*******************5-DIGIT 0?906 241 01/31/97 ** 23 -- R.I. JEWISH HIS TOR ICAL ASSOCIA 130 SESS IONS ST. 02906 Rhode lsla1 ___ PRO : :_R~ School beat HERALD PAGES 10 & 11 The Only English-Jewish Weekly in Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts VOLUME LXVI, NUMBER 31 TAMMUZ 3, THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1996 35¢ PER COPY 'The Jewish Community Priority Should Be In-Reach' by Alison Smith He'd spent summers working want to go next. The process Herald Ed itor in the business, and was quite should take some time, a nd Rabbi David B. Rosen, of content to let tha t plan unfo ld ... should not be rushed . Temple Torat Yisrael, will be until Kessler drew hi m aside We reviewed Rose n's 12 leaving the temple next week to a nd handed him a sem inary years in office at Torat Yisrael. return to Houston, Texas, w here ca talogue. He remembers the fi rst six years he grew up. He will become the "l d on' t know w hat half of of his rabbinate as bei ng ones of rabbi of the temple - Congre­ these course ti ties mean," he told growth and promise, parti cu­ ga tion Beth Yeshurun - w here Kessler, w ho was undaunted . larl y with reference to southern he spent a happy childhood . Rosen says, "l was shocked . Rhode Isla nd. Ma ny o f the And he will be returning to hi s Becoming a rabbi had never temples in the area, incl ud ing extended fami ly - his parents, entered my mi nd. When l was Temple Torat Yisrael, began to in-laws, sister, nephews-with growing up, rabbi s werealways invest in that area, opening reli­ his wife and two child ren. old men, with w hite bea rds, who gious schools, etc. He said, "They say you ca n' t walked very slowly and ca rried Then, about six years ago, the go home again. but I am." themselves with greatd ignity. l tide began to turn. Numbers When he led lheShabbat ser­ could not envision myself as one went down. Schools had to be viceat Beth Yeshurun,as partof of them." closed. The temples were fo rced audi ti oning for the job, he was Kessler said, "Change your to retrench. IN JUNE THE RABBI SAYS GOOD-BYE. Rabbi David B. Rosen not optimistic that he would be image. Look at me. I'm a young Rosen fee ls that they were and Men's Club President Ed Beck of Temple Torat Yisrael chosen. He told his fa mily not to man." si mply refl ecting the state of af­ smile for the camera. Rosen will be leaving soon for Texas, get their hopes up. The congre­ There had been a rabbi and fairs in Rhode Isla nd a t the ti me. which made this a bittersweet moment. gation consisted of 2,200 fami­ seven1l cantors in Rosen's fam­ (Continued on Page 19) lies, which 1s a considerable il y - now just pi ctures on the number. He knew that being walls of buildings in Da llas and picked from the fie ld of rabbini­ Fort Worth, but revered in the Reform Leader Hands Over Reins ca l co ntenders fo r this spot family and in parts of Texas. by Debra Nussbaum Cohen more on the core va lues of Jew­ ton and Jerusalem, and the New would be a real honor, and, Rosen's upbringing was cl osely NEW YORK (J T A) -The ish li ving than the past has been. York-based Associati on of Re­ when it happened, it came as a ti ed to the synagogue. walls of the modest offi ce with When he stepped up to the form Zionists of Ameri ca. When he left Houston, he left pleasant shock. the spectacular view of Central presidency in 1973, Schindler In the process, the UAHC with warm memories of the AtthatsameShabbat service. Park are bare now. beca me a lightning rod fo r con­ grew under Schindler's tenure place. _ one of those p resent, Rabbi Rabbi Alexander Schindler troversial positions and poli ces. from 400 member congrega ti ons When Rosen returns to Texas, Jimmy Kessler. was the Hillel has taken d own the school pho­ Under his stewardship, the to 870. In the past two d ecad es, rabbi w ho firs t urged Rosen to Rabbi Marc Jagoliozer will as­ tos of hi s fi ve children and the programs and policies of the the number of congregants con­ s ume responsibility- fo r a ll consider becoming a rabbi hi m­ picture of the Western Wall,and UAHC focused largely on the nected to Reform temples has lifecycle events in the R.l. con­ self. has relega ted them to boxes in liberal aspects of liberal Juda­ also grown by about 25 percent, Rosen was a junior in co llege - grega ti on, w hile a search com­ the corner. ism. to some 1.25 million people, said mittee, alread y in place, goes a t the time, majoring in Hebrew The man who led the Reform At Schindler's behest, begi n­ the retiring president. about the business of picking studies and communica ti ons ... movement for 23 years and ning in 1978, the UAHC Rosen's successor. Rosen says bu t, being the eldest son in the turned it into the largest syna­ launched an outreach program this should be a time of refl ec­ family, he was expected to ta ke gogue movement in America n to intermarried and unaffili ated tion for the congregation, of as­ over his fa ther's d ressma king life is vacating the Union of Jews that is unma tched in scope sessing just where it is thatthey business w hen he graduated. America n Hebrew Congrega­ in the Jewish community. "On intermarriage, tions' presidential offi ce to make The movement also opened damn it, let's confront it, room for his successor, Rabbi its doors to female rabbis and let's do something about Eric Yoffie. ca ntors as well as to gay and Schindler leaves as the move­ lesbian Jews. It developed for­ it. Let's not count the ment is in the early stages of re­ mal mechanisms for social ac­ casualties before the inventing itself, while Yoffie tion through the Religious Ac- tries to fas hion a future for Re- . tion Center of Reform Judaism, battle is over," .form Judaism that is foc used which has offices in Washing- said Schindler Orthodox Parties Press Demands by David Landau In the ongoing coalition ne­ In speech after speech over JERUSALEM (JTA) Bolstered gotiations, the religious parties the past year as presid ent-elect, by their strong showing in the are pressing a crowded list of Yoffie has made clear his intent Knesset electi ons, Israel's Or­ demands that include: not to neglect any of the pro­ thodox parties are poised to play • legislation to make perma­ grams that reach out from the a pivotal role in the government nent the "status quo" arrange­ Jewish community, w hether of Prime Minister-elect Ben­ ments by which the Orthod ox through social action or atten­ jamin Netanya hu and in the new have a virtual monopoly over ti on, to the needs of intermar­ Parli ament. reli gious life in Israel: ried fa milies. The Na ti onal Religious Party, • a ban on the sa le of pork; But he has already developed Shas and United Torah Juda­ • stricter legislation on abor­ new departments and programs ism, w hi ch together won 23 tions; indicating that his vision of Re­ Knesset sea ts, have been fa r from • reworki ng of the Law of fo rm Judaism will be emphasiz­ timid as they cond uct negoti a­ Return to ba r people whose Jew­ ing the "Judaism" in li beral Ju­ Presidents Share The Spotlight ti ons with Nela nya hu lo secure ishness is deemed suspect from daism. Ri ta Slom, on the left, 1-ladassah's outgoing president and ministeri al posi ti ons in the Cabi­ immigrating to Israel; Already in place at the UAIK is a new department of Adult EvyRappoporl , the incoming president,shared the podium at net and co mmitments to all o­ • the passage of a "Basic Jewish Growth, which wi ll es­ the install ation breakfast held onJune9at the Jewish Commu­ ca te more resources, especiall y Law," w hi ch would eventua ll y tabli sh a network of Reform ni ty Center of Rhode Isla nd . Story on page 6. in ed uca tio n a nd housing, for become pa rt of a yet-to-be-com­ their reli gious constit uencies. (Continued on l'agc 19) (Continued on Page 19) 2 - THE RHODE ISLAND JEWISH HERALD, THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 1996 INSIDE THE OCEAN STATE Dorothea Snyder to Appear Be AYankee Doodle Dandy Get Your on 'Senior Journal' Blithewold Mansion & Gar­ needed . Amnesty Now! dens, at 101 Ferry Road (Route 2·p.m. - Li ving Flag is "un­ - There is only one month left "The Senior Journal," is a pro­ inthe Comfo rtofYourHome ­ 114), Bristol, invites the public furled" with brass fanfare. Over­ to apply for the Rhode Island gram designed to educate the Using the Internet," will be to celebrate "Yankee Doodle" head photographs will be taken Di vision of Taxation Tax Am­ public on co_ncerns of aging hos ted by Lee Chalek of Day and to parti cipate in a 150- to record this unique event, and nesty program .