Volume XX, Issue XXXI | www.thejewishvoice.org Serving Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts
23 Iyar 5774 | May 23, 2014
Community needs a new vision to fight income disparity BY FRAN OSTENDORF fostendorf@jewishallianceri.org Rhode Island has the potential to lead the nation in change. That was the message that keynote speaker, Sister Simone Campbell, offered at the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty’s sixth annual Poverty Conference May 14 at Rhode Island College. “You can be a Petri dish for the nation,” she told the gathering of more than 200 who came together to examine the issues surrounding the effort to reduce poverty and help those in need. “We need a new way to move forward,” she said. Because of your size, “you have an amazing opportunity.” Campbell, author of “A Nun on the Bus,” a book that examines the social inequalities in society, gave the group a
PHOTO | R.I. COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS
Sister Simone Campbell
powerful illustration of wealth disparity in the U.S., using students from Sophia Academy as a human bar graph in the Donovan Dining Center. As she explained the facts and figures of how the upper, lower and middle classes have either gained or lost ground in the past 30 years, the girls took steps backward and forDISPARITY | 14
We are part of the 100 percent BY MARTY COOPER mcooper@jewishallianceri.org Last week Sister Simone Campbell, author of “A Nun on the Bus,” delivered a wonderful message to 200 plus people during the Sixth Annual Poverty Conference sponsored by the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty. While much of her talk was critical of inaction in Washington, Campbell had a clear message: To get things done in Washington, in our state and
in our towns, we must be part of the 100 percent. We must use our voice and advocate for issues important to us. Being a part of the 100 percent is crucial to the community in which we live. A democracy in our country is the great experiment. For this experiment to work and function properly, it requires all of our support. What roles are we the people supposed to play in this experiment? Getting out 100 PERCENT | 11
FATHER’S DAY SHAVUOT
SENIORS REMEMBER THEIR FATHERS “When a father gives to his son, both laugh; when a son gives to his father, both cry.” – Jewish proverb
BY IRINA MISSIURO imissiuro@jewishallianceri.org When I walked into the Dwares JCC social hall on a recent Monday, the seniors were fi nishing lunch. The week before, I had asked them to bring some photos and be ready to share stories about their fathers. Now, I came back to hear what they had to say. Hesitant to interrupt dessert, I suggested to Elaine Shapiro, assistant meal site manager, that I would wait. She vigorously shook her head, “Trust me, you won’t be disturbing them!” Pulling up a chair, I began an interview with
PHOTO | IRINA MISSIURO
John Pucher holds a photo of his father, John, that he always carries in his wallet. a cheerful lady who was eager to share her memories. I realized Elaine was right – they were thrilled to be talking.
Just as I was fascinated with the seniors and their tales, they became interested in me once REMEMBER | 16
Should Jews pack their bags for Detroit? BY JULIE WIENER JTA – Sure, the news from the city of Detroit seems endlessly grim: bankruptcy, crime and so forth. But the metro area, whose northwest suburbs host a panoply of Jewish amenities, is the most affordable place in the U.S. to raise a “committed Jewish family,” at least according to one graduate student’s ad-
mittedly “back-of-the-napkin” calculations.
In a widely shared April 28 post on his blog, Matthew Williams ranked the 10 most and
least affordable places that meet the following minimum criteria: a mikvah, an eruv, at least one synagogue for each major denomination, K-12 Jewish day school options and at least one kosher restaurant or kosher-friendly supermarket. Williams, a Jim Joseph fellow pursuing a joint doctorate in history and education in DETROIT | 6