Into the Future Temple Builds for the Next Half Century—And Counting!
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March 2014 Adar I/Adar II 5774 Vol. 40 No. 4 The Purim Into the Paradigm Future The civil calendar month of March brings us the Hebrew calendar month of Adar, and with Temple builds for the next half century it all the topsy-turvy joy of Purim. Whether —and counting! Purim’s silliness strikes you as just right or a bit alien, the bottom line is that Purim’s zaniness Pages 12-13 is serious stuff. On Purim we are commanded to mirth and merriment, we wear costumes, students can get away with making fun of teachers, underlings with mocking their superiors. We read from Megillat Esther, the Scroll of Esther, one of the only books in the Hebrew Bible which Rabbi does not mention God. Just David Stern as Haman ends up dangling from the tree he intended for Mordechai, Purim is a day of gleeful reversals. On an anthropological level, Purim is our Jewish version of similar holidays in other cultures, like Mardi Gras or Dia de Los Muertos, where disorder is the order of the day, and the disruption of the usual proprieties provides joy and relief. And in what may be the greatest reversal of all, the Talmud (BT Megillah 7b) even goes so far as to say philanthropythat we should dw¨ drinkc¨v§ until we can’t tell the difference between “Cursed be Mordechai” and “Blessed be Haman.” We should become (SEE PAGE 22) philanthropy dw¨c¨v§ prayer d¨Nt¦ Y§ Community Learning Prayer Philanthropy Windows Into Israeli Society Sh’ma Emanu-El PAGE 18 philanthropyTemple dWelcomesw¨c¨v§ Rabbi Annual Campaign learning dPAGEx¨F 2Y prayerConclusion d¨N oft¦ LeviY§ A. 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Fall 2013 The Kickoff Winter 2014 Havdalah Parties Events held: Yom Kippur, ZIP codes for opening of hosting Havdalah 50 religious 19 Parties Havdalah school, Linz Hall Parties 3 held community meeting 100 Facilitators trained 90 to lead discussions in Party 450 congregants’ homes hosts Face-to-face conversations trained occurred exploring provocative 500 questions about Jewish life member-to-member conversations Keep talking to us! Havdalah Parties continue on March 1 & 8. Contact: Diana Coben Einstein, [email protected] Scenes from Winter Conclave 2014 2 COMMUNITY TEMPLE BOOK CLUB ANNUAL CAMPAIGN Short+Sweet=Success! A Good The 2013 Annual Campaign has Read wrapped up its work, and is pleased The next to announce a total at press time of Temple $827,923 raised from 955 donors, Book Club the highest total number of donors meeting is in the campaign’s history. The sum scheduled included 100 percent of Board for 2PM on of Trustees participation and Monday, 100 percent clergy participation. March 31, in Congratulations and thanks to Alexander Beth and Jim Gold, chairs, and vice Conference chairs Amy and Kevin Kerber and Jim and Beth Gold, Leslie and Bob Krakow Room. The book is Second Leslie and Bob Krakow. The Annual and Amy and Keven Kerber celebrate the success of the Annual Campaign. Person Singular by Sayed Campaign provides approximately Kashua. You do not need to 10 percent of Temple’s operating face barriers of financial hardship. attend all the sessions to be budget and allows us to keep This year’s theme was “short and part of the book club, and new membership dues as low as possible, sweet,” and a record amount of members are always welcome. while assisting those who wish to be money was raised in the shortest Contact: Nancy Rivin, part of our sacred community but amount of time. [email protected] YOung ADulTS Service & Socializing, Young Adults Style Young Adults at Temple Mitzvahs & Mimosas was First up: Young adults are Emanu-El is pleased to reimagined as a beginning continuing the relationship extend its reach in the point to continue mitzvot begun last year with Paul wider Dallas community with several organizations Quinn College, a private, through social justice throughout the year. Young historically black college, and other programming. adults can look forward to hold a cross-cultural Mitzvahs & Mimosas, now to hearing about other Passover seder. This in its eighth year, provided opportunities to work year’s seder will be held exciting new choices for with Temple Emanu-El, on Tuesday, April 8th at service. Instead of a “one- organizations in Vickery 6:30PM, 3837 Simpson day-and-done” event, Meadow and beyond. Stuart Road. Making the Mitzvah Real time. Service projects after brunch entailed baking challahs and writing A couple of years ago, a handful of young adults cards for Caring Congregation, partnered with Paul Quinn College to help the residents maintaining the Community Garden, at Pebbles Apartments transform an apartment into restocking the shelves at Vickery a home as these residents rise up from homelessness. Meadow Food Pantry and Clothes Through this meaningful experience, I discovered that Closet, hosting a party for the children there are people in Temple’s surrounding community Tory Saks at Pebbles Apartments, and making that need help—less than 10 minutes minutes away by volunteer binders for the Vickery car! As a generation, young adults focus on “local,” so Meadow Learning Center. From their experience, I why not local service projects? This year at Mitzvahs & hope young adult participants will go farther to make Mimosas, more than 60 volunteers participated on a a difference in someone’s life; I know that Pebbles Sunday morning. I had the opportunity to chair this Apartments did this for me. wonderful event, and imagine my surprise when I saw Contacts: Tory Saks, [email protected] Melissa Duchin, [email protected] 3 the excitement as people arrived before the 10AM start COMMUNITY Windows into Israeli Society with Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Rachel Korazim March 7-9, 2014 Sponsored by the Katherine F. Baum Education Fund Friday, March 7 Sunday, March 9 12:00-1:15pm | Brown Bag Lunch | Linz Hall 9:30-11:30am | Brunch-and-Learn | Reservations Required Connections to the Land Changing Narratives: Israel & Diaspora Relations RSVP by March 2 6:15pm | Shabbat Evening Services | Olan Sanctuary Becky Slakman, [email protected] Echoes of Holocaust in Modern Israeli Literature “Learning with Rachel Korazim was one of Saturday, March 8 9:00-10:30am | Chever Torah | Linz Hall the most memorable and engaging programs Anochi: Dialogues with God during our recent Israel visit. She inspires an entire room with her insights and enthusiasm. 10:30am | Shabbat Morning Service | Lefkowitz Chapel Dr. Korazim will deliver the D’var Torah Having her at Temple will be a true gift to our entire community.” 12:00-1:30pm | Shabbat Nosh Lunch | Linz Hall Susan Sugerman Bialik’s Bird: The Oldest Zionist Poem of Modernity Connect-a-Thon 2014 April 6 Imagine a day when featuring World Union for Temple Emanu-El members get a phone call just to say Progressive Judaism “Hello, how are you?” Make this extraordinary day a reality by volunteering to call. March 1, 2014 Contact: Debbie Fuqua, [email protected] Please join us the first Saturday of the month after Shabbat morning services to schmooze, relax and enjoy a nosh with friends! 4 SOCIAL JUSTICE Be a Lifesaver! Three Easy Ways to Help Sunday, March 30 • 8AM-3PM • Linz Hall Give Blood If you are 16 years or older and weigh more than 110 pounds, please make an appointment or walk in. • Someone needs a blood transfusion every three seconds. • 20 percent of the recipients are children, and many are cancer patients. • One pint of blood can save up to three lives. Contact: Email Brotherhood’s blood drive chair Hal Sommer for an appointment at [email protected]. Donate Medical Equipment • Each year there are 25,000 to 50,000 Dallas County residents who need but cannot afford medically necessary durable medical equipment (DME). • Temple is collecting Latex gloves, aprons and cleaning rags throughout March to to be placed in bins at Temple’s entrances. • If you have medical equipment to donate, look for the DME Exchange truck in the parking lot. Requested items include canes, crutches, walkers, rollators, bedside commodes, shower chairs, tub transfer benches, manual and power wheel chairs, hospital beds designed for in-home use, mattresses with plastic covers (no cloth, please) and Hoyer lifts.