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<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#March_2003">KOLEINU
- Our Voice</A></H1></CENTER>

<CENTER><H2>MARCH 2003</H2></CENTER>

<CENTER><H3>Adar I - Adar II   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 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>From Temple David, Perth, Australia
	<LI>From the UJCL Panama Committee
	<LI>From the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
	</UL>

<LI>
<A NAME="Sisterhood_Corner"></A>
<A HREF="#SISTERHOOD CORNER">
Sisterhood Corner</A>- <I>by Flor Keibel</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="Jennifer_Sossin"></A>
<A HREF="#JENNIFER SOSSIN">
Jennifer Sossin School Corner</A>- <I>by Jody Bonilla</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="A_Glimpse"></A>
<A HREF="#A GLIMPSE">
A Glimpse to the UJCL Convention</A> - <I>by Martha Lichtenstein</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="Survival_Issue"></A>
<A HREF="#SURVIVAL ISSUE">
Survival – The Issue and Challenge </A> - <I>by Marvin Sossin</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="Ilan_Ramon"></A>
<A HREF="#ILAN RAMON">
Letter of Condolence to Ilan Ramon's Family</A> - <I>by Women in Green</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="Website_Recommendation"></A>
<A HREF="#WEBSITE RECOMMENDATION">
Website Recommendation</A> - <I>by Jody Bonilla</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="New_Math"></A>
<A HREF="#NEW MATH">
The New Math</A> - <I>by Thomas L. Friedman</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="Arab_Viewpoint"></A>
<A HREF="#ARAB VIEWPOINT">
An Unconventional Arab Viewpoint</A> - <I>by Joseph Farah</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="Synagogue_Singing"></A>
<A HREF="#SYNAGOGUE SINGING">
I Hear the Synagogue Singing</A> - <I>by Jason Marín</I>

<LI>
<A NAME="Jewish_Humour"></A>
<A HREF="#JEWISH HUMOUR">
Jewish Humour:</A></FONT></LI>
	<UL>
	<LI>My Son the Lawyer
	</UL>

<LI>
<A NAME="News_Congratulations"></A>
<A HREF="#NEWS">
News - Congratulations</A></LI>
</UL>


<P><B>Articles in Spanish without translation:   (see:
<A HREF="BOLmarzo2003.html#KOLEINU.bmp">
MARZO 2003)</A>

<UL>
<LI>Thank You Letter from the Club de Leones
<LI>Welcoming speech delivered by our President Eduardo Keibel to Latin American families
<LI>Recharging Batteries at the Panama UJCL Convention - <I>by Sonia Ziegler</I>
<LI>Goal of the Costa Rican Jewish Community - <I>Contacto Bulletin, BB Costa Rica </I>
<LI>Report on the Social World Forum at Porto Alegre, Brazil - <I>Simon Wiesenthal Center</I>
<LI>Youth Group Corner:
	<UL>
	<LI>First Machon and Panama Convention - <I>by Erika Keibel</I>
	<LI>Convention of Jewish Latin American Congregations - <I>by Therie De Sedas</I>
	</UL>
</UL>

<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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<H3>
<A NAME="#MESSAGE RABBI">
<A HREF="#Message_Rabbi">
MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI</A></H3>
<CENTER><H3>RELIGIOUS SERIOUSNESS</H3>
<P> March 2003   -   Adar II 5763 </CENTER>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Every Friday evening in New York, the local radio station broadcasts the Shabbat services from Temple Emanuel.  For half an hour, the deep voices of the rabbis and the soaring singing of the cantor echoes through the airways of New York. The words hang in the air like heavy drapes, the music soars above like a massive crystal chandelier.  Even without seeing the service, listeners can picture the somber, formal, conservative atmosphere of the sanctuary.  In English we associate one word with this service, and with most things religious: that word is “serious.”
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Religion should be serious, we believe.  We should sit properly, dress formally, stand and sit at the right times and behave correctly, or so we think.  Much of this behavior communicates respect, and I strongly support respect, but we also think this is how to show “seriousness.”  By keeping our hands confined to our prayerbooks, our eyes fixed on the <I>bimah</I> and our mouths tied to the words, we think we are being “serious” Jews.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Unfortunately this often means we are bored Jews.  The same hands confined to a prayerbook may yearn to clap.  The eyes we fix on the <I>bimah</I> may long to linger on the singing face of a child.  The mouths we fill with prayerbook words, may hunger for more personal, private, soul-filled words.  In the process of being so “serious” we might lose our attention, drift off to sleep, or daydream our way out of the synagogue.  Some people feel so bored, they leave the synagogue not only in their dreams but also with their bodies.  
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  This does not mean we throw out the prayerbook, tear out the <I>bimah</I>, and erase the prayers.  We need the structures of our Judaism.  But we can also include more expressions of our Judaism.  The holiday of <I>Purim</I> is this month, a holiday on which we are commanded to be silly.  We can celebrate <I>Shabbat</I> with clapping hands.  We can observe <I>Lag B’omer</I> with a bonfire.  We can dance at a <I>Seder</I>, laugh at a service, tell jokes at a meeting.  We can express our deepest joys or concerns with words not found in the prayerbook, but in our hearts.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  What about seriousness?  I believe that the word serious means more than formality.  We are serious Jews when we truly accept the power of our religion.  We are serious when we dedicate ourselves to acts of <I>tikkun olam</I> (healing the world).  We are serious when we learn a new Jewish text, even a funny story.  We are serious when we create worship people long for because the service elevates their lives.  If we act formal, but the service bores us, we are not serious, we are “going through the motions.”  If we want to be serious Jews, and we want our children to be serious Jews, we need to practice our religion in the same way we practice our lives.  Sometimes in a formal suit on Rosh Hashanah in the synagogue, and sometimes in a bathing suit, for Tu B’shvat at the beach.  
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Michael Holzman 
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#MESSAGE PRESIDENT">
<A HREF="#Message_President">
MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT</A></H3>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  February 28, 2003.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Dear friends,
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  It has been three months since the publication of my last letter in KOLEINU, not because someone in our congregation decided it to be so, but because unscrupulous people decided to visit the Baum’s home when they were out of town, and decided to take with them the computer in which Inés edits our KOLEINU every month.  Knowing this to be a very unpleasant situation, I cannot help but think of something positive, and so I hope that whoever took this said computer will use it in something as productive, necessary, and entertaining as Inés did through our Koleinu newsletter. 
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Last December we held our General Assembly and Elections for the Board of Directors.  Some of the Board members, for different reasons, decided not to continue in their posts, so today we have some new members in our Board.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The new Board of Directors stands as follows:  Me, at your service, for President; Jody Bonilla and Roberto Davidovich as Vice-Presidents; Hilda ten Brink as Treasurer; Gordon Finwall as Pro-Treasurer; David Feingold as Secretary; Dina Akerman as Pro-Secretary; David Kaufman, Pilar Elkin, Clara Zomer, Deborah Singer and Paul Ziegler as Vocals.  Fiscals:  Abraham Baum and Moshe Elkin.  To all of them our gratitude, for their interest in serving this Community.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  I would like to enumerate a few interesting events for our Community:
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  1.  Michael Holzman will be among us next July.  I understand clearly what this means to our Community:  at last we will have a full-time Rabbi.  We will also have a new family, since Nicole, Michael’s wife, and Avy, their baby, will be coming too.  This is simply great.  As of today we are organizing the move of the Holzman family from New York to Costa Rica, trying to make it as smooth as possible.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  2.  Youth Group.  With Jody Bonilla and Michael Holzman’s coordination, we had a youth encounter between Miami and Costa Rica last January.  I won’t go deep into details of the event, and let our young ones tell us of their experiences.  Nevertheless, it has been a satisfaction to observe the young people as they worked, organized, and made this event a reality.  Their participation shows that B’nei Israel will continue growing and flourishing.  
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  3.  UJCL Convention in Panama.  The VI Convention of the UJCL took place in Panama on February 6-9, 2003.  We had the opportunity not only to meet again with good friends, but also to make new ones.  The success of the meeting was the degree of commitment to the region, the continuity, and the permanent interest it promoted.  The participation of young people in this conference was very touching, since last year only three of our youngsters attended and this year there were seven participants from Costa Rica. 
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  We had Rabbi Daniel Goldman, from Argentina, as our Principal Speaker.  He is not only a lawyer and a philosopher, but also a Theology Professor in the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary, where he was ordained.  The profoundity of his words, his way of communicating, of transmitting the highest values of Judaism, left me speechless.  I quote some of his words:  “Shalom, which means peace, and also integrity is, undoubtedly, the first word we learn when we enter the circles of Jewish life.  It is the word that appears more frequently after "God" in the Torah, the Talmud and the siddur.  According to Halachah, our law establishes the place where each thing must be situated.  Shalom is a Divine vision of the world where everything can be situated in its own place.  Shalom is the opposite of Galut (Exile).  Galut is a spiritual concept: the man who is not properly located is in exile, far from us and God. Each of us comes to this world with a mission.  If this is not fulfilled, we are in exile.”  And he concluded saying:  “There is no Shalom in heaven without peace on Earth.”
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  We also enjoyed excellent presentations from Dr. Jorge Schulman and Lic. Miriam Lipszyc, from the JOINT, with the subject “Family, Community and Sustainability”.  Also workwhops such as “Sexuality:  Judaism gets in your bed”, led by Rabbi Daniel Zang.  We had the attendance of Enrique Burbinski, HIAS representative for Latin America, who presented us the situation of our fellow correligionaries in Argentina.  Many other subjects were touched, anecdotes were shared by all, and friendship ties were strenghthened.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  4.  A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of receiving in our Synagogue the visit of 26 families who have moved to Costa Rica from Argentina, Uruguay, and Colombia.  We hope to see them all again in the near future, and others such as them as well.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Last, I would like to make Anita Kaufman’s words my own, who in our last newsletter said:  “... what we have to do... words become superfluous.”  In other words, “Action means more than words”  (Miv. Hapenimin 7).  Friends, let’s keep on doing.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  On behalf of my family and myself, I wish you all well.
<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; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#LETTERS CONGREGATION">
<A HREF="#Letters_Congregation">
LETTERS TO THE CONGREGATION</A></H3>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dear Rabbi and President;
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We are a Progressive Congregation situated in Perth, the capital of Western Australia, Australia and are hoping to attract new migrants or visitors to our temple; Temple David.  Our Temple Board would appreciate you placing the attached document onto your notice board and include it in your newsletter if possible.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Perth is situated on the coast.  We have beautiful clean beaches and clear blue skies.  It also has a Mediterranean climate of dry summers and warm wet winters.  It is a friendly and unpolluted city with a population of approximately 1.3 million people.  Our Jewish population is about 7000.  As you can see, it is worth promoting our city.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Should anyone in your Congregation be planning a visit or contemplating migration to Perth, Australia, members of our Congregation would only be too happy to meet with them and advise them on schools, housing, employment, etc.  New migrants are able to receive a 50% reduction in their first year membership fees (conditions apply).  People can also email Temple David at &nbsp; <A HREF="mailto:temdavid@iinet.net.au"> temdavid@iinet.net.au</A> &nbsp; with requests for further information, or even visit our website at &nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.templedavid.org.au"> www.templedavid.org.au </A>.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Shalom,
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Joan Motta <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Chairperson <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Membership Committee
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<CENTER>*************</CENTER>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  To all our friends in Costa Rica:
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Thank you for coming to Panama for the sixth meeting of the UJCL.  You gave us the great joy of allowing us to share three days of friendship and spirituality with you.  We renewed old friendships and made new ones.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For those of you who could not be with us this time, we hope that you will join us in Puerto Rico next year.  We are sure that with each meeting we grow as an organization and as individuals.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Regards,
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Rita Sasso
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<CENTER>*************</CENTER>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  <U>A Street in Spain to be named after Raoul Wallenberg</U>
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  For the first time in Spain's history, a street will be named after Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews and others persecuted by Nazism.  Wallenberg disappeared in January l945 after he was arrested by the Soviet Army.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  On January 3l, 2003, the city council of Monforte de Lemos, a city in the Galician Province of Lugo, unanimously agreed to name a street in their city, “Rua de Raoul Wallenberg”.  The naming ceremony will take place in the course of the next few months.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Rua Wallenberg will be located in a part of the center of the City of Monforte in the old Jewish quarter where there are monuments.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The promoters of this initiative are the Mayor of Monforte de Lemos, Nazario Pin Fernandez, and Monforte's historian and delegate of the group of Jewish quarters of Spain, Felipe Aira Pardo; thus, following an initiative presented by the International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, an NGO founded by Argentine, Baruch Tenembaum. In August 2002, Tenembaum anticipated the news from the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, during a meeting held in New York.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The proposal was celebrated by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Fraga Iribarne.  In a letter addressed to Tenembaum, he expressed his satisfaction that a street in Galicia would be the first in Spain to have Wallenberg's name.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The legacy of the Jewish community in the City of Monforte de Lemos is vast and rich.  It is thus presented in this way by Aira Pardo in his history “Monforte, the Hebrew community and the Converts,” research carried out at the request of Mayor Pin Fernandez.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  A document from the year 9l5 A.D. which belongs to the Saint Vincent Benedictine Monastery stands out within that research paper.  The document refers to the Jewish presence in the community at large.  Moreover, it tells the history of the powerful Counts of Lemos who, in the XIV century depended on the services of Jews in important positions in the State.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  <I>“According to historical documentation, it is known that in the year l334 A.D., the feudal Lord of Monforte had Don Samuel as his treasurer.  He was a good Hebrew friend of the powerful noble.  Furthermore, Don Samuel's brother, Cagaben Bueno, was a tax collector for Don Pedro during those years.  The son of that noble, Fernan Ruiz de Castro, loyal to the pro-Jewish policy of his sovereign Peter I, The Cruel, had a great friendship with the Hebrew community and hired distinguished Jews within the House of Lemos, with its capital in Monforte,”</I>  Aira Pardos' research points out.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  “Rua de Raoul Wallenberg” will enlarge the online index “Wallenberg Around The World”, published by the Wallenberg Foundation.
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="http://www.raoulwallenberg.net"> www.raoulwallenberg.net </A><BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <A HREF="mailto:irwf@irwf.org.ar">  irwf@irwf.org.ar </A>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#SISTERHOOD CORNER">
<A HREF="#Sisterhood_Corner">
SISTERHOOD CORNER</A></H3>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; As the Purim festival draws near, I would like to invite you all to participate.  The Sisterhood and the School have come together, in an effort to bring you happy moments in the company of all the members of our community.  This year we are inviting our Youth Group to participate with a “Bake Sale”, which I am sure will be great!
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I wish to share with you a study of a small part of a Torah portion.  This we did in Panama, led by Rabbi Moti Rotem.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Part of the parshah TRUMA (Shmot – Ex. 25:1-5):
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <I>”And Adonai spoke unto Moses, saying:  ‘Speak unto the children of Israel, that they <U>take</U> for Me an offering; of every man whose heart maketh him willing you shall take of them…’”</I>
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  After a long discussion and valuable opinions, Rabbi Rotem concluded about the sentence, “Take for Me an offering”:  that in the act of giving with your heart, we really receive in or take in more than what we give.  It is in the act of giving with love that we achieve more in every way, and the spiritual satisfaction is unmeasurable.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Let’s all think of the meaning of this parshah, and let us all be rich in generosity.  Hands that give will never be empty.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  This community has always achieved its dreams, and this has been possible because it has always been there to give its heart.  I will mention some of our achievements, because in this life, when you have something, you can sometimes take it for granted and forget that these wonderful things were first only a dream that became a community dream, then you put forth your best effort and a lot of work, the heart, and the generosity of the individuals.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Let’s not take for granted what we have achieved and fulfil our new challenges and dreams with the same effort, love, and generosity.
<OL>
<LI>A Jewish Community:  “B’nei Israel”
<LI>Our “Jennifer Sossin School”
<LI>The Union of Jewish Congregations of Latin America and the Caribbean
<LI>The Sisterhood of B’nei Israel
<LI>The Youth Group.  This year they held their first Machon with some members of the Miami Youth Group
<LI>Our beautiful Synagogue
<LI>Our Shabbat Services, never interrupted thanks to the Ritual Committee
<LI>A Cemetery
<LI>A Library
<LI>A small Museum
</OL>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dear members of my community:
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Today we are again working towards a great dream:  having our own permanent Rabbi.  I am sure that we will finish raising the funds we still need, thanks to the generous support of each of you.  Don’t forget that you will receive more than what you give.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  I say goodbye with a kiss and great enthusiasm, knowing we will make our dream come true.  Only together can dreams come true.
<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; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#JENNIFER SOSSIN">
<A HREF="#Jennifer_Sossin">
JENNIFER SOSSIN SCHOOL CORNER</A></H3>
<P><I>By Jody Bonilla</I>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It’s five o’clock on Tuesday afternoon.  Usually at 5 I am working on a class plan, or typing up a schedule on the twelve-year old computer that we recycled into use in the office of the Jennifer Sossin School for Jewish Education.  It’s a little office, just barely big enough for a desk and two chairs.  But from it I am in the heart of what is happening in just about all of the classes held in our school.  I hear the sounds of the students: singing, praying, giggling, conversations, sometimes the sound of crying.  Tuesday is the day of the little ones.  From 3 to almost 9 years old, our youngest students begin to understand that, while it is true that they are different from most of the young children in Costa Rica, that difference is wonderful!  They begin to learn that they are a part of a people and a culture, and they begin to identify with that culture and take pride in it.  Friendships are born that will last lifetimes; skills are learned that will grow day by day;  the base of a Jewish life is nourished and the synagogue becomes a part of the lives of our children.  Five o’clock.  They begin to file out of the classrooms heading to the music session where they will sing, dance, play instruments.   Today one group studied prayer – what is it?  Can God really hear us?  What happens when we say the Sh’ma?  Another group finished a unit on Jewish people:  rabbis, chazanim, morim of course, but mommies and daddies, doctors, bakers and artists too!  And after singing, the “older” group break up into three classes and study the Hebrew language, while the youngest have a story-play hour.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then it is 6:15.  Noise!   <I>Adios Morá, hasta luego, Ciao. </I>  Parents come in, and the synagogue is filled with noisy friendly sounds.  In the next ten minutes, the “exchange” takes place.  As the little ones leave, a group of adults come in.  Over the next few hours there will be a class in Hebrew conversation and another in the study of Talmud.  
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And on Wednesdays a repetition but with another group.  The older children study repeat the pattern of the day before, but rather than song, they usually discuss current Jewish events, newspaper articles, the parashah of the week.  Often they sing, or act out short plays.  
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And then again, the noisy switch at 7 o’clock.  Out go the young people, and in come the adults.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For years we spoke of having a school.  We have been building it as we have been building our congregation and our synagogue over the last 15 years.  
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And just as we have become a vibrant living congregation, so has our school developed, grown, evolved, little by little over these past years.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Come in and visit us.   At five o’clock on Tuesdays it is particularly special.  The sounds are wonderful.   The future of our religion is on the faces of our children.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Come and visit on Tuesdays, or Wednesdays, or Thursdays.  But do come and join us.  Find a place!  Find a class.  From those that currently exist, to those that together we can begin.  Soon we will include a class on Jewish cooking, a Jewish book club, and Thursday evening open sessions.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is a very special school.  And there is a place for all of us there. 
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#A GLIMPSE">
<A HREF="#A_Glimpse">
A GLIMPSE TO THE VI UJCL CONVENTION</A></H3>
<H4><I> Small extract taken from Martha Lichtenstein’s Report </I></H4>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <U>Keynote speaker</U>:  Rabbi Daniel Goldman, from Argentina,  well known for his tireless work in the areas of Social Action and Human Rights.  He studied Law and has a degree in Philosophy from Hebrew University and Hebrew Union College.  Rabbi Goldman is a Professor of Theology at the Latin American Rabbinical Seminary, where he was ordained.  He is the founder of Project Hineni, that feeds 600 persons daily at the Beth El Community in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
<UL>
<LI>The first words that we learn determine our lives. Shalom, which means peace, and also integrity is, undoubtedly, the first word we learn when we enter the circles of Jewish life.  It is a multifaceted word that we use on different occasions.  It is the word that appears more frequently after "God" in the Torah, the Talmud and the siddur.
<LI>Shalom is a Divine vision of the world where everything can be situated in its own place.  Shalom is the opposite of Galut ( Exile).  Galut is a spiritual concept: the man who is not properly located is in exile, far from us and God. Each of us comes to this world with a mission.  If this is not fulfilled, we are in exile.
<LI>There is no shalom in heaven without peace on Earth.
<LI>Nowadays the family has become a grotesque exaggeration of the concept of 
independence, a collection of individuals eating at different times, all 
distant, disaffected and lonely. 
<LI>But every one of our actions does not concern us only. It affects God and the whole world.
<LI>What is our idea of the Messianic world? One where we live an eternal 
Shabbat, and an eternal Shalom.  When our fellow man is really our neighbor 
and not a distant human being.
<LI>We become meaningful for and in our fellow man.  
<LI>Shalom and community may become synonyms.  A minyan is ten persons meeting 
each other in love.  Ten people in exile do not form one.
</UL>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<CENTER>***********************</CENTER>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The UJCL held elections of the Board of Directors.  The new Board is 
composed by the following members:
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER BORDER=0 CELPADDING=20 WIDTH=80%>
<TR><TD><B><U> Honorary President: </U></TD><TD><B> Marvin Sossin </TD><TD><B>(Costa Rica)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD><B><U> President:  </U></TD><TD><B> Martha E. Lichtenstein </TD><TD><B>(Aruba)
</TD></TR>
<TR><TD><B> <U>First Vice President: </U></TD><TD><B> Jack Davidson </TD><TD><B>(El Salvador)</TD>
</TR><TR><TD><B> <U>Second Vice President: </U></TD><TD><B> Hilda ten Brink </TD><TD><B>(Costa Rica)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD><B><U> Secretary: </U></TD><TD><B> Julieta Maduro </TD><TD><B>(Panama)</TD></TR>
<TR><TD><B><U> Treasurer: </U></TD><TD><B> Cheryle Tacher </TD><TD><B>(Puerto Rico)
</TD></TR>
</TABLE>
<P> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Each community appointed two representatives to the Board.
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<CENTER>***********************</CENTER>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <I>“We are still trying to sort out experiences and emotions felt at our Sixth 
Convention.  If we had to sum them up in one word, we would probably choose celebration, for this was, indeed, a celebration of our Judaism and its highest ethical values, in an atmosphere of spirituality and friendship.”</I>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Martha E. Lichtenstein <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; February 2003
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#SURVIVAL ISSUE">
<A HREF="#Survival_Issue">
SURVIVAL – THE ISSUE AND CHALLENGE </A></H3>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I was talking to my grandson, Jason, on yesterday morning.  We came to the subject of great events of the 20th century, and I refered to Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream Today” delivered in Washington some 40 years ago, as one of the greatest speeches of the century.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  “Why,” asked Jason.  “I thought you were a Winston Churchill fan.”
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “Of course, I am.  But I refer to King’s speech because it galvanized America on the long road to desegregation.  He inspired his people, as no one had before.  And it inspired a nation ridden with guilt over its treatment of the blacks for hundreds of years.  It moved the people and their government to take actions to guarantee their civil liberties.”
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The powerful impact of that speech, with hundreds of thousands of black people in attendance, in front of Lincoln’s monument, and the millions watching on television, was magnified greatly because it was given at the right place at the moment that mattered most.  The events, the emotions that were unleashed since Rosa Parks’ humiliation on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, King’s leadership and the tone and quality and delivery of that speech, with the world watching, provoked a tide of change that was unstoppable.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When time and need coalesce, important events can take place.  We look back on Jewish history, Moses in Egypt, the creation of the Synagogue after the destruction of the first Temple, the miracle story of Judah Maccabbee, Jesus and the birth of Christianity, Maimonedes and the Guide to the Perplexed, the French Revolution and declaration of 1791 which emancipated the Jews in Europe for the first time since the fall of the Second Temple, and brought about the beginning of Reform Judaism.  The U.N. vote to recognize the State of Israel became a beacon of hope to the remnants of a slaughtered civilization.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In each case, there was a time of critical mass reaching its boiling point, and a new direction was forged by a force like the centre of a wind tunnel in a hurricane.  We recount these stories many times, until its importance is blurred by repetition.  Yet these events shape who we are today.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The U.J.C.L. was formed in a crucial time in the history of the Jewish Reform communities of Central American and the Caribbean.  It is the most isolated region of Reform Judaism in the world.  Its rich tradition, with the migration of Jews after the Spanish Inquisition, was in danger of extinction.  Hardly any of us knew anyone of the other congregations in the area.  Jamaica, Puerto Rica, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Curacao, Cuba, the Bahamas, all had small congregations, but their populations were static or diminishing.  A few years ago, we were down to one Rabbi in all of Central America.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; February, 1997, we had our first conference in Costa Rica.  I was honoured to be selected as the first President.  Since that time, we have held yearly conferences in Panama, El Salvador, and Jamaica.  We are looking forward to next year in Puerto Rico.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Last year, we held our first youth conference in Jamaica.  This month, 21 young Jewish people met in Costa Rica and held a 3-day meeting here.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We are a Union whose time has come.  We were formed because there was an obvious and urgent need to gather our people.  The need still exists, and in fact is growing.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A recent census in the United States, revealed a serious drop in adherents to Judaism in the last decade in the Americas.  Assimilation is taking its toll.  The loss is so significant, it may be impossible to reverse.  World Jewry is down by one third in the last fifty years.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What can we do?  As our congregations become smaller, our children have less options and many marry outside the faith – or out of the country.  They go to university in the U.S. or Canada – and they don’t return.  If this trend continues, there will be an inevitable, catastrophic result for Reform Judaism in Latin America and the Caribbean.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; But there is hope.  The World Union of Progressive Judaism has begun to take great interest in the plight of Reform Judaism in Latin America.  They have recently sent a mission to Argentina to help the economically fallen of our people who need help of all kinds.  We have identified some of the most serious problems affecting that community and we raised $150,000 in a few weeks for designated needs.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Also the W.U.P.J. has been supporting our efforts to spur the youth movement in our area with grants.  They are also asking U.JC.L. to spread its efforts to include all of Latin America.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Our greatest challenge is Outreach.  This is the linchpin for our survival.  We need to reach out and extend our arms and hearts to those who have married outside of Judaism and welcome them to our congregations.  We need more conversions.  Let’s keep the families together and part of our tradition.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Populations are shifting.  Jewish immigrants are landing in our shores.  They come from Argentina, Colombia, the U.S., Canada, even Israel.  They are looking for tranquillity, and opportunity.  Many of them come from secular lives, or from other factions of our faith.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; We need to find the ways to bring them in.  We need to show them that a synagogue is not only for worship and Jewish education; it is also about community.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The glue that binds us is our faith and our traditions.  We treasure them.  We want them to endure and pass them on so generations of our offspring will continue to live as Jews.  If there is a will, there is a way.  If we are together on this, our Union will be the provider and the guarantee for our survival.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It’s wake up time!  Now, let’s get to work!
<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; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#ILAN RAMON">
<A HREF="#Ilan_Ramon">
LETTER OF CONDOLENCE</A></H3>
<P><CENTER><I>The members of B’nei Israel Congregation, the same as every Jew around the world, <BR>
feet the death of the astronaut Ilan Ramon as if he had been part of our family.  <BR>
We publish here a letter of condolence to his family which clearly reflects our profound feelings of sorrow.  </I></CENTER>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<P>FROM: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    Women in Green  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;   <A HREF="mailto:wfit2@womeningreen.org"> wfit2@womeningreen.org </A> <BR>
TO:  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;    <A HREF="mailto:ilanfamily@mail.idf.il">ilanfamily@mail.idf.il </A>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dearest Family Ramon,
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  In the name of the tens of thousands of our Women in Green Members, in Israel and abroad, we wish to convey our sincerest condolences for the loss of your dear Ilan, of blessed memory.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  We did not know Ilan personally, but over the past weeks he has become a part of each of us.  Our children thought of him as their personal hero.  They did not stop talking about him, admiring him and considering him their role model.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Ilan succeeded where all Israeli politicians have failed.  He successfully united all of Am Yisrael - right and left, religious and non-religious, new and old immigrants, those born or living in Israel, or those living in the Diaspora.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  How did he unite us?
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  By being a proud Jew!  Despite the fact that he was not religiously observant, he intuitively understood that to be a proud Jew he must cling to his Jewish tradition, his Biblical ancient homeland, and his noble and learned ancestry.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  His taking a Torah scroll from Bergen Belzen to space; his request for kosher food, his taking with him a flag of Israel and a mezuzah, his saying kiddush in space; his asking that trees be planted throughout Israel to commemorate the day he was launched into space; his saying "Shma Yisrael" when seeing Jerusalem from space, were all incredible acts of sanctification of the G-d of Israel.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  He symbolized what a Jew is all about in his love for the People of Israel, in his love for the Torah of Israel, in his love for the Land of Israel, and in his love of the G-d of Israel.  What Ilan did in two weeks probably had more of an impact on Jewish children in Israel and abroad than the many years they spend learning in their schools.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  We mourn with you the loss of this wonderful Jewish Hero.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Our words will certainly not lessen your grief.  However, we want you to know that all of the People of Israel embrace you with love, affection, and care, and share your tragic loss.
<BR><BR> &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Be strong and of good courage.  As is traditionally said when visiting those who have lost someone dear:  "May the G-d of Israel comfort you and your children along with the rest of the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."  May you know no further sorrow.
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jerusalem, February 5, 2003 <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Ruth and Nadia Matar <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On behalf of Women in Green <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  <A HREF=http://www.womeningreen.org>  http://www.womeningreen.org </A>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#WEBSITE RECOMMENDATION">
<A HREF="#Website_Recommendation">
WEBSITE RECOMMENDATION </A></H3>
<P> <I>By Jody Bonilla</I>
<CENTER>
<H3>
<A HREF="http://www.clickonjudaism.org">http://www.clickonjudaism.org </A>
</H3></CENTER>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Homepage of Click on Judaism, a project of the Reform Movement's UAHC-CCAR Commission on Outreach and Synagogue Community.  The purpose of this website is to provide doorways into Judaism for Jews in their 20's and 30's, as well as those who are considering conversion to Judaism.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  This is a wonderful web site.  Although it is originally directed at the young adult, it is wonderful for those who are young at heart too!
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  I love it!  Look at it and you will see why.  It's goal is to help show how Judaism makes sense today, how Judaism holds the answers to so many of the problems and issues with which we are confronted daily.  I believe all of our members will gain something by "clicking" on this web site!
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The following article is just an example of what you can find at ClickonJudaism.
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  
<CENTER>*****************</CENTER>
<CENTER><H3><FONT COLOR=RED><U>Teach Them Diligently to Your Children</U></FONT></H3>
<P><I>By Judith Erger </I></CENTER>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Some years ago, T. Berry Brazelton, Penelope Leach, and Dr. Spock, the gurus of my children's infancy, were removed from my bedside table and replaced with literature that would instead heal the wounds of their maturing souls.  Amidst the collection is a Gates of Prayer, the gray siddur (prayerbook) used in many Reform Congregations, always within arms reach. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  My children's formal Jewish education began in pre-school, which begot synagogue religious school, which rolled into Hebrew school as they aged.  Copious art projects commemorating Jewish holidays (each and every one a treasured family heirloom!), which once graced every horizontal surface in our small home, gave way to learning liturgy and the amusing sounds of rote chanting. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  <I>"You shall love your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your being.  Set these words, which I command you this day, upon your heart.  Teach them diligently to your children; speak of them in your home and on your way, when you lie down and when you rise up.  Bind them as a sign upon your hand; let them be symbols before your eyes; inscribe them on the doorposts of your house, and on your gates. <BR>
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Be mindful of all My Mitzvot, and do them:  so shall you consecrate yourselves to your God.  I am your God who led you out of Egypt to be your God; I am your God." </I>
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The <I>V'ahavta</I>, a prayer recited during every formal Jewish worship experience, has been one of my favorites since I was a teen.  I thought it startlingly simplistic, considering its formidable position amongst far more complex liturgy.  Even the Hebrew did not tie the tongue. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  It was not until I heard my own children recite the same words that the depth of meaning found its way between my eyes and into my brain.  <I>Dor l'dor </I>… from generation to generation, the V'ahavta continues the relationship between God, parent, and child established in Genesis, reasserted in Leviticus, and stated in Deuteronomy. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The very essence of acceptance of God's Mitzvot (commandments) is to be able to love "with all your heart", which in itself implies an enduring understanding.  Rabbi Jan Katzew, UAHC Director of Education, describes an enduring understanding as "a fundamental value at the heart of a discipline that requires inquiry and discovery." 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  To be honest, that inquiry and discovery has, at different times during my adult life, been punctuated with confusion… the shifting sands of uncertainty in the face of a life crisis or a wrenching political climate.  To teach my children "diligently," must the love that God commands be unconditional? 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  As parents and teachers we are commanded to pass on Jewish values that we hold dear, even in the face of doubt.  Even when doubting and perhaps confused, we must also be mindful to communicate honestly with an understandable vocabulary, so that when our children question and doubt, there will be a platform on which to rest. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Where?  In the mezuzot that grace "the doorposts of our house, and on our gates".  (The tiny paper scroll inside every mezuzah is a copy of the <I>V'ahavata</I>.) 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  How?  "When we speak of them in our home and on our way", in our synagogues and religious schools, and by modeling behavior reflective of Jewish values. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The metaphorical "lying down and rising up" - back and forth - is the teaching tool that allows us to pass along to our children the gift of being inquisitive, the freedom to poke and prod, debate, discuss, reject, rebel, accept, embrace, and discover a love of God and Torah that permeates intellectually, spiritually and physically. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The question parents often face is not how to teach religion, but what is the best way for our children to acquire faith?  Some suggest that it is an inheritance and a gift to be taken. But a blind and uninformed faith is fragile and easily shaken.  Others suggest that science is the sure true test of faith.  But one mathematical model can give way to a more tightly constructed model, the second undermining the power, beauty, and principle of the first. 
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  What is the best way for our children to embrace Jewish faith?  By having it taught and modeled as a foundation that can be built upon and reinforced until it is unshakeable.  <I>"Be mindful of all My Mitzvot, and do them, so shall you consecrate yourself to your God" </I>
<P><FONT SIZE=2><I>Judith Erger is the UAHC Assistant Regional Director for the Pennsylvania Council and former editor of ClickonJudaism.  She lives with her children:  Melissa, age 12, and Ethan, age 10.</I></FONT>
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#NEW MATH">
<A HREF="#New_Math">
THE NEW MATH </A></H3>
<P><I> New York Times Editorial – January 16, 2003<BR>
By Thomas L. Friedman </I>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; JERUSALEM.  You can understand everything you need to know about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today through a simple math equation offered by Danny Rubinstein, in the Haaretz newspaper’s Palestinian affairs expert.  The equation goes like this:  Suppose Israel discovers that 10 Palestinians from Nablus are planning suicide attacks.  Israel says:  If we can kill at least two, that will be progress, because only eight will be left.  The Palestinians, by contrast, say:  If you kill two, four more will volunteer to take their places, and you will be left with 12.  So, for Israel 10 minus 2 is 8, and for the Palestinians, 10 minus 2 is 12.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  And that explains why Ariel Sharon’s all-stick-no-carrot crackdown over the past two years has failed to improve security for Israelis.  When Mr. Sharon succeeded Ehud Barak, roughly 50 Israelis had been killed in the Palestinian uprising; today the number is more than 700 Israelis dead, and over 2000 Palestinians.  When I asked an Israeli defence official why all the killings and arrests of Palestinians had had so little effect, the official said:  “It’s like we’re mowing the grass.  You mow the lawn one day and the next day the grass just grows right back.”
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Then why is Mr. Sharon still likely to win the upcoming Israeli election?  Two reasons.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  First, because as futile as the Sharon strategy has been, the Palestinian strategy has been even worse.  The Palestinians still act as if they believe they can get more out of Israel by making Israelis feel insecure rather than by making them feel secure.  After a while, you can’t call this a miracle.  After a while, you have to ask whether it reflects a conviction that a thriving Jewish presence in the middle of the Islamic world is simply not acceptable to them.  Sure, the only thing Mr. Sharon knows how to do is cut the grass.  But the only thing Yassir Arafat knows how to do is grow the grass – to sacrifice one generation of Palestinians after another to the fantasy of a return to all of Palestine.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The second is the failure of Israel’s Labor party to develop an alternative to the Sharon policy.  The problem for the Labor candidate, Amram Mitzna, an enormously decent former West bank commander, is not that he is advocating what 70 percent of Israelis want – separation from the Palestinians and giving up most of the settlements.  Rather it is that he has not persuaded Israelis, on a gut level, that he and his party are tough enough to bring this about in a safe way.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  As a Haaretz essayist, Ari Shavit, explained:  “I compare it to open-heart surgery.  Israelis know that if we don’t do it, if we don’t separate, we will die.  But if we do it in a rushed or messy way, we will also die.  So when Mitzna calls for separation, 70 percent of Israel agrees.  But when he says he is ready to do it unilaterally, if necessary, or to negotiate with Arafat, or even to negotiate under fire while the Intifada goes on, most people refuse to go along.  It feels wrong to them in their guts.  So they want a left-wing surgery to be carried out by a right-wing doctor.  The problem is, Sharon won’t carry out that surgery.  He is so committed to the settlements that he built, he appears to be paralysed.”
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Indeed, Mr. Sharon benefits from the people’s desire to see him implement the Mitzna separation.  But instead of really trying to do that, Mr. Sharon manipulates the public’s fears to stay in power and maintain the settlements – while winking to the Americans that one day he will really make a deal.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  As a result of all this, the conflict is entering a terrible new phase:  the beginning of the end of the two-state solution.  Under Mr. Sharon, the Jewish settlers have expanded existing settlements in the West Bank and also set up scores of illegal ones.  The settlers want to ensure either the de facto or de jure Israeli annexation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.  And with no credible Arab or Palestinian peace initiative to challenge them, and no pressure from the Bush team, and no Israeli party to implement separation, the settlers are winning by default and inertia.  Winning means they are making separation impossible.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  But if there is no separation, by 2010 there will be more Palestinians than Jews living in Israel and the occupied territories.  Then Israel will have three options:  The Israelis will control this whole area by apartheid, or they will control it by expelling Palestinians, or they will grant Palestinians the right to vote and it will no longer be a Jewish state.  Whichever way it goes, it will mean the end of Israel as a Jewish democracy.
<P>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
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<H3>
<A NAME="#ARAB VIEWPOINT">
<A HREF="#Arab_Viewpoint">
AN UNCONVENTIONAL ARAB VIEWPOINT</A></H3>
<P><I>By Joseph Farah </I><BR>
<FONT SIZE=2><I>Editor's note:  The following is adapted from remarks made by Joseph Farah at a Christian Coalition symposium on Islam Feb. 15 in Washington, D.C.  This is an excerpt of such speech.  (Women in Green) </I></FONT>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  I've been really bugged, especially since Sept. 11, 2001, by all the self-proclaimed Arab-American and Muslim-American spokesmen I see on the talking-head shows.  What bugs me is the way they show no appreciation for just how tolerant and open-minded and non-judgmental the American people really are toward them and the Arab and Muslim world.  Americans are so good, so fair and so understanding.  They are anything but quick to generalize and stereotype ­ even when doing so would clearly be in their best interest.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Over a two-day period this week, I had to take nine different airline flights and go through nine different airport security checkpoints.  Not once during that two-day period did I ever get a second glance from any security person.  Not once was I subject to any extra checks.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Now, I am an Arab-American.  I have an Arab face and an Arab name.  But I didn't get a second look.  Meanwhile, I saw young mothers with little babies struggling to make it through extra security. I saw little old grandmothers facing the indignities of extra checks.  And all the while, the Muslim-American lobbies and the Arab-American anti-discrimination groups are denouncing this country for being racist and for profiling.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  It's just not true.  Worse yet, there is every common-sense reason for it to be so.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The threat of terrorism in the United States does come largely, if not exclusively, from Arabs and from Muslims.  We ignore that fact at our own peril.  When I fly to the Middle East, I often fly El Al. In fact, it is my preferred carrier.  Why?  Because it has great security.  I know, because of my name and my Arabic ancestry, I'm going to have my bags searched more scrupulously than the average American.  Do I mind?  Absolutely not.  In fact, I am grateful.  Because I know these security people are not only protecting the other passengers, they are protecting me.  It only makes sense to do this kind of profiling,-- especially when we are in a war where our very way of life is at stake.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  For those of you who have not read my writings on the Middle East and the Islamic-West conflicts, I don't think these battles are over misunderstandings.  I don't believe they are the result of a failure to communicate.  I don't believe they are caused by an inability to compromise.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  I believe they are caused by evil people doing evil things, pure and simple.  I come at this issue of the Middle East a little bit differently than just about anyone else.  I'm an Arab-American Christian journalist.  I've arrived at my conclusions largely through first-hand experience covering the Mideast on the ground.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Throughout my 25-year career as a daily newspaperman, I've had two principal beats:  Hollywood and the Middle East.  You might wonder what these two beats have in common.  The common denominator is that they both deal in the realm of unreality.  They both rely on myths.  In fact, the imagination of the Arabs in crafting fables, reinventing history and fictionalizing facts would make Oliver Stone blush.  And it is those myths of the Middle East that I want to address today in the short time we have.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  What is this debate all about?  What are the real roots of this conflict?  If you believe what you read in most news sources, Palestinians want a homeland and Muslims want control over sites they consider holy.  Simple, right?  Wrong.  In fact, these two demands are nothing more than strategic deceptions, propaganda ploys.  They are nothing more than phony excuses and rationalizations for the terrorism and the murdering of Jews.  The real goal of those making these demands is the destruction of the state of Israel.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The proof of the pudding is that prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, there was no serious movement for a Palestinian homeland.  Why?  In 1967, during the Six-Day War, the Israelis captured Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem.  But they didn't capture these territories from Yasser Arafat.  They captured them from Jordan's King Hussein.  Why did the so-called Palestinians suddenly discover their national identity after Israel won the war?  Why wasn't there a demand for a Palestinian homeland before?
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The truth is that Palestine is no more real than Never-Never Land.  The first time the name was used was in 70 A.D. when the Romans committed genocide against the Jews, smashed the Temple and declared the land of Israel would be no more.  From then on, the Romans promised, it would be known as Palestine.  The name was derived, we think, from the Philistines, a people conquered by the Jews centuries earlier.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Contrary to what Yasser Arafat will tell you, the Philistines were extinct by that time.  Arafat likes to pretend his people are the descendants of the Philistines.  Actually, the name was simply a way for the Romans to add insult to injury to the Jews – not only were they annihilated, but their land was renamed after people they had conquered.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Palestine has never existed – before or since –  as a nation state.  It was ruled alternately by Rome, by Islamic and Christian crusaders, by the Ottoman Empire and, briefly, by the British after World War I.  The British agreed to restore at least part of the land to the Jewish people as their homeland.  Who rejected that idea?  The Arabs.  The Jews could have no place in the Mid East.  None.  Zero.  Zip.  Nada.  Now, at least to Western audiences, Arafat and some other so-called "moderate" Arab leaders will tell you that it's OK for the Jews to have their homeland, too – side-by-side with the Arabs.  Why wasn't it OK in 1948?
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  There is no language known as Palestinian.  There is no distinct Palestinian culture.  There has never been a land known as Palestine governed by Palestinians.  Palestinians are Arabs, indistinguishable from Jordanians, Syrians, Lebanese, Iraqis, etc.  Keep in mind that the Arabs control 99.9 percent of the Middle East lands.  Israel represents one-tenth of 1 percent of the landmass.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  But that's too much for the Arabs.  They want it all.  And that is ultimately what the fighting in Israel is about today.  No matter how many land concessions the Israelis make, it will never be enough.  Arafat himself explained the ploy of negotiations with Israel in a 1994 speech in South Africa – in English.  He's explained it in Arabic dozens of times.  First we create our own state, then we use that state to liberate all of Palestine.  That's the goal.  It's always been the goal.  Arafat and his supporters will tell you the reason a Palestinian Arab state is needed is because Arabs were forcibly removed from their property in the 1948 war.  But listen to what the Arabs were saying about the refugee issue after that war.
<UL>
<LI>"The fact that there are these refugees is the direct consequence of the act of the Arab states in opposing partition and the Jewish state.  The Arab states agree upon this policy unanimously and they must share in the solution of the problem."  –  Emile Ghoury, secretary of the Palestinian Arab Higher Committee, in an interview with the Beirut Telegraph, Sept. 6, 1948.
<LI>"The Arab state which had encouraged the Palestine Arabs to leave their homes temporarily in order to be out of the way of the Arab invasion armies, have failed to keep their promise to help these refugees."  –  The Jordanian daily newspaper Falastin, Feb. 19, 1949.
<LI>"Who brought the Palestinians to Lebanon as refugees, suffering now from the malign attitude of newspapers and communal leaders, who have neither honour nor conscience?  Who brought them over in dire straits and penniless, after they lost their honour?  The Arab states, and Lebanon amongst them, did it."  –  The Beirut Muslim weekly Kul-Shay, Aug. 19, 1951.
<LI>"The 15th May, 1948, arrived ... On that day the mufti of Jerusalem appealed to the Arabs of Palestine to leave the country, because the Arab armies were about to enter and fight in their stead."  –  The Cairo daily Akhbar el Yom, Oct. 12, 1963.
<LI>"For the flight and fall of the other villages it is our leaders who are responsible because of their dissemination of rumours exaggerating Jewish crimes and describing them as atrocities in order to inflame the Arabs ... By spreading rumours of Jewish atrocities, killings of women and children etc., they instilled fear and terror in the hearts of the Arabs in Palestine, until they fled leaving their homes and properties to the enemy."  –  The Jordanian daily newspaper Al Urdun, April 9, 1953.
</UL>
<P ALIGN=JUSTIFY>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  I could go on and on with this forgotten – or deliberately obscured – history.  But you get the point.  There was no Jewish conspiracy to chase Arabs out of their homes in 1948.  It never happened.  There are, instead, plenty of historical records showing the Jews pleading with their Arab neighbors to stay and live in peace and harmony.  Yet, despite the clear, unambiguous words of the Arab observers at the time, history has been successfully rewritten to turn the Jews into the bad guys.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The Arab states that initiated the hostilities have never accepted responsibility – despite their enormous wealth and their ability to assimilate tens of millions of refugees in their largely under-populated nations.  And other states have failed to hold them accountable.  Today, of course, this cruel charade continues.  The suffering of millions of Arabs is perpetuated only for political purposes by the Arab states.  They are merely pawns in the war to destroy Israel.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  There were some 100 million refugees around the world following World War II.  The Palestinian Arab group is the only one in the world not absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands.  Since then, millions of Jewish refugees from around the world have been absorbed in the tiny nation of Israel.  It makes no sense to expect that same tiny Jewish state to solve a refugee crisis it did not create.  Do you think the Arabs really care about the plight of their refugees?  I would submit to you that Israel, of all the Middle East states, has treated the Arab refugees with more fairness and more compassion.  Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about:
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  The Jordan Times reports that "Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, who have long been denied many civil rights including the right to work, now face a new obstacle in their precarious lives."  Under a bill introduced by parliament last year, Palestinian Arabs will be deprived of their right to own property.  Those who already own property will not be able to pass it on to their children.  Now just imagine if Israel passed such a law?  Can you imagine the international outcry?  What would the United Nations have to say about this? How would the media establishment in the West view such a Draconian ploy?  Yet, this is happening in an Arab country virtually without comment – except here.  And take a look at the transparent rationale for this action in Lebanon, as described in the Jordan Times:  "The Lebanese parliament passed the law on the grounds that it wants to protect the right of the Palestinian refugees to return eventually to their homes which they fled after the creation of the state of Israel on Palestinian lands in 1948."
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Don't you love that?  “We are protecting your rights by denying your rights."  While Israel has bent over backwards to accommodate the Palestinian Arabs – especially those victimized by the 1948 war – the Arab nations have only sought to exploit their misery.  That exploitation continues today.  It is overt.  It is a matter of law.  Yet the world sees it not.  Ever since I wrote a column in October 2000 called "Myths of the Middle East," readers from around the world have asked me what is meant by the term "Palestinian."  The simple answer is that it means what Yasser Arafat wants it to mean.
<BR><BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;  Arafat himself was born in Egypt.  He later moved to Jerusalem.  Indeed, most of the Arabs living w�