Rabbi's Message
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OCTOBER 2013 CHESHVAN / KISLEV 5774 CONTENTS RABBI’S MESSAGE 1 RABBI’S MESSAGE: PRESIDENT’S We’re Puttin’ the Band PERSPECTIVE 3 Back Together (And, yes, we’re on a mission from God) CONGREGATIONAL LEARNING 4 Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg CANTOR’S During our Beth Am Israel trip this past June, we ate at a CORNER 6 restaurant called Blackout which, as the name indicates, UPCOMING features a sumptuous meal eaten entirely in the dark. After EVENTS 8 pre-ordering food and drinks, patrons are led in a human chain to their tables. The experience was “enlightening” in CALENDARS 10 many ways, including the opportunity (devoid of visual CONTRIBUTIONS 14 distractions) to have meaningful conversations with one another and to focus intently on other senses like taste and COMMUNITY sound. Each of the servers at Blackout is blind or visually NEWS 16 impaired so listening became critical as they guided us with their hands and voices: “Your glass is at your right hand, above FUND DESIGNATION 19 your plate.” “Your fork is here, at your left hand.” “Hold still as I clear your plate.” Our synagogue (and sanctuary in particular) is a visually stunning space, drawing the eye upward to the heavens, but sight is just one important sense and sound is of great help Visit us on line at: in creating a meaningful davening experience. This year, Beth bethambaltimore.org Am will celebrate a Year of Music focusing on sound and and now you can: melody as we engage our liturgy, one another and God. Make sure you mark your calendars and sign up for our Shabbaton US and Musician-in-Residence Weekend, both happening in ON November. This month of October features two musical facebook.com/ events: BethAmBaltimore • Eutaw Place kicked off its second full season October 5, with the very talented Aoife O’Donovan (joined by The Sweater Set). cont’d on page 5 1 Standing Committees Adult Ed Chair Elaine Weiss BETH AM BOARD Adult Ed Co-Chair Carla Rosenthal Finance Chair Alan Kopolow Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg Finance Co-Chair Joe Wolfson House Chair Sam Polakoff Officers Kiddush Chair Meg Hyman President Scott Zeger Membership Chair Sharon Nathanson 1st Vice President Julie Gottlieb Membership Co-Chair Robin Katcoff 2nd Vice President Alyson Bonavoglia Religious Services Chair Joe Wolfson Treasurer Alan Kopolow Social Action Chair Arthur Shulman Secretary Elaine Weiss Social Action Co-Chair Jackie Donowitz Youth Education Chair David Lunken Trustees through 2014 Betty Chemers Ad Hoc Committees Jerry Doctrow Annual Fund Honorary Chair Gil Sandler Emily Demsky Annual Fund Chair Eliza Feller Ashley Pressman Annual Fund Co-Chair Jim Jacobs Baltimore Jewish Council Ben Rosenberg Trustees through 2015 Beth Am Connection Joanne Katz Eliza Feller Risa Jampel Cheri Levin BAYITT Co-Chair Jeff Wachter David Lunken BAYITT Co-Chair Erica Allen Lynn Sassin Congregant to Congregant Joyce Keating Eutaw Place Ellen Kahan Zager Trustees through 2016 Jack Zager Neil Kahn In, For and Of Lisa Akchin Cindy Paradies Maggi Gaines Desiree Robinson Marketing Chair Ellen Spokes Jim Schwartz Operations Co-Chair Ashley Pressman Operations Co-Chair David Demsky Past President Cy Smith Past President Jack Lapides Honorary Life Member Lainy LeBow-Sachs Honorary Life Member Efrem Potts Office Hours After hours office phone numbers: Tuesday-Thursday: 9:00-4:00 Rabbi Daniel Cotzin Burg Friday: 9:00-3:00 443.202.0912 (cell) (emergencies only, please) or [email protected] Phone: Tel: 410.523.2446 Cantor Ira Greenstein Fax: 410.523.1729 443.759.7807 (home) Extentions: [email protected] Rabbi Burg - 14 Rabbi Gludt - 15 Rabbi Kelley Gludt, Director of Henry Feller, Exec. Dir. - 20 Congregational Learning Linda Small, Coordinator - 12 520.248.9541 (cell) Norm Weinstein, Bookkeeper - 17 [email protected] Marsha Blank, Educator - Gail Wohlmuth, Admin. Spec. - 21 Scott L. Zeger, Board President Nakia Davis, Admin. Assist. - 11 410.868.7761 Valerie Tracy, Marketing - 10 [email protected] In case of an emergency, please contact: E-mail: Henry Feller [email protected] Email: [email protected] Executive Director 410.602.2124 (home) Web site: www.bethambaltimore.org 2 3 PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE Scott Zeger With the High Holydays and 5773 I have already written about the third behind us, the Beth Am Board has a priority - Campaign for Beth Am. With short list of priorities on which to focus Lainy LeBow-Sachs as Chair and Cy its energy in 5774 to build an even Smith as Co-Chair, the Campaign has stronger spiritual home for learning, now set the stage for major achievements prayer and advancing social justice so that in 5774. Stay tuned. we can reinvigorate urban Jewish life in Baltimore, starting in our own Reservoir The second goal is to further Hill (http://bethambaltimore.org/ professionalize Beth Am’s operations. whoweare/vision): Beth Am now has an annual budget • strengthening Beth Am learning of about $1.2 million. Through the programs Campaign for Beth Am, you are • improving Beth Am’s operations entrusting the Board with pledges that • advancing the Campaign for Beth now exceed $6 million and that will Am. grow substantially in the next year. To be responsible with your investments, our At Beth Am, learning occurs in administration from top to bottom must classrooms and through our actions. The be first-rate. One key measure of process first goal is well underway, superbly led quality is that Beth Am remains intimate, by Rabbi Kelley Gludt. Since arriving just eclectic, welcoming...that it feels like 18 months ago, she has worked closely home. with the Youth Education committee, chaired by David Lunken, to design To advance the professionalism goal, and implement the Jewish Discovery the Board has created the Beth Am Lab, a transformed Beth Am school Operations Committee affectionately for Jewish and Hebrew education. This called “Ops Com”, chaired by Ashley year, she is turning to the more complex Pressman and David Demsky, with task of understanding and addressing members Lynn Sassin, Ellen Spokes, the congregation’s diverse aspirations Sharon Nathanson, Betty Chemers, for adult learning. The Board will work and Henry Feller. Ops Com will guide closely with Kelly and the Chairs of Adult process improvement at all levels. The Education, Social Action, and with the members have started by making a list multiple learning-focused task forces of low-hanging fruit including using to serve you better. The unifying theme names on staff emails (say goodbye to for 5774 is Music. A future President’s “office123”), implementing an on-line Perspective (PP) will address learning in payment system, succession planning for more detail. committee chairs, and training for lay leadership. Special thanks to Henry Feller cont’d on page 7 3 CONGREGATIONAL LEARNING Rabbi Kelley Gludt I have been asked by many people, And they did. I walked into services friends and family, neighbors and and was able to participate in prayer, to strangers, why I picked up and moved deliver a sermon and lead a discussion, all my family all the way across the country knowing that this is Beth Am and that our to come to Baltimore and to Beth Am. members would step up and take care of They want a quick answer when the it. Yachad went swimmingly that morning. truth is long and detailed. I have no short, satisfying answer to pull out of my In the past few months, Claire Stolze pocket. But what I do have, and offer up, mended and repaired the children’s Torah is a true story that exemplifies why I am scrolls. Erica Bloom organized a cadre of here. volunteers to prepare and serve lunch to the children on Yom Kippur. Beth Winters Rabbi Burg was out of town and had organized a myriad of parent volunteers asked if I would do the D’var Torah on to supervise in the social hall on all three a Shabbat morning this past summer. I days of the High Holydays. Sarah Pardue, willingly agreed, happy to stretch some Rebecca Pardue and Tobiah Robinson led latent rabbi muscles. That same day Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services was our end of the year Shabbat Yachad for our families. Various teens and tweens service, and unfortunately our lay leader collected pledge cards for Israel bonds on was called out of town. I figured, with a Yom Kippur in the balcony while Leah bit of help, I could swing both, so I asked Smith, Anna Levin, Julia Gross, Bennett a competent teenager in our community Demsky, Hannah Berman, Tobiah if she would cover the service for our little Robinson, Isaac Spokes and Kiri Maza all ones when I had to step out and then she read parts of Jonah at afternoon services promptly got sick. on Yom Kippur. Kristi Aho employed her considerable expertise in setting up our I showed up at Shabbat services with a online teacher training program. And the sermon in hand and two places to be. I list goes on. looked around, found Ashley Pressman and Jason Katcoff, and explained to them Beth Am is an amazing place, with active the situation in which I found myself. I participation, committed leaders, and was flustered and stressed and probably talented lay people. We are a community not all that coherent when Jason looked which steps up, helps out, pitches in, and me in the eye and in a reassuring voice really cares. We’re Beth Am and we’ve got said, “We’re Beth Am. We’ve got this.” this. 4 5 Rabbi from page 1 • October 18 is the first of six 5774 dates for Klei Kodesh, Beth Am’s YOUTH SERVICES instrumental and joyous Friday night October / November services and dinner.