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BHBIRochester.org Published Monthly Vol 42/No 10 Av-Elul 5768 August 2008 Editor: Stan Schaffer |
Congregation
Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel B U L L E T I N |
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August
President’s Message Friends,
Our first Simon Finkelman Memorial Shabbaton was a great success! Over 30 people turned out for Shabbat
evening dinner and services to welcome our special guest, Rabbi Shamai
Kanter. Attendance at Saturday
services and the following lecture was even higher. We were joined by Simon's wife Ella, and we were
especially happy that Simon's daughter Triss and her husband Bob were able to
come all the way from New York City.
Our most distant participants were former members, the Anbars, who
came all the way from Arizona!
Rabbi Kanter's two talks, one on the weekly Torah portion and one on a
particular prayer in the daily liturgy, spoke to the essence of what it means
to live a Jewish life. Both
talks were thought provoking and very well received. It is clear we have set a high
standard for future Shabbatons in this series! I would like to thank everyone who turned out for this
very fitting memorial to our dear friend Simon. I would like especially to thank Rabbi Kanter for
generously sharing his time with us, Harry Rogachefsky for sponsoring the
lavish Saturday kiddush, and Judith Mercer, Emily Fishman, Janet Grable and
Jeff Nidetz who helped with food preparation and setup for the dinner and
kiddush. Coming
up in August we will celebrate the 102nd birthday of Rabbetzin
Mrs. Esther Solomon! All members
and friends are invited to the birthday celebration Sunday, August 3, from 1
to 4 pm in the Atkins Center of the Jewish Home. Our Tisha B'Av service will take place this year at BHBI
on Saturday evening August 9. A
light meal and study session will begin at 8:00 p.m., followed by the service
at 9:05 p.m. The study session
and service will be held jointly with our friends from Temple Beth
David. Our annual new members
barbecue has been postponed from its usual time in August to early September,
so please look for further information in our September Bulletin. As
many of you may have already heard, Temple Beth David of Irondequoit is
currently considering relocating to Brighton and has approached BHBI about
the possibility of a merger or partnership. The relocation of Temple Beth David would clearly impact
BHBI no matter how we decide to respond. In consultation with the Board, I have therefore decided
to appoint a Strategic Planning Committee to assess the current state of our
Congregation and consider options for our future. I have asked Leon Metlay, Judith Mercer, Stan Schaffer,
and Janet Grable to serve on this committee. I will chair the committee. Please feel free to contact me, or any member of the
committee, if you have questions or concerns. Of course no action to alter the constitution, character
or location of our Congregation will take place without open discussion and a
vote by the membership. See you in shul,
Steve
Teitel |
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Check out our website at www.BHBIRochester.org
You won’t be disappointed!
Indeed, our web site is
so popular that it has had over 3,600 ‘hits’ since it was started about 2 years
ago! When you go to the web site
you will find an interesting history of BHBI and the Rochester Jewish
community, information about services and upcoming events, photos from past
BHBI events, an on-line version of this and past bulletins, our very own Adon
Olam songbook, and much, much more!
BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – AUGUST 2008
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Friday |
Aug 1 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Services Light candles at 8:12 PM. |
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Saturday |
Aug 2 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services
Torah: Masei
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Sunday |
Aug 3 |
9:00 AM 1-4 PM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion Birthday Celebration for Mrs. Esther Solomon at the Jewish
Home |
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Friday |
Aug 8 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Services with Congregants from Temple Beth
Am at Beth Am Light candles at 8:03 PM |
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Saturday |
Aug 9 |
9:30 AM 8:00 PM 9:05 PM |
Joint Shabbat Morning Services with Congregants from Temple Beth Am at BHBI Torah: Devarim Light Meal and Joint Pre-Tisha b’Av Study Session with Congregants from Temple Beth David at BHBI Joint Tisha b’Av Service with Congregants from Temple Beth David at BHBI |
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Sunday |
Aug 10 |
9:00 AM |
Service and Discussion |
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Monday |
Aug 11 |
7:30 PM |
BHBI Board Meeting |
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Wednesday |
Aug 13 |
7:30 PM |
Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Joint Torah Study
Session at BHBI |
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Friday |
Aug 15 |
7:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Services at Heather Heights in Pittsford Light candles at 7:53 PM |
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Saturday |
Aug 16 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Vaetchanan |
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Sunday |
Aug 17 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
Aug 22 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 7:42 PM. |
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Saturday |
Aug 23 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services
Torah: Eikev
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Sunday |
Aug 24 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
Aug 29 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 7:31 PM. |
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Saturday |
Aug 30 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Services
Torah: Re’ei Blessing for the new month
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Sunday |
Aug 31 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
When was the last time that
you heard news of Israel from the source?
If you are relying on the
general news medial to give you a picture of what is happening in Israel, you
are missing a lot and getting a very skewed idea of what’s happening! To get a much more complete picture of
life in Israel, consider subscribing to the Jerusalem Post International
Edition which is published weekly or checking out the internet web sites of the
Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com), Haaretz
(www.haaretz.com) or Y-Net (www.ynetnews.com). You can also go to the link to the English language
broadcast of the Israel Broadcasting Authority’s daily television news
program. Check it out at www.iba.org.il
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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Aug 1-2 |
Av |
Aug 15-16 |
Av |
Aug 22-23 |
Av |
Aug 29-30 |
Av-Elul |
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Sydney Gold Louis Schiff* Ray Bloch Benjamin Bobb Joseph Greenbaum* Moses Berkowitz* Dave Kovel Kathy Shur* |
1 1 2 2 2 3 5 5 |
Samuel Gross Abraham Heyman* Phillip Boyarsky* Jennie Braime* Abraham I. Spector* Alexander Aronov * Denotes name memorialized
on BHBI Memorial Plaque |
15 17 18 20 20 21 |
Morris Ohl* Sarah Applebaum Gastel* Israel Osband* Bessie Gastel* Rose T. Cohen Jacob Osband* Samuel Wechsler* Ruben Klein* Esther Marker* Sarah Weisenberg* |
21 22 22 25 26 26 26 27 27 28 |
Harry Eber* Bernard W. Engel* Rose Gordon Paul Snyder Eva Lederman* Albert Joffe* Harold Krinsky* Ethel Strom* Tanya Yudelson |
30 30 30 1 2 4 4 4 5 |
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Aug 8-9 |
Av |
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Anna Berman* George Cohen* William Aaron Bernstein* Haim Menachem Levy Hyman Silverman* Frank Carper* Sarah R. Spector* |
8 8 9 12 12 13 13 |
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.
PORTRAIT OF THE ROCHESTER
JEWISH COMMUNITY
In 1999, the Jewish
Community Federation researched and put together a portrait of the Rochester
Jewish community which was released the following year. This important document illustrates the
demographic trends that are affecting our community. Important findings from the document include the following:
·
In 1999, Jews
constituted 3% of the Monroe County population. Brighton was 17% Jewish while Pittsford was 14% Jewish. A smaller proportion of the Jewish
community currently lives in Brighton and Pittsford than was the case in 1988.
·
The size of the
portion of the Jewish community living in Brighton declined by 20% (from 14,300
to 10,200) between 1988 and 1999 while the portion living in Pittsford rose by
18% (from 3,300 to 3,900) in the same time period.
·
The median age of
Jews living in Brighton was 48 years compared to a median age of 41 years for
Jews living in Pittsford. 26% of
Jews living in Brighton were age 65 or over compared to 12% for Pittsford.
·
Over half of adult
children who grew up in our Jewish community now live outside Monroe County.
·
In 1999, 41% of
local Jews considered themselves Reform, compared to 25% who considered
themselves Conservative, 6% who considered themselves Orthodox, and 29% who
considered themselves ‘Just Jewish’.
Compared to 1986, the percentage of Conservative Jews has declined
significantly, from 38% to 25% of the community. The percentage of Reform and Orthodox Jews has not changed
significantly, but the percentage of ‘Just Jews’ has increased from 20% to 29%.
·
62% of marriages
within the Jewish community are between 2 people who were both born Jews, 30%
involve intermarriages between a Jewish spouse and a non-Jewish spouse who has
not converted to Judaism, and 8% of marriages are between a spouse who was born
Jewish and a spouse who converted to Judaism.
·
1/3 of single local
Jews do not think it is important that the person who they marry be Jewish.
THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH
SPONSORS
FOR THE MONTH OF JULY
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June 5 |
Ira Cohen in
honor of his brother, Peter Cohen’s 60th birthday |
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June 12 |
The Congregation |
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June 19 |
Harry Rogachefsky in honor of Rabbi Shamai
Kanter and in support of the Simon Finkelman Memorial Shabbaton |
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June 26 |
Karen Schulman in memory of her mother, Louise
Ruth Schulman |
TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR
YOUR GENEROSITY!
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RABBI AARON SOLOMON SCHOLARSHIP FUND
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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 or your family and
support BHBI at the same time!!
TISHA B’AV
What
is the significance of Tisha b’Av?
Tisha b’Av, or the 9th day of the Hebrew month of Av, is a
day of mourning and a fast day because of the many calamities that have
befallen the Jewish people on that date.
The ancient First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians on Tisha b’Av
as was the Second Temple by the Romans in 70CE. Bar Kochba’s rebellion was put down on Tisha b’Av in 135 CE
with a terrible massacre of huge proportions. In 1492, Tisha b’Av was the date by which the Jews had to
leave Spain, lest they be caught in the Inquisition if they stayed. Finally, World War I, a conflict that
uprooted many Jewish communities, also started on Tisha b’Av. This year, Tisha b’Av starts on the
evening of Saturday, August 9th, and we will be having a joint
program with congregants from Temple Beth David at BHBI that evening.
Do you have friends who
are unaffiliated?
Tell
them about BHBI and let them know that BHBI is Rochester’s friendliest
congregation! Then invite them to
attend any of our services – they will be sure to get a wonderful
welcome. In addition, this year we
are offering a free 3-month trial membership including free High Holy Day
tickets to individuals and families who have not previously been members of
BHBI and who have not previously purchased High Holy Day tickets at BHBI. Tell your friends about this great
offer!
A message from the
coordinator of Yahrzeit reminders, Herbert Spencer.
The month of
September/Elul will mark 6 months since I began sending out yahrzeit
notices. As we approach the High
Holiday Season, I would like to remind you all that, if you received the notice
from me and there was an error, please let me know so that I may correct
it. If during the last 6 months
you have had a yahrzeit and have not received a notice but would like to
receive notices in the future, kindly let me know. By the same token if you wish to have your loved ones’ names
removed from the yahrzeit reminder list, also let me know. Everything is now computerized so it is
easy to add and remove data. My
E-Mail address is hspence1@rochester.rr.com
should you wish to contact me, or you may contact me by phone at 334-7493. Have a very Healthy and Happy
Holiday.
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, August 13th. Come and enjoy interesting conversation
and make new friends while gaining new insights into Torah! All are welcome.
Please Support Our
Advertisers
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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 |
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 making 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. A standard sponsored kiddush at BHBI costs just $40 while a larger enhanced kiddush is just $50.
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
Congregation Beth Hamedresh-Beth Israel
1369 East Avenue
Rochester, NY
14610