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BHBIRochester.org Published Monthly Vol 45/No 3 Kislev-Tevet 5771 December 2010 Editor: Stan Schaffer |
Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel B U L L E T I N |
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December
President’s Message Friends: “Hanukkah is not the
most important date on the Jewish calendar. But don’t tell that to
retailers.” I groaned when I read these words in last Sunday’s D&C. I’m
sure some of you did too. What followed was a short article on kitchy items
retailers are selling to try to cash in on Chanukah. Want to buy a Star of
David bundt pan from Walmart’s? I thought not. Chanukah is very early
this year and I hope I will see you all at our party on Sunday December 5th
at 5:30. By the way, if you’re wondering why I use the spelling “Chanukah”, I
see it as closer to the Hebrew spelling: chet-nun-vav-kaf-hay. But perhaps
it’s just in reaction to the paper spelling it “Hanukkah”. Anyway, with Chanukah
so early, perhaps that will separate the Chanukah marketing a little better
from the Xmas marketing. December is hard enough to get through as it is
without enduring TV ads for Star of David bundt pans. My favorite trip to
Israel was in December of 1985. It was cold, wet, and miserable, and that was
inside the apartment. Some of our daytrips were canceled due to weather. But,
I didn’t see a plastic Santa Claus the whole time we were there, and the
pervasive commerciality was absent – for any holiday. Don’t get me wrong,
some of my best friends are Christians. I even know some Christians who take
their own religion seriously without being obnoxiously condescending to mine.
They should be well. Meanwhile, January is only a month away. Maybe I’ll have
something more creative to say next month. The other implication
of an early Chanukah is that this year is a leap year, there will be a second
month of Adar, so that Purim and Pesach and the High Holy Days will all be
later. We can look forward to an extra month to get the house ready for Pesach!
I can hardly wait. At this festive time we
should also remember our members Ben & Muriel Hobel, Esther Solomon,
Maxine Gold, Erika Gunder and Ella Finkelman who live at the Jewish Home and
Paul and Rose Israel who live in a senior living community in Greece. Please visit them if you have an
opportunity. Chappy Chanukah. B’shalom,
Leon Metlay |
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Happy Chanukah
to one and all!
BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – DECEMBER 2010
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Friday |
Dec 3 |
7:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service at Heather Heights in Pittsford Light candles at 4:17 PM |
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Saturday |
Dec 4 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Miketz Blessing for the New Month |
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Sunday |
Dec 5 |
9:00 AM 5:30 PM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion Joint
BHBI-Beth Am Chanukah Celebration & Dinner at BHBI |
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Wednesday |
Dec 8 |
7:30 PM |
Joint Torah Study with members of Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at BHBI |
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Friday |
Dec 10 |
8:00 PM |
Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am with Rabbi Goldberg officiating Light candles at 4:16 PM |
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Saturday |
Dec 11 |
9:30 AM |
Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI Torah: Vayigash |
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Sunday |
Dec 12 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Monday |
Dec 13 |
7:30 PM |
Monthly Meeting of the BHBI Board of Trustees |
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Friday |
Dec 17 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 4:18
PM |
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Saturday |
Dec 18 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Vayechi |
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Sunday |
Dec 19 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
Dec 24 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 4:21 PM |
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Saturday |
Dec 25 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Shemot |
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Sunday |
Dec 26 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
Dec 31 |
8:00 PM |
Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI
Light
candles at 4:26 PM |
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!!
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO RSVP TO OUR CHANUKAH
PARTY!
If
you would like to attend the joint BHBI-Beth Am Chanukah party on Sunday,
December 5th but haven’t gotten around to RSVPing quite yet, you’re
in luck – you call or e-mail Steve Teitel by Friday, December 3rd to
attend.
E-mail Steve at bhbi@frontiernet.net
or call him at 473-5741 today.
TORAH STUDY
Join us for an
interactive session of Torah study with our friends from Temple Beth Am and
Temple Beth David at BHBI on Wednesday evening, December 8th at 7:30 p.m. The discussion is always lively!
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FROM THE RABBI’S DESK By RABBI GEOFFREY GOLDBERG December 2010 |
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Just
a few days ago I returned from Israel and my stay in Jerusalem to move
forward the work on my book for the Jewish Music Research Centre of the
Hebrew University. My visit was a success in every respect and significant
progress was made on the book. Within the next six months I need to complete
the project and it is my desire to accomplish this. The
stay was very emotional on many levels. In 2000 I completed my studies at the
Hebrew University and ten years later I was invited by the University to come
to Jerusalem to work on the book based on my dissertation. I was also invited
to give a lecture based on my work. I gave a Power Point presentation which
was very well received. It was thrilling to give the lecture to such a
learned and interested audience. Jerusalem
seems to have grown by leaps and bounds since my last visit. One of the
largest infrastructure projects is the construction of a light rail system
which, I was told, is due to start operation in six months’ time. At the very
entrance to Jerusalem is an ultra-modern bridge which will carry the trains
over the highway. The plans that were being discussed more than a decade ago
are about to be realized. I
attended Shabbat services at synagogues that most tourists don’t visit. For
example, I visited two Moroccan synagogues, one in Jerusalem, which I used to
attend, and another in Tel-Aviv. The highlight for me is the congregational
rhythmic chanting of the entire Kabbalat Shabbat service. By way of
contrast was the huge synagogue of the Bratslav Hassidim in Mea
Shearim in Jerusalem. It was an unforgettable experience in every respect. I
also attended the Masorti synagogue in the Jerusalem district of Beit
Ha-Kerem which I had attended frequently in the past. To my disappointment it
did not use the Israeli Masorti siddur, Va’ani Tefillati, but the D’var
Torah (in Hebrew) was excellent. Since
I was working hard on the book project I had no time for sightseeing, but I
could not keep out of bookstores. Stein’s second hand book store was a great
temptation and there I snatched up a copy of Zalmanoff’s compilation of Chabad
niggunim. Israeli
politics remain as volatile as ever, and the Secular/Haredi divide is as wide
as ever. There were nation-wide student demonstrations against payments to
married Ḥaredi yeshivah students while student tuition for
university students has increased considerably. Political corruption
continues to be front-line news, even in Ha’aretz, Israel’s most
serious newspaper. The
weather was beautiful throughout my entire stay. However, this is unsettling,
since Israel desperately needs rain and the water level of the Kinneret is
extremely low. I
was truly blessed by the opportunity to stay in Israel for this stay even though
all my prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude can never sufficiently repay to
God for the gift that was given to me. But all good things must come to a
close. I
look forward to seeing you soon. Ḥag Urim Sameaḥ. Rabbi Geoffrey Goldberg |
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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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Dec 3-4 |
Kislev-Tevet |
Dec 10-11 |
Tevet |
Dec 17-18 |
Tevet |
Dec 25-26 |
Tevet |
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Michael Miller* Emma Aranow* Karen Cohen Rose Marcus Morris Kanthor* |
27 28 28 28 3 |
Morton Fink* Belle Lipsky Abraham Weinstein* Abraham Stolnitz* Barbara Bertman* Sigmund Traub* Miriam Jossem* David Goodman* Selma Kauffman Lansky* William Silverstein* * Denotes name memorialized
on BHBI Memorial Plaque |
4 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 |
Maurice Bloom* Manuel Miller* Sadie Aberman* Sol Lazarus* Fannie Osband* Celia Suskind* Dora Rogovin* Nathan Garver Dorothy Lapides Henry Orbach Fannie Sablowsky* Philip Sanzel* Joseph Schiff* Hannah Senzel* |
11 11 12 12 13 14 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 |
Louis Bernstein* Carl Kleinstein* Rose Needler* Estelle Hirsch* Shie Schnidman* Anna Buff* Benjamin Dvorkin* Goldie Simon* Leah Keyfetz* Joseph Morris* Esther Sanzel* |
18 18 18 19 19 21 21 23 24 24 24 |
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Dec 31-Jan 1 |
Tevet |
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Samuel Meilstein* Ida Boyarsky* Philip Hershkowitz Jack Glazer Joe Lazarus* Jean Spencer Morris Weinstein* |
26 27 27 28 28 1 2 |
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.
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 FUND
Contributions to the Rabbi Fund enable us to engage
Rabbi Goldberg to lead additional services at BHBI during the year. Whenever the funds in the Rabbi 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 Fund.
AMAZON.COM
Are you starting your Chanukah shopping? Why not shop on-line? 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!
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
TO OUR DONORS – THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
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THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS
FOR
THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER
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November 6 |
Katharine
Metlay in memory of her brother, Leon Titof |
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November 13 |
Steve and Ruth
Teitel in memory of Steve’s mother, Eleanor Teitel, and Katharine Metlay in
memory of her mother, Fanny Titof |
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November 20 |
Leon Metlay
and Nina Klionsky in honor of numerous family birthdays |
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November 27 |
Katharine
Metlay in honor of Leon’s birthday |
EVENTS IN THE
JEWISH COMMUNITY
Super Sunday
The Jewish Federation’s Super Sunday pledge drive is coming up on
December 12th. Please
be generous when the Super Sunday volunteer calls. The Federation also still can use volunteers for Super Sunday. If you are interested in volunteering
to work a 3 hour shift on Super Sunday, contact the Federation at 461-0490 or
see the Federation’s web site – www.jewishrochester.org
See Israel with
Other Members of the Rochester Jewish Community
The Jewish Federation is organizing a mission to
Israel from May 1-11, 2011 with an optional add-on side trip to Prague May
11-15. The mission will be in
Israel for Yom Ha-Atzmaout (Israel Independence Day). For more information contact Jay Podolsky by phone at 461-0490
x224 or by e-mail at jpodolsky@jewishrochester.org
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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 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 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 5 years 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