"An Afternoon with Golda Meir"

The Annual Summer Luncheon in July for Aspen Valley and Out-of Town Lions was a unique experience for everyone who attended.

Over 30 Lions came together at Judith Steinberg's Aspen home, (Andrea Gordon, who hosted the event, had a family emergency and had to leave town): they all quickly understood what a very special event was unfolding.

After a delicious meal and the easy comaraderie of Lions from Aspen and the dozen  Lions from out of town, history came alive.

Golda Meir was there - in spirit, in speech, in character, in charisma. Yes, underneath the clothing and theatrical makeup and wig was professional actress Joan Wolfberg. But that was soon forgotten. She was Golda for all to see and hear.

Golda laughed, cried, told her life story, and mused about what might have been. She was there during the pogrums of Eastern Europe, then transported to the United States, and finally made Aliyah to the yet unofficial Jewish homeland -Israel.

She knew Ben Gurion. She worked till her fingers bled on the kibbutz in the dry dessert that was to become fertile farmland. She married, had children, but all the while she knew deep down that her destiny was to help make Israel the place all Jews could consider their home.

The photos Golda showed were amazing. What a beautiful young woman she was. What a proud and determined diplomat she was. The anecdotes were hilarious - there was the time Henry Kissinger said to her that he was a diplomat first, an American second, and a Jew third.

She smiled and said, "That's all right: We read right to left anyway."

One of the democratic world's first head of state, Golda came to the United States during the darkest times for the young Jewish nation, but left with a financial foundation that would help the Israelis best the Arabs who wished Israel destroyed.

The legacy that Golda left for all people was that determination, pride, and commitment are the hallmarks of the Jewish tradition and the Jewish future.

Lion of Judah Photos Show Some of the Attendees

Pictured here (L.to R.) Judith Steinberg, Joan Wolfberg as Golda, and Lorrie Winnerman.

(L.to R.) Sandy Israel, Melanie Sturm, "Golda" and Dorothy Thau

(L.toR.) Gloria Scharlin, Elle Winn,Etar Cortale, and Lois Siegel

Top Row – (Top L. to R.)Barbara Goldstein, Dorothy Jacobs, Nancy Siwak (Bottom) Nina Zale and Lorraine Schapiro

(L. to R.) Jean Parelman, Penny Abrams and Debbie Epstein

A Note of Appreciation

Message from Lorrie Winnerman,
Chair, Lion of Judah

Aspen Valley's First Jewish Film Festival

There's still time to catch the second film in our series which
began August 4.

"Sixty Six" - Monday, August 11, 4:30 pm at the Crystal Theater in Carbondale. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for children, with refreshments.

For young Bernie Ruebens, July 30, 1966, was supposed to be the time when he would become a man with the most fabulous Bar Mitzvah of all time. That is until he realizes his big day corresponds with the final match of the Soccer World Cup, which, if England were to reach, would mean no one would come to his Bar Mitzvah.

A nostalgic tale of childhood, "Sixty Six" is told with the right mix of hysterical comedy and real-world drama that climaxes with triumphs aplenty.

The First Film of the Series, "Galilee Eskimos" was shown yesterday (August 4) at the Isis Theater in Aspen.