November 24-30, 2017 Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton Volume XLVI, Number 47 BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK Community Chanukah Celebration to be held on Dec. 13 at the JCC The annual Community Chanukah emy, as well as a showing of the annual Celebration, which is being co-sponsored community Chanukah video, all in the by the Jewish Community Center and the JCC’s Auditorium. Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton, The torch walk will take place from will take place at the JCC, 500 Clubhouse 5:15-5:30 pm, followed by entertainment Rd., Vestal, on Wednesday, December 13, from 5:30-6 pm, at which time the food from 5:15-7 pm. buffet will open. Food tickets will be sold The evening will begin with the Cha- for $8 per person, $6 for seniors and chil- nukah torch walk during which children dren, with a family maximum of $28, and and teens from the community will lead a will include holiday food and more. There procession of lights from the entrance of will be games, face painting and arts and Temple Israel’s parking lot to the front of crafts, as well as dreidels and chocolate the JCC. There will be a brief ceremony gelt while they last. with music and recitations, after which Reservations are appreciated and can there will be performances by the JCC be made by calling the JCC office at Teens from the community held torches at last year’s opening ceremony for the Community Early Childhood Center and Hillel Acad- 724-2417. Chanukah Celebration. Temple Beth-El, Ithaca, to host Chanukah Festival and Book Fair on Dec. 10 On Sunday, December 10, from 9 am-3 ages. Woven into the concert will be the pm, Temple Beth-El, Ithaca, will hold its telling of a holiday story. From 1:30-3 pm, annual Chanukah Festival and Jewish Book families and young people can enjoy craft Fair in anticipation of the holiday, which activities. “Make a gift to take home for a At right: The will begin this year on the evening of Tues- loved one!” organizers said. Ithaca College day, December 12. The temple is located The book fair will offer many different Klezmorim at the corner of Court and Tioga streets in types of books, seeking to appeal to varied performed downtown Ithaca. Jewish interests. Volunteers from the Sister- during the “Drop in and you’ll find a lively indoor hood of Temple Beth-El selected the books Chanukah market where the scents of holidays foods and worked with Buffalo Street Books to Festival in mingle with the melodies of a special hol- provide access to volumes rarely found in 2016. iday concert and the beauty of handmade local bookstores. Genres covered include gifts for sale,” said organizers of the event. fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks and books for The main attractions are a day-long holiday grade school, middle and young adult readers. crafts fair and Jewish book fair. The event is free, open to the public and Gifts for sale are all by local artists fun for people of all ages. “You are invited Federation board meeting and include jewelry, textiles, ceramics, air to enjoy the festivities, learn about Jewish plants, honey and other apiary products. culture and perhaps find the perfect holiday “Tom Roach will be present, selling his gift,” organizers said. open to community much acclaimed pottery,” organizers said. The Annual Chanukah Festival is sup- “Laurie Ament and Nancy Crane are also ported this year by the Temple Beth-El The Jewish Federation will hold a full board meeting on Wednesday, November returning artist participants. Naama and Gil and Congregation Tikkun v’Or. For further 29, at 7:30 pm. The community is invited to attend. Those interested in attending Menda return with their delicious honey.” information, contact Temple Beth-El at 273- should make a reservation by calling the Federation at 724-2332 so that enough At 12:30 pm, Max Buckholtz and friends 5775 or 257-9924, or visit the synagogue’s materials will be available. will provide a Chanukah concert for all website at www.tbeithaca.org. Spotlight Fighting food insecurity on the BU campus By Rabbi Rachel Esserman textbook their professor requires or whether ministrative fees with the dining service to According to a 2016 report by the Nation- to pay their bills for food or rent. It is difficult learn more about them and discovered one al Campaign Against Student Hunger and to put off buying said materials until you’ve fee is known as a “stealing fee,” something Homelessness, “food insecurity – the lack paid off your upcoming bills. There are no which bothered her. “They assume students of reliable access to sufficient quantities of payment plan options, you can’t always buy steal from them,” she said. “I have asked affordable, nutritious food – is common at used textbooks and professors sometimes them in the office in the past what all the colleges and universities across the country, don’t even use the textbook they required fees are, they mentioned there is an admin- potentially undermining the educational in their syllabus.” istrative fee and a few others, one of which success of untold thousands of students.” That means that some students are forced is a stealing fee built into the cost of the Lisa Appelbaum, a student at Binghamton to make difficult decisions on how to spend meal plan. On my bill from Binghamton, University and a volunteer leader for the their money. This is complicated by the just my meal plan is listed, but if you ask campus’ Challah for Hunger group, has way the food service works on campus. the meal plan office what all the fees are experienced this problem in her own life. Students don’t pay for the number of meals, – why I pay $650, but only get $400 to “I see food insecurity on campus since for example, paying for a set number of spend – they will explain what the rest of I myself am a student who is responsible dinners, lunches or breakfasts. Instead, they your money goes to.” The Challah for Hunger cohort from several for every aspect of my education,” Appel- purchase food items individually. Added to The website for the dining service notes campuses gathered together after a day of baum said in an e-mail interview. “At the that cost is an administrative fee. In order to that the students who choose the commuter education at the #RealCampus conference beginning of each semester, I hear many purchase $400 worth of food, students also semester plan receive a “significant discount for food and shelter insecurity across college of my peers discussing whether they want pay a $250 administrative charge. in the community dining rooms” and pay campuses. Lisa Appelbaum (kneeling) is the to pay for the mandatory exclusive edition Applebaum said she discussed the ad- See “BU” on page 10 last person on the right. INSIDE THIS ISSUE Making their mark History unearthed Making music Special Sections A look at seven Israelis who have A trove of 170,000 Jewish Members of an Israeli band don’t Legal Notices ................................... 4 made an impact on life in America, documents hidden from the Nazis let their disabilities get in the way Women in Business .................... 5-10 from economics to music. and Soviets has been discovered. of touring and making music. Chanukah Gifts ......................... 11-13 ........................................Page 2 ........................................Page 7 ...................................... Page 13 Classifieds ..................................... 16 Page 2 - The Reporter November 24-30, 2017 Seven Israelis who have made an impact on life in America By Gabe Friedman story. Israelis have made significant contributions to just in turn has influenced several other (JTA) – When Natalie Portman was named the 2018 about every industry and facet of American life, from ac- fields. His 2011 book “Thinking, Fast winner of the $1 million Genesis Prize, known as the “Jewish ademics to pop music. Here are some of those who have and Slow,” which summarized much Nobel,” it was in part an acknowledgment of her Israeli roots. had the biggest impact in American society while living of his research, has sold more than While the Oscar-winning actress mostly grew up in the 5,000 miles away from their first home. a million copies around the world. United States, Portman – née Herschlag – is also Israeli. Daniel Kahneman – economist, psychologist, author Few have had such an outsized Her father, Avner Herschlag, grew up in Israel, and her Human beings are not robots – sometimes they make impact on multiple fields of knowl- mother married him there. The family moved to the U.S. irrational decisions and they are always complex. That edge as Kahneman, 83, a Tel Aviv when she was 3. Portman’s facility with Hebrew was on idea might sound like common sense, but before econo- native who grew up in France during display when she directed and starred in the Hebrew-lan- mist and psychologist Daniel Kahneman started his Nobel the Holocaust and returned to Israel guage film “Tale of Love and Darkness,” based on the Prize-winning work in the 1970s, economics plugged people for college. He became a professor Daniel Kahneman in book by Israeli writer Amos Oz. into equations just as they would other sets of numbers. at the Hebrew University in Jerusa- 2009. (Photo by Sean She earned the Genesis Prize for “her commitment to social Kahneman’s work with his Israeli research partner Amos lem before moving to Canada in the Gallup/Getty Images causes and her deep connection to her Jewish and Israeli roots,” Tversky (he died from cancer in 1996) on concepts such as late ‘70s and eventually settling at for Burda Media) said Stan Polovets, the Genesis Prize Foundation chairman.