On Erev Shabbat, Shabbat Shuva, Sept. 6, Rabbi Art Nemitoff of B’nai Jehudah addressed our combined congregations from the Beth Torah pulpit. It was an exciting evening.

Rabbi Nemitoff addressed an important challenge: combining our strengths to program more effectively between the two congregations. While Rabbi Nemitoff was not specific, I imagine these are the kinds of programs he may have meant: youth activities for all ages, women’s activities and men’s activities in order to increase the pool of eligible participants; expanding the scope of education and creating a larger variety of activities; increasing the variety of worship to appeal to different tastes; combine worship for the occasions when a very limited number of people attend, like Sukkot morning.

There are also areas that we ought not combine. Our worship styles differ markedly, and diversity is a wonderful part of having a large community. We ought not aim at a monoculture for worship. Varieties of educational and religious experiences increase the interest in Judaism. We already know that combining certain activities actually decreases the participation, and we have to avoid those areas. We want to increase our activities, possibilities and the quality of our Jewish life.

Consider that the greatest educational and communication tool to be invented in the last 500 years has just been invented: digital communication, including cell phones, the Internet, Twitter, etc. Among the results is a greater focus on individuals forming their own constantly changing communities. But it has also opened up possibilities for community formation that have united people all over the world who choose to opt in to a particular community, sometimes of their own creation. Meanwhile, this technology has spread so rapidly that it’s extremely difficult to stay ahead of the cultural changes taking place. We lack the resources to stay ahead of new developments, and we don’t have the staffing to keep up with new cultural trends.

At Rosh Hashanah I discussed the new directions for congregational life: Community building through taking care of others (Caring Community Team — CCT), changing to digital education, and creating a new life stage for over 50-year-olds. All of these require leadership to step forward and make them happen, both with personal volunteer energy and the donation of new funds. These are challenges that require innovation, but they also require people who want the community to continue to meet the needs of Jews in new, innovative and relevant ways. We need you to be involved at all levels. The success of community life depends on the personal involvement of each community member at whatever level s/he finds most possible. The vitality of our community hangs in the balance.

Rabbi Nemitoff pointed to an essential fact: we are better off working together than working separately. Not in everything: we need different worship styles to appeal to multiple communities within the larger Jewish community. But with the digital revolution has come such a variety of possibilities that we need to work together to appeal to everyone. This is our challenge, and our opportunity.

See ‘Tangled Roots’

Thank you for giving attention to “Tangled Roots,” a unique and extraordinary art exhibition offered to the community by the Jewish Community Center on Sept. 29. Please note that literary and visual artist Jose Faus was born in Colombia, South America — not Columbia, as reported. This fact has significantly influenced his expressive career. Join us from 3 to 5 p.m. to hear and view Jose’s work!

Jill Maidhof

Director of Jewish Life and Learning

Jewish Community Center

No real answer to intermarriage

I would like to add my thoughts to the debate Jack Wertheimer, professor of American-Jewish history at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, has sparked regarding intermarriage and inmarriage and his assertion that welcoming intermarried families into the Jewish community has been a failure (Editor’s note: Gary Rosenblatt guest column Sept. 19, full article Mosaic online magazine — www.mosaicmagazine.com). In a perfect world, I would agree that more Jewish education and creative positive Jewish experiences would stem the trend of intermarriage. Logically this sounds right, but I can tell you with 40 years’ experience in Conservative synagogues, that the reality is that even the children with positive experiences who excelled in Hebrew school, intermarry. Some come from traditional homes. Many intermarry simply because they attend college away from home, fall in love and believe love will conquer all. A rabbi can speak himself blue in the face about the non-Jewish partner converting, but usually it makes no difference. The non-Jewish partner does not wish to convert and the Jewish partner feels compromise and accommodation will work things out. The pain and anguish occurs when the intermarried couple has children and there is a baptism. This tears the hearts out of the grandparents who have no choice; they do not want to lose their children or grandchildren.

The children of a non-Jewish mother are not Jewish. We have now lost them forever. I have heard it suggested that Conservative Judaism accept patrilineal descent with provisions encouraging Jewish education. I believe this will happen in the future, but I have problems accepting this solution.

I do not have the answer, and I believe no one does, but I do know that if one does not believe they are halachicly Jewish, they will not seek Judaism but will follow the non-Jewish mother’s religion.

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg

Edison, N.J.

(Editor’s note: On Friday, Sept. 6, Rabbi Arthur Nemitoff gave the sermon on Shabbat Shuvah at Congregation Beth Torah at the invitation of Rabbi Mark Levin. Rabbi Levin had spoken at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah two years earlier on Shabbat Shuvah. Following services, several people suggested The Chronicle publish an article about the speech, however The Chronicle does not cover events on Shabbat. Instead The Chronicle is publishing Rabbi Nemitoff’s remarks, provided by the rabbi, in their entirety.)

When I came to B’nai Jehudah 10 years ago, I instituted a new tradition. On the Shabbat in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Shabbat Shuvah, I would invite a noted clergy person from somewhere in this country or even beyond to speak and inspire us on a message of repentance. Two years ago, we invited Rabbi (Mark) Levin (of Congregation Beth Torah). The atmosphere in our chapel two years ago was truly electric. It was an evening to remember. I want to thank Rabbi Levin for his gracious invitation to speak here tonight.

Tonight’s message is simple. I have three goals. First I want to address the meaning of this Shabbat, Shabbat Shuvah, this Sabbath of turning. Second I want to address what it means that we gather here tonight, the significance of two congregations that truly share one history. Third, I want to address the future of the North American Jewish community. And I hope to do all that in about 10 minutes.

* * *

“The entire world is a narrow bridge and the essential piece is that we not be afraid.” Those words were uttered by Rabbi Levin at Selichot, when he spoke on reflections of forgiveness in his own life. Rabbi Shuval-Weiner used those same words on Erev Rosh Hashanah. And I use them again tonight. Those words do not belong to any of us. They belong to Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlov. Anybody who does any Jewish singing knows those words. We sing them in Jewish camps. We teach them in religious school. The question is what do they mean? “The entire world is a narrow bridge, a very narrow bridge — the essence, the key piece to remember is not to be afraid.”

Tonight is Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Shuvah, of return. What does the word “shuv” mean? “Shuvah” means repentance but “shuv” means to turn, to return. Yet, there is a problem. When you think about Rabbi Nachman’s statement that the entire world is a narrow, narrow bridge, how do you turn on a narrow bridge? It is so narrow you can’t go anywhere. Maybe what “shuv” means is not to return but to renew, to look behind to what was, to figure out where you are today, and determine where you want to go.

When folks study Rabbi Nachman’s famous quote, they ask about the narrowness of that bridge — if you go to the left, to the right you fall off, and they focus on the fear of falling. However, they forget to ask the question, “Where does the bridge come from and where does the bridge go?”

I believe that the bridge is a bridge from the earth to the heaven. Or put another way, one end of the bridge keeps us chained down and the other end leads to what allows us to soar beyond our own imaginations. This Shabbat is an opportunity to consider where we have been; but more importantly, where we want to go. Fear keeps us stuck at one end of the bridge. On this Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of renewal, we know we can reach toward the other end.

* * *

When I came home 10 years ago, quite honestly one of the things that was foremost in my mind was Congregation Beth Torah. The reason why? While I was gone, Beth Torah came into existence. When I left B’nai Jehudah, Beth Torah didn’t exist. Rabbi Levin was rabbi at B’nai Jehudah. And when Beth Torah was formed, I stand here tonight to tell you something that all of us know: a wound was opened in this community, a wound that has taken 25 years to heal.

But I was thinking about Beth Torah and asking how do we heal this wound? What was the stumbling block? What I knew existed and what I felt when I came here: Fear. I don’t know what the fear was about but there was fear and there was anger and there was angst and it existed and was palpable. I recalled Rabbi Nachman’s quote, “the essential piece is not to be afraid.” Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously stated, “The only thing to fear is fear itself.” Fear gets us stuck in bad places. So, I asked: How can we go beyond the fear? Because, in the end, we all look alike, we all dress alike, we all sing the same tunes, we pray out of the same prayer book — we are the same. How to heal that wound and how to allow two congregations, each in and of itself, noble and filled with goodness … how to bring them together and allow them to work in a way that benefits themselves and the community? Rabbi Nachman reminds us, fear is the one essential ingredient that must be absent in order for us to soar.

* * *

The third element I would like to address is: What is the future of the Jewish Community in North America? I will tell you this: Rabbi Levin and I have the exact same vision of the Jewish community. In an amazing conversation that I wish each of you could have experienced, with Rabbi Larry Hoffman and the boards of B’nai Jehudah and of Beth Torah at B’nai Jehudah, he and I sat in chairs facing each other and had a dialogue. And in that dialogue, we acknowledged the fact that we were pursuing the exact same goal, albeit in opposite ways. Mine was to approach it from an individual perspective, to have each individual walk their own Jewish path. His was that there be a communal conversation. Yet, in the end, the goal was exactly the same. And at that moment, I knew what the future of the Jewish community could look like.

And now I am going to make two statements that may seem crazy, that may seem frightening, that may ask you whether or not we are at earth or in heaven but I will make them nonetheless:

The Jewish community of the future will only exist if we do things together. It is time we stop talking about B’nai Jehudah and Beth Torah and Beth Shalom and K.I. and New Reform and start talking about the Jews.

We have fewer resources, we have less people, we have greater needs. It is time for us as a community to stop being tied down to the old, to stop looking back, to stop being afraid and to look forward. It is time to figure out ways we can conserve our resources, to take the best that each of us offers and give it to one another. If we don’t do that, we will fail. Oh we will still exist. We’ll sputter along and we’ll say “O, woe is us!” and we will not thrive.

Shabbat Shuvah is time for us to look toward the future. Yes, we need to ask ourselves who we have been. But much more importantly, we should ask what can we become when we become “at one” with those around us, with ourselves, with God? I am here to say to us tonight it is time for us to be at one, to figure out how to work together, not to be a part, not to work at odds, not to see each other as competition but to see each other as partners. As I walked into the building tonight, I saw three things that I wished B’nai Jehudah could do, could be better at. I wasn’t jealous, I was inspired. I hope that when you walk into B’nai Jehudah there are one or two things that will inspire you, as well.

On the morning of Sukkot, our two congregations will be praying together. It has never happened before, has it? We are going to be outside in our sukkah. We are going to be together. You know our ancestors made pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the holidays, they are called the “shalosh regalim” for a purpose ... “regalim” means pilgrimage. In the past, our ancestors went to Jerusalem from wherever they lived. They joined together and they prayed to God. We, too, are going to be together.

I pray that what began two years ago emerges into something transformational for our community. Rabbi Levin and I have had conversations. We have collaborated in a few areas, but I pray tonight will be the jumping off point … a point where we no longer look behind us but rather look ahead of us and ask, “What can we do as a community, together?”

It is time for us to no longer be afraid. The entire world is this narrow bridge and there is only one direction for us to go if we want to succeed. The secret is to not be afraid. On Rosh Hashanah morning, my sermon was titled “What If” and I spoke about the “what ifs” of life, the negatives and the positives. I conclude my remarks tonight by asking a “what if” — What if our two congregations — all of our congregations — got rid of their fears (and there are many kinds of fears that we have) and we sat down together and dreamed of what the future could look like together?

… And then together we made that happen.

What if?

I end by quoting Tom Clancy. Tom Clancy once said that the two questions that have to be asked of every novel writer are “what if?” and “what next?” So I ask tonight, what if our leadership, our clergy, our members were brave enough to sit down together. What if? I would like to see what’s next.

An acceptable offense on intermarriage

I am a Kansas City native. While I agree with not pushing away people who made the decision to intermarry, I believe that is not the only thing that should be done concerning intermarriage.

I believe the best and most important way to begin discouraging intermarriage in not when a child starts to date, but when the child is born. My family has belonged to Kehilath Israel Synagogue all my life. I was sent to religious school, but that wasn’t the extent of my Judaism. Our family celebrated holidays and Shabbos regularly. My parents encouraged me to participate in BBYO and later NCSY. My parents embraced our Judaism and I was able to see that.

Many of my peers are getting married, engaged and dating right now. Of the 11 people from my confirmation class at K.I. (whose parents did many of the same things at different levels), at least five of those 11 people are married, engaged or dating someone Jewish. (I don’t have all the numbers because I not kept in contact with the others, but I would guess many of them are also marrying Jewish people.)

Parents should not just rely on religious school and rote traditions to encourage their children to marry someone Jewish. Instead, find out why Judaism is important to you, and then communicate it with speech and action to your children, and they will listen.

Craig Kohn

Overland Park, Kan.

Hats off to Rabbi Mendel Segal

I want to express my admiration and thanks to Rabbi Mendel Segal for the logistical skill with which he oversaw the second annual Kansas City Kosher BBQ Festival.

As a regular participant in barbecue competitions around the country and throughout the year, I am familiar with the tremendous amount of effort and organization it takes to run a successful event. Being able to pull it off is challenging enough. Making it kosher — from the meat to the ingredients to the smokers and utensils — is downright amazing. And watching Mendel handle it all was very impressive.

He organized the ordering and distribution of all the meats and equipment to the competitors. He also cooked food for the concession at the festival. And he served as the official MC of the event, welcoming everyone and making sure it all ran smoothly. It was quite a feat, and I was in awe of how much effort he put into it.

My wife Jessica, my brother Michael and I — the “Full House BBQ” team — were honored to be chosen the overall champions. But our hats are off to Rabbi Mendel Segal, who has established a winning approach to running a barbecue competition that rivals any other in the country — and has the Vaad Hakashruth seal of approval!

Jimmy Nickle

Village Shalom Food Production Manager

(Editor’s note: Zoe Weiner is the winner of the 2013 Margolis Memorial Scholarship Essay Contest sponsored by Kansas City Lodge #184, B’nai B’rith. She won a $2,000 cash prize and will be a freshman at the University of Oregon this fall. A graduate of Blue Valley North High School, she is the daughter of Rabbi Alexandria Shuval-Weiner and Jay Weiner.)

The strongest most powerful coalition in the world is created when people act as a whole and come together as one. It takes partnership, commitment, cooperation and compromise in order to achieve a goal; yet, it also takes acceptance, education and understanding with the intention of attaining peace. God made every man and woman equal. Peaceful coexistence can only be achieved when all of God’s children are involved.

Since the dawn of man, there have been numerous examples of needless, devastating clashes between differing groups, whether it is race, gender, religion, social class or belief. In attempting to find paths toward peaceful resolution, too often power, pride and egotism get in the way of compromise and collaboration and, sadly, when groups disagree and get stuck in the middle of a power struggle, nothing gets accomplished.

Without the foundation of partnership, time seems to stand still, nothing progresses and nothing gets improved. In order for society to thrive and develop, compromise, collaboration and partnership are compulsory. An example of this can be seen in the ongoing Middle East conflict. There is fighting, disagreement and a major power struggle between the Arab and Israeli peoples, which has been going on for decades. Competing “truths” and mistrust impede civil discourse. Many doubt if peace will ever be possible.

Interfaith dialogue has long been seen as a key vehicle toward creating space for creative problem solving to take place, because it offers the opportunity for brothers and sisters to sit together, to learn from one another and to discover shared values and build trustful relationships. And yet, interfaith dialogue is only fully achieved when every religion, every minority and group is involved. Too often, many chairs have been left vacant at the collaborative table. In order to pave the way for peaceful coexistence it is imperative that we find ways to fill the empty seats.

There are those who maintain that world peace is an unachievable goal for humankind. I believe that although we may not see it in my lifetime, it is in fact possible. In order for the world to achieve complete peace and diplomatic coexistence, our present mindset of distrust and uncertainty of others must be broken down in order to rebuild to create a world of amity. “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one” (from a song by John Lennon). The first step toward creating this world construct is found in establishing deep personal relationships, people sitting together, sharing their hopes, dreams and fears. We know that peace and harmony are a top priority for many individuals; yet, when the world is seen as divided up into different “types,” whether it is by religion or nationality, it can be difficult to understand the individual human aspect that we all have in common.

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” is a saying that could have some truth behind its words. Thus, in order to build toward world peace, it is important to start educating children at a young age that everybody is created equal and every human being has inherent value. People are different, but peace can only be achieved when humans understand that everybody else is human too, and we cannot be any more alike than that.

There are multiple truths in the world, and it is only through education and personal relationships, that fact will be understood, and accepted. There is an educational program called Abraham’s Vision in which Jewish, Muslim and Christian teens are brought together to study and learn as a group. “Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding,” Ralph Waldo Emerson taught.

Students work together to create personal and friendly relations while studying sacred texts such as the Torah and the Quran with the purpose of pinpointing commonalities. It is true that all religions are different and unique; although it is also true that all religions share many of the same core values and have many similarities. “Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways,” the Dalai Lama XIV said. In order to begin construction on the road to peace, interconnections are important to find. Partnership and common understandings are the building blocks to peaceful coexistence in the world.

Personal relationships are essential in order for peaceful coexistence to be achieved. It is easier to target a whole group of people and go to war when there is no meaning in an individual. Interfaith dialogue and interaction provides the basis for breaking down barriers. When a person gets to know another person, they see the real human inside and the uniqueness of that single being. When people welcome others into their home, and have a meal while they share their personal stories, that person is no longer just a shell, they have a soul and discover that they share common hopes and dreams.

“All my life I’ve been waiting for

I’ve been praying for

For the people to say

That we don’t wanna fight no more

There’ll be no more wars and our children will play …”

“One Day,” Matisyahu

When a relationship is created, a personal connection is made, and it is much more difficult to target an entire group of people when there is an intimate knowledge of all the pieces that make up the whole. The “whole” is no longer a whole; it is a group of unique individuals who all have an individual story and a distinct path. He has children and a wife, she loves to help people or they enjoy playing football. There is much more to learn and understand about one single person than there is about a whole general group categorized into one set “type.”

If people want to identify others by a generalized group, the group should be human being, the only factor that makes us all the same. Once everybody sees the commonalities within all of mankind rather than the differences, only then can peaceful coexistence exist. “There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions” (Hans Kung).

In my life I have lived among many different types of people, some that I agree with and some that I do not. As I take the next step forward starting college in the fall, I know that I will be exposed to many more people of varied viewpoints and experiences. But as Rabbi Tarfon taught, “It is not your duty to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” I go to university a proud Jew, but I will be open to sitting at the interfaith table and learning with and from others in order to do my part in building a world that one day can and will be one of peace.

Kay Wilson has spent the past two and a half years with only one goal in mind — trying to find a moment’s respite from the constant barrage of thoughts, images and sounds that fill her mind. It’s been more than two and a half years since she was brutally stabbed while guiding Kristine Luken, an American tourist, through an archaeological site in the hills surrounding Jerusalem.

All her hard work with therapists, psychologists and counselors came to naught earlier this month by the surprising announcement that Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, who was once outspoken against such actions, plans to release 104 Arab terrorists, many of whom are serving life terms in jails for murder. They were tried and convicted of heinous crimes, but are being released so that the “Palestinians” will agree to hold peace talks with us. This has not worked in the past, but following two visits by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, it seems as though our leaders have been convinced (or threatened?) to try it again. Following the prisoner release that resulted in Gilad Shalit’s freedom, the government promised no future deals where terrorists would be released.

While Kay’s story is still fresh in my own mind, I will recount the details for anyone unfamiliar with what happened.

It was a clear and beautiful Shabbat afternoon in December 2010, when Kay was working as a tour guide. She took her friend/client, Kristine Luken, on a tour that began with a local winery. The two then headed down into the valley to see some popular archaeological sites. As they were walking, two young Arab men appeared out of nowhere and asked them for water. Not trusting them or wanting to engage in a conversation, Kay answered in Hebrew that they didn’t have any and continued on. She immediately realized that they were being targeted and whispered to Kristine to be on guard. Kay wrapped her fingers around the penknife in her pocket, which was her only form of self defense.

Soon enough, the same two Arabs came out from behind them and grabbed them. The women struggled, at which time Kay stabbed one of them in the thigh, but the Arabs were strong and armed with a large knife. In what appeared to be a kidnapping attempt, they were tied up and blindfolded. As Arabs continued to phone their contact person for backup, the terrorized women waited under knife point for 30 minutes. When their backup did not arrive, they quickly made the decision to kill their victims and flee.

Bound, barefoot and gagged Kay watched and listened to Kristine’s final sounds of death from a few meters away. Knowing that she was next, she awaited the same fate. After being stabbed 13 times, she was still lucid enough to pretend like she was dead. Her eyes were open as they plunged the knife into her back over and over.

Thinking they had killed her, they started to leave. For some reason, they turned around to make sure she was dead. With her eyes open, she did not flinch when one of them ripped the Magen David off her neck and thrust his knife deep into her chest.

When the murderers left, she understood that if she stayed where she was, it would be difficult for the police to find her body so she made a superhuman effort to drag herself up to the main road. Bleeding from broken bones and a punctured diaphragm, she pulled herself up and began, step by step, going forward through sharp thorns and thicket with her bare feet that were tied together. When she fell, she got back up and continued.

She was racing against the end of daylight hours. With her injured dog following, she plunged ahead and arrived at the top near a parking lot and picnic tables. When she knew she was seen by children playing, she collapsed.

The police were called and a search crew worked through the night before finding Kristine’s body. Kay was taken to hospital, where she recovered while the police stood guard outside her room.

The first few days were spent being questioned by a special investigating unit. Due to Kay’s testimony and bravery, the police not only caught the Arab murderers, but the DNA on her penknife led them to a gang of 13 terrorists.

It’s been two and a half years, but for Kay Wilson, it seems like yesterday. The once vibrant and lively tour guide feels stuck in a bad dream. She cannot escape and the scenes and sounds of that day continue to play in her mind.

Kay saw her Arab attackers again face to face when she testified against them. When they appeared with a smirk on their faces, she stood up in the courtroom and shouted, “Am Y’israel Chai!”

They had confessed to the crimes and were sentenced to life, although one of them appealed his conviction. They, and their gang, were also convicted of other assaults and murders in the same area, including the murder of teacher Neta Blat Sorek the previous year.

The little relief and security Kay felt by helping “put them away” vanished this month when Prime Minister Netanyahu announced the release of 104 Arabs from prison. So what if they were given multiple life sentences in prison? So what that they had killed without remorse and would proudly do so again? The thought of Kristine’s murderers also being freed in the future sends chills up her spine.

According to a list released by The Times of Israel, here is a partial list of Arab terrorists who will be released in the coming months:

• Issa Abed Rabbo attacked Revital Serry and Nir Levi as they were hiking south of Jerusalem in 1984. He tied their hands, blindfolded them and shot them in the head.

• Muhammad Tus belonged to a terror group that planned five bus attacks, which killed Edna Harari, Motti Swisa, Zalman Abolnik, Meir Ben Yair and Michal Cohen.

• Fayez Hour murdered two people in the Gaza Strip and while in jail, planned an assassination attempt on Yitzhak Shamir.

• Mohammed Daoud killed Ofra and Tal Moses by throwing a Molotov cocktail at their car in 1987.

• Mahmoud Harbish and Iomaa Adam killed Rachel Weiss and her three children by attacking their bus north of Jericho in 1988. When David Delarossa, a soldier, tried to help them, they killed him as well.

• Nihad Jundiyeh killed Zalman Shlein, an Israeli contractor, in 1989.

In the past, Arab terrorists who have been released from prison often continue with their murderous plans until they are captured again. In the meantime, many innocent Israelis will suffer while the government officials are caught up in their wonderful euphoria mistakenly called, “the peace process.”

Gayla Goodman made aliyah from Kansas City 26 years ago. She lives in in Mevasseret Zion, just outside of Jerusalem.

Thoughts lack substance

The vitriol oozing from the letter of Rob Montague regarding the article on Israel by Morton A. Klein is truly impressive. His vocabulary of invectives is superb; nay, almost matchless.

Regrettably, once past the insults, his letter smacks of the viewpoint typically found in communications from adherents of J-Street (which never finds an Arab demand to which it is unwilling to concede). His thoughts totally lack substance. His letter offers little more than wishful thinking. He criticizes, but proposes nothing specific, save the creation of a Palestinian State based on mere blind hope and crossed fingers.

Perhaps that is being a trifle unkind. He does demand negotiations with the Palestinians. However, it would have been instructive for Mr. Montague to have explained how one negotiates with someone who adamantly refuses to concede your very right to exist. When your presumed negotiating partner cannot even bring himself to lie about his eagerness to see you dead, it does put a damper on one’s enthusiasm for the project.

He acknowledges that in creating a Palestinian State, “there are risks involved.” Easy to say when one is snug and smug in Overland Park. Maybe if he spent some time living near the border with Gaza he might have a different perspective. At the very least, since his own life is not at risk, he might be a little less cavalier in his willingness to risk the lives of Israelis. It is the Israelis who have their lives on the line. They unquestionably know all the nuances of their situation better than we. We all should be supportive of whatever course of action they decide is in their own best interest. That includes Rob Montague, Morton A. Klein, and me.

Lee Levin

Overland Park

An embarrassment to world Jewry

When I first became aware of the fraud and subsequent cover-up at the Jewish Claims Conference I couldn’t believe it was possible, but now I understand. Chairman Julius Berman has kept the majority of his board members in the dark and the ones that do know how he has operated are just happy to serve. They enjoy the perks and will not rock the boat.

It’s every Jew’s responsibility to go on record and take a stand against the desperate actions of Mr. Berman. The board members who sit back and condone this behavior are just as guilty. I commend Jerusalem-based columnist Isi Leibler and Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg of Edison, N.J., for having the guts to step up and expose Mr. Berman’s desperation to hang on to his powerful and influential position. Rabbi Rosenberg has been an advocate for Holocaust survivors for many years and to my knowledge is the only rabbi to publicly criticize the Conference. Mr. Leibler has refused to back down despite threats of legal action.

Any person with a conscience must stand behind Rabbi Rosenberg and Mr. Leibler in fighting for the elderly Jewish survivors. In a few years these witnesses to man’s inhumanity to man will be gone. Therefore it’s  every Jew’s responsibility to see that they are treated with dignity in their twilight years. I urge you to let the Claims Conference leadership know that their actions are an embarrassment to world Jewry.

Barry P. Resnick

Orange, Calif.

Support independent Palestinian state

Wow! I nearly had to take a dose of anti-nausea medicine after reading the full-page screed by Morton A. Klein (July 18), arguing that a Palestinian state won’t bring peace! It’s a long time since I’ve seen such a full-throttled dump of anti-Arab hatred, stereotyping and, you should pardon the expression, just plain dreck! Still, it’s useful that The Chronicle published this to give us a chance to see the kind of poison that’s being peddled by at least a part of the Jewish community and its so-called “leadership.”

Morton is so preoccupied with sliming the Arabs and Palestinians that he overlooks the obvious: of course there’s no guarantee that a Palestinian state will bring peace. But what is guaranteed is that maintaining the status quo, as he advocates, will assuredly not bring peace. All Israel will have, in such a tragic scenario, is a large and eternally angry and resentful Palestinian population under its boot, ready to explode at any moment and on a regular basis. Is that really the future Morton and his ilk wish for Israel? If it is, he and his friends are truly meshugginah and should be committed to some kind of institution!

Although there are no 100 percent assurances in any part of life, let alone the Israeli-Palestinian relationship, there are real chances that an independent Palestinian state will begin to turn from its endless grievances with Israel to starting to build up their own country and society. The average Palestinian is sick to death of the current situation in which it’s impossible to plan for the future or seriously begin developing commerce and industry, or even just raise a family. Most just want what everyone wants: a chance to live a normal life! Certainly there are die-hard ideologues among the Palestinians who will nurse their resentments against Israel and even act on them once in a while. But those are manageable threats that Israel can live and deal with, just as it has been ever since 1967. A Palestinian state is not going to be a serious, credible existential threat to Israel. If it were to go to war against Israel it would be wiped out in hours. Whatever their rhetoric may be, the Palestinians aren’t that stupid, nor are they suicidal. There will be peace between an independent Israel and Palestine, even if relations may not be as free of friction as those between, say, Canada and the United States. But in time that will come, because it’s in the interest of both peoples and countries.

It’s time for all of us really care about Israel’s future to speak strongly in favor of a two-state solution and do everything we can to pressure both-sides to get serious about negotiating a permanent peace. Now is a propitious time to do it, because with the upheavals in the Arab world the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no longer the one central, burning issue in the region. In much of the Arab world people are calling for an end to the corrupt, authoritarian regimes under which they’ve suffered, and are beginning to evolve into modern societies. The average Palestinian wants that, too. That means that there are new opportunities that didn’t exist before, and it’s important to seize this transformative moment in the Arab world. Yes, there are risks involved, but to perpetuate the existing stagnant situation is no answer. It’s time for both Israelis and Palestinians to move ahead, and we need to help them get there. It’s time!

Rob Montague

Overland Park, Kan.

SAFEHOME thanks Flo Harris Foundation

SAFEHOME would like to publicly thank the Flo Harris Foundation for renewing SAFEHOME’s Jewish Outreach Program Grant for this grant cycle. Chronicle subscribers received a copy of “The Guide to Jewish Life” a few weeks ago. At the time of the editor’s deadline, SAFEHOME did not know that the Flo Harris Foundation would again fund the agency’s Jewish Outreach Program. How wonderful that we can acknowledge the Foundation’s generosity now!

For your information, in the last year, funding from the Flo Harris Foundation allowed me to facilitate several speaking engagements in a wide variety of venues in our community. This grant also enabled SAFEHOME to print new materials to send out in a mailing to all our local Jewish clergy. It both moved and excited me that upon receiving the mailing, six rabbis contacted me immediately saying they would be more than willing to help in any way if a Jewish victim asked for resources beyond SAFEHOME’s scope. It is our dream that in the upcoming year we will see an increased level of collaboration to promote healthy familial relationships and awareness of the dynamics of family violence. I hope this will include a collaborative, educational program in late winter. The Flo Harris Foundation truly deserves a kol ha k’vod for supporting SAFEHOME’s continued domestic abuse education in our Jewish Community.

As the introspection begins with the advent of our holidays, appreciate the peacefulness of your homes. When Yom Kippur ends and you build your sukkah, please know that those affected by family violence, and people who make the courageous decision to leave and find refuge in SAFEHOME’s shelter, truly live in a “temporary dwelling.” Together, we can help them achieve better, safer lives.

Let me wish you a very early L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu.

Susan Lebovitz, CVM

Volunteer Manager

SAFEHOME’s Jewish Outreach

Program Coordinator

Claims Conference needs to distribute money now

I have been relentless in attempting to force the Holocaust Claims Conference to re-evaluate and change their methods. At least they are enacting these corrections. However, why shouldn’t the money they have in their possession be distributed immediately to Holocaust survivors? There are precious few survivors left and soon they will be gone. Only the youngest are still alive. My father Jacob, a survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald, passed away 30 years ago. My mother, a survivor of Skarzish and Buchenwald, passed away 20 years ago.

I ask every Holocaust survivor reading this to protest to the Claims Conference or their attorneys and ask what is happening with the funds. Twenty percent of these funds goes to birthright, Holocaust museums, writers etc. Ask why a Nazi is receiving compensation from the Claims Conference after his identity as a Nazi was revealed. Ask why individuals who are not really Holocaust survivors but were added to the list receiving funds.

It is your money and you deserve it now. How is it possible for Holocaust survivors to be in need of food and medications when the Claims conference holds so much money?

I am only one person. You must speak up now.

Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg

Edison, N.J.

For a week in July, Bev Jacobson and I had the amazing privilege to go on the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) Campaign Chairs mission to Belarus and Israel. This was not your regular mission to tourist sites and famous landmarks. Instead we learned the history of Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union, met Holocaust survivors, delivered care packages to elderly Jews in need and danced with Jewish kids of all ages at the JDC community center in Minsk, Jewish summer camps in Belarus, and then Birthright Israel participants and IDF soldiers in Israel.

JFNA funds programs in Israel and our overseas Jewish communities to enhance the well being of Jews through the values of tikkun olam (repairing the world), tzedekah (charity and social justice) and Torah (Jewish learning). We visited communities in Belarus and throughout Israel to learn about some of these programs and talk with the participants. What struck me through our travels and busy schedule was no matter who we met or where we were, individual people were doing incredible things to help each other and help their communities. One particular visit really resonated with me.

It was a beautiful sunny morning in Haifa, when our small bus arrived at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the premier Israel security and defense equipment company in Israel (http://www.rafael.co.il). The company employs more than 7,000 people worldwide and is the company that developed and built the Iron Dome missile defense system Israel now uses. Because of the top security required, we willingly turned over our cell phones and cameras before the briefing. In a modern, smoky-blue-glass-walled conference room, we met with the company marketing and chief information leaders, as well as three ultra-Orthodox Jewish haredi women who now work there.

One woman, Rivka, told us that at a young age she liked computers and knew she wanted to be a software engineer. In her haredi community the seminary training focused on Jewish learning and teaching careers. When I asked Rivka how she and her family felt about her job, she gave us the biggest smile and said “I’m so happy to do what I love and be able to provide for my family, and my parents and husband are so proud of me that I work for such a prestigious company that helps protect Israel”.

It was through Jewish Federation funded programs and counseling services (with partner agencies and other companies in Israel) that she was able to get the continued education and corporate skills training to compete and be offered a job at Rafael. Federation funded programs also helped Rafael human resources and managers understand and accommodate the special needs of ultra-Orthodox women employees. As a working mother, it was inspiring to hear about the program and how Federation helps people fulfill their potential while still honoring their religious beliefs.

Our trip concluded in Jerusalem, where we learned about social service and educational programs in Israel, celebrated Shabbat, and met with members of the Knesset, (including the new Yesh Atid party, founded in 2012, that seeks to represent what it considers the center of Israeli society: the secular middle class). Throughout our trip we met Jewish people of all ages who shared their stories with us. Many of them, like us, had parents or grandparents who left Eastern Europe and began new lives in a new country. It reminded me how we are all connected by our common heritage and how we each have the opportunity to make a difference for our families, our local communities, and for Jewish communities all over the world.

Amanda Palan serves as Jewish Federation Women’s Philanthropy campaign co-chair.