Iyar/Sivan/Tammuz 5772 May/June 2012 THE GREatER DES moinES Published as a CommunityJewish Service by the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines online atPress jewishdesmoines.org • volume 28 number 4 Engman Camp Shalom Music and Picnic Featured Begins June 18, at Federation’s Annual Register Now! Meeting, June 24 Please join us for a short meeting and then for some food and entertainment, 10:30 am, Sunday, June 24th at the Caspe Terrace. This will be the Jewish Federation’s 98th Annual Meeting, at which a slate of nominees will be presented for election to the Board. Following the meeting, stay and enjoy the music of Lior Livne, our talented Israeli shlicha, counselor at Engman Camp Shalom! We’ll be having a picnic, and Senior News there will be activities for the kids, organized by the Jewish - page 6 Federation Community School. What better way to spend Lior Livne to perform the beginning of a summer day? The names of nominees to the Board will be included in your invitation. For further information, contact Tammy at the Federation. Call 987-0899 ext. 230 or email [email protected] “The Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East,” with Walid Phares May 3 Dr. Walid Phares, an “The Struggle for Freedom in the advisor to the Anti- Middle East.” The topic is based on Terrorism Caucus his book of the same name, published The first week of camp for ECS will in the US House of in December of 2010, in which he start Monday, June 18. Our last day of Representatives and predicted the uprisings in the region camp is Friday, August 10. Registration Phonathon instructor of Global before they occurred. is happening now! Don’t miss out on All-Stars Strategies at the The program is free and open to a summer to remember! For more National Defense the public. It is sponsored by the JFed information, or to register, please visit us - page 8 University will speak at 7:00 pm, Forum of the Jewish Federation’s JCRC on the web at www.jewishdesmoines.org/ Thursday, May 3 at Drake University’s and by Drake Hillel. For additional our-work/ecs or call Lyanna at 515-987- Sheslow Auditorium on the topic, information, contact [email protected] 0899 ext. 232. For more information, turn to page 5. Shavuot Begins The Evening Join Us At of May 26 The Federation Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, began as a festival celebrating the harvest of barley, but it also commemorates the revelation at Sinai and the giving of the Torah. While Shavuot Community has few rituals associated with it, many Jews stay up all night studying Torah. Other customs include eating dairy foods and reading the Book of Ruth. Picnic, May 20 The period from Passover to Shavuot is a time of great anticipation. We count each Celebrate the last day of JFCS classes at of the days from the second day of Passover to the day before Shavuot, 49 days or 7 full the Federation Picnic beginning at 11:30 Chef Du Jour weeks, hence the name of the festival. Shavuot is also sometimes known as Pentecost, am, music by the Java Jews, hotdog lunch Robbie Winick because it falls on the 50th day. The counting reminds us of the important connection and activities for the whole family, in between Passover and Shavuot: Passover freed us physically from bondage, but the the Alex Richards Pavilion at the Caspe - page 11 giving of the Torah on Shavuot redeemed us spiritually from our bondage to idolatry Terrace; Cost: Adults $8, Kids $4. RSVP and immorality. by May, 16, call Tammy at 515-987-0899. Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines Non-Profit 33158 Ute Avenue Organization U.S. Postage [inside] Waukee, IA 50263-7538 PAID Des Moines, IA Address Service Requested Permit No. 2506 3 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT 7 TORAH TALK BY DAVID FRIEDGOOD 10 THE PESKY DINER - JARAD BERNSTEIN 11 CHEF DU JOUR BY KAREN ENGMAN 14 THE IOWA JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines hat do you hold close to your heart? Special Wmoments in time create lifetime memories. You can honor one of life’s simchas or remember a loved one through the Tribute Program offered by the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines and the Des Moines Jewish Founda- tion. Simply fill out the attached form and send it to the Federation. An acknowledgement card in your name will be sent. You designate how the gift will be used by the Jewish Federation or you can contribute to an existing fund man- aged by the Des Moines Jewish Foun- dation. Let someone know that you are thinking of them while supporting what’s close to your heart. education Our youth is our future. It is our responsibility to provide opportunities for them to develop into responsible Jewish adults. Many educational opportunities are available through the Federa- tion and Foundation. Consider designating your gift to: Engman Camp Shalom, Hebrew Tutoring Scholarships, Community School book fees, the Student Scholarship for Trips to Israel or the Jewish Learning Institute. senior care Our seniors are the threads that weave the tapestry of our his- tory and rich traditions. You can earmark your gift to offer social activities or help ease the burden of many of the challenges our seniors face: Social Outings (movies, plays, community events), Transportation to Doctor or Pharmacy, Groceries for a Week, In- home Safety Modifications, Adult Programming or the Iowa Jewish Senior Life Center.* community Our community’s boundaries extend to faraway places such as Israel, Darfur and Russia. You can provide needed funds locally and abroad for programs such as: The Project Elijah Foundation’s* Kosher Manna Program for feeding disadvantaged Jewish people worldwide, Partnership with Israel, Iowa Jewish Historical Society, The Caspe Terrace Tree Fund, Des Moines Jewish Foundation’s various funds (please call 987-0899 x231 for more information), General Community Tzedakah Fund, Mischkiet and Aliber Holo- program caust Education Funds or Community Interfaith Relations. tribute *Independent organizations Please accept my TRIBUTE PROGRAM gift in the amount of: ❏ $18 (minimum gift) ❏ $36 ❏ $72 ❏ other ________________ ❏ In memory of _______________________________________________ ❏ In honor of _________________________________________________ on the occasion of __________________________________________ ❏ General fund, or please name the specific Federation or Foundation fund to which to earmark your gift: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Please send acknowledgement card to: Name _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Address _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ My name _____________________________________ Phone _________________________ E-mail address ______________________________ My address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ❏ Please find my enclosed check; or please charge to my credit card: ❏ Visa ❏ Mastercard ❏ American Express Account number ______________________________________________________________ Expiration date _____________________________ Mail to: Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines, 33158 Ute Avenue, Waukee, Iowa 50263 2 The Greater Des Moines Jewish Press may/june 12 Message from the President the greater des moines They Are OUR Children, TOO! Sderot: a western Negev city in the Southern District of Israel; total population of Jewish 20,000. Located less than a mile from Gaza (the closest point is one-half mile). The Children of Sderot: 15 seconds to get to shelter, as often as five times daily, to avoid being hit by the thousands of Qassam rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, nearly Press every day for 10 years. Bomb shelters: stocked with stuffed animals, pajamas, snacks. Dead: thirteen Israelis; Wounded: dozens; Damage: millions of dollars. Published 6 times annually by Daily life: Madness. The frequent air-raid sirens and explosions of incoming the Jewish Federation of Greater projectiles have caused severe trauma and disruption of any form of normal living. Des Moines under the auspices Barb Hirsch-Giller During the past seven days prior to the writing of this article, 147 bombs have fallen on of the Jewish Community President Israel, 8,000 since 2005, putting one million civilians within missile range. A task as Relations Committee simple as a drive to the grocery store is complicated by the ever-present need to keep car JEWISH PRESS CHAIR windows open, rain or shine, to listen for approaching missiles. Heidi Moskowitz So WHY do we care? Why SHOULD we care about everything that happens in Israel? For those of us who were weaned on the stories of Holocaust horror, this EditoRial BoaRD question has been answered. But for our children, who have not known the insult of Debbie Gitchell overt anti-Semitism and exclusion, the question is of utmost importance and the answer Harlan Hockenberg is NOT the same. So let’s consider an answer that IS contemporary and relevant to all Sheldon Rabinowitz of us, young and old, liberal or conservative, Republican, Democrat or other, Jewish or non-Jewish. Whatever. Mark S. Finkelstein, Editor As we consider Israel’s Independence Day, let’s take note of the fact that Israel is a Thomas Wolff, Art/Marketing Director bright and shining oasis of democracy in a neighborhood where many are openly hostile •••••••••••• toward Jews, the Western world and our way of living, worshiping and thinking. Let’s JEWISH FEDERATION take note of the