Since December 2000 the Aktion Kinder des
Holocaust, AKdH, has caused at geocities.yahoo.com the
removal of more than 30 Nazi sites. The signatories of
this petition now ask geocities.yahoo.com to keep to
their own "Terms of Service", which forbid to upload
so-called "hate pages".<br><br><br><br>We ask
geocities.yahoo.com for quick and rigorous action should there be any
need for the removal of Nazi pages in the future and
furthermore for the implementation of efficient
self-regulations.

Armchair Activist: Sign the Petition to Ban Nazi
Sites <br><br>Posted January 7, 2000<br><br>The Jewish
Defense League has been responsible for closing down
dozens of anti-Jewish sites on the Internet. We salute
other groups that have taken up the cause to get rid of
such examples of Internet hatred. One of them, Aktion
Kinder des Holocaust, "Action Children of the
Holocaust," claims to have shut down more than 30 Nazi sites
since December 2000.<br><br>The AKdH, through their
sites based in Switzerland, now needs everyone's help
to get Geocities to follow its own Terms of Service,
which forbids the placement of hate pages on the
server. The petition asks for Geocities to pull the plug
on all Nazi sites.<br><br>The petition also asks
Geocities (owned by Yahoo) "for quick and rigorous action
should there be any need for the removal of Nazi pages
in the future and furthermore for the implementation
of efficient self-regulations.<br><br>Please sign
the petition right now! Go to the International
Online-Petition of the Aktion Kinder des Holocaust!<br>Remove the
Nazi pages at geocities.yahoo.com!<br>International
Online-Petition of the Aktion Kinder des Holocaust, AKdH
(www.akdh.ch)

Now that we know who Binyamin Kahane was and what
he stood for, we can point our fingers in
indignation and rage at the government of Israel, at the
"peacemaker" Barak, who created this climate where Arabs can
get away with murder and do so freely and openly.
Let's be livid at a Knesset who allows an Ahmed Tibi to
take the pulpit and call for the annihilation of the
Jewish State. Let us rail against the flagrant
obsequiousness of a government of Jews who knuckles under to the
gentiles in Washington who relentlessly pressure us to
relinquish God-given Jewish land to the Arabs. They are
responsible for the heinous killings of Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane
and his wife !!! They are to be held accountable now
and on the Day of Judgment. Ehud Barak and all those
who support him are small and myopic people,
paralyzed by fear and in denial of the truth and reality of
the situation in Israel, who vehemently refuse to
remove the malignant Arab population from our midst,
thereby leaving us open to be murdered by them. They are
the parties who are responsible for this murder and
the murders of many, many other Jews throughout the
years since the intifada.<br><br>At the funeral of
Binyamin Kahane and his wife, Binyamin's brother Baruch
told the mourners to "take their fate into their own
hands and topple the government who is now in power."
Let us heed these words. Let the government in Israel
and the Arabs and the powers that be in Washington
and throughout the world know very clearly that they
cannot murder an idea. An idea whose time has come. Let
us scream from the rooftops that they can murder one
Kahane, they can murder two Kahanes, but we send them a
promise that for every Kahane they murder, thousands will
rise up to replace them. You can never dim our faith,
you can never destroy our hope and vision. You can
never crush the spirit of the Jewish people because we
have faith in and cleave to the God of Israel Who has
saved us from destruction from time immemorial. No
power or force in the world is greater than Hashem
Yisborach, the Holy One Blessed be He, the avenger of the
blood of Israel. It is up to us to do His will. To gird
our loins, to prepare to defend our faith. This was
indeed the message of Binyamin Zev Kahane, zt'l,
HY"D.<br><br><br>Ms. Sidman served as JDL's national director from
1983 to 1985. <br><br>A fund has been set up for the
benefit of the children of Binyamin and Talia Kahane

Posted January 2, 2001<br><br>by Fern
Sidman<br><br>In the early morning hours of December 31, 2000, the
lives of HaRav Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane and his wife,
Talia, were snuffed out in the most barbaric fashion by
a radical Palestinian faction that claimed
responsibility soon after the attack. While Binyamin and his
wife were driving their children to school, their car
was ambushed -- and their bodies riddled with bullets
-- on a road near the Jewish settlement of Ofra,
near Ramallah, a hub of militant Arab activism. Their
five children who were also in the van were injured as
well, and their four-year-old daughter, Tzivia, is in
serious condition in Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem.
These children, including a two month old baby, are now
orphans, never to know and experience the great love and
devotion of their parents.<br><br>Are we angered at the
Arabs who committed this dastardly and cowardly deed?
Absolutely. Do we want to seek vengeance? That goes without
saying. Do we want to see a day when Jews can once again
live as a truly free and safe people in their own
country? Of course, that's obvious. But the question
arises, whom should our anger and rage be directed at?
Who is really responsible for these horrible murders?
Who should be really held accountable?<br><br>It is
most imperative to first know who was killed and why.
Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane, was the son of Rabbi Meir David
Kahane, who was murdered by El Said Nosair, an
Egyptian-born Arab, in November 1990. As we know, Rabbi Kahane,
founder of the Jewish Defense League and head of the Kach
party in Israel, was indeed a controversial figure in
Israel and was a perennial thorn in the side of the
demogogues in the Knesset and the bevy of leftists who
sought to silence him. He called for the expulsion of
the Arabs in Israel, not because he hated Arabs but
because he loved Jews and knew that the Jewish state
would never survive with a majority of Arabs. He knew
the problem very clearly and dedicated his life to
the survival of Jews worldwide. At the time of Rabbi
Kahane's assassination, Binyamin was encouraged to take
the mantle of leadership and continue to spread the
message of his father and of Torah-true Judaism. For the
last ten years, Binyamin had been a bold, forthright
and vocal advocate of his father's message and had
engaged in countless demonstrations and protests against
the suicidal "peace process," orchestrated by Ehud
Barak.<br><br>He led a movement called Kahane Chai that was
subsequently outlawed by the same anti-democratic forces that
helped silence his father. He worried very little about
these little people with Lilliputian minds. He feared
no man, he only feared Hashem Yisborach. As a result
of his courageous attempts to speak the truth he was
arrested dozens of times and put on trial for sedition.
Sedition? How could this possibly be? Surely this
outrageous charge must headline in the theatre of the
absurd; it can't possibly be true. But alas it was. In
the Israel of 2000,an ostensibly Jewish state, the
cowards and lackeys in the government put Binyamin Kahane
on trial for sedition when he clearly cried out for
the survival of Israel, for the preservation of his
people.

Volkswagen’s Offensive Chutzpah Ads Come Down
Right After Complaint <br><br><br>By BARBARA
FRANKEL<br>©2000 DiversityInc.com<br>July 7,
2000<br><br>Volkswagen Beetle ads on buses and billboards in New York
City and other U.S. cities last week definitely had
chutzpah. What they lacked was
sensitivity.<br><br>Volkswagen, still remembered by some as Adolf Hitler’s car
of
choice and a Nazi supplier, was touting its new
turbo-charged Beetle with the words "It’s got chutzpah." The
Yiddish word means "supreme self-confidence, nerve,
gall," according to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary.<br><br>A New York Post reporter saw the ad on a city bus
and contacted the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). ADL
National Director Abraham Foxman has worked with the car
company previously and got on the phone
quickly.<br><br>To Volkswagen’s credit, the results were immediate.
The ads are coming down "as we speak," VW spokesman
Steve Keyes said.<br><br>"We thought it was a positive
ad using a word that is commonly used around the
country. We thought it suited the Beetle with its strong
personality and charisma," Keyes said. "When we were
notified, we said ‘They’re right, this ad could upset some
people,’ " Keyes said.<br><br>"They understood the
sensitivity," said Foxman of Volkswagen. "They didn’t intend it
to be offensive."<br><br>But, he said, to many
Jewish people, the ad would have been seen as obnoxious
and hurtful, not clever or cute.<br><br>Keyes said
the ads were produced by an agency, Arnold
Communications of Boston, which Volkswagen has used since 1995.
They were part of a seven or eight ad rotation set to
run on billboards and buses in several cities across
the country. The rotation will continue, without the
chutzpah ad, he said. Volkswagen’s U.S. sales are
concentrated in cities along the East and West Coasts and in
Chicago and Detroit, Keyes said.<br><br>Ironically,
Foxman said, Volkswagen was one of the few German
companies to take an early and strong stand to make amends
for its role in the Nazi era. "There are companies in
Germany that still don’t deal with it. Volkswagen faced
up to its past and has been at the vanguard of being
responsible," Foxman said.

By BARBARA FRANKEL<br>©2000
DiversityInc.com<br>Aug. 18, 2000<br><br>It’s been 55 years since the
Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland closed for good. But
the memory of the 1.5 million to 4 million people who
died in the gas chambers, most of them Jews, hasn’t
been erased from the world’s social
conscience.<br><br>Now comes news that an investor has been granted
permission to run a discotheque near the site, in a former
tannery building where Auschwitz prisoners worked and
died.<br><br>The tannery is about one mile from the place where
the prisoners lived. Between 1942 and 1945, about
1,000 prisoners worked there. The building also stored
property and hair of the gas-chamber victims.<br><br>"We
have such a law that once an investor fulfills formal
requirements, he will get permission," said Adam Bilski,
administrator for the city of Auchswitz, the Associated Press
reported.<br><br>A television news station, Channel One, reported
that the discotheque already is in operation but wire
reports have not confirmed that.<br><br>A spokesperson
for the New York City-based Anti-Defamation League
(ADL) said the Jewish organization was waiting for more
details about the discotheque before making a
statement.<br><br>The investor’s name hasn’t been made public but the
City Council of Oswiecim, the Polish name for
Auschwitz, did approve the tannery’s use for other purposes
in 1989. Dining and entertainment are among the
permitted uses.<br><br>Earlier this month, Police officials
overruled Oswiecim’s ban on building a for-profit visitor’s
center at Auschwitz. Jewish leaders had said this
violates a pact, which set up a non-commercial zone around
the camp.<br><br>About 500,000 people visit the gas
chambers at Auschwitz each year, which have become a
macabre museum. Auschwitz, about 32 miles south of
Krakow, was the largest concentration/death camp run by
the Nazis. Besides Jews, the camp housed Soviet
prisoners of wars, gays and Roma (gypsies).

First off, I would like to thank pesah71 for his
post . It sounded as if it was directed at me,
perosnally, so the need to clarify is evident. YBS promotes
and provides community. It is our intention here to
offer a forum for ALL Jews to share and incorporate
their thoughts and RESOURCES, which I have included.
The article was written by Rabbi Susan Sliverman, a
well reknowned and respected and valued member of the
Jewish community. <br>Having said that, I must also say
that it is our intention at YBS to provide all points
of view that lead to a better understanding of
Ahavas Yisroel, the love fo ryour fellow Jew. As Rabbi
Susan Silverman and her husband Yosef I. Abramowitz
have done many admirable and altruistic efforts toward
the eleviation of racism and ignorance within the
Jewish community, a challenge to say the least. For more
information on their efforts you can check out one of their
many Jewish Family sites
at:<br>www.JewishFamily.com<br><br>One last point...<br>It is our intention to
provide
positive and constructive suggestions... to feel "sorry"
for anyone is admirable, but I think that feeling
sorry for those Jews that live below the poverty line,
those Jews that have to PROVE their Jewish ancestory
and are waiting for aid to return to our Jewish
homeland, are those that your apoligies should be for.
<br><br>Those that I truly feel "sorry" for are the Jews that
feel the need to perpetuate the racist rhetoric, that
teach these lies and propaganda, so similar to white
supremists groups, to their children, the children that not
only sit side by side with my own, but those children
will grow up one day with hate in their hearts for
families like my own. <br>When I am feeling "sorry" for
anything, whether it is for myself, or some injustice, I
have found that promoting dialouge, investing my
energies in the alleviation of the pain or oppression are
not only beneficail for others but sits very well
with my conscience.<br><br> From Jewish Family and
Life...<br>JewishFamily.com strives to help families apply Judaism and Jewish
values to their everyday lives and to be a source of
user-friendly, family-oriented information and entertainment. We
hope to provide a Jewish link to families who may not
feel comfortable in traditional Jewish
organizations.<br><br>Our publisher is Yosef I. Abramowitz, the
award-winning journalist and coauthor, with his wife Rabbi
Susan Silverman, of Jewish Family & Life: Traditions,
Holidays, and Values for Today's Parents and Children. He
is the father of three young children.

Estimates of the African American (not Ethiopian)
Jewish population alone hover at 200,000--three to four
percent of American Jewry. Then there are Asian Jews,
Latino Jews, the aforementioned Ethiopian and other
African Jews whose numbers make it clear that being
Jewish is not synonymous with being white. The omissions
of Jewish children's publishers are repeated on the
adult level. A recent volume on Jewish intermarriage
contained no black, African American, or race entries in
its index because the author didn't go there. Yet
many Jews did, leading a 1960s survey to conclude that
they most often chose black partners when they did
intermarry (and blacks who interreligiously married most
often coupled with Jews.) <br><br>The diversity of
Jewry aside, the images we feed our children on race
and religion generally are potentially the most
promising--and damaging. What do you say when you watch an NBA
game with your child? What about when there's a Jewish
lawyer--or, albeit rarely, a black neurosurgeon -- on
Nightline? And what do you say when Minister Farrakhan
graces your screen? If it's "That evil man!", have you
given your child the information she or he needs so
that s/he will know you that don't mean all black men?
<br><br>A decade or so ago, Ronald Reagan said something
very truthful: "When I was a boy growing up in Dixon,
Ill., America didn't know it had a racial problem." The
statement is true because in the Reagans' world,
race--including the black folks being lynched down the road in
Springfield, Ill.--wasn't a problem. The good intentions of
our current president's dialogue on race aside, most
white people I have encountered say that race was never
a subject at home. A thousand times in reporting
about race and religion I have heard the "Brotherhood
Week" speech: "We never talked about race growing up.
We were taught that all people were the same, and we
sang kumbaya, too--that's African, isn't it?"
<br><br>If you never talked about it, when were you taught
the everybody's-the-same part? We black folks talk
about race all the time. And we Jews ain't letting go
of anti-semitism anytime soon. Talking is one step,
but how you live your life is most important. And
don't smoke, either.
<br><br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------<br><br>Robin Washington is a sports copy editor at the Boston
Herald and an Emmy award-winning documentary producer.
He won an Emmy for "Vermont: The Whitest State in
the Union," (WGBH-TV 1989) and a Silver Gavel from
the American Bar Association for "You Don't Have to
Ride Jim Crow!"--a documentary on the first freedom
ride (of 1947) which has aired on most PBS stations
over the past three years. A co-founder of the
Alliance of Black Jews, he lives in the Boston area.

Thoughts on Being Black and Jewish <br>by Robin
Washington <br><br><br><br><br>She no longer remembers, but
when my daughter Erin was six, she thought that Jewish
people didn't smoke. The perfectly logical explanation
is that none of the Jewish people she knew smoked,
at least in front of her. (Aunt Margaret was an
exception, but she wasn't that practicing--though she was a
lot of fun.) Erin also thought that black Jews were
more observant than white. Aunt Margaret contributed
to that paradigm, too, as well as Julius Lester,
who, uncharacteristically sans cigarette, davened for
us in his UMass office before filling in as the
cantor at his synagogue. <br><br>Erin was fortunate to
have wandering into our lives a database of
multicultural subjects large enough for her to form some
misperceptions, as well as very accurate perceptions, of who
lives in this world. She is a second-generation guinea
pig of this experiment: in 1950s and '60s Chicago, my
mother added to our biological family a United Nations
of foster children. The lesson hiding in a cliche
here is that children learn by your example. If you
expose them to various cultures, those diverse groups
will never be foreign, weird or threatening to them. I
have made this suggestion in any number of talks when
I am rushed at the podium by a well-meaning mother
who states, "I really believe in what you're saying,
but I don't have any black friends. Where can I find
some?" Well... you could join an NAACP chapter, I
suppose. They take white people (and Jews, too!) But if
you haven't instilled in your children a
comfortability about race in your own actions (they're uncannily
perceptive), you could start by considering what images you
expose them to. <br><br>It's too late for me and too
late for my daughter, but a good place to begin is
with Jewish children's books. Try as I might, the
images (and really bad music) of my childhood
song-and-book sets reverberate in my head each Hanukkah: "Come
get your drum and march with me! You too can be a
Maccabee!" The militaristic tone would hardly wash today,
but the drawings of little white kids (and a seeming
disproportionate number of towheaded blonds) remain the staple of
Jewish children's publishing. Is this what our people
really look like?

ANGRY ARABS BOYCOTTING U.S. FRANCHISES <br> By
Ashraf Khalil, Chicago Tribune, 1/9/2001 <br>
<a href=http://www.chicagotribune.com/
target=new>http://www.chicagotribune.com/</a> <br> Search using the term
"boycott."<br> CAIRO
-- As if running a business isn't hard enough some
American affiliates <br> in the Arab world are being
punished for U.S. Middle East policy. <br> A grass-roots
boycott of American-made products is hurting many U.S.
companies <br> and franchise holders. <br> "People are
convinced that whenever you buy a sandwich from an
American- <br> affiliated chain, you're helping pay for a
bullet to shoot a Palestinian <br> child," said Mahmoud
El Kaissouni, vice chairman of Americana foods,
which <br> operates Egyptian franchises for KFC,
Hardees and Pizza Hut. <br> Fast-food restaurants such as
Pizza Hut and McDonald's have been the most <br>
high-profile targets of the boycott, which has grown out of
Arab frustration <br> with perceived American support
for Israel during the current intifada. <br> Fliers
circulated in schools and universities have urged Egyptians
to boycott <br> a host of American-affiliated
companies and products, including Marlboro <br> cigarettes,
Procter and Gamble, Hostess snack foods, Gillette,
Coca-Cola, <br> Pepsi, Heinz condiments, Disney products and
Nike shoes...<br> ...A McDonald's executive said the
month leading up to Ramadan registered a <br> sharp
enough decline in sales to worry management and alter
company plans. The <br> openings of five new franchises
were delayed until after Ramadan in the hope <br> that
the controversy would have faded from public
consciousness. <br> ...Egypt's Grand Mufti Nasser Farid Wassel
and prominent Sheik Youssef al- <br> Qaradawi have
endorsed the boycott. In late November, Lebanon's highest-
<br> ranking Shiite cleric, Sheik Mohammed Hussein
Fadlallah, urged a boycott on <br> "all those who support
the Zionist enemy, and especially the United
States..."<br><br><br><br><br><br>[Non-text portions of this message have been
removed]<br><br><br>This space is dedicated to the many who have died in
Arab violence in Israel.<br>May the land of Milk and
Honey finally achieve the peace she so desperately
deserves.<br>___________________________________________________________________\
_________________<br><br>Bring our Soldiers home safely. Demand that Lebanon
release our kidnapped soldiers!

(english is not my first language so bare with me
)<br>Dear mam , though you are most definetly making a
proper desion for your adopted son i am extremly
fasinated by your false feelings of martirdom that you are
trying to project here. If you are so sure of your
chosen way of life then why to be bothered by what
others think or why should your son to be bothered
unless when he grows up andf chooses the orthodox way of
life . The laws of which you speak so unkindly
sustained us for htousands of years and if they dont fit in
your modernized version of what you preceive judaism
to be it does not mean they somehow outdated or
invalied . i recommend for you mam to go and see why so
many young people are coming back to orthodox judaism
becuase they know where the truth is. truth which you mam
obviosly having difficulty of dealing with. I am feeling
sorry for the people like yourself who have to bend and
twist law of G-d so it can fit your concepts of right
or wrong becuase instead using torah as G-d's
revelation to shape the world around you , you are using
world around you to bend what is sacred . i am again
feel sorry for you.<br>pesah

may all the goals and hopes of yachad b'shalom come to fruition! thanks for your
dedication.<br><br>tamar

Jewish Africana? 100% Both:<br>An Introduction to
Jews of African <br>Origin and/or
Descent<br><br>Wednesdays, February 7- February 21 (3 classes)<br>7:00 -
8:15 pm<br>M: $35/NM: $45<br><br>This course offers an
opportunity to explore some of the less well known cultural
varieties within Judaism. Hear the stories and experience
the music and art of African American and African
Jews. This introduction to Jewish Africana includes
storytelling about the varied experiences of multiracial and
Africana Jewish families, a discussion of recent--and a
few not so recent--works melding Jewish and African
cultural art forms, and a brief history of Jewish
communities in the African diaspora. We will also review
informational and support resources relevant to multiracial and
Africana Jewish experience.<br><br>Carolivia Herron is an
African American and a Jew by choice. She has taught
comparative literature and Judaic studies at Harvard,
Brandeis, Mount Holyoke, and Brandeis. She is also a
novelist whose work, including the children's book Nappy
Hair, reflects her path toward Judaism.

Washington, DC <br><br>Here is the announcement
of the winter courses at the Jewish Study Center
<br>(Washington, DC) including the course I am teaching on Jewish
Africana. <br>Please go online to see the brochure at
www.JewishStudyCenter.org <br><br>Carolivia Herron
<br>carolivia@... <br><br>It is human life you yearn for - and
human life, unlike eternity, is <br>infinite.
<br><br><br>* * * <br>While our print brochure wends its way to
you, here's an <br>advance look at what the Jewish
Study Center has lined up <br>for the winter 2001 term!
<br><br>Jewish Africana, Ladino Songs, Spinoza, Kabbalah,
<br>post-zionism, Jewish American poetry, interfaith
<br>perspectives on the prophet Isaiah and of mysticism. <br>Plus
Basic Judaism, courses in the liturgy and Torah text,
<br>leyning (chanting from the Torah), Hebrew language--and a
<br>special opportunity to learn Arabic! <br><br>Be sure to
check out Ruth Frank's exciting three-night course,
<br>"Explaining the Holocaust." It is described on our website
and <br>appears in the February DCJCC newsletter but
was scheduled <br>too late for inclusion in our
brochure. <br><br>Also, be sure to note our three
passover-related courses, which <br>begin in March, 2001.
<br><br>Intermediate Hebrew for Biblical Text begins Monday, 1/22/01
<br>at the DCJCC -- a great opportunity to put basic
vocabulary and <br>grammar skills to work decoding Torah
text. See our website for <br>more detail --
www.JewishStudyCenter.org <br><br>The remainder of our winter classes begin
throughout February <br>and March. See our website,
www.JewishStudyCenter.org, for <br>course descriptions, schedule, and fees.
(But, please remember: <br>fees should never keep
anyone away from Study Center classes. <br>We offer
work-study, scholarship, and other arrangements to make
<br>learning accessible to all.) <br><br>Courses are offered
four nights per week with locations ranging from
<br>the DCJCC and Adas Israel in Northwest DC to the Wm.
Penn House <br>on Capitol Hill. <br><br>To register
for any class, just send an email with your name, the
<br>course(s) you'd like to take, and contact information, or
phone the <br>office with the same information. We'll
get your check or cash on <br>the first class night.
It's that easy! <br><br>Other exciting news... <br>The
Jewish Study Center is now in new quarters -- just one
<br>block from the DCJCC, at 1424 16th St, NW, Suite 700,
<br>Wash, DC 20036. Our new phone number is 202/884-7634
<br>(we'll keep the old one for awhile, also).
<br><br>...and an invitation <br>We look forward to increased
collaboration with our new office mate, <br>Jews United for
Justice, beginning with a joint potlock dinner and
<br>discussion on Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00 pm. The evening's
theme <br>will be education, from children's education
in the District to adult Jewish <br>education and
its connection to social action. All are welcome. For
details, <br>please contact the Jewish Study Center at
jewishSC@... or <br>202/884-7634. <br><br>Looking forward to
learning with you, <br>Kol Tov <br>all the best,
<br><br>Virginia Spatz <br>Director <br>Jewish Study Center
<br><br>P.S. Thanks to all those who have already responded so
generously to our <br>year-end fund-raising letter. If you
have not yet responded, please consider <br>supporting
the Jewish Study Center, your source for serious,
cross-community <br>adult Jewish education in the District.

Shalom YBS members! I am so pleased and seemingly
blessed to have been able <br>to contact Carolivia
Herron, Author of the critically acclaimed Nappy Hair,
<br>which I am sure you are all familiar with. She is
currently coordinating <br>numerous projects in the
Washington DC area, including a cirriculum for many <br>of
the local schools. Please check out her website, for
more detailed <br>information. She is truly a tzadek
and I am sure you will find her as <br>ispirational
as I do. <br><br>Carolivia Herron's website:
<br><br>www.carolivia.org <br><br>All her information will be updated to
the YBS site in a month or so as she <br>has plans to
add new and exciting information on current projests
underway. <br><br>Unfortunately for me, I am on the
seemingly wrong coast as far as diverse <br>Jewish
opportunites are concerned. There are so many wonderful
opportunites <br>on the East coast to get inspiration. But I
do have to say I am on the right <br>coast when it
comes to the weather... 70 + degress in So. Cal!
<br><br>For those of you able to participate in the East
coast projects, please do <br>so, as it not only
affects your motivation and serves as a reaffirmation
that <br>we all need on occassion, but it serves the
entire diverse Jewish communtiy <br>and Jewish community
at large. Your participation constitutes an intregal
<br>and replicable medium for others, being proactive is
contagious!

January 3, 2001 <br>10:26 AM EST <br>Washington,
DC <br><br>Dear Jewish-Africana folk, <br><br>I pass
on information about the upcoming visit to the
United States of JJ <br>Keki, a leader of the Abayudaya
Jews in Uganda. I received this from Jack <br>Zeller
and the Kulanu list. <br><br>Carolivia Herron
<br>carolivia@... <br><a href=http://www.carolivia.org
target=new>http://www.carolivia.org</a>
<br><a href=http://www.carolivia.org/nappyhair
target=new>http://www.carolivia.org/nappyhair</a> <br><br>It is human life you
yearn for - and
human life, unlike eternity, is <br>infinite. <br><br>*
* * <br><br>&gt;Dear Kulanu Friends, <br><br>I
wanted to pass on Karen Primack's reply to JJ Keki's
announcement <br>of his travel plans to the US. Like myself, I
am sure that many of <br>you have only heard about
J.J. and are eager to meet him; I think it <br>is not
too soon to start planning for scheduling some time
with him <br>either for a personal meeting or for his
musical talents. No less <br>impressive is his half
brother Gershom who will be following him, see <br>below
<br>Jack <br><br>&gt;Subject: JJ's Goals in the US
<br>&gt;Status: <br>&gt; <br>&gt;Dear Friends -- <br>&gt;
<br>&gt;As many of you already know, Joab ("JJ") Keki, the
brilliant and <br>&gt;talented former chairman of the
Abayudaya community in Uganda, has <br>&gt;been invited to
speak at the JCC of Greater Washington in August.
<br>&gt;This will be his first trip abroad (other than Kenya).
We are <br>&gt;asking a few of you activists to
consider planning lecture-recitals <br>&gt;(recall that JJ
is the choir director, composer, and soloist for the
<br>&gt;Abayudaya recording) in your area. We are hoping for at
least $500 <br>&gt;plus expenses per gig; note that
airfare is only paid for to <br>&gt;Washington DC.
<br>&gt; <br>&gt;As many of you also know, Gershom Sizomu,
the rabbi of the main <br>&gt;Abayudaya synagogue
(and JJ's half-brother) will be traveling to the
<br>&gt;US to co-officiate at a wedding in November. It is
possible that he <br>&gt;and JJ will have some overlapping
time during which they will be <br>&gt;able to give
joint presentations with more music. We will keep you
<br>&gt;posted on dates as we learn them. <br>&gt; <br>&gt;As
you can see from the message below, JJ has specific
goals for his <br>&gt;upcoming trip. Please think about
and investigate how you can help <br>&gt;him in your
area. Thanks, and happy 2001! <br>&gt; <br>&gt;Karen
<br>&gt; <br>&gt;&gt;X-Sender: steno@...
(Unverified) <br>&gt;&gt;X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version
3.0 (32) <br>&gt;&gt;Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2001 19:04:19
+0300 <br>&gt;&gt;To: primack@...
<br>&gt;&gt;From: Steno Agencies &lt; steno@...&gt;
<br>&gt;&gt;Subject: THANKS <br>&gt;&gt; <br>&gt;&gt;
<br>&gt;&gt;Thank you very much for the invitation you and Irwin
Berg have extended to <br>&gt;&gt;me. I am looking
forward to meeting all of you. I am excited to visit the
<br>&gt;&gt;United States for the first time and to deliver talks
with songs included. <br>&gt;&gt; <br>&gt;&gt;I wish
to stay for at least one month and I would like to
learn computer, <br>&gt;&gt;to travel to Jewish centres
in the US and to sell Kippot, Tallitot and
<br>&gt;&gt;music and also to meet many friends. I would also like
to visit <br>synagogues <br>&gt;&gt;and meet Rabbis
to discuss matters pertaining to the conversion of
<br>&gt;&gt;Abayudaya to Judaism. <br>&gt;&gt; <br>&gt;&gt;I will
inform you more of what I would like to do while in the
US. <br>&gt;&gt; <br>&gt;&gt;For now thank you very
much for the invitation. <br>&gt;&gt;May God bless
you. <br>&gt;&gt; <br>&gt;&gt;Yours faithfully,
<br>&gt;&gt; <br>&gt;&gt; <br>&gt;&gt;J.J. Keki.

Of course, not every black convert to Judaism
experiences a warm welcome. If there was another common
thread in my conversations, it was that some converts
felt their Jewishness was questioned, or that certain
congregants seemed puzzled by their presence. Professor
Julius Lester, whose book Lovesong eloquently described
his own conversion, told me, "I think the differing
attitudes toward Jews of color are also reflective of
generational differences among Jews. Older Jews tend to look
on Jews of color as more of an oddity, whereas
younger and more liberal Jews are more open and
accepting. Most of the questions I get about my being Jewish
and what kind of Jew am I, etc., etc., come from the
50+ age group." Whether you agree with him or not,
the fact remains that not all Jews welcome converts
of any color, including Caucasian ones. And since
many Ashkenazi Jews (especially the older ones of whom
Professor Lester speaks) may never have met a Jew of color,
this may contribute to some initial
discomfort.<br><br>Internet Resources for Black Jews: The Internet has been a
great support system for black Jews--converts as well
as those born Jewish. An increasing number of
excellent newsgroups and list-serves bring a sense of
community and a chance for conversation. This is especially
valuable for those black Jews who find themselves in a
city where they don't know any Jews who are not
Ashkenazim. Among the best lists I have found are:
bnotyisrael@...; yachadbshalom@egroups.com; and
aframjews@egroups.com. I have also found a number of websites aimed at
Jews of color such as the Resource Center for African
Jews.<br><br>A woman who founded and moderates one of the
list-serves told me, "I wanted a forum for Jews of African as
well as Middle Eastern descent to come together in a
context where they were totally accepted--not a place
where they must explain the "how's" of their Jewishness
simply because their skin is dark..." Her list currently
has over 100 participants, and is constantly
increasing. <br><br>While they love the theology of Judaism,
many Jews of colour believe they are still not fully
accepted by the Jewish community. The fact that we still
refer to "black Jews" implies that somehow Jews are
supposed to be white (as we once referred to "women
doctors," implying that the norm was doctors who were
male). Eventually, as even more African-Americans come
to Judaism and the word gets out more effectively
that Judaism is not and never has been a "whites only"
religion, there will be no need for articles about "black
Jews"--perhaps one day we can just discuss what is going on in
the Jewish community... a community in which people
of colour are a valuable and respected part.

What attracts African-Americans to Judaism?
Several say that they were always attracted to Judaism.
Others say that their interest resulted from either
finding out that somewhere back in their ancestry
somebody was Jewish. Still others say their interest
results from a study of African history, which indicated
that Lemba (The Lemba are a group of ethical
monotheists living in parts of Africa. Many were converted to
Christianity by missionaries, but others resisted, saying they
believed they were descendents of the Levitical priests in
the Tanakh. DNA testing last year has proven that
they are correct-- they are indeed descendents of the
Biblical Hebrews.) may have Jewish roots or that there was
a black Jewish community in Mbale Uganda or other
African areas. Some Jews of color tell me they have
studied the Hebrew Bible and became convinced they were
supposed to return to Judaism. In fact, there seems to be
a belief among some of the people I interviewed
that they are part of a process of Jewish renewal;
that at one time, there were larger numbers of black
Jews in Africa and in the Middle East (this may indeed
be true, as recent research and several
documentaries have indicated), and now gradually, some of their
descendants are reclaiming what they feel was taken from them
by missionaries. <br><br>Converting to Judaism can
be gratifying, but it can also be stressful, no
matter what your ethnic background. Yet, many black
converts told me they encountered no prejudice whatsoever
from their new congregations, and that people had gone
out of their way to be friendly. One woman I
interviewed said her desire to convert was also reinforced by
meeting another black convert-- Rodney Sampson. Mr
Sampson in 1997 became the first African-American
president of the Arlington-Fairfax (Virginia) Jewish
Congregation; today, he is on their board of directors. Michael
Hudson, whose website discusses his conversion to
Judaism, told me in an e-mail that his temple not only
made him feel welcome but has welcomed his wife and
children, even though they didn't convert. Says Hudson
about his temple, "I have found a new family, which
accepts me as a Jew and has no qualms about my blackness
or the fact that I was not born Jewish."<br><br>But
while many black converts agreed that their rabbi and
their temple treated them well, there was also a common
thread in their comments to me--regret that there were
so few other Jews of colour in their congregation.
Perhaps that wish for a congregation that has more black
Jews is what attracts some African-American converts
to the synagogue of Rabbi Capers Funnye, a
Conservative rabbi from Chicago. His congregation, Beth Shalom
B'Nai Zaken, is comprised of mostly black Jews, many of
whom are Jews by choice. However, most
African-American converts with whom I spoke tended to join
Ashkenazi congregations.

Black Jews Today <br>by Donna Halper
<br><br><br><br><br>For most Americans, their mental picture of a Jew is
still somebody whose skin is white. Because
European-born Jews are the majority in America, it is not
surprising that this belief persists. And although there
have been Jews of colour in America for generations,
statistics on exactly how many there are in America vary. I
have seen figures as low as 10,000 and as high as
100,000 (50,000 seems to be the most frequently quoted
estimate). And while the exact number is still elusive,
there is anecdotal evidence that the number of
African-American Jews is increasing. When I asked rabbis in
Boston, Baltimore, and Chicago if there are
African-Americans in their congregations, not only did most say
"yes" but several also added, "There are more in my
congregation now than at any time previously." Articles in
several weekly Jewish newspapers are making that same
observation; despite well-known tensions between some black
groups and the Jewish community, this has not stopped
African-Americans from seeking out the Jewish religion. (And in
case you are wondering, there are now at least ten
black rabbis in the United States, and several
cantors.)

Here's a press release of a concert Warren and I
will be giving next <br>Saturday in Falmouth,
Massachusetts. I hope some of you can join us. <br>David
<br><br><br>DAVID CHEVAN AND WARREN BYRD <br>TO GIVE CONCERT OF
JEWISH AND AFRICAN-AMERICAN SACRED MUSIC <br>IN
FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS <br>EVENT IN CELEBRATION OF <br>DR.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. <br><br>On Saturday, January 13
the duo of bassist David Chevan and pianist Warren
<br>Byrd will perform at a free concert to celebrate the
birthday of Martin <br>Luther King, Jr. Chevan and Byrd
will be performing jazz interpretations of <br>sacred
music from the Jewish and African-American traditions.
The event <br>will take place at the Meetinghouse of
the Falmouth Jewish Congregation <br>located at 7
Hatchville Road in Falmouth, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. It
is <br>scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. and will
conclude with a Havdalah service. <br>There is no
admission charge for this performance. The Falmouth Jewish
<br>Congregation can be reached for more information at
508-540-0602. <br><br>Chevan and Byrd's new CD, "Let Us Break
Bread Together" is currently <br>receiving wide
critical acclaim. George Robinson wrote in The Jewish
Voice, <br>"Let Us Break" is an excellent record of
intelligent and thoughtful music, <br>and I recommend it
highly. 4 ½ stars!" Martin Goldsmith, former host and
<br>senior commentator for NPR's "Performance Today wrote in
the Forward, "Leave <br>it to the artists among us to
heal the breach. On their new CD, "Let Us <br>Break
Bread Together: Further Explorations of the
Afro-Semitic Experience", <br>pianist Warren Byrd and double
bassist David Chevan explore and celebrate <br>the
musical ties that have bound these two traditions
together across <br>centuries of suffering and redemption.
. . . Listening to this CD is a bit <br>like
checking out a funky little club in the basement of a
church or shul. <br>Or listening to a sermon on a bus
ride headed South." <br><br>But it is in performance
where Chevan and Byrd shine. They gave a preview
<br>concert of the new CD at the Union of American Hebrew
Congregations (UAHC) <br>headquarters in New York to an
enthusiastic audience. Later, Rabbi Dan <br>Polish, the
Director of the UAHC Commission on Social Action of Reform
<br>Judaism wrote, "Your musical partnership and your
mutually respectful <br>engagement in one another's
musical and spiritual traditions model the kind <br>of
dialogue between the black and Jewish communities that so
many of us <br>aspire to. Your presentation had the
remarkable effect of moving, <br>delighting and edifying us
all at the same time." <br><br>"Let Us Break Bread
Together" is Chevan and Byrd's second CD of
<br>interpretations of Jewish and African- American Sacred Music.
Their first <br>CD, "Avadim Hayinu: Once We Were
Slaves" made the Jewish Voice's top ten <br>list of
recordings for 1998. Critic George Robinson wrote, "A
brilliant <br>piano-bass duo reading of tunes from the
Jewish and African-American sacred <br>traditions and
easily the best record I've reviewed this year. Warm,
<br>intelligent and swinging..." Both CDs are currently available
at <br>www.amazon.com. For more information on
Chevan and Byrd please visit <br>David's web site at
www.chevan.addr.com or write to David at <br>dchevan@....

There are also a few new members I would like to
welcome to the group, 2 <br>individuals that have proven
that friendship holds no boundaries. <br><br> First, I
would like to welcome Senernity A. Middleton, the
Executive <br>Director of <br>one of the most altruistic
organizations on the web, Diverse Web Works, is <br>dedicated
to supporting the novice and intermediate diverse
web designer, <br>with weekly online chats and
unconditional 24/7 (practically!) support! Her <br>talents are
amazing, and it is my hope that she will share some of her
sites <br>to atest to that fact! <br><br>Not only is
Serenity an angel, she has been instumental in the
advancement of <br>YBS, in many ways, and this will become
readily apparent in the weeks and <br>months to come!
<br><br>The other new member is Antonio Allah, and as you may
have surmised he is a <br>staunch supporter of YBS's
efforts to facilitate collaboration and solidarity
<br>between not only blacks and Jews but between Jews as
well. He is a <br>professional web designer with ten
years of experience. He has many other <br>talents that
have surfaced as he helps me endlessly.

After a decade of government inaction, the
Ethiopian Jewish community understandably came to the
conclusion that Israel's failure to process their relatives
was due to governmental policy, not merely
bureaucratic inertia. A lawsuit was brought against the
government in Israel's Supreme Court, demanding that
Ethiopians' petitions for aliyah be examined according to the
same criteria and procedures followed in the rest of
the world. A three-judge panel ruled on March 8th
that the government must present a timetable for
processing these applications. This led to the current
situation in which processing has begun in Ethiopia and
hundred of Ethiopian Jews are being accepted as eligible
for aliyah each month. Michael Rosenberg of the
Jewish Agency has estimated that over 3,000 Ethiopian
Jews will be brought to Israel by the end of this year
with over 5,000 more following in 2001. While this is
a positive development, a long time will pass
before the majority of community members are allowed to
rejoin their families in Israel, during which many
Jewish Ethiopians will continue to suffer. <br><br>Under
the guidance of its Board of Governors and Honorary
Chairman Elie Wiesel, SSEJ has opened up a compound in
Gondar to provide for the needs of over 10,000 members
of the Beta Israel community. The compound has a
food distribution center, classrooms, a mikva, a
social services area, a synagogue, and a work center to
facilitate the creation of jobs and job skills. However,
neither SSEJ nor NACOEJ (the North American Conference on
Ethiopian Jewry) which provides food and education to 4700
children and employs more than 800 of the 5300
heads-of-household, have the financial capability of providing
adequately for the needs of the community. Despite the dire
needs of the Jews remaining in Ethiopia neither the
SSEJ nor the NACOEJ programs receive any support from
the UJC or local federations. In June of 1998 the
Joint discontinued its programs which provided badly
needed assistance for food and housing. <br><br>It is
difficult to understand why it required a decision of the
Supreme Court for the Israeli government to begin to live
up to its responsibilities. It is disheartening that
American Jewry has failed in its historic obligation to
help a fellow Diaspora Jewish community that
desperately needs assistance. While the limited healthcare
provided by the Joint is a start, the UJC most do more to
provide food and shelter to the Jews in Ethiopia so that
more children do not die needlessly while awaiting
passage to their homeland. <br><br>For several other
articles on the Felas Mura/Beta Israel, see a recent issue
of Sh'ma, the leading monthly journal also published
by Jewish Family & Life<br>Comprehensive information
on the status of and how to assist Ethiopian Jewry
in Ethiopia and Israel

Dying to Make Aliyah <br><br>&lt;-- previous page
<br>Over the past several years, the community has
enthusiastically participated in a "Return to Judaism" program
designed by a committee of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate.
They pray three times a day, keep kosher, and
celebrate the Sabbath and Jewish holidays. Eighteen
thousand members of this community currently live in Addis
Ababa or Gondar, having left, or in some cases having
been forcibly driven, from their villages. They have
congregated near the Israeli embassy in Addis Ababa and the
consulate in Gondar, waiting to present their cases for
aliyah. All of them are awaiting reunification with
family members who are already in Israel. In Addis
Ababa, two thirds of the families have first degree
relatives in Israel i.e. parents, spouses, children,
grandchildren, grandparents, brothers and sisters. It should be
noted that in Israel, the members of this community
continue to lead traditional Jewish lives. They appear
before Rabbinical Courts to complete the process of
returning to Judaism and send their children to the
religious school system. <br><br>These Jews remain in
Ethiopia because, despite the Law of Return, the State of
Israel has been slow to admit them. The Ethiopian
government permits its citizens to emigrate freely. It is
difficult to understand why Israel's Interior Ministry
refused for years to examine the applications of these
observant Jews at a time when tens of thousands of
non-Jewish Russians were allowed to make aliyah. The head of
the National Religious Party, Yitzchak Levy, has
called upon the Israeli government twice within the past
15 months, to allow all 26,000 members of this
community to immigrate to Israel. Yet despite his support
and the support of other prominent Israeli rabbis and
political leaders, until recently the Interior Ministry
refused to even accept applications for aliyah in
Ethiopia. In many cases, the applicants clearly qualified
for aliyah under Israel's Law of Return even if they
were not deemed Jewish since they have parents and
grandparents in Israel who have been certified as Jewish by
the Interior Ministry.

Most of their descendants, sometimes referred to
as Felash Mura, left their villages for Addis Ababa
or Gondar (a northwestern province) in hopes of
joining their relatives in Israel. Having returned to
living full traditional Jewish lives, they have been
accepted as a Jewish community by the leaders of the major
American Jewish religious movements (Orthodox ,
Conservative, and Reform) as well as by the rabbis and kessoch
(traditional spiritual leaders) of the Israeli Ethiopian
Jewish community. However, inadequate assistance is
being provided to the destitute Jews remaining in
Ethiopia. The UJC funded Joint Distribution Committee (the
Joint), currently provides only medical care and a
limited nutritional rehabilitation program for the most
severe cases of malnutrition. <br><br>A team of medical
experts recently surveyed the medical, nutritional, and
socio-economic situation of the Addis Ababa Beta Israel
community. They document conditions that are appalling even
by Ethiopian standards. Fifty-five percent (55%) of
children under five have had their growth stunted. Sixteen
percent (16%) are severely wasted (low weight for
height), a rate 74% higher than the national average. The
average Beta Israel family five survives on less than $20
a month, far below the norm in Addis Ababa; 94%
live below the poverty line determined by the World
Bank. According to the report, "the sanitation
situation appears to be among the worst in town." Eighty
percent (80%) do not have access even to pit latrines and
must use open fields. Families lack adequate shelter
and needlessly suffer through the harsh rainy season.
<br><br>The situation in Gondar is even worse. In April, then
Interior Minister Natan Sharansky visited a home in Gondar
where the mother was too malnourished to nurse her
child. The baby died several days later. Minister
Sharansky stated that the homes he visited in Ethiopia were
comparable to his punishment cell in Siberia. Food prices
have also risen dramatically as a result of the famine
which is sweeping Ethiopia. In Addis Ababa and Gondar,
Jewish children are begging on the streets for food. Ten
members of Struggle to Save Ethiopian Jewry (SSEJ), a New
York based humanitarian advocacy organization,
recently visited a cemetery in Gondar filled with the
graves of children under the age of five who died
primarily as a result of curable diseases exacerbated by
severe malnutrition. <br><br>The 26,000 member community
remaining in Ethiopia is clearly Jewish. Those members
whose ancestors 'converted' did so for the most part as
the result of intolerable conditions. For example, in
a country where the economy is based upon
agriculture, Jews were not allowed to own land. To save their
children from starvation, some parents chose to behave, at
least outwardly, as Christians. Nevertheless the
members of the community did not intermarry; their
Ethiopian neighbors continued to regard them as part of the
Jewish community. In certain areas, they secretly
continued to observe Jewish practices. Today, the Ethiopian
Jewish community in Israel strongly supports their
aliyah. After spending a month in Ethiopia, Chief Kes
Hadane, perhaps the leading spiritual leader of Ethiopian
Jewry in Israel, stated that "Our brothers are our
flesh and blood."

Dying to Make Aliyah <br><br>by Jeremy Feit and
Eric Gomberg <br>An emergency faces world Jewry today,
but no one seems to be paying attention.
<br><br>There is a community of 26,000 Jews in Ethiopia waiting
to make aliyah. They are the grandchildren or
great-grandchildren of Jews who were cut off from the larger
Ethiopian Jewish community, often as a result of
dislocations caused by war or famine. While many members of
this community remained faithful to Judaism, some of
these Jews converted to Christianity. However, a
substantial number of these 'conversions' were only nominal;
in the vast majority of cases, the 'conversions'
took place as a result of intense economic and social
pressures. In fact, according to Refugees International,
even among those who 'converted', there was little
intermarriage with their Christian neighbors and the community
continued to be called Beta Israel.

A naming ceremony is the first opportunity to
publicly acknowledge these multiple heritages. Many
adoptive parents incorporate symbols, foods, stories, and
poems from their child's native culture into the Jewish
ritual. This speaks eloquently of the importance to the
family of intertwining the child's birth and adoptive
cultures. <br><br>Some adoptive parents are selective about
which components of their child's birth heritage they
introduce. They may feel it appropriate to teach about the
language, history, food, holidays, customs, and culture,
without teaching children about their birth religion.
Others do recommend educating children about their birth
religion as a part of their culture of origin, while
clearly explaining that this is for cultural exploration,
not religious purposes. They believe that children
are naturally curious and that what they are
forbidden to explore may acquire a special attractiveness.
<br><br>Some Jewish adoptive parents incorporate customs from
their child's heritage into their practice of Judaism.
They research how Jews in their child's birth country
celebrate their Judaism and include specific customs into
their own celebrations. Visiting Israel can be a
particularly valuable experience for Jewish children of color
as they will see Jews of many ethnicities living and
working together there. <br><br>Finally, another way to
accentuate the Jewish side of a child's identity is by
enrolling the child in a Jewish day school. Although some
parents prefer a public school with a widely diversified
population, others choose a Jewish school to help facilitate
their child's integration into their religious
community. Both choices have their merits; what matters most
is to honor the child's culture of origin while
developing his or her Jewish identity. <br><br>This article
is excerpted from Shelly Kapnek Rosenberg's book
Adoption and the Jewish Family: Contemporary Perspectives
published by Jewish Publication Society, Phila., PA, 1998

A Jewish adoptee from another country and culture
is a member of a minority within a minority within a
minority. What are the special challenges on this
particular path? Adoption itself presents difficult
challenges with which adoptees and their families must
grapple throughout their lives; transcultural adoption
introduces yet another layer of complexity. The adoptee's
questions now encompass not only a birth family, but an
entire culture. Adoptive parents must become willing and
informed transmitters of that birth culture. In order for
children to develop a healthy sense of pride in their
racial and cultural identity, they need to know where
they come from. The message to children who don't
receive this information is that there is a part of them
that doesn't matter or isn't worth knowing about.
<br><br>Adoption into a Jewish family adds another wrinkle:
Transculturally adopted children need information about their
Jewish heritage, and encouragement and assistance in
integrating it into their identities. Some Jewish adoptive
parents feel guilty that their children, who would have
been a member of a dominant culture, have become a
triple minority. Yet if parents don't actively teach
Judaism to their multiculturally adopted children, the
children may question their connection to Judaism and may
assume that, because of their different cultural
heritage, they are not welcome in the Jewish community. On
the other hand, if they are given the opportunity to
live that heritage, they become comfortable and proud
of it. <br><br>Jewish parents who adopt
transculturally, as well as their children, face a lifetime of
decisions, some major and some minor, about how to
successfully intertwine their child's birth and adoptive
cultures. The first time a family encounters such a
decision is when the family selects the child's name.
Names signal origin; they claim a person as a member of
a group. A child may have his birth name, honoring
the birth culture; an American name, indicating entry
into one new culture; and a Hebrew name, symbolizing
inclusion in a second new culture. One way to combine the
child's multiple heritages is to choose a Hebrew name
that means the same thing as the child's birth name.

A Jewish Rainbow: Transcultural and Transracial
Adoption <br>by Shelley Kapnek Rosenberg, Ed.D.
<br><br><br><br><br>Jessica, who was adopted from Korea at age two, has three
small flags on a stand in her bedroom, one Korean, one
American, and one Israeli. By age six, she would look at
them and announce: "This is me." She has learned to
straddle her multiple identities and knows exactly who she
is. <br><br>Asian, Hispanic... and Jewish. Native
American, African American... and Jewish. As increasing
numbers of Jewish people adopt children from the four
corners of the earth, the American Jewish community is
becoming a multicultural and multiracial rainbow. We are
learning what Jews around the world have always known:
that the Jewish people have many faces, many colors,
many body types, many names. Transracial or
transcultural adoption--the adoption of a child of one race or
heritage by a family of another--forever changes that
family: It becomes a multicultural or interracial family.
These adoptees and their families become part of a rich
and varied Jewish tapestry stitched together by
choice and love.

Our Son's Conversion to Judaism <br>by Rabbi
Susan Silverman <br><br><br><br><br>We are seeking an
Orthodox conversion for our son, Adar, a
fourteen-month-old we adopted five months ago from Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia. That may not seem like a radical statement, but
for us it is. The Judaism that completely permeates
our lives is progressive. We are egalitarian. I am a
rabbi. Our children have only heard us refer to God as
"She". The women and the men of the Torah come alive for
them as God's partners in history through my husband's
nightly Torah (Bible) or rabbinic story puppet show. The
Jewish day school and synagogue communities that envelop
us are pluralistic, with a bottom line of
egalitarianism. Our oldest child, a daughter--now almost
seven--took on the mitzvah (which means commandment or good
deed) of tzitzit (a fringed garment worn almost
exclusively by traditional male Jews) shortly after she
turned five, and has remained committed to it daily
since then. <br><br>There is clearly spiritual and
emotional sacrifice involved in taking this route [of an
Orthodox conversion]. The holy transformation of my son
becoming a Jew will not be presided over by loving
rabbinic colleagues in an egalitarian ceremony that makes
sense in our lives. Instead, both my husband and I are
likely to feel the way we do in civil proceedings--like
cogs in an administrative machine, going through
motions of a process external to ourselves. It will be
anathema to our daily Jewish life. <br><br>So why are we
removing ourselves from our natural habitat by seeking the
heksher the certification, of a different Jewish
community--especially at such a sacred and liminal moment in our lives?
We are protecting Adari. He will never know who his
birth parents are, or their religion and ethnicity
(there are many within Ethiopia). He will never know if
he has birth siblings. He will never know the
circumstances of his birth and early weeks of life. We do not
want to provide any opportunity for anyone to cast
doubt on his being a Jew--a fear that projects to his
high-school years at the local Jewish high school. We are
willing to pay with our own Jewish identities at this
moment of our lives for an insurance policy against
those who would see fit to question his right to an
aliyah (blessing and reading the Torah), or his
credentials as a prom date for their child. <br><br>I feel, a
bit, that I am betraying God. I am casting aside my
fundamental relationship with the Creator, and putting on the
mask of someone else's covenanted relationship.
Perhaps God agrees that my son's future relationship with
Him/Her needs to be protected when it might be most
vulnerable--adolescence--the same time that the doubts of others might be made
known to him. To do so, I must take a deep breath, and
seek the heksher of the community of those who would
otherwise reject his Jewish status.
<br><br><br>--------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------<br><br> Susan Silverman is a rabbi and coauthor, with her
husband Yosef I. Abramowitz, of Jewish Famiy & Life:
Traditions, Holidays, and Values for Today's Parents and
Children (Golden Books). They have three children.

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