Scroll
Congregation Beth El
December 2016 • Kislev-Tevet 5777
Vol. 66 No. 4
From the Clergy
When Is There Light?
By Rabbi Fabián Werbin
From the Clergy • 1
Tribute to Jerry
Sorkin z”l • 3
Tikkun Olam • 4
Hanukkah Need List • 5
Judaism in college • 6, 7
Library Corner • 8
Gala • 9
Mitzvah Day • 10-11
Hanukkah • 12
Israel Needs Us • 12
Bikkur Cholim • 15
Departments
Sisterhood • 13-14
Men’s Club • 14
Contributions • 17
Bulletin Board • 20
The Scroll is a recipient
of three Solomon Schechter Gold Awards from
the United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism.
It was Hanukkah, 1997. Jerusalem at
4:00 am looked amazing. Almost every
house in Jerusalem had a hanukkiah
outside with candles (lit with oil) that
burned all night long. Walking through
the different neighborhoods of Jerusalem, late at night, without rush hour,
without cars’ lights, is something I will
not forget.
At the end of
the day what is
light? What does
light provide?
The very
first part of the
Mishna deals
with the question of when
is the right time to say the Shema. In
the Jewish calendar, the day starts the
evening before. Thus the time for the
morning Shema starts about an hour before sunrise (when you can recognize a
friend from four cubits away).
I would like to twist the question
a little. Instead of asking when is the
right time for Shema, ask when does the
morning start, or when is there light?”
I am not going to change the answer:
when you can recognize a friend very
close to you.
Darkness is present when we cannot
recognize other human beings.
Darkness is present when we cannot understand we all have been created
with a divine spark, B’tzelem Elohim, in
the image of God.
Darkness is present when we do not
understand that life is about recognizing
our fellows with their differences, with
their flaws, and with their imperfections,
nor understand we are not perfect either.
It is in finding other human beings,
in establishing relationships, in creating
community, where we can find light.
The theme of the year at Beth El,
“Jewish Values, Jewish Wisdom,” encourages us to find in
our neighbors,
in other human
beings, a good
reason to create
a better world,
to repair the
world. Whether
we agree or
not, whether
we share the same political ideas or not,
whether we have the same color eyes
or skin, whether we adhere to the same
faith or not, this is the time to bring
more light to the world.
This year when you light the Hanukkah candles, when you add more light
in order to dissipate the darkness, think
of how many new fellows you want to
recognize and how many more lives you
want to touch.
And in the middle of the night, when
you walk the small streets of Montgomery County and you see the lights, think
of Jerusalem and pray for her peace.
May we all have a happy Hanukkah,
Chag Ha’urim Sameach. n
Tribute to Beth El President
Jerry Sorkin z”l, see page 3.
Scroll
8215 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-1451
Phone 301-652-2606 Fax 301-907-8559
Webwww.bethelmc.org
Affiliated with United Synagogue
of Conservative Judaism
Rabbi
Gregory Harris [email protected]
Associate Rabbi
Fabián Werbin [email protected]
Hazzan
Matthew Klein [email protected]
Clergy Emeriti
Rabbi Samuel Scolnic z”l
Rabbi William Rudolph [email protected]
Hazzan Abraham Lubin [email protected]
Executive Director
Sheila H. Bellack [email protected]
Education Director
Rabbi Mark Levine [email protected]
Associate Education Director
Elisha Frumkin [email protected]
Director of Community Engagement
Geryl Baer [email protected]
Preschool Director
Kim Lausin [email protected]
Youth Director
Adam Zeren [email protected]
President
Larisa Avner Trainor [email protected]
Executive Vice President
(Vacant)
Administrative Vice President
Carolyn Berger [email protected]
Communications and Tikkun Olam
Vice President
Larry Sidman [email protected]
Community Building Vice President
Ivy Fields [email protected]
Development and Finance Vice President
Mark C. Bronfman [email protected]
Education and Lifelong Learning
Vice President
Sara Gordon [email protected]
Worship and Spirituality Vice President
Rebecca Musher Gross [email protected]
Treasurer
Joseph B. Hoffman [email protected]
Secretary
Sue Emmer [email protected]
Scroll Committee [email protected]
Gale Dutcher, Davida Kales, Marci Kanstoroom,
Janet Meyers, Rachel Pomerance Berl, Helen
Popper, Walter Schimmerling, Larry Sidman, and
Donna Vogel. Graphic designer: Tiarra Joslyn
Scroll, USPS Number 009813, is published monthly by Congregation Beth El of
Montgomery County, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814. Periodical postage rate paid at Suburban, Maryland and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Scroll, 8215 Old Georgetown Road,
Bethesda, MD 20814.
2
Ninth Annual
Latke-Hamantasch Debate
Sunday, December 18, 10:00 am
Beth El’s Latke-Hamantasch Debate has regaled packed houses for
the last eight years, with debaters on both sides offering original
and clever defenses for their delicacy and the audience screaming
for more!
The debate over the relative merits of the Latke vs. the Ha­mantasch
began several decades ago at the University of Chicago. It has since
been taken up in several venues outside Chicago, and we hope you
will join us again here in Bethesda to explore this compelling question.
Appropriate refreshments follow; don’t miss this entertain­ing,
somewhat educational, and very fun morning. Under­written
through the generosity of Pat and Jerry Danoff.
Scientists in Synagogues
Beth El has received a grant from Sinai and Synapses to promote
discussion and dialogue on the connections and relationship between scientific thought and Judaism.
All STEM professionals and other interested individuals are invited
to join the first STEM dinner on Monday, December 12, at 6:30 pm.
Because the the STEM affinity group was awarded a “Scientists in
Synagogues” grant, the dinner is free for everyone. Congregant
David Margulies, senior scientist at NIH, will lead the discussion,
“Do Science and Religion Need to be Consistent with Each Other?”
Please RSVP to Geryl Baer at [email protected], or 301-652-8569,
ext. 352.
Our next program will be a joint meeting with the Men’s Club and
Sisterhood on Sunday, January 22. Our guest speaker will be Sylvester James Gates, regents professor of physics at the University of
Maryland. Professor Gates is a member of the National Academy of
Sciences and a recipient of the National Medal of Science. His topic
will be “What Did St. Augustine, Galileo, and Einstein Have To Say
About Faith vs. Science?”
Torah 14s (Torah for Teens)
December 3, January 7, February 4, March 4, April 1, May 6
Join Rabbi Fabian Werbin the first Shabbat of every month after the
Teen Service and kiddush to eat ice cream, learn Torah, discover
new things about being Jewish – and have fun!
Torah 14s (It’s a pun! It means 14 years old = for teens) is for all
teens who are post-b’nai mitzvah. Please RSVP to Rabbi Werbin at
[email protected].
December B’nai Mitzvah
December
December
December
December
3: Eva Bard
10: Kate Stiglitz, Ava Hammerman
17: Brandon Portnoy
31: Elias Gordon
Jerry Sorkin: A Remarkable Life
By Larry Sidman
The Beth El community was profoundly saddened by the
October 26 death of our president, Jerry Sorkin, at the age
of 51, following an incredibly courageous nine-year battle
against stage 4 lung cancer.
Rabbi Greg Harris captured Jerry’s unique value to our
shul: “Jerry’s leadership stemmed from his humble sense of
lifting others up while achieving a goal. He always brought
humor, vision, and focus. Jerry
deeply understood the positive impact of building a vibrant
synagogue community.”
A Bar Mitzvah Gift
At Jerry’s funeral, his three siblings delivered a joint eulogy.
His oldest brother, Howard, recounted how he thought Jerry,
who had been born just before
Howard’s bar mitzvah, was their
parents’ bar mitzvah gift to him.
Jerry’s life was indeed a gift that
kept on giving. He inspired us by
the way he lived life and by the
way he confronted the prospect
of death.
Jerry possessed an extraordinary combination of attributes.
He was smart – very smart.
Jerry could think big. In meetPhoto by David Friedlander
ings at Beth El, he would listen
to lengthy discussions, distill their essence, and invariably
come up with an elegant solution that was both creative and
practical. An illustration is our recent effort to coordinate
and rebrand social action activities at Beth El. As committee
members grappled with the task, an endearing smile (familiar to many of us) drifted across Jerry’s face. He said, “How
about ToBE – Tikkun Olam at Beth El, what we want the
world to be?” And so, ToBE was launched.
Love of Statistics
Jerry also could think small and humorous. When he served
as vice president for tikkun olam and communications, he
made many contributions to the Scroll, drawing upon his
love of statistics. Who but Jerry could have documented
for posterity that Beth El had purchased 720 groggers for
Purim, sold 5,000 bagels annually on Sunday morning, and
charged $6 per month for tuition when the Beth El nursery
school opened in 1956?
Although his intellect dazzled, Jerry was modest, his Yale
and Harvard Law School pedigrees notwithstanding. Jerry
was just one of us, whether at Jews and Brews or in the
board room. Our past president, David Mills, recalls that he
gave Jerry two hours’ notice before appointing him to lead a
”blue ribbon” sanctuary renovation committee. Jerry was to
promise that all of the work – planning, designing, fundraising, contracts, and construction – would be completed in
one year. Jerry did not flinch at
the magnitude of the effort; he
only hesitated about calling it a
“blue ribbon” committee, thinking that label a bit much. We
now are blessed to pray in the
renovated sanctuary that reflects
Jerry’s tireless commitment, skills,
and, yes, aesthetic sense.
Contributions to Beth El
Jerry’s contributions to Beth El
are legion. As vice president for
tikkun olam and communications, he launched the revamping
of the Beth El website, making
it more user friendly and appealing to prospective members. As
executive vice president, he was
a full partner with David Mills
in devising and implementing
the values-driven and consensusfocused process that culminated
in the elevation of Rabbi Harris to be head rabbi and the
selection of Rabbi Fabián Werbin as associate rabbi. In his
tragically abbreviated tenure as president, Jerry facilitated the
smooth transition of Rabbis Harris and Werbin to their new
roles. He also established the Atid 2 Committee to develop
a long-term strategic plan to ensure and enhance Beth El’s
future.
Jerry’s contributions to Beth El transcended the tangible.
David affectionately described his relationship with Jerry:
“He was my friend, confidant, and therapist during many
months of parlor meetings, surveys, scary renovation delays,
and inevitable differences of opinion among congregants.”
Thoughtful Listener
Jerry listened thoughtfully to others and made people feel
that their ideas were appreciated, regardless of whether they
ultimately were accepted. Jerry’s smile generated warmth.
His delightful sense of humor brought levity to tense moments. His gentleness of spirit suffused a room.
continued on page 4
3
JERRY SORKIN continued from page 3
chair of its board. In 2008, Jerry founded Breathe Deep DC,
an annual 5K walk on the National Mall to raise funds and
awareness. This year’s walk, occurring less than two weeks
following Jerry’s death, drew 1,754 participants.
Jerry’s courage, indomitable spirit, and
joie de vivre penetrated to our souls. He
gave us strength. He made us reflect on the
way we live our own lives with the intensity of introspection reserved for Yom Kippur. How can we optimize the short time
given us on earth? How can we give back
Jerry’s Wide Reach
to our community? How will we confront
Jerry’s reach extended far beyond Beth El.
our own mortality?
In his 20 years with the Corporate ExecuWhen a Jewish person passes away, we
tive Board, now CEB Global, the company Jerry and Lisa. Photo by
Mitchell Solkowitz
add the letters z”l after his or her name,
grew to more than 60 times its original
standing for “may his/her memory be for a blessing.” In
size. In a memo to CEB employees following Jerry’s death,
Jerry’s case, that is more than a wish; it is a certainty. May
Chairman and CEO Tom Monahan wrote, “All of us work
Jerry’s cherished wife, Lisa, and his beloved children, Emma
in a place which Jerry helped think up, launch, run, save, or
and Claire, be comforted by that knowledge. As much as
fix.”
Jerry gave to the rest of us, his family was the center of his
Jerry’s response to being diagnosed with lung cancer in
universe. May they be reassured that the Beth El community
2007 was to fight it both medically and communally. He
is here for them, now and always. n
became involved with Lungevity, a national organization
dedicated to finding a cure for lung cancer, and became vice
Larisa Trainor, who as executive vice president will fill
out Jerry’s term as president according to the Beth El bylaws, said, “Jerry was a wonderful co-worker, a friend, a
tremendous leader, and a visionary for the
shul and the Beth El community. He constantly challenged us with his thoughtful
and strategic vision and made me and others around him better leaders. Jerry’s legacy
can be seen all around Beth El, especially
in the sanctuary. His passing leaves a huge
void in Beth El and our larger community.”
ToBE: Tikkun Olam at Beth El
The entire Beth El community is
invited to participate in social action projects sponsored all year by
the various groups at Beth El. The
easiest way to find out about upcoming collections and projects is
to visit our newly updated Social
Action/ToBE section of the Beth El website at http://
www.bethelmc.org/social-action/tobe-upcoming/.
When you complete a project, please be sure to take
a few minutes to report your project’s achievements
at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ToBEResults
to enable us to measure Beth El’s efforts to “repair the
world” by showcasing our outcomes and successes.
Now that Mitzvah Day is behind us, we want to keep
the momentum going by publicizing upcoming social
action projects! Please send the details to Sheryl R.
Miller at [email protected]. All congregants are
encouraged to donate to a cause, contribute to a
collection effort or join a project.
Refugee Outreach
Sunday, December 4, 11:00 am-12:30 pm
Beth El’s TOBe (Tikkun Olam
at Beth El) Task Force and
Beth El Sisterhood will host
an informational meeting to learn about refugee outreach
programs being done by other Jewish congregations
around the country.
A local representative of HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigration Aid Society) (www.hias.com) will share the names of
organizations involved in refugee resettlement and aid
as well as the programming engaged in by synagogues
across the United States. Many in Beth El have expressed
interest in refugee outreach. After the meeting, Beth El
will consider how our congregation might be able to assist this effort. Please join us. For more information contact Linda Segal at [email protected] or 202-966-2402.
Tikkun Olam Takeaways
Hanukkah is an opportunity to link gift giving with
tzedakah in keeping with holiday themes: self-determination, religious freedom, and free speech.
From Offerings of the Heart by Rabbi Shawn Zevit.
4
Hanukkah
Wish Need List
At Hanukkah, the holiday of rededication, which light of Jewish life at Beth El captures your passion? By supporting Beth
El’s Hanukkah Wish Need List, you will ensure that your values and priorities will remain at the forefront of our communal
life. The requested funds reflect costs of full sponsorship. Partial sponsorships and co-sponsorships are welcome.
Congregation, Continuity, and
Community Building
1. Printing of 2017-18 Program Guide
$6,000
2. Shir Atid (children’s choir) $5,000
3. Israel Media Series (annually) - 2017-18
$3,500
4. Annual Barbecue $1,800
5. Age & Stage Empty Nester programming $1,500
6. New member welcome baskets for one year $1,200
7. Roundtable with the rabbi for one year $900
(or $75 each)
8.Your special day at Beth El $1,000
9. Senior Transportation:$200
Rides to and from Services and other Beth El programs
(10 ride units)
10.Yahrzeit Memorial Board
$18,000
11. High Chairs for use at Congregational Meals
$100
Services for All of Us
1. Sukkot Deli Lunch – 2017 $1,800
2. Simchat Torah celebration – 2017
$1,000
3. Hamantaschen for Purim $750
4. Latke-Hamantasch Debate refreshments – 2017 $500
5. Shabbat or Yom Tov kiddush (when there is
$250 - $425
no bar/bat mitzvah) (partial sponsorship; depends on menu)
6. Groggers for Purim $250
7. Bimah flowers, per holiday
$500
8. New Siddur - Lev Shalem
$54 each
Preschool Education
1. To further STEM education:
a) 17” Laptop
b) LED Projector
2. Honor a Preschool Teacher
$1,000
$100
$500
Children’s Religious School Education
1. Religious School professional development
2. Religious School enrichment program for
one year - conversational Hebrew 3. Religious School enrichment program for
one year – Jewish/Israeli singing $5,000
$3,000
4. Religious School back-to-school program
5. Kindergarten Consecration program
6. Support for student Israel trips
7. Honor a Teacher or Tutor
$500
$500
$15,000
$500
Adult and Community Education
1. Tikkun Layl Shavuot dinner and study sessions
2. Sponsorship of Beth El’s Library online
catalog for one year
3. Tuesday morning Talmud
4. Library bookshelf
5. Scholar-in-Residence $1,500
$1,000
$1,800
$1,000
$7,500
Children’s Services
1. Junior Congregation (5th and 6th grades, $4,000
annual cost of leaders)
2. Bit O’Megillah $2,000
3. Shitufim (2nd-4th grades, annual cost) $2,000
4. Gan Shabbat (K-2nd grade, leaders for one month) $400
5. Junior Congregation kiddush (one month)
$300
6. Nitzanim services (one month)
$250
Youth Activities
1.Youth Lounge game equipment
Physical Plant
1. Annual plantings in large flower pots
outside front doors (per season)
2. Enhanced Security Devices
$2,000
$500
$10,000**
Unless indicated otherwise, all program-related gifts are for one
year. Please support the programs and activities you find most
compelling.
To underwrite a Wish Need List item or for further information on making a gift to Beth El, please contact Andrea Glazer at
[email protected] or 301-652-8569, ext. 318.
Please contact Sheila Bellack for detailed information regarding
the enhanced security devices.
**
$2,700
5
What Happens to Your Children’s Judaism When They
Go Off to College?
By Susan Stilllman
My oldest child is a sophomore in college. He goes to a large Erev Yom Kippur to see what he was doing but resisted the
state university 30 minutes from our home. We assured him
temptation. I can too easily recall being a young adult and
we would never drop in (we haven't), and he could come
feeling annoyed by my parents’ interrogation. Instead, I got
home only for the school breaks, if that's what he wanted
in the shower; when I got out, I saw a missed call from my
(pretty much what has happened).
son, so I called him back.
Our son knows that be“Hi Mom, I just want to
ing Jewish is very important
say that I'm sorry if I did anyto our family. He went to a
thing this past year that hurt
Jewish day school from kinyour feelings. I hope you'll
dergarten through 12th grade
forgive me,” he said. I could
and to a Jewish camp for nine
have cried. I gushed that, of
years. We celebrate Shabbat
course, I forgave him and I
and the holidays. My husband
hoped that he would forgive
and I are very active in the
me too. He and his apartment
Jewish community. We wonmates were cooking dinner,
dered, what would his Jewish
going to services for Kol Nilife look like when he went
dre and the following day, fastJacob Stillman (right) with siblings Naomi, Ben, and
off to college?
ing and going to a break-fast
Gabriel
I believe that going off to college is a chance to explore
somewhere. Be still my heart. If you just give them a little
your identity apart from your family. I was determined not
space, sometimes they surprise you.
to nag my son about the Jewish holidays but instead always
Sure, sometimes they tell you what they know you want
tell him our plans and let him know he is welcome to come to hear. My son told me one of his friends told his mother
home and bring friends if he would like.
he was going to services when he was really going to class
High Holidays
because he knew it would make her happy. Ultimately, they
He has not been much of a Hillel attendee, but truth be
have to make their own decisions and be square with their
told, neither was I. He has a positive Jewish identity, but it is
God. I always remember what a wise person once told me –
not his focus right now. His best friends are Jewish, and he
we put the Jewish values, customs and beliefs in their “hard
joined a Jewish fraternity. During his freshman year, he came drive” so it will always be there whenever they want to achome for Rosh Hashanah and brought five friends home for cess it.
a Passover Seder. This past High Holidays, he joined us for
I don't know what the future will hold, but I pray that it
Erev Rosh Hashanah. I was debating calling him right before is bright and full of yiddishkeit. And let us say Amen. n
NuBEENs Hanukkah Pot Luck Dinner
Sunday, December 18, 6:00 pm
All NuBEENs (New Beth El Empty
Nesters) are invited to a Hanukkah
pot luck dinner and a collection for
the residents of the Hebrew Home
on Sunday, December 18, 6:00 pm,
at the home of Jeremy and Sharon
Zissman.
A signup sheet and the address of the event will be sent
to those who RSVP.
For questions and sign up, contact Margie Hoffman or Lori
Ross.
6
Fifth Annual
Chinese Food and a Movie
Chinese Food and a Movie will be
on Christmas – the first day of Hanukkah – this year!
Sunday, December 25
Movies will begin at 4:00 pm.
Dinner will be served 6:00-7:00 pm.
Movies will continue at 7:15 pm.
$15 per adult • $10 for children (ages 6-10)
$5 for children (ages 2-5)
$50 maximum per family
RSVP online at bethelmc.org/chinese.
Home is at Hillel
By Benjamin Katz
I have never been away from
home for the High Holidays before. I’ve never gone
a Rosh Hashanah without
my mom’s legendary brisket,
never gone a Yom Kippur
break-fast without the annual Bagel City spread, never
gone to services that weren’t
at Beth El.
But for the first time,
this year I spent my High
Holidays in Ann Arbor, as a
freshman at the University
of Michigan. Though it may
sound clichéd, even though
I am 508 miles away from
home, the High Holidays still felt as if I were home … but
with over 300 college students. The prayer tunes may have
been different, the break-fast may have had chicken salad
instead of lox and bagels, but congregating with fellow Jewish college students on the holiest days of the year made it
seem like home.
This is just one way that Michigan Hillel has already
made me feel at home. In just two months, Hillel has already
welcomed me to the university and offered me so much –
the opportunity to make friends, the chance to eat a traditional Shabbat dinner whenever I choose and a wide variety
of activities, including a screening of the movie Denial with
other Hillel members.
Approximately 6,000 Jewish students attend Michigan,
representing about 18 percent of all students and two percent of all the Jewish college students in North America.
Also, according to the Michigan Hillel website, “The 2012
Fiske Guide to American Colleges cites the quality of Jewish life as a significant factor in campus life for only two
schools.” One is Brandeis University. The other, as you may
have guessed, is the University of Michigan. And I think
Mental Health Professionals
Affinity Group Breakfast
The next Beth El Mental Health Professionals breakfast
meeting will be on Thursday, December 8, from 8:30 to
9:30 am, at Beth El. Breakfast is $5 per person. Congregant
and psychologist Rebecca Landau-Millin, will discuss eating disorders in the Jewish community. Please RSVP to
Geryl Baer at [email protected].
a major reason for this is Michigan Hillel, the third-oldest
Hillel Foundation in North America, now celebrating its
90th year.
As a Jewish freshman, I am a member of FYSH, First
Year Students of Hillel, a group that plans events exclusively
for first-year students, including a few special events before
school even started. FYSH has made it easier to meet other
freshmen, immediately involved me in Hillel, and exposed
me to general Jewish life on campus.
I have also become involved with the Jewish Penicillin
Hotline (JPH), one of 60 Hillel student clubs and organizations. This group delivers kosher matzah ball soup, free of
charge, to any students on campus, Jewish or not, who are
feeling sick. This volunteer initiative has benefited a great
many on campus, supplying over 350 soups last year. For
the remainder of this year, I will be delivering soup once or
twice a week to students who are ill.
I plan to be a more active Hillel member, and JPH is the
perfect way to do so. I’ve always believed in helping others
and have done community service in the past, but hadn’t
found any social action clubs of interest until I found JPH.
With all the chaos of college and the many other clubs of
which I am a part, JPH will keep me grounded and will be a
great way to continue to give back to the community.
I’ve been at Michigan for only two months, but my Jewish experiences there, specifically through Hillel, are already
taking form. Beth El and many other areas of my life have
offered me irreplaceable experiences to strengthen my connection to Judaism. But the select opportunities I have experienced in my time as a Jewish student at Michigan are great
additions to my Jewish identity and have eased my transition
into college. n
B’ruchim Habaim Shabbat
Saturday, February 11
The B’ruchim Habaim committee is looking for caring and
dedicated individuals who would like to join our committee. Our mission is to make participation and enjoyment
in all synagogue life a reality for families and individuals
with various disabilities.
February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion
Month. During the Shabbat service on February 11, we
will welcome Justice Richard Bernstein, the first blind justice elected to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Stay tuned for other related JDAIM events.
Please email Andrea Golden with any questions or suggestions for the B’ruchim Habaim Committee.
7
Library Corner
Echoes from the Eichmann Trial
By Robin Jacobson
Some time back, I discovered a tantalizing thread of family history. Neatly folded inside a book that once belonged
to my grandfather was a publicity flyer. It announced an
extraordinary event at a Boston synagogue on December
10, 1961 – an “eyewitness report” on the Eichmann trial in
Jerusalem, which had transfixed the world in
preceding months. Amazingly to me, Benjamin
Jacobson, my grandfather, was the “eyewitness”
slated to speak on “the trial, the personalities,
the environment and the relation of the trial to
Israel as a nation.” The flyer heralded Mr. Jacobson as a “special observer,” invited to the trial by
the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.Yet no one in
the family ever mentioned it! So, I’m left wondering how my grandfather – a quiet, unassuming man who eked out a living from his small
drugstore – wound up at the Eichmann trial as a
guest of David Ben-Gurion.
All these decades later, the capture, trial, and psychology
of Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann continue to fascinate and
appall, as witnessed by a steady flow of movies and books.
Recent publications include: The Nazi Hunters by Andrew
Nagorski (2016), Eichmann Before Jerusalem by Bettina Stangneth (2014), The Eichmann Trial by Deborah Lipstadt (2011),
and Hunting Eichmann by Neal Bascomb (2009). These
excellent books draw variously on previously classified material, newly mined archives, and interviews with former
Mossad agents. Here is an overview.
Kidnapping in Buenos Aires
Adolph Eichmann organized the deportation of millions of
Jews to death camps. When World War II ended, Eichmann
eluded detection, eventually escaping to Argentina. A determined West German prosecutor, Fritz Bauer, secretly tipped
off the Mossad that Eichmann was living in Buenos Aires
under the alias Ricardo Klement. Bauer, a German Jew who
had fled to Scandinavia during the war, did not trust West
German authorities to apprehend Eichmann.
As dramatically described in Hunting Eichmann, a Mossad
team tracked Ricardo Klement and gathered evidence to
confirm that he was probably Eichmann. On May 11, 1960,
they ambushed him on a lonely dark road as he walked
home from the bus stop, shoved him into a waiting car, and
whisked him to a safe house. To the agents’ relief, Eichmann
readily acknowledged who he was. Shortly thereafter, El
8
Al (which did not regularly fly to Argentina) sent a special
plane on the pretext of transporting an Israeli delegation to
honor the 150th anniversary of Argentina’s independence.
When the delegation flew home to Israel, Mossad agents
smuggled Eichmann aboard, drugged and disguised as an El
Al steward.
Trial in Jerusalem
The Israeli chief prosecutor opened his case by
proclaiming that “six million accusers” were
standing with him. He used the trial to tell systematically, for the first time, the story of the
Holocaust, calling scores of survivors as witnesses. This dramatic approach was instrumental
in making the Holocaust part of the collective
memory of the Jewish people, says Professor
Deborah Lipstadt, author of The Eichmann Trial.
As for Eichmann, he insisted that he was
a small cog in the Nazi machine who passively followed
orders and never personally killed anyone. Philosopher
Hannah Arendt, reporting on the trial for the New Yorker,
famously portrayed Eichmann as a mindless bureaucrat used
by a totalitarian regime. But Eichmann’s own writings and
recordings, exhaustively mined by Bettina Stangneth in Eichmann Before Jerusalem, reveal Eichmann’s initiative, zeal, and
indispensability to the Nazi mission of exterminating Jews.
The Jerusalem court sentenced Eichmann to death on
December 15, 1961, just days after my grandfather’s speech. I
wonder whether that was what he predicted. n
Upcoming Book Events
Sunday, December 11, 10:00 am at
Adas Israel Library. Elizabeth Poliner,
presents her novel, As Close to Us as
Breathing (Beth El book club’s September
book).
Sunday, January 29, 11:30 am at Beth
El. Book chat on The
Hare with Amber Eyes
by Edmund de Waal, a
family memoir of art and loss.
For more information, please contact
Margery London or Robin Jacobson.
GALA 2016
Saturday, November 12
How the Capitol Steps “put the ‘mock’ in democracy”:
Trump: I am the most patriotic person you’ll meet. I am more patriotic than
the Statue of Liberty, and I know her. She’s like a three.
Trump on Pence: I only picked him because I found out I couldn’t be
both president and vice president.
Bernie Sanders: I would spread the money around so we could all live in
poverty.
Hillary Clinton: Unless you’ve been on Mars, you know I’m not president.
Which is too bad, because I’d already moved some things into the White
House.
Tim Kaine rap: I’m a cool dad in khakis.Vanilla nice vice.
Putin: I went to visit another country. They asked me, “Occupation?” I said,
“No, I’m just visiting.”
The gala raised more than $105,000. Photos by Mitchell Solkowitz. Cochairs were Mindi and Bucky Jacobson and Gail Ross and Roy Niedermayer.
9
Bone marrow re
gistry
lters
Preparing meals for she
Sorting donations to
Interfaith Clothing
ell cards
Creating get-w
E-cycling with Troop 1800
Bikes for the World
10
Marak Hayo
m at Revitz H
ouse
Center
Mitzvah Day 2016
Beth El’s Mitzvah Day on October 30, supported by the Sondra Bender Community Service Fund, enabled our congregation to fulfill the mitzvah of tikkun
olam, repairing the world. Donna Shimshi and Jon Polon co-chaired Beth El’s
very successful Mitzvah Day, and Sheryl R. Miller mentored the team through
ToBE: Tikkun Olam at Beth El, our year-round effort to substantially enhance
community engagement in social action. More than 25 choices included collections, fundraisers, and service projects. Over 600 people volunteered and/or
donated to these projects. We thank the captains of each project. Here are some
highlights from the day:
• Beth El families filled 328 brown bags with 1,500 individually packaged
snacks for hungry schoolchildren; 150 assorted food items were donated to
the Capital Area Food Bank
• 130 bags filled with clothing for adults and children in need were donated to
the Interfaith Clothing Center
• 336 items of dress clothing were donated to Strive DC
• 400 meals were cooked and donated, along with nine bags of fruit, to Shepherd’s Table and the Wilkins Avenue Shelter
• 60 gift bags with 100 toys were donated to Children’s National Medical
Center for hospitalized children
• One ton of electronic recyclables were brought to the County Recycling
Center
• 370 bras and about 1,400 feminine products were collected for homeless
women through Support the Girls
• 73 bikes were collected by Bikes for the World to be sent overseas to people
in need in underdeveloped countries
• Three Beth El musical groups (Marak Hayom, The Swinging Klezmers, Julie
Mack and Peter Kahn) entertained over 125 elderly residents at the Hebrew
Home, Ring House, and Revitz House
• Beth El members filled The Wider Circle truck to capacity with items, including 22 bags of household linens, 15 bags of toys, and furniture
• Over two dozen pieces of sports equipment were donated to Level the Playing Field
• 42 pints of blood were collected for INOVA, which will save lives during a
blood shortage in Montgomery County
• $1,356 was raised through the Walk for Shepherd’s Table
• $400 was raised through a yoga class to be donated to The Red Stone
• $450 was donated to the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces from the sale of
pizza
• 35 preschoolers and kindergarteners created small toys for sick children
through Thoughtful Treasures
• About $100 was donated to the Feline Foundation from the sale of lemonade
and water
• A Beth El havurah packed 192 boxes of food at the Manna Food Center for
low-income families
• Sisterhood and Zhava members knitted 35 baby hats for newborns in intensive care
From the Beth El Religious School:
• 32 kindergarteners made three dozen doggie biscuits and collected towels to
donate to Montgomery County Humane Society
• 40 first graders made four apple crisps for the soup kitchen cooking effort
• 44 second graders donated to the clothing effort and helped sort clothes
• 59 third graders made Thoughtful Treasures for Children’s Inn
• 40 fourth graders walked, raising money for Shepherd’s Table
• Fifth graders made 48 jigsaw puzzles and get-well cards for children in Israeli
hospitals
Photos by Mitchell Solkowitz and Amanda Miller.
Co-chairs Donna Shimshi and Jon Polon
Sports gear
for Leveling
the
Playing Fiel
d
r NICU babies
Knitting hats fo
Furniture donations to A Wider Circle
Packing snacks for hungry
children
11
Hanukkah: Oil and Other Ecological Thoughts
By Elisa Rapaport
Just because God brought forth a miracle to make oil for
one day last eight times longer does not mean that God will
make our current energy supply last eight times longer than
predicted. Nor does it mean that we can expect a miracle to
reverse climate change.
Beth El's Green Tikkun Committee has much more to
say on the subject. However, we doubt that we can present
better cases than the citations below from the Coalition on
the Environment and Jewish Life and the Jewish News Service:
• The Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of
Conservative rabbis, has passed a resolution in support of
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change Paris Agreement (2015) and the Green Climate
Fund (GCF). GCF resources, offered by both developed
and developing countries, will aid adaptation and mitigation efforts in the nations most vulnerable to climate
change. (“COEJL Lauds Rabbinical Assembly Climate Resolution” by Liya Rechtman; http://bit.ly/2fqILFC)
• As always, the best way to have an impact is to know the
problem, the national and international policies that help/
hinder climate change, and get involved. Most of these
things are incremental towards reducing our global impact
on climate change, but if there’s one other thing we learn
from the story of the Maccabees, it’s that even small ac-
tions can have astonishing results! (“Conservation: A Hanukkah Tradition” by Emily Rosenthal; http://bit.ly/2fwedB5)
• Call your electric power utility and ask to switch to windpowered electricity. For the average home, switching to
100 percent wind power for one year reduces carbon
dioxide emissions by the same amount as if you reduced
your car travel by 20,000 miles. (“Hanukkah: 8 Days of Action” by Rabbi Arthur Waskow; http://bit.ly/1Lp9OrI)
• Urge your senators and members of Congress to strengthen the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency
to regulate carbon emissions from coal-burning plants, oil
refineries, and vehicles. Not only would reducing these
emissions help our planet’s climate, but it also would lessen
pollution-related asthma outbreaks among our children.
It’s true that no single individual or action will solve the
global climate crisis.Yet acting together, a small group of
people can overcome a seemingly intractable crisis, and –
as in days of old – turn this time of darkness into one of
light. (“Hanukkah: 8 Days of Action” by Rabbi Arthur Waskow; http://bit.ly/2fJSs5E)
• Make changes so less energy is needed. Buy a better fuelefficient car and find the best heating system that is better for the environment. Compost. Use low-energy light
bulbs, don’t idle your car. Reduce consumption. Hanukcontinued on page 15
Israel Needs Us
We Need Israel
This year, Hanukkah and Christmas coincide. As we think
about gifts for our children, grandchildren, and friends,
both Jewish and Christian, let us make the connection
between Israel’s history and its present while also boosting
Israel’s economy.
READ a just-published book, Israel, A Concise History
of a Nation Reborn, by Rabbi Daniel Gordis. One of the
strengths of this thoughtful and engaging work is the
author’s eye for Israel today, enabling him to draw insightful links between the Zionist past and the Israeli present.
Rabbi Gordis has spoken at Beth El several times and is
the uncle of one of our congregants.
BUY gifts made in Israel. The Internet affords opportunities to purchase a wide array of products and presents
from Israel. One shopping spot is Yad LaKashish, a nonprofit organization in Jerusalem that brings together more
than 300 senior citizens to make beautiful jewelry, tallitot,
12
and other religious articles.Visit www.lifeline.org.il. Other
online outlets include www.judaicawebstore.com, www.
ahuva.com and www.israeliproducts.com.
DIALOGUE with Christian friends about Israel. The
Christian community in the United States is a source of
both remarkably strong support for Israel and, conversely,
strident criticism of Israel, including some churches officially backing the BDS movement. Rabbi Harris has recently returned from an interfaith clergy trip to Israel, accompanied by Pastor Roy Howard of St. Mark Presbyterian Church. Follow Rabbi Harris’s lead and engage with
your Christian friends about Israel. One good starting
point might be the recent UNESCO resolution referring
to the area around the Temple Mount only by its Arabic
name, an attempt to separate both Jews and Christians
from the holiest sites in their respective religions.
Sisterhood
2017 Golda Meir Award
By Holly Stein
I never set out to be a “leader” at Beth El. In fact, I didn’t
get involved for several years after my husband, Howie, and I
joined Beth El more than 20 years ago.
I grew up attending a Conservative synagogue in Long
Beach, N.Y. The synagogue was not yet egalitarian, so my
bat mitzvah was on a Friday night. My parents
served in leadership positions, and my mother
was also active in Hadassah. They modeled the
importance of involvement, leadership, and
commitment to an organization.
Howie and I had met at the State University of New York at Albany, where I majored
in speech pathology and audiology. We married shortly after graduation, both found jobs
in Prince George’s County Public Schools,
and moved to Maryland. For three years, I served as a speech
therapist. Then I had the opportunity to work in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) office for one
year. That year turned into the rest of my professional life, as
I discovered that I loved working with students from varying cultures, countries, and languages. I have also been an
adjunct faculty member at University of Maryland College
Park and UMBC, teaching graduate students earning certification as ESOL teachers, and I have been a consultant providing teacher training and support.
We joined Beth El because it was an egalitarian Conservative synagogue with good adult education programs and
plenty of opportunities to participate in social action projects. We came from a small synagogue where members had
to take active leadership roles to make programming happen.
At Beth El, however, great programs happened without any
effort on my part. After my first few years, I realized that my
lack of involvement also meant that I didn’t know my fellow
congregants.
Looking to Connect
Slowly, I began looking for ways to connect. I joined Ahavat
Shir, then Sisterhood (before Zhava existed), and made a tallit before becoming a helper in the annual workshop. It was
wonderful to be able to choose a specific program to work
on, to meet some friendly people, and to know that my contribution to that project was enough because there were so
many other members providing leadership in a multitude of
areas.
Professionally, I was working as the supervisor of the
ESOL program in Prince George’s County Public Schools.
That job provided all of the meetings, phone calls, emails,
and leadership responsibilities I could handle, especially since
Howie and I were also involved with the activities of our
son, Drew, and our daughter, Leah.
Leadership Opportunities
Over the years, my involvement at Beth El has
increased. I found myself accepting leadership
opportunities as they arose. I co-chaired the
Sisterhood/Zhava Women’s Seder and Sisterhood’s education committee. I served as Sisterhood president. For many years, I organized
my havurah’s participation in Beth El’s week
supporting the Wilkins Avenue Women’s Shelter (formerly Community Based Shelter). Howie and I also
facilitated the Shepherd’s Table walk for fourth and sixth
graders on Mitzvah Day. I co-chaired the shul’s financial
support project for the Jewish community of Bahia Blanca,
Argentina, and co-chaired a shul-themed Shabbat dinner.
This year, I am a co-chair of Beth El’s Women’s Retreat.
I can happily say that I now know many congregants. But
the members I most love seeing at Beth El are Howie, my
children, Leah and Damon Bradley, and my granddaughters,
Talia and Elise. n
At Sisterhood Shabbat on January 7, Holly will receive the
Golda Meir Award for service to Beth El and to Sisterhood. Marilyn Fine will give the d’var Torah.The Golda Meir Award and
d’var Torah are underwritten by the Celia and Audrey Resnik Memorial Lecture Fund.
UPCOMING SISTERHOOD/ZHAVA EVENTS
Tuesdays, December 6, 13, 20, 27 Mah jongg
Thursday, December 1, 7:30 pm Rosh Chodesh Group
Sunday, December 4, 9:30-11:30 am Getting Your
Financial Life in Order
Friday-Sunday, December 9-11 Women’s Retreat
Sunday, December 11 Wilkins Avenue Women’s Shelter
Saturday, December 17, 3:00 pm Zhava discussion with
Michelle Brafman on her book, Bertrand Court (offsite)
Monday, December 19, 7:30-9:30 pm Board Meeting
13
Kiddush Servers Needed
Did you know the kiddush is an integral part of the Shabbat service at Beth El and is served by volunteers when a
bar or bat mitzvah celebrates this very important event?
Adult men and women and teen volunteers are needed.
Perform a mitzvah and help make this day even more
memorable by offering to assist other congregants and
guests with their selections of the delectable choices at
the conclusion of religious services. After approximately
15 minutes you are very welcome to dine and socialize
with others as your responsibilities will be concluded.
Want to perform this mitzvah on any Shabbat of your
choice? Contact Margy Nurik.
MAH JONGG CARDS
Sisterhood is taking orders for 2017 mah jongg cards
______ Standard card @ $8.00 $_______
______ Large print @ $9.00 $_______
Checks must be received by Monday, January 30.
Name___________________________________________
Getting Your Financial Life in Order
Sunday, December 4, 9:30 am
Join Sisterhood and Zhava for an educational seminar on “Getting Your Financial
Life in Order” at 9:30 am, Sunday, December
4. We will discuss tips on organizing your
bills and important documents, what documents to keep and what to throw, and lists
of critical information you should maintain.
If you have questions, or to RSVP, please contact Sharon
Zissman.
Men’s Club
UPCOMING MEN’S CLUB EVENTS
Thursday, December 1, 8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices,
TBD
Sunday, December 4, 10:00 am Eric Gartman, author
of Return to Zion:The History of Modern Israel, focuses
on two main themes of modern Israel: reconstitution
and survival. Return to Zion is the story of Israel’s fight
for independence through the Israeli Independence
War in 1948, the Six-Day War of 1967, and the nearcollapse of the Israeli Army during the 1973 Yom
Kippur War.
Sunday, December 11, 10:00 am Todd Gillman, Dallas Morning News Washington bureau chief, will look
back at the recent presidential and congressional elections and assess the changing landscape.
Sunday, December 18, 10:00 am Latke-Hamantasch
Debate
Sunday, December 25, 10:00 am Open mic
14
Address________________________________________
City, State, Zip ____________________________________
Is this a new addresss? ____ YES ____ NO
Email ___________________________________________
Please make checks payable to Beth El Sisterhood and
mail to 8215 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814,
Attn: Mah Jongg
Save the date for the Sisterhood Sixth Annual
Tournament, February 12.
Zhava Movie Event
Thursday, January 12, 7:30 pm,
Regal Cinemas Bethesda
In connection with the Jewish value of Btzelem Elohim,
being created in the image of God, Zhava invites everyone to come out for a night at the movies to see the film
Embrace.
Taryn Brumfitt, a body image activist, posted an unconventional before-and-after photo in 2013. The photo was
seen by more than 100 million people worldwide and
sparked an international media frenzy. Embrace follows
Taryn’s crusade as she explores the global issue of body
loathing, inspiring us to change the way we feel about
ourselves and think about our bodies.
Advance purchase of tickets is required and can be purchased online: http://gathr.us/screening/18641.
Scroll Staff Needed
Do you enjoy the Scroll? We are seeking new writers and
photographers to join our team. Please contact us at
[email protected].
Not Only Soup
By Rabbi Fabián Werbin
The Bikur Cholim project is growing. We already delivered
more than 200 “soups for the souls.” Soon we will be cooking a third batch of soups and we have expanded our horizons by partnering with two institutions in the area.
The Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington has a new
home, The Bernard Creeger Bikur Cholim House, across
from NIH. Their goal is to receive families of patients being
treated at NIH. They offer a place to stay, spend Shabbat, and
get kosher meals. This is an incredible project, and we are
happy that Beth El partners with them as part of our commitment to tikkun olam.
HANUKKAH OIL continued from page 12
kah means to dedicate. The holiday is a good time to step
back and take stock, and dedicate the decisions we make
in our lives to affirm the health of our shared planet. (Rabbi Michael Cohen, quoted in “Green Hanukkah: Oil-conservation miracle inspires environmentalism” by Robert Gluck/JNS.
org; http://bit.ly/2ffDsYZ )
PS. Avoid paraffin wax in your hanukkiot – Consider alternates such as beeswax candles, soy candles, or LED
bulbs. n
Simchat Torah Playlist
Did you enjoy rabbinic intern Gil Ezring’s “Through
the Decades” Simchat Torah Musaf? How many tunes
did you recognize? If you missed any, here’s the list:
Hatzi Kaddish - 30s: Stormy Weather by Harold Arlen
and Ted Koehler
Mechalkel Chayim - (This was skipped) 40s: Let it
Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Sammy Cahn and
Jule Styne
Na’aritzcha - 50s: Mack the Knife as performed by
Bobby Darin
Mim’komo - 60s: Do Wah Diddy by Manfred Mann
Adir Adireinu - 70s: I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
Kaddish Shalem - 80s: Never Gonna Give You Up by
Rick Astley
Ein Keloheinu - 90s: Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
by Green Day
Aleinu - 2000s: I’m Yours by Jason Mraz
Adon Olam - 2010s: Rolling In the Deep by Adele
The Auxiliary House is a place where patients with dementia receive treatment and care. A group of volunteers
from Beth El offer their time to visit the patients and support them.
We are grateful for the possibilities we have to support
and help others.
What do we need in order to continue growing? Mainly
that you will let us know of anyone who needs a visit. If we
do not know, we cannot help.
If you want someone to receive a visit or just to receive
the soup or if you would like to help by volunteering, contact Ricardo Munster at [email protected]. n
Age & Stage Presents:
Risky Business: How to Understand and
Prevent Risky Teen Behavior
Thursday, January 19, 7:30 pm
Whether it’s experimenting with drugs and alcohol, being
sexually active, or posting inappropriate information online, parents have many concerns about the choices their
teens will make.
In this talk, parent and teen expert Joshua Wayne will help
parents identify warning signs of risky behavior, discuss
appropriate and effective interventions, and provide tips
to keeping the lines of communication open with your
teen. This talk will provide a practical and helpful framework for parents to address their biggest concerns about
their teens’ choices.
RSVP to Geryl Baer at [email protected].
Megillah Theater Casting Call
Sunday, January 8, noon
contemporary Broadway numbers.
Megillah Theater is
preparing for our upcoming Purim spiel:
HAMILTASCHEN: An
American Megillah
Reading. It will feature musical parodies
based on the hit musical Hamilton, along
with other classic and
Anyone in the Beth El community can join the cast! Mark
your calendars and show up for our open cast meeting on
Sunday, January 8, at noon to sing and join in.
Both cast and crew members wanted. To join the team,
email Hazzan Klein at [email protected].
15
Openings on the Beth El
Board of Directors
In accordance with the bylaws, six at-large director and
10 officer positions will become vacant at the annual
meeting on Thursday, May 18, 2017. The officer positions are: president, executive vice president, treasurer,
secretary, and six vice presidents – administration; communications and tikkun olam; community engagement;
development; education and lifelong learning; and worship and spirituality. Adult members of Beth El who are
in good standing may be considered for nomination.
We expect more members to apply than positions are
available, and some current Board members are eligible
to be considered for a second term. Regular attendance
at Board meetings on the fourth Tuesday evening of the
month is expected. Potential nominees should contact
David Mills, Nominating Committee chair, at info@
bethelmc.org, or send to his attention to Beth El no
later than Friday, January 15. Interested individuals will
be sent a questionnaire concerning their background,
experience, and areas of interest.
Before the End of the Year
Beth El is a vibrant community that
provides a dynamic Jewish environment. As the calendar year winds
down, please consider an end-ofthe-year gift that will help us remain the Jewish community you have come to expect.
Make a Gift for a Low Dollar Value
With the stock market rebounding, we have an extraordinary opportunity of which to take full advantage. A
gift of appreciated securities enables you to maximize
your contribution to Beth El, maximize your charitable
deduction, and minimize your capital gains tax liability. Transferring stock to Beth El is an easy procedure.
Contact Andrea Glazer at [email protected] for
instructions.
Create a Jewish Legacy
Jewish tradition teaches us that it is our responsibility to
make this world a better place for future generations. To
learn why you might make a legacy gift to Beth El as
part of your estate planning and how you can create a
legacy gift, contact Andrea Glazer at aglazer@bethelmc.
org.
16
IRS Charitable Contribution Rules
The 1993 tax law requires you to have a “contemporaneous” receipt for all charitable contributions of
$250 or more after December 31, 1993. If you make a
contribution of $75 or more for which you also receive
something of value in return, you are also required to
have a receipt showing the non-deductible value of
what you received.
In order to reduce your paperwork and ours, Beth El
takes advantage of the provision of the law that allows
the use of an annual statement, which will satisfy your
“contemporaneous” receipt requirement.
In order to ensure that all payments made by you during 2016 are reflected on your statement, the statement
will include all checks dated no later than December
31, 2016, and received in the Beth El office through
January 6, 2017. Gifts of stock must be received in Beth
El’s stock account by December 31. Contribution statements will be mailed before the end of January.
Walk Humbly with Your God:
Jewish Wisdom in Song
Sunday, December 4, 3:00 pm
Congregation Har Shalom, Potomac
A John Leopold and Martha Dellheim Concert
Explore Beth El’s theme of “Jewish Wisdom, Jewish Values”
through spiritual and energetic music, from Jewish rock to
cantorial recitative in this special concert featuring Hazzan
Klein and three of Beth El’s cantorial interns (including our
second High Holiday Hazzan, Sarah Levine).
Also featuring Cantors Nancy Abramson and Henrique
Ozur Bass, as well as the World Premiere of “HaMelech,” a
new piece of mystical chazzanut by world-renown composer, Jonathan Leshnoff.
The concert is free and open to the public.
A reception will follow.
Co-sponsored by Har Shalom, Beth El, and the Jewish
Theological Seminary.
Contributions
Donations made from September 26 to November 2
Beth El Israel Fund
In Memory Of:
Nathaniel T. Cohan by Solomon and Rita Barr
Steve Rudolph, brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by Amy and
Gene Goott and Arthur and Nancy Salwin
Cantor’s Fund
In Honor Of:
Hazzan Klein for officiating at Ethan’s bar mitzvah by Danielle
and Joe Wagner
Hazzan Klein for officiating at the unveiling for our daughter,
Donna Weiss, and Sandy’s mother, Pauline Badian, by Sandy
and Richie Weiss
Hazzan Klein for officiating at the bar mitzvah of Raphael
Epstein by Jonathan Epstein and Susan Schatten
Hazzan Klein’s willingness to teach Leah the love of prayer
through music by Tami and Michael Simon
Chevra Kadisha Fund
In Memory Of:
Jerry Sorkin, husband of Lisa Sorkin and father of Emma and
Claire Sorkin, by Jack and Stephanie Ventura
Majora Minska by Helene Weisz, Bernie Weisz, and families
Marvin Nattel by Twila Nattel
Rita G. Minker, beloved wife, by Jack Minker
Samuel Mininberg by Harvey N. Mininberg
Stephen Rudolph, beloved brother of Rabbi William Rudolph,
by Richard and Frannie Kessler and Andrea and Stuart
Fribush and family
General Fund
By: Eric Felber, Miriam Mann, Mitchell Solkowitz, Ruth and
Alan Vinitsky, and Tatyana Estrina
In Honor Of:
Our clergy for the beautiful High Holiday services by Tricia
and Howard Sachs
Rabbi Harris, Rabbi Werbin, and Hazzan Klein for their
support on the death of Mike’s brother, Joe Getz, by Mike
and Hilda Getz
20th Anniversary of Lisa and Larry Lerner by Reina Lerner
Annette and David Abrams for your wonderful hospitality by
Shirley Kahan
Bea Berger on the occasion of her special Yom Kippur birthday
by David Kessel and Rona Schwartz
Daniel Bernard Kotelanski on his bar mitzvah by Rosa
Kotelanski
Happy Sukkot by Craig Yokum
In appreciation for my aliyah on Rosh Hashanah by Judy
Marcus
In appreciation of our Yom Kippur honor by Sheldon and
Paola Bolasny
Julie and Gary Greenstein on the b’nai mitzvah of Maddy and
Siddy by Craig Yokum
Lester I. Marion’s birthday by Herbert and Nancy Rosenthal
Natalie Lerner’s bat mitzvah by Reina Lerner
Sid Getz and the inspiring Kol Haneshama High Holiday
services by Doug and Brenda Bregman
Marriage of Eliot Lesser and Melissa Prieto, son and soon-tobe daughter-in-law of Howard Lesser and Hanna Gutmann,
by Martha and Yuli Wexler
Please remember that contributions can be made
easily, quickly, and securely via our webpage –
www.bethelmc.org
Marriage of our son, David, to Lynn Carrier by Rob Fersh and
Sharon Markus
In Memory Of:
Aaron Burman, my beloved father, by Bea Berger
Annabelle Glazer by Rabbi Steve and Andrea Glazer
Arthur L. Adams by Natalie Adams
Barbara Balsam by Jennifer and Steven Hirsch
Bela Charno, wife of Leyzer Charno, by Donna Vogel and
David Margulies
Bernard Bobb, beloved father, by Anita and Howard Ratain
Bernard Katz, brother-in-law of Roy Millenson and uncle of
Janet Millenson, by Irwin and Rita Kopin
Bertha Kramer Adams by Natalie Adams
Bertha Simkowitz by Faith Walerstein
Blanche Fersh by Rob Fersh and Sharon Markus
Burt Rose, father of Nancy Rose, by Howard Hoffman and
Rob Fersh and Sharon Markus
Charlotte Preskill, mother of Sue Kanter, by Jeffrey Trauberman
and Patti Silver
Clara Eisenstein, mother of Harry Eisenstein, by Howard
Hoffman and Michael and Adeen Postar
David Neustein by Sharon Schulman
Diana Sander, mother of Cliff Hendler, by Kay Klass and Mark
Levitt
Eugene Levine, father of Susan Levine, by Howard Hoffman
and Leesa Fields and Jonathan Band
Gilbert Lewis by Janet and Sid Getz
Harley Lubin, son of Cantor and Mrs. Abe Lubin, by Jeffrey
Trauberman and Patti Silver
Herman Bleshman by Natalie Adams
Ilya I. Mazo by Marina Ginderov
Jeanette Miller by Jay and Lillian Miller
Jerry Sorkin by Danielle and Joe Wagner, Kenny and Risa Elias,
Laura Nadel and Josh and Eliot Eisen, Richard and Diane
Klein, and Tricia and Howard Sachs
Joe Getz, brother of Mike Getz and uncle of Sid Getz, by Kay
Klass and Mark Levitt
Joel Cadoff by Dorene and Joe Rosenthal
Leslie Simon, father of Bruce Simon, by Howard Hoffman
Libby Shapiro Feinman by Annabelle Band
Madelynne Schulman by Richard and Sharon Schulman
Martin Mittelmann by Sara Handwerker
Allen B. Kahn, my beloved brother, by Marcia and Paul Merlin
Ira Kline, my beloved husband, by Etta Kline
Rita Margolis, my beloved mother, by Susan and Brad Stillman
Lia Schimmerling, my beloved mother, by Walter Schimmerling
Richard Rosner by Jordan and Rahel Rosner
Rose Chotkin by Rhea Troffkin
Ruth Slater, mother of Matthew Slater, by Jeffrey Trauberman
and Patti Silver
Sidney Goldberg by Julie and Gregg Goodman
Stanley Levine by Deborah Gottlieb
Steve Rudolph, brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by Kay Klass
and Mark Levitt, Jeffrey Trauberman and Patti Silver, Selma
Barron, and Brenda Gruss and Daniel O. Hirsch
Theodore Morrison by Harold Morrison
William Mirengoff by Paul Mirengoff
Zelda Landsman by Karen Bellamy
17
Contributions Continued
Green Tikkun Fund
Men’s Club Fund
Sidney Kaplan, dear brother, by Rosalie Sporn
Dorothy Rubin, my beloved mother, by Sharyn Schlesinger
David Margulies on receiving the honor of Hattan Torah by
Sarah Kalser
Rick Rudman on the occasion of his mother’s yahrzeit by
Craig Yokum
In Memory Of:
Groner Camp Ramah Scholarship Fund
In Memory Of:
Jerry Sorkin by Erwin and Leena Groner
Interreligious Institute Fund
In Memory Of:
In Honor Of:
Morning Minyan Fund
By: Judy Goldman
In Honor Of:
Geryl Baer for planning a terrific family BBQ at Beth El by
Irwin and Rita Kopin
In Memory Of:
Herbert Victor Brenner, beloved father, by Lynne Ganek
Lillie Lefkowitz by Fay and Jerry Chernin
Wedding of Alan Golden and Nancy Grunley by Matthew
Slater and Faith Roessel
In Memory Of:
Ann Pollack by Judy Goldman
Anna Chinn, my mother, by Sarah Kalser
Robert Forman, beloved uncle, by Julian Levin and Sondra
Brody
Burton Rudman by Rick and Bev Rudman
Maxine Rudman, beloved mother, by Bev and Rick Rudman
Rose, mother of Marsha Koster and grandmother of Lauren
Scherr, by Julian Levin
Steve Rudolph, dear brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by
Rosalie Sporn
Bernardo Kotelanski, M.D. Marriage Education Fund
Prayer Book Fund
Morris Gorden by Phil and Vivian Gorden
Natalie Lerner’s bat mitzvah by Jorge and Sharona Sapoznikow
In Memory Of:
Rose and Isadore Fassberg, beloved mother and father, by
Benjamin Fassberg
Steve Rudolph, brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by Pat and
Jerry Danoff
Israel Experience Teen Fund
In Memory Of:
Dora Horowitz, beloved mother, by Rita Liebowitz
Kimball Nursery School Fund
In Honor Of:
In Memory Of:
Leadership/Educational Fund
In Memory Of:
Jerry Sorkin and his leadership of Beth El by June and Rob
Falb
Library Fund
In Honor Of:
Irene and Ricardo Munster becoming United States citizens by
Doris Povich
Mazal Tov on the birth of Faryn Amira Baer by Dov and
Sharon Margolis Apfel
In Memory Of:
Bernard I. Miller by Jay and Sharon Berzofsky
Burt Rose, father of Nancy Rose, by Debbie and Sam Olchyk
Dennis Fox by Sharon Fox
Eleanor Mitnick Berzofsky by Jay and Sharon Berzofsky
Litman Holocaust (Shoah) Education Fund
By: Ben and Ruth Cohen
In Memory Of:
Helene Gruenberg and Regine Gruenberg by Helene Weisz,
Bernie Weisz, and families
Mazon
By: Sarah Friedman
In Honor Of:
Wedding of Pam Crystal and Tom Klaff by Beth and Ken
Berman
In Memory Of:
Bess W. Sickel by Hugh V. Sickel
Emanuel Sickel by Hugh V. and Ruth Z. Sickel
Jack Babbin by Mona and Jerry Gabry
Joseph King, my beloved father, by Bert and Susan King
Leonard Rubin, my beloved father, by Sharyn Schlesinger
Deborah Gabry, my sister, by Jerry and Mona Gabry
18
In Honor Of:
Rabbi’s Fund
By: Samantha and Daniel Bender
In Honor Of:
Rabbi Harris for officiating at our wedding by Alan Golden
and Nancy Grunley
Rabbi Harris for his kind and wise advice by Judith Baldinger
Rabbi Harris for officiating at Ethan’s bar mitzvah by Danielle
and Joe Wagner
Rabbi Werbin and the Beth El Rosh Hashanah services by Paul
Schweizer
Rabbi Werbin for our Yom Kippur aliyah by Burton S. and
Diane E. Epstein
Rabbi Werbin for officiating at the bar mitzvah of Raphael
Epstein by Jonathan Epstein and Susan Schatten
Rabbi Rudolph tribute mural by Linda and Jerry Herman
Rabbi Rudolph for officiating at our wedding by Pam Crystal
and Tom Klaff
Good people down the road by Adi Perry
In appreciation of our High Holiday honor by Doris and
Marlene Povich
Irwin and Irma Waxman by Michael Cernea
Louis Bugalski Pred by Michael Cernea
My aliyah on Yom Kippur by Adam Chaikin
Birth of our granddaughter, Harper Vale Cammy, by Harriet
and Frank Weinstein
In Memory Of:
Bruce Wine by Mark Wine
Daniel Shrago by Jeff Shrago
Harry and Violet Weinstein by Frank Weinstein
Howard Thomashauer by Robin Thomashauer
Jane Schimel by Barry and Elinor Schimel
Contributions Continued
Jerry Sorkin by Jonathan and Debbie Forrest
Kate Wernick, beloved mother, by Jerome and Ina Wernick
Masha Cohen Baras by Sheila Cohen
Sol Feldman, my father, by Cary Feldman
Samuel Baraf by Herbert and Cheryl Baraf
Samuel Spector and Nathaniel DeGutz by Bert and Judy
Spector
William Schumer by Robert Schumer
Stephen Rudolph, brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by Camp
Ramah in New England, Rebecca Fribush, Rob Fersh and
Sharon Markus, Ellen and Norman Eule, Ilene and David
Jacobowitz, Adeen and Michael Postar, Alan and Debra
Birnkrant, Burton S. and Diane E. Epstein, Elaine and Steve
Wishnow, Judith and Stanley Baldinger, Leesa Fields and
Jonathan Band, Naomi Greenwood and Thomas Dahl,
Sharona and Jorge Sapoznikow, Irwin and Rita Kopin, and
Fran Katz Watson and Robert Watson
Esther Rubin by Robert Rubin
Simone Weil Lipman by Robert Lipman
Clara Eisenstein by Nancy Grunley and Alan Golden
Miriam Rogers Liss by Marsha, Joel, and Sam Liss
Elaine Tanenbaum Religious School Enrichment Fund
In Honor Of:
David Levine for his love of baseball and the Orioles by Herb
Tanenbaum
Torah Scroll Fund
In Memory Of:
Samuel Sporn, dear father-in-law, by Rosalie Sporn
Transportation Fund
By: Audrey Berger
In Honor Of:
In Memory Of:
Donna Saady for beautiful shofar blowing by Rose Saady
Pam Kocher, Nancie Tajip, Hattie Goodman, Ian Rothman, and
Pamra Brown by Beth El Bridge Group and Bob Janney and
Susan Levine
Rebecca and Reid Bingham on the celebration of their 40th
anniversary by Rose Saady
In Memory Of:
Carl Berger by Henrietta Asen
Goldie Sturm, dearest sister, by Mary Dubrow
Edith Weisz, beloved mother and grandmother, by Helene
Weisz, Bernie Weisz, and families
Samuel Saady by Ruth and Bob Oppenheim
Joseph Ash by Anita Ash
Our beloved Charlotte Mandel by Irwin and Rita Kopin
Rose Lourea, beloved sister, by Mary Dubrow
Steve Rudolph, brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by Rose Saady
Simos Music Fund
Wolf Israel Quest
Hans Hirsch by Judith and Stanley Baldinger
Joe Getz, brother of Mike Getz and uncle of Sid Getz, by Irwin
and Rita Kopin
Herbert Howard Freedland by Amy Freedland
Bernard W. Pollen, my father, by Richard and Sandra Pollen
Samuel Scolnic Adult Learning Institute
In Memory Of:
Eugene Sporn, beloved husband, by Rosalie Sporn
Phyllis Jacobin, aunt of Linda Orenstein, by Alan and Linda
Orenstein
Steve Rudolph, brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by Julia
Copperman and Miriam Israel
Senior Caucus
Charles Lefkowitz and Lillie Lefkowitz by Anita Ash
In Memory Of:
Sisterhood Kesher Nashim Fund
In Memory Of:
Suzin Glickman by Judith and Stanley Baldinger
Sisterhood Shiva Meal Fund
In Memory Of:
Burt Rose, father of Nancy Rose, by Tricia and Howard Sachs
Clara Eisenstein, mother of Harry Eisenstein, by Tricia and
Howard Sachs
Ethel Weiss, my mother, by Gloria Sloan
Marianne Lubasch by Dov and Sharon Margolis Apfel
Marjorie Friedman and Doll Laboe by Barbara Friedman
Stephen Rudolph, brother of Rabbi Bill Rudolph, by Tricia
and Howard Sachs
Wanda Brasseur-Perez by Yvonne Mirengoff
Social Action Fund
In Memory Of:
Jerry Sorkin by Joan and Gregg Levy
Sonia Varsano by Ricardo Varsano
Sybil Suls Yout Activities Fund
In Honor Of:
Bar mitzvah of Raphael Epstein by Howie and Holly Stein
In Memory Of:
Burt Rose, father of Nancy Rose, by Nancy Grunley and Alan
Golden
In Memory Of:
Selamat Jalan, Sampai Jumpa Lagi (Farewell,
Until We Meet Again) to Nancie Tajip
On November 23, Beth El
wished Nancie Tajip, our administrative assistant in the main
office, good luck as she finished
her last day at the synagogue.
She is preparing to move with
her family to Indonesia, where
some of her relatives are from
originally. Nancie worked at
Beth El for just over 10 years,
providing support first for Hazzan Emeritus Abe Lubin and then Hazzan Matthew Klein. She was also
responsible for managing Beth El’s database, preparing announcements for the listserv as well as the hard
copy Shabbat handouts, and serving as general goodwill
ambassador to everyone who came into the office or
called. While this is an exciting time for Nancie, we at
Beth El will miss her and wish her the best of luck.
19
Congregation Beth El
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Bulletin Board
Mazal Tov to
Lee and Sheldon Fishman on the birth of their grandson, Isaac
Michael Printup. Proud parents are Shira and Kye Printup.
Amy and Steve Geller on the birth of their daughter, Hazel Lisa
Geller. Proud big brothers are Eli and Lucas.
Fred Kahn who was recognized for paving the way to televised
presidential debates. Mike McCurry, the co-chair of the
Commission on Presidential Debates, thanked Fred during the
prologue to the third debate on October 19.
Condolences to
Brenda and Douglas Bregman on the death of Brenda’s
mother, Marion Ladell
Mark and Lisa Bronfman on the death of Mark’s father, Lou
Bronfman
Leyzer Charno on the death of his wife, Bela Charno
Mindy Ginsburg and Gregg Elias on the death of Mindy’s
father, Bob Ginsburg
David and Ilene Jacobowitz on the death of David’s sister,
Rose Muenzer
Susan Levine and Bob Janney on the death of Susan’s father,
Eugene Levine
Nancy Rose and Bob Lipman on the death of Nancy’s father,
Burt Rose
Tali Moscowitz on the death of her grandfather, Howard
Taswell
Melvyn Shapiro on the death of Rosalie Shapiro
Lisa, Emma, and Claire Sorkin on the death of their husband
and father, and Beth El’s president, Jerry Sorkin
Send submissions to the Scroll to [email protected]
Noteworthy
Dor L’Dor, Thursday, December 1, noon. The Beth El Preschool (BEPS) 4s Class and a group of Beth El seniors blend together to form Dor L’Dor. To participate and share pizza with the
preschoolers, RSVP to Ricardo Munster at 301-652-8569, ext.
316, or [email protected].
Roundtable with the Rabbi: Wednesday, December 7,
2:00 pm. Join us celebrate December’s birthdays (yours and those
of others) with desserts, coffee, and an inspiring discussion led
by Rabbi Harris. The discussion is always lively and challenging. Birthday people receive a special invitation, but all are welcome
each month. Senior Caucus, Thursday, December 8, 22, and 29, noon.
Brown bag lunch. Come and socialize with your friends and enjoy
refreshments and dessert.
Senior Caucus–Vatikkim Luncheon Program, Thursday,
December 15. Starts with lunch at noon. Following lunch, join
us for the program “The History of Midde Eastern Music in Israel.” Cost of lunch is $10. To RSVP for lunch, contact Ricardo
Munster at 301-652-2606, ext.316, or rmunster@bethelmc.
org, by Tuesday, December 13. The program itself is free and begins after lunch around 1:00 pm.
Bridge – the greatest game ever! Join us every Monday (except the 4th Monday in December), and Thursday (except the
3rd Thursday in December) from noon to 3:00 pm. Drop in and
join a game; no partner necessary. For information or transportation, contact Ricardo Munster at 301-652-2606, ext. 316, or
[email protected].