DECEMBER 28, 2017 – 10 TEVET, 5778 VOL 42, NO 11 JOURNALJEWISHJOURNAL.ORG Rabbi Summit leaves legacy of inclusion at Tufts’ Hillel cared deeply about: social jus- tice. These innovative programs included Moral Voices, which focused on topics including reproductive rights, children’s advocacy, and gun violence; Read by the River, a children’s literacy program; and Challah for Hunger, a weekly fund- raising activity to benefit the needy. Other initiatives were centered on health and well- ness, Holocaust and genocide education, and interfaith pro- gramming. “We shifted from thinking of Hillel as a specific building where activities took place to a Rabbi Jeff Summit with Tufts University President Anthony Monaco. series of programs that could happen anywhere on campus,” By Michelle Harris lowing 15 years, attendance said Summit. “We may see JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT slowly rose from 12 to as many between 70 and 200 students as 150, spurred by innovative at Hillel on a Friday night, but An antique Hanukkah menorah at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. MEDFORD – When Rabbi programming such as a kosher we’re also actively cultivating Jeff Summit first arrived on the gourmet cooking content. four, five, or maybe six different As curator, Di Nepi to enhance Tufts campus as Hillel direc- By the time a beautiful new venues around campus where tor in 1979, his office was in Hillel center opened in 1994, Shabbat dinners may be taking Judaica display at MFA a tiny closet, which became about 300 to 400 students were place.” usable only after two students involved with the organization Another big change was By Penny Schwartz removed a refrigerator. Now, 39 in some way. Yet Rabbi Summit the more-welcoming attitude JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT years later, Summit soon will be had a greater vision. “We were toward students of all back- stepping down as head rabbini- really busy with great things grounds, regardless of their her- BOSTON – In a sign of commitment to developing its Judaica col- cal leader, confident that Tufts happening every week,” he itage or knowledge of Judaism. lection, the Museum of Fine Arts has hired its first full-time Judaica Hillel’s strong reputation will said. “But we still were failing to “When I first came into this curator, a decision the museum hopes will allow it to build momen- continue to attract outstanding reach 800 Jewish students.” work, people still actively talked tum on the gains it has made in this venue during the last decade. leadership. That realization spurred about preventing students from Matthew Teitelbaum, the museum’s director, announced A lot has changed over Rabbi Summit into action, and he intermarrying,” said Summit. the appointment of Simona Di Nepi as the Charles and Lynn Summit’s tenure at Tufts. In the and his team began develop- “We often found that students Schusterman Curator of Judaica, and introduced her publicly on early days, the goal was to get ing a whole new set of pro- whose parents were intermar- Dec. 13 at the MFA’s celebration of Hanukkah, a free cultural gath- people to come to Friday night gramming initiatives focused ried were among the most ering that attracted hundreds of people. Shabbat dinners. Over the fol- around something the students continued on page 8 continued on page 8 The two sides to the Arab vote on the UN’s Jerusalem resolution By Israel Kasnett er at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for JNS.ORG National Security Studies, said the Saudis “have other priorities and while When 128 countries voted Dec. 21 in the Palestinians are not of major interest, favor of a non-binding United Nations they do pay lip service to the Palestinian General Assembly resolution calling cause and the Jerusalem issue.” on the US to withdraw its decision to Even though the Saudis backed the recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, resolution, they didn’t make a lot of noise nobody in Israel was surprised. Before over it. The same behavior was true for the vote, Prime Minister Benjamin the rest of the member nations of the Netanyahu called the UN “a house of Saudi-based Gulf Cooperation Council lies” and said Israel “rejects the resolu- (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar tion, even before it is passed.” and the United Arab Emirates. This On the surface, Arab states’ votes could indicate Salman’s “desire to get supporting the resolution were also closer to US President Donald Trump,” not surprising. But taking into account Guzansky told JNS. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin At least some of the GCC countries Salman’s desire to get closer to the US appear to view the US announcement and his seemingly softening stance on Jerusalem as nothing more than a toward Israel, why did the Gulf states, Photo courtesy UN/Mohammed Al Deghaishim side issue. Bahrain’s Foreign Minister including Saudi Arabia, vote in favor? United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres met with Saudi Crown Prince Khalid al-Khalifa tweeted, “It’s not Dr. Yoel Guzansky, a senior research- Mohammed bin Salman earlier this year in Riyadh. continued on page 18 The Jewish Journal is a nonprofit newspaper supported by generous readers, committed advertisers and charitable organizations. Email [email protected]. 2 THE JEWISH JOURNAL – JEWISHJOURNAL.ORG – DECEMBER 28, 2017 COMMUNITY NEWS Somerville’s Temple B’nai Brith celebrates accessibility to all By Penny Schwartz floor and restrooms only in the Barry Sloane, Marshall Sloane’s JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT basement. son, who is president and chief In 2001, Sara Chimene Weiss, executive officer of Century SOMERVILLE – The steep then 13 years old, donated Bank. staircases that wind their way money from her bat mitzvah “This temple has such a leg- through Temple B’nai Brith will gifts to start an accessibility fund acy for our family, so it’s very no longer prevent congregants, because her great-grandmother important for us to be involved guests, and visitors from coming could not attend services in the and be as supportive as we can,” through the door to pray in the synagogue. In 2008, inspired by Barry Sloane told the Journal at sanctuary of this city’s historic the girl’s generosity, the congre- the event. synagogue. gation launched Project Aliyah. Charlotte Adler Kirshner, who The congregation, founded It took time and a modification grew up in Medford, made her 114 years ago, on Dec. 17 cele- of a more ambitious proposal way back to Temple B’nai Brith, brated the completion of Project to raise sufficient funds to com- her childhood synagogue, from Aliyah, a capital campaign to plete the project, designed by her home in Newton to attend make its nearly century-old architect Derek Bloom. the event. The sprightly 96-year- synagogue building accessible old, who walked up the front to all with the installation of an stairs to enter the synagogue, elevator in the three-story build- recalled the long streetcar rides Built between 1919 Marshall Sloane spoke in Temple B’nai Brith’s third-floor sanctuary ing located in the Winter Hill to attend services and Hebrew and 1923, the temple at the completion of the congregation’s accessibility campaign. neighborhood, once the heart Sloane’s family helped create the congregation in 1903. school. of the city’s bustling Jewish com- is noteworthy for its “I can hear the earlier voices munity. Byzantine Revival of the people of past genera- Built between 1919 and was completed last September, Shubow Nelson, the daughter of tions in this building with us,” 1923, the temple is noteworthy architecture. just in time for the start of the the late Rabbi Leo Shubow, who said Rabbi Eliana Jacobowitz at for its Byzantine Revival archi- High Holidays. was the synagogue’s longtime the ceremony. Hired in 2010, tecture, designed by Samuel The synagogue’s longtime spiritual leader until he retired Jacobowitz was the congrega- E. Eisenberg, a Jewish immi- The successful $1.25 mil- religious leader, Phil Weiss, said in the 1970s. tion’s first rabbi in more than 40 grant from Poland who settled lion campaign included a at the dedication ceremony dur- Marshall Sloane, whose par- years. in Boston. The massive, hand- grant of more than $450,000 ing Hanukkah that the Hebrew ents were among the founders Curtatone commended the carved wooden Torah ark in the from Somerville’s Community word, “Aliyah,” which means of the congregation in 1903, also congregation for its persever- sanctuary was acquired from a Preservation Act fund awarded “to call up,” was an appropriate spoke at the dedication cere- ance in achieving this milestone, North End synagogue that was in 2015. The remaining support name for the accessibility cam- mony. Sloane, founder of the a benefit for people of all faiths, razed in 1920. came from more than 280 indi- paign involving an elevator. Somerville-based Century Bank, he said. He was reminded of the “It’s a historic jewel in the vidual donors, according to syn- “I am happy to be here to said he and his siblings grew up many church closings over the city,” said Frank Valdes, an archi- agogue president Fred Levy, an celebrate [Temple B’nai Brith’s] in the congregation that con- years that leave a sad void in a tect and member of the con- indication of the broad support dedication to inclusivity, as we tinues to be a source of fond community, he told the Journal. gregation. “It’s a clear example from members and others with commemorate the comple- memories. It’s important to maintain the of turn-of-the-last century’s reli- ties to the congregation. tion of the temple’s accessibil- “I rode up in the elevator,” culture of diversity in the city, gious architecture.” In addition to the eleva- ity campaign,” said Somerville Sloane told the Journal at the said the mayor.