Ohio Jewish Chronicle, 1992-04-02

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. TJie Ohio Jewish Chronicle
Serving Columbus and the Central Ohio
Jewish Community since 1922
VOLUME 70
NUMBER 14
APRIL 2,1992
28ADARII5752
DEVOTED  TO   AMERICAN   AND   JEWISH -IDEALS
Bleiweiss to become
president of Hadassah
page 2
Israel Bonds to send
delegation to Israel
page 2
Gity of Hope holds
installation of officers
.   ' • '    , .     •      Page 2
jEelaticmship* eiids—
Jewish unity begins
,   page 3
Rabbi Aron Blackman
is bound for London
:•'/"•'-/; ';'.■    *    '■   ..    <':'',.     page 4
Jf-'M* »»'-■'■'* ■■■.■■■■■■■■ ■■t-w.»n« Ml -— '— « WW.—I--..--.I   ■ »■ ■■..«■.——.
Briends of Hillel to
heist Rabbi Ayi Weiss
:/."}';,' '■■>'-      " -. '       • :*    .   i>age5
—i'i '■ 't";' ■ -M I -^"t    - -j ■>■■_-!
Hadassah to charter '
hew group—TiMdiii
page 6
In The Chronicle
AtTheJCC    , ..;.,..-.... 12,13
Conxtminity .".,.... '....... 4-7
federation ;  8
._-_'■___. -.11 •    ■        <^ 9
From rage ..•>..•« "• ••"■•„• > • •;• >' • ■ < <■ ",4
, 14fecy cle  v. •'  - • •
Marketplace .;......,;.. 16
New Generation — '.'. M
Scoreboard , *5
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10
NEVE SHALOM SYNAGOGUE
Local rabbi visits siteof terrorist attack
Rabbi Harold Berman and
his wife, Beth, were among
leaders of the United Jewish
Appeal Rabbinic Cabinet who
participated in a Shabbat visit
to the Jewish community of
Istanbul and worshipped with
the community at the Neve
Shalom Synagogue, site of a
terrorist attack that took 22
lives in September, 1986.
(Neve Shalom was also attacked at the begining of
March, several weeks ago.
Because of heavy security, a.
hand grenade thrown at the
front of the synagogue caused
only minor damage and injured one passerby.)     -
Rabbi Berman was honored
with the Maftir Aliyah on
Shabbat of Feb. 8 and chanted
the Haftorah for the congregation. Other members of the
rabbinic delegation also participated in the Torah service.
Six of the rabbis who partic-'
ipated in the 1992 Rabbinic
Mission had visited Neve Shalom in February, 1987, several
months after the attack. At
that time the congrejgation
was just beginning the resto
ration work necessitated by
the virtual destruction of the
synagogue's interior. Neve
Shalom was opened again
later in 1987.
Neve Shalom now has a
monument in its front entry-
way listing the names of those
who died in the attack. At the
base of the monument is a
clock which is stopped at the
time of the attack, 9:17 a.m.
According to Rabbi Berman,
"That time is particularly significant to'those who visit now,
because it is a common time
for people to arrive at the synagogue, Many people walk into Neve Shalom, look at their
watches and realize that they
are arriving at exactly the
sametimei terrorists entered
on that fatal day.
"It was very moving to see
the congregation repaired and
in use and to be able to compare that sight with memories
of the congregation after its
destruction. It is a tribute to
the commitment of the Jewish
community of Istanbul that its
synagogue will remain open
and in use and that its Jews
will not be frightened away,"
Rabbi Berman noted.
Rabbi and Mrs. Berman
joined a group of 40 rabbis and
spouses in Spain, Turkey and
Israel. Spain was an appropriate starting point for a trip
which recalled 500 years since
the expulsion of Jews under
Ferdinand and Isabella, the
rabbi noted. Many of the Jews
of Turkey trace their family
ancestry directly to Spain and
can identify members of their
family who arrived in Turkey
in 1492 or shortly thereafter.
Turkey marks its 500th anniversary as a Jewish community in 1992, although there
were Jews in the country before that time and the community still has synagogues
which date back to the 14th
Century.
The United Jewish Appeal
Rabbinic Cabinet mission
members were guests at a series of programs and dinners
sponsored by the Istanbul
Jewish community. "We were
given very gracious personal
hospitality, special performances by youth groups and
teens and we discussed the efforts that a small Jewish community is making to keep its
young people involved and
committed. More than 100,000
members of the Turkish Jew-
. ish community have left in recent years, for Israel, Europe
and America. The community
is trying very hard to keep it-.
self strong and our mission
was geared to give encouragement to those efforts," explained Rabbi Berman.
In Israel, the delegation
spent time with organizations
promoting dialogue with the
Arab community and toured
sites associated with Sephardic Jewry of more recent generations.
As a member of the Executive Committee of the United
Jewish Rabbinic Cabinet,
Rabbi Berman has participated in fund raising events,
meetings and programs
throughout the United States
as well as in Poland, France,
Turkey, Egypt and Israel.