xt7228051j8q https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7228051j8q/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2012-06 2012-07 Newspaper of the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, previously named the Central Kentucky Jewish Association and Central Kentucky Jewish Federation. Published ten times annually. The Federation seeks to bring Jewish community members together through holiday parties, lectures, Yiddish courses, meals, and other celebrations of Jewish heritage and culture. They also host fundraisers and provide financial assistance for Jews in need, both locally and around the world. This collection is part of the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass records, 2016ms010. newsletters 2016ms010 English Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Inc. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass records Jews -- Kentucky -- Lexington Jews -- History Shalom, June/July 2012 text image Shalom, June/July 2012 2012 2012-06 2012-07 2025 true xt7228051j8q section xt7228051j8q

June/July 2012

Newspaper of

OF THE BLUEGRASS

L
WSIVAN/TAMMUZ/Av 5772

Seder in Shanghai

By Lynn Cooper

Seder in Shanghai...
sounds like the name of
a comedy starring Owen
Wilson and Ben Stiller.
However, this was my
experience last month
when I scheduled a trip
to China before checking
my calendar.

When I discovered I
would be in Shang—
hai instead of at Mom
& Dad’s for Seder, I left.
searched the Internet

for ”I’assrwer Seder in Shanghai." A

Wight otinformation
appeare ...much' more than I would

have expected.

There has been a signiﬁcant Jewish
community in Shanghai since the
1850’s; the first wave came from Iraq
and India on the wave of the Opium
Wars. During the 20’s and 30’s thou-
sands came from Russia. During World
War II Shanghai became one of the few
places in the world to provide refuge
to the European Jews from the Nazis.
By the end of the war, Shanghai was
home to over 24,000 Jews.

By the founding of the People’s Repub-
lic of China in 1949, the community
had dwindled, and many Jewish sites
in Shanghai were destroyed. Two
synagogues remain but are not used
with much frequency as these are
monitored by the Chinese government.
I toured the Jewish Refugee Museum
that told the stories of some of the Jews
in Shanghai.

Celebrating Passover in China. Lynn Cooper is thirdfrom

There is an active Chabad in Shanghai,
currently led by Rabbi Avaham Green-
berg, which serves approximately 150
Jews made up of ex-pats and visiting
business people and tourists.

So. . .back to the Seder. When I
searched for a ”Seder in Shanghai” I

found an invitationto participate in? : se- i

a Seder held at the Renaissance Hotel
Pudong (a neighborhoqglgin Shanghai).
The ticket was about $60.00 with the ' '-
option to make an additional donation.

I had no idea what to expect. . .would
this night be even more different than
usual? The Seder was called for 6:30.
The setting was similar to a large ‘
sit-down bar mitzvah dinner in the
ballroom of the Renaissance. When

I arrived at 6:15 there were only two
women sitting at one of the tables — I
joined them and learned they were
principals from Los Angeles in Shang-
hai as part of an exchange program.

see Shanghai, page 13

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Additional opportunities for

tzedakah

Our Jewish community is blessed to
have so many committed donors who
make it possible for us to provide
programs that enrich Jewish life and
assist those in need locally, in Israel,
and around the world. Many of our
constituents aren’t aware that there are
other means of support in addition to
the annual campaign.

One such avenue is by donating an au-
tomobile, motorcycle or other vehicle.
Federation can make the arrangements
necessary to pick up the vehicle; all the
donors need to do is give us the title.
Donors will receive a tax deduction for
the value of the car. More information
about this program is available on our
website, www.jewishlexington.org.

Another means of support is by tribute
contributions in honor of a special oc-

casion or in memory of someone who

has died. These tributes can be in any

amount and we will send a card to the
person to be honored or to the family
of the person to be remembered. If the
contributor agrees, these tributes will
be printed in Shalom.

Our monthly newspaper, Shalom, is

a large component of the Federation
budget. It is mailed to about 1000
homes. We encourage all our readers
to consider committing to a voluntary
subscription to Shalom for the cost of
$18 or more. By subscribing to the
paper, funds used to print and mail
Sl‘alom can be used to support other
programs and services.

Many of our children and grandchil-
dren attend Camp Shalom and other
Jewish resident camps. The costs of
these programs are significant. A
number of our families cannot afford

see Opportunities, page 14

Popkin receives fellowship

University of Kentucky history Pro-
fessor Jeremy Popkin was recently
appointed a fellowship for the 2012-13
academic year by the National Human—
ities Center. Popkin is one of 33 fellows
who will have the opportunity to work
on an individual research project and
share ideas in seminars, lectures and
conferences.

”T he National Humanities Center is
an ideal environment for scholars,”
Popkin said. ”It is set up to encourage
the exchange of ideas." Popkin will
spend the year researching how the
historical period that gave birth to the
American Bill of Rights and the French
Declaration of the Rights of Man also
produced many forms of, what he
called ”unfreedom,” which included
an unprecedented expansion of the
slave trade and the Reign of Terror.

”I’m looking forward to the rare op-
portunity to spend a year thinking and
writing about a problem that has in-
trigued me since I was an undergradu-
ate,” Popkin said.

This year marks the 35th class of
scholars to be admitted since the center
opened in 1978, the same year that
Popkin began his tenure at UK. Dur-
ing that time, Popkin has taught both
graduate and undergraduate courses
on the era of the French Revolution,
French history and the Holocaust.

The fellowship is awarded to human-
istic scholars in the ﬁelds of history,
literature, philosophy, anthropology,
art history, classics, linguistics, mu-
sicology, religion and Scandinavian
studies. a

. z ”r ‘vt: t'g 142...... .. .

IN THIS ISSUE

President’s Message 3
Letter to the Editor ...... 3
B’nai Mitzvah: Felix Satin .............. 3
PJ Library .................. 4
JFS: At Your Service ........... 4
Ohavay Zion Synagogue celebrates 100th anniversary ................................ 5
Ask A Rabbi.. 6
Emilie Szekely Holocaust Awareness Writing Project ..................................... 7
JCPA Announcement 8
TN elects new leadership 8
Hadassah Central States Region Spring Forum .............................................. 10
B’tayavon 10
Yom Ha Atzmaut Celebration 1 1
The Lexington Chapter of Hadassah 14
Ohavay Zion Synagogue 15
The Lexington Havurah 16
Temple Adath Israel 17
025 Gala Celebration 18
Around the Community 18

Published ten times per year by the
Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, Inc.
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 1 12, Lexington, KY 40502
Phone (859) 268-0672 - Fax (859) 268-0775
email: shalom@jewishlexington.org

JUNE/JULY 2012, VOLUME XIX, ISSUE 5
Robert Grossman, President
Judy Wortman, Executive Director
Tamara Ohayon, Communications Director
Talia Smolkin, JFS Director

SHALOM EDITORIAL BOARD
David A. Wortman, Editor-in-Chief
Hanna Smith, Chairperson
Marcia Blacker
Jane Chaput
Susan Cobin
Barbara Goldman
Betty Nigoff
Gary Yarus

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Michael Ades, IIona Szekely, Jesse Weil

LOCAL DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Lowell and Betty Nigoff

Production Services by Georgetown News-Graphic

The editorial staff has the right to edit all articles submitted for publication in Shalom.
Articles should not exceed 500 words. The appearance of any advertising in this pub-
lication does not represent either a kashruth or any other endorsement on the part of
the Federation or any other agency or organizations.

Opinions expressed in Shalom are not necessarily those of the Shalom editorial staff or
the JFB or its constituent organizations.

Shalom is partially supported by the advertisements appearing in the paper.

Copyright © 2012, Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass. All rights reserved. For reprint
permission contact David Wortman, Editor-in-Chief, Shalom, at shalom@jewishlexing-
ton.org

2 | June/July 2012 Shalom

,. , , n
Elie PI Library. is a i

national program
uttered locally,

hhitl: {"ihlilb free,

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ins-u ”or at we: n ma wag; l

rug“. igiaeiii} and age

an." ll :1" ﬁnite» w: a: ”mirth: E‘-

All families raising Iewish children ages six months to eight years are welcome g

to enroll. [PB is proud to offer your family, through our partnership with local donors

and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, this opportunity to explore the timeless core ‘
values of Iudaism through books and music.

Enroll your children or grandchildren today! Call us at 859.268.0672 or
visit www.pj1ibrary.com and visit our Lexington community page.

§:r‘:.f are: third Sundays of the month

Yiddish Prop-in!

l " ' a} at the if? aifaa a; hose at ﬁr’idriish
‘5. 3r} ﬁred {Ra-ii {atrial}. gagiarm

tiresome, ﬂeet! waiters welcome, and those
who remfa :39? rain fan da’ new“

m ‘

also tram. Wilma? we do
ta the ievelzs of: ' win some

N0 iong'iemi comment W.
No charge. Worth every war, at feast!

Lunch and Learn with our

Lexington community rabbis V

Tues., June 26 with Rabbi Sharon Cohen
Tues., July 31 with Rabbi Marc Kline

At 12 noon on the last Tuesday of each month,
in the JFB ofﬁce, rabbis, on a rotating basis, will
be discussing the holidays, the Torah portion
of the week, and other topics of interest.
A dairy lunch is offered at a nominal charge. If you are
interested in attending, please call Judy Wortman at
859-268—0672 so we can order lunch for you.

BF YNE BLWS

if you are not receiving Jewish Weekly email and would like to, please

send your name and email address to lexadmimajewishlexingtonorg

{3; THE BLUEGRASS

Federation President Federation Board
Robert Grossman Lori Bernard Larry Kant
Minna Katz—Brown Mimi Kaufman
Executive Committee Jane Chaput Amy Faust Mayer
Kae Schennberg, Vice-President Susan Cobin Betty Nigoff
Hanna Smith, Secretary Gail Cohen Seth Salomon
Gary Yarus, Treasurer Jenn Garlin Marty Solomon
Evalyn Block, Member-at-Large Evelyn Dantzic Geller Paul Tillier
Linda Rawin, Member-at-Large Michael Grossman Elissa Weinstein
Joseph Hernandez David Wekstein

Shalom Deadline

Deadline for articles for the August Shalom is July 10.
Email articles to shalom@jewishIexington.org

President’s Mie‘ssége: . .

Bob Grossman, ‘JFB‘ President

When I talk about Federation to Jewish
folks in Lexington, the following ques-
tion often lurks unspoken in the back-
ground. Why does Lexington need a
Federation? After all, we already have
two congregations and the Havurah.
Doesn’t Federation merely add to the
”tzedakah burden” of Jewish members
of the community without really bring-
ing anything new to the table?

Good question. I hope that by the time
you finish reading this article, you will
understand why Lexington needs a
Federation.

First, 025, TAI, and the Havurah are
primarily religious organizations.
Certainly, Jews share many religious
beliefs and practices, but Jewishness is
not only about religion; it is also a mat-
ter of ethnic and even national identity,
Israel, as well as God and Torah. The
Federation is the place where Jews
who express their religious identities
in differ’éﬁtWaYs can come together
and express their ethnic and national
identities. Those expressions may take
various forms: ﬁnancial and political
support for the State of Israel, financial
su ort for members of the Jewish
commu ’ fim'dship both here
and abroad, and educating our men-
Jewish neighbors to reduce anti-Semi-
tism are just a few of the activities that
Federation undertakes uniquely.

Second, it is difﬁcult to bring members
of 028, TAI, and the Havurah together
in a single forum. In an unfortunate
tradition, whose origins reach back
about a hundred years to the mutual
condescension between assimilated
German Jews and more observant and
recently-arrived eastern European
Jews, there continues to be an emo-
tional and institutional barrier separat—
ing Temple and synagogue members.

I think that this barrier has weakened
over time, and I hope it continues to

weaken,
but it is

still there.
Through ac—
tivities such
as Camp
Shalom &
Gesher, the Winter Dinner, the Yom
Hashoah commemoration, and the
Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration, Federa-
tion provides a place that both Temple
and synagogue members can claim as
their own.

Third, support for Jewish organiza-
tions is not a zero-sum game. The
more ties that Jews in our community
build to any of our organizations,

the more that all of our organizations
beneﬁt. When the Federation subsi-
dizes Jewish camping experiences for
our community’s children, it does so
because research shows that kids who
attend Jewish camps are much more
likely to join Jewish congregations

and raise Jewish kids themselves. On

a purely ﬁnancial level, many of the
most generous donors to Federation
are also the most generous donors to
the religious organizations Face it;
many of us, including me, could afford
to forego a few luxuries (eating out, en-
tertainment tickets, vacations) in favor
of giving more to Jewish charities. The
barrier to increased giving to all of our
Jewish institutions is not other Jewish _ ﬁ‘
institutions or even secular charities; it ,
is all the other temptations that beckon '
for our money and attention.

By the time you have read this editori-
al, unless there was a revolt at the An-
nual Meeting, I will have been elected
for a second year as president of your
Federation. My goal over the next
year is to use our Federation to foster
a greater feeling of community among
all of our Jewish neighbors, regard-
less of their afﬁliations to the religious
organizations. a

Dear Friends,

I was most surprised and pleased to
accidentally discover today the article
on the Skuller-Cohen family of Lex-
ington, as published in the December
2008/ January 2009 issue of Shalom.

I do quite a bit of work (genealogy,
cemetery catalogues, community
mega-trees, etc.) in connection with
the Columbus (OH) Jewish Historical
Society (CJHS) on whose Board I have
served for a number of years. When
giving a talk to a local Sisterhood

this past Monday evening, a woman
approached me with some questions
about her family, many of whom are
connected with the Skuller-Cohen
story. In fact, she mentioned to me that
her aunt - Lena Mickler Skuller -- was
from Lexington. Hence, the story rang
a very loud bell, and was most thor-
oughly enjoyed.

In addition to that connection, I was
interested in the Skuller family (and
those who spell their name Sculler)

'1’ Letter to the Editor

since they had deep and long roots in
the Columbus area, especially in the
jewelry business.

Furthermore, the story’s reference

to the Mickler family was of special
interest, both because of some work
that I have done in connection with
the Piqua, OH Jewish cemetery, and
the fact that I have had many years’
interactions with the surviving Mickler
relatives in Columbus.

As an added personal note, I can
almost count myself as a member of
your extended community: my aunt
and mother were born in Mt. Sterling
KY in 1902 and 1904, respectively,
while my grandfather was running a
small store there.

I thoroughly enjoyed the article. Please
convey my compliments to the author.

Regards,
Jules J. Duga
julesduga@columbus.rr.com (home)

B’nai Mitzvah: Felix Satin

Felix Satin, son of Jonathan and Lisa
Satin, will become a bar mitzvah on
Shabbat, June 16, 2012, at Ohavay Zion

Synagogue.

_, Felix’ bar mitzvah project was to edu-

cate people about the work of the In-
ternational Book Project, to raise funds

_ for the International Book Project by

asking for donations, selling "Books
Change Lives” T shirts, and doing a
book drive for the new library at Mary
Todd Elementary School.

Proud grandparents are Marci and Er—
nie Zied, Canton, Georgia and the late
Florence and Leo Satin. 1::

Our advertisers support

this paper.

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June/July2012 Shalom | 3

“Library

JEWISH BEDTIME STORIES and SONGS

By Ilona Szekely

There is something really exciting for
children about getting their own pack-
age in the mail. My daughter Emilie
rushes to the door each day to look
and see if mail has arrived and if there
is anything for her. Most days she is
disappointed. Yet, for the last year she
had the blessing of knowing that in
fact a package would promptly come
every month from the PJ library.

Upon the PJ package's arrival, Emilie
has formed a ritual with these special
books. She frantically opens up her
present and then curls up in my lap so
I can read to her. While seemingly not
a big deal, at age 8 and an avid reader
herself, these moments where she still
curls up on my lap are becoming fewer
and more precious. So when a PJ li-
brary book arrives each month, both of
us have a great deal to anticipate.

One exciting recent change for Emilie
is that while she has grown up with
these books in her personal library, she
can now read them to herself.

While Emilie is a part of our Jewish
community, attending religious school,
and services at Ohavay Zion Syna-
gogue, there is an amazing connection
to the Jewish world that she receives
through the pages of each book. The
books she reads are a powerful way

to bring her Jewish education home.
Having talked to others who are not so
involved in the Jewish community and
maybe don’t plan to be at the moment,
the books provide a sense of caring
from other Jews and perhaps an iden-
tity for their children.

4 l June/Ju

I can still remember many of the
stories that I read as a child at bed-
time; they helped form my world and
identity today. The special selections
we receive each month will have a
deep and lasting impact on my child.
Having read almost two years’ worth
of P] library books to Emilie as part of
our bedtime ritual, I can say that these
stories have impacted both of us. The
books have taken us to places in the
past, creating an understanding of our
history, the folklore, and humor, of our
people. What a powerful way to intro-
duce identity and cultural heritage to
the next generation! I am excited that
we have the PJ library in our commu-
nity, and I hope that our children are
able to benefit from it for many years
to come.

Ilona Szekely, Ph. D., is a Professor of
Art Education at Eastern Kentucky
University and has authored several
articles on arts education. She is also
on the board of the Kentucky Art
Education Association. Ilona is the
Principal of the Religious School at
Ohavay Zion. Synagogue, in Lexington,
Kentucky. She reads PJ Library books
with her daughter Emilie who attends
Hebrew and Sunday school. 17

Would you like to be featured as a P]
Library family in one of our publica-
tions? Feel free to send in an article
like this, or even a quick blurb and/ or
bio. Don’t forget a photo! We might
publish it in places such as this paper,
in a P] Library e-newsletter, or Face-
book. Call Tamara or Talia at 268-0672
for questions or more information.

JFS: At Your Service

Talia Smolkin, JFS Director

Our vibrant
community
has come
together on
several occasions, in different ways, to
talk about interfaith relationships. As
the Jewish Family Services Advisory
Committee came together to plan this
spring’s Family Life Education pro-
gram on interfaith relationships, we
discussed the continuing relevance of
the topic and that similar programs
have been conducted over the years.
A great number of families are part of
an interfaith relationship, and unique
questions often arise for families as
they combine different backgrounds.
Complex questions arise for those with
relatives in interfaith relationships as
they navigate roles and family mat-
ters. These quandaries arise, as well,
for couples as they navigate what this
means for their relationship to each
other, their families and their faiths.

As we geared up for the program,
many of our community members

and leaders stated the salience of

the topic in their lives as well as the
signiﬁcance of the matter in our local
and worldwide Jewish community.
People shared stories about discussion
groups, conﬂict and reconciliation with
families, friends and communities, and
their evolving perspectives. I learned
more from The Jewish Outreach Insti-
tute about how community organiza-
tions can take care that their policies,
papers, programs, and daily interac-
tions thoughtfully welcome families in
all forms.

On May 9, a group of parents and
grandparents of couples in interfaith
relationships came together to discuss
the relevancy in their lives. Led by Dr.
David Feinberg, they discussed their
situations, the variety of perspectives,
their love for their families, and how
they might balance their wishes with
respecting their families’ choices. They
considered the tools in the book Twenty

Different Backgrounds.
One Family.
(Continue to) Discuss.

Things for Grandparents of Interfaith
Grandchildren to Do (And Not D0) to
Nurture Jewish Identity in Their Chil-
dren, by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky and Paul
Golin.

This Family Life Education program
of Jewish Family Services (JFS) was a
great moment to come together and
discuss this important subject. Many
thanks to the JFS Advisory Committee,
and David Feinberg, for their pas-
sion, insight, and commitment. And
of course, significantly, this program
was neither the beginning nor the end
of the discussion. As many discussed
interfaith relationships before the pro—
gram, 1 am certain this will continue
over the years. Couples and families
of couples in interfaith relationships
can connect with each other to share
experiences and discuss common is-
sues of concern, and families in various
forms can connect and share in how
we each relate to our Jewish identities
and community.

The Jewish Outreach Institute (www.
joi.org) is a fascinating resource that
reaches out to families in interfaith
relationships and helps communities
be more welcoming. It has resources
on interfaith relationships, Jewish
holidays and tools for individuals

and communities. Certainly, there

are many other resources as well with
varying perspectives. But most impor-
tantly, we continue to think and dis-
cuss our Jewish identities and the wide
variety of forms of Jewish families, so
we can all continue to feel welcome,
pursue our Jewish lives, and share this
rich community.

To contact Talia Smolkin, JFS Direc-
tor, for information, referrals, or other
needs, e-rnail jfs@jewishlexington.org
or call (859) 269—8244. 11$

,. Ohavay. Zion Synagogue
celebrates 100th anniversary

By Michael Ades

The OZS Centennial celebra—
tion began in February with a
special service and program,
at which Beth Goldstein and
Rafi Finkel were honored for
the countless hours each of
them has spent and continues
to commit in service to OZS.

The celebratory April week-
end began on Friday night
with about 200 members,
friends from out of town, TAl,
and the Lexington Havurah.
The OZS choir, led by Anat
Rubinstein, was a highlight of
the evening. The OZS former
Presidents Alan Stein and
Beth Goldstein spoke with
nostalgia and good humor.

A wine, cheese, and des—

sert Oneg followed and the
conversations went on to well
after 11p.m.

The traditional Shabbat

’ on Saturday was fol-
lowed b??l