BHBIRochester

BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol 44/No 11

Av- 5770

August 2010

Editor: Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

August President’s Message

Friends,

August is upon us and the High Holy Days are just around the corner. Where has the summer gone? During July there was a moving Tisha b’Av service (with thanks to Gary Cohen, Sam Asher, and Rabbi Berg from Beth David). We also had a good time at the joint picnic with Beth Am (with thanks to Ami Schmerl, Judith Mercer, and everyone who helped.) There will be plenty going on in August.

First, I want you to know that we will continue to have Rabbi Goldberg as our spiritual leader for the coming year. He will lead at least 16 joint services for Beth Am and us, with more services as money is donated to the Rabbi fund. He will next be leading services at BHBI on August 14^th.

Our schedule of joint services will be modified for the coming year. The second Friday of the month will always be at Beth Am and the second Saturday of the month will be at BHBI. If there is a fifth Friday in the month it will be at BHBI and if there is a fifth Saturday it will be at Beth Am. For those of you who come regularly on Shabbat morning, services are always at BHBI except the fifth one.

During August many of our regular members are traveling. Please make an effort to come on Shabbat mornings, so that we can be sure to have a minyan.

One Shabbat we don’t have to worry about a minyan will be on August 21^st when Jacob Schaffer will become Bar Mitzvah. You’ll want to come to that to see Jacob shine.

There is one more picnic in the offing: Friday, August 27^th will be Moo Shu and Borochu, a kosher Chinese meal cooked by Steve Teitel. It will be advertised as an open house for prospective new members. Please come to meet, greet, and eat.

This year again we will be sponsoring a Yizkor booklet in cooperation with Beth Am. Please look on pages 8 and 9 of this bulletin for information and a response form, and remember your loved ones.

Finally, looking ahead to September, the Selichot service will be held at Beth Am on Saturday evening, September 4^th, starting with a movie and discussion at 8:45 PM and service at 10:30.

Have a fun August,

Shalom,

Leon Metlay

What is Moo Shu and Borochu?

Bring an appetite to BHBI on Friday, August 27th at 5:30 pm and find out

(for more details and reservation information, see page 7)

The High Holy Days Are Almost Here

To place a High Holy Day greeting for the September Bulletin see page 6.

Let your friends know that we sell High Holy Day tickets for just $100.

Pages 8&9 have info about submitting names of loved ones for the Yizkor book.

BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – AUGUST 2010

Sunday	Aug 1	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion
Friday	Aug 6	7:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Service at Heather Heights in Pittsford Light candles at 8:07 PM
Saturday	Aug 7	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Re’ei Blessing for the new month.
Sunday	Aug 8	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion
Monday	Aug 9	7:30 PM	Monthly Meeting of the BHBI Board of Trustees
Wednesday	Aug 11	7:30 PM	Small Shul Collaborative Torah Study Session at BHBI
Friday	Aug 13	8:00 PM	Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am Light candles at 7:57 PM
Saturday	Aug 14	9:30 AM	Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI with Rabbi Goldberg officiating Torah: Shoftim
Sunday	Aug 15	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion
Friday	Aug 20	8:00 PM	Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 7:46 PM
Saturday	Aug 21	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service and Bar Mitzvah of Jacob Schaffer Torah: Ki Teitzei
Sunday	Aug 22	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion
Friday	Aug 27	5:30 PM	Moo Shu and Borochu (BHBI Picnic) followed by Shabbat Evening Service at 7:30 PM Light candles at 7:35 PM
Saturday	Aug 28	9:30 AM	Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Ki Tavo
Sunday	Aug 29	9:00 AM	Service, Breakfast and Discussion

VISITS TO ELDERLY MEMBERS

Many of our elderly members do not have much opportunity to get out and would love visitors. Please visit them when you have an opportunity. Esther Solomon, Ella Finkelman, Ben Hobel, Alan Fishman, Maxine Gold and Erika Gunder are at the Jewish Home, Muriel Hobel and Harry Rogachefsky are at Heather Heights, and Paul and Rose Israel (who recently returned to Rochester from a time living in Florida) are now residing in Greece.

ROSH HASHANAH PACKAGES FOR OUR ARMED SERVICES

We are participating in an effort being put together by our friends at Temple Beth David to send Rosh Hashanah packages of goodies to Jewish members of the armed services who are serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait and other countries around the world. The packages contain grape juice, challah, honey, dried apples, honey cake and other items. To donate to this very worthy project, complete the form below, send a check to Temple Beth David, 3200 St. Paul Blvd., Rochester, NY 14617 and write “Soldiers Rosh Hashanah Project” on the memo line. Donations should be sent by Monday, August 16^th. If you have questions, please contact Keith Freedman at kdfreedy@aol.com

Yes, I want to help send a Rosh Hashanah Care Package to a Jewish Soldier.

Name: ___________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________

E-mail/ Phone #:___________________________________

Amount of Donation: $ _______

FROM THE RABBI’S DESK

RABBI GEOFFREY GOLDBERG

August 2010

To my surprise, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, finally decided not to allow the proposed “Rotem” conversion bill to move forward. For the time being, no new conversion law will be allowed to be submitted for the next six months, and Natan Sharansky, Head of the Jewish Agency for Israel, will lead a committee of the Reform, Masorti (Conservative) and Orthodox movements to work towards finding a solution to a problem that has been threatening to tear Israel and Israeli-Diaspora relations asunder. Prime Minister Netanyahu himself realized that the proposed bill “could tear apart the Jewish people.” How far he was influenced by the consternation of Diaspora Jewry and the sending of over 60,000 e-mails (one of which was sent by me) from the United States against the proposed legislation is anyone’s guess, but I would hope he was influenced more by voices within Israel itself.

The original intent of the “Rotem” conversion bill was to ease conversion, especially for thousands of immigrants from the former Soviet Union who, while Israeli citizens under the Law of Return, are not considered Jewish by halakhic standards. However, control of conversions would have been vested exclusively in the hands of the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate which, in recent years, has moved far away from a more open and tolerant religious Zionism of former years. The ultra-orthodox vs. liberal religious and secular divide in Israel is getting wider. Reportage of repression of alternative expressions of Judaism has been headline news here in the United States, in the press and on radio and television, and it is not a pretty picture.

What gets lost in this struggle, which is primarily about power and politics, is that the actual teachings of Judaism on the subject of conversion seem to get ignored. There is, of course, a voluminous literature on the subject, halakhic and historical. A locus classicus is to be found in a Beraita (a source from the time of the Mishnah, but not included in the Mishnah itself) in Tractate Yevamot 47a-b we read:

…. And we inform him [the candidate for conversion] of some of the minor (easier) and some of the major (more difficult) commandments. He is informed of the sins connected with the laws of gleaning, the forgotten sheaf, the corner of the field and the tithe for the poor; and we inform him of the punishments for transgressions of the mitzvot…..Forbidden fats…Shabbat…..We inform him of the punishments for transgression and the rewards….but we do not enlarge on the matter (ein marbin alav) and we do not go into detail (ein medakdekin alav)…..When he is healed [after circumcision], arrangements are made for his immediate immersion, two learned men stand by his side and acquaint him of some of the minor (easier) and some of the major (more difficult) commandments….

Remarkably we find here no explicit demand for acceptance of `ol ha-mitzvot (accepting the yoke of all the commandments). On the same page of the Talmud, in an aggadic passage, Ruth’s declaration that “Your people shall be my people” is taken to symbolize acceptance of the 613 mitzvot—but this is pure homiletics and not halakhah.

Later, Maimonides codified the procedures and requirements for conversion, in his Mishneh Torah. In Laws of Forbidden Relationships (one of 4 statements) the Rambam wrote the following:

14:2. We inform him of some minor and some more weightier mitzvot but we do not elaborate (ein ma’arikhin) in this matter…. We do not go into details less we disturb him and cause him to turn aside from the good path to the bad path (for) at the beginning we only draw a person in (moshekh) with intentionally gentle words (be-divrei ratzon rakhim).

13:4. When the gentile wishes to enter the Covenant and “find shelter under the Shekhinah” he should accept upon himself “the yoke of the Torah” (`ol ha-Torah).

Note here Maimonides phrase `ol ha-Torah. He probably chose this phrase so as to include understanding of the ideas and concepts of Judaism in addition to basic mitzvot, just as we have this requirement today. Hence the following ruling of Maimonides: (continued on page 4)

FROM THE RABBI’S DESK (CONTINUED):

14:2. We inform him of the principles of the religion (dat, “religion”) that is the unity of God, the forbidding of idol worship, and on these we elaborate, and we inform him of some minor and some weightier mitzvot, but we don’t elaborate on this matter.

I always find the statements of both the Talmud and Maimonides as especially refreshing. The sincere convert is lead gently towards acceptance of the essential practices of the Torah and the basic ideas of Judaism without requiring observance of every detail. Of course, it is not difficult to find other statements and other requirements and negative opinions towards converts in general, but if you ask me, the locus classicus of Yevamot 47a-b and the codification of the Jewish law according to Rambam remain the finest (and sanest) expressions on the subject. If the spirit of both these sources was followed in Israel (and elsewhere) today, thousands of Israeli citizens (who serve in the army, give their lives for the country, speak Hebrew) would by now have had their Jewish status normalized and be able to marry ke-dat Moshe ve-Yisrael.

Rabbi Geoffrey Goldberg

TORAH STUDY

Join congregants from Temple Beth Am, Temple Beth David and BHBI for our monthly Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Torah Study session at BHBI on Wednesday evening, August 11^th at 7:30 p.m. The discussion is always lively and engaging!

BAR MITZVAH OF JACOB SCHAFFER

August 21, 2010

Jake is the son of Stan and Elaine Schaffer and is the younger brother of Aviva and Aaron.

He is a rising 8^th grader at Twelve Corners Middle School in Brighton. He recently had a major role in the Brighton Summer Arts production of Thoroughly Modern Millie Junior. Jake’s hobbies include sports, reading and acting (he’s a natural!). His bar mitzvah will be held on his 13^th birthday according to the Hebrew calendar. He’s looking forward to having his relatives and friends all come to celebrate his bar mitzvah with him.

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.

August 6-7

Av-Elul

August 13-14

Elul

August 20-21

Elul

August 27-28

Elul

Ruben Klein*

Esther Marker*

Sarah Weisenberg*

Harry Eber*

Bernard W. Engel*

Rose Gordon

Paul Snyder

Eva Lederman*

Albert Joffe*

Harold Krinsky*

Ethel Strom*

Tanya Yudelson

Harold Schulman

Celia Goodman*

Jennie Levinson

Esther Mandelbaum

Irving Mack*

Fran Dubin Gulack

David Nidetz

Anna Zakofsky*

Sylvia Album*

Morris Mittelman*

Isidor Hess*

Frumeh Hinensky*

Joseph Taub

A. Ben Glaser*

Celia Wolk*

Leonard Mayer Grossman*

Albert Perahya

Pearl Gross

Abraham Goldman*

Maurice Seide*

Hyman Senzel*

Bessie Cominsky*

* 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.

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!!

WHEELCHAIR LIFT

Please note that our wheelchair lift is now fully installed and operational. If you are someone who has stayed away from services because of difficulty climbing our stairs, know that there is now a safe, easy and convenient way to join us once again. Please come and give it a try! There is a conveniently located button to press should you need assistance. So don’t delay any longer – join us at BHBI services and events! Of course, contributions to help with the expense of the lift are still welcome.

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

TO OUR DONORS – THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

GENERAL FUND

Phil and Annette Garver

John Rothbard

In memory of Haim Menachem Levy

Paul and Rose Israel

In memory of Moses Berkowitz

Gloria Berkowitz

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF JULY

July 10^th	Nina Klionsky and Leon Metlay in memory of their daughter, Nelli Ahuva Metlay
July 17^th	The Congregation
July 21^st	Ruth and Steve Teitel in honor of Janet Grable
July 28^th	Ruth and Steve Teitel in memory of Steve’s father, Joseph Teitel

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!! Free high holy day tickets are included too!

GOODSEARCH.COM

Goodsearch.com is an on-line internet search program that pays non-profit organizations like BHBI a fee every time someone uses their search service. Go to www.goodsearch.com, enter the search term that you want and put in BHBI on the line where it says Who Do You Goodsearch For? BHBI will collect a fee for each search you make!

THE RABBI GOLDBERG FUND

Contributions to the Rabbi Goldberg Fund enable us to engage Rabbi Goldberg to lead additional services at BHBI during the year. Whenever the funds in the Rabbi Goldberg Fund reach a predetermined level, we will schedule an additional service with Rabbi Goldberg. To contribute to this purpose, please send a check in to BHBI with a notation that the contribution should be used for the Rabbi Goldberg Fund.

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HIGH HOLY DAY GREETINGS

Would you like to have your name(s) listed with the High Holy Day greetings that will appear in the September issue of the BHBI Bulletin? If so, please complete the form below and send it in to BHBI along with a check for $5. The deadline for the receipt of this information is August 23^rd.

BHBI BULLETIN HIGH HOLY DAY GREETING – TO APPEAR IN SEPTEMBER BULLETIN

Name(s) to be listed on greeting: __________________________________________________________

Send to BHBI, 1369 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618 along with a check for $5 made out to BHBI

Mrs. Esther Solomon is turning 104 years old!

Celebrate with her and her many friends and relatives at the Jewish Home on Sunday, August 8^th from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m.

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Moo Shu and Borochu

BHBI’s Outdoor Chinese Food Dinner for Members and Prospective Members on Friday, August 27^th

5:30 p.m. – Get together

6:00 p.m. – Dinner

7:30 p.m. – Friday evening service

The menu will tentatively include:

hot and sour soup
steamed turkey dumplings
teriyaki chicken on a stick
moo shu beef
oven steamed salmon
stir fried vegetables
steamed or fried rice

Cost: $10 for adults, $7 for children ages 12 and under

Prospective new members are invited to attend free of charge as our guests

Reservations are due by Monday, August 23^rd.

Name(s) of those attending: _____________________________________________________

Number of adults attending: _______ Number of children attending: _______

Attendees are: Members Prospective members (Circle one). Amount enclosed: $_______

Please send this reservation form to BHBI, 1369 East Ave., Rochester, NY 14610 or RSVP by phone (244-2060) or by e-mail (bhbi@frontiernet.net).

OFFICE: The synagogue office is checked regularly for mail and messages. The synagogue 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, Rabbi Goldberg Fund 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