2021 E. 71st STREET TULSA, OKLAHOMA 74136 Vol. 76 No. 7 www.JEWISHTULSA.org Founded in 1930 by Tulsa Section, National Council of Jewish Women 27 Av 5765 PUBLISHED BY THE JEWISH FEDERATION OF TULSA Sept. 1, 2005 “DISENGAGEMENT” FROM GAZA Sharon speech to Israelis: “most difficult and painful step” THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPT OF A SPEECH TO HIS NATION BY ISRAEL S PRIME MINISTER, ARIEL SHARON ON AUGUST 15, 2005 Citizens of Israel, The day has arrived. We are beginning the most difficult and painful step of all — evacuating our communities from the Gaza Strip and Northern Samaria. This step is very difficult for me personally. It was with a heavy heart that the government of Israel made the decision regarding disengagement, and the Knesset did not lightly approve it. It is no secret that I, like many others, believed and hoped that we could forever hold on to Netzarim and Kfar Darom. However, the changing reality in this country, in this region, and in the world, required another reassessment and changing of positions. Gaza cannot be held onto forever. Over one-million Palestinians live there, and they double their numbers with every generation. They live in incredibly cramped refugee camps, in poverty and squalor, in hotbeds of ever-increasing hatred, with no hope whatsoever on the horizon. It is out of strength and not weakness that we are taking this step. We tried to reach agreements with the Palestinians which would move the two peoples towards the path of peace. These were crushed against a wall of hatred and fanaticism. The unilateral Disengagement Plan, which I announced approximately two years ago, is the Israeli answer to this reality. This plan is good for Israel in any future scenario. We are reducing the day-to-day friction and its victims on both sides. The IDF will redeploy on defensive lines behind the Security Fence. Those who continue to fight us will SEE SHARON ON PAGE 2 GAZA Annual Hebrew Marathon Is Coming! Camp Shalom 2005 S c o r e s B i g Wi n Some 320 campers attend recordbreaking 11 weeks of summer fun A PLAYER FOR THE INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS BASKETBALL TEAM manages to get past the defense of our own Camp Shalom team to score a basket during Camp Shalom's Globetrotter's Basketball Week at the Charles Schusterman JCC. See more photos and information about this year’s extremely successful Camp Shalom on pages 6 and 11. “Race to Learn” Set for October 23-30 JEWISH COMMUNITY BLOOD DRIVE SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at Temple Israel Sponsored by the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center GIVE THE “GIFT OF LIFE” The Tulsa Jewish community, led by the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Congregation B’nai Emunah, and Temple Israel, will once again be sponsoring a “Hebrew Marathon” this October. The Hebrew Marathon, an internationally renowned program prepared by Rabbi Noah Golinkin, was developed in order to provide adult learners with the tools necessary to become Hebrew readers in just eight hours! The Hebrew Marathon has become a frequent event in the Tulsa Jewish community and has been an inspirational success for many people. The Hebrew Marathon will take place throughout two Sundays, October 23, from 1-5 p.m., and October 30, from 1-5 p.m., at Congregation B’nai Emunah. Registration for the program is $45 for affiliated members (Congregation B’nai Emunah, Temple Israel, Congregation Beth Torah, Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center) and $115 for unaffiliated, and includes the cost of all program materials, textbooks, administration, refreshments, as well as a special recognition award upon completion of the program. The program will be led by Helen Winoker, education director of Congregation B’nai Emunah, a gentle, patient, and exceptionally skilled teacher. Receipt of your payment for $45 or $115 will fully enroll you in the Hebrew Marathon. Please send your payment no later than October 17 to: The Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center Hebrew Marathon 2021 East 71st Street Tulsa OK 74136 Questions? Call 495-1111 TO REGISTER CALL MINDY AT 495-1111 ... in the Review Community Relations: Robert Cohen ............................................p.2 Fall Schedule of Holocaust Activities.............................................p.2 What’s Nu? ...................................................................................p.3 Are We Listening?: Rabbi Charles P. Sherman ..............................p.3 Engliyada 2005 Session in Israel: Vivian White ............................p.4 Jewish Fighter in “Cinderella Man” mischaracterized....................p.4 Jewish Boy Scouts Find their Own Identity ...................................p.5 Pro-Israel Campus Activists Achieving Quiet Successes ...............p.5 What’s Happening at the JCC.................................................pp.6,7 Jenks High School Grad a Finalist in Holocaust Essay Content ......p.8 Heritage Academy News ...............................................................p.9 Tulsa Physician Participates in P2K Exchange with Israel.............p.9 Community Calendar ................................................................p.11 Israel and Iran Cooperating in Advanced Science Project............p.12 2 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SEPT. 1, 2005 COMMUNITY RELATIONS Deeds, Not Words BY ROBERT COHEN COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR JEWISH FEDERATION OF TULSA arlier this summer, the Fiqh Council of North America, a loose group of almost 20 Islamic scholars, issued a fatwa – a religious edict by Muslim clerics – against terrorism. This seemed to fit what many of us have been waiting for: a condemnation of terrorism by leaders of the Islamic community. More than 100 Muslim American organizations then endorsed the fatwa. A week before that, the Muslim American Society announced it was launching a national campaign to combat terrorism, “Faith over Fear and Justice for All.” You may recall reading in this space my assertions that the failure of American Muslim leaders to clearly and unambiguously condemn terrorism left a gaping hole in their credibility. Without such a condemnation, how could we trust them as partners in the war against terror and in support of democracy? So now that religious and secular Muslim groups have stood up to be counted, does that put to rest my concerns? No, or at least, not yet. As observers far more knowledgeable on Islam than I, such as Middle East studies professor Walid Phares at Florida Atlantic University, have written, the fatwa is hardly one in the traditional sense of the word. It is unconventional in style, makes no connection between the issue of terrorism and the Koranic verses cited, was not issued in Arabic so it could be read and discussed by Muslims around the world, and uses language and concepts with gaps large enough for Bin Laden to drive a bomb-laden truck through. Equally troublesome: the organizations that endorsed the fatwa have shown many times that they are committed to denouncing terrorism in name only. The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has defended Hamas suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. The Islamic Society North America hosted the Imam of the Grand Mosque in E Makkah, Saudi Arabia, after he described Jews as “the scum of the human race, the rats of the world, the killers of prophets and the grandsons of monkeys and pigs.” Cleveland Imam Fawaz Damra, famous for urging donations to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and asserting that Muslim countries would not regain their glory until all guns were aimed at the Jews, whom he described as “sons of pigs and monkeys,” also endorsed the fatwa. The new Muslim American Society (“MAS”) anti-terror campaign is equally suspect, despite its endorsement by such reputable organizations as the Interfaith Alliance. The problem isn’t the content of the campaign; it’s the main sponsor. Extraordinary investigative reporting by the Chicago Tribune and other credible sources has unmasked the MAS as a United States front for the Muslim Brotherhood, a decades-old global terrorist organization founded in Egypt. Despite its public denials, extensive evidence shows the Society with an agenda for replacing the U.S. Constitution with an Islamic legal and political regime. All of which leaves us in a quandary. American Jewish Congress President Paul Miller has noted that because radicals play so dominant a role in the leadership of the Muslim community, those people with perfectly clean hands will not be taken seriously by other Muslims. Dare we work with a tiger who we hope lost its stripes? One Muslim activist I know tells me that much is happening in the American Muslim community below the radar, and moderate Muslims are making progress asserting themselves. For example, recalls of Korans with Wahhabi mistranslations are said to be underway across the country. Let us hope that Muslim and Arab advocacy organizations will purge themselves of at least their leaders with the most egregious personal histories. And let us look for those organizations to take more meaningful, concrete steps to demonstrate and implement their unqualified rejection of terrorism. BUSY FALL SCHEDULE OF HOLOCAUST ACTIVITIES Special to the Review The Council for Holocaust Education has set an ambitious schedule for the fall school term. Just before the start of school, some 40 teachers attended the Holocaust Educators’ Back-toSchool Briefing on August 9 in the lobby of the Sherwin Miler Museum of Jewish Art. This annual event enables the members of the northeast Oklahoma Holocaust educators network to renew professional acquaintances, recharge their batteries over bagels and coffee, and share their creative ideas. The program featured presentations by teachers who, with the financial support of the Community Relations Committee of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, participated in summer workshops. Three Union Intermediate High School teachers, Rhonda Johnson, Judy Rowell, and Bill Polson, attended Vladka Meed’s seminar, “The Holocaust and THE EDUCATORS IN THE PHOTO ABOVE Jewish Resistance,” in Poland, ARE SHOWN AT THE GATE OF AUSCHWITZ. the Czech Republic, and WashHigh School (l-r): Bill Polson, Judy Rowell and Rhonda ington. Jenks Johnson are all teachers of U.S. or American History at Union Intermediate High School in Broken Arrow. Photo by Bill Polson Jewish Genealogical Society Forming TULSA, — An initial organizational meeting of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Tulsa will be held on Sunday, September 11, at 1 p.m., in the Barbara and Dave Sylvan Auditorium at the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center. This new society will be affiliated with the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. Plan to be a part of this exciting, stimulating, and rewarding new organization as you discover your own roots, develop a sense of We are embarking on a new path which has many risks, but also a ray of hope for all of us. in the story of Israel, and a central chapter in the story of your lives as pioneers, as realizers of a dream, and as those who bore the security and settlement burden for all of us. Your pain and your tears are an inseparable part of the history of this country. Whatever disagreements we have, we will not abandon you, and following the evacuation, we will do everything in our power to rebuild your lives and communities. I wish to tell the soldiers of the IDF, the police officers of the Israel Police and Border Police: it’s not an enemy you face, rather your brothers and sisters. I want you to know: the entire nation stands behind you and is proud of you. Citizens of Israel, The responsibility for the future of Israel rests on my shoulders. I initiated the Plan because I concluded that this action is vital for Israel. Believe me, the extent of pain that I feel at this act is equal only to the measure of resolved recognition that it was something that had to be done. We are embarking on a new path which has many risks, but also a ray of hope for all of us. With the help of God, may this path be one of unity and not division, of mutual respect, and not animosity between brothers, of unconditional love, and not baseless hatred. I will do my utmost to ensure that it will be so. The world awaits the Palestinian response — a hand offered in peace or continued terrorist fire. To a hand offered in peace, we will respond with an olive branch. But if they choose fire, we will respond with fire, more severe than ever. The Disengagement will allow us to look inward. Our national agenda will change. In our economic policy we will be free to turn to closing the social gaps and engaging in a genuine struggle against poverty. We will advance education and increase the personal security of every citizen in the country. The disagreement over the Disengagement Plan has caused severe wounds, bitter hatred between brothers, and severe statements and actions. I understand the feelings, the pain and the cries of those who object. However, we are one nation even when fighting and arguing. See more about the Gaza Withdrawal on Residents of the Gaza Strip, today marks the end of a glorious chapter page 10. history, embrace our rich heritage, and learn to research all of it. The research will not be limited to families of Jewish origin. For any questions or if you would like to volunteer and serve on a committee, please call the Sherwin Miller Museum office at 492-1818, or e-mail genealogy@jewishmuseum.net Organizers look forward to sharing the adventure as we discover our personal histories. TULSA JEWISH REVIEW The Newspaper of the Tulsa Jewish Community THE TULSA JEWISH REVIEW (ISSN # 1521-5482) is published monthly by the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, 2021 E. 71st St.,Tulsa, OK 74136. Periodicals Postage Paid at Tulsa, OK POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Jewish Federation of Tulsa, 2021 E. 71st St., Tulsa, OK 74136. ISRAEL P. M. SHARON SPEECH TO HIS NATION REGARDING GAZA, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 meet the full force of the IDF and the security forces. Now the Palestinians bear the burden of proof. They must fight terror organizations, dismantle its infrastructure, and show sincere intentions of peace in order to sit with us at the negotiating table. SEE HOLOCAUST ACTIVITIES, PAGE 10 Perry K. Simons, executive director Terry Marcum, chair Ed Ulrich, editor; design and production Debbie Mann, advertising representative PHONE: (918) 495-1100 FAX: (918) 495-1220 www.JEWISHTULSA.org E-MAIL: TJReditor@cox.net AUTHORIZED MEDIUM FOR THE COMMUNITY'S JEWISH AGENCIES Rita Moskowitz, chair JEWISH FEDERATION OF TULSA CHARLES SCHUSTERMAN JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER BBYO F-R AZA CHAPTER # 276 Perry K. Simons, executive director John Clayman, president AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE Trevor Langston, president NATIONAL COUNCIL OF JEWISH WOMEN Denise Landgarten, president BBYO N.B.S. BBG CHAPTER # 243 Becca Zemel, president SHERWIN MILLER MUSEUM OF JEWISH ART Louis Davidson, president B'NAI B'RITH, TULSA LODGE #798 Aaron Maissell, president TULSA HEBREW SCHOOL David Charney, president B'NAI EMUNAH MEN'S CLUB Jeff Darby, president B'NAI EMUNAH SISTERHOOD TEMPLE ISRAEL BROTHERHOOD Jeff Chasen, president Randee Charney, president CHABAD HOUSE TEMPLE ISRAEL Rabbi Yehuda B. Weg Yohanan Zomer, M.D., president Rabbi Charles P. Sherman Ginny Katz, president CONGREGATION B'NAI EMUNAH TEMPLE ISRAEL SISTERHOOD Lillie Land, president Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzerman James Cash, M.D., president HERITAGE ACADEMY Richard Borg, president Helen Hightower, director DEADLINES FOR TULSA JEWISH RETIREMENT AND HEALTH CARE CENTER Andrew Wolov, president James M. Jakubovitz, executive director TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SUBMISSIONS A D V E R T I S I N G : F I R S T D AY O F T H E M O N T H P R I O R T O P U B L I C AT I O N A R T I C L E S : E I G H T H D AY O F T H E M O N T H P R I O R T O P U B L I C AT I O N READ THE T U L S A J E W I S H R E V I E W O N -L I N E AT WWW.JEWISHTULSA.ORG TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SEPT. 1, 2005 FALL 2005 INSTITUTE OF ADULT JEWISH STUDIES What’s Nu? Last month George Bush signed into law an energy bill that extends daylight-saving time – with some Jewish input. The bill was originally to have extended daylight-saving time by two months, but the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate compromised at the last moment and settled on a one-month extension: three weeks in March and a week in November, because Jewish groups had joined with others, including farmers and parents groups, to oppose longer extensions. Observant Jews were particularly concerned that, with 8:30 a.m. sunrises, they would be late for work if they said morning prayers. The changes take place in 2007. The world’s oldest married couple is Jewish. Philadelphia residents Herbert and Magda Brown, 105 and 100, respectively, have been recognized as the “oldest living married couple, aggregate age,” by the Guinness Book of World Records. Magda attributes her long time with Herbert to communication. “He is very easy-going; I am the strong one,” she told Reuters in an interview. “We never argued; we just had discussions.” The couple married in Magda’s native Hungary in 1930 and then moved to Austria, Herbert’s homeland, where he was arrested by the nazis and sent to Dachau. He was released in exchange for all of the family’s possessions, and he, Magda, and their only daughter fled to London, later making their way to the United States. Trade between Poland and Israel is growing rapidly, new data suggests. Compared to the first half of 2004, the total import of goods from Poland to Israel increased by 23 percent, and Israeli exports to Poland rose by 40 percent, according to the Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor. On the Israeli side, the biggest import is Polish transport equipment, while the largest import items for Poland are Israeli fruits and vegetables, transport equipment, and hi-tech products. Israel has recently received hundreds of French immigrants. Two El Al planes bearing 300 Jews from Paris and Marseille landed at Ben-Gurion Airport in July as part of a Jewish Agency for Israel operation to encourage French immigration. The director general of the agency’s Immigration and Absorption Department, Mike Rosenberg, said that in the first half of 2005 there was a 30 percent rise in immigration from France, compared to the same period last year. Also, French tourism to Israel is at an all-time high. Israeli officials have announced that 134,200 people entered the country from French airports between January and June 2005, an increase of 28 percent over the same time last year. Seventy percent of French tourists head for Tel Aviv, officials said, with Netanya and Eilat in second and third place. But the French Jewish community has not necessarily felt fairly treated by the Israeli tourism industry. In June, the French Jewish newsweekly Actualite Juive claimed French tourists were treated like “milk cows,” to be drained of all their money. “They don’t speak French to us until it’s time to pay the bills,” the editor of Actualite Juive, Serge Benattar, told JTA. The Israeli minister of tourism responded by ordering a boycott of the newsweekly but did say that, “We are aware of the problem, and we are studying several solutions.” He also announced that several new airlines will soon be authorized to fly between France and Israel. Intel is planning to build a plant in Israel. Reuters has reported that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Cabinet ministers that the computer company’s chairman, Craig Barrett, said the company would build the plant in Kiryat Gat, in southern Israel, for some $4 billion. Sharon also said the government would provide Intel with a grant of some $525 million to support the facility’s construction. Recently discovered documents in Belarus appear to confirm rumors that the son of Chabad’s founder converted to Catholicism. According to a recent Ha’aretz report, Hebrew University Professor Shaul Stempfer discovered documents in the national historical archives in Minsk that chronicle the conversion of Moshe Zalmanovitch, the youngest son of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, about 180 years ago. The files, which once belonged to the Catholic Church, contain a letter written by Moshe in 1820, in which he professes his Roman Catholic faith. According to the documents, Moshe was mentally unstable, and after a stint as advisor to the czar, ended his life in a mental hospital in St. Petersburg. Chabad historian Yosef Kaminetzky responded to the Ha’aretz story by saying the Minsk documents are forgeries, and Catholic authorities in Minsk tried to convert Zalmanovitch against his will. Seven Consecutive Mondays – November 7 - December 19 Classes will be held at Congregation B’nai Emunah Watch your mail for more information or call 495-1111 Israeli athletes won the largest number of medals at the recent 17th Maccabiah Games in Israel. Athletes representing the Jewish state won 381 medals, including 146 golds, in the open competition at the games, which ended July 21. The U.S. team finished with 156 medals. Russia finished third with 48 medals, and Canada fourth with 28. Cosponsored by The Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center, Congregation B’nai Emunah, Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Temple Israel Jews are no longer the majority group in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza Strip combined, a new study has found. According to data supplied last month by the daily Ha'aretz before the Israeli “disengagement” from Gaza, Jews constituted slightly more than 49.3 percent of the population in these areas. The figures were supplied by Israel and the Palestinian Authority's statistics bureaus. The paper included as nonJews some 185,000 foreign workers in Israel and almost 300,000 immigrants who are not Jewish under Orthodox law. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has said that the present Gaza withdrawal would help Israel demographically by ridding it of responsibility for 1.4 million Palestinians. According to Ha'aretz, demographers say that after the Gaza withdrawal, the percentage of Jews within Israel's borders will be around 56 percent, a majority that should last for around 20 years. The U.S. government has changed regulations to allow part-time federal employees to use comp time to take off for Sabbath and other Jewish observances. Observant employees had been allowed to bank comp time instead of earning overtime wages in order to take off time for holidays, but the Office of Personnel Management recently changed the policy. Agudath Israel of America lobbied the government, saying full- and part-time employees should be offered the same opportunities for religious worship. COURSE OFFERINGS *Indicates new class CLASS INSTRUCTOR(S) HOUR I : 7:15-8:15 p.m. * Men Of Mystery: Elijah & Elisha Rabbi Marc Fitzerman & Rabbi Charles P. Sherman * Living with Loss, Healing with Hope Dr. Cathy Kass * Nu? What’s Happening in the World M. Shiela Mudd Today? * Jews in Psychology & Dr. Melanie Rich the Psychology in Judaism Hebrew Beginning Hebrew: Part I Intermediate Hebrew: Part I Alin Torianyk Helen Winoker HOUR II 8:30-9:30 p.m. Introduction to Judaism * Beyond Never Again * The Music of the Jews, Part I: The Love of Chazzanut * The History of Eretz Israel * U.S. Jews & World Report * Hebrew Blessings & Prayers for Non-Hebrew Readers Rabbi Charles P. Sherman & Rabbi Marc B. Fitzerman Rabbi Yehuda Weg Cantor Kari Siegel-Eglash Itai Lavi Robert Cohen Jackie Lasky SUNSHINE SESSIONS at Zarrow Manor on Tuesdays Zarrow Manor-Rainbow Room-First Floor Tuesdays from 11-noon A school board in Louisiana has settled a church-state separation case with a Jewish family. The settlement reached last month ends a case launched in April 2004, when the family complained about a Nativity scene in the school library during the Christmas season and a group called ‘Stallions for Christ’ that met at recess. The settlement clarifies that religious expression is allowed, but outlines a grievance process if children feel pressure for religious reasons. The family has since moved out of state. SEPTEMBER 6, 13, 20, 27 — “Fall Festivals” Instructor: Rabbi Yehuda Weg, Chabad House If timing is everything, then it’s time to explore and prepare for the High Holydays and beyond; Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. FUTURE “SUNSHINE SESSIONS MONTH INSTRUCTOR October 2005 No classes November 2005 Cantor Kari Siegel-Eglash December 2005 Helen Winoker January 2006 Rabbi Charles P. Sherman February 2006 Rabbi Marc B. Fitzerman Call Amy Terkel at 495-1111 for more information CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Are We Listening? BY CHARLES P. SHERMAN, D.D. RABBI TEMPLE ISRAEL his year (5765) is a leap year, so we added an entire month to our calendar before Purim. That is why Elul, the preparatory month before the High Holydays, doesn’t begin until the eve of September 4. Therefore, our Holydays are later than they usually come on the secular calendar. (Holidays are always on time – not early, not late; it is just in comparison to the secular calendar that they seem to be later this year.) It is appropriate that Elul begins with Labor Day because we are supposed to begin the work of teshuvah during Elul, not wait for the Holydays to arrive. Preparing to turn around our lives, to redirect our steps, to change direction requires effort. I delivered a sermon this past year in response to the terrible tsunami tragedy indicating that I did not think God was in a tsunami, and I don’t think God was in the recent spate of hurricanes; God is not in earthquakes or tornadoes either. For me, God is in the still small voice of conscience, and one of the efforts I believe we all have to make in order to change, grow, improve, make the new year a different year because we are different and make it a better year because we are better, is to learn to listen to that still small voice of God. A wonderful story will help us remember this lesson. A young, successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting in and out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag’s side door. T The executive slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed a kid, and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, “What was that all about, and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?” Building up a head of steam, he went on. “That’s a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?” “Please, mister, please. I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to do,” pleaded the youngster. “I threw the brick because no one else would stop ...” Tears were dripping down the boy’s chin as he pointed around the parked car. “It’s my brother; he rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair, and I can’t lift him up.” Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.” Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into his wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you,” the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long walk back to his Jaguar ... a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention. I believe God whispers to us, speaking to our conscience, our soul, our heart. Sometimes, however, when we don’t take the time to listen, God has to throw a brick at us. But it is always our choice – should we listen to the whisper or wait for the brick? This month let’s sharpen our listening skills. It is one of the best ways I know to prepare for a new year. 3 4 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SEPT. 1, 2005 “A Taste of Yeshiva” Held at the Tulsa Garden Center Engliyada 2005 Session Held in Israel Tulsans help teach Conversational English to 97 Israelis VIVIAN WHITE CHAIRPERSON TULSA PARTNERSHIP 2000 BY ngliyada is a Partnership 2000 program developed by Dr. Mel Resnick of Tulsa to teach Conversational English to adults from the Sovev Kinneret Region of Israel. Most Israelis have studied English grammar but do not have experience speaking. The Engliyada program is designed to help them overcome their fear of oral conversation. The goals of the program are to develop a closer relationship with Israel and to help Israelis procure employment and promotions by improving their English skills. A program of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa, Engliyada began in 1999 and has been taught at least once or twice each year since. During my years of involvement, more than 30 Tulsans have helped 500 Israelis to speak English. Engliyada 2005 officially began on May 15 with the arrival of the first group of very enthusiastic volunteers from Tulsa and our sister cities, Milwaukee and St. Paul. Most of us had arrived in Tiberias from other locations we were visiting in Israel in time to begin our Engliyada experience by spending a wonderful Shabbat with our Israeli host families. The projects and goals of Partnership 2000 to help the people of Eretz Israel are being recognized and discussed throughout northern Israel. Engliyada student enrollment more than doubled this year! The Israeli staff closed enrollment with 97 students, and many students were placed on a waiting list in case someone dropped out. But very few students dropped, and we were not able to accommodate everyone. Three Engliyada volunteers were from Tulsa, nine from St. Paul, and two from Milwaukee. The 97 students live or work in the Sovev Kinneret Region. Classes were held Sunday through Thursday, from 5 p.m., until 8 p.m., with a 30-minute teachers’ meeting after class. The Partnership offered many exciting educational tours of the region during the day. Engliyada 2005 was a four-week course divided into two sessions, each lasting for two weeks. Classes were divided into five levels, consisting of an average of about 19 students per class. The students came from all walks of life: IDF soldiers who were living at the absorption center where we taught, E MORE THAN 25 MEN AND WOMEN participated in the recent Chabad House program “A Taste of Yeshiva.” The event, held at the Tulsa Garden Center, gave participants a chance to experience the stimulating level of Torah study available in a yeshiva. The topic of study for the day was “Stem Cell Research in Contemporary Jewish Law.” Jewish fighter given short shrift in Ron Howard’s ‘Cinderella Man’ BY TOM TUGEND LOS ANGELES, (JTA) — “Cinderella Man” chronicles the fall and rise of Depression-era heavyweight champion James Braddock, but the movie also revives the memory of another title holder, Max Baer. In the climactic scene, the movie depicts the 15-round fight between Braddock (Russell Crowe), the victorious underdog, and a menacing, beady-eyed Baer (Craig Bierko). But Baer’s greatest fight was in June 1933, when he faced a heavily favored German, Max Schmeling. Hitler had come to power a few months earlier, and the nazis were busy smearing Stars of David on Jewish-owned stores. When Baer strutted into the Yankee Stadium ring, his trunks sported a prominent Star of David, and he then proceeded to demolish Schmeling, knocking him out in the 10th round. This pugilistic victory, coming in the depth of the Great Depression and amid rising anti-Semitism in Europe and the United States, lifted the spirits of Jews throughout the world, regardless of Baer’s actual Jewishness. Under Ron Howard’s direction and in the screenplay by Cliff Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman, Baer is portrayed as the designated bad guy to deepen the contrast to the gutsy, family-loving, Irish-American Braddock. The movie essentially is the story of a man overcoming defeat and poverty through his own courage and the devotion of a loving wife. Except for ardent fans of the sport, the most wrenching scenes are of Depression-ridden America, with men clawing for a few hours of work and cops demolishing the Hooverville shantytown in New York’s Central Park. Russell Crowe, complete with New Jersey accent, is at his best as a poor, hungry down-but-not-outer, whose comeback made him the idol of working class and jobless Americans and earned him the “Cinderella Man” sobriquet from writer Damon Runyon. As Braddock’s wife, Mae, Renee Zellweger has little to do but look noble and supportive as she tries to raise three kids while her husband is reduced to asking for handouts from the government and old pals. The most impressive performance is delivered by Paul Giamatti (“Sideways”) as Braddock’s loyal Jewish manager, Joe Gould. Bierko has the muscle and face to play Baer, but the character comes across as a playboy and a clown, which Baer frequently was, and as mean-spirited, which he was not. Baer, who always carried the burden of having caused the deaths of two opponents with his lethal straight right, is depicted telling Mae Braddock, just before the fight with her husband, “You’re too pretty to be a widow.” When Mae shows her shock and indignation, the screen Baer follows up leeringly with, “Maybe I can comfort you afterwards.” But according to sports historians and Baer’s son, this kind of cruelty was not characteristic of the champion. SEE “CINDERELLA MAN,” PAGE 12 A TULSA DINING TRADITION the police commander of northern Israel, doctors from Poryia Hospital, agriculturists, and at least four well-known area artists, including Vladimer and Sofi Azbel, the artists-in-residence who spent three weeks in Tulsa sharing their knowledge and talent with Tulsa youth at Camp Shalom. The IDF students in my class were not officially enrolled and not included in the 97 enrolled students but were allowed to drop in and study when they could, often giving up their dinners to be in class. In fact, most of our students came to class after work and without dinner. One doctor who lives in Haifa left home to go to the hospital at 4:30 a.m. He had to wait for two hours after work to come to class, but he missed only two classes in four weeks! One notable (and enjoyable) success story: One student employed by the Golan Heights Winery invited his class to the winery and conducted the entire two-hour tour in English! Thanks to volunteer Engliyada teacher Robert Roseboro, a Tulsa police officer, second-session volunteers were treated to lunch and a rare tour of the Tiberias Police Department. Volunteers were able to learn a lot about emergency issues the Israeli police are dealing with. Engliyada officially ended on June 9, with a lot of singing, dancing, gift giving, and most importantly, Certificates of Completion, as well as several awards for perfect attendance. Staff, students, and volunteers all agreed that Engliyada 2005 was a complete success. After tearful good-byes and promises to keep in touch, most volunteers extended their visit in Israel by at least a few days to visit Jerusalem, Eliat, and the Negev, etc. Tulsa volunteers Jeffrey Bonam, Robert Roseboro, and I were trained by Dr. Resnick. He and I had earlier traveled to St. Paul on April 16, and conducted an intensive ten-hour training class for St. Paul and Milwaukee volunteers. Participating in the class were nine volunteers from St. Paul and one volunteer from Milwaukee. If you would like more information about the Engliyada experience, please contact me at 918-627-0991, 918-760-4112, or at vwhite8331 @aol.com, or to any member of Partnership 2000 for more information. You will not be disappointed. Located in beautiful south Tulsa, The FOUNTAINS offers superb cuisine for both lunch and dinner. Fresh Seafood Veal Desserts Imported and domestic wines FOR AN ENERGETIC HIGH-PRODUCING SALES ASSOCIATE CALL SARA RICH 693-1284 A Tulsa landmark for over 30 years. SEPT. 1, 2005 Jewish Boy Scouts find a tent of their own Jewish values mesh with Scout ideals in ‘Shul’ Tent at National Scout Jamboree BY ALIZA KARP BOWLING GREEN, Va., (JTA) — When Boy Scout Troop 711 from Alaska lost four of its leaders in a freak electrical accident on the first day of the recent National Scout Jamboree here, the one Jewish scout in the Alaska contingent was left in a quandary. On the Sunday morning of the gathering, when jamboree activities were suspended for a few hours, all of Noah Magen’s troop mates were headed to religious services for their respective faiths. But what does a Jewish scout do on Sunday? For Noah, the answer was the Shul Tent, where daily services and special programming were provided for Jewish scouts. The Boy Scout Jamboree, which is held every four years at Fort A.P. Hill, near Fredericksburg, brought together more than 35,000 Boy Scouts and another 8,000 volunteer staff for the July 25 to August 3 gathering — the largest jamboree since 1964. For the fourth time, Tzivos Hashem, a Jewish children’s organization within the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, provided special programming for the estimated 1,000 Jewish scouts who attended this year’s jamboree. In addition to hundreds of scouts who are members of nonsectarian troops, there were also scouts from all-Jewish troops at the 10-day event. Some 100 observant scouts and leaders of the Shomer Shabbat, or Sabbath observant, contingent — made up of Jewish scouts from across North America — prayed together daily. Although all the scouts may not belong to Shomer Shabbat troops in their hometowns, the Shomer Shabbat contingent allows Jewish scouts at the jamboree to be as observant SEE JEWISH as they choose, providing kosher food and scheduling daily prayers and Sabbath services. On the jamboree’s Friday night, the Shul Tent and the adjacent Chapel Tent were overflowing with 500 scouts for Shabbat services. Scout Patrick Matson, the sole Jew in Troop 271 from Ocean Springs, Miss., wanted to attend the Friday night services. In order to abide by the buddy system required at the camp, he brought a Catholic friend with him. Matson found the service, filled with Hebrew songs and English prayers, spirited and fun. “My friend said the service was amazing,” he said. After the services, a non-Jewish scout in his late teens went to Rabbi Pinny Gniwisch, the chaplain for the Northwest Region of the Boy Scouts of America, and told him in a strong Southern accent, “I don’t think I ever met a Jew before, but if it is always like this, sign me up!” Each jamboree participant was required to visit the Religious Relationships Booth representing his particular religion. The Jewish booth was a constant buzz of activity. Ben Shreibman of Troop 41 from Cleveland put on tefillin for the first time in his life. “It felt weird,” he admitted. Andrew Foster of Troop 1704 from Dallas was with a Jewish friend, who put on tefillin. “I never saw anything like it before,” Foster said. “It’s pretty cool.” Six Jewish Boy Scouts were called to the pulpit in the Shul Tent to recite blessings over the Torah for the first time in their lives, stimulating interest by the local Fredericksburg, Va., newspaper, the Free Lance-Star, which featured a full page of pictures from the mini bar mitzvah ceremonies in its July 29 edition. BOY SCOUTS, PAGE 8 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW 5 Pro-Israel college activists quietly successful on campus Writers argue much being accomplished by new approaches and techniques BY BARRY SILVERMAN AND RANDALL KAPLAN WASHINGTON, (JTA) — Parents are frightened, defense organizations are sounding the alarm, and community-based activists are in a state of near apoplexy over the alleged dominance of anti-Israel forces on American college campuses. In the past few years, however, there has been a quiet revolution in pro-Israel campus advocacy — supported by such mainstream organizations as AIPAC, Hillel, and the Israel on Campus Coalition — and savvy pro-Israel students have made stunning inroads at colleges and universities across the country, including those frequently pointed to as the most hostile to Israel. Some have come to believe that today’s pro-Israel students are silent, apathetic, even fearful. From our experience, nothing could be further from the truth. This generation constitutes the most confident and competent community of pro-Israel student leaders America has ever seen. What accounts for this staggering discrepancy in perception? The problem may be an outmoded system of metrics ill-equipped to gauge inroads made by sophisticated advocates in a radically transformed campus environment. Today’s college students grew up in an era defined not by ‘60s-style street theatrics but by the entrepreneurial ethos of the start-up phenomenon. They spent their teenage years watching small innovative firms undermine giant industry monopolies through a mastery of new technology, strategic use of resources, and a devout commitment to quality and efficiency. College students are the leading purveyors of these new approaches. They have found faster, more economical ways of getting a job done. Consequently, college students’ approach to problem-solving and goal attainment tends to be more streamlined, agile, and imaginative than that of their parents and grandparents. Pro-Israel student activists are smart, focused, and intensely results-oriented. They realize that “standing up” to Israel’s detractors through zero-sum confrontations on the quad is more likely to alienate potential allies than engage them, more effective at securing short-term publicity than long-term impact, and subsequently constitutes a poor use of time and talent. The sharpest proIsrael activists prefer to identify key sources of power and influence that will determine the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship for years to come, and then invest the bulk of their advocacy in influencing those strategic targets. Acutely aware of the accelerating pace of history, today’s pro-Israel student activists bring to their activism the start-up principles of ingenuity and effective impact. While Israel’s detractors at the University of California at Berkeley make fellow students late for class by erecting mock Israeli checkpoints on the main campus drag, pro-Israel activists recruit student government officials and other mainstream campus leaders to sign petitions SEE PRO-ISRAEL CAMPUS ACTIVISTS, PAGE 9 6 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SEPT. 1, 2005 W h a t ' s Ha p p e n i n g a t t h e CAMP SHALOM 2005 HUGE SUCCESS THE DANCE ACADEMY AT CSJCC Announces Expanded Programming By the time this issue of the Tulsa Jewish Review reaches your home, Camp Shalom will have concluded a record-breaking year with over 320 campers in the 11 weeks of summer. Camp Shalom’s second three-week session was a huge success. Campers learned about Israel and Jewish culture from the Israeli Scouts in Israeli Fun, made different types of arts and crafts, and enjoyed two weeks of Israeli art from our artistic guests from Israel. Campers six and older enjoyed an overnight experience at Camp WahShah-She, while campers five years and younger had a camp-out during the day at the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center. Camp ended with two weeks of specialty camps when campers could choose from different camps, such as picture this, tee time, wet and wild, arts and crafts, to name a few. The Harlem Globetrotter Basketball Camp brought over 180 campers into the CSJCC. The Globetrotters camp had three players, Herb Lang, Brad Bridgewater, and Anthony Blakes, all current players. Each day campers would learn about a new letter from the CHEER program. CHEER stands for cooperation, honesty, effort, enthusiasm, respect, and responsibility. On the last day of basketball camp, the Globetrotters put on their famous red, white, and blue uniforms and played against the campers. See related photos on pages 1 and 11. IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL AT THE CSJCC! CSJCC UNIVERSITY Monday, September 19, 7-8 P.M. Throughout the year the CSJCC will be bringing you informative, educational, and cultural evening classes. Just like a college campus, the classes will be stimulating, interesting, and varied. The first in this new series: “What Is Your Plan For Long Term Care?” Learn the Options Presented by Deborah Lederman and Carolyn Schultz Both Ms. Schultz and Ms. Lederman are certified Long Term Care (LTC) specialists. Ms. Lederman has a general practice and works primarily with business owners and individuals in several lines of insurance, while Ms. Schultz limits her practice solely to LTC plans. The premise of the title is that each of us is responsible for choosing how our long term care needs are handled. During the presentation, which will include plenty of time for Q/A, the following options will be discussed: (1) Medicaid: Qualify by spending down assets (2) Utilize your assets and savings: Which asset will you spend first? (3) Long Term Care Insurance: What types of policies are available? (4) Repositioning an asset to fit your personal circumstance Cost: CSJCC Members: FREE; Non-Members: $5 To enroll, call 495-1111 Please help us plan ahead by enrolling no later than Friday, September 16 Now in its 15th season at the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center, THE DANCE ACADEMY AT CSJCC continues to expand its programming. This season The Dance Academy is proud to announce that it will be offering tap as part of its curriculum. This is due to the generosity of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa and the CSJCC Center Committee, which approved the renovation of the upper level of the Wellness and Recreation wing creating a second studio. “This new space will not only allow us to create a terrific tap program and other future programming, but it will also give other user groups at the JCC the opportunity to expand their programs as well,” said Matthew Bridwell, director of The Dance Academy. The Dance Academy will also be adding a late afternoon creative movement class for 3-4 year olds and a character class for its more serious students. Also new this season will be a music/vocal class. This class will offer students the opportunity to learn more about this art form including reading music and learning to sing. “This could not have happened at a better time, as this season is our performance year in our own theatre at the JCC, no less!” added Bridwell. If you have ever considered wanting to learn to dance – especially from some of the very best – please consider what you have in your own back yard – your own Jewish Community Center! For more information about The Dance Academy At CSJCC, please contact Matthew Bridwell at 749-2180. SEPT. 1, 2005 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW W h a t ' s Ha p p e n i n g a t t h e Get up! Get dressed! Get out to the 2005-2006 THE CHARLES SCHUSTERMAN JEWISH COMMUNITY JCC Cinema Film Series! CENTER PROUDLY PRESENTS The JCC Cinema Film Series gives you another take on the world with a stellar lineup of films. September 15 Avalon October 20 Sunshine November 17 Judgment at Nuremberg December 15 Barton Fink January 19 Gloomy Sunday February 16 Rosenstrasse March 16 Monsieur Ibrahim NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK FAIR MONTH AUTHOR New York Times and Radio and T.V. Reporter and Columnist STEVEN ROBERTS SUNDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 30, 7:30 P.M. AT CONGREGATION B’NAI EMUNAH AVALON — Director Barry Levinson’s coming-of-age-in-America film is the first in our 2005-2006 JCC Cinema Film Series. Beginning Thursday, September 15, and continuing every third Thursday for seven consecutive months, all films are free and begin at 7 p.m., in the Barbara and Dave Sylvan Auditorium at the Charles Schusterman Jewish Community Center. If you don’t receive the new brochure in the mail, please call 495-1111 and we’ll be happy to mail you one. Chai Riders First Bike’nbreakfast Ride. Sunday, September 11 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Grab your Harley, your Beemer, your Ducati, or Goldwing. Grab your biker babe or beau, your helmet, and your leather jacket. Meet at the CSJCC at 9:30 a.m. We’re going for a ride! And because we are Jewish motorcycle riders, we’ll stop for a nosh. Call 495-1111 to sign up no later than Thursday, September 8. We must have a minimum of three bikers to do this ride. In case of inclement weather, the ride will be cancelled. It’s a Party! Monday, September, September 5 12:00-6:00 P.M. Meet Itai Lavi, our new Shaliach, and his family at the JCC Membership Appreciation and Labor Day Pool Party. On Sunday night, October 30, New York Times, radio and T.V. reporter, and columnist Steven Roberts will be speaking about his latest book, “My Fathers Houses, Memoir of a Family.” Before Mr. Robert’s presentation, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., at Congregation B’nai Emunah, you may also pre-register for any of the Fall classes of the Institute of Adult Jewish Studies. Then stay and enjoy Mr. Robert’s presentation. Barnes & Noble will have Mr. Robert’s books available for signing and purchase (It’s not too early to think about that perfect Hanukkah gift for the book lover on your list). There is no charge to attend. Look for more details about the Fall classes of the Institute of Adult Jewish Studies in the IAJS brochure (in the mail soon), in the October Tulsa Jewish Review, call 495-1111, or go to www.CSJCC.ORG 1-2 P.M. Lunch Hot dogs, Chips, Fruit, Lemonade, Cookies, and Cake 2:30-3:30 P.M. Attention Retired Men’s Club! Fasten your seat belts and put your tray tables in their up-right and Pool Games with prizes for the kids! locked positions! Cool off with a Sno Cone! We’re going to Broken Arrow to tour the Flight Safety International aviaSEPTEMBER 1 — OCTOBER 2, 2005 tion training YOUR CSJCC CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND PROGRAMS facility. Join us for this very special Retired Men’s Club outing. We will not meet as usual at the JCC for lunch. Instead, we’ll meet at FlightSafety International, located at 2700 N. Hemlock Circle in Broken Arrow at 4:15 p.m., on Wednesday, September 28. Reservations are limited to 20 people, so call now at 495-1111. Directions to FlightSafety will be sent to you when you make your reservation. FlightSafety International is the world’s premier aviation training organization. Over 75,000 pilots, technicians, and other aviation professionals train at FlightSafety facilities each year. The company designs and manufactures full-flight simulators for civil and military aircraft programs and operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full-flight simulators at over 40 training locations. Learn more about FlightSafety at www.flightsafety.com. CHECK OUR ONLINE CALENDAR FOR UPDATED INFORMATION. WWW.CSJCC.ORG 7 8 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SEPT. 1, 2005 RECENT JENKS HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE ONE OF 10 FINALISTS IN NATIONAL HOLOCAUST ESSAY CONTEST Lauren Smith Lauren Smith, a recent graduate of Jenks High School, was one of 10 national first-place winners of the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation’s 2005 Holocaust Remembrance Project Essay Contest. Ms. Smith and the other finalists joined seven high school teachers dedicated to teaching about the Holocaust and seven Holocaust survivors for a sixday, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., on July 24-29. This marks the eleventh consecutive year the international commercial law firm Holland & Knight has sponsored the essay contest, created to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust. During the trip, Ms. Smith and the other students spent time at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and learned first-hand from the survivors about their experiences during the Holocaust. The students also heard from various speakers including Vivien Spitz, the youngest court reporter to cover the Nuremburg trials, and Frank Smyth, a freelance journalist held prisoner during the first Gulf War. On July 28, Lauren Smith and the nine other first-place winners were awarded scholarships up to $5,000 at an awards dinner featuring a keynote address by Daniel Schorr, senior news analyst with National Public Radio, with former FBI Director Judge William S. Sessions serving as the master of ceremonies. About the Holocaust Remembrance Project: The Holocaust Remembrance Project is a national essay contest for high school students designed to encourage and promote the study of the Holocaust. Since its inception in 1995, the Holocaust Remembrance Project has awarded more than $500,000 in scholarships, cash, and prizes. Empathy and Inspiration According to Nancy Pettus, a longtime Holocaust educator in the Jenks school system, and Ms. Smith’s high school teacher, Lauren Smith’s interest in the Holocaust was sparked when her sixth-grade language arts teacher at Jenks East Middle School took her class on a tour of the "museum" that the eighth-grade language arts classes had created in response to the six-week unit on the Holocaust that they had just completed. With wide-eyed wonder she moved from exhibit to exhibit, horrified at the images she witnessed, questioning how human beings could treat other human beings with such hatred and indifference. Thus, her quest to answer some of the questions raised by this experience began. With great anticipation she looked forward to the day when she, too, could be a part of the learning that she saw displayed in the projects that the eighth graders created. Unfortunately, the unit was discontinued her eighth grade year, but this did not stop her study. Finally, in eleventh grade, she enrolled in the semester-long Holocaust Studies class at Jenks High School and became Nancy Pettus’ star pupil. Still not content with her knowledge of the Holocaust, as a senior Lauren Smith enrolled once again in the Holocaust Studies class, this time as an independent study student. One of her projects was to enter the Holland and Knight essay contest. And the rest is history. Having her writing chosen as one of 10 out of 3,000 essays submitted was an honor that Lauren Smith greatly appreciated. However, her greatest pride came from the responses of the survivors who, after reading her essay, sought her out at the banquet honoring the 10 finalists to thank her for her powerful words. With tears in their eyes they marveled at the depth of maturity and compassion exemplified in Lauren's words. To read Lauren Smith’s essay, as well as the other winning entries, visit holocaust.hklaw.com. Long Term Care What Will You Do When Your Health Changes? A Chronic Illness Can Wipe Out Your Hard-Earned Assets! Call 747-0369 or Toll Free: 866-747-0369 Dr. Ira N. Spector, CLU, CSA JEWISH BOY SCOUTS, CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 The Tzivos Hashem program in the Shul Tent drew close to 1,000 Boy scouts. The event, which opened with brief greetings from Boy Scout dignitaries, included a play staged by the Shomer Shabbat contingent, a juggling display, and a lively audience-participation singing session led by Rabbi Shmuly Gutnick from the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn. The jamboree Web site dubbed him “The Reggae Rabbi.” The scouts then went to various booths in the Shul Tent, where they crafted their own shofars, braided their own Havdalah candles, had their pictures taken in front of a panorama display of the Western Wall in Jerusalem while wearing tefillin, and wrote private letters to God that would be mailed to Israel to be placed in the Kotel, the Western Wall. Participating in these activities allowed many of the scouts to complete the requirements for the Jewish Boy Scout award, the Ner Tamid Award. When he ran out of the patches given for this award, Bruce Baker, the vice chairman of the Connecticut Yankee Council of the Jewish Committee on scouting, saw it as a good sign. “That says so much that Jewish scouting is alive and well,” he said. Jay Lenrow, the chairman of the National Jewish Committee on Scouting, attended his first jamboree in 1964 with his father, who was also his scoutmaster. When he returned in 2001, Lenrow was a scoutmaster and his son was a scout. “What we want to do is create a strong Jewish connection to link the generations by combining the love of the outdoors and camping achievements, coupled with growth and development of Jewish knowledge and observance,” Lenrow said. “Scouting can do that.” Howard Spielman of Sharon, Mass., is the modest, soft-spoken, powerhouse who initiated the current surge in programming that allows Orthodox youth to benefit from the Boy Scouts. Spielman brought a small Shomer Shabbat contingent to the jamboree in 1993. At that time, he brought his own 20-by-20 tent and an extension cord so he could have two light bulbs shining for evening services. In 1997, he brought a 20-by-40 tent to house his growing contingent. By 2001, Boy Scouts officials provided an even larger tent. And this year, the Shomer Shabbat contingent was supplied with one 44-by-66 tent; one 20-by-40 side tent; five 20amp circuits, and 32 outlets. “What is most satisfying,” Spielman said, “is seeing the impact on the Shomer Shabbat boys and the other Jewish Scouts who come to jamboree. They benefit from the opportunity to grow in their Jewishness through scouting programs.” On Sunday afternoon, the Shul Tent hosted a meeting of Chabad rabbis from Virginia and Maryland and officials from the Boy Scouts of America. “We stand ready to support any organization that shares scout values’’ said David Richardson, the national director of Religious Relationships of the Boy Scouts. SEPT. 1, 2005 HERITAGE ACADEMY NEWS Heritage Begins 31st Year HERITAGE ACADEMY DIRECTOR HELEN HIGHTOWER is shown accepting another generous donation from B’nai B’rith Lodge #798 representative Marvin Mencher. Last year’s donation provided new math textbooks and materials for the entire school. This year’s donation will be used for science and social studies videos. Heritage Academy began its 31st year with an enrollment of several new students. New Gan students include Zoe Athens (Michael and Casey Athens), Hannah Dow (Steven Dow and Stacy Schusterman-Dow), Benjamin Levy (Robert Levy and Lisa Anderson-Levy), Max Sharpneck (Jerry and Raeshelle Sharpneck), Carter Smith (James and Malissa Smith), Maayan Stafford (Steven and Esther Stafford), Brandon Sweet (Carol Sweet), Allison Wenger (Peter and Jill Wenger); new Dalet student Aaron Wenger (Peter and Jill Wenger), and new Hay student Peleg Lavi (Itai and Miki Lavi). The teachers and staff worked throughout the summer to prepare for the new school year. Amy Pellegrin attended a two-week session of Literacy First for the primary grades. Pat O’Dea and Linda Spiegelberg attended a oneweek session of Literacy First for the upper grades. Maura Pollak toured Israel with the RAVSAK Jewish Educators. Orly Nissim had the opportunity to enjoy Israel as she celebrated her son’s Bar Mitzvah there with family and friends. All of these wonderful opportunities will enrich our students’ learning experiences throughout the year. Our PTO is currently working on this year’s fundraiser, Second City, set for Saturday October 15, at the Van Trease Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Heritage office at 494-0953. Partnership 2000 Enables Tulsa Physician to Share Expertise with Israeli Colleagues BY DEBORAH LOWEN, MD I n the beginning of June I had the opportunity to participate in the physician’s exchange project through Partnership 2000, a program of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa. The community of Tulsa and I had been at the receiving end of a physician’s exchange last fall, when Dr. Nessia Lang, social worker Vivi Talmor, and nurse Ora Zilberman came here to learn about the services provided to victims of child abuse and neglect. Dr. Lang and her colleagues had started a sexual assault treatment pro- gram at Poriya Hospital and were pursuing additional training in the field. I am a pediatrician specializing in child abuse and neglect, working at the Children’s Justice Center – a national and international model for the evaluation of these cases. At the conclusion of their whirlwind visit here, Dr. Lang invited me to come to Poriya to learn from their program and help teach others in northern Israel about our child abuse services. I met with Dr. Yaacov Farbstein, the head of Poriya Hospital, during his visit to Tulsa in January, and when he approved, the trip was on. My husband and eight-yearold son came along, not wanting to miss a wonderful opportunity. We had a truly memorable nine days in Israel in June. Dr. Lang and her colleagues put together a detailed agenda not just for me but also for the family. I gave lectures to her staff at Poriya Hospital and to those involved with abuse issues at Afula hospital, explaining our program in Tulsa. I also lectured to social workers, psychologists, and physicians at the hospital in Tzefat regarding the long-term effects of abuse. The pediatric department at Poriya heard a lecture about the manifestations of child abuse. I had many one-on-one conversations with physicians, social workers, therapists, and investigators, who taught me about the differences between the U.S. and Israeli justice systems and the status of the child abuse field in Israel. We were also able to commiserate about many of the same issues we face when dealing with these cases on a daily basis. We spent seven days in the Kinneret Region, staying on the grounds at Poriya Hospital but traveling throughout the region, both for work and for sight-seeing. Dr. Lang, Vivi, several volunteers in her sexual assault program, and all their husbands welcomed us with open arms, feeding us in their homes and serving as personal tour guides. This immersion into Israeli culture was enlightening and invaluable, as well as being one of the highlights of the trip for all three of us. We also had lunch with Levana Caro-Regev and Hagit Aslack of the Jewish Agency/Partnership 2000 Sovev Kinneret, along with Tulsans Vivian White and Josh Simons. Our last two days were in Jerusalem. Thanks to the foresight and connections of Sandy Cardin, I was taken to Beit Lynn, the child abuse center in Jerusalem modeled after the Children’s Justice Center where I work and funded in part by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. I met with their physician, center director, and several investigators to discuss difficulties and possible solutions in dealing with complicated cases of child abuse. At this meeting I gained further understanding of the cultural issues and barriers regarding child abuse in Israel. From both a work and a tourist perspective, our trip was a great success. Cali Cohen, our shaliach, was a big help with the arrangements – we will miss him and his wife, Perach, as they return to Israel. In addition to greater understanding of the child abuse issues in Israel, we returned to Tulsa with over 300 pictures, continued cravings for Israeli food, new friends in the Kinneret region, wonderful memories, and plans to go back. SEE PRO-ISRAEL TULSA JEWISH REVIEW 9 CAMPUS ACTIVISTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 expressing support for the U.S.Israel relationship. When Israel’s detractors disaffect the politically moderate majority of students by accusing the U.S. and Israeli governments of “neo-colonialism” and “imperialist aggression,” pro-Israel activists at Rutgers University engage the College Democrats and College Republicans, volunteer on political campaigns, organize student lobbying missions, and build enduring relationships with members of Congress. While Israel’s detractors at the University of Florida sponsor propagandistic “Palestinian Awareness Weeks,’’ pro-Israel activists work with campus political leaders to compel the university to remove barriers to studying abroad in Israel. When Israel’s detractors indulge in simplistic and distorted sloganeering about the security barrier, pro-Israel activists at the University of Colorado set up coffee dates with the editors of the campus newspaper for extended conversations about how the barrier saves lives and facilitates peace. Pro-Israel students spend months — even years — cultivating personal relationships with influential people, both on campus and beyond. They bring Jewish and non-Jewish campus leaders into the pro-Israel movement by inviting them to participate in such national and international gatherings as the AIPAC Policy Conference — which this year in May hosted more than 800 students from 250 campuses in all 50 states, including over 100 student government presidents — as well as the Hillel-AIPAC Advanced Advocacy Mission to Israel and the birthright israel program. As a result of these relationships, pro-Israel students are spectacularly positioned for success if large-scale mobilization is determined to be a strategic objective. When an anti-Israel divestment resolution was presented to the University of Michigan’s student assembly, pro-Israel students rallied hundreds of supporters from all walks of campus life to express their opposition publicly. They organized conservatives and progressives, blacks and whites, Jews and Christians to stand with Israel, and relied on their friend and ally, the student assembly president, whose systematic deconstruction of the case for divestment ultimately torpedoed the resolution. Pro-Israel students at Washington University in St. Louis recently turned out 600 people for an Israeli hip-hop concert by securing the cosponsorship of 50 distinct student organizations with which they had established ties, including the African American, Latino-American, and Christian students’ associations. Activists at the University of Iowa engaged campus political leaders beyond their traditional base by organizing a pro-Israel conference featuring two members of Congress, and which was attended by College Democrats, College Republicans, and student government officials from more than a dozen Iowa universities with little or no Jewish infrastructure. These examples are not exceptional but reflect a national trend of more sophisticated pro-Israel campus activism. If members of our community have missed this phenomenon, it is because much of today’s most significant and effective advocacy takes place under the media’s radar at countless student government meetings, campus political forums, and quiet conversations at Starbucks. If pro-Israel students aren’t marching anymore, it’s because they’ve found a more effective way of getting the job done. Barry Silverman is chairman of AIPAC’s leadership development committee and a member of Hillel’s scholars council, and Randall Kaplan is chairman of the board of directors of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, and a member of AIPAC’s board of directors JUST CATERING By Orr Nalp 10 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SEPT. 1, 2005 BUSY FALL SCHEDULE OF HOLOCAUST ACTIVITIES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 teacher Nancy Pettus and Bixby Middle School teacher Jean Bundy also participated in the Max Kaplan Summer Institute for Educators at the Holocaust Museum in Houston; then Ms. Pettus went to Washington to take part in the Mandel Teacher Fellowship Program. A maximum of 15 teachers are selected for this all-expense-paid prestigious program each summer, and we can be proud that one of our own was included this year. And Carver Middle School teacher Debbie Givens traveled to Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, for the Teacher Institute for Advanced Study, “The Holocaust – A Visual Culture.” The Briefing also reviewed the upcoming scheduled Holocaust education events: September 18 through December 18 – Special exhibit, “Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album” at the Miller Museum. September 20 – Documentary film, “Anne Frank Remembered,” at Circle Cinema. September 22 - Tulsa World-sponsored Teachers’ Workshop on the Anne Frank exhibit. October 22 – Concert, Dmitiri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13, “Babi Yar, “and reading by Yevgeny Yevtushenko of his poem “Babi Yar” at Tulsa Performing Arts Center. For more information on these events, call 492-1818. The Back-to-School Briefing also included the announcement that Circle Cinema is making its collection of 75 Holocaust films available for teachers at no cost. The films can be borrowed for use in the classroom, or teachers can bring their classes to Circle Cinema for a theatrical viewing. The Council for Holocaust Education is a partnership of the Jewish Federation of Tulsa and the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. DISENGAGEMENT FROM GAZA BY THE NUMBERS BY DAN BARON JERUSALEM, (JTA) — In addition to the human dimensions, this summer’s disengagement plan can be measured by the numbers: * 100 — percent of the Gaza Strip evacuated and handed over to the Palestinian Authority * 300 — square miles of the West Bank evacuated * 21 — Israeli settlements uprooted in the Gaza Strip * 4 — Israeli settlements uprooted in the West Bank * 9,000 — Approximate number of Israelis evacuated * 45,000 — Israeli soldiers and police participated in the Gaza withdrawal * $1.74 billion — approximate cost of the withdrawal to the Israeli government. * $360,000 — average compensation the Israeli government expects to pay each relocated family. * $870 million — approximate cost to resettle former West Bank and Gaza residents elsewhere in the country. * $2.2 billion — amount of special assistance Israel plans to request from the United States Figures provided by The Israel Project, culled from various sources, with some modifications. Of blessed memory... Former Tulsan Dr. Jed Edwin Goldberg died July 24, 2005. An obstetrician and gynecologist, Dr. Goldberg was a longtime member of Temple Israel. He is survived by his wife, Arlene; daughter, Barbara; three sons, Michael, Steve, and Bill; sister, Arlette; and seven grandchildren. What’s Nu? CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 The Jewish community of Livorno, Italy, is mourning the death of its chief rabbi, just 10 months after he assumed the post. Rabbi Jehuda Leon Kalon died in July of cancer at age 38. He was installed as the city’s chief rabbi in September 2004. Italy’s president, as well as the mayor and bishop of Livorno, sent messages of condolence, praising Kalon, in particular, for his efforts to foster dialogue among the city’s various religious communities. In a similar tragic story, Rabbi Joshua Simon, who tried to revitalize a synagogue near Broadway in New York City, died last month at age 44 from brain cancer. A former magazine editor and rock musician, Simon took the pulpit in 2002 at the Actors Temple, a synagogue where stars had once worshipped, which was struggling with a dwindling congregation in recent years. Simon led services with an electric guitar and increased the synagogue's membership. But the congregation continued to struggle, and Simon left in June, his wife told The New York Times. He had just completed a CD of liturgical music before he died. The Jewish community of Mumbai was hard hit during recent flooding in western India. The flooding, which killed more than 1,000 people and destroyed at least 10,000 homes, forced many Jews to relocate to neighbors’ houses and caused widespread power outages. Reports “indicate that there was considerable water damage to homes and buildings, including water-damaged Torah scrolls and prayer books in low-lying areas, including the synagogue in Thane and in Panvel,” the Joint Distribution Committee said. In one response, Israel has sent a $50,000 airlift of medical aid to victims of the flooding. Almost one in four Israelis lives below the poverty line, the Israeli government has said. According to the National Insurance Institute report published last month, 1.5 million Israelis were defined as poor in 2004, a rise from the previous year. Analysts attributed the trend to governmentwelfare cuts, a move the Israeli Finance Ministry has said is designed to encourage employment. The findings came soon after the Central Bureau of Statistics reported an unprecedented polarization of wage differences in Israel. A book that refutes a notorious antiSemitic tract has been translated into Arabic. The Simon Wiesenthal Center has translated “Dismantling the Big Lie: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” exposing a 19th-century anti-Semitic forgery that purports to spell out a Jewish plot to take control of the world. The translation is available online at www.wiesenthal.com/ Arabic/translation. • COLE HAAN • RANGONI • MONSAC • JOEL PARKER • SESTO MEUCCI • BRIGHTON • PERLINA • BERNARDO • VAN ELI • UGGS • MEPHISTO • DONALD J PLINER We handle every Real Estate need --with ease! Three Jewish baseball players took the field for the Boston Red Sox at the same time on August 8. Gabe Kapler, Kevin Youkilis, and Adam Stern all played the ninth inning for the Red Sox in their 11-6 Mazel Tov! Herman and Nina Fishman recently celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary in Atlanta, Ga. Mrs. Fishman grew up in Tulsa and is the daughter of the late Tulsans Jennie and Dave Block. Rabbi Arthur D. Kahn officiated at the couple’s 1950 wedding. James J. Jakubovitz, executive director of the Tulsa Jewish Retirement and Health Care Center, has been appointed by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry to the recently created Oklahoma State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators. Here and There Willie Burger 746-4614 Shirley Burger 746-4672 Sharna Magoon Bovasso The Burger Team 746-8134 at McGraw Davisson Stewart Realtors http//:newhome.mcgrawok.com * sburger@tulsarealtors.com sbovasso@tulsarealtors.com The Zarrow Manor chapter of AARP meets on the second Monday of every month. Kelly Burley, AARP's associate state director of information, will speak on social security at the September 12 meeting to be held in the Zarrow Manor Sanditen activity room beginning at 2:30 p.m. Visitors are welcome. Membership is open to all national members. For more information call 494-7086. victory over the Texas Rangers. The event will be recorded on a card in the second edition of a Jewish baseball card set, slated to be ready for Chanukah 2005. More information about the Jewish card set will be available later at Jewishmajorleaguers.org. The 1946 New York Giants had five Jewish players on its roster, though it's not known whether all played together on the field at the same time. In other sports news, Benny Friedman, who played quarterback in the early years of the NFL, has been inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame. A Yiddish theater in New York City has received a $1.5 million grant from the city. The money given to the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater will help it find a permanent home, the New York Jewish Week reported. The theater is in its 90th consecutive season. Israel holds some 1,000 pieces of real estate owned by Jews who perished in the Holocaust, Israel's custodian general said. The Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported that Israel also has some 500 other assets and 3,500 bank accounts of Holocaust victims. Government officials are discussing a bill that seeks to create a public corporation or a government authority to coordinate restitution to the properties' legal heirs. Singer Harry Belafonte has retracted his recent statement that Jews were “high up in the Third Reich.” But the singer and political activist told the Jerusalem Post that Jews had contributed to nazism. “Was it rampant? Absolutely not,” Belafonte told the Post. “But these things happen, and people are not exempt from their behavior.” To support his contention, Belafonte referred to “Hitler's Jewish Soldiers,” a book that detailed how some Germans of partial Jewish descent served in the nazi army during World War II. Most Israeli adults use computers, a government study found. According to figures released last month by the Central Bureau of Statistics, 51 percent of the Jewish state's population uses computers on a regular basis. Of these, 80 percent have email accounts and surf the Internet. While their rate of computer use is lower than the national average, many senior citizens and unemployed people in Israel also use computers, the bureau said. The decline in the birthrate of British Jews has stopped. According to a community umbrella group, the same number of births 2,665 were recorded in 2002 and 2003, the latest year for which figures are available. Although births have dropped 9 percent since 1993, “the downward trend in births recorded by the community for more than a decade appears to have ended,” the report noted. The number of Jewish marriages rose by 2.5 percent, with a 9 percent fall in deaths. Average life expectancy in the community is 80 for men and 84 for women. (JTA) B’nai B’rith 2006 Directory in Preparation Add E-mail On-Line The B’nai B’rith Tulsa Jewish Community 2006 Directory is in preparation for distribution at the end of the year. Community members may add e-mail addresses to the Directory listings by visiting www.burkhartsop.com/brith.htm. B’nai B’rith will also be mailing name, address, and telephone number change requests for the 2006 Directory in early September. Questions? Call Marvin Mencher, 627-9565. SEPT. 1, 2005 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW 11 COMMUNITY CALENDAR READ THE T U L S A J E W I S H R E V I E W O N -L I N E ShalomFest: It’s about Jewish food, culture, and fun! Annual Celebration of Jewish Culture Set for September 18 Now in its twelfth year, ShalomFest continues its family-friendly hospitality, beginning at noon until 7:00 p.m., Sunday, September 18, at Temple Israel. This unique and free event offers special sights, sounds, and flavors of Israel and Jewish culture not usually found in the Midwest. Flavors of the Middle East and the East Coast Have a snack or stay for lunch and dinner. A variety of tasty treats will be available throughout the day, served a la carte. Enjoy New York-style pastrami sandwich plate, Sephardic spiced beef, cabbage rolls, borekas, and kosher franks. Baked goods will also be plentiful ... try the bialys, hamantashen, and black & white cookies. Music and Entertainment Throughout the day, there will be a joyous traditional and contemporary music program. It will include Temple Israel’s cantor, Kari Siegel-Eglash, the popular klezmer musicians, and Temple Israel’s Rock n’ Soul Choir with the Levites Band. The blowing of the shofar will also be demonstrated. Children’s activities include a Jupiter Jump, face painting, and kids’ crafts. Cultural Heritage Guided tours and model ceremonies offer rare looks into the rich heritage that is uniquely Jewish. Ceremonies include a Bat Mitzvah, a Jewish wedding, and Simchat Torah. Tours of Temple Israel will provide visitors with a look at Jewish heritage. Arts, Jewelry, Music, and Books For those wishing to find items for the home or as gifts, there will be plenty of Judaica jewelry from Israel, arts and crafts, and literature and music on display and for sale during the event. Visit ShalomFest 2005 at www.shalomfest.com “Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album” Set for Miller Museum in September In an exclusive Midwest showing, the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art will present the exhibit “Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album” beginning in September. Presenting sponsors are Cox Communications and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and the exhibit will feature more than 70 photographs shown for the first time by the Anne Frank Center USA in New York City from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. In this new perspective on Anne Frank and her family, the Holocaust is humanized and personalized. Here is a family, not unlike your own family; here are many photos. Nowhere in Otto Frank’s photos of his young family is there any hint of the horrors to come – not the slightest indication of the threat of National-Socialism and its consequences for the Jews. Exhibit Schedule: Friday, September 16, 2-4 p.m, Member Preview. Sunday, September 18, 1-5 p.m, Public Opening. Tuesday, September 20, Circle Cinema’s presentation of documentary “Anne Frank Remembered.” Museum members receive Circle Cinema members ticket discount. Thursday, September 22, Tulsa World/Newspapers in Education teachers’ workshop. Reserve tours by calling Suzy Smith at 492-1818. Supreme Court Round-Up at the Synagogue on September 16 AT WWW.JEWISHTULSA.ORG Mindy Coretz to Celebrate Her Bat Mitzvah indy Rebecca Coretz, daughter of Kim and Rob Coretz, will become a Bat Mitzvah at Temple Israel on Saturday, September 10, 2005, at 11:00 a.m. A seventh-grade student at Holland Hall, Mindy enjoys riding horses, playing cards, reading, and swimming. Celebrating with Mindy will be her brothers, Adam, Tyler, and Ryan; sister, Amy; and grandparents, Irene and Stan Burnstein, and Mollie and Irving Coretz. Joining Mindy on this occasion are aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. The community is invited to join Mindy and her family for services and the Kiddush luncheon to follow. M Mindy Coretz CONGREGATIONS TO HOLD SELICHOT SERVICES ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Selichot at the Synagogue Congregation B’nai Emunah invites the whole community to attend Selichot Services on September 24. Following a brief Mincha service at 6:15 p.m., the evening will continue with a se’udah shelishit at 6:30 p.m. Following the meal at 7:45 p.m., the Synagogue will present a special dinner theater concert of solo performances featuring Cantor Rafi Dworsky and special guests Isrella Taxon, Jon Glazer, and Susan Herndon. At 8:45 p.m., the evening will continue with Selichot. This year the Selichot service will again feature Klay Kodesh. The service will conclude with the blowing of the shofar by volunteer shofar blowers trained at the Synagogue. Make meal reservations by calling Suzanne at 583-7121, or at suzanne@bnaiemunah.com. The cost is modest. Child care arrangements can be made at the time of your reservation for no additional charge. Temple Selichot Service The Selichot Service at Temple Israel on September 24, will begin with a dessert reception at 8 p.m., followed by Havdalah. The Selichot Service will begin at 9 p.m., concluding by 10 p.m. Coming nine days before Rosh Hashanah, Selichot is an introduction to the prayer, themes, and musical motifs of the Yamim Noraim – the holiest days of the Jewish year. In the stillness of the late evening, as a community of worshipers, we Jews try to break the silence of our own apathy. We hope that our Selichot worship will harness our words to our thoughts that they may soar high and ring with the sincerity of our convictions, so that the utterances of our lips and the meditations of our hearts will prove acceptable to God, Shomea Tefilah, the hearer of prayer. All are welcome to attend this moving service. Jeanette Altman Frieden Sports Complex on the Zarrow Campus Enjoyed by the Campers of Camp Shalom Each year, the Supreme Court delivers decisions that affect the shape of American law and society in momentous ways. The high court is the subject of a special Sabbath evening service at Congregation B’nai Emunah on Friday, September 16. Led by Professor Janet K. Levit, faculty members of the University of Tulsa Law School, including Professor Lynn Entzeroth, will review the most important decisions of the court. Members and friends may choose to come at the beginning of Evening Services at 7:30 p.m., or participate in Sabbath dinner beforehand. Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m., and the cost for adults is $10 per person, and $5 for children 12 and under. Babysitting is available free to those who call in reservations at least two days in advance. Services will feature the instrumental music of Klay Kodesh, and high-end coffee and baked goods for the entire community will follow services. Dinner and babysitting reservations may be made by calling the Synagogue at 583-7121, or by e-mail to suzanne@bnaiemunah.com. Synagogue Picnic and Auction Set for September 11 The B’nai Emunah Men’s Club invites members and friends to its annual Religious School Picnic at noon on September 11, in the Synagogue Sukkah. All are welcome to attend at no cost. The picnic is a traditional gift from the CBE Men’s Club to mark the opening of the Synagogue’s Religious School year. The Synagogue also invites the community to its annual B’nai Emunah High-End Baked Goods Auction beginning at 12:30 p.m. Members and friends of the congregation will bring boxes and baskets of home-baked cakes, tarts, breads, cookies, and bars. The result is a very substantial charitable gift from the congregation to MAZON, the national Jewish hunger relief organization. Can’t come to the picnic, but would still like to help?. Drop off your contribution at the Synagogue on either September 9, or 11. If you would like to bid, but cannot be present, call Brian Brouse at 742-3301 to appoint him as your proxy. SOME OF THE RECORD-BREAKING NUMBER OF CAMPERS ATTENDING CAMP SHALOM this summer take an opportunity for a group photo before going to play soccer on the Jeanette Altman Frieden Sports Complex. For more photos and information about this year’s Camp Shalom sessions, see pages 1 and 6. Send your COMMUNITY CALENDAR Announcements to: Tulsa Jewish Review 2021 E. 71st St. Tulsa, OK 74136 TJReditor@cox.net 12 TULSA JEWISH REVIEW SEPT. 1, 2005 Israel and Iran Cooperating on Advanced Science Project Little-known ‘SESAME’ effort to create a synchrotron accelerator SESAME — THE SYNCHROTRON-LIGHT FOR EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE AND APPLICATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST scientific project, a cooperative project of Israel, Iran, and other Arab countries is shown under construction in Alaan, Jordan. BY GIL SEDAN PETRA, Jordan, (JTA) — Here’s some good news from the Middle East: Iran and Israel, bitter enemies, need no “Open Sesame” magic to be able to cooperate on an advanced scientific project. In Alaan, a town just north of Amman — and at a comfortable remove from the spotlight thrown by political conflicts — representatives of the two countries are involved in developing SESAME, an acronym for Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East. It’s a rare and possibly unique example of scientific cooperation between Israel, Iran, and other countries with which Israel has no ties, such as Pakistan, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Other members are Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, and Turkey. Libya is expected to join soon as an observer. “The political importance of the project cannot be underestimated,” professor Khaled Toukan, Jordan’s minister of education and the project’s acting director, told JTA. “Scientists in the region work together in a spirit of cooperation for the sake of developing the Middle East,” Toukan said. SESAME, the Middle East’s first major international research center, is a synchrotron accelerator. It uses magnets to create a circular path for electrons traveling at nearly the speed of light, producing a beam of bright ultraviolet and X-ray light, about the diameter of a human hair, that is directed down beam lines to end stations. “These beam lines are so much stronger than the known X-rays that they open up new options for scientific research,” professor Moshe Deutsch, chairman of Israel’s national council for synchrotron radiation and one of two Israeli participants in SESAME, told JTA. SESAME is expected to contribute to a wide range of scientific research, including structural molecular biology, molecular environmental science, X-ray imaging, archeological microanalysis, materials characterization, and clinical medical applications. The annual budget is anticipated to be between $4 million and $8 million. Synchrotron radiation is widely used in materials science and biomedical applications, including lithography for computer chips, absorption and scattering measurements, and high-pressure applications to create artificial diamonds and other substances. An international synchrotron-light source in the Middle East was first proposed in 1997, when peace seemed to be on the way. European and Middle Eastern scientists worked together, and with the contribution of an old German synchrotron, SESAME got underway. The model for SESAME was the CERN Laboratory, near Geneva. It was founded as a multinational consortium after World War II in an effort to bring former enemy countries in Europe closer, and now functions under the auspices of UNESCO. One Israeli newspaper recently came out with a headline that Israeli scientists were helping with Iran’s and Egypt’s nuclear programs. “This is absolutely false,” Deutsch said. “The synchrotron can have no military use.” But it can have immense political implications. All scientists — including the Iranians — were empowered by their governments; in fact, they are their governments’ official representatives on the council, which meets in the region every few months. In other words, it’s not merely an occasional collaboration between scientists, but rather official cooperation between the countries concerned, regardless of political animosities. How is that possible? “All participants deal only with common scientific ground and nothing else,” Deutsch said. Israel’s other representative to the council, Eliezer Rabinovici of Hebrew University, is a theoretical physicist in a field that doesn’t overlap with synchrotrons, so his own research won’t derive any direct benefit from SESAME. Nevertheless, Rabinovici is an enthusiastic partner. Rabinovici said that as a physicist he believed in the “parallel universe” theory, which posits a hypothetical universe that exists separately from our own. Some theories of physics postulate the existence of many parallel universes, possibly an infinite number. “Meeting the other scientists was a way of satisfying curiosity about the ‘parallel universe,’” he said. But, he noted, “we leave the political discussions for coffee breaks.” Why did Iran chose to participate in the project along with Israel? “Iran used to be considered a villain in the world scientific community,” Deutsch said. “For Iran, this is a way of getting out of isolation, but the scientific benefits of the project per se are a good enough reason.” Deutsch’s comments were affirmed by his Iranian colleague, Reza Mansouri, vice minister for research at Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. Contacted via e-mail, Mansouri told JTA that “international and regional scientific collaboration is one of the recommendations of science policy in Iran. It is then too natural to collaborate in this project.” Asked if Iran’s participation together with Israel had any political significance, Mansouri replied with a brief but decisive “No!’’ JEWISH FIGHTER ‘VILLAIN’ IN RON HOWARD’S ‘CINDERELLA MAN’ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Except for fleeting glimpses of the Star of David on Baer’s trunks, which the boxer displayed in every fight after the victory over Schmeling, the movie does not touch on his ethnic background. His genealogy has been frequently debated and misconstrued, but was clarified by the fighter’s son, Max Baer Jr., better known to 1960s TV audiences as Jethro in “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Speaking from Las Vegas, the younger Baer said the champ’s father, Jacob Baer, was a German Jewish immigrant, who worked as a butcher, cattle dealer, and rancher in Colorado and California. Jacob Baer married a Catholic woman, and their children were raised in her faith, though the household wasn’t particularly religious. The idea of wearing a Star of David for the Schmeling fight, said Baer, Max Baer “came from my father’s Jewish manager. At that time, the great boxers were Italian, Irish, or Jewish, and there was a lot of ethnic pride and rivalry among the fans, especially in New York. I think it all started as a publicity ploy, but over time my father might have convinced himself that he was defending the Jewish people.” The younger Baer described his late father as cocky, “sort of like Muhammad Ali,” who liked to clown around and would rather party than train. But Baer trained hard for the Schmeling match. After watching that fight, the legendary Jack Dempsey observed that Baer was so good that night he could have beaten anybody in the world. Whatever could be said against Baer, he was never petty or mean-spirited, contrary to the movie depiction, said his son. “My father hardly ever bore a grudge, and after he and another fighter would beat each other to a pulp, my father would go to the other guy’s dressing room and invite him to a party,” said the junior Baer. “After he lost the world championship to Braddock, my father said he was glad that the title went to a guy who had to support a large family.’’
© Copyright 2024