Boulder Jewish News encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to submit their d’var torah and information about their Mitzvah/Tikkun Olam projects. For more information, please email editor@boulderjewishnews.org.

Boulder Jewish News encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to submit their d’var torah and information about their Mitzvah/Tikkun Olam projects.  For more information, please email editor@boulderjewishnews.org.

Boulder Jewish News encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to submit their d’var torah and information about their Mitzvah/Tikkun Olam projects. For more information, please email editor@boulderjewishnews.org.

Joanna Zieger speaking at NJSHF Award ceremony.

Boulder resident Joanna Sue Zeiger, a 2000 Olympian and 2008 World Champion in triathlon and Ph.D. in genetic epidemiology, was inducted with eight other sports figures on April 29, 2012 into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame located at the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center in Commack, New York. In addition to racing, Joanna uses her athletic experience as coach and mentor to triathletes and runners, and her research skills, to study the relationship of behavior, athletics, and genetics to addiction and other conditions.

Joanna describes on her blog, Fast at Forty, what this honor means to her:

My induction into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame means more to me than a celebration of past achievements. I view this honor as a means to helping other fledgling Jewish athletes succeed in an arena where they may not be encouraged or even worse discouraged. Being a ‘Jewish athlete’ should not be a label; we are athletes who are Jewish.”

If you are interested in learning more about Joanna, you can follow her at http://www.joanna-zeiger.com.

The May workshop, “The Middle East: Myths and Realities,” will give an in-depth background of the compelling history of the Middle East and an understanding of the political and social dynamics of the area. It will help attendees make sense of the troubling issues facing the region today. Our featured presenter is Patrick D’Silva, Arabic and Islamic History Instructor at the University of Colorado, from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. After lunch, we will be joined by Jennifer Klein of Principled Learning Strategies is a curriculum specialist and will offer teaching materials and tips to middle & high school teachers. It’s suitable not only for those actively teaching about the Middle East, but for anyone interested in learning more about this significant area of the world.

The day-long workshop will be preceded by an introductory Friday evening talk, “The Middle East: Understanding the Crisis of Religion and Politics,” conducted by Dr. Nader Hashemi, Assistant Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics, University of Denver.

The Boulder-Nablus Sister City Project is co-sponsoring the workshop series in conjunction with the CU Center for Asian Studies.

Any questions should be directed to Essrea Cherin or Guy Benintendi.

We are pleased to share Ben Goelz’s Dvar Torah from his recent bar mitzvah. 

By Ben Goelz

This is the grossest part of the Torah. It’s called Tazria. It comes from the book of Leviticus. It’s about the laws of impurity, or tzaraat. Tazria literally means “she gives birth”. It explains in excruciating detail about the laws that G-d issued to Moses and the Israelites. The first kind of tzaraat happens when a woman gives birth. When a woman gives birth to a male, she is impure for seven days. On the eighth day, his flesh is circumcised. She will remain impure for thirty-three days after the circumcision, and will not be allowed to touch any consecrated thing or eat any consecrated food. When she gives birth to a girl, she will be impure for 66 days after birth. The extra days might be because she will also give birth.

The second kind of tzaraat is when a scaly infection develops and appears to go deeper than the skin. It will be reported to the priest and examined. If the infection is scaly and goes deeper than the skin, it is what we refer to as leprosy. But if it is white and does not go deeper than the skin, it is a rash, and the person will be isolated for seven days. After that time, the priest will come back, and examine the infection. If the infection has not changed, they will be isolated for another seven days. Then the priest comes back, and if the infection has faded, then the person is pure.

The third kind of tzaraat is swelling. If the priest sees a swelling with white discolorations on it as well as normal skin, it is chronic leprosy and the person is impure, but it is on the skin of the body and the person will not be isolated. If the priest sees that the infection has covered the entire body, the person is pure. But when the skin turns back to normal, the person will come to the priest and the priest will conduct the examination. If the skin has turned white, the person is pure.

The fourth kind of tzaraat is a developing inflammation. When a white swelling or white discoloration streaked with red appears, the infected person will see the priest. If the priest sees that the infection is lower than the rest of the skin and the hairs have turned white, it is leprosy that broke out in the inflammation. But if there is no white hair and the infection is not lower than the rest of the skin, it is not leprosy, and the person will be isolated for seven days. Then the priest will come back and examine the infection. If the infection has spread, it is leprosy. But if it has remained stationary, the person is pure.

I think this portion is really about fear.

What I chanted said: ‘Tear your clothes, put cloth over your head down to your upper lip, and walk down the street beating your chest and yelling, ‘Impure, Impure!’ to warn others of your condition. Then you will be isolated in a dwelling outside the camp.” The other parts say to isolate the person with the leprous infection, along with their entire family. Wait, their entire family? Doesn’t that seem a tiny bit overboard? Just a little overkill? To me, the answer is yes, but I see their reasons. They feared the infection, thinking it was a curse from God, and isolated them, thinking that if they touched the person, they would inherit the curse. The family had daily interaction with the infection.

This was also a form of community protection. If the family got out on the streets, they could indirectly transfer the “curse”. The only logic I don’t understand is that you have to have 10 people to say all the important prayers. The Misheberach is the prayer of healing. Unless you have a family of 10, you can’t pray to get better. Shouldn’t the priests realize this? Also, the priests were assigned to perform all the examinations. With all due respect to Rabbi Rose, I don’t go to him when I am sick, do you?

The Israelites may not have been the first to isolate people, but many other great nations did the exact same thing years later. India (where there are still more than 1,000 leper colonies), China, Romania, Egypt, Nepal, Somalia, Liberia, Vietnam, and Japan. Hawaii also has a still-existing-camp for lepers that started way back in 1866. They established the leper camp in Kalaupapa, Hawaii, and it still has 27 people in it, out of the original 8,000. The Los Angeles Times talked about a person who was exiled for 50 years, starting at age 21 and ending at age 79. That’s a long time to not be able to leave the island, even if it is Hawaii.

A common misconception about leprosy is it makes your limbs fall off. It doesn’t. Although it did turn fatal, all it did was make a sort of black scale on your face, body, anywhere you were infected. Fear is a strong motivator, maybe the strongest. When faced with wiping out the entire camp, people will do anything to prevent that from happening.

Yasher koach, Ben! Boulder Jewish News encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to submit their d’var torah for publication, so that the community may learn from our young adults. Information about Mitzvah/Tikkun Olam projects is also welcome. For more information, please email editor@boulderjewishnews.org.

Mary Ellen Steele, Robyn Fernandez, Principal, Dr. Bruce Messinger, BVSD Superindent with No Place For Hate Banner at Manhattan Middle School, BVSD.

Denver, April 12, 2012: The Mountain States Office of the Anti-Defamation League designated forty-five schools from across Colorado as No Place for Hate® after the schools completed a year-long effort to create equitable, safe and respectful environments.  Schools from Denver, Aurora, Boulder, Fort Collins, Nederland, Greeley, Cherry Creek, Colorado Springs, and Durango attended the designation ceremony in Aurora on April 11.

It takes hard work to create an inclusive and respectful school community.  “You just don’t open the window of your school and all the hate leaves,” said Manhattan Middle School principal Robyn Fernandez. “You have to be intentional and persistent in changing the culture of your school.”  ADL honored Boulder’s Manhattan Middle School and Academy District 20’s Pine Creek High School with the Positive Impact! Award for their five-year commitment to the No Place for Hate® campaign.

Jamie Van Leeuwen, Governor Hickenloooper’s Senior Advisor and Director of Community Partnerships, read a proclamation from the Governor declaring April 11, 2012, “No Place for Hate® Day” in Colorado.

Bruce Caughey, Executive Director of the Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE), shared personal stories of challenges he experienced in his youth as it related to name-calling and bullying.  He stressed the importance for administrators, teachers and faculty to take the time to create welcoming and safe climates on their campuses.

Teachers, administrators and ADL volunteers gathered at Aurora Public Schools Professional Learning Conference Center to celebrate achieving their goal of being designated No Place for Hate®.  ADL presented each school with a designation banner to display in a prominent place.

The Mountain States Office of the Anti-Defamation League has offered the No Place for Hate® initiative to schools since 2007.  This year’s program reached 41,000 students across Colorado.

The following schools earned banners recognizing their efforts in 2011-2012 No Place for Hate® campaign (Boulder Valley Schools are highlighted in bold):

• Adventure Elementary at Western Hills (Mapleton)
• Aurora Frontier K-8 (Aurora)
• Aurora Hills Middle (Aurora)
• Berthoud High School (Thompson R2J)
• Bill Reed Middle School (Thompson R2J)
• Boulder High School (Boulder Valley)
• Catalyst High School (Boulder Valley)
• Centennial Elementary School (Greeley-Evans 6)
• Century Elementary (Aurora)
• Cherry Creek High School (Cherry Creek District 5)
• Columbia Middle School (Aurora)
• Conrad Ball Middle School (Thompson R2J)
• Cottonwood Plains Elementary (Thompson R2J)
• Dalton Elementary School (Aurora)
• Denver School of the Arts (Denver)
• Durango High School (Durango 9-R)
• East High School (Denver)
• Escalante Middle School (Durango 9-R)
• Ferguson High School (Thompson R2J)
• Franklin Middle School (Weld County SD 6)
• Gateway High School (Aurora)
• Grandview High School (Cherry Creek District 5)
• Greeley West High School (Weld County SD 6)
• Iowa Elementary School (Aurora)
• Isaac Newton Middle School (Littleton)
• Lincoln Elementary School (Thompson R2J)
• Lucile Erwin Middle School (Thompson R2J)
• Manhattan Middle School (Boulder Valley)
• Miller Middle School (Durango 9-R)
• Monarch K-8 (Boulder Valley)
• Murphy Creek K-8 (Aurora)
• Nederland Middle/High School (Boulder Valley)
• Nevin Platt Middle School (Boulder Valley)
• North Middle School Health Sciences (Aurora)
• Paris Elementary School (Aurora)
• Pine Creek High School (Academy District 20)
• Prairie View High School (Brighton 27J)
• Rampart High School (Academy District 20)
• Rangeview High School (Aurora)
• Sarah Milner Elementary School (Thompson R2J)
• Southern Hills Middle School (Boulder Valley)
• Turner Middle School (Thompson R2J)
• University Schools (Weld County SD 6)
• Vista Peak (Aurora)
• Walt Clark Middle School (Thompson R2J)

 The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

Boulder Jewish News encourages Bar and Bat Mitzvah students to submit their d’var torah and information about their Mitzvah/Tikkun Olam projects.  For more information, please email editor@boulderjewishnews.org.