Happening

Learn
Liturgical Dance. Movement in religious education? Choreography on religious themes? Dance—a tool for community building? Find all three in a program to train movement specialists for religious institutions. Joanne Tucker, Avodah, 243 5th St., #9, Jersey City NJ 07032; (201)659-7072; avodah@worldnet.att.net

Gildin Yiddish Book Scholarships enable full time students of Yiddish to purchase books from the National Yiddish Book Center, 1021 West St., Amherst, MA 01002-3375; (413)256-4900; fax (413)256-4700; yiddish@bikher.org

Take Action
Hotline for victims of trafficking. The Department of Justice has a hotline to report suspected situations of people lured to the United States to become prostitutes or domestic slaves. You may call anonymously: (888)428-7581

The International Jewish Women’s Human Rights Watch addresses the injustices suffered by Jewish women trapped by Jewish divorce law. IJWHRW, 13 Tel Hai St., 92107 Jerusalem Israel; (972)2-561-9281; fax (972-2)561-9112; jcpa@netvision.net.il or send US tax-deductible contributions to: IJWHRW, Center for Jewish Community Studies, 1616 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19103.

The Newsletter of Family Planning Advocates of New York reports that through the efforts of lobbyists New York remains the only state in the Union with no abortion restriction laws. Membership is $25/year. FPA, 17 Elk St., Albany NY 12207; (518)436-8408; www.fpaofnys.org

Family Elder Caregiving: The Grotta Report on Philanthropic Trends and Best Practice Models, by Irene A. Gutheil and Roslyn H. Chernesky, highlights creative programs that strengthen and support family caregivers in their crucial and irreplaceable roles. The Grotta Foundation for Senior Care, 76 S. Orange Ave., #305, S. Orange, NJ07079; (973)761-4900; fax(973)313-1240; Grotta1@aol.com

An Alzheimer’s website offers a monthly poll, tips on coping and care, ask-an-expert Q&As, online journals, access to local chapters, job listings and a way to make secure donations on line to Alzheimer’s Association, 919 N. Michigan Ave., #1100, Chicago, IL60611-1676; (312)335-8700; fax (312)335-1110; www.alz.org

A prize in Jewish feminist fiction. Vibrant, compelling and original stories with heart, soul and chutzpah, short stories that illuminate issues central to the lives of contemporary Jewish women may be sent for a contest in celebration of Lilith Magazine’s 25th anniversary. The winning entry will be published in the magazine and its author will receive an honorarium of $250. Manuscripts should be double spaced and should not exceed 2,500 words; no manuscripts will be returned. Deadline: February 1, 2001. For a sample issue, please contact LILITH, 250 W. 57th St., #2432, New York, NY 10107;1-888-2-LlLITH; lilithmag@aol.com; www.lilithmag.com

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel website lists—in Hebrew, Arabic and English—its tours, trips and educational activities. A current environmental protection campaign aims to stop the destruction of the underwater paradise of the Gulf of Eilat where the brilliant coral reef is dying. SPNL 4 Hashfela St., 66183 Tel Aviv, Israel; (972-3)638-8653; fax (972-3)537-4561; www.teva.org.il

Children who use wheelchairs, walkers or canes or who have sensory or developmental disabilities finally have an accessible playground where they can use most of the play equipment. Jonathan’s Dream, opened in 1996 at the West Hartford Jewish Community Center, was created by Amy Jaffe Barzach as a memorial to her son. She also founded Boundless Playgrounds in Bloomfield, CT, which assists groups to initiate universal playgrounds anywhere in the world. www.boundlessplaygrounds.org

Special Needs. At last: Parents can find Hebrew school, bar/bat mitzvah training, social events, and advocacy help for a developmentally disabled youngster. Elderly caregivers can be guided in making provisions for a disabled adult child. And families can find support groups to cope with the demands of helping a child with disabilities reach her/his full potential. A directory lists programs of UJA agencies. Free. UJA Federation of New York,130 E. 59th St., New York, NY 10022; (212)836-1609.

Healing
Jewish women stay in abusive relationship an average 5-7 years longer than non-Jewish women. Jewish women who leave an abusive relationship tend to be in their late 30s or 40s; most non-Jewish women are in their 20s and early 30s. Professionals estimate that 15% to 20% of Jewish women are abused by their spouses, a rate consistent among all Jewish denominations. Domestic violence is the leading cause of death among all women, causing them more injuries than rape, mugging or car accidents. The Task Force on Family Violence of UJA-Federation of New York, founded in1993, has a new 25-page resource directory. UJA Federation of New York, 130 E.59th St, New York NY 10022; (212)836-1609.

Coping with the holidays while you’re grieving is the theme of a special issue of Journeys, the monthly bereavement newsletter of the Hospice Foundation of America. Other special issues are: for the newly bereaved; for those marking the anniversary of a loss; one for adolescents written by young people; as well as one for those assisting children and adolescents with issues relating to loss. To receive one, send a SASE to HFA, 2001 S St NW, #300, Washington, DC 20009. (800)854-3402; www.hospicefoundation.org

Your Writing
Modern Tkhines. Do you write prayers? For a book of prayers relating specifically to women’s lives, though not limited to life cycle events, send yours to Tali Rosenblatt, 110. W. 96th St., #4C, New York, NY 10025;(212)662-3414; taliros@aol.com

For The Yale Women’s Seder Sourcebook, send your Passover reflections, commentaries, poems and alternative haggadah texts. Contributors include Aviva Zornberg, Judith Plaskow, Paula Hyman and perhaps you. Send up to 500 words by February 1 to Tara Mohror Catherine Spector, Yale Women’s Haggadah Project, P.O. Box 203234, New Haven, CT 06520; (203)436-8088×3; tara.mohr@yale.edu or catherine.spector@yale.edu

Jewish Daughters of Interfaith Marriages—including patrilineal, adoptive and non-biological daughters—send essays, memoir, midrash and poetry about your Jewish identity experiences. Submit up to 5,000 words by March 1 to Reyna’s Press, PMB #816, 298 4th Ave., San Francisco, CA 94118-2468; reynaspress@aol.com

Events
“I have designed tefillin for women,” writes Ayana Friedman, represented in this exhibit by her Throne of Deborah used for baby girl naming ceremonies. 149 other artists join her in celebrating Jewish time in an exhibit at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Through June 29, 2001 at HUC-JIR Museum. One West 4th St.. New York, NY 10012 and HUC-JIR Skirball Museum, 3101 Clifton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45220.

Women’s Yiddish Voices, a weekend conference featuring Kathryn Hellerstein, Beatrice Weinreich, Irena Klepfisz, Troim Katz Handler, Adrienne Cooper, Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman and Norma Fain Pratt, February 24-25 begins with a Saturday night concert. Yiddishkayt Los Angelos, 1714 N. Whitley Ave., Hollywood CA 90028; (323)692-8151; yiddishkaytla@earthlink.net; www.yiddishkaytla.org

Poet Shirley Kaufman, an American immigrant living in Israel, will read her own poems and others from The Defiant Muse: Hebrew Feminist Poems from Antiquity to the Present (The Feminist Press), which she coedited and translated. March 1, 6:30pm at a reading co-sponsored by Lilith Magazine and the Office of Cultural Affairs Israel Consulate in New York at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, One Battery Park Plaza, New York. NY 10004; (212)968-1800

Ita Aber: a 55-year retrospective exhibit of works by the object-maker that draws on Jewish history, tradition, ritual and culture, humor and gender analysis. A monograph includes essays and 100 illustrations. January 9-28, reception January 13, 5:30-9pm. Broome St. Gallery, 498 Broome St., New York, NY 10013; (212)877-7311.

Role Models
Timbrels and Torahs, a documentary film celebrating aging in a youth-obsessed culture introduces a rite of passage ceremony—Simchat Hochmah, a ceremony of wisdom—for Jewish women making the transition from their mid life to their elder years. Featuring political activist Marcia Cohn Spiegel, biblical scholar Savina Teubal, and filmmaker Miriam Chaya. Debbie Friedman, Blu Greenberg, Sue Levi Elwell, Drora Setel and Marca Falk also appear. Joy of Wisdom Productions 8898 Terrace Dr., El Cerrito, CA94530; (510)525-4020; Mirchaya@aol.com; www.timbrelsandtorahs.com

“Madame” Beatrice Alexander, famed doll maker, Gertrude Belle Elion, who developed drugs for the treatment of rejection of tranplanted organs, and Ray Frank, religious leader who created the first Jewish congregation in Spokane Falls, WA, in 1890 are this year’s honorees for women’s history month. Posters and resource guides available from The Jewish Women’s Archive (617)232-2258, or Ma’yan (212)580-0099; www.jwa.org

Earthshaking Women: 20th Century Rebels and Peacemakers are featured in a 2001 desk calendar, $12 War Resisters League, 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012.