The Bulletin Adat Chaim s News Source

Transcription

1 The Bulletin Adat Chaim s News Source December 2013 Owings Mills, Maryland Kislev/Tevet 5774 From The Presidents Desk A house of learning... November was truly an amazing month at Adat Chaim for activity and for attendance. Starting at the beginning of the month with the Rabbi Essrog Memorial lecture our sanctuary was filled with family, friends and community members. I extend a sincere thank you to Toby Essrog for her continued commitment of holding this annual event at Adat Chaim. A house of meeting... Adat Chaim was the location for the Seaboard Region of Women s League for Conservative Judaism s Torah Fund event. Adrienne Frager and her committee gained positive recognition for Adat Chaim and appreciation from around the Region, including Sue Taffet, Seaboard Region President. A house of celebration... Our community shared with many families as they celebrated birthdays and milestones. We celebrated Myra Satisky s simcha; feeling blessed to share and participate in this wonderful life cycle event along with her family. In a once in a life time occurrence, we celebrated our national American holiday of Thanksgiving with that of Chanukah. It is common knowledge that Thanksgiving is one of the most traveled holidays on the American calendar. Adat Chaim moved forward to have its first community Shabbat meal this past Friday night in our new location. I am delighted to note that no animal suffered in this event and did not need a pardon since this was a dairy meal. It was a complete success with 36 attendees who joyously shared in this wonderful compilation of food, prayer and holiday melody. Thank you to Rabbi Seidler for leading us. A house of commitment... None of the above events would have happened without the dedicated members of Sisterhood to which I am deeply indebted. Mark your calendar for Friday, December 2oth for the next Shabbat dinner. More details to follow. A house of conversation... Let the dialogue continue with our congregational meeting to be held on Sunday, December 15 th at 10AM. I look forward to seeing you there to share the successes of the past few months and build our future together. May your family know only peace and joy and let us be thankful for our blessings. Art President Adat Chaim 1

2 Adat Chaim Pleasant Hill Center Red Run Boulevard, Suite 109 Owings Mills, MD SHUL (7485) Officers Art Wolf, President Jerry Newman, 2 nd Vice President jsnewm@gmail.com Danny Satisky, Treasurer dsat410@gmail.com Nancy Heasley, Recording Secretary nth315@aol.com Lynn Ruddie, Financial Secretary accbln@aol.com Editor Cathy Litofsky clitofsky@comcast.net The Bulletin accepts all material relevant to the Jewish community in the northwest corridor. To maintain accuracy all information will be accepted by only. SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 18th of each month for the next month s publication. Please contact the synagogue office for all Life Cycle Events. When a birth, illness or death occurs in your family be sure to call the synagogue office at: We will be able to help you get the support you need, including phone squad announcements to the congregation, coverage for services, meals, visits, rides to the doctor or any other assistance that you might need. Need Information? Adult Education Wendy Raith B nei Mitzvah Program Synagogue Office Billing Questions Lynn Ruddie Bulletin Cathy Litofsky Catering and Kiddush Sponsorship Tina Asher Facebook Page Wendy Raith Giant Certificates Nadine Wolf Gift Shop Tina Asher Life Cycle Events Synagogue Office Membership/Publicity Art Wolf Mitzvah Cards Harriet Meier Ritual Committee Sisterhood Adrienne Frager Webmaster Lynn Ruddie No phone calls or s on Shabbat please. 2

3 Happy Birthday If your birthday does not appear or you have a correction to what we have, call the office at or us at adatchaim18@juno.com and we will remedy it right away. HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY WISHES GO OUT TO: December 5 th December 6 th December 13 th December 16 th December 18 th December 20 th December 27 th December 29 th December 31 st Ben Weksberg Arthur Wolf Ben Meier Carol Pondfield Dena Bober Sandy Newman Myra Wittik Jenna Reamer Paul Raith Irv Litofsky Marcy Wesalo Alan Silver If you have an Anniversary and don t see it in the bulletin, please call the office or us at adatchaim18@juno.com with your information. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Howard & Carol Wagenheim Thursday, December 5 31 st 3

4 KIDDUSH SPONSORS* Thanks to the following who sponsored Kiddush in November: November 8 th - Toby Essrog for the Rabbi Essrog Memorial Lecture and Services November 15th - Cathy and Irv Litofsky in honor of Cathy and Natalie Litofsky s November birthdays November 22 nd - Myra Satisky in honor of her special birthday November 29 th The Adat Chaim Sisterhood for sponsoring the Chanukah dinner and Oneg November 30 th Adrienne Frager and Jaci Schoen on the occasion of reading Torah and Haftorah *If you are interested in sponsoring a Friday or Saturday Kiddush for any occasion please contact Tina Asher at or talkinteeny@verizon.net and she will be happy to help you. *If you would like to make a contribution to the Sisterhood Kiddush Fund, please contact Cathy Litofsky at clitofsky@comcast.net. Your donations will help defray the cost of the weekly Oneg and Kiddush after services on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. Any contribution amount is greatly appreciated. GENERAL SYNAGOGUE FUND To perpetuate the Essrog Memorial Lecture Saul Elishewitz Mona ns Russell Kaufman YAHRZEITS TZEDAKAH In Memeory of Lena Gold, mother of Maxine Rosenthal Maxine Rosenthal In Memory of Herman Rosenthal, father-in-law of Maxine Rosenthal Maxine Rosenthal In Memory of Louis Portnoy, father of Marion Freedman Marion Freedman SISTERHOOD Gratefully acknowledges Adrienne Frager for donating back her Bingo winnings 4

5 Sisterhood Adrienne Frager, President Thanks to Harriet Meier for arranging for our book club to join the Glyndon Trace book club where Nancy Lefenfeld discussed her book, The Faith of Others, which recognizes Jewish resisters living in France who smuggled Jewish children to Switzerland during the Shoah. Adat Chaim hosted the Women s League of Conservative Judaism Seaboard Region s Annual Torah Fund event on Sunday, November 17 th. Around 50 women along with the speakers filled our sanctuary for a delightful afternoon. Thanks to Cathy and Nadine for ensuring the event ran smoothly. Monday, December 9 is our Annual Member Appreciation Dinner where this year s theme is Mispachah Mitzvah. Check the flyer in this bulletin for more information. Bring your family and friends for Bingo on Saturday, December 14. Doors open at 7PM and Bingo starts at 7:30 p.m. Bingo Cards are $15 for 12 games; Specials are $1 per card; there are 5 special games. Adat Chaim Sisterhood s next book club is on Wednesday, December 18 at 7PM at Myra Wittik s. The book being discussed is Harry Lipin Private Eye by Barry Fantoni. Contact Linda Boteach at linda.boteach@gmail.com to RSVP and for directions. Saturday, January 25 is the date for our Sisterhood Shabbat. The Torah portion will be Mishpatim. Check hebcal through this link, for the Triennial Year 1 readings and Haftarah. Contact Jaci Schoen at jschoen714@gmail.com to find out how you can participate. Hope to see you at these events! Check out our gift shop display which features many items including Sisterhood s new Mitzvah cards which were designed by Joanie Posner. Contact Tina Asher at talkinteeny@verizon.net for purchases. We are mishpachah Join our family Shalom until next month, Adrienne Seaboard Region s Torah Fund event at Adat Chaim 5 Adat Chaim s Mishpachah Guest Speakers & Sue Taffet Women from Seaboard

6 Join us for our Sisterhood Appreciation Dinner Monday, December 9, 2013 at 6:30 P.M. Come for Dinner* and Celebrate Mishpachah Mitzvah We have a very nice evening planned to: 1. Make cards for Meals on Wheels 2. Put together lap blankets for patients 3. Collect non-perishable food items Take time as a Sisterhood family to appreciate each other and reach out to help others in need R.S.V.P. to Nadine Wolf at nwolf1021@yahoo.com *Grilled chicken, green beans, vegetable orzo, salad and dessert (Please let us know of any special dietary needs) 6

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8 WOMEN S LEAGUE FOR CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM Women s League Shabbat 2014/5774 WHAT IS WOMEN S LEAGUE FOR CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM? The mission of Women s League for Conservative Judaism is to strengthen and unite synagogue women s groups, their members and individual members; support them in mutual efforts to understand and perpetuate Conservative/Masorti Judaism in the home, synagogue and community; and reinforce their bonds with Israel and Jews worldwide. Women s League has grown significantly, both in size and status, from the group first organized by Mathilde Schechter in 1918 when 100 women, many the wives of prominent rabbis and scholars affiliated with the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, looked to perpetuate traditional Judaism in the home, synagogues and communities, a task they saw for American Jewish women. The early leaders disseminated their message through educational materials written in English, designed to guide young women through the process of acculturation and Americanization. After World War I, an impressive collection of publications was prepared for the growing membership for use in study circles and at home. Over the following decades, new departments and programs were initiated to meet the needs of the women of the burgeoning Conservative movement. In the 1970s, Women s League became a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, World Jewish Congress, World Council of Synagogues, World Zionist Congress, and several other agencies devoted to Jewish communal service. In the following decade, its voice grew consistently stronger in Israel where it has forged indispensable relationships with the congregations as well as with the women of the Masorti movement. As women have found equality both on the pulpit and in the workplace, the turn of the 21st century has seen the establishment of the Leadership Institute, Days of Study, book initiatives such as Orpah s List and BookMarks, and increased efforts to reach sisterhoods and individual members. Women s League is a principle partner in the publication of CJ: Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism. Answering the challenge of relevance for today s Conservative Jewish woman, developing an educated Jewish laity, and appealing to younger women are all part of the challenges being met by Women s League today. Through volunteer programs and projects, members expand their knowledge of, and commitment to, a vibrant and vital Judaism. Participation in contemporary issues, community service and social action is encouraged and supported. Through its Torah Fund campaign, Women s League provides support for the students of the Jewish Theological Seminary (New York), Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (Los Angeles), Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies (Jerusalem), and Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano (Buenos Aires). Women s League is as dedicated today as it was in 1918 to the creation of a vibrant American Jewish community that nurtures the individual, family and community with the values of Jewish tradition. We are extremely proud that the Adat Chaim Sisterhood is affiliated with this phenomenal organization, Women s League for Conservative Judaism! Please join us on Saturday, January 25 th for Sisterhood Shabbat, a day set aside for the women of Adat Chaim, our Sisters across the country and beyond, to gather together in prayer, community, learning and Sisterhood. 8 Stay after services for lunch and study with us. The parsha for this Shabbat service is Mishpatim. RSVP to Jaci Schoen at jschoen714@gmail.com

9 Yahrzeits If you have a Yahrzeit and don t see it in the bulletin or wish to be included on the list for a relative s Yahrzeit, please call the office or send us an at adatchaim18@juno.com and we will be happy to update our database. (Candles should be lit at sundown the night before) Date: Yahrzeit of: Relationship: Thursday, Dec. 5 th Charlotte Gordon Mother of Cathy Litofsky Friday, Dec. 6 th Sol Silver Father of Carol Pondfield Sunday, Dec. 8 th Ralph Grosman Father of Marc Grosman Jeanne Sandler Sister of Helen Gold Wednesday, Dec. 18 th Sylvia Schoen Mother of Richard Schoen Phyllis Wesalo Mother of Roger Wesalo Tuesday, Dec. 24 th Solomon Gold Father of Armand Gold Father of Maxine Rosenthal Thursday, Dec. 26 th Rita Schmier Aunt of Sandy Newman Wednesday, Jan. 1 st Terry Josephson Brother of Myra Wittik Thursday, Jan. 2 nd Anna Elishewitz Mother of Saul Elishewitz Tuesday, Jan. 7 th Ben Friedheim Father of Tina Asher Sunday, Jan. 12 th Bella Koffman Grandmother of Cathy Litofsky Monday, Jan. 13 th Molly Satisky Mother-in-Law of Myra Satisky Grandmother of Danny Satisky Wednesday, Jan. 15 th Tyler Ruddie Husband of Lynn Ruddie Father of Elliot Ruddie & Jaime Reilly Friday, Jan. 17 th Elaine Guralnick Mother of Wendy Raith Sunday, Jan. 19 th Max Indich Grandfather of Richard Schoen Tuesday, Jan. 21 st Robert Schoen Father of Richard Schoen Thursday, Jan. 23 rd Abraham Davidson Grandfather of Irv Litofsky Johanna Davidson Grandmother of Irv Litofsky Friday, Jan. 24 th Herman Deitchman Father of Harry Deitchman Grandfather of Phil Deitchman 9

10 Reminiscing by Alvin Bober December is not our best month for sunny skies and mild temperatures. December s weather can be nasty. Still December s weather is better that that of January and February. Some of us like to enjoy snowy weather. I had a boss one time who loved to ski. Each year he would take two weeks off and ski. He selected such ski areas as the Alps, Colorado, Utah, etc for his vacation. The negative side of his skiing obsession was that he was a klutz. Each year he would return in bandages. A two-week vacation usually turned into four weeks. In 2013, Hanukkah was shared in November. Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coincided. This happens approximately once every zillion years. The celebration of the two holidays was a real joy. They certainly supplement and complement each other. We gathered the family for a super time. It was just great. We had our traditional Thanksgiving dinner and our distribution of Hanukkah gifts. It revolved around our centerpiece roast turkey. We are great believers of roasting at fairly low temperatures for an extended period. The combination of temperature and time makes an appetizing bird. We all have special ideas on what the side dishes should be. Let s start with potatoes. Some years we have white and sweet potatoes. Our standby is sweet potatoes with marshmallows. The sweet potatoes are augmented with orange juice, cinnamon and brown sugar. This is an outstanding concoction. White potatoes are usually mashed, no lumps, and are made from homegrown potatoes. This year our crop was below par and we passed on mashed potatoes. We also plate whole cranberry sauce and cranberry relish. Clear, plain cranberry from a can is not allowed on our table. Our relish is enhanced with a cinnamon stick, a whole orange and sugar. It is a great dish for Thanksgiving. Sauerkraut plus an apple is one more side dish. The apple takes the bite out of the tartness and we serve it warm. It is very popular with some of our family. I m sorry to report there are a few members who avoid eating it. I have to admit that we have some family members who are not perfect. Another side dish is string beans in a tomato sauce. This dish is universally admired. I disliked the way my mother prepared string beans. I always avoided eating them. Dena introduced me to string beans in tomato sauce and I ve been a fan ever since. My mother had some of Dena s string beans and became an ardent supporter. In fact, she had us almost believe that the recipe came from her kitchen. Certainly we have dessert. Our offerings are usually pie, apple and pumpkin, and lemon squares. My mother-in-law was a superb pie baker. Now that she is gone our son-in-law has come forward. He has many attributes but his pie making skills places him in the top of the row. Our daughter-in-law is the lemon squares baker. No question she is a top drawer baker. Finally, there is football on TV that makes a great contribution to the congeniality of Thanksgiving Day. It is a special moment each year when we light the Hanukkah candles. We should adjust our calendars so that we can do this every Thanksgiving Day! Alvin Bober December

11 Attention Giant, Safeway and Food Lion Customers in Westminster. Giant gift cards are available in denominations of $10, $25, $50 and $100. Adat Chaim receives 5% of each gift card purchased. Giant gift cards may also be used at Martins Did you know that Safeway has a program that will turn groceries into dollars for our shul? It is really easy to do once you have a Safeway 2. Card. Do you already shop at Food Lion? Follow these easy steps if you have a Safeway card: 1. Log onto Select Safeway. 3. Follow their instructions! Updated information for Food Lion Go onto Click on Good Neighbors on the left side of the page. Then click on In the Community, and then Lion Shop and Share. You can then register your card with Adat Chaim. If you have any questions about these programs or want to order Giant cards, please contact the synagogue if you are interested. NEW INCOME STREAM FOR ADAT CHAIM FROM AMAZON Please go to Adat Chaim's new Facebook page and "like it". Once there, below our logo at the top of the page under Religious Organization, you will see the following link: You can use this link to purchase any product offered by Amazon. The Shop Adat Chaim link can also be found on the Home Page of our website*. The best part is that, if you go to Amazon through either of these links, Amazon will donate a percentage of the purchase price to Adat Chaim! You will receive the quality Amazon product, at the same low price you expect, and Adat Chaim, receives a donation. That's a blessing for everyone. For questions about the program, please contact Adrienne Frager at adriennesl@aol.com *You can log on to and choose the link: Shop Adat Chaim. 11

12 1 5 th Night of Chanukah ~ December 2013 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Vayigash 8 Wind Ensemble concert at Shriver Hall see Notes below for more information 15 Congregational Meeting 10AM 6 th Night of Chanukah 9 Sisterhood Appreciation Dinner 6:30PM 7 th Night of Chanukah 4 Sisterhood Board Meeting 8 th Night of Chanukah Book Myra Wittik s House 7:00PM :27PM With Rabbi Jerry Seidler 4:27PM Shabbat Dinner (6:30PM) and Services () with Rabbi Jerry Seidler 4:30PM With Rabbi Jerry Seidler 14 Vayechi With Rabbi Jerry Seidler Bingo Doors open at 7:00PM 21 Shemot 28 Vaera :34PM Notes: Cathy & Irv Litofsky invite you to a FREE concert on the Johns Hopkins University campus at 2PM. Concert will be held in Shriver Hall. New Year s Eve Around Town: Limmund Learn about Limmud Baltimore, an entirely volunteer-driven, multi-denominational movement and philosophy celebrating Jewish study, culture and identity. Join us for a free pizza dinner at 5 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, 2013, in the community room of the Park Heights JCC. There will be an engaging "Taste of Limmud" activity led by Jewish educator and storyteller Jennifer Rudick Zunikoff. RSVP required. Please info@limmudbaltimore.com or call "Wherever you are in your Jewish journey, Limmud will take you one step further." Learn more at 12

13 ~ January 2014 ~ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Bo New Year s Day Rosh Chodesh Shevat :40PM 11 Beshalach :46PM Yitro Tu b Shevat :54PM Special Program and Guest Speaker Topic: Safety 5:02PM 25 Mishpatim Sisterhood Shabbat Bingo doors open at 7:00PM Notes: Rosh Chodesh Adar I 5:10PM 13