KOL AMI Jewish Center & Federation New ideas of the Twin Tiers Congregation Kol Ami A different kind of Sukkot Jewish Community School When every Jewish household built a sukkah at home, a pandemic would October 2020 have made very little difference to their celebrations. Maybe fewer guests would have been invited for meals in the sukkah, and it might have been harder to obtain specialty fruits and vegetables, but the family had the suk- In this issue: kah and could eat meals in it, perhaps even sleep in it. Service Schedule 2 That is still widespread in Israel and in traditional communities here, but more of us rely on Sukkot events in the synagogue for our “sukkah time.” Torah/Haftarah & Candle Lighting 2 This year there won’t be a Sukkot dinner at Congregation Kol Ami and we Birthdays 4 won’t be together for kiddush in the sukkah on Shabbat (which is the first day of Sukkot this year). Mazal Tov 4 Nevertheless, Sukkot is Sukkot is Sukkot. It may be possible for you to CKA Donations 5 build a sukkah at home—an Internet search will find directions for building one quickly out of PVC pipe or other readily JCF Film Series 6 available materials. Sisterhood Opening Meeting 8 Even without a sukkah, we can celebrate the themes of Sukkot. In Biblical Israel it was a har- Jazzy Junque 8 vest festival, so maybe you can go to farm JCF Donations 8 stands and markets for seasonal produce. Baked squash is perfect for the cooler weather, Yahrzeits 9 cauliflower is at its peak—try roasting it—and In Memoriam 10 it’s definitely time for apple pie. Eat outdoors if the weather permits. JCF board members elected 10 The sukkah itself is an unstable, temporary structure that doesn’t provide Adult Education 10 much actual shelter, and that should awaken us to those in our community who have no shelter or inadequate shelter. Did you resolve during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to give tzedakah? At Sukkot, considering giving to a program that provides shelter for the homeless. In Elmira, the Second Place East shelter is administered by Catholic Charities. Congregation Kol Ami celebrates Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah on the same day. Services, on Friday, October 9, and Saturday, October 10, will be on Zoom, and the morning service on October 10 includes Yizkor. Simchat Torah at home is a particular challenge, because the custom is to dance and march with the Torah scrolls together in the synagogue. To cele- brate at home, begin with an especially festive Shabbat dinner on Friday evening. Because the Torah is likened to the sweetness of honey, you might want a sweet dessert. Plum cake is a tradition of Austrian and German Jews, and fluden—pastry layered with several different fruit fillings—is also tradi- tional. Maybe you would like to open champagne for kiddush! For children, maybe the festival warrants an exception to the no-sweetened-drinks-at- meals rule. You probably don’t have a Torah scroll at home to dance with. Don’t let that stop you from dancing during the music in the Simchat Torah service—you can turn your camera off if you want. Maybe it would feel right to hug a chumash or Bible while you dance. For young children, the Reform movement sug- gests making candy Torah scrolls. Just take two rolls of candy such as Smarties, wrap a strip of col- orful paper around them, and tie with ribbon. כל עמי–Congregation Kol Ami from Cheryl Miller Greetings! I hope that you, your to share with the boards of CKA, Sis- current policies for Member Use of family, and loved ones enjoyed the terhood, and JCF to determine fur- the Building as well as review re- High Holy Days and are remaining ther action. We had over 100 re- search and guidelines from multiple healthy as we welcome 5781. My sponses to the survey, which focused sources and present recommenda- year began very quietly, as all of my on examining our fundraising capa- tions to the Board. This is quite a children live out of town. I never bilities and resources. We have rec- challenge with the possibility of anticipated how much I would miss ognized that over the years the conditions to change so quickly; their presence back when we at- funds raised have decreased while however we aim to at least begin the tended services together (even costs have risen and the number of process of planning for the day that though I frequently found myself people available to volunteer has we can eventually open our doors “shushing” them!). When I first be- also been a challenge. The survey wide once again. came an empty nester, it was diffi- was designed to determine values, I always welcome your thoughts, cult to come to services by myself; interests, and abilities as well as concerns, ideas, or questions. My however it didn’t take long before I availability to contribute. The presi- cell phone number is 607-331-7475 felt very much at home because my dents of the three boards meet regu- or you can email me at cmil- fellow congregants wrapped me in larly and have already brainstormed [email protected]. Some of you their warm embrace. some actions based on the data; have my home number, which is no As the months of this pandemic however not all of the boards have longer in use. You may also reach drag on, we have had time to do met to review the data as of the time out to any of the Trustees or Officers things that in “normal” times would that I am writing this. of the Board. Their contact infor- have been difficult to accomplish. Another important item of busi- mation is in the new Membership The committee who worked on cre- ness that the Board has addressed in Directory. If you have not received ating, distributing, and analyzing the last couple of meetings is the yours, please call the office at 607- the results of the Jewish Community formation of a committee to deter- 732-7410. Survey spent many, many hours on mine when and how we will reopen the task. They have created a report the building. We will examine our Shabbat Services All services are conducted online at https://zoom.us/j/234349277. Shabbat Evening Service 7:30 PM Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 AM Noteworthy Upcoming Religious Observances Friday, October 2 Friday, October 9 Sukkot and Shabbat Evening Service 7:30 PM Simchat Torah and Shabbat Evening Service 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 3 Saturday, October 10 Sukkot and Shabbat Morning Service 9:30 AM Shemini Atzeret and Shabbat Morning 9:30 a.m. Service with Yizkor Weekly Torah/Haftarah Portions & Candle Lighting October 2–3 October 9–10 October 16–17 October 23–24 October 30–31 6:28 p.m. 6:17 p.m. 6:05 p.m. 5:55 p.m. 5:45 p.m. Sukkot Shemini Atzeret/ Bereshit Noach Lech Lecha Torah Lev. 22:26– Simchat Torah Torah: Gen. 1:1–6:8 Torah Gen. 6:9– Torah: Gen. 12:1– 23:44 Torah: Deut. 33:27– Pr. I Sam. 20:18–42 11:32 17:27 Num. 29:12–16 34:12; Gen. 1:1–2:3; Pr. Isaiah 54:1–55:5 Pr. Isaiah 40:27–41:16 Pr. Zech. 14:1–21 Num. 29:35–30:1 Pr. Joshua 1:1–18 2 Kol Ami from Rabbi Oren Steinitz Sermon from Rosh Hashanah morning most of us choose our career path must at least know what the H’s regardless of whether we wanted to stand for and make a serious com- Shannah Tovah! be major league baseball players or mitment to at least one of them. With the past six months so full of famous musicians when we were The fact of the matter is that liber- tragedy, anxiety, and dread, it is hard twelve, a surprising number of peo- al Jewish communities often see the to reflect and remember anything ple are happy to reject religion alto- rabbinate as the only option for a that happened in the year 5780 be- gether based on what they learned young person who wishes to take fore the arrival of COVID19 turned in Hebrew School. “It took me a long Judaism’s first two H’s – Head and our lives upside down. Do any of us time,” Douglas said, “to learn that Heart – seriously. Let us be honest remember the Monsey shooting you don’t have to be a rabbi [in or- about this; outside the large metro- during Hanukah? The Persian Gulf der] to be a Jew.” politan areas of New York City, crisis in January that almost escalat- The statement seems funny at Washington DC, Chicago and Los ed into a Third World War? The Mid- first. Maybe even ridiculous. Haven’t Angeles, the sight of a young person dle East Peace Plan that was an- we been told again and again that regularly showing up at services is nounced in early 2020? They all being Jewish is not something you so rare, so disorienting, that they are seem like a vague, distant memory can just stop doing? That anyone quickly assumed to be aspiring rab- right now. born a Jew, or who chose Judaism binical students. I will never forget Among these soon-forgotten later in life, will die a Jew, regardless our first Shabbat in Calgary, when events was the death of Jewish actor of how many bacon cheeseburgers we showed up at Friday Night ser- and philanthropist, Kirk Douglas they eat? I have often said that Juda- vices in a large Conservative syna- this past February.