In 1968, when I was living in Chicago, news of Martin Luther King s assassination broke out. It took place on Thursday, April 4.

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1 Rabbi Moshe Adler Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 16 April 1963 In 1968, when I was living in Chicago, news of Martin Luther King s assassination broke out. It took place on Thursday, April 4. Pent-up anger in the south side s African American neighborhood exploded, spurring mass acts of looting and burning that forced people from their homes. Hundreds of people now had no shelter and little or no food. A council of churches put out a call for donations of non-perishable nutritious food, to be deposited at houses of worship throughout the city and distributed to the needy. As we were about to put together a package, my wife and I thought, Let s buttonhole the people at our shul after Shabbat and ask them to contribute to the cause. It was a Habad shul, with people who were kind yet not entirely convinced that this counted as a Jewish cause. We reminded them that one fulfills the mitzvah of tz dakah by helping needy people, whether Jewish or non-jewish. Some of the congregants said, Count us in. We ll run home, get money, and meet you back here. Others looked somewhat puzzled but went along with the plan. We met back at the shul. My wife and I collected the monies, added our own, and headed for a nearby supermarket. The food had to be nutritious and nonperishable. We decided on powdered milk (it needs no refrigeration) and canned foods NEWSLETTER Crazy Beth El - The Heights Synagogue builds vibrant Jewish community. We welcome all in participatory, traditional, egalitarian worship and learning. January UBw / TBU (they need no cooking): the recipients no longer had homes of their own. What kinds of canned foods would go economically furthest, could be eaten straight from the can, and would be palatable and nutritious? Pork and beans, of course. We filled a shopping cart with boxes of powdered milk and cans of pork and beans. On our way to the checkout, we met a fellow congregant and said, Gut voch (good week). He looked at the contents of our shopping cart, at us, and back at the shopping cart. Smiling nervously, he gave us a couple of dollars, said Gut voch, and hurried away. The following year we had moved to another state. During a visit in Chicago, we davvened at the Habad shul. My wife told me afterward that, as I was called to the Torah for an aliyah, she had overheard someone ask the man from the shopping cart incident who I was, and was told, It s that crazy Levi who used to davven here. Oh, well, as the Talmudic sage Akavia ben Mahalal el said, Better for me to be called a madman all my days than to become a wicked man in the sight of God for even one hour (Mishnah Eduyot 4:6). Thanks in large part to the work of Martin Luther King, we re all crazy now. We see that ahavat yisrael (love of one s fellow Jews) expands to ahavat ha-b riyot (love of one s fellow human beings). (continued on page 3) Rabbi Moshe Adler s Saturday Morning Services at 9:15, 3246 Desota Ave., Cleveland Hts., OH s (

2 Co-Presidents Erica New Eran Shiloh Questions? Concerns? Comments? Complaints? Please do not hesitate to contact the Presidents by or telephone Eran (440) Erica (216) Help Us Stay In Touch! Please be sure we have your current contact information. Send changes to bethelheights.org or call (216) Keep Up with the News! Join the BE-THS Lists! Send an to Mick Miller, if you need help with signing up. Vice President s Perspectives, January 2016 In Praise of Ambiguity According to our oft-repeated mission statement, Beth El The Heights Synagogue welcomes all in participatory, traditional egalitarian Jewish worship and learning. In fact, this sentence is so frequently repeated it has completely taken over the space in my brain where my teens cell-phone numbers should be memorized and stored, but aren t. Our shul has recently started exploring what we specifically mean by traditional in an effort to assess how we should evolve in the future. I would humbly suggest that we table the discussion. At times, clarity can be overrated, and in this case, problematic. The more specifically we define traditional the more we place the welcomes all part of our mission at risk. This is because we are, in the words of board colleague Joel Genuth, a coalition congregation, or what I prefer calling a salty broth of really fascinating and frustrating people with varied backgrounds, identities, and traditions. q Learn with the Rabbi The Prophets: Beth El The Heights Synagogue Newsletter, Vol. 18, No. 4, January 2016 Beth El The Heights Synagogue Carol Bruml, Editor Telephone , news@bethelheights.org General submittal deadline is the 7th of each month Desota Ave., Cleveland Heights, OH Published 11 times per year. For address or mailing list change, call Our diversity is our strength, our refusal to affiliate a shining beacon of ambiguity as well as an open invitation for people to find their place with us whoever they are and wherever they are in their own Jewish journeys. To me, the real work of defining what we mean by traditional actually does take place on an ongoing basis in formal Ritual Committee meetings, but mostly happens informally, as certain prayers and piyyutim, melodies and minhagim come in and go out of favor with the congregation. These evolving traditions should not divide us but provide us instead with opportunities to respectfully and joyfully expand how participatory, traditional, and egalitarian we can potentially be while welcoming all to our pluralistic community. If I haven t made myself completely clear here I m really okay with that. ~ Michael Bloom Who They Were and What They Taught This six-class series will be taught by Rabbi Moshe Adler. The classes will meet approximately once a month after Kiddush. The series is free and open to all; registration is not required; drop-ins are welcomed. Session 4 January 16: The runaway prophet Session 5 February 20: Anger and compassion: Human and divine Session 6 March 19: Deep loneliness and sublime joy

3 Greater Cleveland Congregations Dear fellow members of Beth El The Heights Synagogue This letter is my request that you give serious consideration to becoming an active member of Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC), a multi-faith coalition building power for social justice. I represent Beth El on the GCC Delegate Assembly and can share with you information about GCC s achievements in this community. A main focus of GCC is working to improve the local criminal justice system Rev. Dr. Yvonne Conner from Trinity Cathedral is now a member of the Community Police Review Board and keeps us abreast of its activities. Thanks to GCC, which is a member of the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), the nation s first and largest network of multi-faith coalitions, and its leadership in Metro IAF s Do Not Stand Idly By gun violence reduction campaign, to date, 17 mayors and public officials have signed on to this effort. GCC has leadership development programs for its members who help member organizations learn to listen to the concerns of their congregations and communities and to work together to solve community problems. Fundraising training was another topic presented to GCC membership. Education is another main focus of GCC. GCC partners with eleven schools in Cleveland and listens to parents, teachers, administrators, and community members to organize and act on opportunities and challenges at the local and district level resulting in many victories: passage of Issue 4, a new multi-million dollar heating and cooling system in FDR Academy to replace an ineffective and outdated one. Should you want to work to improve our community s criminal justice system, reduce gun violence, or work to improve the education system, please let me hear from you my is mollybrudnick@sbcglobal.net; phone Thank you for giving this request your careful consideration. Sincerely, Molly Brudnick q ( Crazy, continued from page 1) We understand that Dr. King s dream applies not only to African Americans but to all Americans, regardless of race, creed, ethnic origin, or socioeconomic condition. We resist the forces of reaction because, once they are given free reign, their plutocratic ethic equates humaneness with sin as it seeks to eliminate programs that help any but the super-rich. We point with respect to Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched arm in arm with Dr. King across that bridge; to Rabbi Arthur Lelyveld, who nearly lost an eye when a racist bigot struck him with an iron tool; and to Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, two young New York Jews who went to Mississippi and joined with James Earl Chaney, a young African American, to help register African Americans to vote; all three were murdered by Klansmen and police. And we pray with Rabbi Nahman of Breslov: May it be Your will, HaShem our God and God of our ancestors, that war and bloodshed cease, and that a great and wondrous peace reign over the world. Then all who inhabit the earth shall recognize the truth: We have not come into the world for quarrel and divisiveness, for hatred and jealousy, for contention and bloodshed. Rather, O blessed God, we have come into the world only in order to know You. Amen. Rabbi Moshe Adler 3

4 Funding Needs: The Future is Now! The year is waning, and so are the contents of our coffers. Watch your for news of a congregational meeting to discuss necessary fund-raising to meet the needs of our building and our budget. Learners Torah Discussions Open to All Join us to study and discuss selections from the weekly Torah portion. We consider commentaries, raise questions, and share tips for using the Chumash. Each week s lesson is self-contained, so come as your schedule permits. The sessions are accessible for non- Hebrew speakers or readers and open to people at all levels of experience. We meet in the Community Room, after the Torah is taken out and the portion is introduced (about 10:20 am to 10:30 am), and rejoin the service in time for the d var Torah. Questions? Contact Mia Buchwald Gelles: or miabgelles@gmail.com. Upcoming Learners Torah Discussion Dates (every other week this winter): January 9 - Parashat qfebruary Shemot 27 - Parashat Ki Tisa January 23 Parashat Bo March 12 - Parashat Pekudei February 13 - Parashat Terumah March 26 - Parashat Tzav Yahrzeits, January 2016 Steve Cernigoj 20 Tevet Jacques R. Simons 20 Tevet 5739 Samuel Soffer 21 Tevet Charlotte Hope Saltzman 22 Tevet 5765 Fannie Fromson 23 Tevet 5717 Lillian Ratner 23 Tevet Linda Robinson 23 Tevet 5767 Celia Sobel 23 Tevet Dora Tracht 24 Tevet Joe Silver 25 Tevet 5733 Sylvia Tucker 25 Tevet Charles Robert Bruml 26 Tevet 5755 Rosalyn Louise Berkman 26 Tevet Morris Givertz 27 Tevet Alfred Adler 28 Tevet 5751 Joseph Savino 28 Tevet Henry Gelfand 29 Tevet Louis Jacobs 29 Tevet 5730 Mary Lucita Ball 1 Sh vat 5772 Heinz Gelles 2 Sh vat 5773 Harriet Feldman 2 Sh vat Victor Reiss 3 Sh vat Theresa Siegler 3 Sh vat David Carr 3 Sh vat Mordechai Lugasy 4 Sh vat Rudolph Landesman 6 Sh vat Ziskind Alex Simon 6 Sh vat Isaac Bruder 7 Sh vat Eugene Goodman 7 Sh vat Ethel Newman 7 Sh vat 4 Leon Stern 9 Sh vat Max Fromson 10 Sh vat Blumi Zavelowitz 10 Sh vat Louis Sobelman 11 Sh vat Dorothy Neuger 11 Sh vat Fannie Levine 13 Sh vat Jacob Wilkenfeld 13 Sh vat Pinkas Zavell 13 Sh vat Sonny Lerner 14 Sh vat Marilyn Protus Fischer 16 Sh vat 5748 Mary Malkin 17 Sh vat Charles Auerbach 17 Sh vat Isadore Fromson 17 Sh vat Julius Kammen 17 Sh vat 5707 Madelyn Palevsky 17 Sh vat 5770 David Muszynski 18 Sh vat Gayle Kuhr Sharpe 18 Sh vat Anna Genuth 18 Sh vat Beatrice Schweickert 18 Sh vat 5757 William Berkman 19 Sh vat Abraham Margolis 19 Sh vat Howard B. Cohen 19 Sh vat Mathilda Mendelow 19 Sh vat Jerome Bernstein 20 Sh vat Rose Reiss 20 Sh vat Abraham Louis Brudnick 21 Sh vat 5747 Edith Gelfand 21 Sh vat 5737 Dora Kazdan 21 Sh vat 5716 Abe Lipoff 21 Sh vat

5 Calendar, january UBw / TBU Saturday, January 9, About 10:20 am Learners Torah Study Group will meet to discuss Parashat Vaera. 11:00 am Shabbat Playdate: Stories and songs for children seven and under, in the Babysitting Room. Leonard Tracht is sponsoring Kiddush in memory of his parents, Dora and Joseph Tracht z l. After Kiddush The Mishna Study Group will meet in the Community Room to begin their discussion of Tractate Gittin. Saturday, January 16, after Kiddush Rabbi s Class #4 The Prophets: Who They Were and What They Taught. The Runaway Prophet. Share your thoughts: Sunday, January 17, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm MLK Day food drive for the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland. Donations of non-perishable food will be accepted at the front door of the synagogue. (further details on page 6 and in flyer) Sunday, January 24, 9:00 am Tu B Sh vat Bird Walk. Meet Laura Gooch at the Shaker Lakes Nature Center. (see page 6 for details) 2:30-4:15 pm Short Stories by Jewish Authors Reading Group will discuss author Amy Bloom s 2009 book, Where the God of Love Hangs Out. Note the afternoon time! Monday, January 25 Tu B Shvat Friday, January 29, 6:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat services, with learning, followed at about 7:45 pm by a vegetarianfriendly (contains fish) dinner. $10/person; prepaid reservations requested by January 25. Saturday, January 30, About 10:20 am Learners Torah Study Group will meet to discuss Parashat Yitro. After services Monthly Simcha Kiddush qand Lunch and Learn with Matt Jackson- McCabe, When Christians were Jews: Judaism and Early Christian Self-Definition. Rabbi Search Committee Update We have several viable candidates for the position. The committee is reviewing their resumes and plans to begin interviewing this month. All members should have received the survey results. If not, please contact bethsrsc2016@ gmail.com and we will send you a copy. Below are excerpts from several comments that we received: Rabbi Adler has brought a particularly thoughtful, patient, and compassionate approach to his work with us, and we will be fortunate if we find someone with those qualities. His affection for Shabbat, Torah, the Jewish tradition, and us is palpable. BE THS is a coalition congregation Its highly passionate members are able at critical junctures to recognize the virtues and good will in other members with contrasting or conflicting passions, there is a common denominator of enjoying the challenge of being Jewish and figuring out what that means in vigorous discussion with other passionate members. Moshe Adler has been a terrific Rabbi for us. I couldn t agree more. Polly Wilkenfeld, Chair 5 Deliver a d var on an upcoming Shabbat. Contact Nina Sobel, or via at (phone is preferred), to learn which parshas are available.

6 M.L.K. Day Food Drive In collaboration with Boulevard Neighbors, and the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland, Beth El - The Heights Synagogue will be sponsoring a Food Drive, in honor of the Martin Luther King holiday. We will be collecting the food Sunday, January 17th from 10 am to 2 pm. The food will be delivered the same day to the Heights Emergency Food Pantry. Because Dr. King left such a vast legacy, we feel one way to honor his memory is with a food drive that benefits those who are food insecure. Additionally, this is a collaborative effort among local organizations, with the common goal of helping others, and our community. On Sunday, January 17th, all one needs to do is drive by the front door of Beth El The Heights Synagogue, 3246 Desota in Cleveland Heights, between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. Someone will be outside to collect your donation of non-perishable food. Opened packages of food will not be accepted. Donations of canned fish, such as tuna and salmon would be most appreciated. You don t even need to get out of your car! A big thank you to our Boulevard Neighbors and Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland for their support and efforts. Tu B Sh vat Bird Walk Sunday, January 24, :00-10:00 am Meet at Shaker Lakes Nature Center 2600 South Park Blvd., Shaker Heights Led by Laura Gooch Call or Sherry Ball with queseons ball.sherry@gmail.com We ll warm up aperward with hot beverages in the Nature Center. 6

7 It s Not Too Late! In Fiscal Year , we raised a record amount of money. This was due to plus giving for the roof, in response to the generous matching gift that started us off. We raised the money needed to fix the roofs (even when we kept finding new leaks), and it should now be safe to start the interior repairs. In all the good news last year, there was some bad news, too. Overall, we gave more to the synagogue than the year before, but we gave less for operating expenses. We needed to use some of our modest reserves for our regular budget. We expected regular contributions to bounce back, and also membership dues at least to stay steady. This has not been the case. Despite our new members, our dues income is significantly less than last year. Shabbat Kiddush sponsorships are down. Yahrzeit contributions are down. We are projecting another operating deficit of at least $15,000 at this point. We need to close the gap to remain as vibrant fiscally as we are spiritually. I know we think more about giving in December than we do in January. But I would like each one of us to consider giving, in total, an amount equal or greater than what we gave in Fiscal Year You stretched last year for the roof campaign. Can you please stretch again this year? Whether a one-time or recurring monthly gift, it will make all the difference. What a wonderful way to start Ilene Gertman Development Chair Please join us the second Saturday of every month from 11:00 11:30 am in the Babysitting Room for a fun Shabbat gathering with Jewish-themed singing and stories designed for children 7 and younger. Beth El- The Heights Synagogue, 3246 Desota Ave.,Cleveland Heights For more informaeon contact Sherry Ball at ball.sherry@gmail.com 7

8 Thanks to Richard Mandel, for sharing his photos of our Hanukkah party. News from TW$DX Beth El Refuah Sh lema to:! HMYL$ HAWPR Rabbi Michael Hecht Meyer Hoffer, Miriam Palevsky s father. Miriam Palevsky Ieda Warshay Marvin Warshay Daniel Weisberg, Marsha Weisberg s brother. Miriam Weisberg, Marsha Weisberg s sister. Welcome, New Members: Craig and Janet Hoffman Mazel Tov to:! BWU LZM Adam Probst, who recently became engaged to Samantha Miller. Yasher Koah to:! XWK R$YY Robin Dubin, who was quoted extensively in an article in the Medina Gazette on December 2, Home Values Dip in Medina County, ( Robin, a professor of Economics at CWRU, said the demand for houses has decreased since 2005, causing the drop in values. Before the recession, banks granted loans with hardly any scrutiny,, allowing many people to buy houses leading to the burst of the housing bubble when they couldn t pay back the bank. After a wave of foreclosures during the recession, banks made it more difficult to get a loan... Some people who would like to buy are not able to buy... Because many people have difficulty getting a loan, they can t buy houses, which Robin said decreases the housing demand. During the recession, she said, this combined with the high number of houses on the market due to foreclosures to drive down housing prices. Deborah (Debbie) Pearl, a former member who now lives in California, 8 whose book, Creating a Culture of Revolution: Workers and the Revolutionary Movement in Late Imperial Russia (in The Allan K. Wildman Group Historical Series) was recently published ( The book is the product of many years of intense research, and contributes to a reevaluation of the broader history of the Russian revolutionary movement. Menachem Shoham, who received a two-year grant from the Falk Medical Research Trust for preclinical studies of novel drug candidates against bacterial infections, such as MRSA (methacillin resistant staphylococcus aureus). Menachem also founded a company to commercialize the discoveries of his laboratory at the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. The company, Q2 Pharma, is incorporated in Israel. Menachem s son Yaron Shoham, MD, is a cofounder of the company. News of Note:! XWK R$YY There was a lovely article in the Cleveland Jewish News, posted on November 25, about Rabbi Moshe Adler s planned June retirement ( jpr3rck). Thanks for your Contributions to:! HDWT Sherry Ball and Marty Gelfand, in memory of Marty s uncle, Sanford Gelfand z l. Bill and Carol Bruml, toward the cost of landscaping. Frank and Jeanette Buchwald Janice Carrick Janice Carrick, in memory of Adina Davidson s father, Sam Kelman z l. Janice Carrick, in memory of David Bardenstein s father, Maxwell Bardenstein z l.

9 Anna Clebone Joel Falck and Julie Rabin Ilene Gertman Stephanie Gordon Tina Hall Abby and Jeff Halpern, in honor of Rabbi Moshe Adler, Chatan Torah. Abby and Jeff Halpern, in honor of Julian Saunt, on his Bar Mitzvah. Abby and Jeff Halpern, in honor of Jillian Rosales engagement to Joey Sacharow. Lowell and Marsha Katz, in memory of Samuel Protus z l. Karen Katzman, in thanks for being open and welcoming to the community. Naomi Klarreich and Daniel Shapiro, in honor of Joe Buchwald Gelles, Gabriel s Bar Mitzvah tutor. Gary and Marilyn Magden, in memory of Sadie Magden z l. Stephen Pepper and Linda Tobin, in memory of Merry Lugasy s father, Leonard Singer z l. Stephen Pepper and Linda Tobin, in memory of Adina Davidson s father, Sam Kelman z l. Adam Probst James and Judith Saks Eran Shiloh Menachem Shoham Leonard Tracht Leonard Tracht, Siddur donation in memory of Dora and Joseph Tracht z l. Beth and Scott Wachter Marsha Weisberg, to the Rabbi s Discretionary Fund, in honor of Julian Saunt on his Bar Mitzvah. Marsha Weisberg, to the Rabbi s Discretionary Fund, in honor of Gabriel Shapiro on his Bar Mitzvah. Marsha Weisberg, to the Rabbi s Discretionary Fund, in memory of her father, Sidney Weisberg z l. Anonymous Thanks for Kiddush Sponsorship to: November 15 Brunch and Learn Joel Genuth Menachem Shoham December 5 Bruce and Judie Amsel, in honor of Judie s 75th birthday. Bill and Carol Bruml, in honor of Judie s 75th birthday. December 26 Juliana Sadock Savino, in memory of her grandfather, Frederick Sadock z l. January 9 Leonard Tracht, in memory of his parents, Dora and Joseph Tracht z l. Thanks for Simcha Kiddush contributions to:! HDWT Sherry Ball and Marty Gelfand, in thanks for Marty s reelection to South Euclid City Council. Frank and Jeanette Buchwald, in honor of Noam Gelles birthday. Beth and Scott Wachter, in honor of their 24 th wedding anniversary. Thanks for December mailing help to:! HDWT Bill Bruml Beth Wachter Carol Bruml Scott Wachter Joyce Tavill Lost Tallit Bud Stern misplaced his tallit at shul on October 31. It still has not been found. Please check your tallit bag to be sure you don t accidentally have an extra one. Bud s tallit is extra special, because he and Honey recently chose it, when they were in Israel, and carefully brought it back as a fond memory of their trip. The missing tallit is dark blue, with symbols of Sukkot along the borders. Contact Bud or Honey if you find it: docbud406@sbcglobal.net or

10 + = DRIVE OUT HUNGER! MLK DAY FOOD DRIVE SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 10:00 AM TO 2:00 PM Beth El The Heights Synagogue, 3246 Desota Ave., Cleveland Heights Drive by... Drop off... Stay in your car! Questions? Call Scott: NON-PERISHABLE ITEMS ONLY NO OPEN PACKAGES DONATIONS WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE HEIGHTS EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY SPONSORED BY BETH EL THE HEIGHTS SYNAGOGUE, BOULEVARD NEIGHBORS, AND THE HUNGER NETWORK OF GREATER CLEVELAND

11 FRI 29 JAN invites you to celebrate shabbat with a service and dinner. Friday, January 29, 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat 6:30, Dinner at about 7:40. Dinner includes fish, vegetarian-friendly menu. Teacher will be Cheryl Stone. Price: $10.00 per person. RSVP: Go to Bethelheights.org and click on the flyer. Or, you can call Joe at Please make prepaid reservations by Monday, January 24. Location: beth El The Heights Synagogue 3246 Desota Avenue Cleveland Hts., OH This is a membership event a great time to introduce potential members to our community, a little less formal and a lot shorter than Shabbat morning. So bring a friend don t be shy about asking!

12 LUNCH & LEARN JANUARY 30 When Christians were Jews: Judaism and Early Christian Self-Definition Just how did we get from one Bible-reading religion to two, in the first two centuries of the Common Era? Why did the Church s founders distinguish themselves from Judaism? And in what ways did the older tradition shape the new religion s understanding of itself? Come hear what contemporary scholarship has to say about these perennially provocative questions. MATT JACKSON-MCCABE, PH.D. is chairperson of the department of Philosophy and Comparative Religion at Cleveland State University, where he has been an associate professor since Broadly interested in the comparative study of religion, he specializes in the ancient Mediterranean world and early Judaism and Christianity in particular. Beth El The Heights Synagogue 3246 Desota Avenue, Cleveland Heights, OH ~ ~ info@bethelheights.org Beth El The Heights Synagogue builds vibrant Jewish Community. We welcome all in participatory, traditional, egalitarian worship and learning.