OyChicago articles

Makeup artist Eric Holt poses with patient Edith Haskin (center) and her daughter (left) after completing a makeover.

Eric Holt makes his living enhancing and perfecting peoples' appearances. As a makeup artist, he knows that when people like how they look, they can't help but feel uplifted emotionally as well.

Last week, in the spirit of the holiday season, Holt wanted to volunteer his services to women he felt could use an emotional boost-cancer patients. "I really wanted to volunteer my time because I can only imagine just how stressful and depressing the holidays can be for these women in treatment," he said. "As a makeup artist, I also know the transformative properties of makeup and its amazing healing abilities… While it might be just creams, powders, lotions, and potions to some, others can testify that one glance in a mirror, with beautiful makeup on, can do something to the soul that medicine can't."

In partnership with JUF's Tikkun Olum Volunteer (TOV) network, Holt and fellow freelance make-up artist Jacqueline V. Ortega, both Jewish, volunteered at Mount Sinai hospital's event for oncology patients on Dec. 12. The event is run in partnership with American Cancer Society's "Look Good…Feel Better" program, which offers free makeup kits and makeup guides to women undergoing cancer treatment. After the "Look Good… Feel Better" session, where a representative went over the makeup guide with the women, each woman got her own makeover. Holt and Ortega explained make-up techniques while attaching fake eye-lashes, drawing in eyebrows, and splashing on eye shadow.

Lacrisha Alexander was the first woman to get a makeover, and was visibly pleased with her new look. "When I went in, I felt bad because I lost my hair, my eyelashes, and my eyebrows," she said. "I lost everything, but now that I got [the makeover], I feel really good." The makeover gave her a good feeling that she says she hasn't had in a long time, and the event gave her a chance to interact with other people, something she said she enjoys but now rarely experiences. "I stay in the house… I come to chemotherapy and I come back home," she said. "This experience made me want to go out, to travel. I feel young again."

For Lolita Williams, the makeover was a first-time experience with makeup. "I go all-natural, wherever I go, all the time," she said. That may change, now that she has seen what she looks like with makeup on. "I'm looking good," she said. "I am looking better than I did when I came here today. When I went to the bathroom and was washing my hands, I looked up and it was like, wow." Williams was excited to show her new look to her husband, who has never seen her with makeup on.

Of the group, Edith Haskin seemed to react most emotionally to her makeover. She has been battling cancer for more than two years, in addition to overcoming two strokes during that time. Once a woman who put on makeup every day, whether at work or at home, Haskin admitted to feeling disheartened about how she looks. Dealing with cancer has taken a great toll on her emotionally, she said. "Since I was diagnosed, I lost interest in my whole appearance," she said. "I wanted to give up, slip away." The makeover seemed to revive her spirit, and give her new motivation to look after herself. "It made me feel brand-new," she said. "It made me feel good about myself. No matter what we are going through in life, we are still human beings. We are all wonderful and perfectly made, and it just gave me a pick-up."

Yael Brunwasser, director of Volunteer Services at TOV, was responsible for arranging Holt and Ortega's visit to the hospital, seeing an opportunity for JUF agencies to partner in doing a good deed. "When approached by a talented makeup artist who wanted to donate his services, I realized that many of our agency's clients would benefit from his expertise," she said. "It was important for me to illustrate the myriad ways our community can volunteer through TOV. We are the connection point for members of our community to those in need."

For more information about volunteer opportunities through TOV, contact Yael Brunwasser at YaelBrunwasser@juf.org or at (312) 357 -4978. Mount Sinai Hospital, an affiliate agency of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, is an integral part of the broader Sinai Health System.

Jimmy Fallon perfoming at YLD's Big Event. Photo credit: Robert Kusel

Jimmy Fallon's everywhere these days.

In the last week alone, you may have seen him interviewed on a talk show; caught him on a commercial; eaten his Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor; heard him deejay the top 40 countdown on the radio; and—oh yeah—watched him host his own late night talk show five nights a week. And next weekend, Fallon returns to his comedy alma mater Saturday Night Live to host the show's big holiday episode.

But this past Saturday night, Dec. 10, Fallon hung out only with us. Check out my interview with Fallon.   

He stopped by Chicago to spread some pre-Chanukah cheer to the more than 2,600 young Jewish Chicagoans at the Young Leadership Division's (YLD) fourth Annual Big Event-the largest event in YLD history. The evening, held at the Sheraton Chicago, kicked off YLD's 2012 Annual Campaign, and featured a performance by Fallon, a comedian, actor, writer, and musician.

Fallon carries on the Late Night legacy, begun by David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, and premiered his NBC talk show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in the spring of 2009. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Upstate New York, he worshiped Saturday Night Live (SNL) as a kid, which proved prophetic when he was cast on the show from 1998-2004. Later, the Manhattan-based star left the show to pursue film, including movies like Fever Pitch and Taxi.

A crowd as big as a football field

The audience watched two videos: one video described the importance of helping those in need here in Chicago and in Israel. A second film conveyed what being Jewish and giving back means to young Chicago-area Jews.

Jason Chess, YLD president, was thrilled with the size of the crowd. "We never expected to sell out the hotel's main ballroom for YLD's Big Event—it's as long as a football field," Chess said. "Among the record sellout crowd, many of them were first-time donors to YLD and JUF—that's very powerful. The JUF message is being spread widely among the YLD generation and the future Jewish leaders of Chicago."

From left: Chess, Fallon, and Sarnoff. Photo credit: Robert Kusel 

Chess introduced Fallon to the stage, along with Jewish comedian/musician Wayne Federman, a surprise opening act. Federman, who has written for Fallon's show, has played comedic roles in Curb Your Enthusiasm and 40-Year-Old Virgin, among others. During his act, Federman explored his Jewish identity and riffed on the branches of Judaism as well as Chanukah gelt dredging up old Jewish stereotypes. Then, he commented on his own topsy-turvy Jewish migration pattern. "I grew up in Florida," he said, "and then moved to New York City, where I worked, and then I'm going to retire to Minsk-I'm doing the whole thing backwards."

Let's have a 'Carwash for Peace'

After all, Fallon comes across as a grateful person, who feels privileged to do what he does and doesn't take his success for granted. In fact, during the Big Event show, every now and then he'd call out to the crowd how honored he was to be there. "Thank you guys so much," he'd say. "I'm having such a fun time."

The Irish-Catholic comedian, who once considered becoming a priest, expressed his admiration for the Jewish people, including a shout-out to Jewish mothers. "I want to say thank you to all the Jewish moms I met backstage," he said. "I got offered 10-15 dishes of food-I'm not kidding-in the span of five minutes. It was so awesome and cute."

Fallon interspersed his standup comedy with impersonations, sample "thank you" notes from his book, and musical song parodies, including a kumbaya song called "Carwash for Peace." "Well I'm so sick of all the news on TV," his song began. "All this fighting got me going crazy…let's have a carwash for peace. There's trouble in the Middle East. Put down those guns and pick up a sponge-carwash for peace."

The 30-something married comedian—sorry Ladies!—peppered his act with banter with the audience. "Hey, what do you do?" he asked a guy named Jim in the front row. "Investment business," Jim responded. Fallon nodded and simply replied, "1 percent," referring to the "Occupy Wall Street" news headlines.

Fallon continued his dialogue with the crowd. "There are so many good looking people [here]—there's a Jewish Taylor Lautner," Fallon said, referring to the pretty boy star of the teen werewolf movie phenomenon Twilight. Nowadays, he said, teens appropriately play high school students in movies, but back in the 1970s, actors like John Travolta played roles way too young for their real age. Then Fallon morphed into Travolta in Grease. "I can't believe I'm a high school student…" he said. "I'm going to be late for class because I've got to go get my prostate checked…Rizzo's going through menopause."

In addition to his Travolta, Fallon impersonated a slew of celebrities, including Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Robin Williams, and Adam Sandler. Plus, he did musical impressions on guitar and harmonica of singers Neil Young and Bob Dylan crooning the TV theme songs to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Charles in Charge.

Before the show ended, the comedian tested some material that he may perform on Saturday Night Live next weekend. "Anyone here on Friendster?" Fallon polled the crowd, referring to a bygone social networking site of five years ago-an eternity in the rapidly changing tech world. Then, he tried again: "You guys are all on Facebook, right?" he asked, followed by his medley of songs by current musicians like Cee Lo Green, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber, changing their lyrics to Facebook-related themes.

Fallon's play on teen pop idol Justin Bieber's hit song "Baby," went like this: "I got the invite to your event. I ignored it so you resent. I know I'm on your mailing list. But I don't want to go to your nephew's bris. So I'm a maybe maybe maybe oh…"

And speaking of maybes, maybe he'll play that song next week on Saturday Night Live, but the young Jews of Chicago heard it first.

A special thank you to the Birthright Israel Foundation for their generous support of YLD's Big Event. YLD's Big Event Supporting Sponsors were Chubb Group of Insurance Companies and Associated Agencies, Inc., Eleven City Diner, and The Great Escape. The Event Sponsors were Chicago Apartment Finders, Hub51, JFS Realty Capital, LTD, Paris Club, Steve's Deli, and T-Mobile.

There comes a time in a couple’s relationship when the words “we need to try that place” come up. Even if you aren’t dating, you may see a commercial or pass by a restaurant and think to yourself “wow, I need to remember this." For many of you foodies, you have a list and it’s time that you re-order it and place Geja’s Café in Lincoln Park at the very top.

After experiencing what has been dazzling Chicago for over 45 years, I came to the conclusion that you aren’t a real foodie until you’ve hit this hot spot. Geja’s Café is the ultimate in fondue, with an amazing assortment of fresh fish, meats, and a delectable cheese platter that will make your palette dance with deliciousness. While sitting in a dimly lit room, you’ll listen to the sounds of a live Flamenco Guitarists (weekends), or the soft music of the Spanish country. After choosing a drink from the very extensive wine list and choosing your premier dinner, the fun begins.

Geja’s Café offers prefix type dinners, all for around $40-$50, and come with four courses. First, you’ll start with their famous Geja salad that comes dressed in Dijon mustard vinaigrette. Second, an assortment of fruit and bread to dip in their wonderful imported Gruyere melted cheese that is mixed with white wines, Kirsch cherry brandy, and other spices. Next, along with your premier meal that you choose, you’ll have eight different sauces before your eyes along with a large assortment of vegetables to cook yourself to the temperature that you prefer.

The Geja signature platter is the Prince Geja’s Combination that includes aged beef tenderloin, assorted seafood, succulent Australian lobster tail, Gulf jumbo shrimp, St. George’s Banks sea scallops, and the tenderest of boneless chicken breast. If you are a vegetarian or Kosher, there is also a vegetable specific option for you. After finishing your main dishes, the blue flame is re-lit for the most spectacular dessert fondue of your life. In a dish full of pure melted chocolate fudge, you have the opportunity to dip in your favorites, like, marshmallows, pineapple, banana, strawberries, and pound cake among other items. Along with your premier dinner, you will receive a complimentary cup of coffee to close out the night.

In case you were wondering how Geja’s Café got their name, Prince Geja originated in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh in 697 A.D. The Prince spent most of his childhood on Mt. Tizi in the Atlas Mountains, and when he was older, he opened up an establishment that served the finest wines and cheeses from all over the globe. Now13 centuries later, his legacy is here in the Windy City.

Not only is Geja’s Café a restaurant that you need to add to your list, it’s also a place of special celebration as they cater to anniversarys, engagements, and other special nights. The next time you are looking for a restaurant that is the real deal in Chicago, check out Geja. 

Composer/lyricist team—Benj Pasek (left) and Justin Paul

Back in September, when young Jewish composer and lyricist Benj Pasek was touring Seattle with his show A Christmas Story, The Musical! —which comes to Chicago in December—he attended Yom Kippur services. After all, said Pasek, he always goes to synagogue on Yom Kippur-and his mom would have been furious if he hadn't. Then, after shul, Pasek wrote Christmas jingles for the show.

His two Yom Kippur activities seem paradoxical, yet Pasek joins a long history of Jews writing Christmas music. There's Irving Berlin's '"White Christmas;" Mel Torme's "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire;" and Jerry Herman's "We Need a Little Christmas." Apparently, we Jews do need a little Christmas too.

There's something anthropological about looking in at Christmas from the outside, according to Pasek. "We have a longstanding tradition of Jews who wrote Christmas songs," said Pasek, who lives in New York. "There is something about looking in on a culture in a way that being Jewish on Christmas allows you to do. You observe what people love about it."

A Christmas Story, The Musical!, a new musical based on the holiday movie classic, plays the Chicago Theatre just in time for the holidays—Chanukah and that other little December holiday you may have heard of—from Wednesday, Dec. 14 to Friday, Dec. 30.  

I watch the film version of the A Christmas Story on a continual loop on cable every Christmas as many of you probably do-after all, what else is there for a Jew to do on Christmas before going out for Chinese food?

Chinese For Christmas. Photo credit: Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

The 1983 film comedy—and now the musical—are based on the writings of radio humorist Jean Shephard. The plot centers around young, bespectacled Ralphie Parker's Rockwellian existence in 1940s Indiana as he schemes his way toward his ideal holiday gift-a Red Ryder Action Air Rifle BB Gun. Yet, the adults in his life burst his bubble with repeated warnings that "You'll shoot your eye out." Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie in the film, is among the producers of the new musical, while Joseph Robinette wrote the script, John Rando directs, and Warren Carlyle choreographs the show.

Pasek talks about the process of adapting a film into a musical. "Usually, in musicals, the biggest emotional high points are the ones you want to sing," said Pasek, who is half of a composer/lyricst team with his friend and fellow 2007 University of Michigan grad, Justin Paul. "It's expanding the little moments from the movie and making them bigger and broader."

Fans of the movie will be happy to watch beloved elements of the film come alive in the stage version of the story including: a department store Santa, played by Jewish Chicago actor Adam Pelty; a double-dog-dare to lick a freezing flagpole; a dancing leg lamp with backup leg lamp dancers; and some very obnoxious pink bunny PJs Ralphie was forced to wear in childhood.

Old man with leg lamp. Photo credit: Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

Pasek's real-life childhood was very Jewish. He was raised in what he calls a "Conservative Reconstructionist" Jewish Philadelphia home, where his family kept kosher and he attended Hebrew school. When he moved to Manhattan, one of his first jobs was teaching Hebrew school. Eventually, he made his way into the theater business—and has found success at it too. He and Paul were named the youngest winners of the Jonathan Larson Award and listed as part of the "50 to Watch" up-and-coming writers by The Dramatist Magazine.

Now, preparing for the new musical, Pasek says Jews will enjoy the show as much as non-Jews. "A Christmas Story transcends religion in a way that it's just part of American popular culture," he said. "…It's not just a Christian thing—it's the same way my family bickers about Chanukah. It feels very universal."

For ticket information, visit The Chicago Theatre box office, visit www.thechicagotheatre.com, or call 1 (800) 745-3000.

Bubbe and her grandson, Avrom Honig

Since I got engaged almost two years ago, I've been taking cooking lessons from my grandmas, who I call "Nana." In addition to teaching me to make some of my favorite recipes from growing up, these lessons are also intended to make me less inept in the kitchen now that I'm a married lady (though this is still yet to be seen). But most importantly, these lessons provide invaluable Nana bonding time.

As you can imagine, I perked up when a cookbook titled Feed me Bubbe: Recipes and Wisdom from America's Favorite Online Grandmother came across my desk. The book is written by Bubbe, and her grandson, Avrom Honig.

Immediately, I googled Bubbe and watched her first online show, where she taught her viewers how to make her famous Jelly Jammies. After just one episode, I could see why viewers were so entranced by Bubbe-her sweet nature, easy-to-follow recipes, and delicious looking food are likely to evoke memories of everyone's Bubbes.

So how did Bubbe, who finds herself with a new career in her 80s, get into the online cooking video business? 

Honig, Bubbe's grandson, was struggling to find a job and make a successful demo reel. His father suggested he create a show about Bubbe's amazing food. "He gave me all these different names and I hated every single one of them," Honig said. "…He got angry at me and said, why don't you just call it 'Feed me Bubbe?'"  Though his father was being sarcastic, Honig liked the name and called up Bubbe, who happened to be making Jelly Jammies at the time.

"It was quite an unexpected experience," Bubbe said, referring to Honig making a video in her kitchen and posting it on YouTube. "This was a brand new experience for me- whoever knew what email was? At my age do I need all this technology? And before you knew it we started getting feedback and also a call from BBC, they wanted an interview for a talk show…It just mushroomed unexpectedly until where we are today publishing a book."

In the book, which is number on one Amazon's Kosher Cooking list and received a gold "Mom's Choice" award, Bubbe shares 100 of her best recipes, intertwined with stories from her life and Yiddish words. The book is also a kosher guide, and symbols in the book indicate if a dish contains dairy, meat, is pareve, or for Passover. In writing the book, Bubbe began to understand that so many stories relate to food and she hopes people will view the book as more than a cookbook.

If a fortune teller had told her that this would happen to her, Bubbe said she wouldn't have believed it in her wildest dreams. Bubbe and Honig went on to create over 30 episodes of the show, which each feature a kosher recipe and teach a Yiddish word. Bubbe also answers emails, Facebook messages, and Bubbe 911 calls. She ends each episode by saying, "Ess gezunterhait," eat in good health. The show can now be seen online at www.feedmebubbe.com and on JLTV. Honig's production company, Chalutz Productions, produces the show out of Bubbe's kitchen.

"The most amazing thing about our show is no matter if you're from Florida, California, even Chicago, everyone looks at Bubbe as if they're looking at their own Bubbe, no matter where they're located," Honig said. Bubbe said she gets emails from younger people, asking her to adopt them as her grandchildren.

"…To some of them I became like a therapist...if they're asking me I'll give them what i would tell my grandchildren I will tell them and they seem to be so appreciative," Bubbe said. "I encourage them-don't worry if it doesn't come out good. They all needed a little bit of encouragement."  

The biggest reward for Bubbe and Honig, is to get to work with each other. "It is such a grand pleasure," Honig said about working with his Bubbe. "This is a dream and say it over and over again, pinch me I cannot believe this is real.

"The one thing that this shows you is that when you go and you have something with decent values, people love [it]," Honig said. "This is what people want today especially with all the different trash television that's out there currently on television."

Bubbe had the following advice for newly married couples:  "My first big meal, I burnt the pot roast. So, I want everyone to feel comfortable that it happens to all of us, but…a little trial and error brings good results and I want to give everyone encouragement. And for me, she said: "You will be very successful. The funny part of it is that all it takes is a little bit of trying and use your taste buds like an artist develops a painting."

Thanks, Bubbe!

Have you ever seen the YouTube clip of late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon impersonating singer Neil Young—with Bruce Springsteen as himself—singing a duet of Willow Smith’s Whip My Hair? If you haven’t, this article can wait. Go watch it and then come back…

…It’s hilarious, right? The comedian’s impersonations are all that spot-on, from Barry Gibb to John Travolta, Robert De Niro, Eddie Vedder, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Chris Rock.

You can catch Fallon and his many personalities at the Young Leadership Division’s (YLD) fourth Annual Big Event, on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 8pm, which will launch YLD’s 2012 Campaign and feature an evening of stand-up comedy with Fallon, a comedian, actor, writer, and musician. The event, to be held at the Sheraton Chicago, will include dessert reception, open bar, after party, and late night bar food.

Last year YLD’s Big Event, which featured comedian Sarah Silverman, drew more than 1,500 people, making it the single largest YLD event in history. This time around, YLD hopes to attract an even larger crowd—both to entertain and spread the word about the vital work of the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.“It will be a historical night for the YLD community as we are expecting a record-breaking number of people,” said Jimmy Sarnoff, YLD’s 2012 Campaign vice president.  “Not only is Jimmy Fallon the biggest name to perform at any JUF YLD event, but he is one of the biggest names to perform at any Federation event throughout the country.”

Fallon’s star keeps rising these days. He carries on the Late Night legacy, begun by David Letterman and Conan O’Brien, and premiered the NBC talk show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in March of 2009. When you watch Fallon’s show, perhaps one last laugh before your head hits the pillow or maybe on DVR the next day, you get the feeling Fallon’s just a really good guy. He’s like a big kid in the best way possible, famous for “breaking,” or cracking up, during his comedy bits. Fallon and his jokes are kind, charming, and playful, and he avoids mean-spirited jabs at people. “I don’t like to kick people when they’re down,” said Fallon in an interview with talk show host Piers Morgan.

Born in Brooklyn and raised in Upstate New York in an Irish-Catholic home, Fallon was an altar boy at his church and almost became a priest. As kids, he and his older sister, Gloria, would reenact the “clean parts” of Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketches that his parents would tape for him. He idolized SNL his whole life, which proved prophetic when he was later cast on the show as a series regular.

Fallon got his big break after his mother told him about an impersonation contest at a comedy club in Poughkeepsie, NY. He created a stand-up routine based on a commercial for troll dolls, inspired by a troll doll he received before graduating high school. He won the contest and, after dropping out of college, toured the country doing stand-up gigs. He later relocated to Los Angeles and joined the famous improvisational comedy troupe, The Groundlings.

After one failed audition for Saturday Night Live, he returned for a second try and landed his dream job on the sketch comedy showfirst as a featured player in 1998 and then as a full cast member in 1999. As both a comedian and musician, who has made a career out of mixing his comedy and music, he incorporated his signature song parodies into the show. In 2000, he became co-anchor of SNL’sWeekend Update with Tina Fey. Then, Fallon left the show in 2004 to pursue a film career. He returns home to host Saturday Night Live’s Christmas episode on Dec. 17, one week after YLD’s Big Event.

Fallon, who lives with his wife in New York City, has acted in a string of films, including a starring role opposite Queen Latifah in the 2004 action comedy Taxi. Then, in 2005, he starred alongside Drew Barrymore in the Farrelly Brothers’ romantic comedy Fever Pitch, about how a man’s obsession with the Boston Red Sox gets in the way of his romantic relationship. He’s also a go-to host for award shows, including the MTV Music Awards and the MTV Movie Awards.

This past spring, he and his fellow Late Night writers released a humor book called Thank You Notes (Grand Central Publishing)—based on a popular segment from his talk show—expressing gratitude for everything from microbreweries for making alcoholism look like a fun hobby to “haters for giving rappers so much to talk about.”

The talk show host isn’t the only one doing the thanking these days. The ice cream guys, Ben & Jerry, wanted to thank Fallon and his late night crew for singing an ode to Ben & Jerry’s by creating a flavor inspired by the talk show host and his show. The new flavor, Late Night Snack, is a combination of the salty and sweet—vanilla ice cream, fudge covered potato chip clusters, and salty caramel swirl. But if the ice cream’s anything like the guy who inspired the flavor, it’s probably less salty and more sweet.

Tickets to YLD’s Big Event—ages 21 and older—cost $80 per person (not tax-deductible) and require a gift to the 2012 JUF Annual Campaign. If you are a Birthright Alum, discounted $25 tickets are available here courtesy of the Birthright Israel Foundation. The minimum requirement is a match or increase to your previous JUF gift. If you have not given to JUF in the past, you are required to make a gift. Attendance to the event signifies your consent to make a donation, which can be paid through December 2012. Advance registration is required and space is limited. Register online here. For more information, contact the YLD office at (312) 357-4880 or yld@juf.org. 

On a chilly October night, 100 women from JUF’s Young Women’s City Council (YWC) got the inside scoop from four women who are living their dream: working for Oprah Winfrey.

On Oct. 18 at the Hotel Palomar Chicago, YWC offered the opportunity to spend an evening with four producers—Lindsay Feitlinger, senior producer for The Rosie Show, Cindy Mori, vice president of booking and talent relations for Harpo Studios, Dana Brooks Reinglass, co-executive producer at Harpo Studios and executive producer  of Oprah's Lifeclass,  and Jill Van Lokeren, executive vice president and executive producer of development broadcast and cable for Harpo Studios— who were all part of the historic 25th season of The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Julie Novack, YWC chair, moderated the discussion, asking the panelists what it was like to work at their dream jobs, to work with Oprah, to go from behind the scenes to in front of the cameras, which celebs are the toughest and more.  

So how did these four women end up working at their dream job?

Brooks Reinglass shared the story of her first interview—all she ever wanted to do was work for Oprah, and she was so emotional over the opportunity to get her dream job that she cried during her interview. Convinced she’d blown her chance, she sent an onion along with a thank you note explaining that she had found it in her pocket and that this was responsible for her emotional outburst. Soon after, she got a call back—and the rest is history.

“Anything can happen—you can turn anything around,” Brooks Reinglass said. “I wouldn’t suggest you send produce whenever you mess up, but it’s up to you. Just think about it and you can make it work.”

Feitlinger, who was always “obsessed with the Oprah show,” says there’s no one like Oprah.  “All the things that she does—it’s amazing how she [has so much] energy and she wants to change the world,” she said. “I don’t know anybody quite like her in the world that wants to do so much.”

Oprah’s “a-ha moment” happened in 1988, after she had skinheads on the show as guests. “I think she just believed ‘I’ll give them a platform and then this will maybe spark a change,’ really hopeful wide-eyed and it ended up being a big disaster,” Van Lokeren said. “She walked away from that and said ‘I swear I will never give a platform to evil on this show ever again and I want to use this for good.’”

The producers also shared stories about the perks of working for Oprah—family vacations, the celebrities, and doing what they love—and some of the tribulations—the long, hard work days, time away from their families, and the pressure to always been on top of their game.

One major change for them was during the show’s final season, which finished up in May, when the cameras were turned, and viewers were invited to look behind-the-scenes at the making of the show’s final season on OWN. The panelists, especially Van Lokeren, found themselves getting recognized on the streets. The 25^th season culminated with a huge event which featured 35 A-List celebrities, 13,000 at the United Center and a surprised and tearful Oprah.

For Mori, the moment it all became real to her was when the “Morehouse Men,” the 415 young men who received The Oprah Winfrey Scholarship at Morehouse College, came out onto the stage while Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth sang "For Good" from Wicked. “It was the moment that it hit me that there is no other phenomenon like this and I am witnessing it and I have been a part of it,” Mori said. “For me, that segment really epitomized what The Oprah Show accomplished in the past 25 years. And that was all I needed to see. I had my moment, I cried tears of sadness and tears of joy at the same time.” 

The four women have now moved on to the next chapter of their work with Oprah through new projects on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), including The Rosie Show.  

For more information about JUF’s Young Women’s City Council visit www.juf.org/women. 

“How do you know who you are if you don’t know where you come from?” This question is posed by author Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum in A Day of Small Beginnings, the novel selected by Spertus, Chicago’s center for Jewish learning and culture, for its new One Book | One Community initiative. 

Starting Sunday, November 13—just in time for Jewish Book Month—Spertus will present a series of programs, all related to A Day of Small Beginnings, in locations across the Chicago region. On Sunday, December 4, author Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum will make two area appearances, first at Spertus at 2 pm and then at the Wilmette Public Library at 7 pm.

Spertus Director of Programming Beth Schenker hopes that individual readers and book groups across the Chicago area’s diverse Jewish community will read A Day of Small Beginnings andtake advantage of the lectures, activities, and resources Spertus will offer to explore the book’s themes. “We selected A Day of Small Beginnings because the novel addresses ideas about Jewish faith on both a very personal level and through the wide lens of political and social change. It examines the loss of Jewish family history and cultural heritage against the backdrop of increased freedom and opportunities in the secular world,” Schenker said.

Acknowledging the community-building potential of this project, JUF News is proud to be the media sponsor for One Book | One Community. “JUF News is thrilled to partner with Spertus on One Book | One Community. A Day of Small Beginnings has something for everyone and will resonate with different generations in the Chicago-area Jewish community,” said Cindy Sher, editor of JUF News and Oy!Chicago blogger. “One Book | One Community is a wonderful way to get our diverse community reading together and discussing with each other Jewish literature and issues of Jewish identity.”

A Day of Small Beginnings was selected with recommendations from Spertus staff and local Jewish librarians. These early readers noted the book’s mystical and sometimes surprising plot lines, the intertwined stories of characters across generations and circumstances, and the vivid portrait the book paints of what life was like for many eastern European Jews in the early years of the 20th century. 

A Day of Small Beginnings starts its story in a small town in rural Poland, with the appearance of a lively 83-year-old ghost named Friedl Alterman. It tracks three generations of an American Jewish family trying to unravel the mysteries of their past. Published to acclaim in 2006 by Little, Brown and Company, it is the debut novel by Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum.

Many people in the Chicago area are familiar with a community coming together to read and discuss a common book through the city’s One Book, One Chicago program. The concept was originated in 1998 by the Washington Center for the Book. Today there are citywide, statewide, and even country-wide reading programs all over the world. Spertus brings this concept to the Jewish community of Chicago with a nod to Nobel prize-winning writer Isaac Bashevis Singer, who said, “I am not ashamed to admit that I belong to those who fantasize that literature is capable of bringing new horizons and new perspectives.”

Spertus is preparing a free reader resource guide perfect for book groups or readers’ own investigation. The guide will include discussion questions, a bibliography keyed to major themes in the book, related web resources, and more.

Program schedule for One Book, One Chicago 

Programs presented by Spertus in partnership with The Book Stall at Chestnut Court.
Each program is $18 ($10 for Spertus members and $8 for students).
As an incentive for book groups to attend together, tickets are $10 per person for groups of ten or more.
Advance tickets are strongly recommended.
Tickets can be purchased online at spertus.edu or by phone at (312) 322-1773.
A Day of Small Beginnings will be for sale at all events. 

Kick-off event—Getting Inside the Story 
Sunday, November 13 at 2 pm at Spertus 

Two treasured forms of Jewish expression—storytelling and papercutting—play parts in A Day of Small Beginnings. Participants will be able to delve into these traditions with two award-winning experts—storyteller Susan Stone and papercut artist Melanie Dankowicz—at this kick-off event. A post-program reception will give attendees an opportunity to purchase the book and meet other readers.

Susan Stone is a professional storyteller who travels around the country telling stories at festivals, museums, schools, and synagogues. Jewish folktales and mystical stories feed her imagination and her neshama (soul) and it is her mission to have these stories nourish yours, too.

Melanie Dankowicz is an artist whose intricate papercut works carry on a tradition that has been a meaningful part of Jewish expression for centuries. She creates dreidels, mezuzot, and ketubot of paper, and also renders papercut designs in stainless steel. 

Lecture and discussion—Revolution and Tradition in Modern Jewish Literature 
Sunday, November 20 at 2 pm at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court, 811 Elm Street, Winnetka 

Modern Jewish literature first emerged as part of a radical rejection of traditional 19th-century Jewish life. As in A Day of Small Beginnings, however, contemporary Jewish literature often draws on the history and language of the Jewish past. Dr. Todd Hasak-Lowy, an adjunct member of the Spertus faculty, will explore this tension in today’s American Jewish writing. 

Dr. Todd Hasak-Lowy earned his PhD in Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of a short story collection, a novel, and an academic study of modern Hebrew fiction. This fall, he is a visiting professor of Israel Studies at University of Illinois-Chicago.

Lecture and dance demonstration—What Makes a Jewish Dance? 
Thursday, December 1 at 6:30 pm at Spertus  

Dancer and choreographerSteven Lee Weintraubwill draw from his own experience and the history of Jewish dance, to consider—like the character Ellen in A Day of Small Beginnings—what makes a Jewish dance.

Steven Lee Weintraub is a teacher of traditional Yiddish dance and the principal dance leader for Chicago's Maxwell Street Klezmer Band. He has taught at festivals in Krakow, Furth, Weimar, Paris, and London, served as assistant director of New York City’s Israeli Folk Dance Festival, and choreographed theater productions around the U.S. 

Author event—Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum 
Sunday, December 4 
Author Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum comes to Spertus (at 2 pm) and to the Wilmette Public Library (at 7 pm) to discuss A Day of Small Beginnings. The Wilmette Library is located at 1242 Wilmette Avenue. 

Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum was born and raised in New York, where she studied modern dance and choreography. The seed of A Day of Small Beginnings was planted when she traveled alone to Europe at the age of 18. Her shock at seeing a Paris street lined with plaques commemorating the World War II destruction of the area’s Jewish community grew into a lifelong interest in Jewish history and theology. She studied religion and philosophy at New York University and international relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and then worked at the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles before returning to school to study law. As a lawyer, she litigated constitutional cases related to church-state issues in California.

She left law to produce cultural programs for a cable television network. After her first child was born, she took a creative writing class and found that her sensibilities about writing fiction felt much like creating dance—a choreography with words.

In the mid-1990s Rosenbaum traveled to Poland with her in-laws, who are Holocaust survivors. Their experiences, particularly in the family’s hometown, inspired and informed much of A Day of Small Beginnings. Rosenbaum lives in Los Angeles with her husband Walt Lipsman. They have two daughters, Ariana and Maya. She is a past president of the Santa Monica Synagogue, executive producer of the Genesis Arts Council, and has written work produced by the Jewish Women's Theatre in Los Angeles.

Spertus is located at 610 S. Michigan Avenue. Discount parking is $10 with Spertus validation at the Essex Inn, two blocks south of Spertus.

Raffle and resources 

A special section of the Spertus website—accessible at Spertus.edu/OneBook—will link to program information (including additional events as they are confirmed), a downloadable version of the reader resource guide, and a drawing for a beautiful handcut paper dreidel by artist Melanie Dankowicz or one of several gift certificates to the Spertus Shop. 

About Jewish Book Month  

Jewish Book Month is an annual event on the American Jewish calendar dedicated to the celebration of Jewish books. It is observed during the month preceding Hanukkah, thus the exact date changes each year. For 2011, Jewish Book Month falls November 21 through December 21, with events celebrating Jewish literature occurring across North America throughout November and December.

Do you want fries with that? How about a side of mac & cheese? Deviled eggs? That’s what the waitress asked after ordering our burgers at DMK Burger Bar in Lakeview. (2954 N Sheffield Ave, 773-360-8686). 

Venue  

Upon walking into a packed house and learning of a 45-minute wait, I was surprised to learn that DMK Burger Bar is able to quickly turn over tables in such a small space. Unlike the likes of places like Kuma’s Corner where a fantastic burger takes a couple hours to get through, a quick and upscale type burger is great when you’re trying to get to an early movie in Chicago. The bar is owned by MK’s Michael Kornick and David Morton, and pushes the fact that every burger is a flat $8 with lots of cheap side choices. They also offer Veggie, Turkey, and Lamb Burgers among others.

Most recently, DMK Burger Bar was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Guy Fieri cooked for hours with Chef Michael Kornick in the kitchen, interviewed a restaurant full of diners and ate some great grub. The #5 bison burger and Parmesan truffle fries were among Guy's favorite bites.

Burgers 

One burger that was among the elite was the #6, Grilled Portobello with Blue Brie, Griddled Scallions, and Dijonnaise for $10. The bun was perfection, soft yet kept the burger together, unlike some places that the bun becomes too soft and begins to fall apart. The juices and sauce weren’t messy which made for a nice experience of not having to clean up my hands every time I took a bite. If you don’t plan to come for dinner, the beer selection is extensive with many local and regional craft brews but not a lot of space to socialize unless you are eating.

Sides 

What really sets DMK apart from other burger places is the side dishes. Burgers don’t come with a side of fries but be sure to check out the list of different types they have. I tried the Sweet Potato Fries with Lemon Tabasco Aioli and the Sea Salt & Black Pepper with House Ketchup. Each side is either a small portion of $2, with the larger to share of $4, but you may as well try all the different types and take the small portions.

Etc.

Make sure you stop by Monday-Friday before 7 p.m.; they won’t ask you if you want fries with that. That’s when they are free. If I can offer some advice for a side: Mac & Cheese #1 with Aged Cheddar and a Parmesan Crust, with the Stone IPA beer. The restaurant isn’t 21 and over, and if you are with little ones, they have a great Malted Milk Shake and house-made sodas available.

Over the age of 35 and sick of being told by well-meaning people that she had a better chance of being struck by lightning twice than getting married, Bari Lyman knew something had to change. But after dating the same wrong guy over and over again, Bari realized maybe her problem was really from within. So she embarked on her own personal journey to discover and fix her own “relationship blockages” by understanding how her lonely childhood made the adult Bari feel like there was something wrong with her. This realization led to her personal transformation into a confident, purposeful dater who knew exactly what she was looking for in a marriage partner. Married soon after to Michael, “her soul mate and partner in life,” Bari is now determined to help other “marriage-minded singles” experience similar breakthroughs.

Utilizing her business skills as a former recruiter aka career matchmaker, Bari made the leap to “dating for marriage evangelist,” created the Meet to Marry program and published her first book by the same name. Recently, I sat down with Bari for a phone interview to discuss her dating program and new book and to get advice from an expert.

Oy!Chicago: Why did you write this book?  
I wrote the book because I really learned from my own life experience and wanted to help other singles to find their ideal life partner. I had no problem finding people to date, but I tended to attract people who were wrong for me. I had these relationship blind spots…and though I was attractive, successful, in therapy and self-aware, it didn’t matter when it came to relationships. The guys I attracted were always the same—not appropriate. For instance, I attracted guys who were not Jewish. There was a point in time after all these experiences when I thought, ‘it can’t always be outside of myself. Why is it that I always feel this way in relationships?’ So I started a journey to really figure this out. And it was not about anything outside of me. When I changed, everything changed.

What do you tell singles who say, “there are no good men/women out there to meet?” 
I can tell you assuredly that they are wrong and that it’s never ever outside them. Honestly and truly wherever you go, you are.  Every person needs some kind of person to attract to create a lifetime partner— but they’re not being marriage-minded. One thing singles do wrong is guys and girls are hanging out together. They all say to me, everyone is friends with everyone else and there is a pact mentality. I can take any single and have them stand on their own and uncover their blind spots and when they become aware of what makes them marriage-minded, then they can transcend wherever they are.

Also, men want to get married as much as women do, but since they too are mystery dating they are not attracting the right kind of women for them. For example, take a guy who lives on the Upper West Side of New York, he’s 32 and a lawyer and let’s say he is Orthodox minded, but not shomer shabbos. Here’s a guy who desperately wants to get married, but you’d never know it by the women he attracts or goes for— super model gorgeous women. Who he is authentically, is a marriage-minded, loving, kind guy, but he doesn’t articulate it. He was going to bars and picking up women and asking externally, “why don’t I connect with them? Why do I always attract the wrong women?”

Half the people I coach are men and they are wounded little boys and this is why people are not connecting.  Because we are all wounded from being phony externally to protect ourselves from this scary dating scene we hate. There is a gap the size of the Grand Canyon between who we are being and what we want and what we are sharing when we are out there [dating.]

Do you have any tips for connecting and dating for marriage?  
Dating truly is a numbers game. We need to meet a lot of people [to] find the one. The idea is to go out and be marriage-minded and marriage-ready. You want to know what is involved in getting into a long-term commitment—which is being generous, mature and self-aware. So that’s one of the tips, be marriageable, healthy and available. Another tip: be free of previous relationships. If you want to find the one you want to definitely be completely free from other relationships, so you are a vessel and there is room to bring someone new into your life.

What do you think of matchmakers like Patti Stanger? 
My take, without saying anything negative, is I think that we need to really love ourselves and to not stereotype human beings. When it comes to finding love we need to be sensitive to each other’s needs. And I think constructive criticism is great especially if someone’s true desire is to get married. 

I’ll give you an example.  I was at a Shabbat dinner recently and this woman told everyone how she was working on her PhD and doing medical research. So when you’d see this woman, you’d look at her as this career woman who is really motivated to get her PhD.  So when she heard about my book, she took me aside and said, ‘you know, I really want to get married.  This PhD thing is just really a fall back.’ So I asked her, ‘why don’t you share what you really want and who you are, so you can enroll your community to help you?’ And she said, ‘I’ve had a lot of bad dating experiences.’ So I said to her, ‘So when you eat a bad sandwich do you stop eating sandwiches? Of course not!'

What I’m saying about Patti is that I don’t think when you take a mean approach to dating it's appropriate. I think stereotyping men is awful. I also think it’s very important to be married to coach other people. Someone who hasn’t been married, I don’t think they can really know. I think we need to embrace everyone’s humanity and inspire them to find a meaningful and loving connection. There is nothing more wonderful than being married and to find someone who can love you unconditionally and be there for you no matter what.  I think that’s what is important and that’s how I feel about her. Needless to say, I’m not happy about her.

Do you have anything else you’d like to share with our readers? 
I’d just leave with them this message: There is someone out there for each of your [single] readers. Read the book, check out the website and experience the coaching— see it as a personal support system for dating. I arranged a special webinar event just for your readers! They can visit www.MeetToMarry.com/OyChicago to participate in a special webinar on October 24 on a very special dating for marriage topic.

For more information about Bari and Meet to Marry, and to purchase the book, visit http://www.meettomarry.com/ 

Had her life gone the way she had expected it to, you would never have known Valerie Plame Wilson’s name. 

But on July 14, 2003, her identity as a covert CIA agent was revealed by Washington Post columnist Robert Novak in an article about her husband, former U.S. diplomat Joseph Wilson. More shocking than seeing her name in print was the sense of betrayal she felt—her name had supposedly been leaked by Bush administration officials as retaliation for her husband’s op-ed in the New York Times called “What I Didn’t Find in Africa.” In it, Joseph Wilson suggested that the Bush administration had lacked reasonable cause to invade Iraq and had manipulated intelligence to justify it. After the leak, a momentous scandal ensued, which included a federal investigation.

In 2006, Plame Wilson retired from the CIA. A year later, she published Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House, which was later adapted into a film of the same name starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn. She is currently working on a series of fictional spy novels.

The ex-CIA agent will be the featured speaker at this year’s Lion Luncheon, hosted by the Women’s Division of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, to be held Thursday, Oct. 6. at the Fairmont Hotel. Recently, Oy!Chicago sat down for a phone interview with Plame Wilson.

Oy!Chicago: Have you always known that you wanted to work for the government? Why had you wanted to work for the CIA? 
Valerie Plame Wilson: I never thought of it as ‘working for the government.’ That sounds boring! I thought of it as wanting to serve my country. My father had served in WWII and was a career Air Force officer, and my brother, a Marine, had been wounded in Vietnam, so I’ve grown up with this sense of public service being noble. I didn’t grow up thinking that I wanted to go into espionage. I just knew that I wasn’t really interested in corporate America, and I wanted to travel. I just wanted something different, so when I was given the opportunity to join the CIA, I was so grateful and honored.

Before your identity was revealed and your career ended, how had you imagined your career would go?  
My grandest ambition was to retire as a Senior Intelligence Officer, and I was on my way to doing that… I loved intelligence; my focus was on terrorism and nuclear threats, and I thought the CIA did that best. So I thought that’s where I would continue. 

You found out that your identity had been revealed when your husband showed you Robert Novak’s column in the Washington Post, outing you as a CIA operative. What were your first thoughts and feelings?  
I was in complete dismay. I feared for the assets with whom I had worked, my network. I feared for my young children, and their security. I knew my career was over. I felt outraged, and I just couldn’t believe that Novak had gone ahead and done that. It was incomprehensible.

What lesson do you think the general public, the people of the United States, should learn or understand from your experience, particularly about trusting the government?  
It’s about power and holding your government to account for their words and deeds. I don’t feel that public officials should use their positions to pursue political enemies. In the grander scheme, in the decade since 9/11 and the War on Iraq, this is a small but important piece of that tale.

Joe wasn’t throwing Molotov cocktails. He wrote an op-ed in The New York Times which questioned the [Bush] administration and how they manipulated information to get the country into war with Iraq. It was very civilized. …And the reaction was to out me in retaliation, to belittle him, destroy his business, and destroy my career. Really, is that how our democratic society wants to conduct its dialogue? It’s certainly a cautionary tale.

You published your book with blacked out portions covering the information the CIA had said you couldn’t publish. What was the point you were trying to make? 
The publisher made the decision to keep the redacted portions so that the reading public could see how extensively the CIA made their decisions about what could not be published. It was retaliatory. Nothing there was classified; there were no sources or methods. It was just an attempt by the administration to make sure the book would not be published.

Several years on, have you found meaning in your experience? Because you are doing many worthy things now, but your life certainly did not go the way you had planned it to. 
My husband and I worked hard to rebuild our lives, personally and professionally – that’s why we moved away from Washington, D.C. I am grateful to still be able to work on nuclear proliferation issues, through Global Zero. Weirdly, this whole thing has given us a platform for us to speak about things that we care about deeply, such as post-partum depression for me.

What happened to us was so unexpected, and it marked our lives. But we have two small children that we want to raise well for them to be happy and contributing citizens. We’re not bitter. We’ve just moved on.

I’ve read that this experience has somehow led you to discovering your Jewish roots? Is that true? 
Yes, definitely. I had done a lot of genealogical research on my [maiden] name “Plame,” and had hit a lot of dead ends. But as a result of this exposure, I was able to reconnect with some of my Jewish relatives.

Valerie Plame Wilson will be the featured speaker at the Lion Luncheon 2012, hosted by the Women’s Division of the Jewish United Fund. 

The Samuel A. Goldsmith Award, now in its 24th year, is awarded annually to exceptional young professionals who have shown outstanding performance in their work at a Jewish agency in the Chicago area. This year's award was presented at the 2011 Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago to Becky Adelberg, Executive Director of Chicago's American Zionist Movement, and to Caryn Peretz, for her work as Director of the JUF's Young Leadership Division. (Peretz has since been named an Assistant Vice President and Director of Contributor Account Relations.) See below for an excerpt from Caryn’s acceptance speech.  

Thank you. It is a tremendous honor to receive this award today. It is especially meaningful to me that I am sharing this special day with our revered President Steve Nasatir as he receives the Julius Rosenwald Award. Thank you Steve, for leading this community, and more personally, for your kind words and all of your support. I am privileged to devote my career to an organization that places great value on young Jewish professionals in the community. Mazel Tov to my fellow Jewish communal colleagues Becky Adelberg, Mara Baumgarten and Josh Daitch. I have had the pleasure of working closely with Mara and Josh over the years and I couldn’t have selected more deserving recipients of the Davis, Gidwitz and Glasser Young Leadership Award.

I recently celebrated my 10-year anniversary of graduating from college. My Senior year, after returning from a year abroad at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and living on campus at the University of Wisconsin during the outbreak of the second intifada, I knew all I wanted to do was work in the Jewish community. Concerned friends and family asked me, “is there a future career in the Jewish world?” Indeed there was. My Jewish career began at JUF as a YLD Campaign Associate.

A common question that Jewish communal professionals are asked is “is that your full time job?” After 10 years of working in Chicago’s Jewish community, I can confidently reply that my job is so much more than a “full-time job”, and I don’t just mean the late night hours. I mean that working at JUF has given me a community, a tradition, a life-long passion.

Four years ago I returned to JUF not realizing that as much as I gave to the job, I would get back even more. Winston Churchill said “we make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”. JUF has allowed me to accomplish both at once.

So many of you here today, both lay leaders and professionals, have inspired me to heights I did not know I could reach and I thank you for always motivating me to work harder on behalf of the Jewish community. It has been an exciting and challenging adventure, filled with many special people who I would like to single out for a moment:

Thank you to Audra Berg and Beth Cherner for this nomination.

Audra – your guidance and mentorship has provided me the opportunity to learn and grow at JUF. You have always helped me find meaningful professional experiences and modeled the highest levels of professionalism that I always strive to emulate.

Beth – you have gracefully and successfully led our fundraising efforts through good times and bad. Your leadership and support through the years have meant so much to me.

Thank you to Rachel Sternberg for helping me find my future path in this organization, for being such a strong and positive role model and for being the kind of supervisor who both challenges me to be better and gives me the support and guidance needed to reach those heights. I have already learned so much from you and am truly grateful for the opportunity to work together.

I am a product of my heritage and my family’s history. I credit my grandparents with everything I have done professionally since college. They were always my Jewish role models and figures of strength, courage, and survival. Of the many lessons my grandparents taught me, Zionism by example was one of the most formative and important.

My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor who personified the path of the Jews from darkness to light, from Eastern Europe to the State of Israel, which for him was truly the Promised Land, a refuge and a safe haven when all other doors were closed. He made it to Palestine with the help of the Jewish Agency and fought in the Jewish State’s War of Independence.

Working in this community has allowed me, in a very different way, to carry on my grandparents’ mission and the tradition of securing the Jewish future. I am proud to be wearing my grandpa’s army ribbons today and I know that he would be very proud to see that I have chosen a career building a better and stronger Jewish community.

Thank you to my parents for raising me in a home that emphasized a love of Judaism and Israel. Thank you to all my friends and family that are here today – you are my community and your constant love and support means the world to me.

I am so proud to work for an organization that carries on the tradition of generations that came before of taking care of our community and those in need. This has been the secret of Jewish survival throughout history. Thank you to JUF for creating miracles every day, for building a Jewish community in Chicago that I am proud to be a part of, and most of all, for giving me the opportunity to turn my life’s passion into my full time job.

Ten years ago, I could have only dreamed that I would be standing here having built a career path for myself in the Jewish community. While this award represents the work that I have already done, it is just the beginning of my professional journey, and I look forward to the endless possibilities that lie ahead. There is no place else I would rather be.

My son Jonah likes to remind me of my age. He pokes fun at my stories of summer vacations spent running through sprinklers, jumping rope, washing my parent’s cars, and playing hide and seek. He seems entertained when I talk about homework done the old fashioned way, by hand, and when I tell him that I distinctly remember the first time I ate a kiwi. Jonah listens patiently, with an amused smile, and then reminds me that it was A SIMPLER TIME.

I suppose it was a simpler time and I am not sure when the world, childhood, and daily life became less simple and very complicated. I do know that we all need a break.

The Jewish calendar is kind to the Jewish people. Just when you think you cannot possibly take any more—less simple days, along comes a batch of holidays that offer a respite and sanctuary from the chaos of daily life.

Rosh Hashanah and the holidays is such a time. Long peaceful days with family and friends and leisurely meals that remind you of A SIMPLER TIME are the order of the day during the holidays.

To help put me in the mood for the holidays, I turn to Jewish Comfort food. I like to pull out family favorites and reimagine them. This year I am turning to a childhood favorite ingredient when IT WAS A SIMPLER TIME.

For many of us, Concord grapes means either peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or Kiddush wine. I do not think I ever really thought about eating the inky colored, fragrant fresh table grapes until they started appearing in markets over the last few years. Concord grapes are a dark blue/purple slip-skin (the skin separates easily from the fruit) variety of grape that is highly aromatic. Concord grapes began appearing in grocery stores in recent years but were previously ignored as most consumers prefer seedless grapes.

The grapes are often used to make pies, jellies, juices, and wine. The early Jews who settled in the North East used the abundant, native North American and local grape to make wine, and Kiddush wine as we know it was born. Fermented Concord grapes do not have a pleasing flavor and the resulting wine is described as a “foxy” or musky in flavor. To overcome that flavor the grapes are fermented to produce a sweet and more palatable wine.

Fresh Concord grapes are aromatic, brightly flavored and addicting. The beautiful dark grape is loaded with antioxidants and flavonoids. The grapes also have the same health benefits as drinking red wine, only without the alcohol. These intoxicatingly delicious grapes are only season for a short time each fall, so scoop them up while you can.

Concord Grape Glazed Spatchcocked Turkey  

Ok, the name is funny, but this is serious cooking. Spatchcocking poultry is the process of removing the backbone and sternum of a bird. The bird is then flattened out by pressing on it. The result is a bird that cooks evenly, quickly and without drying out the breast. Stay with me everyone, this is not difficult!

Spatchcocking is easy and takes only a few minutes and either a very sharp knife or really good kitchen shears. While the process is simple and easy, the time saved in cooking is also a big payback. Because the turkey is butterflied, the heat is more evenly distributed and a 12 pound turkey will take about 1 ½ hours to roast versus a whole turkey will take over 3 hours to roast. A whole spatchcocked chicken takes about 30 minutes to roast while a whole chicken takes an hour.

Whole roasted chicken and turkey are a reasonable possibility for dinner on weeknights. No more slaving over the stove waiting for dinner and a moist, luscious dinner is moments away. No more V-racks, beer cans and other contraptions used in an effort to roast the perfect bird. Just you, a bird, and sharp knife.

This year for the chagim, try Spatchcocking and see if you don’t fall in love with a silly word that means serious cooking. Serves 8+

For the turkey  

1 12-pound turkey
3 tablespoons chopped thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, rough chopped
2 large carrots, rough chopped
3 celery ribs, rough chopped
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

Preheat oven to 450

Place the turkey breast side down on a sturdy cutting board. I like to put a couple of paper towels under the turkey so it does not slide while I am cutting it.

Cut along either side of the backbone from the neck to the tail. Remove the back bone and spread open the turkey. Cut a small slit in the cartilage along the breast bone. With both hands, crack open the turkey by opening it like a book.

This will reveal the keel bone, (cartilage that runs in the middle of the breast.) Pull up on the keel bone to remove it. The turkey is now ready to cook. This whole procedure is very simple, only involves cutting one bone and should only take a couple of minutes.

1. Place the chopped vegetables in a large roasting pan. Season the turkey on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub the bird with olive oil and the chopped herbs.

2. Place the turkey on the vegetables, breast side up. (The vegetables will keep the turkey from sitting in its juices and getting soggy. The vegetables also scent the turkey drippings)

3. Roast the turkey for 20 minutes, lower the heat to 325 and continue roasting, brushing with pan juices occasionally for 1 hour.

4. Brush the turkey with the concord Grape Glaze and continue roasting for another 15 minutes, brushing with the glaze 2 more times.

5. Remove the turkey and tent with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before cutting.

6. Discard the vegetables and reserve the turkey drippings. Skim off the fat and set aside.

7. Serve the turkey with Concord grape glaze and butternut squash mash and sautéed kale.

Concord Grape Glaze  

The smell of fresh Concord Grapes is intoxicating. It is similar to an orchard of fragrant blossoms. The flavor of fresh Concord grapes is fresh, crisp and clean with a balanced sweetness. Fresh Concord grapes are a world apart from their canned, jellied and jarred counterparts. The processed grapes are cloyingly sweet with none of bright freshness so much a part of the fresh grapes. This Concord grape glaze is an aigre doux (sweet and sour) sauce with aromatic attitude. Sweet, sour and so fragrant, it is sure to become a family favorite. The sauce can be made up to 2 days before serving and complements the flavor of turkey. The glaze is amazing on duck and chicken as well.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of crushed red chili flakes (optional)
5 cups fresh Concord grapes
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
½ cup reserved turkey drippings or chicken stock
Salt and pepper

1. Place a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, shallots and garlic and sweat the vegetables until they are soft and very fragrant (about 3 minutes).

2. Add the crushed red chilies if using and the remaining ingredients. Turn down the heat and cook the mixture until the grapes burst open and begin to thicken the glaze.

3. Remove from the heat and pass the glaze through a mesh strainer.

4. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Sauteed Kale  

Olive oil
3 shallots, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, sliced very thinly
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
6 tightly packed cups of Kale, cut into ½ inch wide strips 
¼ cup white wine
¼ water
½ cup golden raisins
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil for garnish

1. Place a large saucepan over medium heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Add the shallots, garlic and red pepper flakes and continue to cook until they are very soft and fragrant but not browned (about 10 minutes).

2. Add the Kale. Increase the heat to medium high. Add the white wine, water and raisins. Place a lid on the pan and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is very soft and limp about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Place the kale on a serving platter or bowl and lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve the kale with fish, chicken, veal or toss with pasta.

Concord Grape Sorbet  

Concord grape sorbet is deep, gorgeous purple and bright and incredibly fresh tasting. I make a lot of sorbets and have been making them for years and this one is a favorite. It smells like childhood, only better!

Grab the fresh Concord grapes when they come into season this fall and serve this aromatic and rich sorbet at your holiday meals.

Yields 1 quart

2 pounds fresh Concord grapes
¼ cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon honey

1. Place the grapes, water and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan. Simmer the grapes until they start to fall apart (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from the heat before they gel-this happens quickly!
Strain the grape mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove the solids. You should have 3 cups of grape juice.

2. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and chill the mixture at least 4 hours or overnight.

3. Process the grape juice in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s instruction.

Laura Frankel will be teaching a Latke Palooza Chanukah cooking class this winter. Stay tuned for details on this and other cooking events. 

One of the most difficult questions to answer is one of the simplest: How was it?

How was school? How was your date? How was your trip? How was the movie?

“It was great!” “It was ok.” “It was awesome” “I liked it.”

Those answers don’t tell you much, but everyone uses them!

The difficulty in articulating one’s feelings about an experience is the norm from age six to 60. This also holds true for an Israel trip. Whether it be a high school trip, Taglit-Birthright Israel, MASA, a JUF Mission or a family experience, it is hard for everyone when they get home to tell others, “Why was it so great?”

In thinking about answering this question, I thought it might be helpful to read the blogs that participants wrote while on a Taglit-Birthright Israel: Shorashim trip. While truthfully, the blogs were a vehicle to keep parents and family informed of the trip-goers’ happenings, they have become one of the best insights into how an individual actually feels about his or her experiences on the trip.

Below I have included excerpts from 10 blog posts (in no particular order) from our Taglit-Birthright Israel: Shorashim trips with links to the full article. In my mind, these excerpts provide the most articulate answers to the question, “How was it?”

1. There is a pocket in the pit of your stomach you may not know you have. It lies somewhere off the large intestine, a small cavern in which remnants of last night’s dinner tie knots with nerves. This is the spot you feel first when you wake up at 3:30 in the morning. This is the pocket that tightens when you try to force cake down your throat when you know you’re not hungry. It is covered with a flap. If Jerusalem is the heart of Israel, then Masada is this pocket in the pit of your stomach. 
Masada 

2. Early this morning we ate breakfast together and took the bus to the Jilaboon hiking trail where we scrambled over rocks and lent a hand to one another to cross the many streams we encountered. Our goal: the Devora waterfall and pool was worth the wait. It was delectably refreshing to dive into the icy water and splash around under the waterfall. Israeli families and groups of friends were also at the pool and swam around us inquiring where we were from and wishing us a good visit to Israel. Iftak (Israeli tour educator) called us out of the water for at least ten minutes before we got out. Then we all trekked back up the steep trail to our bus.
Day One of the Bus 145 Experience 

3. After a quick breakfast we hopped on bus 144 and headed to that brilliant body of water we’d been ogling from the bus…The Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the saltiest body of water on earth and also the lowest point below sea level. Upon plunging into the water, we were delighted to discover that all the rumors we’ve heard are true. You can float with no effort and even do synchronized swimming moves on the surface of the water with ease. We all took advantage of the excellent exfoliation options at the sea by slathering up in some bona fide Dead Sea mud, baking in the sun and hopping in the water and rinsing off to reveal the softest, smoothest skin we’ve ever had.
Masada at Sunrise 

4. We spent the next few hours exploring the Old City inching our way closer to the Western Wall. Once there, we each had a very personal reaction to being so close to this historical monument that we’ve all heard and been taught so much about. For many of us, it truly hit that we were really here. We are beginning to feel that intangible feeling that all those who’ve been to Israel express. Next, we went to Machne Yehuda, Jerusalem’s largest market. We knocked elbows with locals buying supplies for Shabbat. Smells of spices filled the air as merchants called out to potential clients. We, too, left the market to prepare for Shabbat. Many of us went to Shabbat services which was a unique experience. We will all relish these incredible experiences connecting to our Jewish faith and identity.
History in Tel Aviv and Shabbas in Jerusalem! 

5. In this cemetery boys and girls are no longer soldiers. Sons, daughters, athletes, future activists scholars and professionals, friends and loved ones lie within sandy stone caskets, plants and flowers blanket each grave, perhaps a photo of a smiling young man or woman. Whether or not we let these ten days in, Birthright will shake us up. Har Herzl was that moment for me.
Bus 140 -- Har Herzel and a visit to the Shuk! 

6. This trip far exceeded my expectations. I was convinced that Israel would be a desert where everyone rode camels and dressed like Moses. But it is not. Israel is a nation of contradictions and an incredibly diverse population. And it is in the Jewish homeland that I have experienced so many differences, places, sights, smells, tastes and sounds. I have made an amazing group of friends and I cannot and will not forget the memories I have made nor the feeling I get when I think about Israel. This has been the most meaningful and invaluable experience in terms of my Judaism, my college experience, and my life.
Bus 140 -- Har Herzel and a visit to the Shuk! 

7. It was interesting to see how Israelis learn about their own culture starting at such a young age, and the pride they have for their country. After this long day, we headed back to the Kibbutz for a long shower and dinner. We also had some more group activities and finally know everyone’s name! Israel so far is one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen and we can’t wait to make a deeper connection with the country as the trip continues.
Days 1 and 2: The Beginning to an Incredible Journey 

8. We are excited to have most of our community back together to continue our journey together back home in Chicago, exploring and developing our Jewish identities and connections to Israel and one another. 
That's it! 

9. Although this program (a community center in Kiryat Gat, Chicago’s Partnership City) has grown tremendously in the last eleven years, it still needs constant support and help. It is going to be my goal upon my return to the Chicago area to get involved to do my part in supporting this amazing program. Although this day was the hardest one emotionally for all of us on bus 153, it helped us understand where we can from, what we’ve been through, and what we can do in the future to impact young Jewish lives. 
Sunday: Yad Vashem and Kiryat Gat 

10. It didn't really matter that I wasn't that religious, all that mattered was me, my note, and the wall. I found a spot, put it in, and backed up slowly. After, I felt a kind of peace that only comes from a very spiritual experience. Jerusalem was absolutely beautiful and I know one day I will go back to the old city. 
First Impressions of Jerusalem 

Do you know someone who is eligible for a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip? Tell them to register on Sept. 14 at www.israelwithisraelis.com. For the best chance of getting on a trip, registrants must apply and submit a $250 refundable deposit on the first day of registration. 

While Brad Kleinman was living in Cleveland getting his master’s degree, he’d spend every Monday night having dinner with his grandma and her friends. Dubbed, “dinner with the old people,” Brad really enjoyed spending quality time with his grandma and hearing her and her friend’s unique voices and stories.

An engineer by training with an entrepreneurial streak, Brad knew he had something to share with the world— who doesn’t love their grandma? So he began recording his grandma saying, “Jewish grandma-isms” and put together his first iPhone app iGavolt. Now Brad (and everyone else) can hear his grandma wherever he goes!

And with the success of the first app, Brad caught the iPhone bug. Today, he has several apps on the market including, Groggor Factory, that builds 3d customizable groggors and Amy’s Mom, which shares hilarious answering machine messages from one extreme mother.  With even more apps in the works, Brad, in his spare time, is becoming quite the pro! To learn more about all of his app ventures, click here.

So whether you love your grandma, want to be a pirate, or enjoy creating iPhone apps, Brad Kleinman is a Jew You Should Know!

1. What is your favorite blog or website?
Tie between Mashable and DrudgeReport.

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel to?
I would travel around the world, but specifically I’d go to the Amalfi Coast, Australia, the Far East, and Israel. 

3. If a movie was played about your life, who would play you?
A mutant clone of George Clooney, Joe Rogan and Frank Sinatra.

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, dead or alive, famous or not, who would it be?
Albert Einstein and Albert Kleinman (my grandfather).

5. What is your idea of the perfect day?
Not in this exact order, but it would include: eating cupcakes, playing volleyball, and throwing Frisbee… all while hanging out with my fiancé and Busta Rhymes in a castle in the South of France. I will be wearing a cut off T and jellies.

6. What do you love about what you do?
The people I get to work with!

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
Rock Star. Or a pirate. 

8. What is your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
Hanging out with Jews. Love’em.

Photo credit: Michael Weschler

Like many women, Robin Gelfenbien experienced bullying during her younger years. But Gelfenbien found redemption in the most unconventional of places: behind the steering wheel of Oscar Meyer’s Wienermobile.

During her freshman year at Syracuse University, Gelfenbien was endlessly taunted and harassed by a group of boys. Although she eventually reported them and the bullying stopped, the rest of her college experience was permanently tarnished. Committed to her education, she stayed at school but suffered from low self-esteem and retreated into a shell of her typically outgoing self.

Along came the Wienermobile, and with it, a new beginning. Recruited during her senior year of college, Gelfenbien knew she had been meant for the job. But never could she have predicted that the experience would impact her life as profoundly as it did.

Almost twenty years later, the Jewish comedian documents her story in the critically-acclaimed one-woman comedy show, My Salvation Has a First Name: A Wienermobile Journey, coming to Chicago in September as part of the Chicago Fringe Festival.

Photo credit: Michael Weschler

You’ve said that as a result of being bullied your freshman year, you “lost” your voice during the rest of college. Did you think the Wienermobile job would be the way to find yourself again?
I didn’t realize that I had lost my voice during college when I was driving the Wienermobile, but it’s obvious to me now. I basically shut down during those four years, and I thought the Wienermobile [job] would let me myself again, which is an enthusiastic, outgoing and silly goofball. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be on TV, which is why I went to the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. Unfortunately, I didn’t take advantage of that education the way I had hoped because of the bullying. … I wanted to be a Broadcast major, but the bullying made me afraid to do the campus TV or radio show, because I didn’t want to be harassed more.

So how did the job end up changing your life?
It allowed me to partially reclaim my old self, who was spirited, exuberant and funny. All of that had been quelled through college. The job allowed me the opportunity to find my voice again, because I was being paid to be myself, someone who is outgoing, enthusiastic, and loves being around people.

Comedy is a popular medium for delving into issues that are less than humorous. Why is it such a powerful art form for dealing with dark or difficult material? 
They say that tragedy plus time equals comedy, and it’s so true. It has always helped me cope with whatever I’m going through. When you share a deeply personal story, the audience will come along for the ride, but if it gets to a point of being really heavy or uncomfortable, a quick joke or aside can lift that tension, and the audience will connect even more. I think comedy helps the audience relax and enjoy themselves rather than have to worry, “Is this person okay?” It helps show that you’ve gotten through something and even though it was painful, you’re okay now, and you can laugh about it. That gives people permission to laugh at our universal flaws and foibles and relate to your story even more.

You have quite a unique religious background. On your father’s side, you have a Jewish grandfather and Roman Catholic grandmother who raised your father in the Catholic faith. Your mother’s side of the family is Jewish. So how do you personally identify yourself? 
I’m a very proud member of the tribe. I was raised Jewish, and I celebrated the High Holidays. I always fast on Yom Kippur. I get offended when someone says that I’m only half Jewish or implies that I’m not Jewish because my father is Catholic. I might have gone to mass a lot, but just to see my uncle [who is a Roman Catholic priest named Father Gelfenbien.] I consider myself 100% Jewish even though I had some unusual Christian influences in my life.

How does your Jewish identity play into your work or affect your comedy? 
You know how stereotypically self-deprecating Jewish comedians tend to be. It definitely runs through everything I do. I never want to do things to make anyone else feel bad, but I could pick on myself all day long. I'm not perfect. I recognize how over the top I was to get the job [driving the Wienermobile] and I can laugh at it.

If there is one thing you want people leaving your show to keep in mind, what is it?
I want people to understand the power of people's words. What might seem like harmless teasing to some can have a profound impact on the person who's on the receiving end. It's an impact that, depending on the severity of the bullying, can last for many years.

My Salvation Has a First Name: A Wienermobile Journeywill be playing a limited run in Chicago, with performances Sept. 3-5, 10 and 11. For tickets and information about the Chicago Fringe Festival, visit www.chicagofringe.org. Information about Robin Gelfenbien and her show can be found at www.wienermobileshow.com. 

This is the first post by our new food critic, Kevin Friduss. You can check out his other reviews here.
 

In January, the building at 400 North State Street, became the newest royalty of Chicago sports bars. Like its brother Bull & Bear, this after-work, beer enthusiast restaurant and bar features some of the most radical new technology in the city. Welcome to Public House.

I recently checked out what everyone was raving about, and wasn’t disappointed. The menu comes in a rustic leather case right out of a Harry Potter movie and includes an index so you don’t have to go looking through every page. I highly suggest looking through the entire menu, as they have some incredible new and twisted items that you may not find at any other venue.

While Public House has bar food like fried pickles and homemade soft pretzels, I tried to stick to the smokehouse flare like the Kobe Beef Brisket Sliders ($11), which come with a spicy barbeque sauce, with crispy shallots on a brioche bun. For those people that don’t know what brioche is, it’s heaven on your taste buds, alone. I spoke with David Rekhson, one of the owners of Public House, who also owns Bull & Bear and Stone Lotus, who said the most popular item is the Multiple Mac & Cheese ($8). Why so popular? You can add items like chicken chili or wild mushrooms along other fun accoutrements into the mix. For the ultimate in Mac & Cheese, add everything for an awesome $30. I hope you like to share your food.

After your first course, check out their grilled flat breads, soups & salads, and an epic list of mouth watering entrees which features the best sandwich I have ever tasted. For those of you who love seafood, the Tiger Shrimp Burger ($12) is so good that you won’t want to put it back on your plate. Delivered on a Hawaiian sesame bun is a sweet and spicy shrimp patty topped with Balsamic glazed red onion arugula, tomato, and smoked jalapeno aioli. Not to be outdone, the hand cut fries leave an aftertaste on your palette that you won’t want to lose.

Finishing off your meal, award winning pastry chef and MOT Mindy Segal has desserts that you don’t want to miss regardless of how full you are. For example, take the Waffles & Bananas ($8), which comes with malted banana ice cream, toasted marshmallows, milk chocolate hot fudge, and a caramelized Belgium waffle.

With 10,000 square feet and 103 different types of beer, Public House is in a separate category of competing for “Best Bar” because of its Tap Technology that is exclusive to Twilight Traffic Controls, LLC. Each booth, like Bull & Bear, has its own Tap system to eliminate having to go to the bar for a drink. Not only can you request any type of 25 tap beers, but you can also hook them up to liquors such as vodka or whiskey. All you need to order is the juice, soda, or shot glasses. One of the coolest things about the menu at Public House is that each beer they offer comes with a description of what you can expect.

David notes that reservations are preferred up to a month in advance for weekends. If you are lucky enough to get a booth, your server will swipe a computer FOB, allowing each guest to consume up to 24 ounces of alcohol.

Reservations for weekly dinner service should be made a week or a couple of days in advance, but David definitely recommends making a reservation before coming. He added “there's plenty of first come, first serve seating in both of our bars, but these seats tend to fill up very quickly right after work.”

If you aren’t a beer drinker or you haven't secured a booth, cocktails still flow with the likes of Monk-y Business ($12) with Absolut vanilla, Bacardi raspberry, Navan, coconut puree, fresh lime juice, Demarera syrup, and acacia honey or a nice list of wines, ports, and sakes. Most of their specialty cocktails imitate a beer that they have on their menu so moving away from that brown ale or Mexican lager might be harder then you think.

Public House is for everyone; not just the tourist and after work drinkers. So come in, grab your friends, have a bite and a drink and relax in the newest hot and sexy sports bar in Chicago. Public House. Grill. Tap. Happy Place. This is a one of a kind, not to be missed, dining and drinking experience.

You all know I’m a bit of a yenta who likes to give sometimes unsolicited dating advice to my friends and Oy!sters and I like to set people up. So from time to time, dating/self-help books like Avi Roseman’s come across my desk. This one wasn’t exactly my favorite. While I get that some of the advice is meant to be tongue-in-check, after a while lines like…

“…We’re women (natural gold diggers) and we care way more about what he gives us than he cares about what we give him…”
“…Play the dumb blonde card…”
“…Let him think he’s smarter than you…”
“…A successful woman is not a plus in a man’s eyes…”

Became a bit much for this feminist.

But my biggest complaint with the book is that Ms. Avi (as the author likes to refer to herself throughout the book) advises the reader to play the dating game. The section on online dating is titled, “Let’s Write a bunch of Lies Shall We?” I don’t believe that “playing games” yield successful relationships, so that’s where I had to draw the line. But if it’s your cup of tea, you’ll enjoy the read— it’s entertaining, funny and cringe worthy all at the same time. I’m just not so sure I’d recommend it with any seriousness to a self-conscious single girlfriend looking for love.

To Avi’s credit, she couldn’t have been nicer during my interview and she admitted from the beginning that she knew her book would be controversial. With the title, “Secrets of Shiksa Appeal: 8 Steps to Attract Your Shul-Mate,” she knew what she was doing. See below for my interview and if you’re interested in learning more about the book, check out her Facebook page: Secrets of Shiksa Appeal.

Is Avi Roseman a pseudonym? Is this because you are expecting backlash?
Yes. I chose Roseman as a pen name so that readers would know that the author was Jewish. My real name is not Jewish-sounding at all. Also, I have a family friend who wrote a book about getting a guy to marry you and that was her one regret, because professionally it hurt her.

I know this your first book, what is your professional background?
I have an engineering background. I was in IT consulting and this is just something that I looked at as a creative outlet. I started it about three years ago, but just didn’t have any time to really commit to it and I was actually kind of afraid of…afraid to work on it, to finish it, just cause I wasn’t sure what people would think. I think it was fear that made it take so long and then I got over it and now it’s being published.

How did you come up with the idea for the book?
I’ve always loved self-help books and I know that a lot of the books written especially for Jewish women aren’t really about what men want. And this book is really about what men want and not what Jewish women like. A lot of the books for Jewish women are, “Rah, Rah go for it and do what feels right” and this book is about men and [what] they want and what we should do to attract them.

Why do you think Jewish women are such bad daters?
That’s a loaded question. I don’t think that they are all bad daters— I just think that some are. But there are a lot of very beautiful, talented, smart, accomplished Jewish women, but not all of that transfers over to the dating world. For instance, a woman can be very accomplished but to a man looking to date her, that doesn’t always mean a lot. It’s not necessarily a plus. Here you have a successful man and that’s always a plus. He’s going to get more women because he is successful. A successful woman is not necessarily going to help her. She might be too powerful, have too much money. She might intimidate men.

Why are Shiksas such better daters?
The book had nothing to do with shiksas at first. And then my boyfriend at the time, who was helping me out with the book, he just said you should call the book, “The Shiksa Appeal.” And I kind of thought about it and I was pissed off at first …this is terrible, but I was pissed off and intrigued at the same time. So I changed the direction of the book to fit the title. I know it sounds bad, but I just thought it was such a catchy title and I thought the theme was really interesting that I thought it was kind of a good direction to move the book into.

How did you come up with your eight steps?
I feel they are pretty logical— the eight steps. I don’t think there is anything there that isn’t normal. Like what you wear and how you act and how you date and how you do online and stuff. It’s all kind of logical…

What do you think is the most important step?
Obviously, the looks are important because that is what is going to spark interest. But holding interest is really the challenge. The chapter about challenge is a lot about attitude and respecting yourself and kind of maybe changing your attitude, so that it’s what is going to attract men. So your looks will attract him, but you have to have that confidence and self respect, too.

What do you think of Jewish dating websites?
Overall, I think online is great cause you meet people you normally wouldn’t in everyday life. People can expand social circles and it can be hard to break out and meet new people. If you live in a location without a lot of Jewish people you can look for them in a nearby place.

What do you think are the best and worst things a person can do on a date?
Best thing a girl can do on a date: Besides putting effort into her appearance, she should be positive, laugh, and accept compliments.

Worst thing a girl can do on a date: Ask him at the end of the date if you're going to go out again. If you like him, be sure to tell him you had a great time, but let him take the lead on the issue. Asking if you're going out again puts too much pressure on him, and he may feel uncomfortable.

What's the worst mistake you've ever made on a date?
I once told a guy on a first date I was writing a dating book for Jewish women. He freaked out. Lesson learned!

Is there anything else you want to tell the Oy!Chicago readers about your new book?
I would like Oy!Chicago readers to know that there are so many great Jewish potential dates out there, especially in an educated city like Chicago. Don't be lazy and say, "I can't seem to meet any nice Jewish guys/girls." Make that effort to go to Jewish events to find them. You may not meet your match at your first or second event, but keep trying. All you need is one.

The good folks at Oy! asked me to write an article about myself.  For that reason I've decided to interview myself as if I am two different people. I guess in a way I am anyway. I am a writer, but I have a good story to tell too. So here goes: 

A few years ago, Lisa Lubin made a radical change. She quit her cushy TV producing job at ABC7 Chicago, sold her car and belongings, broke up with her boyfriend, and left the United States behind to travel around the world solo for 'one' year. She worked and traveled, and three years later, unpacked her bag in Chicago. Now she's building a new lifestyle and business, thanks to her travels and new perspective on life. 

What inspired you to quit your job and travel around the world? 
I have always loved traveling. Since I was little I loved exploring new towns and places. I would ride my bike down new streets mesmerized by something I’d never seen before. A few years after college I went backpacking for a month across Europe. That was it. I got the bug. I fell in love with the world and a world traveler was born. Since then I made a deal with myself to travel somewhere far during my vacation-time every single year and I did do that, but the longest I’d ever been away was three weeks (which was still longer than most Americans). I had never really planned on taking a year off before. In 2006, certain things in my life just fell into place and I realized I was "free" in a way. Then I read a book called One Year Off, by David Cohen. He and his wife took their three (!) kids around the world for a year. Then I realized if they could do it, I could do it. The opportunity was there and I needed to grab it.

A lot of people say that takes guts to do and it seems many want to do something like that, but just never do it. What do you say about that?
Many say I'm living out what others only dream of. And others have also said what I'm doing takes a lot of guts. The way I see it, those two things don’t exactly mix. I think in fantasy this is a dream trip for many. But in reality, the packing, leaving everything behind, quitting, and saying goodbye for a year is way too scary for most. I had thought about doing this awhile back, but even for me it was too much. But then somehow my plan seemed to slowly evolve right before my eyes and I was just going to do it. Kind of like most other big decisions in life, you never really know what the outcome will be until you do it. The biggest emotional obstacles are overcoming the fear of the unknown and also veering off the standard 'beaten path' that society sort of sets up for us. But my passion for travel allowed me to overcome any fear. Life is too short to put something like this off. If I did, many things could come up to prevent me from going. It was truly now or never.

How did you plan a vacation for 2+ years?
You don't. And you don't have to. As I went along, it became my job to sort out the next leg of my trip. Plus I tried to plan different and varied ways of getting to know each place. I didn’t want to be just walking around new cities and towns for a year. That could get old and I would have burned out very quickly. I took Spanish and surfing lessons in Costa Rica, rode through the narrow fjords and icy glaciers of the Chilean Patagonia, hiked up a snowy volcano in Ecuador, swam with dolphins off the coast of New Zealand, climbed high atop the Harbour Bridge in Sydney, sand-boarded the dunes of Dubai, kayaked between pristine islands of Belize, climbed like Moses to the top of Mt. Sinai, and successfully accomplished a two-week bicycle tour through the rice fields of Vietnam. I also found work in many places—I served up coffee and sandwiches in a café in Melbourne, taught private business English lessons in Istanbul, performed proofreading work for a Turkish media conglomerate, volunteered with the homeless at Christmas in London, worked as a research assistant at the University of Cologne, was a pet sitter and an ‘extra’ in Los Angeles, did public relations for a company in Madrid and did some English voice recording for a publishing company in Berlin.  

All these different activities also ensured that I would meet other travelers and also locals. My adventures have been amazing, but the best part would have to be all the wonderful people I have met from all corners of the globe—good, kind people. Connecting with people of all backgrounds has touched me in ways I will never ever forget.

Most people assume this was expensive. What did it cost? 
In a nutshell, my trip cost me less than it would have if I’d stayed and lived my 'normal' life in Chicago (when you take into account my mortgage payments, bills, and other monthly costs such as grocery bills and other random costs that come up each month). It certainly can be costly if you are staying at four and five star hotels and traveling in first class. But it can also be very affordable if you stay in hostels and budget hotels and get all the discounts you can. Most hostels average around $20 per night depending on the country you are in (in Costa Rica I stayed at one that was $6 a night for my own room (albeit tiny) and in Hanoi, Vietnam I had my own room and bathroom at a clean, budget hotel for $10/night. I usually travel alone—if you are able to travel with someone that cuts some costs in half. Now, things come up when traveling that raise costs such as special tours and trips—like taking surfing lessons or a boat cruise of the Galapagos Islands. But by saving money in cheaper countries you can make up for these costs. I cut corners where I could, but also didn’t want to deprive myself of some special ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunities. Plus, in a normal year just living at home, random costs like these often come up as well (car needs repairing, unexpected furnace replacement, etc.)…or even just trips to Target where I never could get out for under $100.

How has your life changed since your trip? 
The cool thing is in many ways my life has changed completely. I have yet to go back to a full time job and my freelance career has taken off around my blog, my writing, and my photography. I still freelance as a TV producer some, but I also just launched my own video consulting business, LLmedia. Since I have 15 years experience in television and now five years experience writing and marketing my own travel blog, it seemed the perfect way to bridge my two worlds and help other websites, small businesses, and entrepreneurs who are now trying to do their own videos for the web or their business.

What advice would you give to someone planning a round-the-world trip? 
Just do it! If you are already planning a trip then good for you! Because the hardest part is over—deciding to do it and figuring out how to make it work. I would definitely say it is not that hard. If you have the opportunity and the freedom to just go—grab the chance now when you can…don’t put if off for tomorrow, because something will always come up to get in your way. If you are organized everything kind of falls into place. I love the logistics, but it’s just a matter of making a ‘to do’ list and prioritizing. What are you going to do with your home? Car? Stuff? Find storage. Get a mover. Notify your friends, family. One of the best things I did was put a ‘call’ out to everyone I knew and ask for their friends or contacts anywhere around the world. I met some really cool people this way and had more local experiences by hooking up with friends of friends. Quit your job—a very fun thing to do! Or be lucky and get a sabbatical! Pack. Shop for travel gear. Buy some tickets and plan out some major things and at least a place to stay in your first country. And just marinate in the fact that you are doing something so many others “dream” of but never really have the balls to do!!!!

If you want more advice, I am hosting the Chicago portion of the second annual national Meet Plan Go event on October 18th. This inspirational night happens simultaneously in nearly 20 cities in North America and gives attendees information, support, and inspiration on taking their own sabbaticals and career breaks.

Lisa Lubin is a three-time Emmy-award-winning television writer/producer/photographer/traveler.  She documents her (mis)adventures on her blog, LLworldtour.com, with photographs and articles from the road/train/rickshaw/camel. 

I practice architecture. Although if you ask my bosses I’m sure they'd tell you that I’m just very good at playing the part. It is true that as a kid I had an extensive Lego collection that caused my mother many stubbed toes. I raided local construction sites for discarded two by fours—they looked discarded anyway—that I would use to fasten a variety of Laugierian Primitive Huts. While I do not dress in all black and do not wear slender framed eye glasses, I certainly have my own tradeMarked (pun intended) fashion quirks. Ninety degree weather is hardly an obstacle for my Patagonia down vest. My dress socks—usually polka-dotted cycling socks—rarely match. I'd like to think that I could easily pick an architect out of a line-up based solely on their stylish oddities.

There are certainly commonalities inside and outside of my profession about what architects do and what defines us as a larger whole. I'm not sure how many times I’ve been told that I must be good at math. I'm not sure how many times I’ve read the terms, 'zeitgeist' and 'vis a vis.' However, the commonality that bridges both of these is the idea that we as architects design and construct spaces that are intended for use by a group of people, a society, and a culture. There is a strong argument to be made that architecture strives to engage and construct the thoughts, feelings, and cultural settings of its period of time.

When I tasked myself to identifying my favorite Jewish architects there was a sense of futility. It is much easier for me to understand architecture, and more specifically an architect through the lens of a period of time, a specific ideology or place. It's much easier to identify something as Scandinavian, Post-Modernist, or contemporary. It is much harder to understand what role heritage plays in a specific individual or work. However, as I began to dig and investigate I got the sense that there was an added amount of importance, pride, and/or brevity to these architects and their works. This is especially true for when they dealt with designing Jewish institutions. With that said, my aim is not to attempt to identify any specific similarities nor is it to identify anything specifically Jewish. This is simply an exercise about listing my favorite Jewish architects with the hopes that you, the reader, may discover for yourself what makes them important to you and to society.

My top 10 Jewish architects (in no particular order): 

Frank Gehry (born Frank Goldberg):
Gehry is one of today's most famous architects. Winner of the Pritzker (architecture's most prestigious prize) and widely considered one of the most important contemporary architects, he changed his name early in his career at the behest of his wife to, presumably, avoid any anti-Semitic views.
My favorite work: DZ Bank in Berlin 

Dankmar Adler:
One of Chicago's greatest architects. He later partnered with Louis Sullivan (another of Chicago's most famous architects) and changed the modern cityscape by using modern steel skeleton structures to express the lightness and openness of modern buildings. He was an important figure within the Chicago School of Architects.
My favorite work: Auditorium Building in Chicago 

Auditorium Building 

Richard Meier:
Meier is a Jewish American architect and winner of the Priztker Prize. He is best known for his pure white rational design style. Meier is the only Jewish architect to have designed and built a church for the Roman Catholic Church.
My favorite work: Jubilee Church in Rome 

Luis Kahn:
My favorite architect and arguably the greatest American architect. Kahn is famous for his monumental style of architecture with focuses on pure form and function. He was commissioned to rebuild the Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem but sadly politics never allowed his design to be constructed.
My favorite work: The Kimbell Museum in Fort Worth, TX 

Daniel Libeskind:
Libeskind is a contemporary American architect. He won the master plan competition to reconstruct the World Trade Center sites following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York. Among his many famous designs are his three Jewish museums in Copenhagen, Berlin, and recently San Francisco.
My favorite work: Jewish Museum in Berlin 

Peter Eisenman:
Eisenman is a contemporary architect. He is best known for his fragmented work and as a great architectural theoretician. His design for a Holocaust memorial in Berlin created a lot of controversy for its stark and evocative expression.
My favorite work: Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Holocaust Memorial) in Berlin 

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (foreground) and DZ Bank (background) 

Marcel Breuer:
Breuer is a famous Hungarian-born architect from the Bauhaus school of design. He is most famous for his furniture designs. While relocating to London in the 30s due to the rise of Nazi party in Germany, he was introduced to one of the world’s leading furniture manufacturers and able to complete and build his most famous chair, the long chair.
My favorite work: long chair 

Moshe Safdie:
Safdie is a famous Canadian architect. He recently completed, The Kauffman Center, in Kansas City to much acclaim. He is best known for, at the ripe age of 24, winning a competition for the World's Fair in Montreal.
My favorite work: Habit 67 in Montreal 

Erich Mendelsohn:
Mendelsohn was a famous German architect whose very expressive works challenged the highly rational and utilitarian works for his contemporaries.
My favorite work: Einstein Tower in Potsdam 

Einstein Tower 

Arieh Sharon:
Sharon was an Israeli architect who was integral in establishing architectural style in Israel. He studied under famous Bauhaus architect, Walter Gropius, and started the Bauhaus style of Tel Aviv.
My favorite work: Jerusalem Master Plan of 1950 

Matt Pais has a cool job. Make that three of them. You might not know his name, but you’ve probably read his articles in the RedEye on your commute to work. A movie critic for the newspaper, he frequently writes witty, spot on movie reviews, interviews celebs and covers red carpet events throughout the city. He also oversees the Chicago.Metromix.com home page as the Metromix senior producer, digital and is a weekly correspondent for WCIU-Ch. 26’s “You and Me this morning.”

A Deerfield native and still under 30, Matt has already made quite the name for himself in the celebrity journalism world. A recent newlywed, Matt took some time out of his busy schedule to answer our AJYSK questions.
So whether you, too, want to be the next Gene Siskel, enjoy your latkes with sour cream and apple sauce or love Michigan, Matt Pais is a Jew You Should Know!

1. What is your favorite blog or website?
I must pick something unrelated to movies or music, so I'm going with SportsIllustrated.com.

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel to?
Europe. I've been to Spain (still need to go to Barcelona), London and Scotland, but there are a lot of places (next up: Italy) my wife and I want to go.

3. If a movie was played about your life, who would play you?
Ryan Gosling. No resemblance but he's great in everything, so I trust him to make it work.

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, dead or alive, famous or not, who would it be?
Pat Tillman and Jeff Buckley.

5. What is your idea of the perfect day?
Waking up to lemon ricotta pancakes at the bed and breakfast my wife and I go to every year in Union Pier, Michigan. Then reading and listening to music on the beach, followed by a bike ride along the country road. Mid-afternoon games, with wine. The world's best buffalo chicken pizza for dinner at Stray Dog Bar and Grill. Ending the day by looking at stars and enjoying the sound of the water.

6. What do you love about what you do?
The challenge of devising fun, unique questions for celebrity interviews. The ability to stretch from print to TV to radio to the Internet. A constant influx of new movies to see (free) and albums to hear (free). No complaints.

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
Guy ceaselessly pursuing the job I actually do have now.

8. What is your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
Eat latkes. Sour cream and applesauce please.

How’d you find your last apartment? Craigslist? Driving up and down streets looking for rental signs? Or maybe you want to one of the many rental companies popping up around the city that specialize in finding people apartments? If so, you might have worked with Kevin Friduss. Kevin, a DU graduate, is a real estate consultant.

Away from work, Kevin, a self-proclaimed, “extreme outdoor enthusiast” can be found at the beach in the summer and on a mountain in the winter. A nationally ranked Triathlete and huge Chicago sports fan, Kevin also has a passion for writing (he just might be the next Oy! blogger) and planning events.

So whether you want to travel the world in a day, enjoy a good grape stomping or need help finding your perfect home, Kevin Friduss is a Jew You Should Know!

1. What is your favorite blog or website?
After attending college at the University of Denver, I became obsessed with college hockey. My favorite blog is letsgodu.blogspot.com, because it is everything DU sports. If I had to choose the website I use most, it would be Weather.com.

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel to?
I would start the day by taking a private jet to the big island of Hawaii where I would have an early golf game at one of the islands most expensive courses. Then I would get on a supersonic jet and fly to New Zealand for some adrenalin-pumping and heart-stopping extreme sports that they have to offer. For lunch, I would board a passing cruise ship for a massive buffet of lobster, shrimp and crab. Because I would be consuming so many calories, I would swim a couple miles back to shore and hopefully be greeted with a solid hour of video games in a private movie theater all to myself with my closest friends. After that, we would fly first-class to Disney World for a night of fun at Epcot and finish off at Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney.

3. If a movie was played about your life, who would play you?
Kevin Costner

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, dead or alive, famous or not, who would it be?
Michael Jackson. He had a profound effect on my life. I would also invite Lucille Ball and get in a grape stomping contest with her.

5. What is your idea of the perfect day?
I would start with an early swim in Lake Michigan, then a run over to the Green City Market in Lincoln Park for some brioche bread and crepes. A picnic in the park would be nice, and then a walk on the lakefront. To top it off, a sushi dinner at Toro, and then a movie.

6. What do you love about what you do?
I get to talk to cool people all day while looking at apartments.

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
I have always wanted to be an event planner for major concerts and/or sporting events.

8. What is your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
I volunteer for the Great Midwest Region of BBYO. I love attending events with my chapter based out of Northbrook!

If you're new to Chicago or just looking for a new apartment, you can reach Kevin at KevinFriduss@gmail.com and he'll help you find your next place!

Photo credit: Joe Davis 

The Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre (EESDT) recently celebrated its 35th Anniversary during the ten-day American Spanish Dance and Music Festival. The anniversary celebration concluded with three dramatic shows on June 24, 25, and 26 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Now based at Northeastern Illinois University, the EESDT was founded in 1976 by Dame Libby Komaiko, who is the Ensemble’s Artistic Director. In 1983, His Majesty Don Juan Carlos I, King of Spain, presented Dame Libby with the highest honor the country bestows on a foreign national, the “Lazo de Dama” de la Orden de Isabel la Catolica (Ribbon of the Dame) to recognize her accomplishments in advancing the artistic, cultural, and educational values of the Spanish tradition through the arts in the United States.

Dame Libby is also, Jewish. This is actually not surprising, as Flamenco—which is commonly known for its Spanish roots—has long been a fusion of cultural influences. There is a strong Jewish imprint in Flamenco-style dance, as well as Indian, Greek, Roman and Persian influences.

I recently had the opportunity to take in a performance of the EESDT anniversary show. Comprised of fourteen fabulous Flamenco inspired dance performances, the show ranged from pieces with the entire cast to duet dances and solos. Watching the dancers perform, was like watching a vibrant painting unfold before me with invigorating movement and music that enlivened my senses.

After the performance, I spoke with Sara Samuels, another Jewish dancer with EESDT and a native Chicagoan.

Sarah began dancing at the early age of 6 with Lilette Rohe of the Lilette Rohe School of Ballet in Evanston. After high school, Sara decided to travel to Spain to study and fell in love with Spanish culture. Upon returning to the United States, she learned about the EESDT and knew from that moment that she wanted to pursue her dancing career there. Sara began studying under Dame Libby in 1991 and became a Full Company Dancer in 1996. She is now a Principal Dancer and recently was awarded the position of Associate Artistic Director of the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Youth Company. With EESDT, she annually performs across the United States and internationally. She also teaches a variety of classes and workshops on a regular basis.

When asked about the effect her Jewish faith has had on her dance, Sara noted that since there is so much feeling and so many emotions you can go through in Flamenco to express yourself, “any experience you have growing up is going to influence” your dance. Although she does not credit her Jewish background for impacting her as a dancer overall, she acknowledged that she is reminded of her Jewish culture in some of the music she hears while she dances, particularly High Holiday music.

President Barack Obama wrote a letter to the EESDT congratulating it for celebrating its 35th Anniversary. In the letter he stated that dance can, “build bridges and enrich lives … bringing communities together.” Watching EESDT perform, I saw firsthand how culturally infused and emotionally charged Flamenco can be, as an audience of all ages and backgrounds took in the performance. I encourage others to see it for themselves.

Here is the schedule for upcoming Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater performances:
- Ensemble Español returns to the Harris Theater with Global Rhythms to perform Bolero Saturday, Nov. 26
- Ensemble Español will be featured in Hispanic Heritage concerts at Northeastern Illinois University, Oct. 11 – 14
- Family Holiday Concerts at Northeastern Dec. 13 – 15  

For more information about Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theatre and to purchase tickets for any of their upcoming performances, check out their website at www.ensembleespanol.org.  

The mood in Chicago's Daley Plaza was bittersweet June 23, as some 500 Chicagoans gathered to show support for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

The crowd was somber, noting Shalit's years in captivity, but also prayerful for his safe return to his family.

The candlelight vigil Light the Night for Gilad Shalit was held on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Shalit's abduction from Israel by the terrorist group Hamas. On June 25, 2006, Shalit—then a 19-year-old soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)—was attacked while guarding a place called Kerem Shalom (Vineyard of Peace), one of half a dozen border crossings between Israel and Gaza. Contrary to international law and all standards of decency, the kidnapped soldier also has been held virtually incommunicado, with no right of visitation by any humanitarian body.

In his opening remarks, Oren Dekalo, Vice Chair for the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago (JCRC), thanked the crowd for attending and asked everyone to contemplate all Gilad has missed out on in the past five years.

"I'd like us to take a moment and pause," he said. "Consider some of the life events we've either experienced ourselves or shared with others over the last five years—birthdays, weddings, graduation ceremonies, children being born. Even some of the more mundane parts of life— trips taken, movies seen, books read. The world has changed greatly in its last five years. It is truly a different place than back in 2006. It is now half a decade later and Gilad is still captive. Let us pause and think about what it must be like for Gilad and his family to miss out on the past five years."

The Honorable Orli Gil, consul general of Israel to the Midwest, asked vigil participants to put themselves in the place of Shalit and his family. "Mothers in Israel and everywhere can relate with Aviva Shalit," she said. "Imagine yourselves in a cell alone for a day, a month, a year. It's cold in the winter and almost unbearably hot in the summer. Gilad has remained in the same place."

Gil also explained why his freedom is so important to the state of Israel. "Every soldier leaves behind a mother and father. Gilad has become the symbolic son for all Israelis. We all feel the pain of his family, because all Jews are responsible for one another," she said. "Let us hope the Shalit family is strengthened tonight by the solidarity from Chicago."

"It is a great honor for me to be part of this very moving get together," said The Honorable Graham Paul, Consul General of France speaking on behalf of his country. "Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit is also a French citizen," he said. "Our message today is that we will not forget Gilad Shalit and we will continue to fight for his immediate liberation. Our resolve remains stronger than ever. Our message today is that Gilad Shlait must be released unconditionally."

Dekalo read a message from Gilad's father Noam Shalit asking the Jewish community of Chicago to continue asserting pressure for Gilad's release. (Watch a video message from Noam Shalit)

Alderman Debra Silverstein (50th ward) also addressed the gathering. "It is humbling to be surrounded by so many people who came here for such a worthy cause," she said. "My prayer is next year we come together to celebrate his return."

The evening included a prayer for the safety of captive soldiers led by Rabbi Carl Wolkin, president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, a poem read by Betsy Katz from the American Jewish Committee, and a powerful rendition of Oseh Shalom sung by the Shireinu Choir from Anshe Emet Synagogue.

The vigil was attended by community members of all ages. Tamara Cohen, a student at Ida Crown Jewish Academy, in Chicago, attended the vigil with friends. "I came here because I feel it is really important," she said. "Every day at school we say a special prayer for Shalit and I feel really connected to him and to Israel."

Shiva Bradley is from Chicago, but lived in Israel for 18 years. Though she worries about whether Gilad is still alive, she came to rally because she is, "a supporter of all Israeli things, and definitely this."

Michael Szanto was there to show solidarity with Shalit. "We need to rescue him from his captivity. His treatment is horrible and it's an act of terrorism and we need to stand up to the extremist just like we did in World War II," Szanto said.

Yunit, a 9-year-old student at Chicago Jewish Day School attended the vigil with her father. "I'm here to support Gilad Shalit and his family," she said. Aton, 11, summed it up best with, "I just want this guy free. "

Steve Dishler, director of International Affairs of JUF's Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), concluded the nights program by asking everyone to "continue showing your compassion for Gilad by talking about Gilad to family and friends," he said. "And by urging your member of Congress to sponsor House Resolution 317, introduced this week through JUF's urging by Rep. Dold of Illinois and Rep. Ackerman of New York."

View the full resolution and send a letter to your member of Congress.

The candlelight vigil was sponsored by JUF's Jewish Community Relations Council with JUF's Young Leadership Division, Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, AIPAC, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, Chicago Board of Rabbis, Friends of the IDF, and Israel Bonds. 

For Chicago native David Grossman, it’s all about fresh, convenient and healthy food, which is exactly what his restaurant Freshii embodies. Grossman is the president of Freshii and has opened numerous locations in the Chicago area as well as in 12 other cities including Los Angeles, Toronto and Dubai. Grossman is confident that Freshii is here for the long haul because he has extensive experience in the restaurant industry and knows that choosing to eat healthy food with no preservatives, no grease fat fryers and no open flame is not a fad people are just trying out for a while, but a lifestyle.

So whether you love healthy eats, have dreams of being an MLB ump or want to travel to India, David Grossman is a Jew You Should Know!

1. What is your favorite blog or website?
I am not really the blogging type, but CNN is my default page, it’s where I get my news and sports.

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel to?
I have done some traveling in the past, but I would like to go to India. I love the food, the architecture and the history.

3. If a movie was played about your life, who would play you?
Some very handsome man, that’s for sure. I would go with George Clooney.

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, dead or alive, famous or not, who would it be?
My dad and Jim Morrison, because he wrote a great book titled “No one gets out of here alive.”

5. What is your idea of the perfect day?
Wake up and have breakfast with the family, then go golfing with my three closest friends and get a hole in one—Have some beer with my friends after golf, go to dinner with my family and my extended family, and then come home and have some quality time with the wife.

6. What do you love about what you do?
I love that every day is something different—there is always a problem, or an obstacle to overcome and it is my job to deal with it and fix it. I also love teaching my interns and employees and watching them learn and grow as people as well as within the business.

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
I would want to be an MLB umpire or an announcer for the NBA, MLB, or NFL.

8. What is your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
Going to the Eleven City Diner and getting the Big Macher with diet Dr. Brown black cherry soda. 

Noa has a sunny disposition to match her bouncy, blond ringlets which is partly why I didn’t catch the signs of her deteriorating health. My eyes flew wide open in mid-May when she had an acute asthma episode and turned some scary shades of blue.

Breathing takes on new meaning after watching your 6-year old pull her oxygen tank through the hospital corridors. She pretended it was her dog. She named it Moxie.

My daughter spent four days at Lutheran General with a partially collapsed right lung and IV steroids, sunny disposition fully intact. She licked cherry popsicles around the clock, played Crazy Eights bedside with volunteers named Jenny, and cried just once, only a little, when her IV was removed.

Unlike Noa, I don’t have a sunny disposition (particularly when sleep deprived). But I, too, know asthma. And I, too, am resilient.

I was the kid with sissy, snotty asthmatic lungs and an inhaler. In seventh grade gym class, you could find me schlepping around the track at the back of the pack thinking, Wow, this really sucks. And suck it would to die from respiratory failure at age 12 wearing a school-issued, polyester, pinstriped onesie that snapped at the shoulders. On particularly bad days, I’d go home and my lung doctor dad would pound on my chest to dislodge any residual mucus.

In short, I hated running.

For over three decades, I hated running. So for over 30 years, I did not run, not even for the train. (Except the one time I did. And fractured my left cuboid.)

But – as with many things in life – needs change, tastes evolve, lungs mature. In November of 2009, I started running the streets of Skokie each night after tucking my girls into bed. I was in search of solitude and serenity and running fit my working mom schedule. A colleague with four kids ran a marathon in a skirt. A pair of size 8 lime-trimmed New Balance called out to me from Marshall’s clearance racks. Desperation, inspiration, an amazing shoe sale . . . the next thing you know, I’ve taken up running in the dead of Chicago winter.

With running, I found I could open the door, put one foot in front of the other, and be done 30 minutes later. I didn’t need anything; just my shoes and my thoughts. Whatever I was stressing or swearing about as I laced up those shoes dissipated by the time I got home. I could go further every day. And I could breathe.

I knew what my breath looked like when it was five below zero. I knew what my neighbors watched on their flat screen TVs. Even better, I knew when Orion appeared in the sky. I knew that Devonshire smelled like laundry detergent on Sunday mornings. How far I’d gone or how fast I’d run, I had no idea – but with sweat-drenched shirts in the bitter cold, a Chicago winter has never passed more quickly.

In February of 2010, I ran for the first (and last) time on a treadmill, like a hamster on a wheel going nowhere quickly. I became fixated on the numbers in red, measuring calories, heart rate, speed, converting kilometers to miles and back again, wondering if my ass would expand exponentially the moment I stopped.

I had reached that critical juncture, as with any new love, when it was time to define the nature of the relationship. Do I let myself be wooed by fartleks, Turkey Trots, and negative splits – concepts that two months ago were not a part of my vocabulary? Do I become obsessed with the anatomy of a leg? Do I start frequenting running stores and online forums and buying Garmin gadgets that yesterday I didn’t know existed? Or do I run for the sheer pleasure, because I can?

As I wrote that month in my journal, I look forward to my first spring as a runner (am I a runner?), running in the forest preserve, watching the streams thaw. I look forward to feeling asphalt turn to dirt turn to sand beneath my feet, as I run past dog beaches, sand castles, cloud formations, shades of Lake blue Michigan. With a collegial nod of my head, I’ll acknowledge my fellow runners. (Am I a runner?) Will I ever run in a pack with a number on my chest feeding my ego? Or do I just step outside, take a deep breath, and feel the earth move under my feet.  

For the next year, I stuck with my carefree, sporadic, solo runs. I knew the exhilaration of seeing a deer on the path at dusk. Nature, solitude, and wellness. That was enough.

You’re probably expecting me to say it was the challenge of Noa’s asthma that prompted me to undertake the challenge of a half marathon. To show her that a person with asthma (like her and like me) can learn to manage it, breathe, and run free. That you can be a mom and a professional and a strong active woman who knows she is not perfect, who knows nothing is perfect, who knows the world is beautiful, who knows she is beautiful as she runs.

That’s the version of the story that I will play in my head during the final few miles on Sunday, when I’m at the back of the pack thinking, Wow, this really sucks. That’s the version I’ll be telling Noa when I cross the finish line.

But the truth is in February of 2011 I had my own health scare. Room-spinning vertigo followed by a brain MRI. “You have a brain lesion and need to see a neurologist,” said Dr. Stern. A long, scary wait, followed by a positive prognosis. Collective sigh.

In short, I registered for the North Shore Half Marathon because I didn’t have a brain tumor. I had excess energy that needed to be redirected. 13.1 miles with throngs of spectators should do it.

I don’t think of it as a race. I think of it as my first group run. Everyone asks me my pace and I still don’t know. Yes, I traded in cotton for wicking and developed a fondness for organic pomegranate passion energy chews. I’ve subscribed to Runner’s World, watched Chariots of Fire, read Born to Run, and yes, I even want a Nike Sports Watch GPS for my birthday. But on Sunday I’ll be lining up at the back of the pack and my goal is just to finish.

Yesterday I drove the course in Highland Park. In short, I’m so fucked. But tickled to discover the final two miles take me directly past the house I lived in during my angstiest teen years and the high school I so loathed. If I’m still vertical, I imagine I’ll feel triumphant.

This one is for Noa, Moxie, and Emma. Rachel. Sarah and Brett. And the pediatric staff at Lutheran General (especially Aunt Dr. Karen)! 

Postscript: Dana at the 6/12 finish line with her two daughters – still vertical, slightly nauseous, feeling triumphant. 

“Eating disorders provide opportunity to excel, which is so important in the Jewish community.” Stated Adrienne Ressler— eating disorders and body image specialist for the Renfrew Center— in her opening remarks at a recent conference in Chicago: “Food, Body Image, and Eating Disorders in the Jewish Community.” More than 35 women participated in the half-day seminar from a variety of professional backgrounds including, mental health professionals, educators and rabbis.

The rise  

In recent years, according to Ressler and other professionals at The Renfrew Center, a pioneer foundation in eating disorder treatment, there’s been a 500 percent increase in the number of women in the United States who they treat that identify as Jewish. Though no one denomination attributes to the rise, the number of Orthodox women admitted to the center grew so much in recent years that they recently launched a separate program to accommodate observant Jewish women.

Adult women  

Another unexpected trend— the number of adult women seeking treatment. In 2001, 10 percent of the Renfrew Center’s clientele were over age 35, today that number is closer to 27 percent. Ressler explains, “this is because many young girls don’t get help that they need at a young age [so they] have problems throughout life that don’t get addressed until adulthood.” Ressler’s research examines the relationship between mothers and daughters and how this special bond can influence body image and even perpetuate the cycle of eating disorder from mother to daughter. “It is important to understand what is going on with adult women and how it is affecting the home and their children,” she said. “It’s L'dor v'dor or generation to generation— disordered eating is passed down.”

Eating disorders in Israel  

Marjorie C. Feinson, another speaker at the conference and the principal investigator in the first community study of disordered eating and domestic abuse among women in Israel, shared findings from her study.

Feinson interviewed 501 Jewish women in Israel from all different backgrounds and found that 15.2 percent of the total population in that country has an eating disorder of some kind. She broke the numbers down further by religious denomination and found that whether a woman was secular or Orthodox, the percentages stayed basically the same.

While the study has yet to be duplicated in the United States, Feinson believes that, “other studies show that it’s somewhere between 12-17 percent, so the rates are very similar whether you are a Jewish woman in Israel or the United States.”

Feinson’s research suggests food culture in Israel is a major culprit, especially among the observant. “There are 18 religious holidays not including Shabbat that involve food preparation in Israel and with Shabbat preparations starting as early as Wednesday,” said Feinson. “Women who suffer, have no escape from the kitchen.” In one interview she conducted, an Ultra Orthodox woman told Feinson, “that her bulimia starts at Chanukah each year when she has to bake the Sufganiyah. She’d binge and purge the jelly donuts and it would take her five or six months to break the cycle. When she told her husband that it was no longer healthy for her to bake the treats for him and their six sons, he responded, ‘what kind of Jewish mother are you not to bake for Chanukah?’

But there’s hope  

Still the conference ended on a hopeful note. Ressler concluded by highlighting the number of resources for support and recovery within our Jewish community. She also suggested the importance of “strong female role models, our religious and cultural traditions, and a rich heritage of generational connections and rituals, which can be used for healing.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, resources are available. Contact the Renfrew Center or the Jewish Healing Network. 

There’s a new Bear in town—and he’s Jewish!

Gabe Carimi, former co-captain and star offensive lineman of the Big Ten champion Wisconsin Badgers was the Chicago Bears’ number one draft pick in 2011. At 6 foot 7 and 327 pounds, Carimi has already been appropriately nicknamed the “Bear Jew” after the character from the movie Inglourious Basterds; his other nickname is the “Jewish Hammer.”

As a former Badger myself, I was excited to chat with Carimi about his time at UW-Madison and his new home in Chicago.

Originally from Lake Forest, Carimi grew up in Wisconsin, which begs the question: Bears or Packers?

“I grew up being a Packer fan, but obviously found the error of my way and now I’m glad I’m on the Bears,” Carimi said. “I really did go into the draft process [thinking] the Bears would have been the best place for me to be. And I was really excited to get drafted by them.”

Going into his first season as a Chicago Bear, he is most excited about playing in his first NFL game.

“I’m always going to try to achieve the best…” Carimi said. “Eventually I want to be working hard enough to be an All-Pro player. I know it’s going to take a lot of hard work [but] it’s nothing I’m not used to. Throughout college I had to work hard to get to where I was so [I’ll] just keep working hard to try to become a great NFL player.”

To say that Carimi worked hard in college would definitely be an understatement. In addition to his many accomplishments on the field—he received the Outland Trophy for his performance as offensive lineman, was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, and he received Marty Glickman Outstanding Jewish Scholastic Athlete of the year award, to name a few—Carimi also made Academic All-Big 10 for all four years, maintaining above a 3.0 as a civil engineering major, which is no easy feat.

Carimi said his favorite football memory at Wisconsin was beating longtime Wisconsin rival Ohio State during a night game—which us Badgers know is the most exciting time for a game. Though he says he will miss Madison—the lakes and the cool college atmosphere of his hometown—he is looking forward to life in a big city like Chicago. He is also excited about getting involved in Chicago’s Jewish community.

“I’m very proud of my Jewish identity,” Carimi said. “I have fasted on game days for Yom Kippur and [broke the fast] right before the game, I know Matt Bernstein [former fullback for the Badgers] did that too. I look up to him and he did it so I felt strongly about doing that too.”

Growing up, Carimi and his family went to a reform synagogue, Temple Beth El in Madison, and Jewish tradition was an important aspect of his family life.

“We always went to Temple on Friday nights,” he said. “Seeing that love and faith made me want to be strong in my religion.”

He does not view his Jewish identity as an obstacle for his professional football career.

“I looked up the next 15 years Yom Kippur won’t happen on a Sunday, so it really helps out.”

And with his height, stature, and skill on the field, Carimi is literally crushing the stereotype that Jews are not good football players.

Lastly, I asked Gabe the question Jewish mothers all over Chicagoland wanted to know—is he single?

“Haha, no I’m not single. I’m sorry, Jewish mothers all over Chicago.”

Bummer. Well, Bear Down, Bear Jew! See you in September! 

Is he or she "the one?"

If you're, well, human, you've probably asked that question about a past or present mate at some point in your courtship. What if you could conduct a scientific experiment to test the answer to that universal question? In the new quirky romantic comedy film, Losing Control, (A PhD Production)—which premieres in Chicago in June—Samantha Bazarick (played by Miranda Kent of TV's Campus Ladies) tests just that.

Samantha, played by Miranda Kent, is a Harvard biochemist, looking for Mr. Right. 

Samantha, a sweet and neurotic Jewish Harvard biochemist working on her Ph.D., has discovered the Y-kill protein. Four years after her discovery, though, she has yet to replicate her results. Outside the lab, Samantha's frustrated as well. Her boyfriend of five years, Ben, (played by Reid Scott, of My Boys) proposes, but Samantha rejects him, and sets out—on a series of dating mishaps—to find proof whether he's Mr. Right.

Written and directed by Valerie Weiss, the film is loosely based on Weiss's real-life experience as a Jewish woman getting a Ph.D. in biophysics at Harvard—minus the part about finding proof that her husband is the one. "I wanted to make a movie about that time in your life when you're dating and thinking about who you're going to end up with," says Weiss, a young Jewish filmmaker living in Los Angeles, who is 9 months pregnant with her second child. "I thought a female scientist would offer a unique perspective to that universal question about love."

Samantha questions whether she should marry her boyfriend Ben (Reid Scott).  

The film comes to Chicago as part of the third annual "Twix Presents: TBS Just for Laughs Chicago" comedy festival, taking place June 14-19. "Just for Laughs" and The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago will present five nights of independent comedic shorts and feature films, including "Losing Control," playing Saturday, June 11 and Tuesday, June 14. The films will take place within Indie Comedy—The Christopher Wetzel Award for Independent Film Comedy, created at the Gene Siskel Film Center to support independent filmmakers.

Jeffrey M. Loeb, a young Jewish Chicagoan active in the Jewish community, is the executive producer of the film. "As a native Chicagoan, I am excited for all my friends and family to get a chance to see the movie they all have heard so much about," he says. "While film festival and college campus audiences have loved Losing Control, these Chicago screenings are our first opportunity to show that a diverse, big-city audience will love it too."

Weiss wrote Samantha as a Jewish scientist because she wanted to defy the notion that science and faith can't mix. "People always think science and faith are so different or that scientists aren't superstitious but if you grow up a certain way, it's going to affect your way of thinking," Weiss says. "Samantha's an analytical scientist, but she very much has the neuroses and inconsistencies that her mom (played by Lin Shaye, There's Something About Mary) does. There is science but there is also a plan and God and they can both work together."

Valerie Weiss, the Jewish writer/director of the film. 

With so much technology and education out there today, the younger generation of 20 and 30-somethings think they can control their lives—even their dating lives—more easily than their parents' generation, but some parts of life just can't be controlled, says Weiss.

Also in contrast to their mothers, today's generation of young women, Weiss says, have tougher decisions to make when it comes to settling down. "Now that women are just as career-obsessed as men, it's a much harder decision to make about whom they end up with," she said. "It's harder to figure out how they're going to balance everything so finding the right person is more of a puzzle than it ever was."

For tickets to the Chicago screenings of the film, visit http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/losing-control  

A girl’s sexual status is a metaphor for how well she fits into the American ideal of femininity.
–Leora Tanenbaum, author of “Growing Up Female With A Bad Reputation, Slut!”

When I was 10 years old I bought a pin that said, “Trust in God. She’ll provide.” From an early age, I was a self-declared feminist.

I grew up in a house of all women, as one of three daughters, and early on, I became aware of the complexities of gender, with parents maintaining very traditional gender roles, while encouraging us girls to grow up and become president some day—as long as we got married…to a doctor, or a lawyer. None of us are president yet, but we are all feminists. I have my oldest sister to thank for introducing me to feminism at a young age. She was starting college at the time and had discovered the women’s studies program at her school. She came home aglow with information for me. I later followed in her footsteps and got a women’s studies minor at college.

Being a feminist takes on a different meaning for each woman who ascribes to feminist theories, and the movement itself doesn’t judge or measure. However, I do think a little knowledge is a powerful thing. Many young girls and young women accept misogyny, objectification, slut-bashing and even rape as normal elements of society because they can’t put their finger on why they shouldn’t. It’s everywhere. As the feminist phrase goes, “The personal is political.” Perhaps we need to check in with ourselves and with society around us more frequently than we actually do.

As Jewish people celebrate Israel’s independence this month and prepare for Israel Solidarity Day featuring the Walk with Israel at the beginning of June, another walk is under way—a march, in fact.

The level to which women have been “liberated” in America has room for improvement. Canada recently sounded the alarms and the world is listening. Canadians were outraged when a representative of the Toronto police service this past January told women they should avoid dressing like sluts in order to not be victimized. This statement sparked the organization of the first-ever SlutWalk, a sexual assault awareness event, April 3, 2011 in Toronto.

The SlutWalk movement caught on like wildfire in a matter of four and half months and satellite SlutWalks are now being organized all over the world, including in our own backyard—and two vocal Jewish women are behind it. Slutwalk Chicago, which is scheduled to take place from 12 to 3 p.m., Saturday June 4 in Chicago’s loop is being organized by Jewish Chicagoans and co-founders Jessica Skolnik, 32, and Jamie Keiles, 19.

“I think we make a pretty great team!” Jessica says. “I'm an older grump who cut her teeth on riot grrrl and Jamie is a whip-smart younger woman who has tons of ideas and enthusiasm.”

Jessica, a DC area native, is a survivor of sexual assault and has been involved with feminist and labor organizing and activism for more than 15 years. Jamie, a first year at the University of Chicago and a Pennsylvania native, is known for her social experiment “The Seventeen Magazine Project,” (a blog project examining the messages in the teen magazine). She’s working on her first book, a guide to media and culture for teens.

Jessica and Jamie met over the blogosphere and decided to join forces in organizing the walk. More than 2,500 people have RSVP’ed on SlutWalk Chicago’s Facebook page.

Check out my interview with Jessica below:  

Why is it so hard for society to get rid of the “slut” label? What does it mean for a 2011 population to “reclaim the word ‘slut’”? What signs will we see when we’ve made progress?
The word "slut" has been thus far a pretty effective way to judge and control the sexual behavior and bodies of marginalized people, which is why I believe it's stuck around so long. Nasty and systemic stuff.

I actually am not personally invested in reclaiming the word 'slut'… I'd like the concept to disappear off the map entirely, as I don't think "sluts" exist (nor do "prudes," on the other end of the spectrum). It'd be really beautiful and liberating to live in a world free of judgments about others' consensual sexual choices and behavior, and that's the world I'm pushing toward.

Is the main focus of the march raising awareness about sexual assault and perceptions, or is there a larger mission about how society perceives women?
It's really both, which is something that can be hard to communicate sometimes. I do believe that the SlutWalk name has the ability to kindle a discussion about the connection between sexual double standards and victim-blaming in a culture that normalizes rape as "just something that happens" and implies that experiencing a rape [is] something the survivor should be ashamed of.

SlutWalk’s mission statement talks about “uniting people across diverse populations.” What types of groups has that included and what groups are you hoping to reach?
We'd really like to reach people across all boundaries—across class lines and color lines, regardless of gender or sexual self-identification, regardless of ability, regardless of creed or religion.

In what ways is this cause personal for you?
I was assaulted by acquaintances at 13 and date-raped at 18, and in both cases had the support of my parents and a few friends but was really hurt by authority figures who were "supposed" to help and support me. I filed a police report at the encouragement of my school counselor when I was 13; my report was never followed up on and the officers who took my statement were extremely judgmental towards me, implying that I had brought the assault on myself because I hadn't been a "good girl." When I was 18, I reported what had happened to me to the college I was attending and was only offered a "mediation" with the people involved in the assault (who refused to be part of it); I still had to share the (small) campus with them until I transferred schools (which I did as soon as possible). (There's more to both stories, but I'd rather not go into the gory and triggering details.) I've seen the system fail over and over again for myself and other survivors. I've had the nastiest slurs hurled my way because of what I've survived. If there was ever a cause for me that was deeply ingrained in my experiences, this is it.

Do any of these efforts fit into your identity as a Jewish woman? What would you hope Jewish women took away from the message of this walk?
My family is Jewish in heritage but I was not raised observant; my ties are mainly cultural. I've always really identified with and liked the fact that there is such a sense of community responsibility and support in the Jewish community, and I see that reflected in this walk. This march is an educational one, one that hopes to push cultural boundaries toward more respectful, thoughtful and healthy territory.

Why do you think the message of this walk is important for a Chicago audience and also for uniting Chicagoans?
First of all, Chicago is a huge and diverse (if not notably stratified and segregated) city with a storied history of socially progressive activism. We've got a lot of really amazing allies in the Chicago area and we're really excited about a coalition of activists and general citizens meeting up and learning from one another at this event.

Secondly, this event feels particularly timely in light of some of the news we've seen recently (the Tiawanda Moore case, for instance, which goes to trial right before the walk, or the Rogers Park police sexual misconduct/assault case) throughout the city. There's never an inappropriate time for an event like this, as (unfortunately) the theme is always resonant, but it happens to be something that's been in the headlines here as well.

Which communities/people do you find are most risk of sexual assault and why?
Honestly, I don't believe that any one community is more at risk than another. Sexual assault is unfortunately something that happens across many different types of boundaries, which is one reason we're so invested in this being an equitable movement that is accessible to all. The thing is, sexual assault isn't about sex, it's about power and control, about gaining a sense of power through the humiliation and pain of another human being—so those who are most at risk are often those who in most situations have less power or are more marginalized because we're viewed as more vulnerable.

Can you talk more on the idea of a culture that teaches “don’t get raped” as opposed to “don’t rape,” mentioned in your literature?
One of the main problems with telling people how to behave in order to not get raped (besides the fact that it's based on myths about what sexual assault looks like, why it's perpetrated and how it occurs) is that it puts the responsibility for the assault onto the survivor as much as the perpetrator. It also presupposes that that's just "how things are," that it'll never change, and that there's no problem with the way things are—when there is very clearly a problem with a world in which women's personal choices, bodies and clothing are policed, and in which simply being a woman in public space is perceived as an invitation to harassment and possibly assault. Moving the responsibility onto the perpetrator—and ONLY the perpetrator—is thus both not only the just response but a mark of a cultural shift away from shame and toward healthy and open discussion of human sexuality as well as sexual violence (though they both contain references to sex, it bears reiterating that sexual violence actually has nothing to do with sex as a motive—sex is a tool in that case used to overpower and control another person). Too many of us aren't taught what it means to make an informed choice to engage in sexual behavior and what crossing the line into nonconsensual behavior looks like.

What do you hope for the next generation?
I'd love to see a world in which consent training is taught in schools as part of sex ed, where nobody is afraid to occupy public space for fear of harassment, where young women aren't taught to compete and to tear one another down, where harmful gender binaries aren't reinforced over and over again by pop culture. I'd hope for thoughtful and nuanced conversation around these topics instead of hate speech and mudslinging. That's probably one hope too far, but, you know, dream big.

I'd also like to see education about sexual assault survivors' support and consent for lawmakers, for lawyers, for medical professionals, for school counselors and psychiatrists, for police—for anyone in a position of authority who might touch a survivor's (or potential survivor's) life. I'd love to see really thoughtful conversations focused on support and understanding come from this march.

As mentioned on Toronto site, they hope this conversation continues. Do you hope that for Chicago too? In what ways do you plan to put that in place?
Absolutely. We hope to continue the conversation through a blog but also through broader coalition-building and further programs with other organizations; one of the projects I'm personally hoping to work on is a consent training curriculum and program with the SHEER Collective.

When Jewish author Bruce Feiler was five years old, he was struck by a car while riding his Schwinn bike, breaking his left femur. More than 30 years later, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in that same femur. Whether the accident and his illness were related or mere coincidence, he will never know. Recognizing that his cancer could be life-threatening, he feared that he may not watch his 3-year-old twin daughters grow up, that he wouldn’t be there to guide them through the twists and turns of life. That sparked in Feiler the idea of “The Council of Dads,” where he invited six men from all passages in his life to convey important life lessons to his daughters in the event that he didn’t survive.

Thankfully, Feiler has triumphed over his cancer and been in remission for two years. He writes about his experience and the lessons the men taught his daughters—and ultimately Feiler—in his book The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could be Me (William Morrow, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers). The author spoke in Chicago in March and returns to Chicago on Wednesday, June 15 to speak at Ravinia Green Country Club Day in Riverwoods. Oy!Chicago conducted a phone interview with the author at his home in Brooklyn this spring.

Oy!Chicago: Why did you want to write the book?
Bruce Feiler: I wanted the experience of asking each one of these men the one piece of advice they would give to my girls. I was so inspired by their answers that I wanted to gather it in one place so that my girls could have it some day. [I wrote a letter to my girls] that appears at the end of Council of Dads with all of the wisdom there in one place: Approach the cow, pack your flip-flops, don’t see the wall, tend your tadpoles, live the questions, harvest miracles. This advice was meant for the girls but I’m the one who really needed it.

What were the criteria you used for picking your council of dads?
When I first had the idea, I didn’t want to tell my wife. She’s a very upbeat person and I thought we should focus on the positive. But then, the next day I told her and she loved it, but she quickly began rejecting my nominees. It was an unexpected way to learn what my wife thought of my friends. Then, we made a set of rules to guide us such as no family, only friends—family would already be there—and your friends know you differently. Next, only men because we were trying to fill the male space. Then, intimacy over longevity because some of the newer friends would capture the dad I wanted to be.

You mention that one of the unexpected gifts is telling each of these men what they mean to you. Have you made a practice of this even now that you’re healthy?
This is one of the biggest pieces of advice that I give to people—sit down with your closest friends and tell them what they mean to you. It’s an incredibly rare thing that we do and yet it’s very powerful. Anybody who has ever touched illness or been through a difficult circumstance in life is so moved by the people who come swarming around you in this time of difficulty. I try to use direct emotion and communication with my [loved ones every day].

You talk in the book about this more enlightened type of males who talk about their feelings and their kids. Do you think men are evolving?
Are you suggesting that we’re getting closer to what you women are already? Memo to women: Men have feelings too. We just happen to express them in different ways. In fact, watching sports, fishing, or towel-snapping can be emotional. It’s not that men are evolving, but that men have more permission to speak openly about their feelings today, especially with other men.

What have you learned from this experience?
I don’t wear the experience as a burden on my shoulders. I wear it as an engine on my back that propels me to get out of bed, take a hand, take a walk, make a memory every day.

If you were asked to be in a Council of Dads, what is the most important “daddyism”—as you call it—that you would advise?
I was a walking guy, who had written the book Walking the Bible. But [when I was sick] I didn’t walk for almost two years. I just came to love the idea that in Paris 200 years ago, men of leisure would take turtles for walks and let turtles set the pace…take a walk with a turtle, behold the world and pause.

For more information on The Council of Dads or to learn how you can start your own council of dads or moms, visit www.councilofdads.com. 

Jason Silberman, a grandchild of survivors, paid tribute to the enormous contribution Holocaust survivors have made to the Chicago community in passing their legacy of courage to future generations at the 66th annual Holocaust Memorial Observance held May 1. Sponsored by She’erit HaPleitah of Metropolitan Chicago, the umbrella organization for Chicago-area Holocaust survivor groups, the service traditionally is the largest gathering of Holocaust survivors in the Midwest and one of the largest in the United States.  

“Zachor”—The Hebrew word meaning “remember,” has evolved throughout Jewish history, and has rightfully become somewhat of a commandment and challenge to generations of Jews living after the Holocaust. But as new generations are born into this world, and the generation of Holocaust survivors is becoming smaller and more fragile every day, the commandment of “Zachor” is becoming more challenging and at the same time more important than ever.

All four of my grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust. They were the only members of their families to survive. My father’s parents were Esther and Tobias Silberman, Zichronam Livracha (may their memories be for a blessing), and my mother’s parents were Joseph and Mania Birnberg, Zichronam Livracha. As a third generation of Holocaust survivors, I know the challenge of carrying on my grandparents’ stories and legacies. Because three of my grandparents died before I reached the age of 12, I was unable to ask questions or talk at all with them about their experiences in the Holocaust. Unfortunately, I am one among many grandchildren of Holocaust survivors who never reached out to their grandparents to ask them about their lives in Europe. Which brings me to a question—how can one remember what they don’t yet know?

At our Passover seders just a few weeks ago, we stated that “B’chol dor va’dor, Chayav adam Lirot et atzmo ke’ilu hu yaztah m’mitzrayim,” that “In every generation every person must see themselves as if they were brought out of Egypt.” How do we connect to an event that happened so long ago? We ask questions of our elders and teachers and look at the sources of the Passover story in the Torah. In order to effectively transmit our grandparents’ experiences and legacies, we must not only study history through the textbooks we read in school or during class field trips to the Holocaust museum. We must ask questions of the survivors and of our parents. Survivors—keep telling your stories and stories about your families and your life before, during and after the war. Children of survivors—talk to your children and tell us what you know and what you remember of your early childhood. Tell us as much as you can about our grandparents—what they told you verbally and through their behavior. Like the four sons in the Haggadah, there are those of us who have asked, those who don’t care to ask, and those of us who don’t know to ask, but that doesn’t relieve you of your responsibility to tell us what you know. And to my generation, it is our responsibility as direct descendants of the Shoah to tell our grandparents’ stories to our friends, to our classmates, to our co-workers, to our teachers and to the world.

With social media such as Facebook and Twitter, the sharing and spreading of stories and knowledge of the Holocaust has great potential. But there are also people who use these means to deny the Holocaust and to spread hatred against Israel. It is the responsibility of the third and fourth generations to use social media productively to help others become more aware and knowledgeable about the Holocaust. During this Holocaust remembrance week, for those of you who use Facebook, every day post a status telling a short story about how your family members survived the Holocaust or about others who were lost during the war. It is through these productive methods of sharing stories, that others can know about and thus remember the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Every year that goes by, we become more removed from the Holocaust, and our ability to connect and sympathize with Holocaust survivors becomes harder to channel. However, the obligation to remember becomes more important than ever. Despite the difficulties, I remain confident that the leaders of the third generation will make certain that the legacies of Holocaust survivors and their families will live on in the future. Though the generation of Holocaust survivors is diminishing, my generation and all future generations will grow more determined to zachor…to remember, to carry forward your stories and legacies, and to never forget. 

Coach Mike Krzyewski, known by fans as Coach K, is more than a coach—he’s basketball legend and a motivator of many. The head coach of Duke University men’s basketball team was also the first US National Head Coach in USA basketball history, was named “America’s Best Coach” by Time magazine and CNN, and he has several national championships and Olympics medals he’s got under his belt—not to mention he’s a bestselling author and a native Chicagoan.

Motivated yet? Coach K will talk about what it means to be a team player both on and off the court at the JUF Marketing & Media and Real Estate and Building Trades Divisions Dinner Monday, May 2 at 5 p.m. at the Sheraton Chicago.

Oy!Chicago: What did you think of this year's March Madness and the success of the underdog teams?
Coach K: Well I’m not sure there are underdog teams anymore. I think there are more publicized teams and we’re one of them—just because of the reputation and the conference you’re in…The three point shot [and the age of the players] has been a great equalizer and it’s caused tremendous parity in our sport, which could not have been more evident than in this year’s tournament.

How did it feel to get your 900th win?
We’ve reached 900—and I say we because when a coach does something like that, all his players, and coaches my family—they’re part of it… it’s a collective honor.

I specifically thought about my mentor and my great friend Coach Knight who leads Division one with 902 (wins) for a coach and his point guard, I was his captain at the US Military academy, to be the first two to reach 900 I’m not sure that would ever happen again.. It’s very unique. So I share that time very emotionally and a special moment with coach knight who is a big part of who I’ve become as a coach.

What would you say is the biggest accomplishment of your basketball career?
I don’t want to minimize what has happened at Duke because that’s what I do, but the honor of coaching the national team for our country has been the biggest honor… you see our flag being raised and the anthem being played and your hand’s on your heart and there’s a lump in your throat because you know you’ve been part of a World Championship or the Olympics—those are incredible moments.

Who do you think is the greatest Jewish basketball player of all time?
That’s a difficult question—if you think about it there are many. The most special Jewish player for me is the one who led us to a national championship, Jon Scheyer, who’s on my team. He’s my favorite Jewish player of all time and one of my favorite young men of all time.

How do strategies on the court translate into strategies for life?
It’s better to do something as a team than it is do something as one individual. If you have a group of people who are acting as individuals under the same name you will achieve a certain level of success, maybe. But if you can get everybody on your team to work as one, everybody will prosper, and the team will have the best chance to achieve great success. I tell my guys all the time, two is better than one, if two can act as one.

What was it like growing up on Chicago’s north side?
I grew up almost a mile and a half directly north of the United Center –now Ukrainian Village, but it used to be a big Polish community. I love Chicago. I think it’s the greatest people city in the world. It embodies all cultures, it puts its arm around every nationality. I’ll always be a Chicagoan and pull for our teams—the only thing is Duke isn’t in Chicago. But my heart’s never left there. 

For more information about the JUF Trades, Industries & Professions Division (TIP) dinner season click here.  

This Sunday, May 1, join Birthright Israel NEXT and JUF's Young Leadership Division with support from the Holocaust Remembrance Committee and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for a very special Yom Hashoah screening of award winning documentary “A Film Unfinished.” Estelle Laughlin, a volunteer with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will share her account of living in the Warsaw Ghetto, followed by a screening of the film in which Israeli filmmaker Yael Hersonski exposes a long missing film reel from the Warsaw Ghetto— unmasking new dimensions of the Nazi propaganda effort.

Estelle was just 10 years old, living in Warsaw, when the war broke out.

“My family was a middle class family—holidays and friends and just a normal life where I felt secure and loved and, then of course, Warsaw was the center of my universe,” she said. “And then when the war broke out my world, my peaceful street turned into hell.”

Estelle, whose father was one of the organizers of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, reflected on the bravery and tenacity of the resistance fighters.

“I want to emphasize the heroism that the Jewish people in the ghetto mastered and I think that it probably reflects the fact that Jewish people were in ghettos and were persecuted throughout history, but they’ve always managed to create their own culture…that ability to create our own culture under the worst of circumstances…this is our savior. That it’s not a miracle that we survive.”

In the Warsaw Ghetto, Estelle and her family hid to escape the deportations.

“It’s astounding to think that between July 1942, which was my 13th birthday, when the deportations started and Sept. 1942, 99 percent of the Jewish children in the ghetto were sent away never to be seen again. I was among the one percent of the children who have survived.”

Estelle’s family was taken to Majdanek, an extermination camp, where she, her sister and her mother survived—her father was sent to the gas chamber. The three women were later sent to two different labor camps and were liberated from the Czetochowa camp in January of 1945. To escape pogroms in Poland following the war, they moved to Bavaria in August of 1945 and eventually moved to the United States. She now lives in Chicago.

Today, Estelle volunteers at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. She speaks about her experiences during the Holocaust not to reflect on “the curse of darkness of the past” but rather “to illuminate the future.” She discusses her story further in her memoir— set to be released next year by Texas Tech University Press.

At Sunday’s event, Estelle wants to emphasize that which gave her the strength to survive.

“I am marveling at the child that I was through the eyes of an old person. Where did I find the resources to survive with love for humanity, with compassion, with reverence for life?” she said. “I think that the compensation for reliving that pain [is] the reward to recognize that the young people, that children are wise,” she said. “That they know the difference between right and wrong, that they make choices and that there is a goodness in all of us.”

This year, in honor of Yom Hashoah, Estelle has the following message for Jewish young adults: “I would like to pass on that in memory of those who lived and died and paid the highest price to live by their values, to understand, to remember that the purpose of remembering all of that is to touch and hold on to the best that is in us so that civilization can progress. That it is not to curse the darkness of the past, it’s to understand and make the future brighter for everyone in this world. That we are all one family.” 

Chicago: A Film Unfinished: A Yom HaShoah Screening and Reception 

The evening begins at 5:30 pm in the Gene Siskel Film Center café and gallery, 164 North State St, where appetizers will be served. The program will begin at 7 pm with Estelle Laughlin, a volunteer with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, sharing her account of living in the Warsaw Ghetto, followed by a screening of the film. 

Last Friday, April 15, Oy!Chicago turned 3! To celebrate, we asked all of you to tell your friends and family to check out Oy! and help us reach our 100,000th unique visitor. And thanks to all of you, we did it! As of today, Oy!Chicago has reached 100,346 visitors!

Thanks for reading and being a part of Oy! over the past 3 years—we couldn’t have done it without you and we look forward to celebrating many more Oy! birthdays!

The Oy! team 

Christina Noel Photography

Cleetus Friedman has had two professional lives. First he spent years as an actor performing improv and in solo shows across the country. Nowadays, the stage for Cleetus is his monthly Supper Clubs. City Provisions is a delicatessen meets catering company with monthly supper clubs where Cleetus and his staff work hard to provide local, sustainable, organic fare to their clientele. In their world of catering they pride themselves that, “With 48 hours notice [they] can do just about anything.”

So whether you love yourself some local, organic fare, spend summer nights outdoors with strangers or look alike for Chris Daughtry, Cleetus Friedman is a Jew You Should Know!

1. What is your favorite blog or website?
I read the Chicagoist daily. I use Twitter and Facebook to stay on top of things these days. Flipboard on my iPad rocks. I aggregate these [sites], plus wired, uncrate, bon appetite, and more.

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel?
Japan, then Africa. Does the moon count as an answer?

3. If a movie was made about your life, who would play you?
Chris Daughtry— it would be his entry into film from music.

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, living or dead, famous or not, who would they be?
Everyone asks this question and I can never pin it down.
Richard Pryor— one of my biggest comedic influences since I was a kid.
James Baldwin— a literary influence.
Chuck D— one of the greatest lyricists of all time in the world of hip-hop.
Rick Bayless— although I consider rick a mentor and we chat frequently, it would be great to sit down and actually have a few hours to talk and shoot the shit about food, farmers, and the biz.

5. What's your idea of the perfect day?
Lately, my perfect day has been Sundays, hanging out with my wife and kids. It has become so rare that I see them due to my schedule. At work, my perfect day is the farm dinner days. Having a cigar by the bonfire, watching 40 people laugh and party that were all strangers 10 hours earlier is the greatest pleasure.

6. What do you love about what you do?
Everything. I have created a company where I look forward to coming in each day. I can work 80 hours in a week and still look forward to coming back the next day. Every aspect of working with local farmers & producers, to my staff, to our product...it's all about passion and I love what I do.

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
A stunt man, car driver.

8. What's your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
Does eat corned beef count?

Take loads of fresh vegetables, small portions of lean meats, a healthy handful of quinoa and other whole grains, add a sprinkling of cumin and paprika, mix with world flavors, and the result is the essence of Leah Koenig’s new cookbook, “The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook: Daily Meals for the Contemporary Jewish Kitchen” (Universe, $34.95).

“It’s about trying to meld together traditional Jewish tastes with contemporary global palette that we all eat today,” Leah said.

Originally from Oak Park, she has lived in New York City for almost seven years. She writes about food for The Forward and other publications, and also used to edit the award-winning blog “The Jew & The Carrot” for Hazon, the Jewish environmental organization.

Leah embraced the search for great everyday recipes by culling from her own extensive collection and asking family and friends to contribute. The pepper steak recipe on page 152 is her mother’s as is the “Moistest Chocolate Cake,” which was a staple of birthday parties throughout her childhood.

The cookbook is a departure from the Hadassah mold of a collection of members’ recipes. Moreover, traditional fare like chicken cutlets and borscht sits alongside more exotic ingredients like Indonesian tempe, tofu and za’atar.

Divided into eight sections—Breakfasts and Breads; Salads and Spreads; Sandwiches and Pizzas; Soups and Stews; Sides; Mains; Sweets; and Anytime Snacks—the book is full of color photos and useful tips accompany each recipe. The back of the book features several pages of menu ideas, which combine the recipes into meals: a hearty fall dinner or a movie night or a lazy Sunday brunch.

Although most recipes are meant to be prepared quickly by busy home chefs, she tried to avoid limiting herself to the Rachael Ray 30-minute-meal philosophy.

“I tried to select recipes that could be made by a tired person at the end of the day,” she said. “There was a lasagna recipe [that I wanted to include], but realistically, no one would want to make it after work.”

With Pesach coming up, home cooks are likely to scramble to put elaborate fare on the Seder table. But the intermediate days of the holidays are where this book will come in most handy. With recipes like Shakshuka, Quinoa-Stuffed Squash with Pears and Cranberries, or Brown Sugar-Glazed Salmon, Leah offers plenty of dishes for kosher home-style meals during Hol Hamoed—after a few small-time substitutions to keep within the regimens of the holiday.

Leah said compiling the book was akin to a rigorous cooking course; recipe testing played a key role. She shares some of the tricks of the trade in the book, which she hopes will be a point of reference for newer cooks who are less comfortable with the idea of improvisation.

“I’m the type of cook who reads cookbooks more for ideas than for actual recipes. It’s pretty rare that I follow a recipe start to finish without tweaking something or changing ingredients for what I actually have on hand,” Leah said. “I hope people use it as a jumping-off point; find one or two favorites that they make again and again and add to their repertoire.”

Ira Berkow

Did you know “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” ranks as the most frequently played song in America after “Happy Birthday” and the “Star Spangled Banner”? And were you aware that a Jewish writer composed the anthem? Impress your sports aficionado friends with his name, Albert Von Tilzer, at your next cocktail party.

The Jewish love affair with baseball is detailed in the new documentary Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story (Clear Lake Historical Productions). Written by Ira Berkow, directed by Peter Miller, and narrated by Dustin Hoffman, the film chronicles the impact of Jewish players on the sport and the sport’s impact on American Jews.

In the film, Rabbi Michael Paley, a fan of the game, likens the start of the baseball season to the head of the Jewish year. “We can win this year,” he said, “and otherwise, there’s always next year.”

The film is being released with screenings around the world, including in Chicago this spring and summer.

The Anti-Defamation League will present the Chicago premiere of Jews and Baseball on Thursday, April 14, at 6 pm at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies in Chicago. Berkow, a Pulitzer Prize winner and former New York Times sports columnist, will speak following the screening.

The film will also be screened followed by a softball game at the Holiday Star Theater in Park Forest on Sunday, July 10.

Ever since Jews reached the American shores in droves around the turn of the 19th century, we’ve been addicted to America’s great pastime. Back when Jews were considered the “other,” striving to assimilate into society, the baseball field was the great equalizer.

“The film tells the story of an ethnic group who happens to be Jewish who attempt as immigrants to assimilate into America through the focus of baseball,” Berkow said. “This could be the story of Blacks, Latinos, or Italians. Baseball was a way to become more American.”

When slugger Hank Greenberg emerged as the first Jewish superstar in the 1930s, American Jews rejoiced.

Greenberg’s son Steve and granddaughter Melanie are interviewed in the documentary. “It’s easier for Jews now, but I still think when a Jew accomplishes something that a Jew isn’t supposed to be able to accomplish, they’re acting on behalf of their community,” Melanie said. “I [still] feel a sense of pride when I see a Jewish ball player.”
Then in 1965, every Jewish kid and parent alike kvelled when Sandy Koufax opted not to pitch in Game One of the World Series because it fell on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Paley recalls the excitement as a youngster in watching Koufax, a fellow Jew, on the field. “This piece of perfection, a Jew, not imposing, and like one of the kids in your neighborhood,” Paley said. “…You could say to yourself, if Sandy Koufax, maybe me.”

The film—chock full of game footage, vintage newsreels, and archival and new interviews with players, fans including Larry King and Ron Howard, and historians—documents contributions of Jewish players, from Lipman Pike to Moe Berg, Greenberg, Al Rosen, Koufax, Adam Greenberg, Shawn Green, and Kevin Youkilis, spanning the history of the game. In a rare interview, Hall of Fame pitcher Koufax agreed to be interviewed in the documentary.

A poignant moment of the film follows ball player Adam Greenberg, who continues his attempt to return to the majors after being hit in the head in his first and only Major League appearance with the Chicago Cubs in 2005.

The documentary chronicles the full circle journey of Jews making it America from the nascent days of the game when anti-Semitic slurs were chanted at the Jewish players from the bleachers to today when Bud Selig, a Jew, sits at the pinnacle of the sport as commissioner of Major League Baseball. “Forty or 50 years ago, the thought that a Jew cold be the commissioner of baseball would have been significantly far-fetched,” said Selig in the film. “…That might have been the understatement of the year.”

Berkow, who now resides in Manhattan, grew up a Cubs fan on Chicago’s West Side playing Little League and then high school baseball as a pitcher and first baseman. “As kids, we would sneak into Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park on a regular basis,” he said. “And we would play stickball in the allies on the West Side. All of those memories are part of my heritage. Baseball is part of the romance of growing up in America.”

Tickets for the Chicago premiere of “Jews and Baseball” at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies on Thursday, April 14, at 6 p.m. are available at www.adl.org/jewsandbaseball. For information call Elana Stern at (312) 782-5080, ext. 254. 

“Jews and Baseball” will also be shown in the South Suburbs this summer on Sunday morning, July 10 at the Holiday Star Theater at 340 Main Street in Park Forest. After the show, there will be a community event including a 3-inning softball game at Park Forest's Central Park on Field D. For more information, call (708) 798-1884, email david.m.epstein@earthlink.net, or visit www.c-j-c.org/.  

Shalom Klein facilitating an introduction to one of the networking event attendees.

You might say Shalom Klein was born to schmooze.

In fact, within hours of our interview, I already had several emails from Klein connecting me to people I should know.

It’s this passion for networking and entrepreneurial spirit that makes Klein so successful at what he does. As the chairman of Jewish B2B Networking, Klein spends his days (and most likely his nights) making connections for small businesses in the Chicago Jewish community.

About a year and a half ago, Klein left his PR job in New York to come home to Skokie and work for the family business—Moshe Klein & Associates, Ltd., which handles bookkeeping and accounting for small businesses. Klein said it’s his nature to stay in touch, and so he naturally began connecting people.

In June of 2010, Klein decided he wanted to introduce his clients, family and friends and held his first event at Slice of Life in Skokie. While he expected a small turnout of maybe 20 people, 75 people showed up.

“The outcome was great,” Klein said. “People were already doing business with people they met that day.”

And just like that, Jewish B2B Networking was born. In just nine months, Jewish B2B Networking has a mailing list of 12,000 people and over 3,000 people have come to events—plus, at least two or three dozen people have found jobs thanks to connections made during these events. Each month, hundreds of people show up for monthly networking meetings—175 people showed up to a speednetworking event at 7:30a.m.—and monthly networking open houses held at different businesses. Events are also being organized in Detroit and St. Louis.

“I believe we’ve tapped into the small business community,” Klein said. His events attract a diverse crowd, with about 80 percent looking to connect business to business, and about 20 percent looking for jobs.

A few months ago, Klein launched the website JewishB2Bnetworking.com where members can register for events, create profiles, search for jobs and post to a blog.

“The goal is stimulating the Jewish and Jewish-friendly small business community and people doing business with each other…[to] create that network and create business opportunities around Chicago,” he said.

Jewish B2B Networking and Jewish Vocational Service (JVS), a JUF agency, have been collaborating on programming, presentations and reaching out to the community—and according to Gail Gruen, executive director of JVS; they are planning more collaboration in the future.

Klein is also the publisher of  Jewish Business News , a monthly publication with a circulation of 15,000 that he launched this January available at local businesses synagogues, kosher and kosher-style restaurants.

And in June, just a year after his first event, Jewish B2B Networking is planning a free, all-day event featuring a business trade show, networking, job fair and employment expo with big name speakers.

White Noise, the new raw rock musical, isn’t Mary Poppins—that’s for sure. Don’t expect your usual romp at the theater. An original musical, White Noise, opening in Chicago at the Royal George Theatre in April, is gritty and provocative and explores in-your-face issues of bigotry and hatred.

The show, produced by Whoopi Goldberg, is a cautionary tale examining how the public is exploited into buying into messages of hate, bigotry, and racism. The plot follows a powerful producer at a major record label who capitalizes on controversy and media spin to groom two diametrically opposed bands—a neo Nazi rock band and a gangsta rap duo—into well-branded blockbuster stars.

Whoopi Goldberg and Sergio Trujillo during rehearsal.
Photo credit: CROMCO

Set against the backdrop of modern rock, pop, and hip hop music, the show is loosely inspired by the real life Gaede sisters, twin teens who sing about white supremacy and Hitler. White Noise shadows two beautiful (on the exterior) teenage singing sisters, Eden and Eva Siller, who promote messages of white power through coded lyrics and tunes.

The show explores how anything with good packaging can sell, according to Sergio Trujillo, the show’s director and choreographer, who has also choreographed such musicals as the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls, The Addams Family, and Next to Normal. “In the show, the public is buying into these beautiful girls who are absolutely perfect with phenomenal music,” he said. “The lyrics are coded so America is really pumping up these girls. We have this celebrity puffing that we do in our society, and the media just manipulates what we want to buy and listen to.”

From left: Actor Douglas Sills, Eric Morris, Emily Padgett, Mackenzie Mauzy, and Patrick Murney. Photo credit: CROMCO

Since Jews are targets of hatred, the creators of White Noise hope the Chicago Jewish community will turn out for the show and start a dialogue. Douglas Sills, an actor in the play, and David Alpert, assistant director of the musical, are both Jewish and find the show an important cautionary tale for Jews.

Sills plays the morally corrupt Max, who discovers the neo-Nazi rock band. “The Jewish value system of questioning explored in the show appeals to me,” he said. “Listen carefully, listen better, and ask questions. Be aware that just because someone says something in a news magazine doesn’t mean it’s news. Just because it’s music doesn’t mean it sends a good message. You have an obligation to sift through messages.”

Being Jewish has always been important to Alpert, too, the son of a rabbi. “Growing up in Sunday school, we would watch Schindler’s List and learn about the Holocaust. These messages are still out there today. We have to understand where hate comes from and how it’s packaged and sold in many different ways.”

Inspired by real life, this musical contains language that may not be suitable for those not yet in high school.

White Noise officially opens at the Royal George Theatre on Saturday, April 9, with preview performances running April 1-8. The show is announced to run through June 5. For more information, visit  www.whitenoisebroadway.com . For tickets, call (312) 988-9000, visit whitenoisetickets.com, or visit   www.ticketmaster.com .

White Noise is offering a discounted ticket special exclusively to the JUF/JF community and Oy!Chicago readers. For all Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday evening performances from April 1 through 28, you can buy tickets at the group ticket rate of $40 (plus fees) as a single ticket buyer. To take advantage of the offer, visit  www.ticketmaster.com and use code “JUFAPR.”

Comedian Judy Gold will perform at the Chicago seder.

Growing up in Milwaukee, Michael Dorf fondly recalls Passover seders with his family. His father would lead, adding supplemental readings with writings by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and texts on black slavery, applying the lessons of freedom from Egypt to relevant current humanitarian issues.

Many years later, Dorf—a successful concert promoter living in Manhattan—created a Passover tradition of his own called Downtown Seder, at the time held at one of his music venues, the Knitting Factory.

Downtown Seder, which Dorf launched more than a decade ago, brings together some 20 artists, musicians, comedians, and political figures to present the classic Passover story to an audience. Performers, seated with guests throughout the room, expound on different sections of the haggadah.

“Matisyahu has sung Chad Gadya (a playful Passover song about a goat), Dr. Ruth has talked about the Hillel sandwich (made of matzah and bitter herbs), and Lou Reed has been the wise child. It’s an all-star event,” Dorf said.

This spring, for the first time, Dorf will transport Downtown Seder to Chicago for a Windy City-style retelling of the Passover story. The seder, to be held on Wednesday, April 13, at 8 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Sidney R. Yates Gallery, will feature a mix of Chicago talent and imports from other cities.

“In the classic opening line of the haggadah, it says you should tell the story of leaving Egypt in a language you understand so you can really understand the meaning behind the story,” Dorf said. “For many, like me, the arts—whether it’s music or comedy or even a political form—is a language that we understand.”

Fresh from his victory, Chicago Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel is scheduled to appear at the seder and read a portion of the Haggadah.

Among the entertainers slated to appear at the Chicago seder are Israeli singer/songwriter David Broza, who will perform a set with flamenco guitarist Javier Rubial following the seder meal; New York comedian/writer Judy Gold; and Anshe Emet Synagogue’s Cantor Alberto Mizrahi.

Israeli singer/songwriter David Broza will perform a set with flamenco guitarist Javier Rubial following the seder.

Also expected to perform are the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, Chicken Fat Klezmer Orchestra, Joshua Nelson & Kosher Gospel Singers, and Stereo Sinai; comedians Good for the Jews, plus Chicago comedian Aaron Freeman and Second City performer Susan Messing. Illinois Holocaust Museum Director Richard S. Hirschhaut also plans to attend, while Minnesota Sen. Al Franken and comedian Lewis Black are expected to call in via video.

Laura Frankel, executive chef of Spertus Kosher Catering (featuring cuisine by Wolfgang Puck), will cater the kosher seder, certified by the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

Dorf is also the founder of City Winery Chicago, the first offshoot of his City Winery in Manhattan, planning to open its doors in the Chicago Loop this fall. The full winery plans to include two wine bars, a restaurant, and a performance and event space. The seder will feature kosher wine, supervised by the Orthodox Union, from the new winery. The wine will be opened and poured by CRC mashgiachs (kashrut supervisors). This is a rare exception that will allow City Winery Chicago to display their new wine.

New York concert promoter Michael Dorf transports Downtown Seder to Chicago this spring.

Gold, who is working on her upcoming one-woman show in Manhattan called It’s Jewdy’s Show—My Life as a Sitcom, has appeared at Downtown Seder in years past. “We [Jews] read the haggadah every year. It’s our tradition, something you can expect,” she said. “For artists whose lives are completely unpredictable, to retell a story that’s been told for thousands of years in our own way is amazing.”

Gold’s role at the seder is to sing Dayenu— “it would have been enough for us.” “Of course I do Dayenu because I can incorporate my mother into it,” said Gold, who also wrote the one-woman show and book of the same name called 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. “Needless to say, I have a Jewish mother and the phrase “it would have been sufficient” has never come out of her mouth.”

Net proceeds from the Downtown Seder will be divided between JUF’s beneficiary, The Ark and the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Only 400 tickets for the Downtown Seder are available, priced at $118 and $500, with tables of eight available for $1800 and $3600. To purchase a Seder ticket or for more information, visit  www.citywinery.com/seder .

Hikosaemon/CC
Smoke rises from a burning building in a Tokyo neighborhood after an 8.9-magnitude earthquakes hit Japan, March 11, 2011.

In the wake of the worst earthquake in Japan’s history, and the subsequent tsunamis impacting nations across the Pacific, the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago has opened an emergency mailbox to provide humanitarian aid to the survivors on the ground.

Funds primarily will be distributed through the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), with its 97-year history of providing compassionate, effective emergency relief to the non-Jewish world, and IsraAID, the coordinating body of Israeli charities devoted to global relief work.

100% of collected funds will go directly to aid the victims; the Jewish Federation will absorb any administrative costs.

Individuals can contribute online, by phone at 312.444.2869 or by mail, making checks payable to: Jewish Federation Pacific Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund, c/o Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago, 30 S. Wells St., Room 3023, Chicago, IL 60606

"Our community has a tremendous track record of providing timely, non-sectarian relief through a Jewish conduit in the wake of disasters throughout the U.S. and worldwide,” said Jewish Federation President Steven B. Nasatir. “As the Chicago Jewish community’s central address for meeting human needs, the Federation is proud to provide a vehicle for emergency relief from our community.”

In recent years, the Jewish Federation also has provided critical aid to those affected by the catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti, China and South Asia; the massive forest fires in Northern Israel; Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf coast, the devastating tsunami in South Asia; wildfires in California; and the September 11 terror attack on the U.S.

Sharon Eyal working with Hubbard Street dancers at Hubbard Street Dance Center. 
Photo by Benjamin Wardell.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is bringing Israeli culture to the stage in Chicago this month.

In what they are calling “one of the most culturally significant initiatives” in the company’s history, Hubbard Street will “unite Chicago audiences with Israel in a cultural expression through dance” in a full evening of works by two Israeli choreographers from the Batsheva Dance Company in four performances March 17-20.

The show will include a new collage, currently untitled, by the Batsheva Company’s artistic director, Ohad Naharin and the world premiere of Too Beaucoup, created by Batsheva house choreographer Sharon Eyal.

Naharin, who has choreographed many works for the Hubbard Street company over the past decade, also had the opportunity to work with the company in Israel in 2009. Naharin’s piece will be a collage of past works, all based on and inspired by the synergy of the “Gaga” method of movement researched and developed by Naharin himself.

“Gaga is amazing,” Eyal, a protégé of Naharin said of his style. “It’s dancing from joy and fresh and good material in the body…You move, and you have an instructor who says what to do, but it’s a lot in your imagination, through your body, through the physicality and it’s really deep work. It’s influenced me for my life.”

Hubbard Street dancers Benjamin Wardell, Christian Broomhall and Alejandro Cerrudo in Sharon Eyal’s Too Beaucoup.
Photo by Rose Eichenbaum.

This new medley—a showcase of work that Chicago audiences have not seen before—will feature a uniquely varied soundtrack including music ranging from Vivaldi to The Beach Boys.

Chicago audiences will also experience the world premiere of Too Beaucoup, created by Eyal and her co-creator Gai Behar.

Too Beaucoup, meaning “too too much” in French, aims to manipulate and replicate precise and robotic movement that offers a sense of watching a 3-D video. Costumes—designed by Behar, lighting by Avi Yona Bueno and a soundtrack designed by Israeli musician and DJ Ori Lichtik all contribute to the unique quality of the piece.

When asked to describe their work, Behar said to “expect the unexpected” and to look forward to viewing “authentic Israeli art.”

Hubbard Street dancer Kellie Epperheimer in Sharon Eyal’s Too Beaucoup.
Photo by Rose Eichenbaum.

“For us, structure, composition, dynamics of movements or complex of stuff can be very, very emotional,” Eyal said. “I don’t like to put it in a frame—I don’t know what it is. It’s movement, it’s action, it’s feelings. Maybe it’s more when people dance in the street. It’s a lot of human. There is no frame for it.”

They said the piece does carry some of their Israeli culture, but they are also influenced by daily life and their surroundings.

“Every place that you are, you get inspired,” Eyal said. For me it’s not culture, it’s more about daily life. So it’s maybe [partly influenced by Israeli culture], but it’s part of something bigger.”

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Spring Series will take place Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, March 20 at 3 p.m. at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolf Drive, Tickets, priced from $25 to $94 are available for purchase by calling (312) 850-9744, at  www.hubbardstreet.com , or at The Harris Theater box office located at 205 E. Randolph Drive.

***Oy! readers can enjoy a 25% discount on a regular priced ticket (excluding section 5 seating) – use code “Israel”.

By my estimation, Seth Herkowitz is living every Jewish man’s dream—as operating partner of Steve’s Deli in River North, he is constantly surrounded by corned beef and pastrami sandwiches.

Seth, who grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, has always been interested in hospitality. His godparents opened the original Steve’s Deli 1994, and it quickly grew to become the premier deli spot in Southeast Michigan. After completing his undergrad at the University of Michigan and getting a joint law and business degree at Chicago-Kent College of Law, Seth and his godparents decided to open another location in Chicago. When Seth saw a for lease sign in the window of the building across from the East Bank Club in River North, he knew he had the right location and Steve’s Deli opened at 354 West Hubbard in the fall of 2008.

So whether you love yourself some Jewish deli, like to spend your time outdoors on the lake or have connections in Michigan, Seth Herkowitz is a Jew You Should Know!

1.What is your favorite blog or website? 
Detroit Free Press [to stay connected] with home.

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel?
Anywhere with my wife—but Italy and Switzerland would be great!

3. If a movie was made about your life, who would play you?
Who better to choose than Mr. George Clooney

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, living or dead, famous or not, who would they be? 
Howard Schultz (CEO of Starbucks) and Abraham Lincoln

5. What's your idea of the perfect day? 
Wake up and water ski in Michigan, followed by spending a day outdoors on a lake in the summer with family and friends

6. What do you love about what you do? 
I love building a business and interacting with our loyal customers

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
Corporate lawyer

8. What's your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago? 
JUF’s YLD Big Event.

In recognition of Jewish Disability Awareness Month, Jewish Child & Family Services (JCFS) invites synagogues across the Chicagoland area to embrace this opportunity to increase awareness of the needs and strengths of people with disabilities in our communities. Held in February, Jewish Disability Awareness Month was created by The Jewish Federations of North America and a consortium of Jewish Special Educators to raise awareness and support meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities and their families in every aspect of Jewish life.

JCFS, a leading provider of programs and services for people with disabilities in the Jewish community and beyond, is pleased to share this list of “10 Ideas to Promote Inclusion” for Synagogues and other Jewish organizations.  This list was compiled in consultation with JCFS’ expert clinicians, drawing from guidelines set forth by the Jewish Federations of North America in its Jewish Disability Awareness Month Resource Guide. JCFS is a partner in serving the community with the Jewish Federation/Jewish United Fund.

Speech, Occupational and Developmental Therapies for children, overnight camp for teens with autism or social impairments, Sibshops for brothers and sisters of children with disabilities, and Family Bridges futures planning for aging parents with adult children with disabilities, are among the many services provided by JCFS for people with disabilities and their families.

Jewish Child & Family Services is at the forefront of providing vital, individualized, results-driven services to thousands of children, adults and families of all backgrounds throughout the year.  Services include counseling; therapies for children and adults with developmental disabilities; special educational programs; autism assessment, care of abused and neglected youth; respite and more. For information about our services and programs for people with disabilities, call the Disability Helpline at 773-467-3838, or visit us at jcfs.org.

10 Ideas to Promote Inclusion for People with Disabilities

1. Use People First Language in all communications. Calling someone a “disabled person” puts the disability first, as the sole qualifier of that person. A “person with a disability” is a person first and foremost, and that language emphasizes each person’s individuality, dignity, value and capabilities.

2. Make sure that your facilities are physically welcoming to people with disabilities with accessible entry ways, access to the bima, even as simple as making sure shoveled snow doesn’t block access.

3. Use volunteers or teacher’s aids in the classroom to provide extra attention to young students with special needs. Vary activities so that there is plenty of movement between lessons to help keep active children focused.

4. Create a “buddy system” for congregants with special needs, someone who will introduce him or her to others, make sure he or she is included in Kiddush or other synagogue social activities.

5. Send out a regular newsletter or email message focused on your initiatives and upcoming programs. You can also include a relevant quote in your general congregation bulletins about February and Jewish Disability Awareness. Involve the people with disabilities from your congregation in the creative process.

6. Plan an inclusion Shabbat with other congregations for future initiatives. Creating new approaches may mean adding music, crafting a modified religious service, or bringing in a storyteller. Jewish Child & Family Services can offer resources based on its experience serving individuals and their families who address these issues.

7. After assessing your congregation’s needs, consider special funds or volunteer resources for adaptive technology, special equipment, transportation services, sign language interpreter, large print books, or books in Braille for the blind.

8. Launch a Jewish service-learning project involving children with disabilities and their peers. Incorporating Jewish ideals into service projects strengthens communities and provides volunteers with an opportunity to explore and strengthen their Jewish identities. JCFS offers several collaborative possibilities and resources to increase and reinforce inclusion.

9. Encourage people with disabilities to lead a program or participate in a synagogue services. Help them educate your community on the “do’s and don’ts” of working with people with disabilities. For example, greeting people at eye level is a DO, while mentioning a disability when it is not relevant is a DON’T.

10. February as Jewish Disability Awareness month is an opportunity for Jewish congregations and organizations to engage their communities, volunteers and members to look for new, meaningful “inclusions” in the congregation’s activities on every level.

While applying for a doctorate in clinical psychology, I decided to head to Israel.  I had just spent the year working as an Early Intervention Specialist for toddlers who demonstrated signs of autism or other pervasive developmental disorders.  Yet, I knew that I still needed something else to set me apart from other applicants.  I enrolled in Masa Israel’s Career Israel, to gain professional experience abroad.

My experience during those five months after college could not have been more distinct.  I began Career Israel in September 2008, during the time when Qassam rockets were fired regularly from the Gaza Strip into Sderot and were making their way towards Tel Aviv.  I was in Israel when the army responded with Operation Cast Lead, and saw many of my Israeli peers leave to fight.  Still, despite the fact that I was living in a “war zone,” I felt safe.

Maybe this was because, in Israel, a small country colored with conflict, petty worries are dismissed and life feels immediate.  I experienced this while taking part in discussions about current events and my day-to-day internship responsibilities.  At Kadima, an after-school program for disadvantaged youth with a variety of behavioral and emotional issues, I was able to develop a variety of important skills and truly feel connected to an Israeli team of volunteers.  The sense of community in Israel enabled me to feel emotionally safe.

At Kadima’s Jaffa location, which served Jewish, Arab, Christian, and Ethiopian Israeli youth, I worked with the staff to prepare meals and activities.  Given the opportunity to explore the world of counseling through hands-on work, I took three individual students for one-on-one time each day, helping them with homework, playing games, and just talking in Hebrew.  My students’ resilience amazed me, as did the dedicated staff members, 18-year-olds who postponed army service for a year of community service.

While in Israel, I found that daily life seemed more meaningful.  Surrounded by a diverse community that celebrates the Jewish faith, it was incredible to experience the Jewish calendar as the national calendar.  There was nothing more comforting than seeing Hanukkah lights brightening the entire city or enjoying the weekly tradition of Shabbat dinners followed by a true day of rest.  It was also thrilling to be able to light the Hanukkah candles alongside Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, an opportunity provided to me, thanks to Career Israel.

Being in Israel during a time of heightened conflict allowed me to experience the collective passion and perseverance of the Jewish people whose common goal is to maintain a Jewish homeland.  I found this reality remarkably humbling.

Now back in the U.S., I am in my second year at a Psy.D. program at the Adler School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, en route to becoming a child and adolescent clinical psychologist.  I think about my Career Israel experience frequently and I believe that my letter of recommendation from the Career Israel program helped me gain acceptance to some of the more competitive psychological externships in Chicago.

Last summer, I returned to Israel to interview first-aid responders of Magen David Adom (MDA) as part of a clinical research project.  As I progress with my studies and clinical work, I hope to become professionally involved with the mental health field in Israel.  Israel is one of my homes, forever woven with my identity and I simply can’t get enough of it!

Masa Israel Journey connects young Jewish adults to 5-12 month immersive, life-changing experiences in Israel.  For more information or to find the right program for you, contact Aimee Weiss at aimeew@masaisrael.org and visit www.masaisrael.org.

While talking with 20-year-old Yali Derman, I wondered how it was possible that someone so full of life has had to fight so hard to survive.

A two-time cancer survivor, Yali spoke with poise, elegance and maturity beyond her years about her time at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago and how she used her creative talents to help her combat illness and now is helping other children do the same through her handbag collection.

Yali was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four and had a recurrence at the age of 10, when she received a life-saving bone marrow transplant from her brother.

“At the time of my treatment, sibling bone marrow transplantation was a new and evolving type of treatment for my condition so it really was a remarkable experience,” Yali said.

During her treatments, Yali was often in isolation, and found comfort in the creative art therapy programs offered by the hospital’s Family Services funded by K.I.D.S.S. for KIDS: Kindness Is Doing Something Special For Kids, an all-volunteer fundraising auxiliary of Children’s Memorial Hospital. It was there that she first began experimenting in handbag design.

“What I always say is that I needed a powerful vocabulary to express my autobiographical voice and I wanted to feel like a person, like a creative, fun-loving kid, and I wanted to be seen for who I was aside from a sick child,” she said. “Sometimes the hardest story to tell is your own and that’s really where the art therapy program helped me and ultimately that’s where the power of the purse came to me.”

She used the concept of the bandana, typically used to cover the heads of cancer patients, for inspiration.  

“My main idea was that I took the bandanas that were intended to cover my hairless head and really defiantly made purses out of them,” she said. “Soon that paisley bandana became the symbol of the cancer experience that I always place in as a design element in my handbags. It’s a symbol of transforming this experience and my situation into something different, something positive.”

Yali, who attended Solomon Schechter Day School, Chicagoland Jewish High School, and Camp Ramah in Wisconsin, says it is part of her personal philosophy to embody the idea of hiddur mitzvah. She first learned the term, which means “beautifying the commandment,” while serving as president and founder of Va’ad Vogue, the CJHS fashion club.

“This was really how I found my voice, the way that I could praise the Almighty and observe tikkun olam,” Yali said. “I would say that my Jewish education and religious background really emphasize to me that when I’m fulfilling a commandment or performing a good deed I can do it in a beautiful way.”

At 17, Yali had an incredible opportunity to design a personalized handbag with Kate Spade to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the organization that orchestrated the experience. The bag raised $50,000 and Yali and Kate Spade were honored as donors of the year.

Soon after, Yali started her own brand of handbags, trademarked Yali’s Carry On ® to signify how cancer survivors carry on in the face of their medical baggage.

While still in high school, Yali created a pink beach tote as part of a school charity project, which marked the alliance between K.I.D.S.S. for Kids and Yali. The beach tote raised $10,000 in just a few months—more than surpassing her original goal of $1,000—for K.I.D.S.S. for KIDS to go toward funding the new playroom being built in the new Children’s Memorial Hospital, due for completion in 2013.

Yali calls her newest bag her “pride and joy so far.” The bag features a peacock, a symbol of renewal with a tail composed of varying paisleys, long to represent each survivor’s story. The tail does not circle the entire bag because Yali’s story is still ongoing. There are 18 colors on the bag “that symbolize life’s vibrancy, chai.” She says the purse encourages “moving forward and carrying on in the face of adversity.”

There are also elements of the bag that come from biblical interpretation and midrashim. “I think that’s really where handbag design relates to Torah, which sounds somewhat hilarious, but it’s true,” she said.

So why purses?

“I really do believe in the power of the purse,” Yali said. “The purse is something that’s very unique to a woman. People don’t necessarily only invest in handbags because they look nice, but they also have to be functional… Bags tell a story about the person that is carrying them…it’s sort of a biography of the woman when you empty out all of its contents.”

So what’s next for Yali?

Currently, she is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania in the school of nursing. Her dream job is to be an advanced practice pediatric oncology nurse, where she could integrate her creative talents with nursing.

But, she said, handbag design is most definitely still in her future.

“Absolutely,” Yali said. “[It’s] one of the ways that I carry on fashionably, Judaically, philanthropically and really my handbags are carry-ons and they’re a metaphor for the way that I want to carry on with vibrant elegance, vast purpose and a meaningful voice for the cancer experience—I think that’s where my future leads me.”

Yali’s Carry On for K.I.D.S.S. event will take place Sunday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Saks Fifth Avenue Renaissance Place in Highland Park. Meet Yali, and help her support Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago with her limited edition tote bag ($85). All proceeds from the sale of each tote plus 5% of store sales to benefit K.I.D.S.S. for Kids. www.kidssforkids.org. 

To learn more about Yali or to pre-order the bag, visit www.yaliscarryon.com. 

Danielle and Brad Weisberg, co-founders of TheJMom.com, with their matchmaker mom, Barbara.

Siblings Brad and Danielle Weisberg were checking out a dating website one day last year. When Brad left to run errands, their mother, Barbara, also in the room at the time, asked if she could sift through profiles for him in his absence. By the time he returned a couple hours later, Barbara had jotted down a list of 10 Jewish women’s screen names for him to contact. It turned out he was impressed by many of the profiles his mother chose. “My mother had put more effort and time into the process than I ever could or would and she enjoyed doing it,” said Brad.

While some young Jewish singles may think this scenario is the set up for a bad Jewish joke, and would have been mortified at the thought of their mother coaching them on a singles website, not Brad and Danielle. They appreciated their mother’s help, so much so that she gave them the idea to start a website called “The JMom.com” for Jewish moms—and some dads too—to match their single children up on dates with other Jews.

Brad and Danielle’s aunt also inspired them to create the site after she fixed up her own son with a woman, who he later married, so the siblings thought maybe there was something to this matchmaking mother concept.

Brad, age 30, and Danielle, 26—both single Jewish transplants to Chicago from Louisville—launched The JMom in November with their friend, computer programmer Matt Pulley.

Danielle, who initially dreamed up the idea for the site, fends off criticism that it’s geared toward pushy, meddlesome parents. “We’re close to our parents and they’re not overbearing or pushy by any means,” she said. “They care about us and want us to be happy—and that’s who the site is for.”

Their mother, who lives in Louisville, echoes her daughter’s sentiments. “As a parent, you are only as happy as your least happy child,” she said.

Back before the internet, during the Fiddler on the Roof era and much more recently too, it was common for parents to fix up their children. In fact, like so many Jewish couples, Barbara and her husband—Brad and Danielle’s father—met on a blind date more than 36 years ago, and they’ve been happily married ever since.

Unlike when she and her husband met, dating is more challenging today, according to Barbara, with life busier and more complicated for her children’s generation than it was for Baby Boomers. “Younger people today have seen the world—many went away to college and work outside of their hometowns,” she said. “They’ve had more life experiences. They’ve seen so much and they’re not going to settle.”

Brad and Danielle hope to modernize the old-fashioned way of parents fixing up their kids by bringing the setup to the internet, which means parents who live in different cities than their children can still fix them up hundreds of miles away.

Here’s how the site works: A parent—or another relative—writes a profile, including information and a photograph of their child and information about their family as well. Then, if the parent spots a potential set up, they contact the parent of the potential date. Once both parties agree to set up their kids, the profiles are emailed to their children. The kids then take it from there and can choose whether or not to email their potential match.

“There is no negative to it. You don’t have to go on a date with somebody if you don’t want to,” said Brad, “but it opens up a new network of people so you could potentially find the love of your life.”

As hopeful as they are that The JMom will lead people to their beshert, the Weisbergs are also keeping a sense of humor about the site. “The information the mothers are writing about their kids is hysterical,” said Brad. “Every parent thinks their children are wonderful—and they are in their eyes.” Barbara wrote profiles for both Brad and Danielle. “She said stuff like, ‘He’s a great dancer.’ I would never say that about myself,” said Brad.

The Weisberg siblings have had other funny interactions with people using the site. One mother recently e-mailed The JMom with a technical question, and then wrote the following: “I don’t have much time, I want grandchildren!” Another mom said she had signed her single child up without permission to do so and was soon found out by her kid. The busted mom e-mailed The JMom with this: “Take me off! I’m in trouble!” The site’s creators advise that parents get the green light from their offspring before signing them up to avoid conflict.

Ultimately, The JMom offers one more tool to fix up Jewish singles, according to Brad. “If we can match up 100 people and we get one marriage out of that, we’ve done our job.”

Perhaps the most popular time of year for engagements is between the holidays of Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. And so I’ve recently been spending a great deal of time helping clients develop visions for weddings that truly reflect the bride and groom. This may be achieved by customizing the “standard” components of a wedding and choosing to implement a few details to make the evening stand out.

Luckily, the typical structure of a Jewish wedding provides some ideal opportunities for customization. An essential component to any Jewish wedding is the chuppah. Profoundly symbolic and meaningful, the chuppah frames the ceremony in tradition. And yet it can also provide the opportunity to personalize.

Some clients choose to have a very simple, traditional chuppah made of family members’ tallitot (prayer shawls). Another meaningful yet more elaborate option is to send family and friends fabric swatches to decorate and send back to the couple. The swatches are then sewn together to make the chuppah. After the wedding, as a nice memento, it can be made into a quilt. Yet another option is a sculptural interpretation of a traditional Jewish symbol. For example, the chuppah pictured here (by Kehoe Designs) is inspired by the Eternal Flame.

Photo credit: Phil Farber & Kehoe Designs

As the chuppah provides the opportunity to personalize a major component of the wedding, there are numerous smaller details that can be affected. I have had clients add special meaning to their ceremonies by inviting seven significant guests, each to recite one of the seven blessings. Or, in addition to handing out yarmulkes and programs, I have seen guests enjoy small spice boxes while Havdalah is incorporated into a Saturday evening ceremony.

Imaginative musical arrangements can also help make the event distinct. Ceremonies can be personalized with instrumental versions of songs by a favorite band. These favorites sound beautiful and engage the guests when they unexpectedly recognize them.

Receptions offer countless opportunities for unique details. I have found though that the small details are what really personalize a wedding and are what guests often remember most. A recent groom hailed from Alaska. His bachelor party included a fishing trip with friends back home. The wedding caterer served the fish the guys caught on that trip at dinner! Another couple loves to camp and hike. Instead of table numbers, we decided to name tables after National Parks they had visited. And instead of nuts and toffee on the dinner tables, gourmet trail mix was served and s’mores were part of the dessert. Yet another couple numbered their dinner tables but as a fun spin, at each table they placed photos of themselves at the corresponding age. So Table One had photos of the bride and groom at age one, and so on.

Whether a couple chooses to have a symbolic chuppah, incorporate a unique aspect into the ceremony or an unexpected ingredient into the reception, if the details mirror the couple’s interests and values guests will feed off of that positive energy and enjoy themselves as well, which is really the greatest result of all.

Bambi Caicedo Rogers is the owner of  BCR Events , a Chicago-based event planning company.

The Young Leadership Division (YLD) of JUF is heading to Las Vegas this March 6-8 for Tribefest…and you’re invited!  Every year, YLD participates in the Jewish Federation of North America's (JFNA) National Leadership Conferences and this year’s event, Tribefest, will bring together young adults from across the country to explore why it matters to be Jewish, volunteer, network, and of course, socialize!  TribeFest will offer inspiring programming, music, food, arts, and entertainment, all celebrating the richness of our Jewish culture and heritage.  Please join us for this incredible opportunity in Las Vegas with more than 1,800 of your fellow members-of-the-tribe in attendance.

If you haven’t already started booking your trip, then here are a few more incentives to come.  Meet local Chicagoans, Melissa Burstein, Scott Lieber and Jon Meyer, they’ve all already booked their trips to Vegas and want you to join them in representing Chicago in Vegas this spring!

Melissa Burstein:

Tell us about yourself.  I am a second year YLD Board member from Bloomfield Hills, MI.  I have lived in Chicago for 10 years and love it!  I have been on many trips with YLD and can't wait for this one! 

Why is it important for you to connect with other young Jewish adults?  It is important, because I love meeting new people and creating new friendships.  It's also nice to have the same faith as your friends, so you can share the holidays and attend similar events together.

What are you most looking forward to at the Conference?  I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people from all over the country, and for the events and speakers that will be at the event.  And of course, Vegas!

Scott Lieber:

Tell us about yourself.  I am a Leo.  I enjoy watching and playing many sports, but my top list includes football, baseball and golf.  Three words that would best describe me are creative, athletic, and funny.  I currently live in the Gold Coast and work at an insurance brokerage firm called Associated Agencies.  I attended Ithaca College where I majored in Sport Management and Finance and graduated in ’08.  I also played football during my time at Ithaca College.

Why is it important for you to connect with other young Jewish adults?  It is important to connect with young Jewish adults because we are the future of the Jewish community.  As long as we stay together and help others in our community, there will always be a sense of Judaism in the US and the world.

What are you most looking forward to at the Conference?  I am looking forward to meeting a lot of new people at the conference.  I have found that the easiest way to meet new people is at conferences.  Plus, this one is in Las Vegas.

Jon Meyer:

Tell us about yourself.  I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and attended Indiana University.  Upon graduating in 2004, I took a job as a trading assistant at a small proprietary trading firm in Chicago where I am still employed and trading my own account.  I enjoy staying active by playing sports and working out.  If there’s a good movie out, I'm generally the first one to see it, and if I've read a good book (which I often do), I'm not shy about telling everyone about it.  My most recent favorites are the Hunger Games Trilogy and City of Thieves.  I love drinking Corona in the summer, but in the winter I go with Guiness to keep me warm on those cold Chicago nights.
 
Why is it important for you to connect with other young Jewish adults?  Because we are such a small segment of the global population, it is so important that we stick together as Jews.  Sometimes you'll see rivalries between American Jews based on what city they are from or what fraternity they were in, etc.  I find this silly.  We all have the same ancestors who have endured the same hardships.  As a group we need to understand that and grow from it.
 
What are you most looking forward to at the Conference?  I'm most looking forward to meeting young people from other cities.  When I've visited Vegas in the past it’s mostly been for a work trip or a bachelor party.  I'm excited to be there with so many different people in a different capacity than I have in the past.  The vibe is going to be electric!

For more information and for all trip details, please visit the YLD website.  Also, you’re invited to join us at a Tribefest Informational Happy Hour this Thursday, January 20.

Back during the women’s lib movement, Marjorie Gelb was part of the first generation of professional women that were climbing the career ladder.

She was a fulltime working lawyer, a wife, and a mother of two. She wanted a fulfilling career, but she still desired to put high-quality food on the table for her family. In fact, Gelb identifies herself as a gourmet, defined by the French as “someone who likes to eat good things.”

Her love of cooking had started many years before having a family when she had taken classes at the prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. From her culinary beginnings, she strived to use fine ingredients, fresh produce, vibrant herbs and spices, and the freshest fish, chicken, and meat, and avoid processed foods as much as possible.

After learning to cook the old-fashioned way, Gelb relearned to cook gourmet food, this time in a fraction of the time. Translation: She became a “lazy gourmet.”

“Women like me discovered it was hard to work all day and then come home and have the time and energy to put a nice meal on the table,” said Gelb, who is Jewish, and lives with her husband in Oakland, Calif. “…But I didn’t want to compromise on good food. I wanted to know what we were eating. So I looked for recipes everywhere that seemed to cut corners.” 

In the past 40 years, Gelb has amassed a phenomenal repertoire of fast and easy recipes that meet her high standards. Some of her dishes have been adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, intended for the American cook looking for “something wonderful to eat.” Others have come from other busy moms and chef friends she has met along her culinary journey.

Now, Gelb is a semi-retired grandmother, who has more time and energy for cooking than she used to. But she wanted to teach others—like her daughters and their friends working long hours and establishing households with little time on their hands—her “lazy gourmet” techniques.

So, with the help of her daughter Josie A.G. Shapiro, a writer, an avid “cooking contester,” and a busy working wife and mother herself, Gelb has released a cookbook called  The Lazy Gourmet  (Watchword Press), publishing all her lazy recipes and shortcuts for people who want to eat good food fast. (Gelb’s sister, Stephanie Gelb, drew the illustrations in the cookbook, making the project a family affair.)

Josie A.G. Shapiro takes a break from the cooking and has a drink.

“For me, the most fun part of writing the cookbook was talking to my mom on the phone and learning her stories, tips, and tricks, the origins of her recipes, and her telling me things about her life that I didn’t know,” said A.G. Shapiro, a former Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago employee, who now lives in San Francisco. “I could hear all my mom’s stories and her perspective about what it was like being a working mom with two girls when I had just had my daughter, Naomi.”

2-year-old Naomi follows in her mom and grandma’s cooking footsteps.

Naomi, age 2, it seems, is the next generation of chefs in her family, already cracking eggs for her mom and grandma’s recipes. “Part of l’dor v’dor (from generation to generation) is what my mom did for me—nurturing and loving me through the kitchen,” A.G. Shapiro said. “I want to show my daughter that I care what I’m giving to her and I want her to grow up and love cooking too.”

The Lazy Gourmet defines a “lazy recipe” as one that won’t require an obscure ingredient, won’t call for lots of steps or chopping, and won’t employ lots of dishes, pots, pans, or utensils. Gelb confesses, though, that her husband always does the dishes in her home, but she wants to be kind to others reading the cookbook who aren’t so lucky.

The book of 127 recipes includes tips and tricks from “The Lazy Gourmet,” includes a list of recipes made from “Imperishable Ingredients,” food you can keep stocked in your kitchen to save you a grocery trip after a long day. Another section called “One Dish Wonders,” serves up recipes you can make using you guessed it—only one dish. And “Make Ahead Magic,” offers sauces and marinades to prepare in advance.

The “lazy gourmet” in action.

Gelb shares a couple of her laziest tips of all: Serving breakfast for dinner has changed her life, she says, like her simple Egg Soufflé, which she’ll make in 20 minutes for her family after a long airplane trip when no one has gone to the grocery store.

And, she adds, “I think lettuce in a bag is the best thing since sliced bread.”

To order a book, visit  www.realfoodrealeasy.com .

The event was typical Gabrielle Giffords: no barriers, all comers -- Democrats, Republicans and independents welcome to talk about what was on their minds and in their hearts.

While she was deep in a conversation with an older couple about health care -- the issue for which she was willing to risk her career -- a gunman strode up to the Arizona congresswoman and shot her point blank in the head.

The critical wounding Jan. 8 of Giffords and the slaughter of six people standing near her -- including a federal judge, her chief of community outreach and a 9-year-old girl interested in politics -- brought to a screeching halt the easy, open ambience that typified Giffords’ politics, friends and associates said.

“She's a warm person,” Stuart Mellan, the president of the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona, said as he walked away from a prayer service Saturday night at Temple Emanuel in Tucson, one of the southeastern Arizona cities that Giffords represents in Congress. “Everyone called her Gabby, and she would give a hug and remember your name.”

Giffords was the president of the tire company founded by her grandfather when she was propelled into state politics in part because of her concerns about the availability of health care. She switched her registration from Republican to Democrat and in 2001, at 30, she was elected to the Arizona Legislature.

She gained prominence quickly in that body and in 2006, at 36, she became the first Jewish woman elected to Congress from her state.

At the same time, her Judaism was becoming more central to her identity. The turning point came in 2001 following a tour of Israel with the American Jewish Committee, she told The Arizona Star in 2007.

"It just cemented the fact that I wanted to spend more time with my own personal, spiritual growth. I felt very committed to Judaism," she said. "Religion means different things to different people. It provides me with grounding, a better understanding of who I came from."

Her wedding to Cmdr. Mark Kelly, an astronaut, was written up in The New York Times. The item noted that a mariachi band played Jewish music and there were two canopies -- a chupah and one of swords held up by Kelly’s Navy buddies.

“That was Gabby,” Jonathan Rothschild, a longtime friend who served on her campaign’s executive committee, recalled to JTA. “The real irony of this thing is her Judaism is central to her, but she is the kind of person who reaches out to everybody.”

Giffords’ father is Jewish and her mother is a Christian Scientist, and she was raised in both faiths. Her grandfather, Akiba Hornstein, changed his name to Giffords after moving from New York to Arizona, in part because he did not want his Jewishness to be an issue in unfamiliar territory.

The women on her father’s side of the family seemed to guide her toward identifying with Judaism.

“In my family, if you want to get something done you take it to the Jewish women relatives,” she told JTA in 2006. “Jewish women, by and large, know how to get things done.”

Giffords, who last week took the oath of office for her third term in Congress, has pushed Jewish and pro-Israel issues to the forefront at the state and federal levels. She initiated an Arizona law facilitating Holocaust-era insurance claims for survivors, and in Congress she led an effort to keep Iran from obtaining parts for combat aircraft.

She didn’t stint in seeking Jewish and pro-Israel funding. Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), the premier pro-Israel lawmaker in Congress, fundraised for her, as did Steve Rabinowitz, the Washington public relations maven whose shop represents a slate of Jewish groups.
“She was so heimishe, so down to earth,” Rabinowitz, himself from Tucson, recalled of his fundraiser last spring.

Almost as soon as she was elected to the state Legislature, Giffords was enmeshed in Arizona’s signature issue -- rights for undocumented immigrants -- according to Josh Protas, who directed the Tucson-area Jewish Community Relations Council for years before moving to Washington in 2009 to direct the D.C. office of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
Protas recalled meeting with Giffords as part of the area faith coalition promoting immigrant rights.

“We met with her around immigration issues and she was sensitive to the faith community’s concerns,” he said.

Her approach to the issue was typical for the moderate Democrat, Protas said: She attempted to synthesize what she regarded as the valid viewpoints of both sides on the divisive issue.
“Understanding the complexities of the immigration situation was something important to her,” he said. It came from “a sense of the Jewish value around how we treat the stranger, a history of the Jewish community -- but she had recognition of the strong need for security.”

It was a posture that led Giffords to hit both the state and federal governments last year: She blasted the Obama administration for not doing enough to secure the border, but also slammed as repressive a new Arizona law that allowed police to arrest undocumented immigrants during routine stops.

“She was very moderate in her views and willing to meet with folks on all sides,” Protas said. “She took a lot of heat particularly the last couple of years from both the far right and the far left.”

In the end, her greatest vulnerability might have been her openness.

The day Jim Kolbe said he was not seeking re-election to Congress, Giffords told Rothschild that she would run for the seat. Rothschild had one bit of advice for her: Come back every weekend to meet constituents. Not hanging out with the locals had led to the defeat of Kolbe’s Democratic predecessor.

He didn’t need to convince her; she was back virtually every weekend.

And her open, engaging approach appeared to pay off.

Despite representing a swing district, she survived the Republican wave in November. And just three days before the shooting she was back in Washington -- with one hand up and one hand on the Jewish Bible, grinning at her swearing-in at the Capitol.

On Saturday she was back in Tucson, at a parking lot smiling at all comers.

This article originally appeared on  Jewish Telegraphic Agency .

A few weeks ago, a friend sent me the link to a really amazing website that combines two of my favorite things—fashion and reality TV.  Started by local stay-at-home-mom Dana Weiss, the site—which tells readers where to find clothes like those worn on their favorite TV shows—was just meant for Dana and her friends.  But when fashion meets TV, it turns out the fans just can’t keep away and before Dana had even realized it, she was amassing thousands of hits to her site each week.  Now turning a profit while doing what she loves, Dana’s built a thriving empire as the Posessionista.  Recently, Dana chatted with me about being a fashionable couch potato, her celebrity obsessions, where she shops and the Posessionista January shopping hangover giveaway.

Oy!Chicago: What is your professional background?
Dana Weiss: I was a journalism major at Indiana University.  I worked at CNN and FOX and then I moved over to PR.  For years and years, I worked at agencies and my last job, before I became a mom, was the director of PR for Fairmont hotels.  I had a lot of opportunities there to watch bad outfits walk in and out of the hotel.

How did you come up with the idea for the  Posessionista ?
It was an accident, really.  I’m just really compulsive.  I’d say I’m a fashionable couch potato—I watch a lot of TV.  I’d find myself obsessing about what characters I saw [on TV] were wearing, so I would watch these shows and then I would go to Google and I would google and google and google and look for their clothes.  If I still couldn’t find the clothes, I would look on Facebook or Twitter and it was taking up a lot of my time.  I would talk to my friends about it and eventually I just started posting it on this blog thinking no one would ever look at it.  It was just for my three or four friends and just very cathartic for me.

When Jillian Harris was on the Bachelorette, I was obsessed with her.  I was following all of her clothes [on my blog] and people started googling her clothes (and no one was really doing this for reality TV at the time).  There are a lot of sites out there that track what celebs are wearing, but no one was doing it for reality TV.  And people were googling Jillian Harris and they would end up at my site and I was getting thousands and thousands of visitors and I didn’t even know!  It was never intended to be anything and if you go back and look at the very beginning of the blog, it is very different than what it is now.

Were you surprised by the massive response you’ve gotten?
Yes!  Absolutely!  I mean I’m not surprised that people use it [the blog] because I think a lot of women are like that.  We watch TV and we see celebs and we want to wear what they are wearing and we google it.  I’m surprised at how many people come back.  It’s not like a one-time thing.  I get emails all the time from people who really feel connected to me and that’s sort of a really amazing feeling, to know that people like my taste and they like the way I write.

Have you been surprised by the response stores have had to your site?
I’m surprised.  I’ll tell you the first time I was really surprised was I was doing the movie I Love You Man and I couldn’t find this yellow blouse that Rashida Jones was wearing in it.  I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I called the agency that reps Leesa Evans who was the costume designer on the film and she emailed me back directly!  I just couldn’t believe that an Academy Award-winning costumer would call me back.  Lou Eyrich from Glee texts me every single week.  Cary Fetman from the Bachelor and I email back and forth.  Mandi Line from Pretty Little Liars and I talk on the phone.  When Jillian Harris was done with The Bachelorette, I was the first person she emailed to say how much she liked the blog.  I’m doing these 31 days of giveaways in January with 7 for all mankind and Cuba and they want to work with me and I’m always surprised because I feel like I’m just this stay-at-home-mom who is doing this for fun and now everyone wants to be a part of it.  It’s really cool.

Who are your fashion icons?  Who are your favorite designers?
I mean I love Alice + Olivia and I love Elizabeth + James.  You know if I had all the money in the world I would want to wear Louboutin shoes and I would want to wear Prada and I would want to wear Lanvin, but you know, I’m just like a normal girl.  I love Current/Elliot Jeans.  I love modern vintage boots and I’m obsessed with Jeffrey Cambell shoes and I love things that not everyone is wearing.  I love this store arizia that’s Canadian.  Its been around but people don’t know about it.  I like wearing a really current thing that’s not exactly the same as what everyone is wearing.

I know you are a big fan of Nordstrom, what are your other go-to stores for shopping?
Nordstrom is like, it to me,  I cannot get enough of their customer service and their selection.  When Nordstrom agreed to be one of my affiliates, it was like the mother ship calling me.  I was happy.

I love Urban Outfitters.  I think it’s the most underrated store.  They have amazing clothes, if you want to be on trend, but don’t want to spend the money.  I love Barney’s co-op.  I love Cusp.  I love the Gap.  I mean nobody seems to like going to the Gap, but the Gap has great clothes.  Their jeans are awesome right now.  I love Forever 21.  I’m way too old to be shopping there, but if you have an impulse buy, Forever 21 is the greatest place.  They have awesome rock and roll tees and their jewelry is amazing and you don’t care if you break it.  If you want to wear one of those big Muppet fur coats, get it at Forever 21 because I promise you, you are not going to wear it next year.  It looks good on Rachel Zoe, so if you only drink coffee and smoke cigs all day and all night, then you call pull it off.  I have this challenge out there, I don’t believe anyone besides RZ can pull off that fake fur vest look without looking like a ridiculous Muppet and if anyone can send me a pic proving me wrong, I will buy you a venti non-fat latte.  I just don’t think in real life a woman would be walking down the street on Michigan Ave wearing one of those vest and looking really good.

We just interviewed Jill Zarin from the RHofNY about her book “Secrets of a Jewish Mother,” who do you think is the best dressed housewife?  Which cast is the most fashionable?
Omg, Beverly Hills.  The clothes are amazing!  I love Kyle Richards!  I love her hair— she says she uses Dove or Pantene.  Her hair is beautiful.  There’s something so approachable about her.  If you message her on Twitter, she will respond to you and tell you what she’s wearing.  Bethany Frankel is another one who is just an awesome, awesome dresser who gets her body.  If you have enough money, you can dress really badly, but you can also dress really beautifully.

What’s your favorite TV show for good fashion finds?
Well, obviously Glee.  Lou’s created characters in those clothes.  Gossip Girl is amazing.  I love that show Pretty Little Liars, Mandi Line is the costumer.  She has no budget, so she literally took clothes and ripped them apart and sewed them back together.  It’s a really great lesson in reusing and recycling.  I love The Bachelorette because these are just normal girls and not celebrities, so the things that they are wearing, if you like them, you can go out and get it that day.  They just bought it for that show.  Chances are you can go to the mall and get it.  There’s something relatable about that.  Obvi, Sex and the City.  It’s awhile ago, but I think Patricia Fields was the first time that people noticed what the characters were wearing and that clothes became a character themselves.

Being a costume designer is such a thankless job…How many people know name Eric Daman?  He is the genius behind it.  Blake and Leighton are just wearing the clothes, they didn’t pick them out.  Blake Lively is the new face of Chanel and she’s beautiful, but we never stop to think about the people dressing them, the stylists, and the costumers, these are people who are really talented.

What are your future plans for Possessionista?  Where do you see the site in five years?
I don’t know.  That’s the million dollar question.  If you had told me two years ago that I would be talking to Oy!Chicago or that I would have 50,000 weekly readers, I would have said give me your pharmacists number, you are smoking something.  I would love to collaborate with a designer.  I’m working right now with a jeweler who makes bracelets and we’re going to make a Possessionista bracelet for my readers.  I love the partnership that Emily Shuman at Cupcakes and Cashmere got to design a handbag for Coach.  I think it’s really cool that designers are taking note of bloggers and bringing their voices to fruition.  I would love to work with people like Oy!Chicago and get my writing out there and touch new people and that’s sort of it.  Keep writing more places and keep getting my voice out there and collaborating with designers and retailers.

What’s your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
I love to go for like deli with my kids. I grew up on the East Coast, so being in Chicago, I like to take my kids for knishes and corn beef and just like tell them about what it was like to go visit my grandmother in Brooklyn and have the NY Jewish deli experience.  It’s really fun for me, because it’s my childhood.  It’s not so much religious as it is cultural, but the food was definitely a part of my Jewish upbringing and I love sharing it with my kids. 

Is there anything else you want to tell or preview to the Oy!Chicago readers?
I’d like to tell them and I think it’s really fun…in January, we all get our credit card bills for our holiday shopping and our holiday gifts and everyone kind of goes, “oh, crap” when it shows up…I call it the shopping hangover.  Every day in January, I’m giving away something.  It’s the 31 days of giveaways.  I have 7 for all Mankind, Paige, True Religion, Smash Box, huge, huge names.  Every day one of them is giving something to one reader—so that is a great time to start reading Posessionista, because I’m giving away tons of free stuff.  I’ll be like the Oprah of blogging.