Newspapers / The Charlotte Jewish News … / Aug. 1, 1979, edition 1 / Page 3
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pa^e 3—THE NEWS—August 1979 A First Time Visit To Wildacres by Merie Prior It was already dark on Thurs day evening, June 14, when my husband Bob. our two children. Lania and Heath, and I made our way up the mountain to join the Temple Beth El Wildacres Weekend Retreat. It may have been dark and chilly outside, but inside and with the group there was a brightness and warmth that never faded. We settled into our room quickly, joined the tail- end of the “welcome” session and relaxed with ever>'one in the canteen. After the late night sing-along led by Murray Rosen, morning and the breal^ast bell came too early. But the meal was really worth getting up for. The food was great the entire weekend and the s€r\ice couldn't have been better. No matter how- many times we asked for another platter of this or that, it was always delivered quickly and with a big smile. Mealtime was a good oppor tunity to get acquainted with many different people. We shar^ our table with someone new each time we sat down to eat. We had a chance to dine with and get to know some of the Ashe\ille delegation* in the din ing hall. Of course the discussion groups and exercises provided the best opportimit>’ to really get to know other people and what makes them tick. We really had to look inside ourselves to discover what was most impor tant to us — our roles as men or women, our Judaism, our American nationality, our place in the family or our humanism. The exercise Friday evening, fantasizing complete role rever sals of men and women, certain ly ruftled some feathers. It made us wonder how much of the way we behave in our roles is instinc tive and natural and how much has routinely been drilled into our ps>'ches for centuries. How do we deal with this new awareness when it comes to religious and Temple life? The third question we dealt with concern^ accepdng con verts to Judaism. We carried it a step beyond to the idea of actual ly seeking to convert unchurch ed indiriduals interested in our faith and what it offers. There seemed to be wholehearted agreement about accepting con verts iespecially when inter marriage is involvedt but many of us balked at the thought of proseUtizing. Having Shabbat services in the relaxed atmosphere :children running in and out* was a different yet thoroughly enjoyable experience. I did miss the organ music and the soloist, but the sight outside the window of the sun setting in a coral- colored sky over the mountain- tops portrayed the Sabbath in a most spectacular way. The camaraderie of Wildacres overcame the cold and rain of Saturday. Even the children were so busy they didn't mind being inside. There were crafts to make, games to play, and the all important “Kg Show" rehearsals. Naturally, the show was a huge success (how could all that taient missTf and ever>'one “enjoyed”. Sunday morning's farewells came all too quickly, but the drive home was filled with beautiful memories. Kim Schrader and the other teens did a great job keeping all the kids busy and happy. Much thanks to Rabbi Pa^ Kaplan for thought-provoking discussions and to Gail and Marvin Bienstock for all their efforts. Sally Schrader did a super job at organizing evervthing. Very, very special thanks to Rabbi Krantzier for creating the mood of Wikiacres. We now feel much closer to a wonderful group of people and look fcMward to spen ding more precious Wildacre Weekends in the years to come. (*FaL note - 85 adults and children, including Rabbi Kaplan and hu family and 5 couples from hu Temple in Ashevdle, attended the Retreat -RJ4./ WANDERINGS. By Chaim Potok. Alfred A- Knopf. 431 pages. $17.95. “Wanderings” is also an attempt to place the historv' of the Jews within the greater framework of the histor>- of Western civilization, to remove our stor>' from the "zone of timelessness” that exists in the Bible. In part because it attempts too much, it only par tially succeeds. This is a beautifully produced book, with ample fuil-page color illustrations that have been thoughtfully gathered from some of the great art collections of the world. It is a book one wants to pick up and leaf through, but its text is often con fusing. As a novelist. Potok has many times woven a beautiful stor>. In ’‘Wanderings” he is at his best when he is captiued by a particular detail or event and relays his impressions in storvTtller fashion. But often events which are important in terms of world historv* are minimized, as the relatively in significant is magnified. Although he proceeds through several thousand years of histor>-, for the most pan in a dogged linear narrative, he sometimes, in trying to in terweave specificsdly Jewish events with the historj' that sur rounds them, skips back and forth in time to the extent that the reader is too easily lost. Potok's style is often eloquent and lyrical, yet it vacillates between a scholarly, objective post and a more personal view point. At one point, for example, we are told that the Roman King -Agrippa I reigned over what has been called by some historians the last golden age of the Jews in antiquity, but. says Potok. "We have had such few good periods that we la bel almost any time of tranquillity and creativi ty as golden." The book has its moments, but as its* dtie indicates.it wanders. “The Big Show” - one of the acta was the “Short People”. They sure could gyrate. L. to rt. • ^lara and Lorin Silverman, Rabbi Krantzier, Marvin Bienstock. Mary Baikin and Sally Schrader. Candle holders were made by the children in craft shop. Mark Rothman and Bob Conn patiently waiting for Es telle Rosen to open op the bar at the cocktail party. There were great **eats” too. More pictures on page 12. Wildacre photos by Rita Mond Let Us Reason Together Right before our verv- eyes — it is happening againi The Vietnamese — the erstwhile darlings of our “liberals” — are engaged in genocide —a holocaust of terrible propor tions. CvTiically extorting millions of dollars from the ethnic Chinese in their midst, and their relatives abroad, the Viet namese are “allowing” these unfortunates to escape Vietnam on boats in such condition as to virtually make it certain that hundreds of thousands of men. women, and children will drown. Turned away from Malaysia and other lands, numberless have already found waterv- graves. The reason for this genocide; these are Chinese, “different from us”, indeed referred to as “rubbish”. Shades of Hitlerl \^*hat is the L'N doing? Thinking about it carefully. In the meantime, iimocents are drowTiing. Sadly, President Carter is mumbling about “human rights” —and begging Congress to admit more refugees. Our "liberals” are strangely silent when a communist coun- tr>‘ engages in genocide, even while they are beating their breasts over the terrorism of Samoza. and other fascist dic tatorships. As Jews —who remember the Holocaust — w’e dare not re main silent in the face of mass murder. I have written my protests to President Carter and our legislators. W'on’t you do the same —now? Urge them to open America's doors to the unfortunates, and to persuade other free countries to do likewise. Can any Jew, and American do less? Shalom. Rabbi Harold Krantzier Books In Review Tisha b’Av Tisha b'Av - the Ninth of Av - marks the end of a three-week I period of semimourmng beginning with the 1 Tth day of Tam- I muz. also a last day. The nine days from the beginning of Av j to Tisha b'Av mark an intensified mourning period. Many people abstain from meat and »ine, refrain from shaving, from buving new clothes, and from various forms of entertain ment. Tisha b’Av is a fast day in commemoration of the various disasters and tragedies which have befallen the Jewish people throughout historv. The central mourning is over the destruc tion of the Temple — an event which marked the initiation of the exile. This has both physical as well as spiritual dimen sions. As Israel was divided from the land, so too was the Shekhinah 'the Divine Presence). To the kabbalists the day represented the nature of the world’s incompleteness and the great need for tikkun (repair* —returning the Shekhinah to her place. Although there is a temptation to concentrate on the Holocaust, this should be resist^, so as not to blur distinc tions or lose sight of the essence of the day. Aspects of the Day In ooeervance of Tisha b’Av the fast begins at sundown • this year on August 1). No leather is worn on thb day. The Book of Lamentations is read by candlelight at night while sitting (Ml the floor or on low stools. After the chanting, kinot a form of dirge* are said. These are also recited in the mor ning. It is noted that tallit and tefillin are not worn for Shaharit | but are put on at Minhah and there is a Torah reading. In both j services there is an additicxi to the Amidah that makes special I reference to Tisha b'Av. On this day »e is supposed to study | only those sections of the Txah which deal with the destruc tion of the Temple. •R.M.
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 1, 1979, edition 1
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