As the room filled, you could feel the excitement.  There were no beach balls, pep bands or loud music, but there was a mix of anticipation, energy, and anxiety.  What would he say, how would his message be received, and would the questions that followed be hostile?  The crowd was mostly students, but there were many adults.  There was also a large security detail, and visibly armed campus police.  I am sure many in the tightly packed, overflowing crowd at 111 Wartik Hall on the Penn State campus were interested in Ambassador Michael Oren’s presentation, “Israel as the Ultimate Ally to the United States,” but I was also there for the fireworks that were sure to follow the presentation. The State of Israel evokes strong emotions, and Oren’s previous presentations on college campuses have resulted in confrontation from hecklers and opponents of Israel and Israeli policy.  Students have been removed, arrested, and convicted for their outbursts in these presentations.  Our Jewish Videos page on this website has recordings of these episodes, and our News Online page has articles of these incidents.

After his presentation, Oren took questions, and the first two questions were along the lines of why does Israel kill innocent people, and the Jewish claim to Israel as a homeland is a lie.  I have no problem with the questions, but their tone and insinuation were clearly filled with hatred and contempt, as if the world would be a better place without Jews and without Israel.

Insensitivity, discrimination, hate, and criminal acts are usually something we learn about or experience on television, the internet, or in books, newspapers, or magazines.  These experiences seem remote, and we can always change the channel, or close the book.  Most of us will not to experience these acts in person. It is hard to describe the your emotions when the person directly in front of you, and the person behind you are spooing hatred and vitriol.  It is uncomfortable and it is scary.

You have just spent forty five minutes listing to a distinguished representative of a country you admire, a country that has overcome great odds to not only exist but flourish.  You have learned about all the great contributions it’s citizens have made to our civilization, and you are then brought down by hatred and evil thoughts.  It was sad, but it was a necessary experience.  Necessary because it motivates one to do good, stand up for the truth, and support justice.  It is important to be proactive in the celebration of religious and cultural diversity, and support the causes that bring understanding and respect between people and communities.  This is part of mission at the Greater Altoona Jewish Federation, and I hope our Jewish community continues to support this aspect of our work.

The digital home of your Greater Altoona Jewish Federation is pleased to celebrate it’s three year anniversary. We have had over 10,000 visits and 4,200 new visitors since our launch, and not surprisingly, “member happenings” is our most visited page.

With each update we seek to provide new and exciting ways to enhance the Jewish experience in our community with member news, as well as fresh perspectives on local, national and international Jewish concerns. In addition, calendars, photos, book reviews, stories, videos, jokes, interviews, and event information continue to be posted daily.

I believe that the success of our excellent newsletter, L’Chaim, was an important inspiration for our website, and now we are happy to provide back issues of L’ Chaim on the website.  Just click on OUR COMMUNITY on the side navigation bar and then on L’ CHAIM for back issues from 1999.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of your Greater Altoona Jewish Federation, I hope you continue to find this website meaningful and I hope you will visit often and contribute to this community resource with any information you would like to share.

For many reasons, Thanksgiving is a very popular holiday. The feast, the football, the friends, and the family, are all very festive.

I want to thank Phil Devorris for helping put it all in perspective, and thank him for allowing me to share a portion of his thoughts: “I’d like to wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving and the beginning of a most joyous holiday season. Whether you spend it with friends, family or in quiet contemplation, please take time to count your blessings.  The world’s population passed 7,000,000,000 people this month. We all face different challenges in our lives, but compared to the lives of the vast majority of those 7,000,000,000, we are all indeed fortunate. Being thankful for what we have follows a tradition that goes back 500 years in our country. Few things are more helpful to the psyche than taking a moment to be thankful.”

The more I think about Thanksgiving, the more I begin to see a second component, the act of GIVING. By giving, one truly demonstrates being thankful. Giving also helps the psyche, and also helps those who are less fortunate. In Judaism, we strive to take the ordinary and make it holy. By making simple things special we add meaning to our daily tasks, and enrich our lives and our community. In this vein, let us try to show our thanks by giving our time, and our support to those in need, not only in this holiday season, but all year long.

Once again a member or past member of our Jewish community was honored for their contributions to our hometown and region. The Altoona Shoe Company received the Heritage Award by the Blair County Chamber of Commerce. This award recognizes those businesses that are no longer in operation but made a lasting impact on Blair County’s history. Evelyn Kenvin, daughter of the founders, Binnie and Max Billig, and her sister-in-law, Gail Billig, were in attendance to receive the award. Altoona Shoe joins past Hall of Fame Inductees that include Kopp Drug, Puritan Sportswear, Penn Furniture, Kranich’s Jewelers, Blair Medical Associates, Schulman’s, SAF-T-BAK, Blair Sign Company, Delta Health Systems, and Altoona Pipe and Steel Company, that have either been founded, or led by members of our Jewish community. We certainly should be proud of our contributions to the quality of life in our hometown. Go to Member Happenings to read more about Altoona Shoe Company.

It is not often that a Jewish musical megastar performs only a short drive from our homes in central Pa.  The music and the experience were too much to resist and on Saturday, July 16^th tattoos, body piercings, alcohol, rock & roll, tallit, Torah, Havdalah and a hipster wanna be all came together at the AE Pavilion next to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.  You had to see it to believe it, and hear it to believe it.  Reggae/rap/rock star Matisyahu was in the house and the house was a rocking.  Well after sunset, the Brooklyn orthodox Jew hit the stage with tallis, pais and kippa flying.  A collision of cultures united behind the music for the approximately three thousand in attendance.  I do not pretend to be a musical savant, but I know a popular cultural event when I see one.

I expected a larger Jewish presence either out of religious curiosity or to represent for our homeboy, but I only saw a few couples at the bar with similar inquisitive faces to mine. I also anticipated a show that highlighted the singer’s messages of holiness and observance but was instead fed a steady diet of drums, guitars and inaudible words.  Fortunately my disappointment with the music was balanced by the spectacle of the crowd.  You just don’t get this type of show at the Mishler.

While I love the artist’s music and often listen to his CD’s in the car or while exercising, I was happy to leave early at the request of my two companions, who were too exhausted from a day of shopping to enjoy the crowd.  Nevertheless, I was glad to have had the experience.  Click here to read more about the artist and click here to see some of his videos on our website.

Change is constant and unpredictable, even in Altoona.  After years of struggling to woo rabbinic leadership, Agudath Achim and Temple Beth Israel have or will be welcoming new Rabbis.  A new rabbi is always an exciting time in the life of a congregation but expectations are always difficult.

I recently enjoyed a meal with Rabbi Josh as he and his family prepare for their new life at Agudath Achim and in Altoona.  As we conversed, my mind reflected on a sermon delivered by a guest rabbi a few years ago.  He delivered a very memorable sermon on the relationship of a rabbi and his congregation.  He explained this relationship as a very complicated one, as a rabbi is an employee as well as a friend and teacher. Expectations are high.  Does the rabbi work to preserve the heritage and practices of a congregation with years of history and tradition, or does he bring new insights and perspectives? YES!  Does he give sermons based on Torah, or sermons based on current events? YES!  Do we want him to lead us, work with us, or follow us? YES!  Does he need to listen to what we say we want, or should he give us what we really need?  YES!

Indeed, it is very complicated and it is a relationship that takes time and effort, like all relationships. In my home there hangs a poem called “a recipe for a happy marriage.”  The main ingredients, love, cooperation, forgiveness, and respect, all share one common feature, the act of giving.  The ability to give toward a greater whole in the absence of self-interest and for the greater good is the basis for any union to be complete and functional.

I also often think about a book that I read many years ago, “And They Shall Be My People,” by Paul Wilkes.  The author follows a conservative rabbi for a year in Worcester, Massachusetts.  He not only explores the relationship of a rabbi and a congregation with regard to expectations and commitment, but he provides real insights about the personal struggles of a spiritual leader.  I think everyone would benefit from this outstanding read with regard to expectations for a rabbi and a congregation as well as Jewish spirituality, and the difficulties of Jewish life in a secular America.

Congregations often have many meetings to discuss the characteristics that a spiritual leader should possess.  From my experience, the common denominator of these discussions was what we wanted, or what we felt we needed.  In my opinion our wants and needs should be secondary to what we plan to give.  A rabbi can only lead a congregation that is open and honest with regard to its own commitment toward observance and participation.  Click here to read about  “And They Shall Be My People,” by Paul Wilkes.

Last year, over the winter holidays while visiting my parents in San Antonio, Texas, I was happy to discover and rediscover the exhibit, Reclaimed, the extraordinary legacy of Jacques Goudstikker, a preeminent art dealer in Amsterdam, whose vast collection of masterpieces fell victim, and was almost lost forever to the Nazis.  I commented how Judaism is often found in unexpected circumstances and in unexpected places.  This winter holiday produced a similar surprise.  While packing for my trip I grabbed a pile of magazines collecting on my desk for the plane ride to Texas.  Each quarter I receive a copy of Emory Magazine from my alma mater and I usually give it a quick read on it’s way to the recycling bin.  This year an article about a five minute Holocaust documentary caught my attention.  Three Emory students won best drama for this film at the 2010 Campus MovieFest awards.  The story is about a Nazi scientist, Kurt Gertein, who develops Zyklon B gas as a chemical to kill rodents.  Unknown to him it is later used in the gas chambers.  When Gerstein sees his chemicals used for murder at the Belzec concentration camp, he realizes his indirect participation and buries the remaining gas canisters.  Wracked with guilt and finding no other aid, Gerstein surrenders himself to the Allies and writes “Der Gerstein-Bericht” which details his viewing of concentration camp killings.  His notes are later used as direct evidence against Nazi war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials.  Check out the video in our Jewish video online page.

We hope everyone has had a relaxing and joyous summer with friends and family.  Soon may of us will be preparing to return to school and prepare for the upcoming High Holy Days in September.  We hope you have enjoyed our Federation website as a source of community happenings and as a portal to events and commentary about Israel and the Jewish experience around the country and around the world.  It continues to be our goal to find articles, videos, movies, books, and stories of interest for us to share.  Please continue to send us information.  In the coming weeks we will be posting information of our fall calendar.  We have many new and old favorite activities and programs upcoming.  In the meantime, please check out the new fascination of NBA basketball players with Hebrew and Jewish thought at Jewish News Online.  Shaq, LeBron and Amare are going to Hebrew school.  If we could only get our kids to be so enthusiastic!

Smiles, families, spirituality, pride, fellowship and community, and of course, food, were everywhere at Temple Beth last week.  The occasion was the Altoona Jewish Community Sunday School confirmation.  Our seven confirmands from TBI and AAC stood together in front of their families, friends, the entire Sunday School and the Jewish community to celebrate the confirmation of their Jewish faith and Jewish studies. Our second consecutive combined confirmation for TBI and AAC was spiritual and meaningful from our Rabbi and Hazzan as well as our confirmands.  I congratulate Rabbi Luna, Hazzan Horowitz and the Sunday School leadership for their foresight and hard work in planning this program. The program also featured, our Principal, Illisa Zimmerman, who gave an inspiring keynote address.  Click here to go to the Sunday School web page to find a link to her comments and Confirmation pictures in our photo gallery.

I hope we will continue to find ways to celebrate as a community and I hope we can continue to find the wisdom to see the spirituality and strength that collaboration and commonality can provide.

Most years our Jewish community comes together to remember and commemorate the great tragedy our people and the world suffered at the hands of Nazi murderers.  This year there was no Holocaust program in our community but I hope that we have all individually taken some time to remember these atrocities of man versus his fellow man.  Please check the Jewish News Online area for some links to articles from newspapers around the world relevant to Yom Hashoah.  Also check out our link on the home page to additional news of relevance to observance of this day.  Also, let us not forget that hatred, bigotry and genocide is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.  Hatred and genocide are not just Jewish problems, they are worldwide problems.  Whether it is bullying on the playground or genocide in Darfur, we cannot allow or tolerate hatred.  To allow is to enable.

Tonight the motion picture industry gave it’s annual awards for greatness on the big screen, the Oscars.  For two out of the last three (snow!) Thursdays and for the next two Thursdays the greater Altoona area has been able to see greatness on the semi-big screen at the Penn State Altoona Devorris Downtown Center.  While missing red carpets and glam, we are still treated to the best meal deal in town catered by Paula and Dave Binus, and we are sure to have four thought provoking films.  O Jerusalem and Making Trouble were excellent.  Len Zimmerman and his committee deserve high praise for eleven years of outstanding films and making this annual event one of the social and educational highlights of our local Jewish calendar.  I especially enjoyed Making Trouble, which documented the struggle of Jewish woman to earn respect and greatness in different eras and in different aspects of show business.  It was a pleasure to have Jerry Zolten introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards.  One point of discussion after the film was about which actors were of Jewish ancestry.  The next day I received two emails on similar points.  One claimed Abraham Lincoln had Jewish ancestry and the second was from my sister in law who recently reviewed a show called Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad.  For your benefit I have added a new RSS feed on our home page called Jew Or Not Jew, that provides a tongue in cheek commentary on Jewish ancestry of celebrities, and check out this link for Nice Jewish Girls Gone Bad, a new generation of Jewish women “making trouble.”

http://blogs.denverpost.com/reverb/2010/03/01/scene-nice-jewish-girls-gone-bad-good-for-the-jews-lannies-clocktower-cabaret/#more-12451

http://www.nicejewishgirlsgonebad.com/newsite/