BHBIRochester.org

Published Monthly

Vol. 50/No 9

Iyar-Sivan 5776

June 2016

 

Editor:  Stan Schaffer

Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel

B U L L E T I N

President: Leon Metlay                    First Vice-President: Paula Bobb                       Second Vice-President: Stan Schaffer

Treasurer: Ira Cohen                       Financial Secretary: Harris Honickman             Recording Secretary: Nina Klionsky

 

June PresidentÕs Message

Friends,

 

Another year has passed, we've had our annual congregational meeting, and you've re-elected me President of BHBI. This has a feel of Òsame old, same oldÓ. Our shul is pretty stable both financially and physically and it's easy to get into the habit of thinking that we can just keep drifting along.

 

Our landscape has changed. Two years ago, we were the only small Conservative shul in our area. Temple Beth El is nearby, but clearly distinct from us in size and atmosphere. A year ago Temple Beth Am left Henrietta, and recently Temple Beth David left Irondequoit. Now, all of the Conservative synagogues in Rochester are within walking distance of each other. We are no longer so distinct.

 

For the past couple of years, the buzz-word among the congregations has been ÒcollaborationÓ. We've been doing it for years, but the big shuls are just hearing about it. As part of this new community-wide drive toward collaboration, we've been active in the Rochester Synagogue Council since its inception. As the RSC plans various programs, it gives us an opportunity to participate actively in events in ways we couldn't otherwise do other than to go as guests. It gives us increased visibility in the community. What can we do with this potential increased visibility?

 

One thing we need to try to do is to attract new members. If we don't we will wither away. I'm sure all of us have asked our friends about joining. All of my Jewish friends are either involved with other congregations or are uninterested in Jewish life. I'm sure it's the same for most of you. Our congregation has to reach out into the greater community. The collaborative events we participate in will help get our name out, but we need to get people into our building.

 

We have to think of things we can do that others aren't doing. We had our Yulzari-Lev concerts for a while, until Remy Yulzari went back to France. Are there other cultural events we could host? Are there other events we could sponsor?

 

We are the closest synagogue to the Park Avenue neighborhood, which has a large number of young people, including many Jews who are mostly not affiliated with congregations. Are there activities we can sponsor that will get them in here? Please give this some thought. Those of you who have 20-something and 30-something children (and other relatives) please talk to them. Ask them Òif you lived on Park Avenue today, what would we have to do to get you through our doors?Ó I am open to ideas (at least to ideas that don't require me to do the work by myself). Please share them with me. I'm hoping for a productive and successful year.

 

Leon Metlay

 

Have a Happy Shavuot!

BHBI CALENDAR OF EVENTS – JUNE 2016

Friday

June 3

7:00 PM

Shabbat Evening Service

      Light candles at 8:26 PM

Saturday

June 4

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Service       Torah: Bechukotai

Blessing of the New Month

Sunday

June 5

9:00 AM

Service, Breakfast and Discussion

Friday

June 10

7:00 PM

Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am (at TBK Room 103)

     Light candles at 8:31 PM

Saturday

June 11

9:30 AM

 

 

8:00 PM

 

9:40 PM

Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI        

                                                Torah: Bamidbar

 

Joint Shabbat Mincha Service Followed by Dessert and Study at BHBI

 

Erev Shavuot First Day MaÕariv Service with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at BHBI Followed by More Study

Sunday

June 12

9:30 AM

 

 

6:00 PM

 

7:00 PM

Joint Shavuot First Day Service with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at Beth Am (at TBK Room 103)

 

Possible Shavuot Dinner at Temple Beth Am (details to be announced)

 

Joint Erev Shavuot Second Day Service with Yizkor with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at Beth Am (at TBK Room 103)

Monday

June 13

9:00 AM

Joint Shavuot Second Day Service with Yizkor with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David at Beth David (at TBK Chapel)

Wednesday

June 15

7:30 PM

Small Conservative Synagogue Collaborative Torah Study at BHBI

Friday

June 17

7:00 PM

Shabbat Evening Service

      Light candles at 8:34 PM

Saturday

June 18

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Service       Torah: Naso

Sunday

June 19

9:00 AM

Service, Breakfast and Discussion

Monday

June 20

7:30 PM

BHBI Board of Trustees Meeting

Friday

June 24

7:00 PM

Shabbat Evening Service

      Light candles at 8:35 PM

Saturday

June 25

9:30 AM

Shabbat Morning Service       Torah: Behaalotecha

Sunday

June 26

9:00 AM

Service, Breakfast and Discussion

 

 

 

DONATIONS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!

 

GENERAL FUND

In memory of Reuben Cohen

Ira Cohen

In memory of Simon Finkelman

Marian and Larry Kobrin

In memory of Benjamin Ritter

Stan and Elaine Schaffer

In memory of Jette Schaffer

Stan and Elaine Schaffer

THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS

FOR THE MONTH OF MAY

May 7

Harris and Aline Honickman in memory of HarrisÕ mother, Beverly Honickman

May 14

Phil and Annette Garver in memory of Sylvia Kowal

May 21

The Congregation

May 28

Jill Clark-Foulkes in memory of her grandfather, Samuel Gastel

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!

AD SPONSORS

We are always looking for additional businesses that are interested in placing an ad in the BHBI Bulletin.  If you know of someone whose business or company may be interested, contact Stan Schaffer at 473-8072 or by e-mail at stanschaffer@frontiernet.net

SMALL CONSERVATIVE SHUL COLLABORATIVE TORAH STUDY

This monthÕs Small Conservative Shul Collaborative Torah Study session will be held at BHBI on Wednesday, June 15th at 7:30 p.m. at BHBI. Come and bring your friends. Everyone is welcome! If you havenÕt attended before, give it a try – you will definitely enjoy the lively discussion.

BHBI WEBSITE

Have you checked out the BHBI web site lately?  If you havenÕt there is a lot that youÕre 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.

MAKE YOUR PURCHASES AT AMAZON.COM

AND SUPPORT BHBI AT THE SAME TIME!

Why not contribute to BHBI while making on-line purchases? ItÕs easy to make purchases 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!        

THE FINE LEADERSHIP FUND

The Fine Leadership Fund was established at The Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester to support leadership development opportunities for volunteers and professionals in the Rochester Jewish community. To make a donation to the fund in Larry Fine's honor, go to www.JewishRochester.org/FineFund or mail a check to the Jewish Federation (note: Fine Fund), 441 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14607. For further information, call the Federation, 461-0490.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to Noah Honickman who will be graduating from Brighton High School in June. He will be attending the University of Rochester in the fall.

 

Congratulations to Aaron Schaffer who graduated from the University of Rochester with a major in International Relations and minors in Anthropology and Sustainability.

 

Congratulations to Aaron Schaffer who is a recipient of a State Department Critical Language Scholarship for the second straight year. He will be studying Turkish in Baku, Azerbaijan this summer.

 

Congratulations to Aviva Schaffer who is doing a summer internship with the U.S. Immigration Court that has jurisdiction for the District of Columbia and Virginia. She is a student at the University of Virginia School of Law.

 

Congratulations to Jacob Schaffer who will be attending Washington University in St. Louis this fall after taking a gap year between high school and college.

 

Congratulations to Jack Teitel who graduated from the University of Rochester with majors in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics and a minor in Physics. He will be returning to the University of Rochester in the fall to work on a masterÕs degree in Data Science.

 

EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY

Jewish Federation Annual Meeting – Jazzed About Larry

Join the Federation for jazz and celebration as the community salutes Larry Fine upon his retirement after 30 years as Executive Director of the Federation on Monday, June 27th at 7:30 pm at Temple Beth El. The event is free and will include a performance by saxophonist Doug Stone and his quartet to start the evening, followed by warm and witty tributes to Larry, a very brief business meeting and a rousing performance by the outstanding New York Klezmer Orchestra. There will be a dessert reception following the program.

Ames Amzalek Rochester Jewish Film Festival

The JCC is selling all-festival passes for this summerÕs Ames Amzalak Rochester International Jewish Film Festival which will run from July 10-18. To purchase passes, stop by the JCC, call 461-0200 or go to www.jccrochester.org

 

Films at the festival include:

Sun. 7/10

12:30 pm: To Life @ Dryden

3:30 pm: Baba Joon @ Dryden

7:30 pm: Rock in the Red Zone @ Dryden followed by opening night party

 

Mon. 7/11

11 am: Encirclements @ JCC

 

6 pm: Hill Start @ Little

8:30 pm: Once in a Lifetime @ Little

Tue. 7/12

11 am: Tuviansky @ JCC

1:30 pm: Laugh Lines @ JCC

6 pm: How to Win Enemies @ Little

8:30 pm: Wounded Land @ Little

Wed. 7/13

11 am: Wedding Doll @ JCC

1:30 pm: Morgenthau @ JCC

6 pm: Norman Lear – Just Another Version of You @ Little

8:30 pm: The Kind Words @ Little

Thu. 7/14

11 am: Peter the Third @ JCC

1:30 pm: Fauda episodes

1-3 @ JCC

6 pm: On the Map @ Little

8:30 pm: Fever at Dawn @ Little

Sat. 7/16

 

 

6 pm: Time to Say Goodbye @ Dryden

8:15 pm: A Grain of Truth @ Dryden

Sun. 7/17

11:30 am: Peggy Guggenheim – Art Addict @ Dryden

2 pm: Sabena Hijacking – My Version @ Dryden

5 pm: Compared to What – The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank @ Dryden

8 pm: Remember @ Dryden

Mon. 7/18

 

 

5 pm: A Tale of Love and Darkness @ Dryden

7:30 pm: In Search of Israeli Cuisine @ Dryden followed by closing night party

 

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.

June 3-4

Iyar –

Sivan

June 10-11

Sivan

June 17-18

Sivan

June 24-25

Sivan

 

Leopold Buchbinder*

Charles Bertman*

Isadore D. Goldberg*

Harry T. Levinson*

Abraham Goldman*

Arnold Kauffman*

Shirley B. Dworkin*

Samuel Schwartz*

Sam Dubin

Nathan Epstein*

Bessie Klein*

Rose Levin*

Esther Gertrude Schriba*

 

27

27

27

27

28

28

29

  1

  2

  2

  2

  4 

  4

 

Morris Levine*

Ida Sherman*

Ann Alderman*

Max Atkin*

Albert Bernstein*

Bessie Eber*

Max Vogelstein

Benjamin Weinrib*

May Cohen*

Robert Baker*

Sarah Osband*

Jesse Stolnitz*

Harry Strauss*

 

  5

  5

  6

  8

  8

  8

  8

  8

  9

10

10

10

11 

 

Theresa Mayer Block

Minnie Strom*

Rose Sallerson*

Janet Riwkin Glaser*

Maxine Gold

Evelyn Goldman Kauffman*

Louis Maltinsky*

Sadie Stolnitz*

Katherine Weinrib*

Lyons I. Jossem*

 

12

12

13

14

17

 

17

17

17

17

18

 

Zus Kaminnik

Chayah Simah Malina*

Esther Senzel*

Sarah Rebecca Gerber*

Minnie Marcus*

Nathan Yablin*

Fannie Warnick*

Louis Sanow*

Ada Gordon*

 

*Denotes name memorialized on BHBI Memorial Plaque

 

19

19

20

21

21

21

23

24

25

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

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

 

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

CEMETERY PLOTS

Did you know that BHBI has designated sections at Stone Road, Britten Road and Mt. Hope Cemeteries and that we sell cemetery plots? If you would like more information, contact Steve Teitel.

WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT SHAVUOT?

Shavuot, the two-day festival commemorating the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, is one of the 3 major festivals that we celebrate each year (the others are Passover and Sukkot). Indeed, much of our current system of civil and criminal laws derives directly from the legal concepts outlined in the Torah. Traditionally, we decorate our homes and synagogues with flowers, fruits and greens and spend much of the first evening of Shavuot studying. On the morning of Shavuot we hear the 10 Commandments being read from the Torah. Many people eat dairy for the main meal on Shavuot.

CONDOLENCES

Condolences to Jeff Nidetz, Leslie Toker and Mark Toker on the recent loss of JeffÕs father, Sheldon Nidetz.

OFFICE:  The synagogue office is checked regularly for mail and messages.  The synagogue phone is 244-2060.  For urgent issues, call Leon Metlay at 271-2945 or Stan Schaffer at 473-8072.  You can also e-mail us at BHBIRochester@gmail.com

 

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 Fund, Kiddush Fund, Harry Rogachefsky BHBI Building Fund, Torah Fund, Rabbi Aaron Solomon Scholarship Fund, Special Events 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?  DonÕt 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