Happening

Girls Relationships

Letters from camp? Here’s a place to send that sentimental stuff you’ve stashed away. For research about American Jewish youth culture 1945-1970, send letters, diaries, newsletters or other materials from religious, secular, socialist, Yiddishist, Y and JCC camps. Letters will be photocopied and returned. Riv-Ellen Prell, American Studies, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; (612)624-0017; prell001@tc.umn.edu.

Ophelia’s Mom. The psychologist mother of Sara Shandler, teen creator of the bestseller, Ophelia Speaks: Adolescent Girls Write About Their Search for Self, Nina Shandler, is—with her daugher’s blessing—gathering mothers’ thoughts and stories for Ophelia’s Mom. Here is an opportunity to shed light on your daughter-driven challenges. Send your thoughts and stories by September 30 to: Nina Shandler, Ophelia’s Mom, 13 Willard Rd., Sturbridge, MA 01566; ninashand@aol.com: opheliasmom.com.

Diverse Communities

Food Shortages threatening ten million people in Ethiopia. A coalition of North American Jewish organizations assists victims on a non-sectarian basis. Tax-deductible contributions to JDC-Jewish Coalition for Aid to Ethiopia may be sent to: Jewish Coalition for Aid to Ethiopia, c/o American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, 711 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017.

Journal Bet Debora Berlin offers the experiences and thoughts of Jewish female leaders of post-Holocaust Europe. Edited by Lisa Dammig, Rachel Monika Herweg and Elisa Klapheck, published in German, Russian and English. The first issue includes papers from the May 1999 “Conference of European Women Rabbis, Cantors, Rabbinically Educated and Interested Jewish Women and Men.” Send $3 to receive the 62-page English version from Lilith, 250 W. 57th St.. New York NY 10107; LaraBLD@aol.com; www.hagalil.com/bet-debora

Egypt was home to 80,000 mostly French-speaking Jews before 1948. Today they are dispersed around the globe. Producing a directory, organizing future international conferences and reunions, expanding a collection of videotaped interviews, and publishing a newsletter are among the activities of International Association of Jews from Egypt, 2416 Quentin Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11229; (718)339-0337; sanuav@stjohns.edu

The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Institute, an international pioneer in pluralistic adult Jewish education, now has 50 schools around the world. The launch of its website creates a genuine global learning community. Nancy Ozeri, Florence Melton Adult Mini- School Institute, Jerusalem, Israel; fax (972)6-625-4043; nozeri@fmams.org.il; www.fmams.org.il

Young and restless? Fellowships for Jewish social entrepreneurs will challenge young innovators aged 21-35 to help build and sustain their own visions of a Jewish future. Fellows receive $60,000 “seed” capital for two years, intensive entrepreneurial training, mentorships, technical assistance and health benefits. Apply by October 6. Fellowships begin February 2001. Brian Gaines or Pella Schafer, Joshua Venture, 177 Union St. #1, San Francisco, CA 94123; (415)929-4989; fax (415)929-4988; www.joshuaventure.org

Tachlis, the newsletter of the Association of Jewish Family and Children’s Agencies, offers ideas for collaborative programs between Jewish social service agencies, synagogues and government to meet the needs of underserved populations such as the elderly, the disabled, victims of domestic violence. AJFCA, 557 Cranbury Rd. #2, East Brunswick, NJ 08816; (800)634-7346; fax (732)432-7127; AJFCA@ajfca; http://ajfca.org

New Views of Old Rituals

A Large Print High Holiday Machzor (Hebrew/English). Make the holidays special for your parent or grandparent. Request their physician or eye care specialist to send or fax a note confirming that they have difficulty reading regular print. Free from The Jewish Heritage for the Blind, 1655 E. 24th St., Brooklyn, NY 11229; toll free fax (877)230-2205; jewishheritage@aol.com

Circumcision! Has feminist consciousness generated ambivalence about circumcision as the marker of Jewish identity? Are there gender differences in how we think about the ritual, or whether we accept the practice? How can we understand “the drop of blood” necessary for ritual circumcision in relationship to rituals surrounding the blood of menstruation and childbirth? For an anthology on circumcision presenting historical, anthropological, psychological and sociological scholarship plus personal perspectives, send a one page abstract by Oct. 15 to Rahel Wasserfall and Elizabeth Marie, 93 Union St., #400, Newton Centre, MA 02459; fax (617)964-6322: mark@brandeis.edu or wasserfall@brandeis.edu.

Holocaust

Jewish families’ psychology, beliefs, and reactions to the Holocaust. For a dissertation, a researcher is looking for parent-child pairs who are either Holocaust survivors— ages 60-85—and offspring—ages 25-50—or (for the control group) Jewish parent-child pairs who are not. Participants fill out an anonymous questionnaire, confidentiality is assured. liana Breslau (212) 580-0204; ibreslau@yahoo.com

Could your family members have had a Holocaust-era insurance policy and you don’t know about it? If you are a Holocaust survivor or the heir of a Holocaust victim you may have a legitimate unpaid Holocaust era life, education or dowry insurance claim. International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims, P.O.B. 1163, Wall St. Station, New York, NY 10268; (800)957-3203; www.icheic.org

Women in Holocaust fiction. A high school curriculum written by Rotem Wagner and Inbar Raveh discusses Crossing the Red Sea (in Polish) by Sofia Romaniczowa, Tzili and Katerina by Aharon Appelfeld, and Ida Fink’s short story “Eugenia” from Traces. You can order this in Hebrew or English for $10. Yad Vashem, P.O.B. 3477, 91034, Jerusalem, Israel (972)2-675-1666; fax (972)2-641-1849; publishing@yad-vashem.org.il

The Hidden Child, an extraordinary newsletter recounting the stories of children hidden during the Holocaust, published a 20-page issue on “The Separation of the Family” (Spring 2000). For their next issue on “Recovering the Children,” tell about experiences immediately after the war, being reunited with your family, how you were found—or not found— by a relative or Jewish agency. Rachelle Goldstein, The Hidden Child 823 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017; hidden-child@adl.org