April 2013 Nisan-Iyar 5773

Temple Beth-El

Invites you and your family to attend

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION SHABBAT & LUNCHEON

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Sponsored by: Temple Beth-El Foundation and Temple Beth-El

An Earth Day Community Conversation

What’s On Your Plate? With Maureen Holt of Little Savannah Restaurant Shabbat Service, April 20th, 2013

Learn about the slow foods movement, eating local, and keeping quality foods on your plate with Maureen Holt, well-known restaurateur in Birmingham. Enjoy a light Kiddush Lunch with recipes from Little Savannah.

Community Conversations are Shabbat presentations on topics of local or national interest. To be a co-sponsor of this Earth Day Community Conversation, supporting the Kiddush Lunch and a contribution to Alabama Possible-The Alabama Poverty Project, please contact Bob Greenberg at [email protected] or Joyce Spielberger at [email protected] by Friday, April 5th. PAGE 2 CONNECTION APRIL 2013 Religious Service Schedule Professional Staff & Board

April 2013 Rabbi Michelle Goldsmith [email protected]

April 1 7th Day Pesach 9:30 am Cantor Daniel Gale Maftir: Ed Fineberg [email protected]

Mincha/Maariv 5:30 pm Executive Director Bob Greenberg Candle Lighting 6:48 pm [email protected]

April 2 8th Day Pesach 9:30 am Executive Director Barbara Gordon TBE Foundation [email protected] Yizkor Finance Director Teresa Mason Pool Maftir: Robin Benjamin [email protected] Mincha/Maariv 5:30 pm Communications Isa Dorsky Candle Lighting 6:48 pm [email protected]

April 5 Erev Shabbat 5:45 pm Events/Kitchen Debby Thomas [email protected] Candle lighting 6:52 pm Administration Emily Gregory April 6 Saturday morning 9:30 am [email protected]

Parshat Shemini Education & Youth Maurine Halpern Maftir: Dalia Abrams Administrator [email protected]

Shabbat Mincha 5:30 pm Youth Group Jennifer Spiegelman Coordinator [email protected] April 12 Erev Shabbat 5:45 pm

Candle lighting 6:57 pm Officers

April 13 Saturday morning 9:30 am President Arlene Fisher Parshat Tazria-Metzora [email protected] Maftir: Morton Stern Shabbat Mincha 5:30 pm Vice President Loraine Reznik [email protected]

April 19 Erev Shabbat 5:45 pm Vice President Dan Weinrib Candle lighting 7:03 pm [email protected]

April 20 Saturday morning 9:30 am Secretary Sue Lischkoff Parshat Aharey Mot-Kedoshim [email protected] Maftir: David Reznik Shabbat Mincha 5:30 pm Treasurer Bruce Downs [email protected] April 26 Erev Shabbat 5:45 pm Board of Directors: Steve Altmann, Barbara Bonfield, Candle lighting 7:08 pm Peggy Clarke, Todd Doobrow, Sallie Downs, Edwin

April 27 Saturday morning 9:30 am Fineberg, Eric Goldis, Jessica Goldstein, Vikki Grodner, Parshat Emor Allen Halpern, Jacob Halpern, Naomi Ivker, Billy Lapidus, Richard Lehr, Michelle Pake, Toby Siegel, Bat Mitzvah: Haley Applebaum Natalie Sikora, Richard Smith, Tim Thornton, Danielle Shabbat Mincha 5:30 pm Weintraub, Dorothy Ziff, Melvin Zivitz

Past Presidents: Karl Friedman, Joe Reznik, Howard Weekday Service Schedule Bearman, J.B. Mazer, Myron Radwin, Morton Stern, Daily Morning Minyan 7:00 am Julian Brook, Norman Berk, Maurice Shevin, Joan Sundays & Secular Holidays 8:00 am Lebow, Ron Froehlich, Ronald Shiland, Gary Gordon, Jack Schaeffer, Martin Damsky, Jimmy Krell, Steven Daily Afternoon Minyan 5:30 pm Corenblum, Barbara Solomon, Seth Wolnek, Franklin Saturday Afternoon Mincha 5:30 pm Tessler, Vikki Grodner

Sisterhood: President, Janet Reagan: [email protected]

Men’s Club: President, Eric Goldis: [email protected] PAGE 3 CONNECTION APRIL 2013 Message From Rabbi Goldsmith Sermon for Vayakhel-Pekudei - Delivered March 9, 2013 God’s Presence and Israel Apartheid Week

In ninth grade, when asked to do a presentation on something of moral and political significance, I gave an oral presentation on apartheid in South Africa. I remember everything about the presentation. I played Stevie Wonder’s song “It’s Wrong” and shared an excerpt from Ray Bradbury’s short story “The Other Foot.” It was a powerful moment for me because I was raised in a home in which there was no tolerance for racism, and I felt that the treatment of blacks in South Africa resembled the Nurenberg laws that had been forced to endure in Germany.

Happily, apartheid no longer exists in South Africa. It does however exist in certain other places around the globe. Where it does NOT exist is in the state of Israel. Apartheid was the systematic oppression of blacks by the South African government. And in Israel, on February 27, 2013 Yityish “Titi” Aynaw, an Ethiopian woman who made aliyah with her family nearly a decade ago, was crowned Miss Israel. Having an Ethiopian woman chosen as your country’s most beautiful and talented woman is NOT apartheid. And this is on top of having an Ethiopia Jewish woman as ambassador to Ethiopia, another as a member of the K’nesset, and more.

And yet, all around the country this past week, including right here at UAB, thousands of college students have been participating in the annual Israel hate-fest called Israel-Apartheid Week. The claim of participants is that Israel engages in illegal actions against the Palestinians in “Palestine,” that it conducts a campaign of genocide against Palestinians, and that it brutally discriminates against its own Arab citizens to boot. Never mind that there are multiple Arab parties and Arab members of the Knesset, never mind that Hadassah hospital is open to all, never mind that there are Israeli Druze ambassadors to other countries.

As Rabbi Michael Simon recently wrote concerning this annual phenomenon: “These events have featured extreme anti-Israel rhetoric, including accusations of Israeli racism and apartheid; calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions campaigns against Israel and Israeli institutions; and allegations that Israel is committing war crimes and genocide against the Palestinian people. These events single out one state, its citizens and its supporters for condemnation and exclusion, and it targets institutions and individuals because of what and who they are — Israeli and Jewish. And these organizers and their methods leave Jewish and Israeli students ….afraid of expressing their opinions, for fear of intimidation and retribution …Why are college campuses the focus of this movement? Because that is where young people's minds can be molded. And guess what they [will] believe and espouse? That Israel is an apartheid state deserving of being eliminated.”

Also last week at NYU there was a program in which Israel was “pinkwashed,” or condemned for its POSITIVE approach to gay rights. Instead of praising Israel, Israel was bashed as leaders of the program claimed that Israel’s approach to gay rights is “a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violation of Palestinians human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life.” To those who oppose Israel's very right to exist, nothing, Israel can ever do, is good. Or to quote Alan Dershowitz, "This absurd, obscene argument is nothing more than anti-Semitism with a pink face."

It is clear that for many of those participating in these events it’s not even about the Palestinians. Bashing Israel is simply the modern way to attack Jews, and to do it while pretending to be morally superior. How do we know this? It is easy. When I was in ninth grade doing that presentation on apartheid, my wish, and the wish of most of the world was for apartheid to end. No one suggested that South Africa was a stain on humanity, that it should be wiped from the face of the planet, etc. It simply had to change its policies. Not so with many of these protesters. Their goal is simply the elimination of Israel, not its improvement. Now don’t get me wrong. I am the last one to say that Israel is perfect. It is not. I have, over the past year spoken at least twice about MAJOR internal issues just in the Jewish community, let alone across the divide of faiths. But it is quite simply not true that Israel is an apartheid state.

But all is not lost. In this morning’s portion Vayakhel-Pekudei we get a glimpse of an answer. In the portion we read about the Israelites and Moses’ construction of the Tabernacle, the Mishkan. In our Etz Hayim Humash we read: “At this point there are two embodiments of holiness in the Israelite camp: the Tent of Meeting (Ohel Moed) and the tabernacle (mishkan). We can think of them as representing a theology of encounter and a theology of presence. There are moments (a wedding, [a birth], an escape from danger) when God erupts into our lives with a special intensity that transforms us but that is too intense to be lived constantly. Then there are times when God is a constant presence in our lives (marriage, parenthood, & years of good health) in an equally real but less intense manner. The challenge is to recognize God’s constant presence in our lives without its becoming so ordinary that we take it for granted.”

The same is true for our relationship with Israel. Each of us, if possible, should make it our business to visit Israel, to experience Israel in an intense way, and many of us fortunate enough to do so already have. The rest of the time Israel is always there, always in our thoughts. Many people though, especially my generation and younger, who have never lived in a world without Israel, simply take Israel for granted. We cannot do that, we mustn’t do that, just as the ancient Israelites couldn’t take God’s presence for granted in their midst. To do so courts disaster.

And despite how it feels, we are not alone. There are others who know not to take Israel for granted. This week the State of Ohio purchased $42 million dollars worth of Israeli Bonds. This was the largest single purchase by a government entity. And this week, Jason Kenney, Canada's Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism said this about ‘Israel Apartheid Week’: “The disproportionate vitriol directed against the democratic State of Israel during ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ stands in stark and ironic contrast to the silence of IAW organizers on the ongoing atrocities committed by the Syrian regime against its own citizens, and on the rampant brutalities and denial of rights in non-democratic countries in the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world. “Operating under the guise of academic freedom, IAW is a misleading attempt to delegitimize and demonize the only true liberal democracy in the Middle East. IAW’s organizers choose to promote inflammatory propaganda over civil and enlightening debate."

It is good to know that men such as Minister Kenney and the leaders in Ohio exist. Over the course of my time here, I too have spoken in support of Israel’s right to exist while also protesting injustices I see. And though I will be leaving here soon, I will continue to do so, and I pray that you and all fair minded people, do the same – demanding that Israel be better than she is, but not expecting her among all the nations of the world to be the only one that is perfect. This is not a political issue. Israel’s survival and right to exist is a moral issue and one that we as a Jewish community must support wholeheartedly. With God's help may this come to be. PAGE 4 CONNECTION APRIL 2013 Message From Our President—Reprinted from March 4th email Another busy month at Temple Beth-El! Here's a re-cap.

At our February Board Meeting, two items were approved: The appropriation of Foundation funding in the amount of $1000 to support the Volunteer Appreciation Shabbat and Luncheon, April 6. All committee chairs, committee members, minyanaires, and office volunteers will be honored. Recognizing that our financial structure for membership needed to be updated, we approved a tiered Membership Commitment structure - Under 35 Single/Family; Over 35 Single/Family; minimum dues will be $600/$900, $1200/$1800 respectively. We also revisited the Security Assessment, agreed that it needed to continue, but revised the amount so that no one will be assessed more than $100. There will be modifications to the Star of David categories but those who are already giving at these higher levels will be grandfathered in until 2014-2015.

Also this past month, Jo-Anne Tucker-Zemlak, Southeast-Seaboard Region USCJ rep, and Kathy Elias, Chief Kehillah Officer, visited with Steven Corenblum and Micky Rubenstein, Rabbi Search Committee Co-Chairs, our Executive Committee, and the professional staff. Since this was their first visit to TBE, as well as Birmingham, they wanted to learn about our rich history, and we learned about the resources that United Synagogue has to offer us.

The House Committee met to review the following: the Cultural Center roof, replacing a water fountain in the Religious School wing, and the chuppah cover.

At the weekly Professional Staff meetings, discussions center around programming and upcoming events.

Plans are moving forward with the "Parents Just Want To Have Fun" event - April 13th, at Cantina - Religious School parents and prospective Religious School parents will have a fun night out. Amy Stein and Ellen Stein are coordinating the plans with Maurine Halpern and Debby Thomas. This year's joint TBE/TEE Religious School celebration of Purim was held at Temple Emanu-El. Opening the show was a songfest featuring students in the lower school grades. Following this, we all enjoyed a play called" A Wicked Good Tale", which featured our Cantor, Susan Schwartz, Kay Virago, and Sam Zuckerman; we have some very talented members in our congregation!

The Ritual Committee, chaired by Ed Fineberg, is reviewing applications from cantors who would like to be the cantor for our High Holiday services.

Our membership currently stands at 533 member units, but I think that number may be slightly inflated. Many people have been carried on the books with very little payment or, in some cases, no payment at all. In the month of February, Bruce Downs, Treasurer, Sue Lischkoff, Membership, and I began the task of assessing our membership rolls. Personal phone calls have been made to those members in arrears to discuss the status of their account. First and foremost, the point that has been stressed is that we want everyone to be a member at whatever financial level they can afford. Second, there has been honest dialogue about what is owed and what are the reasons why their account is in arrears. Where there has been no response to repeated phone calls, a letter will be sent to the member outlining not only what is going on at Temple Beth-El but also asking if they would like to continue their membership. High Holiday tickets and life cycle events are privileges that are afforded members who are in good standing. It will be explained to each person who receives a letter that if we do not hear back from them, we will accept that to mean that they no longer wish to remain a member of Temple Beth-El. It is in our best interest to know who wants to be a member and who doesn't so that our membership numbers that are reported to United Synagogue are as accurate as possible.

A nice 'problem' occurred with regard to the Family Shabbat Ruach Services and Dinner - we had over 100 people attend! So what's the problem you ask? We all have a tendency to make reservations at the last minute but then this puts a tremendous strain on the staff to prepare properly. Of course we want everyone who would like to attend to come - what we ask in return is that reservations be made by the deadline so that plans can be made so the event is fun, there is plenty of food, and we can be a warm and welcoming place!

If there is any other information that you would like to see in the future, please let me know, [email protected], 967-5459.

Warmly, Arlene PAGE 5 CONNECTION APRIL 2013 Message From Our Foundation Your Temple Beth-El Foundation’s Board of Excellence

The Temple Beth-El Foundation embraces the standards of excellence that BoardSource created to identify the primary responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards. BoardSource is a nationally recognized organization that is dedicated to advancing the public good by building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring board service. These responsibilities (and how the TBE Board exceeds these standards) are as follows:

 Determine mission and purpose. It is the Foundation Board's responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization's goals, means, and primary constituents served. The Foundation’s Mission reads: “To perpetuate the vibrancy of at TBE by sustaining a strong endowment.” This statement was developed during a rigorous six month strategic planning process that included input from congregants, board members and a professional nonprofit program planning strategist. The Foundation Board has worked tirelessly to increase its endowment and thus ensure TBE’s financial future.  Ensure adequate financial resources. One of the Board's foremost responsibilities is to secure adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission. The Foundation actively seeks new sources of endowments from the congregation. In addition to encouraging individual endowments and testamentary gifts, the Foundation has been involved in the Centennial Campaign and the campaign to replenish the Deferred Maintenance Fund which was recently reduced by the Renovation Project.  Protect assets and provide proper financial oversight. The Board ensures that proper internal financial controls and annual financial statement reviews with an independent auditor are in place. The Foundation Board developed and regularly updates a “Statement of Investment Policy – Objectives and Guidelines.” The Foundation uses an Investment Manager to direct the Foundation’s investments and to provide monthly, quarterly and annual investment statements.  Build a competent board. The Foundation Board has a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for board candidates, orient new members, and to periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance. This Board has a membership of 15 extraordinarily experienced Directors. The Directors have an average previous nonprofit board experience of 25 years. Combined, the Board of Directors has 375 years of nonprofit board experience. Their experience and the knowledge they share from their professional field provides a great, diverse mix resulting in creative ideas and processes.  Ensure legal and ethical integrity. The board is ultimately responsible for adherence to legal standards and ethical norms. The Foundation Board has established pertinent policies and adheres to provisions of the organization’s bylaws and articles of incorporation. The Board’s participating Lawyers and CPAs further ensures its legal and ethical integrity. Each Director was carefully chosen for his/her abilities, talents, experience and willingness to volunteer his/her time. Many of the Directors were previously on the TBE Board and some were previous Presidents of the Temple’s Board.  Enhance the organization's public standing. The Foundation Board clearly articulates the organization's mission, accomplishments, and goals to the congregation and thus garners their support. The Foundation has regular communication with the congregation through monthly publications, annual reports, individual letters and face-to-face meetings.  Select and support the chief executive. Barbara Gordon is the current Executive Director of the Foundation. She has over 35 years of experience in nonprofit program administration and continues to seek continuing education opportunities to maintain and improve her level of expertise.

Each Director’s role, as a Board member, is extremely important. Our Foundation is over 50 years old and