THE SHOFAR B'nai B'rith Youth Organization AZA + Ability ALEPH ZADIK ALEPH (AZA) B'nai B'rith Leader B'NAI B'RITH GIRLS (BBG) January-February, 1978 For years, AZA and BBG have been the training grounds for leaders of B'nai Programs That Work B'rith and B'nai B'rith Women. Three of the last four International Presidents of B'nai B'rith (including the current president, David Blumberg) are alumni of AZA. The president- Guaranteed elect of B'nai B'rith Women is, for the first time in history, an alumna of BBG, and throughout both B'nai B'rith and B'nai B'rith Women there are hundreds of alumni serving in responsible positions. Of the eight North American district B'nai B'rith presidents, five are AZA alumni. Looking for a program which can't fail? Beginning with this They are: Stuart Raskas of District 2, Michael Feldman of District 4, Mal- issue, THE SHOFAR will feature in-depth reports on winning colm Fromberg of District 5, Allan Jacobs of District 6 and Harvey Crestohl programs from the 1976-77 AZA and BBG Program of the Year of District 22. competition. These are all proven programs which were suc2 cessful enough to win top honors for the Chapter or Regional group which sponsored it. District 2 COMMUNITY SERVICE PROGRAMS Stuart Raskas First place: BBG Chapter For the first program the Chapter took the three children to a local ice rink and although SHOSHANNAH BBG, Greater Washington Council (District 5) many of them BBYO members and District 2 B'nai B'rith President Stuart Raskas was a member of AZA #28 in St. the ill children could not skate, they had a Louis and Karbelnick AZA in Detroit. While in Detroit, he served as S'gan and later founded Every Monday afternoon, Shoshannah good time trying, falling down occasionally, a B'nai B'rith Young Mens Chapter, FDR, where he served as president and as a member of BBG members visited a girl named Dina who playing roller derby, laughing a lot, and the District 6 B'nai B'rith Young Adults board. (The B'nai B'rith Young Adults was formerly suffers from a very rare Jewish disease. When making friends. the part of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization for young men and women ages 18 to 26.) According to Chapter Godol Leon Raskas found AZA to be especially valuable to him in Detroit. He had just moved to this the Chapter goes, they play games and on Eagor, "we had such a good time and devel- city and "did not know a soul. Through AZA I was able to develop immediate and lasting the days she is unable to do any activity, they oped such closeness to the kids that we de- friendships with many persons." just sit and talk to her. According to the cided to have a second function with them. Besides serving as president of District 2 B'nai B'rith, Raskas is president of a men's neck- Chapter's Program of the Year application, In March, Haganah AZA took the same three wear manufacturer in St. Louis, campaign division chairman of the Jewish Federation of St. "Dina is in a lot of pain and when she sees children plus a fourth to Six Flags Over Louis, a cabinet member of the Israel Bond Organization in St. Louis, and is active in his smiling faces at her door, all her pain disap- pears. Just recently we gave her a birthday Georgia (a local amusement park). Two of congregation. He credits his AZA involvement with his "ability to function in a community party. Many of the members of Shoshannah our members picked the kids up at home to environment and also enhance my concern and dedication to the American Jewish com- attended. We went for ice cream and cake. bring them, parents of one chaperoned for munity." the day. The B'nai B'rith District president believes "that the ties need to be strengthened between After that we went bowling, which is some- B'nai B'rith and BBYO in the community." "We must see a rebirth at the B'nai B'rith lodge thing she loves to do. Even though she First place: AZA Regional level of involvement with AZA as was the case a generation or more ago in order to give couldn't bowl very well because of her ill- Program: AZA the strength it needs to build to even greater heights. ness, she just enjoyed being with her friends SOUTHWESTERN REGION Raskas' daughter, Sharon, is a founder of a BBG Chapter and has served as N'siah. and having a good time. Sometimes when Shoshanna comes to see Dina we do crafts. (District 4) We help Dina make things which she keeps Southwestern Region AZA has been pre- District and can say her friends helped to make senting a monthly lecture series. In Novem- "We are all that Dina has. She needs com- ber of 1976, the program featured child 4 panionship and we try very hard to give it to abuse. A representative of Parents Anony- her. We care for Dina very much. It is also a mous, a non-profit organization funded by Michael wonderful thing to see the great appreciation the federal government, spoke on her orga- Feldman from her parents. The reason Shoshannah nization. She explained that Parents Anony- is doing this program is to give a person less mous is a center for parents who fall victim fortunate happiness." of child abuse and that it provides counseling While this program could not, obviously, and other types of help to such parents and District 4 B'nai B'rith president, Michael Feldman. was a member of AZA at the Kew be duplicated in other communities, it is a individuals. Gardens Hills Jewish Community Center from 1951 through 1954. In his second year in service that could be provided by AZA and The chairman of the event, Southwestern the Chapter, he "ran for office but unhappily lost the election and never again attempted to BBG Chapters anywhere in the country. Region Cultural Chairman, Mike Weil, pub- attain the leadership position in the Chapter. I guess you could say I learned to accept de- licized the event with two flyers to every feat gracefully in my AZA career because, as I recall, we also had a basketball team on which Contact your local Jewish Social Service Agency to see if there is someone in your Chapter Godol and N'siah and followed up I was the starting center and, if my memory serves me correctly, we never tasted the fruits with phone calls to every Chapter three or of victory through an entire season." community who needs companionship. four days prior to the event. In addition, Feldman, who is active in the San Fernando Valley (California) Jewish community, looks First place: AZA Chapter: every radio station in the southern California back to his AZA experience as "the beginnings of the ability to function within a group and HAGANAH AZA, Southern area played a public service message adver- through attending weekends away from home, the ability to function with people who are Region (District 5) tising the program. The regional office re- not of immediate acquaintance." ceived over fifty telephone calls regarding The District 4 B'nai B'rith president looks to the relationship of BBYO and B'nai B'rith Haganah AZA obtained the names of sick today and sees "no singleness of purpose. I think both organizations would better relate to the event. and underprivileged children who were pa- each other if some program could be developed where they could interact together. Per- tients in a local hospital. Two of the children haps, some sort of community service or general B'nai B'rith program which would cause had leukemia and one was terminally ill with the adult group to work with the youth groups." Feldman has three daughters; Debra, age cancer. Representatives of the Chapter called More on Page 3 16; Shari, age 15; and Amy, age 11. The two older daughters are now members of BBG the youngsters and arranged to get together and the AZA alumnus hopes that "they can benefit from the program as I did." on two different occasions. (Continued on page 2)