Hello

      I teach Deaf middle school students in Harrisburg, PA. Tomorrow we will be meeting a survivor of a concentra­tion camp and a leader in the French Resistance. I would like my students to be able to write to a Deaf Holocaust survivor. Are there any people who would be willing to communicate with a school class? Do you know of any survivors who have email who would be willing to com­municate with the students? Thanks for your help,

Chris Schwilk
c1s339@psu.edu

Hi

    My name is Tina Neumann, and I have something of a dilemma. I am thinking about converting to Judaism, but there is the difficulty of the fact that I know of no other Deaf Jews here in Arizona. My partner is Jewish, and is trying to be supportive, but she's rather at a loss over how to deal with signing Shabbat prayers, etc. If it's possible, do you have a guide of some sort for making Shabbat in ASL, Deaf-friendly? How about a Passover seder? I know it's coming up soon, and this is a little short notice, but this is the first I've found information about the JDCC via the E-Deaf Digest newsletter on the multimedia seder coming up in Burbank.

    Any information you could give me would be greatly ap­preciated!! Thank you.

Tina M. Neumann
TINA.NEUMANN@asu.edu

Special Request ......

      My 11 year old deaf son needs a male student interpreter to accompany him to Camp Walden this summer. This is a sleep away camp and it could be for either 4 or 8 weeks. The camp will provide room & board and this could be a good opportunity for a student interpreter to get good experience.

     Please contact me via e-mail Eric D. Sternberg sternbee@gabrobins.com or call 201-871-2133.

Thank You.

Eric D. Sternberg

Sign Language Interpreter Needed for Family Vacation

     My family is traveling to Israel this summer and we are in need of an ASL interpreter for my son and sister in-law. We are leaving from Newark on July 27 and returning August 9th. Expenses would be paid. Salary is to be negotiated.

CAdasko@aol.com

Hi,

     I am trying to arrange for a Deaf-Blind Israeli young man (Yosef Samuel, the son of Kalman Samuel, director of Shalva in Jerusalem) to attend the American Association of the Deaf-Blind convention this summer. One of the issues is having an interpreter/SSP fluent in Israeli sign language. Kalman (the dad) plans to look for an Israeli to travel to the US with his but it would be nice to have a back‑up interpreter/SSP available while he is here in the US.

Sheryl Cooper
sbc2424@aol.com

Hello,

     I was moved to America from Russia 10 years ago. I am 20 years old woman at college right now in Omaha, NE. I am curious are there any deaf Russian living in your area? Or other city? Can you give them my e-mail. Thank you. Wait for your answer.

Lina Kogan
LinaKogan@aol.com

Hi,

    I communicated with you last week. I was hoping to come to the Seder, but it is cost prohibitive for me at this time. (Due to flights, hotels, etc.) I was wondering if there is a deaf Jewish community in the Sacramento area that you know of? I am an interpreter (who is considering conversion) and I'd like to visit a Synagogue with deaf congregants. Thank you in advance for any information you might have. Shavua tov!

bmanning@govmail.state.nv.us

Dear Mrs. Sharon Dror,

     Thank you for the free issue you sent us.

     I write you in representation of a group of Jewish Argentinean Deaf people that are eager to receive information about Jewish culture, news in the world, etc.

     They have always organized workshops to be able to learn more about about their culture but in many years they could not find a place of their own, depending always of other people's willing to help them in their wish.

     Last year they started a new workshop that was functioning great, with people from the community that came to give lectures, with an interpreter and a coordinator. This year they are still waiting for an answer with no knowledge about the possibilities they have of starting a new workshop.

     We know you are organized and your work is shown in your booklets. May be you are in contact with institutions that fund these type of activities, Jewish International Organizations that could help us their efforts, in a country that discriminate deafness and religions.

     We thank you in advance, wishing you the best in your work,

Silvana Veinberg
veinberg@einstein.com.ar

Hi,

      I'm not Jewish but a friend of mine is. I'm writing to find out how to handle myself without insulting any family members. What should I bring? If anything. He says he isn't Kosher; what does that imply me to do? I basically need to know what to do. Can you write back and give me assistance. Thank You.

Kristofer R. Claps
Kri19@aol.com

P.S. Even though I'm not Jewish,  it is insightful to learn about other religious beliefs and customs.

Shalom,

      A friend of mine saw your article in a deaf newspaper and gave me your address. I am looking for Shabbat services illustrated in sign language. I wondered if you know of such a book, or manual that would be available.

     Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for your time.

Jackie Flashnick - Allentown, PA
Flashwun@aol.com

      I live in Boca Raton Florida, Palm Beach County and there just aren't any resources for single hearing impaired or deaf adults. My daughter who is 23 has no friends. Perhaps you can advise me how to start a group in southeast Florida. I am near Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and North Miami. This is such a shame for there a lot of young adults and they have no connection to their fellow peers. Thank you.

Blair A. Miller
ZAZUFL@aol.com

Hello

     My name is Natasha Short and I am a student in the Interpreting Program at Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill, MA. For my Deaf Literature class final project the class needs to pick a Deaf Artist and research their lives and work. I have chosen David Ludwig Bloch. I found his work very interesting and have been gathering information on him. I was wondering if you had any information on his life and background, maybe on his story of the Holocaust. Also I have some of his pictures and paintings, but I will need more examples. Do you think that you can help?

natasha_short@hotmail.com

Hello,

     My name is Stephanie and I'm a sign language interpreting major at a community college in Maryland. I'm doing a paper on interpreting in the Jewish setting and I'm faced with a lot of unanswered questions. I'd like to know to find the answers to my questions and I'm curious to know if you can help. Please e-mail me back as soon as possible! Thanks so much for your help.

Stephanie Naftaniel
snafta1@tiger.towson.edu

Hello Sharon

      In Burbank, California/Tempe for special Passover Jewish deaf. I flew from Phoenix (PHX) to Los Angeles (LAX) for JDCC's seder for one day then back work in PHX. I went to many Passover Seder for different special Passover. There are real no Passover service book, not necessary, but how? Use Live on TV for example: like sign language, closed caption, and personal live. WOW, I learned at first time that Live TV more save time and short time to service, just more condense than being Passover service book take too long and waste time for too much exaggerate and nothing.

     That is WOW, I learned that. I felt I like that much better than before. I can't believe how change it better way before, cut off of too long too much exaggerate time service prayer.

BILL PARKER
BParker376@aol.com

Hi,

     My Name is Franklin Zavala-Velez, I am board member of Deaf Services Bureau in Miami that serve 400,000 Hearing Impaired in Dade, Monroe, Broward Counties. I am also a grant writer and Person living with AIDS for 18 years and still living. Aim need some help in starting a Jewish deaf education program in my temple in which I started a ASL class with Israel Sign.

      I understand their is a tape and book for service in temple in which we will have ASL and deaf culture program. DSB is the lead agency for the deaf in Dade county and Monroe , Broward.

      My rabbi want to start a program here and I will start one, however I need your help with this project can you help me please send me some information so I can get starting with this project. My address is

FRANKLIN ZAVALA­VELEZ
900 WEST AVENUE # 323
Miami Beach , FL 33139

phone is 305-534-4750
FAX 305-538-4944

Hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for your help.

Franklin Zavala-Velez
frankiezav@hotmail.com

Hi,

     My name is Stacey and 1 work for the Jewish Federation in Atlanta. Previous to this job, I was a teacher of the Deaf in NYC for 7 years. Therefore, I am a fluent signer. Now why do I tell you this???

     Last week, I returned from visiting Minsk, Belarus. As the Young Leadership Director, I took 6 other Young Adults from the Atlanta community and 3 Young Adults from Israel and joined the Hillel students in Minsk to bring Passover to those Jews who have never celebrated the holiday before. One afternoon, unsuspectingly, I walked into a community center to teach about Passover. Much to my surprise and delight I happened upon a Deaf club.

      I then proceeded to have the most special seder of my life. Although there were few similarities between Russian sign language and American sign language, we found our own way to communicate. One of the gentleman video taped the whole seder. He brought me a copy and I am in thee process of converting it so I can see it.

      I just wanted to share that experience and tell you how fortunate I was to have met those people and for you to know there are many Deaf Jews in Belarus just searching for Judaism.

Stacey Garlin
Young Leadership Director
Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta
404 870-7682
sgarlin@atljt.org

Information about Holocaust:

     My aunt, Renee Hartman, a CODA herself, who's one of the interviewees that spoke about their experiences during the Holocaust, will be on TV on May 1st (PBS) in a show called "Witness: Voices from the Holocaust." A book under the same title has already been published and I've read her interview in it myself. She does touch on deafness (my deaf grandparents, Julius and Henrietta Benedikt Gross who didn't survive the Holocaust, and my deaf mother Hertha Gross Rothenberg Myers who did survive along with my aunt Renee) only to a point.

     In the book she did say that one of the doctors told her he was interested in observing/studying my deaf mother. She told him, "absolutely not. If you do, I'll kick you in the shins." Because she had the "looks" that the Nazis loved (blond hair, blue eyes) with a fierce expression on her face (she was about 11 years old at the time), the doctor laughed at her, walked away and eventually forgot about her. My aunt explained that German language (she is fluent in it as, well as French, Hungarian and Hebrew) has two forms of "you"--"du" and "Sie." As a child to speak to an adult, children are supposed to use "Sie." Only adults to another adults can use "du" but my aunt was so mad at the doctor that she used "du" instead of "Sie." She did not fully realize why the doctor was interested in my mother until many, many years later that they only want to study her because of her deafness and you know Nazis weren't interested in people with disabilities.

    They were at the Bergen-Belsen camp, near Hannover, Germany--interesting because they originally came from Bratislava, Slovakia (formerly Czechoslavakia) they would have gone to one of the camps in Poland, especially Auschwitz (which had the highest death rate of all) which was much closer by. But the train tracks were bombed so they were sent to Bergen-Belsen instead. And also at Bergen-Belsen, my aunt knew Anne Frank there (they spoke only once together).

     It'll be on TV on May 1st on PBS and she used her name only as Renee H. (there's another Renee in the story, Renee G. which isn't part of my family)

Ira Rothenberg
bifrost@jps.net

Hi,

     My name is Yosef. I grow up in Iran and Israel. l live in Mission Hills and I'm very lonely because I'm Hearing Impaired and have no any friends. Last December I wanted to kill myself because of the loneliness and depression. I saw you in the Internet and noticed that you are helping the hearing impaired people like me to be organized. So if you can help me out to meet people and find some friends, please response by e-mail or my address which is: 15040 Chatsworth St. unit D Mission Hills, CA 91345-2065

Thank you in advance.

Yosef
EILAT2065@aol.com

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