Congregation Kneseth Israel OUR VOICE Volume No. 29 Issue No. 7 Tammuz - Av 5774 July 2014

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1 Congregation Kneseth Israel OUR VOICE Volume No. 29 Issue No. 7 Tammuz - Av 5774 July 2014 The Kneseth Israel Sanctuary - Photographs Courtesy of Mark Goldberg Dr. Christian Tremblay performing at Kneseth Israel Thank you Ali and Haley, we will all miss you next year

2 From your Rabbi / Cantor Dear Congregants, Sunshine and summer adventure has arrived. Classical Annapolis boating, outdoor activities and long restful Shabbatot are on the calendar for the Hebrew month of Tammuz. Additionally, the 4 th of July Independence holiday offers us a time to celebrate religious freedom. This year marks the 200 th Anniversary of our National Anthem, the Star Spangled Banner. Written by Francis Scott Key, with lyrics by John Stafford Smith, it was conceived in neighboring Baltimore. In honor of this landmark historical occasion, a colleague of mine, Rabbi Dovid Katz, led an interesting bus tour entitled American Jews and the War of 1812, including a visit to Fort McHenry, a National Monument and shrine. How proud we should feel that our Jewish ancestors were amongst the soldiers and volunteers who fought for our countries military achievements! This week I traveled to Israel for a family simcha. My daughter Ayala became engaged and it was a time of Mazel-tov meetings and future wedding plans. Moreover, the country is bustling with tourists, entrepreneurs, and professional organizations from around the world. A lot of positive ideas and energy! While the personal perspective is joyful, there is also a political concern for certain disturbing developments. We pray for the safe return of the three kidnapped teenagers. Specifically, the merger of Hamas with Fatah, a terrorist organization is troubling for Israel due to their track record of anti- Semitic violence and destruction. We must strengthen our prayers, charity, and acts of kindness to receive divine assistance and protection. As I always say, we need to be vigilant and garner our allies to support and protect Jews worldwide and in the Land of Israel. One of my advocacy plans is to attend the Christians United for Israel convention in Washington D.C. on July 21 st -22 nd. Building bridges is a way we can thank our non-jewish families and clergy, who work to promote democracy and freedom in the Middle East. Regarding our own spiritual house, at KI we are always looking for ways to improve our synagogue. In the works, is a beautiful upgrade of the Educational Directors office. A sincere thank you to devoted friends, and loyal members, for your financial generosity to help make this happen. Looking forward to sharing ongoing good news. Much Blessings. Rabbi Moshe P. Weisblum

3 My dear fellow congregants, Summer is certain with us now, with very warm or hot afternoons, however along with all this heat in Annapolis come a wealth of activities one can perform to keep cool. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful location so close to such an historic and beautiful body of water as the Chesapeake Bay. With the Summer in Annapolis, we all look forward to the Annual Rosenblatt Memorial Lecture, Gary and Jason always seem to find the most interesting speakers, and this year was no exception as former Israeli ambassador, Dan Kurtzer and Sheila Kurtzer spoke in our sanctuary. A big thank you and great job to Leslie Gradet for coordinating this event. We were treated to a beautiful fathers day concert, courtesy of our musical director Shouvik Mondle. We were treated to music performed by Dr. Christian Tremblay on violin, now a KI regular Diane Kinsley on piano, Shouvik Mondle Baritone and Rabbi Weisblum Tenor. It was such an enjoyable concert, with very diverse music presented. These are certainly events to look forward to. In addition, the Sisterhood sold out an antique appraisal program at KI. This event was such a great idea, as almost everyone has one of those family keepsakes that they always wanted to know if it was worth something. In early June we celebrated Shavuot, the second of our three festivals. This year we did things just a bit differently, starting services at 8 a.m. instead of 9 a.m. We felt that since this was a weekday service, there were many that would like to attend but also could not miss much work. This way services were wrapped up by 10 a.m. and those that had to could still work a relatively full day. This was very well received, as several members mentioned if we did not start at 8 they would not have been able to attend. We plan to continue this for future holidays that may fall on a weekday (other than Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). We will continue to strive to be innovative in our approach to meeting our congregants and the Jewish community s needs, there are many gaps that can be filled, and KI as the front runners and leaders of the Annapolis Jewish community can fill those gaps. As Tzipporah and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary, we thought it would be nice to host a President s Shabbat Dinner, and we plan to do this in August. Please look for an invitation soon. Of course everyone is invited, so please plan to come and to bring guests! I would like to take a moment to thank Mark Goldberg for the beautiful photographs of our sanctuary on the front cover of this Kolenu. We are planning to release a new look Kolenu toward the end of this year, and Mark has offered his photographs to be used. Mark is an excellent photographer and I recommend that anyone in the area that needs some photographic work done, consider Mark. Our in-house chef and caterer, Steve Lebowitz and family, in the form of Allot catering continue to blossom and grow. I was really pleased to read this article on the Lebowitz s and Allot Catering on jewishfoodexperience.com. We are also working hard to ensure we provide the best communication to our members. Currently we communicate via , internet through our website, telephone calls and US Mail. Our Shabbat page and Kolenu are now available online or via as well as by US mail. If you have a preferred method of receiving these publications, please contact the office and let us know your preference. We are developing a streamlined and efficient method to communicate and ensure nobody is left out. I hope everyone has a very enjoyable summer, but don t stay away from the Shul! David Sliom President, Congregation Kneseth Israel President's Message

4 Yahrtzeit Donations Jeffrey Torf by Arthur Torf Ezra E. Ani by Joyce Ani Ida Goldstein by Corinne Earle Louis Zimmerman by Roslyn Zimmerman Etta Kaufman by Max Koman Michael Sachs by Annie Frieman Rose Sutton by Laura & Stephen Sutton Miriam Goldrat by Esther Mandelkorn Grete B. Schwarzschild by Lore Singerman Arthur Koplin by Francine & Barnett Rattner. Elaine Lisa Goodman by Peter Goodman Sondra Snyder by Debra Snyder Lipsky Mark L Lipsky by Debra Snyder Lipsky Michael Goldstein by Corinne Earle Phyllis Kopen by Harriet Rubin Frieda Riegel by Roslyn Zimmerman Manuel Schenker by Rita Cohen Judith Rubin by Shirley Sweren Adam Mandelkorn by Esther Mandelkorn Morton H. Wilner by Larry Wilner Rose Rattner by Shirley Lieberman Dr. Ludwig Schwarzschild by Lore Singerman Albert Greenbaum by Harry Greenbaum Aaron Goldschmidt by Fritz Goldschmidt Bernice Stark by Nancy Schoenburg Sam H. Snyder by Debra Snyder Lipsky MAZEL TOV TO... Ina and Jeffrey Legum on their anniversary Donna and Alan Berusch on their anniversary Lori and Howard Hoffman on their anniversary Bernice and Stanley Cohn on their wedding anniversary Judge Jonas & Jean Legum on the marriage of their daughter Lauren to Andrew Slone Haley Janowitz for being salutatorian of the senior class of South River high school Rabbi & Rebbetzin Weisblum on the engagement of their daughter Ayla to Dolev Nizri

5 SISTERHOOD GIFT SHOP Judaica for All Occasions and Holidays Bar and Bat Mitzvah Gifts, Kippot Israeli Crafts and Jewelry Contact: Libby Monias Laura Sutton Kneseth Israel Sisterhood Gift Shop We recently added to our inventory of art pieces by Israeli artist Yair Emanuel. This month the Gift Shop is featuring a beautiful Emanuel 13 x 15 fabric multicolor Shalom wall hanging. Other pieces by Emanuel are displayed in the showcases in the auditorium, as well. This is the season of simchas with graduations, engagements, and weddings. Shop the Gift Shop where items are available for your convenience and give you the opportunity to support the KI Sisterhood. The Shop is open at most synagogue events. Questions/requests- Please contact-: Libby Monias: mon1lib62@gmail.com or Laura Sutton: ls217@comcast.net or Kneseth Israel Sisterhood News 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 June was relatively quiet for Sisterhood. We did get two quotes on the handicap access to our entrance. One was outside our budget, and the other one was within our budget. We are working on the fine print before we present the drawing and sign a contract. The plan includes the ramp, new carpeting, railing, and a new canopy to cover the stairs and the ramp. Hopefully we can make this a reality before winter! At the time of this writing, we have not yet held our Antique Appraisal Road Show. However, we have reservations for appraisals enough to fill our evening, and it looks like it will be a fun and educational evening for all! We ll report on this next month. We had hoped that one or more of our congregrants would have been able to donate funds to purchase a new computer for the Rabbi and Jeri Shaffron, our nursery school director. Computers and printers are badly needed, and we are so outside of our budget that we must depend solely on donations to make these purchases. Please, if you can help, your donation will only be used to purchase the computers and printers. It will not be used for any other purpose. We are trying to work within budget to put us back on our financial feet, but sometimes these unbudgeted items come up. Yes, we need computers, but we also have repairs to our building and systems that must be made. Your donation would be a true mitzvah! Thank you to Lore Singerman, who recently became a Double Chi member of Sisterhood! In addition to her original Life Membership, Lore donated another $ to become a Double Life Member. Thank you, Lore, for your faith in Sisterhood! And don t forget that the Sisterhood Gift Shop is open by appointment with just a call to Libby Monias at (410) or Laura Sutton at (410) Now that s service with a smile! We wish everyone a happy and safe 4 th of July, and we hope to have lots to talk about in our next Kolenu! Shalom!.Nancy Gordon President

6 Perpetual Torah Fund Solicitation June 1, 2014 Dear Congregants, As we say goodbye to old man winter and we begin to welcome spring and summer, it is also the time to remember the past and look to the future. As the chairperson of the Religious Committee and on behalf of the entire Religious Committee, I m writing to you concerning an extremely important matter for our Congregation. As all of us are aware, our Torahs have been providing us with many, many years of comfort, learning, and a sense of well-being. Without our Torahs, we cannot exist. As with anything that is used often, and in this case, they are used three times a week, 52 weeks a year, even on a rotating basis, they need to be maintained in a proper manner to maintain their Kashrut. The religious committee feels that there is a definite need to establish a Perpetual Torah Fund for just that purpose. The monies in this fund will be used strictly for the repair and maintenance of our Torahs on an as needed basis to ensure that our Torahs are kept in kosher condition at all times. The funds collected through your generous donations will be kept in a separate account, aside from the General Fund. The Religious Committee feels that this is the best direction to ensure the continued use of our Torahs. The following guide will provide you with an understanding of what funds are needed for maintenance and to do specific types of repairs. Currently, we have 3 Torahs that require repair; two major and one minor. $ To have a scribe check a sefer Torah for it s Kashrut (Kosher). $ To repair a letter. $ To repair a word. $3, to $4, To do a significant repair. (One Torah) We look forward to any amount, be it small or large, that you feel comfortable donating. When making your donation, please specify the Perpetual Torah Fund on the For line of your check. If you wish to make your donation via credit card, specify that it s for the Perpetual Torah Fund so that your donation will be handled properly. Thanks again for contributing to this fund that will benefit all of us. Respectfully, Michael Snyder Religious Chairperson 1) ATTENTION: For those men who wish to recite their Bar Mitzvah Haftorah, you are encouraged to contact Rabbi Weisblum for assistance in preparing for that special recitation. This would be a great honor and mitzvah. 2) "THE GREAT BIRNBAUM SIDDURIM GIVE-A-WAY" 2) Sunday, June 22 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM If you would like to have a Birnbaum Siddur (light blue Shabbat prayer book) that you have some sort of connection to from the past, that you donated in honor of or in memory of a family member, you are welcome to come pick it up at the synagogue on the date and at the time designated above. This would be a wonderful opportunity to donate a new Koren Siddur to perpetuate the honor of that special occasion or the memory of your family loved one. The purchase of a new Koren Siddur would include a duplicated new book plate. The price of a new Koren Siddur to replace a Birnbaum Siddur would be $ Selecting a Birnbaum Siddur to take home does not require the purchase of a replacement Koren Siddur.

7 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 Prayer books and Chumashim for purchase and dedication $50 per book (contact the Shul Office and the Rabbi will select the book most needed). Donation Cards Minimum of $10.00 per name (in honor of or memory) 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, Nursery School:- Jerri Shafran Director, Day Care:- Patricia Calomiris Office Manager:- Jeanne Smit Bookkeeper:- Dave Stout There is also a list of items in the Synagogue that can be purchased. For more information about those items, call Steve Sutton at 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 these stores, using these cards it can be a great way to send money to KI. Contact Shirley C. Aronson or Marcia Diamond if interested.

8 Jewish Education Center of Anne Arundel County. Shalom! I would like to introduce myself to you, if we have not had the opportunity as yet to meet. I am Ellyn Kaufman and very excited to be starting up a new Hebrew School at KI, which will be known as the Jewish Education Center of Anne Arundel County. How did this come to be and why was I asked to start up this school? After working in Arnold for 13 years as a Jewish Educator, the position I held as Director of Education for a local Hebrew School was changed and shortly thereafter, Rabbi Weisblum invited me to start a new Hebrew School with KI. As a Jewish Educator for the past 38 years, I accepted the challenge and have been meeting with local people since to see how we can best build this entity for our current KI families with children, for people in AAC who are unaffiliated and as an option for other families who may be looking for a new Jewish home to call their own. My Jewish philosophy is simple I believe we need to help our children be proud of our Jewish heritage; catch them doing mitzvot and help them realize that we are the future of our peoplehood. We need to establish a Hebrew School that is relevant, educationally viable, fun, and a social environment where they will want to come and be with other children. At the Jewish Education Center, we have the opportunity and obligation to teach our students about our holidays, Jewish customs, Jewish history, Siddur and some conversational Hebrew, Torah stories and studies, a love of Israel and about Jewish identity. A few words about me and my background: I am from Portsmouth, Virginia, a neighbor to Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Being raised in an area with very few Jews, I can relate to the uniqueness of being a minority as are our Jewish children in the Annapolis area. After going to Israel as a teenager and falling in love with the country, I chose (against my parent s advice) to continue my college studies first at David Yellin Teacher s College in Jerusalem before continuing studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I met and married my practice husband in Jerusalem and a few years later, we moved back to Tidewater Virginia where my 2 amazing children, Avi and Mindy Elfersy were born. I went back to school when my children were teenagers to attend Old Dominion University for a Masters Degree in Education Administration. Please allow me to brag for a moment about the joys in my life. Avi and wife Kathie are parents to my brilliant grandsons Benjamin and Jackson and they reside in Nashville, Tennessee. My daughter Mindy and fiancé Jim, parents of wonderful Aidan, reside in Crofton. I came to Arnold as a single woman and thanks to JDate met my b shert, Martin Kaufman, in 2003 and we married in I am beyond thrilled to be part of the family at KI as of July 1, 2014 and I look forward to working with Rabbi Weisblum and getting to know the KI families! Thank you for welcoming me to your community and into your lives. Shalom v kol tuv, wishing you all the best, Ellyn Becker Kaufman Director of Education Jewish Education Center

9 In Honor Of. Susannah Carr s birthday By Shirley C. Aronson Joy & Mark Goldberg Stephen Heup Roxanne & Michael Heup Shirley Lieberman s Special birthday By Shirley C. Aronson Bar Mitzvah of Dr. David & Roz Krimims grandson By Shirley C. Aronson Nancy & Lenora Gordon & Harry Ballman Haley Janowitz s graduation & Salutatorian By Gail & Michael Snyder Donations to Kneseth Israel In Memory Of. Dr. Charles Zimmerman By Gail & Michael Snyder Esther Cohen The Wohlfeld Family Nancy Strong & Paul Stessel Nancy & Lenora Gordon and Harry Ballman Bonnie Legum Thistle By Nancy & Lenora Gordon & Harry Ballman Leonard Bulman By Nancy & Lenora Gordon & Harry Ballman Dr. Ernest Halpern by Phyllis & Eliot Siskind In Honor Of. Graduation of Edye Greengold s Grandson, Sam Easter By Lenora & Nancy Gordon & Harry Ballman Ali Kay s graduation By Gail & Michael Snyder Jeremy Schmerling s graduation By Gail & Michael Snyder Bobby Rubin s graduation By Gail & Michael Snyder Rabbi & Rebbetzin Rosenblatt Memorial Fund Would you like to sponsor a kiddush at KI to celebrate an upcoming simcha, to commemorate a special event, or to honor a loved one? Please contact Leslie Gradet at or at ldgradet@verizon.net Thank you for your kindnesses, considerations, and condolences on the death Of Dr. Charles Zimmerman. The Zimmerman Family NEW SERVICE TO BE PROVIDED: The Religious Committee will provide a new service to those who are unable to attend religious services to say the Mourners Kaddish for a loved one on a daily or yahrtzeit basis. For this service, an appropriate donation is requested. For further information, please contact :- Michael Snyder at or via at sales@partsdiversified.com.

10 Tuesday, July 1st Rosita Greenfield Edward Levy Herbert Needle Wednesday, July 2nd Max Kanter Eugene Shapiro Harry Wollman Sarah Zelkowitz Thursday, July 3rd Friday, July 4th Henry Abrams Fannie Blum Fanny Kaplan Rachel Moyal Saturday, July 5th Nettie Hankin Jacob L. Schaftel Sunday, July 6th Joseph Donner Bernard Legum Monday, July 7th Henry Cohn Louis L. Goldstein Charlotte G. Krohn Hyman Snyder Bessie Snyder Tuesday, July 8th Stanley Carr Israel S. Kotzin Samuel Kotzin Molly Mask Wednesday, July 9th Dr. David Greengold Rabbi Morris D Rosenblatt Max Snyder Thursday, July 10th Ida Brenner Phillip H. Katcef July Yahrtzeits Friday, July 11th Max Aschkynazo William F. Krone Flora D. Lachman Joseph Siskind Saturday, July 12th Harry W. Goodman Bessie Rosenbloom Sunday, July 13th Sylvia Goldstein Beatrice Katcef Tillie Kotzin Abraham Krissoff Rowena Rosenberg Monday, July 14th Tuesday, July 15th Joseph A. Cooper Louis Feldman Juliet P. Simon Wednesday, July 16th Anna Cohn Jacob Legum Feige Leah Rosenblatt Grete B. Schwarzschild Thursday, July 17th Hannah Golombek Julius Michaels Miriam Shraga Samuel H. Snyder George Walters Friday, July 18th L. Michael Goldsmith Rebecca Gordon Isidor Levinson Frieda Messinger Nathan Stein Saturday, July 19th Rebecca Lebovitz Jacob Silverberg Leon Strauss Sunday, July 20th Isadore Walder Monday, July 21st Adolf Goldrat Lance Garrison Solomon Ethel Block Zieve Tuesday, July 22nd Lena Silverstein Reichel Cecilia Stern Wednesday, July 23rd Mary Glickman Ida Greengold Thursday, July 24th Donald Levy Israel Schwartz Friday, July 25th Saturday, July 26th Isidore Monias Sunday, July 27th Abraham Abrams Bonnie Goldschmidt Ernest Mitzner Samuel Parks Sondra E. Snyder Monday, July 28th David Alper Fannie Koman Dr. Ludwig Schwarzschild Eva Turk Tuesday, July 29th Dr. Clarence Berman, Jr. Anna Greengold Wednesday, July 30th Sarah Katsef Mary Loox Thursday, July 31st Hyman Gorelik Harry Siegel Congregation Kneseth Israel extends its deepest sympathy to Lynn & Daniel Monias on the passing of Lynn s father Theodore Kahn.

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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 Online or by Over One Hundred Years of Service to G-d and Community Photograph by Mark Goldberg