The Beth Israel Centerite Spring 2017 Upcoming Programs & Events Kolot Kehilla ~ Sunday morning, May 7 In this Issue... Our Sunday morning speaker series, Kolot Kehilla (Voices of our Community), continues when Cynthia Hirsch presents, "Lawyering Across Borders," about her Pg. 2 ~ Rabbi’s Column work in Africa as a lawyer and advocate against human trafficking. Kolot Kehilla is a Beth Israel Center Adult Education program. Offered about five Pg. 3 ~ President’s Column times each year, speakers represent the diverse skills and expertise of members of Beth Israel Center. A light breakfast will be served. Donations of $5 per person are Pg. 4 ~ Executive Director’s appreciated to offset the costs of this program. Column Pg. 5 ~ Education Director’s Kibud Limudim ~ Saturday morning, May 13 Column Celebrate our community of learners during Shabbat morning services and with a special Kiddush afterwards. Pg. 6 ~ By Word of Mouse We will congratulate our Talmud Torah students reaching milestones in their Jewish education -- those completing 2nd, 5th and 7th grades -- as well as graduating Pg. 8 ~ Meet Your high school seniors. Leadership We will also honor our madrichim (Shabbat morning assistants) and those Pg. 10 ~ Social Action News completing year two of our Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning course. In addition, two young women have recently met the requirements of the Jake Pg. 11 ~ Book Dedication Heifetz Award, which recognizes those who frequently chant Torah and Haftarah and Form lead our davening after becoming b’nai mitzvah and before graduating from high school. Come pay tribute to the teachers and students in all of these programs. Pg. 12 ~ Volunteer Appreciation Lag B’Omer BBQ ~ 5:00pm Sunday, May 14 Pg. 13 ~ Condolences Rabbi Ben-Gideon will be leading the grilling once again for the Pg. 13-18 ~ Memorial & 9th Annual Lag B’Omer BBQ! Tribute Gifts Come celebrate and honor Rabbi Ben-Gideon and his family, who Pg. 18 ~ Calendars will be leaving Madison and Beth Israel Center this summer after nine successful years together. Would you like to be on our email list and receive the ****************************************************** weekly announcements? Email Cheri at Tikkun Leil Shavuot ~ Tuesday night, May 30 [email protected]. Join area rabbis and other teachers from across Madison's Jewish ~~~ community for a traditional Tikkun Leil Shavuot - an evening of learning, beginning at 7:30pm and continuing well past midnight. 1406 Mound Street This year's theme is Love. Madison, WI 53711 ****************************************************** (608) 256-7763 Summer Shabbat Potlucks in Hoyt Park www.bethisraelcenter.org Mark your calendars and welcome Shabbat with your Beth Israel Center friends in the great outdoors on these Fridays this summer: June 23, July 21, August 11 Services begin at 5:45pm and all are welcome to stay for dinner. Bring friends and kosher-dairy food or drink to share. Paper plates and plastic cutlery provided. 1 Thoughts from the Rabbi… Come Feel the Love Beth Israel Center One of my favorite things to teach of our members who have been engaged about Jewish prayer is what I call the in significant and serious study. Joshua Ben-Gideon “Sh’ma Sandwich.” The Sh’ma is our Everyone who grows as a Jew and as a Rabbi statement of faith in the unity of God and person through study at Beth Israel [email protected] possibly the best known piece of Jewish Center develops themselves, builds our Elissa Pollack Executive Director Torah and liturgy. community and grows in the world. On th [email protected] The Sh’ma May 13 , we will honor our second, fifth Beth Copelovitch Sandwich is and seventh grade students as they Education Director constructed of the prepare to move on to the next level of [email protected] Sh’ma as the Jewish learning. We will honor our Deborah Hoffman essential material Melton students who have been engaged Program & Youth Director at the core in serious learning with Rabbi Rebecca [email protected] Cheri Keen surrounded by and me. We will honor our high school Administrative Assistant two pieces of seniors who are graduating, and we will [email protected] love. In the honor two young adults who have earned ................ morning, the first the Jake Heifetz award by making 2016-2017 piece of bread significant contributions to the ritual Officers and Committee Chairs begins Ahavah Raba Ahavtanu… “A great leadership of our kahal (congregation). love You have loved us…” and describes And we will celebrate how Beth Matthew Banks President the myriad ways we can feel God’s love if Copelovitch and Rabbi Rebecca have [email protected] we open ourselves to it. Then after the developed so many educational Jordan Loeb Sh’ma, the second piece of love begins opportunities for our congregation. Immediate Past President V’ahavta… “You shall love…” and And the very next day we will hold Rick Ezell describes some of the basic ways that one of my favorite events at Beth Israel President-Elect Judaism guides us to develop love for our Center, our annual Lag B’Omer BBQ. I Jennie Edes-Pierotti God, our Creator. Appreciating and will be behind the grill, assisted by Vice President-Education developing our capacity for love are at the many. As the hamburgers and hotdogs Don Miner core of our liturgy, and this May love will sear on the grill we can understand in a Vice President-Finance be in the air at Beth Israel Center. physical way the apt description in the th Steve Goldstein Tuesday night, May 30 will be our Torah of the sweet smell of the sacrifices Vice President-House annual Tikun L’eil Shavuot and the that our ancient spiritual ancestors Emily Desai theme this year will be…..you guessed it, offered up to God. A smell even many a Vice President-Membership LOVE! Come hear community rabbis, vegetarian can love. In addition to the Mark Copelovitch scholars, and fellow congregants teach work that Deb, Cheri and Howard do to Vice President-Ritual about this most important aspect of life. pull off our Lag B’Omer picnic, Elissa is Nadav Shelef In addition, we will have a guest teacher also working with a small team to ramp Secretary joining us, Rabbi Jeff Roth. As we up this year's BBQ and make it a special Sylvia Grunes explore how love is integral to our lives opportunity for my family and the Women’s League Rep and our Judaism, volunteers organized congregation to celebrate our nine years Sally Jones, Judy Pierotti by our very capable Deb Hoffman will together, which are drawing to a close Social Action Cte. Co-Chairs serve sweet tastes and nourishment to this summer. She's not sharing the details Jeff Mandell keep us going until the late hours of the with me, but I'm confident it will be as Personnel Committee Chair night, engrossed in study. (If you can wonderful as so many of the things David Baum help, please contact Deb at 608-256- Elissa does in service to our community. Youth Committee Chair 7763 or [email protected].) This May love will be in the air at ....................... One of my favorite aspects of the Beth Israel Center. I hope you will come Next Centerite Deadline: Beth Israel community is the respect we and be a part of it. July 7, 2017 hold for learners, teachers and the endeavor of learning at all ages and levels. On May 13th we will hold our Rabbi Joshua W. Ben-Gideon annual Kibud Limudim, honoring many [email protected] 2 President’s Column Embracing Change I recently had the pleasure, tinged new members. Working with our Weekday Minyan with just a touch of sadness, of wishing Education Director Beth Copelovitch To assure a weekday my youngest a happy 21st birthday. In and members of the Talmud Torah and minyan, contact the my mind, her life has been a remarkable Ritual Committees, he standardized bar office, (608) 256-7763 journey, as she’s grown into a brilliant and bat mitzvah preparation and and beautiful young woman. But I have implemented trouble sorting through all the time that’s several measures 1406 Mound St. past and all the ways that I am both the to help families Sunday mornings same person and completely different focus on the 8:15am since the day she came into the world. important aspects My first visit to Beth Israel Center of this life cycle Monday & Thursday was around the time that Maya was moment. born, and, in the same way, the shul Rabbi Ben- mornings today is a very different place, Gideon has rolled 7:00am physically and organizationally, than it up his sleeves and was back then, but in many ways it is built community, Sunday thru Thursday the same as well. We are still hamish, through his evenings warm and welcoming. Many of the energy and the ease with which he 5:30pm melodies are the same, as are some of connects to members of the kahal. He the daveners and leyners. But we’ve helped revitalize our Kabbalat Shabbat grown in many ways as services, starting with an ________ well, and there is one 9th Annual invitation to a few person in particular who Lag B’Omer BBQ friends to join him for a deserves our gratitude cigar and a drink, a Office Hours Monday - Thursday and a bittersweet gathering that has 9am to 5pm farewell. 5:00pm evolved into our current In just a few months, Sunday, May 14th minhag of a 5:00 Friday Rabbi Ben-Gideon will l’chaim on Friday 9am to Noon be moving with his Come celebrate as afternoons.