Happening

Documenting Lives

Through our Eyes: Art, Artifacts, Photographs and Holograms from the Museums of London, Frankfurt and Vienna includes a first time US exhibit for and a tribute to the work of photographer. Juliette Soester (1934-2002). Soester, whose father was Jewish, felt strongly drawn to her Jewish background, reinforced by the knowledge that so many of her father’s family had perished in the Holocaust. She converted to Judaism and went to Israel at the time of the 1956 Suez Campaign. Her fascination with Jewish life from Eastern Europe to England resulted in a collection of over 2000 photographs many of which have been used as illustrations in Jewish textbooks. This exhibit was coordinated by Soester’s cousin Abbe Slavin; curators are Carol Siegel of the London Jewish Museum and Feliciatas Heimann Jelinek of the Jewish Museum of Vienna. Through May 19, 2003 at the St. Petersburg Florida Holocaust Museum (727)820-0100 7(800)960-7448 (toll-free)

www.flholocaustmuseum.org

Jewish documentary films including scenes from pre- Holocaust European Jewish communities, early pioneering efforts in the land of Israel, and proceedings from the Adolf Eichmann trial are among over one hundred of an anticipated 500 films that are viewable on line (but not copiable) from the the Steven Spielberg Jewi.sh Film Archive of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, www.spielbergflmarchive.org.il

The Partition Is in Place But the Service Can’t Begin is an installation/documentation by artist Helene Aylon addressing the ancient disregard of women as equals in prayer. Dedicated to the Women of the Wall in Jerusalem, the work includes a 21 -foot mehilza (partition) made of tzitziot (fringes) and three images of the Western Wall in different lights for the three times of daily prayer. On view through April 21 at the Philadelphia Jewish Museum of Art, Congregation Rodeph Shalom. (215)627-6747.

Are you a graduate student with a special interest in the lives, work, and culture of Jewish women as demonstrated by your research, thesis or dissertation topic or a project? The Jewish Caucus of the National Women’s Studies Association will award a prize of $1000 to a graduate student who is enrolled full-time for the 2003 academic year. The deadline for completed applications is March 1, 2003. Contact Connie Koppelman, ckoppelman@notes.cc.sunysb.edu

Shoah

The Federation of Descendants of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, just formed, will link groups and individuals ‘ with resources on issues that concern descendants of Jewish Holocaust survivors. Organizers would like to know your specific areas of interest and expertise: Long term health care for aging parents? Political action? Restitution & reparations? Memoir writing? The new federation will work in cooperation with other Holocaust survivor groups and Jewish organizations and is looking to contact descendants of Jewish Holocaust survivors around the world. Contact Allgenerations@aol.com

Hidden Children who would be interested in participating in an e-mail forum on topics of mutual concern are invited to contact Amsterdam resident Frederik van Gelder; fvangelder@hottnail.com

Food

Wheat, Grapes and Olives Describing the holiday Jews get to celebrate 52 times a year, Beth Uval says “Anywhere in the world, the essential features of the Sabbath table are the same—hallah. The special Sabbath bread; wine or grape juice, and lights, today usually candles. The bread, wine and lights (originally olive oil lamps) are direct links to the three main crops of ancient Israel, wheat grapes and olives….the trio that through the Bible, represent divine response to human needs.” Recreated Biblical recipes are also included in the summer/ fall issue of the newsletter of American Friends of Neot Kedumim, The Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel.

www.neot-kedumim.org.il

Foods as Roots. Check out a series of cooking classes offered by the leadership forum of YIVO Institute. You can join in a cooking demonstration of holiday desserts by Nicole Kaplan on January 30, or hallah baking with Katja Goldman on February 27. The $300 fee per session goes to support education programs on Yiddish culture. Contact Ella Levine at YIVO (212)294-6128.

Domestic Violence

The Vagina Monologues, a one night benefit performance featuring New York Jewish women will be happening on February 12th 2003 at 7;30 pm at Town Hall. It’s part of V-Day 2003, a worldwide campaign that raises money and awareness to stop violence against women and girls. Women’s Division of UJA Federation will host this event, which will be attended by Eve Ensler, creator of the show. In star-for-a-night roles will be a selection of New York Jewish women active in UJA, among others, Frances Brandt, Shifra Bronznick, Barbara Dobkin; Ruth Perelson, Letty Coltin Pogrebin, Marlene Post and Audrey Weiner. Agencies with major domestic violence programs in New York and Jerusalem have been selected to receive profits from the evening s performance. (212)836-I554: Rabbi Lori Forman, lbnnanl@ujafedny.org

Rabbis are in a key position to break the silence around abuse in Jewish homes and to identify ways of creating Jewish responses to the issue. “When word gets out that there is a rabbi who both believes that the problem exists and is inclined and helpful, abused women will be much more likely to come forward and seek help,” writes Rabbi Gerald Skolnik in Embracing Justice: A Resource Guide for Rabbis on Domestic Abuse, a 168-page anthology edited by Diane Gardsbane published by Jewish Women International (800)343-2823;

www.Jewishwomen.org

Arts Collections

Bubbe’s music sings again At Florida Atlantic University, volunteers have been lovingly cleaning and digitally rerecording about 1000 vintage records in an effort to save the sounds of the synagogues, the shtetls of Eastern Europe, the Djuderias of Spain, and the teeming early twentieth century Jewish neighborhoods of the great American cities, preserving everything from the chants of great cantors to the lively tunes of klezmer bands, grandmothers’ lullabies, songs from the Yiddish stage and Sephardic weddings to allow future generations to gain firsthand knowledge of the music their grandparents and great-grandparents loved as children. The Molly S. Fraiberg Judaica Collections at Florida Atlantic University is open to visitors on an appointment basis. To donate Hebrew, Yiddish or Sephardic records, or other artifacts of Jewish culture or to schedule a visit, (561)297- 3 78 7: Jewishmusic@fau.edu

The Jewish Clipart Database is a new feature on The J Site —Jewish Education and Entertainment— website created by Jacob Richman. This database will be a collection of Jewish Clipart for noncommercial use by the community. Graphic artists and illustrators from all over the world are invited to donate clipart to the database and share in the publicity that the donation will bring. When a user views your Jewish clipart, your name will appear beside it. By clicking on your name, a pop-up box will be displayed with your contact information. www.J.co.il

Write

A Bay Area Celebration of Jewish Women’s Poetry is happening on March 30, 2003. Grace Palcy will be keynote speaker and Ghana Bloch, Marcia Falk, and Yiskah Rosenfeld, among others will offer poetry readings and writing workshops. There will be music by Jewish women, an open mic, a book fair, and a poetry slam by young poets. This event is co-sponsored by several local synagogues and organizations and Lilith magazine. At the Berkeley Richmond JCC. contact Ruth Phillips (510)848-0237×127; Ruthp@brjcc.org

Help tell the story of two Jewish girls who grew up in Alexandria Diana Muir, a historian, is looking for writers to tell the girls’ story. She anticipates a series of books that will tell stories about the conditions and timing of flight by Jewish refugees from Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Algeria and Tunisia. For more information, contact DianaMuir@aol.com

Make Waves. A Media Directory 2002-2003 enables you to contact TV and radio stations, newspapers and magazines to convey to them that you are alert to inaccurate, skewed or incomplete reporting on news about Israel and the Middle East, CAMERA (Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America) (617)789-3672: www.camera.org