Madison Jewish News 4
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April 2017 Nisan 5777 A Publication of the Jewish Federation of Madison INSIDE THIS ISSUE Jewish Federation Upcoming Events ......................5 Lots of Fun at the Purim Carnival ....................14-15 Jewish Social Services....................................21-23 Simchas & Condolences ........................................6 Jewish Education ..........................................18-19 Israel & The World ........................................24-25 Congregation News ..........................................8-9 Business, Professional & Service Directory ............20 Camp Corner ....................................................27 My Life with Sir Nicholas Winton Renata Laxova, Professor Emerita at Force. Holocaust. the UW-Madison participated in a two- For the remainder of I happened to be one day celebration in memory of Sir his life, however, a single of the children from Nicholas Winton. Sir Nicholas, who died event forever occupied Nicky’s last Kindertrans- in 2015, organized eight Kindertrans- his mind. Having suc- port to arrive in Britain ports from Czechoslovakia in 1939, sav- cessfully organized the safely, (among only five ing the lives of hundreds of Jewish Czech safe arrival in London of with two surviving par- children, Dr. Laxova among them. Here eight Kindertransports, ents). It is my strong con- are some of her recollections, inspired totaling 669 children, he viction that not only I, but by the recent event. had arranged another— also both my parents, the ninth and largest owed our lives to Sir Save the Date BY DR. RENATA LAXOVA train, carrying 250 chil- Nicholas. My inclusion in dren—which was wait- the transport enabled my for Interfaith ing, prepared for parents to agree to sepa- I never actually met or spoke with departure, at the Prague Dr. Renata Laxova rate and hide, without him and our only direct contact lasted main railway station on having to worry about Advocacy Day! some thirty seconds out of his one hun- September 1, 1939, the day that Hitler me, their only child. My father escaped dred and six years of life! I had just sum- invaded Poland. The train was never per- from camps, to join the partisans; my The annual People of Faith United moned up all my courage and kissed his mitted to leave; it is thought to have re- mother assumed an unmarried, non-Jew- for Justice Advocacy Day will be held hand, when the journalists and photog- mained on the platform and all the ish stranger’s identity (with papers and on April 4, 2017, at the First United raphers waved me away, indicating that children—its occupants—are believed to birth certificate) for the duration of the Methodist Church in Madison. he was needed for interviews and pic- have perished in the Holocaust. The Nazi terror. This day-long gathering is a great tures. wreaths of white flowers on the 2009 lo- After the war we returned to Czecho- way to learn about and advocate for The place was the Czech embassy in comotives were in memory and honor of slovakia but in February 1948, a com- legislative issues important to Wis- London. The date was September 4, those 250 children, and of the rest of the munist-orchestrated coup by the consin’s Jewish community. All par- 2009, and Sir Nicky had celebrated his 1,500,000 children murdered during the (Continued on page 4) ticipants will meet with their state one-hundredth birthday in May of that legislators to discuss priority issues year. It was also the 70th anniversary of and weigh in on the proposed state Hitler’s invasion of Poland, and of the budget. beginning of World War II in Europe. People of Faith United for Justice The occasion was a commemoration of Advocacy Day is sponsored by the Sir Nicholas’s 1939 rescue, via Kinder- Wisconsin Jewish Conference, the transports, of hundreds of Czech chil- Jewish Federation of Madison, the dren at risk under the Nazis. Vintage Jewish Community Relations Council (refurbished) passenger cars, pulled by a Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the series of steam locomotives, had arrived Interfaith Conference of Greater Mil- on platform #10 of London’s Liverpool waukee, Lutheran Office for Public Street station, after a four-day journey Policy, Wisconsin Faith Voices for from Prague’s central station. The four Justice, the Wisconsin Council of steam engines were, respectively, of Churches and the Madison Urban Czech/Hungarian, German, Dutch and Ministry. British provenance. Each locomotive in Please register online at: www. turn carried the name The Winton Train, wichurches. org under “Events”. destination Prague–London, and a wreath of white flowers on its face. Despite the time elapsed—seven decades since the beginning of WWII in Europe and ten decades since the birth of Sir Nicholas Winton himself—the PAID world had made his acquaintance only recently, in 1988, and learned then that Madison, Wis. Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE Permit No. 1341 in 1939 he had almost single-handedly rescued 669 children, most of them Jewish, aged from three to seventeen years, from Hitler-occupied Czechoslo- vakia. When asked why, for fifty years, he had never mentioned or shared with anyone, not even his wife, the story of his work in the spring of 1939, he denied that the omission was deliberate. “I didn’t keep it a secret; I just didn’t talk about it,” he said. War had been declared on September 3, 1939, putting an end to all officially permitted travel across Eu- rope, ending any possibility of further transports. Sir Nicholas then returned home to Britain and joined the Royal Air 6434 Enterprise Lane Madison, Wisconsin 53719 Change Service Requested JEWISH FEDERATION OF MADISON JEWISH FEDERATION Jewish Federation of Madison expresses its sincere appreciation JewishMadison.org to these businesses for their generous support of our website. The central information source for the entire Madison Jewish community SILVER SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR Madison Computer Works M Fast on-site and in-store service M Desktop, notebook & tablet sales M Data backup & recovery M Malware protection & removal M Notebook repairs & upgrades M Network setup & troubleshooting M Wireless networks and routers M Cloud integration & security M Cisco Select Certified Partner M Microsoft® Office 365 SMB Champion [email protected] D O W N T O W N andd W E S T S I D E 317 E. Wilson Street, Madison 608.255.8998 Ph: 608.231.8000 Fax: 608.231.8019 670 S. Whitneyyy Way, Madison 608.274.5575 353 Island Drive Madison, WI 53705 rubinsfurniture.com www.madisoncomputerworks.com PLATINUM SPONSOR We’re here to help. BMO Harris Bank is proud to support the Jewish Federation of Madison. BMO Harris Bank N.A. Member FDIC bmoharris.com April 2017 Madison Jewish News/3 Camp Shalom Offers Annual Corporate Sponsorship Opportunities Camp Shalom is once again offering a Corporate Sponsorship Scholarship program. Few youth-serving programs in Dane County are six decades old. It has taken the Businesses will have the opportunity to change a child’s life, and in return, Camp involvement of many to accomplish what we have. We hope to raise $115,000 in schol- Shalom can help advertise and promote business sponsors. arship funds for the summer of 2017. There is little question that scholarship needs will be greater than last year; that’s been the case throughout our history. Last year, with There are four different sponsor levels: the support of our community, the Jewish Federation of Madison awarded $105,000 in • Directors Circle $10,000+ (14+ Campers’ Tuition) full and partial scholarships to 193 campers. Without exception, families tell us how • Shalom Circle $5000-$9999 (7-14 Campers’ Tuition) grateful they are and how much their children love Camp Shalom – an experience the • Friendship Circle $2600-$4999 (4-7 Campers’ Tuition) children would not have without scholarship support. • Campers Circle: $795-$2599 (1-3 Campers’ Tuition) Please help us spread the word and consider the Camp Shalom Corporate Spon- sorship Scholarship program for your business. Thank you in advance for helping to Each level of the Camp Shalom’s Annual Corporate Sponsorships includes many make the summer of 2017 at Camp Shalom the best one yet. benefit and recognition opportunities. For additional information, please contact Dina Weinbach at (608) 442-4070 or [email protected]. Visit Shoes for the Whole Family! us on Fa cebook! 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During his activities in 1939, as self had been they who had published the personality was also reflected in the sto- Czechoslovakia, potentially one of the appointed “chair” of the British Com- newsletter, remembered my picture and ries of four Kindertransport children. most promising, cultured, freedom- mittee for Refugees from Prague, Chil- my “unusual” name.