xt7tht2gbv99 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7tht2gbv99/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2012-03 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, March 2012 text image Shalom, March 2012 2012 2012-03 2025 true xt7tht2gbv99 section xt7tht2gbv99 W.

 

March 2012

Kevin

momm-

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OF THE BLUEGRASS

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- ADAR/NISSAN 5772

 

Volunteer trip: Israel 2011-2012

By Betty and Lowell Nigofi'

We volunteered on an army base
through Volunteers for Israel (Sar-el is
the Israeli equivalent), December 2011,
for 3 weeks. This was our 5‘h volun-
teer trip to Israel. All volunteers met
at Ben Gurion airport were divided
into 5 groups, and each group was
taken to their as-
signed base. Our
group was small,
9 volunteers
from Michigan,
Canada, England,
Pennsylvania,

and Lexington.

Two in our - mu 0
couple we had
served with
twice before. Of
the 9 volunteers,
two were non-
Jews, and one of
those is a friend
of ours from
Lexington. Her
name is Maureen
Tarpey, and she is

acquainted with
many members
of our local Jew-
ish community.
She supports Is-
rael with both her time and her activi-
ties. She does not just say she believes
in and wants Israel to exist, but she
physically does something about what
she believes. The percentage of non-
Jews who volunteer on an Israeli army
base is between 30 to 50%.

Hr-

We were based 5 miles north of Tzfat
in northern Israel, about 5 miles south
of Lebanon. We were only the second
volunteer group to be on this base, and
our accommodations were a bit sparse,
but we managed. The women bunked
in one barrack, and the men were in a
separate barrack about 50 feet away.
Ours was a logis-
tics base where
tanks, trucks,
jeeps, weapons,
and ammunition
were stored in
readiness. Our
work varied

from cleanin
M16’s and Signm A
machine guns to
cleaning, folding,
and packing uni-
forms for duffle
bags. We spent
an afternoon
emptying ar-
mored personnel
carriers in prepa-
ration to reno-
vate them. We
quickly became
friends with
many soldiers,
officers, and
civilian personnel
who worked on the base. After dinner
each evening, our madrichot (female
guides) conducted programs for us,
such as Israel geography, Israel De-
fense Force history, basic Hebrew les-

see Volunteer trip, page 8

 

summed
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tarot ix 'uoifiuixai - m auns- P908 BOUND osoi
ssufiinla man-09mm Imam .

 

For Women Only — A night

of fun, food, frie

ndship, and

fashion (and wine!)

Please come and join your friends for
the second annual Women’s Happy
Hour to be held on Wednesday, March
14th at 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Baan Isaan
Thai Gourmet Restaurant located at
115 North Locust Hill Drive, the site of
the former Portobello’s. We will enjoy
a buffet supper of vegetarian dishes
and desserts from Northern Thailand
and a selection of wines. As a special
treat, we will en'oy a fashion show
spam . ,‘m’sfiffiur glamorous

' models are Lon Bernard, Jane Chaput,

Lynn Fumess,‘ Susan Goldstein, Ruth
Poley, Anat Rubinstein, Judy Saxe and

Kathy Stein, and our fantastic chairper-
son and emcee is again Janice New-
man.

The cost of the evening is $18. Bring
your mother-in-law, and you will get
a $3.00 discount. All participants will
have the opportunity to contribute a
minimum pledge of $18.00 to the 2012
Women’s Philanthropy Campaign.

For informatimandmervafiom, ' " i"
please call Judy Wortman at 268-0672

or email her at jfb@jewishlexington.

org. a

1m... 3!. Aws'fig
:11

 

Autobiography:

I was born on March 16, 1923 in Lou-
isville, Kentucky. My parents were
immigrants, my mom having come to
America in 1906 from Lithuania and
my dad arriving in February 1913,
shortly after his release from the Ger-
man Army. They both came to Lou—
isville, Mom because she had cousins
there and my dad because his older
brother had previously come there to
link up with Cousin Leopold. Shortly
after Pop's arrival, he and two other
men were invited to Mom’s cousin’s
house for tea. The plan was for Mom
to look them over and pick out the
one she thought would make the best
husband. Mom picked the one she
thought was the most handsome. This
was only after being assured that he
was Jewish (as a little test, she handed
him a Siddur upside down and to her
happiness, he turned it around so it
opened correctly). A match was made
and they were married on Pop’s birth-
day, November 20, 1913. My brother
501 (who served in the Navy on the
USS Stoddard DD-566 in the Pacific

Jerry Wurmser

during WW II) was born November 1
of the following year, my sister Sylvia
in August of 1918 and then me, 5 years
later. As a youngster, Poppa often
spoke to me in German; hence I picked
up the language at a very young age.
My folks were married for 57 years,
not bad for an "almost” arranged
marriage. They operated a ”mom and
pop” grocery (we lived over the store)
and ran it until finally losing the busi-
ness during the height of the Great De-
pression in 1936. After Mom’s death
in 1970, Pop moved in with my wife,
Rose Rita, and me, and our youngest
daughter, Linda, for the remaining four
years of his life.

During the summer of 1940, I spent a
month attending the CMI'C (Citizens
Military Training Camp) at Fort Benja-
min Harrison, Indiana. The program
was for young men who wanted to
explore the idea of a military career
and consisted of one monthfs training

see Autobiography, page 10 ,

 

  

IN THIS ISSUE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editorial 3
From the Director 3
JFS: At Your Service .4
Stewart Home 4
Rosenbaum scholarship donations 4
Letters to the Editor 5
Jewish Federations support protection . 6
Reflections on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 7
A Lesson in History 8
The Atkinstein Diet in Yiddish ...... 9
2011 Donors List ........ 12
2012 Budget marks progress 13
B’tayavon ..... .15
The Lexington Havurah ....... 1 9
Ohavay Zion Synagogue ............ 20
The Lexington Chapter of Hadassah ............ 20
Temple Adath Israel 21
Around the Community ..................................... 22

 

Published ten times per r by the
Jewish Federation otthe uegress, Inc.
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 1 12, Lexington, KY 40502
Phone (859) 268-0672 - Fax (859) 268—0775
email: shaIom@jewishlexington.org

MARCH 2012, VOLUME XIX, ISSUE 2
Robert Grossman, President
Judy Wortman, Executive Director
Tamara Ohayon, Communications Director
Talia Smolkin, JFS Director

SHALOM EDITORIAL BOARD
David A. Wortman, Editor—in-Chief
Hanna Smith
Jane Chaput
Gary Yarus
Marcia Blacker
Betty Nigoff
Susan Cobin

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Michael Ades, BiII Lucas, Betty and Lowell Nigoff, Jesse Weil, Jerry Wurrnser

LOCAL DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Lowell and Betty Nigoff

Production Services by Georgetown News-Graphic

The editorial staff has the right to edit all articles submitted for publication in Shalom.
Articles should not exceed 500 words. The appearance of any advertising in this pub-

lication does not represent either a kashruth or any other endorsement on the part of
the Federation or any other agency or organizations.

Opinions expressed in Shalom are not necessarily those of the Shalom editorial staff or
the JFB or its constituent organizations.

Shalom Is partially supported by the advertisements appearing in the paper.

Copyright © 2012, Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass. All rights reserved. For reprint
permission contact David Wortman, Editor-in-Chief, Shalom, at shalom@jewishlexing-
ton.org . i .

2 | March 2012 Shalom

 

 

ihwia.

All families raising Jewish children ages six months to eight years are welcome

I to enroll. [PB is proud to offer your family, through our partnership with local donors

and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, this opportunity to explore the timeless core
values of Judaism through books and music.

Call us at 859.268.0672 or
visit www.pjlibrary.com and visit our Lexington community page.

 

 

 

J ewis
ex erienoe
hat 15.8
“1 fet‘

   

  

if you are not receiving Jewish Weekly email and would like to, please
send your name and email address to lexadmin@jewishlexington.org

  

    

Federation President Federation Board

Robert Grossman Jane Chaput Amy Faust Mayer
Diana Clewett Jennifer Miller

Executive Committee Susan Cobin Betty Nigoff

Gary Yarus, Vice President Gail Cohen Kathye Schattner

Hanna Smith, Secretary Jenn Garlin Kae Schennberg

Bill Lucas, Treasurer Evelyn Dantzic Geller David Shakib

Evalyn Block, Member-At-Large Mike Grossman Marty Solomon

Linda Rawin, Member-At-Large Larry Kant Elissa Weinstein
Minna Katz-Brown David Wekstéiq

 

Shalom Deadline

Deadline for articles for the April Shalom is Much] q. 355
Email articles to shalom@jewishlexington.orj {l

Edi

By David

Recently,
trip to Cl
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came fro:
the 10, 01
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Editorial

By David Wortman

Recently, Judy and I returned from a
trip to Chicago. While there, we visited
a number of my relatives. My mother
came from a family of 10 children. Of
the 10, only two are left-one uncle and
one aunt.

By the end of the weekend, we had
seen not only this aunt and his uncle,
but also a number of cousins. Between
Shabbat and Sunday, we visited 9
members of the family. It was hearten-
ing to be able to celebrate with them.

We do not get to Chicago often.
However, this weekend underscored
the need to go more often. My aunt
and uncles are not getting younger.
They are the last living members of an
almost lost generation. ‘i

Nothing can replace a family. When
it’s gone, it’s gone. While we accept the
platitudes that life continues through
our descendents, little can substitute
for sitting around the Shabbat table .
and'hearing stories of the early days.
On my next visit, if able, I intend to
videotape my family telling its s 133.1. it
' ' weave family history
in order that subsequent generations
can know our origins.

It is important to maintain a connec-
tion with members of our extended

families. In my case, it is difficult since
I have 36 1st cousins. However, I have
been derelict in my responsibility to
strengthen contacts. As I enter my mid-
60s, I have become increasingly aware
of the losses I feel in not having closer
relationships with at least some of my
cousins.

We brought our son, Noah, and his
girlfriend along with us on our visit.
This was not only so they could spend
time with these particular family mem—
bers, but also to reinforce the need to
establish a sense of family and its im-
portance. In today’s society, it is easy
for children, grandchildren, and other
relatives to spread out geographically.
For many, this becomes an excuse for
not seeing each other. Now, however,
with modern technology, it is possible
to maintain links over continents.

In Judaism, the concept of family is
paramount. We celebrate holidays
together; we observe Shabbat together;
we come together for weddings and
funerals.

May we each commit ourselves to
mine up with no more excuses M de-
nying an extended family. And, finally,
may we each become part of each
other’s extended family, especially for
those who have none. é

ATTENTION proud grandparents,
parents, and students

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

 

 

 

 

Yom HaShoah Commemoration
(Holocaust Remembrance Day)

Sunday, April 22, 201 2

Yom Ha’Atzmaut Celebration

‘ _’.~ . . .1 gammy. Mei/.9. 2912. .A

a‘ll‘llillliéii

SAVE THESE DATES

(Israel Independence Day)

 

\I‘Irll Ina-xa-x'

 

sen-3.1:;

From the Director
Judy B. Wortman, JFB Director

 

A time to reflect

Several weeks ago I turned 65 - not
a momentous occasion - but one
that has caused me to think about
the past and the future. I certainly
don’t feel like what I thought 65
would feel like. In fact, I don’t

feel any different than I did when

I was 35. When my mother was

in her ei hties, she used to tell me
that she iadn’t yet reached middle
age. Now I completely understand
what she was saying. The only
thin that convinces me that I have
reac ed this ”golden age” is the
Medicare card that now resides in
my wallet. Perhaps my bubbe title
fits a little better now — although I
became a bubbe for the first time at
age 51.

I am beginning to look at my life

in a manner similar to the way I
did when I turned 30. At that time,
I looked at where I was, where

I had expected to be at 30, and
where I needed to go. As a result
of that introspection, I went back to
graduate school to getmy masters
in social work and resumed swim-
ming - the first consistent exercise

I had done since I had my second
child at age 27. Both these pursuits
secured a better future for me. So
now at 65, I ask, “How can my re-
maining years become most mean—
ingful?" What is clear to me now is
that I am not at all ready to retire. I
thrive on work and still have much
to contribute. With this as a pa-
rameter, how can I better serve our
Jewish community?

It has become evident in the Jew-
ish communal service field that in
order to continue being relevant,
Jewish organizations like federa—
tions and congregations need to
be shaken out of their compla-
cency and learn how to engage
younger people while still serving
those who are older. Our incred-
ible system of Jewish agendas and
organizations was created in the
20th century and reached its great-
est strength through the 80’s and
90’s. Most of our volunteers and
major contributors are now over
50 and participated in the growth
and development of this system
which supported the birth of Israel,

x..-

rescued and
resettled
Jews from
Nazi -rav-
aged Eu-
rope, Arab
lands and the former Soviet Union,
and developed centers of Jewish
life, learning and celebration in
North America and throughout

the world. Most of our younger
generation didn’t live through
these events that shaped our Jewish
world. I worry about the future

of our Jewish community and
whether we will continue to be

able to provide life-giving and life-
enhancing services to our brothers
and sisters here and overseas. If
we want to continue to be a vibrant
federation, we need to look to the
future and determine what we can
learn from our younger members
and, at the same time, continue to
impart to them the importance of
tzedakah and community. W'c need
their ideas, their creativity, their

 

leaderslu‘p’ and yes/WW ' then” '

philanthropy. In order to do my
job better for the next number of
years, I need to get out from behind
my desk and go talk to people. I
need to talk to those in their 20’s,
30’s and 40’s about how they might
want to become involved. I also
need to understand their visions of
the future. I need to talk to those
who are my age and older about
the legacies they may wish to leave
the community to which they have
been so dedicated. If I call you

and ask you to meet for coffee and
conversation, please say yes. If you
don’t hear from me and would like
to talk, please call me at 268-0627 or
send an email to jfb@jewishlexing-
ton.org.

I would like to be able serve the
community by helping the Federa-
tion remain vibrant and responsive
even long after my eventual retire-
ment. And, while I haven’t been
swimming in a number of years, I
did join a gym and have a ersonal
trainer to make sure that l ave
many more years to give. :1

March‘ 26” Sinai-om2 1| 3

 

 

 JFS: At Your Service

Talia Smolkin, JFS Director

 

Taxes

It’s time again. It may seem as if you
just filed your taxes, but another year
has indeed passed. Filing can be con-
fusing as laws change over the years.
There may be a deduction you can take
that you have not yet heard of. And in
this election year, thinking about taxes
may bring up extra emotional reac-
tions to the process. There are options
however for completing this task:

0 Keep your computer company and
file your taxes online. Be sure to get
tips from www.irs.gov or www.rev-
enue.ky.gov to stay up to date on any
changes that may affect you.

0 Find out if you actually need to
file. The 2011 Pathways resource book
explains that if your income is below
a certain level and you are 65 or older,
you may not need to file. Call the IRS
at 800-829-1040 to find out. (If you are
a senior and you do not have a Path-
waysbookbe intouchwith me so we
can get you this great resource.)

0 Make use of the tax services that
are available. The Central Kentucky

Economic
Empower-
ment Project
(CKEEP) of-
fers free tax
preparation
and filing
for those
who are eligible. You can go to http:/ /
bit.ly / yvOsz or call 2-1-1 on your
phone to find out if you are eligible
and make an appointment. Also
AARP (1-888-AARP-NOW or www.
aarp.org / money / taxes / aarp_taxaide)
offers information and local tax coun-
seling services. They focus on seniors,
but do not limit their services to this

age group.

0 Finally, if you are reading this
article because you are knowledgeable
about the subject, consider volunteer-
ing through one of the above agencies
to provide your expertise and relief to
other hardworking volunteers this tax
season. 23

To contact Talia Smolkin, JFS Director, for
information, referrals or other needs, c—
maz'l ]fs@jewishlexington.0rg or call (859)
269-8244.

 

 

 

Stewart Home

By Talia Smolkin, MSW, JFS Director

As you may know, we have a spe-
cial relationship with Stewart Home
School, an organization in Frankfort
that serves individuals who have
intellectual disabilities. This organiza-
tion serves residents’ physical, educa-
tional, social, vocational, and spiritual
needs. Over the years, Stewart Home
and our Lexington Jewish community
have remained committed to provid—
ing Jewish residents a connection with
their religious and cultural identities.
Through the Jewish Federation, our
Jewish community has made trips to
Stewart Home to spend time together,
connect, and celebrate holidays. And,
importantly, Stewart Home has made
trips both to Ohavay Zion Synagogue

"4.1' March “203'2‘fhalqm .. , . ..
. 1 figs) .. .' . (KL

nawaus-paq yea.

and Temple Adath Israel to connect
with the congregations.

A number of us went to Stewart Home
this December as part of Tzeason of
Tzedakah. Some of us who went have
gone to Stewart Home for years, and
others went for the first time. We car-
pooled to Frankfort, getting to know
each other and the residents better.

We learned about and connected with
residents, and found meaning in the
relationships we created. Now we are
in the process of planning future visits
to Stewart Home. If you are interested
in learning more and being part of this
tremendous partnership, please con-
tact Talia at 269—8244, so we can be sure
to inform you of future visits.

H ;i‘

-eaauv.i. in-¢

mm

 

 

Rosenbaum scholarship

donations

Memorial donations to the Stanley
Ned Rosenbaum scholarship may be
made via mail or Dickinson’s online
giving site. Please be sure to include a
note with your check or in the ”notes”
section online stating that the gift is
designated to the Dr. S. Ned Rosen-
baum Research Award for Judaic Stud-
ies and in memory of Dr. Rosenbaum.

Gifts may be made online by visiting
httpsz/ / secure.imodules.com/ s / 1224/
index.aspx?sid=1224&gid=1&pgid=56
5&cid=1285. (This is a direct link to our
online gift form. You can also access
the site by visiting www.dickinson.
edu/ gift and then clicking ”make a
one-time gift”.) A designation category
will need to be selected for the gift

to be processed, so the gift amount
should be entered under ”academic
programming” and then specify that
the gift should be directed to the
Rosenbaum Research Award for Judaic
Studies within the ”notes" section.

Gifts may also be made via mail.
Checks should be made payable to
Dickinson College with a note in the
memo line that the gift is intended for
the Rosenbaum Research Award for Ju-
daic Studies. All gifts should be mailed
to the address below.

Dickinson College

Office of College Advancement
PO. Box 1773

Carlisle, PA 17013

Le‘

Will

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Let’s celebrate Purim together
at Ohavay Zion Synagogue
on Friday, March 9, 2012
at 12:00 noon

For more information about these events, to RSVP, or
to arrange transportation to the event location, please

 

contact Talia Smolkin at
(859) 269—8244 or
jts@jewls'nlexington.org.

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Letters to the Editor

Will Israel Ever Learn?
By Marty Solomon

Once again, Benjamin Netanyahu and
his Likud ultra-right-wing party are
placing additional impediments in

the path of peace with the Palestin-
ians. This is because the right—wing
strategy is to permanently prevent

the relinquishing of any land that was
acquired, fair and square. So they
need more time to develop more settle-
ments. This is why Netanyahu keeps /
stalling. He now has a new excuse:
Fatah and Hamas are developing an
integrated Palestinian government, so
Netanyahu says that in this case, he
cannot negotiate with this new govern—
ment.

If he would threaten to settle on a
peace agreement today, with the pres-
ent demographics of the West Bank, his
party would throw him under the bus.
Likud really wants to regain the entire
West Bank and, perhaps, leave the Pa]-
estinians with only Gaza as its territory
in a two-state solution.

As quoted from the newspaper

JWWQ 912,999 new
srae 1' egis ative initiative:

”Coalition Chairman Zeev Elkin and
his Likud colleague Zion Pinyan have
proposed an amendment to the law
governing [35%] tax breaks on contri-
butions to foster the growth of commu-
nities [including new settlements]. The
proposed amendment, like declaring
the settlements a preferred develop—
ment area and promoting the legal-
ization of outposts, is a crude breach
of Israel’s international obligations.
Ariel Sharon’s government, in which
Netanyahu served as finance minis-
ter, pledged in 2004 to US. President
George W. Bush to stop allocating
resources to encourage settlement in
the occupied territories. This move was
designed to stop [making] it difficult to
implement a two-state solution."
Everybody knows that new settle-
ments in the West Bank and in East
Jerusalem heavily damage chances for
peace from two points of View: First,
they inflame the Palestinians because
it goes against Sharon’s commitment
of 2004. But even more important, as
the number of settlements grows, if a
peace agreement is ever attempted, the
resolution of how to partition all of the
legal settlements will likely be such a

difficult issue that no agreement will
be possible.

So what is Israel’s future? It is mov-
ing to a tipping point when a two-state
solution is impossible. What then?
When it becomes apparent that Israel
will not ever agree to a mutually agree—
able two-state solution, what will be
the reaction of the Arab world? Will

it say, that’s ok, Israel is a good guy
and we will give it a pass? Or will it
say that Israel is intransigent, impos-
sible and we will have to settle this our
way?

The Arab world will not stand by and
allow an indefinite blockade of Gaza
and an ever-increasing number of
new settlements in what Palestinians
believe is their promised land. Israel
is like a lobster in a pot of cold water.
Everything seems ok with the status
quo. But as the Arab world slowly
raises the temperature, those with
heads in the sand will abruptly realize
that they are embroiled in an explosion
of irreconcilable viewpoints, which
will be catastrophic for Israel.

American Jews think that the pres—

ent status quo is acceptable, but it p

is riot. 'Israel has its own problems,
partially due to its huge investment in
the military. Without peace, military
investments will likely need to increase
further.

Child poverty is 30%, even greater
than in the United States and almost all
of the other 28 OEDC countries. In ad-
dition, the level of inequality between
rich and poor now exceeds that in the
United States.

Since Israel is near the point of no
return for every being able to fashion

a mutually agreeable two—state solu-
tion, I ask you to look out several years
and envision Israel’s future. What

will make it better? How can the pas-
sage of time help Israel? Can you see
brightness or darkness? Without an
agreeable two-state solution very soon,
it’s hard to see. Is this the culmination
of a Messianic society being ushered in
by catastrophic events?

Marty Solomon is a retired University of
Kentucky Professor and can be reached at
mbsolomon@aol.com.

Stand against corporate
influence in elections

By Jay Arnold, Founder, Central Kentucky
Move To Amend, http://www.ckymta.0rg

Central Kentucky Move to Amend de—
clares, ”Corporations are NOT people,
my friend.” Have you heard the shouts
yet? The volume will get louder as the
people demand reversal of the US,
Supreme Court’s two—year old decision
in Citizens United v. Federal Election
Commission.

This decision allows corporations to
invest their corporate coffers in super
PACS and control the airwaves during
elections. It gives them First Amend-
ment rights — rights intended for
people —— to use money as speech, yet
another legal fiction of the court.

And, if anyone doubts the court would
make such a decision, it is repeated
loudly and clearly by the likes of
front-running GOP candidate, Mitt
Romney: ”Corporations are people,
my friend!” I’m sure you’ve heard the
adage, ”Repeat a lie often enough and
people believe it.” Don’t let it happen.
We must drown out the puppets of the
richest 1 percent.

Long before Citizens United, other
decisions had whittled away at our de-

mocracy. The prioritised ”mam _

one vote” determining the outcome

of elections has become a farce. The
concept of politicians making decisions
in the public interest is a fiction.

The fairly even playing field a de-
mocracy can provide has become

a crater-filled obstacle course, with
access to elected leaders determined
by the size of financial contributions
and the number of highly paid lob-
byists. This has resulted in very few
peo 1e trusting those who are elected
by e fewer than 50 percent of citizens
who still bother to vote. Let’ s be clear:
Corporations are not people; money
is not speech. People need clean air,
clean water, food and, ideally, love to

survive; not so for corporations.

A human being thinks, tries to make
ethical decisions, and is motivated by
obligations to family and community.
A corporation has no mind, no con-
science, and no motive but to amass
money.

Yes, corporations pay workers, but not
enough to hurt their very high bottom
lines and in many cases not a living
wage. Capital has long since been as-
sumed more valuable than labor.

Corporations were created to serve
the public, not for the public to serve
them. They worked well in building
our country, long before they were
given the rights the Constitution
intended for people. They had limited
charters voted on by state legislatures;
when their public purpose was accom-
plished, they ceased to exist.

Now corporations can exist forever
and in many places at once. People,
absent theological considerations, live
for a little while and, even with tech-
nology working wonders, exist in only
one place at a time.

How could we say that people and cor-
porations should have an equal voice?

Citizens of yesteryear talked to neigh-
bors; union members walked door-

to-door; loyal, RW.9§W§S¥5 mags. .

issues and candidates. Manyxstill try.
But how many one-on-one contacts can
a person make?

Corporations, on the other hand, can
bombard us with costly commercials
and ”robo” calls. Citizens can write
letters to their elected representa-
tives, but compare that influence with
the constant presence of lobbyists on
Capitol Hill pressing the opinions of
companies who financed the officials’
campaigns.

A democracy this is not; it is a plutoc-
racy. The 99 percent are beginning to
understand their democracy is slipping
away. They want it back.

 

attend.

bizarre "

 

859463-0039.

The Stanley Rose Lodge #289 of Bnai Brith

will hold its next breakfast meeting on Sunday, March 25, 10:00 AM to Noon
at the Ohavay Zion Synagogue. Members of the community are welcome to

After a bagel, lox, and all the trimmings breakfast, there will be a brief busi-
ness session followed by Lodge member and state Senator Kathy Stein, who
will give a report on ”the 2012 Legislative Session: the good, the bad, and the

The cost is $15 for members and guests. Our chef needs to know how many to
prepare for, so please RSVP to bbnmch@comcast.net or phone Abe Rabiner at

 

 

 

Marchzoiz Shalom | s

‘v‘--N,.‘.,ai -. «..

4.. . .
,,,l .

 

  

Jewish Federations support
protection of charitable giving

incentives

The Jewish Federations of North
America appreciates the Obama Ad-
ministration’s acknowledgement of
the importance of retaining charitable
giving incentives. As one of the most
vocal leaders in the effort to oppose
White House attempts to reduce the
tax deductibility of charitable contribu-
tions, IFNA is gratified that the Ad-
ministration has changed its position
on the issue. IFNA recently sent a letter
to White House Chief of Staff Jack

Lew commending President Obama
for recognizing the importance of tax
incentives for charitable giving.

”We are especially gratified that the
Obama Administration now agrees
that any fundamental tax reform
should not create disincentives to
charitable giving by reducing the tax
deductibility of charitable contribu-
tions," said William Daroff, vice presi-
dent for public policy and director of
the Washington office of IFNA, in the
letter.

In the aftermath of President Obama’s
State of the Union address, when
outlining the President’s proposal to
raise taxes on those making more than
$1 million per year, the Administra-
tion announced that the deductibility
of charitable contributions would be
maintained.

The announcement represents a
change in the administration’s pre-
vious proposals over the past three

years that would have limited the

tax benefits for itemized deductions,
including charitable contributions, for
wealthy taxpayers. In these proposals,
the tax benefit of all itemized deduc-
tions, including charitable contribu—
tions, would be capped at 28 percent.
This would increase the after-tax-cost
of a $10,000 donation by almost $1,200,
or about 30 percent, if the top statutory
tax rate returns to 39.6 percent.

The charitable contribution deduc-
tion in the Federal income tax code
has fostered private philanthropy for
nearly 100 years, and is an indispens-
able source of funding for charities that
provide vital and viable alternatives to
direct government programs. Unlike
other tax incentives, the charitable
deduction is unique in that it promotes
behavior that provides no direct ben-
efit to the donor. IFNA advocates that
tax policy should encourage charitable
giving, especially during times of eco-
nomic recovery and when charitable
resources are under great stress.

”One of the principal public policy
priorities of JFNA is maximizing incen-
tives for charitable giving,” said Daroff
in the letter, ”especially at a time when
America’s charities are being asked

to provide more social services with
diminishing resources.” 33!

For more inform