Temple Beth Sholom
The Shofar ___________________________________________________________________ Tammuz/Av/Elul 5777 July/August 2017 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Reflections from Rabbi Estelle
As I write this article, I have just celebrated with my family, the high school graduation of my youngest daughter. It was an absolutely beautiful ceremony, probably the nicest I have ever witnessed. The student’s speeches were entertaining and enlightening and everything about the graduation was well orchestrated. However, I guess I should not be surprised as when we moved to New Jersey three years ago and uprooted my daughter in the midst of high school, we were fortunate to have the ability to choose the school district in which we wished to live and picked one whose reputation was unsurpassed. The school and the community embraced her and provided her with every opportunity for success. Affording this district was not easy, but it was a choice my husband and I made, and one we do not regret. I cannot help but compare the socio-economic status of the school district in which we live with a neighborhood I toured only 24 hours after my last visit to Danville. Following that Shabbat in Danville, I traveled to Baltimore for the Biennial convention of the Women’s Rabbinic Network which is an organization of Reform Women Rabbis. As the Baltimore Jewish News reported “Standing on the corner of West Baltimore’s Presbury and North Mount streets in front of a mural of Freddie Gray, local community activist PFK Boom addressed a group of 45 white Reform women rabbis on June 6. ‘Right now, you’re in the flames of a black Holocaust — a war zone,” he said. “Some say Freddie Gray died. We say he was murdered. We have a lot of Freddie Grays. This is just the one that made the news.’” For over three hours that June afternoon my colleagues and I walked around that Baltimore neighborhood that did look like a war zone; the burned-out buildings, the men sitting outside in the middle of the day, the smell of smoke from marijuana. (continued on page 2)
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It was not the America I am familiar with, but we were brought there to be shown not the hopelessness but rather the perspective of the African American community on these events, and especially to learn about those in that community who are trying to make a difference in their community. Our tour of the neighborhood led by a man named J.C. Faulk included being shown the CVS drugstore that had been burned down in what Faulk specifically called an “uprising” and not a “riot”. Faulk had created a group called Circle of Voices, a gathering of activists and civilians across Baltimore that brings people together who would not ordinarily come together, in response to racism and to foster a more just and equitable society. That night he led a mixed group of local activists and women rabbis in a discussion that exemplified how much we need to leave our bubbles and meet people who are different, who come from different backgrounds and experience life differently than we do. Participating in the discussion was Freddie Gray’s sister who despite her anger wanted to work so that her brother’s death would lead to change for her community. The neighborhood we visited had improved little since the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. It had not become gentrified like some inner-city Baltimore neighborhoods, nor was any part of it except the CVS even being rebuilt since the latest violence. Yet, there were beautiful murals painted on the sides of nearly every empty building testifying to the dreams of the residents. And despite generations who have lived in this neighborhood in poverty with no real hope of ever improving their lives, J.C. is making an impact in this neighborhood and on the streets of Baltimore. Through his program his is opening the eyes of those who live in poverty and the eyes of those who ignore the poverty that exists in our county to the possibility of a different way to live, a better way to live. As one colleague shared “the conversation was about Baltimore – but then again, it wasn’t. It was really about every city and town with a power structure that ignores the basic human needs of whole neighborhoods. We, as members of the Women’s Rabbinic Network, represent big, wealthy congregations, as well as small, modest ones. We like to think of ourselves as a diverse group – but the fact of the matter is that we are all pretty fortunate. We all make a decent living. We all can afford a nice place to live. We all can raise children in safety and comfort. We all can travel and explore the world with relative ease. And we all need to recognize that, armed with a life of comfort and a pulpit that affords us some power; we also bear the responsibility to speak out on behalf of others whose voices are not heard.” Danville also has neighborhoods in which the residents live in poverty and there is high unemployment, yet so many of you are already actively involved in working to improve this community through God’s Storehouse and the many other ways members of Temple Beth Shalom work to improve the infrastructure of your city and region so that its socio-economic divide may begin to close and the cycle of poverty begin to reverse. It is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one. It is too easy to pretend these other neighborhoods don’t exist or that they are not our concern. However, just as Jews marched alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. and in Selma in the 1960’s, we must now be part of the current uprising whose aim is to become one America in which all citizens can have access to decent housing, good schools, and affordable healthcare.
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YAHRZEITS May Their Memories Be a Blessing June 30-July 1/6-7 Tammuz 25 – Alice Heiner Kingoff 1 – Abe Koplen
July 7-8/13-14 Tammuz July 14-15/20-21 Tammuz 3 – William Albert Nakdimen 9 – Harry S. Greenberg 6 – William Marks 11 – Jonathan David Manheim 8 – Irving Goldstein 12 – Samuel Aaron Lantor 13 – Joseph Stendig 14 – Sarah K. Harris 15 – Walter J. Feibelman 15 – Joseph Gleicher 15 – Mrs. Jacob Hoffman
July 21-22/27-28 Tammuz 16 – Barbara Manheim 19 – Sam Lazarus 22 – William Herbert Hoffman
July 28-29/5-6 Av 23 – Ruth Abrams Koplen 24 – Helen Kramer 27 – Janet Harris Lewis 28 – Cyla Gleicher 28 – Bessie W. Koplen
August 4-5/12-13 Av 31 – Margaret B. Kushner 1 – Adam Becher 3 – Jennie S. Lantor 4 – Sydelle Gerber 4 – Carol Conner Popek 5 – Herman G. Koplen
August 11-12/19-20 Av 10 – Kate Cohen 11 – Henry Rubin 11 – Julian S. Sater 12 – Fannie Kirsten Platt
August 18-19/26-27 Av 17 – Bertha Warshaw
August 25-26/3-4 Elul 20 – Ben B Fuchs 26 – Ruth Feibelman
September 1-2/10-11 Elul 27 – Jerome B. Kushner 28 – Rose Schein Manheim 29 – Mamie Zietz Singer 30 – Bessie Halperin Jaiven 30 – Rabbi David M. Kushner 31 – Harry Harris 2 – Sarah Heiner
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Temple Beth Sholom Donations Lo Lehitalem (Building Fund)
Ronnie & Steven Mand In Honor of Harriette Will’s 75th Birthday Bonnie & George Brumfield, In Honor of Rabbi Estelle Mills’ Honorary Doctorate and 25 years of serving as a Rabbi In Memory of my Father, Herman B. Kushner In Honor of Bernard Baker’s dedication and conversion to Judaism In Honor of Sam Rippe’s diligent work and organizing and cleaning our Temple Library Carol & Michael Caplan In Honor of Rabbi Estelle Mills’ Honorary Doctorate and 25 years of serving as a Rabbi Jo Ann & Peter Howard In Honor of Rabbi Estelle Mills’ Honorary Doctorate and 25 years of serving as a Rabbi In Memory of Dad Sager, Lee Evan Howard, Mom and Pop Howard, Uncle Morris Sager In Memory of H. Coleman Kramer Melanie & Kevin Vaughan In Honor of Bernard Baker’s conversion and Bar Mitzvah Dr. & Mrs. Mar Escario In Memory of Michael Becher and Arnold Manheim Bernard & Belinda Baker In Honor of Temple Beth Sholom Congregation…Thank you for all you have done for us Charles Silverman In Memory of Heather Silverman
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Sisterhood Building Fund Contributions Susanne Singer, 822-1114 Please remember the Building Fund for such things as Sympathy, Mazel Tov, Thank You, and Speedy Recovery. The list is endless. Your contributions are used to beautify our temple. Melanie and Kevin Vaughan - In Honor of Rabbi Estelle’s 25 years as a Rabbi Steve and Ronnie Mand In Honor of Rabbi Estelle’s 25 years in the Rabbinate Mazel Tov Bernard Baker on completing his journey Congratulations to Susanne Singer on becoming a certified yoga instructor In Memory of the Caplan’s beloved Uncle H. Coleman Kramer Thank you to Jo Ann and Peter Howard for all they do for our Temple Thank you to the Caplans for taking care of our Temple Ronnie Mand In Honor of Sam Rippe and Noah Kramer with deep appreciation for their mitzvah Mazel Tov Bryna Kramer on her graduation and so proud of my fellow American University graduate Thank you to Melanie Vaughan for being a wonderful co-chairman Ben and Debbie Rippe - In Honor of Bernard Baker’s conversion to Judaism Mildred Barth - In Honor of Bernard Baker’s conversion to Judaism Mike and Carol Caplan In Honor of Bernard Baker’s conversion to Judaism and Bar Mitzvah In Honor of Mildred Barth’s 17 years as Sisterhood treasurer Jo Ann and Peter Howard In Honor of Mildred Barth’s 90th Birthday In Honor of Sam Fraifeld’s Special Forces Graduation In Honor of Ronnie Mand for being an outstanding Sisterhood President In Memory of Eileen Stendig In Memory of JoAnn T. Wills, mother of John Wills Women of Sisterhood - In Honor of Mildred Barth’s 17 years as Sisterhood Treasurer Bernard and Belinda Baker In Honor of the Women of Sisterhood for all you do & for the support you have given us
CALENDAR OF EVENTS 5
JULY Friday, 7th
7:30 p.m.
Shabbat Service: Jo Ann Howard
Saturday, 22nd
7:30 p.m.
Dessert and Havdalah Place to be announced
AUGUST Friday 4th
7:30 p.m.
Shabbat Service: Jo Ann Howard
Saturday, 19th
7:30 p.m.
Dessert and Havdalah Place to be announced
Visit the website at urj.org and you will be amazed at what you will find! You might even enjoy reading a D’var Torah or Torah reading for these Shabbats: June 30/July 1 Chukkat – Numbers 19:1-22:1 July 7-8 Balak – Numbers 22:2-25:9 July 14-15 Pinchas – Numbers 25:10-30:1 July 21 -22 Matot-Masei – Numbers 30:2-36:13 July 28-29 Devarim – Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 August 4 -5 Vaetchanan – Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 August 11 – 12 Ekev – Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25 August 18 – 19 Re’eh – Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 August 25 – 26 Shoftim – Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9
Check out our website: tbsdanville.org
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WITH OUR CONGREGATION Congratulations to Rabbi Estelle on receiving her Honorary Doctorate for serving as a Rabbi for 25 years. We are so glad we could celebrate with you. Congratulations to Bernard Baker on his conversion to Judaism and being called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah. We are so happy to have shared in your journey. Congratulations to Bryna Kramer on her graduation from American University. We know you will continue to touch lives and make a difference in the world wherever you will be. Congratulations to Sam Rippe on his graduation from Virginia Tech. We are excited that you will make your home in Danville to be the fourth generation in the Rippe’s business. Congratulations to Mildred Barth on her 90th birthday and on her upcoming move to Atlanta. You have certainly been a important part of our temple community. We’ll miss you! Congratulations to Barry Koplen on his new book, Why the Last Capitol of the Confederacy Became a Capital Attraction. It is the story of the revitalization of Danville’s historical downtown. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to the Caplan Family on the recent death of H. Coleman Kramer, who had been on our misheberach list for quite some time. Our heartfelt condolences are extended to the Wills Family on the recent death of John’s mother, JoAnn T. Wills. We hope you will share some memories with your Temple family. Our wishes for good health are extended to Mildred Barth, Ben Fraifeld, Patrice Kramer, Esther Rippe, and Charles Silverman. We know that some of our congregants become ill, have surgery, or suffer an injury between The Shofar publications, so please know that we extend a prayer of comfort and continued recovery to those who are not specifically named.
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES July Birthdays: 10 – Susan Dufour; 14 – Michael Amick; 15 – Faye Kushner; 18 – Rabbi Estelle; 20 – Darcy Amick; 21 – Rita Green; 21 – Mark Stanley; 22 – Melanie Vaughan August Birthdays: 3 – Sam Kushner; 6 – Esther Rippe; 18 – Noah Kramer; 23 – John Lantor; 29 – Matt Harris August Anniversaries: 6 – Samantha & John Wills; 19 – Rita & Rabbi Morton Green; 20 – Joan & Eddy Fraifeld 7
Congregational Activities – Looking Ahead and Back Temple Beth Sholom This is Your Spiritual Home
Invest In It for Now and for the Future Keep our Temple and Judaism Alive!
The campaign for the funding of the Temple’s Endowment Fund is still underway. If you have not been already, you will soon be contacted by a member of the Board to set up an appointment to discuss the Endowment. Please welcome him/her into your home. The Endowment must be fully funded to provide funds for the maintenance of the Temple and to help insure its continuity. The Board rarely asks the Congregation for financial support above and beyond the payment of dues. But we must do so now. When you meet with your Board representative, PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY!
JOIN US FOR DESSERT AND HAVDALAH You might have noticed on our summer calendar that two dessert and Havdalah events have been scheduled for Saturday, July 22nd and Saturday, August 19th. It is always an enjoyable evening and who knows, perhaps the weather will be nice enough for us to be outside to bid Shabbat farewell. If you would like to host one of these occasions in your home, please let Jo Ann know as soon as possible.
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2017 RUMMAGE SALE: OCTOBER 19TH & 20TH WHAT WE WANT: Household items: such as kitchen utensils, silverware, appliances, antiques, glassware, lamps, sheets & bedding, dishes, serving pieces, decorative pillows, art work, chairs and very small furniture, knick/knacks. Personal items: clothing in good shape (on hangers if possible), handbags, jewelry, shoes, coats. Please make sure everything is in saleable condition: no chips, cracks or missing pieces. WHAT WE ARE NOT TAKING THIS TIME: NO specialized tee shirts, i.e. camps, family reunions, charity races (these do not sell and just take up space) NO TVs NO computers or components NO electronics NO VHS tapes or old records NO magazines NO specialized books (medical, legal, encyclopedias) These items do not sell and the local thrift stores will not take them. Please do not use our beloved temple as a “dumping ground� for any of these items. We appreciate everything you will contribute, but please save until 2 weeks prior to the sale. Nothing should be brought until that time. Start collecting! Help Sisterhood so we can help the temple. Melanie and Ronnie
WHAT WE DID IN MAY AND JUNE
On May 19th we celebrated with Rabbi Estelle at a special oneg sponsored by Ann Gottman and hosted by Ronnie Mand and Melanie Vaughan. In honor of her receiving an Honorary Doctorate for serving 25 years as a rabbi, a donation was made to the Camp GUCI Scholarship Fund. GUCI (Goldman Union Camp Institute) is a URJ camp located in Zionsville, IN and has been serving the Midwest since 1958. 9
Dear Members of Temple Beth Sholom, Thank you so much for the donation to Goldman Union Camp Institute, called GUCI, in commemoration of my receiving my honorary doctorate for 25 years as a rabbi. For over twenty of those years, my summers were spent at GUCI, the Reform Movement's regional camp which serves the Midwest states of Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Missouri. Not only did my own three children grow up going to the camp which my youngest is working as a counselor at this summer, but I pushed hard to send as many of the young people from my congregations to the camp as I could. Numerous studies have shown that attendance at Jewish summer camp is one of the strongest ways to ensure Jewish identity in adulthood. GUCI has shaped the Jewish identity of so many young people through the years through the scholarships it has provided to allow families to send their children when they might otherwise have not given their child a Jewish camp experience. I am grateful to Temple Beth Shalom for providing money to their scholarship fund so that more Jewish young people can receive the gift of a summer at GUCI, which is truly a life changing experience. Warmly, Rabbi Estelle
On May 31st we held our annual Congregational Meeting. Thank you to all who attended! The following business was passed: The number of Board members (non-officers) was reduced from four to three. These Board members will now serve for three-year rather than two-year terms and there is not a limit to the number of renewable terms. The following officers were elected: Jo Ann Howard-President, Michael Caplan-Vice President, Bonnie Brumfield-Secretary, Peter Howard-Treasurer The following Board members were elected: Sam Kushner and Ben Rippe; Susanne Singer will fill out her term.
On June 2nd Bernard Baker went to Beth David Synagogue in Greensboro. He first met with Rabbi Estelle, Rabbi Havivi, and Rabbi Koren and answered their questions in regard to his quest for conversion and things that he had learned. He then went to the mikvah where he submerged himself in the water three times. After each submersion he recited a Hebrew prayer and ended the joyous occasion by singing the Shema. That evening during the Shavout service, Bernard made he pledge to Judaism by answering additional questions from Rabbi Estelle, he received his Hebrew name, was 10
called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah, and led the congregation with the Kiddush prayer. Everyone then enjoyed the oneg held in Bernard’s honor. What a day!
Bonnie’s Book Beat The Kaiser’s Last Kiss by Alan Judd has been made into the movie, The Exception, starring Christopher Plummer, Lily James, and Jai Courtney, with a release date in theaters of June 2017. The book is based on both history and the imagination of the author. Kaiser Wilhelm II was exiled to Holland and stayed at his Dutch chalet, Huis Doorn. An SS guard was assigned to guard the Kaiser. The book is replete with contradictions, and the reader will quickly turn the pages, to enjoy the romance between the SS guard and the Jewish housemaid, who is really not a housemaid at all. A visit from Heinrich Himmler will be chilling as he expresses plans to kill Jewish children. The reader will empathize with the SS guard and welcome his decisions to protect those he has come to care for. Alas, a happy ending is not quite in the works (perhaps the movie will provide the happy ending). The Runaway Family by Diney Costelow follows a mother’s plight in escaping Nazi terror with her four children, after her husband is arrested during a deathly pogrom. Fleeing from their hometown in Germany, to her brother-in-law’s home, to her mother’s home, to her sister’s home in Vienna, in hopes of being reunited with her imprisoned husband, Ruth encounters brutal youth, corrupt officials, mob frenzy, and the endless search for safety. Her husband is released from the concentration camp only after promising to deed all of his property to ruler of the camp. He endlessly searches for his wife and children, always a few steps behind them in their flight. As the laws excluding Jews increase, Ruth fears that she may be breaking new laws unknown to her. At last, she makes the decision to send her children to England on the Kindertransport. Her husband has managed to escape to England where, as the book ends, she anticipates joining him. The book recounts, from an inside perspective, rampant antiSemitism, Jewish bewilderment, mob madness, sheer determination, and unprecedented endurance. The Covenant by Naomi Ragen takes the reader to modern-day Israel where an Israeli oncologist is kidnapped with his young daughter by Islamic terrorists. The unlikely heroines are three elderly women who made a covenant with each other during their time in a concentration camp. The doctor’s wife calls her Bubbie, who lives in NYC, when her husband and daughter are kidnapped. In turn, the Bubbie calls her two closest friends, all three of whom survived the concentration camps and resolved to help each other, no matter the time or circumstances. The three very different ladies (one a wealthy Parisian, one the head of a cosmetics industry, living in California, and the Bubbie, a middle class living in a small apartment in NY) converge in Israel to make plans to thwart the kidnappers. They call upon their resources and manage, through twists and turns, to get the release of the young daughter. This book will give the reader insight into the perseverance of the three ladies, the angst the mother experiences, the courage of both the doctor and the unlikely rescuer of the child. How 11
easily such a kidnapping could happen in modern day Israel, but how unique and unprecedented the type of rescue!
A Bit of Jewish Humor So a Little Laugh Wouldn’t Hurt… A man spills a little bit of wine on his talit, and takes to the dry cleaners. He goes back a few days later to pick up his talit and asks for the bill. "$500," says the dry cleaner owner. "$500?!" exclaims the man, "for a simple wine stain?!" "Oh, the wine stain was easy," said the dry cleaner owner, "but getting all those knots out..."
So Reb Moishe, a devout, sincere member of the community passed his rabbi on the way into town. The rabbi observed him going into the treyf Chinese restaurant. "This isn't like Reb Moishe," he said to himself, "I must investigate!" So the rabbi follows Moishe into the restaurant where, lo and behold, he orders a beef stir-fry and proceeds to eat it! In full view of the rabbi! Flustered, the rabbi comes up to him and says, "Moishe! What are you doing?!? Don't you know this is a treyf restaurant?" Moishe calmly replies, "Rabbi, did you see me go into the restaurant?" -Yes. "Did you see me order?" -Yes! "Did you see me eat?" -YES!!! "Then I don't know what the problem is. Everything was done under rabbinic supervision."
When the air raid siren went off in Tel Aviv, Hannah rushed down the stairs toward the basement of their apartment block. Isaac was much slower so she stopped and shouted back up the stairs, “Come on, Isaac, get moving will you?” Isaac shouted down to her, “Wait a minute, Hannah. I’m looking for my teeth.”
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“Never mind your silly teeth, Isaac,” Hannah shouted back, “what do you think they’ll drop on us – smoked salmon bagels?”
July/August 2017 Danville The Danville chapter of Hadassah continues to be the “little engine that could!” Our annual Donor event in May has been very successful, so far raising more than $2000, just a bit shy of our goal of $2300. We were so pleased that Aliza Bricklin, the Organizational Vice-President for the Southern Seaboard Region, could attend the Donor brunch and provide a wonderful program on the Hadassah Medical Organization, Research in Service to Humanity, women’s heart health, and much more. As noted elsewhere in the newsletter, if you have not already made your Donor contribution, please do so now - your support is vitally important. Your efforts in advocacy on behalf of Hadassah are also vital. Currently, there is much debate over health care, including issues specific to women. Hadassah is asking its members to call their Senators and express support for women’s health care. Women should not be charged more or denied coverage because of their gender, and quality, affordable maternity care should be available to women no matter where they live or what type of coverage they have. If you are interested in more advocacy opportunities through “Day in the District” visits with our representatives in Congress, please contact me at rfbmmw@comcast.net. Our Board will be meeting in July to continue planning for the rest of 2017. The High Holidays will soon be upon us, as will our Rosh Hashanah card project to benefit Young Judaea. In addition, our fall meeting will kick off the BIG Angels of Mercy campaign, and finally we will schedule a Chanukah celebration to finish our year in style. Our little chapter continues to prove that good things can come in small packages! Martha Woody, Chapter President
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Keeping up with Danville Hadassah With our Members…
Mildred Barth
th
recently celebrated her 90 birthday and will soon be making her home in Atlanta. How wonderful to be surrounded by family!
Bryna Kramer
graduated from American University. After such a positive and productive four years, she will certainly be ready to make a difference in the world. Did we miss your news? Be sure to contact Martha Woody, 276-638-4316, and we’ll include you in our next newsletter!
Patrice Kramer Todah rabah…thank you very much! What a wonderful New Year Card Chairman Patrice has been for more years than we can count! Thank you for all the time, energy, and devotion you have put into this project. It wouldn’t have happened without you.
Thank you to all of our Donor contributors!
We have almost reached our Donor goal! For those of you who haven’t sent in your check yet…please do so today. Mail to Jo Ann Howard, 326 Rosemary Lane, Danville, VA 24541. Remember…Just as the wild flower seeds have been sown in Israel to beautify the land We can sow seeds for healthy and productive lives through our Donor contributions
What Projects are next on the Horizon? New Year Card 5778 - This is a wonderful way to remember your Hadassah friends for the New Year! Denise Johnson, our new chairman, will be sending out information in July. She is eager to include you in this project.
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Candle Lighting - This is an opportunity for every Danville Hadassah member to participate in our beautiful candle lighting tradition! At the end of every meeting members light a Hanukkah menorah and share what is happening with their family and friends. Now, whether you can attend a meeting or not, you can light a menorah for just $18 and a menorah will be lit for you at the meeting.
Angels of Mercy - This is our biggest project of the year and we need everyone’s participation to support our Hadassah Hospitals! How can you do this? You can help secure ads from businesses and non-Hadassah members. You can respond to the mailing, which will be sent out in early September by co-chairmen Ronnie Mand and Jo Ann Howard. Your donation will make a difference in medical research and care, and will affect lives world-wide.
What’s Happening on Hadassah’s National Scene? An international team led by Hadassah Hospital Oncologist Dr. Amir Sonnenblick found that the diabetes drug metformin may prevent the recurrence of an aggressive form of breast cancer. Hadassah Hospital Geneticist Dr. Tamar Harel, who is looking into the underlying genetic reasons for rare diseases in children, has received an award from Partners HealthCare Personalized Medicine (PHPM), affiliated with Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s, Brigham and Women’s, and Massachusetts General hospitals. “Dr. Harel,” notes Prof. Orly Elpeleg, head of Hadassah’s Department for Genetic and Metabolic Diseases, “intelligently utilizes various genetic tools at her disposal when providing care for patients. Her medical achievements, alongside her enthusiasm and professionalism, are a testament that she will play a key role in the future of genetic research.”
Hadassah UK (HUK) brought in one of the Hadassah Medical Organization's best and more unusual, head medical clown David Barashi (DuSH). Over the past 15 years, medical clowning in Israeli hospitals has developed from an experiment at bringing in children’s entertainers to Hadassah hospitals into an advanced 15
para-medical technique. It is no laughing matter – it is an Israel innovation at its best! While in London, DuSH spent his time conducting training sessions, working in hospitals, and speaking at hosted evenings and at synagogues.
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