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"> <FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica" SIZE=2> <P><IMG SRC="KOLEINU.gif" ALIGN=LEFT> <P><IMG SRC="OUR_VOICE.gif" ALIGN=RIGHT> <p>&nbsp; <p>&nbsp; <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 231-5787<br> B nei Israel Online: <A HREF="http://www.bnei-israel.org">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#February_2004">KOLEINU - Our Voice</A></H1></CENTER> <CENTER><H2>FEBRUARY 2004</H2></CENTER> <CENTER><H3>Shvat - Adar I 5764</I></H3></CENTER> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <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 David Feingold</I></LI> <LI> <A NAME="Letters_Congregation"></A> <A HREF="#LETTERS CONGREGATION"> Letters to the Congregation:</A> <ul> <li>Chanukah Greetings from the Kass family </ul> <LI> <A NAME="UJCL_Encounter"></A> <A HREF="#UJCL ENCOUNTER"> UJCL Encounter</A> <LI> <A NAME="Nahum_Goldmann"></A> <A HREF="#NAHUM GOLDMANN"> Press Release for Jewish Communal Leaders:</A> <ul> <li>International Nahum Goldmann Fellowship </ul> <LI> <A NAME="Sisterhood_Corner"></A> <A HREF="#SISTERHOOD CORNER"> Sisterhood Corner</A> - <I>by Natalia Yechivi</I> <LI> <A NAME="Message_Simon"></A> <A HREF="#MESSAGE SIMON"> Message from the Simon Wiesenthal Center</A> - <I>by Rabbi Marvin Hier</I> <ul> <li>Antisemitic Incident in La Paz, Bolivia </ul> <LI> <A NAME="Euro_Judeophobia"></A> <A HREF="#EURO JUDEOPHOBIA"> The Euro-Socialist's Judeophobia</A> - <I>by Marc Tobiass</I> <LI> <A NAME="Beit_Midrash"></A> <A HREF="#BEIT MIDRASH"> Beit Midrash - Adult Activities</A> - <I>by Jody Bonilla</I> <LI> <A NAME="Ask_Rabbi"></A> <A HREF="#ASK RABBI"> Ask the Rabbi</A> <LI> <A NAME="Youth_Group"></A> <A HREF="#YOUTH GROUP"> Youth Group Corner</A> <LI> <A NAME="Jewish_Humor"></A> <A HREF="#JEWISH HUMOR"> Jewish Humor:</A></LI> <UL> <LI>Curses </UL> <LI> <A NAME="News_Congratulations"></A> <A HREF="#NEWS CONGRATULATIONS"> News - Congratulations</A></LI> <LI> <A NAME="Upcoming_Events"></A> <A HREF="#UPCOMING EVENTS"> Upcoming Events</A></LI> </UL> <P><B>Articles in Spanish without translation: <A HREF="BOLfebrero2004.html#KOLEINU.bmp"> FEBRERO 2004</A> <UL> <LI>News from B'nai B'rith Costa Rica: <UL> <LI>Visit their new website - <A HREF=http://www.guesher.org>www.guesher.org</A></I> </UL> <LI>European Union accepted an energetic complaint from the World Jewish Congress <LI>Letters addressed to God </UL> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <HR width="100%"> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <H3> <A NAME="#MESSAGE RABBI"> <A HREF="#Message_Rabbi"> MESSAGE FROM OUR RABBI</A></H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dear Hevreh, <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This month we read of the three most important events of the entire Torah. First we read about the liberation from slavery, the crossing of the Sea of Reeds and the destruction of Egypt. Then we come to Mount Sinai and Moses receives the law from God. And finally we begin construction of the Tabernacle, a portable tent that becomes our first house of worship, our first Temple, in the desert. These stories describe a new beginning for the nation of Israel, a time of change, growth and building. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This month at B nei Israel we have an opportunity to find our individual new beginnings. During the summer vacation we ve been planning no fewer than seven types of new programs to help give everyone a chance to celebrate Jewish life. Some of these programs are new creations, while others are transformations of existing programs, but they all give each of us a chance to find our own Jewish path. Below is just a list of programs, look for more information elsewhere in this bulletin. If you are interested in any of these programs, call the synagogue office with your questions. <ul> <li><U>Post Bnei Mitzvah Learning</U>: For students after Bar or Bat Mitzvah to learn Jewish History and Hebrew for understanding. <li><U>Youth Group</U>: Activities for young people to socialize and do community service. <li><U>Adult Hebrew</U>: Two classes (one during the day and one at night) to learn how to read the prayerbook. <li><U>New Beit Midrash</U>: Wednesday night learning for all levels. Including food and lively discussions. <li><U>Thursday Israel Class</U>: Four Thursdays this spring for learning the history of the Jewish state. <li><U>Tot Shabbat</U>: One Shabbat afternoon/month for families with children under age three. <li><U>New Holiday Programs</U>: Festive gatherings to celebrate Tu B shvat, Purim, Pesach, Israeli Independence day and Shavout. </ul> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Of course these programs are in addition to some of the existing successes at B nei Israel, our Kabbalat Shabbat Service (now always at 6:30 PM), our Saturday morning services (the first and third Saturday every month) and our religious school, which begins its new year this month. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When the Israelites left Egypt the Torah tells us they were a  mixed multitude, people of diverse backgrounds and stories. We at B nei Israel are similar, and each of us can find Judaism in his or her own way. As we go on our journey to Sinai, and we build our Tabernacle in Costa Rica, we do so with the sense of community and friendship found at B nei Israel. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L shalom, <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rabbi Michael Holzman </font> <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><i>February 2004</i> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Congregation B nei Israel is a modern Synagogue, full of people interested in maintaining Judaism relevant to our daily lives. Our influences are both Ashkenazi and Sephardic. Our melodies come from north and south, east and west. Our prayerbook is based on Reform liturgy, but there isn t a Reform congregation anywhere in the world quite like us. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We call ourselves a Reform Congregation, a Liberal Congregation, a non-Orthodox Congregation. A variety of labels, but at the end of the day, we are who we are: Congregation B nei Israel of Costa Rica, a unique mix of cultures, languages and histories. A special stew developed over more than 15 years, with spices thrown in from all over the world. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Our diversity is our greatest strength, yet managing it is also one of our more daunting challenges. Forging a unified community requires give and take, and will continue to do so as we look forward to further growth and the inescapable growing pains that will accompany it. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the coming months, as we continue to make decisions concerning the future direction of our Congregation, I hope we all keep in mind the diversity that has made us who we are today. Let us recognize the power we derive from our varied backgrounds, so that we can continue to be the echo of the past, the voice of the present, and the hope of the future for Costa Rica's liberal Jews. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; L Shalom, <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; David Feingold</font> <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><I>December 21, 2003</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dear Friends, <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sorry to just be sending out a general Chanukah greeting. This has been a rather tough year. My mother Sylvia died in March, my 20 year neighbor in Costa Rica, Joe Saunders, died in July, and my old friend from Guatemala, Emma Waugh, died three days before Thanksgiving. These were really people who understood me and I really feel their loss. Otherwise, we are all well. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; FDA keeps me very busy  they increased our sample load and there are plenty of opportunities for overtime work  the extra money does come in handy. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maria and the children are fine. Jeremy is in Guadalajara, Nina doing very well in the nursing program at Hunter. I hope to send them to visit Maria's mother in Brazil in January. We visited her in September  she is doing quite nicely at age 84. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I did get to establish some contacts with other family here  notably some of my father's cousins in Maine and Massachusetts, and my cousin Jane Flax, who is professor of political science at Howard University in Washington. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We did buy a car so that makes getting around easier. We are also moving to a larger apartment  on the same street. Maria and Nina like this neighborhood so I guess we will stay here. It is convenient to my work and Nina's classes  and Maria can walk to shopping and other necessities. All the doctor's offices are nearby and the synagogue is on the next block. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We had a nice candle lighting ceremony for Chanukah there on Friday evening. It is a very Jewish neighborhood, with about ten Orthodox congregations within a half mile radius. It is nice on Saturdays, seeing all the people walking to and from services. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We hope everyone is well this Chanukah season and hoping that 2004 is a little better than 2003  a year of too many deaths, many of them unnecessary. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Best wishes to all, <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Donald, Maria, Jeremy and Nina Kass<br> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="mailto:dclk9@hotmail.com">dclk9@hotmail.com</A></font> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#UJCL ENCOUNTER"> <A HREF="#UJCL_Encounter"> UJCL ENCOUNTER</A></H3> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#FF0000">VII </font></b> <span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#FF0000">UJCL Encounter</font></b></span></p> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#FF0000">III </font></b> <span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#FF0000">Youth Parallel Encounter</font></b></span></p> <p align="center"><span lang="es"><u><b><font face="Arial" size=3 color="#0000FF">Date</font></b></u></span><b><font face="Arial" size=3 color="#0000FF">:&nbsp; <span lang="es">May 6 - 9</span>, 2004</font></b></p> <p align="center"><span lang="es"><u><b><font face="Arial" size=3 color="#0000FF">Site</font></b></u></span><b><font face="Arial" size=3 color="#0000FF">:&nbsp; Wyndham<span lang="es"> </span>Hotel , Aruba</font></b></p> <p align="center">&nbsp;</p> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" size=3><b><span lang="es"> We are meeting again to strengthen the links within the Jewish communities<br> of the region, to explore our Judaism and value our heritage, to make friends<br> and enjoy the re-encounter.</span></b></font></p> <p align="center"><b><font color="#FF0000" size=3 face="Arial"><span lang="es"> An unforgettable week-end in the beautiful island of Aruba !!</span></font></b></p> <p>&nbsp; <p align="center"><span lang="es"><b> <font face="Arial" size="5" color="#FF0000">Don't forget the date</font></b></span><b><font face="Arial" size="5" color="#FF0000"> !!</font></b></p> <p align="center">&nbsp;</p> <p align="center"><u><b><font face="Arial" size=3 color="#0000FF"><span lang="es">Theme of the 7th Conference:</span></font></b></u></p> <H3 align="center"><b> <font face="Arial" size="4" color="#FF0000">JUDAISM:&nbsp; A COAT OF MANY COLORS</font></b></H3> <p align="center"><b><font size=3 face="Arial"><span lang="es">-<font size=3 color="#000080"> Diversity and acceptance of the different manifestations of Judaism </font></span></font> <font color="#000080" face="Arial"><span lang="es">-</span></font></b></p> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <p align="center"><u><span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size=4> Registration Forms:</font></b></span></u></p> <ul> <li> <p align="center"><span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size=3 color="#FF0000"> <a href="http://www.ujcl.org/aruba_2004_form.htm"> Adult Conference</a></font></b></span></li> <li> <p align="center"><span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size=3 color="#FF0000"> <a href="http://www.ujcl.org/aruba_2004_form_youth.htm"> Youth Conference</a></font></b></span></li> </ul> <p align="center"><span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size="3"> Please fill the form and send it via e-mail, as an attachment,<br> to either one of these addresses:</font></b></span></p> <ul> <li> <p align="center"><span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size="2">Martha Lichtenstein - <a href="mailto:vitiailana@hotmail.com">vitiailana@hotmail.com</a></font></b></span></p> </li> <li> <p align="center"><span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial" size="2">Rabino Marcelo Bater - <a href="mailto:rabbibater@hotmail.com">rabbibater@hotmail.com</a></span></font></b></p> </li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</td> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#NAHUM GOLDMANN"> <A HREF="#Nahum_Goldmann"> INTERNATIONAL NAHUM GOLDMANN FELLOWSHIP</A></H3> <H4><U>PRESS RELEASE</U></H4> <H3 ALIGN=CENTER>JEWISH COMMUNAL LEADERSHIP HOPEFULS<BR> CAN APPLY FOR FELLOWSHIP TO MEMORIAL FOUNDATION S<BR> TRAINING INSTITUTE IN SOUTH AMERICA, November 8-17, 2004</H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; NEW YORK -- Young men and women interested in pursuing roles as Jewish communal leaders can now apply for Fellowships to attend a worldwide leadership training institute in Uruguay next November 8-17, 2004. The 10-day <U>International Nahum Goldmann Fellowship</U> program is sponsored by the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, which will cover the entire cost of each participant s stay at the seminar. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Fellowships, named after the late Dr. Nahum Goldmann, founder of the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, were launched in 1987 to provide potential communal leaders ages 25-35 with an intensive exposure to Jewish life and culture. The fourteenth <U>International Nahum Goldmann Fellowship</U> will take place from November 8 - 17, 2004 at the Hotel Nirvana in the Swiss Colony in Uruguay, located between Montevideo and Buenos Aires. Previous Nahum Goldmann Fellowships were held in Western Europe, Russia, Australia and South America. More than 500 men and women from Jewish communities on six continents have successfully completed the previous Fellowship programs. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The <U>Nahum Goldmann Fellowship Program</U> seeks to train the most talented and intellectually gifted young Jewish men and women for cultural advancement and Jewish communal leadership. The Fellowship program provides an intensive experience in Jewish living and learning. Some 45 applicants from academia, the professions and Jewish communal life, who have shown serious interest in Jewish learning and have demonstrated potential for personal growth and community leadership, will be selected as 2004 Fellows. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dr. Jerry Hochbaum, executive vice-president of the Memorial Foundation, noted that the Fellowships are designed to increase the participants knowledge and deepen their understanding of Jewish history, culture, thought and contemporary Jewish life.  The goal is for the Fellows to contribute to the Jewish community and to become leaders in Jewish communal institutions throughout the world. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Faculty for the Fellowships in the past have included a distinguished group of world-renowned academics, intellectuals and communal leaders such as Professors Eliezer Schweid, Arthur Hertzberg, Menachem Elon, Ruth Wisse, Uriel Simon, Arnold Eisen, Aharon Appelfeld, Shalom Rosenberg, Jonathan Sarna, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, Aviva Zornberg and Shaul Friedlander. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Nahum Goldmann Fellowship program will include lectures, small group discussions, seminars, and workshops in Jewish identity, community and text study. A variety of cultural events and extra-curricular activities will supplement the academic program. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Topics will include: <UL> <LI>Zionism in a Post-Zionist Era <LI>Jewish Ethical Imperatives in the Contemporary World <LI>Judaism and K lal Yisrael in the Age of Globalization <LI>The Lessons of Jewish History <LI>The Challenges and Responsibilities of Jewish Leadership <LI>Latin American Jewry: A Comparison With Other Diaspora Communities </UL> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Persons wishing to participate in the Fellowship should contact Dr. Jerry Hochbaum, Executive Vice President, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, 50 Broadway, 34th floor, New York, NY 10004, [phone: (212) 425-6606; fax: (212)425-6602; email: <A HREF="mailto:office@mfjc.org">office@mfjc.org</A> to request an application. Also visit our website at <A HREF="http://www.ngfp.org">www.ngfp.org</A>. Applications must be completed and returned to the Foundation no later than May 31, 2004. The final selection will be announced in the summer of 2004. <P> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER>************</CENTER> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, the only international body solely dedicated to advancing Jewish cultural activities worldwide, was established in 1965 with reparations funds from the government of West Germany. Since its formation, the Foundation has allocated close to eighty million dollars to promote Jewish cultural activity, train scholars, educators and communal workers and revive Jewish culture in Jewish communities on six continents. <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><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dear Friends: <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; This month will be my tenth anniversary since I joined the B nei Israel Synagogue. At first, I was pretty constant with my participation during services and community activities. In time, because of my children s births and my multiple activities, I started to attend less frequently. As my older daughter Hannah grew up, my husband Oren and I considered it important to strengthen our participation in services and synagogue events. Proudly, I must say that Hannah has proven a great interest and motivation in getting involved in everything concerning the Community. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; To those who might not know me, my name is Natalia Monge Nicolaas, I m 31 years old, married to Oren Yechivi, and we have two kids: Hannah, who s 8 years old, and Yoel, who s 4. I live in Los Yoses and in my spare time I paint, especially with oil and acrylics. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A few months ago, Mrs. Flor Keibel, whom I ve known for several years, invited me to take a more active part in the Synagogue Sisterhood s meetings. This way, I was able to realize the important tasks that this group fulfills. Under the guidance of Mrs. Keibel, this group of ladies is in charge of organizing activities and promoting the participation of members of the Community, especially that of new members. Among the principal activities we organize are: garage sales, bingos, raffles (to raise funds for charity or for special community needs), and some baby showers. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A couple of weeks ago, several ladies entreated me to take charge of the Sisterhood s coordination. Even though I knew the importance of this group, I felt insecure about the responsibilities this position would therefore bring me. After receiving lots of support from various members, I considered it important to face up to this challenge, which will no doubt help me to take a more active part in all things concerning B nei Israel. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I hope to continue the important tasks organized by Flor Keibel and, with the help of the other ladies members of this group, to strengthen this legacy. We ll start this year with new activities, such as cooking lessons. We ll be announcing the dates for these classes, which will be taught by Gonzalo Vega and myself. We are counting on your participation! <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I consider it important to organize baby showers more regularly, so as to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation within the Community members. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I appreciate the words of support from so many people, and I m sure I can count on all of you to make all the Sisterhood activities a real success. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Sincerely yours, <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Natalia Yechivi <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="mailto:hollywoodvideo@racsa.co.cr">hollywoodvideo@racsa.co.cr</A></font> <p><i><font size=1>Translated by Débora Baum</font></i> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <center>**************************</center> <P> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER> <TABLE width="68%" border=0> <CAPTION align=center><font size="+1" color="#000080"><B>SISTERHOOD BOARD OF DIRECTORS</font></B><BR> <U><FONT color=#000080 size=+1>&nbsp;Period 200<span lang="es">4</span></FONT></U><br><P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</CAPTION> <TBODY> <TR><TH align=left>President:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><span lang="es"><b>Natalia Yechivi</b></span></TD></TR> <TR><TH align=left>Vice-President:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><span lang="es"><b>Flor Keibel</b></span></TD></TR> <TR><TH align=left>Secretary:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><span lang="es"><b>Keyla López de Yechivi</b></span></TD></TR> <TR><TH align=left>Pro-Secretary:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><span lang="es"><b>Hilda ten Brink</b></span></TD></TR> <TR><TH align=left>Treasurer:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><B>Bonnie Fischer</TD></TR> <TR><TH align=left>Pro-Treasurer:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><span lang="es"><b>Carmen Goldner</b></span></TD></TR> <TR><TH align=left valign=top>Trustees:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><B> <span lang="es">Rosario Sossin</span><BR><span lang="es">Norma De Matheu</span><br><span lang="es">Rosemary Tarcica</span><br><span lang="es">Anita Kaufman</span></TD></TR> <TR><TH align=left>Fiscal:</TH><TD></TD><TD></TD><TD><B> <span lang="es">Gioconda Zango</span></TD></TR> </TBODY> </TABLE> </CENTER> <P> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#MESSAGE SIMON"> <A HREF="#Message_Simon"> MESSAGE FROM THE SIMON WIESENTHAL CENTER</A></H3> <A HREF="http://www.wiesenthal.com"> http://www.wiesenthal.com </A> <H4>CHANUKAH GREETINGS FROM RABBI MARVIN HIER</H4> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; My friends, we all needed that piece of good news that the world's arch terrorist, Saddam Hussein, had finally been captured. But on the whole, 2003 has been a turbulent and unsettling time. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ten days ago, while overnighting in Paris following my meeting with Pope John Paul II, I was walking near the Opera House when a man approached speaking in French while pointing his finger at me. My colleague walking with me explained that he was disturbed that I was wearing my skullcap in defiance of the Chief Rabbi of France who had urged French Jews not to wear their skullcaps in the streets. <BR><BR><IMG SRC="antisemi01.jpg" align=left vspace=12 hspace=10 width=188 height=138 border=1> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The encounter brought home the point that times have really changed for Europe's Jews. That once again, Jews felt vulnerable, insecure, and frightened in one of the world's great democracies. Some people fret at comparisons to pre-World War II Europe. But what kind of a Europe is it when Jews cannot wear their skullcaps in the streets of Paris? What kind of a Europe is it where Jews in Sweden and Belgium are advised not to wear jewelry with the Star of David on it? Is this the new Europe that has come together to form a 'united states' of the continent? <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I must tell you that in May 2003 when we met with President Jacques Chirac at the Elysee Palace, he told us that he believed the attacks were generated by juvenile delinquents. But President Chirac is no longer claiming that today. Following the latest arson attack on a Jewish school near Paris (see photo right) he said that, "attacking a Jew in France is an attack on all of France." <BR><BR><IMG SRC="antisemi02.jpg" align=right vspace=12 hspace=10 width=100 height=151 border=1> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What about Greece? For months officials dragged their feet and refused to acknowledge the antisemitism expressed in their mainstream media, the desecration of synagogues, cemeteries, and Holocaust memorials, or the art exhibition glorifying female suicide bombers displayed in a prominent Athens gallery. Only after the Wiesenthal Center issued a travel advisory, and happened to mention that the current situation could poison the environment leading to the forthcoming Olympics, did senior officials of the Greek government contact Israeli leaders to incorporate a number of measures to help diffuse the issue. And, just as we released our new book, Dismantling the Big Lie: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a refutation of the notorious antisemitic forgery, the Wiesenthal Center learned that a copy of The Protocols was displayed prominently alongside the holy books of monotheistic religion at the renovated Alexandria Library in Egypt. After vigorous protests by the Center, and action by UNESCO Director General Matsuura, one of the few U.N. officials to consistently speak out against antisemitism, the book was finally removed. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 2004, we will undertake a major worldwide effort to awaken the international community to take the long overdue step to classify suicide bombings - the deliberate attempt to commit mass murder against innocent civilians - as a crime against humanity. This point was clearly driven home to us during our international Antisemitism Conference held at UNESCO in Paris, when our keynote speaker, Sergio Vieira de Mello, (pictured left with SWC International Liaison Director Dr. Shimon Samuels) the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the resurgence of antisemitism in the international community in his opening speech. Just three months later, he himself was murdered in a suicide attack in Iraq. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We took this matter up directly with Pope John Paul II earlier this month during our forty-minute audience with him at the Vatican. The next day, addressing a group of Christians and Moslems, the Pope said, "I appeal to you, and to all men and women of good will, to join your voices with mine as I repeat that the holy name of God must never be used to incite violence or terrorism, to promote hatred or exclusion." <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the coming months, we will meet face-to-face with world leaders to demand that such a resolution, which affects the entire world, be taken up at the European Union, other regional bodies, and at the United Nations itself. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <font color="#DC143C">To continue and bolster these efforts, we need your continued solidarity, activism, and leadership and need you to respond generously by contributing more then ever to help underwrite the work of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. I join with our dedicated staff around the world in thanking you for standing with us as we take on the growing challenges in the year to come. Wishing you and your families a happy Chanukah and a peaceful 2004.</font> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Rabbi Marvin Hier<BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dean and Founder<BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Simon Wiesenthal Center</font> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <center>************************</center> <H3>ANTISEMITIC INCIDENT IN LA PAZ, BOLIVIA</H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dear Friends, <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I put into your account the paintings appeared in front of our Kehillah on the morning of January 3. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Gabriel Hercman<BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Institutional Director<BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Centro Israelita, La Paz, Bolivia</font> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table align=center> <tr><td><IMG SRC="antisemi03.JPG" align=right vspace=12 hspace=10 width=425 height=264 border=1></td></tr> <tr><td><IMG SRC="antisemi04.JPG" align=right vspace=12 hspace=10 width=425 height=313 border=1></td></tr> </table> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#EURO JUDEOPHOBIA"> <A HREF="#Euro_Judeophobia"> THE EURO-SOCIALIST S JUDEOPHOBIA</A></H3> <P><I>By Marc Tobiass - <A HREF="http://www.proche-orient.com">proche-orient.com</A></I> <p><I>December 30, 2003</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A Catalan from Barcelona, Pilar Rahola is a highly colorful figure on the Spanish scene. She is known for her feminism, as well as for her frank and direct manner. A former parliamentarian, Pilar Rahola sat in the national legislature in Madrid for eight years, first as part of the republican left, then as the founder of the Independence Party. However, she decided to leave political life just over a year ago to devote more time to her other passions. She has just published "The History of Ada," a metaphor for abandoned children, those child-slaves or children-soldiers one finds all over the world, that is, when they are not turned into human bombs. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; She has also decided to step forward to denounce the flagrant imbalance in the handling of information from the Middle East. Her most recent piece, "In Favor of Israel," is to be published in a book in which fifteen Spanish intellectuals, including Jon Juaristi, president of the Cervantes Institute and Gabriel Alviac, a well-known journalist with El Mundo [translator's note: a Spanish daily newspaper], seek to re-establish the facts. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Marc Tobiass (of proche-orient.com) talks with Pilar Rahola. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  Why did you feel the need to write "In Favor of Israel" - to participate in the publication of this book? <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  Since the start of the second intifada, the Spanish press, on the Right as well as the Left, has taken a particularly aggressive approach toward Israel, an approach that leaves out the reasons for Israel's actions and tends to ignore the Israeli victims in this conflict. In this situation, a small minority of intellectuals, public personalities sensitive to the Jewish question in general and to Israel in particular felt deeply touched by this problem. Outraged by the return of Judeophobia in Spain, we, each in our own way, began to write articles; to use the media to condemn this situation. And then Oracia Vasquez Real, an important writer in Spain, suggested that we coordinate our activity; that we collect into one work the vision of the Middle East conflict held by fifteen well-known intellectuals. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  For whom did you write this book, and with what objective? <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  Fundamentally, this book is addressed to the anti-Jewish school of thought in Spain. The goal of our book is to launch a debate about Judeophobia in Spain. We are convinced that the current view of the conflict, so Manichaean with the good, always the Palestinians, and the evil, always the Israelis, has deep roots. It comes from an ancient anti-Jewish feeling that exists in Spain and that also explains the history of Spain. This feeling softened slightly after the Franco era [translator's note: post-1975], but today there is a virulent resurgence of this savage feeling to the point where one can find genuinely anti-Semitic expressions in the Spanish press. In essence, this is a provocative book in the face of totally pro-Arab thinking in Spain, that is completely uncritical of the mistakes of the Arab world in general and of the Palestinians in particular. We want to counter this flagrant imbalance. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  This imbalance is not specifically Spanish, nor, for that matter, is the Judeophobia. You rightly recall in your piece the troubling remark of Hermann Broch [translator's note: Austrian anti-Nazi novelist, 1886-1951] denouncing the indifference of Europe as the worst of the crimes in the bloody madness of the Hitler era. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  Yes, I think that Europe was indifferent on the surface because it felt guilty within. I believe that this indifference unquestionably comes from Judeophobia. And in the ultimate paradox, the Jewish soul is part and parcel of Europe. Europe cannot be explained without its Jewish soul, but it is also explained by its hatred of the Jews. Thus, all the repeated attempts of Europe to get rid of its Jewish soul are, in fact, a kind of suicide. <br> After the Holocaust, after Auschwitz, that is, after the ultimate stage in the destruction of the Jewish persona a process which lasted for centuries in Europe, Europe is shattered, many of its elements are dead, but it also has a bad conscience; it knows it is guilty. Since then, Europe has looked for and found in the Palestinian cause the expiation for its guilt. It is from this that the uncritical and Manichean attitude toward the Palestinian cause emerges - it is, primarily, the last heroic (European) adventure. Further, the more the Jews are presented as being the evil party, the bad ones, the less difficult it is to carry the responsibility and the guilt. This is a process of collective psychology. From such a perspective, there essentially is no difference between France, for example, and Spain? It is unbelievable how Europe continues to hate its Jewish soul, even after it has expelled it! <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  According to you, it is this Judeophobia that explains the "pro-Palestinian hysteria" that exists in Europe. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  I am sure of it. There is undeniably of late a very serious effort at disinformation about everything to do with the Middle East. There is a kind of madness that excuses all the crimes, abuses, and errors of the Palestinian side, and, at the same time, there is a historical predisposition that condemns any single error of the Israeli side and this to the point where the Palestinian victims are given maximum attention and the Israeli (victims) are ignored. It is as if the Jewish victims didn't exist, on the pretext that they were responsible for their own deaths! <br> The worst thing is that there is also a problem of terrorism in Spain, but when the crimes of ETA [translator's note: the Basque terrorist group] are mentioned, one speaks of terrorism, while when the crimes of Hamas are mentioned, one speaks of militants, activists, resistance, struggle. When one mentions the Palestinian victims, one speaks of children, civilians, innocents, but when one mentions the Israeli victims, one speaks of people without a name, as if to suggest that they are only soldiers, members of the army. There is a distortion in the presentation of the conflict, a dangerous manipulation that feeds the hatred and the anti-Semitism. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  Your remarks add up to an indictment of the European media. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  What I want is to launch an appeal to the collective European way of thinking, and especially to the intellectuals and journalists, because, from my point of view, they are in the process of creating a collective reality that is Judeophobic. Today one must prove oneself to be on the left; it is necessary to be anti-Semitic to have credibility. Things have reached the point where, for instance, Sharon is always guilty of being guilty, while Arafat is seen as an honest figure, innocent, a tireless old resistance fighter, a heroic figure, a kind of Gandhi in brief, a person gussied up in romantic finery, when in reality he is head of an oligarchy that has so much blood on its hands. <br> Israel is not (just) a country that is trying, for better or worse, to survive for fifty years, but it is reduced to one sole image: a country that occupies the territories and whose vocation is to make life miserable for the poor Palestinians. The history of the Holy Land is being reinvented. Everything takes place as if there were instructions: Never recall the faults and errors of the Palestinians, never recall their alliances with dangerous countries such as Iraq, in order to heap more shame on the United States and Israel. The profound reasons for this war are never made clear, never discussed. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  There is a comment in your text that sent shivers down my spine. You say that Judeophobia is, in the final analysis, the common denominator between Europe and the Palestinians. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  It's true that there are in Europe non-Jews who are sensitive and respect the Jewish soul, which is also part of the foundation of Europe, but they constitute a minority. The majority, the unconscious European collective, does not understand, does not absorb, nor accept, the Jewish phenomenon. And it is there that the essential meeting point between the European and the Palestinian takes place. Palestinian identity is not just a recent phenomenon, but it is, above all, built on hatred of Israel, hatred of the Jews. <br> If Europe can be explained by its Jewish component and by its hatred of the Jews, as if they were two sides of the same coin, Palestinian identity can essentially be explained only by its anti-Jewish component. It is for this reason that the Palestinians have such difficulty putting an end to their violence. <br> If the Palestinians renounced their hatred of the Jews, they would at the same time lose a significant part of their identity. To get beyond this violence, they would have to get beyond the hatred and thus change their identity. In other words, they would have to reinvent themselves. It is on the basis of this hatred that the Palestinian meets and agrees with the European. Often, this takes place with people of the Left, which is a veritable calamity for people like myself, as we are of the Left. We are Europeans, but we do not accept Judeophobia, just as we do not accept the anti-Zionism that justifies and nourishes the anti-Semitism of the Spanish Left today. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  Isn't this legitimization of hate the true obstacle to peace? <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  Without doubt. I believe that Europe is directly responsible, and not only for the conflict. In the final analysis, who, if not Europe, created the Jewish problem in the world? In a certain sense, one can even say that Europe is the actual founder of the State of Israel. Europe expelled its Jews: its Spanish Jews, its Russian Jews, its French Jews, and its German Jews. It expelled them from its body, even though these Jews felt themselves to be European to the core. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  You describe yourself as being on the Left and, for you, being a leftist is above all an existential position toward life, toward society. Yet, you yourself say that when this position turns into ideology, at times it becomes an excuse for channeling uncritical dogma, a simplistic Manichaeanism*, indeed racism. You, who were a parliamentarian of the Left, how can you handle this contradiction? <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  Those on the Left in Spain have a real problem. In some respects we are the heirs of the French Revolution; we have been influenced by the great ideologues like [Jean-Paul] Sartre and [Albert] Camus, and also by May 1968. That is to say, the overall thinking of the Spanish Left comes from France. Now, France is fundamentally anti-American from which (comes) our anti-Americanism, that at times borders on the pathological, an anti-Americanism which is also anti-Semitic. This explains why to a certain extent the Spanish Left is anti-Semitic. Obviously, people like myself have great difficulty with this state of affairs. <br> I believe that if the Left has failed as a great world ideology, it is because the Left did not succeed in breaking with the worst of its dogmatic thinking. The Left can be very progressive, but it can also be very dogmatic. Unfortunately, the Left became infatuated with such infamous dictators as Pol Pot, Mao, and Stalin, and now it is in love with Arafat. The Left should be critical, and in the first place, self-critical. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  And what is the dogma that worries you the most today? <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  The most absurd thing is to watch leaders of the Left today greet and celebrate Arab leaders, even when they are fundamentalists. For example, in the debates that followed the attacks of September 11, we heard an anti-American discourse here, pooh-poohing the victims, something, which is in and of it terrible! And there were those who tried to downplay with that tawdry third-wordlist which characterizes some circles of the Left the danger embodied in individuals like bin Laden, who is, in fact, an authentic fascist. I believe that for the moment the world remains blind to the biggest totalitarianism of the twenty-first century, which is Islamic fundamentalism. Now we must prepare ourselves seriously to face this danger: For me, this totalitarianism is without any shadow of a doubt comparable to Stalinism and Nazism, the biggest scourges of the twentieth century. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Marc Tobiass</U>:  To finish this interview, Pilar Rahola, I would like to cite a sentence from your text: You say that to be "in favor of Israel" is the most intelligent, rational, prudent, and honest way to be in favor of Palestine. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Pilar Rahola</U>:  First of all, I do not accept the use of defense of the Palestinian cause as a pretext for a new epidemic of anti-Semitism. If Europe had had a critical discussion that did not hesitate to condemn the grave and permanent mistakes of the Palestinian side: if Europe had been more critical of the Palestinians, we would be closer to a solution today. But Arafat enjoys support and legitimacy in Europe, which allows him to never miss an opportunity for missing the opportunity of peace. I believe that if Europe had been more critical toward Arafat, toward the different aspects of Palestinian violence, if Europe had been tougher in its statements, the Palestinians would have been compelled to step back from the violence and the suicide attacks. <br> A sense of justice calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state next to the State of Israel, but not in its place. Yet, at its core, Europe is ill at ease with the existence of Israel, and one can even say that the existence of this state provokes resentment and anger on the European left. Even if this is not acknowledged, many Europeans contend that a Palestinian state must replace the State of Israel. <br> But for those of us who support Israel, who are in favor of good neighborly relations for coexistence between the State of Israel and a Palestinian state, our way of saying YES to a Palestinian state is also a way of saying YES to the existence of the State of Israel. <p><i><font size=1>Translated by David A. Harris - Submitted by Bill Fischer</font></i> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#BEIT MIDRASH"> <A HREF="#Beit_Midrash"> BEIT MIDRASH  ADULT ACTIVITIES</A></H3> <P><I>By Jody Bonilla</I> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; One of the Ten Goals of Reform Jewish Education is the understanding that education is not something that one  stops at a certain age; education is not merely for children. The joy of learning is an active part of the life of a Jewish adult. In her book, <U>Becoming a Congregation of Learners</U>, Dr. Isa Aron states: <p align=center><cite>  Congregants must realize the importance of learning for all ages,<br> and they must experience first hand the power of learning to enrich<br> their lives, ground their ethical decisions, and connect them in deep<br> ways to their fellow learners. </cite> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is with this in mind that, under the guidance of our Rabbi Michael Holzman, several possibilities have been growing during the last several months. In the hopes of bringing the joy of learning and sharing to more members of B nei Israel, we have now, at the beginning of this school year, begun a more formal program of adult education and enrichment. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Each Wednesday evening, at 7:00 when our pre-Bar and Bat Mitzvah students begin to leave the synagogue, another group will enter. From 7:00  7:45 we will be offering a class of Beginning Hebrew  Basic reading skills and comprehension. Daniel Kicildor will teach this class. Daniel, a B nei Israel member who is fluent in Hebrew, has been teaching our adult Hebrew classes for the past year, and he is a passionate and dedicated teacher who has happily brought his teaching skills to our participants. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At 7:45 there will be a 15 minute coffee break during which other students will be arriving for the classes which will begin at 8:00pm. It will be a time to  kibbitz , to share with friends, to make new friends. <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; From 8:00 until 9:30 there will be three options to choose from: <ul> <li><U>Advanced Hebrew</U>: taught by Daniel Kicildor with an emphasis on spoken Hebrew <li><U>Introduction to Judaism</U>: a class for those who wish to learn more about Judaism, either as a preparation for conversion or reaffirmation, or because there is an interest or tie to Judaism. This class will be led by Jody Steiger, and will have classes taught additionally by Gonzalo Vega, Hilda ten Brink, Pilar Elkin, and of course, Rabbi Holzman. <li><U>MINI-COURSES</U>. Here there will be a series of short mini-courses of two to 4 week duration. The majority will be taught by Rabbi Holzman. Please feel free to drop in for an evening, an entire mini-course, the entire series. Hopefully there will be something for everyone s interests. See below for the schedule. </ul> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY> <font face= arial size=2> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Hebrew classes will cost $25 monthly. The mini-cursos will be either $15 a month, or $5.00 for a one-time attendance. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table width= 90 align=center border=0> <tr><td> <h3 align=center><font color=red>SCHEDULE OF MINI-COURSES</font></h3> </td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>February 4,11, 18</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>Cabala  Rabbi Holzman</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>Feb. 25, March 3, 10 y 17</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>Jewish Cooking  Natalia Yechevi & Gonzalo Vega</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>March 24, 31</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>A Jewish Response to Death and Mourning  Rabbi Holzman</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>April 7</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>NO LESSONS  Pesach</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>April 14, 21, 28</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>Different Jewish Paths & Expressions  Rabbi Holzman</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>May 5</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>Jewish Music; Chants and Prayers  Gonzalo Vega</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>May 12, 19</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>Introduction to Torah Study  Rabbi Holzman</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>TUESDAY May 25</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>Special  all night Torah Study session for Shavuot</td></tr> <tr><td><font face= arial size=2><b><U>June 2, 9, 16, 23</U></td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>History of Sacred Jewish Texts  Rabbi Holzman</td></tr> </table> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table border=0 align=center width="90%"> <tr><td><H3 align=center><font color=red>SPECIAL THURSDAY NIGHT PROGRAM:</font></H3></td></tr> <tr><td><U><font face= arial size=2><b>February 26, March 4, 11, 18</U>:</td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>History of the State of Israel.</td></tr> <tr><td>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</td><td><font face= arial size=2><b>A DVD presentation in English (with Spanish subtitles) with a discussion led by B nei Israel member historian Daniel Befeler.</td></tr> </table> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Please join us, and share in the mitzvah of learning. <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px double #FF0000" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber1"> <tr><td width="100%"> <p>&nbsp; <h2 align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF"><b>If You Cannot Read Hebrew</h2> <p align="center">(or you simply forgot how)</p> <h2 align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF"><b>Join the Crowd!</b></font></h2> </font><font face="Arial"> <h1 align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000">Adult Hebrew Reading</font></h1> <h4 align="center"><u>2 Times</u>:</h4> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000" size=4><U>Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m.</U></font></p> <p align="center">Multiple Levels<br> From Learning Letters to Reading Prayers</p> </font><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000"> <p align="center"></font><font face="Arial"><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000" size=4><U>Wednesdays, 7:00-7:45 p.m</U></font><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF">.</font></font></p> <font face="Arial"> <p align="center">The First Part of the Beit Midrash dedicated to Learning Hebrew</font><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF"><p align="center"></p> <p align="center"><font face="Arial"><b>2 Times + 1 Language =&nbsp; No Excuses!</b></font></p> <p>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#ASK RABBI"> <A HREF="#Ask_Rabbi"> ASK THE RABBI</A></H3> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-style: double; border-width: 3; padding-left: 4; padding-right: 4; padding-top: 1; padding-bottom: 1" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber4"> <tr> <td width="100%">&nbsp;<h2 align="center"><font face="Arial"><b> <span lang="es">ASK THE RABBI</span></b></font></h2> </font> <UL> <FONT face="Arial" color=#000066 size=2><STRONG> <LI> <p align="center"><a name=conversion></a><A HREF="INGask_the_rabbi1.html"_top"> Are there any laws concerning the celebration of a conversion?</A> <LI> <p align="center"><b><a href="INGask_the_rabbi2.html">Should a Reform community blow the Shofar if Rosh Hashannah falls on Shabbat?&nbsp;</a></b> <LI> <p align="center"><font SIZE="2"><a href="INGask_the_rabbi3.html">Can a Jew be cremated and can he/she then have a Jewish funeral?</a></font></STRONG></FONT></UL> <P align="center"><span lang="es"><b><font face="Arial">To read the answer, please visit our webpage:&nbsp; <a href="http://www.bnei-israel.org"> http://www.bnei-israel.org</a></font></b></span></P> <P align="center">&nbsp;<P align="center"><b><I><font color=red face="Arial"> If you have any questions concerning Jewish issues,<BR> please contact Rabbi Michael Holzman,<BR> at the synagogue (tel. 231-5243) or by e-mail, at:<BR> <A HREF="mailto:congbnei@racsa.co.cr"> congbnei@racsa.co.cr </A><br><BR> He will be very pleased to answer, and all of us in B nei Israel<BR> will learn something new and important. </font></I></b> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#YOUTH GROUP"> <A HREF="#Youth_Group"> YOUTH GROUP CORNER</A></H3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2 align="center"><font color="#FF0000" face="Arial"><b>YOUTH GROUP IS BACK !!</font></b></span></b></font></h2> </h2> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" size=3><b>&nbsp;</span>In December we went to Desamparados to deliver gifts to an orphanage.<br> This month we went Bowling.</p> <p align="center"><font color="#0000FF" size=4>What will we think of next?</font></b></font></p> <p align="center">&nbsp;</p> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" size=3><b>Youth Group is a place for young people to celebrate being Jewish,<br> have fun with other Jews your age,<span lang="es"> </span>and basically have a good time.</b></font></p> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000" size=4><b>Join us as we have Social, Recreational, <br> and Community Service events all over Costa Rica!</b></font></p> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF" size=4><b>The Options are Limitless ...</b></font></p> <p>&nbsp; <p>&nbsp;</p> <div style="border:solid 2.0pt;mso-border-alt:solid windowtext .5pt; padding:1.0pt 4.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt"> <h2 align="center"><b><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF">Attention all Young People</font></b></h2> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial">If you are between the ages of 13-18,<br> or you are the parent of somebody who is,<br> the following two programs are for you.</span></font></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2 align="center"><b><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000">Post B nei Mitzvah Learning</font></b></h2> <p align="center"><u><b><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF" size="4">Every Tuesday, from 5 to 7 p.m.</font></b></u></p> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000" size="3"><u>First hour</u>:</font></b></p> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial" size="2">Remember a bit of that Hebrew from a few years ago.<br> Now find out what it all means.</font></b></p> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000" size="3"><u>Second hour</u>:</font></b></p> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial" size="2">You may have heard of Moses.<br> And you may know about the forming of the State of Israel.<br> But what happened in between?<br> One hour of Jewish History to help you find out.</font></b></p> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial">&nbsp; </font></b> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#JEWISH HUMOR"> <A HREF="#Jewish_Humor"> JEWISH HUMOR</A></H3> <p><I>From <U>The Big Book of Jewish Humor</U></I> <H3 ALIGN=CENTER>CURSES</H3> <P ALIGN=JUSTIFY><font face= arial size=2>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Is is in the Yiddish curse that traditional Jewish humor expressed its aggressive and earthy side, and while these colorful phrases do lose something in translation, the imaginative energy in their hostility remains vivid and clear. Curses were especially useful to the <I>schnorrer</I>; the man who refused to give a donation might have this wished upon him:  May every kopeck in your pocket turn into a bomb and hurl your stingy flesh where even the Messiah can t find you! <UL> <LI>May a child be named after you soon. <LI>May you be known for your hospitality to God s creatures: lice, rats, bedbugs, fleas, worms, and maggots. <LI>May your blood turn to whiskey, so that a hundred bedbugs get drunk on it and dance the mazurka in your belly button. <LI>May the worms hold a wedding in your belly and invite all their relatives from Yehupetz to Slobodka. <LI>May a trolley car grow in your stomach. <LI>May your stomach churn like a music box. <LI>May onions grow in your navel. <LI>May you lie in the earth and bake bagels. <LI>May you be seized by a nine-year convulsion. <LI>May all your teeth fall out  except one, so you can have a toothache. <LI>May you turn into a <I>lulav</I>, so I can shake you for seven days and put you away for the rest of the year. <LI>May your teeth get angry and chew off your head. <LI>May God answer all your prayers  and they may he mistake your worst enemy for you. <LI>May Gypsies camp out in your belly and steal your guts one by one. <LI>May the heartburn after one of your meals be strong enough to heat the Czar s palace. <LI>May your corns grow higher than Mount Sinai. <LI>May your bones be broken as often as the Ten Commandments. <LI>May your husband s father marry three times so you ll have three mothers-in-law. <LI>May the dybbuks of al King Solomon s mothers-in-law settle in your mother-in-law and may they all nag you at the same time. <LI>May you fall into the outhouse just as a regiment of Ukranians is finishing s prune stew and twelve barrels of beer. <LI>May your enemies get cramps in their legs when they dance on your grave. <LI>May you back into a pitchfork and grab a hot stove for support. <LI>May you grow like an onion  with your head in the ground. <LI>I wish you everything you wish me, and everything you ll regret not having wished me after I ve wished you everything I wish you. </UL> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#NEWS CONGRATULATIONS"> <A HREF="#News_Congratulations"> NEWS - CONGRATULATIONS</A></H3> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <ul> <li>Our heartfelt condolences to David Feingold and his family on the death of his grandmother Anna Weiner, this past January in the United States.<br><br> <li>Deep condolences to Ellen Zindler and her family, on the death of her mother Clare Zindler. </ul> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <center>*********************</center> <ul> <li>Congratulations to our two new B nei Mitzvah of February: Laura, daughter of Ellen Zindler, and Adrián, son of Alejandro and Patricia Lev. We are always rejoiced when one of our youngsters reads for the first time from the Torah, becoming one more adult member of the people of Israel. Mazel Tov to both of them and to their families!!<br><br> <li>Another reason for the community s rejoicing is the birth of babies. Last Saturday, January 31, the Sisterhood organized a Baby Shower for Magali Waltersdorfer, who will have her baby this month of February. And in March, we will celebrate the same simchah with Amanda Sossin. Mazel Tov to all of us! Our community keeps growing! <br><br> <li>We are very glad to hear that our dear Paul Ziegler is recovering from the fright he suffered these last few months. Bravo, Paul! We are sincerely pleased to know that you will be fine very soon. </ul> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <center>*********************</center> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border:2px outset #FF0000; border-collapse: collapse; padding-left:4; padding-right:4; padding-top:1; padding-bottom:1" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%"> <tr> <td width="100%">&nbsp;<h3 align="center"><b><font face="Arial"><u>TO ALL OUR MEMBERS AND FRIENDS</u>:</font></b></h3> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial">Just to remind you that</font></b></p> <h2 align="center"><b><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000">ALL FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICES BEGIN AT 6:30 p.m.</font></b></h2> <p align="center"><b><font face="Arial">See you there!</font></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: 3px dashed #FFFF00; padding-left: 4; padding-right: 4; padding-top: 1; padding-bottom: 1" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber2"> <tr><td width="100%"> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2 align="center"><b><font face="Wingdings" color="#0000FF" size="7">J&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </font><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000"><span lang="es">TOT SHABBAT</font><font face="Wingdings" color="#0000FF" size="7">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; J</font></b></h2> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#008000"><b>A chance for families with babies, toddlers and young children<br> to gather, learn songs, play children s games, learn Jewish parenting tips<br> and celebrate Havdalah.</b></font></p> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#0000FF"><b>We hope to make this a monthly event, so join us for our <u>first gathering</u> on:</b></font></p> <p align="center"><b><font face="Wingdings" color="#0000FF" size="7">J&nbsp;&nbsp; </font> <font face="Arial" size="4" color="#FF0000">Saturday, February 7</font></b><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000" size=4><b> -&nbsp; 4:00 p.m.</b></font><b><font face="Wingdings" color="#0000FF" size="7">&nbsp;&nbsp; J</font></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div align="center"> <center> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; padding-left:4; padding-right:4; padding-top:1; padding-bottom:1; border-top-style:dotted; border-bottom-style:dotted" bordercolor="#FF0000" width="72%" id="AutoNumber2"> <tr> <td width="69%">&nbsp;<h2 align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#FF0000"><b>BEWARE</b></font></h2> <h1 align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#000080"><b>HAMAN IS COMING...</b></font></h1> <h3 align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#008000"><b>Get Your groggers Ready !!</b></font></h3> <p align="center"><font face="Arial"><b>March 6-7, 2004</b></font></p> <p>&nbsp;</td> <td width="31%"> <p align="center">&nbsp;</p> <p align="center"> <img border="0" src="grogger.gif" width="125" height="152"></p> <p>&nbsp;</td> </tr> </table> </center> </div> <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <CENTER><IMG SRC="CORDON_CELESTE.bmp" border=0 width=480 height=12></CENTER> <H3> <A NAME="#UPCOMING EVENTS"> <A HREF="#Upcoming_Events"> UPCOMING EVENTS</A></H3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <P><B> &nbsp;&nbsp;