ONE OF OUR OWN … WINNING INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING COMPETITIONS AT AGE NINETY!
Maurine Kornfeld swims at the 2011 Mesa Spring Nationals in Mesa, Ariz. Kornfeld, 90, won five gold medals at the 14th FINA World Masters Championship in Riccione, Italy, in June.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article from the Missoulian was brought to my attention by Jerry Weissman. It is about Maureen Kornfeld, one of our former congregants who, at age ninety, is still winning swimming competitions.
According to Jerry Weissman, a neighbor of the Kornfelds at the time, “Maureen was an early congregant of the Great Falls Jewish community in the 1930’s and has not forgotten her Great Falls roots. Actually, there were three children to the Kornfelds. Herb was a noted artist who left Great Falls to go to work for Walt Disney. Their brother Ray was an accountant in L.A. and led a quieter life.
“At the same time there were other ‘young’ Jewish people who were contemporaries of the Kornfelds, the Gomavitz family, for instance. Their son Lew (Lewis) left Great Falls to work for Billiy Wilder and learned the Movie Trade. He went to Chicago to be the Director of the hugely popular (1947-1951) KUKLA FRAN AND OLLIE show. He was the (volunteer) director of the first of many Democratic Party Conventions. He passed away in Los Angeles. His bother Alex lived in Tacoma, Washington.”
Here is the Missoulian’s story, with some fascinating history. Mazal Tov to Maureen Kornfeld.
CHRISTMAS AT THE MERCY HOME BY WENDY WEISSMAN
Once again, it is time to start thinking about signing up for shifts at the local Domestic Violence Shelter for Women (Mercy Home), so that the dedicated 24/7 staff there can spend Christmas with their families.
Here are the shifts we need to fill:
- Monday, 12/24: 2-5 PM
- Monday, 12/24: 5-8 PM
- Monday, 12/24 8-11 PM
- Tuesday, 12/25: 8-11 AM
- Tuesday, 12/25: 11 AM — 2 PM
- Tuesday, 12/25: 2-5 PM
To comply with the Mercy Homes rules, men are welcome to help cover a shift as long as they are accompanied by a female. For those of you who have never done this before, it is a great mitzvah to help out with the Mercy Home and the women who reside at the shelter. Duties include answering the phone (a script is provided, and an on-call staff member is available if you need help), monitoring the alarms, and signing residents in and out. Residents often stay with friends or family members during the holiday, so there may be only 1 or 2 residents on the premises — or none, so be sure to bring a good book to read or a movie to watch.
If you are able to help, or have any questions, please contact Wendy Weissman at 727-4098 or wendy@weissman.com. The location of the shelter is confidential, so once I have the volunteer list, I will tell you where you need to be.
Thanks in advance.
RADICAL GENEROSITY BY STUDENT RABBI MIRIAM FARBER
In the days immediately following “Superstorm” Sandy, I watched from 3000 miles away as my Facebook and Twitter feeds exploded with New York-based friends and colleagues organizing volunteers, raising funds, and collecting donations to contribute to the relief effort. I sat in Los Angeles, feeling paralyzed by powerlessness, far from my East Coast home, yet in awe of those who leaped to help, even as they waited for power, heat, and water to return to their own homes.
A friend here in Los Angeles raised a different concern, one that is echoed by social service organizations everywhere immediately following a natural disaster. “What about donations to the food pantries here?” asked my friend, an assistant manager at a local food pantry. “Just because there is a disaster in New York doesn’t mean that the needs here disappear.”
Does this need to be a zero sum equation? Do we need to decide between supporting the victims of disasters far away (or not so far away, for that matter) and supporting the disadvantaged in our own city?
Rabbi Yossi offers us a Talmudic framework within which to make this decision (Talmud Bavli Nedarim 80b-81a). The limited resource at hand in Rabbi Yossi’s case is water, rather than donations. Rabbi Yossi rules that a town’s well is used first and foremost for the lives of the people of that town, then for the lives of strangers. His reasoning continues along this line: the town’s farm animals are watered before those of strangers and the town’s laundry is done before that of strangers. However, a stranger’s life takes precedence over the laundry of the town. Rabbi Yossi then contradicts himself, arguing that the laundry of the town comes before even the lives of strangers!
It is clear from Rabbi Yossi’s argument with himself that the question of allocation of life-preserving resources has never had a simple and clear-cut solution. It is up to us to prioritize our giving, especially in times of extreme need.
One organization, Uri L’Tzedek, an Orthodox social justice organization, quickly made such decisions in the days immediately following Sandy. Yael Keller relates the story of arriving in the Lower East Side of Manhattan with cases of bottled water. Immediately, residents eager for water, which had suddenly become a scarce resource in downtown Manhattan, surrounded the volunteers. However, this water had been designated for homebound seniors, whose mobility was even more severely limited as the loss of power stranded them on the upper floors of apartment buildings. When Yael and the other volunteers explained this, rather than the complaints they expected, the clamoring residents started shouting out the locations of stuck seniors.
The response of those Lower East Side residents reminds us that there is an alternative to panicked greed in a time of crisis. They remind us to think of those who are even worse off, a difficult task indeed for those in a disaster area. There is enough to go around. Although as individuals, we may not have unlimited resources to donate to both long-term local needs as well as to immediate disaster relief; as a community, our resources are far greater.
Perhaps we need to learn from the example of Uri L’Tzedek and all those engaged on the ground in relief work and practice radical generosity, giving all that we can, rather than the minimum to assuage our comfortable guilt. As a community and as a society, we have enough resources to ensure that all who need food, shelter, and water can access it. We need not get caught up in worrying about our laundry, when the lives of another city are at stake.
Try out some radical generosity! The Union for Reform Judaism’s Hurricane Relief Fund and Uri L’Tzedek (indicate that it’s for relief efforts) are both doing great work on the ground in the areas most affected by Sandy.
WEEK END REMINDER — NOVEMBER 16-17/2012
Please keep in mind these upcoming events for the week end of November 16, 2012:
- Friday evening, 11/16/2012: 7:30 P.M. Shabbat Services led by Student Rabbi Miriam Farber, at the Bethel. Oneg to follow.
- Saturday morning, 11/17/2012, 10:00 A.M. Torah study led by Student Rabbi Miriam Farber at The Bethel.
- Saturday evening, 11/17/2012, 5:30 P.M. Milchig (dairy) Potluck and Adult Discussion led by Student Rabbi Miriam Farber at the Bethel. Please bring a dish to share.
See you there.
WEEK END HOSPITALITY
Todah Robah to the following congregation members who have offered their hospitality to Rabbi Miriam Farber the week end of November 16.
- Airport Pickup: Marty Foxman
- Friday Evening Dinner: Laura Weiss
- Oneg: Stuart Lewin
- Saturday lunch: Terry Thal
BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
A GFHA board meeting was held on Tuesday, October 23, at 5:30 P.M,with all board members — including those who had just been re-elected — in attendance, as well as a few congregants. The official board minutes, which contain more details than will be presented here, are available upon request. Any member of the congregation is welcome to attend any board meeting, but for those of you who didn’t, here are some highlights.
- CEMETERY. One of the liveliest topics of discussion concerned the cemetery — whether a previous survey has been done concerning the boundaries of the land, where the plots are, and who is buried where. Common sense would suggest that there are some graves that predate the incorporation of the cemetery. The board wants to find an existing survey (if there is one) before paying for another, as well as any other historical documentation concerning the cemetery, so that this information can be collected in one place and accessed by this and future boards. We also will need to determine a price per plot and set up a payment plan for the purchase or prepayment of a plot, as well as determine whether any restrictions will apply regarding who is eligible to be buried where in the cemetery. We also need to make sure we maintain insurance on the cemetery. It may be necessary at some point to appoint a separate board to deal exclusively with cemetery matters. The Board concluded that most of us are pretty clueless when it comes to being in the “cemetery biz.” Student Rabbi Miriam Farber should have some input for us that may be helpful when she comes for services the week end of November 16th.
As this is a prairie cemetery, there is no perpetual care (watering, mowing, planting flowers … ), included in the price of a cemetery plot, but we still need to maintain the grounds and repair head stones that have been damaged by age or vandalism. The Board will investigate the possibility of having a “controlled burn,” with rural fire departments monitoring it and perhaps even using it as a training exercise. The Board also decided to use the cemetery fund to pay for the professional repair of the most severely damaged head stones while maintaining their historical integrity, and then have a fund raiser or ask for donations to replenish the cemetery fund for the cost of the repairs. We have the opportunity to have the repairs done for the cost of materials alone.
- BUILDING FUND. Another lively topic of discussion was the building fund — who were the original contributors to the fund (some are now deceased), when was the fund created, and what was the original intent of the creators for the use of the fund. It may seem obvious that the building fund was established to purchase or renovate a building for the use of the congregation as a worship space, but rather than have that be a topic of hearsay or conjecture, the Board determined that, for the legal protection of both the Board and the fund, it would be best to have this in writing from the original contributors to the fund or their heirs.
- TREASURER’S REPORT. The use and care of the cemetery and the building fund are also in the year to date Treasurer’s Report, discussed at the Board meeting and available upon request to any interested congregant. It is always good to see where your contributions go and how much they are needed.
- UPCOMING SCHEDULES. The Board discussed scheduling upcoming visits from Student Rabbi Miriam Farber, as well as scheduling holiday and other celebrations and events. Information about these upcoming schedules can be found elsewhere in this publication.
As always, if you have a question or concern, please don’t hesitate to contact a Board member, or let the President know so that your concern can be put on the agenda for the next Board meeting. Your Board is here to serve you and to make decisions about our congregational life on your behalf.
MAZAL TOV TO BRUCE BRESLAUER!
Bruce Breslauer received the Rehabilitation Award of the Year for 2012 from the Montana Association of Rehabilitation conference he attended in West Yellowstone from Wednesday, October 24 to Friday, October 26. This award was given to Bruce Breslauer “in Recognition of His Contribution To the Improvement of the Lives of Persons with Disabilities”.
Bruce began working for the Department of Blind and Low Vision Services as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist trainee in June, 2006. While working a full time job, he obtained two Masters Degrees from Western Michigan University, one as a Vision Rehabilitation Therapist and one as an Orientation and Mobility Specialist. This gives him a total of four Masters degrees. He was promoted to regional manager of the Great Falls office in July of 2010.
Many letters of recommendation were submitted by his coworkers, and copies of them were given to Bruce in both print and Braille. Here are some excerpts from those letters:
” … Bruce exemplifies the quality of an outstanding, dedicated leader, who possesses personal integrity and a thoughtful, communicative style. I am an ardent admirer of his giving spirit, talents, and gifts, as well as the poise he radiates no matter how demanding or pressing the situation. … If I ever need inspiration I think of Bruce, and I personally feel that if I have a problem I can go to him and it will stay with him. In addition to his many other qualities, Bruce’s sense of humor often gives clients as well as fellow employees a reason to smile. His knowledge of not only important things but random trivia is truly amazing. I have often said that I would pick Bruce to be my “lifeline” if I were ever on “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.”
From another letter: We all appreciate his honesty and direct approach. … He listens patiently to our input, takes our suggestions seriously, and will help us implement ideas we present. … The staff in Great Falls uses him daily as a reference book. He encourages school and learning. He is the most approachable person I have ever known.
“He is never too busy to take a call from an employee, a client, or someone from the general public who may have a question or need guidance. He has great patience with the elderly in the Older Blind program, yet can easily switch to a conversation with a young person talking about starting school and a career. … He is fearless in his travels and encourages others to explore their possibilities and their capabilities. He gladly participates in presentations and meetings … including television appearances, although sometimes I think it is really Glendale they want to see.
“Bruce’s calm, strong leadership has coalesced the Great Falls BLVS staff into a content and collaborative unit that works together as a team toward good outcomes for our clients. It is a pleasure to work with and for him.” .
And another comment from another letter: ” … He gives his advice, support, and knowledge to all who ask him. He has people contacting him from all over the country from time to time for his opinions. This shows his fairness and compassion for all he serves. … He makes each of us feel like we matter and that he values our input.”
You all know that as his wife, your friendly newsletter editor is probably not the most objective person on this planet, but I think that Bruce’s receiving this award is a wonderful affirmation of the qualities I see in him, some of which are the result of letting his Jewish faith inform the attitude he has toward the people he works with and the decisions he makes in his daily life. It’s nice to see those characteristics recognized by others.
Mazal Tov, Bruce.
SOLUTION TO MATH PROBLEM
This Jewish boy is terrible in math, absolutely terrible. His parents get him extra help but to no avail. They talk with his teacher and he says “I wouldn’t normally suggest this, but why don’t you send him to Catholic school, the nuns are very good”.
After some consideration, the parents decide that since math is so important, they will try anything.
The first day at Catholic school, the boy comes home with an A in math. The second day, another A. This goes on all semester. Then it’s exam time and he gets all the answers correct.
His parents are thrilled. That night at dinner they ask him what happened, wondering why now he’s doing so well when the non-Catholic school couldn’t help him.
The son looks at them and says, “Well, I walked into the classroom and when I saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew the teacher meant business”.
BOARD MEETING THIS TUESDAY EVENING
All congregants are welcome to attend the Congregational board meeting this Tuesday evening, 10/23/2012, at 5:30 P.M. at 1015 1st Avenue North in the first floor conference room. Please park in the Western parking lot so that we can open the door for you.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN (NOW YOU NO LONGER HAVE TO WONDER)
Newly uncovered knowledge – this was found on tablets of stone hidden for more than a thousand years beneath Edinburgh Castle. It provides new evidence that there was an ancient trade between many peoples :
In ancient Israel, it came to pass that a trader by the name of Abraham Com did take unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she was often called Amazon Dot Com.
And she said unto Abraham, her husband, “Why dost thou travel so far from town to town with thy goods when thou canst trade without ever leaving thy tent?” And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a camel load, but simply said, “How, dear?”
And Dot replied, “I will place drums in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for sale, and they will reply telling you who hath the best price. And the sale can be made on the drums and delivery made by Uriah’s Pony Stable (UPS).”
Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. And the drums rang out and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had at the top price, without ever having to move from his tent. To prevent neighboring countries from overhearing what the drums were saying, Dot devised a system that only she and the drummers knew. It was known as Must Send Drum Over Sound (MSDOS), and she also developed a language to transmit ideas and pictures – Hebrew To The People (HTTP).
And the young men did take to Dot Com’s trading as doth the greedy horsefly take to camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Sybarites, or NERDS.
And lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening sound of drums that no one noticed that the real riches were going to that enterprising drum dealer, Brother William of Gates, who bought off every drum maker in the land. And indeed did insist on drums to be made that would work only with Brother Gates’ drumheads and drumsticks.
And Dot did say, “Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others.” Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or eBay as it came to be known, and said, “We need a name that reflects what we are.” To which Dot replied, “Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators.” “YAHOO,” said Abraham. And because it was Dot’s idea, they named it YAHOO Dot Com.
Abraham’s cousin, Joshua, being the young Gregarious Energetic Educated Kid (GEEK) that he was, soon started using Dot’s drums to locate things around the countryside. It soon became known as God’s Own Official Guide to Locating Everything (GOOGLE).
That is how it all began.
The Aitz Chaim Ram's Horn 