HOTTY Service Outline (February 24, 2017)

Welcome – Ilana Mermelstein

Shabbat Shalom! Thank you for joining us tonight for a Shabbat service that was planned and will be led by the teens of HOTTY, our temple’s high school youth group. And thank you to Casey Elinger and his family for sharing his Bar-Mitzvah weekend with us. The theme for tonight is “Moments that Bring us Together,” a theme we chose to remind you all of the power of community, what can happen when we all come together. Please join us in Hineh Ma Tov.

Songleaders – OPENING SONG

Rabbi – Welcomes everyone, invites Casey Elinger’s (bar-mitzvah) family up to light candles. Cantor will lead Kiddush.

Reading – Drew Baker (for Zach Eagen)

For tonight’s service we were told to find an instance in which people or communities came together in strength, comfort, or kindness. How did they make a difference? What did they change or impact and what was the result? When I think of a time when people came together to make a change, I think back to the story of the American Revolution.

It is a story in which people were fed up with the restrictions and tyranny that had presided over them for many years. The heroes that we think of today as patriots, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, were ready for change and ready to make it happen. So, what did they do? They rose up together. Yet, these leaders knew that they could not be the only ones to rise up and fight against the oppression facing them. They needed their friends and neighbors, fellow Americans to rally in support around them as well. These leaders inspired the people of the colonies to rise not just against the rulers, but to rise together as one new nation. In our modern era, there have been few causes that have been fought for with the strength, will, determination, and commitment that our forefathers fought with some two hundred and forty years ago.

We must learn from our ancestors that if we wish to bring about change in our world today, we can, but we must fight for it. And we can’t do it alone. We must inspire others to rise alongside us, as one community. Please join us in L’cha Dodi on page 138.

Songleaders – L’CHA DODI

Reading – HOTTYite

(If people are standing: Please be seated.) "Community becomes even more powerful when it ​ ​ includes the entire community. When all members of the community pull together for a united cause, the power becomes unlimited. The change, or transformation, that occurs from the entire community is something greater than just what a small group of the community or an individual can achieve.” -Tim McDonald. Please (rise and?) join us on page 144 for the Chatzi Kaddish. ​ ​ Songleaders – CHANT CHATZI KADDISH 1

Reading – Emma Kremer

Please be seated. Last month there was a shooting at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada. Six people were killed. A few days later when the congregants of the mosque went back to pray for the first time, hundreds of people of all ages, races, backgrounds, and religions joined together to create a “ring of peace,” not only around the mosque that was attacked, but around other mosques in the community. The “ring of peace”, the people who joined hands and created a circle around the mosque, sent the message that no matter what our background is, we will join together to protect houses of worship and those going inside.” This is not the first time that people have come together to create a “ring of peace;” there have been “rings of peace” around synagogues in Norway, Paris, and Copenhagen as well. In 2012, hundreds of Texas A&M students formed a human wall around the funeral service of a soldier to protect his family from protesters. Last June, a group of staff and volunteers from the Orlando community worked together to build "Angel Wings" to block Westboro Baptist Church members protesting the funerals of the Orlando shooting victims. It's truly amazing to hear about all sorts of people coming together to help others in the community during a time of tragedy. These moments show the strength and power that comes from us uniting together.

Reading – HOTTYite

We had people of all backgrounds coming together - all races, all creeds, all colors, all status in life. And coming together there was a kind of quiet dignity and a kind of sense of caring and a feeling of joint responsibility. -Dorothy Height. Please rise and join us on page 146 for the Barchu.

Songleaders – BARCHU

Reading – Robby Scott

You may be seated. You may have heard a story about a teen named Noah Van Vooren, an 18-year-old football waterboy with Down Syndrome from Little Chute, Wisconsin. Noah had grown accustomed to serving the football team water and gatorade on the sidelines, but in his final game of the season, he donned a helmet and pads, and with the help of his teammates, promptly scored a touchdown. With just 1.2 seconds left on the clock, Little Chute called time out and put Noah in the game. Noah received a handoff, and surrounded by members of his school’s football team, protected and encouraged by them, he ran the ball 35 yards, and scored his first ever touchdown. Regardless of what side people were sitting on or what team they were rooting for that night, for a moment, everyone in the stadium came together to chant: Noah! Noah! Noah! After the game, Noah’s father said “He was born eighteen years ago, and the doctor’s told us he would never be able to walk, talk, or do anything, and then to see him 18 years later is amazing. And to have a community such as Little Chute to back him up and help him the way they do is breathtaking.” Please join us in Ahavat Olam on page 150.

Songleaders – AHAVAT OLAM & MAARIV ARAVIM

Reading – Leah Faupel

[This is an excerpt from an article by Paul Szoldra.]

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At approximately 9:28 a.m. on Sep. 11, 2001, United Flight 93 was hijacked by four al Qaeda terrorists. The terrorists killed the pilot and a flight attendant and then told the passengers that a bomb was on the plane and was heading back to the airport.

"They are hijacking planes," Deena Burnett told her husband Tom, a passenger on United 93, in a cell phone call. "They are taking them and hitting designated targets. They've already hit both towers of the World Trade Center and another plane hit the Pentagon.”

"We have to do something," Burnett told his wife. "I'm putting a plan together." Other passengers were learning similar details in their own phone calls. The passengers then voted to fight back against the hijackers. Led by Tom and three other men, the passengers rushed the cockpit, with one of the men rallying them in his last words: "You ready? Okay, let's roll."

After some long minutes of fighting, the passengers seized control of the cockpit. And instead of the plane hitting its intended target - believed to be The White House or the Capitol Building - it crashed into an empty field in Pennsylvania, killing all passengers onboard.

The passengers on this plane were brought together by their shared fear and courage. If they had feared for their own lives only, there probably would have been fighting over parachutes and phones, and they wouldn’t have had the courage to come together and revolt, saving hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. Even though they barely knew each other, they knew nothing good would happen if they didn't come together to fight. So, they died, together, as heroes and friends.

Jacob hand motions the congregation to stand.

Songleaders – SH’MA AND V’AHAVTA

Reading – Katie Hurwitz

This story is about a girl, named Malala. She was born in Pakistan, a country with strict rules with regard to women and what they can and cannot do. Yet, Malala was a strong supporter of allowing girls to have access to an education. Advocating for her own rights, she acted as a voice for all woman, and her passion for standing up for what she believed in spread. The Taliban decided they didn't like the change this girl was trying to make, so to stop her, they shot her in the head on October 9, 2012.

The truly amazing part of her story is that it could have, but didn’t, end there. Not just her local community, but the world community, rallied in order to save her life: Doctors from around the world immediately offered to treat her. The Pakistani government paid for all of her transport, accommodation, and medical fees. It was because of these people who came together that she is still alive today and has become an inspiration of courage, passion, and women’s rights. In an interview, she once said, “On the day when I was shot, and on the next day, people raised the banners of 'I am Malala.' They did not say 'I am Taliban.’” The banners that were lifted showed support for all that Malala was fighting for, instead of supporting terrorism. The people of Pakistan realized that after Malala took a stand, together, they could too. Please join us on page 158 in the singing of Mi Chamocha.

Songleaders – MI CHAMOCHA & HASHKIVEINU

Reading – Sloan Salinas 3

Sometimes it only takes one person to bring an entire community together. In 2009, Charlotte resident Caitlyn Boyle began putting positive sticky notes in public girl’s restrooms. The goal: to end negative body self-talk and promote more body acceptance. Using sticky notes and a pen, she scribbled down whatever positive message she thought of: “You’re beautiful,” “Smile, you are good enough,” “Beauty doesn’t come in a size.” Now, almost 8 years later, Caitlyn’s notes have inspired a worldwide movement, known as “Operation Beautiful.” Operation Beautiful has over 33 thousand followers, with each one posting their own positive messages; on shirts, in stores, vending machines, restroom mirrors, stop signs, and magazines. Operation Beautiful is letting people know that they’re beautiful just the way they are. Just one woman, Caitlyn Boyle, brought communities everywhere together to raise awareness and together they are encouraging people that you shouldn’t change the way you look, but the way you think. Please join us on page 162 for V’shamru.

Songleaders – V’SHAMRU

Reader – Matthew Zukowski & Jacob Kassel

Matthew: Each summer when I attend 6 Points Sports Academy I participate in the Tikkun Olam ​ 5K, which benefits the Out of the Garden project; a non-profit organization that works to feed the hungry in the nearby Greensboro, NC community. Last summer, about 1000 people ran or walked in the 5K. For each participant, $10 is donated to the Out of the Garden project. That means that, together, we raised around $10,000. That is enough to feed more than 200 families of 4 in a month.

Jacob: A few months ago I participated in “The walk for friendship,” benefiting the Friendship Circle of Atlanta. The Friendship Circle is a non-profit Jewish organization with the goal of providing every individual with special needs and their families the support, friendship, and inclusion that they deserve. Walk for friendship is an annual 2K walk that raises crucial funds and community awareness for Friendship Circle. The walk itself is so much more powerful than donating money through the mail or website because you get a chance to walk beside people who are walking for the same cause as you. We may have different stories on why we are there but that feeling of being a part of something only comes by the direct participation.

Matthew: We end with this quote: Great things are done by a series of small things brought together. -Vincent Van Gogh. Please rise and join us on page 164 for the Amidah.

Songleaders - Lead ADONAI S’FATAI TIFTACH/AMIDAH ​ Reader – Daniel Marks

Please be seated. When things seem impossible it feels easier and safer to just to hide away. I often find myself feeling useless to a larger cause beyond my daily life. Watching the news and seeing massive demonstrations with millions of people joining together, I question what I can do by myself to help the causes that I desire to push for.

It is our natural inclination to believe that a coalition is more effective than individuals, but it is the individuals themselves that make a coalition. I think the multiple relief efforts following 9-11 show testament to this ideology. Efforts like the 36,000 units of blood donated to help victims of

4 the attack as each person made the individual choice to help their community in a time of need. It is from that individual choice of each person that the community was able to unite to donate such a magnitude of blood. If each individual had simply relied on others to step forward, the number of units donated would have been an even 0. In times of need, it is not our responsibility to retreat to apathetic reliance; rather it is our responsibility to make our small push towards change. That is what unity looks like. Please take a few moments now for your own silent prayer.

SILENT PRAYER

Songleaders – SHALOM RAV

Reader – Lexi Cooper

“Communities are diverse. We have people of all ages and backgrounds who are skilled in different areas. By working together, having old mentor young, young inspiring old, and strong helping weak, we all give fully. Only together, as a community, can we give beyond our individual means. Participation is essential." –Tim McDonald

Reader – Justin Kremer

5 year old Miles Scott from Tulelake, CA was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 18 months and finally battled through it. In 2013, he flew to San Francisco, thinking he was picking up a Batman costume. What he didn’t know was that the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the City of San Francisco, and thousands of volunteers had turned San Francisco into Gotham City with a day full of capers for their BatKid to solve. Someone donated Lamborghinis to be turned into Batmobiles. The San Francisco Chronicle published a special edition with the headline "BatKid Saves The City!" Across the nation, many, many more tuned into live feeds of Miles’ adventures and followed the hashtag #SFBatKid. With his sidekick, Batman, BatKid worked around the city, saving it’s citizen from the villains of Gotham. Batman and Batkid then arrived to City Hall, where Miles proudly waved a fist in the air as hundreds of people cheered him on with a hero’s welcome. A plane flew overhead with the message “Wishes do come true SF Batkid.”

Jacob plays batman at the end of Justin’s reading, before Ilana talks.

Reader – Ilana Mermelstein

One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn't as individuals. When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing. -Jean Vanier

Rabbi – Mi Shebeirach

Songleaders – MI SHEBEIRACH ​ Sermon – Parker Salinas

On Pinterest, I have this board of posts I named “This Matters.” In this board, I put stories of bravery, courage, compassion; everyday people doing incredible things. These are the stories that most people would call “Faith in Humanity Restored.” The stories and moments that I love 5 the most, though, aren’t about a single person, but the ones about groups of people: the college that rallies around a Kenyan student whose mom had just passed, the entire community that came together to protect a threatened funeral for a grieving family, the rock concert goers defending a girl after she was assaulted. It’s knowing that there are people and communities out there that purely care for anyone and everyone, despite their backgrounds, differences, or individual motivations.

In this week’s Torah portion, titled Mishpatim, g-d legislatures a series of laws for the people of Israel. One of the laws talks about the way we deal with others; strangers and foreigners. G-d says: “And you shall not mistreat a stranger, nor shall you oppress him, for you were strangers in the Land of Egypt.” With this statement, g-d is appealing to our sense of empathy. G-d is reminding us what it felt like when we were strangers in a new place, vulnerable and needing someone to help and support us. And G-d is telling us that we have a responsibility to look after those who need us.

Just several weeks ago, many of our friends and family members stood in the Atlanta airport, protesting for people they could not see, but could feel in their hearts. Thousands of people carried signs proclaiming: “Bruchim Ha’baim, Welcome, Let them in.” “This Land was made for you and me.” “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.” “The world is all mankind.” “Love thy neighbor.” “Give me your tired, your poor.” “You must love the stranger for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” We all come from different places, each with our individual beliefs and values, but what amazes me about moments like this, is our ability to drop all of that for people we don’t know when they need us. We stand by our brothers and sisters, arms linked, posters raised, voices heard. We fight for our neighbors, strangers, the poor and oppressed, the discriminated, the alienated, those who cannot stand on their own because we remember that we were strangers in the Land of Egypt who needed someone to stand up for us.

As a country, a people, we often seem segregated or disconnected, focused on and involved in our own lives. But yet, when it matters we come together. We stood in shock and watched as the streets of Boston erupted into chaos. We watched families praying for their loved ones safety after attacks at an Orlando nightclub and on 9/11 when our nation became a neighborhood and Americans became New Yorkers. We joined together to make one little boy’s dream of being Batman come true, to protect and brighten neighborhoods after natural disasters, and to cheer on a young man as he sprints down the football field. We join strangers as they celebrate and they mourn, we march in solidarity, and chant until our voices are gone. We support and stand by those who need us.

This is what I find so uplifting. That despite the bad that we see in the world, there are moments that we come together; moments where we remain united as a country and as a people. “It is not in numbers, but in unity, that our greatest strength lies.” Shabbat shalom.

Reader – Lacie Greenspan

In confirmation last Monday, we discussed a man who gave one of the best speeches of all time (PAUSE), until the next man, Martin Luther King Jr, came up to speak and gave an even better one. The man who gave the first speech was Rabbi Prinz. His speech is often referred to as the forgotten speech.

Yet Rabbi Prinz’s speech was equally empowering. His message was about how America cannot be silent during a time of great confusion and should unite as one. He said, “When I was

6 the rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.”

His words really struck me. His speech told listeners that in the face of discrimination and hate, change would not happen if we all became silent onlookers and did nothing. He went on to say: “Not merely black America, but all of America. It must speak up and act, from the President down to the humblest of us.” Rabbi Prinz wanted the American people to know that they could not stay silent anymore. The time had come for all Americans to work together to create change.

Rabbi invites Casey up – ALEINU

Reader – Matt Diamond

On September 28, 1943, Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, a German diplomat, secretly informed the Danish resistance that the Nazis were planning to deport the Danish Jews. Warned of the German plans, Jews began to leave by train, car, and on foot. With the help of the Danish people, they found hiding places in homes, hospitals, and churches. Within a two-week period, fishermen helped ferry some 7,200 Danish Jews and 680 non-Jewish family members to safety across the narrow body of water separating Denmark from Sweden.

The Danish rescue effort was unique because it was nationwide. Approximately 500 Jews were still deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto in Czechoslovakia – yet even of these, all but 51 survived the Holocaust, largely because Danish officials pressured the Germans with their concerns for the wellbeing of those who had been deported.

Most individuals in occupied Europe stood as idle bystanders as their neighbors were brought to death camps – either because they thought that it was none of their business, or for fear of their own lives. In spite of the risks, the citizens of Denmark stood up against the Nazi regime, and their remarkable success resulted in the saving of thousands of lives.

Rabbi – Read list of names and lead Mourner’s Kaddish

“Please rise for the Mourner’s Kaddish.”

Reader – Lexi Cooper

You may be seated. Imagine a room filled with teens. The lights dim, and the guitar playing starts. The room fills with music and all of us singing together as ONE community. The candles are lit and the peacefulness of Shabbat coming to a close fills the room with unity and hope. Although our community is made up of unique individuals, we are all Jewish teens…choosing to share something magical; Havdallah. And when we join in Havdallah, the power of us all being together allows us to really focus on that moment.

On a daily basis, we go about our own lives, busy school schedules, work schedules, extracurricular activities, etc. Havdallah is a time when we stop and we all come together as one community to pray. Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacob says, “The Rabbis laid down a great rule: Communal prayer has special value and whenever ten pray in the synagogue the Shekhinah [the divine

7 indwelling] is present.” For me personally, singing and praying together with all of these people that I love, and feeling a part of such a unified community - it truly is a magical and special moment. Please join us in our closing song, Ufaratzda, which is on your songsheet.”

Songleaders – Closing Song

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