332 West Alejo Road, Palm Springs, CA

Transcription

1 332 West Alejo Road, Palm Springs, CA FEBRUARY 2016 SHEVAT/ADAR 5776 RABBI DAVID LAZAR

2 From Our President s Desk Gary Miller Dear Congregants, January is always a busy time in Palm Springs, and it is been so for Temple Isaiah as well. It is gratifying to see the great attendance at services on Friday nights, and Saturday morning services are also better attended than in recent memory. This upturn is been since Rabbi Lazar has assumed the pulpit last June, and we anticipate ever increasing attendance as the word gets out and more people come to experience his warm, thoughtful, meaningful services. The month we had the great fortune to have two extraordinary speakers for the Short Speakers Series. On January 17 th Rabbi Elie Spitz challenged us to keep an open mind, such as a juror has to do at a trial, in exploring whether the soul survives. His talk was intellectually, personally and spiritually challenging, and I believe all that who attended this talk had much to contemplate and discuss with friends and family about the topic. Two weeks later, on January 31 st, Dr. Michael Alexander spoke on the Future of Jewish Studies in the 21st century. This was a very forward thinking view about the potential changes that will occur in and to Judaism during the 21st century. Many of you have gotten to know Michael over the past five years, as he partnered with us to put on the Philip and Eleanor Short Lecture Series. He has been a great friend to Temple Isaiah, and we were delighted when he was named as the first chair of the newly endowed Moses Maimonides Chair of Jewish Studies at the University of California, Riverside. This is a great honor for Michael and endowing the chair means that Jewish studies will continue in perpetuity at UCR. Michael has told me that he considers Temple Isaiah his synagogue. He feels at home with us and is grateful for our openness and warmth. What a great compliment for our congregation. We will end the Short speakers series for this year on February 28 with another speaker from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. David Jassby will be speaking on Is water desalinization the answer? What can California learn from Israel? (See ad in next column). Dr. Jasssby studied at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and he will give us an insight into how the technology was developed and is used in Israel. I hope all of you will plan to attend this talk, which will be held in the auditorium of the University, California, Riverside campus/palm Desert. I hope all of you have invited your friends and bought your tickets to hear the fabulous Craig Taubman and Band, who will be here at Temple Isaiah on February 18 at 7 PM. This will be a wonderful opportunity for all of us to get together and enjoy an evening of great music. Thank you to Cantor Sam Radwine for conducting services on January 29/30, allowing Rabbi Lazar a well deserved week off in Israel with his family. I look forward to seeing you at services and the many social and educational events that are going on at Temple Isaiah. Your participation in our activities is critical in our ongoing efforts to provide a viable Jewish Community Center for our community. Shalom,

3 AMI YARES RETURNS MARCH 4 th Over 150 attended Services on July 17 th when Rabbi Lazar s good friend, Israeli-American folk rock artist Ami Yares, joined Rabbi in a Kabbalat service that really rocked! Ami will be back on March 4 th and we have a fantastic evening planned. Ami will once again join Rabbi for the services, which will begin at 6:30 pm. We then have arranged for a Buffet Dinner following services, for $20 a person. We are excited to offer a complete experience this evening. No rushing through dinner before coming to services; no rushing out afterwards to get something to eat. Come with your family and friends, be part of a dynamic, moving service, and then share a dinner and evening with your Temple family. RESERVATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL. We have to know for how many to order food and how many tables and chairs to set out. Three easy ways to make your reservation: 1. Go online ( and pay for your dinner(s) online by clicking on March 4 Dinner 2. Mail your check, payable to Temple Isaiah, to 332 West Alejo Road, Palm Springs, CA Call the office ( ) and give a credit card number over the phone. Deadline: Tuesday, March 1

4 From the Rabbi s Study Rabbi David Lazar Most of you know that this is my first full year as an adult living in the United States. As I have watched those around me prepare for and observe the festivities of Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year s and Martin Luther King Day, I have been thinking about how each of these days, important in different ways to different people, leave their mark on society around us. While there are those whose main expression of celebration is religious by nature, for most the importance of these days is cultural and/or social. And of course, much of what is done on and around these occasions is overshadowed by the commercial aspects of the day. Still, it seems to me that each of these seasonal events is an opportunity to find meaning, not just as an American, but as a Jew. Let s take Valentine s Day coming up now on February 14. Many of you have heard of a similar type of day in the Jewish tradition - Tu B Av, or the 15th in the Jewish month of Av and that this is how Jewish folks should be dedicating a day to love. One one hand, I m all in favor of celebrating holidays and festivals of our own Jewish heritage, even one as this which was not observed for close to 2,000 years. Yet, I also feel that the society and culture here in the United States offers us an even better opportunity to help us sanctify time and find greater meaning in our lives. All sorts of theories about Valentine s Day, exactly how it started and became a day dedicated to romance are easily found on-line. And while there actually is a day dedicated to a St. Valentine in the Christian tradition, it s not entirely clear exactly which of the various men bearing that name is the one to whom this day is dedicated. At some point the observance of Valentine s Day - at least in popular circles - was influenced by a pagan tradition concerning love and attraction in this season. But at least as far back as the 15th century (some would say even in Chaucer s writings in the 14th century), romance has been associated with the day. Of the various customs related to Valentine s Day, writing poetry, or what became known as Valentines, one to another, can be traced back to the 15th century. While today it seems that most people rely upon the greeting card (and now, e-card) industry to provide the text and graphics, there was originally an expectation of something more personal. True, not everyone was blessed with the gift of poetic composition and there is a long history, as early as 1797, when The Young Man s Valentine Writer was published, of Rabbi Raphael Meldola, Huppat Hatanim, Livorno, Italy, 1797, Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv little handbooks developed as aids in writing witty Valentines. Perhaps we consider, for at least a moment, the value of putting our feelings toward our loved one in writing. A particularly Jewish approach might be to search for inspirations in the biblical Song of Songs, or in the collections of erotic poetry of the great medieval rabbis such as Yehudah Halevi and Shmuel Hanagid. Another standard feature of Valentine s Day is that cute little winged fellow, Cupid - or as he was known in Ancient Greece, Eros - the god of desire and erotic love. Some say that the connection between Cupid and this day goes back to Saint Valentine, who, in 3rd century Rome, illicitly offered to perform wedding ceremonies for soldiers who were otherwise required to remain single. Warriors wishing to wed would recognize Valentine by his amethyst ring which was engraved with an image of Cupid (Max L. Christensen, Heroes and Saints: More Stories of People Who Made a Difference, Louisville, 1997, p. 25). Surprisingly, Cupid makes an appearance even in the Jewish world. In the very same year that The Young Man s Valentine Writer was published in England, Hupat Hatanim (Canopy of Bridegrooms) by Rabbi Raphael Meldola ( ), came out in Livorno (Leghorn), Italy. This work, also a handbook of sorts directed to the young male adult market, deals with the very detailed Jewish laws and customs governing the relationship between husbands and wives. Cupid s image is reproduced not once, but twice, toward the end of the first edition of this small volume. We don t know exactly why the printer in Livorno chose to add the image of a pagan god to this publication, though I m guessing that he, or others involved with the project, saw Cupid only as a popular decorative image having to do with romance and marriage and were very possibly unaware of his pagan origins. For me and most Jews I know and work with today, Hupat Hatanim is not a terribly relevant book. It deals in the sexist manner of pre-feminist Judaism, with antiquated notions of heterosexual marriage from the match-making process, through preparation for and observance of the nuptial ceremony to the intricate laws of how a couple negotiates the woman s monthly menstrual cycle which, according to the tradition, renders her impure. And still, as in the case of the above mentioned Valentine writing handbooks, I would say that we have much to learn from this book. Even if many of us have chosen to vastly widen our definition of romance and marriage, both when it comes to gender equality as well as questioning, and for some, rejection of the heterosexual norm, there is much to be said for deep discussion of how

5 two people meet and eventually live together in a harmonious way. At Temple Isaiah this year, we will observe the Month of Love in our own Jewish way with a miniseries entitled (Alternative) Love in the Bible on February 10, 17 and 24. The aim of these lectures to help us all think about and discuss just how far we are willing to go in order to find inspiration in the biblical narrative for the values that we hold dearly. I will begin the series with a study session highlighting the complicated erotic relationship between Adam, Eve, the Serpent and the Earth in the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. The second meeting will examine the love triangle between Esther, Ahasveros and Mordechai. One of our newer members, Joy Silver, will wind up the series by presenting a talk entitled: The Greatest Love of All - Seeing The Book of Ruth Through New Eyes. My hope is that this Month of Love will provide us with an opportunity to reflect upon how each of us deal with the complicated and sometimes messy business of romance and love. I m also hoping that we as a community give thought to just how we might help those around us in this endeavor. My vision for Temple Isaiah is one in which singles - if they are so inclined - can meet others and grow those relationships in a safe and sacred space. We should strive to create and maintain a place where couples of all kinds and ages might learn and grow together. I hope that they find the best ways for them to sanctify that relationship from sitting together in prayer to standing together under the huppah, or wedding canopy. Whether it s writing a loving note, sending chocolate or simply a romantic dinner together, may your Valentine s Day, and this entire Month of Love, bring you closer to the one you love. May those who are looking for a partner find one and may those who are already together grow and sanctify this season with love. Rabbi s insightful, lively class on the weekly torah portion is held on Wednesday afternoons from 3:00 to 4:15 pm in the Temple library on the lower level.

6 From the Executive Director Doug Morton Dear Friends, Most probably you have noticed that on Friday nights and Saturday mornings - and for lectures held in the Liberman Chapel - we now have locked the door into the Temple from the west parking lot, requiring everyone to enter from the door by the Liberman. The reason? We are trying to become a little more security conscious as we move forward. Until now, people could come into the building from the west entrance during services and we would have no idea that they were in the Temple, leaving us vulnerable. Most of you will want to continue parking in the parking lot, and just walk in front of the building to the Liberman entrance. The distance is the same; it just means walking outside, not through the lobby. Our Onegs continue to be in the Vener Lobby, and everyone can exit via the west door. You all are aware that during business hours we keep all doors locked, and people have to ring the office from that west entrance to enter the building. This is just an extension of those precautions. We are also looking into implementing additional motion sensors and cameras, as well as requiring people at the west entrance door before events held in the Bochner Sanctuary and Warsaw Ballroom. We trust you understand and appreciate these additional steps are for all of our safety. If you have questions, I am happy to discuss these changes; just give me a call. On to other things, beginning with announcing an Important achievement: we are close to our membership goal for this fiscal year. If you know someone who may be interested in joining, please let me know so that I can call or meet with them. And please invite your friends to join you at services and at our wonderful events. TEMPLE ISAIAH ONLINE I appreciate that many of our members still do not think of going online to get tickets for Temple events... but it is so easy! You can go there 24/7, view the information at your leisure... make your choices and, with a few clicks, order what you want! Our website is To get your tickets for the CRAIG TAUBMAN CONCERT, go to the website and find Craig s name on the left side of the front page. Click on it and you can easily order your tickets. (You will notice that sponsorships are listed there too, and we d love it if you were able and inclined to help underwrite the evening). THIRD ANNUAL JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL If films are your thing, you have to check out what we have online for our Third Annual Jewish Film Festival (March 20, 22 & 23)! Not only can you purchase your tickets (Platinum Pass, Series Pass, individual tickets and opening night event) but you can click on links to trailers on all of the films! As I alluded to, we are so excited to announce that we ve added an opening night film, Partner with the Enemy on Sunday, March 20th and we will have Neil Friedman of Menemsha Films, the largest distributor of Israeli films in the country, here to lead a discussion on trends/themes in Israeli cinema following the screening. (You can find more information about Neil Friedman by going online to: Eileen Stern and her dedicated committee have worked incredibly hard to assure that this year s festival will be the best yet. I hope that you will be a part of this great event. Please call me if we can count on you to sponsor either the upcoming Craig Taubman Concert or the Jewish Film Festival. I will make sure to get you the information you need or get you in touch with someone who will. And, of course, the information is available online! I look forward to seeing you at our many February events... from our wonderful weekly services... to the fabulous Craig Taubman Concert on February 18 th... to the weekly ExploraTorah classes... to Rabbi s (Alternative) Love in the Bible mini series... and, finally, the February 28 final lecture of our 2015/16 Short Speaker Series on Desalination. And I cannot leave out the incredible event for our ladies, the High Tea hosted by the Temple Isaiah Women s Auxiliary on February 25 th! What a month! Then we get ready for March, beginning with an exciting experience on March 4 th when Ami Yares returns (remember him from that special service last July? He is Rabbi s longtime friend, the American-Israeli Folk-Rock Singer). Ami will again join Rabbi in the Kabbalat Service held at 6:30 pm, and then we will follow services with a Buffet Dinner for $20 a person! See page 3 for details. Sixteen days later begins our fantastic Jewish Film Festival: March 20, 22 & 23. Wow! So many great things are happening at our Temple! I look forward to seeing you here often! Shalom, Doug Morton

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8 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday February pm Torah Cantillation with Cantor Sam Radwine 3 No class today 4 No class today 5 6:30 pm services (note time) 6 10 am service pm (No class) :15 pm ExploraTorah 6 pm class: (Alternate) Love in the Bible 11 6:30-8:30 pm On One Foot Intro to Judaism class 12 7:30 pm services am service pm Torah Cantillation with Cantor Sam Radwine :15 pm ExploraTorah 6 pm class: (Alternate) Love in the Bible 18 7 pm Craig Taubman Concert 19 7:30 pm services am service :45 pm Rabbi s Lecture Jewish Fed n (Rabbi Bentley) :15 pm ExploraTorah 6 pm class: (Alternate) Love in the Bible 25 12:30 pm Temple Isaiah Women s Auxiliary 26 7:30 pm services am service 7 pm Torah Cantillation with Cantor Sam Radwine 6:30-8:30 pm On One Foot Intro to Judaism class 28 Temple s Lecture Series: 3 pm Dr. David Jassby. At UC Riverside Palm Desert Campus Auditorium 29 Candle Lighting Times Friday, February 5 Mishpatim 4:41 pm Friday, February 12 Terumah 4:47 pm Friday, February 19 Tetzaveh 4:53 pm Friday, February 26 Ki Tissa 5:00 pm

9 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday March :45 pm Rabbi s Lecture Jewish Fed n (Rabbi Zionts) 2 3-4:15 pm ExploraTorah 3 6:30-8:30 pm On One Foot Intro to Judaism class 4 6:30 pm Services with Ami Yares. Followed by Buffet Dinner 5 10 am service :45 pm Rabbi s Lecture Jewish Fed n (Rabbi Lazar) 9 3-4:15 pm ExploraTorah 10 6:30-8:30 pm On One Foot Intro to Judaism class 11 7:30 pm services am service :45 pm Rabbi s Lecture Jewish Fed n (Rabbi Denebeim) :15 pm ExploraTorah 17 6:30-8:30 pm On One Foot Intro to Judaism class 18 7:30 pm services am service 20 4:00 pm JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL Opening film at Temple Isaiah JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL at the Camelot Theatres 24 PURIM 25 7:30 pm services am service :15 pm ExploraTorah 31 6:30-8:30 pm On One Foot Intro to Judaism class Candle Lighting Times Friday, March 4 Vayakhel 5:03 pm Friday, March 11 Pekudei 5:08 pm Friday, March 18 Vayikra 6:14 pm * Friday, March 25 Tzav 6:19 pm * Daylight Savings Time begins March 13

10 January 17, 2016 RABBI ELIE SPITZ Does the Soul Survive (Left to right) Dr. Michael Alexander, UCR; Rabbi Elie Spitz of Congregation B nai Israel, Tustin, CA, Temple Isaiah s Rabbi David Lazar, and Temple Isaiah President Gary Miller. January 31, 2016 DR. MICHAEL S. ALEXANDER Jewish Studies in the 21 st Century (Left to right) Bob Fey, Temple Isaiah Chairman of the Board & Trustee, UCR Foundation; Dr. Milly Pena, UCR Dean of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences; Dr. Michael Alexander, UCR Moses Maimonedes Chair for Jewish Studies; Bill Chunowitz, Jewish Federation of the Desert Chairman of the Board; and UCR Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox. This is the fifth year that Temple Isaiah has presented the Philip and Eleanor Short Lecture Series, made possible from the onset by the co-sponsorship of the University of California, Riverside and, for the past four years, by funding from the Jewish Federation of the Desert.

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13 Big hugs and even bigger thank you s to our wonderful office volunteers, who come in weekly to help with answering phones, getting mailings out, covering lunch breaks and all the little things that relieve our busy staff and keep our office humming! Richard Gail Michelle Caryl Sandie Irwin Luba Jeffery Kanter Mueller Olins Ovesen Sacks Sackley

14 IN MEMORY OF: YAHRZEIT FUND Sidney Herman in loving memory of his mother, Yetta Herman Lila Blane in loving memory of her mother, Muriel Karo Shirley Grayman in loving memory of her husband, Marty Grayman Shirley Grayman in loving memory of her mother, Pearl Shatz Milt Levinson in loving memory of his grandmother, Minnie Feibish Helen Varon in loving memory of her grandson, Matthew Varon Hilda Herman in loving memory of her mother, Rebecca Shifrin Daniel Schwartz in loving memory of his wife, Natalie Schwartz Sidney Herman in loving memory of his father, Joseph Herman Hilda Herman in loving memory of her father, Max Shifrin Bob and Cheryl Fey in memory of Harriet Shneidman David Knapp in loving memory of his father, William Knapp Caryl Olins in loving memory of her father, Bennett Olins Serene Lazar in memory of Harriet Shneidman Edythe Kenton in loving memory of her grandmother, Grace Levin Heather Wallis in loving memory of her mother, Doris Greenblatt Lee Appel in loving memory of her father, Nat Landau Beatrice Julien in loving memory of her sister-in-law, Myra Julien Bob Baldinger in loving memory of his wife, Estelle Baldinger Helen Gottschalk in loving memory of her father, Leopold Loeb Eileen Starkstein-Fine in loving memory of her sister, Grace Kaufman Jerry Lavin in loving memory of his parents, Louis and Lillie Lavin Robin Burg in loving memory of her parents, Betty Crane and William Crane Dottie Fields in loving memory of her brother, Rabbi Harvey Fields Helen Gottschalk in loving memory of her husband, Fred Gottschalk Howard Missner in memory of Beverly Baskin Richard Bacal in loving memory of his brother, Tinel Teddy Bacal Cass Graff-Radford in loving memory of her father, Jack Freed Harold Nash in loving memory of his parents, Frances and Charles Nash Jerome Lapidus in loving memory of his mother, Mildred Lapidus Lenora Breyer in loving memory of her father, Louis Cohen Pearl Cappe in memory of Frank Cahn Norma Lovitz in memory of Frank Cahn Gerald Dorman in loving memory of his mother, Ruth Dorman Neil Brooks in memory of Harriet Shneidman Dottie Fields in memory of Harriet Shneidman Douglas Morton in loving memory of his grandmother, Bernardine Sherr Jonathan Friedman in loving memory of Anabelle Gomal Sheldon Lehman in loving memory of his mother, Ellen Lehman Penny Wiese in loving memory of her father, Sol Seligman Shelley Miller-Mantell in loving memory of her father, Jack Miller Katie Hauswirth in loving memory of her father, Leopold Loeb Mike Salerno in loving memory of his brother, Joseph Salerno Shirley Randolph in loving memory of her mother, Flora Haas Lawrence Gordon in loving memory of his father, Milton Blink GENERAL CONTRIBUTION Naomi Bailie in honor of Shoshana Barer Leslie Leitner Larry Sogolow Leon and Ella Ohana in honor of their children and grandchildren s aliyot on their anniversary weekend RABBI S DISCRETIONARY FUND Jay and Roni Spetalnick

15 February 2016 Yahrzeits * Names Inscribed on Memorial Board Services: Friday nights at 7:30 pm and Saturday mornings at 10:00 am. We will attempt to provide a morning minyan for a yahrzeit if given several days notice. February 1-6 Listed in announcements on February 5 th & 6 th *Rose Breyer Anna Cohen Don Diacosta Wayne Dowd *Sig Ehrens *Bessie Emanuel *Betty Gaynor *Sam Goldberg *Cima Hack *Edward Helf *Rose Heymanson Emanuel Holland *Ruth Hyman Leonard Jewett *Marjorie Kochman *Lillie Lavin *Leopold Loeb *Samuel Molin *Ronna Padove *Morris Pickus James Rosenthal *Ben Sax Henya M. Schriber Sol Seligman Jonize Senescu *Morris Shapiro Bernardine Sherr *Frank Silverberg Henry Simon Faye Somers *Berta Weinberg Robert Zlotoff February 7-13 Listed in announcements February 12th & 13th *Lena Abarbanell *Melvin Berman *Arnold Bernstein P.H. Brinkman *Michael D. Cohen *David H Drescher Selma Feinberg *Mark Gomberg Paula Goode *Jack Harris *David Harmatz *Nathan Julien *Elliott Kadison *David Kates *Ed Kaufman *Fanny R. Klass Louis Kosberg Nathan Landau *Samuel Lazer *Ricca Lewis *Charles Nathan Sarah Rose Oretsky *Esther K Pickus *Billy Rose *Ralph Rosenbluth *Julius Rubinstein Edwin Silberman *Abe Sonosky Edward Striker Rose Traister Molly Udell Anne Walters Ron Wein David White February Listed in announcements February 19th & 20th Etta Becker Mildred Brooks *Max Chapman Helen Schear Cohen *Lloyd Crane *Shlomo Cycowski *William D. Davis *Jerry Ezra *Jules Fadem *Charles Field *Clarence Fox *Jerome Greenberg *Mildred Hirsch *Jeanette Iskin *Esther M. Kane *Alexander Katz *Bessie Kotz *Betty Lande Sadie Lazar Samuel Lewis Lazar Seymour H. Lenes *Joel Lyons *Pearl Nicholson *Samuel Portner *Martin Semel Max Schmidt Harry Shimberg Jerry Stern *Henry Taylor Belle Tishman Murray Bud Wein *Erwin J. Weiss Nathan Zalon Harold Ziff February Listed in announcements February 26th & 27th Solomon Bailin *Mathilde Bernstein *Pearl Bornstein *Arthur Davis *Abraham Goldfarb *Barney Gordon Ben Grinstein Max Gutenstein *Jack Jacobson Harold Kaplan *Max Karp *Rebecca Kirshbaum *Fannie Klein Lena Len *Barbara Ellen Lerman Ethel Lerner Helen Levin Sadie Liff Pauline Lipstein Sam Mathis *Leah Minster Alice Pennes *Bertha Polan Larry Saltzberg *Betty Schatz Morris Smith *William Tuch *Sam Zelkowitz February Listed in announcements March 3 rd & 4 th Frandel Belzberg *Clara Chernus *Fannie Gholstin *George Goldberg Lee Moses Jeanette Pittler *Bernard Pollack Sam Stone Arthur Waterman Lucille Weisberg Peter Weisberg Charles Zorkin May their memories endure for a blessing

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