Young Israel of Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
“ YOUNG ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD-FT. LAUDERDALE TISHREI 5777 Volume 9, Issue 2, October 2016 Edward Davis, Rabbi Yosef Weinstock, Associate Rabbi Maish Staiman, President OCTOBER 2016 (up-side down address and NEW bulk mail inditia)3329 No. Permit FT LAUD FL LAUD FT U.S. POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE U.S. Organization Nonprofit www.SelasPlace.com www.facebook.com/SelasPlace Hollywood’s Kosher NEWEST Adult Day Care Services Assisted Living and Day Care Facility. One Block From Young Israel! Call to visit this newly renovated home! Sela Amrani - Administrator 5850 SW 32nd Ter, Hollywood, FL 33321 OfÞce: 954.613.4519 Cell: 954-496-1007 Fax: 888.834.8673 Email: [email protected] License: AL 12237 www.SelaALF.com ¥ Beautiful Home Environment ¥ 3 Home-cooked Kosher Meals ¥ Private & Semi-Private Rooms ¥ Stimulating Indoor & Outdoor Activities ¥ Housekeeping & Laundry Services Call to schedule a tour! 954.496.1007 OfÞce: 754.263.3535 Cell: 954-496-1007 4080 N 35th Ave Fax: 888.834.8673 Email: [email protected] Hollywood, FL 33021 YOUNG ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD-FT. LAUDERDALE OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 3 RABBI’S MESSAGE REMEMBERING 9-11 Recently my wife and I visited the 9-11 Memorial Fifteen years have passed since 9-11, but it is still with Monument in Jerusalem. It is located in Eimek Arazim, us. Big time. on a long, windy, narrow road off of Golda Meir Highway near the Begin Expressway. The most amazing thing RABBI EDWARD DAVIS about it is that it is in Israel, the only country outside of America who has built one. Besides the monument, there is a cenotaph (that is an SAT word for a monument erected in memory of a deceased person or persons who are buried elsewhere) which bears the names of the near 3,000 victims, even victims from countries that do not recognize Israel. We saw the name of Andrew Zucker, a good friend, son-in-law of Jonothan and Doris Konovitch. Meira and I have a grandson named for him. One name makes the whole thing very personal. Eliezer Weisshoff is the Israeli sculptor who designed and made the monument. He is a 78 year old Israeli, born in the Machaneh Yehudah neighborhood of Jerusalem, and graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. He was overwhelmed with grief and sorrow on 9-11-01. The sculpture is nine meters high and made of granite, bronze, and aluminum. The design is of a flag waving in the wind. He wrote the City of New York and asked for a piece of the debris; a steel bar from the collapsed tower is visible in the base. 9-11 was a declaration of war. America has been fighting a war against Islamic radical terrorism. President Obama cannot bring himself to say "Islamic terrorism." These acts of terror have been performed by extremists. He does not want to offend Moslems. [My own opinion is that the president is planning his future. After his presidency, he wants to be in the position of being able to accept Moslem money. He will be worse than Jimmy Carter.] This is a war that is still being fought fifteen years later. Recently a bomb exploded in Manhattan. The alleged terrorist apprehended was an Afghan by the name of Ahmed Khan Rahami. And I don't believe he acted alone. The war is definitely still being fought. Since 9-11-01 it has become standard to watch security stations in all public places, similar to Israel. Airports, stadiums, arenas, schools, shuls, and many other places have upgraded security systems. But they do not do profiling, a standard issue for Israeli systems. Islamic fanatics have realized that they have succeeded in making an impact. They have changed the map. Europe has become a powder keg. They estimate that the majority of European Jews will stay home for Yom Tov rather than risk going to services. YOUNG ISRAEL OF HOLLYWOOD-FT. LAUDERDALE OCTOBER 2016 PAGE 5 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE SISTERHOOD MESSAGE Where do you find G-d? It’s interesting how most people approach the month of Tishrei by counting off days. The more disciplined among us heed the call of the “Where are you for the first day of Rosh Hashana?” shofar starting in the beginning of Elul and they make “What are you doing for the second days of Yom Tov?” amends with their fellow man, and with G-d. They “How many days is Chol Hamoed this year?” increase their charity, their chessed and their study of We count the days in between, the days of, the days we have Torah so when the High Holidays approach they are to cook, the days we have to entertain kids. Two days of Rosh prepared. Hashana. Ten days of Aseret Yemai Tshuva. One day of Yom Some of us are not as disciplined. The Almighty Kippur. Succot. Simchat Torah. It’s a month filled with equal recognizes us as procrastinators and as last minute parts joyous celebration and quiet contemplation and yet it repenters. We hope that he doesn’t love us any less for it, seems like everyone approaches these days with calendars but it’s not until Yom Kippur when the full recognition of and check marks and way too much stress. what we have at stake is bearing down upon us that we It’s the nature of being part of a busy season and of an can truly search out G-d and begin our plea/negotiations. active, vibrant community. We plan out our holidays in terms Each year we walk out after neilah feeling that we offered of meals and minyanim and day trips, and mentally check off up a decent package, and although we did not get to hear our days as they pass on our carefully scheduled calendars. a “yes” we believe that we put enough on the table for G-d But with all of the planning, we tend to forget that Tishrei is to take us seriously. also the time to live in the moment. The shofar sounds and we And then the heavenly gates shut for the season and all stop. We think about what the new year will bring, about we go about our lives. From time to time we may reflect on where we have been and what we can accomplish. More than the promises we made, but rarely do we reflect on the the rushing to clear plates and make more honey cake, the intense connection that we had with the Master of the month reminds us to relish the moments, to linger in the Universe and ponder “where did it go?” succah a bit longer, to stop rushing to the next event and Sure, we can connect to G-d anytime through prayer instead breathe in the blessings of another year, the promises and in so many other ways. Some find His presence in of the future, the times we can spend with family and friends. It nature, art, music, meditation. But it generally lacks the is the time for resolutions and renewal. The time for intensity of the relationship we have at this special time of reconnecting with community and with Hashem. year. This year, Sisterhood is committed to carry those ideas We can well imagine that closing of the gates at the into Tishrei and beyond. We kicked off the year with our New conclusion of the holidays is a metaphor. G-d has given us Members Tea and invited everyone who wants to get involved an image that we can clearly identify with and that gives to join us in making this one of the best Sisterhood years ever. us a finite deadline. It gives us a small window because We are connecting to so many people in the community our Heavenly Father knows about our lack of ability to through Twitter (@YIHSisterhood), Snapchat focus for long periods of time and our propensity for (@YIH_Sisterhood), and Facebook. Our goal is to make the procrastination. He also understands that we can’t handle Sisterhood a communal organization. We have so many plans the pressure of an all-out full time relationship. We need a and upcoming events, but we are also enjoying the now, short term goal with an effective end date to perform at enjoying the meetings of old and new friends. If you haven’t our optimum. reached out to us yet, we want to meet you and hear your Despite this, time and time again, we look to Hashem ideas. This is your Sisterhood, your shul, your community. in times of need. Troubling times, like when dealing with What better time to get involved than at the start of the year? sickness, or happy times such as the birth of a child, can The Sisterhood board wishes everyone a sweet and lead us directly back to our “Yom Kippur focus”. We are happy Rosh Hashana, a meaningful and inspiring Yom Kippur, fully capable of shutting everything else out and begin and a Sukkot filled with the warmth and light of family and again telling Hashem in no uncertain terms what we need friends, enjoyed under the canopy of our Florida skies. May and what we will do in exchange. Since we can Hashem hear our prayers and answer them for good, bringing seamlessly fall back into this intense relationship with G-d all of us a year of health and blessings! regardless of the time of year, this leads me to believe that And really awesome iced tea and cookies. the metaphoric gates may reside in our minds, and we possess the key to open them at any time we choose.