Local Cincinnati 5772 Year in Review Part 1

By Joshua Mizrachi
Assistant Editor

The year 5772 went by fast. A lot happened over the last year nationally and internationally. Sometimes we get lost in the daily shuffle of our own lives and forget about all the things that have happened over the year in our community. As we take our first steps into the new year, let us not forget the steps that got us here. The American Israelite wishes you a happy, healthy and fruitful New Year. Shana Tovah u’metukah!

September 29 — Cincinnati Chapter of Hadassah will hold its first Coffee Talk / Decaf Cafe of the season on Monday, Oct. 10, at 7:30 p.m. at the home of Marianne Mandel-Brown. Guest speaker Michael Bassin, the 25-year-old son of Hadassah member Gayna Bassin, will talk about his experiences in the Arab world and in the Israeli army. Tobe Snow is Coffee Talk Chair and Programming Vice President.

The kick-off event for the new Wolf Center for Arts and Ideas at the Mayerson JCC drew a capacity crowd of over 600 people on Thursday evening, Sept. 22. Joshua Foer, a U.S. Memory Champion and best-selling author, captivated the large audience with anecdotes and demonstrations, led a lively question and answer session, and signed copies of his book, “Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything.”

The entire community is invited to attend the Daniel Pearl World Music Day concert at the Mayerson JCC on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m. This special event at the JCC is free and will feature family-friendly musical performances by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s string quartet and woodwind quintet.

October 6 — Michael R. Oestreicher of Amberley Village will receive the Community Service Award of the American Jewish Committee Cincinnati Regional Office at an Initial Gifts Reception on Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mayerson Jewish Community Center.

Celebrate the release of the recently published memoir “Whisper Your Name into My Ear” by local author and Holocaust survivor, Marguerite Levy-Feibelman, on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The program features a conversation with the author, dramatic readings of selected excerpts, book signing, remarks by the honorary consul to France, Anne Cappel and refreshments.

Sue and Jerry Teller

October 13 — Jerry and Sue Teller of Amberley Village are raising money to further expand the rehab unit at Cedar Village Retirement Community, which will include an aquatic therapy center.

“Doing fundraising together just seems natural,” Jerry Teller said. “We each come up with different ideas and strategies. We’re able to calmly discuss and debate them, and the better idea wins. Each of us is a good solicitor and we feed upon one another.

This High Holy Day season, the new Mahzor (High Holy Day prayerbook) of the Conservative Movement, Lev Shalem, was used at Adath Israel Congregation for the first time.

“Mahzor Lev Shalem represents the best of our Conservative movement, reflecting our commitment to both tradition and change and our commitment to responding to the needs and religious interests of Conservative Jews,” noted Rabbi Irvin M. Wise, spiritual leader of the congregation.

Adath Israel Sisterhood is off to a fabulous start in the new year 5772. The year kicked off with an Intergenerational Tea at Gazebo Tea Garden in Kenwood. Over 70 mothers, daughters, granddaughters and grandmothers gathered on a beautiful, sunny Sunday.

October 20 — Sunday morning breakfast out — who doesn’t love that? You head to the pancake house, bakery, or bagel place, or maybe a brunch spot, and you order breakfast treats made by someone other than yourself, served with an endless pot of good coffee.

That’s not, however, the Sunday morning breakfast Craig Rozen has in mind for Sunday, Oct. 23. That’s when he, his family, and other volunteers he’s organizing from Rockdale Temple and beyond will serve homemade breakfast to about 130 residents of Ronald McDonald House, near Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Entering the fourth week of the school year, UC Hillel has already had innovative, fun and community building programs. The Hillel has undergone many new changes including a new look, new staff, and new Hillel students, and is looking forward to a busy and successful year.

At its 28th Annual Tribute Dinner on Sunday, Nov. 6, the Cincinnati Associates of Hebrew Union College will introduce newly appointed Dean Dr. Jonathan Cohen, who will outline fresh initiatives that will lead the College-Institute—which is celebrating 100 years on the Clifton campus — into a new era of scholarship, community partnerships and innovation.

October 27 — OXFORD, Ohio — Miami University has looked to guidance from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in order to deflect publicity from the Westboro Baptist Church’s (WBC) planned picketing here against homosexuals.

If you aren’t sure how or where your children will spend their days off school for Veteran’s Day and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, remember the J. Even though school is out, many parents may still have to work and need a plan how to keep the children entertained.

Northern Hills Synagogue-Congregation B’nai Avraham will begin its series of programs on Jews, civil rights and freedom on Sunday evening, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. Featuring Dr. Ethan Katz of the University of Cincinnati, the program, “Jews: Tolerant and Intolerant,” will consider both tolerance of Jews in the larger society, and tolerance by Jews of others.

November 3 — The congregation of Rockdale Temple invites the community to join in the temple’s fourth annual Mitzvah Palooza on Sunday, Nov. 13. Mitzvah Palooza is a day-long event featuring opportunities to learn about social action programs and participate in a variety of service projects at the temple or in the community.

Jewish Family Service was awarded a $25,000 grant from The Bahmann Foundation to support a hearing service program for Jewish Holocaust survivors in the Greater Cincinnati area. The grant will provide them with hearing tests, interpretive services, assistive listening devices, and other adaptive technologies.

On the eve of Simchat Torah, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 41 children of the Isaac M. Wise Temple were welcomed as consecrants into the study of Torah at the Plum Street Temple. This beautiful ceremony was a very exceptional and meaningful milestone in the lives of the children and their families.

Hundreds of Wise Temple congregants will once again experience the excitement, meaning and power of coming together to engage in “tikkun olam.” On Nov. 6, congregants will participate in the sixth annual Tikkun Olam-athon, a marathon day in which volunteers of all ages join together to make the world a better place, one mitzvah at a time.

November 10 — By the end of a Congregational Town Hall meeting on Sunday, Oct. 23, congregants were excited by the vision laid out by Ohav Shalom President Steve Segerman. This was a result of the work done by the synagogue’s Vision Committee, led by Segerman—a new model of collaboration with newly founded Congregation Ohr Chadash, led by Rabbi Pinchas Landis, which conducts services in the Goldsmith Chapel at Ohav Shalom.

Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham invites all families with pre-Bar and Bat Mitzvah age children to join in a Family Shabbat celebration on Friday evening, Nov. 18.

Jewish Women International (JWI) has named Kim Morris Heiman as one of this year’s “Women to Watch” — JWI’s prestigious national leadership award honoring exceptional Jewish women from across the United States. JWI strives to promote women’s leadership in ways that captivate and inspire the Jewish community by highlighting those who continue to impact so many disciplines: the arts, culture and community; business, politics and media; family, science and spirituality.

On Oct. 31, 2011, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, through the generous sponsorship of Ben and Dee Gettler, welcomed retired Israeli ambassador, Yoram Ettinger, to Cincinnati as part of the Gettler JCRC Breakfast Briefing Series. Ambassador Ettinger, an insider on U.S.-Israel relations, presented on Israel’s important role in the global economy and the increasing attention the small country is receiving as a leader in diverse technologies.

November 17 — The Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education (CHHE) announced a transformational gift from the Gary and Loretta Rabiner Family at its annual meeting on Sept. 15. The significant annual and ongoing commitment establishes the Mapping Our Tears: Tours for Tolerance program, providing students from economically disadvantaged schools with the opportunity to tour the exhibit.

On Sunday, Dec. 4, John Fox will be performing with his all-Jewish rock band, The 4 Hubcaps, at a benefit event for Cedar Village Retirement Community. For only the second time, the band will perform its Jewish repertoire—a show featuring songs made famous by Jewish singers, songwriters, managers and producers.

New York Times #1 best-selling author and illustrator Loren Long visited Rockwern Academy on Thursday, Nov. 10, to talk with students of all ages, from preschoolers to sixth graders, about story-telling, painting and the creative process.

Dr. Stanley Kaplan

November 24 — Dr. Stanley M. Kaplan died on Nov. 10 at Christ Hospital after a long illness. He was 89 years old. Kaplan will be deeply missed by his family, friends and all the lives he touched with his philanthropy.

Dr. Kaplan and his wife Mickey, who died in 2003, had a major hand in shaping many aspects of Cincinnati art life as well as the Jewish community.

On Nov. 6, 2011, the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati was presented with the prestigious Sapir Award for its 2010 Community Campaign. The Sapir Award is given each year by the Jewish Federations of North America to acknowledge and thank communities that have demonstrated outstanding achievement in their annual campaigns while also maintaining their overseas giving. The award is named for Israel’s third Minister of Finance, Pinhas Sapir.

The fastest growing population in the United States is aging adults who want to improve their quality of life. No one knows that better than Tsippy Gottlieb, Director of Senior Adult Services at the Mayerson JCC, who for the past decade has been dedicated to improving the lives of seniors. The Association for Professionals in Aging (APA) has recognized Gottlieb as a 2011 Outstanding Leader.

December 1 — With 400 guests gathered in the ballroom of the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Cincinnati on Nov. 6, the Cincinnati Associates of Hebrew Union College hosted the 28th Annual Tribute Dinner honoring Mike Michael, president of Fifth-Third Bank, Cincinnati. The event marked the formal celebration of the 100th anniversary of the College-Institute’s move to Clifton.

Cincinnati Chocolate Festival organizers must be experiencing some of the same feelings after providing the City of Cincinnati another opportunity to sample multiple forms of chocolate at the second annual Cincinnati Chocolate Festival, held on Oct. 23. Over 5,000 chocolate lovers attended this year’s festival, breaking the 2010 record of nearly 2,500.

The second “Standing Together: An Evening of Christian-Jewish Support for Israel” will be held on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. at the Mayerson JCC. This program will focus on the motivation, rationale and nature of Christian support for the Jewish State and explore new possibilities for Christian-Jewish cooperation on Israel’s behalf.

The keynote speaker for Standing Together is the Honorable Raslan Abu Rukun, Israel’s deputy consul general to the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

December 8 — After a career in the television and film industry in Los Angeles and New York, Mollie T. Newman has returned to her hometown to become the Youth and Family Program Coordinator of Adath Israel. “I am thrilled to be part of the staff of Adath Israel because it is an amazing synagogue and organization where people can grow, share, learn, make lasting friendships, and of course have fun,” she said.

The third annual Chanukah Shabbat dinner on Dec. 16 at 5 p.m., sponsored by the Herb Byer Memorial Fund at Adath Israel Congregation, has become one of the synagogue’s largest events. “The Fund has sponsored two dinners yearly for the past four years and they have grown from 150 people when we first started to 430 last year at the Chanukah dinner,” said Dara Wood, chairperson and daughter-in-law of the late Herb Byer whose family have been Adath Israel members for several generations.

Northern Hills Synagogue – Congregation B’nai Avraham will conduct Shabbat morning services on Saturday, Dec. 17, using its popular Chavurat (learning partner) Shabbat format, including a variety of educational and religious programming options alongside the standard traditional service. In anticipation of Hanukkah, which will begin during the following week, the theme of the morning will be “Gevurah,” which means courage or heroism.

December 15 — The Wise Temple madrichim program continues to grow! We now have 97 high schoolers who dedicate their time and enthusiasm to working in our Religious School each week. Madrichim—Hebrew for guides—serve as teaching assistants and positive Jewish role models for younger students. Madrichim work in every classroom, as well as the library, art room and office. This year, we even have two madrichim assigned to assist with Gesher, one of our family education programs.

On Dec. 16 and 17, Congregation Sha’arei Torah will be spending Shabbat with the Maccabeats! The Maccabeats will lead services at RITSS High School, with Mincha beginning Friday at 4:55 p.m., and Shacharit beginning on Saturday at 9 a.m., followed by kiddush. Babysitting and youth groups will be available for children of all ages on Shabbat morning.

December 22 — In a dramatic show of support for the community’s central fundraising effort, The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati pledged $500,000 to the Jewish Federation’s 2012 Community Campaign—the largest single contribution ever made to the Community Campaign. In addition, in an effort to motivate increased individual giving, the Foundation will match dollar-for-dollar any new or increased portion of Campaign gifts from community members.

To combat a growing problem, Cedar Village Retirement Community next month will be launching the first elder abuse prevention shelter in Ohio and one of the first in the nation.

Until now, police, social service agencies, hospitals and other organizations in Southwest Ohio have not had appropriate places to refer victims of elderly abuse. But with the creation of the Shalom Center for Elder Abuse Prevention, Cedar Village will serve as a safe harbor.

The Maccabeats

December 29 — The Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati is proud to announce a five year, $2.6 million grant to Cedar Village, an investment which represents the first installment of the Foundation’s broader initiative to enhance senior services in the Cincinnati Jewish community.

The Maccabeats rocked the house at the JCC on Sunday, Dec. 18, before a sold-out crowd. The a cappella group delivered a performance to more than 600 guests, surpassing expectations.

On Wednesday, Dec. 21, Krohn Conservatory held a menorah lighting event in honor of Hanukkah. The event featured the Rockwern Academy Student Choir and guest speaker, Dr. Jonathan Cohen, dean of Hebrew Union College.

The Jewish Discovery Center in Mason pioneered a ground-breaking event held on the first night of Chanukah last week by lighting a giant 12 foot tall silver menorah. This is the Mason area’s first public outdoor lighting ceremony, with global impact and significance for the entire Jewish community.