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BHBIRochester.org Published Monthly Vol 42/No 3 Tevet/Shevat 5768 January 2008 Editor: Stan Schaffer |
Congregation
Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel B U L L E T I N |
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January
President’s Message Friends, Our Chanukah party this
year was a great success. With
over 55 people attending, it was one of our biggest BHBI events of the last
few years. The food was great,
the singing was rousing, and the games kept both young and old in good cheer! Our many thanks go to the party
committee (Janet Grable, Leon Metlay, along with myself) that shopped,
cooked, and set up the delightful Maca“Bee” party theme. Thanks also to the emcees who ran the
“Bee”ngo, Spelling “Bee”, and “Buzz” Word games (Dave Rogachefsky, Art Mercer
and myself). The chop-stick
dreidel race kept the kids busy, but I think more practice with those
chop-sticks will be needed for next time! Thanks also to those who helped serve and clean up (Stan
Schaffer, Ruth Teitel, Aline Honickman, Judith Mercer), and to Dave Benjamin
who helped prepare many of the games.
My apologies if I have left anyone out of my list – the night
was busy and so many lent a hand to help. Pictures from the party are posted on the “Pics” page of
our shul website. As
we start our new calendar year, our Shabbat Morning Service starts reading a
new book of the Torah – Exodus, the story of our slavery in Egypt, and
our departure at the hands of our greatest prophet Moses. For those of you who have not been to
Shabbat service recently, I invite you to come and listen. We will be sticking
with Moses and his adventures all the way through to next Simchat Torah, and
not all the good parts were in the movie! For
those who enjoyed it, I give the recipe for our Chanukah Lentil Soup below. See
you in shul, Steve Teitel Chanukah Red Lentil
Soup – adapted from The World of Jewish Cooking by Gil Marks: Makes 6 to 8 servings 3
Tbs vegetable or olive oil 2 medium yellow onions,
chopped 2 to 3 cloves garlic,
minced 2 cups red lentils,
rinsed and drained 3 medium carrots,
chopped 2 stalks celery, diced about 8 cups water,
perhaps less if you like your soup thick (you can always add more water
later) 1 bay leaf
fresh chopped flat leaf
parsley or cilantro or both, ½ cup or more to taste salt, about 2 tsp or to
taste fresh ground pepper to
taste 3/4 cup or so of some
small shape pasta, I like ditalini, but elbows will also do Heat
the oil in large pot on medium heat.
Add the onions and garlic and sauté until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the lentils, carrots, celery,
water, and bay leaf. Bring to
boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are done, about 30
minutes. Add parsley and/or
cilantro, salt and pepper, and pasta.
Continue to simmer until pasta is done. Be sure to use red (and not the more common brown)
lentils, as these cook more quickly and dissolve to give a nice thick
soup. The cilantro has a nice distinctive
taste, so give it a try! |
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BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – January 2008
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Friday |
Jan 4 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 4:29 PM. |
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Saturday |
Jan 5 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services
Blessing of the new month
Torah: Vaeirah |
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Sunday |
Jan 6 |
9:00 AM |
Service and Discussion |
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Wednesday |
Jan 9 |
7:30 PM |
Small Shul Collaborative Joint Torah Study Session at BHBI |
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Friday |
Jan 11 |
8:00 PM |
Joint Shabbat Evening Services with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Light candles at 4:37 PM. |
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Saturday |
Jan 12 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services Torah:
Bo
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Sunday |
Jan 13 |
9:00 AM |
Service and Discussion |
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Monday |
Jan 14 |
7:30 PM |
BHBI Board Meeting |
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Friday |
Jan 18 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 4:45 PM. |
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Saturday |
Jan 19 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Beshalach |
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Sunday |
Jan 20 |
9:00 AM |
Service and Discussion |
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Friday |
Jan 25 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 4:54 PM. |
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Saturday |
Jan 26 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Yitro |
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Sunday |
Jan 27 |
9:00 AM |
Service and Discussion |
Don’t forget to check out the
photos from the BHBI Chanukah Celebration at our web site
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 9th. Come and enjoy interesting conversation
and make new friends while gain new insights into Torah! All are welcome.
THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH
SPONSORS
FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
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December 1 |
The Congregation |
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December 8 |
The Congregation |
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December 15 |
Jill Clark in memory of her aunt, Barbara
Bertman |
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December 22 |
The Congregation |
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December 29 |
The Congregation |
TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR
YOUR GENEROSITY!
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GENERAL FUND
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Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
DO YOU HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE
UNAFFILIATED?
Tell
them about BHBI and let them know that BHBI is Rochester’s friendliest
shul! Then 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.
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 the_schaffers@juno.com
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
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.
Each time you make a purchase after linking to Amazon.com from our web
page, BHBI gets a percentage of the purchase. Buy gifts or something for yourself and support BHBI at the
same time!!
PLEASE VISIT OR CALL OUR
ELDERLY MEMBERS!
Many of our elderly
members are no longer able to come to shul and would love to hear from their
BHBI friends. Please call or visit
them. They’d love to hear from you!
NEWS FROM ISRAEL
Excerpted from the Jerusalem Post
Uncovered
Ruins Thought to Be Palace of Queen Helena
Israeli archeologists
have uncovered a monumental Second Temple structure opposite the Temple Mount
that was likely Queen Helena’s palace.
The site was uncovered just outside the old city’s Dung Gate as
preparations were being made to expand the Western Wall parking lot. The site indicates that the City of
David was much largely than previously thought. The palace, which was dated to the end of the Second Temple
period was destroyed by the Romans with their conquest of Jerusalem. Queen Helena was a wealthy Babylonian
aristocrat who converted to Judaism and moved to Jerusalem with her sons. According to the first-century
historian, Josephus, she was known for her generosity to the poor and for
building lavish buildings in the City of David. The unearthed palace includes massive foundation walls,
halls that are 2 stories high, a basement that was covered with vaults, and
remains of frescoes, water installations and ritual baths. Below it are remains from the early
Hellenistic period and artifacts from the time of the First Temple.
40
Iranian Jews Make Aliya
The largest-ever single
group of Iranian immigrants arrived in Israel on December 25th. Many Iranian Jews left Iran in a steady
stream after the fall of the shah in 1979. Before the Islamic Revolution in Iran in that year, 125,000
Jews lived there. Currently,
25,000 remain in Iran. Most of
those who left resettled in the U.S. (mostly in the Los Angeles area) and a
small percentage went to Israel.
Prior to the arrival of the latest group, 200 Iranian Jews had resettled
in Israel this year.
Israeli-Authored
Resolution Approved at the UN
For the first time in
history, a non-political Israeli-authored resolution was adopted by the
UN. The resolution, which calls on
member states to work with UN organizations to promote the development and
transfer of agricultural technologies to developing countries was passed by the
UN’s Economics and Finance Committee by a vote of 118 in favor, 29 abstentions,
and no opposing votes.
Lance
Armstrong to Cycle in Israel in Honor of the Nation’s 60th
Anniversary
Seven-time Tour de France
winner, Lance Armstrong, has accepted an invitation to participate in the inauguration
of a bike trail between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as part of Israel’s 60th
anniversary celebrations.
77
Year Old Soldier Honored
Septuagenarian Lt. Col.
Ze’ev Ram was awarded the Israeli Army’s 2nd Lebanon War military
ribbon on December 18th.
Ram, a survivor of the concentration camps in Europe, came to Israel at
age 17 a few months before the establishment of the state in 1948. He served in Israel’s War of
Independence and in every one of Israel’s wars ever since. He continues to do reserve duty and was
called up to service in the 2006 Lebanon War. When asked when he will stop doing reserve duty, he replied,
“Never, unless my legs stop working or they kick me out.”
Controversy in Israel
About Arms Smuggling Video
The Jerusalem Post recently revealed that Israel transferred videos
to Washington documenting Egyptian soldiers assisting Hamas in smuggling
weapons and explosives from Sinai to the Gaza Strip. The videos were to be shown to members of Congress who are
currently re-evaluating how much money the U.S. should be giving Egypt in
military and civilian aid.
However, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has prevented the Israeli Embassy
in Washington from showing the tapes to members of Congress in order to avoid a
major diplomatic rift with Egypt.
This action by the Foreign Ministry has resulted in considerable
controversy in Israeli political circles with Foreign Minister Livni needing to
defend her actions before the Knesset.
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.
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January 4 - 5 |
Tevet - Shevat |
January 11 - 12 |
Shevat |
January 18 - 19 |
Shevat |
January 25 - 26 |
Shevat |
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Ida Boyarsky* Philip Hershkowitz Joe Lazarus* Jack Glazer Jean Spencer Morris Weinstein* Etta Levinson* Ida Silver* |
27 27 28 28 1 2 4 4 |
Sidney Applebaum* Jacob Komenski* Morris Suskind* Max Springut Herman Strauss* Dvora Brodie* Samuel Goldman* Daniel Hirsch* Hyman Aaron Nusbaum* |
6 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 |
Miriam Weinberger* Anna Sanow* Abraham Newell* Rose Salzberg Gidda Strauss* Morris Gurian* Stanley Clark Samuel Spencer Gitla Perkal* |
12 13 13 14 16 17 18 18 18 |
Besse Gold Benjamin Lapides* Alexander Phillips Simon Pogal* Jacob Rubenstein Sarah Maltinsky* Bernard Falk* * Denotes name memorialized
on BHBI Memorial Plaque |
20 20 21 21 21 23 25 |
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.
Please Support Our
Advertisers
OFFICE: 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.
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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