OyChicago articles

Josh Schonfeld is a partner and general manager of Grass Fed, a new, chic, modern steak restaurant in Bucktown. The star of the menu is their grass-fed sirloin steak, which comes with fries for just $25, but they also offer yummy sides and desserts. 

Before opening Grass Fed, Josh was most recently manager for Chicago based Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Las Vegas. Prior to moving to Las Vegas, Josh was General Manager for Vail Resorts at Beaver Creek’s high volume on mountain restaurant, Spruce Saddle Lodge. 

A Chicago native, Josh graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. and he holds an MBA and master’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration from the University of Nevada Las Vegas.

So whether you’re a steak eater, love the show Private Practice or have been to over 75 countries, Josh Schonfeld is a Jew you should know!

1. What is your favorite blog or website? 
Anything that has to do with food or travel. I read the Eater and RedEye every day! I know, really I should watch the news more!

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel? 
Well, I have been fortunate to have been to over 75 countries, but nowhere in Africa or Asia. I would have to say South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam are all next on my list.

3. If a movie were made about your life, who would play you? 
Jason Alexander for his mannerisms and quick wit (not the belly :) ) 

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, living or dead, famous or not, who would they be? Where would you eat or what would you serve? 
Dr. Addison Montgomery from Private Practice. Not gonna lie, I have the biggest crush on her! And Rich Melman. I have learned so much about the restaurant business from him and really love what he has done with his restaurants in Chicago for the past several decades. 

5. What's your idea of the perfect day? 
Getting up around 9 a.m., hitting the gym, working a lunch/early dinner shift at Grass Fed, leaving work around 8 p.m., dinner with some good friends, and then head home to catch up on DVR.

6. What do you love about what you do? 
I love the daily interactions with my staff and my patrons. I could never sit at a desk from 9-5, I'd kill myself. I love being on the restaurant floor, talking with guests, running food, tasting wine with my staff, and never knowing what to expect the next minute. Every moment is unexpected—my flat top grill could be on fire, or a customer could be buying me a shot of tequila that I really don't need to be having!

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now? 
I'd love to own a hotel/resort with several restaurants on site.

8. What's your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago? In other words, how do you Jew? 
I love going to the Bagel with my friend, Victoria, on Thursdays for lunch and having a good ole bowl of matzo ball soup and a turkey/pastrami sandwich. All their servers have known me since I was a baby. 

Photo credit: Jeff Ellis

For the fifth year in a row, Young Leadership Division's (YLD) Big Event was the place to be for young Jewish adults in Chicago this past Saturday night.

A whopping 2,400 young Jews came together to support the Chicago Jewish community and the Jewish United Fund, celebrate Chanukah together, and watch entertainment by standup comedian and Parks and Recreation star Aziz Ansari as well as young local Jewish singer, Edon Pinchot. YLD's Big Event, held at the Sheraton Chicago, kicked off YLD's 2013 Annual Campaign. 

Photo credit: Bob Kusel

Big Event revelers rang in the first night of Chanukah together, entering the ballroom to the sounds of Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song." Then the crowd lit up the room with the first candle on the menorah--and thousands of waving glow sticks too.

'Doing our generation's part'  

YLD's Big Event is JUF's premier fundraising event for the next generation of Jewish Chicagoans, and marks the first YLD event for many guests in attendance.

David Goldenberg, 2013 YLD Campaign Chair, addressed the crowd. He discussed the belief that all Jews are responsible for one another, exemplified in the important work of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago, which he said has touched everyone in the room directly or indirectly.

Photo credit: Bob Kusel

In addition to showcasing great comedy, YLD's Big Event offers the millennial generation something more, according to Goldenberg. "[We're here] to do our generation's part in building a strong Jewish community and take care of those in need in Chicago, in Israel, and around the world," he said.

He recalled the recent terrorist attacks directed at Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ashkelon, and cities throughout Southern Israel, and how overnight, JUF advanced $1 million to its partner agencies that operate in Israel.

"I am so proud to look out into a room of 2,400 people celebrating and supporting JUF's efforts," said Jimmy Sarnoff, YLD President. "The Big Event has become bigger than anything we ever could have imagined. It's clearly the 'can't miss' Jewish event of the year." For many in attendance, the Big Event also marked their first YLD event.

'YLD's Got Talent'

Next up was a performance by Pinchot, a freshman at Ida Crown Jewish Academy--who made headlines recently as one of the feel-good Chicago Jewish stories of 2012. Pinchot, who earned a spot last summer as a semi-finalist in the hit show America's Got Talent, brought a special performance home to Chicago to the delight of the crowd. 

Photo credit: Bob Kusel

He sang three powerful songs, the David Guetta/Usher hit "Without You," Elton John's "Your Song," and a Chanukah song called "Miracle," written by past Big Event alum, Matisyahu.

'The funniest man under 30'

Then Ansari came to the stage. "I'm excited to be here with so many Jewish leaders. I don't know what happens when there are so many Jewish leaders in one room together: 'We're going this way.' 'No, we're going this way,'" said Ansari, moving in different directions across the stage. 

Comedian Aziz Ansari entertaining the crowd. Photo credit: Bob Kusel

The comedian, who Rolling Stone recently named "the funniest man under 30," was  born and raised in South Carolina to immigrants from southern India.

Ansari told the audience a bit about himself, including that he was a double major in business--and biology--during college. "First, I hit you with the business. You think it's all done. Then, I come back and I hit you with the biology," he said. "What was I going to do with this stupid double major? Sell organs on the black market very efficiently?" 

In addition to performing standup, the comedian co-stars in the NBC series Parks and Recreation, currently in its fourth season. On the big screen, Ansari has starred in films including 30 Minutes or Less, I Love You, Man, and Funny People.

Ansari, a 29-year-old bachelor, spent the bulk of his act reflecting on the varied life stages that 20 and 30-somethings experience, some married, some single. 

The comedian referred to peers who have met their spouses online. He asked one of his Jewish friends what key search words he used to find his wife, expecting his friend to say something super romantic. But, instead, his friend told Ansari he simply typed in the word "Jewish" and his zip code.

"What? That's all you were looking for? Just someone Jewish and close by so you didn't have to drive too far?" Ansari replied. "I found a Wendy's that way a few weeks ago. I typed in "Wendy's" and my zip code and then got some nuggets. He got a wife the exact same way." 

And once people get married, Ansari said, then it's all about the babies. He poked fun at Facebook for being a reservoir of baby pictures and baby milestone status updates by braggadocios new parents. He said a friend will boast, for instance, about "Baby Brian's first steps."

"I walk all the time," Ansari said. "I'm not impressed."

For a list of upcoming YLD events and to view pictures from the Big Event, visit www.yldchicago.org.

A special thank you to YLD's Big Event Presenting Sponsor Eleven City Diner; Supporting Sponsors AMS Staffing Solutions, LLC, Associated Agencies, Inc. and Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, Charles E. Dobrusin and Associates, and The Great Escape; and Event Sponsors Chicago Apartment Finders, Durable Packaging International, Hub 51, JFS Realty Capital, Paris Club, RJ Grunts, RPM ITALIAN, Sarnoff and Baccash, Steve's Deli, and Wicker Park Veterinary Clinic, and Media Sponsor Splash: A Chicago Sun-Times Publication; Thank you also to Mercadito Hospitality and Spin Spun All Natural Confections for their support of this event. Another special thank you to the 150 Table Hosts whose support of this event made it an enormous success.

In 1987, I was 17 years old. I got on a bus in Cleveland with many of my friends from school, synagogue, camp, and my youth group. We were bound for Washington D.C., to send Mr. Gorbachev a message: We, the Jews of the United States, stood with the Jews of the Soviet Union. We wanted them to stop being refuseniks… and start being olim to Israel or immigrants to America. 

As we arrived, my busload was mingled with others from Ohio. As we marched, alphabetically by state, we passed the National Archives. Our signs waved in the same wind that blew through the banners on that building’s columns, declaring the 200th anniversary of the Constitution. 

When our march arrived before the White House, I could not see or hear any of the speakers, from back in the “Os” with Oklahoma and Oregon. I could barely make out some strains of Peter Paul & Mary, who were playing at the event. But I held my “Glasnost for Soviet Jews” sign as high as I could. “Glasnost” being the Russian word for “openness.” (The sign now hangs on the wall of my house.)

I also found a poster that said “B’nai B’rith Youth Demands: Open Your Iron Gates!” It seemed to me that the mighty Soviet Union might not exactly quail before some Midwest suburban Jewish teens. But you know what? Every voice joined in the chorus makes it harder to ignore. 

I later learned that Gorbachev did not make his scheduled visit to the White House that day. Message received.

Just before Rosh Hashanah this year, my great-uncle’s brother, Isaac-Mordchah, passed away in his late 90s. He had been stuck behind the Iron Curtain after surviving the Holocaust. But for decades before he died, he sat between my great-uncle and grandfather in synagogue every Shabbat, worshipping as a Jew in the land of the free. 

So on this 25th anniversary of that rally, I say: God bless America. Thank God that I live in a country that teaches me that I can use my voice to make sure other voices are heard. And that because I can, I must. And so I hold high my 25-year-old sign, and write these flickering words, and I raise my single voice. 

Until all eyes and ears are open. Until all hearts and minds are open. Until all iron gates are open: Glasnost!

In a Jewish world obsessed with continuity, the millennial generation is an enigma. Age-old norms that defined what it means to be Jewish don't seem to fit. Yet "being Jewish" often is seen as cooler and more accepted than ever.

The public-affairs television show "Sanctuary," which first aired on Nov. 18 on ABC7-Channel 7 and now you can watch it below, examines every angle of this generation. On the program, millennials look closely at themselves and, in the process, reveal a deep commitment to a Judaism rooted in tradition and community, but lived in ways that often challenge 20th century structures and lifestyles.

The show features Oy!Chicago blogger-in-chief, Stefanie Pervos Bregman, editor of the newly published Living Jewishly: A Snapshot of a Generation. The book is a collection of revealing, incisive personal essays by a diverse group of young adult Jews from Chicago and around the country.

Bregman will be joined by an array of millennials offering insights into what “living Jewishly” means to them, from the role of ritual and the importance of choice, to the significance of denominations and the transformation of dating in the era of JDate. Guests include Jenna Benn, Rachel Kohl Finegold, Rachel Friedman, Jonny Imerman, Rabbi Jason Miller, Rabbi David Russo, Benjamin D. Singer, Elizabeth Wyner and Alyssa Zeller.

This episode is hosted by Cindy Sher, editor of JUF News.

"Sanctuary" is a joint production of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and the Chicago Board of Rabbis, in cooperation with ABC7-Channel 7.

Photo credit: Robert Kusel

Around 2,000 Chicagoans—and even a few people from out-of-state—gathered at the James R. Thompson Center today to show their solidarity with Israel as it defends its citizens against the terror of Hamas in Gaza.

The Jewish United Fund and JUF's Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), in cooperation with the Chicago Board of Rabbis and JUF's Rabbinic Action Committee, sponsored the Rally for Israel, one of many rallies organized in communities around North America this past week. (see photos from the event)

Community members waved Israeli flags and held signs proclaiming "I Stand with Israel," "Israel has the right to defend itself," and "Hamas the Aggressor, Israel the Beacon of Freedom." High school students spontaneously sang, "Am Yisrael Chai" and "Hatikvah," Israel's national anthem, as they waited for the rally to begin. News helicopters hovered overhead as the crowd chanted, "Israel! Israel!"

Cantor Alberto Mizrahi of Anshe Emet Synagogue then opened the rally, singing the National Anthem. David Sherman, JCRC Chairman, welcomed participants (watch a video of Sherman's remarks).

"We have all come together to say with one voice, Am Yisrael Chai—the people of Israel live," Sherman said.

"Let me be clear. Our support and our prayers are focused on Israel. But neither Israel nor we harbor hatred of the Palestinians. The Tribune today described yesterday's rally as 'anti-Israel.' This rally is pro-Israel, not anti-Palestinian."

More than 1,000 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza in the past few days, he said. "Millions of Israelis—Jews, Muslims and Christians—are now in harm's way.

"At the root of Hamas rockets is hatred and their belief that through terror they can deny the Jewish people a peaceful life in our homeland," Sherman said. "Hatred is the root, but fueling, funding and arming that hatred is Iran…As Israel fights for peace for its citizens, the world dare not lose sight of Iran's march toward a nuclear weapon. A nuclear Iran threatens the entire world, not just Israel."

Rabbi Sidney Helbraun of Temple Beth-El and co-chair of JUF's Rabbinic Action Committee, talked about his visit to Israel during the second intifada in the early 2000s. Twice during the trip, there were bombings in places he had been. "I felt as though I was being hunted…Everywhere I was going seemed to be blowing up behind me.

"Today, some 4 million Israelis are living with the sound of sirens," Helbraun said. "We pray not for victory, but for peace."

Rev. Chris Harris of Bright Start Church said Jews stood with African Americans during the civil rights movement. "Just as you stood with us…in this challenging time, we will not fail to stand with you as well," he said.

Elected officials express solidarity

Andy Hochberg, Chair of the JUF Government Affairs Committee, acknowledged public officials in attendance: State Sen. Ira Silverstein, State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, State Rep. Robyn Gabel, City Treasurer Stephanie Neely, Ald. Ed Burke, Ald. Debra Silverstein and Ald. Michelle Smith, as well as letters of support from Sen. Mark Kirk, Gov. Pat Quinn, Rep. Bob Dold and Speaker of the Illinois House Michael Madigan. (read their letters)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel sent in a statement of support that was read at the rally: "There is no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders. So we are fully supportive of Israel's right to defend itself," his statement said. 

A number of other officials expressed their solidarity with Israel:

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, said, "We stand with the men, women and children in southern Israel who have 15 seconds to find shelter." (watch her full remarks)

Congressman Mike Quigley said, "We are united by so many things. Israel and the U.S. are the greatest of allies and the greatest of friends." (see his full remarks)

Congressman Bill Foster talked about his visit to Sderot during a JUF mission. "We saw children playing in a playground (that was) a shielded, missile proof bomb shelter.

"Nobody should have to raise their children like that. Today, the message is simple: the U.S. stands with Israel."

Congressman-elect Brad Schneider said, "This situation is unacceptable. Like many of you, I have friends and relatives living in Israel, serving in the IDF and wondering what's next."

State Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka captured the sentiment of the crowd: "I'm tired of Israel getting rocketed and bombed and picked on," she said. "Let's get it straight. Israel has the right to exist. Israel has the right to defend itself.

"It's my honor to stand with you today," she said.

Roey Gilad, Consul General of Israel to the Midwest, said, "You have no idea how proud I am currently [of the rally]. Enough is enough. Since we pulled back from Gaza…we have hardly had a day without rockets.

"Our brothers and sisters are not the only ones suffering…Hamas is an organization who is committed officially for the destruction of Israel.

"To this we have one simple answer: we are not going anywhere. We are still willing to extend our hand and try to live in peace with you." (see his full remarks)

Israel has continued to supply Gaza with necessities like food, water and electricity during the conflict, as well as transport sick and injured residents into Israel for treatment.

Two of JUF's top leaders will return from Israel Nov. 21 after traveling there to assess the situation and show Chicago's solidarity with the Israeli people at a time of great threat.

David T. Brown, chairman, and Steven B. Nasatir, president, toured endangered areas of the country and met with key government and civil officials. JUF had immediately advanced $1 million in emergency assistance to its partner agencies in Israel to provide critical humanitarian aid to those impacted most by the ongoing terror attacks.

Rabbi Carl Wolkin, Congregation Beth Shalom, and President of the Chicago Board of Rabbis, suggested ways Chicagoans can take action during this time of crisis:

Give to the JUF Israel Terror Relief Fund;

Read and watch all news channels—including those with Israeli perspectives;

Write to family and friends in Israel so they feel supported;

Don't cancel trips to Israel;

Buy products made in Israel;

Pray; and "Stay with it. This crisis will be ongoing. Don't let your support waver," Wolkin said.

For current updates and to contribute to JUF's Israel Terror Relief Fund, visit http://www.juf.org/help_israel

Showing their support

Marissa Steinhofer came from Milwaukee to join her friend, Lauren Sandoval of Chicago, "to express support for Israel."

Joceb Dnamar, Aurora, attended the rally "because I'm Jewish. A friend of mine called me yesterday to tell me about it." His friend, Noussy Nathan, also of Aurora, learned about the rally through email messages. "I've got a lot of family there," he said, noting that his family members are safe in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. "But, it's been pretty scary the last few days."

Laurie K., Highland Park, attended the event "because I strongly support Israel and I think what Hamas is going on the Gaza strip is terrible."

Victoria Kofman, Buffalo Grove, lives in Israel during part of the year and has relatives there. "A bomb came close to their house. They all are OK," she said. "They could see it went through (the neighbor's) roof."

Emergency medical personnel carrying the body bag of one of three Israelis killed in a rocket attack on their apartment building in Kiryat Malachi, Nov. 15, 2012. (Moshe Milner/GPO/Flash90/JTA)

Chicago’s Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation stands in solidarity with the people of Israel, especially the residents of Southern Israel, who have suffered hundreds of rocket attacks within the past four days, the latest salvo in a decade during which Islamist terrorists have launched some 10,000 missiles and rockets. More than 40 Israeli civilians have been injured, homes and businesses destroyed, and schools closed. Hundreds of thousands have been forced into shelters and safe rooms, terrorized yet again by those committed to the destruction of the Jewish State.

Israel, like any nation, has an obligation to defend its citizens, and is fully justified in taking action to protect innocent lives. We hope and pray for the peace and safety of all peoples in the region, and support all measures to put an end to indiscriminate terror. We want our Israeli brethren to know that, as always, we are there with them, and will determine how best to apply the resources of our JUF/Federation system to provide all forms of support.

Author Mary Glickman was not born in the South, nor to a Jewish family, but her passion, connection, and dedication to both Southern culture and Judaism inspires and informs her writing.

Born on the south shore of Boston, Glickman was always fascinated by faith. Though she attended Catholic school as a child and wanted to become a nun, her attention turned to the Hebrew Bible and she began what would become a lifelong relationship with Jewish culture. She later converted to Judaism.

Glickman's first novel, Home in the Morning, published in 2010, has been optioned for film by Jim Kohlberg, director of The Music Never Stopped (Sundance 2011), and is currently in development. One More River, a finalist for the Jewish Book Award, is her second published book. She is working on her next novel, a continuation of this series which welcomes the reappearance of Aurora Mae, ready for publication next fall.

Mary and her husband Stephen now live in North Carolina with their cat and a horse named King of Harts.

You've said: "Joseph Campbell said that religion is the poetry that speaks to a man's soul and Judaism was my soul's symphony" How has Judaism impacted your life and your writing?
Recently, scientists have concluded that humans are hard-wired for religious belief which makes a spiritual life an organic need. Campbell's dictum adds a mystical element to the discussion. He seems to say that religion goes deeper than familial training or social environment: it goes to the bone.

I was raised by an observant Irish Catholic mother. Much of my education was under the guidance of the good sisters of that faith. But it never took with me. I felt that innate need for a spiritual life and always, I was drawn to the Tenakh along with the geniuses of Jewish literature. The first time I heard Ashkenazi melodies, I had tears. If that's not the pull of religion on one's soul, I don't know what is. My identity is 100 percent Jewish. It's been so for more than 40 years. How could my identity not influence my work as a writer?

And tell me about your love for the South?
When I first came to live in the South, I was bowled over by the beauty of the Southern landscape, its intense devotion to history and family, its emphasis on civility in social discourse. I found a gorgeous wealth of inventive idiom in Southern speech (catnip to an author!). And I noted an ease of relations between the races I didn't find up North. That was a revelation. My Southern life is a constant learning experience about both its priceless cultural traditions and how a society can struggle to and succeed in conquering the legacy of an ugly past.

What was your inspiration for this book?
I began writing in a Southern voice as a corrective of the Hollywood stereotype of the South as a quaint and unsophisticated place stocked like trout in a pond with race-baiting thugs, bigots in seersucker, and melting belles. The protagonist of One More River, Mickey Moe Levy, was born in my first novel, Home in the Morning, where he had a strong but supporting role. I just wasn't done with him. Knowing the Southern fixation on family trees, I thought a mystery around his father's identity would provide an interesting conflict to hang a plot on. And then the Flood of 1927 came into my purview. As Mickey Moe is part of the Civil Rights Era generation and his father was the right age to experience the Great Flood, it seemed interesting to pair the two revolutionary events that shaped the South in the 20th Century. That one was man-made and the other natural only made them more interesting to pair.

What do you hope your readers will take away?
I hope they'll share a sympathetic view of the South, one more accurate than that the media generally allows. And of course, I hope they're moved and enriched by the experiences of my characters. For me, fiction should be character driven. If the reader bonds with one's characters, the goal has been attained.

Why did you choose to make your characters Jewish in the book?
The Southern Jewish Experience has been underreported in fiction and it was quite different from the Northern one. Jews have prospered in the South since colonial days and with a greater degree of acceptance by the dominant culture than that experienced in the North. Jews have played significant roles in Southern politics, economies, and culture from the 17th century onwards. I wanted to both pay homage to that experience and help bring it to the forefront of American Jewish consciousness.

The book is full of themes of self-discovery, race relations, historical lessons, civil rights, women's rights and so much more, but the overarching theme is love. Is the message that love can conquer all?
I don't know if love conquers all but it survives all. The noblest acts of men and women are committed in its name. You'll notice that not all the great love in One More River is requited. But it endures and commits itself honorably. Something that not every reviewer has noted but something very important to me is One More River's theme of the very powerful form of love called friendship. It's my contention that friendship is as essential to a well-lived life as domestic love. A loving friendship endures in the same way that romantic love endures, sometimes to a greater degree. So I prefer to think of River as a meditation on love, on the many forms of the emotion, and how they play out as a measure of character.

Visit spertus.edu/OneBook for information and reservations.

We all know parking in Chicago can be a drag…especially once the snow starts falling. Between street cleanings, parking permits and meter limits, finding a home for our cars is no easy feat. But have no fear, your parking heroes are here!

Chicago MOTs Mark Lawrence and Jeremy Smith make up two-thirds of the SpotHero team.

SpotHero, a rapidly growing startup founded by Smith, Lawrence, and Larry Kiss, was launched to remove the hassle for drivers finding a parking spot. SpotHero allows drivers to compare and reserve spots from the web and their iPhone and helps their parking partners fill their unused inventory by putting drivers in their spots.

Lawrence, the co-founder & CEO, has been an entrepreneur since 2nd grade. Through his career, he quickly realized his passion for innovation, both in technology and in everyday living. This drive ultimately led Mark to the Chicago parking industry, where he found an entire industry ripe for innovation. Prior to his professional experience, Mark graduated with BS in Finance from Bradley University.

Smith, SpotHero’s co-founder & COO graduated from the University of Illinois in 2008. Out of school he worked at Motorola and he eventually ended up becoming roommates with Lawrence. During his short time in Chicago, he amassed $3,500 in parking tickets! That's when SpotHero was born. When he's not out being a SpotHero for Chicago residents, Jeremy loves catching sporting events with friends, checking out new places around the city, and frequenting local dive restaurants.

So whether you love Schmidt from New Girl, have a thing for breakfast at Manny’s or just want to find a damn parking spot, Mark Lawrence and Jeremy Smith are Jews You Should Know!

1. What is your favorite blog or website?
Jeremy: My favorite website is ESPN. I’m constantly traveling and on the go for business and it helps me stay up to date on the latest sports news.
Mark: My favorite website is National Geographic. In my spare time, I love surfing the site to read the latest issue.

2. If time and money were limitless, where would you travel?
Jeremy: Before a personalized excursion to outer space via a Richard Branson spaceship, I would take a good six months in Thailand to fight Muay Thai.
Mark: If time allowed, I would bike and safari in Africa.

3. If a movie were made about your life, who would play you?
Jeremy: Schmidt from FOX’s New Girl. He is a young professional who is eager to climb the social ladder and become a lady's man, but his heart is in the right place.
Mark: Charlie Day

4. If you could have a meal with any two people, living or dead, famous or not, who would they be? Where would you eat or what would you serve?
Jeremy: Living: Shaquille O'Neal; Dead: Abe Lincoln. We would be eating really unhealthy, juicy burgers at Kumas Corner.
Mark: Living: Heidi Klum; Dead: Alexander the Great. We would be eating Mediterranean food on the beach.

5. What's your idea of the perfect day?
Jeremy: The perfect day would begin with ideal weather – 80 degrees and sunny, no wind or clouds in the sky. It would be a Saturday, and I would wake up to a healthy omelette, and then go out for a long bike ride. The rest of the day would be running into friends and sharing laughs. In the evening, I would be at a big college football game that would of course end in overtime fashion! After that, I would go out and celebrate in style by hitting the dance floor. I’m an amazing dancer.
Mark: My idea of a perfect day would be spending time with my family and friends. They are very important to me and I’m not able to see them as often as I’d like to. Also, trying something new I haven’t done before.

6. What do you love about what you do?
Jeremy: I love my job because I’m getting to face completely new situations and challenges every day. Additionally, I constantly get to interact with highly successful, motivated people whom I continue to learn from. It's more than I could ever ask for!
Mark: Waking up every day with a mission. Solving a problem we all experience or know somebody that does. I work with incredibly amazing people and love the challenge of each day. 

7. What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
Jeremy: Starting NFL Quarterback
Mark: Volcanologist. That's a job right? I’d also like to be a professor to help educate our future generation.

8. What's your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago? In other words, how do you Jew?
Jeremy: My favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago is having breakfast at Manny’s. There's nothing better! Also, I like giving back to my community by speaking at local colleges and high schools, helping to educate students on business and technology.
Mark: I like celebrating the Jewish holidays, especially Purim.  

Photos of storm damage, like this one from Astoria, Queens, were shared widely on Facebook and other websites. (Peter Romano via Creative Commons)

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago is accepting donations to help those impacted by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy and its related storms along the Eastern seaboard.

"Millions are being affected by these storms and their associated widespread damage," said Federation President Steven Nasatir. "Chicago's Jewish community is ready to respond, as we have so often in the past, to provide support to those most in need."

Damage to New York City infrastructure, like this one inside a New York subway station, was extensively documented online as Hurricane Sandy washed ashore. (@HeyVeronica via Twitter)

Chicagoans may contribute online at www.juf.org/relief, by calling (312) 444-2869, or by sending a check to the Jewish Federation Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund, Room 3022, 30 S. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60606.

All funds collected by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago will be directed to social welfare agencies in the affected areas serving both the Jewish and general communities. The Chicago Federation will absorb all administrative costs, ensuring that 100% of all donations go directly to aid those most grievously affected. 

The Jewish Federations of North America is conducting an initial damage and recovery survey with every federation from Virginia to New England. Damage assessment continues at the local level through contacts with federations, agencies, and our Jewish communal partners through the Jewish Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (JVOAD) partnership. We are also actively participating in the National VOAD partnership, which convenes national and local disaster relief agencies with FEMA and state emergency management agencies.

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and Federations across North America have a long track record of caring for victims of global natural disasters. Last year, Jewish Federations raised funds for those affected by widespread storms around the U.S., and more than $1 million for victims of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. Donors to Chicago's Jewish Federation Earthquake Relief Fund provided some $725,000 to assist Haitians in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake there in 2010. 

Other recent fundraising efforts included $30 million to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina, and $10 million to address the aftermath of the southern Asia tsunami in 2004.

It’s lunch time in the Loop and you’re a fashionista looking for a great deal, where do you go? State Street? Nope. Michigan Avenue? No. These days, those in-the-know make sure to stay right at their desks. Because every day at noon, daily deal site Gilt blasts out an email packed with amazing designer finds at great prices that sell out within minutes of going up.

Founded by Alexandra Wilkis Wilson and her best friend, Alexis Maybank, in just five years, Gilt Groupe has grown into one of the hottest luxury lifestyle brands— with more than 1,000 employees and a billion dollar value— putting Wilson and Maybank in the same category as the Zuckerbergs of the world. Wilson and Maybank detail their journey in the new book By Invitation Only, How We Built Gilt and Changed the Way Millions Shop (Portfolio).

Ahead of Wilson’s upcoming visit to Chicago for the JUF Young Women’s Board Fall Campaign event on Nov. 29, Oy!Chicago interviewed Wilson by phone.

Oy!Chicago: How did you come up with the concept for Gilt Groupe?
Alexandra Wilkis Wilson: We launched Gilt back in the fall of 2007. We were a team of five co-founders and one of them was my best friend from college and grad school. Alexis and I were avid sample sale shoppers…We used to go together to New York City sample sales where we could shop and find little treasures, but often at inconvenient times and in inconvenient locations…The idea really came about by thinking through what if we were to take that concept and bring it online. We thought about our friends that live all around the country in places like Chicago and San Francisco and Miami. Wouldn’t they love to have access to these incredible brands and these prices also?

What is your professional background?
After undergrad at Harvard, I had worked for Merrill Lynch in New York and then in London. Then I went back to business school and worked very hard during business school to get into the fashion and luxury world. I worked very hard for more than three years at Louis Vuitton and then at Bulgari. And then I was off to the races with an idea for a crazy start-up.

What advice do you have for other entrepreneurial-minded women looking to launch their own businesses?
I think it’s really important to support other entrepreneurs and build mentors. Think about people you know and ask for help. Build your network where you can. Think about people you don’t know, but who you’d like to know. Try to seek them out whether it’s attending conferences where you might meet them or one day sending them an email, you never know, they might write back to you.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My family. For me a measure of success is happiness and being happy with the choices that I’ve made in my life. Success isn’t something you show on a piece of paper; it’s more in your heart and the inside.

What kind of role does Judaism play in your life?
I was raised Jewish. My father is Jewish. My mother converted. I think a lot of the important values and messages that I learned as a little girl in Hebrew school stuck with me. The notion that tzedakah and giving back [is not] only limited to monetary charity [is important to me]. But thinking about helping others, that was largely why we wrote a book. [We wanted] to share our entrepreneurial message with others thinking about trying to start their own businesses and helping them take the plunge.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers?
I’d like to see more people, especially other women, starting businesses. I think now is as good a time as any to think about entrepreneurship. There is funding out there from venture capitalist right now. Despite what we sometimes read about the economy, now is not a bad time to be an entrepreneur.

Alexandra Wilkis Wilson will be speaking at the JUF Young Women’s Board Fall Campaign event on Thursday, Nov. 29. There is a $750 minimum individual gift to attend. For more information, visit  www.juf.org/women/valor.aspx. 

Maxwell Street supported hundreds of Jewish businesses.

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema.
"My Australia" (Poland)

In 2006, a group of local film lovers decided to organize an annual program focused on Israeli cinema. Their timing was prescient. After decades of near invisibility, Israeli films were suddenly winning accolades at festivals all around the world, and last year, an Israeli film was a contender for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for the fourth time in five years.

The first "Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema" (CFIC) was also an important event in my own life. In October '06, I was just beginning my second year as Arts & Culture critic for JUF News, and covering the CFIC has been a highlight of every year since. But as many readers already know, my husband recently took a new job in Brooklyn, so this will be my last monthly column.

Watching CFIC films year in and year out, I have immersed myself in Israeli history and culture, walking many metaphorical miles in the shoes of those who brought a wide variety of languages and traditions with them to Eretz Yisrael. I intend to continue my commitment to Israeli cinema in the future, and I hope you will too.

 NEW THEMES 
Israel's expanded presence on the world cinema scene has created new opportunities for collaboration with filmmakers from other countries. This year, you will hear a lot of Polish, as well as a surprising amount of Spanish.

For years, actor Vladimir Friedman kept busy playing displaced Russian physicians. But this year, in Salsa Tel Aviv, Friedman plays a Hebrew-speaking landlord renting to a group of illegal immigrants from Mexico. This tells me the huge influx of Jews from the former Soviet Union has been more or less absorbed, and newer arrivals are causing bigger cultural hiccups.

 NEW STARS 
One of the Spanish speakers is beautiful Natalia Faust who plays an Argentine immigrant named "Anna" in Dusk (written and directed by Alon Zingman). Dusk, a Crash-type film with multiple storylines, stars well-known Israeli actresses like Orly Silbersatz (my pick for Best Supporting Actress last year), yet Faust more than holds her own.

 NEW FILMMAKERS 
Ami Drozd was one of the co-creators of the documentary The Name My Mother Gave Me (shown in 2010). This year he excels as writer/director of his first feature film, the semi-autobiographical My Australia.

 TOP PICKS: Features 
My top pick in the Feature category this year is My Australia. Told from the point of view of "Tadek" (Jakub Wroblewski), a kid growing up in Lodz in the early 60s, My Australia answers all those who wonder why Jewish Holocaust survivors didn't just "go home" after the Allies defeated the Nazis. Tadek thinks of himself as a devout Catholic, but mother "Halina" (Aleksandra Poplawska) has secrets. When Tadek and his older brother fall in with a group of anti-Semitic hoodlums, Halina decides it's time for them to leave Poland and join their relatives in Australia. Only after she has them safely at sea does Halina reveal the fact that their actual destination is Israel.

 TOP PICKS: Documentaries 
Three wonderful BioDocs that have already played in metro Chicago will be returning for encore screenings at this year's CFIC: Follow Me is the story of Yoni Netanyahu (commander of the 1976 raid on Entebbe), Incessant Visions is the story of Erich Mendelsohn (the architect who designed many of the first "important" buildings in Tel Aviv), and Torn is the story of Romuald Jakub Weksler-Waszkimel (a Catholic priest who discovers that his birth parents were Jews who perished in the Holocaust).

Of the new documentaries showing in Chicago for the very first time, my top pick is Lost Love Diaries. One year after losing her husband Elmie (to whom she was married for 62 years), Elisheva Lehman returns to Holland with her Israeli-born daughter Shula to look for traces of Bernie—the fiancé she lost in 1943.

And while she searches, we learn all about her. Elisheva's remarkable spirit is captured in this voiceover: "You know me, Bernie, forever the optimist. When you disappeared after the War, I ran ahead. I didn't look back, not even once. I decided to live, and I made every new day a festival." With four children, 10 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren at the time of filming, Elisheva Lehman is a true mother of modern Israel!

 TOP PERFORMANCES 
My Best Actor pick for 2012 is Yehezkel Lazarov who plays "Dov Markovsky" in Dina Zvi-Riklis' Yishuv drama The Fifth Heaven. Markovsky is a Russian-born physician who runs a small orphanage. As 1945 begins, the Jews of Palestine have ceased to fear a Nazi invasion, and they are eager to return to the business of statehood. But Markovsky, an idealist, can't turn his back on those already dependent on him for their minimal sustenance.

Most of the action takes place in the orphanage, and the large cast of women and girls who live there under his wing is terrific. My Best Supporting Actress nod goes to Rotem Zisman as "Bertha," a young woman engaged in a way too public affair with a British officer, but a close second is Esti Zakheim as "Paula," an older woman remembering the Warsaw in her glory days.

At the opposite end of the cinematic spectrum is Salsa Tel Aviv staring Angelica Vale as "Vicky," a Mexican woman who sneaks into Israel in search of a ne'er do well boyfriend. Vale is a very well-known singer/actress with a long list of Latin American film and concert credits. On the other hand, her counterpart, Israeli actor Angel Bonani, is a relative novice. And yet this bubbly confection is the closest thing I've seen to the Hepburn/Grant screwball comedy classic Bringing Up Baby in years. Gracias!

 TZIVI'S 2012 "BEST OF FEST" LIST

Best Feature Film: My Australia

Best Documentary Film: Lost Love Diaries

Best Actress in a Feature: Angelica Vale in Salsa  Tel Aviv

Best Actor in a Feature: Yehezkel Lazarov in The Fifth Heaven

Best Supporting Actress: Rotem Zisman in The Fifth Heaven

Best Supporting Actor: Angel Bonani in Salsa Tel Aviv

And here is my personal ranking of films on this year's schedule:

 Narrative Features—Highly Recommended:
The Fifth Heaven
My Australia
Salsa Tel Aviv

 Narrative Features—Recommended:
Dusk
Melting Away
Off-White Lies
Yossi*

 Docs over 60 Minutes—Highly Recommended:
Dolphin Boy
Follow Me
Incessant Visions

 Docs under 60 Minutes—Highly Recommended:
Life in Stills
Lost Love Diaries
The Secret
Torn

About Yossi*… Yossi is a sequel to Eytan Fox's enormously successful film Yossi & Jagger. If you've seen Yossi & Jagger, then you will certainly want to see Yossi, but sorry to say, it doesn't really stand alone.

CFIC 2012 opens with a screening of Dolphin Boy at the Shedd Aquarium on Tues Oct. 23. Additional events are scheduled in Chicago on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Then CFIC 2012 moves out to the AMC Northbrook Court for a week of screenings from Sunday, Oct. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 4. For complete details, visit: http://ChicagoFestivalOfIsraeliCinema.org.

I will be in Northbrook on Sunday, Oct. 28 to lead the Q&A after the 3:30 screening of The Fifth Heaven. I will also introduce the three films by women filmmakers scheduled for Monday, Oct. 29 (Lost Love Diaries, Life in Stills, and Off-White Lies). If you would like to meet there to discuss Israeli film, please contact me at tzivi@msn.com. Signing out now—thanks for the memories!

 Jan Lisa Huttner (Tzivi) has served as the Arts & Culture critic for JUF News for the past 7 years. After 35 years in Chicago, Jan recently relocated to Brooklyn. Visit Jan's blog, www.SecondCityTzivi.com, for a complete online archive of all JUF News columns and posts plus additional interviews and reviews. Jan's Blog will also keep current with reviews of new films of special interest to Jewish viewers.

Jonah is the last of my three boys/men to go off to college. I started worrying and grieving about two years ago. The thought of an empty nest terrified me. But, two years is a long time, I told myself, and I put off thinking about it. Sure, the reality crept in every now and then as I watched him tower over me and mature, but denial is a powerful thing to a mother.

This summer was a reality check. I had three, in the blink of an eye, months to drink in all I could and to impart whatever last minute wisdom I had on my youngest son.

Since Jonah is my third son, I learned a long time ago that the way to get a message across is as part of a larger conversation. Anything that seems and sounds like a lesson is going to get tossed in the discard pile if even heard at all.

Some of my messages would come as a sneak attack, like: ‘so how was school and, oh and by the way did you know that drinking your weight in alcohol will kill you?’ Others would be more of a plea, for instance: ‘you are so handsome and I love you and hope you don’t drink your weight in alcohol.’

Most of my messages were never verbal though. As a chef, I communicate through food. I pour my heart and soul into my creations. I show my love through small touches that have big flavor and carry messages of love and affection.

As my husband, who is also a chef recently said, EVEN YOUR GARNISHES HAVE GARNISHES! I have always cooked over the top, at work and at home. I don’t know how to stop potchke-ing and as the three months before Jonah left for school seemed to dissolve away, my cooking became more elaborate, all in an effort to say what I felt.

I was like this as each of my kids went away to school. I cooked favorite meals and poured my love into soufflés, soups, stews and roasts. I was determined that each kid miss my cooking and me.

I knew I had run out of time when I a trip to the farmer’s market yielded, end of the summer, tomatoes. I love tomatoes and normally celebrate their arrival. This year, I dreaded seeing them. The mom/chef in me took over and I grabbed tomatoes and concentrated my feelings into tomato soups, sauces and other tomatoey dishes.

All this culinary communication poured into meals and then Jonah left for college. Bittersweet times and flavors.

A mere 10 days after his departure, I received a text. I MISS HOMEMADE FOOD. Success was mine. I know the text indicated missing homemade food and not necessarily me, but I will grab the moment and run with it. My love went into every bite and that message was heard loud and clear,

This week, after the holiday, I am going to make some of Jonah’s favorites and when I go to visit him next week, I will arrive loaded with my love carefully packaged into small freezable containers.

Here is some of what I am taking with me.

MACARONI AND CHEESE CASSEROLE

My oldest son Zachary is also a champion for this recipe. I used to make this dish weekly. It is as comforting as a pair of fuzzy slippers, or a big hug from MOM.

Serves 6 generously

1 pound macaroni or favorite pasta shape (I use whole wheat pasta)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups milk (I use whole milk for this)
½ teaspoons fresh grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese or a mix of favorite cheeses (I use white sharp cheddar, Swiss and blue)
1 cup sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the crunchy topping

We have had family conversations regarding the pros and cons of a bread crumb topping for the casserole. After much discussion, the bread crumbs are in due to their texture and salty crunch.

½ cup bread crumbs (Panko* is perfect for this)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Pre-heat oven to 350. Bring a large saucepan with water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente (about 10 minutes depending upon size of pasta). Drain and set aside.

2. Place a large sauté over medium heat. Melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add chopped shallot and garlic. Cook until light golden brown (about 3 minutes) Add flour and stir together. Cook the mixture for several minutes to cook out the raw flour flavor.

3. In a separate pan heat the milk until simmering. Add all at once to flour mixture. Whisk to prevent lumps. Cook until thickened (about 3-5 minutes). Add the nutmeg and hot sauce and whisk until combined.

4. Remove from heat. Add grated cheese and stir until melted.

5. Stir sour cream with cooked pasta. Add cheese mixture and stir to combine. Place in a lightly greased casserole.

6. Combine bread crumbs with melted butter and sprinkle on top of casserole. Bake at 350 until bubbly and golden (about 30 minutes).

7. Serve with salad. The macaroni and cheese casserole can be made 1 day ahead of serving and can be assembled but not baked and held in the refrigerator.

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

I start craving this dish in the autumn when the nights are cool. The dish is easily doubled or tripled for a crowd. It is perfect for your Sukkah or anytime.

Serves 5

2 ½ pounds beef chuck-cut into 2 inch pieces
1 bottle red wine (I like a hearty Pinot Noir for this)
1 spring rosemary
Several sprigs fresh thyme
½ cup flour
2 leeks-light green parts only-sliced thinly
2 carrots-peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 stalk celery-cut into large pieces
4 cloves garlic-peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
2 cups mushrooms-cut into ½ (use cremini, button or shiitake)
1 cup pearl onions-blanched, shocked and peeled

1. Place the meat and the wine in a zip-loc bag or container with a tight fitting lid. Be sure each piece of meat is covered by the wine. Let the meat marinate over night or at least 4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 300.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven or sauté pan, lightly coated with olive oil, over medium heat.

4. Remove the meat from the wine and pat dry, reserve the wine. Salt and pepper each piece of meat. Dredge the meat in the flour and brown on all sides (about 5 minutes per side). Do this in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.

5. Brown the vegetables in the same pan and cook until they are browned (about 10 minutes).

6. Add the wine to the pan with the tomato paste and lightly stir to gather the browned bits left in the pan by meat. Add the chicken stock and stir together.

7. Place the meat and vegetables in a large Dutch oven or casserole with a lid. Pour the wine over the meat and add the fresh herbs.

8. Braise the beef until it is tender and releases easily when pierced with a fork (about 2½-3 hours).

9. Sauté the mushrooms and onions until lightly browned and caramelized (about 5-7 minutes).

10. Add the mushrooms and onions to the beef.

11. Serve with pasta, mashed potatoes or roasted garlic-potato galette

ROASTED GARLIC-POTATO GALETTE

This is really a pretty potato dish and is my son Ari’s favorite. It has all the crispiness of potato chips with a creaminess of mashed potatoes. It is a snap to make and can make any cook look like a pro! I recommend using a Teflon or non-stick pan to make this dish as it makes flipping the galette easier. I have pans that are dedicated for specific uses and this is one of those dishes that has its own pan!

1 head garlic
¼ cup white wine
4 Russet potatoes-peeled
1 t. fresh thyme-chopped
1 t. fresh chives-chopped
1 t. fresh flat leaf parsley-chopped
Salt and pepper
Extra Virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350. Cut the head of garlic 7/8 of the way off the flowering end. Salt and pepper the large piece of garlic as needed. Sprinkle a tablespoon of olive oil on the garlic. Place the garlic in a small baking dish or small sauté pan. Pour the white wine in the pan and cover tightly with foil. Roast the garlic until the cloves are very soft and can be squeezed out of the head (about 1 hour).

2. Cool the garlic before handling. Squeeze the garlic cloves from the head and mash with a fork. Using a mandolin or Asian slicer, slice the potatoes into paper thin rounds. Place the cut potatoes into a large bowl and liberally toss them with Extra Virgin olive oil. Salt and pepper as needed. Add the herbs, the roasted garlic and toss the mixture. Place an 8-10 inch sauté pan over medium-low heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Layer the potatoes in the pan so that they overlap and cover the bottom of the pan. The bottom layer is the layer that will be seen, so make it fairly even. Add the rest of the potatoes and spread them evenly. Slowly brown the potatoes until the bottom layer is browned and can be shaken loose (about 30 minutes).

3. Invert the potatoes onto a plate and slide the uncooked side into the pan, or, flip the potatoes over and place the pan into the oven.

4. Continue cooking the potatoes until the under side is browned and can be shaken loose (about 30 minutes).

5. Remove the potatoes and cut into wedges. Place a wedge on a plate or shallow bowl and top with beef Bourguignonne and some of the braising liquid.

Alison Levine has made it to the top, both literally and figuratively.

Born with a life-threatening heart condition, Wolf-Parkinson-White Syndrome, that prevented her from driving a car or walking up a flight of stairs, today Levine climbs mountains and the corporate ladder.

Thirteen years after her initial diagnosis, Levine had surgery that changed her life. As one of the most experienced female mountaineers in the country, she has climbed peaks on every continent. In 2010, with her successful expedition to the top of Mount Everest, she became one of the few climbers to complete the Adventure Grand Slam—claiming the Seven Summits and skiing to both Poles.

Levine's personal career has encompassed healthcare, technology, and finance. After earning her MBA from Duke University, she worked for Goldman Sachs, and left in 2003 to serve as deputy finance director for Arnold Schwarzenegger in his successful bid to become Governor of California.

She currently serves as an adjunct professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, has her own consulting firm, Daredevil Strategies, and in 2005 founded the Climb High Foundation.

Levine will visit Chicago Thursday, Oct. 11, for JUF's Women's Division Lion Luncheon at the Standard Club.

In advance of her visit to Chicago, Oy!Chicago chatted with Levine about climbing mountains, Judaism, and what's next for her:

 Oy!Chicago: How does your Judaism influence your life, both personally and professionally? 
Allison Levine: In all areas of my life I work hard for the things that I want and I stand up against the things I believe are wrong. Not speaking out against things you know are wrong is the same as advocating those things. I also know that each of us has the responsibility to leave this world a better place than it was when we got here. Those are things ways Judaism has influenced my life.

Is there one thing you can pinpoint as your greatest accomplishment? Your coolest experience? 
YES! Coolest experience would be training the first group of Ugandan women to work as trekking guides in the Rwenzori Mountains. There had been a longstanding cultural belief that it was taboo for local women to go to the mountains so prior to this climb the local women had never been permitted to climb. Working in the mountains as trekking guides or porters is the main source of income for the men in this region, and because women were not allowed in the mountains they had no way to earn money. After much negotiating with the head of the local village, the head of the park service and the head of the trekking service I convinced them to allow the local women to climb for the first time. Breaking down this barrier was a huge step forward for women's rights in this area.

After our climb I returned six months later and founded an organization called the Climb High Foundation which trains jobless women to work as trekking guides and porters in the Rwenzori Mountains. This work allows them to earn a sustainable living wage and to improve their quality of life. They have made great strides in gaining equality as a result. This is by far my greatest accomplishment and is a legacy I am really proud of.

What is next for you? 
I am currently working on my first book which will be published in late 2013. It feels like the toughest mountain I have ever climbed as this is the first time I have tried to tackle writing anything beyond a humorous blog for an expedition. The book will be about the leadership lessons I learned while climbing the world's highest peaks and how these lessons apply to the business world and beyond.

What skills from the business world also apply to your expeditions, and vice versa? 
The ability to act quickly and make critical decisions is important in both arenas. Sometimes you have to toss well laid-out plans out the window and take action based on the situation at the time rather than on the plan. Plans are outdated as soon as they are finished in environments that change very rapidly. Another key to success that applies to both business and the mountains would be empowering everyone to think and act like leaders regardless of title or tenure or experience level, because everyone needs to realize that they have a responsibility to the people on either side off them. And I think that the number one lesson I have learned in the mountains and in business (which I think also applies to life in general) is that it is okay to feel scared or intimidated as long as you take action, because complacency will kill you. You have to be able to act/react as things around are shifting and changing.

What advice do you have for others who dream of climbing mountains?
Don't let anyone discourage you from pursuing your dreams. Surround yourself with people who are more skilled/stronger than you are—you'll learn faster and they will push yourself harder.

Do you have any Chicago connections? 
Matter of fact, yes! I am currently working with an outdoor apparel company called HUM which is based in Chicago and the founders are Danny and Aaron Feuerstein. Aaron Feuerstein was the CEO of Malden Mills (which made Polartec fleece). His factory burned down in 1995 and he used much of the insurance money to pay all of his factory workers wages and benefits for six months while the facility was being re-built. He spent millions taking care of his people. If that isn't a fabulous example of the generosity and selflessness of Judaism I don't know what is.

For more information about the Lion Luncheon, visit www.juf.org/women.

Larry Tye is the author of a new biography of the first great superhero, Superman: The High-flying Story of America's Most Enduring Hero. He has also written Home Lands: Portraits of the New Jewish Diaspora. Recently, he flew through Chicago to discuss his new Superman book at both comic-book stores… and also congregations, as much of the book discusses the Jewishness of its super subject.

Aside from loving comics, what is your background? 
I was a journalist for 20 years, 15 of them as a medical and environmental writer at the Boston Globe. I won most every award there was in journalism for series on everything from the environmental nightmare the Soviets left behind to the end of privacy.

Did you grow up with comics or is this a recent interest?
 [I] grew up a Superman fan— in comics, TV and movies— but never an over-the-top one. I was interested in Superman for what he tells us about our love of heroes, since he's our longest-lasting hero of the last century. I also wanted to be 10 again, and I was during the two years I was writing this book. 

What about Judaism? What has been your experience?
I grew up in a Jewish family that was one of the most active in the Boston area, and my second book was a look at the thriving Jewish diaspora, a story I told through the stories of seven Jewish communities worldwide and that I spoke about at a dozen venues in and around Chicago. I remain a committed Jew— culturally, religiously and spiritually.

What made you first see the Jewish/Superman connections? What are some of these?
I read about it, then researched it, then couldn't resist writing about it. Here are a few:

Superman's creators were Jews (Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster). So were his publishers, Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz. So were many of his best writers and artists and editors over the years.

Smart Jewish kids like Jerry and Joe got into comics partly because anti-Semitism closed off other, more lucrative and esteemed writing jobs at ad agencies, magazines and elsewhere.

But my favorite connection is the fact that Superman himself was a Jew. We can see the evidence in his name on Krypton, Kal-El, which roughly translates into vessel of God. Another hint: his parents saved him by floating him in outer space, then watching him be adopted by two gentiles… who raised him as their own and discovered he was a very special boy (if that's not the Moses/Exodus story than I don't know what is).

There's lots more— from the watchwords of the Mishnah, truth, justice, peace, being nearly identical to Superman's "Truth, justice and the American Way"— to his home planet exploding at the same time Jerry and Joe's familial world in Eastern Europe was exploding at the hands of the Nazis.

Last hint: any name ending in 'MAN' is a superhero, a Jew… or, in this case, both.

Which other superheroes do you see as particularly influenced by Jewish ideas?
Batman was created by Jews, too, as were Spiderman and most of the other early comic superheroes. Many, like Stanley Lieber, saved their real name for the great American novel they dreamed of writing. In the meantime, he decided to make a living writing a few comics that happened to hit pay dirt (his pen name was Stan Lee, his heroes ranging from Spiderman to others of Marvel's best). 

They all drew about what they knew, which was things Jewish, which is why their heroes are fraught (Spiderman), driven (Batman), and, to a man, intent on repairing the world.

When you speak in non-Jewish settings, like comics stores or conventions, about Superman, do you focus on the Jewish aspects of his story?
I do, always, although it's not necessarily the opening of my talk there. It's mainly a matter of emphasis and tone, but the substance is nearly identical everywhere since it's the centerpiece of the Superman story and the part most people don't know.

Of all the many, many TV and movie portrayals of Superman, which is your favorite? Which do you think is the most "Jewish"?
I'm a sucker for George Reeves, the Superman of the original Adventures of Superman TV series. That's mainly because I grew up with him. The most Jewish, to me, was Christopher Reeve, because his Clark Kent was so awkward but the Superman inside him was so convincing. He was, like me, a schlub on the outside hoping that everyone— especially the pretty girls— were smart enough to see beyond my awkward exterior.

Which Jewish actor, living or dead, would you have picked to play Superman?
Paul Newman, assuming you count him as Jewish. His dad was and he called himself a Jew. He had the strength and elegance and presence to be a very convincing superhero.

Do you have other books? What about?
Please have a look at my website to see my five other published books and the one I am working on now, which is a bio of Robert Kennedy.

Rosh Hashanah is my favorite holiday for so many reasons. Each year for the holidays families and friends often gather together to share meals.

After the candles are lit and blessing are recited we enjoy a beautiful service called Yehi Ratzon, which means "May it be Your Will." This service is one of the most special parts of the holiday for me. Most of prayers during the holidays take place in the synagogue. This symbolic and fun service takes place in the home, around the table with family and friends.

Foods consumed with the Yehi Ratzons vary depending on the community. Some of the symbolic foods eaten are dates, black-eyed beans, leek, spinach and gourd, all of which are mentioned in the Talmud. Pomegranates are used in many traditions. The use of apples and honey is a late medieval Ashkenazi addition, though it is now almost universally accepted. It is traditional to dip apples or challah in honey to symbolize a sweet new year. As apples can be somewhat sour, they symbolically signify the times that Jewish people had to endure bitterness, and dipping them in honey symbolizes a hope that the bitter will become sweet. Honey also represents Israel, "the land of milk and honey."

Typically, round challah bread is served, to symbolize the cycle of the year. Gefilte fish is commonly served by Ashkenazi Jews on this holiday. On the second night, new fruits are served to warrant inclusion of the shehecheyanu blessing.

During this service you truly are what you eat. The food in combination with the prayer brings all of our senses to our hopes for the New Year and in a sense you are eating your hopes and intentions for the coming year.

Shana tova u'metuka!

Apple dipped in honey
... that you renew us for a good and sweet year!

Gourds (e.g., pumpkin or squash) (Aramaic: kara, meaning 'to proclaim' or 'tear')
... that our merits be proclaimed before You, and our sentences be torn up!

Mini Pumpkin Muffins

2 ¾ cups sugar
4 whole large eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Spray mini muffin cups with non-stick spray.

3. Whip eggs and sugar together until light, fluffy, and forms a ribbon. Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla and mix to combine.

4. Fold in dry ingredients making sure they are well blended and no lumps of flour remain.

5. Divide the batter between the cups and bake for 8- 10 minutes or until center of cake springs back when pressed.

Black-eyed peas (Aramaic: rubia sounding like yirbu, meaning 'to increase')
... may our merits increase before You!

Serves 6

2 cups dried Black-Eyed peas or canned

For the vinaigrette

¼ cup pomegranate molasses
¼ cup apple cider
2 tablespoons honey
¾ cup best quality extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the salad

2 beets, roasted, peeled and diced
2 shallots, minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup pomegranate arils (seeds)

1. Sort the Black-Eyed Peas and remove any debris. Soak the peas in cold water in the refrigerator overnight.

2. Drain the water and boil the peas for 1 ½ hours until they are cooked through and have a creamy center. Drain the peas and cool them.

3. Whisk together the vinaigrette and toss the peas and remaining ingredients together in a bowl. Chill before serving.

Leeks (Aramaic: karasai sounding like kares, meaning 'to cut off' or 'destroy')
... may our enemies be destroyed!

Karti (Leek Patties)

3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, diced small
Extra virgin olive oil
3 large eggs
¼ cup bread crumbs
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

1. Sweat the leeks in a small sauté pan, lightly coated with olive oil, over medium-low heat until the leeks are very soft but not browned at all.

2. Transfer the leeks to a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients. Form the mixture into loose patties.

3. Fry the patties in a sauté pan, lightly coated with olive, over medium heat until they are browned on both sides.

4. Serve at room temperature.

Beets (Aramaic: silka sounding like siluk, meaning 'to remove')
... may our adversaries be removed!

Roasted Beets

1 large red beet
1 large golden beet
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Wrap the beets in foil and roast in the oven until easily pierced with a knife (about 1 hour). This can be done several days ahead of serving.

3. Drizzle the beets with olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve chilled with chopped mint leaves.

Dates (Aramaic: tamrai sounding like sheyitamu, meaning 'that they be consumed')
... may our enemies be consumed!

We love to eat our dates dipped in a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Carrots (Yiddish: mehren meaning 'increase'. Hebrew: gezer, meaning 'decree')
... may our merits increase before You!
... may the evil decree be removed.

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups shredded carrots
½ cup golden raisins

Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette and toss with the carrots and raisins.

Pomegranates
... that our merits be as numerous as [the seeds of] a pomegranate!

Chef's hint: gather the pomegranate arils (seeds) by putting a cut pomegranate in a bowl of water. Pick the seeds out while in the water and you can avoid pomegranate juice spattering your clothing, cabinets, walls, household pets etc…

Fish and Fish Heads
... that we be fruitful and multiply like fish!
... that we be like a head, and not like a tail!

Fish Tagine

Moroccan spice mix

Two 2-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon chili flakes
½ teaspoon ground turmeric 
½ teaspoon ground ginger 
½ teaspoon anise seeds
Seeds from 1 cardamom pod

Place the cinnamon, coriander, cumin, chili flakes, turmeric, anise, and cardamom seeds in a spice grinder or coffee grinder and process until completely ground. Store in a tightly-covered container, away from light, for up to 3 months.

For the fish

Extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 red pepper, julienne
2 medium carrots, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 medium fresh-ripe tomatoes with their juices, grated on a box grater
2 tablespoons Moroccan spice mix
¼ cup golden raisins
½ cup water
1 1 ½-pound snapper or striped bass, head on and scaled and dressed

1. Sauté the onion, pepper and carrots, in a large sauté pan, lightly coated with extra virgin olive oil, over medium heat, until the vegetables are soft and lightly caramelized (about 5-7 minutes). Add the garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 2 minutes until the garlic has softened.

2. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the vegetables. Add the grated tomatoes and their juices, spice mix, raisins and water.

3. Stir to combine. Nestle the fish into the vegetables and sauce. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the fish has cooked through.

4. Serve the fish warm on a platter with vegetables and sauce spooned around. Garnish with cilantro leaves and sliced lemons.

Head of a sheep
... that we be leaders (heads) of nations!

Gaze at the sheep's head while reciting the prayer!

It's another Saturday night in the city. You've got plenty of friends to hang out with-but no date, with no particular prospects on the horizon. So, what's a nice, single Chicago Jew to do? You're mother constantly nags you about the grandchildren she claims she will never see, while you'd just like to find another nice, Jewish single with whom you connect-enough so that maybe, someday, the two of you will smash the glass beneath a chuppah, dance the hora, and start your life together.

"Dating is really hard," said Ammi Dorevitch, a former Chicago single. "I got married at 32. It was the right time for the right one, but I dated for a lot of years. It was a challenge." Dorevitch is among a number of matchmakers working through a newly-launched Jewish dating website, JChicago.com.

The site is different from other dating services because it's a "modern twist on an old fashioned way of dating." Clients register by filling out an online form, answering questions about their interests, lifestyle, references, religious background, and level of observance and other criteria they might look for in another person. A matchmaker then contacts the clients to establish a personal relationship through phone calls, Skype, emails, and face-to-face interviews.

"We take the time to get to know them," Dorevitch said.

The matchmaker selects profiles of potential matches and gives them to the client for review. In turn, the matchmaker shows the client's profile and photograph to potential matches. Clients accept or decline a potential match through a confidential system. When two clients agree to a match, JChicago forwards their respective contact information so they can arrange a conversation and plan a date. Matchmakers continue screening members, recommending matches and assisting during the dating process. It is up to the client to decide which matches to date and how involved the matchmaker should be.

"Dating should be fun for people. It shouldn't be so tense," Dorevitch said. "Our hope is that we can make it an easier, more comfortable experience for people."

JChicago is part of a larger network of Jewish matchmaking sites--JRetroMatch.com and SawYouAtSinai.com. JRetroMatch is geared toward Jews of all levels of observance. SawYouAtSinai focuses on but is not limited to helping Traditional, Yeshivish, and Modern Orthodox Jewish singles find an appropriate mate. JChicago and its network serve Jewish singles of numerous lifestyles, including young professionals, single parents, divorcees, and widows.

"The site is for everyone, of all ages," Dorevitch said. "It's really a community initiative."

JChicago is unique from other Jewish dating/matchmaking services because it operates as a community project with support from a number of local partners: Taglit-Birthright Israel Next Chicago (a JUF affiliate), JCC's Sidney N. Shure Kehilla, The Living Room, Anshe Sholom B'Nai Israel, Hillel at Loyola, Club 1948, Chabad on Campus, and Free Synagogue of Chicago.

Dorevitch, a former executive director for Hillels of Illinois, met her husband through a matchmaker. "I know what it's like to go through the dating process and I also worked with matchmakers," she said. Her matchmakers' encouraging words provided the blueprint for her own matchmaking role with JChicago.  

"My work with Hillel was really about Jewish continuity," she said. "Matchmaking is also Jewish continuity. People want to get married. It's very hard to meet people these days.

"People work so much more, so many longer hours than they used to. People are disconnected somewhat," she said. "Chicago has so much going on in terms of Jewish life…it's also intimidating. Bars and clubs are not always the best venues for meeting people."

Other modern complications add to dating difficulties. Younger adults, especially, often lack basic social skills because of their primary communication form is texting or through the Internet. "They don't know how to read body language anymore…For many people, a relationship is what they build on Facebook," Dorevitch said. For other singles, "there was a time when everything was getting put on hold because of societal pressures to build a career first … I think that there's a shift back.

"It's OK to be marriage minded," she said. "People really do want to be married and they really want to be connected … [They're] looking for a partner for life that they can grow with and have a family with and have good communications with … Someone to be their best friend."

Those are high expectations, but JChicago's matchmaking team is ready to meet them for single Jews throughout the area.    

Dorevitch currently lives in Israel with her husband and children. While she will do some of her Chicago matchmaking via phone and Skype, there are local matchmakers ready to help make those face-to-face connections.

"This time of year, during the High Holidays, people are evaluating their goals and thinking about the future. This is a great time to give it a chance, to see if the online dating scene will work for them," she said.

Visit JChicago's website at www.jchicago.com.

Christine Sierocki-Lupella is the senior marketing communications manager for JUF.

We wanted to let you know about a very exciting new book: Living Jewishly: A Snapshot of a Generation, a collection of personal essays and memoirs from Jewish 20- and 30-somethings from across the country.

Edited by Oy!Chicago blogger-in-chief Stefanie Pervos Bregman, the anthology features many of your favorite past and present, Oy! bloggers including: Blair Chavis, Sharna Marcus, Rivka Nehorai, Rachel Friedman, Rabbi Taron Tachman, Paul Wieder, Chai Wolfman, Abby Sher, Libby Ellis Lowe, Stacey Ballis and Alyssa Latala.

Actress and author Mayim Bialik had the following to say about the anthology:
"At once confrontational, comforting, and hilarious this is the definitive 'Who am I? and why am I?' book for Jews of our generation. I can only hope to one day contribute to a collection this rigorous, this touching, and this important for the question of our identity as Jews."
— Mayim Bialik, Ph.D., author of Beyond the Sling

Each contributor brings a unique perspective as they tell their self-defining Jewish story. In his essay, “Shomer Negiah in the City,” Matthue Roth tackles the conflicted and sometimes hypocritical nature of the modern Orthodox dating world. In “To Be a Jew in the world” Stacey Ballis makes the Passover Seder her own. “My (Jewish-Interfaith-Lesbian) wedding,” by Chai Wolfman explores the challenges of same-sex and interfaith relationships today. Other essay topics include JDate, connection—or lack thereof—to Israel, issues surrounding conversion, and the seemingly impossible task of defining what it means to be a young Jew in America today.

However it is that we young Jews express ourselves Jewishly, I‘m certain that every Jewish 20- or 30-something has an interesting story—and maybe all we need is the opportunity to tell it.

For more information about where to buy the book, the contributors and how you can share your Jewish story, visit www.livingjewishlybook.com or at www.facebook.com/livingjewishlybook.

A congregant with special needs reads Torah on Shabbat.

In 1987, Ronald Reagan authorized a Presidential Proclamation, designating March as "Developmental Disabilities Awareness" month.

In light of the former president's national initiative, the Jewish community is now taking the lead in realizing a vision of heightened sensibility toward those with mental and physical disabilities. Keshet, a non-profit organization dedicated to personal, religious, and communal growth for the developmentally disabled, is introducing "Abilities Awareness Shabbat," a program geared toward Chicago area synagogues, temples, and shuls, to be held on the first Shabbat in September as a way to launch into the High Holiday season.

Abilities Awareness Shabbat is concurrent with a similar program instituted by Congregation Beth Shalom in Northbrook. Recognizing the need for inclusion in the community, the synagogue planned a hands-on Rosh Hashanah service based around accessibility for disabled members. Featuring easy entrance and exit to the synagogue, a picture-based prayer book, and opportunities to touch the shofar, participants will worship together in an accessible, inclusive, and sensitive environment.

Soon after Beth Shalom conceived the service, its staff contacted Keshet's Leventhal Professional Development Center, drawing attention to its efforts to showcase awareness of disabled congregants. Leventhal, which produces a growing corps of educators and professionals to teach methods for working with the special needs population, drew further inspiration from Beth Shalom's Rosh Hashanah program in creating Abilities Awareness Shabbat.

Rabbis are the target educators for the September service. They are urged to foster a discussion about the acceptance of individuals with developmental disabilities and their right to feel welcome in synagogues, temples, and shuls in the Chicago area. "The rabbinical community of Chicago is very accessible, caring, and addresses a variety of community needs," said Susan Levin-Abir, director of Strategic Development at Keshet. "We appreciate its incredible commitment and generosity of spirit in helping create an inclusive environment for those with special needs."

Keshet will give rabbis free consultation and information on how to provide abilities awareness for the Shabbat service, but they can choose how to participate.

In addition to communicating to congregants the need for acceptance of the disabled in the sermon, rabbis may reach out to families and invite parents of a child with special needs to speak at the service about being part of the synagogue and what it means to their family. Encouraging members to start a buddy group, through which a family with a disabled child is paired with another family and go to synagogue and attend community events together, is a great way for rabbis to start a trend of inclusion. For parents with special needs children unable to sit through an entire Shabbat service, rabbis can create an option for them to attend part of the Shabbat ceremony and participate in activities outside the sanctuary for the remainder of the time.

Abilities Awareness Shabbat will be educational for congregants who have felt uncomfortable in the presence of disabled individuals during services or seen them as a disruption to the flow of worship. "Synagogues need to think consciously about addressing being comfortable around people with disabilities," said Rabbi Michael Balinsky, executive vice president of the Chicago Board of Rabbis. "It's a moral obligation for congregations to face and do."

Though primarily a rabbi-driven affair, Abilities Awareness Shabbat needn't end with the sermon. Congregants are encouraged to start dialogue targeting acceptance of the developmentally disabled that transcends the one September Shabbat service. Keshet will also provide opportunities for synagogue members to volunteer at area non-profits servicing people with special needs. This is an activity they can take advantage of in September and throughout the year.

Abilities Awareness Shabbat opens the door for Jews to recognize that developmentally disabled individuals are able to fit right in to their communities.

"Jewish tradition shows that its people are accepting and understanding of all God's creatures," Balinsky said. "When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, people of all types were present. This is why embracing people with disabilities to include them in the synagogue is a defining commitment."

Abilities Awareness Shabbat will be held on Saturday, Sept. 1. For more information about how to be involved, visit www.keshet.org/content/rabbis-abilities or contact Susan Levin-Abir at (847) 205-1234 or susan@keshet.org.

Keshet is a partner in serving our community, supported by the JUF/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

The Chicago Board of Rabbis is a partner in serving our community, supported by the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

Michael Dorf, CEO and Founder of City Winery in New York, is bringing his popular concert venue and winery to Chicago's West Loop.

"Chicago's [a great] if not better, a city for what we want to do," Dorf said. "There's an incredibly passionate food and cultural scene here. I'm constantly amazed at how veracious people eat and drink."

The new, 33,000 square foot Chicago facility, which opens mid-August, is located at 1200 W. Randolph Street. A former refrigerated food distribution warehouse is being transformed into a contemporary winery producing more than 20 in-house wines, a restaurant and bar serving small and large plates meant for sharing and wine pairing, private event spaces, an outdoor event space and a performance venue that will seat 300 with beverage and dining service.

"This is our 2.0," Dorf said. "We learned a lot in NY...Everything [in Chicago] is improved."

For example, City Winery Chicago will feature a tap wine system, where some of their wines will skip the bottle and go directly from the barrel to the glass, a green and efficient way to serve wine. In addition to their in-house wines, City Winery Chicago will also have a wine list of over 400 different wines from all over the world.

"We will bar none have the largest selection of Israeli wines in Chicago," Dorf said, noting that the wine industry in Israel is "exploding." "We're very proud of Israel's wine industry."

According to Dorf, 15 percent of the wine produced at City Winery Chicago will have OU Kosher certification. They also have a special Shabbos tank with a timing system set to work on fermenting without being touched. Though they won't have kosher food as an option on their regular menu, they will have the ability to bring in wrapped kosher food upon request.

In addition to an eclectic mix of some respected names in pop, rock, jazz, blues, and world music, the concert lineup for City Winery Chicago also includes many Jewish and Israeli musicians and artists like Asaf Avidan, an Israeli-folk musician and David Broza, an Israeli singer-songwriter and guitarist. Jewish Comedian Lewis Black will officially inaugurate the venue with a five-night engagement Aug. 15-19. Music, spoken word and comedy will be presented 20-25 nights per month.

There will also be a weekly Sunday Klezmer Brunch, a popular event at City Winery in N.Y., which joins musical performances by local klezmer bands like the Chicago Klezmer Ensemble, Maxwell Street Klezmer Band, Jutta & the Hi Dukes and more, with a menu of schmears, scrambles, and Nova Scotia salmon. The first Klezmer brunch will take place Aug. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

City Winery Chicago's Jewish inspired lineup stems from Dorf's love of Jewish music.

"I can't help that part of my DNA," Dorf said. "I've been a music promoter for 25 years and somehow early on I got really into Jewish music. I love Jewish music. I've always felt a connection to the lineage through the cultural parts of what we do."

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.citywinery.com.

Presenting Chicago's first ever Jewish 36 under 36 list! From innovative rabbis, to cancer survivors now helping others cope, to restaurant owners striving to make Chicago healthier, this city is full of young Jewish leaders, humanitarians, educators and social activists striving to make the world a better place each in their own unique way. Take a look at the list!

The economic downturn has had a devastating effect on Illinois, with more than1.5 million people struggling each day just have enough to eat. On Sunday, Sept, 9, the Young Leadership Division and the Tikkun Olam Volunteer Network of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago will host the first Feed Chicago, a citywide day of service providing food assistance to those in need.

"All of us know someone who has been affected by the recession," said Michelle Kallick, a YLD board member. "As the young Jewish community, we have a responsibility to help those in need. It's our turn as a generation to step up and make a positive impact in communities all across Chicago."

Around 100 young adults will join the day-long fight against hunger. With 14 projects scheduled throughout the city – starting early in the morning and ending late in the evening – more than 3,000 lives will be touched by day's end.

"From delivering Rosh Hashanah food packages to elderly Jews in need, to serving meals to impoverished pregnant teens, to sorting and restocking food pantries, Feed Chicago will help thousands of people in need in a single day," said Mara Unterberger, site leader.

Twenty- or 30-something volunteers still are needed. They can sign up for one or more projects at http://www.juf.org/tov/feed_chicago.aspx

Volunteer opportunities include:

Inspiration Café 
Where: 4715 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red Line Lawrence stop or the #136 bus
Time: 7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 4
Details: Serve breakfast at the Inspiration Café.

Lincoln Park Community Shelter 
Where: 600 W. Fullerton Parkway, Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red, Purple and Brown Lines Fullerton stop
Time: 7:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 5
Details: Buy, cook and serve breakfast to residents of the shelter. Volunteers must buy food. 

Maot Chitim 
Where: 5821 N. Broadway, Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red Line Thorndale stop or the #136 bus
Time: 8 - 10 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 10
Details: Deliver Rosh Hashanah food packages to residents in the building.

Maot Chitim 
Where: 6400 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red Line Loyola stop or the #136 bus
Time: 8 - 10 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 15
Details: Deliver Rosh Hashanah food packages to residents in the building.

Maot Chitim 
Where: Starting from a north suburban warehouse location TBD
Time: 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Volunteers needed: 100
Details: Deliver Rosh Hashanah food packages in Chicago and its suburbs. Volunteers must have a vehicle to make deliveries.

JUF Uptown Café 
Where: 909 W. Wilson Ave, Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red Line Wilson stop or the #136 bus
Time: 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 10
Details: Set tables, serve a restaurant-style meal, clear tables, and visit with guests.

Cornerstone Community Outreach 
Where: 4628 N. Clifton Ave, Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red Line Wilson stop or the #136 bus
Time: 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 9
Details: Serve lunch to residents at the shelter.

Connections for the Homeless 
Where: 1458 Chicago Ave, Evanston - Accessible via the CTA Purple Line Dempster stop or the Metra UP-N Line Evanston (Davis St.) stop
Time: Noon - 2 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 12
Details: Sort food and toiletries. Volunteers are asked to bring in their own food donations to add to the food pantry.

A Just Harvest 
Where: TBD
Time: 1 - 3 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 18
Details: Pack a minimum of 150 sack lunches to be distributed to clients of A Just Harvest. Volunteers are responsible for purchasing food.

Campus Kitchen at Northwestern University 
Where: Allison Dining Hall, 1820 Chicago Ave., Evanston - Accessible via the CTA Purple Line Davis stop or the Metra UP-N Line Evanston (Davis St.) stop
Time: 1:15 - 2:45 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 5
Details: Repackage unused dining hall food into both individual meals and large, family-style meal dishes.

Interfaith House 
Where: 3456 W. Franklin Blvd., Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Green Line Clark/Lake stop or the #82 bus
Time: 3:15 - 5:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 15
Details: Buy, cook and serve meals to 64 residents as part of the Share-A-Meal program. Meal should include an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Volunteers are responsible for purchasing food.

A Just Harvest 
Where: 7649 N. Paulina St., Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red Line Howard stop
Time: 4 - 6 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 6
Details: Distribute pre-prepared sack meals to clients of A Just Harvest.

Open Door Youth Shelter - Response-Ability Pregnant and Parenting Program (RAPPP) 
Where: 3262 N Clark St., Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red Line Belmont stop
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 1
Details: Make and serve dinner to teens participating in RAPPP. Women volunteers only.

Lincoln Park Community Shelter 
Where: 600 W. Fullerton Parkway, Chicago - Accessible via the CTA Red, Purple and Brown Line Fullerton stop
Time: 6 - 8:30 p.m.
Volunteers needed: 11
Details: Buy, cook and serve dinner to residents of the shelter. Volunteers are responsible for purchasing food.

Sometimes, life is so absurd that all anyone can do is laugh, even through tears.

Laughter gets Robyn Michele Levy through her days and nights-and her tears. Levy, 48, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about seven years ago. Six months earlier, doctors determined that her father had the same illness. Eight months later, Levy found two lumps in her breast-cancer-that resulted in mastectomy and a prophylactic oophorectomy.

This was beyond a mid-life crisis, but Levy—a Jewish Canadian visual artist, radio broadcaster, and writer, took it on, sometimes with grace, sometimes with anger and frustration, often with her caliginous sense of humor. "You have to kind of laugh at it," Levy said. "What else could possibly happen to me in the course of this time?"

While recovering from her mastectomy, Levy experienced an outpouring of love and support from friends and family. She wrote darkly amusing email updates about her progress that found their way into a publisher's inbox-and a book was born. Levy tells her story in her newly-published memoir, Most of Me: Surviving My Medical Meltdown, in which she chronicles the characters that have become an integral part of her life, from the uncontrollable Cry Lady, perky Dolores the Prosthesis, and ever-dependable Big Pharma, to her caring husband, a daughter wise beyond her years, and one very loyal canine companion. An assortment of friends and an ongoing parade of medical personnel provide support, helping Levy take life day-by-day, though she readily admits that some days, she doesn't stride well at all-courtesy of Parkinson's.

"I think that my humor is definitely a self-defense mechanism, but it's also a way to connect with people and a way for me to absorb some of the shock," Levy said. She credits her parents for her dark wit. She grew up in Toronto in a culturally Jewish home under the tutelage of her father's one-liners and her late mother's high-voltage personality.

Despite her positive outlook in the worst of circumstances, Levy forced herself to be truthful straightforward throughout the book. "The first draft that I sent into my editor—she said it was funny, but she just didn't connect with me on an emotional level as a reader," Levy said.

She reworked some of the chapters, including the opening: "I wasn't always like this: so moody, so anxious, so volatile," she wrote. She blamed her symptoms as premenopausal—but as they worsened and depression set in, she was hurting her relationships.

The hardest part was consulting with her husband and daughter about her memories of that stressful time. "They were very candid. It was difficult to hear just how awful I was," she said. The process helped her family heal.

Levy appreciates people's response to her story. "People often say they can relate to it, even if they weren't sick. In some ways, there's some universality to it," she said.

Most of Me has been shortlisted for the 2012 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humor and is on the Jewish Book Council's Summer Reading List. Her radio documentary, Cruel Coincidence—about how both she and her father have Parkinson's disease—is a finalist at the New York Festival's International Radio Awards.

For information on Robyn Levy's art, blog and multi-media presentations, visit www.robynlevy.ca.

Two years ago, Tziporah Gelman weighed almost 300 pounds and knew she needed to make a change, so she stepped into her first Zumba class at her local gym.

Today, Gelman is a Zumba instructor, in great shape and changing the lives of Jewish women in the community for the better. It was love at first dance move, when Gelman took her first Zumba class.

"To me it didn't feel like a workout, it really felt like a party," she said. The Zumba program, which was created in 2001, is like a fitness dance party that uses Latin-themes and international music to create a fun, dance party vibe that gets people moving and burns calories.

Over the next year-and-a-half, Gelman lost more than 130 pounds. When her class at the gym no longer worked with her schedule, Gelman, a schoolteacher and rebbetzin (rabbi's wife), hired her instructor to host private classes for Jewish women, many of whom didn't feel comfortable exercising in front of men. When the response became overwhelming, her instructor encouraged Gelman to become the teacher.

"She kept telling me, 'You have it, Tziporah, you've got the gift. You have it, your community needs it." And when her instructor moved out of town, Gelman thought seriously about becoming a Zumba instructor herself. "Maybe I really could do this for the Jewish community and get my community moving," she said. "I know for myself I was so heavy and couldn't get out of the rut, and maybe I could inspire other people to get in shape and to do it in a fashion that was actually really fun."

So she became a licensed Zumba Instructor and AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) Certified Group Fitness Instructor and found a small space to open Frumba Chicago, LLC. Fifteen Jewish women came to her first class, 20 came to the next, and, within a month, she had 50 students. So she rented a bigger space at the Bernard Horwich JCC, and currently rents from the Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation on Touhy and Crawford. Eventually her classes got so large that she hired three of her students to get trained and become instructors as well. She now attracts some 300 students.

For people who didn't have an active social life in the Jewish community, Frumba Chicago is their connection. "They can now be in Jewel or Hungarian [Kosher Foods] and see somebody and they smile because they're part of this secret club," Gelman said.

And while many of her students are from the Orthodox community, there are other Jewish women with no affiliation and even women who are not Jewish.

"It's just so beautiful because I could have 90 women in the room and there are just so many parts of the community that are represented," Gelman said. "If we were sitting and talking Judaism, it would probably be a very heated debate, and yet here we come and we exercise and we just have an amazing and great time and it's just pretty magical."

Gelman has been described by women in the community as a crusader to improve the health and lifestyle choices of Jewish women. "I think a lot of women in the orthodox community very often have a lot of kids and they sort of get put on the back burner. Their health and their well-being very often [aren't prioritized] because life happens and it happens very quickly," she said. "My mission and my dream have always been to get the Jewish community moving."

While she says Zumba is not for everyone, she encourages women of all ages and backgrounds in the community to check out a class at least once. "You'll never know unless you come and try."

For more information and class schedules, email frumbachicago@gmail.com, or visit the Frumba Chicago page on Facebook.

Jewish writer A.J. Jacobs used to be a self-described “mushy, easily winded, moderately sickly blob.”

Then, at age 41, while vacationing with his family in the Caribbean, the Manhattan-based writer caught pneumonia and wound up in an island hospital. Getting sick was a wakeup call for Jacobs that he had to take his health into his own hands so that he could live a life of longevity for his wife and three young sons—ages 8 and 5-year-old twins.

Known for diving head-first into the research for his books, Jacobs has strove to conquer his mind, spirit, and body. First, he expanded his mind with the 2005 book The Know-It-All, where he wrote about everything he learned from reading the entire encyclopedia. Then, in his 2008 book The Year of Living Biblically, he made over his spirit by following every precept in the Bible for a year.

Finally, he completes his trilogy by improving his body with his current book Drop Dead Healthy: One Man’s Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection (Simon & Schuster). The Esquire editor-at-large, Jacobs set out on a two-year journey to become the healthiest man in the world by remaking every aspect of his body—his biceps, stomach, private parts, sleep, stress levels, immune system, and more.

He assembled a team of medical expert advisors, a group that included doctors, researchers, nutritionists, and trainers, and he heeded the wisdom of his 96-year-old grandfather too. In the book, Jacobs is funny, informative, and inspiring, and wrestles with the deeper issues of our own mortality.

Oy!Chicago recently reunited in a phone interview with Jacobs, a past speaker to the Chicago Jewish community.

Oy!Chicago: Why did you out set out on this ambitious project?
A.J. Jacobs: I was in terrible shape—I had ignored my body for 40 years. And I was ‘skinny fat,’ which means that I had a body like a snake that swallowed a goat. And my wife was not happy with me. She said, ‘You’ve got to get in shape. I don’t want to be a widow in my 40s’… So I turned it into a project and tried to [take in] every piece of medical advice and see what works and what doesn’t.

What were the most important lessons you learned?
One big surprise was just how bad sitting at your desk all day is for you. One doctor said, ‘sitting is the new smoking.’…I’m actually talking to you right now on my treadmill desk. I bought a desk and put my laptop on top of it and I do most of my work while walking slowly. It took me about 1,200 miles to write the book.
Another big takeaway was portion control. I ate way too much as Americans do. A great portion control advocate was Maimonides, a Jewish philosopher. He said you should only eat until you’re three-quarters full….although a friend of mine said that eating until you’re three-quarters full does not sound very Jewish.

Does living a Jewish life contribute to your health?
After the year of living biblically, my wife and I did join a synagogue. It turns out that being in a synagogue is probably good for my health because there is a lot of research that says that people who are involved in a religious community have a longer life span. Most scientists think that having a close-knit social network is so crucial to your health…So Judaism is probably overall good for your health. I don’t know if it’s any better than other religions, but [Judaism] is good for you.

Have you stuck with many parts of the health regimen now that the project has ended?
I move around and that’s a big thing. I try to incorporate exercise into every little part of my life…I try to take the stairs … or when I talk to my kids, I squat down at eye level with them. I also changed my diet. And I hopefully spend more times with my friends and family, which is healthy.

Which health tips have you given up on?
I tested out a juice fast and I gave that up pretty quickly. The science is on my side about that one—there’s very little evidence that juice cleansing has any benefits. My wife hated it. I convinced her to do it with me and she literally lasted three hours rather than three days.

I was sorry to hear about the death of your grandfather, who died at age 96. What did he, one of your greatest mentors, teach you about longevity?
He taught me that you want to continue to be engaged in your community. Studies show if you have a reason to wake up in the morning and are passionate about something, you are going to live longer…even in his 90s, he was trying to start new businesses and write editorials for the newspaper.

What do we do about the health crisis and obesity epidemic in this country?
It’s the lack of exercise and the standard American diet is just the worse diet ever created by human beings—all this white flour and sugar. One of my mini crusades is breakfast. Somehow breakfast in America has turned into dessert. You look at what kids eat—waffles, pancakes, pastries, and cereals. I try to reframe breakfast….I have eggs and dairies and nuts and vegetables. That would go a long way in preventing the obesity epidemic.

What was your ultimate goal with living healthy?
The whole point of being healthy is to be around for your family. It’s nice to have six-pack abs, but that’s not my goal. I just want to be around to feel good and be with them. Having a close network of friends and family is so linked to longevity. As long as you have people to confide in and support you—that’s crucial to your health.

Have you brainstormed your next project?
My kids have an idea for my next book: I should eat nothing but candy for a year—and they said they would join me.

Pictured from left is Patricia, a survivor who works with CAASE, and Rachel Durchslag.

As a graduate of a small liberal arts college in upstate New York, it's not often I hear about other Skidmore alumni living in the city. So when I learned about Rachel Durchslag and her non-profit, Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE)—which is currently receiving grants from the Jewish Women's Foundation of Chicago: Hear Our Voices, an independent project of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago—I knew I had to meet her.

Durchslag has spent the past six years fighting against sexual exploitation in Chicago by raising awareness, implementing prevention curriculum in our schools, advocating for policy and legislative reform, and building community engagement and providing legal services to victims. Durchslag invited me to her office for an interview with Oy!Chicago.

Oy!Chicago: How did you become involved in this issue?
Rachel Durchslag: In 2003, I was at the International Film Festival and I saw a film about a women trafficking from Bosnia to Chicago and it struck a chord with me. I went home that night and I thought…if this were going on in Chicago, I would know about it. I discovered that Chicago is considered to be a hub for traffickers in the United States. I went…to a meeting [where] I met with survivors and heard their stories, I just said, 'this is it.'

What is CAASE?
When I started CAASE, though there was some work being done on demand, there was not a single organization dedicated to demand elimination. I decided this would be the organization that would take this little piece of the puzzle. [At the time,] there was only one research report on men who purchase sex and there were hundreds on women and the sex trade, which I think is very indicative in this country on how we look at this issue.

We raised money and interviewed 113 men who buy sex in Chicago…The vast majority of them purchased sex during their college years. We realized that if we were going to prevent this, then we needed to talk to high school age boys. But there was no curriculum that existed… so we created curriculum, "Empowering Young Men to End Sexual Exploitation." It launched in March 2010, and we've reached probably 1,500 men and are in 12 different schools.

We [also] had to get people to understand that this was even an issue. Everything in the media says that prostitution is glamorous and between consenting adults, which isn't true for the vast majority of women. We started raising awareness by producing plays, film festivals, and lecturing.

Part of [starting to] hold perpetrators accountable was utilizing the legal system. We launched the "Sex Assault Justice Project," which provides pro bono legal help to all people who have been victims of sexual harm.

Finally, what about real systemic change? We created a policy project called "End Demand Illinois," which is striving to overhaul Illinois laws to shift our focus onto pimps, johns, and sex traffickers.

The Jewish Women's Foundation recently renewed your grant for the End Demand Illinois campaign—tell us about it?
It is very exciting for me as somebody who comes from a very Jewish-identified family, but does secular work to be able to engage with the Jewish community. We have some amazing volunteers who connect us to synagogues in the city and suburbs where we go and do presentations with a survivor and then we do a call of action for "End Demand Illinois."

We also recently created an anti-trafficking Passover haggadah.

Also, working with JWF has really helped change the image of this issue. Some people think this is such a taboo issue. Because JWF is championing this, people are more open to talking about it.

What would surprise Chicagoans the most to learn about sexual exploitation in Illinois?
On any given day, 16,000-24,000 women and children are impacted by the sex trade in the Chicagoland area.

What role has Judaism played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in a family that cared about social justice and tikun olam (repairing the world). Growing up with the world's biggest haggadah collector, Passover was the holiday. You talked about being enslaved and what that was like for our people. And then I chose my life fighting modern day slavery. I don't think that's random, that's absolutely connected.

What can our readers do to help stop sexual exploitation?
Go to "End Demand Illinois" and sign up for our list serve. We provide a whole list of tools for colleges, religious groups, parents, teachers, and every day people to give them the tools to be activists. Call your representatives—it really makes a difference.

Also, challenge the language and help establish that this is a problem. Until we understand that this is problem, people aren't going to be willing to take action.

Jewish Women's Foundation of Chicago: Hear Our Voices is an independent project of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

One would be hard pressed to find instances of Orthodox Judaism and LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) occupying the same sentence. Yet for the women whose stories appear in the anthology, "Keep Your Wives Away from Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires," reconciling the two is a familiar task.

After coming across "Lesbian Nuns: Breaking Silence," a collection of stories from women in convents coming to terms with their sexuality, editor Miryam Kabakov was inspired to publish the first Jewish equivalent of the anthology. She began by conducting an experiment to elicit responses from Orthodox Jewish women as to how they build integrated religious and sexual or gender identities. Kabakov connected with 13 women whose stories comprise "Keep Your Wives Away from Them." The contributors boast a range of backgrounds and lay claim a host of different experiences, yet each of their essays affirms the possibility of being a member of both LGBTQ and Orthodox Jewish communities.

Still, that's not to say they effortlessly continued practicing Judaism without sacrificing their sexuality or gender identity. As a lesbian or transgender individual in the world of Orthodox Judaism, struggles inevitably ensue.
One contributor, reflecting on her initial brush with lesbianism, admits that if she were to say she liked girls, the backlash would have felt like a "permanent door was closing on her religious community." Another author reveals the difficulties of being transgender and coming out as female when living in the all-male environment of Chabad. Certainly, the women given a voice in the anthology each attest to feelings of fear and deprivation when first approaching the intersection of religious and sexual or gender identity.

"When you come out in the Orthodox Jewish world, a lot is at stake," Kabakov says. "An adult could lose his or her family and lose status in the community."

The essays in "Keep Your Wives Away from Them" give consideration to life after the struggle to come out, when Jewish LGBTQ men and women are faced with the task of integrating religion and sexuality. A number of the authors seek out and form support groups where they can continue practicing Judaism in a familiar, Orthodox environment and connect with one another, keeping religious communities alive.

Eshel, devoted to creating understanding and support for gay and lesbian people in Traditional and Orthodox communities, is one such group. Formed in 2010, it offers educational initiatives for its members, including training and empowerment of Traditional and Orthodox speakers. Safety and confidentiality are essential components of Eshel, as people involved in its programs are taking a risk by showing their faces and may not be comfortable divulging their sexuality to the greater Jewish community just yet.

Urging Traditional and Orthodox communities to welcome gay and lesbian members is fundamental to Eshel's mission. Kabakov, a member of the Eshel board, says, "It's hard to be different in the Orthodox world. Other Orthodox Jews who are ostracized should show empathy for gays and lesbians."

Eshel is also introducing its first summer vacation retreat this year. The Shabbaton will be held on July 5-8 in Watervliet, Michigan and feature a weekend of educational excursions, prayer, singing, dancing, painting, and leadership projects, in addition to an appearance by gay Orthodox Jewish hip-hop artist Y-Love.

"Keep Your Wives Away from Them" and support groups like Eshel are taking the lead in giving LGBTQ women and men opportunities to speak where they have previously been silenced. "We have to show members of the LGBTQ community that Orthodox Judaism and homosexuality are compatible," says Kabakov. "If we don't provide a model for them, they won't maintain religious observance."

 For more information about "Keep Your Wives Away from Them: Unorthodox Women, Orthodox Desires," visit www.keepyourwivesawayfromthem.com. Go to www.eshelonline.org to learn about Eshel and its upcoming Shabbaton retreat.

Jews have had a long tempestuous relationship with garlic. The Talmud suggests that men eat garlic on the Sabbath because Friday was the night devoted to conjugal love. This testimonial from Ezra the Scribe: “garlic promotes love and arouses desire,” pretty much says it all but garlic was also used as a means to disgrace Jews with the term “foetor Judaicus,” the “Jewish stench” of degeneracy and garlic used as an anti-Semitic stereotype.

Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic has been a staple in Asia and the Mediterranean. Used for a variety of medical issues including stabilizing blood sugar, lowering blood pressure and treating infections and cancer, garlic is a useful component in medical laboratories as well as kitchens.

Spring garlic is my favorite. Tender green shoots and a bulb with tiny cloves that do not require peeling and a very soft and sweet garlic flavor makes spring garlic a standard in my spring arsenal.

This pesto is sweet and very herbaceous and not overwhelmingly garlicky. It is perfect schmeared on bread, stirred into potato salad, dolloped on grilled steaks or drizzled on fish and pasta. Make a large batch and freeze some for later this summer. Spring Garlic pesto will keep frozen for up to 3 months.

Spring Garlic Pesto

¼ pound spring garlic, beard and tips removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
½ cup basil leaves
½ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon walnuts, toasted
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Rough chop the garlic (use the green shoots and bulb) and basil. Place a large pan, lightly coated with olive oil, over medium high heat. Quickly sear the garlic and basil leaves for about 10 seconds. (This will help keep the color bright green.)

2. In a blender, mix the basil, spring garlic, and olive oil. Add the walnuts, salt, and pepper, and continue to blend until smooth.

Let’s look at some former Maccabi Tel Aviv players, who are not Jewish, but who played in Israel. As Maccabi Tel Aviv continues to be a European powerhouse, these players have kept them at the top of the league.

Maceo Baston— 2003-2006 were Maccabi Tel Aviv's glory days. We all know about Anthony Parker, but he played alongside Maceo Baston who also had tremendous success for Maccabi. Like Parker, Baston went on to the NBA. Baston played for the Pacers and Raptors but did not have too much success. He then went on to play in the Ukraine and Spain. Baston came back to Israel where he made a name for himself but only played seven games for Bnei HaSharon. He was waived by the Pistons during the 2012 preseason and remains a free agent.

Marcus Fizer— In 2007-2008 Fizer played for Maccabi after six seasons in the NBA. But like most of his career he did not spend too much time in the same place. Fizer, once a top NBA draft pick, left Israel for Puerto Rico and then one game in Taiwan. In 2011 Fizer announced he wanted to make an NBA comeback but faced an uphill battle with three torn ACLs. In 2012 Fizer and his family created a KickStarter, for a creative project called The Rad Ones.

Carlos Arroyo— Arroyo spent the 2008-2009 season in Israel, where he played point guard and was the MVP of the Israeli League Finals. He averaged 15.3 PPG and 5.8 APG. Arroyo had been in the NBA for six years before he went off to Israel, but his great season in Israel warranted a second run in the NBA. Arroyo signed with the Miami Heat. Currently Arroyo is playing in Turkey for Besiktas Milangaz and is considered a solid guard who has had great success on the international level. Arroyo plays for the Puerto Rico National team.

Alan Anderson— After Arroyo left, in 2009-2010 his point production was replaced by Alan Anderson. Anderson was a NCAA star at Michigan State playing for Tom Izzo. After a successful year he went on to sign with the NDBL. This year he finally reached the NBA and is currently under contract with the Toronto Raptors. In 17 games, Anderson averaged 9.6 PPG and became a late season starter.

While it looks like we have probably seen the last of Baston and Fizer in the NBA, and while Arroyo plays overseas let’s hope Anderson keeps progressing and representing Israel through his NBA success.

And Let Us Say...Amen.
- Jeremy Fine

Josh Altman, Chair of JCC PresenTense Chicago, with Courtney Sharpe, a fellow mentioned in the article.

There is no doubt about it— for decades we have seen a slide in Jewish engagement in America, particularly among young adults. Sociologist Steven M. Cohen remarks, "Fewer and fewer Jews see themselves as obligated to support the collective interests of the Jewish people, to feel attached to Israel, or even to relate personally to the very notion of the Jewish people at all." (eJewish Philanthropy, Nov 24, 2009). 

With these troubling trends in mind, the Jewish Community Center of Chicago (JCC) has launched JCC PresenTense Chicago. It's an innovative program that resonates with young Jewish adults by offering an avenue for social justice activism, interpreted through a Jewish lens.  JCC PresenTense Chicago provides a 6-month fellowship to young Jewish social entrepreneurs who wish to develop their socially responsible ideas into sustainable businesses. 

Launched only nine months ago, JCC PresenTense Chicago accepted its first cohort of 12 fellows in December 2011. Each fellow has worked closely with at least one mentor and one coach— Jewish professionals who have volunteered their passion and expertise to provide guidance and support. 

The fellows are developing social ventures that focus on many different social problems, but they all share an idealistic mission and an urgent desire to make our imperfect world a better place:

• Jill Zenoff is co-founder of The Gan Project, which serves as a hub for urban agricultural activity for the Chicago Jewish community and is housed on land at Bernard Horwich JCC. She is launching L'Dor V'Dor, an alternative organic food system. She says, "The conventional food system is broken in every way and is in gross violation of the cornerstones of our Jewish faith."

• Menachem Cohen has served since 2003 as rabbi of Mitziut, an independent, non-denominational spiritual community in Rogers Park. Through his venture, he hopes to expand upon his work with Mitzuit, recognizing that many disenchanted young Jews will not seek connection inside the walls of synagogues. He wishes to find them where they are at— not necessarily with the purpose of bringing them to worship— but to provide them with Jewish-based spiritual guidance at the alternative places they enjoy, such as street festivals, funky dance parties, or drum circles.

JCC PresenTense Chicago fellows are not the only young Jewish adults who have benefited from the program. Their coaches and mentors also have been inspired and enriched by this experience. Jacob Forman is Courtney Sharpe's coach, whose venture, "Grandma's Kitchen," proposes to offer more nutritious alternatives to fast food in communities that have limited access to fresh produce.

Jacob comments, "I admire Courtney's courage to confront one of Chicago's most poignant problems. An estimated 384,000 Chicagoans live in food deserts. My coaching experience has taught me that seemingly insurmountable social problems can feel less daunting if we work on them together." 

Eric Davis, Jill Zenoff's mentor and founder of the "Global Citizen Experience," adds, "JCC PresenTense Chicago generates a flurry of relationships and economic opportunities. We [entrepreneurs] are successful because we have the will to endure."

If you are inspired by these voices, and the social good that JCC PresenTense Chicago aspires to accomplish, we invite you to attend Launch Night. At this event, the fellows will showcase their business ideas through pitches and booth exhibitions.

Josh Altman, Chair of JCC PresenTense Chicago, talks about what inspired him to volunteer his time, and his view of Launch Night. "Launch Night is about solutions posed by those among us who have dared to take a risk by bringing an idea to the table and testing it out," he said. "These 12 fellows are living the lesson taught by our Rabbis in Pirkei Avot: 'It is not necessary for you to finish the task of making the world a better place, but you most certainly are not free from making an effort.' It is incumbent upon us to support them, with our business know-how or our financial capabilities, so that their ideas do not die on Launch Night, but thrive to enrich our city and our world."

Launch Night will be held at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont, on Tuesday, June 26 from 7 to 9:30pm. To register for free-admission tickets for Launch Night, go to www.jccpresentensechgo.eventbrite.com.

Sara Massarik works for JCC Chicago and is Program Coordinator for JCC PresenTense Chicago. Questions? Contact Sara Massarik at smassarik@gojcc.org.

The Jewish Community Center of Chicago (JCC) is a partner in serving our community and receives support from the Jewish United Fund/Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

We want YOU, the young leaders, humanitarians, educators, social activists, and movers and shakers of Chicago to be part of Double Chai in the Chi: Chicago's first ever Jewish 36 under 36 list.

Presented by YLD and Oy!Chicago, this venture will shed light on the faces of Chicago's Jewish future and recognize the amazing contributions of our generation.

What we're looking for: People who are making a difference through their work, who give back in their free time, are entrepreneurs, innovators, leaders within the Jewish community, or just Jews we should know.

Nominate yourself or your friends to be a part of Chicago's first ever Jewish 36 under 36 list. Winners will be announced and profiled July 17 on Oy!Chicago and highlighted at YLD's WYLD party on Aug. 2.

How to apply:

To nominate yourself or a friend (or two), please email the following information to info@oychicago.com by noon on Monday, June 18.

Your name:
Nominee's name:
Nominee's date of birth:
Nominee's email and phone:
Nominee's occupation:
Relationship to nominee:
Why should this person be on Chicago's first ever Jewish 36 under 36 list? (200 words or less):
Why is this person a Jew we should know? (200 words or less):
What else do we need to know? (200 words or less):

Got questions? We got answers. Email Stefanie@Oychicago.com.

Panelists from left: Rabbi Miriam Jerris, Jared Jackson, Erica Sosa, Nica Jacobson, and Sarah Buxbaum

How will the heirs of intermarriage change Judaism?

Can you be "Jewish and" rather than "Jewish or"?

Can the Jewish world handle "half-Jewish?"

Is being "half-Jewish no big deal anymore?

These questions and others were posited by Rabbi Adam Chalom, dean for North America of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, during his kick-off presentation at a three-day colloquium titled, "Half-Jewish?—the Heirs of Intermarriage."

The conference—which took place at Northwestern University in April—gathered some 150 participants from around the country to hear presentations, panels, and discussions about the effects of intermarriage on Judaism with the goal of stimulating new approaches for outreach and acceptance of interfaith families and their heirs.

Host organization The International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism in collaboration with the Newberger Hillel at the University of Chicago Center and Fiedler Hillel at Northwestern University, brought in a range of speakers including Latina-Jewish artist Maya Escobar, University of Kansas Professor of Sociology, Lynn Davidman, and Rabbi Ari Moffic, director of Interfaith Family/Chicago.

Sessions covered everything from identity formation for children of intermarriage to "half-Jewish" and Israel to the power of "half-Jewish." But the centerpiece of the conference focused on Jewish 20- and 30-somethings and how intermarriage has affected and will affect the next generation.

Paul Golin of the Jewish Outreach Institute

Paul Golin, associate executive director of Jewish Outreach Institute, shared results from a 2011 study of young adults who are the product of intermarriage. He found that 70% of the participants who responded to the survey said that "being Jewish" is "somewhat" or "very" important to them, while 65% of them said that they want to pass on "Jewish ethnic identity to their kids."

Golin's research found a strong correlation between having bar mitzvahs or bat mitzvahs and identifying Jewish. Of the participants in the survey who had bar and bat mitzvahs in some capacity, 90% of them considered themselves to be solely Jewish.  

Yoni Sarason, Midwest Regional Director of Birthright Israel NEXT, works with the 300,000 kids who have returned from birthright trips planning outreach events and opportunities to keep them involved in the Jewish community. He's found that, "trying to do outreach or engagement with [someone with] one Jewish parent is not different than a kid with two," he said. "If there are opportunities built on things people like, they will be attracted to it, no matter if they have one or two Jewish parents."

University of Kansas Professor Lynn Davidman has researched and interviewed countless adults of intermarriage and noted similar results in her presentation. She believes that Judaism is going through a period of popularity where people want to be part of the tribe. "Today Jewish people are seen as successful," she noted. "Jewish for them means being a part of a population that is Nobel Prize winners."

At the end of the colloquium, Chalom surmised that it is clear that there is not only growing acceptance towards intermarrying couples over the last 40 years, but more importantly these intermarried Jews are still holding on to and passing down their Jewish identities.

As a pulpit rabbi he has found, "that many of these [intermarried] couples want us to officiate at intermarriages in order to keep a positive connection…many heirs of intermarriage maintain positive attitudes towards their Jewish identities."

In fact, Chalom sees some positive effects of intermarriage. "Being intermarried can inspire the Jewish partner to consider what it means to them to be Jewish," he said, "[whereas] two Jewish partners might be equally indifferent."

It's imperative the Jewish community understand the power of the personal story, according to Chalom. "There is no one template of interfaith family experience or pattern that is THE future," he said. "There will be conversion, and people raised both, and people raised one culturally, and all kids of varieties."

The Jewish tent, he concluded, needs to be made large enough to embrace everyone.

Other speakers at the colloquium included: Rabbi Sivan Malkin Maas, the first Israeli rabbi ordained by the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, Sarah Buxbaum, a statistical geneticist and Assistant Research Professor at Jackson State University, Jared Jackson, founder of Jews in ALL Hues, Nica Jacobson, a graduate of the Chicago Interfaith Family School, and Rabbi Miriam Jerris, associate professor of Professional Development at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism.

For more information on the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, visit www.iishj.org.

What do you get when you place 500 young Jewish leaders together for a five day intensive seminar at a hotel tucked away in the historic hills of Jerusalem?

While my mother would have loved the answer to this question be me leaving with a pretty Jewish girlfriend, in actuality I departed Masa Israel's 2012 Building Future Leadership (BFL) seminar with a vision, plan, and the tools essential for transforming a seemingly unreachable objective of positively altering Israel's ecological landscape into a tangible reality. MASA, which means "journey" in Hebrew, offers participants scholarships that enable thousands of Jewish youth to spend a semester or year in Israel in any of the more than 150 programs.

This story begins long before and far away from my participation in the 2012 Building Future Leadership (BFL) seminar. In May of 2011 I graduated from the University of Illinois; by August, my bags were packed for I was leaving behind my family and friends in Vernon Hills in order to embark on a 10-month journey as an Israel Government Fellow. I have been a resident of Jerusalem and a Fellow positioned in the Israeli Ministry of Finance for the last seven months. From stashing my ties in the far back corner of my closet, to calling tomato, cucumber, and cheese on toast breakfast, I have very much assimilated into life as an Israeli and Jerusalemite.

Over our time in Israel, my friends and fellow Israel Government Fellows Dan, Joel, and Sam have joined me in experiencing all that Israel has to offer. We have spent countless hours running the streets of Jerusalem in preparation for the Tel Aviv Marathon; we have hiked from the Negev to the Galil; we have spent a dozen Shabbats practicing our matkot (paddle ball) skills on the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea.

In each of these experiences, one consistent component of the land stood out to us-trash. It truly shocks us the way in which the land of Israel is being treated. In each of our communities from around the world, every Jew sits down with their family and on Passover reads from their Haggadah, "Next year in Jerusalem!" This simple wish expresses the deep tie between Eretz Yisrael and the Jewish people that has remained a consistent binding force for over two millennia. As four young Jews who have long envisioned Israel as the oasis of natural beauty in the Middle East-the place where the desert blooms-we kept asking ourselves how we, as a people, can sacrifice, and struggle so much for the land of milk and honey just so we can distort and scar its beauty?

With that question in the back of our minds, Dan, Joel, Sam and I boarded a bus for the BFL seminar. The aim of BFL is to equip the Jewish leaders of tomorrow with the tools to cultivate positive change in their communities as well as coach them on how to be a strong advocate for Israel once they return to their respective countries. The BFL's educational components were broken down into tracks focusing on entrepreneurship, coaching, and networking. The workshops were given an injection of energy and know-how with many of the sections being led by the social entrepreneurship experts at PresenTense. To put it simply, the intensive five-day seminar is an incubator for ideas and visions. It is here, surrounded by insightful instructors and energetic future leaders that social initiatives relating to the Jewish experience gain the ability to emerge from a fictitious existence, take root, and become tangible vehicles for change.

Led by Ariel Beery, co-director of PresenTense, the "meat and potatoes" of the BFL seminar began with an idea slam. Reflecting renowned philosopher George Berkley famous query, "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" does an idea exist if it isn't written down on paper, out there for everyone to see?

During the idea slam, Joel was able to capture what all of us had been feeling for so many months when he wrote down on a sticky note his "problem" that he would like to see tackled: the excessive garbage scattered throughout Israel. Flowing from that simple but profound thought, Dan, a Sidney, Australia resident, spoke of Australia's national cleanup day. More than just picking up trash, Dan articulated a national, unifying day where Australians from all walks of life hit the streets, trails, and beaches to beautify their country. It took only a few minutes for the concept of marrying Joel's problem and Dan's solution to marinate in our minds and hearts. Then and there, the four of us decided to use our remaining time at the BFL seminar and in Israel to bring an Israeli national clean-up day into existence.

Realizing the instruction, tools, and platform the BFL seminar offered was the perfect place to construct and launch our initiative, we wasted no time and immediately began developing our concept. Immersed within the networking track-a program focused on concept development and harnessing social media to raise awareness and encourage community involvement-we used our PresenTense instructor's insight and experience on how to take an idea, establish a clear vision, and develop a "future history" or plan for success in order to breathe life into an eco-initiative to benefit Israel. Fueled by a "conquer the world" attitude inspired by the speakers and fellow participants at BFL, we turned a concept espoused at the idea slam into a full blown eco-initiative in just 36 short hours.

By the end of the fourth day of the BFL seminar, we had established a clear vision and goals, developed a plan for leveraging the power and influence of the 10,000 strong Masa participants positioned across Israel, and created a digital campaign that includes a website (www.cleantheland.org) and Facebook page dedicated to the cause. Upon receiving strong support from Masa's top staff at the seminar, we were given approval to formally launch our initiative by addressing all 500 participants of the BFL seminar. Standing up on stage, we illustrated our vision and made it clear that, as a united group of young Jewish leaders, we have the power to take the first step towards instilling a "leave no trace" attitude in the Land of Israel.

The author of the description webpage for the Building Future Leadership seminar misleadingly states that the BFL is only a five-day seminar. My friends and I, along with the hundreds of young Jewish leaders who joined us, are using the creative and insightful means we developed at the seminar to institute change each and every day. In many ways, as each of the 500 BFL seminar participants continue to by the catalyst for positive change in their communities, the seminar will continue to function and never actually end. On May 18, we will be facilitating the inaugural Clean the Land Day where Masa's eager and motivated participants will promote a "lead by example" attitude and take a significant step in creating long lasting change for Israel, one unsightly piece of trash at a time. Every park, sidewalk, and beach restored, as well as every visitor and Israeli who develops a more eco-conscious mindset, will owe their newfound reality to the thousands of passionate Masa participants and the kick in the butt the Building Future Leadership seminar gave to its many thankful attendees.

Masa Israel Journey gives 18-to-30-year-old Jews life-changing experiences in Israel, connecting them to programs that meet their interests, offering scholarships, providing expertise, and supporting them throughout the entire process.Masa Israel is a joint project of the Government of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel and is made possible by the generous contributions of the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod-UIA. Visit MasaIsrael.org for more information.

Max Friedenberg is currently an Israel Government Fellow working in the Global Debt Capital Markets and Foreign Currency Transactions department of the Israeli Ministry of Finance. Friedenberg, originally from Vernon Hills, is an alumnus of the University of Illinois where he earned a dual degree in economics and political science.

Comedian Susie Essman has been in the stand-up world for over two decades, first appearing on Comedy Central back in 1992. But Essman's greatest success has come from acting on HBO's hit show, Curb Your Enthusiasm. As Susie Greene, Essman entertains with witty, outrageous lines, most of which include expletives and none of which can be printed.

In addition to performing stand-up and acting on television, Essman has authored a book, entitled What Would Susie Say?: Bull**** Wisdom About Love, Life and Comedy.

Susie Essman will be the featured speaker at the JUF Suburban Professionals, Foods & Hospitality, High Tech and Wholesalers, Retailers & Manufacturers Divisions Dinner Wednesday, May 9 at the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling. In advance of her speaking engagement, Essman sat down for a phone interview with Oy!Chicago.

Oy!Chicago: Your character on Curb Your Enthusiasm probably says more curse words than the average teenager. What's it like to play such an in-your-face, outspoken woman as Susie Greene? 
Susie Essman: It's very cathartic. It's very, very therapeutic. It's some primal scream therapy…  I don't really behave like that in real life, unless I'm pushed. It's really fun to play such an angry, over-the-top character… On a day that I have done a screaming or yelling scene, I always go back to the hotel [in L.A., where the show is filmed] and I'm so relaxed. My muscles are relaxed, because I vented. And no one gets hurt—that's the beauty of it. And I get paid.

I never thought that this is what my life would end up being, but so be it.

What's interesting about the show is that it's not quite scripted like most television shows. What's it like being on a show that is mostly improvised? 
I love it. I love not having to memorize lines. It's not free-for-all improvisation—there's a very detailed outline. We know what each scene is about, what has happen to in each scene and where it's going. The only thing that's not written is the dialogue.

It's incredibly creative, fun and different. It's more like what my stand up is. I love it. We just really have as a blast. Larry [David] gets the giggles every time I scream at him, so he always ruins all my best takes.

How and when did you realize you would be well-suited for comedy? 
I always wanted to be an actress, when I was a kid. I wanted to be a comedic actress. I wanted to be like Carol Burnett.

I never thought of doing stand-up. I never knew anything about it. It wasn't a world that I was familiar with. When I was in my mid-20s, my friends forced me to get on stage. I had never been in a comedy club… After a few times on stage, I realized it was what I was born to do.

So I came upon it accidentally. You can't make plans. My grandmother used to say, I think it was a Yiddish proverb, "You make plans, and God laughs."

Your grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. How did that background affect your life, and has that also played out in any way in your comedy? 
My paternal grandmother, Millie Essman, was the funniest person I knew. She had a typical immigrant story… she had a very hard life… But she was always funny. She saw everything through the prism of humor. 

In her final years, she was at a nursing home and had severe dementia, and she didn't know who I was… But I would go visit her, and the nurses would tell me that she kept them laughing all day long.

It was very poignant to me, because I felt like she had really lost everything—her memory, her dignity, everything was gone—except for her sense of humor. That was the one thing she held on to, until the day she died. That had a big influence on me.

What kind of a role does Judaism play in your life, both personally and professionally? 
I wasn't raised religiously at all. But there is an incredible legacy of Jewish comedians in this country. The history of stand-up comedy, in particular, is very heavily Jewish. Those are the people that influenced me when I was starting. Growing up, what I heard in my house was Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Alan King, so many great comedians that my parents loved…

I think there's something about Judaism itself that lends itself to comedy. The nature of it, to be a religious person, is to study and question… Comedians always look at everything and question it—they don't accept the status quo. So in Judaism, the way you become a learned religious person lends itself to a comedic brain.

A meaningful contribution to the 2012 Annual Campaign is required to attend. Registration for the event can be completed online at www.juf.org/professionals/tip_dinner.aspx. For more information regarding JUF's Trades, Industries and Professions Divisions, email tip@juf.org.

Photo credit: Andrew Eccles

We all know that sometimes TV personalities are different in real life than they appear on television, but that's not the case with TV journalist Meredith Vieira. In a recent phone interview with Oy!Chicago, she acted exactly as she did when she co-anchored the Today show—personable, sharp, self-deprecating, and easy to laugh. In advance of her upcoming speaking engagement for JUF, I spoke with the famous reporter over the phone, who expresses a kinship with the Jewish community. Married to Jewish journalist Richard Cohen for 26 years, Vieira, who is Catholic, knows a lot about Judaism and celebrates the Jewish holidays with her husband and three grown kids.

Until last summer, Vieira co-anchored NBC News' Today show for five years. Currently, she serves as a special correspondent for NBC News and hosts the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Previously, she co-hosted ABC's The View for nine years. Vieira spent a decade at CBS News, where she worked as a correspondent on the newsmagazines 60 Minutes and West 57th. She joined CBS News a reporter in the Chicago Bureau in 1982, but first honed her skills as a cub reporter at local TV affiliates around the country.

Oy!Chicago: You recently announced that you're hosting the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in London with the Today show. Are you excited for that opportunity? 
Meredith Vieira: I'm going to be hosting the opening ceremonies with Bob Costas and Matt [Lauer], which is very exciting. And it's being produced by Danny Boyle, who directed Slum Dog Millionaire…From the time I was little, we watched every Olympics as a family. I would pick my sport—it was always gymnastics—and I would become one of the performers and presume I was getting a gold medal…There's something about the energy during the Olympics and seeing the athletes who have dedicated their lives. They're so impressive and often they have incredible personal stories.

What do you and don't you miss about hosting Today? 
I miss [hosting] the 7-9 o'clock period, I miss the doing of the job, and my friends. I do not miss the time. Everybody will say that. I found it extremely difficult to work those hours. I'm a night person and I never got my clock to work properly. I got up at 2:30 a.m. but I didn't go to bed until 11. The irony was once every two months we'd do a piece with an expert about the health risks attributed to sleep deprivation. I was sitting there like 'hello, we are sleep deprived. Why aren't we learning anything from this?'

Who was your favorite interview in your long career so far? 
It goes back a long way to a boy named Anthony who I met doing a story [on hunger] in Chicago years ago when I was at CBS News. I was interviewing [kids] about a school lunch program that was going to be canceled. I said I would buy them pizza and they invited their friend Anthony to come…This beautiful little boy with a dirty face and dirty clothes opened the door for me to the pizza parlor… He lived in the projects. I went back to New York and I said I wanted to profile this boy…He was an amazing kid. The father had left the mother and the mother was an alcoholic. But he was a survivor… He had this will to live and get out of the situation. When we left him, I grew so attached to him, I told him to call CBS collect and I would talk to him…He ended up being the first kid in his family to graduate from high school and he went on to work in city government. I know you're not supposed to get involved in people's lives [as journalists] but he had such an impact on me. When I would feel upset about this or that, I would think of Anthony and what his life was like…and how he handled [his life] with such bravery.

You've been public about your husband Richard's battle with Multiple Sclerosis. How is he feeling these days? 
He's doing fantastic. Health wise, he's holding his own. He just wrote a book—a history of our family pets. Each pet is a bigger disaster than the one before. It's called I Want to Kill the Dog, and it's very funny. It's coming out in the fall.

How has coping with your husband's illness changed your perspective on life? 
It's sobering because you realize how precious life is. Any time you have a chronic illness, it's part of who you are and it becomes a family disease. You appreciate the moments where your health is strong…We're a family that really is based in humor and that comes from Richard. That's the way we've dealt with a lot of adversity.

How did the two of you meet? 
I was working in the Midwest bureau for CBS News back in 1983. It's called the "crash and burn" bureau, which means they're constantly sending you out on stories that have to air that night…Richard came through the newsroom. He was a producer with CBS…He took one look at me [tired from reporting on a story] and made some snide comment. I truly thought 'A—this is a jerk and B—I'm going to marry this guy'…He took me for a walk down to the Staten Island ferry, which I realized was a very cheap date. We got married in 1986.

What role does Richard being Jewish play in your family's life? 
He's more of a cultural Jew…. [and] we observe the holidays. It doesn't define the kids necessarily but they understand it from a cultural point of view…I love Passover. It's my favorite outside of Thanksgiving. I love it—I love the reading, I love Manischewitz. Give me my gefilte fish and Manischewitz and I'm happy.

Did you face challenges as an interfaith family? 
No, not really…I went to a Quaker school growing up, but I was raised Catholic. I've always embraced the notion of exploring all different religions—they all have something positive to add to your life.

With Mother's Day approaching, and you preparing to speak for JUF's Women's Division, what advice do you have to women trying to juggle a career and family? 
You have to accept the fact that you're going to drop the ball—or one of the balls—occasionally and that's okay. Women are so tough on themselves and they think everything has to be perfect and it doesn't have to be. You can go and buy the store-bought cake. You don't have to bake it yourself. You can lean on friends. You can accept the fact that you're not super human and you should accept that fact. Again, I always go back to humor—keep a perspective, don't take yourself so seriously, and try to face life with a smile as much as you can.

You might call Jason Alexander a modern-day Renaissance Man.

Whether it is television, the big screen, or the live stage, he has tackled it. In addition to acting, Alexander has also taught, produced, and directed. Oh, and along the years, he has managed to nab a Tony Award, as well as a handful of Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.

Alexander is also one of the lucky, as well as gifted, actors to play a character so memorable, so outrageous, that viewers around the globe recognize him on a first-name basis – George. Few characters are as engrained in television comedy history as the neurotic, often nauseating but somehow still lovable, “Lord of the Idiots,” George Costanza on “Seinfeld.”

Oy!Chicago recently conducted an email interview with the actor.

Oy!Chicago: You've been in movies, on television, and on Broadway. Are there any other professional pursuits you have wanted to explore?
Jason Alexander: I am very actively trying to develop two other aspects of my professional life—directing and teaching. . . They are both completely engaging when you are doing it. They are all-consuming. . .

I have come to adore teaching. That moment of epiphany in a student's mind when they suddenly are able to de-mystify their own process and understand how their imagination and emotions and intellect and artistry all come together—it is absolutely thrilling. It's as big a rush as performing.

Despite the variety of work that you have done, most people will always remember you as George Costanza on “Seinfeld.” How do you feel about that? Has playing such a memorable character had any impact on your career post-“Seinfeld”?
Well, it is an indelible impression. George is on TVs all over the world, every minute of every day. So most of the world knows me primarily as that persona. Having made such a strong impression as an actor in a singular way can and has affected my industry's willingness to look and consider me for totally different types of roles. But that is not particular of me.

That has been true for most actors who have a break out role. Type casting is still a real thing and I try very hard not to allow myself to be cast as another variation of George.

However, I love George and I love the ongoing impact that “Seinfeld” seems to have had in people's lives… over the years, I have met or heard from people who have told me how my work has gotten them through terrible times and tremendous loss and how I seemed to be a near constant source of laughter or levity during their dark times…or how now it has become like an old and reliable friend that they love to revisit.

How do you think your Jewish background and Judaism have inspired your work, if it all?
I don't know that I can point to Judaism specifically as inspirational or directional to my work. I think much of my comedic instincts are informed by the urban and Jewish rhythms that I was surrounded with as a child… Jews come from pretty remarkable backgrounds and tend to be pretty colorful people. . . living and growing up in a largely Jewish community helped me create and appreciate the canvass of characters that I draw upon in my work. But Judaism specifically has not colored either my choices or performances terribly much.

You recently traveled to Israel to promote peace in the region. Can you tell me about that experience, and what it meant for you?
I adore Israel and Israelis. And I have to say that I have also been honored to have been invited into many Arab homes and businesses in both Israel and Palestine…. I see so clearly that Israelis and Palestinians could actually be tremendous neighbors and partners. They are so similar in so many ways… People are people. They want normalcy. They want decency and respect. They want purpose. They want happiness and stability and the possibility that tomorrow will be better than today. Israel and Palestine could have this and they could be a beacon to the rest of the world. This trip and all my trips confirm that truth to me. It will take courage and conviction to achieve, but it is there.  

Hope you all have a wonderful Passover full of friends, family and yummy food! Check out this Passover website from JUF for great recipes, videos, (kid-friendly) traditions and more. To get you in the mood for all that matzo, check out these two adorable videos as kids retell the story of Passover and look for the world’s largest afikomen. And while you’re at it, consider making a donation to help those in need this Passover.

Life—in many ways—was a Jewish Norman Rockwell painting for Linda Pressman, growing up in Skokie in the 1960s and 70s.

Her childhood included all the usual trappings of suburbia of that era—manicured lawns, her beloved banana seat-decked bicycle, and frequent trips to meet the Good Humor truck jingling down the streets of her neighborhood.

Her idyllic upbringing glided along in stark contrast to that of her parents, Holocaust survivors from Eastern Europe. While Pressman grew up in post-war Skokie, one of the safest locales in the world to be Jewish, her parents spent their formative years in the most unsafe place in the world to be Jews.

After immigrating to Chicago following the war, her parents raised a full house of seven daughters, Pressman the second to last. She chronicles her experiences—funny, wacky, and heartbreaking—in her new book Looking Up: A Memoir of Sisters, Survivors and Skokie (CreateSpace), a story offering a unique perspective on the Holocaust, one generation removed from the war. In conjunction with Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), Pressman, who now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, will return to Chicago to speak about her book in April.

Helene Burt, Pressman's mother, hailed from Lithuania and Poland, and then survived the Holocaust in the forests of Eastern Europe. Pressman's father, Harry Burt (who passed away in 1975), and his family fled their hometown in Poland, and spent the war in the frozen tundra of Siberia. After the war, Pressman's parents met each other at a displacement camp in West Germany, before eventually making their way to the States.

Unlike many Holocaust survivors, in the immediate years following the war, Helene Burt "was loud with the Holocaust, in your face with the Holocaust," as Pressman writes in your book. While her father was more taciturn, Helene talked about the war to her daughters every chance she got. As comfortable as her mother was telling her story, Pressman was just as uncomfortable hearing it, finding it too hard to wrap her mind around a world so removed from her, so overwhelmed by her mom's oversimplified anecdotes that always ended with "…and then the Germans killed them all." It was only in her adulthood that Pressman came to terms with listening to her mother's stories and even sharing them through her writing.

In advance of her visit to Chicago, I spoke with Pressman by phone.

How do you characterize children of survivors?
Linda Pressman: There are different types of children of survivors. There are the types that really attach to their parents' stories and who can talk about it…And then, there are the types like my sisters and I who built a wall and didn't want to hear it. My mom—now age 81—would start talking and we would run out of the house. I heard a filtered amount—I heard the bomb, I heard the grenade—and that was enough.

As time went by, you decided you wanted to tell your parents' story. What changed for you?
As I would share the story [of growing up in Skokie at writers' workshops], the other students would say they want to know more about …I can't talk about what it's like to have Holocaust survivor parents and not say that this story happened. The reason why they…hoarded food and wouldn't spend money on anything that wasn't food or shelter was because of [what they went through in Europe]…To be able to tell what kind of a crazy, miraculous, heartbreaking, and yet funny childhood I had, to tell what that their experiences led to has been an honor to tell.

Describe the dichotomy between your mother's upbringing and yours as a girl in Skokie.
My mom would talk about the war, and I'd look outside and there was no forest and there were no Nazis…Her experiences led her to believe that it wasn't safe to be Jewish. She was very young—11 years old—when the Nazis marched into her town. And then, until she got to the U.S. at 19, it was very much not a good thing to be Jewish. In her stories, every single person ends up dead, every story has a bad ending…But here I am living in the 1960s in Skokie and it seemed like the stories were really obscure. Now I know that the war hadn't happened that long before, [but back then] it seemed like she was talking about a different planet. She was talking about a place where it wasn't safe to be Jewish. In Skokie, everyone—I mean everyone—was Jewish. There couldn't be a safer place to be Jewish than Skokie in the 1960s.

How has being the daughter of survivors affected your worldview?
Finding out that your parents have suffered is a really disconcerting moment in the life of any child. As a [little] kid, my impression was my parents were like other parents. I couldn't hear the accents because they were too close to me to actually hear them. As I left home and went to school, it occurred to me that my parents were different than other parents...I started realizing that my parents came from this different place and suffered and they weren't just safe here being Bobby soxers and dancing to the Big Bands in the 1940s. It has made me feel protective of her all these years.

How does your mother feel about your book?
My mom could never stop talking about the Holocaust. It was a problematic issue for me. I would call her up and we would be talking about dinner or shopping or doing something typical and suddenly she'd change the subject and we'd be talking about the Holocaust…and then when I gave her my book, it was like this huge burden was lifted from her. She feels relief that her story will live on without her having to talk about it all the time. 

As the next generation, do you feel a responsibility to tell their story?
I don't feel that I'm the best person to testify about the Holocaust. I do feel like I'm the best person to testify as to what happens after the war. Here are these two people who come out of Siberia and out of the forest. The question children of survivors can answer very eloquently is 'Did they live happily ever after?' I can't ever tell a Holocaust story as well as a survivor actually could and thank goodness there are so many testimonies about that. But I can tell what kind of parents they were and how sad or happy they were or how they lived the rest of their life. To me, that is a very compelling second chapter to the story.

Let's say the world was your (Jewish) oyster…where in the world would you like to travel to—Israel, the Galapagos Islands, Wilmette?

We posed that question to Jewish Chicagoans with the travel bug.

Here's where they're itching to go…

Marc Wasserman 
Neurologist, former Chicagoan who lives in Denver, Colorado. 
Not just saying this because it's JUF News, but Israel. The tremendous history, the culture, the architecture, the religion—one of those places I really should have visited by now but haven't.

Shari Levine 
Teacher, lives in Chicago. 
Where would I love to travel? I'd Backpack through Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. There is nothing better than the serene landscape of Asia to clear your mind and bring you back to what's important.

Jane Charney 
Assistant Director, AJC Chicago, lives in Chicago. 
Argentina! I have family there that I've never met and my grandmother was born there.

Tamara Koransky 
Teacher, lives in Oak Park. 
I would love to do the wine country trip in northern California; the last time I was in that area I was pregnant-torture!  I would also love to go to New York with my husband; we've both been there but never together. We love going out to see music and trying new restaurants, so I can just imagine the fun we'd have there together. We always talk about it. Maybe one day...

Rebecca Rosenthal 
Attorney, lives in Chicago. 
I want to go to Iceland and explore the natural beauty, see The Northern Lights, and scuba dive the Silfra Rift, a crack between the American and Eurasian tectonic plates.

Steven Dishler 
Director of International Affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Council, lives in Chicago. 
I have always wanted to visit wildlife national reserves in Africa. The animal habitat is shrinking so this is the time to truly experience the beauty and wonder of the continent.

Paul Wieder 
Public Relations Manager, JUF, lives in Chicago. 
I would like to travel back to Israel with my wife. We had to curtail our honeymoon itinerary because she got sick, so she still has not seen the Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Gedi, most of Tel Aviv, or the best beaches.

Frannie Goldwin 
School Social Worker, lives in Glenview. 
There are so many parts of the world I would like to visit. Although the winter season has been mild, in thinking about where I would like to go if I could hop on a plane today, I would prefer to go somewhere incredibly warm, peaceful, and relaxing. That being said, Antigua and Anguilla both seem like ideal Caribbean island destinations for my hypothetical trip anywhere in the world!

Alan Tuerkheimer 
Attorney/Jury Consultant, lives in Chicago. 
I would like to go to Iceland over the summer. It is full of spectacular mountains and glaciers, is volcanically active, has many great rivers, upper 50's temperature in the summer, very unusual nature all around the island, whales, and an interesting Scandinavian culture.

Shari Young 
Senior Private Equity Consultant, a Chicagoan currently living in London. 
Traveling allows me to have completely new experiences I can't find in my own backyard. Traveling through India, I experienced a Brahman ceremony in Varanasi, Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in Hindu and Latin in Agra, and lit a travel menorah to welcome Chanukah close to the Nepalese border. My next adventure will be in Morocco, where I can get lost in the winding streets as I explore ancient Medina and the old Jewish quarter.

David Epstein 
Information Systems Consultant, lives in Chicago. 
Everywhere. Israel, as it is a home and I have friends to see. Italy, well, because it is Italy :). I want to experience India. Argentina again, Brazil, all of South America. Scandinavia, (the fjords, in June or July of course). Australia. China. Thailand. Vietnam. Africa, (safari in Morocco, Tanzania), Russia, Poland, Lithuania (family history), even the Congo or Sudan, and Iran, Lebanon, Syria (highly unlikely I would actually go, but would like to safely see and experience all of the world, the good and bad). Spain, Portugal, Prague, Budapest. I could list every country and city. North Korea would be fascinating, not a beach vacation, but... Yellowstone, Glacier, Arches, Zion, Joshua Tree, Badlands, Bryce, Cape Hatteras, Crater Lake, Death Valley, there are 58 protected areas known as National Parks in the US alone, and I want to see them all. Sorry, was I supposed to pick just one place?

Two families in the Chicago Jewish community need your help. Marc Chibnik, father to four children, suffered last January from high fevers and what was thought to be pneumonia. However, he was blindsided to receive unimaginable news, diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma ALK+ IV (a form of blood cancer). A transplant from an unrelated donor is essential for his survival. He needs the transplant immediately while he is in remission because of the aggressiveness of the disease. His cancer came back within seven months of his last transplant using his own stem cells.

Nine-year-old Lacey Horwich was diagnosed with HLH, a rare blood disorder that causes the blood cells to attack the body's cells and organs. She has been in the hospital since August 1, 2011 fighting for her life. Most recently, Horwich woke and discovered she has permanent, severe hearing loss. Despite all this, she and her family fight on for her to return to the things she loves; spending time with family, dancing, and painting.

The best match for Chibnik and Horwich are members of the Jewish community. Many synagogues and Jewish organizations have been hosting bone marrow donor drives. A quick five minute swab is all it takes to be added to the donor registry. If you are interested in hosting a donor drive, contact Jennifer Baird at Be The Match at (877) 601-1926 ext. 7742.

While it is hard not to think of the current political climate when thinking of Iran, Persia was once the center of the spice trade for the ancient world. Animals, textiles, metals, gems and foodstuffs all passed through its ports. Ancient Persia was quite the cosmopolitan empire with influences from India, Egypt, Syria and more.

Jews have a long, tempestuous history in Persia that dates back to biblical times. The books of Isaiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Chronicles and Esther contain references to Persia. Present-day Iran is the home to the largest Jewish community living in a Muslim-majority country.

The foods of Persia are exotic and reflect thousands of years of tradition. Pomegranates, pistachios, rose water and almond pastes are just a few of the flavors of Persia that we cherish today. Persian cuisine is fresh and brightly flavored and seasonal.

Khoreshes are part stir fry and part stew. The simple ingredients are first browned, and then cooked together and delicately spiced with saffron and cinnamon to highlight each ingredient. The end result is a full flavored and delicious meal.

Chicken and Pomegranate Khoresh

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken
2 large carrots, sliced into julienne 
½ pound shelled walnuts, toasted
1 teaspoon salt 
½ cup pomegranate paste diluted in 2 ½ cups water or 4 cups fresh pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons sugar 
½ teaspoon cinnamon 
¼ teaspoon ground saffron threads, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water

1. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the chicken and continue sautéing, stirring occasionally, until golden brown (about 15 minutes). Add the carrot strips and stir-fry 2 minutes longer.

2. Finely grind the toasted walnuts in a food processor and transfer to a small bowl. Add the salt, diluted pomegranate paste, sugar, cinnamon, and saffron water and mix well to create a smooth paste. Transfer the walnut mixture to the pan with the chicken, cover and simmer for 40 minutes over very low heat, stirring occasionally.

3. Taste the sauce and adjust for seasoning and thickness. This khoresh should be sweet and sour, and very thick. Add additional pomegranate paste for sourness or sugar for sweetness. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with warm water.

4. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve with Jeweled Rice Pilaf.

Jeweled Rice Pilaf

2 cups Basmati rice (I use brown Basmati rice)
4 cups chicken stock or water
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
½ cup chopped toasted pistachios
½ cup chopped toasted almonds
¼ cup chopped fresh mint
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup dried barberries* (if not available, substitute chopped dried cranberries)
Suggested garnishes: dried barberries and fresh mint

1. Place the rice, chicken stock or water, saffron and salt in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting cover. Simmer over medium low until the rice is cooked completely (about 25 minutes).

2. Transfer the rice to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Serve the rice garnished with additional barberries (or chopped cranberries) and chopped mint.

*Dried Barberries are the tart and garnet colored fruit from a barberry tree. They are commonly found in Middle Eastern and Persian grocery stores and on-line.

Pomegranate Sparkler

And since tomorrow is Purim, here is a little something to brighten the holiday. This cocktail can easily be made for children by eliminating the vodka.

Yield 4 cocktails

4 ounces vodka
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons pomegranate paste
1 ½ cups soda water

1. Stir together and serve. Garnish with orange slice.

Why do we go to Israel? What exactly is it that draws us there?

On the airplane, somewhere between Madrid and Tel Aviv, these were the questions I penned in my journal. For the next ten days, I tried my best to write every new word, every smell, and every question. For some I expected answers, and for others, I thought it best to watch and wonder.

Traveling to Israel with Shorashim is like taking a crash course in contemporary Jewry. The minute we stepped off the plane, classes began. We were immersed in the subjects of cultural Judaism, historical and modern Zionism, and contemporary Israeli life. Fortunately, we had an excellent guide and a group of six amazing Israelis who not only acted as tutors, but as companions and friends.

Like many others in our group, I was coming to Israel with my own, somewhat dissolute, Jewish background. I knew that part of the reason Birthright exists is to reestablish and redefine the importance of this Jewish narrative. Knowing this, I tried my best to expect little and anticipate much. I took pages of notes and hundreds of pictures, and I tried to ask the right questions.

It is amazing that such a small piece of land has been the focus of Western history for the past 3,000 years. As we bussed from Tel Aviv to the Golan Heights to Jerusalem to the Negev, and back again, I tried to pay attention to why. The trailhead for the hike by the Jilabun in the Golan Heights winds its way through old, shelled-out Syrian barracks, then working its way into a valley with waterfalls, cool shade and other natural wonders. Some of the hottest temperatures in Israel are recorded near here, though Israel's only ski resort is just a short drive away.

The same went for our hike in the Negev at Ein Avdat. Ibex wandered the cliffs high above. The water at the base of the canyon was cool and calm. The soil for miles in all directions is dry and arid, though through experimental agricultural projects, Israelis have found ways to cultivate the land and make it fruitful.

Perhaps the most significant moment on the trip was the morning we woke up at 3am and drove to the base of Masada, which starts at Dead Sea level and stretches an astounding 1,400 ft. into the air, though it only makes it a few hundred feet above sea level.

We made it to the peak just in time for sunrise, which was contemplative and misty. The Dead Sea glimmered to the east, and we all suspected some profundity in our accomplishment of having made it to this point. A few of those in our group decided to pocket a few rocks from the mountain to commemorate the moment. Noting this, our guide paused and said: "It is okay for you to take a piece of this land, but by doing so, you are making a promise that you will one day return these stones to where you found them."

For a moment I hesitated, but as I looked again over the ancient ruins, which symbolized the stories and memories of our ancestors, I picked up a stone and stowed it away in good faith. One day, I will bring it back. I'm not sure how or when. I'm not even sure why. Maybe it's compulsion. However, what I now understand – and what I didn't understand before – is that this place and time will forever be a part of me and who I want to be.

Registration for birthright trips is closing soon!! To register, visit: http://www.israelwithisraelis.com/

Imagine a room filled with hundreds of Jews, all from different backgrounds, perspectives, denominations and generations, learning together. If you can picture yourself in that room, you should be sure to check out Limmud Chicago 2012.

Limmud is the Hebrew word for "learning" and Limmud Chicago is part of an international, volunteer-run movement which began in England in 1980 and has been replicated in over 50 cities throughout the world. According to a recent study by Steven M. Cohen and Ezra Kopelowitz, Limmud has grown from a UK movement reaching 80 participants per year, to an international movement reaching over 30,000 individuals annually.

Anita Silvert, co-chair of this year's Limmud Chicago 2012 with Shoshana Waskow, was asked to present at Limmud UK years ago and then got involved with bringing the program to Chicago. The third Limmud Chicago, taking place Sunday, Feb. 19 at the University of Illinois Chicago UIC Student Center East, will feature 100 learning sessions, with themes of sustainability and diversity running throughout the day.

This daylong celebration of Jewish learning and culture is filled with lectures, discussion groups, workshops, films, exhibits and performances on a variety of Jewish topics including Jewish body art, Jewish organic farming, Israel's social justice movement, Hebrew feminist poets, Jews and food, Perspectives from the 2010 Jewish Population Study conducted by JUF/JF and more. Presenters range from Jewish professionals to educators to clergy to passionate members of the community.

This year, there is a special emphasis on engaging young Jewish adults. "We paid a lot of attention to the surveys that we got back from the past two years of Limmud Chicago," Silvert said, "...and one of the things that came through loud and clear was we weren't representative across the entire age spectrum and we needed to break more into that young adult demographic."

So they moved the conference into the city this year, and—thanks to generous funding provided by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago and NEXT: A Division of the Birthright Israel Foundation—developed the Young Adult Initiative, a subsidy  to provide significantly reduced registration fees for young adults aged 18 to 30.

"Limmud is perfect for this outreach because Limmud is who shows up," Silvert said. "Limmud itself doesn't have a bent or a slant or an agenda at all, but there's an aspect of Jewish engagement that is really interesting to anybody…It's not anybody's agenda, it's not anybody's denomination—it is completely beyond that kind of scope—so it's perfect for people who are truly figuring out who they want to be as Jewish adults."

Limmud participants can elect to "volunticipate." Empowering the community to build the kind of thing they want to build, "Limmud empowers people to develop their own Jewish identity and to go forward with it on their own terms," Silvert said.

Barry Krost, Limmud Chicago 2012 Program Team Co-Chair, first learned about Limmud from a friend who was one of the founders of Limmud Chicago. At the time, he was not involved in Jewish life, but found his place in Limmud. "Limmud's been a really amazing opportunity for me, a really positive Jewish experience, and I feel like I have a seat at the table as somewhat of a secular Jew," Krost said. "Limmud is a place where I'm welcomed in."

For him, the best part about Limmud is getting together people of so many backgrounds into one room, where everyone is referred to only by their first name. "It's really an opportunity to get Jews to step out of their normal boundaries and interact with other Jews that might live in a different world normally," he said. "Limmud is all about mutual respect…The encounter with other Jews gives [participants] a stronger sense of what it means to be a Jew."

Limmud Chicago will host its third conference on Sunday, Feb. 19 at the University of Illinois Chicago UIC Student Center East at 750 S. Halsted. An evening program with entertainment will also be presented. Reduced rates are available for young adults at www.limmudchicago.org.

For the past few years I’ve been working out at a small gym down the street from my condo. It’s intimate in size, everyone is nice, each machine has its own personal TV and they offer free apples at the door. It turns out my gym, Wicker Park Fitness, is co-owned by Chicagoan Dave Goldman and his partner Mason Goldberg, who’ve been best friends since 7th grade. Who said Jews can’t be athletic!

Dave and his partner are currently in the process of opening a new gym in the Southport Corridor just steps from the brown line. Recently, Dave took a few minutes from his busy schedule— the new gym is scheduled to be open by March 1— to answer our 8 questions.

So whether you love to workout, want to meet Genghis Khan, or dream of traveling to South Africa, Dave Goldman is A Jew You Should Know!

What is your favorite blog or website?
Tmz or Perezhilton. I like the gossip sites.

If time and money were limitless, where would you travel?
Cape town, South Africa. I’d love to go to Seal Island off the coast of South Africa, too. I’m very into sharks and nature. I love National Geographic and travel shows.

If a movie was made about your life, who would play you?
Mark Wahlberg

If you could have a meal with any two people, living or dead, famous or not, who would they be?
My grandfather would be the first one because I loved being around him and seeing him again would be an extra bonus. For the other person, I’d love to meet someone from way back in the past. Just to see what life was like for them. [Someone] like Genghis Khan. Life must have been so different. We stress about parking spots…they had to stress about surviving each day and fighting for land and territory.

What's your idea of the perfect day?
Walking into the gym at 6pm and no one is waiting for a treadmill at a peak hour and everyone is happy.

What do you love about what you do?
Honestly, I love what I do and have been doing this for 17 years. The gym serves a really healthy need. Seeing people do something positive for themselves is a great feeling. You’d have to dig very hard to find something negative about this job. I’m serving a good need.

What job would you have had if not the one you have now?
A professional athlete. Golfer or tennis player.

What's your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago?
Eat at a Jewish deli like Manny’s.

Miri Ben-Ari is an Israeli Grammy award-winning violinist who has created her own unique sound by a combining classical with jazz, R&B, and hip hop. Ben-Ari has sold millions of records by collaborating with other world renowned artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West, Jay Z, Wyclef Jean, Alicia Keys, Wynton Marsalis, Britney Spears, Maroon 5, Donna Summer, and John Legend.

The musician will perform on Thursday, Feb. 9 at Lincoln Hall in Chicago at an event sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Israel Sport Center for the Disabled, and Friends of Magen David Adom. Recently, I did a phone interview for Oy!Chicago with Ben-Ari to discuss the evolution of her work as a musician and a performer, as well as her social activism endeavors.

Oy!Chicago: Please describe your upbringing in Israel and your musical training. 
Miri Ben-Ari: I grew up in Israel and lived there until I completed the army. I started playing violin at an early age and was a part of a gifted group of students that were taught by the legendary Isaac Stern. Throughout my childhood I grew up playing classical music, chamber music, and very early on started winning awards to pay for my classical education. At the age of 16, I traveled to the United States for the first time and immediately fell in love with the American culture and especially with Jazz music. I knew that if I studied jazz I would be able to eventually improvise, compose, and produce my own music. It was the originality that attracted me to this genre of music. After the army I moved to the United States where I studied for two semesters at the New School, and continued my musical learning by performing regularly with great musicians.

Is there a particular artist that you have worked with that you believe significantly shaped you as a musician?
It is hard for me to choose one artist that has significantly shaped my work… all of the artists that I worked with are talented, hard-working, and unique. Of all the collaborations that I have been involved in, my most recent work "Sympathy of Brotherhood" highlights the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I chose to highlight this particular speech because it was an historic moment not only for America, but for the world.

If I had to choose one person that impacted my art…it would be Kanye West. I was connected to Kanye very early on—at the start of his career. It was a great experience to watch him turn into the artist that he is today. 

How did you start making connections with such talented and successful artists? 
I started doing a few TV shows [and] concerts, and the public very quickly became interested…One show led to another and pretty soon I was working with everyone.

What has been the highlight of your musical career? Is this where you want to be musically? Could you have gotten to this point without the help of your collaborators? 
My experience made me the artist that I am today. After collaborating with so many artists, my music is now able to stand on its own. I feel that the world has become much more receptive to real art and organic music.

From the Apollo stage to being invited to the White House by First Lady, Michelle Obama, to playing concerts with Jay Z and Kanye West. All of these events and collaborations have shaped me as an artist.

Are you content with where you are and what more do you want to achieve musically? 
This is the music that I always dreamed of creating. Part of being an artist is to never stop progressing. There is always something to learn, always skills to develop—this is the journey. As far as my five-year plan, you can say anything, but the question is are you actually going to do it? I am always chasing my dreams. 

Can you tell us about Gedenk, the non-for-profit organization you founded? Why is the organization's mission if particular importance to you?  
A few years ago I created Gedenk which means 'remember' in Yiddish. Gedenk is a humanitarian movement dedicated to teaching and raising youth awareness about the Holocaust as well as anti-Semitism, racism, and its negative consequences on the world today. I created the organization with two of my best friends. As a third generation of Holocaust survivors, I am emotionally attached and committed to ensuring that this story be told. The organization uses the power of celebrity to help raise awareness about Holocaust education and unconventional campaigns to pique the public's interest.

Are you excited about your upcoming performance in Chicago? 
Yes, very much so! I feel very passionate about the work that your [Chicago Jewish] organizations are doing—and it is a privilege to be able to support your efforts locally.

Miri Ben-Ari will be performing on Thursday, Feb. 9 at Lincoln Hall in Chicago. For tickets, visit www.fiscd.org.

You all know Jeremy Fine as The Great Rabbino— updating us on all the latest Jewish sports news and interviewing our favorite athletes— but did you also know that he is a soon-to-be rabbi? Recently, Oy!Chicago decided to turn the tables on Jeremy and interview him about his Jewish upbringing, why he became a rabbi and as a fellow 20-30something, what he thinks about the future of synagogues and Judaism for our generation. Check out his thoughts below! 

Where did you grow up? What was your Jewish upbringing? 
I lived in Skokie until I was five, but then mainly Deerfield until I left for college at U of I. My home was across the street from Moriah Congregation in Deerfield, which is Conservative. Between Moriah, Solomon Schechter, and Camp Ramah one could make a pretty good argument that I was raised as a Conservative Jew. Highlights were for sure Shabbat dinners with my family and friends.

When did you decide to become a rabbi? Why? 
I was a freshman in college. I had just come back from a transformative summer as sports staff at Camp Ramah. My dream as a young child was to coach college basketball. But after deciding to attend U of I and coaching at the local high school, I realized that I wanted to help the Jewish community and the Rabbi idea fell into place. Coaching and rabbi-ing can be pretty similar. Both professions need creativity, a love of people, and a desire to help others do their best. Also, both professions require life-long learning.

What kind of rabbi do you see yourself being in five years, 20 years? 
That is a tricky question, but ideally in five years I want to be a part of a warm and exciting community. I want to still be growing into my role as rabbi. Right now I would say I am on the path to serve in a pulpit— although Ramah, Schechter, and Hillel are all near and dear to my heart. I would certainly be happy to serve as the director of a Ramah Camp or the rabbi at a Solomon Schechter school. In a synagogue, on a daily basis, I get to educate and deal hands on with people from one to 120 years old— that is a true privilege. In 20 years, I would like to be settled in a position that I love going to every morning, mentoring future rabbis, and have written a few books.

It's a big challenge these days to get your peers (20 and 30somethings) to join synagogues, how do you plan to address that issue/draw them into the fold? 
The saying is, "30 is the new 20." Well, that term isn't just for dating and partying, I think it holds true for their Jewish lives, too. People get bits and pieces of Judaism all over the place and the synagogue, which traditionally was the home for everything Jewish, doesn't have a monopoly anymore. But trends like these come and go. I think there are a few things we need to do. The first is meet people where they are. As a rabbi it is my job to get out there and connect with them on the softball field, at their big social events, and wherever else they might be. Secondly, is to create different access points into the synagogue through social groups, learning opportunities, and experiences. Synagogue can be intimidating; it's the rabbi's job to make it welcoming. Third and finally, if all else fails, use Jewish guilt! Just kidding. Ultimately, everyone in some way or another wants a community. A synagogue is a fantastic place to latch onto a community that celebrates your happiness, comforts you during the hard times, and brings deeper meaning and connection to one's life.

How big should the Jewish tent be? Who do we include? 
A Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus size tent. Realistically, I think we are in a very unique time to understanding who is a Jew. As a soon-to-be Conservative Rabbi I believe in a binding set of Jewish laws that inform us of who is Jewish. But I certainly recognize that my opinion and stance is not the only one that counts. We are in a very vital time in Jewish history— where freedom has been so widely felt— which I believe has caused the lines of who is Jewish to waver both in the United States and Israel. I think the key is to be welcoming, understanding, and honest when dealing with these issues.

How do we encourage interfaith families to practice and raise Jewish children? 
I am a big believer in understanding that everyone who walks through the doors of my synagogue has their own story. If that story wants to be shared, I am happy to listen. The encouragement comes when they walk in the door, by setting an example of a Jewish lifestyle and creating a warm and comfortable environment. Each family makes their own decisions and I am happy to help those families formulate a meaningful Jewish life. As for the kids, the importance is providing them with a strong Jewish education, so when decisions have to be made or those children seek out their Jewish heritage they are better equipped to tackle Judaism.

What do you think of the rise in popularity of non-institutional Jewish groups like kehilla and independent minyanim? 
Honestly, I think it is a trend. It's a potentially wonderful and meaningful fad that I have partaken in, but ultimately I believe in the power of the synagogue. I want my future kids to be around many other Jewish kids and to feel that synagogue is a second home. There is a lot of initial appeal to young people to be a part of independent minyanim because they are less intimidating, more laid back, and frankly cheaper (most of the time). But I think the future is still in the synagogue even if synagogues might have to revise themselves along the way.

What do you love about what you do today? 
Being a pulpit rabbi for the last six months has been amazing. My wife and I have been blessed to be at a supportive synagogue that is so welcoming and exciting. I have found so much joy in the little things like our youth basketball and our small group dialogues in congregants' homes. What a great privilege it was to speak to 1,500 people over the High Holidays and share with them the Torah that I have been fortunate enough to have learned. Ultimately, the people make the job.

Switching to your alter ego for a second, The Great Rabbino, tell us who is your favorite Jewish athlete of all time and why? 
Probably Hank Greenberg for sentimental reasons. While I never got to see him play, when I was a child my father took me to Deerbrook Mall to see his documentary. I fell in love with him right then and there. But I am also a big fan of Omri Casspi, Gabe Carimi, and Colt Cabana because they really embrace being Jewish. It means a lot to Jewish people when their athletes wear their religion across their chest.

What's your favorite Jewish thing to do in Chicago? 
Personally, it is to go back to the places that helped me build a strong Jewish identity. I try to visit Solomon Schechter and Ida Crown whenever I get a chance. But right now, I love going back to my parents' synagogue and just being a congregant. Nothing like sitting in back and falling asleep during a sermon! Just kidding, it's nice to see my home rabbi and listen to his words that have inspired me to take my journey through Rabbinical School.