April 22-28, 2016 Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton Volume XLV, Number 17 BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK Day trip to the Brooklyn Museum and Botanic Garden to see exhibit of Israel photographs By Razi Lissy is required in full by Tuesday, May 3, and exhibit features more than 600 photographs, also asks that we look beyond this – that The Jewish Federation and Jewish is non-refundable. The cost covers the bus taken by 12 photographers. The project was we widen and multiply our lens.” Family Service, together with the Jewish fee, a guided tour of a museum exhibit and initiated by photographer Frédéric Brenner. For more information on the exhibit, visit Community Center’s adult program depart- a tour of the botanic garden. Lunch at the (See related “Mailbox Short” on page 10.) www.this-place.org and www.brooklynmu- ment, are planning a day trip to the Brooklyn museum will be included, as well. Charlotte Cotton, project curator, wrote seum.org/exhibitions/this_place. Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Botanic To make a reservation, call JCC’s main on www.this-place.org, “Brenner was The group for the day trip will also at- Garden. The trip is planned for Thursday, office at 724-2417. driven by a desire to facilitate a visual tend a guided tour of the adjacent botanic May 19. Bus departure from the JCC will Anyone interested, but in need of assis- counter-argument to the prevailing, often garden, including seasonal highlights such be at 7 am. The bus is scheduled to return tance due to physical limitations, must be polarized, representations of Israel and as ornamental cherries, the lilac collection, to the JCC by 8 pm. accompanied during the trip. the West Bank in both national and inter- a display of tulips and other bulbs, and later The cost to attend the day trip will be The museum exhibit, “This Place,” national news media. Whilst on the one spring blooms such as peonies, wisteria, crab approximately $125. A minimum participa- explores the complexity of Israel and the hand acknowledging and paying heed to apples and Spanish bluebells. The botanic tion of 35 people will be required. Payment West Bank “as place and metaphor.” The the region’s ongoing conflicts, ‘This Place’ garden tour runs for about an hour and a half. JLI explores lessons in character from biblical stories of kings, judges and prophets JLI has announced an all new course to Mondays, beginning on May 16, at 7 pm, fills an important gap in the participants’ for life, of struggle and triumph, courage and be held this spring, “Strength and Struggle: and on six Wednesdays, beginning on May knowledge of biblical history, and provides humility, hope and resilience,” explained Lessons in Character from the Stories 19, at 9:30 am. fascinating wisdom from the Talmud and Slonim. “If you ever wanted to meet King of Our Prophets.” In Binghamton, JLI “‘Strength and Struggle’ is a journey in 3,000 years of Jewish literature to help David in person, this is about as close as courses are taught by Rivkah Slonim at which we gain insight into our own struggles us deal with life’s struggles on the road you’ll come.” the Chabad Center, 420 Murray Hill Rd., by examining the lives of inspiring biblical to becoming better people. How do we Dr. Simchah Leibowitz, the represen- Vestal. The course will be offered on six heroes and antiheroes,” said Slonim. “It beat burnout, gain perspective when our tative of the World Zionist Federation to judgment is clouded and make progress North America and an expert on leadership on the goals most important to us? These and biblical studies, commented about the Spotlight are among the questions we will consider course, “Even great leaders, judges and in this course.” kings experience challenging circumstances “Strength and Struggle” spans six eras and moments of weakness from which we Jenni Bank to perform in in biblical history to acquaint partici- must learn to emerge even stronger. I am pants with “the nuances of the Israelites’ certain that participants in this program will formative stages as a nation,” and will find this original and fascinating approach “Sweeney Todd” at Tri-Cities Opera offer details into many of its characters, to biblical study meaningful and relevant By Rabbi Rachel Esserman including David, Saul, Ruth, Jephthah, to their lives and to the daily challenges Hometown advantage? That’s true for Elijah, Elishah and Jonah. they face.” singers as well as sports teams. Former “The course is filled with eternal lessons See “JLI” on page 5 Binghamtonian Jenni Bank, the daughter of Dr. Les and Barbara Bank, is happy to be appearing as Mrs. Lovett in the Tri-Cities Opera production of “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, the week- end of April 29. “I’m really excited to be back in Bing- hamton to sing,” Jenni said in an e-mail Arthur Szyk made interview. “I’ve seen so many TCO pro- a statement against ductions over the years, so it’s great to be the Nazis in the working with the company. Also, it’s always 1930s with his nice when I can perform for people who Sweeney Todd (Philip Cutlip) and Mrs. illustrated Passover have watched me grow up and encouraged Lovett (Jenni Bank) pondered the tools of haggadah. The me along the way – plus my parents don’t his vengeance. (Photo by Randy Cummings image at right shows have to travel to see this show!” and www.BunnHillPhoto.com) an older bearded Jenni doesn’t mind taking a role in what man listening as a was originally a Broadway show, not an a show. Mrs. Lovett likes to chat!” young boy reads opera. “I actually perform ‘crossover’ pieces Jenni noted that she tries to put a human the traditional Four quite regularly so, happily, I am comfortable face on Mrs. Lovett so the performance Questions of the singing in genres other than traditional opera doesn’t become a caricature. “With any Passover seder. In and I really love that that is a big part of ‘character role,’ it’s important to find mo- the top right corner my career,” she said. “Sondheim is such a ments of truth where the audience can em- is a red snake, genius and he has chosen every word and pathize with the character,” she said. “While understood to be rhyme so carefully so, when singing his Mrs. Lovett’s personality may be silly and Nazism – coiled as if music, the delivery of the text has to be sometimes funny, she is still a human being ready to strike.(Photo priority number one.” who has lived a difficult life and has her own from Arthur Szyk There is one thing, though, that distinguish- set of desires and her own motivations for via the Arthur Szyk es this from other roles she’s played. “The most everything she does in the show.” Society/Wikimedia difficult part of the role is just that there is a She finds parts of the show good fun, Commons) huge amount of text,” she added. “I haven’t particularly the song “A Little Priest.” “It counted, but I’m pretty confident that this is is so great – Sondheim at his best,” Jenni the most words I’ve ever had to memorize for See “Bank” on page 5 INSIDE THIS ISSUE More than just books Passover Israeli tech Special Sections The new National Library of Israel How Coke prompted other A look at five Israeli companies Legal Notices ................................... 4 is intended to create community companies to go kosher for making the world more accessible Book Review .................................... 4 and embrace technology Passover; robotic locusts; more. to people with disabilities. Health Care Greetings ............ 7, 9-12 ........................................Page 8 ....................... Pages 9, 11 and 14 ...................................... Page 12 Classifieds ..................................... 16 Page 2 - The Reporter April 22-28, 2016 Opinion Can a united community still work miracles? Ask the Yemenite Jews By Steven B. Nasatir from Israeli intelligence and the U.S. State Department. Jewish values or having no Jewish values whatsoever. (JTA – Passover is a time for family, for tradition and Our liturgy says of the Exodus, which we celebrate at These reactions, which both reflect and fuel the divisions for festive celebration. It’s also a time to fix a paradox. Passover, that God rescued the Jewish people “with a strong among us, can’t be healthy for a minority that represents When we read the haggadah, we reflect on our past hand and an outstretched arm” When it comes to rescuing just 2.2 percent of the U.S. population. This divisiveness is travails and miraculous redemption as a Jewish people. Jews from jihadist terror and Muslim sectarian war in Ye- making Jewish communal life more stressful and threatens But if we look only at the past, we risk overlooking the men, from discrimination in Ethiopia or from a gathering to paralyze our ability to act collectively, our most potent incredible ways in which the cycle of Jewish history con- storm of anti-Jewish violence in Europe, we know it is our mode of action. tinues today. Only at our peril can we ignore the continuing duty to lend our own strong hands and outstretched arms. If there is one lesson we need to learn from the recent Jewish story of persecution, redemption and extraordinary Thank God we have the strength, unity and Jewish Yemeni rescue, it’s the need to preserve that most at-risk achievement, or fail to recognize the role each and every independence needed to take our fate into our own hands Jewish value and asset: communal unity.