Dear High School Friends,

The election of Barack Obama brought back to me a vivid memory from South
Shore High:

Fifty years ago, I was the co-chair of our Human Relations Committee with
Marion Parry. Jesse Owens was living on the South Side of Chicago and was
an acquaintance of my parents through a mutual friend. It was always
inspiring to be in his presence and hear about his astonishing performance
at the 1936 Olympic Games when he won four gold medals and set records that
later stood for almost 50 years. Equally amazing was the way that he
destroyed the myth of Aryan supremacy that Hitler planned to demonstrate at
the Games. So I thought it would be great to have Jesse come and talk to us
about his experiences. Shortly after Marion and I began planning this
event, we were called in to speak with Mary Mulroy, our principal. She
informed us that it would be impossible to allow us to invite Jesse Owens to
speak at South Shore High -- which, of course, was all white at the time.
She explained that if students went home and reported to their parents that
a black man had spoken at an assembly, parents could get the impression that
black people were coming into the neighborhood or putting their children in
our school and there could be terrible repercussions. Marion and I were
stunned -- not only disappointed that we couldn't have this great man come
to address the students, but by the rationale she gave us. We weren't even
to mention the whole incident because she said it would only cause problems.
As a result, Marion and I would not plan any further activities of the Human
Relations Committee.

We now see that a black man who lives on the South Side of Chicago is the
President Elect of the U.S., and Chicago is proud to claim him as their own.
What a wonderful transformation!

On a personal note, I now live in Jerusalem, Israel and hold dual
citizenship, so I was able to vote in the election. I was proud to
participate in the "Israelis for Obama" video which can be viewed at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2VFRt5W4FM
My son Noam's wife is the daughter of American Blacks who converted to
Orthodox Judaism in New York in 1970 and moved to Jerusalem where my
daughter-in-law, Chaya Libi, was born and raised. Attached is a picture of
them with their twins taken last week while we were playing in the park.
I'm delighted they will be watching two little Black girls being raised in
the U.S. White House.

Love,
Elena Radley Rozenman

(I haven't used the name "Leni" since High School and for years I have been
known by my Hebrew name "Elana")

Elana Rozenman
Executive Director
TRUST-Emun
15 Naomi Street
Jerusalem 93552 Israel
Office: 972 26749698
Mobile: 972 522861779
www.trust-emun.org
elana at trust-emun.org