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u imMHHMNH PAGE 20 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE July 25, 1986 Obituaries George Brownleader Other survivors include a son, Jeffrey Brownleader of London; daughter, Doreen Swartz of Pen sacola; sisters, Esther Brownleader, Eva Thau and Hettie Mendik, all of New York, and Sonnie Burger of Manchester, England; and five grandchildren. Donations can be made to the Hospice of Northwest Florida, 2001 North Palafox Street, Pensacola, Fla. 32504; or the American Cancer Society. Dr. Mark S. Hoffman Dr. Mark S. Hoffman, 39, of Atlanta died Saturday, July 19. Private graveside service was held July 23 at Mount Nebo Cemetery in Miami. The son of the late Harry L. Hoffman, he was a graduate of the Emory University School of Den tistry. He had a practice in Atlanta, prior to his retirement three years ago. He was a member of the American Dental Association, the Northern District Dental Society the Georgia Dental Association and the Fifth District Dental Asso ciation. Survivors include his mother, Mrs. Evelyn Hoffman; and mater nal grandmother, Mrs. Bertha Freisinger; both of Atlanta. Mrs. Mary G. Teplis Mrs. Mary Gitis Teplis, 88, of Atlanta died Sunday, July 20. Graveside service was held Mon day, July 21, at Greenwood Ceme tery, with Rabbi Harry H. Epstein and Cantor Isaac Goodfriend offi ciating. She was a member of Anshe S’Fard Synagogue and Pioneer Women. Survivors include her daughter, Mrs. Leo (Belle) Frank of Atlanta; sons, Nathan Teplis and Dr. Paul Teplis, both of Atlanta; seven grandchildren and one great-grand child. Donations can be made to Pio neer Women or the Jewish Home. EXPANDING TO BETTER SERVE THE COMMUNITY GREENLAWN FUNERAL DIRECTORS 1270 Spring Street N W Atlanta Georgia3Q309 (404) 876-4311 George Brownleader, 83, of London, England, died Wednes day, July 16. Private graveside service was held Sunday, July 20, in Pensacola, Fla., with Rabbi Erwin Halpern officiating. He was the grandfather of Stacy Swartz of Atlanta. For the past 30 years he lived in Llangafni, Anglesy, Wales. He was retired from the operation of abat toirs in Anglesy. He was a frequent visitor to Atlanta. Mrs. Rose Oser Medevene Mrs. Rose Oser Medevene, 81, of Tampa, Fla., formerly of Atlanta, died Tuesday, July 22. Survivors include her daughter, Dr. Joyce Johnson of Tampa; sis ters, Mrs. Sylvia Oser Rich of Atlanta and Mrs. Helen Duchin of Linden, N. J.; brother, Maurice Oser of Denver, Col.; granddaughter, Hillary Johnson of Tampa; and grandsons, Greg, Kenneth and Mark Solloway, all of Tampa. Serving your needs —custom designs— oee ^Honumettt Company Roswell 642-7211 Hassan Continued from page 1. tion. which Peres accepted, to Morocco’s desire to improve its relations with the United States. Washington has been concerned of late by a Moroccan flirtation with Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi. The analysts suggest that Morocco may feel that a rapprochement with Israel would boost its stand ing with the Americans. Hassan had been scheduled to visit Washington this week but postponed his trip for health rea sons. He is believed to be hoping for increased U.S. military and economic aid. Morocco’s ongoing war with the Polisario rebels in the Sahara has been draining its re sources. Morocco has always maintained warm ties with Israelis of Moroc can origin. They are allowed to pay visits to their native country with out undue bureaucratic difficulties. Members of the small Jewish com munity still living in Morocco— about 18,000, mainly in Fez—are permitted to visit Israel and many do so quite openly. This attitude is unique in the Arab world and has earned Hassan special affection in Israel. Many Israelis from Morocco speak fondly of their former home and stress the atmosphere of tolerance and cor diality which generally prevails be tween Jews and their Moslem neigh bors in Morocco. “Relations were generally good, even when disturbing events such as wars were taking place outside,” Labor M K Yaacov Amir, who was born in Morocco, said Tuesday. He attributed this to King Hassan and the king’s late father. Epstein Continued from page 1. “We have notified the leadership of Ahavath Achim Congregation,” Snyder said, “that we will be relo cating the Epstein School to the Underwood Hills location in Sep tember 1987, and we have invited the congregation to participate in the move and to conduct any pro gramming it deems appropriate at the Underwood Hills location.” Located on Colewood Way near River Valley Road and Riverside Drive, the Underwood Hills facil ity comprises 52,645 square feet with 10.31 acres of land. A com mittee will be formed to make recommendations with respect to interior and exterior renovation of the building to adapt it to the Epstein School’s needs, including playground equipment and athletic facilities. Snyder said the location was chosen as the most logical site, based on the Atlanta Jewish Fed eration’s demographic study; “We felt the Underwood Hills location would best accommodate not only our current student population, but projected student population. We expect our enrollment to quickly grow from 316 students for this year to 500 students within the next few years, serving the two- year-old program through the eighth grade.” It is believed that approximately 80 percent of the student population lives within a 15-minute drive radius of the Under wood Hills location. Snyder said, “We feel that it is a major community event to be able to relocate a school of the size and substance of the Epstein School to a location which will be able to fulfill the educational needs of so many Jewish children in such a favorable geographic location, in cluding the North Fulton, Ros well, East Cobb and Sandy Springs areas.” Asked whether the purchase of a property had been considered, Snyder said, “We considered pur chasing a site and we considered acquiring land for future develop ment, but the opportunity to lease an existing Fulton County school building was the most favorable financial package that we could find at the current time.” Snyder agrees that the Epstein School growth is part of an overall return to Jewish education in this country but adds, “The appeal of the Epstein School is its affiliation with the Solomon Schechter move ment. Our parents feel comforta ble with the educational opportun ities and programming that are offered regardless of their religious or synagogue affiliation.” The additional space available at Underwood Hills will provide for expanded art, music, physical education, computer and ulpan programs, which have been limited at the present location. Although Rabbi Harry H. Ep stein, for whom the school is named, was out of the city when The Southern Israelite called to ask for his views, he has often said that the development of the Epstein School is the most important achievement in his career. He was a moving force in its formation and remains actively involved with it. Snyder says, “We expect the rabbi’s involvement to continue at the new location and plan to have an additional office for him there so he will be an integral part of our programming and the continued development of the school.” Especially excited about what the new site will mean to the school is Cheryl Finkel, headmaster. Now in her fourth year at the helm of the school, Finkel says; “Moving the school brings great opportunities for outreach and growth. With a larger facility, more staff and more students, we will be able to provide some new creative programming that we have been dreaming about.” She added, “Of course, high qual ity Jewish and general education will continue to be the main pur pose of the Epstein School in the new location as it is in our current one.” Snyder credits Headmaster Fin kel with being “very instrumental in terms of the success and growth of the Epstein School in the last four years. She has done a remark able job as headmaster in areas of curriculum development, program ming, parent relations and teacher training.” Both agreed that with its own facility, the Epstein School will be able to enhance its independence, without for a moment forgetting that it was Ahavath Achim and its leaders who made the establish ment of the school possible, and whose continuing interest will play a vital part in future plans. by Rabbi Samuel J. Fox Jt A Why is it required to redeem every male who is the firstborn of a Jewish mother? This requirement is mentioned in the Bible. In one place in the Bible it is associated with the plague of the firstborn of the Egyptians when the Pharoah refused to release the Hebrews. This was the last of the plagues visited on the Egyp tians at that time. While the firstborn of the Egyp tians died, the firstborn of the Hebrews were spared. Therefoie the firstborn of the Hebrews are re deemed today to show how thank ful we should be that the Almighty redeemed them during the plague which struck the Egyptians (Exo dus 13:15). Some sources explain that the firstborn require redemption to show that whatever we gain belongs to the Almighty. Therefore it is required to go through the redemp tion ceremony to claim the first born or any subsequent children as our own. The same idea refers to the first of the crops from which tithes are taken for the same reason. The mystics (e.g., Zohar, Genesis Ua) claim that the redemption of the firstborn is a means of redeeming him and future children from the power of the Angel of Death who threatens human life, especially the newborn. Why is the Torah scroll which is read publicly in the synagogue written without vowels and without punc tuation? Vowels and/or punctuation limits the meaning and interpretation of the text. It was an accepted tradition that biblical texts could have more than one meaning. Often, one finds statements in the Talmudic literature which state, “Don’t read it (the word) this way but read it that way.” This makes the text applicable to a variety of human conditions instead of restricting the text to one limited kind of circumstance. In this way, the Bible doesn’t become outdated or inapplicable to con temporary situations.