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DECEMBER 2014 Breathing Life Into Our Jewish Community the VOICE Is a Publication of the Jewish I Was Recently in Venice, Italy and Visited Debates and Disputes

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DECEMBER 2014 Breathing Life Into Our Jewish Community the VOICE Is a Publication of the Jewish I Was Recently in Venice, Italy and Visited Debates and Disputes 8 10 30 CUBA COMMEMORATING MIZRAHI JEWRY HOW TO EAT CHANUKAH SUFGANIYOT WITHOUT GUILT Communitywide Workshop Focuses on Building Jewish Relationships, Not Just Jewish Institutions p. 7 19 Federation Around Town p. 9 Federation Announces Allocation to Hillel at Chico p. 13 CVHEN Features “Liberation Remembered: A Conversation” p. 14 UC Graduate Student Union Sponsors BDS Referendum p. 15 New Book Looks at Life and Leisure in Israel p. 17 Federation Board Member Reappointed to Insurance Board p. 23 Sitting Down with National Jewish Book 2014 Annual Report Award Winner, Maggie Anton p. 24 The ‘Golden Age’ of Jewish Genealogy is Celebrated Locally with a Silver Anniversary p. 25 2 | the VOICE | DECEMBER 2014 Breathing Life Into Our Jewish Community the VOICE is a publication of The Jewish I was recently in Venice, Italy and visited debates and disputes. It needs to eat and Federation of the Sacramento Region. the “Nuovo Ghetto,” the quarter where the drink, literally and figuratively, from all that Jewish community lived, from the Middle life has to give and take. It needs synagogues, The Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region Ages until Italian unification in 1861 confined schools, and programs for the young and the 2130 21st St., | Sacramento, CA 95818 | every evening behind locked gates. It was old and everybody in between. And it needs Phone: 916-486-0906 | once a teeming place but is now almost a central address, the place that knits its Fax: 916-441-1662 | deserted, with only a handful of Jewish essential elements into a cohesive whole. Email: [email protected] | residents living there— most of them That central address is our Federation. Website: jewishsac.org foreigners attending a small Yeshiva and a Chabad house— surrounded by ordinary A Jewish community doesn’t thrive by Executive Director | Melissa Chapman | Italians. In the larger Venice region, the accident. It is nurtured by people who feel an [email protected] | ext. 301 Jewish community numbers about 500 obligation to give of themselves, whether it Managing Editor | Elissa Provance | people and there are still religious services is financially or of their time. Our Federation [email protected] | ext. 304 performed at two of the Ghetto’s five ancient cannot meet the needs of Sacramento’s Designer | Kyle Shine | [email protected] synagogues, where they switch between Jewish community without your help. Our one in the summer and one in the winter. 2015 Annual Campaign has begun and we Board of Trustees The other synagogues are relics, part of a will be asking for your help. When that letter Executive Committee: President, Barry museum set, a moment frozen in time. In the arrives in the mail, when that volunteer calls Broad | Campaign Co Chair, Bob Dresser | Ghetto square, there is a small memorial to you, please be generous, so that our Jewish Campaign Co-Chair, Carol Loew | Treasurer, Jews of Venice who were rounded up and community can thrive and grow. Jack Mador | Leadership Development Chair, transported to the death camps in 1943 and Lauren Zimmerman a permanent police presence in a bunker-like Members-At-Large: Gil Allon | Cliff Berg | building that is a constant reminder of today’s Phil Fine | Don Gilbert | Deborah Gonzalez | threats. There’s a kosher restaurant and a Ryan Pessah | David Poisner | Sue Sperber | few shops, all of which are there to serve the Brian Uslan tourists, not the Jews of Venice. the VOICE is published four times annually Touring the empty synagogues and listening by Gold Country Media. Opinions expressed to the non-Jewish tour guide describe dryly herein do not necessarily reflect those of the how the Jewish community of Venice once Jewish Federation. We are not responsible lived, left me a little sad. I think the other for the kashrut of any advertiser’s product dozen or so people on the tour— most of or establishment. the VOICE reserves whom were Jewish— felt the same way. It the right to refuse advertising or any was like visiting a beautiful old cemetery, a submissions for publication. The publication place where the dead and their memories of a paid advertisement does not constitute outnumber the living. an endorsement of any candidate, political party, or political position by the Jewish A Jewish community must be a living, Federation. Barry Broad is the President of the breathing organism. It needs its passionate Jewish Federation. 3 | the VOICE | DECEMBER 2014 population, and significantly greater needs. We LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD face a new form of anti-Semitism cloaked in anti-Israel rhetoric, Jews fleeing from Europe, The 2014 Annual Campaign, which has already The 2014 Annual Meeting of the Jewish and murders in Kansas and Florida. But we raised more than $415,000, officially closes on Federation took place on September 4, 2014, all signed up for the job. It is our imperative December 31st. While we are still trying to reach a few days after the prior issue of the VOICE to ask the difficult questions and often make $450,000 for the 2014 campaign, our 2015 arrived at your doorstep. While we run a tight difficult decisions. The Federation system is Campaign efforts have already begun. Yes, program, we were able to share a year’s worth here to respond as a collective, unified voice; to we have the exciting job of trying to run two of incredible, hard work with personal stories, empower and protect Jews in need wherever campaigns at once! accomplishments, facts, and dreams. they are; to stand up and ensure justice; to engage and connect the community; and to At last year’s meeting, we announced the In this issue of the VOICE, we are proud to create a Jewish future. It is our job to fit the official return of Jewish Family Service as a share our 2014 Annual Report. We want it to puzzle pieces of our community together. offer a snapshot of where your dollars go and program of the Federation. In the past year, how they impact real lives. But a framework is we have moved from resource and referral important, too, so below is a sampling of the to direct service. Thanks to our Federation thoughts I shared on September 4th. Assistant Director, Elissa Provance, who oversees JFS; Alicia Mittleman, our 20-hour Good evening and welcome to the 2014 per week Community Social Worker; a very Annual Meeting of The Jewish Federation generous anonymous donor; and a group of of the Sacramento Region. Thank you for incredible volunteers, we have been able to joining us to reflect on a year of tremendous create a strong and wide-ranging portfolio accomplishments and to thank all of our of services from mud, sticks, and stubborn leaders, volunteers, and donors for allowing us dedication. to serve the community. We have also seen the community come We are proud to host the first Annual Meeting together through the JCFW Life and Legacy Melissa Chapman is the Executive Director in our beautiful new home. We enjoyed our program, which encourages community of the Jewish Federation. time on Capitol Avenue, but having something members to consider endowments, bequests, that all of us can call our own is very different. and other forms of planned giving. This Since purchasing the building in November, program has enabled all of our institutions to and moving in December, we’ve been able work together while setting up a foundation to host a variety of programs and events for a strong Jewish tomorrow. In a few short for the entire community— JFS support months, Federation has become the proud groups; Jewish meditation; monthly meetings recipient of 24 Letters of Intent including a of the Sacramento Area Board of Rabbis; newly-established Jewish Family Service Intro to Judaism; training for the JCFW Endowment, indicating the community’s Communitywide Legacy Program; internal and renewed faith in the Federation and our partnership community organization Board services. meetings; PJ Library Playgroup; a program for college-bound teens; the Shalom School We hope our community continues to Board Retreat; and a security briefing for respond so that next year, we can report community institutions. on our balanced budget and increased Annual Campaign. Just imagine what we can We are thankful that our community partners accomplish with additional funding. On your have been so generous in embracing 2130 21st chairs, you will find a snapshot of all we have St. as the central address for our community. done by working together this year. We hope Each doorway has a beautiful mezuzah you feel as proud as we do about the wide donated by our community institutions… range of programs and services we are able to from Tahoe to Chico! offer with an intensely streamlined budget and staff. In addition to all of this, our 2014 budget saw more than $100,000 in savings and our 2015 It is important to thank our unbelievable Board budget is projected to be in the black for the led by Barry Broad, volunteers, and staff. The first time in many years, mainly due to this work we do isn’t easy. We deal with dwindling wonderful new building. donations, less engaged generations, an aging 4 | the VOICE | DECEMBER 2014 to Our Community Rededicating Ourselves As a parent, one of my fundamental goals On December 7th, Dr. Ron Wolfson, author community of Cuba earlier this year and has been to raise responsible, caring, of Relational Judaism: Using the Power is encouraging others to join Federation’s hardworking kids who would learn the skills of Relationships to Transform the Jewish Mission to Cuba in the Spring 2015, or a new they needed to move through the world and Community, is coming to our community to book about life and leisure in Israel by Chico become responsible, caring, hardworking facilitate a discussion about how to build State Professors Michael Leitner and Sara adults.
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