August 2017 Av-Elul 5777 Volume 64 • Number 6 The Ailene Sher Soul Center Fund Established at Beth El We are honored to announce the establishment of The devoted kindergarten teacher. Ailene Sher Soul Center Fund. The purpose of the fund is Prior to coming to Baltimore, to support programs that will enable Jews to connect to their Ailene founded and ran a Jewish Judaism in non-traditional ways through mindfulness, healing Day School in New Zealand for and rejuvenation. nine years. The Ailene Sher Soul Center Fund was recently established Just two weeks before she by a devoted family within our congregation who wanted passed, Ailene shared: “My to recognize Ailene for the person she was and for her family and I are overwhelmed commitment to Beth El and the greater Jewish People. by this incredible gesture in As the family shared, “Throughout her career at Beth El, starting a fund in my name. Ailene represented all that is great about our congregation I cannot thank the donors and the beauty that comes from giving. Ailene was a true enough for honoring me in philanthropist: compassionate, benevolent, unselfish and this way. In addition to the incredibly charitable. We wanted to recognize this incredible generous gift, I was also given the gift of deciding how the woman and do something in her honor to support the things funds are to be used. For me, this was an easy decision. The she held dear to her heart. In this small way, we can thank, creation of the Alvin and Lois Lapidus Center for Healing honor and memorialize all of the amazing things she has and Spirituality was the brainchild of Rabbi Dana Saroken. brought to our family and the greater Beth El community.” Rabbi Saroken, Rachel Siegal, and their team of visionaries As many know, Ailene served our community for the past work tirelessly to bring the love of Judaism to those searching 21 years. In 1996, she began her work on our capital and for meaning and Jewish inspiration. The impact of the Soul endowment campaign. From there, she moved into the role Center is already being widely felt by people of all ages who of Associate Administrator at Beth El, running committees, are attending the programs, many of whom are not members programs, supporting the Executive Director and overseeing nor tied into the established Jewish community. Once again I the Beth El Memorial Park. Ailene rose through the ranks, wish to thank the donors for honoring me in this magnificent ultimately serving on the Senior Staff team as the Director of way.” Development Ailene understood that in order to keep Judaism relevant Throughout all of her years at Beth El, Ailene continuously and meaningful to the next generation, we must remain made a difference in every aspect of our congregation. open to the needs and desires of today's Jewish community. Our strength and vitality as well as our standing in the The establishment of this fund will allow Beth El and the community has been closely connected with Ailene’s Soul Center, specifically, to have the ability to respond to accomplishments, hard work and professionalism and also the spiritual yearnings of today's modern Jewish families. It is with her unique and extraordinary ability to connect with Ailene's enduring commitment to a thriving Judaism that will people, to inspire others to give, and to create a caring enable the Soul Center to continue to innovate and create community. new programming and to allow Beth El to continue to serve the needs of the next generations of American Jewry. Ailene’s commitment to Judaism came from her family and her upbringing in South Africa, where her father Myer For more information on how you can set up a restricted Rubinowitz (z’l) was the head of the largest Jewish Day fund, please contact the Development Office at School in South Africa and her mother Tilly (z’l) was a 410-484-0411. In This Issue: Page 4 Live from Beth El Page 5 Adult Education Page 12 High Holidays at Beth El The Beth El Family Our Deepest Sympathy to: Milestone Anniversaries: In Memoriam The Family of Mindelle Berlin. Rachel and Brian Dressin on their 15th Mindelle Berlin Edy Bondroff and Gary Cohen on Melinda and Christopher Douglass th Dr. Stephen P. Cohen the loss of their beloved brother, on their 20 Raymond Ely Martin Cohen. Ellensue and Brian Jeffers on their 20th Morton Herbert Hollander th The Family of Dr. Stephen P. Cohen. Abby and Max Rozga on their 20 Gilbert H. Miller th Ailene Sher Phyllis Ely on the loss of her beloved Ray and Douglass Fisher on their 25 th We mourn the passing of our members and husband, Raymond Ely. Michelle and Steven Levin on their 30 th extend sincere condolences to their families. Dr. Jerome Fine on the loss of his Julie and Jeffrey Janofsky on their 35 th beloved sister, Carolyn Eisenstadt. Catherine and David Max on their 35 Our Heartiest Mazel Tov to: Kathleen and Douglas Shepard on Jon Krieger on the loss of his beloved th father, Fredric Jay Krieger. their 35 Rita and Bob Fellerman on the birth th of their granddaughter, Lainy Mya Barbara and Tom Bishow on their 40 Mindy Fishkind and Arlene Radom th Fellerman. on the loss of their beloved mother, Gail and Ned Hiller on their 40 Jennifer and David Landsman on Dr. Neil and Stephanie Friedman Harriet Pleet. their 40th on the marriage of their daughter, Kim Cohan Glick on the loss of th Rachel to Jimmy Hershner; her beloved father, David Rodman Randy and Gary Melnick on their 40 th grandparents are Eunice and Sidney Cohan. Michele and Brian Needel on their 40 th Friedman. The family of Morton Herbert Judy and Bob Cohen on their 40 Nancy and Mel Highstein on the Hollander. Aliza and Stephen Gottesman on th birth of their granddaughter, Ellie their 45 Evelyn Morrison on the loss of her th Brooke Phillips. beloved brother, Irvin R. Jaslow. Shelley and Randy Moss on their 45 th Arlene and Chester Kleinman on the Cherie and Kerry Stewart on their 45 Marc Moses on the loss of his th birth of their grandson, Caleb Reid beloved father, Joel Moses. Lee and Alfred Whiteman on their 45 Farquharson. Sharon and Michael Pusin on their 50th Linda Nachimson on the loss of her th Brittany and Nathan Lehnhoff on beloved brother, Gerald Lee Seff. Estelle and Robert Kabik on their 55 the birth of their daughter, Sloane Maxine and Bob Kontoff on their 55th Nikki Robbins on the loss of th Madison Lehnhoff; grandparents her beloved father, David Max Arleen and Arnold Weiner on their 60 th are Robin and Art Barr; great- Hammerman. Shirley and Alvin Sheer on their 65 grandparents are Molly and Milton Bereson. Rebecca Seidman on the loss of her beloved brother, Gilbert H. Miller. Stacey and Barry Levin on the Beth El Babies: Michael Sher, Cara Shenton and marriage of their son Alec, to Andrea Rowan Sher on the loss of their Maya Rebecca Johnston; grandmother is Alice beloved wife and mother, Krantz Levin. Ailene Sher. Birthdate: Linda and David Levine on the Rita Silverman on the loss of her November 24, 2016. birth of their grandson, Asher Selig beloved brother, Allen Samuels. Grandparents are Cooperstein; great-grandmother is Ilene & Donald Penn Betty Zlotowitz. Rhona Sober on the loss of her and Cathy & Sheldon beloved sister, Marcie Steinberg. Marcia and Alan Pasarew and Dr. Kalish. Eric and Michelle Weisbrot on the Richard Weiner on the loss of his engagement of their children, Lauren beloved mother, Florence Weiner. Jordan Nathaniel Pasarew and Jason Weisbrot. Ellen Yerman on the loss of her Levine Joyce and Marvin Rosenfeld on the beloved brother, Steven Mazur. Birthdate: birth of their great-grandson, Simcha Jo-Anne Tucker-Zemlak on the February 11, 2017. Ellie Melach Gryll. loss of her beloved mother, Royce Grandparents are Tucker. David and Linda Susan and Ben Silverman on the Levine. Great- birth of their grandson, Joshua Xavier Speedy Recovery to: grandmother is Betty Silverman; great-grandmothers are Zlotowitz. Shirley Rodbell and Rita Silverman. Rita Silverman 2 The Voice of Beth El Congregation Rabbi’s Reflection An Old Dog By Rabbi Steven Schwartz You know the saying, one of the most popular proverbs the steps the street outside, or to around: you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. What we mean lie quietly and comfortably on the by this is that people are set in their ways, that they reach a couch as his ‘humans’ watch a bit of stage in life when they are who they are, and they will not be television. Even as I type this he has changing anytime soon. In fact, they will not be changing at just entered the room and settled all. The way they act, their interests, even how they think, are himself comfortably behind my all, to use another saying, ‘set in stone.’ chair, somehow keeping one eye on The implication of the proverb is the older we get, the harder me while napping at the same time. it is to change. There seems to be some truth to this idea. If only I could learn to do that! When we are young we are more open to new ideas and And yet even in his old age, he has experiences. Our views about life and the world around us not become jaded. The world is still are not yet fully formed. We are more likely, in our youth, wondrous to him.