xt798s4jqf0q https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt798s4jqf0q/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2014-09 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, September 2014 text image Shalom, September 2014 2014 2014-09 2025 true xt798s4jqf0q section xt798s4jqf0q Shalomn

Camp Shalom 2014: A Great Success

B_\ Dani Rosenkrantz. Assistant Director at Camp Shalom

Friday August 8‘h brought the close of another Ruach-filled summer
at Camp Shalom. With 66 campers over the span of two weeks.
Camp Shalom once again provided the Jewish Lexington commu-
nity‘s young members with a summer filled with teva, arts and
crafts. sports. cooking. archery, computer building. and other fun
activities focused on the 2014 theme: Diversity within the Jewish
Community.

In addition to welcoming one of the largest ofarim groups in sev-
eral years (18 campers ages 4-6). camp this year included new ac-
tivities including Jewish Superheroes and Comics programming,
Tikkun Olam projects to help local organizations such as home—
made soap for Lexington Rescue Mission and granola bars for Ar-
bor Youth Services. Zumba dance classes. and extra pool excur-
sions for the eldest group. Gesher.

Camp programming also included a "trip around the world" to dif—
ferent Jewish communities around the globe. featuring programs
including a Jewish India station where campers learned about Jew-
ish Henna. a Jewish Africa station where campers learned songs
from the African Jewish community a Jewish Spain station where
campers saw pictures of Spains temples and learned Flamenco
and a Jewish Russia station where campers learned from a Russian.
Orthodox Israeli volunteer about (continued on page 2)

H210

HJW September
W 2014
I Volume XII

Issue 7
from

_ EluI/Tishre
~ ;» ' '5 5774/5775

Campaign News:
Stop the Sirens

Emergency Campaign

The Stop the Sirens Emergency
Campaign that was initiated to
help Israelis at risk during Opera—
tion Protective Edge has funded a
number of programs sponsored by
both the Reform and Conservative
movements in Israel. The pro—
grams of the Israel Movement for
Reform and Progressive Judaism
(IMPJ) include respite activities
for children and families from af—
fected areas. Hundreds of children
from the south were hosted by the
Leo Baeck School in Haifa. In
addition, the IMPJ is providing
activities and counseling for the
emotionally challenged and other
special needs populations. They
are providing packages for fami—
lies and day camps filled with
toys, activity modules. and sup-
plies. Members of the Reform and
Progressive congregations are
helping small business owners.
from Sderot and surrounding ar-
eas. survive the economic collapse
that has taken place as a result of
the current situation.

Programs ofthe Masorti
(Conservative) Movement are also
being funded by the campaign.
The Ramah Summer Camp had to
be relocated from the South to the
North. There were unforeseen
costs involved including transpor-
tation. equipment purchase.
(continued on page 2)

 

   

 

(Camp Shalom, continuedfmm page 1)

Russian Judaism and wrapping tefillin. Fan favorites like Yom Israel with the Tsofim, Israeli Scouts, and
Maccabiah also returned. The campers showed particular zeal for the inclusion of Disney songs from Frozen,
Brave, and Tangled in the Tsofim’s repertoire and demonstrated the usual passion for Maccabiah‘s tug of war.
Campers also enjoyed many water activities, including slip and slide, water play on the deck, water balloons,
and biweekly trips to local pools for extended day campers. Additionally, Camp Shalom was honored to re-
ceive a grant this year that allowed for a camp nurse and a bus to and from Lexington to help parents manage
the commute to the beautiful Camp Shawano site, an addition that was very popular with campers and parents
alike.

With the previous years’ director on maternity leave in preparation for a beautiful baby girl, the camp was
lead this year by former assistant director and UK doctoral student Dani Rosenkrantz, MS, with integral sup—
port from the Jewish Federation leadership and an exceptional team of Lexington‘s young adults and teens,
many of whom were former campers themselves. Camp Shalom was also privileged to have the support of
many community volunteers who lent a hand to help with daily story time, cooking projects, all camp pro-
grams, camp move in and move out organization, Shabbat challah baking, and services during weekly Family
Shabbat and Camp Show Fridays. All in all, campers, staff, and parents seemed to have a great experience this
summer, leaving everyone excited to return for Camp Shalom 2015!

 

 

 (Campaign News com 'd‘fi‘om page I)

infrastructure, and security costs. and program
costs. In addition. respite activities for children and
seniors were developed in bomb shelters. Emo—
tional and spiritual counseling was provided to peo-
ple suffering from stress and anxiety due to daily
rocket fire. terror attacks, and other emergencies.
Masorti rabbis traveled to areas in the periphery
that do not have Masorti congregations and are in
need of counseling.

Already millions of dollars raised by the campaign
have been spent on these and programs sponsored
by the Jewish Agency and JDC. The campaign is
ongoing and federations have been asked for addi-
tional dollars. Please consider a gift to this special
campaign. Bring or send a check to the Federation
that is made out the JFNA Stop the Sirens. Thank
you in advance for your generosity.

 

ASK JFS: Dealing with bullies

By Mimi Kaufman, JFS
Director

With the start of another
school year, it seems like
an appropriate time to ad-
dress the problem of bully-
ing. Bullying is a compli—
cated issue. Why does a
particular child get tar—
geted and how is it that a

1 ' ' ‘ relationship can shift from
friendly to hostile? Who knows? But, we do know
that a very high percentage of bullying incidents
receive no intervention and continue to happen.
Unfortunately there is no quick and easy strategy to
prevent bullying in the first place.

 

Despite its complexity, there are simple interven-
tions that can help the child that is being bullied.
Approach the problem from the inside out so to
speak. First address what the child is feeling inside
before moving to what can be done externally by
adults. Inside a child who has been bullied are in—
tense feelings in need of soothing. There could also
be internalized messages in need of reinterpreta-
tion. These feelings need to be expressed for both
emotional and practical reasons. Remaining calm.
supportive. and reassuring that they are not to

blame for the victimization, can go a long way to
help them feel comfortable enough to talk about
it. It is believed that the act of telling someone
and being believed decreases distress. The very
act of verbalizing and labeling and describing in-
tense emotions calms them and helps to build
emotional resilience. This can be a good fact-
finding time for parents to try and gain details of
the circumstances. This will enable parents to
come up with ideas how they can help. Involve
children in coming up with emotional coping
strategies of their own self—talk and self—soothing
strategies. The most effective strategies are the
ones that the child comes up with. Teach protec—
tive skills to children. Tell them they have the
confidence and power to walk away from any
situation. Making safe choices may include step—
ping out ofa line or changing a seat. Positive
peer relationship skills will help prevent and stop
bullying. Talk to children about adults who can
help. The best plan involves multiple options and
at minimum includes a way to stay away from the
bully, ask for help, and respond directly to the
bully. This can be uncomfortable, so role play
and practice the plan. If a child cannot do it with
their parent, he/she will be less likely to respond
at the moment. Also, as a side note contrary to
the inclination of parents, it is not advised to con—
tact the parents of the bully.

Despite all of the media attention that has been
given to the sometimes tragic consequences of
bullying, it appears that many adults remain in the
dark without truly understanding the negative im-
pact that bullying has on so many children. In—
creasing our own awareness and doing what we
can to encourage our educators to provide support
and training for our children‘s teachers to address
bullying is a necessary first step.

If you see bullying taking place or hear about it,
remember that your reactions provide a context
for how the children involved will respond to and
interpret the situation. Kids need to see adults
being powerful and respectful in responding to
problems. If parents or teachers get upset and
overreact, children are more likely to get upset
and might even avoid telling adults about future
problems. Staying calm. respectful, and persis—
tent will make you more effective in talking to
administrators. educators and youth group lead-
ers.

 

   
 
  

 

Presidents Message

By Michael J. Grossman, President

Recently, Steve Caller
' ~ gave a guest drash at
'i 33: Ohavay Zion Syna-
gogue about zealots.
Before his drash, when
" I thought of zealots l
invariably thought of
an ideology that leads
to gruesome acts of
terror: deadly hijack-
ings, beheadings and 9/1 1, for example. I didn‘t
think of zealots in a Jewish biblical sense, and I
certainly don‘t think of modern day equivalents in
a Jewish context. But, as my congregant friend
pointed out, Jewish zealots existed in biblical
times. These zealots were a group of political ad-
versaries to Roman rule who were determined to
protect their religion from the imposition of R0-
man rituals. They saw themselves as defenders of
the Jewish faith. While some of their tactics were
less than admirable, according to many scholars,
there is something we can learn from the "zeal" of
our Jewish ancestors.

Who are today‘s Jewish zealots? As Steve Caller
noted, today‘s Jewish “zealots" are those of us
who are full of zeal and passion for our Judaism,
who volunteer time and resources in support of our
Jewish community. Jewish zealots put their
money where their heart is. They sponsor robust
Jewish programming through the Federation and
the religious congregations. They use their talents
and inspiration to provide our children with the
foundation to experience Judaism throughout their
lives. Jewish zealots in the Bluegrass provide the
impetus for our Jewish community to fulfill their
aspirations as Jews by investing in, sponsoring,
and promoting programs that further Jewish en—
gagement, help people in need, and build a
stronger Jewish community for all. These are peo—
ple who truly defend the ideals ofJudaism. We are
blessed by having so many Jewish zealots in our
midst.

I recently listened to an interview with Roz C hast

on NPR. The renowned cartoonist was talking
about her new memoir “Can '1 we talk aboul
something more PLEASANT? " about the chal—
lenges of dealing with aging parents. Talking
about death and money is never easy, but after
listening to the interview my wife, Kathy, and I
decided it was time for us to update our wills and
estate planning documents. This gave me the
chance to think about creating my own Jewish
legacy in our community and, inspired by the
zealots among you, I decided to make a charitable
gift to the Federation as part of my personal estate
planning. This proved to be the PLEASANT part
of dealing with death and money, and I feel really
good about my decision to include the Federation
in my will. I don‘t know ifthat makes me a Jew-
ish zealot, but ifit does, I'd like to invite you all
to become Jewish zealots as well. Put your
money where your heart is. Create your own
Jewish legacy. If not now, when?

Thanks to Steve Caller for such a thought—
provoking drash.

Shana tovah u‘metukah—A good and sweet year
to y‘all.

 

  

Ask a Rabbi
By Rabbi Uri Smith

Q: In this local and intema-
tional contested cultural cli—
mate. what can we do here
in the Jewish Diaspora to
cool the fighting?

A: Rabbi Josh Weinberg of ARZA recommends
for the short—term radical empathy, “empathy to—
wards lsraelis living under fire, and empathy for
Gaza residents who have been killed and dis-
placed." 1 would add also empathy towards each
person who wants answers to the terrible situation
in the Middle East, not only in the Holy Land, but
also in Syria, lraq, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Afghani-
stan, and the neighboring countries. Since Russia
and China, on the one hand, and Western Europe
and the USA, on the other, have made themselves
stakeholders in this mess, we now have to add the

 

 

 situations in North Korea, Tibet, and Ukraine, to
the mix. We can no longer fragment the world into
separate independent fragments, each with its own
independent answers. That would be like calling
out. "Stop the world. I want to get off!"

Radical empathy is much like the wisdom re—
quested by King Solomon, lev shome‘a, “a listen-
ing heart," (1 Kings 3:9), paying full attention to
what all sides feel and need. It can be exhausting. I
cry inwardly as I stand for each Kaddish in a min-
yan, for I think then not only of martyred Jews, but
also of all those dying in pain in different parts of
the world. The only thing I know is that Jewish
tradition argues for a practical proportionate re-
sponsibility. We are more responsible for activities
where we have the power to make changes, and
are less responsible for areas where we lack
power. As the Serenity Prayer puts it:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I
cannot change.

The courage to change the things I can and should
change.

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Only I have to add to this prayer a Jewish twist of
repeatedly checking to see, first, if the situation
surrounding me has changed since the previous
Kaddish. so that I find new areas of responsibility
and cancelled responsibility, and, second, if 1 can
study the rules of how such circumstances change,
so that I can predict when and where new varia—
tions in responsibility will arise.

1 cannot recommend this full complex procedure
for everybody. However, I do recommend a long—
terrn requirement of preparing ourselves to re-
spond intelligently to whatever happens. Rabbi
Leo Baeck once pointed out that throughout most
of our history the Jewish community was not like
a circle with just one focus, Jerusalem, but rather
like an ellipse with two foci. We had the perma—
nent focus of “Jerusalem and the Land of Zion"
every day in our prayers, and at every meal as part
of the grace after meals. And, we had a varying
focus arising wherever a Diaspora community was
established as a center for that era. This changing
Diaspora focus started in Babylonia (ca. 600 BCE
— ca. 1040 CE). continued in Spain and France (ca.
750 — ca. 1390 CE), moved for a short while to

Egypt (ca. 1 100 - ca. 1600), and then to Poland
and Lithuania (flourishing ca. 1350 onwards).
This latest Eastern European center was annihi—
lated during the Shoah of World War II (1940—
45). But, by then the center in the USA was estab-
lished after the American Revolution, and became
a major player since the 18805.

If you want to know how important the Diaspora
centers were, just note the following. The Babylo-
nian Talmud (compiled and edited ca. 500 CE)
overmatched the Jerusalem Talmud (compiled ca.
425 CE). Major scholars, including philosophers
and poets such as Yehudah Ha—Levi (1075-1 141 ),
and Bible and Talmud commentators such as
Rashi (1040-1 146), labored in the academies of
Spain and France. Moses de Leon (c. 1250-1305)
wrote in Spain the great mystic work of Kab-
balah, the Zohar. Moses Maimonides (1 135—
1204) guided the center in Egypt as he wrote his
philosophy and legislative works. The centers in
Egypt and Poland helped enlarge and establish the
Jewish community in the Holy Land during the
15th and 16th centuries. So, when Joseph Karo
(1488-1575) in Safed wrote his Shulhan Arukh
code for the Sephardi tradition, Moses Isserlis
(1520-1572) of Krakow, Poland, added the inline
commentary on it, the Mappah, giving the Ashke—
nazi tradition. Now, we in America have a major
Diaspora tradition to uphold, which was trans-
ferred from Babylonia to Spain, to Egypt, to P0-
land, to the USA.

The short—term program of radical empathy clari—
fies the long-term needs. These involve self—
education, support for the larger American com-
munity, and support for Jewish communities in
Israel and other parts of the world. The Bible does
say, "By you shall all the families of the earth
shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). But, it also says.
“The hidden things belong to the Eternal our God,
while the revealed things belong to us and our
children forever" (Deuteronomy 29:28 [E 29:29]).
Thus, again, we have a responsibility only as far
as we can understand, and have the power to
make a change.

With individuals, we only have a responsibility in
connection with our family and acquaintances. If
we are part of the leadership in a community, we
have a responsibility of guiding our community.
However, like Abraham. our influence can be like

 

   

the butterfly effect in chaos theory, changing the
world by the flutter of our small wings. Abraham
became not only "the father of many na—

tions" (Genesis 17:4), but also the teacher of
many nations.

In the Bible (Exodus 19:6) God tells us that we
should be his am s‘gullah, chosen people. This
status has placed upon us repeated troubles. lead-
ing Jews to ask from time to time. “Can‘t You
choose somebody else for a while?" But, it still is
a privileged status, and we should strive to be wor-
thy of it.

A sacred community that does not fully fit the ide—
als of the communities around it will automatically
spawn mythical views concerning it, views that
often create a twinned mirror group to counter the
mythical powers of the original group. The Roman
Catholic Church generated at different times Ca-
thar. Hussite, and other Protestant counter—
movements. The Muslim Sunnis were repeatedly
opposed by different sects of Shiites. Since Jews
have been parts of the foundation myths of major
religious groups, including Christians, Muslims,
Bahais, and Marxists, we have often been carica-
tured in their myths. Now that the Holy People
have resettled in the Holy Land. a twinned com—
munity has been formed there in opposition, the
Palestinians. A web of mutually contradictory de-
mands from all these groups surrounds both the
Israelis and the Palestinians. Since nobody can ful-
fill all these contradictory demands, we Jews have
to develop and maintain our own independent pro-
gram of how to live. (We should also recognize
that the Palestinians are caught in the same web,
and have to decide what program they wish to fol-
low, since they cannot fulfill the contradictory de—
mands.)

We here in the Diaspora have a better understand-
ing of how to deal with some of the antagonistic
outside cultural forces. The Israelis think only how
to deal with the legal international culture, and
largely dismiss dealing with the Arab Muslim cul-
tural forces. When setting up checkpoints to block
terrorists from entering Israel they hardly ever
think of placing Arabic speakers at the check-
points. Since most Israelis rely on the IDF and the
Israel Border Police for safety, they have little
contact with Arabic-speaking populations. There is
a better contact in the Haifa and Galilee areas, but

still not enough to deal with actual cultural and
religious variations. In this area, the Diaspora
communities, who daily deal with other cultural
perspectives, have a much better practical cultural
maneuvering. It is time we emphasized our
strengths in maintaining peaceful and harmonious
interactions.

 

Sweet Summer, Sweet Treats

When some people get frozen yogurt. they mix
endless flavors and toppings: Just imagine all the
chocolate. vanilla. cake batter, sprinkles. choco-
late chips, and hot fudge.

During our August PJ Library outing. we had all
of those, plus an even sweeter mix: Best friends,
toddlers, a birthday girl. a PI Library alumna. par-
ents, friends, and community leaders.

PI Library came together at Sweet Lily‘s. a local
frozen yogurt shop, to simply be together as the
summer wraps up. We learned the Hebrew word
for ice cream, g ‘lidah, as we colored and snacked.
We read Bear Feels Sick. written by Karma Wil—
son. With school starting, and flu season surely
soon to follow, we discussed the concept of bik-
kur cholim, visiting the sick. Somehow between
all of this, there was a little spontaneous dancing
(no music necessary).

This was a wonderful way to finish up the sum—
mer together. Many thanks to our families, to
everyone who helped with the program. and to
Sweet Lily's for opening your doors.

Wishing everyone Shana Tova. a good year. May
this year be filled with endless sweetness.

 

 

 Editorial
By Rabbi David Wortman

We think that the world we live in has become
violent. We cite wars and terrorism and terrorism
around the globe. Yes. as I have written before.
these are tragic and barbaric. especially what is
happening between Israel and Gaza. Yet. we fre—
quently forget history. Massacres have been plagu—
ing the globe. especially against Jews.

In general. though. look at the story of Noah. Save
for one family and some animals. the world was
destroyed by God. The victims were evildoers.
There were. presumably also "innocent" civilians.
Sodom and Gomorra. again innocent. were collat—
eral damage. Many more examples could be cited:
Rome. Chmielnitzki. Turkey. Iraq. Sherman‘s
march. Syria. and. of course. Hitler. America is
not exempt of this historical catalog. i.e. the Na-
tive Americans.

"What has been is what will be. and what has been
done is what will be done. and there is nothing
new under the sun." These famous words of
Kohelet should temper our cries that the world has
changed for the better. We still have the same po—
tential for evil as mankind has always had. What
people are infused, yea. even us. is Sinai chinam.
The Talmud teaches. “[the] Temple was destroyed
because of Sinai chinam. baseless or freely given
hatred."

What does this mean in the twenty—first century? It
means the pursuit of ahavat c'hinam. which is not
translated as “free love." Rather. I would suggest it
is the free giving of tolerance of respect for those
who disagree. have different opinions. practice
other religions. and are our adversaries. It also
does not mean that nations cannot defend them—
selves when threatened.

The solution to the continuance of the world's evil
(sinat ('hinam) is to embrace its opposite (ahavat
c'hinum). Admittedly. it is not easy to radically
change a propensity for freely given hatred. How—
ever. we must at least try to bring about ahavat
c'hinam.

***

This is my last editorial as your editor. For a vari—
ety of reasons. not the least of which is my state of
health. have caused me to resign. I have tried to

provide you with interesting and informative arti—
cles. thought provoking ideas. and a sense of Lex—
ington and general Jewish history.

Shalom plays an integral role in keeping the Lex-
ington Jewish community united in a common
cause. It is a project that you have helped to main—
tain through your praise as well as your criticisms.
Your continued support is what I ask as I step
down from this position.

I did not work alone. There is an editorial commit—
tee that functions smoothly under the direction of
Hanna Smith and the chairs that have preceded
her. The committee reviews policy. editorial deci-
sions. and spends long hours checking for gram-
matical. punctuation. and information errors.

The current committee consists of volunteers
Hanna Smith. Betty Nigoff. Jane C haput. and
Susan C obin. Our professional support has come
from Judy Wortman. Tamara Ohayon. and Kasey
Hall. To paraphrase NPR. our support also comes
from readers like you.

I take this opportunity to express my most deeply
felt gratitude. You all have been invaluable to me.
both as volunteers and as friends. I shall miss this
important work. Yet. the other hand. I am proud to
shift the mantle to Barbara Goldman whose re-
sume will be included in a future issue. Take it
from me. though. I could not pass the “baby" to
more capable hands than Barbara's. Welcome
aboard Barbara. I bequeath to you a wonderful
community paper and all the good things that you
will experience.

 

Around the Community

Mazal Tov to:
Corrie and David McLain. on the birth of Selena

Jill Angelucci and David Angelucci. on the birth

of Paige Caroline Angelucci

Tamara Ohayon and Robert Ziegler on the birth of

their daughter Rebecca Elyse

 

   

Aaron Cole-Funfsinn & Greg Funfsinn on the

birth of Sawyer James Funfsinn

Jonathan Feinberg and Aubrea Galloway on the
birth Ava. Ava is the granddaughter of Kathy and

David F einberg.

Erica and Jeremy Mash on the birth of their
daughter Sophie. Sophie is the granddaughter

of Arlene and Harry Cohen.

Asher Diamond. son of Dana Manning & Scott

Diamond on becoming a Bar Mitzvah

Max Young, son of Rebecca & Joseph Young on

becoming a Bar Mitzvah

Benjamin Booker, son of Bill & Debra Booker on

his becoming a Bar Mitzvah

Kasey Hall and Ryan Murphy on their engagement

Condolences to the families of:

    
  

  

f .VISB Street.

Dorothy Diamond” Mother of Julie McKee

(Chadwick)

Jack Abramson, Brother-in-Law of Leon and

Linda Ravvin

Stephen Kesten, Husband of Nancy Kesten, Fa-
ther of Robert Kesten, Daniel Kesteni and Sarah

Kesten Young

 

~ptember 25th m 3pm to 5pm.

Arts-n-Adventures
Let's attend the Studio Players rehearsal night:

Leading Ladies
By Ken Ludwig
Director: Marty Wayman

Wednesday, September l7Ih at 7:00 pm.

Free of charge for our group. We will meet in the
lobby before the show.

RSVP to Mimi at 269-8244 or
jfs@jewishlexington.org.

7 t Blair at (869) 257-8077 or pblair@email,uky.edui

 

 

 Book Report: A Diary of Jewish
Life in Iran

By Hanna B. Smith

Dardashti

By Nematollah Y. Shakib

Translated from Farsi by Iraj David Shakib
Available at amazon.com

In October 2013 'Shalom‘ published my interview
with David Shakib about his experience with pub—
lishing his late father‘s memoirs (see: “A Father‘s
Memory of Persia", Shalom, October 2013). The
Shakib family hails from Isfahan, Iran, where they
can trace their ancestry to the late 18‘h century.
Like other Iranian Jews members of the Shakib
family went to the United States and to Israel in
the late 20Ih century. first to study and later to es-
cape persecution following the Iranian Revolution
of 1979.

Nematollah Y. Shakib came to the United States
after retiring from his job with the National Iranian
Oil Company for which he had worked for forty
years, according to his son David. Nematolla,
called Nemat by his family, spent his remaining
years writing for Farsi magazines in the United
States on topics relating to Judaism, social events,
and politics. He also translated Abba Eban‘s book
"My People" into Farsi. The translated version of
the book was published in Iran, and many copies
were sold, mainly to the Jewish community.

Why do people write their memoirs? In the pro—
logue David Shakib cites a note by his father in
which he expresses a need to account for his life.
According to Nemat, each human being creates his
own history, which is a very Jewish concept.

Throughout the memoirs there is a wish to honor
his ancestors who, Nemat fears, will be forgotten
unless he records their lives. He is also concerned
that his descendants will misunderstand their an—
cestors unless they are told about the culture in
which their ancestors lived. As an immigrant to
the United States, the author understood only too
well that American freedom is not universally ac—
cepted. He felt the need to tell his children and
especially his grandchildren to be mindful of
where they came from.

The author‘s description of the persecutions and

discriminations experienced by Iranian Jews in the
not so distant past are a somber reminder to all
readers and raise questions about the safety of
Jews under the current government.

Since the 16'h century Shi‘a Islam has been the
state religion of Iran. Under Islamic law all non—
Muslims were considered second-class citizens
and subject to restrictions and special taxation.
Furthermore, Shi‘a Islam considers non-Muslims
ritually unclean, and physical contact between
Muslims and Jews was restricted to the point
where Jews became outcasts. Gainful employ-
ment was restricted to work undesirable to Mus-
lims. Having to stay indoors on rainy or snow
days was among the more bizarre restrictions. It
was thought that rainwater could wash impurities
from Jews unto Muslims.

While some of the Iranian rulers tried to ease re—
strictions, the Muslim clergy was infamous for in-
citing the populace to persecute Jews. (See:
Wikipedia: History of the Jews in Iran; “The
Dhimmi, Jews and Christians under Islam," by Bat
Ye‘or, Fairleigh Dickinson, University Press, Lon-
don; Jews in Islamic Countries: Iran. jewishvirtu—
allibrary.org /source/anti-semitism/iranjewshtml)

Under the Pahlavi Dynasty (1925 — 1979), life for
Iran‘s Jews improved considerably. Reza Shah
and his son Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi mod-
emized the country, weakened the influence of the
clergy, and abolished restrictions placed upon mi—
norities. The Jews~ loyalty to the Pahlavi dynasty
was held against them when the Shah was over-
thrown in 1979.

The memoirs recount the lives of three generations
of the Shakib family and their neighbors under
these restrictions and persecutions. There is a
large cast of characters, and several genealogy ta—
bles help the reader identify family members
within the generational context. There are also
pictures of people and places mentioned in the nar-
rative.

As a writer, Nemat Shakib was a reporter and
commentator. The memoirs are written in a clear
and concise style and are easy to follow. Some of
the people and events he described are so extraor—
dinary, though, that I found myself wishing for an
epic novelist like a Tolstoy or 1.8. Singer, for in-
stance, to do it justice.

 

   

The author concludes his memoirs with the year
1970 when he and his wife were living in the
United States, reflecting upon the rapid progress in
all areas that Iranian Jews made in a relatively
short time once restrictions were lifted. The
reader knows of course the fate of Jews in Iran fol—
lowing the revolution and overthrow of the Shah
in 1979.

David Shakib translated the memoirs into English
and provided an introduction, an epilogue, and
pictures of the current generation. Otherwise he
lets the memoirs speak for themselves as docu-
ment to his father‘s personality and his care for his
family.

These memoirs go beyond family interest for what
they can tell the reader about Iran. The current
political situation in Iran, its treatment of minori—
ties especially the Jewish minority, and the gov-
emment‘s pathological hatred of the State of Is-
rael, did not develop in a vacuum but are based
upon centuries of institutional discrimination.

In addition to individual readers book clubs should

A‘ l A.
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What is the Path to Peace?
By Lisa Satin

I would like to explore how we can work toward
peace — not only in the Middle East, but also in our
Lexington community, as we observe world events
with a collective sense of concern and dismay.

There is a Talmudic saying that the world rests on
three things - truth, fair judgment, and peace. I
believe that peace cannot be attained without truth
and fair judgment. When people form their under—
standing of events by absorbing propaganda, fail
to listen to different points of view, and neglect to
put information into context, people become un-
necessarily polarized. It is important for people to
take the time to learn about the historical and po-
litical events pertaining to the situation, using reli—
able sources. We have a shared