The Passing of Dora Love

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Dora Love, pictured above at left with Eva Spangenthal in April 2011, passed away last week in Colchester, UK, after a brief illness. Dora was a Holocaust survivor and an advocate of tolerance.  Where-ever she went, she shared her experiences and her remarkable story, which included the recovery and resettlement of children who had survived through World War II in hiding. She visited Charleston in late April 2011 and spoke at the Charleston JCC about the rescue of the Children at Blankenese, in Hamburg, Germany, which she considered her greatest achievement.

While in Charleston, Dora also spoke at the Holocaust Memorial March, and met with students at Addlestone Hebrew Academy and Porter Gaud Middle and High Schools.


My family and I were privileged to be friends of Dora and her husband Frank and family in Johannesburg as far back as the '50s, and following their move back to England in the late '70s. 

Dora is survived by a son and daughter and their respective families, and will be remembered by many thousands more, whose lives she touched with her courageous spirit and her ever-moving testimony. 

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Gilad Shalit is free . . .

The first gift of the new year!

Watch video on YouTube

My boys are elated . . .

Let's hope more good news awaits us all in this new year . . .

WAM participants' meeting

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There will be a meeting of WAM participants this week, and it is important that all of us attend.

Thursday, August 18, 8 pm

Sherman House Recreation Room

Agenda:

1. Report on upcoming High Holidays

2. Climbing the Ladder report

3. Financial Update

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Did Krugman see my last post?

Here is Paul Krugman's latest article from New York Times on Friday. He makes the case that great damage is done by the media for always airing both sides of an argument but never making it clear when one side bears more culpability for the chaos in Washington.

I made much the same point last week, calling this media habit a practice of "moral relativism".  See the details in my prior post.

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Ahem . . . on deficit reduction, are you part of the problem?

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So, just like in Dec 2010, with the Bush Tax cuts and unemployment benefits, we have another national political "hostage" situation.  This time, it's the Debt Ceiling, and the USA's debt rating and economy are on the line against the Republican position of "no new taxes".  Never mind that President Obama has offered a 3 to 1 plan, of spending cuts to tax revenues, to address what the Republicans ran on - Deficit Reduction. But the Republicans can't say "yes".  Are they crazy?  Good question.

The thing about Republicans is that they turn against any of their own ideas as soon as they are adopted by President Obama and the Democrats.  Not only that, but neither the media nor the public hold them to account for this. Instead the mainstream media, in their commitment to presenting both sides of the story, foster a complacent approach of moral equivalence.


Let's look at this briefly in another setting -- one that is important to most concerned Jews.  Supporters of Israel like to point out that fair-minded people should not fall into the trap of "moral equivalence" - where Palestinian Terrorist acts are given the same moral standing as the actions that Israel takes when exercising its right to self defense. The media and Israel's enemies are rightfully blamed for propagating this moral equivalence.


In the context of US politics, equating right wing actions as simple mirrors of actions on the left is similar in this regard. On the one side are mountains of bad faith activity, and on the other, a bunch of mole hills. But superficially, both sides do it.  When the media reports an issue, both sides of an argument are presented, leaving the impression that all issues are 50/50, but they are not. Fox news is not simply the right wing version of MSNBC, and Republicans, who play for winning at all costs, with the stakes set at "all or nothing", constantly outplay the ninny Democrats, who get tied up in nuances and are always willing to compromise.

The habit of saying "No" is not about principle.  If it was, everyone would acknowledge that the Republicans are unable to say "yes", even to things they initially believed in themselves. It's simple hypocrisy.

Let's be specific now, on 2 counts in regard to health-care reform. The "individual mandate", meaning that everyone has to buy health insurance, and which the Republicans now oppose, was originally proposed in the 90's by the Heritage Foundation.  It was a counterpoint to the Clinton's proposal of universal managed care.  Mitt Romney, to his credit, went on to enact this concept in Massachusetts. But as soon as it became a Democratic "idea" for health-care reform proposed by President Obama and the Democrats, nope, the Republicans were automatically against it. Simply changed their minds!

Same thing with deficit reduction.  The recent offer, of 3 to 1 - budget cuts to increased revenues, was more than reasonable, except to the Republicans.

Oh yes, I forgot, everybody does this, no?

Anyway, here is Paul Krugman's take on the issue of Republican Sanity.  Look it over . . . 

and make your own diagnosis!
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Coffee House at JCC

Sunday
July 24th 
7:00—9:00 PM

Coffee House

To benefit the Journey to Wellness Fund of Charleston Jewish Social Services

Jewish Community Center

1645 Wallenberg Blvd

Did you know?

Globally, Psychological Disorders rank second only to cardiovascular disease?

Armed with this knowledge, a fund has been created at Charleston Jewish Social Services to support families who are unable to provide the necessary treatment for their children diagnosed and struggling with psychological and/or psychiatric disorders.

 Treatment is very costly and in most cases insurance only covers a small portion of the expenses. The Journey to Wellness Fund will be available to help families manage, or offset such costs. To donate, please make checks payable to Charleston Jewish Social Services, and remember to include, “Journey to Wellness Fund,” in the memo line. Thank you in advance for your support!

For more information, please contact Irene Gilbert, iGilbert@comcast.net

Please join us for an evening filled with exceptional local talent featuring

Gilah Fish, named the winner of the 2010 Low Country Talent Competition

As well as adult & youth singers, actors including members of the Charleston Stage Performance Troupe

ADMISSION - $10 - Adult,

$5 - Child ages 3-12

Includes 1 beverage per person

Desserts and additional beverages available for purchase

The evening will end with an “open mic” segment

All proceeds benefit the Journey to Wellness Fund

This evening is presented by the Rosenberg Family & friends.

Shavouth 2011

WestAshleyMinyan Shavuot Study Schedule:

First Night (June 7):

Women's Class given by Avital Zeffren at the Daniels' Residence - 11:30pm

All night men's learning at residence of Josh Shanes. The first class will start at 12:45 am: Classes will be given by Rabbi Krohn, Will Yeamans, Yaakov Zeffren and Josh Shanes.

First Day (June 8):

Women's class at Rosenberg residence. The class will be given by Chani Krohn - 5:30pm

Second Day (June 9):

Women's class, location to be decided, shiur will be given by Sarah Yeamans at 5:30 pm

We will also have a classes between mincha and maariv each night. We will also have a d'var torah during lunch on the second day.

Click here for service times

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Days of Remembrance : - May 1 - 8, 2011

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Dora Love and the Children of Blankenese
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~~~ Dora Love is a retired teacher, who now lives in Colchester in the UK. She is a survivor of the Holocaust, specifically of the Stutthoff concentration camp, and she has spent countless years reaching out and recounting her experiences during and following World War II.  Her experiences include the unspeakable horrors of forced evacuations, imprisonment in a ghetto and later at Stutthoff, the loss of loved ones, slave labor and being shipped in boats eastward across the Baltic Sea without food or water, as the Russian armies closed in on the Nazis in the final days of the war.

After liberation and her recovery from starvation and TB, Dora became a translator for the British, assisting them with war-crime investigations, and she later worked for the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and then the American Joint Distribution Committee.  Of all the remarkable things Dora did in this period, she feels most proud of her work rescuing Jewish children who had survived the war, many of whom had been in hiding with gentile families.  She assisted tracing these children and housing them in a home in Blankenese, near Hamburg, in Germany.  The home was opened in early 1946 and was staffed by soldiers of the Jewish Brigades and people assigned by the AJDC, which also provided the children food, medication and books.  Nearly 200 children passed through this home, on their way to being resettled and reunited with family, wherever they could be found.

Dora's mission to this day is to bear witness to her experiences, for the betterment of people from all communities and walks of life.  She has worked closely in recent years with the history department at the University of Essex, where she helped establish a program for students of Modern History, in which students must take at least two courses in Holocaust Studies. In recognition for her courageous efforts, her advocacy and example, Dora was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Essex in 2009.

Dora will be in the Charleston area for a few days to attend her grandson's wedding.  She will speak at two events under the auspices of the Charleston Jewish Federation and the Remember Program.  

The first is the annual community commemoration of Yom HaShoah in downtown Charleston on Sunday May 1, 3 pm, which will begin at the Charleston Music Hall.  

The second event is entitled "Dora Love and the Children of Blankenese", a talk followed by a reception, Tuesday, May 3 at 7 pm at the JCC on Wallenberg Blvd.

Meet Rabbi Marvin Tokayer

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Sat April 2, 2011
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An after Shabbat drop-in for coffee and desserts will be held at the home of Arlene and Peter Rosenthal Apr 2 beginning at 9 pm.  Rabbi Marvin Tokayer* will be our guest and all are invited to join us.

Location:  Ashley Harbor
2221 Portside Way
Charleston, SC 29407

RSVP - Ronneca at the JCC - 843.571.6565 x 308

*Rabbi Tokaver will be in Charleston for the week-end and will be speaking at JCC Cultural Arts Brunch at the JCC on Sunday, Apr 3rd.

Jews of the Orient - Apr 3 at JCC

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JCC Cultural Arts Brunch: 
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Sunday, April 03, 2011 | 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

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The Exotic Jews of China, Japan, and India
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Rabbi Marvin Tokayer

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Rabbi Marvin Tokayer is an acclaimed author and an expert on the Jews of the Orient, and a former Rabbi for the Jewish Community in Japan.  

He discovered the last Jews of China and located a long-lost Jewish cemetery in Nagasaki.  He also tracked down both Jewish and Japanese people who had taken part in the rescue of Jews from the Holocaust.

Click here for details of an additional opportunity to meet Rabbi Tokaver.

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Brunch:  $10 per adult, $5 per student
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Jewish Community Center,

1645 Wallenberg Blvd.,
Charleston, SC, 29407,
Phone: 843-571-6565

Official flyer for this event

RSVP - Ronneca at the JCC 577-6565 x 308

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WAM Meeting Wed 9

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A meeting of the West Ashley Minyan will be held this week

Wednesday, March 9, 8:00 pm

at the Kirshstein residence

1928 Madagascar Ct.

Agenda:

1. Rabbi Sytner to address WAM

2. Review of finances

3. “Climbing the Ladder” series planning

Kids Fair Gala

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Join us in supporting the JCC, stand with your community and honor the Kids Fair sponsors.

2011 KidsFair 23rd Annual Gala! 

Monday, February 28, 2011

6:00 - 8:00pm at the Citadel Holliday Alumni Center

$85 per person | $150 per couple

**For more information, please contact Carol Berlin at 843.568.4450 or carolberlin@att.net or the Charleston 'J' at 843.571.6565.

Information online at http://www.charlestonjcc.org/kidsfair

The President "schmoozes" ???

The scoop of the NFL / Fox 
/ O'Reilly Interview !

Who knew?  In what must surely be the scoop of the NFL - Fox - O'Reilly interview, the president admits it!  In his own words, just as the live segment of the interview closes, he admits to enjoying the chance to "schmooze" before the Super Bowl.

But make no mistake, when the big game starts, the "schmoozing" ends !

So let me see if I have this right - Obama speaks Yiddish?

Watch the interview

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Jews in US politics - part 1

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With Judaism's emphasis on the values of justice and the sanctity of human life, it is interesting to reflect on the discomforting situations that some Jews have made for themselves, specifically at times when they, as a religious or ethnic entity,  have not found themselves under imminent threat.

One of the great things, perhaps the greatest thing, about American society is the freedom it provides for people to plot their own course.  It is that very freedom and the lack of imminent danger that many see as factors hastening the erosion of Jewish identity and affiliations.  We are lucky to live in a place and time when there are no major penalties for choosing one position or another.  We can be religious, or not.  We can emphasize our heritage and social values, or not.

It's not as if one has to fear for oneself if one wishes to do this, or to speak up against injustice in one form or another.  But when presented with such freedom, it is interesting to see what happens to Jews who strike out away from historic Jewish affiliations with liberal causes and, in particular, with the Democratic Party.

Here is one very current example, involving a Jew who heads the Republicans in the State House in Texas.

Jon Oliver reports from Texas

I am all for freedom of thought and for choosing one's political perspectives with all the independence that characterizes a healthy democracy.

But I am also very much for knowing about your culture and its values, and choosing to emphasize such in a positive manner.  You know, it's "use it or lose it!"

I do not regret that Jews need no longer draw together out of fear. The challenge we all face is seeing the world around us with clarity, and exercising our freedoms responsibly, and with sensitivity for those who may not enjoy unimpeded access to all the privileges and opportunities this country has to offer.

So we should not be careless about whom we align ourselves with in the process.

Reality has a Liberal Bias . . .

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Forbes.Com reports:  US ranks 10 th in overall happiness /  prosperity study.

During the last presidential campaign, sometime before the Great Recession of 2008, I had a letter published in Time magazine.  Below is the rendition as it appeared in Time, (if you wish to read the original, follow this link to an earlier post), and as you can see, there must have been some warning signs. Not only that, but I made the case that Canada has a better handle than the US on the proper role of government. Something the right likes to wax shrill about.

I had not thought about the letter to Time much, but re-read it recently, and found it strangly interesting to read it now, more than 2 years into the great recession, especially knowing that it was written about 6 months before November 2008. Look it over and see what you think.

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Presidents and Pocketbooks
Justin Fox asked if presidents matter when it comes to the economy [Feb. 18]. In Canada unemployment is at a record low, exports are in demand, and there is no hint of a subprime-mortgage crisis or recession. This in a country with higher taxes than the U.S. and universal health care to boot. In U.N. quality-of-life surveys, Canada beats the U.S. by miles. Canada, it seems, has struck a balance: government is responsible for collecting taxes and providing services. In contrast, the U.S. has corporate welfare, tax cuts for the wealthy and the decimation of public services and infrastructure. Republican administrations have dispensed with oversight of corporations, leading to job outsourcing and the financial collapses and crises of companies such as Enron, MCI and banks with a big stake in the mortgage industry. It matters what Presidents do!

PETER ROSENTHAL, CHARLESTON, S.C.

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Anyway, just this week, we have two interesting points of follow-up to this.  First, the commission reviewing the financial crisis has determined that the collapse of AIG and the big banks was foreseeable and could have been prevented.  Second, here is an article from Forbes.com ranking the world's nations in regard to a formula of "prosperity" and / or "happiness".  The US comes in 10th, Canada comes in 7th (step through the top ten in pictures for this) for the rest read the full article.

The Forbes article is brief, and not very detailed, but it all just goes to show that it's not just the mainstream media that have a liberal bias.  Forbes is after all a business oriented publication. Makes you think, doesn't it?  Maybe Stephen Colbert is right after all - Reality itself has a Liberal Bias.

So it goes . . .

On the shooting in Tucson . . .

Once more innocent people pay the price for our society's inability to enact meaningful laws governing access to guns, and for the vitriol in our political discourse.  The latter (dare one say it?) originates by-and-large from the right, and not just from the fringes. Those who have participated in legitimizing this rhetoric need to step up, own it, and desist at once.

 
Our heartfelt condolences go to those who have lost loved ones, and our prayers go out for full and speedy recoveries for those who have been injured, especially U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Arizona 8)
See   Article on the shooting in wikipedia