Beki Bulletin
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BEKI BULLETIN Monthly Newsletter of Congregation Beth El-Keser Israel, a Full-Service Synagogue for Greater New Haven Jewry December 1995 Issue ll .,~,UI ~ ,l'1::! - ?~ n~: i'" i' Kislev 5756 New Children's Program Robert Goodwin Memorial Breakfast Initiated at BEKI features Police Chief Nick Pastore A new program has been added to New Haven Chief of Police BEKI's unsurpassed Shabbat-Morning Nicholas Pastore will be the guest line up. Called "Jr. Jr. Congregation," speaker at the Robert Goodwin the new service offers song, prayer Memorial Congregational and play for children in kindergarten Breakfast presented by the Men's and first grade. Jr. Jr. Congregation Club on Sunday 10 December at meets every second shabbat 9:30 a.m. The breakfast is free and (alternating with Shabbat Shalom open to all; reservations are not Learners' Minyan). To volunteer to required. help, call Anne Johnston at 389-9184. Police Chief Nick Pastore is Robert Goodwin nationally recognized for creating Teach Memorial to Yltzhak Rabin and implementing "community-based" policing and A teaching memorial on themes of is known for his controversial approach to leadership peace in Jewish tradition at BethEl and crime-fighting. After his opening remarks Keser Israel will mark the end of the questions will be entertained. sheloshim thirty-day mourning The Robert Goodwin Family established an period for Prime Minister Yitzhak endowment at the Jewish Foundation of Greater Rabin on Tuesday 5 December from New Haven to provide an annual special program at 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Beth El-Keser Israel as a memorial to Robert Goodwin, of blessed memory. One of the four Junior Congregation Expands Goodwin Brothers and husband of Lilyan BEKI's wonderfully successful Goodwin, Robert Goodwin is remembered as an Junior Congregation program has exceptionally personable man who enjoyed the love expanded to meet every shabbat and respect of others, in part because of the morning year-round at 10:45 a.m. exemplary way in which he fulfilled the mitzva of Elementary school children daven and treating others with equality and dignity. In learn to lead the tefilot, do Torah particular, he had many friends in the Police Plays and Tefila Plays, talk about and Department. He was a good-natured man who to God, and enjoy fellowship. The through his many contacts enjoyed bringing fine Junior Congregation concludes its speakers to BEKI. services at the same time as the main If you would like to find out how you can service so that all join together for the establish a memorial at BEKI please call Steve Wizner qiddush in the social hall. To at 432-4800 or Rabbi Ttlsen at 389-2108. If you would volunteer to help, call Anne Johnston like to help with the breakfast please leave a message at 389-9184. for Men's Oub President Saul Bell at 389-2108. · · · Administrative Announcements Office Hours For mid-month flyer mailings, submit your Office hours for the synagogue are: Monday - material to the office by the 15th of the month. Thursday: 9 am-3 pm and Friday: 9am-noon. To Deadline for the January mailing is December gain admittance to the building on Harrison 15th. Please submit your material ON TIME. street during office hours, ring the door bell at the Thank You front door next to the driveway. If food is being brought to the synagogue for the weekend it We wish to express our gratitude to members must be delivered by 11:00 am on Friday. of our community who have made tremendous volunteer efforts "behind the scenes" in recent How to Contact the BEKI Bulletin weeks. Among these are: Responses to "A Message from Rabbi Tilsen," Rita Sela Darryl Kuperstock questions for "Dear Rabbi" and Letters to the Sheila Gardner Lois Feldman Inga Fish Mimi Kahn Editor can be sent to: Editor, BEKI Bulletin, 85 Mikki Ratner Hyla Talesnick Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515 or by Milton Smirno(f Violet & Charlie Ludwig email to [email protected]. Jay Brown Bud Volain Rabbi Tilsen 's mail and e-mail are opened directly Ed & Diane Opton Linda & Ken Buckman and exclusively by the Rabbi himself and are as Lou Hodes Phil & Susan Voigt secure and confidential as mail and e-mail can be. Note to Readers Deadlines for Submitting Material The publication of the preceding issues of the for Publication BEKI Bulletin and the mid-month mailings, as For the BEKI Bulletin, submit your material by well as other Synagogue business, were delayed the 1st of the month for the following month. due to staff changes in our offices. Your patience Deadline for the January Bulletin is December 1st. is much appreciated. With this issue we return to our normal publication schedule. Beth EI-Keser Israel Board of Directors BEKI Bulletin Vice President, Physical Plant: Jay Brotman The newsletler is published monthly by Congregation Vice President, Member Services: Janet Brown Beth EI-Keser Israel for the benefit of its members. Vice President, Ritual and Education: Steven Fraade Congregation Beth EI-Kescr Israel is affiliated with Secretary: Tina Rose the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Treasurer: Steve Wizner Financial Secretaries: Bud Volain & Harold Saslow To contribute articles or for inquiries regarding Consultant to Office Management: Milton Smimoff membership, donations, or special activities, call the One Year Term: Two Year Term: Three Year Term: Synagogue office (203) 389-2108, or write to 85 Harriet Barstein Diane Dumigan Mannette Dodge Harrison Street, New Haven, CT 06515. Gloria Cohen Rob Leildnd Marty Gilens For information about advertising, call the synagogue Howard Gralla Helen Rosenberg Elma Guttenberg office. Deadline for submission of ads or articles is Darryl Kuperstock Laura Yakerson Gail Korman the I st of the month preceding publication. Paulette Lehrer Kal Watsky Annual subscription is $36.00. Standing Commitlees: Budget & Finance: Bud Volain BEKI Bulletin Cemetary: Alan Gel bert & David Sagerman © 1995 Congregation Beth EI-Keser Israel. Education: Natan Weinstein A Message from Rabbi Tilscn & Dear Rabbi House & Maintenance: George Posener ©Jon-Jay Tilsen. All rights reserved. Membership: Carol Elides Men's Club: Saul Bell - President Editor Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen Ritual: Steven Fraadc Production Editor Mindi Englart Singles & Doubles: I nge & Lenny Fish Advertisement Editor Sheila Gardner Sisterhood: Adele Tyson - President Photographer Charles Ludwig Ways & Means: Mimi Kahn and Mikld Ratner Printer Goodcopy Myra Myers: Synagogue Administrator BEKI Bulletin 2 December 1995 · · A Message From Rabbi Tilsen · . The Vision Lives As the bus inched its way into the intersection, At the very moment that Jews in America the cause of the jam became apparent. There were reading from the weekly Monday were two cars in the middle of the intersection, morning Torah portion about the birth of with no visible damage, facing each other; Yitzhak, Jews in Israel were burying another neither driver would yield the right-of-way. Yitzhak, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin And as the world slowly moved on around who was felled by an assassin's bullet them, the two drivers stood next to their cars following a peace rally on what his family and screaming and gesticulating wildly in each friends had called one of the "happiest days of other's face. One man was short with a black his life." coat and beard. The other man was tall and I could not help thinking of other figures big. And they screamed and screamed at each who did not live to see the fruits of their labor, other. The funny thing is that no one seemed such as Moses, Michal (the wife of King David to pay them much mind. What struck me was who died in childbirth and whose day of that the tall man had an automatic rifle over death was also called one of the "happiest his shoulder, a common sight in Israel. It days in her life"), John and Robert Kennedy, would not have occurred to anyone that in the and Martin Luther King Jr. heat of the argument one man would use his I am hopeful that the vision of Prime weapon. That almost never happens in Israel. Minister Rabin will be realized. The desire for A tragedy that was unimaginable in Israel peace is so deeply rooted in Jewish religious would not have even made the papers in tradition and Israeli culture that even this many American cities. Like some American sacrifice will not diminish the efforts of those veterans, many Israelis have a more genuine dedicated to continue the effort. This political abhorrence of violence than do the masses assassination, unique in the history of the who grow up watching cowboy or war movies State of Israel, serves as a wake-up call to made in Hollywood. And so the assassination those who value democracy and rule of law of Yitzhak Rabin was all the more shocking. over authoritarianism and the reign of terror. I was deeply moved by the genuine Cabinet ministers such as Shimon Peres, Yosi expressions of grief born of respect displayed Sarid and Shularnit Aloni have been victims of by world leaders, including many Americans. mob and zealot physical violence which is Seeing Arab leaders and European leaders becoming increasingly common in a charged mourn our Prime Minister in Jerusalem was atmosphere where civic and religious leaders an awe-inspiring sight. It helped me to all too often employ violent, brutalizing and appreciate how much Yitzhak Rabin has infuriating rhetoric. It is frightening that some radically changed our world. Out of intense communities in Israel celebrated the grief comes a new optimism. assassination. It is terrifying that other leaders The murder of Rabin was not only the have also been targeted.