PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID AT SKOKIE, IL Change Service Requested Temple Beth Israel Bulletin (USPS 53 7-480) Published Monthly by shabbat services shAbbAT friday Evening, November 3* Rabb i’s olumn On Yom Kippur, IC spoke with our congrega - 5:30 P.M. – Likrat Shabbat See box below for additional contributors tion about racism. I invited us to take this 3601 W. Dempster Street • Skokie, Illinois 60076 day of introspection to look inside ourselves 6:15 P.M. – Kabbalat Shabbat 847.675.0951 • ww w.tbiskokie .org and try to ferret out any unconscious racism, November Birthday Blessings any inadvertent discrimination, in thought or Michael A. Weinberg, Rabbi shAbbAT saturday Morning, November 4 at 10:30 A.M. in deed, in attitude or in demeanor. Racism Lori B. Sagarin, RJE, Director of Congregational Learning Bat Mitzvah of Jaclyn Manning begins, after all, in seeing someone as Marla Aviva Bentley, Director of Music other. Racism begins with an inner fear or Daughter of Lisa Gelfond and Garry Manning Amber Wood, Director of Operations apprehension that someone who appears different than me is somehow Jon Schneider, President Torah Portion “Vayera” worth less, somehow inferior, somehow secondary or subordinate – and maybe even dangerous. Racism begins when we assume that we can Ernst M. Lorge, Rabbi Emeritus* shAbbAT friday Evening, November 10 at 7:30 P.M. correctly know something about another just by looking at them. S. Felix Mendelsohn, Founding Rabbi* 6:00 P.M. – Shalom Shabbat *of Blessed Memory 7:30 P.M. – Veteran’s Shabbat with Koleynu I shared with you my conviction that the first stage of our intro- spection needs to be an acknowledgement and an examination of DATED MATERIAL — PLEASE RUSH Sponsored by Brotherhood Printed by Total Graphics the degree of privilege that most of us experience as white Americans. shAbbAT saturday Morning, November 11 at 10:30 A.M. In this country, just being white gives us the benefit of the doubt. It gives Torah Portion “Chayei Sarah” us entrée, it gives us acceptance. We rarely need to justify our presence shAbbAT friday Evening, November 17* or worry about being challenged. 5:30 P.M. – Likrat Shabbat We Jews ought to be especially sensitive to this issue. Deep within Sponsored by Lillian Rubenstein our collective unconscious is the memory of having been strangers in Egypt. And closer to the surface of our collective awareness is the 6:15 P.M. – Kabbalat Shabbat memory of the degradation and devastation of the Shoah. But it is Participation by second grade and younger students important to acknowledge that for the vast majority of us, those shAbbAT saturday Morning, November 18 at 10:30 A.M. experiences of degradation are memory; and for the vast majority of Torah Portion “Toldot” African Americans, racism is a regular part of everyday life. The Torah teaches us that we know the heart of the stranger having been shAbbAT friday Evening, November 24* strangers in the Land of Egypt – but most of us experience the shAbbAT saturday Morning, November 25 at 10:30 A.M. advantages of white privilege much more than we experience being Torah Portion “Vayeitzei” outsiders. shAbbAT friday Evening, december 1* Now, I want to invite you to join me in taking the next small step 5:30 P.M. – Likrat Shabbat towards the long and arduous task of eradicating this wrong in our society. In partnership with the Second Baptist Church of Evanston, we 6:15 P.M. – Kabbalat Shabbat would like to convene a series of conversation circles. Each circle December Birthday Blessings will be comprised of an equal number of members from each of our shAbbAT saturday Morning, december 2 at 10:30 A.M. congregations. Each circle will be facilitated by a pair of specially Torah Portion “Vayishlach” trained facilitators. At the outset, each circle will likely meet about once *Please note time a month for about five or six months. Then we will evaluate to determine next steps. Our goal is to foster relationships, to listen and learn, ATTENTION: PArENTs Of to share our stories – and then to broaden the conversation, the understanding, and the action. 5Th GrAdE sTudENTs If you would like to participate in one of these circles of conver- The time has come to begin sation about race, please contact me: either through the Temple office making plans for our Bar and 847-675-0951 or via email [email protected] Bat Mitzvah celebrations for those who are currently in 5th grade. Please complete a Date Request Form and return it to T’kiah G’dolah: Sukkot: Rabbi Weinberg no later than Monday, November 27, 2017. A LIkrAT shAbbAT In honor of our Centennial Year, we concluded our Yom It has been our tradition to build our congregational sukkot preliminary orientation meeting Kippur N’ilah service with the sound of 100 shofarot immediately after Yom Kippur. The multi-generational for the 5th grade students and parents will be held on Wednesday, We would like to thank Jane Page who made a donation for December 6, 2017 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. At that time parents the Likrat Shabbat on November 3 in honor of her November signaling the end of the fast and the beginning of a new team that builds and decorates the outdoor sukkah and will receive Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation information and their child's year. The sound was glorious and, while we didn’t count, the sukkah in the sanctuary does a wonderful job and assigned date. If you have questions, please contact Anne in the birthday. we know that there were at least 100 hearts and souls who everyone has a great time doing it. The result is festive and Temple office. participated. beautiful. November 2017 Cheshvan – Kislev 5778 Volume 101 Number 2 IN ThE TEMPLE fAMILy frOM ThE PrEsIdENT cONTrIbuTIONs MAZEL TOV TO: By Jon Schneider A minimum contribution of $15.00 (unless otherwise noted) for donation to be acknowledged with a card and published in the bulletin. This article has been adapted from my remarks on Erev Rosh Hashanah. Marty Rabinovitz on the birth of twin grandchildren, Hannah Adams NANETTE b. MENdELsOhN Irving Kampf . .Morris Topp donor In Memory of Rabinovitz and Jack Bayer Rabinovitz, children of Rachel and Josh I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky where my family TrEE Of LIfE fuNd Nina & David Henry Rabinovitz. belonged to a conservative congregation. That congre - Irving Loundy . .Telsa Lenhoff Funds used for the beautification Koleynu Jane and Al Page on the celebration of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. gation and the Louisville JCC were the communities to Marc & Kathy Rocklin . .Leah Rocklin of Temple Beth Israel Roberta & Howard Rosell . .Arthur Deitch Paula & Dan Sabin . .Phillip Singer Lee Schur on her granddaughter, Dr. Rebecca Schur, receiving her which I felt most connected during my youth. We lived donor In honor of Deborah Kohl . .Robert Eatman doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve in in a city that was extremely Christian, but had a close Roberta & Howard Rosell . .Pearl Rosell Pam & Ted Lavine . .Lisa Wynn’s Corrine & Mitch Oppenheim . .Telsa Lenhoff Cleveland. knit Jewish community. I felt most at home in those Roberta & Howard Rosell . .Gale Nudelman environments. .speedy recovery Paula & Dan Sabin . .Ronald Giffin Nina and David Henry on their daughter, Alice, receiving her Master’s donor In Memory of Degree in Environmental Forestry from the University of British When I moved to Chicago in 1988, I was 24 years old, not married, EducATION fuNd living in a city 300 miles from my hometown. It never crossed my mind Rozanne & Steve Epstein sOcIAL sErVIcE fuNd Columbia, Canada. Provides funds for Jewish education at TBI to join a synagogue. I found a place to go to High Holiday Services, for Patti & Clifford Levy . .Phillip Singer Provides support for social service Linda and Dr. Alan Nidetz, Barbara Nidetz, and Phyllis Stock on Passover Seders, either in Louisville or in the Chicago area, but I was donor In honor of programs within the Temple and the birth of their granddaughter / great-granddaughter, Ilana Nidetz- Diane Alfille & Matt Arden . .Shari Granat in the surrounding community and Covington, born to Elizabeth Covington and Robert Nidetz. basically on my own. I became a member of TBI when Wendy and I were sIdNEy I. cOLE cAMP married in 1993. As a relatively young married couple with no children, . for tutoring to some individual tzedakah recipients ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY: schOLArshIP fuNd we were not particularly present at TBI, outside of High Holidays and Provides camp scholarships Diane Alfille & Matt Arden . .TBI Teachers donor In honor of The following Temple members are recovering from recent illness: occasional special occasions. But, once our children began attending for our students who attend Laura & Leon Finkel . .Lori Sagarin for the Nina & David Henry . .Speedy recovery Naomi Talsky and Alyce Heman . We wish them a speedy recovery. Religious School and then Hebrew school, our connection to the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute Camp . .High Holiday Children’s Services . .for Elaine Fox community grew. CONDOLENCES: donor In Memory of . .and Rosh Hashanah sermon Laura & Leon Finkel . .Bruce Crane, . .thank you for your hard work We note with sorrow the passing of Lois Mervis, mother of Andy We are a community of meaning. We have a history of social justice, Beth Chaitman . .Marlene Drucker Laura & Leon Finkel . .Rob Weinberg for . .loading the trucks for Houston Mervis . May her memory be a blessing. dating back to the Civil Rights Movement and before. We continue . the High Holiday Music helping make the world a better place. 12 years ago, we came together Otha Spencer-Williams .