xt7g7940w89n https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7g7940w89n/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2005-09 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 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, September 2005 text image Shalom, September 2005 2005 2005-09 2025 true xt7g7940w89n section xt7g7940w89n SHAL

NEWSPAPER OF THE CENTRAL KENTUCKY JEWISH FEDERATION

SEPTEMBER 2005

Judaic Studies Program enters new era

Community input desired
9 o 9
By Oliver Leaman

This year saw the ending of a significant period in the
history of the Judaic Studies Program at the University of
Kentucky. Dan Frank, the director and the person who
really created the degree out of tohu ve-vohu [”waste and
void"], left to take up a post at Purdue University. I am
the new director, and for most of the first year I am just
going to concentrate on keeping the ship on an even keel,
since a lot of the program is already organized and there
are no resources for any significant changes.

Where I need the help of the community is in advising
me on where they think the program ought to be going.
I item. are m o aspects of what goes on right nun; the
“courses and minor at the University, and. the: outreach
lectures arranged for the community both in UK and
without. Are we doing broadly the right sorts of things or
should we take a different tack? Is the lecture program for
the community about right or is it too academic, too

unacademic, too unconnected with
people’s interests? One thought I had
was to organize the lectures in terms
of themes so that they are connected
with each other. On the other hand,
perhaps the present arrangement is
the best. I would be very grateful for
any feedback on this.

As far as the courses at UK go, there
has been a pleasing steady growth in
the numbers of students signing up
for what we offer, and every sign
that this will continue. I very much
want to expand the courses we can
offer, and am exploring with the
biiiversity now to do this. At the
mOment th‘eprovi'sion is actually
rather tenuously connected to
whoever is around and is willing to

see Judaic Studies, page 18

— CAMPAIGN NEWS —

Operation Promise

Our Jewish story begins with a promise, passed from
generation to generation like a golden chain, etched in
our collective memories and recorded in our books and in
our Bible. This promise represents our hope to be a free
people, to return to our historic homeland and to create a
better future; it represents our dream to be a compassionate
people, whose purpose it is to make the world a better
place. Our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia passed on the
same promise to their children for countless generations.
Twenty-five thousand Jews in Ethiopia are waiting to take
their journey home, and those already in Israel need our
help to fully integrate into Israeli society. The government

see Promise, page 20

Hadassali lionoree Evelyn Hymson (seated)
and daughter, Barbara. (See story on page 21)

Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
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AV-ELUL 5765

I beg your pardon:
Forgiveness is at core
of High Holidays

By Stanley Ned Rosenbamn

Alice asks the Caterpillar, “If rule #42 is the oldest one in
the book, why isn’t it first?” Similarly, how is it that Rosh
Hashanah in the seventh month is the beginning of the
New Year? In fact, ancient Israel had two New Year
holidays. The fall New Year is the one we still observe,
but the Northern Kingdom (Israel) that fell in 722 BCE
had a spring New Year observed at Passover.

Both of these times are harvests in that part of the world,
of t ourse and form the pre~Israelite foundations on

which we’ve built. But the early agriculturalists are long , 2;
gone and here we are, again, coming to the 5766th . jg;
birthday of the world. '

The first ten days, the Days of Awe, are a period of
introspection. We go over the deeds and misdeeds of the
past year, seeking forgiveness of those whom we have
wronged. When that First Century Jewish teacher whose
name I can never remember said, “Forgive us our
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,"
what he was doing was simply repeating a Jewish duty.

We want God to forgive us our misdeeds and write us
down in the Book of Life for another year, but we cannot
appear before the Deity and ask for this without first
seeking the forgiveness of those whom we have wronged.
Fortunately, in this regard, Judaism works like Robert
Frost’s poem, ”The Death of the Hired Man.” Frost writes,
“Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
they have to take you in." Your neighbor is required to
give the forgiveness you seek. But seek and get it you
must before you are allowed to seek pardon from God.

We have ten days in which to do this. Now, the Eternal
would prefer us to respond promptly and without
question, as Abraham did when asked to sacrifice Isaac.
Consequently, we read their story on the first day of Rosh
Hashanah.

On the afternoon of Yom Kippur, not long before the
Gates of Repentance close completely, we read the story
of Jonah. Asked to do something that was hardly more
than an inconvenience, namely, go to Nineveh and warn
the Ninevites about God’s impending wrath, he refused.

Not only that, he tried hard to escape the duty imposed
upon him. Had Jonah read Psalm 139, he might have

see Forgiveness, page 7

IN THIS ISSUE:

I l 9 I‘
Israel Zlc ................................... 3 LOOklng for SImChaS, Etc. ' “
President's Message ‘ ........................... 4 We’ve rearranged. Please see page 17 for Around the
. , Community, informatIon about Me cycle events.
A call for Lexrngton S unsung heroes ................ 4
Origins of Zionism often misunderstood ............. 5 ’WW 9
From the Executive Director ...................... 6
no opinion ................................ 7 Community Queries
- . . Emp
Rabe'S Corner ............................... 8 We need your help. We’re planning some stories for upcomIng Issues whk
J t f K'd 9 and need to identify members of the community from whom we can get
US or ' S ' ‘ ‘ ' , """"""""""""""" information. So please email us at di-ifr@bardstown.com if ’ Unti
IS the Internet safe for you and your children? ....... 10 , , ‘ . terril
0 you’re a teacher, regardless of grade or InstitutIon; thm]
Ask JFS .................................... 10 new
. , . o 0 have hildren livin in Israel“
Gesher Times — Ofarim and Tzofim ................ 11 y u C 3 ’ Est:
. . . . . . . e
Camp Shalom Summer 2005 .................... 12 ' your child who grew up In I-exmston Is doms something onsmal and pom
exciting and you’d like to share It with the community. dam
Gesher Times — Chalutzim and Gesher ............. 14 _._—_#_. E
Book Review: Age alters memory ................. 15 Whe
loses
Letter to the Editor ........................... l6 . . Obst,
, Share Your SImchas WIth Shalom ma,
B tayavon .................................. 18 g ,
, SEND IN PHOTOS fume
Around the Communlty ------------------ 21 Have you celebrated a special event lately? Did you take pictures? Would you like to oxyg
Lexington Hadassah .......................... 21 share those pictures? Are you getting where these questions are leading? 3;:
TN ....................................... 22 The editorial staff of Shalom would like to publish pictures of you and your
, family/friends. We especially want parents to provide the paper with pictures of their 0V9]
Lexrngton Havurah -------------------------- 22 bar or bat mitzvah. Photos of other happy events are welcome, too, as are memorial empl
OZS 23 pictures. Either electronic files (send to Dl—IFR@Bardstown.com) or prints (bring to P111“
...................................... ‘CKJF office) will do. caus‘
Community Calendar ......................... 24
Don’t be shy. You will be helping to enhance the look of Shalom and helping the 111 m
community get to know you and your family. The goal of this paper is, in part, to . ‘ empl
bring the Central Kentucky Jewish community closer together. Getting to know each smol
A L M other through stories and pictures is a good way to reach that goal. \
II I Like
Published ten times per year by the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation, Inc. Let US hear from yo”! . Aﬁon
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email: shalom@'ewishlexin ton.or 6'99 , a6 ' ' ll 4‘
l 9 9 gale-£43; Central Kentucky JeWIsh Federatlon 3302
SEPTEMBER 2005, VOLUME XII, ISSUE 7 "3"” emp}
Marty Barr, President - . . -
Daniel Chejfec, Executive Director CKJF PresIdent. CKJF Board. dlsea
Jana LaZur, AleltieS Director Marty Barr Ray Archer Mimi Kaufman medI
Stacey Heisler. JFS Director Judy Baumann Steve Kesten diSCC
. _ Rachel Belin Lowell Nigoff ,
SHALOM COMMITTEES Executive CommIttee: Marcia Blacker Angie Ornstein In H
EdItorIaI Board * d . . k' . h treatj
Ruth Poley, Editor-in-Chief Gerald Dubilier, lst Vice President Cory Er mann Ziggy R'V 'n'F'S to sh
Mary Heléne Rosenbaum, Editor/Administrator ' Michael Grossman, Vice President Mlchael Grossman R'Ck' Rosenberg
Marcia Blacker, Editorial Board Pat Shraberg, Secretary “Robert Grossman Walter Salomon treat]
JUdy Levme' Editorial Board David Feinberg, Immediate Past President Stanley lsenstein Lisa Satin an 9}
Advisory Board Ruth Poley Member At-Large Odette Kaplan Carole Wilson Yellu
Elissa Brown, Gail Cohen, Angie Ornstein, ' Doug Katz
Janet Scheeline, Mark Schneider, Rose Rita Wurmser, Until
and Heidi Zimmerman medi
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. v - DON T MISS OUT! trans
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sh D d1. 1t
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Dr. Laurence H. Kant, Allison Kaplan Sommer, Oliver Leaman, o , ea Inc Get thls paper dellvered pr0C(
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2 0 September 2005 Shalom

Israel 2 1c

Israeli and US doctors team up
to help emphysema patients

breathe easier
9 o o

By Allison Kaplan Sommer

Emphysema is a terrible disease for
which there is no cure.

Until now, the only way to treat the
terrible symptoms of the disease was
through high-risk major surgery. But a
new technique that is being fully
tested for the first time at the Sheba
Medical Center at Tel Hashomer may
point to a non—surgical and less
dangerous alternative.

Israeli and

American doctors
are collaborating
on a new non-inva—
sive procedure to
treat sufferers of

When emphysema strikes, lung tissue emphysema.

loses its elasticity, and airways become
obstructed. For patients, it means
great difficulty breathing and generally impaired
functioning in their entire body, as the exchange of
oxygen and carbon dioxide is disturbed. It is an
irreversible process: once lung cells are affected,
there is no way to rehabilitate them.

Over 3.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with
emphysema, and its aftermath: chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD), which is the fourth-highest
cause of death in the US.

In more than 80 percent of the cases,

Several years ago, Yellin came upon
an article that fascinated him describing
a start-up in Boston, which was
conducting experiments treating
emphysema in sheep, in connection
with the Tufts Veterinary School.

”What they were doing mimicked
the lung volume reduction surgery
but in a non~surgical way,” said Yellin.

The technique involved injecting the
lungs with material described as
”biological glue” which completely
destroyed the cell connections in the
damaged portions and “sealed them
up,” combined with antibiotics to
prevent infection. In the sheep, the
damaged lung areas collapsed and
scarred, leaving only the healthier,
better—functioning parts of the lung
intact - the technique essentially
reduced the lungs without surgery.

Shortly afterwards, a member of
Yellin's department, Dr. Yael Raffaeli,
traveled to Boston to do training at
Brigham and Women's Hospital,
where the staff included the doctor
who developed the technique used
on the sheep.

”Through my colleague, we
contacted him and suggested that
when the technique was ready for

emphysema occurs as the result of
smoking.

Like all pulmonary physicians, Dr
Alon Yellin, Chief of General
Thoracic Surgery at Sheba Medical
Center in Ramat Can and his
colleagues have been continually
looking for a way to help their
emphysema patients after their
disease advances past the stage that
medication alone can alleviate their
discomfort - surgically or otherwise.

”In recent years, it became clear to us that the trend in
treating emphysema, as with other diseases, would have
to shift from surgery, which carries high risks, to
treatments that were not invasive. Surgery will always be
an option, but another solution also had to be found,”
Yellin told Israel 21c.

Until a decade ago, managing emphysema meant
medication—and in its most severe stages—a full lung
transplant. For the past ten years, there has been another
altemative—lung volume reduction surgery: a surgical
procedure in which the most severely diseased portions
of the lung are removed to allow the remaining lung and
breathing muscles to work better. While the results have
been promising, the risks involved in this procedure are
considered unacceptably high for patients who are in an
already weakened condition from the effects of the disease.

”The operation requires a long hospitalization. In the best—
case scenarios, approximately five percent of the patients die
and in the worst case—10 percent," Yellin explained.
”This is what has reduced the enthusiasm for the procedure
between when it first came on the scene and now.”

human Clinical trials, we would test
it together at the same time in
Israel,” he said.

They met with enthusiasm on the
American side and set up their >
collaboration. After getting the ’
approval of the Israeli Health
Ministry to participate—a laborious
process which took more than a year,
the trials began last month. After the
technique was tried on hundreds of
sheep, the time had come to test it on
human beings, both in the US and in
Israel.

While the US trials and the Israeli
trials are taking place
simultaneously, they are of a
different nature. The FDA gave the
Boston hospital permission to
conduct a Phase One study to check
safety of the technique. Therefore,
the 12 patients will have only two
sections of their lung treated.

e’QstaelJmaebeen justas strict and difficult as the United

. g . g p . m . Sum Wiliatways
be an option, but another sotuﬁon also had
- to be hand.”

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The Israeli hospital is authorized for a full-ﬂedged
treatment in which it may inject the lungs in all 10 sites,
testing not only safety but effectiveness.

So far, six patients have begun treatment in Boston and
four in Tel Aviv.

Yellin is cautious about drawing conclusions in this early
stage but ”it has gone better than we anticipated.”

Finding patients who volunteered for the procedure was
”surprisingly not difficult,” he reported. ”It seemed
everyone wanted to volunteer and be first.”

He said that the relationship between the American and
Israeli investigators had become ”very close” with a
considerable amount of travel back and forth. ”The
American doctors came here to make sure that we were
doing it the right way in a top—level facility. It is very
exciting for me knowing that we are the only two places
in the world doing this procedure right now.”

Both sides are being very carefully monitored by their
government health authorities.

States, and I think it's‘a good» thing. When you are doing
something new, there is nothing wrong with many
precautions and restrictions that require you to take
things step by step,” Yellin said.

5*“

Yellin, who lives in Tel Aviv, received his medical training
at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and trained for
two additional years in Los Angeles at the City of Hope
Medical Center. He is an Associate Professor of Surgery at
Tel Aviv University.

Assuming the trials go well, he believes the treatment will
become popular quickly.

”We know the trend in medicine is towards minimal
invasive surgery or no surgery at all. If you can achieve
the same results without surgery, why put your patient
through the trauma and risk? If this works and it seems
to be working there will be tens of thousands of patients
all over the world treated with the technique we are
pioneering now.” 1:5

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September 2005 Shalom 0 3

<6 ’9'!» ._ ——

President's Message

Keeping the "J"

in our lives
4 § +

My father was born in what is now
Poland and came to the United States
in the early years of the 20th century.
He grew up in Boston, worked in the
shipyard at Bath, Maine, served in
the US Army in World War I, got a
law degree by reading in an
attorney's office, and spent his
working career in what is now called
the Veterans Administration. During
that time, he also managed to meet my
mother and have my brother and me.

His overriding passion, however,
throughout his life was the
improvement in the quality of life of
the Jewish people and the

Marty Barr

establishment of a Jewish homeland. The pride I now feel and have felt for
If there was an organization whose many years for the dedication he had
name in anagram form contained the to an ideal is in sharp contrast to the
letter ”J,” you could be sure that he resentment I felt as a teenager when
was involved in some manner. His he couldn't attend a ballgame I was
most important work was through playing in. It is only as I have

the Jewish War Veterans, or JWV, as matured and had children of my

it was known. Here he
became the national
commander and
national executive
director after his
retirement from
government service.

»»»»» If there was an organization
ea name in anagram form
., f fined the Ietter “J,- ” you __ _' ,
some beisure that he. was. ' ~ »-

That period in my life
was brought back to
me when my brother
sent me an email that
in cleaning out some boxes he had own that I recognized the importance
come across some JWV caps. I asked of what he dedicated his life to.

him to send me several. While my involvement will never

equal his, it has become an integral
part of who I am and what I hope my
children and grandchildren will adopt
as a meaningful part of their lives.

The message is clear; Judaism lives
through our involvement, both
religious and cultural. It doesn't
matter what avenue you choose. Just
pick a way to be involved so that as
the next generations come along,
they will find a vibrant Jewish
community waiting for them. X3

A call for Lexington's
unsung heroes

By Gloria B. Rie

The Humanitarium, in partnership with LexArts, the Lexington Herald
Leader, WKYT, and other organizations, wants you to nominate ordinary

Lexingtonians who have done extraordinary things. Starting September 1, you
will have the chance to nominate people who have made a difference to you
and / or your community, past and present. Twelve people will be honored in
the media and in both traveling exhibits and a fine arts exhibit at ARTS Place
on September 15, 2006. To find out more go online to www.1exstories.net. So...
don't just stand there, nominate someone you believe in! t

Is the Internet highway safe
for you and your children?

With internet crimes on the rise, learn how to keep your children safe.
Learn the resources out there to make the lntemet experience a safe one.
JFS invites you and your children to learn how to protect yourselves against electronic predators.

Presented by
Laurie Buchanan Program Coordinator, Internet Crimes Against Children.
Detective Jackie Plckrell, KY State Police Electronic Crimes Branch
Miami!!! Service;

September 27, 2005

#95“ Fede’er, .

x“ (i) °¢ 7:00 pm. at Temple Adath Israel Library
LL-4__.l

090%: led Please RSVP to JFS at 859.269.8244 no later than September 19, 2005

Bromhtto oub Jewish Fami Services ofthe Central Kentu Jewish Federation

4 0 September 2005 Shalom

History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conﬂict, Part I

Origins of Zionism often
misunderstood

OQO

By Daniel 016ij

One hundred and eight years ago, on August 29 1897, the
Jewish Congress that Theodore Herzl had worked for
years to assemble convened in Basle. For the first time

in more than 1,850 years, a worldwide congress of the
Jewish people was taking place, with representation from
North and South America, North Africa, almost every
country in Europe, and beyond. The hall where they
gathered was dominated by a banner designed by David
Wolffsohn with a Star of David flanked by two blue
stripes on a white field. By the end of the Congress, the
World Zionist Organization had been established, with
Herzl as its first president, a flag—~the same one designed
by Wolffsohn—and an anthem called Hatikva/i (“The
Hope") were adopted. Herzl, in his speech, predicted that
50 years from then there was going to be a Jewish State,
and 50 years later the State of Israel proclaimed its
independence.

Whenever somebody asks about the origins of Zionism,
the common mistake is to assume that Zionism was
started by Theodore Herzl. Yet while Herzl was the key
figure in bringing all the different
Zionist groups around the table to
define a common agenda, and
kept them in focus to get things
done (no small feat), Zionism
needs to be understood in the
broader context of the social and
historical realities of Jews from the . -J
end of the 17th century. 7

For most of the history of Jews in the Diaspora, the
relationship between Jewish communities and their host
societies was clear: Jews kept to themselves, they paid
taxes, and the larger society decided what would happen
to them. Every now and then, when circumstances
became really hard for Jews, somebody would rise and
proclaim the coming of the Messianic times or even
proclaimed himself Messiah. Since these individuals did
not bring about the hoped-for redemption for the Jewish
people, they are referred to as “False Messiahs.” They
rose in every community and under many circumstances.
The times of the Christian Reformation and Counter-
Reformation heralded a dark time for Jews in Europe,

Whenever somebody asks about
the origins of Zionism. the common
mistake is to assume that Zionism

caught as they were between the anvil and the hammer of
those uncertain times. As in other times in history, a
”Messiah” arose to save the Jews and restore Jewish
sovereignty over the land of Israel. What made this
”Messiah” different from the others was the timing of his
appearance and his charisma.

Shabbetai Zvi—that is the Messiah we are talking about——
was born in Smyrna in 1626 to a Sephardic family, and at
the age of 22 proclaimed himself to be the awaited
Messiah; by 1665 his movement had grown to comprise a
sizable segment of the Jewish communities of the eastern
Mediterranean and it had spread as far north as Poland
and Lithuania. He announced the coming salvation for
Israel, and many were convinced that this was true.
Hundreds of thousands across Europe started to sell their
homes and get ready for the travel to the Holy Land. The
Ottoman Turks, however, were not disposed to allow him
to get away with it, so he was taken prisoner and
“convinced” to convert to Islam on September 16, 1666,
becoming “Mohmet Effendi” and vanishing from sight.
Most of the Jews abandoned his teaching and felt
betrayed by his conversion, but a group of followers
actually converted to Islam, keeping Jewish practices in
secret. Another group remained Jewish and proclaimed
that Shabbetai Zvi was going to return. This latter group
still exists even today; they are known as ”Shabbetaists."
(One of the most famous members of this group is chess
player Bobby Fischer.)

The failure of Shabbetai Zvi
was followed by another
failed movement around the
figure of Jacob Frank, born in
1726, who converted to
Christianity. His movement’s
'area of inﬂuence reached
Poland, Western Russia, and Central Europe, and the
demise of his movement coincides with the beginning of
one of the darkest periods of Jewish history in Europe:
between 1728 and 1748 more than a hundred thousand
Jews were killed by the Cossacks in an area spreading
from the Western regions of the czarist empire to Poland.
The depth of the despair among Jews in those days
knows very few parallels in Jewish history. Enter Rabbi
Israel Ben Eliezer, who came to be known as the ”Baal
Shem Tov,” founder of Hasidism.

The Baal Shem Tov’s ideas were intended to help Jews
cope with the harsh realities of his time, and were rooted
in traditional Kabbalah. His basic
tenet was that in order to serve God

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properly, it was important to do so
with enthusiasm leading to the
ecstasy of connection with the Holy
One through the practice of mitzvoth.
Kabbalah was certainly important in
his worldview, but he introduced a
more important element in
mainstream Judaism: we live in this
world, and we need to make the best
we can of the time we spend here.
This particular idea, which was part
of the original hasidic philosophy, is
one of the elements that would build
up to the Zionist ideology.
Redemption was to be achieved not
exclusively through study or through
prayer, but through concrete action on
this world as well.

Theodore Herzl

While Hasidism was spreading
among the Jews in Eastern and Central
Europe, another wave of social
change was starting in Western
Europe. The beginnings of the
Enlightenment brought about the
Emancipation, and with it a gradual
crumbling of ghetto walls, putting
Jews in contact with the general
society in ways so different from all
prior Jewish historical experience
that Jews did not know exactly how
to respond. Access to the general
society and secular sciences, as well
as the emerging concepts of national
identity and modern political
national states, made it difficult for
Jews to know how to react. Enter
Moses Mendelssohn.

Moses Mendelssohn, born in 1729 in
Dessau, proposed a novel solution to
the problem of existing as Jews
outside the ghetto. While his
philosophy has often been
summarized with the phrase ”a Jew
at home and German in the street,” it
is an oversimplification. His proposal
was parallel to similar ideas in the
general society. The main concept
was a distinction being made
between the private and public
spheres of life, a separation
previously unknown. It is in this
context that one had to be a Jew ”at
home,” that is, in private life. When
acting in the general society,
however, he believed that it was
important to understand that Jews
were first citizens of their societies :
and Jews later. His ideas gave birth
to a new movement in Western '
Europe, the Haskalah or Jewish

Enlightenment. Many Jews who were

becoming acquainted with secular

society embraced his ideas, and in

short order the movement became

dominant in Germany. There, among

other consequences, it would allow

the birth of classical Reform Judaism

and, as a reaction to it, the birth of *
Orthodoxy as we know it today. The ,
Haskalah allowed Jews to interface

between the general society and their

Jewish Identity, greatly increasing the

see Zionism, page 16

September 2005 Shalom 0 5

'9’”... n ..

From theExecutive Director

America 2020

The next generation of American leaders must be better informed

+++

I recently received a study by Dr. Frank Luntz called ”America 2020: how
the next generation views Israel." The study focuses on students at elite
universities known to provide a disproportionate number of legislators
and other elected officials. For those of you unfamiliar with Dr. Luntz, he is
considered to be one of the most honored communications professionals in
America today and acclaimed by Time, the Boston Globe, and even the
Washington Post as one of the hottest pollsters around. The guy does have

some credentials.

The study focuses on the opinions of today’s college
students at Harvard, Yale, and other top universities.
Some of those who participated in the focus groups are
likely to become political leaders of our country in the
coming years. The study indicates that we are losing

the battle for the hearts and minds of America: not only

losing it but losing it badly. The problems are not
confined to their impressions of the Israeli-Palestinian
conﬂict, but also include some problematic perceptions
of American Jews.

One of the basic problems is that we are still trying to ”sell" Israel to the
American public in our terms, and as any good merchant knows, you make
sales when you meet clients on their terms, not yours. Some common
misperceptions include the notion, "Iews have signiﬁcant monetary funds, which
is one of the areas they have in common with most Republicans” — said not as an

Daniel Chejfec

objective comment, but with the
loaded meaning that ”Republican" is

a four-letter word, and therefore so is

”Jew.” Remember that these are not
uneducated, unsophisticated

The study indicates that
we are tosing the battie for
the hearts and minds of
America: not only tosin'g it
but losing it badly.

Americans, but Ivy League graduate
students who will become the
leaders of America. One University
of Chicago student went so far as to
say, ”Jews have a seriously negative
inﬂuence in our policies in Israel-
Palestine. With all their money and

power, they have
succeeded in
forcing our
government to be
involved in the
Middle East.”

These students
wonder why the
Jews feel they are
entitled to their

own state when no other religious
group has one—the idea of Jews as

part of an ethnic-cultural heritage is
completely lost. This aspect of the
image is something we American
Jews are responsible for ourselves by
going out of our way to minimize

our uniqueness even when

examples.

everybody else claims their own. But
how do people get such a distorted
image of Israel? The answer is, the
news media. Let me give you some

For all the celebrations in life!

Dupree Catering

1006 Delaware Avenue
859.231.0464 fax 859.253.1727

www.dupreecatering.com

6 0 September 2005 Shalom

A recurrent situation: Palestinian
suicide