Wow! Summer is almost over. Where did it go? At least we will be having great weather over the next few days.
As we ease into the Labor Day next weekend (and no, I don't mean to rush into it), we are beginning to feel the pulse of the community quicken...kids going back to school, synagogues gearing up for the High Holidays, our Federation campaign about to kick-off....
So many great things to look forward....the life of a community reawakening after the summer months. Welcome back and I look forward to a great fall.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
There are a Million Reasons
There are a million reasons.
And we want you to be aware of as many as we can.
Many of us do not know what the Jewish Federation Annual campaign is all about. It seems as if it is too big, too anonymous. Many of us would like to follow our money to see where it is going and what it is doing. Often,when one gives to an "umbrella" campaign, we can lose sight of how the money is being spent. This year we want everyone to better understand how our gifts to the 2011 Federation campaign actually make a difference in people's lives.
We will give everyone an opportunity to experience first hand what it means to be a donor to the Federation campaign and how each and every one of us can benefit from the tzedakah we give.
There are a million reasons to give to the campaign and over the next few months we will be telling the stories of what makes up that million.
And we want you to be aware of as many as we can.
Many of us do not know what the Jewish Federation Annual campaign is all about. It seems as if it is too big, too anonymous. Many of us would like to follow our money to see where it is going and what it is doing. Often,when one gives to an "umbrella" campaign, we can lose sight of how the money is being spent. This year we want everyone to better understand how our gifts to the 2011 Federation campaign actually make a difference in people's lives.
We will give everyone an opportunity to experience first hand what it means to be a donor to the Federation campaign and how each and every one of us can benefit from the tzedakah we give.
There are a million reasons to give to the campaign and over the next few months we will be telling the stories of what makes up that million.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Europe
I certainly hope you are enjoying the summer. I just returned from a visit to Berlin, Prague and Budapest where I had the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Jewish communities.
It is one thing to learn about those communities in textbooks; another to experience it where the events of that history actually took place and to hear it from those who are the descendents of those who lived or died through that history.
Although there were many unforgettable experiences two stand out:
We took a day trip to Therezenstadt, the “show” concentration camp 40 minutes outside of Prague. As many of you know, this camp was used to showcase how “humanely” the Nazis were treating their Jews, allowing them to express their creativity through art, music, literature, theater etc.
Our guide, Pavel, was an 87 year old Therezenstadt survivor. It was a very sunny day, with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees. Yet here was this old man describing his personal experiences while showing us where his barracks were, where he worked, and how he survived. Every single Jew from Prague was transported to Therezenstadt and from there most were sent to Auschwitz for extermination. Pavel survived.
We asked this man how he can continue to do these visits. He responded matter of factly: “When I wake up in the morning I have aches and pains, but as soon as I begin telling the story, these aches and pains disappear. It is my duty and obligation to tell the story.”
And the cemeteries in Berlin, Prague and Budapest….almost no headstones in the old Jewish cemetery in Berlin, wiped clean by the Nazis….headstone on top of headstone, 5layers deep because the Jews of Prague were only allowed to have that small piece of land for burial…and in Budapest where Jews were buried outside the Great Budapest synagogue, because there was no place else to bury them….a garden turned into a graveyard.
Yet, Jewish life in those places is being reborn. Our 25 year old Jewish guide in Budapest could have been one of our children or grandchildren….the outdoor Budapest Klezmer Band concert was well attended and obviously well received as evidenced by the laughter and banter of the audience after the remarks made between the band’s numbers (in Hungarian of course)…and the return of Jews to Germany especially from the Former Soviet Union.
We need to remember how fortunate we have been in this country. And we need to be thankful that we can continue to mature and grow as a proud and engaged Jewish community.
It is one thing to learn about those communities in textbooks; another to experience it where the events of that history actually took place and to hear it from those who are the descendents of those who lived or died through that history.
Although there were many unforgettable experiences two stand out:
We took a day trip to Therezenstadt, the “show” concentration camp 40 minutes outside of Prague. As many of you know, this camp was used to showcase how “humanely” the Nazis were treating their Jews, allowing them to express their creativity through art, music, literature, theater etc.
Our guide, Pavel, was an 87 year old Therezenstadt survivor. It was a very sunny day, with the temperature hovering around 95 degrees. Yet here was this old man describing his personal experiences while showing us where his barracks were, where he worked, and how he survived. Every single Jew from Prague was transported to Therezenstadt and from there most were sent to Auschwitz for extermination. Pavel survived.
We asked this man how he can continue to do these visits. He responded matter of factly: “When I wake up in the morning I have aches and pains, but as soon as I begin telling the story, these aches and pains disappear. It is my duty and obligation to tell the story.”
And the cemeteries in Berlin, Prague and Budapest….almost no headstones in the old Jewish cemetery in Berlin, wiped clean by the Nazis….headstone on top of headstone, 5layers deep because the Jews of Prague were only allowed to have that small piece of land for burial…and in Budapest where Jews were buried outside the Great Budapest synagogue, because there was no place else to bury them….a garden turned into a graveyard.
Yet, Jewish life in those places is being reborn. Our 25 year old Jewish guide in Budapest could have been one of our children or grandchildren….the outdoor Budapest Klezmer Band concert was well attended and obviously well received as evidenced by the laughter and banter of the audience after the remarks made between the band’s numbers (in Hungarian of course)…and the return of Jews to Germany especially from the Former Soviet Union.
We need to remember how fortunate we have been in this country. And we need to be thankful that we can continue to mature and grow as a proud and engaged Jewish community.
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