GENERAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS
Place: at the synagogue Hour: first call – 7:00 p.m. / second call – 7:30 p.m. |
And thus, also, has come the time for me to end my mission as president of the congregation. On December 4 we will have elections and a new Board of Directors will guide us. For two intense years I worked with an excellent Board of Directors and a wonderful Sisterhood. The difference of opinions presented in these groups enriched our decisions; in our meetings, we strived to be compromising and to always keep in mind the best interest of B’nei Israel.
It is easy to talk about our accomplishments. We built a new synagogue and a new school. The whole congregation contributed, and today we have a beautiful building. When we celebrated High Holiday services, and were able to receive more than two hundred people, when our teachers taught in the new classrooms and watched the kids enjoy the space, we realized how much we had needed this new building. How wonderful it is to have it and how extraordinary it is to know that the building represents all of our members and friends’ commitment to our cause.
We are a young organization trying to develop our own structures. Thanks to the efforts of its director and teachers, our school has improved. Our youngsters go through their Bar or Bat Mitzvah with self-confidence and joy because they have followed an established curriculum. This year, five young adults added their rings to our congregation’s B’nei Mitzvah chain. During the past High Holidays, five persons converted to Judaism under our guidance, joining their destiny to that of the people of Israel. They also did it with confidence, knowing they were backed up by an organization where established rules are followed.
The unselfish volunteer work of the participants in the various committees is the strength of our congregation. Ritual, Cemetery, Membership, Building, Education, Publications, Bulletin, and Events are the committees that push us forward. They have always done it, but we now see even more active members. I am very pleased with the degree of involvement of our young couples, which I especially noticed in Sukkot, observing that we have such a large number of children. If the young mothers and fathers of the congregation continue to keep watch on the Jewish future of their children, then our continuity is assured.
We had the joy to have Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben and Rabbi Peter Schaktman with us this year. Even though they visited us for just a short period of time, I know that they left their mark in B’nei Israel’s history. B’nei Israel is indeed very lucky, for we can always count on the spiritual counseling not only of these rabbis, but of all "our" other rabbis, as well: rabbis Roth, Falk, Peller, Kraselnik, Burstein, Cattapan, Eisner, and Kulwin. In situations where we really needed rabbinical guidance, we always had them to guide us.
It is a pleasure to have among us as representatives of the State of Israel, Ambassador Daniel Gal and his wife Jacqueline. We enjoy their human warmth. During Sukkot, Ambassador Gal explained to us the situation in the Middle East, and during these last weeks of tension, the Embassy has kept us well informed on the developments.
The Union of Jewish Liberal Congregations from Latin America and the Caribbean (UJCL), met this year in a very well organized conference in El Salvador. In the year 2001, the privilege of receiving guests from the more than a dozen countries belonging to the Union will be Costa Rica’s. Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, Executive Director of ARZA/World Union, North America, will be the keynote speaker in the coming meeting. I am thrilled to think that after this conference we will have closer ties with the Jews of the region.
As any developing organization, of course we have had shortage of resources, and goals we have not fulfilled. We have still much to accomplish. Our youth deserves that the congregation offers them more programs. We have not been able to send our youngsters to Israel or to Jewish summer camps. We need more cultural and educational programs, more opportunities to exchange opinions and knowledge, and to learn more about our religion, our traditions, and our history. We live in a country with many social needs, and B’nei Israel should at least attempt to fulfill the mitzvah of trying to improve the world. But I know that the next Board of Directors will address all these needs and, little by little, we will satisfy them. I have absolute confidence in our future leaders.
Looking back at our work this year, my heart is filled with thanks for those who helped in one way or another to strengthen the Congregation. So many have helped that I am not going to mention any names for fear I might leave somebody out. Every effort, every work, every donation, every collaboration, was part of the weave that sustained us. B’nei Israel, once again, was able to count on all its sons and daughters.
To my children, Rachel, Joshua, and David, who believed in their mother and motivated me to work; to the friends who, with love and dedication, supported me; to my students, who gave so many happy afternoons in learning; to the children of B’nei Israel, to all of you... thank you very much. I respect and love you and no matter where I might be, I’ll always work to keep alive and vibrating our option of Liberal Judaism in Costa Rica.
B’Shalom
Hilda ten Brink
Dear Mrs.Hilda,
My name is Rene
van Wijngaarden and I Live in the Netherlands. I have been researching
my maternal ancestors for more than 30 years, call it genealogy or an obsession!
My ancestors -the
Salom Delvalle family- arrived in 17th century Amsterdam. The name was
short Delvalle or in Dutch "Van Daelen" and most of my Caribbean or Latin
American cousins were not aware of this translation.
Descendants left
for Curaçao and settled there in the 18th century and again some
left this beautiful island and found their new homeland in St. Thomas and
Panama. ( Max and Eric Arturo both ex-presidents of Panama belong to our
clan).
The Delvalle's mixed
with lots of families like Fidanque, Maduro, Piza, Henriques, De Castro,
Naar, Marchena, and many more. You will probably know Rene Maduro president
from Curaçao Congregation whose mother is a Delvalle too. We met
last year on the Maduro/Delvalle/Fidanque family reunion in Curaçao.
Right now I am in
contact with Alejandro Pauly (from Costa Rica) who now is studying in the
USA and is a Delvalle descendant as well. My family tree is on the Internet,
for URL see below.
I would like to
find out if there are members in your community who might be interested
in contacting me or perhaps are even related. I hope you will understand
my objective is pure and has no commercial or other objectives.
Looking forward
to your response and your advise how to progress in Costa Rica.
Sincerely,
Dear Friends,
Jerusalem welcomes the holiday of Sukkot. While Sukkot is traditionally referred to as "z'man simchateynu (a time of our joyousness)," you will look in vain to find joy on anyone's face. As Israelis - Jews and Arabs alike - reel from the tragic events of these past weeks and the brutal, savage murder of the two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah a few days ago, we struggle to understand what this all means and what we should do.
I write these words knowing that the situation is so fluid that the reality of today may be far removed from that of tomorrow. Nevertheless, I want to share some reflections and observations with our World Union Family, recognizing that all of you are deeply troubled by what is happening here.
First, you should know that we are all physically safe and sound. The clashes with Palestinians are happening primarily inside the West Bank and Gaza Strip - far removed from Jewish population centers. Nevertheless, events of the past few weeks have left an indelible mark on us all - Israel is not the same country it was just a few weeks ago, and we are not the same people either.
Thank you to all those who have called or written expressing concern and solidarity. Please know that such communications are always important and most appreciated.
I would point to a few factors which may help put into perspective the situation as it has deteriorated since Sharon's fateful visit to the Temple Mount.
The spiral of violence which has erupted in Israel for the past few weeks represents a clear decision by Yasser Arafat to use it as a negotiating strategy. Scenes of Palestinian youth dying and Israeli firepower being used against civilian demonstrations serve the interests of Arafat, not Israel.
Violence breeds death - which breeds retaliation and revenge and more death. Israelis were mortified by the tragic death of the 12-year-old Arab child in his father's arms. Prime Minister Barak immediately telephoned Arafat to offer condolences and to repeat that it was a tragic, unintentional result of the raging violence.
The savage lynch of two IDF reserve soldiers in Ramallah was a brutal reminder to all of us that human beings, fed by mob passions, can be reduced to animal-like behavior. Israel's retaliation included advance warnings to preclude loss of life. The IDF helicopter missile which destroyed the Ramallah police station entered the very same window out of which the soldier's body was thrown just hours before. The message was not lost on anyone.
Violence breeds death, retaliation, and more death. The curse of the Middle East conflict. Violence and escalation of passions serve only the macabre interests of Arafat and will be used by him and his PR team as a negotiating strategy.
Israel has too slowly realized that the "media war" is no less significant than the confrontation going on in the streets. Nachman Shai, the venerated army spokesman of the Gulf War, was reactivated to take charge of Israel's information campaign. There is no massacre of Palestinians going on. Israel is not an aggressor in this conflict. The Palestinians are much more experienced in "using" the media than is Israel. They have had to learn this expertise as it has been, over the years, perhaps the most powerful weapon in their minuscule armory.
We are, indeed, one Jewish People bound together with one fate, regardless of where we live. We in Israel know that you feel our pain and concern and are united with us.
In Israel today one feels a greater sense of oneness and unity than just a few weeks ago. The violence directed against our police and soldiers has served as a painful reminder that when our country is under siege, all Israelis must come together as one. Efforts to establish an emergency unity government reflect, in part, this deep-seated public need to set aside party politics and demonstrate a unity of purpose clearly absent for many years. (Whether the unity government will actually come into existence is another matter.)
Nevertheless, I can't stop wondering what price we shall have to pay for such "unity." As important as unity may be at this time, I am only too aware that it has taken nearly a war to bring various elements of the country together. Moreover, so long as we are again fighting for our physical survival, the other fight which awaits us - the fight for the soul of Israel, for the nature and meaning of our Jewish State, for religious pluralism and the right for Jews to express their Judaism equally under the law - will be further delayed.
Unquestionably we need peace in Israel - not only in order to live in security with our neighbors but to get on with the ever more vital task of fashioning Israel into the Jewish State we know it must be. There are many different kinds of "unity". For now we may have to accept, again, a unity forged in response to an outside threat. Ultimately, however, we must seek a unity which is based on our inner maturity and strength of character as a nation, a unity which not only acknowledges our different ethnic and religious approaches and traditions, but which celebrates them.
Many of us are asking the same question: How can we continue to place faith in Arafat and see him as a partner for peace? Those of us who have fully backed the peace process have had to take stock. Without question the events of the past weeks are a major setback.
Few of us, however, have changed our basic position. The violence of the past few days only reinforces the conviction to seek a political settlement. We cannot wait until a Palestinian leader arises who is more to our liking. We cannot wait until the Middle East becomes the Middle West. This is our fate and we must find the inner strength to pursue peace because the pursuit of war will have far more tragic consequences....
We must never lose our hope for the future, nor our confidence that each of us has something vital to contribute to it. Israelis may be saddened and pained by recent events, but our commitment to a more peaceful future remains strong indeed. This is our little Home, in a very tough neighborhood, and we will help make it a better place in which to live for all.
May the Sukat Shalom, the Sukkah of Peace, spread over all peoples in Israel and in the region.
Chag sameach from Jerusalem.
Rabbi Joel Oseran
1 November 2000 * 3 Cheshvan 5761
"This is a special enterprise," Rabbi Richard G. Hirsch, former World Union Executive Director, today WUPJ Honorary Life President, said. "Our rabbinic sages taught us that Jerusalem is the 'center of the universe.' We consider it a great privilege that the Israel government granted our movement the land which is in the center of the center. We hereby declare," he went on, "that we are not only dedicating Mercaz Shimshon. We are rededicating the entire world movement of Progressive Judaism to the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish People, and to Jerusalem, as the spiritual center of Jewish life. We aspire to make our contribution toward the creation of a Jewish, democratic, and just society, a nation that will live in harmony within its borders and be at peace with its neighbors. Without an active, dynamic movement of liberal Judaism, Israeli society will not be fully representative of the totality of world Jewry -- just as without rooting ourselves in Israel, our movement would be truncated, marginalized and unfulfilled. So we are here and you are here to demonstrate our faith in the Jewish future."
Charles Schusterman was the last to speak. (Mercaz Shimshon honors the memory of Sam Schusterman, father of Charles Schusterman. Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation provided the $5 million naming grant that got the project off the ground. Its grant is one of the largest individual donations to a special project in Israel since the state's founding). "In addition to serving as a center for liberal Judaism in Israel," he said, "we hope Mercaz Shimshon will beckon Progressive Jews around the globe. This awe-inspiring facility in Jerusalem symbolizes the beauty, importance and centrality of the Progressive movement to Jews throughout the world. The completion of Mercaz Shimshon 'plants a flag' for Reform Judaism in the heart of Jerusalem and represents a wonderful opportunity to improve Israel-Diaspora relations. In this time of unrest and uncertainty, when the legitimacy of non-Orthodox Judaism is challenged and our rights to the land are threatened, Mercaz Shimshon can fulfill yet another purpose. It can serve as a 'mercaz shalom,' a center of peace in this environment of disquietude, calming fears and uniting our people through programming that teaches and preserves our common heritages and values. Here, Jews of all movements, from Israel and abroad, can focus on our similarities in belief and practice rather than on our differences."
The week of activities planned around the dedication of Mercaz Shimshon saw a performance by the Israel Camerata Orchestra to mark the inauguration of the center's Hirsch Theater, which was also the venue for a gala evening on Saturday night with internationally-acclaimed singer Ahinoam Nini. There was also a panel discussion, titled "The Peace Process: Where Do We Go from Here?" with Knesset Members... and a lecture by architect Moshe Safdie, titled "My Vision for Jerusalem." In addition, there was a meeting of the World Union's Governing Body, and visits to IMPJ- and WUPJ-affiliated congregations and institutions in Tel Aviv and Modi'in.
Many who participated in the week-long activities continued on to the former Soviet Union on Sunday morning, October 29, to take part in a mission celebrating a decade of pioneering work in the FSU by the World Union. (More on that in an upcoming issue.)
Speaking to the group in English, Katsav expressed pleasure in meeting and exchanging views with the delegation, and said he sought to strengthen his relationship and "cultivate ties" with world Reform Jewry. He said that he appreciated Reform Judaism's intention to preserve its connection with Jewish history, adding that Jewish unity is ever important.
Turning to the subject of Israel-Diaspora relations, Katsav said his principal interest is to place aliyah on the agenda of Diaspora Jewry, and even to make it a top priority. He said he is concerned about assimilation and ways to strengthen Jewish education in the Diaspora. (With thanks to ARZA/WORLD UNION North America.)
Bonnie Fischer
Sisterhood President
The single individual
is able to serve God, but lacks the joy, blessing and wholeness associated
with marriage and procreation. Children are seen as a blessing from God.
Many rituals can only be performed in the home and involve both older and
younger family members
Our group of couples, who have dealt with constructive management of their religious differences, come together to support each other, investigate their options, learn more about Judaism and how it may differ from other religions, share in what each person has found to be helpful, and exercise their right to decide what best suits their individual standards of compatibility. We have learned that we can have affection for and respect people who have diverse religious views. This, of course, is a lesson in accepting others who are different from ourselves, as are every human being on the planet (to a greater or lesser degree). So, our group is a microcosm of how we interact with the world as a whole.
Rather than being a group that espouses not converting as a viable option to a mixed marriage, we represent the diversity with which a couple comes to terms with these issues. Many couples choose conversion as an excellent step towards bridging their original religious differences. Religion, however, isn’t a light switch. The thirty years before becoming Jewish don’t just vanish, and the extended family members of the newly converted member don’t vanish either. Life isn’t black and white and certain before-conversion traditions will need a place to be during the years of transition.
Therefore, in order to more clearly define our group, we will be called "The Mixed Family Group". This refers to the issues that arise in marriages where there may be other family members who create challenges for the couple because of their different beliefs or traditions. Couples who have something to share with us are very welcome to attend our activities.
Our annual December Hanukah party is going to be held before Hanukah, on Monday, December 18th at the casa/finca of Paul and Sonia Ziegler in San Rafael de Heredia. Please bring your children! The party will be from 3-9 p.m. Confirm your coming with Sonia ( tel. 231-6178) or Jenny ( 231-1365). Each couple should bring either latkes / sandwiches / plato fuerte or sufganiot / dessert and beverages / a bag of candies or balloons or something to put in the kid’s bag / dreidel / Hanukah stories / Hanukah music and your menorah ( even though we won’t light the candles, since Hanukah doesn’t start until Dec. 23).
Any opinions about
whether mixed marriages should have Christmas trees in their home can be
responded to at my email, previda@sol.racsa.co.cr
for later discussion. Thank you!
Dear Jody,
We were unable to get everyone together for the Sukkot Service at Hilda's, but wanted you to know that your long distance student was totally involved in the holiday and its spirit.
I guess once a school administrator, always a school administrator. Yesterday in the midst of cooking a shabbat/sukkot dinner, I got on the Internet - torahtots.com - to get the proper background of the holiday - created a lulav and etrog - improvising with lemon, gladiola leaves and some plastic leaves, etc., had pictures to color, cut paper to make chains, popped popcorn to string, and found a Sukkot service in a prayer book we had.
Everyone really got into the Sukkot spirit - Melanie ate more popcorn than she strung, Neil and Jay got into who could make the longest chain - Ken really did a good job with the service and explanation – our balcony was, and still is, bedecked with our efforts. Each of us shook the improvised lulav and etrog in all directions, Jay very proudly led us in the lighting of the shabbat/yomtov candles. Our balcony isn't very wide, but half the table was outdoors, and with the surf splashing in the background we had, I thought, a lovely, meaningful Sukkot celebration. The high point had to be when Jay said, "I really like this holiday!"
Norma Kahn
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October 24, 2000
Less than one week ago, I was asked to represent my city on a quickly organized national solidarity mission to Israel. I agreed with some trepidation, but went with pride because I believe in the importance of the State of Israel to the Jewish people.
Here, I must say, there is something else I believe in -- the Palestinians cannot continue to live under Israeli rule for many reasons, not the least of which is Jewish teaching about justice. Just Friday, I read a quote that General Moshe Dayan said in the 50's that captures this sentiment in pragmatic terms: "Israel won't know peace so long as Palestinian refugees look over the fences and see us plowing fields that once were theirs."
I don't want to get into blame and politics here, but did want to share my general feelings about Israel and Palestinians in a few sentences as backdrop.
We left on Tuesday the 18th and returned on Friday the 20th. In a total of 42 hours in Israel, we met Prime Minister Ehud Barak, US Ambassador Martin Indyck, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, Likud Leader Ariel Sharon, the Acting Foreign Minister of Israel, Knesset member Natan Sharansky, Deputy Defense Minister, the President of Israel, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, the family of one of the kidnapped soldiers in Lebanon, experts on Israeli Arabs, the media plus we traveled to the Western Wall, the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo that has been shot at and two small Jewish villages in Northern Israel that neighbor an Israeli Arab village where there has been unrest.
Throughout all of this travel, life in Israel felt normal and safe. If you did not turn on the news, you would think that nothing exceptional was happening in Israel.
But of course, exceptional things are happening. I have a number of overall impressions from the trip. The most important of which was the profound sadness we heard from every person from the Prime Minister on down, that Arafat is not a person who truly wants peace. Any optimism about Arafat now appears to have been wishful naivete. He has resorted to violence as a strategic tactic. Even the left wing Peace Now advocates seem to have given up on him as a negotiating partner. The level of trust for Arafat is near or below zero. Agreements signed by him are worth less than ashes.
Hours before our departure, we met with the Prime Minister who looked like his own son had been killed. Paraphrasing his comments, he said, Israel will and must make peace with the Palestinian people... there is no other choice since we both live here and violence is not an option. But, apparently, the current leadership of the Palestinians is not prepared to make peace.
This thought was expressed by most everyone we spoke to. Everyone (including opposition leaders and President Clinton a few weeks ago) expressed amazement at the flexibility and extent of concessions Barak had offered Arafat -- including major concessions involving Jerusalem and allowing the United Nations to control the Temple Mount. Yet Arafat was not willing to compromise... or even continue talking.
Instead he made a calculated effort to use violence, children, CNN and the media as a way to pressure Israel. Here I want to make a comment about Ariel Sharon and his alleged provocation by visiting the Temple Mount (and you should know that I am definitely not a Sharon fan.)
Sharon's visit was nothing more than the excuse Arafat was looking for to turn on the violence. The Deputy Chief of Staff of the IDF, Major General Yalon, gave us a briefing in which he said, he had written a policy paper in November of 1999 and presented it again this summer, in which he predicted Arafat would negotiate as far as he could and then turn to violence and use the TV cameras.
He showed us arial photography of the hot spots including the site of the tragic and now famous shooting of the 12 year old with his dad. In incident after incident (including that one) he showed us how Palestinians came out to the Israelis (and not vice versa) to provoke violence.
The pattern was often the same. Kids came out throwing rocks and behind them were armed Palestinian adults. Eventually, shots or Molotov cocktails would be sent toward the Israeli forces and fire would be returned. By the way, on the front page of the October 23 USA Today, there is a report of a journalist and photographer who went with an Israeli patrol and saw Palestinian ambulances delivering buckets of stones and bottles for use as Molotov Cocktails. T hey also describe Palestinian sniper fire in frightening detail.
The General stated emphatically (as a father of 3 himself) that orders to Israeli forces are explicit --never initiate fire and never respond with live ammunition unless first confronted by lethal force. He also pointed out that the few times helicopters or heavy weaponry have been used... the Palestinians were given ample warning to vacate the premises to avoid casualties. I have never heard of an army doing that.
We were shown violence data on a day by day basis, and it was clear Arafat was turning the violence faucet off and on when it suited him depending on other events in the area. We were shown photographs of some of the 40,000 illegally armed "Tanzim" or tiger troops of Arafat... a direct violation of the Oslo accords. We saw photos of Arafat's "summer camps" for young kids where they were learning to fire rifles.
The President of Israel told us that when Sadat came to Jerusalem in the 70's he said "no more war, no more bloodshed." What is Arafat saying? If we don't achieve what we want through negotiations, we have other options.
The tragedy in all of this aside from the casualties of course, is what Arafat is doing to the Palestinian people. He uses his own people in well planned, calculated, deadly, and counterproductive tactics. For example, the day after Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount, Arafat closed the schools, declared a general strike, started broadcasting militant television and gave the OK to his troops to open fire. A few weeks later, he then makes an agreement at Sharm el Sheik in front of Clinton, Mubarak and everyone else to declare a cease fire... comes home and never makes the declaration.
The result? The Israeli government will probably become a unity government... which will include the anti Oslo/Peace Process right wing and Sharon. I'd like to hear Arafat explain how this helps the Palestinian people. For good measure, Natan Sharansky explained to us how money designated for the Palestinians has flowed directly to Arafat personally.
Imagine, how differently all of this would be if the Palestinians had been led by Mahatma Ghandi or Martin Luther King and the leadership insisted on nonviolent protest. They would have had their state (probably a very prosperous one at that) long ago.
Instead, the Palestinians are led by the man who embraces Sadam Hussein. I don't understand why the world has forgotten this and doesn't also ask about the morality of closing the schools and sending children in harms way to provoke violence? (Just as an aside, can you imagine a mother in any Western country allowing her kids to do this?) General Yalon told us that in Arabic, his nickname is "the merchant of blood."
All very sad and depressing... frustrating as well since so little of this information is told to the world. Israel seems unable to counter Arafat's propaganda machine.
So did our mission accomplish anything? I think yes. At a minimum, we picked up facts that CNN and the UN don't talk about that we can share with our communities.
Beyond that, perhaps we provided a bit of a morale boost to Israelis who understandably are feeling isolated and alone. In addition to the unjust world pressure she feels, in the last few weeks there have been 18,000 tourist cancellations. Our trip was widely and prominently carried by Israeli media and every speaker thanked us for our solidarity at this difficult time.
Hopefully, these reasons made the trip a worthy endeavor. In addition, for me on a personal level, I can cite one incident alone that allows me to say the trip was worthwhile.
We heard a most painful speech from the father of one of the soldiers kidnapped, likely wounded and brought into Lebanon by Hizballah. The son is named after the father's brother who died in the Yom Kippur war.
I approached the father afterwards and told him that even though he does not know me and that I live many thousands of miles from Israel in a city he probably never heard of, I think of his son all the time. In addition, I don't know whether it helps, but his son was in my prayers when I stood at the Wailing Wall just a few hours earlier. I will never forget the look in his face when he told me, each of these acts are drops that fill their cup.
In closing, I want to share a bit of optimism in spite of a gloomy report. Perhaps, Arafat did us a favor by showing us his true colors before Israel had given up all her concessions.
In addition, he is a threat to moderate Arab states in the region... specifically Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. They know this and are watching him carefully. We should keep an eye in particular on Mubarak. His recent statements about Egypt not participating in a "war" are encouraging.
Overall, I think Israelis feel confident they will persevere. As one told me, "we overcame Pharaoh, we will overcome this." Or in the words of Natan Sharansky who the Russians imprisoned for years, "through solidarity we defeated the USSR. We can overcome these obstacles too." In this spirit, I hope you will remember what we did when Sharansky was in jail and Jews in the Soviet Union were in peril. We became informed, we wrote letters to our legislators and to newspapers, we attended rallies and some of us even got on airplanes and went overseas. We are going to need to do the same now as Jews in Israel are in peril.
I was inspired and perhaps you will be too by an act we learned about which shows something of the resolve and strength of our people. You may know that one of the 2 soldiers who was lynched in a most ghastly way last week was from the former Soviet Union. Well, last week during our stay, his aunt and uncle made aliyah to Israel.
I'll end with the following that gave me some hope. I was watching the news in Hebrew while in Israel and live from one of the hot spots where there had been violence, a Palestinian journalist was being interviewed by the Israeli anchorman. They spoke to each other with respect and treated each other like trusted colleagues.
I believe I was seeing what most Israelis and Palestinians truly want. To live with each other with respect and trust. To earn a living and put food on the table of their children. To live with dignity and in peace.
May this day come soon.
Gil Mann
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- Golda Meir
(Phrase contributed by Armando
and Shula Flasterstein)
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Please check out the veracity of this information...
As a matter of clarification, Joe Leiberman would not be the first Jewish VP. Benjamin Harrison's Vice President was Jewish; that was over 110 years ago. His name was Levi Parsons Morton.
Levi Parsons Morton, (1824-1920), American banker and public official, who was the 22d Vice President of the United States. He was born in Shoreham, Vt., on May 16, 1824. He went into business as a wholesale merchant in Boston, Mass., about 1850, and in 1855 in New York City he organized Morton, Grinnell & Company, which failed when its Southern accounts became uncollectible at the outbreak of the Civil War.
In 1863 he established the New York banking firm of Levi P. Morton & Company, which participated actively in financing the war. Reorganized as Morton, Bliss & Company in 1869, it became a leader in American finance, taking part in the negotiations with Britain that settled the Alabama claims in 1871 and 1872.
A Republican, Morton served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1879-1881) and as U.S. Minister to France (1881-1885). He was vice president under Benjamin Harrison from 1889 to 1893. As governor of New York (1895-1896), Morton worked for civil-service reform, supported the consolidation of New York City, and remained independent of the Republican State machine.
In 1899 he organized the Morton Trust Company, which merged with the Guaranty Trust Company in 1909, when he retired. He died in Rhinebeck, NY, on May 16, 1920.
Once upon a time there was a very bad man. He was completely selfish and arrogant, without any compassion or care for anyone but himself. He lived all alone for he had no children, and his wife had left him years ago. He had forced her to run with his abuses and multiple infidelities. Since then, he hadn’t approached anyone unless it was for convenience. In his businesses, he was very cheap. He probably still had the first dollar he ever one, because he was also a gambler. And he always won. He had the most amazing luck. The townspeople couldn’t understand why G-d had granted such a gift to such an evil man. Going back to his businesses... he was also a cheater. He fooled the people that worked for him to pay them less. He had two brothers and his parents were still alive. They hadn’t been good at saving money, so now in their old age they lived in a pathetic state. Simon’s two brothers (that was the name of the mean mean man) didn’t have his luck, and they were very poor. For many years Simon had avoided his family. It was as if he had never known them.
One day, the Rabbi called Simon to his office and told him, "Simon, it deeply grieves me to see what you’re becoming." Actually he wasn’t becoming anything. Ever since he was a little boy he had stood out from the rest for his evil nature.
"What do you mean ? What I’m becoming ? I’m just doing what any normal human being with my capabilities would do. I’m trying to improve in life," he replied in a mocking tone.
"No, Simon, no ! It’s all right that you want to improve financially, but what about improving spiritually ? I don’t think G-d takes bribes"
"Really ?" he gasped, amazed to hear that someone couldn’t be bought.
"No. That’s why I called you here today. It’ll soon be Rosh Hashanah and with it comes the time to repent for all the bad we may have done. You know the Tashlich celebration, though I must add you haven’t been to it in more than ten years. Someday your luck will run out, and what will you do then?"
"Oh, no ! My luck will never run out. I’m blessed."
"Oh, believe me it will. In this Tashlich, you must repent and ask for forgiveness from G-d and all the people you have offended throughout the years."
"O.K., O.K. ! I promise to follow the Tashlich ritual this year."
"Thank you Simon. That’s exactly what I had hoped I would hear !"
As soon as Simon stepped out of the synagogue, he burst out laughing so loud that he was heard all over the town. He had thought of a great idea that, according to him, would save him from any evaluation from G-d.
The Tashlich day arrived. Simon had decided to celebrate the ritual all by himself in a river that ran nearby. He rented a truck and filled it with bread. He had been collecting the bread for three days now from five neighboring towns, because the bread in his town hadn’t been enough to fill it. He got to the river in his truck full of crumbs of bread and started throwing it while saying, "O.K., G-d... Look, here’s all the bread I could find. I hope it’s enough. I’m doing this because the Rabbi asked me to do it, but I really don’t buy it. But, just in case... here it goes. I hope you never take the gift of good luck away from me. The Rabbi thinks you will. You better not... Ah, I feel like an idiot taking to a river that will soon be overflowing with bread, but diay !"
Suddenly, the Rabbi who had been hiding behind some bushes, came out from his hiding place.
"Simon, Simon ! What are you doing, Simon ? I didn’t tell you to leave five towns without bread. I told you to repent and apologize to everyone you have wronged. And, how can you even think of threatening G-d ! Is there no way to fix him !" he claimed to the skies.
"Rabbi, it’s so good of you to come. Now you can help me with all this repenting thing. Do you think that what I have done is enough so that G-d won’t take my luck away ?"
"I don’t know Simon. The truth is that nowadays, I don’t even understand the way the world works myself."
A few days later, Simon’s good luck started to fail. He started losing in the game and in his business. The town mayor charged him a very high fine for clogging the river and leaving the town without bread when the baker was ill. So, Simon decided to go see the Rabbi.
"Rabbi, what has happened to me ? Have you by any chance cursed me or something ?"
"No, Simon. You cursed yourself with your own actions." Simon felt very strange. In all his life, he had never had any problems, and now he felt they were choking him and no one could understand him. So, he decided to go back to the river and tell that Supreme Being who had stolen his good luck a couple of things.
"G-d! What have you done to me? Why do you take all that I have acquired away from me?" In the middle of his yelling and complaining, Simon slipped. The river was almost dry because the bread had swallowed a lot of water. Therefore, there was a small but very steep cliff with a lot of rocks at the bottom. The water ran several meters downward, and the sharp rocks stood out from the water. There wasn’t any railing, so when Simon slipped, he fell off the cliff. Had he not been able to grab a branch, he would have gone straight to the rocks. For the first time in his life, he prayed from his heart. "G-d, help me, please! I promise to be good! I won’t steal, I’ll never mistreat anyone for what’s left of my life if You give me a chance! I’ll help the poor, including my parents and brothers! I’ll never say Your name in vain ever again! I’ll help everyone, but please save me! You have certainly taught me a lesson! I truly believe in You now! Even though I learned hanging from a branch, I swear I’m begging You for a second chance to do good and help others do good too!"
Out of nowhere, the Rabbi, who apparently had no purpose in life other than following Simon, appeared and said, "Simon, what on Earth are you doing hanging from a branch?"
While the rabbi was pulling him up, Simon was saying, "Forgive me, Rabbi! You were right. I repent all the evil I have done and promise to be good from now on. Thank you so much for saving my life. I thought I was going to die! In those terrifying instants, all the terrible things I have done crossed my mind, and I promised myself that I would never allow myself to be that way again if I could help it."
When he finished saying this, the rabbi hugged him. "I knew that anyone was capable of changing if they really tried!"
From that moment on, Simon did everything he had promised. And though, at first, he did it just because he had promised, after a while, he did it because he really wanted to help. And everyone lived happily ever after, or at least tried to live happily ever after.
B'NEI ISRAEL CONGREGATION and all its membersHumberto Río-LeónOctober
2000
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