JFNH Announces 2016 Grants for Summer Camp and Israel Experience

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1 Federation Voices 3 Calendar 4 Campaign Dollars at Work 5 From the Bimah 7 In the Community 9 Israel 11 World Jewry 12 Arts & Entertainment 13 Book Review 14 Recent Events 15 Obituaries 16 Tributes 17 Business & Professional Services 18 Published by the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire Volume 36, Number 3 November 2015 Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 JFNH Announces 2016 Grants for Summer Camp and Israel Experience By Nancy Frankel, Camp/Israel Experience Grant Chair Camp Stories: Shayna Rockmore I think that Camp Ramah is a great opportunity for Jewish kids. It has them spend more time with other Jewish kids, which for me is really great. It keeps me on track with my Jewish and Hebrew learning. It is a little more religious than what I am used to at home, but it makes me feel like a true Jew. We say a bracha (blessing) before and after meals. We have tefila (prayer) every morning. We do Shabbat services. A lot of people groan, but I think it is kind of fun to learn the prayers. Rockmore continued on page 3 Shayna at agam (the lake). Manchester Jewish Federation of New Hampshire is pleased to continue a long-standing commitment to the youth and families of our community by providing grants of up to $1,000 to youth and teens who attend a not-for-profit Jewish summer camp for the first time and grants of up to $1,800 to teens who participate in a peer experience in Israel. JFNH has helped 74 NH teens participate in a life-changing experience in Israel since Grants are funded in part by the Irving and Bernice Singer Israel Experience Fund of the Jewish Federation Foundation. In the past eight years, 95 campers have had the opportunity to have an amazing summer camp experience with grant assistance from JFNH. The Federation works in partnership with the Foundation for Jewish Camp s One Happy Camper program. Our camp families reside in all parts of New Hampshire. Many are affiliated with a religious congregation, but many are not. According to the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the challenge of passing along Jewish connection and commitment to the next generation has become one of the most important concerns of the American Jewish community. Based on the 2010 study by the Foundation for Jewish Camp, there is compelling evidence that overnight Jewish camp is a proven means of building Jewish identity, community, and leadership. For example, adults who attended overnight Jewish camp are 30% more likely to donate to a Jewish Federation, 37% more likely to light candles regularly for Shabbat, 45% more likely to attend synagogue at least once per month, and 55% more likely to feel very emotionally attached to Israel. Moreover, overnight Jewish camp makes for sensational summers. (Source: Foundation for Jewish Camp, 2016). Please read the stories from our 2015 NH grant recipients about their amazing experiences in this and future editions of The Reporter. For camp grant application and additional information, go to Further information and an application form for Israel Experience are on the JFNH website: Applications for both programs are due by February 15, Any questions should be directed to Nancy Frankel, Camp/Israel Experience Grant Chair, at corkyatcf@aol.com. Israel Experience Stories: Etti Krinsky I was walking on the stone streets, slightly absent minded, not able to properly understand where I was. I put my bag through the security checkpoint and kept walking. Suddenly, it was there. Before my very eyes -- the Kotel. It was my first time, and I would be turning 18 years old two weeks later. It didn t seem real, but as I separated myself from the group, in a state of extreme awareness of my surroundings, tears began to fall. I walked quickly and with purpose, finding myself touching the stones I ve only heard of. I cried. I prayed. I thought about how many other thousands of men and women stood in the place that I was standing, young and old, troubled and content, but all part of the same people. My trip to Israel changed me in many ways. It was the ultimate Jewish experience, and the second my plane touched ground in America, I couldn t wait to go back. Krinsky continued on page 6 Etti Krinsky (right) experiencing a waterfall with a friend in Israel. The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Jewish Federation of New Hampshire 1361 Elm Street, Suite 403 Manchester, NH Change Service Requested NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION US POSTAGE PAID MANCHESTER, NH PERMIT NO. 1174

2 CONGREGATIONS AMHERST CONGREGATION BETENU Rebekah Goldman (Rabbinic Intern) 5 Northern Blvd., Unit 1, Amherst Reform, Affi liated URJ (603) Services: Friday night Kabbalat Shabbat services at 7:30 PM Saturday morning twice a month, 9:30 AM BETHLEHEM BETHLEHEM HEBREW CONGREGATION 39 Strawberry Hill Road PO Box 395, Bethlehem Unaffi liated-egalitarian (603) davegoldstone1@gmail.com Services: Contact for Date/Time Info President Dave Goldstone - (516) or Eileen Regen (603) Weekly Services: July through Simchat Torah Friday: 6:30 PM; Saturday: 10 AM CLAREMONT TEMPLE MEYER DAVID 25 Putnam Street, Claremont Conservative (603) Services: Generally the second Friday of the month, 6:15 PM, April to November. CONCORD TEMPLE BETH JACOB Rabbi Robin Nafshi 67 Broadway, Concord Reform, Affi liated URJ (603) offi ce@tbjconcord.org Services: Friday night - 7 PM Saturday morning - 9:30 AM DERRY ETZ HAYIM SYNAGOGUE Rabbi Peter Levy 1½ Hood Road, Derry Reform, Affi liated URJ (603) offi ce@etzhayim.org, rabbi@etzhayim.org Services: Fridays 7:15 PM Please check the website for the Shabbat Morning schedule JRF: Jewish Reconstructionist Federation URJ: Union for Reform Judaism USCJ: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism HANOVER CHABAD AT DARTMOUTH COLLEGE Rabbi Moshe Gray 22a School Street, Hanover Orthodox, Chabad (603) chabad@dartmouth.edu Services: Friday Evening Shabbat services and Dinner Shabbat morning services Call for times UPPER VALLEY JEWISH COMMUNITY Rabbi Edward S. Boraz Roth Center for Jewish Life 5 Occom Ridge, Hanover Nondenominational, Unaffi liated (603) uvjc@valley.net Services: Friday night Shabbat services at 6 PM, led by Dartmouth Hillel Saturday morning Shabbat services at 9:30 AM, led by Rabbi Boraz KEENE CONGREGATION AHAVAS ACHIM Rabbi Amy Loewenthal 84 Hastings Avenue, Keene Reconstructionist, Affi liated JRF (603) rabbi.ahavas.achim@gmail.com Services: Regular Friday night services at 7 PM Monthly Shabbat morning services at 9:30 AM Check the website for time variations LACONIA TEMPLE B NAI ISRAEL Rabbi Boaz Heilman 210 Court Street, Laconia Reform, Affi liated URJ (603) Services: Every other Friday night at 7:30 PM MANCHESTER CHABAD LUBAVITCH Rabbi Levi Krinsky 7 Camelot Place, Manchester Orthodox, Chabad (603) rabbi@lubavitchnh.com Services: Shabbat Services Saturday morning at 9:30 AM Sunday morning minyan at 9 AM TEMPLE ADATH YESHURUN Rabbi Beth D. Davidson 152 Prospect Street, Manchester Reform, Affi liated URJ (603) templeadathy@comcast.net Services: Shabbat services the fi rst Friday of the month at 6 PM All other Friday nights at 7 PM with some exceptions. Alternating Shabbat services or Torah study Saturday mornings at 10 AM TEMPLE ISRAEL Rabbi Eric Cohen 66 Salmon Street, Manchester Conservative (603) offi ce@templeisraelmht.org Services: Friday night 7:15 PM Saturday 9:30 AM Mon. - Fri. 7 AM daily service/minyan NASHUA TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM Rabbi Jon Spira-Savett 4 Raymond Street, Nashua Conservative, Affi liated USCJ (603) rabbi@tbanashua.org offi ce@tbanashua.org Services: Friday night services 8 PM 1st Friday family service 7 PM Saturday morning 9:30 AM Mon. - Thur. minyan 7:30 PM The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Volume 36, Number 3 NOVEMBER 2015 Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 Published by the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire 1361 Elm Street, Suite 403 Manchester, NH Tel: (603) Fax: (603) Editor: Fran Berman Layout and Design: Tim Gregory Advertising Sales: info@jewishnh.org The objectives of The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter are to foster a sense of community among the Jewish people of New Hampshire by sharing ideas, information, experiences and opinions, and to promote the agencies, projects and mission of the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire. The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter is published monthly ten times per year, with a deadline for submissions of the 10th of the month before publication. There are no January or July issues. All items, including calendar events, for the December-January or June-July newspaper must be submitted by Nov. 10 or May 10, respectively. Please send all materials to: thereporter@jewishnh.org Send items for the print and online JFNH Calendar and E-News to events@jewishnh.org Opinions presented in the paper do not necessarily represent the views of the Federation. Photos submitted by individuals and organizations are published with their permission. Neither the publisher nor the editor can assume any responsibility for the kashrut of the services or merchandise advertised in this paper. If you have questions regarding kashrut please consult your rabbi. The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter is overseen by the JFNH Publications Committee, Merle Carrus, chairperson. All materials published in The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter are 2015 Jewish Federation of New Hampshire, all rights reserved, unless noted otherwise. Shabbat Candle Lighting Times: (Manchester) November 6 4:14 PM November 13 4:07 PM November 20 4:00 PM November 27 3:56 PM PAGE 2 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

3 We have noted with interest the recent news that Congregation Mishkan Tefilah in Chestnut Hill, MA, has agreed to sell its land and building to Boston College next year. Congregation Mishkan Tefilah is the oldest Conservative synagogue in New England, dating back to 1858, and the existing building, constructed in 1958, is large enough to have once accommodated well over 700 families. The statement announcing the sale noted that the congregation no longer needs such a large facility, stating: Judaism has changed. Forty or fifty years ago, the temple was the center of Jewish life. People prayed, socialized and gathered at their shuls as a regular part of their lives. Now people experience in so many diverse, exciting ways... There is also still a need for the temple. The place does not need to be as big as it was in the past. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2013 found that American Jews overwhelmingly say they are proud to be Jewish and have a strong sense of Jewish ethnicity, but the survey also suggests that Jewish identity is changing in A friend posted something on Facebook recently that caught my eye. It read, The 20 Most Profound Things People Thought of in the Shower. Now profound is not the adjective I would use to describe most of the items on my FB wall, but I was sufficiently intrigued that I clicked on the link. I breezed through the list until #15, where I found, Your shadow is a confirmation that light has traveled nearly 93 million miles unobstructed, only to be deprived of reaching the ground in the final few feet, thanks to you. My first response was to feel bad for the light. Then, perhaps because of my fascination with digging up my family tree, I realized the light could be a nottoo-obscure metaphor for Jewish life that has traveled light years and has landed on me. So, as the obstruction and in the spotlight, so to speak, I would have to choose what to do. I suppose I could simply step aside and allow the light to continue on its travels, but once unimpeded, might that just be a final few feet? I could stand still, but then wouldn t I be the final recipient of its brilliance? I know I want to be enriched by the past and I want to be a part of the fu- Jeff Crocker Message from the Co-Chair Message from the Co-Chair A Profound Moment in the Shower Laurie Tishler Mindlin Executive Director ture, so neither of those options could work for me. I wouldn t want Jewish life as I ve known it to disappear. I cherish the lessons learned in my grandparents homes and the values lived with my Mom and Dad. I love Israel for trying to be a safe place for all Jews, for wanting to pursue values-driven decisions while struggling with right, left, and wrong. I am happy in a congregation kehillah, even though I somehow seem to need more than one liturgy, set of rituals, or set of norms. This complexity amidst opportunity is exactly why I love being Jewish and why I must do what I can to foster a future. Each of us can play a role in the future of Jewish life. The process begins with knowing who we are and what is important to us. Next we must care to share our passion by volunteering and supporting initiatives that address our America, where more than one in five Jews now describe themselves as secular or nonreligious. Before the High Holidays, over an early morning cup of coffee with a 20-something-year-old Jewish resident of Peterborough, I asked about the interests of young Jewish adults and the challenges they face in New Hampshire when it comes to maintaining meaningful friendships and relationships with one another. My friend answered that he and his friends identify and share common ethnic, cultural, and political interests and opinions as Jews, that they are strong supporters of Israel, and that it is indeed a significant challenge for young Jewish adults in Keene, Peterborough, Milford, Nashua, and beyond to sustain connections with one another. I was impressed with my friend s commitment to Jewish values, and the effort he and his friends make to maintain Jewish connections. However, I privately wondered how important the synagogue is to my friend and to his friends in the 21st century, and whether he would have interest in attending services during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Looking ahead, if Jewish Federations are to remain relevant, we must include our young adults in our plans and programming initiatives, and we must take into account their unique interests and characteristics. An example of one such initiative is Moishe House, a nonprofit organization that sponsors Jewish young professionals who choose to live together, hold Shabbat dinners, and organize events for their peers. Moishe House provides a subsidy and a program budget to the house residents in exchange for hosting a certain number of programs each month. It is up to the residents to find and rent the house. JFNH and New Hampshire s Jewish population will have a vibrant future if we use our ingenuity to embrace dynamic and values. In the very near future, your Jewish Federation will embark on several new adventures aimed at fostering Jewish joy, strengthening our community, connecting more deeply to the people of Israel, and increasing assistance to people in need. I m confident that you will find our agenda compelling, and I hope you will find something worthy of your participation. Rockmore continued from page 1 fresh ideas such as Moishe House. Although things change over time, some things remain the same. My 20-something friend took the initiative to seek out and attend High Holiday services at a New Hampshire synagogue. Although anecdotal, this suggests that the Mishkan Tefilah announcement is correct in stating that there also is still a need for the temple -- a beit knesset or house of assembly where Jews can gather communally for religious as well as for social, educational, and cultural events. An important part of JFNH s mission is to encourage and support such activities and events at our synagogues and elsewhere throughout New Hampshire. We are about to kick off JFNH s annual fundraising campaign. We will need your financial support in order to achieve our objectives throughout the entire state. Our Board of Directors and our entire organization is working hard for New Hampshire s Jewish community. Please be generous in your support of a strong and vital statewide Jewish community in New Hampshire when you are called upon this year. Returning to the profundity in the shower scenario, my choice is to reflect the light. It will not end with me, nor will it continue toward the final few feet. I choose to serve as a prism. I choose for the light to become a glorious spectrum of diversity, blended together like a galaxy with a common sun, and I want to be a part of fulfilling that promise. What might be your response to #15? Camp is a very friendly environment. The camp does a good job of hiring counselors. They have a mysterious magic of making kids feel better. They always seem to know what s wrong and fix it so that you are comfortable and having fun. Almost every day is a full day. We have activities called chugs, and there are different choices. Lots of chugs take place in the omanut (art) building. There are lots of sport chugs. Lots of people enjoy doing cooking as a chug. There are lots more chugs. One activity everybody does is agam, which is lake or swimming. On the first day of camp, we take a swim test. There are four sections of water: A water; B water; C water; and D water. What I like about the swim test is that you can choose which strokes you do. The next day your teacher will tell you which water you are in. I tested and I got into C water. What is nice is you can retake the test if you didn t like what water you are in or you think you should be in a higher level. I was put in C water so that means that for free swim I can swim in C water and below. For free swim you are not allowed to swim in D water; that s only for lessons. The meals were very good at camp. Shayna is the daughter of Ellen and Dan Rockmore of Hanover. She attended Camp Ramah with a first-time campership grant from JFNH and the Foundation for Jewish Camp. Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 3

4 Sunday, November 1 From the Shtetl to the 21st Century 10 AM, Temple Israel, Manchester Interested in genealogy? Thinking about researching your family history? Join us for a presentation by Jennifer Shoer, a professional genealogist from Portsmouth, NH, and Secretary, New England Association of Professional Genealogists. Coffee & light refreshments will be served. You are invited to send your family history questions in advance to jshoer@reconnectingrelatives.com. Please, help us customize this presentation FOR YOU by fi lling out the survey here: QFPX5QY. More information: or offi ce@ templeisraelmht.org. Nashua Area CROP Walk - Fight Hunger in Greater Nashua and Around the World Temple Beth Abraham, Nashua Come march with hundreds of people from religious groups in Greater Nashua, beginning at Temple Beth Abraham and walking through the center of Nashua. We raise around $40,000 each year. Register and begin fundraising now online or contact Anita Hazard (adults) at anitahaz@comcast.net or Davida Rubin- Baker (school families) at drubin.baker@comcast. net, at or the synagogue or school offi ces. Monday, November 2 Part 2 of Short Stories of Jesus parables of a controversial Rabbi by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine 7 PM, Brookside Church, 2013 Elm St., Manchester Taught by Rabbi Beth Davidson and Rev. Dr. Dawn Berry. More information: or Tuesday, November 3 Introduction to Judaism Course 7:15 PM, Etz Hayim Synagogue, Derry Taught by Rabbi Peter Levy of Etz Hayim Synagogue on Tuesdays until June. Free to members of Etz Hayim and The Church of the Transfi guration, $36 for others. Students must buy one book and should bring a Bible. Rabbi Levy will recommend other books to read. The course will touch on all aspects of Judaism: history, theology, practice, Hebrew, and much more. Jews, non-jews, and all seekers are welcome to learn more about the faith. More information: www. etzhayim.org or Thursday, November 5 Hadassah Meeting 1 PM, JFNH Offi ce, Manchester More information: contact Michele Bank at Michele. bank@gmail.com. Friday, November 6 Pulpit Swap 7 PM, Temple Israel, Manchester Rabbi Josh Segal will lead. More information: or offi ce@templeisraelmht.org. Saturday, November 7 Junior Congregation 9:30 AM, Temple Israel, Manchester Service partially led by Temple Israel Hebrew School students. More information: or offi ce@ templeisraelmht.org. Fine Craft Fair Enter our Raffle for a chance to win beautiful prizes! Made in NH Crafts, Silk, Glass, Fabric Art, Felt, Wool, Jewelry, Doll Clothes, Baby items, Jams, Bath and Body Products, Cosmetics, Chanukah, Judaica & More! Sunday, November 15 10AM 3PM Temple Adath Yeshurun 152 Prospect Street, Manchester, NH Corner of Beech & Prospect, near Currier Art Museum Sponsored by The Temple Adath Yeshurun Sisterhood Sunday, November 8 Jewish Genealogy from the Shtetl to the 21st Century 9:30 11:30 AM, Etz Hayim Synagogue, Derry Jennifer Shoer, a professional Jewish genealogist, will cover: current genealogical standards; getting started; organization and building a tree online; talking with relatives/meeting cousins; fi nding living relatives; genetic genealogy; tracing your family back in time; how to craft a research question and common US resources; identifying your ancestor s name and place of origin; Jewish-specifi c resources and New England-specifi c resources; free online tools and how to share your fi ndings. More information: or Is the Two-State Solution Dead? 10 AM, Temple Beth Abraham, Nashua Bernard Avishai, a renowned Middle East scholar, will review the Israeli/Palestinian confl ict and ponder the question: Is the Two State Solution Dead? A light brunch will be served. More information: Heidi Lovitz at director@tbanashua.org. To RSVP visit www. tbanashua.org. Sponsored by TBA Lifelong Learning Committee, TBA Sisterhood and J Street. Southern NH Jewish Men s Club Hike 10 AM, Temple Mountain parking lot, Peterborough Hike the Wapack Trail, led by SNHJMC board member James Moon. This event is cosponsored by Monadnock Havurah. For information and directions, RSVP to breakfastrsvp@snhjmc.org. More information: Monday, November 9 Kristallnacht Commemoration 7 8 PM, The Colonial Theatre, 95 Main Street, Keene This annual event seeks to bring the community together to bear witness and recognize our responsibility to promote an active and informed citizenry, recognize individual and societal responsibility for each other, and foster mutual respect and justice. More information: Michele Kuiawa at mkuiawa@keene.edu or Wednesday, November 11 Hillary Silver Memorial Blood Drive 2 7 PM, Temple Adath Yeshurun, Manchester More information: or Friday, November 13 Shabbat Service with Guest Speaker Stephan Lewy 7 PM, Temple Adath Yeshurun, Manchester More information: or Monday, November 14 An Elegant Evening of Fine Wines, Appetizers, and Desserts 7 PM, Etz Hayim Synagogue, Derry Features local wines from Candia Vineyards and Apollo Vineyards of Derry, with appetizers and desserts from Amphora Restaurant of Derry. A silent auction will also be held. Sophisticated attire is requested. The cost is $20 per person. Tickets may be purchased at More information: or Boston College s BC bop! Concert 7 PM, The Winnipesaukee Playhouse, Meredith Boston College s BC bop! is an award-winning jazz band. Temple B nai Israel of Laconia, organizer of this event, will donate all net proceeds to Central NH Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice. Complimentary delicious snacks and desserts can be enjoyed at 7 PM, with the concert beginning at 7:45 PM. Wine and beer cash bar will also be available from 7 7:45PM. Refreshments, music, camaraderie, and good deeds, all in one fun evening. Only 200 tickets are available; tickets are $25 a person including refreshments and may be ordered at The Winnipesaukee Playhouse Box Offi ce by calling More information: info@tbinh.org. Sunday, November 15 17th Annual Sisterhood Craft Fair & Chanukah Shop 10AM 3PM, Temple Adath Yeshurun, Manchester 25 Local artists, raffl e, made in NH gifts, MANTY bagel and coffee sale. Free admission and free parking, Handicap accessible. More information: or Caring for Our Parents Care Facilities An interactive discussion with Janice Cole on selecting facilities. More information: or Friday, November 20 Family Shabbat 6 PM, Temple Israel, Manchester Reservations required by 1 PM on Nov. 18, call Christine at Shabbat Service with Guest Speaker Rabbi Stephen Fuchs 7 PM, Temple Adath Yeshurun, Manchester More information: or Saturday, November 21 Starry Starry Night Temple Beth Abraham, Nashua This annual fundraising event for Temple Beth Abraham s religious school will be a dance workshop and party for the whole family featuring international acclaimed dancer and teacher Steve Weintraub, the Piped Piper of Yiddish Dance, and a live band from the New England Conservatory. More information: or Sunday, November 22 Breakfast with Steve Weintraub, the Pied Piper of Yiddish Dance 9:30 AM, Temple Beth Abraham, Nashua Southern New Hampshire Jewish Men s Club and the Beth Abraham Life Long Learning Committee will present this event. $5 for SNJMC members, $10 for nonmembers. More information: Heidi Lovitz at director@tbanashua.org or Monday, November 23 Interfaith Thanksgiving Service 7PM, Polish National Catholic Church, Manchester, NH More information: Tuesday, December 1 Introduction to Judaism Course 7:15 PM, Etz Hayim Synagogue, Derry Taught by Rabbi Peter Levy of Etz Hayim Synagogue. More information: or Sunday, December 6 Southern NH Jewish Men s Club Breakfast 9:30 AM, Temple Beth Abraham, Nashua More information: PAGE 4 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

5 By Judy Ullman Speaker Focuses on Sharing Water and Peace in the West Bank Nashua Come to Temple Beth Abraham on Sunday, November 8, at 10 AM for a thought-provoking discussion on the future of the Israel/ Palestinian relationship with guest speaker Bernard Avishai. Avishai, a renowned Middle East scholar, will review the Israel/Palestinian conflict and ponder the question, Is the Two-State Solution Dead? The morning will include a light brunch. It has long been held by diplomats that establishing a Palestinian state including the Gaza strip and the West Bank alongside Israel would resolve the Israel/ Palestinian conflict. This premise has been the official position of the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority, and many in the international community. The unilateral withdrawal by Israel Prof. Bernard Avishai Rebecca Green, TBA congregant and cosponsor of the talk, asks a question. Nashua Nature knows no boundaries, said Mary Alexander, representative of EcoPeace Middle East, as she began her presentation Share the Water, Share the Peace at Temple Beth Abraham in Nashua on September 20. About 50 people gathered for this program and for a sumptuous Israeli brunch provided by the Temple Sisterhood. Congregants Rebecca and Alan Green and J Street NH cosponsored the event. Alexander explained that EcoPeace Middle East is a regional organization. Jordan, the West Bank, and Israel share water sources from the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, a coastal aquifer, and a mountain aquifer. As a result, all also share common problems, i.e., scarcity of water, competition for resources, unequal distribution of the water, and increasing pollution. Unfortunately, the conflict in the Middle East has resulted in the diversion of water resources, sewage that flows through West Bank villages, and industrial pollution such as chromium in the Jordan River from the tanning industry. This pollution threatens public health in the whole region. For example, the UN predicts that the coastal aquifer water in Gaza will be unfit for human use by EcoPeace Middle East works toward solutions to these problems by building cooperation and awareness of water issues in the region. One initiative includes pairing communities. For example, five Palestinian communities outside of Bethlehem have paired with one Israeli town. They re developing tours of the area and working toward a master plan for the Jordan River basin (see org for more information). Congregant David Sacks opened the program with a description of his travel from Amman, Jordan, to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with three others, all Muslim. He shared their experiences crossing from Jordan into the West Bank and then into Israel. Rabbi Jonathan Spira-Savett Mary Alexander provides information about water issues on the West Bank. welcomed the audience to the Temple. After a question and answer period following the speakers, Shaina Wasserman, J Street New England regional director, concluded the program by explaining that J Street is the political home for pro- Israel, pro-peace Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic, and the national home for the Jewish people. Is the Two-State Solution Dead? from the Gaza strip, followed by rocket attacks and retaliatory wars, and the breakdown of governance and increase in extreme violence in places like Syria, Iraq, and Libya have led some to think that establishing a Palestinian state may not be the preferred approach to resolution of the conflict. What then? Bernard Avishai is Visiting Professor of Government at Dartmouth College and Adjunct Professor of Business at the Hebrew University. A Guggenheim fellow, he is the author of The Tragedy of Zionism, A New Israel, The Hebrew Republic, as well as dozens of articles on politics, business, and the Middle East conflict in such publications as Harper s, The New York Review, New York Times Magazine, and The New Yorker, where he is a regular blogger. He is a former editor of Harvard Business Review and International Director of Intellectual Capital at KPMG. His most recent book, Promiscuous: Portnoy s Complaint and Our Doomed Pursuit of Happiness, was published in Canterbury Street Andover, MA AndoverCountryClub.com Working in U.S. politics and the Jewish community, she noted that J Street advocates for policies leading to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the next year, she said, J Street will focus on diplomacy as a way to make progress toward peace in the Middle East. See for more information about J Street. Temple Beth Abraham is located at 4 Raymond Street, Nashua. For more information, contact Heidi Lovitz, director@tbanashua.org. To RSVP, go to Sponsored by TBA Lifelong Learning Committee, TBA Sisterhood, and J Street. Creating Family Memories to Last a Lifetime Wedding Receptions Bar/Bat Mitzvahs Corporate Functions Fundraisers Family Celebrations Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 5

6 JFNH Announces Israel Missions The NH Jewish community is invited to participate in two special trips to Israel over Israel Independence Day. If there is interest, JFNH will host an information session. Krinsky continued from page 1 Landing in Israel was an experience of its own. I had a window seat, and my eyes were glued on the outdoors as soon as the pilot announced the landing. Each piece of land that I saw was a potential first sight of Israel, and my heart lurched each time. When it finally was really the land of Israel, my heart knew. It was beating twice as fast, and I drank in the beauty of the land from afar. Throughout my trip, I found myself thanking G-d again and again for giving us such a beautiful land. Every natural wonder was so breathtakingly beautiful and intensely spiritual at the same time. Where else will you find a waterfall that is not only a natural wonder but also a historical landmark from the Torah? Such is the greatness of the land, a land so deeply rich with history of our people, so full of rich soil, with pure water that you can drink from at the source. My days in Jerusalem, Chevron, and Tzfat (and countless other cities) ignited my Jewish pride. I was a proud Jew in America, but oh boy, was I a proud Jew in Israel. From Gush Etzion, a kibbutz that went beyond its duty to protect their land, to the underground Ayalon Institute, where 45 girls and boys gave up their teenage years to supply the Israeli army with bullets during the War of Independence, the land is full of sacrifice. The streets of Jerusalem are friendly, and I discovered you can t really get lost in Israel. It s hard to get lost when you are finally at home. The goodness of our people is exemplified in those who have made Israel their home. During tour after tour, I got chills, knowing I was walking the same paths as my forefathers. This was the land G-d promised us, and now I was here. I was a link in a chain that never stops going, and I felt the connection to the first links like never before. I truly felt like a daughter of Israel, and sleeping and waking somewhere that wasn t my own bed never felt so right. The Torah is alive there, the stories I have learned felt so much more real. Imagine you watched a movie, that you obsessed over it. Then you got to visit the set. Now increase that incredible feeling by a thousand, and that s how I felt in the land of Israel. This was where it all started. The life I lead daily as a religious Jew Etti Krinsky praying at the Kotel in Jerusalem. is because of this land, and the G-d who gave it to us. Floating in the Dead Sea, climbing Masada and Ein Gedi -- these experiences could barely be put into words. You can climb a beautiful mountain anywhere in the world, but climbing the ones in Israel isn t just about the exercise or the view. It s so much more. Everything in Israel is. Nothing is surface level. Nothing is face value. Like each human, each site and stop in Israel has layers and layers of history and meaning. My first trip to Israel was the most incredible trip of my life. (Thanks to the Jewish Federation, I was able to go without worrying about the financial burden that goes with a trip across the world.) I m already dreaming about the next trip, and I can t wait to go back. I know I won t be bored -- even the things I saw already will look different each time I am there. Leaving Israel was heartbreaking, but I try to imbue what I learned there in my everyday life. Not all of us were lucky enough to be born and raised there, but we all have a chance to try and make our own homes as meaningful as the ones in Israel. Etta Krinsky is the daughter of Rabbi Levi and Shterni Krinsky of Manchester. She received an Israel Experience grant from JFNH. PAGE 6 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

7 Many people think of Judaism as a religion, concerned mainly with the divine and the mystical, belonging in the synagogue. It may therefore be surprising for some to discover that Jewish teaching addresses the mundane and practical, finding meaning in all areas of everyday life. It is possible to utilize for G-d s service, according to Torah, all behavior-traits. This includes those traits that are unwholesome, and even those that are evil. For example, the tzadik Rabbi Meshulam Zusya of Anipoli, of blessed memory, learned a number of methods of serving G-d - from a thief: (1) He works quietly without others knowing. (2) He is ready to place himself in danger. (3) The smallest detail is of great importance to him. (4) He labors with great toil. (5) Alacrity. (6) He is confident and optimistic. (7) If he did not succeed the first time, he tries again and again. The Baal Shem Tov says, We must learn something from everything. If Rabbi Zusya could learn valuable life lessons from the low acts of a thief, how can we not work to find the good in everything in our lives? Rabbi in the House Time to Update Rabbi Levi Krinsky Chabad Lubavitch of New Hampshire What can we learn from everything we see, hear, or even own? These days, it seems we ve all got smartphones. A student recently asked me, What can we learn from smartphones and all the new apps? There are apps for travel, for photography, for baking cookies, and for games. There is an app for everything. But, no matter how shiny or improved a new app that you re excited about looks, within 10 minutes you ll be notified that an update is now available. So you ask yourself this very simple question: Why do I need to update? If it was good until today, why won t it be good tomorrow? How can something that was worked on for months or years be suddenly lacking? The answer is also quite simple. We keep updating because they keep coming out with a better app. They are constantly working to make it more advanced, quicker, and promising great new features. Those who are feverishly working behind the scenes are not at all embarrassed to say that the app that was out there until now was not the best it could be. Now they ve come out with something even better. Now it s truly great. Then they will spend plenty of money, have meetings, work harder, and in a few weeks you will get another notification. Update available. We have no problem accepting that apps can and should be constantly updated. Our phone is a huge part of our life, and we want it at its best. How much more willing to update should we be, then, when we are dealing with something of infinitely higher value and importance: a human being? Our character. Our personality. Our conduct. Those are the things we should update often. It s the same you. But better. The High Holidays were a reminder to update. This is what we do every day during the confessional prayer. Each time we tap our chests, we are upgrading our personalities. We are fixing pesky bugs that keep us from operating smoothly. As we recite the Confession, we review the condition of our character, looking for the wrongs we have done. We ask for G-d s forgiveness and His assistance as we set out to update our entire being. And when every single trait has been updated, the next morning arrives, and then what do we do? Of course, we update again! Our task is not to knock the person we were yesterday, not to belittle ourselves. Who we were until now worked, we were great. But who doesn t want to have the most updated version? We don t need to become angels, no; we just need to become better versions of who we are today. We must update ourselves. We must unveil the updated version of a 5776 Jew. Rabbi Levi Krinsky is Director of Chabad Lubavitch of New Hampshire and can be reached at rabbi@lubavitchnh.com. Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 7

8 Learn About Klezmer at SNHJMC Breakfast Nashua On Sunday morning, November 22, at 9:30 AM, the Southern New Hampshire Jewish Men s Club proudly presents Steve Weintraub, speaking about the relationship between klezmer music and dance. The SNHJMC will cohost this month s breakfast with Temple Beth Abraham s Life Long Learning program. Steve Weintraub s presentation is entitled Music To Move You: Klezmer Music, Dance, and Ritual. Klezmer music is described as the instrumental music of Yiddish-speaking Jews from Europe. Weintraub will trace its origins, influences, and evolution, and the fundamental reason why we have any instrumental music at all. The talk will be enhanced with musical clips, film, and demonstration. To attend this Sunday morning event, an RSVP is required, which is arranged via the TBA website ( org/event/snhjmc--tba-breakfast-w/steveweintraub-yiddush-dance.html). Cost for both the breakfast and the presentation will be $10, with most profits benefiting TBA s Religious School. The Southern New Hampshire Jewish Men s Club has been operational since 1982, meeting monthly for Sunday brunches. The mission has been loosely based on building a fellowship of likeminded men who wish to share their commitment and values with those in the greater NH Jewish community. The SNHJMC is a nonprofit organization serving all of southern NH s Jewish communities regardless of synagogue membership for over 30 years. If you or someone you know is interested in joining SNHJMC, please contact our president, Mark Dickens, at president@ snhjmc.org or visit Introduction to Judaism Course Begins in Derry Derry Rabbi Peter Levy of Etz Hayim Synagogue is now teaching Introduction to Judaism on Tuesdays at 7:15 PM, continuing until June. The class is free to members of Etz Hayim and The Church of the Transfiguration, and $36 for others. Students must buy one book and should bring a Bible. Rabbi Levy will recommend other books to read. The course will touch on all aspects of Judaism: history, theology, practice, Hebrew, and much more. Jews, non-jews, and all seekers are welcome to learn more about the faith. Etz Hayim invites everyone to visit and experience a warm welcome. It is located Rabbi Peter Levy conducting the first class in the Introduction to Judaism Course at Etz Hayim Synagogue. at 1 ½ Hood Road in Derry, NH, For more information, see www. etzhayim.org or call Men s Club and Havurah Sponsor Wapack Trail Hike Peterborough On Sunday morning, November 8, at 10 AM, the Southern New Hampshire Jewish Men s Club will host its first hike, which will take place in Peterborough along the Wapack Trail system. This event is cosponsored by the Monadnock Havurah ( monadnockhavurah.org/). Led by SNHJMC board member James Moon, the hike will start from the parking lot of Temple Mountain and head either south or north along the Wapack Trail. This event is free to all persons, all ages, and all skill levels, although donating to the Friends of Wapack ( is highly recommended, as they are primarily responsible for trail maintenance. The hike is rated as easy to moderate, with limited strenuous elevation gains. The intent is for the hikers to enjoy themselves and each other s company. RSVP is greatly appreciated, as hot-soup-in-a-cup meals could be provided. For further questions, including basic directions for what to pack and what to wear, RSVP at breakfastrsvp@snhjmc.org. The Southern New Hampshire Jewish Men s Club has been operational since 1982, meeting monthly for Sunday brunches. The mission has been loosely based on building a fellowship of likeminded men who wish to share their commitment and values with those in the greater NH Jewish community. The SNHJMC is a nonprofit organization serving all of southern NH s Jewish communities regardless of synagogue membership for over 30 years. Anyone interested in joining SNHJMC should contact Mark Dickens, president, at president@snhjmc.org or visit www. snhjmc.org. SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS Tell Them You Saw Their Ad in The Reporter! PAGE 8 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

9 TAY Brotherhood Plans Year of Events Manchester The first Temple Adath Yeshurun Brotherhood meeting of the year was held on Tuesday, September 8. The schedule shows that, once again, TAY Brotherhood is planning an eventful year. As is its ageold tradition, Brotherhood works for the benefit of the temple as well as for its communities, observant and secular, Jewish and non-jewish. Once again, construction of the Sukkah was headed up by Herlicka Construction on Sunday, September 27. David Rosenzweig will be in charge of the yearly Chanukah Candle Drive, and on December 13 it will be Chanukah Party time. As in the past, over 100 members of the Manchester Jewish community will likely participate in the Christmas Mitzvah Program. A special breakfast is planned for January 10, with popular local writer John Clayton as guest speaker. TAY Brotherhood hopes to be able to squeeze in a lively Presidential Primary Candidates Reception on Thursday evening, Feb. 4, between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Stay tuned for further details. Penchansky and Company s Deli Night is scheduled for January 30, and the following weekend Brotherhood prepares breakfast for attendees at MANTY Winter Wonderland. The much-anticipated Joel Gordon Purim Party extravaganza will be on March 30, and the Seniors Dinner will be on May 12. Our now third-annual Memorial Day Service is scheduled for May 30. On June 7, the always-well-attended Annual Meeting-BBQ will be held. The Brotherhood-Sisterhood Service, organized by Steve Short and Alan Kaplan and scheduled for June, will bring another busy year to a close. The bottom line is that TAY Brotherhood looks forward to another year of good deeds and a lot of fun and camaraderie, as it works toward increasing membership (and participation) from throughout the local Jewish community. Check the Temple Adath Yeshurun online calendar for updates, and feel free to contact Sol Rockenmacher (Rockenmacher@ comcast.net) or David Penchansky (docpen@comcast.net) with any questions. Hadassah Supports Jerusalem Hospital With Drawing By Michele Bank Manchester The Manchester Chapter of Hadassah will hold its next meeting on Thursday, November 5, at 1 PM at the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire Office, located at 1361 Elm Street, Suite #403, Manchester. During the meeting, a drawing will be held to choose two winners, one for a $75 certificate and one for a $25 certificate for a restaurant of their choice. Tickets are $5 each or five tickets for $20 and are available by contacting chapter treasurer Linda Feinberg at or at lhfeinberg@gmail.com. Please consider participating in the drawing. Your support will help complete and equip the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower in Jerusalem. National Hadassah has a Gifting Campaign to introduce new women, 17 years and older, to the organization. Current Life Members and Associates may give free, unlimited gifts of an annual membership that will last for one calendar year from the date the gift is processed. The campaign expires on December 31, With a minimum donation of $100, Hadassah is offering a sterling silver open heart necklace and chain. The proceeds will go toward completing the operating rooms of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower. When the five belowground floors of the surgical center are completed, there will be 20 ultra-modern, specialized surgical theaters protected from outside attacks of any kind, whether conventional, biological, or chemical. Hadassah s hospitals have been working around the clock to care for the many victims from the recent Palestinian terror attacks in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and beyond. Your support and donations to Hadassah are truly appreciated and needed. For additional information about Hadassah, the ticket drawing, the Gifting Campaign, or the heart necklace, please contact Michele Bank at Michele. bank@gmail.com or Do you live in Keene, Laconia, Bethlehem, Hanover, or another NH community and want to help produce the Jewish Reporter? We are looking for people all over the state who are interested in writing about their local Jewish community. To get involved, contact thereporter@jewishnh.org people are either born hosts or born guests. quoted from Max Beerbohm Serving Tray by Lily Art of Israel table & glassware judaica contemporary crafts & home accents wonderful wearables smart accessories unique jewelry consignment fashions complimentary gift packaging 221 main street nashua, nh beckonings.com /beckonings SOCIAL SERVICE PROGRAM Free and confidential Emergency financial assistance Aging and eldercare issues Lifeline devices Linkage and Referral Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 9

10 By Ken Kowalchek NH4Israel Focuses on Iran Deal at September Meeting Manchester With the exception of holiday conflicts and summer break, NH4Israel hosts biweekly talks with refreshments at Manchester s Temple Israel at 6:30 PM on alternate Wednesdays. If other venues and weekdays are scheduled, the change will be publicized in advance as well as posted on the calendar of events at NH4Israel.org. NH4Israel guest speakers generally address current issues surrounding the state of Israel as well as historical analyses of topics such as the Diaspora, Jew-hatred, and the making of Israel. On Wednesday, September 30, Joseph Spoerl, a professor at St. Anselm s College and member of NH4Israel, gave researched comments on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly referred to as the Iran Deal, hereafter referred to as The Deal. He brought to the audience s attention The Deal s contents and related events that he felt would be of concern: (1) Not a week had passed from its finalization in Vienna on July 14 to its adoption by the United Nations Security Council as Resolution 2231, binding upon UN member states. (2) After over a month of debate, Congress could not muster sufficient votes to veto The Deal or filibuster a bill against The Deal that would have ensured that the legislation would not leave Congress. But why The Deal in the first place? Iran has the world s fourth largest petroleum reserves; Iran has the world s second largest natural gas reserves; Iran s desert topography allows for vast solar power facilities; and Iran could import fuel rods and enriched uranium. In addition, Iran has an expanding ballistic missile program and has a track record of violating agreements such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. More recently, over Columbus Day weekend, CNN reported a successful new launch of The Emad (Pillar) surface-tosurface missile, designed and built by Iranian experts. This is the country s first long-range missile that can be precisionguided until it reaches its target, said Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan, Iran s defense minister. To follow our defense programs, we don t ask permission from anyone, he said, according to state-run news agency IRNA. The new rocket is capable of scrutinizing the targets and destroying them completely, IRNA reported. The Emad would be Tehran s first precision-guided missile with the range to reach its enemy, Israel. The Deal calls for signatory states to transfer technology to Iran and protect Iran from sabotage, presumably from outside enemies. Based on Friday afternoon sermons in Iran, one could reckon the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and Israel among others to be Iran s enemies. Iran s constitution binds Iran to export its Islamic revolution. Iran s army must fulfill the mission of worldwide jihad, and the Ayatollahs Jew-hatred and Holocaust denial are well documented. The Wall Street Journal and Anti-Defamation League, respectively, offer more information on those topics: EHS Celebrates Simchat Torah On Sunday night, October 4, Etz Hayim Synagogue celebrated Simchat Torah by taking out all three Torahs, carrying them around the synagogue, and dancing with them. Vice president Jay Madnick presented the history of each of the Torahs at Etz Hayim. Rabbi Peter Levy led a Simchat Torah service and pointed out key passages in the Torah, including how the different Books of Moses are designed in the text and the various styles of script. Readers completed Deuteronomy and began Genesis. Attendees also learned that the wooden spools of each Torah are called etz hayim. Indeed, the Torah is the tree of life. Learn more about JFNH by visiting SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS Tell Them You Saw Their Ad in The Reporter! Celebrate Chanukah at the Palace Manchester Chanukah at the Palace takes place this year on Wednesday, December, 9, the fourth night of Chanukah, at 6:30 PM. The evening will combine an exciting Festival of Lights with professional Broadway entertainment. This year s celebration features Mark Nizer 4D in the only live 3D show in the world. Mark takes his show into a captivating 4th dimension by combining two-dimensional movies and a three-dimensional live performance. Everyone will receive 3D glasses to enjoy the full effect. The music component will feature Sean Altman, the singer, composer, and musical force behind a cappella singing sensation Rockapella, bringing his silky tenor to Manchester. His collection of humorous comedy songs pokes good natured and decidedly less than politically correct fun at his Jewish heritage and the plight of modern Jewish life. Sean is an absurdly talented performer, with killer hooks and a cynical edge that will keep the audience laughing throughout the night. Altman has a knack for turning everyday fodder into laugh-out-loud comedic songs. Menorah lighting will take place with the singing of traditional Chanukah melodies. Special Chanukah goodie bags will be given to all children. As it is a weeknight, the show will begin at 6:30 PM and conclude by 8:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased from the Palace Theatre by calling The Palace Theatre is located at 80 Hanover Street, Manchester. The evening s events are organized by Chabad Lubavitch of New Hampshire. PAGE 10 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

11 A Very Busy Start to a New Year at JFNH Preschool Keeping you connected enews jewishnh.org Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire J ew is h R ep o r t er PA G E 11

12 NH Musicians Offer Jewish Music Programs for Kids NH musicians Sue Hurwitz and Rahel Limor are offering a range of Jewish music resources and classes for local children in the Jewish community. Sue and Rahel have degrees in music, education (early childhood and special education), are certified instructors in a number of music, movement and yoga programs for all ages, and are well known and popular members of the NH Jewish community! Rahel is fluent in Hebrew. She lived in Israel for over 20 years, where she was a music specialist working musically with babies and young children in Hebrew and English, and also training others to do the same Listen Like Learn/ Your Baby Needs Music programs. She also has produced a number of CDs in Hebrew for children. Sue and Rahel have developed an extraordinary music and yoga program called Mugalive! that is now in its fourth year. To learn more about the music programs by Sue and Rahel, please visit their web sites: com; www. yourchildneedsmusic.com; and www. rahelmusic.com/cds_for_kids. TBI We Care Closes 2015 With Benefit Jazz Concert Laconia Temple B nai Israel (TBI) of Laconia closes out its We Care initiatives for 2015 with a special concert with Boston College s award-winning jazz band, BC bop!, performing its first NH concert on Saturday, November 14, at The Winnipesaukee Playhouse; net profits will benefit Central NH Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice. TBI s We Care team has been in existence since 2013 and has produced several fundraising events for the benefit of a variety of Lakes Region nonprofits, which include Lakes Region Community Services, Genesis Behavioral Health, and Central NH Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice. Complimentary snacks and desserts will be served at 7 PM, with the concert beginning at 7:45 PM. Wine and beer will also be available at a cash bar. Award-winning BC bop!, a 20-piece band plus vocalists, was created almost three decades ago at Boston College. Competitive auditions of instrumentalists as well as vocal performers are held each academic year in September to determine who is qualified to become a member of this talented group. It has consistently placed among the top 10 college instrumental vocal ensembles in national competitions. BC bop! performs traditional and contemporary instrumental and vocal jazz with music from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s -- all designed to appeal to a variety of musical tastes. BC bop! s musicians have performed and captivated fans at Carnegie Hall, Jazzfest in Orlando, FL, the Reno, Nevada and Lionel Hampton Jazz Festivals. In addition, they have performed internationally at resorts in Cancun, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. Central NH Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice ( ranked the highest-quality homecare provider in Belknap and Carroll Counties, provides homecare, pediatrics, and hospice services to over 3,000 individuals every year. Tickets for the concert are $25 per person; in addition to great music, the price includes delicious refreshments and the joy felt when supporting a local and deserving agency whose services benefit so many people in need. For tickets, call The Winnipesaukee Playhouse Box Office at The Winnipesaukee Playhouse is located at 50 Reservoir Road in Meredith. Questions may be directed to info@tbinh.org. SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS Tell Them You Saw Their Ad in The Reporter! PAGE 12 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

13 Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 13

14 Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation sukkah builders celebrate success. Top: Robin Greenlaw. L-R: Martin Kessel, Tom Greenlaw, Sid Regen, Alice Dreier, Rhoda Sakowitz, Stan Sakowitz, Jacki Katzman, Leslie Dreier, David Goldstone, and Jack Karp. Photo by Rita Farrell. Hebrew School students from Temple B nai Israel of Laconia glean the fields. On September 26, 13 members of Etz Hayim Synagogue s FAB Women s Group had a grand evening in Manchester, first at an Indian restaurant and then at the Palace Theatre s rollicking The Buddy Holly Story. Pictured are the ladies at Taj India Restaurant on Elm Street. Students from Temple B nai Israel blow shofar after hiking up Rattlesnake Mountain. From our Temple tots through our teens and parent volunteers, everyone helps decorate the sukkah at Temple Beth Jacob! EJ Cohen, 4th grade Judaica teacher and 5th grade Hebrew teacher, leads our students in a lulav and etrog song and then prayer in the Temple Beth Jacob sukkah. PAGE 14 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

15 Want to see your organization s photos here? Send them to thereporter@jewishnh.org. Members of Temple Beth Abraham meet for minyan in the sukkah. Rabbi Boaz Heilman is all smiles celebrating his first Sukkot at Temple B nai Israel of Laconia. Learn more about JFNH by visiting Hebrew School students from Temple B nai Israel make soup using vegetables they gleaned from the fields. Rabbi Boaz Heilman explains the different sections of the Torah to interested students It was a perfect September day when a group from Temple B nai Israel joined together to hiked up Rattlesnake Mountain. Along with some brief meditations and some challah (homemade!) & apples dipped in honey, we rejoiced in listening to the sounds of the shofar at the top! Temple B nai Israel members Henry Lipman, Jonathan Lee and Melody Funk blow the shofar at the top of Rattlesnake Mountain. Rabbi Boaz Heilman of Temple B nai Israel leads the Simchat Torah procession. Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 15

16 Book Review Reviewed by Merle Carrus In his book of short stories and essays, The Seven Good Years: A Memoir (Riverhead Books, 2015), the title references the Bible story of Joseph, who interprets Pharaoh s dream that there would be seven good years of plenty and then seven bad years of famine. This is some of Etgar Keret s best material. He is a prolific short story author with five other books to his name. He writes about life in Israel in a satirical, honest, truthful way. His stories can seem to be complex, contradictory, and sometimes ambiguous, but at the end of each story, Keret has delivered a message, though sometimes coded, representing his point of view. In this book, Keret writes about experiences that happen during the first seven years of his son, Lev s, life and the last seven years of his dad s life. It is the last time he will be both a son and a father at the same time. He talks about life as a father and how the birth of a child changes a person. He writes about his relationship with his wife. He also writes about everyday life in Israel. He writes about Keret s Memoir Reveals Everyday Israeli Life his relationship with his brother and his sister, who has become a strictly religious Orthodox Jew, the mother of 11 children. In the essay titled Bombs Away, he gives you an idea what it is like to live in a country under fire. He talks about a friend coming to visit who tells him that the Iranian leader wants the total destruction of Israel even at the expense of Iran itself. His friend says, Why continue with life if we are going to be destroyed? Etgar Keret explains to his wife that there is no use wasting time and money to fix up the house if we are all going to be decimated. So they start to let everything go. They do not do house repairs, and his wife stops using the dishwasher and only washes dishes on an immediate need basis. They stop mopping the floor and removing the garbage. Then Keret has a dream that a peace treaty is signed with the Iranians. That hit her Keeping you connected enews jewishnh.org really hard. Maybe S. was wrong, she whispered in terror. Maybe the Iranians won t attack. And we ll be stuck with this filthy, rundown apartment, with debts and your students, whose papers you promised to give back in January and haven t even started to mark. Finally, he writes, his wife fell back to sleep, but he could not. So I got up and swept the living room. First thing tomorrow morning, I will call a plumber. This is the clever and interesting way he starts a story off in one direction and then twists around to make a point he wants to bring home about the way his family experiences life as Israelis and as second generation Holocaust survivors. He talks about his parents: his father who has recently passed away from cancer and his mother who remembers her life in World War II Poland. He shares memories of his time spent with his father at the end of his life. He talks about visiting Poland on book tours and purchasing a house in Warsaw, Poland, to honor his mother. He talks about bringing up a child in Israel and how everyday activities of life there are punctuated by the attacks of rockets and bombs. How he and his wife try to keep life as normal as possible and also try to make staying safe a game, trying not to scare their son while responding to the difficult everyday questions of a young child. He writes about the feeling of writing his first story, which gives the reader insight into what he felt like being a young soldier in the Israeli army: I wrote my first story twenty-six years ago, in one of the most heavily guarded army bases in Israel I was nineteen then, a terrible, depressed soldier who was counting the days to the end of his compulsory service. I wrote the story during an especially long shift in an isolated, windowless computer room deep in the bowels of the earth. I stood in the middle of that neonlit freezing room and stared at the page of print. I couldn t explain to myself why I wrote it or exactly what purpose it was supposed to serve. The fact that I typed all those made up sentences was exciting, but also frightening. I felt as if I had to find someone to read the story right away, and even if he didn t like it or understand it, he could calm me down and tell me that writing it was perfectly all right, and not just another step on my road to insanity. As the reader, you can really feel like you are there in Keret s shoes. He writes with such passion and feeling, communicating to readers outside Israel what it truly feels like to live under the pressures and uncertainty of everyday life there. Etgar Keret brings the conflict in the Middle East right into your living room, where you are sitting comfortably on the couch reading. He makes you feel just a little bit uncomfortable. Etgar Keret was born in Ramat Gan and now lives in Tel Aviv with his wife, Shira, and son, Lev. He is a winner of the French Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and the author of five short story collections. His work has been translated into 37 languages and has appeared in many publications. He is a regular contributor to the NPR show This American Life. Many of his stories have been made into short films. In 2007, Keret along with his wife and codirector, Shira Gefen, won the important Camera d Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival, for their first movie Meduzot (Jellyfish). PAGE 16 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

17 JFNH Tributes Received by October 10, 2015 Social Services Fund Jeanette Begin Shop, Save, Donate at jewishnh.org/save Shop for your favorite products and brands, at your favorite stores, or fi nd competitive products from other retailers and manufacturers. Save money, using comparative shopping, hot deals and more. And generate funds for the Jewish Federation of New Hampshire. Make your check payable to Jewish Federation of NH and mail with this form to: Jewish Federation of NH 1361 Elm Street, Suite 403, Manchester, NH Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 17

18 AUTOBODY REPAIR Prestige Auto Body, Inc. 200 Frontage Rd., Manchester (603) Technology meets craftsmanship DENTAL SERVICES ENDODONTICS Douglas J. Katz, DMD, PC Katz Endodontics 1310 Hooksett Rd., Hookset (603) GENERAL DENTISTRY Henniker Family Dentistry John S. Echternach, DDS 144 Hall Ave. Henniker, NH (603) Sarah K. Katz, DMD Bow Family Dentistry 514 South St., Bow (603) Richard Kudler, DMD 97 West Merrimack St., Manchester (603) Rochelle H. Lindner, DMD Lindner Dental Assoc., PC 72 So. River Rd., Bedford (603) Elizabeth Sandler Spindel, DMD Victoria Spindel, DMD 862 Union St., Manchester (603) ORTHODONTICS Gary S. Lindner, DMD, DMSc. Lindner Dental Assoc., PC 72 So. River Rd., Bedford (603) Tracy Pogal-Sussman, MS, DMD Lindner Dental Assoc., PC 72 So. River Rd., Bedford (603) Letters to the Editor may be sent to Letters must be signed with full name and address. PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY Luis S. Englander, DMD Lindner Dental Assoc., PC 72 So. River Rd., Bedford (603) James B. Haas, DDS Haas Dental Associates 4 Manchester Ave. Derry, NH (603) Gary S. Lindner, DMD, DMSc. Lindner Dental Assoc., PC 72 So. River Rd., Bedford (603) FINANCIAL SERVICES CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS Daniel Cohen, CFP CEO & Chief Investment Offi cer Cohen Investment Advisors, LLC 264 South River Rd., Suite 520, Bedford (603) Mark B. Severs, CFP Family Wealth Director Morgan Stanley Wealth Management 203 Heater Road, Lebanon, NH (603) mark.b.severs@morganstanley.com CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS Penchansky & Co., PLLC David Penchansky, CPA Certifi ed Public Accountants 70 Stark Street, Manchester davidp@penchansky.com (603) JUDAICA JUDAICA BOOKS AND GIFTS Israel Book Shop, Inc. New England s Judaica superstore 1 day shipping to N.H. 410 Harvard St. Brookline, MA , Toll Free LEGAL SERVICES ATTORNEYS Devine, Millimet & Branch, P.A. Steven Cohen, Esq., CPA, LLM 111 Amherst St., Manchester scohen@devinemillimet.com (603) PERSONAL INJURY LAW Stephen E. Borofsky, Esq. Borofsky, Amodeo-Vickery & Bandazian, P.A. 708 Pine Street, Manchester (603) sborofsky@e-atty.com (MEDICAL SERVICES PLASTIC SURGERY Robert Feins, MD 144 Tarrytown Road, Manchester (603) PRINTING SERVICES NH Print & Mail Service Cheryl & Kevin Boyarsky 30 Terrill Park Dr., Concord info@nhprintmail.com (603) SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS Tell Them You Saw Their Ad in The Reporter! Advertise in our Business & Professional Services Directory. Call JFNH office at or contact one of our sales reps. Michelle Harrison (603) RunFree94@yahoo.com Rachel Spierer (603) rachel3rdlife@gmail.com PAGE 18 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015

19 FOOD WINE COFFEE COMMUNIT Y R. Hurst Estate Auctions & Appraisals Professional Auction and Certified Appraisal Service NH Lic # Estate Goods Purchasing & Sales Company Estate/Business Liquidations - Antiques Buyer CAMPO ENOTECA (gathering place) LUNCH Monday - Friday CampoEnoteca.com (wine bar) DINNER Monday - Saturday Enjoy our Authentic Italian Cuisine OPEN FOR DINNER DAILY Ask About Our Daily Specials Visit us at VillaggioNH.com Ask us about PARTIES Let us host your next private TO GO! daytime gathering of up to 50 people. 677 Hooksett Road, Manchester, NH RePUBLiC republiccafe.com European Hospitality Locally Sourced Menu Inspired by the Mediterranean Specializing in Seafood from the Atlantic Coast Breakfast Lunch Dinner 7 Days 9 am - 10 pm 1069 Elm St. Manchester, NH Where friends meet for Italian wine, fresh pasta & engaging conversation 969 Elm Street Manchester, NH Alan J Green, MD Certified Mohel lnxun kvun Over 38 years of experience in New England Master Lic# 2408C Service is our Business Fax Bridge Street Manchester, NH info@tromblyplumbing.com Eric M. LaFleur Jonathan E. Baron 143 Essex Street, Suite 709 Phone: Haverhill, MA JOHN & SONS TIRE SERVICE Tires for Autos & Light Trucks Brakes, Alignment & Auto Inspection Remember It s snow tire season! Amory Street, Manchester, NH on the West Side SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS Tell Them You Saw Their Ad in The Reporter! Keeping you connected New Office Address 1361 Elm Street, Suite 403 Manchester, NH enews jewishnh.org Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter PAGE 19

20 PAGE 20 The New Hampshire Jewish Reporter Cheshvan-Kislev 5776 November 2015