Camp Ramah in the Poconos 2003 Summer Season
    The Kesher Program at Camp Ramah in the Poconos will have a 5-day Shabbaton overnight camping trip for Deaf adults and families (with children ages 3-9). The Kesher Havruta ("Community Connection") event will take place on July 23-27, 2003. There will be recreational, educational, and evening programming. Israeli Sign Language and Hebrew will be taught as well as Israeli dance, drama, arts and crafts, sports, nature, and swimming programs, all while fostering lifetime friendships and celebrating Shabbat at the beautiful Camp Ramah in the Poconos lakeside setting. For educational and programming purposes, children are divided according to their age for activities. Deaf adults and parents of Deaf children will have the opportunity to share personal experiences with regard to Deaf issues and the Jewish community. Participants will celebrate Shabbat within the caring, nuturing environment of Camp Ramah in the Poconos. Scholarships are available. Camp Ramah is also looking for ASL fluent staff who are knowledgeable about Jewish culture, history, and liturgy. A program coordinator, two educators, two educational assistants, a recreational leader, an ASL interpreter coordinator, and four ASL interpreters are needed. If you qualify and love summer camp, they encourage you to apply.

    For more information, contact: Maria C. Berkowitz, Kesher Programs Director, Camp Ramah in the Poconos MarlaB@ramahpoconos.org, 215-885-2637 TTY, 215885-8556 Voice

Florida Company Will Market SpeechView's Solutions for Deaf
    NorthView Enterprises (www.northviewenterprises.com) of Clearwater, Fla., has been granted exclusive rights to market SpeechView's products for the deaf and hard of hearing in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. The first product to be marketed under the agreement is "LipC-Cell" - a software product that enables deaf and hard of hearing individuals to receive spoken communications and verbally respond using mobile phones. LipC-Cell software is installed on the user's computer and connected with a cable to a cell phone. When this user receives a call, a 3-D animated face appears on his/her computer screen, and the face's lips move in real time, synching with the caller's voice, thus allowing the deaf person to lip read. Amir Weisberg, President and CEO of Northview said, "LipC-Cell is a breakthrough forthe deaf and hard of hearing community, and is an excellent alternative to current methods, including TTY."

    Weisberg said that NorthView has already begun negotiations with leading U.S. cellular operators. "LipC-Cell has received enthusiastic response from cellular providers, as it provides them with a new and vast market, white at the same time providing deaf and hard of hearing individuals with a revolutionary assistive technology," he said. Future applications for the LipC technology include PDA's and mobile devices; television; radio and educational institutions. SpeechView, headquartered in Israel, develops solutions to enable deaf and hard of hearing people to use their speechreading skills to understand voice communications. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.speechview.com

Deaf Teacher Serves As Role Model
    When Becca Gleicher began teaching at Foothill Knolls Elementary School in Upland, Calif. four years ago, her students decided to test her limits. They shouted and screamed. They banged on tables and slammed chairs. Just about every day, they did whatever they could to raise the classroom decibel level. Their reason was simple. The students were deaf. They didn't believe their teacher was actually deaf as well. "I don't wear a hearing aid so I don't hear anything, which is a godsend," she said. "One of the interpreters told me that, 'You know they've been making every nose under the sun?' I said, 'For how long?" Oh, for a couple of months now.'" Gleicher was the first deaf teacher any of the students had ever experienced. "I want kids to have an opportunity to have a deaf teacher," she said. "It matters. I think it's so important, a role model. If it wasn't for me, they might not have a deaf teacher at all until high school."

    Gleicher, 37, taught for 14 years at schools in her native New York City and at the California School for the Deaf at Fremont and Riverside before coming to Foothill Knolls. Her students thought she was hearing because she can speak; Gleicher was born with her hearing, but after a case of the mumps at age 4 she began slowly losing that ability. She is third-generation deaf on her father's side, and about 30 members of her extended family are deaf. "I am Deaf. Do not call me 'hearing impaired.' It may be politically incorrect, but I don't like it," she said. "Impaired to me means broken or damaged. I'm not." She has high standards for her students. In her classroom, there is no pointing and shrugging, no shying away from the effort and the legwork, no getting around learning how to communicate formally with the larger world. "I tell them it's important for their future because I want them to have a good job," she said. "Some of them could go to junior college or college. They don't think of themselves as handicapped, but they say, `I can't.' I tell them, `This is what I expect of you.' "

Matlin's "Deaf Child Crossing" Fulfills Lifelong Dream
    Marlee Matlin's first book, the young-adult novel "Deaf Child Crossing" (Simon & Schuster) is partly based on Matl!n's life, but she says a lot of it !s made up. "There are a lot of true stories in there," she said. "But there are a lot of makeup stories, too. My life wasn't that interesting!" The title of the book comes from a sign that was in front of her house when she was a little girl. "I've wanted to write a children's book since I was 11 years old," Matlin said. "It was always my intention to share with everyone that growing up deaf in a hearing world was OK for me. There were obstacles out there and I did suffer some frustration but that was all part of growing up. I wanted to tell people that just because I was different didn't mean I should be treated different." Now that her first book is a success, Matlin is already planning another - amore adventures of Megan and Cindy."

Megillah Reading for Deaf and Hard of Hearing
    Our Way/NJCD has announced a new Power Point version of the Megillat Esther reading. The reading, available through their office, can be used to accompany the reading of the Megillah on Purim. It can be projected onto a screen to enable deaf or hard of hearing individuals in a congregation to follow along while the Megillah is being read. It even comes complete with visual "sound effects" every time the name of Haman is read. The mitzvah of hearing Megillat Esther is a requirement of every Jew. Using this Power Point version will facilitate inclusion of deaf or hard of hearing individuals to be part of this mitzvah. It is available to every synagogue which is interested in including the deaf population into their services. For more information, please call the Our Way/ NJCD office at 212-613-8127 Voice.

Beth Torah of the Deaf Hosting Event
    The 26th annual Melava Malka will be on Saturday night March 1st at 9 p.m. at the Merkaz Hasimcha, 1898 Bay Ave., Brooklyn, NY. $50 advance reservations required. RSVP by February 21 to Beth Torah of the Deaf, c/o Eli Kakon, 2809 Ave. N, Brooklyn, NY 11210.

Jewish Deaf Workshops
    Marla C. Berkowitz is hosting two free workshops at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis, Mo. for Jewish Deaf and their families and friends. February 28 "Finding a Spiritual Home: Where Do Jewish Deaf Go?" is a Sabbath Dinner and discussion from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Berkowitz will talk about Jewish Deaf in today's world and give a brief history on education of Jewish Deaf people in the United States. There will be small group discussions about how the spiritual needs of the Jewish Deaf community can be met. March 1st "What is Jewish Prayer in ASL?-Interpreting in Jewish Settings: Core Themes & Prayers in Judaism" is a discussion from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. for ASL interpreters and the Deaf community. Berkowitz will lead participants in learning the basics of Jewish prayer and its important themes. Hands-on activities will include self-analysis of why people pray, and how understanding of words has an impact on how they are interpreted. RSVP by February 20 to Terry Lynford 314/ 569-0010 Voice or Deborah Mayer at MayerStL@aol.com. Congregation Shaare Emeth, 11645 Ladue Road, St. Louis, MO 63141.

Our Way/NJCD Shabbaton
    Our Way will have their fourth annual family Shabbaton at the Homowack Hotel on May 16-18, 2003forfamiliies with Deaf children ages 10 to 14. For more information, contact Batya Jacob at arielib@ou.org

New Publications from Our Way
    Jewish Deaf groups are encouraged to request free copies of "Listing of Deaf Friendly Contacts to Make When Visiting Israel" and "What You Can Do For Israel" to share with members. Contact: Our Way, 11 Broadway, NY, NY 10004, 212/613-8229 Voice, 212/613-0796 FAX, email ourway@ou.org

Deaf Jewish Talents Travel to Moscow
    In September actress Liz Tannebaum and Joshua Flanders, representing the Chicago Institute for the Moving Image (CIMI) joined actor Bernard Bragg in showing films and presenting on several panel discussions at the "Breaking the Barriers" disability film festival in Moscow. The purpose of their visit was to promote the Festival of Cinema for the Deaf, held annually in Chicago, and to promote and support deaf filmmakers and audiences everywhere. The festival is an attempt to address issue of how people with disabilities are portrayed in film and media, as well as to share films that approach these issues. Flanders and Tannebaum say the films from their Chicago festival address much different needs. "Our films are not 'about' deaf life," says Tannebaum, an Emmy winning deaf actress, "but 'for' deaf people or 'of' deaf people in different countries." Films include comedies, dramas, thrillers, satire, and even music videos. There are two kinds of films, according to Bragg, "films that entertain, and films that teach, like documentaries. First we must entertain with deaf films, and then we can speak about looking at making changes." In Moscow, they met with Vladimir Bazoev, president of the Moscow Society of the Deaf, attended a deaf soccer match between a French and a Russian team, attended a deaf fashion show and VIP reception, and dined at an American-style restaurant owned by deaf entrepreneur and President of the Russian Surdolymic Committee, Nikolay Klimov.

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