xt7s7h1dp200 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7s7h1dp200/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2014-11 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, November 2014 text image Shalom, November 2014 2014 2014-11 2025 true xt7s7h1dp200 section xt7s7h1dp200 Shale

Volume XIII

Issue 9

News a er of
p p Cheshvan/

I Kislev 5775

it‘fli‘xii Irtlvzuatémt
" ormg BLUEGRASS

 

Lexington, Kentucky Joins Global Day of
Jewish Learning, Bringing World Jewry
Together on November 16

Since 201 1, our Jewish community in Lexington has
come together for Global Day ofJewish Learning.
Once again this year. we will celebrate with individu-
als in more than 500 communities, in over 40 coun-
tries, across 6 continents. We will learn alongside
communities throughout the United States, and across
the globe, from Canada to Israel, South America to
Europe, Africa to Australia.

On November 16, from 10 am — 12 pm, at Ohavay
Zion Synagogue, we will come together to celebrate
both local and worldwide Jewish unity and Jewish
learning.

Global Day of Jewish Learning is based on Rabbi
Adin Steinsaltz’s mission to provide access to our
foundational texts. Rabbi Steinsaltz is a world-
renowned distinguished scholar, teacher, mystic, and
social critic. His works have been translated into Eng-
lish, Russian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish,
Italian, Chinese and Japanese; he has been on a life—
long mission to make the Talmud accessible to all.

This year we will explore the theme “Heroes and
Villains, Saints and Fools: The People in the Book.”
Questions to be explored include:

0How do we use — and misuse — our talents?

0How do we create “oneness” in our relationships?
OWhat makes a leader?

CHOW do we build ajust society?

In his writings in Blhiltal Images, Rabbi Steinsaltz
says:
“. .. the men and women of the Scriptures are more

than mere life portraits: they continue to live and
function CONTINUED ON PA GE 2

Lynn Furness Installed as Hadassah
Region President

On November 2,

Lynn F umess was

installed as the

newest President

of the Central

States Region of

Hadassah. The

ceremony took

place during the

region’s biannual

forum in Colum-

bus, Ohio. Thirty

or so members from the Lexington Chapter of Hadas-
sah were present to wish Lynn well, along with her
son and daughter and other close family members.

A life member of Hadassah, Lynn has been active in
the Lexington Chapter for the past ten years. During
CONTINUED ON PA GE 3

 

CAMPAIGN NEWS

Susan Caller
Wins Kipnis-
Wilson Award at
Lion of Judah
Conference

Susan Caller, vol-

unteer and philan-

thropist extraordi-

naire, was a win-

ner of the Kipnis-

Wilson Award at

the Jewish Federa-

tion of North

America’s international Lion of Judah Conference
held in New York this past September. To be a Lion
ofJudah, CONTINUED ON PA GE 5

 

   

GLOBAL DAY (cont ’d from page I)

long after their deaths in this world. The ancient
Jewish custom of speaking of biblical characters in
the present tense is an expression ofa genuine ex—
perience. These are not ordinary historical figures
but archetypes; as such, their lives are carried on
and continue not only in literature and philosophy
but in the lives of their descendants throughout the
generations. In a sense, they continue to live and
also to evolve throughout Jewish history, in its
psychic experiences, and as a part of the collective
personality of the Jewish nation.”

To explore this theme on November 16, here in
Lexington, we will have the opportunity to choose
from several workshops, led by members of our
community. Using our own unique resources as
well as resources from the Global Day curriculum,
we will delve into ancient texts, new poetry, and
timeless understandings of the relevancy of bibli-
cal characters in the Bible. We will also have a
special workshop sponsored by Jewish Family Ser—
Vices.

Our children will also have opportunities for great
learning. The religious schools from Temple
Adath Israel and Ohavay Zion Synagogue will
come together to explore the theme. Additionally,
we will have a PJ Library program on Ometz Lev
(courage) while reading the book “Noah’s Bed,”
by Lis and Jim Coplestone.

Our celebration of Global Day of Jewish Learning
is a wonderful way to culminate a month of adult
education opportunities, which begin with Lexing—
ton’s own JELLI (Jewish Education Lexington
Learning Institute). JELLI is co-sponsored by
Temple Adath Israel and Ohavay Zion Synagogue.
All community members are invited to learning
sessions on Wednesdays, November 5 and No-
vember 12, 7 pm — 9 pm at Temple Adath Israel.
Rabbi Smolkin will discuss “Jewish Mysticism,”
and Rabbi Roberts will discuss “What Jews Be-
lieve About Life After Death.” See Rabbi
Smolkin’s “Ask the Rabbi” in this issue of Shalom
for more info on JELLI.

Visit http://www.theglobalday.org/about/partners/
to see all the partners of Global Day of Jewish
Learning, such as Jewish Federations of North
America, PJ Library, NEXT: A Division of Birth-
right Israel Foundation, Rabbinical Assembly: The

Worldwide Association of Conservative/Masorti
Rabbis, Reconstructionist Rabbinical Assembly,

and Union for Reform Judaism. Contact
talia@iewishlexington.org with questions about our
local Global Day ofJewish Learning. Global Day of
Jewish Learning and J ELL] are the bread and butter
(or bread andjelly) ofJewish learning. This No-
vember, we will come together with our local Jewish
community and our worldwide Jewish community
for these engaging and nourishing education oppor-
tunities.

 

EDITORIAL
By Barbara L. Goldman

“Don’t waste a trip!” These
words echoed up the stair—
case ofmy childhood
home. The stairs always
seemed to be a collecting
point for books, shoes, pa-
perwork, anything that
needed to find its way to
the bedrooms or study. It
would drive my parents
crazy when my brother David and I would run up
and down the stairs two, even three or more times,
without pausing once to see what we could take to
the top of the 15 step staircase. It wasn’t that David
and I minded taking things to the top of the steps. Or
even that the staircase was that tall and mighty. I
guess in the back of our mind we always thought
somebody else would take a load or somehow the
pile would disappear. In fact it ended up doing quite
the opposite, it got bigger!

 

Every November I am reminded that Thanksgiving
is one of the few secular holidays celebrated by most
of us in the Bluegrass. Thanksgiving has always
been one of my favorite times of year because a col-
lective consciousness of gratitude and thanks are felt
through the air, not just with our families and
friends, but our neighbors and community.

“Don’t waste a trip!” This was hollered up the steps
more times than I care to admit. It amazes me how
many times I went up and down those stairs in my
own world, before I started to understand what my
parents were trying to explain to me.

My parents never missed a beat when it came to
working together as a family to get things done.

 

 Growing up there were certain tasks and chores
my brother and l were responsible for, but we also
were expected to help with the family business. If
one of us was involved in something, well then we
all were.

“You’re a member of this family aren’t you?” This
was somehow posed as a question, but with the
tone ofa statement, the one or two times David
and I actually protested our family assignment.
“You eat at this table don’t you?” There was no
arguing with that. Somehow though, my parents
were able to get us not only to help, but to want to
help, to want to do our part because at the end of
the day we understood we were all in this together.

Now I’m not saying we always did things strictly
as a family. If we were assigned a task like raking
the yard or cleaning out the garage, Dad had no
problem suggesting we invite some friends over to
help us. My poor brother had friends on more than
one occasion turn down his invitation to come over
to the house afraid they would have a rake or
broom placed in their hands.

Tikkun alum means “healing the world” or
“repairing the world" which suggests humanity's
shared responsibilit) to heal. repair and transform
the world. Ber} Thanksgn ing 1 am reminded of
the opportunit) we are gi\ en both as a Jew ish
communin and Bluegrass community to do our
part and step up. Healing the world is something
\\ e each ha\ e the amazing opportunity to be a part
of on a daily basis. It is so easy to forget what an
effect each of us can have with simple actions.
When we neglect the world. neglect our neighbor,
things pile up bigger and bigger.

'35

“Barrrrbbbbbaaarrrrraaaa Isn’t it amazing how
when your parents wanted you for something they
could yell your name holding onto syllables in a
one of a kind way? I knew without them even say-
ing what it was, that I had left things at the bottom
of the steps. But it was never too late. The pile was
still there. And there would be many more piles
after I took up that one. But that was why I
couldn’t afford to waste a trip.

Everyone has go power, but most of us use very
little of what we have because we feel unmotivated
or bottle our thoughts with negativity. We can’t
look to someone else for motivation. Motivation is
an insidejob. We each have to look inside our-

DJ

selves and figure out how to unlock the action
within. While it’s true that feelings can motivate
us to take action, we can also take action and cre—
ate motivation. It’s a two way street. It’s always
our decision to make.

“To be, or not to be, that is the question,” as
Shakespeare put it. To be motivated, or not to be
motivated. We each are blessed with a choice.
Decide to be motivated and take action, and you
will succeed not only for yourself, but for others.
Do it. We are all in this together.

If we can remember that every moment is a chance
to affect positive change in ourselves and in the
world around us, if we can remain humbled by the
world and grateful for our shared time in it, then
we can know true happiness and prosperity. We
can think big, and know that today, this day, this
Thanksgiving is a gift given from God to each of
us.

 

F URNESS (cont ’d from page I)

this time, she held several executive board posi—
tions, as well as being Chapter President from
2009-201 1. Subsequently, she served as the Ex—
ecutive Vice President for the Central States Re-
gion, and as a member of its advisory board.

As President of C SR, Lynn will serve a 3 year
term, leading chapters in Ohio, Michigan, West
Virginia and Kentucky with a combined member-
ship of approximately 8,000. Lynn completed
training at Hadassah’s national offices in October
and will travel to Israel this winter with other na—
tional board members to visit and learn more
about Hadassah’s projects and mission there.

Lynn was born and raised in Cincinnati, where her
mother was very active in Hadassah, and served as
the Cincinnati Chapter President in the 1960’s.
After spending many years in California, Lynn
and her husband, Jim, a Hadassah Associate, set-
tled in Versailles, Kentucky and own a business
there.

Lynn succeeds a long line of Lexington women
who have served as Region President, including
.ludy Saxe, Gail Cohen and the late Marilyn
Moosnick.

 

  
 

 

Michael Grossman

What do you call four
lawyers standing on lad—
ders on a cold, windy
Sunday morning building
a sukkah? Reflective (okay, some might answer
differently).

 

During Sukkot, the values of hospitality and caring
for others in Judaism are accompanied by the con—
cept of ushpiziniguests. We are reminded to
make sure our sukkah is open to all guests in need.
Our traditions teach us that helping fellow human
beings in need is not simply a matter of charity but
of responsibility, righteousness and justice. We
are told in Proverbs 31 :9 to “speak up, judge right-
eously, champion the poor and the needy.”

I’ve been reflecting on the meaning of ushpizin in
a broader context this Sukkot. My daughter Eliza-
beth is an attorney for US. Citizenship and Immi-
gration Services, an executive agency that proc-
esses applications for visas and naturalization. Re-
cently, Elizabeth has been on a detail assignment
to the Houston Asylum Office. In this capacity,
she has been interviewing applicants for asylum
and deciding their cases. Most of these individuals
are people from Central America who are fleeing
extreme violence in their communities. All of them
crossed into the United States illegally.

The asylum process is meant to protect people who
have a “well-founded fear of persecution” from
being sent back to the country to which they fear
returning. The law is based on the RefiJgee Con-
vention, an international treaty adopted in the af-
termath of the Holocaust. The statute and conven-
tion both define a refugee as someone who has a
well-founded fear of persecution on account of
race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or
membership in a particular social group. A refu-
gee is someone who is targeted because of some-
thing fundamental or immutable about them. A
person targeted by gang extortionists because, for
example, she owns a business, is not considered a
refugee because the reason for her harm does not
fit within those five protected grounds.

Many of the people Elizabeth interviews have suf-

fered a great deal. But many get sent home, in a
process known as “expedited removal,” despite a
credible fear of future harm. Victims of indiscrimi—
nate violence are not provided refuge in the United
States. We send them back. Perhaps individuals
targeted because of their membership in a particu-
lar group are those who need help the most. The
reason the asylum laws are not more inclusive is
because we don’t have room for everyone and we
need to be selective and help the neediest. That
may be true. But laws protecting refugees are not
just about declaring which people need protection;
it is also about the duty we have to protect people
on our soil. In asylum law this is known as the
principle of non-refoulemenr. It is morally abhor-
rent to send someone back to where we know they
may be harmed.

People in need are arriving in our country in re—
cord numbers. They undertook a dangerous jour—
ney to get here. We have laws that protect some of
them, but others we send back, even if we know
they are likely to be harmed. As Jews we see a
moral obligation to advocate for children, the eld-
erly, the poor, the disenfranchised, the sick, the
disabled and the “stranger among us.” May our
sukkahs remain open to all guests in need.

 

 

JFS: At your service
Mimi Kaufman

There has been a quite a bit
of media attention regarding
domestic violence. The trag-
edy that has unfolded lately
with public figure Ray Rice,
NFL football player, who was
caught on videotape abusing his partner, has
caused many to have questions. I admit that
watching football on Sunday afternoons is one of
my favorite things to do.

The timing of the NFL’s problems is kind of ironic
since October was Domestic Violence Awareness
month. There appears to be a general attitude that
domestic violence does not happen in Jewish com—
munities. Perhaps it is because there is a general
stereotype that Jewish men make good husbands.
While there may be some truth to this, domestic
violence knows no boundaries.

 CALLER (cont ’d from page 1)

women must donate a minimum of $5000 every
year to their Federation. Some, like Susan, have
donated significantly more. The Kipnis Wilson
Award honors one Lion of Judah member from par—
ticipating communities who has shown vision, lead-
ership, and commitment to the Jewish values and
mission of her Federation.

Susan has been a professional volunteer in both the
Jewish and general communities. She has provided
leadership to the Jewish Federation of the Blue-
grass for many years serving as President of the
Women’s Division and Chair of the Campaign, and
she continues to serve on the Campaign Commit-
tee. At Ohavay Zion Synagogue, Susan has been
Sisterhood President and has chaired the Gift Shop
and Tikkun Olam Committee. In addition, Susan
has served as President ofthe Society of Fellows of
the Council ofthe Arts and has served on the
Boards of Baby Health, the Lexington Philhar-
monic, and the St. Joseph Hospital Foundation.

Susan is married to Steve Caller and is the proud
mother of Bret and Jill and grandmother of Talya,
Danielle, Ilan, Jenna. Aleeza, Bentzi, and Meir. For
more information about the Lion of Judah program,
please call Judy Wortman at 268-0672.

 

JFS (cont ’dfiom page 4)

One of the things that people will often ask when
abuse is discovered is, “Why do people stay in the
relationship?” Here is one way to think about it.
NO relationship starts out as physically abusive.
No one in their right mind would return on a sec-
ond date if they were physically assaulted on the
first one. In reality an abusive relationship is a cul-
mination of events that the abuser has done to gain
control and power over the victim. There are wam-
ing signs, but unfortunately people do not always
recognize them while they are happening. Another
very common problem is that the victim thinks
somehow that they are at fault or are to blame when
the relationship has taken a bad turn. They see
themselves as responsible to keep a sense of calm
in the relationship.

Abusive relationships can and often do exist with—
out physical violence. Men can be victims of abuse

as well as women. It is not always easy for vic-
tims to free themselves of a situation. There are
practical reasons like finances and emotional rea-
sons like fear.

What can a community do to help? The best
thing for all is to educate people, especially young
people, about healthy versus unhealthy relation-
ships. Reaching out to victims is also important.
There are resources to help victims and their
families.

Did you know?

. On average, nearly 20 people per minute are
victims of physical violence by an intimate
partner in the US. During one year, this
equates to more than 10 million women and
men.

. l in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experi-
enced (some form of) physical violence in
their lifetime.

. l in 5 women and l in 7 men have experi-
enced physical violence by an intimate partner
in their lifetime.

- 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have experi-
enced stalking victimization during their life-
time in which they felt very fearful or be—
lieved that they or someone close to them
would be banned or killed.

. On a typical day, there are more that 20,000
phone calls placed to domestic hotlines na—
tionwide.

. In domestic violent homicides, women are six
times more likely to be killed when there is a
gun in the house.

. Intimate partner violence accounts for 15 % of
all violent crime.

. Intimate partner violence is most common
among women between ages of l 8 to 24.

If you have any questions or concerns please call
JFS at 269-8244.

 

  

ASK A RABBI

Rabbi Moshe
Smolkin

Q: What is JELLI?

A: Our people have
had the honor of carry-
ing the holy Torah
with us for thousands
of years. This teaching
has been passed down
L'Dor VaDor, from
generation to generation, and even more than we
have carried the Torah, the Torah has carried us.

 

Now, as I mentioned, the Torah is a very holy
book, but did you also know that the Torah has
very many holes?

For example, when we meet Abraham in the To—
rah, he is 75 years old (he was called Abram at
that time). The Torah says nothing of what he was
like as a child. There is a big hole in that story,
and our people filled in that hole with wonderful
stories of how Abraham discovered God, how he
broke the idols in his father's shop, and how he
even risked his life for his monotheistic faith.

And there are other interesting holes in the Torah
as well. For example, we find Jacob speaking
about going down to Sheol when he dies, but the
Torah never defines Sheol. Again, our people
filled in that hole with fascinating descriptions
about what may happen to us when we die.

There are so many examples of how the Torah is a
holy text, and a holey text, and how our people
came together to fill in the holes with meaning and
holiness. But when does this happen?

It happens when we join to learn Torah together.
It is though our joining together that we received
the Torah, and it is through our learning Torah we
join together as a people. Torah is the glue of Ju—
daism, connecting us with the Holy Blessed One
and with one another.

So, what is JELLI?

When Rabbi Daniel Roberts came to Lexington,
he heard about the fabulous learning going on in

the Lexington Jewish community, including
Global Day ofJewish Learning, when we all
come together for one spectacular day of Jewish
learning. And Rabbi Roberts had an idea to en-
rich our learning even more. So he gathered folks
together to brainstorm possibilities, and out ofa
small but outstanding group of folks from the
Lexington Jewish community, JELLI was born.

JELLl stands for Jewish Education Lexington
Learning Institute. In short, it's a fun way that we
can all get together to learn Torah, and it's a fun
way that Torah can help us to come together.
Everyone is warmly invited tojoin in.

Rabbi Roberts and I will begin the learning on
Wednesday, November 5th and Wednesday, No-
vember 12th at Temple Adath lsrael. Rabbi Rob-
erts will begin at 7:00pm with a session on "What
Jews Believe about Life after Death." Then we
will break for refreshments, heeding the sage
words of Pirkei Avot - lm Ein Kemach, Ein Torah
— lfthere's no food, then there's no Torah. Finally,
beginning at 8:10pm, I will lead a session on
"Jewish Mysticism," and we will conclude at
9:00pm.

Hopefully, this will whet our appetite for Global
Day ofJewish Learning on Sunday, November
16th at Ohavay Zion Synagogue from 10:00am to
noon. On this day, we will gather as a commu-
nity, just like other Jews across the world gather
together, to learn Torah. Wonderful community
volunteers will help us explore the theme "Heroes
& Villains, Saints & Fools: The People in the
Book." Our religious schools and PJ Library chil-
dren will also join together to learn about this
theme. For more information about this wonder—
ful opportunity, please take a look at the article on
Global Day ofJewish Learning in this edition of
Shalom.

Then, coming this January, the tasty J ELLl offer—
ings will continue, as we meet on the Wednesday
evenings of the 14th and let at Ohavay Zion
Synagogue, where we will have wonderful ses-
sions led by lay leaders in our community.

Hopefully, this year will bejust the beginning of
even more learning opportunities in our Lexing-
ton Jewish community. And, as we join together

 

 to learn Torah, may the Torah continue to be a tree
oflife for our people, helping our Lexington Jew-
ish community to grow from strength to strength.

 

‘

 

Candied Sweet Potatoes
By: Vivian Bitensky

The sweet potatoes can be prepared earlier and
baked after the turkey is out of the oven.

INGREDIENTS:

6 yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup margarine

1 cup packed brown sugar

'/2 cup water

1 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.Place whole sweet potatoes in a steamer over a
couple of inches of boiling water and cover. Cook
until tender about 30 minutes. Drain and cool.

2.Peel and slice sweet potatoes lengthwise into '/2
inch slices. Place in a 9 x13 inch baking dish.

3.1n a small saucepan over medium heat, melt mar-
garine, brown sugar, water, and salt. When the
sauce is bubbly and sugar is dissolved, pour over
sweet potatoes.

4.Bake in a pre-heated oven for 30 minutes to 1
hour, occasionally basting the sweet potatoes with
the brown sugar sauce.

Serves 8

Enjoy!

 

 

 

TZBEISOII 0| TZBdaKaIl IS HBI'B!

 

JOIII “S as we VOIIIIIIBBI‘
throughout the month OI
DBCBIIIDBI‘.

Volunteer. Donate. Make a Difference.

Volunteers will be placed at a specific job based on
preference and availability. You can also become a
TOT sponsor and help cover the cost of supplies!

Contact Talia at 859.288.0872 or e-mail
talia@Jevl/ishle>