Page 14-THE NEWS-April, 1986
This *11 That
Student From East Berlin Studying To Be Rabbi
Siegel
Goldman
Kaplan
Karp
Charlotte poet Judy Goldman’s first book of poems. “Small
Town Dancer,” will be out next year from St. Andrews Press.
•
Among the 15 Charlotte-Mecklenburg high school students
honored at the Fifth Annual Brother/Sisterhood Awards lunch
eon sponsored by the Mecklenburg Chapter of the National Con
ference of Christians and Jews was Leslie Kaplan. She is a stu
dent at Charlotte Country Day and the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Stan Kaplan. She was selected because of her leadership
in community and school activities that promote understanding
among diverse groups of people.
•
Jennifer Levenson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A1 Levenson,
won a Gold Key Blue Ribbon award for a mixed media entry
in the Scholastic Art Competition in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
•
Five new members have been appointed to the advisory com
mittee of Total Care Inc. Among them is Adrienne Rosenberg,
Jewish Social Services Director. Total Care is a home health
care agency serving 15 counties in N.C. and one county in S.C.
•
Edward Karp, president of Pic ’N Pay Stores, Inc., has been
named head of the American shoe operation of Bata Shoe
Organization (BSO), Pic ’N Pay’s Toronto, Canada-based parent
company. In addition to becoming president and general
manager of BATA USA, Karp also assumes the post of chair
man and chief executive of Charlotte-based Pic ’N Pay, suc
ceeding Alvin Levine, who retired in December.
•
Samuel Siegel, vice president, chief financial officer, treasurer,
secretary and director of Nucor Corp., Charlotte, has been nam
ed executive vice president, Nucor Corp. board of directors.
•
James J. Bedrick, M.D., has been appointed Clinical Assistant
Professor in the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
of the University of North Carolina. Dr, Bedrick is an opthal-
mologist in private practice in Charlotte and has been active
in the University’s teaching program of medical residents since
1982. ,
David M. Pliner was one of the recipients of the Ch£u*lotte Sales
and Marketing Executives Inc. Distinguished Sales Award.
This is the third consecutive year that he has received this
honor.
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“Though Winston Churchill
is credited for coining the term
“Iron Curt£iin” in one of his
post World War II speeches,
the Talmud preceded him by
many centuries when it taught
that, “Even an iron partition
cannot separate the people of
Israel from the Father in
heaven” (Psachim 85:).
Rabbi Moshe Herson, dean
of the Rabbinical College of
America, Morristown, New
Jersey, stated the above in
conjunction with the arrival of
David Lindenberg, 32, from
Communist East Berlin, to
study at the college in its New
Direction Program (Tiferes
Bachurim).
Lindenberg, whose parents
were born in pre-war Berlin
and still reside there, paints a
gloomy picture of Jewish life
in the divided city. “There are
less than 200 Jews presently
members of the East Berlin
Temple. Most of them are past
65 years-of-age, having come
to Germany after the war as
survivors of Nazi concentra
tion camps. The temple is open
only on Saturdays and holi
days. There is no rabbi to per
form a Jewish marriage or
burial. There is only a ‘loose
tie’ between the two sectors of
the city and only older people
can travel freely between the
two cities.”
About his own path to Juda
ism, Lindenberg speaks very
freely. “I was graduated from
the Technical University,
Dresden, one of three top
schools in East Germany, with
an engineering degree and had
a good job when I began
pondering about my being
Jewish. I was aware that my
grandparents and their entire
generation were annihilated
by the Nazis. My non-involve
ment in anything Jewish caus
ed a void in me and made me
wonder ‘How am I Jewish’?
“I began studying the
Hebrew language and Torah
with other young people who
were also groping their way
towards authentic Judaism
and began to read books in
German, English and Yiddish
about Judaism. I obtained
Yiddish newspapers from
Roumania, the only country
behind the iron courtain where
there is an active Jewish life to
some extent, which contained
a wealth of knowledge about
my religion.
“In 1981 I began to observe
mitzvos, the laws of the Torah,
and a year later I was circum
cised by a Jewish physician
and the East Berlin Jewish
community presented me with
Tefilin.”
Lindenberg read about the
Lubavitch movement in the
Roumanian newspaper. When
he was released from behind
the iron curtain, leaving East
Berlin in 1985, never to return
again, he was fortunate to
meet Fajvel Kogan, a Luba-
vitcher Chasid, who lives in
West Berlin. Mr. Kogan en
couraged Lindenberg to enroll
in the Rabbinical College of
America in Morristown. Lin
denberg traveled to London
where he met Avrohom Gluck,
a London businessman, who
accompanied him to the U.S.
where they arrived in time for
a “Farbrengen,” gathering
conducted by the Lubavitcher
Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Sch-
neerson.
“Seeing and hearing the
Rebbe speak to the thousands
assembled was most inspir-
David Lindenberg
ing,” recounts Lindenberg.
“Since then I have heard the
Rebbe speak on several occas
ions and each time I am able
to understand more, thank
G-d. I am very happy here
studying Mishnah, Talmud,
Chassidic Philosophy and
Jewish Law. I know what it
means to be a Jew. I pray that
the other young people whom
I left behind, who so eagerly
seek to return to their roots,
will be able to join me soon.”
When asked about his
future plans, Lindenberg
resp>onded, “I hope to study at
least one year. Afterwards, I
plan to get married and study
more, f>erhaps. That will de
pend, to a large measure, on
the woman I marry.”
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