1312 December 13 Scroll vWEB

Transcription

Scroll
Congregation Beth El
December 2013 • Kislev–Tevet 5774
Vol. 63 No. 4
From the Clergy
Theme
Proud of our
Hagel-Feinberg
Dialogue • 5
By Rabbi Bill Rudolph
Jewish Genealogy •
1, 12-18
Evening Minyan • 5
Mitzvah Day • 6-7
Youth • 8
Library Corner • 9
Hanukkah Wish List • 10
Beth El Whys • 11
Ometz Lev 4U • 19
Lighten Up • 20
Departments
Sisterhood • 3
Men’s Club • 4
Contributions • 21
Bulletin Board • 24
Jewish Roots
Genealogy was not a popular discussion
item when my extended family gathered
every Sunday afternoon at my grandparents’ home in West Philadelphia. Yes, every Sunday. My grandparents came from
Russia and Poland, quite standard origins,
I was assured. My father said privately
that my uncle wasn’t really a kohen even
if he said he was. That was about it for
our genealogy.
When I grew up and got heavily into
the Jewish endeavor, I felt that I had been
cheated. Other people had charts and
family trees, and I had what you just read.
I hope your family was better at this. It’s
never too late to get started. As you will
learn from reading this issue of the Scroll,
it is good to know your roots, and some
fascinating discoveries may lie ahead for
you when you learn about them.
One of the relatively few positive
findings in the Pew survey of Jews in the
U.S. was the almost universal pride that
we take in being Jewish. Since it is mostly
not the kind of pride that comes from
a shared sense of belief or practice, researchers think it derives from our ties to
our ancestors, both those of our kin and
those of our collective kin who kept our
people going to this day.
Having links that go so far back, whether we know our own family details or not,
gives us a sense of grounding that few of
our neighbors can share.That is good, but I
am a rabbi, so I would like our Jewishness
to be informed by more than memories
and ancestors. As we used to say in my Hillel days, may a deep and meaningful Jewish
life be not just part of our background but
be our playground as well. n
Gala: Forbidden Broadway
The Scroll is a recipient
of three Solomon Schechter Gold Awards from
the United Synagogue of
Conservative Judaism.
Gala co-chairs Karen and Rob Judson, Monica and Gavin Abrams, and Kathy Sklar and
Paul Love, with Rabbi Harris and Hazzan Klein. The evening, featuring Broadway satire
and New York desserts, raised $100,000. Photo by Mitchell Solkowitz
Scroll
8215 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814-1451
Phone 301-652-2606 Fax 301-907-8559
Webwww.bethelmc.org
Affiliated with United Synagogue
of Conservative Judaism
Senior Rabbi
William D. Rudolph wrudolph@bethelmc.org
Rabbi
Gregory Harris gharris@bethelmc.org
Hazzan
Matthew Klein mklein@bethelmc.org
Executive Director
Sheila H. Bellack sbellack@bethelmc.org
Education Director
Rabbi Mark Levine mlevine@bethelmc.org
Associate Education Director
Elisha Frumkin efrumkin@bethelmc.org
Director of Community Engagement
Geryl Baer gbaer@bethelmc.org
Preschool Director
Kim Lausin klausin@bethelmc.org
Youth Director
Adam Zeren azeren@bethelmc.org
Rabbi Emeritus
Samuel Scolnic, z”l
Hazzan Emeritus
Abraham Lubin alubin@bethelmc.org
President
David Mills
Executive Vice President
Jerry Sorkin
Administrative Vice President
Larisa Avner Trainor
Communications and Tikkun Olam
Vice President
Larry Sidman
Community Building Vice President
Ivy Fields
Development and Finance Vice President
Mark C. Bronfman
Education and Lifelong Learning
Vice President
Amy Kaufman Goott
Worship and Spirituality Vice President
Rebecca Musher Gross
Treasurer
Joseph B. Hoffman
Secretary
Sharon D. Zissman
Scroll Committee
scroll@bethelmc.com
Janet Meyers, Chair, Sharon Apfel, Judy
Futterman, Mara Greengrass, Davida Kales,
Marci Kanstoroom, Helen Popper, Marsha Rehns,
Larry Sidman, and Jerry Sorkin
4U editor: Jennifer Katz
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.
2
Before the End of the
Year
Beth El is a vibrant community that provides a dynamic Jewish
environment. As the calendar year winds down, please consider an
end-of-the-year gift that will assure our agility and viability to be
the Jewish address you have come to expect.
Make a Gift for a Low Dollar Value
With the stock market at record highs, we have an extraordinary opportunity of which to take full advantage. A gift of appreciated securities enables you to maximize your contribution to Beth El, maximize your charitable deduction, and minimize your capital gains tax
liability. Transferring stock to Beth El is an easy procedure. Contact
Andrea Glazer at aglazer@bethelmc.org for instructions.
Opportunity for Donors Age 70½ or Older
If you are 70½ or older, renewed legislation benefits you.You may
make gifts to Beth El using funds in your individual retirement funds
(IRAs) without incurring the undesirable tax effects traditionally associated with lifetime donations from qualified retirement accounts.
Your donations can be accomplished simply.You may contribute
funds this way if you are age 70½ or older and the gifts total no more
than $100,000, you make the gifts on or before December 31, 2013,
and you transfer the funds directly from an IRA to Beth El.
Contact your IRA custodian to transfer your desired gift to Beth
El. We encourage you to consult with tax professionals to address
specific situations. For more information, contact Andrea Glazer at
aglazer@bethelmc.org.
Create a Jewish Legacy
Jewish tradition teaches us that it is our responsibility to make this world
a better place for future generations.To learn why you might make a
legacy gift to Beth El as part of your estate planning and how you can
create a legacy gift, contact Andrea Glazer at aglazer@bethelmc.org. n
IRS Charitable Contribution Rules
The 1993 tax law requires you to have a “contemporaneous”
receipt for all charitable contributions of $250 or more after
December 31, 1993. If you make a contribution of $75 or more
for which you also receive something of value in return, you
are also required to have a receipt showing the non-deductible
value of what you received.
In order to reduce your paperwork and ours, Beth El takes
advantage of the provision of the law that allows the use of an
annual statement, which will satisfy your “contemporaneous”
receipt requirement. In order to ensure that all payments
made by you during 2013 are reflected on your
statement, the statement will include all checks dated no
later than December 31, 2013, and received in the Beth
El office through January 6, 2014. Gifts of stock must
be received in Beth El’s stock account by December 31.
Contribution statements will be mailed before the end
of January 2014.
Sisterhood
Getting Olda Like
Golda
By Robin Jacobson
When I learned that I would be this
year’s Golda Meir Award recipient,
my feelings bounced from surprise
to gratitude to panic to humorous
nostalgia. A long time ago, when my
brother, Bruce, was in elementary
school, he wrote an unintentionally hilarious report on Golda Meir,
which became part of family lore.
As our mother read his draft, she smiled through Chapter 1,
titled, “The Young Golda.” Moving forward, she chortled and
then convulsed with laughter on reaching Chapter 2: “Golda
Gets Olda.” Now I am “olda” and receiving a “Golda” award
– what a nice footnote to a family story.
My family – husband Jim, daughters Minna and Sylvia –
joined Beth El 11 years ago. We marked the girls’ bnot mitzvah here. Sylvia went on to become a bar/bat mitzvah tutor
and to sing in Marak Hayom. Meanwhile, I slowly became
involved in the Beth El community.
Booklover
An inveterate booklover, I gravitated to the Library Committee, chairing first the Library Dedication Committee and
then the Library Committee itself. To my mind, this is the
best job in all of Beth El, mostly because of the more-thanwonderful committee members who run the library, organize book sales, and plan book-related programs, such as the
annual Literary Luminary event. Evelyn Margolis deserves a
particular salute for serving the library and Beth El readers
since 1969.
One of the library’s most formidable challenges was creating an electronic catalog (now accessible through the Beth
El Web site) that lists and describes each of the nearly 5,000
items in our collection. To make the library inviting and comfortable, we added a sofa, chairs, and artwork. For me personally, a daunting but rewarding undertaking has been writing
a monthly book review for the Scroll. This issue includes my
71st column, “Remembering and Forgetting” (see page 9).
When the Library Committee discussed sponsoring a
book club, Margery London proposed that we seek Sisterhood sponsorship as well. Before we knew it, Margie and
I were Sisterhood Co-Vice Presidents for Education. We
planned a number of programs and field trips, and the book
club has developed into a fun group of both men and women. Not usually competitive, I was part of the first Sisterhood Chidon Torah team.
Upcoming Sisterhood/Zhava Events
Monday, December 2, 9:30 am Zhava Crafting
Tuesdays, December 3, 10, 17, 6:30 pm Mah Jongg
Thursday, December 5, 6:30 pm Tallit Workshop
7:30 pm Kesher Nashim
Sunday, December 8, 9:30 am Executive Board meeting
Thursday, December 12, 19, 7:00 pm Tallit Workshop
Sunday, December 15 Provide dinner at Community
Based Shelter
Thursday, December 19, 7:30 pm Zhava Crafting
Other stops along the way of my Beth El journey were a
foray into comedy – representing the great cause of hamantaschen in the Latke-Hamantasch Debate – and into more
sacred pursuits – studying Torah, Tanakh, and trope with our
exceptional clergy, all inspiring teachers and role models. I
served on Rabbi Rudolph’s committee for the annual InterReligious Learning Institute. Then, this past year, I ventured
into shul government, joining Beth El’s Board of Directors
and gaining a new perspective on the shul’s aspirations. I
recommend the experience.
I have Beth El to thank for some cherished friendships –
and also for my job! I was a lawyer between positions when
Ricardo Munster tipped me off that Adas Israel’s library
director was leaving. Mistakenly, I jumped to the conclusion that Adas was closing its vast library. Trying hard not to
seem like a vulture, eager to pick over a dead library, I called
Adas to ask whether Beth El might acquire some books.
To shorten a long story, the Adas library proudly continues
to expand its collection and programs with me at its helm.
This fall I also became a judge for the National Jewish Book
Awards.
The Golda Meir Award says more about Beth El – and its
culture of thanking volunteers – than about me. I have been
lucky in that my interests have coincided with some congregational needs. And so, I see this award as something to
aspire to rather than something I have already earned. I will
try to be worthy of it. n
Zhava Crafting
Monday, December 2, 9:30-11:30 am
and
Thursday, December 19, 7:30-9:00 pm
Bring your needles, yarn, or thread and
join us for shmoozing and crafting in
the Zahler Social Hall.
For questions or to RSVP,
contact Heather Janssen at
info@bethelmc.org.
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Men’s Club
Polarized U.S.
Congress
By Howard Feibus
Gerrymandering is a major cause of
polarization in U.S. politics, said Todd
Gillman,Washington bureau chief
for The Dallas Morning News, in a recent talk he gave to the Men’s Club.
Speaking October 27 about the
causes and impacts of the “dysfunctional” U. S. Congress,Todd said that many people would like
to see a third political party, because they have become disenchanted with both Republicans and Democrats. The Tea Party,
however, will not be that third party.Todd noted that despite
the Tea Party’s recent spike in popularity, it is now losing favor.
Discussing the source of the contentiousness in the U. S.
Congress, Todd concluded that a major cause of the polarization is due to gerrymandering, which has led to fewer swing
states (states that shift from Republican to Democratic and
vice versa) in recent years. Previously, he explained, the major
parties had more incentive to compromise in order for incumbents to be re-elected. Those compromises have become
less prevalent, Todd said. Gerrymandering in a number of
states, he said, has enabled politicians in some districts to get
re-elected while promoting extreme positions. The make-up
of the current Congress very likely contributed to the recent
government shutdown, Todd said, predicting that a polarized
Congress will continue. n
Upcoming Men’s Club Events
Sunday, December 1, 10:00 am Jon and Eileen Kay will
discuss their recent visit to Israel.
Thursday, December 5, 8:30 pm David Margulies will lead
the Hearing Men’s Voices discussion group on the topic,
“Prayer:What is it, how do we do it, and does it work?”
Sunday, December 8, 10:00 am Bill Dauster, deputy chief
of staff for policy for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid, will discuss what we have learned from the recent
government shutdown.
Poker Faces Men’s Club members enjoyed a poker
tournament on October 27. Photo by Mitchell Solkowitz
MAH JONGG CARDS
Sisterhood is
taking orders
for the new 2014
Mah Jongg
cards
_______ Standard Card @ $8.00 $_______
_______ Large Print @ $9.00 $_______
Checks must be received by February 2
Name _________________________________________
Address ________________________________________
_____________________________________________
The Men’s Club It’s Academic Team, consisting of
Mitchell Solkowitz, Joe Young, and David Margulies (left to right), competed in the first round of
the Seaboard Region tournament. Although the
team did not win, the men represented Beth El well,
answering questions of both Jewish and general
content. The tournament was held October 13 at
Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria.
Photo by Howie Stein
4
City____________________ State_______Zip _________
Email address___________________________________
Please make checks payable to Beth El Sisterhood
Mail to 8215 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814
Attn: Mah Jongg
The Third Annual Sisterhood
Mah Jongg Tournament
will take place on February 9.
Conversations With Key American Leaders Continue
“Defending America in a Fractured World”
Chuck Hagel (left),
United States Secretary of Defense
in dialogue with
Kenneth R. Feinberg, Esq.
Monday, December 16, 7:30 pm
Evening Minyan Needs Your Support
By Geryl Baer and Ivy Fields
Beth El’s Evening Minyan is held in the Swoff Chapel
every Sunday through Thursday at 8:00 pm (8:20 pm on
Wednesdays when the Samuel Scolnic Institute meets).
This volunteer-led service provides a community for
individuals saying Kaddish – many of whom attend the
service daily during the 11 months of mourning following
the death of a parent – and for congregants observing a
yahrzeit. In addition, many Beth El members find that
this intimate service provides an opportunity for spiritual
enrichment or to build relationships with other congregants.
Many evenings, however, find regular Evening Minyan
attendees and those saying Kaddish anxiously watching the
synagogue entrance hall and wondering if they will reach
the 10 adult attendees required for a minyan. As a result, the
Center for Community Building, which we chair, along
with the Center for Worship and Spirituality, chaired by
Rebecca Musher Gross, are making it a priority to increase
attendance at the Evening Minyan.
Ensuring a Minyan
Beth El members have always been asked (in alphabetical
rotation) to attend at least one Evening Minyan a year.
Reminders noting specific assignments are sent via email to
the group of congregants assigned to a particular week. The
email noting the assigned date links to a site that allows each
member to sign up for a specific night.
When you receive your notice, whether or not you
can fulfill your specific assignment or need to fulfill your
assignment on a different evening, please use this link
(http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040448A9AE23A46evening) to select the night(s) you will be able commit
to attend the Evening Minyan.You may also sign up for
multiple evenings throughout the year. The information
is also available on the Beth El home page. If all adult
congregants would fulfill their responsibility in this regard,
we could ensure a well-attended Evening Minyan for
those needing to say Kaddish as well as for others seeking a
moment of spirituality and comfort.
There also is a vibrant Morning Minyan that all are
encouraged to attend. Services are held at 7:30 am Monday
through Friday and at 9:00 am every Sunday. Morning
Minyan is followed by a free breakfast (with a special French
toast breakfast on Thursdays). Torah is read Monday and
Thursday mornings. There is no formal sign-up procedure
for Morning Minyan.
For more information on either service, contact Rabbi
Rudolph at wrudolph@bethelmc.org. n
Minyan Time Change
Please note that Evening Minyan on Wednesday, December
25, and Tuesday, December 31, will be at 5:30 pm.
5
Blood Donation
Bikes for the World
Mitzvah Day Co-chairs Sheryl
Miller
and Jon Polon
Electronic Recycling
Clothing Donation
Painting Platters with JFGH Residents
Gleaning
6
Cooking Meals
Mitzvah Day
2013
Beth El’s Mitzvah Day offered a special opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of
tikkun olam, repairing the world, by heeding the Torah’s command to care
for the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the suffering. This year, on Sunday,
October 27, more than 500 congregants of all ages helped to enrich the
lives of those less fortunate in our local community, in Israel, and around the
world. Among the highlights were:
• 50 Jewish residents enjoyed a concert by Marak Hayom at the Revitz House.
• 60 congregants created 80 tactile mural tiles that will be sent to Keren Or, a
school in Israel for children with disabilities.
• 36 volunteers and Jewish Foundation for Group Homes residents painted 15
Hanukkah platters that will be donated to low-income families through the
Jewish Social Service Agency.
• 45 preschool families packed 350 pounds of food for children at Weller Road
Elementary School.
• 19 volunteers cleaned up and raked the grounds of Flora M. Singer
Elementary School, named in memory of the Holocaust survivor and Beth
El member.
• 50 congregants donated 47 pints of blood through INOVA’s mobile unit.
• 255 bags of clothes were sorted by 42 volunteers and donated to the
Interfaith Clothing Center. 900 articles of professional clothing were
collected for Strive DC.
• Julie Mack and Andy Zatman held a jazz concert for 65 residents and their
families at Ring House. 17 Beth El members attended.
• 34 people harvested about 3,000 pounds of collard greens to be distributed to
low-income families through the Mid-Atlantic Gleaning Network.
• 300 meals and 400 servings of baked goods were prepared and delivered to
Rachael’s Women’s Center and Shepherd’s Table.
• 75 bicycles, four sewing machines, bike equipment, and $540 were donated to
Bikes for the World.
• 2,652 pounds of electronics were donated to Creative Recycling.
• 65 gift bags were made for sick children at the Bone Marrow Transplant
Center at Children’s National Medical Center.
• 50 people donated household items, chairs, baby equipment, cleaning supplies,
toiletries, blankets, sheets, and mattresses to A Wider Circle.
• 50 volunteers assembled and donated 775 snack bags to the Capital Area
Food Bank’s after-school Kids Cafe. • 10 people bowled with four people with autism from Community Support
Services.
• The Beth El Band performed for 45 residents at the Hebrew Home of
Greater Washington.
• 100 walkers (mostly fourth-grade students and their families) raised $2,000
for Shepherd’s Table.
• 20 seventh graders raked leaves at senior citizens’ homes.
• Four seniors joined about 25 fifth graders in making cards for Israeli soldiers.
• 31 Bonim members decorated shirts for homeless children.
• 26 Machar volunteers made stuffed animals for The Children’s Inn at NIH.
• 13 Kadima youth weeded, planted, and cleaned up seniors’ yards.
• 12 people removed invasive weeds at Hillmead Park.
• Volunteers met with 9 low income seniors at a subsidized apartment building
in Washington to provide legal assistance.
Photos by David Friedlander, Mitchell Solkowitz,Walid Hammound, and Avianda Riana Putri
Murals for Keren Or
Raking Leaves
w Screening
Bone Marro
Assembling Snack Bags
7
Marak Hayom at Revitz House
Youth Activities
Jewish Summer Camps
By Adam Zeren
The weather is chilly, the trees are bare, but our thoughts
child. Jewish camp weaves Jewish values, culture, and tradishould be on summer camp. This is the time to get your
tions into the fabric of camp, helping campers to connect
child registered for camp. Surveys
to their own identity and the larger
consistently show that Jewish camps
Jewish community. Spirited and dyare one of the top reasons kids love
namic staff members use experiential
Judaism. It shows them how enjoylearning to reveal what makes Jewable living Jewishly can be.
ish religion and culture so unique in
We have a very large number
today’s world. At camp, Jewish and
of Beth El youth who attend JewIsraeli culture is celebrated through
ish camps. We are the largest feeder
song, food, art, and dance.”
synagogue to both Capital Camps
The report continues to underand Camp Ramah. We send dozens
score the importance of summer
of kids to Camp JCC. You’ll also
camp: “The impact of Jewish camp
find Beth El kids at Camps Airy and
is immediate – campers return home
Louise, B’nai Brith Perlman, Camp
connected to a community and
Enjoying Camp Ramah
Young Judaea Sprout Lake, and others.
friends that will last them a lifetime.
A report from the Foundation of Jewish Camps notes
And it doesn’t stop there. Children with pivotal Jewish camp
continued on page 11
that “camp is a transformative experience in the life of a
Chinese Food and
a Movie
By Geryl Baer
On December 24 (“Erev Xmas”) please attend the second
annual Chinese Food and a Movie program. Beginning in
the late afternoon into the evening, we will show a variety of
movies and television shows and enjoy a kosher Chinese dinner catered by David Chu’s restaurant in Baltimore.
Last year 200 people attended. This year, there will again
be movie selections to satisfy all ages. New this year, participants will be able to choose some offerings. In the movie
schedule below, some slots are listed as “Voter’s Choice.”
Please go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/9L3WW6J
to view the selection and cast your vote.
4:30 pm:
Young children: Winnie the Pooh
Children: Monsters University
Adult: The Other Son (Israeli film)
Adult:VOTER’S CHOICE
6:00-7:00 pm: Dinner
7:15 pm:
Children: Mega Mind
Teens:VOTER’S CHOICE
Adult: Matchmaker (Israeli film)
Adult: 42: The True Story of an American Legend
Note: Movie selections are subject to change.
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Second Annual
Chinese Food and a Movie
Spend “Erev Xmas” at Beth El
Tuesday, December 24
Movies will begin at 4:30 pm.
Dinner will be served between 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm.
Movie screenings will resume at 7:30 pm.
$15 per person
$10 for children (ages 6 – 10)
$5 for children (ages 2-5)
$50 maximum per family
RSVP by Tuesday morning, December 17, to Geryl Baer
at gbaer@bethelmc.org or 301-652-8569, ext. 352.
Please tell us your children’s ages.
Library Corner
Remembering and Forgetting
By Robin Jacobson
Only 36 years old, author Dara
Horn is dazzlingly accomplished.
In 2002, at age 25, she published
her first novel to rave reviews.
Since then, she has written three
more novels and many articles,
won two National Jewish Book
awards, been named one of the
Best of Young American Novelists
by the prestigious British literary
journal, Granta, earned a Harvard
Ph.D. in comparative literature
(Hebrew and Yiddish), taught at
several universities, and begun to raise
a family of four lively children.
Dara Horn’s latest book, A Guide for the Perplexed:
A Novel, reads like a fast-paced suspense thriller yet is
infused with unusual insights on a host of weighty subjects,
including sibling rivalry, forgiveness, free will, and, perhaps
most interesting of all, remembering (and sometimes
deliberately forgetting) the past.
A Contemporary Thriller
Horn’s ambitious novel weaves together several stories
united by common themes. In the primary story, a
brilliant and beautiful American software innovator, Josie
Ashkenazi, invents a cutting-edge, wildly successful software
platform called Genizah. Every moment of a user’s day is
automatically recorded in Genizah, which catalogs images,
conversations, e-communications, and other material within
a personal archive. No experience, no matter how trivial,
is ever lost. For instance, when Josie’s small daughter, Tali,
cannot find her shoes, Josie whips out her tablet, searches for
“shoes,” and retrieves an image of Tali slipping off her shoes
in the car the previous day. Presto! Shoes found.
Designed as a contemporary retelling of the biblical
Joseph story, the Josie story features a jealous older sister,
rather than brothers. Judith, a lowly employee in her sister
Josie’s booming technology company, plays on Josie’s vanity
to get her to accept a prestige-boosting invitation to consult
in Egypt. There, in the post-Arab Spring turmoil, Josie is
kidnapped. In her prison cell, Josie reads a battered copy of
the famous philosophical work, Guide for the Perplexed (a title
Horn borrows for her novel) by 12th-century Jewish scholar
Moses Maimonides. Intrigued, Josie ponders what it means
to have free will.
A Historical Novel
Two historical stories set in Old Cairo weave in between the
chapters about Josie. One involves Cambridge University
professor Solomon Schechter. In 1897, Schechter rescued
a vast trove of medieval Jewish manuscript fragments from
an ancient Cairo synagogue storage room, a genizah (from
which Josie’s invention takes its name). One spectacular find
was a letter from Maimonides, poignantly expressing his
grief over the death of his beloved brother, who drowned in
a shipwreck.
The second interwoven historical story features
philosopher-physician Maimonides himself. In Horn’s reimagining, it is Maimonides who commissions his brother
to embark on his final, fatal voyage in order to obtain a rare
therapeutic plant. Maimonides hoped to use the plant to
successfully treat a hard-to-impress royal patient suffering
from asthma.
Judaism and Memory
Remembering the past is a call that resonates in Judaism. As
famously noted by the eminent historian, Yosef Yerushalmi,
z”l, the Hebrew command, Zakhor (remember) appears in
various forms 169 times in the Bible. But that command,
suggests Horn, was never a charge to remember every
episode in the Jewish people’s long history but instead, to
selectively remember certain key events – slavery in Egypt,
the Exodus, the giving of the Torah, and so forth – events
that, taken together, form a powerful narrative about the
Jewish experience, identity, and mission. In Horn’s view,
individuals also have the power to choose what is worth
remembering from their pasts – and to remember the past
more positively than it really was. To follow this interesting
idea further, read Dara Horn’s imaginative novel, available in
our library. n
Beth El Book Chat
Sunday, January 19, 11:30 am. Join
us to discuss Dara Horn’s novel, The
World to Come, a National Jewish
Book Award winner. All are welcome.
For more information, please contact
Margery London or Robin Jacobson
at robinainfo@bethelmc.org.
9
Hanukkah
Wish List
Hanukkah – the holiday of rededication
– calls upon all of us to rededicate ourselves
to strengthening and enriching our Jewish
community. Whether your priority is
supporting our families in raising educated and
committed Jewish children or bringing warmth
and vitality to our synagogue community, we
hope you will consider Congregation Beth
El as a cornerstone of your Jewish life and of
Jewish continuity. Please support Beth El’s
Hanukkah Wish List*:
Education
Children’s Services
Preschool Education
1. Junior Congregation
(5th and 6th grades, annual cost of leaders)
$4,000
2. Bit O’Megillah
$2,000
3. Shitufim (2nd-4th grades; annual cost)
$2,000
4. Shabbat babysitting (one month)
$1,000
1. Send a Preschool teacher to the NAEYC conference
(2013-14)
$1,000
Children’s Religious School Education
1. Religious School professional development
2. L2G Powered by ShalomLearning
$5,000
$3,000/class
3. Religious School enrichment program for one year
- conversational Hebrew $3,000
– Jewish/Israeli singing $2,700
5. Gan Shabbat (K-2nd grade; leaders for one month)
$400
6. Junior Congregation kiddush (one month)
$300
7. Nitzanim services (one month)
$250
Congregation, Continuity, and
Community Building
1. Printing of Fall Program Guide – 2014
$6,000
2. Annual Youth Department kick-off event – 2014
$5,000
3. Shir Atid (children’s choir)
$5,000
4. Israel Media Series (annually)
$3,500
5. Annual End-of-Year Congregational Picnic
$1,500
6. Age & Stage empty-nester programming $1,500
8. Religious School back-to-school parent brunch (2014) $500
7. New-member welcome baskets for one year
$1,200
9. Kindergarten Consecration brunch
8. Erev Xmas Chinese food and movie night
$1,000
– art
– Israeli dancing
7. Religious School Jewish holiday programs
$1,750
$750
$750 each
(Hanukkah, Purim, and Yom Ha’atzmaut)
$500
Adult and Community Education
9. Roundtable with the Rabbi for one year
1. Tikkun Layl Shavuot dinner and study sessions
$1,200
2. Sponsorship of Beth El’s Library online catalog
for one year
$1,000
Services for All of Us
1. Sukkot Deli Lunch – 2014
$1,800
2. Simchat Torah celebration – 2014 $750
3. Hamantaschen for Purim
$750
4. Latke-Hamantasch Debate refreshments
$500
5. Shabbat or Yom Tov kiddush
6. Groggers for Purim
10
$250 - $425
$250
10. Annual plantings in large flower pots
outside front doors (per season)
$900 (or $75 each)
$500
*The requested funds reflect costs of full sponsorship. Partial sponsorships and co-sponsorships are welcome. Unless indicated otherwise, all gifts are for the current 2013-14 fiscal year. Please support
the programs and activities you find most compelling.
To underwrite a Wish List item or for further information on
making a gift to Beth El, please contact Andrea Glazer at
aglazer@bethelmc.org or 301-652-8569, ext. 328.
Beth El Whys: Conservative Judaism
Why Can “Liberal” Jews Be “Conservative?”
By Hazzan Matthew Klein
Toward the beginning of Beth El’s history, I am told, the
sign outside the front of the synagogue read: “Beth El: A
Liberal-Conservative Congregation.” To a bystander, this
would seem somewhat of a paradox. But to us, it somehow
made sense.
Conservative Judaism (CJ)’s inclination toward being
both liberal and conservative dates back to the foundations
of its premiere institution, the Jewish Theological Seminary
(also my alma mater). The Seminary’s second chancellor,
Solomon Schechter, appointed professors of many different
persuasions, including traditionalists like Louis Ginzburg and
Saul Lieberman, and more liberal thinkers, the most influential of whom was Mordechai Kaplan. These two camps,
with a spectrum in between, continue to exist within the CJ
religious culture, and of course, at Beth El.
How can we be both of these things - liberal and conservative? To me, we can, and should, be both because they embody the important core values of compassion and creativity.
It is easy to dismiss something or someone we don’t
understand - a book of the Bible just as easily as a person
who does not share our views. We are quick to judge, and
as a result our world is rampant with misunderstanding and
violence.You have probably experienced this in your life.
Perhaps someone has written you off for your politics or for
a misheard comment. If they had listened more deeply, they
would have been able to see who you really are and find
more understanding and compassion.
Havdalah in Rhythm
December 7, 7:30-9:30 pm
Usher in the new week with music and
songs in this informal gathering with
Hazzan Matthew Klein, Aura Ahuvia,
and friends.
You can bring your own instruments
or just your voices.
We’ll bring snacks and songs.
What Conservative Judaism advocates, to me, is a deep
listening to the past. CJ advocates that we should study
deeply, and listen deeply, to what the Bible’s authors and the
rabbis were trying to tell us. Really, to what God is trying
to tell us. Following CJ’s tradition of a “positive” attitude to
historical Judaism, we are invited to listen before we judge
and to be conservative in our judgments until we have truly
studied, until we can truly approach our texts, like each
other, with understanding and compassion.
But at the same time, conservatism is not an excuse for
lockstep thinking. Jewish tradition holds that the more liberal rabbinical authority is often wiser than the stricter one.
Why? Because it is easy to put up fences around the law and
not easy to know the rules deeply enough to know what is
truly permitted and truly forbidden.
This deep knowledge and creativity, to my mind, is at the
heart of the Conservative approach to halakhah (Jewish law).
Read Conservative responsa (rabbinic law) and you will find
that they often contain far more footnotes than those of our
Orthodox and Reform counterparts. Good liberal rulings come
from a place not of ignorance, but of security and creativity.
Being both liberal and conservative, as many of us are, is a
position that I believe we can embrace. And as Conservative
Jews, we find that our values are rooted in the same things understanding and compassion. Only these can lead to a balanced life of honesty, which is what God would want for all
of us, conservative or liberal. Or hopefully - both. n
Youth continued from page 8
experiences are more likely to become adults who value
their Jewish heritage, support Jewish causes, and take on
leadership roles in their communities.”
On Sunday mornings during December, representatives
from a variety of Jewish camps will be at Beth El to promote and answer questions about their summer programs.
Please stop by their tables set up in the lobby and find the
right fit for your child. You will not regret it.
Youth Activities
Of course, we have plenty of activities coming up for your
children this month. Machar (third-fifth grades) will go ice
skating outdoors at the Rockville Town Center ice rink.
Bonim (K-second) will hold a scavenger hunt around the
synagogue. USY and Kadima will also have some incredibly
fun activities. Check your email for more information. n
11
Digging Up Unknown Jewish Roots
By Tiarra Joslyn
As a proud Jew by choice, the idea that I would even have
a Jewish genealogy seems more than a bit far-fetched. It
certainly did to me – at least, it did until about a month
before I sat with the beit din on the day of my conversion.
My parents divorced when I was an infant, and I
never knew my father. My mom and I lived with my
grandparents – my grandfather was of German-American
descent and my grandmother was Japanese. We didn’t live in
a religious household, although we celebrated holidays such
as Christmas and Easter in the most secular and commercial
ways possible when I was young. (Listen, I love chocolate;
who am I to judge if it’s in the shape of a bunny rabbit?) My
grandfather died a few weeks before my 14th birthday. Life
went on, but now it was just Mom, Grandma, and me.
Conversion
Several years after my grandfather died, when I was in my
20s, a long and complicated series of events led me to make
the decision to convert. Not for marriage, not for someone
else, but for myself.
For more than a year, I studied with peers in a conversion
class, where we learned both the basics and intricacies
of Jewish holidays, customs, and beliefs. My beit din was
scheduled about a month in advance: June 24, 2010. I was
excited; I was ready.
I told my mom the date and asked her to come with me.
“Do you remember Great-Aunt Lenora?” she asked, after
agreeing to attend. My grandfather’s aunt – his mother’s sister.
I nodded. “She was Jewish, you know,” my mother said.
What a bombshell! Lenora Rabenstein was Jewish? (In
hindsight, maybe the name should have given it away.)
Some digging around revealed that my great-grandmother,
her sister Lenora, and two other sisters were born to
the Geiselmans, a family that descended from Jews who
immigrated to the United States from Germany in the
late 1800s. The other three sisters married gentile men and
either converted to Christianity or simply stopped practicing
and upholding the Jewish traditions. Not Lenora.
I never met Great-Aunt Lenora (as I called her) in
person, but when I was young, we would write back and
forth like pen pals, and I have always remembered her fondly.
I’m proud to be related to a woman who – when her sisters
hid their Jewish roots during rising anti-Semitism in the
1930s – was a proud Jew. In a way, I feel a special connection
knowing that both Lenora and I chose Judaism – myself
through conversion, and Lenora through not assimilating or
becoming more secular the way her sisters did. I am grateful
to my mother for the revelation she shared with me about
Lenora, for bringing my decision to choose Judaism into a
new light, and for helping me to discover the Jewish roots I
never knew existed. n
Tracing the Ross Family Immigration
By Steve Ross
per and the Ross family, but this time using
After a nearly seven-year quest to uncover
names like Kooper, Kuper, or Kooperman.
when the Ross family immigrated to the
I spotted something on the ancestry.com
United States from Minsk, Russia (now BeWeb site about steamship ticket purchase
larus), I finally discovered an important link
ledgers from the Rosenbaum Bank in Philathat tied the old country with the new. A few
delphia. The bank helped Jews in America
years earlier, I had determined that my greatbuy tickets for relatives back in the old
great-grandfather, Isaac David Cooper, settled
country. The site’s index showed that an
in Wilmington, Del., around 1885. Isaac’s sonIsaac Kooper bought six steamship tickets on
in-law and daughter were my great-grandJune 21, 1891. At first glance, the passengers’
parents, Louis (Chaim Leib) Ross and Lena
last names had no correlation to Ross, and
(Leah) Cooper Ross. I had focused my search
under normal circumstances I would have
of genealogy records using conventional spellquickly moved on to other records. However,
ings for Cooper or Cooperman, while the
harder question centered on the derivation of Isaac David Cooper, Steve’s something told me to spend a little extra time
great-great-grandfather
studying the passengers’ first names. In parthe name Ross.
Buying Steamship Tickets
ticular, two names stood out – Chaim Leib and Leah. Using
I decided to try researching any connection with Isaac CooGoogle, I found that microfilm reels containing Rosenbaum
12
Jewish
Genealogy
Bruckheim Family History
By Arthur Bruckheim
My grandfather, David Bruckheim, was born to Hermann
and Sophia Bruckheim in the town of Uehlfeld, Germany,
in 1872. Uehlfeld is a very small town in northern Bavaria.
David was the second of 10 children, five of whom died
before the age of two. When my grandfather was eight, his
father died. Seven years later, when he was 15, his mother
passed away, and he and his siblings were orphans. My
grandfather emigrated to the U.S. alone when he was
18, leaving his older brother behind to care for the other
siblings. After a few years, he met my American-born
grandmother at a German social club in Brooklyn, and they
married and started a family. He became a salesman and a
manufacturer of ladies’ sweaters.
When Hitler came to power, my grandfather’s siblings
recognized the danger, and they also emigrated. Because
they were Zionists, they went to Palestine in 1930, where
my grandfather’s two remaining sisters married two brothers
and established large families. One of my cousins, Jochanan
Bein, was in Israel’s foreign ministry and was the Israeli
ambassador to the U.N. before Benjamin Netanyahu.
Genealogy for a Dutch Orphan
By Miriam Teitel
When I began my research, we knew little about my father’s
family beyond the following: my father was born in 1941 in
Amsterdam when it was already under Nazi occupation, his
father was arrested in 1942 and executed at Mauthausen, and
his mother died of tuberculosis shortly after the war. We also
had several official Dutch records (his birth certificate, his parents’ marriage license, and his mother’s death certificate) and
full names for his parents and grandparents.
My father had uncovered this information many years earlier, but recently he had expressed renewed curiosity about his
past. Our family history always fascinated me, so several years
ago I suggested to my father that I would see what additional
resources we could use from the Internet and newly available
archives.
Uehlfeld Jewish Cemetery
Jochanan’s father, Alex Bein, was Israel’s first state archivist.
About 20 years ago, I was in Frankfurt on a business
trip and decided to visit my grandfather’s birthplace. After
riding two trains and a bus, I found myself, four hours later,
alone in this small village of 2,000 people. Using what little
German I remembered from college, I asked around and
finally found the town hall. I met the mayor and explained
I began with general Web searches for Dutch genealogy
and discovered that many civil registration cards are available
online. Amsterdam records quickly revealed my father’s paternal grandparents’ birthdates and places of birth, as well as his
grandmother’s maiden name. We learned that his grandparents
were from towns only a few miles apart, but on either side of
the Vistula River, which prior to the 20th century put one in
Poland and the other in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. That
was enough to connect with many resources at JewishGen.
Through Dutch newspaper archives, we learned about his
grandfather’s paper export business and travels to Jerusalem on
behalf of a Zionist group, his mother’s photographic exhibition, and his father’s engineering studies at the Delft University
of Technology, chess matches, and employment at the Fokker
aircraft factory. Contacting a major chess club led us to a book
published in 1948 as a memorial to fallen Dutch chess players.
13
Jewish Genealogy Continued
Jewish History for the Next Generation
By Jody Axinn
In the days before JewishGen, ancestry.com, Facebook, Skype,
and electronic census records, I spent a half a day each weekend for three years building my family trees and collecting
family oral history from my elders. My grandmothers died
when I was too young to ask questions, and my grandfathers
just didn’t know much because “that’s women’s business.” I
persevered, however, because I felt I couldn’t connect with
my Jewish history and pass it along to my children if I didn’t
know where I fit in.
When I completed my project, I
had five of my eight great-grandparents’ trees with up to 100 pages of
oral history per family and 200-500
people per tree, covering up to seven
generations going back to the 1830s.
I also had copies of old photos, ketubahs, birth and death certificates,
and my great-grandmother’s dragonpattern creamer which was purchased
by monthly installments.
At each interview, I requested old photos, research, and
scrapbook items that I scanned and then returned. I received personal letters, recipes, newspaper articles, business
advertisements, and special event invitations – in a variety of
languages.
Board Meetings With Einstein
From those items, I learned some very interesting things.
My family had at least four rabbis and a mashgiach. One of
my cousins served on a UJA board
with Albert Einstein, who visited
their house regularly for board
meetings. My great-grandparents
were founders of several Orthodox
shuls. At each opening, they would
have their grandchildren dress up
and parade around.
My great-uncle, a doctor, was
arrested for shaving while driving,
according to a newspaper blurb. My
grandfather, known as Popeye for
Building Family Trees
his bulging muscles from labor at
I felt an urgency to record this histhe family-owned lumber yard, read
tory because my grandfathers’ gencomics behind his Passover Haggaeration ranged in age from late 60s to
dah, making his nieces and nephews
90s, and a number had passed on. I
laugh during the Seder. My greatstarted my research with my grandfagreat-great-grandmother didn’t want
thers’ personal address books. I called
her daughter to leave the dairy farm
their cousins and asked them to build
in Belarus at the turn of the century
what they knew of the tree, and I
to come to America because she
entered the information into Famthought American Jews were not reily Tree Maker software. I inquired
ligious enough. It’s a good thing she
about stories of relatives they knew,
didn’t listen to her mother, as our
and I tape-recorded the phone calls
original town no longer exists.
with their permission. Later, I typed
Today, technology streamlines
up their stories - including as many
the generation-tracking process
specific addresses, full names, schools, Jody’s great-great-grandfather, Morris tremendously. I can now connect
Mendelow, who was born in 1853.
and other details as possible - and
with my cousins on Facebook to
mailed them a copy to proofread.
see their children’s school plays.
Many relatives knew the Yiddish names of the older relatives I know where I belong, and my Jewish background is
but not their American names or last names. The Yiddish
firmly rooted in a strong practice of faith that goes back
names helped me trace the tree up a generation through
as far as I can trace. I can pass that knowledge forward to
ketubahs. I mailed relatives the corrected final copies of all
the next generation through stories, pictures, and docucompleted interviews for them to share with family.
mentation. n
14
Forty Years of Genealogical Success
By Jerrold Keilson
Forty years ago, when I was in college, I began researching
my family history. My first interview was with my
grandmother, who gave me a sense of what it was like to be
a young immigrant Jewish woman in America in the 1920s.
She also gave me a list of her aunts, uncles, and cousins that
later helped me connect to family members who came to
the U.S. in the 1930s, to relatives in Israel, and to those who
remained in Russia until the 1990s. Over the next few years,
I recorded similar conversations with my parents and other
grandparents about what they remembered.
Next, I read and preserved old documents. I was
fortunate that a grandfather had written a short journal
of his life, describing how he spent a summer with his
grandparents in the Lithuanian village of Sereje in 1899
before coming to America. He mentioned the name of the
boat. The passenger manifest was available at the National
Archives (on microfilm in those days), so I was able to look
for his family. Interestingly, no Keilsons were listed, but there
was a family named Kielye with the same first names as
my grandfather, his parents, and siblings. I assumed it was a
transcription mistake.
Searching Sereje
In the mid-1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, I
hired a researcher to look for Keilson records in the town of
Sereje and remembered the surname difference so I could
tell the researcher to look for Kielye. He found no Keilson
families, but a long list of Kielyas, including the birth
certificate of my great-grandfather (June 1850), the marriage
certificate of my great-great-grandparents (1849) and birth,
marriage, and death certificates of Kielyas going back to the
mid-1700s. These clearly are my ancestors, though I have
no explanation for why the family name changed.
Jerrold Keilson’s great-grandfather,
Menachem Mendel Zuber, lived
in Schedrin, a small town near
Bobruisk in Belarus. His wife was
named Shana Okun. Menachem
Mendel also was a schochet. He
was a Lubovitcher and had nine
children, including Jerrold’s grandmother. He was murdered by
Cossacks in 1919. His wife, Jerrold’s great-grandmother,
passed away in the mid-1960s at 96 years of age. Of the Zuber family, four came to the U.S. from
1914-1922 (Jerrold’s grandmother and her sister came in
1922). The oldest brother, Jacob Zuber for whom Jerrold is named, was a Lubovitch rabbi in Latvia and then in
Sweden during WWII and settled in Boston after the war. One brother was shot by the Russians in 1937 for supposedly being a spy. Another brother and his family were
killed in 1941 by Hitler.The last brother fought in WWII
for the Soviets and settled in Novosibirsk, along with the
baby sister and their mother (Shana). Jerrold’s family was
not in touch with them until 1966, when my grandmother
received a letter from the sister. They all have left Russia
and are living in the U.S. or Israel. Several branches of that family have remained leaders
of the Lubovitch/Chabad movement to the present.
Jerrold Keilson’s grandparents, Benjamin and
May (Berger)
Keilson. She
was born in
Ivye, Lithuania
(now Belarus). She was one
of 12 children,
11 girls and
one boy. She
came to the U.S. before World War I, but some of her
sisters were not able to leave until after the war. Several
went to Israel, where their families still live. Other cousins could not get out and were killed by the Nazis. May’s
father, Jerrold’s great-grandfather, was named Joseph David Berger. He owned a large timber mill in Ivye. He
was married twice, first to a woman named Rachel Bakst,
and then, after she died in childbirth, to her sister, Sarah
Bakst. The Bakst family was very well-to-do. A memoir
a cousin wrote in the 1970s described how in the early
1800s the Bakst grandfather had a library of more than
2,000 volumes in five languages – all of which he could
read.
15
Two-Part Genealogical Googling
By Eliezer May
In January 2002, my son Yossi graduated from the Charles E.
Smith Jewish Day School. After graduation Yossi attended
March of the Living to Czechoslovakia and Poland followed
by several months in Israel. My father’s family was from
Krakow, Poland. The day before Yossi was to visit Krakow, it
occurred to me that I should Google my grandfather’s name,
Shaul Maj, to see if I could find anything. In my family, first
names usually alternated each generation between Shaul and
Mayer (Meir). My search brought me to the voting records
of Krakow from 1909 and 1913 and listed my grandfather
with his occupation, address, neighborhood, and so forth.
I immediately contacted Yossi to relay what I found so he
might inquire while in the city. The next day I went to
work at HP Computer Corporation and excitedly told all
my friends about what I had found. Suddenly, someone in
the background shouted out, “So, how did he vote?”
Back 500 Years
Several years passed and one evening my wife, Marleen, and
I watched a DVD about genealogy. Once again, I went to
Google and entered my grandfather’s name. The original
site with the Krakow voting records was no longer available.
Ross Family continued from page 12
Bank immigration ticket information could be found in two
places – the Salt Lake City Mormon genealogy center and
the Philadelphia Jewish Archives now located at Temple University. I knew from past experience that the Mormon center
took seven weeks to respond to inquiries. A small donation to
the Philadelphia Jewish Archives shortened their delivery time
from seven weeks to 30 minutes, and I soon received an email
link to the ticket information I sought.
Isaac Kooper was listed as the ticket purchaser. More importantly, for my purposes of authenticating that I had the correct
Isaac Cooper, his address was listed as 406 West Front Street,
Wilmington. I knew this was Isaac David Cooper’s original address, so I had found the right family.The only part that didn’t
make sense was that the passengers’ last names were Czernin. Czernin to Ross
How did Czernin morph into Ross? Perhaps when Chaim
Leib and his family arrived at Ellis Island on March 25,
1892, the American clerk requested his name. Chaim Leib
probably responded in a thick accent that the clerk did not
understand. The clerk may have then asked where the family
was from and perhaps Chaim Leib said Russia or Roosha,
and the clerk assigned them the Anglicized last name Ross. 16
Fortunately, I had captured everything I needed years earlier.
But this time I didn’t find my grandfather. Instead I found
my grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather in 1835. I then
went down the tree and found my name, my wife, and two
of our three children. There was no doubt that this was the
right tree. I then went back up the tree and found that it
went back 500 years! I asked permission for collaboration
from the owner of the tree, but this took a full month. In
the meantime, I registered with the Geni site for free and
began to manually copy the tree. My wife joined and began
working on her tree, and soon we found we could merge
our trees. We notified other family members, and they
joined the effort. My father had worked for years on our
tree, as had Marleen’s uncle. Within a short time, compiling
all of our information and the work of our relatives, we
eclipsed the previous work of my father and Marleen’s
uncle. We found and contacted relatives we never knew we
had. We joined some of them on Facebook as well. It is an
amazing age that we live in, and the world is being redefined
as we speak. n
To get to the United States, the family probably travelled
the 900 miles by train from Minsk to the port of Hamburg,
Germany. On March 10, 1892, they boarded the SS Taormina
and set sail for the United States. The ship manifest listed
our family under the names Chaim Czernin (age 44), Lea
(34), Feige (17), Jankol (15), Chave (eight), Hirsch (seven),
Zelda (two), and Israel (11 months). Chaim Leib’s occupation
was listed as arbeiter, which in German means laborer. The
ship carried 431 passengers, and the Ross family bunked in
steerage. The tickets for the SS Taormina were $20.50 for an
adult and $10.25 for a child. The two youngest children did
not require tickets. Since Isaac Cooper was making $1 a day
working at Wilmington’s Adas Kodesch, an Orthodox shul, as
their shamash or sexton, he must have had to work for a while
to save the money. The Ross family lived in Wilmington until
about 1904 and then moved 45 miles north to Camden, New
Jersey, where they established a plumbing business.
Our ancestors endured a great deal in Russia during the
late 19th century, including difficult economic conditions,
pogroms, and anti-Semitism. The quality of life we enjoy
today is in large part due to their sacrifices and commitment
to make a better life for the generations that followed. n
Sam Yaffey, Toiling in Torah
By Stanley Baldinger
Before I researched my maternal grandfather, Sam Yaffey, our
er, shamas, and an organizer of the synagogue’s religious
family knew only he had come from Kovna, a province of
school. He was Baal Shakhrit for the High Holidays and a
bar mitzvah tutor.
Lithuania, his parents were Wulf and Miriam Yaffey, and he
In 1898, he left Grand Forks for St. Paul, where Rose had
had immigrated to America around 1892. We also knew he
family. There he became a teacherhad been a cheder teacher and had
rabbi at a small shul; later he had his
a brother (name unknown) in Ausown shtiebel. He may have taught at
tralia who had a daughter named
the school of ‘BJ,’ the largest OrthoMiriam. In researching Sam on Jewdox shul in town. In 1907, his daughishgen, LitvakSIG, and other sites,
ter Anna married Jake. BJ’s senior
I realized it was critical to find the
rabbi, JH, had Sam fired and had all
name of his shtetl, because Lithulocal shuls deny him teaching posianian records were archived accordtions. JH was infuriated with Sam for
ing to a family’s legal residence.
allowing Anna to marry a man withTwo years ago, I wondered if
out a Jewish education. (Jake’s father,
I might find Sam’s shtetl through
Sam’s gravestone, inscribed: “Reb Shakhna,
Rose’s brother and a heretic, had rehis brother. Internet searches were
son of Reb Ze’ev Wulf, the Levite. He toiled
fused to give Jake one.) Jake was not a
fruitless. A cousin in Sydney recin Torah and Mitzvoth.”
suitable son-in-law to a man educated
ommended a genealogist friend
as a teacher-rabbi, and JH considered Sam, according to the
who might help. We discovered a candidate fitting the data
Babylonian Talmud, unfit to teach.
for Sam’s brother: Isaac Jacob Yaffie, whose parents were
Blackballed
Wulf and Miriam and who had a daughter, Miriam. From
Sam was blackballed for more than 20 years. He became a
the Australian National Archives, I purchased a copy of
melamed (private teacher) and shamas at three neighborIsaac’s naturalization application, which identified his shtetl
as Yanove (or Jonava) in Lithuania. Checking LitvakSIG’s All hood shuls, hardly providing for his family. His eight children had to work; none finished school. In early 1929, Sam
Lithuanian Database (ALD), we found him – Eiszik Iankel,
became terminally ill. JH apologized for the problems he
living in Jonava with parents Vulf and Mera (diminutive of
had created.
Miriam) Iofe. Checking ALD for Shakhna (Sam’s Hebrew
Sam died that June. Even though he never held a formal
name) Iofe in Jonava, I found Sam (b. 1856).
Teaching in Grand Forks
teaching position after 1907, he had made scores of friends
Sam, his wife, Rose, and four daughters born in Lithuania
because of his warmth and desire to share his knowledge.
came to America in July 1892, according to his application
Many in the Jewish community disapproved of JH’s treatfor naturalization filed with the District Court of Grand
ment of him. Hundreds attended Sam’s memorial service.
Forks, N.D., on November 6, 1893. He had gone to Grand
More followed the funeral procession to the cemetery, and
Forks to accept a position with B’nai Israel as cheder teachthe shiva house overflowed. n
Bruckheim Family continued from page 13
the purpose of my visit. He took me to a records room
and showed me the original birth, death, and marriage
certificates for my entire family! I made copies of these for
posterity. I then asked for the location of the cemetery. He
asked whether I wanted the Jewish or Christian cemetery.
When I said Jewish, he phoned the local pharmacist. Why
the pharmacist? It turned out that this gentleman, fluent in
English and not Jewish, was also the caretaker of the Jewish
cemetery. He did this without being paid, although the
German government paid for any maintenance and repairs.
We found my great-grandparents’ gravestones, which had
been repaired after being defaced during WWII. I took
pictures of the gravesite and said Kaddish. It was a very
emotional experience for me to finally visit the place I had
heard so many stories about from my grandfather.
Then the pharmacist and I went back to the main
restaurant in Uehlfeld, where we shared schnitzel and beer
and talked about life. n
17
A Dutch Orphan continued from page 13
The book contained a brief biography of his father, who was
the Delft club champion in 1937-1938. We confirmed my
father’s recollection that the Dutch newspapers extensively
documented his “kidnapping” in his grandfather’s failed attempt to take him to Jerusalem in 1947.
In addition, through a Dutch memorial Web site, we located a woman who was the daughter of his father’s college
friends. She had letters written by and about his parents during the war as their friends rallied to help. The letters suggest
that my father might have survived partially due to false papers issued by Dr. Hans Calmeyer, a German official honored
by Yad Vashem as a Righteous Among the Nations.
At the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, due to newly
available records from the International Tracing Service, we
were able to get confirmation of his father’s arrest and death. Through programs held by the Jewish Genealogy Society
of Greater Washington, I learned about options for obtaining naturalization and other vital records. The Congressional
Record confirms another family story – that his grandfather
traveled briefly to Cuba to obtain citizenship, as it was one
of the few places that had not filled the quota for legal emigration. According to the bill, it took just under a week to
procure that citizenship. Once his grandfather was able to
come to the U.S. legally, he began the paperwork to bring
my father from the Netherlands. My father, age 10, arrived
in the U.S. in 1951.
My latest research has focused on my father’s grandfather’s siblings, who came to the U.S. in the early 20th century. It has been an amazing puzzle to put together so far,
and I am sure that more fascinating details await.
Miriam is the daughter of Beth El congregants Ginger and Bob
Teitel. n
Beth El Judaica & Gifts
We carry tefillin, a wide selection of
mezzuzot, and great gifts for any
occasion, including bnai
mitzvah and Shabbat.
New items arriving daily.
Come visit us:
Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:00-6:15 pm
Sundays, 9:30 am -12:30 pm
Or by appointment. Contact Michelle Gips or Debbie Olchyk at
infor@bethelmc.org, 301-652-2606
Volunteer in the shop and get 10 percent off.
Beth El Judaica & Gifts is a project of Beth El Sisterhood.
18
Keilson Family continued from page 15
The same grandfather and his siblings held monthly
Family Circle meetings in New York from 1937-1952. They
kept minutes of their meetings, which were given to me.
The minutes mentioned family members who had lived in
Pittsburgh and Cleveland; none of my family knew about
these relatives. I was able to trace that descendants of that
branch of the family and have been able to facilitate meetings
between third and fourth cousins all around the country.
Playing Jewish Geography (the game of “You are from
Boston. Do you know so and so?”) has also helped. Because
I knew many of my relatives’ surnames, I was able to find
connections. A few years ago, former Religious School
Director Louis Nagel mentioned that his father-in-law’s
surname was Okun, a name also in my genealogy. I gave
Louis a short history and chart I had put together. He shared
it with his father-in-law in Israel, who said many of the
Okuns on my chart were his cousins.
I have been able to trace some of my family trees back
250 years. My success is attributable to some luck, careful
record-keeping by my grandparents and others, a bit of a
pack-rat mentality, and patience. n
Applying to
Beth El Preschool
for 2014-2015
Applications for Beth El Preschool for the 2014-2015
school year are now available and must be completed
by December 15. Beth El preschool offers classes for
children ages 20 months to five years.
Tours of the preschool will be given in December.
They will give you a wonderful opportunity to observe
our vibrant preschool classrooms in action as well as
to meet with Preschool Director Kim Lausin. Please
call the preschool office at 301-652-8569, ext. 307, to
schedule a tour and request an application.
Please note that enrollment priority is given to
current Beth El members.
Tour Dates (adults only)
Thursday, December 5, 9:30 am
Wednesday, December 11, 7:00 pm
The Beth El 7th grade Religious School students created this page
about the importance of ometz lev (courage) with the assistance
of their teachers Rabbi Laurie Green, Candice Goldstein, Sheldon
Novek and Ruth Szykman.
The Devil’s Arithmetic is a 1999 TV movie based on the historical novel of the same
name by Jane Yolen. It is a story about how a girl can find her inner courage, which is a very important Jewish value.
In the story, Chaya, the main character, is not finding meaning in her religion and is losing faith. She experiences an incredible change when she opens the front door to get away from a
Pesach seder. Chaya is transported back in time to World War II
during the Holocaust. Experiencing the horrors of the camps
first hand, she finds more meaning in her Jewish identity, and
shows extreme courage by later sacrificing her life when she
trades places with her friend.
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.” This is a quote from the Tanach, Proverbs 28:1. In the beginning of the story, Chaya
is “wicked,” for she neglected to absorb or consider any
Jewish values. In the end, Chaya is “righteous” and “bold
as a lion” when she sacrifices herself because she realizes
the importance of Judaism and its values.
Word Scramble
1. r m s u a s ______
2. d h d i m a
______
3. z o m t e v l e
_____ ___
4. s o m s e _____
5. s h p o j e
______
6. b m h a a r a
_______
7. r h a s a _____
8. c a c b e e r _______
9. l r e a c h ______
10. k a k u h n h a
________
Word Bank: Abraham, Moses, Hanukkah,
Mussar, Joseph, Middah, Ometz Lev, Sarah,
Rebecca, Rachel
crossword puzzle
Across:
2. Being tough, mentally or
physically
3. Making the mind feel
what the heart knows (in
Hebrew)
5. The holiday when we light
the hanukkiah
6. The Hebrew term for a
character trait/value
8. Leader of the Maccabees
10. The Hebrew term for
courage
11. The quality that enables a
person to face difficulty,
danger or pain without fear
Down:
1. Famous Torah quote for
someone in need (Deut. 31:6)
4. Biblical king who defeated
the giant, Goliath
7. Heroes of Hanukkah
9. Stood up to his father who
made idols
8. Judah
10. Ometz Lev
11. Courage
Down:
1. Be strong and
of good
courage
4. King David
7. Maccabees
9. Abraham
Soul Surfer
A Courageous Story
In the 2011 biographical film Soul
Surfer, thirteen-year-old Bethany
Hamilton has a tragic surfing
accident that could have ended her
life and her passion. Recovering
from losing her left arm in a shark
attack is difficult but all she can
think about is getting back on her board.
A surfer her whole life, Bethany’s courage
doesn’t let her stop what she loves to do
and is famous for.
This relates to the story of Jonah and the
whale. He risked his life when he
told the captain of the boat to
throw him overboard since he
was the cause of the storm. They
both chose to show ometz lev
(courage).
“He who has courage and faith will
never perish in misery,” wrote Anne Frank,
another courageous young woman. Anne
Frank was brave because, unfortunately she
lived during the time of the Holocaust, and
was forced to hide from the Nazis. Although
Bethany wasn’t hiding, she courageously
waited until she was well enough to return
to surfing.
Anne Frank’s quote describes both of
them, as they each expressed courage,
never giving up, and both were never
forgotten.
4U
Across:
2. Strong
3. Mussar
5. Hanukkah
6. Middah
MOVIE REVIEWS
Ometz
Lev
19
My Lighten Up Dinner Age & Stage Program for Empty Nesters
By Rona Schwartz
Last year my family hosted two other Beth El families for
Shabbat dinner for the Lighten Up: Friday Night Invites program. Geryl Baer, director of community engagement,
matched us with two families with children of similar ages
to ours, and the evening was a big hit.
My 11-year-old daughter had already met the two other
girls through Religious School classes and a weekend retreat,
but the parents and other siblings did not know one another
well. The girls immediately hit it off and even decided to put
on a show for the parents after dinner. The three girls attend
different middle schools and would likely not get together if
not for Religious School and events like Lighten Up.
I often reflect how fortunate I am to live in an area with
such a large and vibrant Jewish community. I feel a sense of
joy buying a challah on Friday afternoon and seeing a line
of people all doing the same. However, the size of the community can sometimes mask the need to meet with other
Jewish families in smaller settings. I know it is important for
my children not just to be part of a large Jewish community
but to make connections with other Jewish families who are
“doing Jewish” together. My son knows there are Jewish
players on his baseball team, but it is not the same as sharing
a Shabbat dinner with friends who are participating in Jewish rituals together.
This year, Lighten Up: Friday Night Invites will take place
throughout February. I encourage all of you to open your
homes to other Beth El families as part of the Lighten Up
program.
If you are unable to host but would like to participate
and meet new families, you may also sign up to be a guest.
Contact Geryl Baer at gbaer@bethelmc.org or 301-6528569, ext. 352, for more information. n
Presents
No One Size Fits All:
An Introductory Home Solutions Workshop
With Margi and Mark Kramer,
Kramer Architects
Tuesday, December 10, 7:30 pm,
Beth El
In this workshop, we will discuss:
• Redesigning your existing home to meet your
needs
• Transitioning to apartment or townhouse living
• Downsizing to a smaller home
• Adapting your home to accommodate family
members
Kramer Architects, Bethesda, has designed homes in
the Washington metropolitan area for more than 30
years. RSVP by Thursday, December 5, to Geryl Baer at
gbaer@bethelmc.org or 301-652-8569, ext. 352.
Age & Stage Parenting Series
Presents
Co-Parenting: Tips for Divorced Parents
Sunday, December 8, 10:30 am
Featuring Dr. Edward D. Farber
Author of Raising the Kid You Love with the Ex You Hate
Dr. Farber is a clinical psychologist specializing in families in transition or conflict.
Event is free, but please RSVP to Geryl Baer at gbaer@bethelmc.org or 301-652-8569, ext. 352.
20
Contributions
Please remember that contributions can be made
easily, quickly, and securely via our Web page –
www.bethelmc.org
Donations made from October 1 to October 24
Beth El Forest
In Honor Of:
Ruth Zaentz’s special birthday by Julia P. Copperman
In Memory Of:
Dorothy Koch, mother of Barbara Eisenstein, by Joan and Joel
Simon
Beloved brother, Solomon Joseph Ozarin, by Lucy Ozarin
Building Fund/Capital Campaign
In Honor Of:
Leaders of the Kol Haneshama High Holiday service by Sandy
and Dick Pollen
Benjamin Harris becoming a bar mitzvah by Sandy and Dick
Pollen
Cantor’s Fund
In Honor Of:
Bar mitzvah of our son, Jeffrey Elias, by Gregg Elias and Mindy
Ginsburg
In Memory Of:
Simone Lipman by Robert Lipman
Chevra Kadisha Fund
In Memory Of:
Ron Raffel by Janice Raffel
Ruth Becker Holiber by Jerome A. Holiber
Isak Gruenberg by Helene Weisz, Bernie Weisz, and families
Shirley Samet and Claire Rosoff by Janice Raffel and Robert
Samet
Disabled Access Fund
In Memory Of:
Bernard Berger by Brent and Carolyn Berger
Fine Arts Fund
In Memory Of:
My father, Merritt L. Koenig, by Bob Koenig
General Fund
By: Alice G. Rich
In Honor Of:
Benjamin Lev Harris becoming a bar mitzvah by Judy and
Jayson Slotnik, Elissa and Michael Shapiro, Tim and Rochelle
Fink, Craig Yokum, Sarah Kalser, Josephine Sanders, Elizabeth
Goldman, Annette and Jack Moshman, Dora Weinstein, Howie
and Holly Stein, Phyllis and Jeff Lavine, Samuel Boxerman and
Debra Vodenos,Yael Greenberg, Rosalie M. Sporn, the Polis
family, Leesa Fields and Jonathan Band, Julia P. Copperman,
Jim and Leslie Dellon, Carol and Bob Luskin, David and
Rachel Roscow,Vera and Ralph Deckelbaum, Sue and Larry
Bruser, Hellaine and Irwin Nepo, Esther and Elliot Wilner,
Lynn Goldin and Henry Birnkrant, Andrew Niebler and Beth
Pincus, Benjamin Fassberg, William, Sue, and David Kanter,
Jose and Tutti Sokol, Martha Strauss, Reina Lerner, Anne and
Martin Rosensky, Michael Mandel, Henrietta Asen, Karen and
Andrew Auerbach, Deborah Leibowitz, Miriam Israel, Sheryl,
Lee, Lindsey, and Amanda Miller, Sid and Janet Getz, Ben and
Suzanne Bronheim, Carolyn Lodish, Carl M. Leventhal, Rose
and Sam Saady, Jack and Stephanie Ventura, and Jerry, Shelly,
Robbie, and Jennie Belson
Rabbi Greg and Rebekah Harris and family on Benjamin’s bar
mitzvah by Hal Scheinberg and Roberta Lasken, Susan and
Edoardo Kulp and family, and Sabina Shalom
Rabbi Greg and Rebekah Harris on their 10th anniversary at
Beth El by Paul and Carolyn Weinberg
Craig Futterman’s care and dedication by Nina, Shlomit, and
Miriam Halachmi
Evan Krame for Kol Haneshama High Holiday services by
Phyllis and Steve Solomon
Craig Futterman’s Hatan Torah honor by Brenda Gruss and
Daniel O. Hirsch
Hazzan Emeritus Abraham Lubin by Craig Yokum
Our Kohen aliyah at the Kol Haneshama Yom Kippur service
by Adam and Jennifer Chaikin
Our Kohen aliyah on Rosh Hashanah at Beth El by Adam and
Jennifer Chaikin
Marci Kanstoroom, for her work with the Religious School by
David Kessel and Rona Schwartz
Larry Sidman’s special birthday by Marvin Yudkovitz
My sister and brother-in-law, Kay Klass and Mark Levitt, and in
gratitude to Beth El during Yom Kippur, by Tim Klass
Naomi Sokol, daughter of Ariel and Jessica Sokol, and
granddaughter of Tutti and Jose Sokol, by Opera Havurah
Our Yom Kippur aliyah by Estee and Elliott Portnoy
Doug Bregman by Howard and Susan Weiss
Amy Goott’s birthday by Linda Kupfer
In Memory Of:
Daniel Shrago by Jeffrey Shrago
Herbert Brenner by Lynne Ganek
Rita Margolis, mother of Susan Stillman, by David Kessel and
Rona Schwartz, Wynne and Ron Sitrin, and Phyllis and Steve
Solomon
My son, Chuck Oliner, and my father, Sol Strauss, by Gertrude
Oliner and family
Tessie Mirengoff by Paul Mirengoff
Irving Horn and Theodore Schatz by Stuart and Linda Schatz
Allen B. Kahn by Marcia Merlin
Irving P. Cohn by Dale Gold
Our beloved Bernard Bobb, father of Anita Ratain, by Howard
and Anita Ratain
Marjora Minska by Helene Weisz, Bernie Weisz, and families
My mother, Rebecca Zagoria, by Etta Kline
My mother, Nusha Shaff, by Hilda and Mike Getz
Esther Chubin, mother of Herbert Chubin and grandmother
of Ellen Chubin Epstein, by Ellen and David Epstein
Beloved sister, Audrey Goldberg, by Sabina Shalom
Thomas P. Gold by Dale and Harvey Gold
Martin Lipman by Robert Lipman
Boris Dvorkin by Etia Dvorkina
Rose Friedman, beloved mother of David Friedman, by
Harriet Rabin
L. David Korb by Gail Korb
Jacob Rosensky by Martin and Anne Rosensky
Fannie Kelner, mother of Robert Kelner, by Eric and Amy
Forseter
Harry Niedermayer and Sidney Ross by Roy Niedermayer and
Gail Ross
Rabbi Paul Hirsch by Walter Schimmerling and Raquel Masel
Sheldon Sherman, father of Andrew Sherman, by Mark and
Joanne Jacobson
21
Contributions Continued
Herbert Heinemann, uncle of Howard Stein, by Howard and
Holly Stein
Thelma Tessler Solomon by Steve Solomon
John Rosen, son of Marianne and Art Rosen, by Arthur and
Marianne Rosen
Rivkah Scharfstein, beloved mother, by Tutti Sokol
Elaine Silverman Gessow College Activities Fund
In Honor Of:
Bar mitzvah of Benjamin Harris, son of Rabbi Greg and
Rebekah Harris, by Brenda and Jim Schmand
In Memory Of:
Harlee S. Popick, mother of Barbara P. Rosing, by Barbara P.
Rosing
Mother and grandmother, Sarah Greenberg, by Brenda, Jim,
Josh, and Carly Schmand
Kesher Nashim Fund
In Honor Of:
Nancy Kay by Lori and Steve Ross
In Memory Of:
Miriam Altman by Judith Baldinger
Morning Minyan Fund
In Honor Of:
Peter Novick, for his leadership of the Shabbat Early Morning
Minyan, by Herb Bloom
In Memory Of:
Ann Pollack by Judy Goldman
Charlotte Resnick by Hellaine and Irwin Nepo
Beloved mother, Edna Routhenstein, by Irene Routhenstein
and Shirley R. Levine
Beloved brother, Abe Chinn, by Sarah Kalser
Dearest sister, Goldie Sturm, by Mary Dubrow
Myron Kirschbaum, father of Caryl Brody, by Caryl Brody
My beloved father, Irving A. Levine, by Susan Levinson
Rose Minker, mother of Jack Minker, by Jack and Johanna
Minker
Perspectives Fund
In Memory Of:
Morris Nepo, brother of Irwin Nepo, by Larry and Bettymerle
Berkow
Pillars of Beth El
Kimball Nursery School Fund
In Memory Of:
Louis A. Cohen by Susan A. Cohen
Civia Berman and Evelyn Berman by Stuart Berman
Prayerbook Fund
In Memory Of:
Bernardo Kotelanski, M.D. Marriage Education Fund
In Honor Of:
Library Fund
Rabbi’s Fund
Rabbi Harris officiating at the wedding of our daughter,
Marissa, to Matthew Rosenfeld, by Susan and Jeffrey Hausfeld
In Memory Of:
Bernard I. Miller by Sharon Berzofsky
Irving Troffkin by Rhea and Howard Troffkin
Bernard Jacobi by Susan Bruckheim
Rabbi Rudolph for officiating at our wedding by Benjamin
Bregman and Jessica Agus
Bar mitzvah of Benjamin Harris by Sheryl and Ira Fishman,
Margi and Mark Kramer, Parker O’Shea, the Arnold family,
the Gold family, Burton S. and Diane E. Epstein, Scott, Julie,
Lydia, and Caroline Zebrak, Don and Michelle Hainbach,
Rebecca and Anthony Millin, Phyllis and Steve Solomon,
Karen Levy and Mitch Rabinowitz, Estee and Elliott Portnoy,
Jennifer Latz and Jonathan Polon, Jack and Johanna Minker,
Allen Eisenberg and Connie Stromberg, Mark Gladstone,
Jonathan Pollack and Barbara Marom-Pollack, Wynne and
Ron Sitrin, Sandy and Norton Elson, Ina and Joe Young, Lee
Hoffman and Leslie Whipkey, Jill Herscot and Andrew Bartley,
Lee and Donna Dymond,Vanessa, Ben, Isabelle, Hannah and
Evelyn May, Rosine and Robert Nussenblatt, and Barbara and
Allen Lerman
Rabbi Greg and Rebekah Harris on the bar mitzvah of their
son, Benjamin Lev Harris, by Howard J. Hoffman, Dov and
Sharon Margolis Apfel and family, and Helen and Arthur
Popper
Rabbi Harris’s participation in the brit milah ceremony for our
grandson, Oliver Ethan (Orel Shalom) Cardeli, son of Seth
and Lori Apfel Cardeli, by Dov and Sharon Margolis Apfel
Beth El clergy by Ina and Jerome Wernick
Rabbis Rudolph and Harris for welcoming Friends of the
Earth-Middle East by Howard J. Hoffman
Rabbi Harris for officiating at the bris of our son, Oliver Ethan,
by Seth and Lori Apfel Cardeli
Rabbi Rudolph for officiating at the baby naming of Lila
Federowicz, by the Levitt and Federowicz families
In Memory Of:
Evelyn Ginsberg by Phillip and Vivian Gorden
In Honor Of:
Litman Holocaust Education Fund
In Honor Of:
Our granddaughter Maya Cohen-Shields’ bat mitzvah by Ruth
and Benjamin Cohen
In Memory Of:
Beno Hoffman by Rosanne Hoffman and Robert Byer
Mazon
In Honor Of:
Sue Rosenthal’s 80th birthday by Murray and Gerri
Rottenberg
In Memory Of:
Lillian Kessler by Julia P. Copperman
Frances Dellon by Jim and Leslie Dellon
Merim Varsano by Ricardo Varsano
My parents, Leonard and Dorothy Rubin, by Sharyn
Schlesinger
Deborah Gabry by Jerome and Mona Gabry
Emanuel and Bess Sickel by Hugh V. and Ruth Z. Sickel
Mintz Landscaping Fund
In Memory Of:
Hannah Ross by Rhoda Mancher
Herman Altschul, father of Carolyn Feigenbaum, by Kenneth
and Carolyn Feigenbaum
22
Congregants who sent me good wishes during my illness by
Lucy Ozarin
In Honor Of:
Contributions Continued
Bar mitzvah of our son, Jeffrey Elias, by Gregg Elias and Mindy
Ginsburg
Marriage of our son, Mark Howard Wernick, to Fayette Powers,
by Ina and Jerome Wernick
My High Holiday honor by Doris L. Povich
Our aliyah by Jorge and Sharona Sapoznikow
Speedy recovery of Lee Alexander, son of Ellen Alexander, by
Parker O’Shea
In Memory Of:
Anna Dickler by Elliott and Phyllis Dickler
Rosalind Epstein by Burton S. and Diane Epstein
Lillie Lefkowitz by Jerry and Fay Chernin
Joseph Golickman by Libby and Harvey Gordon
Sydney M. Ratcliffe by Mimi and Arthur Blitz
Liba Goldberg by Harriet Weinstein
Moshe Friedman by Sarah Friedman
Stephen Loewinger by Andrew Loewinger
William Davis by Libby and Harvey Gordon
Abraham Daniel Tepper by Jonathan Tepper
Barry R. Harris by Sandy Harris and family
My father-in-law, Itzhak Friedman, by Sarah Friedman
Sol Feldman by Cary Feldman
Jean Miller by Jay Miller
Eva Gillman by Samuel Gillman
Joel Cadoff by Dorene and Joseph Rosenthal
Scolnic Adult Institute Fund
In Honor Of:
Birthday of Sara Geller’s father by Albert Fox
In Memory Of:
Jennie Nichaman, my beloved mother-in-law, by Rhoda
Nichaman
Isadore Edgar Fassberg, father of Benjamin C. Fassberg, by
Benjamin C. Fassberg
Edith Weisz by Helene Weisz, Bernie Weisz, and families
Herman Abromowitz by Ellen Bezner
Charles Lefkowitz by Jerry and Fay Chernin
Senior Caucus Fund
In Memory Of:
My beloved grandmother, Gertrude Parkoff Schultz, by Tricia
Sachs
Dr. Elaine L. Shalowitz Education Fund
In Memory Of:
My beloved father, Aaron L. Shalowitz, by Erwin Shalowitz
Emily Drachman by Elizabeth and Richard Drachman
Lillian Kaplan, mother of Sandra Becker, by Sandra Becker and
family
Social Action Fund
In Honor Of:
Bar mitzvah of Benjamin Harris by Ellen and Norman Eule
In Memory Of:
Sandy Sachs, mother of Adam and Lowell Sachs, and sister of
Harold Gorvine, by Naomi Greenwood and Thomas Dahl
Ruth D.Vogel by Donna Vogel.
Suls Youth Activities Fund
By: Elizabeth Goldman
Elaine Tanenbaum Religious School Enrichment Fund
In Honor Of:
Marci Kanstoroom for her Kallah Breishit honor by Allen
Eisenberg and Connie Stromberg
Bar mitzvah of Benjamin Harris by Marvin and Barbara Kotz,
Sanford Kay, Herb Tanenbaum, and the Kales family
The Harris family on the occasion of Benjamin’s bar mitzvah,
by Michelle and Paul Rubin
In Memory Of:
Harry S. Neiterman, father of Charlotte Resnick, by Bernard
Resnick
Isidor Leventhal, father of Carl Leventhal and grandfather of
Sarah Leventhal Roark, by Carl Leventhal
Torah Scroll Fund
By: Michael Polis and Rhoda Barish
In Honor Of:
Craig Futterman for his Hatan Torah honor by Allen Eisenberg
and Connie Stromberg
Transportation Fund
In Honor Of:
Speedy recovery of Marianne and Art Rosen by Rose and Sam
Saady
Donna Saady for blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and
reading Torah and Haftarah by Rose and Sam Saady
In Memory Of:
Florence Tredwell, my sister-in-law, by Julia P. Copperman
Allegra Saady, beloved mother of Sam Saady, by Rose and Sam
Saady
Pamela Merwin, beloved sister of Rose Saady, by Rose and Sam
Saady
Samuel Kammerman by Lisa Kammerman
Werner Liturgical Music Fund
Simos Music Fund
In Memory Of:
In Memory Of:
My father-in-law, Maurice Cohn, by Jerome Heffter
Ethel Gluckstein by Lillian Miller
Sisterhood Kiddush Fund
World Jewry Fund
In Honor Of:
In Memory Of:
Hilda Shamash Sidman, beloved wife and mother, by Larry
Sidman
Rosalind Salomon by Caryl Bernstein
Sisterhood Shiva Meal Fund
Marvin Yudkovitz by Craig Yokum
Young Equality Fund
In Memory Of:
Rena Young by Joe and Ina Young
In Honor Of:
Our Yom Kippur aliyah by Ellen and Norman Eule
In Memory Of:
Anna Epstein, grandmother of Sandra Becker, by Sandra Becker
Judy Edelson by Rebecca Edelson
23
Periodicals
Postage
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Bethesda, Maryland 20814-1451
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
Mazal Tov to
Alissa Peltzman and Seth Belford on the birth of their
son, Charlie Lev Belford-Peltzman. Proud big brother
and sister are Ben and Caroline
Linda Goldsmith and Howard Berger on the
engagement of their daughter, Emily Berger, to Adam
Wolgamot
Sarah Birnbach and Jack Edlow on the birth of their
grandson, Christopher James Carbonneau. Proud
parents are Rachel Frier and Erik Carbonneau
Rabbi Elyssa Auster and Hazzan Matthew Klein on
their engagement
Judy Scolnic on the birth of her first great-granddaughter,
Leah Dorothy Dobin. Proud parents are Rachel and
David Dobin. Grandparents are Rabbi Benjamin and
Dorene Scolnic and Nathan and Harriet Dobin
Fischer. Big brothers are Alexander and Avi Dobin. Jose and Tutti Sokol on the birth of their granddaughter,
Naomi Reva Ellie Sokol, daughter of Ariel and Jessica
Sokol
Jerome and Ina Wernick on the marriage of their son,
Mark Howard Wernick, to Fayette Powers
Condolences to
Peter and Debbie Friedmann on the death of Peter’s
father, John Friedmann
Martin and Jackie Berman-Gorvine on the death of
Martin’s aunt, Sandra Sachs
Karen and Max Sevillia on the death of Karen’s mother,
Irit Pienknagura
Susan and Harvey Sherzer on the death of Susan’s
mother, Shirley Bell
Jayson and Judy Slotnik on the death of Jayson’s father,
Stephen Slotnik
Send submissions to the Scroll to scroll@bethelmc.org
Judy Zassenhaus on the death of her mother, Selma
Berkowitz
Noteworthy
Senior Caucus Meeting, Wednesday, December 4, 1:00
pm. Join these vibrant, active retirees to hear about the ongoing programs and plan new activities.
Roundtable with the Rabbi, Wednesday, December 4,
2:00 pm. Join us to celebrate December birthdays (yours
and those of others) with desserts, coffee, and a lively discussion led by Rabbi Rudolph. Birthday celebrants receive a
special invitation, but all are welcome.
Dor L’Dor, Thursday, December 5, noon. Join the Beth
El Preschool (BEPS) 4s Class,Vatikkim, and Senior Caucus
for this intergenerational program connecting kids with seniors. To participate and share pizza with the preschoolers,
RSVP to Ricardo Munster at 301-652-2606, ext. 316, or
rmunster@bethelmc.org.
Senior Caucus – Thursdays, December 12 and 26,
noon. Brown bag lunch. Come and socialize with your
friends and enjoy refreshments and dessert.
Senior Caucus– Vatikkim Luncheon Program, Thursday,
December 19, noon. The program starts with lunch. Following lunch, congregant Jack Minker, Professor Emeritus at
the University of Maryland, will speak about the story of the
exodus of Soviet Jews from the former Soviet Union. Bring a
friend along as they may find this story fascinating, too. Lunch
costs $8.To RSVP for lunch, contact Ricardo Munster at 301652-2606, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org, by Tuesday, December 17.The program is free and begins around 1:00 pm.
Bridge – the greatest game ever. Join us every Monday and Thursday (except the third Thursday) from 12:30 to
4:00 pm. Drop in and join a game; no partner necessary. For
information or transportation, contact Ricardo Munster at
301-652-2606, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org.
Weekly Parashiot
Source: Siddur Sim Shalom
Va-yiggash
Sh’mot
With Benjamin caught in Joseph’s trap, Judah begs
to take his brother’s place for Jacob’s sake. Greatly
moved, Joseph at last reveals his identity to his
brothers. They reconcile, whereupon Joseph has
them bring Jacob and the entire family to dwell in
Goshen for the duration of the famine. The aged
patriarch is formally received at Pharaoh’s court.
A new Pharaoh fears the strength of the growing
number of Israelites and enslaves them. He orders
their newborn sons slain. Moses, cast adrift in the
Nile, is rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter and grows
up in the royal court. After slaying an Egyptian
taskmaster, Moses flees to Midian and marries there.
At the Burning Bush, Moses encounters God, who
sends him back to Egypt to free the Israelites—only
to anger Pharaoh, who increases the slaves’ burden.
December 7, 4 Tevet
Va-yehi
December 14, 11 Tevet
Jacob, nearing death, blesses Joseph and his sons,
Menasheh and Ephraim; he then offers his final
words to each of his 12 sons. Pharaoh gives Joseph
permission to bury Jacob in Canaan. Later, as Joseph
himself is dying, he instructs his kin to carry his
remains back to Canaan some day, for surely, he says,
God will remember them and return them to the
land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Va-era
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.
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,
info@bethelmc.org.
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
Aviva Solkowitz at 301-652-2606,
info@bethelmc.org
Other Youth /Family Services,
for information, contact Elisha
Frumkin, 301-652-8573, ext. 319,
efrumkin@bethelmc.org.
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)
Youth Shabbat Services
7:30 am
9:30 am
9:15 am
9:30 am
9:45 am
Teen Service (1st Shabbat)
10:00 am
Junior Congregation (5th grade +; Library) 10:00 am
10:30-11:30 am
Shitufim (2nd– 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
December 2013
Monthly Calendar
Sunday
1 Hanukkah 4th Day
Schools and Offices Closed
9:00 am Minyan
9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast
10:00 am Men’s Club Program
10:00 am Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class
11:15 am Israel Investment Club
7:00 pm Talmud Class
8
8:30 am Summer Camp Presentation
9:00 am Minyan
9:30 am Sisterhood Executive Board
Kislev–Tevet 5774
Monday
2 Hanukkah 5th Day
9:30 am Knitting Group
12:30 pm Bridge
7:30 pm Boy Scouts
9
12:30 pm Bridge
7:30 pm Boy Scouts
Meeting
Tuesday
3 Hanukkah 6th Day
8:15 am A Taste of Talmud
6:30 pm Mah Jongg
10
6:30 pm Mah Jongg
7:30 pm Age & Stage BEENs Program
7:30 pm BEPS Board Meeting
10:00 am Age & Stage Program
10:00 am RS Kindergarten Consecration
15
9:00 am Minyan
10:00 am Adult B’nai Mitzvah Class
10:00 am L2G Havurah
11:00 am 2016 B’nai Mitzvah Meeting
22
Offices and Schools Closed
9:00 am Minyan
29
Offices and Schools Closed
9:00 am Minyan
16
12:30 pm Bridge
7:30 pm Boy Scouts
7:30 pm Conversations with Key
American Leaders: Chuck Hagel and
Ken Feinberg
23
Schools Closed
12:30 pm Bridge
17
6:30 pm Mah Jongg
7:30 pm BEPS Co-op Training
24
Schools Closed
4:30 pm Movies for all ages & Chinese
Dinner
30
Schools Closed
12:30 pm Bridge
31
Schools Closed
5:30 pm Evening Minyan
Wednesday
4 Hanukkah 7th Day
Rosh Hodesh Tevet
9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class
9:30 am M. Fine Class
2:00 pm Roundtable with the Rabbi
11
9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class
7:30 pm BEPS Open House for
Prospective Families
18
9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class
25
9:00 am Morning Minyan
5:30 pm Evening Minyan
Thursday
5 Hanukkah 8th Day
9:30 am BEPS Open House for
Prospective Families
Noon Senior Caucus Dor L’Dor Lunch
1:00 pm Bridge
6:30 pm Tallit Workshop - opening
meeting
7:30 pm Kesher Nashim
8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices
12
Noon Senior Caucus Brown Bag Lunch
1:00 pm Bridge
7:00 pm Tallit Workshop
7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting
19
12:00 pm Senior Caucus Luncheon
7:30 pm Knitting Group
26
Schools Closed
1:00 pm Bridge
Friday
6 Candles 4:28 pm
6:30 pm Friday Evening Service
7:15 pm RS Teacher Recognition Shabbat
Dinner
Saturday
7
7:30 am Early Shabbat Service
9:30 am Main Shabbat Service
9:30 am Ilana Kaplan Bat Mitzvah
9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan
10:00 am Jr. Congregation
10:00 am Teen Service
10:30 am Gan Shabbat
7:30 pm Havdalah and Community
Sing
13 Candles 4:28 pm
Fast of 10 Tevet
9:00 am Zhava Parenting Workshop
6:30 pm Kol Haneshama
14
9:30 am Ethan Askarinam Bar
Mitzvah
10:30 am Learners Service
10:30 am Nitzanim
10:30 am Shitufim
3:30 pm Carly Ruderman Bat Mitzvah
20 Candles 4:31 pm
21
27 Candles 4:35 pm
28
Schools Closed
9:30 am Ethan Rifkind Bar Mitzvah
9:30 am Minyan Chaverim
7:30 pm Israel Media Series
9:30 am Maya Cohen-Shields Bat
Mitzvah
10:30 am Nitzanim
1 New Year’s Day
9:00 am Morning Minyan
2
Rosh Hodesh Shevat
1:00 pm Bridge
8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices
3 Candles 4:40 pm
4
9:30 am Aviva Odintz Bat Mitzvah
9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan
10:00 am Teen Service

1312 December 13 Scroll vWEB

Transcription

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