TEMPLE BETH EL of ONEONTA www.templebetheloneonta.org September 2018 The Shofar Friends, We will celebrate Shabbat together on Friday, August 31, at 7:30 PM. Shabbat Morning Torah Study will meet on Saturday, September 1 and 29. Coffee and Shmooze starts at 9:00 AM, followed by Torah Study at 9:30 AM. We have begun to read the Book of Samuel. No previous knowledge is needed. Please note that this group is usually lively, opinionated, vociferous and at times argumentative. We have a lot of fun!! Lunch and Learn will meet on 9/1 and 9/29 as well. We will be exploring the Jewish value of Hakkarat HaTov, Recognizing the Good. In a challenging world, practicing this value can improve our experience of life by helping us to see the good in each other and in the world. We start lunch at noon, and begin our studies at about 12:30. In this group we strive to become our best selves, and to stay find techniques that help us to stay calm, focused and aware. Feel free to drop in to see what it s all about! Please bring a meat-free, shellfish-free dish for yourself or to share. No previous knowledge is needed. On Saturday evening September 1, we will hold a Selichot (Forgiveness) Service with Havdalah at 7:00 PM. This is a service that is traditionally held on a Saturday night prior to Rosh HaShanah, and helps us to begin to get into the spirit of the Days of Awe. On Sunday September 2 the Women s Club will host our Annual Welcome Back Barbeque at Wilber Park from 1:00 3:00 PM. All members and friends of Temple Beth El are invited. We will provide kosher hot dogs and veggie burgers, beverages, buns and kosher pickles. Please bring your favorite dairy-free, shellfish free side dish to share. To help, to donate food or resources, or to RSVP, contact Phyllis Sherman at p.wsherman0@gmail.com. We will celebrate Sukkot on Friday, September 28, beginning with the Kids Shabbat Party at 5:30 PM, and a Kids Service at 6:00. At the 6:30 Shabbat Service that night, we will honor our incoming Temple Beth El Board of Trustees with a special Installation Ceremony. Please plan on being there to recognize the good that our Board brings to the TBE community. Services that evening will be followed by a Potluck dinner at 7:30. I hope that you will join us to create and share the warmth of our community and to enjoy the companionship of being a part of it. RSVPs to ksider@hotmail.com for Potluck, along with the main course dish that you bring, ensures that we have enough food for everyone. All dishes should be meat-free and shellfish-free. We are in need of potluck people to set up and clean up. Please let Ken know that you will be able to make this happen! This year s High Holy Days take place in September as well. I am pleased to welcome Phyllis Hoffman, a veteran Cantorial Soloist, who will be joining me on the bima to help provide musical leadership and enrichment for our worship experience. I trust that you will come to appreciate her gifts as much as I already have. As always, please don t hesitate to reach out to me at rabbimollykarp@gmail.com at any time. Kol tuv (all the good), Rabbi Molly Karp 1
President s Column Welcome back! Our summer hiatus has officially ended, and life has returned to our synagogue. Shabbat services, adult education, and potlucks have been held, plus, a Selichot service and BBQ in the park are coming. Please check the Shofar and watch for emails with more information. As we begin a new year, we have changes at the Board of Trustees. After many years of serving as vice-president, Howie Gelbsman has shifted off the Board. Howie has been on the Board longer than anyone can remember (even Howie), and we are grateful for his service. He is fiercely proud and protective of our little Jewish community and he demonstrates his love through years of support, sometimes public, sometimes behind-the-scenes - and always through food. He ll be feeding us again at the Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast Dinner. Thank you, Howie. Stephanie Bauer, a veteran Board member, is now vice-president and serving as chair of the Rabbinic Review Committee as well as being instrumental in our thriving Women s Club. New to the Board is Jessica Wintringham, an engaged member who is the mother of two of our religious school students, Fiona and Sam. We are excited to announce Jessica will be leading Junior Congregation services for children on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Phyllis Sherman has joined the Board and is active in many areas of synagogue life. She will be managing the Welcome Back BBQ in Wilber Park. Bob Garfield, one of our religious school teachers, resigned from the Board. We appreciate Bob s insights and contributions, but look forward to seeing him around the synagogue and especially at Israeli films, which he makes possible. Finally, thank you to all the members of the Board. One would think it is easy managing such a small synagogue, but it isn t. Our Board members are: Hollie Jaffe (interfaith liaison and religious school teacher), Steve Feuer (Men s Club and cemetery director), Irene Weinberg (secretary), Rick Weinberg (building and grounds), Anne Green (treasurer), Sue Carbone (Shofar editor), Deb Marcus (social action committee), Stephanie Bauer (Women s Club and vice-president), Phyllis Sherman, and Jessica Wintringham. While our membership is steady (in the low 60s), we always want to be welcoming to unaffiliated Jewish people. Please invite your Jewish friends, colleagues, and neighbors to a Shabbat service, potluck, movie night, Women s or Men s club meal or any other event. This spring, Temple Beth El sponsored an Interfaith program titled A Season of Faith and Understanding which welcomed the community into houses of worship of many religions. We even hosted a closing discussion in our social hall as an ending to the program. It was a great success. If you have ideas that you can help implement, please let me know. If you like to help rather than share ideas, we need you. Host the November oneg or lead the Simchat Torah celebration. Please save the date: October 19 is the National Refugee Shabbat, the date chosen by United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), and many other Jewish denominations and organizations to focus attention on the refugee crisis in America. Temple Beth El is sponsoring a community interfaith event that will be open to the public. There will be guest speakers, Shabbat prayers, Jewish readings, and music. Mayor Gary Herzig will be one of the guest speakers, as will Dr. Brett Heindl (political science professor, immigration expert, husband of Jessica Wintringham, and dad to Fiona and Sam). Please show your support for humanitarian immigration policies and Jewish values by attending this event. Want to help Temple Beth El? Use the Amazon link on our website when you are shopping. We earn 5% from every purchase and it adds up! Also, please make a monthly $18.00 contribution to our Chai to Life campaign. These donations are very helpful, especially now as we are repairing our roof. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are coming, and we will have a very special cantorial soloist joining us. I hope you will attend. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish you a happy, healthy 5779. Ken 2
...HELP WANTED... We really need you! Over time, people who have always managed events or served as hosts need to take a break or choose to retire from those duties. We are currently in real need of members to fill in a number of gaps to ensure all programs are held. Please review the following list of needs to see how you can help. Gabbai Needed Can you help Temple Beth El? We need a gabbai (volunteer caretaker) who can come by the building at least twice a week to make sure the thermostat is turned down, windows are closed, doors are locked, and that the garbage and recyclables are in the cans in the back of the building. These are relatively small tasks that are often overlooked when our members use the building, but they're very important to help Temple Beth El save money on utility costs and avoid attracting pests. Simchat Torah With a part-time rabbi, we cannot rely on clergy to lead us for every holiday; therefore, we occasionally have member-led events. We are in need of someone to organize a Simchat Torah event on Monday, Oct 1. To help out, please contact Ken Sider as soon as possible at: ksider@hotmail.com or 607-432-8480. Good News From Israel News of Israel's Achievements and Heartwarming Stories from the Jewish State. ISRAEL S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS Nitrogen test for early cancer diagnosis. Researchers at Israel s Weizmann Institute have discovered that in many cancers, the body s mechanism for producing nitrogen is disrupted so that the tumors can grow faster. These mutations can be detected early on, by analysis of the body s urea cycle. https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/disrupted-nitrogen-metabolism-might-spell-cancer Freezing tumors to be performed in Israel. (TY Hazel) I ve reported previously (see here) on Israel s IceCure Medical and its technology for freezing and destroying tumors. Now Haifa s Elisha Medical Center is the first Israeli hospital to offer IceCure s treatment for malignant kidney tumors and benign breast tumors. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,l-3744462,00.html 3
Join Rabbi Karp and the Temple Beth El Family for Shabbat and High Holiday Services Friday August 31 7:30 PM Service Saturday September 1 7:00 PM Selichot (Forgiveness) Service with Havdalah Sunday September 9 7:00 PM Erev Rosh Hashanah Monday September 10 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Rosh Hashanah Day Children s Service will be held 10:00 11:00 AM Tuesday September 18 7:00 PM Erev Yom Kippur Wednesday September 19 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Yom Kippur Morning with yizkor Children s Service will be held 10:00 11:00 AM Wednesday September 19 5:00 PM Yom Kippur Afternoon: Minchah, Neilah Wednesday September 19 7:30 PM Yom Kippur conclusion Havdalah and Shofar Blast Friday September 28 Sukkot Celebration Board of Trustees Installation Ceremony 5:30 PM Kid s Shabbat Party 6:00 PM Kid s Service 6:30 PM Service 7:30 PM Pot Luck Dinner 4
The Women s Club invites you to TEMPLE BETH EL s ANNUAL WELCOME BACK BBQ When: Sunday, September 2 from 1:00-3:00 PM Where: Wilber Park s Large Pavilion Come enjoy the playground, hiking trails, open field, picnic tables, kosher food, and good company of fellow synagogue members. Kosher hot dogs, veggie burgers, beverages, buns and kosher pickles will be provided. Please bring your favorite dairy-free, shellfish free side dish to share. RSVP to Phyllis Sherman: p.wsherman0@gmail.com 607-353-7954 The Large Pavilion is on the Upper Level of the park beside the Children s Playground. Many thanks to the following for their generous donations to Temple Beth El: Zach Weinberg in memory of John Kirk Clemens, beloved husband of Caryl Alan & Karen Blocker in honor of Ben Blocker s bar mitzvah Stephanie & Michael Bauer Richard Sternberg in memory of Nadine and Donald Sternberg & Shep Friedman Alfred & Marilyn Lubell, High Holiday donation Lauren & Robert O Leary Neal Shultz Zach Weinberg in memory of Eric Seldin, beloved son of Helene Seldin Zach Weinberg in honor of Howard Kaminsky for a swift recovery Joseph Sobel in memory of Bernice Joseph Linda &Seth Blocker in honor of Ben Blocker s bar mitzvah Zach Weinberg in memory of Arnie Weiss Wise Aging I have just returned from the Institute for Jewish Spirituality retreat and facilitator training for the course Wise Aging. What a wonderful week it was. The program and the book called Wise Aging were created by Rabbi Rachel Cowan and Dr. Linda Thal. The book is a guide to Living with Joy, Resilience, and Spirit as we get older. Rabbi Karp hopes to offer the Lunch and Learn participants sessions based on the book late in the fall. Aging can be spiritual work. By getting together with friends to wrestle with the challenges and opportunities that come to us as we age, we are more likely to develop the confidence to share our wisdom and feel better about growing older. The course as given by the IJS this summer included discussion, meditation, gentle movement, and tikkun middot activities. There is room for continued growth as we get older. I hope to see you at the sessions this fall. Stephanie Bauer 5
Religious School News Shalom yeladim! Welcome back to Hebrew School on September 16th. We also welcome the parents who will be teaching the younger class this year. If you know of any Jewish friends or neighbors who might like to check us out, let them know they are welcome to sit in. Please contact Hollie Jaffe at 287-0280 or hjjaffe@hotmail.com for any further information. Torah service Several members have asked that we hold a Torah service. We do not want to disrupt the Rabbi's wonderful and well-attended Torah study on Shabbat mornings when she is in town. Rabbi Karp suggested we hold a lay-led Torah service on a weekend she is not here. The Torah service will be at 10 am on October 6th. If you can chant from the Torah, read along from the book to make sure the Baal Koreh (torah reader) doesn't make mistakes, would like an aliyah, can give a brief d'var, or provide challah, fruit, or cookies for a short kiddush afterwards, please contact Hollie Jaffe at 287-0280 or hjjaffe@hotmail.com. Men s Club Breakfast Men s Club Breakfast will be held 10 am Sunday, September 16th in the downstairs social hall. The Lord s Table I'm so grateful to my August 9th companions at Lord's Table - Linda Burkhart, Lynda and Gary Preiser, and Ken Sider. We served and cleaned up after 51 satisfied diners. Next month we are scheduled for Thursday September 9th. To be added to our volunteer roster, contact Hollie Jaffe at 287-0280 or hjjaffe@hotmail.com. 6
Please Join Us at Temple Beth El s Sabbath Service for Refugees Friday, October 19 at 7:00 PM at Temple Beth El 83 Chestnut Street, Oneonta One of the largest humanitarian crises in human history is affecting more than 68 million people who have fled their homes due to persecution and violence. And, yet, in this moment of unprecedented need and despair, our government is grinding the refugee admissions program to a halt and cutting humanitarian aid. These actions have been widely condemned by major religious organizations across the United States. This is a moment when we must give voice to our values as Americans and stand up for the safety and the lives of refugees and asylum seekers. The history of the Jewish Americans demands our concern for the dignity of refugees. Join us for the National Refugee Shabbat, a Jewish Sabbath service to include prayers, readings, guest speakers, and music, as we raise awareness and reaffirm our community s commitment to refugees and humane immigration policies. Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig will open the event. This service is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. For more information, contact Ken Sider: ksider@hotmail.com 7
Oneg Shabbat Announcement Dear Temple Family, I am certain that you are all aware of the Oneg that takes place at the conclusion of Shabbat services. It is the collective joy or pleasure celebrated by those of us attending services. At Temple Beth El the Oneg is a relatively simple affair. Either one or more congregants personally sponsor the Oneg as a memorialization of a significant event, i.e. Yahrzeit, Birthday, Bar or Bat Mitzvah, Baby Naming, etc. Hosting an Oneg creates a nice opportunity to talk with friends about your loved one or special event, and it brings us together as a community. In an effort to sustain this tradition and create a more equitable distribution of this mitzvah, we are asking you to provide an Oneg. Sponsorship of an Oneg requires: fruit, dessert, challah (available at BJ s, Price Chopper, and Hannaford), small gluten-free snack, small sugar-free snack, seltzer and juice, and half-and-half. If you are out of town on the date of the Oneg you wish to sponsor, you may make a donation of $50.00 to the Temple Beth El Oneg Fund so that the Temple can continue to perform this important but costly function. In order to schedule an Oneg, please contact me at ksider@hotmail.com I thank you in advance. Shalom, Ken Sider Shabbat Torah Study followed by Rabbi Molly Karp s Adult Education Classes Torah study is interactive No preparation required September Lunch and Learn Saturday, September 1 st and 29 th at noon We will be turning our attention to the Jewish value of Hakkarat HaTov, Recognizing the Good. In a challenging world, this value can improve our experience of life by helping us to see the good in each other and in the world. Please bring a meat-free, shellfish-free dish for yourself or to share. You can email me to receive the handouts in advance. No previous knowledge is needed. Please contact Rabbi Karp www.rabbimollykarp.com for information. Shabbat Torah Study: at 9:30 am, following 9 am coffee and schmooze on Saturday mornings. 8
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Are you interested in helping at Temple Beth El or with any of our programs? We have opportunities for people who would like to be more involved. Whether it is being one of The Potluck People (helping with our monthly potluck), working at The Lord's Table (a soup kitchen/community feeding program) or joining a committee either in the synagogue or outside as a synagogue representative, we welcome your participation. Contact Ken Sider for more information, ksider@hotmail.com or 432-8480. DONATIONS TO TEMPLE BETH EL It is a mitzvah to make a donation to honor or remember friends, family, or a special occasion. Please remember Temple Beth El when you have news to share, to recognize a death or remember a yahrzeit. Chesed Committee The Chesed Committee provides help and support to Temple members in times of need and in times of joy. Anne Green and Bernadette Winters Bell are available to offer support. Bernadette Winters Bell b15lola@aol.com Home # 607.432.6278 cell # 607.267.8610 Anne Green la0130@stny.rr.com Home # 607-433-1203 CHAI to LIFE Please remember to send in your $18.00 Chai to Life payment for September. Every donation helps us pay the synagogue s bills and maintain Rabbi Karp s visits to Oneonta. Thank you for your on-going support. Member News Column If you have member news that you would like to share with the congregation, please send it via email by the 20 th of the month to Sue Carbone at tbeshofar@gmail.com for publication in the Shofar. Please put Member News in the subject line of your email. Thank you. 9
YOU CAN EARN MONEY FOR TEMPLE BETH EL BY SHOPPING AT AMAZON.COM Every time you shop at Amazon.com, Temple Beth El receives a percentage of that sale with no cost to you. You still pay the same Amazon prices as usual and Amazon donates a portion of that sale to our Temple. It s EASY. All you have to do is go to the Temple s webpage at this address: http://www.templebetheloneonta.org/ Once at our website, click on the AMAZON tab at the top of the page (second tab from the right) Then, click on the Amazon.com link and shop as you normally do. For everything you buy, Amazon will donate to the Temple. It s as simple as that. Two extra clicks (first, go to the Temple s website, then, click on the Amazon Tab and Amazon link) and you re ready to donate, just by shopping. It really helps and it really adds up. Remember us when you shop. You have to do a few extra steps but then it s shopping as usual and we reap the benefits. Just continue buying what you would buy anyway, and the Temple makes money. How great is that? 10
Yahrzeit List for September 2018 September 1 6 (Elul 21 26) September 7 13 (Elul 27 Tishrei 4) Louis Davis Jerome Peyton Ruth Platt Herbert Rapp Fima (Haim) Rom Mary (Manya) Weinberg Emil Dreyfus Walter S. Vollweiler Benjamin Harris September 14 20 (Tishrei 5 11) September 22 30 (Tishrei 12 21) David Koota Samuel (Schlomo) Weinberg Sidney Levine Karen Kaminsky Sally I. Platt William Rickel Sarah Novak Wallace Robert Jerome Ira Aaron Sive Sam Kornblath Harriet Kean Marion Rapp Frank Klein May they be remembered for a blessing In case of emergency Rabbi Karp is not reachable via email on Shabbat and festivals. To reach her in the event of a rabbinic emergency, or in the case of an urgent need on Shabbat, please contact Temple Beth El's President, Ken Sider at 432-8480 or ksider@hotmail.com. At all other times, you can reach Rabbi Karp at rabbimollykarp@gmail.com. In the event of a death, please contact Steve Feuer, at 988-6654. 11
MEMBER AND SUPPORTER BUSINESSES 12
www.templebetheloneonta.org TEMPLE BETH EL WEBSITE ONLINE BUSINESS DIRECTORY Please email TBEOneonta@gmail.com for more information about this FREE service for members. Thanks, Dr. Neal Schultz! Purchase any products from BeautyRX. The profits from all purchases from Temple members will be donated to the Temple. Just go to www.beautyrx.com redeem it by applying code "tbeth" in the shopping cart or checkout page. Or call 1-855-beautyrx - that s 1-855-232-8897, thank you. 13
Temple Beth El Shofar published by TEMPLE BETH EL PO Box 383 83 Chestnut Street Oneonta, NY 13820 www.templebetheloneonta.org Rabbi Molly Karp 607/432-5522 (synagogue) www.rabbimollykarp.com Rabbi Emeritus Donald Neil Roberts Sept 2018 Elul 5778/Tishrei 5779 Ken Sider Stephanie Bauer Irene Weinberg Anne Green Hollie Jaffe OFFICERS President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Past President BOARD OF DIRECTORS Susan Carbone Phyllis Sherman Debra Marcus Rick Weinberg Jessica Wintringham Save the Dates: Friday August 31 st, Erev Shabbat Service at 7:30 PM Saturday Sept 1 st, coffee and schmooze at 9:00 AM, Torah study at 9:30 AM followed by Lunch and Learn at noon Saturday Sept 1 st, Selichot Service at 7:00 PM Sunday, Sept 2 nd Welcome Back Bar B Q 1 to 3 PM Wilber Park Large Pavilion Sunday Sept 9 th, Erev Rosh Hashanah Service at 7 PM Monday Sept 10 th, Rosh Hashanah Service at 10 AM Thursday, Sept 13 th, Lord s Table Community Feeding program Sunday Sept 16 th Men s Club Breakfast at 10:00 AM Tuesday Sept 18 th, Erev Yom Kippur Service at 7 PM Wednesday Sept 19 th, Yom Kippur morning Service with Yizkor at 10 AM Wednesday Sept 19 th, Yom Kippur afternoon Service with Minchah and Neilah at 5 PM Wednesday Sept 19 th, Yom Kippur conclusion with Havdalah and Shofar Blast at 7:30 PM Wednesday Sept 19 th, Break the Fast dinner Friday Sept 28 th, Sukkot Celebration, Kid s Shabbat Party at 5:30 PM with Kid s Service at 6:00, followed by Shabbat Service at 6:30, and followed by potluck dinner at 7:30 PM Saturday Sept 29 th, coffee and schmooze at 9:00 AM, Torah study at 9:30 AM followed by Lunch and Learn at noon Steven Feuer Men s Club President Irene Weinberg/Joyce Gelbsman Sisterhood Temple Beth El PO Box 383 Oneonta, NY 13820 14