MonthlyBulletin - Congregation Beth Israel

Transcription

Our New Director
of Youth Education
Come welcome
Rabbi Sarah Rubin.
See page 3.
Coming Next
Month!
The Innocent
A new play written
by Cantor Siskin with
a cast of talented
congregants.
See page 5.
MonthlyBulletin
Our High Holy Days.
See page 12-13.
Congregation Beth Israel
West Hartford, CT
August 2012
Number 12
Membership Drive 2012
At Beth Israel, we pray, we learn, we repair, and we connect.
At every age, throughout our lives.
All by the teachings of the Torah.
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Contact Us
Congregation Beth Israel
701 Farmington Avenue
West Hartford, CT 06119
860-233-8215
[email protected]
www.cbict.org
CLERGY
Rabbi Michael Pincus, Senior Rabbi
[email protected], x228
Rabbi Dena Shaffer, Assistant Rabbi
Cantor Pamela Siskin, Cantor;
Director, Lifelong Learning
Rabbi Harold S. Silver, D.D.,
Rabbi Emeritus
Rabbi Stephen Fuchs, D. Min., D.D.,
Rabbi Emeritus, [email protected]
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Executive Board
PRESIDENT: Jeffrey Winnick,
[email protected]
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT: Clare Feldman
VICE PRESIDENTS:
Jeff Kagan, Eric Lessne, Gail Mangs
SECRETARY: Scott Lewis
TREASURER: Chet Zaslow
ASSISTANT TREASURERS:
David Miller, Ruth Van Winkle
TEMPLE STAFF
Sarah Beck, Office Administrator
Leah Bratton, Director, Noah’s Ark
[email protected], 860-232-5038
Aliha Fine, Accounting Manager
Cheryl Goldberg, Rabbinical Administrator
Sharon Lessne, Noah’s Ark
Toni Robinson, Temple Administrator
Rabbi Sarah Rubin, Director of Youth
Education, [email protected], x232
Danielle Stordy, Learning Center Assistant
Natasha Ulyanovsky, Musical Director
[email protected]
Jane Zande, Associate Director of Lifelong
Learning, [email protected], x230
Religious School Office
2 MonthlyBulletin August 2012
MonthlyBulletin
BREAKING NEWS!
WELCOME, RABBI SARAH RUBIN!
cbictwh
@cbict
Congregation Beth Israel Monthly Bulletin is published ten times per year, monthly except
for combined issues in January/February and June/July, at Congregation Beth Israel, 701
Farmington Ave., West Hartford, CT 06119. Subscription is $36 per year, free to members
of Congregation Beth Israel. The material in this Bulletin may not be reproduced without
permission. On occasion, dates, times, and details of Services and events published in this
Bulletin may change. Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter, Chai Lights, for
the latest information. Contact [email protected].
Visit our website, www.cbict.org, for additional content and information.
WE MOURN THE LOSS OF
MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY
Harry Caplan, father of Sheri Caplan and her husband Kenneth Merkatz; grandfather
of Clarisa and Samuel
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
We look forward to welcoming you
and getting to know you!
Sue Fulleton
of Bloomfield
Cecile Frost
of West Hartford
Geanie Smith
of West Hartford
Robert Chandler, husband of Christine; father of Todd Chandler and Lauren
Chandler; son of Miriam Chandler; brother of Carol Chandler and Judith Chandler;
stepfather of Todd Tanger and his wife, Barbara, and Amy Fine and her husband,
Jonathan; and stepgrandfather of Annabelle, Joseph, Talia, Samuel, William, and Evelyn
Frimi Fine, mother of David Fine and his wife Aliha, and Norman Fine
and his wife Cheryl
Elliott Frauenglass
Adam Glass, grandson of Bobby and Rafael Mori
Charles Grossman
Arthur Guimond, father of Kathy Pasternack and her husband Kevin;
grandfather of Jessica
Alexander Haas, father of Leslie Silverman and her husband Samuel
Leon Izikson, husband of Alla; father of Jessica, Rebecca, and Eugene;
brother of Roma and Joseph
Sofia Katz
Andrew Kohn, son of Judith Pinney
SAVE THE DATE - Rabbi Hoffman to
join us in November
On November 2-4,
Rabbi Lawrence
Hoffman will be
our Scholar-inResidence as CBI
kicks off its 170th
anniversary year!
Rabbi Hoffman
is the Reform
Movement’s
eminent teacher
of prayer, ritual, spirituality, theology
and synagogue leadership. For almost
forty years, this thoughtful teacher has
inspired and challenged our rabbis and
congregations across North America.
Please, mark your calendars to join us for
this amazing opportunity.
Dr. Norman Levin, brother of TJ Levin
Gerald McNamara, husband of Ronnie; father of Annie
Pearl Namerow, mother of Robert Namerow and his wife Barbara
Alexander Oganjanov, husband of Ella Oganjanov
Myuda Romanova
James Siegel, husband of Phyllis; father of Robert and his wife Cindy, Jerome and his
CEMETERY GRAVES
The cost of a grave in our Beth Israel
Cemeteries is currently $1500 each.
The cost will be $1700 each beginning
September 1. This includes $400 for
perpetual care. For more information,
contact Scott Lewis, [email protected].
wife Susan, and Mark and his wife Jane; grandfather of seven
Lawrence (Larry) Sobel, husband of Maureen; father of Wendy Dougan and her
husband Kyle Dougan, and Darren Sobel and his wife Cheryl MacDonald; grandfather of
Amanda and Rachel Dougan and Emily MacDonald; stepfather of Derick Rivero; brother
of Patti Parson
Francisco Zeledon
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL REGISTRATION
You can enroll your child in our religious
school by sending in our online form.
Visit www.cbict.org.
We are proud to announce and welcome Rabbi
Sarah Rubin as our new Director of Youth Education.
In this newly formed full-time position, Rabbi Rubin will
commit her passion for Judaism to implement innovative
educational experiences for CBI member families and their
children.
Rabbi Rubin was previously Rabbi and Religious
School Director at Congregation Ahavas Achim in Keene,
New Hampshire. She has also been an adjunct professor
at Keene State College, teaching courses in Jewish culture and history. She received
her Bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University, her Master of Arts degree from
Indiana University, and her Rabbinic Ordination and Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters
from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
She has decided to dedicate her Rabbinate to education and learning.
“We look forward to having Rabbi Rubin join our Congregation,” said Rabbi
Michael Pincus. “We are confident that she will actively engage with our teachers,
student teachers, parents, and students and build on our history of success in our
Religious School.”
We want to extend our sincere gratitude to the members of the search committee
for their tireless efforts throughout this year to find our new director: JoAnn Eicher,
Bonnie Schneider, Jeff Smith, Ellen Stokoe and co-chairs Lauren Benthien and
Rob Berman. Our search committee unanimously endorsed her for this position
not only for her experience, but also for her warmth, confidence, and passion for
education. We also thank Cantor Pamela Siskin for her years of hard work and
dedication to our Religious School, making it an award-winning and innovative
program.
Rabbi Rubin will begin at Beth Israel on August 1. Her office will be Cantor Siskin’s
previous office space in the Religious School wing. More details about meeting her as
the school year begins will be posted to our website, www.cbict.org.
CHAI PAKS
In the fall, we will be sending Chai
Paks to our young adults who have
graduated high school. The Paks are CBI
care packages filled with both Jewish
and secular goodies that young adults
love! Thanks to Brenda Kestenbaum
for organizing this project. They are free
to 2012 graduates. If you have a young
adult away from home, please send
contact information to Jane Zande,
[email protected], 860-233-8215 x230.
Have you seen our new, welcoming
signs throughout the building and
lobby? Thanks, Sarah Beck!
CALLING ALL SINGERS—5th through 12th grade
We are looking for young singers to participate in a fabulous choral concert to be
given as a joint venture with our neighbor, Saint John’s Episcopal Church. Our choirs
and St. John’s choirs, both adult and children, will be performing pieces from Godspell
by Stephen Schwartz and The Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein. The concert
will take place on Sunday, May 5, 4:30pm. Rehearsals will be from noon to 1pm on
Sunday afternoons beginning in September. Light refreshments will be served at
11:45am. There will be further opportunities to sing throughout the year. Auditions
will be held on Sunday, September 9 from noon to 1pm. If you are interested, please
contact Cantor Pamela Siskin, 860-233-8215 x234, [email protected].
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 3 Sometimes It Takes An Outsider To Help You Realize
How Good You Have It
Rabbi Michael Pincus
T
here is an old story told about a Rabbi who goes to visit an
elderly congregant at her home. He enters her bedroom,
walks up to her bed, and notices that piled high on her night
stand is a collection of the worst anti-semitic magazines and books
he has ever seen.The Rabbi is flabbergasted. He stammers, how
could she, a dedicated and committed Jew, be reading all this
virulent material. The congregant explains, “Rabbi, when I read
your bulletin articles, or anything from the Jewish press, it is all about how terrible we are. How we aren’t doing enough. How we are a dying people. With all
the pains I have, I can’t take it any more. When I read this stuff, I read about
how powerful the Jews are, how important they are, and how they are growing!”
I am reminded of this story as I write this month’s bulletin article during
Parashat Balak. This section of the Torah is most famous for a prophet named
Balaam and his sidekick talking donkey, who offer praise of Israel. In part he says,
“How fair are your tents, O Jacob,/Your dwellings, O Israel!” (Numbers 24:5) We
still say these words today when we enter the sanctuary and begin our prayers.
Many rabbinic commentators point out that Balaam, who was a non-Israelite
Prophet, praises Israel while the prophets of Israel most of the time condemn
Israel. Sometimes it takes an outsider to help you realize how good you have it.
Recently, a person I was studying with for conversion shared his amazement
that most of the Jews he knows don’t seem to really appreciate this amazing tradition. He was confused why those who were born Jewish didn’t seem to be engaged
in this way of life that was so appealing to him. I think he asks a great question.
There is much that Judaism can teach us about the way we should live our lives.
Here are a few thoughts:
• As Jews, we have always emphasized the supremacy of learning. It is from this ideal
that Judaism continues to strive towards a deeper understanding of the world. For
what? The Talmud relates that once Rabbi Tarfon, Rabbi Yose, and Rabbi Akiba debated the question,“Which is more important, study or practice, learning or doing?”
Rabbi Akiba argued in favor of learning. Rabbi Tarfon argued in favor of doing.
Eventually they concluded that study is indeed more important if it leads to action.
To be a good Jew is to be a person committed to repair of our broken world.
Almost 3,000 years ago, the prophet Isaiah proclaimed in the name of God, “seek
justice; aid the oppressed; uphold the right of the orphan; defend the widow.”
• Rabbi Matthew Durbin points out that the Yiddish word menschlichkeit might be
the essence of Jewish commitment. It stands for human decency, kindness, compassion, understanding, gentleness, and proper self-evaluations. A menschlichkeit
brings a sense of responsibility to every undertaking. He treats everyone fairly
and justly. It means living close to family and extending one’s sense of obligation
beyond the family to the community. The Talmudic sage Rabbi Yochanan ben
Zakkai once asked a number of his students, “What is the right path? What does
Judaism want from us?” He received a variety of answers. Finally he chose the
word of a disciple who said that the right path is a “lev-tov, a loving heart.” He
was asked why. “Because,” said the rabbi, “it included all of the other suggestions.”
Let us resolve to open our hearts to the beauties of our tradition; to the wellsprings of learning, to the benefits of prayer, to the fulfillment of the commandments, and above all else, to the need to cultivate a lev-tov, a loving heart,which
will bring us closer both to God and our fellow human beings. •
Please Note
Shabbat Services
Please see our schedule of August
Shabbat Services on page 17.
We will hold our August Friday services
outdoors in our Silver Courtyard. If
the weather does not cooperate, we
may hold our “Service in the Round”
in Feldman Hall. Please give us your
feedback about our summer services,
[email protected].
On Friday, August 31, 6:30pm, at
our Kabbalat Shabbat Service, we will
welcome back our children who attended
Jewish summer camp. Please come
and hear their exciting stories and
adventures! Bring your own picnic and
we’ll have dinner together.
YOUNG FAMILIES AND FRIENDS
The August meeting date was not set
by press time. Please check Chai Lights,
our email newsletter, or contact Lisa
Book, [email protected], for more
information.
Lisa Book and Seth Kaufman are the
new co-chairs of our Young Families
and Friends group. They are taking
over from Gayle Wintjen. Thank you,
Gayle! If you want to know more about
our Young Families Group, contact Lisa
Book, [email protected].
Thank you!
Sue Pacific and Paul Bobruff sponsored
our Oneg Shabbat on Friday, June 1 and
our bima food basket on the weekend of
June 1, in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their
son, Joshua.
Rikki and James Altman sponsored our
bima decorations on the weekend of June
9 in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of their son,
Spencer.
Susan and Joel Harinstein sponsored
our bima decorations on the weekend
of June 30 in honor of the Bat Mitzvah of
their daughter, Sarah.
CBI COMMUNITY SPIRITUAL THEATER
presents
THE INNOCENT
A Play for Selichot
Written by Cantor Pamela Siskin
Directed by Dan Steier
Archibald MacLeish, in his Pulitzer prize-winning play J.B., based on
The Book of Job, writes: If we are innocent then God is unthinkable.
This play explores the many reasons why we find the High Holy Days
particularly compelling, renewing, disturbing, and challenging. In
this play, characters, both modern and biblical, come together in an
effort to find answers to questions they have long been asking.
Come to our presentation and then discuss the thoughts it might evoke in you.
SCHEDULE
Saturday, September 8
7pm The Innocent
8pm Musical Interlude.
With Natasha Ulyanovsky on piano and Peter Dzialo on cello
8:15–9pm Refreshments, Discussion, and Comments
CAST:
Karen Beyard Nathan Dworkin Liz Freedman Adlyn Loewenthal
Ted Loewenthal June Mandelkern Renee Powell Jeff Smith
Dan Steier Lisa Steier Chet Zaslow
Parashot (Torah portion)
Joe Dix
Va’et’chanan (I pleaded) Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
August 4
Moses pleads with God to be allowed entrance into the Promised Land. God
refuses, but tells Moses that he will be allowed to look at the land. Moses is to prepare
Joshua to lead the Israelites into the land. Moses reminds the people to keep God’s
commandments and not to add or take away from them. Moses warns the people
not to be corrupt or make idols or do what is bad in the eyes of the Lord or they will be
scattered. But if they repent, God, being merciful, will listen and not destroy them.
Moses repeats the Ten Commandments which were first recorded at Exodus 20. There
is a difference in the wording regarding the Sabbath. In Exodus it says to remember the
Sabbath. Here, it says to observe the Sabbath.
Verses 4 through 9 of Chapter 6 contain the Shema and the first paragraph of
the V’ahavta which is said every evening and morning. Moses says to follow God’s
commandments and tell our children that we do so because God freed us from Egypt to
give us the land and to follow all the laws “for our good every day.” (6:24)
The portion ends with the promise that God will put the numerous nations in the land
in front of the Israelites to be destroyed and that the Israelites are not to intermarry with
them. Moses tells the Israelites (and us) that we are a people holy to God. God chose us
to become a treasured people (see Exodus 19:5) to Him out of all the peoples on the face
of the earth. (Deut 7:6). We are treasured not because of our numbers, but because God
loves us and remembers His oath to the patriarchs. (Deut 7:8).
Healing thoughts and
community
Paula Schenck
H
ealing is best done in company with
prayer, music, and moments of silence to allow God’s guiding hand
in. Walking into our sanctuary on Shabbat eve, I heal a little. It is about merging
the beauty of the place, the comforts of
familiar Jewish liturgy with the energy of
the congregation. The serene expressions
on some and the troubled faces of others
speak of a shared desire to leave the secular
behind and welcome Shabbat. Together
we pray, together we heal. Perhaps healing is found best when we recognize the
honesty so natural in young children. We
detect it in a glimmer of awe, or a dash
of sparkle in young eyes, peppered with
spontaneous smiles. Maybe it is the child
within each of us that connects time past
with present. As a young child, bedtime
moments shared with Dad mended the
trials of the day and included a soft singing of “Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu,
Adonai Echad”. I sing still, with our community, feeling those precious moments
of years past simultaneously with the now
that heals the ravages of the week’s toil.
God is one and we are one with God.
Wisdom about the human experience
we all share is embedded in our Jewish
tradition. Whether the need for physical and emotional healing is apparent
and immediate, or part of our ongoing
growth and experience of life, being with
our community, our Congregation Beth
Israel family is an opportunity for renewal,
spiritual comfort, and growth. And we
heal, together. •
Paula Schenck graciously allowed us to
reprint this D’var Torah which she delivered
at the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Shabbat
on June 8. She is Past President of the
Sisterhood.
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 5 President’s Report
F
Legacy for Our Future
Jeffrey Winnick
or the past several months, I have
been meaning to read The Way
We Were, which Rabbi Stephen
Fuchs in his introductory message
described as “Marjorie Rafal’s delightful commentary on life at Congregation Beth Israel.” As noted by
Rabbi Fuchs, the essays which comprise the book ran for many years “as
an eagerly anticipated feature in the Temple Bulletin.” Marjorie,
of blessed memory, was Beth Israel’s historian and archivist, but
her work lives on and we all are grateful for it. For any congregant who has not read the essays in the Bulletin or the book, I
recommend it for some good summer reading (or re-reading).
[The book is available in the Learning Center.]
Whenever anyone asks me if I could live my life over again and
have a different profession, my first off the cuff answer always is:
I would have loved to have been a major league baseball player
(preferably one with a long illustrious career like that of Derek
Jeter’s). But knowing that is strictly an off the cuff answer (and
obviously not a serious one), my more serious answer is that I
would have liked to teach American history at the college level
with my particular interest being the first fifty or so years of
our nation. And when I am not working at my so-called “day
job” of law practice and my other full-time job, President of
Congregation Beth Israel, I try to read as many books about
American history as I can. History, we are told from a very young
age, teaches us where we came from and who we are today. It is
also supposed to teach us what we did right in the past so that
we can grow from our good decisions, and what we did wrong
so that we can avoid the mistakes of the past, which no matter
how much we study history we seem to repeat time after time.
As President of the Congregation, I thought it would be a
good idea that I have a better knowledge of the very institution
I have been elected to lead. What I found of particular interest
in Marjorie’s book were the essays about the early days of Beth
Israel. Many of the issues that the officers, the Board, the clergy,
and congregants struggled with were essentially the same issues
that we struggle with today, namely, finances (revenues and expenditures), liturgical issues, and staffing the Congregation. The
main difference is that, based on what I read from the minutes
of early Board meetings, today we go about our discussions and
resolve our issues and differences in a much more civil way. I
found the quotes from the minutes of certain meetings held
in 1871 and in 1872 both interesting and somewhat amusing.
They state:
“J. Goodhart was punished because of noisy behavior for $2.50.
(I wonder what the definition of noisy is?)…Wolf Katzenstein
was fined one dollar because of noisy behavior (apparently not as
noisy as Mr. Goodhart)…Abraham Stern was fined one dollar
because of noisy behavior, but since he wouldn’t calm down, he was
fined again two dollars (obviously he didn’t get the message the
first time)…Henry Selling was fined 50 cents (most likely just a
minor annoyance and not a serious infraction)…H. Bachrach
wanted to appeal to the congregation for the second time because
of the fine imposed on him by the Trustees. It followed so much
quarrel that the meeting had to be closed (I would have loved to
have been there to see that happen). J.L. Knock was fined $1.50
because of indecent behavior (wow, wonder what that could have
been?)
While the behavior and the punishments for that behavior
described in these excerpts from the meetings held over 140
years ago may, on the one hand, seem childish to us, they also
tell us that those who established Congregation Beth Israel
were passionate about our Congregation and for that passion
we, today, are all the better for it. •
Sisterhood members stand before
the open ark with Rabbi Pincus.
He blessed and formally installed
Sisterhood officers at a Sisterhood/
Brotherhood Shabbat service.
Each of our three sons was married by a rabbi although
none at Beth Israel. One of my sons is active in his Reform
congregation in Atlanta and sends his children to a Reform
Jewish day school. Another is married to a non-Jew and while
he himself remains firmly Jewish, he is dealing with the question
of how to raise interfaith children. The wife of our third son
chose to become a Jew just before her daughter was born to
make clear, even to the Israeli religious establishment, that her
daughter is Jewish. We expect our granddaughter to become a
Bat Mitzvah. There is no doubt that each of our sons is Jewish.
Their religious training at Beth Israel prepared them well for
a future of choice in a country open to choice.
We have friends whose children, thanks to a rigorously
traditional Jewish childhood, have turned to Orthodoxy. Some
of them have moved to Israel and some of their grandchildren
wear payes (locks of hair that some Orthodox boys and men
refrain from cutting or shaving) and live in one of the settlements. Who knows what far right-wing views they hold about
Israel, Judaism, and their place in the world? Is our friends’
situation preferable to ours?
What has Beth Israel contributed to the way we view ourselves as Jews, as parents, and as grandparents? We are happy
about the transition from the austerity of Classical Reform to
the warmth of its more modern form. We are confident that
Beth Israel prepared our sons to be Jewish men in 21st-century
America. We see our Jewish heritage partly in our grandchildren
and partly in the community of Beth Israel. We will support
our grandchildren in their aspirations for their futures and our
legacy will support Beth Israel in its aspirations as it moves
toward its bicentenary, now just thirty years away. •
For more information about Legacy for Our Future, contact Bennett Pearl, Chair, 860-233-8215 x260.
WHAT DO WE DO AT BETH ISRAEL?
WE PRAY.
I
n June 1959 my bride Muriel and I were married at Temple
Beth Israel. The wedding was co-officiated by Rabbi Abraham J. Feldman and Rabbi Meyer Finkelstein, my uncle.
Their cooperation was uneasy, for Rabbi Feldman was in the
Classical Reform mode while Rabbi Meyer, as we called him,
was Conservative. Classical Reform, in Rabbi Feldman's understanding, was a religion suitable for Jewish Americans. (I
speculate that having grown up in an immigrant family he was
intent upon becoming a full fledged American—neither any
Yiddish nor too much Hebrew prayer fit into his self-image).
Accordingly, the service was mainly in English and men were
bareheaded, including my grandfather, who was asked to remove his summer straw hat. Rabbi Mayer graciously acceded
to his host’s preferences although he, fluent in French, Italian,
and Yiddish, quite aside from English and Hebrew, would have
preferred more of the latter.
By the time that Rabbi Feldman retired in 1969, Beth
Israel, together with the rest of Reform Judaism, was moving
toward a more traditional service. It was no longer thought
"old country" to pray and sing in Hebrew. Each man could
cover his head or not as he thought best. A woman's voice was
welcome whether speaking or singing on the bima. It was as
Jewish to fight for social justice as to pray on the High Holy
Days.
In the late 1980s, Muriel and I were among the many congregants whose view of social justice included a strong effort
to encourage the USSR to permit Jews to emigrate; we tried
to extend a warm welcome here when those efforts succeeded.
From 1990 to 1992 I was honored to serve as President of the
Congregation.
Karl Fleischmann
WE LEARN.
We have compelling adult learning programs, and an
award-winning Religious School. But sometimes it’s nice to
just find a quiet place and read.
Throughout the year, we
reach out to our congregants
who are alone or in personal
transition. We write notes,
make phone calls, deliver
meals, present a gift, or do
other simple acts that bestow
the welcome gift of community.
We also do social justice
work outside of Beth Israel
with organizations such as
Foodshare, Covenant to Care
for Children, and the Loaves
and Fishes Soup Kitchen. This
past year, WHTY teens went
to the Village for Families
and Children and helped
repair bicycles.
WE REPAIR.
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 7 Social Justice Notes
Susan Levine
M
any of us get so busy in the day-to-day running of our 1. School Supplies. Did you know that many families in Hartlives. Believe me, as a mother of three small boys I get ford have to decide between school supplies and food? Help
it! Kids need help with their homework. We spend them make their choices a little easier. Take a moment and leave
time traveling to more and more of their sporting events. Jobs any school supply item—a notebook, a box of pencils, a new or
become more and more demanding. Elderly parents need more used backpack, whatever you can spare in the donation hamper
of our support and assistance. So, how do we find time for our in the front lobby. If you like, you can also leave school supplies
Jewish obligation to repair the world? For tikkun olam? Maybe in any of our clothing donation bins in the rear of the lobby.
the answer is, that like all big and seemingly overwhelming Every month Ed Siegel and I deliver your clothing dotasks, to take small steps.
nations to United Methodist Church down the street.
As Gandhi so aptly said, “be the change you wish to see Your donations go directly to needy families in our
in the world.” Start taking even the smallest of
neighborhood and are distributed daily.
2. Food donations. The food donations you leave
steps. As a physician, I am constantly reminded
in the front lobby trunk or on the tzedakah table
how fragile life is. This, coupled with the loss of
loved ones over the years, has made me realize the
go to the Foodshare Mobile Truck, which stops in
need to live my life in the here and now. I try to
front of our Temple each week. Your donations
help at least one hundred families in our immedido what is important to me and try to share my
priorities with my kids. Sure, sometimes (often)
ate community. The food of the month is adverthey are more interested in their Xbox; and so,
tised each week on the table. Any non-perishable
items, however, will be accepted.Thank You!
I worry: will they grow up to be the caring and
3.Diapers. We continue to deliver your docompassionate people I want them to be? Who
“Be the change you want to
nations through Covenant for Care. Just leave
knows? But I can hope that by sharing my own
see in the world”
diapers or baby or toddler items in the crib in the
priorities with them, something has to wear off.
Mahatma Gandhi
So many of you do such wonderful and caring
back lobby. If the crib is empty it is because we
things in our community everyday. We are so
have delivered the latest donation. We check the
blessed at Congregation Beth Israel, to have you in our midst, crib often and empty it as soon as it starts to fill up. If there
social workers, teachers, rabbis, artists, doctors, nurses, lawyers, are items in the crib that are more appropriate for our other
volunteers. The list of who you are and what you do is seem- donation recipients, we’ll sort it out. Summer is a time when
ingly endless. I am constantly amazed when I meet someone the diaper donations tend to dwindle. However, there is a
who’s been a member for a while and I learn what drives them tremendous and ongoing need. This program is an amazing
to do what they do. Please tell me your stories, introduce way to get priority baby supplies directly to the most needy
yourselves, and come and join our Social Justice Committee. of families in our community. We work directly with a social
There is absolutely nothing required of membership—just an worker at DCF and these supplies go to the case worker’s most
needy families.
opportunity to network with some really special people.
Here’s an idea and something I’m trying at home. Each Lastly, thank you to all those involved in our final and comShabbat, make a family plan to share what you’ve done in the plete transition to serving only fair trade coffee at Congregation
week to help someone else. I think you might be surprised Beth Israel. It’s a small step; but, as I said in the beginning, it
about what you hear. I’ll keep you posted and let you know is these small steps, one at a time, that lead to making a bighow our own family experiment goes.
ger dent on tikkun olam. If you are wondering what fair trade
In the meantime, we need your help with a couple of priority means visit www.fairtradefederation.org, or take a look at the
social justice initiatives throughout the remainder of the summer. large poster on display at Torah study or in the lobby. •
Social Justice Co-chairs: Susan Levine, [email protected] and Andy Packer, [email protected]
Thank you so much, Roberta Tansman and Jane Zande, for helping to get our June 13 Global Health program organized and
advertised. It was a wonderful and interactive evening. In addition to hearing from Dr. Adam Silverman about his work with
Project Medishare in Haiti, and Dr. Susan Levine’s work with International Medical Corps in Libya, we also heard from our own
Dr. Mark Gerber and Dr. Todd Mailly about their fascinating and ongoing efforts. Mark has started a global health company
that is utilizing information technology in rural Papua New Guinea. Todd has an ongoing commitment thru Partners in Health
to help educate future Haitian surgeons. From the surrounding community we were also joined by Dr. Kevin Dieckhaus. He’s a
Uconn physician with ongoing ties to Uganda and working on developing a global heath training track for our UConn medical
residency. Lena Stein was also there to share with us some of her breathtaking photos from humanitarian missions to Haitian
orphanages and throughout the Far East.
S.A.G.E. Schedule
Dr. Robert A. Kramer Fund /
Beth Israel Seniors Group S.A.G.E.:
Seniors for Arts, Growth, and Education
AUGUST PROGRAMS
S.A.G.E. will hold two programs this month.
Have a cool and restful August!
AUGUST 14
11:15am Discussion with Lenore Blank
1pm
Program: Forum with Rabbi Michael Pincus
AUGUST 28
11:15am Discussion with Deena Sisitsky
1pm
Program:
Serenades for Summer featuring Wojciech Bonarowski. This fine
young Polish singer was awarded a prize in the prestigious Kosciuszko
Foundation Competition in 2012. He has only been in this country
for a year. He will sing arias from La Traviata, Don Giovanni, and well
loved songs from Kiss Me Kate, Man of La Mancha, and Street Scenes. Be
sure to book early to avoid disappointment! Natasha Ulyanovsky will
accompany him on piano.
Schedule
10:15am: Exercise
11:15am to 12:15pm:
Discussion Group—Provocative and interesting conversation
on a new topic each week.
12:15pm: Light Lunch and Dessert
CBI members $5; Guests $7
Reservations required for lunch!
Call Libby and Julian Adler, co-chairs,
860-236-4452 by Sunday.
1pm: Guest speaker/program
VOLUNTEER AND MAKE A
DIFFERENCE
CBI Book Group
The Hartford Jewish Coalition
for Literacy (HJCL) is recruiting
volunteers to read one-half hour
per week for the upcoming school
year with kindergarten through
third-grade students in Bloomfield,
East Hartford, Hartford, Manchester,
New Britain and West Hartford.
Call 860-236-7323 (READ) or email
[email protected] to learn
more about our program.
We will discuss
Exile by Richard
North Patterson,
a thriller with its
focus on Israel.
We will discuss it
on Wednesday,
September 5, 7:15pm. Join us!
contact Jane Zande,
[email protected],
860-233-8215 x230.
In the Library
Rena Epstein
H
ere are three new books that deserve
a spot on your summer reading list.
All feature strong Jewish women, each with
a special talent that helps shape her destiny.
In The Midwife of Venice by Roberta
Rich, we are introduced to Hannah
Levi, a highly skilled midwife working in the Jewish ghetto of 16th century Venice. Tragedy strikes when her
beloved husband Isaac is captured
and enslaved. How can she get the
money to secure his release? A Christian count
offers her a large sum to help his wife, dying in
childbirth; however the law forbids Jews to treat
Christians. The offense is punishable by death,
and would endanger every Jew in Venice. But
how can she turn her back on a woman in need?
The two other women are Holocaust
survivors. Sidonia’s Thread, by Hanna
Marcus, is a memoir about her mother
who succeeds in America as a talented
seamstress, but remains emotionally
damaged by her time in Auschwitz and
Dachau. No wonder it is difficult for
mother and daughter to connect. But the patient,
promising act of sewing ultimately does offer a way
to mend their relationship.
With The Lost Wife by Alyson
Richman, we return to historical fiction and meet Lenka, an artistically
inclined Jewish woman, who spends
most of World War II in Terezin, a
Nazi work camp. Her young husband
heads for America; they wrongly assume each other has died. While the
story of their reunion is compelling, what also grabs
readers is learning about Terezin, the “model camp”
showcased by Nazis in their propaganda film, The
Fuhrer Gives the Jews a Town. Between 1941 and
1945, 140,000 Jews were sent there, including artists, musicians, and former army officers. But these
more prominent citizens were not safeguarded as
Hitler claimed. Eventually, over 120,000 died in
extermination camps or from disease. However,
while they lived, many of the artists made it their
secret mission to “draw” the truth that remained
hidden from the world.
There are many more titles to choose from. Stop
in the library for more ideas! •
Rena is a volunteer at the Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Community Learning Center and a teacher in Noah’s Ark.
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 9 Mazel TovYasher Koach
MAZEL TOV TO THE ROSENWORCELS!
Brian Rosenworcel and his wife
Megan Poe, MD, and daughter
Jolene, welcomed the birth of twin
boys Marshal Jacob and Nico Sky.
They were born on June 7 and
June 8 respectively. Grandparents
are CBI members Willa and Elliott
Rosenworcel and Peggy and Rich Poe
of Columbia, Missouri. Mazel tov!
Jessica Rosenworcel
was nominated by
President Obama to be
a commissioner of the
Federal Communications
Commission, and was
confirmed by the United States
Senate. Her husband Mark Bailen
and children Caroline and Emmett,
as well as parents Willa and Elliott
Rosenworcel and in-laws Dr. David
and Helene Bailen of Newton,
Massachusetts, are delighted, as are
all of the CBI Community! You can
read more at http://www.fcc.gov/
leadership/jessica-rosenworcel
Both Brian and Jessica became B’nai
Mitzvah and were confirmed at Beth
Israel!
Rabbi Dena Shaffer
has become an aunt!
Welcome Lucas James
Stelzner (Hebrew: Lior
ya’akov Ben shimon hayim
haLevi v’Rivka). His parents
are Rebecca and Jeremy
Stelzner of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Inna Zhitomirsky and Igor
Shamshtein welcomed a baby boy,
Joel, on June 7. He joins his brothers
Aaron and Eitan.
OUR SUMMER CAMP
KIDS!
We have had a record
number of our children
attend a summer camp sponsored by the
Union for Reform Judaism. We are going
to honor them at our Kabbalat Shabbat
service on Friday, August 31, 6:30pm.
Come and hear all of their wonderful
stories and experiences!
Eisner Camp
Brynnen Bernstein
Joshua Chachques
Anna Fagin
Shayna Fiedler
Ashley Gelber
Emma Gelber
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
These are some recent “goings on” among our congregants and friends.
Send them your best wishes - email [email protected], and we will forward your note.
Keep up to date with this kind of info by reading our Chai Lights email newsletter every week.
If you have something to share, let us know! -- [email protected], 860-233-8215.
Email us ([email protected])
and we will send you the links
to these articles.
MAZEL TOV!
Sara Chase and Elliot Stieglitz were
married on June 24. Sara is the daughter
of Sandy and Arnold Chase.
Michelle Honor has graduated from
Cornell University. She will be going
to Israel on Birthright Israel. Michelle is
the daughter of Barbara and Michael
Honor.
Rachel Cohen, the daughter of Cindy
and Adam Cohen, is engaged to Nathan
Cohen. Rachel is the granddaughter of
Ina Fine of Enfield and CBI members
Libbian and Jerry Cohen.
Julie Eicher has graduated from
the University of Cincinnati, College
Conservatory of Music and will be joining
Nashville Ballet II. Julie is the daughter of
JoAnn and Douglas Eicher.
Captain Benjamin Feldman, U.S. Army, and
Alison Cobb were married on June 30. Ben is
the son of Clare and Barry Feldman.
Charlotte Berman was honored at
a gala at the Governor’s Mansion for
her ten years of service as a volunteer
broadcaster for CRIS Radio, CT’s talking
newstand for the blind and printhandicapped.
Spencer Glantz and Rachel Holtzberg
were married on July 1 at Beth Israel.
They are the third generation of the
Glantz Family to be married at CBI!
Isaiah Meyer
Laura Stordy
Jake Zweifler
Jason Miller and Rochelle Furman were
married on June 10. Jason is the son of
Lauri and David Miller.
Crane Lake
Isabella Epstein
Rachel Smith, the daughter of Jane
Zande and Jeff Smith, is engaged to
Matthew Kerns.
At our June Simcha
Shabbat, Myra
and Joe Panitch
celebrated their
60th wedding
anniversary. Their
family joined them
in the celebration.
“It was a lovely
celebration,
the service, the
surroundings,
the Beth Israel
congregation is
indeed a family.”—
Joe Panitch
Left to right, Myra, their daughter Nancy Flaggman, Joe , their daughter
Carol Lipson, and their son Barry Panitch.
We also celebrated a number of other anniversaries and birthdays, including the
63rd anniversary of Benjamin and Dorothy Goldfarb, and the 99th birthday of
Fran Novar!
We are proud of our Beth Israel Community!
SIMCHA SHABBAT
Happy Birthday
Ina Freifeld
Benjamin S. Goldfarb-90th birthday
Barbara P. Kurtz
Shirley Laschever
Evelyn Sandel
Claudia Teitelbaum
In honor of the 60th anniversary of
Joe & Myra Panitch
By Carol Lipson, Nancy Flaggman, & Barry Panitch
Happy Anniversary
Dolly & Ben Goldfarb, 63 years
William & Janice Glotzer
Andrea & Stanley Labinger, 50 years
Rafael & Roberta Mori
Frank & Joan Spector
Radiy & Anna Virkerman
Triple Chai Supporter
Happy Anniversary
Hermia S. & Arnold W. Aronson, 54 years
Robert & Beth Brody
Lois & Mervyn Strauss
Patron
Happy Anniversary
Rona & Barry Gelber
MAZEL TOV TO THE NEW WHTY BOARD!
PresidentDavid Dobrynin
Programming Vice PresidentSara Lebow
Social Action Vice PresidentRebecca Schwartz
Religious and Cultural Vice PresidentTeddy Monyak
Membership Vice PresidentFranklin Edrich
Communications Vice PresidentMikaela Costello
Paul Matasovski was featured in
a Hartford Courant article about
Jewish Family Services.
Class Act - a great article about
Ben Spar, valedictorian of
Farmington High School, was in
the Hartford Courant.
Ruth Lee Silver has been a
tutor at the Hillcrest Avenue
Neighborhood Outreach Center
for two years. Her photo was
featured in an article in West
Hartford Life, “The Changing Face
of West Hartford.”
A sweet love story of Stan &
Andrea Labinger was published
in the Hartford Courant.
Thank you to April Haskell and
Jerry Passman and their team for
organizing our Golf and Tennis
Tournament. This year, it raised
nearly $50,000! Thank you to all
who participated!
Jacque Metheny and Bob
Kirschbaum participated in
a group exhibition that was a
survey of Connecticut sculptors.
It ran May through June at
A-Space Gallery in West Haven.
President Jeffrey Winnick, Abby Schneider,
Eric Schneider
MAZEL TOV TO THE SCHNEIDERS!
Eric Schneider was named Volunteer
of the Year at our Annual Meeting in
June. “Whether Eric is planning Purim
carnivals, entertaining with balloon
animals and juggling, supporting
Brotherhood programs, or leading
our Mitzvah Jugglers out into the
community and entertain needful
children, Eric is devoted to his volunteer
work at Beth Israel,” said President Jeffrey
Winnick. Read more about our Eric and
our Annual Meeting on our website.
www.cbict.org/blog/eric-schneidernamed-volunteer-of-the-year/
Abby Schneider was honored with an
award for Uniquely Effective Madrichim
(teen aides) by the Jewish Federation
of Greater Hartford’s Commission on
Jewish Education and Leadership (CJEL).
Scott Myers and Cantor Pamela Siskin
have also been recognized with an
innovative Family Education Program
Award for their program “The 9th Scroll”.
Wow! Our Religious School students donated $1000 in tzedakah. This is
the second year in a row that our students have raised this much money!
Two checks were presented, one for $500 to Hebrew Health Care, and one
for $500 to Jewish Family Services. The money was raised by the children,
with the help of their families, throughout the school year. In this photo,
representatives from the Religious School hold ceremonial checks that
were given at a Service on Sunday, May 20. In the photo are Elizabeth
Bartek of Hebrew Health Care, Rob Berman, co-chair of our Religious
School Committee, Michelle Souza of Jewish Family Services, and Lauren
Benthien, co-chair of our Religious School Committee.
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 11 HIGH HOLY DAYS SERVICES BEGIN IN SEPTEMBER
This schedule is as of July 2012. Watch the September Bulletin or our website, www.cbict.org, for updates.
SELICHOT
Saturday. September 8
7pm An original play written by Cantor Pamela
Siskin. Actors are CBI congregants. Includes a musical
interlude with Natasha Ulyanovsky on piano and Peter
Dzialo on cello. See page 5.
EREV ROSH HASHANAH
Sunday, September 16
5:30pm Family Service
7:30pm Adult Service followed by Board-sponsored
Oneg Yom Tov (light refreshments)
ROSH HASHANAH
Monday, September 17
8:45am Young Children’s Service
10am Traditional Service in Sanctuary
10:15am Contemporary Service in Haas Hall
5pm Community Tashlich
Co-sponsored by Congregation Beth Israel, Beth David
Synagogue, and the Mandell JCC
Join us for light snacks (honey cake, juice, apples
and honey), songs and stories in Beth David’s chapel,
conducted by clergy from both congregations and
facilitated by JCC staff, and concluding with the
sounding of the shofar. At 5:30pm, the group will walk
together to Trout Brook for tashlich, a ceremony in
which we symbolically cast away our sins.
SHABBAT SHUVAH
Friday, September 21
6pm Young Families and Friends
7:30pm Shabbat Shuvah Evening Service
Saturday, September 22
11am Shabbat Shuvah Morning Service
CEMETERY VISITS
10am Cemetery in Hartford
11am Cemetery in Avon
KOL NIDRE
Tuesday, September 25
5:30pm Family Service
7:30pm Adult Service
YOM KIPPUR
Wednesday, September 26
8:45am Young Children’s Service
10am Traditional Service in Sanctuary
10:15am Contemporary Service in Haas Hall
1pm Congregants Hour
2pm Afternoon Service
4pm Yizkor Service
4pm Service for and by teenagers
5pm Neilah Service followed by Break the Fast
EREV SUKKOT
5:30pm Erev Sukkot Service in the CBI Sukkah and
bring your own picnic dinner
SUKKOT
Monday, October 1
11am Festival Service for the first day of Sukkot
followed by a Kiddush
CONSECRATION OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOL STUDENTS
Sunday, October 7
SHEMINI ATZERET
Monday, October 8
11am Festival and Yizkor Service
SIMCHAT TORAH
Tuesday, October 9
YIZKOR: A TIME THAT TOUCHES OUR HEARTS AND
KINDLES OUR MEMORIES
As the High Holy Days approach, we remember those we have loved, those who have
had an impact on our lives, and those whose influences have made us the people
we are today. The daylong ritual of repentance on Yom Kippur is bolstered by the
memories and the goodness of those people. Yizkor closes a gate—and opens
another. The gate of the years we shared is closed. The gate which leads to tomorrow
is opened. Therefore, use this opportunity to list the names of the loved ones whom
you wish to memorialize in The Book of Remembrance. This special service booklet
will be used during Yizkor Services on Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot.
The cost is $360 per name if you would like to memorialize your loved one(s)
permanently. You may also list names for one year only at $18 per name. You may
pay by check (payable to Congregation Beth Israel) or credit card. Send in your
information to Sarah Beck, Yizkor Book, 701 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT
06119. The deadline is Friday, September 7. Contact Sarah at [email protected],
860-233-8215 x223.
HIGH HOLY DAY SERVICES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Rosh Hashanah, Monday, September 17, 8:45 AM
Yom Kippur, Wednesday, September 26, 8:45 AM
Introduce your preschool children to the High Holy Days through
prayers, songs, and stories!
These services are free and open to the public,
so tell your friends!
Babysitting is available at all of our Adult Services. PLEASE make
advance reservations. Contact Sarah Beck, [email protected],
860-233-8215 x223 at least one week prior to the service.
Tickets will be sent out by Monday, August 27
to all congregants in good financial standing.
Contact Sarah Beck, [email protected],
860-233-8215 x223 for more information.
High Holy Days: “The Next Generation”
Hey CBI Teens! Don’t miss out on this awesome opportunity to experience the High Holy Days your way! On Yom Kippur
afternoon (4-5pm), CBI will hold its first-ever Teen Service led for you and by you. Camp-style worship with guitar will be with
Rabbi Shaffer and our songleader DJ Fortine in a relaxed setting. Learn some hip tunes and have a great discussion about what
this fasting and praying stuff is all about. Then join your parents and our whole community as we say goodbye to another holiday
season with our beautiful Neilah/Havdalah service in the sanctuary. If you are interested in helping design and lead this service,
contact Rabbi Shaffer, [email protected].
While the young at heart are welcome, this service is targeted at CBI’s post-Bar Mitzvah youth (ages 13-18).
WE CONNECT.
Elaine Lowengard and Carol Dunn, who remember when we moved
to this building 75 years ago, were among the honorees at a service
celebrating the milestone. Photo by Lena Stein.
HIGH HOLY DAY NOTES
If you know of people who
are unaffiliated, and would
like to join us for our High
Holy Day Services, please have
them contact Rabbi Michael
Pincus, 860-233-8215 x228,
[email protected], or
Rabbi Dena Shaffer,
860-233-8215 x226,
[email protected].
If CBI members wish to
purchase tickets for their
friends and relatives, please
contact Sarah Beck, 860-2338215 x223, [email protected].
We also have a closed-circuit
TV in our Chapel that provides
live coverage of our High Holy
Days services in the sanctuary.
This is an option for anyone
who wishes to drop in without
reservations.
The Temple Brotherhood
invites adult members to help
with ushering at our High Holy
Days Services. We need your
help. Ushers are needed at
Erev Rosh Hashanah Services
on Sunday, September 16,
Rosh Hashanah Services on
Monday, September 17, Kol
Nidre Services on Tuesday,
September 25, and Yom
Kippur Services on Wednesday,
September 26. Please
contact co-chairmen Dr. Burt
Schweitzer, 860-232-0441,
Joe Dix, [email protected],
860-462-7857, or David Ward,
860-233-0452.
All CBI members have the honor
of being called to the bima to
read a portion of the High Holy
Days Services. Both English and
Hebrew readings are available.
Please contact Scott Myers,
[email protected].
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 13 Thoughtful Donations
GENERAL
CHARITABLE
In honor of the 50th
wedding anniversary
CANTOR SISKIN DISCRETIONARY DR. ROBERT A. KRAMER S.A.G.E.
of Judy & Jerry Elbaum
In memory of Harold Goldfarb
In memory of Betty Singer
By Richard Elbaum
By Ruth Rutt
By Phyllis & Robert Cherlin
In memory of my mother,
In honor of Paula Schenk
By Libby & Julian Adler
Brucha Gershman
By Sarah Reisman
By friends of Helene Baker,
By Yevsey Gershman
Thoughtful donation
Betty’s daughter
In honor of Ben Ellovich’s
By Dr. & Mrs. Randy Berk
By Louis Belmont
Bar Mitzvah
In memory of Judith Perkas Stroug By Henrietta Caudale
By Leigh & Greg Farber
In memory of Moissel Karchov
By Joanne Gideons
In memory of
By Vera Karchov
By Helen Kostal
Emil Zheleznyak
In memory of Philip Rosin
By Judith Sironds
By Tamara Zheleznyak
By Nathalie Rosin
By John & Louise Kealy
In memory of Philip David Rosin
In appreciation of Musicale
By Rosalind Hoffman
By Gwen & Chet Zaslow
Mitzvah performers
By R. Millard Bowen
By Leslie & Paul Korus
By Bette Glickman By S&C Investor Relations,
By Judi & Gary Weiner
c/o Jessica Baker
In memory of Peter Kamenskiy
By the Singer family
By Irma Schoen
By Valentin & Nellya Kamenskiy
CARING
By Mr. & Mrs. Richard Levy
In memory of Irene Weiner
In appreciation
By Debra Rosen
In memory of Carmen Piccone
By Nathan Geetter By Helene Baker
By Scott & Susan Piccone
CEMETERY BEAUTIFICATION
By Ruth Jacobson
In memory of Yefim Plopskiy
In loving memory of
In memory of my beloved mother,
By Raisa Plopskaya
Moysey Slepchenko
Eva Goffman
In memory of Grigoriy Mensheh
By the Slepchenko Family
By Phyllis Reiter
By Faina & Gennadiy Mensheh
DR. NATHAN LEWIS DUBIN
In memory of my beloved sister,
RABBINIC CHAIR
Sylvia Levy
Sarra Rogovaya
In memory of my beloved mother,
In memory of my father,
In memory of Alan Friedman
Adelle Stolpert
Moisey Rogovoy
In memory of Rosalie Smith
By Nathan Geetter
By Yelizaveta Lurye
In memory of Howard Siegel
Wishing Julian Adler good health
In memory of Joel Lachs
In memory of Joseph Korzenik
By Estelle Apatow
By Wendy Ennis
In memory of Vida Gellin
In honor of Peter, by grateful
In memory of
By Harriet Deutsch
parents, for his new job and
William Harmon Leete
By Miriam Selman
promotion
In memory of Dee Fay
By Pam Lassman
By Lev & Roza Frenkel
In memory of Samuel Joseloff
Wishing good health to
In loving memory of Betty Singer
In memory of Brita Peterson
Dr. Seymour Saltzman
By Oscar & Miryam Birman
In memory of Phyllis Pearl Fink
By Katharine Lavitt
By Stephanie & Phil Growick
In memory of Elaine Gladstein
In memory of Larry Sobel
In memory of Arthur Epstein
In honor of Sandra Hurwit on her
By Charlotte Goldstein Koskoff
In memory of Bernard Waldman
85th birthday
By Linda & Mike Platt
By Phyllis & Sherman Katz
In memory of Barbara Wallack
By Jason Kane
st
In honor of the 101 birthday of
In memory of David Weinstein
By Roberta & Spencer Michels
Henry Seltzer
In memory of Irving “Dav” Levine
By Leshem Family
Wishing a speedy recovery to
In memory of Lewis Sheketoff
In memory of Sheyna
Miriam Selman
In memory of David Brewer
Gorkhovskaya
Wishing a speedy recovery to
In honor of the birth of a
By her daughters, Faina, Meri, &
Sybil Goldman
granddaughter to
Larisa
By Doris Toubman
Natasha & Phil Ulyanovsky
In honor of the conversion of
In memory of Nathan Schwartz
In honor of the birth of a
Sue Fulleton
By Jean & Ed Hotez
granddaughter to
By Judy & David Rosenthal
In memory of Lillian Freifeld
Marilyn & Michael Ratner
In memory of Michael Podolsky
In honor of Hugh Greenberg, with By Ina & Marvin Freifeld
By Raisa Margolin
Birthday wishes to Bea Alderman
wishes for his good health and
In memory of Peisach Ratner
congratulations for being honored Birthday wishes to Ed Kane
By Zimel & Nella Livshits
by the Detroit Jewish Community By Ruth Solomkin
In memory of Gerald McNamara
Best wishes to Jane Zande and
Center
By Bob Rudin
Wishing Leonard Greenberg good Jeff Smith on their daughter’s
In memory of beloved mother,
engagement
health and long life
Malcu Strulovichi
By Renee Dubin
By Oscar & Miryam Birman
FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
In memory of Beth Lerman Becker
Linda & Henry Cohn
By Robert & Ellen Lerman
In honor of the Bat Mitzvah of
Emily Burstein
By Bette Glickman
In honor of the 50th wedding
anniversary of Sylvia & Arnold
Cantor
By Cynthia Saffer
In memory of Irving Spector
By Frank Spector
In memory of Selma Berman
By Harriet Scharf
Bala Zheleznyak
By Tamara Zheleznyak
GENERATIONS
In memory of Albert Lewis
In memory of Arthur M. Lewis
By Elaine F. Lewis
LAWRENCE DAVIDSON FAMILY
MEMORIAL TORAH COVER
In memory of
Lawrence J. Davidson
By Adrienne & Diana Davidson
LEGACY FOR OUR FUTURE
In memory of Sydney Glickman
By Bette Glickman
In memory of Dr. Norman Levin,
brother of TJ Levin
By Bennett & Libby Pearl
In memory of Isadore Glotzer,
father of William B. Glotzer
In memory of Marcus I. Franklin,
father of Janice F. Glotzer
By William & Janice Glotzer
In honor of the engagement of
Jane Zande & Jeff Smith’s daughter
In honor of the engagement
of Jerry & Libbian Cohen’s
granddaughter, Rachel
By Bette Glickman
In memory of Murray Grant,
husband of Marilyn Grant and
brother of Jason Grant
By Barbara Mindel
LEONARD I. MERIN
SCHOLARSHIP
In memory of my beloved
grandfather, Karl Kaiser
In memory of Inge Weineman
In memory of Fred Jacobs
In memory of Minna and
Berthold Ehrlich
In memory of Lillie Ehrlich
In memory of Thea Ehrlich
In memory of Benno &
Bella Weineman
In memory of Hans Ehrlich
In memory of Gustav Levy
By Margot Merin
LIBRARY
In memory of Jennie Rose Kurtz
By Barbara, Norman, & Julie Kurtz
In honor of the birthday of
Rhoda Chase
By Yvonne Goldstein
Morris J. Willens
By Joyce Gibbons
In memory of Inge Meltzer
By Janice & Paul Goldschmidt
In memory of
Minnie Warshaw Dick
By Rona & Barry Gelber
In memory of Tillie T. Pearlman
By Barbara, Norman, & Julie Kurtz
In honor of Morton Fine’s recovery
By Irene Starr
In memory of Charles Grossman
By Gertrude Horowitz
In memory of Miriam Smith
By Jane Zande & Jeffrey Smith
In honor of the engagement of
Rachel Smith to Matthew Kerns
By Ruth Solomkin
In memory of Edith Marcus,
my aunt
In memory of Israel G. Pessin
By Marcia Kagan
In memory of Ruth Tansman
By Roberta Tansman
In memory of Vladimir Dvorkin
By Jane Fridkin
MUSEUM
Sarah Seidman
By Hermia S. Aronson
LOUIS ANTUPIT YOUTH
In memory of John Ross,
son of Norman Ross
By Loretta & Sam Antupit
MUSIC
In honor of marriage of Sara Chase
By June & Burt Schweitzer
In memory of Dr. Norman Levin
By Evelyn Sandel & Sandy Rosenberg
In memory of Lee O. Franklin,
mother of Janice F. Glotzer
By William & Janice Glotzer
In memory of Max Karlin, father of
Miriam Karlin-Salvin, grandfather
of Jeff Salvin and Bonnie Dluhos
By Miriam Karlin Salvin
In memory of my husband
By Ella Oganjanov
NEW AMERICANS
Roza Mirochnik
Haim Mirochnik
By Anna Virkerman
Maria Molodchik
Bar Virkerman
In memory of my brother,
Arik Virkerman
By Radiy Virkerman
In memory of Faina Pecherer
In memory of Sarah Feldman
By Gusta Budyansky
In memory of Khava Sekhter
By Faina & Arkadiy Chernomzav
In memory of my husband,
Leyb Gordin
By Lidiya Gordina
In memory of my brother,
Michail Lifchits
In memory of my father.
Josef Lifchits
By Yakov Lifchits
In memory of Anatoly Shvartz
By Igor Budyansky & Inna Gurary
In memory of Sofia Katz
By Vladimir & Raisa Fridkin
PRAYER BOOK
In honor of the birth of Dr. & Mrs.
Jeff Morris’ grandson, Benjamin
By Bella & Judd Fink
In memory of Dr. Arnold G. Pessin
By his sisters, Marcia Kagan, Sandra
Gersten, & Rosalyn Montlick
NOAH’S ARK SCHOLARSHIP
In memory of Larry Sobel
By Kathy & Len Lingo
RABBI FUCHS/CBI FOODSHARE
TRANSPORTATION
In memory of Ceil Linoff,
mother of Willa
By Willa & Elliott Rosenworcel
RABBI PINCUS DISCRETIONARY
In memory of David Haymond
By Kimberly & John Haymond
To celebrate the birthday of
Aiden Strong, our son
By Jolene & Matt Strong
In memory of Max Siegel
By Ed Siegel
With thanks for making Nathan’s
Bar Mitzvah a memorable day
By Beth & Dave Dworkin
In memory of Betty Singer and
with appreciation By Neal Singer, Jessica &
Lindsey Baker
In memory of Arthur Guimond,
our father & grandfather
By Kathy, Kevin, & Jessica Pasternack
To mark the yahrzeit of Gladys Bear
By Stuart Bear
In memory of Steven Sack
By Marge Cohen
In memory of Benjamin Reiner
By Jeffrey, Michael & Eleanore Reiner
In support
By Stanley Fink
In support
By Gerald Sack
To mark the yahrzeit of Shirley Spar
By Ira Spar
To mark the yahrzeit of
Vivian Johnson, my mother
By Darlene Sternberg
With appreciation for your
wonderful first year teaching the
confirmation class with
Rabbi Shaffer
By Sue & Scott Piccone
To mark the yahrzeit of Maxine Levi
By Clare & Barry Feldman
To mark the yahrzeit of Dr.
Freeman Maltz, my husband
By Sandra Maltz
Faith Fichman
By Lynn & Richard Fichman
To honor the special birthday of
Sandy Hurwit, our mother
By her children
With thanks for the support &
guidance during our difficult time
By Nathalie Rosin
In loving memory of Rita L.
Freedman, my mother
By Betsy Sussler
With appreciation for spending
time with the Bacon Academy
students
By Angie Parkinson
In memory of Stanislov Malakhov,
our husband & father
By Yelena & Arkady Malakhov
In memory of Birdie Lapuk &
David Lapuk
In memory of Sarah Lapuk &
Seymour Lapuk
By Marvin Lapuk
In memory of William Blinderman,
our father
By Juliann Harris & family
By Marjory & Adam Blinderman
In memory of Phoebe Feinstein,
mother of Barbara Roth
By Rebecca & Martin Gould
To mark the yahrzeit of Bertha &
Louis Mostow, our parents
By Sandra & Eugene Flaxman
To mark the yahrzeit of Edward
Goldman, my father
By Barbara Werner
Thank you for the caring tribute at
the unveiling ceremony of Zelda &
David Katzin, our parents
By Jenna & Alan Lash, Sally &
Jon Kline
To celebrate the birthday of
Yvonne Goldstein
By Susan, Lea, Piper & John Darley
To celebrate the Summa Cum
Laude Masters Degree graduation
of Sandra Chase
By June & Burt Schweitzer
In memory of Gerald McNamara
To mark the yahrzeit of Julia Haupt
By Roberta & Rafael Mori
In memory of Frimi Fine
By Aliha & David Fine
In memory of Sylvia L. Zietz,
beloved mother
In memory of Leah Zietz & Beatrice
Levin, beloved grandmothers
By Judy & Ed Siegel and family
To celebrate the birth of Joel
Shamshtein, our son
By Inna Zhitomirsky & Igor
Shamshtein
Thanks for helping with the
Sisterhood/Brotherhood Shabbat
Service
By Carmen Holzman
In memory of George Logemann
By Bernice Schaefer
With thanks for the warm &
meaningful service for Alexander
Haas, our father
By Leslie Silverman & family
RABBI SHAFFER DISCRETIONARY
Mendel Chatzek, my father
By Merton Honeyman
With appreciation for your
wonderful first year teaching the
confirmation class with
Rabbi Pincus
By Sue & Scott Piccone
In honor of your wonderful first
year at CBI
By Barbara & Mike Honor
Sisterhood appreciates your
presence
By Carmen Holzman
In memory of Arthur Guimond,
our father & grandfather
By Kathy, Kevin & Jessica Pasternack
REBECCA K. AND WILLIAM H.
ROSENFELD RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
In memory of
Rebecca Kemler Rosenfeld
In memory of Bernice Kemler Wise
By Jacqueline Rosenfeld Werner
SOCIAL JUSTICE
In honor of Jim Friedman
By Adam & Cindy Cohen
By Janice Glass
By Bette Glickman
In memory of Sydney Glickman
In memory of Sonia Dantzig
In honor of the Bar Mitzvah of
Nathan Dworkin
By Bette Glickman
Lily B. Gabrielson
In memory of my grandfather,
Max Baran
By Carol G. Fine
In honor of Jeff Smith on his
election as President of the
Brotherhood
By Jim & Dianne Friedman
ROBERT ALAN FALK MEMORIAL
SCHOLARSHIP
In honor of Ron Bernstein’s 80th
birthday
In honor of Mr. & Mrs. Stephen
Weisenberg’s 50th wedding
anniversary
In honor of Jay Clott’s special
milestones
By Helen & Howard Falk
YOUTH
Samuel Aronson
By Hon. Arnold W. Aronson
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 15 JOURNEY ONWARD
August 2012
Students in the 2011/2012 8th
grade Journey Onward Program:
Carrie Shaw
J
ourney Onward is a unique program for 8th and 9th graders whose two–year
journey fills in the gap years between their Bar/Bat Mitvah year and their Confirmation year. Students get together on Sundays from 10-11:30am.
My goals for Journey Onward are to keep these teenagers together as a cohesive
social group, to maintain their connections to the synagogue, to provide a safe
environment for them to voice their opinions, to ask their questions, and to raise
awareness of their Jewish perspective in daily living.
This year we participated in the following projects:
• We cooked and served the homeless at the Immaculate Shelter in Hartford.
• We picked apples and donated them to Foodshare and the Interval House.
• We participated in the temple art project and designed panels for the Sukkah.
• We baked apple crisp for the McKinney Shelter.
• We volunteered on Martin Luther King’s Day at the Foodshare warehouse.
• We learned “Jew-Do” with Rabbi Shaffer.
• We donated items and boxed them up to be sent overseas to the soldiers.
• We went to Chabad and made matzah for Passover.
These are only a few of the exciting things we did this year!
Through these projects, my class came together and understood their individual
need to make their community a better place to live. They helped those in need
and by the end of the year I found my students gaining confidence and strength in
themselves, in their community and in one another!
Sophia Altimari
Noah Badner
Justin Benbrook
Alex Benthien
Sydney Buckner
Hayley Eicher
Jenna Gershman
Jacob Ginden
Jake Gothers
Sydney Lyons
Julia Monyak
Zac Margolis
av • elul 5772
It is nurturing and sustaining to interact with nature, for Judaism’s roots
are in nature. Our Summer Erev Shabbat Services on Friday evenings,
held in our beautiful Silver Courtyard, are perfect times to remind us of
our connection to the environment and to help us find a path for spiritual
growth. As one congregant has said, “Come get your ‘spiritual shot.’ “
Please dress casually.
sun
mon
tues
wed
1
thurs
2
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
JewDo
3
4
7
8
9
10
11
Carrie Shaw will continue teaching this class as the students move to 9th grade. Jeff Smith taught the current 9th graders, and they
are moving on to Confirmation. The new 8th grade class will be led by Debra Sheridan.
PROJECT JOSHUA UPDATE
T
he sacred work of the Long Term Planning Committee
continues. We have held more than a dozen focus groups,
received email surveys, made numerous phone calls, and
met Congregants one-on-one. And every committee meeting
and every focus group began with this prayer.
We come together in God’s name, prepared to do our Creator’s will. May God’s presence dwell among us to serve our
holy congregation with insight, harmony, and love. May we
listen to each other with respect, and respond to each other
with wisdom and generosity. May our controversies not rise
up from ambition and self-seeking, but rather for the sake
of heaven. May our eyes be open to the needs of our congregants in the decisions we make and in the deeds we perform.
Through our commitment to the Jewish tradition, may the
cause of goodness prosper in the world. May God’s favor be
upon us, supporting us in the work we do. Amen
So far, more than 150 Congregants have participated.
We have heard from representatives concerned about Social Justice, Learning, and Spiritual Expression. Sisterhood, Brotherhood, Board of Trustees, Past Presidents, every committee, every age group from parents of Religious
School students to S.A.G.E. members have spoken up.
The Long Term Planning Committee has begun analyzing
the data. We asked our congregants:
What are the two or three most significant changes that you’d
like to see in the congregation during the course of the next few
year?
What obstacles might prevent such changes from occurring?
What is one reason why you remain a member of Congregation Beth Israel?
We received hundreds of answers. Some were unique. Many
supported trends among congregants. And some were total
surprises. However, regardless of the group, two truths are universal. Our congregants are passionate about Congregation
Beth Israel and they are committed to seeing it survive as a
place to make Jewish connections for generations to come.
We end each Committee Meeting and every focus group with
the following prayer:
The Long Term Planning Committee is drafting the plan, but it
is not too late to be heard. If you haven’t yet contributed your
thoughts, please go to the link on the homepage of our website,
www.cbct.org (scroll to the bottom), and fill out the short survey.
6:30pm Shabbat service
(outdoors, weather
permitting) followed by
Bring-Your-Own-And-Let’sShare Picnic
(There will not be an 8pm
service).
9:30am Torah Study Va’etchanan
10:30am Tot Shabbat
An engaging Jewish
experience for your
infant and preschool
children!
11am Shabbat Service
5
6
12
13
5:30pm
Minyan
10:15am SAGE
5:30pm Minyan
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
25
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
Minyan
NO SAGE
5:30pm Minyan
NO SAGE
5:30pm Minyan
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
Minyan
26
5pm New Member Open
House Barbeque
27
10am Soup
kitchen
(offsite)
5:30pm
Minyan
28
10:15am SAGE
5:30pm Minyan
6:30pm Ritual
Committee
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
JewDo
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
JewDo
1pm Foodshare Mobile
Truck
7:30pm Shabbat Service
(outdoors, weather
permitting)
23
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
JewDo
24
29
30
31
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
Minyan
5:30pm
JewDo
9:30am Torah Study—
Ekev
7:30pm Simcha Shabbat
9:30am Torah Study Service (outdoors, weather Re’eh
permitting)
5:30pm
Minyan
Baruch Ata Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha-Olam Asher Kidshanu B’Mitzvotav V’tzivanu La’asok B’tzar-chi Tzibur
Blessed are you Adonai our God, ruler of all time and space
who makes us holy through your commandments and commanded us to engage in the needs of the community.
sat
5:30pm
Minyan
Some of our students in the 8th grade
Journey Onward prepare cupcakes for residents of
the Hebrew Home.
Steven Rothman
fri
7:30pm Shabbat Service
(outdoors, weather
permitting)
9:30am Torah Study Shoftim
6:30pm Kabbalat Shabbat
Service (outdoors, weather
permitting) followed by a
Bring-Your-Own-And-Let’sShare Picnic.
We will welcome back our
children who attended
Jewish summer camp.
Steven Rothman is heading up the Project joshua long range planning initiative with Clare Feldman.
August 2012 MonthlyBulletin 17 Congregation Beth Israel
701 Farmington Avenue West Hartford, CT 06119
860-233-8215
FAX: 860-523-0223
[email protected]
www.cbict.org
Our mission is to serve the lifelong spiritual and educational needs of our congregants, within a welcoming
and caring contemporary Reform Jewish community.
A Reform Congregation founded in 1843 and affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism since 1877. The
Temple Bulletin is published with the kind cooperation of the Solomon and Katie Wohl Foundation.
NONPROFIT ORG
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
HARTFORD, CT
PERMIT NO. 840
W H AT D O W E D O AT B E T H I S R A E L ?
We welcome prospec tive members
to our Open House for
conversation,
BarbeQue,
Information
AND
SUNDAY
AUG 26
5
PM
I N V I T E Y O U R U N A F F I L I AT E D F R I E N D S • V I S I T W W W. C B I C T. O R G
RSVP [email protected], 860-233-8215
K I D S
W E LC O M E

MonthlyBulletin - Congregation Beth Israel

Transcription

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