xt7bg7374161 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7bg7374161/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2011-12 2012-01 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 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, December 2011/January 2012 text image Shalom, December 2011/January 2012 2011 2011-12 2012-01 2025 true xt7bg7374161 section xt7bg7374161 S h

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December 201 1 [January 2012
Jewish Federations approve ini-
tiative to strengthen global giving

The Board of Trustees of The Jewish
Federations of North America (JFNA)
recently overwhelmingly approved the
Global Flaming Table, a new initiative
that strengthens the way the Jewish
community prioritizes and takes col-
lective action to address Jewish needs
worldwide. The board approved the
GPT at the 2(‘11 tit neral Assembly of
Jewish FK derations in Denver.

The GPT provides a new structure and
process for Jewish Federations and
their partners ‘ “ ‘* ' ‘ " ‘

of the Jv'v 1‘ 1; ifirt‘u‘: 4H: ‘
nations across the "

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create a dynamic new forum designed
to engage even more people in a new,
communal dialogue about global Jew-
ish needs.

’Our greatt- st siren g h in the Federa—
tions movement has been our willing—
ness to envision a better world and
our ability to work together as a global
people to accomplish big goals,” said
Kathy Manning, chair of the JFNA
Board of Trustees. “With our combined
strength, ideas and action, we believe
the Global Planning Table will generate
new ideas, attract many more support-
ers, create important new connections,
and enable us to act together strategi-
cally to address the challenges facing
our global community.”

The Global Planning Table was devel-
oped over the past two years with the

consultation of the historic partners

of the Jewish Federations, the Jewish
Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the Amer-
ican Jewish Joint Distribution Commit—
tee (JDC). Both organizations and other
partners will continue to play critical
roles in educating about, evaluating,
and prioritizing global Jewish needs.

“We need an evolving approach to con—
front the wet-changing needs of the
said Jerrv Silverman,

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Global Planning Table will help the ”

Jewish community write the next chap—
ter of our Jewish future.”

As designed, the GPT will consist of a
GPT Committee including representa-
tives of JFNA and Federations, JAFI,
JDC, and chairs of GPT commissions
that oversee specific areas. The GPT
also includes an Executive Steering
Committee that will represent Federa-
tions with the three largest Annual
Campaigns, Federations of all city
sizes, as well as JFNA lay and profes-
sional leaders.

JFNA will continue working in the
coming months to begin implementing
the plan and will keep communities
informed of developments throughout
the process. é

 

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Winter Dinner to be e - o

 

Hanukkah

from

he ewish Federation
OF THE BLUEGRASS

 

KISLEVITEVETISHEVAT 5772

WinterW Dinner to be held on

December 11

i e iewisn Federation of me Blu

111‘!
December 11 at 5:00 p. m. at Tandoor
Indian Cuisine, 3130 Mapleleaf Drive,
right off Man O' War. The dinner will
be a vegetarian buffet. This will be an
early celebration of Hanukkah. Please
bring your hanukkiot (Hanukkah
menorahs) and candles so that we can
sing the blessings together.

As always, children are welcome and
children's activities are provided.

Ct’l'dhb

Babysitters Will be tlvrxlleiDlU. ille cost

who are 5 years old and younger.

Evalyn Block is chairing the event with
co—chairs Aviva Bowling and Odette
Kaplan. Space is limited and reserva-
tions must be made in advance. $

For more information, see the ad and
registration form on page 18 or contact
Judy Wortman at (859) 268-0672 or jfb@
jewishlexingtonor‘g.

—— CAMPAIGNNEWS _+___

The 2011 Annual Campaign is closing

On December 31, 2011, our community
campaign will close. There are still
numbers of our veteran supporters
who have yet either to make a com-
mitment or, in some cases, to pay their
pledge. Our 2012 budget is completely
dependent upon the generous hearts
of our donors. Please help us to end
this campaign with increased funds so
we can better serve the community. As
you remember, last year our campaign
fell short and we had to retrench the
position of activities director. As a
result, we lost the talents and expertise

of one of our staff members, Jana La-
Zur, and struggled to maintain services
to our constituents. We hope that such
drastic measures were a onetime oc-
currence, and we look forward to the
day that we can restore the position of
activities director.

This year we have seen more requests
for emergency funds and camp schol-
arships than ever before and have
used all the dollars we have. We were
unable to give the community mem—

see 2011 Campaign, page 13

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN THIS ISSUE

Israel Bondsloiganizafion creates new site 7 ' 7 i ’ 3
Jewish community mourns loss of Marilyn Moosnick ................................... 3
Jewish civil rights group .. .. ....... 4
Charitable giving: A learning opportunity.. ..... 5
Third Opinion 6
From the Director 7
JFS: At Your Service 8
Sim Shalom facing challenges .. ....... 8
B’tayavon 9
Hadassah Progressive Dinner 9
Hadassah Fall Region Conference 10
First Global Day of Jewish Learning event 12
Book Review 13
Volunteering is not enough 15
Opinion: Is peace really our most precious gift? ............................................ 16
The Lexington Chapter of Hadassah 17
Temple Adath Israel 18
The Lexington Havurah 19
Ohavay Zion Synagogue ....... 20
Around the Community 22

 

 

'13l@fi1

Published ten times per Byear by the
Jewish Federation of the uegms. Inc.
1050 Chinoe Rd., Sulte 1 12, Lexington, KY 40502
Phone (859) 268-0672 - Fax (859) 268-0775
email: shalom@jewishIexingtonorg

DECEMBER 201 1/JANUARY 201 2, VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 10
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
Jane Chaput
Gary Yarus
Marcia Blacker
Betty Nigoff
Susan Cobin

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Susan Baniak, Marcia Blacker, Connie Loventhal, Betty Nigoff,
Marty Solomon, 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 © 201 1, Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass. All rights reserved. For reprint
permission contact David Wortman, Editor-in-Chief, Shalom, at shalom@jewishlexing-
ton.org

2 I December 201 1/January 2012 Shalom

 

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and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, this opportunity to explore the timeless core Corpora

, values of Iudaism through books and music. Bonds h
‘7 Famil your child rm”: :31 grandchildren today? Call us at 859.268.0672 or : E'Comm
visit www.pj1ibrary.cor§and visit our Lexington community page. In Israel

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Shalom Deadline

Deadline for articles for the February Shalom is January 1 0.
Email articles to shalom@jewishlexington.orL

 

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7 7 7 OF THE BLUEGRASS : E D S!
Federation President Federation Board Amy Faust Mayer ‘ I
Robert Grossman Jane Chaput Jennifer Miller l I N ar
Diana Clewett Betty Nigoff . I
Executive Committee Susan Cobin Kathye Schattner ; |
Gary Yarus, Vice President Gail Cohen Kae Schennberg I I
Hanna Smith, Secretary Evelyn Dantzic Geller David Shakib l ' YOI
Bill Lucas, Treasurer Mike Grossman Marty Solomon I '
Evalyn Block, Member-At—Large Larry Kant Elissa Weinstein 1 I
Linda Rawin, Member-At-Large Minna Katz-Brown David Wekstein l :
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Israel Bonds, organization
creates new e-commerce site
for online bond purchasing

NEW YORK - The Development
Corporation for Israel/ State of Israel
Bonds has launched a user—friendly
e-commerce site that makes investing
in Israel bonds a straightforward and
convenient process at any time, from
any location.

The e-commerce site marks a signifi-
cant new phase for the Bonds organi-
zation, which, with its priority mission
of expanding support for Israel, now
provides the opportunity to express
unity with just a few clicks.

In announcing the e—commerce site,
Chairman of the Board Richard Hirsch
said, ”Supporting Israel by investing in
Israel bonds has never been easier. Us-
ers of the site will greatly appreciate its
ease, functionality and expediency.”

First-time users will need to com-
plete a simple registration procedure,
entailing creating an online profile and
opening a new lsmcl Bonds account

completion and once the new account
is approved, site users will then be
able to purchase Israel bonds at their
convemence.

Almost all Israel bonds currently of-
fered by the Development Corporation
for Israel / State of Israel Bonds are
available for purchase on the secure
site. Purchases are expedited through
electronic debiting of checking ac-
counts.

For individuals buying Israel Bonds
as gifts, the site offers purchasers the
option of including a message and / or
generating a gift card.

For additional information on the new
site, visit www.israelbonds.com. For
assistance with Israel Bonds purchas-
ing, contact Kathe Turiel at the Colum-
bus office at (888) 852-3195 or Cincin-
nati@israelbonds.com. o

The Development Corporation for Israel/
State of Israel Bonds has secured more than
$33 billion dollars in worldwide sales and
is widely recognized as a primary catalyst
for Israel’s rapid evolution from strug-
gling agrarian nation to global economic

prospectus carefully before investing to
fully evaluate the risks associated with
investing in State of Israel bonds.

i Here is my contribution to help keep Shalom solvent

I
a $18 Chai
E D $54 Three Times Chai

CI 590+ Gibor (Hero)

El $36 Double Chai
CI $72 Haboneh (Builder)

 

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|
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You C! may El may not publish my name

Mail to:
JFB, 1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 112, Lexington, KY 40502
Make checks payable to JFB and write ”Shalom”
on the memo line.

 

remissflhis . tansfisénemch
can be made onlygglpiospectus.”kmd the

 

Jewish. community mourns}. .
loss of Marilyn Moosnick

By Marcia Blacker
Everyone has a Marilyn memory.

Everyone thought of Marilyn Moos-
nick as a dear friend; many of us
considered her a mentor. All of us
marveled at her creative energy. She
was an original!

This energy, this creative flame, this
commitment to every cause she
believed in, was also directed to her
development as a Jew and as a Zionist.

Marilyn chose Judaism and this choice
included a belief in a Jewish homeland,
the State of Israel. She found Hadas—
sah to be the perfect expression of her
Zionist commitment. Marilyn partici-
pated in all local Hadassah activities
with her characteristic energy and
enthusiasm. And typical of Marilyn,
many of the most outstanding local
chapter programs were conceived and
implemented by her.

It wasn’t long before the women of
Hadassah at the regional and national
levels began to notice the talents of

order, she became chapter president,
a region officer, region president, and
tenured member of Hadassah’s na-
tional board.

Her boundless energy and creativ-

ity made her a leader in any cause in
which she was involved. Her enthu-
siasm for the arts, dance, music, and
theatre, led her to be one of the driv-
ing forces behind the creation of the
Lexington Council for the Arts. Again
she served at local, state, and national
levels.

Marilyn brought all of these qualities
to her involvement with the Lexing-
ton Jewish community. She served as
president of Ohavay Zion Sisterhood,
the board of 025, and the Central Ken-
tucky Jewish Federation (now JFB).

As co-chair of the CKJF Community
Relations Committee, she and Com-
mittee Chair David Wekstein devel-
oped and produced an award win-
ning program, ”And I Was There.”
This documentary featured first-hand
testimony from Holocaust survivor§u ’,
and liberators. Produced in conjunc-
tion with WLEX TV, the program won
several awards, including one from
The Kentucky Association of Broad-
cast Advertisers in 1983, and a Silver
Award in Public Relations from the
Council of Jewish Federations (now
JCA) in 1984.

The loves of her life were her husband,
children, and extended family. But
her hosts of friends were recipients
of her love as well. All of us were
drawn into working with her on one
project or another, and it was often
more than, We ed bar ' ed for- B
wasn’t fun a] 3
always laughing, Singing, and dancing
involved.

   
 

We honor her memory and celebrate
her life. We know she will always be
with us. it

( This article contains excerpts from a
eulogy delivered by Gail Cohen and Judy
Saxe at Marilyn Moosnick’s funeral.)

 

Schennberg
Elaine & Steven Silver

‘ln honor of Ruth 8. Neil Foley‘s
50th wedding anniversary.

 

Sandra Bouzaglou &
Sandy Archer
Sheila & Robert Orbach

Our 201 l Shalom Contributors

Thank you for your generous contributions to keep Shalom solvent.

Chai Two Times Chat Haboneh

Eleanor Benblatt Lynn & Jim Furness Harold Baker

Nina & lzmail Goldis Cathy Grinstead lrma & Irving Rosenstein
Susan & Jack Miller John Harrison

Linda & Leon Ravvin" C.B. Stidham Gibor

Judith & Not Sandler Elayne & Ralph Crystal
Kae & Richard Three Times Chai Evelyn Dantzic Geller

Annette & Kenneth
Mayer

Sally Mulholland & Gene
Sittenfeld

Bonnie & Peter Sobel

 

 

December 201 T/January 2012 Shalom | 3

 

  

Jewish civil rights group launches student hotline to combat ‘
antié‘Israel hostilities on American campuSes '

NEW YORK - Jewish civil rights group
Shurat HaDin—Israel Law Center has
launched the “Campus Hotline,”a
manned telephone switchboard

to assist university students in the
United States who are subjected to
anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attacks at
their schools. Students and faculty are
being encouraged to call the Campus
Hotline at (718) 907—9258 to report to
Shurat HaDin any incidents of anti-
Semitism, discrimination, intimidation,
or harassment arising from anti-Israel
activities on American college or uni-
versity campuses. Shurat HaDin is also
soliciting information and updates

via the Hotline on BDS (the boycott,
divestment, and sanctions campaign to
delegitimize Israel) activities on cam-
pus and organized efforts to provide
support for terrorist organizations.

Shurat HaDin—Israel Law Center
(http:/ / israellawcenter.org/) is an
international human rights law orga-
nization dedicated to enforcing basic
human rights through the legal system
and to representing victims of terror-
ism in courtrooms around the world.

The organization is baSed ixfl‘ei Afi'v" ’ '

and has a newly established American
office located in New York.

  

An easy and convenient way

Recently, Shurat HaDin sent letters
(http: / / israellawcenterorg / uploadim-
ages / image / Letter% 20to%20Colum—
bia%20U.pdf) to college and university
presidents around the United States
warning that their schools may be
subject to civil and criminal liability if
they do not take necessary measures

to ensure the educational rights and
safety of Jewish students and faculty
on their campuses. The schools were
also cautioned concerning their duty
to reasonably prevent university funds
from being diverted to unlawful activi-
ties that are directed against the state
of Israel and to be particularly vigilant
in funding student organizations that
may have ties to terrorist organizations
or that may engage in unlawful activi-
ties abroad.

The Campus Hotline will assist Shurat
HaDin in monitoring activities on
college campuses and in protect-

ing the rights of Jewish students and
faculty and the security of the state of
Israel. The organization is currently
investigating the alarming connection
between anti-Israel activists, organi-

' 2350118, and activities in the United '

States and Middle East terrorism.
Many extremist groups operate and
recruit on college campuses. Direct

»g« ”a

 

 

@

The} ' wish Federation
o; we $LUEGRASS

  

Free pick-up
No smog required

to make a charitable donation!

Tax receipt given

4 | December 201 1/Jan_uary 2012 Shalom

contact with the students will keep
the organization constantly aware of
unacceptable activities and will allow
it to rapidly respond with appropriate
legal action. An immediate, effective
legal response will have a deterrent
effect on harassment, discrimination,
and potentially on terrorism. Shurat
HaDin’s new American office will be
devoting significant time and resources
to responding to calls to the Hotline.
By taking advantage of its world—wide
legal network, Shurat HaDin will be

a formidable force in combating the
ever-increasing threat to Jewish stu-
dents on campuses nationwide.

Attorney Kenneth Leitner, the law
center’s Director of American Af-
fairs, said,”We want Jewish students
to know that there is a number to call
when they are victimized by extremist
groups promoting anti-Israel and anti—
Semitic hate on American college cam-
puses. Jewish students should be made
aware that they have the full support
of a large community of Jewish and
non-Jewish advocates who will not
tolerate their continued intimidation

‘and’harassment.WeWaritto amour: "‘

age pro-Israel students to stand—up for
their rights and beliets without fear.”

Mr. Leitner further stated,”It is time
for us to go on the legal offensive.

In the same way that Shurat HaDin
pioneered the use of the courtroom

to bring terrorist organizations and
their state sponsors to justice, we will
employ the legal system to take down
campus hate groups and their off-cam-
pus financiers. We would like Ameri-
can college campuses to be safe and
secure for Jewish students, without
distraction, intolerance, antagonism
and most importantly, violence. We
expect that the schools share our goals;
if not, we will legally compel them to.”

Shurat HaDin is also in the process

of creating a ”Report Card” to rate
campuses based on their commitment
to the US. Department of Education’s
civil rights guidance and to providing
a safe and welcoming environment for
Jewish students and faculty and for
pro—Israel viewpoints. The organiza-
tion expects administrators at poorly
ranked campuses to become more ac—
tively aware of both their legal obliga—
tions and their social responsibilities in
responding to hostility and discrimina-

‘lion against Jefifish‘iflrdents.‘gw ,

We turn
cars into

 

Charitable Auto Resources will sell your old vehicle
for you and send the Jewish Federation a check.
To find out more go to our “Ways To Give” page at
www,jewishlexington.org or call (859) 268—0672

Ch
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By Susan

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Charitable giving: A learning
opportunity

By Susan Baniak

LEXINGTON, KY — As a parent

of three, I like to think my kids
are at least as financially aware

as the next mom’s. My 7-year-old
son and my 10-year—old daughter
both have savings accounts, and
they know the basics on how they
work. They help me compare unit
prices at the grocery store to find
the best deal. My husband and I
teach them that the toys they see
advertised on television are never
as cool in real life as they might
appear on a commercial. My old-
est has even expressed an interest
in starting a portfolio after her
fifth-grade teacher introduced her
to the basics of the stock market
earlier this year.

But while we have been drilling
them on the value of not spending
more than they have and saving
a little all the time, we have not
been as diligent in teaching them
the importance of giving what

' exposure to chari-
table giving is typically limited
to collecting pennies for a school
fundraising drive, or serving as a
go-between to place a few bucks
in the collection plate at church.
They have very little knowledge of
where that money goes from there
or why it matters.

It’s not that instilling a sense of
generosity in my kids isn’t high
on my list of concerns. In fact, I
know very few parents who don’t
share at least some of my fear that
our kids are well on the way to be-
coming too spoiled, self-obsessed
and materialistic. But I suppose I
have expected charitable giving
to somehow rub off on them as
simply the right thing to do.

And on the face of it, philanthrop-
ic giving can seem counterintui-
tive for young kids just learning
the value of money. After all, why
should they give someone their
painstakingly saved cash if they
are handed no goods or services
in return? Isn’t that contrary to
everything that Mom and Dad
have tried to teach them?

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' So last yein; when my.

At the same time, however, most
of the kids I know today are quite
aware of the grave concerns that
exist in the world. From hurri-
canes and tsunamis to oil spills
and dwindling polar bear popu-
lations, it’s difficult for even the
youngest school-age children to
miss the headlines. Young people
are becoming aware of global
problems at an early age, but
there are relatively few avenues
for them to take action to promote
change. Especially for the un-
der-12 crowd, volunteering oppor-
tunities are limited. Some of these
problems seem too distant from
our children's everyday lives, and
others are just too immense. In
short, they know there are prob-
lems to be fixed, but they don’t
see how they can be part of any
solution. It is our responsibility as
parents to help them find a way to
contribute and to let them experi-
ence the personal satisfaction that
can come from doing something
that will make a difference.

   

and I sat down to discuss our

This year, I'm pleased to have
available the GoodGiving Guide,
produced through a partner-

ship of the Blue Grass Commu-
nity Foundation and Smiley Pete
Publishing (owners of Business
Lexington), to serve as a resource
for our development of a family-
inspired giving strategy. My kids
will each have their own modest
budget for charitable giving this
holiday season. I’m hoping to
have a healthy discussion with
them about what they are happy
we have in our community, and
alternatively, what they see that
makes them sad. Together, we will
research the organizations that ad-
dress these concerns of theirs, and
the kids will get the chance to take
the lead on their first independent
decisions as hopefully lifelong
philanthropists.

I’m hoping that giving to local
nonprofits will help our kids un—
derstand the needs that exist right
in their own neighborhood and
how they can assist in setting the

little more familiar with the many

family’s year-end charitable giving organizations that are fulfilling

plans, we made sure our daugh-
ter had a place at the table. The
giving options we discussed with
her were limited mostly to those
nonprofits with which she had di—
rect contact, such as the Lexington
Children’s Theater and the Living
Arts and Science Center. She was
already familiar with them, and

it wasn’t difficult to explain how
our contributions could allow
these groups to reach even more
families and children. We also
had her help us in responding to
a few requests from some of the
larger nonprofit organizations,
such as Heifer International, that
also do great work worldwide.
Buying a few chickens for a fam-
ily without access to the eggs we
get at the grocery store was not a
hard sell, but it didn’t spark much
of a passion for philanthropy in
our little girl. Sometimes large
organizations that focus on global
crises can make issues like hunger,
poverty and homelessness seem
worlds away from Lexington.

their own missions of service to
our community. Maybe that’s too
ambitious, but at the very least,
my elementary-age kids will be
able to see signs of the work these
organizations do in the commu-
nity throughout the year. We can
drive by the offices of the chari—
ties that the kids have chosen to
support and stop in to visit, so my
kids can hopefully see their invest-
ments at work.

In the same way that parents teach
their kids money doesn’t grow

on trees, we should also make
sure our children are aware that
charity is not free. When it comes
to building the community they
hope to live in, our children will
get what they pay for. And when
it comes to nurturing a generous
and civic—minded spirit in the next
generation, there is no time like
the present. It!

Reprinted by permission from Busi-
ness Lexington, Nov. 10, 2011.

 

@ Prudential ’

Janice Brock. A88, CNHS. CBS. Gill

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Stanley'Ned Rosenbaum, PhD

 

Marilyn Moosnick, z”l

I only met Marilyn Moosnick once, at
Bob Baumann’s 70th birthday celebra-
tion. In the course of our conversation,
she asked me why I thought that Juda-
ism had survived for so long. “Well,” I
said, gesturing at my wife, "one reason
is that for so many centuries we’ve
attracted the ’best and brightest’ from
other nations.” It was only then that I
learned that Marilyn had converted to
Judaism in 1954.

It’s true that for about 1500 years,
from around 300 CE to 1800, Jews were
forbidden by Christianity—and after
600 CE by Islam—to engage in conver-
sion on pain of death for the converter
and the convertee. However, once the
Emancipation took hold in Europe, a
process roughly contemporary with
the advent of Reform Judaism here,
conversion became possible. In our
days, there is some movement among
both Reform and Conservative con-
gregations actively to pursue converts,
especially-in mixed marriages. (I don’t
happen to think it necessary, but that’s
another story)

Marrying her husband, the late and
widely honored Dr. Franklin Moos-
nick, may have had something to do
with it. (Another Marilyn converted
when she married Arthur Miller, the
playwright, in 1956.) Still, to convert

at that time without the ”protective
shield” of international fame is simply
staggering. Not only was it well before
the surge of pride and, if you will, gen-

eral respectability that followed Israel’s

victory in the Six Day War, it was just
after Julius and Ethel Rosenberg be-
came the first Jewish US. citizens to be
executed for treason in time of peace.

It was also shortly after HUAC, the
House Un-American Activities Com-
mittee, was begun and after the black-
listing of the Hollywood Ten, writers
and directors suspected of being
Communists, who declined to testify
before the committee. Of the ten, about
half were Jews and some were in fact
members of the Communist Party who
had managed to stay loyal despite the
bloody Stalinist Purges of writers and
intellectuals in the ’305, to say nothing

of the mas-
sacre of five
million Ku-
laks a decade
before.

(Commu—
nism is one
of the many ”false messiahs” that
some of us have chased for over 2000
years. It is, in the words of a notable
colleague of mine, the late, Lithuanian
sociologist Vytautas Kavolis, ”the last,
great Christian heresy")

Nineteen fifty-four was during the
McCarthy era. The junior senator from
Wisconsin found Communists hiding
everywhere, and for a lot of people
Jews were automatically "prime sus-
pects.” And it’s this group that Marilyn
Moosnick joined. Remarkable. Nine-
teen fifty-four was the year Bishop
James A. Pike published If You Marry
Outside Your Faith, a book designed to
discourage Protestants from marry-
ing. .. Catholics. Marriage to a Jewish
person was not even contemplated.

On “our side,” fewer than two percent
of Jews married gentiles before 1965.

In the ”bad old days," the rabbis who
oversaw the conversion of those gen-
tiles whom they could not dissuade
or indefinitely put off, made sure to
ascertain that the would-be convert
wasn’t mishugah, that is, crazy. One
can hardly blame them. After all, to
join a persecuted group is to invite
persecution or, at least, discrimination.
Rabbis were—and still are—divided
over whether conversion for the sake
of marriage is permissible.

These days, more and more people
simply interrnarry without conversion,
but I’d guess the majority who convert
are gentiles who convert to Judaism
rather than the converse. As an elderly
Italian friend of Mary’s grandparents
said to her when she learned of Mary’s
engagement to me in 1963, ”S’alright.
Sometimes the best Catholics is con—
vertibles.” That convertibles travel a
two-way street is borne out by Marilyn
Moosnick’s exemplary life. May her
memory be for a blessing. or

6 | December 201 1/January 2012 Shalom

 

 

NOTE “law First and third Sundays of the month
.11‘VIE-

Yiddish Drop-in! 10:30 am. at the Jewish
Federation office. An hour of Yiddish
with Ref oyl Finkl (Rafi Finkel). Beginners
welcome, fluent speakers welcome, and
those who remember "a per verter fun der heym" also
welcome. We'll adjust what we do to the levels of those
who come. No long-term commitment necessary.
No charge. Worth every cent, at least!

  

 

 

 

The Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass accepts
donations for special occasions in honor or in memory
of important people in your life.

What an excellent way both to celebrate your loved
on