MARCH 2017 ADAR/NISAN 5777 MARCH WORSHIP SCHEDULE Shabbat T’rumah, Exodus 25:1 - 27:19 March 3 5:30 pm Pre-Shabbat nosh 6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Worship with 2nd & 3rd grade 7:00 pm “Shabbat Across America”—Kugel Kontest and extended Oneg Shabbat with light dinner Shabbat T’tzaveh, Exodus 27:20 - 30:10 March 10 5:30 pm Tot Shabbat 2.0 7:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Worship Hand puppet fun at our Early Childhood Center March 11 5:00 pm Shabbat afternoon Worship Bat Mitzvah: Allison Kramer Shabbat Ki Tisa, Exodus 30:11 - 34:35 March 17 7:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Worship March 18 10:30am Shabbat morning Worship Bar Mitzvah: Andrew Knispel 12:00pm Kiddush Luncheon in honor of Andrew Knispel Shabbat Vayak’heil-P’kudei, Exodus 35:1 - 40:38 March 24 7:30 pm Music Shabbat: “A Suite Shabbat” March 25 5:00pm Shabbat afternoon Worship Bar Mitzvah: Adam Portnoy Religious School students hard at work 46 Peaceable Street • Ridgefi eld, CT 06877 Phone: (203)438-6589 • Fax: (203)438-5488 Email: offi [email protected] Website: www.OurShirShalom.org Page 2 OUR SHIR SHALOM March 2017 FROM RABBI REINER’S DESK n this era of “fake news,” synagogue, even if you possess a concealed carry Ithe holiday of Purim is a permit. reminder of separating reality Growing up in Washington DC during the from fi ction. Celebrations of Clinton administration, our family had many Purim often involve turning connections with the fi rst family both through my reality backwards, doing father’s congregation and the prep school I att end- the opposite of the ordinary. ed. There were a few Cabinet members at the syn- Where our worship services agogue and Chelsea Clinton and I att ended rival are usually semi-serious high schools. We had a few friends in common aff airs, worship on Purim is fi lled with frivolity. and occasionally crossed paths at athletic competi- We celebrate Purim by blurring fact and falsehood. tions. It has been very nice to reconnect and I hope I am pleased to share that some immediate that she and her family will feel comfortable call- family members of a President of the United States ing our congregation their spiritual home. of America are considering the possibility of join- The Clinton family is also exploring the pos- ing our congregation. The presidential family has a sibility of enrolling their children at our excellent home in our area, and, as you may know, the son- Early Childhood Center, and we are exploring in-law of a President of the United States is Jewish. the possibility of renovating the former caretaker And while there are a few synagogues closer to apartment/att ic, which would be rented to the Se- their home, in Bedford or Chappaqua, the family cret Service as a mobile command center. has shared that they really liked the warm, friend- Chelsea and her family may also join us at Tot ly, and intimate feeling of our smaller and closely Shabbat 2.0 services in the months ahead, and Bill connected congregation, as well as the personal and Hillary have generously off ered to speak (at connection I have been trying to cultivate with the no charge) as part of an adult education program family. we are currently developing. They may also deliv- You may notice increased security around er an occasional sermon. our synagogue, especially during the high holy I will also be starting a monthly Torah Study days, and the Secret Service has suggested that we and/or adult education program in Midtown Man- may need airport style security--including met- hatt an; the former fi rst family has also generously al detectors and bag checking--during the High off ered to host these sessions at the Clinton Foun- Holy Days. We may also need the social security dation offi ces. numbers of all congregants and your guests (to If you are still reading at this point, I want to run background checks) and everyone will need clarify that this column is a great example of “Fake to have a valid, government issued photo identifi - News.” There is also a Purim tradition of pranks cation AND a ticket in order to enter our worship and rabbis perpetrating “alternative facts” as truth. services. Firearms will not be permitt ed at the Happy Purim! CONGREGATION SHIR SHALOM of Westchester and Fair eld Counties 46 Peaceable Street Ridge eld, CT 06877 Phone: (203)438-6589 Fax: (203)438-5488 Rabbi David L. Reiner MAHL Cantor [email protected] Rabbi Emeritus Deborah Katchko-Gray Jon Haddon D.D. [email protected] [email protected] Religious School DIrector Administrator Leslie Gottlieb Laura Morris [email protected] [email protected] Early Childhood Center DIrector Controller Jane Weil Emmer Lori Stalowicz [email protected] [email protected] Adar/Nisan 5777 OUR SHIR SHALOM Page 3 BOARD OF TRUSTEES THE PRESIDENTS’ MESSAGE by Gale Berman and Hal Wolkin Gale Berman, Co-President Hal Wolkin, Co-President t was May of 1939, when the German ocean liner, [email protected] IMS St. Louis, set sail from Hamburg, Germany Josh Blum, Vice President to Havana, Cuba. On board, were over 900 Jews Lou Haber, Vice President fl eeing from the Third Reich. Over 75 years later, Karen Taylor, Chief Financial Of cer we all know how this tragic story turned out. Robyn Cohen, Treasurer Entry was denied by The Cuban government in Lynn Broder, Secretary spite of issuing landing permits. The ship then [email protected] headed for the United States, but Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, advised President Roosevelt Paul Amerling, Trustee not to grant entry to the Jews. Canada refused Bobbie Cohlan, Trustee as well. Dr. Terry Henry, Trustee The ship sailed back to Europe; Belgium, Dr. Lisa Ipp-Voellmicke, Trustee France and the Netherlands accepted 619 of Steve Landzberg, Trustee the passengers, and Great Britain accepted 288 Robi Margolis, Trustee of the passengers, but as the war swept across Richard Mishkin, Trustee Western Europe, it is estimated that 85% of the Lauren Sugar, Trustee passengers who remained in Europe were sent Suzanne Sunday, Trustee to various concentration camps where ultimately 254 died. Alan Waldman, Trustee Gale’s father and uncle lived in Cuba in 1939, as members of Emily Wein, Trustee a refugee camp, “Finca Paso Seco,” established by and under the [email protected] protection of American Quakers, while awaiting legal entry to the United States. Over the years, Gale had heard about the fate of the Shir Shalom Editor St Louis from her dad who recalled seeing the ship anchored in the Laura Morris harbor with its passengers desperately in need of a haven. Gale’s [email protected] father and uncle eventually emigrated to the U.S. and never forgot their immense gratitude for the safe haven they were granted, initially in Cuba and later in the United States and for the Quakers CONTENTS who provided for them and the many other young German Jews Rabbi Reiner’s Desk page 2 during their time in Cuba. Today, there are millions of refugees living in temporary Co-Presidents’ Message page 3 housing or “camps” with litt le hope for the future. Many have been Cantor’s Corner page 4 granted temporary safe haven by countries that are far smaller than the United States. The United States has set relatively low quota Ritual Committee page 5 levels for acceptance of such refugees and this was before the recent Religious School page 6 “executive order” barring entry to the United States of travelers Early Childhood Center page 7 (including refugees) from seven countries. We, like you, have our own perspectives on this matt er and Social Action page 9 on so many other challenging developments in our country and Excerpts in Jewish History page 10 around the world. Perhaps it is not our place and perhaps this is Sisterhood page 12 not the forum to share how we feel or to suggest how others should feel or conduct themselves, however we are a nation of immigrants. Celebrations page 14 No matt er your political perspectives, it is undoubtedly the case Yahrzeiten page 16 that you, like us, are experiencing a higher than usual level of Donations page 19 anxiety and concern for the future. Anxiety and concern has come to permeate our lives and while this may not defi ne who we are, Calendar page 23 this likely defi nes how we feel. With that said, Shir Shalom can be a “safe haven” where (continued on bottom of page 8) Page 4 OUR SHIR SHALOM March 2017 THE CANTOR’S CORNER by Cantor Debbie Katchko-Gray Words, Blessings and God’s Name ing holiness by our actions and words. We all carry God’s name with us wherever we go. We represent ecently, I att ended a the Jewish People everywhere we travel. When we Rfascinating lecture while pray for someone, embrace, show kindness, when we visiting my cousin Isabelle behave as we should, we are sanctifying God’s name. Szneer in Westlake Village, Zion Tziyon means a lamppost. We are literally a CA. Rabbi Moshe Bryski spoke billboard with a message to the world. about the third commandment, Lastly, Rabbi Bryski taught that the Kaddish not taking God’s name in vain: means to sanctify, with no words about death. It’s What is the proper respect for our job to sanctify God’s name. When someone can God? no longer fulfi ll that, we do it, to continue the tradi- What distinguishes animals from human beings tion.