HONORING TRADITIONS ENGAGING FAMILIES SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES Volume 93, No. 8 • February 2021 • Shevat/Adar 5781 Purim is coming! From Rabbi Thursday, February 25, at 6:30 pm. Jessica “Grease” Megillah Reading and Spiel: 6:30 pm Barolsky All Romemu families are strongly encouraged to join us on Zoom. On its surface, Purim is about the triumph of Italian Dinner for Purim, good over evil, the Order Dinner from epitome of “they tried to kill us, we won, let’s Hamantasch-a-thon Lou Malnati's Pizzeria eat.” In the Purim story, the good guys A Purim Fundraiser Wednesday, February 24 win and the bad guys lose big. For more information please see page 5. Order enough to have some on The fascinating parts of Purim, though, Wednesday night after the Purim Drive are the ones hidden below the surface: Purim Drive-Thru! Thru at CEEBJ and some to enjoy Thursday Vashti as a feminist icon; a story whose night, February 25 before the Purim Shpiel details go—thankfully—way over the Wednesday, February 24, at 6:30 pm. Invite your friends to do the heads of children; a king who is more of 4:30-6:30 pm same, even if they don’t celebrate Purim. a caricature than a leader; real questions A portion of all non-alcoholic purchases about Jewish identity and fitting in. We Join us on Wednesday afternoon, pre-tax go to support Romemu and learn that Purim is a holiday where every - February 24, any time between Lifelong Learning at CEEBJ. thing is turned upside down and back - 4:30-6:30 pm for a Purim Drive-Thru. Place your order by phone or online wards. We celebrate by doing things dif - In the spirit of Purim, feel free to acces - (loumalnatis.com ). You MUST provide this ferently: we’re wild and silly, we dress in sorize your mask with a costume, or code when ordering so your purchase costume, we let loose. at least a funny hat. We will have earns the Lou Malnati donation: CEB21. We can learn so much from this strange, giveaways, activities from the safety of Offer good only at Lou Malnati’s Fox Point fun, intense story. It reminds us to be true your car, and plenty of Purim silliness. and Brookfield locations. Romemu and to who we are, like Vashti. Vashti has Lifelong Learning will receive 20% of all Please bring one or more new or become something of a modern-day orders, pre-tax who use this code. lightly used sports balls to donate. hero for her early exit from the Purim story. Because she turned down the king’s request and was summarily dismissed, Purim Spiel Online she is now seen as a feminist icon, a rep - Thursday, February 25, 6:30 pm resentation of being honest and true to oneself. It reminds us to be proud Jews, like Mordecai. Mordecai overhears the plot to kill the king; he encourages Esther to speak up to the king; he refuses to We will be incorporating cartoon bow down to Haman. He also told Esther avatars and vivid set designs and our to hide her Judaism near the beginning of the story, which can make him a technical marvel Scott Finch will digitally model for changing our ways and doing drop congregants' faces into the action better, too. It reminds us to be brave, like cartoons. Enjoy seeing your fellow Esther. She risked her life for the Jewish congregant’s in the animations of people, going unsummoned before the king to reveal her identity and the nature Haman, Esther, and more. of the king’s advisor Haman. All are welcome to attend online! Continued on page 2 February Worship Schedule All services are online- streaming on our website, on Facebook Live, YouTube, and through Zoom. The Twenty-Second Annual Friday, February 5 What an American Hebraist Can Teach Us Kabbalat Shabbat Service/ about Song of Songs: Reflections on “Name The Costume For Early Shabbat Worship 6:15 pm Gershon Rosenzweig (1861-1914). The Rabbi Purim Torah Reading: Terumah, Saturday, February 6 Exodus 25:1-27:19 Appearance” Contest Shabbat Morning Study Minyan 9:00 am Special reading for Shabbat Zahor: Entries Due By Torah Portion: Yitro, Exodus 18:1-20:23 Deuteronomy 25:17-19 Thursday, February 11 Prophetic Reading: Isaiah 6:1-7:6; 9:5-6 Prophetic Reading: I Samuel 15:2-34 6:30 pm Havdalah Together 6:30 pm Havdalah Together Attention, one and all! This is your oppor - tunity to come up with the silliest, schtiki - Friday, February 12 Thursday, February 25 est, punniest costume you can! Name the Kabbalat Shabbat Service/ Purim Service & Megillah Reading 6:30 pm rabbi's costume for Purim 5781/2021 and Early Shabbat Worship 6:15 pm The Book of Esther will be read. bask in the glory of having an important Birthday blessings for all those celebrat - ing birthdays in the month of February. Friday, February 26 role in this year’s festivities. Kabbalat Shabbat Service/ All winners will receive recognition on Saturday, February 13 Early Shabbat Worship 6:15 pm Shabbat Morning Study Minyan 9:00 am Purim, Thursday, February 25 , at our Saturday, February 27 Purim festivities and in April’s Ha-Kol, Torah Portion: Mishpatim, Exodus 21:1-24:18; Shabbat Morning Study Minyan 9:00 am with the grand prize to be announced Torah Portion: Tetzaveh, at a later date. Numbers 28:9-15; Exodus 30:11-16 Prophetic Reading: II Kings 12:1-17 Exodus 27:20-30:10 Email your entry to Toni in the clergy Prophetic Reading: Ezekiel 43:10-27 office by Thursday, February 11 , at cler - Friday, February 19 Shabbat Morning Service/B’nai [email protected] . Please include your Kabbalat Shabbat Service/ Mitzvah Program 10:30 am name and email address, along with the Early Shabbat Worship 7:00 pm Our 6th grade learners and their families name and description of the costume. Rabbi Dudley Weinberg Memorial will learn more about B’nai Mitzvah. Scholar-in-Residence. Dr. Gary P. Zola, Scanned drawings are optional (and Friday, March 5 always appreciated). Judging for this con - Ph.D, Executive Director of the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Kabbalat Shabbat Service/ test will be handled by an “impartial” Early Shabbat Worship 6:15 pm panel of one, Rabbi Barolsky. Jewish Archives, and the Edward M. Ackerman Family Distinguished Professor Saturday, March 6 of the American Jewish Experience and Shabbat Morning Study Minyan 9:00 am Reform Jewish History of the Hebrew Torah Portion: Kee Tissa, Union College-Jewish Institute of Exodus 30:11-34:35; What Goes In? Religion in Cincinnati, will speak on Special Torah reading for Shabbat Parah: Choosing Books Profiles in American Jewish Courage. Numbers 19:1-22 of the Tanach Saturday, February 20 Prophetic Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-38 Shabbat Morning Study Minyan 9:00 am Shabbat Morning Service/B’nai with Rabbi Barolsky Rabbi Dudley Weinberg Memorial Mitzvah Program 10:30 am on Wednesdays, Scholar-in-Residence. Dr. Gary P. Zola, Our 7th grade learners and their families February 10 and 17 Ph.D, will be our scholar. He will speak on will learn more about B’nai Mitzvah at 2:00 pm Rabbi Barolsky, As we approach Purim this year (the We will study why some books, such as continued from page 1 spiel and megillah reading are Thursday Song of Songs and Esther, became part evening, February 25, with a drive-thru of the Biblical cannon, while others did Purim could represent so many things in on Wednesday evening, February 24 to not. No prior knowledge of these books life right now. It’s fun and light on the get ready), let’s enjoy the silliness, pick is necessary. surface, but when we try to dig deeper, out great costumes, and have fun it’s overwhelming, scary, and leaves us together on our screens. Let’s also unsure and asking a lot of questions. It is remember the messages of the holiday, a story about power, leadership, sexuali - and stay true to who we are and what ty, and identity—topics which are, for we believe, and to stand bravely in our better or for worse, as relevant in 2021 truth. as they were in Shushan. www.ceebj.org 2 Follow CEEBJ on Facebook The CEEBJ Rabbi Dudley Weinberg Memorial Director of Scholar-in-Residence Weekend, Dr. Gary P. Zola Lifelong on The American Jewish Experience, February 19-21 Learning YOUR MIGHT, O God, Dr. Gary P. Zola vation of our stories as American Jews is everlasting; Help us will be our and, most especially, as Reform Jews.” to use our strength for Scholar in Dr. Gary P. Zola’s approach to history good and not evil. You Residence for an are the Source of life exciting weekend Speaking about recent events in the U.S., Dr Zola said, “The very idea of a ‘fact’ is and blessing; Help us to choose life for of insightful pre - ourselves and our children. You are the sentations. Gary P. under assault today. The Founders had different views — they believed in reason support of the falling; Help us to lift up Zola, Ph.D. is the the fallen. You are the author of freedom; Executive Director — it was an age of enlightenment. They believed knowledge could be acquired, Help us to free the captive. You are our of the Jacob hope in death as in life; Help us to keep Rader Marcus Center of the American and that democracy cannot stand with - out it.