xt7wpz51kn40 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wpz51kn40/data/mets.xml Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Kentucky Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass 2008-03 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 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, March 2008 text image Shalom, March 2008 2008 2008-03 2025 true xt7wpz51kn40 section xt7wpz51kn40 NEWSPAPER OF THE CENTRAL

MARCH 2008

ADAR-ADAR II 5768

Temple Adath Israel to host
Shabbat Across America

On March 14, 2008, hundreds of
synagogues across the continent

will take part in an historic national
Jewish event to celebrate that which
unifies all Jews—Shabbat. Everyone
is invited: singles, couples, families—
all ages. So bring your neighbors,
your friends, your co-workers — and
let's celebrate, together!

Tens of thousands of Jews across
America and Canada will celebrate
Shabbat, many for the first time, as
participants of the National Jewish
Outreach Program's ”Shabbat Across

Jews standing together

create community
Support CKJFIliJgCgCampaign 2008

An excerpt from Tales of the Hasidim: The Later Masters, by

Martin Buber.

Rabbi David of Lelov once heard a simple man who
was praying and said the name of God after every
verse. The reason he did this was that there are two
dots one above the other at the close of each verse. The

America." This year, Temple Adath
Israel will once again host this event.

We invite Jews in Central Kentucky
who are not affiliated with any con-
gregation to celebrate Shabbat with
us. We hope you will join us for
worship services and a joyous Oneg
Shabbat as we welcome our guests
to our Temple for this celebration.
Anyone wanting to volunteer as a
host to our guests here at Temple
for this evening, please contact Toni
Reiss at the Temple office. ﬁ

since the name of God is some-
times abbreviated in the form of
two Yuds, he thought that what he
saw at the end of every verse was
the name of God.

The Tzadik instructed him:
”Whenever you find two Jews
(Yuds) side by side and on a par,
there is the name of God. But
whenever it looks to you as if one
Jew (Yud) were standing above the
other, then they are not Jews (Yuds)
and it is not the name of God."

man took each to be the tiny letter Yud or Yod, and

see Stand together, page 13

(entral Kentucky Jewish Federation

1050 (hinoe Road - Suite 302 - Lexington, KY 40502

Change Service Requested

Non-Profit Org.

U.S. Postage

PAID

texington, KY

Permit # 719

. Mg ,.

Essay Contest

When she arrived in Auschwitz in April of 1944, she was

designated ”A—10208." But Emilie Klugman Szekely held

on to her true identity. She lived through the horrors of

Auschwitz and the persecution of the Soviet regime in 4
Budapest, and would eventually make America her home.

She would also decide, years later, not to remain silent
any more but to share her story with high school students
all over Kentucky for many years. She spoke out against
racism, intolerance, and hatred with a message born from
her own personal experience.

After she passed away in 2002, her son George and CKJF

decided to perpetuate her memory by continuing her

work and established the annual Emilie Szekely Essay

Contest on the Contemporary Lessons of the Holocaust,

open to all middle and high school students in Central

Kentucky. I

The contest is divided into three categories: middle
school, high school, and teachers. Essays must be under
500 words, typed, and double spaced. If typing is not pos-
sible, essays must be submitted in legible handwriting.
Teachers’ essays must be under 1,000 words. Essays must
be signed with a pen name and accompanied by a sealed
envelope containing the author’s personal information

see Szekely essay, page 9

IN THIS ISSUE
Holocaust survivors: the later years ....................... 3
President's Message ............................... .- . . . 4

Be a part of lsrael’s 60th Anniversary Yom Ha'atzmaut planning . S

From the Executive Director ............................. 6
Third Opinion ........................ ‘ ................ 7
Ask a Rabbi ......................................... 8
JFS: At Your Service .................................. 10

Camp Shalom, 1971: Diary of a very unlikely camp counselor . . 11
B’tayavon .......................................... 12

Rising star in the Jewish music world visits Temple Adath lsrael . 13

History of the lsraeli-Palestinian Conflict — Part XXVI ......... 15
Lexington Chapter of Hadassah ......................... 17
Lexington Havurah ................................... 17
TAI ............................................... 18
OZS .............................................. 19
Around the Community ............................... 19
Sim Shalom nurtures range of Jewish traditions ............. 19
Community Calendar ................................. 20

SHALOM

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: shalom@jewishlexingtonbrg

MARCH 2008, VOLUME XV, ISSUE 2

Linda Ravvin, President
Daniel Chejfec, Executive Director
Jana LaZur, Activities Director
Tamara Ohayon, Staff Associate
Abby Miller, JFS Director

SHALOM COMMITTEES

Editorial Board
Ruth Poley, Editor-in-Chief
Mary Helene Rosenbaum, Editor/Administrator
Marcia Blacker
Judy Levine

Advisory Board
Elissa Brown, Gail Cohen, Angie Ornstein,
and Rose Rita Wurmser

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Charlotte Baer, Hanna 8. Smith, Jesse Weil, and Gary Yarus
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.

2 l March 2008 Shalom

T ' : Pubiic Lecmre at 23K
; Athert Barry (Wanda) » '
W'coden synagcgues of EaStem Europe

STEWART HOME SCHOOL
VISITATION SCHEDULE:

March 12 and May 18

March 12 will be regularly scheduled, the
May date is their family weekend and
the festivities start at 4 pm.

The Stewart Home, located in Frankfort,

Kentucky is a residential school for individuals
with disabilities. It is renowned throughout the
country for the high quality of care given to the
students, and attracts people from all across the
country. Tikkun Lexington brings celebration to

the Stewart Home’s Jewish students by honoring
Shabbat and Jewish holidays. It is a very special
evening for all who participate, volunteers and

students alike. Caravan leaves the CKJF offices by

5:20 pm. and returns by 8:00 pm.

\swg"°~c, Please call Jana at (859) 268-0672

h! or email jana@jewishlexington.org

C‘
\m" M for more information

W\W

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
DI-lFR@Bardstown.com.

WW\V§\\\W\\\\\\\\\\\\\‘§\\V\\\\\\\\\\\\V\\V\\\WW\\WWWW\WWW

WWWWN\W\W\WW\W\\WW

S
“K

h\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

—
5% Byéf

We welcome input from

every individual and every

group in thécommVT‘BWT“
for the sake of shalom bayit
(peace in the house), please
appoint only one person

from your organization to
act as liaison to the paper.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

If you are not receiving Jewish weekly email and would like to, please

send your name and email address to ckif@iewishlexington.org

J\¢‘F°d°ra I I
:ﬁ Central Kentucky Jewnsh Federation
CKJF President CKJF Board
Linda Ravvin Judy Baumann David Levine
. . Elissa Brown Jennifer Miller
Executive Committee Ronit Eres Lowell Nigoff

Michael Grossman, Vice President
Pat Shraberg, Secretary

Robert Grossman, Treasurer

Ruth Poley, Member-At—Large

Marty Barr, Immediate Past President

David Feinberg
Rose Garden
Odette Kaplan
Doug Katz
Mimi Kaufman

Linda Noffsinger
Angie Ornstein
Ricki Rosenberg
David Wekstein
Carole Wilson

"Shalom Deabline ' '
Deadline for articies for the Aprii Shalom is March 10.

Email articles to di-ierbardstcwnxom.
Articies submitted in hard copy should be double-spaced.

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Holocaust survivors: the later years

Sylvia Green’s life a victory over Hitler
9 ¢ +

By Hanna 8. Smith

When Shalom asked me to interview
the remaining Holocaust survi-

vors in the Lexington area my first
thought was: much has been written
and recorded about people’s experi-
ences during the years of the Shoah.
There is much less information about
how survivors rebuilt their lives.
How did survivors find the strength,
both physical and emotional, to
continue living? What sort of life

did they want for themselves, for
their families? Did they even want
families? Is there a lesson in this for
people today?

I discussed these issues with Mrs.
Sylvia Green and Dr. Oscar Haber
(see the April issue of Shalom). Both
are Holocaust survivors who live in
the Lexington area and who have
talked extensively to the Jewish and
to the general community about their
experiences. I also considered my
own parents and siblings and what
they have achieved in their lives.

This is obviously not a scientific

survey, but it is based upon first—
hand experience. Many professional '

accounts of Holocaust survivors that
I have seen in print over the years
have left me cold. They did not accu-
rately reflect what we felt and how
we thought. Perhaps some experi-
ences are too subjective to be quan-
tified. “Human life is richer than
any Constitution," Dr. Haber told
me when we discussed the current
crop of presidential candidates. This
observation also holds true when
examining the lives of people who
have experienced such cataclysmic
events.

Sylvia Green

Sylvia Green was 15 years old

when her father was deported from
Germany to Poland in 1938. She and
her mother followed her father in
1939. In Poland, she and her family
were pressed into slave labor and
eventually sent to concentration
camps. Sylvia was separated from
her parents, but she and her aunt
Mina were sent to the same camp.
Sylvia recalls that being close to
another person was vital for surviv-
al. According to Sylvia, the women in
the camp acted as surrogate mothers
to the young girls. If no adult woman
was available, two girls would team
up for mutual support.

The girls had other ways of keep—

ing up their spirits. They would

get together during their scant rest
periods and, even though they were
hungry, would reminisce about the
Shabbat meals that they had eaten
when still at home. Invariably, one of
the girls would exclaim: “I am so full!
I can’t eat another bite!” and every-
body would break out laughing.

Another survival trick of the girls
was to sing while the group was
being marched to their work detail.
Sylvia remembers how their sing-
ing irritated the guards, who could
not understand where these hun-
gry, overworked girls found their
strength.

Sylvia also credits her parents with
instilling in her values that gave her
strength. Her aunt shared her own
bread ration with Sylvia, pretending
that she had more bread than she
needed.

Sylvia and her aunt Mina survived
and were liberated from Bergen—
Belsen concentration camp in! 1945.
The two women came to Lexington in
1946, sponsored by the Urbach fam-
ily, who were related to Mina. Sylvia’s
parents had died in the camps.

Her brother had been able to leave
Germany before the war, and he
lived in the United States. Her aunt
and her brother were Sylvia’s only
living close family members.

Sylvia already knew some English,
having been taught in high school
for two years. (She recalls writing a
letter to the Urbach family following
her liberation. Since she could not
mail any letters, a British soldier who
had helped liberate the camp sent the
letter to his mother in England, and
she forwarded the letter to the United
States.)

Once in Lexington, Sylvia got a job
with the Wolf-Wile clothing store. She
met her husband, the late Jake Green,
and she became a wife and mother.

Sylvia had witnessed horror upon
horror in the camps. She describes
her emotional state following her
liberation from the camps as being
filled with anger all the time. She had
nightmares that intensified when she
was pregnant with her first child.

I asked Sylvia if she ever received
any professional counseling to help
her deal with her anger, and she said
that she had not. This may sound
strange today, but in the 19405 there
were no psychotherapists trained in
working with Holocaust survivors.
(In the late 1960s, when I came to

the United States, a Jewish counselor
told me that he could not work with
Holocaust survivors. A social work-
er—also Jewish—whom I approached
somewhat timidly with my survivor
issues told me plainly that people in
America had problems too!)

Sylvia Green

with anger. ”I knew that my chil-
dren were my life. You cannot raise
children with hate.” Being a healthy
functioning member of society is
Sylvia’s victory over Hitler.

Sylvia credits Jake, her husband, with
being wholeheartedly committed to
her welfare. Jake patiently listened to
her, gave her space, and comforted
her. Sylvia speaks of her internal
dialogue with God, a dialogue that
continues. Judaism remains an inte-
gral part of her life. She keeps kosher,
lights Shabbat candles, and partici-
pates in the Jewish community.

We all know and appreciate Sylvia’s
friendly smile and her outgoing per-
sonality. She loves to chat and she
puts people at ease. Those who do
not know her would never guess the
horrors that she has experienced.

Sylvia continues with her Jewish edu-

cation, and she became an adult bat

see Sylvia Green, page 7

Hn Evening with
? Shir’npp‘e’al - ”"

Sylvia says that she finally realized
that she could not sustain a life filled

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March 2008 Shalom

President's.
Message-

Linda Ravvin

As I sit here wondering what to
write for my message this month, I
contemplate the vagaries of nature.
Within the past two weeks we have
gone from freezing temperatures to
warm—almost balmy—air, which
brought with it the rage of torna-
dos and destruction to both life
and property. We are now under

a winter storm watch with snow
and ice predicted. I hope that by
the time you read this, we will

be beyond all the winter threats,
although some of our biggest ice

' storms have been in March.

What does this have to do with what
you might expect in a president’s
message? Think back, what is the
first thing you did on the morning
after spending the night in the base—
ment closet hiding from potential
tornados? If you are like me, you
called everyone near and dear to
you—to check how they had fared

world. We are all interrelated, con-
nected to each other by the common
thread of Judaism, regardless of the
manner in which we observe (or not).

History bears out the story of our
persecution throughout the centu-
ries—the hundreds of years when
we were treated as pariahs. We
could only depend on ourselves, as
a people, to support each other. And
so we did. We established commu-
nity groups, first in a very informal
manner and in more recent times
formaliling these into centrali/ed
and connected organi/ations. It is
these community structures that
have sustained us through difficult
times and nurture our generations
for the future. These organizations
serve the local Jewish

My contention is that our

populations and offer
a means to expand the

we .. »~ - ' relationship-Machete

family, our next'tO'immediate our larger family. We

family, is the Jewish world.

in the storm. Then you took the
next step, and contacted your wider
circle of family and friends to let
them know that you were OK.

What you just did was to reaffirm
your community: first by reach-
ing out to those closest to you and
then to those less so but still close,
until finally you touched those

in the periphery of your relation-
ships. Now, with communication
available by phone and computer,
the periphery is much wider

than we ever thought possible.

Let me put: this in the context of the
Jewish community, our family. We
still have, of course, our immediate
family: a significant other, perhaps
children, and, if we are lucky, our
parents. What is the next level of
our relationships? 15 it grandchil—
dren? Cousins? Aunts and uncles?
Nephews and nieces? Where do our
friends fit in the picture? How far
out does our Circle reach? My con-
tention is that our family, our next—
to-immediate family, is the Jewish

are one people; it is
our moral responsibil-
ity to ensure that not
only does our imme-
diate family survive and thrive,
but that the Jewish world, our
expanded family, does so as well.

Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
offers that opportunity: to ensure the
health of both our local Jewish com-
munity and the larger Jewish world——
our immediate family and extended
family. We must act as caring and
responsible individuals, looking
clearly at the needs of our family. We
will have special Observances over
the next few months: Yom Hashoa
and Yom Ha’atzmaut. Join with

your extended family in the Central
Kentucky Jewish community and
beyond. Participate in these events!
We must all also respond to the best
of our ability on Super Sunday and
other Campaign events. Please be
generous, your donation and your
involvement are vitally important! X?!

Be a part of Israel’s 60th Anniversary Yom Ha’atzmaut planning

Join forces to benefit Israel and our

community
+ s §

By 1mm LaZur

Our community is uniting with communities worldwide
in the Celebrate 60! Walk the Land initiative, coordinated by
The Afikim Founation in solidarity with Karen Kayemeth
LeIsrael. We're planning a one-mile-long walk on June 1,
2008 to take place at the beautiful Keeneland Racecourse.

We're looking for people of all ages and affiliations to
be a part of planning for this big day. While the event is
Sunday, June 1 we need people to help plan now and on
that day as well. In addition to the walk for Israel, there
will be educational booths and a large party afterwards.
There will be something for everyone. It has been a long
time since the entire community has rallied for such an
entertaining event and it is so easy to volunteer. Even if
you’ve never helped with a big event before, this is the
perfect opportunity to make a difference.

In cities from Santiago, Chile to Sydney, Australia, sup-
porters of Israel of all ages and affiliations will walk

along routes lined with large murals
of Israeli cities. They will be able to
purchase official T-shirts, water bot-
tles, and sling sacks for a mere $5.00
entry fee. Experience the day for free.
A website, www.walktheland.org will
unify all communities into one vir-
tual community.

At the conclusion of the walk, we will
be featuring Israeli music as well as
vendors selling food and other items.
We will also conduct a local fundrais-
ing effort to benefit Israel.

All the Jewish organizations in our
area are invited to help plan out the
event. If your organization wants to
walk together as a group, you could
have your own banner and also

help by becoming a sponsor of the
walk. At the least, we would love for
every group to send us one or two
people to help with planning, and
on the day of the event we would

like groups to help with water stations, tables, set up, and
clean up.

Any group wishing to list its name among the sponsors
printed may do so by calling Jana at (859) 268-0672 or
email jana@ewishlexington.org. Anyone participating in
the walk can collect personal sponsorships to donate as
well. It's a wonderful opportunity to instill community
spirit while raising funds for Israel.

Your sponsorship also entitles your school to an eight—
foot table to exhibit promotional materials or displays at
the event. You may wish to incorporate art, essays, or any
material relating to Israel. Student-designed artwork to
line the walking route would also instill enthusiasm for
the upcoming celebration.

The 60th anniversary of the establishment of the State of
Israel is an opportunity for all Jews and other support-
ers to demonstrate pride and gratitude for our cherished
homeland. We look forward to your participation in this
first-ever international initiative. ¢

9“!“th @Fecle, ‘
a I! ﬁx 4": e a“?
“were. mm gm 0%: met»

The Humanitarium Center of Lexington, The University of Kentucky College
of Education, and Central Kentucky Jewish Federation
Present

Echoes and Reﬂections
A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust

a joint project of
ADL, the USC Shoah Foundation institute and Yad Vashem.

Qa_te: Monday, March 17, 2008
Ii_m__e_: 9:00 am. —— 4:00 pm.
(Registration begins at 8:30)
Location: University of Kentucky

UK Student Center

Upper Street and Euclid Avenue

Lexington, Kentucky 40506

YAD VASE E M
m mm amw me. these:
We AW?

Registration, materials and meals offered at no cost to participants.

Presenters from AOL, USC Shoah Foundation institute and Yad Vashem will
facilitate the workshop.

Echoes and Reflections Holocaust Education V_Vo_rlg_sh_op EegiEtLatioLi l_=_o_r;n_i_ _______
Send application form to Joan Mazur or e-maii jmazur@uky.edu by January 31, 2008.

Name School
Subject(s) you teach Grade(s) _________
Phone Number E-maii

Curriculum Preference (check one) 1:] Curriculum with DVD I: Curriculum with VHS

*AII dietary needs observed

March 2008 Shalom |

From the Executive Director

Daniel Chejfec

Like tzuris, will travel
+ + ¢

Lately, an anecdote involving
Sigmund Freud keeps coming to my
mind. Freud was not widely accepted
in European circles in his time. As a
matter of fact, many of the speeches
that would eventually be compiled
as his Complete Works were delivered
not at universities, not in academic
circles, but to various chapters of the
B’nai B’rith.

Freud was raised in a Jewish fam-

ily with Orthodox leanings, yet he
himself was a self-declared secular
Jew. Still, much of his psychoanalysis
theory evokes Talmudic discourse:
the meaning behind the meaning
behind the meaning. .. He wore his
Jewish identity on his sleeve.

And yet when a non—Jewish student
asked him, ”Herr Professor, you
know that the reason you are not
allowed to teach at the Sorbonne and
other places is because you are a Jew,
yet you are not religious, so why not

convert to gain acceptance?” Freud’s answer was a one-
liner: ”Too complicated.”

What did the father of psychoanalysis mean by that?
Considering his lack of observance, why was he so reluc-
tant to convert? Freud understood that being Jewish is not
just practicing a ritual, that Jewish identity is more than
mere religious observance.

Much has been written since Freud’s time about the psy-
chological meaning of Jewish identity, but all agree on
some basic points:

a) Being Jewish is a quest. Meaning is not to be found
in the destination or in the answers to questions, but
in the questioning itself. Jewish identity exists in the
journey. By questioning who we are, we exercise our
Jewishness.

is being the insider because

Jewish identity demands

that we engage in the world

around us and become com-

mitted to the task of being a

partner with God (or histo-

ry) in perfecting the world. One cannot be fully Jewish

and be indifferent to the world. So Jews become insid-

ers.

Being the outsider and the insider at the same time

makes the Jew live on the limits of society. It explains

why Jews are overrepresented in areas of new devel-

opments in sciences, art, and the like. The creativity

of the Jew is born of that tension.

Being Jewish is the burden we don’t want to give up.

It is best summed up in the old Yiddish saying ”S’iz
ShUET tzu zayn a Yid” (It is tough

b) Being Jewish is only possible in
community. Our identity demands
a community context, whether so
as to practice religious beliefs, or to
question each other, or to engage in

Being Jewish can be central or
peripheral in our lives, but unless
it is there, we feel incomplete.

to be Jewish). We know we
would be better off shedding
the label and becoming part of
the larger crowd, but we can-
not; we are compelled to for-
ever remain part of the Tribe.

learning or anything else; the com—
munity is a necessary condition for
existing as a Jew.

c) Being Jewish is being the quintessential outsider and
the quintessential insider at the same time. Being
Jewish is being the outsider because it means to be dif-
ferent. Not better, not worse—different. Being Jewish

There is no rational explana-
tion, we just do. Some of us do it for religious reasons
(adherence to the Torah), others for nationalist reasons
(affinity for the Jewish people and Israel), others just
because, and many times because of a combination

.»»< w b --

« MW

6 l March 2008 Shalom

for

she

N..-

ew n ‘9

Yahrzeit
+ + +

It has been a year since the tragic
house fire in Bardstown that killed
ten people, including six children.
The gutted structure was bulldozed
away, so anyone who didn’t already
know where it happened won’t get
much of a clue from the empty site.

Since the Westbizarro Baptist Church
from Kansas didn’t attend the vic-
tims' funeral, much to the relief of
us locals, I suppose they’ll skip the
yahrzeit, too. They claim that such
tragedies are God's punishment on
our society for

Third Opinion

Stanley Ned Rosenbaum, PhD

forbidden tree. (Never mind that this
was a particularly courageous act in
the face of God’s death threat.)

Some people delight in the idea

that God micromanages all earthly
existence. Me, I’d hope the Deity has
better things to do. Certainly, killing
some people for the real or imagined
sins of others can’t be any part of the
Divine agenda as I understand it.

Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a sting-
ing rebuke to this foolishness, say—
ing:

So, strike with Thy vengeance

such things as
abortions, homo-
sexuality, allowing
women to vote,
and the American
League’s desig-

the Deity has better things to do.

Upon the

heads of the
Some people delight in the idea little men
that God micromanages all Who follow
earthly existence. Me, I’d hope blindly.

It will be a

brave thing.

nated hitter. Well,
maybe not the last two.

As ludicrous and abhorrent as this
idea seems, it has a biblical pedi-
gree dating back to Cain and Abel.
The idea is that what happens to
us reflects God’s judgment on and
reaction to our deeds, a notion still
popular in conservative Protestant
denominations, but not only there.
Conservatives, of course, invoke
Exodus 20:5, a literal reading of
which allows us to think people may
be punished for sins of their great-
grandparents.

The same thinking is what allowed
Christians to persecute and kill Jews
for centuries on the basis of Matthew
5234’s ”His [Jesus'] blood be upon us
and our children.” It also allows men
to dominate women because, after
all, it was Eve who ate first from the

The Book of Job is another powerful
tool for disputing this simplistic idea,
based as it is on the premise that a
man who has no bad deeds to his
discredit is nevertheless being “pun-
ished.” Job’s comforters attempt to
alibi for the Almighty, but in the end
He rebukes them and justifies Job, if
obscurely.

It’s true that every effect has some
cause, and maybe more than one,
but sometimes we cannot draw
a line between cause and effect.
Ecclesiastes recognized this (10:11ff.)
with his famous observation:

[T]he race is not to the swift
nor the battle to the strong

nor bread to the wise,

nor riches to the intelligent
nor favor to men of skill,

but time and chance happen to
them all.

Sylvia Green (from page 3)

mitzvah in 1990. In 1983 she partici-
pated in an award-winning television
program about the Holocaust. She
gave testimony about her experiences.
The program, And I Was There, was
shown on local television stations; it
is still used for educational purposes.

While her children were growing

up, Sylvia was an active member

of the parent-teacher association in
Winchester. For the past 25 years

she has been a volunteer at Clark
Regional Medical Center and she still

continues to serve there. To honor
her years of service, the Winchester
Sun featured her in the edition

of November 1, 2005. Sylvia is a
charter member of the Holocaust
Museum in Washington, DC, and
of the American Gathering of Jewish
Holocaust Survivors. She is also a
member of Hadassah.

Sylvia and Jake have two children
and four grandchildren. ’61

Time and chance. In other words,
accidents happen. Nature often seems
profligately to throw away human
lives, now in ones and twos, now in
carload lots in fires and floods, now
in epic disasters like tsunamis and
earthquakes. (I say nothing here of
war and terrorism.) And God pre-
sides over all this?

The problem seems to be that since
people cannot blame God for these
things, they have to blame the vic-
tims. I say this is a false dichotomy
and it leads to some really outrageous
notions, like R. Ovadiah Yosef, for-
mer Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel,
speculating that the 6,000,000 Jewish
dead in the Holocaust must have
been the reincarnations of previous
Jewish sinners.

What, then, is ”the answer?” There is
no answer. Note that Job was satis-

fied with this conclusion—though,
to be fair, since it was God who
informed him, the communication
itself might be seen as a kind of reas-
surance.

For those of us not accustomed to
receiving Divine communications, it
will have to do. X2!

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.”

iﬁﬁiﬂﬂﬁﬁ
its? Meets West

Hadassab’s 10% Annual Fundraiser
Saturday, March 2206, 2008
7:15 RM

Join us for an evening of (on
Live and Silent Auction Items

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Temple MIN: (and
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Haas: 1230? by March 16” to
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March 2008 Shalom l 7

Ask a Rabbi

Rabbi Audrey Korotkin

Jewish holidays and the public schools
o + +

: As the parent ofa toddler, I am perpetually disappointed that
public schools place no value on Jewish holidays and afford
students who observe these no scheduled days off. Is there any
manner ofnational petition or movement with which I can ally
myselfthat is bringing light to this problem, or one that seeks to eliminate