2012 Temple Beth El JUNE BULLETIN of Northern Westchester June Highlights shabbat worship service 1 friday night, june 8 at 8:00 pm 5:30 pm Kabbal-Tot Shabbat 6:15 pm Family Shabbat Dinner 7:15 pm Family Shabbat Worship Service The Class of 2012/5772 cordially invites you to our 3 11:00 am Israel Day Parade Service of Confirmation 6 8:00 pm Bereavement Group Meeting It would give us great pleasure to have you share the joy of this occasion with us 8 8:00 pm Shabbat Worship Service with Confirmation Reception following 10 10:00 am Book Discussion: Someone to Run With by David Grossman, led by Cantor Anesi Jake Abitanta Marissa Rifkin 5:00 pm Stories from the Fringe: Women Rabbis Revealed Alison Abrams Katherine Rosenberg Hannah Beilenson Einan Sauerhaft 12 Jessica Cooper Paige Schoenberg 7:30 pm Knitzvah Corps Meeting Pamela Divack Max Smiley 15 Zachary Gelfand Aileen Walker 8:00 am Shabbat Worship Service with Board Installation Jennifer Hutchens Sarah Jane Weill 16 Sophia Poster Samuel Wlody 9:00 am Simchat Shabbat Samantha Regan Farewell to Cantor Ellen Dreskin summer service Please join us on Friday even- schedule ing, June 8, at 8:00 pm when, July and August during our service of Confir- 7:15 pm Friday nights mation, we will bid farewell to in the Temple Beth El Cantor Ellen Dreskin, who has Courtyard served as our assistant cantor for four years. During that time, Cantor Dreskin has worked to prepare numerous b’nei mitzvah, led adult and family education high holiday programs, Torah study; and of service schedule course co-officiated in the lead- see back cover ing of our worship. Her gentle demeanor, enormous intelligence and inspiring musical presence have enriched our congregation’s life immeasurably, and she will be greatly missed. The Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester monthly bulletin is published September through June annually. TEMPLE BETH EL BULLETIN JUNE 2012 WWW.BETHELNW.ORG Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester 220 South Bedford Road Chappaqua, NY 10514 Office: 914.238.3928 • Fax: 914.238.5735 • Religious School: 914.238.5641 • Nursery School: 914.238.5735 first friday - june 1 5:30 pm kabbal-tot shabbat service 6:15 pm family shabbat dinner INSIDE THIS ISSUE... 7:15 pm family shabbat service with Beginning Years........................................... 5 ice cream sundae oneg following Birthdays..................................................... 11 cost of dinner $10/person $36/family B’nei Mitzvah....... (in printed version only) dinner rsvp greatly appreciated Calendar ................................................... 15 mail check, register online or contact rose Cantor Anesi ............................................... 4 Gifts........................................................ 13-14 simchat shabbat Joys and Sorrows.................................. 11-14 the joy of shabbat Led by Cantor Ellen Dreskin Rabbi Mitelman ......................................... 3 Religious School....................................... 4-5 saturday, june 16 at 9:00 am Temple Information................................... 23 A special shabbat musical service, which occurs once a month from 9:00 to 9:45 am Tikkun Olam.............................................. 10 for children and adults with developmental Yahrzeits................................................ 12-13 disabilities & their families. (pages may not align in online version) Front Cover Shabbat Worship Service shabbat worship service with with Confirmation board installation Farewell to Cantor Ellen Dreskin Friday, June 15 at 8:00 pm Back Cover High Holiday Service Schedule 5773/2012 hank you to Lisa Hamroff, Koley Corte, Karia Shepard Rubinger Matt Cantor, Sara Levy, Dana Sorkin, Benjamin Silver, Zachary TGoldenberg, and Beckie Hamroff for their years of devoted service as Rabbi Davidson will be board members. Join us at this very special service when we welcome and on sabbatical install our new members of the Board of Trustees: Michael Kaufman, Steve May, June and July. Ochser, Lisa Shaiken and Marla Schechner. kehillah awards at shabbat hachinuch Get in the MIX at Mazal tov to the students and their families who were awarded the temple beth el! Kehillah Award at Shabbat HaChinuch (Education Shabbat) on May 4, 2012. This award was given to honor those families who attended more TBE invites your ideas, leadership and than the minimum number of community events of services and social participation in new, member-initiat- justice programs within the school year. ed activities and events. The following students and their families were honored: Book clubs, yoga, gardening, comput- ers, college advising, crafts, photogra- Justin Abrams Amanda Cronin Harris Klein Jackson Satow phy, film club. .you name it! Samuel Auerbacher Allyson Dinhofer Seth Kreisler Rebecca Schelling Contact Karen Silver at kmsilver@ Alex Berkowitz Gabriel Ehrlich Kaia Laden Marielle Seigel optonline.net and find out how TBE Maya Buxbaum Erica Gimpel Troy Laurence Mitchell Wilson members can “get in the MIX!” Sarah Clark Alyx Goldstein Adam Newman Zachary Wolk Joseph Cosden Georgia Green Leslie Regan 2 TEMPLE BETH EL BULLETIN JUNE 2012 WWW.BETHELNW.ORG rabbi geoffrey mitelman Embracing the Analytical AND purely “on faith.” So when people look at their texts or be- the Intuitive liefs through a critical lens, they naturally begin to question the religious tenets that they held throughout their lives. new study has just come out A that argues that analytical And yet religion is not just intellectual — it is designed to thinking weakens religious belief, be predominantly emotional and spiritual. It is supposed while at the same time, intuitive to make us feel things — it is supposed to generate a sense thinking may strengthen religious of awe and wonder, build connections to others, elevate feelings. our compassion for those in need, and make us work to Though the article comes out right the wrongs in this world. in Science today, this idea has So what does this mean for religion today? It means that been hypothesized for the last few years. For example, last for our world today, religion has to strive to be both intel- September neuroscientist Joshua Greene and colleagues lectually sophisticated and emotionally resonant. at Harvard University…asked hundreds of volunteers re- cruited online to answer three questions with appealingly If religion is simplistic, or dogmatic, or anti-scientific, then intuitive answers that turn out to be wrong. For example, as soon as new information or new ideas arise, it will shut “A bat and ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 itself off from the outside world. And as soon as it closes more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?” the door on new ideas, religion will stop being relevant. Although $0.10 comes easily to mind (it’s the intuitive And if religion is stale, or boring, or uninspiring, then no answer), it takes some analytical thought to come up with one will want to be part of it. the correct answer of $0.05. People who chose more intui- But if religion speaks to our deepest longings, if it inspires tive answers on these questions, were more likely to re- us to become better people, and if it can embrace not only port stronger religious beliefs, even when the researchers faith but doubt, as well, then it will have the potential to controlled become a great force for for IQ, So why might critical thinking lessen religious belief ? good in this world. education, Why might intuitive thinking strengthen it ? And what political are the implications for the religious community ? As Mayor Cory Booker said in leanings, a post on The Christian Left: and other factors. “Before you speak to me about your religion, first show In the same study, another group of volunteers wrote a it to me in how you treat other people; before you tell me paragraph about a time in their lives when either follow- how much you love your God, show me in how much ing their intuition or careful reasoning led to a good out- you love all His children; before you preach to me of your come. Those who wrote about intuition reported stronger passion for your faith, teach me about it through your religious beliefs on a questionnaire taken immediately compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as afterward. interested in what you have to tell or sell as in how you choose to live and give.” So why might critical thinking lessen religious belief? Why might intuitive thinking strengthen it? And what are Yes, critical thinking may lessen religious belief, and the implications for the religious community? yes, intuitive thinking may strengthen it. But we have to remember that “religious belief” is not a value in and of First, from the critical thinking side, it seems obvious as to itself. why analytic thought might lessen religious belief. After all, when you start to think critically, you stop accepting things Instead, the real question is how we use our religious be- liefs to improve ourselves and our world. Visit Rabbi Mitelman’s blog! http://sinaiandsynapses.com 3 TEMPLE BETH EL BULLETIN JUNE 2012 WWW.BETHELNW.ORG cantor dana anesi susan cosden, Director of education nce again, it seems it “Shammai said: Owas just last Septem- Make your Torah study ber, with our temple year fixed, say little and do only beginning, but here we much, and receive every- are almost in June (as of this one with a cheerful counte- writing), preparing to gear nance.” - Pirkei Avot 1:15 up for the next one! (Admit- tedly, my being on sabbati- s our youth wrap up cal did make a difference in Atheir secular school the months passing swiftly, year I want to take this op- too!) I’m delighted that we portunity to wish everyone had some wonderful musical programs over this past year, a wonderful summer. and want to alert you to others in store for 2012-13, so you May our students have a summer of making new friends, can make sure to put them on your calendars now.