xt76q52fbr8s https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt76q52fbr8s/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2005-10 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, October 2005 text image Shalom, October 2005 2005 2005-10 2025 true xt76q52fbr8s section xt76q52fbr8s SH AL

NEWSPAPER OF THE CENTRAL KENTUCKY JEWISH FEDERATION

OCTOBER 2005

Memories
ofchﬂdhood
High Holidays
still sweet

Bu Ernie Cohen

l vividly recall growing up in the
Brownsville Section of Brooklyn, on
Amboy Street near Sutter Avenue.
Though my family was poor back in
the 1940s, we were well grounded
spiritually. Living in the big city of
New York, we could afford neither a
congregation’s membership dues nor
tickets for seats for High Holiday

si i". ii v's '.‘\ Hen l started the lli‘st

grade, 1 was enrolled in the local

as!

CKlP‘Executtoe bimetor, Daniel Chqfec, becomesa US. citizen. 7 M
5“, Memories, page 14 Mazel too, Danny! (See his article on page 6)

category that meets a stringent set of
criteria. Our community is
recognized for our achievements on
the 2004 CKJF UlC Community
Campaign. The following is the
notification letter received from L’lL’:

— CAMPAIGN NEWS —

CKJF wins national
recognition

Sapir Award to be presented

.99

Corieriitiii’iilioiis‘ iiiiii l'iisher lx’oiich.’

(hi hehiiit‘ot‘the Siiiiir Areiirii Committee.
lam delighted to hitoriri you that your
comiiiiiiiiii/ has been chosen to receiz'e
the It’ll} Siipir rheiirii. litlt rlt‘t' one otn
select handful of Federationsfrom across
the mantra to he given the honor.

,‘d the November 2005 (lenerai Assembly oi the L'nited
lewish Communities, in Toronto, the work oi our local
\ olunteers will be recognized with the Sapir Award for
.iutstindin «Y ichievement, the most aresti rious‘ .. . . . .
i . . i“ L . . . i . z” . lhe Eiiiiir :tzeiirii is iiesieneii te holh
tundraisine award of the American lewrsn community. ‘

.- . ‘ . . . . . . iic.’u 5’
J miss:
-
-
-

Lexington couple has
roots deep in community

Hymsons part of local
life for many years

QQO

Cokie’s first job after high school was
in the shoe department of an uncle's
store in Brownsville, Tennessee.
Then, on December 7, 1941, the “date
that will live in infamy,” the surprise
attack by the Japanese on the US.
naval base at Pearl Harbor shocked
the world. Cokie, a true-blue red—
blooded American youngster, was
eager, like thousands of others, to
answer our country/s call. He so
informed his brother Maurice, who
being older and wiser, suggested he

By Jerome W Wurmscr

Sheldon and Renee Hymson are
probably thought of by most people
in our community as being native
Lexingtonians, but surprise, surprise,
’tain't so. “Cokie” was born in
Louisville in 1923, the second son
and fourth child of Aaron and Kate
Hymson. When Cokie was about 4
years old his dad , a

salesman-peddler based
in Louisville, would travel

When Renee was 17, her dad
brought her to Lexington with the
express purpose of introducing her
to man-about-town Cokie, figuring
this would be a good match. No
luck: as Renee put it, the

down river selling his

wa res to the rural farmers
and coal miners in
xvestern Kentucky. His
ammtion u as to have his

Weliolwy (j reg/tings
from Tait “I

This year as we make promises anew, 1 encourage you to renew
your commitment to Judaism by continuing to choose to
participate at your temple or synagogue or within the Jewish
community. Sometimes, we dont participate because our lives
are so full. But choosing a Jewish life happens in small ways as
well as large ones. Most ofus lead a Jewish life, without even
recognizing that the life we lead isa moral, ethical, and Jewish
one. When you participate in these activities, with purpose, you
will surely be enriched and our tradition will flourish.

On behalfofTemple Adath lsrael and the Board ofTrustees i
wish you a New Year filled with sweetness and peace.

t/Shana Tova,

on n department store

-ome dd“. and when he

“chemistry” just wasn’t there.

Starr Gantz, President

:inally accumulated the

necessary money, he made

the leap. He thought that Providence,
a prosperous farming and coal
mining town, would be an ideal spot
for this venture. There were four
other le\\ ish tamilies in the to\\ n
‘firee oi them [elated v eku- attended
school tin lk, gzauuatiiig Hunt the

19931 high school in 1941.

By the time Cokie finished high
school, older brother Maurice was
already well established in
Lexington, married to Evelyn Baker
(Harold Baker’s sister), and busy
managing his three-year-old Tots and
Teens department store in downtown
Lexington, which was growing
rapidly.

t . .
, Temple Adath lsrae
come to Lexington and enlist from
here.

.\tter his arrival in Lexington and
more discussion about his

‘_ .xliinteermg tor the armed serv ites.

ii \\. Ji‘i riﬂed that the ~.-\ isest route

to take would be to enroll at the
Uruversity‘ofKaMy-«nd'jm > ,, '
their V-12 Naval Reserve Officer’s
training program. Upon successful
completion of this course, he would
receive a commission as an ensign in

the US. Navy.

beiie\ e it or not, was in b’erea,

navy and stationed so far inland, but
this ended in August 1944, when he
was finally transferred to sea duty on
an ARV, a Navy Repair ship
converted from an LST, sailing out of

After about eighteen months at the Norfolk, Virginia.

university studying in the V—12
program, he was finally called to
active duty in July 1943. His first
duty station as a brand new ensign,

Before this assignment, he had spent
six weeks at Harvard becoming
familiar with the double duties and
intricacies of being both a paymaster
and supply officer. His first voyage,

“ "HUN .ii ilitlllh

crossing the Pacific Ocean in this
painfully slow-moving craft, was a
six—week journey. Upon their arrival,
they were assigned to deliver
repatriated Korean and Chinese
POW’s from Japan back to their
homelands. This converted ship was
no luxury liner, and for the men
serving aboard her, this was rough
and tough sea duty.

Lokie, along with thousands of other
U. S. servicemen, was mustered out
of the navy in late lit-ii He returned
to Lexington and u ent to work for
his brother Maurice. ln 1046, he set
up a shoe department in Tots and
teens. The young bi‘a‘helor and man—
about—zon n talked some ot his
buddies into ﬁoining mm in renting a

bachelor pad in an ante helium

. ﬂetook atetsfsood ~ .. ,
nature kidding about’being intﬁe ~

mansion located at the present site of

the place in the
winter, plus other expenses, made
sharing this then enormous outlay of
money a necessity.

In the late forties, Renee’s parents,
Hillard Aberson and Adele
Wenneker Aberson, moved to
Lexington from St. Louis, joining his
brother-in-law in the retail shoe
business. Renee, still in high school,
remained in St. Louis. The original
Wenneker’s store in downtown
Lexington sold only ladies’ shoes,
but expanded into a men's shoe
store, with Renee’s father managing,
next door to the ladies’ shop.

When Renee was 17, her dad brought
her to Lexington with the express
purpose of introducing her to man-
about-town Cokie, figuring this
would be a good match. No luck: as
Renee put it, the “chemistry” just
wasn't there. Renee returned to St.
Louis, and soon met a young man
with the right “chemistry" and was
swept off her feet. The marriage
lasted about five years, ending in
divorce. Renee, along tvitli her In o

see Deep roots, page 19

October 2005 Shalom - 3

. aw.“

President's Message

Marty Barr

Hope in time of disaster
4 o q

like everyone else in Lexington, in the nation, and
around the world, l sat in from oi the tele\ ision during
early September im-smeri/ed b\ the stene ot distruction
unfolding in liont ol me, Barbara and t then did what

most ot us hax e done: contacted a charitable organi/ation

and wrote a checls. We also made know n our llllli;1llt‘\s
to house a displaced tamilv tor a period ot time.

the housing of people
without shelter or belongings ‘
e ,
is being, coordinated by the
United Jewish Loinnninities,
and Lexington has been put
down for six to ten families.

the disaster and the early
timeframe, there is no
assurance that we will, in fact,
be called upon.)

Beyond this, however, there will
exist the need to help in the
permanent relocation of families
(Because of our distance from Who have deCided that the current
uncertainty and future risk
exceeds their capacity to cope and
that they should seek a new life. ,

Beyond this, however, there will e\ist the need to help in
the permanent relocation oli t'amilies who ha“ e decided
that the current untertaintjx and future risls e\ceeds their
tapar‘i‘o to cope and that the} should sell a new lite. it
has been suggested to me b} a group or out nien'll’iers that

vw should resurrect the resettlement program that v. e

used so \tlcu"~\lltli\ tor Ru» ian immigrants, and that \\ e l t tilt?“ {tin-rte: llanny Cill‘llt‘s
Lise this to aid Pet‘t‘lt‘ in loner «etioei onomiv l‘a‘n‘vhtc «I «'i‘i/en Ht the L'nited Stan‘s:
cita‘uinstanuw in their quest tor a nee. lite an av trom ll‘tt‘t‘t \\ L‘t't' '»'t5§l7lf\ itt‘t‘t‘lt‘ ranging l”
New Orleans or the (lull L oast. age trorn small chiletren to seniors
representing ioui‘tecn countries lrom

l endorse this concept without reservation and will be around the World. to see the laces 01
polling ntetnbers ot' the Executive people as they ldl\L‘ the oath and are

declared citi/ens is something that

Committee on the topic. W‘ will
then proceed with planning in
September, present the COUCept to opportunity. it reminds us that

the Board at the September despite the feelings we may have
meeting, and—assuming no valid about our government and its
proceed to actions, people from around the
world View us as a place of hope and
security for themselves and their

everyone should do, it they have the

objection is presented
implementation when asked.

On a far happier note, on families. Kid

September 9, l was able to attend
the ceremony at which our

For (1 day that 1'; wort/,7 [lie lié’SZ‘...

w : Bar and Bat Mitzvalis
,

Shalom Deadline
for
December/January

Please note that December/January
is a double issue of Shalom; there
is no separate January issue. This
means if you want to promote
something that will take place in
January, the deadline for that
material is November 10.

Please be thinking ahead so that
you aren’t disappointed.

Hadassah is proud to be nominated tor the

2005 NObEL FEACE. l’KlZl:
For
3% ©ullAlng bridges To FEACf

Throu§1 fladassah, we continue to malcc the would a better place...

Doctors working side by side, regardless oi race, religion or nationality to heal all in need
Hadassah treats more than 700,000 patients annually from all over the. Middle, fgast.
ldadassah Hospital is at the loreicront ol: medical research and treatment to improve wur‘lcl health
lladassah Mcdical Organization tasters- pcacc through action

’3 Hadassah l’lospital cared For more than 1,500 tcn'orvichms.

’3‘ Hadassal‘i constructed a new (:cntcr (or E‘nicrgcncg Medicine, which trcats more: than
tO0.000 patients.

’3‘ Hadassah sent child psychiatrists and a group 0‘ Israeli mental health prolcssionals to
éouthcast Asia to provide local professionals With their extensive experience in .«K‘lCll’CSfitHg
the. mental egccts 0F tragedy on children.

‘:’ For the ﬁrst time: in the would, researchers at l'ladassah succeeded in showmg that

mnbi‘gonic stem cells can improve the Functioning of .3 laboratory rat with Fadunson’s

disease.

c' A Hadassah research tcam has dcvcloPcd a vaccine that signiﬁcantly strengthéns the
body’s immune system to Fight the auto mmunc sequoia: 0F HlV infection.

Do you ever think about how you can change the world?

You can malcc a dilipcrcncc!

Join us! Support: our worlc in makings lasting legacy that will change the world!
Local Contact lnFormation Email and Phone

to acy

m.mmmw.mwmm.

4 0 October 2005 Shalom

Rec

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Cam

For all the celebrations in life!

Dupree Catering

1006 Delaware Avenue
859.231.0464 fax 859.253.1727

www.clupreecateringcom

Recognition (from page 1)

achievement in the Annual Campaign. As you might remember, criterinfor the Sapir
xiioini inclinie Conipni‘eii le‘UZt’i/t, donor acquisition and retention, campaign
innovations, inn/or («gifts upgrades rind l’ACE/LOJE achievements. Your community
has aminni/islicit ontstoiniiirci work in several oft/zesc categories and UIC is pleased to

i'cci’flnin‘ noni‘ trynn'intons ar’iicz'enients.

mnni' ‘iit'ttl'tJ ii'inin'i's a‘n’l lie recoeninui III a video at a plenary session oft/1e (icni'ni/
\sseiniiii,’ In iiiiiiilion, nor/r connnnniti/ It‘ii.’ he invited to accept tin' lit trial Snpii'
stiixirii .tiiiiire {or (i \ \lan' Horisl; will he in touch It'liil you shortly to coordinate
iii'iittis.

xlgiiin, ('(ili’fql'tliliiiiilt‘lh 9:. ii ii‘ii‘iﬁ l' s iiisii'i‘enis/ierl ini‘ni'ii, ioni' commitment to
tlns sacred (cork helps to linilii L'ii anti am}; Jewish communities around the

Ivor/it.

Sincerely,

Joel i’i/Jlt'l'itlil, Chairman
3003 Siipir Anioni Connnittcc

One of the ways in which CKJF serves the community is by running the
CKJIU L'JL‘ annual community campaign, which provides the funds for all the
other activities we organize locally, and for our overseas and national
commitments to help other Jewish communities as well as non-Jen ish people
in need. \\e \\ ork hard, professionals and volunteers alike, to meet the needs
of our community. Yet it is not very often that a community like Central
Kentucky really gets noticed.

Local delegates to the t-eneral Assembly, Marty Barr and Daniel Chejfec, will
accept the award on behalt of the community. \r’la/el ’l‘ov to all the campaign
workers and donors to the 2004 CKJH UJC Community Campaign for this
first—ever national recognition of our local efforts. Let’s make the 2005
Campaign another landmark achievement! Qt

W42 11W); Q reel 1:11:45,

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toe our: coast. she «genei‘ositv or Americans as again

A ' .l .
-. tested. and we have risen to the occasion.

in Lexington we must continue to work together to
generously support our Jewish institutions and
organizations. it is our responsibility to build a stronger,
richer Jewish life for us, our families, and future
generations.

It is my great pleasure to bring you greetings from the
Lexington Havurah and all its members for a happy and
healthy new year. Let us continue to pray for the peace of
Jerusalem and for all who dwell on earth.

Gail Cohen

li.\ g
L i'wd x-““

The Lexington Havu rah

Tamara Ohayon joins CKJF
as office administrator

lamara lena Uhayon moved to
Le\ine,ton from I os .\ngeles,
California three years ago. She has
recently completed her Bachelor of
Arts degree in studio art at the
University of Kentucky.

Tamara teaches various classes at the
Temple Adath Israel religious school.
She is also a working artist, focusin‘cv
on three media: ceramics, fiber, and
digital art. From a young age,
Tamara was actively involved in
Jewish Residence camping and other
Jewish organizations in Los Angeles
and has been involved in the

William U/nn/on

activities of the Lexington
community since she moved here in
2002. 20‘

October 2005 Shalom 0 5

5:31

To be or not to be (a citizen)
+ o o

On September 9, in Coyington, I took the oath as a citi/en
of the United States of America after fifteen y ears of ’
living in this country. Some ot you might be surprised I
had not become a citizen yet. In fact, I find many parallels
between becoming a Lb citizen and converting to
Judaism. In both cases, one is required to in\ est time and
effort to prove oneself worthy of becoming part of the
group, Of course, there are not the filing fees or terms noi
the need for attorney s when you convert to Judaism as
there are when you go through the iini‘nigration piocess.
but the e\pectation that the person entering into the
covenant (as a citizen or as a Jew l is fully aw are ot the
commitment it entails is identical,

Since I have been living in this country for fifteen yea rs,
the past ten as a permanent resident, why bother
becoming a citizen? The answer is simple: it is the right
thing to do. Since I pay taxes and worry about American
society—and get upset about American politics and
blame American politicians—it is time to grow up and
accept the responsibility of being part of the decision
process, and not just an outside complainer; very much

Waiting to become an American.

From the Executive Director

Daniel Chejfec

keep moving their wings in your
stomach. There is no rational
explanation for it—mit just is.

During the ceremony, I felt like this
was happening to somebody else,
and I kept listening to one after
another of the prospective citi/ens
proclaim, "I am so and so, from this
or that place, and now In e in this or
that place,” and theie w as this
leeling et estrangement. then it w as
my turn, and tound myself standing
and proclaiming, "I am i)aniel
t, heilec, trom .\,rgentina, and now I
live in Le\ington, Kentucky” «after
that, my perception changed. I finally
reali/ed that was the last step on a
long odyssey that started in March of

On a lighthearted note, since
you cannot use a flash in a
liederal courtroom during the
ceremony, I stood in line to

ha\ e my picture taken with the
judges who presided o\ er the ceremony. As I got to the
front of the line, both of the young judges told me, “\ou
look like a friend of ours who is a lawyer, although you
are slender ” 'I hose of you w ho know how hard I have
been working on my weight loss (70 pounds and
counting) don’t need an t.“\].‘lttllililtttt to understand that I
felt like a million dollars: tor the tirs: time in my lite l was

the “slender” one.

On a more serious note, the act of taking the oath and
sharing the ceremony with immigrants trom all over the
globe, people of all colors and all kind of societies, lrom
places we are familiar with and from others we never
heaid of, makes one aware of the generous spirit ol
American society and the openness of

I finally realized that was the last step
on a long odyssey that started in
March of 1989 when I boarded the
plane in Buenos Aires not for a visit,
but for a life-changing journey.

the American spirit. All of this was
happening at a time when a whole
city was literally uprooted in
Louisiana by the devastation visited
upon it by Hurricane Katrina. As I
step into this new stage in my life, I
can only reflect on the many layers of
meaning of the oath of allegiance:

the same as becoming affiliated with a local Jewish
organization. I could kvetch and complain about how
tough it is to be a Jew and not assume any responsibility
for the continuity and viability of Judaism and Jewish life;
I choose instead to step in. I could continue to kvetch and
complain without assuming my responsibility as a citizen,
but I choose to step in. There is a downside in both
choices: once I accept the responsibility I become part of
the blamees rather than the blamers; but I do it gladly.

As for the ceremony itself, it is difficult to explain how I
felt. I did not realize how much of an issue it was in the
back of my mind until I went through with it. By all
rights, you would say that after filing all the paperwork
and taking the test a month before the ceremony, the issue
was a done deal, and you would be right; I would have
even agreed with you intellectually. Emotionally,
however, it felt like a graduation ceremony. You already
took the courses, you passed the exams and presented the
final pa pers. so you know you graduated, and yet when

ft on am: called to receive your diplon'za, the butterflies

6 - October 2005 Shalom

1989 when I boarded the plane in
Buenos Aires not for a visit, but for a
life-changing journey. And now that
particular journey is completed. I
want to thank Marty Barr in
particular for coming with me and
sharing the moment, as well as
taking the pictures.

”I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America, and to the Republic for which it
stands: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.”

And in these times of need for so many of our fellow
citizens, I pledge to do my best to help making this
promise a reality. a

lest we forget...Your Federation

Takes high school teachers to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
Organizes the Emilie Szekely Holocaust awareness essay contest
Coordinates community observance of Yarn Hashoah

_' TAKE PRIDE.
YOUARE THE FEDERATION. '

SUPPORT THE 2005 CKJFIUJC COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN

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xi‘

Third Opinion

Stanley Ned Rosenbaum, PhD

Who were, who are the

"Ten Lost Tribes"?
0 + ¢

Remember the rancher in the old Lee Marvin movie Cat
Ballou who insists on addressing his Indian farmhand,
“Shalom aleichem, Jackson Two Bears"? As they might
say in a Monty Python sketch, ”I’m sorry; it’s a trick
question. There were no ten lost tribes.” If you have Irish,
Mexican, or Native American friends who think they are
part of the TLT, please give them my regrets. Sure, Jews
are scattered all over the world. The Lemba in Africa
seem to have Jewish even priestly ancestry, the
”Falashas” (it’s a derogatory word) of Ethiopia seem
certainly to have Jewish forebears,

peoples he’d conquered in other parts of the Ancient Near
East. But—and for this we have two copies of the
Assyrian written record——he only exiled 27, 270 (or 27,
290) people. (The two accounts don’t exactly match, but
as we say in Ancient Near Eastern studies, ”Close enough
for government work")

Now, the population of the North at the time has been
estimated at something like 750,000. 50 the people taken
probably represented less than five percent of the
population. Who were these exiles? Those upper-class
types who might have been expected to lead revolts
against the Assyrian occupiers? In other words, 95
percent of the Northern population, the common folks,
never left home. We, descendants of the survivors of the
Southern

and now, most recently, we find the
Beni Menasche of India. We've been
refugees from Israel too many times
to keep track.

lfl have a tribe myself, it’s probably
also Manasseh, the largest of the
Northern Kingdom tribes. Here’s

The point is this: the Northern tribes
were never lost. For that matter,
there weren’t ten of them, either.

Kingdom, Judah,
later decided that
the remaining
Northerners no
longer qualified
as Jews. Reason?
They were too
mixed with other

what happened to them. In 724 b.c.e.

Shalmaneser of Assyria overran Israel and laid siege to
Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom, Israel. It
took three years for the city to fall. Two years later he
annexed Israel/Samaria to his kingdom, exiled some of
its people to Assyria, and replaced them with other

peoples the
Assyrians brought in to Northern Israel.

In Israel today, nearly three thousand years later, a
marriage between an Israeli and a Samaritan can’t be
accomplished without leaving the country Being leu ish,

it seems,
entitles
one to a
very long
historical
memory,
but that’s not my point.

The point is this: the Northern tribes
were never lost. For that matter, there
weren’t ten of them, either. Simeon, a
Southern tribe, was early absorbed
i