Published Monthly

BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol 41/No 9

Sivan/Tammuz 5767

June 2007

Editor:

Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

June President’s Message

Friends,

As this is my first message to you as president of BHBI, let me take this opportunity to extend my sincere thanks to Harris Honickman for the excellent job he has done as president for the last two years. I hope that I can live up to the high standard he has set, and continue to earn the confidence you have expressed in me by choosing me as his successor. Let me also thank all the outgoing officers and board members for their selfless efforts on behave of the congregation, and thank all the new officers and board members who have agreed to serve with me in the upcoming year.

It is only two years since my family and I joined BHBI. Yet in that short time I have come to regard BHBI as my home away from home! We have a very special congregation, full of warm and devoted people. Having just finished celebrating the holiday of Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Ten Commandments, I am reminded of perhaps the most difficult of all the commandments that we as Jews are enjoined upon to obey: to be happy and joyful. I can say, without reservation, that since joining BHBI I have enhanced my own observation of this important commandment in many ways! Our traditional yet informal and lively Shabbat services are a highlight of my week. Our great gabbai, Leon Metlay, works to get everyone involved, and the kiddush lunches are not only varied and delicious but offer a very pleasant way to relax and socialize at the start of the weekend. In the Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Torah Study sessions, held monthly at BHBI, we are working our way sequentially through the books of the Torah. Our “stream of consciousness” style discussions are both entertaining and informative, and allow everyone, no matter what their depth learning, to participate. Having finally reached the story of Cain and Able after one year, there is still plenty left to go, so please do join us! Dare I say it, but even our Board Meetings have also offered their share of lively and entertaining moments, as we all work towards the needs of the congregation (by now I fear my credibility may be falling!). I truly urge all of you to partake more of what BHBI has to offer. You will not only be helping the congregation but contributing to your own observation of the commandment to be happy and joyful!

Our recent Shavuot dinner was a wonderful success. Judith Mercer’s soup was delicious, as were the salad and blintzes, and Janet Grable’s fabulous salmon terrine and ten-commandments bread pudding rounded out the meal. Janet’s ten-commandments cake was simply to die for. Our sincere thanks go to Judith and Janet as well as to all the others who helped with cooking, shopping, setup, and serving: Emily Fishman, Nina Klionsky and Leon Metlay.

I am pleased to inform you that our building caretaker, Yacob Deng, has recently become a US citizen. It has been a long journey for Yacob from the war-ravaged Sudan to his new home in Rochester. We are grateful for all his help at BHBI and wish him the very best in his new role as an equal citizen of our country.

Finally, let me say as your new president, that I welcome all comments, ideas, and concerns you might have about the operation and future of our shul. By working together we can help BHBI meet more of the needs of its members. Feel free to contact me anytime by phone (473-5741) or email (stte@pas.rochester.edu).

See you at shul,

Steve Teitel

BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – June 2007

Friday	June 1	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 8:24 PM
Saturday	June 2	9:00 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Behaalotchah
Sunday	June 3	9:00 AM	Service, Discussion
Friday	June 8	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 8:29 PM.
Saturday	June 9	9:30 AM	Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Congregants from Temple Beth Am at BHBI. Blessing for the new month. Torah: Shelach
Sunday	June 10	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Monday	June 11	7:30 PM	Board Meeting
Wednesday	June 13	7:30 PM	Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Joint Torah Study Session at BHBI
Friday	June 15	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 8:33 PM.
Saturday	June 16	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Korach
Sunday	June 17	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Friday	June 22	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 8:35 PM.
Saturday	June 23	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Chukat
Sunday	June 24	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast, Discussion
Friday	June 29	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 8:35 PM.
Saturday	June 30	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Balak

BHBI Officers 2007-2008

President – Steve Teitel

First Vice-President – Leon Metlay

Second Vice-President – Judith Mercer

Treasurer – Ira Cohen

Financial Secretary – Art Mercer

Recording Secretary – Stan Schaffer

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF MAY

May 5 Janet Grable in honor of congregants with March, April and May birthdays and anniversaries

May 12 Jill Clark in memory of her grandfather, Samuel Gastel

May 19 Leon Metlay and Nina Klionsky

May 24 Janet Grable

May 26 The Congregation

TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

TORAH FUND

In memory of Beverly Honickman

Ira Cohen

RABBI AARON SOLOMON SCHOLARSHIP FUND

In honor of Aaron Schaffer’s bar mitzvah

Ira Cohen

In memory of Richard T. Bredhoff

Ira Cohen

GENERAL FUND

Malcolm and Annette Weinberg

In memory of Beverly Honickman

Joe and Tanya Yudelson

In memory of Freade Kaplan Woods

Phil and Annette Garver

In honor of Aaron Schaffer’s bar mitzvah

Lubah and Jerry Cohen

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, June 13th.

CONGRATULATIONS

To Aviva Schaffer who was recently elected to be the president of the Temple Beth David USY group.

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

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!!

EVENTS IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

The entire community is invited to attend the Jewish Community Federation’s annual meeting at Temple Beth El on Thursday, June 14^th at 7:30 p.m. Special guest speaker, Jonathan Schanzer will give a talk titled ‘Straight Talk on Israel’.

Mt. Hope Cemetery is sponsoring a special Jewish heritage tour on Sunday, June 17^th. This 2-hour tour begins at 10 a.m. at the south entrance to Mt. Hope Cemetery.

The JCC is asking for family or individual photos taken between Rosh Hashanah 2006 and Rosh Hashanah 2007 for their Jewish Faces of Rochester exhibition. You are invited to submit a 4” by 6” photo on photographic paper. Please write your name on the back of the photo. Unfortunately photos cannot be returned. They should be dropped off at the main desk at the JCC or sent to: Phyllis Kasdin, JCC of Greater Rochester, 1200 Edgewood Ave., Rochester, NY 14618.

In commemoration of their 100^th anniversary, the JCC has scheduled a group photo to include as many members of the Rochester Jewish community as possible on Sunday, June 3^rd at 10:00 a.m. on the Brighton High School athletic field.

INTERNET LINKS TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

The Rochester JCC – www.jccrochester.org

The Jewish Community Federation – www.jewishrochester.org

Chabad of Rochester – www.chabadrochester.org

Links to Other Sites in the Jewish Community - www.haruth.com/JewsRochesterNY.html

GET WELL SOON

To Simon Finkelman who is currently hospitalized at Rochester General Hospital.

To Muriel Hobel who was recently discharged from the hospital.

FOCUS ON ISRAEL – THE SIX DAY WAR

Since we just commemorated the 40^th anniversary of the Six Day War, this month’s Focus on Israel section will test your knowledge of that conflict. See page 6 for answers to the quiz.

Who was Israel’s prime minister during the Six Day War?

a) David Ben Gurion b) Levi Eshkol c) Golda Meir d) Menachem Begin

Who was Israel’s defense minister at the time of the Six Day War?

a) Ariel Sharon b) Moshe Dayan c) Yigal Allon d) Ezer Weitzman

Which country provoked the Six Day War by closing off the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping?

a) Egypt b) Syria c) Jordan d) Saudi Arabia

Which Arab ruler was warned by Israel not to enter the war, but did so anyway and, as a result, lost an important part of his nation’s territory?

a) President Nasser of Egypt b) President Assad of Syria c) King Hussein of Jordan

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.

June 1-2

Sivan

June 8-9

Sivan

June 15-16

Sivan/

Tammuz

June 22-23

Tammuz

Evelyn Goldman Kauffman*

Louis Maltinsky*

Sadie Stolnitz*

Katherine Weinrib*

Lyons I. Jossem*

Zus Kaminick

Esther Senzel*

Sarah Rebecca Gerber*

Minnie Marcus*

Nathan Yablin*

Leo Lewin

Fannie Warnick*

Louis Sanow*

Ada Gordon*

Stella Getz*

Mary Goldman*

Betty Newell*

Eva Wasserman*

Elsie Cohen

Isadore Goldman*

* Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

Gerald Braz

Hyb Jossem*

Marion Bernstein

Samuel Hoffman*

Sara Sarachan*

Rose Joffe*

Jennie Epstein*

David Glasser*

Morris Krinsky*

Sarah Shnitman*

Rabbi Aaron Solomon*

Eva Krinsky*

Jael Stekel

Phillip Morrow*

Rochli Rothschild*

Eli Hobel

June 29-30

Tammuz

Sarah Singer*

Rachel Strauss*

Rachel Morris*

Yetta Goldman*

Sarah Marken*

Sam Hector*

Harry Sarachan*

Rose Schiff*

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.

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

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 Steve Teitel at 473-5741 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

ANSWERS TO THE SIX DAY WAR QUIZ IN THE FOCUS ON ISRAEL SECTION ON PAGE 4

1. b) Levi Eshkol 2. b) Moshe Dayan 3. a) Egypt 4. c) King Hussein of Jordan

Congregation Beth Hamedresh-Beth Israel

1369 East Avenue

Rochester, NY 14610