March 2013 Temple Newsletter

‫רצפךק קּצשמוקך צּקדדקמעקר‬
March, 2013
4300 North Chai (C) Street...McAllen, Texas 78504...956.686.9432...temple.mcallen@gmail.com...www.temple-emanuel.com
Happy Passover
MEMBER
Rabbi’s Message
“ Be Chol Dor Va Dor va dor, adam chaiav lirot et atzmo Kehilu U Yaatza mimitrazim”
“In Every Generation, we are supposed to see ourselves as we just left Egypt”
This month we will celebrate Pesach, Passover, the holiday that we celebrate how our ancestors escaped
Egypt and were free. Pesach is the time that we are supposed to teach our children and the world the value
of Freedom.
Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala to participate in the conversion process to
Judaism of twenty-five people. This group studied with a rabbi for a year and a half. A rabbi met with them
in a regular basis through Skype and traveled there a couple of times. We had Kabalat Shabbat with them,
Oneg Shabbat and Shabbat morning services. On Saturday afternoon we had class and they took a Judaic/
Hebrew test. In order to finalize this process each individual met with the Beith Din (a tribune of three
rabbis)on Saturday night, and then the men had Hatafat Dam (taken a drop of blood). On Sunday morning
we went to the Mikveh and finalized their process with a welcome ceremony to Judaism.
As you can imagine this took courage, perseverance, and conviction for each person. When I asked what is
the most meaningful Jewish holiday for them, one person told me Pesach, Passover. He said to me that
freedom in Central America was not so easy. For various political reasons in the past, people were not able
to express themselves and practice their religious values. It was very emotional for me and for my colleagues
learning how all of them became Jews and how they value what we sometimes in America take for granted.
They had a synagogue that was rented by generous Canadian donors, a sefer Torah and an Ark.
One of the interesting aspects of this experience was to learn how the existing Jewish Congregation in
Guatemala does not welcome them. For religious and socio-economical reasons, these new Jews are not
accepted. Fortunately, Pesach is the time to remember that when our ancestors left Egypt other people
escaped with them and were welcomed by the people of Israel to celebrate Freedom.
I hope that they will be welcomed and celebrate Pesach as every Jewish person does. This was a very
meaningful experience for me, because on a different level this Pesach I will have accomplished an
important milestone in my life. On Sunday, March 24 at 12:00pm at our Temple, I will take my oath of
allegiance as an American citizen. I would like to invite all of you to share with me this great moment in my
life. After almost 14 years in America, I am anxious to be an American citizen and enjoy all the privileges
and freedom that any citizen has. I dream to enjoy the value of the land of the free and the home of the
brave.” I do have dreams; one of them is that American people will never forget that their families were
immigrants to this land. That will help others as well as me to have the same dream, to be part of this great
nation, the United States of America.
B’vracha
Rabbi Claudio J. Kogan, MD, MBE, MEd
Page 2
Rabbi Kogan in Guatemala celebrating with
the
twenty-five
people
who
converted
to
Judaism.
Page 3
Stronger Together!
Sandy’s Sisterhood Vision...Faith, Friendship, Fun
The For Men Only Deli Lunch this year was a staggering success! We sold more tickets than ever, over 2,200! To
prepare all of the plates we boiled and peeled 628 eggs, pealed and boiled 880 pounds of potatoes for the potato
salad, baked 300 trays of brownies, served 280 pounds of turkey, 260 pounds of corned beef and 90 pounds of
salami. Not to mention the number of green onions that were cut, washed and dried for the cole slaw. Making this
annual event the success that it was took a lot of hard work. A big THANK YOU to all the ladies who came out
and helped. We are also fortunate that this year, like he has for the past several years, Hal Hoffman generously
donated all of the vegetables and potatoes used in the preparation for this fantastic event. Thank you, Hal! Thanks
to Gerson Galloso for making the trip Houston to bring us the delicious meat.
The committee chairs for the For Men Only Deli Lunch this year were Pat Blum and Mickie Rabinovich. As you
can see, they did a great job with help from their sub chairs: Debbie Kroman and Micki Rabinovich (ticket sales),
Elizabeth Schaiderman (brownies), Marianne Jelinek (kitchen service), Evelyn Tencer (hostesses), Nora London
and Lillian Kapilivsky (cole slaw), Claudia Silberman and Andrea Temkin (potato salad), Pat Blum and Patty Fallek
(take out), Stephanie Gurwitz ( meat rolling), Nina Raff and Pam Wurtzel ( set up), Jessica Galloso and Sandy
Tawil ( meat and bread).
To celebrate our accomplishment on the lunch, and a night out on town is always enjoyable, Sisterhood’s annual
ladies night out will be held on March 21, 2013 at Lansky and Brats. Please keep your eyes out for an email with
all the details. It is sure to be a deserved night of fun and relaxation.
This past weekend we celebrated 100 years of Women of Reform Judaism with a beautiful Shabbat service. It was
quite a night! Our sisterhood members lead the service, and the Hebrew School students brightened up the room
as they sang and danced to I Have a Feeling and the song, Limdu Heitev, written in celebration of the centennial.
At the oneg following the service a slide show was playing which included sisterhood pictures from the last 65
years. Thank you to the following ladies who made this wonderful event possible: Pat Blum, Debra Goetz,
Stephanie Gurwitz, Audrey Goldman, Lori Goldman, Stephanie Hawk, Nora London, Riśe Morris, and Nina Raff.
We also have a Community Passover Seder scheduled on the second night of Passover, March 26th. More
information on the seder to follow.
It’s never to early or to late to join and be a part of sisterhood!! Call me with thoughts and/or questions!
Sandy
Faith
‫כּשןאי‬
Friendship
‫כּרןקמגדיןפ‬
Fun
‫כּומ‬
Page 4
Super
Successful
FMO
photos courtesy of Stephanie Hawk
Page 5
Sisterhood Shabbat
Celebrating
WRJ’s Centennial
photos courtesy of Stephanie Hawk
Page 6
Stronger Together!
Women of Reform Judaism, an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, is the collective voice and presence of women in congregational
life. Stronger together, we enhance the quality and ideals of contemporary Jewish living to ensure the future of progressive Judaism in North
America, Israel and around the world.
www.wrj.org
wrjsouthwest.org Follow us on Facebook
Save the Date!
Sisterhood Bridal Luncheon for Dalia Galpern
Saturday, March 16th at 1:00 p.m.
McAllen Country Club
——————————————————————————————————————-
Annual Ladies Night Out
Thursday, March 21st
Lansky & Brats
———————————————————————————————————————-
Join us for our annual Passover Seder!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
6:00 PM
Social Hall
Reservations and information 696.9432
Faith
‫כּשןאי‬
Friendship
‫כּרןקמגדיןפ‬
Fun
‫כּומ‬
Page 7
Dear Congregational Members,
I just returned from the exhilarating NFTY Convention and Youth Engagement Conference where close to 900
teens and nearly 150 youth engagement professionals and lay leaders were living, experiencing and reimagining
Jewish life. I urge you to attend local NFTY events and get involved in the Reform Movement’s Campaign for
Youth Engagement so that generations to come will have the strong, vibrant Jewish lives we wish for them. Visit
the NFTY Convention Live page for highlights from the week and watch or read the Dvar Torah given by Rabbi
Jacobs and NFTY President Evan Traylor.
At the end of this month, we will gather around the Passover table once again to commemorate our exodus from
Egypt and celebrate our freedom. Below please find a number of resources to help you and your congregations
observe the holiday, including how to create a community seder, a social action guide, activities for families, and
more.
Wishing you and your families a very happy Passover,
Steve Sacks
URJ Chairman of the Board
SAVE THE DATE:
December 11-15, 2013 - San Diego, CA
Biennial is where Reform Jews gather to learn, pray, share ideas, dance and sing, hear from
inspiring guest speakers, reunite with old friends, make new connections, and make decisions about
the policies of the Reform Movement.
•
The Biennial and the Women of Reform Judaism Assembly will take place at the San Diego
Convention Center •
Discounted Biennial Room Blocks will be Available at: Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
and Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego •
Early Bird Registration will open early Summer 2013 •
This Biennial will also celebrate the Women of Reform Judaism’s Centennial Anniversary
Page 8
Our Mishpacha Matters
Mazel Tov to…
Tessa Galloso on becoming a Bat Mitzvah.
Sandy Tawil and Sisterhood for the beautiful Shabbat service celebrating WRJ’s Centennial.
Rise Morris and our children who sang so beautifully at our WRJ Centennial Shabbat.
Cora & Elias Woloski on the birth of their grandson, Ethan David Kaufman, son of Erika (Woloski) and
Dr. Yoav Kaufman.
Speedy Recovery to…
Morris Atlas
Samuel Mandelbaum
Rosa Mandelbaum Reba Sheinberg
Stan Sheinberg
Happy Passover
Pesach, known as Passover in English, commemorates the Exodus from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. As
the flowers begin to bloom again, Jews will sit down at the festive Pesach seder table with friends and family to
sing, pray and eat together. An important part of the observance of Passover is retelling the story of the Exodus
from Egypt, of the Israelites gaining their freedom. It’s easy in our hectic daily lives to take for granted all of the
freedoms we are so lucky to have.
The seder has a number of scriptural bases. Exodus 12:3-11 describes the meal of lamb, unleavened bread, and
bitter herbs which the Israelites ate just prior to the Exodus. In addition, three separate passages in Exodus
(12:26-7, 13:8, 13:14) and one in Deuteronomy (6:20-21) enunciate the duty of the parents to tell the story of the
Exodus to their children. The seder plate contains various symbolic foods referred to in the seder itself.
Enrich your family’s Pesach with URJ’s many resources, readings and activities that you will find at www.urj.org.
Even if your child is still too young to recite the Four Questions, there are many ideas to get them involved. And
be sure to join in the discussions about Pesach on the blog, RJ.org.
Page 9
Hebrew School
Purim Celebration!
photos courtesy of Heather Fallek
Page 10
photos courtesy of Heather Fallek
Page 11
Reform Movement Welcomes House Passage of Inclusive VAWA
Looks Forward to Swift Enactment
Weinstein: “Although it has taken far too long to reach this day, we commend both chambers in
Congress for passing a reauthorization bill that includes better training for law enforcement, victim
service providers and personnel; improved protections for women in tribal communities; stronger
LGBT-inclusive provisions; easier channels for immigrant victims of domestic abuse to escape their
spouse or partner; and stricter requirements regarding the handling of sexual violence and intimate
partner violence on college campuses.”
Washington, DC February 28, 2013 - In response to today’s bipartisan House of Representatives
passage of an inclusive Violence Against Women Act, Barbara Weinstein, Associate Director of the
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
There is no community immune to domestic violence; it occurs within the general community,
within university communities, within the LGBT community, within the Native American
community and within the Jewish community, among others. Overall, one in four American
women is predicted to be the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner over the
course of her lifetime. Efforts to prevent and address violence against women reflect the moral
obligation established in Leviticus (19:16) that we “not stand idly by” but instead actively commit
to ending injustices in our time.
In the decades since the initial enactment of the Violence Against Women Act, it has effectively
prevented, investigated and prosecuted violent crimes targeting women. Yet there is more to be
done. Although it has taken far too long to reach this day, we commend both chambers in
Congress for passing a reauthorization bill that includes better training for law enforcement, victim
service providers and personnel; improved protections for women in tribal communities; stronger
LGBT-inclusive provisions; easier channels for immigrant victims of domestic abuse to escape
their spouse or partner; and stricter requirements regarding the handling of sexual violence and
intimate partner violence on college campuses.
We look forward to President Obama signing this bill into law and to enhancing the well-being of
women in communities across the United States.
Page 12
Worship Together
Friday, March 1
7:30 p.m.
Erev Shabbat Service
Torah portion: Ki-Tissa (Exodus 30:11 – 34:35)
Saturday, March 2
9:30 a.m.
Torah Study
10:30 Bat Mitzvah of Tessa Galloso
daughter of Jessica and Gerson Galloso
Friday, March 8
7:30 p.m.
Erev Shabbat Service
Torah portion:
Vaikahel-Pekudei (Exodus 35:1 – 40:38)
Saturday, March 9
9:30 a.m.
Torah Study
10:30 a.m. Morning Shabbat services
Friday, March 15
7:30 p.m.
Erev Shabbat Service
Torah portion:
Va-Yikrah (Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26)
Saturday, March 16
9:30 a.m.
Torah Study
10:30 a.m. Morning Shabbat services
Friday, March 22
WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF
BISHOP DANIEL FLORES
7:30 p.m.
Erev Shabbat Service
Torah portion:
Tzav (Exodus 6:1 – 8:36)
Saturday, March 23
9:30 a.m.
Torah Study
10:30 a.m. Morning Shabbat services
TUESDAY, MARCH 26 CONGREGATION PASSOVER SEDER
Friday, March 29
7:30 p.m.
Erev Shabbat Service
Torah portion:
Shabbat Chol Hamohed Pesach
Thank you to our
February Oneg Hostess
Paulette Bishop
Rose Dutremaine
Bertha Rivas
Tamar Saenz
Vicky Fiszman
Silvia Tauber
Beth Brown
Maria Ilse Garcia
Thank you to
Isabel Mercado
for the challah for Torah portion
Tetzaveh Exodus 28/15:17
"You shall make a Breastplate of
Judgment . . . You shall fill it with
stone mounting, four rows of
stone . . ."
Saturday, March 30
9:30 a.m.
Torah Study
10:30 a.m. Morning Shabbat services
March Oneg Hostesses
March 1
Galloso Bat Mitzvah
WRJ 100th Celebration
March 8
Maurie Haas
Irene Kaplan
March 15
Sylvia Chacra
Sandra Galpern
March 22
Sonia Rivas
Yvonne Vacca
March 29
Juana Lopez
Jenny Trejo
Page 13
We appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who remember and honor
their friends and loved ones through their generous contributions.
Memorial Fund
In Memory of
Genia Czastkowski
Donated by
Charlene Hertz
Cecilia Shapiro
George Shapiro
Sloan Monument
Hena Woloski
Cecilia Shapiro
Norma & Isaac Rabinovich
Jack Schwartz
David Woloski
Frida Eibister
General Fund
In Memory of
Genia Czastkowski
Donated by
Hena Woloski
Capital Campaign
In Memory of
Maurice Kroman
Donated by
Debbie & Lawrence Kroman
Building Fund
In Memory of
Jack Schwartz
Donated by
Anna Schwartz
Alex Sidelnik Music Fund
In Memory of
Mary Levine Westerman
Max Willner
Bluma Atlas
Donated by
David Westerman
Rita & Morris Atlas
Rita & Morris Atlas
Speedy Recovery to
John Rose
Patty Fallek
Donated by
Charlene Hertz
Charlene Hertz
In Honor of
Shirley & Ben Tepper’s 65th Anniversary
Donated by
Cecilia Shapiro
George Shapiro
Cecilia Shapiro
George Shaprio
Cecilia Shapiro
Elaine & Kenny Fox’s 60th Anniversary
Hena Woloski
Prayer Book Fund
In Honor of
Shirley & Ben Tepper’s 65th Anniversary
Donated by
Charlene Hertz
Thank you Rabbi Kogan and Temple friends for your prayers,
words of support and contributions during my son’s hospitalization.
A donation has been made to the General Fund.
Adalia Ascencio
Page 14
WHAT IS PLANNED GIVING?
The term “planned giving” refers to charitable gifts that can provide valuable tax benefits and/or income for life to the
donor as well as benefit our Temple now or in the future.
Potential benefits of planned gifts:
►Increase current income for you or others
►Reduce income tax bracket
►Avoid capital gains tax
►Pass assets to family at a reduced tax cost
►Make significant donations to your temple.
With the assistance of your financial advisor, you can create a planned gift to meet your charitable and financial goals.
Planned gifts include bequests, trusts, and contracts between a donor and a temple and or not-for-profit institutions.
Whether you use cash or other assets, such as securities, real estate, artwork, or partnership interests, the benefits of funding
a planned gift can make this type of charitable giving very attractive to both the donor and your temple.
L’Dor v’ Dor
From Generation to Generation
The giving spirit of our Temple Family continues this tradition.
Please find enclosed a donation to the __________________________________________ Fund, given
in honor/memory/appreciation/ speedy recovery of ________________________________________
Please send acknowledgement to:
Name_________________________________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________________________
Donor Information:
Name_________________________________________________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________________________
Funds:
Alex Sidelnik Music
Capital Campaign
Memorial
General
Library
Building
Kiddush
Art
Education
Mitzvah Service
Prayer Book
Make checks payable to Temple Emanuel and mail to:
4300 North Chai (C) Street
McAllen Texas 78504
Attn: Donations
Please note that any contribution submitted without a designated fund will be placed in the General Fund.
Page 15
Yahrzeit List
Yahrzeit Prayer
As Jews have lit Yahrzeit candles through
the generations, as a community, we
light this candle in memory of those
who are gone, and in empathy with
those who suffer their loss.
We light it, too, for those who died with
no one to say Kaddish for them.
Whether they perished in the Holocaust,
or in a camp in a war-torn land, or alone
and homeless on the streets.
At this sacred moment, as we recall with
affection those whom death has taken,
we thank You for the example of their
lives, for their sweet companionship, for
our treasured memories and the inspiration they leave behind.
Covenant of The Soul
March 1
Irene Gindler
Adela Roitberg
Regina Greenberg
Joseph Hananel
Szama Holand
David Miller
March 8
Ben Klein
Pedro Padilla
Thomas Tencer
Irving Shapiro
March 15
Louis Meyerowitz
Rose Lerman
Herbert Berger
Gary M. Franklin
March 22
Jerry Fair
Anita Mandelbaum
Clara Levine
Nina Bitton
Luisa Perez
March 29
Isaac Mochan
Robert W. Schlesinger
Celina Tauber
Jose Carlos Ascencio
Page 16
Traditions Gift Shop
Jewish life is lived both in the synagogue
and in the home. Traditions Gift Shop is a
volunteer project of our Sisterhood. It
offers Judaica rich in tradition to help you
in celebration and in practice. Proceeds
from sales go to fund charitable and other
projects of Sisterhood. "Please consider
volunteering your time in the Gift Shop."
Volunteers needed on Fridays, 7-7:30 p.m.
and Wednesdays, 4-6 p.m.
Have an upcoming event?
Temple Office Hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 am - 1:00 pm; 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Eddie Garza’s Hours
Monday and Thursday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Tuesday off
Wednesday 9:00 am - 6:30 pm
Friday 1:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Saturday 8:00 am - 2:30 pm
Office Phone: 956.686.9432; Fax: 956.686.4872
Email: temple.emanuel@gmail.com
www.temple-emanuel.com
To schedule an event at the Temple,
contact Nora London.
Temple Emanuel Messenger
Published monthly by
Temple Emanuel
McAllen, Texas
Editor: Pat Blum
Deadlines are the 20th of each month. Please leave a CD
with a hard copy of your article in the Temple office, or e
-mail it to eventbypat@aol.com. Temple Emanuel, 4300
North Chai (C) Street, McAllen, Texas 78504.
Page 17