November – December 2012
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HEBREW TABERNACLEBULLETIN NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2012 CHESHVAN-KISLEV/KISLEV-TEVET 5773 VOLUME LXXVI I ISSUE 19 RABBI’S MESSAGE he Torah states:“You are standing this day, all of you before the T’FILLAHSCHEDULE Lord your God; your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your ToUcers, even all the men of Israel.”Why does the passage say, November 2012 CHESHVAN-KISLEV 5773 “your heads, your elders, and your oUcers”and conclude with“all Friday, November 2, 2012 CHESHVAN 17 men of Israel?” From the Midrash we learn the following principle. Even though speciVc leaders were appointed to assist Moses, all peo- 6:30 p.m: Family Service. Kitvah Vav. (advance payment required) ple are ultimately equal before God. 7:30 pm: BuKet Dinner Democracy reaUrms the principle that all human beings are cre- Saturday, November 3, 2012 CHESHVAN 18 ated b’tzelemElohim–in God’s images. All human beings are entitled 10:00 am: Vayera to be treated respectfully by the communities in which they live. The 12:00 pm: Adult Ed with Rabbi Gale beauty of democracy is that each citizen has an equal voice in the election process; we are able to make decisions for the future of our Friday, November 9, 2012 CHESHVAN 24 country based on the principle of equality. Although some individu- 7:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat als take on leadership roles and rise in visibility before the congrega- Kristallnacht Commemoration tion, our creator values each person’s voice. We exp ress that voice by (Choir and Organ) voting. 8:45 pm: Gold Gallery Art Opening As in most election years, there has been talk about the eTect of for Eduard Belyat Exhibition the“Jewish vote.”While Jews comprise less than 3% of the population, Saturday, November 10, 2012 CHESHVAN5 2 Jews represent the swing vote in many large states such as New York, 10:00 am: BA: At Home Service New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and California, giving our commu- 10:00 am: HT: Chayei Sarah nity a level of inWuence that belies our small numbers. 12:00 pm: Adult Ed with Rabbi Gale There are many issues of concern to the Jewish community. Ob- viously, concern for Israel’s safety and welfare is of paramount impor- Friday, November 16, 2012 KISLEV 2 tance. However, most American Jews also take a deep interest in 6:00 p.m: Tot Shabbat education, health care, the environment, the housing market, unem- 7:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat ployment, the shaky economy, civil rights, and foreign policy. Many Saturday, November 17, 2012 KISLEV 3 of these are hot-button issues that will inWuence the outcome of the 10:a0 a.m: Toldot elections. By exercising their right to vote, individuals can have a say 12:00 p.m: Study of the Zohar in charting the future course of our great nation. Unfortunately, while more and more people are registered to Friday, November 23, 2012 KISLEV 9 vote, voter turn out has steadily dropped in recent elections. Almost 7:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat 50% of eligible voters do not vote for president and the numbers drop signiVcantly in less prominent elections. Saturday, November 24, 2012 KISLEV 10 If we fail to vote and get involved in the political process, we end 10:00 am: Vayetzei up getting the politicians we deserve. I remember an episode from 12:00 pm: The Mishkan T’Mllah: The Loretta Young Show, a popular dramatic series from the 1950s. A A Journey, not a destination corrupt politician ordered a contract killing of a young woman who was aware of his activities. Fortunately, the sheriT saved the damsel Friday, November 30, 2012 KISLEV 16 in distress and arrested the perpetrators before they could carry out 7:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat his dastardly plot. The young woman, who was played by Loretta Young herself, posed the naive question,“How does a corrupt politi- cian get elected to oUce?” The sheriT replied:“Bad politicians are Remember the Hebrew Tabernacle elected by good people who don’t vote!” The Jewish community has traditionally voted in high numbers with a bequest. for all elections. However, recent studies indicate that many Jews do Give a gift for generations to come not vote, and many are not even registered. We must encourage i Continued on page 3 and be remembered forever HEBREW TABERNACLE T’FILLAHSCHEDULE CONGREGATION December 2012 KISLEV-TEVET 5773 A Liberal Congregation & Saturday, December 1, 2012 KISLEV 17 Progressive Community Center 10:00 am: Vayishlach JeTrey Gale ........................................................... Rabbi 12:00 pm: Adult Ed with Rabbi Gale [email protected] Joshua Finkel.............................................. Student Cantor Friday, December 7, 2012 KISLEV 23 [email protected] 6:00 pm: Tot Shabbat Dr. Robert L. Lehman, z”l ............................... Rabbi Emeritus 7:30 am: BA: At Home Service Margaret MoersWenig ......................... Rabbi Emerita, Beth Am 7:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat [email protected] Dr. Ralph M. Selig ................................................ President Saturday, December 8, 2012 KISLEV 24 [email protected] Chanukah: 1 Candle Rita Hamburgh .............................................. Vice President [email protected] 10:00 am: Vayeshev Joan Serrano Laufer ........................................ Vice President 12:00 pm: Adult Ed with Rabbi Gale [email protected] Rose Ellen Neidish ........................................ Vice President Friday, December 14, 2012 TEVET 1 [email protected] Chanukah: 7 Candles JeT Burak ....................................................... Treasurer 6:30 pm: Family Service-Kitah Bet [email protected] Larry Cytryn ......................................... Associate Treasurer Chanukah (Piano) [email protected] Saturday , December 15, 2012 TEVET 2 Mark Hamburgh .................................................. Secretary [email protected] Chanukah: 8 Candles Mitchell Gershonowitz .......................................Webmaster 10:00 am: Miketz [email protected] 12:00 pm: Study of the Kohar Marga Marx ........................................ Sisterhood Presidium [email protected] Friday, December 21, 2012 TEVET 8 Richard Ehrenreich ................................ Men’s Club President [email protected] 7:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat Elizabeth Lorris Ritter ................................ Beth Am President (Lay Led) [email protected] Sheldon Koy ................................... Hebrew School Principal Saturday, December 22, 2012 TEVET 9 [email protected] 10:00 am: Vayigash (Lay Led) Craig M. Cannon ......................................... Bulletin Designer 12:00 pm: The Mishkan T’Mllah: [email protected] A Journey, Not a Destination Rita Hamburgh ......... Chair, Outreach & Membership Committee [email protected] Hannah Eisner ............................... Chair, Chesed Committee Friday, December 28, 2012 TEVET 15 [email protected] 7:30 pm: Kabbalat Shabbat Youth & Family Committee [email protected] Harriet Bailer, Diana Douglas & Regina Gradess GoldWing Curators Saturday, December 29, 2012 TEVET 16 [email protected];[email protected]; 10:00 am: Vayechi [email protected] 12:00 pm: The Mishkan T’Mllah: Web address: www.hebrewtabernacle.org A Journey, Not a Destination Published bi-monthly by the Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights 551 Fort Washington Ave. New York, NY 10033-1908 A Member of the Union for Reform Judaism Deadline for inclusion in the January-February Bulletin is December 1st Material received after that date will be held until the January-February issue. hto [email protected] 2 | N OVEMBER -D ECEMBER 2012 RABBI’S Message sent. One person is nobody. Continued from page 1 Fascism, which is another totalitarian system, reveals this even dividuals to exercise their right to vote and ensure that our entire more clearly. Eichmann, administrator of the Holocaust, said of a cer- community is registered. As a Rabbi, it is not my place to tell congre- tain Jew that he met in Vienna,“I liked him–he was an idealist even as gants how to vote. It is certainly not my place to tell congregants I was.”Eichmann was an idealist in a perverted way. He believed that which political party to support. My message is therefore simple. Vote the idea was more important than the person. Slay six million, but for the candidates of your choice. Participate in our political system. advance the ideology. Let your ballots be counted and your voice heard. Turning up at the And there you have it all. The very core of democracy is the con- polls for the New York primaries is a golden opportunity to put viction that the person is more important than the state itself; that democracy into action. above government and before law, there are certain inalienable Throughout most of Jewish history, Jews had virtually no polit- rights of all human beings, of each and every person. No majority can ical clout in the countries where they lived. The fate of many Jewish ig nore, nor take them away, because one person is a lot of people. communities depended upon the whim of foreign monarchs. Our When such rights are threatened, a little nobody can Vght his case ancestors were victims of arbitrary decrees in which they had no all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States, and that court input. Not only could they not vote, they could not even protest with- can strike down a law of Congress or enjoin an army for the sake of out suTering serious consequences. All the more reason why voting one individual’s rights. should be valued by American Jews living in the twenty-Vrst century. This is the American way, born of Jewish insight, born of the Vrst The fact that Jews have the ability to vote in this country should chapter of Genesis: “Let us make man in our image.” One human not be undervalued as we move farther and farther away from our being is a lot of people. It is so in the eyes of God. Let it be so in the immigrant roots. Our grandparents and great-grandparents cher- eyes of humanity. ished this right like no other. We are a community of immigrants who came to America from countries where Jews had no rights and our forebears viewed the right to vote as an almost sacred experience.