Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1990-05-24

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Serving Columbus and Central Ohio Jewish Community for Over 60 Years     \\//\V(
VOL.68 NO. 21
MAY 24, 1990-IYAR 29, 5750
Devoted to American
and Jewish Ideals.
Women Fail To Muster Votes
For Cantors Assembly Admission
NEW YORK, (JTA) - For
the third year in a row, the
Cantors Assembly has voted
down a motion to admit fully
accredited women cantors
as members of the professional organization.
The 100-68 vote in favor of
amending the assembly's
bylaws fell 12 short of the required two-thirds vote needed for passage. A similar
resolution last year fell 19
votes short.
Murray Ebner To Receive
ADL's Jack Resler Award
Community Supports United Jerusalem
Hundreds of community members, young and old alike, gathered at the south steps of
the Ohio Statehouse on Sunday, May 20, to demonstrate their support for a united
Jerusalem. Braving gray skies, which threatened a downpour at any moment, the
crowd listened to speakers including Congressman John Kasich; Ohio Supreme Court
Justice Craig Wright; City Councilman M.D. Portman; Rabbi Bradley Bleefeld, and
Rabbi David Stavsky, who echoed the sentiments of the assemblage when he said, "We
want President Bush not only to read our lips but to read our hearts - which beat as one.
There was and there will always be a united Jerusalem as the capital of Israel . . .
Jerusalem is not for sale . .. Jerusalem is not a bargaining chip."
The Anti-Defamation
League of B'nai B'rith has
selected Murray Ebner as
this year's recipient of its
Jack Resler Award. The presentation will be made at a
tribute luncheon on Sunday,
June 3, at 12:30 p.m. at the
Hyatt Regency in Columbus.
It will be a highlight of the
annual meeting of the ADL's
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Advisory Board, to be
held that weekend.
"This annual award is presented by the ADL to individuals in our tri-state region
who  have  distinguished
'91 CommUNITY Campaign/'Operatioil Exodus' Begun
The'Columbus Jewish Federation, under the leadership
of Campaign Co-Chairmen
Irving Schottenstein and
Leslie H. Wexner, has inaugurated this spring the 1991
Jewish CommUNITY Cam-
paign/"Operation Exodus."
"Operation Exodus" is
part of the nationwide effort
to raise emergency funds to
support the rescue and resettlement in Israel and the
United States of hundreds
and thousands of Soviet
Jews. Israeli government
sources anticipate that as
many as one million may
emigrate over the next three
to five years, seeking refuge
from increasing anti-Semitism and fear prevalent in
the Soviet Union today.
Team Exodus Executive
Vice Chairpersons Marcy
Gross and Norman Traeger
report that the Campaign
structure combines the 1991
Jewish CommUNITY Campaign, "Operation Exodus"
and the funding needs for the
anticipated yearly resettlement of 40,000 Soviet Jews in
the United States.
A targeted group of advanced level contributors is
being contacted this spring
to participate on behalf of
the 1991 Jewish CommUNITY  Campaign/"Opera-
•OPERATION EXODUS' '
SOVIET RESETTLEMENT
\        This Week
Campaign  .1
'Promised
Bait Mitzvah <;., .Y.isr
tion Exodus." The majority
of the community will be
reached in a major community-wide effort which will be
initiated in early fall.
"We are conducting our
1991 regular annual campaign and 'Operation Exodus,' together so that community members will be contacted only once, with an explanation of the total cam-
paign picture. Both 'Opera-
. tion Exodus' and our regular
campaign are equally important and vital to the continuity of Jewish life locally,
nationally and internationally," Gross and Traeger said.
" 'Operation Exodus' is
the most important fundraising challenge faced by world
Jewry since the formation of
the state of Israel. We have a
responsibility to help these
people, our Soviet brethren,
now, while the window of opportunity is open," they added. "One need only to pick up
a 'New York Times' or
'Newsweek' magazine to see
chilling articles on the continuing rise of anti-Semitism."
For more information on
"Operation Exodus" or the
Jewish CommUNITY Campaign call the Federation office at 237-7686.
JNF Announces 'OPERATION: PROMISED LAND'
Joyce Bloch, president of
the Columbus Council of the
Jewish National Fund, announces the inception of
OPERATION: PROMISED
LAND, a campaign to raise
funds needed to reclaim land
in the Galilee, Jerusalem
and the Negev regions for
the absorption of hundreds of
thousands of Soviet Jews
emigrating to Israel.
To accomodate a growing
population, Jewish National
Fund is preparing land for
settlement sites for the new
immigrants to Israel. JNF
will also blaze roads through
the desert, connecting far-
flung communities with each
other; expand development
towns already in existence;
conduct water conservation
projects for desert farming;
reclaim sites for local tourism, leading to employment;
plant forests which will improve the environment and
provide locales for recreational facilities.
OPERATION: PROMISED LAND was announced
at the national leadership
conference recently held at
the Grand Hyatt in New
York City. National Jewish
leaders all spoke about the
monumental task facing the
Jewish National Fund in
helping to absorb potentially
the largest wave of immigrants seeking refuge on Israel's shores,
Bloch, representing the
Columbus Council, remarked upon her return :
"JNF is in a fight against
time. In keeping with our
historic responsibilities during each major aliyah, we
are faced with the exacting
and expensive task of preparing land for the settlement of Israel's new inhabitants, who are eager to assume their places as full citizens in Israel."
Nancy Martin, regional director of Jewish National
Fund, who accompanied
Bloch to the conference,
noted: "We sincerely hope
that all community members support the emigration
of the Soviet Jews to Israel.
Importantly, we hope the
community understands the
vital necessity of Jewish National Fund's mission... to
reclaim the land for housing,
v  /  .     - -  . , ., . . i»V» ft * « 1 \ *. . h t
schools, hospitals and to provide amenities to create a
better quality of life for Israel's new citizens."
For further information,
call Jewish National Fund at
231-1397.
Murray Ebner
themselves by demonstrating the highest values of civic and communal leadership," said Daniel J. Kayne,,
chairman of the Regional
Advisory Board.
In announcing the award,
Kayne noted that Ebner contributes greatly to the Columbus community by volunteering his time and leadership to many organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai
B'rith, the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Board, Columbus Torah Academy,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Permanent Local Office Opened
By Aish HaTorah Organization
A permanent Aish HaTorah
office is now open in Columr
bus. Rabbi David Baum,
who arrived with his wife,
Laurie, after studying in Jerusalem for seven-and-a-half,
years, spearheaded the organization.
Educated at Carnegier
Mellon, Rabbi Baum came
to Columbus less than a year
ago. He has brought various
educational programs to the
city, most significantly, DISCOVERY, the weekend seminar which began in Jerusalem and has spread to several continents as well as
many major cities in the
U.S. Due to the enthusiastic
response from the community, Rabbi Baum found (that
, one, seminar .was.not, suffk,
cient to meet the demand,
but that three programs in
seven months were necessary. Now, as a result of the
impact of the several seminars, the community has
made it possible to bring a
full time teacher to Columbus.
Rabbi Aaron Blackman
CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
This year's vote took place
during the 43rd annual convention of the Cantors Assembly in Loch Sheldrake,
N.Y. The assembly, which is
affiliated with the Conservative movement of Judaism,
claims to be the world's
largest professional organization of chazzanim (cantors).
"The issue of admitting
women is a sensitive and
emotional one that poses
complex questions of tradition, religious authority, the
status of women in the synagogue and many other fac-.
tors," Cantor Robert Kieval,
who was elected to a second
term as president of the assembly, said in a statement.
"The Cantors Assembly
calls on all its members and
i the American Jewish community, whatever their personal feelings, to accept this
decision with understanding." Y
Despite controversy oyer
the halachic propriety; of
women leading a congregation in prayer, the Jewish
Theological Seminary, the
leading Conservative educational institution, has been
granting cantorial degrees
to women since 1987.
But the Cantors Assembly,
a professional organization
that has been likened to both
Actors Equity and a men's
social club, has hot yet recognized women ordained as
cantors by the seminary.
The assembly, while a voluntary organization, is responsible for the placement
of its members in cantorial
positions. Some women cantors have contended that by
not having membership in
the assembly, they are missing out on opportunities for
professional placement and
advancement.
Cantor Maria Barugel,
spokeswoman for the eight
women seeking membership, expressed her "shock
and dismay" Tuesday at the
result of the vote.
"We are disheartened,
considering that we share
the same goals, qualifications, professional concerns
and the same love of chazza-
nut as those who have rejected us today," she said in
a statement.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
EARLY DEADLINE
Deadline For The Thursday, May 31, Issue
Is Noon, Thursday, May 24
The OJC Office Will Be Closed On
MEMORIAL DAY, May 28
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