Adar, Nisan, Iyyar & Sivan 5781 March, April & May 2021 Volume 23 Issue 3
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Mishpachtenu Adar, Nisan, Iyyar & Sivan 5781 March, April & May 2021 Volume 23 Issue 3 Congregation Beth Shalom 5915 Beacon Street Pittsburgh, PA 15217 412.421.2288 www.bethshalompgh.org SECTIONIN THE KNOW NAME In the Know .................................................... 2 CONGREGATION BETH SHALOM Leshanah Haba’ah Biyrushalayim 5915 Beacon Street • Pittsburgh, PA 15217 Next Year in Jerusalem ......................................... 3 www.bethshalompgh.org 412.421.2288 A Message from Our President .................... 4 Clergy and Staff Rabbi Seth Adelson .........................................................Senior Rabbi Directing the Way ......................................... 5 Kenneth A. Turkewitz ................................. Interim Executive Director Rabbi Jeremy Markiz ................. Director of Derekh & Youth Tefillah Hilary Yeckel .........................................................Director of the ELC Walking the Derekh ...................................... 6 Marissa Tait ...............................................Director of Youth Programs Lonnie Wolf ............................................................ Cemetery Director Rabbi Larry Freedman ...................................................J-JEP Director Growing Through the ELC ............................ 7 Dale Caprara ........................................................................Controller Executive Committee Learning with J-JEP ....................................... 8 Debby Firestone .....................................................................President Kate Rothstein .............................................Executive Vice President Alan Kopolow ............................................Vice President of Finance Beth Shalom Youth Zone .............................. 9 Joseph Jolson .......................................Vice President of Operations Mindy Shreve.....................Vice President of Member Engagement Jordan Fischbach ........................Vice President of Synagogue Life Benei Mitzvah .............................................. 18 Adam Kolko ...................................................Vice President of Youth Paul Teplitz .............................................................................Secretary Fred Newman ......................................................................... Treasurer Men’s Club Moments ................................. 20 David Horvitz .............................................. Immediate Past President Emeriti and Scholars The Sisterhood Says ..................................... 21 Rabbi Mark N. Staitman .......................................... Rabbinic Scholar Stephen E. Steindel, D.D ..............................................Rabbi Emeritus Moshe Taubé (z”l) ...................................................... Cantor Emeritus Humans of Beth Shalom ............................. 22 Amir Pilch F.S.A. .......................................Executive Director Emeritus Fern S. Moscov .........................................Preschool Director Emeritus Legacy Circle .............................................. 24 Board of Trustees Steve Albert David Horvitz Fred Newman Our Congregational Family ....................... 25 Ari Chester Joseph Jolson Kate Rothstein Mitchell Dernis Michael Jolson Betsy Schwartz Debby Firestone Rhoda Judd Mindy Shreve Staff Directory .............................................. 33 Jordan Fischbach Rona Kaufman Evan H. Stein Ira Frank Judy Kobell Paul Teplitz Deborah Sales Graver Adam Kolko Elinor Young Alan Himmel Alan Kopolow Roger Zimmerman Buy Giant Eagle Gift Sandra Hirsch Elisa Recht Marlin Amazon.com Cards at Beth Shalom! Babies ‘R’ Us Best Buy Dick’s Sporting Goods Past Presidents DSW Norton Freedel Harvey Robins Ira M. Frank Home Depot Harriet N. Kruman Julian Elbling Connie Pollack Alan Greenwald (z”l) Barry J. Palkovitz Stefi L. Kirschner Marriott Hotels Marianne Silberman Judy Kornblith Kobell Howard Valinsky Nordstrom Milton Eisner (z”l) Jay L. Fingeret David Horvitz SimplifyA percentage your shopping of all gift and card Regal Cinemas Yale Rosenstein Steven H. Schwartz buypurchases Giant Eagle benefits Gift the Cards shul! Seven Springs Resort from Beth Shalom and take GetGo! Gas Gift Cards careUse ofthem all ofto buyyour cards groceries to your, Auxiliary Presidents Over 140 popular pharmacyfavorite ,restaurants, and gift giving stores,! stores and restaurants Ira Frank ...............................................................................Men’s Club Withmovie Giant theaters Eagle Giftand Cards,more! to choose from! Judy Kornblith Kobell ...........................................................Sisterhood buy various gift cards and earn Purchases benefit Beth Ori Cohen ........................................................................................ USY foodperksCall and Judy fuelperks! Kayam Shalom. to purchase today: Call 412Amira-421- 2288,Walker ext. 110 at 412.421.2288 x 110 now! 2 Congregation Beth Shalom • www.bethshalompgh.org • 412.421.2288 OUR LEADERSHIP Leshanah Haba’ah Biyrushalayim the mystical Jerusalem on high, wherein we might Next Year in Jerusalem soon find the redemption we so desperately need Rabbi Seth Adelson right now. Senior Rabbi [email protected] The Exodus story, which we recount at each seder, is the template for our redemption, for our As I write this at the freedom. As we sing and discuss and chant and end of January, our of course dine, we should remember that as the horizon is both bleak Kadosh Barukh Hu has redeemed us in the past, and hopeful. At least 100 so too will we be redeemed again. And, at least in million people worldwide the case of this particular exile, brought on by the have had a coronavirus chaotic force unleashed by a tiny strand of RNA infection, and more than wrapped up in a spherical protein shell, we may two million have succumbed. The emotional and greet Yerushalayim shel ma’alah very soon indeed. economic devastation wrought by the virus is When that redemption comes, I will be singing Adir incalculable; we will be feeling its effects long after Hu loudly and proudly while marching down Murray we have won the battle. And yet, hope is in the Avenue, and I hope you will join me. air: as of right now, about 4% of Americans have received the vaccine. By the time you read this, I anticipate that figure will be much higher, thank Rabbi Adelson God. We have now completed a full cycle of Jewish holidays in full COVID mode: mostly by Zoom, mostly distant from one another, wearing masks and anxious about, well, everything. Some of you may recall that Purim 5780 was one of the last times that we gathered in our Sanctuary before shutting down, and now Pesah is around the corner. Our Pesah sedarim, like last year, will for many of us still be virtual. But I am certain that we will all be looking forward from here, to 5782 and beyond, filled with excitement about a return to what most of us have considered normal. Every year we conclude the seder with a desire to celebrate in Jerusalem in the coming year, either the earthly Jerusalem or the heavenly one. Leshanah haba’ah biyrushalayim, we sing. Next year in Jerusalem, the holy city. This year, we should aspire to merit a world that reflects redemption from the primary exile of our current moment: the plague of the coronavirus. Although we are nearing that redemption, we still have a ways to go before reaching the full physical and spiritual freedoms that are invoked in the first and fourth cups of wine. As such, on this Pesah we look longingly toward Yerushalayim shel ma’alah, Congregation Beth Shalom • www.bethshalompgh.org • 412.421.2288 3 OUR LEADERSHIP A Message from Our President physical shutting down of Beth Shalom over the past year has exacted enormous social and financial costs Debby Firestone on our Congregation. But it’s important to note that President our Early Leaning Center has remained open since [email protected] June. I think we have been able to manage and As I enter the last three survive with the vaccine as our ultimate hope. months of my presidency, I Weather permitting, plans are underway to again reflect on the experience of begin outdoor services. having served as president of Congregation The work that was begun before COVID-19 has Beth Shalom over these continued through the last year. Many very dedicated four years. First, the members have created and projected the future of experience did answer a question - what was I Beth Shalom with the development of our Strategic going to do in my retirement from teaching. I had no Plan. It is guiding us right now. An implementation time to think but only to react to events - especially committee is in place to make sure the we follow our over the last two years. This has been a very goals. Our lay leadership is stronger because we challenging and rewarding experience, especially in have made sure the shul’s committee work and the era of COVID. It’s also been extremely humbling. responsibilities are delegated to a larger circle of ded- When I was first approached about the presidency, icated volunteers. We have a new Constitution/By- I was very tentative in my acceptance because I laws and Rules which reflect our changing/updated frankly doubted I had the ability to do the job. Even synagogue. We continue to have tenants who help though I had been an executive officer, I still worried fill up the unused spaces in our building which bring about my lack of experience at the top level. Fortu- in much needed