Congregation Kneseth Israel OUR VOICE Volume No. 29 Issue No. 12 Kislev - Teves 5775 December 2014

Transcription

1 Congregation Kneseth Israel OUR VOICE Volume No. 29 Issue No. 12 Kislev - Teves 5775 December 2014 The Pre-School Pre-K's class made care packages for soldiers and airmen in Afghanistan in honor of Veteran's Day. Pictures from events in November. A proud father with his beautiful daughter, the Bride Our Hebrew School (JEC) students on a field trip to the Jewish Museum in Baltimore The Weisblum family celebrating at the wedding of Ayala to Dolev

2 Dear Congregants, Shalom, We have so much to be thankful for; Mazel Tov to Anna Adelstein, and her family on her Bat Mitzvah. Congratulations to Sara and Jack Schmerling on the marriage of their son Josh; to Amira and Jody Goldsmith on the engagement of their son Jacob and to our daughter Ayala and Dolev on their wedding in Israel. These happy life cycle events remind me of a saying by Rav Zvi Hirsch Broide of Kelm, "It is not time that passes by man, but rather it is man that passes through time." As all of us know, life is not always an easy journey. We condemn the despicable attack by terrorists in a Jerusalem synagogue. There can be no justification for the cold-blooded murder of innocent worshippers which deprived them of the sacredness of their human life. The fact that this crime was perpetrated in a place of prayer, which should always be a venue of peace and love, deepens our anguish. We further protest the use of inflammatory language that contributes to the climate of violence. We must not be silent spectators in the face of such hateful rhetoric. Our common religious heritage teaches us that every human being is created in the image of G-d. Let us honor our Creator by ensuring that religion serves not as a weapon that maims and destroys, but rather as a sacred vehicle that heals and uplifts. The Prophet Jeremiah proclaimed, "There is hope for thy future." (31:16) We will witness the fulfillment of these words when we bring hope and healing in the present to the human family. We offer our prayers and condolences to the grief stricken families as they mourn the untimely loss of their beloved ones. This month we also held a commemoration Shacharit services in memory of Kristallnacht and Veteran's Day. The ending of World War One brought peace on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 a.m. We gave honor to all those who have served in the American forces. We remembered the night of shattered lights, 76 years ago. A night where Nazi officers in Germany and Austria started a pogrom against the Jewish communities, resulting in destruction of synagogues and Jews being rounded off to concentration camps. This was seen as the start of the physical destruction that Jewish people experienced. It is a reminder to us that we need to stay strong to our identity and be vigilant and fight against evil such as the Iranian Nuclear threat, ISIS, and terrorism. How fortunate we are to have Shushannah Walshe, an author, Deputy Political Director for ABC News and consultant for the HBO Aaron Sorkin show, The Newsroon for our Sisterhood November 23 rd Sunday program. Her insight will keep us informed and alert of world events. We currently are approaching the American holiday of Thanksgiving. The Jewish perspective of gratitude is also heavily ingrained in the upcoming celebration of Chanukah. By annually reliving our victories as well as the miracles of oil, we thank G-d for our daily blessings and yearly triumphs. In addition, November is National Jewish Book Month. My choice read is a newly released book, Small Miracles from Beyond: Dreams, Visions and Signs that Link Us to the Other Side, by Yitta Halberstam and Judith Leventhal, authors of New York Times bestseller Small Miracles. As always we hope to see you at Kneseth Israel, participating and supporting our synagogue. Our community activities are for all ages. We look forward to our inter-generational programs to enrich everyone's lives. May each member continue to be a shining star and brighten our spiritual home. Wishing you and yours a wonderful thanksgiving holiday. Rabbi Moshe P. Weisblum From your Rabbi / Cantor

3 President's Message Dear Congregants, It is actually hard to believe that I am writing the last Kolenu article for the 2014 calendar year. So much has been going on at Kneseth Israel. We are so fortunate to be able to welcome 36 new member families to KI since Rosh Hashannah. We held a special event to welcome all our new members, but I strongly suggest that everyone tries to make it to our next congregational Shabbat dinner on Friday, December 12. We are planning to have one of these congregational Shabbat dinners at least once a month. I really hope that many of you will join us, meet our new congregants and enjoy a warm Shabbat atmosphere. Our focus here at KI is to be an inclusive Synagogue that is once again the center of Jewish life in Anne Arundel County. We are adding many new programs both to attract new members and to meet the needs of many of our newer members. We recently celebrated a wonderful simcha in the Bat Mitzvah of Anna Adelstein (Mazal Tov to the entire Adelstein clan), with a beautiful Shabbat service in which Anna chanted from the Torah, and the Haftorah superbly. We are all so proud of Anna. Of course along with expanding our programs and services, we have no intention of stopping any program or service we are currently doing. Our goal is to meet the needs of the entire community, including our long time members all the way to our newest members. The only way to do this is to increase our offerings while taking nothing away. Of course there is always a catch, and in our case it is the funding of these programs and services to satisfy the needs of our community. We are in the process of refreshing and upgrading all the classrooms in our classroom wing. These classrooms will ultimately be used by our Pre-School, Daycare and our Jewish Education Center. I would like to thank our Sisterhood for kicking off this project with funding for the first two classrooms. We are approaching the end of the calendar and tax year, and now is an opportunity to make a tax deductible donation to Kneseth Israel for calendar year I hope many of you will consider this opportunity to help the growth of our Synagogue. It is with great sadness and outrage that I write now about the ongoing terrorist violence in our Holy City of Jerusalem. These are not attacks in disputed areas, but all deep within areas that have always been a part of Israel. The most recent attack on a Synagogue and Yeshiva in the Har Nof neighborhood in Jerusalem is particular horrifying; where four Rabbis, simply praying their morning prayers were killed, while a traffic police officer, the first to respond (without protection), was also killed. Our hearts, prayers and condolences go out to the 24 children who no longer have a father, the families and of course we pray for a speedy recovery for all those injured. As many of you know, I just returned from a two week trip to Israel, and was in Jerusalem when much of the violence occurred. I honestly had a most amazing trip, and will return to Israel and Jerusalem at the first opportunity. One thing I do remember, while wondering through the Ben Gurion Airport duty free shops, I saw a store that was displaying some enormous menorahs. One could not help but think about Chanukah and how it is just around the corner. We have a fun celebration planned at KI for Sunday, December 21 at 11:30 a.m. There will be lots of latkes thanks to our wonderful family of chefs, the Lebowitz s and much more. Everyone should bring their own menorah so we can all light candles together, and celebrate Chanukah with our KI family. I hope we can all stay warm this winter!! David Sliom President, Congregation Kneseth Israel

4 Kneseth Israel Sisterhood News The time is going by so quickly! One more month, and we will be turning another page of our calendars into Sisterhood has accomplished a lot in 2014 our Mother s Day Kiddish, the Antique not on the road Show, Holiday Treats, Bereavement visits, and last, but not least, our contribution to having two classrooms re-vitalized for use by our Pre-School and Hebrew school classes. The school wing at Kneseth Israel will be a true School Wing when Aloys Evers and crew, of Evers Remodeling, is completed with their job. Even though the work is not complete, the two classrooms have been transformed into bright rooms with a fresh smell, and the promise of a job well done. What a joy it s been to see the hustle and bustle of the building every day of the week. There are children everywhere and since they are the future of Judaism, we are pleased that they find Kneseth Israel to be their second home. Libby Monias and Laura Sutton are gearing up for Chanukkah, so please think the Kneseth Israel Gift Shop when looking for gifts. I hear they have a beautiful new selection of gifts from all price ranges. And, as always, they will have the gift shop open for Chanukkah shopping at scheduled times in December for the school children and adults. Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, Nancy Gordon Sisterhood President Now is the time for MAH JONGG Players to Order 2015 cards! Standard Cards $8.00/ Large Print $9.00 Now until January 15, 2015 Please send your money and address to: Irma Messinger 883 Clubhouse Village View Annapolis, MD Or Roberta Goldstein 884 Coachway Annapolis, MD 21401

5 Jewish Education Center of Anne Arundel County. And on the seventh day, G-d rested. When we look at the first chapter of Genesis, we note that when G-d was creating, at the conclusion of each day, G-d reflected back and said, "Ki Tov" - and it was good. Now that the Jewish Education Center of Anne Arundel County has been formed, it is time to step back and reflect on what we have done. We started with almost "tohu vavohu" an emptiness of children running through the halls. With the total support of so many (Rabbi Weisblum, David Sliom, Nancy Gordon, just to name a few), we filled that void and now we have 50 children filling the halls of CKI, the social hall and rooms in which we study. We have been fortunate that we were allowed to use a few spaces (no classrooms, rather multi-purpose rooms) at Aleph Bet which helped us get started. But now, we are looking for actual classrooms which will meet our pedagogic needs. We want rooms that are conducive to education, to hearing one's self and the classmates. We are grateful that we had a space, but through the generosity of the KI Sisterhood, we will actually have classrooms to use in our own home! Each day, as G-d was creating, G-d said "Ki Tov"; but on one of the days (do you know which one?), G-d saw it was good and continued creating. That day is known as "pa'amayim ki tov" or twice it was good. Now that we have filled the void and our classrooms will be ready for instruction we will be able to say pa'amayim ki tov. What's next? Let's look at our history. Let's look at our future goals. Our overall goal is to maintain a thriving form of Judaism for our children and our children's children. Mi dor l'dor - from generation to generation. How can we best insure that our children will want to be faithful Jews preserving and forging anew with Judaism? Studies tell us that to keep Jewish children actively involved in Judaism, it has nothing to do with how Kosher they are (sorry Steve) or if their parents are Israeli (sorry Ilanit), but it does have to do with how active they are as young adults. Want to help insure your grandchildren will want to be Jewish? Get them involved in Jewish youth groups, send them to colleges with a high population of Jewish students, send them to Israel with planned youth programs and send them to Jewish summer camps. To address one of these recommendations, Birthright was formed. Birthright, you probably know, is a FREE all inclusive 10 day trip to Israel, available to Jewish children ages 18-26, the prime years for our children to form their life-long relationships. What about the other activities? How can we make them available for our children? Stay tuned as we look for new ways to build youth group activities at KI. We plan to build strong life-long bonds amongst our children in their relationships with Judaism. Since we know humankind was created in G-d's image, let me say "Ki Tov" at the JEC. But we still have so much to do. As we look towards Hanukkah, a word which also means dedication, let us dedicate ourselves to making Judaism thrive in our future and in our children's future. Hag Hanukkah Sameach v'kol tuv, wishing you a Happy Hanukkah, Ellyn Becker Kaufman Director of Education Jewish Education Center of Anne Arundel County 1125 Spa Road Annapolis, MD Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter

6 Shalom Everyone, Pre School & Pre-K classes From the Desk of Jerri Shafran, Director.. The Pre-School PTO s Cookout was lots of fun, and the six lucky Challah Raffle winners got to enjoy their fresh -baked challas, made with love by Ilanit Evers, for Shabbat. The 3 s and Pre-K children (and many of their parents) went on a field trip to the Eastport Library. It s always an exciting and educational experience for them to see so many books, learn about libraries, and get to choose books to take home. The Pre-K class learned the meaning and importance of celebrating Veteran s Day. They also had the experience and fun of scrambling, cooking and eating eggs when they were studying the letter E. Everyone had an eggcellent time. In the spirit of Thanksgiving the 2 s class talked about what they are thankful for (family). Everyone brought a portrait of their family to be made into a classroom poster. The color of the month was brown so they listened to and listened to and listened to the story of Brown Bear, Brown Bear (their favorite story) and then each child created a picture book of the story. Our Hanukkah Program will be on Wednesday, December 17 th. In preparation, the children will hear the story of Queen Esther and the Maccabees, learn to sing Hanukkah songs and make their very own menorahs. I wish everyone a Joyous Hanukkah. Jerri The Alpert Family Aleph Bet Jewish Day School On the final bright blue day in October, the entire school boarded a bus for a visit to the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Based on their curriculum, classes examined insects at the Natural History Museum, compared Mars landers and rovers in Air and Space, or imagined trekking across the continent in a Conestoga wagon in the American History Museum. All grades pondered paintings by the masters on the main floor of the National Gallery and strolled around the adjacent sculpture garden where they later enjoyed a picnic lunch. How fortunate we are to have such riches close at hand! Then November arrived and with it Book Week. Classes decorated doors to reflect their author and genre studies. Younger students learned about Eric Carle and Maurice Sendak, while older children chose tall tales and J.K. Rowling. Of course there was a lot of reading going on guest readers popped in daily, older children buddied up with younger ones to share stories, and one day readers armed with flashlights and sleeping bags camped out to read in tents set up in the music room. Character dress-up day featured too many Harry Potters to count, favorites ranging from Moses to the Cat in the Hat, and the teachers decked out as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In honor of Veterans Day, our hallway display case filled up with military memorabilia from children s family members. On November 11, students circulated among stations where they read about Armistice Day and the Viet Nam War Memorial, made paper poppies and created a huge banner expressing thanks to our veterans, and learned about life in the military from Navy pilots (and Aleph Bet parents) Eve and Andy Burns. Getting to try on flight suits and helmets was a highlight of the day for most students! Through the month, Aleph Bet participated in the Anne Arundel County Food Bank s program Kids Helping Kids: Harvest for the Hungry. Cans, bags, and boxes of non-perishable food poured in, and many students photos were on display as Five Pound Plus Harvest Heroes. As November drew to a close, there were signs that another important holiday was on the horizon as blessings, songs, and tales for Hanukkah began to surface, and we looked forward to the familiar story of miracles and rededication. May you all enjoy a happy Festival of Lights! Nan Jarashow, Head of School ; info@alephbet.org From the Desk of Nan Jarashow, Director..

7 Dear congregants and friends, I hope that you are well and that the wintry fall hasn't chilled you completely! As we look forward to the holiday season, I am excited to work with both our choirs for Hanukkah. Kol Rena will perform some standards at the December 12th service and both choirs will perform together on the 21st of December. I am thrilled to bring the groups together for the first time; I think that through music we are stronger, and what a way to celebrate! Please join us on both dates. I am also planning our recital series with Amy Raab, which will start in winter. Please stay tuned for more on that soon! I hope to see you all at our future events. In the meanwhile keep warm and be well. Warmest regards, Shouvik Mondle, music director All the best, Shouvik Mondle KI SISTERHOOD GIFT SHOP Shopping for many items on your Hanukkah gift list are conveniently available at the Sisterhood Gift Shop. We have lovely selections of menorahs, large and small, many themed to delight your children and grandchildren as the candles are lit and songs are sung! Dreidels for spinning, toys to enjoy, and beautiful gift wrap to package it all. There are gifts for other occasions, as well, many hand crafted in Israel. Please visit during our special Hanukkah shopping days: Sunday December 14 from 11:30am-1:30pm Monday December 15 and Tuesday December 16 from 12n-3:30pm Children s shopping hours from 12n-1pm on all dates! Please Note- the dates and times listed above are correct! Or by appointment: Libby Monias or Laura Sutton JUDAICA GIFTS FOR ALL OCCASIONS & HOLIDAYS TEFILLIN & TALLITOT PERSONALIZED KIPPOT & BENCHERS BAR & BAT MITZVAH GIFTS BY APPOINTMENT LIBBY MONIAS: LAURA SUTTON: ls217@comcast.net or SUPPORT YOUR SISTERHOOD We will gladly send out donation cards for all occasions, condolence, birthdays, anniversary, etc. We also sell packages of cards for your own use. Please contact Marilyn Halpern at

8 In Honor Of. Ayala Weisblum s marriage By Roslyn & Harold Singerman Amira & Jody Goldsmith s son Jacob s engagement By Shirley C. Aronson Marcia Lewis special birthday By Joy & Mark Goldberg Donations to Kneseth Israel In Memory Of. Jerry Feinstein By Dr. Helen & David Cohen Judy Abrams By Shirley C. Aronson Refuah Sh leimah. Phyllis & Eliot Siskind By Marilyn Halpern Yahrtzeit Donations In Honor Of. Rabbi & Rebbetzin Weisblum on the marriage of their daughter Ayala to Dolev Nizri By Judi & Allen Cohen Beverly & Edward Albert Sara & Jack Schmerling on the Marriage of their son Joshua to Stacey Klein By Judi & Allan Cohen Rita & Arnold Cohen s anniversary By Dianne Feldman Benjamin H. Katcef by Fran Katcef David Mark Wollman by Sharon Wollman Samuel Riegel by Roslyn Zimmerman Anna Rudow by Rosalie Berman Albert Block by Laurence Block Isaac Sheena by Joyce Ani Emanuel Halpern by Marilyn Halpern Elsie S. Gradet by Leslie Gradet Frank Kopen by Harriet Rubin Dena Walters by Sharon Wollman Samuel A. Greenfield by The Gritz Family Blanche Ettinger by Sara Schmerling Abe Ostrusky by Carole Jackson Maurice Ani by Joyce Ani Walter Singerman by Mark Singerman Rae Singerman by Mark Singerman MAZEL TOV TO... Janean & Michael Adelstein on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter Anna and Dr. Robert & Miriam Adelstein grandparents of Anna Adelstein Ytta & Glenn Carr on their anniversary Rita & Arnold Cohen on their anniversary Sara & Jack Schmerling on the marriage of Joshua to Stacey Amira & Jody Goldsmith on the engagement of their son Jacob

9 Monday, December 1st Thelma Exler Beatrice Lippman Manck Toby Schaftel Tuesday, December 2nd Rachel Benatar Henry Diamond Harry Greenberg Rev Henoch Hammer Ellis Kahn Wednesday, December 3rd Dr. Louis L. Snyder Thursday, December 4th Helen W. Bienenstok Louis Bloom Rose Greenberg Friday, December 5th Joseph Levy Benjamin Lindeman Joseph Rattner Saturday, December 6th Joseph Ettinger Annie Kotzin Sophie Kramer Roth Sunday, December 7th Harold L. Fine Flora Glick John Jaques Lafia Sidney Pasternack Wilma Tourgeman Monday, December 8th Hyman Reichel Jennie Richman Jean Schildhaus Reuben Slovis Tuesday, December 9th Harry A. Klawans Louis Mashbaum David D. Unger December Yahrtzeits Wednesday, December 10th Sadie Kolman Step father of Nathan Leonard David Sanders Stark Julius Walder Thursday, December 11th Sylvial Hecht Nathan Klawans Lilyan Schwartzman Jacob Zaks Friday, December 12th Morris Goldberg Dorothy Paul Goldstein Sam Hollander Mary Posofsky Walter Singerman Minnie Kotzin Stein Saturday, December 13th Fannie Moss Sunday, December 14th Florence Kleger William Kleger Monday, December 15th Tuesday, December 16th Ralph Greil Yetta Snyder Wednesday, December 17th Felice B. Goldstein Marjorie R. Kotzin Thursday, December 18th Nettie Coale Julius Fine Harry Gorelik Isidore Greil Friday, December 19th Elizabeth Needle Doris Packman Rose F. Zall Saturday, December 20th Nathan Slobody Sunday, December 21st Hyman M. Brilliant Rebecca Levy Moses Michelson Rose B. Shochat Isaac Snyder Sylvia Sutton Monday, December 22nd Dr. Edith Leonard Tuesday, December 23rd Sylvia Gayle Jules Alfred Huber Moshe Tourgeman Wednesday, December 24th Matilda Leah Rosenbloom Thursday, December 25th Louis Lott Joseph Mankowitz Floretta Michaelson Alen Lee Rothenberg Doris Schwartz Friday, December 26th Edith Michelson Simon Pepper Ruth Gorelik Snyder Saturday, December 27th Ida Shapiro Edward J. Kramer Maurice Snyder Sunday, December 28th Ada Berg Ida Sachs Ellis Lena Weitzman Joseph Ziff Monday, December 29th Miriam Berlin Herman Samuel Blumberg Helen Ruth Goldstein Ann Oshry Dora Rubin Rae Singerman Tuesday, December 30th Lena Eisenstein Morton Sweren Wednesday, December 31st Elchanan Feldman

10 If you would like to make a contribution to the Synagogue, there are many opportunities to do so. Leaf on the Tree of Life Min of $ Rock under the Tree of Life Min of $ Simcha Plaque in Auditorium Min of $ (Single) Min of $ (Double) Memorial Plaque $ for members or their families For non-members $ with no connection to KI Special Yahrtzeit Program (e, g., Reciting Kaddish for Loved ones and friends) - Contact Steve Sutton at Congregation Kneseth Israel 1125 Spa Road Annapolis, MD (fax) Rabbi/Cantor: Moshe P. Weisblum, PhD. President: David L. Sliom Vice President: Lore Singerman Sisterhood President: Nancy Gordon Director, Pre School: Jerri Shafran Director, Jewish Education Center: Ellyn Kaufman Director, Day Care: Patricia Calomiris Office Manager: Jeanne Smit Prayer books and Chumashim for purchase and dedication ($35 per prayer book; $50 per Chumash) (contact the Shul Office and the Rabbi will select the book most needed). Donation Cards Minimum of (in honor of or memory) $10.00 per name The Synagogue offers a number of items for purchase and dedication Contact Steve Sutton Would you like to become a volunteer Big Brother (for a couple of hours twice a month)? The Jewish Big Brother and Big Sister League is in need of Jewish men of all ages to match with boys and teens who are waiting for a Big Brother. Please call or Lia Weisbord at or lweisbord@jbbl.org To the world, you may be one person, but to one person, you may be the world GIANT Gift Cards in denominations of $50 or $100 where 5% of the money goes toward our Synagogue. If you shop at this store, using these cards it can be a great way to send money to KI. Contact Shirley C. Aronson or Marcia Diamond if interested.

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12 Congregation Kneseth Israel 1125 Spa Road Annapolis, Maryland Time Sensitive Material NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID ANNAPOLIS MD PERMIT NO. 205 The Kolenu is also available on the web or by Over One Hundred Years of Service to G-d and Community Photograph by Mark Goldberg