Published Monthly

Vol 39/No 11

Tammuz/Av 5765

August 2005

Editor:

Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh ñ Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

August Presidentís Message

Last month I started out saying that no would complain that summer has finally arrived. The phrase ìno oneî might have been an overstatement given the recent hot spell ñ but letís give the summerís second half a chance. On August 21, we will hold our annual picnic on shul grounds, starting about noon. Please come with your family and friends ñ and enjoy some great food and conversation. However, asking ìHot enough for you?î ñ is strictly prohibited.

On Sunday, August 7, Rebbetzin Esther Solomon will celebrate her 99^th birthday at the Jewish Home from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Her family has invited the entire congregation to the party. Please join her on that happy occasion.

We observe Tisha BíAv this year starting the evening of Saturday, August 13th and ending at sunset on Sunday, August 14th. Tisha BíAv commemorates numerous calamities that have befallen our people, including the destruction of the First and Second Temples. We will join our friends at Temple Beth David that Saturday at 6:00 p.m. for mincha followed by a complimentary seudah shlisheit (light dinner) at 6:30 p.m. to be followed by Tisha BíAv services and the reading of the Book of Lamentations at 8:00 p.m. at Beth David. If you would like to attend the seudah shlisheit, please contact Leon Metlay at 271-2945 as soon as possible so that he can give our hosts at Beth David a head count.

Harris Honickman

JOIN THE FUN!!

THIS YEARíS BHBI PICNIC IS SCHEDULED FOR

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21^st FROM NOON TO 6 P.M.

BRING YOUR FRIENDS!!
BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS ñ August 2005

Thursday	Aug 4	7:30 PM	Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Joint Torah Study at BHBI
Friday	Aug 5	6:15 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 8:08 PM.
Saturday	Aug 6	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Masei
Sunday	Aug 7	9:00 AM 1:30 PM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion Birthday Celebration Honoring Mrs. Esther Solomon at the Jewish Home
Monday	Aug 8	7:30 PM	Board Meeting
Friday	Aug 12	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 7:58 PM.
Saturday	Aug 13	9:30 AM 6:00 PM	Joint Shabbat Morning Services with Congregants from Congregation Beth Am at BHBI Torah: Devarim Joint Mincha Service Followed by Seudah Shlisheit meal and Tisha Bí Av Evening Service at Temple Beth David
Sunday	Aug 14	9:00 AM	Service
Friday	Aug 19	6:15 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 7:48 PM.
Saturday	Aug 20	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Vaetchanan
Sunday	Aug 21	9:00 AM Noon-6 PM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion BHBI Picnic
Friday	Aug 26	6:15 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 7:36 PM.
Saturday	Aug 27	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Eikev
Sunday	Aug 28	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion

TORAH STUDY

Join friends from BHBI, Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David for an interesting evening of Torah Study at BHBI at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 4^th. We will be studying Parshat Masei.

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

July 1 - The Congregation

July 9 - The Congregation in Honor of the Amon Family and by Janet Grable in honor of those with June, July or August Birthdays or Anniversaries

July 16 - The Congregation

July 23 - The Congregation

July 30 - Nina Klionsky & Leon Metlay in Memory of Nelli Metlay

TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

TORAH FUND

In honor of the birth of Ari Gould

Ira Cohen

In memory of Barbara and Irwin Bertman

Renee Bertman

Congratulations to Marcia Yaroslaw on her grandsonís graduation with honors

Congratulations to Shelly and Shlomo Gabay on their daughter, Alizaís engagement

Charles and Laura Levinson

GENERAL FUND

In memory of Zalman and Rose Maysel

Sofa Ravin

Thanking the Congregation for 14 wonderful years

Moris and Terry Amon

So far our TOPS Gift Card fundraiser has been quite successful. Remember,

TOPS Gift Cards are now available through BHBI in $50 denominations.

To purchase TOPS Gift Cards, contact Stan Schaffer

at 473-8072 or by e-mail at schaffer@localnet.com

YAHRZEITS

At the following Shabbat Services, we will read the names of our late loved ones whose Yahrzeits will occur on that Shabbat or during the following week.

Aug 5-6

Aug 12-13

Aug 19-20

Aug 26-27

Sydney Gold

Louis Schiff*

Ray Bloch

Benjamin Bobb

Joseph Greenbaum*

Moses Berkowitz*

Dave Kovel

Kathy Shur*

* Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

Anna Berman*

George Cohen*

William Aaron Bernstein*

Haim Menachem Levy

Hyman Silverman*

Frank Carper*

Sarah R. Spector*

Samuel Gross

Abraham Heyman*

Phillip Boyarsky*

Jennie Braime*

Abraham I. Spector*

Alexander Aronov

Morris Ohl*

Sarah Applebaum Gastel*

Israel Osband*

Bessie Gastel*

Rose T. Cohen

Jacob Osband*

Samuel Wechsler*

Ruben Klein*

Esther Marker*

Sarah Weisenberg*

We pray that our mourners will be comforted among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and that the memory of the deceased continues to be a blessing to all who knew them.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

ZooFest 2005/5765, which was rained out earlier this summer, has been rescheduled for Tuesday evening, August 16^th, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Seneca Park Zoo. There will be a ton of activities for kids and kosher food will be available. Pre-registration is encouraged. You may register on-line at the Jewish Community Federationís web site (www.jewishrochester.org) or by calling Susan Gagnon at 461-0490. If you would like to volunteer to work at this event, contact Wendy Strauss or Sarabeth Rogoff at the Federation.

Tisha BíAv

Tisha BíAv, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, is a day of fasting and mourning when we recall a host of terrible events that happened throughout our history on that day, including the destruction of the First and Second Temples, the capture by the Romans of Beitar (the last Jewish fortress to hold out in the Bar Kochba rebellion), the beginning of the expulsion of the Jews during the Spanish Inquisition, and the beginning of World War I (which resulted in the uprooting of many Jewish communities). On Tisha BíAv we read Eicha (the Book of Lamentations).

Want to Honor Someone?

Sponsor a BHBI Shabbat kiddush in their honor! Call [the shul office244-2060] for details.

Please Support Our Advertisers

Impressions From a Recent Trip to Israel

As most of you know, Elaine, the kids and I just returned from a trip to Israel. It is a trip that we have been thinking of making for many years, so it was especially wonderful to have finally gone. After living in Israel for 7 years from the late 70s to the mid-80s, I hadnít returned for 20 years. For Elaine, it had been 25 years since her last visit to Israel. The kids had heard so much about Israel, but had never been there before, so they were especially excited about the trip.

My, how things had changed! First we arrived at the brand new ultra-modern terminal at Ben Gurion Airport. I have yet to see as fancy an American airport. Then we went to Jerusalem on the new freeway. In Jerusalem, there are cranes everywhere as entire new neighborhoods are being built. The new Begin Freeway, much of which consists of tunnels under the streets, cuts through the heart of Jerusalem. A new underground light rail system is being built through much of the city, and will bring a much-needed new transportation option to the throngs who come into downtown Jerusalem each day to work or shop. Despite all the building in Jerusalem, the city has remarkably kept its character. There is no place in the world like Jerusalem. History is everywhere around you. Even the air in Jerusalem is special and is like none other in the world.

Even as a city with so much to see, there are new wonders in Jerusalem. One of the most impressive is the Western Wall tunnel. One can now walk along the entire length of the Western Wall and see where our ancestors entered the Temple Mount in ancient times. Some of the stones making up the Western Wall are estimated to weigh 30 tons. It is amazing to ponder how our ancestors could have managed to lift them up to a level several stories above ground and how they could have placed the stones one on top of the other so perfectly that their surfaces are flush. Unbelievable!

There is so much more to see in Jerusalem ñ though we spent about a week there, we only saw part of what the city has to offer. And then, of course, there is the rest of Israel! Although it is a small country the size of New Jersey, Israel has amazing natural beauty and there is so much to see. We were lucky enough to visit Caesaria, where one can see the Roman city that was built in the days of Herod, the beautiful city of Haifa on Mount Carmel, ancient Akko, Safed with its artistsí colony, the ancient ruins of Hazor where King David and his son Solomon built a city that eventually was home to 20,000 people and where there is an ancient underground water tunnel 130 feet below the surface, Tel Dan National Park where one of the three streams that are the sources of the Jordan River rushes through the beautiful park, Banias National Park with its waterfalls, the Golan Heights, Tzippori with its ancient mosaics, the stalagmites and stalactites of Mayarat HaNetifim, Masada, the oasis of Ein Gedi, the secret underground munitions factory that the Jews built under the noses of the British in mandatory days at the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, and yes, even Tel Aviv. Although I had lived in Tel Aviv for 7 years, I was completely disoriented while we were there. Maybe it was because of the new Ayalon Freeway cutting through town (by the way, for fun you can check traffic at any interchange along the Ayalon in real time at www.ayalonhw.co.il) or all the new skyscrapers and new malls that seem to be everywhere.

While we were in Israel we luckily had the opportunity to stay with family most of the time. Our kids had a blast with their cousins, and everyone was so very nice. In addition to staying with relatives in Jerusalem, we spent several nights in Hashmonaim, a yishuv just outside of Modiíin, the new Israeli city with which Rochesterís Jewish community has twinned. Modiíin, Israelís first entirely planned city, which was founded about a decade ago, is expected to become Israelís 4^th largest city with an estimated population of 250,000 by 2020. Needless to say, Modiíin, is being built at a frantic pace.

Everywhere we went in Israel people were very friendly. Having been through so much in the past several years, they really appreciate it when foreigners come. If you havenít been to Israel recently, visit again soon. If you have never been there, you have to go! We hated to leave Israel at the end of our visit ñ we had such a wonderful time. We canít wait to go back. We came away clearly seeing that the Jewish peopleís future is there, in that very vibrant, growing country. We were so glad to be a part of it, if only for a short while.

--- Stan Schaffer
OFFICE HOURS: The shul office is checked regularly for mail and messages. The shul phone is 244-2060. For urgent issues, call Harris Honickman at 271-5145 or Stan Schaffer at 473-8072.

WANT TO REMEMBER OR HONOR SOMEONE OR A SPECIAL OCCASION?

Consider sponsoring a kiddush or make a donation to any one of our funds (General Operating, Kiddush, Library, Torah, Rabbi Aaron Solomon Scholarship, Our Youth, Special Events, or the Sam Malina Memorial Fund) please indicate which fund you would like your donation to go to and we will send out an acknowledgement card as you indicate and print an announcement in this bulletin.

BULLETIN CONTENT

What do you enjoy reading in the BHBI Bulletin? Is there something that you would like added (or taken out)? If so, please let Stan Schaffer know. We always appreciate feedback.

WANT TO GET YOUR BULLETIN HOT-OFF-THE-PRESS? Consider having us e-mail it to you! Contact Elaine or Stan Schaffer at: the_schaffers@juno.com

Congregation Beth Hamedresh-Beth Israel

1369 East Avenue

Rochester, NY 14610