Mishpachah Matters Issue 77.1 and 77.2 Mishpachah Matters Elul 5776 - Tishri/Cheshvan 5777 The Newsletter of Bet Mishpachah, Founded in 1975 by Members of the Washington, DC, Gay Community September and October 2016 www.betmish.org See You on the High Holy Days! Celebrate Sukkot With Us Four Ways We look forward to seeing you and to welcoming you in Sukkot, the first of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh person at Bet Mishpachah’s inspiring, innovative and R’galim) of the new year 5777, begins on Sunday night, meaningful High Holy Day (HHD) services for 2016/5777. October 16/15 Tishrei, just five days after Y om Kippur. Joyously celebrating Sukkot is the perfect way to start Join us as Rabbi Laurie Green, Rabbi Ben Shalva as our fulfilling our resolutions for greater Jewish spiritual and Chazan, our cadre of experienced lay leaders and Darshanim, communal involvement in the New Year. and our outstanding Choir lead warm and welcoming HHD services using Bet Mishpachah’s uniquely beautiful and Like most Jewish holidays, Sukkot has complex layers of progressive HHD liturgy. You won’t find such meaningful meaning. In Sh’mot (Exodus) 34:22, Sukkot is established as and egalitarian liturgy anywhere else to lead you on the path the annual fall harvest festival (Chag ha-Asif) in the Land of of transformation to start the New Year off right. Israel. In Va-yikra (Leviticus) 23:42-43, Sukkot commemorates the People of Israel’s temporary dwellings Highlights for our HHD services this year include: and their direct dependence on G-d during the forty years they wandered in the wilderness after escaping Egypt until Rabbi Julia Watta Belser, Professor of Jewish Studies at they entered the Land of Israel. Georgetown University, who taught at our Shabbaton in April, returns by popular demand to teach as part of our To observe both meanings, we are commanded to dwell in S’lichot service on Saturday, September 24 at 8:00 pm. booths (sukkot) whose roofs are made of branches and leaves During S’lichot we will be dedicating Bet Mishpachah’s (s’chach), with enough space between them for us to look up new Aron Kodesh—Holy Ark, which has been custom- and see the stars. We are bidden to eat, sleep and welcome made for us in Israel. Special thanks to Art and Design guests in our sukka during the eight days the holiday is Chair Joel Wind and his committee for leading this observed in the diaspora (seven days in Israel). project and to President Stuart Sotsky for generously donating the Ark to the congregation. The megilla (scroll) traditionally read on Sukkot is Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which focuses on the impermanence of life Our fabulous Choir, Tach’shitim, has some additional (“Vanity of vanities...”) and the eternal values we strive to voices this year and a new director: Dr. Wayne Kemp of live by. the Levine School of Music. Another Sukkot ritual is “taking the Four Species”—the Our Rosh ha-Shana I services (evening and morning) will Lulav (an unopened date palm frond), Hadass (myrtle), be enhanced by our own cellist extraordinaire John Arava (willow) and Etrog (citron)—and, after reciting the Kaboff. appropriate blessing, shaking them in six directions: up, Rabbi Emeritus Bob Saks and Loretta Vitale-Saks return down, left, right, forward and back to attest to G-d’s to co-lead our Erev Rosh ha-Shana II service. sovereignty over all of creation. This ritual also symbolically voices a prayer for adequate rainfall over the Earth’s (Continued on page 2) vegetation in the coming year. (Continued on page 3) Contents: Become a Member of Bet Page 2: Mishpachah in 2016-2017 Exciting news for Bet Volunteers needed for High Mishpachah and Tach’shitim! Holy Days Thank You to Our July and Special Guest Dr. Hanita Page 5: August Service Leaders Zimrin, Friday, September 23 HHD Ticket Reservation Form Page 8-9: Page 3: Page 6: September and October Sukkot - the Moveable Feast Bet Mishpachah Yizkor Calendars Oneg Shabbat and Kiddush Booklet for 5777 Page 10: Washington DC’s Sponsors Needed Page 7: 40th Anniversary Brunch - Egalitarian Synagogue Thanks to Our July and Bet Mishpachah is Invited to Rabbi’s Remarks August Oneg Shabbat and Join the “Saturday Salon” at Donations Embracing a Diversity Kiddush Luncheon Sponsors the Edlavitch DC JCC Page 11-13: New Friday Night Siddur Is September and October Member Yartzeits of Sexual Here! Member Birthdays Page 15: and Gender Identities Page 4: September and October Directory Rabbi Green’s Fall Pop Up Member Anniversaries Classes Mishpachah Matters Elul 5776 - Tishri/Cheshvan 5777/September and October 2016 Page 2 See You on the High Holy Days! Wednesday, October 12 at Luther Place (Continued from page 1) Yom Kippur Morning at 10:00 am We often say the holidays are “early” or “late” each year, but Yom Kippur Martyrology and Yizkor at 1:00 pm as past president Barrett Brick (Z”L) used to say, “The HHD Yom Kippur Study Session led by Rabbi Laurie Green at are always on time, Rosh ha-Shana always starts on the first 2:30 pm of Tishri.” Yom Kippur Mincha at 4:45 pm Yom Kippur N’ila and Havdala at 5:45 pm Mark your calendars now to join us for Bet Mishpachah’s Congregational Break-the-Fast at 7:00 pm at the HHD services: Washington Plaza Hotel, Thomas Circle. (Advance tickets required.) Saturday, September 24 at 8:00 pm S’lichot Tickets for HHD services and tickets for our sumptuous at Edlavitch DC JCC, 16th and Q Streets, NW Break-the-Fast will be mailed to all members who renewed Includes Ark dedication and a special study session with their annual membership by September 9, 2016. Rabbi Julia Watts Belser, who taught at our Shabbaton in April. If you are not yet a member, please reserve tickets for our HHD services and for our Break-the-fast on our webpage: Sunday, October 2 at 8:00 pm Erev Rosh ha-Shana I www.betmish.org. Note that our reduced rates for joining as a first year new member are less expensive than the suggested at Luther Place Memorial Church, Thomas Circle, NW donation for HHD tickets. Monday, October 3 We look forward to seeing all our old and new friends in the Rosh ha-Shana I Morning at 10:00 am Bet Mishpachah congregational family and to welcoming at Luther Place each of you at our HHD services. Tashlich ceremony at 5:00 pm at P Street Beach We wish you, your friends and family a happy and healthy, Erev Rosh ha-Shana II at 8:00 pm good and sweet New Year. Shana Tova u-M’tuka! at Edlavitch DC JCC Tuesday, October 4 at 10:00 am Exciting news Rosh ha-Shana II Morning for Bet Mishpachah and Tach’shitim! at Edlavitch DC JCC Friday, October 7 at 8:00 pm The Board of Directors is happy to announce a new addition to Erev Shabbat Shuva our musical family—Dr. Wayne Kemp as the newly hired at Edlavitch DC JCC choir director for Tach’shitim. Dr. Kemp, a Voice Teacher at Levine Music since 2001, has an extensive background in Saturday, October 8 at 10:00 am training vocalists as well as working with and preparing Shabbat Shuva Morning choruses and choirs for performances. He has jumped right in at Edlavitch DC JCC with working with the choir, which now has a membership of Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00 pm Sharp! 8—a double quartet! Wayne has lived and worked in the DC Kol Nidrei area since 1987 and at one point sang with our very own Carl at Luther Place Spatz! Dr. Kemp started working with us at the beginning of July when the choir started rehearsals for the High Holy Days music preparation. Bet Mishpachah welcomes Dr. Wayne Kemp to our “MISHPACHAH”! Make sure you meet him after the HHD services. Special Guest Dr. Hanita Zimrin Friday, September 23 Join us on Friday, September 23, for guest speaker Dr. Hanita Zimrin of ELI, Israeli Child Protective Services, as arranged by our Social Action/ Social Justice Committee chair Bruce Horowitz. ELI is a recent recipient of a donation from Bet Mishpachah’s Krampf Social Action Fund. Mishpachah Matters Elul 5776 - Tishri/Cheshvan 5777/September and October 2016 Page 3 Celebrate Sukkot With Us Four Ways (Continued from page 1) Oneg Shabbat and Kiddush Sponsors Needed Sukkot ends with the holiday of Sh’mini Atzeret (8th Day of Immediately seeking members or friends to sponsor our Oneg Assembly), followed by Simchat Torah, when we celebrate and Shabbat coffee/dessert social hours after services on Friday dance with the Sefer Torah as we finish the annual (or nights each week and our Kiddush lunches after services on triennial) cycle of weekly Torah readings and immediately the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. We provide begin the next cycle so there is no break in our reading, coffee/tea, wine/grape juice and challah; you provide soda/ studying and wrestling with the words of Torah. other drinks, desserts and other treats. Shopping for goodies to share with your congregational family works great; baking or This year Bet Mishpachah will observe Sukkot and Simchat other food preparation is welcome but not required. Torah in four ways: Please contact Barbara/Goldy Goldberg at (703) 548-1086 or Allan Armus is graciously hosting Bet Mishpachah at [email protected] to volunteer for a date this summer or members in his sukka once again this year on Sunday, fall.