xt7bk35md75k https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7bk35md75k/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2004-02 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, February 2004 text image Shalom, February 2004 2004 2004-02 2025 true xt7bk35md75k section xt7bk35md75k   

FEBRUARY 2004

 

halomi“ pd:

Serving the Central Kentucky Jewish Community Since 1962

Newspaper of the Central
Kentucky Jewish Federation

“S‘s“ F edef-e’yO

60’ r a! K—en‘°c

SHEVAT-ADAR 5764

 

Briefings Highlight Lexingtonians

Mission to Israel

Federation Members Participate in Annual General Assembly

of United Jewish Communities
BySz‘an Saxe

Briefings from individuals who represented
the Israeli Army, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, and academia highlighted the Central
Kentuckians’ experience in Israel as part of
the Small Cities Consortium Mission at the
end of 2003. Led by the Central Kentucky
Jewish Federation, the Small Cities
Consortium Mission included participants
from smaller Federations in Tennessee and
Illinois. Twelve of the 35 individuals in the
group were first time visitors to Israel.

Following the week of the Mission experience
across Israel, the Central Kentuckians joined
with others in attending the annual General

sm’ Mission to Israel, gut-gr I“

Are YouReady to Lauh" I I

CKJF Sponsors a Trip to the Comedy Club

By Rum Po/ey

Well-known comedian Mark Klein (not TAI's
new rabbi Marc Kline) is coming to Comedy Off
Broadway on Saturday, February 7, and
you’re all invited. For a mere $12 per person
you’ll have the opportunity to catch the act of
this established comedian known as the
”Comedy Road Warrior."

Kentucky native and Louisville resident, Mark
Klein has substantial credits as a stand-up
comic. He has been featured on CBS’ "48
Hours” and A & E's "Comedy on the Road,”
profiled in "GO" magazine (which called him
"King of the One Night Stand-Ups"), and
reviewed in many other publications. He has
performed from Alaska to Jamaica and
everywhere in between, and been so

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successful here in Lexington he’s been
brought back more than 15 times.

And now it’s your turn. The Community
Activities Committee of the Central Kentucky
Jewish Federation has reserved a limited
block of tickets for Klein’s performance at 7:00
PM on Saturday, February 7th. Since this is
an early show, it leaves you plenty of time for
dinner after the show. Why not call a few
friends and get a group together to see the
show and have dinner after?

Make an evening of it; tickets are only $12.
Call Jana LaZur at 268—0672, ext. 4# to reserve
your place or to get more information.

 

Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
l050 Chinoe Road 0 Suite 203 0 lexington, KY 40502

Change Service Requested

Sandee wildes
124 N Ashland Ave
Lexington KY 40502- 1509

 

Non-Profit Org.
US. Postage

PA I D
Lexington, KY
Permit # 719

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

Super Sunday On
February 8th

This not about football, but it is about the
Jewish Super Bowl. Super Sunday is the one
day in the year when we try to connect with
as many Jews as possible in our community —
affiliated as well as unaffiliated. It is the one
day of the year when people have the
opportunity to become part of our Jewish
enterprise by contributing to the United
Jewish Communities/ Central Kentucky
Jewish Federation Community Campaign.

The Community Campaign is the fuel that
makes the engine run. It is through the
campaign that we fund all the activities that
the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation offers
to the community, as well as the fulfillment of
our obligation to help Jews wherever in the
world they might be. It may be in Israel,
under fire of terror, or in Argentina 5

colt apsed economy, or for elderly Jews with

' , no support network In the {meme

Union. We are there providing security for
the children, food for the elderly, retraining
for those out of work, and much more.

Locally, we organize programs in which the
whole community can participate and enjoy;

see Super Sunday, page 18

 

Day of Giving
By Raj/Archer

On December 25th, the Jewish community of
Lexington once again came together in an
exciting and successful "Day of Giving." The
event, formerly known as Mitzvah Day,
involved Jewish volunteers taking over the
duties of their Christian counterparts so that
those individuals could spend Christmas day
with their families. "We know that providing
the opportunity for volunteers to cover for our
Christian neighbors so they can spend
Christmas with their families is the right thing
to do, and our volunteers enjoy it. It is a win-
win situation," said Jewish Federation
Executive Director Daniel Chejfec. More than
40 volunteers participated, including members
of Temple Adath Israel, Ohavay Zion
Synagogue, the Lexington Havurah, as well as
other non-affiliated members of the Jewish
community. The event was so well received

see Day of Giving, page 19

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

  

IN THIS ISSUE:

Generation Chai ...................... 3
President's Message ................... 4
Young Leadership Event ................ 5
From the Executive Director ............. 6
Teens Drug & Alcohol Awareness Workshop . .6
Why Me? ........................... 7
Storytellers Put A “Spell” On Students ....... 7
Rabbi's Corner ....................... 8

C ondolences to...

0 Rachel Belin on the death of her grandmother, Bernice Rosenthal.

0 Bob Flashman on the death of his brother, Mark Flashman.

0 Jackie Johnson on the death of her mother, Gwen Lewis.

Refuah Shlemah (Get Well Wishes] to...

' Larry Goodman
' Linda Ravvin

' Cookie Wenneker
' Sandy Berger

° Sylvia Bernstein

' Francie Chassen-Lopez

 

Brother & Sister Reunited ............... 9 o O
. . , . SAVE THESE DATES o
Judaic Studies Offers Spring Courses ....... 9 : :
JewLS Loves A Good Party ............. l2 : :
Leisure Club Chanukah Happiness ........ lZ : Sunday9 March 289 2004 :
Lexington Havurah Celebrates Chanukah . . .13 O ‘ . j . , O
. O - O .

9th Winter Dinner A Crowd Pleaser ....... l3 : COHIIHUDIty WIdBWOMLN S SEDER :
Raanana Diary: Life as Normal in lsrael . . . .l4 : :
EKU Honors Memory of Howard L. Eldot . .lS : . :
Tikkun Lexington New Community Project . .l7 : sundaflV 9 API'I] 18 :
_ . _ . . .

Partner Abuse in JeWish Community ...... 20 . YOm HaShoah .
B'tay Avon ......................... 20 : . :
.Ask JFS About ...................... 21 : (“Glocaufl Remembrance Day) :
Tikkun Lexington to Visit Stewart home . . . .Zl : :
Temple Adath Israel News .............. 22 : Sunday! April 25 :
Hadassah News ..................... 22 : 7 " t . :
Ohavay 2,0,, News ___________________ 23 : \ om Ha Aizmaui Celebration .
0

Lexington Havurah News .............. 23 : (lsrael? independence l)a_\ l :
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Community Calendar ................. 24

 

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Central Kentucky Jewish Federation

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Deadiine for articles for
., . _ the'IMarch Shalom is.
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SbALOO)

Published ten times annually by the
Central Kentucky Jewish Federation, Inc.
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 203, Lexington, KY 40502
Phone (859) 268-0672 0 Fax (859) 268—0775
e-mail: shalom@jewishlexington.org

Executive Committee
David Feinberg, President
Phil Berger, Vice-President
Marcia Blacker, Secretary
I Ginger Knight, Treasurer
Stanley Saxe, Imm. Past-President
Martin Barr, At-Large

 

 

 

    

February 2004, Volume XI, Issue 1

 

 

 

 

 
 
   
   
   
   
    
     
    

 

 

    
      
    

 

 

David Feinberg, President 931135de
Daniel Chejfec, Executive Director ROY Archer TA'

. . . . R h l B I' At-L
Fran Morris, JeWish Family SerVices AG? e e "i orge
. . . . Viva Bowling At-Large
Jana LaZur, ActiVIties Director r - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Gail Cohen At-Large
I DON’T MISS OUT' I Vicki Doukas Havurah

Editorial Board : . : Stan lsenstein OZS

. . - . . Steve Kesten At-La
Gay Adelstein, MarCia Blacker, Evelyn DantZic Geller, I Getthispaper delivered I Judy Levey ozs rge
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Judy Levme, Ruth Foley, and Stan Saxe I F R E E I A” Lieber TAI I

. _ _ I I Zoya Orlov At-Large
Production Serwces by Direct Response. Inc. I to your home ten times annually. I Ruth Poley At-Large
The editorial staff has the right to edit all articles submitted I Mall your mum and address to; I Gloria Rie At-Large

for publication in sbALom. The appearance of any I I Walter Salomon OZS
advertising in this publication does not represent a kashruth l SbAlom [CKJF I DCWid Sogin At-Large

endorsement on the part of CKJF or any other agency or I . . I Merle Wek t ' At-L

organization. SbALOG) is supported by the advertisements | 1050 Chinoe, Rd" Suite ”3 I Carole Wils em H dargeh
appearing in the paper. I Lexington, KY 40502 I 5:1; pm, a assa
© 2004 b Central Kentuck Jewish Federation ' ”Hm” ' X £1,
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2 . FEBRUARU 2004 sbAlom

 

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Generation Chai:

News and Views from Jewish Youths

For a small Jewish community, Central Kentucky boasts a diverse Jewish youth forum. Of the nine teens who turned up at CKJF headquarters on a bitterly cold
Sunday night, no fewer than four were born outside of Central Kentucky, three had traveled to Israel, six were affiliated with the Synagogu (of whom two have
Havurah affiliations) and threefrom the Temple and seven represented active members ofJewish youth groups. The immediate result was an engaging conversation
about what being Jewish means in general and what being Jewish in Central Kentucky means in particular. The long-term hope is that this roundtable, the
inaugural column of what we are calling Generation Chai, becomes thefirst of many with local Jewish youths that stimulates deep thought and further dialogue

within the broader Jewish community.

FACILITATOR, TRANSCRIPTIONIST:
Rachel Belin

PARTICIPANTS:

Josh Kline, age 15
Solomon Alkhasov, age 14
Heidi Zimmerman, age 15

Colleen Davis, age 15
Rebecca Knight, age 15
Ben Shechet, age 16
Becky Grossman, age 17
Penina Goldstein, age 17
Ryann Schermer, age 15

Question: How would you rate yourfeeling of
Jewish identity on a scale of one to ten?

Becky: I would rate it a seven. It’s important
to me, but it’s easy to forget it's there sometimes.
I'm not very religious, but I’d like to be. I
think there’s room to grow in my Judaism.

Colleen: I’d say about an eight because I
don’t go to services as much as I wish I did,
but I still feel like I think about my Judaism
every day.

      

   
 
 

  
    

this point in my life I’m honoring my own
personal development over my Jewish
development in whatever direction that may
go. And I don’t want to be bogged down by a
certain set of ideas that conceivably could
make me go in a direction in which that could
prove to be limiting.

U:

 

Rebecca: I would have to say about an eight
because I love being Jewish. I love when
people recognize that I’m Jewish and talking
about it when I’m like, "Oh, I’m Jewish," and
they're like, "Oh, tell me about that, about
being Jewish." And I love that. It makes me
feel special. It’s important to me, but all the
same, I don’t really get active in it a lot. I
don’t go out and do a lot of things that are
really supporting Judaism or anything like
that, but I still love being Jewish and being
recognized as being Jewish.

Solomon: I’d probably say like a six because
my family is not so into Judaism at all And
I’m still a freshman so I’ve only been to one
USY event and many of my close friends are
not Jewish. But still, I go to services two to
three times a month sometimes. Many of my
morals come from outside the Jewish world.

Ryann: I would probably give it about a three
because I come from an interfaith family and
we weren’t really too active in the Temple

 

. . , 5” fmyself

until the preparation for my Bat
Mitzvah. I mean I never felt
Christian+my mom doesn't
practice it—but I never felt like
"super" Jewish. And we just
recently started going to services
since Rabbi Kline started
working there. I do like to say
that I’m Jewish because it’s kind

 

and sharing their Views on
it really makes you feel part
of this community with
different ideas.

Colleen: I always feel most
Jewish when I listen to non-
Jews talking about their
ideals. I went to New

 

of interesting to be different and
have a different perspective.

Question: What are some of the events in your
lives so far that have made you feel most Jewish?

Heidi: My first Shabbat at Camp Ramah, I
was going into sixth grade...I was born in
Miami but I was raised primarily in Lexington
and seeing so many Jews come together to
pray, to sing the Shabbat melodies was just a
really big deal for me. It was just an amazing
feeling of connection that I felt.

Penina: This summer, on a Young Judea trip
to Israel, I found

   
  

. “1“ “£53“?
our activities
weren’t very
Jewish-oriented,
but instead Zionist-
oriented. However,
a friend and I made
the commitment to
daven Shachrit together in the mornings. It
was just the two of us, spending time focused
solely on our Judaism. That was a time where
I felt my Judaism strongly.

 

 

 

Becky: I went on the same trip as Penina and
the feeling that I got just being in Israel really
strengthened my Judaism. Before that trip,
which I think kind of paved the way, I read
two books that are not Jewish books, but really
added to my feelings of "Jewishness." One is a
Christian book, Mere Christianity, by CS.
Lewis and one is an Animist book, Ishmael, by
Daniel Quinn. They are very different but
they both gave me unique perspectives on my
own religion, and taken together, really made
me feel a lot more religious and a lot more
identified with the Jewish faith.

Rebecca: My most recent USY convention
that I went to last month—I hadn’t been to one
in a while and so I had forgotten what it was
like—but the whole idea of like two hundred
and something people from all over the region
coming together and talking about Judaism

 
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexico this weekend with
my cross-country team and
we went out to dinner and there was a
homeless guy on the street and he asked us if
we could spare a few dollars for him. And all
my guy friends were just like, "Oh, I’m sorry,
we have to go eat," and they didn’t even look
at him. And I said, "I’m sure I have a couple
of dollars," and I gave it to him. And when

we went inside, they said, "How could you
give someone money when you don’t even
know what they’re going to do with it?" And I
was like, "Well, if you read your Hillel, you’d
know that you’re not supposed to worry about
what they’re going to do with it because you
shouldn’ ume th ,

    
  

Kym: I felt the most
Jewish when my Dad
would come into
school and would say,
"Okay everybody, this
is Chanukah!" And he
would explain the
story and I would be like, "I’m a Jew. See, I’m
special; no one does this!" And everyone was
like, "Wow, Chanukah is the coolest thing."
And I would feel like such a Jew, like I’m
letting everyone know about my heritage and
letting everyone into my world.

Question: Complete this sentence: Being
Jewish means...

Solomon: To me, Judaism is more of a
community thing. Whenever I’m around a
mass group of Jews or during the summer
when I was in Boston, it’s just different. It’s a
different range of people from not really
religious Jews to complete Orthodox Jews.
And it’s just a deep range of friends or people
you could talk to. It’s a community experience.

Colleen: In our confirmation class, we’ve
been talking a lot about how Jews are one of
the few religions that don’t push their religion
on other people and how we don’t look for
recruits. So I think part of being Jewish is

see Generation Chai, page 18

ream/tag 2004 shalom . 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
     
     
   
   

 

 President's Message

!

Once Upon A Time

Once upon a time (1973 to be exact) in the
land of Lexington there lived a nice Jewish
boy and his wife. The newlyweds had just
moved from the Philadelphia area to
Lexington. Although they thought
themselves rather worldly, in fact they were
rather provincial and knew not that there was
a brave new world west of Pittsburgh. They
knew little of Kentucky. Upon arrival they
found that it was nice but very different.
Lexington, which they came to believe was
Native American for land without ethnic
restaurants, proved to be a curious but
pleasant place. It was a fertile land and they
saw that it was good. It would have been

great but the land of Lexington was a deli desert.

The young man found that there were other
Jewish people inhabiting this place. Not
many, but some. There was a temple and a
synagogue. At these places the congregants
prayed in an interesting "southern" sounding
Hebrew dialect that was somewhat like the
Yankee version to which they were
accustomed. The fact that there were two
congregations in town pleased the strangers.
It seemed odd to these newcomers that
though there were so few Jews in the land of

David Feinberg

Lexington that the two congregations did not
seem to have that much to do with the other.

The new arrivals settled in the land of
Lexington and the man eventually completed
studies at the bastion of all knowledge known
regionally as UK. The now not-so—new
arrivals decided it was time to join a
congregation. They joined the synagogue as it
was much like the congregation they had
experienced in Philadelphia. Still, they had
little to do with "the others" at the Temple.

As these individuals became involved in the
land of Lexington their curiosity about the
others grew. The others seemed to be just like
them but somehow their paths seldom
crossed. However, as their involvement in
Jewish communal life broadened they learned
more and more about them. Through
involvement with Hadassah, and later
Federation, they slowly but surely found that
the other congregation members were quite
the same as the newcomers. In fact, they
certainly had much more in common than not.

Recently there was a meeting of the Presidents
Council that included not only lllt‘ leaders of

Tt‘kkmm WN‘M .. on.

s

all the various Jewish
organizations in the
community but also
both congregational
rabbis. It was clear from this very helpful
meeting that there was much overlap in goals
and some potential joint programs were
discussed. The Presidents Council and other
less formal initiatives cross over and attempt
to unite while preserving and enhancing the
individual missions of the different
organizations.

 

Some things change. The now middle-aged
newcomer realized that in the land of
Lexington there is more a sense of
connectedness and communality than he had
ever experienced. He saw the connectedness
and knew it was good. Besides, the
newcomer keeps running into most of these
same people at the Oasis Restaurant. If we
can all find ourselves accidentally at the same
Middle Eastern buffet on the same day, we
can certainly reach out in a deliberate manner
and connect to each other on a regular basis.
Miracles happen. . .but sometimes they need
help to occur.

 

v‘ . i
«‘9' ‘13:}

 

    

Tikkun Lexington would like to sincerely THANK the following
volunteers for their wonderful hard work!

 

 

“A wonderful experience-I had a very good time. It shows the true spirit of
the season". — Darren Foster, First time Tikkun Lexington Volunteer

 

 
     

   

 

 
   

     
  

é‘DwéIivé. ng
Dubiliers’, aka Lou,
Vinnie, Alex & Gabi
spent the day deliv—
ering Ineals all over

    

Dr. Jonathan Waltman
& his crew, sons Michael
Nicholas & Sam deliver
Meals on Wheels!

  

Rosa Rita &
Jerry Wurmser
deliver Meals
on Wheels for
their 2nd year.

   

Harriet & Leon Coo-
per were the back—
bone of running the
gift shop at St. Joseph
Hospital—

     

Ornstein set out to
deliver Moveable
Feast, a new recipi—
ent of Tikkun efforts.

  
     
    

town!

 
  

 

  
     

  

T kMIvluners did
more than just deliver
meals, they packed and
prepared them as well.

Elaine & Amy Crystal
man the front desk at
St. Joseph Hosptial.

Emu Ie
Goldstein wait patiently
for the fun to begin.

       

“ I enjoyed delivering Moveable Feast with my friend, LisaMarie and our daughters. It was truly a nice

 
 
   

family experience". — Regina Meade, Tikkun Lexington Volunteer

4 - F€BRUARL12004 sbALom

 "may

‘LEUSC'ASLLV
"Friendly."
"Divided."
"Disconnected."

These were just a few of the
conflicting terms used to describe
the local Jewish community by
the over two dozen participants
in CKJF’s Young Leadership most
recent event.

Held at Joseph Beth Cafe in
December, "Schmooze with Jews"
was billed as an opportunity for
Central Kentucky’s Jews aged 25-

Young Leadership at work. From left to right: Allison Caller, Olga Vulakh,
Constantine Vulakh, Ziggy Rifkin-Fish, Seth Noar, Rachel Belin, Colby Cohen—
Arther, Ray Archer, Di Sobel, Sandy Goldberg.

    

 

45 to have an honest, facilitated
dialogue about the nature of local Jewish life
and their vision for the future.

Attracting a mix of those affiliated with
Ohavay Zion Synagogue, Temple Adath Israel,
Hadassah, AIPAC and those attached to no
formal Jewish group as well as those born
Jewish and those who were members of
interfaith families, organizers agreed that the
event delivered" the goods. "Schmooze with
Jews attracted a pluralistic crowd," said Ziggy
Rifkin-Fish, one of the five facilitators who
also serves on Young Leadership’s steering
committee. "The rcsult v. as \ Egon us

7 deep discussion about an
aspectséboth positive and negative—of what
it means to be Jewish here in Central Kentucky."

As the large group facilitator, Sandy Goldberg
noted that there is no shortage of energy on

the part of the community’s younger Jews.
"That so many people turned out on a
weeknight to talk about Jewish identity is a
real testament to the interest in this topic," he
said, "We really hope that this is just the first
in a series of discussions that will solidify our
resolve to strengthen the Jewish community
and involve younger people in that effort."

In fact, the mission of Young Leadership has
evolved from a purely social enterprise to one
or social change. Specifically. the group aims

tit, ‘ ~L; ".“ i3»,- ,.. r.-_..r.\,. e.

:ix. ,x T t‘l l‘ly‘fl’i‘. ‘vj<‘

l ' ‘ \uriugc >C‘Clcti connections across the

‘ Jewish community; .

Engage people in dialogue that affirms
Jewish identity;

Support the development of new leaders;
Amplify the voices of those under 45 in
the broader Jewish community and

 

International Summer Experience in Hungary
Available for Jewish Teenagers

Every summer, 2000 Jewish teenagers from all over the world come together to meet each other

beautiful Szarvas, Hungary. The Szarvas Fellowships program provides 60 exceptional North

31 Meet Jews from All Over the World

ll ‘Since 1990 the Camp at Szarvas has welcomed

l Jewish kids from over 25 countries, including

3.1 lndia, France, Turkey, Canada, Ethiopia,

lj Russia, Estonia, Romania, and Israel. In the

g1 warm and beautiful camp setting, Szarvas

l Fellows meet their peers from different coun-

ll tries, enjoy numerous camp activities such as
swimming, canoeing and horseback riding,

l and learn first-hand about the challenges and

' experiences facing Jewish communities

ll around the world today.

in preparation for the trip, Fellows explore
their own family history and genealogy, trans-
~ forming the experience into a personal jour-
J ney. The program includes guided tours of
l Jewish heritage sites in different cities in

l Explore your Jewish Roots
l
l
l

 

 

 

 

 

flaw—W'LA , W

l

l

l and celebrate Jewish life at the world's largest international Jewish summer camp, located in
l

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American high school student leaders with this opportunity of a lifetime.

Hungary. The Fellows study the languages,
geography and histories of the different
Jewish communities attending at the camp.

Eligibility and Applications

The program is open to North American high
school students from all Jewish cultural and
religious backgrounds, who will be complet—
ing 10th or 11th grade this year. The camp is
kosher and Shomer Shabbat. Applications are
due March ist, 2004. For more information or
to apply, contact the Central Kentucky Jewish
Federation office by e-mail: shalom@jewish-
lexingtonorg or by phone 268—0672.

The Szarvas Fellowships are administered by
The Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, in coopera-
tion with the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee.

l

 

' . -. \..-,. 1;..:.,... -:‘
is; 3Ut\c L13 c‘. p‘lciCtiLui SULALLC Lil utluulidut/l.

about local and national resources

Steering Committee member Elisa Klein Noar,
who moved to Lexington from New England
in 2001, says that such an approach is crucial
to engaging younger people in Jewish life.
"Lexington is both very close-knit and, in
some ways, very segregated," she said. "By
offering opportunities to participate in the
Jewish community that don‘t revolve
exclusively around religious life, we are
hoping more local Jews will participate in
leadership and get involved."

To learn more about Young Leadership or to join
the steering committee, contact Rachel Belin at
(859) 269-5678 or by e—mail at
rachelburg@post.harvard.edu.

     
   

D

 

 

51 Main Street ' Lexington, KY 40507
859.253.9300

 

 

 

 

Bagel Company

     

2&44 Richmond Road

in front of The Chop House Restaurant

269~0403

reserving 2004 shalom .

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From the Executive Director

   

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.~ itius 9-? rev \entzi. moist aroeol
« .

twionged to \x e \ isited one o" the mam “\Villa
\iisei ias’ which in those days dotted the
\letropolitan region. Villa \‘liserias are
shantytowns, a collection of ramshackle
houses. During those visits we helped with
cleaning garbage, improving sanitary
conditions, and building pipes to bring in
clean water. You might think that was a very
unlikely place for a Jewish encounter — and

you would be wrong.

While we were bringing in one of the
pipelines, a man in his early thirties
approached us and asked, ”Are you really
Jewish?” ”Yes”, I answered. It turns out that
this man was also Jewish, and he was
surprised to see Jewish boys and girls helping
in the shantytown. After work we went to his
house, a single-room tin and wood structure
that he, his wife and his baby shared and we
talked. He told us how through a series of
mistakes and bad judgment he ended up
homeless and unemployed, thus the
shantytown was his only option. He told us he
knew of a few other Jews in other
shantytowns, but none in his own. He also
told us about being Jewish in this
environment.

He said the first rule was not to tell anybody
you are Jewish. We asked, “Why? Because

Daniel Chejtec

fleeing; Jewish is a choice, and not an easy one.

most of these mniplt .m s13 .i“'.\";§i\t‘ci tin:
t
l 5‘l‘ . . ‘l' . s. ' . . .
it U t~ :xlli‘x‘kl l"_“‘ll" .' \t‘ f: ’ .: i i\:. 4%.:
although that is aiso true toe. out: ' to“
.

because it becomes ver} tllllit‘ttll to explain
how a Jew, who is supposed to be rich, lives in
poverty." He explained to us how you have to
develop a double life hiding your being
Jewish, ”almost like a Marrano,” he said. The
conversation continued and we talked about
what he did on Jewish holidays and whether
he was in touch with the community social
services, and much more.

I left his house with a very troubled feeling.
Why should anybody hide his or her being
Jewish? If I were in his circumstances, would I
do it myself? You see, I grew up with the idea
that you are who you are wherever you are
and that who you are includes being Jewish.
What I do and the decisions I make in my life
are closely tied to the values and the way of
life instilled by Judaism and I cannot think of
a situation that will force me to deny who I
am, short of a direct threat to my life. But
even that would be done in the spirit of
Judaism — the preservation of life. I grew up
convinced that you are a Jew at home, a Jew in
the street, and a Jew everywhere you are.

When coming to America, I was faced with a
different question. The Jewish practice I grew
up with was that of a secular Jew committed
to the humanistic ideals of the prophetic

teachings as applied to modern life. I did not

.Ilii‘Itt‘. I'a‘iiz'. ‘ 2‘

~t‘li‘- lL‘L‘K Ul‘. .2 ‘i‘if'tlfl.

 

lusts no: Jni l lxfl
kosher or Shahbati‘...
l lebreit' was not, for me. a language of tr‘t'..\ «2‘
but the language representing the rebirth of
my people in the land of my ancestors.
Hebrew was the language of lsrael. Mv lox e
and commitment to the Jewish state and the
ideals of Zionism was then, and is even today,
a very central part of my Jewish identity. So
upon coming to America, I first looked for a
group that would closely resemble the
environment in which I grew up. I did not
find it.

How could I remain part of my people in this
new society? It took me years to figure out
that in the same way that Jewish secular
education and Jewish activism were the most
popular forms of Jewish expression in
Argentina, religious worship and involvement
played that role in America. I was faced with
the choice to adapt to new forms of expression
of my Jewish identity or risk falling to the
sidelines of Jewish life.

I have learned a lot in the years since I came to
that reali/ation, and there is no doubt in mv
mind that my choices were closely connected
with my memories of a Jew in his early
thirties, living in a shantytown in Buenos
Aires, who was afraid to proclaim his Jewish
identity and afraid to participate in Jewish life.

‘-

 

Teens Drug and Alcohol Awareness
Workshop Informative

By Fran Morris, JFS Director

In December, a group of teens from our
community gathered together for an
afternoon of learning. Despite the fact that
many teens remembered their D.A.R.E
experiences very well, they listened patiently
as our speaker from the Bluegrass Prevention
Center spoke about the dangers of drug and
alcohol addictions. Through the use of Visual
aids, and small group discussions about
media advertising, we learned that there are
strong forces these days urging kids to drink
and use drugs. A new-found awareness was
gained about the prevalence of substance use
in our society. It was also interesting to learn
more about the nature of addiction and the
sobering fact that anyone can become
addicted to drugs and alcohol.

We also talked about the Jewish attitude
toward substance use. Many did not know

6 - KBRUARUZOM sbAlom

that as Jews, we actually have a moral duty to
take care of our bodies. In fact, we must show
the same care and respect to our bodies as we

would a holy object in the sanctuary.

A special thank you goes to Liberty Day of the
Bluegrass Prevention Center and to Rabbi
Cohen and Rabbi Kline for their collaboration
in the event. Parents, please mark your
calendars for the next workshop on drug and
alcohol prevention on Sunday, March 2] st,
from 12230-3 PM at Ohavay Zion Synagogue.
This workshop is for middle—school teens and
their parents. Lunch will be provided. This
event is sponsored by Jewish Family Services
of the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation, in
coordination with Temple Adath lsrael and
Ohavay Zion Synagogue.

 

Gan Shalorxfil’rescfmo]

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Now registering for
5 Toddlers & Preschoolers 3;;

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Questions? (Tall 335-9922 or log onto wwwganshalomcom

 

 

 

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limit

 

 

 

 Why Me?

By Jerry Wurmser

]erry and 'Rose Rita Wurmser are long-time residents of Lexington and members of Templ