SINAI!
SYNAGOGUE
1102 E. LaSalle Avenue
Rabbi Michael Friedland
!
May
!!
2017
South Bend, Indiana 46617
www.SinaiSynagogue.org
Volume 86, #7
Iyar / Sivan 5777
Dates To Remember
May
1
Yom Hazikaron Observed
May
2
Yom Haatzma’ut Observed
May
6
Bat Mitzvah of Kennedy Evans
May
10
Deadline for Summer Bulletin
May
14
Mother’s Day
Lag Ba’Omer
May
14
Unveiling for Jerry Brumer (HOC)
May
18
Last Day of Hebrew School
May
21
Last Day of FEAST
Sisterhood Brunch & Meeting
at the home of Ilana Kirsch
May
24
Yom Yerushalayim Observed
May
29
US Memorial Day (Office Closed)
May
30
Erev Shavuot - Congregational Meeting “Journey to Sinai”
May
31
Shavuot (Office Closed)
May Candle Lighting Times
May
May
May
May
5
12
19
26
8:30 pm.
8:37 pm.
8:44 pm.
8:50 pm.
9:30 am.
11:00 am.
10:30 am.
7:00 pm.
Rabbi’s Message:
by Rabbi Michael Friedland
A recent USA Today insert for in the South Bend Tribune acknowledged the 50th anniversary of what the paper called “three extraordinary acts of courage” – the opposition of Martin Luther
King, Jr, Muhammad Ali and Eugene McCarthy to the Vietnam war. These were acts of courage
because they each put their prestige in jeopardy for criticizing a war which many Americans
supported. They were criticized and lost standing but they have all been vindicated by history.!
In the USA Today article, Martin Luther King called for an permanent end to bombing and
immediate ceasefire, not only to to protect the Vietnamese people but “If America’s soul becomes
totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read, ‘Vietnam.’!
What struck me in this quote was the focus on the American collective soul being at risk due to
an unjust war. I think there is no doubt that his concern was proven correct. The Vietnam War
was the next greatest military effort after World War II, much more extensive and damaging than
the Korean War. Unlike World War II, America was not seen as fighting the great fight against
tyranny but rather fighting to support a tyranny. Doubt and a lack of trust in government reached
deep into the collective psyche and I think the vestiges of that mistrust continue to this day on
both the left and the right.!
King’s lesson compares to a teaching of Abraham Joshua Heschel that “Some are guilty, but all
are responsible”. In a collective, not everyone may be guilty of wrongdoing, but ultimately it
effects everyone unless means are made to stop it. Thus all are responsible to make amends in
some way for the sins of the few.!
In the opening of Leviticus there is a valuable lesson about the dangers to the community by the
sins of a few. We are introduced to the ritual and cultic practices in the Tabernacle, mishkan. The opening chapters describe different sacrificial offerings made by the priests and by
individuals. One of the offerings is called a Chattat. In older translations, the chattat sacrifice is
translated ‘sin offering’, because a chet is a sin and the offering was made in response to an
inadvertent sin. But our Chumash follows the studies of Jacob Milgrom who insisted that the
chattat should be translated ‘purification offering’ because the offering by the sinner brought
purification. Milgrom clarified that chattat was a purification rite brought for sins committed by
people which generated impurity in society; these sins “attacked” the sanctuary, where they
accumulated. The chattat purified the sanctuary. Milgrom refers to the blood of the offering
which was sprinkled on the curtains of the Ark, the altar of incense in inner court, and the
sacrificial altar in the outer court in different situations as a ritual detergent. The inadvertent
offender did not need for himself to be purged by the chattat blood because his sin was washed
away by his acknowledgement that he made a mistake and his remorse. What he needed to do
was receive forgiveness for the consequence of his actions. His offense caused the sanctuary
itself to become polluted. !
The theology behind such a system argued Milgrom was that the God of Israel will not abide in a
polluted sanctuary. The merciful God will tolerate a modicum of pollution but there is a point of
no return. “More grievous than all the other transgressions in the Torah is the imparting pollution
to the sanctuary and its sancta, taught Rabbi Shimon. When that point is reached the community
is in great danger.!
Rabbi’s Message:
by Rabbi Michael Friedland
Milgrom shares a number of examples from comparable ancient texts that Israel was in full accord with its neighbors’ obsessive compulsion to purify its shrines. The key difference
between Israel and pagan nations was that the pagan world was suffused with fear that impurity
was caused by and would lead to demonic possession of its sancta; Israel had removed demonic
power from its concern with impurity. “Malefic impurity does not inhere in nature; it is the
creation of man. Only man, even by inadvertence, can generate the impurity that will evict God
from his earthly abode”.!
Milgrom’s description of ancient Israel’s cultic theology resonates with a Jewish theology that
would develop 1500 years after the destruction of the Temple.!
Among the medieval kabbalists there developed a theology that human sin not only was
detrimental to the sinner and not only caused punishment due to the breaking of covenantal
bonds, but impacted on God and on the cosmic realms. Sins impact negatively on the Godhead
and gum up the sefirotic structure, the process by which the Divine enters into this world. What
effect does sin have on God?!
Elijah deVidas in his Kabbalistic Mussar work Reshit Hochmah uses a metaphor about a spring
of water that flows down and irrigates beautiful fields and orchards. If someone comes along and
diverts the pipes such that the water flows instead into a garbage heap, the landowner will
become angry that the valuable water is being used for this purpose, and that the fields are being
neglected while the resources are flowing into the trash-heap.!
Teshuvah is the reparation of those broken irrigation pipes and restoring them to their original
position so that the Divine flow can return. !
Among the Kabbalists in an even more profound way than the Priestly authors in the Torah, each
of us by our actions impacts on the community as a whole, each action we take has cosmic
ramifications.!
We know this to be true in our world today. When we act in ways that treat our environment
poorly –from small acts like littering, or idling our cars when we are waiting somewhere instead
of turning the car off, to more serious acts of environmental harm by unsafe corporate practices,
the entire community is affected, and even the entire universal eco system. Accepted scientific
evidence shows us that global climate changes over the last century have been caused by human
actions. Our unwillingness to, as it were, purge our sins of wanton destruction of the
environment and exploitation of natural resources are polluting our sacred space – the earth.!
We live in a closed universe. Our actions have consequences, not only on ourselves but on our
community and on the Divine. Sinful behavior, exploitive behavior, hateful acts give off ripples
that impact our collective psyche for generations. But just as such actions cause harm, so we
have the ability to rectify such negative acts. Observing the mitzvot, demanding an end to
harmful policies, defending the vulnerable, insisting that all are equal before the law, these are
some of the ways that we too like our ancestors can purge the ethical, and literal, pollution from
our society.!
!
Rabbi’s Message:
by Rabbi Michael Friedland
Israel Seder Project: Our synagogue has been asked to join with other chosen synagogues
to hold an experimental ritual called the Israel Seder Project. It is a new concept for deepening
positive engagement with Israel using the widely beloved model of a seder. Israel Seder is a
uniquely powerful encounter with the essence of Israel through, stories, songs, visions . . . and
food. We will create a multi-media Israel Seder for our Sinai and Michiana Jewish community.
Each institution is encouraged to modify the style for their own members. Each participant has
their own “Haggadah,” which can be supplemented by multi-media displayed on a screen. Multimedia resources include archival film of Israeli history, modern videos, music and music videos
that represent the broad diversity of Israel. Israeli music and symbolic foods are a core part of
the experience. Our seder this year will not have a full meal but will incorporate appetizers and
salads.!
Join us on May 1st, Monday Evening at 6:30 PM just after minyan for our initial attempt at an
Israeli seder.!
PLEASE RSVP to the Sinai office by April 28th so we know how many Haggadot and how
much food to prepare!
!
!
CELEBRATE SHAVUOT
WITH OUR ANNUAL JOURNEY TO SINAI
AND OUR SINAI SYNAGOGUE ANNUAL MEETING!!!
!
Join us on May 30th at Sinai at 7:00 PM. This year our featured speakers will be Linda Mintz and Mike Kirsch. Come hear how they came to Sinai and how their individual Jewish journeys were meaningful to them.
!Desserts and excellent (Synagogue roasted) coffee will be served!!
!
!
!
Rabbi Friedland will be out of town from May 15-17 for a Conference of Rabbis
serving Smaller Conservative Congregations. This annual conference has been held
in Chicago since 2010 and is coordinated by Rabbi Friedland and Rabbi David
Krishef of Grand Rapids, MI. !
!Also you can watch Rabbi Friedland and others who participated in the 2017
Indiana Leadership Prayer breakfast in Indianapolis on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyOksLrrk2c!
!
President’s Page:
from Carey Gaudern
!
Mazel Tov to Nate Cossman, Jeff New and all of the volunteers who helped make Sinai’s
40th Annual Spaghetti Dinner a big success. With your efforts, we raised nearly $6,000,
welcomed Iraqi refugees and members from La Casa de Amistad into our community and
celebrated the best of our small, intergenerational Sinai family.
In April we continued to make some improvements to Sinai’s grounds and tended to the
needs of maintaining the building which presents a never-ending series of challenges.
Many thanks to all of you who have been flexible and able to help out or adjust your
regular routines to respond to what felt like Sinai’s 10 plagues! A special shout out goes
to Kay Wroblewski and Judy Zerkle who readily respond in the moment and track down
the appropriate people to bring things back in order.
The month of May brings May flowers and a few celebrations to Sinai. We hope you can
all join us for Shabbat services on May 13th in celebration of Mother’s Day. Ossie has a
special program planned for the FEAST students and a unique celebration of all of Sinai’s
mothers.
Coming up on May 30th is the Annual Congregational Meeting and Journey to Sinai
Shavuot program. Please join us to thank our outgoing board members Anita Fishman,
Ann Rosen and John Roncz and welcome our incoming Board members, hear about the
current “State of Sinai,” and learn about a few members’ personal experiences as
they have made their way to our beloved shul.
!
!
Sisterhood
News: from Ilana Kirsch
!
!As I write this, we are just coming to the end of Pesach. This is a very enjoyable
holiday for the Kirsch family, as certain family members can never get enough of matzah
pizza! This week has also marked the feeling of the true start of spring for me, with the
much-appreciated warm weather, and flowers blooming. Very refreshing!
!On Sunday, May 21 at 10:30 a.m., I welcome all Sisterhood members to my home for a
potluck brunch and meeting. This will be a dairy meal, as usual, and I would appreciate
hearing from all of you with an RSVP and a note about what you are planning to bring
(appetizer, main dish, or dessert). You can respond by email at [email protected].
This will be a nice opportunity to visit with your fellow sisterhood members and to make
plans for sisterhood activities in the coming year, as well as to review our
accomplishments of the past year.
!
I wish you and your families a very happy Spring!
SINAI SYNAGOGUE DONATIONS
($10.00 DONATION SUGGESTED)
Rosalyn Anne Berman Memorial
Miriam & Manny Price Foundation
Ben Farber Memorial Youth Fund
Sinai Synagogue General Fund
Fund for the Future
FEAST-TAMID Education Fund
Jake and Rose Weingarten Chumash Fund
Sinai Art and Beautification Fund
!
Eleanor and Morris Wolff Chapel Fund
Satinover-Fagan-Friedland Fund
Brian S. Schuster Social Hall Memorial
Brett and Daniel Morse Memorial Fund
Joan & Sam New/Sam Katz Israel Fund
Tikkun Olam Fund
Sinai Landscaping Fund
Friedland Family Meditation Garden
!
!
! Memory:
In Loving
THE FOLLOWING DONATIONS WERE RECEIVED FOR THE FUNDS LISTED ABOVE:
ALL DONATIONS MUST BE PAID FOR IN ADVANCE
!
!
!
!
!
Jacob (Buddy) Raab
Mollie Greenberg Miller
Maxine Baim
Happy Birthday:
Melvin Sandock (96)
**************************
Bat Mitzvah
Tricia and Richard Evans cordially invite
you to join them when their daughter
!
!
Kennedy Lynn Evans
is called to the Torah as a Bat Mitzvah
Saturday May 6th 9:30 A.M.
Sinai Synagogue
1102 E. Lalle Avenue
!A Kiddush Luncheon will follow services
Kennedy Evans
May 1 - May 31, 2017
5 Iyar - 6 Sivan 5777
Please note that observance begins the evening before the date listed.
* Denotes a plaque located on the Memoriam Wall
Monday, 5/1 - Iyar 5
Benjamin Brown
*Bertha Kahal
*Fannie R. Katzenberg
*Faye Kolbur
*Rae Berman Rubinson
Tuesday, 5/2 - Iyar 6
*Harry Cohen
*Helen Katz
*Harry Lasky
Wednesday, 5/3 - Iyar 7
Joseph Berman
*Sarah Reck
*Morris L. Shapiro
*Ida Burke Zaretsky
Thursday, 5/4 - Iyar 8
*Yosef M. Berman
Edward Kaldor
*Simon Rosenstein
Friday, 5/5 - Iyar 9
*Fannie Brenner
*Shmuel Hershberg
*Yosef T. Tenofsky
Saturday, 5/6 - Iyar 10
Shorrie Bernstein
*Frank Cepl
*Pearl Salzman
Sunday, 5/7 - Iyar 11
*Ben Davis
Solomon Gaiba
*Harvey Roland
*Sarah Shimokovsky
*Max Tanner
Monday, 5/8 - Iyar 12
*Joseph Edelstein
*Edith Rifkin
*Frank Rubin
Tuesday, 5/9 – Iyar 13
*Jacob Mooren
Wednesday, 5/10 - Iyar 14
*Jeannette G. Baer
*Phillip Rosenfeld
Thursday, 5/11 - Iyar 15
*Helen Keleman
*Meyer Paskin
Harry Rubinstein
*Isadore Joel Wagner
*Anna Waxman
Friday, 5/12 - Iyar 16
*Nancy Joy Karlin
*Bertha Weisberger
Saturday, 5/13 - Iyar 17
Jacob Pomerantz
Sunday, 5/14 - Iyar 18
Martin Rutchik
*Yeshayahu Price
*Sarah Schatz
*Samuel Joseph Zonenberg
Monday, 5/15 - Iyar 19
*David Moss
*Lena Rubin
Pat Turbow
Wednesday, 5/17 - Iyar 21
*Max Cooper
*Aaron Katz
*Jennie Leah Kravitz
Thursday, 5/18 - Iyar 22
*Phillip Richman
*Abraham Simon
*Maurice Steinfeld
*Sophie Weinberg
Friday, 5/19 - Iyar 23
*Celia G. Berlow
Saturday, 5/20 - Iyar 24
*Leonard Pryweller
*Shlomo Tenofsky
Sunday, 5/21 - Iyar 25
Michael Bruell
Shirley Dreyer Howell
*Arthur Jack Pollock
Monday, 5/22 - Iyar 26
*Ignatz Hes
*Jackie Polis
Esther Rosenfeld
Tuesday, 5/23 - Iyar 27
*Isadore I. Gentner
Hyman Magid
*Irving Mooren
*Sarah R. Rosenstein
*Rochel Leah Shapiro
Wednesday, 5/24 - Iyar 28
*Frances Goldstein
*Philip Schiff
Thursday, 5/25 - Iyar 29
*Elsie Z. Hoffman
*Helen Landau
*Meyer (Mickey) Pure
Friday, 5/26 - Sivan 1
*Florence Karlin
*Zlata Shulberg
*Shirley Herskovitz Wein
Mary Ziman
Saturday, 5/27 - Sivan 2
*Samuel Brown
Sunday, 5/28 - Sivan 3
*Sam Berman
*Elizabeth L. Brusslan
*Jennie Lewis
Eli Neiman
*Oskar Waxman
*Robert Waxman
Monday, 5/29 - Sivan 4
*Mandel Donn
*Abraham Goldberg
Leah Lopata
*Samuel Valencia
*Jake Weingarten
Tuesday, 5/30 - Sivan 5
*Sophia Paskin
Helen Sylvia Resnickoff
*Fannie Waxman
*Jeanette Weisberger
Wednesday, 5/31 - Sivan 6
*Betty Finkelstein
*Bela Genet
Sinai Synagogue
1102 E. LaSalle Ave.
South Bend, IN 46617
574-234-8584
Return Service Requested
!
!
Non-Profit Organization
PAID
U.S. POSTAGE
South Bend, Indiana
Permit No. 129
Bulletin published monthly, Sept. - June
President:
Vice President:
Rec. Secretary:
Corr. Secretary:
Treasurer:
Financial Sec’ty:
Rabbi:
FEAST Director:
Bulletin Editor:
Sisterhood Pres.:
!!
!
!
!
!
!
Carey Gaudern
Ilene New
Laurie Martin
Bonnie Hoover
Sarah Nerenberg
Nate Cossman
Michael Friedland
Ossie Meisel
Nana Fromm
Ilana Kirsch
B’nai Mitzvot
Please join us as we celebrate
the B’nai Mitzvot of
our daughters
Andrea & Kasia Hochwald
when they are called to the Torah
Saturday, June 10th 9:30 a.m.
Sinai Synagogue
1102 E. LaSalle Avenue
Kiddush Luncheon follows services
Nuria Muniz & Bertrand Hochwald
Andrea & Kasia Hochwald