1 BULLETIN CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND April 2019 Nissan 5779 SPECIAL PASSOVER EDITION Proud Member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah 2 3 Congregation B’nai Jeshurun of Staten Island United Synagogue of Conservave Judaism Member Tel. (718) 981-5550 Passover / Shab- Email: [email protected] Website: cbjsi.com bat SYNAGOGUE SCHEDULE Shabbat Services: Services Friday Evenings at 8:00 pm Saturday Mornings at 9:15 am Daily Minyan: Friday 4/19—1st Seder, No Services Sunday Mornings‐9:00 am Saturday 4/20—9:15 a.m. Shabbat and Monday & Thursday Mornings ‐ 7:20 am Yom Tov Services Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday Mornings 7:20 am at Temple Emanu‐EL Sunday 4/21—9:15 a.m. Yom Tov Services We invite you to join us Thursday 4/25 eve—No Services regularly for Friday 4/26— 9:15 a.m. Yom Tov Services Shabbat and Yom Tov Services Friday 4/26– 8:00 p.m. Shabbat and Yom Please arrive promptly to insure a minyan Tov Services for those who need to say Kaddish Proper are is necessary at all mes in Saturday 4/27—9:15 a.m. Shabbat and the Sanctuary CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah 4 5 Passover Remembrances President’s Message Rabbi Sam Kastel Dear Friends, My most powerful Pesach memory is my grandfather Rabbi Welcome to our special Passover (Pesach) Hatokayah edi- Moshe Yehuda Blau singing the B’tzeit Yisroel M’Mitzraim dur- on. Passover is the most observed of all Jewish Holidays ing the Seder. He would get outwardly emoonal and tell the and there are good reasons for this. It celebrates our exo- same story every year. dus from slavery in Egypt to a generaon wandering in the desert and finally becoming a people worthy of receiv- My grandfather had been a student at the Mir Yeshiva and by ing the Torah and entering the land of Israel. Throughout the grace of G-d the Yeshivas received visas that allowed them the generaons through mes of peace and prosperity and to leave certain death in Europe and ulmately sele in those of suffering and hardship, we have gathered togeth- Shanghai China. While they were grateful to have been saved er with families and communies to retell the story to edu- they were living in poverty. It became unbearable for them cate and inspire our children to follow in our ways as we when the Japanese took control of Shanghai and added re- remember. We are directed to welcome the stranger in stricons and abuse to the hardship the Jews were facing. Ul- our midst and indeed our Seders are made that much rich- mately almost all the Jews that were living there le. er by extending ourselves to others so that they may too On the boat that was bringing them from China to America remember and celebrate. they sang this song with great intensity. For them the song, What are your Pesach memories, both past and recent, which is about the Israelites leaving Egypt was symbolic of that are so meaningful. Even our Hebrew School students freedom aer the Nazis and the mistreatment by the Japa- contributed. I thank you for the responses you sent in—it nese. is such a busy me of year that I My grand- father really appreci- ate the effort it dedicated the rest of took to share them with us. I his life to restoring hope that we can connue to and pub- lishing lost share memo- ries with each Jewish scholarly other and that this will become a books and to rejuve- CBJ tradion. Enjoy. nang the Jewish people. I always CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah 6 7 A Passover Memory it was me, and so they rented a hall. There were 85 people by Joyce Lieb at this Seder. We were amazed. It was held in a hall, in the My memories of Passover are prey much the same as most Le Marais district. The 4 brothers and sister sat at the head people. Weeks and weeks before the Holiday, my Mom be- of this large U shaped table. They chanted the Haggadah gan “Spring Cleaning.” It was actually cleaning for Passover. from memory in Ancient Aramaic, and the sister would be Every closet, every drawer in the house had to be cleaned out the one correcng her brothers, if one syllable was pro- and of course certain things were discarded and others given nounced incorrectly. away. Aside from the uniqueness of this event, and the special cus- One of my fondest memories, however, was about 15 years toms (even different from our Sephardic customs), was the ago. My husband Howard is very involved with organized fact that most people there had their own Haggadahs, some denstry and in the capacity of being the General Chairman of passed down from generaons, some with calligraphied the Greater New York Dental Meeng, we met and became leers, in gold gilt. Each group came up to us and proudly acquainted with people from all over the world. He hap- showed us their copies. Then, they asked us about ours. We pened to become friends with a denst and a group who in- had brought along our Maxwell House Haggadahs, which we vited us to their Dental Meeng in Paris. Because Howard use all the me. We meekly showed our Haggadahs, to was Chairman, we were obligated to aend this spring Con- which Howard said, “These are our travel Haggadahs.” I real- ference. Unfortunately, we did not realize that it would be ly do not know how we all kept straight faces, but we did. during Passover. Our family is very strict on Passover. I host our Family Seder for 20-25 people every year, cooking every- thing from scratch. I change dishes, the whole kit and caboo- dle. When we realized it, I was very worried about what we would do. So– we decided to make lemonade from the lemons, as they say. We told the children that we would all go to Paris, and somehow figure out how to make a seder in the hotel. Two of the densts in this organizaon were observant and offered to shop for us. We had refrigerators delivered to all the hotel rooms and gave a shopping list to our friends. At Interesngly enough, 2 people as ked if they could have one. CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah 8 9 A Seder in Tours, France “It Ain’t Chopped Liver!” By Jack Bender By Ruth Greenwald Back in 1962 I was in the Army staoned in Chinon, Frances. Iz and I had been seeing each other for 6 months and were At the me France was bringing in immigrants from North Af- talking of marriage. My father, a jewelry manufacturer, had rica, many of whom were Jewish. For Passover our Chaplain asked his diamond dealer to gather an assortment of stones arranged a Seder (about 25 from our post, including nurses in all shapes, sizes, and prices, so as to be ready when Iz ap- and teachers) and it was held in the Synagogue in Tours, a proached him for help regarding my engagement ring. But— nearby city. The congregants, about 40, were from Tunisia there was no such forthcoming discussion. and local French. The food was “exoc” for a Seder. No bris- Come Passover 1963. My parents were hosng the first se- ket, gefilte fish, etc. Lamb, roast fish, rice with pomegranate. der for our family and Iz’s. I helped my mother serve the first Excellent and really good Kosher French wine!! We supplied course and when I returned to my place at the table, there matzo. The Hagaddah was in French and English. It was like was a large diamond ring sing in the chopped liver! I was so being with long lost cousins that you liked immediately. The surprised that I first asked, “Is that for me?” and when told it service was led by their Rabbi and the Chaplain. Same words, was, I followed with the query, “Is it real?!” It is—it’s an heir- different melodies. Excellent night. Aer we would help the loom from Iz’s mother’s family, which is why my father had immigrants with goods not been involved. from the Army PX. I never for- got that Following an excing seder evening, aer I took off the ring to Seder. wash up, I caught my father examining the diamond with his jewel- er’s loupe! It passed his discriminang test and so, except for having to be reset just once in 56 years, I sll wear and enjoy my beauful marquise dia- mond! CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah CONGREGATION B’NAI JESHURUN OF STATEN ISLAND Hatokayah 10 11 “A Zissen Pesach!” My Passover Memory By Lenora Gillerman By Tamar Owens It is customary to wish others a Zissen, or Sweet Passover. For My favorite Passover memory always makes me smile. It is me, the sweetness doesn’t rely on the Manischewitz—it’s all from when I was 9 or 10 years old. I spent Passover in Israel about the memories. Most are very sweet, some bier-sweet, with my mother and brother. We had our seder in a large but all lovely just the same. Let me share: tent in my cousin’s backyard in Rishon Lezion and I was sur- *My dad, who was usually very jovial and loved a good joke, rounded by my extended Israeli family.