VOLUME 8

ISSUE 1
FALL 2007
NYBLUEPRINT.COM

the urban jewish magazine

 B editor’s letter
ROSH HASHANA 5768 . Roaring through the airways
trying to make up for time lost on the ground
in California, the JetBlue 737 endeavored to slow
down and coast to a smooth finish along the
runway at JFK. Or not. As the plane angled to
touch down, suddenly we jerked backwards and
thundered back to the sky, awkwardly swooping
MIRIAM ELJAS
westward. After ten anxiety-ridden minutes over
Jamaica Bay, the pilot explained that another plane had failed to clear
the runway—we’d just averted a major crash.
In a flash, suddenly this year’s Rosh Hashanah had new meaning
for me. What if everything I’d done—everything I’d lived up until
this moment—was all I’d ever be able to do? While Rosh Hashanah is
indeed a happy holiday, it brings the unavoidable questions: What have
you done with years past, and what will you do with the year to come?
You are given the choice to celebrate what you have and what you are
to receive: health, love and success.
This Jewish New Year, we at The Blueprint have undergone a major
makeover in an effort to bring everything in the New York Jewish
community to your fingertips. Now more than ever, we’re making it
02 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007
as easy as possible for you to find whatever it is that you are looking for.
This is your year. Live it now.
If this is the first edition of The Blueprint you’ve ever picked up, you
chose a great issue. After five years of publishing our black-and-white
newspaper, we spent all summer-long getting this glossy quarterly
magazine ready for your oh-so glorious fall debut. So here you have
it: all you could ever want in a Generation J guide for Jewish living.
I know you’ve got questions, so here are some answers: How old is
The Blueprint? Five years. Why did you go glossy and quarterly? We look
a heck of a lot cooler and we’re more fun to read now. And since Jewish
organizations enter their daily events into nyblueprint.com every hour,
our old monthly newspaper became outdated quickly. A quarterly guide
for Jewish living in conjunction with our daily updated Web site was
the perfect solution. How does The Blueprint survive? On advertising
alone. What is your Web site and why should I look? Nyblueprint.com was
relaunched this summer and is now updated twice a day with events,
articles and photos, as well as directories for everything Jewish in New
York—from education opportunities to international Jewish trips.
What are The Blueprint’s future plans? Check out nyblueprint.com
on our expansion to different cities this fall.
 B credits B contents

PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Miriam Eljas

EDITORIAL
TOP 10
BY AVRAM DAVIS 04
PRODUCTION EDITOR Lisa Sopher

THE WHISPER OF THE WILD

08
ART EDITOR Sara Rosenberg

FILM EDITOR Brad Balfour BY AVRAM DAVIS

LITERARY EDITOR Miriam Cohen

CONSULTING EDITOR Geoff Ledet

Letter 7 (LTR7.com)
DESIGN JEWEPERHEREOS!
BY AVRAM DAVIS 10
ART DIRECTION, DESIGN & COVER Geoff Ledet

14
DESIGN ASSISTANT Danielle Akstein Bear
BAR MITZVAH REDUX
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY DAN AIN
COVER & TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Priest

THE SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY Shirley Rozman

16
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Jason Gardner THE ARTS: A LEGEND IN THE SCULPTING
COVER MODEL Katherina Guttman BY SARA ROSENBERG
WEB
WEBMASTER Jeffrey D. Schlanger

WEB DESIGN Yael Mehl

CONTRIBUTORS
FILM: AN UNFORGETTABLE REMINDER
BY BRAD BALFOUR 18
Dan Ain, Matthew Barr, Rachel Cyrulnik, Avram Davis,
Joanna Drusin, Reuven Fenton, Naftali Friedman,

20
Yoni Friedman, Peri Grabin Leong, Curt Leviant, LITERATURE: DIRTY WAR COMES CLEAN
Erika Pfeifer Leviant, Yamuna Ramachandran,
Shirley Rozman, Aviva Shur BY MIRIAM COHEN
ADVERTISING

22
SALES Lili Bernstein
MUSIC: HELTER SHELTER
DISTRIBUTION
BY JOANNA DRUSIN
Michael Berkowitz

COVER SPONSOR

24
Thanks to West Side Judaica for loaning us the shofar; FOOD & WINE: SHOFAR SO GOOD
(212) 362-7846, 2412 Broadway, westsidejudaica.com
BY PERI GRABIN LEONG & YONI FRIEDMAN

TRAVEL: THE ANCIENT ROAD LESS TRAVELED

BY CURT LEVIANT & ERIKA PFEIFER LEVIANT 26
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WORD ON THE STREET
BY SHIRLEY ROZMAN 29
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EVENTS NOT TO MISS
BY LISA SOPHER 32
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33
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THE SCENE

33 NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 03

 TEXT BY AVRAM DAVIS
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PRIEST
I0
TOP The Blueprint Top Ten are young Jews who live in New
York and make it happen. Some you may see at your local
bookstore or playing at the nearest stadium; others you
may never have heard of before. They are bright, committed,
and Jewish—in the broadest sense of the word—and they
are effecting change with their work every day. Here are
the people we salute in 5768.

1
NAME: DARA HORN
POINT OF ORIGIN: SHORT HILLS, NJ
THE ABODE: UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN
WRITER
CLAIM TO FAME: Named one of America’s Best Young Novelists by Granta magazine, author of “The World
to Come” and “In the Image,” published by W.W. Norton
Your novels feature stolen Picasso paintings, flying tefillin, and hit-and-run survivors. Where do you get your
inspiration? I always carry a notebook with me and write ideas that jump out at me which would make good stories.
“The World to Come” is about a million-dollar painting that gets stolen during a singles mixer at The Jewish Museum.
That’s actually a real story that I saw on the front page of The New York Times. What have you discovered about
the Jewish experience through your writing? When I was growing up, all you ever heard about was the enormous
intermarriage rates, and that the Jewish people would be gone in 20 years. But there’s a Jewish revival now.
It’s almost as if, as soon as you try to throw something away, someone else will find it and take it back home with them.

2
Name: Uri Cohen
Point of Origin: Bayside, Queens
THE Abode: Upper West Side, Manhattan
UNIFIER
Claim to Fame: President and founder of Tikvat Yisrael, a new communal experience that brings together
Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and approaches
How did the idea for Tikvat Yisrael come about? When I went to The University of Pennsylvania, I found it was
a model community that I hadn’t experienced before. There was a community center, and whatever someone’s specific
strand of Judaism was, we would all walk to synagogue together, and I would go upstairs, and they would go down
the hall. Afterwards we would enjoy Kiddush together. How did the organization start? With a conversation. I was
at a wedding with several friends and as we were all talking together, ideas started percolating. What happens when
Jews from different backgrounds come together? Every group has its own energy and its own unique qualities.
When you add those pieces together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a very unique experience.

3
Name: Basya Schechter
Point of origin: Brooklyn, NYC
THE Abode: Tribeca, Manhattan
MUSICIAN
Claim to Fame: Bandleader, song writer and vocalist for Pharaoh’s Daughter, the new Jewish world
music ensemble
Where did the name for Pharaoh’s Daughter originate from? I was struggling to come up with a new name for the
band and my flute player at the time said to me, “You’re such an idiot, your name is your band!” My name, Basya,
comes from Pharaoh’s daughter, who saved Moses from the river. What has changed since your musical career
began? I started playing music only as an adult, shortly after college. I went from being someone who was working
60 odd jobs to, thankfully, being able to focus on my music. What keeps you inspired? There’s just something in me
that doesn’t stop—that hasn’t found the full story I’m supposed to tell. I keep looking for inspiration in my travels.
It’s up to me to find the connection, to find something universal in our tradition that the rest of the world can appreciate.

04 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

4
Name: Devorah Zlochower
Point of Origin: Pittsburgh, PA
THE Abode: Riverdale, Bronx
EDUCATOR
Claim to Fame: International lecturer on society, Jewish law and women, and rosh beit midrash
of Drisha, a forum for empowering women to be Jewish scholars and educators
Why do you teach? Like many people, I went into teaching because I wanted to keep learning. I specifically wanted
to open up opportunities to women. What’s different about Drisha? Our students are post-college, which means that
they bring a greater level of maturity. Also, Drisha has students from a variety of backgrounds. Students from various
denominations and affiliations are able to have a serious encounter with the texts, and that encounter is different,
depending on each student’s worldview. How have your students taught you? My students teach me every day.
One of the greatest rewards in teaching is that it gives you the opportunity to reexamine what your beliefs are.
The willingness to bring all of your own experiences and conflicts with the text into the classroom keeps me growing.

5
Name: Shawn Green
Point of Origin: Des Plaines, IL
THE Abode: Upper East Side, Manhattan
ATHLETE
CLAIM TO FAME: Right Fielder, New York Mets; First round draft pick; two-time major league All-Star;
inductee into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame; recipient of the Hank Greenberg Sportsmanship Award
Why did you decide to go into professional sports? My father was always my biggest influence. He was the coach
for many of my teams when I was growing up. You recently announced plans to donate $180 to the UJA-Federation
of New York for each RBI you hit this season. Why $180, and why the UJA-Federation? I decided to give $180
because of the value of chai. I just wanted to give to a Jewish organization that reaches out to many people. The
UJA-Federation helps a wide gamut of people. Who is your greatest Jewish hero? Sandy Koufax. I got to know
him when he was here during training. It’s too bad that I never saw him play, but it’s more important that he’s
doing well. He’s a really great guy.

6
Name: Rochelle Shoretz
Point of Origin: Brooklyn, NYC
THE Abode: Teaneck, NJ
LEADER
Claim to Fame: Founder and former executive director of Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit
organization for young Jewish women living with breast cancer
Where do you get your inspiration from? I would say, from life. It’s such an incredible blessing. And it’s our challenge
to make it not only meaningful to ourselves, but also meaningful to others around us, and to add goodness to the
world. What effect has the time-intensive community work that you’ve done had on your family? It’s helped
shape adversity into opportunity. My children now see crisis not as a cause for alarm, but as a call to create a change.
What’s next? Sharsheret has a new executive director, Eillene Leistner, who is an incredibly inspiring and talented
leader. I will continue to be Sharsheret’s biggest cheerleader, and I will continue to sing its praises around the
country, and keep my eyes open for the next incredible moment.

7
Name: Joe Richards
Point of Origin: Woodmere, Long Island
THE Abode: Upper West Side, Manhattan
ADVOCATOR
Claim to Fame: Executive director of Fuel For Truth, an organization for education and advocacy
in support of Israel
How did the idea for Fuel For Truth come about? On Sept 11, 2001, I received a phone call from John Lowe (founder
of Fuel For Truth), and we wanted to respond to what just happened here in our background. We felt that if we didn’t
understand what was happening, then our peers didn’t either. How did you respond? The founders of the organization
all spent a year educating ourselves—studying the history of the Jewish people, the history of various world religions,
and the history of the State of Israel. We were amazed that we didn’t know basic facts. What do you try to accomplish
with Fuel For Truth? We are different in that other Israel advocacy organizations get into a full analysis of the minute
details of the conflict in Israel, when most college kids on campus can’t pick out Israel on a map.

NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 05

 8
Name: Michael Dorf
Point of origin: Milwaukee, WI
THE
INNOVATOR Abode: Tribeca, Manhattan
Claim to Fame: EntrepreneuR; Jewish music producer and festival organizer including Oyhoo,
Jewzapalooza, The Schmooze and the Downtown Seder; founder of the Knitting Factory and KnitMedia
You started the Knitting Factory when you were 23. What challenges did you face? Convincing my parents that
I hadn’t gone nuts by wanting to start a music club in Manhattan. We had no capital to begin with, except for a little
bit of bar mitzvah savings, and it was a lot of chutzpah. How did you get through the difficult beginnings of the
Knitting Factory? I moved into the club. I had a futon inside the office, went to a health fitness club down the block
to shower every morning, and would accept beer deliveries in the morning in my underwear. What’s next? A project
called Sixty at Sixty, where we plan to bring 60 Israeli musicians and artists to New York for the 60th anniversary
of the State of Israel. And on May 7, we will launch 60 days of celebrations with these artists.

9
Name: David Ingber
Point of Origin: Forest Hills, Queens
THE Abode: Upper West Side, Manhattan
FAITHFUL
Claim to Fame: Founder and rabbi of Kehilat Romemu, New York City’s Transformative Synagogue,
and leader within the Jewish Renewal Movement
Tell us about your involvement founding Kehilat Romemu. It’s been amazing. It’s also been interesting to see
how some of the more radical elements of Judaism have been so accepted by mainstream Jews. How did you get
the idea for Kehilat Romemu? After growing up in a Modern Orthodox home, then gravitating to the ultra-Orthodox
world, I actually left Judaism for about 10 years, and when I came back, I wanted to bring yoga, chanting, drums and
musical instruments, or silence. How has your family reacted to this project? My family has been very supportive
and loving. Everybody that has grown up in the Jewish community knows that the major mystery that plagues us all
is how to turn the shul into a phenomenally uplifting experience, that people go to out of love, not just out of guilt.

10
Name: Zion Ozeri
Point of Origin: Ra’anana, Israel
THE Residence: Upper East Side, Manhattan
ARTIST
Claim to Fame: International photographer; founder and artistic director of The Jewish Lens, a Jewish
educational project
What was your first break as a photographer? I was very lucky. Shortly into my freelancing, I decided to do a photo
essay about my parents’ generation of Yemenite Jews. It was published in Moment magazine, and it became a book
that was published by Schocken Publishers. Tell us about the Jewish Lens. The problem with Jewish education is that
it is not always relevant to our children…we have always excelled in learning and writing, but my idea was to infuse
the emotional aspect of Judaism by using photography. What has changed since the beginning of your career?
I think a lot about the conflict between the importance of having boundaries in Judaism, and the growing trend in
the art world of a total lack of any boundaries. I don’t see any major Jewish art institutions questioning this interplay.

06 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

 B Feature

the whisper of the wild

(
)

08 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

 By Avram Davis
MIKE COMINS IS opening up to me about the crisis of faith he underwent
in 1996, which ultimately led him to his present role as a Reform rabbi,
author and founder of Torah Trek Spiritual Wilderness Adventures.
“I was about to be ordained, and I had spent the last three years
working on a thesis about contemporary philosophy and theology, and
I was writing about God all of the time, but I never felt further from
God,” he tells me.
So, on Rosh Hashanah of 1996, just three months after receiving his
ordination from Hebrew Union College, the rabbinical seminary of the
Reform movement, Comins left Judaism.
Or, more specifically, he left the Jewish people. For three days in the
wild. And for the first time ever, in a mountain range outside of Eilat, he
recited the Rosh Hashanah prayer service without a minyan.
“I think when you are davening on your own, you are not
supported by a group of people, and so it’s entirely up to
you to make it a very real and powerful experience,”
says Comins.” “Because if you’re in a synagogue
and you aren’t interested, you usually, at least,
act like you’re interested. But if you’re by your-
self and you aren’t interested, you just close
the Siddur. So it better be real.”
“Personally, I think that’s
And it was. “By every measure, this was why God gave us the Torah
in the wilderness.”
what the architects of Jewish ritual had in
mind,” Comins writes in his new book,
“A Wild Faith: Jewish Ways Into Wilder-
ness, Wilderness Ways into Judaism” (Jewish
Lights, 2007). “Except for one thing. I wasn’t
in synagogue.”
Although Comins’ decision to spend Rosh
Hashanah 1996 in the wilderness was a radical idea at
the time, it seems to be an increasingly popular experience for
Jews who need an alternative to the confines of the synagogue protocol.
Jamie Korngold, better known to many around the country as the
“adventure rabbi,” organizes Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur retreats
in the woods just outside Rocky Mountain National Park.
“Our basic idea is that there is a certain innate spiritual power to
the wilderness,” says Korngold. “Personally, I think that’s why God gave
us the Torah in the wilderness.” Participants on her program enjoy the
many varied activities of the retreat, including organized hikes, mountain
biking, classes that teach two different types of yoga, as well as arts and
crafts. “We really try to design the program to allow individuals to exam-
ine who they are and to ask themselves what kind of person they want to
become in the coming year,” she says.
I have a mixed fascination with the Rosh Hashanah experiences of
people like Comins and Korngold because, as much as I enjoy the High
Holiday services at our shul, every year for the High Holidays we pack
up to go to my in-laws for two days of Chris Farley imitations and jokes
about bodily functions (my wife has younger brothers). So, as inspiring
as High Holidays with the in-laws may sound, by the time they’re over,
I’m ready to become the lonely Jew on the mountain.
The appeal of merging the house of worship with the majesty of
the natural world is not limited to the liberal denominations of Jewish
thought. Nachum Shifren, a formerly irreligious surfer from southern
California, spent a Rosh Hashanah on the beaches of Oaxaca in southern
Mexico and came away an inspired man. After that surf trip, he decided
to explore his Jewish identity, ultimately studying for several years at
a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem. Shifren is now known worldwide as
“the surfing rabbi,” and he teaches teens about the spiritual connection
between Jewish faith and the mechanics of surfing.
As far as modern-day retreats for the religious community go, the
trend is catching on, even if participants don’t generally go to the Rocky
Mountains or Southern Mexico. Aish HaTorah, an international Jewish
education program, holds High Holiday retreats in Somerset, NJ, and
Waterbury, Conn. The program attracts individuals across
the Jewish spectrum: those who lead a traditional
Torah-observant lifestyle, as well those who consider
themselves to be entirely secular, and beginners
to Judaism. Rabbi Dovid Schwartz believes that
it is the retreat’s strong focus on education
—and convenience—that has led to its 400-
600 participants’ attendance every year. “The
prayer service options include a modified
High Holiday program that is participatory
and inviting,” says Schwartz. “Many young
mothers, in particular, appreciate the chance
to enjoy the prayer and the Jewish inspirational
classes and workshops, while all of the food
is prepared for you and there is a lot of day care
services for young children.”
And for travel-lusting chasidim, the Chabad move-
ment has always been a firm believer in “have religion, will
travel.” Last year, Chabad selected 18 students to visit the Congo for Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur to assist the Jewish communities of seven
countries in Southern Africa.
Mendy Kotlarsky, a Chabad rabbi who lives in Crown Heights, NY,
participated in a similar program three years ago. He traveled to Abuja,
Nigeria, where he worked to enhance the holiday of the close to 300
Jews living in Abuja, most of them Israelis who were temporarily in the
region for business.
“Going to Africa and being in the very destitute areas was a very dif-
ferent experience,” says Kotlarsky. “It was very unconventional. We had
to bring a Torah with us; we converted one of the dining halls into a
makeshift shul, brought kosher food with us, and made copies of the
prayer book. We do this same thing all around the world every year.”
But not everyone plans to head off for a retreat this Rosh Hashanah.
When I called up Mike Comins to ask about his plans for this year and
to hear if he would be Torah Trekking in the mountains outside of Eilat,
he said, “This year, I’ll be just a Jew in a pew.”
NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 09
 B Feature

BY Avram davis
Great Jews IN Comics
There is a long history of Jewish involvement in the
comic book industry, from the fledgling beginnings
of superheroes in America until today.

B
ut only in the last several decades have members
of the tribe actually come to appear as superheroes.
With the blockbuster success of “The Fantastic
Four” in theaters this past summer, viewers may have
been reminded that “The Thing,” a founding member
of The Fantastic Four, was the most prominent comic
book hero to reveal his Jewishness.

The life of a comic book hero is an apt metaphor

for the Jewish condition. The Jewish people,
like superheroes, are supposed to dedicate
themselves to bring light into the world
and throughout history, Jews have been
persecuted and misunderstood, just like
the quintessential comic book tale.
Most importantly, both superheroes
and the Jewish people possess a
moment of recognition in which
the true extent of their capabilities
has been revealed. For the Jewish
people, that moment of becoming
a people with a purpose was historic
in nature: the Exodus from Egypt
culminating in the giving of the Ten
Commandments at Mount Sinai. For
superheroes, that moment was personal,
and each hero claims a different moment
at which they discovered their powers.

THE THING

10 |
Below is an insider’s guide to the chronology of great Jewish heroes
late 1950s – 1960s
S tan Lee takes over control of Marvel and introduces a new type
of superhero. Think Woody Allen on gamma radiation. Unlike
previous superheroes, Lee creates a new type of hero who deals with
real issues, addresses existential dilemmas and struggles with their
own frailties. Lee, himself of Jewish descent, seems to be writing his
own, uniquely Jewish, challenges into the storylines. None of the
characters are overtly Jewish as of yet.
1970s – 1980s
J ewish writers and artists begin to proliferate within the comic
industry, both in number and in opportunities to act as decision-
makers. Jews slowly begin appearing in comics, sometimes with
a beard and peyes in a crowd scene, sometimes as minor heroes.
January 1980
S hadowcat, first appears in the X-Men
comic series. From her beginnings,
Shadowcat has always been depicted as
overtly Jewish. Despite her not-so-Jewish-
sounding alter ego, Katherine “Kitty” Pryde, shadowcat
she appears in the series as definitively and
unabashedly Jewish. Her religious pride is easily given away to
co-heroes and enemies alike by her always-affixed Magen David,
or Star of David, which she wears as a necklace.
In one issue, Shadowcat comforts a young black girl, Anita Foster,
whose church was firebombed and destroyed because of the race
of its congregants, by comparing it to the national Jewish tragedy of
the destruction of their Temple in the year 70 C.E. at the hands
of the Roman Empire.
february 1981
S abra, the national heroine of the State of Israel,
first appears in “Incredible Hulk.” Outfitted in
blue-and-white, Sabra’s costume is based on the
Israeli flag. She has the personality of a typical Israeli
sabra (prickly on the outside, sweet on the inside);
and like the actual sabra (cactus) fruit, she shoots
energy quills.
march 1981
sabra
J ustice League” member The Atom—
as his alter ego, Ray Palmer—a
secular Jew, goes to visit a co-religionist
of his, who explains the Hanukkah
story to the secular and unaware Palmer,
complete with the Maccabees’ victory.
september 1984
N orthguard appears as the main hero of the Canadian comic
book “New Triumph.” This is the first comic yet in which the
main character is Jewish, as opposed to a minor character as part
of a team. As his alter-ego, Phillip Wise, he is also the first superhero
to have a credibly-sounding Jewish surname.
september 1990
R amban appears in a DC Comic book called, “The Suicide Squad.”
Not to be confused with the original Ramban, the 13th-century
kabbalist and biblical commentator, Ramban, the superhero, is the leader
of the Jewish/Israeli superhero team Hayoth. Like his 13th-century
namesake, Ramban the superhero is also an observant Jew and a rabbi.
1994
T he Acidic Jew, a.k.a. Moshe Chomsky, first appears in the
Common Grounds comic book. The Acidic Jew is an observant
Jew and, as you might have guessed by his name, he is indeed
Chasidic. (Chasidic… Acidic, close enough.)
december 1998
T
he Jewish Hero Corps, published by Leviathan Press, includes
a posse of actively Jewish characters, including Menorah Man,
Magen David, Minyan Man, Shabbas Queen, Dreidel Maidel,
Yarmulkah Youth, and Matza Woman. The JHC is the Jewish comic
writers’ answer to FUBU (For Us, By Us).
august 2002
B en Grimm, known as “The Thing,” is outed
as Jewish. From his first appearance in The
Fantastic Four’s first issue in 1961, his creators, Stan
Lee and Jack Kirby (both Jewish), had always imagined
that The Thing was Jewish. Now The
Thing’s identity is revealed, in the form
of a wisecrack to this huge brick orange
ogre: “Funny, you don’t look Jewish.”
2006
C ary Friedman, an Orthodox rabbi, publishes “Wisdom
from the Batcave,” in which he outlines moral lessons
to learn from the Batman storyline. Among other Jewish
insights, he compares Bruce Wayne’s horror at witnessing his
parent’s murder to his mother’s survival of the Holocaust and the
atrocities that she and her peers witnessed. “There is a power that
justice and goodness have,” Freedman writes, “Commit yourself to
them fully, and you can tap into inestimable power.”
NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 1 1
12 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007
 B Feature

BAR Mitzvah

REDUX XUDER
Birthright Alumni Offered Chance to Turn 13 Again

14 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

 By Dan Ain
IF YOUR BAR MITZVAH memories have you cringing from embarrassment
and mortification, forget about Aunt Ida pinching your cheeks by the
bimah and think about the kids who never got to experience such
things and find themselves clueless when called to the Torah.
A new program offered to alumni of birthright Israel—a free
10-day tour of Israel for Jews ages 18-26—in conjunction with the
Jewish Enrichment Center on West 13th Street, allows young adults
to experience—a little later in life—that Jewish life-cycle milestone,
while alleviating the shul-going anxiety experienced by Jews who did
not have a bar or bat mitzvah celebration during their childhood.
The 8-week course, which began this spring, teaches weekly
Hebrew lessons, basic Jewish history, the fundamentals of Shabbat
observance and synagogue services— including what to wear in the
“We are trying to tell people
that Judaism is accessible,
you don’t need permission”
different denominational settings and how to act upon being called
up (aliyah) to the Torah. Each participant is told which Torah por-
tion corresponded with the date they became a bar or bat mitzvah
(literally translated as the age—13 for a boy and either 12 or 13 for a girl
—that Jews become obligated to observe the Torah’s commandments)
and then asked to write a d’var Torah (a short talk about the Torah)
appropriate for that week.
“We tell them that they are already legitimate but that they need
the knowledge, skills and the experience to participate in Jewish life
in the full way,” says Rebecca Sugar, director of alumni for Taglit-
birthright Israel.
Many participants of birthright Israel describe feeling separated
from the Jewish community because they never had a bar or bat mitzvah
ceremony, Sugar said, explaining how the program got started.
Enrollment is limited to alumni of the Taglit-birthright program and
is capped at 35-40 participants so that people can connect with the
rabbi, explains Sugar. “This is not large and anonymous,” she says.
According to Sugar, there are approximately 30,000 alumni of
Taglit-birthright Israel living in the greater New York area. In interviews
conducted upon return from Israel, she found that many of them felt
like strangers in traditional Jewish settings. The bar or bat mitzvah is
an important element in the process of becoming more comfortable
and active religiously. “That is essentially the point of a bar or bat
mitzvah, to accept being an active Jew,” she says.
Most of the courses are held at Reunion, a loft-like café in the
Jewish Enrichment Center’s new Greenwich Village location. Sugar
describes the facility as a “homey, West-Village-y sort of place” where
Birthright alumni do a large majority of their programming. “Every
night of the week there is something going on there for Birthright
alumni,” she says.
elpoep llet to gniyrt era eW“
,elbisseacc si msiaduJ atht
”noissimrep deen t’nod uoy
“What we do in New York for Birthright is largely educational and
not party-based,” says Sugar. “We do have a few cocktail parties but
the vast majority of the things we do are content-based.” It was for
this reason that Birthright teamed up with the Jewish Enrichment
Center, which offers classes and cultural programs for Jews of all
backgrounds.
“We are trying to tell people that Judaism is accessible, you don’t
need permission,” said Sugar. “We don’t want to bring them into a
predetermined structure and say this is what you have to do. That
doesn’t work for this generation. What does work is treating them like
adults and giving them the knowledge and experience to make their
own decisions.”
From there, Sugar said “they will make their own way.”
So maybe when you’re 26 and getting bar-mitzvahed, you can
leave the awkward teenage moments behind (voice-cracking at the
bima included) and pinch Aunt Ida’s cheeks instead.
For more information about the bar/bat mitzvah program, visit jeconline.org/birthright.php.
NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 15
B The Arts

BY SARA ROSENBERG
a legend in the sculpting
ARTIST LOUISE NEVELSON AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM

WITH THE RECENT closings of two colossal bi-coastal feminist art shows,
it’s ironic that only The Jewish Museum would dedicate its summer
exhibition to the iconic sculptural legacy of Louise Nevelson. A veritable
maven of mid-20th century experimental art whose idiosyncrasies
included creating art from cast-offs, street throwaways, random pieces
of wood and monochromatic paint, Nevelson’s delayed entrance into
the avant-garde center-stage at age 60 was muddied by a host of young
American male artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Stella and even
David Smith.
It’s rather painfully surreal that a pair of sideline feminist art
exhibitions would overlook this point or the fact that it’s been nearly
three decades since her last appearance in the public art forum. Yet,
thankfully, The Jewish Museum addresses this ravenous need and
makes public amends with this blockbuster show.
Perhaps Nevelson’s chronic display of relative obscurity was a form
of self-fulfilling prophecy, erratically and endlessly fueled by a personal FIRST PERSONAGE, 1956
inner turmoil. Abandoning
an 11-year marriage marred
them black and assembling them into totem-like sculptures.
by a stifling Jewish bourgeoisie
Undoubtedly, Nevelson’s sculpture drew from enigmatic personal
lifestyle, Nevelson’s bohemian
sources, infusing a career with pitfalls and emotional drudgery.
spirit sought refuge in Munich
Yet, her artistic vision seemed destined for convalescence as she once
with the incendiary German
poignantly remarked, “I think most artists create out of despair.
Expressionist painter Hans
The very nature of creation is not a performing glory on the outside
Hofmann in 1937. This ephem-
—it’s a painful, difficult search within.” “Sky Cathedral Presence
eral mentoring experience
(1951-64),” an asymmetrical black wall comprised of 32 coffin-like boxes,
would forcefully end in six
contains a cacophony of different wooden remnants of various shapes
short months with the Nazi’s
and sizes, all painted black, while dwarfing the viewer instantly. This
vigorous shutdown of
towering black heap of fragmented wood, casting eerie tones of light
“degenerate art” institutions
and shadow, depletes any emotion above sheer melancholy. Yet, the
and Nevelson’s disdainful re-
theme of the show is also imbued with a sharp sense of optimism and
turn to America. But the 1940s
renewal, as the conversely all-white installation “Dawn’s Wedding Feast
would command a new direc-
(1959)” represents her “marriage with the world,” created at the age
tion for Nevelson, one which
of 60 for a MOMA exhibition showcasing art’s next generation. And
bore the traumatic reality of
rather interestingly, when asked if her life’s work exudes any feminist
the Second World War and her
overtones, her candid response makes me wonder about the true spirit
only child fighting overseas.
and legacy of feminist art. “My whole life is in it,” she remarks, “and
Desperately longing to
my whole life is feminine.”
strike a chord with her artistic
ambitions and constant bouts “The Sculpture of Louise Nevelson: Constructing a Legend” is on view through Sept. 16, 2007,
of anxiety over current events, at The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue, at East 92nd Street; (212) 423-3200.

Nevelson began salvaging LEFT Louise Nevelson, Royal Tide I, 1960, painted wood, 86 x 40 x 8 inches. Collection of Peter and Beverly Lipman. © Estate
wooden scraps and fragments of Louise Nevelson/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Sheldan C. Collins. ABOVE Louise Nevelson, First Personage,
ROYAL TIDE 1, 1960 1956, painted wood, 2 sections: front: 94 x 37 1/16 x 11 inches; back: 73 11/16 x 24 x 7 in. Brooklyn Museum, Gift of
of old furniture, spray painting Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Berliawsky, 57.23a-b. © Estate of Louise Nevelson/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

16 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 17
B Film

BY BRAD BALFOUR
an unforgettable reminder
RICHARD TRANK DOCUMENTS NAZI HUNTER SIMON WIESENTHAL

African-Americans, young people, old people and survivors.

We did a Q&A afterwards and they had to throw us out of the
theater because it just kept going on and on, and it spilled out into the
street. What was really touching were the three women who came up
to speak to me, all wearing shades; they were in their late 50s and were
all children of survivors. These are people who don’t ordinarily go to see
movies, but they knew who Simon Wiesenthal was and they came to
see the film.
Q: What were some of the things that surprised you in putting together
this film?
A: I knew that he had a sense of humor and loved to tell these corny
Jewish jokes, but his love of life and ability to tell everything that he’d
gone through, to be able to wake up in the morning and get through
the day, and not be bitter or angry... That was very inspirational.
Q: Did Simon feel that everyone on his hit list was found
and captured?
A: He felt satisfied that he had done the job that he started out to.
There were others that he didn’t get to. It was an interesting comment
that he said: “We were all coming to biological conclusions. I will die,
the criminals will die.” He said, as long as these criminals are still alive
we have to do what we have to do to bring them to trial, because it’s
necessary for the next generation.
Q: What are the lessons you hope people will take away from this film?
A: Simon took the universalistic approach at the whole subject of

In “I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon

Wiesenthal” director Richard Trank documents the Nazi hunter’s life
“You needed to talk about Jewish suffering
and triumphs. Having worked for the man himself for many years, and non-Jewish suffering if you were going
Trank had a familiarity and sense of proportion to put together a film to avoid future genocide.”
that recreates the life drama of this concentration-camp survivor and
keeps alive Wiesenthal’s efforts to make sure the world “never forgets.”
the Holocaust. Jews were targeted because they were Jews, but Simon
Q: The film had its premiere here in New York City—what was the
always talked about the five million others who suffered as well.
audience like?
He thought you needed to talk about Jewish suffering and non-Jewish
A: It was an interesting mix. To give you an idea of my own anxiety, my
suffering if you were going to avoid future genocide.
fear is: We will do these films and only six people will show up. There
was a long, long line of people waiting outside of Pace University and For more information on the “I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life & Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal,”
E-mail moriahfilms@wiesenthal.net or call 310.772.2437. To purchase a Moriah Films DVD,
my first feeling was, “Oh, that must be for that other screening that was
please go to: wiesenthal.com/store. The film will be shown at the JCC in Manhattan,
going on,” but it was for our screening, and we were completely sold September 11 at 7:30 PM. Visit jccmanhattan.org/film for details.
out. They had to open up the balcony. It was really kind of overwhelming.
We had exactly the kind of audience that we wanted to attract with this
kind of movie. It was Orthodox Jews, non-Jews, Latinos, Asians,

18 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 19
B Literature
dirty war comes clean
ENGLANDER RETURNS with ‘The Ministry of Special Cases’
NATHAN ENGLANDER’S
critically acclaimed
collection of short
stories, “For the Relief
of Unbearable Urges”
(Knopf), made him the
darling of the literary
scene of ‘99. With bated
breath, readers anxiously
awaited his next offering, already privately
declaring it as a success. Eight years later,
Englander has emerged from what he jokingly
refers to as being “cryogenically frozen” with
a novel so gorgeously wrenching it was worth
the wait.
Set in the center of Argentina’s Dirty
War, “The Ministry of Special Cases” (Knopf)
begins in an abandoned graveyard in Buenos
Aires. Kaddish Poznan, a man who lives by
the edict “there’s no running away... better to
struggle at home,” is an outsider in a community
that denies his existence and his past. Yet,
Poznan earns his living by chiseling away the
names on tombstones, erasing the unseemly
histories of others.
“The Ministry of Special Cases” is a novel
about identity and the startling fluidity that
may be attached to that which seems inherently
fixed. It is a novel wherein children are
“disappeared” by a government that insists
these children indeed never existed at all,
a novel where Jewish noses are transmuted
and family history smoothed over and erased.
While many of his Jewish, fiction-writing
contemporaries seem unable to move beyond
the Holocaust in their Jewish-American
fiction, Englander very adamantly stresses
the universality of human experience and the
large-scale manifestation of tragedy that exists
outside of the oft-explored topic.
“I feel like we receive our historical
memories, so you’re Jewish, and so you’re
given the Holocaust,” says Englander.
20 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007
“It’s only about place and family. It’s very
strange to me that I feel so close to Argentina
now; it feels as close to me as the things
I was raised with. I think that’s what fiction
is supposed to do... I’m sort of obsessed
with universality.”
Englander taps into the notion of univer-
sality in the novel through an exploration of
a tragedy that is not exclusively Jewish, though
it does deeply affect the specific Jewish family
at the center of the novel.
“This is a Jewish family in the Dirty War
that’s just like any family in the Dirty War,”
he says. “I don’t know how many people will
make that distinction, but I think it’s gigantic.
For me, the pigeonholing—that’s what makes
genre, that’s what makes fiction fail. It needs
to be universal... This strange need to pigeon-
hole, I think it’s actually limiting.”
Englander, who describes himself as
“very much not” Orthodox, has struggled
with reconciling his Long Island Orthodox
upbringing—his past—with his current
identity as a writer.
“I was going to keep the Jewish element
really out of this novel, but that’s where the
person invades the artist,” he says. “I split
myself. There was so much press about the
identity thing on me from the last book that
I thought this was how I’d make it different
from the stories.
“It was only in a real moment of enlighten-
ment that I said I don’t care if every line of the
book is said in shul. It’s not my business. I’m
not objectifying my characters in that way and
that’s critical... it doesn’t matter if it looks like
a subtle or invisible change to anyone else.
To me it was massive.”
“The Ministry of Special Cases,” published by Knopf at
352 pages, is available for purchase through your local
bookseller or online at amazon.com.
BY MIRIAM COHEN
REVIEW
DROPPED FROM HEAVEN
By Sophie Judah | Schocken Books
Sophie Judah’s debut collection, “Dropped
from Heaven,” invites readers into a Jewish
community far from home. Set in the imagined
village of Jwalanagar, the collection’s 19
stories focus on the Bene Israel Indian Jewish
community. The collection is divided into three
sections, spanning a century. The stories push
through time, revealing an ancient Indian
community that is as indelibly Jewish as
Jerusalem’s Meah Shearim. The Indian element,
in fact, is nearly swallowed up in the Jewish-
ness of this fiction. For Jews scattered across
the globe in a time of Diaspora, this, perhaps,
is most telling of all.
DISOBEDIENCE
By Naomi Alderman | Touchstone Books
Naomi Alderman’s “Disobedience” is centered
on a character we all know: A graduate of
Stern College, at 32, Ronit Krushka is unat-
tached and calls the Manhattan’s Upper West
Side home. Disillusioned with her Orthodox
upbringing, she is culturally Jewish in the way
of New Yorkers. When she hears of the pass-
ing of her estranged father, a prominent rabbi,
Ronit decides to travel back to the London
Orthodox Jewish community in which she was
raised. Back home, she is forced to confront
the scandal involving a forbidden relationship
still left in her wake.
NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 21
B Music

BY JOANNA DRUSIN
helter shelter
JEWISH AVANT-GARDE MUSICIANS’ HAVEN IN ALPHABET CITY

planning the calendar and selecting different asked the others. At one point when there
performers, allowing The Stone to support was high-pitched feedback from the speakers,
original artistic visions. some audience members began to clap.
The Stone is mostly a music venue, but Zorn clearly wants The Stone to be focused
it hosts a wide range of artistic performances. on the musicians, not himself. In addition to
“We’ve had people who are theatrical in musicians running The Stone’s show schedule
addition to lectures on metaphysical subjects themselves, The Stone is artist-friendly in
which don’t have a home in academia every way. Unlike almost all New York venues,
anymore,” said Trey Spruance, who served all expenses are paid for by the music—
as curator at The Stone for two weeks in July. through online sales of special limited edition
“There are all these people who don’t fit, CDs released yearly on the Zorn’s Tzadik label.
ON A RECENT July summer night, an audience
ironically enough, in the avant-garde box.”
sat patiently in a stifling, sweaty room, all
Spruance’s band, Secret Chiefs 3, performed
70 seats filled. Some stood in dark corners
with Zorn in the July benefit concert. At the
while others sat on mats, just inches from
concert, Zorn played in a dark corner of the
the performers with a palpable energy pulsing
stage. Despite being a world-class musician,
through the room. The scene was reminiscent
Zorn is modest and discreet, clad in a gray
of a jazz concert in New Orleans’ Preservation
T-shirt, round tortoise-shell glasses, and
Hall—the room was hot and the audience was
camouflage cargo pants. Tzitzit swung from
on. But on this New York night, the audience
was gathered at The Stone in the East Village
to be part of a growing musical experience.
John Zorn, a native New Yorker, is a prolific
and much admired Jewish, avant-garde musician
One hundred percent of the nightly revenue
and composer. For years, Zorn has been at
goes directly to the musicians; there are no
the center of the downtown music scene,
drinks served, and there is no required number
serving as curator and artistic director for
of audience members.
venues including the Knitting Factory and
In 2006 Zorn won the MacArthur Fellow-
Tonic. Over 10 years ago, Zorn turned to his
ship, commonly referred to as the “genius
Jewish roots and began to churn out works
award.” The fellowship stipend is currently
featuring his Jewish heritage. Zorn founded
set at $500,000, paid in quarterly installments
the label Tzadik records in 1995 which
under his shirt, undulating with the motion over five years. And so, The Stone is able to
prominently dealt with Jewish identity. From
of the music. serve as an incubator for the downtown music
there on, Jewish avant-garde music bloomed
The music was cacophonous polyphony; scene. Understated, experimental, modest
and in 2005 he founded The Stone, a not-
the pieces were varied, experimental, and and creative, it allows musicians to act on their
for-profit performance space at the corner
improvised. I watched as the musician creative visions. A simple idea, but perhaps
of Avenue C and 2nd Street, dedicated
nearest to me assembled his equipment he truly artistic genius.
to experimental music.
would need to play prepared guitar. He held
The Stone is a place “for music that has The Stone is located at the corner of Avenue C and 2nd Street
an electric guitar flat on his lap. There were in Manhattan. Visit thestonenyc.com for more information.
no other home,” explained Scott, a summer
metal rods of varying sizes, a copper cylinder,
intern at The Stone and music student at
screwdrivers and scissor-like clamps, all
Syracuse University. The acceptance of diverse
resting on an overturned black suitcase. “Are
music is built into The Stone’s structure.
you guys tuning?” one incredulous musician
Each month a different artist serves as curator,

22 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 23
B Food & Wine
shofar so good
DESSERT AND DRINK IDEAS FOR A SWEET NEW YEAR
RECIPE
Honey Glazed Apple Tart Tatin
1 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup honey
1 apple sliced
1 sheet store-bought puff pastry dough
(to fit your pan)
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Over medium heat, melt butter in a (7-inch) non-stick
frying pan. Add the honey and arrange the apple slices in the base of the
pan. Cook until just soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Roll out the pastry dough 1/4 inch thick and cut a circle the size of your
pan and place over the apples. Bake the tart for 30 minutes or until puffed
and golden. Allow to stand for 3 minutes and then invert onto a plate.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
OKAY, SO YOU you may have been planning to host this annual New
Year’s dinner, or maybe you just can’t get out of town this year for the
family pilgrimage. If the latter is your reason for playing host this year,
then you probably don’t have time to think, let alone cook. Your Rosh
Hashanah dinner is a phone call a way. Everyone in the city from
“SO IT MAY NOT BE YOUR MOTHER’S BRISKET,
BUT THEY WILL GUARANTEE SOME FINGER-
LICKING-GOOD OPTIONS...”
Fairway to The Kosher Marketplace is offering a full holiday menu.
So, it may not be your mother’s brisket, but they will guarantee some
finger-licking-good options, all to be delivered to your door. Forget the
tzimmes this year, who likes it anyway? Instead, try roasting carrots
and beets in the oven. Olive oil, salt and pepper should do the trick.
Other items to keep in mind for the simanim (symbols)—toss some
pomegranate seeds into your salad to increase your merits in the year
to come, or have a shot of pomegranate liqueur. And of course, no
Rosh Hashanah meal would be complete without apples and honey.
While you could slice an apple and dip it in honey, you may want to
try Honey Glazed Apple Tart Tatin. It’s worth the effort and will earn
you some extra credit with your guests.
BY PERI GRABIN LEONG
24 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007
WE MIGHT AS well begin with a cliché: Kosher wine ain’t just that sweet
stuff anymore. Now that we’ve gotten that tired formality out of the way,
we can get down to actually exploring the winegrowing regions and
noble styles available. Of course, we all have our favorites, the wines we
know we’ll enjoy, but by venturing just slightly from the tried and true
we risk experiencing the deep enjoyment of discovering something
new to like.
Ahh… Moscato, the Moses of Italian wine. From the land of King
Barolo and Queen Barbaresco in Piemonte, this dessert wine captures
the hearts of a multitude with its humble accessibility. If you’re a fan
of Italy’s most popular fine wine or if you’re convinced you don’t
like dry wine, go sweet. Even sophisticates who don’t bother with the
sweet stuff would be delighted to discover a new delight from among
the world’s greatest and most noble styles of dessert wines. Go buy
a sweet wine: a Sauternes, a Tokaj, or any form of late harvest wine.
“...IF A PRE-BALL-AND-CHAIN ROAD TRIP HAS
YOU CONVINCED THAT YOU ONLY DRINK PINOT
NOIR, TAKE A LOOK AT PINOTAGE.”
If you dig red wines that are not terribly big or dry, or if a pre-ball-and-
chain road trip has you convinced that you only drink Pinot Noir, take
a look at Pinotage. Raised in South Africa, this bastard child, begot of
a sordid affair between the maiden of Burgundy and a brute from the
south of France, has really come into its own. In the child, the mother’s
earthy elegance and velvety grace couple soundly with the father’s structure
and concentration. There are good and interesting bottlings of this
cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault from South Africa and Israel.
Go buy one.
Your guide to wine these coming holidays should be your own
palate; just don’t get stuck with your same old clichéd pick. Go buy
something different. There are tons of opportunities to venture out
of our wine boxes and try something new: Tempranillos for Islay
whisky drinkers, Barberas for Zinfandel lovers, Manischewitz for those
that drink exclusively of Bordeaux’s Premier Crus. You never know.
BY YONI FRIEDMAN
NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 25
B Travel
the ancient road less traveled
israelimages.com
FOR SOME, JERUSALEM is the ultimate destination
for spiritual rejuvenation. For others, it’s the
cornerstone of Jewish identity and history
throughout the ages. For nearly all Jews
though, Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish
world and there are a few classic stops that
every tour must make in order to be considered
authentic Zion, as she is known to some. But
if you’re looking to experience the unusual
side of Jerusalem, and you shy away from the
beaten path, try our recommended tour for
a guide to a different Jerusalem known by
a lucky few.
A good start to any tour of Jerusalem is to
choose a good hotel—i.e., the beautifully archi-
tected Jerusalem Pearl Hotel, where the meals
are a delight and the rooms spacious. The only
Jerusalem hotel just outside the Old City walls,
the Pearl has a lovely inner courtyard whose
grandeur is apparent as you take the glass
enclosed, rounded elevators to the fourth
(top) floor.
With its convenient location, all the major
sites in central Jerusalem are within walking
distance. But before you start out fortify
yourself with the Jerusalem Pearl’s elaborate
26 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007
breakfast, and if you’re staying over Shabbat,
indulge in the hotel’s superb, traditional
Friday-night feast and its endless Shabbat
lunch buffet.
A few minutes from the Jerusalem Pearl
is one of Israel’s synagogue gems, The Coneg-
liano Synagogue on Hillel Street, transported
lovingly and beautifully set in place from a
small Italian town called Conegliano, located
between Padua and Venice, where a Jewish
community resided until being required
to stay within the confines of the ghetto in
Venice. This exquisite small shul boasts an
18th century bimah, an intricately carved and
gilded Holy Ark, wall decorations, and a small
upstairs women’s gallery. Right after Shabbat
israelimages.com
morning services the U. Nahon Museum of
Italian Jewish Art next door is open, featuring
beautiful artifacts, ritual objects and mementos
of Italian Jewry. The museum is also open
during weekdays.
Near Hillel Street be sure to see the Nachalat
Shiv’a quarter with its narrow streets and tiny
courtyards, full of surprises—little cafes,
galleries, bookstore/restaurants, and two small
late 19th century shuls—it was one of the first
quarters built outside the Old City walls.
On the other side of Nachalat Shiv’a is Jaffa
Street—the longest and noisiest in Jerusalem.
But walk along it early on a Shabbat morning,
BY Curt Leviant & Erika Pfeifer Leviant
with few cars and almost no people, and you
will recreate for yourself the early 1900’s
pre-auto atmosphere when the sole mode of
transportation to and from Jaffa was mule and
horse-and-buggy.
Explore the maze of alleys and lanes of the
ever-fascinating Machane Yehuda market, full
of inimitable sounds and smells, then go to
nearby “Batei Rand,” a tiny, photogenic and
charming mid-19th-century neighborhood
built around a courtyard, with a shul on one
side and a small two-story apartment complex
on the other.
Another old quarter is the now upscale
(and car-less) Yemin Moshe, site of the famous
Montefiore windmill and the original carriage
that Moses Mon-
tefiore used in his
travels in Eretz
Yisrael more than
100 years ago. The
spacious plaza
offers a view of the
Old City walls and
the Mount of Olives
and beyond.
From here ascend
Jabotinsky Street
until you come
to Marcus Street. Turn left and enjoy the
stunning stone mansions on the block, most
of them owned prior to 1948 by wealthy
Arabs. At the end of the street stands one
of the glories of Jerusalem: the fabulous
Jerusalem Theater, site of concerts, plays,
and art exhibitions.
For an unusual and unforgettable scenic
experience, go to the Jerusalem train station
and take the 90-minute ride to Tel Aviv. You
will delight in the colorful hills of Jerusalem
and its picturesque valleys, observing scenery
that can never be viewed from the highway.
NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 27

dating BY LISA SOPHER
wander > lust
IF YOU THINK you’re the only one who can’t get a date in New York City,
you’re not alone. Call it the allure of the foreigner: Many young Jews
looking to get hitched are crossing the Atlantic in both directions in
search of better prospects.
The tradition of going abroad to make matches for eligible
Jewish singles, in fact, goes back thousands of years to Eliezer, the
servant of Abraham (there was a reason some of us suffered through
Hebrew school), who traveled the ancient lands of the Bible in search
of a wife for his master’s son Isaac. Thankfully, you don’t have to go by
camel anymore to get a date. Just go online and tap the pools of other
continents. International marriages for serious
young Jews feeling parental pressures or the
ticking of biological clocks are becoming
more and more common, regardless of
affiliation.
In May of 2003, Dina*, a single Jewish
girl in Brooklyn was experiencing, as she
calls it, a dating drought She had been
dating for months, her prospects dim. One
day she received an e-mail via the Jewish
dating site Frumster from a man in London.
Daniel also had his fair share of dating woes.
He had been dating since 1996, traveling to
Manchester, Nice, Paris and Israel, looking to
meet his match. Originally skeptical of Inter-
net dating, he decided to try it out, and before
going on a planned trip to New York, he went
on Frumster and sent a message to Dina,
who caught his eye. The two hit it off and
eventually married.
According to Yael Buckstein, a match-
maker for the Jewish dating site SawYouAtSinai,
while New York City and Jerusalem are
the top destinations for eligible Jewish singles,
New York is the dating mecca, with many
marriage-minded Jews flocking to the city from around the world to
meet their matches. On SawYouAtSinai, members of the site choose
matchmakers to find other Jews that meet their criteria. Buckstein has
worked with members from countries such as Belgium, Switzerland,
England and Holland, where the Jewish communities are small.
In Europe, it is common for young marriage-minded Jews to travel
to other countries for dates because the distances between European
countries are not far, explains Buckstein. In contrast, a Jewish single
from Brooklyn would most likely not travel to Baltimore for a date.
Dating internationally is not for the faint of heart. Alexia Lyons,
a 35-year-old party planner from London, has been looking for her
match via Web sites like JDate and Frumster for over seven years, but
to her disappointment many men tell her and her friends, “you sound
great, but you’re overseas,” she says. “It takes commitment to date long
28 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007
B
distance, and the American men are scared of making that commitment
to see where it can go.”
Lyons has traveled to Boston, Los Angeles and Dallas to meet men.
She also knows many British girls who have moved to New York for this
purpose, but for many like Lyons, it is hard to leave one’s job, family and
community without a set plan.
Entering the New York Jewish dating scene can be a major culture
shock for many of these young Jews. One difference that has caught
many British singles by surprise is the idea of dating more than one
person at once. Jeremy Ross, a 34-year-old Londoner who met his wife
through SawYouAtSinai, had spent a great deal of time in the New York
Jewish dating scene, and matchmakers often set him up with three or
four people at once, which went against his
upbringing because in London it’s considered
a big “no-no” to date more than one person at
a time. But, “it’s a given that if you’re [in New
York] for a short amount of time, you can [date]
many at once,” he adds.
“There’s always been international dating,
but the Internet opens up a lot of opportu-
nities,” says Buckstein. Jonathan Strauss
from New Jersey, who met his wife through
Frumster, echoes this sentiment. Not long
after he posted his photo online, he got
a message from a girl from Basel, Switzer-
land, named Rachel. Jonathan and Rachel
traveled back and forth for three months
before getting engaged, and they
got married four months later. “If a
random [matchmaker] said some
girl will come in from Switzerland…
I would’ve said no,” says Strauss, “but
because of our interaction through Frumster,
I felt comfortable.”
Perhaps because of the phenomenon of
international Jewish dating, organizations are beginning to cater
to international crowds. A new dating site called JLove.com has distin-
guished itself by bridging the worldwide community through different
languages that can be used on the site. And SawYouAtSinai’s annual
singles retreat called Shabbat Nachamu, attracts hundreds of Jewish
singles each year, including internationals who travel to the United
States especially for this event.
Buckstein advises that singles should be open to opportunities
that might not have occurred to them before, such as looking for
a match when traveling somewhere for business or pleasure. And with the
Internet and good deals on international flights, it is easier than ever.
“Don’t close the door. You never know what might happen.”
*Some names have been changed.
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word on the street BY SHIRLEY ROZMAN

Q: How do you plan on maximizing 5768, the Jewish New Year?

“ Find ways to bring “ Appreciate family “ Help make it easier for “ To connect to and “ Create a welcoming
people together through and friends and Jews to be Jews.” appreciate every environment for all to
music and performance.” be grateful for what individual with whom share and enjoy life.”
Omri & Jackie Dahan
I have.” I come into contact.”
Shmuel Bodenheimer Business consultant Tommy Tavakoli
Music Composer & Psychologist Restaurant Owner
Liz Rashes Jonathan Perles
Upper West Side Upper West Side Upper East Side
IT Business Analyst Life Coach
Upper West Side Los Angeles

NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 29

 5768
Visit nyblueprint.com for
New York City High Holiday
service schedules, updated daily

30 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007

NYBlueprint.com | Fall 2007 | 31
 B
events not to miss BY LISA SOPHER Visit nyblueprint.com for daily updated event guide

JEWZAPALOOZA 22nd ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL NY

September 9 October 23–November 8
12:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Opening night screening is October 25 at The Ziegfield Theater
Riverside Park at W. 72nd St. 877-966-5566
oyhoo.com israelfilmfestival.com/iff07

Join thousands in a free all-day extravaganza of music, food and all things
Jewish, outdoors in lovely Riverside Park. Wander through the informational
booths, enjoy a nosh and a glass of kosher wine and listen to some of the
hottest sounds in new Jewish music. Bring a blanket, grab your sunscreen
and make a day of it.
The Israel Film Festival spotlights Israel’s thriving film and television
industry, enriching the American vision of Israel’s social and cultural
diversity to advance tolerance and understanding. In the last two
decades, more than 600 films have been enjoyed by over 650,000
film enthusiasts in Miami and New York.

THE 2007 OYHOO FESTIVAL KOSHERFEST 2007

October 20–28
oyhoo.com
The Oyhoo Festival is New York City’s premier Jewish music event, show-
casing the very best of a growing scene—all with the single purpose of
bringing the diaspora together to dance, sing and enjoy. This event series
will feature eight different concerts throughout New York City.
November 11–12
Jacob K. Javits Center
kosherfest.com
Kosherfest, Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food come together to
provide the foundation for Cultural Food New York. Co-located a full
two days with The International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show
(IH/M&RS) at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City,
the 2007 event will bring a diverse and unique culinary experience.

B
the scene DOR CHADASH PHOTOS BY SHIRLEY ROZMAN; UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PRIEST

Dor Chadash Amit

Red Hot Summer Cruise 2007 National Convention
July 30 July 9

Manhattan Jewish Experience UJA-Federation of New York

Cocktails on the Roof 90th Anniversary Dinner
July 16 June 19

32 | The Blueprint | Fall 2007