JUNE / JULY 2020 SIVAN / TAMMUZ 5780 WE STILL REMAIN TOGETHER! Sunday Morning Minyan Gilner Religious School 7th Grade Class Alefbet Preschool Shabbat Sing KUSY Banquet Page 2 BETH SHALOM ANNUAL MEETING Inside this issue: Beth Shalom Annual Meeting 2 From the Rabbi 3 PLEASE JOIN US for CONGREGATION BETH From the President 4 SHALOM’S ZOOM ANNUAL MEETING Congregation 5,6,11 News Sunday, June 14th at 10:00am Graduations 7-11 We will begin with a virtual breakfast…more to come! Sisterhood 12 The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. The link will be Support Beth Shalom 13 sent to you via email. Yahrzeits 14 Tributes & 15-16 In addition to hearing our accomplishments and future Contributions goals at the Annual Meeting, we will be voting to approve: Beth Shalom Bulletin Advertisers 17-22 The full slate of officers (8) and Board Members at Large Beth Shalom Board & Staff information 23 (4) for the 2020-2022 term. Three (3) Additional Board Members at Large for the 2020-2021 term. A small revision to the synagogue Constitution. Look for more information in your email inbox and online to attend and participate in the Annual Meeting. We are working hard to facilitate ways to remain "virtually" connected while having to remain physically apart for the time being. Visit bethshalom.net for the many ways to stay virtually connected Page 3 FROM OUR RABBI Adapting and Thriving in Challenging Times We just finished counting the Omer which began on the 2nd When it comes to religion it can be especially difficult to night of Passover and concludes with the holiday of introduce innovation. Anything new is usually suspect. Shavuot. In fact, a 19th century rabbi coined the phrase hadash asur min ha-Torah, anything new is forbidden by the This has certainly been an Omer period like none other, and Torah. Even the great Jewish thinker Maimonides had a return to normal stills seems a long way off. It started with his books labeled as heretical, and they were banned our Passover seders which were very different this year during his lifetime. because of Covid-19. But in the midst of this devastating pandemic we have also unleashed a great deal of creativity Yet there have been particularly devastating times in and found new ways to connect with one another. our history when Jewish life could not continue in the same way it always had, and change was forced upon In the Torah there is a law in connection with the Omer us. When the Temple was destroyed by the Romans in which instructs us: "until that very day… you shall eat no Jerusalem, Judaism embarked on one of its most bread or parched grain or fresh ears (the new crop). creative periods, and Rabbinic Judaism was born. The (Lev. 23:14)." This law refers to the prohibition of eating new Siddur and its prayers replaced the sacrificial system, grain, called hadash until the "waving of the Omer" which and Jewish Law or halacha continued to evolve. starts on the 2nd day of Passover. The yashan, the old, and the hadash, the new; tradition The reasoning behind this law seems to be that new things and change are compatible with one another and have are forbidden until they have received God's blessing. And always gone hand in hand -- though it is usually a when you think about it, that sums up a controversy that’s slower process of evolutionary change as opposed to been raging in Jewish thought, in our civil affairs, and even revolutionary change. in our personal lives for millenia. Covid-19 has imposed profound changes on all of People are simply reluctant to accept new things. So often a us. But with our innate ability to respond to any new thing has to wait for just the right moment in history challenge and adapt, I am confident that we will until it finally gains acceptance. Still today, some people still persevere and we will thrive. We will continue to refuse on principle to get connected to the internet and use re-imagine our synagogue and find new and meaningful e-mail. For these, the Covid-19 outbreak has been ways to function as a kehillah. And God-willing, life will particularly challenging and isolating. return to a semblance of normalcy very soon. Meanwhile, we will cherish our loved ones, embrace our History shows us how new ideas often fight a long and community, and hold fast to our Torah and its eternal difficult battle until they receive a community-wide values. gushpanka. For example, when Ben Franklin discovered that lightning was a form of electricity, he sent a paper to be Wishing you all a pleasant and rejuvenating summer, read for him by a friend before the Royal Society in London. This friend reported that it was "laughed at by the Rabbi Mark Zimmerman connoisseurs." In 1837, Rowland Hill proposed a postage stamp for Great Britain instead of paying cash on delivery. The postmaster general declared the idea "entirely repugnant to reason." During this difficult time of COVID-19 and with the many restrictions in place, there may be some in our kehillah who are in need of assistance with purchasing groceries or picking up prescription drugs. If you need help, please email Loli Gross at [email protected]. We will make every effort to provide assistance for your needs. Page 4 FROM OUR PRESIDENT Shalom Congregation Beth Shalom! For the past four (4) years I have been so fortunate to We continue to look for creative not only write this bulletin article every other month (a ways to pivot (ah, another true highlight), but also to serve as President of our buzzword) and keep our business amazing kehilla. It has truly been an honor and privilege obligations intack while still to lead Beth Shalom through some of the most wonderful providing the spiritual and special events, programs, simchas and enriching engaging events we are all accustomed to. The corona- services. There have been a few challenges here and virus has rocked all of our worlds, but please know that there (can you spell ‘pandemic’?), but we learned from Beth Shalom is here for you in what ever way you need them and moved forward. Our incremental growth us. We will do all can for you, and we thank you for across most every area of our shul has put us in a keeping the shul a priority in your lives as well. position of strength. What we have accomplished to- gether over the years leaves me with a tremendous Speaking of the Staff, I would be terribly remiss if I did not sense of pride and satisfaction for the next express my heartfelt appreciation for each and every one administration. of them during my term in office. Working so closly with With our fiscal year beginning on July 1st, Beth Shalom our amazing Executive Director Loli Gross and the will then have a new set of Officers and Board Members wonderful and truly gifted Rabbi Zimmerman has been a to lead us through our next phase of outstanding pleasure and a privilege. Their relentless commitment to leadership. As we will be voting during our Annual make Beth Shalom thrive and prosper is inspiring. The Meeting on Sunday morning, June 14th via Zoom, you rest of staff including Roberta London, Helene Urbaitel, will see how talented, unique, and dynamic our Linda Zimmerman, Risa Walter and the many others who upcoming Board of Trustees will be. The continued have helped along the way have also added tremendously diversity of our Board coupled with your collaboration to making our shul operate so smoothly. In addition to the with the many committees and groups is really amazing! Staff, the engaged and dedicated members of the Board of Even in these strange times, I will challenge each of you Trustees over the years have made a deliberate and to support the new Board and stay connected to the shul positive impact on our kehillah in so many areas. Whether and to each other however you can. Hopefully, we the decision or discussion was strategic, financial, spiritual, will have opportunities to gather in person soon; but if or involved a more difficult evaluation, I could always count not, let us make the absolute most of our virtual on our committed Board to make the informed call. As the connections, our virtual kehilla. Keep checking our legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson once said, “The ‘Broadcasting with Beth Shalom’ logo link on our strength of the team is each individual member. The website for the various happenings. strength of each member is the team.” This sums it up nicely about our Staff and Board – our team; our kehillah - Another item we will vote on at the Annual Meeting is a that by working together it makes us all stronger. minor update to our Constitution. One of these changes allows us to capitalize on different ways of conducting Well, as my time comes to an end, I am realizing that meetings and appropriately communicating in the digital/ although one of the ideas I envisioned for this particular virtual space. Another proposed change is a strategic bulletin article was to summarize all of the exceptional one to further fortify our committee structure by having accomplishments and successes we have achieved at our Vice-Presidents and Treasurer appoint their Beth Shalom during the past four (4) years; I will likely not respective standing committee chairs rather than have the space to do so. However, when I do think back it serve as the actual committee chair.