HERALD PAGES 8 & 9 the Only English-Jewish Weekly in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
***************CAR-RT SORT**C-027 2239 11/30/'JB R. I. JEWISH HISTORICAL ASSOCIA 1 :30 Ses<.::. i eir1s- i:=:t Providence RI 02906-3444 Rhode Island J~1~ ,~ 1 1~ ,.t ~ "l,l""l" l"ll,ll11 ,,l ,l,I Jewish IQ Quiz HERALD PAGES 8 & 9 The Only English-Jewish Weekly in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts VOLUME LXVIII, NUMBER 36 TAMMUZ 29, THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1998 35~ PER COPY Hadassah Honors a 'Giant' in The World of American Zionism by Julia Goldman less in common with previous group's re-examination of post she walked into her first Hadas I had met people from all NEW YORK OTA) - Ask 20 honorees than she does with the state Zionism in a book titled sah chapter meeting. streams, from right to left, and people to name the greatest li v award's namesake. Zionism: The Sequel. But Jacobson Since then, she has devoted could go to them honestly for a ing Zionist leaders, and Char Szold, the founder of Hadas says that although its methods her life to the organization, cause I thought was right." lotte Jacobson will top the list. sah, was ad ynamic activist who and techniques ha ve changed, where the spry octogenaria nstill A case in point: Jacobson be So posits Marlene Post, na dedicated her life to what Hadassah's philosophy of sup works every day, garnering a came friend ly with former Is tional president of Hadassah, Jacobson calls the "upbuilding" porting Israel and encouraging long list of honors and awards. raeli Prime Minister Menachem the Women's Zionist Organiza of Israeli society and the Jewish commitment endures. She served as Hadassah's na Begin and could enlist his aid tion of America, to explain why strengthening of Jewish educa tional president from 1964 to when necessary- "not because the organization has broken tion in America. 1968, the first female president I was interested in his political with tradition in bestowing on And although they never of the Jewish National Fund, views, but I was impressed by one of its own this year's met, Jacobson, as president of In being named for the chair of the American Sec his determination - and his Henrietta Szold Award - an Hadassah in the aftermath of tion of the World Zionist Orga cause." honor previously reserved for the 1967Six-Day War, reopened the award, the lifelong nization, a member of the ex Her personal connections en politicians and prominent schol Hadassah Hospital on Mt. volunteer will join the ecutive board of the Jewish abled her to make an appeal to ars. Scopus, whose cornerstone had ranks of Harry Truman, Agency for Isra el and was rec the Egyptian first lady during a In being named for the award, been laid by Szold . The hospital ognized by the WZO for her visit to Cairo in 1976. which was to be presented dur had been cut off in the battle for Golda Meir and work with young and disadvan Jacobson recalls:" At the time ingHadassah's84thannual con Jerusalem. Elie Wiesel. taged Israeli immigrants as a I said, 'Look, I'm here. I don't vention in Manhattan, the life Jacobson's award coincides World Patron of Youth Ali yah. represent the Israel government. longvolunteer will join the ranks with the launching of the Ha Seymour Reich, the former I don't represent the United of Harry Truman, Golda Meir dassah Leadership Academy, a president of the American Zi States government. I just repre and Elie Wiesel. three-year program aimed at Now, serving as an honorary onist Movement, ca lls the di sent an organization that cares But Jacobson, who first took grooming future leaders from vice president of Hadassah, minutive doyenne of American about peace. And we think the to the streets of her native Bronx the vanguard of Hadassah's Jacobson looks back on a volun Zionism a "giant" in the Zionist · time has come that women can in protest of British "closed 300,000 members. teer career that began in themid- world. play a role. We think dialogue is door" policies in Palestine, has It also coincides with the 1940s when, as a young wife, "She may not have always much more important than war. assumed presidencies, but her And )Ne think that a womanlike voice was always heard," Reich you can use your influence to says of Jacobson, who is known do it." as a tenacious and articulate The following year, Egyptian New World to Meet Old in advocate for social issues - President Anwar Sadat made from medical care and voca his "historical call" to Israel, tional training in Israel to paving the way for an Egyp: Book Preservation Plan women's rights and intra tian-Israeli peace treaty. by Autumn Smith The non-profit center, a re possible to scan each page, store religious communal dialogue. "We like to joke that we The Jewish Advocate pository of more than 120,000 their contents in a computer file "When there's a discussion changed the tide," Jacobsonsays AMHERST, Mass. OTA) - Yiddish titles, is housed in a and then print the entire book of interest to her, thedebatemay now, "but we' re not fooling our The National Yiddish Book Cen year-old complex on the cam on demand. have been ensuing for 15 or 20 selves." . ter has launched a conversion pus of Hampshire College in Through that process, Lansky minutes when Charlotte will Colleagues do, however, project of sorts. this western Massachusetts uni believes, all of modern Yiddish pop up her hand and invariably credit her for less momentous, In a letter mailed to support versity town. literature could be stored on disk wins the day." but perhaps to her, more satis ers last month, center president To preserve rare copies of and be spared the fate of the Jacobson led a Hadassah del fying efforts: keeping youth is Aaron Lansky outlined what he books that are literally crum yellowing existing copies. Re egation to the Soviet Union in sues at the forefront of the Zion calls a "digitization" program, bling away, Lansky said, the prints of the computerized ver 1966, at the request, she says of ist movement, championing the an attempt to "preserve the center plans to use a new tech sions could then be made avail the Israeli government. After "Israel experience," advocating whole of Yiddish literature and nology-digitization-to save able for purchase on request. that visit, during which she and for young people moving to Is make it accessible in unlimited the old texts. The technology, he Nancy Sherman, a spokes her group all wore visible Stars rael and negotiating with the quantity forever." explained in the letter, makes it woman for the center, said in an of David at a time when that Jewish Agency on behalfof Kib interview that the center needs wasn' t done, Jacobson was butz Ketura, the settlement in to raise another $500,000 for the among those who pushed for the Arava Desert founded by project, which she estimated will the creation of the National Con graduates of Hadassah's youth cost a total of $2.2 million. ference on Soviet Jewry, over movement, Young Judaea. Oncefullfundingforthedigi coming resistance from some in "What has Charlotte done?" I tization project is secured, the the organized Jewish commu asks Rabbi Daniel Allen, the ex I center plans to _first scan 20,000 nity who felt such an organiza ecutive vice president of the titles from its own library and tion was unnecessary. United Israel Appeal, where \j then another 20,000 ti ties that The national conference, Jacobson has been a longtime would be borrowed from other founded in 1971, eventually be board member. "She's made libraries. came a potent political force in sure that the next generation has Customers would be able to the battle to win freedom for every opportunity to be in Is order copies of the books, which Soviet Jews. rael, to make aliyah and to be would be produced at a factory Jacobson's gift of persuasion part of the society." and shipped within 48 hours, provided her with the leverage Now that Israel has com Lansky said. she needed to push her issues pleted much of the work of ab Sherman, referring to what forward, she says, along with sorbing immigrants from North she sees as the preservation op the clout conferred on any rep Africa to Eastern Europe, portunities offered by digitiza resentative of Hadassah, the Jacobson, who is on the board of tion technology,said, "We see it largest American women's JTA, says Israel is experiencing as a real mitzvah." movement. a "lull" in Zionist activity. For$360, Lansky wrote in his "We acted for causes," she "I think we' re just sort of glad solicitation letter, a donor ca n says in an interview, her low to catch our breath," she says, preserve a separate title of Yid voice punching out the words but she has already turned her dish literature and have his or to reveal a hint of her electrify a ttention to fostering connec h~r name added to the ti ti e page ing oratory. tions between young Israelis and of the digitized book. Stressing Hadassah's non American Jews. AARON LANSKY, president and founderof the National Yiddish For more information about political nature, she says she Combating disi nterest, she says, "this is the cha Henge of Book Center in Amherst, Mass. Photo courtesy of Lionel Delevi11g11e thecenleror to make a donation "reli ed on Hadassah's reputa ca ll (413) 256-4900.