r THE SHOFAR THE of the e. These w mem- banks as Regional em when B'nai B'rith Youth Organization d luck to ALEPH ZADIK ALEPH (AZA) UILDS B'NAI B'RITH GIRLS (BBG) 17 person October, 1977 120.00 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 100.00 100.00 252.00 AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE the by Rabbi Mordecai Schreiber BBYO Director of $100.60 For nearly 325 International Convention As a result of learning the basic of CPR Jewish Education 116.00 delegates from throughout the United States, (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation), a Con- 200.00 Canada, Great Britain, Israel, and Germany, vention participant may be able to save a 100.00 the 1977 Convention was a once in a life- life. Who doesn't like miracles? Who wouldn't mas. As a popular song once said, that was a 115.00 time experience. At no other time in their BBYO career-i like to have Aladdin's lamp if only for one miracle too. Had there not been a Hanukka 101.00 For the first time in 28 years, BBYO had a indeed, in their lives will the participants in moment, be able to rub it, put it down, wait in December, during which lucky Jewish 100.00 new International Director. Convention par- the 1977 International Convention have an for the genie to appear in a cloud of smoke children get presents for eight days, while ticipants had an opportunity to say shalom opportunity to experience all of these things and then quickly make a wish and see that their Christian friends get presents only one 100.00 ice-goodbye to Dr. Max F. Baer, who while, at the same time, meeting other AZA wish come true at the snap of a finger? day, and if it were not for Hanukka falling 100.00 was retiring after 43 years of service to B'nai and BBG members from throughout the The trouble with miracles is that you can- in December-du the Christmas season 118.00 100.00 B'rith, and hello to Dr. Sidney Clearfield, world. not go on relying on them forever. It is just and for such things as the electric me- who was to become International Director 180.00 From the moment Grand Aleph S'gan, not the way things generally happen. Ac- norah, God only knows how many Jews on September 1. Ralph Sugarman, and International Con- cording to tradition, God performed a miracle would have long left the fold. vention S'ganit, Beth Edberg officially for Judah Maccabee and his followers and However, we are now beginning to realize 100.00 opened the Convention with an original dra- made the little jar of oil for the menorah last that the miracle of the electric menorah is 118.45 matic presentation by the International Lead- for eight days (which is why we celebrate working less and less. More and more young 198.40 ership Training Conference, through the roll eight days of Hanukka). History, as written Jews are marrying out of their faith. The Jew- 212.20 call of the Districts, and the States of the by some, goes a step further to say that God ish population in the United States is declin- Order by International N'siah, Lori Banov performed an even greater miracle in helping ing steadily. There is good reason to believe 100.00 and Grand Aleph Godol, Jeb Brownstein, all Judah win incredible military victories of the that Jews are becoming an endangered spe- 100.00 the way to the installation of Barry Machlin few against the many cies. Which brings me to the other Hanukka 209.00 as GAG and Jodi Binstock as International How many people realize that the miracle miracle of our time, to which I alluded a N'siah, the 54th annual AZA and 32nd an- of Hanukka was repeated twice again in our momentago, which started in Europe, earlier 100.00 Klutznick Wasserstrom nual BBG International Conventions gave own time, during the second half of the twen- in this century, and which climaxed around 176.00 life to the theme, "BBYO: A Tradition With a tieth century? The first time it happened in mid century. 200.00 Future." Europe, as we shall see in a moment. The 105.00 second time it happened right here in Amer- Zionism - The Third Hanukka Miracle 100.00 333.33 "For Tomorrow And Today" ica. I am referring to the miracle of the elec- I am referring to the birth of Jewish national 212.12 tric menorah. We are all familiar with it, al- consciousness in Europe, known as Zionism, In a program entitled, "For Tomorrow and though most of us probably never thought of which led to the establishment of a Jewish Today," Convention participants had an op- it before as a miracle. What, then, is the mir- state in the Land of Israel. What did the early 100.00 portunity to hear first-hand how AZA and acle of the electric menorah? Zionists do? They took a minor Jewish holi- 100.00 BBG grew and developed from the people It all started with the Hanukka bush. Bet- day known as Hanukka and turned it into a 100.00 who fashioned the organization and through 100.00 Levitas Baer ter yet, it all started with the Christmas tree. major holiday celebrating Jewish pride and brief skits dramatizing some of its historic 190.18 When Jews began to settle in the United courage. They took timid ghetto and shtetl 250.00 The AZA and BBG leaders had an oppor- moments. Participating in this unique pro- States in great numbers, say, around the turn Jews who were afraid of their own shadows tunity to hear from AZA's most distinguished gram were one of BBG's earliest pioneers, of the century, they quickly realized that the after 2000 years of European persecution, alumnus, the Hon. Philip M. Klutznick, sec- Judge Esther Untermann of Newark, New greatest of American holidays was Christmas. told them they were the descendants of Mac- ond Grand Aleph Godol of AZA, former am- Jersey; the woman most responsible for the As Jews became more and more at home in cabees (see Bialik's poem In the City of bassador to the United Nations, Honorary formation of BBG as a national and later American society, they felt an ever growing Slaughter), and gave them the courage and President of B'nai B'rith, Chairman of the International organization, Anita Perlman; need to come up with something matching the inspiration to go into the desert and the Governing Board of the World Jewish Con- the man who headed BBYO for the last 28 the magic and excitement of Christmas. In swamps and build a new land. Yes, Israel as gress, and generally regarded as one of the years, Dr. Max Baer; the man responsible for the 1950s, some enterprising Jews came up we know it today is largely the result of the most-if not the host-prominent and in- the BBYO International leadership training with the idea of the Hanukka bush, which turning of Hanukka from a holiday celebrat- fluential Jews in the world today. programs as we know them today, and now simply meant that they put a Christmas tree ing the miracle of the oil into a holiday cele- Executive Vice-President of B'nai B'rith, Dr. For the first time in history, the B'nai B'rith in their home and call it a Hanukka bush. brating the victories of the Maccabees and of Daniel Thursz; Grand Aleph Godol while Women had selected an alumna of BBG to (Which, incidentally, reminds me of a joke I their present-day descendants. AZA and BBG were caught up in the battle be its next International President. The Con- once heard, that the reason why the Israelites Why did the early Zionists have to make for civil rights, and now Director of Leader- vention had an opportunity to hear from in the desert made a golden calf was because Hanukka a major national holiday? Wasn't ship for B'nai B'rith, Steven Morrison; and, Evelyn Wasserstrom as she was presented they did not have enough gold to make a it a major national holiday to begin with? in keeping with the Convention themes em- with the first Anita Perlman Distinguished golden bull.) Yes, it was, 2000 years ago. But then some- phasis on the future, but, the theme for the BBG Alumna Award. thing happened, and it was changed into a Convention talked of "A Tradition With A The Miracle of The Electric minor holiday, celebrating a rather minor Congressman Elliot Levitas, of Georgia, Future." Sid Clearfield helped the delegates Menorah Isn't Working event, known as the miracle of the oil jar. dio Del recipient of the Sam Beber Distinguished see where this long tradition of BBYO was The bush, however, was too blatant. It did What happened is quite well known: Mas- AZA Alumnus Award spoke to the delegates leading as he asked them to join with him in not fool anyone, except those who chose to ada. Two centuries after the Maccabees the on the importance of his AZA experience three "building a stronger, better BBYO taking be fooled. Better meaning Jews looked for Jews were once again pitted against a major to his career, and gave words of wisdom for Memo- the past and fashioning out of it a new the future. more sensible solutions, and came up with enemy, this time the Roman Empire. This future." udaism (Continued on page 2) the electric menorah. Today, as you travel time the few lost. The miracle did not hap- the roads of surburbia (or walk, which few pen. And SO our Sages of blessed memory udaism do), on a cold December night, you can tell decided to play down this holiday celebrating hars on JODI, BARRY exactly which home is Christian and which heroic deeds. For 2000 years the Jews lay home is Jewish by the kind of lights in the low, and Hanukka became a minor holiday cussion living room window. The miracle of the little for children to have a good time on. Then papers, mplete ELECTED jar of oil became the miracle of the electric came the two miracles of the twentieth cen- menorah, which has lasted not only for eight tury-the American transformation of Ha- ations, days, but for more than a generation. In other nukka into a Jewish answer to Christmas, words, Hanukka, through lucky timing and and the Zionist transformation of Hanukka local DETAILS ON PAGE 3 through modern science and technology, into a major holiday for the rebirth of a Jew- Wash- became the Jewish answer to Christmas. For ish state. many, indeed, it became the Jewish Christ- (Continued on page 3)