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June 2020/ Volume 26 Issue 6 Rabbi’S Message - June 2020

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June 2020/ Volume 26 Issue 6 Rabbi’S Message - June 2020 Congregation B’nai Harim Children of the Mountains Congregation B’nai Harim, P.O. Box 757, Pocono Pines, PA 18350/ (570) 646-0100 http://www.bnaiharimpoconos.org NEWSLETTER JUNE 2020/ VOLUME 26 ISSUE 6 RABBI’S MESSAGE - JUNE 2020 “Zoom is bustin’ out all over,” to paraphrase the old Broadway song. We’ve now met for services since early March, studied together, held a board meeting and a book club ses- sion or two. Soon there will be a Ladies’ Lunch and a session on how to make challeh. On June 14 the LOX Academy will make its debut. It’s beginning to seem almost normal. How amazing is the human ability to adapt and flourish! We also have an innate ability to find “what’s wrong with this picture.” While we’ve been put- ting on our masks to protect ourselves and our neighbors, some terrible inequities have been un- masked. Perhaps we see the more clearly how our work force has been mistreated. Whether the issue is better pay or better health care, perhaps we’re beginning to think that those whom we now call “essential workers” deserve to be valued and respected more. It is alarming that it will take a serious shortage of meat as barbecue season begins to open our eyes to the dangerous conditions imposed on people we didn’t even think about before. Until this virus, we could pretend that the system was working. Now, as we sanitize our hands, we can no longer sanitize the facts. As the restrictions are lifted, what will we do to prevent ourselves from slipping back into social unconsciousness? We took pride in doing our civic part with masks and gloves and keeping our dis- tance. What will give us that sense of pride afterwards? Keep your eye on the Reform Movement’s Religious Action Center. They bring to light issues and things you can do about them. Read the facts and weigh the moral consequences of action vs. inaction. Use the resources now available through Zoom and social media to prepare yourself for letter writing campaigns or working for candidates who represent your values or getting out the ab- sentee-ballot vote. We’ll all be better for it. Chazak! Chazak! V’Nitchazeik! Be strong! Be strong! And let us strengthen one another! KIDDUSH HOSTS Kiddushes are such a delightful part of socializing after a Saturday Morning service. We always welcome hosts for our Kiddushes. The cost of sponsoring is $65.00 and includes bagels, cream cheese, coffee, tea, orange juice, milk and all needed paper goods. Sponsors are welcome to supplement the Kiddush. To host a Kiddush, call Roberta Pineiro (570) 839-0107. From the Kiddush Fund MEMBERSHIP MEETING JULY 2020 Elections for the Executive Board of B’nai Harim will take place at the Congrega- tional Membership Meeting in July 2020. There are three board positions to be filled. Anyone interested in joining the board should submit their name . Each board member serves a minimum of three years. Board meetings are once a month on Sundays. PAGE ONE/B’NAI HARIM PRESIDENT’S2 MESSAGE JUNE 2020 by Meredith Stempel Please Tell Me Doctor by Meredith Stempel Doctor, please tell me doctor, how’s my pressure, sugar, heart, cholesterol? And the weight gain, is it thyroid? I’m hardly eating much of anything at all. A cookie here, a soda there, a double burger, with some chips really does hit the spot. I round it off with a chocolate fudge sundae with whipped cream, barely even a shot. Buttered popcorn with a movie can’t kill me. It’s so rare that I needn’t give it up. A little beer with my meals shouldn’t hurt me. It comes to somewhat less than a cup. Taking vitamins A through E builds stamina and immunity. Fish oils, chocolate, and green tea keep up my vitality. Gingko for the memory. Gastric bypass for obesity. Do you think I’ll live to see another day? I’m weak and dizzy, but not very often, now that my intake of fluids has increased. But the night- time voiding has me quite worried. Are my kidneys, bladder, prostate diseased? The hot flashes, night sweats, and palpitations cause the panic and are bad for the heart. I need my depression and nerve pills so badly; my coping skills are falling apart. Cycling, jogging, meditation for tone and bones, and salvation. Weight-lifting, endurance train- ing keep the heart muscle from waning. Do you think I might survive another day? The lumbago every morning, I can’t straighten. The arthritis has attacked me neck to feet. At night I’m snoring, gasping, and choking. The sleep apnea aggravates my heartbeat. A pain pill in the morning with my coffee keeps me going and off to a good start. When all is said and over, I hope my brain and body aren’t falling apart. TIKKUN OLAM by Steven Levine A few months ago I shared some information from the report: “The New Antisemites” As we continue to self-quarantine during this Covid-19 Pandemic the traditional anti- Semitic conspiracies that Jews cause the plagues of the world has never gone away; rather they were dormant for a while but now they are back full blown. These days hate groups use social media outlets to promote Jew hatred by accusing Jews of deliberately creating the Covid- 19 pandemic. Yehuda Bauer, a professor emeritus at Hebrew University warns that anti-Semitism also provides danger to non-Jews as well. He suggests that social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram,“…should be used to create a stable of websites to call out anti-Semites as enemies of mankind. Thus, we need intelligent planning for an aggressive anti-anti-Semitism response on the internet, based on defining anti-Semites as a threat to the very survival of non-Jewish societies.” Today, just as the Covid-19 virus does not discriminate who it attacks, anti-Semitism affects Jews and non-Jews alike. We must work together to fight the plague of anti-Semitism. TEMPLE JUDAICA by Norma Krasne-Levine I cite the Broadway musical Carousel and I am singing June is Busting Out All Over as I write this article for our Temple Newsletter. The sun is shining, buds are blooming, and the bees are buzzing while we are still stuck at home in self quarantine due to the Covid-19 virus. Our Temple building is still closed so I cannot entice you with the lovely items in our Judaica case. However, there is still a way that you can support B’nai Harim and provide a special gift for Dad, a High School or College Graduate, a New Baby or someone celebrating a Milestone Birthday or Anniversary. I suggest that you make a donation to our wonderful B’nai Harim in the honoree’s name. You have so many areas to pick from. You can choose from the General Fund, The Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund, the Music Fund, the Tem- ple Beautification Fund, or order a leaf for our “Temple’s Tree of Life” or even host a Kiddush to celebrate. I am sure you can find one that will be “just right for that special person”. In the mean- while, my wish is for all to stay healthy and stay safe while you Enjoy the Sunshine in Your Heart! PAGE TWO/B’NAI HARIM BOOK CLUB NEWS - JUNE 2020 by Barbara Kapitansky On Friday, May 1, the B'nai Harim Book Club met, thanks to Honi, who con- ducted a very good discussion of "The Girl From Berlin" by Ronald H Balson us- ing the Zoom program. The program gave all of us the opportunity to share our thoughts and feelings regarding this very deep story line. With many good next book suggestions, we decided to read "The Color of Love" by Marra B. Gad. This is the story of a bi-racial Jewish girl whose biological mother was white and her biological father was black. At three days old, she was adopted by a white Jewish fam- ily who resided in Chicago. She and her parents quickly learned that the world wasn't ready for a family like theirs. Come join us on Saturday, June 13, 2020, for a most interesting discussion. The book club is open to all members of the congregation. DID YOU KNOW? by George Novick We have female Reform and Conservative Rabbis and now, Orthodox Rabbis. Yes it is true. According to Religion Writer Julie Zauzmer of the Washington Post, there are a few female Orthodox Rabbis. They call themselves Rosh Kehilah (head of community), Maharat, Rabbanit, Rabba or Rabbi. They can be found in the Modern Orthodox and Open Orthodox movements. However, the Liberal and Open Orthodox Union, the umbrella organization that represents most of the Orthodox Synagogues, does not and will not sanction female Rabbis. They base their prohibition on their interpretation of the Talmud which forbids a woman from being a kosher butcher and believe the prohibition extends to all positions of religious authority. They also have modesty concerns of women preaching to men. The Orthodox female Rabbi, although she may not count herself for the minyan or lead most prayers, still takes on the duties of a teacher and pastoral caregiver and answers questions of Jewish law posed by all members of her congregation. This is a striking break for the Orthodox but it is a start. In the US the number of Orthodox make up about 10% of the Jewish congregations. The Reform and Conservative movements, who have embraced the idea of female Rabbis, far outnumber those who don’t.
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