Scroll Congregation Beth El January 2011 • Tevet–Shevat 5771 From the Clergy Theme Shabbat • 10-15 From the Clergy • 1 Cantor Search • 1 2010 Gala Photos • 7 Whiffenpoofs • 8 Nominations for Directors • 8 Youth Activities • 9 Jewish Family Living • 9 Shabbat 4U • 13 Library Corner • 15 Departments Sisterhood • 3 Men’s Club • 5 Contributions • 17 Bulletin Board • 20 Vol. 60 No. 5 Making S h a b b os By Rabbi Bill Rudolph We express our Jewish commitment in different ways: belonging, believing, behaving. The theme of this Scroll issue is Shabbat, which falls clearly in the behaviors category. Shabbat is a day that allows us, through actions and inactions, to reap four kinds of benefits: 1) a chance to pause a little in the frantic life that most of us lead, 2) good family time, 3) time to be with our community, and 4) some intellectual stimulation of the kind we don’t usually find in our weekday routine. The Friday night Shabbat dinner that launches Shabbat observance is such a simple thing in the panoply of Jewish behaviors, yet it actually offers all four benefits. Sitting with family and friends around a Shabbat table offers it all.When not a common occurrence for them, many Jews experience Shabbat dinners as transforming events. Making sure more and more members have that kind of Shabbat experience was the origin of our Rabbinic Allies program, which will be rolled out in full this winter—along with a new name.Thirty families have volunteered to open their homes, fulfilling many mitzvot including hachnasat orchim (hospitality) and shemirat shabbat (keeping the Sabbath).You will hear more soon. In the Shabbat theme sections of this Scroll issue, you will read how ritual objects and special guests can bring extra meaning to the Shabbat table, and you will find some hints for enriching your own Friday nights. Enjoy. n Cantor Search Proceeding By Pat Danoff The Scroll is a recipient of two Solomon Schechter Gold Awards from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The cantor search committee, made up of 19 congregants, Rabbi Bill Rudolph, and myself, has been meeting regularly since July in order to find the best candidate to replace Hazzan Lubin, who will retire in June 2011. This article provides an update on the search process and what to expect in the months ahead. In early October, an application describing the job opening at Beth El was submitted to the Cantors Assembly place- ment service and to other institutions where cantors are trained. The Cantors Assembly circulated the job description to its members who are looking for positions. Applicants contacted Sid Getz, chair of the search committee, for a list of specific materials they should submit in order to be considered for the opening. Candidates were asked to send a resume and a letter describing why they are a good fit for Beth El.They were also continued on page 2 Scroll 8215 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, Maryland 20814-1451 Phone 301-652-2606 Fax 301-907-8559 Web www.bethelmc.org Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism Rabbi William D. Rudolph [email protected] Associate Rabbi Gregory Harris [email protected] Rabbi Emeritus Samuel Scolnic Hazzan Abraham Lubin [email protected] Executive Director Sheila H. Bellack [email protected] Education Director Louis A. Nagel [email protected] Family Education Director/ Assistant Education Director Elisha Frumkin [email protected] Preschool Director Elaine Auerbach [email protected] Youth Director Adam Zeren [email protected] President Patricia Danoff Executive Vice President Dale Rosenthal Communications and Tikkun Olam Vice President Jerry Herman Education and Lifelong Learning Vice President Evan Krame Worship and Spirituality Vice President Mitchell Solkowitz Administrative Vice President Leslie Shedlin Community Vice President Sharon Zissman Development and Finance Vice President Bucky Jacobson Treasurer Robert Rubin Secretary Ivy Fields Scroll Committee Marsha Rehns, Chairman, Sharon Apfel, Judy Futterman, Diana Huffman, Davida Kales, Judy Liberson, Janet Meyers, Linda Orenstein, Helen Popper, Kim Redlich, and Rosalie Sporn. 4U editors: Jennifer Katz and Jan Maxwell Scroll Design and Layout Adina Moses [email protected] 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 Bethesda, Maryland and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Scroll, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814. Cantor Search continued from page 1 asked to address how they would help the congregation achieve our goal of highly participatory services and what skills they can contribute to the “off-bimah” aspects of congregation life, such as supervision of b’nai mitzvah preparation, support of members in times of need, teaching adults and children, programming, marketing, membership, and fundraising. Candidates were asked to submit CD, DVD, or MP3 recordings of several different selections, including davening from Kabbalat Shabbat, Shabbat morning, High Holidays, and Festival services, two congregational pieces that demonstrated their service-leading style, a traditional cantorial piece, one aliyah of Torah reading, several verses of Haftarah chanting, a song appropriate for children, and a piece of music they love. Broad Range of Applicants Approximately 20 applications have been received so far from men and women who represent a full range of age and experience. Members of the search committee spent many hours reading the written submissions and listening to the musical selections. Basing decisions on all available information, committee members conducted Skype interviews with selected candidates in December and will continue interviewing this month. After the interviews, the pool of applicants will be reduced to approximately five finalists, and references will be checked. Plans for the future include further narrowing of the candidate pool. Two or three prospective cantors will be invited to visit Beth El in February or March. During the weekend, they will participate in services and synagogue activities and meet with the search committee, professional staff, lay leaders, and members of all age groups. The congregation will be informed via listserv and Shabbat announcements about the dates of these visits. The dates of candidate visits will not be announced in the Scroll because of the long lead time required for publication. Congregants will have an opportunity to give feedback to the search committee about their impressions of the candidates.Under the provisions of the Beth El constitution, the congregation must approve the hiring of a new clergy member.The search committee will present either one candidate for the congregation’s approval or two candidates for a run-off vote no later than this April. If all goes according to plan, the new cantor will join our Beth El family in late summer. n Megillah Madness 2011 Sunday, March 20, 5:30 pm We are looking for…Singers and Musicians And especially need people to assist with… Directing, Music production, Choreography, and Coordination (cheerleaders, rehearsals, etc.) All those interested should email Alan Simon at [email protected]. Sisterhood Golda Meir Award Recipient By Rhonda Zahler I was born in Boston and moved to the Washington, DC, area in 1975 with my husband, Robert, an attorney at a law firm. Our three children, Karen, Jeffrey, and Michelle, all celebrated their b’nai mitzvah at Beth El. I received a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education and child psychology from Simmons College in Boston. I taught kindergarten at the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in Silver Spring and worked as a substitute teacher in Beth El’s Religious School and in Montgomery County elementary schools. I joined the Sisterhood Board of Directors in 2001 and held a number of positions, starting with chair of the Ways and Means Committee. Later, I chaired the membership dinner for several years, served as vice president for three years, and helped serve during Shabbat kiddushim. I was honored to be a recipient of the Torah Fund Award in 2005. From 2008-2010, I was Sisterhood president. Among my fondest memories is working at the former Beth El Judaica Shop, where I enjoyed socializing with the Beth El community. It’s very exciting to see a new shop opening. My most recent role at Beth El was as co-chair of the November Gala. I’ve also ushered during services, helped the College Outreach Committee, and worked on the Capital Campaign, Inaugural Committee, and Nominating Committee of Beth El’s Board. In addition to devoting time to Sisterhood, I volunteer at animal rescue groups and assist with adoptions. I’m excited to continue to be involved in Sisterhood. It’s amazing to see the dedication and creativity of so many women in both Sisterhood and Zhava. n Sisterhood General Meeting Women in Islam, January 23 Haleh Esfandiari, journalist, former deputy secretary general of the Women’s Organization of Iran, and director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, will speak about “Women in Islam” at the Sisterhood general meeting on Sunday, January 23. The Sisterhood business meeting will begin at 9:00 am with a “Speed Meeting,” in which members can meet one another. Dr. Esfandiari will speak at 10:30 am. Refreshments will be served. Her talk is open to the Beth El community. The mid-year Sisterhood general meeting is in addition to the usual June meeting to give Sisterhood members the opportunity to meet board members and participate in the Annual Sisterhood Shabbat Service Saturday, January 8, 9:30 am running of Sisterhood. The addition is in response to many members’ requests to expand Sisterhood’s scope and reach. Sisterhood members are encouraged to bring their suggestions, complaints, ideas, and questions to the meeting. Dr. Esfandiari is the author of My Prison, My Home: One Woman’s Story of Captivity in Iran, which describes the 105 days she spent in solitary confinement in Iran’s infamous Evin Prison in 2007. She is married to a Jewish man and lives in Potomac and is part of the Beth El-Muslim dialogue initiative. She will sign copies of her book at the meeting. Her talk will describe the role of women in Islam. All Sisterhood and Zhava members and their guests are invited to hear Dr. Esfandiari. n Emergency Medicine Class Celia and Audrey Resnik Memorial Lecture by Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein Teacher, rabbi, and chaplain in the Washington area “By the Merit of Righteous Women” Women of the Wall and the Redemptive Power of Female Audacity in Jewish Tradition. Golda Meir Award Presented to Rhonda Zahler Sisterhood and Zhava members will lead the service First in a series sponsored by Sisterhood 3 Sisterhood Continued Sisterhood Gift Shop Open for Business Photos by Mitchell Solkowitz Sisterhood/Zhava Upcoming Tuesday, January 4, 11, 18, 25, 7:00 pm Mah Jongg Saturday, January 8, 9:30 am Sisterhood Shabbat Tuesday, January 11, 7:30 pm Kesher Nashim Wednesday, January 19, 7:30 pm Why Religion Helps ORDER YOUR 2011 MAH JONGG CARD THRU BETH EL SISTERHOOD STANDARD CARDS, $7.00 each: # of card(s) _______ $ ________ LARGE PRINT CARDS, $8.00 each: # of card(s) _______ $ ________ NAME: ____________________________________ ADDRESS: _________________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP: ____________________________ Email: ____________________________________ Please send checks made payable to “BETH EL SISTERHOOD” to Congregation Beth El Sisterhood, Attention: MAH JONGG, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814 If you have any questions, please contact Nancy Kay at [email protected] ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY FEBRUARY 1. BETH EL SISTERHOOD WILL RECEIVE A MONETARY DONATION FROM THE NATIONAL MAH JONGG LEAGUE 12 4 You Eat, Pray, and Live…Happier and Longer, a BioSpirituality Workshop. Sign up with Susan Levine at [email protected]. Sunday, January 23, 9:00 am Sisterhood General Meeting, “Speed Meeting”: Meet the Sisterhood Board and other Sisterhood members and expand Sisterhood’s reach and scope with your ideas. At 10:30 am Dr. Haleh Esfandiari will speak about “Women in Islam.” The talk is open to all Beth El members. Sunday, January 30, 10:00 am-noon CPR basics with Michael Kay. Limited to 10 participants. Sign up with Diana Huffman at [email protected]. Sunday, January 30, Noon Book Club: The Coffee Trader by David Liss Wednesday, February 9, 7:30 pm Beading Workshop with Beth El staff members Pam Kocher and Nancie Tajip. Learn beading basics and make a bracelet. $10.00 materials fee payable at the class. Limited to 24 participants. Sign up with Michelle Gips at [email protected]. Friday, February 11, 6:30 pm Zhava Shabbat dinner following Kol Haneshema Service Zhava will welcome Susie Fishbein, author of the acclaimed Kosher by Design cookbook series, at Beth El for two programs. On February 2 at 7:30 pm and on February 3 at 11:00 am, she will give a cooking demonstration and tasting and sign her newest book, Kosher by Design Teens & 20-Somethings. Please watch your email and the Beth El Web site for information on how to sign up for what promises to be a unique and delicious Beth El experience. Men’s Club Mitchell Solkowitz To Be Honored Mitchell Solkowitz is this year’s winner of the Blue Yarmulke Man-of-the-Year Award from Beth El. He will receive his award from the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs on Sunday, January 30. Mitchell and his wife, Rachelle, have been members of Beth El since 1992 and can be seen regularly at Shabbat and holiday services. Their children, David, Naomi, and Aviva, graduated from Beth El Nursery School and currently attend the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in grades 10, 9, and 6 respectively. Mitchell has worked at Baltimore Gas and Electric Company for almost 20 years and participates in volunteer activities both at work and in the Baltimore community. He has a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park, and he and Rachelle met while attending programs at the university’s Hillel. An active member of Men’s Club, Mitchell has participated in many programs, including Hearing Men’s Voices and the Purim Carnival. He was elected secretary of Men’s Club, managed publicity, wrote articles, and took photos for the Scroll. He maintained the Men’s Club Web pages and helped to bring speakers to the Sunday morning programs. He is working to involve more young dads in Men’s Club activities, including the World Wide Wrap and Kavod Awards. In recent years, Mitchell has worked on the technical Mitchell Solkowitz 2011/5771 Blue Yarmulke Man-of-the-Year Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County Men’s Club Seaboard Region Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs Blue Yarmulke Men-of-the-Year Dinner Sunday, January 30, 6:00 pm Beth Israel Congregation 3706 Crondall Lane, Owings Mills, MD Cocktail Hour & Dinner: $75.00/person Please reserve ____ seats for Cocktails & Dinner. Name: ______________________________ Address: ____________________________ City/State/Zip: _______________________ Phone: ______________________________ Reservations for the dinner are on a firstcome, first-served basis, and must be made by January 21, 2011. Reservations can be made by mailing this form and a check made payable to “Seaboard Region, FJMC” to: Dan Dinkin, 16 Redmile Court, Reisterstown, Maryland 21136. continued on page 6 Upcoming Men’s Club Events Thursday, January 6, 8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices will have a discussion on “Charity, Tax Policy, and the Tea Party” led by Barry Friedman. Sunday, January 9, 10:00 am Sheila Lieber of the U.S. Department of Justice will speak about “Health Care Reform Law Litigation.” Sunday, January 16, January 23 Programs TBA Saturday, January 22, 4:30 pm Mincha/Havdalah, Seudah Shlishit (third Shabbat meal), drash, and Ma’ariv. Sunday, January 30, 10:00 am Literary Luminaries program, speakers Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler, co-founders of KarBen publishing. Cosponsored by the Library Committee. Sunday, January 30, 6:00 pm Seaboard Region dinner to honor Mitchell Solkowitz and other winners of the Blue Yarmulke Man-of-the-Year Award for years of outstanding service to the Men’s Club at Beth Israel of Owings Mills, MD. Anyone attending the dinner and interested in traveling by bus should contact Marvin Yudkovitz at 301-652-2606 or [email protected]. Sunday speakers are preceded by a lox and bagel breakfast after the 9:00 am minyan. Members and nonmembers, including women and children,are invited. Speakers are at 10:00 am unless otherwise noted. 5 Men’s Club Continued UN Helping to Delegitimize Israel By Harvey Gershman The Honorable Richard Schifter, former deputy United governmental organizations or NGOs), officials, and States representative to the United Nations Security parliamentarians, and operating a publications program to Council, believes the United Nations is serving as a platform reach the more than 1,000 NGOs in their network as well for a worldwide delegitimization campaign against Israel. as other influential groups and individuals. Facebook has It is also generally known, Ambassador Schifter told the recently been added to the division’s outreach tactics. Ending the UN’s Delegitimization Men’s Club on Nov. 21, that the UN serves as a soapbox Ambassador Schifter talked about what can be done to end for denunciations of Israel by prominent and lower-ranking the UN’s program to delegitimize diplomats. It is not widely known Israel. Two steps are required, he that the UN also funds a yearsaid. First is identifying the states round, worldwide propaganda that are not unfriendly toward Iscampaign that actively promotes a rael but vote against it at the UN, coordinated program of boycotts, often without the knowledge of divestment, and sanctions designed their governmental leadership, and to destroy Israel. then persuading them to change More than 30 years ago, Israel’s course. Second is encouraging opponents succeeded in building countries that are friendly to Israel into the UN an apparatus designed but abstain from voting to join the exclusively for the purpose United States in voting “no.” of disseminating anti-Israel The former assistant secretary of propaganda, Ambassador Schifter Ambassador Richard Schifter (left) with Harvey state for human rights and humanisaid. This apparatus consists of a Gershman. Photo by Mitchell Solkowitz tarian affairs has helped launch a 24-member committee of the nonprofit group called The American Jewish International ReUN General Assembly, the Committee on the Exercise of lations Institute to carry out these two steps.The Men’s Club the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, and the Division for Palestinian Rights, a part of the UN Secretariat. has decided to volunteer support and to assist with fundraising as well. To learn more about the organization, please contact its The division disseminates its anti-Israel propaganda by executive director Sharon Wilkes at [email protected] or Harvey organizing international conferences, maintaining liaison Gershman at [email protected]. n and cooperation with “civil society” organizations (non- Support Beth El’s Youngest Members Contribute to the BEPS Big Event Silent Auction! Do you have a beach house you aren’t using for a week? Maybe you’re a Redskins, Caps, or Wizards season-ticket holder? Do you design jewelry? Perhaps you own a local business you want to promote to local families? Your donations are welcome! Planning is well underway for Beth El Preschool’s annual fundraiser, The Big Event, on Sunday, March 6, from 6:30-9:30 pm, at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Chevy Chase. Please contact Hillary Berman at [email protected] if you have something to donate or you are interested in sponsorship opportunities. 6 Blue Yarmulke Award continued from page 5 aspects of Beth El’s Megillah Madness Purim spiel, helped to expand and maintain the Bethesda eruv, and managed the annual construction of the synagogue sukkah. He continues to participate in Jewish learning, attending Rabbi Harris’s monthly program for dads and the Melton Adult MiniSchool. Mitchell has held leadership positions at Beth El including secretary of the Board of Directors and vice president for Worship and Spirituality, and he is the synagogue’s unofficial photographer. n Annual Fall Gala November 20, 2010 Photos by Mitchell Solkowitz 7 Whiffenpoofs Come to Beth El Have you ever seen or heard a Whiffenpoof? Now’s your chance! Fresh from their appearance on NBC’s The Sing Off, the Whiffenpoofs will present a concert at Beth El on Saturday, January 8, at 7:30 pm. Singing together since 1909, the Whiffs are the oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group in the world. They are still going strong at 102, as the group reconstitutes itself each year with a new crew of 14 senior Yale men who spend the year traveling across the country and around the world with their special brand of frivolity and song. The Whiffs’ repertoire includes favorites from every decade, as well as original pieces composed for the group by its members, among them Cole Porter, class of 1913. If you enjoyed last year’s concert by the Duke’s Men, you won’t want to miss the performance by the Whiffenpoofs, including Beth El’s own Micah Hend ler, along with Beth El’s teen group, Marak Hayom. Tickets—$15 for adults and $7 for students—are available online at www.whiffenpoofs.com and at the door. n Openings on Beth El Board of Directors In accordance with the bylaws, 16 positions on the Board of Directors will become vacant at the annual meeting in May 2011. This includes all 10 officers and six at-large director positions. Any adult member of Beth El who has the interest and time to serve the congregation may be considered for nomination. Potential nominees should submit a brief description of their background, previous leadership experience, and what they feel they could bring to the Board to Sid Getz, Nominating Committee Chair, at [email protected], or mail to Beth El to his attention, no later than January 18, 2011. n Corrections, December 2010 Scroll In “Romaniote Jews” on page 4, the first sentence of the third paragraph should have read: The ancestors of the Romaniote Jews started arriving in Greece during the reign of Alexander the Great, approximately 2,300 years ago, and they continued to arrive—sometimes voluntarily and sometimes by force—during the Greco-Roman antiquity. The fifth sentence of the eighth paragraph should have read: Among the 1,832 men, women, and children who were killed were my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. In the Mitzvah Day story on page 9, the ninth entry should have read: Six families brought their dogs to visit residents at Springhouse Independent Living and Assisted Living, Bethesda. The photograph of Springhouse residents on page 9 was taken by Barbara Lerman. The Scroll Committee regrets the errors. n 8 What Is the Meaning of Life? Find out on Sunday, February 27, 10:15 am Interreligious Learning Institute Join Rabbi Bill Rudolph, Rabbi Greg Harris, and Catholic, Jewish, and Muslim scholars as they examine the purpose of life from the viewpoint of their three faiths. Be a Blood Donor Sunday, January 30 8:00 am to 1:00 pm Bender Social Hall Delicious refreshments To donate blood or to volunteer to help, please contact Leesa Fine by e-mail at [email protected] or phone 301-652-2606, or Debbie Bloom at [email protected]. You may also schedule your donor appointment online at inova. org/donateblood, and use sponsor code 5020. In Case of Inclement Weather Now that winter is upon us, please note the following regarding programs, classes, services, and other events at Beth El during inclement weather. • If Montgomery County Public Schools are closed, Beth El Preschool (BEPS) and Religious School are closed, and Senior Caucus/Vatikkim programs are cancelled. • If Montgomery County Schools have a delayed opening, BEPS will start at 10:15 am and end at 12:15 pm. Religious School classes will take place as usual. Call the office regarding Senior Caucus/ Vatikkim. • All religious services will take place as scheduled. • A message is placed on Beth El’s Current Information Line (301-652-8569, then press 2) by 7:15 am on days when any class or program is cancelled or delayed. Should inclement weather begin after 7:15 am, the message will be updated during the day as needed. The same information will be distributed on the listserv. • Religious School information will also be included on a message on the School Information Line (301652-8569, ext. 346). Preschool information will be included in a message on the BEPS information line: 301-652-8569, ext. 311. n Jewish Family Living Experiencing Israel with Your Family Part II: Film, Music, and Books By Elisha Rothschild Frumkin Here are more ways to experience Israel without going there. Television and Movies Younger children will enjoy “Shalom Sesame,” a brand-new series of 12 episodes from Sesame Street’s creators, starring the Sesame Street cast of furry pals with new Israeli friends and celebrities. In addition to introducing Jewish holidays and culture, each episode explores Israel’s people and places. Episodes 1 (Welcome to Israel) and 2 (Chanukah: The Missing Menorah) can be purchased at www.shalomsesame.org. Teens and young adults will enjoy these critically acclaimed Israeli films that have been in American film festivals and theaters. • Ajami This Oscar-nominated film consists of five stories that take place in a religiously mixed community in Tel Aviv. • Walk on Water Following the suicide of his wife, an Israeli intelligence agent is assigned to befriend the grandchildren of a Nazi war criminal. • Paradise Now Two childhood friends are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. • Beaufort This film tells the story of a group of Israeli soldiers stationed in an outpost prior to the withdrawal of forces in 2000. • Waltz with Bashir An Israeli film director interviews fel- Youth Activities low veterans of the 1982 Lebanon invasion to reconstruct his own memories of that conflict. • The Syrian Bride This film depicts a Druze woman’s impending marriage to a man in Syria and what happens when her family gathers to celebrate the wedding. • The Band’s Visit An Egyptian police force band heads to continued on page 14 Shabbat Shalom at Home There is a realm of time where the goal is not to have but to be, not to own but to give, not to control but to share, not to subdue but to be in accord. —Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath On January 21 (16 Shevet 5771), Congregation Beth El will celebrate its 14th annual Shabbat Shalom at Home. This program has done much to make our community feel warm and hospitable and reminds us that slowing down, sitting at the dinner table, sharing food, lighting the Sabbath candles, and praying over wine and challah link all Beth El families to one another.We hope you will once again invite fellow congregants into your home. Every year we make an extra effort to reach out to families who are new to the synagogue. To offer your home and host a new family or congregant, please contact Elisha Frumkin, Family Education director, at [email protected] or 301-652-8569 x319. n Donate to Suls Youth, Israel Teen Funds By Adam Zeren These remain very trying economic times. More families have requested aid to send their students to a Kadima Kallah or USY Convention. Otherwise, many of those teens would not be able to attend because of the cost. At Beth El, we do have a way to help. The Suls Youth Fund is used exclusively for financial assistance for Kallahs and conventions. Please consider making a contribution to the Suls Youth Fund so all our teens can take advantage of these wonderful activities. This year we also have a record number of students signing up for Israel trips. As I have mentioned in previous articles, these teens receive funds from Israel Quest, and Beth El contributes $500 per teen towards that aid. Beth El’s share comes from the Israel Experience Teen Fund. Donations to that fund are also greatly appreciated. Upcoming As always, it’s a very busy month for youth programming. USY (grades 9-12) will go ice skating under the stars on Saturday, January 8. We have a Mexican-themed Shabbat dinner on Friday, January 14. Everyone will dress in Mexican outfits. Then we have our huge ski/snowboard/snow tubing overnight to Seven Springs Resort from Saturday to Sunday, January 22-23. This is open to eighth graders as well. Kadima (grades 6-7) and Junior USY (grade 8) have an incredible Saturday Night Live program on Saturday, January 8, with music, inflatable games, video games, and other activities. Machar (grades 3-5) will go ice skating on Sunday, January 23. Bonim (grades K-2) will have yoga on Sunday, January 9. n 9 Lighten Up Listening to the Rhythms of Shabbat By Debbie Fink Where would we be without our Friday night Shabbat dinners? My children are now 21, 19, and 12. When the older ones were toddlers and their dad (my husband, Michael) frequently traveled to faraway lands, they would ask, “When’s Daddy coming home?” My response, “in four or six days,” meant little to them. They would always ask follow-up questions, such as, “How long is four days?” I discovered that the answer, “Daddy will be home for Shabbat,” made sense to their young minds. They understood the rhythm of Shabbat. They understood that no matter what, Shabbat always came. Shabbat, when everything came “‘round right,” when Daddy was sure to be home, when we’d all be gathered around our table, when a tablecloth covered the table’s everyday wear-and-tear, when chunky candles were lit and predictable songs were sung. Shabbat was when warm challah was blessed and devoured and sticky grape juice was blessed and gulped, when chicken and rice would be served, when staying up late in pj’s was a given. This was a clock that their minds understood—the Jewish clock. Today, many years later, our Friday nights are very different, although our table remains the same. After years of growing our Shabbat observance with our growing children—sharing Friday dinners with other families, testing traditions, discarding those that don’t work for us, and cherishing those that do—our tried and true traditions include some old, some new, some borrowed, some blue. THE OLD: The standard prayers are set, of course, to music. We light our Shabbat candles to the Hanukkah tune, and when we get to “v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel …,” we substitute “Shabbat” for “Hanukkah.” Simple. Why not hope for sparks of miracles every week? THE NEW: I don’t know how this started at our table, but as we all stand and hold hands around the table during the singing of “Shalom Aleichem,” we do The Wave when we reach the words “tzetchem l’shalom . . .” Our youngest knows it’s her job to start it. It’s always an ice breaker, especially with guests who are new to the Shabbat experience. “Huh?” they’ll wonder. “We’re doing The Wave at this Shabbat table? Look at these people laughing and singing and having fun!” A little levity goes a long way. THE BORROWED: Our standard weekly tradition of “Joseph’s Two Good Things” is borrowed from Beth El member Joseph Weisz, of blessed memory, the father of congregants Bernie and Helene. Joseph, who had a difficult life, still managed to focus on the good and help others do the same. Here’s how it works. During dessert, one person shares two good things that happened in the past week. They then pick the next person, who does the same, and so on around the table. THE BLUE(S): No blues. The benching and ruach after the meal have blossomed as our children have grown, much thanks to USY. Now our two key benchers are off at college. That’s how we spend our Friday nights. Care to join us? “Lighten Up: Friday Night Invites” is Beth El’s new initiative to share the Shabbat dinner experience. It will be rolled out in stages beginning this winter. Debbie Fink is on the WIFI (We Invite Families In) team.Thirty hosts have signed on. Bring warmth to your week by accepting an invitation to dinner when it comes. It will be a fine chance to kindle new connections within your community. For more information, contact Rabbi Bill Rudolph, [email protected], or 301-652-2606, ext. 318. n Beloved Shabbat Jokester By Suzin Glickman My father’s brother, Uncle Moe, and his wife, Aunt Syd, retired and moved to Florida. Later on, my parents started wintering in Florida and chose to live near them. The two couples would have Shabbat dinner together each week, rotating hosting the meal. I spent many Friday night winter dinners with them. Whenever it came time to recite the “motzi,” Uncle Moe would say, “…hamotzi lechem Minnie Horowitz!” Aunt Syd would reply in an exasperated tone, “Moe!” He would smile and say, “Oy, men.” As I am smiling and chuckling while writing this, I am thinking some might find the joke disrespectful. It brought 10 joy, levity, smiles, and laughter to our Shabbat table. We knew it was coming and waited in anticipation, like an old Burns and Allen routine. Everyone should have an uncle who tells the same corny jokes at the holiday table. Author Anita Diamant says those, too, are traditions. Only they are individual Jewish family-based traditions. I still think about my Uncle Moe, of blessed memory, each week as my children recite the motzi. Although we say the blessing correctly at home, they have heard this story, and we laugh. Do you have an “Uncle Moe” and a favorite corny joke of his? Send it to the Scroll at [email protected]. n Kiddush Cup By Louis Nagel Shabbat Among the most lasting connections to the celebration of my becoming a bar mitzvah is the Kiddush cup the rabbi presented me toward the end of the service. This particular cup has its own narrative—a 20-year history of waiting to be used for the purpose for which Rabbi Baumgarten presumably intended it, namely, being filled with wine and blessed as a part of the rituals of welcoming the Shabbat. Over those two decades, it was home to coin collections, a display stand for a Brooklyn Dodgers autographed baseball, and an art object. I wonder how many of the thousands of Kiddush cups presented at b’nai mitzvah celebrations every year in North America experience a similar fate. The Sacred Cup In retrospect, I think the presentation of the Kiddush cup is a great choice, full of practical and symbolic meaning. It is a ritual object used at least once a week in Shabbat rituals. The reality is that any glass, cup, or tumbler would suffice. The ritual is saying a prayer over wine and drinking it. But like the many ways of enhancing the ritual, the necessary vessel also can be elevated from a humble paper cup to a brilliantly executed work of art. My recognizing the cup as a sacred object allowed it to maintain a presence, even if its function was closer to gathering dust than to being a tool of active practice. Ahad HaAm, a Zionist philosopher, writes,“More than the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jewish people.” At age 30, my bar mitzvah Kiddush cup became the vessel through which Shabbat rituals entered my home. It was a spontaneous act. Candles and wine were usually in our house. We had come to the end of a busy week. I prepared a nice dinner and was setting the table. I took the Kiddush cup off the shelf, cleaned it, and put it on the table. It was not rare for me to put candles on the table, but this evening I did not light them until we sat down to eat. We sat down. I took out the prayer book, looked in the table of contents for the right page, and began our ritual, first reciting the prayer over the candles, then reciting the prayer over the wine, and then hamotzi for the bread. Within about two minutes, I shattered whatever barriers kept me from a tradition that neither my family nor my wife’s family had observed since the first decades of the 20th century. This represented a breakthrough in my Jewish spirituality, the introduction of a form of religious observance that had little immediate purpose other than sacred ritual. Ahad HaAm might have recognized this as a step into the world of Shabbat observance, one more Jewish person kept within the fold. Taking the First Step There is a rabbinic expression, cited by Rashi, an 11thcentury Biblical commentator, “All beginnings are difficult” (Rashi commentary on Shemot 19:5). I can feel the power of this wisdom acutely. Making this beginning of religious observance was a significant break from the status quo, putting me out of step with almost every one of my friends and relatives. As it was, within that circle, I was already considered to be the “religious one.” This seemed to be taking the characterization to a whole new level. At its most basic, it meant taking myself out of circulation on Friday evening, forsaking “happy hours,” movies, and sports events. This dualism between work and play can be traced to ancient Greece. The lifestyle I was exploring recognized a more ancient distinction, the one between the six days of Creation and the seventh day of rest. In an even more refined vocabulary, it was the distinction between sacred and secular time. n The Silver Candlesticks By Jayson Amster Prominent on every festive table at my grandparents’ home were ornate silver candlesticks, always polished to a sparkle. We grandchildren were told that Grandma and Grandpa brought those treasures with them from the “old country.” In my unquestioning mind’s eye, I pictured my grandfather carrying a large sack, not unlike Santa, with all of his earthly possessions, including those special candlesticks. They remained prominent in the apartment that replaced the house, and they adorned tables in rented halls when the family outgrew anyone’s home. When Grandpa died and Grandma moved to a convalescent facility, those wonderful candlesticks anchored my parents’ table for more than three decades. Now those ancient relics elevate our Shabbos table with beauty and memory. n 11 Shabbat Continued Memories of a Jerusalem Market By Varda Avnisan As a child, growing up in Jerusalem, I often joined my father bat. She labored for two days to make us the wonderful on his weekly trip to the souk at Mahane Yehuda—the largest dishes that we loved. She cooked from scratch, refusing to and most vibrant market in Jerusalem. It ofuse any frozen or canned food. Even the grape fered everything one could imagine, from food leaves for the yaprach dish (stuffed grape leaves) to clothing to electronics to live chickens. Even would have to be fresh. before we got off the bus, we heard the loud A year ago I started a small catering busivoices of vendors calling out their merchandise. ness,Varda’s Kitchen, offering the Jewish comWhether it was a tomato, an orange, or any munity fresh, organic and kosher meals for other fruit, they’d raise it up and praise it for Shabbat. Although I’m still devoting most of its qualities: the vibrant color, the sweetness, my time to creating glass art, I find that cooking or the smell of freshness, anything that would is just as creative. One of my favorite recipes to draw the attention of the shopper. I rememoffer clients is Moroccan vegetable stew. I have ber being awed by the mounds of potatoes and several clients who are vegetarians, and I always onions stacked high, the rolled sacks of spices offer them a main course they can enjoy. In this with their brilliant colors and aromas, the Photo by Richard Nowitz recipe I especially like the combination of sweet pyramids of oranges that glistened in the sun. and spicy ingredients. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Shabbat Cooking from Scratch We returned home laden with sacks of fresh produce and herbs that my mother would use in her cooking for Shab- Moroccan Vegetable Stew 2 tablespoon olive oil 2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 medium butternut squash, (about two pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 medium onion, chopped 1 can (15- to 19-ounce) © Randy Mayor garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 1 can (14 1/2-ounce) stewed tomatoes 1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more to taste 2 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh cilantro or parsley Couscous for serving Directions 1. In a nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over mediumhigh heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Stir in carrots and squash, and cook for about 10 minutes. 2. Stir in garbanzo beans, stewed tomatoes, prunes, cinnamon, salt, crushed red pepper, and 1 1/2 cups water; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender. 3. Stir cilantro into stew. Spoon over couscous to serve. 12 For a complete Shabbat menu by Varda Avnisan, please see the Scroll extras at www.bethelmc.org. n The Struggle Over Food A Friday Night Respite Beware of the “life and death struggle over food,” writes Wendy Mogel in The Blessing of a Skinned Knee, her practical and wise book on parenting. Many young Beth El families swear by this book, which even has a lesson for us about food at the Shabbat dinner table. Mogel explains that “among many of the families that I know, love, power, and food have been bound together…. Parents become very involved in what their children are and are not eating. Intuitively, children recognize this as the perfect place to seize power. When it comes to food, few modern parents are clear, calm, and authoritative. Put all this together and food becomes a battlefield…The ambivalence about food and eating and the resulting tension over selfcontrol, guilt, and sensual pleasure get passed along to children, even if we don’t voice our worries out loud.” Come Shabbat, when eating is to be a pleasure and often includes special foods and fattening desserts, parents might do well to call a moratorium on control. The emotional health of a day each week without power conflicts at the dinner table might be worth making an exception from an otherwise healthy and balanced diet. Moderation is still called for, but not asceticism. n Adapted by Rabbi Bill Rudolph from the Shabbat guide called A Day Apart: Shabbat at Home, a Step-by-Step Guidebook with Blessings and Songs, Rituals and Reflections by Noam Sachs Zion (editor of A Different Night Haggadah and former Scholar-in-Residence at Beth El) and Shawn Fields-Meyer. Shabbat Shabbat iS SShhaab bb baatt i s ad a y d a yS h a sr he a dr e dw i twhi t hJ e J f ai lmyi l y wei Swhi s hf a m a a n d f r i e n d s e v e r y w h e r e . W ef o l f ollol i cs i c Sa wo wb ab and friendS everywhere. we h a l a c h i c (J e w i s h l e g a l ) r i taulaSl . s .w eW el i glhi gt h t h a l a c h i c (J e w i S h l e g a l ) r i t u Shabbat candles and say the prayersw ; ew e Shabbat candleS and Say the prayerS; s e r v e c h a l l a h ; w e o b s e r v ea ad adya yo fo fr erSets. t . Serve challah; we obServe E v e r y f a m i l y d e v e l o p s i t s o w n w a y o f odi nogi n g every family developS itS own way of d t h i n g s — i t s oowwnn ttrraad di ti ti oi onnsS. . B beeccaauusSee eeaacchh thingS—itS f a m i l y h a s i t so wo n w np epreSrosnoanlai l i t,y ,S hSahb ab a bta th ahSa sa ty mily haS itS fa special feel in each home. Special feel in each home. wWh haatt aar re e Sso omme e f faammi li ly y traditions? traditionS? Some families serve the same meal Some families serve the same meal every week. Some families use Kiddush every week. Some families use Kiddush cups and candlesticks that are cups and candlesticks that are family heirlooms passed down from family heirlooms passed down from generation to generation. generation to generation. Some families always invite others Some families always invite others to sit at their Shabbat table. Other to sit at their Shabbat table. Other families reserve Shabbat for a special families reserve Shabbat for a special time of the week to be together as a time of the week to be together as a family. family. Taking time to celebrate Taking time to celebrate Shabbat in a similar way to Shabbat in a similar way to other Jewish people around other Jewish people around the world helps us remember the world helps us remember the Covenant we have with God the Covenant we have with God and the community we all share. and the community we all share. a 4 U chocolate ballS recipe According to third-grade Beth El Religious School teacher, Shuli Beth El Religious School teacher, Shuli Shafrir, shares this Shafrir, this recipe is very popular among Israeli children. And it delicious recipe for a popular Israeli children’s treat. is lots of fun to make! Ingredients: 0.5 lb biscuits (Kedem Tea Biscuits) ¾ cup sugar 6 tablespoons cocoa ½ cup milk milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter (take out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before use) Preparation: • Place biscuits in a bag and crush them. • Place the biscuits in a large bowl, and add the sugar and cocoa. • Mix well with a wooden spoon, add the milk, vanilla extract, and butter, and mix well. • Fill a spoon with the mixture and form into small balls with your hands. • You can decorate the balls with sprinkles or coconut. • Let cool in the refrigerator at least one hour before serving. F Q uu ee sS tt ii oo nn Ss : y Q ly m ii l f aa m Do you serve one challah? Two? Challah rolls?? Do you serve one challah? Two? Challah rolls family? your family? of your member of Do you light one set of Shabbat candles, or one set for each member Do you light one set of Shabbat candles, tzedakah the tzedakah as the such as week, such Do you use any family heirlooms or treasuress each each week, Do you use any family heirlooms or treasure boxes kindergarten? in kindergarten? made in you made boxes you or week, or each week, dinner each Do Shabbat dinner same Shabbat the same have the you have Do you to ard forw look forward to you look that you is made that dish made one dish there one is there k? from week to week? wee to k wee from dinner? Shabbatdinner? afterShabbat doafter What youdo doyou Whatdo Do you sing? ? Do you sing at likeat looklike afternoonlook What Shabbatafternoon doesShabbat Whatdoes your house? yourhouse? y e famil practice week after The after week weekbecom become family you practice ritualsyou Therituals own. ren ofofyour child have you even share them may even traditions. them when when you have children your own. Youmay traditions.You 13 13 Thanksgiving Service at Beth El Photos by Mitchell Solkowitz Jewish Family Living continued from page 9 Israel to play at the inaugural ceremony of an Arab arts center but finds themselves lost in the wrong town. Music A wonderful collection of Israeli nursery songs is Me’ah Shirim Rishonim, or 100 First Songs. Even if you don’t speak Hebrew, the music is catchy and can serve as a great introduction to some basic Hebrew words. The two-CD set can be found at the Judaica Web Store (www.judaicawebstore.com). A great online store is www.israel-music.com, where you can preview tracks. For those who enjoy the rock stylings of Bruce Springstein, Billy Joel, or others, try out Mashina,Yehuda Poliker, Rami Kleinstein, Arik Einstein, Aviv Geffen,Yehudit Ravitz, or my favorite, Shlomo Artzi. Prefer rap or hip-hop? Some favorites include Hadag Nachash, Subliminal, and Coolooloosh, just to name a few. Books • Sammy Spider’s First Trip to Israel by Sylvia A. Rouss. Sam- my Spider is a favorite with the youngest readers. His trip to Israel is a great place for children to start. • The Great Israel Scavenger Hunt by Scott E. Blumenthal. Follow Daniel as he and his Israeli cousin Rivkah travel across Israel on a scavenger hunt in search of special objects. Along the way, they introduce the reader to Israel’s major cities and sites. • A Kid’s Catalog of Israel by Chaya M. Burstein. This eclectic volume overflows with data, stories, humor, crafts, and more. • One More River by Lynne Reid Banks. A North American girl and her family move to Israel to reconnect with what it means to be Jewish. • Samir and Yonatan by Daniella Carmi. This novel for older readers grapples with the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians, told from the point of view of a young Palestinian boy. n Israel Room, Jerusalem Wall With the help of decorative artist and BEPS parent Melissa Tenholder, the Preschool has recently transformed one of its classrooms into an “Israel room.” This past summer, Melissa, wife of Beth El chef Kevin Trainor, and two Preschool teachers painted two of the room’s walls to resemble Jerusalem stone. The room is currently used by the school’s music specialist and weekly parasha storyteller several days a week as well as by teachers who wish to hold programs there to emphasize the school’s support of the land of Israel, its people, and its culture. The room contains large maps of Israel, holiday and ritual objects, and puzzles and games. n 14 Library Corner The Library in the Palace Books for Shabbat By Robin Jacobson “A palace in time,” is what Abraham Joshua Heschel called Shabbat in his classic work, The Sabbath. Since every palace, even a metaphorical one, must surely have a grand library, I envision an elegant, book-lined room, rich in small, literary gems that can be read in a single, lovely Shabbat afternoon. The special books described below would merit a place in the palace. Look for them in the Beth El Library. Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor Beth El congregant Tutti Sokol introduced me to this small but mighty book, originally published as a short story in 1938 and reissued to worldwide acclaim in 1995. As a young American in the 1930s, author Kathrine Taylor was alarmed both by the rise of Nazism in Germany and by American apathy. She wrote Address Unknown “to show the American public what happens to real, living people swept up in a warped ideology.” In 1939, the New York Times praised Taylor’s story as “perfection itself...the most effective indictment of Nazism to appear in fiction.” The plot of Address Unknown unfolds through a series of letters written over a 16-month period from 1932 to 1934 between Max Eisenstein, an American Jew, and Martin Schulse, a German Aryan. The friends jointly own a successful San Francisco art gallery. When Martin decides to return with his family to Germany, Max remains in California to run the gallery. Initially, the friends’ letters are warm and affectionate, joking about customers who buy bad art for high prices. But the letters rapidly cool and then turn vicious as Martin embraces the Nazi creed. When Max’s actress sister, an old flame of Martin’s, performs in Berlin, a crisis ensues, leading to a startling conclusion. The Talmud and the Internet by Jonathan Rosen In this beautifully written little book, Jonathan Rosen muses about family, Judaism, and Western literary classics, while comparing the vastness of the Talmud to the Internet. The ancient rabbis believed that even God, who presumably has a good working knowledge of Talmudic law, spends three hours each day studying it. Like the Talmud, Rosen says, the Internet reflects an “interrupting, jumbled culture...a world of unbound- ed curiosity, of argument and information...a place where everything exists, if only one knows how and where to look.” A Guide to the Sabbath by Rabbi Solomon Goldman Thanks to congregant Steve Susswein for finding this charming, miniature book tucked between more weighty tomes in our library. Penned by an English rabbi and published in London 50 years ago, this book will delight Anglophiles, beginning with its chivalric description of the Sabbath as “the lady fair to whom Jewish poets sang.” The book seeks “to compress...the essence of all that has been written about the Sabbath.” Some of the most intriguing excerpts are from ancient Greek and Roman writings, deriding the Jewish day of rest as a sign of laziness. The Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca opined that the Sabbath was actually injurious to Jews because “they lose almost a seventh part of their life in inactivity, and many matters which are urgent...suffer from not being attended to.” Shabbat Books and Music For books specifically on Shabbat and for recordings of Shabbat music, see the list posted on the Library Web site (go to www.bethelmc.org, click on Library, then Explore, then Holidays, and then Shabbat). n Trailblazing Jewish Book Publishers at Beth El Sunday, January 30 10:00 am Come hear Judye Groner and Madeline Wikler, founders and editorial directors of KarBen Publications, provide a behind-the-scenes look at the business of creating and publishing Jewish children’s books. Sponsored by the Library Committee and Men’s Club. Noon The Book Club will discuss The Coffee Trader by David Liss, a historical novel set in the Jewish community in Amsterdam in the 1600s. For more information about either event, contact Robin Jacobson at robinandjim83@ gmail.com or Marge London at [email protected] 15 Visit ISRAEL July 10Proudly – 21, operated 2011 in partnership with with Rabbi Greg Harris TOURS L e a r n M o rAYELET e About This Experience In 2009 over 300 participants traveled on a mission Join Rabbiwith Greg and Rebekah Harris for an of music, healing and connection the Cantors Assembly to Poland & Israel. incredible FAMILY MISSION to Israel. UNFORGETTABLE Traveling to Israel is a Ayelet Tours has been TRIP The Cantors Assembly remarkable adventure. This presents...A musical journey selected to be the guide for family-oriented trip will be a the trip. families to experience the beauty of heritage and healing to wonderful tour seeing Israel as and vitality of Israel together. This trip will be designed for SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM GERMANY both the land of our ancestors and as the modern country. From the Western Wall to floating in the Dead Sea, this will be an unforgettable adventure with fellow Beth El Details coming soon.... families. June 25 - July 2, 2012 This is truly a unique spiritual experience. TOUR THE LAND We will travel across the country Add your name to the list of those interested in this special experience. Contact Ricardo Munster at rmunster@ bethelmc.org or 301-652-2606 x316. Save the Date! developing a sense of this remarkable land. Proudly operated in partnership with AYELET TOURS In 2009 over 300 participants traveled on a mission of music, healing and connection with the Cantors Assembly to Poland & Israel. The Cantors Assembly presents...A musical journey of heritage and healing to GERMANY June 25 - July 2, 2012 Details coming soon.... Save the Date! Making the journey yours. 16 www.ayelet.com 800-237-1517 Contributions Please remember that contributions can be made easily, quickly, and securely via our Web page – www.bethelmc.org Barbara Wolf “Israel Quest” Fund Shirley Samet by Robert Samet B’not mitzvah of Elana and Talya Kravitz by Sandy and Dick Pollen In Memory Of: Karen Judson’s father, David Pollen, by the Polis family Joseph Kopit by Leo Kopit Abraham Sherman by Gerald H. Sherman In Memory Of: Ted Zinnreich by Hedy Teglasi and Saul Golubcow Harlee S. Popick, mother of Barbara P. Rosing, by Barbara P. Rosing In Honor Of: Bendit Adult Institute Fund In Memory Of: Evelyn Fox, beloved wife of Al Fox, by Rita and Irwin Kopin, Kathy Hooley, Pam Kocher, and Hattie Goodman Beth El Forest In Honor Of: Golden wedding anniversary of Sam and Evelyn Margolis by Twila Nattel In Memory Of: Beloved brother, Solomon Ozarin, by Lucy Ozarin Henry Apfel by Dov and Sharon Margolis Apfel Beth El Israel Fund In Memory Of: Henrietta Dewald by Michele Herman Eve Tishkoff by Julian Tishkoff Fred Hainbach by Rhoda Hainbach Helen Fried by Jerry and Linda Herman Building Fund/Capital Campaign In Honor Of: The lives of Louis and Ida Schneider by Janet Schneider Levine In Memory Of: Esther Aisenberg by Irwin Aisenberg Sadie Goldberg, mother of Irving Goldberg, by Irving and Annette Goldberg Alvin Odintz by Joshua Odintz Anna Dickler, mother of Elliott Dickler, by Elliott Dickler Pauline Resnick by Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Resnick Bernard Ross by the Shrago family Walter Solomon by Steven Solomon Cantor’s Fund In Honor Of: In gratitude for Hazzan Lubin by family of Blanche Fersh Hazzan Lubin by Craig Yokum Hazzan Lubin, for his support following the death of our husband and father, Bernie Berger, by Bea Berger and family In Memory Of: Martin Lipman by Robert Lipman Loving father, Larry Kahn, by Harriet Rabin Myrtle, dear sister of Mrs. Winnie Spitz, by Harriet Rabin Capital Campaign By: Leesa Fine Chevra Kadisha Fund In Memory Of: Harry Minker, father of Jack Minker, by Jack Minker Julius Boman by Julian Tishkoff Louis Spivak by Anita Lieb Bernard Berger, truly a Renaissance man, by Audrey Berger Claire Rosoff by Janice Raffel Stanley Fribush by Gail Fribush Erika Meyerhoff, mother of Gabriela Bebchick, by Gabriela Bebchick College Outreach Fund Disabled Access Fund In Honor Of: Josie Horn’s birthday by Audrey Berger Nettie Kitzes, the best birthday ever, by Audrey Berger In Memory Of: Bernard Berger by Ilene and David Jacobowitz Dr. Elaine L. Shalowitz Education Fund In Memory Of: A special friend, Joan Abelson, by Erwin Shalowitz Bernard Berger by Doris and Albert Povich Nisan Shor, father of Brenda Pieprz, by 4th grade class of Brenda Pieprz Elaine Tanenbaum Religious School Enrichment Fund In Honor Of: Cheryl Kreiser, with gratitude, by Hayley Greenberg and the Greenberg family Jack Klein’s bar mitzvah by Connor, Barbara, and Eric Schone In Memory Of: Charles Bresler by Diane and Sanford Kay and Dr. Herbert Tanenbaum Bertha Schwartz by Dr. Robert Deckelbaum Fine Arts Fund In Memory Of: My father, Merritt L. Koenig, by Bob Koenig General Fund By: The Levitt Foundation Gavin and Monica Abrams In Honor Of: Fran Leibowitz by Judith and Malcolm Hindin Special birthday of Nettie Kitzes by Evelyn Bitterbaum Thanks to Sophie and Jerry Teplitz for their kind hospitality by Helen Saulson Martha Strauss’s 97th birthday by Susan Bernstein and Josh Pruzansky Wedding of Jana Singer and Larry Sidman by Amy Liss Sheila Bellack by Ellen and Norman Eule Mazal tov on Jacob Gross’s bar mitzvah by Bucky, Mindi, Matt, and Lily Jacobson Mazal tov on Nate Gillman’s bar mitzvah by Bucky, Mindi, Matt, and Lily Jacobson Mazal tov on the birth of Michal Kalanit Frumkin by Bucky, Mindi, Matt, and Lily Jacobson Michael Muntner’s special birthday by Ron and Phyllis West In Memory Of: Sidney Ross by Gail Ross Bernie Berger by Rob Fersh and Sharon Markus, Ellen Tillman, Bucky, Mindi, Matt, and Lily Jacobson, Ginger and Howard Silvers, Caren and Michael Ravitch, Don and Yvonne Klenk, and Jeffrey and Lynn Snyder Irving Fersh by Rob Fersh and Sharon Markus Marie Schlesinger by Benjamin Schlesinger Murray Raim by Leslie Shedlin and David Raim 17 Rose Minker by Jack Minker Contributions Continued Irving P. Cohn by Dale Gold Honorable Ruth D.Vogel by Donna L.Vogel Rabbi Paul Hirsch by Walter Schimmerling and Raquel Masel Blanche Fersh, mother of Rob Fersh, by Bucky, Mindi, Matt, and Lily Jacobson Julius Gottlieb by Jonathan Gottlieb Rivkah Sharfstein, beloved mother, by Jose and Tutti Sokol Evelyn J. Fox by Bradley and Bernice Seidman, Lucy Ozarin, Lillian Seigel, Murray and Anne Foss, Ed and Debbie Bloom, and Jack and Stephanie Ventura Boris Dvorkin by Etia Dvorkina Charles Snyder, father of David Snyder, by Bucky, Mindi, Matt, and Lily Jacobson Anna Berger, mother-in-law of Bea Berger, by Bea Berger William Davis by Libby and Harvey Gordon Thomas P. Gold by Harvey and Dale Gold Virginia Huffman, mother of Diana Huffman, by Bucky, Mindi, Matt, and Lily Jacobson Barney Krosnick by Phyllis and Jeff Lavine Herbert and Klare Heinemann by Howard and Holly Stein Joan Lipnick Abelson by Daniel and Elaine Mann David Pollen, father of Karen Judson, by Debbie and Sam Olchyk Jean Niederman, mother-in-law of Etta Kline, by Etta Kline Jennie Nichaman by Milton Nichaman Philip Gravitz by Melvin Gravitz My mother, Fay Yudkovitz Feibus, by Howard Feibus Minnie Derkay, mother of Lee Derkay, by Lee and Gloria Derkay Charles Rosen by Arthur Rosen My beloved father, Abraham Bernstein, by Susan and Lewis Winarsky Joan Lipnick Abelson by Bea Berger Green Tikkun Fund In Memory Of: Sam Levine by Bob Levine and Michele Lieban Levine Groner Ramah Scholarship Fund In Memory Of: Ernestine Goldstine, beloved mother of Judith G. Levin, by Judith and Jonathan Levin Hanukkah Wish List By: Anonymous In Memory Of: Manuel Parris, grandfather of Ellen Chubin Epstein, by Ellen Chubin Epstein Ruth Becker Holiber by Jerome A. Holiber Marc Russell Devinsky by Paul Devinsky Litman Holocaust Education Fund In Memory Of: Ruth Gutmann by Hanna Gutmann Goldie Margolis Abelson by Dov and Sharon Margolis Apfel Samuel Yisroel Drucker by Hellaine and Irwin Nepo Masorti In Memory Of: Irving Troffkin by Howard Troffkin Mazon In Honor Of: The birth of my granddaughter, Emily Claire Ratay, by Dr. Lawrence Sank In Memory Of: Frank Ochman by Joanne and Mark Weinberg Bernie Berger by Julia P. Copperman Stanley Resnick and Alice Resnick by Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Resnick Frances Dellon by James and Leslie Dellon Mintz Landscaping Fund In Memory Of: Harry Wilder, father of Mitzi Goldman, and Tillie Goldman, mother of Max Goldman, by Mitzi and Max Goldman Morning Minyan Fund In Memory Of: Alan Swoff by Corinne Swoff Our dear father, Isadore Routhenstein, by Irene Routhenstein and Shirley R. Levine May Feldman, beloved mother-in-law of Shirley Feldman, by Shirley Feldman Mary Fried by Robert and Fran Rubin Isadore and Judith Fine by Leesa Fine Harold Cohen by Barbara and Allen Lerman and Blanche Cohen Sylvia Cantor by Judy Goldman Ron Raffel by Janice Raffel Nitzanim Fund In Honor Of: Our daughter Abigail’s simchat bat by Lisa and Hersh Alexander Judith and Jonathan Levin Pat and Jerry Danoff In Memory Of: In Memory Of: My mother, Fay Canal, by Elaine Auerbach In Memory Of: Minnie Bobb by Sharon Bobb Abraham Katz by Linda M. Katz and Donald S. Stein Freda Rosenthal and Henry Gichner by John and Susan Rosenthal Eugene Eisenberg by Allen Eisenberg In Honor Of: In Honor Of: Israel Experience Teen Fund Beno Hoffman by Rosanne Hoffman Kimball Nursery School Fund By: Diane Maisel In Memory Of: Library Fund 50th wedding anniversary of Uncle Sam and Aunt Evelyn Margolis by Sara and Michael Salzberg, Ariella, Mimi and Yakov The 50th wedding anniversary of Sam and Evelyn Margolis by Paul and Barbara Widem Robin Jacobson by Susan Levine 18 Civia and Evelyn Berman by Stuart Berman Prayerbook Fund Rabbi’s Fund Rabbi Rudolph and Rabbi Harris, in appreciation for your help and guidance following Bernie’s death, by Bea Berger Boris Gendelman, Morley Amsellem, Susan Levine, and Peter Novick, in appreciation of their weekly efforts to sustain a warm and viable evening minyan, by Leesa Fine Contributions Continued In gratitude for Rabbi Rudolph by family of Blanche Fersh Bar mitzvah of Jacob Gross by Lisa and Hersh Alexander The aliyah for my 97th birthday by Martha Strauss In appreciation of my Yom Kippur honor by Doris Povich In appreciation of davening, the frequent aliyot, special prayers, friendship of fellow congregants, especially Rabbi Rudolph by Ben Williamowsky Rabbi Harris, thank you for making Nate’s bar mitzvah so special, by the Gillman family In Memory Of: Ethel Pargh Richman by David Richman Baruch Porath by Zvi Porath Sarley Max Feldman by Elliot J. Feldman Gunter and Sylvia Chapin by Joel Simon Sydney Ratcliffe by Mimi Blitz Benjamin Perlman by Elaine and George Perlman Bernie Berger by Carol and Bob Luskin, Liz Schrayer and Jeff Schwaber, Hope and Phil Borish Thelma Tessler Solomon by Steve and Phyllis Solomon Samuel Herman by the Hermans Alan Swoff by Julian Levin and Sondra Brody My beloved mother, Carola Shapito, by Yael Greenberg Blanche Fersh, mother of Rob Fersh, by Adeen and Mike Postar Charles Snyder, father of David Snyder, by Adeen and Mike Postar Louis Pernick by Irwin Pernick Benjamin Levine by Shirley R. Levine Sara Socher by Jorge and Sharona Sapoznikow Mendel Goldberg by Harriet Weinstein Steven Michael Fefferman by Adeen and Mike Postar Anna Boman by Julian Tishkoff My father-in-law, Itzhak Friedman, by Sarah L. Friedman David Pollen, father of Karen Judson, by Tricia and Howard Sachs Irving Muntner by Michael Muntner Max Richter by Lenore Richter Jack I. Bender by Howard M. Bender My beloved mother, Margaret Kahn, by Harriet Rabin Beloved husband, Emanuel Rabin, by Harriet Rabin Benjamin L. Levin by Ed Levin Virginia Huffman, mother of Diana Huffman, by Tricia and Howard Sachs Harry Perlman by Elaine and George Perlman Joan Abelson by Sophie and Jerome Teplitz My father, Louis Raisman, by Margaret Rifkind Gladys Eisler, sister of Dr. Howard Ratain, by Anita and Howard Ratain Resnik Memorial Lecture Fund In Memory Of: Harry Neiterman by Charlotte H. Resnick Sisterhood Flower Fund In Memory Of: Kate Schwartz by Dov and Sharon Margolis Apfel Sisterhood Kiddush Fund In Honor Of: My aliyah by Sue Rosenthal Judy Blank by Estelle and Hamilton Loeb, Gail Ross and Roy Niedermayer, Sandy Lieberman, and Linda Lipson In Memory Of: Hilda Shamash Sidman, beloved wife and mother, by Larry Sidman Beloved mother and grandmother, Lillian Cohen, by Barbara S. Spitzer Sisterhood Shiva Meal Fund By: Bea Berger In Memory Of: The beloved father of Lance Simon by Margy and Irv Nurik Gertrude Liberson by Gary and Judy Liberson Lillian Kaplan, mother of Sandra Becker, by Sandra Becker Sisterhood Torah Fund In Honor Of: Judy Blank receiving the Sisterhood Torah Fund Award by Joan and Joel Simon and Sandy and Dick Pollen In Memory Of: Harry Niedermayer by Roy Niedermayer Social Action Fund In Honor Of: Hadar Harris and Debbie Feinstein, with thanks for leading the Zhava Mitzvah Day book discussion, by Zhava Florence Gang’s birthday by Marian Scheiner Suls Youth Activities Fund In Memory Of: Virginia Huffman, mother of Diana Huffman, by Alan Golden and Nancy Grunley Herbert Golden by Alan Golden Torah Scroll Fund In Honor Of: Dr. Steven Wilks, in appreciation for your sensitive support during a most difficult time in our lives, by Brenda Pieprz and Stuart Shor and family Vatikkim In Memory Of: Beloved sister, Sylvia Ozarin, by Lucy Ozarin Irving Bogler and Margaret Bogler by Ruth Rondberg Rabbi Shmuel Guttman by Frances (Fran) H. Leibowitz Honored and loved husband, Samuel Leibowitz, MD, by Frances (Fran) H. Leibowitz Vince Prada Technology Fund In Honor Of: The marriage of Jana Singer and Larry Sidman by Barbara Struth Weker Family Program Fund In Memory Of: My beloved mother, Ida Rubinow, by Ruth Kay Frieda Kay by Ruth Kay World Jewry Fund In Memory Of: Charles Rosen by Arthur Rosen n 19 Congregation Beth El 8215 Old Georgetown Road Bethesda, Maryland 20814-1451 Periodicals Postage PAID Bethesda, MD 20814 While we know you’ll want to read every word in this issue of the Scroll, when you’re finished, please recycle it. Bulletin Board Condolences to Al Fox on the death of his wife, Evelyn Fox Karen Judson and Richard Pollen on the death of their father and brother, David Pollen Michael Schwartz on the death of his father, Nathan Schwartz Mazal Tov to Larry Sidman and Jana Singer on their wedding. Noteworthy Senior Caucus Meeting, Wednesday, January 5, 1:00 pm. Join these vibrant, active retirees to hear about ongoing programs and to help plan new activities. Roundtable with the Rabbi, Wednesday, January 5, 2:00 pm. Join us to celebrate January birthdays (yours and those of others) with desserts, coffee, and an inspiring discussion led by Rabbi Rudolph. Birthday celebrants receive a special invitation, but all are welcome each month. DOR L’DOR The Beth El Preschool (BEPS) 4s Class and a group of Beth El seniors blend together naturally to form Dor L’Dor. Join BEPS,Vatikkim, and Senior Caucus on Thursday, January 6, at noon, for this special intergenerational program connecting kids with seniors. To participate and share some delicious pizza with the Send submissions to the Scroll to [email protected] preschoolers, RSVP to Audrey Berger at 301-652-2606 or Ricardo Munster at 301-652-8569, ext. 316, or rmunster@ bethelmc.org. Vatikkim, Thursday, January, 13 and 27, noon. Brown Bag Lunch. Come and socialize with your friends, and enjoy some light refreshments and dessert. One of our clergy members will join the group and lead a discussion. Senior Caucus – Vatikkim – Luncheon/Program. This wonderful program will meet on Thursday, January, 20, at noon. Following lunch, stay for a film presentation, to be announced. Lunch begins at noon and costs $7. To RSVP for lunch, call Ricardo Munster at 301-652-2606 ext.316, or [email protected], by Tuesday, January 18. The program itself is free and begins after lunch at around 1:00 pm. Bridge – the greatest game ever! Join us every Monday. In January there will be no Bridge until Monday, January 24. Drop in and join a game; no partner is necessary. Contact Shirley Levine at [email protected] or 301-652-2606. If you want to play but don’t have transportation, please call Roz Sporn at 301-652-2606, Richard Belferman at 301652-2606, or Claire Marwick 301-652-2606. They will try to arrange transportation for you. Weekly Parashiot Source: Siddur Sim Shalom Va-era January 1, 25 Tevet God again charges Moses to confront Pharaoh and say, “Let My people go.” Aaron becomes the spokesman for a hesitant Moses, performing a wonder before Pharaoh, but to no avail. Following God’s instructions, Moses calls down seven plagues, increasing in intensity, upon the Egyptians. Pharaoh will not yield. Bo January 8, 3 Shevat Three more plagues occur; the last and most dramatic is the slaying of the Egyptian firstborn, which leads to the Exodus. The Israelites dab the blood of the paschal lamb on their doorposts to avert death in their midst. At midnight, God strikes the Egyptians; they are quick to let the Israelites go. After 430 years in Egypt, the Israelites depart that very night. B’Shallah January 15, 10 Shevat Pharaoh regrets losing his slaves. Pursuing the children of Israel, he traps them at the Sea of Reeds. God splits the waters, allowing Israel to cross safely. The Egyptians follow, only to be engulfed, at God’s hand, in the swirl of returning water. Moses and Miriam lead the people in joyous song, extolling God.Yet the Israelites soon complain of thirst and hunger. God responds, providing water and manna. When Amalek attacks, God helps Israel prevail. Yitro January 22, 17 Shevat Moses spends much of his time explaining God’s statutes and laws to the people; his father-in-law, Jethro, suggests that he delegate some of this judicial authority. After ascending Mount Sinai to speak with God, Moses returns to prepare the people for Revelation. Amidst awesome thunder, lightning, and flame, God, glorious and holy, reveals to Israel the Divine Presence—and the Ten Commandments. Mishpatim January 29, 24 Shevat The civil laws, along with moral and religious precepts, are presented after the Ten Commandments. The people accept the Torah wholeheartedly, vowing, “All that Adonai has commanded, we will do.” Israel affirms the Covenant, and Moses returns to Mount Sinai to receive the law, etched in stone, from God. Terumah February 5, 1 Adar While Moses remains on Mount Sinai, God provides detailed instructions regarding the construction and decoration of the Mishkan. This Tabernacle is to house the Ark and allow the Divine Presence to dwell among the people. Beth El Calendar &Weekly Parashiot Descriptions of Services Minyan Chaverim offers the ruach of the Shabbat services in USY, BBYO, and Hillel. We have a lay-led, traditional, participatory, spirit-filled service, including full repetition of the Shacharit and Musaf amidah, as well as the full Torah reading with an interactive Torah discussion. A pot-luck lunch follows the service at a nearby home. For information, contact Debbie Feinstein or Sheryl Rosensky Miller at info@ bethelmc.org. The Worship and Study Minyan is conducted by members of the congregation and combines evocative Torah study with ample singing and ruach. Children are welcome, although the service is oriented toward adults. For information, contact Dan Hirsch, Sid Getz, or Mark Levitt at 301-652-2606, [email protected]. Teen Service is a cool service without parents, conducted by and for post-b’nai mitzvah teens, with a great kiddush. To volunteer to read Torah, conduct part of the service, or help with a discussion, contact Aaron Slater at 301-652-2606, [email protected] Other Youth /Family Services, for information, contact Elisha Frumkin, 301-652-8573, ext. 319, [email protected]. Daily Services M-F 7:30 am Sun-Th 8:00 pm Fri 6:30 pm Sun 9:00 am Shabbat Services (all services are weekly, except as noted) Early Morning Service Main Service Babysitting (2-6 years old) Minyan Chaverim (3rd Shabbat) Worship and Study Minyan (1st Shabbat) Shabbat Study Group Mincha, Seudah Shlishit, Ma’ariv, and Havdalah Service (monthly) Youth Shabbat Services 7:30 am 9:30 am 9:15 am 9:30 am 9:45 am 12:40 pm 4:30 pm Teen Service (1st Shabbat) 10:00 am Junior Congregation (5th grade +; Library) 10:00 am Shitufim 10:30-11:30 am (3rd and 4th grades; 2nd & 4th Shabbat; Zahler Social Hall) Gan Shabbat (kindergarten-2nd grade; 1st & 3rd Shabbat; MP 1&2) 10:30-11:30 am Nitzanim (birth - kindergarten; 2nd, 4th, 5th Shabbat; MP 1&2) 10:30-11:30 am Congregation Beth El January 2011 Monthly Calendar Sunday 1 Tevet–Shevat 5771 Monday 1 Tuesday 2 Wednesday 1 Erev Hanukkah Thursday 2 Hanukkah 1st Day Friday 3 Candles 4:28 pm Saturday 1 New Year’s Day 7:30 am Early Shabbat Service 9:30 am Main Shabbat Service 9:30 am Naomi Cohen-Shields Bat Mitzvah 9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan 10:30 am Gan Shabbat 12:40 pm Shabbat Study Group 2 3 4 5 6 Offices & Schools Closed Preschool and Religious School Resume 8:30 am A Taste of Talmud 6:30 pm Mah Jongg 9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class 9:30 am M. Fine Class 9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class 2:00 pm Roundtable with the Rabbi Noon Vatikkim 7:00 pm Tallit Workshop 8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices 9:00 am Minyan 9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast 10:00 am Men’s Club Program 9 9:00 am Minyan 9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast 10:00 am Men’s Club Program 10:00 am Youth Committee Meeting 10:00 am Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class 10:30 am 2012 B’nai Mitzvah Meeting 16 Offices & Schools Closed 9:00 am Minyan 9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast 10:00 am Men’s Club Program 1:00 pm Bridge 7:30 pm Boy Scouts 10 1:00 pm Bridge 7:30 pm Boy Scouts 7:30 pm RS Committee Meeting 17 Martin Luther King’s Birthday Offices & Schools Closed 11 8:30 am A Taste of Talmud 9:30 am BEPS Parent Workshop 6:30 pm Mah Jongg 7:30 pm Kesher Nashim 7:30 pm BEPS Board Meeting 18 8:30 am A Taste of Talmud 6:30 pm Mah Jongg 7:00 pm Interfaith Steering Committee Meeting 12 9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class 9:30 am M. Fine Class 9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class 19 9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class 9:30 am M. Fine Class 9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class 7:00 pm Cantor Search Committee 7:30 pm Sisterhood Samplers & Socials 13 Noon Vatikkim 7:00 pm Tallit Workshop 7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting 20 Tu B’Shevat Noon Vatikkim Luncheon 7:00 pm Tallit Workshop 7:00 pm CE21 Meeting 7 Candles 4:44 pm 10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service 6:30 pm Friday Evening Service 14 Candles 4:51 pm 10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service 6:30 pm Friday Evening Service 21 Candles 4:58 pm Shabbat Shalom at Home 10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service 6:30 pm Traditional Friday Evening Service 6:30 pm Kol Haneshama Service 8 7:30 am Early Shabbat Service 9:30 am Main Shabbat Service 9:30 am Sisterhood Shabbat 10:00 am Jr. Congregation 10:30 am Shitufim 10:30 am Nitzanim 12:40 pm Shabbat Study Group 7:30 pm Yale Whiffenpoof A Cappella 15 Shabbat Shirah 7:30 am Early Shabbat Service 9:30 am Minyan Chaverim 9:30 am Main Shabbat Service 9:30 am Samuel Slater Bar Mitzvah 10:30 am Gan Shabbat 12:40 pm Shabbat Study Group 22 7:30 am Early Shabbat Service 9:30 am Main Shabbat Service 9:30 am Daniel Mills Bar Mitzvah 9:30 am Stefan Greenberg Bar Mitzvah 10:00 am Jr. Congregation 10:30 am Shitufim 10:30 am Nitzanim 12:40 pm Shabbat Study Group 4:30 pm: Mincha, Seudah Shlishit, Ma’ariv and Havdalah 5:30 pm BEPS Havdalah 23 9:00 am Minyan 9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast 9:30 am Sisterhood Board/General Mtg. 9:45 am Prayer Leadership Program 10:00 am Men’s Club Program 10:00 am RS Parent Coffee 30 7:00 am Blood Drive 9:00 am Minyan 9:00 am Sisterhood Social Action Prgm 9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast 10:00 am Literary Luminaries 10:00 am RS Parent Coffee 24 1:00 pm Bridge 7:30 pm Boy Scouts 31 1:00 pm Bridge 7:30 pm Boy Scouts 25 8:30 am A Taste of Talmud 6:30 pm Mah Jongg 1 8:30 am A Taste of Talmud 6:30 pm Mah Jongg 7:00 pm Prayer Leadership Program 26 9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class 9:30 am M. Fine Class 9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class 2 9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class 9:30 am M. Fine Class 9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class 2:00 pm Roundtable with the Rabbi 27 Noon Vatikkim 7:00 pm Tallit Workshop 7:30 pm Board Meeting 3 Noon Vatikkim 7:00 pm Tallit Workshop (snow make-up) 8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices 28 Candles 5:06 pm 10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service 6:30 pm Friday Evening Service 4 Candles 5:14 pm 10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service 6:30 pm Friday Evening Service 7:00 pm Zhava Shabbat Dinner 29 7:30 am Early Shabbat Service 9:30 am Main Shabbat Service 9:30 am Maia Gordon Bat Mitzvah 10:00 am Jr. Congregation 10:30 am Nitzanim 12:40 pm Shabbat Study Group 5 7:30 am Early Shabbat Service 9:30 am Main Shabbat Service 9:30 am Joshua Paretzky Bar Mitzvah 9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan 10:00 am Parent Preparation 10:00 am Jr. Congregation 10:00 am Teen Service 10:30 am Gan Shabbat 12:40 pm Shabbat Study Group
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