Bulletin from the Board-Mike Galkin

Transcription

1 Editor Karen Bartels fax home phone Newsletter of the Congregation Kehilat Shalom of Belle Mead, NJ March 2013 Adar Nisan 5773 Congregation Kehilat Shalom 253 Griggstown Rd. Belle Mead, NJ Phone: Fax: Regular office hours: M-W 8:30-4pm T-Th 8:30-6pm F-8:30-2:30pm Rabbi Susan Falk President Stacey Anderson Administrator Robin Bengochea Religious School Principal Shari Rothstein Lay Cantor Kate Mende-Fridkis Board of Trustees Officers of the Board 1st Vice President Susan Waskow 2nd Vice President Iris Rubinstein Past President Matt Rosenthal Treasurer Ron Lubin Financial Secretary Steve Weinstein Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Sheryl Rosenberg Trustees Leonard Edelstein Michael Galkin Gary Gartenberg, MD Tom Berger Ronald Lubin Robert Neusner Marc Rosenberg Affiliate: Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Published by: How am I doing? Bulletin from the Board-Mike Galkin These four words best describe Ed Koch, the late mayor of New York City. Most of the time he did not even wait for the answer. If you didn t like the way he was doing things, he didn t want to hear about it. As a Board Trustee of CKS, however, I am interested in how we are doing, and will even listen to your feedback good or bad. Rabbi Susan is also very accessible and wants to hear your ideas and suggestions. The details that Mr. Koch included in the events that marked his death were a reflection of the life he led. The speakers included politicians and relatives; the music, the iconic New York, New York ; the casket was the traditional Jewish plain oak box; and his choice of burial plot was a nonsectarian section of Trinity Church Cemetery in Washington Heights, located near a subway stop, per his preference. He even wrote his own epitaph. A Polish Jew in an Episcopal graveyard in a largely Dominican neighborhood, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at Mayor Koch s funeral. What could be more New York or even more Ed Koch? Our congregation is a lot like Ed Koch. We are very diverse congregation. In the U.S. Army many years ago, Koch taught himself to box in order to teach a lesson to a platoon anti-semite. His long career in politics included being elected to Congress, and of course, City Hall, where he used his political influence on behalf of any number of Jewish and Israeli causes. This was true too in his postmayoral years, when the sheer force of his personality and his personal integrity established him as a leader of the Jewish community, Mayor Koch often served as the conscience of American Jewry. Hopefully someone new will rise up to the occasion and claim this leadership position. I am not too concerned, though. The Jewish people have a long history of people stepping up. Besides that all I really want to know is How are we doing? Mike Galkin, Trustee

2 CKS Donations CKS gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our members and friends. General Tim & Leslie Kowalski in honor of Tess Kowalski on her Bat Mitzvah Greg & Suzanne Corsan Andrea Lass & Mark Goldhammer in honor of Lea Goldhammer on her Bat Mitzvah Karyn Waller in honor of Hudson Waller on his Bar Mitzvah Richard & Sheryl Rosenberg in honor of the commitment ceremony of Roberta Weisswasser and Julius Schulman Hy Grossman & Kris Olson Thelma Goldhammer in honor of Lea Goldhammer on her Bat Mitzvah Marc & Harlene Rosenberg in honor of Jon Yuresko s Graduation Mitchell & Nancy Javeline in memory of Joseph Isenberg Rabbi s Discretionary Fund Hilary & Peter Crist in memory of Morton Parish Kehiloft Hilary & Peter Crist in memory of Milton P Kayle Committee Corner CKS 30th Anniversary Spectacular Our fourth annual spring event will be held on Saturday, April 6th, The theme this year is CKS 30th Anniversary Spectacular. Our planning committee is in creative-mode, getting ready to celebrate our synagogue s 30th anniversary. Members, keep an eye out for your invitations! Not only will we be enjoying great music and dancing led by a DJ, but new this year will be karaoke! We ll listen, dance and sing to a wide variety of 80s and other popular songs. In addition to music in the sanctuary, we will have a lounge set up in the other side of the building. You can sing, enjoy conversation, and otherwise relax with friends in this area. Would we recognize you in the 80 s? Find out by sending in a picture of yourself! Instructions will be included in your invitation. Everyone will have a chance to guess who is in each picture, and win a prize for the most number of people identified correctly. Show us your big hair, your mullets, your izod collars, your knickers and your parachute pants! We love it all. Contact Ron Lubin with questions. Our silent and live auctions are great ways to support great spiritual and educational programming, as well as continue to improve our building. Do you have any items to donate? These may include gift certificates for goods and services, including restaurants, theater, hair salons, food & beer preparation. Other ideas include vacation homes, jewelry, ceramics, artwork, home furnishings, handbags, and fabulous gift baskets. You can also consider donating an externship an opportunity to work with and/or observe people in a variety of professions. This is a great way to provide young people with information about future jobs (which we want them to have) and help CKS at the same time! If you can help, learn more about how to donate. This year s raffle will be for the most current Apple must-have gadget, an Apple ipad Mini 32GB (WiFi). Raffle tickets cost $10 each, and will be included with your invitation. Please sell them to your friends, relatives, neighbors, and buy some for yourself! The winner will be picked at the end of the evening s festivities. Contact Sue Orshan for more information. Our Mystery Wine Station will be returning. Generous congregants have already donated several pricey and impressive wines that you can win with some luck. To make this successful, we need many donations of bottles of wine valued at $15 or more. Please drop off your donations at the synagogue office. We will be selling the bottles of wine during the party for $15 each, and with any luck, you might pick a really great wine! Questions? Contact Bill Ries. Of course, there will be terrific food and desserts coordinated by our creative food committee, and loads of beverages, both with and without alcohol. The whole building will be masterfully decorated and transformed into a beautiful club-like venue. Many of your CKS friends will be there and you should be too!! Watch for your invitation, donate to our auctions, contribute bottles of wine, sell raffle tickets, and of course, come to the event!!

3 Message from the Rabbi CHAD GADYA AND THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN Many of you know the little ditty, Chad Gadya, the song sung at the very end of the Passover Seder: Chad Gadya/One little goat that my father bought for two zuzim. When looking up Chad Gadya, I was surprised at how scant was the information concerning its history. No one knows who wrote Chad Gadya. Its first appearance in a Passover Haggadah (the booklet used at Passover Seders to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt) comes only in 1590 very late in the development of the Haggadah, which dates at least as far back as the second century. Composed in Aramaic, scholars speculate that the lyrics for Chad Gadya were either borrowed from the medieval German folksong, Der Herr der schickt den Jokel aus/the Master Sends the Yokel Out or the other way around. The song follows a cumulative pattern (as found in the Twelve Days of Christmas or Alouette ) in which a new detail is added in each stanza, and each new stanza includes all the added items in reverse order, returning to the refrain, Chad Gadya/One little goat that my father bought for two zuzim. Allegorically, the little goat symbolizes the oppressed Jewish people, while the subsequent players the cat who eats the goat, the dog who bites the cat, and so on represent the rise and fall of the nations and empires that oppressed them. Viewed through a contemporary lens, the Passover story of freedom told in the Haggadah, as well as in the song Chad Gadya, represents for us the trials not just of our Jewish ancestors, but also of those who still find themselves oppressed and struggling for their rights. Here in the United States, we might think of members of the LGBT community, immigrants and migrant workers and, yes, even women. March is Women s History Month. The assault on women s reproductive freedom continues as various states in blatant disregard for the constitutional right to an abortion defund Planned Parenthood and other clinics providing reproductive care just because they perform abortions; pass new laws mandating medically unnecessary procedures, like the vaginal probe, as prerequisites to an abortion; enact unreasonably long waiting periods before an abortion, and force providers to say medically inaccurate things to women in preabortion counseling. To say nothing of the attempts to outlaw abortion altogether. The 40 th anniversary of Roe v. Wade this year has brought heightened awareness and emotion to this issue. There is, however, another matter of great importance to women s rights, dignity, and safety that I would like to bring to your attention: the urgent need to re-authorize the Violence Against Women Act. This measure, first passed in 1994 and overdue for renewal, finally acknowledged domestic violence as a crime and provided essential resources for community responses to sexual assault and other forms of violence against women. A new Senate bill is currently stalled in the House because of objections to new protections for Native American women with non-native American partners, same-sex couples, and immigrants. Our Jewish values teach that we are created b tzelem Elohim, in God s image a value that bespeaks the inherent equality and essential dignity of all human life. As Americans, we value equality and are always striving to ensure that all are included in those rights guaranteed by our Constitution. If you want to have a voice in making sure the Violence Against Women Act is renewed, contact your members of Congress now. Let s make sure that all women in this country are protected from violence. Let s continue to fight the fight for freedom from oppression that our tradition reminds us is so important every time we sit down to a Passover Seder. A zissn Pesach/A sweet Passover to all! Rabbi Susan

4 CKS RELIGIOUS SCHOOL MONTHLY NEWS March 2013 Dear CKS Religious School Families, We have been busy learning through experiences at our Religious School. Below are pictures from a variety of activities that took place just last month. Shari Rothstein principal@ksnj.org A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS Our 3rd Graders proudly display their Hebrew name pictures created at our 3rd Grade Family Workshop At our 5th grade Mezuzah hanging party, Ethan hangs a mezuzah on his door while his parents and other 5th grade families participate in the ritual. Fun had by all at our Kehilah Kadoshah 3rd-6th Grade Family Workshop. From top left to right - creating family Jewish values, enjoying a Tu b Shevat seder, planting parsley, making sandwiches for a shelter and creating community art! 7th Graders work on creating a yad (Torah pointer) at our 7th Family Workshop K-2nd graders display the treats they made in cooking class 5th Graders enjoy cooking UPCOMING EVENTS Friday, March 1, 2013 with our K-4th Grades Join our K-4th graders as they help to lead Friday night services. Remember to have your child sign in to get credit for our Shabbat Minayaires Program. Sunday, March 3, 2013 Music with Moreh Eric 7th Grade Family Workshop 9:30 7th Grade parents and students will come together to talk about Passover and make Elijah or Miriam cups to use at the seder. Saturday, March 9, 2013 ALL SCHOOL Shabbat Morning Services All of our K-7th grade students will have a part in leading Saturday morning services. Sunday, March 10, 2013 Cooking Sunday, March 17, 2013 Passover Celebration Sunday, March 24, 2013 No School - Spring Break SAVE THE DATE 5th & 6th Graders 4/26-4/28/13 5th & 6th Grade Regional Retreat held at Camp JRF in the Poconos. This is a great opportunity for your child to experience Judaism, make new friends with students from other Reconstructionist congregations and have a fun weekend away! Watch your for more details.

5 Kehi-Loft What do plagues, an art project, and an epic poem have in common? Why, an enthusiastic group of teenagers, of course! In mid- January, Kehiloft discussed the six plagues in Parsha Vaera as we led our second Shabbat service. In late January, we will be leading a project in the Religious School based on the concepts of community and family, and in February, we will be performing the Purim Story in poetic form. Each year, Kehiloft leads five Shabbat services. Since Rabbi Susan was in California at a rabbinical conference during the last service, Kehiloft took on even more responsibility and led the service entirely independently. During the service, we discussed many questions, such as why G-d picked Moses to communicate with Pharaoh when he had a speech impediment and why G-d intentionally hardened Pharaoh s heart. On January 27 th, Kehiloft will be leading an art project for the Religious School students. We have cut cardstock in the shape of people (our hands were cramping by the time we finished!) for the students to decorate with representations of their immediate family. When all of the grades have completed their designs, we will string the paper people together and wrap the chain around the sanctuary. With this project, we are trying to show the students that they have a place not just within their family, but also within the community of the synagogue. In addition, we want to communicate that a community be it a family, school, or synagogue only thrives when everyone is an active contributor to it. (If any parent of a Religious School student is reading this, please don t tell your student about this activity! We want the students to reach this conclusion independently.) This is Kehiloft s second session with the Religious School; we presented our anti-bullying video to the school in December. In February, Kehiloft will visit the Religious School again to perform the Purim Spiel. I don t want to disclose all of the details, but I am sure that it will be just as fun to perform as it will be to see it! Following the performance in Religious School, there will be a Purim Carnival open to the entire membership of the synagogue. The carnival will feature games and prizes, and will undoubtedly be an enjoyable afternoon. Don t forget to wear a costume, and practice you booing skills for when someone mentions Haman! All of the members of Kehiloft are very excited for all of these upcoming events, and we hope that you are too! Our next Shabbat service is February 8 th, and the Purim carnival is February 24 th. We can t wait to see you there! March Sunday, March 3 Social session Sunday, March 17 Shabbat service prep Wednesday, March 20 Session with rabbi Last week of March: Pesach No Kehiloft April Friday, April 5 Kehiloft leads Shabbat services at Stonebridge Wednesday, April 10 Regular session Sunday, April 14 2:30-3:30 Visit to Stonebridge Assisted Living Wednesday, April 24 Session with rabbi Sunday, April 28 9:30-12:30 Annual Spring car wash Emily Gartenberg

6 Jewish Community Jewish LIFE is pleased to present the following special events coming in March The Irma Horowitz Film Series featuring Falafel & Films will be showing three Israeli short films Friday, March 1, 6:30 p.m. at Or Chadash, Flemington. Dinner at 6:30 followed by films. The films, created by students of The Ma aleh School in Jerusalem, include Willingly, A Jerusalem Tale and Luz. A falafel dinner is included with the program fee: $10/person in advance or $15 at the door. Call Or Chadash to register at Robert Rosenthal, From Plaques to Miracle, Thursday, March 7, 7 p.m. at the Birnbaum JCC. $8/person in advance or $10 at the door. Call the JCC at x201 to register. Step Up For Israel Film Series: Speak Up for Israel, Wednesday, March 13 at Or Chadash, Flemington and Thursday, March 14, 7 p.m. at the Birnbaum JCC. Learn how you can speak up on Israel s behalf. Panel discussion to follow film. Free to all. To register, please call program location: Or Chadash at or the JCC at x201. RESCHEDULED!!!! Peninnah Schram & Gerard Edery, The Minstrel and the Storyteller, Saturday, March 16, 7 p.m. Hosted by Temple Beth-El, Hillsborough. Fee: $18/person in advance or $22 at the door. Call Temple Beth-El to register at to register. Delia Ephron, best-selling author of The Lion is In, Wednesday, March 20, 12 Noon at the Birnbaum JCC. Fee includes lunch and program: $18/in advance or $22 at the door. Co-sponsored by Brandeis National Committee, Somerset Chapter, Temple Beth-El, Hillsborough Sisterhood; Temple Beth El, Somerset Sisterhood; Temple Sholom Sisterhood. Call the JCC at x201 to register. Save the Dates Coming in April & May Community- Wide Yom HaShoah Program, Sunday, April 7, 7pm at Congregation Knesseth Israel, Bound Brook Doni Zasloff Thomas, Get Cooking! A Jewish American Family Cookbook, Thursday, April 11, 6pm at the Birnbaumn JCC. A Night to Celebrate Israel, Tuesday, May 7, 6:30pm at Raritan Valley Country Club, Bridgewater. Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life Rutgers University Art and Memory: Moving Images Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Shimon Attie, internationally renowned artist The Abraham Matlofsky Memorial Program Cosponsored by Mason Gross School of the Arts Trayes Hall, Douglass Campus Center Shimon Attie, world renowned multimedia artist, works in video and photography to create installations of stunning intervention in landscapes and museums, suggesting absence, loss or displacement. Evangelicals, Jews, Israel and the Messianic Times Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. Yaakov Ariel, University of North Carolina The Toby and Herbert Stolzer Endowed Program Trayes Hall, Douglass Campus Center The talk will explore the roots and motivation of the evangelical interest in the Jew and the manner it has manifested itself throughout the later modern era. It will point to the complicated elements of the evangelical-jewish ménage as well as the reaction of non-evangelical Christians and Moslems.

7 March 2013 S M T W T F S 1 2 led by K-4th grade 3 9:00 AM Religious School 9:15 AM Spring Event planning committee 4 5 7:30 PM Mah Jongg :45 PM 9 9:30 AM led by K-7th grades 10 9:00 AM Religious School 12:15 PM Executive Committee :30 PM Mah Jongg :30 PM Board Meeting :30 AM Allison Rosenthal Bat Mitzvah 17 9:00 AM Religious School :30 PM Mah Jongg 20 Education Committee :45 PM Ritual Committee Meeting Membership Committee :45 PM 30

8 Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Princeton, NJ Permit No Griggstown Road, Belle Mead, NJ Listserve contact Fulfilling the religious, educational and social needs of our Jewish community since Current resident or: March 2013 Deadline for next newsletter: March 15 th Whom to contact for Adult Education Meryl Bisberg Beautification Billing/Payments Robin Bengochea ext. 1 admin@ksnj.org B nai Mitzvah (helpers, celebrations) Meryl Orlando Stacey Anderson Board of Trustees 2 nd Thurs president@ksnj.org Building/Grounds/Décor Andy Sokel andsok@aol.com Building Usage/Access Robin Bengochea ext. 1 admin@ksnj.org By-Laws Victor Elgort vselgort@nmmlaw.com Congregants Assistance Fund Rabbi Falk ext. 3 rabbi@ksnj.org Education 1st Wed. Andrea Lass Judy Weitze Financial Committee Steve Weinstein Fundraising Gift Shop Susan Waskow Iris Rubenstein Hospitality(Kiddush & Oneg) Natalie London Kindercapers Mark Goldhammer Kehi-Loft Karen Fridkis Life Cycle (Caring for each other) Sheryl Rosenberg swellcourt@verizon.net Long Range Planning Joseph Weiss josephhobartweiss@verizon.net Ron Lubin Marketing Bob Neusner Membership Jim Ohls Pastoral Emergencies Rabbi Susan Falk Personnel Jeff Barth Publicity Stacey Anderson Rabbi's Liaison Debbie Tesser Holly Nelson Ritual vacant Technology- Internet and Marketing Amy Rosenthal webmaster@ksnj.org Technology - Computer and Networking Michael Galkin Tikkun Olam Michael Galkin by CKS. All rights reserved. Permission required for reuse. The CKS Newsletter is published monthly, except July. Deadline is the 15 th of each month. Every effort will be made to publish contributed items, but due to space restrictions, placement and format are at the discretion of the editor. Advertising Policy. You can advertise in this newsletter to inform the community of your business or profession. Advertising is accepted based on its interest and applicability to our readership. Location in the newsletter is at the editor s discretion. CKS does not necessarily endorse or vouch for the products and services of our advertisers. The newsletter is published 11 times per year (no issue in July). a file with the art to the editor, or provide camera-ready art on clean, white background. Advertiser responsibility to meet deadlines. Rates are low and must be paid in advance. For information and a rate sheet, please contact the editor.