|
IN
THIS ISSUE:
BAR MITZVAH FOR HAIFA BOY BLINDED IN TERROR ATTACK
Haifa’s Congregation Or
Hadash recently called to the Torah Oran Almog, who lost his sight in an
October, 2003, Palestinian suicide bombing at a local restaurant. The
attack killed 21 people, among them Oran's father, brother, grandparents
and cousin; his mother and sister were also among the 65 people who were
wounded. Oran was sent to the US for special surgery in hopes of
restoring at least some of his sight, but the procedure failed. Since
the attack, Or Hadash, an affiliate of the Israel Movement for
Progressive Judaism, has been helping the Almog family cope with its
injuries and grief. According to the congregation’s spiritual leader,
Rabbi Edgar Nof, “Oran is a hero and is very committed to continuing his
life just like any other boy. Despite the many obvious difficulties,
[he] studied very hard for his bar mitzvah and did an excellent job.”
Some 200 people attended the ceremony (photo), many of them members of
Or Hadash. It was also filmed as part of a documentary being made about
Oran and his efforts to resume a normal life.
Back to “In this Issue”
IMPJ
EXPANDING ITS ROSTER OF CONGREGATIONS
The Israel Movement for
Progressive Judaism recently welcomed Congregation Yadid Nefesh as an
affiliate, bringing the number of IMPJ congregations to 25. Yadid
Nefesh, Hebrew for Soul Mate, is located in the northern town of Karmiel
and consists primarily of new immigrants from Latin America. The idea
for the congregation came during a World Union mission to Argentina in
2001, at the height of the country's economic upheaval. Gusti
Yehoshua-Braverman, at the time the IMPJ's director of community
development and today its associate director, conferred with leaders of
the World Union and Fundacion Judaica, the Argentinean Progressive
movement's social action network, on ways to help members of Buenos
Aires’ Progressive community. One way was to ease the transition for
those planning to make aliya by having, in effect, a sister
congregation waiting for them in Israel. Returning home,
Yehoshua-Braverman and the IMPJ developed a relationship with the
municipality in Karmiel, which had an excellent track record in
absorbing immigrants from South America. With a new wave of Argentinean
olim now streaming in, Mayor Adi Eldar, one of the most powerful
and recognizable local government heads in Israel, quickly signed on to
establish a Progressive congregation. Today, Yadid Nefesh consists of
scores of families and individuals, and is headed by Sylvia Dorfman, who
was one of the leaders of the community in Buenos Aires.
Back to “In this Issue”
SANTIAGO CONGREGATIONS REPLACE STOLEN TORAH SCROLL IN
ODESSA
Templo Or Shalom and
Congregation Yakar, both of Santiago, Chile, recently enabled the
Progressive congregation in Odessa, Ukraine, to replace a Torah scroll
stolen just before Rosh Hashana. The Santiago-Odessa transfer was
facilitated by Jerry Tanenbaum, chairman of the World Union’s Yad B’Yad
task force, which assists Progressive Jews in Latin America. According
to Tanenbaum, the World Union had provided Or Shalom with a Torah when
it became a movement affiliate in the late 1980s. Since then, the
congregation amassed a number of scrolls, and agreed to provide one to
Congregation Yakar, a younger World Union-affiliate that has been using
a small Torah and wished to acquire a full-sized scroll. Then came word
about the Odessa Torah, which disappeared shortly after the World Union
coordinated its donation by Temple Emanu-El
of San Jose, California. “The [Odessa] congregation was in shock,” said
Rabbi Alexander Dukhovny, chief rabbi of the Progressive congregations
in Ukraine. "You can imagine what Rosh Hashanah services were like.”
Dukhovny later delivered a Sabbath sermon in Odessa. “I told them that
no one can steal a Torah. Even without a physical Torah, they can have
Torah in their hearts. With the help of their sister congregation and
world Jewry, they are not alone.” Apparently, Dukhovny was right, for
both Or Shalom and Congregation Yakar graciously agreed that the
Santiago Torah go to Odessa instead.
Back to “In this Issue”
PROGRESSIVE-SUPPORTED TOWNSHIP SCHOOL FETED IN
SOUTH AFRICA
The M.C. Weiler School,
named for the legendary Rabbi Moses Cyrus Weiler and located in
Alexandra Township near Johannesburg, recently celebrated 60 years of
operation with a ceremony attended by township leaders, members of the
Progressive community and Israeli ambassador Ilan Baruch. The milestone
was front-page news in a recent issue of the township newspaper, which
told how Weiler, during a visit to Alexandra in 1945, “saw large numbers
of children playing in the streets while their parents were at work.
Realizing that there was a great need for schooling for these children,
he eventually found a small, dilapidated room. His wife Una Weiler, and
Rita Marx, the honorary president of the United Sisterhood, cleaned and
brightened up the room to accommodate the children, and a school was
born." The facility was originally named Jabulani (Rejoice), but was
renamed for Weiler in 1949 after the United Sisterhood bought a small
plot of land and built a larger facility. The original student body of
36 eventually outgrew the building and required additional classrooms
and halls located in no fewer than five separate locations. Finally, in
1984, a convent next door to the main building became available, and M.C.
Weiler's pupils could now be housed (more or less) under one roof. In
addition to the difficulties in logistics, the sisterhood continually
faced unresponsive Apartheid authorities who refused to fund building
improvements or repairs, saying the township would eventually be razed.
The authorities even refused to provide the students with separate desks
– which eventually were donated by the Temple Emanuel Hebrew School in
Parktown. With the help of a well-developed fund-raising program, the
sisterhood still supports the school, and all 1,000 students receive a
daily hot lunch. In addition, children who are HIV-positive take home
high-protein food parcels. All of this required the construction of a
new kitchen, which is also being used to train township women to bake in
order to supplement their incomes. What's more, the sisterhood is
currently raising funds to build a school library. [with thanks to
Darryl Egnal]
Back to “In this Issue”
REGISTRATION SET TO CLOSE FOR IMPJ BIKE RIDE FUND-RAISER
Cyclists still thinking of participating in the third annual
Riding4Reform bike ride, a five-day IMPJ fund-raising event set to take
place March 26-30, are being urged to sign up now. Participants must
raise a minimum of $2,000 in pledges, all of which goes toward IMPJ
community projects. This year's route will both start and finish in
Jerusalem. It will also take in the Beit Shemesh/Beit Guvrin area,
greater Tel Aviv and north to Netanya, and finally Modi'in. Cyclists
must be 18 or older (17 if accompanied by a parent or guardian) and
capable of completing the approximately 300-mile route in the allotted
time. To register or sponsor a rider, go to
www.riding4reform.org or contact
moti@impj.org.il.
Back to “In this Issue”
|
