July 27-August 2, 2018 Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton Volume XLVII, Number 30 BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK Jewish Heritage Day at Binghamton Rumble Ponies on Aug. 5 The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, Double Among the attractions will be the playing in Section 105, third base side, under the and celebrate Jewish Heritage day with us A affiliate of the New York Mets, will hold of Jewish heritage music, the singing “Take canopy. Tickets are $7 each. To purchase and the Rumble Ponies,” said event orga- a Jewish Heritage Day on Sunday, August 5, Me Out to the Ballgame” in Hebrew, playing tickets and reserve a seat in that section, call nizers. “For those who have not been to at the NYSEG Stadium in Binghamton. The Jewish baseball trivia and doing other things in the Rumble Ponies at 722-3866 and mention a B-Mets or Rumble Ponies game, this is Reporter is a media sponsor for the event. celebration of Jewish heritage. The game will Jewish Heritage Day in order to be seated high quality AA baseball with many players Neil Auerbach will throw out the ceremo- be against the Harrisburg Senators and will in this section. Tickets will be waiting at going from Binghamton to the Mets AAA nial first pitch. The deadline for purchasing start at 2:05 pm. The gates will open at 1 pm. the “Will Call” window at the stadium box. affiliate or directly to the major leagues. We within this group is Wednesday, August 1. A block of 24 seats have been reserved “Come on out, support your local team, hope to see you there to join in the fun.” Jewish Food Festival in Scranton July 29-Aug. 2 The annual Jewish Food vendors and crafts. phone and your order will be ready within For more information about the festival, Festival in Scranton will be The menu will feature 30 minutes – brought to your car,” said to download an event map or to browse the held Sunday, July 29, through an assortment of traditional organizers of the event. menu, visit www.JewishFoodFest.com or Thursday, August 2, at Nay “Jewish favorites,” as well Nay Aug Park, the city of Scranton’s call 570-587-3300. Aug Park in Scranton. Open- as Israeli and Middle Eastern largest park, grants residents and visitors “a ing day hours on July 29 will food. There will also be a touch of nature” amid the city landscape. be from 11 am-7 pm. From barbecue grill and a bakery Walking trails, picnic areas, kid-friendly Monday through Thursday, tent to complement the cele- rides, playgrounds, Olympic-sized swim- hours will be 11:30 am-2 bration of ethnic kosher food. ming pools and a waterslide complex pm for lunch and 4-7 pm Rabbi Yitzchok Goldberg The festival at Nay Aug are among the attractions. The Everhart for dinner. sliced shawarma off the Park will continue all week Museum is also located within the park. A Organized by the Jew- vertical grill. featuring daily grill specials. gorge and waterfalls within the park have ish Discovery Center, the This year, the festival will been named a National Natural Landmark. free-admission event will feature ethnic offer takeout orders with curbside service. A pedestrian footbridge opened in 2007 to Festival patrons will be able to order from food, entertainment, kids-zone play area, “Simply make your selections online or by access parkland across the Roaring Brook. a menu of Jewish ethnic foods. Annual Jewish Music and Cultural Festival to take place on Aug. 5 in Syracuse By Vicki Feldman Community Center, 5655 Thompson Rd, for children provided by the JCC during The annual Jewish Music and Cul- Syracuse. Beginning at noon, Farah will the afternoon in and around the Kids Tent, tural Festival will take place on Sunday, perform on the Price Chopper Stage, fol- along with face painting, PJ Library® August 5, at the Sam Pomeranz Jewish lowed by two-time Grammy nominees The activities and the Robert Rogers Puppet Pop Ups, with entertainment for families Theater. In addition, there will be repre- and children of all ages at about 1:30 pm. sentatives from area Jewish community At left: The band Farah will perform at Other groups that will perform include the organizations. Kosher refreshments will JMAC on August 5. L-r: Alex Reeder, Susan Watts Jewish Music Ensemble at be available. percussion and vocals; Ben Markowitz, bass 3 pm and the Keyna Hora Klezmer Band For more information about the schedule, and vocals; Burak Direk, percussion; Sam at 4:30 pm. bands, food and activities, visit the festival Asher, lead vocals and guitar. There will also be activities and games website syracusejewishfestival.org. Camp JCC’s teens on a Connecticut getaway At right: Teens in Camp JCC’s TLC program went on an overnight trip to Club Getaway in Connecticut during the second week of camp. They took a break from ropes courses and more on the big chairs at the club. (See page 7 for more Camp JCC photos.) INSIDE THIS ISSUE Supreme Court nominee “Epicenter of magic” News in brief... Special Sections A look at Supreme Court justice Leading tech figures call Israel Kotel called a “danger zone” after Legal Notices ................................... 4 nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his the “epicenter of magic” for its 220 pound stone falls; Druze Book Review .................................... 4 views on hot-button issues. technological advances. challenge Israel’s nation-state law. Personal and Business Services ..... 5 ........................................Page 3 ........................................Page 5 ....................................Pages 7-8 Classifieds ....................................... 8 Page 2 - The Reporter July 27-August 2, 2018 Opinion From the Desk of the Federation Executive Director Hello, its Sima SIMA AUERBACH We often talk about the demographics of our commu- to do it from far fewer people. Fortunately, we are an If you are interested in joining either of these commit- nity – sometimes ad nauseam. We ask: What are we going embracing community and donors have been increasing tees, kindly contact me at 724-2332 or [email protected]. to do? How do we get the younger people involved? (By their gift each year – a big help. In addition, people who Looking forward to hearing from you. younger people, we are usually referring to those in their have experienced an unexpected windfall have shared their P.S. An Edy update: We took a train from Poughkeepsie, late 40s to 60s.) And then there is always the thought, good luck with the Federation. Often, to our surprise, we NY, to Grand Central Station that runs along the Hudson “What about the Jews on campus?” We talk about this, get letters from law offices telling us that the Federation River. I thought my granddaughter Edy would be mes- but are not sure about what to do. has been graciously named in wills. merized by the beautiful ride with the sun shining on the Yes, as a Jewish community we are getting smaller So, I am announcing that we need your help. The Fed- river – but no. She loved watching the people getting on – and yet the needs have not changed in any significant eration will form two committees at our September Board and off at each stop – and there were many – welcoming manner. The Federation – with half the donors we once meeting: one to search for those uninvolved Jews amongst them to the train, waving good-byes and always smiling. had – still needs to raise $300,000 annually and we have us and another as a Legacy Committee. I, of course, beamed proudly. Any volunteers to be tomorrow’s Jewish doers and leaders? By Eli Ovits volunteerism could help almost any institution in creating in Jewish activism through Limmud, the deeper the impact (JTA) – “Ethics of the Fathers” includes this bold advice more effective communities. on your life. from Rabbi Yishmael: “When we learn in order to act, we The British sociologist Keith Kahn-Harris surveyed Yet we also found that for volunteers of all ages, their become learners, teachers, preservers and doers.” Limmud volunteers in communities spanning seven commitment and curiosity grew as they continued on their So many Jewish institutions are asking how they might countries; conducted two focus groups at Limmud Fes- Limmud journeys. The vast majority of all volunteers engage younger people, raise a new generation of leaders tival 2017; and held conversations recently in Israel with surveyed reported positive impacts on their lives. and appeal across age groups. How might they advance volunteers from 50 communities across 25 countries at It is important to recruit younger people, take them a the Jewish journeys of their volunteers, followers and Limmud Connect, Limmud’s first global volunteer forum. long way and change their Jewish lives. At the same time, “users,” and take them further toward greater interest in Ezra Kopelowitz of Research Success Technologies in the Limmud study also suggests that communities are most and commitment to Jewish life? Israel was the project adviser. successful when they are multigenerational. They should Limmud, a global network of Jewish learning festivals, Here are three initial takeaways from Limmud Im- explore ways to promote intergenerational diversity in set out to find out from its large and growing number of pact Study: leadership, team composition and educational opportuni- volunteers what works and what doesn’t. Granted, we had Get them while they’re young ties. This promises a richer communal experience for all. a favorable cohort: Volunteers make Limmud happen, set It is essential to invest in younger people, including Learning leads to action – strategy, determine the vision, teach and deal with the young families. The study affirmed the long-term value and much more multitude of tasks from which Limmud events are built.