Kol Bogrei April 2012 ~ Nisan-Iyyar 5772 Rambam Page 1 of 4 Connecting Maimonides Alumni Worldwide

Kol Bogrei Rambam is the Alumni Council’s monthly e-newsletter for and about Maimonides School graduates. Each month we share infor- mation on individual graduates’ ventures and accomplishments, as well as general news notes, all reflecting the school’s mission of preparing educated, observant Jews to be contributing members of society. Your ideas and accomplishments will help sustain and strengthen this key communications tool; please forward to [email protected].

Recent Graduate Embarks on a Venture in Social Entrepreneurship

Joseph Flesh ’04 is developing a comment on them, and flag outdated software product he calls Purple information.” Binder. As his website (purplebinder. As a Maimonides high school student, com) explains, “It will be the first Joe commented, “I thought I would comprehensive, up-to-date directory be a PhD in history and philosophy.” of Chicago’s social safety net. People But two years into the University of in need can use Purple Binder to help Chicago came “a realization of what I themselves. Social workers can use could really apply myself to over the it to give their clients better refer- longer term. Academia was not it for rals and waste less time hunting for me.” service providers. And doctors can use it to address the root causes of their Joe said the project was conceived a patients’ medical problems.” couple of years ago, when he and his college friend Declan Frye began doing This start-up effort is in the category software consulting, under the busi- of “social entrepreneurship,” Joe said. ness name Humanweb. “That definition is one of the reasons that we really like this. It’s not a pure “One of our first projects was for a non- profit motive that’s driving us. What profit to internally manage all the other we’re doing gives the whole thing agencies to which it referred clients,” a greater sense of purpose.” (He he recounted. “We realized there is no Joe Flesh ‘04 acknowledged that he is working central resource, no one place you look, on some useful features for social to find social services easily. And social to figure out the most useful project we workers, for which he plans to charge workers are spending a lot of time just can make. Meanwhile, we are getting “a low monthly fee.”) trying to keep their own information up exposure and feedback.” Social workers, to date. That’s a problem we thought we “Social workers will help keep Purple community leaders and government offi- could easily solve with software.” Binder up to date, sharing rather than cials are among those in the test market. duplicating one another’s efforts to Turns out it wasn’t so easy. “One reason The first version includes a comprehen- find fresh info about Chicago’s social is that information goes out of date so sive list of social services on Chicago’s services,” he said. “The app will also fast. It’s constantly shifting because of South Side, and the developers are make it easy for social workers to swap unstable funding from foundations,” Joe starting to gather data for the North Side. notes about specific service providers explained. and programs.” Some of the best feedback has come After several months, Purple Binder is through an online resource for journal- The projected result is an easy-to- running as a pilot program with social ists called chicagostories.org. Joe was navigate safety net that ranges from workers at a suburban Chicago hospital. recently listed as a technology entrepre- food, housing and health care to after- “We’re not sure yet what the product neur, along with his project and contact school programs and job training. is going to look like,” Joe acknowl- information. He is also working with “Purple Binder will be the only edged. “In some way we have launched Juan-Pablo Velez, a producer with the online directory that makes it easy because we have people using it, and Chicago News Cooperative. “I hope to be to add new agencies and services, over the next few months we’re going getting calls from reporters,” he said.

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Teaching Talmud, Practicing Psychology Complementary for Alumna in Israel

Dr. Caroline Peyser-Bollag ’83 is a than ‘74, were born in Israel when Talmud teacher with a private practice my father was working at Weiz- in psychology. Or vice versa. In either mann Institute. I became close to a case, the two fields have been closely number of Israeli teachers as well associated in her experience for the as Israeli students who studied at past 20 years. A few examples: Maimonides.” • “During graduate school at After moving to Israel in 1994 Ferkauf (Yeshiva University’s grad- and earning her license in clinical uate school of psychology), while psychology, she worked as a staff studying clinical psychology, I psychologist on an eating disor- also taught beginner’s Talmud at ders unit at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Drisha Institute. This is something Hospital. I got from Maimonides—a back- Dr. Caroline Peyser-Bollag ’83, Rabbi David Bollag and “This was one of the first exposures ground and love for Gemara that their family. I had to treating eating disorders,” not many young women had at she said. “From there I went on to an the time.” recommends specific policy changes; outpatient adolescent clinic affiliated recommends resources; and provides • “On making aliyah, I contacted with Hadassah, where I also saw teens a guide to Jewish sources on health, some friends about jobs in with anorexia and bulimia as well as a diet and self-care—not as a replace- psychology. They suggested I full range of adolescent issues. At the ment for treatment, but in recognition teach Germara in the at Midreshet same time I was seeing the problem that a Jewish school must frame the Lindenbaum and then look for among some of my students at issue as part of a larger campaign of a job in psychology. And that’s Midreshet Lindenbaum and in schools Torah education.” what I did.” She remained on the in general -- and that many schools staff until her first daughter was struggled with how best to handle the “I was asked to give lectures on the born in 2003. situation.” topic in a variety of settings,” Caroline continued. “These lectures, in turn, led • Caroline teaches psychology In 2003 Caroline joined the staff of to referrals to my practice of one-year in a master’s program at Neve ATID (Academy for Torah Initiatives students suffering from eating disor- Yerushalayim College, offering and Directions) in Jerusalem, and ders, and thus my subspecialty in this courses and hands-on training to proposed a project for her research area developed.” religious women who would like group: How to handle eating disorders to become family therapists. among one-year students learning in “I think today, schools are much more Israeli yeshivot and seminaries. aware of the need for a close relation- “I certainly think my interest and ship with a mental health profes- choice of teaching Gemara grew out “We put out a booklet to help schools sional and are more sensitive to the of my experience at Maimonides, understand more about the nature psychological needs of students than and the fact that girls and boys were of eating disorders, the need for they were 10 years ago and certainly taught Gemara together from Grade immediate and specialized treatment 20 years ago,” she commented. “This 7,” she reflected. “I always felt that it and recommendations for treating is true for eating disorders as well was natural for girls as well as boys students away from home for the although there still is too long a lag to study Gemara, and I think that is year,” she said. time, often, in sending students early what led me to want to teach at a time Body and Soul: A Guide for Addressing enough for treatment before the situ- when few women taught Gemara.” Eating Disorders in a Jewish Education ation becomes serious enough for Caroline, who is a clinical psycholo- Setting is still available on line. The students to need to be sent home.” gist with a practice in Jerusalem, said commentary from ATID explains that Caroline, who still regularly gives she knew from an early age that she Body and Soul “spells out the basics shiurim, resides in Efrat with her would make aliyah. “I come from a of eating disorders and treatments in husband, Rabbi David Bollag. She very Zionist family. My oldest sister laymen’s terms; reviews current and has three children and two grown and brother, Daniella ’74 and Jona- notable school programs and policies; step-children. Kol Bogrei April 2012 ~ Nisan-Iyyar 5772 Rambam Page 3 of 4 Connecting Maimonides Alumni Worldwide After Memorable Interfaith Trip, Rabbi Lopatin ’82 Hopes to Get Some Answers Several weeks have passed since Rabbi talked about maintenance issues, Asher Lopatin ’82 returned from a security issues, issues that Israel six-day interfaith mission to Jakarta, can change on without it hitting Dubai, Amman, Ramallah and Jeru- the newspapers in Israel. He didn’t salem. “I am still on an emotional high,” even mention Jerusalem. He he said. “It’s like going to camp, and didn’t obsess about settlements.” then suddenly being done with camp.” Now Rabbi Lopatin hopes that But he was quick to add, “I’m really connection will help him learn trying to temper that with reality.” And more about the content of the he is narrowing that focus down to textbooks, which many observers one specific problem: the content of say ensure antipathy toward student textbooks used by the Pales- Israel among schoolchildren by tinian National Authority. including false and inflamma- tory information and anti-Semitic Rabbi Lopatin, who has led Congre- stereotypes. ”I want to really get to gation Anshe Sholom Bnei Israel in the bottom of the whole thing: did Chicago for almost 17 years, was part he try to change the textbooks? of a delegation of clergy from the U.S. I just want to get an answer. And and Indonesia with the announced maybe the answer is, ‘Look, I’ve purpose of exploring “the role of reli- got to choose my battles’.” gion in advancing Middle East peace.” Participants met with government offi- Rabbi Lopatin will ask Fayyad to cials and other leaders, then testified to help him “find a Palestinian whom a Congressional committee and White we can identify with and who can House officials after returning. There be honest. I’m sure there are many were three other Jewish representa- of them… I am now on a quest Rabbi Lopatin poses with a family in Ramallah tives in the 13-member U.S. group. to connect with Salam Fayyad through a diplomat. I’m going to Day-to-day details were shared by that I got from this trip to pursue copy the ambassador to Indonesia and Rabbi Lopatin through a Facebook this… Emotionally I hope we can make bring him into the conversation. I really blog. This included enthusiastic obser- connection with Palestinians. But we’ll cherish the connections I made with vations about Salam Fayyad, the prime see what happens.” my Indonesian friends, Christians and minister of the Palestinian Authority. Muslims.” The blog posts, which were filed in late “He is modest, he is honest, he is February and early March, are available The mission was organized in conjunc- thoughtful, he says things contrary at Morethodoxy.org. tion with Indonesia’s ambassador to to his interest if they are true, and the U.S., Dr. Dino Djalal, The warmth “I really believe that religious leaders contrary to the common wisdom,” and sincerity of Indonesians, in of all types can help lead the way in Rabbi Lopatin wrote. “He is self- Jakarta and on the trip, left a positive showing how much we need each effacing and has a diminutive sense impression. (Rabbi Lopatin noted that other and how much we can come of humor. I had never met him, and although the country recognizes many together even if we disagree in funda- I didn’t even know what he looked religions, there are virtually no Jews in mental ways,” Rabbi Lopatin wrote like. He came into a very fancy room -- Indonesia,) after his return. “Beyond that, the fact with really nice leather chairs, and in a that a Zionist American Jew could humble and even shlumped-over way, Although the group engaged in frank bond with Christian and Muslim Indo- went around shaking our hands.” exchanges with Palestinians, further nesian leaders—well, Israelis and Pales- connections with moderate Muslims “Fayyad said basically, let’s focus on tinians may be able to do it as well.” “really haven’t borne as much fruit as the issues we can deal with, on issues I would have wanted,” Rabbi Lopatin “Israel can never let down its guard that are important to Palestinians but said. “Potentially, it’s the connection and its purpose in being the Homeland that Israel—and the right or left wing to Fayyad. So I am using the energy of the Jews and the safe haven for the in Israel—doesn’t really care about. He continued on page 4 Kol Bogrei April 2012 ~ Nisan-Iyyar 5772 Rambam Page 4 of 4 Connecting Maimonides Alumni Worldwide

Maimonides Shoah Education Has Evolved, Mark Blechner ’67 Tells Students The Holocaust was an invisible pres- such thing as history until 25 years ence throughout his 13 years at have passed,” Mark recalled. Maimonides School, Mark Blechner Mark has assembled a compelling ’67 told Upper School students during presentation about his family’s history, Yom HaShoah presentations on April and he was guest speaker during four 19. separate presentations to students The principal, Rabbi M.J. Cohn, and in Grades 3-12 in observance of Yom long-time teachers Rabbi Isaac Simon HaShoah. and Rabbi Isaiah Wohlgemuth all Mark’s grandfather moved to Munich escaped from the horrors of Europe in 1938, and on the eve of the Shoah during World War II. “They went one son immigrated to the U.S., a through the terror, but they never second to Switzerland, and a third to talked to us about it,” Mark said. England via the ill-fated S.S. St. Louis. Among the class of 1967, “Sixteen of Mark’s father Salo (later known as us were children of survivors, and Sidney) did not escape and spent six we took it for granted because our years in five labor and concentration parents didn’t want to talk about it.” camps. Mark Blechner ‘67 Some insight was provided by popular The speaker said he was completely history teacher B. Gibson Gerry, a unaware of the family history until his non-Jew. “He told us that there is no father, prompted by a question from conclusion of the Shemoneh Esrei grandson Elisha ’96, produced boxes includes the prayer that G-d “let my of documents and artifacts in 1992. soul be like dust to everyone.” Rabbi Wohlgemuth used to interpret the The entire presentation can be seen at reference this way: “What happens to www.blechner.com. The city museum dust when you step on it? It scatters, of Munich has featured the family only to land someplace else. That’s history as an exhibit, and Mark hopes the story of the Jewish People: we it eventually makes its way to the U.S. can be scattered, but we are going to Mark told the high school students survive.” that individual meditation at the Alumni Here and There Four Maimonides graduates were Ilan Ben Zion ’03 is a reporter with the instrumental in the successful 30-team new on-line daily newspaper The Times The PLO flag –—note the map includes Israel National Hillel Basketball Tournament of Israel (www.timesofisrael.com). The held earlier this month at the Univer- Jerusalem-based English-language continued from page 3 sity of Maryland. Avi Packer ’09 and news outlet was launched in February. Mike Shrager ’09 co-chaired the Ilan, who was known as Ilan Mitchell Rabbi Lopatin ’82 University Outreach Board, Tatiana during his Maimonides career, made Hasson ’10 was a co-chair of Shabbat Jewish people,” he continued. “But aliyah in 2008 after graduating from programming, and Shlomo Golshira- from this trip I hope that maybe one Innis College at the University of zian ’07 headed game operations and day Palestinians will be a help rather Toronto. He received a master’s degree logistics. than a threat to this Jewish State.” in diplomacy from Tel Aviv University The competition was first organized by in 2010, and later founded a blog called “I have a lot of outlandish ideas I get Rachel Epstein Klausner ’07 in 2011, “The Young Diplomat.” Ilan also has criticized for,” laughed Rabbi Lopatin. “I and she was recognized on this year’s written for Ha’aretz. think it can inspire people that we tried tournament website. to do something.”