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November 2016 Beachwood Buzz
45
Diversity, Hidden Bias Subject of NCJW's
Lois Zaas Annual Advocacy Lecture
Roberta "Robbie" Kaplan, at-
torney who won the successful
2013 battle against the Defense
of Marriage Act (DOMA), will
speak at the 13th annual Lois
Zaas Advocacy Lecture, Em-
bracing Diversity, Uncovering
Hidden Bias.
This forum will also feature
Joseph J. Levin Jr., co-founder
in 1971 of the Southern Poverty
Law Center (SPLC), the organiza-
tion dedicated to fi ghting hate
and bigotry and seeking justice
for the most vulnerable in our
society.
The event, presented by
National Council of Jewish
Women, will explore diversity,
hate groups in Ohio and the
United States, and hidden bias in
ourselves on Thursday, Novem-
ber 17 at Temple Emanu El, 4545
Brainard Rd. in Orange Village.
Doors will open at 6 pm for a
Resource Fair, at which various
organizations will provide infor-
mation regarding diversity.
Kaplan, an award-winning
lawyer and Cleveland native, is
best known for her representa-
tion of Edith Windsor in the land-
mark Supreme Court case that
made same sex marriage the
law of the land and gave equal
rights to gay couples. She is
currently a partner in the Litiga-
tion Department of Paul, Weiss,
Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and
an adjunct professor of law at
Columbia University Law School.
Her 2015 book, Then Comes
Marriage, not only gives an inti-
mate behind-the-scenes account
of how she and her team won
United States v. Windsor, but also
opens up about coming to terms
with her sexuality and her emo-
tional coming out experience.
Levin argued and won more
than 50 cases supporting the
mission of SPLC. He left to
supervise President-elect Jimmy
Carter's Justice Department tran-
sition team but remained on the
SPLC board as general counsel,
president and currently board
member emeritus.
The Resource Fair will contin-
ue after the presentation.
The Lois Zaas Annual
Memorial Advocacy Lecture
is sponsored by the family of
the late Lois Zaas, who was
an NCJW local and nation-
al activist. The event is free
and open to the public with
reservations requested by
calling 216.378.2204, ext. 100 or
emailing www.ncjwcleveland.
org. A dessert reception follows
the program with dietary laws
observed.
Attendees are requested to
bring new, packaged underwear,
socks or gloves for homeless
adults and children, which NCJW
will donate to Operation Warm-
Up, its project to collect items for
the city-wide Homeless Stand-
Down in January, 2017.
Montefiore Announces
New Hospice Medical Director
Montefiore is pleased to wel-
come Dr. Meredith Driscol as
its dedicated, full-time medical
director of Vinney Hospice and
Palliative Care and the Maltz
Hospice House.
"We are thrilled that Dr.
Driscol is leading our compas-
sionate and knowledgeable
hospice and palliative care
team. With the addition of a
full-time medical director, Mon-
tefiore is better positioned to
provide a full scope of hospice
services to individuals in their
homes in the community and
in our facilities at Montefiore
and The Weils. Dr. Driscol's
breadth of hospice experience
and keen insight into working
with physicians, patients and
families sets our hospice pro-
gram above others," said Seth
Vilensky, Montefiore president
and CEO.
Dr. Driscol trained at Indiana
University School of Medicine
and completed fellowships
in Hospice and Palliative
Medicine at the Cleveland
Clinic Foundation, Pain and
Symptom Management at MD
Anderson Cancer Center and
Oncology and Hematology at
University Hospitals Case Med-
ical Center. She practiced for
UH Ireland Cancer Center and
has held positions in hospice
and palliative care with several
community agencies. Most
recently, Dr. Driscol served as
medical director of Hospice
and Palliative Medicine at
Louis B. Stokes Veterans Affairs
Medical
Center in
Cleveland.
Dr. Driscol
has received
numerous
academic
honors and
has published and presented
on a variety of clinical topics,
including hospice and pallia-
tive care, pain and symptom
management and end-of-life
care. She is a board-certified
Hospice Medical Director
(HMDC) and has board certi-
fications in Internal Medicine
and Hospice and Palliative
Medicine.
For information about
Montefiore's hospice program
please call 216.910.2650.
Richard Friedman
The Two Worlds of Billy Callahan
As 12-year-old Billy Callahan
excavates the Negev Desert with
his father, an earthquake sends
Billy sprawling into a crevasse,
where he touches a metallic orb,
left here by the original inhabitants
of Earth millions of years ago. The
orb sends Billy into a 50-year coma.
He witnesses the fi rst Earthlings
destroy the environment and fi ght
devastating wars before leaving
Earth in shambles. The orb vanishes
during his rescue, concealing the
evidence that could verify his
incredible story. The aliens release
Billy and ask him to convince the
modern-day world that we must
avoid repeating their mistakes or
life on earth will perish.
Ruchi Koval
Conversations with God:
Prayers for Jewish Women
In this warm and insightful guide
to women's prayers, Ruchi Koval
explains her personal connection
to some of the most meaningful
Jewish prayers. She also creates
new, soulful prayers for the con-
temporary Jewish Woman.
Sean Martin · A Stitch in Time
A Stitch in Time reviews the
history of the garment industry in
Cleveland from the nineteenth cen-
tury until its decline in the late twen-
tieth century. The novel focuses on
the history of the manufacturers
and workers, many of whom were
Jewish immigrants, who helped
Cleveland become one of the gar-
ment-industry powerhouses.
All lectures and events are open
to the public and many are free of
charge. Advanced registration is
encouraged. To purchase tickets,
please visit www.mandeljcc.org/
bookfestival. Tickets are also avail-
able at Mandel JCC membership
desk (no ticket sales on Saturdays).
Passes, which include admission to
all author lectures and group tick-
ets, are available by contacting Jan
Rutsky at 216.831.0700, ext. 1348.
Unless otherwise noted, all activi-
ties will be held at Mandel JCC.