xt7p2n4zm37d https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7p2n4zm37d/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2003-02 Newspaper of the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass, previously named the Central Kentucky Jewish Association and Central Kentucky Jewish Federation. Published ten times annually. The Federation seeks to bring Jewish community members together through holiday parties, lectures, Yiddish courses, meals, and other celebrations of Jewish heritage and culture. They also host fundraisers and provide financial assistance for Jews in need, both locally and around the world. This collection is part of the Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass records, 2016ms010. newsletters 2016ms010 English Central Kentucky Jewish Federation Inc  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass records Jews -- Kentucky -- Lexington Jews -- History Shalom, February 2003 text image Shalom, February 2003 2003 2003-02 2025 true xt7p2n4zm37d section xt7p2n4zm37d  
   

halom

Serving the Central Kentucky Jewish Community Since 1962

 

 

 

 

 

Februa/y 2003

Shevat—A a’ar 5763

 

 

 

SUPER SUNDAY PROVIDES

very year on Super Sunday. volunteers

from the Jewish community come together

to reach out to a large segment of the
Jewish Community in Central Kentucky. This year.
CKJF‘s Super Sunday will be held on February 9th
from 9 am to 2 pm at the Federation’s new head-
quarters on Chinoe Road. We thank AT&T wireless
for providing the use of cellular phones for this
event

“Super Sunday is important because it is the one
day in which we contact the most Jewish house—
holds in Central Kentucky,” said Super Sunday
chair Sandy Goldberg. “We try to listen to people
and. yes. we ask them to be part of the Community
(".tmpaign." The gritssroots phflllt‘vllrlill‘li has in
the past. brought about halt'ot the total number ol
contributions to the Campaign.

While every year is special, the year that just
ended presented serious challenges to the Jewish
community in America and to the Jewish people
worldwide. The collapse of Argentina‘s economy
put almost 40 ‘34 of the 197,000 strong Jewish
community of Argentina under the poverty line. The
continuous drought and shortage of food and
medicines in the horn of Africa puts Falasha and
Falas Mura still in Ethiopia in jeopardy. The rise of
anti—semitism in Europe. especially in countries with

large Muslim populations. such as France. is
pushing emigration to Israel. Israel itself is con-
fronting a very serious economic downtum while
continuing to absorb immigrants from the former
Soviet Republics, Latin America, and Africa and
fighting unrelenting enemies.

Here at home. the slowdown of the economy
created additional needs, particularly for elderly
people living on fixed incomes. The active anti—
lsrael and sometimes anti-semitic campaign on
campuses across the US and Canada also poses
challenges to educate not only our own people, but
also our neighbors and friends.

Here at home we face renewed possibilities.
with a growing Camp Shalom. with more commu—
nit\ ~\\ itlc .thH mm. \x llil pro :it‘tix e LiL‘iL‘Iht’ of
Israel and Jewish rights, with wider participation in
the Lexington broader community and the continu-
ous care of those who need it.

Kol Israel Arevim Ze Baze (All the children of
Israel are responsible for one another) was a hard
lesson to learn in our history. but one that we
learned well. This motto led our people out of the
former Soviet Union; it led them to Israel from
Ethiopia. from Yemen, from Northern Africa. from
Syria. It led Israelis to rescue the passengers of a
French plane in Uganda and to bring Adolf Eichman

 

2002 Community Campaign Comes to a Close
Lexington Israel Emergency Campaign Recognized

he year that just passed was not an easy

one. Economic slowdown paired with

increasedgeeds made it a significant
challenge for our community, and we lived up to it.

The 2002 UJC/CKJF Community Campaign

collected $324,000.00, or about the same as the
2001 Campaign. We thank every member of the
community who helped us in the campaign either by
making their own contribution or helping us solicit
others. Campaign is about more than dollars. It is

 
  

about building a collective effort to meet the needs
of our fellow Jews here at home. in Israel and
throughout the world; it is about helping to build,
along with the local congregations and organiza-
tions. a dynamic and engaging Jewish life in Central
Kentucky; it is about getting involved and being
counted.

But our efforts were not limited to our Annual
Campaign. The current situation in Israel demanded

see 2002 Campaign on page2

 

 

00:
1050 Chinoe Road, Suite 203
Lexington, KY 40502

  
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
 

Change Service Requested

  

 

 

Nonprofit Org.
US. Postage
PAID
Permit # 7 l 9
Lexington. Ky

 

 

 

 

 

    

OPPORTUNITY

to justice.

Yes. the Twentieth Century was, for the Jewish
People, a study in contrasts between the darkness
of World War II and the light of hope with Jewish
Independence. And we play a role in it all. Super
Sunday is your chance to continue to be part of the
adventure—to reafirm the commitment to the Jewish
principles of Social Justice and collective responsi-
bility, because suffering does not discriminate.

This year will probably be, in many ways, no
better than 2002 . But you can help us make it
better in ways that count: by helping the isolated.
the elderly, the poor. the infirm. And we will do so in
the tradition of dignity that our ancestors passed on
to us. Together. we will succeed.

\‘vlit‘ii lilC phone

her that the call is for you. Join us.

"dish in: ii‘litttaik \Jtl‘. ta‘ziicrt't

 

A Tikkun volunteer delivers a warm meal to
someone in need on December 25, 2002 -
dubbed Mitzvah Day!

Tikkun Lexington

Volunteers Deliver...

Mitzvah Day on December 25
by Jana LaZur

he Central Kentucky Jewish Federation’s

Tikkun Lexington Volunteer Program made

headlines on December 25 with “Mitzvah
Day.” A Herald-Leader article on “Mitzvah Day"
focused on the volunteer support we provided. But
from our perspective it was more important to
make the point that we, as a Jewish community,
DO CARE. Thirty-four volunteers delivered meals
for the Meals on Wheels and Moveable Feast
programs as well as worked in the Saint Joseph
Hospital’s gift shops and delivered gifts and flowers

to patients on Christmas Day to allow for Others to
see Tikkun on page 15

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

In This Issue: MAZEL TOV T0:
Havurah Retreat ......................................... 3 Etta Pollan and Bruce Engel, on the birth
Stress Management .................................... 3 0f Etta’s great-grandson and Bruce’s great-
. , hew Max Ryan Goldman. The proud
Presrdent S Messa e .................................. 4 nep ’
L 1H *ah g , parents are Dr. Ruth & Michael Goldman
oca .adass .Installatlon ........................ 5 who live in Great Neck, NY..
On Jew1sh Survrval ..................................... 5 Richard Griessman and Randolph
Booknotes ................................................... 6 Hollingsworth, along with their daughter
CKJF Executive Director’s Message ........ 6 Eliana Greissworth, who have signed up to
Leisure Club ............................................... 7 Participate in The Volunteer Experience Pro-
Glaucoma Detection 7 gram. For the next six months they will volun-
W , D' , . """""""""""""""""" teer monthly at a local charity and then report
omens 1v1310n ....................................... 7 theirexperiences toThe Lexington Family
Rabbi’s Comer ........................................... 8 Magazine.
Wise Jewish Dateline ................................. 9
Camp Young Judaea Rally .......................... 9 REFUAH SHLEMAH (get well wishes):
Ask JFS About 10 Ruth Adams Aida Fine
......................................... Mitchell Barnes Edie Frankel
TAI Classes Present Broadway Show ..... 10
Congratulations to 2002 Donors ............... 11 CONDOLENCES TO:
JewLS Hanukkah Party ........................... 12 Aviva Bowling on the death of her sister,
WebSIte nghllghts .................................... 12 Idit Zaphir-Chasman on January 9, 2003.
Hadassah Clean Money KY .................... 13 Jordan Corwin on the death of his grand-
Hadassah Service Project ........................ l3 mother, Toba Corwin, on December 2, 2002.
Touching Lives ofThousands ................... 14 Starr & Bruce Gantz on the death of
“Check It Out" Chair Wanted .................. 14 Starr’s grandmother, Rose Goldberg, 0n
Hadassah Women’s Discussion ................ 14 December 29’ 2002
Camp Shalom 2003 ................................... 14 Susan & Steven Goldstein 0n the death of
Winter Dinner Highlights .......................... 16 Sgsgggzmother, Cecelia Bockar, on December
Jerusalem Post turns 70 ............................ 16 , '
AC 11 h P l ‘ . . h , , 6 Betty Grossman on the death of her brother,
.I a tot e. a estinianAut ority ........... l RonaldAbraham.
One World Film Series ............................. 17 John & Paula Harrison on the death of
JSO/Hlllel .................................................. 17 their family friend, Agatha Reed, on December
Tikkun Visits Stewart Home ..................... 18 8, 2002.
Symposium on Morals & Ethics ............... 18 Sandra Shapiro, Cindy Walton, and Scott
Women’s Community Seder ..................... 18 Shapiro on the death 0f their husband and
Ohavay Zion Synagogue .......................... 19 father, Paul Shapiro, on January 13’ 2003‘
Temple Adath Israel ................................. 19 Bi“ SPic'tard and Janet Seheeline’ 0“ the
. death of Bill’s mother, Irene Spickard, on
Community Calendar ................................ 20 November 29, 2002.
\9h 0- lo m

Published ten times annually by the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation, Inc.
1050 Chinoe Road, Suite 203, Lexington, KY 40502

(859) 268-0672 0 Fax (859) 268-0775 0 e—mail: shalom@jewishlexington.org
February 2003, Volume X, Issue 5
Stanley Saxe, President
Daniel Chejfec, Executive Director
Fran Morris, Jewish Family Services
Jana LaZur, Activities Director

Editorial Board
Marcia Blacker, Evelyn Dantzic Geller, Judy Levine, Ruth Poley

Production Editor & Advertising Manager, Carrie McDanaId

The editorial staff has the right to edit all articles submitted for publication in \Shalom .The appearance of any advertising
in this publication does not represent a kashruth endorsement on the part of CKJF or any other agency or organization.
fibulom is supported by the advertisements appearing in the paper.

© 2003 by Central Kentucky Jewish Federation

 

 

2 0 ‘Shulom

2002 Campaign continued from front
page

an extra effort to help the Jewish State meet the
emergency situation, and we joined many other
communities across the country to provide funds for
the Israel Emergency Fund. Our local efforts
collected an additional $36,000.00 through the Israel
Emergency Campaign, bringing the grand total
raised in 2002 to $360,000.00. Again we thank
those who contributed to the Israel Emergency
Campaign. Our collective effort was recognized by
the United Jewish Communities with a special
certificate of participation. But, most important, our
efforts are recognized by all those we helped to
cope with the current situations in Israel and
Argentina.

The coming year presents additional challenges.
The needs will not diminish. However, unless we
raise additional funds in 2003 we will have to leave
some needs unmet, maybe even reduce the amount
of money we make available for such vital things as
camperships at a time when it is needed the most.
Our ability to continue to meet the growing needs of
our growing community and our obligations to our
brothers and sisters in the general community and in
Jewish communities around the world as well as the
State of Israel depends on each of us. Together we
can do it.

 

Please let us know of any news you would
like to share with the community. E-mail
your Community News to:

shalom @jewishlexington.org or mail:

Community News
Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
1050 Chinoe Road, Suite 203
Lexington, KY 40502

\Shalom ~Deadline

Deadline for articles for the
March Shalom is February 11.
E-mail articles to

shalom@jewishlexington.org

Articles submitted in hard copy
should be double-spaced.

 

 

 

 

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I Get this great paper delivered FREE I

I to your home ten times annually. Mail your
I name & address to:

fibulom / CKJF
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 203
Lexington, KY 40502

or by e-mail at
shalom @ j ewishlexington.org

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L——-_——-_-

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Hassidic Spiritual Melodies Theme of Havurah Retreat

assidic spiritual melodies, niggunim in

Hebrew. will be the subject of The

Lexington Havurah annual educational
retreat on Sunday, February 16 in Lexington. Judy
Goldsmith, Havurah education committee chair-
person announced that Robert Cohen, author.
radio host and folk music historian will lecture
and share his expertise.

“Niggunim,” Goldsmith said “have provided a
template for the intimate and inclusive music that
many of us. especially but not only in havurah
circles. pray to today: music ot'yearning andjoy:
music of communion with each other and with
God.

“We'll study some Hassidic teachings about
music." Goldsmith added, “and learn some
meditative/healing niggunim and somejoyous

ones — and some contemporary niggunim that other Havurah services and activities guests and
convey a Hassidishe spirit. We’ll also learn about visitors are always most welcome.

the tradition of borrowing melodies
for prayer from folk or popular
culture and perhaps experiment
with our own. original borrowings."

A new CD compiled by Robert
Cohen ”Open the Gates! New
American-Jewish Music for
Prayer" will be available at the
retreat for purchase.

Goldsmith noted due to prior
preparation and interaction among
participants the mid-year annual
educational retreats are limited to
members of The Lexington
Havurah. She emphasized that at all

HERE FOR 1825.

 

Women to Learn about Stress

Ma nagement
By Fran Morris, JF S Director

at ish Family Scrx ices of the Central Kentucky Jewish Federation and the

Lexington (.‘haptcr ot Hadassah are pleased to team up to provrdc an utter

noon workshop for women. It will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2003
from 3-4230pm in the library of Temple Adath Israel. Specifically, this work-_ .
shop will teach participants strategies for decreasing the amount of stress in
their lives. As women with multiple roles. such as Wife, mother, daughter,
employee. friend and caregiver, we often forget how to take the time we need
for ourselves. This can lead to illness. depression. or general unhappiness.
Come to a workshop, led by psychologist Di Sobel, to help learn how to man—
age your stress. Through directed exercises and interactive discussion. you
will be given tools to decrease your stress and increase your energy and ability
to enjoy lit‘c. There will be no charge for this program and coffee and snacks

will be prm ided.

So that we can properly prepare for all who participate, please RSVP to
269—8244 or send an email message to jfs @jewishlexingtonorg by March 20,

2003.

 

Send your 2003 application in soon so
your child can be considered for this year.

 

NOW ONLINE.
www.milwardfuneral.com

 

You have always been able to call on Milward 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. Now there is another way to get
extensive funeral information and help 24/7 in the
privacy of your home. It's our newly—designed expanded—
service website at www.milwardfuneral.com.

For six generations we have set the standard for funeral
service in Lexington. By enhancing our website we seek
to serve you even better. We think you will find our new
website a true help and a source of comfort at any time of
the day or night.

It'migtmr \ [funnilr Owned Independent I'lllll'ltll Home

Since 1825
O

FUNERAL DIRECTORS

Downtown 252-341] 0 Southland 27671415
www.milwardtuneral.com

i lilHlll\Kl k ( H\l\ll N‘ll i’\|ltv\\

 

 

 

The Central Kentucky Jewish Federation is now accepting application requests for;
.ng g1, ..

* CAMPERSHIPS to non-profit Jewish camps
* SCHOLARSHIPS for Israel programs

 

The Application Deadline is MARCH 3t, 2003

To request application call 269-8244
or email to ifs@jewishlexington.org

 

February 2003 o 3

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

E-mail us at

shalom @jewishlexington.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Jewel/’5

flat/om Zepair
Jpecialists

 

233—1173

 

   

  

 

Help Offered

People who seek out psychotherapy have a
self—actualizin g tendency toward greater
contentment and improving adaptivity. They
seek psychotherapy out of a feeling that this
tendency is frustrated.
One of the most important things the therapist
. does is to give the patient the feeling that he!
she is known by another person.
Faust was willing to negotiate with the devil
because in spite of all his erudition he never
felt he was present with the essence of life.
Psychotherapy can help with this feeling. And
at a much lower cost.

Harwell F. Smith. PhD.

 

 

 

 

 

4 .

eras

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tsaatats 'W'fiitiftig} tfitggagfi 4% {:33 fight;

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4 O \Shalom

he chairperson of Super Sunday,

February 9th. for the 2003 United

Jewish Communities/Central Ken-
tucky Jewish Federation (UJC/CKJF)
Community Campaign is Sandy Goldberg.
Sandy has volunteered for this lead role to help
make this year‘s campaign a success.

A professor of philosophy at the University
of Kentucky, Sandy has demonstrated his
activism and crinnrnitment by assuming
numerous volunteer activities for his congrega—
tion. ()havay Zion Synagogue. He now
volunteers for an activity that benefits not only
our Central Kentucky Jewish community but
through our fundraising for the United Jewish
Communities also supports the work of the
Joint Distribution Committee for overseas
Jewish communities outside of Israel and the
Jewish Agency for Israel for communities
within Israel.

Our co-chairs for the 2003 UJC/CKJF
Community Campaign are Matty Barr and
Harriet (oopcr. 'I‘hcsc mpcricncetl community
leaders tell me that to continue our budgeted
level of activity and support requires a cam—
paign of four hundred thousand dollars in 3003.
We don’t want to retr'ench. We do not want to
scale back our local scholarships and
camperships for children. We do not want to
falter our overseas allocations. We will work
hard to ensure ours is a dynamic and strong
community.

For me personally, the story begins in the
l930s when the late radio priest Father
Charles Coughlin spewed his hate and anti—
Jewish lies from Detroit over a national radio
hook-up. I can remember my parents, an aunt
and an uncle listening in front ofthe radio.
Jews in the United States were a small
minority. many foreign born. discriminated
against.

Thirty three years ago I saw the banners
the allies placed near the entrance to Dachau.
the Nazi concentration camp outside Munich.
“plusjamais”. “never again”, in perhaps a
dozen different languages. Wishing it was true
but I was not quite convinced that it could not
happen again. "Never again" could one kill
Jews with impunity?

It has been 28 months since Yasser Arafat
walked away from the Camp David meetings
and began the violence.

It was eight months ago in Jerusalem that I
stood by the bedside of a young man unable to

 

President’s Message

by Stan Saxe

Sandy Goldberg Never Met
Father Coughlin

move mote than a few fingers on one hand,
and could only blink his eyes. a victim of the
Jerusalem disco bombing. Screws packed with
the explosives on the belt around the body of a
young homicide bomber became the shrapnel
which tore through the nervous system of this
young Jew.

It was eight months ago that Palestinian
Authority documents uncovered in Ramallah
by the Israeli army showed that Yasser Arafat,
who likes to micro—manage, personally signed
off on requests for money for suicide/homicide
bombers.

It was one month ago on January 5th that a
pair of homicide bombers blew themselves up
just seconds apart in a downtown Tel—Aviv
area killing 23 people and injuring l00 more. A
spokesman for the Al—Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. a
part of Yasser' Arafat‘s Fatah factior‘r. claimed
resinnsibility.

It is now. at the present time. that the
campaign to destroy Jews and the State of
Israel has shifted away from military attack.
Unable to destroy Israel by military means in
1948. 1956, I967 and 1973. the focus now is in
damaging and denigrating the Jewish State by
combining terrorism and a global propaganda
campaign,

()ttt ot the \lititltel »
financed and government supported campaign
Using European originated anti—Semitic writings
to spread global anti»Semitisrn and Jew hatred.

The goal of the propaganda campaign is to
make it politically correct. to make it accept—
able to be anti—Jewish and anti~lsraeli

In England the editor of a scholarly journal
refuses to accept for review an article because
the author is an Israeli. In Belgium in mid—
January. the Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt
says he supports a change to the country‘s law
on human rights to allow the prosecution of
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for alleged
war crimes.

Father Coughlin is dead and gone but Jew
hatred is alive and well around the world.
Sandy Goldberg never met Father Coughlin. It
is not 1938; we do not look down and try to
stay out of sight. Sandy and his fellow volun-
teers on Super Sunday; Marty and Harriet and
their coworkers on the 2003 Community
Campaign are the foot soldiers in the battle to
maintain and grow a strong and vigorous
Jewish community.

A strong and vigorous Jewish community
provides social services for its elderly and
others who benefit. A strong and vigorous
Jewish community promotes its religious
congregations and Jewish organizations. A
strong and vigorous Jewish community works

see President on page 7

 

   

 

Mandel and Sobel Installed as Local Hadassah Co-Presidents

lise Mandel and Di Sobel were installed as

co—presidents of the Lexington Chapter of

Hadassah on January 5, at the Sheraton
Suites Inn. The two women replace Alissa Levine,
who moved to Cleveland in November. Reflecting the
new look of Lexington Hadassah. were co—installing
officers, Kathy Grossman and Kathy Feinberg, both
former chapter presidents.

 

 

New co-Presidents of the Lexington Chapter
of Hadassah, Di Sobel and Elise Mandel.

Ball or the co—presidents has a full time career.
lilisc as an educator and Di as a clinical psychologist.
Both have busy family lives. and each one is involved

i «i

 

‘t‘i‘li': C.il:lklfi‘lfl\a\xr ._:' i ‘ ‘yhilf‘llc;l\lV‘->"(’lk‘
at the L'niversity of Kentucky. A graduate of Brown
University, with a PhD. in counseling psychology
from the State University of New York in Buffalo, she
is the senior staff psychologist at the University’s
counseling center. She is a certified mediator and a
member of several professional associations.

Since arriving in Lexington, Di has involved herself
in a variety of volunteer activities. Pursuing her
interest in leadership development and diversity, she
served as a volunteer advisor and staff psychologist
for eight years at Camp Anytown, sponsored by the
National Conference for Community and Justice. She
also has held many positions on the Hadassah board.
as vice president of membership and fundraising,
chapter treasurer and facilitator of “Training Wheels,”
21 program for parents and pre—school children that
focuses on Jewish holidays and values. Di’s goals for
the chapter include continuing to oversubscribe the
fundraising quotas which help to support Hadassah’s
projects in Israel, and to develop future leadership.

Di Sobel is married to Greg Smith, also a psycholo-

gist. They have three daughters,
Cory, Jamie and Daryn.

Elise Mandel was born in New
York, grew up in Colorado, and
attended universities in Colorado,
Wisconsin and Massachusetts.
Before moving to Lexington 17
years ago she and husband Joe
Anthony lived in Hazard for five years. There Joe
taught at the local community college and Elise was a
special education and sixth grade teacher.

With a master's degree in education Elise has
branched out in many directions. She has home
schooled her children. David, Sara. and Daniel. is
teaching Developmental Reading and Study Skills at
Lexington Community College, and more. Elise also
teaches Spanish at the Carnegie Center and leads
parent workshops throughout Kentucky.

Elise has been active in Hadassah. particularly as
program and Jewish National Fund chair. She de-
signed and led a Hanukkah program at the local
Children‘s Museum several years ago as part of
Hadassah’s Mitzvah Day program. Her goals for
Hadassah include increasing the local membership,
expanding the Chapter‘s visibility in the community at
leu‘ge. and networking on a Regional and National
level.

       

  

   

l-l \r..;;c‘ :. .. . .‘. it; t..z.~,_. Ur, ’;;«,ji, {05. i. it.
requires sensitivity, creativity and smarts. Both Dr turd
Elise are modem, no—nonsense women accustomed to
multitasking, comfortable in front of groups and
willing to take on new challenges. How reminiscent
this is of Henrietta Szold. Hadassah‘s founder. noticing
a problem such as healthcare. educationjob training
or youth rescue. and liguring out a creative. active
solution to make it better.”

We wish both women great success and satisfac—
tion as they forge new directions for Lexington
Hadassah.

 

i t

 

Hadassah past presidents Ruth Maser,
Evelyn Dantzic Geller and Gail Cohen.

1 Kathy F einberg, Marilyn Moosnick and
Vinnie Dubilier at the Installation dinner.

   

Ruth Baker,
Sharon

, Wainshilbaum

it and Lisa Satin
enjoy the evening.

 

...on Jewish Survival
by Di Sobel & Elise Mandel

adassah began as a study group and

continues to this day to provide mem-

bers with enhanced opportunities to
grow. explore and expand within the world of Jewish
learning.

A significant part of that education is understand—
ing and fulfilling the principle of tzedakah. Providing
tzedakah—funds for public assistance—is one of the
core concepts in Jewish life. The Hebrew root
‘tzedek‘ translates as justice or righteors It is this
concern for communit y and advocating for the
welfare oi others at which Hadassah members have
always excelled. Today. the pressing needs or" our
people in israel are at the forefront of our thoughts.
3i..:-.i.:~~..;r » “in-cor 1w lit-u; 2:7-3 "‘.Ll\ 1v x t:

. . .. .tt; tug“; .11.“ - .. . -.
meaning ot taedakah by word and deed. The rising
tide of tenor and war that Israel now faces necessi-
tates our urgent help. At a time when anti—Zionism
and anti—Semitism are once again on the rise and
Jews in Israel, America and around the world are at
risk. we are all challenged to step forward and be
counted.

The new Hadassah Center for Emergency
Medicine provides an opportunity for each of us to
accept this responsibility. Life in Israel requires that
Hadassah anticipate the worst—case scenario and
prepare itself accordingly. The bitter experiences of
the past two years only reinforce the knowledge that
the new Center has to be totally flexible, able to be
converted from its day to day functions into a facility
that can handle mass casualty events with efficiency.
Thus, the new CEM will triple current capacity and
will double to 63 beds. Additionally, the new Center is
designed to be closed off under catastrophic condi-
tions to function as an independent unit for a signifi-
cant period of time. HOM estimates that the new
Center could treat 100,000 to 120,000 patients
annually. As Jews, we must be accountable; we are
part of a world where we are obligated to be
concerned for ourselves as well as for the survival of
Jews everywhere. Support for the Center for
Emergency Medicine is an expression of each
member’s solidarity with our people in Israel. It is
one way to say, “I am responsible—I care.”

Please join us for an evening in which we can
fulfill the principal of tzedakah together as well as
have a lot of fun during our 5th Annual Fun-raiser on
February 15th at Temple Adath Israel starting at 6:30
PM. We look forward to seeing you.

February 2003 o 5

 

  

 

Booknotes

by Evelyn Kossoff Goodman
No Heroes: A Memoir of

Com i n g H ome
by Chris Offutt (Simon & Schuster, 2002)

Chris Offutt, a Kentucky author born and raised
in the backwoods, left his home in the hills after
graduating from Morehead State University. This
memoir describes his homecoming twenty years
later when he returns to teach at his alma mater,
hoping to give back some of the benefits of his
experiences to the community in which he was
raised.

Why should a book about a native Kentuckians
homesickness and return to his roots be of special
interest to Jewish readers? Chris Offutt’s wife Rita
is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors who
emigrated to New York from Poland in 1946. When
these two sophisticated New Yorkers. now in their
seventies, impeccably dressed and groomed, visited
their daughter, their son—in-law, and their two small
grandsons in the hills of Kentucky, Chris Offutt
asked them to tell their story. Their experiences in
the German concentration camps during World War
11, recorded by Offutt on tapes, are interspersed
throughout the book. Offutt himself, however,
wonders why he feels compelled to include the
stories of their survival as part of his own memoir:

“Sometimes I worry if I can pull this
off. I leave my writing desk in tears.
Will people care that a gentile is
writing about the Holocaust? Am I
appropriating Jewish material? Am I
respectful enough? There were
no Jews where I grew up. As a kid
I thought they were the same as
Christians only they went to church
on Saturday. I married the first Jew
I met.”

Strangely enough, Offutt develops a closer
rapport with his father—in—law than he has with his
own father. The two of them agree that they are
“no heroes,” despite their having survived and
overcome their early life experiences.

Six Days of War: June 1967
and the Making of the

Modern Middle East
by Michael B. Oren (Oxford University Press,
2002 )

To understand the current Arab—Israeli conflict, it is
necessary to understand its history—at least as far
back as the Six-Day War in June 1967. The present—
day controversies concerning the “occupied territo—
ries," the Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the
future of Jerusalem, the concept of trading territory
for peace, the Camp David accords, the Oslo accords,
the intifada, and the Palestinian suicide bombings—all
can be traced back to the dramatic events of this
brief, local military operation that had long-lasting
global consequences.

Many books have been written about the Six—
Day War. but this formidable work, the most
comprehensive. is based on thousands of recently

5 0 jabs-[om

 

n the history of the Jewish Diaspora the

examples of Jewish success and acceptance

in the wider society were few and far
between until the emancipation, and even then
conditional. Only two times in our Diasporic
existence did Jews gain such complete acceptance
in their host society that those times came to be
known as “golden ages”. The first one was in the
Spain of the three religions, sometimes referred to
as Muslim Spain. The other one is the sojourn of
Jews in the United States. But one question comes
to mind when comparing both experiences... Is the
renewed strength of American Jewry only a
function of democracy? Jews have lived in other
democratic regimes, and certainly lived for a long
time in America before they finally “made it”. So
what is it that made a difference?

Could it be an external factor, maybe the same
one that allowed Argentinean Jews to confront the
military in the 1970s, or European Jews to rebuild
their communities after they were destroyed first by
the Nazis and later by the Soviets. I believe there is
a common factor.

Political Zionism was a response to the feeling
of helplessness of European Jewry. As Jews
throughout Europe became more comfortable with
emancipation, they became more assertive and
participated in increasing numbers of the general
society. Yet they were still Jews in the eyes of
Europeans. Dreyfuss was blamed because he was

 

Booknotes continued

declassified diplomatic documents in American
archives, in Great Britain, and in Israel; on rare
foreign language materials, in Russian and Arabic;
and on exclusive interviews in all the countries
involved. Furthermore, this book explores the Six-
Day War not only as a military but also a political
struggles, as a critical event in the global Cold War;
it examines the events from a variety of perspec-
tiv