Congregation Beth Tephilath Moses

Transcription

1 Congregation Beth Tephilath Moses Pesach Bulletin March 2014 Adar 5774

2 A Pesach Message From Our President At this time of year the same questions are asked at every Passover Seder throughout the world. "why is this night different from all other nights?"...it will be answered with the family Seder service, the reading of the Haggadah, and the discussion of the holiday...the questions and the answers link us with our past and become our responsibility to pass on to our children and to all future generations. Never before has the concept of freedom, carried more responsibility for us to understand and a need to support..as Chanukah represents the first fight for religious freedom, allow this light from a small jar of oil that burned for eight days, act as a beacon and remind us that the light of knowledge, peace, and understanding can still shine brightly. I would like to thank you for allowing me the honor of continuing to serve as your president, and also thank all those individuals who donate their time and effort to this synagogue. The four sided dreidel who letters mean "a great miracle happened here;" continues to manifest our message as a community. On behalf of the board of directors and myself, we continue to wish you and your family good health and happiness during the holiday season. Dr. Robert Shore President

3 Donations to the Synagogue December 15, 2013 March 17, 2014 NONE TO REPORT AT THIS TIME ANNOUNCEMENTS: For those wishing to reserve a cemetery plot in the BTM Cemetery, please contact Jerry Rosen at ~~ If you want a plaque placed on our Yiskor board showing the name of a beloved one, the charge is $400. The name of your loved one will be announced on the Shabbat closest to the anniversary of their demise, and will also be announced in the BTM Bulletin closest to that season. We will order the plaque when it is paid for. Call the office to order. ~~ Join us for Movie Night at BTM for great movies and fellowship! Watch your and listen for announcements at the Synagogue! Along with our regular weekly Wednesday 7 pm Hebrew Classes, Rabbi Silberberg teaches a Torah class once a month on Wednesday nights hope to see you there! REMINDER: Kay Schwarzberg teaches an awesome Torah Study class to anyone who wants to stay after Shabbat Services. PLEASE NOTE: The BTM Board Meeting for April has been changed to APRIL 10 th!! MOTHER S DAY LUNCHEON Saturday May 10 th following Shabbat Services!

4 BTM members will be conducting the services until further notice. If you wish to participate in any part of our services, please contact Meyer Keslacy at or Jeff Heinfling at Our BTM Sisterhood is a working arm of our community. We would like to invite any member or non-member to our meetings on the 2 nd Thursday of each month at the Synagogue. Dues are $20 per year, which also entitles you to A Women s League For Conservative Judaism Magazine, published 4 times per year. Call Leah Reeves for details on upcoming meetings, activities and Sponsored Community events! Special Thanks to our Director of Education, Kay Schwarzberg, for the wonderful Drashes on Shabbat and for the special classes offered at BTM. We have had a number of new people coming into services and to classes, many from other faiths, and her hard work studying and diligence in presenting the material with amazing insight is greatly appreciated by all! Also to both Kay and our Religious Director, Michel (Meyer Keslacy) for presenting our ongoing Community Hebrew Classes each Wednesday Night. We are grateful to have both of you as part of our leadership! Shabbat HaGadol luncheon sponsored by Michel & Linda Keslacy to honor of Elizabeth Kezlacy s Bat Mitzvah Anniversary will be on April 12 th after Services. Special Thanks to Mary Robinson for organizing so many events at BTM, including (but not limited to ) the Annual Tu B Shevat Seder and Mother s Day Luncheon for over 20 years now! Mary is hoping to find someone to assist her in planning these functions and eventually taking them over. If interested, please call her at REMINDER: Annual Membership dues, Pledges, Sisterhood dues taken care? Lag B Omer Bonfire & Potluck on Sunday, May 18 th at Bob & Trish Abernathy s home in Lakeport, MI. More details to follow. If we spelled any names wrong or missed any names or info, we apologize! Please send an to touvania@gmail.com with BTM BULLETIN INFO in the subject line and let us know about any upcoming events, FYI s, Mazel Tov s, Illnesses, Condolences, etc. so we can put them in the next bulletin. You can also donate to the synagogue and we will send a card!! We NEED each other, so please help us to inform our congregation!!

5 Annual Congregation Beth Tephilath Moses PESACH COMMUNITY SEDER Tuesday, April 15 th, Nissan, :00 p.m. Passover Seder Passover is the Jewish Spring Holiday that celebrates the spiritual renewal of the meaning of freedom. Holidays are so much more than mere tradition; they are cosmic signposts alerting us to unique spiritual frequencies that appear for a limited time. Yes, the actual historic events, the holidays, did happen, but we are not celebrating the event. We are connecting with the actual energy that made the event happen in the first place. Accessing these unique frequencies increases our desire to break through our self-imposed fears and limitations. Join us as we celebrate! $ perr perrson by Aprriill 1 sst t thh -- $ perr perrson afftterr Aprriill 5 t Chiilldrren 12 yearrs orr underr -- ½ siized meall fforr ½ prriice perr chiilld ~~ Reservations MUST be placed NO LATER THAN March 26 th to avoid late fee ~~ MENU Roast Chicken Jerry Rosen s Chicken Matzo Ball Soup Chopped Liver Kugel or roasted potatoes Carrot Tzimmes Assorted Desert Coffee, Tea, Wine, Grape Juice Matza Seder Plate Essentials Seder Plate Essentials Beitzah (Roasted Egg) Karpas (Parsley) Maror (Horseradish) Chazeres (Romaine) Z roah (Lamb Shank Bone) Charoset (Apple, Nuts, Raisins, Wine, Spice) Make Checks Payable to: BTM MAIL PAYMENT TO: Mary Robinson Villa Grande Circle Call Mary Robinson if you have any questions: (586) Clinton Twp, MI 48038

6 Passover Events & Services: THERE IS NO SIYUM SERVICE AT BTM THIS YEAR. Siyum Service (siyum סיום) ) ( completion ) means the completion of any unit of Torah study, or book of the Mishnah or Talmud. A siyum is usually followed by a celebratory meal, or seudat mitzvah, a meal in honor of a mitzvah, or commandment. Siyum also refers to the celebration. An enduring custom is for the community to complete a unit of Torah or tractate(s) of Talmud during the 30 days following the death of a beloved one and hold a communal siyum thereafter, in tribute and honor of the memory of the deceased. It has become customary for synagogues to arrange a siyum on the morning before Passover to allow those fasting for Ta anit Bechorim (Fast of the Firstborn) to break their fast, taking advantage of the halakhic principle that prioritizes Torah study. Saturday, April 12th -- Shabbat HaGadol Kiddish after BTM Services Sunday Night, April 13 th at Sundown: Search for the Chametz. Monday, April 14 th - Ta anit Bechorot (Fast of The First Born) Monday, April 14 th : Erev Pesach -- NO SERVICE at BTM (1 st Seder night) Tuesday Morning, April 15 th 10:00 am: Pesach Service at BTM Tuesday NIGHT, April 15 th 6:00 pm: Pesach 2 nd Seder at BTM (conducted by Kay Swarzberg) Annual Community Seder BY RESERVATION ONLY Sundown Wednesday, April 16 th to Sundown Sunday, April 20 th Chol ha Moed Sunday Night, April 20 th at Sundown is the 7 th day of Pesach Shabbaton Monday Night, April 21 st at Sundown is the 8 th day of Pesach Shabbaton Tuesday, April 22 nd 10:00 am BTM Service: Yizkor (Memorial) about 11:30 am Please see our Community Calendar at for the LATEST UPDATES, info and for other community participation activities!

7 Sunday Night, April 27 th to Monday, April 28 th Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) (Please light your candle for Yom HaShoah in the evening, April 27 th. As always, candles are available in the Sisterhood Gift Shop. Donations are appreciated! ) Yom HaZikaron lashoah ve-lagvura הזיכרון לשואה ולגבורה) ;יום "Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day"), known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its accessories, and for the Jewish resistance in that period. In Israel, it is a national memorial day and public holiday. It is held on the 27 Nisan (April/May). Yom HaShoah was inaugurated in 1951, anchored in a law signed by the Prime Minister of Israel David Ben-Gurion and the President of Israel Yitzhak Ben-Zvi. Monday, May 5 th Yom HaZikaron (Israel Day of Remembrance) Yom Hazikaron (Hebrew: הזכרון לחללי מערכות ישראל ולנפגעי פעולות האיבה,יום lit. Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day) is Israel's official Memorial Day. In 2009, Israel honored the memory of 22,570 soldiers killed in the line of duty and 1,723 civilian terror victims. Yom Hazikron is the day on which Israel honors its war veterans and others who died in the Arab-Israeli conflict. National memorial services are held in the presence of Israel's top leadership and military personnel. The day opens the preceding evening at 20:00 (8:00 pm), given that in the Hebrew calendar system days begin at sunset, with a siren. The siren is heard all over the country and lasts for one minute, during which Israelis stop everything (including driving, which stops highways) and stand in silence, commemorating the fallen and showing respect. Many national-religious (religious-zionist) Jews say prayers for the souls of the fallen soldiers at this time as well. The official ceremony to mark the opening of the day takes place at the Western Wall, at which time the flag of Israel is lowered to half mast. A two-minute siren is heard the following morning, at 11:00, which marks the opening of the official memorial ceremonies and private remembrance gathering which are held at each cemetery where soldiers are buried. The day officially draws to a close between 19:00 and 20:00 (7 8:00 p.m.) in the official ceremony of Israel Independence Day on Mount Herzl, when the flag of Israel is returned to full mast. Tuesday, May 6 th Yom Ha atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) Yom Ha'atzmaut (Hebrew: יום העצמאות yōm hā- aṣmā ūṯ; Arabic: عيد اإلستقالل 'īd al-istiqlāl) is the national independence day of Israel, commemorating its declaration of independence in Celebrated annually on 5th of the Jewish month of Iyar, it centers around the declaration of the state of Israel by David Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv on May 14, 1948 (5 Iyar, 5708), and the end of the British Mandate of Palestine. An official ceremony is held every year on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on the evening of Yom Ha'atzmaut. The ceremony includes a speech by the speaker of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament), a dramatic presentation, a ritual march of soldiers carrying the Flag of Israel, forming elaborate structures (such as a Menorah, Magen David and a number which represents the age of Israel) and the lighting of twelve torches (one for each of the Tribes of Israel). Every year a dozen Israeli citizens, who made a significant social contribution in a selected area, are invited to light the torches. Saturday, May 10 th Mother s Day Luncheon following Shabbat Services Wednesday, May 14 th Pesach Sheini (2 nd Passover) Sunday, May 18 th Lag B Omer (33 rd day of the Counting of the Abernathy s Wednesday, May 28 th Yom Yerushalayim Wednesday/Thursday, June 4 th & 5th Shavuot - MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW Tuesday, August 5 th Tisha B Av

8 BTM Building Fund Donations December 2013 Through March 15 th, 2014 Sympathy Card sent to Touvaniah Tamer in memory of her sister Dina BTM Trustees Meyer & Linda Keslacy Sympathy Card sent to Victoria Keslacy & Family in memory of her niece Laure Malka Meyer & Linda Keslacy Mazel Tov Card sent to Devorah & Phil Shih on the upcoming birth of their first child Meyer & Linda Keslacy Elizabeth Keslacy & Alex Tzinares Birthday Card sent to Leah Reeves Linda & Meyer Keslacy Anyone who wishes to donate to the BTM Building Fund by sending a greeting, congratulation, tribute or condolence please contact Linda Keslacy at Thank You Card sent to Jerry & Lynn Levine for generous donation to the Cemetery Fund BTM Board of Trustees It states in the Hagaddah Whoever is hungry, come eat, whoever is needy, come celebrate Passover. If you would like to help a needy family celebrate Passover, for $18.00 Yad Ezra (Helping Hand) will do so for you. Yad Ezra is the only kosher food pantry in Michigan. You can call them at (248) 548-FOOD (3663) or donate online at or send your check to: Yad Ezra, Mile Road, Berkley, MI As an incentive to donate to such an important charity that acts as a safety net for so many, there is a special Michigan tax law allowing eligibility for a 50% tax credit on gifts of $400 (per couple) and $200 (per single person) for donations to food pantries such as Yad Ezra.

9 Get Well Sid Gersh Sarah Sanfield Claire Hauptman Honorable Judge Marvin Sanfield Michael Schwartz Mazel Tov! To Devorah & Phil Shih on the upcoming birth of their first child!! To Linda & Meyer Keslacy on the upcoming birth of their first Grandchild!! Happy Birthday to Leah Reeves Mazel Tov to the BTM group going to Israel in March: Bob Shore, Leah Reeves, Linda & Michel Keslacy, Elizabeth & Alex Tzinares, Touvaniah Tamer, Don & Leslie, Alyssa and Cara Goch To Elizabeth Keslacy who was awarded a fellowship in Architecture at University of Michigan Condolences Our sympathy goes out to Touvaniah Tamer & family on the lost of her oldest sister Dina in December 2013 ~~~~~~~ Prayers and deepest sympathy to the family of Raymond Meola who passed in December 2013

10 There is a difference between interest and commitment When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit... When you are committed to something you accept no excuses only results. Make a difference! Participate! ~~~ Let s Repair The World (Tikkun Olam) ~~~ OUR BTM COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU! Thank You! To Dr. Robert Shore, Mary Robinson, Linda Keslacy and Touvaniah Tamer for Bulletin. To Robert Abernathy, Shelley Cardamome, Alyssa Goch and Leslie Goch for our BTM Community Website & Social Networking Sites To Education Director, Kay Schwarzberg and Religious Director, Meyer Keslacy BethTephilathMoses.com or BTMToday.com