xt7mpg1hn219 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7mpg1hn219/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2013-06 2013-07 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, June/July 2013 text image Shalom, June/July 2013 2013 2013-06 2013-07 2025 true xt7mpg1hn219 section xt7mpg1hn219 Shale

June/July 2013

Newspaper of

The jewish Federation

OF THE BLUEGRASS

 

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From Hadassah: Palestinian
Authority Health Minister Visits
Patients at Hadassah Hospital,
Emphasizes Medical Cooperation

 

JERUSALEM ——The Pal-
estinian Authority’s Min-
ister of Health, Dr. Hani
Abdeen, Visited patients
at Hadassah Hospital in
Jerusalem, on Sunday,
May 5, and emphasized
the importance of coop-

«@‘ération with Hadassah

in healing, teaching and
research.

mad); Abdeen, accompa4

nied by other senior
officials from the Pales-
tinian Authority, met with
Hadassah Acting Director-
General and Director of
Hadassah-Bin Kerem, Dr.
Yuval Weiss, in the Pediat-
ric Hematology~Oncology
Department, where 30 percent of the
patients are Palestinian.

"Hadassah considers cooperation

with our Palestinian neighbors a top
priority,” Dr. Weiss told Dr. Abdeen.
”Medicine is a bridge to peace. There
are no borders when it comes to treating
patients.”

On any given day, about 60 Palestin-

i ,.,. 1‘

Palestinian Authority’ 5 Minister of Health Dr. Hani Ab-
deen, visits eight-year—old Sarah Ghanem, from the village
of Durah near Hehron, while she 15 treated at; 1' ,
Hospital’ 5 Pediatric Oncology- Hematology Department in
Jerusalem, on Sunday, May 5, 2013.

ian doctors are doing their residency at
Hadassah Hospital. During his yisit, Dr.
Abdeen met Palestinian physicians who
are training at the hospital. Emphasizing
that it is important to develop special-
ties that are lacking in the Palestinian
Authority — particularly anesthesiology,
interventional radiology, cardiac care,
and pediatrics — Dr. Abdeen noted, “I’m

see Palestinian Authority, page 13

 

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1’] Library and Baby Moon
Teaming Together

PJ Library and Baby Moon are teaming
together to bring an exciting new pro-
gram to Lexington PJ Library families
on Thursday, June 27, 2013. At 11:30 am
to 12:30 pm, we will gather together at
the Baby Moon studios located at 2891
Richmond Road, Suites 103 8: 203 for

a Story hour which will include yoga,
dancing, movement, and singing, a P]
Library story, and lunch. The class will
be led by Baby Moon yoga instructor,
Adrienne Bauer. ”1 am looking forward
to working with P] Library as we join
together yoga and movement for young

Sum-
mer in
Lexington
means
1;. ' , that
i D V) dozens
' of young
Ska om
both
campers
and counselors, will return for another
fun-filled two weeks at Camp Shalom.
This season will bring a number of
changes including a new director, Ta-
mara Ohayon, a new assistant director,
Dani Rosenkrantz, and a new curricu-
lum designed to bring Jewish values of
Torah, service, and acts of loving kind-
ness into many aspects of programming.
This curriculum was designed by the
Jewish Community Center Association.
The Federation Board decided to be-
come a member of this national organi-
zation so that we can have access to the
many program materials and consulting
services that the JCCA provides —— in-
cluding training our new director in the
TAG curriculum. TAG is an acronym for

children and a P] Library story.”

The program is geared to children age
2-5 years. Cost for the program is $5,
which includes the class and lunch. Res-
ervations are required by Monday, June
24‘“ and can be made by calling the JFB
offices at 859—268-0672 and asking for
Lori or by emailing lori@jewishlexing-
ton.0rg. You may either pay in advance
or at the door. Make your reservations
early since there is a maximum of 15
children for the class. fi

" *— CAMPAIGNNEWS “—

Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim.

Your contributions to our annual
campaign allow us to be able to up-
grade Camp Shalom programming

and provide scholarships that make it
possible for a number of our children

to attend camp. The modest tuition that
we charge does not cover the costs of
running Camp Shalom; without com-
munity support our children would

not have a Jewish day camp. The costs
would be prohibitive. These two weeks
make a difference in our children’s lives.
For many, it is the only time they live

in a Jewish environment where most of
their peers and counselors are Jewish.
Many of our children are the only Jew-
ish student in their classes. Camp is also
an environment where children learn
independence, self-confidence, and
new skills. Help us ensure that we can
continue to provide these experiences
for our children by giving generously to
the 2013 annual campaign. If you have
already made your commitment, we
thank you for your generosity. n

 

 

  

IN THIS ISSUE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

President’s Message 3
Jewish Federations of North America Announce Fund for Oklahoma 3
JFS: At Your Service 4
Todah Rabbah to our retiring Board members 4
1th Annual Emilie Szekely Holocaust Awareness Writing Project ............. 5
lsrael 21 c: The lsraeli sharing his mass casualty expertise in Boston ........ 6
Ask A Rabbi 7
Temple Garden News 8
Yom Ha’atzmaut :0
Donate Life Event 1 1
B'nai Mitzvah 13
B'tayavon 14
The Lexington Chapter of Hadassah 15
Temple Adath Israel “ 16
Ohavay Zion Synagogue 17
Sim Shalom News 17
The Lexington Havurah 18
Around the Community V 18

 

Shalom

Published ten times per year by the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, inc.
1050 Chinoe Rd, Suite 1 12, Lexington, KY 40502
Phone (859) 268-0672 . Fax (859) 268-0775
email: shalom@jewishlexington.org

JUNEIJULY 2013. VOLUME X. ISSUE 5
Michael Grossman, i’resident
Judy Wortrnan, Executive Director
Tamara Ohayon, Marketing and Outreach Director
Mimi Kaufman. JFS Director
Lori Bernard, Coordinator of informal Jewish Education
Kathie Kroot. Administrator

5W EDITORIAL BOARD
David A. Wortman. Editor~in-Chlef
Hanna Smith. Chairperson
Jane Chaput. Susan Cabin, Betty Nigoff

CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS
Daniel Baesier, Jinju Santalucia. Jesse Weil
LOCALDISTBIBUTIONSEMCES
LoweiiandBettyNigoff
PnducflonServioeshyGeorgmNews-Graphic

Theeditoriaistaifhastherighttoecltalanidessubrflttedfor publcationlnShalomArticlesshouldnotex-
ceedSOOwordsiheappearanceof anyadvertisingin thisptflicatlondoesnotrepresenteltherakashrufli
ammmmwmdmmuwmwum

WWthmmfldemmeflWMuMJflchm
stltuentorganizatlons.

Mkwdalyswpomedbymeadverusementsappeamghmepaper.

OzoiiiewtheduwonofmeBhegrassAl reservedforreprhtperrrflssioncomact
WWMmW

2 l JuneIJulyzo13 Shalom

 

mI—JAV‘AJ

kiwi!“ III-Yul! $30l5£3 eae SQRQQ ,

 

The P] Library is a national program offered locally, which mails free,
high-quality and age appropriate Jewish children's literature and music to
families on a monthly basis.

All families raising Iewish children ages six months to eight years are welcome to
enroll. JFB is proud to ofler your family, through our partnership with local donors and
the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, this opportunity to explore the timeless core val aes

of Iudaism through books and music.

Enroll your children or grandchildren today! Call us at 859.268.0672 or
visit www.pjlibrary.com and visit our Lexington community page.

 

 

 

@

 

Lunch and Learn with our
Lexington community rabbis

June 25 with Rabbi Moshe Smolkin
July 30 with Rabbi Uri Smith

At 12 noon on the last Tuesday of each month,
in the IFB office, rabbis, on a rotating basis; 1
will be discussing the holidays, the Torah
portion of the week, and other topics of
interest A dairy lunch is offered at a nominal
charge. If you are interested in attending g,
UK‘JU‘l‘gFl “(1“ $2“ please call Judy Wortman at 859- 268-0672

so we can order lunch for you. 7

 

 

  

Executive Committee

Michael Grossman, President
Evalyn Block, Wee President
Hanna Smith. Secretary
Gary Yarus. Treasurer

Bob Grossman, tit-Large
Seth Salomon, At-Large

If you are not receiving Jewish Weekly email and would like to, please
send your name and email address to lexadmln@jewishlexingtonorg

r~\\i\l} l‘l‘rlmmitm

0F YHE BLUEGRASS

Board Members
Jane Chaput
Susan Cobin

Gail Cohen

Jenn Garlln

David Feinberg
Mickey Hernandez
Larry Kant

Minna Katz-Brown
Amy Faust Mayer

    

Angie Ornsteln
Jenny Rice

Kae Schennberg
Pat Shraberg
Marty Solomon
Paul Tillier

Elissa Weinstein
Judy Worell

 

Shalom Deadline

Deadline for articles for the August Shalom is July 1 0.
Email articles to shalomgjewishlexingtonorg

 President’s Message

Michael Grossman, JFB President

 

“Service to others is the rent you pay
for your room here on earth." Famous
words from our Jewish sages and
prophets? No. This comes from a more
contemporary, local source: Kentucky's
own Muhammad Ali. As I become the
next President of the Jewish Federation
of the Bluegrass, Ali’s words resonate
with me greatly. I’ve had the pleasure
of serving on the JFB board for several
years, and I am thrilled and honored to
have been elected to serve as the next
President. The importance of service
and giving back to the community has
been stressed and exemplified by my
predecessors, most immediately Bob
Grossman, Linda Ravvin and Dave
Feinberg. If I can just approach the high
bar they’ve set, I’ll consider my tenure a
success.

I can’t imagine a better time to lead JFB
or, for that matter, to be to be part of the
extended Jewish community of Central
Kentucky. JFB’s exceptional staff, with
the help of our dedicated volunteers,
continues to organize so many won-
derful events and activities that it’s _
hard to fit‘ them all on the community
calendar. I’m especially impressed with
the work of our extraordinary director
Judy, Wortrnan. I was a member of the
nominating committee that selected
Judy and it was certainly one of my best
decisions in a leadership role. Judy is
truly a gem. She brings out the best in
all of us. Many of you have worked
with Tamara Ohayon over the years
and know how lucky we are to have
her continue as Director of Marketing,
Outreach & Engagement. And with
Lori Bernard as Coordinator of Informal
Jewish Education, Mimi Kaufman as
Jewish Family Services Director and Ka-
thie Kroot as Office Administrator, you
can rest assured that JFB will continue
to offer the programs and activities that
the community wants and needs. They
do so much with so little, and we are so
grateful.

We are blessed to have enriching and
vibrant religious organizations in our
community in Temple Adath Israel,
Ohavay Zion Synagogue and the Ha-
vurah. And our community’s support

and com-
mitment to
Hadassah
and B’nei
B’rith are
unshakeable
and legend-
ary. And, with a former football player
leading TAI, and a sax-playing math—
ematician leading OZS, their congrega-
tions eagerly await their colorful weekly
sermons. I think the world of both of
them, and look forward to working with
them and their congregations.

JFB’s many volunteer partners have
shown real commitment to our commu-
nity. In the words of Winston Churchill,
”We make a living by what we get, but
we make a life by what we give." I’m in
awe of how many of you take time out
of your busy schedules to ”make a life"
by giving back to the people around
you. Volunteerism is the real backbone
of our community. Personally, I have
found that volunteering and giving
back has immensely benefited myself
as an individual in ways I never would
have imagined. Service may be the rént
you owe, to paraphrase Muh

Ali, but the room you rent is a{ pie
lot nicer when you and those around
you actively give back to the commu-
nity. I hope many of you will continue
to enrich your lives and connect with
Central Kentucky’s Jewish Community
by taking an active part.

In addition to volunteer activitiéstFB
committees provide another avenue for
giving back to the community. Commit-
tees provide real time input and guid—
ance from the community at large on
how JFB can best serve and enrich our
local Jewish community. Each person
brings a unique perspective, and we
would love for anyone interested in get-
ting involved to do so. Together, we can
focus where it matters most.

I began this message with a quote from
a beloved fellow Kentuckian. I will end
with one from one of our sages, Hillel:
“Don’t separate yourself from the com-
munity.” Please join me in continuing
to enrich our Jewish community. Cl

 

 

The Jewish Federations of North

America Announces Fund for
Oklahoma City Relief Efforts

NEW YORK — The Jewish Federations of
North America (JFNA) announced the
Oklahoma City Tornado Relief Fund,
dedicated to gathering aid from across
the Jewish Federation community for
the victims of the devastating tornado
that tore through the Oklahoma City
area, killing and injuring many people
and leaving a wide path of destruction.

JFNA has opened the donation mailbox
to support relief efforts of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Oklahoma City,
and is coordinating relief efforts with
the Oklahoma City Federation. One
hundred percent of funds donated will
go to the local Federation and its relief
efforts on the ground.

Speaking on behalf of the Jewish Fed-
erations community, JFNA extends its
deepest sympathy and support to the
people of the Oklahoma

Jerry Silverman. “This was a terrible
tragedy. The destruction of an elemen-
tary school filled with students and
teachers was especially painful.”

JFNA remains in close contact with the
Edie Roodman, the executive direc-
tor of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Oklahoma to determine the needs on
the ground and next steps.

Donors can contribute to the fund
online at https:/ / secure-fedweb.jew-
ishfederationsorg / page/ contribute /
oklahoma-city-tomado or send checks
to the JFNA national mailbox at The
Jewish Federations of North America,
Wall Street Station, PO Box 148, New
York, NY 10268. Please indimte ”JFNA
Oklahoma City Tornado Relief Fund"
on all checks or in the designation box
online.

 

 

City area in the wake of
the massive tornado that

college Advisiilié BoardingSchool Placement |

 

 

killed at least two dozen

 

people, injured scores of
others and devastated

Jane Schoenfeld Shropshire

Shropshire Educational

entire neighborhoods. Consulting,LLC
u . ' 3079'l2 Royster Road
Our hearts go 99‘ to all Lexington, Kentucky 40516
those who Were- 1n the j (859) 396-9508
path of this diSaSter’and VI ' I I MUWSM
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of their loved OMS" 'Said Dedicatedtofinding the right school.
JFNA PmSidem and CEO ..............................

 

 

 

 

 

   

Dignified transportation

iTNB/ue egrass

for seniors

M [lane a mu in}; tlchl‘c‘
to help pcoplc‘.‘

       

Become a volunteer drixcr!

 

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June/July 2013 Shalom | 3

 

 

 

 JFS: At Your Service

Mimi Kaufman, JFS Director

 

The term
"Sandwich
Generation”
has become
increasingly
common
over the last
2 decades.
The first
known use of the word was in 1987. In
a collective sense the term describes the
middle-aged generation. In the indi-
vidual sense, the term describes people
who are squeezed between the demands
of caring for their aging parents or
elders and their own children.

 

This is not really a new phenomenon
as historically we have always cared
for our aging parents. But over the last
2 decades or more the demographic
trends have changed and, therefore,
there is an increased attention to the
needs of the ”sandwich generation”.
Life expectancies have increased, thus
an increased number of middle—age
people have living parents. Parents
have had fewer children, thus there are
fewer siblings to share care responsi-

bilities. Adult children are much more
likely now to live further from their
parents, making decisions about care
giving more complicated. Women are
having children at later ages, so parents
are older, but children are still young.
And lastly support for children might
last longer than the support received
by their parents’ generation, often now
reaching into the early 20’s.

I would like to bring attention to a very
helpful service in our community that
you may not be aware of. If you find
yourself to be one of these people who
are feeling squeezed in your care giving
roles, the Bluegrass Area on Aging
has a ”Caregiver Support Program”
that can offer some help. It is a simple
application process and the only quali-
fication is that you need or would like
a little respite help with care giving.
This program does not by any means

provide full-time or even part-time care.

It purely is designed to give caregivers
a break or a little respite now and then.
Please call the Area on Aging or me di-
rectly, and I can give you an application
and help explain the process. fi

 

Jewish
Family
Services

.38

Leisure Club

 

 

 
  
 

Wednesday, June 19 - 11:30am

Todah Rabbah to our
retiring Board members

By Judy B. Wortman, JFB Director

At the Federation’s Annual Meeting in
May, we not only elected new Board
members and officers, but we had to bid
goodbye to three extraordinary Board
members. According to our By-laws,
Board members can serve a maximum
of two three year terms and then must
rotate off. This year we are losing three
extraordinary people. Linda Ravvin
has been president and campaign chair
during the 6 years of her board service.
Her term as president began with the
economic downturn and its impact on
charitable giving and, in spite of that,
she shepherded us through and helped
to stabilize the annual campaign and
expand Federation’s services. She also
helped us manage the transition in
executive directors by assuming that
role herself during the 7 month period
between. One of her greatest contribu-
tions was helping us institute the PJ
Library program in our community,
that now serves more than 115 children

and their families. Thank you, Linda,
for a job expertly done. We know you
will continue to lead our community in
other ways.

David Wekstein is also leaving the
Board this year. Another past president
of the Federation, David has also served
as our Community Relations Chair and
has been president of the Lexington
Havurah. David is a volunteer par excel-
lence and will continue to bring wisdom
and leadership to our Jewish commu-

nity.

Evelyn Geller has retired from the
Board. Evelyn has served our com-
munity as president of the Federation
and as our longtime Chair of the Jewish
Family Services Advisory Committee.
Her service to the Jewish community
has been outstanding.

Thank you Linda, David, and Evelyn.
We are a better community because of
you. Xix

 

An Early Childhood Program
for Toddlers & Preschoolers
at Ohavay Zion Synagogue

Now enrolling for the
201 1-201 2 school year.

 

rifles

 

at the UK Arboretum

Bring a picnic lunch.

Save the Date
Next Leisure Club Wednesday, July 10

 

 

W

fergkr ‘ 2 -“ii i‘
w 4>1 m. p. 5mm.»

For more information about these events, to RSVP, or to arrange transportation to the event location,
please contact Mimi Kaufman at (859) 269-8244 or jfs@jewishlexington.org.

 

 

4 I June/July 2013 Shalom

Creativity 8; Learning through Diversity.

We welcome children from all ethnic, religious,
socral, and economic backgrounds.

0 Flexible Full Day and Part-time Programs
0 Warm, Nurturing Environment '

0 Special Enrichment Programs

0 Ages 12 months to 5 years (Pre~K)

 
  
  
 
 
 
  
      
 

 

' Quality. Licensed Childcare and Preschool Programs
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- Real Lite Activities. Hamb~on Learning,

' Cultural Awareness. Highly Qualified Teachers.

. Small Child/Adult Ratios

Convenient Location: On Ahmni Drive
just oft oi New Circle Road. Five Minutes from UK.

egg:

 

 

 The 11th Annual Emilie Szekely Holocaust
Awareness Writing Project:
Contemporary Lessons of the Holocaust

In memory of Emilie Szekely, the Jewish Federation of
the Bluegrass, in conjunction with the Szekely family,
is proud to sponsor a special annual writing contest on
the Contemporary Lessons of the Holocaust. Emilie
Szekely was a Holocaust survivor who for many years
dedicated herself to speaking to students in Kentucky
about her experiences in Auschwitz and Bergen-Bel-
zen. The writing project is an effort to continue Emi-
lie’s life work of keeping the lessons of the Holocaust a
living memory.

The Emilie Szekely Holocaust Awareness Writing Project
welcomes the contribution of students from the Cen-
tral Kentucky area.

The following are the winners for this year:

Hatred to Hope
By Daniel Baesler, 4th Grade

lst Place Elementary School “Winner
SCAPA Elementary School
Kelly Gunn, Teacher

The reason we are learning about the Holocaust is
because if we hadn’t learned something as horrible

as this, we might do it again. If someone didn’t know
what happened, they might do an act similar to it.
Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat
it. Hitler did a terrible thing, and if I could do some-
thing to make a part of history disappear I would.
Just the thought of it brings pain and sadness to me. It
brings fright that I'll. . .well. . .repeat it. This knowledge
has made a difference in me. The word ”hate” is used
in the sentence, ”I hate you.” That is a sentence I’ve
used for years. Now I understand hate more. Now I
know what to say instead.

Blaming others causes anger. It causes resentment.

It causes misunderstanding. Hitler made a terrible
mistake. He blamed Jews for his country’s economic
problems. Hate is covering the earth today, but that’s
not how it’s supposed to be. Didn’t God make people
so they could love each other? Didn't He make us so
we could be equals? Unfortunately, mankind hasn’t
paid attention to these reasons. That doesn’t mean we
can’t do better. It doesn’t mean there isn't hope.

So, there it is. A whole essay explaining what I think
about hatred. It may not be the best essay in the world,
or a first prize winner, but I’ve already won. At least I
got to do the writing and had the actual chance to do
it. At least I got a teacher that let us work on this expe-
rience. The world is full of hatred. We don’t want to
admit it. But it’s true. Some people want to sit in their
own darn comer and think that the world is a happy
little place. They didn’t see what happened in the ex-
termination of the Jews and some didn't want to. Some
people like children didn’t look into a child’s soft
brown eyes that had dark hair. A child whose religion
had her life taken away from her. That child didn’t
deserve what happened. I hope that child didn’t take
in all the awfulness that she had to see. If I could go

to the time of that child, and see her in fright, I would
help her see how things could get better. I would try
my best to get that child to Sweden so she could be
free. I would hold onto her hand. And I would not let

go.

I Want to Let You Know
By Iinju Santalucia, 4th Grade

2nd Place Elementary School Winner
SCAPA Elementary School
Kelly Gunn, Teacher

I want to let you know that it will be okay. I want to let
you know it will be someday. Your mind is only filled
with words of hate even when I want them to be filled
with love and hope. You’re dark eyes once filled with
assurance. But that was a long, long time ago. Away
from everything you love. I wish I could hold you and
bring you away to my time safe and loved.

The world is still not perfect. It still has tangles like
seaweed that once grew on the ocean's muddy floor,
but is now tangled and alone, useless. That is the way
your life is, isn’t it?

Even when the worst is over it will not be, will it?

Your mind will carry all those details, those horrible,
horrible details and replay them. Or will you be able to
scrape them off like dust? Can you rebuild your life?
Or maybe you will try to wrap up your broken heart.
But then, it will free itself again.

This is a dark story, a dark, dark story, but it is the
truth and people must know. You must share the pain
and darkness. So people aren’t so foolish as to do it
again. a

 

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(859) 626-1312 Phone

(859) 806-3845 Koo

(859) 806-4288 Richard

(859) 624-0528 Fax

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June/July 2013 Shalom | 5

 

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Israel 21c: The Israeli sharing his mass casualty

expertise in Boston

Dr. Pinchas Halpern’s
advice to Boston hos-
pitals on mass casual-
ty incidents was one
of the factors in their
successful handling
of April 15 casualties.

By Abigail Klein Leichman

Israeli critical care specialist Dr. Pinchas
Halpem is used to dealing with terror
attacks. It's not a familiarity that most
doctors would wish to achieve, but as
director of emergency medicine at Tel
Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center since
1993, Halpern has had no choice but to
become an expert on mass casualties.

It’s no surprise, then, that in the wake of
the Boston marathon bombings, when
three people were killed and another
282 injured, he was one of the first
people US doctors treating the severely
wounded victims at Beth Israel Deacon-
ess Medical Center called to discuss the
logistics of handling casualties of the
horrific attack.

Just one year earlier, Halpem had spent
a few weeks at the hospital’s emergency
department as a visiting professor, shar—
ing his experience with terror attacks,
including best practices for mobiliz-

ing hospital staff in response to a mass
disaster.

"Boston has one of the best medical
systems - perhaps the best — in the
world,” Halpern tells ISRAELZIC. But
lsraeli expertise is considered second
to none in organizing hospitals’ meth-
ods of response to a multiple casualty
incident (MCI). And that is what his
colleagues called him to talk over.

”We have Ongoing discussions about
that," he says, ”because we are inter-
ested in each other’s wellobeing.”

6 j June/July 2013 Shalom _ _

Halpern has been
training US medical
personnel for many
years. Several years
ago, he was part of a
Harvard University
and US government—
sponsored project that
brought Jewish and
Arab Israeli physicians
and nurses to give two-
day training sessions
on emergency care and
the management of
sudden—onset local-
ized events, such as
terror attacks at Boston's Brigham and
Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts
General — which also received many of
the marathon casualties.

”T he medical aspects of managing pa-
tients are simpler than the logistics, and
this is what we specialize in,” he says.
”You may have personnel who are good
at treating but do not have the knowl-
edge to prepare for and take command
of MCI situations."

While Israeli hospitals have had ample
opportunity to fine-tune these proce-
dures through years of war and terror
attacks, particularly the difficult second
intifada years when the nation was hit
by a string of bombings — in 2002 alone
there were more than 50 suicide bomb-
ings — Halpern explains that major
trauma generally accounts for a small
portion of emergency medicine, perhaps
1.5 percent of the entire patient load.

”We have a very streamlined way of
deciding what is an MCI, and empty-
ing the ED [emergency department] for
those casualties through very efficient
procedures," says Halpem, whose most
recent experience with an MCI was

a bus bombing near the hospital that
wounded about 30 people in November
last year.

”We have procedures for calling per-

sonnel for small, medium and large
events, involving 50 to 200 persons.

 

 

We have good communication systems
and methods for triage and assigning
patients to beds. We have a complex list
of the sequence of events that have to
happen."

‘They learned well’

Much has been written in the past week
about Israeli connections to the medical
treatment of Boston bombing victims.

The president and emergency depart-
ment director at Beth Israel Deaconess
are both Israeli-educated physicians. Dr.
David Spector, on staff at Tufts Medical
Center, where 18 victims were rushed
from the horrific scene, was formerly a
surgeon at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical
Center and served in the Air Force’s
Airborne Rescue and Evacuation Unit.

Halpern and other Israeli doctors have
been credited with helping Boston’s
medical centers become better prepared
for MCIs.

Dr. Paul Biddinger of Mass General’s
emergency department was quoted as
saying that the hospital implemented
Halpem’s suggestions regarding triage,
site security, reassessment and coordina-
tion among medical specialists. Other
hospitals also used the Israelis’ advice to
sharpen their disaster response proce-
dures.

”The [hospital administrators] asked

 

Dr. Pinchas Halpern: "We are interested in each other’s well-being. ”

for meetings, discussions, lectures and
training because they felt they were not
optimally prepared, and we have so
much experience on the ground,” says
Halpem, who also led training at hos-
pitals in Seattle, Florida and New York
in areas such as identifying, classifying
and treating wounds typical in bomb
attacks.

”They were smart enough to learn and
prepare beforehand, and they learned
well,” sayaHalpem. ”Fortunately, the
[Boston Marathon] event occurred at
midday, and close to the concentration
of hospitals, which already were in a
state of readiness for possible marathon
injuries.”

Avoiding burnout

Born in Romania and raised in Israel,
Halpern decided even before high
school that he would channel his people
skills into a medical career. He was ac—
cepted into the IDF’s Atuda program,
which allows gifted students to corn-
plete their academic training prior to
active duty.

After medical school at Tel Aviv Univer—
sity, Halpem served in a Navy diving
unit and its diving institute in Haifa,
gaining expertise in hyperbaric and div-
ing medicine from 1979 to 1984. Though

see Dr. Pinchas Halpem, page 13

AHHfiAnAl-FHAHL

 Q: Is a Mitzvah a good deed?

A : Often when I hear people use
the word Mitzvah, they are refer—
ring to a good deed. For example, if
we saw our neighbors struggling with
their groceries, and we ran over and
helped them, someone might say that
we did a Mitzvah. Or, if we saw chil-
dren struggling to tie their shoes, and
we interrupted our busy day to help
them, someone might say that we did a
Mitzvah. In these situations, the word
Mitzvah can refer to a good deed that
we have done.

But is doing a good deed the only
meaning of Mitzvah?

In Hebrew, the word Mitzvah means
"commandment.” In Judaism, a Mitz—
vah signifies an obligation that comes
from a divine command. That sense of
obligation and commandedness is very
important to the Jewish understanding
of Mitzvah.

Please consider the distinctions be-

Have a question?

fllska rabbi

Ask A Rabbi

Rabbi Moshe Smolkin

tween Tzedakah and Charity.

Tzedakah comes from the Hebrew
word Tzedek, meaning righteous-
ness. Jews are commanded to make
the world more righteous by giving to
people in need. In the Torah, we are
commanded to pursue righteousness,
”Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof - Righteous-
ness, righteousness you shall pursue.”
(Deut. 16:20). Jewish farmers are
commanded to provide the comers of
their field for the poor (Lev. 23:22), and
similarly they are commanded to leave
fallen ears of grain for th