ABOUT FOUNDER, MOSHE BETZALEL

I am Moshe Betzalel,
named after my two grandfathers. One of them and most of my relatives were murdered in the Holocaust. This catastrophe, the greatest in Jewish history and the most coldly mechanized in human history, has affected me greatly.

My parents are survivors and I started life in eastern Europe. When I was nine, my family escaped communism and two years later settled in the U.S.

I grew up in a traditional Jewish household (Shabat, Holidays, kosher, orthodox synagogue, etc.). As time passed, and after much thinking and observing, I found the current denominations of Judaism unsatisfying. I have become more independent and even rebellious in my ideas. I ask, "Is this the way Judaism was intended to function?"

I am trying to offer some changes that will bring the good ideas, the benefits of Judaism, back into people's lives. I am dismayed by non-conscious religion and its losses to drifting culture. I am seriously concerned about Judaism's future and believe that returning to simplicity and the basic ideas would counteract these trends.

I am a college professor and try to do a conscientious job. I work full-time for a living. I have the same social needs as most and enjoy a variety of recreation. I am in my late 50's and live by myself in a modest house. My car and clothes are definitely not flashy either. In other words, there is nothing unusual about me except my desire to do something for Judaism and the world in general.