When I moved to Vancouver, B.C. in 1995 to take over management of the Jewish weekly there, the first decision I had to make was whether or not to eliminate the Jonathan Pollard counter.

The previous publishers, a husband and wife team and ardent Zionists, felt Jonathan Pollard was wronged by the U.S. government. Every single week from 1984 through 1995 they kept a running tally on their front page of the number of days Pollard was in prison, or just over 4,000 days at the time.

Whether or not I agreed about how Pollard was treated, I felt it was time to take the box off of the front page. It ran its course, and there was more pressing news to write about back in 1995, like innocent Israelis being killed at the hands of Palestinians.

For a moment though, I thought it might be an interesting idea of having a running tally on the Baltimore Jewish Times cover for the number of rockets Hamas has launched into Israel since it left Gaza to rule itself.

I’m sure everyone’s seen the total of Gaza residents killed in the past three days: over 300. Does the world know that Hamas launched more than 3,000 rockets toward Israeli citizens in 2008 alone? That’s almost 10 per day. Yet, most of us have no idea about the horror this creates. Nor, does the world take notice.

The only time people noticed was when Hamas forgot to launch rockets the day that U.S. Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama visited the region with legions of cameras.

Sadly, the only time it makes news is when Israel defends itself. I take comfort though in reading the comments posted on news websites which heavily favor Israel’s over due response.

My wife and I have a Sunday routine of making sure we’re awake, downstairs, have the coffee brewed, and the New York Times brought inside, all by 9:59 a.m. We don’t like to miss a second of “Meet the Press,” especially with so much unsettling economic news.

We are glued to the discussions about the federal government’s role in bailing out distressed companies to buoy our economy.

I must admit, though, I’m a little afraid to fire up my computer most mornings. I’m not sure how much longer I can read bad news: consumer spending, U.S. automakers, home foreclosures, Blagojevich in Illinois.

What’s next?

Now we know. News broke this past week that Bernie Madoff bilked up to $50 billion from affluent people — including noteworthy Jews such as Elie Wiesel and Steven Spielberg. In fact, Mr. Madoff allegedly used the exclusively Jewish Palm Beach Country Club as a clients’ recruiting ground.

Others, such as the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, may have sustained a $6.4 million loss –– 11 percent of that Federation’s endowment funds — from monies given by Mr. Madoff. The Greater Washington Jewish Federation’s endowment may have lost $10 million — or eight percent — in the scandal. That hurts.

This economic crisis is not just an issue for Sunday TV shows or a question of the federal government bailing out GM. It’s very real here in Maryland. We at the BALTIMORE JEWISH TIMES feel it, too, during this worst advertising climate since the Great Depression.

Who will bail out our local institutions? Baltimore’s Jewish Federation, the Associated –– akin to the United Way for the Jewish community — is struggling to meet the increased demands for job training, food and mental health counseling. They can’t bail out every institution, such as our Jewish day schools, some of which could fail in the coming year. Donors cannot pay their pledges this month; even more services will be cut, affecting the poor and elderly.

That’s why I was surprised to learn that The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is taking a breather until April 1, 2009. They reasoned that they are reassessing their grant making process and the state of the economy.

I can appreciate that. The Foundation has shown great leadership and vision over the years while doubling its corpus –– which supports causes for Jews, the elderly and the poor — to $2 billion. It’s made a huge difference in the lives of people all over the world. In the last two years alone the Foundation made more than $200 million in grants.

Our local community, though, needs the Weinberg Foundation more than ever. The foundation can act like the federal government and prime the pump to stimulate our economy. They, unlike any other regional institution, can affect real change. They can help put food on someone’s table. They may help prevent the collapse of a Jewish day school.

Who else can step in and do that when endowments fell 35 percent on average, donations are down and need is up?

I wish that next week they would hand out $10 million each to a few philanthropy czars, who would then give out the money as they see fit. Why not provide $10 million in emergency funds to the Associated, Catholic Charities, the United Way of Central Maryland and Associated Black Charities. They in turn would be responsible for providing services for Jews, impoverished and elderly in the next 90 days.

The Weinberg executives and board must be mindful of the long term to ensure their institutions’ viability; their investment portfolio must have suffered like everyone else’s. Still, it’s raining like we’ve never seen, and it’s time to tap the rainy day funds before we lose more jobs, more Jewish institutions and more services.

Giving it out quickly to local experts will provide a boost of confidence and local liquidity to shore up our uncertain economy. They left the door open for more grants in the strenuous time for basic human needs. I hope they quickly choose to change course.

If they could, the Weinberg Foundation would leave a mark unlike it has ever done, which is saying a lot for an organization that’s already given so much.

Last Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008, Matthew Caplan and Evan Chernoff were called to the Torah at Beth El Congregation to become bar mitzvot. The two chanted wonderfully, making their families and everyone in the crowded sanctuary very proud. The 13-year-olds must have practiced for over 100 hours each in preparation for their simchahs, including their portion, Chayei Sarah.

During the service, Rabbi Steve Schwartz called Matt and Evan together for a moment in what were otherwise equally joyous but separate simchahs. The rabbi introduced the two boys to someone else who had also practiced countless hours for parshat Chayei Sarah, “Life of Sarah,” for his bar mitzvah, but never had a chance to chant it in front of a congregation or make his parents proud. The bar mitzvah was supposed to take place on Nov. 9, 1938.

Arnold Fleischmann, now 83, woke up the day of his bar mitzvah not to the normal excitement most young men feel. Instead, he heard the sounds of Nazi stormtroopers, who destroyed his Judaica-filled home. They arrested his father, uncles, maternal grandfather, and badly beat his paternal grandfather and grandmother––many of whom were taken to the town slaughterhouse before the 13-year-old was able to find them.

The Bayreuth Synagogue where Mr. Fleischmann worshipped was spared from total destruction. The Nazis, considering themselves civilized, did not want to risk any damage to the adjacent 18th-century opera house. So, rather than burn its exterior and risk an uncontrolled fire, the Nazis chose to protect the opera house. Instead they only gutted and burned all the prayer books, furnishings and the Torahs within the synagogue.

That day was the infamous Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, when throughout Germany the Nazis destroyed 101 synagogues, 7,500 Jewish-owned retail shops, and Jewish homes. Glass from the stores littered the streets across Germany. Over two days, 91 Jews were beaten to death and 26,000 were taken to concentration camps.

Mr. Fleischmann never had a chance to have his bar mitzvah. There was no joyous occasion to mark his entrance into Jewish manhood. Instead, Mr. Fleischmann witnessed two years of hell before escaping to the United States. Kristallnacht began what was an increasingly violent environment for European Jews, leading up to the Holocaust.

Mr. Fleischmann left for safety in the United States on one of the last boats out of Germany in 1940. Some family members were supposed to follow him on the next ship, but it never sailed. His grandfather and aunt perished in death camps.

Seventy years later, as the sun streamed through the stained glass windows at a synagogue his family helped found, Mr. Fleischmann was called to the Torah during parshat Chayei Sarah. He had an aliyah to mark the anniversary of what would have been what Matt and Evan can now attest to — the most special day of a young Jewish man’s life. He gave the blessing before the Torah reading.

The retired lawyer walked up to the bimah holding his granddaughter Laura Julia’s hand. During his moments at the Torah, he smiled and beamed like a 13-year-old boy. His voice cracked not too differently from that of a pubescent child.

When the three bar mitzvah boys were standing together on the bimah, Rabbi Schwartz remarked how, 70 years later, Mr. Fleischmann still lives a very full Jewish life with the same passion and enthusiasm for Judaism as a recent bar mitzvah. Rabbi Schwartz talked of the great example he always set for his granddaughters.

When Mr. Fleischmann entered Jewish adulthood, we worried about the survival of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis. Today, we worry about the survival of the Jewish people at the hands of assimilation. Mr. Fleischmann’s parents never saw him called to the Torah, but at 83 he held his granddaughter’s hand, helping in his own way with the survival of the Jewish people for another generation.

This is the best Italian food in town. We have tried many others and nothing can top Fazzini’s. Everything is fresh, homemade and delicious.

The pizza here was undercooked and really doughy.
entrees on other tables looked good though.

we like fazzini italian kitchen because of good wait staff and consistently good italian food. everything there is homemade; pasta, sauce,bread,pizza dough,etc.  large portions and reasonable prices and no ambiance!