Happening

WOMEN OF THE EAST

“Qoli Mimizrah” (My Voice is from the East) is a new series of books to spotlight Sephardic women and Jewish women from Muslim countries throughout history. You can submit manuscripts or proposals from a variety of disciplines, including folklore, literature, poetry, art or science to: Ben-Zvi Institute “Qoli Mimizrah” Series, POB 7660, Jerusalem 91076 Israel;. 972-2-5398844; mahonzvi@h2.hum.huji.ac.il

Yemenite Jewish Women, their migrations and integration into new communities, experiences today and in the recent past—in Yemen and beyond—will be the theme of Issue no. 11 of Nashim. Guest-edited by Nitza Druyan of Hofstra University, discussions will include gender relations within the Yemenite community and in its negotiations with host societies across all disciplines, including literature and the arts. Proposals by Feb. 1,2005, by e-mail to nashim@schechter.ac.il.

WATCHING WOMEN

Kotel: Jewish Teens on Gender & Tradition is a 28-minute documentary film exploring prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem with 19 Jewish-American teenagers who discuss what arrangements at the kotel reveal about Jewish gender roles, tradition and conflicts between branches of Judaism. Written and directed by Stuart Z. Charme, it comes with 20-page discussion guide http://crab.rutgers. edu/~scharme/kotel.htm; scharme@camden.rutgers.edu

A Good Uplift is a lighthearted documentary film by Faye Lederman, Cheryl Furjanic and Eve Lederman about a Lower East Side lingerie shop, where Jewish grandmother Magda “sizes you up, hooks you in, and sets you free in the perfect bra.” Magda’s message is that beautiful bodies come in all shapes and sizes (though a good uplift always helps!). A discussion guide is included. Rent or purchase the film by calling 800-343-5540;

www.squeezethestone.org

No Way Out. How Susan Shear’s family tried to escape the Nazis is told in simple play form through their actual letters. A Readers’ Theatre presentation involves anywhere from 6-13 people, suitable for classrooms or intergenerational presentations. Accompanying slides show family photographs, documents, Nazi anti-Jewish laws and world events.

www.nowayoutproject.com

A Jewish Women’s Film Festival, Sunday, November 14, 2004 at the Alliance Francaise in New York City, features films about the lives, accomplishments and problems of Jewish women. Films cannot have been shown commercially in the New York area. Eleanor Leff Jewish Women’s Resource Center of the National Council of Jewish Women NY Section, will present the “Ellie” Award for the Best Film in Festival and a special “Ellie” to a Jewish woman who has been a trailblazer for women in film. For more information call Annette Landau at 212-687-5030, x33 or email aland@ncjwny.org.

CARING FOR THE VULNERABLE

Helping Jewish orphans. In 1999, Lauri Donahue read about the opening of a new Jewish children’s home in Moscow, the Passin-Waxman Center, established with a $250,000 grant from Broadway producer Anita Waxman. Donahue discovered that no comprehensive list of Jewish orphanages existed, so with help from volunteers she created a clearinghouse for information about Jewish orphans in the former Soviet Union and needy Jewish children in Israel and elsewhere. Yeladim.org does not accept donations, though the site encourages support directly for these orphanages and suggests that young people make orphan-directed tzedakah part of their bar and bat mitzvah plans.

www.yeladim.org

Born in Our Hearts is an anthology of stories of adoption from birth mothers, adoptive parents, adoptees and others. Proceeds from the book will support the Alliance for Children Foundation, a non-profit international adoption agency established 1974, providing financial assistance to families adopting older and special needs children, and unique foster care programs.

www.allforchildren.org
www.afcfoundation.org

Night of a Thousand Dinners (NIKD) on November 4 is a simple concept—gathering with friends to help repair the global landmine crisis. First launched in 2001, nearly 2000 dinners have been held in over 50 countries, raising funds for mine clearance and survivor assistance in countries such as Afghanistan and Bosnia. To participate, hosts organize the meal and invite the guests. They can create their own favorite dishes or just keep it simple and order in pizza. Instead of bringing wine, flowers or dessert, each guest is asked to make a donation Adopt-A-Minefield* to help the landmine cause.

www.1000dinners.com

EDUCATION

Jewish Life on Campus. Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life has released its updated Guide to Jewish Life on Campus, an online database where you can check out over 500 campuses for kosher dining, Jewish studies courses, a cappella singing or social justice programs. Find local contacts and schools in such exotic locations as Omsk, Russia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

www.hillel.org

Know an inspired Jewish educator? JERRI, the Jewish Educator Recruitment and Retention Initiative is an e-newsletter for success stories, discussions and generating enthusiasm for the field, and a resource to promote new initiatives (gender-sensitive ones, we hope) in your community. Aileen J. Goldstein is editor of the inaugural issue.

http://secure.jesna.org/jerri

YOUR WRITING

“Home.” Global perspectives by Jewish women. You can submit memoirs, poems, short stories, essays on home as place or state of mind influenced by religion, gender-, politics, language. Up to 3,000 words by November 1. Hard copy, bio, SASE to: Editor, 2542 Wellington Ct., Evanston, IL 60201

Voices: Israel is the English Poetry Association’s 15th international poetry contest. Prizes: $50-300. Send two copies of each submission by September 30, one without your name and address. Judge is Willa Schneeberg and winning poems will be published in the 2005 annual anthology. Fee: US$5 per poem to: P.O. Box236,KiriatAta, 28101, Israel www.voicesisrael.com

Are you doing research in Jewish women’s/gender studies? Do you want feedback on your work? The Jewish Feminist Research Group, a project of the Women’s Studies Program at the Jewish Theological Seminary draws independent and affiliated scholars and graduate students to present or respond to papers, and to subscribe to the JFRG. For $36/year you receive all papers in advance of the sessions. Contact Beverly Bailis, JFRG: 718-858-4705, or email: jfrg@jtsa.edu

JEWISH CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Do you have a Jewish story for kids? Submit unpublished manuscripts of fiction, nonfiction or picture book text with Judaic content written for children ages 3 to 12 to The Jewish Literature for Children Story Writing Contest. Details and submissions forms found at www.jewishehildrens book-fest.org Susan Dubin, Story Writing Contest, 18901 Marilla St., Northridge,CA 91324

Jewish children’s libraries in Russia. To help begin collections in cooperation with Russian educators, a group in the U.S. have purchased some favorite Jewish children’s books, had them translated and pasted the sticker translation on each page. New or used books Jewish children’s books in reasonable condition may be sent to: Bev Fox, 2809 W Greenleaf, Chicago, IL 60645; bevfox2000@yahoo.com

The Sydney Taylor Manuscript Competition is looking for the best fiction manuscript appropriate for readers ages 8-11, written by an unpublished author. Taylor was the author of the AII-of-a-Kind- Family series. Sponsor, the Association of Jewish Libraries, will accept submissions through Dec. 31, 2004. www.jewishlibraries.org, then click on Awards. Rachel Glassei; coordinator: rkglasser@aol.com.

JUSTICE FOR WOMEN

2nd International Conference on Domestic Abuse in the Jewish Community, sponsored by Jewish Women International and Partners, March 20-23, 2005 in Washington, will include meetings for clergy and a retreat for 18- 25 year old activists, “When Push Comes to Shove It’s No Longer Love: A Jewish Perspective on Gender, Power and Relationships.” Proposals for workshops & more by November 30 to Rachel Keller, rkeller@jwi.org, 202- 857-1300 or 800-343-2823,

www.jwicalltoaction.org.

Reproductive Health and Rights Fellowships at Columbia University advance progressive reproductive and sexual health and women’s rights policies around the world. The Soros Reproductive Health and Rights Fellowship at the Mailman School of Public Health brings together U.S. and international scholars and scholar-activists from a broad variety of disciplines.

www.soros.org/initiatives/ repro/focus_areas/reproductive _fellowships/application

Women’s Rights and the Supreme Court. People For the American Way Foundation’s new report. Courting Disaster 2004, shows how new, ultra-conservative judges will devastate civil rights, equal rights, privacy, the First Amendment, and much more. The report ,is available at:

http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/ dfiles/file_352.pdf

REMEMBRANCES

The Yizkor Book Translation Project, orchestrated largely by volunteer Joyce Field of West Lafayette, IN, makes available in English the Yiddish and Hebrew texts of various towns’ Memorial Books—written as requiems to entire Jewish communities extinguished by World War II. www.jewishgen.org/yizkor

The Holocaust Documentation and Education Center is about to build the first South Florida Holocaust museum, to open within a year in Hollywood, FL. In addition to funds, the museum is seeking artifacts, large or small—a box car or a baby doll, a suitcase that a child carried with her to England, material taken from a synagogue on Kristallnacht, the currency with Rumkowski’s picture that was used in the Lodz ghetto. They arc seeking artifacts from the world before—when Jewish life was vibrant and diverse—along with material from the Holocaust years and the post-Holocaust life of survivors. Contact: Rositta E. Kenigsberg, Holocaust Documentation & Education Center. 13899 Biscayne Blvd, # 404, North Miami Beach, FL 33181; 305-919-5690; rositta@hdec.org