Look: Inside: Don’t Miss: ! Passover Springtime in Purim Punims ach Happy Pes Events Israel Pages Page 11 Page 7 41, 42, 43 The Award Winning A publication of the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo THE EWISH JOURNAL J OF WNY Buffalo, Israel & the Jewish World April 2015 | Nisan-Iyar 5775 Yom Hashoah 70 Years Since Liberation April 19 - Pages 4-5 Yom Ha’atzmaut Israel’s 67th Birthday April 26 - Page 6 Enjoying Life Over 50 In Western New York EXPO | SPRING 2015 n Experts in services A FREE EVENT & resources geared specifically to THURSDAY, those enjoying life APRIL 30th over 50 in WNY 9AM-1:30PM n Free health screenings n Free parking n Giveaways every hour n Live music n Door prizes @ MICHAEL’S BANQUET n Hot Off the Press FACILITY food truck 4885 Southwestern Blvd, n And more! Hamburg, NY FOR QUESTIONS No Registration Necessary CALL 972-2244 Read the next issue of Forever Sponsored by Young for more details! What’s Inside... THE EWISH JOURNAL J OF WNY Published by The Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo April 2015 2640 North Forest Road Getzville, NY 14068 Inmates waving a homemade American 716-204-2241 April has blown into Western New Flag greet U.S. Seventh Army Troops upon www.jfedbflo.com York, and what a festive April it will be this their arrival at the Allach concentration year! Passover starts the month off – the camp. Photo by Arland B. Musser. Photo first Seder is April 3--as we try to imagine reprinted by permission- Photo Credit United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ourselves as slaves in Egypt—“Mitzrayim”— courtesy of National Archives and Records Interim Executive Director ........................................... Lewis Stolzenberg or some kind of Egypt or oppression or President ...................................................................Howard Rosenhoch Administration, College Park. Editor, Marketing and Community Relations Director ..Ellen S. Goldstein discomfort or trial. And during Passover, Advisory Board we symbolically travel from slavery into Susan Adelman Elizabeth Kahn Kenneth Rogers freedom. I try to time travel --in my mind-- Jonathan Epstein Rabbi Gary Pokras Peter Simon back to Egypt, to Europe in the 1930’s, to Richard Hirsch Eric Reich Michael Weisman Spain in the 16th century at least to think Editor’s Note Editor’s how I would live my life, had I been in those On The Cover places in those dark times. The Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo Is a proud member of the Jewish Federations of North America Next, Yom Hashoah commemoration and the American Jewish Press Association brings us again back to slavery as we Produced by remember the Kedushim who perished, and 3 Message from the we relate that specific, Jew-hating genocide President: Howard Rosenhoch to today’s world. This year marks the 70th 4 Yom Hashoah 5775 Senior Vice President/Creative Director ............................................Chastity O'Shei anniversary of the liberation of the camps, 5 The Remuh Cemetery [email protected] and we will be commemorating the Shoah as Vice President/Production ...................................................................Jennifer Tudor by D.A. Gerber [email protected] a community Sunday, April 19 at 10:30pm 6 Israel’s 67th Birthday Lead Designer ......................................................................Catherine Sollenberger at Congregation Shir Shalom. Everyone is [email protected] welcome to attend. Celebration Senior Graphic Designers .................................................................. Josh Flanigan, Then following that event, freedom arises 7 Springtime in Israel Andrea Rowley, Jean-Pierre Thimot Traffic Coordinator ............................................................. Adam Van Schoonhoven in the guise of Yom Ha’atzmaut as we by Rick Zakalik Associate Publisher/Senior Vice President/Advertising ................ Barbara E. Macks celebrate Israel’s 67th birthday with a joyous 8 Buffalo @ AIPAC [email protected] event on April 26 at the JCC/ Benderson Assistant Sales & Marketing Manager ............................................Marianne Potratz 9 Israel Through the Eyes of [email protected] Family Building. Students by Dan Metchnik Senior Account Executive ...................................................... Cynthia Oppenheimer, Speaking of joy, don’t miss the photos 10 Essen ‘n Fressen: Julie Ann Nagel, Robin Kurss on page 16 of the wedding of Lital Liberty [email protected], Robin Kurss & Jessica Altman [email protected] and Dan Metchnik! It was such a thrilling [email protected] occasion, and we are so proud of them and 11 Passover Seders Around Proofreaders ..........................................................Rhonda Wise, Sharon C. Levite the work on behalf of Israel that they have Town Amy Goldstein done in our community. Wishing you a 12 Rabbi’s Column: Members of liberating month filled with friends, family Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein and yiddishkeit! 13 5 Things you can do to Submissions: Submit editorial stories, photos, and calendar items by the 1st of repair the world in April the preceding month of issue to [email protected]. 14-15 Nickel City Jews To Advertise: 16 Dan & Lital Get Married! To advertise, call Cynthia Oppenheimer at 716-783-9119 x2240. The Future of Aging in Ad space & materials are due by the 10th of each month prior to 17 publication. For a rate card and any additional information, please Jewish Buffalo- Part 3 - email Cynthia Oppenheimer coppenheimer@jewishjournalwny. by David Dunkelman com or Barbara Macks [email protected]. 18-19 Agencies & To Subscribe: To subscribe, visit www.jfedbflo.com and click on “JJWNY Photo Credit: Linda Gellman Synagogues subscription”. Free for Western New York area residents and 20-24 Synagogue donors to the UJF Campaign. Non-resident subscription is $36 Happenings for 12 issues, payable to The Jewish Journal of WNY. 26-27 Happy Passover! The Jewish Journal of WNY (JJWNY) reserves the right to cancel any advertisement at any time. The Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo and Buffalo 28-39 Agency Events Spree Publishing, Inc. are not liable for the content or errors appearing in the Ellen Goldstein - Editor advertisements beyond the cost of the space occupied. The JJWNY does not 29 April Calendar assume responsibility for the kashrut of any product or service advertised in this paper. Signed editorials do not represent the view of the newspaper or the Jewish 40 Homegrown Buffalo Federation of Greater Buffalo, but rather express the view of the writer. Business All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968, which makes it “illegal to advertise “based on race, color, religion, 41-43 Jews in the News sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly 44 Not The Last Word – accept any advertising for real estate that is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available Departments Avrom Sterman on an equal opportunity basis. 2 www.jfedbflo.com | April 2015 Mark Poloncarz as we observe Yom HaShoah in Mayor Brown’s office on Thursday, President’s Column April 16 to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. We are grateful for the participation and support of our local government leaders in this important event. And Howard Rosenhoch please make sure to join us at Congregation Shir Shalom Sunday morning April 19 for As we say goodbye to this long winter the annual community Yom HaShoah observance. and usher in Spring, April is a time of This year, HRC is also collaborating with the Robert H. Jackson Center and the hope and renewal. This year on the Jewish Bar Association of Erie County on a conference, “Professional Ethics in a Democracy: calendar, April gives us Passover, Yom Lessons from the Holocaust,” being held April 17 at the US Courthouse in Buffalo. HaShoah and Yom Ha’Atzmaut, with The conference will feature St. John’s University Law Professor John Q. Barrett, opportunities for observance, reflection, who will critically examine the decisions German jurists made that corrupted the commemoration and celebration. administration of justice in prewar Nazi Germany and led to the Holocaust. The Even as we shared the beauty and conference will also emphasize the importance of legal ethics, human rights, and the drama of the Passover story last month significance that individual decisions have in preventing genocide. Many of us will with our non-Jewish friends at the remember Professor Barrett’s keynote speech during our community Yom HaShoah Community Interfaith Seder, we all get commemoration a number of years ago celebrating Justice Jackson’s work as chief to relive that story with our own families prosecutor at the Nuremburg war crimes trials. As a practicing attorney, I am grateful and friends as Passover starts on Erev to Richard and Roberta Handel, HRC Co-President Peter Weinrieb’s law firm and Shabbat, Friday, April 3. However you Phillips Lytle, LLP, for their generous co-sponsorship of this important conference. choose to observe or celebrate, may it be a time of family togetherness and pride in our We will close out the month with our Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration of Israel Jewish community - and a wish for “Next year in Jerusalem” Independence Day, which marks the 67th anniversary of the founding of the modern On Yom HaShoah, we commemorate the memory of the Six Million Jews who died State of Israel. Our community celebration will take place on Sunday, April 26 at at the hands of the Nazi regime during World War II, and reflect on the evil that was the JCC Benderson Building and Weinberg Campus. Many of you will remember allowed to spawn such hateful philosophies and actions. We resolve that Never Again the exciting Israeli exhibits and activities available at the JCC during last year’s event, will we remain silent in the face of genocide. as well as the moving Torch Ceremony held at the Weinberg Campus to observe The Holocaust Resource Center of Buffalo, a Jewish Federation supported agency, is Yom Hazikaron and commemorate fallen Israeli soldiers.