THE
LADDER NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2021
And Jacob dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to the heavens...
WISHING YOU A WARM AND
BRIGHT SEASON OF LIGHTS Adult Education Series: Exploring Perspectives on Israel
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Giving Back on Thanksgiving
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Outdoor Neighborhood Chanukah Lightings
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High Holy Day Sermons
Pages 13-23
mi`ad mikeca
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TEMPLE STAFF JONATHAN JAFFE Senior Rabbi MAURA H. LINZER Rabbi-Educator ELIZABETH STERNLIEB Cantor GENNIFER KELLY Executive Director RABBI NORMAN COHEN, Ph.D. Scholar-in-Residence HOPE BLAUNER Early Childhood Director RHONDA REGAN President
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RABBI’S MESSAGE Pursuing Diversity of Thought and Opinion Last month, I had the opportunity to study the story of the Tower of Babel with a group of congregants. The curiously short and abrupt story of citizens building a tower to the heavens and consequently being dispersed and scattered by God leaves so many questions. Why is God concerned with people building such a tower? How do we understand the idea of diversity of people and language as a punishment? And what is this story doing in the Torah anyway? To understand the deeper meaning of this story, we need to begin with the very first commandment given to Adam and Eve, “Go forth, multiply and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:7). That is, God’s original intention as described by the Torah is for us to spread out upon the earth and explore all the beauty and variety that it has to offer. Adam, Eve and their progeny are charged to pursue diverse experiences and locales in order to discover the myriad of blessings to be enjoyed. Considering this, the problem with the tower is not humanity’s attempt to reach the heavens but rather to congregate all together in one place. As the people say, “Come, let us build us a city, and a tower with its top in the sky, to make a name for ourselves; else we shall be scattered all over the world.” (Genesis 11:4) Why does God want us to experience different environments? Perhaps it is because by all living together, the people would experience all the same things and group think would eventually set in. As the preface to the story states, “Everyone on earth had the same language and the same words.” (Genesis 11:1) Not only did the people use the same language but also said the same things, as if in unison. And so we can understand Babel as an ancient model of totalitarianism, where everyone lived the same experience and held the same views. Such uniformity is repugnant to the Torah’s idea of fulfillment, in which open debate and questioning are championed. And so the story of Babel is actually about God’s desire for us to do different things, think opposing thoughts and express contrary views. In this way, the destruction of the tower and scattering of the people may be seen as a blessing rather than a curse and a just remedy to a moment in which humanity became stuck in its own gears. The idea of harmony is having different tones played together, creating a pleasing collection. But everyone playing the exact same note? This is repugnant to the biblical writer. Last month, we kicked off our adult education series on Exploring Different Viewpoints on Israel. We look forward to continuing in November and December with two speakers who offer many of our congregants potentially challenging views in Shifra Sered of J Street and Noa Shem-Tov of Encounter. Too often, we default into our Babel-esque bubbles, surrounded by friends who think like us and share our words. Consider this a wonderful opportunity to move out of your comfort zone and wrestle with divergent views. After all, God wants nothing less from us! And finally, as we turn towards Chanukah, let us reflect upon the story of the Maccabees, who acted upon their opposition to the assimilationist tendencies of their contemporaries in rejecting the tyranny of Antiochus. In a time in which the Hellenized world was increasingly beginning to look and act the same, the Maccabees defended their particularism and right to stand apart from the whole. May each of us find the courage to do the same. L’Shalom,
Rabbi Jaffe
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CANTOR’S CORNER Shiru L’Adonai Shir Chadash (Sing a New Song Unto God) Dear Friends, When I was a child I loved to sing. One year, when I about three years of age, the Synagogue newsletter ran an article on all the joys of attending Shabbat services at our Temple. They mentioned the vibrant community, the Rabbi’s sermons, the Cantor’s anthems and the amazing desserts at the oneg. They followed up with an extra sweet treat and advised everyone to try to find a seat somewhere near little Elizabeth (the daughter of the Cantor- yes this was me) to listen to her sing, at the top of her lungs, along with her father. I did attend services weekly for most of my young years and I loved and learned all the music of the Synagogue. Looking back, it gives me great joy to know that even back then I was able to raise the spirits of our sacred community members as they were listening to my younger self engaged in song. During the High Holy Days we were likewise honored and graced by a few of our incredibly talented teens whose voices lifted our hearts and our spirits. Thank you to: Sasha Murray, Allison Gordon, Talia Diller, and Cayla Thorschmidt, for leading us in song. Chanukah Mashup Choir Video Project in the works - Please email Cantor Sternlieb ASAP esternlieb@bethelnw.org if you have a child who loves to sing and can carry a tune. We are about to begin a Chanukah video project and we need young singers and footage of families lighting their Channukiot (Chanukah menorahs). The songs will be our best loved and favorite Chanukah tunes and we will present the video at our Chanukah Shabbat family service the night of December 3rd. Once I know who is interested in this amazing and fun project that will bring light and energy to our entire TBE community, I will send out more detailed information. A music video project for our adult choir members is on deck for the winter months. If you love to sing (and can sing well) but don’t have time to learn lots of music, this creative singing opportunity just might be for you. The time commitment will be manageable and we will bring cameras and recording equipment in for consistency in sound quality and lighting. Again, please get in touch via email if you are interested. B’shir V’Shalom With Song and Peace,
Cantor Sternlieb
Cantors in Harmony Friday, November 19 at 7:15 pm
with Cantor Elizabeth Sternlieb and Cantor Elizabeth Goldmann It is my great honor to invite Cantor Elizabeth Goldmann to join me on the bimah for a special musical Shabbat service. We will co-lead some of our favorite sing-able duets. We might even have a surprise trio or three part round in store for you. Please join us in person or on the livestream for this mostly musical Shabbat service in song.
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FEATURED SERIES: EXPLORING PERSPECTIVES ON ISRAEL Listening to the Wide Spectrum of American Jewish Thought on Israel The response to the eruption of violence in Israel and Gaza in May of 2021 revealed a changing perspective on the part of younger American Jews regarding the Jewish State and its relationship with the Palestinian people. In order to fully understand this shift, we are inviting thought leaders representing varying views as expressed by younger American Jews. We invite you to join us in listening, confronting and wrestling with divergent opinions as we consider the relationship between Israel and American Jewry.
Shifra Sered, J Street Regional Director, Tri-State & PA Region Sunday, November 21, 9:00–10:15 am Beit Midrash with live Zoom option Shifra Sered is the J Street Regional Director of the Tri-State and Pennsylvania Region. She joined J Street after returning to the U.S. from living and working in Israel for four years. After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a degree in linguistics and completing a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA in North Carolina, Shifra moved to Israel as part of the NIF/Shatil Social Justice Fellowship. As a New Israel Fund fellow, she worked with two grassroots, bi-national organizations empowering marginalized Jewish and Palestinian communities to organize for a more just and democratic Israel.
Yona Shem-Tov, Executive Director, Encounter NEW DATE! Thursday, December 16, 7:00 pm on Zoom Yona Shem-Tov has worked as a Jewish educator for over 20 years. Prior to joining Encounter in 2011, Yona pursued graduate studies at The Hebrew University and doctoral research in Education and Jewish Studies at New York University as a Wexner Graduate Fellow. Encounter is an educational organization working toward informed, courageous and resilient American & Israeli Jewish communal leadership on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They believe this moment, and responsible Jewish leadership demands of us to engage seriously and directly with both the voices of others in our community and of Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Their programs offer the opportunity to do both, which is a fundamental act of Ahavat Yisrael: Love of One’s People.
Dick and Lee Laster Annual Lecture: David Harris, Chief Executive Officer, AJC Sunday, January 2, 2022, 9:00–10:15 am Beit Midrash with live Zoom option David Harris has led American Jewish Committee (AJC), described by the New York Times as the “dean of American Jewish organizations,” since 1990. He was referred to by the late Israeli President Shimon Peres as the “foreign minister of the Jewish people.” David has been honored more than 20 times, including by the governments of Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Spain, and Ukraine for his international efforts on behalf of the defense of human rights, advancement of the transatlantic partnership, and dedication to the Jewish people. He has written hundreds of articles in leading media outlets. Educated at the University of Pennsylvania and London School of Economics, he has been a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins University and Oxford University.
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RELIGIOUS SCHOOL Religious School Opening By Sandra Stein, TBE Member and Religious School Parent Children are running and playing while learning Hebrew, stretching and kicking alongside their Religious School friends, and enjoying their time outdoors on new TBE camping chairs. On any given Sunday, kindergarteners through fourth graders are practicing yoga or working on music with Cantor Sternlieb. And, on a typical Monday or Thursday, fifth and sixth graders are learning Krav Maga or rehearsing for an upcoming service. Our second graders, in fact, recently kicked off the very first Hebrew STEAM program with Ms. Kellogg. For our fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, this is all part of the “open campus” feel that our Religious School has evolved into, and it is one of the many reasons why our children feel so engaged. Besides these fun enrichments, our fourth, fifth, and sixth graders have been placed in small Hebrew-language groups tracked by Hebrew proficiency. Educational goals have been set higher because these groups now meet twice per week whereas last year it was only once weekly. The Religious School is truly looking forward to a strong year ahead. With so many new families that have joined our TBE community and entrusted us with their children, the hope and goal is for a year filled with old and new friends, tefillah and Shabbat services in person, and lots of Hebrew.
Religious School Staff: Meet Sharon and Elaine By Sandra Stein, TBE Member and Religious School Parent They check your child’s name off while pounding the parking lot pavement or waive your car forward in the busy pick-up line. They both appreciate it when you don’t drive too close to their toes and when you keep moving in the line of traffic. If you haven’t already met, allow us to introduce you to: Hi, I’m Sharon Schipper, the one who asks, “Who are you picking up?” I have been with TBE for about five years and I love being with all the kids. I have two married sons and six grandchildren, that I adore. I’m looking forward to seeing you all on the car line! Hi, my name is Elaine Miskolcze. I am so happy to be joining Temple Beth El as your new Religious School Administrative Assistant. I live with my husband, Joel, and 12 year old son, William, in Pleasantville. I often volunteer at the middle school. I am a professional photographer and in my free time I enjoy hiking and gardening. I am here if you have any questions and look forward to meeting everyone!
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS November 2 No Religious School- Election Day 5 First Friday Family Shabbat with 5th Grade Participation 7:15pm 11 No Religious School- Veteran’s Day 14 2nd Grade Parent Education 16 4th Grade Bible Raps 23 4th Grade Bible Raps 25-28 No Religious School- Thanksgiving Break 29 Menorah Lighting 30 Menorah Lighting
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December 2 Menorah Lighting 3 First Friday Family Shabbat with 3rd Grade Participation 7:15pm 5 Menorah Lighting 5 Kindergarten Parent Education 16 5th Grade StandWithUs 16 6th Grade Conversion Panel 19-31 No Religious School Winter Break January 1-2 No Religious School Winter Break
EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER New Beginnings By Hope Blauner, TBE ECC Director We kicked off the 2021-2022 school year by welcoming the teachers back to the ECC with a week devoted to staff development. Teachers spent time in their classrooms creating environments that would promote curiosity and learning. They brought in elements of home such as rugs, baskets and plants to create warm and inviting spaces. Our educational consultant from Teaching Beyond the Square, Jennifer Carvajal, presented a workshop on provocations which are open-ended invitations designed to inspire questions, thoughts and discussions. And Jen Schmelkin, our social worker through Project SEED, led a discussion about creating healthy partnerships with families. The ECC has always been a way for new families to create long lasting friendships, but due to Covid, there haven’t been many opportunities to socialize. This year looks considerably brighter now that most adults are vaccinated and as a result we are working hard to create events for all our families. Our annual playground playdate, which was held the week before school began, brought children and parents together on the playground. Each age level had a 45-minute block of time to meet up with old friends and of course make new ones. Our front patio has become our new gathering place and it was wonderful to see so many of you at our parent coffees. We also held our first ever caregiver coffee. Fridays have always been a special day of the week at the ECC and this year we’re delighted to invite parents back into the classrooms (on a rotating basis) to celebrate Shabbat with their child. We “light” the candles, sip grape juice and eat soft, delicious challah while the parent(s) read a book to the class. Due to the pandemic, the clergy and our staff have had to think outside the box about how to safely celebrate together. Currently we’ve assigned each age level a revolving Friday to celebrate outdoors on the front patio of the temple. Each class has their own rug to sit on while Rabbi Jaffe, Rabbi Linzer or Cantor Sternlieb lead us in song and Shabbat blessings. And we’re delighted to bring back Tot Shabbat on Fridays at 5:30 in the courtyard while the weather allows. There’s lots of singing and dancing and families are invited to bring their own picnic dinner. Our specialists are back adding lots of fun and enthusiasm to our week. Wednesdays are music days on the front patio with our beloved music teacher Matty Kapatty. Whatever the holiday, Matty always has a song to share. We’re also back spending time in our beautiful garden with Farmer Hillary. Every visit begins with a garden circle and ends with the children digging in one of the beds. There’s so much to see, touch, smell and harvest while in the garden. The children looked at the dark red colors of the amaranth plant, saw how cucumbers and brussels sprouts grow, smelled the mint and even picked zinnias and marigolds. As a living environment the garden is always full of surprises and the children were delighted and excited when they TBE ECC HIGHLIGHTS recently spotted a caterpillar. Our days are truly filled with awe and wonder. November 5 Parent Teacher Conferences- School Closed 5 Tot Shabbat 5:30pm 11 Veteran’s Day-School Closed 24-26 Thanksgiving Break-School Closed December: 3 Tot Shabbat at 5:00 pm 20-31 Holiday Recess-School Closed
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TIKKUN OLAM
Giving Back on Thanksgiving The Tikkun Olam Committee is excited to bring back the Thanksgiving Cooking Program this year. In conjunction with Shaaray Tefila, the cooking program feeds 1500 people Thanksgiving Dinner. Whether it be individuals, families, shelters or homebound seniors, all in need are serviced by this program. Members of Beth El are asked to contribute to the program in a variety of ways this year. We invite you to join us in a way you feel most comfortable with.
Collection * Cooking as a Community * Cooking at Home * Turkey Carving * Delivery
Collection
We will be collecting: white potatoes, turkeys, butter, 9x13 trays, and roasting bags. We ask that you “pledge” to donate on our sign up form so we know what to expect. Food should be dropped off Monday, November 15 through Friday, November 19 (turkeys and butter are best dropped off between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm) *Turkeys dropped off Thursday or Friday should be thawed already
Cooking as a Community
Join us in the Social Hall to cook all together on Sunday, November 21: From 12:00 – 2:00 pm we invite vaccinated members to join us for potato prep. We will be peeling, chopping, and prepping 1000 pounds of potatoes. From 3:00 – 4:00 pm we invite families and all members to join us in our big MASH! Our ECC families will be making their famous cornbread. Please sign up on our website in advance, so we can plan accordingly: www.bethelnw.org/cooking2021
Cooking at Home
Not to worry if you can’t join us on Sunday. Your family can do their own cooking party at home. Cooking a turkey at home would be a huge help. Or, make a tray of mashed potatoes! Our specific recipe and instructions on how we need everything in trays can be found on the website below. Please “pledge” your cooked turkey and/or your tray of mashed potatoes on the sign up form so we know what to expect. Drop off your cooked items Sunday, November 21 between 12:00 and 4:00 pm or Tuesday, November 23 between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm.
Turkey Carving
We will be carving our cooked turkeys on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm. We ask that only vaccinated adults attend this year. Please sign us so we may plan accordingly. Carvers should bring their carving knife and cutting board.
Delivery
On Wednesday and Thursday we will need assistance bringing our food to Shaaray Tefila, and meals from Shaaray Tefila to those in need. For full details, please see our webpage: www.bethelnw.org/Thanksgiving Huge thanks to our Tikkun Olam Committee: Marla Brickman, Norma Klein, Pam Klein, and Diane Thaler.
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CARING COMMITTEE The Caring Committee is Here for You! By Rachel Rosin, TBE Member and Caring Committee Co-Chair Imagine this scene. You’re home from the hospital following orthopedic surgery. You’re recuperating fine with the help of a visiting nurse who begins your physical rehabilitation. After a couple of weeks, it’s time for you to start a course of physical therapy at an outside facility and you’ll need to go twice a week for at least an hour each visit. There’s only one problem…your rehab sessions are scheduled during the week in the middle of the day. You’re home alone. Your spouse is at work and so is your great next door neighbor. So how are you going to get there? Shouldn’t be a big deal but it is…how do I know? Because it happened to me. Five years ago I had a knee replacement and needed to get to and from Club Fit for 9 weeks, twice a week. Doesn’t sound like an insurmountable problem, does it? Well, if you’re home alone and cannot drive it could have been. But thanks to the Caring Committee at Temple Beth El, I was taken to and picked up from my rehab sessions by some very gracious and caring volunteers. Why am I telling you my story? Because as a Temple Beth El congregant you should know about the Caring Committee in the event your family ever needs our help. After my recovery ended I joined the committee so I too could help out our congregation when needed. I learned about all the other good deeds they perform and with the help of the Committee co-chair Penny Hamlet, I was able to assist as we provided a Shiva meal for a family after a funeral. In addition to driving to doctors and other appointments, the Caring Committee does so much more like visiting a member in need of company and a home cooked meal; delivering a baby gift to a member with a newborn as well as helping a homebound member with shopping and other chores. If you think you can lend a hand or an offer to drive, or volunteer during our annual Mitzvah Day activity please contact Penny, or me or one of the other Caring Committee co-chairs…we could certainly use your help. Our email addresses are below. Penny Hamlet (PHAMLET18@aol.com) Norma Klein (normaklein5@gmail.com) Pamela Klein (pamelaklein24@gmail.com) Rachel Rosin (racherosin@aol.com)
Thank you to all who donated to our Caring Committee Children’s Book Drive in October. This was our biggest book donation yet! Thank you to our volunteers for organizing and delivering the books to the Ossining Children’s Center.
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COMMUNAL CHANUKAH LIGHTINGS Chanukah comes early this year! Sunday, November 28 – Monday, December 6 We are delighted to offer multiple opportunities to gather outdoors for communal lighting of our Chanukiah. Gatherings will take place at 6:30 pm in Chappaqua, Briarcliff and Pleasantville as follows: Tuesday, November 30 at the Rogovin Family Home (70 Ashland Avenue, Pleasantville) Wednesday, December 1 at the Ben-Zvi Family Home (51 Cherry Hill Court, Briarcliff Manor) Thursday, December 2 at the Rothstein Family Home (35 Taylor Road, Mount Kisco) Bring a warm mug and join us!
Friday, December 3
At 5:00 pm we will hold Tot-Shabbat in the Social Hall At 7:15 pm we will host our 3rd grade families in the Sanctuary and the congregation on the live-stream
TBE COMMUNITY
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High Holy Day Hike with Norma Klein
Board of Trustees Social Gathering
NYC Bike Ride with Rabbi Jaffe
Westmoreland Sanctuary Hike
ECC Parents Cocktail Party
Beth El Oktoberfest
B’NEI MITZVAH Appears in print only
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vjna CELEBRATE at
FACILITY RENTAL
TBE!
From weddings and life-cycle events to private gatherings, business functions, and lectures, Temple Beth El’s stunning new facilities provide an exceptional setting for all types of special occasions and events.
For rental inquiries or to schedule a tour of our facilities, please call Carmen Stevens 914.238.3928 ext. 1312 or email cstevens@bethelnw.org. We look forward to helping you create a memorable event. For more information, please visit www.bethelnw.org/facility_rental.
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B’NEI MITZVAH CONFERENCES BIRTHDAY PARTIES LECTURES MEETINGS CELEBRATIONS WEDDINGS
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS The Widening Chasm Between Younger American Jews and Israel Rosh Hashanah Morning Sermon 5782 Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe Like plate tectonics, there are times in which elements of society drift apart without anyone noticing. But then suddenly, an earthquake erupts, awakening us to the gaping chasm between us. Perhaps this best describes the events of this past May, in which violence between Israel and Gaza unleashed a tidal wave of animosity and vitriol towards the Jewish state, led by scores of younger Americans, many of them Jews. Street protests and demonstrations called for both the end of the occupation and quite often, the outright destruction of the state of Israel. In some instances, angry marches gave way to violence, with synagogues vandalized and Jews beaten for their assumed support of Israel. While we have seen much of this before, what is new is the increasing disaffiliation from Israel demonstrated by younger American Jews. This past June, following the conflict, the non-profit Jewish Electorate Institute polled a range of American Jews regarding their feelings about Israel and found a widening gap between older Jews and those under 40. While 1 in 4 American Jews accuse Israel as being an apartheid state - a worrying statistic already - the number for younger American Jews is 1 in 3. While 1 in 5 American Jews accuse Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinians the rate drops to 1 in 3 for Jews under 40. While 1 in 10 American Jews feel that Israel does not have a right to exist, the number for younger American Jews is 1 in 5. It is clear that our youth are displaying greater indifference if not outright hostility towards the Jewish state. How can we understand this? I have spoken to many parents within our congregation, concerned to see their adult children displaying such alienation from Israel. Some have approached me, asking for advice in speaking with their kids. Others have asked if I can speak to their children for them, as they do not know what to say and feel unable or unqualified to speak about Israel and the Palestinian conflict. And frankly, I empathize with them. I have had the opportunity to speak with a few young adults from our own community and hear their deeply critical feelings about Israel and how we teach about it in our community. And later in this talk, I will propose a way to listen to and understand these views. But as Rabbi, I’d like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts as well. And in all, I believe that the changing climate around Israel is due to four major factors. First, we cannot skate around the issue of the ongoing occupation of the Palestinian people. Yes, we can speak about the origins of the occupation, continued Palestinian intransigence against compromise, Palestinian institutional corruption, and the ever present threat of violence and terrorism against Israeli Jews. But the fact remains that for the past 54 years, the Palestinians living in the West Bank have not held complete agency over their borders, movement and economic development. And after 54 years, we can no longer pretend that this occupation is temporary and that a two state solution is right around the corner. With every new settlement erected, the possibility of such a solution recedes. Even in Gaza, which has been unoccupied since 2005, Israel controls what comes in and out and who is able to enter or leave. Whether you believe the security situation merits this control, the limitations on freedom nonetheless exist. This is not a left wing position but freely dis13
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS cussed and understood within Israeli discourse and the halls of the Knesset. And for progressive American Jews, many raised upon the Jewish value of tikkun olam - the repair of the world - the ongoing occupation casts a moral stain upon the Jewish state. This can not be overlooked or explained away. At the same time, it would be naive to believe that if tomorrow Israel were to announce an immediate withdrawal to the 1967 borders, it would be warmly welcomed into the brotherhood of nations. After all, Israel’s enemies attempted to destroy her in both 1947 and 1967, long before a single settlement had been built, and weathered a series of pre-state pogroms and murderous violence against Jews. Hamas’ charter clearly states that the end of settlements is not the goal; only the full destruction of the land of Israel will suffice. And when protesters call to free Palestine from the river to the sea, knowingly or not, they are calling for the eradication of Jews from the entire region. And yet despite all of this, the settlements remain a deeply complicating and odious element for many American Jews, especially those under 40, who have only known Israel as an occupying force. Second, militant depiction of Israel was supercharged under the leadership of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and more recently, former President Donald Trump. Under Netanyahu’s record 12 years at the helm, in coalition with right wing and religious parties, Israel accelerated its development of the settlements, displayed open hostility toward Israel’s Arab population and often spurned American Jews, including negating a planned egalitarian section of the western wall and refusing to recognize non-orthodox weddings. The highly touted partnership between Netanyahu and Trump only further soured younger, progressive American Jews against Israel. As Israelis tend to assess American presidents based on their international policies, namely, taking a hard line against Israel’s enemies, American Jews increasingly value domestic policies, like voting rights and healthcare. And so younger and more liberal American Jews stood aghast when Israelis overwhelmingly clamored for Trump. And Israelis scratched their heads to see American Jews not prioritizing their Jewish brethren at the polls. Both sides got the message: our priorities are misaligned. Those Jews living across the world neither share my values nor care about my well-being. They are not like me. And so the communities grew further distanced from one another. Third, we cannot overstate the impact of the American political climate, significantly influenced by the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements, which places the cardinal sins of racism, bias and inequality at the very heart of American debate. It is no wonder that as our youth fight for equality and freedom here in the United States, they cast their gaze across the Mediterranean and judge the Jewish state by the same parameters. While equal standards are certainly laudable, it can also be dangerously misleading to understand the complex details of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through an American lens. Israeli journalist Matti Friedman writes about the tendency of Americans to view foreign conflicts like our own. He points to Leon Uris’ famous epic Exodus and the subsequent movie, featuring the blond haired, blue eyed, Paul Newman, in which Israel is portrayed through patently American eyes. Exodus is not really a story about Israel but rather about America within an Israeli backdrop. Friedman argues that Western observers are often similarly tempted to see foreign countries as mirrors of their own, because it makes the sto14
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS ry more compelling, relatable and palatable for members of their audience. Unfortunately, this also means they can analyze other societies without going to the considerable trouble of learning about them, studying the language and spending one minute living there. And so for many younger American Jews, if Black Lives Matter demands that I stand in solidarity with abused minority populations of color, then Palestinians deserve no less. Such a connection overlooks so many crucial facts: that most Israelis are equally people of color, that Israel has made repeated attempts to make peace and share the land, that unlike the African American community, Palestinian leaders have engaged in terrorism to pursue their goals and refuse to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist. But such a rebuttal requires nuance and knowledge. A conflict that looks nothing like our own issues here in the US; one between two peoples who both hold indigenous claims to the same plot of land, is somehow understood as akin to American colonialism and imperialism. Israel’s support for Jewish peoplehood is understood as ethno-nationalism. Creating a contiguous border is ethnic cleansing. Gaza is Ferguson. The Palestinians are George Floyd and Israelis are Dereck Chauvin, with their knees upon their necks. And everything I ever needed to know about Israel I learned through my Instagram feed. As so many memes summarize, “It’s just that simple”. The only problem is, it never is. Of course, these hastily constructed metaphors fail to hold any nuance or understanding of the situation. But defending against them requires knowledge of Jewish history and political science. No wonder our congregants feel so overwhelmed that they ask for the rabbi to talk to their children about Israel. Which brings us to the fourth and final factor towards the lack of affinity towards Israel by younger American Jews: privilege. My grandfather Samuel Epstein was a proud Jew, an engaged member of the Jewish community and a strong Zionist. I have a picture of him standing in Two Aviv, realizing his dream to finally visit Israel, with a wide grin on his face, taking in the scenery. Samuel’s parents had both fled Poland to escape murderous pogroms and later the Holocaust. His family settled in Skokie, Illinois, where the Klu Klux Klan famously marched to remind the Jewish community that they were not welcome and would never be fully accepted. No one needed to explain to my grandpa Sam why Jews needed safe refuge in a country of their own. His mother did not have to ask the rabbi to talk to her son about why Israel should exist. His synagogue was not criticized for doing a poor job of educating him on the specifics of Israeli history and international relations. And no one would dare make the case to my grandpa Sam that Zionism was racist or a form of colonialism. Back then, the story was fairly simple. For 2,000 years, our lack of a Jewish homeland had left us vulnerable to attack and abuse. The founding of the State of Israel was not only a form of restorative justice, but an ailment to Jewish insecurity throughout the world, because for the first time, we had a place to go. Zionism’s greatest achievement was that it ended Jewish homelessness. Even for those Jews living in the diaspora, Zionism meant that our host countries could no longer threaten us with exile and cajole us into obedience. Now, we Jews would have a homeland that would never turn its back on us. Finally, we Jews, just like every other people, would have the opportunity to live in our own land, pro15
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS tected by our own people. Fast forward to today and despite the ongoing threat of anti-semitism, the fact is that most younger American Jews do not feel vulnerable. They don’t think about needing a place to go. On the contrary, they feel the weight of privilege. And so the actor Seth Rogen can make news by talking about how Israel makes no sense to him and why, if you are trying to protect a people, you would put them all in the same place where they can be attacked. Rogen intimates that we Jews would actually be safer by returning to a purely diasporic existence, spread among the nations but without a home of our own. And such a viewpoint can only be voiced by someone of extreme privilege, who themselves has never had to flee or seek shelter from ethnic violence. And this might be true for Rogen, who grew up in a wealthy Vancouver suburb. But try telling the Jews of Yemen, Iraq or Tunisia, that they would have been better off without Israel when their own countries turned against them. Or the Jews of Argentina, where 20 years ago the economy collapsed and suddenly the Jewish population was predictably scapegoated, leading to a mass emigration to Israel. Zionism can only be understood once stripped from the veneer of privilege. And in 21st century America, our Jewish youth are more likely to feel the guilt of white privilege than the insecurity of minority status. And then Instagram memes and TikTok videos heap on, portraying Israel through this perverted American lens: white privileged Jews benefiting from the systemic racism of an indigenous people; even though not a word of that sentence is remotely accurate. Once this happens, you can kiss your facts goodbye. The Palestinian population can steadily grow, easily outpacing its Israeli counterpart, yet Israel can be accused of genocide. A country which features members of the ethnic minority on its supreme court, in its legislative majority coalition, and freely throughout state and industry can be condemned as Apartheid. A wall erected to quell an onslaught of suicide bombings can be called segregation. These labels are no accident. Take whatever qualities might be considered most odious to younger Americans and you will find them directed at Israel. Racist. Colonialist. Ethno-nationalist. Imperialist. Genocidal. In this critique, Israel is not only portrayed as morally flawed, but the modern equivalent of the seven deadly sins. What my Grandpa Sam understood as a modern miracle has been recast as a blight upon humanity. Israel has been rebranded as un-American. So there’s my unbiased opinion. But as I tragically fall out of that under-40 bracket, I don’t assume that you all agree with me, and certainly not all of our kids. As I mentioned earlier, I have sat with younger members of our congregation and heard scathing rebukes of the Jewish State. And while I might vehemently disagree, I also realize that if I am going to suggest maintaining a semblance of humility when approaching the Jewish state, I need to demonstrate that ability as well. And so after all of this talking, I will cede the platform and invite you to join me in the process of listening. This year, we will be embarking on a survey of the wide spectrum of views about Israel, including many representatives of those under 40. For those in person, please find our adult education catalog on your chairs. For those at home, it was included in your temple bulletin and also may be found online: www.bethelnw.org/adult-ed. Please join me for this 16
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS monthly series in which we will confront divergent opinions about Israel from experts in the field and hear about how our community is seeking to redefine the relationship between Israeli and American Jews. Let us keep our ears to ground, lest the tectonic shifts below continue unnoticed. I ask you to bring your questions but not your preconceived ideas or biases. I will do my best to do the same. May this year of 5782 present us with opportunities to learn and grow, by making ourselves available to opinions we do not share. Perhaps we might eventually find common ground, not in forced belief that everything Israel does is right, or that everything Israel does is wrong, but in having a reason to care for the welfare of the one Jewish State, and that it fulfill the utopian vision as articulated by the prophet Isaiah: Vehalchu Goyim Le’orech to serve as a light upon the nations u’Melachim lengah zarchech And for her neighbors a source of splendor
HIGH HOLY DAY SERVICES 2021
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HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS Learning Self-Compassion Kol Nidre Sermon 5782 Rabbi Maura Linzer When it was time to begin writing this sermon, the very last thing I wanted to talk about was Covid. I remember saying out loud, “I am beyond done with Covid.” And if I may add, it was quite convincing. But as the weeks rolled on through the summer, I became less convinced, and I began to worry more. I’m sure you and I worried about the same things: the Delta variant, unvaccinated children, immunocompromised loved ones, and then the ultimate blow: the dreaded breakthrough cases. And since Yom Kippur calls upon us to be fully honest and transparent with ourselves, I’ll admit, I’ve never even come close to being done with Covid. Living with my own asthma, two unvaccinated children, and the responsibility of caring for your children, whom I love like my own, I found myself preoccupied with research studies, protocols, and recommendations. If I needed a break, I’d take a quick scroll through social media which presented a happier, calmer version of reality. But those pictures didn’t tell the whole story. If we had a camera rolling all summer, we would have seen images of worry, angst, anxiety, and fear too. The kind of moments we keep private and tucked away; the ones we only share with those closest to us. Yet, we have all struggled during the last 18 months and most of us continue to do so. During the pandemic, the rate of adults with symptoms of anxiety or depressive disorders quadrupled. According to recent polling, over half of young Americans express regular moments of feeling down, depressed or hopeless.” The American Camp Association reported higher levels of fragility and volatility among campers this summer and longer periods of homesickness than in the past and among older children. Jewish summer camps reported increases in “…eating disorders and anxiety that can manifest as sleep disorders, panic attacks or self-harm.” The mental health crisis in our community is real and touches everyone. Tonight, we recite one of the quintessential sections of High Holiday liturgy, Unetanah Tokef. This poem, with its disturbing imagery, describes how God renders judgment upon us on Rosh Hashanah and seals our fate on Yom Kippur. But at its core, the prayer reminds us that God already knows the totality of who we are, even if we struggle to understand ourselves. Nothing is hidden from God. Therefore, it’s pointless to try to conceal any part of ourselves: our pain, our anguish, our depression, and our sadness. Unetanah Tokef acknowledges that each of us faces challenges. They’re an inevitable part of life. And God never becomes impatient with us as we strive to confront these challenges in an effort to become a better version of ourselves. In fact, every year, we are given an opportunity to look at ourselves anew. Unetanah Tokef reveals that God is merciful and understanding. God shows us compassion, and we need to learn how to do the same for ourselves. And Dr. Kristin Neff is the person to teach us how to practice self-compassion in three steps. She’s a leader and pioneer in the field. 18
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS The first is for us to acknowledge that we are suffering or in pain. Tonight, and tomorrow, we have a rare opportunity: sacred time and space to ask ourselves difficult questions. How are we really doing? How are we feeling? What has the past year and a half been like for us? Each of us has felt pain. It is a part of life. And the sooner we become aware of our pain, the sooner we can choose how to work with it and relate to it. Which brings us to Dr. Neff’s second step: self-kindness. Now, most of us are good at being kind and empathetic to others. When loved ones are going through a hard time, we know how to be present for them. But most of us aren’t so great at being kind and compassionate to ourselves. If we can receive and accept what we are feeling without judgment, then we become ready to embrace the pain we are feeling. Dr. Christiane Wolf, an expert on chronic pain, suggests trying to get ourselves to the place of responding to our own pain with statements like “This really hurts” or “This is a moment of struggle.” I’ll be the first to admit, I am the worst at accepting my own emotional struggles. I was really depressed the first few weeks of the summer. I had made it through a year and a half of remote learning with my two young children: a miracle unto itself. While I was mindful of how difficult the pandemic had been on me, I couldn’t accept my own pain. I thought that I needed to quash my feelings, to try and get myself “back to normal,” whatever that meant. The moment I demonstrated just an ounce of kindness to myself, everything changed. When I removed unrealistic expectations of how I thought I was supposed to feel, I felt free. The third and final step is to practice shared compassion. This means that once we have accepted our own pain or struggle, it’s important for us to connect with others, who are in a similar place. When we share our stories with others, we help to normalize the grief we are all feeling. Every week our clergy team makes yahrzeit calls to those in our community who are remembering loved ones. Tuesdays are the day that I make my calls. Over the years, I grew accustomed to frequently reaching voicemails and answering machines. I’d leave a message. Sometimes people would call me back. Most often, not. But about two months into the pandemic something changed. Instead of being sent to voicemails, people began eagerly answering the phone. I had conversations lasting 30 minutes or longer. The more I shared about my own difficulties or those happening in our community, the more others shared. I realize that clergy are in a very special position--granted access into the most intimate moments in others’ lives. This is a sacred part of our role. Hearing about what you were facing, normalized my own experiences and created sacred space for both of us. We talked about the challenging and lonely moments of the pandemic, but also celebrated the much-anticipated arrival of vaccines and other joyous moments along the way. Although these calls were intended to support you, you all lifted me up in the process. Something else happened this summer too. For the first time on my weekly calls, I sensed renewed optimism and hope. People shared stories about their long-awaited vacations and 19
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS their children’s wonderful summers at camp. They told me about joyful moments spent with extended family and the excitement of meeting new babies born during the pandemic. Although we face another year of living in a Covid-centric world, we are in a better place than we were last year on Yom Kippur. Most of us are vaccinated, and a third booster is on its way. It looks like in the coming months, children over five will have access to vaccines. Even my own children are back in school. Despite the uncertainty of the future, there are so many things for which to be grateful. We made it. Let’s pause to acknowledge our gratitude: How grateful we are for having survived all that we’ve been through. I’d like to recite Birkat haGomel, a public, communal declaration of gratitude. We recite it when we have survived a life-threatening or life altering ordeal. While it is traditionally a call and response prayer, today, let’s recite the whole blessing together. If you are able, please rise and repeat after me: Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech HaOlam Sheg’malanu Kol Tov. This means, “we lift our hearts and give thanks to the Holy One, who has bestowed goodness upon us.” And I offer the response, “Mi sheg’malchem kol tov, hu yigmolchem kol tov selah,” meaning May the One who is endlessly compassionate and has bestowed so much goodness upon us, continue to bestow blessings upon us forever. Kayn Y’hi Ratzon. May this be God’s will.
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS Post Traumatic Growth, Then and Now Yom Kippur Morning Sermon 5782 Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe I’d like to begin my comments this morning with a brief history lesson. In the year 586 BCE, after years of besiegement, the Babylonian Empire, under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Jerusalem and destroyed its great temple. Fearing the Israelites would rebel against Babylonian rule, Nebuchadnezzar exiled the majority of the Israelite population, including its religious and political leaders, to Babylon, to be forcibly assimilated into Babylonian culture. This episode is well recorded in the Hebrew Bible, by exiled leaders such as Jeremiah and Isaiah, and notably in the books of Lamentations and Psalms. You might even be familiar with the 137th Psalm, which reads, “By the rivers of Babylon, where we sat down, and there we wept as we remembered Zion.” After 700 years of sovereignty, going back to the days of Moses and Joshua, the Israelites suffered the incredible trauma of defeat and exile. This should have been the end of Jewish history, as it was for so many peoples conquered and forcibly assimilated by the Babylonians. But rather than fade into oblivion, Judaism 20
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS instead evolved and grew. Separated from the land and temple which had served as the people’s foundation and central focus, Judaism became personal and portable, now prioritizing rituals and communal observances. The concept of Shabbat as a day of rest became normative. Circumcision became a dominant practice. While Judaism earlier demonstrated a theology of monolatry - the belief that your God is the strongest among many Gods - the Jews of Babylon were influenced by Zoroastrianism towards monotheism - the existence of only one God. The Jewish calendar came into shape, including established months and the seasonal festivals of Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot, as well as Rosh Hashanah and a day of purification, known as Yom Kippur. It is no coincidence then, that the Jewish calendar so closely mirrors the signs of the Babylonian Zodiac, with Passover taking place during Aries, the sign of the ram; and today, Yom Kippur during Libra, the sign of the scales, weighing merits against transgressions. A fixed liturgy for prayer emerged and the Torah reading days of Mondays and Thursday were established in parallel with Babylonian market days. The concept of translating and explaining the Torah also became en vogue, as the Jews of Babylon spoke Aramaic and could no longer understand the text. In all, what should have been the end of Judaism resulted instead in an explosion of creativity and innovation. History then takes a strange turn. After only half a century, the Persian empire, under the leadership of Cyrus the great, overthrew the Babylonians. The newly dominant Persians granted the Israelites a limited form of independence, as a buffer against Egypt to the West. Led by the governor Nehemiah and scribe Ezra, a new generation of Israelites, born and raised in Babylon, returned to their native land. Here, they encountered the remnant of the Israelite community that had never left, and had therefore maintained the same form of Judaism all along. The resulting power struggle begged the question: which was the authentic expression of Judaism? The static practice of those who had remained? Or the community which had evolved under traumatic circumstances? The answer, of course, lies in the fact that we sit here today inside the synagogue, observing the rituals of Yom Kippur. Ultimately, the “real” expression of Judaism was confirmed as that which responded to catastrophe with the experimentation and innovation that became the hallmark of Jewish survivalism. We continue to live by this ethic today. My friend and mentor, psychologist Dr. Betsy Stone, teaches on the concept of post traumatic growth, as opposed to the idea of resilience. Dr. Stone defines resilience as being able to return to status quo behaviors after enduring a short term setback. For instance, a storm hits our area and we clean up the mess, deal with the damage and move on. Resilience allows us to pick ourselves up and continue on our path undaunted. While laudable, this quality stands separate from post traumatic growth, which may occur only when the status quo is suddenly rendered untenable. After all, trauma takes place when something overturns our lives to the point that we can no longer return to who we once were. At this point, we face a choice between two paths - become paralyzed by our circumstances, or adapt by fundamentally changing who we are and what we do. Our people faced such a decision some 2,600 years ago. And we face the same point of inflection today. At the outset, Covid-19 seemed to require our resilience. After all, two weeks of isolation would allow us to get ahead of the curve and return to normal life. But as weeks stretched into months, it became clear that our lives would quite never be the same. On the last 21
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS weekend before Covid struck, I sat shoulder to shoulder among 16,000 fellow participants of the AIPAC conference in Washington, D.C., packed into a convention hall. Now, I don’t know when I might ever be comfortable walking into a crowded room filled with thousands of unmasked people. I flew back from the conference and poked fun at Rabbi Linzer for wearing a mask on the plane. Now, the idea of sitting maskless in a metal tube filled with strangers, breathing upon one another, feels eerie. And like you, I experienced a sense of trauma. I think it really hit me last summer, when it became clear that we had to pre-record our high holy day services and not actually be together as one community. Personally, the realization was devastating to the point that I was on the verge of tears while speaking with our team. Similarly demoralizing was coming to terms with the fact that I would not be able to meet weekly, in person with our b’nei mitzvah or high school students, who give me such joy and teach me so much. Or when at the height of Covid, as cemeteries were not allowing mourners to be physically present, I stood alone, in the rain, my cell phone propped up against a gravestone as our congregants watched me bury their loved one on Zoom. As a self-identified extrovert and people-person, I did not go into the rabbinate in order to sit at home in front of a computer screen. And so the migration to online platforms threatened my very self identity and caused me to question who I was. I have no doubt that many of us have gone through similar processes of denial, frustration, bargaining and acceptance. We are the generation of Babylon, the life we once knew now extinguished, exiled from our former sense of who we are. As privileged as we may be to be able to work from home, send our kids to school and spend quality time outdoors, in our own way, each of us has experienced trauma. I give a ton of credit to my colleagues and the lay leaders of our congregation, for exhibiting the creativity and can-do spirit of our ancestors. By last fall, our entire religious school had been transformed into an outdoor camp of tents and socially distanced activities, utilizing every inch of our campus. As Rabbi Linzer noted on Rosh Hashanah, the curriculum was overhauled to better suit the new reality of outdoor learning augmented by online tools. Cantor Sternlieb produced a series of concerts and facilitated a drive by Purim with the Megillah chanted over radio frequency. Simchat Torah was celebrated with a car parade with candy thrown out the window. We held our first congregational Passover Seder and added a Rosh Hashanah one to boot. As for me, I maintained my sense of self by bringing my folding chair to the lawn of any and every congregant who would have me. Bobo’s cafe here in town became my second office and point of intersection. And I was thrilled to celebrate B’nei Mitzvah, first over zoom and then in small numbers in our sanctuary. Together, we as a congregation strove to maintain our traditions through adaptation and ingenuity. We continue to do so today, even here with our hybrid services. The funny thing is, just as the generation of Babylon, we discovered that some of our innovations actually improved our experience, to the point that it is hard to imagine entirely reverting back. In streaming Friday evening shabbat services, we discovered an entirely new community of congregants who were now free to participate, often in sweatpants or pajamas, with toddlers or pets by their side. The barrier to entry was lowered and the experience democratized. If and when we move on from Covid, periodic zoom services are here to stay. While at first it felt odd, online memorial services and shivas allowed individuals throughout the globe to gather together to comfort our mourners. Aided by technology, families began to share video montages, family pictures and recordings. In the long term, I 22
HIGH HOLY DAY SERMONS could see in-person shivas being supplemented by an online forum for out of town friends and family. Forced by technology to shrink the size of our Hebrew learning classes, we discovered that our students learn best in small groups. And so under Rabbi Linzer’s supervision, we overhauled our pre-B’nei Mitzvah Hebrew program to focus on this pedagogy. Under Covid, the B’nei Mitzvah experience became a bit less bloated and a lot more intimate. Many students genuinely preferred the new setting, some confiding that they were quietly relieved to celebrate their simcha in front of close family and friends only. We can now offer an option for students who struggle with anxiety and might prefer to become B’nei Mitzvah within the comfort of their own home. Whereas large B’nei Mitzvah celebrations are endemic to our area, with large gatherings unavailable, we experienced a recalibration of priorities around the B’nei Mitzvah ritual itself, something I am hopeful will continue. And while we clergy members love all of our students and their friends, it has frankly been a relief to lead B’nei Mitzvah services without worrying about crowd control for 100 unattended children and their phones. In all, Covid has forced us to re-examine the purpose and benefit of the modern synagogue for the 21st century. The challenge is both overwhelming and inspiring. I thank you for joining and supporting us on this journey. I recognize that each of us could tell the same story within our own personal and professional lives. As temporary circumstances became more permanent, each of us has been challenged to let go of our preconceived notion of who we are, what we do and how we go about doing it. Our vocations have shifted in ways we could not have imagined. For many in our congregation, Covid has also meant more time spent with family, freed from long commutes and around the clock availability. Things have slowed down, at least a bit, with less of an expectation that we be everywhere, all the time. Originally, the goal was to return to normal, especially when a temporary situation called for our resilience. But as the pandemic continued and each of us experienced our own form of trauma, Covid has both challenged and changed us, perhaps in some way even for the better. We know that we cannot simply return to the past, and that the future is brighter anyways. Yom Kippur offers us the opportunity to reflect on the past year, clarify what improvements we want to make, and put into place the behaviors that will bring these changes to fruition. It has never been about staying the same and reverting to who we thought we were. Rather, Yom Kippur invites us, like our ancestors in Babylon, to imagine what we might become, and provides structure to consider how we might get there. And so on this Yom Kippur 5782, I invite each of us to let go of the hope that we might experience this pandemic unfazed. Such expectations only lead to guilt for not being “strong enough” to weather the storm and remain intact. Our tradition discarded this false idol some two and a half millennia ago, when the Jews of Babylon usurped those who had remained behind and failed to change at all. As our ancestors demonstrated in the days of exile, true strength comes in experiencing trauma, letting go of our past, and discovering who we want to be. Perhaps then we might follow the words of the exiled Psalmist, HaZorim Bedimah Berina Yiktzoru Those who sow in tears shall reap with joy (Psalm 127) 23
JOYS & SORROWS RECENT GIFTS
July 28–October 8, 2021 Betty & Jack Bader Adult Education Fund Norman & Terry Cohen in memory of Dr. Robert Redston Cantor’s Discretionary Fund Laurence & Stacey Pfeffer in honor of Samuel Pfeffer’s Bat Mitzvah Caring Community Fund Ronni Diamondstein in honor of Rhonda Regan Frederick & Vicki Feiner Jonathan & Maxine Ferencz in memory of Stuart Clayman Steven & Susan Sorrel in memory of Sandra Lee Levy Brachfeld Scott & Melissa Singer in memory of Helen Biren Scott & Melissa Singer in memory of Albert Singer Steven & Susan Sorrel in memory of Danielle Leventhal Steven & Susan Sorrel in memory Samuel Perlmutter Steven & Susan Sorrel in memory of Barbara Pfeffer Steven & Susan Sorrel in memory of Barry David Weiss Clergy’s Discretionary Fund Gary & Ivy Braun in honor of Dylan Ari’s Bar Mitzvah Paul & Susan Harinstein in honor of our granddaughter, Allison Gordon, on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah Noah Sorkin & Stephanie Saltzman in memory of Danielle Leventhal Stuart & Laura Tainsky in honor of Lilah Tainsky becoming a Bat Mitzvah Early Childhood Center Fund Jordan & Samantha Cohen in memory of Jon Blauner Jordan & Samantha Cohen in honor of Summer Camp Staff Flower Fund Arlen & Kathy Goldberg in memory of Marilyn Campanello Arlen & Kathy Goldberg in memory of Ruth Kramer Gregory Altman Music & Arts Fund Joan Kolbert in memory of Jon Kolbert Israel Action Special Fund Adrienne Shiloff in memory of Nat Horowitz Adrienne Shiloff in memory of Hyman Shiloff Adrienne Shiloff in memory of Mollie Shiloff
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YAHRZEITS November 1-6 Jack Crespin Jean Downey Gabrielle Epter Corrine Falk Shirley Finger Sol Ginsburg Sheldon Glickman Sy Goodstadt Max Jaffe Bert Kaplowitz Ann Lerman Gloria Lewis Beatrice Make Jerome Neuberger Emily Petak Isaac Saias Miriam Sammet Herman Stern Pinchus Yunger November 7-13 Lynn Altman Edward Ross Aranow Ira Bass Shirley Berman Fay Bernstein Nancy Ciner Sarah Claymore Beatrice Cohn Miriam Deutsch Gabriel Gelber Ellen Gellert Robert Jonap Jay Josephs Lorraine Nachbar Samuel Rosenzweig Betty Schwab Morgan Yale Swirsky Daniel Turman November 14-20 Harry Adler Miriam Bassin Sally Ehrlich Robert Fast Martha Gellert Philip Ginness Ruth Gold Miles Kahan Max Kolbert Susan Pariser Jerry Press Elizabeth Quinn
Leon Rosenblatt Ina Routman Frances Vexler Stephen Wildstrom Florence Wolf Selma Yagoda November 21-27 Elizabeth Abrams Jack Bader Benjamin Bloom Molly Cohen Helen Storch Dorman Cynthia Finkel Samuel Frisch Louise Goldberg Rita Goldberg Max Greenwald Fanny Hardy Jerome Heffer Siegfried Isaac Ezra Kaplan Edward Karel Henry Lehrer Betty Liber Samuel Lowen Olga Soldevilla Narvaez Thelma Sack Ella Shabes Irving Shepard Marvin Wein Janet Wittenberg Marvin Woolf Margot Wortsman Frank Yablans November 28December 4 Abraham Braslow Stefan Corbin Esther Fleischman Mildred Frisch Leonore Goldberg Max Kivel Joanne Kuehl Mitchell Levy Samuel Levy Meyer Lewis Evelyn Meisel Benjamin Nachbar Ben Nadel Mildred Rothenberg Bertha Schwartz Mark Shaiken
JOYS & SORROWS December 5-11 Andrew Bachenheimer Joseph Berman Lee Blum Joseph Cahn Barbara Cohen Mildred Danziger Jerry Downey Ruth Fishman Judith Gilman Marvin Goldberg Muriel Gloria Goldsmith Betty Goldstein Stuart Gollin Elisa Renee Goodman Mary Haberman Fran Katcher Samuels George Katz Simon Kellman Melvin Kesselman Richard Knox Gilbert Lipshutz Eva Margolis Candace McBride Israel Naman Harold Rosenblum Elaine Talbot Sam Wichter Stewart Winner December 12-18 Muriel Berger Gail Bernstein Rae Braunstein Shirley Dobkin Debby Franklin Eleanor Gruen Harold M. Harrison Evelyn Herrick Howard Josephs Claire Nieburg Katcher Samuel Kaufman Irving Kraus Norma Pisetsky Betty-Ruth Potts Evelyn Rhodes Jed Satow Thelma Silverman Charles Sterling Aaron Saul Tell Michael Zale December 19-25 Max Elbaum Harold Friedlander Clara Beeber Galowit
Ray Glickman Lisa Grubel Evelyn Handler Esther Jacobs Charles Joseph Eleanor Maisell Maxwell Ochser Claire Rolbein Alan Rosenbluth Bernard Sorkin William Spitalny Eli Tanklefsky December 26-31 Robert Abrams Mildred Axelrod Rebecca Beckwith Janice Bernstein Elaine Brown Barbara Cohen Lorenza Duran Johanna Eisenstein Irma Eisenstein William Epter Irme Gellert Ruth Gewitz Raymond Hoffman Abraham Katcher Sylvia Levin Arthur Meyers Selma Miller Dorothy Perlmutter Alan Routman Arthur Sarowitz Robert Shultz Sarah Sanders Shultz Joseph Weinstein Rebecca Zeller
RECENT GIFTS (Continued) Neidich Education Scholarship Endowment Fund David & Janis Adler in memory of Harry Adler Prayer Book Fund Richard & Susan Denmark Rabbi Educator Discretionary Fund Michael & Whitney Bagliebter in memory of Marvin Schachter Bernice Bassin in memory of Milton Bassin Marc & Debi Fried in appreciation of Rabbi Linzer’s work with Sasha David & Leslie Hinderstein Perry Levine in memory of Beatrice Levine Alan & Caren Raylesberg Rich & Jane Zenker in memory of Barbara Mirken Senior Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund Bruce & Doria Bachenheimer in gratitude for the Rabbi’s help and kindness to our family in a challenging time Paul & Susan Harinstein in honor of Allison Gordon Alan & Heidi Israel in memory of Sandra Levy Brachfeld Perry Levine in memory of Lawrence Levine Laurence & Stacey Pfeffer Tikkun Olam/Social Justice Fund Alan & Heidi Israel in memory of Sandra Levy Brachfeld Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Asher Alani on becoming a bar mitzvah Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Aaron Aizenstain on becoming a bar mitzvah Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Ella Cohen on becoming a bat mitzvah Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Rachel Glick on becoming a bat mitzvah Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Zachary Nadan on becoming a bar mitzvah Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Sam Pfeffer on becoming a bar mitzvah Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Elias Stein on becoming a bar mitzvah Steven & Susan Sorrel in honor of Alex Travin on becoming a bar mitzvah Tributes Bruce & Doria Bachenheimer in honor of Rabbi Jaffe and the temple’s support for our family in a difficult time Jay Shapiro & Susan Bell in appreciation of the Beth El Community
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JOYS & SORROWS RECENT GIFTS (Continued) Tributes (Continued) Gary & Ivy Braun in memory of Stanley Kaplan Michael & Judy Gewitz Paul & Susan Harinstein in honor of Allison Gordon on the occasion of her Bat Mitzvah Mark & Marissa Kornblau in memory of Bonnie Mittman Dick & Gloria Raskin in memory of Dorothy Raskin Forrest & Suzy Sussman in memory of Beverly and Gary Sussman Eddie & Rachel Wilders Jr. in memory of Joel Kaplowitz Youth Program Fund David & Rosalyn Manowitz in honor of Alan Wolfert’s special birthday
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HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO Arthur Elias on the death of his wife, Carole Elias Maxine Ferencz on the death of her brother, Stuart Clayman Leslie Hinderstein on the death of her mother, Roslyn Nadel David Katz on the death of his stepmother, Helene Katz The Leventhal Family on the death of Danielle Leventhal Jeffrey Perlmutter on the death of his father, Samuel Perlmutter Tracey Perlmutter on the death of her stepfather, Lee Shapiro Stacey Stambleck on the death of her father, Barry David Weiss
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In times of joy and sadness, please keep us informed! It is always a pleasure to hear good news from our temple members and to share joys. Often it helps to share problems or illnesses, too. Our Rabbis, Cantor, and Caring Community Committee want to respond to the needs of our congregants. Please let us know if you, or some other temple member, might be helped by a visit or telephone call. Many people assume that everyone knows, but a note or call to the temple office, at 238-3928 x 1323, will get the message to our clergy.
TEMPLE DIRECTORY 220 SOUTH BEDFORD RD 914.238.3928 T CHAPPAQUA, NY 10514 914.238.4030 F WWW.BETHELNW.ORG TEMPLE@BETHELNW.ORG
EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER 914.238.5735 RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
914.238.5641
TELEPHONE EXTENSIONS 1311 Senior Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe 1121 Rabbi-Educator Maura H. Linzer 1316 Cantor Elizabeth Sternlieb 1321 Gennifer Kelly, Executive Director 1221 Hope Blauner, Early Childhood Center Director 1220 Beth Cohen, Administration Assistant to ECC Director 1323 Jaclyn Trustman-Dubray, Administrative & Life-Cycle
Senior Rabbi
Jonathan Jaffe
Rabbi-Educator
Maura H. Linzer
Cantor
Elizabeth Sternlieb
Executive Director
Gennifer Kelly
Director of Early Childhood Center
Hope Blauner
jjaffe@bethelnw.org
mlinzer@bethelnw.org
esternlieb@bethelnw.org executivedirector@bethelnw.org
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS
Rhonda Regan President
Marc Fried
Coordinator
1320 Leslie Aufieri-Schneiderman, Communications Director
Executive Vice President
1312 Carmen Stevens, Development Coordinator
Lisa Crandall
1325 Jason Stringer, Building Operations Manager 1122 Heather Satin, Religious School Assistant Principal 1110 Joni Gehebe-Kellogg, Youth Coordinator 1300 Life-Cycle Emergency Please send all checks to our accounting company: Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester PO Box 418 Montvale, NJ 07645 WE ARE AN INCLUSIVE CONGREGATION Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester appreciates the rich diversity of the Jewish community and invites all who seek a connection to Jewish life to join us. We encourage participation of interfaith couples and families as well as people of all backgrounds, ages, financial means, sexual orientations and gender identities. We welcome children and adults with disabilities and their families. We strive to ensure that our programs and facilities are accessible to all and to accommodate special needs. The synagogue is a kehilah kedoshah — a sacred community. Like a sukkah, it is constructed of many different branches woven together: the married and the unmarried, single parents, grandparents, non-Jewish spouses and those of all sexual orientations. The broader the sukkah’s reach, the more tightly its branches are woven, the stronger it stands. So too the synagogue: the greater the variety of people welcomed within it, the closer they feel to one another, the stronger the temple stands.
Vice President
Gregg Diller Vice President
Sarah Lieb
Vice President
Jennifer Pariser Vice President
Alyssa White Treasurer
Pam Klein Secretary
hblauner@bethelnw.org TRUSTEES Term Expires 2022 Deb Fass Jacobs Gary Kibel Meryl Lefkowitz Janet Levy Karla Shepard Rubinger Carol Wolk Term Expires 2023 Larry Block Alyssa Garnick Lerner Pam Goldfarb Norma Klein Art Saltzman Stephanie Saltzman Debbie Samberg Term Expires 2024 Evan Cohen Gary Munowitz Stacey Pfeffer Melissa Singer Stacey Stambleck Diane Thaler
Amy Robin Immediate Past President Past Presidents, Honorary Members of the Board Ernest M. Grunebaum Steve Adler Barry Meisel Richard Albert Gloria Meisel Stanley Amberg William Pollak Lisa Davis David Ruzow Melvin Ehrlich 27
Non Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14115 White Plains, NY
220 SOUTH BEDFORD ROAD CHAPPAQUA, NY 10514
CURRENT RESIDENT OR
SAVE THE DATE! First Friday Family Shabbat Friday, January 7 7:15 pm Family Shabbat Worship Service with 7th Grade Participation
