CBT Nu'z. Tevet-Shevat 5771, January 2011 * Congregation B'nai Torah, Olympia, Washington, U.S.A. Unfriendly Attitudes Towards Israel Intensify

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1 CBT Nu'z Tevet-Shevat 5771, January 2011 * Congregation B'nai Torah, Olympia, Washington, U.S.A. - President s Message Unfriendly Attitudes Towards Israel Intensify Disquieting Signs In recent months there has been an increased effort on the part of anti-israel activists to characterize Israel as being guilty of war crimes and the violation of Palestinian human rights. As most are aware, the first manifestation of these efforts arose several months ago when the board of the Olympia Coop, in an unannounced meeting, adopted a policy boycotting Israeli products. All evidence pointed to the fact that that effort was likely orchestrated as part of a larger international movement often referred to as BDS; boycott, divestiture and sanctions. BDS appears to be an element of an orchestrated effort, in large part funded with resources from the Mideast and with the objective of discrediting Israel and creating an anti- Israeli mindset amongst the more supportive nations of Europe and North America. The second element of the anti-israel campaign, which has existed for some time, emanates from our local state university, the Evergreen State College. As described in the most recent issue of JT News, formerly the Jewish Transcript, pro-israel students are characterized as Zionist Nazi(s). In a recent issue of the Philadelphia equivalent of the JT News, Evergreen was described as one of the most unfriendly universities in the United States towards Israel, and in general an unfriendly environment for Jewish students. As a number of Jewish faculty members at Evergreen have acknowledged, Evergreen is not a place where pro-israel students are comfortable. Ironically, the President of Evergreen, Les Purce, appears to deny that there is a problem regarding the Israel-Palestinian dialogue on campus. The common answer seems to be that Evergreen, with a leftist leaning philosophy, tends to welcome the dialogue but appears to be very one-sided in its pro-palestinian orientation. The most recent indication of the anti-israel attack was the recent announcement that a group, Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, had paid $1,794 for a series of ads titled Israeli War Crimes: Your Tax Dollars at Work scheduled to begin appearing on Metro buses on December 27 th, the two year anniversary of Israel s military action in Gaza. After the County Executive, Dow Constantine, and members of the county council were bombarded with over 2,000 s and calls opposing the ads, and

2 the request for space for pro-israel ads, they found a way to circumvent the U.S. Constitution s 1 st amendment regarding free speech. In effect they rejected the ads based on the belief that they could result in further anti-semitic crimes and other adverse results. Upon reflection, it is my belief that these recent anti-israel propaganda efforts are not random occurrences, but rather well orchestrated efforts to discredit Israel and influence U.S. foreign policy. Those efforts have already succeeded in Great Britain and elsewhere and I think we ll see further efforts to erode the special relationship that our government has had with Israel. Many have already questioned whether the President has endeavored to force a Mideast peace at the expense of Israel s security. While there is little that we can do at this point, we should be prepared for increased attacks against the integrity of the Israeli government and its treatment of Palestinians. Shalom Stan Finkelstein CBT President Sisterhood Dear Sisters, Please join us for our January meeting to watch, enjoy and discuss the third part in PBS's renowned series Jews in America! We've had a great time viewing the first 2 parts and have been looking forward to the third. If you missed the earlier episodes, you can easily catch up. Don't miss our January get-together-a great way to kick off the New Year! Tuesday, January 4, 7:30-9:00...Please RSVP. At the home of: Naomi Obie 6039 Hogan Drive SE (near College/Yelm intersection) Oly phone:

3 Tea and Tsoras Following is the list of the restaurants that have been picked for the next 6 months. Our meeting time will remain 6:00 pm. January 11 Koibito Japanese Restaurant 1707 Harrison Ave NW Olympia February 8 NOTE SPECIAL TIME at 5 PM FOR SUNSET DINNER SPECIAL Pellegrino's Italian Kitchen 205 Cleveland Ave SE Tumwater March 8 Sufura's Mediterranean Cuisine th Ave SE Lacey April 12 McMenamins Spar Cafe 114 4th Ave Olympia May 10 Shanghai Chinese Restaurant th Ave SE Lacey June 14 Tugboat Annies 2100 West Bay Dr NW Olympia Remember that there may be changes to these choices in the future. Let me know if you have questions or comments. Sue Cordas slcordas@yahoo.com Save the Date Our new Hazzan Brad Smith will be here the 1st Friday night service (Jan. 7th) and the second Saturday service (Jan. 8). Please note the change in our calendar this month and months following. Rabbi Maslan will conduct services Friday Jan 14 at 7:30pm and Saturday, Jan 15 at. Sun. Jan. 16th at 10am is Adult Education at CBT.

4 Yarhzeits: 29 Tevet ~ Jan. 29: Norman Kossis, uncle of Alan Corwin 2 Shevat ~ Jan. 7: Miriam Matlow sister of Rabbi Jaron Matlow 3 Shevat ~ Jan. 8: Mother of Arnold Zweig 7 Shevat ~ Jan. 12: Jacob Cubert, grandfather of Burleigh Cubert 9 Shevat ~ Jan. 14: Leo Blau, Parness; father of Carol Jolly 9 Shevat ~ Jan. 14: Blanche Tieger, sister of Tobi Braverman 14 Shevat ~ Jan. 19: Miriam Finkelstein, mother of Stan Finkelstein 14 Shevat ~ Jan. 19: Gedalya Golding, father of Steve Golding 15 Shevat ~ Jan. 20: Malka bas Leopold, mother of Tobi Braverman 17 Shevat ~ Jan. 22: Phyllis Larson, grandmother of Ronda Larson 19 Shevat ~ Jan. 24: Beckie Cubert, grandmother of Burleigh Cubert D O N A T I O N S Thank you to Steve Golding for a donating a garden cart to the synagogue for our landscape needs. Thank you Mimi Silver for your donation to CBT. Donations are always needed and appreciated. Thank you donors. Checks should be made out and mailed to: Congregation B'nai Torah CBT Treasurer, P.O. Box Olympia, WA Current funds include: Adult Education Fund, Building Fund, Pumphouse Fund, Kiddush Fund, Loan Fund, Megillah Esther Fund, Memorial Book Fund, Morris Belling Leadership Fund, Newsletter Fund, Prayer Book Fund, Youth Education If you make a donation please let the editors at CBTnuz@live.com know so that we can make sure you are acknowledged promptly.

5 January 2011 ~ Tevet-Shevat 5771 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Please 1 C BT submit your articles and No services information to: Va eira :30 pm Sisterhood Naomi Obie s House :00 pm Tea & Tsoras, Koibito 16 11:00 am Women In The Bible Course by Rabbi Jaron Matlow at CBT CBT NU z Dead Line :30 pm Evening Service with Cantor Brad Smith 4:21 4:30 7:30 pm Evening Service With Rabbi Maslan :39 4:50 8 Morning Service with Cantor Brad Smith Followed by Kosher Dairy Lunch 15 Bo Morning Service with Rabbi Maslan followed by Kosher Dairy Lunch 22 Beshalach Morning Service followed by Kosher Dairy Lunch 29 Yitro Learner s Minyan Service followed by Kosher Dairy Lunch Mishpatim Feb. Services: Feb. 4th, 7:30 pm; Feb. 12 th, ; Feb. 19 th, 9:30am; Feb. 26th, ; Jan. 22 nd. To view more CBT calendars visit

6 Congregation B nai Torah (CBT) 3437 Libby Road Olympia, Washington Affiliated with the Conservative (Masorti) Movement Contact Information: President: Stan Finkelstein Phone: stan.finkelstein@comcast.net Rabbi Bob Maslan Office: Cell: rgmaslan@hotmail.com CBT Mailing Address: P.O. Box Olympia, WA Phone: (360) WEB site: To be placed on our mailing list please cbtnuz@live.com If you have Calendar details (or other newsletter info) please cbtnuz@live.com Congregation B nai Torah P.O. Box Olympia WA