The Newsletter of Congregation

Transcription

1 January 2009, 5769 Volume 1, Issue 4 PO Box 2713, Greenville, NC th St./Highway 33 East The Shofar The Newsletter of Congregation Bayt Shalom 25 From the Desk of Rabbi Steven J. Kirschner. This year, in my Sunday Dalet class (consisting of fifth, sixth and seventh graders), we have been studying Israel its politics, history and complex web of issues, both domestic and international. Each student has been assigned one of Israel s many political parties and will report regularly to the class on his or her party s preparations for the upcoming Knesset (parliamentary) elections. This past Wednesday, in Hebrew school, I asked the students (all of whom are in the Sunday class as well): Why do we care, or ought we to care, about what happens in Israel? I set the students the task of finding prayers in the Friday night and Saturday morning prayer books which refer in one way or another to either the people Israel or the land of Israel. What we discovered is that almost every prayer contains such references, sometimes to both the people and the land itself. Here are some examples. The most famous prayer in our liturgy, the Shema, reads: Listen, Israelites, Adonai is our God, Adonai is one. The hymn, L cha Dodi, recalls the King s holy place, the city of sovereignty an indirect reference to the city of Jerusalem. On Friday nights we sing the prayer Ahavat Olam, which begins, With everlasting love, You have loved the house of Israel [bayt Yisrael] another reference to the people of Israel and the prayer ends, Blessed are you Adonai, who loves his people Israel. The Hashkiveinu prayer ends, Blessed are you Adonai, who spreads a canopy of peace over us, over all the people Israel and over Jerusalem. The final line of this prayer thus references both Israel as a people and Israel as a homeland, with its final mention of Jerusalem, our holiest city. This dual reference continues in the Torah service on Saturday morning. As we open the ark, we sing, For out of Zion Torah will go forth and the word of God from Jerusalem. Blessed is the one who gave Torah to his people Israel in holiness. The first sentence points to the importance in Jewish life, thought and prayer of the land of Israel; the second sentence again extols the people of Israel. Just a week or so ago (as I write this), we read the Torah portion in which Jacob has his nighttime wrestling match with a man (or is he an angel, or God?). Jacob prevails and receives a new name, the name of Israel. As the prayers mentioned above bear witness, we still call ourselves by that name today. That is why, when we sing the prayer Mah Tovu at the beginning of each service, I often ask those attending the service to think of our own CBS sanctuary as the tent and holy place mentioned in the song. The Israel we are singing about is not just the biblical tribes of Israel. We are Israel. As we celebrate Chanukah, we also recall the primacy of the land of Israel in that story. The story isn t just about a miracle of oil lasting for eight days. The story recalls a victory over opponents who defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. Chanukah is very much a holiday about how important the land of Israel is in our history and our consciousness even today. The letters on the dreidl are nun, gimmel, heh, shin which stand for nes gadol hayah sham a great miracle happened there. In Israel, the last letter on the dreidl is a pay, which stands for the word poh here. In Israel, children remind themselves, a great miracle happened here. Every time we light candles or spin a dreidl, and every time we pray at home or in community at CBS, we remind ourselves of our connection, now and throughout all history, to the people and to the land of Israel. How to Schedule a Meeting With Rabbi Steve Rabbi Steve is available to meet with congregants Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons starting at 1pm, on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and on Thursdays from 1-5pm. Advance appointments are required for all meetings. rabbisteve@yahoo. com home cell

2 2 Board of Directors President Michael Barondes Immediate Past President Samantha Pilot Vice-President Anne Schreier Treasurer Max Valdman Secretary Allison Weiss Finance Committee Chair Ira Adler House Committee Chair Al Stone Membership Chairs -Diane and Pete Stein Ritual Committee Chair Abbie Brown Editor of The Shofar Carol Ogus Woodruff Sisterhood President Karen Barondes Education Committee Rabbi Steven J. Kirschner Carol Dembo Karen Barondes Youth Group Chairs Barbara Kalinowski Diane Stein Programming Chair Wendy Trustees Ted Kushnick Honorary Trustee Emeritus Richard Rados Ken Bornstein Miriam Wildeman June Plotkin On My Mind President Mike Barondes We are about to turn the page and step into a New Year. It s a good time to review where we have been and where we are heading as a congregation. It has been a busy few months at CBS! My last address in The Shofar reviewed the flurry of events from the High Holidays to Simchat Torah. We have not slowed down, and are not likely to anytime soon! Sunday school and Hebrew school have been in full swing for several months. Rabbi Steve and a dedicated group of volunteer teachers and teenage madrachim (helpers) have been providing our children (four class levels) with a quality educational program. Come to a Sunday morning service and revel in the older children s ability to read Hebrew and lead a service, and the younger children s ability to participate and stay engaged! We have had better attendance at Friday night services than ever before! Adult education and Torah study have a dedicated following. Please join us for a family Shabbat dinner and short service (singing is not optional!) on the first Friday night each month. We had a Simchat Soup havdalah at CBS last month, and a Chanukah havdalah at the home of Donna and Stephen Brody (thanks for hosting!) this month. Our youth volunteer to serve dinner at the Homeless Shelter every other month. Last month there was a synagogue trip to Raleigh to view the Dead Seas Scrolls, and this past weekend an excursion with a chauffeured bus (Driving Miss Bubbe?) took a group to Raleigh to have a docent guided tour of the Judaica exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. Coming up soon Sisterhood Shabbat, Guess Who s Coming to Dinner, and more! I am continually amazed (and you should be too) that a small synagogue like ours is able to organize this amount of programs to engage our members and our community. Due to our size, we depend on everyone s participation. You can participate with your ideas, time, energy or money but please do participate. If you haven t yet participated, read on. We are a community bound together by our shared religious heritage. I am not a Jewish scholar, but I believe that an important tenet of our faith is hesed (caring). This is an area where, as a community, we need to improve. In my column last month I commented on the lack of a community mechanism to respond to members in need (those who are sick, those who are grieving, those who need a ride to services, those who are new to our community, etc). I believe that a Hesed committee, whose members would serve as a conduit for information about those in need and organize a response from others who volunteered ahead of time to do mitzvot (good deeds), is a critical need in our community. We should be doing this. If you (yes you) are not already on the board, teaching at school, serving on a committee or haven t found a way to engage in Jewish community life in Greenville, I ask you to consider participating in this gratifying and holy service to our community that is all about caring. me now (it s easy click on my address) barondes5@earthlink.net if you agree it s important. On a lighter note, social events are a blast - the overwhelming response is always positive - especially if there is food involved. (Wendy Klein, thank you for all the social event planning you continue to do) With more organizational help (i.e. man/woman power) we could put on more gettogethers we re thinking havdalah socials, adult movie night (perhaps with wine and cheese), family movie night (with popcorn, of course), picnics, backyard barbeque (brisket pickin anyone?), etc. This would be fun. Want to help? Call me or me or Wendy. Our Rabbi search has gone into full ahead. A Rabbi search committee (chaired by Al Schreier thank you for all the work you ve been doing) has been formed and has already met twice. The committee is sizeable (thank you to everyone who is serving), and well represents the diversity of our congregation. Applications to the Reform and Conservative rabbinical placement offices are nearly complete, and will probably be received by those services by the time you are reading this. The placement services are optimistic that we will be able to successfully recruit a rabbi to CBS. Al and I will keep you informed as events unfold. So far, so good. We have a lot to be grateful for in our Jewish community. I am especially thankful for the generous and talented individuals that live here and make our community special by getting involved. There s more to be done add your swatch to the CBS tapestry. You ll be glad you did Best wishes for a Happy Chanukah and New Year. Michael

3 3 Synagogue Business RABBI SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE The Committee of 12 members is chaired by Al Schreier. Applications will be submitted to both the Reform and Conservative movements in early January. Anticipate receiving resumes from interested candidates as early as the end of January. Plan to bring in top 3 candidates for interview. Committee Members Rich Balot rich@abcphones.com Rebecca Brody sbrody2@suddenlink..net Stacey Brody itchcayscb@aol.com Judi Duffy judinc@gmail.com Richard Rados richrados@hotmail.com Alan Schreier schreiera@ecu.edu Mathew Shulman innerbanks@yahoo.com Rob Sonnenberg srsonnenberg@yahoo.com Meredith Stone mbstone@suddenlink.net Lee Surkin elsurkin@aol.com Bryan Weil bweil@pcmh.com Svetlana Valdman maksim@gmail.com Michael Barondes barondes5@earthlink.net IN THE NEWS Over the past week, both the Reform and the Conservative synagogues in Knoxville, TN, were vandalized. At Temple Beth El, rocks were thrown and broke four of the six stained-glass windows. This violence follows last week s incidents at Temple Sholom of Chicago, where a Molotov cocktail was thrown against the building, and in Irvine, CA, where anti-israel signs were posted at a synagogue. We stand in solidarity with our brethren in Knoxville, Chicago, and Irvine. In Case You Were Wondering... When entering Congregation Bayt Shalom, males should don kippot and should wear kippot when on the bima. Men should wear kippot and tallit during morning services in the sanctuary. (It is not customary to wear tallit during an evening service except on Kol Nidre evening.) The wearing of tallit in the sanctuary and on the bima is optional for women. REGRETS It is with regret that I inform you that Karin Bornstein s father, Mr. Sidney Janow, passed away in Atlanta on January 1, The CBS community extends heartfelt condolences to the Bornstein family. May his memory be a blessing to his family and all who knew him. Michael

4 4 Sisterhood News Many thanks to the CBS Youth Group for coordinating a wonderful Chanukah party for the religious school children just before winter break. The games, crafts, and latkes were fantastic! Meanwhile, back in the kitchen... The Chanukah Sale was a rousing success. Congratulations Svetlana Valdman and Millie Plotkin! Youth Group/Education Guess Who s Babysitting on January 31! Need a babysitter so that you may attend the second annual Guess Who s Coming to Dinner? Look no farther than your local CBS Youth Group who are donating their babysitting services that night to raise a few shekels for their treasury. For more information contact Barbara at kalinowb@hotmail.com. BOOK SALE BENEFIT CClear out your bookshelves the CBS Youth Group is sponsoring a book sale on Sunday, Jan. 25 from 12pm-3pm at CBS. Proceeds will be shared between the youth group and the synagogue. Donate books in the drop off box at CBS. Thanks.

5 5 Places to Go, Things to Do, People to See Congregation Bayt Shalom s Second Annual Guess Who s Coming to Dinner Saturday, January 31, :00pm Myrtle Grove Plantation 4226 NC 43 Macclesfield, NC Bring an unaffiliated or uninvolved member of the Jewish community for light conversation and heavy Hors D oeuvres. $25 per person members $45 per couple members $20 per person non-members RSVP by January 17 to Wendy Klein-waksgp1@suddenlink.net Myrtle Grove is approximately 13.7 miles (20 minutes) from the hospital straight out 43 past Ironwood and Blue Banks. Adults Only HOT DATES Friday, January 9 Potluck Shabbat Sunday, January 11 Youth Group at Homeless Shelter Michael Ertis or Diane Stein for details Sunday, January 25 Youth Group Book Sale Saturday, January 31, 7:00pm Guess Who s Coming to Dinner Bring an Unaffiliated Jew to Dinner! Adults only. CBS Youth Group babysitters available. Monday, January 26 at CBS Interfaith Prayers for Peace Service at 7pm; Discussion at 7:45 Please bring a nosh to share. Friday, February 20 Sisterhood Shabbat Sisterhood Board President Karen Barondes barondes5@earthlink.net PastPresident Ann Schreier schreieran@ecu.edu Vice-Preisdent Suzanne Clark wsuzannepclark@hotmail.com Secretary Carol Rados vcrrados@yahoo.com Treasurer Sue Goldman hayjayg1@earhtlink.net Program Chair Judi Goodman Duffy judinc@gmail.com Gift Shop Coordinator Svetlana Valdman maksim@gmail.com Gift Shop Coordinator Millie Plotkin

6 6 Announcements, Announcements, Announcements CBS gratefully acknowledges these gifts and donations: Yom Kippur Contributions Noah and Catherine Kahn Miriam Wildeman Howard and Eileen Shokler Pete and Diane Stein In honor of Eloise Clark s birthday In honor of Ari Saidel s birthday Miriam Wildeman In honor of the marriage of Marina Henry and Jana O Keefe Alyne O Keefe In memory of Joanne Greer George and Marianne Klein Pete and Diane Stein In honor of the birth of their granddaughter Lucy Paige Myers Dr. John Hutchens and Rosalie Jacobi Hutchens In memory of Roberta Jean Lerner Bobbie Geraldine Lerner, Judith Lerner, and Jason Addams Rabbi s Fund Dr. John Hutchens and Rosalie Jacobi Hutchens For officiating at the renewal of their wedding vows MAZEL TOV! Lucy Paige Myers (Liora Bat Eilisheva bat Shoshana) was born on November 16, She is the daughter of Jason and Elizabeth Jacobi Myers and the granddaughter of Dr. John Hutchens and Rosalie Jacobi Hutchens. TRANSPORTATION REQUEST Amanda Rush, an ECU graduate and former member of Hillel is in need of transportation to and from they synagogue for services and CBS events and activities. Amanda is blind and not able to drive. She lives near the university just off of First St. If you are able to offer Amanda a ride on a regular or occasional basis please contact her at or at amanda@customerservant.com. AROUND TOWN The Pastoral Services Department of Pitt County Memorial Hospital sponsored Chanukah candle-lighting services this year in the hospital s Interfaith Chapel. Members of the CBS and New Bern s Beth Sholom communities along with Greenville residents, hospital staff, and patients family. members participated.

7 7 Congregation Bayt Shalom Religious School Schedule Spring, 2009 Sunday Classes, 9:30a-12:00p JANUARY 9 Family Shabbat Dinner & Service, 6:30pm NO SCHOOL (Pitt County Break) 25 Wednesday Classes, 4:00-5:40p JANUARY NO SCHOOL (Pitt County Break) 28 FEBRUARY 1 6 Family Shabbat Dinner & Service, 6:30pm MARCH 1 Regular Classes 4 Family Shabbat Dinner & Service,6:30pm 8 Purim Carnival Daylight Savings Time Change FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL 1 8 NO SCHOOL (Erev Passover) APRIL 5 Model Seder 26 MAY 1 Family Shabbat Dinner & Services, 6:30pm Lag B Omer Picnic & Last Class MAY 6 13 (Last Class) Passover/Spring Break April 8-20

8 8 Celebrating Chanukah and Havdalah CBS Style January 2009 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri 2 7-8p Torah Study 1 Sat 3 8p Service :40p Hebrew Classes 8 7:30-9p Adult Education 9 6:30p Shabbat Potluck Dinner :30a Torah study 10:30a-12 Service 11 9:30a Religious School :30pm Board Meeting :40p 15 7:30-9p Hebrew Classes Adult Education Youth Group at Homeless Shelter p Service No Religious School 25 9:30a gious School p Torah Study; Reli- 26 7pm Interfaith Prayer s for Peace at CBS bring a nosh to Youth Group Book share Sale :40p 22 7:30-9p No Hebrew Classes Adult Education :40p 29 7:30-9p Hebrew Classes Adult Education p Torah Study; 8p Service p Torah Study; 8p Service 31 7p Guess Who s Coming to Dinner at Myrtle Grove; Baby Sitting at CBS