FBI asked to probe area hate crimes

BY ADAM H. BEASLEY

The same day Chabad of Parkland members scraped spray-painted swastikas off the temple's walls, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler called on FBI Director Robert Mueller to investigate the recent spate of anti-Semitic attacks in South Florida.

Wexler, who represents much of Broward County in Washington, sent the FBI a letter Thursday asking Mueller to look into both the vandalism at Chabad of Parkland and the suspicious fire at a Miami Beach synagogue last week.

''I am deeply concerned about this string of anti-Semitic crimes in the South Florida community, and strongly believe that the disturbing hate crimes committed against Jewish Americans deserve proper attention from the federal government,'' Wexler said in a statement.

Wexler's request comes a week after Mueller agreed to look into a series of fires at South Florida religious centers, including the blaze that torched The Chabad Shul in Miami Beach during Passover. A fire in October damaged the sanctuary of a synagogue on Chase Avenue in Miami Beach.

Wexler's congressional district does not include Parkland, but it nearly surrounds the bedroom community. Parkland is represented by Ron Klein, who also forcefully denounced the incident, deemed by Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti a hate crime.

'If we are to live up to our mantra of `never again,' we must not sit by silently in the face of any anti-Semitic attack,'' said Klein, who is co-chairman of the Congressional Taskforce Against Anti-Semitism. ``It is our solemn responsibility to speak out against such hate speech.''

Meanwhile, at Chabad of Parkland, 7170 Loxahatchee Rd., Rabbi Josef Biston went about the business of cleaning the swastikas. The vandals also scrawled ''4 Hitler'' on a stop sign.

The desecration has gained attention around the world, with BSO fielding calls from as far away as Israel.

Broward sheriff's deputies went door-to-door handing out Crime Stoppers fliers in an attempt to find those responsible.

Authorities will not have the help of videotape to find the vandals. Chabad of Parkland did not have surveillance equipment set up, and no cameras from nearby business captured the desecration, said Alesia Russell, a BSO spokeswoman.

Ritual bath to be adapted for disabled

A Hallandale Beach synangogue plans to open a 'mikvah' accessible to women with physical disabilities. It will be the first of its kind in Florida.

BY JENNIFER MOONEY PIEDRA
jmooney@MiamiHerald.com

For years, Rabbi Raphael Tennenhaus has wanted to bring an ancient Jewish cleansing tradition to his Hallandale Beach synagogue.

Now, his dream is coming true.

Plans to build three mikvahs -- or ritual baths -- at Chabad of South Broward are in the pipeline.

But one of the baths, which are used by some married Orthdox Jewish women after each menstrual period, is a little different from most.

It will be one of only a few mikvahs worldwide equipped with a hydraulic lift for use by women with physical disabilities, said Rivkah Slonim, a New York-based bestselling author of Total Immersion: A Mikvah Anthology.

''Every mikvah is extremely important -- the single most important institution a Jewish community needs to have access to,'' she said. ``Since Miami has such a huge Jewish population, I can only imagine what a tremendous asset this will be.''

Other synagogues in Broward and Miami-Dade are equipped with mikvahs, including ones in Hollywood, Aventura, Weston and Miami Beach.

No existing mikvahs in Florida are handicapped-accessible, Tennenhaus said.

Under Orthodox Jewish law and tradition, the baths are primarily used by married women after the end of their menstrual cycle.

Some men also choose to take part in the ritual -- some every day, others once a year before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Tennenhaus said.

For a woman to take part in the tradition, she must be clean. No makeup, nail polish or perfume is allowed. Teeth must be flossed and brushed, and her hair must be down in its natural state, Tennenhaus said.

The women enter a back room of the synagogue and undress in a private dressing room.

An attendant is present during the spiritual cleansing, which takes place in a small pool filled with about 200 gallons of tap water and rain water.

During the short ritual, the woman enters the mikvah nude, says a blessing and then completely submerges the body under the water.

But doing so is often difficult for women with physical disabilities because they need assistance from someone, which makes the intimate moment much less private, Tennenhaus said.

''Mikvahs are a very symbolic part of Jewish history,'' Tennenhaus said. ``There are a lot of women who have some sort of paralysis who want to take part in the tradition but can't.''

''We're meeting a need that is out there,'' he said.

Hallandale Beach zoning officials have given preliminary approval for the addition of the mikvahs -- one with the hydraulic lift for women, one for men and a smaller one for new dishes -- at the Chabad center.

A room now used as a dining hall will be converted into the spa-like mikvah facility, which will include marble and granite tile and private dressing rooms.

Hollywood architect Joseph Kaller hopes work on the $500,000 project will start within the next few months and be complete by year's end.

Margie Szerer, a member of the Chabad of South Broward, is looking forward to the opening of the mikvahs.

Once a month for the past five years, Szerer has traveled from her home in Hollywood to Aventura to take part in the ancient tradition.

Having a new, luxurious facility so close to home will be nice, she says.

''It's a beautiful thing that makes a woman feel like she is in control of her body,'' Szerer said.

``I think it's wonderful that they are giving the opportunity to other women who would normally be unable to go because they are in a wheelchair.''