At a JAF-sponsored parlor meeting at the home of Rabbi Judith Edelstein and Dr. James Meier, Jüdische Gemeinde Hameln president Rachel Dohme presents the congregation’s exciting plans for the first new Reform synagogue in Germany since the end of World War II.
     The Annual Conference of the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be held in Halberstadt, Germany, June 28–July 1. Sofer Neil H. Yerman, a member of the JAF Board, has been invited to present a special program on the birth, care, and feeding of a Torah scroll. Rabbi Jo David has been invited to present workshops on Jewish community building.

     JAF’s first “Parlor Meetings” were held in early March to coincide with Rachel Dohme’s visit to New York. Cantor Susan Alcott and her husband, Mark, graciously opened their home in Larchmont, New York, to several dozen friends and associates. Rabbi Judith Edelstein and her husband, Dr. James Meier, hosted a more intimate gathering in their Manhattan apartment. Both events were extremely productive in creating awareness of the Foundation’s goals and challenges, and in raising funds for JAF programs.

     Sofer Neil H. Yerman and Rabbi Jo David will be featured presenters in Hameln, Germany, June 18–23 during the biennial visit of the Former Jews of Hameln. Sofer Yerman will inspect Jüdische Gemeinde Hameln’s Torah scroll and will describe the nature of the restoration process in a special workshop. Participants will be able to help repair letters in their community’s Torah scroll. Rabbi David is scheduled to present a mezzuzah workshop and will lead Shabbat worship services. During the Sahbbat service, Sofer Yerman will talk about “The Living Torah.”

     Under the sponsorship of JAF, Jüdische Gemeinde Hameln’s Web site (JGHReform.org) officially went on line on February 2, 2001. The site features programs and activities of the congregation, a monthly newsletter in both German and English, a page of links to other Progressive Jewish congregations and organizations in Germany, and an extensive photo gallery of JHG’s members.

     Congregation Shaarei Shamayim will celebrate its fifth anniversary in August 2001. For information about the celebration, please contact the JAF.

     Rabbi Jo David was featured in May at a Barnes & Noble book signing for her new book How to Trace Your Jewish Roots. Personally signed and inscribed copies of the book are available from Rabbi David for a $54 donation to the Jewish Appleseed Foundation. Write, e-mail, or call Rabbi David for information.

     How do you reach Jews living in the wilds of Casper, Wyoming (a population too small to make the American Jewish Yearbook Census), or the handful of Jews who have formed a community in Bowling Green, Kentucky?
     JAF’s Newspaper Outreach Program, which is beginning its third year, was specifically created to reach Jews who live far from mainstream Jewish American communities. JAF offers specially written articles, recipes, and photographs free to general-circulation newspapers in areas with small Jewish populations. These materials are designed to appeal to people who know little or nothing about Judaism. The articles are released in advance of major Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Chanukkah, and Passover.
     The program has a dual purpose. Its first objective is to put information about 		Jewish life into the hands of Jews who may have little or no contact with organized Judaism. The second objective is to educate non-Jews about Jewish customs and ideas in an effort to promote greater understanding of and tolerance for the Jews who live in their midst.
     Response from participating newspapers has been enthusiastic. A number of newspapers have made JAF their "Jewish" resource for other Jewish-related features. Plans for the third year of this program include expanding the mailing list, increasing the frequency of mailings, and building additional relationships with religion editors around the country.
     If you know of a town or region in the country that could benefit from this program, please contact Rabbi Jo David at [email protected] or by phone at 212-249-0799.