November 2013 - Jewish Community of Amherst

Transcription

Newsletter Index
http://j-c-a.org/news/
JCA Home Page
http://j-c-a.org/
Calendar Page 23
Jewish Community of Amherst
Candle Lighting
November 1 ~ 5:25 pm
Times shown are 18 minutes
before sunset for Amherst, MA
Special Events
November 1
Kedushah LaTorah
November 2
Renewal Shabbat
Combatants for Peace
November 3
Despair and Hope:
Reading Psalmswith Rabbi Ed Feld
November 5
Community Meeting
November 6
Rabin Memorial Lecture
November 16
Shabbat B’Yachad
JCA Auction
November 24
Shofar: Sharing Our
Oratorio- with Catherine
Madsen and Robert Stern
Meetings
Message from Co-President
Eva Rosenn, 549-6672, [email protected]
When my children were little, one of
our favorite stories was Eric Kimmel’s The
Chanukkah Guest. It is the story of ninetyseven-year-old woman, Bubba Brayna, who
is expecting the rabbi for a latke dinner, but
instead the smell rouses a hibernating bear,
who the nearly blind and deaf Bubba mistakes for the rabbi. She feeds the rabbi latkes
(who for some reason won’t relinquish his
coat), plays dreidel with him, gives him a
gift of a red scarf, and sends him on his way.
When the rabbi and the townspeople arrive
for latkes as Bubba is washing up, they realize what occurred and help Bubba make a
whole new batch of latkes.
While my children were highly amused
by the plot of mistaken identity, my favorite
lessons from this wonderful story are about
hospitality and community. Bubba Brayna is
a fabulous hostess, forgiving and smoothing
over her guest’s odder behaviors (he won’t
take off his coat, he eats “like a bear,” he
mumbles). Hospitality (hakhnasat orchim) is
of course a mitzvah, starting with Abraham’s
kindness to the three wanderers from Mamre
(Gen. 18:1-5).
Bubba Brayna’s community reciprocates
her hospitality. The entire village traipses
through the snow to her little cottage on the
edge of the woods, filling her house with
laughter. One boy helps bring up a new bag
Affiliated with the
Jewish Reconstructionist
Movement
November 2013
Cheshvan/Kislev 5774
Vol. 12, Issue No. 10
of potatoes from the cellar for the next batch
of latkes, and the reader has no doubt that
should Bubba run out of potatoes later in the
winter, the community will provide for her.
Synagogue consultant Ron Wolfson has
just published a new book titled Relational
Judaism: Using the Power of Relationships
to Transform the Jewish Community. He argues that it is not programming but personal
relationships that ensure the well-being of a
community. He certainly has a point. But I
would say that sometimes it is the members
of the community with whom we don’t have
personal relationships who may become the
most important in our lives—the ones who
make a minyan so that we can say kaddish,
the ones on the Chesed committee who make
meals for us when we are ill, the ones who
hold the sacred space in services during our
children’s b’nei mitzvah.
We have a wonderful opportunity to build
community coming up at the JCA’s Grand
Auction, November 16. Please donate your
time, goods, and services; please invite everyone you know; and please attend yourself
and bid generously. And when your dues
packet arrives, please commit to paying your
fair share. Because the JCA cannot survive
on sacks of potatoes.
B’shalom,
Eva
November 1
Adult Ed Committee
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November 4
School Committee
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November 7
Board Meeting
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November 12
Ritual Life Committee
November 13
Education Committee
Bat Mitzvah
November 30
Emily Porter
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Jewish Community of Amherst Newsletter — November 2013
Chesed Committee
Jewish Community of Amherst, Inc.
742 Main Street, Amherst, MA 01002
(413) 256-0160, fax (413) 256-1588
Religious School (413) 256-0160 ext. 203
email: [email protected]; On line at: www.j-c-a.org
Rabbi Benjamin Weiner
Rabbi David Dunn Bauer (2003-2010)
Rabbi Sheila Peltz Weinberg (1989-2002)
Rabbi Emeritus Yechiael Lander
Director of Lifelong Learning: Jody Rosenbloom (256-0160 ext. 203)
Office Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 10:30 - 4:00
Wednesday: 4:00 - 6:00 & Sunday 9:00 - 1:00
(When Religious School is in session)
_____________________________
Board of Directors
Officers:
The Chesed Committee assists JCA
members in times of joy, sorrow and
need, coordinating volunteers to help with
meals, rides, errands, visits, shiva minyans, and other needs. We also welcome
new members and babies! Please contact
us if you would like to join the committee
or be added to our list of volunteers.
Also, if you, someone in your family,
or someone in the community is ill, hospitalized, or in need of assistance, please
contact us right away. Even if visits or
phone calls are not desired, it is important
to us as a community to be aware of the
health and well-being of our members and
their families. We realize that providing
this kind of information feels awkward to
many people, but it is an important facet
of being in community. We cannot help if
we do not know.
Contact the Chesed Committee through
the JCA office at 256-0160.
Co-Presidents: Richard Cohen (256-6145)
Eva Rosenn (549-6672)
First Vice President: Maryann Barakso (549-5155)
Second Vice President: Michael Burkart (256-8139)
Clerk: Donna Baron (549-7246)
Treasurer: Jonathan Shefftz (256-1101)
Members:
Molly Goren-Watts, Eli Kwartler, Patty Levine,
Andra Rose, Amy Rothenberg, Bob Solosko, William Zimmer
Membership: Tobi Sznajderman (549-1795)
Office Administrator: Marcia Howard (256-0160, [email protected])
Administrative Assistants: Nora Mariano, Susan Thomas, (256-0160)
For information about using JCA space including
renting the Social Hall, contact:
Events Coordinator: Karen Loeb (413-575-0774, [email protected])
For a list of committee chairs and members, go to:
http://www.j-c-a.org/committees.html
Please refer to your Guidebook for contact information.
(If you have not received your Guidebook, call the office.)
_____________________________
NEWSLETTER
Editor/Graphic Designer: Aaron Bousel
(Voice: 253-3544, Voice & Fax: 253-3846; [email protected])
Proofreader: Sarah Thomson
Deadline for the December issue is November 12th
November 2013, Vol. 12, Issue No. 10
Newsletter is published 11 times per year.
Subscription price is included in membership.
Beit Shalom Committee
The Beit Shalom Committee is available to members of the JCA congregation
wishing assistance in addressing personal
differences that have arisen between individuals, among committees, or with those
in leadership positions within the JCA.
Accordingly, if you have concerns or disagreements, or feel a desire to enhance
communication with another member, a
committee, or leader, please contact a Beit
Shalom Committee member to facilitate
this process. All such communications
will be kept strictly confidential unless
agreed upon differently by the participants.
Committee members are:
Eva Metzger Brown: 256-8066
[email protected]
Josette Henschel: 213-0186
[email protected]
Rob Okun: 253-9372
[email protected]
Kitty Talan: 253-2248
[email protected]
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Devarim:
Words from Rabbi Benjamin Weiner
If you pay close attention to the JCA calendar, or hang on
every word of the Shabbat morning board announcements,
you may have noticed a recent source of confusion: is our
traditional weekday minyan (prayer service) held on Tuesday
or Wednesday?
There’s been a bit of uncertainty about the answer to this
question in the past few weeks. Historically, Tuesday is the
day of the week when members of our community gather in
the morning for a traditional Shacharit (morning service),
with the meditation minyan following on Wednesday. The
source of confusion arose out of a plan hatched by the Ritual Life Committee to address the fact that attendance at the
Tuesday minyan had, for a variety of reasons, been flagging
of late. The idea, which has since been abandoned (also for a
variety of reasons) was to hold both minyanim on the same
day—Wednesday—so that we could be sure a sufficient number of people were in the building by the end of the service
(that is to say, literally a minyan), allowing mourners to say
kaddish.
You see, there are at least two good reasons to attend
morning minyanim. In discussing these reasons with a congregant recently, I had recourse to some terminology normally reserved for the High Holidays. (I guess the High Holidays
are still on my mind. I can still see them in the rearview mirror, though I am no longer suffering from night sweats.) On
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur we speak of our sins as being in one of two categories—beyn adam lamakom, between
a person and God, and beyn adam l’chavero, between a person and other people.
We can understand the rationale for attending minyanim
along similar lines. There is a definite beyn adam lamakom
payoff—a real advantage to spending some daily time checking in with God, or the ultimate, or the ground of being and
reality, or however you choose to conceive of and label the
power that is greater than, and inclusive of, yourself. It
changes the texture of your day if you have the opportunity to
weave this perspective into your consciousness, and participation in Jewish communal prayer is a powerful way to do so.
But it is my experience that more often the beyn adam
l’chavero component is what really calls people to attention.
A minyan, literally a gathering of at least ten adult Jews, is
what creates the context for a mourner to truly fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of honoring her deceased loved one, and
comforting herself, through the daily recitation of kaddish.
Put bluntly: if there is no minyan there is no kaddish. If the
chaverim, the fellows, of the mourner do not gather then the
mourner is denied the healing opportunity of this tradition.
I read an interesting commentary on a verse of Torah recently, which suggested that the mourner actually fulfills a
responsibility to the chaverim by reciting kaddish. Kaddish
is famously a prayer recited in memory of the dead which
makes no mention of death, but is instead lavish in its praise
of the God of life. By reciting this prayer in a quorum—in
the presence of at least a minyan—the mourner demonstrates
to everyone else that it is possible to experience intense loss
and still go on finding life worthwhile. The mourner allows
herself to become an unparalleled object lesson in the persistence of the sacred and the resilience of the human spirit.
But, again, the mourner can only affirm this powerful Torah in our midst if we fulfill our responsibility of providing
her with the proper circumstances for doing so: a minyan that
is really a minyan.
For the time being, the traditional minyan will still take
place on Tuesdays, with the meditation sit following on
Wednesdays. We will continue to do everything we can to
foster more robust attendance. But the first step must be for
all of us, and that means you, too, to understand just how
many mitzvot are at stake here, whether they operate to help
us fulfill our responsibilities to God, to ourselves, to our departed, or to each other.
B’shalom,
Rabbi Benjamin Weiner
Rabbi Weiner wants to make sure the community knows he is available and eager to visit at home, or in the hospital, with people who are unwell or otherwise in need of some spiritual support. The important step is to make sure he
knows you are in need! Please don't hesitate to contact him directly, or through the JCA office, if you would like a visit
Rabbi Liaison Committee
The committee meets monthly with the rabbi.
The purpose of the Rabbi Liaison Committee is to support
and enhance the rabbi-congregational relationship by:
1. Serving as a channel to communicate comments,
issues and/or complaints from congregants who
would prefer not to contact the rabbi directly.
2. Meeting with the rabbi to help with processing and
thinking through issues or concerns that are raised
either by congregants or by the rabbi.
All congregants are encouraged to speak to members of
the committee about any concerns they may have that they
would like to be brought to the rabbi’s attention.
All information is shared only with the rabbi and the
committee and will be held in confidence.
Amy Mittelman 256-0883, [email protected]
Aaron Bousel 253-3544, [email protected]
Barbara Burkart 256-8139, [email protected]
Deb Fine 256-1572, [email protected]
Ted Slovin 253-3518, [email protected]
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Ritual Life Committee
Yossi Bryer-Charette, Co-chair, 860-559-4926, [email protected]
Sarah Thomson, Co-chair, 413-253-2930, [email protected]
RELIGION CALENDAR
Shabbat Machar Chodesh
Parashat Toledot, Genesis 25:19-28:9
November 1, Friday
5:30 PM
Intergenerational Family Service and Kedushah LaTorah
followed by potluck supper
Service Leader: Rabbi Weiner
November 2, Saturday
10:00 AM
Renewal Shabbat in the small sanctuary
Service Leaders: Felicia Mednick & Sara Schley
Regular Shabbat Services in the main sanctuary
D’var Torah: Rabbi Weiner

Rosh Chodesh Kislev
November 3/4, Sunday/Monday

Shabbat Vayetse, Genesis 28:10-32:3
November 8, Friday
6:15 PM
Musical Shabbat Service
Shabbat B’Yachad
9:00 AM
Shabbat Yoga
10:00 AM
Shabbat Vayeshev, Genesis 37:1-40:23
November 22, Friday
6:15 PM
9:15 AM
Shabbat Yoga
10:00 AM

Chanukah
November 27, Wednesday
Erev Chanukah, light first candle
November 28, Thursday
First day of Chanukah

Shabbat Chanukah, Parashat Miketz
Genesis 41:1-44:17, Numbers 7:24-29
November 29, Friday
6:15 PM
10:00 am
Bat Mitzvah: Emily Porter
D’var Torah: Emily Porter


Shabbat Vayishlach, Genesis 32:4-36:43
November 15, Friday
6:15 PM
Farbrengen Friday
Service Leader: To be announced
9:15 AM
L’Chaim Qigong
10:00 AM
D’var Torah: Rebecca Mautner

Meditation Minyan
The weekday
meditation
minyan
continues to
meet every
Wednesday at
7:30 am
in the small
sanctuary.
Shacharit (morning)
Minyan
The weekday
shacharit minyan
continues to meet
every Tuesday at
7:30 am
in the small
sanctuary.
Kiddush and Oneg
Sponsors
October 5Merle Feld, in honor of her
husband Eddie’s birthday
October 19Maryann Barakso and Brian
Schaffner, in honor of their first
wedding anniversary
November 16Family of Tom Plaut, in honor of
his 80th birthday
November 30Grayce Perlbinder, in honor of
her grandaughter Emily Porter
becoming Bat Mitzvah
If you would like to help with
or sponsor a kiddush, please
contact Karen Loeb at:
413-575-0774 or at
[email protected]
Prayerbook Fund
The focus of the
Prayerbook Fund is
now the purchase of
the recently published
Mahzor Lev Shalem
to be used in the
masorti high holiday
services.
Donations of any
amount are gratefully
accepted, however a
minimum donation of
$45.00 is required for a
book dedication plate.
Check the JCA
website at:
www.j-c-a.org/
services.html
for updated religion
calendar information.
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Renewal Shabbat
Please join Sara Schley and Felicia Mednick Shabbat morning, Saturday, November 2, at
10:00 AM in the small sanctuary at the JCA as we co-create a Renewal Shabbat: chanting,
contemplative prayer and Torah service. Though central to the experience, chanting is not the
goal of this practice, but rather a vehicle for accelerating our connection with the Divine. We
follow the structure of the Shabbat morning service including traditional prayers and Torah.
What is different is the use and experience of chanting, contemplation, and dialogue to arrive, via a Jewish path, at sacred states of consciousness. We’re delighted to share this time
with you!
First Friday Evening Family Service
Please join us on the first Friday of the month at 5:30 pm for a brief child oriented service followed by a potluck supper. Although the service is geared towards young children, it
contains all the elements of a regular Friday evening service, including mourner’s kaddish.
People of all ages are encouraged to attend. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know each
other in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
Farbrengen Friday
The tradition of a farbrengen, a joyous gathering for melody and learning in honor of
holy Jewish time, comes out of Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidism. The JCA’s farbrengen begins
with a Kabbalat Shabbat service in which we emphasize the singing of, and absorption in,
Jewish liturgical music over and above excessive words of orientation and explanation-something that can captivate the spirit even if you don’t happen to be an expert in this music.
Following the service, we have a potluck supper, and as we sit around sharing our
Shabbat meal, we sing zemirot and niggunim, (songs and wordless melodies) and invite
people to offer words of Torah and wisdom, and maybe even explore other ways to experience our creativity in celebration of Shabbat.
We hope you will join us in the evolution of this program.
Torah Reading Co-ordination
If you are interested in reading Torah and would like
to schedule a time to read, please contact:
Randi Stein, [email protected], 549-0526 (for reading in December)
Jayne Pearl, [email protected], 256-1310 (for reading in January)
Robert Friedman, [email protected] (for reading in February)
If you would like to learn to read Torah, or would like help choosing or preparing a
reading, please contact Batya Perman, 549-4853, [email protected].
Thank You To Volunteers
The ritual life committee would like to thank those who have given their time and expertise in service to the ritual life of the community:
• October Torah readers: Hannah Blau, Aaron Bousel, Rabbi Ed Feld,
Hadar Grabel, Roi Hill-Cohen, Devorah Jacobson
• Those who helped take down and put away our Sukkah: Aaron Bousel,
Jeanne Friedman, Eliza Gouverneur, Eliezer Huber, Seth Kupferschmit,
Beth Ross, Ted Trobaugh, and the JCA 6th Grade
Chemical Sensitivities
A number of our members have allergies to perfumes, colognes and other fragrances.
Please try to minimize the use of these products when coming to the JCA. Thank you.
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Education News
Jody Rosenbloom, Director of Life Long Learning, 256-0160, ext. 203
New Students Sweeten the Study of Torah
Kedushah LaTorah (Consecration): Friday, Nov. 1
Hannukah Gift? Consider Jewish Summer
Camp Scholarships
Starting formal Jewish education is something to celebrate
and we’d love to have the community join us. At the JCA, we
dedicate a Friday night service to this Kedusha LaTorah. 1st
& 2nd grade teacher, Basha Goldstein Weiss helps students
prepare songs and a presentation. New 1st & 2nd graders include: Natasha Ardizzone, Ian McDonald, Gaius Turner,
Jayden Brunton, Sophie Lindsey, & Julia Edgerly. New
3rd graders include Elliot Lindsey & Ryan Priestly. Households with students in Shalom Sunday class and grades 1 & 2
are especially invited to the community on Friday, Nov. 1 at
5:30pm for this service followed by a potluck dinner.
Attending a Jewish summer camp gives a child a large
dose of uninterrupted informal Jewish education. This can
make a huge difference in the Jewish journey of children
and teens. We have been very fortunate to have our own
day camp, Camp Shemesh and there are numerous terrific overnight camps in the regions (e.g. Camp JRF of the
Reconstructionist movement; Eden Village Camp). If you
are wondering about the perfect Hannukah or birthday gift,
consider underwriting a summer camp experience for a child
in your life.
Learning to Lead: Divrai Torah by Our 6th
Graders
Kroin/Radin and Bloch/Goldman households for bringing Wednesday snack in October.
On Sunday, November 3, 6th grade students and their
parents gather to learn together and gain skills in how to do
a dvar Torah. Teachers Heidi Diamond Shaffer and Jody
Rosenbloom lead the workshop from 10-11:45. Then next
semester, each sixth grader will give a d’var Torah as practice
before leading the congregation, as they become b’nai mitzvah in the upcoming year. Darshanim include 6th graders:
Sage Aronson, Caleb Ballantine, Seth Blain, Philip Brainin, Eli Kayser-Hirsch, Sam Laur, Maya Levine, Amina
Mednicoff-Misra, Jonah Scudere-Weiss, Abby Seltzer,
Matthew Seltzer, Rory Sweeting & Gabriel Trobaugh.
Shalom Sunday Class – Parent Discussion
Groups
For children in pre-kindergarten & kindergarten, we offer
class once/month as an introduction to Shabbat and Jewish
holidays. Veteran teacher, Melissa Zeitz, has taught this class
for almost 10 years, so any children in JCA School, who began as kindergartners, know her. We also offer a concurrent
parent discussion group for the questions that inevitably surface in raising Jewish children. Former JCA Teen Program
Director and new mother, Rachael Goren-Watts, PsyD is
facilitating these discussion groups based on the interests of
the participants and the content of their children’s classes.
Other parents are welcome. Lifelong learning at the JCA ensures that both students and their parents are guided on their
Jewish journeys. Parenting classes are generously funded by
the Harold Grinspoon Foundation’s Family Education
Initiative.
Thank You to:
Calendar
Fri, Nov. 1 Family Service & Kedushah LaTorah
(Consecration)
5:30 pm Service followed by a vegetarian
potluck
Special Guests: Households with 1st & 2nd
graders & Shalom Sunday students
Sun, Nov. 3 Daylight Savings Time Change (Fall back 1
hour) *B’Tzelem Elohim/In God’s Image Parent
support & education group from 10:15-11:15
am
*6th graders with parents - Dvar Torah
Workshop
Mon, Nov. 4 School Committee at 7:00 pm
Sat, Nov. 9 Shabbat B’Yachad. All students attend services
on Saturday from 10-12:30 (followed by a
potluck) in place of class on Sunday.
Wed, Nov. 13 Education Committee at 7:00 pm
Sun, Nov. 17 *Shalom Sunday (4-6 yr olds) 10:30-12 with
concurrent parent discussion group.
Wed, Nov. 27- NO CLASSES – Thanksgiving Holiday
Sun, Dec. 1
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8
MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
JVCorps is a Jewish Volunteer Corps for Teens that combines
ongoing service in our community with meaningful Jewish identity.
Open to ALL interested teens grades 7-12. We serve our next
meal at the Amherst Survival Center on November 14.
Any questions, email Janet Bordwin Kannel at [email protected].
*********************************************************************************************************
Teva means ʻnatureʼ in Hebrew. Teva Torah is a year-long program
th th
for 7 -9 graders that meets once per month with one overnight retreat
to build community, practice earth living skills, and learn about
nature-based Jewish traditions and teachings. Teva Torah is a
program of the Jewish Community of Amherst and is open to any teen
in the region.
Any questions, email Cara Michelle Silverberg at
[email protected].
*********************************************************************************************************
V isit http://jcateens.eventbrite.com for registration,
dates and details on all JCA Teen programs.
These programs are largely funded by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation Teen Initiative and DUH sponsored by the Jewish
Community of Amherst Teen Program.
Contact Rachael Goren-Watts at [email protected] with any questions about
programming for Families with Young Children.
Tot Shabbat will be held on
Friday, November 1st and led by
Ariella Schwell. We will gather at
5:30pm for an activity and the
service will start promptly at
5:45pm. Potluck vegetarian (nutfree) dinner to follow. Hope you
can join us!
Havurah
K’tana will
have a
gathering on
Saturday,
November 16th.
Email [email protected] for more
information and location. New
members always welcome!
Are you looking for a way to honor a new baby? A meaningful way to celebrate the first
year? Consider making a donation to our Shalom Baby Basket Program. Proceeds support
jcaTOTS programming and help welcome a new baby to our community!
We are looking for members to join our advisory committee and help coordinate programming
for Families with Young Children. We are also looking for volunteers to help make food for
Shalom baby baskets. Email [email protected] for more information.
9
JCA Hall Gallery
JCA Adult Reading Group
“Perceptions” A Fine Art Photo
Exhibit by Bob Solosko Reception,
Thursday, Nov.7 at 5:00 pm
The 2nd meeting of the year of the ARG will be on Thursday,
December 12, 2013 at 7:30 PM in the JCA library. We will be discussing the book, The Orientalist by Tom Reiss. It is in paperback
and has received very positive reviews. A thrilling page-turner of
epic proportions, Tom Reiss’s panoramic bestseller tells the true
story of a Jew who transformed himself into a Muslim prince in
Nazi Germany!
Come join us; new participants are always welcome!
Any questions, please call Ken Talan, 253-2248
Bob Solosko tries to express the world as he
sees it, feels it and experiences it. Sometimes it
is small details he sees with an engineer’s eyes,
such as an interesting mushroom or the wheel of a
steam engine. Other times it’s capturing the feeling
of place, such as a sunset over water or an old room
as seen through artist eyes. Digital photograpy has
given him greater capability to fully represent his
sense of the world around him.
How Our Purchase Of Mahzor Lev Shalem (High
Holiday Prayer Books Used In The Masorti Services)
Helped Another Congregation.
by Aaron Bousel
A few days after Rosh Hashannah I received a voice mail and email from
JCA member Elsie Fetterman. Elsie told me that she is also a member of Temple Beth Israel in Danielson, Ct. and that they were in need of copies of Mahzor
Hadash, the high holiday prayer book that we had been using in the masorti
services for many years. She was hoping that now that we had purchased many
copies of the new Mahzor Lev Shalem, we would be able to spare some copies
of Mazhor Hadash for her congregation in Connecticut. After consultation with
Rabbi Weiner and the Ritual Life Committee, it was decided to do this and 100
copies of Mazhor Hadash were boxed up for Temple Beth Israel for use at their
Yom Kippur services.
A couple of weeks later I received the following note in the mail which I
would like to share with the JCA community:
Dear Aaron,
On behalf of the Temple Beth Israel Preservation Society, I want to
thank you and the JCA for the New Mahzor prayer books! Although
there are only two Jewish families now living in Danielson, CT, we
had 55 at Yom Kippur services.
The web page is:http://www.templebethisraelct.org/
It is a fascinating story of a Temple built in 1950 by Holocaust
survivors, American Jewish families, and Christians.
Thanks once again!!
Most appreciatively,
Elsie Fetterman
Community Meeting
November 5 at 7:30 pm
There will be a community meeting
to address any questions regarding the
budget and by-law changes in advance
of the December Annual Meeting.
Adam Berlin To Read At
Amherst Books
Adam Berlin, son of JCA members
Normand and Barbara Berlin, will be
reading from his latest novel, The Number of Missing, which deals with the
long darkness in New York after 9/11.
The reading will take place on Sunday,
November 10, at 4 p.m. at Amherst
Books, 8 Main St., Amherst.
Have you checked out the
JCA Judaica Store lately?
Books by JCA members and others, siddurim, chumashim,
tallitot, mezzuzot and many lovely gift items.
You can shop whenever the office is open
10
Project Rehovot
Dear Friends,
The Project Rehovot Committee and I send you belated
wishes for a healthy and joyous New Year!
As you may know, since the 1991 Russian aliyah we have
supported a program to help in the adjustment of immigrant
children. In the current program for 30 students at the Ma'alot
Meshulam Elementary School in Rehovot , the teacher, Tal
Kahan, works with mainly Ethiopian children who are selected for Project Rehovot by their classroom teacher, the Vice
Principal and the School Counselor. In groups of four, Tal
and the children focus on language, and behavioral and adjustment problems that make it difficult for them to function
successfully
in the regular
classroom.
According to the report issued in
May, 2013 by
Israel's State
Comptroller's
Office, 51.7%
of Ethiopian
immigrant
families and
Gift made in 2012 by the children,
65%
of the
now on display in the JCA lobby
community's
children still live in poverty. Without the Project Rehovot
teacher the children’s needs cannot be addressed in the regular classroom and their parents are unable to afford additional
services.
During the 2013-14 school
year the children are using
cameras; thanks to your donations, four cameras were purchased so that each child in a
group has one. According to
Vice Principal Esther Ha'levi,
the camera is used as a tool for
self-expression and empowerment; it helps these students
handle emotional problems.
With the camera there is an
immediate result, a photograph. The camera especially A Project Rehovot Student
helps children who are withdrawn and feel like outsiders.
Each year at least one member of the JCA meets with
Ma'alot Meshulam Principal Meir Amoyal and Mrs. Ha'levi,
and visits the Project Rehovot classroom. This year Karen
Loeb and Neta Bolozky visited on separate occasions and reported that Meir and Esther feel that Project Rehovot is a real
plus for children most in need of help. Observing Tal at work,
Karen said, She is very sensitive and enthusiastic, always
talking to the children to help them improve their Hebrew
language skills. The children are very comfortable with her;
she gives her attention to each child's needs. Neta remarked,
I think she is a
very good choice
for these children.
Your financial
contributions to Project
Rehovot are the
main source of
support for Tal’s
salary and important
classroom supplies.
Project Rehovot students with Karen
Please be generLoeb, and her sister, Judith Fraser
ous; help us provide funding for the 2013-2014 school year.
You may make your gift by going online to:
http://www.j-c-a.org/project-rehovot.html. Click on the
Yellow/Orange Donation button on the right side (not the
blue
one
on top that
says Make a
Donation).
Indicate the
amount
of
your gift. If
you do not
have a PayPal account,
scroll down
to:
Don't
Principal Amoyal and a
have a PayProject
Rehovot student
Pal Account
on the left portion of the page and click Continue. If you have
a PayPal account, provide your email and password to Continue. Thank you in advance for your support!
Sincerely,
Marilyn Massler Kushick,
Chair, Project Rehovot Committee
Committee Members:Yaffa Gunner, Karen Loeb, Libby
Arny, Neta Bolozky, Moira Clingman, Joan Epstein, Rebecca
Fisher, Hadar Grabel, Zahava Koren, Naomi Peleg, Eva Sartori, Tamar Shadur and Jody Wax
Planning a Wedding, Party or Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Kiddush? Please consider hiring the Project Rehovot
Catering Committee. The food is delicious, as many
JCA members will tell you, and proceeds go to Project
Rehovot. For more information: Karen Loeb, 413 253
0336 or [email protected]. References are available.
Annual Rabin Memorial
at the Jewish Community of Amherst
The annual Rabin Memorial event (to commemorate the assassination, in 1995,
of Israeli prime minister and peace activist Yitzhak Rabin) will take place on
Wednesday, November 6, 2013, 6:30 pm
at the JCA, 742 Main Street, Amherst MA.
The distinguished guest speaker will be
Professor Moshe Halbertal,
who will speak on the topic:
”The Struggle for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
and its Challenges. “
The speaker will address regional and historical issues
in broader terms, reflecting on failures and possibilities.
A noted Israeli philosopher, award-winning author, and one of the most respected
scholars in the non-religious and religious academic world, Professor Halbertal divides his
time between New York City, where he is the Gruss Professor at NYU Law School,
and Jerusalem, where he is a Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy at the
Hebrew University.
He is an active participant in the intense dialogue about Israel as a Jewish
Democratic State, as well as on the future relations between Palestinians and
Israelis. He lectures widely in the USA and Israel, covering a whole spectrum
of approaches to political and social aspects of Jewish and Israeli life.
Moshe Halbertal is the author of the books “Idolatry”, “People of the Book: Canon,
Meaning and Authority”, “Concealment and Revelation: Esotericism in Jewish
Thought and Its Philosophical Implications”, and “On Sacrifice”.
He is a member of Israel’s National Academy for Sciences and Humanities.
The schedule for the event is:
6:30 pm - Meet Professor Halbertal, and enjoy refreshments and drinks
7 – 8 pm - Lecture by Moshe Halbertal
Opening remarks - Rabbi Benjamin Weiner of the JCA
8 - 9 pm - Questions and Answers period – dialogue with the audience
The event is free of charge – everyone is invited
Co-sponsored by the World Jewish Concerns and Action Committee of the JCA,
the Israel Committee of Congregation B'nai Israel,
and the Northampton/Amherst Chapter of Hadassah.
11
12
ADULT EDUCATION EVENTS
INTRODUCTION TO LOWBROW JEWISH FILM II - THE
MARX BROTHERS: FAMILY FUN FOR YOUNG AND OLD.
“Horsefeathers” Saturday, November 2
“Duck Soup” Saturday, November 23
7:00 - 9:00 PM
7:00 - 9:00 PM
JOY, DESPAIR AND HOPE: READING THE PSALMS WITH
RABBI ED FELD Rabbi Feld will discuss his new book and
give insight into the theology, emotions and literature of psalms.
Sunday, November 3, 2013 7:00 - 9:00 PM
MAH JONG WITH JUDITH SOUWEINE AND ROBIN
DIAMOND First-timers to Mavens, all are welcome.
Mondays, November 4, 11, 18 7:00 - 9:00 PM
RECONSTRUCTIONISM IN CONTEXT - MORDECHAI
KAPLAN AND MODERN JEWISH THOUGHT TAUGHT BY
RABBI BENJAMIN WEINER
Wednesdays, November , 20, December 11, 18 7:00 - 8:30 PM
(registration required)
SHOFAR: SHARING OUR ORATORIO, ROBERT STERN AND
CATHERINE MADSEN Bob and Catherine will share the
conversation they had on stage before their first performance
and then play the recording.
Sunday, November 24, 2013 3:00 - 5:00 PM
13
The JCA Membership Committee Invites You
to Join us in Welcoming New Members:
Rick Pivirotto and Jill Roberts
Jill and Rick live in Leverett, and have been in the
Pioneer Valley for 35 years. They were inspired to join
the JCA by their son, Peter Salzman (Avniel) a scholar,
teacher, athlete and musician, who was actively involved with Camp Shemesh, and was a president and
mentor for BBYO. Peter passed away on May 18th.
Jill is the school nurse at the Leverett Elementary
School, and Rick works in sales and marketing at The
River, WRSI Radio. They have two grown daughters,
Jenny, who lives in Holyoke, and Kalicia, who lives
in San Francisco.
Rick and Jill enjoy hiking, swimming and meditation. Lighting the Shabbat candles is a beloved tradition in their household. Their favorite Jewish foods
are Kugel and Kasha! They look forward to meeting
everyone and becoming part of the JCA commu-
nity.
Welcome, Jill and Rick!
Introducing Bat Mitzvah, Emily Porter
The daughter of Lisa Perlbinder and Thomas Porter and the sister of David Gamliel, Addie Gamliel &
Carley Porter will be called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah on November 30, 2013/27 Kislev 5774. Emily is the
granddaughter of Arnold (z”l) and Grayce Perlbinder and
David and Rosalie Porter. She attends the Pioneer Valley
Chinese Immersion Charter School and enjoys drawing
and playing the guitar. Emily’s attended all JCA School
programs including JCA School for 8 years, Camp Shemesh & Teva Torah. And has attended NYJ overnight
camp as well. For her Tikkun Olam/Community service projects she sold bracelets and collected money for
“Water For South Sudan” to build wells to provide clean
water to African villages; Visited elderly, housebound
neighbor every week for six months to collect and take
out trash and recycling; and will sponsor a food drive
and donating food to Amherst Survival Center as part of
her bat mitzvah celebration.
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Experienced housecleaner
seeking one or two new clients
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References available from JCA members.
Please call Theresa at 387-9939
Advisory services offered through Capital Analysts, Inc., or
Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc., • Registered Investment Advisors
Securities offered through Lincoln Investment Planning, Inc. • Broker/
Dealer • Member FINRA/SIPC • www.lincolninvestment.com
Amherst Financial Services and the above firms are
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Corner Route 9 & Gatehouse Rd
Visit Our Website at
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14
Shekel Talk:
From Your Treasurer
Jonathan Shefftz, Treasurer
Welcome to another column from
your Treasurer: little Micayla Shefftz,
ably assisted (especially with writing
duties) by Daddy, i.e., me, Jonathan.
Last month I covered our revenues
and expenses. You can download the
entire column at my http://tinyurl.com/
ShekelTalk documents folder. But to
recap quickly, Micayla expressed our
expense composition very succinctly
during the one episode of her typical
imaginative play that explicitly involved Jewish life: she assembled
some blocks into a building, populated
it with various dolls, then announced
that Minnie Mouse on a little elevated
platform facing all the other dolls was
the Rabbi. (Apologies to Rabbi Ben for
any unintentional implications as to the
Mickey Mouse nature of his ordination,
although no apologies to the Orthodox
for the ordained female, whether rodent or human!)
So that right there is just under half
our expenses, i.e., building and Rabbi.
Micayla also loves to put all her babies
down for nap, then assemble them for
story time as part of her “school” (not
currently licensed or accredited to my
knowledge). Now we’re up to over two
thirds of our expenses, with the remainder mainly administrative/office staff.
Micayla often distributes “money”
to us, with little apparent knowledge of
its origins. But for the JCA, I can tell
you that about 70 percent of our revenue comes from membership dues. At
the Semi-Annual Meeting back in June
of this year, our congregation approved
a new dues structure, while still retaining the Fair Share system. I have archived a detailed background report on
our dues system – and on the systems at
other area congregations – at the same
http://tinyurl.com/ShekelTalk
documents folder. We certainly hope that
the new dues structure will significantly increase our dues revenue in 2014.
But until then, we have to plan for the
immediate future based on a cautious
extrapolation from the recent past and
our current fiscal year.
The accompanying table provides
our summary-level congregation-approved budget for 2013, along with a
very initial draft budget for 2014. Additional columns show the proposed
changes from 2013 to 2014. Good
news: I am fairly confident that we
will come out this year much better
than we budgeted. Bad news: Coming
out ahead of the budget isn’t much to
kvell about, since we budgeted for an
anticipated deficit of about $38,000. So
my confidence in our current fiscal year
still means that we almost certainly
will run a deficit, but probably “only”
around half the budgeted $38,000.
For any single year, running a deficit of around $19,000 or so is tolerable, as long as it is balanced out by
surpluses in other years. Our official
policy is to maintain enough cash equal
to at least 15 percent of our budgeted
expenses, although I use two months
of expenses for my own calculations,
i.e., 16.67 percent of our annual budget. I also focus on unrestricted cash:
exclusive of our endowment (essentially held in trust for us by the Jewish
Federation of Western Massachusetts),
and exclusive of certain monies that we
earmark within our main checking account since they have been solicited for
specific purposes (e.g., Building Campaign, Chevra Kadisha, Parents Association).
About one third of our dues revenue
arrives in January, and receipts continue at a strong rate through around the
end of September. Since dues account
for about 70 percent of all revenues,
this means that our revenues are highly
front-loaded. By contrast, our expenses occur relatively evenly throughout
the year. So our cash balances remain
healthy throughout roughly the first
three quarters of the year, then start to
dip down low for the final quarter. By
my latest calculations, our cash balances were below our target in November
of 2011, and in November and December of 2012. I expect a similar result
toward the end of this year.
That does not mean we were insolvent then, but instead just that our
margin of safety was not as comfortable as it should be. Yet a couple years
in a row of significant deficits would
leave us scrambling for cash in the last
few months of the year. (If you want
more numbers, our target translates
into about $97,000 of unrestricted cash.
That might sound excessive, but translated into household finances: if your
family has annual expenses of $60,000
then your household equivalent of the
JCA’s target would be $10,000 total
across all bank accounts, money market funds, and anything else that isn’t a
restricted retirement savings account or
dedicated college savings fund.)
How did we arrive in this potentially difficult situation? First, as decontinued on next page
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tailed in the previously referenced
report on our dues structure, the Fair
Share system has unfortunately devolved for many members from the intended pay-what-you-can system into
a pay-as-little-as-you-feel-like-paying
system. (Furthermore, at this time, we
still have almost $26,000 in arrears
from 2012 and 2013, with uncertain
prospects for collection.)
The JCA sincerely values all of our
members regardless of ability to pay.
But our per-member dues receipts have
been dropping over recent years (and
in a pattern unrelated to the general
economy). For example, almost one
out of five JCA members pays up to or
even less than around $200 each year.
To put this in context, when I recently
attended High Holiday services with
my in-laws as a guest at CBI across the
river, the suggested donation (which I
did indeed pay) was $100 per person.
The donation amount that CBI thereby
suggests for a couple just to attend
High Holiday services – i.e., $200 -- is
equal to the average amount billed for
an entire year across 30 percent of the
JCA membership.
Sure, any money generated for the
JCA is better than no money, if that
is indeed the alternative. And the Fair
Share system has admirable roots in
the concept of tithing. (As a Christian
friend recently asked me while discussing the finances of our respective houses of worship, “Aren’t you the ones
who originally came up with tithing?”)
But the JCA’s Fair Share system as
implemented so far simply is not sustainable for a “full service” congregation with its own building, ordained
full-time Rabbi, heavily subsidized
religious school, and related functions.
For the current year, the good news is
that our dues receipts are ahead of our
dues receipts at this same time of year
in 2011 and 2012. The bad news is that,
once again, this isn’t anything to kvell
15
about, since those years were part of an
unsustainable downward trend in dues
receipts. Moreover, our per-member
dues so far this year are $164 lower
than a certain comparable congregation from another year when adjusted
for inflation.
And what is the identity of this
comparable congregation whose members on average pay $164 more than
our members? No, I’m not comparing
us again to CBI. Instead, I’m merely
comparing us to ... ourselves, in 2010.
Running the numbers, if our 352 member units who have paid so far this year
had instead paid the same inflation-adjusted amounts that we received at this
same time of year in 2010, we would
have an additional $57,723. Goodbye
deficit for sure (and then some).
Back to sustainability (or lack
thereof), as the economist Herb Stein
quipped, “If something cannot go on
continued on next page
16
continued from previous page
THE
forever, it will stop.” Our hope is that
the new dues structure will stop this
downward trend and allow us to regain
those per-member levels from 2010
(and then some). But we must still budget very cautiously here for 2014.
What about other revenues? We
had not budgeted for our traditional
auction in 2013. But as I write this
in October, our First Vice President
Maryann Barakso is working hard as
Chair to hold the auction on November
16: buy your attendance ticket, round
up some donors, and get yourself into
a bidding frenzy! The anticipated (yet
not budgeted) income from the auction
accounts for about half of the extent to
which I anticipate partially closing the
budgeted deficit in 2013. For 2014, our
new Fundraising Committee Chair, Alice Buckner, hopes to have some pleasant surprises for us.
So far I’ve been talking about only
our revenues. Our expenses are far less
interesting, since we have far less control over them in any single year. But
we seem to stay within our budgeted
expenses fairly well. (To assist with
this, last year I initiated a quarterly
reporting processing, distributing financial results to over a couple dozen
Committee Chairs and other key volunteers. Unfortunately, in response to
my request for even just Yes or No answers to five very simple questions, I
heard back from only three people on
average. So I abandoned this time-consuming attempt at fiscal control. Fortunately, I often receive individual requests for Committee finances updates,
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which are always welcome.)
Unless we wanted to transform ourselves into a congregation that would
look much more like a typical self-led
and self-taught havurah (i.e., the flip
side of applying Herb Stein’s quote),
then we are pretty much stuck with
all our current expenses. But in last
month’s column, I did warn against the
potential for a sort of creeping professionalism and outsourcing. And I’ll do
it again: when the prospect arises of a
new expense, our first initiative should
be to look within our community for
sources of expertise and volunteer effort, especially given the wide-ranging
talents of our members. (One example
is Information Technology support,
especially with seeking free or nearly
free “cloud”-based alternatives to our
current computer server as it nears the
end of its anticipated useful life.)
This brings me to what I see as a
sort of volunteer mismatch. We have
an abundance of volunteer activism
at JCA, which is as it should be. And
we have an abundance of volunteer
activism at JCA for functions that are
entirely unrelated to either generating
money for the JCA or saving money
for the JCA. This is also as it should
be. Yet we often are short-handed for
volunteer activities that would generate money for the JCA (e.g., the lack of
an auction in 2012, and the precarious
status of the auction this year) or save
money for the JCA (e.g., IT support
noted above).
I also sense that some members
view their volunteer activities in lieu of
a level of membership dues in line with
Allen Davis, CFP®
Financial Planner
10 Bay Road,
Hadley, MA 01035
tel 413.584.3098
Allen Davis is a Registered Representative of and offers securities, investment
advisory and fee-based financial planning services through MML Investors
Services, Inc. Member SIPC. 330 Whitney Avenue, Suite 600, Holyoke, MA
01040, Tel:413-539-2000.
their household finances. This is not as
it should be! As a counterexample, out
of curiosity I looked up the dues for
my fellow members of the Executive
Committee, who bear a hugely disproportionate burden of volunteer time: although the individual amounts are held
confidential, as a group they were about
45 percent higher than the JCA average.
(I wish that the explanation were that
we are all so independently wealthy
that we have nothing better to do with
our time than take on such officer duties
for the JCA and then select dues accordingly, but – alas – this is not the case.)
Next month, for the December
newsletter I will present a revised version of the draft 2014 budget, plus
some updated indicators of our financial performance. Although given my
November 12 deadline for my next
column, that revised version will still
probably be far from final. And new
for this year, we will hold a special
community meeting on November 5th
at 7:30 pm to explain the draft budget
to our members, and incorporate any
feedback into the next revision. Then
at our December 8 Annual Meeting, the
final budget will be put forward to our
congregation for official approval. That
version is also emailed to all members in advance of the Annual Meeting. I urge all of you to attend these
very important meetings. (And don’t
worry, the Annual Meeting will have
far more than a bunch of boring numbers from me!) Until then – or at any
other time too – you can always reach
me with any questions or concerns at:
[email protected]
fax 413.584.0160
cell 413.427.2782
[email protected]
www.tdgfinancial.com
Patience Meigs Bousel, CTP, CSE, LMT
Certi¿ed Trager® Practitioner, Clinical Somatic Educator, Licensed Massage Therapist
Experience peace and calm
through deeply relaxing touch.
Discover the joy of moving
with freedom and ease.
413-218-7815
800 Main St., Amherst, MA
[email protected]
17
Tikkun Olam Committee
JCA members joined the Connecticut River Watershed Council’s annual Source to Sea
Cleanup on October 5th collecting tons of trash from the Oxbow. Thanks to all who joined in this
important effort. Our best finds were: 2 large console TV’s, a microwave and a waterski not to mention lots of bottles, cans and trash.
Connecticut River
Watershed Council
On Sunday October 6th the JCA Riders and Striders participated in UMASS Hillel’s Ride to Provide raising money
for both Hillel and the JCA. It was a rainy ride and walk but it
was great fun nonetheless. Thanks to Ted Diamond, our captain and riders Danielle Kadinoff, Sallie Deans Lake, Susan
Zarchin, Judith Souweine, Jaymie and Michael Chernoff.
On Dec. 7 2013, the JCA will hold its third annual observance of Human Rights Shabbat. David Glassberg, Professor of
History, the University of Massachusetts, will give a d’var torah on climate justice.
As part of Human Rights Shabbat the JCA Tikkun Olam Committee is joining with the Tzedek Tzedek committee of Beit
Ahava, Tikkun Olam/Social Justice Committee of Congregation B’nai Israel, Temple Israel of Greenfield and Temple Israel
Athol for Sing Out for Social Justice in the CBI Social Hall in Northampton. Join us on December 7 at 7:00 pm for a celebration to strengthen our commitment to social justice, both locally and globally. Through prayer, song and chocolate we hope
to offer an experience that will bring motivation and faith in the change that we, as organized Jewish communities can create
together.
Tech Savvy Volunteer Needed for Very Important and Specific Task!
The JCA wants to update our website, allowing for improved appearance and use for our community, easier updating of content, and integration of social media. We're hoping to use the Drupal
platform. We expect to hire someone to migrate our website to a new design and platform. We have
a couple of people who are willing to help with the process but we need a leader. Is it you?!
If you or someone you know is knowledgeable about website creation, especially on content
management systems, and can help facilitate the process of hiring and coordinating with a consultant
to redesign our community website, we need your help! This is a volunteer position that will likely
take a few months. Once the new website is created, your job will be complete!
Please contact Molly Goren-Watts with any questions or to volunteer! [email protected]
18
One Bite at a Time
Understanding Eating Issues in the Jewish Community
Join us! The Multiservice Eating Disorders
Association (MEDA) will present on the struggles
adolescents face and why the number of Jewish teens
diagnosed with eating disorders is rising.
Free and open to the public!
This workshop will help you:
t Recognize if an adolescent may be struggling with
an eating disorder.
t Understand more about eating disorders.
t Learn about the treatment options and resources
available for parents in Western Mass.
t Discuss the next steps.
Speakers
Beth Mayer, LICSW, is the CEO of MEDA and has been
in the eating disorders field for 30 years.
Rachel is a young woman successfully recovering from
an eating disorder.
Donna Gordon, MSW, LICSW is the JFS Clinical Director.
For more information, please contact Donna Gordon,
[email protected] or call 413.455.1936.
Co-sponsored by the Springfield Jewish
Community Center.
Funding provided by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
when
Monday, November 18, 2013
7:00-8:30 p.m.
where
JFS Community Room
1160 Dickinson Street
Springfield, MA
register
Pre-registration is
recommended.
Please contact
[email protected]
or call 413.737.2601
Jewish Family Service of
Western Massachusetts
15 Lenox Street
Springfield, MA 01108
413.737.2601
1160 Dickinson Street
Springfield, MA 01108
413.455.1936
www.jfswm.org
19
Newsletter Advertising Rates
Business Card - 2 x 3.5
¼ Sheet - 3.5 x 4.75
Non-Member
rate per issue
JCA Member
rate per issue
½ Sheet - 4.75 x 7
Non-Member
rate per issue
JCA Member
rate per issue
1 issue
4 issues 11 issues
$ 124.00 $ 420.00
$ 955.00
$ 105.00
$ 86.81
$ 100.00 $ 340.00
$ 680.00
$ 85.00
$ 61.82
1 issue
4 issues 11 issues
$ 68.00 $ 225.00
$ 515.00
$ 56.25
$ 46.81
$ 54.00 $ 180.00
$ 420.00
$ 45.00
$ 38.18
Full Sheet - 7 x 9.5
Non-Member
rate per issue
JCA Member
rate per issue
1 issue
4 issues 11 issues
$ 225.00 $ 755.00
$ 1750.00
$ 188.75
$ 159.09
$ 180.00 $ 605.00
$ 1390.00
$ 151.25
$ 126.36
SCHOEN
BOOKS
Serving
scholars
world-wide
and the
literary needs
of the
local Jewish
community
for 22 years.
Detail, A Wimpel for Isaac, 2009
Non-Member
rate per issue
JCA Member
rate per issue
1 issue
4 issues 11 issues
$ 40.00 $ 135.00
$ 300.00
$ 33.75
$ 27.27
$ 32.00 $ 110.00
$ 242.00
$ 27.50
$ 22.00
Actively buying
libraries!
Ken will
special order
new books
or suggest
a treasure
from among
30,000 books
in stock.
Call and Visit!
schoenbooks.com
413-665-0066
Ken sells books
and
Jane makes art
in the...
Jane’s art
is all about
collective
memory.
Commissions
accepted
Also...
embroidery,
graphic design,
& Hebrew
calligraphy.
trigere.com
413-665-0548
20
Donations
Adult Education
Ronnie Booxbaum
Jane Brodwyn
Rona Conrad
Eve Eisman
Joyce Galaski
Samuel Gladstone
Marilyn Kushick
Catherine Madsen
Roger Magnus
Adele Marcus
Arlene Markus
Carol May
Felicia Mednick
Catherine Nagel
Dorothy Pam
Susan Reisman
Joan Saperstan
Linda Sinapi
Sher Sweet
Sarah Thomson
Rosalind Torrey
Elaine Walsh
Vera Wishnow
Janis Wolkenbreit
In honor of Rabbi Ed Feld’s birthday
(Barbara & Ted Slovin)
In honor of all the Adult Ed program presenters
(Barbara & Ted Slovin)
Janet Kannel
Annual Fund
In honor of Gaius & Althea Turner (Harold Neidich)
In honor of Aaron Bousel (Randi Stein)
Deb Neubauer & Doug Donnell
General Fund
Paula & Roger Frant
In honor of my Aunt and one of the JCA’s founding
members, on Neoma Berger’s 100th birthday
(Vicki & Bob Rabiner)
In honor of our parents, Bella & Louis Rubinstein and
Dorothy & Sidney Sway (Elissa & Bernie Rubinstein)
High Holiday Child Care
Marla Jamate
Dorothy Pam
Open Door Donation
Aline Sayer
In honor of Mara Hahn, Harry, Levi & Eden Hahn
(Chaya & Gerson Kaplan)
Susan Rosen
Vivian Bresnitz
Susan Knight
Carol Silver
Sara Schley & Joe Laur
Charlene & Jonathan Morse
Joel Wolff
Dorothy & Leon Madowitz
Marcia & Stan Abrahamson
Janet Kaplan Bucciarelli
In honor of Andrea, Micayla & Jonathan Shefftz
(Sally & George Newman)
Ruth & Don Katzner
Kathy, Steve & Julia Rose
Marsha & Joel Semuels
Anonymous
Susan & Richard Knapp
Barbara Meyer & David Schuman
Peter Sterling
Jeffrey Kahn & Debra Carolan
In honor of Aaron Bousel & others who serve the
community in times of need & the Ritual Life
Committee to keep the spiritual light burning at the JCA
(Anonymous)
Elaine & Arnold Trehub
Mark Phillips
Nancy Pick & Lawrence Douglas
Prayerbook Fund
Hadar Grabel
Jacqueline Katz
Guy Wood
Patience & Aaron Bousel
Kitty Axelson-Berry
Sharon Dunn & John Clayton
Deliah Rosel
Ruth Love Barer
Randi Stein
Joyce Duncan & Sam Gladstone
Judith Fine
Batya Perman
Eliza Gouverneur & Richard Cohen
Jordene Hale & David Rabinovitz
Johanna & Tom Plaut
Rhonda Shapiro-Rieser
Ann Armon & Len Huber
Rabbi Discretionary Fund
In honor of Rabbi Weiner
(Rachel Schwab Rehorka & Gary Rehorka)
Marcie & Dick Sclove
Ellen Bernstein
David Piech
World Jewish Concerns
Marilyn Kushick
Doug Lowing
Yiskor Donation
Tamar Shadur
Anna-Beth Winograd
Linda & Irving Seidman
Reed & Arnie Alper
Tzedakah Fund
With gratitude to Rabbi Weiner for conducting a memorial
service for my mother, Elsa L. Roth
(Deborah & Jeffrey Roth-Howe)
21
New or Returning Members
Condolences
We warmly welcome the following people to the JCA
community:
Ilana Polyak & Jean-Paul Maitinsky
Heather Davis & Nina Brand
Irma Levenson
Emily & Rob Boutilier
Madeline Berkowitz
We offer our sympathy and heartfelt condolences to the
families and friends of those who have recently died:
Irma Bennett Mednicoff, mother of David Mednicoff,
mother-in-law of Joya Misra and grandmother of Amina
and Rabi.
Elsa L. Roth, mother of Deborah Roth-Howe, mother-in-law
of Jeff Roth-Howe, grandmother of Evan and Leah RothHowe, and great-grandmother of Tuva Siebing.
Aleck Freed, Eliyahu ben Henoch v’Rivka, father of Gordon
Freed and father-in-law of Barbara Freed, grandfather of
BethAnn and Rebecca.
Amy Sabrina, sister of JCA member Jane Myers and sisterin law of John Sears.
If someone in your family, or someone you know in
the community, is ill and/or in the hospital, please contact
the Chesed Committee by calling the office (256-0160).
Even if visits or phone calls are not desired, it is
important for us as a community to be aware of the
health and well being of our members and their families.
We cannot help if we don’t know.
The Deadline for the
December Newsletter
is November 12th
All submissions MUST be made either by e-mail
or e-mail with a file attached.
If you do not have access to a computer or email,
please contact the editor.
PLEASE RESPECT THE DEADLINE!
Thank you, Aaron Bousel,
[email protected] 253-3544
Serenity Home
Organizing
Home Organizing
decluttering,
downsizing, deep
decluttering, downsizing,
deep cleaning
cleaning
Jill Bromberg
Montague, MA
413.367.9959
clear
your space,
space, clear
clear your
clear your
your mind
mind
Celebrating Babies
Know any new babies in the community?
The JCA’s Chesed and Membership Committees have
teamed up with Havurah K'tana (Little Friends Circle) to
welcome new babies into our community with a Shalom
Baby Basket.
Please contact us when you learn of families with a new
baby (JCA members or potential members).
We will stop by with a decorated basket containing a menorah, PJ Library book, and a card made by children in the
JCA Religious School as well as information about area Jewish resources for families. We’ll also bring a meal and a plate
of goodies for the family!
Please contact Ariella Schwell at [email protected]
or 230-3694 or Reed Alper at [email protected] or
549-0438.
Choose our catering team
to create a mitzvah!
Our team of experienced caterers
has a different take on special
events!
We donate 80% of our fee to
Project Rehovot and 20% to the JCA
We excel in Middle Eastern,
Mediterranean and Jewish
Cuisine!
•we use high quality food for weddings, Bar
and Bat mitzvahs, Garden Parties, Banquets
and other events in your home or another
location; attractive floral arrangments on
every table
For sample menus and price quotes
contact Karen Loeb at:
phone: 413-253-0336
Email: [email protected]
22
nnouncements
Community A
Florence Melton
Adult Mini-School
The popular Florence Melton Adult
Mini-School course on Jewish living is
enrolling now for the coming year.
Thirty weeks of two courses per
night will be held at Lander Grinspoon
Academy in Northampton from 7:009:00pm on Wednesday nights, beginning October 9, 2013.
Year One Topics include: “The
Rhythms of Jewish Living” and “The
Purposes of Jewish Living.”
No prior knowledge needed; no
homework; lively discussions; interfaith family members welcome!
Cost: $380. (Fee may be paid in
three installments.)
Contact Shoshana Zonderman (Upper Valley Melton Coordinator) with
questions 584-7743 or [email protected]._
To enroll, contact Nanci Martine
(registrar) at 413-584-3593 or [email protected] <mailto:bnai.israel@
verizon.net>.
Fliers with enrollment forms are in
the JCA office.
Showing of the film
“A Place At the Table:
One Nation Underfed”
Thursday, November 14, 2013 at 7 pm
Congregation B’nai Israel, Social Hall
253 Prospect Street
Northampton, MA 01062
Sponsored by the Congregation
B’nai Israel TIkkun Olam Committee
and the Beit Ahavah Tzedek Tzedek
Committee
Contact Sara Weinberger (spw128@
comcast.net) or Margaret Miller ([email protected]) for more information
FREE with suggested donation of a
non-perishable food item for donation
to Northampton Survival Center
Recently shown at the Amherst Cinema, A Place at the Table is an inspiring
and moving film about hunger in America. It features our own Congressman,
Jim McGovern, and his efforts to bring
the issue of food injustice to the attention of Congress and the nation.
After the film, join us for a question and answer session with our local
experts:
Heidi Nortonsmith, Executive Director of the Northampton Survival
Center
Andrew Morehouse, Executive
Director of the Food Bank of Western
Massachusetts
Rabbi Jacob Fine, Director of Jewish Life at Congregation B’nai Israel.
Refreshments will be served
Books will be available for purchase
Sponsored by the Northampton-Amherst chapter of Hadassah
Meditation Group
Thursday Morning “Lecha Dumiyah
Tehillah”* Meditation Group
Every Thursday in the CBI Library,
from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.
Led by Rabbi Nancy Flam
Please know this is not an instructional group. Rather, each of us comes
with our own silent meditation or prayer
practice and draws strength and affirmation for our deep, inner work by being
together in community.
• Arrive & Settling In:
8:00 – 8:15 a.m.
• Setting of Kavvanah/Teaching:
8:15 – 8:25 a.m.
• Bell to begin silent meditation:
8:25 a.m.
• Bell to end silent meditation:
8:55 a.m.
* “To You silence is praise.”
Psalm 65:2
Literary Café
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2013
2:00 p.m.
Congregation B’nai Israel
253 Prospect Street, Northampton
The following authors will read their
original stories and poems
Sheldon Cashdan
Jules Chametsky
Sharon Dunn
Carol Joan Edelstein
Gerald Goldman
Roberta Pato
Richard Szlosek
Donations appreciated for the benefit of
Youth Aliyah, Children at Risk
Community
announcements
should be brief and
of interest to the local
Jewish community.
Announcements will be
listed as space permits.
Jewish Community of Amherst
742 Main Street
Amherst, MA 01002
Return Service Requested
ase
o
-D
lay
De
R
ia
ter
a
dM
le
l-P
ush
t
No
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Amherst, MA
Permit No. 90
te
Da
November 1
Kedushah LaTorah (see page 6)
November 3
Reading Psalms with Rabbi Ed Feld (see page 12)
November 5
Community Meeting (see page 9)
November 6
Rabin Memorial Lecture (see page 11)
November 9
Shabbat B’Yachad (see page 7)
November 16
JCA Grand Auction
November 24
Shofar: Sharing Our Oratorio
with Catherine Madsen and Robert Stern (see page 12)
November 27
Red Cross Blood Drive

November 2013 - Jewish Community of Amherst

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