Whats nu September 2016 | Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle

Whats nu September 2016

Waukesha synagogue

Carol O’Neil has been elected co-president of the Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha Sisterhood Board of Directors for 2016-17. She joins continuing co-president Cindy Levy.

Sisterhood vice presidents are Sandy Villa and Denise Stodola; the treasurer is Barbara Dailey; and the recording secretary is Judy Shabman.

Elaine Dyer award

Elaine Dyer, RN, NHA, administrator at the Jewish Home and Care Center, received the 2016 Preceptor of the Year Award from the Health Care Administration Program at University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. The award recognizes an administrator who represents a positive image of the program and the long term care industry.

New rabbi at The Shul of Bayside

Rabbi Yisroel Shmotkin, executive director of Lubavitch of Wisconsin, announced the appointment of Rabbi Cheskie Edelman as rabbi of The Shul center in Bayside, effective Aug. 22.

“After an extensive search for a suitable rabbi and rebbetzin for The Shul, that included input from lay leaders, rabbis and The Shul community, an all-around consensus emerged that Rabbi Cheskie and Mrs. Chava Edelman are the choice to join The Shul in Bayside and lead the Shul community into the future,” Rabbi Shmotkin said in a statement.

Rabbi Mendel Shmotkin, who has been interviewing candidates for the position added that Rabbi Cheskie Edelman “is a real people’s person; his passion allows him to connect with people through education, learning and spirituality.”

Rabbi Avremi Schapiro, Lubavitch of Wisconsin’s youth director, has been the anchor of the Shul during a transitional period, according to a Lubavitch of Wisconsin statement.

Rabbi Edelman comes to The Shul with experience.  He was ordained by the Rabbinical College of America in 2003. From 2005 to 2006  Edelman served as outreach director for Chabad of Springfield, Massachusetts. In 2007, he and his wife founded the Chabad Jewish Discovery Center in Olympia, Washington where he served as director until now.

Volunteer opportunity with pastor

The Aurora Sinai Spiritual Care department has an opportunity for a volunteer to assist with special projects. If you’re a self-starter, like to organize, are computer knowledgeable and enjoy learning about spiritual issues, with a few flexible hours weekly to offer, contact Rabbinic Pastor Aggie Goldenholz at 414-219-6084.

Lutherans pass resolutions on Israel

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America called for a halt to investment in companies that allegedly profit from Israel’s occupation, after the local Jewish Community Relations Council tried to waylay the ELCA initiative before it could get that far.

The Chronicle had reported that the Jewish Community Relations Council of Milwaukee Jewish Federation tried to dissuade local Lutheran leaders from supporting divestment. But the annual assembly for the ELCA’s Greater Milwaukee Synod nevertheless passed a resolution in early June, calling for a halt to investment in companies profiting from the Israeli “occupation.”

The resolution was to be bundled with those of other communities, for consideration at the ELCA national assembly Aug. 8-13, 2016, said Bishop Jeff Barrow of the Greater Milwaukee Synod.

The ELCA’s triennial 2016 Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans also called for the president of the United States to recognize the State of Palestine and for an end to settlement construction. It called for a human rights-based investment screen for the church’s social responsibility funds to avoid profiting from human rights abuses, mentioning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by name.

Waukesha Sisterhood funds Jewish identity

When Andi Patz, an artist and art therapist, became a co-chair of the Congregation Emanu-El of Waukesha’s Youth Education Committee, she had a vision to combine an important religious school topic with a high-quality art project.

Now thanks to a grant from CEEW’s Sisterhood, the Jewish Identity Project is scheduled to begin in January, and will focus on connecting CEEW Religious School students to their Jewish heritage.

Through the project, students will be encouraged to talk with parents and other family members regarding their Jewish past; including rituals, traditions and cultural ties. The highlight of the experience will use the arts through a mask-making project to identify the concept of Judaism and its meaning to each individual child. After the mask project is completed, students will write about the experience. The writing will be a way to bear witness to the student’s artwork and experience.

A special “Art Opening” for the congregation will follow the project. Members of the congregation will have the opportunity to view the art, and speak with students regarding their experience.

Book published on Holocaust

The new book, “Escaping Death, Embracing Life,” is the transcript of an interview David Weiss did with his grandfather, Jack Grinbaum. It details his early life in rural Poland, time spent in the ghetto, two concentration camp escapes, the horrors of the camps, liberation and details of life in the displaced persons camps. Weiss lives in Brookfield and has written several books on his grandparents and the Holocaust.

“Escaping Death, Embracing Life: The Jack Grinbaum Holocaust Experience” is available at Amazon.com.

Event with bereaved parents launches ‘Let’s Talk Israel’ series

A conversation with Palestinian and Israeli parents who have lost children in the conflict will help launch a local yearlong “Let’s Talk Israel” program.

Bassam Aramin — a Palestinian whose daughter was killed by Israeli border police in 2007, and Robi Damelin — an Israeli whose son was killed by a Palestinian sniper in 2012 — will speak as representatives of the Parents Circle Families Forum, a joint Palestinian-Israeli organization that is devoted to reconciliation. “It Won’t Stop Until We Talk — Palestinian and Israeli Parents Choose Peace” will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Student Union, 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd.

Consisting of more than 600 bereaved families, The Parents Circle Families Forum members share the common bond of losing a close family member to the conflict.  But instead of choosing revenge, they have chosen a path of reconciliation. Through the different work of the Forum, members have joined together to take tens of thousands of Palestinians and Israelis on their personal journeys of reconciliation.

“It is often raw and always emotional, but out of these interactions, comes change,” states material distributed by Aramin and Damelin. “Not the kind of change that makes headlines, but a more personal and profound shift in perspective.”

According to Aramin and Damelin, the Forum has begun to stir an awareness about the conflict that transcends history and politics, and the first time that many have seen “the other side” as human. The Forum hopes for a time when political leaders reach agreement for peace, and they strongly believe that reconciliation between the Israeli and Palestinian people is essential to ensuring that peace is sustainable.

This event is a program of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Let’s Talk Israel is part of a comprehensive yearlong project of the Federation’s JCRC and Israel Center to increase opportunities for thoughtful and civil conversations about Israel. Learn more about Let’s Talk Israel and related events at MilwaukeeJewish.org/TalkIsrael.