SH’VAT/ADAR 5778
NUMBER 5
THE BULLETIN
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anti-Semitism and xenophobia forced the S.S. St. Louis to return to Europe with
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supporting AAC with every purchase. 1930’s. I wish that our children lived at a time where the Jewish value of honoring
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February 11 | 12:00 noon With a few exceptions, most everything in the room is open-ended. An impor-
AAC Lobby tant component of STEAM is that the materials and experiences provided do not
have predetermined outcomes. This isn't about us creating experiments for the
If you love to knit or children to follow, knowing full well what the children will learn. It's about them
have ever wanted to learn, asking, “What happens if?” and us providing them with what they need to figure
join us for fellowship and out the answers themselves.
creativity.
Continued next month . . .
THIS SPACE IS
Agudas Achim President, Ken diseases,” Ken explains. He has practiced law in Alexandria
Labowitz, has the unique distinction of since 1970 with Fagelson and Schonberger, also members of
becoming a Bar Mitzvah in the Grand Agudas Achim Congregation. In the 1980’s this group was
Synagogue in Brussels, Belgium. “I gave the most prominent Jewish law firm in Alexandria.
my Bar Mitzvah speech in English and Currently, Ken is a Public Guardian for Alexandria. “I
French, but I don’t remember it now,” take care of old people and their money,” jokes Ken. He
recalls Ken. His parents, Alan and Rhoda, deals with conflict in family, end of life, and mental health
longtime synagogue members, lived in issues where money is involved.
Belgium when Alan served in the Foreign Service for the
State Department. Ken also has another unique distinction. He is the third
member of his family to be president of the congregation after
Ken was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, and moved to his father and his wife. He has been a member since 1982, a
Fairfax County when he was three. They moved to Silver member of the Board of Directors from 2001- 2004, and he
Spring, Maryland, in 1957 where Ken attended Northwood has served as congregation lawyer for the past twenty years.
High School. He graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa
with a B.A. in Economics and Political Science. With a background in law and finance, Ken says his
goals for the congregation are to make the finances as
“There was no organized Jewish community there, and transparent as possible, to improve communication between
students ran their own services,” says Ken. His first date with the leadership and the members, and to have everyone
his wife, Patti Rounsevell, was a Passover seder when they treated equally.
were both seniors in college. Ken and Patti will celebrate the
Fiftieth anniversary of their meeting in 2018. “My wife’s participation is very helpful to me. She keeps
a kosher home and has inspired our family to become far
Ken and Patti have three children. Sarah, 35, is a more observant,” says Ken. He notes that Patti participated
professor of Business and Human Rights at New York in Jewish life even before she converted to Judaism, which
University. She just moved to Houston, and will work with he credits to Jack Moline. “When Patti converted, it was a
reconstruction after Hurricane Harvey. Ethan, 32, lives in natural progression for our children to convert. They have
Boston. He is a professional inventor in electronics. Susanna, never considered themselves anything different,” Ken adds.
28, lives in New Orleans and is applying to graduate schools.
The Labowitz family went to Israel in 2005 on a
Ken graduated from Southern Methodist University Law congregational trip led by Rabbi Moline. “It was a beautiful
School in Dallas, Texas, planning to be a criminal defense place, and the food was terrific. Seeing the diversity of the
lawyer, but he didn’t think he was very good at it and changed of the Jews living there from redheads to Black people was
to discrimination law. In the 1980’s Ken was one of the first amazing,” observes Ken.
lawyers to represent people with AIDS and HIV. His clients
were the first teacher, first doctor, and the last school child “This is the kind of congregation I have always wanted to
who filed suits for discrimination for having AIDS. be part of, respectful, egalitarian, while still maintaining the
same tradition. I will be very happy if I can be half as successful
“We won all three cases, because the other side couldn’t a president as my father and wife before me,” Ken says.
prove there was a risk far more dangerous than with other
Time Value
Alexandria, VA
Permit No. 263 Address Service Requested
PAID
U.S. Postage Alexandria, VA 22302
Non-Profit Org. 2908 Valley Drive
Agudas Achim Congregation