xt73tx354g1z https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt73tx354g1z/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2006-12 2007-01 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 Central Kentucky Jewish Federation 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, December 2006/January 2007 text image Shalom, December 2006/January 2007 2006 2006-12 2007-01 2025 true xt73tx354g1z section xt73tx354g1z NEWSPAPER OF THE CENTRAL KENTUCKY JEWISH FEDERATION

DECEMBER 2006IJANUARY 2007

KISLEV-TEVET—SHEVAT 5767

Give generously and warm the hearts of others

Annual Day of Giving will be biggest ever—all we need is YOU

00¢

By Jessica Berger and 1mm LnZur

° What is the Day of Giving?

The Day of Giving is a volunteer effort that is fun and
rewarding, during which more than 75 members of the
Jewish community give their time during the holiday
season to benefit well over 300 members of the entire
Lexington community. The idea behind this day is that
the Jewish Community can help staff organizations so
that Christian employees can be relieved to spend more
time with their families during the holiday season.

' When is the Day of Giving?

Most of the events will be held on Friday, December 22,
with two additional events to be held on December 12
and 14 The entire month of December will serve as
collection time. Please clean out your closets or make

WW people or Wis inneed.

_ _ sééﬁayﬁfﬁivfﬁ‘fﬁﬁ§é7

' How can I get involved?

There are two ways to get involved.
You can either volunteer your time at
one of the many locations or make
donations during the month of
December.

' What items are needed?
Baked goods

New/ Gently used toys
Pet supplies

Baby Supplies

Toiletries

Warm clothing

Blankets and coats

is...

VAznneiGraff and Pat Shraberg at last year’s Day of Giving.

— CAMPAIGN NEWS —

Fall Rafﬂe: Doing well by doing good

The CKJF Fall Raffle is a great opportunity to win money while helping the community. Only 450
tickets will be sold; they cost $100. First prize is $10,000 cash, and the second prize a week at a

condo in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. You can buy a ticket by

a) Logging in to http: / / www.jewishlexington.org and following the links for the CKJF Fall Rafﬂe
b) Sending us your check for $100 with ”Rafﬂe” in the memo line, and we will mail you

the ticket(s)
c) Calling the office at (859) 268-0672 >

d) Contacting any CKJF Board Member (see list on page 2 of Shalom)

The drawing will take place at the Winter Dinner on December 17, and you don't have to be
present to win. If you wish to sell some tickets, please call us at the office. *3!

Winter Dinner set
for December 17

Don’t miss out!

0.0

By Jana LaZur

This year, the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation is
happy to present a night of music, socializing, and
delectable foods—including, of course, latkes—as well as
a celebration of the third night of Hanukkah. Come to our
Twelfth Annual Winter Dinner, to be held at the Sheraton
Suites Hotel on Sunday, December 17 from 6:00 pm. to
8:00 pm. for the entire Jewish community. We have
simply outgrown our previous locations and are happy to
have more seats available. Nonetheless, it’s important to

Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
1050 (hinoe Road 0 Suite 203 0 lexington, KY 40502

Change Servite Requested

"who," Org make your reservations now. You can mail in the form on
u.s. Postage. page 13 of Shalom or feel free to visit our website at

PAID www.jewishlexington.org and follow the links to the
mﬁyﬁ Winter Dinner to register online.

The evening will begin with the music of Lou and Aviva
Bowling, who will play the grand piano and an electric
Violin in the beautiful atrium lobby while hors d’oeuvres
are served. If you care for something stronger than soft
drinks, coffee, or tea to accompany this course, there will
be a cash bar in the lobby.

see Winter Dinner, page 3

IN THIS ISSUE

FilmfFestival in the works ......................... 3
President‘s Message ............................. 4
Just for kids ................................... 4
From the Executive Director ....................... 6
TAI Sisterhood announces programs for Dec. & Jan. ..... 6
Third Opinion ................................. 7
Ask a Rabbi ................................... 8
From despair to opportunity ....................... 9
Holidays at-a-Glance ........................... 10
JFS: ;At Your Service ............................ 10
Community Relations Committee news .............. 11
CKJF Leisure Club visits Kentucky History Museum ...... 11
Know: your board ............................. 12
Birth defects ................................. 12
Music of the Stage and Screen a big hit ............. 14
OZS-Social Action Committee seeks support .......... 15
At sea, the sky’s the limit ........................ 15
History of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — Part XIV ...... 16
Hadassah selling Macy’s gift cards .................. 17
B’tayavon ................................... 18
Leisure Club lunch and storytelling event ............ 18
2006 General Assembly in Los Angeles

tackles difficult issues ........................... 19
Israel 21c: Bigger and better ...................... 20
Israel 21c: Israel railways come of age ............... 20
Israel 21c: Jerusalem’s light rail preparing to roll ....... 20
Around the Community ......................... 21
Lexington Havurah ............................. 21
Lexington Hadassah ............................ 21
TAI ;. , ...................................... 22
OZS. ....................................... 23
Community Calendar . . .' ........................ 24

SHALOM

Published ten times per year by the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation, Inc.
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 203, Lexington, KY 40502
Phone'(859) 2680672 0 Fax (859) 268- 0775
email: shalom@jewishlexington. org

DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007, VOLUME XIII, ISSUE 10
Marty Barr, President
Daniel Chejfec, Executive Director
Jana LaZur, Activities Director
Tamara Ohayon, Office Administrator
Abby Miller, JFS Director

SHALOM COMMITTEES
Editorial Board
Ruth Paley, Editor-in-Chief
Mary Heléne Rosenbaum, Editor/Administrator
Marcia Blacker, Editorial Board
. Judy Levine, Editorial Board
Advisory Board
Elissa Brown, Gail Cohen, Angie Ornstein,
Janet Scheeline, and Rose Rita Wurmser

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jessica Berger, Elissa Brown, Wendy Elliman, Bob Grossman,
Mimi Kaufman, Ruth Moser, Stanley Ned Rosenbaum, and David Wekstein

Production Services by Direct Response, Inc.

The editorial staff has the right to edit all articles submitted for publication
in Shalom. The appearance of any advertising in this publication does not
represent a kashruth endorsement on the part of CKJF or any other agency
or organization. Shalom is supported by the advertisements appearing in
the paper.

2 0 December 2006/January 2007 Shalom

r ‘1

SHALOM

Taking a page
from the
Herald-Leader,
we invite readers to
send pictures of
themselves on vacation
with Shalom.

Please email
digital files to
di-ifr@bardstown.com
or send prints to the

I CKJF office. I

Have a question? 65!: a. rabbi

The rabbis are now writing their columns in response
to questions submitted by the readers. We encourage
you—whether you are a member of the Jewish
community or not—to submit your queries on
theology, morality, ethics, religious Observances, etc.
for response by one of our rabbis.

If you have an issue you would like to see addressed,
please email it to di-ifr@bardstown.com and put
”Ask a Rabbi " in the subject line of your email. (It may
take quite a while until your question is answered—
or it may never be answered, if no rabbi selects it.)
You will not be identified as the writer of the
question to either rabbis or readers, nor will you
be asked to specify which rabbi should answer.

Opinions expressed by writers in

Shalom

are not necessarily those of the editorial staff or
advisers, nor of the Central Kentucky Jewish
Federation or its constituent communities,
officers, staff, or committee members. Letters to
the Editor are always welcome—send them to
di—ifr@bardstown.com

r ————————————————————— u‘

Send announcements and

to rfi—zfr@5an£stown.c0m.

Let Us Know...

‘Wﬁat’sgoiry on wit/i you.

weddings, donors, with m trons,

I
I

I
lde

I
pictures of specuzf birthdays, i) :
I
Happy and sorrowfu[ occasions :
I

DON’T MISS OUT! g
12:11:; “P" F R E E E

to your home ten times W

Mail your name and adduss In: : 4
Shalom / CKJF l
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 203, Lexington, KY 40502:
or email at shalom @jewishlexington.0rg |
L _____________________ J

If you are not receiving Jewish weekly email and

would like to, please email your name and email
address to ckif@iewishlexington.org

\efﬁs“ FedEraflo

:._._3._,°° Central Kentucky Jewish Federation

”mar ken

CKJF President
Marty Barr

Executive Committee

Michael Grossman, Vice President

Pat Shraberg, Secretary
Robert Grossman, Treasurer
Ruth Poley, Member At-Large

CKJF Board

Ray Archer

Judy Baumann
Elissa Brown
David Feinberg
Stanley Isenstein
Odette Kaplan
Doug Katz
Mimi Kaufman
Jennifer Miller

Lowell Nigoff
Linda Noffsinger
Angie Ornstein
Rickie Rosenberg
Walter Solomon
Lisa Satin

David Wekstein
Carole Wilson

2’11

The
Feb:
Wor
Lex:
will
Filn

”Th
Ma}
mis:
disc
issu
orie
com

The
show
librz
They

”Th<
behi
Sesa
poli
Soul
culti

Th e

a...“

abon

(859
is at

Film Festival in
the works

First showing to be Sesame Street
documentary

0 9 o
The 2007 One World Film Festival will open on Sunday,
February 11 with two showings of the documentary The
World According to Sesame Street in the theater in the
Lexington Public Library, 140 E. Main St. One showing
will be at 2:00 p.m., the other at 4:30 p.m. All One World
Film showings are free and open to the public.

“The film festival is now in its eighth year,” Annette
Mayer, chair of the film series explained, "and it has as its
mission the selection of films that hopefully will stimulate
discussion, explore ideas, and increase understanding of
issues of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, and sexual
orientation. We strive to bring various sectors of our
community together to learn about each other through
film.”

The film festival usually consists of eight or nine films
shown during February and March at the theater in the
library, at the Kentucky Theatre, or at the Worsham
Theater on the UK. campus.

”The opening film in the 2007 series,” Mayer said, ”is a
behind-the-scenes documentary which chronicles the
Sesame Street productions’ effort to film episodes in three
politically scarred countries, Bangladesh, Kosovo, and
South Africa, while honoring each nation’s distinct
cultural traditions.”

The February issue of Shalom will have a complete listing

WorldFilms. If anyone has any questions
about the series, feel free to contact Annette Mayer at ‘ ’
(859) 266-6073. The Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
is among the festival’s supporters. 0

from 9:00 a.m.to 1:00 13.. . .

' :‘There will bejuice and great
' bagels for donors. _’ i

Winter Dinner (from page 1)

Bring the kids! There will be a separate kids’ room
complete with mature babysitters, crafts, games,
activities, and maybe even a good movie. The children
will have their own separate menu of cheese pizza and
ice cream sundaes. This is free for those under 6, and only
$5.00 for ages 6 to 12. Relax and visit with your friends
while knowing that your kids are well taken care of and
having fun too.

We look forward to celebrating another holiday together,
so please reserve your spot now and enjoy good friends
and good food while taking a break from the stress of the
holiday season. And don’t forget to bring your Hanukkiah. 0

‘n

00w 1344M qt}, Name
8 Email

M mg. 2006 Dan of (viii/lug. Sign—UP

December 22nd, 2000

Yes, I am willing to volunteer my time. ( Please X a shill-.3
Some volunteers will meet at the Giving 72))” outside the CKJF ofﬁce at the scheduled times
to caravan to their locations. All volunteers will receive a confirmation letter in the mail.

A. Catholic Action Center
1. Serving meals at 11:00 a.m.
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 2. Working Christmas store 11:30 am.
3. God’s Garments - organizing and folding clothes at 10:00 am.
4. God’s Quarters - assisting with laundry from 10:00 am. to 2:00 p.m.

8:30 am.

B. Meals on Wheels ~ delivering meals (2 locations) on
1. Friday, Dec. 22 at _ 10:45 a.m. _ 11:00 em.
2. Monday, Dec. 25 at _ 10:45 a.m. _ 11:00 a.m.

Lexington Humane Society - helping animals at 11:00 am.

Florence Crittenden Home — serving dinner to residents on Dec. 12 at 6:00 p.m.
Mayfair Village Retirement Home — share Hanukkah with Rabbi Cohen at 11:00 am.
Shriner’s Hospital - Assisting with program for patients at 10:00 am.

Ronald McDonald House - cleaning from 11:00 am. to 1:00 p.m.

10.111100

MASH unit (group home for youth in crisis). Bringing dinner on Dec. 14 at 6:00 p.m.

ﬂows-«shin 10.5%“ would like tomb: ,
following items: * Items will be collected at OZS, TAI, and CKJF during

the entire month of December.

"‘L»
In"
n,»
In

A. Baked goods for the Ronald McDonald House
B. New/Gently used toys for the Catholic Action Center and Ronald McDonald House

C. Pet supplies for the Lexington Humane Society (dry pet food, collars, bowls, leashes,
chew toys, cat play toys, old towels, blankets, crates/cages, cat litter, sheets,
and pillowcases)

D. Baby supplies for the Florence Crittenden Home

_rn

Toileteries, warm clothes, coats for Catholic Action Center.

Please complete this form and return it
to Jana LaZur at the CKJF ofﬁce:

email: tikkun@jcwishlexingionorg
phone: (859)268-0672
fax: (859) 268-0775

Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
1050 Chinoe Road Suite 203
Lexington. Kentucky 40502

Online registration for this event will begin on November I, 2006.
Go to wmvjewishlexingtonorg and click on the corresponding link.

'~. ‘ ”‘5“ Fed9f&f .
”0i t» f»
v 0 L.__.t

r un Lexington

«a.
@175” at Keﬂi°g

Tilda/n Lexington lg a program of “the Central KenivekJ/l Jewiéh Federation

‘
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
.I

December 2006/January 2007 Shalom‘ 3 3 '

President's
Message

Marty Barr

As we near the end of the year, I want to express
my appreciation for the great job done by Linda
Ravvin, Ricki Rosenberg, and Lowell Nigoff on the
2006 charitable campaign. They were innovative in
their approach and introduced new programs to the
campaign. The leadership that they showed during the campaign resulted in
an average increase of more than ten percent from people who had previously
given. Unfortunately, because of the movement of some people out of
Lexington and the loss of a one—time gift, the total campaign revenues are

roughly equal to those of 2005. Lowell, Ricki, and Linda are already looking at}

2007 and developing new and exciting programs to help our campaign reach
new highs in the next year.

On another topic, it appears that everyone one knows what Leisure Club and
Camp Shalom are, but many do not seem to realize that they are programs
sponsored by the Federation. In the same way, I am sure that many people

do not realize that we provide scholarships to children who require financial
assistance in order to attend either Camp Shalom or a Jewish oVernight camp.
In February, therefore, Shalom will begin a series of articles designed to present
an overall View of the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation and its contribution
to Jewish life in Lexington.

I hope to see many of you at the Winter Dimer or the Day of Giving, or both. OI

Proceeds to beneﬁt local, overseas, and Israeli needs

Grand Prize: $10,000

Second Prize: One week at a condo in

' Gatlinburg, Tennessee between
January and June 2007

\‘3’ (i) 0/; Only 450 tickets at $100 each.
Q
C‘ m A
{9!}? C} Dm . n
r w wmg.
:3} Kg“ Sunday, December 17, 2006
CKJF Community Winter Dinner

Sheraton Suites, French Quarter

You do not have to be present to claim your prize.

Tickets may be purchased:

- online at wwx-V._jewisblexingtonorg

- from any CKJF Board Member

- by calling the CKJF ollic ‘. at 859.268.0672

- by emailing to ckii@icwisblexingtonbi‘g

Kentucky Charitable Gaming License No. ORG0001899

4 0 December 2006/.Ianuary 2007' Shalom

‘o

Compiled By Elissa Brown

Letter of the month

CHET

This month is being sponsored by the letter CHET.
Chet is the eighth letter in the Hebrew alphabet.
Chet is the first letter in chayim, which means life.
Chet is also the first letter in the word Hanukkah
(sometimes spelled Chanukah in English). Another
word that begins with chet is chug, which means
holiday.

Here’s one way that you can make a chet with your body: stand straight with
feet together and arms by your sides. Take a deep breath. Exhale and walk or
jump your feet four feet apart and raise your arms parallel to the floor with
your palms facing downward. Turn your left foot 90 degrees and take a deep
breath. Bend your left knee and reach your left hand down to the ﬂoor. Place
all your weight on your left leg, exhale, and straighten your left leg while

lifting your straight right leg off the ﬂoor. Inhale and place warm...“
your right leg. Smile and take three to five deep breaths. (This excerpt was

taken from Aleplz-Bef Yoga.)

Recipe
Applesauce
Here’s a yummy recipe that will help

Did you know...
in southern Russia, Jews bake cakes
with gelt inside them during

Hanukkah! you get in the holiday mood. This
will pair well with latkes or stand
Crafts alone as a delicious after school

snack. It's also a great recipe to do

Window Paintings .
together as a family!

Here's a wonderful way to brighten
up your windows just in time for the

holidays! What you need:

0 4 apples (peeled, cored, & chopped)
0 3/4 cup of water

0 1/4 cup of white sugar

0 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

0 a medium size saucepan

0 a fork or potato masher

What you need:
0 3 dimensional fabric paint

(use as many colors as you want)
0 1 piece of paper
0 1 pencil
0 1 large Ziploc bag /
Directions
Begin by combining apples, water,
sugar, and cinnamon in the
saucepan. Cover and cook over
medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes,
or until the apples are soft. Allow to
cool, then mash with a fork or potato
masher and enjoy! (This recipe was
taken from allrecipescom.)

Directions

This is a simple craft that allows you
to be as creative as you want. Begin
by drawing your own design onto
the piece of paper. Next, cover the
piece of paper with the Ziploc bag.
Then simply use your fabric paint
and trace your design onto the
Ziploc bag. Allow the paint to dry
completely and then place the dry
image in the refrigerator for two
hours. Finally, peel the image off of
the bag, stick it to a window, and
enjoy!

Ifyou know ofn good mcnsr‘lz out there,
please contact Elissa Brown at
C] lSlL’xk1/(a«)l/allt)().C01}!. 73X

ebratmg

”a. . 55

v ﬁrms @Mces Gland
Decemé’ve? 1 wmﬂecméer 16, .2006
_ > 344 anananad ,
3199 Beaumcnt Center Circle
Lexington, KY

h . ,' ‘ = V . ' I , ’ 'I. . .I ' é, ' I . ywxxx'xrd '1

nxwax‘ ”HUN“

to
J to

11/

December 2006/January 2007 Shalom 0 5

From the Executive Director

Daniel Chejfec

No pressure
4 + +

One of the things I enjoy is dwelling
on the treasures of Jewish literature.
An opportunity came recently when
we explored a chapter of The Dibbak,
by Shlomo Ansky in our Yiddish
Club meeting.

In the portion we read, one of the
characters — Rabbi Azriel — explains
to his students that there is
sacredness in everything, but some
things are more sacred than others of
their own kind. For example, among

all the lands, the holiest is Eretz Israel.

In Eretz Israel, the holiest city is
Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, the holiest
area is the Temple Mount. On the
Temple Mount, the holiest site is
where the Holy of Holies used to be.
In the same vein, he explained why
the holiest time is Yom Kippur, the
holiest person was the high priest at
the Temple, and the holiest word is
the sacred name of God.

He went on to explain that before the
Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed,
there was an occasion in the year

when all four “holiest” came together. It was during the
Yom Kippur service at the Temple, when the high priest was Flavius’ Jewish Wars.

expected to go into the Holy of Holies and pronounce the

sacred name of God. It is said that if at that moment the
priest had any stray thoughts or was in a sinful mood, the

as reﬂected in Josephus

We confront today, as American
citizens, a reality in which false

world would be destroyed. If the priest came out of the Holy accusations are thrown as a

of Holies alive and the world still stood, the people would

rejoice with dancing and

singing to celebrate the
renewal of the cycle.

Rabbi Azriel went on to
explain that each one of
us is like the high priest,
all of God’s creation is the
Holy of Holies, every day
is Yom Kippur, and every
word spoken is like the

Jewish history teaches us that
y . every time'the. Jews Wereldefeated,
, it was because they Were more
intent: air-attacking each other than
on trying to find common ground to
presenta united front.

matter of course during electoral campaigns, staining not

only the target of those accusations
but the thrower as well. It would pay
to apply Rabbi Azriel’s admonition
and remember that every word we
utter has the potential to destroy the
average American’s confidence in the
political system—or to renew it.

We also confront today, as American
Jews, a reality in which Jewish
identity is becoming increasingly

name of God. We should then be aware that every word we marginal for the majority of American Jews. Non-

utter has the potential to destroy the world—or to renew it.

I am bringing this story up because we have just finished
another electoral cycle, and every day people of all parties
have been uttering words to left, right, up, and down in
order to get elected. Yet those many of those words were not
exactly in tune with renewing the democratic covenant of

our nation.

conversionary interfaith marriages in which the children

are raised as non—Jews continue to be a concern. Jewish

affiliation is at an all-time low and dipping. Internal
squabbling among the branches of Judaism and among
Jewish organizations appears to become more and more
the norm rather than the exception. Again, it would pay to
remember Rabbi Azriel’s admonition that every word we

utter has the potential to destroy our community—or to

renew it.

Jewish history teaches us that every time the Jews were
defeated, it was because they were more intent on attacking If we can hear Rabbi Azriel, maybe we will be able to

each other than on trying to find common ground to present rejoice in singing and dancing at the end of the daygg
a united front. Jerusalem fell to the Romans for that reason, ‘

'olarships are specifically
H ’ ' rams-g.

Want to give your kids a great
Jewish experience next year but
worried about the cost?

Contact Abby Miller
# for more information.
859.268.0672 or x?!
jfs@jewishlexingtonorg

. 5“ Feer .
\‘ﬁ (360

".94.,

C‘
9/” r a! Ke“‘°('

6 0 December 2006/Januarv 2007 Shalom

TAI Sisterhood announces
programs for December

and January

Hanukkah party and skin care programs
to highlight winter meetings

#00

Temple Adath Israel Sisterhood’s
December meeting will be a festive
Hanukkah lunch (including latkes)
and party on Wednesday, December
20 at noon. David Shraberg will
entertain on the keyboard and Rabbi
Kline will offer a special Hanukkah
program. All members and
prospective members of Sisterhood
are invited, and are encouraged to
bring spouses / roommates/
significant others. Mark your
calendar and plan to attend this
joyous party, Babysitting will be
provided if there is a demand; we
need to know no later than
December 15 if you will need child
care. The cost for this luncheon will
be $9.00 per person.

Dr. Laurie Massa of Belle Age
Medispa in Dermatology Associates

will be the featured speaker at the
January 17 meeting. Dr. Massa will
speak on non-invasive cosmetic
procedures and new methods of skin
care to rejuvenate and maintain
healthy, more youthful-looking skin.
As an added bonus, one lucky attendee
will receive a microdermabrasion as
a door prize. Again, this meeting is
January 17 at 7:00 pm. Dinner will
be served and will cost $12.00 per
person.

Please call the Temple at,

(859) 269—2979, to reserve your place
for either or both of these meetings.
Since we’re dealing with meals here,
we really need to know how many
of you are coming, so please don’t
forget to make reservations. ﬁ

In tl
eve:
witl
alw
bec;
thai
pres
bus
sorr

Reti
Wes
mys
a fli
clac'
visi'
She
wor
Aftt
up a
out
wit]

aPP
I di<

poe
C V1
real
min
that
the
alle‘
chei
fror
two

the

Des
get
Wh(
ofte
the
th01

terr
The

pas:
wit]
to f.

Third Opinion

Stanley Ned Rosenbaum, PhD

The Not-So-Friendly
Skies

§§+

In the past 50 years I've ﬂown in
everything from a military helicopter
with its doors open to jumbo jets. I'm
always a little nervous in the sky
because I don't believe in heavier-
than-air ﬂight, but what the heck, the
present climate makes even riding
buses in London or trains in Spain
somewhat fraught.

Returning from a bat mitzvah in
Westchester County last May, I found
myself waiting at Newark airport for
a ﬂight to Cleveland when a black-
clad Muslim woman, only her eyes
visible, walked into the waiting area.
She sat down between two other
women. No one paid any attention.
After a few minutes, though, she got
up and sat behind the ticket counter,
out of sight of the agents,
with two other men, also
apparently Muslim.

I didn't need Delmore
Schwartz, the Jewish
poet, to remind me that
”even paranoids have
real enemies,” and my
mind began to race. (Note
that this was well before
the London arrests of Muslims
alleged to be planning to concoct
chemical explosives on aircraft ﬂying
from England to the US.) Were the
two men plotting something? Was
the woman even really a woman?

Despite my questions, I resolved to
get on the plane, and did. After all,
whole Jewish communities have too
often been blamed and punished for
the actions of individuals. And, I
thought, there are about a billion
Muslims; the percent who are
terrorists must be very small, yes?
The three boarded behind
me....When we landed, my fellow
passengers got off ahead of me
without my seeing them. I had lived
to ﬂy again.

What the terrorists are doing is not
just criminal in the ordinary sense,
but something much worse. One has
to go to the Hebrew Bible to find the
right term for it, po'nlui 'aven. This is
translated ”workers of iniquity” or
”evildoers,” but both terms are
1131th1r opaque. Mv dissertation

..1 .1... 1;,

11s 1ir<11“:1 111111111 ? .111

111111 l11-
1‘1i111s1 1-;1‘1‘1111'1=-;in\'i9.1-

«.1z..;...1,. .
1 1‘1‘1Lll\1«2u‘.1 1‘11'11: « -.\.11‘1=a' ' 111.

the beginning of Creation. In other
words, they are agents of Chaos.

Unlike other ancient Near Eastern
cultures, Judaism did not conclude
that God's creative acts had
destroyed or recycled Chaos, just
banished it to the outer reaches of
space, like those three Villains in one
of those Superman movies. (See Jon
Levenson’s Creation and the
Persistence of Evil.) The random
violence of terrorists invites Chaos to
return, a theme found in all of H. P.
Lovecraft’s stories.

The perpetrators of these calamitous
acts don't care that their actions will
result in their own destruction; they
don't realize that anarchy means the

calamitous acts don’t care that their:
actions wilt result m their own
destruction; they don't realize that
anarchy means the end of their

end of their society, too. Yes, we Jews
have the story of Samson killing
more enemies with his death than he
had in his whole life, but his action is
never held up as a model for foreign
or domestic policy.

Now we have the president of Iran
talking like a suicide car-bomber.

In Genesis, God promises not to
destroy the world again. He does not
say that he will keep us from
destroying ourselves. It does comfort
me somewhat that people have been
predicting the end of the world for at
least the last 2,000 years and it hasn't
happened yet. But even a stopped
clock is right twice a day.

At the bat mitzvah we prayed the
prayer for ALL the leaders of the
world. When you come to think of it,
that’s a no-brainer. Happy landings.

Stan/111 \1’1i l\11<1'1 '1 1111, PhD
'1157;.

;‘1'1;1 1 s .111 ":1‘1 1711.1,t1755111' 111‘
1.111 1 _‘ 11111: -’

'.'~ v" . ' '3-~.'.‘1C1)ll1'~»\1

For all the celebrations in life!

Dupree Catering

1006 Delaware Avenue
859.231.0464 fax 859.253.1727

www.dupreecatering.com

. Newman Oiompege .1).

4.4%34‘1m, , _ _

..........

° Where should I drop off donations?
Donations will be collected during the entire month of December at the
Temple, the Synagogue, and CKJF.

° Who does the Day of Giving benefit?

Recipients include Catholic Action Center, Meals on Wheels, Lexington
Humane Society, Florence Crittenden Home, Mayfair Village Retirement
Home, Shriner’s Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, and MASH unit.

° How has the Day of Giving grown?

In its first year, Day of Giving only had two recipients, Meals on Wheels and
St. Joseph Hospital gift shops. Since then, the number of recipients has grown
to nine locations. The number of participants has grown as well, from a
handful at the beginning to around 100 volunteers now.

The Day of Giving is fun and an easy way to give back to the community!

Be sure to check out the ad on page 3 of this issue of Shalom for times,
locations and signup. 1c:

UK Donovan Scholars Program

THURSDAY, December 7 (reception)
SPEAKER: Mr. Bob Orbach

T:OPIC Pearl Harbor Remembered

Ask a Rabbi

Rabbi H. D. Uriel Smith

Question: Why is kabbalah the ”new thing”? Are these
people really studying true kabbalah?

Let us compare the article ”Cabala" in the Universal Jewish
Encyclopedia of 1940 with the article ”Kabbalah” in the
Encyclopedia Judaica of 1971. In the former article the
author declares that the Cabala’s ”evil inﬂuence is too
potent to be lightly overlooked.” In the latter, Gershom
Scholem gives a very dense, loving description of
Kabbalah. These two articles show a major change of
heart in the community’s View of Jewish mysticism, from
antagonism to support. The question is, why the change?
Why has kabbalah become the ”new thing”?

The larger community is often a generation behind the
most sophisticated members of society, who express
themselves in the avant-garde arts, science, and
philosophy. When the ordinary people study the latest
ideas, they generally study just summaries, searching out
whether the avant-garde are giving true new perspectives
or just crazy sets of ideas. In the case of mysticism, we
now have a major avant-garde clash between such scholars
as Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Michael Harris,
who declare religion—and, all the more so, mysticism—to
be superstitious, part of the "confusions of our time,” and
pro-religion scholars such as Ian Barbour and Philip
Clayton, arguing on general religious and scientific
principles, David Bohm and Fritjof Capra, arguing from
Buddhist or Taoist perspectives, Wolfhart Pannenberg and
Langdon Gilkey, arguing from Christian perspectives, and
Abraham Heschel and Eugene Borowitz, arguing from
Jewish perspectives; All the latter indicate the validity of
religion in general and mysticism in particular. (I will not
touch ”scientific creationism” and ”intelligent design,”
which are parodies of science and in effect make a
mockery of religion.)

None of these scholars, nor any others I have seen, have
been able to explain why for centuries