Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018

1836 Rohrerstown Road Lancaster, PA 17601 office@tbelancaster.org 717-581-7891 www.tbelancaster.org Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Mission Statement The mission of Temple Beth El is to provide a house of Conservative Jewish worship which fosters spiritual fulfillment, Jewish theology, life-long Jewish education, and community support throughout the cycles of the seasons. Board of Directors Co-Pres. - David Ehrlich & Gary Kogon 2nd VP - Steve Gordon Secy - Harold Koplin Treasurer - Samantha Besnoff Financial Secy - Linda Hutt Lynn Brooks, Bob Brosbe, Abshalom Cooper, Sue Friedman, Yitzie Gans, Randi Jacobs, Bob Matlin, Arne Ostroff, Dolly Shuster & Marc Weiner Sisterhood Rep. - Joan Goldman Rabbi Daniela Szuster & Rabbi Rami Pavolotzky Principal - Larry Besnoff Men s Club - Steve Kleinman USY/Kadima - Alyssa Gottlieb Sisterhood - Sisterhood Board Membership - Sue Friedman Inside this issue: Rabbi Daniela s Message 2&3 President s Message 3 Principal s Message 4 Sisterhood Donor Event 4 Shavuot Service schedule 6 Our Temple Family 8 Calendar 10 MAY EVENTS May 2 Hebrew school 5:00-6:30 PM (last day) May 6 FOOD FESTIVAL May 9 Executive Committee mtg @7:30 PM May 10, 24 & 31 Spiritual Autobiography Workshop 7:15-8:45 PM May 14 Temple Board mtg @7:15 PM May 17 Sisterhood Donor Event at Beth El 7:00-9:00 PM May 20 & 21 SHAVUOT SERVICES @9:30 AM May 28 MEMORIAL DAY Schedule of Shabbat Services May 4 Shabbat Services 7:30 PM Weekend sponsors needed May 5 9:30 AM Torah Reading:Emor May 11 Shabbat Services 7:30 PM Religious School students to lead services Weekend sponsor Melanie Fleischmann in memory of her parents Linda & Robert Fleischmann May 12 Torah Reading:Behar-Behukotai 9:30 AM May 18 Ruach Kabbalat Shabbat 7:30 PM Weekend sponsors needed May 19 Torah Reading:Bamidbar 9:30 AM Shabbat service @9:30 AM Erev of Shavuot Family service @7:30 PM May 25 Shabbat Services 7:30 PM Weekend sponsors needed Candle Lighting Times May 4 7:45 PM May 11 7:52 PM May 18 7:59 PM May 25 8:05 PM May 26 9:30 AM Torah Reading:Naso SHAVUOT SERVICES Saturday, May 19 - Shavuot Family Service @7:30 PM Sunday, May 20 - Shavuot Service @9:30 AM Monday, May 21 - Shavuot Service (yizkor) @9:30 AM

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 2 B H MESSAGE FROM RABBI DANIELA Shavuot: The Tradition through the Generations Rabbi Daniela Szuster During this month, on May 20 th and 21 st, we are going to celebrate the Festival of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. It is celebrated seven weeks after the second evening of Passover. Shavuot combines two major aspects, the agricultural and the historical. The first aspect is related to the grain harvest, marking the end of the spring barley harvest and the beginning of the summer wheat harvest. It was one of the three pilgrimage festivals of ancient Israel, when Israelites were commanded to appear before God in Jerusalem, bringing offerings of the first fruits of their harvest. The historical aspect is the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai seven weeks after the exodus from Egypt. It was one of the milestones of our history, where the people of Israel entered into a covenant with God, receiving the rules, values, and traditions of the Torah. One of the names of the Festival of Shavuot is Z'man Matan Torateinu, "the season of the giving of our Torah. It is a time of the year when we also should open our hearts and minds to receive the Torah. Special customs on Shavuot are the reading of the Book of Ruth, a woman who decided to join the people of Israel and follow our Torah with love. Another tradition includes staying up all night to study Torah, a custom called Tikkun Leil Shavuot, which symbolizes our commitment to the Torah, and that we are always ready and awake to receive the Torah. Traditionally, dairy dishes are served on this holiday to symbolize that, as a baby needs milk to live, the people of Israel need the Torah to live. According to the tradition, Moses and the people of Israel received the Written Torah and the Oral Torah at Mount Sinai. They are two inseparable aspects that form our tradition. We cannot live Judaism according to only one of them. The Oral Torah encompasses the explanations, commentaries, and teachings that were transmitted from generation to generation to our days. There is a fascinating story about the development of the tradition and the Written and Oral Torah in the Babylonian Talmud, Menahot Tractate, 29B, that I would like to share with you in this article and highlight some points: Rabbi Yehudah said, Rav said, When Moses ascended to the heavens, he found the Holy One, Blessed be He, sitting and attaching crowns to the letters. He said before Him, Master of the Universe! Who is staying your hand? He said to him, There is one man who will exist after many generations, and Akiva the son of Yosef is his name. He will explain each and every thorn on these letters and will generate mountains of laws from them. He said before Him, Master of the Universe! Show him to me. He said to him, Turn backwards. He went and sat at the end of eight rows [of students in Rabbi Akiva's Beit Midrash], and he did not know what they were talking [about]. He got upset. As soon as he got to one [other] thing, his students said to him, Our teacher, from where do you learn this? He said to them, It is a law [that was taught] to Moses at Sinai. Moses calmed down. He returned and came before the Holy One, Blessed be He, and said before Him, Master of the Universe! You have a man like this, and You are giving the Torah through me? He said to Him, Be silent. This is what I have decided. " This story is similar of the science fiction movies where the characters go to the future to understand the present. Moses traveled through a time machine and was able to attend a class of Rabbi Akiva many years after Moses time. What happened there? Moses couldn t understand what Rabbi Akiva was talking about. How can it be possible that Moses, our great leader and teacher, who received the Torah at Mount Sinai, didn t understand Rabbi Akiva s class? What happened is that the teachings of the Torah that Moses received in the desert were developed, creating a rich and complex tradition. After the generation of the desert, every generation contributed its wisdom, point of view, and experience forming a meaningful tradition for each generation. Moses was upset and maybe disappointed that he couldn t understand what they were talking about. However, it doesn t mean that they belonged to different traditions and that they were not in the same key. On the contrary, they were connected in a deep way. When one of Rabbi Akiva s students asked him where (Continued on page 3)

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 3 (Continued from page 2) he learnt that, Rabbi Akiva answered: "It is a law [that was taught] to Moses at Sinai." The root of that teaching or law that they were studying was the Torah that Moses himself received at Mount Sinai. That answer shows us the deep connections between the generations. Moses couldn t understand what Rabbi Akiva and his students were talking about but Rabbi Akiva based his teachings in the Torah that Moses and his generation received. This is what keeps a tradition alive, the possibility to connect the generations despite the different times when they lived. The tradition is like a chain formed by the link that each generation adds, with additional interpretation and understanding of the world and of life. When there is a dialogue between the generations and we continue the spirit of our values, the tradition is alive. If Moses, Rabbi Akiva, and many other sages and people from the past were to travel by a time machine to our time, for sure, they wouldn t be able to understand our controversies, issues, worries, and style of life. However, they may hear from us that we are still following their teachings and continuing with the spirit of our Jewish values. This is our great challenge to achieve: that the next generations will be able to continue developing the tradition and, at the same time, base their teachings on those of our ancestors. Shavuot is Z'man Matan Torateinu, "the season of the giving of our Torah. Shavuot is a time to reflect on the Torah, its develop- ment, and the continuity of our tradition. Let s reflect on it and together celebrate the Festival of Shavuot at Temple Beth El on Saturday, May 19 th at 7:30 pm and Sunday, May 20th and Monday 21th at 9:30 am. Chag Sameach! PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Dave Ehrlich Gary Kogon This year we began our celebration of Passover with a congregational seder conducted by Rabbis Rami and Daniela. It was a wonderful event, attended by close to 100 people. Many thanks to the Rabbis for their leadership of this event and for conducting an enjoyable and engaging seder. A big thank you as well to Francine Koplin for her assistance with the wine for the seder, and to Sisterhood for their generous support through their donation of the seder wine and seder plates. A huge thank you to Carol Kappen for all of her work in readying the kitchen for Passover, her preparation of many food items both for the seder as well as for the Yom Tov meals following services, and for her invaluable help indoctrinating our servers (Pam, Christine, Ashley and Jessa) to the workings of our kitchen. Many thanks to Pam, Christine, Ashly and Jessa for their outstanding work as well. The comments that we have heard from those who attended the seder were very positive, and we hope that this year's seder marked the beginning of an annual congregational seder at Temple Beth El. This spring marks the retirement of Larry Besnoff as Principal of our Religious School. Larry has done an excellent job in leading our school, and we thank him very much for his years of dedicated service. The Rabbis will be taking on the Principal duties of the school going forward. A number of people have completed their terms as members of the Temple Board, and many thanks and much appreciation to them for their dedication and years of service as well. We are in need of people to help fill these Board vacancies, so please contact either Dave or Gary if you would like to join the Board. If you would like to take on a position where you can help shape policy and the direction of Temple Beth El in the months and years ahead, we would certainly like to hear from you! Our annual Food Festival will be just days away by the time you read this Bulletin. Thank you to Shellie Gordon for chairing the Food Festival Committee, and many thanks as well to the many people who have taken on other responsibilities to help insure that this Food Festival will be an overwhelming success. The Food Festival is the major Temple fundraiser, and your support (working, attending or ideally both) is critical. If you are not scheduled for a shift at the Food Festival (Sunday, May 6), please contact Michele Matlin to advise her of your availability. Thank you very much. Shavu'ot services will take place at 9:30 am on Sunday, May 20 and Monday, May 21, with Yizkor being recited at the Monday services. Please plan on attending either or both of these services. We look forward to seeing you at the Food Festival and at Shavu'ot services!

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT PRINCIPAL S MESSAGE At the time I am writing this article, the field trips I am writing about have not yet occurred, but will have by the time you read this. The students from the Upper Class and the Hebrew High students will be taking a field trip along with students from Shaarai s Religious School to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. This is a great opportunity for them to experience this memorable exhibit and reinforce the things they have been learning about in class. This trip is sponsored by JCAL and we are very appreciative of them for their generosity. The students in the Lower Class have been learning about Kashrut laws and will be taking a mini field trip to a local super market to see the breadth of kosher food items that are available and how to identify them. This should be a fun and educational opportunity for them. As the school year concludes, we are already planning for next years programs. The rabbis and I along with the Education Committee and the Religious School families have started discussions about how the school will run next year. These discussions are going well and there are parents that are actively participating in the process which is good for the future. I would like to thank my teachers, aide, and helpers that were willing to work with me to make this such a wonderful year. Rabbi Rami, Rabbi Daniela, Becky Rhoads, Lynne Harlacher, Amanda Forman, Bess Landau, Allyson Rhoads, Tyler Besnoff MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 4 Also, thanks to all those in the congregation, too numerous to name, that supported and helped the school and the students in various ways. GWEN WEISMAN MONUMENT UNVEILING SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2018 2:00 PM And finally, if you have any interest in helping out with the school in any way or know of any potential students that might be interested in our program, please get in touch with me at any time. You are invited to join us at the Temple Beth El cemetery on Sunday, June 3rd for Gwen Weisman s monument unveiling. Larry Besnoff Temple Beth El Religious School Principal principal@tbelancaster.org Family & friends are invited back to the synagogue after the unveiling for a luncheon. PLEASE JOIN SISTERHOOD FOR OUR DONOR EVENT THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018 7:00-9:00 PM IN THE KATIE WEISMAN SOCIAL HALL We are pleased to have an art instructor from Painting with a Twist, coming to the temple, to guide us as we paint a beautiful Judaic themed artwork (the picture to the left is what will be painted at the party). Everyone will be provided with art supplies, and their own canvas. Wine, soft drinks, and yummy snacks will be served, and it promises to be a great time. So, be on the lookout for the Temple Beth El Sisterhood Donor mailing, and please become a Donor (at any level you wish), and go the link provided to sign yourself up to create a masterpiece, on May 17th. Joanne Goldfarb Michele Matlin Donor Chairpeople BULLETIN DEADLINE The deadline for JUNE S bulletin is Tuesday, May 15 SAVE THE DATE - COMMUNITY MEAL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY Temple Beth El will be serving a meal on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at First Reformed Church on Orange Street in Lancaster City. More information to follow!

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 5 JOIN US ON FRIDAY, JUNE 8th AT 7:30 PM AS WE HONOR TEMPLE BETH EL S CONGREGANT OF THE YEAR 2018 LYNN BROOKS Come help us celebrate LYNN S HONOR at a special oneg following services on JUNE 8TH. *If you would like to make a donation in Lynn s honor, please wait until you receive the invitation in the mail. Thank you! Jewish Family Service With Congregations Shaarai Shomayim, Degel Israel and Temple Beth El We are once again holding a clothing drive to benefit Matthew 25 Thrift Shop, which annually makes a generous donation to JFS. Please go through your closets and collect gently used clothing of all sizes that you no longer need. Donations may be brought to the office lobby. Dates to be announced. It is important that the clothing you donate be clean, not dated or in need of mending and can be worn immediately with pride. Clothing should be folded and placed in bags or boxes. Receipts will be available at the Temple Office. Please contact Steve Kleinman at stevenjkleinman@hotmail.com with questions. JFS is a benefactor of Matthew 25. Receipts for tax purposes will be given to donors.

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 6 Food Festival Vendor News You know you will need to do some shopping this spring! s Day, graduations, weddings, showers, baby births, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. - they are coming and you will need gifts. We can help! Our 26 vendors will astound you at the Food Festival this year. All our talented artists and crafters will be selling a variety of handcrafted wares. The best part when you buy something from one of our vendors and/or buy a raffle ticket at our temple raffle table, you support the temple. The vendors not only pay us for their rental spaces, but when they exceed their base deposit, part of every purchase you make goes to the temple. There will be returning favorites. Some of the vendors who are new this year include: - Candace Cothard from the Mt. Gretna Craft Show will have incredible glass jewelry - Charles Ploppert will draw caricatures what a fun gift for moms! - Maria Abraham will have Judaica from Israel - Jani Smith will bring original sea glass jewelry - Kevin Bedgood will display his woodwork - Marcia Dickerson will be selling Foot Bling, jewelry for your toes and feet - Cheryl Wetzler will feature soaps that look like works of art This is just a sampling. You will see art, photography, handcrafted purses, homemade greeting cards, Jewish plush animals, and 10 totally different and fantastic jewelry vendors! No charge or purchase necessary to enter the vendor location raffle, and you will have a chance to win a basket of prizes! Just visit each vendor location, have a vendor in each spot initial your basket raffle card, and then drop it in the container near the vendor location raffle basket. You could be a winner just for visiting our marvelous vendors! Be supportive and at least check out our vendors! The talented people we recruit deserve at least a look - I think you will be very happy with the quality of their work! Carolyn Kleinman Vendor Chair

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 7 Join the Life Long Learning Committee for any or all of this rich array of events! Contact the TBE office (717-581-7891; office@tbelancaster.org) with your RSVPs for each one, please: 10, 24, 31st May and 21 & 28th June (Thur.), 7:15-8:45 p.m. Beit Midrash, with R. Daniela, Spiritual Autobiography workshop. 10 June (Sunday), 10:00 a.m. - Women s Rosh Chodesh group, R. Daniela, topic tbd.

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 8 CONGREGATIONAL THANKS Steve and I would like to say a big THANK YOU for the lovely anniversary wishes in the Leagram. It was so nice to be remembered by our temple family. You all helped to make our 36th anniversary very special! Carolyn & Steve Kleinman Thank you Beth El friends for the good wishes on our anniversary. It s so nice to be remembered and it made Florida that much warmer. Fondly, Andi & Herb Shiroff Thank you Beth El friends for your kind Shalach Manot gift box and for remembering our anniversary. Marjorie & Bob Ruder OUR TEMPLE FAMILY Condolences Temple Beth El notes with sorrow the death of Sam Feldstein. Temple Beth El notes with sorrow the death of Harry Weisman. Temple Beth El notes with sorrow the death of Stanley Berk husband of Dianne Berk. We send our prayers of consolation to the bereaved family members. BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES MAY Anniversaries 17th 23rd 27th 28th 28th 28th 30th Fran & Bill Rayner Nina Shapiro & Barry David Abbey & Arnie Harris Catherine & Adam Levine Sherry & Arne Ostroff Cindy & Michael Pavlica Pam & Ken Lessans Birthdays 1st 7th 8th 8th 9th 9th 11th 12th 13th 13th 14th 16th 17th 19th 20th 23rd 29th Meital Pavolotzky Lynne Harlacher Tana Dardik Ethan Levine Michael Gleiberman Lloyd Goldfarb Alan Glazer Elliott Rubin Danielle Buffa Sandy Weekes Arnie Harris Thomas Armstrong Rory McCormick Elise Allwein Steven Gottlieb Aidan Thorpe Judy Anthony MONTHLY YAHRZEIT LISTING Yahrzeit begins the evening before the day listed. The names of departed loved ones are memorialized at Shabbat services the week prior to the yahrzeit observance. Saturday, May 5 Robin Adler Sunday, May 6 Debra & Thomas Armstrong Son Steve Rubin Elliott Rubin Wednesday, May 9 Melanie Fleischmann Melanie Fleischmann Eve Kamlot Thursday, May 10 Ira Grushow Sunday, May 13 Becky Rhoads Wednesday, May 16 Shellie Gordon mother Thursday, May 17 Diane Penchansky Friday, May 18 Joan Weiner Joan Samitt Sunday, May 20 Stewart Abowitz Monday, May 21 Sheila Cohen Ira Grushow Wednesday, May 23 Stewart Abowitz Max Lessans Friday, May 25 Gordon Hutt Step- Friend Sunday, May 27 Randi & Steve Jacobs Brother-in- Law Wednesday, May 30 Alan Hertz Bob Ruder Thursday, May 31 Shellie Gordon Aunt ONEG & KIDDUSH SPONSORS - MAY 2018 Monthly Sponsors Joan & Marc Weiner In Honor Of Andy s graduation from Carnegie Mellon Business School & Ben s graduation from Lafayette College Weekend Sponsors May 11 & 12 Melanie Fleischmann & Bob Bernieri In Memory Of Melanie s parents, Linda & Robert Fleischmann

Volume 70, No. 9 SHAVUOT MAY 2018 Temple Beth El Page 9 SISTERHOOD FUND *Sisterhood Fund cards are now $3.50 If your last name begins with A-M, please contact DEENA HERTZ at SisterhoodFundA-M@tbelancaster.org If your last name begins with N-Z, please contact BEV RUBIN at SisterhoodFundN- Z@tbelancaster.org IN MEMORY OF Sam Feldstein - father of Sharon & Marilyn Sandy & Greg Weekes Michele & Bob Matlin Deena & Alan Hertz Ruth Nierenberg - wife of Mort Nierenberg Hilde Month Stanley Berk - husband of Dianne Berk Sue & John Wolf RELIGIOUS SCHOOL Contact Shellie Gordon RelSchoolFund@tbelancaster.org GET WELL Abbey Harris Michele & Bob Matlin Shellie & Steve Gordon IN MEMORY OF Harry Weisman Michele & Bob Matlin Stanley Berk - husband of Dianne Berk Michele & Bob Matlin RABBI S DISC. FUND office@tbelancaster.org In Appreciation of Rabbi Daniela & Rabbi Rami Linda & Gary Kogon MEN S CLUB office@tbelancaster.org Donation to the Barney Epstein s Speaker s Fund Evy Epstein YAHRZEIT FUND office@tbelancaster.org IN MEMORY OF Sam Feldstein Marilyn & Jay Reichenthal Scott Alpert Samuel Tokarsky Evy Epstein Arthur Hutt Linda & Gordon Hutt Stanley Joel Solodky Marilyn & Jay Reichenthal Naaman Nathan Anne S. Edelman Marcie & Eli Natan Avernus S. Lyon Nadine Lyon Frances Schulman Lee Sotloff Shellie & Steve Gordon MARK YOUR CALENDAR Kabbalat Shabbat with Musical Instruments With Christopher Brooks - Violin And LJ Palmer - Percussion FRIDAY, JUNE 22, 2018 @7:30 PM Enjoy a different Friday Night Service, with Temple Beth El melodies played lively JANET WILL BE OUT OF THE OFFICE THE FOLLOWING DAYS Friday, May 11 Friday, May 18 Monday, May 21 (Shavuot) Friday, May 25 - I will work 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM Thursday, May 31 The week of June 4th

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