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XLII NO. 23 PUBLISHED BI-WEEKLY WWW.JEWISHLEADERWEBPAPER.COM DECEMBER 16, 2016/9 KISLEV 5777 NEXT DEADLINE DEC. 23, 2016 16 PAGES HOW TO REACH US - BY PHONE 860-442-8062 • BY FAX 860-443-4175 • BY EMAIL [email protected] • BY MAIL: 28 CHANNING STREET, NEW LONDON, CT 06320 Praying at Western Wall at stake By JTA Staff include “a ceremony in the Women’s A bill to prevent non-Orthodox pub- section that includes taking out the To- lic prayer at the Western Wall was sub- rah scroll and reading from it, blowing mitted to the Knesset. on shofars, and wearing prayer shawls Under the measure submitted Sun- or phylacteries.” day, the site would be placed under the Passage of the bill would torpedo the jurisdiction of the Chief Rabbinate and agreement in January for an egalitar- be governed by the religious practice ian prayer section at the Western Wall approved by the Chief Rabbinate and negotiated by the Reform and Conser- Israel’s rabbinic courts, which in prac- vative movements, the Women of the tice is Orthodox. Wall organization, the Jewish Agency A fine of some $2,500 or a six-month for Israel and the Israeli government. prison sentence would be levied on par- Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sha- ticipants in egalitarian prayer services ransky, who led the negotiations on the May you be blessed with good or on women who use a tallit or tefillin. egalitarian measure along with outgo- Lawmakers from the Sephardic Or- ing Cabinet secretary Avichai Mandel- health, joy & peace. thodox Shas party and the Haredi Or- blit, slammed the new proposal. thodox United Torah Judaism party are “This bill makes a mockery of all the And all the best things in life. backing the bill, along with three mem- efforts made by recent governments bers of the right-wing Jewish Home to ensure that the Western Wall is a party and two from the ruling Likud place that unites, rather than divides, Happy Hanukkah! party. the Jewish people,” Sharansky said in The bill would prohibit any ceremo- a statement. “This bill’s passage would ny “that is not held according to local have grave consequences for the rela- custom, that offends the feelings of the tionship between Israel and Diaspora Kallah for the Inquisitive worshipers in the Holy place.” It also Jewry. Based on the Prime Minis- would bar “an act that could disturb the ter’s strong personal commitment to worshippers with their prayer; mixed strengtheningWESTERN theWALL Israel-Diaspora CONT. ON PG re13- As year-end 2016 fast approaches dience on a topic of interest. prayers of men and women” in any area the Jewish Federation and area rabbis The fifteen minutes between the of the Western Wall plaza. That would are finalizing the courses for 2017’s two sessions is for a short break, Kallah for the Inquisitive which is set to come together to schmooze and to begin on Sunday, January 8. Formerly nosh before getting down to business known as the Institute for Adult Jewish again.on The January Community 29 the Forums Kallah takewill Studies this annual January program concludeplace during with the a festive first threemeal weeks underwent a name change in December and of 2015. during This year’s line-up of enrichment theRegistration second hour isto required celebrate whether the four courses range from Holocaust poetry inweeks advance of learning. or the day of on January to the Kabbalah tost understanding the 8. ProgramTalmud for Basics the 21 century to Hasidic Jewish Leader. stories. ACost registration for the four-week form will be session available is $20in the per December person 30 Here are some program basicsfour conthat- secutiveyou need Sundays to know inif Januaryinterested – 8,in 15,at- and includes the first 22,tending. and 29The Kallah meets forbeing host- hour enrichment course, Community ed by Temple Emanu-El, 29 Dayton Forums, and the concluding meal. If Rd. in Waterford. All sessions are you only want to attend the Commu- All sessions begin at 2:00 nity Forums, the registration fee is p.m. and run through because 4:15 of its p.m. central $5 Ifper you Community have any Forum questions, and can be location. The paid the day of the forum. Henny continues to make impact in Germany first part, from 2-3 pm, is a one hourAll [email protected] con- Henny Simon (front row, second from left, as part of her week-long visit to Hannover, enrichmentsessions are madecourse up of two parts. tact the FederationFederation at website 860-442-8062 Germany, to mark the 75th anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews from her city or . Also, spoke to refugee students from Somalia, Afghanistan, Syria, and Morocco about where participants check theJFEC.COM. for full WW II and how she survived. They are all studying in a school in Ahlem, a suburb choose one of theThe four second courses part, being from of- Coursecourse descriptions descriptions and registration of Hanover that was the site of a Jewish Landscaping School and was the departure 3:15-4:15fered and learn pm isabout the aCommunity specific subject Fo- formKabbalah: at taught by Rabbis Ken point as the Jews were sent from Hanover to Riga. The students receive special train- rumfor four weeks. Alter & Marc Ekstrand ing to enable them to achieve an official certification for a high school or vocational diploma. , where participants from the first KALLAH CONT. ON PG 13 hour enrichment course come together and listen to a speaker address the au- 2 THE JEWISH LEADER, DECEMBER 16, 2016 Where’s the money? Mention & Menschen By Edgar Asher, Ashernet NADINE LIPMAN - [email protected] ish residents who were living at the time in Gaza and gave the vacatedIn August land 2005,to the thePalestinians. Israeli government The order evacuated for implementing all the Jew the so called ‘disengagement plan’ had been signed by Prime Minis- Erica Weiner of New London was just ac- ter Ariel Sharon six months earlier. cepted into the Masa program in Israel. She Now, eleven years on, there are still over one hundred fami- will be teaching English in Migdal Ha’emek in lies who were forcibly moved from their homes and livelihoods - in Gaza who have yet to move into per- yond excited as you can imagine!! As she wrote manent accommodation. It had taken, in Israelon Facebook, for the 2017-18“For a while academic I knew year. this She is iswhat be many cases just days, for the land and its I wanted to do once I graduated from college infrastructure to be completely trashed by and I am thrilled that it is happening! A huge the Palestinians who took over the land shout-out to the coordinator for answering my vacated by the forced out Jews. A thriving million emails and for setting up my tour to the and productive community had been re- school on my most recent trip. It was amazing! Andalucia, then on to the Mediterranean, Nice, placed by radical, unproductive individu- A huge shout-out to my parents Barry and Cin- Cannes, Monte Carlo, Grasse, Posquieres, Cavail- als who had no intention of building on dy Weiner, also of New London, for supporting lon, of course Paris and Strasbourg, the King- the sound agricultural riches forcibly left my decision to follow my passion! Without you dom of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, with part to them by the departing Jewish settlers. A Gaza Disengagement Authority do this by myself. For your love and support he and his late wife Raquel moved to New Lon- (GDA) had been created, together with bothI truly behind can’t methank it would’ve you enough. been Toso difficultmy sister, to of the family having moved to IsraelAIM in Expo,1900... a MK Stav Shaffir millions of dollars, to assist the hundreds Andrea, thank you for supporting my dreams MENTION CONT. ON PG 13 even though you may think it’s crazy! To all of don in 1969, where they founded my friends but especially Samantha, Morghan, enterprises. Some familiesof families accepted to thefind compensation new homes in packag Israel- properes, while and others also tofound finance it almost the establishment impossible toof reestablishnew agricultural their - businesses in Israel. The GDA became part of the Ministry of Ag- andways Cori, FaceTime even though and texting!” I’ll be roughly 5,000 miles riculture. awayFrom and Jewniverse: a 7-hour time difference, there is al Mixed Martial Arts, the full-contact sport that MONEY CONT. ON PAGE 13 consists of people beating For thethe hellfirst out time of ever,each other, just held their World Championship in Candle Lighting for Eastern CT area - zar Tariku celebrated in a most unusual way: He Friday, Dec. 16 • 4:02pm Israel.put on Anda kippah to mark and his tzitzit, victory, and MMA danced fighter to a Eladis- Friday, Dec. 23 • 4:05 pm tinctive Mizrahi rendition of the Jewish prayer Shema Yisrael. Friday, Dec. 30 • 4:10 pm Thank you for the wonderful response to the Friday, Jan. 6 • 4:15 pm column I wrote about my maternal family, the Nassers. So many of you remember them, and those of you that didn’t still had nice things to say! I enjoyed your sharing your memories of my family, also. I had the opportunity to chat with Maurice Arfi of Waterford, who in addition to remem- National Award Winner of the Council of Jewish of Jewish Federations as the Outstanding bering my family, is also Sephardic, starting in Small Cities Jewish newspaper.