BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol. 46/No 5

Shevat-Adar 5772

February 2012

 

Editor:  Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

 

February President’s Message

 

Friends,

 

January has been a slow month at BHBI.   So, let me tell you about my new iPhone.  I finally yielded to temptation, and got my iPhone last month.  Let me tell you, it is way cooler than anything they had on Star Trek.  As you may know, with a smart phone like the iPhone, you don’t use it much to actually call people.  Instead, you “text” them.  And as you type your text message in, the iPhone is so smart that it automatically offers to complete words for you on the basis of the first few letters you type.  Now what I have discovered is that the iPhone seems to have a yiddishe neshama.  As you type, its auto-completion system recognizes kvetching, chutzpah, nudnik, and schlemiel.  Lest you think all smart phones are like this, I am told that such words are all Greek to a Blackberry.  I am sure Steve Jobs shlepped lots of naches from his iPhone.  Of course there is still room for improvement.  The iPhone does not yet recognize shlep or naches (it suggests instead sheep and niches).  All I can say to my iPhone is, שטראל מיר ארויף סקאטטי (put that in your Google translator!).

 

As the weather gets colder, we all like to huddle under the covers, and sometimes that early Saturday morning trip to shul can seem too formidable to attempt.  Let me nevertheless encourage you come.  We have members saying kaddish, and members with yahrzeits, and it is important for us to provide a minyan for them.  So please muster that extra effort and come to services.  You will be happy you did!

 

Finally, with sadness we note the passing of Gloria Taxon, mother of Janet Grable.

 

See you in shul,

  

Steve Teitel

 

Tu B’Shevat – The New Year of the Trees is February 8th

Tu B’Shevat is a holiday intimately connected to the agricultural cycle of the Land of Israel. Falling in the middle of the Jewish month of Shevat, the 15th day of the month is the New Year of Trees. Today, this holiday is often celebrated by planting saplings and also by participating in a seder-meal that echoes the Passover seder, in which the produce of trees, including fruits and nuts, are eaten.

 

The Bible expresses a great reverence for fruit trees as symbols of God's bounty and beneficence. Special laws were formulated to protect fruit trees in times of war and ensure that the produce of trees would not be picked until the trees were mature enough and tithes were given from them. In order to calculate the age of trees, both for determining when they could be harvested and when they were to be tithed for the Temple, the Talmudic Rabbis established the 15th day (Tu) of the month of Shevat as the official "birthday" of trees.

 

Subsequent to the destruction of the Temple, Tu B’Shevat lost much of its relevance, but in the middle ages it was rediscovered by Jewish mystics. In the modern period it has enjoyed another revival as a holiday that links Jews with the land of Israel and as a Jewish celebration of the environment.

 

With the increased concern for the environment in recent years, Tu B’Shevat has taken on an additional meaning as a day on which Jews can express and act on their concern for the ecological well-being of the world in which we live. This has led to the rediscovery of the mystical Tu B’Shevat seder, now transformed into a celebration of God's bounty and the environment.

From MyJewishLearning.com

BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – FEBRUARY 2012

 

Friday

Feb 3

7:00 PM

Shabbat Evening Service at Heather Heights in Pittsford

     Light candles at 5:06 PM

Saturday

Feb 4

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Service    Torah: Beshalach                                                                                        

Sunday

Feb 5

9:00 AM

Service, Breakfast and Discussion

Wednesday

Feb 8

7:30 PM

Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Torah Study Session at BHBI

Friday

Feb 10

8:00 PM

 

Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am at Beth Am

     Light candles at 5:15 PM

Saturday

Feb 11

9:30 AM

Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI  

                                             Torah: Yitro                                                                                                

Sunday

Feb 12

9:00 AM

Service, Breakfast and Discussion

Monday

Feb 13

7:30 PM

Monthly Meeting of the BHBI Board of Trustees

Friday

Feb 17

8:00 PM

 

Shabbat Evening Service

     Light candles at 5:25 PM

Saturday

Feb 18

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Service    Torah: Mishpatim   Blessing of the New Month  

Sunday

Feb 19

9:00 AM

Service, Breakfast and Discussion

Friday

Feb 24

8:00 PM

Shabbat Evening Service

     Light candles at 5:34 PM

Saturday

Feb 25

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Service    Torah: Terumah  

Sunday

Feb 26

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!! 

 

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 benefit from each search you make!

 

MAKE PURCHASES AT AMAZON.COM AT SUPPORT BHBI AT THE SAME TIME!

Why not contribute to BHBI while making on-line purchases?  It’s easy to purchase gifts on-line at Amazon.com and support BHBI financially at the same time.  Just 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.  The more you buy in this way, the more BHBI makes!

 

MEMORIAL PLAQUES

You can memorialize a friend or loved one by purchasing a BHBI memorial plaque.  Our memorial plaques are very reasonably priced.  For more information, contact Stan Schaffer at 473-8072 or stanschaffer@frontiernet.net

 

SMALL CONSERVATIVE SHUL COLLABORATIVE TORAH STUDY

The February Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Torah Study session will be held on Wednesday, February 8th at 7:30 p.m.  Come join the lively discussion.

 

BHBI WEB SITE

Have you checked out the BHBI web site lately?  If you haven’t there is a lot that you’re missing.  The web site at www.BHBIRochester.org provides information about many aspects of our congregation, lists the BHBI calendar, has electronic versions of this and previous bulletins going back several years, has an extensive history of our congregation along with historic photos, includes photos from several BHBI dinners, picnics and other special events, and has the unique Adon Olam Songbook with information on over 100 melodies for Adon Olam.

 

EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY

Israel at the UN: A Nation That Dwells Alone? - Saturday evening, February 4th at 7:30pm at Congregation Beth Shalom.  This special event will feature a lecture by the executive director of UN Watch, Hillel Neuer. Valet parking will be available. The entrance fee is $10 and $5 for students.  A dessert reception will follow the lecture. Mr. Neuer will present an eyewitness account of how the UN’s obsession with targeting Israel undermines its mandate to protect human rights worldwide, with an insider’s analysis of the factors behind the prejudice—and how to combat it.

 

Hillel Neuer is the executive director of UN Watch. An internationally renowned speaker, Mr. Neuer has testified before the United Nations and the U.S. Congress. He taught international human rights at the Geneva School of Diplomacy, and from 2008-2011 served as Vice-President of the NGO Special Committee on Human Rights in Geneva. Mr. Neuer has published widely on international law and human rights, and has appeared on CNN, BBC, Sky, FOX News, and Al Jazeera. U.S. Congressman Howard Berman, speaking in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described Mr. Neuer as "one of the strongest and most informed critics of the UN Human Rights Council.” Neuer’s “Banned Speech” has become the most-viewed NGO speech in UN history, seen more than half a million times. Watch the video at www.unwatch.org/speech.

 

Israel 2012 –Next up in this year's Jewish Federation Israel speaker series is a presentation by Dr. Reuven Hazan on February 6th, entitled "The Headlines: What's the News of the Day and What does it Mean for Israel?" The series "Israel 2012" is sponsored by the Federation's Community Relations Committee. All are welcome to hear Dr. Hazan who will speak at Temple Beth El, 139 S. Winton Road, at 7:00 PM. All ‘Israel 2012’ lectures are free of charge.

Reuven Hazan, a favorite with Rochester audiences with a genius for making complex politics comprehensible, is a professor of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His expertise is in historical and current analysis of Israeli politics, particularly putting into context the developments that are in the headlines. Dr. Hazan was intimately involved in reforming Israel's electoral system and continues to advise Israel's politicians on the restructuring of its legislative branch.

Dr. Hazan works with Israel's top think tanks and serves as a consultant for several political parties. Due to his expertise he is if often called upon as a commentator for radio stations such as NPR, and has appeared on most major television networks in North America and elsewhere. He has been quoted in magazines such as Time and Newsweek, and in newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe.

While studying for his Bachelor's degree, he was a parliamentary assistant in the Israeli Knesset, where his work focused on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Subsequently, he was a reporter for the Jerusalem Post and worked the editorial desk, where he was responsible for monitoring breaking news and assuring that when the paper went to press it was as current as possible.

When working on his Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York, he also served with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an Academic Officer, where he was in charge of promoting Israel and educating Jewish students on American campuses while countering anti-Israeli academic activities across the United States.

 

 

          


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.

February 3-4

Shevat

February 10-11

Shevat

February 17-18

Shevat-

Adar

February 24-25

Adar

 

Miriam Weinberger

Abraham Newell*

Anna Sanow*

Rose Salzberg

 

 

*Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

 

12

13

13

14

 

 

Stanley Clark*

Samuel Spencer

Gitla Perkal*

Besse Gold

Benjamin Lapides*

Simon Pogal*

Jacob Rubinstein*

Sarah Maltinsky*

 

18

18

18

20

20

21

21

23

 

Bernard Falk*

Marian Bernstein*

Ada Goldstein*

Samuel Keyfetz*

Lottie Fink*

Rose Ring*

Henrietta Schaffer

Boris Schvarts

Sam Finkelstein*

Mary Weinrib*

 

25

27

27

27

29

29

30

30

  1

  1

 

Werner Schaffer

Philip Schiff*

Betty Glaser

Anna Ruderman*

Hyman Sablowsky*

Emma Sarachan*

Celia Lapides*

Dora Newell*

William Schwartz*

 

2

3

4

4

4

4

5

6

6 

 

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.

 

TO OUR DONORS – THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

GENERAL FUND

Lee Kauffman

 

Morry and Millie Natal

In memory of Esther Solomon

Paul and Rose Israel

In memory of Carl Kleinstein

Sherman Kleinstein

 

In memory of Leila Markus

Mitch Markus

In memory of Janet Grable’s mother, Gloria Taxon

Esther Vogelstein

 

The Louis B. and Molly Wolk Foundation

 

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY

January 7

The Congregation

January 14

The Congregation

January 21

Steve and Ruth Teitel in memory of Ruth’s father, Jack Glazer

January 28

Leon Metlay and Nina Klionsky in honor of our regular Shabbat attendees

 

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 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 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