BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol 41/No 4

Tevet/Shevat 5767

January 2007

Editor:

Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

January President’s Message

Friends,

It was ‘Oy to the World’ that brought back the wonderful sentiments of this season at our annual Chanukah party. Leon Metlay led us in that song along with other great tunes and ditties. The tasty dishes - including hot potato soup, latkes - and table setting were prepared by Ruth and Steve Teitel, Janet Grable, Aline Honickman, Herb Spencer, Leon Metlay, Dianne Hooker and Ira Cohen.

Adding to the fun was the great stand-up routine that Steve Teitel gave us. Jerry Seinfeld must be trembling at this competitive talent. It was amazing how the jokes kept coming. BHBI could well become the center of a new Borscht Belt. We also had a splendid challenging production of Jewish Jeopardy led by emcee Stan Schaffer. Stan also created all the questions. After crushing my two competitors in the first half of the quiz, I graciously turned over my fantastic lead to Leon Metlay to “clean up” – only to watch as Ira Cohen made a dramatic comeback to win it all.

The kids playing dreidal games formed the backdrop to the evening’s events.

Thanks also to Phil and Annette Garver who made a generous donation to help sponsor the Chanukah dinner, but unfortunately could not attend as they had planned to.

We were all deeply saddened by the untimely passing of Rabbi Lawrence Skopitz – the rabbi at Temple Beth David for the past 25 years. Rabbi Skopitz had bravely fought his illness for many months. Beth David and the entire community will miss his wonderful good humor, boundless patience and inspiring leadership.

In the literal meaning of Chanukah and its spirit, let us follow the example of Rabbi Skopitz - and rededicate ourselves to a life of compassion and lovingkindness through Torah.

See you at shul,

Harris Honickman

Where can you find hundreds of melodies of Adon Olam?

See page 2 for the answer!
BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – January 2007

Friday	Jan. 5	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 4:31 PM.
Saturday	Jan. 6	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Vayechi
Sunday	Jan. 7	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Monday	Jan. 8	7:30 PM	Board Meeting
Wed.	Jan. 10	7:30 PM	Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Joint Torah Study Session at BHBI
Friday	Jan. 12	8:00 PM	Joint Shabbat Evening Services at Temple Beth Am with Congregants from Beth Am Light candles at 4:38 PM.
Saturday	Jan. 13	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Shemot Blessing for the new month
Sunday	Jan. 14	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Friday	Jan. 19	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 4:47 PM.
Saturday	Jan. 20	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Vaeirah
Sunday	Jan. 21	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Friday	Jan. 26	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 4:55 PM.
Saturday	Jan. 27	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Bo
Sunday	Jan. 28	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion

Have you visited the BHBI web site at www.BHBIRochester.org lately?

Next time you do, check out the hundreds of melodies of Adon Olam that you can find there! Click on many of them and you will hear a recording of Adon Olam in that melody.

The Adon Olam songbook on our web site has gotten over 900 hits, so indeed it is quite a hit!

To suggest additional melodies for Adon Olam, contact Leon Metlay or submit a suggestion on-line.

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER

December 2 Steve and Ruth Teitel in memory of Steve’s mother, Eleanor Teitel

December 9 Nina Klionsky and Leon Metlay in memory of their daughter, Nelli, on her birthday

December 16 The Congregation

December 23 The Congregation

December 30 The Congregation

TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

SAM MALINA MEMORIAL FUND

Bell Price

TO SPONSOR THE CHANUKAH DINNER

Phil and Annette Garver

GENERAL FUND

Moris and Terry Amon

The Louis B. and Molly Wolk Foundation

GET WELL SOON

To Ella Finkelman, who was recently hospitalized, and to Muriel Hobel who recently got home after an extended stay in the Jewish Home’s rehab facility.

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 Wednesday, January 10^th.

AMAZON.COM

The next time that you want to buy something from Amazon.com, go to the BHBI web page at www.BHBIRochester.org and click on the Amazon.com link. BHBI gets a percentage of the purchase price each time you link to Amazon.com from our web page. Buy at Amazon.com and support BHBI at the same time!!

MEMORIAL PLAQUES

Memorialize a friend or loved one by purchasing a BHBI memorial plaque. For more information, contact Stan Schaffer at 473-8072 or stanschaffer@frontiernet.net

DO YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE UNAFFILIATED?

Tell them about BHBI and invite them to attend our services – they will be sure to get a wonderful welcome. We would also be happy to add them to our bulletin distribution list and send them information about BHBI. Give their contact information to Harris Honickman, Stan Schaffer or Leon Metlay who will put them on the mailing list.

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 stanschaffer@frontiernet.net

FOCUS ON ISRAEL

The Aliyah of the B’nai Menashe

In recent weeks, Israel has experienced a significant increase in the aliyah of the B’nai Menashe, a group of Jews from India’s easternmost states of Manipur and Mizoram, in the highlands near the borders of Bangladesh and Burma. The B’nai Menashe have Chinese appearance and, according to their oral tradition, claim to be descents of the Tribe of Menashe, which they believe made its way to Persia and then China after the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel by the Assyrians, eventually migrating to a remote corner of India. In the late 1800s, Christian missionaries arrived and converted most of them to Christianity. By the 1970s, some of them began researching their ancient roots and small numbers began to learn more about and practice Judaism. Evidence of their Jewish roots was very strong, with them maintaining the traditions of brit milah on the eighth day of life, fasting on Yom Kippur, and wearing shawls, not unlike talliot, when they pray. They also offered animal sacrifices as in the days of the Temple.

The B’nai Menashe number about 7,000 people; about 1,000 converted and quietly made aliyah to Israel over the past decade. In 2005, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Shlomo Amar, formally recognized the B’nai Menashe as ‘descendents of Israel’. He sent a beth din to India, which converted most of the remaining B’nai Menashe to Judaism. Now, they are making aliyah to Israel en masse. In an emotional moment, on November 23^rd, an El Al flight from Bombay carried 50 B’nai Menashe to Israel. Later that week, another 168 B’nai Menashe followed. Some of those waiting for their arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel were their children and grandchildren who had arrived earlier, including several who are serving in the Israeli Defense Forces. Thousands of other B’nai Menashe are set to soon follow in their footsteps and rejoin the Jewish people in Israel.

For more information about the B’nai Menashe check out the following web sites:

http://www.Bneimenashe.com/index..html

http://www.moshiach.com/features/tribes/burma.php

Israel Trivia Question

Which of the following products were first developed in Israel?

a) The camera-in-a-pill that is used by gastroenterologists to view the entire GI tract

b) The cellphone c) The Pentium 4 computer chip d) a and c e) all of the above

See page 6 for the answer to this month’s Israel trivia question!
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.

Jan. 5-6

Tevet

Jan. 12-13

Tevet

Jan. 19-20

Shevat

Jan. 26-27

Shevat

Nathan Garver

Dorothy Lapides

Henry Orbach

Fannie Sablowsky*

Philip Sanzel*

Joseph Schiff*

Hannah Senzel*

Louis Bernstein*

Carl Kleinstein*

Rose Needler*

Estelle Hirsch*

Shie Schnidman*

Anna Buff*

Benjamin Dvorkin*

Goldie Simon*

Leah Keyfetz*

Joseph Morris*

Esther Sanzel*

Samuel Meilstein*

Ida Boyarsky*

Philip Hershkowitz

Joe Lazarus*

Jack Glazer

* Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

Jean Spencer

Morris Weinstein*

Etta Levinson*

Ida Silver*

Sidney Appelbaum*

Jacob Komenski*

Morris Suskind*

Max Springut

Herman Strauss*

Dvora Brodie*

Samuel Goldman*

Daniel Hirsch*

Hyman Aaron Nusbaum*

Miriam Weinberger*

Anna Sanow*

Abraham Newell*

Rose Salzberg

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

Hillel Community Day School invites the entire community to attend the 2^nd annual HCDS Knowledge Bowl on Saturday evening, January 20^th beginning at 7 pm. The Knowledge Bowl includes an Israeli dinner and dessert. In this fast-moving game, dinner tables of 8 to 10 people (including children) compete in written, multiple choice questions. Qualifying topics include Israel, art and literature, sports and hobbies, science, geography, American history, current events, entertainment and Bible. Just as in some other game shows, there will be a final round in which the high-scoring tables will compete. The final round topic will be “all human knowledge.” In addition, there will be a Chinese auction during the evening’s event. Tickets cost $14.50 for adults 13 years and up, while children ages 5-12 are $6 each. Reservations are due January 17^th. Get your friends to come, put together a team and reserve a table now! For more information, contact Hillel Community Day School at 271-6877.

Please Support Our Advertisers

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. You can also e-mail us at BHBI@frontiernet.net

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.

DID YOU MISPLACE YOUR BULLETIN?

Don’t worry. BHBI Bulletins going back several months can now be found on our web page: www.BHBIRochester.org

WANT TO GET YOUR BULLETIN HOT-OFF-THE-PRESS? Consider having us e-mail it to you! Contact Stan Schaffer at: stanschaffer@frontiernet.net

ANSWER TO ISRAEL TRIVIA QUESTION: e (all of the above)

Congregation Beth Hamedresh-Beth Israel

1369 East Avenue

Rochester, NY 14610