Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1989-08-31

              zjW// Servin9 Columbus and Central Ohio Jewish Community lor Over 60 Years     \JI\\
Ohio  Hist.Society  Libr.
198S  Velrna five.     **
Columbus,   Ohio      W   ,
43611 C0MP
VOL. 67 NO. 35
AUGUST 31, 1989-AV30
Devoted to American
and Jewish Ideals.
i    ,
% '■ ,
t
»
\
Sept. 10 Phonathon
Scheduled By ORT
The Columbus Region of
Women's American ORT
(Organization for Rehabilitation through Training) will
hold its Membership
Phonathon on Sunday, Sept.
10 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at
the office of Shear-
son/Lehman/Huttbn at 65 E.
State St. Representatives of
all chapters will call all
potential members and
members who have not yet
reenrolled and ask them to
join in supporting Women's
American ORT.
There are six ORT
chapters in the Columbus
area appealing to every age
and interest group. Their activities vary. All chapters
work together to achieve the
goals of ORT. ORT was
originally founded in czarist
Russia to train Jews for professions from which they had
been traditionally excluded.
Today, ORT is a global network comprising more than
800 schools with an annual
enrollment of over 130,000
students. '.7....
Anyone who is not called
but would like to learn more
about ORT should phone
Membership Vice President
Shelly Igdaloff, 436-0840.
* *■ 1
Latest Catholic-Jewish Disputes
Add Chapter To Ongoing Pattern
Paticipants in "The Adult Mini-School: The Florence Melton Program of Jewish Learning" enjoy singing and studying
about Judaism together.
Adult Mini School Will Receive
Community Award Of Excellence
"The Adult Mini School:
The Florence Melton Program Of Jewish Learning,"
a program of the Leo
Yassenoff Jewish Center,
was selected as the 1989 winner of the Community Award
of Excellence arid will be
presented with the honor at
the Columbus Jewish
Federation's 63rd Annual
Meeting, on Sunday, Sept.
10, 7:30 p.m., at Congregation Tifereth Israel, 1354 E.
Broad St.
The Community Award of
Making final Kehillah Mission plans at a recent meeting
are (I. to r.) Co-Chairs Kenneth Gold, Robert H. Schottenstein and Ernest Stern. They'll lead a group of 54 participants
as the mission visits Italy and Israel, Sept. 12-22.
Community Members Preparing
For Sept, 12-22 Kehillah Mission
mission, which serves as the
official start of the 1990 Campaign, will provide us. with
firsthand observations at
large," notes Alan Wasserstrom, 1990 General Campaign chair.
As eyewitnesses to history,
the group's travels will begin
in Italy, as they view the
Soviet Jewish immigration
procedures in Ladispoli, a
seaside area near Rome.
Mark Talisman, director of
the Council of Jewish
Federation's Washington
Action Office, will join the
Italy leg of the mission, serving as scholar-in-residence.
In Israel, sightseeing as
well as a wide variety of activities, including home
hospitality with professional
Fifty-three Jewish community members are packing their bags and preparing
for "take-off" as the time approaches for the Columbus
Jewish Federation's
"Kehillah" Community Mission to Italy and Israel,
September12-22.
According to Mission Co-
Chairs Kenneth Gold, Robert
H. Schottenstein and Ernest
Stern, this group is the
largest number in recent
years from Columbus to participate in such a mission,
sponsored under Federation
auspices, on behalf of the
1990 Jewish Community
Campaign.
"We're excited that such a
large and enthusiastic group
will experience this one-in-a-
lifetime trip together. The
(CONTINUEDONPAGE 7)
Excellence is given annually
to an organization or group
in the Jewish community in
recognition of meritorious
achievement which
strengthens Jewish indenti-
fication and quality of
Jewish life.
The winner is determined
by members of the 1989 Community Award of Excellence
Committee, chaired by
Diane Cummins with Janice
Schottenstein serving as
vice-chair.
Developed by a team of
scholars at the Melton
Center for Jewish Education
in the Diaspora at Hebrew
University, "The Adult Mini-
School," offers a basic and
yet sophisticated two-year
course of study. At the conclusion of the course, a Certificate of Jewish Study is
awarded by Hebrew University.
The Mini-School is a new
endeavor for the Columbus
Jewish community, as it
segnificantly advances the
participant's learning experience and the community's
commitment to educating
adults. Funding for the program was made, in part, by
a Columbus Jewish Foundation special grant.
The following programs
will receive an Honorable
Mention at the Annual
Meeting: Beth Jacob Congregation, "Chanukah
Decorating Contest"; B'nai
B'rith Maccabee Lodge,
"Day for Children with
Disabilities"; Columbus
Torah Academy, "Gemilat
Chesed Program"; Congregation Tefereth Israel,
"Muslims and Jews: Common Past Hopeful Future";
Congregation Tifereth
Israel, "Stars in the Dust";
Congregation Tifereth
Israel, "The Glory of Song";
The Leo Yassenoff Jewish
Center and Agudas Achim
Synagogue, "The Yiddish
Festival"; Leo Yassenoff
Jewish Center, "The Northside Facility," and Temple
Israel, "The Sacred
Bridge."
The   Annual   Meeting
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)
ROME (JTA) - Recent
controversies have added
yet another chapter to the up
and down relationship between the Vatican and the
Jewish community in the 11
years of John Paul's pontificate.
The apparent criticism of
Jews in three recent
homilies by Pope John Paul
II and the controversial decision to block removal of the
Carmelite convent at
Auschwitz have seriously
embittered delicate relations between Jews and the
Roman Catholic church,
raising the fundamental
question as to where the
pope stands on Jewish-
Catholic dialogue.
While John Paul took the
historic step in April 1986 of
becoming the first pope to
visit a Jewish synagogue,
and in many ways has been
active in promoting Jewish-
Catholic dialogue, his tenure
has also been marked by apparent setbacks in the
course of reconciliation
begun by the second Vatican
Council in the mid-1960's.
"Only the pope can
remedy the situation which
has been created," said
Rome's Chief Rabbi Elio
Toaff. "His taking a clear
position on the fate of the
ecumenical center at
Auschwitz would placate the
protests which, it is well to
remember, do not just come
from Jews.
"And by now it has
. become essential that the
Vatican also. reconfirm its
theological vision of
Judaism," he said. "Face to
face with certain contradictions, we don't know
anymore what to think and
often we have the impression
that there is not one church
talking, but two - and in contrast with each other."
Toaff's reference was to
the exception taken by three
Catholic cardinals to Polish
Cardinal Franciszek
Macharski's decision to
block removal df the
Carmelite convent from
Auschwitz. 7-
macharski said his decision was based on protests
by Jewish groups over the
delay in moving the convent,
which was agreed to by a
joint Jewish-Catholic agreement reached in Geneva in
1987.
Cardinal Albert Decourr
tray, one of the four cardinals to sign the agreement,
subsequently issued a statement sharply criticizing
Macharski's stand.
"We will continue to do
everything in order that .the
dialogue begun under the
sign of the Geneva accord
continues," Decourtray
said. "We need reciprocal
respect so as not to encroach
upon the memory of
Auschwitz.
Furthermore, he said,
"the Geneva decisions will
not be put back under discussion. An agreement
obliges those who sign it."
The Italian press quoted
sources at the Vatican as
saying that Macharski had
issued his statement without
the knowledge of the pope -
a state of affairs that some
observers said was hard to
believe, given the close relationship between the two
men and the pope's continuing interest in events in his
homeland.
Jewish leaders, in fact, are
profoundly concerned that
the pope has never spoken
out on the Auschwitz convent
controversy.
"Why is the Vatican silent
on this?" askecf, Tullia Zevi,
president of Italy's Jewish
communities. "That's what
we want to know."
This latest flare-up over
the convent question came
on the heels of another controversy concerning th pope.
In homilies on Aug: 2, 9,
and 16, the pontiff called into
question the fidelity of Jews
in biblical times to divine
law. He spoke of a
"betrayal" by the ancient
Jews of their special alliance
with God.
The pope said that according to the Old Testament, God did "choose"
Israel, but "on condition that
the people observe the law
that he gave, with the deca^
logue and the other prescriptions and norms. For its
part, Israel dedicated itself
to this observance.
Ervin Nussbaum will present his painting of the interior of
the original Beth Jacob Synagogue to the congregation on
Sunday, Sept. 10 at lp.m.
Artist Will Present Painting
To Beth Jacob Congregation
On Sunday, Sept. 10, at 1
p.m. at the Beth Jacob Synagogue, Erwin Nussbaum will
present to the Beth Jacob
Congregation an original oil
painting of his depicting the
interior of the original Beth
Jacob on Donaldson St.
Nussbaum, brother of
Frances (Mrs. Joe)
Steninberg of Columbus, was
born and reared in Columbus. He attended local public
schools and graduated from
South High School. He
: graduated from The Ohio
State University with a
degree fine arts and moved
to New York to pursue a
career in painting.
He and his wife, Muriel,
who appeared in Columbus
as Henrietta Szolds at a
Hadassah meeting, have lived in Norwalk, Conn., for
over 25 years. Nussbaum
recently rehired from his job
as a designer with the
Perkins-Elmer Company.
He now devotes his total
energies to sculpture, pain
ting and gardening.
The Beth Jacob Congregation invites the enire Jewish,
community to be present to
welcome the artist and view
the painting, which will be
donated to the synagogue in
memory of his parents,
Sarah and Meyer
Nussbaum, the latter a
founder of Beth Jacob.
Temple Israel Seeking
Prospective Members
Three dates have been set
for Temple Israel's new and
prospective members" dinner.
Those individuals and
families living on the east-
side of Columbus are invited
to Rabbi and Mrs. Bradley
Bleefeld's home on either
Tuesday, Sept. 5 or Thursday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. For
the convenience of those living on the northend of Columbus, dinner will be at the
home of Dr. Lewis and Bar-
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)