Washtenaw Jewish News Presort Standard In this issue… c/o Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor U.S. Postage PAID 2939 Birch Hollow Drive Ann Arbor, MI Federation Biking 2010 Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Permit No. 85 Main Event Adventure Election In Israel Results Page 5 Page 7 Page 20 December 2010/January 2011 Kislev/Tevet/Shevat 5771 Volume XXXV: Number 4 FREE Martin Shichtman named director of EMU Jewish Studies Chanukah Wonderland at Geoff Larcom, special to the WJN Briarwood Mall Devorah Goldstein, special to the WJN artin Shichtman, a professor of Shichtman earned his doctorate and mas- English language and literature ter’s degree from the University of Iowa, and What is white, green, blue and eight feet tall? M who has taught at Eastern Michi- his bachelor’s degree from the State Univer- —the menorah to be built at Chanukah Won- gan University for 26 years, has been appointed sity of New York, Binghamton. He has taught derland this year. Chabad of Ann Arbor will director of Jewish Studies for the university. more than a dozen courses at the graduate sponsor its fourth annual Chanukah Wonder- As director, Shichtman will create alliances and undergraduate levels at EMU, including land, returning to the Sears wing of Briarwood with EMU’s Jewish community, coordinate classes on Chaucer, Arthurian literature, and Mall, November 29–December 6, noon–7 p.m. EMU’s Jewish Studies Lecture Series and de- Jewish American literature. Classes focusing New for Chanukkah 2010 will be the building of velop curriculum. The area of Jewish studies on Jewish life include “Imagining the Holy a giant Lego menorah in the children’s play area includes classes for all EMU students inter- Land,” and “Culture and the Holocaust.” (near JCPenny). There will be a public menorah ested in Jewish life and culture, as well as op- Shichtman has written four books. The lat- lighting at the Chanukah Wonderland each eve- portunities for study abroad and internships. est, Cinematic Illusions: The Middle Ages on Film, ning at 5:30 p.m. Shichtman, who began at EMU in 1984, co-authored with Laurie Finke, recently received Martin Shichtman has been an active figure in the academic EMU’s annual Faculty Scholarship Recognition life of the university. He has organized and Jack Kay, EMU provost and executive vice Award for best book by a faculty member. participated in numerous EMU campus president. “He is an exceptional, productive He has held fellowships at The United discussions and panels, including serving as and creative scholar, and plays a vital and cen- States Holocaust Memorial Museum and with a moderator for the Interfaith Panel, “Did tral role in campus affairs.” Brandies University’s Summer Institute for Is- God Survive the Holocaust,” held in 2009. “Most EMU students know very little about rael Studies. In 2008, he was chosen as a Hillel Last month, Shichtman was a panelist dur- Judaism or about Jewish culture,” Shichtman said. International Summit Scholar. ing a well-attended discussion on values, “Many are not aware of ever having met a Jew. It Shichtman also received the EMU Distin- respect, and hate imagery, held after The is becoming increasingly evident that comprehen- guished Faculty Award for Teaching in 1996, Eastern Echo had published a controversial sive universities like EMU, institutions dedicated and the EMU Alumni Association Award cartoon invoking the Ku Klux Klan. to promoting an understanding of American di- for Teaching Excellence in 1993. In 1990, “I am delighted to name Marty Shicht- versity, also need to provide their students with an he received a State of Michigan Teaching man head of Jewish studies at Eastern,” said awareness of Jewish life and culture.” Excellence Award. n Chanukah Wonderland provides a Jew- ish experience for people of all ages. Activities will include dressing up for photos as Judah Author who saved Yiddish literature to speak December 7 the Maccabee, dipping Chanukah candles, and making potato latkes and sufganiyot, traditional Geoff Larcom, special to the WJN jelly-filled doughnuts. Several arts and crafts ki- n 1980, while a 24-year-old graduate effort in Jewish history,” fueling the renais- osks will offer projects to fill participants’ homes student, Aaron Lansky decided to save sance of Jewish literature in America. with the joy of Chanukah. There will also be an I the world’s Yiddish books. Today, the organization Lansky founded, olive oil press, demonstrating the significance of Driving dented, old trucks and wearing the National Yiddish Book Center, located in olive oil in the Chanukah miracle. A Chanukah sweatshirts and faded jeans, Lansky and his Amherst, Massachusetts, has 35,000 members, giftshop will offer Chanukah items and gifts, colleagues traveled the country as they began making it one of the largest Jewish cultural from menorahs to Jewish “silly bands.” rescuing unwanted and abandoned Yiddish organizations in the United States. Thanks Chanukah Wonderland is open as a field trip books. They were not the most impressive to efforts by the center to digitize these texts, destination for schools, synagogue groups, and group. Yet whether out of hope or despera- Yiddish, once in danger of extinction, is the homeschoolers. Admission is $3. For more in- tion, people trusted the young students with most accessible literature on Earth. formation on group programs, contact Shternie their “yerushe,” their inheritance, their books Lansky will bring his remarkable story to at 995-327 or www.jewmich.com. and stories. Eastern Michigan University on Tuesday, De- “It was a huge and sometimes overwhelm- cember 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Center ing responsibility,” Lansky writes now. “How Auditorium. His talk, entitled “Gevalt!: The could we take care of so many books, remember Last-Minute Rescue of Modern Jewish Cul- so many stories, preserve so much history?” ture,” is free and open to the public. Yet he succeeded. Lansky and his col- Lansky will discuss the story detailed in leagues collected more than one and a half his 2004 book, entitled Outwitting History. million volumes—many, he recalls, at the The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Res- last minute from attics, basements, demoli- cued a Million Yiddish Books. tion sites and dumpsters. The effort has been from the WJN described as “the greatest cultural rescue Aaron Lansky continued on page 2 I Letter/Community 2935 Birch Hollow Drive Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108 Agreement with Brysk’s November op ed voice: 734/971-1800 I fully concur with all particulars—international, national and especially local—cited in fax: 734/971-1801 Henry Brysk’s recent Washtenaw Jewish News op ed on contemporary anti-Semitism e-mail: [email protected] [November 2010] which, as he notes, should be at least as concerning as the “islamo- www.washtenawjewishnews.org phobia” worries expressed in the “J.Street students” editorial [WJN, October 2010] Brysk tellingly dissects. I would add that a random perusal of WJN’s counterpart in Dearborn, The Arab Amer- Editor and Publisher ican News, would reveal regular contributions by Ann Arbors synagogue harassers (and Susan Kravitz Ayer worse) that hardly mirror the ecumenical sentiments expressed in the “kumbaya-esque” Islamophobia piece Brysk rightly takes to task. Calendar Editor Likewise, anti-Israel activist George Garcia—the leader of a rehearsed flamboyant walk- Claire Sandler out on a University of Michigan campus event hosted by a pro-Israel student group—was re- cently given a forum at the local Unitarian church. Henry Herskovitz (on a recent annarbor. Advertising Manager Gordon White com thread by the self-congratulatory Garcia) notes that this event made the several Jews in the audience ( i.e. mostly him and his synagogue stalking cronies!) feel “welcome.” Design and Layout Big surprise. And another sad local reminder ( if such was needed) that Brysk was right on target. Dennis Platte Stephen Pastner Staff Writer Sandor Slomovits Chanukah Latke Hop, family celebration at the JCC Contributing Writers Halye Aisner, special to the WJN Halye Aisner, Jennifer Arapoff, Lisa Bernstein, Jennifer Cohen, Rabbi Lisa Delson, Rabbi Robert Dobrusin, The Latke Hop, a family Chanukah celebration, will take place at the Julie Ellis, Sue Fishkoff, Eileen Freed, Michele Freed, Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor on Saturday, De- Julie Gales, Devorah Goldstein, Rabbi Aharon cember 4, 5:30–9 p.m. The new feature film from the Shalom Sesame Goldstein, Ruth Ellen Gruber, Uriel Heilman, Heather series, Chanukah: The Missing Menorah, will be shown. In the film, Higdon, Deborah Hirsch, Peretz Hirshbein, Heather Grover is bringing the latkes and all is well until Anneliese gets caught Hoberman, Deborah Huerta, Ron Kampeas, Clare Kinberg, Dina Kraft, Avram Kruger, Geoff Larcom, in a game of tag with a chicken and loses her special menorah. Can Joan Levitt, Mark Mietkiewicz, Linda Morel, Marcy they find the missing menorah in time to celebrate Chanukah? Oster, Stephen Pastner, Merrill Poliner, Dina Shtull, Candle lighting, dinner, and music are part of the Chanukah Elliot Sorkin, Leslie Susser celebration. Tickets for JCC members are $12 for adults and $5 for children ages 2 and up. Tickets for non-members are $14 for The Washtenaw Jewish News is published adults and $6 for children ages 2 and up. For more information monthly, with the exception of January and July. It is registered as a Non-profit Michigan or to RSVP, contact the JCC at 971-0990. Corporation. Opinions expressed in this pub- lication do not necessarily reflect those of its Rosh Chodesh services at the JCC editors or staff Make your next mailer, Lisa P. Bernstein, special to the WJN Member of brochure, invitation or Everyone is invited to community egalitarian services for Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the Jew- American Jewish Press Association any design project a ish month, on January 6, at 9:30 a.m., at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor.