ÿþ<HTML> <HEAD> <META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="Microsoft Word 97"> <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="Mozilla/4.04 [en] (Win95; I) [Netscape]"> <META NAME="Author" CONTENT="Inés Gutiérrez"> <TITLE>KOLEINU - Newsletter - B nei Israel Congregation - San José, Costa Rica</TITLE> </HEAD> <BODY TEXT="#000000" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" LINK="#0000FF" VLINK="#551A8B" ALINK="#FF0000" BACKGROUND="paperINGnew.gif"> <TABLE> <TBODY> <TR> <TD> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0> <TBODY> <TR><TD WIDTH=10>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</TD></TR> </TBODY> </TABLE> </TD> <TD> <TABLE> <TBODY> <TR> <TD> <FONT face="arial, verdana" size="3"><B> <P><IMG SRC="KOLEINU.gif"><IMG SRC="OUR_VOICE.gif"> <p>&nbsp; <CENTER> <H4> <A NAME="B nei Israel Congregation - San José, Costa"></A>B nei Israel Congregation - San José, Costa Rica</H4> <I>Liberal Synagogue affiliated with <U>World Union for Progressive Judaism </U><br> and with <U>Union of Jewish Congregations of Latin America and the Caribbean </U></I><br> Tel. 231-5243 / Fax 257-3308 <br> B nei Israel Online: <A HREF="index.html"> http://www.bnei-israel.org/ </A> <br> B'nei Israel Congregation: <A HREF="mailto:congbnei@racsa.co.cr"> congbnei@racsa.co.cr<br></CENTER> <p>&nbsp;<B> <CENTER> <H1> <A NAME="KOLEINU - Our Voice"></A> <A HREF="BOLpast.html#August_2003">KOLEINU - Our Voice</A></H1></CENTER> <CENTER><H2>AUGUST 2003</H2></CENTER> <CENTER><H3>Av - Elul 5763</I></H3></CENTER> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica" SIZE=3> <UL> <LI> <A NAME="Message_Rabbi"></A> <A HREF="#MESSAGE RABBI"> Message from our Rabbi</A> - <I>by Rabbi Michael Holzman</I></LI> <LI> <A NAME="Message_President"></A> <A HREF="#MESSAGE PRESIDENT"> Message from our President</A> - <I>by Eduardo Keibel</I></LI> <LI> <A NAME="Letters_Congregation"></A> <A HREF="#LETTERS CONGREGATION"> Letters to the Congregation</A> <UL> <LI>Thank You Letter from Rabbi Holzman <LI>To Contact Rabbi Holzman </UL> <LI> <A NAME="Sisterhood_Corner"></A> <A HREF="#SISTERHOOD CORNER"> Sisterhood Corner</A>- <I>by Flor Keibel</I> <LI> <A NAME="Commemorative_Event"></A> <A HREF="#COMMEMORATIVE EVENT"> WUPJ 75th Anniversary Commemorative Event in Berlin</A> - <I>WUPJnews</I> <UL> <LI>Liberal Judaism in Germany: Genesis, Destruction, Renewal - <I>by Rabbi Joel Oseran</I> </UL> <LI> <A NAME="Shabbat_1943"></A> <A HREF="#SHABBAT 1943"> Shabbat 1943 - 2003</A> - <I>by marvin Sossin</I> <LI> <A NAME="Who_Jew"></A> <A HREF="#WHO JEW"> 'Who is a Jew' Redux</A> - <I><U>Forward</U> Editorial</I> <LI> <A NAME="Ethiopian_Jewry"></A> <A HREF="#ETHIOPIAN JEWRY"> Rabbis Urging Action on Ethiopian Jewry</A> - <I>by Elli Wohlgelernter </I> <LI> <A NAME="Time_to"></A> <A HREF="#TIME TO"> A Time to Act in Ethiopia</A> - <I><U>Forward</U> Editorial</I> <LI> <A NAME="City_Nineveh"></A> <A HREF="#CITY NINEVEH"> Jewish Heartbreak and Hope in Nineveh</A> - <I>by Carlos C. Huerta</I> <LI> <A NAME="Shoe_Project"></A> <A HREF="#SHOE PROJECT"> Shoe Project converts Hate into Hope</A> - <I>by Amanda Schoenberg</I> <LI> <A NAME="Sand_Floors"></A> <A HREF="#SAND FLOORS"> Los Pisos de Arena (Sand Floors)</A> - <I>by Marjorie Agosìn</I> <LI> <A NAME="Website_Recommendation"></A> <A HREF="#WEBSITE RECOMMENDATION"> Website Recommendation:</A> www.forward.com</LI> <UL> <LI>'Boy Meets Goy' vexes 'Sex' as Show enters Final Season </UL> </UL> <P><B>Articles in Spanish without translation: (see: <A HREF="BOLagosto2003.html#KOLEINU.bmp"> AGOSTO 2003)</A> <UL> <LI>Justice that sabotages Peace - <I>by Marcos Aguinis</I> <LI>Shoes with Soul - <I>by Randall Corella V.</I> <LI>Parents: Let's Laugh a Little </UL> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <HR width="100%"> <H3> <A NAME="#MESSAGE RABBI"> <A HREF="#Message_Rabbi"> MESSAGE FROM OUR RABBI</A></H3> <p><I> August 1, 2003</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Although I have been learning Spanish for the month of July, this month begins my work in the synagogue. This is fitting as we approach this season on the Jewish Calendar. This coming Thursday will be Tisha B av (the ninth day of the month of Av), the day of the destruction of the Temple. On this day we read the book of Lamentations, poetry of mourning and desperation for the 50 years of the first exile (over 2500 years ago). But the Jews returned, and the prophet Isaiah trumpeted their rebirth. So after the pain of Tisha B Av, the prophet said, <I>nachamu, nachamu ami</I>, "have comfort, comfort my people". These words begin the first of seven Haftarot that extend to the High Holidays. In these seven weeks we hear of God s return to Israel, and the building of Jerusalem. It is a period of excitement, and spiritual expectation leading up to the sound of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We have not suffered a destruction here at B nei Israel, but like the period seven Haftarot we are beginning a time of building. Not only have we literally built a rabbi s study in the synagogue, but we will be building far more in the coming months. We are in a time of communal evaluation. We have an opportunity to ask ourselves,  Now that we have a permanent rabbi, what do we want this community to be? You, the members of B nei Israel have worked hard to get to this point, and now we can begin expanding and enriching our Jewish community in Costa Rica. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The first of the seven Haftarat comes from Isaiah 40, and in it the prophet declares,  Clear in the desert a road for Adonai, Level in the wilderness a highway for God. Isaiah uses the concrete image of road building to describe the spiritual return of God s presence to Jerusalem. Let me use the same image to describe the spiritual growth of B nei Israel. As we begin this new time, let us clear a road of learning in a community that has longed for Torah. Let us build a highway of service and tzedekah to make our religion have power in our world. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; B nei Israel has worked hard to welcome my new face to the congregation and to bring this person into the building. Now I hope to welcome many faces, new and old, to our community and to bring as many people as possible to renewed learning, prayer and acts of loving kindness. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rabbi Michael Holzman <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#MESSAGE PRESIDENT"> <A HREF="#Message_President"> MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT</A></H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dear friends: <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is with great pleasure and pride that we extend the warmest welcome to Rabbi Holzman, his wife Nicole, and their son, Avi. With their arrival, they not only enlarge the B nei Israel family, but also mark the beginning of a new stage in this community. We wish them success and that their stay in Costa Rica, hopefully for many years, will be positively memorable in their lives. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I would like to take this opportunity to refer to the meaning of our Community. What does Community mean? Why do we want to live in Community? What does our Community give us? What do we expect from our Community? <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; According to the dictionary, Community is a class or group with common interests. Nevertheless, I would like to make a personal reflection of what the word means to me. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Community is the union of many individuals and families, who relate with each other because of a mutual interest. These interests could be: religion, sports, politics, neighbourhoods, education, music, theatre, way of thinking  philosophical, theosophical, hippie, etc.  or the mix of two or more of these possibilities. I think we prefer to live in Community so as to relate with other people, to learn from them, to share our skills and life experiences, our joys and our sorrows, to strengthen ourselves as individuals and as a group, to help and be helped whenever the need arises, to keep company and have company when in sadness& It is here, then, when the questions  What does our Community give us? and  What do we expect from our Community? link together. Any Community gives whatever its members give, and what we want is the same as what we are disposed to do. In other words, every Community depends on the strength of its members, and its scope is determined by these same members. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Many years ago, it doesn t really matter how many, a group of non-Orthodox Jews decided to begin meeting with many non-Orthodox Jewish families, to share their experiences, their hopes, and their Jewish life. Today, thanks to hard labour, the B nei Israel Community is a reality. We have our Synagogue, our Cemetery, our School, our Rabbi, a series of organized Committees which satisfy the community s needs, and plenty of dreams for the future. We are developing a unique Jewish life in Costa Rica. That is why, today more than ever, we need you. We need you to define what are your interests and to help us develop them, such as: Cemetery, Fund Collecting, Cultural Activities, Maintenance of the Building, Rikkudim, etc. Collaboration, collaboration, and collaboration. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Let me dwell again on my view of our Community. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Our Community is like a son. We must watch over him every day, we must provide for his wellbeing, we must supply him with the best ambience for his development, we must be there to support him, and give him our love. It is not a money box in which we sometimes deposit our savings and, when we need them, we just brake it and draw out its contents. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How can we do so many things for our Community and, in the meantime, keep working hard in order to provide for our families? Exactly. If each one of us puts in his/her part, compromises like a responsible father or mother, the stress minimizes and is shared by all the members of the Community. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I urge you to reflect upon this. What do you want? What are you willing to give? Do you want to commit yourself to the cause or not? The tools to reach our dreams are there, the table is set. Now, it is up to you and me to figure out how far we want to go. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A JEWISH LIFE IN COSTA RICA. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Affectionately, <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eduardo Keibel <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#LETTERS CONGREGATION"> <A HREF="#Letters_Congregation"> LETTERS TO THE CONGREGATION</A></H3> <p>August 1st, 2003 <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; An enormous amount of work has gone into bringing our family to Costa Rica, and into getting the synagogue ready for their first permanent rabbi. I would like to personally thank the following people who made this possible. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The work began almost 18 months ago, when Marvin Sossin met me in Boston and invited me to come for Passover last year. It continued as Eduardo Keibel and Jody Bonilla worked to coordinate my visits throughout the year. Then the rabbi committee, Hilda Ten Brink, Gordon Finwall, Marvin, Jody, and Eduardo held many meetings to find ways to bring a rabbi to Costa Rica. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Many, many thanks go to Paul Zeigler and Jason Jones who worked hard to coordinate the logistics for our move from New York. As many of you know, moving to Costa Rica is very complicated and we could not have done it without the many emails and phone calls with Paul and Jason. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Upon our arrival, Gordon was generous to host us at the Posada el Quijote (a fantastic hotel for your out of town guests), and Jody chauffeured us around to our many appointments. We met many real estate agents with the referrals from Jill and Jason Jones and Andy and Irene Kaufman, and Anita Kaufman did some chauffeuring as well. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After we found an apartment, many people assisted our moving process, especially Flor Keibel, who sent an emergency meal of Arroz con Pollo (I recommend her recipe). Jody also helped with more rides, excellent shopping advice and a referral for domestic help. We received many referrals, especially from Amanda Sossin, Bill and Bonnie Fischer, and Flor Keibel. Again we say thank you. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; With the house becoming more of a home, we turned to other logistics, especially finding a car. Marvin helped us begin the process, while David Feingold showed me around the Fercori Auto Show. But the hero in the end was David Sossin, who spent days with me looking for and eventually finding our car. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But the work did not stop there, as Eduardo and Flor, both Davids, Jody, Hilda and Marvin all helped us with more guidance on things like furniture, finances, health insurance, appliances, and even buying a dish drying rack! <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <I>En fin, tengo que decir  Gracias a David numero tres, David Kaufman, por un mes en la escuela de español, Conversa. He aprendido mucho, y espero aprender mucho mas durante los proximos meses.</I> <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am sure I am forgetting somebody and I must say thank you to the entire congregation for bringing us to Costa Rica. We are excited to begin this new stage in life with our new community. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rabbi Michael Holzman <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER>*************</CENTER> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <H3>Update your Address Book</H3> <p>Greetings, <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am writing to update you on our new contact information. As we have moved to Costa Rica (where I am the rabbi of B'nei Israel Congregation), some of this may be a bit unusual. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; First of all, please no longer use my old AOL account. I will close that account in two months. From now on please email me at <A HREF=mailto:mholzman@hotmail.com> mholzman@hotmail.com </A> <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For those of you who are interested, Nicole will be at <A HREF=mailto:nsholzman@hotmail.com> nsholzman@hotmail.com </A> <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (We're trading one corporate titan for another) <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Our phone number is 506-228-7447 home 506-842-2596 cell. Those are direct Costa Rican phone numbers. To dial them first press 011 and then the number above. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To save about a buck a minute instead dial us on our internet phone. The connection is incredible and the number is a US Domestic phone call (your regular long distance). That number is: 305-390-8213 <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; (If you are interested in how this works, feel free to email me, it is truly remarkable and low cost). <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Our mailing address is also in the states, where we have a forwarding service. <p> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Michael Holzman <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; #SJO 83116 <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1601 NW 97 Ave <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; PO Box 025331 <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Miami, FL 33102-5331 <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; U.S.A. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If you really want to know our Costa Rican Address, it is: <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Michael Holzman <BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Del Cementerio de Escazu 100 m. Oeste, 100 m. Norte,<br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 50 m. Este, 100 m. Norte, 200 m. Oeste <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Condominio San Angel <br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Escazú, Costa Rica <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yes, Costa Rica has no Street names or numbers, so all addresses read like directions from a landmark, in our case the Cemetery. I wouldn't recommend sending anything to this address, as I have yet to see a postman in this country delivering mail. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I look forward to hearing from you, <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L'shalom, <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Michael <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#SISTERHOOD CORNER"> <A HREF="#Sisterhood_Corner"> SISTERHOOD CORNER</A></H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As a new month begins, I feel great emotion, knowing that we have Michael Holzman as our permanent Rabbi. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For many years, this has been our community s dream, and it has been through hard work, tenacity, and good will that we have finally accomplished it. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One would think that there is no need to work anymore, but this is not likely. We have to keep working hard and with all our hearts, to maintain what we have achieved. Each of us has to contribute with what he or she can. The building, the cemetery, the school, the secretary, the guard, and the rabbi need to be maintained. Let s continue to coalesce in the life of our community. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sisterhood is planning a garage sale on the 31st of August. So, take out your clutter and bring it to us. You can leave it with Leo at the synagogue. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to thank Zulema Podcaminsky for the wonderful work she is carrying out in the notification of the Onegs. I ask of all the families to make her job easier by collaborating; only once a year are you responsible for an Oneg. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The next Sisterhood meeting will be held at the synagogue on Monday, August 4, at 9:30 a.m. I am looking forward to seeing many of you there. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Take care, and be happy. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Flor Keibel <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#COMMEMORATIVE EVENT"> <A HREF="#Commemorative_Event"> WUPJ 75th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE EVENT IN BERLIN</A></H3> <I><U>WUPJnews</U> - The Electronic Newsletter of the World Union for Progressive Judaism<br> Issue #105 - 22 July 2003 / 22 Tammuz 5763</I> <H3><U>SPECIAL ISSUE</U>:</H3> <CENTER><H3><FONT COLOR=RED>"LIBERAL JUDAISM IN GERMANY:&nbsp; GENESIS, DESTRUCTION, RENEWAL"</FONT></H3></CENTER> <I> By Rabbi Joel Oseran, Associate Director WUPJ</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; History was recognized and made in Berlin on July 10, 2003, as World Union leaders from Germany, Europe, and across the world joined together with German Jewish community leaders and government officials, and over 400 guests and numerous members of the press corps, to mark the 75th anniversary of the first World Union International Conference, held in Berlin in 1928. Among those celebrating the event, held at the Fasanenstrasse Jewish community building (which before its destruction on Kristallnacht served the Liberal Jewish community of Berlin), were over 100 delegates to the annual conference of the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany, held July 11-13. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The commemorative evening at the Fasanenstrasse Jewish community building represented a major achievement for the World Union and its local Progressive movement in Germany, which have been engaged in an ongoing struggle for recognition by the Central Council of Jews in Germany (Zentralrat), and by local and regional official community structures. Such recognition will have far-reaching implications (formal, symbolic and practical), including public funding to support our liberal Jewish community activity. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The unusually rapid growth of Germany's Jewish population during the past decade, from approximately 30,000 in 1990 to over 150,000 today  due primarily to immigration from the former Soviet Union (FSU) - not only revitalized the general Jewish community, but triggered the rise of a network of Progressive Jewish congregations throughout the country. (The Union of Progressive Jews of Germany today numbers 13 congregations.) An additional accomplishment was the establishment in 1999 of the Abraham Geiger College Rabbinical Seminary, currently training a new generation of rabbis to serve in Germany and elsewhere in Europe and the FSU. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Notwithstanding the impressive growth of the Progressive movement in Germany, our congregations have not been welcomed into the official Jewish community structure, which not only casts doubts on our legitimacy but also denies our movement critical funding provided to the Zentralrat by the German government. In an effort to redress the situation and ensure equal status and recognition for Progressive Judaism in Germany, Rabbi Uri Regev, Executive Director of the WUPJ, established direct contact with government officials and Zentralrat leaders. Such advocacy work generated considerable media attention and helped place our movement on the public agenda. Set against this background, the high profile commemorative event, which featured addresses by German Minister of Interior Otto Schily, Berlin Jewish community President Dr. Alexander Brenner, a representative of the Zentralrat and other high-ranking guests, was a watershed moment in the German movement's struggle for recognition. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The evening program included greetings by WUPJ President Ruth Cohen; Peter Strieder, Senator for the Department of Urban Development in Berlin (representing the state and city of Berlin); and Zentralrat Executive Director Stephen Kramer, representing Zentralrat President Paul Spiegel, who was unable to attend. Rabbi Lance Sussman of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, who, together with a group from his Keneseth Israel congregation, was exploring Jewish roots in Germany, delivered the invocation. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In his address, Interior Minister Schily touched on the historical context of the 1928 World Union conference. He boldly reiterated the need to fight anti-Semitism, stating: "We cannot accept or trivialize even the first signs of xenophobia and anti-Semitism. We need to be vigilant, we need citizens who are not afraid to stand up for their convictions, and we need a culture of tolerance that does not simply put up with differences, but really accepts them." Regarding the delicate subject of pluralism in the Jewish community, Schily voiced support for equal status for our movement and its full participation in the Jewish community. "We therefore will make every effort in the future to encourage the Jewish community to be open to all streams in Judaism. This goal also supports the agreement recently signed between the Government of Germany and the Zentralrat, which reflects the historical responsibility to strengthen the relationship with the entire Jewish community." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In response, Rabbi Regev reiterated the importance of the liberal message in Judaism for German Jewry as a whole. He acknowledged the supportive relationship that has been established with German government officials and expressed hope that the spirit of cooperation evinced by Mr. Spiegel's written greetings would indeed bear fruit. Regev described the leading role of liberal Judaism for the Jewish people today, and its important message of understanding and tolerance in the face of growing religious fundamentalism and terror. He also stressed the important role our movement is playing in rebuilding the new Germany, and the challenges we face there in helping integrate the influx of immigrants from the FSU. He closed his remarks by quoting Rabbi Leo Baeck from the address he gave at the first conference 75 years earlier and exhorting those present to "begin to create the future." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The evening included an inspirational candle lighting ceremony that not only recalled the tragedy of the Holocaust (six candles were lit in memory of the six million), but also focused on the many positive components of Progressive Judaism in Germany today. Minister Schily lit the first candle in the name of the German people and their aspirations for peace and reconciliation. Present and past World Union presidents Ruth Cohen, Austin Beutel and Gerry Daniel lit the second candle in the name of our international World Union membership. The third candle was lit by Dr. Leo Hepner and Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, WUPJ European Region Chairman and President, respectively. The fourth was lit by Maria Drach, Debbi Tal Ruttger and Adi Weschselbaum, leaders of the German Progressive movement. In the name of the many new immigrants from the FSU who are now a part of German Jewry, the fifth candle was lit by Polina Pelts and Anatoli Tiktiner, both recent arrivals. The sixth and final candle was lit by Alina Treyher, Daniel Alter and Tom Kucera, students at the Abraham Geiger College who represent the future leaders of the German Jewish community. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Interspersed throughout the evening were musical interludes of songs presented by the first female cantor in Germany, Avital Grestettner, who is serving the Berlin Liberal Jewish Minyan. Cantor Grestettner sang a number of melodies reflecting the evolution of Reform Jewish music, from Lewandowski to Friedman, and was most warmly received by the audience. The program concluded with a formal lecture on the religious streams in modern Judaism delivered by Professor Dr. Michael A. Meyer of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Ohio. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A booklet (in both German and English) commemorating the World Union's historic first gathering 75 years ago was specially published for the commemoration. It included greetings from Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut, who, as a teenager, participated in the 1928 conference, and Marianne C. Dreyfus, who shared reminiscences of her grandfather, the late Rabbi Leo Baeck, who later became the second president of the World Union. The booklet can be viewed in full on the World Union Web site at <A HREF="http://photos.wupj.org/media/publications/english.pdf"> http://photos.wupj.org/media/publications/english.pdf</A>. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Also attending the anniversary event were WUPJ leaders from around the world who were participating in a special mission to Germany: Ruth and Harvey Cohen, Austin and Nani Beutel, Gerry and Ruth Daniel, Marion and Stanley Bergman, Arthur Roswell, and Mark S. Anshan. While in Germany, they also met with Jewish community leaders and government officials, and toured the present-day Bundesrat (Upper House of Parliament) building, which was the venue of the 1928 World Union conference. Another mission highlight was a tour of Jewish Berlin, led by Berlin-born Professor Michael Meyer. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The mission participants also attended the Board Meeting of the World Union's European Region, which took place in conjunction with the German movement's annual conference. Of special note was the decision to admit six new congregations into the European Region family: Milan, Florence, Lyon, Marseille, Brussels and Warsaw. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#SHABBAT 1943"> <A HREF="#Shabbat_1943"> SHABBAT 1943 - 2003</A></H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When I was a young bocher, I would join my grandfathers in their separate synagogues in Toronto for Shabbat and during the High Holidays. It was my duty. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the case of my grandfather on my father s side it was an intimidating experience. He all but ignored me. It was an old, small brick house, with the living room converted into the schul. No Rabbi. No Cantor. Just a group of men who all had beards and dovened and shochled to their own rhythm and unique connection to the Almighty. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My other grandfather had no legs. He lost them both to gangrene when he was in his twenties. He managed to walk on stumps. He turned down all offers for artificial legs. He managed to raise a family of 8 children and me, during very difficult times. He would walk to the synagogue, on Palmerston Avenue, which was about a kilometer south of the house in which we lived, on those stumps. Now that I think of it, I don t know how he did it, but at the time, it seemed natural enough. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Palmerston Avenue Synagogue was much larger, and there was a balcony for the women, and young children, like me. It was a lot more fun. I would go down and join Zaida for awhile, and romp in the lobby, or outside, with my cousins. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That was a long time ago. It was forbidden for anyone to drive to the synagogue. It wasn t important anyway, because we all lived within walking distance, and very few were rich enough to own a car. Jews weren t even professionals yet. There were strict quotas in the university to control and limit Jewish student access to degrees in Medicine or Law, or Accounting. Most Jews were in the  Needle trade. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There was only one Reform Temple in Toronto then. It was the Holy Blossom Temple. It consisted mainly of rich German Jews who had emigrated in the middle 1800 s. It had other names too, given by the East European Jewish Community who were the great majority; perhaps 95%. It was the  goyishe place. You couldn t call it a Synagogue. After all, it had an organ. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Look where we have come from in 60 years! True, we endured a Holocaust that all but destroyed the Jewish presence in Europe. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But we gained a foothold in the midst of our enemies and we founded the State of Israel. We survived five wars. We grew out of the surroundings of blatant anti-Semitism and made huge strides in all the Sciences and Cultural and Business life throughout the world. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And here we are in Costa Rica; a small but dynamic and successful and respected minority with less than .005% of the population. But we were never about numbers. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the old days, in America, Jews changed their surnames so they would not be immediately recognized as Jews. Not any more. And never here. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I don t know for sure what the future holds for us. But I am very proud of my Jewish roots and background. I am very proud of the contribution of Jewish people in our society. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I want to remind my Jewish friends, both within and without B nei Israel, that the Jewish spirit which has guided us throughout the centuries is a sense of togetherness. We have been bonded by our traditions and, as Rabbi Steven Carr so eloquently phrased it,  the idea of <I>peoplehood</I>, the sense of belonging to the Jewish community that distinguishes Jewish identity. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It s not about belief. We don t all believe the same thing. But when we congregate for Shabbat service, when we do something Jewish, we feel Jewish. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I treasure those moments on Friday nights when I see you, Bill and Hilda, Jody, Anita, Gordon and all my friends and fellow Jews in the community. I treasure the memories of my grandparents and the sweet smells of Shabbat and Seders. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I belong to many organizations, as many of you do. But I am a Jew. And nothing in the world makes us so complete and fulfilled as that secret, silent, but knowing kinship, that brings such a warm buzz to all of us who come and welcome the Shabbat together. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sincerely, <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marvin Sossin <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#WHO JEW"> <A HREF="#Who_Jew"> 'WHO IS A JEW' REDUX </A></H3> <I><U>Forward</U> Editorial, July 25, 2003</I> - <A HREF="http://www.forward.com/index.html"> http://www.forward.com/index.html</A> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In announcing this week that the Jewish state would grant equal status to Reform and Conservative conversion ceremonies for purposes of citizenship and population registry, Israel's interior minister took one of those political steps that shouldn't have been necessary, but was. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The unilateral declaration by the minister, Avraham Poraz of the secularist Shinui party, is sure to spark new rounds of name-calling, court battles and parliamentary brinksmanship by the Orthodox rabbinical establishment, which stands to lose its monopoly over defining who is Jewish in Israeli law. Instead of helping to heal the rift between Orthodox and non-Orthodox branches of Judaism, Poraz's tactic will probably deepen the breach, at least for now. It would have been better if the standoff could have been settled through negotiation and compromise, but they've been tried over and over, and they haven't worked. Now, with the electoral success of Shinui finally putting some political clout in the hands of religious liberals, the time had come for direct action, and Poraz acted. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The "Who is a Jew?" debate has been a political and legal minefield in Israel for five decades. Over the years, Israel's courts have ruled repeatedly that Judaism can take many forms, and that no one form is necessarily entitled to primacy within the Jewish state. Israel's political system, however, has taken a different tack, granting a monopoly on conversion, marriage, burial and other personal-status issues to the Orthodox rabbinate. The reason: While most Israelis aren't practicing Orthodox Jews, few identify with other wings of Judaism, preferring to think of themselves as secular. And so, while the Orthodox community is a minority, it forms a solid political bloc. The liberal branches do not. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During the last two decades, the issue has become a major irritant in relations between Israel and its most important ally, the American Jewish community. Most American Jews identify with the liberal branches of Judaism, and as their representatives have been repeatedly rebuffed in efforts to win recognition in Israel, resentment has grown, at times reaching fever pitch. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It's because of those Israel-Diaspora tensions that successive Israeli governments sought during the 1980s and 1990s to negotiate a compromise. But the Orthodox rabbinate has resisted, refusing to grant even a glimmer of recognition to the liberal movements. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As long as it involved strains in Israel-Diaspora relations, the rabbis' obstinacy was an insult and an irritant. Now, with hundreds of thousands of Russian immigrants of Jewish descent languishing in religious-juridical limbo, it's become a scandal. The Orthodox establishment, rather than seek ways to welcome the newcomers into the Israeli Jewish mainstream, has steadily tightened the screws. It has taken its monopoly and turned it into a private plaything. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Poraz's plan, if it's implemented, will open the way to a greatly increased role in Israel for liberal religious groups that may have a far greater appeal to non-observant Israelis, immigrant and old-timer alike. The result could be a new flowering of interest in Jewish religion and culture, benefiting all branches of Judaism. The Orthodox rabbinate should welcome the prospect and lend a hand. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#ETHIOPIAN JEWRY"> <A HREF="#Ethiopian_Jewry"> RABBIS URGING ACTION ON ETHIOPIAN JEWRY</A></H3> <I>By Elli Wohlgelernter - <U>Forward</U>, June 27, 2003</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; JERUSALEM  Thousands of impoverished Ethiopians fighting for the right to enter Israel have received new support from top rabbis across the religious spectrum. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In separate letters to Israeli officials, the head of Reform Judaism in America, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, and Israel's newly elected Sephardic chief rabbi, Shlomo Amar, urged action to resolve the problem of the languishing Ethiopians, who are known as Falash Mura. The letters come after the collapse of a 5-month-old government plan to bring more than 18,000 of the group to Israel. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yoffie, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, sent a letter last week to Interior Minister Avraham Poraz, who is responsible for determining eligibility for those entitled to immigrate to Israel. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "Our Reform congregations, who have long interested themselves in the relief and rescue of this ancient community, believe that they are Jews," Yoffie wrote. "I recognize, of course, that your government, like ours, has serious financial problems to overcome, and a host of difficult issues to resolve, but given the decision of the last Cabinet to bring these Jews to Israel, I hope you can find room on your agenda to rescue them as rapidly as possible. It would be an act of inclusiveness that would redound to the credit of Israel." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yoffie met with Poraz on Wednesday and said afterward that Poraz spoke of the difficulty in determining the Jewishness of all the Ethiopians waiting to come to Israel. Poraz said that for now, he would continue bringing in only 250 to 300 Ethiopians a month. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yoffie's letter came two weeks after Amar sent a letter to Prime Minister Sharon. In his May 29 letter, the Sephardic chief rabbi restated his previous ruling that the Falash Mura "are completely Jewish without any doubt." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Other leaders across the religious spectrum in Israel and the United States have spoken out on behalf of the Falash Mura community, which consists mainly of Ethiopians who converted from Judaism to Christianity under duress in the last century, or their descendants. Tens of thousands have returned to Judaism in the last decade and are now said to be living an Orthodox lifestyle. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Citing the Cabinet decision of February 16 to speed up the immigration process, Amar wrote that Sharon should lead the way, because "it is a great <I>mitzvah</I> to expedite the implementation of the aforesaid government decision, in order to save them from the gates of death." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While religious leaders seem unified on the matter, the issue has sparked great debate. Several Israeli officials have said that the country's economic crisis will make it impossible to implement the target set by the Knesset in 2001 of bringing in 800 to 1,000 Ethiopians a month. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yoffie's letter to Poraz followed the interior minister's comments June 11 in the Knesset, where he announced that he did not intend to implement the Cabinet decision, but would only bring in about 250 to 300 Ethiopians each month. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "This is all the immigration [of Falash Mura] the country can afford at the moment," Poraz said, adding that absorbing Ethiopians is "expensive" because of extra funds needed to bring them "up to the level" of other immigrants, culturally and educationally. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Poraz also argued that the Falash Mura are not Jews, but Christians who are being brought to Israel to convert back to Judaism, a statement for which he was roundly criticized by a Knesset lawmaker from the Orthodox Shas party. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "It they were Romanian you would find the money," said Shas lawmaker Nissim Ze'ev, referring to Poraz's country of origin. "Tell the truth. You don't want blacks here." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While some activists have charged racism  recent protests here by Ethiopians included posters saying "Blacks are people too"  that charge was dismissed in interviews by several Falash Mura supporters. "If that's the reason, then there wouldn't be <I>any</I> Ethiopians in Israel," Yoffie said. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A similar view was voiced by Barbara Ribakove Gordon, executive director of the North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry, which operates food and educational programs for those still waiting in Ethiopia. "I have heard that charge over and over again, and I have always said it's not racism, it's economics," Ribakove Gordon said. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The financial problems facing the Israeli government and aid organizations was the main topic among those in Israel this week attending the semiannual meeting of the board of governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Faced with a $20 million revenue shortfall and cuts in government funds for immigrant programs, delegates discussed the prioritizing of those programs, as well as the sharp drop in immigration so far this year. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Immigrant Absorption Minister Tzipi Livni announced this week that overall immigration to Israel is in a "tailspin," with only 7,692 immigrants having arrived in Israel during the first five months of the year. Last year, 2,656 Jews arrived in Israel from Ethiopia alone, and 3,274 in 2001. More than 60,000 Ethiopian Jews have immigrated to Israel since 1980. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ethiopian activists argue that the sharp drop in immigration has freed up substantial funds that could now be used to bring the Falash Mura. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This view was rejected by Michael Rosenberg, head of the Jewish Agency's immigration and absorption department. "Some of the quote-unquote savings from not bringing the immigrants will offset some of that $20 million [loss], but not all of it," Rosenberg said. "The rest will have to be cut from other activities. We've already cut staff in the former Soviet Union, as well as staff in Israel, to make ends meet." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rosenberg said it costs considerably more to settle an Ethiopian, compared with the costs for an immigrant from the former Soviet Union. He said the pace of immigration from Ethiopia is the same as last year, about 60 to 80 a week. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yoffie told the <U>Forward</U> that he merely wants to know the real reason for the government's delay in bringing the Falash Mura to Israel. "If this is a financial decision, then the government needs to say so," Yoffie said. The Reform leader said he was meeting Poraz to tell him that "this is an issue of concern to our constituents, that we think there is justice in the cause." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yoffie said, "What you don't want to do is leave this hanging. From the humanitarian view, it's unacceptable, and from the Jewish point of view it's unacceptable." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A spokesman for Poraz said it was strictly a matter of money. "We don't know if the State of Israel is ready right now to absorb 20,000 people, and this issue must be checked," he said. "In order to check this, we will form the committee of ministers" as ordered by the Cabinet in February. The spokesman said a letter to the ministers involved had been sent out in the past few days. He added that Sharon had not been involved in the issue since the Cabinet meeting. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The chairman of the immigrant absorption committee of the Jewish Agency board, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, who is the president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, said that while the money shortage is a legitimate issue, it would not interfere if there were a crisis and the government ordered all 20,000 to be brought immediately. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "If you have a situation where you have Jewish lives at stake, then the hell with the money  it's not a consideration, you do what you have to do to bring Jews to the state," Eckstein said. "And you increase the staff that check [their Jewish eligibility], and it's legitimate to check the people, because otherwise 90% of Ethiopia will want to come here, and will have some basis, given history, if you go far back enough, to claim that they are Jewish. But it costs a lot of money to bring and to resettle the Ethiopians." <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Activists say that the situation on the ground in Ethiopia is critical, and the needs are immediate. Studies done in recent months show that the Falash Mura, many of whom are housed in compounds in Addis Ababa and Gondar, are living up to 15 in a room in mud huts without sanitation, are in need of clothing, and are suffering from high mortality and sickness rates. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I know it's a very expensive community to absorb," said Ribakove Gordon. "Is that a good enough reason for not taking suffering Jews? That's the question that has to be answered." <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <center>***********************</center> <H3> <A NAME="#TIME TO"> <A HREF="#Time_to"> A TIME TO ACT IN ETHIOPIA</A></H3> <I><U>Forward</U> Editorial, June 27, 2003</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When Israel first threw open its doors in 1984 to Jewish immigration from Ethiopia, the move was rightly hailed as a watershed moment in Zionist history. The Jewish state had become, as Israeli officials and Jewish activists justly boasted, the only country in human history to welcome masses of African immigrants as brothers, not slaves. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Today this legacy is in doubt, jeopardized by Jerusalem's continuing and shameful failure to finish the job. More than 18,000 Jews, members of the so-called Falash Mura community, are still in Ethiopia, waiting in dreadful conditions for their turn to come home. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Time and again, ministers in successive Israeli governments, including former Soviet dissidents who should know better, have erected bureaucratic roadblocks in front of this community, which consists mainly of persons once converted from Judaism to Christianity under duress, or their descendants, who have since returned to Judaism. Religious leaders from across the Jewish denominational spectrum, citing centuries of rabbinic precedent, have decreed that these Ethiopians are to be considered Jewish. Israel's Interior Ministry has been ordered by the nation's courts to step up its evaluation of their immigration applications. Prime Minister Sharon's first government pledged to bring most of them to Israel. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And still they languish, after a decade of waiting in squalid, ever worsening conditions. The previous government's plan has stalled under new leadership at the Interior Ministry, now controlled by the Shinui party, which appears to combine the most extreme anti-clerical disdain for traditional sentiments of Jewish solidarity with a disregard  betraying the party's neoconservative roots  for the human rights aspects of the issue. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sharon certainly deserves praise for his long record of working to bring Ethiopian Jews to Israel, but that community's dire situation cries out for the prime minister to finish this chapter in the Zionist saga once and for all. Sharon must bulldoze through the remaining opposition, whether in his Cabinet or among mid-level bureaucrats at the Interior Ministry and the Jewish Agency for Israel. If Israel's prime minister fails to meet the challenge, then history will remember Ethiopia not as the country from which Israel brought Africans out free, but as the first place where Jews were deliberately abandoned by their brothers and sisters in Israel. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#CITY NINEVEH"> <A HREF="#City_Nineveh"> THE LOST CITY OF NINEVEH</A></H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <I>Every year in Yom Kippur we read the Haftarah of Jonas and we mention the name of the city of Nineveh. For me, Nineveh was a legendary place; I imagined that it had existed but I never even wonderer where it was nowadays. When Jacak Davidson, vicepresident of our UJCL, sent me this article on Mosul, the city where Saddam Hussein's sons were found, I discovered that indeed Nineveh not only existed but that a Jewish community thrived there prior to 1948. I took the liberty of editing the article in which Carlos C. Huertas, Major and rabbi chaplain of the 101 Division of the United States Army, narrates his moving experience on being the first Jew to enter the old Synagogue in Mosul-Nineveh in over 50 years. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hilda ten Brink</I> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><H3><FONT COLOR=RED>JEWISH HEARTBREAK AND HOPE IN NINEVEH</FONT></H3> <P><I>By Carlos C. Huerta - July 24, 2003</I></CENTER> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am writing to you from Nineveh, the city of the prophet Jonah. Its present name is Mosul. I have had the privilege of seeing its ancient walls, of touching its stones, of going to the grave Islamic tradition says is the prophet Jonah's. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There is a mosque at the site; but hundreds of years ago, the Iraqis we work with tell me, it was a synagogue. They tell me the reason the site is so sacred is because of the sacredness in which the Jews held it. Presently, there are no signs of this ancient synagogue. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I am the rabbi of the 101st Airborne Division. We, the soldiers of the 101st Airborne, fought our way up from the south, from Kuwait. The battle took us past Ur, the city where Abraham was born. We passed the city of Babylon, where the prophet Daniel was taken. We continued the battle to Baghdad, where so many Jews lived and were massacred in the summer of 1948. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Now we are in Mosul. I ask about the Jews who lived here, and very few remember them. Many say Jews never lived here; but my heart tells me different. The old ones tell me there was a Jewish quarter, a synagogue, study halls, and a cemetery. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One day, while searching the streets of the ancient city, I came across a building missing half of its roof. The site was a garbage dump and the building's interior was three-quarters full of rotting garbage, feces and sewage. I had to crouch down low to get inside, as the doorway was almost completely buried. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As I entered, light came through the half-open roof and I could just make out writing engraved on the walls. It was Hebrew. It was then that I knew I had stumbled into the ancient synagogue of the city of Mosul-Nineveh. My heart broke as I climbed over the garbage piles that filled the room where, for hundreds of years, the prayers of Jews had reached the heavens. I realized I was probably the first Jew to enter this holy place in over 50 years. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Many Iraqis congregated around me, wanting to know what I was doing. My translator said that the American army was interested in old archaeological sites of all kinds. I asked them if they knew what this place was, and they all said in an instant: It was the house where the Jews prayed. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; They told me that the houses in the streets surrounding the synagogue had been filled with Jews. They took me to the children's yeshiva, a marbled edifice that no longer had a roof, only walls and half-rooms. There was a vagrant family living there, and when I asked them what this place was, they said it was a Jewish school for children. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As I walked through the quarter, I was shown the grave of the prophet Daniel, once a synagogue. I saw that many of the doorposts had an engraving of the lion of Judah on the top. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tears came to my eyes, but I had to hold them back lest I put myself and the soldier with me in a dangerous situation. I had to pretend that I was only mildly interested in what they were showing me. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; How does one absorb this kind of experience? How do I convey the feeling of hearing all those voices reaching out in prayer at the synagogue as I stood on top of all that garbage? How do I recover our history, how do I bring honor to a holy place that has been so desecrated? <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I have no answers. I only have great sadness, pain, and loneliness. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Since then, I have gone back to the Jewish quarter of old Mosul with members of my congregation, Jewish soldiers of the 101st : infantrymen, artillerymen, medics, pilots, lawyers, doctors, all proud to be Jewish and serving their country. Together we have found five more synagogues, more yeshivot and many Jewish homes. They have all come away profoundly affected by what they saw. They are saddened, but yet proud to be connected to such an ancient and rich tradition in this historic city of Nineveh. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I have not yet discovered the ancient Jewish cemetery of the Jews of Mosul-Nineveh. My instincts tell me it is nearby, but in the last 60 years it has probably been desecrated and obliterated. One native I talked to told me that a major highway had been built through it. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I will continue to search as my military mission allows me. There is a great history to be written here, a great opportunity to recover the lost narrative of our people, the Sephardim of Iraq. My prayer and hope is that when the gates finally open for scholars, the remnants of our people will still be here for historians to recover. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I have taken many pictures in case those who have no vision destroy the few remnants that remain. I hope there are yet some Jews from this important and holy community still alive in Israel. If so, they will be able to add to the oral history of what will, God willing, be discovered here. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If this chapter of history is erased, it will never be recovered again. I pray that those with more resources, more connections, and more wisdom than I will be able to add to these pages of our great history. I am only thankful that God has given me a small part in it. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; May the memories of our brothers and sisters - hakahal hakadosh d'Nineveh - the holy community of Nineveh - never be forgotten. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#SHOE PROJECT"> <A HREF="#Shoe_Project"> SHOE PROJECT CONVERTS HATE INTO HOPE</A></H3> <p><I>By Amanda Schoenberg - <U>The Tico Times</U>, July 25, 2003</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Converting a Holocaust-era symbol of death into one of life and hope, 18-year old Hannah Sarah Faich is completing a two-year project to distribute almost 10,000 shoes to poor Costa Ricans. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Faich, who lived with her parents in Costa Rica for seven months two years ago, saw an urgent need for shoes when she volunteered with the Humanitarian Foundation. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Being barefoot symbolized being trapped in one s circumstances, the men couldn t work and the kids were embarrassed to go to school, says Faich.  Shoes can become an escape route. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She went to the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland with her family, and like Gail Nystrom, the director of the Humanitarian Foundation, who visited the Washington, D.C. Holocaust Museum, was moved by the piles of victim s shoes. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Faich soon embarked on the Shoes for Shoah project, beginning in her own high school in Philadelphia. She expanded into local churches, synagogues, and solicited old models at shoe stores and enlisted friends, eventually receiving help from United Way and getting trucks donated by Dole. All shoes were new or gently used. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Faich, an 18-year old bound for Harvard University in the fall, approaches community service by both finding a social need and a historical injustice and attempting to address both. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  I wanted to give something back to Costa Rica, and this is it, said Faich. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Accompanied by her friend Ziva Cizman, also from Philadelphia, and volunteers, including former street children and women from a low-income housing project, Faich will have distributed 9,600 shoes by this week. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Both Nystrom and Faich say when they were inside the 40-foot vans piled with shoes, the project became very real. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Suddenly it hit me, we are doing the opposite of the Nazis, said Nystrom.  We are working with goodhearted people and giving shoes to living people. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Faich said she was impressed by the people s level of interest. Nystrom began each visit with information on the Holocaust, using colourful posters with shoes and horrific images of emaciated bodies piled outside concentration camps. Faich then described collecting shoes and applied historical injustices of the Holocaust to today. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  People really get it and start linking the past to contemporary violence, said Nystrom. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the La Promesa housing project, women chose classy shoes for job interviews, while kids in Puerto Viejo collected soccer shoes and sandals, and the Bribri and Bajo Chirripó indigenous communities took boots. About 80 percent of shoes went to children. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; During their visit to the San José neighbourhood of La Carpio, with mostly Nicaraguan refugees, Nystrom asked,  What is war? One person answered simply,  When someone tries to take power from everyone else. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One hotel manager in Puerto Viejo revealed his father s experience in the Holocaust to the group of volunteers. His father lost an eye, two ribs, and part of his lungs from all the beatings he received in a concentration camp, and died no longer believing in God. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; They also showed <I>Schindler s List</I> and <I>The Pianist</I> and read <I>The Diary of Anne Frank</I> to prepare the former street kids, one of whom burst into tears. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  It s very close to their experience, the arbitrary abuse of power by authority, said Nystrom.  It s been really powerful for them to see a symbolic gesture against violence. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nela, who lived on the street until several years ago, helped distribute shoes for two days. <BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  After seeing <I>Schindler s List</I>, the question was, how could anyone do something so horrible? said Nela.  But instead of sadness, we brought happiness. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#SAND FLOORS"> <A HREF="#Sand_Floors"> <I>LOS PISOS DE ARENA</I> (SAND FLOORS)</A></H3> <p><I>By Marjorie Agosìn  Translated by Betty Jean Craige</I> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My grandfather and I <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Would argue <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Over where we sat <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the synagogue <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Why the dark curtain <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kept us apart <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I wanted to pray at his side <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Feel his breath <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; While I sang the Hebrew letters <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That seemed a mosaic <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of ancient braids <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When I got older <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I no longer prayed <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Near others <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I chose daybreak <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Or night <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After reading a poem <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Or making love <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; God would approach me <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Quietly then <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Resolved not to abandon me <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In my doubtful faith <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I felt joy in arguing with God <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&n