The Newsletter of Congregation Beth Jacob CONGREGATION BETH JACOB P.O. Box 3284 Plymouth, MA 02361 508-746-1575 www.cbjplymouth.org How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel! ISSUE 5770 HOLIDAYS PRESIDENT S MESSAGE The Energizer Bunny In the midst of a recent Shabbat service, I noticed that the clock in the sanctuary stopped working. I turned to one of the members of the building committee present to request a new battery and we laughed that perhaps a committee meeting should be held to determine who should buy the battery, who should change the battery and who should monitor the clock to make sure it continues working. All in all, it made me realize how important volunteers are to us. Without dedicated volunteers, who would be in charge of our finances, Beit Sefer, ritual committee, Sisterhood and Brotherhood, publicity, membership, adult education, caring committee, cemetery, PTO, fundraising, building, outreach, youth group and newsletter among other things? How would policies be made and followed without a dedicated board of directors there to make sure CBJ runs like clockwork? Finding volunteers to fill these positions is not as easy as running to the store and purchasing another battery. Oh, how I wish it were that easy! Today people are multitasking between raising families, working at one or even two jobs, and trying to keep a semblance of order in their lives. But, many of our members still find time to volunteer on one or two or even more committees as their time allows. I call that dedication. Many of the current volunteers on the board and various committees have remained to support me and support CBJ during my past five years as president. It s time to make some changes and charge a few new batteries to keep us going. Please take a moment and see how much time and energy you have and realize how your participation can keep our juices flowing. Call me to discuss how your talents could be best utilized. Remember that energizer bunny and volunteer to keep us going! Sheila Finer Thurs, Jan 20, Tu B Shvat Sun, March 20, Purim Tues Tues, April 19-26, Pesach Sun, May 1, Yom HaShoah Mon, May 9, Yom HaZikaron Tues, May 10, Yom HaAtzmaut Sun, May 22, Lad B Omer Holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the dates listed. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: PRESIDENT S MESSAGE 1 BROTHERHOOD 2 SISTERHOOD 3 YOUTH GROUP 3 DONATIONS 4 YAHRZEITS 5 ANNOUNCEMENTS 6 PTO NEWS 7 BEIT SEFER 8 CALENDAR 9
PAGE 2 BROTHERHOOD As of our last meeting, CBJ Brotherhood now totals 29 paid members (It's only 18 bucks folks!!!) and 1 honorary member. 30 members in all. Not a bad start for a NEW, REVITALIZED CBJ BROTHERHOOD. CBJ Brotherhood has held three highly successful "events". You can just ask anyone who participated. We had our first Historic Walking Tour of Plymouth on August 8th. With thanks to our very own Carl Finer (our "Maven of Minutia") and Karen Goldstein (our expert on historic Jewish Plymouth) we were able to walk through the history of Plymouth. From the original passengers of the Mayflower through the turn of the century Jewish immigration through present times (we had 25 participants). Our second event was the CBJ Brotherhood Breakfast on October 17th at the Community Center. Our guest speaker was Seth Gitell (House Speaker DeLeo's Director of Communications). He spoke about the Diaspora and the Jews of Portugal. We had over 50 participants. Our 3rd sponsored event was a 2nd Historic Walking Tour of Plymouth. Once again, our thanks to our own Carl Finer (yes, that Carl Finer) who proceeded to give us an extensive tour of Burial Hill down through Town Square. All of these "Events" was followed (or preceded) by FOOD!!! Bagels, Kugels, Cakes, Eggs, Salads, Coffee, Donuts, Chateau Briand (no we didn't have Chateau Briand...I just wanted to make sure you were paying attention)...and so much more!!! If you didn't participate in any or all these sponsored events, I can only hope that you felt you and/or your spouses lives were enriched as much as ours was. By the way...did I mention the extraordinary company??!! Lots doing...lots coming...and let's not forget our continuing sponsorship of the Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse. We've collected hundreds of pounds of non perishable foods, and need your help to help our neighbors in need. The next time you are able to go shopping for your family, put in an extra few bucks for some non perishable food for those who can't afford to go shopping for their family. You can drop those food items conveniently at either the CBJ Community Center OR the synagogue. By the way...there are still available membership openings (at a mere 18 bucks). So be on the inside "looking out" rather than the schnook on the sidelines trying to figure out how to get inside and join your CBJ Brotherhood now before the future passes you by. CONGREGATION BETH JACOB EXECUTIVE BOARD Sheila Finer President Steve Fraga 1st Vice President Fred Sarke 2nd Vice President Paula Keller Recording Secretary Ronnie Hirschhorn Corresponding Secretary Arnold Gladstein Treasurer Sherri Sore Assistant Treasurer Joanne Levy Member-at-Large Vicki Fitzgerald Member-at-Large Steve Goldberg Member-at-Large Alan Koplan Member-at-Large Mel Klasky Member-at-Large Susan Moore Member-at-Large Irene Sarke Member-at-Large BOARD OF TRUSTEES Arnold Gladstein Phil Waltuch Larry Winokur
PAGE 3 SISTERHOOD Did You Know? Sisterhood has been making micro loans to women in third world countries to finance their own businesses to become self-supportive? It is called the Kiva Project, and to date all our loans from last year have been repaid. Sisterhood subsidized the Community Chanukah Party on Dec 5th so that the prices per person could remain the same. Sisterhood provides all the paper goods, plastic ware, soft drinks,coffee,tea, sugar, Splenda, and wine for both our buildings? Also as needed Sisterhood purchases other kitchen supplies such as sponges, dish soap, hand soap, Shabbat candles, towels, and new appliances! Our Sisterhood membership drive is still on. There are several levels of belonging. You do not need to be a temple member in order to join and it is a great way to support our synagogue and its events, by becoming a member. Sisterhood meets the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm at the synagogue. PARTY PLYMOUTH AREA TEMPLE YOUTH What is PARTY? We are the CBJ youth group and a member of the National Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY) Northeast Region. PARTY welcomes youth in grades 9-12, while Jr. PARTY is for youth in grades 6-8. What does PARTY do? It provides a forum for the Jewish youth in our community to gather socially, perform mitzvot, meet other Jewish youth from across the northeast, discuss current issues, learn from each other, and share in our Jewish heritage. What has PARTY done recently? Erica Burke and Ben Waltuch have enjoyed 2 NFTY events so far this year with over 100 other Jewish teens and are looking forward to many more! They also coordinated the kids activities at the CBJ Chanukah party in December. The kids enjoyed face painting, cookie decorating, dreidel and limbo games courtesy of PARTY. Want to learn more about PARTY or Jr. PARTY? Contact us at party@cbjplymouth.org. Christine Burke PARTY Advisor IMAM TALAL EID TO VISIT CBJ THIS WINTER **WATCH THE CBJ WEEKLY UPDATE FOR DETAILS** Hosted by the Adult Education Committee, the Imam's visit will be preceded, in January, by an evening program on "The Religion of Islam," which will give many of us background for our meeting with the Imam. (Details of this program also to be announced.) Imam Talal Eid is a friend of Rabbi Silverman and of some of our members who met the Imam when we visited the Islamic Center, in Quincy, and when he visited us many years ago. He can address, with eloquence and sincerity, many of the questions that have been raised about the goals of the Muslim community in American society. Please watch the CBJ Weekly Update and a special mailing for more information.
PAGE 4 DONATIONS GENERAL FUND M/M Stephen Winokur Mr Stanley Levinson Mr Hirschfield/Miller Mr David Babel Ms Miriam Cooperbrand Ms Sheila Mello Mr Kevin Wulff M/M Elliott Levy Mrs Rose Geller Mr Morris Bloom M/M Sholes Ms. P Mary Farina ELUL FUND Barbara Aharoni/Harry Shamir Dr/Mrs Barry Meltzer Ms Susan Moore JACOB & MINNIE KAPLAN NFTY FUND Dr/Mrs Barry Meltzer RAY & MILLY RUSSO FUND Dr Mark Russo YAHRZEIT FUND Mr Alan Levy Mrs Carol Gilbert Ms Deborah Cohen M/M Lawrence Winokur Barbara Aharoni/Harry Shamir M/M Carl Finer Mrs Marolyn Katz M/M Richard Rothstein Mr Bernard Resnick M/M Ed Sore Mrs Adelaide Lelyveld Mrs Susanne Lelyveld-Wittenberg M/M Hirschhorn RESNICK FUND Mr. Bernard Resnick RABBI S MITZVAH FUND In recent weeks, many of the following members and friends of the Congregation made contributions during the month of October and the first week in November. Their gifts activated a generous "Matching Fund" that was made available to us at that time; and as a result, an additional contribution was presented to Congregation Beth Jacob in the amount of $1,400.00. Our thanks are sent to all those named below, as well as to our anonymous benefactor. Anonymous (several donations) Barbara Aharoni and Harry Shamir Dr. Joel and Barbara Baron Susan Basiri Dr. Michelle Baum David and Frimma Buckman Rick Burke (2 donations) Yossi and Andrea Chodin David Cohen Dr. Bryan and Robin Efron Stephen and Ann Fried Mrs. Anne Geller Mrs. Rose Geller Arnold and Alyce Gladstein Dr. Arthur and Harriet Goodman Samuel and Barbara Gorfinkle Daniel and Ronnie Hirschhorn Annelise Katz Melvin and Lois Klasky Dr. Barry and Fay Meltzer Harriette Minsky (2 donations) Susan Moore Lloyd Rosenberg and Linda Mackey Dr. Raymond and Milly Russo (2 donations) Dr. Fred and Irene Sarke Michael and Sandra Schwartz Paul and Pamela Sechoka Alan and Karen Shapiro Rabbi Lawrence Silverman & Meredith Hoffman Roxanna Simpson Martin and Marge Starr Gordon and Janet Strauss in honor of our granddaughter Hannah Sophia Slater on occasion of becoming a Bat Mitzvah on October, 24, 2010 in Atlanta, GA Muriel Swartz Dr. Fred Wax Stephen and Jackie Winokur PLEASE NOTE: The Rabbi's Mitzvah Fund supports special educational and charitable projects for the benefit of the Congregation and in its name. Gifts in any amount are always welcome, and are acknowledged to the donor and/or to the honoree or to the family of one who has been remembered. Your contributions are important throughout the year. Please direct gifts and dedication instructions to Rabbi Silverman. (Checks payable to CBJ- Rabbi's Mitzvah Fund.) Your support is always appreciated.
PAGE 5 YAHRZEITS DURING JANUARY/FEBRUARY Please note: Yahrzeit observance begins the evening preceding the date shown. JANUARY John Jacob Marcus 1 Bessie Skulsky 2 Shirley Lubin 3 Hyman Aranowitz 3 Mendel Aranowitz 6 Rebecca Shriber 7 Ruth Bornstein Strauss 8 Emil N. Winkler 8 Louis Policow 9 Joseph Rains 10 Philip Aranowitz 11 Charles Ginsburg 12 Fred Greenbaum 12 Michel Toabe 12 Seymore Horenstein 13 Annie Mankoff 13 Shirley Greenbaum 14 Manuel Kalaminsky 16 Angy Moore 16 Berenard Riback 17 Morris Rodman 18 Mae Hirschhorn 19 Sadie Stein 20 Ida B Resnick 21 Kay Levenson-Meltzer 22 Abraham Toabe 27 Meyer J Myer 28 Ethel Berger 29 Roberta Lipetz 29 Rina Shamir 29 Hilda Keil Toabe 30 Frank Gladstein 31 FEBRUARY Harry Dorph 2 Adele Pevzner 2 Arthur Rosenblum 3 Ida Penn 4 Jeanne Gurwitch 6 David Schwartz 9 Robert Arons 10 Hyman Sherman 10 Dinah VanWest 15 Isadore Rothstein 17 Roberta Lipetz 19 I Harry Keller 19 Betty Balton 20 Joseph L. Harris 21 Sally Sarke 25 Barbara Hirschhorn 25 MARCH Albert Roth 2 Notes on Yahrzeit observance: This year is a leap year in the Jewish calendar. Some yahrzeits observed in February last year will be observed in March. Some customs associated with Yahrzeit observance are: lighting a memorial candle at home in the evening at the beginning of the Yahrzeit period; saying Kaddish during a Shabbat service close to the Yahrzeit; donating to a charity or one of CBJ's special funds in memory of the one whose Yahrzeit is being observed. "May the Memory of each one abide as a Blessing" THE TENT IS BACK! What better way to welcome in 2011 than with the return of the Tent! This beloved CBJ bi-monthly newsletter has undergone many changes in formatting, editing, and distribution over the years, but its underlying purpose remains the same...to provide you with information about what is happening in the CBJ community. So whether you enjoy reading it in printed form or online, the Tent is the place to go to find out the latest CBJ news and upcoming events. I hope that you will find the return of the Tent useful and informative. If you have any ideas to make this publication better, or you wish to contribute an article, I would love to hear from you! Christine Burke cgburke65@verizon.net
PAGE 6 MARTIN LUTHER KING BREAKFAST The Plymouth Area Clergy Association and the No Place for Hate Committee of Plymouth are pleased to announce that the annual Martin Luther King Breakfast will be held on Monday, January 17, 2011 at 8:00 AM at Plymouth South High School. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students. Tickets are available from Rabbi Silverman or at the door. The featured speaker will be Reverend William Kremmell, a former Priest at Blessed Kateri Church in Plymouth and the original founder of the MLK Breakfast event. For more information, contact Rabbi Silverman or email the No Place for Hate Committee at Plymouthnpfh@gis.net. Barry Meltzer Chair, Plymouth No Place for Hate Committee Members, Guests and Friends of CBJ: I am happy to remind you of a program that was recently started here at Congregation Beth Jacob. We have instituted a new method to inform fellow Jews: both members and their families and friends of CBJ, of the annual yahrzeit dates of their loved ones. Once you have supplied the names and dates (either Hebrew or English) of those whom you wish to remember, you will receive notification approximately three weeks in advance of the yahrzeit date. There is no charge for this service. We feel that it s important to supply this service to all interested Jews. I realize that our members have furnished this information when they joined CBJ. We ask those of you who have not done so to supply this information again so we can be sure our records are up-todate and accurate. This program is separate from your listings in our annual Yiskor Book of Remembrance. Please send this information to: Congregation Beth Jacob Attn: Arnold Gladstein P O Box 3284 Plymouth, MA 02361 RABBI'S CALLING HOURS 10 AM to 12 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday (508)746-0010 Email Rabbi Silverman at rabbi@cbjplymouth.org Rabbi's EMERGENCY LINE (401)480-5800 Limud / Study Group Meets most Mondays 8:30-10:00 am at the Synagogue. A member of our congregation has offered to match funds for sponsoring Cantor Rick Lawrence to be our chazzan on Saturday morning, January 22, at the synagogue. If you are interested in enjoying Cantor Rick s rich baritone voice once again on our bimah, please send your donation to the Elul Fund with notation for Cantor Rick. Send it to CBJ Treasurer Arnold Gladstein, P.O. Box 3284, Plymouth, MA 02361. Just 5 donors of $18 each would reach our goal for this special Shabbat musical celebration. Any amounts beyond that will be added to the Elul Fund for future musical events.
PAGE 7 PTO NEWS Announcing the Personalized Haggadah Fundraiser! Believe it or not, we have already started to think about Passover! Celebrate your Passover traditions with a beautiful Haggadah that has the front cover personalized with your family name or first names. We encourage you to purchase these personalized family Haggadahs for everyone at your Seder table and introduce them to your extended family and friends as well. The first night of Passover this year is Monday April 18 th and you ll want to have these Haggadahs for a fabulous Seder! The Passover Haggadah is a forever family keepsake. The family Haggadah is complete and colorful and beautiful. You may see samples of the Haggadahs during any Beit Sefer session on Sundays or by contacting a member of the PTO. You can also go online to view the entire Haggadah at www.personalizedhaggadah.com. The Haggadahs are $11.00 each. Order forms are due by March 1, 2011. Simply complete the form below and submit with a check made payable to Congregation Beth Jacob. Forms are also available at Beit Sefer on Sunday mornings.
PAGE 8 BEIT SEFER On the morning of December 19th, Chanukah songs can be heard throughout the halls of the assisted living complex, Stafford Hill. Beit Sefer and confirmation students sang a variety of Chanukah songs, including the Dreidel song. Thank you to Caleb Maddeford, Emily Burke and Ashley Burke for their excellent solo performances. Sheila Finer shared a wonderful Chelm story which captivated young and old alike and shared her delicious sugar cookies shaped like menorahs and dreidels. The trip to Stafford Hill was the culminating activity to our Mitzvot Unit. Students have also been learning that it is important to honor and respect the elderly citizens in our community. They did such a great job that the residents asked that they come back again soon! We are especially proud of the respect and warmth they displayed during the visit! Students from the CBJ Beit Sefer program, under the direction of Beit Sefer Coordinator, Paula Keller, sing Chanukah songs to the residents of the Stafford Hill assisted living facility on December 19, 2010. The deadline for the March/April issue of The Tent is February 11th! Please submit news and articles via email to: cgburke65@verizon.net
January 2011 PAGE 9 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 8:30am-Limud 4 7pm-Sisterhood Mtg 5 6 7 7:30pm-Simchat Shabbat (Isaacson) 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Confirmation Class 8:30am-Limud (Klasky) 16 17 8am-MLK Breakfast (PSHS) 18 19 20 21 (M. Cion) 22 9:30am-Shabbat 23 Confirmation Class 24 8:30am-Limud 7pm-Board Mtg 25 26 27 28 (R. Burke) 29 30 31 February 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 7pm-Sisterhood Mtg 7:30pm-Simchat Shabbat 6 Confirmation Class 7 8:30am-Limud 8 9 10 11 12 9:30am-Shabbat 13 14 8:30am-Limud 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 8:30am-Limud 7pm-Board Mtg