TEMPLE SHOLOM of GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT March • April • May 2019 203-869-7191 Adar I / Adar II/Nissan/Iyar 5779
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THE BULLETIN TEMPLE SHOLOM OF GREENWICH, CONNECTICUT www.templesholom.com March • April • May 2019 203-869-7191 Adar I / Adar II/Nissan/Iyar 5779 LENDING A HAND IN NOLA LEARNING CENTER A Reflection of Temple Sholom & FAMILIES EXPERIENCE A J-Teen Leadership’s Service Trip by Rabbi Chaya Bender VIRTUAL TRIP TO ISRAEL On Sunday, January 13, Temple Sholom Learning Center (TSLC) students were joined by their parents to participate in a unique and interactive virtual trip to Israel as part of this year’s family education programming. Families kicked-off the experience by “boarding” an El Al flight before travelling through four parts of Israel. Highlights of their trip included: a visit to Tzfat in the Galilee to create mystical craft projects; a stop at the Dead Sea to learn about salt water and meet desert animals; completing agricultural work at Kibbutz During Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, I accompanied Sholom; exploring tunnels and archaeology in Jerusalem; and several teens from Temple Sholom and J-Teen Leadership of writing notes at the Kotel. The program ended with a lesson in Westchester on an immersive service trip to New Orleans, LA. Israeli dancing. The mission of the trip was to make a direct impact on “Teaching about Israel—its geography, history, culture, and people communities that are still struggling in the aftermath of —is done in every grade at TSLC,” said Barry Gruber, Director of Hurricane Katrina. Congregational Learning. “But by creating a virtual trip to Israel, we took learning to a whole new level. Each activity brought Israel Our weekend of service began with cleaning and organizing at to life for our families and now many students are asking if they the Adinkra NOLA School (a Louisiana home study program for can visit Israel soon!” Pre-K through 12th graders), as well as a visit to the Poydras Home to spend quality time with their senior residents. On Sunday, we assisted the non-profit SBP (formerly known as SELMA MAISEL NURSERY SCHOOL the St. Bernard Project), in finishing to build two homes that TO SEND TWO TEACHERS TO will be sold to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Our group covered 1,400 square feet of touch-ups on walls, moldings, and caulking, INTERNATIONAL EARLY CHILDHOOD and 500 square feet of cleaning, leveling and installing flooring. EDUCATION CONFERENCE Additionally, $1,000 worth of gift cards collected by the teens were donated to the future homeowners. Full-day pre-school teacher Our trip concluded with a visit to the Lower 9th Ward. We Jane Zeitler (left) and part-day volunteered with the Lower 9 Resilient by weeding 9,000 2’s teacher Kim Schweber square feet of community gardens, and also gave them (right) will represent the donated gift cards to support the local residents and the Temple Sholom Selma Maisel success of the community gardens. Nursery School this April at In addition to participating in the above community service the 2019 World Forum on projects, our group also enjoyed Shabbat services and dinner Early Care and Education in at the historic Touro Synagogue; connected with J-Teen Macao, China. Leadership alumni at the Tulane Hillel, decorated masks at (Continued on page 12) Table of Contents a 2 MARCH•APRIL•MAY 2019 Senior Rabbi Mitchell M. Hurvitz Assistant Rabbi/Youth Director Chaya Bender FROM OUR RABBI Rabbi Emeritus Hillel E. Silverman Cantor Sandy Bernstein Hazzan Sheni/Ritual Director Ezra Konigsberg In the Book of Esther, we read: “And these • Rosh Hashanah celebrates our New Year and days of Purim shall never cease among the Yom Kippur our Day of Atonement. Executive Director Jews, and the memory of them shall never Eileen Robin But the preeminent Jewish holiday that most perish among their descendants.” commands us to do acts of kindness for others Associate Executive Director The Chazal (Sages of Blessed Memory) is Purim. This special emphasis is to note that Lori Baden asserted that when the world finally enters Purim is an especially poignant reminder to Director of Finance into a Messianic era the only Biblical holiday humanity for how it is that we are to lead our Nori Goldsmith that will still be observed will be Purim. religious lives. The Rambam (Moses Maimonides) We are specifically told that on Purim we are Nursery School Director reiterated this teaching when he wrote in to give gifts to the poor (matanot l’evionim) David Cohen the 12th century that “Purim will never be and send gifts to our fellow community Nursery School Director abolished. Even at the End of Days, when all members (mishloah manot). commemorations of our travails will not apply, Emeritus Purim—this fun, carnival-like holiday—actually the Book of Esther will be like the Five Books Phyllis Lyons is the most sacred holiday of all because it of Moses and last for all eternity.” captures the essence of what it is to be a Director of Biblical holidays have important historical religious person; to take care of those in need, Congregational Learning implications and sacred rituals that remind us and truly love your neighbor as yourself. Barry Gruber to pursue Godliness while further anchoring If these two religious principles were completely ourselves in Judaism and the Jewish People. Congregational Coordinator followed, then the world would in fact enter its Alice Schoen • Passover reminds us of our redemption from messianic era. Egyptian bondage. Manager of Communications Let’s make every day Purim—a day of joy and and Program Coordinator • Shavuot reminds us of our receiving the celebration and a day by which we assure we Gina Pernicano Torah at Mount Sinai. live our lives by the Golden Rule. • Sukkot reminds us of the booths we dwelled Chag Purim Sameach! President in while we wandered in the wilderness Ben Kriegler for forty years, making our way to the Rabbi Mitch Sisterhood Co-Presidents Promised Land. Phyllis Shapiro Randi Weingarten “Politics, Peace and Jewish IN CASE OF AN Survival in the Middle East” EMERGENCY with Yishai Fleisher, Israeli Broadcaster and International Spokesperson for RABBI MITCH CAN BE the Jewish Community of Hebron REACHED ON THE AFTER HOURS PHONE Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 pm BY CALLING Free and open to the community. Light refreshments will be served. Registration required to Alice Schoen at 203-542-7165 203-869-7191, EXT. 3 or [email protected]. Table of Contents a www.templesholom.com 3 A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT In just a few weeks, Passover will begin at sundown on Friday, • the state of being physically unrestricted and able to April 19, and end on Saturday evening, April 27. Jews throughout move easily. the United States will sit down at their Seders and recount the But after all the talk of personal freedom, religious freedom, Exodus from Egypt, the liberation of our ancestors from slavery. political freedom, etc., it is important not to forget at Passover Living in the “land of the free” makes it all the more difficult for the significance of spiritual freedom. 21st century Jews to fully grasp this experience (in addition to the In the 21st century, recognizing the benefits of the Torah’s law 3,000 years of history that separate us from the event), and yet is often made more difficult by the very freedom in which we the sages (already 1,500 years distant from Egypt) who compiled live. In the quest for multi-cultural freedom, laws that have the Haggadah insist that we must relate to the events of the strengthened the Jewish people for thousands of years are Exodus as if we ourselves had experienced them. This is the cast aside as archaic and traditions that have enriched Jewish meaning of Avadim Hayinu, the beginning of Maggid, the section generations are denounced as irrelevant. that begins the response to the four questions. Inherent in the Torah and in Jewish tradition, however, is a With this in mind, many Seder leaders use the poetry of Avadim guideline for attaining spiritual freedom. Depending on each Hayinu to open up a discussion on the meaning of freedom person, this can be a long journey or a short one. In Judaism, the to each of the participants, perhaps giving each person an greatest importance is placed on continuing to grow and to learn. opportunity to explain how they view freedom. No matter where your Seder is held, remember to take hold of the The common definition is understood: opportunity and discover the great freedom inherent in accepting • the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants the “yoke” of Torah. And know that the doors of Temple Sholom without hindrance or restraint are always open and all are welcome to pray, learn, volunteer and • the absence of subjection to foreign domination or belong to and be part of a greater community. despotic government B’Shalom • the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved Ben Kriegler, President IN THIS ISSUE… 1st Night Interfaith From Our Rabbi . 2 Musical Seder Note from Our President . 3 Winter Programming Highlights . 4-5 Sponsored by March Calendar . 6 Sisterhood April Calendar . 7 May Calendar . 8 Friday, April 19 Mazel Tov to our B‘nai Mitzvah . 9-11 Donations . 12-13 6:00 pm New Members . .13 Join Rabbi Mitch and special musical guest Sheldon Low Simcha Corner . .14 for a traditional Passover seder for people of all faiths. Bereavement Notices . .14 The cost to attend is $54 per adult and Kol Nidre Donations . 15-17 $18 per child (12 and under). Yahrzeits . 18-19 Reservations are required by Friday, April 12 to Alice Schoen at 203-542-7165 or [email protected].