LETTER TO THE CONGREGATION:

Dear Friends,

Thank you for the generous contribution you made to our synagogue. Even as we return to our busy lives here as rabbis of Temple Sinai, we think with great affection of our friends in Costa Rica and of the warmth and closeness of Congregacion B'nei Israel.

We hope you are all doing well, and we send much love!

Sincerely,

    Rabbis Linda & Jonathan

   

SISTERHOOD CORNER

Dear Congregation,

This month I would like to share with you my enthusiasm for our next Rabbi Michael and his sweet wife Nicole. For the people that had the joy of meeting them, it was a very enriching experience. They are very special people, of great human value, who seem very eager about the idea of coming to Costa Rica.

Now, I want to inform you about the Sisterhood’s projects. We will have a Cachivache Sale at Hilda’s house on May 5th starting at 7:00 a.m. If you have anything that could be of use to us, please bring it to the synagogue or to Hilda’s house before that date.

On August 10, at 7:00 p.m., we will have a great raffle where everyone that participates will get a prize. We would really appreciate any donations as soon as possible, for our goal is to have 100 prizes. All this with the purpose of raising the Rabbi Fund. Thank you for all your support!

    Flor C. Keibel

(Translated by Tamara Baum)

   

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM ARZA/WORLD UNION North America

URGENT!!! Please read this very important letter from Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch

Dear Friend:

We Jews are facing a major crisis. Israel is at war. Our Israeli families and friends are dying in the cities and towns of Israel and on the battlefield defending the Jewish state.

Whenever Jews are attacked anywhere, Jews everywhere feel the pain.

I know that we have all watched events in Israel with increasing concern. We feel frustrated and wish to do something - anything.

Since most of us cannot go to Israel to volunteer our time, we are asking you to give of yourselves to our common cause.

Many of you will have at least some time to participate in rallies and other public events. Others may be able to draft letters to our representatives in Washington or to various media outlets.

Some of you might be able to volunteer your time in our own national or regional offices. If so, kindly call the ARZA/WORLD UNION national office.

We will continue to update you on various activities you can take part in and guide you in directions where you might be effective.

One way we can all be effective is by making a financial contribution.

ALL OF US ARE ABLE TO GIVE SOMETHING. THIS IS THE TIME TO STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.

Our own Reform movement in Israel, like the rest of Israeli society, is enduring tremendous difficulties. Just to give you a few examples:

• A graduate of Leo Baeck High School was one of the young people killed in the attack in Haifa last week.
• Members of Congregation Yozma in Modi'in have been shot at while trying to get to their jobs in Jerusalem.
• Congregants from around the country have been called up for reserve duty, where they are risking their lives in Israel’s defense.

Our friends and families need us. They have asked us for money to do the following:

• Give children in their neighborhoods - not just the children of members, but all children - a place to go after school. With terrorism affecting every corner of Israel, parents are afraid to let their children out of the house. Our congregations are providing a safe haven where children can play and try to live as normally as possible. The congregations need funding for activity leaders, materials and security guards.
• Security guards are also needed to protect the children in our preschools and schools throughout Israel.
• Funds are needed to provide trauma intervention for children and families who have lost a family member or who have witnessed the carnage of terrorist attacks.
• The economic decline caused by the terrorist attacks has made it more difficult for our congregations to support themselves financially.

ARZA/WORLD UNION is the primary American organization providing monetary support to the Israeli Reform movement. If we don’t do it, no one will.

Please call the national office at (212) 650-4280 or the regional office closest to you and give as much as you can. Or, print and send us the form below with your contribution.

Ask others to give as well. Perhaps you can organize an emergency appeal at your synagogue’s Yom Ha’aztmaut event this week.

Please help us. Please help fellow Jews who are enduring so much hardship with sacrifice, resolve and courage. It is the least that you can do.

Thank you in advance. May the shelter of peace spread over us, over all the people of Israel and over all human beings.

        Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch
        Executive Director, ARZA/WORLD UNION, North America

   

Yes! I want to help my fellow Reform Jews in Israel at this time of crisis.     Enclosed is my contribution of (please circle amount):    $1,800       $1,000       $500       $180       other _________     Please make checks payable to ARZA/WORLD UNION, North America.     Please charge my credit card: ____ Visa ____ MasterCard     Card number ______________________________________     Exp. date: ___/___/___ Signature: _____________________________     All contributions are tax deductible.     Name: __________________________________________     Address: ________________________________________     City: ___________________ State: ____________ Zip: __________     Telephone: ______________________________________     E-mail for updates: ________________________________

   

NEWS FROM ISRAEL:

SPECIAL ISRAELI MEMORIAL DAY / INDEPENDENCE DAY ISSUE:
WUPJnews - April 16, 2002 / Adar 8, 5762

A LETTER FROM JERUSALEM BY RABBI JOEL OSERAN
Director of International Development and Program, WUPJ - Israel

   

"ISRAEL TURNS 54 - REFLECTIONS ON A SPECIAL OCCASION"

On the 5th day of the Hebrew month of Iyar (April 17), Israel celebrates her 54th birthday. As Jews throughout the world gather to mark "Yom Ha'atzma'ut," Israeli Independence Day, many of us are overwhelmed by conflicting emotions. Yes, we celebrate and give thanks that our precious homeland has reached this joyous occasion - "Shehecheyanu v'keeyemanu v'heegeyanu lazman hazeh." Yet in our hearts we know that this Independence Day will be different. It will be somber - Israel is in the midst of fighting a war on terrorism that has cost her dearly. As Israelis celebrate, we know that our people's army - our own sons and daughters - is still engaged in fighting: deterring suicide bombings and other barbaric acts of wanton destruction of life, responding to attacks on our northern border, and protecting us as we enter cafes and cinemas, supermarkets and schools. Our soldiers and police are everywhere this Independence Day; they have to be in order to protect us.

But perhaps most disturbing of all as we gather to fete Israel at 54 is the deeply painful realization that there are still so many people filled with rage and hostility against us, people near and far who are bent on our annihilation as a sovereign nation. How tragic, how traumatic: 54 years and we still must fight - literally fight - for our very survival. Little wonder that this year's Independence Day carries with it such conflicting emotions, such deep concern.

The fixing of Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day for Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terror) on the day immediately prior to Yom Ha'atzma'ut casts a sharp focus on the inextricable relationship between the State of Israel and the price we all must pay to ensure its survival. Since 1948, over 21,000 men, women and children have died in defense of the homeland. And we know there will be more.

So how will we celebrate Independence Day? Can we dance in the streets, sing and watch fireworks, hit each other over the head with those silly toy hammers? Not this year. Instead, let us make this two-day period an opportunity to remember our fallen, as well as the context of our independence and its meaning for us and for future generations. Perhaps in this way we can better understand our conflicting emotions and become strengthened through the effort.

Let us begin our act of remembrance with a few critical points that often seem to get lost:

1. No thoughtful celebration of Yom Ha'atzma'ut can take place without reflecting on the critical context of history. We honor Israel and truly rejoice in its very being when we study its history, remember the events and forces that impacted on its evolution as a nation, and teach this heritage to our children. Without a clear memory of what really happened or of what the facts were, we subject ourselves and especially the younger generation to the hollow and often vicious charges of those who seek our destruction.

      

2. Let us remember on this Day of Remembrance that the establishment of the State of Israel 54 years ago was rejected by every Arab nation. The only way Israel came into being was in battle - a war waged by a mixture of courageous pioneers and ragged immigrants, professionals in many spheres, though rarely in the art of warfare. Let us not forget that over one percent of the entire Jewish population of Israel died during that war.

      

3. The only Arab countries that to this day have accepted Israel's right to exist as a sovereign nation within secure and recognized borders are Egypt and Jordan. Both made peace with Israel not because their citizens voted for it, but because their respective leaders were courageous and strong enough to make it happen, to take the risk for peace. And let us not forget that one died as a result.

      

4. Israel lived for nearly 20 years without control of the West Bank or Gaza Strip, without eastern Jerusalem or the Temple Mount, and without "occupation" of any kind. And still the Arab world - and the Palestinians in particular - were unwilling to make peace. Let us not forget that the Six Day War was another attempt to annihilate Israel.

      

5. Let us remember, too, that 19 months ago the negotiations at Camp David put on the table extraordinary compromises by Israel that would have established a Palestinian State in over 94 percent of the West Bank and Gaza Strip (with much of the rest being made up by ceding land from within pre-1967 Israel), with Jerusalem as its capital, and would have addressed the refugee problem. We must remember that at the time, almost all of the Gaza Strip had been turned over to Palestinian rule, as had just about every major Palestinian population center in the West Bank, including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem, and almost all of Hebron. These areas were under Palestinian autonomous rule, with Palestinian police, a judicial system, educational and social services, and a flag and anthem. For all intents and purposes there was a Palestinian state, with Yasser Arafat its "elected" president. So when charges of ending the occupation are thrown at us, let us remember the occupation had been ended months before the intifada began, and that there was a process underway to formalize autonomy into statehood. Israel wanted out of the territories, and Barak - with difficulty, to be sure - could have prevailed upon the Israeli body politic if there had been trust in the Palestinians - that they had really accepted Israel's right to exist.

      

6. The intifada began as a brutal attempt to achieve through violence what had not been achieved through negotiation. We dare not forget this. Over 200 Israelis, most of them innocent civilians, have been killed in the ensuing 18 months. We must remember: In being forced to defend itself, Israel has directed its power only at those who fight. Palestinian terrorists and those who send them target innocents. This distinction must not be lost. Civilians are not the equivalent of soldiers. In Jenin, the Israeli army fought house to house and lost nearly 30 of its soldiers because it refrained from the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas. When Palestinian gunmen use homes for cover, those homes may be destroyed. When homes are booby-trapped in order to kill Israeli soldiers, those homes become targets. We all mourn the loss of innocent lives in Jenin and other West Bank cities. But if terrorists use homes as their battlefield, either civilians and their property will be lost or Israel will have to stand by and let suicide bombers kill its citizens. It is an ugly choice, but one we are not guilty of creating. To claim that Israel intentionally seeks to kill innocent civilians and destroy their homes is simply a big lie.

      

7. Recent demonstrations against Israel and acts of vicious anti- Semitism throughout the world remind us at this time that the fate of World Jewry and the fate of our State of Israel are inextricably connected. Jews, Judaism, and the land and nation of Israel have been and will remain a unique amalgamation, perhaps best defined as a religious civilization by the philosopher Mordecai Kaplan. This year we celebrate Yom Ha’atzma’ut, ever sensitive to the fact that our future as Jews, as a religious peoplehood, is rooted in the future of our land and national sovereignty in the State of Israel. Our oneness with the State of Israel need not - must not - blind us to its imperfections or to our responsibility to maintain the highest values we hold as a religious civilization. We who love Israel, whether we live in the homeland or outside, must champion not only Tikkun Olam (the repair of the world), but also Tikkun Bayit (the repair of our own home). That is why it is essential during these difficult, yet fateful, days to stand tall and solid in defense of Israel; to attend marches and demonstrations of solidarity; to visit Israel - all of which send the clear message that Jews will not be intimidated by violence, whether in our homeland or in our synagogues and schools outside. We must voice the clear message that there is no way to divide or separate the Jewish People from the Jewish Homeland. We all departed Egypt together. We all stood at Sinai together. We all entered the Promised Land together. And we all stand on guard to preserve and protect the one place on Earth that we can truly call Home. We may have the clout to bring over 100,000 Jews to march on Washington and have American politicians sing our praises, but there is only one capital in the world with a mandate to protect and nourish the future of our unique religious heritage. And that capital is Jerusalem.

Seven (points) is a good Jewish number with which to close this letter - pointing to our traditional values of holiness, peace and hope for the future. We have so much for which to be grateful as we celebrate 54 years of modern nationhood. Yes, we are conflicted, and yes, we are embattled, but as I wrote previously (WUPJnews #85), we have been there before and persevered. We are a strong people with an eternal message. We will yet see the day when our prayers for peace will be joined by those of others, all creations of the one God, all able to live in dignity and in freedom. We will yet see that day.

          Happy Birthday, dear Israel - may you see that day soon.

   

WHY ARAB/MUSLIM ANTI-SEMITES ARE WORSE THAN THE NAZIS

By Dennis Prager
December 2001 - http://www.jewishworldreview.com

With all the attention paid to how Muslims and Arabs in America feel about the Islamic terrorists' attacks on America, it may come as somewhat of a surprise to learn about another anxious group of Americans - Jews.

All Americans are worried about the America hatred among groups who do not value human life. But Jews who know their history have additional fears. We Jews have reasons to worry because a significant part of humanity has a hatred of us indistinguishable in kind and intensity from that of the Nazis.

The most cursory acquaintance with the Arab press and fundamentalist mosque discourse around the world makes it clear that millions of Arabs and Muslims loathe Jews and many want Jews dead. Not to mention the hundreds of millions of Muslims and Arabs who want the one tiny country Jews have ever called their own eliminated from the map. Protests that the Arab/Muslim hostility is directed only at Israeli occupation of that even tinier area known as the West Bank have no basis in reality. The Arab/Muslim world sought Israel's destruction before Israel occupied an inch of the West Bank.

We Jews have reasons to worry because the last time a civilization declared such hatred against Jews, what ensued was the most organized and monumental evil in history, the Holocaust. We hoped that Nazi-type hatred would never reappear. But it has. In fact, in two ways, Arab/Muslim anti-Semitism is more frightening.

First, while both Nazi and the Arab/Muslim anti-Semites have used closed societies with their controlled press to promote horrific lies about Jews, the Nazis hid their murder of Jews from the German public. They did not have confidence that enough Germans would support the murder of Jewish men, women and children. The Arab/Muslim anti-Semites, however, have no such problem. Those who kill Jews in Israel are public celebrities.

On the West Bank, a Palestinian university in Nablus has been putting on an exhibition celebrating the Palestinian suicide bombing of a family pizza restaurant in Israel. The exhibition consisted of a replica of the Sbarro's restaurant complete with Hebrew inscriptions. Inside the exhibit, replicas of human body parts and pizza slices were strewn. Pictures published on the Internet showed Palestinians waiting in line to see the exhibit. In Nazi Germany, there were no public exhibits of Einsatzgruppen (Nazi mobile Jew-killing units) or gas chambers.

The second more frightening aspect of Arab/Muslim Jew-hatred is that many of these haters do not value their own lives. Nazis did.

We Jews have reasons to worry because no libels against Jews are too awful or too incredible in much of the Arab/Muslim world. That is why the father of Mohammed Atta, suspected ringleader of the Sept. 11th attacks, could tell Newsweek that his son was kidnapped by Israelis and that it was Israelis posing as Arab Muslims who actually attacked America. He could say this because he and millions of other Muslims (not only in the Arab world) believe it, as well as the notion that no Jews died in the World Trade Center because they were alerted in advance.

Americans may recall the flap over then-First Lady Hillary Clinton listening to the wife of Yasir Arafat state that Israel was poisoning Palestinian water supplies. Like the Nazis, many Arab/Muslim societies attribute to Jews virtually all evils, including, for example, deliberately spreading AIDS in the Arab world.

We Jews have reasons to worry because the West ignores this Jew-hatred. One reason is that Third World evil is rarely taken seriously among Western elites. A second reason is the psychological and political need of Westerners to believe that Islamic societies are, with the exception of "a few extremists," tolerant societies. And the third reason is that Arab/Muslim anti-Semitism is dismissed as a temporary phenomenon that will disappear when Israelis and Palestinians make peace. But this belief inverts reality. he lack of peace between the Jewish state and its neighbors is not the cause of Arab anti-Semitism, it is the result of that anti-Semitism. Since 1948, there has been one reason for the Arab-Israeli conflict - the Arab/Muslim world rejects the concept of a Jewish (or any non-Muslim) state in its midst.

We Jews have reasons to worry because while much of the Muslim world - a billion strong stretching from the Atlantic through Asia to the Pacific - hates us, Europe and Japan do not defend us. Instead they defend their business deals with Saddam Hussein and with Iran's medieval theocracy.

We Jews have reasons to worry because the Islamic terrorists who blow up Jews are not on the list of terrorist organizations our government is fighting. There are political reasons that account for omitting terror groups that target Jews, but whatever those reasons, how can a Jew not worry about this omission? If America, the most philo-Semitic country in the world, will not regard terrorists who murder Jews as worthy of fighting - even though these terrorists share sponsors and philosophy with anti-American terror groups - no nation will.

As I write this article, my 8-year-old son is playing next to me with his Nintendo. While he is painfully aware of the attacks on America, he remains blissfully unaware that a substantial percentage of humanity would like to see him dead. One day, unfortunately, he will know this. Unless the good people of the world finally learn the great lesson of anti-Semitism - that Jew-haters hate all that is good, that they target Jews first but never Jews alone, and that Jew-haters must therefore be fought - one day he may in fact be hurt. That is why at least one Jewish father worries today.

   

YOM HA'ATZMAUT AT THE JENNIFER SOSSIN SCHOOL

by Jody Bonilla

How do you make Israel real for little children? Too often Israel is a fairy tale land, like Shushan in Purim, or the Garden of Eden. And so this year we decided to take the youngest children of our school to Israel. That's right. The 22 children of Groups Shalom, Simcha, and Jesed went to Israel! Or at least, a safe, calm, fun, delicious version of our homeland.

For the past two classes the children made passports, El Al tickets, and learned about the country from their teachers. Then today, with the help of Avram and Magaly Waltersdorfer and Lara Putnam, we turned the synagogue into an airplane, a shopping center, a bank in Israel. The children went through customs, immigration, had their passports stamped and were en route to Israel.

On board the El Al plane, made from a redistribution of our synagogue seats, the children saw a Sesame Street movie on Israel, in Hebrew, were served an Israeli snack, and decided on who would be the treasurer of each group.

Once in "Israel", the treasurer went downstairs and changed their colones at Tamara's Bank. With shekels in hand each group was allowed into the store, where they saw an array of Israeli products, all in Hebrew, learned to say the names for olives, pickles, cookies, chocolate, books, even a camel! They tasted some of the products, and bought others to eat.

They talked about Israel with their teachers, sang songs, then boarded their plane to return home to Costa Rica. Before landing, they all sang Hatikva.

Just a game? Maybe. But one that will remain in their memories for some time.

It was a fun day, a way to learn about Israel through their senses. The tastes, sounds, smells, colors, will remain in their minds, and hopefully make them more aware that Israel is a real place, with real people. Hopefully, from this experience will come the desire to visit Israel "for real" one day, in an Israel blessed with peace and tranquility, where shopping in a store, or eating in a restaurant will be as easy and safe as it was for our children today.

   

LETTERS FROM OUR CHILDREN

TZEDEK GROUP

We asked our children what they thought about the situation in Israel. These are some of their answers:

• Lamento que hayan muerto tantas personas me siento muy mal por los atentados terroristas. También lamento que no haya paz, yo espero que toda la situación termine que terminen las bombas hermanas.
              Ricardo Keibel - 10 años

     

• I think that the war is very sad and I hope that the Israelites will win. Why are the terrorists killing everybody? Why don’t they make peace?
              Samara Jacobovitz - age 10

     

• Dear Ariel Sharon:
  I think you are in a difficult situation and would like peace between you and Yasser Arafat. I think a good idea would be putting fences through all the frontier and arrest every person that goes through without a license or passport and he should be checked for bombs or else put a metal detector for bombs.
  Sincerely,
              Adrian Lev - age 10

     

• STOP!!! ¡¡¡NO GUERRA!!!
  Yo pienso que es una injusticia porque esas tierras son de Israel y los árabes no tienen derecho a quitárselas y menos matar personas. Y además a los árabes no les importa morirse.
              Pablo Bien - 10 años

     

• Yo pienso que esas tierras son de Israel.
              Iaaron Bar-Tal - 9 años

     

• I think that what is happening in Israel is very sad. It isn’t right that the Arabs kill Israelites just to get their land. I hope that the Arabs and the Israelites have peace without having a war soon.
              Harry Feigen - age 9

     

• Yo pienso que los habitantes de Israel deben dejarle el lugar a los árabes y ellos buscar una tierra desierta y crear como el doble de Israel en ese lugar y así ya no tendrían tantos problemas.
              Ismael Baum - 10 años

     

• I know we can’t continue like this, I wish to help you. I am very sad of this. I know that this will not be easy but have to attack so they will go back to their country to defend so then we will defend.
              David Rimon - age 10

     

• Señor Arafat no siga haciendo cosas malas en Israel, póngase en el lugar de todas las personas judías no tienen paz, ojalá que esta carta lo haga reflexionar y sea una persona buena, porque si usted propone paz todos vamos a tener paz. Gracias.
              Andrés Tassara - 11 años

   

FROM THE CHILD OF AN INTERMARRIAGE

Column by Gil Mann
America Online - Judaism Today: Where Do I Fit? (www.jewish.com/news/gilemail.shtml)

Dear Gil:

Being as I am only 15, I cannot order your book even if I want to (which I actually do). But maybe you can help me out. I am religious and I have been since I was younger. My father isn't Jewish, and when my parents got divorced, he became a religious Baptist. So, in my mind I was stuck between two religions. I knew that believing in a man too much wasn't good, so I knew that I wanted to be Jewish.

My mother wasn't much of an influence because she is only being Jewish cuz that's how she was born... so, I never had someone over me saying, "don't worry, Hashem is watching you" and stuff like that.

But, my question is: How do we know G-d exists and even if we did, WHAT IS THE POINT OF ALL THIS, AND THAT? It’s all too immense for me to understand... like thinking about how big the universe is and how deep and never-ending... I feel like I am falling thru every time I try to figure out an answer on my own....

Please respond,

    T.

*******************************

Dear T.:

You ask difficult questions about God and "this and that" as you put it. I must start by saying that there is no way that I can give you certain answers to many of those kinds of questions. These are challenging questions for anyone whether they are 15 or a very old adult. The questions are all the more difficult to answer for a child like you who is being brought up by parents who have different religions.

You should know that struggling for these answers is a very Jewish thing to do. We are called the people Israel. The word "Israel" means to struggle with God. So your struggling is "kosher" so to speak.

You can find answers many places but I always suggest kids start with their parents. In your case, sounds like your Mom and Dad would have very different answers -- which I will get to in a moment -- still, talk with you parents!

Others to whom you should pose your questions are clergy, relatives, friends, school counselors and so on. There are many wonderful resources in books and on the Internet. One book I always suggest is Harold Kushner's book To Life. Two books that influenced my beliefs about God when I was a teen are Chaim Potok's famous novels The Chosen and The Promise.... you might like them as well.

Related to your searching, your email and your struggles bring up an important issue that I alluded to earlier, about having one parent who is Jewish and another parent who is another religion. These couples often decide -- with good intentions -- that they will raise their children in both religions. In other words they will give their children the wonderful traditions of both Judaism and Christianity.

Some experts on intermarriage advise against this. They say this is much too hard for the kids. They advise to raise children in one religion or another... but not both. This is because, while Christianity and Judaism certainly have things in common, they also have some very major differences that are hard or impossible to merge.

You will encounter a perfect and difficult example of this when you ask your parents your questions about God. Judaism and Christianity have some significantly different ideas about God... and they are not compatible. The most obvious is the Christian belief that Jesus is the messiah and son of God. Obviously, Judaism completely disagrees.

Asking kids to somehow reconcile differences like this is unfair and often painful -- after all the parents themselves are choosing to keep their own religions for themselves. As one person wrote me... it is like asking the child to place one foot on each side of a canyon. Your letter shows just some of the difficulties a child of an intermarriage can face.

In closing, I want to encourage your questioning and searching and tell you that the difficulties you are encountering make sense to me and should not discourage you. In addition, I wanted to recommend 2 websites you and your parents might find helpful, for The Jewish Outreach Institute: www.joi.org and www.interfaithfamily.com. Both specialize in helping parents and their kids understand intermarriage issues and explore questions like those you sent me.

Hope these ideas help. Thanks for writing!

    Gil

P.S.: With your parent's OK, I'd be happy to send you a copy of my book!

Gil Mann is the Author of: How to Get More Out of Being Jewish Even If: A. You are not sure you believe in God, You think going to synagogue is a waste of time, C. You think keeping kosher is stupid, D. You hated Hebrew School, or E. All of the above! He makes no money from book sales, his work on America Online or this column. He welcomes your E-Mail comments and questions about this column or any subject. Write to DearGil@aol.com or send your letters to this paper. To order the book call: 800-304-9925.

   

JOKE OF THE MONTH:

THE POPE AND THE RABBI

Several centuries ago, the Pope decreed that all the Jews had to convert or leave Italy. There was a huge outcry from the Jewish community, so the Pope offered a deal. He would have a religious debate with the leader of the Jewish community. If the Jews won, they could stay in Italy, if the Pope won, they would have to leave.

The Jewish people met and picked an aged but wise Rabbi, Moishe, to represent them in the debate. However, as Moishe spoke no Italian and the Pope spoke no Yiddish, they all agreed that it would be "silent" debate.

On the chosen day, the Pope and Rabbi Moishe sat opposite each other for a full minute before the Pope raised his hand and showed three fingers. Rabbi Moishe looked back and raised one finger. Next the Pope waved his finger around his head. Rabbi Moishe pointed to the ground where he sat.

The Pope then brought out a communion wafer and a chalice of wine. Rabbi Moishe pulled out an apple. With that, the Pope stood up and declared that he was beaten, that Rabbi Moishe was too clever and that the Jews could stay.

Later, the Cardinals met with the Pope, asking what had happened.

The Pope said, "First I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there is still only one God common to both our beliefs. Then, I waved my finger to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground to show that God was also right here with us. I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us of all our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin. He had me beaten and I could not continue."

Meanwhile the Jewish community were gathered around Rabbi Moishe. "What happened?" they asked.

"Well," said Moishe, "First he said to me that we had three days to get out of Italy, so I said to him, Up yours! Then he tells me that the whole country would be cleared of Jews and I said to him, Mr Pope, we're staying right here."

"And then what," asked a woman.

"Who knows?" said Moishe, "he took out his lunch so I took out mine."

Submitted by Tamara Baum

   

CONGRATULATIONS - ANNOUNCEMENTS

   

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!! MICHAEL (Sr. Oky Doky) ¡¡¡ Feliz Cumpleaños !!!     Michael Sossin     90 YEARS!     “LOVE LIFE, LIVE LONG LIFE BEGINS AT 100”     MAZEL TOV FROM ALL YOUR FAMILY IN CONGREGATION B’NAI ISRAEL

   

MAZEL TOV to the Sossin family, who have had a lot of simchas these past few weeks, and will still have more.

• First of all, Michael’s 90th birthday on April 25. May he live to be 120!!
• Michelle’s Bat Mitzvah on March 23. She was great and we are very proud of her!
  A special Mazel Tov to her parents Guillermo and Ellen.
• Sara, David and Amanda’s baby girl, was born on Monday, March 25.
  May she also live to be 120!
• And last but not least, Marvin and Rosario got married at the beginning of April.
  Congratulations!
• (Ahh! Marvin’s birthday is also on April! Happy Birthday, Marvin!)

The “Sossinim,” As Rabbi Peller called them, have much to celebrate these days.
Mazel Tov to all the clan!

   

******************

But nothing is perfect. One of our families is leaving us to go back to the States. The Feigen family, who has been with B'nei Israel for many years, is leaving this month. We hope they have all the luck they deserve and we promise to have them in our hearts for many years to come! Farewell Marty, Patricia, Marielle, Mark, and Harry!

You are probably wondering why we are still in the "Congratulations" department, if we are saying good-bye to a cherished family.... Well, we congratulate ourselves for having had them with us, at least for some time.

   

******************

DATES TO REMEMBER:

• Garage Sale: Sunday, May 5 - 7:00 p.m.
• Great Raffle: Saturday, August 10 - 7:00 p.m.

   

  Return to index

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KOLEINU Newsletter
April 2002
Editor: Inés Baum