Published Monthly

BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol 41/No 7

Nisan/Iyar 5767

April 2007

Editor:

Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

April Presidentís Message

Friends,

"We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but Hashem our God took us out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Had not the Holy One, Blessed is He, taken our fathers out from Egypt, then we, our children, and our children's children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt. Even if we were all men of wisdom, understanding, experience, and knowledge of the Torah, it would still be an obligation upon us to tell about the Exodus from Egypt. The more one tells about the Exodus, the more he is praiseworthy.î

This is the opening response from the Hagaddah to the Four Questions asked by the youngest ones at the Passover Seder.

In many instances, dwelling on the past can be a form of enslavement – leading to either rumination, regret, ongoing self-reproach or to a search for vengeance. And yet one of the first commands on the eve of the departure form Egypt is – to remember. The newly freed slaves are told not just to remember their bitter slave experience and imminent liberation, but to retell the story, teach their children to remember it and to establish a ritual in perpetuity – to remember.

We know that the command to remember the Exodus is a positive command. Why so? The best way to learn a skill is to practice it. We rehearse the Departure at every Pesach Seder through reading, reciting, listening, observing, singing and tasting. The stimulation of our minds and senses reinforce the lessons of the festival. We remind each other that even basic freedoms are not universally shared in our time. And there are many other ways to be enslaved – through bad habits, narrow ambition, self-centeredness, and materialism. Remembering and re-enacting the first Passover instills in us the need to actively work for our freedom for all from modern tyrants, as well from the inner chains that restrain the human spirit.

Pesach starts on the evening of Monday April 2 and continues to sundown on Tuesday April 10. Please see page 2 of this bulletin for service dates and times. There is also information about selling your chametz that can be found on page 4.

One of our youngsters, Aaron Schaffer, will become a Bar Mitzvah on April 28^th. We offer a mazel tov to Aaron and his proud parents, Stan and Elaine Schaffer, his sister Aviva and brother Jacob.

Finally, please put Sunday May 20^th, 7:30 pm on your calendar, when we hold the BHBI Annual Meeting.

Happy Pesach and see you at shul,

Harris Honickman

BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – April 2007

Sunday	Apr. 1	9:00 AM	Service, Discussion
Tuesday	Apr. 3	9:00 AM	Passover Morning Service
Wednesday	Apr. 4	9:00 AM	Joint Passover Morning Service with Congregants from Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at BHBI
Friday	Apr. 6	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 7:23 PM
Saturday	Apr. 7	9:00 AM	Shabbat and Chol Hamoed Passover Morning Services
Sunday	Apr. 8	9:00 AM	Service, Discussion Light candles at 7:26 PM
Monday	Apr. 9	9:30 AM	Joint Passover Morning Service with Congregants from Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at Temple Beth Am Light candles after 8:28 PM
Tuesday	Apr. 10	9:00 AM	Joint Passover Morning Service and Yizkor with Congregants from Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at Temple Beth Beth David Passover ends at 8:30 PM
Wednesday	Apr. 11	7:30 PM	Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Joint Torah Study Session at BHBI
Friday	Apr. 13	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 7:32 PM.
Saturday	Apr. 14	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Shemini Blessing for the new month
Sunday	Apr. 15	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Monday	Apr. 16	7:30 PM	Board Meeting
Friday	Apr. 20	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 7:40 PM.
Saturday	Apr. 21	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Tazriah-Metzorah
Sunday	Apr. 22	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Friday	Apr. 27	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 7:48 PM.
Saturday	Apr. 28	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service and Bar Mitzvah of Aaron Schaffer Torah: Acharei Mot-Kedoshim
Sunday	Apr. 29	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion

Have a happy Passover!

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH

March 3 The Congregation

March 10 Nina Klionsky and Leon Metlay

March 17 Katharine Metlay in memory of her sister, Julie Feuerberg

March 24 The Congregation

March 31 The Congregation

TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

TORAH FUND

In honor of Paul and Rose Israel

Ira Cohen

In memory of Ben Ritter

Stan and Elaine Schaffer

GENERAL FUND

Malcolm and Annette Weinberg

Wishing Janet Grableís mother, Gloria Taxon,

a speedy recovery

Peg Toker

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

Several memorial plaques have recently been added to our memorial boards. You can also 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.

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, April 11^th.

SHUT-INS

Please donít forget our elderly members who are shut-ins. Ben and Muriel Hobel and Esther Cole would especially appreciate hearing from you.

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

BAR MITZVAH OF

AARON JOSEPH SCHAFFER

APRIL 28, 2007

Aaron is the son of Stan and Elaine Schaffer and the brother of Aviva and Jake Schaffer.

He is a 7^th grader at Twelve Corners Middle School in Brighton.

His hobbies are technology, reading and playing soccer.

He is a Boy Scout and a member of Lincoln Scout Troop #3.

He has earned 3 of the 4 Boy Scout Jewish religious awards and

hopes to eventually become an Eagle Scout.

_____________________________________________________________________

SALE OF CHAMETZ

Observance of Passover requires that ìno leavened substance be found within your home.î These items are to be sealed in a special storage place and ownership transferred to a non-Jew for the duration of Passover through a bill of sale. To arrange for the sale of your chametz, send the following to Rabbi Field at Temple Beth El by April 2^nd. Please make checks payable to the Maot Hittim Fund (Passover supplies for the needy).

Temple Beth El

139 South Winton Road

Rochester, NY 14610

Dear Rabbi Field:

Please act as my agent for this sale of any Hametz on my premises.

Name ___________________________________

Address __________________________________

Enclosed is my contribution to sell my Hametz.
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.

April 6-7

Nisan

April 13-14

Nisan-Iyar

April 20-21

Iyar

April 27-28

Iyar

David Morris*

Jacob Weinrib*

Beatrice Goldstein*

Benjamin Ritter

Yetta Levine*

Blanche Levitz

Louis Priceman*

Dorothy Riwkin*

Samuel B. Spiller*

Arthur Weinberger

Alexander Greenbaum*

Esther Gurian*

Ethel L. Goldstein*

Rose Lewis*

Hyman Rothschild*

Louis Goldberg*

Al Goldman*

Hyman Goldberg*

Morton Lewis

Albert Bernstein*

Harry Gordon*

Minnie Rothbard

* Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

Samuel Sanow

Harry Cominsky*

Dr. Murray Cowen

Chasa Tillie Yablin*

Johanna Schild*

Haskell Isaac Smith*

Samuel Lederman*

Samuel J. 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.

ISRAEL MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATION AND

ISRAEL INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

This year the Rochester Jewish community will combine commemoration of Memorial Day for Israelís fallen soldiers with Israel Independence Day celebrations on Sunday evening, April 22^nd at Temple Bírith Kodesh. The evening begins at 7 p.m. with a remembrance of those who gave their lives to establish and defend the State of Israel. Children from Hillel Community Day School and all of the local religious schools will participate. Immediately afterward, Israel Independence Day festivities begin, highlighted by a concert by Israeli singer Danny Robas.

INTERFAITH EVENT HONORING ISRAEL

Bethel Christian Fellowship, located at 321 East Avenue, will be hosting an interfaith event to honor Israel on Wednesday evening, April 25^th from 6 to 9 p.m. Arye Mekel, the Consul General of Israel in New York will speak along with leaders of Christians United for Israel. For more information, contact Isobel Goldman at the Jewish Community Federation at 461-0490.

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?

Donít 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

Congregation Beth Hamedresh-Beth Israel

1369 East Avenue

Rochester, NY 14610