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December 2013 | Kislev - Tevet 5774
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Remembering the Victims, Honoring the Survivors
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t was not until I was in high school that I realized that I, too, had lost family in the Holocaust. I remember, years after grandma died, sitting at the kitchen table with my folks and going through a large box of family photos. Very few of the people in those photos were identified. So, with pen in hand, I wrote on the backs the names of those pictured on the fronts. But there were many people, often in group shots, that neither mom nor dad could recognize.
“Those are all photos of grandma’s family in Europe,” mom said. “They were all killed in the Holocaust. It’s a shame that we didn’t write down the names when Bubie was still alive. She could have identified them all. It’s too late now.” I think about that story a lot. I also remember 20 years ago when Steven Spielberg received the Oscar for Best Picture for Schindler’s List. In his acceptance speech he told his audience of millions of people around the globe that there were 350,000 survivors of the Holocaust still alive, and he implored educators to use them while there was still time, to listen to what they have to say. I wonder how many are still with us?
“We the Jewish People” - A New Shabbat Celebration “And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you…” —Ezekiel 36:26 Friday, December 20 • 7:30 p.m. Woven into the prayer and song of our service, we’ll celebrate our personal Jewish values and shared meanings as members of the Jewish people.We’ll sing and enjoy an upbeat Shabbat service with family and friends. Have you attended New Shabbat? The crowds are a growing mix of all ages. The music is lively and accessible. The sound of our voices together in prayer is stirring. Join our popular and contemporary Friday night service with guitar music and a special prayer book that includes Hebrew transliteration and English reflection.
Adults, school families, and friends of all ages – all are welcome to celebrate with Rabbi Shulman and Leslie Pomerantz in our New Shabbat service each month. New Shabbat Dinner Friday, December 20 • 6:30 p.m. Join us before our New Shabbat service for an informal, lovely Shabbat Dinner. We’ll enjoy the table rituals and spirit of Shabbat as well as each other’s company before the service begins. RSVP to the synagogue office by Thursday, December 12 with a check made payable to Chizuk Amuno Congregation. The cost for dinner is $20 for adults and $12 for children under the age of 12.
Shabbat Getaway Saturday, December 14 Activities are planned at Chizuk Amuno throughout the day for every age. Stay all day or drop in as your schedule allows.
For a complete listing of activities or to RSVP for the Seudah Shlishit (by December 6), please visit the December 14 calendar listing at www.chizukamuno.org. Donations and sponsorships are appreciated.
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THE SURVIVORS We have now begun to document the names of both victims and survivors of the Holocaust who have a Chizuk Amuno connection. All members of our community have received a letter from me discussing the project, and requesting that those who have such information complete the data forms and return them to us. The forms are also available online at bit.ly/cac-zachor. We will honor our survivors on the 8th day of Pesah, Tuesday, April 22. Among these survivors is one who was on Schindler’s list, and one who is a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto. Please save that date now.
Rabbi Shulman’s Sabbatical
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oward the end of December, Rabbi Ron Shulman will begin a three-month Sabbatical. In synagogues across the country, it is common for rabbis who have served a congregation for a continuous period of time to take a sabbatical, which provides the opportunity to engage in activities that a very busy schedule often prevents - such as extended study, writing, spiritual reflection, and personal renewal. A rabbinic sabbatical not only provides benefits to the rabbi, but ultimately to the congregation as well. When renewing Rabbi Shulman’s contract in 2008, the Board of Trustees offered Rabbi Shulman this opportunity during these winter months of 2013-14, his 10th year as our Senior Rabbi. Rabbi Shulman will return full time when Purim arrives in March. During Rabbi Shulman’s sabbatical, Rabbis Debi Wechsler and Paul Schneider, along with Hazzan Emanuel Perlman, will officiate at services and lifecycle events, and provide pastoral care, as always. Grateful for his leadership over the past decade, and looking forward to many more years, we are pleased that this sabbatical will provide him with a well-deserved opportunity to focus on projects important to him. We wish him and Robin a pleasant and fulfilling sabbatical.