NEWS OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF GREATER CHATTANOOGA THE SHOFAR 6w A Publication of the Jewish Community Federation of Greater Chattanooga Volume 20 Number 3 November 2006 The newspaper in your hands is one of the many Federation offerings funded by your gift to the Annual Campaign. The Federation is dedicated to providing for those at home and for Jews around the world. The following, excerpted New Consul General from the website of our parent organization, United Jewish Communities (UJC) of Israel to the highlights just some of the ways your Campaign dollars help others. Southeastern U.S. Providing for Those in Need There are humanitarian emergencies all over the world affecting Jews and non- Jews alike. UJC and its partners take seriously their ethical responsibility to ensure Reda Mansour the welfare of all people. While there is still much to be done, our work on behalf of those in need has literally touched thousands of people around the globe. Operation Promise, an initiative of UJC and the Jewish Federations of North Thursday, November 9 America, will bring remaining Ethiopian Jews to Israel in an effort to mainstream the entire Ethiopian-Israeli community. Operation Promise also feeds poor, 7:00 p.m elderly Jews in the former Soviet Union and works to strengthen Jewish identity among the Jewish Cultural Center community's youth. The Middle East situation changes daily, and it can be Save Darfur: The Jewish commu­ difficult to make sense of it from the limited news we nity has been at the forefront of receive. Mr. Mansour, a non-Jewish representative of the campaign to end this tragedy. the State of Israel, will provide a unique persepctive. UJC has helped launch the Save Darfur Coalition, an alliance of His talk wiM be followed bv a dessert reception more than 150 faith-based, humani­ tarian and human rights organiza­ There is no charge for this event. tions with representation from all major faiths and the Sudanese community. The coalition is dedicated to raising public Please RSVP to Laura Israel awareness and mobilizing the world 493-0270, ext. 11; [email protected] community to end the atrocities. Supporting Seniors: One of the ba­ sic tenets of the Jewish faith is that the elderly deserve deference and re­ spect. The North American federa­ 3? tion system funds a continuum of ser­ vices to the elderly, providing almost one million U.S. Jews over the age of 65 £>* <£* Community with social activities, healthcare, trans­ portation to and from the doctor's of- Chanukah Party fice, housing, food and counseling. • Community Turns Out for Chips (Edible Sunday, December 17 and Otherwise) at Federation Poker Night 5:30 p.m. Jewish Cultural Center IN THIS ISSUE Editor's Desk Page 2 Newcomers Page 15 Federation News Pages 2-3 Community Voices Pages 16 Campaign News Pages 4-5 MazelTovs/Condolences... Page 16 Federation Programs Pages 6-9 Congregation News Pages 17-21 Aleph Bet Page 10 Hadassah News Page 22 Social Services Pages 11 BulletinBoard Page 23 Congregational School Page 12 Community Calendar Page 24 Rabbinic Thoughts Pages 14 Bob Brook celebrates a winning pot at the October 23 Check us out! Poker Night. See additional photos, page 8. www.j ewishchattanooga.com Jewish Community Federation Nonprofit Org. b U.S. Postage of Greater Chattanooga HUD P.O. Box 8947 Permit No. 63 Chattanooga, TN 37414 Chattanooga, TN Change Service Requested EDITOR'S DESK by Rachel Schulson Communications Director In my role as Shofar editor, I have a unique position at the Jewish Federation Al­ celebrations. When, for example, I light my menorah alongside dozens of Jews at the though my words are read by many, my direct interaction with Jewish community annual Federation Chanukah party, it gives us a shared experience during the "Christ­ members is limited. From my perch in front of my computer, I observe my co­ mas season." workers as they make very effort to plan exciting and stimulating programs; test new Others may cite one-on-one services as the reason they appreciate the Fed­ recipes to serve at events; provide tissues and kindness for community members in eration. As effective as the organization is at hosting public events, much of the trouble; and welcome the public to our impressive building. Watching them give their Federation's best work is done behind closed doors. Even Jews sometimes believe all, I am often struck by just how wrong it is that in a community this size, there are the myth that we are immune from certain troubles, but the Federation's social ser­ those who don't give to the Federation's Annual Campaign. vices director knows better. We are a microcosm of the greater community and, as In a city with only 1,500 Jews, we cannot afford to be isolated from each such, struggle with finances, alcohol, abuse, and despair. The Federation has been other. We must find opportunities to socialize with other Jews outside of religious contacted on two occasions by Jews who were incarcerated. In a country where settings and, except in major cities, it doesn't just happen naturally. We have to many adults and their elderly parents are separated by hundreds or thousands of actively create a community within the greater community and that's where the miles, the Federation takes on the role once filled by local family members. The Federation comes in. The Federation serves all those who identify themselves as Federation provides free transportation, meal delivery, stimulating programs, com­ Jewish, whether they attended services last night, last year, or last decade. munity education (such as changes to Medicare prescription plans), and companion­ As with all organizations, the Federation is run by people. And, like people ship. With the addition of preventative screenings offered by our new Community everywhere, we are not perfect and may inadvertently disappoint you. You've prob­ Nurse, the Federation may even save someone's life. ably heard it: "She didn't return my call for two days," "He didn't thank me enthusi­ Whether you experience the Federation as literally a life saver or as a qual- astically enough for volunteering" and—the big one—"they should never have sold ity-of-life saver, your Jewish existence is enriched by its strong presence. Non- the building." These may be legitimate concerns, and we are willing to talk about Jewish Chattanoogans often express surprise when they hear how few Jews live them, but they are not reasons for leaving an elderly community member without a here. When they see the impressive Jewish Cultural Center, attend events adver­ ride or a teenager without Jewish programming. tised to the general community, and read about our many programs, they view us as If I asked six Chattanooga Jews which of the Federation offerings is most an integral part of the community. Chattanooga needs the Federation and the Fed­ important, I'd probably get six different answers. I personally enjoy the community eration needs you. It's just that simple. FEDERATION NEWS MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT by Susan DiStefano [email protected] Representatives of Chattanooga's Jewish organizations gathered for a leadership Jewish and Polish youth and adults and facilitate dialogue about their feelings about lunch last month. (See photos, page 7.) The group was fortunate to have as a the War and how they are viewed in the world. This is a painful process, but, the speaker David Peleg, Israeli Ambassador to the Republic of Poland. Ambassador feels, essential to ensure that a Jewish Holocaust cannot happen again. As the Ambassador noted, representing Israel in Poland is a unique posting. Interestingly, the Ambassador does not feel that anti-Semitism is as pervasive in Israel and Poland have a unique relationship as a result of their intertwined Holo­ Poland as it is in other European countries. He attributes this to Poland's moderate caust history. Much of the work of the Ambassador and his staff directly relates to Muslim residents, open dialogue among Jews and Poles, and a good relationship with the aftermath of the treatment of the Jews in Poland during WWII. A large part of the Polish leadership. However, Israel keeps a watchful.eye, monitoring Poland's the Ambassador's job is to help the Polish people understand their role in the atroci­ level of support. When, for example, the government wanted to appoint a minister ties that occurred during the Holocaust. This has been a long, ongoing process. known as an anti-Semite, the Ambassador was able to convey his concerns to the Many Poles believe that they were also victims of the Germans, and have difficulty Polish government and a change was made. taking responsibility for their contribution to the horrors that occurred. While nearly a Additional job responsibilities include the rebuilding and maintenance of the third of the names at Yad Vashem of Gentiles who helped Jews are Polish, it is clear more than 1,000 Jewish cemeteries in Poland. Many had to be restored after WWII. that so much more could have been done. This takes a huge effort, but it was clear that the Ambassador sees this as a mitzvah, The Ambassador said when he walks down the street, he is aware that be­ and a primary responsibility of his job. He does not want the Jewish youth to lose fore the War, one out of every three people walking on the same street would have sight of Poland's rich and powerful Jewish history. To this end, they are working on been Jewish. Poland had more than three million Jews living in the country.