Brown, D-Cleveland, cemented his position as a liberal in a relatively conservative state Nov. 6, defeating U.S. Rep. James B. Renacci, R-Wadsworth, for a third six-year term representing Ohio in Washington.

Brown won with 2,286,730 votes (53.2 percent) and was the only Democrat to capture statewide office in this year’s midterm elections, according to unofficial results from the office of the Secretary of State. Renacci earned 2,011,832 votes (46.8 percent).

“Tonight, Ohio, you showed the country that by putting people first and by honoring the dignity of work, we can carry a state (President) Donald Trump won by nearly 10 points,” Brown said in a victory speech ticking off his key concerns. “And you showed that we do it without compromising on women’s rights or civil rights or LGBTQ rights. We do it without caving to Wall Street or the drug companies or the gun lobby. ...”

Brown also said divisiveness is not part of his lexicon.

“Populists are not racists,” he said. “Populists are not anti-Semitic.

“We do not appeal to some by pushing down others. We do not lie. We do not engage in hate speech. And we do not rip babies from their families at the border.”

Renacci entered the Senate race in January, after abandoning a gubernatorial quest, to take the place of Ohio Treasurer Josh Mandel, who also ran against Brown in 2012. Trump asked Renacci to make the switch.

Mandel, meanwhile, dropped his Senate bid, citing health issues involving his wife, Ilana Shafran Mandel. Term limits prevented the Beachwood Republican from seeking a third four-year term as state treasurer.

Otherwise, the GOP kept its grip on state politics.

DEWINE BECOMES GOVERNOR

Attorney General Richard Michael “Mike” DeWine, R-Yellow Springs, won the race for governor. In their second tangle, he beat Richard Cordray, D-Grove City, with 2,187,619 votes (50.66 percent). Cordray earned 2,005,627 votes (46.45 percent). It was DeWine who also beat Cordray for attorney general in 2010.

DeWine, one of the state’s most well-known politicians, beat Cordray to succeed term-limited Republican Gov.

John Kasich. He was bolstered by strong support across rural Ohio as Cordray did best in the state’s urban Democratic strongholds.

DeWine’s win followed an 11th hour effort to embrace both Trump and Kasich, one of the party’s most vocal Trump detractors. The same strategy helped Republican Troy Balderson win a key U.S. House seat in an August special election, and again Nov. 6.

DeWine, 71, has had to walk a careful line on both the governor and the president, instead relying on his long record of public service as a former lieutenant governor, congressman and U.S. senator.

Cordray, 59, sought to join other Democrats who attempted to capitalize on citizen backlash against Trump.

He has spent the past year touting his record as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a position to which he was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama. He also served a former state treasurer and attorney general.

Cordray’s campaign style, often criticized as bookish and boring, failed to ignite enough fire across the state to defeat a ticket of Republican incumbents — and the defeat had a coattails effect on the entire ticket.

Betty Sutton, a former state representative from Barberton, lost her lieutenant governor bid as Cordray’s running mate to Jon Husted, DeWine’s running mate. Husted, from the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington, has been secretary of state.

Ted Strickland was the last Democratic governor of Ohio, serving one term before term-limited Kasich beat him in 2011 for the first of his two terms.

LAROSE WINS SECRETARY OF STATE

Frank LaRose, R-Hudson defeated Kathleen Clyde, D-Garrettsville, a member of the Ohio House of Representatives serving the 76th District since 2011, for secretary of state. LaRose

received 2,166,125 votes (50.9 percent); Clyde got 1,987,916 votes (46.7 percent); and Dustin R. Nanna, a Libertarian, picked up 99,808 votes (2.35 percent).

The 39-year-old LaRose will replace Husted.

LaRose has been in the state Senate since 2011 and before that served in the U.S. Army Special Forces. He has said in recent interviews he wants to change how the state aggressively trims its voter rolls by targeting people who haven’t voted in a while.

But he also supports the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that upheld Ohio’s methods of pruning voters in a case closely watched around the nation.

LaRose also has backed efforts to replace aging voting machines in Ohio.

A similar gap led to defeat for Zack Space, a Dover Democrat attempting to keep the state auditor’s office from Keith Faber, R-Celina, the state representative from House District 84. Faber got 2,110,073 votes (49.9 percent) and Space got 1,946,544 votes (46 percent) and Libertarian Robert C. Coogan got 169,767 (4 percent) of the auditor vote.

Faber, a 52-year-old lawyer, has advocated additional performance audits to boost government efficiency and cost savings.

Faber argued against using the role for political purposes after Space suggested the office could review how Ohio has been affected by trade deals and the saga of its largest online charter school, the now-defunct Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow.

During the campaign, both men faced questions about tax payment problems. Space’s campaign cited administrative errors for two tax penalties in his past. A bookkeeper took responsibility for tardy tax payments tied to Faber.

Faber succeeds two-term Republican Dave Yost, who defeated Solon resident and Park Synagogue congregant Steve Dettelbach to become attorney general.

SPRAGUE CAPTURES TREASURER’S RACE

To complete the virtual GOP sweep, State Rep. Robert Sprague, R-Findlay, defeated lawyer Rob Richardson, D-Cincinnati, for the post of treasurer of state.

The 45-year-old Sprague’s platform centered on financing drug addiction treatments and improving the transparency of state spending. He has served as city auditor and treasurer in his northwest Ohio hometown of

Findlay.

During the campaign, Democratic candidate Richardson faced legal questions about his handling of money. Court records show the 39-year-old attorney’s then-wife accused him of hiding money in a private account before their divorce. Richardson’s campaign said the allegation was unsubstantiated.

The treasurer’s office managed more than $224 billion in fiscal year 2017, including an investment portfolio of more than $21.5 billion.

ISSUE 1 FAILS

Issue 1, a constitutional amendment that would have reduced drug possession felonies to misdemeanors and shifted focus to prison population reduction, funneling the resultant savings to treatment, failed, with 2,716,958 opposing votes (63.4 percent) and 1,586,347 votes in favor (36.6 percent).

Most judicial and law enforcement groups opposed the measure known as Issue 1. And it became a point of debate in the Ohio governor’s race, with DeWine opposed and Cordray supporting it.

Supporters argued Issue 1 would have saved tens of millions of dollars in prison costs, money that would be dedicated not only to drug treatment but to crime victim programs, as well.

Opponents balked at the prospect of basically decriminalizing possession of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid blamed for thousands of overdose deaths in Ohio.

STEWART, DONNELLY HEAD TO TOP COURT

In Supreme Court races, Melody J. Stewart, a Democrat, beat Republican Mary DeGenaro with 1,803,277 votes (52.52 percent) to 1,630,977 votes (47.49 percent). Michael P. Donnelly, a Democrat, beat Republican Craig Baldwin with 2,116,136 votes (61 percent) to 1,352,859 votes (39 percent).

Carlo Wolff is a freelance writer from South Euclid.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Brown Dewine

Budish re-elected County Executive for second term

AMANDA KOEHN | COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF akoehn@cjn.org | @AmandaKoehnCJN

MICHAEL C. BUTZ | CJPC LIFESTYLES EDITOR mbutz@cjn.org

Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, a Democrat, defeated Republican opponent Peter Corrigan for a second term in the position in the Nov. 6 election.

Budish, a member of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepper Pike, received 307,624 votes (67.1 percent) to Corrigan’s 150,747 votes (32.9 percent), according to final, unofficial results from the Cuyahoga County Board

of Elections.

“I’m here to thank you tonight,” he said in an acceptance speech during an election party at Windows on the River in Cleveland. “We’ve been doing some great things in Cuyahoga County. Our goal has been to lift people up no matter where they live, no matter their ZIP code, no matter their background. We want people to succeed in Cuyahoga County and we’ve been doing a whole lot of things to get there.”

In Cuyahoga County, the county executive is responsible for the appointment and removal of county personnel, introducing legislation to city council, and submitting budgets to council, among other duties.

Budish, a Beachwood resident, told the Cleveland Jewish

News he’s thankful for the support from the local Jewish community.

“The Jewish community has been great, I can’t say enough,” he said. “I have had a lot of involvement with the Jewish community over my career. I’ve made a lot of good friends and my friends have been wonderful supporters of my political efforts, I truly appreciate it.”

In his victory speech, he also highlighted job creation, job training and the economy. He also spoke about the county legislation passed in September to make it illegal for businesses to discriminate against any person based on their sexual orientation or gender.

“We recently passed legislation in the county that says that no one can be denied a job or housing just because they are gay or lesbian, (or) LGBTQ. Everyone should be protected for their civil rights in Cuyahoga County,” he said.

Incumbent Simon remains on Cuyahoga County Council

AMANDA KOEHN | COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF akoehn@cjn.org | @AmandaKoehnCJN

Incumbent Sunny Simon will remain in the Cuyahoga County Council District 11 seat, which she ran for unopposed in the Nov. 6 election. She received 36,747 votes.

“I’m extremely grateful and pleased that I’m able to continue my service to the residents of District 11 and to continue my work to strengthen families in Cuyahoga County,” said Simon, a South Euclid resident.

As for goals for her next term, Simon said she wanted to focus on providing resources for communities hit hard by the state’s local government funding cuts, strengthening infrastructure and community projects, and continuing to address the opioid epidemic.

Simon

“I’m looking to make sure we can pick up some of the services we’ve lost from the state and reinforce them through the county funding,” she said.

She has held the seat since 2011.

Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, re-elected to a second term on Nov. 6, is joined by his wife, Amy, and son, Daniel, during his victory speech at Windows on the River in Cleveland. | CJN photo / Michael C. Butz

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Akron community mourns victims of Tree of Life Congregation

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

More than 500 Jews and non-Jews filled the auditorium at the Schultz Campus for Jewish life in Akron Nov. 1 for a community vigil to remember the 11 victims who died five days earlier after gunshots shattered Shabbat at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh.

“We are here today because our world is too dark,” said Rabbi Joshua Brown of Temple Israel in Bath Township during the vigil. “On the light of Shabbat – the Jewish sabbath – the day our people have fought for millennia to protect, a day we gather to all our shuls, all our synagogues, all our houses, father and son, mother and daughter, lifting our voices in song and celebrating our story in our Torah, when that day is eclipsed by a single man filled with hate, our world is too dark.”

The Akron community was better protected at the time of the vigil than last week, Brown said, which was evident with at least five police officers

at the event. Yet, the focus on security is also a form of darkness, Brown said, as it covers what he believes is the real problem.

“This is not a security problem, this is a moral problem,” he said, which drew applause from the audience. “Today, we declare we will not be neutral on this issue. There are not moral equivalents in the face of hate. We are not neutral about neo-Nazis marching in Charlottesville, (Va.,) we are not neutral about a white supremacist hunting people in Kentucky. We are not neutral about people who disagree with policies, who dislike immigrants and use that as an excuse to slaughter people who are in the midst of their prayer.”

Robert Bowers, a 46-year-old truck driver who is charged in connection with killing 11 and wounded six, including four officers, was charged in a 44-count indictment with murder, hate crimes and other offenses that could bring the death penalty and pleaded not guilty, according to The Associated Press.

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Cathy Baer, a cousin of Rose Mallinger, a victim of the shooting at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, lights 11 candles during a community vigil at the Schultz Campus for Jewish Life in Akron Nov. 1. | CJN photo / Alyssa Schmitt

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“Rabbi

The announcement of the indictment came on the second day of a weeklong procession of funerals for congregants who were killed.

At the start of the vigil titled, “Standing Together,” David Minc, Jewish Community Board of Akron president, recognized the non-Jewish clergy who attended the event and invited Cantor Kathy Fromson of Temple Israel to start with a prayer. Rabbi Chaim Sasonkin also sang Psalm 23.

Cathy Baer and David Friedman, cousins of Rose Mallinger, a victim of the shooting, lit 11 candles representing the 11 victims as Minc read their names: Joyce Fienberg, Rich Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax and Irving Younger.

When Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan took the podium, he reminded those present they are not alone.

“I could not be more proud of our community tonight with your powerful expression of love here tonight,” he said. “By showing up, you made the first commitment, you are here. As we are mindful of our friends and our family and our neighbors in Pittsburgh and in this city, know that we stand with you, shoulder to shoulder, arm in arm, and – I think more importantly – heart to heart.”

The Rev. David M. Nelson, senior pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Akron, represented the non-Jewish community when he made his remarks and said now is a time to have strength to love another. He also expressed his dissatisfaction that one politician in “the highest office” did not have the moral courage to speak out against hate.

must have the courage to love beyond our differences that regardless of race, color, creed, gender, religion, political affiliations, the problem that plagues this nation belongs to us all. Now is the time to have the strength to love.”

At the close, Hazzan Matthew Austerklein of Beth El Congregation in Akron said thank you to those who attended to show love.

“In this moment of sadness this moment of grief, look around,” he said referring to the number of Jews and non-Jews present. “What an amazing blessing, what an amazing sign of light.”

Publisher’s Note: David Minc is a member of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company Board of Directors.

Search over 125 years of Cleveland Jewish history at cjn.org/archive

at cjn.org/archive

“We still have a long way to go for the people of this nation to live up to its truest meaning,” he said. “Racial and religious prejudice is an ever-present evil that exist in the fabric of our nation. We

VIGIL

Akron Mayor Daniel Horrigan expresses his pride in the turnout at the vigil, which he said is a “powerful expression of love.”

Visit cjn.org/strongerthanhate to view more photos from the vigil and to follow all of CJN’s Tree of Life Congregation coverage STRONGER THAN HATE 216-927-9900 ClevelandHealthGroup.com 6571 Brecksville Rd. STE 1 Independence, Ohio 44131 Cleveland Health Group

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Synagogues re-evaluate security in wake of Pittsburgh shooting

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER

aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

When congregants of Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood gathered for services a week after the mass shooting at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, they might have noticed an increase of security with an armed guard at the shul.

The synagogue has always had an off-duty law enforcement officer in the vicinity which it shared with

one of the neighboring synagogues, Rabbi Binyamin Blau said.

However, this was the first time Green Road Synagogue hired its own armed guard. Blau did not disclose if an armed guard will be present at future services. In an email sent by the synagogue regarding security and safety, a member of the synagogue’s safety and security committee will continue to carry walkie-talkies and/or cell phones to stay connected to Jewish Federation of Cleveland security personnel, which has been in practice at the synagogue.

The decision to have a guard strictly for Green Road

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Synagogue came after the Federation held an unscheduled security meeting Oct. 31 to review security procedures, training options and share information learned from the Pittsburgh attack.

Jim Hartnett, director of community wide security at the Federation and a former FBI agent, led the meeting where local police chiefs, synagogue representatives and other security personnel were present. More than 30 representatives attended.

Hartnett said the meeting was assembled quickly because it was important to meet with the synagogues to go over information that he’s learned from his FBI contacts in Cleveland, local police chiefs and the director of security at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. He said he wanted to stress one of the reasons why some of the survivors were able to get out of Tree of Life was in part a result of recent active shooter training they received.

“They had made sure they had cleared all their emergency exits in the event that they had any kind of incident – fire, bomb threat or any kind of threat – that they could safely evacuate without anything kind of impeding their egress out of the building,” he said. “They had recently gone through this training and said it definitely helped save lives because people knew instinctively what to do once the gunman entered the synagogue.”

He also added everything he’s heard from his contacts indicated the shooting was an isolated incident.

“This individual acted alone and at (the time of the meeting) there was no connection that any investigators have seen at that point to our Cleveland community,” he said.

Additional investigations are happening as to who the shooter was contacting and what he researched to “try and get a picture of this shooter’s world and, potentially, if there was anyone else connected on a larger scale, which at this point there isn’t,” Hartnett said.

The day of the shooting, Hartnett said Federation security went to all local synagogues to let congregants

A Beachwood police vehicle is visible outside synagogues on South Green Road in Beachwood during services. | CJN photo / Bob Jacob

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STRONGER THAN HATE

Portman pushes for funding for security of Jewish buildings

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Cincinnati, sent a letter Oct. 30 to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., asking the Senate to pass the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act and provide appropriate resources to help protect synagogues and other nonprofit institutions that are vulnerable to acts of terrorism, Portman’s office announced in a news release.

In March, the Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee approved two amendments to the DHS Authorization Act authored by Portman, though the measure stalled afterward. Portman is calling on bipartisan Senate leadership to prioritize the amendments before the end of the year. The Senator visited the Jewish Community Center in Youngstown Oct. 30 to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community

SECURITY | 16

following the attacks Oct. 27 at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh.

“This morning in Youngstown, I met with the leadership of the Jewish Community Center to express my solidarity with them in the face of the worst anti-Semitic incident in American history and to discuss where we go from here to stop anti-Semitism and hatred and to keep the Jewish community safe,” said Portman in the news release.

“I have been working to ensure Jewish facilities across Ohio have access to federal security grants to help improve the safety at their facilities. ... I am calling on the bipartisan leadership of the Senate to complete work this year on the DHS Authorization Act and provide appropriate resources to synagogues and other nonprofits across our country that are vulnerable to acts of terrorism. We need to get this done this year and show that we are doing everything we can to protect synagogues in Ohio and across our country.”

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know what happened and that they needed to be on high alert until the Federation knew what it was dealing with. The same day local police were asked to provide high visibility in the community and movable cameras were placed throughout the communities to monitor activity. An emergency alert notification also was sent to leaders in the community through text, voice mails and emails.

This program is free and open to the public, but reservations are required at ushmm.org/events/50children-beachwood. For more information, please call 847.433.8099. #AskWhy #USHMM

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During the security meeting, Hartnett said topics discussed were target hardening, restricting access to buildings, monitoring buildings and a review of security training the Federation can help provide like ALICE active shooter training.

Stuart Deicher, executive director of Park Synagogue in Cleveland Heights and Pepepr Pike, said Park always has taken security very seriously. He added the synagogue has always had armed guards at the building and in light of the Pittsburgh shooting, more guards have been added.

“The big takeaway is that while Federation is there to help, we also have to get our membership involved and the ‘see something, say something’ is more important than ever,” he said.

After the meeting, Muriel Weber, who chairs the security committee at Oheb Zedek-Cedar Sinai Synagogue in Lyndhurst, said there’s more enhancements to be made internally at her synagogue. The synagogue has security options in place, but Weber said it’s a continuous process and they’re looking at what can be added in terms of safety.

“We all have to make sure we’re prepared,” she said. “We are always looking at enhancing what we do internally. The whole focus in general is continually review what we’re doing as far as procedures, equipment, training.”

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple Executive Director Steve Borstein said security was increased at the Beachwood temple last weekend, but Borstein said he’s unsure if its something that can carry on for a long period of time. However, the temple’s security has been assessed by Beachwood police and the Federation and they feel it’s “as good as it can be.”

“We’re not doing anything outside of paying closer attention to everything that’s going on,” Borstein said. “I think (the meeting) was more of a discussion on how local police and the Federation is really on top of everything and all the things they are currently doing.”

PHOTO: Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus with the rescued children on the SS President Harding, 1939. Courtesy of PerlePress Productions

more at ushmm.org/campaign.

We respond in times of emergency. Each year we invest significant resources to help people rebuild in the wake of natural or man-made disasters. We also invest in programs and services that provide a strong safety net during times of personal crises.

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Shaker Heights principal, others placed on administrative leave

ED CARROLL | STAFF REPORTER ecarroll@cjn.org | @EdCarrollCJN

Shaker Heights High School

Principal Jonathan Kuehnle was placed on administrative leave Nov. 1, becoming the fifth faculty or staff member of the high school to either resign or to be placed on administrative leave since Oct. 10.

Scott Stephens, Shaker Heights schools executive director of communications and public relations, said there were “issues and concerns” about Kuehnle raised the week of Oct. 29 and in investigating the concerns, Stephens said it became clear at about 4 p.m. Nov. 1, the district needed to place Kuehnle on leave to review their nature.

Stephens declined to provide more information regarding who raised the issues or concerns, and even the nature of the concerns.

“This does not involve any kind of police matter or anything of that nature,” said Stephens, declining to say if the issues and concerns were an ethical complaint or related to anything in Kuehnle’s background. He said as a policy, the school district does not discuss personnel matters.

“I just want to make it clear to people that sometimes there’s a habit of the public to jump into the absolute worstcase scenario, and all I can say is this is not a police matter. It’s a school matter and we’re just reviewing these issues and concerns right now and really won’t know more until that review is over,” Stephens said. “If one is wondering how long that might take, probably several weeks. We’re having an outside entity do the review for us.”

Stephens said he did not know which outside entity would handle the investigation, but emphasized it would not be the school’s human resources department.

In the meantime, David Glasner, the former middle school principal, has been named the substitute high school principal as of Nov. 2.

The upheaval at Shaker Heights High School began Oct. 10 when English teacher Jody Podl was placed on administrative leave, though the decision wasn’t announced to students or teachers until Kuehnle sent an email on Oct. 19. A complaint was raised against Podl, but more information regarding the complaint was unavailable.

On Oct. 11, cheerleading coach Vikki Long resigned, as did an assistant cheerleading coach, following complaints made against the assistant coach by a student. The student complained the assistant coach made comments about the student’s weight and her eating habits. According to a statement by the school district, Long had informed the school months ago of her decision to leave the school at the end of October.

Finally, varsity football head coach Jarvis Gibson resigned on Oct. 26 after being placed on administrative leave Oct. 23. Gibson was placed on leave after the district learned Gibson employed an assistant coach, Johnathan Harrell, who had a criminal record. Harrell was hired in 2011, but wasn’t under contract with the school this year, and worked as a volunteer with the football team.

In 2015, Harrell pleaded guilty to petty theft, domestic violence and abduction, with more serious charges including endangering children and attempted rape dropped in exchange for the plea. He was indicted on an unrelated charge Jan. 23, 2015, for aggravated theft and possessing criminal tools and pleaded guilty to attempting to possess criminal tools. He originally was charged with possession.

Stephens said he couldn’t “get into that” when asked if the decision to place Kuehnle on administrative leave had anything to do with the other four employees who either resigned or were placed on leave in the past month.

“Everything is, in some ways, a little bit connected and a little bit totally unconnected,” he said. “You have a building that hundreds of people work in – issues come up and we try to act on them as quickly as we can, try to resolve them in a fair way.”

He stressed the safety and well-being of children were never an issue with any of the cases.

“There’s simply administrative things that have come up but I don’t want people to think the worst,” Stephens said.

The school district planned to hold a community meeting Nov. 8 with interim superintendent Stephen Wilkins and Glasner, to discuss questions and concerns.

Sheila Farkas

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CIVIC LEADERSHIP AWARD

JUDGE DAN AARON POLSTER

U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio

DEVORAH ALEVSKY

Cleveland Kosher Food Pantry Director

IRV BERLINER

Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP Partner

STANLEY BERNATH Retired

DR. SUSAN BICHSEL

Jewish Family Service of Cleveland President and CEO

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Managing Member / Senior Partner

ROMAN FRAYMAN Retired

ROE GREEN

Philanthropist

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MANDY KWAIT

Bellefaire JCB Director of Care Coordination

RABBI ENID LADER

Beth Israel-The West Temple Rabbi

FERN RUTH LEVY

Anne Frank Moral Courage Project Director / Holocaust Educator

Co-presenting sponsors

DEENA NYER MENDLOWITZ

Mandel Jewish Community Center Preschool Teacher

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Cleveland Heights High School Teacher

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Fire cleanup closes West Temple for weeks

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

Afaulty ballast in a light caused an electrical fire and smoke damage Nov. 4 at Beth Israel-The West Temple in Cleveland.

Rabbi Enid C. Lader said she and temple education director Debbie Chessin were preparing to lock the building and were doing final checks after religious school Nov. 4 when the building-wide smoke alarm sounded.

At first, Lader saw nothing. On her trip up from the basement a second time, she noticed a cloud of acrid black smoke near the ceiling of the children’s library, making its way toward the sanctuary.

Lader said she notified the Cleveland Fire Department, stood outside the building at 14308 Triskett Road to flag down the responders and then watched a firefighter carry out two of Beth Israel’s four Torah scrolls simultaneously.

“He held them like he was carrying out children from a blaze,” Lader said. “It was just so beautiful to see him carry them out so tenderly and carefully.”

Beth Israel chair of security Rick Keller and temple president Peter Sackett carried out the other two scrolls.

“The whole building needs to be cleaned from top to bottom,” she said, adding that the temple has insurance to cover the cleaning, which is expected to take three to four weeks.

Lader said she does not know how many of the Jewish children’s books housed in the library were damaged, but there have already been offers to help replace them.

Lader did not have an estimate on damges.

Beth Israel will hold its Kristallnacht

commemoration and service at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at West Shore Unitarian Universalist Church, 20401 Hilliard Blvd. in Rocky River. The service will feature the Ross family string quartet, along with readings and a presentation by Arnie Milner of Agudath B’nai Israel Synagogue in Lorain, who has developed a Holocaust education program.

Shabbat morning services will be held for the next few Saturdays at members’ homes. For information about service locations, Lader advised people to email bethisrael@nls.net.

Lader said she expects some clergy to take part in the Kristallnacht program especially those who couldn’t attend on Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 when the congregation held services both to welcome new members and to mourn the loss of the 11

people killed at Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, as well as two AfricanAmericans killed in Jeffersontown, Ky.

“Our building is the physical center of Jewish life on Cleveland’s West Side,” Lader said. “I know that it’ll get cleaned up. We’ll be back in the swing of things, and although we might not be open for business, we’re definitely taking care of the business we need to take care of.”

Staff at several Panera locations were quite generous in allowing her to set up shop in a booth when she needs to hold one-on-one meetings with congregants, she said. Lader has been working at home with her cell phone as well.

Lader said Sackett has provided thoughtful leadership.

In addition, she said Rabbi Lauren Werber at Elyria’s Temple B’nai Abraham reached out immediately, and Beth Israel will share space at Temple B’nai Abraham for religious school over the next few weeks.

“I felt like this past week was the frying pan,” Lader said. “And we went out of the frying pan and are now into the fire.”

Still, she said she has felt buoyed by the response from members, other clergy and the Cleveland Board of Rabbis.

“We’re definitely not in this alone.”

Ratner continues to push shareholders to nix transaction

ED CARROLL | STAFF REPORTER

ecarroll@cjn.org | @EdCarrollCJN

For the second week in a row, Forest City Realty Trust co-chairman emeritus and former CEO Albert Ratner has urged Forest City shareholders to vote against the company’s pending acquisition by Brookfield Property Partners, writing Nov. 1 that Forest City’s recently reported third quarter earnings were “further evidence that the Forest City Board of Directors significantly undervalued the company under the terms of its proposed sale.”

Ratner again urged his fellow shareholders to vote to reject the transaction during the company’s special meeting Nov. 15. The Nov. 1 letter follows a letter he wrote to shareholders on Oct. 25,

where he put out five arguments against the proposed sale, including Ratner’s belief that the sale price is too low and the process has been flawed, among other arguments.

In the most recent letter, Ratner said the company’s third quarter results show how undervalued the sale is for shareholders.

“The price agreed upon by the company’s Board of Directors amounts to only slightly more than its equity book value stated at cost, as reflected on the company’s balance sheet as of Sept. 30,” Ratner wrote in the letter. “The balance sheet shows equity at cost (total equity plus accumulated depreciation) of over $5.9 billion, or $21.86 per share. By paying an effective price of $24.99 per share –taking into account the two quarters of dividends that Forest City shareholders will forego as a result of the deal and assuming a quarterly dividend of $0.18 (which, as demonstrated below, should be much higher in light of the company’s significant net earnings this year) –Brookfield will be capturing for itself the significant

value appreciation that the company has realized from its ownership of iconic buildings in major markets (e.g., The New York Times building in NYC) for only $3.13 per share, or approximately $845 million in total.”

Ratner and his family members’ ownership stakes add up to approximately 10 percent of Forest City’s outstanding shares. He noted in the release that new board members were named after a board “refresh” in March and six of the seven directors who supported the sale had only been on the board for 66 days prior to reaching the agreement with Brookfield, and appear to be in “an unnecessary rush to sell the company, given that the terms negotiated failed to generate the value that it could have for shareholders.”

“The strong third quarter and nine-month results reveal a more favorable overall risk profile for Forest City, which begs the question, why did the Board agree to such a fire sale price?” wrote Ratner in the release. “And shouldn’t the proxy be amended to include current events, and to refresh the projections ... to reflect these results?”

Ratner

Rabbi Enid Lader stands in the children’s section of the library on Nov. 6, where damage from an electrical fire Nov. 4 can be seen inside the library at Beth Israel-The West Temple in Cleveland. | CJN photo / Becky Raspe

“Our building is the physical center of Jewish life on Cleveland’s West Side. I know that it’ll get cleaned up. We’ll be back in the swing of things, and although we might not be open for business, we’re definitely taking care of the business we need to take care of.”

Rabbi Enid Lader

Beth Israel-The West Temple

jHUB offers Hanukkah in a Box

jHUB is shipping free Chanukah kits to residents of Greater Cleveland. Each kit contains materials and information to celebrate the holiday, with explanations to share the tradition with interfaith families.

To order a kit, visit bit.ly/2ARVixX. Orders must be placed before Nov. 16.

For more information, visit jhubcle.org.

Hollander sisters to perform Nov. 9

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple will host a performance by the Hollander sisters at 6:15 p.m. Nov. 9 at the temple, 23737 Fairmount Blvd. in Beachwood.

The sisters, Celia Hollander Lewis, Anita Hollander and the Rev. Rachel Hollander, will be joined by Celia’s husband, Charlie Lewis, and Anita’s daughter, Holland Hamilton. The group will meld traditional prayers and songs with music by James Taylor and others.

The service is open to all and is followed by a reception.

Holocaust conference Nov. 9-12

The World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants will hold its 30th annual conference Nov. 9-12 at the West Palm Beach Marriott Hotel, 1001 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beachwood. The event will feature keynote speakers, workshops and panels.

For more information, visit holocaustchild.org.

Rabbi Zinger to speak Nov. 9-11

The community Beit Midrash at Fuchs Mizrachi School and Fuchs Mizrachi School will host its “Shabbat of Connection and Inspiration with Rav Dov Zinger” from Nov. 9 to Nov. 11 at various locations. Shabbat services begin at 5 p.m. Nov. 9 at Green Road Synagogue, 2437 S. Green Road in Beachwood. Later that evening, an oneg Shabbat service will be held at 8:15 at the home of Deborah and Meir Pollack. The theme is “Simcha Bonah Manhigut: Happiness Builds Leadership.”

Shabbat services will begin at 9:45 a.m. Nov. 10 at Green Road Synagogue. A seudah shelishit service will follow at 5 p.m. at Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai, 23749 Cedar Road in Lyndhurst.

Sunday morning services begin at 8:45 Nov. 11 at Fuchs Mizrachi School, 26600 Shaker Blvd. in Beachwood. The theme for the day is “Boker D’veykut: A Morning Dedicated to Enhancing our Tefillot.” There will be two options for attendees: a talk by Zinger or a talk with Daniella Robicsek Botnick. Breakfast and discussion will follow at 9:45.

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Zinger will speak about “Bringing the Third Partner Into Our Homes” at 8:15 p.m. at the home of Anna and Elisha Fredman.

For more information, call Fuchs Mizrachi School at 216-932-0220.

Heights foundation reunion Nov. 10

Heights Schools Foundation will hold its second annual Golden Tigers reunion at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 10 at Landerhaven, 6111 Landerhaven Drive in Mayfield Heights.

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The reunion is for graduates from the class of 1968 and earlier. Activities include a keynote speaker, a presentation, a musical performance from current students, a social hour and lunch.

Dress code is dressy casual. A pre-reunion tour of the high school will be at 10.

Admission is $29.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Betsy Friedlander Stimpert at 216-320-2206 or betsy@heightsschoolsfoundation.org.

PEPPER PIKE Located on the most spectacular cul de sac lot, this transitional Pepper Pike home is a gem!! The wide open floor plan is highlighted by walls of windows which provide views of the glorious park like lot! A 2 story foyer welcomes one into this home and opens onto the living room and dining room which feature a gorgeous stone fireplace, hardwood floors, and a beamed ceiling. $449,900

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CWRU Tribe Talk to cover Pittsburgh attack Nov. 11

Case Western Reserve University’s Siegal Lifelong Learning program will host another installment of its Tribe Talk: New Jewish Conversations series at 6 p.m. Nov. 11 at Landmark Centre, 25700 Science Park Drive in Beachwood.

The theme of the talk, “Conversation on the Pittsburgh Attack,” will feature Rabbi Jeremy Pappas, regional director of the ADL in Cleveland. Brian Amkraut, executive director of Siegal Lifelong Learning, and Alanna Cooper, director of the lifelong learning progam, will moderate.

Brief presentations will be followed by a moderated open discussion.

The event is free, but RSVPs are encouraged. For more information and to RSVP, visit bit.ly/2RFoGwT.

Tribe Talk is an interactive discussion series in partnership with the Cleveland Jewish News and the Cleveland Jewish News Foundation.

jHUB to hold “Giving Thanks” event Nov. 11 in Solon

jHUB and PJ Library will host its “Giving Thanks” event from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Nov. 11 at Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Solon branch, 34125 Portz Parkway in Solon.

There will be stories, crafts and music.

The event is free, but RSVPS are required at bit.ly/2D9JDgp.

Diamond to speak at genealogy talks Nov. 11 in Beachwood

Genealogist Lara Diamond will speak at two events Nov. 11 at Landmark Centre, 25700 Science Park Drive in Beachwood.

From 1 to 2:30 p.m., Diamond will discuss “DNA 101: How to Use Genetic Testing for Genealogical Research.”

From 3 to 4, she will discuss “Sorting Out Distant Cousins from Close Family: Genetic Testing in Cases of Endogamy.”

Both talks are $5 for general admission and free for Case Western Reserve University’s Siegal Lifelong Learning program members.

For more information, visit case.edu/lifelonglearning or call 216-368-2091.

Blecher to speak at Orange Library Nov. 12

Doug Blecher of Autism Personal Coach will discuss “Becoming a Successful Adult with Autism” at 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Orange branch, 31975 Chagrin Blvd. in Pepper Pike.

Blecher will discuss how to overcome challenges in adulthood. For more information and to register, visit cuyahogalibrary.org or call 216-831-4282.

Schwarz to discuss filmmaking Nov. 13 at Park

Ivan Schwarz, president of the Cleveland Film Commission, will speak about filmmaking in Cleveland at 1 p.m. Nov. 13 during a Park Synagogue sisterhood program at Park Synagogue East, 27500 Shaker Blvd. in Pepper Pike.

“Fun With Yiddish” with Annabelle Weiss will be at 10 a.m., followed by Josh Kramer who will speak about Moishe House at 10:45. Rabbi Joshua Skoff will speak about “Contemporary Views in the News” at 11:30. A luncheon will follow at 12:15 p.m.

Author Namdar to speak at events Nov. 15, 16 in Beachwood

Ruby Namdar, author of Israel’s Sapir Prize winner “The Ruined House,” will speak at two events co-sponsored by the Case Western Reserve University Siegal Lifelong Learning program and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage in Beachwood.

Namdar will join Siegal director Alanna Cooper for “Conversations On Judaism and the Arts: The Talmud as Inspiration for Contemporary Literature” at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Landmark Centre, 25700 Science Park in Beachwood.

Cooper and Namdar will discuss how the Talmud inspired Namdar as a modern Jewish writer and will explore art as a creative spiritual practice.

Namdar will present “Living in English, Writing in Hebrew” at 10 a.m. Nov. 16 at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2929 Richmond Road in Beachwood.

He will discuss what it means today to be an “Israeli author,” and how his work redefines the term. He also will discuss his relationship with great Jewish-American authors, and the rewards and setbacks of living in one language and writing in another.

Each event will be $5 for members of the Maltz Museum or Siegal Lifelong Learning and $10 for nonmembers.

For more information, visit bit.ly/2RL33wc or call 216-368-2091.

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80th anniversary of Kristallnacht highlights women’s stories

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

Three women who showed loyalty, grit and determination in saving the lives of their husbands and families during the Holocaust were chronicled in a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht.

“The Women of Kristallnacht” was a joint presentation of Congregation Shaarey Tikvah in Beachwood and B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike.

“The night of shattered glass” began Nov. 9, 1938, in Germany. Tens of thousands of Jews were sent to concentration camps that night. Nearly 200 synagogues were destroyed and more than 8,000 shops owned by Jews were looted and ransacked.

Kevin Ostoyich, chair of the department of history at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind., spoke of Ida Abraham, Auguste Sternberg and Grete Gabler. All three had to find out where their husbands were taken following the roundups. The men were taken to concentration camps and the women fed their families, got their husbands out and secured passage to Shanghai for their husbands and families.

Abraham and Sternberg eventually came to Cleveland, where they raised their sons, Harry Abraham and Gary Sternberg, respectively. Gabler went to Australia, but her son, Eric Kisch, moved to Cleveland as an adult. Ostoyich interviewed the three sons to do his research and spoke Nov. 4 at Shaarey Tikvah in Beachwood. About 150 people attended.

Gary Sternberg now lives in Las Vegas, and Harry Abraham attended a family wedding Nov. 4, so Eric Kisch was the only son present. He said he appreciated Ostoyich’s use of human details to tell the stories.

“We need to remember the challenges these women faced and the actions they took within the nightmarish atmosphere of the Third Reich in order to get their loved ones out of concentration camps while still looking after the rest of their families,” Ostoyich said.

Ida Abraham’s grandmother gave her a Singer sewing machine at the age of 6 and she became accomplished at sewing, Ostoyich said.

“My mother was tough, hard-nosed and sometimes difficult,” Ostoyich quoted Harry Abraham. In Shanghai, Ostoyich said Ida Abraham “became one of the most prominent seamstresses in the Jewish community.” In 1947, the family went to San Francisco, then to Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Auguste Sternberg was born Protestant and married Herman Sternberg, the son of a Jewish cattle farmer. She made sure that Jewish holidays were oberved and at Passover, only matzah was in the house, Gary Sternberg told Ostoyich.

After her husband was arrested, “she started to get pressure from government officials to divorce Herman given that she was Christian,” Ostoyich said. “She wouldn’t even hear of it.” After the war, the Sternbergs went to San Francisco, then settled in Cleveland.

Grete Gabler was born to a wealthy Hungarian family, Ostoyich said. Her life was filled with balls and beautiful clothes. That changed after Kristallnacht.

In Shanghai, “I was busy fighting mold, bedbugs and cockroaches,” she wrote, according to Ostoyich.

Sheri Gross, director of creative programming at Gross Schechter Day School in Pepper Pike, read three excerpts from “Going Back: 16 Women Tell Their Life

Stories, and Why They Returned to Germany – The Country that Once Wanted to Kill Them,” by Andrea von Treuenfeld.

B’nai Jeshurun Cantor Aaron Shifman chanted El Maley Rachamim, the memorial prayer, and six Holocaust survivors stood to lead Mourner’s Kaddish.

The program opened with a slide presentation and violinist Steve Greenman performing. He also played a solo to close the program.

When Gabler died, Eric Kisch received a letter from his cousin, Peter, who remembered being at the Kisch house when the storm troopers knocked.

“‘Your mother had the presence of mind to pay them off with some expensive knickknacks in the apartment,’” Ostoyich quoted from the letter. “‘And they left without harming us except frightening us to the bones.’”

To view more photos of this event, visit cjn.org

Judge Walter Wertheim was 13 years old and lived in Germany at the time of Kristallnacht. He lives in Beachwood.

Jerry Rothschild of Aurora was a 9-year-old child living in Germany at the time of Kristallnacht. | CJN photos / Jane Kaufman

“We need to remember the challenges these women faced and the actions they took within the nightmarish atmosphere of the Third Reich in order to get their loved ones out of concentration camps while still looking after the rest of their families.”

Kevin Ostoyich, Chair of the Department of History Valparaiso University

Helga Gleisser of Aurora sits with her son, Brian Gleisser, of Shaker Heights. Helga Gleisser was 7 years old at the time of Kristallnacht.

YLD ‘Big Event’ hopes to re-energize at HOB

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

One chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Young Leadership Division’s “Big Event” is hoping to reinvigorate the event with the right atmosphere by hosting it at the House of Blues in Cleveland for the first time Nov. 17.

Young Leadership Division’s ‘Big Event’

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. BenGurion Society reception, 8 YLD Big Event, Nov. 17

WHERE: House of Blues, 308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland

INFO: $75 per person pre-registered by Nov. 13, $85 per person at the door. Kosher dietary laws observed. Cocktail attire. Contact Leah Markowicz at lmarkowicz@jcfcleve.org or call 216-593-2905 for more information.

Jacobs

Adam Jacobs, co-chair of the event with Emily Danzig, said they went through dozens of venues in Cleveland and House of Blues had the right feel and image to attract the younger generation. The event is targeted toward adults in the YLD age in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Jacobs said he expects more than 400 people to attend the annual signature fundraising event as part of the Federation’s 2019 Campaign for Jewish Needs.

Guest speaker Jonathan Gonsky of Chicago will share how his federation supported him when he was in need as a child.

“He has a very inspirational, moving story of how the Federation was there in his time of need (and) was able to help him through hardships he had when he was growing up,” Jacobs said. “(Gonsky) really gives a sense of the breadth

and how impactful the dollars that we donate can be towards any of our peers and to help support people when they might not even know it.”

Jacobs added the event will be different from previous years as the talk will be shorter. Attendees can learn what the Federation does, connect with each other and to thank attendees for their donations. Jacobs said he hopes it will be a “fun evening without all the sitting around.”

Providing music for the night is DJ Steph Floss. There will be five open bars throughout the space. A Ben-Gurion Society reception will take place before the event for those ages 22 to 45 who commit to a minimum gift of $1,000 to the campaign.

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WOIO-TV news anchor Romona Robinson, center, stands with those who attended Temple Emanu El Brotherhood organization’s annual dinner Oct. 23. | Submitted photo

Robinson spoeaks to Temple Emanu El Brotherhood

WOIO-TV news anchor Romona Robinson spoke at Temple Emanu El Brotherhood’s annual dinner Oct. 23 and discussed her book, “A Dirt Road to Somewhere.” She talked about her childhood, her dreams and her faith. Also that evening, the brotherhood awarded its Mensch of the Year award to Joel Zaas. Zaas has been instrumental in leading fundraisers for the brotherhood.

Jewish podcast taps into Cleveland pride

AMANDA KOEHN | COLUMBUS BUREAU CHIEF akoehn@cjn.org | @AmandaKoehnCJN

Enthusiasm for Cleveland saw no shortage as a New York City-based Jewish podcast recorded an episode Nov. 5 at the Mandel Jewish Community Center in Beachwood.

“Unorthodox,” Tablet Magazine’s flagship podcast, made its first stop in Northeast Ohio as part of the Mandel JCC’s Cleveland Jewish Book Festival. The podcast was considered by the Guardian as one of the 50 best podcasts of the year in 2016, the year after the podcast began.

Its hosts, Tablet editor-at-large Mark Oppenheimer, deputy editor Stephanie Butnick and senior writer Liel Leibovitz, discuss Jewish news, politics and culture with guests weekly – and

in this episode, featuring Cleveland-based guests. The hosts expressed their long-held desire to visit Cleveland for the podcast, citing what they’d heard about its Jewish community – and its bagels.

After recording their weekly “obscenity warning,” letting listeners know they may swear, and going over recent “news of the Jews,” the crew welcomed “Jew of the week” David Gilbert, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland. He was introduced by Butnick as “an alumnus of Camp Wise,” which drew heavy applause.

After joking about how often Gilbert is mistakenly referred to

as “Dan Gilbert” – the Cleveland Cavalier’s owner – Gilbert discussed his love for Cleveland, LeBron James, how securing the 2016 Republican National Convention happened and how his agency attracts tourism.

“Even in college, my friends always joked (I was), ‘Mr. Cleveland,’” Gilbert said. “I just always passionately loved my hometown. I really believe there’s something incredibly special about Cleveland and

Clevelanders. I think it really is that resiliency –there’s a real sense of community (and) a little

bit of a sense of common despair and we are kind of all in it together.”

On James, Gilbert said, “He is still a Clevelander.”

When asked about Jewish sports fans in Cleveland, Gilbert said, “I think some of it’s a little of that shared suffering, whether it’s as Jews or Cleveland sports fans.”

The podcast hosts had recorded their most recent show in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh last week after 11 Jews died in a shooting at Tree of Life Congregation. After reporting a solemn episode about the Pittsburgh Jewish community in the wake of the tragedy, this week the podcast returned back to its funny, off-the-cuff nature.

“One of the ways Jews deal, I like to think, is by coming together in solidarity, being with each other, showing that we survived, having some joy and having some fun,” Oppenheimer

said. “So we honor the victims, we honor recent current events, and one way that we honor them is by having the best live show in the history of Cleveland.”

“Gentile of the week” was Terry Stewart, former CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland from 1999 to 2012. The podcast hosts discussed with Stewart how the rock hall determines who is inducted, and Stewart told them a single artist he was most starstruck by: Paul McCartney.

Leibovitz asked about controversies surrounding nominees who don’t get inducted, specifically if fans “quite literally mob the building.”

“There is no easy way to do it. The fact is, most of (the artists) you bring up that should get in, do get in,” Stewart said.

“Unorthodox” is free for download on Apple Music, Stitcher and at tabletmag.com/ unorthodox.

Terry Stewart, from left, former CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, talks music with “Unorthodox” hosts Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz.

David Gilbert, from left, president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland, talks Cleveland with “Unorthodox” hosts Mark Oppenheimer, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz. | CJN photos / Amanda Koehn

Swastika graffiti found on CWRU campus

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

Case Western Reserve University’s office of student affairs announced in a Nov. 2 email that it received two reports involving anti-Semitic images and racist graffiti on two campus restroom stalls.

According to a Nov. 1 report, an approximately ½ inch in diameter swastika was found on a bathroom stall in the men’s restroom in the Sears Building, which was also covered in a wide variety of graffiti. Once the report was made, a university staff member mentioned

a previous swastika was found by an unknown person Oct. 24 and was already removed. University police and security services investigated it Nov. 5.

Lou Stark, vice president of student affairs, wrote in the Nov. 2 email to CWRU’s community that it was unclear whether either had been newly added or recently found. In both cases, they were quickly removed and campus police have been alerted, according to the email.

“We grapple with these hateful expressions as our nation continues to mourn the deaths of 11 people killed Saturday morning in a Pittsburgh synagogue,” Stark wrote in the email. “I

IN THE COMMUNITY

In this feature, the Cleveland Jewish News will highlight tribute honorees and other significant community events In The Community. Send event and honoree details with color photos at least six weeks in advance of the event to be considered for inclusion In The Community, to editorial@cjn.org and include “In the Community” in the subject line.

To read more about the events, visit cjn.org/inthecommunity

Nov. 28 / 64th annual Humanitarian Award Dinner

Community leader Enid Rosenberg and Marc S. Byrnes, chairman of Oswald Cos., will receive the PwC LeadDiversity Alumni Award, presented by The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio.

“Honorees exhibit an extensive record of involvement in civic, charitable, volunteer and professional organizations, and have contributed greatly to creating a welcoming and inclusive Northeast Ohio,” according to the Diversity Center’s website.

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. reception, 6:45 dinner Nov. 28

WHERE: Renaissance Cleveland Hotel, 24 Public Square, Cleveland

TICKETS: Starting at $350

INFO: diversitycenterneo.org

WHO BENEFITS: Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, which works to eliminate bias, bigotry and racism and its school and youth programming that empowers more than 10,000 youth and youth-serving professionals in nine counties across Northeast Ohio

Nov. 12 / Celebrating Stephen H. Hoffman

Stephen H. Hoffman has served as president of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland since 1983. According to an invitation, through his commitment and passion, he has elevated all areas of the work of the Federation.

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12

WHERE: Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., Cleveland

TICKETS: $80 per person. Kosher dietary laws observed. RSVP by Oct. 29.

INFO: bit.ly/2Oxctxu

WHO BENEFITS: The Stephen H. Hoffman Endowed Professorship of Hebrew Language at Case Western Reserve University and The Stephen H. Hoffman Hebrew Fund at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland

am appalled by the cowardly malice the actions on our campus represent. Those who engage in such conduct should remember that it not only is contrary to our values, but also university policies. Violators will face discipline.”

Jared Isaacson, executive director of Cleveland Hillel at CWRU, was pleased with the swift action of the university.

“(CWRU) didn’t have any information yet as to whether this was something that was done very recently in light of what happened in Pittsburgh, etc., or if it was something that was put on a while ago

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and recently just discovered,” he said. “The university responded really quickly and as far as I’m concerned, they were strong in their support for any students who would be affected by this. But more particular, they were very strong in their aggressive stance in this being a totally unacceptable aspect of things happening on campus.”

CWRU President Barbara R. Snyder declined through a spokesperson to provide additional comment when contacted by the Cleveland Jewish News.

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‘Freedom Song’ rings in homecoming of sorts

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

The performance of “Freedom Song” Nov. 1 at B’nai Jeshurun

Congregation in Pepper Pike was a homecoming of sorts.

The musical that focuses on addiction featured a cast of recovering addicts from a Jewish treatment center called Beit T’Shuvah in Los Angeles. In its 12th year of production, the Cleveland performance was one of its five performances in a 12day tour.

The founder of Beit T’Shuvah, Rabbi Michael Borovitz, grew up in Cleveland Heights, attended Temple on the Heights, B’nai Jeshurun’s predecessor, and wound up in a California prison as a result of his alcoholism. In 1988, after his release, he founded the nonprofit, nonsectarian Jewish treatment center. He was ordained at the University of Judaism in 2000. His memoir is “The Holy Thief: A Con Man’s Journey from Darkness to Light.”

His mother, Mildred Borovitz, was one of about 150 people in the audience at B’nai Jeshurun. A cast member, Ace (addicts went by first names only), who played the rabbi in “Freedom Song,” approached her.

“Your son saved my life,” he told her as he took her hand. “This program completely transformed my life and my family’s life.”

Two years sober from a seven-year opiate addiction, Ace said he is running a mentoring program for teens.

Rabbi Hal Rudin-Luria spoke about addiction prior to the presentation and about his connection to Rabbi Borovitz.

“I met Mark when we were both studying in rabbinical school together in Jerusalem,” said Rudin-Luria, who spent the summer of 1999 as a rabbinic intern at Beit T’Shuvah. He said he learned then

“that addiction does not discriminate, that Jews, just as much as any other people, face the challenge and struggle living with addiction.”

He recently attended “It Happens Here: Addiction and Mental Health Issues in the Jewish Community,” a five-hour presentation on the opioid crisis geared toward clergy.

“There I learned more along with colleagues and other Jewish professionals and community leaders,” he said, “that addiction and substance abuse is a disorder, it’s a disease, it’s an illness, and it hijacks the brain.”

“Freedom Song” takes its themes from Exodus: slavery, plagues, oppression, alienation and redemption reframes them in the language of recovery. On one side of the stage a family celebrates Passover; on the other, a 12-step meeting takes place.

Addicted daughter Shira makes an unexpected appearance to her family’s

seder.

“You have no right to be here,” says her father, when she arrives.

“I just wanted to be home for Pesach,” Shira answers.

“This is no longer your home,” he retorts.

The musical interweaves original music with familiar melodies such as a melody commonly used for the Four Questions, the spiritual “Let My People Go,” a melody from “Fiddler on the Roof.”

“Daddy, I stole your trust. I lost my dignity. I almost lost my soul,” Shira said. “Instead of reading from the Haggadah, I would like to say something from my heart to my family. Then, I will leave your home. Love me or not, whether you believe me or not, I still love all of you. I know I’ve hurt each one of you beyond repair.”

After the performance, the cast split into two groups to meet with about 50 teens and about 30 adults for the question-

and-answer sessions. Audience members had questions about so-called tough love and enabling and about steps to take to safeguard their children against addiction.

On Nov. 2, the cast led speaking programs at Gross Schechter Day School in Pepper Pike and Fuchs Mizrachi School in Beachwood.

Mildred Borovitz recalled when Beit T’Shuvah first started, in what she called one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Los Angeles.

“I used to be afraid to walk out of the car,” she said, contrasting that with the treatment center today. “They had no money, very few people that were really aware of what was going on. It’s a beautiful place for those who need it.”

The cast of “Freedom Song” performs at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike on Nov. 1, for an audience of about 150. The musical centers around addiction. | CJN photos / Jane Kaufman

Ace, who plays the rabbi in “Freedom Song,” thanks Mildred Borovitz for the work her son, Rabbi Michael Borovitz, does at Beit T’Shuvah, a nonprofit, nonsectarian Jewish treatment center in Los Angeles.

Teenagers who watched “Freedom Song” ask questions of members of the cast, who are recovering addicts.

The cast of “Freedom Song” gathers around director Michael Kamenir, who gives the cast notes prior to the performance at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike. The cast said the Shema and the serenity prayer before taking the stage.

Super soup

YONATAN LEVI |

columnists@cjn.org

It usually is not a good idea to put a ball in a bowl of soup. Only a goofball would put a golf ball, racquet ball or pinball in a bowl of soup. There is, however, one notable exception to this rule. It is the venerable, reliable and unmistakable matzah ball, the one ball that Jews routinely submerge in their soup.

Without the matzah ball, matzah ball soup would just be plain old soup, but when added to the broth, matzah balls add a hearty punch and sort of put the “chow” in chowder. Many times matzah balls hog the spotlight and steal the thunder away from whatever else might be in the pot.

Carrots and celery don’t stand a chance, receiving secondary billing like a B-list actor in a star-studded flick. Similarly, when matzah balls are added, the noodles become irrelevant and invisible, like a mediocre kids choir performing behind Luciano Pavarotti.

How was the matzah ball itself invented? Could it have been an accident? Did some klutz drop a piece of matzah on the counter, accidentally spill water on it and then, while spastically attempting to scoop it up, roll the soggy

mess into the first matzah ball ever assembled? Such a scenario seems improbable but then again, perhaps other types of food also are pleasant accidents. For example, was hummus created when someone accidentally stepped on a chickpea? Discuss.

How did matzah ball soup come into existence? We simply do not know and doing forensics on a matzah ball is complicated. The concept of soup, however, traces back to biblical times.

The first recorded bowl of soup in Jewish history might be the one that Yaakov traded to Esau and which could be referred to as the “birthright broth.” Many scholars describe it as lentil soup (or stew) and it actually is discussed in the Talmud: “On that day Abraham our forefather passed away, and Jacob our forefather prepared a lentil stew

to comfort Isaac, his father, as it was customary to serve mourners lentil stew.” (Bava Batra 16b) The Talmud goes on to explain the significance of the lentil, noting that “just as the lentil has no mouth, i.e., it does not have a crack like other legumes, so too a mourner has no mouth, that is, his anguish prevents him from speaking.” In addition, “just as the lentil is completely round, so too mourning comes around to the inhabitants of the world.” In contrast, a matzah ball, like the surface of the moon, has all sorts of cracks and craters and because it is haphazardly shaped by hand, the matzah ball is seldom completely round. For these reasons, you should not serve matzah ball soup to a mourner. You also should not serve matzah ball soup to anyone intravenously because it likely will clog the IV tube.

Matzah ball soup arguably has biblical roots too because its key ingredient, matzah, obviously does. (See Exodus for further details.) That said,

when the Jews were hurrying to leave Egypt, they probably were not carrying bowls of matzah ball soup. If that were the case, then the Jews surely would have been careening out of Cairo while yelling “Hot soup! Hot soup! Get out of the way! Hot soup!” You will not find that mentioned in the Haggadah. Not even in a footnote. For the record, you also will not find in the Haggadah any references to macaroons, mandel bread or sugar-coated fruit jelly slices.

Final thought: Too many cooks spoil the soup and too many matzah balls in the soup spoil your appetite.

Yonatan Levi writes humor columns for the Cleveland Jewish News.

DISCLAIMER

Letters, commentaries and opinions appearing in the Cleveland Jewish News do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, its board, officers or staff.

Berger: Germany ‘very much in the DNA of AJC’

ALYSSA SCHMITT | STAFF REPORTER aschmitt@cjn.org | @AlyssaSchmitCJN

Vibrant Jewish life in Germany is buzzing with the help of German partnerships according to Deidre Berger, director of American Jewish Committee Berlin’s Ramer Institute.

“There’s a feeling that Jewish life in Germany is again an anchor and it can’t be eradicated at this point,” said Berger, a member of Oranienburger Str. Synagogue in Berlin. “For us in the Jewish world, having Germany as a strong partner is essential in trying to secure democracy and protect ourselves against rising forces of nationalism and populism.”

During her U.S. visit, where she stopped at the Cleveland Jewish News before her appearance at The Temple-

Tifereth Israel in Beachwood as part of AJC Cleveland’s “A View From Berlin,” Berger explained Germany is “very much in the DNA of AJC” as the organization was founded by Jews of German decent in 1906.

“Germany plays a very special role in Jewish memory for obvious reasons,” Berger said. “It also opens up special avenues of partnership that are very intensive. We have strong bilateral relations with the German government that go beyond simply the level of context but that have become friendships and partnerships over the decades.”

AJC Berlin’s partnerships even reach the Christian Democratic Union of Germany party, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel currently leads. However, that partnership will be changing. According to reports from The Associated Press Oct. 29, Merkel announced she will leave the leadership of the CDU in December and will not seek a fifth term as chancellor.

“(Merkel’s resignation) could mean

that there can be erosion of support on Jewish issues depending on who’s chosen – we hope not – but it’s creating uncertainty at the moment as to how the issues of importance to the Jewish world will develop,” Berger said. “I think there is also uncertainty about where Germany is heading in terms of leadership in the European Union. As Brexit nears its end date, Germany’s role is thrust into an ever more important role in the European Union and as the Jewish community in the United States, we’re concerned about where Europe is heading.”

Berger has served as director for 18 of the 20 years since the Berlin office opened. As the only global Jewish organization with a Jewish presence on the ground in Germany, she said AJC’s partnerships stretch through all aspects of society including police, education and government. For instance, she said a large number of Muslim refugees have come to Germany and with them come anti-Semitic stereotypes.

“We worked with partners who help

raise awareness about the stereotypes they were bringing in with them and about the need of the German government to address the problem, and help them understand better basic information about Jews, about Israel, about contemporary society,” she said.

Anti-Semitic incidents have remained stable for the last few years but at a high level, Berger said. With 100,000 active Jews in Germany plus an estimated 100,000 Jews who are not associated with the community, AJC Berlin needs established partnerships so if disaster strikes, it can be prepared.

“AJC is not just on the ground to observe what’s going on and report about it,” she said. “We’re on the ground to chart the course of history. This is a very important moment for our lives where we see democracy eroding on both sides of the Atlantic and it’s never been more important to take a stand and raise our voices in defense of the liberal values that keep us safe as Jews and keep all of us safe in a democracy. That’s what AJC can do.”

Women of Reform Judaism convention comes to town

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

Eileen Saffran will be the keynote speaker Nov. 9 as the Women of Reform Judaism open its Central District Convention at Embassy Suites and The Temple-Tifereth-Israel, both in Beachwood.

About 90 women from Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee and West Virginia will gather for the convention called “Embrace Your Voice.” The three-day gathering includes a mix of workshops, panels, meals and services, along with a tour of Temple TiferethIsrael’s museum. Awards will be given and officers will be installed.

Saffran founded The Gathering Place in 2000. It has locations in Beachwood and Westlake and has served 40,000 cancer patients. The Gathering Place offers free programs and services addressing the emotional,

physical, spiritual and social needs of individuals and families currently coping with the impact of cancer in their lives.

“I think the key to my message is that anyone can make a difference,” Saffran said. “We are taught early on through our religious education our value of tikkun olam (repairing the world) and how critical it is that we find our passion and get outside of ourselves.”

Saffran grew up in a small Jewish community in Lexington, Ky. She celebrated her bat mitzvah in the mid-1960s at her Conservative synagogue.

“I grew up with that sense of community all of my life,” she said. “And that has been a theme all of my life and that’s what I have created at The Gathering Place.”

Robin Rosen-Sharpe of Temple Beth Shalom in Hudson, who is the area director of WRJ Central District for Northeastern Ohio, will present on awardwinning central district programs and co-lead Shabbat morning services.

TTTI Cantor Kathryn Wolfe Sebo will lead songs at services.

FREE ACCESS TO THE CJN ARCHIVE

Temple in Beachwood and past president of the WRJ Central District, will co-lead Havdalah services on Nov. 10 and will be one of five panelists for Journey to Leadership, the final panel of the convention.

Susan Wasserman of TTTI Israel will direct a play Nov. 10 called, “Love, Loss & What I Wore.”

Sandy Adland of Temple Israel in Canton, immediate past president of the WRJ Central District, will teach a class: “Learning the birkat.” Her students will put their learning to use by leading the birkat after Shabbat luncheon.

Local arrangements co-chairs are Janice Bilchik and Sharon Priesand of the TTTI’s Temple Women’s Association.

“The convention ‘Embrace Your Voice” is so appropiate at this time in our world,” said Suzanne Singerman, president of the Temple Women’s Association of Temple Tifereth Israel. “We’re looking forward to having women from our Central District share and embrace their voices.”

Berger

Marilyn Goldfein of Anshe Chesed Fairmount

Saffran

Barbara Friedman Yaksic

BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org | @BeckyRaspeCJN

Working as a litigation lawyer for almost 30 years, Barbara Friedman Yaksic never had time for much else besides raising her children.

“I’ve always wanted to give more, but I didn’t have the time for it,” she recalled. “I have two adult children and I was working hard raising them.”

Along with taking care of her mother, she couldn’t get involved further than with some bar associations. After she retired, she immediately became more involved.

Yaksic has her hands in many local organizations, like Judge4Yourself, which is a nonpartisan group of attorneys that interview and evaluate all campaigning judges in Cuyahoga County. She also spends her time involved in various NCJW/Cleveland groups, like Promote the Vote, and its human trafficking initiatives.

Yaksic also serves as a legal guardian for her brother who suffered a stroke 14 years ago and she reads to children at the Early Childhood Enrichment Center in Shaker Heights.

“I read to 4-year-olds because I am a

About Barbara

Age: 62

City: Concord Township

Synagogue: Park

Synagouge

Previous career: Litigation lawyer (22 years spent at Benesch and 16 years spent at McGlinchey Stafford)

Retirement year: 2017

Interesting fact: Barbara knew she wanted to be a lawyer once she read “To Kill A Mockingbird” at 13 years old.

first-time grandma,” Yaksic explained. “But, I would’ve done it even if I wasn’t a grandma. I did this too while I was at Benesch. We adopted an elementary school when I was there.”

CJN: What pushed you to volunteer in your retirement?

Yaksic: My father was very active in the community. He was a pediatrician. The Ohio chapter for the American Academy of Pediatrics named their volunteer award after him. So, I guess it is in my genes. My mother raised five children, so she didn’t have much time to volunteer.

CJN: How did your career inspire your volunteer life?

Yaksic: I always wanted to be a lawyer and help people. One of the

things I liked about my career was helping people solve their problems. I wanted to help the community out in a different way – and I found there was a lot of need. I wanted to balance it and do some other nonlegal work. I’m also working on getting my license active again so I can take on some pro-bono legal work.

CJN: Why do you volunteer with voting and politics?

Yaksic: (Voting) determines the future. I’m concerned about the future of my children, my granddaughter and the younger generation. I want the values that we hold as a community to be represented in the government and the courts. That is why (voting) is imperative.

CJN: Why do you feel civic involvement is an important part of life?

Yaksic: I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of it. But life has been, for the most part, very good to me. So, it is important to give back to those who might not have had the advantages and the good life that I had growing up.

CJN: Do you have a favorite volunteering memory?

Yaksic: I do enjoy reading to the 4-year-olds at the ECEC. They call me “Ms. Barbecue.” I do enjoy all of it, but Judge4Yourself sticks out to me. It’s

always important to get good judges in our judicial system. Judges do have a very significant impact on everyone’s lives, whether you’re in court or not. So, it’s important for people to be more informed when it comes to that.

When she isn’t volunteering, Yaksic enjoys traveling with her husband, Michael. She loves to see her children, David (Christy) and Sarah, whom both live out of state. Along with seeing her children, Yaksic can’t get enough of her first granddaughter, Madelyne.

“I have a very full plate and both of my children live out of state, so we try to visit as often as we can,” she said. “Last month, we went on a canyon trip and next we’re going to Australia and New Zealand. So, we’ve traveled more as we’ve gotten older because we’ve had the time.”

Yaksic added, “I also enjoy reading and I work out three times a week. I like to relax when I can.”

“Silver Linings” is a feature about life after retirement. If you are a retiree with an interesting story about your new life or know of someone who fits the bill, email your suggestion to editorial@cjn. org and include “Silver Linings” in the subject line or tweet us at @CleveJN.

Since she loves to travel, Barbara Friedman Yaksic went on a canyon trip last month with her husband, Michael. | Submitted photo

Yaksic

Former Clevelander’s Facebook post details hate message

JANE KAUFMAN | STAFF REPORTER jkaufman@cjn.org | @jkaufmancjn

The assistant principal of a Colorado charter school who grew up in Cleveland Heights has refused to comment about an anti-Semitic threat, which targets him as the victim and was left in a bathroom where he works.

Howard Wolsky posted a photograph of the image on his Facebook page on Nov. 4.

He accompanied the post with text that can be seen by any Facebook member.

“I have really hesitated to post this picture,” Wolsky wrote “It was scrawled on a bathroom stall in my school this week. I feared that it would cast a negative light on my school, when in reality it’s one idiot. I’m pretty sure I know who did it, not positive, and this person was not a student. I don’t post it for anyone’s pity!

“I didn’t post it for shock,” he continued. “The reason I chose to post this now is to show many of my gentile friends that antisemitism exists in America. It exists in Europe. It exists in the Middle East. Let’s face it, it exists everywhere. Are we Jews unique...no. Hate is hate and let’s all stop looking the other way. If I allow this to live in the shadows then I’m part of the problem. Change starts when we hear our friends make snarky comments and we have the courage to speak up and tell them it’s not OK.”

Wolsky was a history teacher at Collegiate Academy of Colorado in the Denver suburb of Littleton from 2014 and is now assistant principal.

He graduated from Cleveland Heights High School in 1980, according to his LinkedIn profile, and did his student teaching at West Geauga High School. He moved to Colorado after attaining his master’s degree. Wolsky is listed as the treasurer of JTown, an organization that creates connections and Jewish community in Colorado.

He has family in Greater Cleveland.

Howard Wolsky, an assistant principal at Collegiate Academy of Colorado in Littleton, Colo., posted this image on Facebook, which was “scrawled on a bathroom stall” in his school. The CJN has edited the image due to offensive language. | Photos / Facebook

Where’s Jeff?

Milestones Autism Resources 2018 annual benefit

Milestones

Autism Resources held its 2018 annual benefit Oct. 27 at the Silver Grille at The Higbee Building in downtown Cleveland. The event included cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, live music, dinner, open bar and a live auction. Milestones helps families impacted by autism. Funds from the benefit support its free community help desk.

Women of Fairmount Temple presents Cleveland Jazz Orchestra

The Women of Fairmount Temple presented the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra in a special concert Oct. 28 at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood. The program included many arrangements performed by the 34-year old orchestra and several classic tunes performed by vocalists. The Women of Fairmount Temple has given is time and support at the temple for more than 100 years.

Courtney and Scott Lepene, Scott Morris and Rabbi Joshua Skoff

Honoree Marvin and Carol Lader, Hannah Sternweiler and Ellen Lader Sternweiler

Wendy and honoree Phillip Irvin

Anita Rothschild and honoree Steven Wexberg

Rob and Lisa Zimmerman and Karen Neides

Anna Greenfield, Susan Borstein and Audrey Koblitz

Gloria Fine and event chair Trina Miller

Art Kaplansky and Alan Rutsky

Lois Kaye

Women of Fairmount Temple president Marilyn Goldfein and Ilene Schwartz

“This is a fabulous endeavor for The Women of Fairmount Temple.” - Ilene Schwartz

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9

University Hospital’s Miracles Happen Celebration, 6:30 p.m., Shaker Heights Country Club, 3300 Courtland Blvd., Shaker Hts. For more info, visit uhgiving.org/miracleshappen.

Hard Rock Rocksino’s Veterans of Comedy Tour, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, 10777 Northfield Rd., Northfield. For more info, visit hrrnp.com.

9th annual “Jewelry Heist” fundraiser, 7-10 p.m., Clague Playhouse, 1371 Clague Rd., Westlake. For more info and tickets, call 440-331-0403 or clagueplayhouse.org. Sales benefit the playhouse. Thru Dec. 7.

The CBM and Fuchs Mizrachi School’s “Shabbat of Connection and Inspiration with Rav Dov Zinger,” 5 p.m., Green Road Synagogue, 2437 S. Green Rd., Beachwood. Followed by an oneg shabbat at the home of Deborah and Meir Pollack.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10

HFLA of Northeast Ohio Party114 gala, 6:30 p.m., Silver Grille, 230 W. Huron Rd., Cleve. For more info, call 216-378-9042 or angela@interestfree.org.

Community Partnership on Aging 40th anniversary Five Star Celebration, 4:30 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 700 Beta Dr., Mayfield Village. $40 at 216-291-3902.

Heights Golden Tigers Reunion, 11:30 a.m., Landerhaven, 6111 Landerhaven Dr., Mayfield Hts. $29 at betsy@ heightsschoolsfoundation.org.

Beck Center for the Arts’ annual Spotlight gala, 6 p.m., Grays Armory Museum, 1234 Bolivar Rd., Cleve. For ticket information, contact 216-521-2540 x43 or visit beckcenter.org.

Hard Rock Rocksino’s Veterans of Comedy Tour, 7 and 9:30 p.m., Hard Rock Rocksino Northfield Park, 10777 Northfield Rd., Northfield. For more info, visit hrrnp.com.

2018 Strongsville Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Strongsville Ehrnfelt Recreation Center, 18100 Royalton Rd., Strongsville. $3, children ages 12 and under free.

YMCA of Greater Cleveland’s 25th anniversary of Y-Haven and the 2018 Steps & Stages Benefit, 6:30 p.m., Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave., Cleve. $50 online or $60 at the door. For more info and tickets, visit bit.ly/2DotUdg or call 216-431-2018.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Calendar listings appearing in The City should be submitted at least 14 days prior to publication date. Send to calendar@cjn.org. Questions? Contact Bob Jacob, managing editor, at 216-342-5207 or bjacob@cjn.org.

The CBM and Fuchs Mizrachi School’s “Shabbat of Connection and Inspiration with Rav Dov Zinger,” 9:45 a.m., Green Road Synagogue, 2437 S. Green Rd., Beachwood. Followed by seudah shell’shit at 5 p.m. at Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai Synagogue, 23749 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Community Partnership on Aging’s 40th anniversary celebration, 4:30-10 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 700 Beta Dr., Mayfield Vil. $40 at bit.ly/2POWzv2.

Beck Center for the Arts’ Spotlight Gala, 7-11 p.m., Grays Armory, 1234 Bolivar Rd., Cleve. RSVP to Dena Adler at 216-521-2540 x18 or beckcenter.org/events/spotlight-2018.

Sundays@Mandel JDS Literacy event, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Mandel JDS, 26500 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood. Free and open to community. RSVP to Kelli Pastor at 216-464-4055 or kpastor@mandeljds.org.

Stan Hywet complimentary admission to all veterans, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 714 N. Portage Path, Akron.

JGS and Siegal Lifelong Learning host

“DNA 101” with Lara Diamond, 1:30-2:30 p.m., Landmark Centre, 27500 Science Park Dr., Beachwood. $5 for nonmembers, free for members of either program. For more info, visit bit.ly/2QKueWp.

JGS and Siegal Lifelong Learning host

“Sorting Out Distant Cousins from Close Family; Genetic Testing in Cases of Endogamy” with Lara Diamond, 3-4 p.m., Landmark Centre, 27500 Science Park Dr., Beachwood. $5 for nonmembers, free for members of either program. For more info, visit bit.ly/2QKueWp.

Nickelodeon’s Double Dare Live, 7 p.m., KeyBank State Theatre, 1519 Euclid Ave., Cleve. $29-$59, with VIP opportunities. For more info and tickets, visit bit.ly/2CT5GI9.

NA’AMAT members special tour of Maltz Museum’s “Israel: Then and Now” exhibit,

Cleveland Jewish News 18 Difference Makers Class of 2018 Celebration

WHAT: CJN’s fourth annual event to recognize those making a difference in Jewish Cleveland

WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18

WHERE: Landerhaven, 6111 Landerhaven Drive, Mayfield Heights

COST: $95 per person and can be purchased at cjn.org/18dm

SPONSORS: Co-presenting: Classic Lexus, Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management and HW Financial Advisors. Video sponsor –Greater Cleveland Partnership. Lifetime Achievement Award sponsor – ERC. Generation Award Sponsor – Ganley Bedford Imports. Lanyard sponsor –University Hospitals. Cocktail sponsor – ohio.net. Gift bag sponsor – Kottler Metal Products, Inc. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Events Manager Gina Lloyd at 216-342-5196.

INFO: Honorees will be featured in a special pull-out commemorative section in the Nov. 16 issue of the CJN as well as on cjn.org and facebook.com/ clevelandjewishnews. To purchase a tribute ad to honor a Difference Maker, contact Adam Mandell at 216-342-5191 or amandell@cjn.org.

Visit cjn.org/differencemakers for honorees, including Lifetime Achievement honoree, Roe Green; Civic Leadership honoree, Judge Dan Aaron Polster; and Generation honorees, the Stein Family.

SINGLES’ SCENE

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10

Dinner with Crossroads for Jewish Singles of Cleveland, 7 p.m., The Cabin of Willowick, 28810 Lake Shore Blvd., Willowick. RSVP to June at 440-944-2757.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12

Crossroads for Jewish Singles Planning Meeting. Call Ken for location and time at 440-498-9911.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16

A performance of the comedy, “Adams Family” with Crossroads for Jewish Singles of Cleveland, 8 p.m., Aurora Community Theatre, 115 E. Pioneer Trail, Aurora. $17. For info and tickets, call Larry at 440-461-2720.

1:30 p.m., Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood. $8/person. RSVP to naamatclev@gmail.com or 216-321-2002.

jHUB & PJ Library “Giving Thanks,” 2:304 p.m., CCPL Solon branch, 34125 Portz Pkwy., Solon. Free. RSVP at bit.ly/2D9JDgp.

Disability Advocacy Alliance talk, 10 a.m., 28449 N. Woodland Rd., Pepper Pike. Light refreshments will be provided. Hosted by Shari Goldberg and Jennifer Wintner. RSVPs appreciated at jenwintner@sbcglobal.net.

9th annual “Jewelry Heist” fundraiser, 1-4 p.m., Clague Playhouse, 1371 Clague Rd., Westlake. For more info and tickets, call 440-331-0403 or clagueplayhouse.org. Sales benefit the playhouse. Thru Dec. 7.

2018 Strongsville Fall Avant-Garde Art & Craft Show, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Strongsville Ehrnfelt Recreation Center, 18100 Royalton Rd., Strongsville. $3, children ages 12 and under free.

Boker D’veykut: “A Morning Dedicated to Enhancing Our Tefillot” programming with Rabbi Dov Zinger, 8:45 a.m., Fuchs Mizrachi, 26600 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood. Followed by an evening event, “Brining the Third Partner Into Our Homes” at 8:15 p.m. at the home of Anna and Elisha Fredman.

CWRU Tribe Talk: New Jewish Conversations installment “Conversation on Pittsburgh Attack” feat. Jeremy Pappas, ADL regional director, 6 p.m., Landmark Centre, 25700 Science Park Dr., Beachwood. Free, RSVPs are encouraged at bit.ly/2RFoGwt.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12

“Mini Menches” Mommy and Me class, 4-5 p.m., Mandel JDS, 26500 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood. Free and open to community. RSVP to Laura Simon at lsimon@ mandeljds.org or 216-464-4055 x106.

“Becoming a Successful Adult with Autism” talk with Doug Blecher of Autism Personal Coach, CCPL Orange branch, 31975 Chagrin Blvd., Pepper Pike. RSVP to 216-831-4282 or cuyahogalibrary.org.

Jewish Federation of Cleveland presents “Celebrating Stephen H. Hoffman,” 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12, Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., Cleve. $80/person at bit.ly/2Oxctxu.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Women of Fairmount Temple’s “King David and the Women He Loved” bible class with Diane Lavin, 11 a.m., 23737 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. $10Women of Fairmount Temple members, $14 others. RSVP by calling Phyllis Henry at 440-461-7921. Lunch follows.

BESTBET

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland will celebrate Stephen H. Hoffman’s tenure as president of the Federation since 1983 at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd. in Cleveland.

Tickets are $80 per person. Kosher dietary laws will be observed. For more information, visit bit.ly/2Oxctxu.

Get Best Bet daily with Boker Tov. Subscribe today at cjn.org/bokertov

Women of Fairmount Temple’s “Books Change Lives” talk with Judy Payne of the Cleveland Kids Book Bank, 1 p.m., 23737 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. $5 for nonmembers. RSVP to womenft@fairmounttemple.org.

“Cyber Security from Solon’s Largest Employer” with Chuck Norman, senior manager of risk and controls at Swagelok, 11:30 a.m., Signature of Solon, 39000 Signature Dr., Solon. $25 for Solon chamber members at bit.ly/2PJTfRK.

Park Synagogue Sisterhood programming, 10 a.m., Park Synagogue East, 27500 Shaker Blvd., Pepper Pike. Other programming follows. Lunch at 12:15 p.m. For lunch RSVPs, call Rita Weintraub at 440-498-9712 or Beverly Bedol at 216-464-0395. Cost is $10 for lunch.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14

Shalom Baby class, 7 p.m., Gross Schechter, 27601 Fairmount Blvd., Pepper Pike. RSVP at bit.ly/2DaSQGd.

JLI “Wrestling with my Faith” course, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m., JLI Cleveland Chapter, 25400 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. $89 at bit.ly/2yqDcR5.

The University Heights Civic Awards, 6:30 p.m., John Carroll University’s Jardine Room, 1 John Carroll Blvd., University Hts. $25 at bit.ly/2JuE4cz.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15

“Cyber-security and Holiday Scams” workshop, 7-8 p.m., CCPL Beachwood branch, 25501 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood. Free. RSVP at cuyahogalibrary.org or 216-831-6868.

“Conversations on Judaism and the Arts: The Talmud as Inspiration for Contemporary Literature” with author Ruby Namdar, 7 p.m., Landmark Centre, 27500 Science Park Dr., Beachwood. $5 for Siegal Lifelong Learning and Maltz Musuem members, $10 for nonmembers. For more info, call 216-368-2091.

9th annual “Jewelry Heist” fundraiser, 7-10 p.m., Clague Playhouse, 1371 Clague Rd., Westlake. For more info and tickets, call 440-331-0403 or clagueplayhouse.org. Sales benefit the playhouse. Thru Dec. 7.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16

“Living in English: Writing in Hebrew” with author Rudy Namdar, 10 a.m., Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood. $5 for Siegal Lifelong Learning or Maltz Museum members, $10 for nonmembers. For more info, call 216-368-2091.

NBA All-Star Game worth $100 million to area

LES LEVINE

llevine@cjn.org | @LesLevine

If you’ve been having trouble navigating downtown Cleveland during the construction around Quicken Loans Arena, you now know about the first return on the investment. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was in town last week to announce that the 2022 NBA All-Star Game will be played at The Q on Feb. 20 of that year and Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish estimated there will be more than $100 million in economic impact to the region.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert said the transformation of The Q was an important factor in the NBA’s decision to choose the city for the actionpacked weekend.

2022. Will LeBron James still be playing?

This will be the third time the NBA All-Star Weekend will be hosted by Cleveland. The first was in 1981 when it was held at the Richfield Coliseum, when the Cavs’ franchise was only in its 11th season. More memorable was the 1997 classic, when the NBA celebrated its 50th anniversary, and the league announced its top 50 players of all time. Only one, “Pistol” Pete Maravich, was deceased

at the time. For you younger basketball fans, I suggest you Google “Maravich” and enjoy watching highlights of his career.

The 2022 game will be 25 years from that announcement and maybe they can redo the list without embarrassing those they would have to take off. Recently, the website, “The Undefeated,” headed by Marc Spears and Mike Wise, presented their version of the top 25 that ruffled some feathers.

The original list included:

Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Nate Archibald, Paul Arizin, Charles Barkley, Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Dave Bing, Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob

ABOUT SAM

Favorite Subject: Math

Siblings: Older brother, Max, 21

Parents: Melissa and Jeff Babbush

Synagogue: Anshe

Chesed Fairmount Temple

To nominate a player of the week, email Staff Reporter Ed Carroll at ecarroll@cjn.org.

Cousy, Dave Cowens, Billy Cunningham, Dave DeBusschere, Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, George Gervin, Hal Greer, John Havlicek, Elvin Hayes, Sam Jones, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Jerry Lucas, Karl Malone, Moses Malone, Maravich, Kevin McHale, George Mikan, Earl Monroe, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Robert Parish, Bob Pettit, Scottie Pippen, Willis Reed, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Bill Russell, Dolph Schayes, Bill Sharman, John Stockton, Isiah Thomas, Nate Thurmond, Wes Unseld, Bill Walton, Jerry West, Lenny Wilkens and James Worthy.

The Undefeated accounted for players who didn’t play before 1997, such as LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Others added were Ray Allen, Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd, Reggie Miller, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce and Dwyane Wade. To make room, they took off

Sponsored by: Mandel Jewish Community Center

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Archibald, Bing, Cowens, DeBusschere, Drexler, Jones, Maravich, Parish, Schayes (the only Jewish player mentioned), Sharman, Unseld, Walton, Wilkens and Worthy.

The only one who has publicly complained about being omitted was Walton, who had a two-year run, broken up by numerous injuries and operations. Those two years may have been the best by a big man in history.

The lists are fun to discuss and maybe we will get to see these players honored in Cleveland. The last time was something I will never forget as I got to be part of the media that interviewed most of them. But, most of all, this will be a great weekend in and for Cleveland.

Kudos to the people who put it all together.

Read Les Levine online at cjn.org/Levine. Follow Les at Facebook.com/Cleveland JewishNews.

Sam Babbush | Beachwood High School | Football | Senior

ED CARROLL | STAFF REPORTER ecarroll@cjn.org | @EdCarrollCJN

Beachwood High School senior wide receiver and kicker Sam Babbush is the Cleveland Jewish News-Buffalo Wild Wings Warrensville Heights Player of the Week.

Babbush, 18, earned the honors for his performance with the Bison, including 22 touchbacks on kickoffs, 25-for-28 on points after touchdown attempts,and 4-for-5 on field goals, with a long of 45 yards.

“On the field, I think I’ve done well,” Babbush said. “My leg for kicking has gotten stronger. I was named captain this year, that was very exciting. I feel my leadership skills exceeded what I expected them to be and I think I surprised myself and my coaches. It was a really fun year.”

Babbush said he had more fun playing wide receiver this season, but he thinks his kicking is what will help him play in college, which is a goal of his. He’s still considering a few different colleges for school next year.

“I’ve gotta focus on (kicking),” he said. “It can be hard sometimes, but I’ve got to

do my best.”

His kicking has helped lead the team to six wins, though the Bison just missed the playoffs.

Babbush has also been raising money on behalf of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Fund, an organization that funds research into childhood cancer. He’s been collecting donations and using his performance to try to raise money. All total, Babbush has raised $10,518 this season.

Beachwood football coach Damian Creel said Babbush has come a long way, starting out as a soccer player before becoming a football player full time. Creel said Babbush has grown up and matured a lot, and done everything that’s been asked of him.

“Sam had a phenomenal season kicking the ball for us,” Creel said. “He also plays receiver for us but wasn’t able to catch as many balls as he’d like offensively due to our lack of throwing the football, but in terms of him kicking for us this year, he was an absolute weapon for us.”

Beachwood High School senior Sam Babbush | Submitted photo

WORLD Read more world news at cjn.org/world

Jared Polis elected first Jewish governor of Colorado

JTA

Jared Polis will be the first Jewish governor of Colorado as well as the country’s first openly gay man to be elected governor.

The 43-year-old Democrat, who has been representing the state in the House of Representatives since 2009, beat Republican Walker Stapleton in the Nov. 6 election.

Prior to entering politics, Polis was a technology entrepreneur who made millions by starting three companies.

He ran for governor on a three-pronged platform: to ensure Colorado uses only renewable energy by

2040, provide free preschool and kindergarten across the state, and fight income inequality.

Polis has previously said his Jewish background has a large influence on his political beliefs.

“I derive a lot of the values that I try to bring into the public sphere from my private faith,” Polis said. “Certainly for me I focus a lot on education and I’m running for governor to bring (free) preschool and kindergarten to our state and improve our schools and that’s an important Jewish value.”

Polis, whose great-grandparents immigrated to the United States from Poland and Ukraine in the early 20th

Jacky Rosen wins Senate seat in Nevada

Rep. Jacky Rosen, a freshman Democrat in the House from Nevada and former synagogue president, defeated incumbent Dean Heller to win a U.S. Senate seat.

Rosen won with 50.8 percent of the vote to Heller’s 45 percent in the Nov. 6 election.

The former software developer was talked into running by former Sen. Harry Reid, who believed she was the likeliest challenger to unseat Heller. Reid, who retired last year as the party leader in the Senate, remains a powerhouse in Nevada politics and still has a say in whom the party advances.

Prior to her successful congressional run last year, Rosen’s only elective experience was as president of Ner Tamid, a Reform synagogue in suburban Las Vegas.

Compiled from JTA

century, added: “And also being so close to the immigrant experience, I’m a strong defender of immigrant rights and refugees, of course with the experi-

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ence that Jews had prior to World War II, that few countries wanted to accept Jewish refugees.”

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Democrat Jared Polis walks onto the stage with running mate Dianne Primavera upon defeating Republican Walker Stapleton in the race for Colorado governor, during the Democratic watch party in Denver on Nov. 6. | AAron Ontiveroz / The Denver Post via AP

A picture is worth a thousand words

BEN COHEN bencohenonline@gmail.com

On a sunny afternoon Oct. 29, about 200 demonstrators gathered outside the JCC in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, a short distance from the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh where, on the previous Shabbat, the neo-Nazi assailant Robert Bowers gunned down 11 Jews who had gone there to pray.

The rally was one of several responses from the city’s left-wing and progressive groups to the visit that same day of President Donald Trump, whom the protestors blamed for encouraging a political climate in which a fanatic felt emboldened enough to murder Jews for the sole reason that they were Jews.

Centrist, mainstream Jews would have strongly disagreed with a good deal of the rhetoric at the rally and would doubtless have winced at the obligatory condemnation of the Israeli “occupation.” At the same time, this was a gathering that eagerly – one might even say lovingly – embraced its Jewish nature; kaddish was recited for the victims, and Hebrew songs were sung with gusto and fluency.

Above all, there was the sense that everyone here understood that antiSemitism is a threat that needs to be taken seriously and confronted. That is a far cry from Europe, where far-left and ultranationalist politicians alike accuse Jews of fabricating anti-Semitism for political gain, even as Jews of all ages are murdered by Islamist terrorists at a Jewish school, a Jewish museum and a Jewish supermarket, and elderly Jews living alone are assaulted by street thugs spitting antiSemitic invective.

What, though, did those attending the rally understand by the word “antiSemitism?? As I strolled among the crowd, I came across a large banner that read, “Anti-Semitism Upholds White Supremacy.” I asked the gentleman holding it if he minded my taking a photo and he agreed. But when I tried to engage him in conversation about the banner, he demurred, and I didn’t push it.

I only mention that because what follows is simply my interpretation of that slogan.

As I see it, the operative phrase here is “white supremacy” – and this reveals another key distinction between America and Europe.

In Europe, there is no question that anti-Semitism has been the deadliest and most enduring form of prejudice known on that continent – one that continues to plague its Jewish communities more than 70 years after the Nazis exterminated 6 million Jews. But in America, antiSemitism has been merely one element of the Jewish experience, and not the most significant; by contrast, the legacy of slavery and segregation means that it

is racism targeting African-Americans that has dominated the American public’s imagination.

Still, as the banner in Squirrel Hill suggested, that doesn’t exclude antiSemitism from the equation entirely. By “upholding” white supremacy, antiSemitism takes its place among the roster of prejudices – racism, homophobia, transphobia and so forth – which determine, insist progressives, that the quest for social justice is necessarily “intersectional.”

For the historical reasons I outlined above, this strategy makes a good deal more sense in America than it does in Europe. Yet there’s a danger of becoming too parochial, unable to recognize the prevailing forms of anti-Semitism – leftist, Islamist, the phenomenon of “anti-Semitism without Jews” in countries like Malaysia – outside of our country.

The first consideration is that antiSemitism is a global phenomenon that manifests in different countries and different cultures at the same time. It unites its various followers in the core belief that the Jews are a “global” people, eternally suspect because they pursue their narrow, selfish interests across national borders.

At that point, the hatred of Jews develops national or religious characteristics that conform to the local environment. This is something we need to bear in mind when we stand up and challenge anti-Semitism in America: there are important differences in its manifestation in this country as compared with other countries.

Most important of all is that, historically, anti-Semitism has never been an organizing principle of American politics, in marked contrast to a list that includes France, Germany, Russia, Poland and most of the Middle East. Certainly, anti-Semitism has had its American proponents over the years, from the German-American Bund to Father Coughlin to the Nation of Islam. All of these groups have had their moments in the sun, but none of them have been strong enough to change how the vast majority of non-Jews in America think about their Jewish neighbors.

Because of that, American Jews have never had to confront the notion that they would be better off living elsewhere. In France, that has been a topic of conversation among Jews for nearly two decades – and thousands have acted on it,

moving to Israel and to the United States –while in the United Kingdom, the state of the Labour Party under its far-left leader Jeremy Corbyn is provoking similarly angstfilled discussions.

American anti-Semitism, even when articulated through an assault rifle, has not had the same effect. None of the Jews I met in Pittsburgh this week were thinking remotely of leaving the country they love. As far as they are concerned, it is the antiSemites and bigots who should get out of here – not the Jews and other minorities. In this moment of extraordinary pain, that is a heartening response, and one that reflects America’s proud history as a haven for the

the

Jewish people.

Would that be the case in every other nation as well?

Ben Cohen, senior editor of TheTower.org & The Tower Magazine, writes a weekly column for JNS.org on Jewish affairs and Middle Eastern politics from New York. To read more of Cohen’s columns, visit cjn.org/cohen.

DISCLAIMER

Letters, commentaries and opinions appearing in the Cleveland Jewish News do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, its board, officers or staff.

A banner at a rally outside the JCC in Pittsburgh. | Photo / Ben Cohen

Tree of Life tragedy hits home in Israel

MARCY OSTER

columnists@cjn.org

Being an American Jew far from America when a tragedy like the attack on the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh occurs is difficult.

It means finding out about it in the local news media as soon as Shabbat is over and knowing that many of your friends and relatives in the United States still don’t know and won’t for several hours.

It means being worried about said friends and relatives because we have no idea what sick and demented people might try a copy cat crime.

It means immediately thinking of all the people you know who live in Pittsburgh, who have family in Pittsburgh, who might be visiting their parents in Pittsburgh right now.

It means turning on the 24-hour news networks as soon as you hear about the attack and not being able to turn them off, literally all night, the next day and the entire week.

It means reading every single word written about the attack, about the shooter, about the victims, about Squirrel Hill, about the funerals, about

ONLINE CHATTER

the protests and about the resurgence of anti-Semitism in America. It means so many tears, and the desire to hop on a plane, either to Pittsburgh or home to Cleveland.

It means seeking out other Americans living in Israel to talk to about the attack because they more than anyone understand what you are going through.

It means accepting the condolences of Israelis, because they know you are American and that you worry and because they – my family included – have gone through the same things right here in Israel.

It means reliving all the times when there were attacks here in Israel in which I held a vigil in front of the news and in front of the cell phone as I waited for all of my children, my sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law and their children to check in on the family Whatsapp groups to make sure everyone was OK.

It is that constant feeling in the pit of

What our readers are saying about our stories online. Read the full comments and more at cjn.org and Facebook.com/ClevelandJewishNews.

Re: Brown lone Democrat to win statewide office in midterms that’s not true cause dewine won the governor race

— Jim Hicks

DeWine is a republican

— Brian Shifflet

And so much the worse for the state. At least Sherrod held.

— Elizabeth Whitmore Gloger

God LOVE Sherrod, the lone wolf. He may very well be THE only unselfish politician in the nation....

— Ellen B. Jacob

Another 65-yr. oldster takes center stage!!!!!!!

— Mark Kessler

Re: Yost defeats Dettelbach to become next attorney general Ughhhhh why do people endlessly vote against their best interests?

— Elizabeth Whitmore Gloger

OHIO- You embarrass and disgust me.

— Marc Moritz

Glad I could be of assistance...

— Mark Michael

Re: Items of love left at Temple Israel’s front doorstep

What a better place this world would be if everyone believed in this conviction. G-d Bless America and all of the “REAL” people who are believers in the right attitude towards all mankind.

— Bruce B. Felder

your stomach and tightness in your chest and the crushing headache on the edges of your consciousness.

It means being proud that a representative of my government, the government of Israel, within hours of the news of the attack, got on an airplane and rushed to the scene of the attack to show that the people of Israel stand with American Jewry, all American Jewry, at all times but even more so during a time of great tragedy. And even though many, myself included, did not agree with many things that Diaspora Minister Naftali Bennett said during his time in Pittsburgh, he was there because he and the country he represents care and worry about the Jews of Pittsburgh, the Jews of the United States and Jews all around the world.

It means knowing that this is not the time to call on American Jews to make aliyah. Because an attack like this only brings you closer to your own community, I unfortunately know this from experience, and because American Jews are proud to be both Jewish and American.

As an American living in Israel I was so proud and happy to see other Americans rally around the Pittsburgh and national Jewish community. From wildly successful crowd-funding campaigns to offers to stand guard at synagogues. From the Hebrew words of

Re: Event featuring ‘Broad City’ star Ilana Glazer canceled at Brooklyn synagogue due to ‘kill all Jews’ graffiti

Then they won. The event should have been held.

— Avi Weiss

trump is destroying America

— Emily Kohl

They shouldn’t have canceled it, but Emily Kohl what in the world does this have to do with Trump? Do you just blindly assume that all Jews are Dems?...

—

Susie Swerdlow Clark

And so tragically the “haters” win because we cannot take the chance that others could potentially die...

the Mourners’ Kaddish published on the front page of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to the recitation of Kaddish at the end of the NBC “Nightly News.”

From the logo of the Pittsburgh Steelers changed to include a Star of David to the logo of the Pittsburgh Penguins which did the same. From the countless moments of silence for the victims in sports venues to the moment of silence that halted the New York Stock Exchange. From the busloads of people who came to Pittsburgh to stand in silent vigil outside the Tree of Life Congregation building and outside the venues of the funerals. From the packed synagogues on the Shabbat after the attack to the packed voting booths more than a week later.

May we never again know so much hate, sorrow and tragedy.

Marcy Oster is a former Clevelander who covers the Middle East for the Cleveland Jewish News from Karnei Shomron, West Bank. To read more of Oster’s columns, visit cjn.org/oster.

DISCLAIMER

Letters, commentaries and opinions appearing in the Cleveland Jewish News do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, its board, officers or staff.

Brown lone Democrat to win statewide office in midterms

How can anyone vote for a man who has no respect for his wife?

—Cora Bell

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wears ‘Stronger than Hate’ cleats to honor Pittsburgh synagogue victims

Proud of you sir

—Jim Portune

Comments appearing in Online Chatter originate from cjn.org and Facebook.com/ ClevelandJewishNews. You can post comments to any story at any time. We will edit in print for brevity and obvious typos.

Beautiful

— Abraham Neuberg

Re: United Hatzalah arrives to treat survivors

Of course. These mighty warriors care for everyone.

— Sherry Schwartz

I have a candle in my window to remember the loss of these beautiful, innocent, happy, loving people...

— Sandy Winter

— Hyla N. Weiskind

Jews and supporters fill synagogues in Pittsburgh and throughout the country

me too i will always stand with my brothers and sisters the Jews

— Jim Hicks

Hudson candidate reports note left at home targeting Judaism

He’s a great guy and is the best person for the job!

—Marcy Schleider Schulman

DISCLAIMER

Letters, commentaries and opinions appearing in the Cleveland Jewish News do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, its board, officers or staff.

MAILBOX

Mother ‘would be proud’ of Cohen

Congratulations to Nan Cohen for receiving the 2018 Ruby Bass award. I’m sure that my mother would be proud to know that she is being remembered in this way.

Gail Bass Arnoff Shaker Heights

Where is Jewish morality?

Those who continue to support President Donald Trump do so at the cost of what Judaism teaches us about leading a moral Jewish life: to pursue and advance the concepts of kindness, decency and truth; to speak out against bigotry and prejudice against Jews and all minorities and refugees; to help the downtrodden, particularly those fleeing oppression, just as Jews did when they came to this country after World War II and how Abraham did in welcoming strangers into his tent in last week’s parasha; to renounce publicly those who intentionally rip open the underbelly of racism and prejudice; to call out those who lie perpetually instead of valuing and speaking the truth; to speak out against unfair attacks on a free press. Alternate facts? Really?; and, most importantly, to speak out against ant-Semitism, particularly the intentional use of anti-Semitic code words, like “globalist,” meaning “international Jewish conspiracy.”

Trump recently stated he was a “nationalist and not a globalist.” Almost immediately after, Ku Klux Klan’s David Duke sang Trump’s praises on Twitter.

History’s taught us that Jews have always been outsiders, except in Israel and the U.S. – until now. Make no mistake, we must take a moral stand on this threat to our safety as U.S. Jews rather than just stay silent.

Don’t Jewish teachings on Jewish morality require these things? How can Jews I know to be moral and good people continue to support a president and party without objection to these moral outrages?

Kerry Volsky Solon

DISCLAIMER

Letters, commentaries and opinions appearing in the Cleveland Jewish News do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cleveland Jewish Publication Company, its board, officers or staff.

CJN lauded for Pittsburgh coverage

I am humbled by the incredible reporting job the Cleveland Jewish News did this week, covering so many angles of Saturday’s horrific attack in Pittsburgh.

As you know, I’m always a big fan of the CJN, but this edition goes way beyond what anyone could reasonably expect.

Kol hakavod to you and the entire staff. We are so blessed to have you in our community, working for us every day, every week, every year. I only hope that your skills will never again be tested in this way.

Char Rapoport Nance, Director ORT America – Ohio Region

Comfort in community

My wife, Sandy, and I attended activities four out of seven days at The Temple Tifereth-Israel, our beautiful temple home, the week following the tragedy in Pittsburgh.

Being embraced by a loving, inclusive synagogue community is life enhancing always. But at a time when we have been shaken to our core it is almost lifesaving. It reminds us of all the good in the world. It restores our hope.

Shabbat services and other opportunities to be in community fill us up and bring us peace. This is something that no human power can take away from us permanently. Our four gifted, intelligent and compassionate clergy work diligently and constantly, bringing deep and meaningful experiences to their congregants, and making strides in repairing the world.

It was never a thought for us to stay away because of fear. We knew where we needed to be.

Joy Fox Cleveland

CORRECTIONS

• Rabbi Josh Foster of B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike lights one of the 11 candles representing the Pittsburgh shooting victims during a vigil in Cleveland. He was misidentified.

‘Disappointed’ in Brett column

I like Cleveland Jewish News columnist Regina Brett and read her column every time it is printed. I generally like her views and insights. But I am very disappointed that she used the tragedy in Pittsburgh to be political and turn her column into a dislike President Donald Trump speech, a vote against the Republicans speech. (“Blame the Jews? Enough is enough,” Nov. 2)

Rita Rzepka Gates Mills

Thanks for addiction program

Thank you to Sheryl Hirsh and Siegal Lifelong Learning Program at Case Western Reserve University and the Jewish Federation of Cleveland for an enlightening and important program entitled, “It Happens Here: Addiction and Mental Health Issues in the Jewish Community.”

Sixteen members of the Cleveland area-clergy and 10 lay leaders spent the day learning about substance use disorder and the ways in which the Jewish community can eliminate stigma and support individuals and their families. Clergy and lay leaders represented every branch of Judaism as well as nondenominational Jews.

Clearly, this issue, which kills 11 Ohioans every day, touches every corner of the Jewish community and it is our obligation to respond compassionately and effectively as a community.

We appreciate Hirsh sharing her personal tragedy, Dr. Paul Manning teaching us about the physical aspects of the disease, Marla Kaufman describing her creation of the Jewish Addiction Awareness Network and offering concrete steps we can take in the Greater Cleveland area and Jory Hanselman introducing us to the BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy program.

Thank you for bringing in these experts to share their time and knowledge. The session closed with words from a text called Tanna debei Eliyahu Rabbah, warning us, “If we are able to do something, yet we do nothing, we are responsible for the consequences.”

As clergy representing a wide swath of our Jewish community, we are grateful for the reminder that we can do better as we respond to mental health challenges, substance use disorder and the opioid epidemic.

An open letter to Regina

I just want you to know how meaningful columnist Regina Brett’s article, “Stop blaming the Jews,” was to me.

I used to read your columns all the time in the Akron Beacon-Journal and always enjoyed them.

Anyhow, a friend posted your article from the Cleveland Jewish News on Facebook, and I copied it and sent it to my husband, who sent it to our grandchildren. Hopefully, they will get “turned on” from it and get involved. (I can try, can’t I?)

Thank you for all your beautiful thoughts and eloquent writing.

I Googled you to see if you were Jewish because I felt your passion. I read your article about your boyfriend taking you to a seder. It was terrific.

Stay well and keep writing so beautifully. I will look for your future columns.

Janice Sheftel Akron

Offended by Brett column

I’m sorry but I strongly disagree with Cleveland Jewish News columnist Regina Brett’s recent column (“Blame the Jews again? Enough is enough,” Nov. 2)

To use the Pittsburgh tragedy to take a cheap shot at the president is wrong. I too am tired. I’m tired of Jews wistfully believing some legislation or nice speak is going to protect them. If history teaches us anything, it’s that we are targeted precisely because we are Jews and that responsibility for our safety lies solely with us. I’m tired of the peace-loving rabbis that helped lead my ancestors to the ovens. I’d rather admire the resistance that fought back. Does the writer understand that Israel learned long ago that violence must be met with overwhelming force. Wishing away the evil on her borders won’t cut it. Does armed security always work? No, but it’s better then being a sheep led to slaughter. There are over a billion guns in this country and that’s not changing. Just as our schoolchildren should be protected, we as Jews need to ensure our own safety. Relying on police or politicians is crazy. Just ask those that survived the concentration camps. Just ask any brave member of the Israel Defense Forces. The slogan, “never again,” reflects this view. Never again should Jews allow themselves to be victims. Those last few souls that fought in the Warsaw ghetto understood this just as we must.

• Jade Chinese Kitchen’s hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m Sunday through Thursday. Incorrect hours were reported. (“New kosher Chinese restaurant opens in South Euclid,” Nov. 2)

Noah Leavitt, Rabbi

Oheb Zedek-Cedar Sinai

Sharon Marcus, Rabbi Park Synagogue

Steve Segar, Rabbi

Kol HaLev, Cleveland’s Reconstructionist Community

This letter was also signed by 16 other people.

For what it’s worth, my temple in Columbus has had armed security for more than 20 years. It’s sad those poor souls in Pittsburgh did not.

Bernard Gross Pataskala, Ohio

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Columnists

Bob Abelman, Hal Becker, Regina Brett, Ben Cohen, Ruchi Koval, Les Levine, Jeff Mendes, Marcy Oster, Clifford Savren

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Vice Chairs: Rabbi Rosette Barron Haim, Dennis A. Linden, Paul Singerman

Treasurer: Susan D. Krantz

Assistant Treasurer: Lawrence M. Hirsh

Secretary: Loren S. Chylla

Assistant Secretary: Rabbi Eli Dessler

Directors: Cathleen Bolek, Gena Cohen, Jay Geller, Shari Loveman Goldberg, Dr. Elad Granot, Jessa Hochman, Kate Hubben, David Kaufman, Dustin S. Klein, Emily Lebowitz, Gregg A. Levine, Greg Marcus, Wendy Lefko Messeloff, Aaron Minc, David Minc, David Posner, Lauren B. Rock,

CLEVELAND

President: David Kaufman

Vice Presidents: Debbie Hoffmann, Eric Rubin, Ron Teplitzky

Secretary: David Kroh

Assistant Secretary: Alan Yanowitz

Treasurer: Bruce Friedman

Assistant Treasurer: Larry Friedman

Board Chair: David R. Hertz II

President: Kevin S. Adelstein

Vice President of Sales: Adam Mandell

Jerry Schmelzer, Barbara A. Schwartz, Harvey Siegel, Stacy Singerman, Chaya Slain, Andrew Spott, David Toth, Becky Watts, Arthur A. Weisman, Susan Paley Zak

Past Chairs: Max Axelrod*, Barry R. Chesler, Donald K. Freedheim, Marc W. Freimuth, Peggy Garson, victor gelb*, Bruce M. Hennes, Martin Marcus, Michael A. Ritter, Lloyd Schwenger*, Gary Shamis, Wilton S. Sogg*, Harold S. Stern*, Norman Wain, James M. Yasinow*, Ben D. Zevin*

Honorary Life Director: Barry R. Chesler

Directors: Mark Bogomolny, Fran Doris, Barry Feldman, Meredith Glazer, Joel Herman, David R. Hertz II, Kerry Kertesz, Chuck Whitehill

Emeritus Directors: Barry R. Chesler, Susan C. Levine, Martin H. Marcus, Paul Singerman, Norman Wain

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Credit history plays key role in financial life

BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org | @BeckyRaspeCJN

Credit cards are not the only way to build credit.

According to David Mikolay, vice president and Akron-Canton regional market manager at CF Bank in Fairlawn, and Era Griffin, regional manager at The Huntington Private Bank in Cleveland, credit and lending history is a big part of personal finances.

“Credit history is important because in today’s world, whether you want to purchase a home or have a credit card, it allows you to purchase those things for your family,” Griffin saidd. “It’s the bank’s measure of your ability to repay a loan. We look at various factors, most of it being payment history. That helps to build a strong credit score.”

Lenders, insurance companies and even some employers use credit history to determine how one manages finances, Mikolay said.

“As far as your credit history goes, it shows your ability to obtain credit and how responsible you are with it,” he explained. “That can determine future credit and loans given to you and the amount of interest you pay.”

Individuals can build credit in many ways.

“Building your credit history, usually people start out when they are 18 with credit cards,” Mikolay noted.

Griffin added, “Making your payments on time is the biggest thing. But generally, when you’re starting out, it may be difficult getting a regular credit card. So, we suggest a smaller card, like a gas or store-specific card. Don’t fully use that limit – buy something, turn around and pay that back.”

Other ways to build credit include keeping your checking and savings accounts in good standing and having a cosigner on credit requests.

Building one’s credit could negatively impact it too.

“The biggest thing is nonpayment or late payments,” Mikolay said. “Other things include your credit ratio. So, if you are maxing out your lines of credit, even if you’re paying them down, that can affect your credit score. People have a misconception that paying it down while it’s still in high use is OK, but that can negatively impact a score.”

Griffin added, “Sometimes when you apply to a significant number of cards with availabilities and you don’t use them, that can be a negative. It’s not usually a great idea to have a large number of credit lines out there.”

Repairing a bad credit history starts with recognizing those issues.

“Knowing what your credit looks like and where those scores are can help you,” Mikolay said. “A lot of companies

let you know what your score is and many of them also do a yearly full report. This is a good way to know where you are in your credit.”

Griffin suggested, “Individuals need to reach out to the credit bureau to see what is being reported. If they are struggling to make payments and need to restructure a bit, they need to reach out to their lender and be proactive with them.”

But, it’s important to stay diligent.

“Make sure you handle your checking and savings accounts in a satisfactory manner and start with a smaller card,” Griffin expressed. “Credit is very important today. Establishing good credit and maintaining that has become a big part of our lives.”

Mikolay added, “Make sure you can afford what you’re spending. Don’t max (credit cards) out and if you can’t pay back something quickly, don’t buy it. Also, educate yourself. When you’re applying for cards, you need to know how the credit works before you sign onto it and start using it.”

Griffin

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The business of banking has always been a personal one.

According to Kurt Raicevich, senior vice president and head of retail banking at First Federal of Lakewood in Lakewood; Kevin Sulecki, branch manager at Ohio Savings Bank’s Cedar Center branch in South Euclid; and Paul Vargo, regional manager of retail at Peoples Bank in Beachwood, inperson banking allows for relationship-based customer service to shine.

“You get a chance to sit down with the customer and get to know them better,”

Vargo stated. “That is what we strive to do. We want to be a trusted adviser to the client, build a relationship with them and find a solution for any need they may have. And we need to ask the right questions to make sure we’re doing the right thing.”

Raicevich added, “I would say that a lot of it has to do with relationships. It’s having a go-to person in the form of a bank to go to with your financial questions, challenges and future. It’s being able to have an establishment of a relationship.”

Sulecki said in-person banking also plays a role in local banking.

“There is that family atmosphere and that’s the biggest thing,” he said. “The human touch, personal service and the caring attitude, especially when celebrating their life-changing moments with them, is important.”

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With the advent of online banking, the professionals said local branches had to adapt to set themselves apart.

“It has dramatically,” Sulecki began. “When you talk about in-person banking, the traffic coming to the bank has changed. We used to get a lot of people coming to cash their social security checks but now there is direct deposit so they don’t come in. It’s about us following up with our customers

and letting them know what is available.”

Raicevich noted in-person banking has embraced technology in some places.

“We’ve made (in-person banking) efficient, especially with the advent of drive-thru options,” he said. “We’ve invested in technology to give that option. You have all these options online, but it’s not the same as going inperson and gauging someone’s reactions.”

Vargo added technology has further pushed the importance of in-person banking.

“When someone comes in to open an account, you want to spend time with the client and learn all about them because you might not see them as much as you would in the past,” he said. “What hasn’t changed over the years though is that we should be taking great care of the client whenever they come in. But, it is a challenge because more people are going online and you might not see them as often.”

The professionals said in-person and online banking now work hand in hand.

“They both tie in together,” Vargo said. “We wouldn’t be able to compete if we didn’t offer online banking today. It’s about tying those two together and figuring out how the relationship building fits in there. You need to tie that in and give them the best of both worlds.”

Raicevich added, “I’d find out what (a client’s) needs are and how they manage their finances and what they ultimately want to achieve. I understand their comfort levels with technology and then understand their future plans. Many people are used to what they are used to.”

But, relationships are at the heart of it all.

“Most people want to be recognized when they walk into an establishment,” Raicevich said. “They want to be known as a customer, that their business is valued and that they are appreciated. It is anything to deepen that relationship further.”

Sulecki noted, “Relationships are everything, it’s what it’s all about. Until you build a relationship with a client, you’ll never have that solidification. Without that, they could move onto another bank.”

Vargo added, “Relationships are everything in banking and life. You’re handling their money and they want to know that you’re always looking for the right thing for them. You want that trust and relationship from the start. Hopefully, after that, they keep returning.”

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Charitable IRA rollovers especially beneficial in 2018

MIKE KLEIN Special to the C JN

If you’re age 70½ or older, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changes may make it more beneficial for you to make your charitable contributions –up to $100,000 annually – from your IRA. By giving all or part of your required minimum distributions to qualified charitable organizations, you will avoid paying tax on the RMD. Additionally, this break may be especially beneficial now because TCJA also changes who can benefit from the itemized deduction for charitable donations.

COUNTS TOWARD YOUR RMD

You must begin taking annual RMDs from your traditional IRAs in the year you reach age 70½. If you don’t comply, you can owe a penalty equal to 50 percent of the amount you should have withdrawn but didn’t. Deferral is allowed for the initial year, but you’ll have to take two RMDs the next year. A charitable IRA rollover can be used to satisfy required minimum distributions.

So if you don’t need the RMD for your living expenses, a charitable IRA rollover can be a great way to satisfy the RMD requirement without triggering the tax liability if the RMD were paid directly to you.

ITEMIZING NOT REQUIRED

You might be able to achieve a similar tax result from taking the RMD and then contributing that amount to charity. But it’s more complex because you must report the RMD as income and then take an itemized deduction for the donation if you itemize.

With the TCJA’s near doubling of the standard deduction, fewer taxpayers will benefit from itemizing. Itemizing saves tax only when itemized deductions exceed the standard deduction. For 2018,

the standard deduction is $12,000 for singles, $18,000 for heads of households, and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly.

WEIGH YOUR OPTIONS CAREFULLY

Even if you have enough other itemized deductions to exceed your standard deduction, taking your RMD and contributing that amount to charity has two more possible downsides.

First, the reported RMD income might increase your income to the point that you’re pushed into a higher tax bracket, certain additional taxes are triggered and/or the benefits of certain tax breaks are reduced or eliminated. It could even cause Social Security payments to become taxable or increase income-based Medicare premiums and prescription drug charges.

Second, if your donation would equal a large portion of your income for the year, your deduction might be reduced due to the percentage-of-income limit. You generally can’t deduct cash donations that exceed 60 percent of your adjusted gross income for the year. The TCJA raised this limit from 50 percent, but if the cash donation is to a private non-operating foundation, the limit is only 30 percent. You can carry forward the excess up to five years, but if you make large donations every year, that won’t help you.

A charitable IRA rollover avoids these potential negative tax consequences.

HAVE QUESTIONS?

The considerations involved in deciding whether to make a direct IRA rollover have changed in light of the TCJA. It is important to weigh all the factors before you decide the best route for your situation. Your tax adviser can help you determine the best scenario for you.

Mike Klein is a partner in the audit and accounting department at Ciuni & Panichi, Inc. in Beachwood.

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Singer Foundation gives $1 million for security of NYC Jewish institutions

JTA

The Paul E. Singer Foundation said it will give at least $1 million to help secure Jewish institutions around New York in response to the shooting attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue that left 11 worshippers dead.

The foundation announced Nov. 5 the money will go toward safety reviews and enhanced precautions at synagogues, day schools and community centers, the New York Post reported Nov. 6.

“The tragedy in Pittsburgh was a painful reminder of the need to revisit our community’s security needs,”

Paul Singer, a billionaire hedge fund manager, told the newspaper. He called

on others to “join the effort.”

The money will be distributed through the UJA Federation of New York.

The funds also will go toward official security assessments that the institutions need to apply for government funding for security.

The Singer Foundation says its mission “is to support and create innovative and effective organizations and initiatives that strengthen American democracy, the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and Jewish continuity.”

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End of life discussions should happen early

BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org | @BeckyRaspeCJN

End of life discussions shouldn’t occur once a crisis strikes.

According to Rabbi Akiva Feinstein, director of spiritual care at Montefiore in Beachwood, and Dr. Beth McLaughlin, chief medical officer at Hospice of the Western Reserve in Cleveland, aging adults should have these conversations earlier.

“Early conversations are important because many illnesses occur more suddenly than we expect,” McLaughlin said. “It is very helpful if families can have a sense of what people’s wishes are before they are in

the middle of that situation.”

During his hospice career, Feinstein has helped many families have “the talk.” There is never an easy time to have the discussion, he said.

“You have to talk about it when you have the state of mind and comfort,” Feinstein explained. “It is something people are always worried about too. So, having the discussions early empowers one’s family. Also, it’s easier to discuss things when people are healthier.”

Feinstein also added if someone is ill, they’ll understand why the conversation is needed. But, when it isn’t a pressing issue, individuals can be more candid and honest about end of life choices.

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Though the conversation can be difficult, there are ways to ease the pressure.

“There are a lot of tools online that ask these questions in a structured way,” McLaughlin said. “There is also information that explains nothing is wrong with (the individual) now, but this is something (they) want to talk about.”

Feinstein added, “The conversation is good but it may be difficult. There are good ways to make it easier. Reading books together helps (families), like reading someone else’s experience. By discussing other people’s lives, it’s easier to discuss what one would do when it’s them.”

The professionals said their organizations have materials that encourage conversation. Montefiore has it’s Conversation Project, and Hospice of the Western Reserve has its Courage in Conversation workbook. Both options map out how end-of-life conversations could go and what points individuals should cover.

“These conversations will always be upsetting, but there is power in knowing what to expect,” Feinstein said.

Aging adults can benefit from including many generations in their end of life plans.

“I recommend that when you’re talking about this that it isn’t focused on one person,” McLaughlin suggested. “Having a family conversation about everyone’s wishes make it less threatening. The holidays are a good time to talk about these things because people are together.”

Feinstein noted, “We live in a society where things change very quickly and there are big generation shifts in how we look at things. Each generation may have a different perspective, but they’re all unique and helpful.”

Aging adults need to ensure all the proper paperwork is ready.

“My advice would be to get one of the online tools and print that out,” McLaughlin suggested. “Look at those questions and try to go through those in a structured way. Another thing that is important is to determine who your healthcare proxy is. In doing so, that would be the time to speak with that person about what you want your wishes to be.”

Feinstein said families should be aware of timing.

“Like a lot of things that are difficult in life, it’s all about the timing,” he remarked. “Be patient in learning more about your family and what is important to them. It’s about learning what they enjoy through everyday sharing and caring. Families can learn a lot about their loved one’s wishes without having a big conversation.”

Feinstein

McLaughlin

“These conversations will always be upsetting, but there is power in knowing what to expect.”

Rabbi Akiva Feinstein, Director of Spiritual Care Montefiore

Healthy aging starts with healthy living

BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org | @BeckyRaspeCJN

Ahealthy lifestyle is something every age group should use.

But according to Heather Freemont, regional director of operations at Maplewood, which has locations throughout Ohio; Dr. Reuben Goebezie, founder of Regen Orthopedics; and Kari White, clinical director at Menorah Park’s home health department in Beachwood, aging adults see great benefits from healthy living.

The three professionals noted various lifestyle changes can work wonders on a boomer’s health.

“Diet and exercise in an aging adult’s overall health are huge,” White said. “The saying goes you are what you eat and that doesn’t change as you age. In fact, it becomes more important as we get older. Exercise not only keeps us active, but it improves one’s mood, helps maintain a healthy weight and keeps the heart strong.”

During Goebezie’s career as an orthopedic surgeon, he’s noticed a pattern in his patients. Those who keep moving and eat well, do the best, he said.

“Whenever I look at someone going through the decades of life, whatever we can do to keep that person moving, that’s great,” he explained. “Diet, how you sleep and how you move are important. Those three categories form the foundation of how you can maintain a healthy lifestyle and good health as you age.”

Freemont added, “Recent studies are now finding that exercise is the greatest action you can take to help with the aging of the mind. We have known for years and through many studies that it is proven that exercise helps ward off physical diseases and conditions as well.”

Adults also should track sodium, calorie and sugar intake due to the risk of heart conditions.

“Studies have shown that maintaining regular physical activity can help prevent many common diseases such as heart disease and diabetes,” Freemont noted. “The healthier the diet, the better fuel the body has to keep the immune system working at full force.”

White added, “So, as you get older, you develop a weakened heart muscle because you’re not doing the exercise to keep it strong or eating the right foods. That could put you into a situation where you can develop a chronic condition like congestive heart failure.”

White also noted many aging adults don’t understand the amount of salt that comes from their favorite foods.

One’s chances of being healthy decreases with age. Goebezie noted many times health problems are unavoidable.

“One of the biggest factors that none of us can do anything about is genetics,” he said. “It’s an important part of your health and your age but you can’t do anything about it. Some of my patients who are the most diligent, they’re still not healthy because their genetics are bad. Sometimes it is out of your control.”

When it comes to getting back in shape, Goebezie said the journey starts with sleep.

“The key is figuring out your body’s natural challenges to sleep and how you’re going to figure out a way to rest,” he explained. “There are different

techniques to use for that. But, whatever it is, you need to make sure you’re also actively involved in giving your body rest.”

But the professionals had advice for aging adults struggling with their health.

“The number one thing that can make the most difference is establishing a good relationship with your primary care physician and seeing them regularly,” White suggested. “As you get older, you should be following up with your PCP every six months. Also, take recommendations from your doctor seriously.”

Freemont said, “Make an effort to exercise daily. Utilize your mind daily. Simple things that you enjoy (are) the best way to guarantee you are consistent.”

Freemont Goebezie White

The Cleveland Jewish community has stood with Planned Parenthood for decades in support of access to reproductive health care and sex education.

We are constantly amazed by your generosity, kindness, and spirit of equality and compassion. Our patients, supporters, and staff will always stand by your side.

Planned Parenthood remains steadfast in its mission to fight bigotry and hatred of any kind, including anti-Semitism, wherever and whenever it may occur. ppgoh.org | 1-800-230-PLAN

Padding funds good move for retiring individuals

BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org | @BeckyRaspeCJN

Saving for retirement can be a lifelong venture.

According to Kenneth C.

achieve your definition of success.

216.831.7171 cp-advisors.com

Count.

Kondas,

vice president and wealth planner at Chemical Bank in Boardman near Youngstown, and Heathyr Ullmo, assistant vice president and senior commercial banking officer at Geauga Savings Bank in Newbury Township, it doesn’t hurt to add more to the pot as one nears retirement.

“I don’t think anyone is going to have enough money to retire to live a millionaire lifestyle when they retire,” Ullmo said. “So, if you’re able to put more money aside so you don’t have to worry later and enjoy your retirement, you should. This allows you to retire earlier, enjoy retirement and do the things you always wanted to do.”

Kondas added, “If I’m going to air on one side or the other for retirement, I’m going to air on having more money. It’s a sense of comfort. And we’ve seen some volatility return to the market, so adding more to your funds can balance that. Having a little bit more than what you think you need helps people sleep more soundly at night.”

The benefits of padding one’s retirement funds differ.

“It depends on what you’re adding to,” Kondas stated. “Of course, there are limits to what you can put into a 401(k) or IRA. If you’re adding there, you are dealing with tax issues when you’re taking it out. It is like anything else in your life, there needs to be a balance. It all comes down to planning, looking ahead and trying to achieve some sort of balance.”

Ullmo noted each situation is different, so the options are also different. But, she added there is one major downfall of padding a retirement fund.

“The biggest downfall is that you don’t have that money right now anymore,” she said. “(Retirement plans) are forward thinking and that’s the biggest misfortune. The funds (used to pad) aren’t available right now if you need it.”

If individuals are unsure where to begin, both professionals suggest a budget overview.

“The first step in every financial plan is creating a budget,” Kondas noted. “You’d be amazed that so many people aren’t aware of where they are spending their money. So, a budget can tell you where your expenditures are and then you can evaluate where it makes sense to cut back. Do we necessarily need this or that? What kind of impact would that have on

our budget going forward?”

Ullmo mirrored this idea, adding cutting back on a budget and dedicating more money to retirement is money not missed.

“If you look at your everyday expenses, your insurance, cable and internet, and recheck how much you have and you’re spending, shop and see what else is out there,” she suggested. “Do what is best for you. If you reevaluate the basic things you pay for every month, you can see if you can save some. You’re already planning to do without it, so you’re moving it into a different pocket.”

Regardless, it’s best to prepare for retirement with a plan.

“Have a plan,” Kondas said. “You can’t take action and make any decisions unless you know where you are currently. If you’re overfunded for your goals, that is great. But, if you’re underfunded, you might need to work longer.”

Ullmo added, “Prepare now for later. Knowing is half the battle. If you can prepare now and put things in order, it’s less stressful later. It’s easier to make clear decisions when you’re not nearing a deadline. You’re making the right decisions for you without having to worry about outside influences.”

Kondas Ullmo

“It is like anything else in your life, there needs to be a balance. It all comes down to planning, looking ahead and trying to achieve some sort of balance.”

Kenneth C. Kondas, Vice President and Wealth Planner Chemical Bank

At Ciuni & Panichi, we take a personal approach to accounting and auditing. One that’s built on understanding and trust. When you work with us, you can feel confident that you’ll get the highest level of attention. Most importantly, you’ll get expert guidance to help you

Morning, noon and night, The Weils embraces your life

The Weils, a full-service senior living community in Chagrin Falls, owned and operated by Montefiore, offers elegant assisted living, a rehabilitation therapy pavilion and memory care assisted living.

ASSISTED LIVING

The Weils provides a safe, engaging and active environment for seniors with 24-hour on-site nurses and caregivers. Spacious one-and two-bedroom suites include a full kitchen and washer/dryer. Month-to-month leases make it easy to move in!

Daily chef-prepared meals, transportation, happy hours, laundry, housekeeping and help with errands, plus exercise classes, cultural outings and other exciting programs are just some of the amenities.

REHABILITATION PAVILION

This 29-bed rehabilitation therapy pavilion is for individuals who need skilled nursing and rehabilitation therapy after illness, injury or surgery. Some patients are admitted directly from a hospital while others can be admitted from an ER.

A large therapy gym with state-of-the art equipment, coupled with private rooms and bathrooms, add to this healing environment. Individualized treatment plans ensure that appropriate goals may be met. Combined, these elements form a comfortable place to regain strength and independence.

MEMORY CARE ASSISTED LIVING

The David and Freda Robinson Residence, a memory care assisted living pavilion, is overseen by specially-trained staff who are onsite 24/7, providing person-centered care.

The Robinson Residence consists of 18 spacious suites each with a bedroom, living room and kitchenette, bathroom with shower and washer & dryer. A private entrance, comfortable gathering and dining areas make it a welcoming place for all.

For a tour or more information, contact Ivy Kopit at 440-996-0504 or ikopit@theweils.org or visit theweils.org.

THE WEILS

16695 Chillicothe Road Chagrin Falls, OH 44023 440-996-0504 theweils.org

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ManorCare May eld

ManorCare

•Respiratory Program

•Physiatrist on site 2 days-a-week

•Wound care program led by certified Wound Practitioner and Vascular Surgeon

•Physical, occupational and speech therapy

•TPN

•IV’s, IVATB, pain management

•Trachs

•Peritoneal dialysis

Call us today at 440-473-0090 for more information or to schedule a tour! We look forward to caring for you or your loved one!

•Cardiac and stroke rehabilitation

•Orthopedic recovery care

•Respite care

•Enteral nutrition

•Outpatient therapy

•24/7 Russian translator

•Onsite Cardiologist

•Private Rooms Available upon request

How to choose the right hospice

Reliable information is important when making health care decisions and that includes choosing the right hospice. It’s important to know the facts so you can choose wisely.

WHAT IS HOSPICE?

Hospice supports patients with a prognosis of six months or less and focuses on maximizing quality of life. Palliative (comfort) care manages pain and other illness symptoms and incorporates emotional and spiritual care and family support.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Hospice is covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most commercial insurance. The hospice benefit pays for all comfort care, medications, treatments and durable medical equipment related to the illness.

POINTS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A HOSPICE

• How long has the hospice been operating?

Look for a hospice with deep roots in the community and a well-documented history of quality. Hospice of the Western Reserve (HWR) has been serving Northern Ohio for 40 years.

• How many members of the hospice team are certified in hospice and palliative care?

Certification is acknowledged as a quality benchmark and should be a key focus. HWR employs the region’s largest number of certified hospice and palliative care professionals.

• Is it a for-profit or a nonprofit?

All hospice providers offer the same core services. However, for-profits are organized to make money and pay dividends to shareholders. Nonprofits are mission-driven, so revenues can be directed back into programs. HWR provides a Moments to Remember program to fulfill patient wishes, art and music therapy and free grief support groups for any adult needing support on their grief journey; no hospice connection is required.

• Where is care provided?

This varies, so it’s important to ask. HWR provides care in private residences, nursing facilities and assisted living communities. It also operates three inpatient care units (hospice houses) with homelike environments for intensive symptom management and the final days.

Visit hospicewr.org or call 216-383-2222.

a thousand ways to be 68, 88 or 98. No matter where you are in your journey, we can help — from therapy and brain health education to home health, residential care, and more.

Find out more at MenorahPark.org

Menorah Park • 27100 Cedar Rd., Beachwood, Ohio 44122 216-831-6500

HOSPICE OF THE WESTERN RESERVE

17876 St. Clair Ave. Cleveland, OH 44110 800-707-8921

hospicewr.org

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May eld Heights is available for your short or long-term care needs.

Starting the conversation – Vinney Hospice of Montefiore is here for you

Those of us who have journeyed with loved ones at the end of their lives have an understanding of how difficult that time of life can be. So many of us enter it unprepared to address the needs that arise or to make the kind of decisions required of us, leaving us floundering. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. When families and loved ones are prepared for and supported into life’s end, it is possible to come through it peacefully.

Montefiore is committed to bringing this kind of education and support to our community. And now Vinney Hospice has partnered with The Conversation Project (theconversationproject.com) to offer a program that has been created with the goal of helping people talk about their wishes and desires for end-oflife care, and helping families and loved ones make sure those wishes are known, understood and followed.

You can talk about what is important to you with the people in your life that have the power to make a difference as you live into the end of your life. We look

Metro Life Flight now servicing Cleveland Heights

MetroHealth’s Cleveland Heights Medical Center is now accessible by the hospital system’s Life Flight helicopters.

The new helipad opened in early October at the medical center, 10 Severance Circle in Cleveland Heights.

Metro Life Flight helicopters can transport patients in critical condition from the emergency room at the Cleveland Heights center to MetroHealth’s main campus Level 1 Trauma Center in Cleveland.

Kootsouradis earns honor

Kimberly Kootsouradis received an Honoring Excellence Award 2018 for outstanding business office category by the Ohio Assisted Living Association. Kootsouradis is employed by Wiggins Place in Beachwood.

forward to the opportunity to teach you some tools that will make it a positive and constructive experience. As part of our community outreach efforts, we are reaching out to religious and community groups for help by co-sponsoring this two-part program to various groups. Contact a member of the Vinney Hospice team at 216-910-2650 to learn more about The Conversation Project and to schedule an event.

Submitted by Susan Lieberman, Montefiore director, marketing and public relations 216-910-2647 or slieberman@montefiorecare.org

MONTEFIORE

1 David N. Myers Parkway Beachwood, OH 44122 216-910-2650

theconversationproject.org montefiorecare.org

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Lieberman

Getting you through this flu season

The flu can be indiscriminate. It can increase the severity of chronic conditions such as emphysema, COPD, diabetes and heart failure. It can cause pneumonia, upper respiratory infections and gastrointestinal distress. According to the CDC, there are up to 49,000 flu fatalities each year and around 700,000 hospitalizations. One should immediately seek medical attention, and just as important, after-care.

At Menorah Park COO Richard Schwalberg ensures staff and residents who are able get the flu shot do so. It is made available on campus, and has been administered for more than 30 years, perhaps longer. “We protect our staff, residents, clients and visitors by doing this to reduce the risks of the flu,” he said. “Even months after recovering from the flu older people remain at increased risks for heart attack, strokes or disability.” He said Menorah Park also focuses on ensuring standard precautions for infection control are taken, including hand washing and use of gloves, which helps prevent the spread of infection in a health care setting.

During the flu and after it’s important to

Forward

thinking

monitor older adults closely for additional risks.

Menorah Park’s services, including home health, post-hospital care and outpatient therapy are helpful resources for care support.

Home care offers the Temporary Illness Program, partnering with patients and their doctors, and covered under Medicare and private insurance. This added support by home health nurses helps prevent hospitalization from complications of the flu. They report significant changes to patient’s health to their physician. They listen to the lungs, check for swelling, help avoid dehydration, monitor changes in mental status, and ensure medications are taken properly. They perform lab tests such as glucose monitoring, blood counts and urinalysis.

For information on any of these services, call our community liaison, Kathleen Parrino, at 216-402-0895 or visit menorahpark.org.

MENORAH PARK

27100 Cedar Road Beachwood, OH 44122 216-402-0895

menorahpark.org

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ADVERTORIAL

at CWRU

– the president’s challenge

Case Western Reserve University’s contributors outdid themselves supporting the Forward Thinking capital campaign with a record-breaking $208 million in gifts and pledges during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018.

The total represents the first time in university history that annual attainment broke the $200 million mark – more than triple the figure for fiscal year 2007. Launched publicly in 2011 with a $1 billion goal, the Forward Thinking campaign has achieved annual giving records for eight consecutive years. As of Aug. 31, the campaign’s total was more than $1.7 billion. So far, we have raised $243 million in student scholarships and fellowships and 96 endowed professorships. And we are not finished. The campaign closes on Dec. 31.

An integral part of concluding the

campaign is the President’s Challenge – an unprecedented initiative to inspire philanthropists to make planned gift commitments for the future and, in return, help our students earn much needed scholarships for use today. With a written gift commitment, the President’s Challenge will award scholarships now, even though the university will not receive proceeds from the gift, in most cases, for years to come.

For details call 216-368-8640 or email Charles Miller at cmm38@case.edu.

Charles M. Miller, JD, AEP,

is

the Senior Director of Planned Giving at CWRU.

10900 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44106-7017 case.edu

Charles Miller 216-368-8640

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Scwalberg

Support for life after a stroke

More than 7 million Americans are survivors of a stroke, the “brain attack” that occurs when an area of the brain is cut off from normal blood flow. Every year in the United States, 800,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, and while some people recover completely from a stroke, nearly 70 percent of stroke survivors undergo rehabilitation to help recover from post-stroke disabilities such as limb weakness, paralysis, cognitive deficits or inability to speak.

about available rehabilitation services and community resources including stroke survivor and caregiver support groups. Plotkin also shares these stroke care tips:

Be aware that a change in condition can spur a change in treatment. A decline in a stroke survivor’s physical function may mean the loved one is eligible for more services.

Consider a rehabilitation tune-up. “After initial rehabilitation, many stroke patients can use a bit of a tune-up, periodically doing more therapy or trying another course of therapy

Plotkin

KEY CHALLENGES FOR STROKE SURVIVORS

World Stroke Day is Oct. 29, and this year’s theme is “Support for Life After Stroke,” focusing on support and advocacy for stroke survivors and their caregivers. Dr. Mitchell Elkind, a professor and vascular neurologist at Columbia University in New York City and chair of the advisory committee to the American Stroke Association, divides the challenges of stroke survivors into four main areas:

• Physical – “Physical challenges, like weakness, the inability to walk, a tendency to fall or trouble swallowing, affect daily activities,” Dr. Elkind said. “Pain can be a big problem after a stroke because a person’s shoulder is drooping, or they have pain from injury to the brain after a stroke, a central pain syndrome. Fatigue is also a common physical challenge after a stroke.”

• Communication – A stroke can leave a person with slurred speech or with aphasia, a language disorder that impairs one’s ability to speak or understand others. Cognitive changes post-stroke can also affect a stroke survivor’s social interactions because of decreased attention and ease of distractibility. Engaging with others is also hampered, as some stroke survivors cannot control inappropriate behaviors or they repeatedly stay with one topic in conversation.

• Emotional – “Extremely common are emotional challenges like depression that occurs in at least a third of people after a stroke,” Dr. Elkind explains. “Anxiety is another. Some people have PTSD after a stroke the way you might after another adverse life event. Some people have episodes of laughter or crying. All those things take their toll.”

• Finances, Family, Social Roles, Etc. – Dealing with medical costs and loss of income during recovery certainly affects stroke survivors. It can feel overwhelming to learn new roles within the family and other relationships as well as adjust to one’s self-identity with a body that may not function the same way as it once did.

HELP FOR FAMILY CAREGIVERS

“The recovery curve after a stroke is steep, so the greatest recovery occurs early and it tends to plateau,” Dr. Elkind said. “But there’s still improvement for at least a year and probably longer after a stroke.”

Because the process for stroke recovery takes time, family caregivers are at risk for compromising their own health and responsibilities.

“After a stroke, it is paramount that family caregivers develop a strong support system of medical staff, other family and friends, professional caregivers and community resources,” said Shalom Plotkin, CEO, Right at Home Cleveland East. “One of the greatest needs outside post-stroke care and help with everyday activities is giving family members a break – some much-needed respite care for themselves such as going to a movie or out to lunch with friends.”

Plotkin recommends that family caregivers stay in touch with the hospital case manager or social worker to learn

Stay updated on insurance coverage. Clarify what inpatient and outpatient services are covered and for what length of time, and what out-of-pocket expenses can be expected.

For more information, contact Right at Home Cleveland East at 216-752-2222.

RIGHT AT HOME

21403 Chagrin Blvd. No. 220 Beachwood, OH 44122 216-752-2222

Rightathome.net/Cleveland

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Care and compassion for the entire family.

When the time comes to make difficult end-of-life care decisions, you will find the comfort, dignity and loving care you and your loved ones desire when you choose Vinney Hospice of Montefiore as your care partner.

Our compassionate hospice team, led by a boardcertified medical director, is dedicated to providing exceptional levels of physical, emotional and spiritual support. Integrative therapies–art, music, massage and Reiki treatments–are also available to help soothe body, mind and soul.

Hospice care may be provided in the familiar comfort of your residence or at Montefiore’s “quiet gem,” Maltz Hospice House in Beachwood.

To learn more, call 216.910.2650 or take a virtual tour at montefiorecare.org.

One David N. Myers Parkway Beachwood, OH 44122

PROVIDING HOSPICE CARE TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY SINCE 1992

Don’t pass up opportunity to talk with teen drivers

LAURA SHEFNER lshefner@metrohealth.org

Oct. 21-27 was National Teen Driver Safety Week. Teenagers being safe behind the wheel is a topic I often discuss with my patients. It is especially important this time of year, when the sun sets earlier and when drivers deal with harsher driving conditions due to rain, snow or ice.

The statistics are sobering: New drivers, especially 16 to 17-year-olds, are nine times as likely to be involved in an accident, according to the Ohio Department of Public Safety. They are three times more likely to be involved in fatal crashes.

Traffic crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for American teenagers, with an average of one teen dying in a car crash every hour on weekends. More than 2,000 teens were killed in car crashes in the United States in 2016, and almost 300,000 teens were treated in hospitals.

Several factors contribute to the increased risk for teen drivers. They are less experienced than older drivers, and they are less likely to use seat belts. Teens often underestimate dangerous situations or hazardous conditions.

Younger drivers tend to driver faster than older ones, and they will often drive closer to the car in front of them. The danger increases with male drivers or when multiple passengers are in the vehicle. Drinking and driving increases the rate of accidents by impairing muscle coordination, concentration, judgment and vision/perception.

Texting and driving is said to be as much as 20 times as dangerous as focused driving, and teens are more likely to be texting, even in dangerous situations.

The best way to reduce the danger of accidents is through risk prevention. Every state has graduated driver laws to help reduce unsafe teen driving. In Ohio, teenagers who are 16 years old can’t drive with more than one non-relative passenger and can’t drive between midnight and 6 a.m. unless

Flu shot good preventive medicine

DR. MARK ROTH Mark.Roth@UHhospitals.org

The flu season is rapidly approaching and we all want to take whatever measures are available to prevent getting the flu. Influenza, also known as the flu, is an annual occurrence consisting of a viral infection that affects our sinuses and lungs.

accompanied by a parent or guardian. Teens between 17 and 18 can’t drive unaccompanied between 1 and 5 a.m., and again, they can have only one nonrelative passenger. There are then no restrictions once drivers turn 18.

Parents play a very large role teaching and enforcing safe driving habits. They are encouraged to create parent-teen driver agreements before allowing their teens to drive unaccompanied. This should include promises from teens to follow driving rules, to always wear a seat belt, to minimize distractions, to avoid using a phone while driving and to drive only during agreed-upon hours. Parents can also use this as an opportunity to review responsible driving habits, such as driving only with parents’ permission, paying for any tickets and only driving under certain weather conditions.

If the teens break their side of the contract, parents should revoke driving privileges for a specific amount of time. Parents should also agree to provide a safe ride home if their teens don’t feel comfortable driving themselves or getting a ride with friends.

Most important, parents should always be good role models behind the wheel. By teaching our kids safe driving habits and by exhibiting these when we are driving, we can help lower the number of teen driver accidents and make the roads safer for everyone.

The usual symptoms are cough, fever, headache and muscle aches although the severity of the symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Anyone who has ever had the flu knows how bad it can feel. Most years the flu virus causes more serious cases of illness in young children, older adults and people who have weakened immune systems of any age (for example people with asthma, cancer, emphysema, diabetes, AIDS, kidney or liver disease).

There are several strains of the influenza virus that can cause people to become ill. This year’s flu shot contains ingredients that will try to protect against those strains that are felt to be most likely to circulate in our country. There is also a high dose flu vaccine which is available this year for adults who are age 65 and older. September, October and November are the best months to receive your flu vaccine although it takes about two weeks from the time a person receives the vaccine, to build up an immune response against the flu virus. If a person doesn’t receive the vaccine this fall, it is still beneficial to get vaccinated even as late as February 2019.

Because the flu viruses do change from year to year, it is important to receive the flu vaccination on an annual basis. Last year’s vaccine may not protect you from this year’s viruses.

We know that flu shots save lives but there are some individuals who should not get a flu shot. If a person is known to be allergic to eggs, they should avoid the regular flu vaccine because of the possibility of an allergic reaction. The reason is that most types of flu vaccines do contain a small amount of egg protein. There are however vaccines that do not contain egg proteins, and

if you are allergic to eggs, you should speak to your physician about this option. The other category of people who should not get a flu shot are those individuals who have had a severe reaction to a previous flu vaccine.

The flu vaccine is available either as an injection into the muscle of the arm or via a nasal spray. The injection isn’t a live virus. The nasal spray option is approved only for people between the ages of 2 and 49.

The effectiveness of the flu vaccine can vary from year to year. On average the vaccine is about 60 percent to 90 percent effective in preventing the flu. In some cases, when the vaccine doesn’t prevent the flu, it can still lessen the severity of the flu illness in the affected individual, as well as the risk of flu complications.

To summarize, the flu vaccine is a person’s best defense against the flu. However there are additional measures that a person can take to reduce the risk of the flu. These include washing hands thoroughly with soap and water, using an alcohol-based sanitizer on your hands if soap and water aren’t available, avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth whenever possible, and avoiding crowds when the flu virus is prevalent in the community. If one does become ill with the flu virus, it is best to stay home to avoid spreading the illness to others who will really not appreciate it if you give it to them.

Dr. Laura Shefner writes about pediatric care for the Cleveland Jewish News. She is a pediatrician at The MetroHealth System and practices in Beachwood and Parma.

Dr. Mark Roth writes about internal medicine for the Cleveland Jewish News. He is an internal medicine physician with University Hospitals.

Science supports intermittent fasting when done correctly

MICHAEL F. ROIZEN YouDocs@gmail.com | @YoungDrMike.

Akey to life many of us aspire to is choosing foods to eat that foster optimal performance for the body. Eating well can be confusing and as frustrating as untangling wires.

Let’s delve into a topic a Cleveland Jewish News reader posed to us: “Does intermittent fasting work to help reduce weight and keep it off? Is it healthy?”

You may opt for one fad diet or another – Paleo, Keto, Alkaline (New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s diet), or carb cycling – but none of the diets take into account an essential truth about your body: it uses calories, fat, carbs and glucose differently at different times of the day.

Studies show eating the same amount of calories early or later in the day produces two very different results. Front load your food intake so you get 80 percent of your calories before 1 or 2 p.m. and you can lose weight. Eat more than 20 percent of your calories in the evening and you’ll have trouble losing weight and may even gain weight. Timing is everything – in music, in love and in nutrition, too.

Your body is made to consume food while the sun is shining – and not to consume food for long stretches of time while it’s dark. That aligns with the healthy choice of having at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast.

HOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR EATING

One option that can help you cut out your late-night snacking or dinnerbefore-bed syndrome is to consider some kind of intermittent-fasting schedule – you eat so there’s a chunk of hours in the day when you don’t consume anything but water, coffee and/or tea.

It can improve your nutrition, superpower your energy level, help you sleep, reduce your risk for Type 2 diabetes, promote weight loss, improve low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein cholesterol levels – that is, if you don’t overeat on non-fasting days. Yes, it really is healthy and does work to reduce weight from the same calories if you eat them before 2 p.m. The science in animals is overwhelming and pretty substantial in humans, too.

How does intermittent fasting do that? Dr. Mark Mattson, senior investigator in the laboratory of neurosciences at National Institute on Aging said, “There is considerable similarity between how cells respond to the stress of exercise and how cells respond to intermittent fasting.”

And although most studies have

been done on lab animals, not humans, there is mounting evidence intermittent fasting is beneficial:

One study of overweight adults with asthma had participants eat just 20 percent of their regular caloric intake on alternate days for eight weeks. The results: They lost 8 percent of their initial body weight, reduced levels of markers of oxidative stress and inflammation and saw asthma symptoms and quality of life improve.

Multiple studies indicate intermittent fasting may help stimulate production of adult stem cells, particularly in the intestines and skeletal muscles, which are essential to counter the decline in bodily functions associated with aging.

So what are your choices? The guidelines are:

• Fast each night with at least 12 hours between dinner and breakfast. Want more benefits? Extend the fast to 14 hours and then 18. This creates a daily pattern of intermittent fasting that causes your body to burn up most circulating glucose and stabilizes insulin levels. Then your body burns stored fat. Bye, bye belly!

• Your body is naturally more insulinresistant at night, so avoid all simple carbs after midday and opt for fiber-rich vegetables and protein.

• Breakfast and/or lunch should contain lean and plant-based protein (think whole grains, legumes, salmon) and fats (healthy fats in salmon or the use of extra virgin olive oil with grains and veggies). Dinner should be plantheavy (think salad and other green, leafy veggies) and calorie-light of about 400 calories, if you need 2,000 a day to maintain a healthy weight.

OTHER PATTERNS FOR FASTING

You may want to try eating for eight hours – from about noon to 8 p.m. daily – and fasting for 16. Or try the two-five routine, in which you restrict your calorie intake to 500 calories a day, twice a week. Then, after five days, you eat a healthy, full complement of calories (1,800 to 2,400 for most folks). And then there’s the Warrior plan – eating during four hours a day and fasting for the remaining 20. The best data (from the Valter Longo Foundation) for optimal health recommends reducing calories

to 1,000 for one day, then to 750 for four days, then resume a Mediterranean diet and follow the guidelines; that is 15 hours between your last food in the evening and first food the next day, eating only while the sun is out (or supposed to be out) and eating earlier in the day.

Dr. Michael Roizen writes about wellness for the Cleveland Jewish News. He is chief wellness officer and chair of the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.

Vive la national tour of ‘Les Misérables’ at Playhouse Square

BOB ABELMAN

columnists@cjn.org

“Les Misérables” – the epic musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel about the Paris Uprising of 1823 – has been running in London for 33 years. It enjoyed 8,202 performances during its Broadway premiere and has been seen by over 70 million people in productions in 44 countries. The 2012 star-studded film version of this musical earned an extraordinary $442,169,052 worldwide.

If there is anyone who has not yet heard the people sing, singing the song of angry men, rest assured that the touring production currently taking up residency at Playhouse Square is as good as it gets. And frequent fliers, who belt “24601” in the shower and attended the 2011 and 2013 tours when they swept through Cleveland, will not be disappointed.

“Les Mis” begins in 1815 with Frenchman Jean Valjean being released from a chain gang, where he has spent the past 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread. Seeking spiritual redemption, he changes his name, becomes a wealthy business owner and mayor of a town, and raises the young daughter of a fired employee, Fantine, who died after becoming a prostitute out of desperation.

Years later, the country is in a state of revolution and Valjean and his daughter Cosette’s fates become intertwined with the young students leading the rebellion. All the while, Valjean is hunted by the obsessive and self-righteous Inspector Javert.

A 16-piece orchestra under Brian Eads’ supervision and a sizable ensemble who seem to understand the collective power of their voices, as directed by Laurence Connor and James Powell, fill the Connor Palace Theatre with Claude-Michel Schönberg’s operatic music and Herbert Kretzmer’s extraordinary lyrics. All this

Touring ‘Les Misérables’ at Playhouse Square

WHERE: Connor Palace Theatre, 1511 Euclid Ave., Cleveland

WHEN: Through Nov. 18

TICKETS & INFO: $39-$149, call 216241-6000 or visit playhousesquare.com

is complemented with producer Cameron Mackintosh’s emotionally devastating storytelling.

This production is blessed with Nick Cartell as Valjean, whose gorgeous interpretation of “Bring Him Home” from the barricades – one of many money songs that keep audiences coming back time and time again – captures the performer’s remarkable ability to balance theatricality with authenticity.

Javert must be Valjean’s equal, physically and vocally, in order for the drama between them to be realistic and sustainable. Josh Davis nearly bests Cartell in both regards and his rendition of “Stars” and the character’s suicidal “Soliloquy” nearly steal the show.

Jillian Butler as Cosette, Joshua Grosso as Cosette’s romantic love interest, Marius, Matt Shingledecker as Enjolras, Paige Smallwood as Eponine, and Mary Kate

YARD Projects host Israeli artist Nov. 10

Gadi Zamir, an Israeli-born and Cleveland-based artist and funder of Negative Space Gallery, will hold an artist presentation from 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 10 at Negative Space Gallery, 1541 E. 38th St. in Cleveland.

The presentation is part of YARDS Project’s Art-Ventures program. Coffee, bagels and doughnuts will be served.

For more information, visit the Facebook event at bit.ly/2DnL1fE.

Concert at Beachwood Community Center Nov. 11

Pianist Cliff Habian will perform a concert from 2 to 3 p.m. Nov. 11 at the Beachwood Community Center, 25225 Fairmount Blvd. in Beachwood. Habian, an international recording artist, will feature Latin, jazz and classical music.

The concert is free and open to the community. It’s sponsored by the Beachwood Arts Council.

For more information, call 216-595-3400 or visit bit.ly/2CUWbYc.

Yom Hashoah contest seeks submissions

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland and Kol Israel Foundation are accepting entries for the 2019 Yom Hashoah V’Hagvurah Creative Arts Contest. Cleveland area middle school and high school writers and artists are eligible.

The theme of the contest is “What Happened After,” and depicts the time after

Moore as Fantine – whose rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” is the best I’ve ever heard – give passionate performances with solid vocals that are consistently captivating.

J. Anthony Crane as Thenardier and Allison Guinn as Madame Thenardier offer darker-than-usual portrayals despite their comedic antics, which adds an unexpected turn and actually works quite well.

Since the show’s 25th Anniversary tour, the glorious illusion of movement once produced by actors dramatically marching in place on a rotating turntable has been replaced by actors dramatically marching in place in front of rear projections of shifting images inspired by Hugo’s paintings.

The animation gives additional depth to the action, which is effective, though it does offer too much contrast to the many moments in the production where projections are not employed.

Still, this is a lovely production of “Les Misérables.” The men are still angry. They are still singing. And hearing them for the first time or once again will most certainly be memorable.

Bob Abelman covers professional theater and cultural arts for the Cleveland Jewish News. Follow Bob at Facebook.com/BobAbelman3 or visit cjn.org/Abelman. 2018 Ohio Media Editors best columnist.

the Holocaust when survivors took a new path toward rebuilding their lives. Essays and works of art will be judged on the interpretation of the theme. Cash prizes up to $2,500 may be awarded. Winners and their schools will be recognized at the Yom Hashoah commemoration on May 1, 2019 at B’nai Jeshurun Congregation in Pepper Pike.

The deadline for entries is Feb. 8, 2019.

For more information and entry forms, visit bit.ly/2F42mvo or contact Debbie Klein at dklein@jcfcleve.org or 216-593-2834.

CPH receives $2 million grant to expand CARE program

Cleveland Play House received a $2 million grant to help expand its Compassionate Arts Remaking Education program.

CPH is partnering with the Cleveland Municipal School District to add an additional six teachers and to expand to 10 schools over the next four years. This will extend CARE to more than 4,100 students.

The grant was awarded through the Assistance for Arts Education Development and Dissemination Grants Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

CPH was one of 22 organizations that received grants.

Josh Davis, left, as Inspector Javert and Nick Cartell as Jean Valjean | Photo / Matthew Murphy

Author-actress Silber keynote speaker at JCC Book Festival

BOB ABELMAN | COLUMNIST columnists@cjn.org

No creative work by or about Jews has won the hearts of Americans as thoroughly as “Fiddler on the Roof.” The original 1964 Broadway production of the musical, based on the stories written by Sholem Aleichem in 1894, ran for a then-unprecedented 3,242 performances and earned nine Tony Awards.

Fifty years after the show’s premiere, Alexandra Silber starred as Tevye’s oldest daughter Tzeitel in the fifth Broadway revival of “Fiddler.”

What happened to Hodel, the family’s second-eldest daughter, is the subject of Silber’s book, “After Anatevka” by Pegasus Publishing, which will be the focus of her keynote presentation at the 19th annual Mandel Jewish Community Center Cleveland Book Festival.

The last time we see Hodel on stage, she is waiting with her father for the train that will take her to Siberia to join her Socialist-leaning fiancé, Perchick. But when we catch up to her in this novel, we learn of the extraordinary hurdles – both personal and political –that attempt to keep them apart.

“Ms. Silber has employed her formidable intelligence, her lively imagination, (and) her poetic sensibility to create ‘After Anatevka’,” writes “Fiddler” lyricist Sheldon Harnick in the book’s Forward. The result, he continues, “is a powerful and gripping tale of love, loyalty, bravery, and endurance.”

But why focus on Hodel and not Tzeitel?

“I played Hodel in the 2007 revival of ‘Fiddler’ in London’s West End after I had recently lost my own father to cancer,” said Silber by telephone from New York City, “Every day for two years, I spoke Hodel’s final words ‘Papa, God alone knows when we shall see each other again. ...” Each time as Hodel said goodbye, so did I. She then boards a

Keynote Event, Mandel JCC Cleveland Jewish Book Festival

WHERE: The Mandel Jewish Community Center Stonehill Auditorium, 26001 S. Woodland Road, Beachwood

WHEN: 7 p.m. Nov. 10

TICKETS & INFO: $20 members and $25 others. Call 216-831-0700 or visit mandeljcc.org/bookfestival

train and we never hear from her again. I needed to know what happened to her.”

Silber was born in Los Angeles and grew up just outside of Detroit, where there was always a Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook on the coffee table and impromptu games of musical theater “Jeopardy” were often played.

When she was 14-years-old, she took a trip to see the musical “Ragtime” in New York, after which she met Tonywinner Judy Kaye, who predicted that the young Silber would end up on Broadway someday.

After attending Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Mich., during high school, Silber continued her training as an actor at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She graduated just days before her professional debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Woman in White” in London’s West End. She made her Broadway debut in 2011 in Terrence McNally’s “Master Class.”

For her keynote presentation, Silber and her musical director Ben Moss have created a 75-minute program, where she will read from select chapters of the book, discuss the process of creating its characters, and incorporate songs from “Fiddler” – including Hodel’s “Far From the Home I Love” – as well as original works by Broadway composers.

“We are offering an utterly original theatrical event: a musicalized book reading,” she said.

While “After Anatevka” follows Hodel’s arduous journey, those interested in Silber’s story should look for her just-released memoir, “White Hot Grief Parade.”

To read more about the Mandel JCC Cleveland Book Fest and view the schedule, visit cjn.org.

Silber

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9

Tri-C Jazzfest “Flying Home” series: Phillip Jones concert, 8:30 p.m., Nighttown, 12383 Cedar Rd., Cleve. $10 at nighttowncleveland.com.

Twin-bill performances of “Above and Beyond” by Faye Sholiton and “The Silence of Dr. and Mrs. Caligari” by Robert Hawkes, 7:30 p.m., Creative Space at Waterloo Arts, 397 E. 156th St., Cleve. $12-$18 at playwrightslocal.org or call 216-302-8856. Thru Nov. 18.

“Les Miserables” theatrical performance, 7:30 p.m., Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleve. Tickets at playhousesquare.org or 216-241-6000. Thru Nov. 18.

“The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy” performance, 8 p.m., Aurora Community Theatre, 115 E. Pioneer Trail, Aurora. Tickets at auroracommunitytheatre. com or 330-562-1818. Thru Nov. 17.

Cleveland Pops Orchestra’s 2018-2019 season “A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim & Andrew Lloyd Webber” concert, 8 p.m., Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave., Cleve. As part of a subscription series. For more info and tickets, visit clevelandpops.com.

“Grand Gestures” large paintings by Christine Ries and Doreen Grasso exhibition opening reception, 4:30-6 p.m., 200 Public Square, Cleve. Hollander sisters Shabbat service performance, 6:15 p.m., Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, 23737 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Service is open to all and reception to follow. For more info, visit fairmounttemple.org.

“Mosaics” dance performance, 8 p.m., Mather Dance Center, 11040 Bellflower Rd., Cleve. $15, $10 adults 60+ and CWRU faculty/staff, $7 students with ID. For more info, visit dance.cwru.edu/reservations.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” theatrical performance, 7:30 p.m., Eldred Theatre, 2070 Adelbert Rd., Cleve. $10, $7 adults 60+ and CWRU faculty/staff, $5 students with ID. For more info, visit theatre.case.edu.

CWRU Concert Choir and Church of the Covenant Sanctuary Choir performance, 8 p.m., Church of the Covenant, 11205 Euclid Ave., Cleve. Free parking available. For more info, visit music.cwru.edu.

“A Day of Absence” performance, 7:30 p.m., Arena Theatre, 2355 E. 89 St., Cleve. $25-$40 at 216-795-7077 or karamuhouse.org. Thru Nov. 18.

Carl Bromel of My Morning Jacket with Steelism concert, 8 p.m., Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleve. Hts. $18-$20 at grogshop.gs.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10

“Through the Eyes of the Artist: Lecture Painting and Workshop” with Felicia Zavarella Stadelman, 1-3 p.m., Beachwood Community Center, 25225 Fairmount Blvd. in Beachwood. $25 BAC members and $30 nonmembers. To register, call 216-595-3400 and leave your name and number.

Ballet Hispanico performance, 7:30 p.m., Ohio Theatre, 1511 Euclid Ave., Cleve. $25-$45 at 216-241-6000 or playhousesquare.org.

Greater Cleveland Film Commission’s “Band of Brothers” showing and fundraiser event, 7-8 p.m., FirstEnergy Stadium, 100 Alfred Lerner Way, Cleve. Tickets at bit.ly/2OF5PB1.

Twin-bill performances of “Above and Beyond” by Faye Sholiton and “The Silence of Dr. and Mrs. Caligari” by Robert Hawkes, 7:30 p.m., Creative Space at Waterloo Arts, 397 E. 156th St., Cleve. $12-$18 at playwrightslocal.org or call 216-302-8856.

Thru Nov. 18.

“Les Miserables” theatrical performance, 1:30 and 7:30 p.m., Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleve. Tickets at playhousesquare.org or 216-241-6000.

Thru Nov. 18.

“The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy” performance, 8 p.m., Aurora Community Theatre, 115 E. Pioneer Trail, Aurora. Tickets at auroracommunitytheatre. com or 330-562-1818. Thru Nov. 17.

Apollo’s Fire’s Baroque Orchestra “O Jerusalem! Crossroads of Three Faiths” concert, 8 p.m., The Temple-Tifereth Israel, 26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood. Tickets at apollosfire.org or 216-320-0012.

“Rock This Town!” book signing with authors Fran and Jules Belkin, 2 p.m., Barnes & Noble, 28801 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere.

“Mosaics” dance performance, 8 p.m., Mather Dance Center, 11040 Bellflower Rd., Cleve. $15, $10 adults 60+ and CWRU faculty/staff, $7 students with ID. For more info, visit dance.cwru.edu/reservations.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” theatrical performance, 7:30 p.m., Eldred Theatre, 2070 Adelbert Rd., Cleve. $10, $7 adults 60+ and CWRU faculty/staff, $5 students with ID. For more info, visit theatre.case.edu.

“A Day of Absence” performance, 7:30 p.m., Arena Theatre, 2355 E. 89 St., Cleve. $25-$40 at 216-795-7077 or karamuhouse.org. Thru Nov. 18.

Phil Turk concert, 7-10 p.m., StoneWater Golf Club, 1 Club Dr., Highland Hts. For more info, call Whitney Neidus at 440-461-4653 x232.

Art Ventures feat. Israeli artist Gadi Zamir, 10 a.m.-noon, Negative Space Gallery, 1541 E. 38th St., Cleve. For more info, visit the Facebook event at bit.ly/2DnL1fE.

Magical Theatre Company presents The Diamond Project concert, a Neil Diamond tribute band, 7:30 p.m., Magical Theater Company, 565 W. Tuscarawas Ave., Barberton. $25-$30 at bit.ly/2DohVwv.

TR3 feat. Tim Reynolds and Ray Flanagan & the Authorities concert, 8 p.m., Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleve. Hts. $20-$23 at grogshop.gs.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Greater Cleveland Film Commission presents “Behind the Camera with HBO,” 6-11 p.m., First Energy Stadium, 100 Alfred Lerner Way, Cleve. For more info, visit clevelandfilm.com/events.

Cliff Habian piano concert and book signing, 2-3 p.m., Beachwood Community Center, 25225 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Free and open to the public.

Ballet Hispanico performance, 7:30 p.m., Ohio Theatre, 1511 Euclid Ave., Cleve. $25$45 at 216-241-6000 or playhousesquare.org.

Twin-bill performances of “Above and Beyond” by Faye Sholiton and “The Silence of Dr. and Mrs. Caligari” by Robert Hawkes, 2:30 p.m., Creative Space at Waterloo Arts, 397 E. 156th St., Cleve. $12-$18 at playwrightslocal.org or call 216-302-8856. Thru Nov. 18.

HOW TO SUBMIT

Calendar listings appearing in The Arts should be submitted at least 14 days prior to publication date. Send to calendar@cjn.org. Questions? Contact Bob Jacob, managing editor, at 216-342-5207 or bjacob@cjn.org.

Johnny A. concert, 7 p.m., Nighttown, 12383 Cedar Rd., Cleve. $25 at nighttowncleveland.com.

“Les Miserables” theatrical performance, 1 and 6:30 p.m., Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleve. Tickets at playhousesquare.org or 216-241-6000. Thru Nov. 18.

“The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy” performance, 3 p.m., Aurora Community Theatre, 115 E. Pioneer Trail, Aurora. Tickets at auroracommunitytheatre. com or 330-562-1818. Thru Nov. 17.

Reading and book signing with Cathryn Siegal-Bergman, translator and publisher of “Going Back,” 7 p.m., Oheb ZedekCedar Sinai Synagogue, 23749 Cedar Rd., Beachwood. Free and open to the community. For more info, call 216-382-6566 or office@iz-cedarsinai.org.

Cliff Habian concert, 2-3 p.m., Beachwood Community Center, 25225 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Free and open to community. For more info, call 216-595-3400 or visit beachwoodartscouncil.org.

“Mosaics” dance performance, 2:30 p.m., Mather Dance Center, 11040 Bellflower Rd., Cleve. $15, $10 adults 60+ and CWRU faculty/staff, $7 students with ID. For more info, visit dance.cwru.edu/reservations.

“The Drowsy Chaperone” theatrical performance, 3 p.m., Eldred Theatre, 2070 Adelbert Rd., Cleve. $10, $7 adults 60+ and CWRU faculty/staff, $5 students with ID. For more info, visit theatre.case.edu.

CWRU Symphonic Winds and Percussion Ensemble performance, 3 p.m., Maltz Performing Arts Center’s Silver Hall, 1855 Ansel Rd., Cleve. For more info, visit music.cwru.edu.

“A Day of Absence” performance, 3 p.m., Arena Theatre, 2355 E. 89 St., Cleve. $25-$40 at 216-795-7077 or karamuhouse.org. Thru Nov. 18.

Cute is What We Aim For, Makeout, Minshara and Brightside concert, 7 p.m., Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleve. Hts. $16-$18 at grogshop.gs.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12

Apollo’s Fire’s Baroque Orchestra “O Jerusalem! Crossroads of Three Faiths” concert, 7:30 p.m., St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd., Cleve. Hts. Tickets at apollosfire.org or 216-320-0012.

Case/University Circle Symphony Orchestra performance, 7:30 p.m., Maltz Performing Arts Center’s Silver Hall, 1855 Ansel Rd., Cleve. For more info, visit music.cwru.edu.

The Roast of Ronnie Radke concert, 8 p.m., Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleve. Hts. $20 at grogshop.gs.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 13

Aubrey Logan concert, 7 p.m., Nighttown, 12383 Cedar Rd., Cleve. $20 at nighttowncleveland.com.

“Les Miserables” theatrical performance, 7:30 p.m., Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave.,

BEST BET

Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple will host a performance by the Hollander sisters at 6:15 p.m. Nov. 9 at the temple, 23737 Fairmount Blvd. in Beachwood.

The sisters, Celia Hollander Lewis, Anita Hollander and the Rev. Rachel Hollander, will be joined by Celia’s husband, Charlie Lewis, and Anita’s daughter, Holland Hamilton. The group will meld traditional prayers and songs with music by James Taylor and others.

The service is open to all and is followed by a reception.

Get Best Bet daily with Boker Tov. Subscribe today at cjn.org/bokertov

Cleve. Tickets at playhousesquare.org or 216-241-6000. Thru Nov. 18.

Cursive, Meat Wave and Campdogzz concert, 8 p.m., Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleve. Hts. $15 at grogshop. gs.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14

The Musical Theater Project’s “Just for Laughs” multi-media concert, 7 p.m., Solon Center for the Arts, 6315 SOM Center Rd., Solon. $40-$43 at musicaltheaterproject.org or 800-838-3006.

“Les Miserables” theatrical performance, 7:30 p.m., Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleve. Tickets at playhousesquare.org or 216-241-6000. Thru Nov. 18.

“Rock of Ages” 10th anniversary tour theatrical performance, 7:30 p.m., University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St., Akron. For more information and tickets, visit bit.ly/2PMw8FZ.

Low and IN/VIA concert, 8:30 p.m., Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleve. Hts. $20 at grogshop.gs.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15

ReelAbilities Film Festival showing of “On Beauty and Design-ability,” 6-8:30 p.m., MOCA Cleveland, 11400 Euclid Ave., Cleve. Free.

2018-2019 Cleveland Orchestra Music Study Group series, 1:15-2:45 p.m., CCPL Orange branch, 31975 Chagrin Blvd., Pepper Pike. For more info, visit the library, call the Orchestra’s Education & Community Programs office at 216-231-7355 or visit clevelandorchestra.com. Prices vary on series length, $50-$100.

Bob Lanzetti & Jean Rohe concert, 8 p.m., Nighttown, 12383 Cedar Rd., Cleve. $20 at nighttowncleveland.com.

“Les Miserables” theatrical performance, 7:30 p.m., Connor Palace, 1615 Euclid Ave., Cleve. Tickets at playhousesquare.org or 216-241-6000. Thru Nov. 18.

Shaker Theatre Arts and Music Departments presents “Pippin” theatrical performance, 7 p.m., Shaker Heights High School’s large auditorium, 15911 Aldersyde Dr., Shaker Hts. $10 adults, $5 students and senior adults at shaker.tix.com. Hot Djang concert, 7 p.m., Music Box, 1148 Main Ave., Cleve. $6 at bit.ly/2PQxX4U.

B’nai Mitzvah

Ethan Harris Botkin

Ethan Harris Botkin will become a bar mitzvah Saturday morning, Nov. 10, at Congregation Tifereth Israel in Columbus. Ethan is the son of Scott and Rachel Botkin of Columbus and the brother of Michael. He is the grandson of Paula and Randy Botkin of Cleveland, Louis Lowy of Columbus and the late Howard and Susan Covensky and the great-grandson of Lois Teitelman of Cleveland. Ethan attends New Albany Middle School. He enjoys playing baseball running cross country and watching his favorite sports teams on TV. For his mitzvah project, Ethan is volunteering with Buddy Ball of Grove City, Ohio, and Miracle League of New Albany, Ohio.

Andrew Engelhardt

Andrew Engelhardt will become a bar mitzvah Saturday afternoon Nov. 10 at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple.

Andrew is the son of David and Polina Engelhardt of Solon and the brother of Jacob. He is the grandson of Miriam and Mansel Davey of Willoughby Hills and Carol and Jack Engelhardt of Massillon. Andrew attends Solon Middle School, where he plays basketball, and Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple’s religious school. He also played trumpet and now plays baritone in the Solon Middle School Band. For his mitzvah project, Andrew packed and delivered special holiday gifts during Rosh Hashanah for congregants who lost a loved one.

Zoe Lipman

Zoe Lipman will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday morning, Nov. 10 at Park Synagogue.

Zoe is the daughter of Jill and Kevin Lipman and the sister of Abby. She is the granddaughter of Marsha and Jim Spitz and Don Lipman of Chicago and Diane Lipman (of blessed memory). Zoe attends Shaker Middle School. Her interests include art, drawing, video games and animals.

Eva Rose Stern

Eva Rose Stern will become a bat mitzvah on Saturday morning, Nov. 10, at Park Synagogue. Eva is the daughter of Shari and Adam Stern of Moreland Hills. She is the granddaughter of Michelle Stern of Solon and Leonard Stern (of blessed memory) and Lissa and Jan Volk of Boston. Eva attends Hawken School and Park Synagogue’s Wolf Religious School. She enjoys dance, her summer camp in Maine, reading and hanging out with family and friends. For her mitzvah project, Eva is gathering donations for Camp Northbound, a tuition-free camp located in Maine for underprivileged children of Boston.

Samuel Joseph Uria (Shmuel Yosef)

Samuel Joseph Uria (Shmuel Yosef) will become a bar mitzvah Nov. 10 at Solon Chabad. Samuel is the son of Beverly and Richard Uria of Beachwood and the brother of Daniel and Jordan. He is the grandson of Helen and Dennis Israelstam of Beachwood and Anna and Selwyn Uria of Johannesburg, South Africa. Samuel attends Gross Schechter Day School. He enjoys basketball, soccer and volunteering. For his mitzvah project, Samuel is raising money for Friends of Israel Defense Forces and the Solon Chabad security fund.

Anniversaries

Weddings

Ackermans celebrate 75th anniversary Les and Lee Ackerman of Chagrin Falls and formerly of Rocky River will celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary on Nov. 6, 2018. They’ll celebrate with family. They are the parents of Bryan (Jenni) Ackerman and Diane Goldring (companion, Bob Lindheim); grandparents of Alisa (Rod) Copeland and Jodi (Brian) Washburn; and great-grandparents of Abbey Washburn.

Herman-Seiferas

Carly Bess Herman and Jordan Ross Seiferas were married Oct. 7, 2018, at the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus. Rabbi Harold Berman and Cantor Jack Chomsky officiated.

The bride is the daughter of Richard and Jill Herman of New Albany. She is the granddaughter of Jerome Herman and Jan Biederman of Cleveland, Nancy Herman (of blessed memory) and Alvin and Caryl Solove (both of blessed memory).

Carly graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in communication. She is a media strategy manager at Conde Nast in New York City.

The groom is the son of Howard and Sheryl Seiferas of Oradell, N.J. He is the

grandson of Marilyn Gunty of Edgewater, N.J., Morty Gunty (of blessed memory) and Ben and Jeanette Seiferas (both of blessed memory).

Jordan graduated from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and business and a master’s degree in accounting from Baruch College. He is a CPA and director of data analytics consulting at KPMG.

The couple met when the bride attended a Fourth of July cookout with mutual family friends (the Rosenzweigs) at the groom’s family home in Oradell, N.J. The rest is history.

The couple will honeymoon in Thailand, Laos and Hong Kong. They reside in Jersey City, N.J.

Photo

Isaac’s estrangement key to parasha

RABBI STEVE SEGAR

In my previous weekly commentary, I invoked the notion of a “counter-narrative,” a term used by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in his acclaimed book, “Not In God’s Name,” to describe messages that can be discerned below the surface level of the Torah text, grounded in understated linguistic nuances, that may convey very different meanings and implications than those most of us have been traditionally exposed to.

The core of the counter-narrative I am arguing for is found in the famous or infamous text of Genesis Chapter 22, also known as “the Akedah” or the binding of Isaac. While this story is most often interpreted to depict Abraham successfully passing God’s testing of his loyalty through his willingness to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice, I believe there exists in the very same text, a counternarrative that subtly points to destructive familial dynamics that are set in motion by the very same act.

Last week, we reflected on the fact that when the Torah describes Sarah’s death, it seems clear that Abraham and she are no longer residing in the same locality. In other words, because of Abraham’s act of loyalty to God, his marriage to Sarah was seriously compromised.

Other textual elements that suggest destructive family fallout from the binding of Isaac are found in the prior two portions. Two weeks ago, at the end of Veyera, at the conclusion of the binding of Isaac story itself, the Torah shockingly indicates that Isaac does not descend from the mountain with his father after that event comes to what seems to be a redemptive conclusion. Isaac’s absence at this point is especially poignant given the Torah’s emphasis on how the two of them walked “yachdav/together” on the way up.

We are left to wonder, where has Isaac gone instead? We get the answer toward the end of the following portion, Chayei Sarah (from last week) when we see Isaac for the first time since his near-sacrifice on the mountain. He is on his way to meet his wife-to-be and cousin, Rebecca, who had been found and recruited to marry Isaac, from among Abraham’s family in Haran, by Abraham’s servant earlier in

Yiddish Vinkl

Shprikhvort (SHPRICH -guttural ch-vohrt)

Meaning: proverb

• “A shprikhvort iz a vorvot / a proverb tells the truth.” (bit.ly/1nBDiHo)

• “My uncle who loved to eat used to quote a shprikhvort: ‘A hun iz gut tsu esn

Toldot

Genesis 25:19-28:9

Malachi 1:1-2:7

the portion.

But for the purposes of the counternarrative, what is most instructive is the name of the place where Isaac had been residing up until this point, which the Torah seems to go out of its way to tell us. It is none other than Be’er le chai Ro’I, a location named by Hagar, the mother of Isaac’s half-brother Ishmael, back in Chapter 16.

The implication here seems to be that Isaac, in the aftermath of the Akedah, is more identified with those in his household who were regarded as outsiders, not wholly included within the family of Abraham, than he is with his immediate family, especially his father. This line of reasoning is bolstered by other textual evidence such as Isaac not showing up at the funeral for his mother and the absence of any direct conversation between Isaac and Abraham from the time of the Akedah until Abraham’s death. You might understandably ask, how does all of this connect with this week’s portion of Toldot?

The answer I would argue is that Isaac’s estrangement from his own father, leads, in a direct line, to his strong preference, after the birth of his own children, for his son Esau, who reminds him of his half-brother, Yishmael, and who represents the opposite of his own tendencies, over his other son, Jacob, who reminds him way too much of himself.

Rabbi Steve Segar is spiritual leader of Kol HaLev, Cleveland’s Reconstructionist Community, in Pepper Pike.

zalbenand – ikh un di hun./

A chicken dinner is best when shared by two - me and the chicken.’” (bit.ly/2Qb3LS3)

• “A shprikhvort iz zeyer gut – az men zogt es ven es past. / A proverb is very good as long as you say it when it’s appropriate.” (bit.ly/2SDOHhC)

Shaker Heights resident Harold Ticktin prepares “Yiddish Vinkl” for the Cleveland Jewish News.

CONSERVATIVE

AGUDATH B’NAI ISRAEL: Meister Road at Pole Ave., Lorain. Mark Jaffee, Ritual Director. SAT. 10 A.M. 440-282-3307. abitemplelorain.com

BETH EL CONGREGATION: 750 White Pond Dr., Akron. Rabbi Elyssa Austerklein, Hazzan Matthew Austerklein. FRI. Lev Tahor 7 P.M.; SAT. 9:15 A.M., Mini Minyan 9:30 P.M.; SUN. 8:30 A.M.; WED./FRI. 7:30 A.M. 330-864-2105. bethelakron.com.

B’NAI JESHURUN-Temple on the Heights: 27501 Fairmount Blvd., Pepper Pike. Rabbis Stephen Weiss and Hal Rudin-Luria; Stanley J. Schachter, Rabbi Emeritus; Cantor Aaron Shifman. FRI. Shabbat Service 6 P.M.; SAT. Shabbat Morning Service with guest speaker 9 A.M., 6 P.M.; SUN. 8 A.M., 6 P.M.; MON.THURS. 7/7:30 A.M., 6 P.M.; FRI. 7/7:30 A.M. 216-831-6555. bnaijeshurun.org. MONTEFIORE: One David N. Myers Parkway., Beachwood. Services in Montefiore Maltz Chapel. Rabbi Akiva Feinstein; Cantor Gary Paller. FRI. 3:30 P.M.; SAT. Service 10:30 A.M. 216-3609080.

PARK SYNAGOGUE-Anshe Emeth Beth Tefilo Cong.: Park MAIN 3300 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights; Park EAST 27500 Shaker Blvd., Pepper Pike. Rabbi Joshua Hoffer Skoff, Rabbi Sharon Y. Marcus, Milton B. Rube, Rabbi-in-Residence, Cantor Misha Pisman. FRI. 6 P.M. (Park East); SAT. 9 A.M. (Park East), 4:30 P.M. (Park Main); SUN. 8:30 A.M., 5:30 P.M. (both Park East); MON.-FRI. 7:30 A.M., 6 P.M. (both Park East). 216-371-2244; TDD# 216-371-8579. parksynagogue.org.

SHAAREY TIKVAH: 26811 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbi Scott B. Roland; Gary Paller, Cantor Emeritus. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 6 P.M.; SAT. 9 A.M.; SUN. Minyan 9 A.M. 216-765-8300. shaareytikvah.org.

EGALITARIAN/TRADITIONAL

BETH EL-The Heights Synagogue, an Independent Minyan: 3246 Desota Ave., Cleveland Heights. Rabbi Michael Ungar; Rabbi Moshe Adler, Rabbi Emeritus. SAT. Morning Service 9:15 A.M., Lunch and Learn following services (free, call for reservations). 216-3209667. bethelheights.org.

INDEPENDENT

THE SHUL-An Innovative Center for Jewish Outreach: 30799 Pinetree Road, #401, Pepper Pike. Rabbi Eddie Sukol. THURS. Toast & Torah at Corky & Lenny’s 7:30 A.M. See website or call for Shabbat and holiday service dates, times and details. 216-509-9969. rabbieddie@theshul.us. theshul.us.

ORTHODOX

AHAVAS YISROEL: 1700 S. Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights. Rabbi Boruch Hirschfeld. 216-932-6064.

BEACHWOOD KEHILLA: 25400 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbi Ari Spiegler, Rabbi Emeritus David S. Zlatin. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 4:53 P.M.; SAT. Shacharit 9 A.M., Study Group 4 P.M., Minchah/Ma’ariv 4:40 P.M., Havdalah 5:55 P.M.; SUN. 7:30 A.M., Minchah/ Ma’ariv 4:55 P.M.; MON.-THURS. Shacharit 6:30 A.M., Minchah/Ma’ariv 7:45 P.M.; FRI. Shacharit 6:30 A.M. 216-556-0010.

GREEN ROAD SYNAGOGUE: 2437 S. Green Road, Beachwood. Rabbi Binyamin Blau; Melvin Granatstein, Rabbi Emeritus. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 5 P.M.; SAT. Hashkama Minyan 7:45 A.M., Shacharit 9 A.M., Minchah 4:45 P.M.,

Havdalah 5:53 P.M.; SUN. Shacharit 8

A.M., Minchah/Ma’ariv 5 P.M.; MON.-

TUES. Shacharit 6:40 A.M., Minchah/ Ma’ariv 5 P.M.; WED.-THURS. Shacharit

6:40 A.M., Minchah/Ma’ariv 4:55 P.M.; FRI. Shacharit 6:40 A.M. 216-381-4757. GreenRoadSynagogue.org.

HEIGHTS JEWISH CENTER SYNAGOGUE: 14270 Cedar Road, University Heights. Rabbi Raphael Davidovich. FRI.

7:15 P.M.; SAT Morning Parsha Class

8:30 A.M., Morning Services 9 A.M., Minchah 30 minutes before sunset; SUN. 8 A.M., 15 minutes before sunset; MON.-THURS. 6:45 A.M., 15 minutes before sunset; FRI. 6:45 A.M. 216-3821958, hjcs.org.

K’HAL YEREIM: 1771 S. Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights. Rabbi Yehuda Blum. 216-321-5855.

MENORAH PARK: 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood. Rabbi Howard Kutner.

SAT. 9 A.M., 4:15 P.M.; DAILY Minyan & Breakfast 8 A.M., 4:15 P.M. 216-831-6500.

OHEB ZEDEK-CEDAR SINAI SYNAGOGUE: 23749 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst. Rabbi Noah Leavitt. FRI. Minchah 4:55

P.M.; SAT. 9 A.M., Minchah/Seudah Shlishit 4:40 P.M., Ma’ariv/Havdalah 5:54

P.M.; SUN. 8 A.M.; MON.-FRI. Shacharit

7 A.M., Minchah/Ma’ariv 4:55 P.M. 216-382-6566. office@oz-cedarsinai.org. oz-cedarsinai.org.

SEMACH SEDEK: 2004 S. Green Road, South Euclid. Rabbi Yossi Marozov. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat at candlelighting; SAT. 9:30 A.M., Minchah at candlelighting. 216-235-6498.

SOLON CHABAD: 5570 Harper Road, Solon. Rabbi Zushe Greenberg. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat 5:30 P.M.; SAT. Torah Study 9 A.M., Service 10 A.M., Minchah

1:30 P.M.; SUN. 8 A.M.; MON-FRI. 7 A.M. 440-498-9533. office@solonchabad. com. solonchabad.com.

TAYLOR ROAD SYNAGOGUE-OHEB

ZEDEK: 1970 S. Taylor Road, Cleveland Heights. Contact the synagogue for service times. 216-321-4875.

WAXMAN CHABAD CENTER: 2479 S. Green Road, Beachwood. Rabbis Shalom Ber Chaikin and Moshe Gancz. Minchah 5 P.M., SAT. Shacharit 10 A.M., Minchah 4:50 P.M.; WEEKDAYS Shacharit 7/8 P.M., Minchah 4:50 P.M. 216-381-1770. waxmanchabadcenter@ gmail.com.

YOUNG ISRAEL OF GREATER CLEVELAND: Hebrew Academy (HAC), 1860 S. Taylor Road; Beachwood (Stone), 2463 Green Road. Rabbis Naphtali Burnstein and Aharon Dovid Lebovics.

FRI. Minchah 5 P.M.; SAT. Shacharit

(Stone) 8/9 A.M., (HAC) 9 A.M., Minchah

4:40 P.M., Ma’ariv 5:52 P.M.; Shacharit:

(Stone) SUN. 7:15/8/8:30 A.M., MON./ THURS. 6:40/7:50 A.M., TUES./WED./FRI.

6:45/7:50 A.M., (HAC) SUN. 7:20 A.M., MON./THURS. 6:40 A.M., TUES./WED./ FRI. 6:45 A.M. WEEKDAYS Minchah 4:55 P.M. 216-382-5740. office@yigc.org.

ZICHRON CHAIM: 2203 S. Green Road, Beachwood. Rabbi Moshe Garfunkel. DAILY 6 A.M., 6:45 A.M. 216-291-5000.

RECONSTRUCTIONIST

KOL HALEV (Cleveland’s Reconstructionist Community): The Ratner School. 27575 Shaker Blvd., Pepper Pike. Rabbi Steve Segar. SAT. Shabbat Morning Service 10:30 A.M. 216-320-1498. kolhalev.net.

REFORM

AM SHALOM of Lake County: 7599 Center St., Mentor. Spiritual Director Renee Blau; Assistant Spiritual Director Elise Aitken. 440-255-1544.

Candlelighting time 4:54

Sabbath ends 5:54

Upcoming Candlelighting Nov 16 4:47 Nov 23 4:43

30 4:39 Dec 7 4:38

ANSHE CHESED Fairmount Temple: 23737 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbis Robert Nosanchuk and Joshua Caruso; Cantor Sarah Sager; Jordana Chernow-Reader, Rabbi-Educator. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat with musical guests 6:15 P.M.; SAT. Torah Study 9:15 A.M., Shabbat Minyan 10:30 A.M., Shabbat Morning Service 11 A.M. 216-464-1330. fairmounttemple.org.

BETH ISRAEL-The West Temple: 14308 Triskett Road, Cleveland. Rabbi Enid Lader. Alan Lettofsky, Rabbi Emeritus. FRI. Service 7:30 P.M.; SAT. Torah Study 9:30 A.M., Service 11 A.M. 216-941-8882. thewesttemple.com.

BETH SHALOM: 50 Division St., Hudson. Rabbi Jim Egolf. FRI. Shabbat Service 7:45 P.M. 330-656-1800. tbshudson.org

B’NAI ABRAHAM-The Elyria Temple: 530 Gulf Road, Elyria. Rabbi Lauren Werber. FRI. Shabbat Service with birthday and anniversary blessings 7 P.M. 440-366-1171. tbaelyria.org

SUBURBAN TEMPLE-KOL AMI: 22401 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood. Rabbi Allison Bergman Vann; Michael Oppenheimer, D.D., Rabbi Emeritus. FRI. Kabbalat Shabbat Service with Kolot Kol Ami 6 P.M.; SAT. Torah Study 9:15 A.M. 216-991-0700. suburbantemple.org.

TEMPLE EMANU EL: 4545 Brainard Road, Orange. Rabbi Steven L. Denker; Daniel A. Roberts, Rabbi Emeritus; Cantor Richard Lawrence. FRI. Tot Shabbat 5:30 P.M., Shabbat Service 6:15 P.M.; SAT. Parshat HaShavuah 9

A.M., Service 10:30 A.M. 216-454-1300. teecleve.org.

TEMPLE ISRAEL: 91 Springside Drive, Akron. Rabbi Josh Brown. Cantor Kathy Fromson. FRI. Service 6:15 P.M.; SAT. Torah Study 9 A.M., Morning Service 10 A.M. 330-665-2000 templeisraelakron.org.

TEMPLE ISRAEL NER TAMID: 1732 Lander Road, Mayfield Heights. Rabbi Matthew J. Eisenberg, D.D.; Frederick A. Eisenberg, D.D., Founding Rabbi Emeritus; Cantorial Soloist Rachel Eisenberg. FRI. 7:30 P.M. 440-473-5120. tintcleveland.org.

THE TEMPLE-Tifereth Israel: 26000 Shaker Blvd., Beachwood. Senior Rabbi Jonathan Cohen; Rabbi Roger C. Klein; Associate Rabbi Stacy Schlein; Cantor Kathryn Wolfe Sebo. FRI. Tot Shabbat 10 A.M., Shira Chadasha Musical Kabbalat Shabbat 6 P.M.; SAT. Torah Study 9:15 A.M.; FRI. Tot Shabbat 10 A.M. 216-8313233. ttti.org.

SECULAR/HUMANIST

JEWISH SECULAR COMMUNITY: First Unitarian Church, 21600 Shaker Blvd., Shaker Heights. jewishsecularcommunity.org.

MIKVAOT

THE CHARLOTTE GOLDBERG COMMUNITY MIKVAH: Park Synagogue, 3300 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights. By appointment only: 216-371-2244, ext. 135.

THE STANLEY AND ESTHER WAXMAN COMMUNITY MIKVEH: Waxman Chabad House, 2479 South Green Road, Beachwood. 216-381-3170.

This is a paid listing with information provided by congregations.

Obituaries

FREED, BETTY Betty Freed (nee Palevsky), Oct. 31, 2018, age 94.

Beloved wife of the late Howard A. Freed.

Loving mother of Amy Freed Humbert, Alan (Merle) Freed and the late Paula (Steven) Pike. Adored grandmother of Greta Rothman, Andrew (Kristan) Rothman, Alex (Rebecca) Humbert, Jacob (Stephanie) Humbert, Shelby (Brian) Wilhelm, Sidney (Lindsey) Wolf and Brooke (Estevan) Ruiz and great-grandmother of seven. Dear sister of the late Elmer (Eudese) Paull and the late Shirley Palevsky.

A talented singer who performed for 35 years with the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and a lauded cook, named “Mrs. Cleveland” in 1960.

Betty’s greatest gift was her irrepressible desire to make friends with the world. No baby could escape her embrace, and each new acquaintance was a potential dinner guest.

“I love family” became her motto, and all the world was her family.

Services were held Nov. 4 at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood. Interment was at Mayfield Cemetery.

Friends who wish may contribute to the Paula F. Pike Fund for Affirmation and Inclusion, c/o Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple or the Cleveland Orchestra.

GREENBERG, SHELDON

Sheldon J. Greenberg, beloved husband of Marilyn Smylie Greenberg (nee Levine) and the late Doris Greenberg (nee Hyman). Loving stepfather of Scott (Susana) Smylie, Stuart Smylie and Lorrie Smylie. Devoted grandfather of Maximus and Samuel. Dear brother of Alan (Caroline) Greenberg.

Services were held Nov. 6 at Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel in Cleveland Heights. Interment was at Bet Olam Cemetery.

Friends who wish may contribute to the Maltz Hospice House, c/o The Montefiore Foundation or Park Synagogue.

KOSES, ROBERTA

Roberta Ann “Bobbi” Koses (nee Simon) was born Jan. 15, 1940, and passed away Nov. 1, 2018.

Beloved wife of Bruce Koses (deceased); devoted mother of Jeffrey (Becky) Koses of Virginia, David (Alfredo Roldan-Flores) Koses of Massachusetts and Betsey (Reuven) Saffar; loving grandmother of Benjamin and Elizabeth Koses, Cecelia Roldan-Koses and Aveille, Gahl, Daniel and Orly Saffar; dear sister of Michele (Dr. Roger) Spott of Florida; cherished aunt of Steven Spott; and dearly loved cousin of Sharon Woodard, Marcia Swords and Natalie Zimmerman.

Born in St. Louis, from her first day in school, she always knew she wanted to be a teacher. At first, she taught typing (teaching students to type to the rhythm of many hit records of the day) and later social studies. While working full time, she went back to school earning her master’s degree and becoming a guidance counselor.

Following the too early death of her husband, Bruce, she did a wonderful job raising three children as a single parent.

In retirement, she spent time traveling the world and building a world class

collection of teapots. Friends and family knew a gift certain to gladden her heart.

She always loved needlework. The family still wears the sweaters she knitted, use the tablecloths and napkins she embroidered, and look forward to sharing the sets she made for her grandchildren.

Her last years were difficult, with many health challenges. At last she is free from pain and is at peace. Her memory is a great blessing.

Services were held Nov. 4 at Berkowitz-Kumin-Bookatz Memorial Chapel in Cleveland Heights. Interment was at Mount Olive Cemetery.

Contributions are suggested to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (lls.org) or the American Heart Association (heart. org).

Obituaries

SOCOLOFF, SHELDON

Sheldon Jay Socoloff, born and raised in Cleveland to Rhea and Jack Socoloff on Nov. 2, 1938.

He was an electrician by trade and served as the chief building official of Mayfield Heights for more than 25 years.

Upon retirement, he offered his expertise to other communities as a building official.

Professionally, Sheldon was known for his integrity, professionalism and comprehensive knowledge of all things code related. No man loved his family more – he cherished “his girls,” and most recently, his great grandson – the first boy born to the Socoloff family in 78 years.

Sheldon is survived by his best friend and beloved wife, Nancy (nee Boxerbaum). Loving father of Beth Navratil, Mindy Cannella and Caryn and Leigh Weinberg. Devoted brother of Marvin and Stanley Socoloff (both deceased). Cherished grandfather of Jaime (Jason), Alyssa, Alexandra, Genna, Madison and Samantha. Great-grandfather of Sawyer. Uncle to Curt (Darlene), Sherri and Kim.

Services were held Nov. 8 at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood. Interment was at Chesterland Memorial Park.

Family will receive friends following the service from noon to 4 p.m. Nov. 9, from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 10 and from 1 to 5 p.m. Nov. 11 at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Leigh Weinberg, 75 Meadowhill Lane in Moreland Hills.

Contributions are suggested to Hospice of the Western Reserve, 17876 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, OH 44110, or Fieldstone Therapeutic Riding Center, 16497 Snyder Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022.

SUSMAN, MARSHA

Marsha E. Susman passed away peacefully with her loving family by her side.

Marsha is the beloved wife of Murray. They were married for 52 wonderful years. She is the devoted mother of Jennifer (Jeremy) Schusterman, Kevin Susman and Michelle (Nick) Tagg; adoring grandmother of Noah and Emma Schusterman and Sydney and Evan Tagg; and dearest sister of Michael Ragovin, Philip (Sandy) Ragovin and David (Cindy) Ragovin.

Services were held Nov. 4 at Mount Olive Cemetery, in Solon (JWV section). Contributions are suggested to a charity of choice.

Unveilings GREENE, MARIA P.

In our loving and enduring memory of Maria P. Greene, her family will dedicate a monument at 1 p.m. Nov. 23 at Mount Olive Cemetery. Rabbi Robert A. Nosanchuk will officiate. Maria was the loving wife of Howard (deceased); devoted and loving mother of Bill (Lisa) Schonberg, Lynn (Keith Weiner) Schonberg, David Schonberg and Jeff (Beth) Schonberg; stepmother of Patricia (Richard) Martin and Jo-Ann Greene; and loving grandmother of Adam and Julia Schonberg, Joel Weiner and Ross and Corey Schonberg.

KAHN, GERALDINE “GERRY”

In loving memory of Gerry Kahn (nee Goldman), a monument will be dedicated at 12:30 p.m. Nov. 11 at Bet Olam Cemetery in the Park Synagogue section. Rabbi Joshua Skoff will officiate. Gerry was the loving wife of Marvin (deceased); devoted mother of Sherry (Mark) Tilson, Jeff (Linda) and Richard (Michelle) Kahn; the best Grammy to Cory (Laureen) Tilson, Brad, Jason, Mitchell Kahn, Matthew Kahn and Steven, Cory and Brittany Prijatel; great-grandmother to twins, Ariella and Grayson Tilson, who were born a month after she passed; sister of Saul Goldman (deceased); and daughter of Rose and Philip Goldman (deceased).

ROSENBERG, JUDY

In loving memory of Judy Rosenberg, a monument will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Nov. 25 at Mount Olive Cemetery. Judy is survived by her husband, Marshall Rosenberg, and their family: Helayne, Rich and Galya Loeb; Frank, Beth, Alix and Molly Rosenberg; Sara and David Siegal; Joel, Michelle, Shira, Ella and Asher Rosenberg; Paula and Sivan Levy; Hadas, Ariela and Tali Look; and Philip, Toby, Mara, Ben, Aliza, Matan, Moshe and Judah Rosenberg.

SHARE INDIVIDUAL NOTICES WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AT CJN.ORG/OBITS

CLASSIFIEDS PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

Sometimes people have the right intention, but the wrong execution. We try to do the right things, but either stupidity or a really bad management decision gets in the way. What I am going to describe has happened to all of us and what amazes me, is it still continues.

You go into a retail store or you call a business from your home telephone. For sake of argument, let’s just say it was a cellular company named “Horizon.” You were pushed into a lake and your cellphone was in your pocket and isn’t working due to it being soaked with pond water.

You ask the nice person on the phone or in person if you can get another phone and naturally pay some sort of charge or fee for the accident that just happened to you. The person says, “No, there is nothing we can do, unless you have the insurance policy, and a new phone is $299.” The customer service rep did not look at your records and see that you have been a loyal customer since 1988 or didn’t even try to help you by talking to a supervisor. They just gave you a plain flat out “no.”

The next thing said was, “Is there anything else that I can assist you with today?” Now, I just want to strangle them. Your inside voice is saying, “Hey Sparky, you did not help me with my reason for calling or stopping in, and now you are asking me this ridiculous question.” Your outside voice says, “whatever,” and now you hang up or leave the store even more frustrated.

I do not blame the employee or the customer service rep. I am angered at management. Someone has trained them to recite this idiotic phrase after they think they might have helped a customer. What a stupid thing to say to a customer after you haven’t done what they have asked for, or even helped them with respect to their problem or concern.

Sometimes upper management is too

far removed from the situation and this type of decision to utter that insane phrase came from a lower or middle management associate trainer or supervisor that should be fired for having zero common sense.

I will never forget the time when I was conducting a workshop in Florida for a utility company and the CEO was telling me how great their customer service department was. I asked him when was the last time he called in as a customer with a problem or a question so he can really have a true reality check of his company. He said he has never done that. I proceeded to have him call in on his cellphone to the main number and then to customer service.

After he was on hold for close to 22 minutes, I thought he was going to have a stroke. He was not only embarrassed, but also frustrated at the situation he was never aware of in the first place.

I guarantee you that if he called the Horizon store and I was the CEO of that

company, and the typical response was, “No, but is there anything else I can do for you,” the department would have a new supervisor, new training manual and a computer screen that would not have those words pop up for the customer service rep to blurt out to you.

Great companies have policies, procedures and follow-up training that encompasses good old-fashioned common sense, and once in a while, a really good reality check.

Hal Becker is a nationally known speaker on sales and customer service. He is the author of numerous business books including two national best sellers “Can I Have 5 Minutes Of Your Time?” and “Lip Service.” Hal’s newest book on sales is titled “Ultimate Sales Book.”

PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORY

Elder Care

HAPPYTIME

ALL OCCASIONS

Music For All Ages. Full-time, Friendly, Professional Service

DJ "Jammin' Joel" Weiner 440-460-1030

Elder Care

VISITING ANGELS

SENIOR HOMECARE

Personal care, meals, laundry, lt. housework, shopping, companionship Refs. & Bkgd. checks. 216-231-6400

General Cleaning

Let me help you clean up for the Holidays!

Quality Cleaning

Commercial/Residential 20 years experience Adrie 216-921-6929 Maria 216-310-6160

HOUSE CLEANING

EAST SIDE

GREAT PRICES

Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or one-time cleaning. 20 years exp. References. 440-915-5653

Hard-Working Cleaning Woman 25 year's exp., Hand-washing floors, Attention to detail, Excellent references Maria 440-537-9784

Painting & Decorating

Elder Care

I CAN HELP HOME CARE

Elder Care

Liquidators

ADDRESS YOUR MESS! Moving? Downsizing? Need a sale, buyout or help dismantling your home? Call Andrea Backer for a free consult

References 216-509-3422

Handyman

Quality care, compassion, integrity & respect are our NUMBER 1 PRIORITY www.ICanHelpHomeHealth.com 216-691-9768

HOME HEALTH CAREGIVERS

If you are in need of caregivers for your parents, I can recommend two well qualified, excellent, caring, warm, honest individuals who took care of my father for many years. Both of these ladies have become a part of our family and I would like to help them find a new job.

If interested, please email Craigriverstone@yahoo.com or call my cell (216) 496-7499

Painting & Decorating

BEAUTIFUL INTERIORS & EXTERIORS by a very fussy painter. Restore woodwork, walls, & wallpaper. Decorative finishes & paper hanging.

JAMES A. HOLLO 440-237-4681

P & W

Home Improvement

Landscaping

ProView Landscaping

Residential/Commercial Snow Plowing & Landscaping Service 440-520-9664

Pest Control

PATTON

PEST CONTROL

Family owned and operated, serving Northeast Ohio since 1964. 440-338-3101

"Protecting Health & Property" Big enough to serve, small enough to care. Ask your neighbors about us!

Plumbing

GEM PLUMBING

Interior & Exterior painting, drywall, plaster, tuckpointing. Violation corrections. 216-978-0494 440-646-1890

TED STONE & SON Int/Ext Painting, Water Damage, Repair, Plastering, Powerwashing. Very reasonable! 216-299-5560

Specializing in residential plumbing repairs. Faucet, toilet & lavatory replacement. Drain & Sewer cleaning. Gas Lines & Water Heaters. On-time appts. Quality guaranteed. Father & son operated. Angie's List. License #18968 440-461-0546

EMERGENCY SERVICE

Plumbing, heating, sewers. We solve all your plumbing problems. Dano 216-410-8410 440-449-5871 216-752-7060 state id 19636

Disc Jockey

Computer Service

Elder Care Handyman

Cedar Road

Available immediately

Walking distance to Shul, restaurants and Legacy Village. 2 bedroom,