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Former Clinton Liaison to American Jewish NEWS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF GREATER CHATTANOOGA THE SHOFAR 6w A Publication of the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Chattanooga Volume 16 Number 2 October 2002 Former Clinton Liaison Freda Keet Will Address to American Jewish "Women Who Give" at Community to Speak Here Upcoming Luncheon Friday, October 11,11:30am Jay Footlik will attend informal brunch Jewish Cultural Center at 10:00 a.m. and speak at 7:00 p.m. on Women who give to the Federation's Annual Campaign at any level are invited Sunday October 6, Jewish Cultural Center to attend the October 11 "Women Who Give" luncheon featuring journalist Freda Keet. Keet, who has had a long and dramatic career with Kol Israel, the Israel Broad­ casting Authority in Jerusalem, will share her observations of world affairs. Women Jay K. Footlik is the featured who are new to the community or have not pledged in the last couple of years are speaker at a 7:00 p.m. community encouraged to do so (by calling the Federation office, 493-0270) so they may at­ event at the Jewish Cultural Center tend this special women's event. on Sunday, October 6. He will also In her years at Kol Israel, Keet has served as a news anchor, interviewer, inves­ participate in discussion at an in­ tigative journalist, and war correspondent reporting from the front lines. Her name formal brunch that morning from and, more particularly her voice, is familiar to listeners throughout the English speak­ 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Jew­ ing world through Kol Israel's overseas broadcasts. ish Cultural Center. This will be a Born in Central Africa, in what is now known as Zimbabwe, Keet grew up in an convenient time for Religious School intensely Jewish and Zionist community with Israel the focal point of a vibrant parents to meet Footlik. Both events community life. are part of a series of Campaign She studied theater and drama in England and graduated with honors from events that focus on world and London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, winning special scholarships to study Middle East politics. radio journalism at the famed BBC. Footlik was a Special Assistant She made aliyah to Israel in 1963, fulfilling a life long dream, and immediately to President Clinton at the White began working at Kol Israel, determined, as she says, to break into the male domi­ House where he served as the President's principal liaison to the American nated bastion of broadcast journalism. Jewish community from 1995-1997. After leaving government service, Footlik was appointed vice president of Ruder-Finn, Washington, a leading public re- see KEET, page 13 strategic communications firm. For the past two years, he has divided his time between Israel and the US working with a variety of clients in the al, non-profit and business arenas. BJE Folded Into Federation le at the White House, Footlik designed outreach strategies to promote Almost two years ago, a strategic planning committee was formed at the re­ presidential initiatives and helped coordinate American participation at the sign- quest ofthe Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) to examine the organization's struc­ of the Oslo I and II agreements, the Israel/Jordan Peace Treaty and The ture, its governance, and its daily operations with the goal of improving its produc­ ye River Accords. In addition, he helped orchestrate President Clinton's visit tivity and effectiveness. The strategic planning committee was made up of repre­ to Oslo, Norway in November 1999 to attend the first trilateral meeting be­ sentatives from Beth Sholom Congregation, B'nai Zion Synagogue, Mizpah Con­ tween then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Chairman Arafat. In De­ gregation, The Jewish Federation, the BJE, and Aleph Bet Children's Center. Addi­ cember 1998, he helped coordinate the President's historic journey to Gaza, tional interests represented were Hadassah, BJE parents, youth, teens, seniors, and Jerusalem and Bethlehem. others. Footlik has advised Seeds of Peace, an American organization that fosters The committee considered many options for the future of the BJE including: understanding between Arab and Israeli youth. He also served as a consultant keeping the situation status quo, dissolving the BJE, outsourcing Jewish education to the Peres Center for Peace, an organization founded by former Israeli Prime (i.e. returning to congregational-based religious schools), and integrating the BJE Minister Shimon Peres. On behalf of the American government, he was asked with the Federation. The option that clearly emerged as the most practical and sound to facilitate the Middle East Multilateral Working Group on Water conference choice was to integrate the BJE into the Federation. Doing so eliminates duplication held in Amman, Jordan in February 1999. He was also a member of an Ameri­ of key resources and makes financial sense as well. can delegation selected to initiate and facilitate a dialogue between young po­ In July, August and early September, the boards of all the organizations affected litical leaders in the Israeli Likud party and the Palestinian Fatah party in No- were given detailed reports ofthe proposed changes to vote on. All organizations see FOOTLIK, page 13 involved—the BJE, the Federation, Beth Sholom, B'nai Zion, and Mizpah—passed the proposal for the BJE to dissolve and become a committee under the Federation. A new structure has already been formed with representatives from each congrega­ tion, Rabbis, and the Religious School. IN THIS ISSUE The Changes, although important to those who keep the books for and administer Campaign News Pages 2-3 Community Voices Pages 12-13 see EDUCATION, page 15 Federation News Page 4 Mazel Tovs/Condolences ... Page 13 Aleph Bet Page 5 Jewish Education Pages 14-15 UJC General Assembly Set for November Federation Programs Page 6 Congregation News Pages 16-21 Senior Programs Page 7 Hadassah News Page 22 see page 2 Jewish News Pages 8-9 Bulletin Board Page 23 Rabbinic Thoughts Page 10 Community Calendar Page 24 Aleph Bet Children's Center hires Ginny Candlelighting Times Page 10 Johnson to complete teaching staff. Check us out!www.jcfgc.com See page 5 Jewish Community Federation Nonprofit Org. of Greater Chattanooga U.S. Postage PAID P.O. Box 8947 Permit No. 63 Chattanooga, TN 37414 Chattanooga, TN Change Service Requested CAMPAIGN NEWS Campaign Calendar Remaining Dates MESSAGE Community Event: Sunday, October 6,10:00 a.m. FROM THE and 7:00 p.m. (see cover story) PRESIDENT Speaker: Jay Footlik Jewish Cultural Center by Michael Lebovitz [email protected] Women's Event Friday, October 11, 11:30 a.m. Speaker: Freda Keet Thank You Jewish Chattanooga Jewish Cultural Center How many phone calls do you get from someone asking for you to answer a survey or, even more commonly, someone asking for money? If you are like me, Telethon #1 Monday, November 4', 6:00 p.m. you get a lot. I really need to get caller ID. In this article, I am not going to ask you for something. Let me repeat, I am not Jewish Cultural Center here to ask you for anything. I am writing to thank you for what you have done to support our Chattanooga Jewish Community. Telethon #2 Thursday, November 14,7:00 p.m. Several weeks ago, I had the honor of attending a lunch where I met and had my picture taken with Vice President Cheney. As I stood in line to talk with him, think­ Jewish Cultural Center ing about what I would say, I considered several things. I could ask him to visit us here in Chattanooga or I could have said something about the mall we owned in his home state of Wyoming. But, I decided to keep it simple and to thank him for what he and the President were doing to support Israel during this difficult time. He Workers Organizational Workshop (WOW) seemed to appreciate this expression of thanks. August 22, Jewish Cultural Center I share this with you because I believe there is a time to ask and a time to thank— and now is the time to thank. Last year—5762—was a year of both good and bad. We lived in the shadow of the horrors of September 11, and also mourned the terrible events in Israel. As we Jim Samuels, right with begin 5763, we mark the one-year anniversary of the events of September 11 while Campaign Chair Lynn a year of turmoil continues in Israel and a year of great uncertainty looms here in the Hochman, was the featured US. Even with these events as a backdrop, we have had a great year in Chattanooga speaker at WOW. Samuels, as a Jewish community. who has been with the ».- In May we opened our new Jewish Cultural Center and it has truly taken off as a Cleveland (Ohio) Federation | gathering place for all of us to enjoy. To those of you who made this building a for over 20 years, was very reality, thank you. impressed with the giving We also held a successful Annual Campaign to support our Federation's ongoing history of Chattanooga's operation and to support our overseas partners, the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) Annual Campaign. and the American Joint Distribution Committee (JDC). Thank you _______! As a community, we saw the need for and launched the Aleph Bet Children's swilfcaft Center, which already has 16 children enrolled and attending classes. (See page 5 I I for photos from our first month.) How proud are we all to have a Jewish Preschool in Chattanooga! Thank you. We have successfully integrated the Bureau of Jewish Education as a committee of the Federation after almost two years of discussion.
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