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The Israelight Congregation Beth Israel of Media a Reconstructionist Jewish Community

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The Israelight Congregation Beth Israel of Media a Reconstructionist Jewish Community 1 Volume 38 No. 8 April 2015 Nissan/Iyar 5775 The Israelight Congregation Beth Israel of Media A Reconstructionist Jewish Community RAZ GREENFAITH SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE WEEKEND Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb April 10 - 11, 2015 8:00 PM Friday April 10 Eco-Judaism I: What We Can Do as People; Why We Do It as Jews 9:45 AM Saturday April 11 Green Davenning with Rabbi Linda and Rabbi Fred: Short Shacharit Sustainability Snippets 11:00 - Noon Religious School Hands-on Jewish Environmentalism 12:30 Saturday April 11 Lunch and Learn Eco-Judaism II: What We Can Do in Jewish Community, From This Lunch, Forward Since his 1997 ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (alongside Rabbi Linda!), Rabbi Dobb has served as rabbi at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation in Bethesda MD. He helped Adat Shalom (adatshalom.net) become a widely-acclaimed green spiritual center. Fred is active in interfaith, environmental, social justice and Reconstructionist movement leadership serving as chair of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL.org) and having served as chair of Maryland & Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light (GWIPL.org), and president of the Washington Board of Rabbis. Fred received a Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary in 2009. His ten- and six-year old children provide both impetus for, and limits upon, his ac - tivist rabbinate. RUMMAGE SALE 3 Yahrzeits 8 How to help We remember them Yom HaShoa Table of Donations 9 Art as Memory, To Reconcile a Painful Past 4 Contents Thank you Religious Practice 5 Adult Education 10, 11 Passover Torah Treks, Rabbi Hirsh GreenFaith Food Justic Project 6 In the Community 12, 13 Report, April Collections Literacy Volunteers; Speaker on Greek Jews Fundraising 7 Purim 2015 14 Escrip news Picture gallery 2 Volume 38 No. 8 April 2015 President’s Message: Feeling Connected? Nissan/Iyar 5775 While navigating the black ice and frozen slush I often wonder if spring will ever arrive. Then, on occasion, I am able to see a sparrow and, if I am lucky, a random red bird. These sights are enough to remind me that spring cannot be too far away. Spring is always a dynamic time of change within the walls of Beth Israel. At the February board meeting the Board of Directors started to discuss our values and goals for fiscal year 2015-2016. These values will, in turn, become the backbone for the budget for our next fiscal year. Unlike previous years when we listed numerous goals, this year the Board decided to focus on the concept of connectivity. The strength of our congregation is dependent on the relationships we build and reinforce with each other. Many of us have experienced the long schmoozing that happens before and after services or classes. For many, it is during this time when friendships are made, strengthened, and reaffirmed. It is when you truly get to know other people who you can count on and where your contributions are valued that you feel you are part of a community. Some ideas that have been circulating include: “unofficial greeters” at sporadic services and bringing members to- gether in smaller settings to rest and rejuvenate and deepen their connections with one another. If you have an idea about ways we can build connections at BI, please tell me about it. As we plan for the upcoming year, please remember to fulfill all your outstanding balances for the current year. Your dues allow us to continue to fund the many programs that enrich our lives at Beth Israel. Equally important, your gifts above and beyond your membership commitment enable us to offer membership to all who seek to join our commu- nity regardless of their financial situation. Stay Warm, Jennifer Rabbi’s Message This year marks my 18th year at Beth Israel and the last year of my current contract. When asked by the Board about my intentions for the future, I stated that I would be honored to continue as the rabbi of Beth Israel because I love and value the community and enjoy my work immensely. Yet, I have had a dilemma regarding how to balance the demands of this wonderful work with my roles as mother to my 10-year-old daughter and daughter to my 84-year- old mother. It has become increas - ingly difficult to be available to them within the confines of my current schedule. After much soul searching, I came up with a proposal I believe will work for me and serve Beth Israel well. I am honored to continue as your rabbi and will meet my existing responsibilities, with one exception. In order to make my work more feasible, I requested that we bring on another rabbi to share the pulpit work for approx - imately two weekends per month. This will enable me to give my best energies to BI while devoting sufficient time to family obligations. Our thoughtful Board asked probing questions as they explored what would be best for the community. I am pleased and grateful that they agreed to take BI in this new direction. As we move forward in this direction, BI will have the benefit of my leadership and of a second rabbinic service leader on a regular basis, using the resources from my com - pensation package. I will continue to assume responsibility for the congregation with respect to the many diverse areas that I cover: - Providing guidance, vision and leadership to the community as a whole - Administrative - working with the Board, staff and lay leaders - Working with members, committees and outsiders to create, plan and execute programs - Planning and providing education for adults, teens, children and families - Working with the principal on the Hebrew School; leading HS services/assemblies - Planning and officiating at life cycle functions of all sorts - Pastoral - providing spiritual counseling, guidance, support and responses to members, to prospective members and to the wider community - Membership development and relationships continued on page 4 3 Volume 38 No. 8 April 2015 Nissan/Iyar 5775 le Sa e ag m M m P u 2 R – y M it A un 9 6 Drop off all items at the green house m 2 (across from the main building) om il l C pr Tuesday, April 14 and 21 4-6 PM or e A Sunday morning, April 19 from 9:30-12 ra y, Is da Or contact Joe to arrange a time for th un drop off 610-368-5671 Be S We need: household items, small electronics(in working condition), small furniture, books, etc.... Also paper and plastic bags, plus newspapers for wrapping sold items DO NOT BRING CLOTHING*, TELEVISIONS, OR COMPUTERS *Please donate clothing to worthy charities. We need bakers to make, bag and label cookies, brownies, muffins, cupcakes, small breads etc and/or donations of donuts and soft pretzels . - also bagged and labeled for sale Please contact Lynn Cashell [email protected] or Joe Deutsch at [email protected] We need help moving the items from the green house into the sanctuary the week before the sale. And we need LOADS of help the day of the sale! MONITOR THE FLOOR, CHECK OUT PURCHASES, HELP WITH THE REFRESHMENT STAND This is a fund-raising event, so please support our community! 4 Volume 38 No. 8 April 2015 Nissan/Iyar 5775 Rabbi’s Message continued from page 2 - Liaison to the wider community - Jewish, Reconstructionist, Delaware County, Interfaith - Tikkun Olam work with members and in coalition with other groups - Creating and leading Shabbat and holiday services and programs Change is not easy and I know that in this moment- not yet having an associate rabbi in place - people are anxious. Know that we will be hiring an associate rabbi who is a good fit for our community, as we are committed to making this a win-win situation for everyone. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions concerning this impending change. We are all committed to working toward an excellent outcome! Yours, Rabbi Linda Mekom Torah and Congregation Beth Israel in commemoration of Yom HaShoah – Holocaust Remembrance Day collaborate to offer ART AS MEMORY, TO RECONCILE A PAINFUL PAST Sunday April 19, in the sanctuary at Beth Israel. Bagels at noon, program from 12:15 to 1:45pm. Presenter: Tamar Hendel - Artist, Teacher, Art Therapist and Holocaust Survivor Introduced and facilitated by Rabbi Helen Plotkin Appropriate for: Adults, and young people 6th grade and up. Tamar’s Past: Tamar Hendel was born in Zagreb, in what was then Yugoslavia and is now Croatia. In 1941, she fled with her family to northern Italy, where they were interned and then went into hiding in Rome. After the liberation, in 1944, the family arrived in the United States and spent a year and a half interned at Fort Ontario, Oswego, NY, with about 1000 other refugees, before being given legal and permanent entry into the U.S. Tamar’s Present: Tamar has been an artist all her life. She became a licensed art therapist in 1980, and she has lead “Art as Memory” workshops at child survivor conferences since 1988. These workshops, originally only for survivors, have recently been opened to the second and third generation as a tool for reconciling the legacy of trauma. Tamar’s book, entitled Life with Death, is a moving collection of drawings and stories from her workshops. The Program: Tamar will talk about the power of art, using her own drawings and her own childhood memories as examples. She will show drawings by workshop participants and help us learn to discern their meaning. She will lead a hands-on session for those who wish to participate.
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