Silicon Valley ORT: SVORT Bulletin

President’s Message
by Nicole Mason
Happy New Year - welcome to 2002. SVORT is starting the year with enthusiasm and energy. We have a full slate of events, starting in February. I encourage you to look at the Calendar of Events on page 7 and mark the dates of events that interest you.

This year, more than ever, it is important to have your support of ORT and its mission. Due to world events and the global economy, ORT's schools are needed more than ever to educate, foster self-sufficiency, and help enable economic recovery. Our chapter, like National, is in need of more members, particularly more leaders, to carry us through the future. I urge all of you to do anything you can to bring more people into our Chapter and to ORT. Coming to events and bringing people is one way, and we are working on other ways to attract members and prospective members. Suggestions are welcome and encouraged - please feel free to send any ideas you may have to me.

National is also working hard and getting creative to keep ORT's programs alive and be in a position to fund additional programs. The need for ORT is great. Let's do all that we can to help ORT meet that need.

Regards,
Nicole Mason
Co-President, Silicon Valley ORT

Local Leader to be Honored at March 16 Soirée
French Flavor in the Bay Area

Ooh, La La!!

You won't need to travel far to enjoy a night in Paris. Don't miss Women's American ORT's "Soirée de Paris" and indulge in a gourmet supper, fine wine and French Cabaret. The event, to be held on Saturday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, will benefit the ORT Montreuil Campaign.

Our very own Bobi Levine (Vive Bobi!) and husband Ray (see story) will be honored that evening with Maud and Serge Berguig (Marin), Marilyn Rosekind (Peninsula), Dorothy Spiegelman (San Francisco), and Barbara and Robert Morrison (East Bay).

This delightful evening, chaired by Francoise Rothstein, will include the "Baguette Quartette," who will perform French songs; soprano Sylvie Braitman; and fabulous French dance by the "Dance Thru Time Company." You'll also have the chance to kick up your heels!

The ORT Montreuil school, which is a converted spaghetti factory, is no longer adequate to support the demands of a modern school. With your support, the school can undergo the extensive renovations it needs to add new classrooms to accommodate its 800 students, and also upgrade its technological infrastructure and equipment in order to provide high-tech education to its students.

Watch your mail for the invitation. The "Soirée" couvert is $125. In addition, we hope that you will be able to make a meaningful contribution earmarked for the ORT Montreuil school. For reservations, call Francoise.

Get packing, because we know that the "Soirée" will inspire you to join the Women's American ORT/World ORT "April in Paris" Mission to Montreuil and Strasbourg, April 21-28, 2002, where you will visit ORT schools and meet with students and faculty. For more information on the Mission, contact Women's American ORT at 1-800-51-WAORT (1-800-519-2678).

Entertainment Books Still Available

There's still time to buy a 2002 Entertainment Book! We have about 20 San Jose Entertainment Books left that we are committed to sell this year. We also have two Monterey and a few San Francisco books.

Entertainment books are only $20 each this year! With hundreds of coupons for restaurants from casual to fancy, hotels, movies, theater, sports and more, they're a terrific value. Use a coupon for a place you always go, and another to discover a new favorite, and your book has practically paid for itself!

If these books do not get sold, ORT will still have to pay for them. So please, make an effort to sell one more Entertainment Book, or buy an extra for yourself or as a gift. Please call Wendy to get another book. Our students the world over thank you!

Member News

Welcome New Member: Bunny Roth

Mazel Tov:
to Diane and George Rauchwerger on the occasion of their 40th wedding anniversary.

Silicon Valley Chapter wishes to thank the following individuals for their donations in honor of Diane and George:
Alice Wald, Karen Sager, Evelyn Gilbert, Carol Ann Roudman, Linda Lebovitz, Rose Lowenthal, Sharon Freedman, and Miriam Reynolds.

Silicon Valley Chapter would also like to thank the following individuals for their donations in honor of Wendy Fotland's 20 years in Women's American ORT:
Sandy Forsythe, Ellen Mastman, Ina Minei, Bobi Levine, Lisa Hughes, Sue Blockstein, Randi Brenowitz, Lisa Kelly, Nancy McMahon, Shel Rubinstein, Hayley Green Smith, Annette Kronmiller, Paula Riley, Diane Goldman, Flo Henick, Susan Hertzberg, Elaine Kahn, Rachel Levy, Leni Sue Masters, Phyllis Newman, Sheryl Rattner, Diane Rauchwerger, Alice Wald, Lucille Rubin, Kay Kaplan, Bernice Parris. Condolences:
to Leni Sue Master on the passing of her father.

Who is Bobi Levine?

Bobi Levine has been an active member of ORT for more than 40 years. She has held multiple positions, from bulletin editor to vice-president, in many of the chapters in the South Bay area: San Jose, Valley Fair, De Anza, and today's Silicon Valley Chapter. She has also held positions in the Peninsula and South Bay Regions, including Region President. Bobi served on the District 10 board, the Field Committee servicing chapters and regions within and outside the Bay Area, and today is an Area Development Consultant (ADC) working with the El Camino, Seattle, and Denver area Chapters.

Bobi's husband Ray is very suppORTive and is also being honored. Bobi and Ray have three married children and five grandchildren. Bobi and Ray like to travel: last spring they toured China and have a trip scheduled to Israel and France to coincide with the "April in Paris" Mission. They have also visited Australia, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal.

Bobi has been a teacher for many years and still teaches a reading intervention program to 2nd grade students. When asked why ORT is important, Bobi answered, "Education, Jewish continuity & Tzedakah have always been an integral part of my life. Women's American ORT has given me the opportunity to develop my creativity and leadership skills and to enjoy friendships from all over the country!"

If you are unable to attend the "Soirée de Paris" event, please consider making a contribution in Bobi and Ray's name for the ORT Montreuil School. The Silicon Valley Chapter is collecting contributions and will send the money to the Montreuil campaign. Please send your check, payable to Women's American ORT, to Wendy Fotland at 4863 Capistrano Avenue, San Jose, CA, 95129 by March 1, 2002.

Another Year Wrapped Up!
by Wendy Fotland
The New Year is here, and gift wrap 2001 is behind us. Unfortunately, due to the weak economy and the new location of our booth, which made it hard for people to find us, our income was much lower than last year.

For the first time this year, we employed a booth manager, Michael Healy. His job was to keep the booth running smoothly, fill in when people didn't show up, make sure the booth was stocked with supplies, etc. He made many organizational improvements to the booth to make wrapping easier. He also spent many hours, along with other volunteers, laminating and refurbishing the booth itself before the start of the season. With his help, the booth was in great shape this year.

As usual, many people spent many hours to get us through the season. My thanks go to Judy Augenstein, Evelyn Howard, Bobi Levine, Ellen Mastman, and Nancy McMahon for making phone calls this year. Evelyn also was in charge of bringing supplies in to the booth for most of the season, and Bobi wrote the gift wrap manager contract and was generally helpful.

A big thank you also to the people who wrapped many hours this year: Rachel Abramovitz, Dale Bergman, Francine Gani, Sheila Gold, Evelyn Howard, Bobi Levine, Phyllis Newman (45 hours - wow!), Diane Rauchwerger, and Doug and Hayley Smith.

Susan and Roger Hertzberg wrapped many hours, handled booth set up and tear down, did the inventory and were instrumental in keeping the whole gift wrap show going. A million thanks to them!

Almost seventy ORT members, plus many family members and friends, helped with set up or wrapped at least one shift. Thank you to everyone who contributed, in whatever way they could, and special thanks to those who filled in at the last minute when I was desperate.

We had several first-time wrappers. It was great to see them overcome their fears or their schedules to lend us a hand. This big project could not happen without the support of so many people.

On the other hand, a lash with a wet noodle goes to all those who couldn't take just four hours out of the 30 days of the season to help.

Those of you with medical excuses are exempt, of course, but the rest of you - shame on you! Some of us are working 40, 50, 60 or more hours on this project, and we could use your help!

But here's your chance to contribute without taking any of your time. Gift wrap proceeds were poor this year and our chapter may not be able to meet its financial commitment to the ORT Program. Please look into your heart and your wallet and make a contribution to ORT today. We need your help to help our students learn the skills they need to make better lives for themselves and their families. Thank you in advance for any contribution, large or small, that you are able to make.

Lights, Camera, Action!

The action will be at Wendy Fotland's house on Academy Awards night, Sunday, March 24th, when ORT will hold its annual Oscar party! Join us at 5 p.m. to see the stars walk down the red carpet in preparation for the show at 5:30. Whoopi Goldberg is back on Wendy's big screen TV to entertain us for the evening.

ORT will provide a dairy main dish and drinks for dinner. Please bring a parve or dairy side dish or dessert to share. RSVP to Wendy and let her know what you plan to bring.

Please check our website for an Oscar ballot after the nominees have been announced on February 12th. (This is a Microsoft Word document. Please email hayley@svort.org if you have problems reading this document.) Those who are most skilled at predicting the winners will receive fabulous (or just fun) prizes!

Admission is $5 per person or free for new members who join ORT that night. Invite your friends and don't miss this fun event!

Now for Something Completely Different�

In honor of the "Month of Love," our February event will be a Pleasure Party. This will be an educational and fun presentation of body lotions, romantic games and adult toys. All products will be for sale and orders will be taken confidentially. 10% of all proceeds will go to ORT.

Our party will take place on Thursday, February 28th at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Diane Rauchwerger. The presentation will start at 7 p.m. sharp, so please be on time. Please RSVP by February 25 to Nicole Mason. At the request of the presenter, no children or husbands, please.

Afternoon Delight in San Francisco

Once upon a time, there was a splendid event, in a city like no other, attended by the most remarkable women...The Bay Area Young Leadership Initiative of Women's American ORT promises to hold THE storybook event of the year!

The Bay Area Young Leadership Initiative (BAYLI) is an opportunity for groups of young women from various Chapters to continue the proud tradition of ORT's mission. On Sunday, May 5, 2002, BAYLI will present an Afternoon Delight at the Four Seasons in San Francisco from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. Help us welcome celebrated author and storyteller, Lisa Lipkin, who will dazzle the audience with her funny, lively and original tales, including "Give Me Liberty or Give Me a Knish," the adventures of early American Jewish women. Add a book sale and signing plus a raffle drawing with very special prizes and you have the recipe for a truly memorable afternoon.

Invitations for Afternoon Delight will be mailed in March. For more information, please contact Nancy Broad McMahon, Event Chair, or Rachel Kossoff, Director of Young Leadership, 1-800-51-WAORT or e-mail rkossoff@waort.org.

ORT is Still Reading
by Wendy Fotland
Join the ORT Book Club for interesting reading and stimulating conversation! Our next meeting will be at the home of Elaine Kahn on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. We will be discussing The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. This meeting was rescheduled from January, because only Elaine had finished the book.

But now I've finished it, and I really enjoyed it. I bet you won't guess who stole the diamond and why!

If you know of a good book which we can read, please bring your suggestion to the February meeting. The book does not have to have Jewish content - all good books will be considered!

One-Woman Historical Show

In a one-woman show, SVORT member Diane Claerbout will portray actual Jewish women who came out West between 1850 and 1910. All material comes from personal accounts.

The characters include a wagon-train pioneer, a woman who lived in Salt Lake City and knew Brigham Young, a woman homesteader in South Dakota, and, for the first time ever, a notorious actress who also spoke out for Jewish causes.

This is an entertaining, positive portrayal of Jewish women which is suitable for everyone aged 12 and up. You will leave the program not only with a deeper knowledge of Western Jewish history but also with a sense of pride in the role Jewish women played in keeping our traditions alive in the Wild West.

Our program will be at the home of Lisa Kelly on Thursday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m. To make sure we have enough chairs for everyone, please RSVP to Lisa by April 16. We will start at 7:30, Diane will be on at 8, please arrive on time so as to not disrupt the show. Instead of charging us for her time, Diane has asked that we make a contribution to ORT in the name of her beloved son, Jos. Please help us out by making a minimum contribution of $10 to attend this event.

ORT News

Recently-discovered files from KGB archives have shed more light on the expulsion of ORT from Stalin's Soviet Union in 1938. ORT was already in its 27th year of operation at the time of the October Revolution in 1917. The Communist regime, recognizing the skills and funds that ORT was able to apply to helping a poor and oppressed underclass of Jews, was not averse to its continued presence. There was, however, much debate amongst ORT's leaders overseas about the policy of indirectly helping the Soviet Union through ORT's ongoing activities, but the prevailing view was that the Jewish population of 2,700,000 was too important to abandon. As war approached and Stalin's purges intensified with his paranoia, the special agreements negotiated with the Soviets to enable ORT to operate were not renewed when they expired in 1938. The authorities seized ORT's equipment and reneged on the promised payment of $264,000 to ORT. No ORT personnel were allowed to stay to oversee the winding down of operations and indeed a number of ORT's officials disappeared in the purges.
Haim Ben-Ami has left his position as ORT Israel Director-General. During his five-year tenure, Women's American ORT has enjoyed a close relationship with Haim and ORT Israel. We have appreciated his accessibility and availability to address our members at meetings, most recently at Convention 2001. We wish him all the best.

Yeshiva Students Study at LAOTI

Two afternoons a week, 15 boys from Natan Eli High School arrive at the campus of the Los Angeles ORT Technical Institute (LAOTI) for a computer programming class. Upon completion of the four-year curriculum, students will be awarded a certificate. Those students in the higher grades who do not have the time left in school to finish the full program can enroll in the class after graduation and receive credit for the hours they have already completed. LAOTI is looking to extend this program to other high schools in the future.

Don't Buy Groceries Until You Read This!
by Wendy Fotland
Register for eScrip and give ORT a percentage of every dollar you spend at participating merchants. You pay $10 per year to be a member and give hundreds of dollars to ORT without spending another extra dime.

Here's how it works: you register your grocery store loyalty cards, credit cards or ATM cards if you want, with eScrip. Then, you show your grocery card or use your credit card at participating stores where you usually shop, and ORT gets money. You can register only your Safeway card.

If you are already doing eScrip for your child's school or another group, you can have your donation split equally between that group and ORT for $5 extra per year. Stores enrolled include Safeway, Pak `n Save, Cosentino's, Mollie Stone's, Draeger's Market, Eddie Bauer, Budget Rent A Car, Old Navy, The Sharper Image, and many more. Check eScrip's website, http://www.escripinc.com, for a complete list. To enroll, go to our website at www.svort.org or call Wendy Fotland.

Women's American ORT, Silicon Valley Chapter
Spring 2002 Calendar of Events

Book Club	Feb. 13, 2002 7:30 p.m.	A Private Home	Elaine Kahn

Adult Pleasure Party	Feb. 28, 2002 6:30 p.m.	A Private Home	Nicole Mason

Soirée de Paris	March 16, 2002 6:30 p.m.	Ritz Carlton Hotel San Francisco	Francoise Rothstein

Book Club	March 20, 2002 7:30 p.m.	A Private Home	Wendy Fotland

Academy Awards Party	March 24, 2002 5:00 p.m.	A Private Home	Wendy Fotland

One-Woman Show	April 18, 2002 7:30 p.m.	A Private Home	Lisa Kelly

Book Club	April 24, 2002 7:30 p.m.	A Private Home	Wendy Fotland

An Afternoon Delight Speaker: Lisa Lipkin, Storyteller	May 5, 2002 2:00-5:00 p.m.	The Four Seasons San Francisco	Nancy McMahon

Book Club	May 15, 2002 7:30 p.m.	A Private Home	Wendy Fotland

Art for ORT	June 2, 2002 11 a.m.-5p.m.	A Private Home	Nancy McMahon

Rosh Hashanah Honey Orders	June 23, 2002		Hayley Green Smith