A Most Unique Tour
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Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage E PAID Norwich, CT 06360 Permit #329 TH RETURN TO: 28 Channing St., New London, CT 06320 Serving The Jewish Communities of Eastern Connecticut & Western R.I. CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED VOL. XLII NO. 21 PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY WWW.JEWISHLEADERWEBPAPER.COM DECEMBER 2, 2016/2 KISLEV 5777 NEXT DEADLINE DEC. 9, 2016 16 PAGES HOW TO REACH US - BY PHONE 860-442-8062 • BY FAX 860-443-4175 • BY EMAIL [email protected] • BY MAIL: 28 CHANNING STREET, NEW LONDON, CT 06320 A most Thanks from the president unique tour By Edgar Asher, Ashernet By Guy Carmi, Emissary Following a visit to the community of Nataf in the Jerusalem- - Hills, where many families had lost their homes to the fires that raged across Israel over the past days, President Reuven Riv Have you ever invited peo lin went to an IDF air force base to personally thank the pilots ple to your house and gave from Israel and abroad who had participated in the emergency them a tour of all the different fire-fighting operation to douse the flames. Rivlin told the pilots, rooms? who came from Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Now here’s a more difficult USA, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, France, Spain, Romania and Israel, “I task - try and give someone have just come from Nataf, a community damaged by the flames, a tour of an entire country in whose residents are full of praise and gratitude to you, because one single room! thanks to you none were injured. In the name of all the Israeli Helping out at Sounds difficult? Well that’s people, I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart for you exactly what Tal & I did in our bravery and generosity, and send my thanks also to your leaders- Thanksgiving - Israel room at JCC W/O WALLS who answered our call for help without hesitation.” - With the assistance of the Gem- last Sunday, Nov. 20. In our The President continued, “You showed us what real and hon ma Moran United Way Labor room, we welcomed the com est friendship is. Until now you were heroes in your own coun Food Center and private dona- munity to “Take a step and Emissaries Tal Gilboa and Guy tries now your heroes in our country, our home as well. Each- tions, the Jewish Federation pro- move 5,000 miles away.” Carmi in their “Israel Room.” and every one of you left behind a family, home and a country vided turkeys and chickens and How did we do that you and boarded a plane at short notice to extend your hand in as- all the trimmings to 25 families of ask? At the entrance to our sistance to save lives, and I can assure you that indeed you saved various sizes. Thanks to Senior room our guests signed their lives. I don’t know if you have been to Israel before yet you dem & Community Services Adminis- name on the Israeli flag, and Israeli snacks. After that, they onstrated that your love of humanity has no borders. And of trator Beth Hubbert for shopping as they entered to the sound visited the holiest place in course I would like to invite you to visit here, in our beautiful and organizing the food. of Israeli music playing in the the city -The Western Wall. At land, in regular days.” background, each one of them The Western Wall, our guests received a small map of Israel experienced it through two- Reaching out to mark the places they would mediums. First, they looked visit, a passport to get stamps through another pair of 3D vir to the elderly at each station and a list of tual reality glasses. Then they useful words in Hebrew for wrote a wish (or a prayer) on their stay. a note and they put it between Now that we have finished- Before they started, they the cracks of our “makeshift” Thanksgiving and helping 25 pinned on a map of the world wall. It is believed those notes- clients of the JFEC’s Food Pan- where their family originally will be read by G-d and he will try to celebrate a good holiday, came from. We were so happy make them come true (or an we are moving on to prepara to see pins all across the globe. swer those prayers.) We’ve- tions for Chanukah and our- It made us realize how we are collected these notes and we- President Reuven Rivlin with some of the pilots from Israel and visits to Jewish residents in all one big family. promised that, when we re abroad who flew fire-fighting aircraft to put out the fires across the over 20 nursing homes and re The first station on the tour turn to Israel during our Feb center and north of Israel. It is estimated that about a third of the hab facilities in the region. was the city of Tel Aviv. After- ruary vacation, we will take- wild fires were started deliberately. Under the guidance of JFEC- landing at Ben Gurion Airport, each and every single one of Board Member Sema Stein the people visited the Azrieli Tow them and put them in the ac Erdogan calls on Muslims Federation is using the Chanu- ers; 3 large geometric towers tual Western Wall. - kah holiday visits as a kick off in the center of the city that The next station was Guy’s to ‘protect’ Jerusalem to rejuvenate its Friendly Visi are in the shape of a circle, a home - Givat Ella. At that sta tor Program which reaches out rectangle and a triangle. Our tion, our guests played a game By the Associated Press to residents in nursing homes guests competed in a stair where they had to complete and elderly who are unable to climbing competition, just like Givat Ella’s bike trail by having easily leave their homes. in the real towers. However, a player and rolling a dice to ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has An organizational meeting that wasn’t quite enough. You keep moving on the board. On urged Muslims to defend the Palestinian cause, striking a tough took place on Wed., November- still have to see it to believe it- the trail there were surprises stance on Israel despite improved ties between the two nations. 30 at Temple Emanu-El. so we gave our guests a chance like obstacles and questions- The president of majority Muslim Turkey said Tuesday “it If you are interested in be to really see the towers by ex about Givat Ella where they is the common duty of all Muslims to embrace the Palestinian ing part of the JFEC’soffice.jfec@ Friendly periencing them through 3D had to guess the correct an cause and protect Jerusalem” and that safeguarding the Al-Aqsa gmail.coVisitor Programm contact the virtual reality glasses. - swer to move forward. - Mosque should not be left to children armed with nothing but Federation at The next stop on the tour The next station was Tal- stones. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Temple Mount is- or 860-442-8062. was Israel’s capital city - Je- Gilboa’s home, which is sur sacred to Muslims and Jews. All this is made possible rusalem. The guests visited prisingly called - the Gilboa re Speaking at a parliamentary symposium on Jerusalem in Is through your donation to the- the famous market (or in He gion. AtTOUR that station, CONT. our ON guests PG 13 tanbul, the Turkish leader also criticized an Israeli proposal to JFEC Annual Campaign. JFEC is brew, “Shuk”), where they had make mosques reduce the volume of loudspeakers issuing the a lifeline to those in need be a chance to taste some popular call to prayer. cause of your help. 2 THE JEWISH LEADER, DECEMBER 2, 2016 Hadassah hosts luncheon - Mention & Menschen er named a son in honor of their father Nathan, hence NADINE LIPMAN three more Nathan Nassers were born in New Lon [email protected] don in a five year period, with all of them at the same elementary school at the same time. Fortunately they each have a different middle name: Nathan Charles is the son of Sam and Linda, Nathan Victor is the son of Maurice and Esther, and Nathan Paul, the only one My aunt, Linda Nasser Weiss, died a couple weeks still living in this area, is the son of Raquel and Joe. ago. Linda was born in Mexico City, Mexico eighty-six NOW you understand why if you ever said you knew years ago. She was the daughter of David and Emilia you saying Nate Nasser! my Cousin Nate, I asked you which one, in spite of withSidauy. them She throughout belonged to her a verylife. Shelarge immigrated and closely to knit the my Grandparents’ home on Broad St. For many years, family in Mexico and maintained loving relationships- We were very close as cousins, always together at- United States after marrying Sam Nasser of New Lon our parents worked in retail in downtown New Lon don, CT. They were married for 28 years and they had miss her dearly. She moved to Bridgeport after mar- don; my father had Calmon Jewelers, my grandfather two children, Leeza and Nathan, who loved and will had Nassers’ which was a gift and drapery store, and- which at various times Joe, Sam and Maurice had a rying Milton Weiss in 1980. Unfortunately, Milton, a els, on the other hand, ran a deli up near the library fabric store and a larger giftware store.