
NANUET HEBREW CENTER AFFILIATED WITH THE UNITED SYNAGOGUE OF CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM 411 S. LITTLE TOR ROAD, NEW CITY, NY 10956 (845) 708-9181 Visit us at: http://www.nanuethc.org E-mail address: [email protected] March 2021 Adar — Nisan 5781 Volume 50, Number 7 Pesach — The Celebration of Spring 10 My beloved spoke and said to me, 13 The fig tree forms its early fruit; Arise, my darling, the blossoming vines spread my beautiful one, come with me. their fragrance. 11 See! The winter is past; Arise, come, my darling; the rains are over and gone. my beautiful one, come with me. 12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, The Song of Songs 2:10-13 the cooing of doves is heard in our land. For more about the Song of Songs see p. 28 March Calendar Inside, p. 27 Please let the NHC office know of all important Nanuet Hebrew Center life events & occasions, including births, Published monthly by the Nanuet Hebrew Center weddings, etc., illness and deaths. CLERGY Office: 845-708-9181 [email protected] Paul Kurland Rabbi 845-623-0407 [email protected] SERVICES Barry Kanarek Cantor [email protected] SHABBAT EXECUTIVE BOARD Friday evening Shabbat services at 6:00 p.m. Gail Kaiser Co-President The 1st Friday of each month is Family Shabbat Jeffrey Schragenheim Co-President Saturday morning services at 10:00 a.m. David Katz Vice President Please call the office the Wednesday before Andrew Toplitsky Vice President Shabbat if you would like an aliyah on Saturday Nathan Schlanger Treasurer Jeffrey Tepper Financial Sec'y MINYAN Charyl Zweigbaum Corresponding Sec’y Jay Jaffe Recording Sec’y Sunday thru Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. ARMS Wendy Spelman Ritual Comm. Chairperson Please try to attend minyan as often as possible to John Fogelman Ritual Co-Chair Emeritus enable mourners and those who are observing Mitchell Spiegel Men’s Club Co-President yahrzeits to say Kaddish. Eric Zweigbaum Men’s Club Co-President Donna Smith Sisterhood President Other Departments/Contacts Rebecca Bernstein Educational Director [email protected] Cynthia Schneider, Peggy Tepper Catering [email protected] Estelle Eisenkraft Tree of Life/Stones Candle lighting times (New City area) Frieda Levitas Chair, Comm. of Education Dates Starts Ends Esther Spiegel HAZAK Flora Silver Chesed Committee Co-Chair Marion Fuld Chesed Committee Co-Chair March 5-6 5:34 6:34 Gift Shop [email protected] March 12-13 5:42 6:42 Judy Friedlander [email protected] March 19-20 6:50 7:18 NOTE FROM THE EDITOR—All articles, photos, March 26-27 6:57 7:57 ads or other info contributed for publication in the Bulletin must be received by the 15th of the month, to be published the following month, subject to space availability and editor's approval. Contributed OFFICE Hours: material may be edited as necessary. Please email Closed during the current crisis. We may be your attached word documents, PDF files, or JPG reached by email or you may leave a message photos as attachments to an email with the Subject on the machine. line: BULLETIN.” Page 2 NHC Bulletin Adar — Nisan 5781 March 2021 In This Issue: From Co-President Gail Kaiser. 4 Mishloach Manot . .. 26 USY/Kadima . 6 March Calendar . .27 Makom News . 8 Cover story continued . .28 Hazak . 12 Life Cycle . .. .. 32 Mail . .. .. .22 Tzedakah . .. .. .36 Getting Together, with Zoom It is encouraging to see so many participating with Zoom in Synagogue meetings and events over the last few months, including the Rabbi’s Monday Study Group, our daily minyanim, pre-Shabbat gatherings, programs for children, USY/Kadima programs, and our new Macom Hebrew School with Montebello Jewish Center. We have been able to attend funerals to mourn with our friends. This is to acknowledge the extra effort of those who have not been particularly comfortable with meeting this way, whether with computer, tablet or cellphone, and are still in the learning curve (present company included). Since on-line meetings will no doubt be an indispensable part of our activities in the short term (and who knows how much in the long term), those of you who are not yet connected are invited to join up and download the program, at Zoom.us. There is plenty of information out there, if you google Zoom, including YouTube tutorials and the like. In this issue find a page of general instructions published by the University of California and a handy page of Zoom ‘Etiquette’ for any occasion supplied by Jeff Schragenheim. If you would like someone to walk you through the download, you may call the office. Once you have the program, it is so easy: You just click on the link provided in your invitation from Rabbi Kurland at the time specified, join the meeting, et voila! March 2021 Adar — Nisan 5781 NHC Bulletin Page 3 From the Co-President In the midst of this dark time in our global community, spring will bloom and one of the most treasured religious celebrations in Judaism will begin. Passover, as we well know, is highlighted by vibrant, festival meals, the Seder, where we tell the story of how our ancestors, the Israelites, left behind a life of enslavement in Egypt and journeyed forth through danger toward physical and spiritual freedom. As it was last year, and as it will most likely be this year beginning on Saturday evening, the 27th of March, families will again celebrate the most unusual Seders of their lifetimes (each sitting with just the members of their own household), while others literally welcome the holiday alone, or in virtual community with smiles and tears on small video screens. It is easy to recognize the deep emotional and even public irony in telling the grand story of the Exodus – that is, of a “going out” – at a time when we are almost universally feeling constrained, isolated, alone, and anything but free. It is precisely at this time when Passover offers many values that feel quite applicable and relevant. At a time when society hungers for moral grounding as well as physical safety, we need to take comfort in the guidance offered by our traditions, and I would like to share some of the messages that I was able to discover in the hopes that they offer meaning to you as well. We Were Once Slaves in the Land of Egypt – the Passover story begins by recounting the oppression of our ancestors. The fact that “we were once slaves in the land of Egypt” is intended to sensitize us to the oppression of all, in every age. We’re reminded of the infinite value of each and every life, which gives us an imperative to protect everyone. Right now, that means we must care about vulnerable community members. We must care about those who continue to keep the rest of us safe, healthy, and fed. We need to care about those who are imprisoned, be it physically or within their own selves, those who live in shelters and those who are unsheltered, those who live close and those in countries far away. The pandemic and the Exodus narrative both drive home the sense that we are all in this together. If anyone isn’t safe, none of us are truly safe, and if anyone isn’t free, none of us are truly free. Opportunity to Bend the Curve – the story of the Exodus also offers hope, that even the harshest oppression can give way to freedom and opportunity. The story’s narrative arc trends upward. We tell this story in the spring, when buds, flowers, and shoots remind us of the potential that’s always present in our world. Opening the door to welcome the prophet Elijah during our Seder meal symbolizes our welcome of a better, more just and compassionate society. Our spiritual tradition promises that redemption always lies just around the corner, and it’s up to us to “bend the arc” towards justice and, in today’s case, to help “bend the curve,” too. Page 4 NHC Bulletin Adar — Nisan 5781 March 2021 The Hillel Sandwich Dilemma – good religious ritual isn’t oversimplified, but rather gives us opportunity to reside in the complexity of our world. At the Seder, we eat bitter herbs (often horseradish) together with sweet charoset (made of fruit and nuts) in a special sandwich, symbolizing that in every moment in time, there is both bitterness and sweetness. For today, this means permission to grieve the losses – illness and loss of life, financial stress and missed opportunities – and also to embrace the unexpected sweetness that come with beautiful spring days, creative uses of technology, environmental benefits to our planet, and the potential for a better society to emerge as we rebuild when we reach the other side of this pandemic. Let My People Go: Moses’ Brave Leadership Lesson – finally, the Passover story draws a stark contrast between leadership styles. On one hand, we read of Pharaoh’s tyrannical rule, at once paranoid, egocentric, and greed driven. On the other hand, we see Moses’ profound humility, his delivery of clear and direct positions in the interest of the greater good of his people. We need to rise up to meet this moment and embody the strength, moral dignity, and respect as embodied by Moses. If we take this journey together, and work as one, we can believe that one day in the not-too-distant future we will all enjoy the spring of renewal together. Chag Pesach Sameach to all! Gail Kaiser, Co-President, Nanuet Hebrew Center REMINDER — TEA and PEANUT BUTTER Multiple synagogues help with the Rhoda Bloom Kosher Food Pantry and provide different types of food.
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