Beth Shalom
Honors Rabbis

Congregation Beth Shalom has
started the process of transitioning
from the leadership of Rabbi David
Nelson to Rabbi Daniel Wolpe.
Two special Shalom Shabbatot
have been planned: Saturday, July
15, for Rabbi Nelson; Saturday,
July 22, for Rabbi Wolpe, when he
assumes the congregation's pulpit
for the first time.
Rabbi Wolpe and his family
are moving to Michigan from his
previous pulpit in Orlando, Fla.
Rabbi Nelson will remain with
Congregation Beth Shalom as rabbi
emeritus.
Informal congregationwide
luncheons are planned following
religious services on the two
Saturdays. Reservations are
required. The luncheons are open to
the congregation free of charge, but
donations are requested.

The Rebbe Remembered

Two Languages
At Pre-School

Children are capable of learning two
languages or more at an early age
is the premise behind the new fall
bilingual preschool program at Gan
Shalom Preschool at Congregation
Beth Shalom.
There will be two teachers: one
speaks English and one speaks
Hebrew. The program, started in
Jerusalem, is called Chalav and
Dvash or Milk and Honey. Leslie
Fishman and Ronit Goutkovich will
teach the program.
It features hands-on learning
through art, music and song, and
puppets. Also offered will be enrich-
ments such as Travel Through Israel
with Bismot Dovas and creative
movement with Judy Caden.
Preschool is Tuesday and
Thursday mornings with optional
enrichments in the afternoon. For
information, call Susan Gartenberg,
(248) 547-7970.

Long after
his death, the
rebbe's words
resound amid
Washington's
elite.

Author To Speak
At Beth El

Robert Tell, author of The
Dementia Diary: A Care Giver's
Journal, will be the guest speaker
1 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, at a free
program sponsored by the Prentis
Memorial Library of Temple Beth El.
The book deals with his mother's
dementia and his reaction to
changes in her personality. Tell will
take questions from the audience
following his talk and the book will
be for sale.

Ron Kampeas

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Washington

T

welve years after
Menachem Mendel
Schneerson died,
his followers and admirers in
Chabad-Lubavitch delivered his
message to Washington's high-
est echelons.

Elie Wiesel addresses a commemoration ceremony for Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel

Schneerson in Washington on June 27.

The timeless themes of edu-
cation, security for Israel and
reaching out to other faiths still
resound, organizers said.
Speakers including Nobel
laureate Elie Wiesel, talmudic
scholar Adin Steinsaltz and
radio host Dennis Prager
interacted with top Bush
administration officials at the
June 27-28 event marking the
Lubavitcher rebbe's yahrzeit.
The theme of the event,
which attracted more than 300
Chabad officials from around
the world, as well as diplomats
and lawmakers, was education.
If that appeared broad, it was
because "we're here to convey
a message and not press a par-
ticular opinion," said Rabbi Levi
Shemtov, director of American
Friends of Lubavitch.
In a closed briefing, Michael
Chertoff, the Bush adminis-

tration's Jewish Homeland
Security secretary, told the
gathering that education was
key in preparing Americans for
the battle against terrorism.
"Education creates aware-
ness, and awareness creates
defense" was Chertoff's mes-
sage, according to those attend-
ing.
Wiesel said that shortly
before Rabbi Schneerson died,
he had warned Wiesel that it
was imperative for the West to
engage Islamic religious lead-
ers before Western and Islamic
worldviews diverged too far.
The conference culminated
in a White House briefing by
Joshua Bolten, President Bush's
chief of staff, who also is Jewish.
Bolten said Bush would never
encourage Israel to give up
territory without a Palestinian
quid pro quo.

Administration officials
attending included Gregg
Rickman, the top anti-Semitism
official at the State Department,
and Edward O'Donnell, who
deals with Holocaust restitu-
tion.
Other speakers included Sen.
Bill Frist, R-Tenn., the Senate
majority leader.
"I'm a physician. I've dedi-
cated the better part of my life
to healing human bodies," Frist
told the assembled Chabad
emissaries. "You dedicate the
better part of your lives to heal-
ing the human soul."
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-
Conn., was scheduled to speak,
but was caught in traffic gener-
ated by flooding.
Also appearing was the
Australian defense minister,
Brendan Nelson. ❑

July 6 • 2006

53

