March 3-9, 2017 Published by the Jewish Federation of Greater Binghamton Volume XLVI, Number 9 BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK Community to celebrate Purim on March 12 JCC to hold community Communitywide celebration Purim Carnival of Purim in Ithaca By Lynette Errante have created surprise themed costumes Many of the Jewish organizations and read every year, along with many The Jewish Community Center Youth each year for the event. Harry Cohen, in Ithaca will celebrate Purim together other activities. Department will host its annual Purim Kids Connection lead teacher, said, “This this year with the entire community. The Organizers of the event include Con- Carnival on Sunday, March 12, in the au- year’s costumes will be extra colorful and carnival will be held on Sunday, March gregation Tikkun v’Or, the Ithaca Area ditorium of the JCC, 500 Clubhouse Rd., we’ll be ready to dance, dance, dance!” 12, from 2:30-5:30 pm, at the Space at United Jewish Community and Temple Vestal. The event will be held at a new Activities at the event will include carni- GreenStar, 700 W. Buffalo St., Ithaca. Beth-El. Entertainment will include belly time this year, from 1-3 pm. The family val games, a bounce house, inflatable slides, The community has been invited to learn dancing, a magician, a balloon artist and friendly event will be open to the entire baseball, arts and crafts, a special toddler about the holiday and enjoy its traditions, live music by the Cornell Middle Eastern community. Admission will cost $5 per area, face painting and more. All games earn including dressing in costume, playing Music Ensemble. The megillah (the story child and $1 per adult. children points that can be traded in at the carnival games and having holiday foods. of Esther) will be read in Hebrew several The festival of Purim commemorates the prize table. Snacks and drinks, including the Admission to the festival will cost $5 per times during the event by Rabbi Josh salvation of the Jewish people from the evil traditional Purim foods, will be available person and $10 per family. Krisch of Ithaca College Chabad. There Haman. On Purim, children dress up and cel- for purchase. Purim has been called one of the “most will be a bounce house for the children, ebrate by giving gifts and tzedakah (charity). Any teenagers or adults in grades six joyous and fun” holidays on the Jewish as well as a quiet area with storybooks Everyone, young and old, has been and up that are interested volunteering at calendar. It commemorates a time when from the PJ Library program. encouraged to come dressed as their fa- the event can contact Lynette Errante, youth the Jewish people living in ancient Persia A traditional part of Purim is helping vorite Purim character or in any costume coordinator, at LynetteE@binghamtonjcc. were saved from extermination by Queen people in need. To this end, all proceeds of one’s choice. Kids Connection staff org or at 724-2417, ext. 421. Esther. The story is recorded in the Bible from admissions will go to support the work of Ithaca’s Friendship Donation Network and its Women’s Opportunity Chabad Center to hold Purim Feast Center, as well as the American Jewish Reservations are now being accepted The program will include dinner catered children aged 2 and younger admitted for World Service. The Friendship Donation for the annual Chabad Purim Feast to be by Dougie’s BBQ and Grill, of Teaneck, free. Participants have been urged to attend Network will supervise a food project, held on Purim, Sunday, March 12, at 6 NJ. Vegetarian and children’s options will in costume and will automatically be entered where attendees can write personal pm, at the Chabad Center, 420 Murray Hill be available. The event will also feature into a raffle. A parade of children in costume greetings and decorate bags of grocer- Rd., Vestal. Dinner will be preceded by l’chayims, desserts, music and dancing. will be held. ies, which will be distributed during a “last chance” megillah reading at 5 pm The cost for the program will be $15 per To make a reservation, call the Chabad the week. for those who did not hear the megillah person; $12 for students and seniors 65 and Center office at 797-0015 or visit www. For further information, contact director@ read earlier. older; and $6 for children under 12, with Jewishbu.com/PurimFeast. tbeithaca.org. TI/TC adult ed. group program on Jewish camping The Temple Israel/Temple Concord website, “[Bock] brings solid Jewish Theological Seminary in In 2013, Bock was awarded the Pome- Adult Education Group will present the next experience in outdoor camping 2009, Bock seeks to help youth granate Prize by the Covenant Foundation, in its series of brunch programs on Sunday, and leadership to Ramah in the “connect to their Jewish souls” which is given annually to five Jewish March 5, at 10 am, at Temple Israel. Speak- Rockies.” A native of the Boston through nature and the outdoors. professionals it believes are “making a ing on the Jewish camping experience will area and a former Boy Scout, Prior to rabbinical school, Bock significant impact” on the field of Jewish be Rabbi Eliav Bock, director of Ramah in Bock has spent 11 summers worked in finance in New York education. Bock was recently selected to be a the Rockies. working in other Ramah camps City. He holds a bachelor of arts part of the Schusterman Fellowship program The cost of the brunch will be $5 per in a variety of specialty areas, degree in Bible and a master of for Jewish professionals and leaders. Bock’s person. To make reservations, contact the including five years as an out- arts degree in Jewish education, wife, Dina Danon, an assistant professor of Temple Israel office at titammy@stny. door adventure leader in Camp as well as a bachelor of arts Judaic Studies at Binghamton University, twcbc.com or 723-7461. Ramah, Canada. degree in urban studies from and sons Matan and Yuval say they “love According to the Ramah in the Rockies Ordained as a rabbi by the Rabbi Eliav Bock Columbia University. coming to camp” with him each summer. Spotlight Telling a difficult story – his own By Rabbi Rachel Esserman 2015 National Jewish the best ingredients genre (some of which I admire), but the one Shulem Deen will discuss his National Book Award Myra for storytelling.” thing I wanted to avoid was the appearance Jewish Book Award-winning book “All H. Kraft Memorial His memoir is of either vilifying my former community Who Go Do Not Return” on Tuesday, Award for Contem- an account of his or romanticizing it. I wanted to tell this March 14, at 5:30 pm, in 165 McGraw porary Jewish Life life with the Skver- story as a personal experience, not as a Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca. The book and Practice. “My er Chasidim, his judgment of the haredi/Chasidic lifestyle or is a memoir about growing up in and then plain purpose was to reasons for leaving worldview. Of course, I have my opinions leaving the community of Skverer Chasidim tell a story,” he said in the group and the about those, and I’ve offered them in other in Rockland County’s New Square. The an e-mail interview. effect that had on his writings – oped pieces, etc. – but with this group is considered one of the most insular “Not because it was family. However, book I aspired to a purer storytelling goal.” Chasidic groups in the United States. The my story, but because unlike some works In fact, Deen tried as carefully as possible event is co-sponsored with Cornell Hillel. it was a story I knew about those leaving to write a dispassionate text so that readers For more information, visit jewishstudies. well, and believed it Shulem Deen (Photo Shulem Deen’s the ultra-Orthodox can make up their own minds about what cornell.edu. should be told, and I by Pearl Gabel) award-winning book world, Deen strives occurred. “It was... important to me to Shulem Deen considers himself first felt confident I could to be fair and clear leave ample space for the reader’s authentic and foremost a storyteller. What he hadn’t tell it well enough. It’s a story about a world about the world he left behind. “I took emotional response, whether it be sadness planned on was telling his own story first, most people are unfamiliar with, although considerable pains not to make this a po- or anger or fascination or anything else but that’s what occurred when he wrote “All the struggles within it are universal – family, lemical work,” he noted. “I’ll refrain from they might feel, without crowding it out Who Go Do Not Return,” the winner of the faith, finances, etc. – and those are, I believe, offering critiques of other works in this See “Story” on page 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Antisemitism taskforce BD Sisterhood talk News in brief... Special Sections A House of Representatives A Beth David Sisterhood talk on Egypt’s army destroys Gaza Legal Notices ................................... 4 bipartisan taskforce for combating estate planning will be open to tunnels; four named to Israel Book Review .................................... 4 antisemitism is being revived. men and women in the community. Supreme Court; and more. Dine Out .......................................... 5 ........................................Page 2 ........................................Page 3 ................................Pages 5, 7, 8 Classifieds ....................................... 8 Page 2 - The Reporter March 3-9, 2017 Bipartisan House taskforce on antisemitism to resume By JNS staff 100 headstones were toppled at the Mount Carmel Cemetery members said in a statement.