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March 2, 2001/Adar 7, 5761, Vol. 53, No.22
Conference teaches community outreach
BARRY COHEN
Community Editor
LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor
The United Jewish Communities Western Regional Conference, Feb. 16-18 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix, was more than just a chance for 450 Jewish young adults to socialize and network. It was an opportunity to teach leadership skills to participants from Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington.
Leadership training was the focus of Sunday programming. In the morning plenary, titled "Am I My Brother's Keeper: Our Role in Repairing the World - Make Yourself Part of the Story," panelists drew on stories and art to describe how an individual can make a difference in the Jewish community and throughout the world.
Panelists were Elaine Schreiber, UJC Western Region chairwoman; Lee Wallach, former director of the Commission on Urban Affairs for the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles; Sharon Faulkner, a New Jersey free-lance photojournalist; and Clive Lessem, senior Jewish agency representative to the UJC.
The plenary touched on ways to help fellow Jews.
"It's much easier to get out there and do something when you get to know the real people behind your giving," Wallach noted. He said that the reason behind his involvement with the federation is about the people whom he's met and about relationships he's built. He cited the example of an elderly woman unable to leave her home, who, without federation programs and agencies, would not have had food or human contact.
Faulkner spoke about her trip to the former Soviet Union about three years ago on a photography project for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, a UJC funded program that offers relief, rescue and reconstruction. She presented a slide show documenting the lives of elderly Holocaust survivors in the FSR.
She said viewing how these men and women live had a profound impact on her life. "Just because they're on the other side of the world doesn't mean they're not our responsibility. We're all connected," she said.
The presentation "hit home (about) how money is needed and spent overseas," said Randi Sherman, programming co-chairwoman for the regional conference.
Lessem spoke about his recent journey accommodating children from the former Soviet Union on a Birthright mission to Israel. "They're the same as our kids and they deserve the same opportunities," he said.
Lessem also spoke about the importance of Jews visiting Israel. The UJC sponsors missions to Israel geared toward singles, young adults, young couples and families.
Three sessions followed the plenary: responsibility to k'lal Yisrael, the greater Jewish family; Jewish environmentalism; and political activism.
During the session "Do Not Stand Idly By: Jewish Rescue and Responsibility Around the World," Lessem described how UJC and JDC have helped Jews in Cuba, Argentina, the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia.
Rabbi Edward Harwitz, director of student affairs at the Milken Community High School in Los Angeles, and Tami Schultz, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, led a session titled, "Let Our Voices be Heard: Political Activism in the Sound Bite Era."
"My call to political action is rooted in the intertwined nature of rabbinical teachings and Jewish values," Harwitz said. Citing an excerpt from the Babylonian Talmud, tractate Baba Batra, he explained how tzedakah (acts of righteousness) is an obligation people have to improve the quality of life in their community. The challenge, he added, is how to use centuries-old Jewish traditions to address current needs.
Schultz urged the delegates to get to know their elected officials and their school board members. Elected legislators should be held accountable; and teachers have day-to-day contact with our children, she added.
She described recent legislation passed by the Arizona State Legislature, such as the Hate Crimes Bill, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and a law making Holocaust reparations tax-exempt.
"I'm telling you this because I want you to take this back to your states," said Schultz. "Talk to the people at your JCRCs and federations" and work to pass similar legislation, she said.
Larry Nicholas, founding executive director of the Northwest Jewish Environmental Project, led the third break-out session, titled "The Nature of Things: Jewish Responsibility and the Environment." Nicholas has been a community activist for the past 10 years in the Pacific Northwest and in Southern California.
"This conference has given me more than just (leadership)," said Stephanie Diamond, board member of the young adult division of the Jewish Federation of San Francisco. She said she looks forward to using what she learned at the conference in her personal life to make herself better ethically and spiritually.
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