Published Monthly

BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol 43/No 5

Shevat/Adar 5769

February 2009

Editor: Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

February Presidentís Message

Friends,

As some of you know, this President's message that appears each month in our Bulletin is due at our Bulletin Editor's on the 21st of each month, so as to allow Stan to put the Bulletin together and get it out to you on time by the start of each month. Often I am not sure what I should write to you about. This month was turning out particularly so, since we have had no special events or particularly exciting news. But as they say, the Lord will provide.

This month we were provided with a burst radiator! On Tuesday, January 20, on one of the coldest nights in recent Rochester memory, a radiator on the second floor of our building froze, and then burst. The damage was discovered by our caretaker William. Upon returning to the building from his night job around midnight, William was shocked to find water pouring though the ceiling of our sanctuary. Reacting quickly he called 911 which sent the fire department out to investigate. William and the firemen located the source of the flood as a burst radiator above the sanctuary and shut the water off to the building. The firemen helped extrude some of the water from the floor of the sanctuary, and William spent many hours mopping up the rest. We truly owe William our sincere appreciation for his quick action and diligent work. Our thanks also to the Rochester Fire Department!

Fortunately there was no damage to the Ark and our Torah scrolls, nor to any of our prayer books or chumashim. However the ceiling of the sanctuary sustained substantial damage and approximately 1/3 of it must be replaced. As of my writing this message, we have just begun the process of drying out the building and contracting to repair the damage. Preliminary estimates suggest that it may take several weeks until our building returns to normal. We are considering different possibilities for continuing services in this interim period. For the immediate future, Temple Beth Am has graciously offered to host us for Shabbat services. Please check our website (www.BHBIRochester.org) for updates on services and the current state of repairs.

See you (hopefully soon) at shul,

Steve Teitel

We Welcome Our Newest Members

We are happy to announce that we have recently welcomed 2 new members: Cathy Block, who recently came to our community from Illinois, and Esther Vogelstein, who was previously a BHBI member and has rejoined. Please say hello to them the next time that you see them in shul.

Do You Know Anyone Who is Unaffiliated and Interested in Joining a Congregation?

Let them know about BHBIís 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!!

Join Us for Torah Study

Join congregants from BHBI, Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David for Torah study at BHBI on Wednesday evening, January 14th at 7:30 p.m. Our joint Torah study sessions are always most interesting and engaging!

BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – FEBRUARY 2009

(Note Shabbat Service Times and Places Are Tentative Depending on the Progress of Repairs at BHBI)

Sunday	Feb 1	9:00 AM	Service and Discussion Upstairs at BHBI
Friday	Feb 6	6:00 PM	Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Light candles at 5:11 PM
Saturday	Feb 7	10:00 AM	Joint Shabbat Morning Services with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Torah: Beshalach
Sunday	Feb 8	9:00 AM	Service and Discussion Upstairs at BHBI
Monday	Feb 9	7:30 PM	BHBI Board Meeting at the Creative Arts Room at the Summit
Wednesday	Feb 11	7:30 PM	Joint Small Shul Collaborative Torah Study Session Upstairs at BHBI
Friday	Feb 13	8:00 PM	Joint Shabbat Evening Services with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Light candles at 5:20 PM
Saturday	Feb 14	9:00 AM	Scout Shabbat and Joint Service at Temple Beth David Torah: Yitro
Sunday	Feb 15	9:00 AM	Service and Discussion Upstairs at BHBI
Friday	Feb 20	7:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Service at Heather Heights in Pittsford Light candles at 5:29 PM.
Saturday	Feb 21	10:00 AM	Tentative Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Torah: Mishpatim
Sunday	Feb 22	9:00 AM	Service and Discussion Upstairs at BHBI
Friday	Feb 27	6:00 PM	Tentative Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at the JCC Senior Adult Lounge Light candles at 5:38 PM
Saturday	Feb 28	9:00 AM	Tentative Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth David at Beth David Torah: Terumah

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

TU BíSHEVAT

This year, Tu bíShevat, the New Year for trees falls on Monday, February 9^th. While the ground here in Rochester wonít be quite ready to plant a tree then, it is a good day to consider how one can work toward preserving the environment.

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.

Feb 6-7

Shevat

Feb 13-14

Shevat

Feb 20-21

Shevat-Adar

Feb 27-28

Adar

Abraham Newell*

Anna Sanow

Rose Salzberg

Gidda Strauss*

Morris Gurian*

Stanley Clark

Samuel Spencer

Gitla Perkal*

* Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

Besse Gold

Benjamin Lapides*

Alexander Phillips

Simon Pogal*
Jacob Rubinstein*

Sarah Maltinsky*

Bernard Falk*

Marian Bernstein*

Ada Goldstein*

Samuel Keyfetz*

Lottie Fink*

Rose Ring

Henrietta Schaffer

Boris Schvarts

Sam Finkelstein*

Paula Lewin

Werner Schaffer

Philip Schiff*

Anna Solomon

Betty Glaser

Anna Ruderman*

Hyman Sablowsky*

Celia Lapides*

Anna Ainspan

Dora Newell*

William Schwartz*

Edith Berkowitz*

Samuel Goldstein*

Fanny Techler Levinson*

Max Metlay

Nachema Pincus

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.

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

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY

January 3	The Congregation
January 10	Phil and Annette Garver in memory of Nathan Goldberg
January 17	The Congregation

TO OUR DONORS -- THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

GENERAL FUND

Nina Klionsky and Leon Metlay

The Louis B. and Molly Wolk Foundation

In memory of Max Springut

Lyn and Jeff Springut

TORAH FUND

Ira Cohen

EVENTS IN THE JEWISH COMMUNITY

A WALK THROUGH JERUSALEM

The Jewish Community Federation invites children to experience a traveling interactive exhibit, A Walk Through Jerusalem, at the JCC February 1 – 15. Children can travel through eight Gates of Jerusalem to explore this unique and timeless city. Experience the sights, sounds and smells of Jerusalem right here at home... through fun activities, archaeological finds, artifacts, poetry, music and games. This award-winning exhibit has already been experienced by over 50,000 adults and children around the country.

The Jewish Community Federation is Sponsoring 2 Israel Updates in February:

Hear Benjamin Krasna, Deputy Consul General of Israel
Deputy Consul General Krasna will speak about the current situation in the Middle East at Temple Bírith Kodesh on Monday, February 9^th at 7 p.m. There is no charge to attend. Everyone is welcome.

HEAR PROFESSOR REUVEN HAZAN
Professor Hazan is a noted political scientist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem who lectures widely on the Middle East and has written 2 books on Israelís parliamentary democracy. He will be speaking at Temple Bírith Kodesh on Wednesday, February 18^th at 7 p.m. There is no charge to attend. Everyone is welcome.

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

FEDERATION SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY

The Jewish Community Federation of Greater Rochester is pleased to announce the availability of need-based awards for Jewish young people between the ages of 13 and 21, participating in accredited Israel programs. In addition to Israel trips, funds may be applied to other upcoming Jewish travel experiences, Jewish high school programs, and college courses with Jewish content. Spring distributions will be made for programs to take place summer 2009 or during the next year. The deadline for application is March 15, 2009. For a full description of the scholarship guidelines, contact Josh Boress, Coordinator of Teen Educational & Israel Trips by phone at 461-0490 or email jboress@jewishrochester.org.

FUN PRESIDENTIAL FACTS

In honor of Presidentsí Day, which falls this month, here are some interesting facts about presidents and Jews:

This president famously stated: ìÖ to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance Öî after he visited the Touro synagogue in Newport, RI.

George Washington

This president wrote: ìThe Romans and their empire were but a bauble in comparison to the Jews. They have given religion to three-quarters of the globe and have influenced the affairs of mankind more and happily than any other nation, ancient or modern.î

John Adams

This president opposed ratification of a treaty with Switzerland because it allowed Swiss cantons to deny entry to Jews, and by doing so firmly established that the U.S. government should not make ìany distinction between its citizens founded on differences in religious beliefs.î

Millard Fillmore

This president responded to press articles questioning Jewsí loyalty by saying: ìNo class of citizenship in the United States was superior in patriotism to those of the Jewish faith.î

Abraham Lincoln

This president was the first to guarantee the right of federal civil servants to observe the Sabbath.

Rutherford B. Hayes

This president brought his entire Cabinet to the laying of the cornerstone of a new synagogue in Washington, D.C. The chair on which he sat during that ceremony still holds a place of honor in that synagogue today.

William McKinley

This president was the first to order that Jewish military officers be given leave for the High Holy Days.

Theodore Roosevelt

This president proudly rescinded a commercial treaty with Czarist Russia because that country denied American Jews the right to travel freely within its borders; later on he publicly denounced Henry Fordís anti-Semitism.

William Howard Taft

This president nominated the first Jewish justice of the Supreme Court, resulting in confrontations within his administration and a blistering confirmation battle. Later, he endorsed the Balfour Declaration.

Woodrow Wilson

Despite intense pressure from the State Department, this president committed the U.S. to support the U.N. partition of mandatory Palestine and later immediately recognized the State of Israel when its independence was declared.

Harry Truman

In deciding to visit a concentration camp after its liberation, this future president would state: ìI did so deliberately in order to be in a position to give firsthand evidence of these things if ever in the future there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to propaganda.î

Dwight Eisenhower

A memorial to this president in the shape of a tree cut down before its prime is found in Jerusalem.

John F. Kennedy

Source: The Presidents of the United States and the Jews by David G. Dalin and Alfred I. Kolatch

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?

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