News from the JULC - Issue 6

Dear Friends:
This issue of our Newsletter is entirely dedicated to an event that is very meaningful to us: the fifth UJCL Conference in Jamaica. It took place parallel to our very successful First. Youth Conference. We would like all of those who were unable to attend to share with us, in spirit, these experiences, of so much transcendence. Read it carefully, and then start planning your participation in the 6th. UJCL Conference, which will take place in Panama, in February 2003. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

In Kingston, Jamaica, from January 31 to February 3, the UJCL held its Fifth Conference, which included, for the first time, a Youth Encounter. The theme of the Conference was Jewish Education in Latin America and the Caribbean in the New Millennium: Needs and Expectations. It brought together delegates from nine different countries, all working together to create new and more effective ways to convey to their communities the unique message Judaism has to offer us.

The chemistry that bonded the delegates from Cuba, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Aruba, Bahamas, El Salvador, Jamaica, Panama, Puerto Rico, was evident from the first evening on Thursday, at the cocktail reception held at Hillel Academy to welcome them. It was exciting to meet old friends, and make new ones. Unfortunately, this year Honduras was unable to join us, and sent their best wishes for the success of our Conference.

A hearty welcome to the Bahamas community, that has just become a UJCL member!

Dr. Jorge Schulman, a true supporter of UJCL and our guest speaker, was unable to attend this year due to constraints of his work at the Joint Distribution Committee – Latin American Department. He sent his apologies, and his best wishes to us. We really missed him at the Conference.
On Friday morning the Conference opened officially with the presentation of the UJCL Board, and words of welcome by Jean Claude Kahn, from El Salvador, UJCL President. He expressed his satisfaction at being present at the first UJCL conference held in the Caribbean, which validated the deepest meaning of our Union: communities in the area that are geographically apart but united as a virtual community, with common aspirations. The second element that, according to him, added transcendence to the Conference was that, parallel to it, the First Youth Encounter was taking place.
What seemed just a dream when our Honorary President, Marvin Sossin proposed it, had become a reality. When in September we intended to get 15 young delegates together it was almost a magic number, said Jean Claude; today, we have with us 24 delegates who have come to get together and start building a common destiny as liberal Jews that love their tradition, their people, and want to play a leading role in their future.Thus, according to Jean Claude Kahn, our main goal is to work hard to leave the youth a more active, dynamic and involved Union.

His speech was followed by the warm words of welcome from Anthony Lindo, President of the Shaare Shalom Congregation. He hoped we would find the program informative, interesting and entertaining. He also referred to the Commemorative Magazine, which the community of Jamaica had published for the first time in a UJCL Encounter. Marvin Sossin, Honorary UJCL President and an enthusiastic supporter of a Youth Encounter, had then a brief message for us.

Our keynote speaker, Rabbi Joel Oseran, Director of Programs and International Development of the WUPJ in Israel, addressed us immediately afterwards.
Rabbi Oseran expressed his gratefulness for his position that allowed him to be a part of Jewish communities around the world. Jewish education was a personal subject for him, who grew up in Phoenix, AZ. His fondest memories of his Jewish education were the visits to the principal, where, instead of being reprimanded, over nine years of schooling, he was able to discuss a variety of Jewish topics. This experience was influential in his later decision to become a Rabbi. Rabbi Oseran pondered: after millions of dollars and countless hours spent on it, we still wonder: does Jewish education work? Can we measure its impact later on as adults? Will our children intermarry if we do not provide Jewish education for them? Looking at the youth delegates in our Encounter, he had to smile, thinking there was a future. But the answer to the first and second questions was: yes and no.
Research has established that parental involvement in the education of children who attend Hebrew day schools has a greater impact on them later on, as adults. The impact, according to the experts, is debatable for those who only attend Sunday schools, whose rate of intermarriage is higher. R. Oseran wondered: Does this influence extend to schools from liberal communities or only to the orthodox ones? Does it influence informal as well as formal Jewish education? Does it influence choice of marriage partner? Another variable that was considered is the geographical areas: results of research showed that, where the Jewish population was low, so was their Jewish identity.
The conclusions drawn were: the more Jewish education the higher rate of identification with Judaism. This, as well as the preservation of Jewish living, is influenced by parental involvement. Schools can only support that which is implanted in the home.
To paraphrase Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s words: " What is religious about religious education?", What is Jewish about Jewish education?, education is Jewish when it deals with the fundamental issues that touch the soul, the inner person, instead of continuing to evade intellectual and emotional problems.
A child must not only learn skills or acquire proficiency in a subject, he must examine his inner attitudes and beliefs. What a child learns in the classroom must influence his social and personal behavior, it should be character education, e.g.: how do we deal with evil, with loneliness, with the violence of war, with terrorism and indifference to evil?
It is the essence of education that we cultivate his empathy and reverence for others, that he be able to relate the ordinary to the spiritual. A child discovers his soul in acts of transcendence and selflessness. Rabbi Oseran went on to say that it is the curse of the children of the hi-tech generation to consider goals outside of themselves as irrelevant. But all of us are agents in the fulfillment of the mitzvot (commandments). The root of the Hebrew word lechanech means "consecrate, dedicate", and it is also used as "educate". The performance of mitzvot is an act of dedication as well as education in its deeper sense. The values that make us partners in the work of the Almighty are sensitive to the needs of others, and aspire to theTikkun haolam (making the world whole). Who is more proficient than a parent to do this? Their influence is greater than that of textbooks. They are the personal example, more lasting than any educational institution. (And you shall teach your children… Deut.6:7)
Schools are our second source of Jewish support, where students must be introduced to the challenge of real life by educators of substance, committed and passionate. They must be creative in supplementing the curriculum, e.g.: visits to neonatal wards to see newborns, in order to instill in the students the  sanctity of life and feel the joy of new life.
The class should also visit the sick and disabled (bikkur cholim) to feel their pain, and their hope. They should know the heartbreak of death, and discuss Jewish notions of immortality, the reason for our rituals of burial and mourning, the relevance of saying Kaddish for those who have no relatives to do it.
The courts, as well as the prisons, should be a classroom to introduce notions of justice and mercy, due process, honesty of jurisprudence, freedom and punishment, repentance.
The curriculum should not end there; they should be exposed to children from other religious schools, in mosques and churches, so that the fear of the other will be replaced by love of their fellow man.

The concluding remarks of our keynote speaker were that, in spite of all the obstacles and disadvantages of living in small communities, there is hope and a future when the home is Jewish, education touches the soul, when we engage in Jewish dialogue.
Education has kept us alive for two thousand years, and we shall continue to dedicate our lives to bring tikkun haolam and peace to our world. Rabbi Oseran was a passionate and powerful speaker whose words were inspirational, and earned him an enthusiastic ovation from the participants.

Workshops were held afterwards: What should we expect from Jewish Education?, coordinated by Jody Steiger, attracted a large number of delegates. After stating the reason each one was participating, a series of goals or ideals of Jewish education were shared by all, and then grouped together by theme. They were compared to the Ten Goals of Reform Jewish Education, a UAHC (Union of American Hebrew Congregations) guideline. The participants then shared goals to help them form curriculum plans for our religious schools.
The second workshop was an Expressive one, coordinated by Diego Levinson, a professor of Israeli and Jewish Folk Music and Dance, in which the participants had a chance to let go of their inhibitions and simply enjoy the sound and movement, and the particular rhythms and feelings expressed by this music. Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik led a workshop on The Educated Jew, with an exercise which included the 10 main areas that, the participants considered important, to then gradually reduce them to one, the most relevant. It clearly illustrated what our areas of interest were, and our depth of  knowledge was. It also showed us that there was always room for greater knowledge. Rabbi Kraselnik reminded the delegates about the famous reply of Hillel to the prospective convert, quoting the Golden Rule and then exhorting him to go home and study. ("The rest is commentary".) The afternoon opened with very interesting reports by the delegates from the different communities.
Especially relevant, because of our planned Board semi-annual reunion and UJCL mission in October there, was the account of young Pavel Tenenbaum, from Cuba, who told the audience that there are currently 500 Jewish families in Cuba, of which an estimated 80% live in Havana, and the rest are spread throughout the country, in Guantánamo, Santiago de Cuba, Camaguey, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos, Sancti Spiritus, etc.
There are three synagogues in Havana: Beth Shalom, better known as the Patronato, conservative Ashkenazi, Hadat Israel, orthodox, with daily services, and the Sephardic Hebrew Center .
The Canadian Jewish Congress regularly donates kosher foods for Pesach and other Jewish festivals, and the Joint (Joint Distribution Committee – Latin American Dept.) has played a significant role in the revitalization of the community. A pharmacy functions in the synagogue’s social hall, stocked with medicines donated by the U.S.A. and other countries. Sunday School has Judaism and Hebrew curriculums. The Sisterhood is active and meets regularly. Other groups include Rikkudim (Jewish folk dancing), Gesher, for members 30 to 55 yrs. old, Kesher, that groups young people for social action, helping the elderly and the disabled who cannot attend the synagogue. Also the group "Juventud" (Youth) that offers plays, camps, lay leadership training, etc. There is an active conversion group. The Cuban community, in short, is vital and using well its human resources. After the community reports, Rabbi Gustavo Kraselnik, our Executive Director, interpreted for us the results of our 2001 Census. It shows thal in all of our communities only 33% of our total population is under 30 (213 people aged 19 to 30, many ot them single). We must create the frameworks designed to meeting each other. A youth camp for youth aged 13 to 20 is a must. A recurrent challenge: the youth that leaves a community to pursue higher studies and does not return. Therefore we have to develop programs that will attract young families with children, especially from countries like Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, etc.

All the visitors were invited to the homes of Jamaican community members for a Shabbat dinner in which their warm hospitality shone through. Before this, we went to Shaare Shalom Synagogue, for a Kabbalat Shabbat service and a most interesting tour of the synagogue. We also learned from Ainsley Henriques, one of the host community main organizers of the Conference, about the colorful history of the Jewish community of Jamaica. Shaare Shalom is reminiscent of Mikve Israel Synagogue in Curaçao, with its sand floor, and its layout: the bimah, where the Torah is read, also holds special seats for the President and synagogue trustees. The impressive ark opposite the bimah is centered around the aron hakodesh, which houses 13 Torah scrolls, beautifully ornamented. The rich dark wood used in the construction of the ark and the bimah makes them majestic, yet warm. A special feeling envelops us all as Stephen Henriques, the lay leader, sings the nostalgic Sephardic melodies that speak to us of a long gone Golden Age in Spain.
This same feeling is prevalent the next morning, when we all gather here again for the Shacharit leShabbat service. A beautiful white butterfly welcomes itself into the synagogue through the wide open doors; when it flutters we see it as the angel of peace welcoming the Shabbat together with the mystics of Safed. It also welcomes the young delegates that pleasantly surprise us when being called for an alyah, reading so ably the Torah verses. Rabbi Oseran delivers a sermon that invites reflection and positive action at the same time: it touches upon world reaction to Israel’s defensive actions against terrorism, and our support of the country. Before services we held two special breakfasts to share experiences. One, coordinated by Jody Steiger, discussed the delegates experiences in Effective Education within their communities, both with young people and with adults. The shared feeling of all participants at the end was that they needed to be able to spend more time together working on education.

The second breakfast, coordinated by Martha E. Lichtenstein, discussed the importance of Effective Communication both at the personal as well as the organizational level. Everyone agreed that, since UJCL is greatly dependent on effective communication for its success, there is a need to master this art. A communication model and the possible distortion of messages as well as the requisites for effective communication were discussed, and the newsletters of our communities were examined from the viewpoint of the editor as well as the reader, with specific questions asked. Our website and the weekly translation of Dr. Schorsch (JTS) Torah commentaries were part of the talk. Time was not sufficient, however, to fully examine all aspects of effective communication, and it was felt that, perhaps at a future Conference, the topic could be dealt with in greater depth.
Rabbi Oseran coordinated a most interesting workshop on How to Revitalize a Community through Informal Education for Youth and Adults. He considered a yearly youth trip to Israel as very educational, and a real catalyst. It is also a great identity builder, ideal for our brand new UJCL Youth Movement, who would send at least two members per community. In Israel they would be chaperoned by madrichim from the Progressive Movement. The trip should be presented as an elite leadership training mission. The group, that would always stay together, would spend time at the two Progressive movement kibbutzim, near Eilat, working in the fields and getting to know their Israeli peers. A different kind of trip could include Eastern Europe, to see the remnants of rich Jewish life there that are now giving birth to new communities. Adult Learning should be carried out on a year-round basis to motivate the community, and the youth. It would require our combined effort.
Comments from the numerous attendants included B’nei Israel (C.Rica) projects that involved parents directly in the learning process, with special classes for them, the need for interesting cultural programs, book and film discussions, cultural and art exhibits, etc. David Hirsch, Middle East bibliographer at the UCLA C.E. Young Research Library, led an interesting workshop on How to Build a Jewish Library. He referred, among other topics, to the importance of maintaining archives, and of recording an oral history of each community before the records were lost. Cantor Irving N. Spenadel, from Aruba, led a very different workshop that dealt with Music as a Portal to Jewish Education. He reminded us that music is an extremely visceral experience, and that "Music Speaks Louder Than Words." He discussed the value of tradition, that we must also "Sing a New Song unto the Lord," and the importance of learning to establish a balance between the two. He used the guitar and recordings to demonstrate how music can be an important tool to teach about our Jewish holidays, prayers, texts, history and values. His audience listened to him with great attention, and laughed a lot with his humorous remarks. The style of this workshop received very positive comments from those who attended it.

On Sharing Experiences, part II, coordinators were Julieta Maduro and Hilda ten Brink. Julieta, from Panama, discussed Sisterhoods with the delegates, establishing which communities needed to re-activate their sisterhoods, and how the Bahamas community could be helped to start theirs. Hilda, from Costa Rica, discussed Cemeteries: policies, cremation, burial practices, etc. The topic of cremation policies in their communities sparked an animated discussion amongst the delegates.

On Shabbat evening the community of Jamaica hosted a Gala Dinner, attended also by the youth delegates. It was lively and marked by friendship and the satisfaction of a work well done.
Cantor Spenadel performed the ceremony of Havdalah. Indeed every one of us felt that this had been a weekend to treasure. A dance troupe from Jamaica performed for us typical and very lively dances
afterwards. Their colorful dress, the African influence of their beat, and the synchronization of their movements, earned them a sustained round of applause from the audience.

On Sunday, we heard reports from the workshops and Sharing Experiences breakfasts coordinators. There was also a presentation of the UJCl web site by Martha E. Lichtenstein, who was in charge of the project. After much effort the site was beginning to fulfill our original goals: to promote union, help the communities to stay together, and learn from each other’s accomplishments. Furthermore, it gave them a voice and a virtual home, and opened up an endless array of possibilities to enrich their knowledge of Judaism at their own pace, without embarrassment. Also noteworthy was the weekly translation into Spanish of Chancellor Schorsch’s (JTS) Torah commentary, thanks to the invaluable contribution of Inés Baum, from Costa Rica.
Martha exhorted every one to help keep the web site fresh and dynamic, and suggested new projects. Every community should publicize www.ujcl.org, that promotes us in the world of Jewish organizations. Panama was elected as the site for our 2003 Conference. Everyone felt that the first Youth Encounter had been very successful. The UJCL Youth will be holding their first camp (machaneh) in July, in Costa Rica. (For a separate account by the Youth delegates of their Encounter please click First Youth Encounter on this page). The participants visited the Neveh Shalom synagogue archeological dig in the afternoon, and had a chance to learn about this project from Ainsley Henriques and Edward Kritzler, a journalist and historian. Eddie and Ainsley were very entertaining, and with a great sense of humor managed to pack tons of information on Jamaica’s Jewish history in the half-hour ride from the hotel to the dig.
There was a very emotional moment when, after seeing the ancient tombstones at Neveh Shalom, we all held hands and, led by Cantor Richard Rosenfield, from the States, said Kaddish for those souls. In many years, no one had remembered them in that way.
It is interesting to note that Cantor Rosenfield was born into an old Jamaican Jewish family, the Levys, and left the island after his marriage. He was at the Conference with his daughter, Anna, a rabbinical student who participated actively in the services at Shaare Shalom, reconnecting to her family roots.

We have returned home now, and are looking back at this Conference with a warm feeling of accomplishment. Although the workshops and the speeches were the building blocks of this Conference, the bond of friendship and shared commitment that tie us was the mortar that gave strength and endurance to the structure. New challenges await us, but the success of the Youth Encounter in particular, energizes and stimulates us to keep striving for the realization of our ideals and dreams.

From these pages we would like to thank very warmly Rabbi Joel Oseran, who has made himself available to us, and offered his and the WUPJ’s support for our projects, in the form of materials, networking, assistance in participating in the upcoming Netzer ( Israel’s youth arm of the Progressive movement) conference in Jerusalem, etc. Rabbi Oseran has already helped us immensely by encouraging us and listening with his heart. We are looking forward to having him honor us with his presence in Panama next year.

Martha E. Lichtenstein
February 2002

Note: Special thanks to Ainsley Henriques for his additional information.

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FIRST YOUTH ENCOUNTER AT THE 5TH UJCL CONFERENCE

The weekend from the 31st of January till the 4th of February I was joined by other members of the Jewish Community of Aruba: Martha & Adolf Lichtenstein, Cantor Irving Spenadel and Aty & Marianske van der Horst at the 5th UJCL Conference in Jamaica, where Marianske and I participated at the First Youth Encounter.

It was one of the most educational and rewarding experiences of my life. I met different people from different islands and countries in the Caribbean and Latin America ,with small congregations that are just like us, struggling to keep Judaism alive in their communities.

I had the privilege of attending Sabbath evening and morning services (which were very impressive) and a Sabbath dinner that was absolutely delightful, as we were joined by Cantor Irving and his guitar to accompany us with wonderful melodies and songs.

We the "young people" had an awesome time, learning about each other's communities and talking about how we can "Keep the faith" amongst ourselves and others like us. We also talked about what our parents expect from us in general and inside our communities and vice versa. As a result of all of this, we have created our own Youth Group and shall be having our First Youth Conference in Costa Rica the second week of July of 2002. Here we will establish a name for ourselves. Our goal is to try to "open the doors" for young adults like us, who have lost interest in Judaism, to get them back "into spirit" . We want as many youngsters as possible to get involved. In the words of a friend of mine, "Keep the flame burning".

Shortly after our first encounter we will be putting up a website, with information about what we’re all about, our goals, our conferences etc.. If you’d like more information about our Youth Group, you can contact me at azzkikkret@hotmail.com or at 297-933357.

I feel so honored to have been chosen to experience such a great event. I learnt so much, and had a great time! Hopefully this is just the beginning of many more to come............

Gabrielle Berlinski
"Youth Group" Board member

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