GATEWAYS CONGREGATION SHAAREY TIKVAH

Transcription

1 GATEWAYS CONGREGATION SHAAREY TIKVAH BEACHWOOD OHIO SINCE 1940 JANUARY 2015 TEVET/SHEVAT 5775

2 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 2 OUR LEADERSHIP CLERGY PRESIDENT EXEC. COMMITTIEE President Leslie Sobel Vice President Karen Mintzer Vice President Josh Gordon Vice President Eric Kodish Rabbi David Kosak ravkosak@ shaareytikvah.org x105 Cantor Gary Paller cantorgary@ shaareytikvah.org x107 President Leslie Sobel howari@ sbcglobal.net Secretary Peter Shulman STAFF Assistant Secretary Alyson Fieldman Treasurer Abby Stadlin Assistant Treasurer Michael Goldberg BOARD MEMBERS Michael Axel Jeff Cohen Ted Einhorn Jeff Epstein Ethan Karp Martin Kohn Deb Picker Toby Rosenberg Jessi Shapiro Steve Wertheim Executive Director Martha Sivertson martha@ shaareytikvah.org x101 Office Manager Roz Stone roz@ shaareytikvah.org x100 Face to Face Director Louise Freilich face2face@ shaareytikvah.org x140 PAST PRESIDENTS Howard Bochnek Amy Einhorn Marvin Engelberg Sharon Fagin David Hutt Roberta Kaplan David Leavitt Stuart Sharpe REPRESENTATIVES Men s Club Richard Friedman Sisterhood Shirley Edelman Education Director Ilana Yares ilana@ shaareytikvah.org x103 Youth Director Katie Mintzer katiemintzer@ gmail.com Gateways is a monthly publication of: Congregation Shaarey Tikvah Fairmount Boulevard Beachwood, Ohio : Fax: Maintenance Manager Frank George x112 Our front cover: Shaarey Tikvah s In-house Shabbaton will take place on January 23-24, Please see page 19 for additional information. Congregation Shaarey Tikvah is an egalitarian Conservative congregation whose members are passionate about Judaism. By combining meaningful and joyful worship, serious Jewish learning, social action and compelling Shabbat and holiday experiences, we create a vibrant spiritual community.

3 PAGE 3 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 BOARD MEMBER FOCUS JOSH GORDON Josh grew up in El Paso, Texas and is a proud graduate of the El Paso Hebrew Day School. He went to college at Washington University in St. Louis followed by Medical School at the University of Texas- Houston. Finally, he trained as a neurologist at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center. While in medical school he met his wife Ilyssa Gordon who was working on her M.D. Ph.D. Together they have 5 year old twins named Noah and Adina. They have been members of Shaarey Tikvah since the summer of 2012 and Josh has served on the Board for the last 1.5 years. He is also on the membership committee and has been involved in planning several events, most recently the Sukkah Hop. The Gordons feel very lucky to have found Shaarey Tikvah, which has quickly become a center of their life and has defined the synagogue as a place of joy for their young children. WE ARE TURNING 75!!! CONGREGATION SHAAREY TIKVAH Small Shul. Large Community.

4 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 4 A LESSON FROM RABBI DAVID KOSAK The Lifelong Institute for Applied Wisdom V ahavta l reacha k mocha. Love your neighbor like yourself. When I was 19 and studying at Ohr Sameach yeshivah, one of the rabbis there emphasized how important the Hebrew letter khaf, meaning like, was in the famous dictum of Rabbi Akiva. His insight was that it is truly impossible to love anyone else just as or as much as we care for ourselves. Nonetheless, we were enjoined to attempt to accomplish just that--to draw nearer the ideal. In perusing Rabbi Joseph Telushkin s recent book, The Rebbe, about the life of Chabad s great innovator, I encountered a story in which Rav Schneerson effectively argued the opposite. He said not only are we all God s children, but that we are all ultimately the same person. In his own life, he therefore labored tirelessly on behalf of everyone regardless of background. Chabad s admirable record since that time shows how durable a culture Rabbi Schneerson built. These thoughts came to mind because of recent conversations I have had with two congregants who are deeply invested in the future of Shaarey Tikvah. The idea was expressed that we are building for our children s sake. This is true. From my viewpoint, it is also not a sufficient story. Put another way, there is a great deal that can be said about what it means to build for our children s benefit. Yes, we as a species are wired to have concern for our progeny and their future. We want them to be happy, well-adjusted, successful in their pursuits. The goals of Judaism are certainly larger than that though. To me it seems manifest that our tradition believes in and encourages us to maximize human potential. That is why we have concepts like teshuvah. It explains the popularity of the 19th century mussar movement (and its contemporary revival), which focused on refining our ethical behavior by changing our natures (yes, Judaism does not have a rigid or fixed understanding of who we are). It provides insight into our constant emphasis on learning. Even one of our Biblical names, ivri im, or boundary crossers, points to the non-static quality of the human being. If it is to be more than a platitude, saying that we are created in the divine image instructs us of the sort of growth to which we must aspire. The above goals of course sound quite pleasing to the ear. For them to be more than self-congratulatory utterances, however, demands serious and on-going effort--a type of endeavor that few people embark upon alone. We are talking of nothing less than the sustained endeavor to acquire human wisdom. As I have noted elsewhere, wisdom is not (only) possessing the right answer to life s challenges, it is the capacity to apply our understanding to our actions so that we can indeed become more than we currently are. This is where the importance of religious community comes in. It would not be out of place to note here that many recent studies indicate an increase in societal narcissism. The rise seems to be occurring at the same time that we spend less time involved in groups and when institutional membership is declining. Rabbi Hillel famously taught, al tifrosh min hatzibbur. Don t separate yourself from the community. Another more recent sage, Matt Groening, the creator of the Simpsons, quipped that hell is other people. While coming at the issue from opposite sides, they both understood that living in community is not easy, and can be painful at times --and yet Hillel knew the dangers that occur from our voluntary removal from group life. To live successfully with others requires that we learn how to love our neighbor like ourselves. It means that we will come to be known deeply over time, our virtues and our foibles. We must learn to apologize and forgive. It requires that we relinquish our own concerns as the primary or solitary good, and internalize deeply that other people have interests every bit as valid as our own. Community requires that we develop an ever evolving theory of mind--the realization that others think differently, and that our own thoughts and ideas are not more correct simply because they are bouncing around inside our skulls. That, after all, is the narrow and self-absorbed perspective of a child. Continued on page 20

5 PAGE 5 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 We re back for another year of exciting offers and coupons. Buy now for all of The price is still $28 for hundreds of local offers and coupon deals. ALL profits go to Men s Club support of CST activities. Available in the gift shop or office only until January 11, 2015

6 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 6 A MESSAGE FROM LESLIE SOBEL In 1940, a group of German Jewish refugees settle in Cleveland and form a congregation named Shaarey Tikvah Gates of Hope. In the backdrop, the Great Depression begins to ease due to the arming of the US forces. Germany invades France. Auschwitz-Birkenwau, the largest German concentration camp, opens in Poland. The Blitz, 57 nights of consecutive strategic bombing, rains on London. Paris falls. Norway falls. Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of Great Britain and in a worldwide broadcast proclaims the intention of Great Britain to fight alone against Germany whatever the outcome. NBC Radio debuts Truth or Consequences. Cleveland population of 876,366 is the 6 th largest in the nation. The Main Avenue Bridge opens. University Heights achieves city status, soon to be followed by South Euclid. NACA, forerunner of NASA, is established at the Cleveland airport. Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected for the third time and Americans believe they should help Britain in its fight with Germany. In October 1950, the congregation purchases the Heights Presbyterian Church at Mayfield and Pryer Roads in Cleveland Heights and changes its name to the Mayfield Temple. It becomes a member of the United Synagogues of America in Mayfield Temple and Hillcrest Synagogue B'nai Israel merge in 1970 and move into their building on Lander Road in Mayfield Heights. Again its name is changed, this time to Mayfield Hillcrest Synagogue, with the Hebrew name Shaarey Tikvah - B'nai Israel. The congregation s latest move comes in Dedicating its current building on Fairmount Boulevard, it becomes Congregation Shaarey Tikvah, the first Conservative congregation in Beachwood. In 2003, the building on Fairmount Boulevard undergoes major construction to add a warm and beautiful Beit Tefilah and a welcoming atrium. In addition, major renovations are made to our sanctuary, office and school wings, and social hall. This year we are celebrating our 75 years by looking into the past, checking out who we are today, and looking forward to the next 75 years. We will celebrate in a way that has become a hallmark of Shaarey Tikvah our Shabbat mornings. We have three Shabbat morning celebrations: one for the past, one for the present, and one for the future. Next November we will have a culminating event wrapping up our celebration. You have seen and heard much about the 75 th celebration and, earlier in the fiscal year, we had some expressions of the 75 th including our Kristallnacht commemoration and the Sisterhood Wear a Hat Shabbat. Though you will be receiving more information in the coming weeks and months, I would like you to put a couple of dates on your calendar. February 21, 2015 will be our first Shabbat celebration and will focus on our past. Thanks to many of you who have given us your stories and those who have lent us CST memorabilia. We are still collecting items that are meaningful to you. There are founders, founder families, past board members, grandchildren of past clergy and others who will be spending the morning with us. We know that we are missing others perhaps past employees, past members families and many others that were somehow touched by Congregation Shaarey Tikvah, Mayfield Temple, or Gates of Hope. Please help us find them. Next we will celebrate the Now. On March 21 st, Shabbat morning will be a celebration of who we are today. Later this year there will be a celebration of our future; further details to follow. Each of the Past, the Present, and Future Shabbat mornings will continue with lunch and a speaker or presentation. Lastly, our culminating event will take place after the 2015 High Holidays in the Fall of Included within these celebrations are our goals for the future. We will be updating our strategic plan to reflect our new commitment to the future of CST. In the coming months you will hear more about growing our endowments to assure ourselves and future generations of a vibrant congregation. It s exciting to look forward while learning so much about our past. (I loved Martha s article last month s article about the Ark doors and the chicken store - I had no idea). These are great times at CST. Our membership is energized with both young and not so young members coming together for this year s family reunion. All the best to all of us, Leslie

7 PAGE 7 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 MAZAL TOV!...to Gussie and David Singer, & sister Hannah on the birth of a baby boy & brother....to Bob and Alice Cahen on the birth of a grandson, Landon Jacob Cahen. Parents are Benjamin and Aryn Cahen....to Alan Hoffer & Jodi Polster on their engagement....to Steve & Rena Wertheim and Wendy Rapport on the engagement of their children, Judith Wertheim and Aaron Rapport. OUR CONDOLENCES...to Clive Sinoff on the loss of his parents, Esme and Sam Sinoff, who passed away in Israel just two weeks apart....to Judith Salomon on the loss of her mother, Betty Salomon. Milestone Birthdays for January: Alan Rosskamm Paula Birnbaum Rebecca Uher Steve Wertheim Liz Weiss Michael Maly Shalom Plotkin

8 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/ SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 8 A NOTE FROM CANTOR GARY Salamon Rossi; Louis Lewandowski; Heinrich Schalit; Arthur Yolkoff; Eleanor Epstein; Elliott Levine; Shlomo Carlebach. Do these names sound familiar to you? All of them are composers of Jewish sacred choral music. I m sure the name Carlebach rings a bell, as his music was, beginning in the 1970 s, and still is, to a large extent, well known to shul goers around the world. Lewandowski is also very familiar to us due to Shaarey Tikvah s German roots. His choral settings are still used on the High Holy Days, and his Tzaddik Katamar is a staple of our Shabbat Eve Service. On Friday night, December 12 th, we were treated to a unique Shabbat service at Agnon School. Thanks to Fran Gordon, the musical ensemble Western Wind, which has recorded Jewish liturgical music for Chanukah and Passover, came to Cleveland to present A Taste of Eternity, an eclectic mix of choral liturgical music for Shabbat. This service was part of a musical shabbaton, including workshops and opportunities for interested singers to participate with the group. Rabbi Kosak provided a brief introduction to each prayer during the service, which followed the traditional Sim Shalom siddur. The congregation was able to join in on some of the melodies. For those settings which were less familiar, we simply allowed the beauty of the a cappella voices to lift us to a higher spiritual realm. Yes, that s right we listened. And what I heard was glorious. It was an exquisite blend of voices, some professionally trained and some not; but all intensely committed to the artful expression of music in prayer. For me, as a cantor, this was an incredibly nourishing experience, both spiritually and musically. The musical styles ranged from 17 th century Italian renaissance (Rossi) to 19 th century German (Lewandowski) to 20 th century modern Chassidic (Carlebach) to 20 th century American (Yolkoff) to 21 st century eclectic (Epstein & Levine). The singers took a moment before each prayer to get their pitches, which is a necessity when singing a cappella (without instrumental accompaniment). This is why you often hear a moment of silence before our High Holy Day Choir starts singing. If they do not take this moment, you will likely hear a cacophony of sour harmonies! Imagine, if you can, the Temple in Jerusalem prior to its first destruction in 586 B.C.E. The Mishnah contains descriptions of antiphonal (two choirs answering one another) choirs and a dazzling array of instruments. The Levites had to be specially trained to provide the choral music required for the services. However, after the second destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., everything changed. Jewish music would never again be the same. Gone were the glorious Levitical choirs, the nevel and kinnor (stringed instruments similar to the lyre), chatztotzrah (trumpet), chalil (flute), tof (drum), and tziltzalim (cymbals), used in the pageantry of praise which characterized worship in Jerusalem s Temple. Even before the Temple s destruction, secular music was considered a bad influence. Now, all instrumental music, even for religious purposes, was prohibited as a sign of national mourning. Only the human voice (and the shofar on the High Holy Days) was permitted. In the Orthodox and Conservative movements, this is still largely the case, though our movement has begun to open things up a bit. How shall we sing the Lord s song in a strange land? (From Psalm 137, referring to the Babylonian exile following the destruction of the Second Temple). How do we find our voice? Can we make our worship artful without becoming so focused on the art that we forget how to pray? I must admit that, as a musician, I am conflicted about this. I do know that the human voice is an instrument created by God, and that the sound of human voices singing together, whether in sweet harmony or in unison, is one of the most beautiful sounds there is. Each voice is different; none is like another. Yet when raised in prayer, the many unique voices metamorphose into a rich and powerful one. Shabbat Shirah (Sabbath of Song) is January 29th and 30th, the shabbat when Parashat Beshallach is read, which contains Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea. This is the exultant poem sung by our people, led by Moses and Miriam, at the triumphant, miraculous moment when the waters parted and we crossed the Sea of Reeds. It marks the beginning of our journey to become a free people. Shabbat Shirah has become a time when we celebrate Jewish music. Our people s prayerful voice has been buffeted, abused, almost squelched by the diaspora and all the horrific obstacles we have had to overcome. Indeed, it is a miracle that Jewish music has survived at all. The voice is a strong, resilient, and yet delicate instrument. It must not be taken for granted. May our individual and collective voices remain strong, supple, sensitive, and passionate. L shalom, Cantor Gary

9 PAGE 9 JANUARY 2015 /TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 TZEDAKAH SUNDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2014

10 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 10 FROM THE DESK OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MARTHA SIVERTSON Being fifth of six has its advantages. Two older brothers took me to baseball games and taught me some of the finer points of dating. When a guy takes you out to dinner, eat. When a guy takes you to a dance, dance. Two older sisters took me shopping and to swimming lessons but never gave advice on dating. I m not sure what that means except we all turned out okay. One of the disadvantages, however, was that, by the time I came around, my parents were pictured-out, so to speak. Oh, I had a blessed childhood, just relatively undocumented. There was one picture of my oldest sister at age one that my mother would say was all of us. In first grade, I took the picture to school on Baby Picture Day. My teacher was tactful enough to not point out that the picture was dated eight years prior to my own birth. I tried to correct this under-documentation with my own children by starting albums including ultrasound images. Indeed, until about age four, both my daughters looked pretty much alike. (Proof that my parents saved a lot of money on photo shoots!) Even now, when people see them together they will often comment how they could be twins. Of course, I see resemblances but, really? If you knew them separately, you, most likely, would not even consider them related! Anyway, I took what I thought were lots of pictures but nothing even close to what is happening today. News agencies are reporting that our children are the most-documented generation ever. Digital cameras, camera phones, Facebook and other ways to share photos have us clicking and snapping pictures of kids, our menu items, funny cats, cute puppies, etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. As a matter of fact, I have spent many hours over the past few months looking and smiling and crying and taking note of pictures and short films on You Tube and/or Facebook. These things have brought us closer to, and made us more knowledgeable of, friends and family near and far. Now, if only these methods existed 75 years ago. We might have videos of Rabbi Hans Zucker passing a motion to form the Gates of Hope. We might have pictures of Melanie Kaufman, the first Sisterhood president, preparing gift packages to send to men in the armed services. Thankfully, many of you have done some exploring in your attics or the attics of your parents and have come up with true gems that will be available for viewing in our 75 th Anniversary Celebration Museum this spring. For those of you with relatively new history here at CST, please think about the pictures you can send us now for celebrating our 100 th Anniversary. Your ten, eleven, and twelve year olds will be planning that one! Martha Look at how happy Frank is now that we have a new ice machine!

11 PAGE 11 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 Attention all Adults (21 and older) Join us for an evening out! CST s 12 TH ANNUAL ADULT GAMES NIGHT Sponsored by Sisterhood SATURDAY NIGHT, February 7th, :30 11:00pm at: Shaarey Tikvah Bring your favorite game, your partner, family and friends. Come with an appetite. Delicious milchik appetizers, delectable desserts, and heart-warming beverages will be served. We will wrap up the evening with an interactive fun filled game to send you home laughing! Admission is only $18.00 per person RSVP: by January 31st to: Arlene Lombardy (440) Pre-payment will be greatly appreciated Make check out to CST Sisterhood c/o Congregation Shaarey Tikvah. Volunteers to help with shopping, set up, clean up please call: Ruth Bakst (440) or Roberta Kaplan (216)

12 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 12 NEWS FROM FACE TO FACE DIRECTOR LOUISE FREILICH A Holocaust Education Program at Congregation Shaarey Tikvah Did you know that Remember the Children: The Hadasah Zehman Video Collection of Face to Face Presentations is now available online at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) website? The videos in our collection of 24 Holocaust survivors and one retired U.S. soldier sharing their personal stories at Face to Face can be found at The speakers at Face to Face had a range of experiences during the Holocaust. Some survived the concentration camps; others were in labor camps; some experienced Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) and saw their fathers arrested on that night; some escaped from Germany or Czechoslovakia without their parents on the Kindertransport to England; one hid with her family in the forest and a swamp in Poland; and still others were hidden by righteous non-jews. The videos include stories about surviving Auschwitz, Bergen Belsen, Blechhammer, Buchenwald, Ebensee, Flossenberg, Gurs, Jaworzno, Kaiserwald, Matthausen, Majdanek, Muhldorf, and Stutthof Concentration Camps, and Praust Labor Camp. Face to Face speakers were born in many countries including Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Germany and Poland. The videos in our collection now housed at the USHMM library and in their online collection reflect this range of speaker experiences and places of origin. You may also now view a selection of these videos from the Face to Face page of CST s website, which can be found at The videos that you will see are the ones of survivors who are no longer speaking at Face to Face. Please check out the website if you have not done so recently. In addition to adding the video links, we ve added some new information about the program including student and teacher testimonials. A hard copy of the collection includes a 124 page accompanying guide with a glossary, short biographies of the speakers, and questions to consider when viewing the videos. This complete boxed set of 25 DVDs with the guide is available for purchase for $175 including shipping. Please contact Louise Freilich at face2face@shaareytikvah.org or , ext.140 to order your set or for more information. Fall at Face to Face has been quite busy with all possible sessions filled. We re still working on filling the remaining spring sessions. Please come and visit us if you have not done so, or have not done so recently. We have 3 sessions in January on the 6th, 8th, and 29th. We will also be hosting a private event for the Israel Bonds Women s Division meeting with a program about Face to Face on Wednesday morning January 28 th. I have a trip to D.C. planned for the middle of the month and will be visiting the USHMM again. There is always more to learn. L hitraot, Louise

13 PAGE 13 JANUARY 2014 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 SAVE THE DATE CST will be going as a group to the Maltz Museum for their latest exhibit- State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda Sunday, February 15 at 11:00am $10.00 per person includes nosh at 10:15am at the Museum RSVP to Martha by February 1st FACE TO FACE SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY Date School City Speaker 1/6/15 Shaker Heights M.S. Shaker Heights Albert Hersh 1/8/15 Shaker Heights M.S. Shaker Heights Stanley Bernath 1/29/15 Bay M.S. Bay Village

14 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 14 UPDATE FROM THE EDUCATION DIRECTOR MORAH ILANA YARES December was very busy for education. The first graders gathered together to start their journey of Jewish learning in the Shaarey Tikvah community by designing their wimples that will be presented by their families to the congregation at a ceremony on February 7. The wimple, a German custom that Shaarey Tikvah as a German synagogue has continued to follow, was originally made of the swaddling cloths wrapped around a boy at their b rit milah. The newly created fabric was then presented to the synagogue and then wrapped around the Torah at the Bar Mitzvah of the child. The custom of making wimples, for the Consecration/Hagigat HaTorah ceremony for both our boys and girls, was reinstituted at CST in a new form in 1993/1994. I hope you will all join us for this wonderful ceremony. Then, on Chanukkah, the 4 th graders all joined at the Plotkin home to celebrate their Bar/Bat Mitzvah date picking ceremony (see photo below). We lit Chanukkah candles together, enjoyed sufganiyot (jelly donuts) and latkes, and then learned a little bit about the process of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Finally, each family was given the opportunity to choose from a number of dates for their child s special day. Mazel Tov to all of the families! This month, we have many exciting happenings again for education. First, we are having our next MyArk TM sessions on Jewish history on January 10, 17, 24, and 31 with our non-shabbat session scheduled for February 1 from 10:00 am 11:30 am. Please come to learn about our history as a people and why this information is important. The sessions should be very interesting and intriguing. January 18 is our next Tzedakah Sunday on justice. This is Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and how perfect to be talking about justice and what is right. Please join us from 10:00 am 11:30 am for a mitzvah project to help those in need. Don t forget a pair of socks to be donated to those in need. Our In-House Shabbaton is January with the theme of L dor Va dor. The Gesher Kesher: Bridging Connections will be an excellent time to relax at CST over the course of Shabbat. If you have not yet registered, please do so ASAP! I will be participating in the Jewish Educator s Assembly (JEA) conference at the end of the month to learn from my colleagues and gain insight as to what is working elsewhere in education. I am looking forward to this time of professional development and to returning refreshed and invigorated for the rest of the year ahead. I hope to see you all soon! Morah Ilana

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16 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 16 SISTERHOOD NEWS SHALOM AND HAPPY NEW YEAR We would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year. It is hard to believe that 2015 is upon us and as we always say, where did last year go? We wish you a very happy, peaceful and healthy year ahead. Once again, our Sisterhood Kitchen crew provided a terrific luncheon for the Shabbat Lunch and Learn on December 13 th. We would like to say a special thank you to Ellen Greenfield, Nina Rosner, Sharon Desatnik, Toby Rosenberg, Harriet Friedman, Natalie Barr, Debbie Swisshelm, and Jessi Shapiro for all their help with cooking and baking. The meal was enjoyed by one and all. Please save the dates for the following up-coming events: Saturday, February 7 th 2015: The 2015 Adult Games Night (see flier on page 11) Sunday March 1 st 2015: The Annual Sisterhood Hamantashen Bakeoff from 10:00am - 2:30pm Monday, March 9 th 2015: Book Review of the The Children of Willesden Lane George Kronenberg and Walter Wertheim will present their Kindertransport experiences at this book review. To be held at Shaarey Tikvah Sunday, March 15 th 2015: At the Cleveland Playhouse - The Pianist of Willesden Lane - 2:00pm There will be a pre-show discussion around 1:15pm. (See flier in on opposite page) Let us know if you would like to work on any of these events. Our events are a great way to meet the women and families of our wonderful community. The gift shop is open..there are so many beautiful gifts to purchase for all occasions. Come in and shop, we will be more than happy to help you find the gift that suits your needs. I would like welcome Sheryl Golden and Jan Kneitel who will be transitioning into the gift shop to help us with purchases and sales. So let s all make this year, 2015, a great one for Sisterhood at CST. We look forward to your participation. If you are interested in becoming more involved, please contact either one of us. B Shalom, Ruth Bakst and Roberta Kaplan, Sisterhood co-presidents.

17 PAGE 17 JANUARY 2014 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 Sisterhood Event at the Cleveland Playhouse THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE Based on the book THE CHILDREN OF WILLESDEN LANE March 15 th at 2:00pm (Or at 1:15pm for the pre-show discussion) Ticket orders with payment must be received by January 26, 2015 Tickets costs are as follows: 18 and under - $20.00 Adults <35 years old - $30.00 Adults 35 years old - $47.00 Make your checks payable to Sisterhood CST All proceeds after ticket costs will be presented to Face to Face Questions? Contact: Ruth Bakst at (440) / (440) Or Louise Freilich (216) (Tear here and mail in with your payment) Name: Phone: (cell / home) (please print) Address: Number of Tickets: Make your checks payable to: Child 18 and under - $20.00 Sisterhood CST Attn: Alice Schubach Adults <35 years old - $30.00 Congregation Shaarey Tikvah Adults 35 years old - $ Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood, 44122

18 JANUARY 2015 /TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 18 MENS CLUB MOMENTS Winter is upon us and yet the sun is out and it s 50 degrees!; so join us for an event, have some fun, learn a little and see for yourself what we offer The Motown dinner-dance had a total of 340 people and 40 were from CST. THANK YOU to all who came and had a blast! Such a Deal! Our Town and All Around coupon books are BACK! Yup, for just $28 you get hundreds of local offers and coupon deals. You can find the books in the Sisterhood Gift Shop or with Roz Stone in the CST Office. Buy now for all of The Membership Kick Off drive for Men s Club has begun. Our dues are $18 for the year. Please renew and bring in another friend or relative. You may contact either of our Co-Chairmen, Phil Golden sagolden@roadrunner.com or Larry Rosner at rosners@sbcglobal.net. Beginning on Monday, January 19th and going through Friday, January 30th, Men s Club will be sponsoring our Super Bowl Squares Pool. There will be 100 boxes at $5.00 per entry. Winning is SO random. There is no skill involved in these boards nor is there a booky advantage or odds. Please see Martha in the CST Office to sign up for a square. Cash only is accepted and must be paid at time of sign up. On Sunday, February 8 th we will have another Speaker s Breakfast Program presentation by Hannah Borow, speaking on her Pilgrimage to Israel. This event will begin at 10am. We will be offering speakers covering a plethora of challenging and stimulating subjects. This project, our Scholar in Residence Breakfast Programming, has been underwritten by an anonymous donor. We are planning more speakers for late winter and spring. Israel Scholarship Fund Invitations: chairman, Steve Wertheim at swertheim55@gmail.com. Contact him with your children s or grandchildren s request to apply. This is YOUR Men s Club, so we need YOU! CST Men s Club is also getting involved on the national level with our vote to join the Federation of Jewish Men s Clubs. So, get involved, feed your stomach and your brain; come for an event and see what we can offer you. Regards, Joe Rettman, President The Kesher Chanukah winners are: - The Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland - Hebrew Shelter Home Thanks to all who participated in the survey. We received 158 votes from 90 congregants.

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20 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 20 Hello, My name is Jake Browner, and I am a senior at Shaker Heights High School. I have been on the Shaarey Tivah USY Board for all four years of my high school career, and I currently serve as Shaarey Tikvah USY s Executive Vice President. Being an active member of STUSY has opened up a lot of leadership opportunities for me, and has taught me responsibility in addition to strengthening my Jewish identity and providing a space for some of my closest friendships to continue to grow. In early December, I had the opportunity to attend Nachshon- a part of Kadima Kinnus where USY leaders across the region are invited to strengthen leadership skills and share best practices and advice. I led programs and discussions for the 6 th -8 th graders who attended the weekend and was able to show the future of USY how fantastic and fun it is to be involved! I have also learned many tangible skills through my board positions in STUSY, such as how to design a website, how to make a flyer and how to take detailed minutes - all skills that I know will help me in my future. However, the most valuable thing STUSY has offered me is a space to strengthen my friendships with people I know from synagogue fellow individuals who care about Judaism in addition to other common interests - these friends have become some of my very best friends. Whether it is a meeting or an event, STUSY always has a great time being together. Please mark your calendars for February 26-March 1 as Central Region USY invites 8 th -12 th graders to come to Cleveland for Specialty Kinnus. We would love to show the region how amazing Shaarey Tikvah is! Thanks, Jake RABBI S ARTICLE CON T. FROM PAGE 4 Highly functioning religious communities hold a mirror up to our soul, and force us to look into that mirror over long years, throughout our life cycle. I can t think of another human institution in which we might spend our entire lives--almost everyone leaves their family of origins to begin again after all. It is why I think of synagogues as lifelong institutes for applied wisdom. That is also why, as we celebrate Shaarey Tikvah s 75th anniversary, I don t believe it is sufficient to build only for our children. Torah doesn t expect we stop growing after we become b nei mitzvah. After all, according to the internal chronology of the Bible, Jacob was almost 100 years old when he wrestled with an angel who helped him mature. There is another point here too--we best build for the next generations by demonstrating our values to them in what we do today. A community filled with striving, self-correcting and growing individuals is perhaps the best gift we can give our children. It is the tangible example of loving our neighbors like ourselves. It is how we give expression to the divine spark we all share. In this task of self-transcendence and maturing kindness, we are indeed all ultimately the same person. Warmly, David

21 PAGE 21 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 THE SENIOR CAFÉ AT CST GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! Join friends and peers once a month for our free midday coffee klatch. Conversation, a changing selection of light, breezy activities and occasional speakers on topics of interest. When: Third Wednesday of each month 1:30 3:00 pm Contact: Judy Friedman (216) Shirley Hoffman (440) UPCOMING CAFÉ DATES: January 21 Our speakers will be Alice & Bob Schubach. Their topic is Yes, You Can Go Home Again: Returning to a Childhood Home in Germany February 18 March 18 Transportation available PS I U Parenting Salon - Inquire, Unwind Jan. 14: 7:30-9:00 At the Kosak home Co-Parenting with Your Child s School: Creating an Effective Partnership

22 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 PAGE 22 DONATIONS AS OF DECEMBER 17, 2014 GENERAL FUND In memory of: BETTY SALOMON: Ruth & Ezra Pecha, Leanne Leavitt ESME & SAM SINOFF: Leanne Leavitt ENGAGEMENT OF ALAN HOFFER & JODI POLSTER: Leanne Leavitt BIRTHDAYS OF MICHELLE KARP, JOE PARKIN, CHUCK REINER, JACOB CEMEL, SAM LEBER, ALLEN GOLD, MARILYN PETERS, JAY GELLER, GUSSIE SINGER, DAN POLSTER, LUISA AVIV, JODI MOLNER, AMNON OPHIR, JUDY ROSENBERG, MINDI STEIGER, GABE TANNENBAUM: Roberta & Gary Kaplan BIRTH OF GUSSIE & DAVID SINGER S SON: Roberta & Gary Kaplan CANTOR FUND In memory of: WILLIAM KAHANE: Jacqueline Freedman MARJORIE PALLER: Marion Gruen BETTY SALOMON: Roberta & Gary Kaplan JACKIE CHERNIN FUND JACKIE CHERNIN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Sarah Felder FACE TO FACE FUND In memory of: ESME & SAM SINOFF: Tabitha & Sheldon Zuckerman, Laurie & Aaron Billowitz LOUISE FREILICH S BIRTHDAY: Roberta & Gary Kaplan GRUEN ENTRANCE GARDEN FUND In memory of: ESME & SAM SINOFF: Marion Gruen BETTY SALOMON: Marion Gruen NANCY JUSTMANN: Marion Gruen LARRY & LIZ WEISS 30TH ANNIVERSARY: Marion Gruen BOB & ALICE CAHEN S 40TH ANNIVERSARY: Marion Gruen MARSHALL & JUDY ROSENBERG S 55TH ANNIVERSARY: Marion Gruen BIRTH OF DAVID & GUSSIE SINGER S SON: Marion Gruen LONI PINNS BIRTHDAY: Marion Gruen Speedy recovery of: WARREN SKLAR: Marion Gruen LEONE BLUMBERG: Marion Gruen HENRY MARGOLIS ISRAEL STUDY SCHOLARSHIP FUND In memory of: DOV MILNER: Irit Rawraway JORDAN SCHULTZ S BAR MITZVAH: Andy Havas & Janet Greene Speedy recovery of: ALLIE KNEITEL: Andy Havas & Janet Greene HENRY MARSH FUND MARILYN PETER S BIRTHDAY: Andy Havas & Janet Greene SAM GRANOFF S BAR MITZVAH: Andy Havas & Janet Greene SOPHIE BRAVO S BAT MITZVAH: Andy Havas & Janet Greene MATANAH FUND KYLA SCHNEIDER S BIRTHDAY: Arlene Lombardy, Leona Green, Roberta & Gary Kaplan In appreciation of: KYLA SCHNEIDER: Debbie Swisshelm MEN S CLUB SAM HOROWITZ S BIRTHDAY: Roberta & Gary Kaplan RUDY MICHEL FUND JACKIE CHERNIN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Loni Pinns DIANE LOVEMAN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Loni Pinns RABBI S DISCRETIONARY FUND In memory of: HYMAN SUTTON: Karen Sutton SANDRA SUTTON: Karen Sutton RABBI DAVID KOSAK S BIRTHDAY: Roberta & Gary Kaplan RABBI EDDIE SUKOL S BIRTHDAY: Roberta & Gary Kaplan RABBI JACOB SHTULL FUND In memory of: ESME & SAM SINOFF: Rita Shtull BETTY SALOMON: Rita Shtull JACKIE CHERNIN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Rita Shtull DIANE LOVEMAN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Rita Shtull SISTERHOOD HONOR: Rita Shtull BIRTH OF GUSSIE & DAVID SINGER S SON: Rita Shtull WARREN SKLAR S BIRTHDAY & SPEEDY RECOVERY: Rita Shtull LIZ WEISS, FOR THE PLEASURE OF STUDYING TOGETHER: Rita Shtull SISTERHOOD In memory of: ESME & SAM SINOFF: Roberta & Gary Kaplan JACKIE CHERNIN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Debbie Swisshelm, Judy Friedman, Milly Soroky DIANE LOVEMAN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Judy Friedman, Milly Soroky PAM WEISMAN S SISTERHOOD HONOR: Milly Soroky BIRTHDAYS OF DEBBIE SWISSHELM, LONI PINNS, DIANE BURGIN: Roberta & Gary Kaplan JOSH STONE MEMORIAL FUND In memory of: ESME & SAM SINOFF: Leona Green, Janet & Ed Kneitel, Jackie & Ron Wiesenthal & Family, Roz & Peter Stone BETTY SALOMON: Janet & Ed Kneitel MACE LEVIN: Janet & Ed Kneitel MILESTONE BIRTHDAYS OF JODI MOLNER, CARI IMMERMAN, SARAH KAMMEN, MERRIANNE LEFF: Leona Green MILESTONE ANNIVERSARIES OF LARRY & LIZ WEISS, MARSHALL & JUDY ROSENBERG: Leona Green

23 PAGE 23 JANUARY 2015 / TEVET/SHEVAT 5775 YAHRZEITS January 3 9 Ben Adelman Florence Alpert Joe Attenson Marcia Bachrach Henry Bildstein John J. Boyko Shirley Brick Abraham Cohen Leo Dick Elsbeth Glahs Max Goldsmith Leah Goldstein Sylvia Harris Harold Hoenig Jerman Jacobsohn Eleanor Kiestin Louis Klastorin Helen Klein Regina Klein Leah Lichtstern Moses Marcovitch Esther Rosenberg Howard Schoenfeld Bernard Shipper Sol Simon Nelly Spiegler Harry Steiger Bertha Strauss David Warner Ina Yulish January Eva Beckerman Sam Berry Emery Daniel Hilda Eisenberg Marilynn Friedman Sadie Gladstone Fred Goodman Esther Hausman Emilia Keller Betty Kuperman Benjamin Lavin Arnold Levy Anne Lichtstern Elsie Mandel Lebell Richter Gustav Schubach Ruth Scolnick Rosa Shartenberg William Silverman Celia Sobel Paul Wertheimer Dean Wyman Stanley Yulish January Meta Allmayer Hilda Bertman Harry Boardman Maxwell Browner Arnold Falleder Rita Fersky Inge Frank Abraham Freund Sydney Greenberg Sadie Grossman Ruth Hoffer Yetta Kahane Flora Kane Anna Kramer Herbert Kraus Florence Maier Karola Maringer Diane Morrison Richard November Leo Paller Rae Paller Albert Rosenberg Bertha Starkman Max Sunshine Ida Tisch Ernest Wallach Henry Young January Max Bardon Arthur Baum Salomon Berg Eric Faerber Pessa Galperin Chaim Zvi Hennenberg Perel Hennenberg Isaac Kohen Rosa Lenschitzki Diane Meskin Ida Muszynski Max Ottenheimer Joseph Price Joseph Rothschild Sue Rubenstein Bertha Scherer Leatrice White Schwartz Bella Seldner Estelle Senser Helen Stone Armin Walder Janice White William D. Wolff BIRTH OF GUSSIE & DAVID SINGER S SON: Leona Green ENGAGMENT OF JUDITH WERTHEIM & AARON RAPPORT: Leona Green Speedy recovery of: PAULINE LEBER; Leona Green YAHRZEIT DONATIONS BEN ADELMAN: Diane & Joel Adelman SOL BARBASH: John & Joan Boyko EUGENE BERMAN: Susan Stone JEROME & LOTTE BIGELSON: Diana Pearson EDYTHE BOSSEL: Sam & Pauline Leber MAXWELL BROWNER: Ken Browner FAYE COHEN: Diane & Joel Adelman LEO GLADSTONE: Sheila & David Horowitz SADIE GLADSTONE: Sheila & David Horowitz ARLENE GORDON: Fran Gordon ALIZA HATCHUEL: Ruth Bakst JACK JACOBY: Don & Sharlet Berman KATHERINE JACOBY: Don & Sharlet Berman REGINA KLEIN: Tova Sego MORRIS LEAVITT: Leanne Leavitt FLORENCE MAIER: Howard & Sue Maier RICHARD NOVEMBER: Terri November MOLLIE REIN: Leanne Leavitt LEBELL RICHTER: Terri November JEAN K. RONIN: Don & Sharlet Berman GUSTAV SCHUBACH: Robert & Alice Schubach DEAN WYMAN: Marcia Wyman ISAY ZUCKERMAN: Rick & Allison Schultz

24 Congregation Shaarey Tikvah Fairmount Boulevard Beachwood, Ohio Return service requested NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CLEVELAND, OHIO PERMIT NO JANUARY 2015 (see details on the website) SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SHABBAT 1 2 6pm Services 3 9am Services 4 9am Services 5 6 9:30am F2F 6:30pm Rabbi s Talmud Class 7:15pm Minyan 7:30pm Exec. Comm. Meeting 7 8 9:30am F2F 9 6pm Services Shabbat Shabang at BJ-5 th - 6 th graders 10 9am Services Shabbat Shabang at BJ-5 th - 6 th graders Hazak Shabbat 11 9am Services Community Dialogue Group 10:30am Rabbi s Talmud Class 7:15pm Minyan 14 7:30pm PS I <3 U Kosak Home pm Services 17 9am Services 18 9am Services 10am Tzedakah Sunday Rabbi s Talmud Class 7:15pm Minyan 7:30pm BOT Meeting pm Services In-house Shabbaton 24 9am Services In-house Shabbaton 25 9am Services Rabbi s Talmud Class 7:15pm Minyan :30am F2F 30 6pm Services