March/April 2020
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A Traditional, Egalitarian and Participatory Conservative Synagogue ADAR/NISSAN/IYAR 5780 NEWSLETTER/VOLUME 32:4 MARCH/APRIL 2020 Scholarly Shabbaton: Navigating Jewishness in Christian Worlds with Professors Jessica Cooperman and Hartley Lachter Friday, March 27 and Saturday, 28 wo sustaining pillars of Or Zarua were still seen as suspicious, foreign faiths have been our weekly Shabbat at odds with American values. When the Scholarly Shabbaton services and varied adult education US War Department began preparations to programs. On Friday evening and send American soldiers and sailors to fight Professors Saturday, March 27-28, those two in World War I, it had no plans to introduce Timportant facets of the unique Or Zarua the country to new ideas about religious Jessica Cooperman & experience will coincide. We will convene pluralism. Over the course of the war, as a community for what promises to be however, the American military adopted new Hartley Lachter a wonderful Scholarly Shabbaton, led by policies and practices intended to elevate Friday, March 27 (married) professors Jessica Cooperman the moral character and civic consciousness 6:00 pm Minhah/Kabbalat Shabbat and Hartley Lachter, that will be filled with of its troops. Thanks to the work of the 7:00 pm Dinner (RSVP) stimulating learning, joyous prayer, and Jewish Welfare Board, these new “soldiers’ 8:15 pm Lecture by Dr. Jessica Cooperman: delicious food. welfare programs” became an unexpected Fighting for Judaism in Coming to us from the beautiful Lehigh gateway for renegotiating portrayals and World War I America Valley, Drs. Cooperman and Lachter will give perceptions of Jews and Judaism within Note that you may attend the lecture several lectures over the course of Shabbat American society. Dr. Cooperman’s lecture without attending the dinner. addressing the multifaceted theme of will illuminate the evolving role of Jews and historical strategies of navigating Jewishness Judaism in twentieth-century America. (You Saturday, March 28 in challenging Christian settings, both are encouraged to register for the Friday 9:00 am Shabbat Services medieval and modern. night dinner, or invited just to attend Dr. Sermon by Dr. Lachter On Friday evening at approximately Cooperman’s lecture.) 8:15 pm, following services and Shabbat During Shabbat morning services 12:00 pm Kiddush dinner, Dr. Cooperman, Associate Professor and then again following kiddush (at 1:00 pm Lecture by Dr. Hartley Lachter: of Religion Studies approximately Kabbalah as a Response to Christian and Director 1:00 pm), Dr. Lachter, Anti-Judaism of the Jewish Associate Professor Studies Program at of Religion Studies, 5:30 pm Minhah, Seudah Shlishit, Panel Muhlenberg College, Philip and Muriel Discussion with Drs. Cooperman and whose scholarship Berman Chair in Lachter and moderated by Rabbi Bolton: focuses on modern Jewish Studies, Jewish Responses—Models of Resilience?, Jewish history, and Director of Ma’ariv and Havdalah American religious policy, Holocaust studies, the Berman Center for Jewish Studies at Dinner: $45 per adult, $25 per child; interfaith movements, and military history, Lehigh University, whose scholarly focus is Register through ShulCloud at: will give a lecture entitled Fighting for medieval Jewish mysticism, will give talks tinyurl.com/OZShabbatMar2020 by Judaism in World War I America. In 1917, on Kabbalah as a Response to Christian Thursday March 19. For questions contact “American religion” was understood to mean Anti-Judaism. Kabbalah in the Middle Ages Deborah Wenger at [email protected]. only Protestantism; Judaism and Catholicism Continued on page 13 The Kaskeset Shabbaton Marc Ashley's Class Pre-Pesah Lecture: Page 3 has been Rescheduled: between Pesah and Shavuot: Women in the IDF: Page 4 Kaskeset is SUNY Binghamton’s Kiddush Hashem Yom HaShoah Memorial: Page 5 A Cappella Group (Sanctification of God’s Name): Or L'Atid: Pages 6 and 7 Between Holiness and Martyrdom Pesah: pages 10 and 11 Friday, March 13 and Young Professionals and Saturday, March 14 Beginning Sunday, April 19, 10:00 am Mature Connections: Page 13 See Page 5 See Page 3 and much more inside 1 CONGREGATION OR ZARUA MARCH/APRIL 2020 President’s Message by Diane Okrent he countdown in the land of Israel. Now we are enslaved. has begun! By Next year we will be free.” the time you We preserve this command in the A CONSERVATIVE SYNAGOGUE read this, Purim vernacular so that everyone understands FOUNDED 1989 Twill be about a week that Passover is inclusive—all who are hungry 127 East 82nd Street away and Pesah will are invited to come and eat. As I contemplate New York, NY 10028 be 5 weeks away. I am the menu for my sedarim, I think about the phone: 212-452-2310 fax: 212-452-2103 already in the process literal meaning of hunger and the material of what I call “hametz- meaning of need. But, I think about the www.orzarua.org down”—reducing spiritual meanings as well. All who hunger for SCOTT N. BOLTON, Rabbi the amount of hametz in my kitchen and community, for connection with their Jewish DR. HARLAN J. WECHSLER, Rabbi Emeritus pantry. Of course, I have to wait until the roots, and for the family with whom they are DIANE OKRENT, President hamantaschen are gone! close or from whom they may be estranged, ISAAC NAGIEL, Treasurer I love Pesah! Yes, the work involved is let them come and feast at our table. Let prodigious—planning, inviting, cleaning, them find the physical and spiritual nurturing KAREN KAPLAN, Secretary shopping, cooking—but I always conclude they crave. HELENE SANTO, Executive Director that the end justifies the means. When I slip I take this direction very personally and SIGAL HIRSCH, Director of Youth Education into my seat at our Seder table and wave very seriously. Often, I have had to add and Programming to my husband at the other end of the long another chair (or 2 or 3) to my already long CHARLES SPIELHOLZ, Newsletter Editor table and see my family and friends gathered collection of tables to accommodate those together, my exhaustion lifts and I am who need a place. I can’t stand knowing that re-energized. My heart is filled with love and someone has no place to go for seder. And, if OZ Committee Chairs gratitude and pride that we are all together asked, I can’t turn someone away. ADMINISTRATION Pamela E. Gold again to celebrate Pesah. And, so it is with Congregation Or Zarua. What a profound tradition we have of We, as a community, are committed to AESTHETICS Aaron Shelden gathering in our homes year in and year opening our communal home to all who ART GALLERY Bobbi Coller out to retell the origins of our people and are hungry—for community, for connection, BOOK DISCUSSION Reed Schneider to celebrate our survival, then and now. for religious services, for education for Nora Yood We learn from the Torah that from that first themselves and their children. We try to “be Pesah in Egypt, we are to celebrate in our there” for members of the community at all BUILDING Gerry Solomon homes with our families and neighbors. “The times. Look through this newsletter and read HESED Susan Lorin Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land our weekly e-blasts to see the wide-ranging HEVRA KADISHA Roberta Hufnagel of Egypt: …Speak to the whole community programs and services we provide every Gerry Solomon of Israel and say that in the tenth of this week of the year. month each of them shall take a lamb to a This commitment, however, takes KESHER ISRAEL Laura Fisher household. But if the household is too small resources—both personal and financial. LIBRARY Barry Feldman for a lamb, let him share one with a We are a volunteer organization. We need neighbor who dwells nearby…” (Exodus volunteers to create minyanim, lead services, MARKETING Dana Gross 12:1-4). In a 2012 lecture at Or Zarua, Dr. read Torah and Haftorah, plan programs, and MEMBERSHIP Raanan Korinow Eliezer Diamond pointed out that Pharaoh perform acts of hesed. MINYAN Sheldon Adler sought to destroy the Hebrew families by And, we need your financial support. As I enslaving the men. At that first Passover, the mentioned at Kol Nidre, membership dues NOMINATING Jay Palmer family was reconstituted and celebrated the only provide 40% of our revenues. The rest AND LEADERSHIP impending Exodus together. comes from your generous contributions at ORAL HISTORY Mimi Alperin As I wrote in a 2019 Orot article, I am Kol Nidre and throughout the year. As we PROGRAMMING Marc D. Ashley intrigued by the fact that significant parts approach Purim and Pesah, count the Omer, of our daily, Shabbat and holiday liturgy remember the Shoah, celebrate Israel’s PUBLIC RELATIONS Aaron Shelden are in Aramaic, the vernacular of the Jews 72nd Independence Day, and celebrate READERS Marc D. Ashley in Babylonia and Palestine from the fifth Shavuot, I ask that you consider additional AND LEADERS Jay Palmer century BCE until the Arab conquest support for the depth and breadth of the (634-638 CE). For example, the Kaddish and activities you will find at Or Zarua. STRATEGIC Arthur H. Rosenbloom DEVELOPMENT Kol Nidre are in Aramaic, presumably so that I wish you and your family a happy, everyone could understand them. healthy, joyous and peaceful Purim and WEBMASTER Jay Palmer As we approach Passover, I think about Pesah! YOUTH EDUCATION Eric Schmutter Ha Lachma Anya with which we begin the Maggid at the seder, preserved in the B’Shalom! If you are interested in serving on a synagogue committee, please contact the office for the original Aramaic. “This is the bread of committee chair’s email address. affliction which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt.