Published Monthly

BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol 43/No 3

Kislev-Tevet 5769

December 2008

Editor: Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

December President’s Message

Friends,

With our fall holiday season over, November has been a quiet month at BHBI. The leaves came down, the leaves got raked up, and now the snow has followed. Please take extra care when entering and leaving the building to avoid the usual winter weather hazards.

But if November has been quiet from the ritual point of view, there has been more than enough excitement on the national scene. After a long and intense election campaign the voters' choice has been made known. Along with a new administration entering the White House, next year will also see a record Jewish representation in Congress with 32 Jewish members of the House of Representatives and 13 Jewish Senators! Whatever your political orientation, it is now a time, as we say the Prayer for the Country each Shabbat, to truly wish that our newly elected leaders will guide the country through our present difficulties with wisdom and courage.

Upcoming in December we will, of course, have our annual shul Chanukah celebration. This year our party will take place on the first evening of the holiday, Sunday, December 21st, starting at 5 pm. Candle lighting and socializing will be followed by a traditional Chanukah dinner, complete with lentil soup, latkes, and more. As always, there will be entertainment for young and old alike! I think everyone who has attended our Chanukah celebration in recent years will agree that a very good time is always had by all. So don't miss out on the fun and the good time! Please get your reservations in by Monday, December 15th, so we can be certain to have enough latkes for all. You may mail in the reservation form found on Page 5 of this bulletin, or alternatively you may call (244-2060) or email (bhbi@frontiernet.net) the shul office. Friends and family are most welcome to join us!

See you in shul,

Steve Teitel

Join us for the BHBI Chanukah celebration on Sunday evening, December 21^st at 5 p.m.

Bring your menorahs, enjoy traditional Chanukah food and great company, and join in all the fun and games!

See the reservation form on Page 5

BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – DECEMBER 2008

Friday	Dec 5	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 4:17 PM
Saturday	Dec 6	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Vayeitzei
Sunday	Dec 7	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion
Monday	Dec 8	7:30 PM	BHBI Board of Trustees Meeting
Wednesday	Dec 10	7:30 PM	Joint Small Shul Collaborative Torah Study Session at BHBI
Friday	Dec 12	8:00 PM	Joint Shabbat Evening Services with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Light candles at 4:17 PM
Saturday	Dec 13	9:30 AM	Joint Shabbat Morning Services with Beth Am at BHBI Torah: Vayishlach
Sunday	Dec 14	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion
Friday	Dec 19	7:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Service at Heather Heights in Pittsford Light candles at 4:19 PM.
Saturday	Dec 20	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Vayeishev Blessing for the new month
Sunday	Dec 21	9:00 AM 5:00 PM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion BHBI Chanukah Celebration and Dinner
Friday	Dec 26	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 4:23 PM
Saturday	Dec 27	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Services Torah: Miketz
Sunday	Dec 28	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion

EVENTS IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

Be generous when a Super Sunday volunteer calls you on behalf of the Jewish Community Federation on Sunday, December 7^th. Volunteers are still being recruited to work 3 hours shifts at the Federation on Super Sunday. To volunteer, contact Suzanne Legeer at 461-0490 x243 or by e-mail at slegeer@jewishrochester.org

Join the community for a free family-centered Chanukah celebration at the Rochester Museum and Science Center on Sunday, December 14^th, beginning with a concert by Hillel Community Day School students at 3 p.m. and followed by activities for kids ages 5 to 13 from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. A light dairy dinner and holiday food will be available for purchase at the Science Center Café. Kosher snacks will also be available.

Kids ages 2-12 are invited to come to family challah-making workshops on either Thursday, December 18^th from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. or Friday, December 19^th from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Federation. Reservations are required at least 3 days before attending. Call Gerri Robbins at 461-0490 x247 or contact her by e-mail at grobbins@jewishrochseter.org to make your reservation.

Find out more about the upcoming Israeli elections at a special community forum led by Jewish Community Federation Executive Director Larry Fine at Temple Beth El on Thursday, December 18^th at 7:00 p.m.

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.

Dec 5-6

Kislev

Dec 12-13

Kislev

Dec 19-20

Kislev

Dec 26-27

Kislev - Tevet

Nathan Bernstein*

Beatryce Cohen*

J. Louis Shapiro*

Feist Hess*

Eleanor Teitel

Dr. Mark Blue

Wolf Schild*

Rachel Olkes*

Jack Soble*

Rebecca H. Nussbaum

Edward M. Hart

Rose Alderman*

Hyman Ring*

Ernst Beutler

Ida Taub

Ida Bobb

Sarah Hoffman*

Hyman Snyder

Michael Miller*

Emma Aranow*

Karen Cohen

Rose Marcus

Morris Kanthor*

Morton Fink*

Belle Lipsky

Abraham Weinstein*

Abraham Stolnitz*

Barbara Bertman*

Sigmund Traub*

* Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

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

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

Hank Greenberg – Legacy of a Jewish Superstar

By Melanie S. Greenberg

Reprinted from the American Jewish Historical Society’s Heritage Magazine

At 6 feet four inches tall, my grandfather was a towering figure with a personality to match. I spent weekends with him, in awe of his size and his presence. I listened to my father with eager fascination as he would recount for me the stories of my grandfather’s struggle to make a name for himself as a Jew in professional baseball. There was the anti-Semitism he faced as a first baseman for the Detroit Tigers after he broke into their lineup in 1933, when Jews were often persona non grata on the ball field. There was his decision to enlist in the army immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the first major-leaguer to sign up.

Then, of course, there is the event for which Hank is most famous – his refusal to play in an important game during a tight American League pennant race in 1934 because it fell on Yom Kippur. My grandfather was hardly religious, and he was not playing baseball to make a point. However, as a star in the big leagues, he had earned the respect and adoration of countless American Jews. He did not take that responsibility lightly, which is why he felt it necessary to make the statement that he would not compromise his heritage for the sake of the game. It was an affirmation for Jewish Americans everywhere.

As I grew older, my grandfather’s legacy was all that remained of my Jewish identity. The Hebrew lessons were forgotten and, when I went off to college, the Sabbath passed unobserved. Eventually, I even decided to forgo the annual trips to temple on Yom Kippur. Still, I always held onto that sense of pride in my heritage, that willingness to stand up and say, “Yeah, I’m Jewish. Got a problem with that?”

I recently traveled to Israel, a place that looms large in the imagination of every Jew but that I had never had the chance to visit. Spending time there altered and strengthened my understanding of my Jewish identity. Visiting Yad Vashem, Masada, the war-torn Golan Heights, the Wailing Wall made it personal. I had the opportunity to talk to people who lived there before 1948, to hear how they, their parents and their parents’ parents struggled against seemingly insurmountable odds to build a nation.

On my visit I learned that in 2003 the Polish Air Force had its 85^th anniversary and invited the Israeli Air Force to join them in celebrating. The Israelis agreed on one condition – that they be allowed to fly their planes over Auschwitz, where they would land and have a ceremony to honor the dead. Many of the pilots gave speeches, tearing up as they talked about what it signified to be flying their planes over the site where their grandparents had suffered and died. The pilots, though brimming with emotion, were also filled with pride because this symbolic mission was meant to suggest that those atrocities could never happen again. Hearing this story helped me internalize the significance of my grandfather’s missed game on Yom Kippur 74 years ago.

My experience in Israel culminated in the understanding that it is not enough to reduce being Jewish to eating bagels or cheering for Jewish athletes, even one as great as Hank. I realized that I have a duty as a Jew to adhere to the traditions of my people, study their history, learn their language. That is the best way to keep Jewish tradition alive, particularly in a world where some still seem determined to destroy it. I feel I owe it to the Jews who have suffered for their beliefs to practice my religion, for the simple reason that I can. I have the freedom to light candles on Shabbat, go to temple on the High Holy Days and study the Torah – to be a Jew. What better way to honor my grandfather for the stands he took?

In 1938, just before the start of World War II, when my grandfather was contending to break Babe Ruth’s single-season record of 60 home runs, he used to say that he thought of every home run that he hit as a home run against Hitler. When I returned from Israel, the first thing I did was hang a mezuzah on the doorpost of my apartment. That was my small way of hitting a home run against Hitler, too.

Do you know anyone who is unaffiliated and interested in joining a congregation?

Let them know about BHBI’s special free 3 month trial membership (available to prospective first-time new members only). Have them contact BHBI at 244-2060 or BHBI@frontiernet.net and we will be happy to give them information about BHBI and this great offer!!

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

November 1	The Congregation
November 8	The Congregation
November 15	Katharine Metlay in memory of her mother, Fanny Titof
November 22	Steve and Ruth Teitel in honor of Jack passing his Taekwondo black belt exam
November 29	The Congregation

TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

GENERAL FUND

Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Muriel Hobel

Steve and Ruth Teitel

In memory of Harold Krinsky

Rosemary Krinsky Hyland

In memory of her mother, Sofya Kaminnick

Nelly Vishnagorsky

In memory of Louis Gastel

David and Ruth Polur

Aharon Baruch

RABBI AARON SOLOMON SCHOLARSHIP FUND

In memory of parents Pauline and Eli Hobel and Anna and Samuel Solomon and brothers Irving, Abraham and Stanley Solomon

Ben and Muriel Hobel

In memory of Irving Solomon on his yahrzeit

Ben and Muriel Hobel

HIGH HOLY DAY BIMAH COVER

In memory of Tanya Yudelson

Joe Yudelson

TORAH STUDY

Join congregants from BHBI, Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David for Torah study at BHBI on Wednesday evening, December 10th at 7:30 p.m. Our joint Torah study sessions are always most interesting and engaging!

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!!

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

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 YY Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

Chanukah Dinner Reservation Form

Number of Adults and Children Ages 12 and Older Attending: _____

Number of Children Under Age 12 Attending: _____

Names: _________________________________________________________

Cost: $10 for adults and children 12 years of age and older. $6 for children under age 12. $36 family maximum.

Please return this form together with a check made out to BHBI, 1369 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14610, to be received no later than December 15^th.

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