Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks Non-Profit Organization Jewish Cultural Center, PO Box 14925 U.S. Postage PAID Reading, PA 19612-4925 Permit No. 2 readingjewishcommunity.org Reading, PA Change Service Requested Enriching Lives Volume 49, No. 1 January 2019 Tevet - Shevat 5779 ShaloThe Journal of the Reading Jewish Communitym published by0 the Jewish1 Federation1 of Reading/Berks9 Your Federation Supports: Jewish Education Civil Rights & Social Justice Weekend Food Pantry By Amanda J. Hornberger Affairs Council, will be the Oneg speaker. MLK Jr. Youth Day of Service sponsored Friendship Circle “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice Waterman’s topic is “Building Alliances by PJ Library and PJ Our Way of Reading. everywhere”—Martin Luther King Jr. Between Jews and Communities of Color”. Teenagers age 12 and up will do an on-site Chevra Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks He will be speaking about criminal justice service project at the Greater Berks Food invites you to join us for a civil rights reform and civil rights. Free event. Bank and learn more about our county Community Shabbat and social justice weekend, Jan. 18-21. Saturday, Jan. 19 — Concert by the partner for Jewish Family Service’s monthly In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day Afro-Semitic Experience at 7 p.m. at 555 food pantry. Kids under 12 will be at the JCC Reading Jewish Film Series three events have been planned for that Warwick Drive in Wyomissing. This group completing two in-direct service projects for PJ Library weekend around the themes of civil rights of Jewish and African-American musicians Tower Health/Reading Hospital. Free event and social justice. plays a unique blend of Jewish and Afro- includes lunch for participants. (See article Jewish Family Service Friday, Jan. 18 — Following Shabbat diasporic melodies and grooves. Suggested on page 3 for more details). services at Reform Congregation Oheb donation of $5 per person. (See article on To RSVP for any of these events please Jewish Cultural Center Sholom, Roy Waterman, Criminal Justice page 4 for more details). email [email protected] or call 610-921- Lakin Holocaust Library Project Manager at the Jewish Public Monday, Jan. 21 — Join us for our first 0624. & Resource Center Israel & Overseas Another season of Hanukkah fun Camp Scholarships Israel Trips Jewish Community High School Emergency Support Lakin Preschool Richard J. Yashek Lecture Transportation Maimonides Society Your Jewish Legacy 92ND ST Y Programs Joint Distribution Committee Meir Panim Annual Campaign The Hanukkah season started with two nights of great fun with events at the Body Zone ice skating rink and the Berkshire Mall, both sponsored by Chabad of Berks in conjunction Jewish Agency for Israel with the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks. Students from Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom’s Lakin Preschool, left, sang during the mall event. And as is traditional, the highlight of the Body Zone event was a menorah carved out of ice while participants enjoyed skating and delicious food. See pages 13 and 16 for more Hanukkah photos. Yemin Orde School Education Programs Interfaith Unity Council Israel Advocacy Youth Events Great Decisions Series Jewish Community Relations Council Community Holiday Programs Women’s Philanthropy Jewish Federations of North America Counseling Services Leo Camp Lecture Shabbat B’Yachad Page 2 SHALOM January 2019 Federation enriches lives By Richard Nassau After Mr. H died, the fund helped children are living below poverty. A group that often Development Director with financial need. It also helped bring the goes unnoticed. Our work is dedicated community together in new ways. One was You never know where community to the Jewish community. how the fund committee was selected from connections will lead. I did ask Mr. H why he Your contributions to a diverse cross-section of the community. wanted his Jewish legacy to benefit children Federation ensure that Members represented different interest with financial need. He said it was because t every member of our groups with a common interest of serving of Rebecca Gratz. community will have children. Many knew each other but had little In April 1855, well before Mr. H was opportunities to connect opportunity to get together and work together. born, Rebecca Gratz and a group of Jewish with other members of The committee established guidelines women founded the Jewish Foster Home n our community. That is to ensure Mr. H’s intent was carried-out. in Philadelphia. It was one of the earliest Federation’s commitment to you. Federation Fund dollars assisted children with critical Jewish orphanages in the United States. is our community’s resource for every age, medical needs that were beyond a family’s We don’t often think of Jewish orphans e belief, and background. It is able to bring limited resources or health insurance. today. Mr. H was one. Ms. Gratz and us all together because of your support. Fund dollars provided scholarships to the other Jewish women saw it as their Starting a new calendar year always qualified students, allowing them to pursue responsibility to provide for “Jewish orphans reminds me of Mr. H, a donor I had the educational opportunities closed to them and destitute children.” Mr. H was a recipient privilege to know and work with many because of finances. of their foresight, of their Jewish legacy. years ago. We worked together to create Mr. H’s legacy allowed the committee to Our legacy is to remain a vital resource m his Jewish legacy, establishing a fund for bring together community leaders to address where Jewish ideas and ideals come the benefit of children with financial need. some underlying issues confronting children together to create a vibrant, healthy Jewish The fund would only become active at Mr. with financial needs. Coming together to community. The Jewish Federation is H’s death due to a contribution from his find common solutions helped start new committed to celebrating Jewish life and p estate. Decisions about the fund were to connections between organizations. It also maintaining Jewish connections. be overseen by a committee at Jewish educated the community about the large For more information about creating your Family Service. number of Jewish families with children that Jewish legacy contact me at Federation. o l Israeli organization aids California in wake of wildfires From online news sources Israeli nongovernmental organization e IsraAID sent an emergency response team to California to help communities affected by the unprecedented fires that v have killed more than 80 people and destroyed more than 13,000 homes and buildings, laying waste to a total area of more than 400 square miles. e After a request from local communities, IsraAID got to work on conducting a needs assessment of the population in affected areas, promoting community resilience D and recovery and distributing relief items to families staying in temporary accommodation after losing their homes in the fires. Annual Campaign During his visit to California, Yotam Women’s Philanthropy Polizer, the co-CEO of IsraAID, said: “We’ve seen a lot of disaster zones over Maimonides Society the years, but this is a whole different level of devastation. Everything has been Your Jewish Legacy burned to the ground, and there are so Chai Circle many people still missing.” swept the state, killing 44, causing $14.5 company, sent emergency response IsraAID’s team included Israeli and billion in damages and forcing 90,000 vehicles, or ERVs, carrying an innovative L’Chaim Society U.S.-based mental health specialists, people to evacuate. Israeli machine that pulls drinking water who worked with partner organizations Book of Life IsraAID has extensive experience out of ambient air to provide hydration on the ground to support affected responding to disasters in the U.S. and to police and firefighters dealing with Letter of Intent communities as they recover and promote all over the world. In 2018 alone, the the aftermath of massive wildfires. community resilience. organization provided aid to victims in The Watergen GEN-350 can produce This is not the first time that IsraAID Florida in the wake of Hurricane Michael, up to 156 gallons of water per day has sent aid in the wake of deadly fires North Carolina, after Hurricane Florence, from the ambient air. It has an internal in California. In October 2017, a team of to the Philippines, Indonesia, India, water-treatment system and needs no seven aid workers — including Polizer — Kenya infrastructure to operate except electricity, helped out in evacuation centers in the In addition, Watergen USA, the which is supplied from a generator and Napa Valley after a series of wildfires American subsidiary of the Israeli charging stations on the ERV. DONATE NOW omen’s TO OUR W JEWISH Philanthropy COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN Jewish Women: Their Pivotal Role in Society Please visit ReadingJewishCommunity. org Letty Cottin Pogrebin Make your gift Tuesday April 16, 2019 today! Author - Deborah, Golda, and Me: Being Female and Jewish in America Advocate – a founding editor Ms. magazine Activist - co-founder National Women’s Political Caucus January 2019 SHALOM Page 3 From the President’s Desk Planting seeds for our environment and community By William D. Franklin Torah: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, our ‘planting’ activities need to bear fruit such as President olives, and dates. The early Zionists saw Tu programs that continue to engage our traditional Recently diplomats from almost B’Shevat as an opportunity to restore the ecology members as well new and younger families. Criteria 200 countries, including the of ancient Israel by planting trees as well as a for new programs and services are that they be fun, United States, agreed to keep symbol of the renewed growth and flowering of educational, mind-expanding and promote Jewish the Paris climate agreement alive the Jewish people returning to their ancestral values.