xt7ttd9n6h84 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7ttd9n6h84/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2008-12 2009-01 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, December 2008/January 2009 text image Shalom, December 2008/January 2009 2008 2008-12 2009-01 2025 true xt7ttd9n6h84 section xt7ttd9n6h84 SHAL

NEWSPAPER OF THE CENTRAL KENTUCKY JEWISH FEDERATION

DECEMBER 2008/JANUARY 2009

KISLEV-TEVET-SHEVAT 5769

o + +
By Pat Shmbei‘g

Popular CKIF winter events are here again

Winter Dinner and Annual Day of Giving offer opportunities to give and to enjoy

The nursing home visits will include
providing gift bags of comfort items
and baked goods to the residents.
Volunteers will be making cookies
and stuffing bags at Temple Adath

December will be a busy month for the Central Kentucky
Jewish Federation. Our annual Winter Dinner \\ ill take
place on Sunday December l-l from 600 until 8:00 pm. at
\lasala Restaurant oft \icholasville Road. You may have
seen \lasala’s ad in Sim/om. The restaurant specializes in
Indian cuisine, and ”special” is a great way to describe
its dishes. The gracious co-owner met with our group of
tasters, who have selected seven vegetarian dishes plus
lentil soup and two desserts. And of course, we will have
potato latkes. Eve Stern, a community member, is one of
the co-owners; she will assist the chef with latke prepa—
ration. In keeping with past dinners, we will provide
cheese [DU/d and ice cream sundaes for children who pre

dinner is $20 per adult and $8 for children ages 6 to 12,
with no charge for children under 6. Of course, as always,
we request that you bring two canned food items or a

$2 per person donation for the God’s Pantry food bank.
Please call CKJF or visit our web site to RSVP, as seating
will be limited We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Following that enjoyable event, CKJF will again provide
volunteers with an opportunity to give to the community.
This year we will again assist several service organiza—
tions and will visit three nursing homes on Christmas
Day The original mission of The Day of Giving was to
give the Christian community Christmas day off to cele-
brate the holiday at home with family and friends. This is

Israel on December 16 from 6:00 to
9:00 pm. (see box on page 14)

This year’s service venues will be
Meals on Wheels, Moveable Feast,
and the Catholic Action Center
(which needs servers for lunch and
dinner as well as those willing to
play games in between). Anyone
who would like to provide entertain-
ment at one of the nursing homes is
encouraged to do so. Please contact
Jana at the Central Kentucky Jewish
Federation office, (859) 268—0672 or

fer them lt‘ ethnic thocls Ril‘y-«iflini; to? i‘l’a;l.Ir=‘ri under 1 teach

o Will be proVided free. Children 6 and older will have a
w craft area to keep them busy. The price of the

—- CAMPAIGN NEWS ——
CKIF community enjoys evening of laughter

Using the common denominators of shared cultural and
religious experiences, Joel Chasnoff entertained an audi-
ence of more than 200 at Temple Adath Israel on October
25.

still ,i guru? “Hit fw- U~ *

others and repairing the world.

The comedian now lives in New York with his Israeli wife
and three children, but he grew up in Evanston, Illinois,
where he attended a Jewish day school.

Joel kept the audience laughing as he poked gentle fun
at the “special” qualities of Judaism—the operatic can—
tor whose melodramatic intonations lengthen the Yom
Kippur service; the ultimate Jewish mother who worries

see Campaign, page 12

Joel Chasnoffi’Ii’i‘ti'ifi'es audii’ure at comedy
Niel/l pertin'irliziii‘i’.
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stuﬁgtjft bags Dec. 16, 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. at
TAI for the annual Day of Giving. Please
call (859) 268-0672 with your offer to help.

IN THIS ISSUE
Critically acclaimed play to be performed for

TAI Sisterhood fundraiser ........................... 3
Hanukkah ........................................ 3
Shabbat Alive! comes to Temple Adath Israel .............. 3
President's Message ................................. 4
Profile: the Skuller-Cohen Family ....................... 5
Third Opinion ...................................... 7
Ask a Rabbi ....................................... 8
JFS: At Your Service ................................. 9
Upcoming TAI Sisterhood programs promise fun

and information .................................. 9
Memoir: That Year in Jerusalem—1968 .................. 11

Veteran’s Day visit to Stewart Home School provides

opportunity for thanksgiving ....................... 12
Israel 21c: Introducing America's best doctor:

Israeli Uri Elkayam ................................ 14
History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict — Part XXXIII ..... 15
B’tayavon ........................................ 16
Lexington Chapter of Hadassah ....................... 19
Lexington Havurah ................................. 19
TAI ............................................. 20
Around the Community ............................. 21
025 ............................................ 22
Community Calendar ............................... 23

Published ten times per year by the
Central Kentucky Jewish Federation, Inc.
1050 Chinoe Rd., Suite 302, Lexington, KY 40502

Phone (859) 268-0672 0 Fax (859) 268-0775
email: sha|om@jewishlexington.org

DECEMBER 2008/JANUARY 2009. VOLUME XV, ISSUE 9

Linda Ravvin, President
Jana LaZur, Activities Director
Paula Clancy, JFS Director
Tamara Ohayon, Staff Associate

SHALOM COMMITTEES

Editorial Board
Ruth Poley, Editor—in-Chief
Mary Heléne Rosenbaum, Editor/Administrator
Marcia Blacker
Jane Chaput
Judy Levine
Advisory Board
Elissa Brown, Gail Cohen, Angie Ornstein,
and Rose Rita Wurmser

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Daniel Chejfec, Karen Kloosterman, Pat Shraberg, and Hanna B. Smith

Production Services by Direct Response, Inc.

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

0 2008 O 2009 by Central Kentucky Jewish Federation

2 I December 2008/January 2009 Shalom

(————ﬁ 6» w / ”a, x / «X \ ( ﬁx . /@C\ “ s
WRITERS Egg/$3 a%§§%%§§9e>%§§%ae§©%

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°.°mm“"'tyf°r.'ts mate' 3% TAI Sisterhood Fund Raiser é?)
rial. If you are Interested em Eggs?
in writing an account of @‘5 , : ﬂ
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please email Mary at DI- ©O future |ssues. ©C‘)
IFR@Bardstown.com 5w ‘ a ' :3 .= Q , <3 3 x a of)?
@993%§§993%§s%%§s%%§

The CKJF Community wishes
past executive director Daniel

Chejfec all the best in his new
position as executive director
of the Jewish Federation of
Dutchess County, New York.

Volunteer as much or as little as
you can. Pick an area that fits your
interests or talents. Hadassah will
welcome you, whether you are
young or older, a new or a long-
time member.

Our advertisers

Please contact Evalyn Block,
President, at eblock3375@wind-
stre’amnet, (859) 271-0127 or
Lynn Furness, Vice President,
Membership, at mamanewbs@
yahoo.com, (859) 873—0328 to
learn more about the opportuni-
ties in Hadassah. We‘d love to
hear from you as we start our new
Hadassah year.

support this paper. .

Please support

our advertisers.

If you are not receiving Jewish weekly email and would like to, please
send your name and email address to lexadmin@iewishlexington.org

Central Kentucky Jewish Federation

CKJF President CKJF Board
Linda Ravvin Bruce Broudy Jennifer Miller
Ronit Eres Lowell Nigoff

David Feinberg

Rose Garden

Evelyn Dantzic Geller
Larry Kant

Odette Kaplan

Mimi Kaufman
David Levine

Linda Noffsinger
Angie Ornstein
Jeremy Popkin
Ricki Rosenberg
Kae Schennberg
Elissa Weinstein
David Wekstein

Executive Committee
Michael Grossman, Vice President
Pat Shraberg, Secretary

Robert Grossman, Treasurer

Ruth Poley, Member-At-Large

Séa/om Deabline

., Deadline’yfor articlesyforythefebmary,‘ halemislanuery ,9!

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Critically acclaimed
play to be performed

for TAI Sisterhood
fundraiser

Visiting Mr. Green, a play by Jeff Baron, will be performed
at TAI on Saturday evening, March 21, 2009. The play
was originally produced on the New York stage and
received excellent reviews. The Studio Players produced
the play here in Lexington in 2001 and it was equally well
received. Marcia Blacker, who directed for the Studio
Players, will be directing this production as well. In addi-
tion, local actor Ed Desiato, who created the role of Mr.
Green in 2001, will again perform the part.

Please save the date for what is sure to be an excellent
performance and a delightful evening’s entertainment.
Watch for more details in next month’s Shalom. 1O!

Hanukkah

From Jewish History—the Big Picture, by Gila Gevirtz.
(Springﬁeld, N]: Behrman House, 2008). wwwbehrmanhousecom

In the Jewish month of Kislev in 164 BCE, the Maccabees
captured Jerusalem from the Seleucids and purified the

Temple. The Temple was rededicated on the twenty—fifth
day of Kislev, the third anniversary of the day on which
it had been defiled.

H FAMOUS FIGURES: Judah Maccabee

Judah Maccabee was a brilliant military leader who con-
ducted an early form of guerilla warfare. Because the
Seleucid forces were superior in both numbers and arms,
Judah avoided battle. He and his band of rebels executed
a successful series of daring night attacks that made use
of their superior knowledge of the land.

Judah died on the battlefield in 161 BCE. His brothers
succeeded him, eventually securing the independence of
Judea. The story of Judah Maccabee is told in the Book of
Maccabees.

Judah and his men styled their dedication according to
the eight—day autumn harvest festival of Sukkot, which
they had not been able to celebrate a few months earlier.
The new festival eventually became known as Hanukkah,
which means ”dedication." It is also called the Festival of
Lights. To this day, Hanukkah begins on the twenty—fifth
day of Kislev, which usually falls in December, and is cel-
ebrated for eight days.

The Oil Story

A legend recorded in the Talmud, the authoritative col-
lection of Jewish law, suggests another reason why the
Hasmoneans—the family that led the revolt against

the Greeks—created an eight-day festival. When the
Maccabees purified the Holy Temple, this story says, they
found enough oil to light the Temple’s candelabra for only
one day, yet the oil miraculously lasted for eight days.

see Hanukkah, page 5

TAI gift Map I}; Opera/Sr Myriam Hamokka/v
meats. We lwe dram decoration/r woof/jtftr

for the err/drew.

cw 269—2979for how: ofopemtwm

Shabbat Alive! comes to
Temple Adath Israel

On January 16 at 7:30 pm. there will
be a special Shabbat observance at
Temple Adath Israel.

With the endorsement of the
Interfaith Alliance of the Bluegrass,
the Temple will host Rick Recht and
his Shabbat Alive! service as part

of the annual commemoration of
the prophetic vision of two great
Americans, Martin Luther King (on
his birthday) and Rabbi Abraham
Joshua Heschel (on the anniversary
of his death).

Rick Recht is one of the most engag-
ing talents in the world of Jewish
music. He performs more than 150
times a year in the United States and
abroad. His music transcends genera-
tions as he can play the hardest of
rock, mellow folk, or the, most formal
of traditional Jewish music. The high
energy at his concerts and services is
infectious.

He is widely recognized for his
appeal to youth and family audi-
ences not only as an exceptional
musician, singer/ songwriter, and
entertainer, but as a role model for
involvement in Jewish life. He has
become an icon for Jewish youth

in the United States, elevating the
medium of Jewish music as a power-
ful and effective tool for developing
Jewish pride and identity.

In addition to his six top-selling
Jewish albums, Recht has released
Knockin’ Holes in The Darkness, a CD
recorded live at Hope Presbyterian
Church in Memphis, Tennessee

on April 19, 2007. Highlights over
the past several years include per-
formances at the NFTY National
Convention, BBYO International
Convention, URJ Biennial, USY
International Convention, CAJE,
Hillel Leaders’ Assembly, NAA
Conference, Central Conference of
American Rabbis, and American
Conference of Cantors.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Rick devel-
oped a strong Jewish identity attending Traditional
Congregation, a conservative synagogue, and later,
in high school, joined NFTY, where he was deeply
inﬂuenced by Jewish music. After graduating from
the University of Southern California and the Music
Institute in Los Angeles, Recht toured nationwide, play-
ing at clubs, colleges, and amphitheaters. Recht has
shared the stage with national acts such as the Guess
Who, Chris Rock, Three Dog Night, and the Allman
Brothers. He is Artist in Residence at United Hebrew
Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri.

After releasing two critically acclaimed secular albums,
Good Thing and Reality, Rick returned to his Jewish
roots with his debut Jewish album, Tov, in the summer
of 1999. His shift to Jewish music marks the birth of a
unique blend of pop, radio-friendly music with Hebrew,
Jewish text, and social responsibility. Rick’s passion for
social justice is woven throughout his music, much of
which is intended for an interfaith and inter- cultural
audience. This Shabbat Alive; service will be a unique.
high-energy, and spiritually ful experience involv-
ing members of our local Jewish community.

Rick Recht’s appearance is underwritten by the Adolph

A. as: Celia F. Abraham Music Fund. Friends of Temple
Adath Israel are invited to attend. 101

Blclt Brent

krecht.c0m

.ric

December 2008/January 2009 Shalom I 3

President's Message

What does your mailbox look like
these days? If it is like mine, now
that the election is over, it is stuffed
with appeals from almost every
organization asking for end-of—the-
year donations. They each offer com-
pelling reasons for their particular
need and all of them are worthy
causes. It seems that this year espe-
cially, in more difﬁcult economic
times, the appeals are more urgent
in tone and even needier than ever.

There is a reason for this: this year,
donations to charitable organizations
are down across the board. People
are living with tighter budgets, and
those fortunate enough to have
investments are facing diminished
assets. The flip side of this coin is
that in harder financial times, the
needs of the community go up, not
down. At CKJF, we expect increasing
requests for emergency assistance
and loans through Jewish Family
Services—more families needing
help with scholarships and camper—
ships in order to send their children

Linda Rawin

to Jewish summer and Israel programs, including our
own Camp Shalom. Community programs cost more, and
the drop in the international value of the American dol—
lar also means that it takes more dollars to accomplish
what we need to do in Israel and around the world.

We all have to make choices. Now, I know there are
always choices involved in what we as individuals and
families select to support. But the choices are vitally more

Where and why do we share
our hard-earned money?

important in a period of fewer discretionary dollars.
Where and why do we share our hard-earned money?

We may feel that tikkun 01am, repairing of the world,
must necessarily refer to the relationship between the
Jewish and non-Jewish worlds, that it is vital for us as
a Jewish community to focus our charitable efforts out-
side of the Jewish spectrum. Indeed, I often think that
we almost believe the stereotype about ourselves, that
the whole Jewish community is wealthy and that there

are no needy Jews, especially
in central Kentucky and the
United States. I would love
to be able to tell you that is
the case. However, many in
our local Jewish community
struggle even in better eco-

nomic times; they may be senior citizens living only
on their pensions, single parent families trying to
provide as much as possible for their children, or two-
parent families working hard to make ends meet.

There is still the opportunity to participate in this
year’s CKJF Annual Campaign! If you have not yet
made a gift—please make one; if you have made your
gift—please consider increasing it. You may do so

by contacting the CKJF office at (859) 268-0672 or by
going to our website at www.jewishlexington.org.

It is part of our responsibility to help; it is my strong
feeling that the help must start within our local com-
munity. We must help to sustain ourselves when
times are harder; and that sustenance will ensure
that when better times come again our community
organizations will be strong and enduring. ﬁx

rence in you

U L7 6

r Jewish community. Buy a car.

you can do both.

4.“.

I—th.H‘.—JH-rnt-go‘n

wrap—i.)

A—psb—urn

HAH

Profile: the Skuller-Cohen family

By Hanna 8. Smith

What does the clock on Main Street
in front of Bellini’s restaurant have
in common with services at Temple
Adath Israel? This question arose
recently over lunch with siblings Jan
Cerel and Harry Cohen, and Jan’s
daughter, Sylvia Cerel-Suhl. We were
meeting in Harry Cohen's office to
discuss the contribution of Jan’s and
Harry’s parents and grandparents

to the Jewish community in Central
Kentucky. Harry's and Jan’s love

and respect for their parents and
grandparents were apparent in their
family stories. It was a heartwarming
experience for the interviewer.

Both sets of Jan’s and Harry's grand-
parents—Harry and Lena Skuller,
and Harry and Esther Cohen—estab-
lished businesses in the Lexington
area. Their children, Robert Cohen
and his wife Sylvia Skuller Cohen,
Jan’s and Harry’s parents, continued
the family’s merchant tradition.

Jan’s and Harry’s maternal great—
grandparents, Abraham and Silva
Mickler, immigrated to Ottumwa,
Iowa from Russia during the lat-
ter part of the 19th century, a time
when very few Jews lived in Iowa.
Concerned that their growing chil-
dren would not find Jewish mar-
riage partners, Abraham and Silva
prudently relocated to Ohio, where
there was a larger Jewish presence.
The Mickler family settled in Piqua,
in west-central Ohio. Their younger
daughter, Lena, eventually met and
married Harry Skuller, who hailed
from Columbus, Ohio.

The young couple moved to
Lexington, Kentucky sometime
between 1904 and 1905. In Lexington
Harry and Lena opened a jewelry
store in the building at 115-119 West
Main Street. The business did so well
that in 1910 the Skullers could afford
to erect a handsome double-faced
clock in front of their store. The clock
provided a service for the passengers
of the newly established bus line in
Lexington as well as for shoppers
and passers-by.

The Skullers’ clock has remained

a landmark in the ever-changing
downtown Lexington cityscape. In
the 19705 the clock was repaired
and modernized, and it is now on
the Kentucky Register of Historic
Landmarks. Achieving historic land-

Robert Cohen in his store at C.8H. Ranch on Church Street in
Lexington.

mark status for the clock was a gift for Lena Skuller from
her family.

Temple Adath Israel was founded in 1907, and Harry and
Lena Skuller were among the founding members. In its
early days, Temple Adath Israel met on the upper ﬂoor of
the building that housed Skuller’s jewelry store. Jan Cerel
reminisced about the Temple’s religious and cultural
influence upon the Lexington Jewish community. Because
of its proximity to Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati,
the Temple attracted top-grade rabbinic students and
newly ordained rabbis to serve on its pulpit.

Harry Skuller died in 1936, at a relatively young age. Lena
continued the jewelry business. As a widow Lena could
have relied upon relatives for her support, but she was too
independent for that. Besides, Lena wanted to offer her
daughter Sylvia a college education.

By all accounts, Lena was a very successful business—
woman. Her store offered jewelry, silverware, and fine
china to a discerning clientele. Lena’s capacity for work
was legendary. To be close to the store, Lena moved into
the Lafayette Hotel and later into the Phoenix Hotel in
downtown Lexington.

In spite of all her work, Lena was there for her family and
for her community. According to an essay written by her
great—great—granddaughter Sara Suhl, Lena Skuller had her
grandchildren stay with her every weekend. Lena sup-
ported Temple Adath Israel, where she attended services,
and she donated to causes in the larger community. Her
daughter, Sylvia Skuller, attended Ohio State University
and the University of Kentucky, from which she gradu-
ated with a degree in general studies.

see Profile, page 10
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Hanukkah (from page 3)

Independence and Division

The Hasmoneans’ struggle to win independence from the
Seleucids continued for another twenty-three years. In 141
BCE, the hated Seleucid fortress overlooking the Temple
was finally destroyed. The Jews were free once again.

Mattathias’s only surviving son, Simon, was proclaimed
High Priest and Prince of the People. This proclamation
signaled a change from the past—Simon was not a mem—
ber of the traditional high priestly family. In the minds of
some Jews, he was no more a legitimate High Priest than
Menelaus had been. Simon’s grandson would go one step
farther and proclaim himself king of the Jews, a position
many Jews believed could be held only by a descendant of
King David.

Although Judea was independent, it was still in a region
dominated by Hellenism. So the question Jews contin-
ued to confront was: Do you support resistance, adapta—
tion, or assimilation? Ironically, the descendants of the
Maccabees were in favor of adaptation. For example, they
minted coins that used both Hebrew and Greek and some
included symbols that were not uniquely Jewish, such as

anchors, palm trees, and wheels. ' “ ' - . - » ,

North American Jews continue to face the issue of resist— ,
ing, assimilating, or adapting to the Diaspora culture.
Although the concern remains critical, it hasn’t been as

divisive as it was in Judea. Under the Hasmoneans the bit-

ter divisions would have tragic consequences. 33

eWish History
The BIG Picture

by Gita Gevirtz

K The Historyiof the Jeliilish People
by Jonathan D. Sarna & Jonathan B. Krasner

December 2008/January 2009 Shalom l 5

‘15st Federal:-

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9’7”?! Kenx‘ﬁgx

Join us for t/ie
CentraHCentuc/{y
Jewisﬁ Tecferation ’s

1404 Annu a]

Winter Dinner , " 9
Sunday, @ecemoer 14
6:00 p. m. to 8:00 p. m.

at
M asafa
(Fine Indian (Dining
3801 WicﬁolasvilTe Center Way

3 (Pre—ifanuIQ/{aﬁ (Party compfete witﬁ latﬁzs.

ﬁ (Delicious vegetarian 6uﬁ‘et, sampling I ncfia ’s finest cuisine.

$ Cliiﬂicare for 5 year 0% anciuncfer.

ﬁﬂctivities ta6[e for cﬁi[d'ren ages 6 to 12. (Dinner incfuefes 6uﬁ‘et
or Ricfs’ menu option.

ﬁ Convenient [ocation witﬁ amp[e parRing.

ﬁlls afways, we are supporting gocfs (Pantry. We as/{ that you
firing two non-perisﬁalile foocf items or $2 for eacﬁ person in your

party.

(Dinner prices are:

ﬁdufts, $20; C/iil'd'ren 6-12, $8; Cfiifd'ren 5 and under, free.
(Q’rice incfucfes soft drinks anti gratuity. Casﬁ oar wiff 6e avaifaEfe.

Odﬁfb’t‘

Third Opinion

Stanley Ned Rosenbaum, PhD

TWo Americas
+ + +

President-elect Obama to the con-
trary notwithstanding, there are two
Americas. They are not the ”red”
states and ”blue” states, though

a friend in California sent me the
information that the reds have 88
percent of the nation’s obese people
and 99 percent of its Southern
Baptists, implying that wide bodies
and narrow minds go together. This
may be an exaggeration, but America
is roughly divided into two classes,
the educated and the uneducated.
Okay, formally educated people can
be under-informed or even ignorant,
while high school dropouts may be
both brilliant and insightful, but you
know what I mean.

Until 1945 only about 5 percent of
the population went to college and
I’d bet the majority of them came
from or settled in big cities. So most
rural people lived among others very
much like themselves. Now unedu-
cated people are becoming increas-

ingly marginalized, even as they lose
their jobs to hungry immigrants here
and to the migration of their jobs to
other countries. These are people
who hunt and fish to put food on
their tables.

It’s a cliche that Jews are better edu-
cated than most other groups, but
so we are. We seem to have been

on the road to universal literacy,

at least for males, as early as 3,000
years ago. And literacy is a pre-req—
uisite for clear thinking. I recall that
in Talmudic times, students were

children " ew.” She said, ”Well, Ned
is planning to become a college pro-
fessor and we’ll be living in a college
community where there’s less open
anti-Semitism.”

He beamed and said, ”That’s right!
When your Nonna and I first came
to America we argued about whether
you put the fork on this side of the
plate or that side. But you’ll be edu-
cated. You’ll know.”

I wish it were that easy.

But education at

It’s a cliché that Jews are better educated
than most other groups, but so we are.

least gives peo-
ple the oppor—
tunity to learn.
One of the most

required to present six reasons why
it was permissible to consume croco-
diles.

When we were dating, my wife’s
Italian grandfather asked her how
she’d feel when someone called her

the noodle in your kugel,

gale/2447 {0 92311;:

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what ever it is, it’s always tasteful.

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important college
courses I took
was one in symbolic logic. There I
learned about petitio principii (the real
”begging the question”), the specious
technique of assuming what you

are trying to prove. I learned about
post hoc ergo propter hoc, the fallacy

of assuming that what comes before
necessarily causes what comes after.
I learned about non sequitur—the
politician’s favorite tool—respond-
ing to a question or statement with
words that have nothing to do with
what was just said. I read an essay by
Arthur Schopenhauer that taught me
fourteen ways to win an argument
without actually being in the right.

I learned that religious texts are ex
parte statements, that is, statements
by and on behalf of an interested
party and cannot, therefore, be pro-
bative. As I teach my students, 0.].
Simpson was not simply dismissed

from court in 1995 because he assert-
ed that he had not killed his ex-wife.
That was an ex parte statement.

One can get something of an educa-
tion in these same things by watch-
ing Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert,
and Bill Maher, my three favorite
harpooners of hypocrisy, or by read-
ing Garrison Keillor. Don’t get me
wrong. I’m a Joe Six-pack myself, if
the six-pack is Sapporo (Japanese) or
Warsteiner (German) beer. I suppose
that to some folks this makes me an
elitist.

I wish there were less anti-intellectu-
alism in this country, but what was
so obviously present during politi-
cal campaigns does not disappear
when there is no campaigning going
on. The way forward, of course, is

to make education affordable and
attractive to as many Americans

as possible in hopes that some day,
maybe, there’ll only be one America.
¢

Stanley Ned Rosenbaum, PhD (Brandeis),
is an adjunct professor of Hebrew at UK
and professor emeritus of Judaic Studies
at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Penn.
The title of this recurring column is
drawn from the old chestnut, ”Two Jews,
three opinions.”

December 2008/January 2009 Shalom I 7

Ask a Rabbi

Rabbi Audrey Korotkin

: On Shabbat I want to use my nice dishes.
The children love being trusted with “the
pretty plates” as they set the table. Then
we say prayers and eat, and dance and read
stories and play until bedtime. However, the dishes are
delicate, old china that needs to be washed immediately
or the acids from the food will deteriorate them and the
grease will stain them. But I am not supposed to work
on Shabbat, so I shouldn’t wash them up until thefol-
lowing night. An aside: they can’t be soaked, either.
How do I use my best dishes to honor the Shabbat holi-
day, without deteriorating them or violating the holi-
day’s commandment to rest from the work of every day?

A the children in the beauty and sanctity of

this special time. Unfortunately, our reader

finds herself in a dilemma: On the one hand, she wishes
to beautify the Sabbath by using her best dishes; on the
other hand, Sabbath restrictions prohibit her from wash-
ing those dishes, which must be done by hand immedi-
ately after use. Hiddur mitzvah (beautifying the mitzvah of
Shabbat) seems to be caught in a conflict with the restric-

tions of melachah, the work prohibited on Shabbat. Let’s
see if we can find a workable solution.

: How wonderful to hear from a family that
really celebrates Shabbat with joy, engaging

Jewish law generally prohibits wash-

es in the sink. So you’ll have to do
some investigating to find out what
is customary in your community or
according to your rabbi.

The Shulchan Aruch is dealing, of
course, with a pre—modern situation;
modern conveniences make this
situation even more confusing. The
reason that you cannot use your hot
water tap on Shabbat is that it falls
under the prohibition of cooking: the
hot water that you use is replaced in
the water tank by cold water, which
is then re-heated using a ﬂame. I
have heard Of a Shabbat-proof hot-
water heater that controls direct hot
water use, and it has been approved
by some halakhic authorities—but
again, you’d have to see what your
rabbi has to say about it.

What are the alternatives? Although
you want to use your special china,
maybe you could find other ways to
beautify your Shabbat experience,
ways that would still engage the

ing dishes on the Sabbath. However,
there is an exception to the rule.
According to the Shulchan Aruch
(Orach Chayim 323:6), ”one may

wash dishes that are needed for the
day”—that is, if you’re going to use
them again for another Shabbat meal.
So if you were to use your lovely old
china on Friday night, you could wash

“The heart of the Sabbath is today what
it has always been—rest from week-
day labors. Our goal must ever be to
help create those conditions which will
make it possible for the Jew to observe
the Sabbath day and keep it holy.”

them for Shabbat lunch or the third,
late afternoon meal on Saturday. Then
you’d