What's in a Name?
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THE BUU.ETIN OF TEMPLE EMETH TEANECK, NEWJERSEY NUMBER 6 VOWME53 AN AFFlLIA1'E OF THE UNIOJII OF Shevat 5760 Feb. 2000 AMERICAN HEBREW CONGREGATIONS WHAT'S IN A NAME? ecause of four deeds the Israelites Semites to cast doubts upon our American gained the merit to be freed from ness.In those days, a hyphenated American, a Egypt: They kept their Hebrew names, Jewish-American, was of lower status than a they the Hebrew language alive, they full-blooded, unhyphenated American. So many didn't betray each other, and they kept the rites of of us don't have Hebrew names. circumcision./I (Yalkut Shimoni) Today, the ideology of Reform Judaism is Jewish tradition places a great emphasis on changing. We acknowledge that Judaism ideally names and naming. The Hebrew . than a religion.!t is a system of values of the torah we read this month is us orient our behavior in the world. In .. Since this book relates the c02lJ.esiClIll: :-- ~~>'AMI"'" it is membership in a people, the group of individuals into a nation, ","",'",,'n and seeing ourselves as part of title is more apt than the Greek history of that people. Today, After all, the Exodus from Egypt Jews give our children Hebrew names part of the book. The entire book which we use when we are in Religious is concerned with how the indi when we are called for aliyah to viduals named in the first sen torah, when we are identified on our tence become a nation of people bbah, our marriage contract, and for by the end. ceremonial occasions. Names in the Jewish tr............. v .. Over the past few months that I have often shed insight into the person. privileged to work here at Temple Emeth, I Abram overcomes his trials and becomes have realized that many of us have grown up worthy of becoming the father of the Jewish without a Hebrew name. Yet, now that we use people, his name is changed to Abraham. Even Hebrew names in services, people feel that today, we often name our children after our something is missing. beloved relatives and hope that the good quali The Ritual Committee is providing an oppor ties of our parents and grandparents will live tunity for anyone who does not currently have a again in our offspring. Through those names, Hebrew name to officially received a Hebrew we remember and honor our ancestors. name. On Friday evening, May 19, we will In the beginning of this century, Reform officially name any person who would like to Judaism frowned upon the idea of giving our have a Hebrew name at a special blessing children Hebrew names in addition to their during our services. English ones. According to this ideology, we are If you are interested, please be in touch with citizens of America, our Judaism is only a reli me to explore possible names. gion, not an ethnicity, people, or nation. To acquire a Hebrew name might cause anti- page 2 0meth bulletin TEMPLE EMETH BULLETIN (201) 836-5247 FAX (201) 836-1857 Temple Emeth License No.01161-A 1666 Windsor Road Teaneck, NJ 07666 ~ 833-1322 School 833-8466 DeGraw Service Center Rabbi "YOUR COMPLETE AUTO CARE CENTER" Cathy Felix • COLLISION REPAIR. BRAKES & TRANSMISSIONS Ellen S. Cohen Cantor .pAINTING & WELDING. AIR CONDmONING & HEATING Louis J. Sigel Rabbi Emeritus Lisa L. Barzilai Director of Education 335 QUEEN ANNE ROAD RAY BARBARINI Beth Rosen Early Childhood Director TEANECK, NJ 07666 • Owner • Marion Schecter Temple Administrator • Tsilla Thumim Controller • Gail Bein Administrative Assistant • Barbara Sabella School Administrator • TEMPLE E-MAIL ADDRESSES • Joseph Boonin 836-5313 Co-President • Marion Schechter, Temple Administrator Jacqueline Guttman 833-8834 Co-President • Karen Rappaport 939-5092 Vice-President [email protected] Frederick Binder 837-6279 Vice- President Tsilla Thumim, Temple Controller Wendy Dessanti 836-1072 Vice-President [email protected] Rhona Herman 836-1946 Secretary Lisa Lieberman Barzilai, Religious School Dir. Matthew Soifer 836-8768 Assistant Secretary IIbarzilai@carroll,com Seymour Fleishman 836-0226 Treasurer .. David Fox 836-0260 Assistant Treasurer Beth Rosen, Early Childhood Center Daniel Firshein 287-9067 Assistant Treasurer brosen @carroll.com Richard Buchbinder 837-0694 Financial Secretary Barbara Sabella, School Administrator Daniel Firshein 287-9067 Assistant Financial See'y [email protected] Joe Boonin, Temple Co-President Leslie Sonkin 947-2815 Guest Editor Bob Spiewak 836-3369 Editor -jboonin@carroll,com Estelle Spiewak 836-3369 Associate Editor Jacqueline Guttman, Temple Co-President jguttman@carroll,com Month Bulletin Mid-month Deadline Pub. Date Deadline Pub. Date March 2/10 2124 3/2 3/9 April 3/9 3/23 4/6 4/13 JAMES R. NORMAN May 4/13 4127 5/4 5/11 • June 5/11 5/25 6/1 6/15 ATIORNEY AT LAW Material for the bulletin is not only welcome, it is essential for General Practice the success of the publication; HOWEVER, it is necessary to honor Real Estate· Environment the deadlines as listed. To avoid disappointment, please have all Will • Trusts· Elder Law material in for the Bulletin mailing in the bulletin box at the Evening Hours and Home Calls Available Temple Office by 8:00 pm on the date of the deadline. For Mid-month mailings, all items - whether camera-ready art or information to be included in the body of the sheet - are due by 505 Main Street (201) 525-4949 12:00 noon on the date of the deadline. Hackensack, N.J. 07601 FAX (201) 525-4944 Any material submitted after these deadlines will be published in the NEXT issue. Please cooperate with these deadlines in order for office staff and Bulletin editors to meet printing dead lines. Thank you! Be sure to visit our TeIDp'e ':... eth B ....etin Judaica Shop! Published monthly • Advertising Rates • • Monday- Thursday: 9 am - 5 pm Size 2" x 3-1/2" • Ten issues $225 • Friday: 9 am - 1 pm One insertion $60 • Sunday: 10:30 am - 1 pm • Each additional $30 • (during Religious School) For additional information, ca ll 201-836-3369 • Bob Spiewak, Editor • 0meth bulletin page 3 n:l1 "1'111 ,tl VIVUf s~ ~~ to. tJ"e ~ ~ ~oI~~wIw~tIu?,a ~~HUf~~HUf~'~ ~. !Jt~~~tu,HUf ~, HUf~' aJ, 1. ~~~, tJ"e ~, tJ"e~, tJ"e ~ caJU ~ ~ we/le ~~! ~~ ifOU ~! ~ g~ '~ . ~ ~. ca..e_1f A Cantorial Conce1.··t join Us as Our Own Cantor Ellen Cohen and Cantor Erik Contzius from Congregation Keneseth Israe~ Elkins Park, PA present a concert of Cantorlal, Israeli and Yiddish Music Sunday, January 30 3:00 pm at Temple Emeth page 4 6meth bulletin From the Education Wine lisvlng eurviv&f the er~et ~are of the Y2~ ecaro. we would 11M to pnsHnt our Top TtJn lIet of tralte to b~me and raise Th., Millennium Menech. Thl& Uet Ie InU~l you can nl!lVtJr btJ too young or too old (or ae they aleo eay ... too thin or too rich) to aepn .. to thMJi5 ttuaUtle6 • OUR TOP TEN TRAITS FOR THE IIMILLENNIUM MENSCHII 10. TAKE RISKS. Don"t be afrai.... to try oomethlng nft'. ThtJ only thing you ~nd to foee i& a ehanCt) to grow and I.,sm. 9. ACCEPT RESPONSI6JU1Y FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. 5t.IIrt at fu etehvat (rt Ju&t paeeed 80 It Ie not too taus) anti continue to b8 Hn&ftlVts to Mother Earth throughout thIS ymJr.. ' 8. SHARE. DleGOVtJr 1ihtJ joy of giving to ather&. 7. A5K QUESTIONS. Uetsn to the anewere. then a&le eome mo~. 6. LEARN TO TRUST. Fir&t. tnJet in youreelf. 11um, truet the goodnCH in othsre. 5. IDENTIFY AS A MEM6ER OF SOCIETY. 5tJc;ome part; ofthfe groat ,\ulft «'thIS . human race. Aleo remembtJr tho 5f'"ial ttual~ of OUI" Jt!JWIeh CDmmuntty. 4. TAKE PRIDE IN YOUR ACCOMPliSHMENTS. U"., them 815 thIS wilding biOGke of your character. 3. RESPECT THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. It will help them rtJepoc1i you. 2. HELP OTHERS IN. NEED. A little kJnaMH can eMnge a ptJreon'e day - ewen th~ir IWe) 1. TAKE A LEAP OF FAITH. Our rlah Jtu.t.la hmt.lge hae all of1ihct rfeht IngnuAlente 'liD help eaah an every one of ue make a dfffenm~. ~6(;r- 6'shaJom, 56th D. Roeen ECC Director @meth bulletin page 5 "" E "Where were you on Monday, January 7, 1980?" If you had been in the office at 1666 Windsor Road you would have been welcoming Marion Schechter on her first day of work at Temple Emeth. Some of us (Marion included) remember it as if it were yesterday. To others, it must seem like a historical event. We want to devote our message this month to acknowledging, honoring and celebrating Marion's two decades of devoted service to Temple Emeth, its staff and, most significantly, each of its member families. The length of Marion's tenure is in itself remarkable. Rabbi Sigel was in our pulpit for thirty two years and at least one of our Religious School teachers has been with us longer, but Marion's twenty-year tenure puts her near the head of the pack by a significant margin. Longevity, however, is the least of Marion's credentials. Who among us, be it past or present officers, board members, professional staff, committee chairpersons, or individual congregants has not had some aspect of Temple life explained or facilitated by Marion? The answer is virtually no ne. Who among us has not been supported, congratulated, encouraged or, more often than many of us care to remember, jollied out of a black mood? Again, we suggest the answer is most of us. Over the past twenty years we have had three (soon to be four) rabbis, three cantors, three directors of the Early Childhood Center and at least four directors of our Religious School.