Member UNION for Volume 40, Issue 6 December 2019 — Kislev-Tevet 5780 REFORM JUDAISM SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 2 3 4 5 6 Candle Lighting 5:10 PM 7 Parashat Vayetzei No Religious School 4 PM Intro to Islam- 10 AM Communications 9 AM Social Hall B 6 7:30 PM Shabbat 10 AM Bat Mitzvah classes-Thanksgiving Session 1 Meeting Reserved Service with SC Service break 1 PM Judaica Shop Open 3 PM The Hunger Olivia Brodsky 9 AM Sanctuary Reserved 3 PM Endowment Coalition Trustees 4 PM Staff Meeting 5 PM Social Hall Reserved 7 PM CBY Choir Rehearsal 8 9 10 11 12 13 Candle Lighting 5:12 PM 14 Parashat Vayishlach 9 AM Religious School 10 AM Ritual 4 PM Intro to Islam- 1 PM Judaica Shop Open 9 AM Social Hall B 6 PM Kabbalat Sanctuary Reserved Committee Session 2 4 PM Staff Meeting Reserved Shabbat Service Blood Drive 3 PM Executive 5 PM Social Hall Reserved 3 PM Fund Raising 9:30 AM Religious School Committee 7:30 PM Comedy Night Committee Committee Meeting 3:30 PM Set up for the 10 AM Judaica Shop Open Board Meeting Chanukah Showcase 4:30 PM Board Meeting 11:30 AM Boker Tov Service 15 16 17 18 19 20 Candle Lighting 5:14 PM 9 AM Religious School 10 AM Set Up 11 AM Seniors 1 PM Judaica Shop Open 9 AM Social Hall B 6:30 PM Lev Simcha 10 AM Torah Study Sanctuary Reserved Chanukah Party Chanukah Party 1:30 PM Sisterhood Board Reserved Service (off-island) 10 AM Judaica Shop Open 3:30 PM SAC Meeting 4 PM Intro to Islam- 4 PM Staff Meeting 10 AM Finance 7:30 PM Shabbat Madrichim Seminar Session 3 5 PM Social Hall Reserved Committee Service with CBY 11:30 AM Boker Tov Service 7 PM CBY Choir Rehearsal 1 PM Membership Choir 12 PM Lishmah Seminar- Committee Teshuvah: Returning- How do you mend fences with your “enemies”? 12:15 PM Hebrew School 4 PM Chanukah Party- OFF SITE 22 Chanukah I 23 Chanukah II 24 Chanukah III 25 OFFICE CLOSED 26 Chanukah V 27 Candle Lighting 5:18 PM 28 Chanukah IV Chanukah VI Rosh Chodesh Tevet Chanukah VII No Religious School classes 5:30 PM Dine Together 9 AM Social Hall B 6:30 PM Night of 100 -Winter break Reserved Menorot (Family 9 AM Sanctuary Reserved Shabbat Service) 29 Rosh Chodesh Tevet 30 31 New Year’s Eve Chanukah VIII No Religious School classes -Winter break Do one and see how much joy you get and give. 9 AM Sanctuary Reserved Honor a loved one, your guests or a yahrzeit. Contact: Jaquey Schmid 843-681-2567 or by email. 2 TEMPLE TIDINGS SAVE THE DATE FOR JANUARY 2020 Date Time Events Date Time Events 2 9:00 AM Social Hall B Reserved 15 12:00 PM Lunch & Learn Book 3:00 PM The Hunger Coalition 1:00 PM Judaica Shop Open 3 7:30 PM Shabbat Service 4:00 PM Staff Meeting 5 9:00 AM Sanctuary Reserved 5:00 PM Social Hall Reserved 6 10:00 AM Ritual Committee 7:00 PM CBY Choir Rehearsal 3:30 PM Set up for the Executive Committee Hold ‘Em Poker Night 4:00 PM Executive Committee 16 9:00 AM Social Hall B Reserved 8 10:00 AM Communications Meeting Finance Committee 1:00 PM Judaica Shop Open 1:00 PM Membership Committee 3:00 PM Endowment Trustees 3:00 PM Back Pack Buddies 4:00 PM Staff Meeting 17 7:30 PM Shabbat Service Honoring MLK Jr with CBY Choir 5:00 PM Social Hall Reserved 18 10:00 AM Torah Study 7:00 PM CBY Choir Rehearsal 19 9:00 AM Sanctuary Reserved 9 9:00 AM Social Hall B Reserved 22 1:00 PM Judaica Shop Open 3:00 PM Fund Raising Committee 1:30 PM Sisterhood Board 10 6:00 PM Kabbalat Shabbat Service 4:00 PM Staff Meeting 12 9:00 AM Religious School 5:00 PM Social Hall Reserved Sanctuary Reserved 23 9:00 AM Social Hall B Reserved 9:30 AM Religious School Committee Meeting 12:30 PM Sisterhood Book Club 10:00 AM Judaica Shop Open 24 6:30 PM Family Shabbat Service 11:30 AM Boker Tov Service 26 9:00 AM Sanctuary Reserved 12:00 PM Lishmah Seminar-Talmud Torah: “Teach 9:30 AM Parent B’nai Mitzvah Class-All systems go! The them to your children”- Role of education Final Preparations! for parents and students- PARENTS 29 1:00 PM Judaica Shop Open should attend this session with their child 4:00 PM Staff Meeting Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser 5:00 PM Social Hall Reserved 12:15 PM Hebrew School 7:00 PM CBY Choir Rehearsal 13 3:30 PM Set up for the Board Meeting 30 9:00 AM Social Hall B Reserved 4:30 PM Board Meeting 31 7:30 PM Shabbat Service with Student Cantor Olivia Brodsky 14 6:00 PM Dine Together Join Congregation Beth Yam on the first night of Chanukah for an outdoor... Enjoy festive music & 5:30-6:30 PM All are Chanukah goodies for DuBois Park children 67 Lawrence Street, Bluffton, SC Welcome! 3 TEMPLE TIDINGS Rabbi’s Message world, and effected a great deliverance and redemption for Your people in Israel to this very day. Then Your Chanukah is about the children entered the shrine of Your House, cleansed Your commemoration of miracles. In Temple, purified Your Sanctuary, kindled lights in Your our prayer book we read each holy courtyards, and instituted these eight days of year a prayer called “Al Chanukah to give thanks and praise to Your great HaNissim” or “About the Name.” Miracles.” Inside this prayer This celebration of our victory in ancient times and which we sing in our services the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem we learn about Matiyahu, the (Chanukah comes from the root dedication) certainly son of Yochanan the High Priest, resonated for the early founders of Zionism and the state the Hasmonean and his sons who of Israel. Celebrating our physical and spiritual devotion led a rebellion against the Greeks to freedom and Jewish autonomy fit perfectly into the who occupied the land of Judea 165 BCE. We celebrate beginnings of Israel’s modern history. This is clearly God’s protective presence during those dramatic events evident in the creation of the famed Maccabean Games of this armed conflict. In fact, we attribute the heroic in Israel today. actions of the Maccabees to the power of faith and the The dreidel game reminds us of that Chanukah protection from God. miracle with each side of the dreidel - Nun, Gimmel, Hey, “You waged their battles, defended their rights, and Shin. These letters stand for the phrase; “A great miracle avenged the wrong done to them. You delivered the happened there.” mighty into the hands of the weak, the many into the We need to believe in miracles. David Ben Gurion hands of the few, the impure into the hands of the pure, once said, “What matters is not what the gentiles say, but the wicked into the hands of the righteous, and the what the Jews do. In Israel, in order to be a realist you wanton sinners into the hands of those who occupy must believe in miracles. Variant: Anyone who doesn’t themselves with Your Torah.” believe in miracles isn’t a realist.” Once again we see that historic theme how God took The six day war proved Gurion’s point. The miracles the side of the weak and enabled us to be victorious in of Chanukah certainly balance the preponderance of our our hour of armed struggle against a much mightier history that depicts the sufferings of our people. This is adversary. This idea also resonates with the Exodus from why Chanukah is a nice counterbalance. Let us celebrate Egypt. Just think how important Chanukah was in every at temple this year at the Night of a Hundred Menorot. Jewish home when we lived under the rule of sometimes We shall also have a special public candle lighting on hostile nations. Jewish children needed to believe that we December 22nd at 5:30 PM at Dubois Park in Bluffton. had spiritual power and ultimately the physical power to Come join us at both events as we sing our songs, light defeat our enemies and defend ourselves. This belief, the menorot, and spin our dreidels for the blessings of according to some scholars, may be one reason why the our ancestors who fought for us then. Let them be an Books of the Maccabees were not canonized into the inspiration to us even today. Hebrew Bible. The rabbis may have been concerned at Hag Sameah, that time that Rome would have not looked kindly upon the Jewish community for including these books about armed struggle against a world power. Finally the Al HaNissim prayer concludes by saying; Rabbi Brad L. Bloom M.S.W., DD “You made a great and holy name for Yourself in Your Rabbi Brad Bloom will be speaking to the St. Francis Bible Study Group (and friends) on at the St. Francis Family Center. His topic will be “Social Justice, the Bible and Ethics.” Come early for fellowship and coffee. All are welcome. 4 TEMPLE TIDINGS Message from the President – Judy Bluestone “It’s that time of year” sing CBY in the coming months: the lyrics of Mel Torme, December 11: Comedy Night at Comedy Magic Jewish singer and songwriter Cabaret: $49 (dessert, coffee, show).