Volume 37 Number 4
Cheshvan/Kislev 5767
From the Rabbi’s Desk
T
he new prayerbook produced by the Central
Conference of American
Rabbis, Mishkan Tefilah: A
Reform Siddur, finally began
shipping in October. Mishkan
Tefilah (literally: sanctuary of
prayer) replaces Shaarey
Tefilah - Gates of Prayer, which replaced the
Union Prayer Book in 1976. The Union Prayer
Book had been the movement’s prayerbook with
only few substantive changes since it first appeared
in 1895. The UPB lasted almost seventy years,
while the current one has only lasted thirty.
Gates of Prayer never won the hearts of congregants the way that the UPB did. The UPB was
simple and elegant; it was small and easy to hold
and to manipulate. While many aspects of the UPB,
including the archaic style of the language itself,
increasingly came to be seen as outdated, it was well
written. However, as the Reform Jewish community moved into the 60s and the 70s, the book
became more and more unpopular within the
movement. It did not reflect the increasing emphasis on Hebrew and traditional texts, made no mention of the Holocaust or of the state of Israel, and
presented only one theological persepective.
Gates of Prayer attempted to address these and
other deficiencies in the UPB. The English was
“contemporary.” There was more Hebrew and a
choice of services written to reflect different
“themes” and theological perspectives. But the volume itself lacked the elegance of the UPB; it was
heavy and unwieldy. The writing in it is uneven and
some of it became dated very quickly. Furthermore,
it failed to take enough note of two important
trends: the desire for gender specific language and
transliteration. Actually, in Gates of Prayer there
are no references to “mankind” and the like, but
God continues to be referred to in masculine terms.
Additionally, while there is a section of transliterations in the back of the book, because of its location
and the lack of cross-references, it is all but useless.
Mishkan Tefilah is intended to address these
and other problems that have been noted by rabbis,
cantors, and congregations over the years. All the
language is egalitarian and all the Hebrew is trans-
November 2006
lated. The translation of the Hebrew passages is
generally more faithful than that in Gates of Prayer.
Mishkan Tefilah has been through several preliminary drafts that were piloted in congregations
around the country and the final version reflects
reactions, positive and negative, of both clergy and
laypeople.
The most challenging innovation in Mishkan
Tefilah is something the editors call a “non-linear”
service. In practical terms, it means that for each
section of the service, there are several options,
generally displayed on two facing pages. So, for
example, the right hand page might contain the
V’ahavta in Hebrew, transliteration, and translation, while the left hand page will have two or three
readings that reflect the theme of the V’ahavta. The
idea is to provide options: one can read or chant the
Hebrew and/or the translation and/or one of the
other readings. Additionally, the parts of the readers and the congregation are not delineated using
regular and italic fonts. This also is designed to provide more options. The challenge is conducting a
service that does not require instructions to be given
after each paragraph.
There are strategies for overcoming this challenge. I cannot tell simply by reading whether this
will work in our congregation. In response to the
feedback to the early versions, Mishkan Tefilah
also includes a “linear” service,
one which is designed to be read
consecutively, as was the case
with Gates of Prayer and the
UPB. I have seen several early
drafts of Mishkan Tefilah and
have participated in a few services
(as a worshipper, not as shaliach
tzibur, prayer leader). Though I
have some concerns that will only
be confirmed or allayed through
experience, I see enough potential
in the book that I believe it is worthwhile to try it out at KAM Isaiah
Israel.
Through the generosity of this
Mishkan
continued on page 2
Happenings
pages 4 & 5
Religious School
pages 6 - 9
Jewish Learning
pages 18 & 19
Shabbat Services
page 20
KRISTALLNACHT
REMEMBRANCE AND COMMITMENT SERVICE
All are welcome to participate in the community
Kristallnacht Observance held Thursday, November
9, 11:00 a.m. in the Chapel at the Lutheran School
of Theology at Chicago, located at 1100 E. 55th St.
Professor Esther Menn and Cantor Deborah Bard
will lead the service; Ms. Victoria Barnett, Director of
Church Relations at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum, will give reflections; and students from the
LSTC and the McCormick Theological Union will be
planning and participating in the service.
About Kristallnacht
A massive, coordinated attack on Jews throughout
the German Reich on the night of November 9-10,
1938, has come to be known as Kristallnacht, the
Night of Broken Glass. The mob violence broke out
as the regular German police stood by and crowds of
spectators watched. Nazi storm troopers along with
members of the SS and the Hitler Youth beat and murdered Jews, broke into and wrecked Jewish homes,
and brutalized Jewish women and children. All over
Germany, Austria, and other Nazi-controlled areas,
Jewish shops and department stores had their windows smashed and contents destroyed. Synagogues
were also especially targeted for vandalism, including
the desecration of sacred Torah scrolls.
SS leader Reinhard Heydrich reported on the
November 12 that 7,500 businesses had been
destroyed, 267 synagogues burned (with 177 totally
destroyed) and 91 Jews killed. About 25,000 Jewish
men were rounded up and later sent to concentration
camps where they were often brutalized by SS guards
and in some cases randomly chosen to be beaten to
death.
The Night of Broken Glass starkly signaled a movement towards the Final Solution, a systematic program of genocide designed to annihilate every Jew in
Europe. With Kristallnacht came a shift from mass
arrest and terror to the mass murder of the Shoah (or
Holocaust as it is also called), resulting in the death of
six million Jews.
ZICHRONAM LIVRACHAH
May their memory be a blessing
We remember our members
Annabel DeKoven;
Harriet Rosner, wife of Lawrence.
We extend condolences to
Rona Brown on the death of her father,
Isadore Wolch;
Judith Sagan on the death of her mother,
Paula Selinsky;
Leslie Kay on the death of her great aunt,
Grace Quinn.
Mishkan
continued from page 1
year’s b’nei mitzvah class, we have been able to purchase
copies of Mishkan Tefilah. We will begin experimenting with
this new prayerbook (once it arrives) at Shabbat services to see
how it works for our community, to learn its strengths and
weaknesses, and to begin to determine what role it will play in
the ritual life of our congregation. We will do this through an
ongoing conversation between the clergy, the Religious
Practices Committee and the congregation, as well as through
special programming to “introduce” Mishkan Tefilah. I invite
you to be part of the conversation.*
* You can learn more about Mishkan Tefilah on-line at http://urj.org/mishkan/.
2 KAMII
Notes from the Cantor
Melody expresses not only what is in the
heart, but also whatever flows from it.
– Chassidic wisdom
Prayer is [n’shamah] soul-ful breath.
– Thomas Merton
As I write it is a week after the awesome and difficult Yom Kippur, and we
are in the midst of Sukkot, chag simchataynu, festival of our rejoicing. When
you read this however (and hopefully at
least some of you will read this…!), it will already be the month of
November (Cheshvan/Kislev in our Jewish calendar). The High
Holy Days will most likely seem remote. Yet I would be remiss if I
did not take this opportunity in print to express tremendous and
sincere appreciation to all those in our congregational community who so generously gave of their musical gifts and neshumas
(souls/breath).
And thank you especially to the incomparable Tom Weisflog,
now in his 15th year at KAMII. Tom is truly a master of sacred
music; a musician’s musician!
It is my hope that, in this new year, the sanctuary will continue
to be filled with wonderful music, soulful song in soulful performance for all to hear, to participate in, and to enjoy!
So – please take note – and join us:
• The nationally-acclaimed Kenwood Academy Concert Choir
and Jazz Ensemble, directed by Kenneth Lenon, presents a
community-wide celebration of the choral arts, Sunday,
February 4, at 4:00 p.m.
• The Ravenswood Consort, with countertenor Lon
Ellenberger, offers Psalms-in-Song, Shabbat eve, February 9,
at 8:00 p.m.
• And we are in the midst of planning a beautiful program with
our Janowski Young Artist for a performance in the spring.
L’Shalom, and may you and yours enjoy a meaningful
Thanksgiving holy day.
Your participation adds an extra dimension of beauty and sanctity
to our worship.
Congregational Choir
Addie Epstein
Dorothy Freedman
Howard Halpern
Renee Judd
Joan D. Levin
Erica McClendon
Barbara Schnitzer
Reeva Shulruff
Jessica Tobacman
Professional Choir
Shannon Barker
Amy Becker
Tambra Black
Joseph Cloonan
Christine Eschete
Andrew Rye
Bruce Tammen
Paul Thompson
Shofar Blowers
Mark Grant
Norm Weinberg
Duo Cellists
Sam Meites
Tom Meites
Musical Interlude Quartet
Sam Golden, cello
Gretel Lowinsky, viola
Ilya Levinson, piano
Susan Levitin, flute
Kadima Flute Ensemble
Claire Beatus
Noah Breslau
Max Cuneo-Grant
Claire Redfield
Kids’ Choir
Joanna Cohen
Rosie Cuneo-Grant
Lillian Eckstein
Anna B. Eimer
Maya Zhen Greenwald
Naomi Itzkoff
Tika Lifton Herman
Miriam Lipman
Geri Ross
Maddi Ross
Leslie Sibener
P.S. We are in need of a few energetic volunteers to serve as ushers, etc. at our Judas Maccabaeus Open Sing on December 17 at
4:00 p.m. Please let me know if you can assist. Thank you!
CHICAGO CHORALE PRESENTS
BRAHMS’ EIN DEUTSCHES REQUIEM
Chicago Chorale presents Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem
on Saturday, November 18, 8:00 p.m., at KAM Isaiah Israel
Congregation. Under the direction of Bruce Tammen, the
Chorale will present the two-piano version of the Requiem, with
pianists Kit Bridges and Don Seitz. Advance tickets for the concert, $20 ($12 for students), are available through the Chicago
Chorale website (www.chicagochorale.org) and at 57th Street
Books.
The Requiem will be preceded on the program by two textually-related a capella motets, also by Brahms: Ach, arme
Welt (1889), and Warum ist das Licht Gegeben? (1877).
Chicago Chorale performs choral masterworks of the sixteenth- through the twenty-first centuries. Based in Chicago’s
historic Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood and committed to
performing throughout the Chicago area, the Chorale offers
audiences sensitive, thought-provoking performances of great
choral music, some of it familiar and well-loved, some of it little
known, unusual, or new. The 50-voice choir provides qualified
singers the opportunity to sing with a thoughtful and disciplined
ensemble, and works to broaden and enrich the choral music
audience through a variety of educational outreach activities.
NOVEMBER 2006 3
Happenings
HOWARD MOLTZ MEMORIAL LECTURE
Sunday, December 3, at 10:30 a.m.
ANCIENT HISTORY IN MODERN MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICS
Peter Machinist,
Harvard Divinity School
Professor Peter Machinist, Hancock
Professor of Hebrew and other Oriental
Languages, Harvard Divinity School, joined
the Harvard faculty in 1991, where besides
Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, he
is a member of the Program in the Study of
Religion and the Divinity School. Earlier, he
taught in departments of religion or Near Eastern studies at
Case Western Reserve University (1971-77), the University of
Arizona, Tucson (1977-86), and the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor (1986-1990).
His primary interest is in ancient Near Eastern cultural,
intellectual, and social history, focusing particularly
on ancient Israel and Mesopotamia.
Within this framework, research and
teaching topics include: forms of
group identification; ancient historiography; mythology; prophecy;
Assyrian history; and the history of
modern Biblical and other Near
Eastern scholarship. Among his publications are: Provincial Governance
in Middle Assyria; Letters from
Priests to the Kings Esarhaddon
and Assurbanipal (with Steven W.
Cole); Assyria and Its Image in the
First Isaiah; Outsiders and Insiders:
The Biblical View of Emergent
Israel and Its Contexts; Fate,
Miqreh, and Reason: Reflections on
Qohelet and Biblical Thought; and
The Fall of Assyria in Comparative
Ancient Perspective. Presently, he is
working on a commentary on the
prophetic book of Nahum.
Howard Moltz, a
member of KAM
Isaiah Israel until his
death two years ago,
was both a scientist and a scholar of the
Hebrew Bible. This program, which reflects
Howard’s passion for learning, is made possible through the generosity of his loving wife,
daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.
Howard graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Philosophy
from New York University and continued his studies there to
4 KAMII
earn a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1953. His first position was an
instructor at Brooklyn College where he soon became a full
professor. He was given a five-year “career development
award,” the first of its kind to be granted to a professor at the
City University system in New York, which enabled him to
devote himself entirely to basic research.
In 1970, Howard came to the University of Chicago with
his family, three graduate assistants, and 2000 rats. Over the
next three decades, he published dozens of journal articles with
a focus on the hormonal determinates of maternal and reproductive behavior in the rat.
Using his animal work as a model, Howard later combined
Positive Emission Tomography (PET) scan and
pharmacology and showed that exclusively homosexual men utilize serotonin differently from heterosexual
men, suggesting that homosexuality as
a behavior may not be a choice.
Howard was a fellow of the American
Association for the Advancement of
Science and served as president of the
International Society for Developmental
Psychobiology.
About twenty years ago, Howard
became fascinated with the Hebrew
Bible as literature. He took courses at
the University of Chicago which
enabled him to read and translate original works and articles. Howard went
on to teach two courses at the
University of Chicago – Job and
Ecclesiastes and The World of the
Biblical Prophets. He subsequently
published three journal articles: God
and Abraham in the Binding of Isaac,
Story and Plot in the Book of Judges,
and The Prophet Amos. He was
working on his own translation of the
Book of Ruth at the end of his life.
Howard and a colleague were collaborating on teaching a
course on Evil when death overtook him.
Howard’s love of life, his passion for language, and his
unending quest for knowledge made him a presence in the
lives around him he touched so deeply.
Please join us as we honor the memory of Howard Moltz by
learning from Professor Machinist in Howard’s name.
Happenings
KOL SASSON V’KOL SIMCHAH
NEW MEMBER SHABBAT!
Friday, November 17
Do you need a great new latke recipe to make Chanukah special?
Nosh at 5:45 p.m.
Are you curious about the significance of Chanukah?
Want to learn some of the great songs and games for the holiday?
Joyful Musical Shabbat honoring our
new members at 6:30 p.m.
Join us for the Chanukah Funiversity
Congregational Shabbat Dinner at 7:15 p.m.
(no charge, reservations required)
Wednesday, December 6, at 6:00 p.m.
Folk, Hasidic, and Contemporary Jewish Music
A light supper will be served ($10).
with
Renowned faculty:
Rabbi David Sandmel
Cantor Deborah Bard
Liat Shanan
Cantor Deborah Bard
Dennis Gordon, mandolin and piano
Don Jacobs, clarinet
Rabbi David Sandmel, guitar
Degrees will be awarded!
Save the date for
Passover Funiversity – Wednesday, March 7
Lauri Valentin, percussion
Congregational Shabbat Dinner at 7:15 p.m.
(no charge, reservations required)
Have fun learning about the 159-year history of
KAM Isaiah Israel…in 5 minutes!
Childcare provided at no charge.
CHANUKAH FESTIVAL
KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation
presents our 9th Annual
Sunday, December 10
COMMUNITY OPEN SING
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
of excerpts from
G. F. Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus
Jewelry • Art
conducted by
Jonathan Miller
Food • Crafts for Kids • Judaica
Featuring You as Instrumentalist, Singer, or Listener
Books • Entertainment
with
Unique Gifts and Wrappings
The KAM Isaiah Israel Choirs
Mitzvah Mall run by the
Religious School Students
The Hyde Park—Kenwood
Chamber Orchestra
Cantor Deborah Bard, Music Director
All proceeds benefit the
KAMII Religious School
Sunday, December 17, at 4 p.m.
Admission free with the donation
of a canned food item.
Music scores provided.
NOVEMBER 2006 5
Religious School
LOOKING FOR A GREAT BOOK FOR CHANUKAH?
For your convenience, this year we are offering a unique opportunity to order some very special Chanukah books. If you order
any of the books from the list below before November 20, we will have the books waiting for you at the Chanukah Festival,
December 10. These are books that won’t be available during the fair. You may also want to order some books from this list
for our library – they would be a wonderful addition. Send your request to Liat Shanan at [email protected] or fax it to
773.924.1238. Thank you.
Picture Books Recommended for grades K-3.
Asher and the Capmakers: A Hanukkah Story
$ 20
by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
One the first night of Hanukkah, Asher sets out to borrow an egg so his
mother can make latkes. Instead, he is taken on a magical trip to
Jerusalem.
The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes
$9
by Linda Glaser, illustrated by Nancy Cote
Rachel finds a way to include stubborn Mrs. Goldberg in the Hannukah
celebrations.
The Chanukkah Guest
$9
by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Giora Carmi
When Old Bear follows his nose into Bubbe Brayna's house, she thinks he
is the rabbi and serves him plate after plate of latkes. A delightful story!
Hanukkah Lights, Hanukkah Nights
$9
by Leslie Kimmelman, illustrated by John Himmelman
A great introduction to Hannukkah for young readers.
A Hanukkah Treasury
$17
edited by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Emily Lisker
This wonderful Hanukkah compilation contains everything from familiar
legends to contemporary stories, from delicious recipes to children's
games. A must have!
Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
$5
by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
In my favorite Hanukkah story of all, clever Hershel outwits the goblins
to save Hanukkah.
In the Month of Kislev: A Story for Hanukkah
$5
by Nina Jaffe, illustrated by Louise August
When a miserly merchant wants to punish three hungry children for
smelling his latkes, the rabbi teaches him a lesson.
Inside-Out Grandma: A Hanukkah Story
$5
by Joan Rothenberg
Grandma explains to Rosie why wearing her clothes inside out helps her
remember to buy oil to fry the latkes.
The Magic Dreidels: A Hanukkah Story
$5
by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Katya Krenina
When a goblin gives Jacob a magic dreidel, he must figure out how to outmanuever the old woman who is trying to trick him out of it.
The Miracle of the Potato Latkes: A Hanukkah Story $5
by Malka Penn, illustrated by Giora Carmi
When drought threatens Tante Golda's potato latkes, she has faith, and
sure enough, a miracle occurs.
Papa's Latkes
$13
by Jane Breskin Zalben
Beni and his cousins have a latke making contest, then Papa shows them
how it's done!
6 KAMII
The Trees of the Dancing Goats
$9
by Patricia Polacco
Trisha and her Jewish family help their Christian neighbors, stricken by
scarlet fever, celebrate Christmas.
When Mindy Saved Hanukkah
$8
by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Barbara McClintock
The Kleins, a tiny family who live behind the wall of the synagogue, need
a candle to celebrate Hanukkah. Only Mindy is brave enough to face the
dangers of the cat.
Picture Books Recommended for grades 2-4.
The Tie Man's Miracle: A Chanukah Story
$5
by Steven Schnur, illustrated by Stephen T. Johnson
Seth is impatient when the Tie Man comes on the last night of Hanukkah,
until Mr. Hoffman, a Holocaust survivor, teaches him about a way to make
miracles happen.
By the Hanukkah Light
$13
by Sheldon Oberman, illustrated by Neil Waldman
Grandpa tells the story of how he found the family Hanukkiah (menorah)
buried in the ruble after World War II.
One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story
$10
by David A. Adler, illustrated by Lloyd Bloom
A Holocaust survivor learns to celebrate Hanukkah again, with the help
of two young friends.
Novels Recommended for grades 2-5.
The Hanukkah Ghosts
$18
by Malka Penn
Susan is sent to spend a week with her Great-Aunt in England. As the
Hanukkah candles flicker each night, Susan travels back in time to right
a wrong that happened during World War II. Great suspense and excitement!
How I Saved Hanukkah
$5
by Amy Goldman Koss, illustrated by Diane De Groat
Marla feels like an outsider. She is the only Jewish kid in her fourth grade
class, and even her own mother doesn't seem to care about Hanukkah. So
Marla sets out to find out what the holiday is about and celebrate
Hanukkah. Soon everyone is caught up in the celebration.
The Spotted Pony: A Collection of Hanukkah Stories $20
by Eric A. Kimmel, Leonard Everett Fisher
Eight Jewish folktales, one for each night of Hanukkah.
There's No Such Thing As a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein $12
by Susan Sussman, illustrated by Charles Robinson
Robin learns to deal with not celebrating Christmas, even when her
Jewish friend has a “Hanukkah bush.”
Religious School
FROM THE EDUCATOR
Are you ready for Chanukah?
Chanukah is a busy time of the year. Eight candles, eight crazy nights, eight presents and eight hundred latkes to fry! So much to
do in so little time… We want to help you enjoy Chanukah by offering one stop shopping for all your Chanukah needs (and wants) so you’ll have more time to enjoy with your family. Come join us at the KAM Isaiah Israel Chanukah Fest and Book Fair on Sunday
December 10 from 9:30am-1:00pm.
There are many good reasons for you and the whole family to come to the festival. You’ll be able to buy books to enrich your Jewish
library, buy unique gifts directly from the hands of artists and artisans, and buy Judaica items and all the trims to make your Chanukah
event glow. There will be durable art projects to make and take home, raffles, storytelling, entertainment, and more. Adults will be able
to enjoy a fascinating lecture by Peter Ascoli who will discuss his recently published book, Julius Rosenwald: The Man Who Built
Sears, Roebuck and Advanced the Cause of Black Education in the American South, as well as shop and enjoy the entertainment
and nosh. Children will be able to shop and play, and Kadima students will be running a carnival for young kids
Chanukah season is a time of giving and receiving, and you can do both at the KAM Isaiah Israel Chanukah Fest. You can browse
through a large variety of books, menorahs, dreidels, unique candles, toys, and jewelry all in the comfort of the synagogue. There will
be merchandise for sale to please all ages…you may even sneak in a gift for yourself! The wonderful thing about our Chanukah Fest
is that all proceeds go towards the KAMII Religious School! So, enrich your holiday experience by doing the mitzvah of supporting
our school while shopping at the Chanukah Fest and Book Fair.
Here is the list of books recommended for kids
– I M A G E S F R O M S I M C H AT T O R A H –
FROM THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE CHAIR
Shalom and Shanah Tovah from the School Committee.
School is off to a great start with lots of excited KAM Isaiah
Israel children learning from our cadre of dedicated teachers,
some of whom are experienced with our unique children (and
their parents) and some newly accepting this challenge.
I have recently been asked to chair the School Committee
and therefore would like to briefly introduce myself. I have been
a member of KAMII for about 12 years and I have one daughter, who is in the B’nei Mitzvah class (7th grade in secular
school). I have been part of the committee for about 4 years.
My hope is that I will be able to spend a fair amount of my
Sunday mornings at the temple making myself available if any
member has an idea or concern that they wish to discuss. I can
also be contacted via e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone 773.493.6010.
As you will remember, volunteering was discussed extensively during the High Holidays by a number of our speakers,
so I would like to give everyone the opportunity to do some
right here in our school. I would like to ask for help in two
areas. The first is that the School Committee is always looking
for concerned parents or congregants who want to improve
education for our children. We usually meet once each month
on a Monday evening. If you are interested please contact any
member of the committee, or Liat Shanan. We would love to
have you. The second involves the upcoming Chanukah
Festival on December 10. We welcome assistance with a variety of jobs. Again, please see any member of the committee or
Liat Shanan and save the date for a morning of fun and entertainment.
I look forward to an exciting and challenging year ahead and
to seeing everyone around KAMII.
David Iztkoff
Chair, School Committee
NOVEMBER 2006 7
Religious School
PORTRAIT OF A TEACHER
We are fortunate to have a faculty of competent, caring teachers at the KAMII Religious School who are devoted to our
children and to their Jewish education. Each month we will spotlight a couple of our Religious School faculty. Here is how
Merav Tsubery sees her place in the Religious School community:
Merav Tsubery
I came to Chicago with my husband
and 3 boys from Israel. This is my 3rd year
teaching Hebrew at KAMII. This year I am
teaching Kita Bet and I am in charge of
the Merkaz Ivrit (Hebrew Lab) were students get one-to-one instruction and are
challenged to their individual levels. During
the week I work at Akiba Schechter, the
Jewish day school in Hyde Park. I have a Ph.D. in chemistry from
Bar-Ilan University, Israel. I am interested in applying my knowledge in chemistry to biomedical research.
If I could be a rabbi for a day, my sermon would be about Ruth
Ha’Moaviya. I think we can learn many things from this story
about the relationship between foreign people and nations. Being
involved in Jewish education means keeping Jewish tradition
vibrant and alive and I’m happy to be part of it.
[This section deleted at the request of the
teacher.]
HONORABLE MENSCHEN
This column features a student of the Religious School who has done an outstanding mitzvah in the past year. Please help us
publicize the good work of our youngsters by sharing their mitzvot with Liat Shanan ([email protected]). Their actions will
inspire others to do deeds of kindness and caring.
MY MITZVAH PROJECT
By Melissa Zamojcin
Every year during the holidays my family tries to give extra tsedakah
for families in need. My mom and I have been talking for several years
now about my sister Sophie and I donating our hair to Locks of Love.
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization which takes donated hair
and makes it into realistic looking wigs. The wigs are given to children
with cancer. Children with cancer often use chemotherapy to try to
destroy the cancer inside them; unfortunately, the chemotherapy
makes their hair fall out. It takes 8-16 hair donations for each wig and
the process of making the wig takes eight whole months! You have to
be able to donate hair that’s at least 10 inches long or else they can’t
use it. I donated 14 inches. Certain places will cut your hair for free if
it’s over 10 inches and its going to Locks of Love. You even get a postcard from Locks of Love thanking you for your donation. I feel good
about the tsedakah I have done this year because now a child can use
my hair to look and feel good about themself and concentrate on getting better.
Sophie and Melissa before “the cut”
“…and after ‘the cut’”
8 KAMII
Religious School
HIGH HOLIDAY CHILD CARE THANK YOU’S
The High Holiday childcare program was a great success. It was well attended and excellent care was provided by dedicated
parent volunteers and child care providers. Most importantly, children were entertained as they got into the spirit of the holidays
while their parents participated in the High Holiday services. Kudos go to Ben Fine for organizing such a wonderful event and to
all the parents who lent a hand during the programming to make this possible. Without your effort and enthusiasm, it would have
been just another uneventful High Holiday!
For the pixs:
The annual Yom Kippur kids’ theatre presented this year “Shrewd Todie and Lyzer the Miser” adapted from a story by I.B. Singer
WELCOME TO OUR SCHOOL!
Best wishes to new Religious School students
who were consecrated as part of our Simchat
Torah celebration! Consecration, the act of making something holy, marks the beginning of a
sacred journey through Jewish education for both
students and their families. All consecrants
received a small Torah, representing the teachings
that will guide them through this journey. May
Adonai bless, protect, and bring them peace.
We welcome Sam Saks-Fithian and Mollie
Rotmensch who are also new to our school this
year. Mazal tov and welcome to our school family!
Consecrants
Philip Brainin
Thalia Myers-Cohen
Alex Perman
Edie Salk
Michael Rubin
Emma Gossett
Shoshana Holt-Auslander
Danny Rubin
Emmet Adjai
Teya Adjai
Ramona Myers-Cohen
Parents
Robert & Ruth Hulton Brainin
Michael Myers & Jennifer Cohen
Jonathan Perman & Melissa Hilton
Scott & Diane Salk
David & Rebecca Rubin
Dana & Jeffrey Gossett
Thomas Holt & Leora Auslander
David & Rebecca Rubin
Alicia Adjai
Alicia Adjai
Michael Myers & Jennifer Cohen
Grade
Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Kindergarten
Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
2nd Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
4th Grade
NOVEMBER 2006 9
Youth
THE YOUTH GROUP SCOOP
FOOD DRIVE REPORT
The youth group's annual food drive was a huge success! We wish to offer a huge
THANK YOU to everyone who participated. With your help, we collected nearly 50
boxes of food and more than $2,500 in donations. All proceeds will benefit the Greater
Chicago Food Depository and the Hyde Park/Kenwood Interfaith Food Pantry. A special thank you to the Kadima students who helped the board pack food in record time!
UPCOMING EVENTS
November 10-12: Camp OSRUI Weekend Retreat
• All students 8th Grade and up are welcome!
• $150/student
• For more information, please email [email protected]
December 2: Youth Group Italian Dinner Fundraiser with Dessert Auction
• Watch for more information on how you can get involved!
• For more information, please email [email protected]
king
Apple pic
ukkot
during S
MEET YOUR NEW YOUTH GROUP ADVISORS
The KAMII Youth Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Joshua Simonds and Jaclyn
Grahl Simonds as our new Youth Group Advisors. Joshua brings with him experience leading youth
activities through URJ summer camps and various Hillel groups. Through his work as the General
Manager of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, he brings enthusiasm and dedication to working with youth. Jaclyn, who is a Marketing Manager for the Chicago Cultural Center, is excited to
put her creativity and high-energy into working with the KAMII Youth Group.
Together, Joshua and Jaclyn look forward to working with the board in planning more social
events and important social action programs, while also developing new opportunities to involve more
youth in the community. Joshua and Jaclyn reside in Hyde Park and were married by Rabbi Sandmel
this past August.
IMPRESSIONS OF ISRAEL
This past summer I went to Israel on
a program called Shorashim, which puts
Israeli and American teens together for a
month while they tour Israel. During the
trip I saw all the usual sights and maybe
a little more, but what will stick with me
is the attitude and mindset of the Israelis
and the realization of how misreported
things in Israel are.
Israelis have an immense amount of
national pride and patriotism, but I think
that associating Israelis with their government is about equivalent with associating all Americans and George Bush –
10 KAMII
there’s a wide range of opinions as well
as a general suspicion. Many Israelis
think that giving up land for peace is a
bad idea, and many think that an enduring peace between Palestinians and
Israelis is impossible. Many disagree with
those viewpoints, and between the
Israelis on my trip there were disagreements over everything political, but I
found that that didn’t prevent them from
being respectful or even good friends
with people on another end of the spectrum.
I was also enlightened as to how misrepresented happenings in Israel are by
news agencies in the US. In a few of the
places we stayed, there was a Fox News
or CNN feed. Both gave me a sense that
the whole country was on fire and that
the citizens were living in shelters and
never coming out, which wasn’t true
even for the North, much less the rest of
the country.
I think that because of what I
learned, what I saw, and who I met, my
Israel trip will stick with me for a long,
long time and that’s why I think every
interested Jewish child should go
sometime during high school. I think
the particular program doesn’t matter
that much, but if they’re going to continue being Jewish they should be
aware of Israel and able to form their
own opinions on what they like and
don’t like.
Frank Firke
Sunday
27
Book Club 7:30 pm
20
Board of Directors 7:30 pm
NS Closed for Parent
Conferences
13
6
Kids’ Choir 5:30 pm
6th Grade Family B’nei Mitzvah
Orientation 5:30 pm
Kadima Ulpan 7 pm
The Rite Stuff: Jewish LifeCycle Celebrations 7:30 pm
15
Religious School 4 pm
No Kids’ Choir
Kadima Ulpan 7 pm
The Rite Stuff: Jewish LifeCycle Celebrations 7:30 pm
Spring Fundraiser
Committee 7:30 pm
22
No Religious School/Kids’
Choir/Kadima Ulpan
29
Religious School 4 pm
Kids’ Choir 5:30 pm
Kadima Ulpan 7 pm
3
Saturday
KAM Isaiah Israel
Friday
4
Torah Study 9:30 am
Thursday
2
Family Shabbat Service 6:30 pm
NS Closed for Parent
Conferences
Learning to Read Basic
Liturgical Hebrew 7 pm
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Torah Study 9:30 am
25
Shabbat Service 10:30 amMolly Petchenik’s Bat Mitzvah
Torah Study 9:30 am
18
Kiddush Lunch Noon
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Torah Study 9:30 am
YG/Kadima Retreat
KinderShabbat Service
6:30 pm
YG/Kadima Retreat
Potluck Shabbat Dinner 7:30 pm
10
Shabbat Service 8 pm
17
Kol Sasson v’Kol Simchah
New Member Shabbat
6:30 pm
Congregational Shabbat Dinner
7:15 pm
24
Office Closed for
Thanksgiving
Shabbat Service 8 pm
11
Religious Practices
Committee 7:45 pm
Learning to Read Basic
Liturgical Hebrew 7 pm
30
Synagogue Closed for
Thanksgiving
23
Learning to Read Basic
Liturgical Hebrew 7 pm
16
Learning to Read Basic
Liturgical Hebrew 7 pm
Committee 8 am
8Weinstein
9
Religious School 4 pm
Foundation Board 7:30 pm
Kadima Ulpan 7 pm
Kids’ Choir 5:30 pm
Religious School 4 pm
Wednesday
1
November 2006
Tuesday
Yiddish Class 7:30 pm
28
No Yiddish Class
21
Yiddish Class 7:30 pm
HP-Kenwood Interfaith
Council 5:15 pm
Hyde Park Lunch &
Learn Noon
14
Yiddish Class 7:30 pm
7
Please confirm dates and times with the office,
as schedules may change.
Monday
KAM Isaiah Israel
5
Religious School/B’yachad /
Adult Education 9:30 am
Lecture: Do Israelis Feel
Jewish? 10:30 am
Kadima 11 am
YG/Kadima Retreat
K-6 Parents Open House 11 am
12
Religious School/B’yachad /
Adult Education 9:30 am
No Kadima
7th Grade Kallah Noon
19
Religious School/B’yachad /
Adult Education 9:30 am
Kadima 11 am
Lecture: Financial Planning
10:30 am
26
No B’yachad/Religious
School/Adult Ed
Congregational Retreat
No Religious School/B’yachad /
Adult Education/Kadima
31
No Religious School/B’yachad /
Adult Education/Kadima
24
Third Night of Chanukah
Kadima 11 am
Judas Maccabaeus
Open Sing 4 pm
Religious School/
B’yachad/Adult Education 9:30 am
17
Kadima 11 am
Lecture: Julius Rosenwald
10:30 am
Religious School/B’yachad /
Adult Education 9:30 am
Chanukah Festival 9:30 am
10
Kadima 11 am
Howard Moltz Lecture: Middle
Eastern Politics 10:30 am
Religious School/B’yachad /
Adult Education 9:30 am
3
Sunday
Tuesday
Wednesday
A Movie and Chinese Food –
A Newish Tradition 3 pm
25
Fourth Night of Chanukah
Nursery School
Winter Break Begins
18
Board of Directors 7:30 pm
11
4
Kids’ Choir 5:30 pm
Religious School 4 pm
6
No Yiddish Class
26
Fifth Night of Chanukah
Yiddish Class 7:30 pm
19
Yiddish Class 7:30 pm
HP-Kenwood Interfaith
Council 5:15 pm
Hyde Park Lunch & Learn
Noon
12
No Religious School/
Kids Choir
27
Sixth Night of Chanukah
No Religious School/
Kids Choir
20
Kadima Ulpan 7 pm
Kids’ Choir 5:30 pm
Religious School 4 pm
13
Kadima Ulpan 7 pm
Religious Practices Committee
Chanukah Funiversity 6 pm
7:45 pm
Yiddish Class 7:30 pm
5
28
Seventh Night of Chanukah
21
Learning to Read Basic
Liturgical Hebrew 7 pm
14
Learning to Read Basic
Liturgical Hebrew 7 pm
7
Thursday
December 2006
Please confirm dates and times with the office, as schedules may change.
Monday
Looking Ahead...
Congregational Retreat
Shabbat Service 8 pm
29
Eighth Night of Chanukah
Chanukah Shabbat Dinner
7:15 pm
Chanukah Kol Sasson v’Kol
Simchah Shabbat Service
6:30 pm
22
First Night of Chanukah
Shabbat Service 8 pm
15
Shabbat Service 8 pm
8
Congregational Potluck
Shabbat Dinner 7:15 pm
KinderShabbat Service
6:30 pm
Family Shabbat Service
6:30 pm
1
Friday
Congregational Retreat
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Torah Study 9:30 am
30
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Torah Study 9:30 am
23
Second Night of Chanukah
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Torah Study 9:30 am
16
Kidush Lunch with Rabbi
Sandmel Noon
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Torah Study 9:30 am
9
Youth Group Fundraiser 6 pm
Shabbat Service 10:30 am
Torah Study 9:30 am
2
Saturday
KAM Isaiah Israel
Members
B’RUCHIM HA-BA’IM! WELCOME!
We are delighted to welcome new members to the congregation.
KAM Isaiah Israel’s
Adrienne Boire and Evan Willner
Annual Congregational Retreat
Jenny Hirshfeld-Cytron and Joe Cytron
at Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute in
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Khara Criswell and Gabriel Schuetzner
December 15 - 17
Dana and Jeffrey Gossett and their daughters,
Emma and Francesca
Jewish Bio-medical Ethics
Arlene Kaganove
If you have been on the retreat before,
join the fun again!
Cristine Leacox and her daughter, Harper
Barbara and William Wimsatt
If you have not attended a retreat yet,
now’s your chance!
• Celebrate Chanukah and Shabbat with
your family and friends •
• Study and pray with Rabbi Sandmel and
other congregants •
• Start new traditions and
make new friendships •
Activities for adults, children and families
SPECIAL NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS
Terese Zimmer, November 1; John Selisky, November 3;
David Cramer, November 6; Jan Litvene, November 6;
Judith Blumberg, November 10; Eugenie Mirelowitz,
November 10; Sergei Kopylov, November 12; Robert
Deleeuw; November 17; Shari Granat, November 21;
Steven Barr, November 22; Meryl Domina, November 25.
SPECIAL NOVEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
Molly and Larry Bensky, 20 years, November 19;
Marguerite and Robert Soshnik, 25 years, November 29.
Two nights’ accommodations
Six meals and snacks included
Adults: $150/person
Young Adults 13-18: $115/person
Kids 8-12: $90/person
Children 2-7: $45/person
Children under 2: free
Space is limited; first come first served!
Register and pay before November 14 to
receive a $25 discount per family!
SPECIAL DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
Rachel Wenz, December 3; Lucinda Katz, December 6;
Miriam Basch Scott, December 6; Robert Soshnik,
December 6; Marina Gilman, December 11; Lilli Scheye,
December 11; Amy Osler, December 12; Edith
Sonneman, December 12; Rona Brown, December 13;
Clarke Gillespie, December 10; Linda Heidinger,
December 21; JoEllyn Goodman, December 23; Suzanne
Gossett, December 24; Fredric Coe, December 25;
Eugene Lyubashevsky, December 27; Pninah Zucker,
December 27; Abigail Pickus, December 28.
SPECIAL DECEMBER ANNIVERSARY
Deborah and David Epstein, 20 years, December 6;
Stephanie and Howard Halpern, 30 years, December 13;
Barbara and Jonathan Moss, 35 years, December 19;
Carol and Harry Bekenstein, 60 years, December 22; Lois
and Ed Ziskook, 50 years, December 22; Phyllis and
Howard Cohn, 30 years, December 26; Carol Rosofsky
and Bud Lifton, 15 years, December 29.
NOVEMBER 2006 13
Tributes
~ We thank all contributors for their generosity and support of our synagogue family. ~
(contributions received August 11 - October 15 are listed)
Arnold Jacob Wolf Adult Education Fund
In honor of Ruth Messinger’s D’var Torah
Lucy and Peter Ascoli
In honor of Fay Wruble’s Bat Mitzvah
Barbara and Tom Schitzer
ARZA Contribution
Queta and Ron Bauer
Kay Berkson and Sidney Hollander
Madlaine Fox
Nancy Fritz
Michael Gelber
Barbara Green
Debra Hammond
Scott Hunter
Helen Kim and Ron Cohen
Bernard Levy
Zoe and Abner Mikva
Marlene and Harold Richman
Joy and Jonathan Rosner
Marcy and Dan Schlessinger
Corinne Siegel-Gerson
Joan Silvern
Gladys Wolff
Cantor’s Discretionary Fund
In honor of her sister, Cantor Bard
In memory of Jack Bard
Adrienne Palazuelos-Bard
In celebration of the wedding of her daughter, Margaret
Simon
Barbara Silverman and family
In appreciation of the beautiful High Holy Day music
Anita Bard
General Contribution
Katrina Fund
Lucy and Peter Ascoli
Ann and Calvert Audrain
Mitzi Baum and Marcus Fruchter
Rona and Ralph Brown
Fran and Bob Grossman
Ruth and Donald Levine
Mark Mandle
Sarah-Anne and John Schumann
Nikki and Fred Stein
Grace and Arnold Jacob Wolf
In honor of Deloris and Harold Sanders’ 50th anniversary
In memory of Beverly Gelman
Lucy and Peter Ascoli
In honor of Bud Lifton’s special birthday
14 KAMII
In honor of Marian and Leon Despres’ 75th anniversary
In honor of Frances and Joel Zemans’ 40th anniversary
In memory of Dan Weil
Fred and Nikki Stein
In honor of Deloris and Harold Sanders’ 50th anniversary
Barbara and Jonathan Moss
In honor of Joan and Gary Laser
Bruce Fleisher
Gretel and Max Janowski Fund
In memory of Paula Selinsky
Diane Silverman
Jacob J. Weinstein Fund
In memory of Isadore Wolch
Ann Becker and David Muschler
Memorial Yahrzeits
In memory of Milton Braun
Thelma Braun
In memory of Miriam Green
Debbie Green and Richard Lipman
In memory of William C. King
Marilyn Hunter
In memory of Sade K. Levine
Ruth Levine
In memory of Eve Levine
In memory of Martin Hayman
In memory of Gretel Hayman
Sue and Jerry Levine
In memory of Robert Lieberman
Sandy Lieberman
Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund
In honor of Marlene and Fabian Necheles’ 45th anniversary
In honor of Marian and Leon Despres’ 75th anniversary
Hank Schwab
Stolz-Levi Walter Jacobs Memorial Library Fund
In memory of Annabel DeKoven
Michael Gelber
Nursery School
NURSERY SCHOOL NEWS
The Nursery School is an exciting place to visit these days. We have an enthusiastic, energetic group
of three and four year-olds that has just entered the school. More than half the children are new to the
nursery school and are adjusting with ease. Everyone is continuing to get acquainted and learning to
follow the routine of the school.
The teachers have had several in-service training sessions. The first was about the fall Jewish
Holidays. They learned what was appropriate for young children to learn and eagerly planned activities for the children. This session was sponsored by the Community Foundation for Jewish Education.
The second day of training was our
annual CPR and First Aid course,
which all our teachers are required
to take. We try our very best to
keep the children safe and learn
many ways to prevent accidents
and the best way to proceed if
there is one.
The children had apples and
honey with beautiful, round challah
to welcome the New Year. They
learned to wish each other a
Shanah Tovah, and they made holiday cards for their families. Our
visit from Rabbi Sandmel was
greatly enjoyed. He showed the
children the shofar and then blew
it. Everyone was impressed and
thought this was a wonderful way
to greet the New Year.
During Sukkot, the children
gathered in the sukkah to meet Cantor Bard. She explained the holiday, sang, and the children had fun
hanging the decorations they had made. Each child had the opportunity to make their own sukkah and
decorate it. Everyone had a great time.
We always have our pot-luck dinner during this holiday so the children can show their parents what
a sukkah is. Unfortunately, it was a cold, wet night and not the nicest place to be in the rain. However
the party was a great success and Vick Hall was packed. Over 100 people came to meet each other,
and the children entertained their families. We had an open microphone which was often in use.
Everyone was eager to share a favorite song with the group. The children and the parents all had a
beautiful evening and are eagerly awaiting our all-school Chanukah party.
We are all having a wonderful time and would like to share our program with you. There are several spaces available in the 9:00 a.m. Tiny Tot program. Come and visit if you have a toddler at home.
It is a great place to be!
Fran Gordon
Nursery School Director
NOVEMBER 2006 15
In the Community
By Grace Wolf
Spertus Presents Cantor Bard (and More)
This month and next, Cantor Deborah Bard is teaching a
mini-course at Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies: Praise,
Lament and the Retelling of Our Stories: Sh'ma Koleynu –
An Exploration of Jewish Song. She will discuss how Jewish
sacred music has evolved over millennia from cantillation to
prayer modes to traditional Shabbat and holiday melodies. The
class will meet from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays,
November 15 & 29, December 6 & 13. The charge is $125,
$100 for Spertus members, and includes a kosher lunch.
Advance reservations are required by November 13.
On Sunday, November 12, Spertus will present two illustrated lectures in partnership with the Chicago Humanities Festival.
At noon, Robert Edsel will speak about Spoils of War. His
book, Rescuing Da Vinci, is the first comprehensive photographic telling of the Nazi theft of Europe's greatest art and the
Allied recovery of it. At 2:00 p.m., James E. Young of the
University of Massachusetts will discuss The Stages of Memory.
A juror for the World Trade Center Memorial competition, he
discusses the importance of memorialization and architecture's
potential role and responsibility. The admission charge for each
of these programs is $5 and reservations are required. Call
312.494.9509, or visit www.chfestival.org.
On Sunday, November 19, at 2:00 p.m., Byron L. Sherwin
will speak on Kabbalah for the Curious. He will identify five
models of Jewish mystical experience and thought. Sherwin has
been studying kabbalah for 40 years, and he will consider
whether today's popularized version has anything to do with real
Jewish mysticism. The program costs $12, $10 for Spertus
members, $8 for students.
On Sunday, December 3, at 2:00 p.m., Leonard
Greenspoon of Creighton University will discuss Reading,
Translating, and Interpreting the Bible Jewishly: A Case
Study on Warfare. By reviewing biblical texts on the controversial subject of warfare, he explores the challenges facing
translators and interpreters who wish to blend critical scholarship with sensitivity towards Jewish tradition. The program
costs $12, $10 for Spertus members, $8 for students.
Spertus Institute is located at 618 S. Michigan Avenue. To
reserve for all programs except the November 12 program, call
312.322.1743 or email [email protected]. While you're there
for one of the above programs or just walking through the
South Loop, take a look at the latest artwork adorning the barricade of the construction site for the new Spertus facility: The
Joys of Yiddish by conceptual artist Mel Bochner.
Lutheran Seminary Hosts Jews of Wittenberg Exhibit
Martin Luther's writings on Jews assisted Hitler's National
Socialists to gain control of German churches in 1933. Jews of
Luthertown Wittenberg in the Third Reich, showing at the
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago October 23November 29, bears witness in artifacts and photographs to the
life and systematic destruction of Jews living in Wittenberg from
1933 to 1945. The free exhibit hopes to increase understand16 KAMII
ing and healing. A number of public programs will be presented in connection with the exhibit. For further information, contact Rob Saler at 773.909.4984 or [email protected]. LSTC is
located at 1100 E. 55th Street.
Film Examines Middle East Conflict
Encounter Point, a feature documentary that is an official
selection of the Jerusalem Film Festival, will be shown
November 3-9 at the Regal Lincolnshire 20 Cinemas, 300
Parkway Drive, Lincolnshire, 847.229.9100. Produced by
Palestinians, Israelis, and residents of North and South
America, the film celebrates cross-cultural activism and
describes the everyday leaders who refuse to sit back as the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates. Check local listings for
screening times.
Grace Paley to Speak at Newberry Library
On Sunday, November 12, at 10:00 a.m., poet, short-story
writer, teacher, and political activist Grace Paley speaks about
Peace and War at the Newberry Library, 60 W. Walton
Street. Tickets cost $5. Call 312.494.9509, or visit
www.chfestival.org.
Nextbook Presents Claudia Roden
On Wednesday, November 15, at 6:30 p.m., author Claudia
Roden will speak at the Newberry Library under the auspices of
Nextbook. In her books on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean
food, she weaves together memoir, history, anthropology, and
recipes to tell the story of a culture through its cuisine. Born in
Cairo, Roden left Egypt at 15, after the Suez Canal crisis led to
the confiscation of property and other attacks on the Egyptian
Jewish community. Tickets cost $8, $6 for students and people
under 25. Call 888.219.5222 on weekdays between 11:00
a.m. and 3:00 p.m. or go to www.nextbook.org. The Newberry
Library is located at 60 W. Walton Street.
Support Our Local Day School
On Sunday, November 19, at 3:00 p.m., the AkibaSchechter Jewish Day School presents the 28th Annual Herb
Klaff Benefit Concert, featuring the Chicago Symphony
Chamber Players. Tickets cost $30, $15 for students. The concert will be held at Congregation Rodfei Zedek, 5200 S. Hyde
Park Boulevard.
Jewish Genealogical Society Program
On Sunday, November 19, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., the Jewish
Genealogical Society of Illinois holds its free monthly meeting
at Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster Street, Skokie.
During the earlier part of the meeting, attendees may study
research materials and ask questions, as well as hear a former
Chicagoan discuss his Sephardic family connections. At 2:00,
Robb Packer will discuss The Forgotten Synagogues of
Chicago. More information is available at 312.666.0100 or
www.jewishgen.org/jgsi.
In the Family
By Grace Wolf
Rosenbaum Appointed U of C Provost
University of Chicago president Robert Zimmer has
announced the appointment of Thomas Rosenbaum as
provost of the university, effective January 1, 2007. A physics
professor, Tom has served as U of C vice president for
research and for Argonne National Laboratory for the past
four years. The October 5 U of C Chronicle quotes president
Zimmer about Tom: “As we look ahead to developing ambitious plans for the arts and humanities, social sciences, the
physical and biological sciences, and the schools, Tom's appreciation for the broad array of academic environments, modes
of inquiry, and needs throughout the divisions and schools will
be especially important.”
KAMII Connections to Humanities Festival
Browsing through the brochure for this fall's Chicago
Humanities Festival, one is struck by the many connections to
our congregation. Carol Rosofsky serves as counsel for development and public relations for the festival. On Saturday,
November 4, at 12:30 p.m., there will be a screening of the
film “Decasia,” directed by Bill Morrison, son of Kate and Bill
Morrison. A week later, at 4:00 p.m., Cantor Deborah Bard
and the New Budapest Orpheum Society will present
“Dancing on the Edge of a Volcano,” a performance of Jewish
cabaret and music hall songs from pre-Holocaust Europe. Also
on November 11, at 5:30 p.m., Phil Gossett will speak on
“War and Peace in the Operas of Guiseppe Verdi.” On
Sunday, November 12, at noon, James Redfield and his U of
C colleague David Tracy will debate “Iliad, Poem of War?” For
further information, call 312.494.9509 weekdays or go to
www.chfestival.org.
Briefly Noted
On Sunday, September 10, Cantor Bard was one of the
featured women “spiritual leaders” on the program, “Ties
That Bind,” shown on WTTW. Part of the program was filmed
in our main sanctuary.
On November 19, Bible teacher extraordinaire Adrien
Bledstein will speak on “David's Rupture with God,
Depression, and Recovery” at the annual meeting of the
Society of Biblical Literature in Washington, D.C. Also speaking at that meeting are two children of our congregation:
Rabbi Susan Marks, daughter of Louise and Chuck
Saltzman, who will speak on “Present and Absent: Women at
Greco-Roman Wedding Meals,” and Seth Sanders, son of
Jacqui Sanders, who will participate in a discussion about the
Early Jewish and Christian Mysticism Section of the SBL and
also speak on “Writing on the Tablet of the Heart and the
Writing on the Wall: Tel Zayit and the Implications of Israelite
Literacy.”
The September 21 U of C Chronicle reports that English
professor Elizabeth Helsinger “was quoted in a Monday,
Sept. 11 Chicago Tribune article on how technology has
affected education and learning ability.” Like other educators
interviewed by the Tribune, she expressed reservations about
the relationship between new technology and learning.
Students may have access to more information, but they often
do not know how to edit it and incorporate it correctly into
their own writing.
In an article about the foods of Rosh Hashanah, the
September 20 Chicago Tribune interviewed Eden Rosenbush,
daughter of Donna and Martin Rosenbush and the chefowner of Big Red Oven, a Chicago catering company. Eden
has provided luscious desserts for some events here at KAM
Isaiah Israel.
Mazel tov to Deloris and Harold Sanders, whose grandson Armon William Sanders, son of Avideh Zakhor and Seth
Sanders, was bar mitzvah on October 14, Simchat Torah, at
Congregation Beth El in Berkeley, California.
John Schumann, assistant professor of medicine at the U
of C, appeared on the Channel 2 news at 5 o'clock on
September 21. He was commenting about a new recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control that all people aged
13-64 should be offered HIV testing.
Joel Zemans was inducted into the U of C Athletics Hall of
Fame on October 13.
Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf has reviewed Human Rights
and the World's Major Religions, volume 1: The Jewish
Tradition by Peter Haas for the Journal of Religion.
Welcome to New Babies
Max Stein and Kyle Petersen have become the parents of
a second daughter, Zoe Erin Stein, who – healthy and happy
and weighing nearly six and a half pounds – arrived a month
early to join her sister Sophie. Proud grandparents are Nikki
and Fred Stein.
Our former custodian Leonce Hakizimana and his wife
Annonciate are delighted to announce the birth of a son,
Kevin, on September 27. All are doing well.
NOVEMBER 2006 17
Jewish Learning
NEW CHUMASHIM
Some of the many friends and family of Eve Weinberg
celebrated her 80th birthday by making a much needed
contribution to KAM Isaiah Israel – 30 new chumashim
(Torah: A Modern Commentary [The Revised Edition]).
Edited by W. Gunther Plaut and revised by David E. S.
Stein, this revised edition (2005) brings contemporary values and a fresh vibrancy to the 1981 Plaut editon, North
America's longtime most popular Torah commentary. This
edition is now divided by parashiyot (the weekly portions)
and includes Aliyot markers in each parashah. The
Haftarah follows each parashah, there is side-by-side
English and Hebrew translation, and it is gender-sensitive.
It also includes clearer type, vowels, and cantillation marks.
Eve and Norm are integral members of the congregation, as they have been for over 50 years. It is most
appropriate that Eve’s very special birthday be commemorated with a gift to the synagogue.
We thank Ruth Adler, Benjamin Dreyfus, David
Dreyfus, Ellen and James Dreyfus, Stanley and Marianne
Dreyfus, Judy and Bob Kemp, Joanna and Derek Lewis,
Suzanne and Andy Mynard, Deloris and Harold Sanders,
Jessica Shimberg, Lina and Adam Wallace, Aaron
Weinberg, Daniel and Sarah C. Weinberg, Joshua
Weinberg, Michael and Jody Weinberg, Robert Weinberg
and Joy Wasserman, Noah Weinberg, Norman Weinberg,
and Sarah M. Weinberg.
HYDE PARK LUNCH & LEARN
Bring your lunch, we’ll supply dessert, coffee, and conversation.
Tuesday, November 14, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Mitchell Brown
The Merchant of Venice Is Not an Anti-Semitic Play.
Please try to read the play or watch a version of it
before the lecture.
Tuesday, December 12, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Rabbi Elliott B. Gertel
What’s New This Season in the Movies and
on TV That’s Jewish
CONGREGATION RODFEI ZEDEK
and
KAM ISAIAH ISRAEL
invite you to a
Cook County Board President
Election Eve Forum
Cook County Board President candidates,
Republican Tony Peraica and Democrat Todd Stroger,
have both confirmed their attendance.
As of press time, the race is a “dead heat.”
Come to hear the candidates and
a decision for yourself.
Monday, November 6, at 7:30 p.m.
Congregation Rodfei Zedek
5200 S. Hyde Park Blvd.
18 KAMII
INTRODUCTION TO JUDAISM
The Introduction to Judaism Course, offered by the
Chicago Association of Reform Rabbis and coordinated by
the Union for Reform Judaism, is being offered at KAM
Isaiah Israel this winter and spring; Rabbi David Sandmel
will be teaching some of the sessions. This 17-week course
will meet on Wednesday evenings, January 3 through April
25, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. The course covers a range of topics about living Jewishly, including: Practice and
Observance; Creating a Jewish Home; Synagogue and
Prayer; Shabbat; Holidays and Festivals; Beliefs; Life Cycle
Observances; History; and Basic Hebrew. The course is
designed for those interested in exploring Judaism at an
introductory level or considering conversion to Judaism.
For more information or to register, contact Rabbi Sandmel
or Wendy Allenberg at the URJ office (847.239.6975 or
[email protected]).
Jewish Learning
SUNDAY MORNING LECTURES
All lectures begin at 10:30 a.m. preceded by a little nosh.
November 5
DO ISRAELIS FEEL JEWISH?
Martin Ben Moreh, Executive Director, Meitar: College of Pluralistic Judaism.
November 19
FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR YOUNG FAMILIES
Leslie Stulberg, tax attorney and financial planner.
December 3
Howard Moltz Memorial Lecture
ANCIENT HISTORY IN MODERN MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICS
Peter Machinist, Hancock Professor of Hebrew and Other Oriental Languages, Harvard Divinity School.
December 10
JULIUS ROSENWALD: THE MAN WHO BUILT SEARS, ROEBUCK AND ADVANCED THE CAUSE OF
BLACK EDUCATION IN THE AMERICAN SOUTH
Peter Ascoli, author.
THE BOOK CLUB
JOIN US FOR LIVELY DISCUSSIONS – EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
The Book Club is in its seventh year of meeting monthly in the library to discuss books of Jewish interest! We’re a
varied group – young, old, and middle-aged; men and women. We read fiction and non-fiction, new books and classics.
If you like to read books and talk about them, come join us. Try us – you’ll like us!
Monday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m.
Peter Dembowski, Christians in the Warsaw Ghetto
Sam Golden
“Professor Dembowski, a veteran of the Warsaw Uprising,
draws upon personal recollection, archival material, and other
works unavailable in English, in this moving account of a forgotten aspect of Holocaust history. As Professor Dembowski notes,
this little book on the ‘Jewish-Christian communities’ of the
Warsaw ghetto is a ‘microhistory – a small part of the far larger
tragedy of the Warsaw ghetto and of the entire Shoah.’ But it is
only through such small parts that we can begin to grasp the evil
of the whole. Some of the Jewish Christians in the Warsaw ghetto were recent converts; others were descended from ancestors
who had become Christians generations before. All were Jewish
under Nazi law. Professor Dembowski's account of how the
Jewish Christians perceived themselves, and how they were perceived by others, will be of interest, not only to students of the
Shoah, but to all who are interested in law, religion, culture, and
the construction of identity. Indeed, this is a book for anyone who
appreciates the complexity of the human condition and the
resourcefulness of the human spirit.” –Barry Sullivan, Fulbright
Professor, University of Warsaw and Partner, Jenner & Block,
Chicago
“This book is a profound testimony to the complexity of life
under the most extreme circumstances. It is a deeply moving piece
of writing.” – Michael A. Signer, Abrams Professor of Jewish
Thought and Culture and Director of the Notre Dame Holocaust
Project, University of Notre Dame
December: The Book Club will not meet
Monday, January 22, at 7:30 p.m.
Allegra Goodman, Intuition
Daila Shefner
Monday February 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Dara Horn, The World to Come
Monday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Anne Roiphe, Lovingkindness
If you have questions about the Book Club or would like to lead the discussion about one of these books,
please call Grace Wolf at 773.684.0047 or email her at [email protected]
NOVEMBER 2006 19
Shabbat Services
Shabbat Lech Lecha: Genesis 12:1 – 17:27
Shabbat Chaye Sarah: Genesis 23:1 – 25:18
Friday, November 3
Nosh at 5:45 p.m.
Family Shabbat Service at 6:30 p.m.
We will celebrate the birthdays of all members
born in November.
KinderShabbat Service at 6:30 p.m.
Congregational Potluck Shabbat Dinner at 7:15 p.m.
Friday, November 17
Kol Sasson v’Kol Simchah New Member Shabbat
Nosh at 5:45 p.m.
Shabbat Service at 6:30 p.m.
Congregational Dinner at 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, November 18, at 10:30 a.m.
Molly Petchenik will be called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah.
Saturday, November 4, at 10:30 a.m.
Shabbat Toldot: Genesis 25:19 – 28:9
Shabbat Vayera: Genesis 18:1 – 22:24
Friday, November 10, at 8:00 p.m.
Rabbi Sandmel will discuss Did Abraham Bargain with God?
Friday, November 24, at 8:00 p.m.
Rabbi Sandmel will discuss Was Esau Framed?
Saturday, November 25, at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, November 11, at 10:30 a.m.
Kidush lunch with Rabbi Sandmel following the service.
Torah Study at 9:30 a.m. every Shabbat morning.
Transportation to Shabbat evening services is always available. Please call the office.
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Kehilath Anshe Maarav Isaiah Israel Congregation
(USPS) (289-000) published monthly from August
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Anshe Maarav Isaiah Israel Congregation, 1100 E.
Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago, IL 60615. Periodicals
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©KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, 2006
K.A.M. ISAIAH ISRAEL
Congregation
Founded in 1847
1100 E. Hyde Park Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60615
Telephone 773.924.1234
Fax: 773.924.1238
[email protected]
www.kamii.org
Jerry Meites..................................................................President
David Fox Sandmel, Ph.D.................................................. Rabbi
Arnold Jacob Wolf................................................Rabbi Emeritus
Deborah B. Bard............................................................. Cantor
Liat Shanan ................................. Director of Religious Education
Fran Gordon.......................................... Nursery School Director
Sandy Lieberman............................................ Executive Director
Susan Blumberg-Kason ......................................................Editor
November 2006
Vol. 37, No. 4