Many members of the Jewish community spent a special evening at The Casino on April 18 to help WISE Women of Blair County recognize and honor Rozzie Sky, Community Service Volunteer for 2012. Rozzie was described as a woman of “faith, family and community involvement who brings her unique blend of enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to everything she undertakes – and she undertakes a lot!”  Mazel Tov to Rozzie and to the WISE Women organization for their wisdom in honoring her for many volunteer efforts to both the Jewish and general community.  We certainly are proud of Rozzie’s contributions as she joins so many other women in our Jewish community who practice our values of caring for each other, welcoming the stranger and loving your neighbor. Many of these women have been honored in prior years by WISE Women and the YWCA. They include: Nancy Devorris, Judi Sue Meisner, Shirley Pechter and Charlotte Morris as Community Service volunteers; Barbara Hollander – Arts and Letters; Bernice Levinson and Mickey Port – Non-Profit/Government, and Mary Jo Jubelirer – Education.  So many of our women are truly partners with God in the completion, perfection and repair of the world. May they go from strength to strength.

As the room filled, you could feel the excitement.  There were no beach balls, pep bands or loud music, but there was a mix of anticipation, energy, and anxiety.  What would he say, how would his message be received, and would the questions that followed be hostile?  The crowd was mostly students, but there were many adults.  There was also a large security detail, and visibly armed campus police.  I am sure many in the tightly packed, overflowing crowd at 111 Wartik Hall on the Penn State campus were interested in Ambassador Michael Oren’s presentation, “Israel as the Ultimate Ally to the United States,” but I was also there for the fireworks that were sure to follow the presentation. The State of Israel evokes strong emotions, and Oren’s previous presentations on college campuses have resulted in confrontation from hecklers and opponents of Israel and Israeli policy.  Students have been removed, arrested, and convicted for their outbursts in these presentations.  Our Jewish Videos page on this website has recordings of these episodes, and our News Online page has articles of these incidents.

After his presentation, Oren took questions, and the first two questions were along the lines of why does Israel kill innocent people, and the Jewish claim to Israel as a homeland is a lie.  I have no problem with the questions, but their tone and insinuation were clearly filled with hatred and contempt, as if the world would be a better place without Jews and without Israel.

Insensitivity, discrimination, hate, and criminal acts are usually something we learn about or experience on television, the internet, or in books, newspapers, or magazines.  These experiences seem remote, and we can always change the channel, or close the book.  Most of us will not to experience these acts in person. It is hard to describe the your emotions when the person directly in front of you, and the person behind you are spooing hatred and vitriol.  It is uncomfortable and it is scary.

You have just spent forty five minutes listing to a distinguished representative of a country you admire, a country that has overcome great odds to not only exist but flourish.  You have learned about all the great contributions it’s citizens have made to our civilization, and you are then brought down by hatred and evil thoughts.  It was sad, but it was a necessary experience.  Necessary because it motivates one to do good, stand up for the truth, and support justice.  It is important to be proactive in the celebration of religious and cultural diversity, and support the causes that bring understanding and respect between people and communities.  This is part of mission at the Greater Altoona Jewish Federation, and I hope our Jewish community continues to support this aspect of our work.

The digital home of your Greater Altoona Jewish Federation is pleased to celebrate it’s three year anniversary. We have had over 10,000 visits and 4,200 new visitors since our launch, and not surprisingly, “member happenings” is our most visited page.

With each update we seek to provide new and exciting ways to enhance the Jewish experience in our community with member news, as well as fresh perspectives on local, national and international Jewish concerns. In addition, calendars, photos, book reviews, stories, videos, jokes, interviews, and event information continue to be posted daily.

I believe that the success of our excellent newsletter, L’Chaim, was an important inspiration for our website, and now we are happy to provide back issues of L’ Chaim on the website.  Just click on OUR COMMUNITY on the side navigation bar and then on L’ CHAIM for back issues from 1999.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of your Greater Altoona Jewish Federation, I hope you continue to find this website meaningful and I hope you will visit often and contribute to this community resource with any information you would like to share.

For many reasons, Thanksgiving is a very popular holiday. The feast, the football, the friends, and the family, are all very festive.

I want to thank Phil Devorris for helping put it all in perspective, and thank him for allowing me to share a portion of his thoughts: “I’d like to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving and the beginning of a most joyous holiday season. Whether you spend it with friends, family or in quiet contemplation, please take time to count your blessings.  The world’s population passed 7,000,000,000 people this month. We all face different challenges in our lives, but compared to the lives of the vast majority of those 7,000,000,000, we are all indeed fortunate. Being thankful for what we have follows a tradition that goes back 500 years in our country. Few things are more helpful to the psyche than taking a moment to be thankful.”

The more I think about Thanksgiving, the more I begin to see a second component, the act of GIVING. By giving, one truly demonstrates being thankful. Giving also helps the psyche, and also helps those who are less fortunate. In Judaism, we strive to take the ordinary and make it holy. By making simple things special we add meaning to our daily tasks, and enrich our lives and our community. In this vein, let us try to show our thanks by giving our time, and our support to those in need, not only in this holiday season, but all year long.

Once again a member or past member of our Jewish community was honored for their contributions to our hometown and region. The Altoona Shoe Company received the Heritage Award by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce. This award recognizes those businesses that are no longer in operation but made a lasting impact on Blair County’s history. Evelyn Kenvin, daughter of the founders, Binnie and Max Billig, and her sister-in-law, Gail Billig, were in attendance to receive the award. Altoona Shoe joins past Hall of Fame Inductees that include Kopp Drug, Puritan Sportswear, Penn Furniture, Kranich’s Jewelers, Blair Medical Associates, Schulman’s, SAF-T-BAK, Blair Sign Company, Delta Health Systems, and Altoona Pipe and Steel Company, that have either been founded, or led by members of our Jewish community. We certainly should be proud of our contributions to the quality of life in our hometown. Go to Member Happenings to read more about Altoona Shoe Company.

It is not often that a Jewish musical megastar performs only a short drive from our homes in central Pa.  The music and the experience were too much to resist and on Saturday, July 16^th tattoos, body piercings, alcohol, rock & roll, tallit, Torah, Havdalah and a hipster wanna be all came together at the AE Pavilion next to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.  You had to see it to believe it, and hear it to believe it.  Reggae/rap/rock star Matisyahu was in the house and the house was a rocking.  Well after sunset, the Brooklyn orthodox Jew hit the stage with tallis, pais and kippa flying.  A collision of cultures united behind the music for the approximately three thousand in attendance.  I do not pretend to be a musical savant, but I know a popular cultural event when I see one.

I expected a larger Jewish presence either out of religious curiosity or to represent for our homeboy, but I only saw a few couples at the bar with similar inquisitive faces to mine. I also anticipated a show that highlighted the singer’s messages of holiness and observance but was instead fed a steady diet of drums, guitars and inaudible words.  Fortunately my disappointment with the music was balanced by the spectacle of the crowd.  You just don’t get this type of show at the Mishler.

While I love the artist’s music and often listen to his CD’s in the car or while exercising, I was happy to leave early at the request of my two companions, who were too exhausted from a day of shopping to enjoy the crowd.  Nevertheless, I was glad to have had the experience.  Click here to read more about the artist and click here to see some of his videos on our website.

Change is constant and unpredictable, even in Altoona.  After years of struggling to woo rabbinic leadership, Agudath Achim and Temple Beth Israel have or will be welcoming new Rabbis.  A new rabbi is always an exciting time in the life of a congregation but expectations are always difficult.

I recently enjoyed a meal with Rabbi Josh as he and his family prepare for their new life at Agudath Achim and in Altoona.  As we conversed, my mind reflected on a sermon delivered by a guest rabbi a few years ago.  He delivered a very memorable sermon on the relationship of a rabbi and his congregation.  He explained this relationship as a very complicated one, as a rabbi is an employee as well as a friend and teacher. Expectations are high.  Does the rabbi work to preserve the heritage and practices of a congregation with years of history and tradition, or does he bring new insights and perspectives? YES!  Does he give sermons based on Torah, or sermons based on current events? YES!  Do we want him to lead us, work with us, or follow us? YES!  Does he need to listen to what we say we want, or should he give us what we really need?  YES!

Indeed, it is very complicated and it is a relationship that takes time and effort, like all relationships. In my home there hangs a poem called “a recipe for a happy marriage.”  The main ingredients, love, cooperation, forgiveness, and respect, all share one common feature, the act of giving.  The ability to give toward a greater whole in the absence of self-interest and for the greater good is the basis for any union to be complete and functional.

I also often think about a book that I read many years ago, “And They Shall Be My People,” by Paul Wilkes.  The author follows a conservative rabbi for a year in Worcester, Massachusetts.  He not only explores the relationship of a rabbi and a congregation with regard to expectations and commitment, but he provides real insights about the personal struggles of a spiritual leader.  I think everyone would benefit from this outstanding read with regard to expectations for a rabbi and a congregation as well as Jewish spirituality, and the difficulties of Jewish life in a secular America.

Congregations often have many meetings to discuss the characteristics that a spiritual leader should possess.  From my experience, the common denominator of these discussions was what we wanted, or what we felt we needed.  In my opinion our wants and needs should be secondary to what we plan to give.  A rabbi can only lead a congregation that is open and honest with regard to its own commitment toward observance and participation.  Click here to read about  “And They Shall Be My People,” by Paul Wilkes.

The Twelfth Annual Jewish Film Festival was our most successful – so far. Record crowds enjoyed our fine dinners and great films. Interest in the festival has grown over the years and is now a highlight in the winter schedule for both the Jewish and general communities.

We averaged about 90 people at the dinners where people relaxed, socialized and enjoyed the fine food prepared by Paula and Dave Binus and the special desserts from Maxine. The dinners are the real “community building” component of the festival where people can spend time with old friends and meet new ones.

Based on your suggestions, the Film Festival Committee selected movies that were a little “lighter” and more entertaining for this year. They also added more of an Israeli flavor – two of the films, The Little Traitor and For My Father were made and took place in Israel. Both were well attended and received. Dr. Matt Evans shared his knowledge of Israel in his introduction of For My Father. The Little Traitor, introduced by Mike Cohen, was a heartwarming story of an Israeli boy in 1947 Jerusalem.

The film with the largest attendance (185 people) was Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg, which was the story of Gertrude Berg introduced by Rabbi Audrey Korotkin. The older generation remembered her pioneering radio and TV shows and younger people learned about her influence on current TV comedies.

Our last film, Inside Hana’s Suitcase, introduced by Jan Housman, was a fan favorite. It told the story of a wonderful Japanese teacher and her students who researched the history of a suitcase belonging to a young girl who was a victim of Auschwitz. There were wonderful messages of respect for others and hope for the future.

All of the films are available to borrow from the Federation.

Help us plan for next year. We welcome your suggestions for films that both educate and entertain. Let us know what topics or kinds of films you prefer – either through a comment to this blog or by emailing the Federation office at altfed@atlanticbb.net.

Last year, over the winter holidays while visiting my parents in San Antonio, Texas, I was happy to discover and rediscover the exhibit, Reclaimed, the extraordinary legacy of Jacques Goudstikker, a preeminent art dealer in Amsterdam, whose vast collection of masterpieces fell victim, and was almost lost forever to the Nazis.  I commented how Judaism is often found in unexpected circumstances and in unexpected places.  This winter holiday produced a similar surprise.  While packing for my trip I grabbed a pile of magazines collecting on my desk for the plane ride to Texas.  Each quarter I receive a copy of Emory Magazine from my alma mater and I usually give it a quick read on it’s way to the recycling bin.  This year an article about a five minute Holocaust documentary caught my attention.  Three Emory students won best drama for this film at the 2010 Campus MovieFest awards.  The story is about a Nazi scientist, Kurt Gertein, who develops Zyklon B gas as a chemical to kill rodents.  Unknown to him it is later used in the gas chambers.  When Gerstein sees his chemicals used for murder at the Belzec concentration camp, he realizes his indirect participation and buries the remaining gas canisters.  Wracked with guilt and finding no other aid, Gerstein surrenders himself to the Allies and writes “Der Gerstein-Bericht” which details his viewing of concentration camp killings.  His notes are later used as direct evidence against Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials.  Check out the video in our Jewish video online page.

We hope everyone has had a relaxing and joyous summer with friends and family.  Soon may of us will be preparing to return to school and prepare for the upcoming High Holy Days in September.  We hope you have enjoyed our Federation website as a source of community happenings and as a portal to events and commentary about Israel and the Jewish experience around the country and around the world.  It continues to be our goal to find articles, videos, movies, books, and stories of interest for us to share.  Please continue to send us information.  In the coming weeks we will be posting information of our fall calendar.  We have many new and old favorite activities and programs upcoming.  In the meantime, please check out the new fascination of NBA basketball players with Hebrew and Jewish thought at Jewish News Online.  Shaq, LeBron and Amare are going to Hebrew school.  If we could only get our kids to be so enthusiastic!