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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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