The Jewish Journal Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Monthly Magazine PAID Youngstown, OH Permit #607 MMYoungstown Area Jewish Federation JJ August 2016 Above left: (from left) Todd Herzog, Elliott Legow, Rabbi Frank Muller, and Hillari Lipkin at the kick-off to the Rodef Sholom 150th Anniversary Celebration. See story on p. 9 Above right: Loving summer at the Jewish Community Center’s day camp program. Left: Sidnee Guthrie, Right: Averi Billups Below left: A young family from France arrives in Israel on a special International Fellowship of Christians and Jews flight. See story p. 17. The ZOA annual brunch and meeting was held on Sunday, July 24 at Kravitz’s Delicatessen. The following members were installed as officers at the meeting. President Michael Froomkin 1st Vice -President Phyllis Friedman Vice-President Alice Franklin Recording Secretary Richard Marlin Treasurer Arthur Friedman Membership Chair Ronna Marlin Outgoing President Suzyn Schwebel Epstein Volume 13, Number 8 t August 2016 t Tammuz-Av 5776 Commentary Enough delays: Anti-Israel BDS movement faces setbacks while time to bring the Pro-Israel advocacy, legislation on the upswing Falash Mura home Bonnie Deutsch Burdman, JCRC Director By David M. Elcott It has been a busy year thus far for which pushes out the very solution to live peace with a neighbor which turned NEW YORK (JTA) — We met De- anti-Israel activists who have worked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict – that is, out to be far better in the way it treats moz Deboch at services in Gondar, promote a global campaign to delegiti- a mutual peace between two nations – Palestinians than the Palestinians’ own Ethiopia. It was Friday night in June of mize Israel through the boycott, divest- that the world has sought in that region Arab brothers. One can only hope that 2013 and we were surrounded by hun- ment, and sanctions (BDS). While BDS since 1948 when the Palestinian leader- Palestinian leaders will start promoting dreds of white-clad Falash Mura, the de- proponents have made minor inroads ship rejected a mutual arrangement that a culture of peace rather than a culture scendants of Jews who were now living since the inception of the movement, could have ended the conflict before it of hate.” a Jewish life in neighborhoods near the the events of 2016 have proven that not began.” Some high profile BDS failures this Jewish compound set up by the Ameri- only do BDS initiatives continue to fail, Greenblatt added, “Simply blaming year, as well as successful efforts to pass can Jewish Joint Distribution Commit- and that pro-Israel advocacy and sup- Israel for the absence of peace between anti-BDS legislation throughout the tee and the Jewish Agency for Israel. port is steadily increasing and becom- [the parties] is deeply unhinged and en- country, demonstrate that voices such as Women stood and blessed candles ing more widespread. tirely divorced from the real world of al- Greenblatt and Maroun are being heard, chanting in Hebrew and Amharic. The The history of the formal BDS move- most seven decades of an ongoing effort and that continued vigilance against the service began; African melody but He- ment dates back to the outbreak of the to destroy the Jewish state.” movement can ultimately result in its brew words. White robes, white tzitzit second Palestinian Intifada in 2000, and Because no other state in the world is deserved demise. and beautiful, delicate black faces. I sat to the 2001 United Nations World Con- criticized more vehemently and attracts At recent national conventions of among the young men. This was a dra- ference on Racism in Durban, South Af- more self-righteous indignation than several mainline Protestant denomina- matic moment. Israel had announced that the last Falash Mura would be flown rica, a conference that morphed into an Israel, BDS is simply a modern version tions — conventions where national on eagles’ wings to Israel, the end of an anti-Israel free-for-all. of “an irrational hatred of the Jewish leaders have repeatedly over the years almost 3,000-year-old Jewish commu- The campaign intensified by 2004 p e op l e .” tried to hijack the agendas to promote nity. We were there to witness the event, and 2005 with calls by international Other noted voices outside the Jew- BDS — voices of reason led votes to re- to cheer on these men, women and chil- pro-Palestinian groups to impose broad ish community also condemn BDS. In- ject pro-BDS resolutions. dren who were so passionately commit- boycotts and implement divestment ini- ternational columnist Fred Maroun, a Delegates at the 2016 United Meth- ted to Israel — to returning home. tiatives against Israel similar to those Canadian-Arab who lived in Lebanon odist Quadrennial General Conference I turned to this young man, Demoz, applied to South Africa in the apartheid from 1961 to 1984, contends that the voted to maintain positive investment to and spoke to him in Hebrew. era, and to pressure governments to ini- movement is destroying a future Pales- advance Israeli-Palestinian peacemak- “When exactly are you leaving?” He tiate embargoes and sanctions against tinian state. ing and to reject resolutions to divest turned his head as if in shame and re- the Jewish state. A key element of the In a recent essay, Maroun wrote, from several companies that sell goods plied, “Ani lo b’rishima,” I am not on the BDS campaign was, and continues to “The BDS movement continues to ap- that help Israelis defend themselves. The list. I was confused. be, the rejection of a two-state solution ply hypocritical double standards in a body further passed resolutions calling What list? And how could this young to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. transparent effort to make Israel extinct. for the rejection of oversimplified ef- man, who wears a kippah, speaks beau- In a powerful speech this year at a Its leaders have stated in no uncertain forts to blame one side or the other, and tiful Hebrew, keeps kosher and teaches U.N. gathering of Ambassadors against terms that they are not interested in a to withdraw from a group that supports the young kids at the compound — BDS, Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the two-state solution. They want a single broad anti-Israel boycotts, divestment how could he not go to Israel? I turned Anti-Defamation League, urged em- Arab state to replace Israel.” and sanctions and opposes U.S. support to the young men on the other side and bracing a multi-layered strategy to com- Maroun further noted that the move- for Israel. asked the same question. The same re- bat BDS because it poses a threat to Isra- ment has played right into the hands of And despite vilification of Israel by sponse all around me: None were “on el’s fundamental right to exist as a mani- the dangerous game Arabs have been numerous activists at the Presbyterian the list.” festation of the Jewish people yearning waging for almost years that on Jewish Church’s General Assembly in June, And so I learned a painful truth. The to live freely. scruples to turn every defeat into a par- support of two states for two peoples visiting Jewish leaders who had come Greenblatt said, “Let me be clear. At tial victory. “Whereas throughout histo- and continued grassroots support for for the ceremonial closing of the Jewish its core, BDS is an anti-Semitic move- ry those who lose wars – especially wars Presbyterian-Jewish relationships were school were being thanked by students, ment. It is part and parcel of the larger they themselves started – are forced to evident, led by a growing national teachers and youth leaders who were effort to erode [Israel’s] basic founda- live by the rules of the winner, the Arabs movement, Presbyterians for Middle being left behind. And the health cen- tional legitimacy and weaken its morale have refused to live by Israel’s rules and East Peace, who reject any and all anti- ter, the food kitchen – even the Torah – in the face of great external threat.” they even consistently rejected middle- Zionism. were all being taken away, leaving 6,000 Noting that BDS springs from the of-the-road two-state solutions that The continued effort among lead- stranded Falash Mura in Gondar — as 2000-year-old noxious anti-Semitic fan- would have been reasonable for both ers of national academic associations to well as another 3,000 attached to the tasy that Jews are all powerful and evil, sides. One can only hope that they, like Continued on p. 7 Continued on p. 11 Greenblatt said that BDS “is an idea Egypt and Jordan, will soon decide to 2 The Jewish Journal Monthly Magazine August 2016 What’s in this month’s Jewish Journal? Celebration ..........................................................................22 On the Calendar for August Culture ........................................................................... 16, 24 Nostra Aetete Lecture ............................Thursday, Aug. 11 El Emeth..........................................................................10-11 Rodef Speaker Series: ................................ Friday, Aug. 12 Federation ..............................................................................4 Tisha B’Av ................Saturday, Aug. 13 – Sunday, Aug. 14 Israel ......................................................................................17 Candle-Lighting Times JCC activities ..................................................................12-13 Aug. 5 8:15 p.m. Memorials .........................................................14, 15, 18, 21 Aug. 12 8:06 p.m. Ohev Tzedek .......................................................................23