BULLETIN December 2020, Kislev – Tevet 5781
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Beth Israel – The West Temple BULLETIN December 2020, Kislev – Tevet 5781 Our Mission from the Rabbi's Desk... To be a center of worship and You mean, there’s more to Chanukah vital community life where Jews and their families from food than latkes??? Cleveland’s western In a recent article on the Union for Reform Judaism’s communities learn Jewish website, local writer Kate Bigam Kaput wrote about traditions and values, develop their Jewish identity, and the foods of Chanukah—and why we eat them. But assure the continuity of not just the Ashkenazic/Eastern European foods that many of us Jewish life. take for granted that all Jews eat. It is truly a global list; recipes from around the world, reminding us that, as Rabbi Larry Milder wrote: “Wherever You Go, There’s Always Someone Jewish.” Features The list includes: Berenjenas con miel: deep-fried eggplant Rabbi's Desk..................... 1-2 rounds drizzled with honey, eaten by Spanish Jews; Buñuelos: a Shabbat Programming...........2 light-as-air fried dough dessert popular in Mexico, Cuba, and December Programming.......3 Colombia; Cassola: baked ricotta cheesecake that originated in What Was It Like?................4 Italy, now frequently found in the form of cheese pancakes; What Is It Like?....................5 Frituras de malanga: Cuban taro fritters; Gulam jamun: deep- By the Book ......................6-8 fried milk balls from India, typically soaked in rose-flavored syrup; Keftes de prasa/espinaca: leek/or spinach fritters popular Educator's Desk & Pictures ...........................9-10 amongst Sephardic Jews, especially those in Turkey, Greece, and Romania; Kibbet yatkeen: Syrian pumpkin patties Circle of Friends & Pictures .........................11-12 traditionally made with bulgur/kasha; Malawach: Yemenite Jews top this flaky, fried flatbread with eggs, zhug (a spicy herbed sauce), and other toppings; Samsa: sweet, fried dumplings YYYYY stuffed with walnuts, eaten in Bukhara, or modern-day Uzbekistan; Sfenj: deep-fried yeast donuts are popular in Calendar............................. 13 Morocco, with or without dusting sugar; Jalebi: crispy fritters in Celebrations .......................14 squiggly patterns are popular in India, reminiscent of North Perpetual Yahrzeits ............15 American funnel cakes; Rosquitas: this circular fried dough Service Schedule ................16 pastry originated in Andalusia (Spain) and is said to represent unity and eternity; Panelle: fried chickpea fritters that originated Contributions ......................17 in Sicily and are sometimes even eaten on sandwiches (sounds like falafel to me!); Platanos fritos: fried sweet plantains are popular for Hanukkah in Central America, especially Colombia; Zalabia: Yemenite fried dough, topped with powdered sugar or honey, is a popular dessert at Hanukkah and other holidays… continued on p. 2. December 2020 Beth Israel – The West Temple 2 continued from p. 1 Celebrate Shabbat and This list reminds us that we Jews are a December Birthdays & multicultural people who have lived around Anniversaries th the world for millennia, and speaks to our 7:30 p.m. – Friday, December 4 racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. During these Covid times, as we are rather confined Shared Shabbat to our homes, these recipes offer us the opportunity to connect with fellow Jews Join Rabbi Lader and friends for a family-friendly Erev Shabbat around the world through food. I invite you to service and receive your birthday and/or anniversary blessing… follow the link and try out some recipes. As you bring light and laughter to your Chanukah Zoom link will be sent in the News You Can Use celebrations, imagine the lights of Chanukah menorahs and smiling Jewish faces around the world. Wishes for a joyful and light-filled Chanukah, Rabbi Enid [email protected] Let’s light up the Second Night of Chanukah! Friday, December 11th, 7:00 p.m. Congregational Shabbat & Chanukah Service Zoom in, as we light our Chanukah menorahs together… Sing Chanukah songs and welcome Shabbat… And play dreidel! Zoom link will be sent in the News You Can Use Chanukah Blessings Sunday, January 10, 2021, 11:00 a.m. Follow this link to the URJ website to learn Semi-Annual more about Chanukah and to hear the singing of each blessing. And consider including Congregational Meeting this Prayer for Lights. Bulletin published 11 times a year by: Congregational Educator: Debbie Chessin Beth Israel—The West Temple Ritual Committee: Luis Fernandez 14308 Triskett Road, Cleveland OH 44111 Buildings & Grounds Committee: Rick Keller Phone (216) 941-8882; [email protected] Social Action Committee: Barbara Feldmar & Ken Dunn On the web: www.thewesttemple.com Membership Committee: Sandy Pankiw Rabbi: Enid C. Lader (216) 228-9735 Finance Committee: Robin Kaufman President: Peter Sackett Cemetery Committee: Rick Keller Vice President: TBA Public Relations Coordinator: Becky Watts Treasurer: Robin Kaufman Bulletin Editors: Jan Miyake, Pat Outlaw Secretary: Judy Wright January Deadline: Tuesday, December 15th Table of Contents December 2020 Beth Israel – The West Temple 3 Join Rabbi Jeffrey Schein, author of Text Me: Ancient Town Hall Discussion: Jewish Wisdom Meets Contemporary Technology, in conversation about our Jewish values, our appreciation Feeding the Hungry in of digital opportunities and perils, and the dance Northeast Ohio between them. Wednesday, December 9th, 7:00 p.m. Sunday, December 6, 2020, 2:00 p.m. Beth Israel – The West Temple will host a Town Hall Discussion, with Kristin Warzocha, "The Ten Commandments President and CEO, Greater Cleveland Food of Monitoring Our Bank, and Lona Gruber, founding director of the Evolving Digital Selves" SCAN Hunger Center Pantry. Our guests will discuss their led by Rabbi Jeffrey Schein paths to leadership, challenges We live in a highly digital Age. At no time has the in their positions, goals and relationship between Judaism and Technology been all needs for the upcoming holiday at once so rich, complex, enriching, and season and other issues. Questions may be problematic. Based on a wide array of Jewish sources, submitted via Chat Room during the live stream. participants will first explore their own relationship to YouTube link to the livestream. digital technologies, such as smart phones and computers. Paying attention to Rabbi Schein's argument nd that, as well as traditional categories of Jewish ethics December 2 at 5:30 p.m. such as between a person and God and a person and his “Antisemitic Tropes fellow human being, we need a new Jewish ethical Across the Globe” vessel named “between a person and his/her technologies,” we will explore Hear from Shaya Lerner, ADL’s Associate practical aytzahs (ideas/suggestions) for infusing our Director for Middle Eastern Affairs, and David relationships to technology with Jewish values. The Weinberg, Washington Director for International exploration culminates with dialogue and argument Affairs. Learn about antisemitic tropes across the about Rabbi Schein's Ten Commandments for Managing globe and the ways they manifest from various Our Evolving Digital Selves. governments. After the presentation there will be time for Q&A from the participants. Registration is required; click here. Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 922 6484 7632 Passcode: 157763 Dial in: 646 876 9923 This event is free, and hosted by Beth Israel—The West Temple, Kol HaLev, and Temple Emanuel. Here is a teaser: 2-minute graphic novel called Scully and the Smart Phone. Table of Contents December 2020 Beth Israel – The West Temple 4 What Was It Like? among the papers of a deceased relative. I took on Jean Lettofsky the challenge and after three visits, we had a pretty complete picture of the content of most of the After graduating from Yeshiva letters. University High School for Girls in Brooklyn, NY in 1960, I continued my Sleuthing for answers was my absolute favorite education in the joint program of the library function, no matter the topic. It may sound Jewish Theological Seminary and strange to the reader, but sometimes I felt a real Columbia University. It was at the high upon solving a complex information issue. A seminary cafeteria that I met Alan, the secret: since I was the boss, as Peter suggests, no love of my life; we were married in administrator criticized my handling some 1964. challenging questions. I had not completed my undergraduate degree, so My work hours were flexible. I was the only full- continued first at Southern Connecticut State College, time employee and neglected my own work to tend while Alan was studying at Yale, and then finally to many 'tough' queries. When faculty members completing it at the University of Wisconsin, where Alan were working on accreditation reports, sleep did not was the Hillel director. matter. I was deeply involved in the process and will never forget the night one faculty member and My major was Spanish, and one of the professors there I sat at her kitchen table until 2:30 a.m.! urged me to go on for a Ph.D., but, after much thought I decided rather to study library science. I chose to follow I worked at the library for 30 years, building up the the track toward a position in academic librarianship. I collection appropriate for the students at the college received my Masters in Library Science. and for the general community. Over the years, I built a cooperative partnership with CWRU and I was hired by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin OhioLink, supervised the computerizing of the (SHSW) to conduct an oral history project of Holocaust catalog and the conversion from the Dewey Survivors who settled in Wisconsin, funded by the Decimal system to the Library of Congress system, Wisconsin Society of Jewish Learning. In those days, we supervised the renovation and construction of a used a tape recorder, and then did written transcripts; the balcony, and set the tone for a very small, but results of that project are available on the SHSW web site. wonderful, staff including many volunteers.