decades, the Jewish safety net
— which provides for our most
vulnerable such as the elderly
and immigrants — was strung
taut with matching federal
funds. In the past year, Wash-
ington loosened the clamps on
those chords, with promises of
more fraying of the bonds to
come. Providing a double wham-
my, it was happening as Jewish
federation campaigns remained
stagnant at best, particularly
when pitted against inflation
and population increases.
Of course, there were other
stories in the past Jewish year
that captured our Jewish hearts
and souls. As they did so, the in-
tertwined hope and despair that
mark modem Jewish life was ev-
ident. Enrollment at most Jew-
ish day schools flourished as
fears of spiraling rising tuition
mounted. Week in and week out,
many of us continued to attend
synagogues, although only in a
trivial sense when compared to
what we know will be the annu-
al High Holiday flock. And
countless adults plowed forward
with their Jewish studies, many
feeling the refreshing waters of
our intellectual tradition in new
ways, often for the first time.
The echoes of the Holocaust
receded another step, an in-
evitable progression as we
march farther away from the
long, dark shadow of that chill-
ing era. One year earlier, we had
marked the 50th anniversary of
the end of World War II and the
Holocaust's end. We continued
to battle to record every detail of
the survivors' lives. Books, mu-
seums, television programs and
educational material kept flood-
ing the Jewish market.
Regardless of the challenges,
the irreversible march of the cal-
endar brings new High Holidays
into our lives. And the Jewish
world again convenes in its di-
verse houses of worship. For
some, it will be an intensely per-
sonal and motivating experience.
For others, it will be rote ritual (f-,
Ca,
or familial obligation.
Yet, on these days, we will all -
read the words of the mezuzah cp
c.,
scroll. As we contemplate their cc
depth, may we separate the past Lu
ce,
year's blur of tragic and fantas-
tic images. And may we excise Ht
from each episode the lessons
that will ensure a coming year ci)
of blessings and health for us
and for our people.

1--

that for him the murder was
more of an interesting news sto-
ry than a personal one. Our chal-
lenge is not to have this young
man check his mezuzah, but to
check our communal one. It
clearly does not attract many in
the younger generation.

Rather than fault the unaffil-
iated, better described as the
"under-affiliated," we sought to
hear them and their concerns —
or their lack of them. And we re-
solved to create further and
more diverse entry points into
our Jewish world, one that can

be alien and even repelling to
outsiders.
That, however, leads to an-
other portion of our figurative
mezuzah whose words were
blurred in the past year: our
Jewish safety net. The mezuzah
tells us that if we act rightly and

righteously, we will be reward-
ed. As such, we Jews pride our-
selves on "taking care of our
own." Often, it's the warm, wel-
coming mantra that we use to
bring others into the fold.
But this past year, our abili-
ty to do so was rocked. In recent

❑

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