Jewish Post, Indianapolis, Marion County, 3 August 1979 — Page 12

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August 3, 1979 The Jewish Post and Opii

Project Renewal

2 There was no real scoop in the news accovint in last week’s issue relating the delays in getting Project

Renewal underway.

What is news however is that the Jewish Agency and its American leadership failed to anticipate that Israel would not pursue its end of the work and politics and other factors would prevent progress. The Agency has already had experience over the years with Israeli officialdom, as has anyone who has ever dealt with the bureaucracy there and too much reliance on the promises of the political appointees who make the decisions should have been recognized as a mistake. From the standpoint of the American Jewish leadership which deals with the top echelon of Israeli officialdom, they had taken a strong stand and refused to release the millions of dollars already raised by the United Jewish Appeal for the $1.2 billion project. But that comes two years after its launching and already Israelis living in the poverty areas are staging protests and

demanding action.

Obviously there has to be teamwork. But there also must be advance planning, which means that obstacles are anticipated and means to circumvent them established in advance. Max Fisher believes that progress will be made now. The United Jewish Appeal has withheld funds and Israel knows that it must act expeditiously. But even with all these factors in favor of moving ahead with commendable speed, Project Renewal can run into roadblocks and end up in additional needless delays. It well could be that the answer lies in the smart gimmick of twinning depressed areas with American Jewish communities. As an example Baltimore w ill undertake to provide the funds and supervise the work in Jerusalem's

Ir Ganim.

Baltimore Jewish leaders have already advanced $55,000 (P-O, July 27) for surveys, and if Baltimore takes a tough stand in dealing with Israel, it is likely that progress will be made. This will circumvent the Jewish Agency and probably, if the truth were known, the Jewish Agency leadership probably would welcome this development, thus taking themselves off the spot and letting the Baltimore leaders do the diriy work of pushing forward against procrastinations and taking care of the eventualities to avoid the unfortunate results such as those in cities like St. Louis and elsewhere where new low income housing soon turned into new slums and the tragedy of millions of dollars and people being wasted even in a nation as advanced as the United States was repeated in city after city. Project Renewal was the brainchild of Menachem Begin. It sought to lift out the middle ages the families of Oriental Jews who came from North Africa and elsewhere in the Arab world and give them opportunities to make their way in a country as advanced as Israel. They have been neglected by Israel and the world Jewish community since they flooded into Israel (they now are more than half the Israeli non-Arab population) following the establishment of the State to find fulfillment in the land of their dreams. What they found was a new poverty, one w hich destroyed their will even more than w'hen they were a despised minority in Arab lands, because now the neglect came from their fellow-Jews. Project Renewal is of supreme importance, and everything must be done to see it through to fruition. The way the American Jewish community has responded with funds over and above what it has been contributing previously is remarkable testimony to the appeal Israel represents to American Jewry. Failure can be damaging both in the Israeli and the United States Jewish communities, and recognition of this possibility should spur everyone involved to greater effort.

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- - • - - _ . ' ' i , ~ ~ - ^-T ii ‘ ~ The EDITOR'S CHAIR

Dr. Mr. Cofien: Enclosed is a copy of a report of my excitement in reaction to attendance at the National Havurah Conference July 4 to 8, 1979, at Rutgers University. You may be interested in knowing that my consuming interest in the Havurah movement was sparked by an article by Shoshana Silberman of the Germantown (Philadelphia) Jewish Center detailing the organization of their model Havurot in your August 9 and 16,1974 issues. It was my privilege at long last to meet Shoshana at this Conference, thereby fulfilling a long-standing desire of mine. I have been a long-time reader of the POST and OPINION and find it most informative of the Jewish experience. MRS. RUTH SKLUT 2716 Jefferson St. Wilmington, DE 19802 By RUTH SKLUT Yiddishkeit? Has it vanished, or is it about to vanish? For four days, Yetta Chaiken, Coordinator of Beth Emeth’s Havurah groups, Ben, and I were immersed in a sea of Yiddishkeit, a surge of Jewish fervor, of joy, of celebration that language is impoverished to transmit. We attended the National Havurah Conference at Rutgers University, July 4 through 8,1979. How to describe the people, 300 in all, young with infants carried in slings, attractive single young men and women, midle aged, and plain old, like Ben and me. The Conference was a miracle of organization, generated not only with a pervasiveness of love and beauty, but with skill and understanding all beautiful people! The Conference was coordinated by the famed Michael Strassfeld, one of the Editors of the immensely popular Jewish Catalogues I and II. Our biggest problem in coming down to earth on arriving home is how to transmit to our tension ridden, stiffnecked w'orkaday world the cloudlike ecstasy we felt. The time at this moment is 4 p.m. on Sunday, about a half hour after we returned home. I am at the Temple struggling to find the words that will express what has become the greatest, most exhilarating experience of our lives. First. I want to say that the multitude of workshops w'ere led by the foremost young intellects in the Jewish world. And. w hat is more, the participants, excluding ourselves, were among those foremost intellects. They came from Albuquerque, Miami, New Jersey, Philadelphia, California, Ohio, Augusta, Georgia, and Wilmington. How to select from so many the most unforgettable experience of the four days? First, let us begin with the Kabbalat Shabbat, the welcoming of the Shabbat, held at the incredibly beautiful Student Center. As we entered. we saw hundreds of chairs in a circle. Seated in the middle of the floor were hundreds of young people, some with their infants in slings, davenning, singing la-la-la. arm-in-arm, swaying from side to side. A beautiful, joyous celebration. The service was unfamiliar in our terms although the Silverman, Birnbaum. and Gates of Prayer siddurim were available. But the Chassidic singing and swaying and embracing penetrated the stiffest of us. And then at the climax of the evening we spontaneously burst into dancing! We could not but melt! The beauty of such a Shabbat is beyond words. And then the conclusion with the Havdalah, an experience acnieved pjerhaps only once in a lifetime. After the Service in the darkened room with the numerous Havdalah candles lit and blessed, the wine blessed, the spices wafted and blessed, then the dancing and singing began in earnest. How to aescribe such fervor, such joy, such religious ecstasy! We are helpless. What was the theme of the Conference? What did we learn? Over and over, in the plethora of workshops, in our heated discussions in the corridors, trying to absorb it all, the consuming word was “community”. What is its meaning; what are its many faces, and how do we achieve it?

We were most impressed by and jealous of the “independent havurot”. These are, for example, the famed Washington Fabrangan, the Boston Havurat Shalom, the Baltimore Minyan, the New York Minyan, the Germantown Minyan. These are spontaneous groups which have sprung up as support for young single persons and young families with strong religious orientation. These people derive from all the extant Jewish movements, and many may be described as baal teshuvah, those who have returned from a great departure to their faith. These are primarily davenning groups, meeting weekly, celebrating the Shabbat and holidays together as an extended large family. They have achieved a high degree of intimacy and joy in their celebrations. Some have expanded into Tzedakah programs that are quite extensive. We attended a much coveted Shabbat-morn-ing Service held in a “shteibel” setting. The leader, Rabbi David Teutsch, ordained at HUC, described himself as a Misnagid (one devoted to learning) rather than a Chassid. Rabbi Teutsch afforded us the rare opportunity of learning the structure of the Siddur, how the prayers got there, and some insight into their meaning. He also emphasized the importance of preparation for prayer, bringing ourselves into the state of kavannah (reverence). But how is this to be done? By loosening the body, by swaying (in Yiddish, shuckeling), through movement, finding the most comfortable spot, and single-minded concentration. All of us had the opportunity of seeing the Torah at close range. It was passed from hand to hand, and this was my first opportunity ever of handling a Torah. I was stirred to the depths and had the mystical exporience that the Torah was flowing into me, and I was flowing into the Torah — a soul-stirring exporience. We concluded that Rabbi Teutsch is a Misnagid strongly influenced by Chassidism. In an aside, and it may seem incongruous, those young Rabbis present who are most fervently Chassidic in their orientation are in the Reform movement. Feminism simply cried out to us in the midst of the most intensely Orthodox celebration and observance, which predominated. Michael Strassfeld, the young father of a four-month old and a three-year old, said, in paraphrase, “We are creating a new world; and we, too, have given birth to our children.” This generation of fervent, observant young pieople have interjected into the Halachah a recognition that the men, too, have given birth to their children and have the joy and responsibility of nurturing them. One of the most moving workshops was the one entitled, “Chevrah Kevod Hamet”, the group to honor the dead. It consisted of a film that had been shown on national television by ABC ot how a Chevrah Kadisha was organized by Conservative Congregation Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Minneapolis, triggered by their Rabbi Arnold Goodman. The name of the film, A Plain Pine Box”, depicted the year of research the large, 35-member Committee underwent, the process of Taharah — the ritual of washing and sanctifying the body, and the allnight vigil. We were amazed that teenagers together with their families were involved and to learn how they had gained strength and had learned to grapple with the reality of. death. One of the most touching parts of the film was the comment of the lumberman who with his son construct the “plain pine boxes” provided by the Congregation at nominal cost. He said, “Because it is light piallbearers can actually carry it. I will never forget how happy I was to carry my friend when he could no longer walk.” The Congregation provides the total funeral at a cost of $350. The final session this morning was a fitting climax to an unbelievable four days. Anyone who wanted to could speak at the op)en mike. Over and over we heard, “This has been the most important experience of my life!” And I am still high and floating.