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BHBIRochester.org Published Monthly Vol 45/No 4 Tevet-Shevat 5771 January 2011 Editor: Stan Schaffer |
Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel B U L L E T I N |
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January
President’s Message Dear Friends, Our
Chanukah party was a great success this year. Almost 40 people from our shul
and Beth Am attended, despite the snowy weather. Steve Teitel did his usual
wonderful job organizing the enterprise. Setup was done by Ami Schmerl, Helen
Gulack, Aline Honickman, and Nina Klionsky. Steve did the cooking, along with
Judith Mercer and Esther Vogelstein. Janet Grabel did the fantastic menorah
cake. The servers were primarily Ruth Teitel, Harris and Aline Honickman, and
Paula Bobb, though several other people also got up to help out. Clean up
crew consisted of Ami Schmerl, Helen Gulack, Aline Honickman, Janet Grable,
Judith Mercer, and Esther Vogelstein. All of the helpers deserve a round of
applause. Everyone
tells me they had a good time. I certainly enjoyed doing the Chanukah trivia
contest, I was surprised and delighted by how much everyone knew, though I
was shocked, shocked I say, that no one knew how many sons Mattathias had.
Study up for next year! Ami Schmerl regained his title (he lost it last year)
as dreidel champion. Ira
Cohen and I volunteered as drivers to help people get to the party. Several
of us are willing to be drivers for people who need rides to services or
other shul events. If you need a ride, call me (271-2945) or email me (just_a_gabbai@frontiernet.net)
and I will do my best to hook you up. One
last Chanukah note. In my December message I made a comment about the
spelling “Hanukkah”. Hermann Vogelstein and Aaron Marsh both pointed out to
me that the letter “Chuf” has a dot in it, indicating that it was originally
a doubled letter in the Hebrew and that is represented by the double “k”.
Maybe I’ll put that in next year’s trivia contest. We
welcomed Rabbi Goldberg back from his trip to Israel. There will be three
joint services with the Rabbi officiating in January. Because January 1st
is a Saturday, the 2nd Friday and 2nd Saturday are not
in the same weekend. The Rabbi will be with us on the 8th at BHBI
and on the 14th at Beth Am. In addition there will be a joint
Saturday Beth Am service on the 29th. Please note that service
will take place in a room at Temple B’rith Kodesh (either Room 100 or Room
200, look for signs). We’re meeting there because Temple Beth Am is exploring
the possibilities of alternative places to meet. I’ve
noticed that we get our best Shabbat morning attendance at the joint services
we have with Beth Am. I’m happy to see your support for joint services.
Recently we have been making an effort to start our Shabbat morning services
on time, and we have been finishing on time. I’d like to ask you to come
about 10 minutes earlier than has been your custom, so that we don’t waste
time waiting for a minyan. I’ll
end by wishing you all a Happy 2011. B’shalom, Leon Metlay |
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BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – JANUARY 2011
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Saturday |
Jan 1 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Vayeirah Blessing for the New Month |
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Sunday |
Jan 2 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
Jan 7 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service at Heather Heights in Pittsford Light candles at 4:33 PM |
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Saturday |
Jan 8 |
9:30 AM |
Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI with Rabbi Goldberg officiating Torah: Bo |
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Sunday |
Jan 9 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Monday |
Jan 10 |
7:30 PM |
Monthly Meeting of the BHBI Board of Trustees |
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Wednesday |
Jan 12 |
7:30 PM |
Joint Torah Study with members of Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at BHBI |
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Friday |
Jan 14 |
8:00 PM |
Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am with Rabbi Goldberg officiating Light candles at 4:40
PM |
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Saturday |
Jan 15 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Beshalach |
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Sunday |
Jan 16 |
9:00 AM |
Service,
Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
Jan 21 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service Light candles at 4:49 PM |
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Saturday |
Jan 22 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Yitro |
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Sunday |
Jan 23 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
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Friday |
Jan 28 |
8:00 PM |
Shabbat Evening Service
Light
candles at 4:58 PM |
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Saturday |
Jan 29 |
10:00 AM |
Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at Temple B’rith Kodesh in Room 100 or Room 200 with Rabbi Goldberg officiating Torah: Mishpatim |
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Sunday |
Jan 30 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
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!!
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, January 12th at 7:30 p.m. The discussion is always lively!
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FROM THE RABBI’S DESK By RABBI GEOFFREY GOLDBERG January 2011 |
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Over a century ago Rabbi Steven Wise turned down the
offer of the pulpit of Temple Emanu-El in New York City. The reason why he
declined the leadership of this the prestigious synagogue is that the Board
wished to assert its right to vet his sermons before delivering them. Wise
could not give his assent to this on because he believed in the freedom of
the pulpit, even when the views expressed there not those shared by some, or
even a majority of the congregation. So he started his own synagogue, later
known as the Steven Wise Free Synagogue. Many a rabbi has envied the courage of Rabbi Wise.
There are, however, constraints and bounds on what a rabbi can say from the
pulpit. An orthodox rabbi cannot expect to keep his position if, suddenly,
one Shabbat morning, he suddenly preaches on the truth of Reform Judaism. Not
would a Reform rabbi expect to keep his or her position if he/she suddenly
declared a commitment to Orthodoxy. Most rabbis, however, learn to tread a
fine line, couching unpopular or controversial views within carefully chosen
language. A guiding principle, however, is that of fidelity to the highest
ideals of the Torah and that one’s teaching bestow honor to the Torah and
honor to God. We refer to such honor as Kiddush ha-Shem,
Sanctification of God’s name. Unfortunately, recent pronouncements of some
Israeli rabbis have been the opposite, a Ḥillul ha-Shem, a defamation of God’s name. Outrageous comments by Israeli rabbis are nothing new, but
they reached new heights with the most recent pronouncements. They began when
a rabbi in Safed, the city in northern Israel, spoke out against the selling
or renting of apartments to non-Jews (i.e., Arabs). The local rabbi was soon
supported by some forty municipal rabbis from across the country, including
the son of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, the revered leader of orthodox mizraḥi Jews. Reasons put forward for the prohibition included the danger
of intermarriage, the threat posed by the “different lifestyle” of such
gentiles and the lowering of real estate prices. In response to this deeply troubling situation Rabbi
David Golonkin of the Schechter Institute of the Masorti Movement in Israel
has written a Teshuvah on the question “Is it permissible to sell or
rent an apartment to a non-Jew in the Land of Israel?” With great erudition,
Professor Golonkin shows that while there have been differences of opinion
among halakhic scholars, many, if not most, are of the opinion that
any prohibition that might have been applicable only applied to idol
worshippers which Moslems certainly are not and nor are Christians. Golonkin also points out how social and ethical factors
influenced halakhic positions (and not just in this case, but in many halakhic
decisions). Even in situations where restrictions were normally placed on
interactions between Jews and gentiles the rabbis lifted them on the grounds
of mishum eivah, in order to avoid ill will. Even if it could be
argued that a Jew in Israel was prevented from selling or renting property to
non-Jews, this is not to be followed, mishum eivah. Another guiding
principle was mipnei darkhei shalom, “for the sake of peace,” a
principle which the rabbis drew upon for a number of important decisions. It is important to understand that the rabbis in
question in Israel are not congregational rabbis we are familiar with here in
the United States. They are not leaders of independent synagogues, but
employees of the State of Israel. They do not have to worry about the
sensitivities of synagogue leadership or synagogue members. Neither, however,
do they seem to care much for public opinion, which has been scathing in its
condemnation. They seem to have forgotten that Maimonides emphasized that
rabbis, in particular, must be careful about their behavior since any
inappropriate behavior or words will only bring criticism which is a Ḥillul ha-Shem. They certainly have also forgotten that Israel is a
democracy which guarantees equal rights for all its citizens and for its
minorities. All this flared up during my recent stay in Israel. It
was headline news in newspapers, radio and television. An editorial column in
Haaretz, Israel’s leading newspaper, entitled Gizanut be-ḥasut ha-Torah, “Racism with the Sanction of the Torah,” was a
powerful condemnation of the rabbis in question. I commend Rabbi Golonkin for preparing his timely Teshuvah.
I hope it will become known to the Israeli public. It certainly puts the
record straight and may it bring back honor to the Torah and the application
of the Torah to day-to-day life in Israel today. The controversy raging in Israel is reminder that we
must also be careful in our words and deeds so that they only bring about Kiddush
ha-Shem. 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 31-Jan 1 |
Tevet |
Jan 8-14 |
Tevet - Shevat |
Jan 15-21 |
Shevat |
Jan 22-28 |
Shevat |
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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 |
Etta Levinson* Ida Silver* Sidney Appelbaum* Jacob Komenski* Morris Suskind* Max Springut Herman Strauss* Dvora Brodie* Samuel Goldman* * Denotes name memorialized
on BHBI Memorial Plaque |
4 4 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 |
Daniel Hirsch* Hyman Aaron Nusbaum* Miriam Weinberger Abraham Newell* Anna Sanow Rose Salzberg Gidda Strauss* |
10 10 12 13 13 14 16 |
Morris Gurian* Stanley Clark Samuel Spencer Gitla Perkal* Bessie Gold Benjamin Lapides* Alexander Phillips Simon Pogal* Jacob Rubinstein* Sarah Maltinsky* |
17 18 18 18 20 20 21 21 21 23 |
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Jan 29-Feb 4 |
Shevat |
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Bernard Falk* Marian Bernstein* Ada Goldstein* Samuel Keyfetz* Lottie Fink* Rose Ring* Henrietta Schaffer Boris Schvarts |
25 27 27 27 29 29 30 30 |
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
Why not contribute to BHBI while making on-line
purchases? 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 price. 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
GET NEWS DIRECTLY
FROM ISRAEL
Do you want to find out
about what’s really happening in Israel? Go to the following internet sites to
get the latest news and information from Israel: Jerusalem
Post – www.jpost.com
Y Net – www.ynetnews.com
Ha’aretz – www.haaretz.com
Israel Broadcast Authority TV News – www.iba.org.il/world
TO OUR DONORS – THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
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THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS
FOR
THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
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December 4 |
The
Congregation |
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December 11 |
Jill Clark in
memory of Barbara Bertman |
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December 18 |
The
Congregation |
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December 25 |
The
Congregation |
EVENTS IN THE
JEWISH COMMUNITY
Jewish
Federation’s Israel Series Kicks Off
The Jewish Federation will be sponsoring a new series of speakers on
Israel, titled Israel 2011. The kickoff speaker will be Acting Consul General of
Israel in New York Ido Aharoni who will speak at Temple Beth El on Sunday,
January 23rd at 7 pm.
He will be followed by Dr. Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein who will appear on Thursday, February 17th, at 7
pm at Temple Beth El. She is a
post-doctorate fellow at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education who did not
know how to read or write when she immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 1985
and who subsequently became the first Ethiopian Jewish woman to earn a doctoral
degree in Israel. Her area of
expertise is immigrants’ transitions, literacy and technical knowledge. The final speaker in the series will be
Bret Stephens, the foreign affairs columnist of the Wall Street Journal and
former editor of the Jerusalem Post, who will speak on Wednesday, March 16th at 7 pm at
Temple B’rith Kodesh.
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.
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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