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FORUM An Unbalanced Picture Of B'nai B'rfth The article about B'nai B'nth in your January/February 1989 issue ("B'nai B'rith on the Brink") consists of selective illustrations designed to...

...We joined a temple to provide a Jewish education for our children In time, we attended services three times a year...
...I will say again, this magazine does not satisfy my needs Max Kessler...
...These can be tied to youth and younger adults if we are to rebuild what's being lost in our society, a sense of family It's that sense of family that will help the Jewish people stay alive...
...It was called "a little jewel" by the Washington Post...
...Then there is the B'nai B'rith Klutz-nick Museum, which is particularly special to me as I serve on its board...
...the museum provides both a permanent display of magnificent Jewish life cycle artifacts, and extended exhibits on themes ranging from Israel, Soviet Jewry, the Holocaust, to the Jews of China and the American Yiddish theater The Klutznick Museum is the most important Jewish cultural presence in the heart of the capital of the United States and thus a unique service provided by B'nai B'rith...
...Therefore, over the years some programs have been dropped, some programs have been enhanced and new ones have developed Your article completely ignores the significant current achievements in crucial areas of Jewish life...
...These are tremendous achievements and there is much to be proud of Seymour D Reich President B'nai B'nth International Washington, DC B'nai B'rith Offspring Should Return to the Fold Seymour Reich merits his position as the centerpiece of your story on "B'nai B'rith On the Brink" (January/February 1989...
...These programs are attended annually by hundreds of BBYO young leaders B'nai B'nth's camping programs were not even mentioned...
...There are many accomplishments of which B'nai B'rith can justly be proud...
...The North American Jewish community will be well served by them As one who has worked, in part, within the B'nai B'rith structure for a while now, I can affirm that the new direction and tone being taken by the Reich-Neumann leadership team is welcome, refreshing and most encouraging Certainly within Hillel ranks morale is higher now than in many years...
...And since I am only one voice, speaking for myself, I won't lay any expectations on you...
...It is unique in the size of its constituency, its internationality and membership in 42 countries, most recently the Soviet Union, and is unique in its democratic processes...
...I want this pride, this ethnicity that I've always felt reinforced, re-enjoyed, not denigrated...
...A cup is half full or half empty—permit me to fill the cup with some examples of successful programs, completely ignored in your article of gloom Your correspondent focusing on Hillel's bonding to local federations devoted barely a sentence to the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO...
...He serves as a Life Member on ADL's Motional Commission, B'nai B'nth's Senior Housing program, and is on the Los Angeles Jewish Federation Council board ) Optimistic About the Patient's Recovery I want to compliment you on your recent article "B'nai B'rith on the Brink" January/February 1989...
...She reminded me that I had chosen a faith, so she could also What lies ahead for her two siblings I do not know...
...B'nai B'rith is on the brink, but it is on the brink of resurgence The unified staff structure, which was passed [at the convention] in Baltimore, is working and consequently mustering the tremendous resources and energy of what has been frequently called "a sleeping giant " B'nai B'rith is not searching for identity It has an identity that has existed for 146 years...
...It is a constant worry...
...My effort has not been a complete success...
...It pains me to read put-downs of Israel's Orthodox community or Israel's politics...
...A significant framework is provided for tens of thousands of Jewish teenagers, which is one of the most constructive ways of combating intermarriage and the drug culture...
...Yet this group is the largest Jewish youth organization in North America and operates in Great Britain, continental Europe and Israel as well...
...I have joined study groups and classes and, unlike my Jewish family, I attend services regularly and observe the Sabbath as much as I can without offending my husband's sensibilities...
...B'nai B'rith and other membership-based organizations can be but one of the answers to this challenge if our leadership focuses on how it can be achieved Because of the basic human need to reach out and touch one another, B'nai B'rith can be "on the brink" of a great new future Hyman H Haves Pacific Palisades, California (In 1984, Mr Haves was selected as B'nai B'nth's "Outstanding Volunteer...
...I hope you will consider doing future pieces like this on the Federation movement, our "defense" agencies, on Jewish education, et al...
...So I turned against such anemic observance and searched for what had attracted me to Judaism at the outset...
...In organized Jewish life there is already a surfeit both of triumphalism that papers over the illusions of these institutions, as well as hyper-criticism that looks with jaundiced eyes at what in fact is accomplished Your article avoids both these pitfalls...
...It would be logical to expect my experience to argue against conversion...
...Reich had the courage to "bite the bullet" and start to overhaul the Masonic Order structure of Grand Lodges (now called districts) that became outmoded when B'nai B'rith International (BBI) became a service organization But as David Makovsky reports in his article, the causes, conflicts and tensions between BBI and its offspring remain These need to be resolved internally, or by use of the constitutional power that created these B'nai B'rith services—or by the courts, if all else fails ADL and Hillel are B'nai B'rith instruments, they should remain an integral part of B'nai B'nth's program Funding is the major cause of the growing separation B'nai B'rith will never raise the money its total program requires unless all its services are part of the funding appeal...
...In sum, an article which filled 11 pages, 20 percent of the entire issue, could have presented a more balanced picture of B'nai B'rith and should not have overlooked so many of the organization's contemporary and thriving contributions...
...BBW's main purpose is not ' 'to provide a social outlet for women " We are an international Jewish women's service and advocacy organization...
...My grandmother's beautiful brass candlesticks were merely ornaments I vowed to be as Jewish as my new family dictated...
...We invite MOMENT to take a second look—to look at the resurgence and enthusiasm m Hillel, to look at the love and care our senior citizens are getting because of B'nai B'rith, to look at the largest Jewish youth movement in the world, to look at the recent and historic mission to the Soviet Union, to look at the role B'nai B'rith played in the passing of the Genocide Treaty and implementing legislation...
...I sought to be accepted and to insure that my children would be Jews...
...I know you love Israel as much as I do, but I put no price on my love, nor do I lay any expectations on Israel...
...We are the only major Jewish organization that does not know who its, next president is until the ballots of its membership are counted To be a department store is neither dated nor bad...
...Edward A Zelinsky Professor of Law Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law Yeshiva University New York, New York A Series of Mishnah Lessons I read with pleasure "The Rebbe's Gavel" by Solomon Metzger January/ February 1989...
...I do not feel uplifted as a Jew, I cannot take pride in Israel when I read your magazine...
...The lesson of the Mishnah jumped to life in this heartwarming anecdote...
...There was no mention in the article of the thriving Israel programs of the B'nai B'rith Israel Commission This past November, ARI, the B'nai B'rith Active /?etirees m /srael program, received the coveted William J Shroder Award at the Council of Jewish Federations' General Assembly in New Orleans for its pioneering achievements in bringing thousands of Diaspora Jews to Israel for several months to experience the Jewish state in a meaningful way...
...A recent Federation study showed that only 25 percent of the 600,000 Jews in the Los Angeles Jewish community are affiliated with any Jewish organizational instrumentality...
...The perspective of a judge who works in an American judicial system could be the basis for a series of easy-to-take Mishnah lessons Stanley L Zalen Delmar, New York Why We Need Converts Perry Netter ("Will Your God Really Be My God'" January/February 1989) provides many cogent and much-needed insights about why born-Jews must struggle so hard to accept converts as genuine Jews...
...The holidays have become meaningful and I have made a firm commitment to my faith and my people whether they like it or not I am not a perpetual ' 'Jew by choice...
...That euphemism does not appear in Torah...
...FORUM An Unbalanced Picture Of B'nai B'rfth The article about B'nai B'nth in your January/February 1989 issue ("B'nai B'rith on the Brink") consists of selective illustrations designed to highlight a very negative and down beat picture of decline We are far from sitting shwa for B'nai B'rith1 It is not perfect, it is often troubled and is challenged by the problems of all organizations seeking to meet membership and communal needs There have been changes of focus as different social needs, lifestyles, family structures, political scenarios, educational demands evolve and have to be accommodated within a troubled society...
...There are grounds to be optimistic about the "patient's" recovery1 Rabbi James S Diamond, Ph D B'nai B'nth Hillel Foundation Washington University St Louis, Missouri Providing a Social Outlet Is Just An Extra for B'nai B'rith Women As a longtime life member of B'nai B'rith Women (BBW), as well as a current board member of the East Central Region of BBW, I want to correct some of your statements regarding B'nai B'rith Women in your article about B'nai B'rith International (BBI) in your January/February 1989 issue ("B'nai B'rith on the Brink...
...When she became an adolescent, my youngest child opted for a cult...
...She never liked Hebrew school, she said...
...As head of B'nai B'rith's summer programs for teenagers in the United States and Israel, Dan Thursz was a major force in the lives of thousands of men and women now assuming places of leadership in the community My most vivid image of Dan is working with him in the summers of 1966 and 1967 Somehow, this primordial force of a man managed simultaneously to acquit his responsibilities as dean and government official while supervising B'nai B'rith's summer programs in the United States and Israel...
...Perhaps what Isaac Bashe-vis Singer has said of Yiddish is about to happen with B'nai B'rith...
...Since my daughter's defection, I have learned Hebrew and become a bat mitzvah...
...Dan Thursz has had a productive career as an educator, public servant and Jewish leader He was a major force in the Office of Economic Opportunity during the Johnson administration As dean of the school of social work of the University of Maryland, Dan was a pioneer in training for Jewish professional life...
...Federations also have the responsibility to mount a "united" community campaign They too must allocate funds and rights But those to whom they allocate do not take over [as in B'nai B'nth's case...
...ADL, as the "insurance" against the dread disease of anti-Semitism, is the major "sales pitch" that B'nai B'rith has to raise money Federations, on the other hand, use Israel's needs for this purpose...
...Skeptical though I and some of my colleagues have been about B'nai B'nth's future," I have come to realize that there are some genuine seeds of health within the organization—and these seeds seem to be growing...
...It is true today as ever that Jews who care about being Jews care about B'nai B'rith, and B'nai B'rith cares about Jews wherever they are They care about the young and the old and those in mid-life If the agenda is not narrowly defined, it is powerfully defined Our mandate has always been to advocate on behalf of Israel and Soviet Jews and to speak out about bigotry This is not new although we have increasingly been more forceful and effective Our constituency mandates it We are not in competition with other Jewish groups but supportive of them...
...The children had bar/bat mitzvahs and were confirmed...
...Additional numbers aid communal fundraising and help insure continuing political potency But converts also remind us of the long-dormant Jewish heritage of welcoming those who find the Jewish spiritual path the most congenial Converts can perform an important psychological function for born-Jews- By choosing to join us in our historic enterprise, they validate our own decision to remain dedicated Jews Lawrence J Epstein, Ph D Stony Brook, New York A Convert's "Reverse" Experience Your article, "Will Your God Really Be My God...
...Makovsky does recognize the value of B'nai B'rith's "elderly" programs and membership...
...This was no mean feat in the aftermath of the Six-Day War Dan Thursz's career and life have embodied a personal commitment to social justice and the welfare of the Jewish community...
...At times this year we have spoken up while others have remained silent, but it was always consistent with the positions and expectations of our constituency...
...Those of us who are born Jewish have extraordinarily good reasons, however, to undertake that struggle and welcome converts Converts add numbers to our community...
...Hopefully, I will stand like Asenath, whose children, Manasseh and Ephraim, were leaders and helped conquer the land I am a Jew and I place my fate with Israel and my children Carole A Gardner Chicago, Illinois moment Does Not Satisfy His Needs In my opinion, MOMENT is not only not openminded, it is one-sided politically, especially in its view of what is happening in Israel...
...Aviva Kaufman Penn Chevy Chase, Maryland B'nai B'rith Article Already Dated Your recent article about B'nai B'rith ("B'nai B'rith on the Brink," January/ February 1989) was of great interest to those of us who have introspectively and painfully deliberated about the problems of B'nai B'rith There were many truths in the article but fortunately for us and the Jewish community, by the time the article was printed, it was already dated...
...Between being sick and dying is a long time...
...And it was made very easy for me When the children arrived, I added a family Chanukah observance...
...We have volunteers around the country dispatching and delivering home-delivered meals, delivering Chanukah baskets to the needy, volunteering at veterans' hospitals and senior citizens' homes, collecting shoes for needy children, presenting our "Dolls Program" to elementary school children to teach them about democracy and ethnicity, and working with the March of Dimes in educating people on prenatal health These are just a few of our service projects that go on daily in cities everywhere Our main fundraising effort is for the BBW Children's Home in Israel, a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed boys But our agenda is far more complex than this Human rights, women's rights concerns such as equal pay and pro-choice, older adults' concerns, Soviet Jewry issues, youth services with BBYO and Hillel are all part of our agenda We are one of the few organizations that hold observer status at the United Nations True, our activities' 'provide a social outlet," but this is just an extra benefit that comes with membership in B'nai B'rith Women Faith Miller Solon, Ohio In Praise of Dan Thursz David Makovsky's perceptive article about B'nai B'rith ("B'nai B'rith on the Brink," January/February 1989) may have inadvertently left some MOMENT readers with an inadequate impression of Daniel Thursz, retired executive vice president of that organization...
...High on the list are the achievements of Daniel Thursz...
...People still shop in department stores because there they can find what they need under one roof and have a variety from which to choose...
...January/February 1989) is a reverse description of my experience I began Jewish life 38 years ago to provide a Jewish identity for my family and to be accepted by my husband's relations In the beginning that meant a Passover seder My mother-in-law never lit Shabbat candles or set the Sabbath aside as a special day and there were no Friday night family meals...
...BBYO also provides excellent Jewish programming and educational experiences at American camps and at its Israel Summer Institutes...

Vol. 14 • April 1989 • No. 3


 
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