xt7np55dg71f https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7np55dg71f/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2013-02 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 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, February 2013 text image Shalom, February 2013 2013 2013-02 2025 true xt7np55dg71f section xt7np55dg71f  

February 2013

WW

Newspaper of

OF THE BLUEGRASS

 

SH EVAT/ADAR 5773

 

Temple Adath Israel Wins
Golden Apple Award

The Community Partners Leadership
Team and Fayette County Schools
presented 6 Golden Apple awards on
November 13th during Commerce
Lexington’s Good Morning Bluegrass
breakfast at the Hyatt Regency. The
awards are given to community part-
ners who have a distinguished record
of service to the district or to a particu-
lar school. TAI won the 2012 award in
the category of Faith Based Organiza-
tion - School Partner for its partnership
with Ashland Elementary School.

Magma .,

For over 10 years, TAI volunteers have
given their time, talents, energy and
expertise to improve the lives of stu-
dents and families at Ashland. Rabbi
Marc Kline led the effort, working
alongside Principal Shuronda Morton.
Because of Rabbi Kline’s commitment
to community involvement, he urged
Temple members to make Ashland a
priority. TAI’s Social Action Committee
coordinates volunteers, programs and
activities. These efforts have contrib—
uted to a rising academic success story
and the development of relationships
that change children’s lives.

In addition to tutoring students, help—
ing with the annual Science Fair, coor—
dinating the Blessings in a Backpack
program, and providing school sup-

plies and clothing for children in need,
TAI volunteers serve as mentors and
as teacher ”aides” in the classroom.
One volunteer mentors a single-parent
family, providing a sympathetic ear
and encouragement. Another volun-
teer has made possible several opera
theatre performances at the school and
educational field trips. Students from
Ashland and TAl have been working
collaboratively in the Temple’s garden
since the fall of 2010. Each semester 15
4“" and 5‘" graders from Ashland select
“Garden Club” as a Friday morning
elective. Students help in every capac—
ity: planning the garden, planting,
watering, weeding, harvesting, and - of
course - eating! They learn about life
cycles, ecosystems, weather and nutri-
tion. They learn what plants grow in
which zones, when to plant them, and
keep a record of what they have done.
Other classes from Ashland occassion-
ally take field trips to visit the garden.

The Golden Apple award is the second
such honor awarded to TAI for its
involvement with Ashland Elementary
School. In 2007, the Temple received a
Fain Award for its work with Ashland.
The Fain Awards, established in 1983,
are given every two years to Reform

see Golden Apple Award, page 7

 

 

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Camp Shalom gears up
for its 45th Anniversary

summer

By Tamara Ohayon, Director

We all know that change is inevitable
and 2013 will be no different for our
community. This year brings a sig-
nificant staff transition; I have been
entrusted with the Camp Director posi-
tion after Kathy Feinberg’s resignation
this past Fall. 1 am saddened by the
change after her many years of dedica-
tion and love put into the program,
but I am also personally thrilled to be
@rk‘ing more intimately with Federa—
tion’s camp program in addition to my
other roles at the Jewish Federation.

see Camp Shalom Gears Up, page 5

The 2013 JFB Annual
Campaign to be launched
on Sunday, February 10

Super Sunday 2013 will be held this
year on February 10. Super Sunday

is the official start of the 2013 Annual
Community Campaign. From 10 am
to 2:30 pm, volunteers will be calling
community members for their pledges
to the new campaign. Donors can pay
these commitments any time from the
day the pledge is made until the end
of December. We hope that you will
answer the call generously. We are
still looking for additional volunteers
to make solicitation calls and for other

 

administrative tasks. If you have
several hours to give, please call Judy
Wortman at 268-0672 or send an email
to jfb@jewishlexington.org.

The next event on the campaign sched-
ule is our women’s night out

Viva Margarita, which will be held

on Monday, March 18 at 5:30 pm at
Durango’s Mexican Restaurant, 2121
Richmond Road. All the women in our

see Campaign, page 26

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'N THIS ISSUE The 1’] Library is a national
President’s Message 3 - V V - .. ngflm offered locally,
Editorial 3 L I g which mails free, high-
. that”) alit and a e a to rifle
Chanukah PJ LIbrary Style 4 a...» ‘1“ _ y ' 3 , pp P
JFS: At Your Service ‘ 4 In mu... Houu .I. mm , Jewtsh children 5 literature
Ask A Rabbi 6 L I and music to families on a
Tzeason of Tzedakah: A Season of Blessings 7 monthly bas‘s‘
Modern Technology Helps Preserve Ancient Culture 8 All families raising Iewish children ages six months to eight years are welcome to enroll.
My Parents Are My Heroes: Ethiopian-Israeli Teens 9 [PE is proud to offer your family, through our partnership with local donors and the Harold
German Chancellor Angela Merkel helps 11 Grinspoon Foundation, this opportunity to explore the timeless core values of Iudaism
HELP! 12 through books and music.
Shalom Achshav 13 Enroll your children or grandchildren today! Call us at 859.268.0672 or
Access’ Regional Valentine's Party for Singles 14 V15“ WWWOPilibral'Y-Com and ViSit our Lexington community page.
Special Thanks to our Tzeason of Tzedakah Volunteers 16 '
”United States of Shabbat” series 19
Charity — Or Not 70 V .
Israel 21 c: Training paramedics from Jordan and Israel 71 M", Rm." 2‘ ' mm to
Temple Adath Israel seeks people to join in Week of Generosity ......................................... 22 . . " : £1 a" we
Zichronam Livracha: For their memory shall be a blessing .................................................... 23 HamafltaSChell Baking, Cocitalls, , tifi
Sim Shalom news 73 l-
B-tayavon _ 74 & Mishloach Manet Exchange 3:
UANI Speaker VIsits Lexington 24 in
The Lexington Havurah 7": I m M pli
The Lexington Chapter of Hadassah 76 fan
Ohavay Zion Synagogue 77 ' ;, I, 8‘ V, r I . , I / I tra
‘ " \. ) U (llllfll'llur‘fl'li'l‘ l (Wing (HIJIILL’
gigrfiigjgzh Israel 3: ’ " 3 Z or on I‘m I'Imn/I In [NIH/(III 1‘). I}:
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Around the Community 20 , » Fa
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Published ten times per year by the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, Inc. «l! ' ' ‘ j 0‘
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 112, Lexington, KY 40502 @fnner < jut na
Phone (859) 268-0672 . Fax (859) 268—0775 :1 G1
email: shalom@jewishlexington.org “ ' ‘ “1
YBJ is a gathering of local Jewish adults, ages 21 to ”40—ish” Tl
. 7 . who get together monthly for social events. Join our mailing list. .
FEBR“2:;321zs'sxgkgegdfnissuE 1 w OF THE BLUEGRASS ContactTamara Ohayon at tamara@jewishlexington. org, (859) a
Judy Wortman, Execiitive Director 268-0672, orfind ourgroup on Facebook. th
Tamara Ohayon, Marketing and Outreach Director er
Mimi Kaufman, JFS Director .. J . . , ,- .- . ., - . .3 l 3 . , - )
Lori Bernard, Coordinator oflnformal Jewish Education If you are not Iccuvmg Jc‘WlSh Weekly timid and would lIkc to, please N
send your name and email address to lexadmmwemshlexmgtonorg A
SHALOM EDITORIAL BOARD In
David A. Wortman, Editor-in-Chief m I I: r; i -II I . w
Hanna Smith, Chairperson w °F "'5 ““53““
Jane Chaput, Susan Cobin, Betty Nigoff
Federation President Federation Board Tl
, CONTRIBUTING WRITE.“ _ Robert Grossman Minna Katz-Brown Larry Kant gt
Betty 8i Lowell NIgoff, BenjamIn Rut and, Hanna SmIth, Mart Solomon, Jesse WeII Jane Chaput Amy Faust Mayer a]
LOCAL DISTRIBUTION SERVICES Executive Committee Susan Cobin Betty Nigoff g1
LOWE" and 36ml N|9°fi . . Kae Schennberg, Vice-President Gail Cohen Seth Salomon cl
Production Services by Georgetown News-Graphic Hanna Smith, Secretary Jenn Garlin Marty Solomon 3
The editorial staff has the right to edit all articles submitted for publication in Shalom. Articles should not ex- Gary Yarus’ Treasurer EVF'Y” Danulc Gene" Pa.UI Time}, .
ceed 500 words The appearance of any advertising in this publication does not represent either a kashruth Evalyn BIOCk, Member-at—Large Michael Grossman Elissa WeInsteIn
or any other endorsement on the part of the Federation or any other agency or organizations. Linda Rawin, Member-at-Large Joseph Hernandez DaVid WGkStein

 

Opinions expressed in Shalom are not necessarily those of the Shalom editorial staff or the JFB or its con-

stituent organizations. h l D d1 0
Shalom is partially supported by the advertisements appearing in the paper S a 0m 6 a 1116

Copyright 0 2013, Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass. All ri hts reserved. For reprint permission contact Deadline for articles for the Mll'Ch Shalom is February 1 0.

David Wortman, Editor-ln—Chief, Shalom, at shalom©jewish exington. org EI'III" articles to ShIIOH‘IQjQWIShieXiflgton Dry
2 | February 2013 Shalom

 

 ”’4

 

Barbara and
I received big
news in early
January.
More than
six years ago,
we sent a
request to the
China Center
of Adop-
tion Affairs
to adopt a baby from China, and last
week, we received a referral of a beau-
tiful toddler girl. Her name is XiaoXi-
ao (shee-OW shee-OW), which means
”tiny," and she just turned 2 years old
in early January. We are especially
pleased that she has lived with a foster
family for the past year. We hope to
travel to China to get her in about 3
months. If you’d like to see pictures

of her, send me a friend request on
Facebook.

Picking a neW—MB)? for her has been
an adventurew‘had to navigate

jmrwwtem .

Kentucky traditions o’ifii’fining, plus
our own personal preferences. We fi-
nally settled on Jessica Deane Xiaoxiao
Grossman.

The prospect of having a young child
in,the house again is a little scary.
When we started this process more
than six years ago, I was almost young
enough to be in Young Bluegrass Jews.
Now I’m getting solicitations from
AARI’. Still, I know ofenough older
mothers and fathers that I know that
we will be able to parent.

The arrival of a new Jewish young’un
gets the whole community excited,
and I am reminded of all of the pro-
grams that JFB has on offer to help the
children of our community develop

a strong relationship with the Jew-

    
    
    

1

President’s Message I

Bob Grossman, JFB President

ish people. Even before we travel to
China, Jessica is likely to receive our
first Jewish-themed book from the PJ
Library, and she can expect to continue
to receive age—appropriate books every
month until she turns 9 years old. The
Harold Grinspoon Foundation under-
writes this program, but it requires a
significant financial contribution from
the community as well, and I am grate-
ful to our community members who
have been so generous in their support
of this program. In a few years, Jessica
will be able to attend Camp Shalom for
two weeks during the summer, where
she’ll be able to participate in all sorts
of organized mischief. JFB also spon-
sors various essay contests on Jewish—
themed subjects in the public schools
that Jessica will be able to enter. And
when Jessica is older still, she will be
able to benefit from camperships and
scholarships that JFB offers. Through-
out this time, of course, she will also be
able to benefit from the day care and
religious school programs offered by

~ our Jewish congregations. r

I hope you will forgive me if I remind
you that all of the JFB programs that
I just mentioned require the financial
support of the community. We have

. just completed our 2012 Campaign. I

ATTENTION proud grandparents, parents, and students

We want to publish any original writing produced by our community’s elementary-
and high-school-age children. it you’re proud of something written by one of our kids,
either fiction or non-fiction, please email it to shalom@jewishlexington.org

hope that this coming year, when you

receive a phone call or a letter from

. JFB, you will support us again, maybe
. with even a larger contribution. As al-

ways, if you have any questions about
how JFB uses your money, please call
the JFB office or stop and ask me, Judy
Wortman, or any of the JFB Board
members, and we’ll be happy to share
with you all of the information that we
have.

The year 2013 will be a year of big,
positive change for us. May it be a
wonderful year for all of you as well}:‘

 

Editorial

David Wortman

As I write this brief editorial, it is
exactly one month since the horrible,
earth—shaking, events happened in
Newtown, CT. Despite there being
only one Jewish child among the 20,

all Jewish hearts and souls mourn
together with our brothers and sisters
of all faith communities. No excuse can
justify or even explain what happened
at that school.

It did not take long for the terrors of
Sandy Hook to become a political
football. The NRA suggested arming
teachers and administrators, argu-

ing that the solution to protecting our
children from this happening again is
to put weapons in more hands. Others
have recommended that every school
have an armed guard at the entrances
to the building.

Where would the funding come from?
We already cannot get sufficient a1-
locations for teachers, supplies, and
textbooks. Must we further spread a
diminishing investment in our chil—

‘ dren’s future in order to fund the extra

armed personnel?

I believe that assault weapons with a

large capacity clip should be banned.

How many of us, even committed gun
owners, hunt with a semi-automatic
Army assault rifle? How many lives
of children and adults would be saved
with such a ban?

My feelings aside, there is no one

solution that will suffice. Among the

possibilities are: " " ’

1. Close loopholes in purchase and
sale of all guns

2. Enforce existing laws

3. Require gun owners to keep their
guns inaccessible from children

4. Add and reinforce anti-violence
segments in the school curricula

5. Give sensitivity training to teach—
ers

6. Provide resources with which a
teacher can begin to deal with pos-
sible mental health aberrations

7. Disallow youth, the mentally dis-
abled and criminals from having
guns

These are only a few ideas that come to
mind. I am certain that there are many
others.

The only way for us to even try to
resolve‘the question of school violence
lies in the hands of elected officials.
They must put aside partisanship and
come together, left and right, and com-
mit to make America safe. It!

 

tamara@iewishlexingtonorg

 

SALES rEAM NEEDED
FOR SHALOM NEWSPAPER!

The Jewish Federation is in need of new sales
associates to bring in advertising for Shalom.
Set your own hours—earn your commissions.

Contact Tamara Ohayon at the JFB office it you are interested in
joining our team. (859) 268-0672 or

OF THE BLUEGRASS

 

If i \\ Thejewish Federation

 

February 2013 Shalom | 3

AA..4.~

.4-..A;

 

 

  

Chanukah P] Library Style

By Lori Bernard, Coordinator of Informal
Jewish Learning

On a cold, dark, December evening,
P] Library families and friends were
bright eyed, excited, and smiling as
they gathered together to celebrate
Chanukah. For the second year in

a row, Joseph Beth Booksellers gra-
ciously hosted a P] Library Chanukah
party for the Lexington community.
Over 20 children and their families
joined together to welcome in the fifth
night of Chanukah. Rabbis Kline and

 

 

candles at [oseph-Beth.

4 | February 2013 Shalom

Rabbis Smolkin and Kline lighting Chanukah Decorating dreidels at Joseph-Beth.

Smolkin led the group in songs, lit

the chanukiah, andqead P] Library
books. After the stories, children made
their own dreidels to take home and
snacked on sufganyot or in this case,
fried doughnut holes graciously do—
nated by Krispy Kreme. At the end of
the evening, all ventured back out into
the cold night twinkling with the lights
of the chanukiah reflected in their eyes
and filled with the warmth of sharing
Chanukah with family and friends. ix

   

 

 

 

 

JFS: At Your Service

Mimi Kaufman, JFS Director

 

Many people
worry about
their aging
parents, and
bringing up
the topic of
future care
needs can be

But if you,
the adult
child and/ or
your siblings, can create a living plan
based on your parents’ wishes before
they need care it can make the road a
bit less bumpy. In other words, having
a frank and productive conversation
ahead of time can be so helpful in the
long run. This sounds easy enough,
but it can be a challenge. Here are just
a few tips on how to set the stage for
the needed conversation.

1. Keep the conversation relaxed and
as low key as possible.

2. Ideally, siblings are present as well
so everyone hears what is said.

3. One way to start your conversation
is to bring up aging family friends
or public figures that have had life
changing events, such as a stroke,
talk about how they are handling
the changes in their lives. This can
be the natural segue into a pro-
ductive conversation about your
parents’ wishes.

very difficult.

4. Next, let your parents decide
how long that the conversation
lasts. Remember that your family
members may have differing per-
spectives, and a calm discussion,
although ideal, on these matters
may be unrealistic. You may need
to take a break from your conver-
sation and come back to it an-
other time. It’s never time wasted
because the idea or thoughts about
these matters have been planted in
everyone’s minds. If your family
has difficulty communicating you
may need a third party to mediate.
Did I already mention, keep the
conversation relaxed and low key?

5. Last but certainly not least, there
are resources on line that are very
helpful such as the ElderCareLink
website. You can download a
printable checklist that lays out the
concerns of all parties. Sometimes
looking at everyone’s concerns on
paper can be a way to start talking
about what to do if. . .and topics can
be prioritized. '

If your conversation goes well you can
get a good feel for what your parents’
wishes are if the time comes that they
need some help. a

Source: ElderCareLink

For personal and confidential requestsfor
services, contact Mimi Kaufman at the IFS
oflice, 1050 Chinoe Road, Suite 112, or call
859-269-8244.

 

 

Dignified transportation

   
 

i T NB/uegrass’”

for seniors

HLIVC 11 mo ing desire
to help people‘.’
Become a volunteer driver!

    

  

  

Camp Shalom Gears Up (from page 1)

As many of you know, I have had a
small role at Camp Shalom over the
years as an extension of my Com-
munications job with JFB. My own
background, which may not be as
widely known, includes many cher-
ished childhood years of attending
and working with day camps and
Jewish resident camps. Beginning in
1998, after five summers as a pre-teen
and teen camper at Camp JCA Shalom
in California, I began my summer
and seasonal career as a staff person
moving my way up from Counselor-
In-Training to eventually become the
Director of the Counselor—in-Training
program in 2003. All in all, it was an
amazing six years of camp experience
that has provided me with many of the
skills and love of Jewish community
that I carry today.

Thank goodness we have an amazing
camp committee this year to help with
the transition. Elissa Weinstein, who
was also Assistant Director at camp
a few years ago, has passionately led
the committee for the past two years.
rs'iy’e‘ar’s committee members in-
clude Karen Gedaly Lisa Martin, Lisa
Miller, Beth Yelowitz,— camp parents
— and Minna Katz-Brown, a camp
grandmother. All have been fantastic
volunteers and are personally invested
in seeing the success and continuity of
Camp Shalom.

Most of our changes at camp this year
will be reflected in the application
process, staffing, and programming.
First, the application will reflect a
change in group organization from age
to entering grade level. We will keep
the Gesher program, but it will now be
a camp unit rather than a separately
identified entity, and will only be for
youth entering grades 6 and 7. Ha-
bonim, a new group focusing on social
action, volunteerism, and community
building will be our new teen lead-
ership program for youth entering
grades 8 and 9. Ninth graders may
still apply for the CIT program if they
do not wish to participate in Habonim
for a second year. Our beloved Ofan'm
group will be for children entering
grades Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergar—
ten, and lst. Tsofim will be for entering

2nd and 3rd graders, and Chalutzim
will be for entering 4th and 5th grad—
ers.

Programmatically, there will be a
greater emphasis on Jewish values and
identity woven throughout each day
and session. With our weekly themes,
Torah portion texts, and other cur-
riculum pieces used by JCC camps, we
hope to inject and tie together the most
essential aspects of being Jewish with
a fun, safe, and fulfilling experience
for each camper.

Relating to both programming and
staff, we are reaching out to high
school and college students to help us
expand our team of activity specialists
who have the potential to bring their
own love of arts and crafts, science,
nature, Jewish learning, sports, music,
cooking, creative writing, volunteer-
ism, and much more to each day. If
anyone is interested in applying for a
staff position, they can do so online at
http:/ /bit.ly/TCXJYd

To put our parents’ minds at ease,

the Camp staff will be participating

in mandatory 3-day training over the
weekend before camp. This will serve
as a chance to celebrate Shabbat, really
dive into the nuts and bolts of their
jobs, and give them an opportunity to
bond and prepare for camp as a team.
Additionally, we will be certifying
archery specialists, attending CPR and
First Aid trainings, and be reaching
out to local law enforcement to help
create more comprehensive emergency
plans to cover all possibilities.

Additionally, the camp committee is
exploring options for transportation to
and from camp during the week. This
was a request of many parents in feed-
back sessions held this past Fall. There
will be a necessary fee associated with
this service.

We are also excited to announce sev-
eral opportunities to show support for
Camp Shalom in the coming months.
Puccini’s Restaurant in Chevy Chase
will be hosting a Camp Shalom Day
on Monday, February 18. A portion of
the day’s sales will be sent to the Fed-

 

 

eration for Camp Shalom. Bring your
family and friends and show support
for our community camp program.

The other event is a Camp Reunion at
Air'Iime on Sunday, March 3rd from
3:00 to 5:00 pm. AirTime is located at
108 Bradley Drive in Nicholasville, just
a couple of minutes outside Lexing-
ton. We will eat cake, hang out, and
bounce. Parents welcome. Cost will

be $8 per child to bounce for over one
hour on their room full of inflatables.
A special early registration rate for
camp will also be available for those in
attendance.

Finally, I want to again extend my
thanks to Kathy Feinberg. She has

been a tremendous asset to camp over
the seasons bringing her creativity,
compassion, and warmth to each sum—
mer and we have been blessed to have
her with us. She guided us through
more than a decade of our precious
community program with grace and
love and I hope you will all express to
her the gratitude felt for that dedica-
tion. In her honor, I hope all of you
will consider a small donation to our
Camp Shalom scholarship fund or our
Dil Darlington camp supply fund, set
up by Kathy in memory of her father,
to help grow our program to allow
even more children to share in this
special experience in the future. I am
looking forward to an amazing 45th
summer at Camp Shalom! t:

 

Gan

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

Now enrolling for the
201 1-2012 school year.

social, and economic backgrounds.

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We welcome children from all ethnic, religious,

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NQW

”News...

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 

For more information 335-9922 or visrt wwwtganshalomcom

 

February 2013 Shalom | 5

 

 

  

Ask A Rabbi

Rabbi Moshe Smolkin

 

: Why is it important for me to be—
come a member of a synagogue?

: Jewish tradition has a wonder-

ful phrase: Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh
BaZeh. Because the Hebrew can take
more than one meaning, this phrase
can mean both ’all Jews are intercon-
nected’ and ’all Jews are responsible
one another.’ Joining a synagogue al—
lows us to manifest our connection and
a caring for other Jews. And, when we
join together, we can create beautiful
caring communities.

The Hebrew for synagogue is Beit
Keneset, a house of gathering. A syna-
gogue is a place where all Jews should
be welcome to gather together. Wheth-
er Jews are from different backgrounds
or Observances, whether they are old
or young, whether they are homosex—
ual or straight, whether they are Black
or White, Asian or Hispanic, whether
they are single or married, whether
they have a Jewish partner or are in

an interfaith relationship, whether
they are poor or wealthy, whether they
are working or not, whether they are
ardent atheists or whether they have

a deep belief in God, whether they are
Republicans or Democrats, Libertar—
ians or Socialists, whether they are
outgoing or shy, whether they have
studied Judaism for years or are just
now entering the Jewish world, all
Jews should be welcome within a

     
    

f aveiia question?

synagogue. By joining a synagogue,
we show our support for the Jewish
community, with all its wonderful

diversity.

As Rabbi Jack Reimer shared, ”I want
to be a part of a synagogue because I
want to be a part of the Jewish people,
and there is no other institution that
unites the Jews as well, across the cen-
turies and across the borders. The syn-
agogue is not only a bond to my past.
It is also a bond to the Jewish people

of the present, the ones with whom

I live. During the week, I may bump
into them somewhere, as a neighbor,

as a friend, as a client, perhaps even

as a co-worker or as a competitor. But
when we meet together in this place,
we meet as partners. We stand here
with a sense of being connected to each
other, and of being responsible for each
other.”

Another way to describe a synagogue
in Hebrew is a Beit Midrash, a house

of learning. Learning is so central to
being a Jew. For thousands of years
we have carried with us a book called
Torah, the teaching. The diversity
found within a synagogue gives rise to
wonderful teachings, for each person
has their own unique perspective.
There is a famous phrase in tradition,
Shivim Panim LaTorah, there are 70 faces
to the Torah. Everyone’s perspective
is important, and if we are missing

_ asked to specify which rabbi should answer.

anyone’s perspective, our understand-
ing will be incomplete. We need to
join a synagogue because we need to
share our important and unique ways
of seeing the world. Each member has
something to teach, and all of us have
so much we can learn.

Synagogues encourage learning for all
ages. When we are young, we must
have the support of others. By join-
ing a synagogue, we demonstrate our
support for the education of the next
generation, through teaching, encour-
aging students, and/ or financially
supporting the religious school. God
willing, each of us will have lives filled
with learning. By joining a synagogue
we can join a community of people

who Mechadedin Zeh Et Zeh BaHalakhah,

who sharpen each other intellectually
on the Jewish path.

Yet one more way of defining a syna-
gogue in Hebrew is a Beit Tefilah, a .
house of prayer. Synagogues provide
us with a sacred space where we can
share our innermost dreams and feel-
ings. Mthin Judaism, our prayers are
filled with the language of ’we/ us /
our' rather than ’1/ me/ my’: ”Hear

O Israel, Adonai is our God, Adonai
is one;” or ”Praised are You, Adonai,
our God, Sovereign of the Universe,
Who has kept us alive, and sustained
us, and helped us to reach this time.”
Judaism is filled with a sense of com—

munity, and
joining a
synagogue
helps us to
be part of the
communal
Jewish voice.

When we
join a syna-
gogue, we
form a sacred community where we
can pray together through the difficult
times, where we can celebrate joyous
occasions, and where we can pray with
our feet, as Rabbi Abraham Joshua He-
schel said, by working as a community
to make this world a better place.

Here in Lexington, Kentucky, we

are blessed with incredible Jewish
synagogues, with wonderfully caring
people. This is our community, and
by joining a synagogue, we can both
enjoy the benefits of this vibrant Jewish
community and give this gift to others
as well. When we join a synagogug.“
we show our caring and commitment
for our community and for the Jewish
people. It!

[ed note: In the preceding article, syna-
gogue is used in a generic fashion and does
not signify a specific Lexington congrega—
tz'on.]

 

is write columns in response to questions submitted by the readers We encourage you-whether you are a member of
g 11 community or not—to submit your queries on theology, morality, ethics, religious Observances, etc for response by

 

 

 

.——-I_

 Tzeason of Tzedakah:
A Season of Blessings

By Lori Bernard
Coordinator of Informal Education

Light a Candle, Light a Life was the
motto for Tzeason of Tzedekah this
year. If this motto held true, the Jew-
ish community of Lexington lit a lot ,
of lives this tzeason. Over 115 people
volunteered at eleven different events
filling over 130 "jobs” throughout the
month of December. This figure does
not include the numerous doctors in
our community who volunteer to be on
call or work in emergency rooms and
hospitals on Christmas day - as well
as others who annually volunteer for
organizations at this time of year — so
their fellow co-workers can celebrate
Christmas with their families.

Along with sending out a general
request for volunteers, this year we

 

asked the various Jewish community
organizations to "sponsor” volunteers
to work at an event. The response to
the new program was extraordinary.
Thanks to the positive responses from
these organizations: B’nai Brith (Leon
Cooper — coordinator), Hadassah (Iudy
Saxe — coordinator), the Havurah (Da-
vid Wekstein — coordinator), Ohavay
Zion Synagogue (Lisa Satin — coordina-
tor), OZS Youth Group (Ilona Szekely —
coordinator), and Temple Adath Israel
(Tammy Brennan and Rabbi Kline —
co-coordinators) and TAI Social Action
Committee (Karen Patrone), we were
able to expand our volunteer outreach.
In addition to sorting food at God’s
Pantry, delivering Meals-on-Wheels
for three different churches, delivering
meals for Moveable Feast, entertain—
ing residents at Mayfair Village, and
cooking and serving dinner at both

LEXINGTON HILHARMONLC

wiggle/a + eighth blackbird

Scan luv-l}

Friday, March 1, 2013 | 7:30 pm
Singletary Center for the Arts | Tickets: $25-60

the Catholic Action Center and Ronald
McDonald House, volunteers set-up
and helped people shop at the Catholic
Action Center’s Community Christmas
Store. Sayre Christian Village volun-
teers celebrated December Birthdays
with residents and served refreshments
after a residents’ choir concert. Todah
Rabah to all who helped to make this
Tzeason of Tzedakah so meaningful to
those we were able to serve.

Next year we hope to expand o