HaZ'man Spring 2010

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In this issue: • Purim Celebrations • Pesah Information and Service Schedules • The Stories of Our Lives

Friday Evening, December 18, 6 p.m.

Pray, Play, and Shabbat Dinner, Too

8100 Stevenson Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21208 www.chizukamuno.org

Synagogue Office 410/486-6400 Synagogue Fax 410/486-4050 Synagogue E-mail info@chizukamuno.org Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center 410/486-8642 Krieger Schechter Day School 410/486-8640 Rosenbloom Religious School 410/486-8641 Stulman Center for Adult Learning 410/824-2055

Officers

HaZ’man

Chizuk Amuno Congregation

President Dr. Anne L. Young, pres@chizukamuno.org First Vice President Richard Manekin, 1stvp@chizukamuno.org Vice President Michelle Malis Vice President Louis E. Sapperstein Secretary Dr. Andrew Miller Treasurer Alan Mogol Assistant Treasurer Sandra Moffet

synagogue staff

Rabbi Ronald J. Shulman | x230 rshulman@chizukamuno.org Rabbi Deborah Wechsler | x231 dwechsler@chizukamuno.org Rabbi Emeritus Joel H. Zaiman | x296 Hazzan Emanuel C. Perlman | x233 eperlman@chizukamuno.org Ritual Director Dr. Moshe D. Shualy | x243 mshualy@chizukamuno.org Ritual Director Emeritus

Rev. Yehuda Dickstein

Headmaster, Krieger Schechter Day School

Dr. Paul D. Schneider | x226 | pschneider@soink12.ksds.edu Director, Congregational Education

Alex Weinberg | x234 | aweinberg@chizukamuno.org Director, Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center

Michelle Gold | x238 | gecec@chizukamuno.org

Director, Stulman Center for Adult Learning

Judy Meltzer | x287 | stulman@chizukamuno.org Director, Gemilut Hasadim Program

Miriam Foss | x281 | mfoss@chizukamuno.org Bar/Bat Mitzvah Coordinator

Debby Hellman | x290 | dhellman@chizukamuno.org Youth Educator

Isaac Woloff | x305 | iwoloff@chizukamuno.org Curator, Goldsmith Museum

Dr. Susan Vick | x291 | svick@chizukamuno.org Choir Director

T. Herbert Dimmock

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Contents 2 LaZ’man HaZeh ~ At This Season

8

Leaving Egypt

by Lily and Warren Massouda

The Stories of Our Lives 9 Preparing for Passover–

by Rabbi Ron Shulman A Guide to Meaning and Method

• Sale of Hametz 3 Finding Meaning,

• Dunkin’ Pots and Pans Strengthening Faith, • Chizuk Amuno Community Second Seder Celebration Creating Community

• Schedule of Passover Services

by Dr. Anne L. Young

• Siyyum B’khorim, First Born Minyan 4 Torah

• A Place at the Table

Chains and Changes 12 Journey to Judaism

by Brian Litofsky

by Vivian Manekin 5 Avodah 13 New Treasures in

Seder in Baghdad

our Goldsmith Museum

by Matthew Hackner

by Dr. Susan Vick 6 Gemilut Hasadim Motivational Circles at 14 What’s Nu?

• Florence Melton Adult Mini-School My Sister’s Place

• Rosenbloom Religious School

by Barbara Grochal

• Sisterhood Bagels and a Book 7 Catching Up with the Northwestern Chizuk Amuno Alliance

by Adam Donaldson

• Adult Bat Mitzvah • New Members • KSDS Spring Gala

administrative staff

Executive Director

Ronald N. Millen | x224 | rnmillen@chizukamuno.org Director of Congregational Advancement

Laurel Freedman | x275 | lfreedman@chizukamuno.org Synagogue Administrator

Jenny Baker | x227 | jbaker@chizukamuno.org Controller

Rick Bernard | x256 | rbernard@chizukamuno.org Information Systems Manager

Bruce P. Yaillen | x284 | byaillen@chizukamuno.org Cemetery Director

On the cover: The featured porcelain Seder Plate (London, c. 1880, ACC 1998.2.1; Gift of Florence and Stanley N. Yaffe in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary) can be viewed in the Goldsmith Museum. We thank Jan Schein for supplying historic CAC Pesah photos from the Chizuk Amuno Archives.

Barbara Lichter | x248 | blichter@chizukamuno.org Assistant Cemetery Director

Marsha Yoffe | x309 | myoffe@chizukamuno.org Communications and Membership Coordinator

Cheryl Snyderman | x300 | csnyderman@chizukamuno.org Graphic Designer

Rachel Levitan | x282 | rlevitan@chizukamuno.org

Chizuk Amuno has a long history of proud service to Baltimore’s Jewish community. Dedicated to strengthening faith in our people’s covenant with God, the purpose of Chizuk Amuno Congregation is to create a sacred Jewish community.

Here individuals and families can find meaning for their lives from serious engagement with the texts, wisdom, and celebrations of Judaism. In pursuit of this mission, Chizuk Amuno ascribes to the rabbinic teaching: “The world is sustained through Torah – learning, Avodah – prayer and service, and Gemilut Hasadim – acts of loving kindness.”

LaZ’man HaZeh ~ At Thi The Stories of Our Lives

by Rabbi Ron Shulman

means telling. Our sacred privilege is to speak of our people’s master story and it’s meaning for all time.

The narrative of Israel’s redemption from slavery to freedom—a religious tale of xplaining why he’s attracted to the roles miracle and wonder—tells the story of an incredible transformation in our ancestors’ he plays in movies, Tom Hanks says, “I lives. Like the generation of Moses and like stories that are about the mystery of why in the world do we act this way? Israel who first represent our people’s covenant with God, we can also discover Why do we do this to each other? Why do significance in the some people do great and some struggles, achievements, people do badly? You embrace the and memories of our mystery of it all. If a movie doesn’t lives. But in order to do somehow examine that, it’s just this, we must recapture — not that interesting to me.” that sense of religious We tell our stories in so many — imagination our different ways. We communicate ancestors used in telling through electronic and social us their stories. media with words, pictures, and In 1991 the Jews of sounds. We talk to each other face Ethiopia were rescued to face or over great distances. from their plight and Some of us write journals in order famine by an incredible to process and remember the Israeli airlift. In 24 hours, Israel flew 15,000 events of our days and, best of all, we gather human beings out from poverty and with loved ones and friends for meals or oppression to the freedom and opportunity visits during which we sit together and chat.

Telling one another our stories fosters mutual of Israel. For almost 20 years I have been waiting for someone who experienced that understanding and deeper relationships. modern miracle to find a way to tell their As the Torah tells the story of the story. A few years ago I wrote such a story.

Children of Israel’s Exodus from Egyptian My purpose is to demonstrate how we can bondage we read, “V’higad’ta l’vin-kha— understand the Torah’s stories and then tell  . “And you shall tell your our own. children on that day, ‘It is because of “Some years ago there lived in Ethiopia what the Eternal did for me when I went an impoverished group of Jews who believed free from Egypt.’” From this verse Jewish they were the last remaining remnant of the tradition derives the mitzvah of telling the Jewish people. They lived in the worst of Exodus story each year.  – Haggadah

E

The narrative of Israel’s redemption from slavery to freedom a religious tale of miracle and wonder tells the story of an incredible transformation in our ancestors’ lives.

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conditions suffering through famine, political oppression, isolation, and disease. They didn’t know about the comforts of life we take for granted like plumbing, electricity, and every other modern convenience. They also didn’t know that there were other Jews, many of whom were prosperous and thriving, spread throughout the larger world.

This group of Ethiopian Jews knew the Torah, but not the Talmud or later Jewish tradition. For the most part they were cut off from the history of our people. They spoke their own language and organized their own religious lives. Yet, somehow, they lived a Jewish lifestyle fully recognizable to other Jews who came to know them.

These people also dreamt of their redemption. They believed that there was a promised land, an Israel, to which God would deliver them one day. Their Exodus from poverty, famine, and oppression would be to a land flowing with milk and honey, freedom, and a better future.

One day, messengers of God began appearing in their village. These messengers spoke of other Jews in the world. They told stories of a real place called Israel. They held out the promise of redemption – if only the people could organize and prepare for what surely would be a hasty departure.

Then, one night in the darkness, God made large birds appear in the sky. The birds swooped down into the village and swallowed the Jews of Ethiopia into their bellies. These birds flew away carrying the Jews of Ethiopia to Israel. When the birds opened their bellies and the people walked out they found

is Season ~ dfd onfl Finding Meaning, Strengthening Faith, Creating Community

themselves in Israel, a land of miracles and wonder. This is how God redeemed the Jews of Ethiopia from their oppression.”

A few years ago someone who heard my story sent me a CD of songs written and performed by musicians and children who came to Israel from Ethiopia. My favorite song is entitled, “Memories from Africa.” The first lines read, “We entered into a large bird with wings of iron; Mommy cried a little and Daddy was quiet most of the time. A bit later he said to me, ‘son, look out the window; now the sky is clouds, in the end it will be the land of Israel. In the storybook of stories it is written that she is good, it is possible to drink milk from the ground. Abraham, our father, made his covenant with God there. And our place is now there, this God has decided.’”

Matthew Hackner, Brian Litofsky, Vivian Manekin, and Lily and Warren Massouda tell us parts of their stories in this issue of HaZ’man ~ This Season. In our vision of synagogue life we believe that membership at Chizuk Amuno should not be like belonging to any other organization. Instead, it should reflect that special part of an individual’s personality, experience, or story that gets shared in community with others.

Members of a sacred community devoted to God, Torah, and each other are part of something larger. One way we discover this is to tell each other our stories. Telling one another the stories of our individual identities, backgrounds, and memories helps us to unravel the mystery of who we are as we discover the values we share, and the hopes we wish to see fulfilled.

by Dr. Anne L. Young President, Chizuk Amuno Congregation

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he world stands on three pillars: Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Hasadim. This rabbinic teaching is the basis of our congregation’s mission statement. It provides the framework for how we think about, plan, and implement lifelong learning, worship and celebration, and community service and programs here at Chizuk Amuno. It serves as a guide for discussions in our board meetings and committee planning sessions. In that vein, I want to share with you some things the board and staff are working on.

As is evident in this magazine, the three pillars serve as an organizational structure for how we tell our congregation’s story. Last fall in introducing the inaugural issue of HaZ’man ~This Season, I mentioned that it and HaHodesh ~ This Month were just the first phase of changes in our publications.

We want to ensure that we are communicating in ways that congregants find useful and meaningful, helping them find their place in our sacred community. I commented that on the horizon was a revision of our website. Beyond the obvious goals of having a site that contains more useful and relevant information and is easier to navigate, we want a website that reflects our mission. I am pleased to inform you that we have recently engaged a firm that will redesign our website. This project is being funded by a generous donor.

Finding ways in which we can be a more welcoming community has been and continues to be a focus of board discussions. Under the leadership of Dr. Stephen Pomerantz and Jason Blavatt, co-chairs of our Membership Committee, we will soon be implementing a Membership Orientation and Welcome Program. Offered quarterly, each event will have a social component to allow new members the opportunity to form connections with the clergy and other staff members, lay leaders, and fellow congregants. The event will also include an introduction and discussion about how we “do” Torah, Avodah, Gemilut Hasadim, or celebrations at Chizuk Amuno. In this way, over the course of a year, new congregants will be able to establish connections within our synagogue community, and learn about our congregation and how it functions.

At last fall’s board-staff retreat, we structured the breakout discussions around the three pillars. One suggestion that arose in all three areas was the following: ask congregants, either as individuals or as a family, to make an annual commitment for greater involvement in Torah, Avodah, or Gemilut Hasadim.

Following up on this suggestion, the board has decided to participate in a pilot project. Most board members have made a commitment for the next few months, taking on a new mitzvah or increasing their involvement in at least one of the three areas. Examples include “studying the weekly parashah in advance and bringing it into family discussion at the Shabbat dinner table,”“reading a Torah portion at my daughter’s aufruf,” and “participating in a Habitat for Humanity Interfaith Build.” Board members will have an opportunity to share and reflect on their experiences at the May board meeting. I will highlight some of these reflections at the annual meeting.

HaHodesh ~ This Month as well as our weekly e-mail messages contain information about upcoming events, activities, and services in our congregation. I invite you to participate with us as, together, we strengthen faith, find meaning for our lives, and build community.

Purim - Pesah 5770 | 3

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by Brian Litofsky

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have had a profound change in my outlook on being Jewish and my personal need for regular Torah learning.

It began when my oldest daughter, Kayla, began preparing to become a Bat Mitzvah and I decided I would read Torah as my way of making that milestone a little more special. I never realized how big a change of mindset I was to experience. It could be said that I took a drink of the proverbial “kool-aid” and loved it.

In my case, there was an actual “aha” moment when I was reading a particular verse in Hayyei Sarah (Genesis 24:12) and was questioning why one word had such a rare and special trope note, a shalshelet, requiring a strenuous cantillation. I also wondered why, when reading Torah for the first time in 22 years, I happened to get such a doozey!

I was thinking that perhaps I had been given more than I had bargained for, but learned it was exactly what I needed.

Just as Debby Hellman, our congregation’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah Coordinator, and I were questioning the shalshelet, Hazzan Perlman knocked on the door

which lead to a spontaneous discussion on the incredible significance of emphasizing this one word. That impromptu meeting was my “aha” moment.

Suddenly the meaning of shalshelet, chain, took on additional meaning. It was no longer just a symbol directing me how to chant a word. That one word became my “Tree of Life” all by itself. It truly opened my eyes that something good always comes from reading and re-reading Torah.

Today, I take small steps in my learning. I begin most of my days with a few blessings and try to read at least a summary of the parashah for every Shabbat. I like to have an assigned Torah reading every few months as it provides a needed goal for ongoing learning to assure that my trope skills and spirit stay “oiled.”

As I grow spiritually, I also strive to set an example for my children. My son, Ethan,

I was thinking that perhaps I had been given more than I had bargained for, but learned it was exactly what I needed.

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recently read Torah for the first time in his fifth grade minyan.

I am very proud of him, but was especially touched when he said to me, “I am glad I have a father who can read Torah,” crediting me for making his learning less of a challenge than he had anticipated.

Of course, I credit Kayla’s milestone for changing me. She’s heard it many times and has often been a kind support and advisor while also providing sarcastic (teenage) feedback such as, “Dad, you’re obsessed with Torah.” Well, I am not obsessed, but it is my goal.

I’d recommend to anyone in our congregational community to take advantage of the opportunities we have at Chizuk Amuno and the tremendous support provided by our clergy and staff. Try it, you just might love it. n Brian, a proud Baltimore native, moved away to Boston long enough to attend Physical Therapy school and meet his wife, Teri, of 18 years. Having changed careers 10 years ago, Brian owns and operates Crown Trophy in Owings Mills while also providing marketing and business advice as a consultant to owners of small businesses. Brian and Teri live in Reisterstown with their three children, Kayla (KSDS 8th grade), Ethan (KSDS 5th grade) and Anya (KSDS 3rd grade).

Avodah

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Seder in Baghdad

by Matthew Hackner

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eing told you’re going to Baghdad is a tough pill to swallow. It’s even more daunting knowing you’ll be leaving a worried wife behind to tend to an 11 day old daughter. It’s very difficult knowing that you’ll be spending six sweltering summer months in Iraq, donning body armor and camouflage fatigues bearing U.S. military insignia.

And perhaps most worrisome—knowing that you’ll be doing so as a Jew. Wow, I’m a terrorist propagandist’s dream come true: a Jewish-American serviceman heading to the cradle of civilization, the one-time capital of the Muslim world, and a hotspot in the West’s war on terrorism, not to mention a sectarian battlefront between Shia and Sunni Muslims. Fortunately however, none of these became factors as I have been home safely, soundly, and happily for the better part of four months, but not without a newfound appreciation for my country and my faith.

I am not a religious historian but know that Baghdad was once home to a thriving Jewish community. Today, however, only eight Jews are known to live in the city of more than eight million residents and only one of them, an elderly woman, is known to regularly worship at a tiny synagogue tucked within central Baghdad’s maze of alleys.

The synagogue is concealed by a Muslim man who reportedly does so with financial assistance provided by exiled Iraqi Jews now living in Europe. Many of these Jews fled as Saddam Hussein’s regime solidified its powerbase and they continue to live in exile as a return home is not an option for fear of becoming a victim of religious violence.

I learned this from a U.S. Army Chaplain Rabbi during a Passover Seder on Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq. The irony and symbolism were unmistakable as I sat

down along with a group of Department of Defense civilians, members of the Air Force (like myself ), and more than fifty (Jewish) National Guardsmen from (where else?)

New York for a full-fledged Seder, replete with haggadot, matzah, haroset, marror, gefilte fish and—a rarity for deployed service members—wine. All were provided by the Department of Defense and various Jewish organizations back home. Nearly half of those in attendance flew into Baghdad from some of Iraq’s outposts aboard cargo planes, helicopters, some even risked ambush, gun fire or roadside bombs by hitching rides aboard cargo convoys. One couldn’t avoid drawing similarities between the original Passover exodus and a modern day version with the obvious exception we were coming, not going.

The commute to work on this particular day was markedly different than any I’d ever had. Downtown Baghdad is a tough place to navigate less than two weeks after a double suicide bombing along sectarian religious lines killed more than 100 civilians —Iraqi police and military members were on the lookout for anyone suspicious. To the average Iraqi, a car full of Americans in this neighborhood was definitely suspicious.

We were sent to meet with an Iraqi General and his staff in an effort to identify and locate the terrorists responsible. It didn’t matter that I was an American, or Jewish for that matter, nor did it matter that he was Iraqi and a practicing Muslim. We were simply two men working together to solve a crime against humanity and any law, man-made or otherwise; one might call it tzedekah. We exchanged information through an interpreter who wasn’t always needed because some messages are

communicated by looking into someone’s eyes, feeling the firmness of their handshake, or hearing the exasperation in their voice as they say one of the few Arabic words I know when expressing hope for a better future: inshallah.

I’ve now had several months to reflect upon my experience. There’s not a day that I don’t give thanks for every moment because Baghdad changed me—it was a learning experience. It taught me to marvel at the sacrifices made by a handful of Jews in Baghdad. They steadfastly adhere to their faith and traditions and are willing to risk life and limb on a daily basis to simply be who they are and who God made them.

It taught me to appreciate our military’s capabilities and the rights they guarantee and protect. I (and a few dozen others) was afforded an opportunity to freely practice my faith in the most improbable location and at great expense. It also taught me that we have more in common with people who we think could not be more different and that like us, those people yearn for a chance at finding peace. Most of all, however, I learned that I missed my wife and baby daughter and that without God’s strength and guidance, I would not be able to share this story.

Matthew Hackner is originally from Chicago and moved to Baltimore after serving 10 years as a Korean linguist on active duty in the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland and is currently employed as an analyst with BAE Systems-IT in Washington, DC. He enjoys reading, is an avid sports fan, and connoisseur of beers from around the world. Matthew is married to Emily (nee Tucker) and the father of Hannah Isabelle.

Purim - Pesah 5770 | 5

Motivational Circles at My Sister ’s Place

by Barbara Grochal

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n October 2009, the Gemilut Hasadim Committee adopted a new project focused on bringing motivational circles to the women who frequent My Sister’s Place Women’s Center, a comprehensive resource center for Baltimore’s homeless and poor women and their children, a Catholic Charities Program. The circle process uses a values-based philosophy. In the words of Kay Pranis, “the goal is to connect deeply in our desire to live those values and then practice them outside of the circle. The intentional conversations in the circle strengthen the muscles to help us live the values in all parts of our lives.” The Gemilut Hasadim Committee meeting was structured in the same values-circle format so members could learn more about the project, being heard in a community fully (no cell phones, no tables between us in a circle).

Committee member Barbara Sugarman Grochal proposed the project and facilitated the circle sessions held in October and January. In these conversations, the women found a safe space to explore their own values, to feel respected and heard by members of the circle, and to rediscover their own power to make good choices in facing day to day struggles.

Each circle has been focused on a particular value, such as respect, community, determination, patience, and courage. Using a talking piece and a visual circle centerpiece that represents the value of the day, the facilitator poses questions that invite participants to share experiences and heartfelt desires. Without judgment, participants gain the experience of being part of a supportive community. Through the simple act of listening without interruption, circle members convey respect and compassion. It has been awesome to witness the expressed value of these sessions for some of the participants.

During this season of Pesah, the theme of freedom is fundamental. In a world of women who have faced

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isolation and poverty and in some cases unspeakable struggles, having a “safe space” which offers the opportunity to share personal experiences, heartfelt beliefs, and day-today challenges can offer a kind of freedom for the soul. It has been truly heartening to hear the courage and motivation some participants have shared in the circle process. The few Chizuk Amuno members who have participated in these circles have emerged with powerful learning themselves, together with some realization that these women share with them many of the same values.

Three sessions are scheduled for April, from 3:30–5 p.m. A few spots are open each time for members of Chizuk Amuno to come, be present, participate, and be motivated. Our participants have learned that feeling safe to speak from the heart is a rare and fulfilling occurrence.

To find out more, contact Miriam Foss, at mfoss@chizukamuno.org or Barbara Grochal at bgrochal@comcast.net.

A mediator and community conferencing facilitator, Barbara Sugarman Grochal directs statewide conflict resolution education programs at the Center for Dispute Resolution at the University of Maryland School of Law. She also has a life coach practice, Anything’s Possible: Coaching and Training through which she coaches clients privately.

Barbara and her husband, Alan, are the parents of Melissa, Andrew and Brian.

Gemilut Hasadim Shabbat More than 400 Chizuk Amuno friends perform acts of personal service through congregation initiatives each year. Join us on Shabbat morning April 10 as we recognize those who have honored us by performing acts of gemilut hasadim.

We will highlight the many ways in which our members volunteer in our community and we will hear words of Torah in celebration of their efforts.

For more information or to participate in the Shabbat service contact Rabbi Wechsler.

Catching Up with the Northwestern Chizuk Amuno Alliance

by Adam Donaldson

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n December, drums reverberated through the halls of Chizuk Amuno loudly calling attention to a unique celebration. Three years after completing the Northwestern Chizuk Amuno Alliance project and graduating from high school, former students circled together with their mentors to reconnect and celebrate.

The Northwestern Chizuk Amuno Alliance, a mentoring project that paired Chizuk Amuno congregants with Northwestern high school students, operated from 2002-2006. Spearheaded by Lee Hendler, Rabbi Robert Tobin, Kathy Shapiro, and later lead

by Rabbi Deborah Wechsler, Miriam Foss, Sandy Shapiro, and Elliot King, the mentoring project sought to provide academic and social supports to students and to involve congregants meaningfully in the larger Baltimore community through relationship-based volunteering.

Relationship-based volunteering is hard. It requires a long time commitment – many congregants participated in the mentoring project for four years, several hours a month. It also makes you feel vulnerable, requiring a willingness to share personal and cultural history and to learn the story of the other person. The mentoring project exposed congregants to the concerns of urban youth and engaged them in many areas of the students’ lives.

The investment made a lasting difference. The participating students were twice as likely to graduate from Northwestern High School as their peers. The majority are now working part-time and attending community college or university part-time. Many have ongoing relationships with their “former” mentors.

Other paired-relationships have naturally faded, but the indelible influence remains. I do not stay in contact with my YMCA swim instructor from grade school, but I know different swimming strokes.

The December event celebrated these relationships with all the elements of a good party – food, music, gigantic balloons in Northwestern colors, yummy cake, and a rotating slide show of pictures from the project.

The pictures evoked memories, and more than one student remarked that their favorite mentoring project

event was a group outing to Pikesville Lanes (I guessed it would not be SAT tutoring). All equally bad at bowling, the time between turns allowed free flowing conversation and relationships to build.

The main feature of our reunion was a drum circle.

Sitting in a circle of chairs, each mentor and young person took up a drum or a cymbal and with deliberate symbolism updated the group on their current life before sounding the instrument. Then together we began a cacophony of individual beats that grew into a rhythm. I feel so lucky to have been and to be a part of it.

With thanks to the many members of the Chizuk Amuno community who volunteered and served as mentors for the Northwestern Chizuk Amuno Alliance, including Leland Aiken, Jenny Baker, Harriet Brown, Moe Brown, Wendy Davis, Lee Egerton, Miriam Foss, Barbara Grochal, Bob Hallock, Bruce Harrison, Elliot King, Catherine Max, Andy Miller, Alissa Ness, Robert Ness, David Roffman, Debbie Roffman, Sandy Shapiro, Rabbi Ron Shulman, Barbara Siegel, Mickey Simon, Susan Straus, Rabbi Deborah Wechsler, and Bruce Yaillen.

We express our ongoing gratitude to those who funded this important program: The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Gemilut Hasadim Endowment Fund, The Florence and Charles Hoffberger Charitable Foundation, The Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund, and The Children of Harvey M. and Lyn P. Meyerhoff Philanthropic Fund From 2004-2006, Adam served as the Program Coordinator for the Northwestern Chizuk Amuno Alliance through a partnership with the Shriver Peaceworker Program. Adam is currently the Member Services Director for the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers and lives in the city with his wife Jessica and son Isaiah.

Hanukkah 5770 | 7

Leaving Egypt

by Lily and Warren Massouda

Warren: Monday June 5, 1967, 8 a.m., Cairo time. I was awakened to the sounds of bombs exploding, planes zooming in, antiaircraft guns firing. With a small transistor radio glued to my ear, I was listening to the radio broadcaster’s feverish account of the beginning of the Six Day War with Israel and the claims of how many planes have been downed by the Egyptians.

By 5 p.m., I was arrested along with all Jewish males over 18 years of age. We were taken to a local precinct where we spent the night wondering about our fate. We were moved to the local prison the next morning and were treated like traitors simply because of our religion.

By Thursday I found myself onboard an Italian ship, expelled out of the country, with no possessions except the clothes on my back.

I ended up in a refugee camp in Naples, where a small Jewish community offered me shelter, food, and used clothes. I went from being a surgical resident with a bright future to a refugee with an uncertain fate— and that’s when I began to sob. With the help of HIAS in Paris, where we were transferred, l was able to join my uncle in Providence, RI, where he had secured a temporary job for me at Miriam Hospital.

I had to start anew by studying for my

equivalency exams, license, boards, redo my internship, and secure a residency— all while trying to adjust to a new life in America. With God’s strong hand and his outstretched arm, I completed all my requirements and secured a residency in Anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Lily: Every Passover, as we read the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt, we are reminded again of our own family’s exit and struggles. The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 was a turning point for the Jewish community in Egypt. Where we once felt safe, we felt fear and uncertainty.

We could see the writing on the wall, but were unwilling to heed it.

Leaving one’s home and community for the unknown, is one of the hardest things to do in one’s life.

Just like the Israelites, in leaving Egypt we left our homes, our jobs, and all that was secure to us for the unknown. Unlike the Israelites who were allowed to take all their belongings and even some of the Egyptian’s belongings, we were invited to leave on the condition that we could not take anything with us. There was fear in our heart on our way out because at any moment—just like Pharaoh—the Egyptian authorities could change their minds and deny us exit.

We were to embrace a new culture, a new language, and a new life—but were not yet sure where. Although my mom’s wishes were to go to Israel, where many of her family had gone, my father knew that the opportunities in the U.S. would be far

We could see the writing on the wall, but were unwilling to heed it. Leaving one’s home and community for the unknown, is one of the hardest things to do in one’s life.

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greater.

I can’t even imagine what my life would have been like if my parents hadn’t had the foresight to leave our homeland where discrimination and hatred of anything Jewish was growing rampant.

Other family members were not as lucky and spent as much as three years in prison after the 1967 war.

Warren and Lily: After our wedding in 1971, we knew it was time to start a new story. With the anticipated arrival of our first child in 1973, we decided to join Chizuk Amuno, where we became part of a thriving Jewish community finding many learning opportunities and wonderful friendships. We took a Hebrew literacy class and enrolled in the Melton program. Most of all we’ve enjoyed coming to most Shabbat services and davenen among our Shabbat regulars.

One of Lily’s greatest passions is helping people and she began as a candy-striper at Levindale when she was 15. She has continued volunteering over the years with several groups, including the ASSOCIATED, Haddasah, and several Chizuk Amuno initiatives. She has a BS in math from Towson State and worked at the Social Security Administration for 20 years. Warren, now retired, served as Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He, too, enjoys volunteering. His hobbies include woodworking, home improvement and repairs, water and oil painting, golf, tennis, and, most recently, cooking. Lily and Warren like to travel and to spend time with their children, Liza and Brian, and their 18 month old grandson, Tylor.

Preparing For Passover–A Guide to Meaning & Method March-April 2010

A

s we anticipate our Passover holiday we are what some people have called, “Eve of Pesah” Jews and people.

We are poised like at no other time before this unique festival to consider the meanings of freedom and human dignity.

When we come to our Seder tables we know that there will be no hametz, no leavened foods or products. We will eat only matzah. Yet as food, matzah can only be made of any grain that is able to become hametz.

For the Seder and the full eight days of Passover, matzah symbolizes every good intention or simple truth. Hametz represents every good intention exploited, every simple truth disguised. For this religious reason, and to connect our own homes and lives to the master story of our people’s history and sacred identity, we clean and prepare our houses and ourselves in order to celebrate Passover. (As your Seder begins ask this question: What “matzah” have we brought with us tonight? What “hametz” have we cleaned and removed from our own hearts or minds in getting ready to celebrate Pesah?)

Since matzah is made from five of the same grains that produce bread—wheat, barley, oats, rye, and spelt—matzah is anything that has the potential to become

Nisan 5770

hametz. For fifty-one weeks each year we don’t attach value judgments to our daily bread. On Passover we live the cliché—we are what we eat! As Israel Zangwill taught, “On Passover Jews eat history and drink theology!”

In an attempt to re-enact the experience out of which our Jewish people and heritage emerged, we look to the simple and lowly fare of the slave. Slaves ate matzah. The slave’s is the most humble of lives. In contrast, the taskmaster exalted himself and believed that others must do his bidding.

His was a lavish style of food and life.

For Judaism the freedom and equality that we seek for all people requires that humility, not arrogance, remain our ideal way. We cannot live as people who serve our own wills alone. Fermented grain implies personal and social excess. Unleavened bread suggests modesty. Passover teaches us that human arrogance is held in check by awareness of existence beyond ourselves.

The change we make from hametz to matzah symbolizes that our efforts in life are in service of God and the values of God’s presence in our world.

On Passover we turn our basic need for food and nourishment into the symbolic agent through which we express our faith

and personal values. Just as all matzah is potentially hametz, so are we, descendents of unpretentious slaves, potentially the hardened and conceited of heart and mind. One week each year we return to the core ideals and basic visions of the goodness, honesty, and dignity our lives should reflect and toward which we work to guide our society.

The physical process of cleaning, preparing, and changing our homes and kitchens is intended to inform our spiritual identities. Ritual and tradition without ethics is also ritual and tradition without deeper meaning.

Here are guidelines to help you kasher (make proper for Pesah) your home for Passover. Please call on Rabbis Shulman and Wechsler for any questions you may have and about how to best grow in celebrating the beautiful meanings and joys of the Passover holiday.

Purim - Pesah 5770 | 9

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Hag Sameah v’Kasher! Enjoy a happy, lovely, and kosher Passover! m First, before you begin cooking for the holiday, remove from your kitchen foods that contain hametz — grains and their derivatives that you won’t be eating during the holiday. These include: breads, cakes, cookies, crackers, cereals, pasta, and the like. All liquids containing grain alcohol should also be removed. Rice, corn, beans, and peas are also considered hametz and taken out from the kitchen.

You may store unopened packages and dry goods that you will want to use after Passover in another place, perhaps in the garage or a closet, or even in a kitchen cabinet that will remain closed throughout Pesah. These items should be “sold” before Passover to symbolically cancel your ownership of them. (You may do this by filling out the form at the bottom of this page.) It is customary to make a modest contribution to feed others as part of this “sale.” Many people also donate some of these foods to shelters and soup kitchens for the benefit of others. Please consider participating in Chizuk Amuno’s Food Drive at this season. m Second, thoroughly clean your kitchen paying close attention to cupboards and drawers, the refrigerator and freezer, countertops and sink. Some people are careful to clean the grout between kitchen tiles, as well. Your stovetop should also be scrubbed clean. Afterward, turn the burners on to full flame or heat for just a moment. After you clean your microwave oven, place a glass of water into it and turn the oven on until the water boils. A self-cleaning oven can be made ready for Passover by its normal cleaning method. Other ovens should be completely scoured and then run on high for a brief period after they are clean. Run your empty dishwasher through a complete wash cycle to prepare it for use. When your kitchen is clean, pour boiling water over any exposed metal surfaces and then you’ll be ready to bring in your Passover foods and utensils.

Dishes, pots, and utensils especially reserved for Passover should be used. Many people use paper, plastic, and other disposable items to help keep costs down. Any utensils or pots made entirely of metal that you use during the rest of the year may be placed in boiling water after they have been scoured and then used during Passover.

All table glassware can be used after complete cleaning. Earthenware, enamel, wood, porcelain, and plastic items cannot be made kosher for Passover. Towels and linens can be used after they have been thoroughly washed. Purchase new sponges for Passover. Close away or store those things in your kitchen that you will not be using during the holiday.

m Third, bring your kosher for Passover foods into your prepared and very clean kitchen! The only foods that require a “Kosher for Passover” label are: all matzah products and baked goods, processed foods, (canned, bottled, or frozen) wine, vinegar, liquor, oils, dried fruits, candy, chocolate flavored milk, ice cream, yogurt, and soda. Many other products are labeled “Kosher for Passover” and it is always preferable to use them during the holiday.

Consumer warning: watch out for the vast variety of foods marketed and sold for Passover that strive to imitate hametz and that you probably won’t use or need anyway!

Keep focused on the values of the holiday we are celebrating while remembering that it is a festive and special time. A good rule of thumb is, if I wouldn’t buy this during the other 51 weeks of the year, why do I need it now? m Fourth, do what you can to help others during your Passover preparations. In your family preparing the house and kitchen should be a joint effort—there is plenty for parents and children to do together.

On the Sunday night before the first Seder, carefully hide a few breadcrumbs around the house and send your children on a hunt to find them. This is known as Bedikat Hametz, a final search to rid the house of hametz. The old custom is to take a feather and wooden spoon, scoop the breadcrumbs into a paper bag, and then burn it all. The B’rakhot—blessings that are recited for this ritual—can be found in most Haggadot.

In addition to delivering your hametz for the use of others, consider making a contribution to the Passover Fund at Chizuk Amuno Congregation as well as Mazon: A Jewish Response To Hunger to provide food for those in need. This tzedakah is known in Jewish tradition as Ma’ot Hittim (Grain Money). m Finally, prepare your Seder celebration in advance of your family and friend’s arrival. Preparing a meaningful Seder is one of the most important needs we have as Passover approaches. Think about who will be present with you, how long they can sit, what ideas and activities will best interest and engage them, and how you can join together in retelling the story of our people’s Exodus from Egypt. A “talking Seder” of discussion, games, or activities and conversation that uses the Haggadah for the Seder’s order, prayers, and explanation of symbols works well!

Dunkin’ Pots and Pans

Sale of Hametz

On Thursday, March 25, from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Esterson Auditorium kitchen, we will help you kasher your silverware or metal pots and utensils. Items used during the year may be used for Passover, if they undergo a process of kashering called hag’alah.

Hag’alah involves immersing the item in a container filled with boiling water.

Please note: Baking utensils cannot be kashered. Silverware or pots must be made entirely of metal. Items must be thoroughly cleaned prior to kashering. Items may not be used 24 hours prior to kashering.

Please line up by the Esterson kitchen at the door off the driveway. Bring a laundry hamper and clean towel to take your items home, as we do not have room for storage and drying. You will also be able to pick up bedikat hametz kits, sell your hametz, and donate Ma’ot Hittim. One t or two? RSVP to Judy Simkin at ext. 232.

Hametz may be sold by completing this form until Monday morning, March 29, 2010. Hametz that is sold reverts to your ownership when Pesah is concluded on Tuesday evening, April 6, 2010.

10 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

I/We hereby authorize Dr. Moshe Shualy as the agent of Chizuk Amuno Congregation to use the enclosed contribution in part to symbolically sell all leaven (hametz) in my/our possession. The remainder of my/our contribution will be set aside as tzedakah for Ma’ot Hittim.

Signature and date Address and city

Holiday services are warm and special times. We invite you to join the meaning, spirit and beauty of celebrating Passover with your synagogue community.

Our Festival Services will begin at 9:15 a.m. on each of Passover’s four holiday mornings. We’ll share in prayer, celebration and reflection, and study Torah and Passover’s themes together. Our festival gathering will conclude with a holiday Kiddush.

Monday, March 29 | Erev Pesah Shaharit Fast of the First Born Minhah/Ma’ariv Candle Lighting First Seder Night

Shabbat, April 3 | 3rd Hol HaMoed 7:00 a.m.

6:15 p.m.

7:09 p.m.

Tuesday, March 30 | 1st Day Pesah Passover Festival Morning Service

9:15 a.m.

Second Seder Night Candle Lighting Minhah/Ma’ariv Community Second Night Seder

7:56 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

9:15 a.m.

7:30 p.m.

7:57 p.m.

Thursday, April 1 | 1st Hol HaMoed Shaharit 7:00 p.m.

Minhah/Ma’ariv 6:15 p.m.

Friday, April 2 | 2nd Hol HaMoed Shaharit Shabbat Hol HaMoed Pesah Oneg Shabbat/Minhah Kabbalat Shabbat Candle Lighting

9:15 a.m.

10:00 a.m. following Services 6:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 4 | 4th Hol HaMoed 9:15 a.m.

6:15 p.m.

7:15 p.m.

Shaharit Minhah/Ma’ariv Candle Lighting

Monday, April 5 | 7th Day Pesah

Wednesday, March 31 | 2nd Day Pesah Passover Festival Morning Service Minhah/Ma’ariv Havdalah

Shabbat Hol HaMoed Passover Morning Service

We recognize our Madrikhim – B’nei Mitzvah Tutors Family Service Kiddush honoring our Madrikhim Study Session Minhah/Ma’ariv Havdalah

7:00 a.m.

6:00 p.m.

6:15 p.m.

7:13 p.m.

Chizuk Amuno Community Second Seder Celebration

Seventh Day of Passover Festival Morning Service Family Service Minhah/Ma’ariv Candle Lighting

9:15 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

6:15 p.m.

8:02 p.m.

Tuesday, April 6 | 8th Day Pesah, Yizkor Eighth Day of Passover Festival Morning Service Family Service Yizkor Memorial Prayers Minhah/Ma’ariv Havdalah Hametz may be eaten

9:15 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

7:30 p.m.

8:03 p.m. after 8:30 p.m.

Thank you for the invitation!

Tuesday, March 30, 6:30 p.m.

I/We look forward to the Seder Celebration for the second evening of Passover.

We invite you to join with Rabbi Shulman and Hazzan Perlman as we enjoy the traditions and the joy of Pesah together.

Family name

Our Seder will be filled with spirit and song, and the special foods and flavors of the Passover festival as we share Passover’s meaning for each of us.

Child(ren’s) name(s)

We thank Chizuk Amuno Congregation Brotherhood for their support of our Community Seder.

For additional Pesah programming, please refer to the inside and outside back cover.

Adult’s name(s)

Phone number/e-mail Total enclosed $ We have enclosed $42 for each adult and $28 for each child (ages 3 -12).

Space is limited. Deadline for reservations is Friday, March 5.

Please make your check payable to Chizuk Amuno Congregation and return to 8100 Stevenson Road, Baltimore, MD 21208.

Purim - Pesah 5770 | 11

Siyyum B’khorim-First Born Minyan

A Place at the Table

Followed by Breakfast, sponsored by Jack Needle and Warren Komins

Be a host for Passover seder! We are often contacted by college students, local hospitals, and also congregants who would like to share a Passover seder. If you have room at your table for new friends, please be in touch with Rabbi Wechsler.

Be a guest for a Passover seder! We have wonderful seder experiences with new Chizuk Amuno friends waiting for you. If you are in need of a seder to attend for either first or second night, please be in touch with Rabbi Wechsler.

Siyyum B’khorim is a morning minyan and brief study session followed by a light breakfast, the last hametz meal before Passover. Attendance at this minyan is a special mitzvah for all first-born males. First born daughters and everyone else are also welcome!

The tradition of attending a Siyyum B’khorim marks the role of the first born of both Israel and Egypt in the Exodus story. It is also a moment to mark with gratitude the gift of freedom we will celebrate on Passover. Join in this final preparation for Passover on Monday, March 29 at 7 a.m. in the Hoffberger Chapel.

Journey to Judaism

by Vivian Manekin

I

was born and raised in Farmville, North Carolina, a very small town in the eastern part of the state. The railroad tracks divided white Farmville from what was then called “colored town,” creating a barrier between my world and the world of those who labored in Farmville’s fields and homes.

Like many southern towns of its kind, religion was ever-present. The Episcopal Church, the church to which my family belonged, was diagonal to our house. I grew up riding my bike everywhere, racing horses out at the farm, and singing in the church choir while my mother played the organ.

There was no synagogue in Farmville. The first Jew I ever met was a boy from Baltimore, a fellow college student at Chapel Hill. He and his friends ran the Carolina Union, chaired the Honor Court, and were key players in Student Government. I was intrigued to say the least.

I wanted to learn more about Judaism.

What was it that so inspired these people?

My sample set was fairly small, but those Jews who I’d met were so committed to living purposeful, meaningful lives. After I graduated from Chapel Hill, I moved to California to work and began taking classes about Judaism. A year and a half later, I decided to go to Israel. I found an ulpan at Kibbutz Gaaton in the upper Galilee and ended up living there for nearly a year. I cut down trees, mowed the grass, planted flowers and scrubbed the walls of the kibbutz swimming pool. In the spring we celebrated Hag HaBikkurim. I put flowers on the lawn mower and rode in the procession. I remember feeling a powerful sense of community on the kibbutz.

Joined by my fellow students from Norway, France, Russia and Japan, I celebrated the fruits of the harvest and felt a tangible sense of belonging. I decided to convert to Judaism.

When I became a Jew, I, like many women who convert to Judaism, chose Ruth as my Hebrew name. Ruth, of course, was a

My sample set was fairly small, but those Jews who I’d met were so committed to living purposeful, meaningful lives that I wanted to learn more.

12 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

Moabite, a member of a different tribe; indeed, she was a woman of a different race, a different culture, a complete outsider to the traditions and beliefs of the man she ultimately married. It is entirely possible that she, like me, had never even met a Jew until she was an adult. Her journey to and within Judaism reflects my story. I know that my journey, and all of our journeys, is far from over. n Vivian has been teaching three- to six-year-olds at the Montessori School for 15 years. She currently chairs the Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center Committee.

The boy from Baltimore she met at Chapel Hill eventually became her husband, Bob. They are the proud parents of five wonderful adult children.

New Treasures in Our Goldsmith Museum

by Susan Vick

E

very gift received by the Goldsmith Museum is a treasure, and our museum was enriched several times in 2009. The gifts were diverse in nature, and each added something special to the scope of our collection.

We all know the adage, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Now apply that to a newly donated painting that depicts a day in the life in a Polish shtetl. This past year, the museum received this delightful gift from Scott and Ryan Misler, nephews of Paulette Pollack, in memory of their father and Paulette’s brother, Dennis Ira Misler. The painting is a genre scene of endearing and ordinary moments, as imagined by Polish artist M.F. Lipinski. The artist has removed the fourth wall of the building, allowing us to see interactions between figures as they engage in their daily routines both inside the rooms and directly outside the front door.

Several books were donated to the museum this year, including two Haggadah facsimiles and a special miniature siddur.

The Sarajevo Haggadah is one of the most famous haggadot in Jewish history, and recently the subject of the novel by Geraldine Brooks, People of the Book. The haggadah has recently been printed in a limited facsimile edition with commentary

by Brooks and by the Jewish art and Jewish history scholar, Cecil Roth. The full color pages reproduce the detail and the richness of the original early 14th-century Spanish manuscript: as Roth says: “The superb medieval codex known as the Sarajevo Haggadah is certainly the most famous of Hebrew illuminated manuscripts—it is among the most beautiful—it is perhaps the most important.” With thanks to Melton student Bonnie Scherr, the Goldsmith Museum is the proud owner of one of the historic facsimiles.

Perhaps the most well-known haggadah in

a local collection is the so-called Washington Haggadah, which is in the collection of the Library of Congress.

A new limited facsimile edition of the Washington Haggadah is now included in the Goldsmith Museum’s collection, thanks to the generosity of Ina and Jon Singer and their children, Meredith and Michael. The book was designed by a 15th-century scribe by the name of Joel ben Simeon, who is known for the clarity of his illustrations and the high quality of his calligraphy. The facsimile is beautifully bound, and will enrich our museum and our community for many years to come.

The first modern-day art school to be founded in Jerusalem was the Betzalel School, created in the early 20th century as a place where European Jewish artists could sharpen their skills and display their work. In the early years of the school’s existence, there was a distinctive Betzalel style that favored the folk art traditions of the area. The Goldsmith Museum’s small collection of Betzalel-style objects was enhanced this past year by the gift by Dawn Reznik of a precious miniature siddur with painted olivewood covers: the front cover is decorated with an image of several figures at the Kotel and the back cover is inscribed “Betzalel Jerusalem” in Hebrew. The museum dedication states that the siddur was donated in memory of Dawn’s father, Edward Butlion.

The museum is also now caretaker of a set of beautiful color lithographs by the Israeli artist, Raphael Ben Haim. The prints were a gift from Rena Rotenberg to Rabbi Shulman in appreciation for what she has

learned from him in the Friday morning Women’s Study Group.

On any given day, the Goldsmith Museum might receive an unexpected visitor with a historical connection to Chizuk Amuno. One such visitor this past year was Arthur Fleischer, grandson of Milton Fleischer, the president of CAC from 1922 until 1953. Although not a member of CAC, Arthur graciously donated two sterling silver pieces that had been gifts to Milton Fleischer from the Congregation—a serving platter presented on the occasion of the Fleischer’s 1906 marriage; and a cake plate commemorating the 25th anniversary of Mr. Fleischer’s presidency. Arthur also donated dozens of Fleischer family photographs and documents to the Archives. Not only will these materials enhance our understanding of congregational history, but they will also enable scholars to gain insight into the lives of early German Jewish immigrants to America.

The high quality of the gifts received this past year contributes to the Goldsmith Museum’s reputation as one of the best synagogue museums in the country. We would like to express our gratitude to all of our donors for enriching our collection. n Susan Vick received her PhD in Art History from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey with a focus on the art of the Italian Renaissance. She has been curator of the Goldsmith Museum since its development in 1999. Susan is an active member of the Jewish Theatre Workshop, the resident theater company of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore.

Purim - Pesah 5770 | 13

Chizuk Amuno’s Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Receives High Praise “Melton in Baltimore is a model for all Melton schools throughout the world. Your school has always represented excellence in a most significant way. This evaluation is based on the excellence demonstrated by the director, the faculty, enrollments, and record of achievement. The

The Rosenbloom Religious School – In Review Heshvan is known as the quiet month, but not in the Rosenbloom Religious School. After a month full of exciting, hands-on programs, from shofar to lulavmaking, our students were able to get their hands dirty with their class curriculum. The Mehina Aleph students began exploring and learning about the different parts of the community by meeting with the Rabbis and opening up a Torah. The Mehina Bet class built Noah’s Ark as a kickoff to their Torah study. The Aleph class explored the Jewish calendar and visited the Maryland Science Center to learn about the cycle of the moon and the Jewish year. The Bet class created their own havdalah kits, culminating in a meaningful, student-led family havdalah service (and parent vs. student soccer game.) The Gimmel

practices followed by Melton in Baltimore are and always have been an example of the best of the best.”

This wonderful commendation came from Judy Kupchan, Director of the North American Division of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-Schools. She also cited our record of over 850 graduates as of last May, and the fact that we have led the schools in graduate enrollments and retention.

You, too, can experience Melton at Chizuk Amuno.

Join Us for a Melton Open House May 4, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Participate in learning that is exciting and inspiring. Attend a session with our first year class and discover what everyone is talking about: interactive, pluralistic study/discussion with like-minded adults and a wonderful teacher. Bring your friends.

class, as a kickoff to their Torah study, met with Rabbi Menachem Youlus, a Jewish scribe, to learn how the Torah is created and about our connection to the text. The Dalet students have been studying Torah trope, creating new trope games and learning to help lead our community in the Torah service. The Hay class, in addition to their Rabbinics, prayer, and Hebrew language curriculum, have been learning with Dr. Susan Vick in the Hendler Learning Center. And the Vav class has been working on Israel geography to better understand the implications of Biblical battles. This is just a taste of a quiet month in the Rosenbloom Religious School.

Another Hit!

Consider Becoming an Adult Bat Mitzvah

Over thirty women gathered on a bleak and dreary Sunday morning in January to be enlightened and challenged by Chizuk Amuno’s esteemed educator and book reviewer, Judy Meltzer. As Judy reviewed Lauren Grodstein’s A Friend of the Family, she motivated us to reflect on our own lives and how we deal with situations as individuals and as parents. We shared ideas and conversation (and of course, bagels) in a morning of Sisterhood.

We have almost enough students for our next class, wouldn’t you like to join us? The Adult Bat Mitzvah class is a twoyear program of study. In the first year of the program the first hour (7-8 p.m.) is spent learning Hebrew. The second hour (8-9 p.m.) is spent with the rabbis studying the siddur and, in particular, the Shabbat service. In the second year of the program, the first hour is spent with the rabbis and is devoted to the holidays and the lifecycle. The second hour is spent with Hazzan Perlman learning the Torah and Haftarah trope.

If you are interested in joining the 2010-2012 Adult Bat Mitzvah class, please schedule an appointment with Rabbi Wechsler to save your space.

14 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

ohtcv ohfurc Barukhim Habaim!

Welcome to Our New Members

Beverly Ain

Sharon and Donald Edlow

Diane and Joel Aronson

Deborah and Noah Harburger

Joe Berman and Lisa Nasberg

Stuart Kaplow

Alicia and Aaron Bickoff

Pamela and Craig Meister

Gayle and Andrew Burns

Chantal and Larry Reznik

Steve and Lisa Walman We are happy to welcome those who have most recently chosen to join our Chizuk Amuno family.

If you have friends or family who may be interested in joining Chizuk Amuno, please call our Membership Coordinator, Cheryl Snyderman, 410/486-6400, ext. 300.

Todot: An Evening of Gratitude and Celebration Honoring Barbara Cohen and Erika and Lew Schon Since 1981, Krieger Schechter Day School (KSDS) has created a vibrant, dynamic, and nurturing environment that provides excellent general and Judaic education for students in grades kindergarten through eight. KSDS graduates and their parents would all agree that their Jewish day school education had made them who they are—intelligent, compassionate leaders who are ready to make the world a better place!

Our spring scholarship event, Todot: An Evening of Gratitude and Celebration, will focus on raising much needed dollars for tuition assistance. This inaugural year will honor Barbara Cohen, Lower School Judaic Head, who will be retiring after 28 years of superb and devoted service, and Erika and Lew Schon. For many years, Erika has directed the Middle School Choir, and has served as the musical director of our eighth grade Hebrew plays. Together with her husband, Lew, they have been longtime KSDS parents, supporters, and friends.

On Sunday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m., we hope to bring the entire community together to honor these wonderful individuals while helping to offset the cost of our rising need for tuition assistance.

Gifts to the event can be made through the tribute journal which will be presented that evening. The monies raised will go to support the KSDS Scholarship Fund. Please contact Sarah Fried or Alison Wielechowski at 410/8242050 for more information, event registration, to volunteer, or to place an advertisement in the tribute journal.

Your support of this event will connect our students, who otherwise would not be able to attend KSDS, with the wonders of science and literature, introduce them to sports and arts, and instill in them a love of Judaism that is nothing short of astounding. In times such as these KSDS needs your support.

Save the Year!

C h i z u k A m u n o C o n g r e g a t i o n ’s 1 4 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y

Join Us For A Year Of Celebration And Renewal The Goldsmith Museum ~ 10th Anniversary Krieger Schechter Day School ~ 30th Anniversary Our Sanctuary ~ 50th Anniversary

4 1

Ira and Shelly Malis, CAC 140th Chairs

Chizuk Amuno C O N G R E G AT I O N

1871~2011 A RISE &

C

R E AT E

9th Annual KSDS Golf & Tennis Classic Monday, June 7, 2010

Chestnut Ridge Country Club Sponsored

by

C HIZUK A MUNO’ S 1 4 0 TH A NNIVERSARY

Purim - Pesah 5770 | 15

PLEASE REGISTER BY MAY 19, 2010.

H I Z U K

A

M U N O

C

O N G R E G A T I O N

Class of 2010 PRESENTS

Wednesday, March 10 and Thursday, March 11 at 7 p.m.

Baltimore Hebrew Congregation • Dalsheimer Auditorium 7401 Park Heights Avenue

Give the gift of a professional look ...

Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door For more information, call the Middle School ofce at 410/824-2053.

INTERVIEW OUTFITS UNLIMITED (I.O.U.) ((I I CLOTHING DRIVE AND SISTERHOOD SHREDDING EVENT AN SUUNDAY, APRIL 25 9 A.M. - NOON Ple Please drop off cleaned, gently worn pro professional clothing on hangers and acc accessories for men and women.

Vol Volunteers will be on hand in the Lou Louis A. Cohen Family Chapel Lobby to accept donations and help unload cars.

Re Receipts will be available.

Vol Volunteers are needed to transport items.

Do Donations take place on weekdays and Sundays.

If yyou drive a SUV, van, or truck and would like to do a mitzvah, ple please contact Miriam Foss.

Qu Questions?

Call Miriam Foss, mf mfoss@chizukamuno.org or 4410/486-6400, ext. 281 A se service initiative made possible by the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Gem Gemilut Hasadim Endowment Fund

16 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

Pub Night Chizuk Amuno Congregation

We’re We’r ’rre throwing a party!

Joinn us for Pub Night Saturday, Saturdday, March 13, 7 pm

Entertainment by Three of a Kind Wine and beer tasting courtesy of Diwine Great food Cost: $25 per person Buy tickets at the synagogue and school offices.

Reserve a ticket by e-mailing Nancy Hudes, communityevents@chizukamuno.org, or call 410/486-8641 Sponsored in conjunction with the Congregational Life Committee, linking the Chizuk Amuno affiliate groups

Chizuk Amuno Congregation Cemeteries Serving our Community • Individual and Family Cemetery Plots • Perpetual Care Services Help to relieve the future burden of your loved ones by making an investment now in cemetery property.

For information please contact:

Arlington Cemetery North Rogers Avenue Barbara Lichter 410/486-6400, ext. 248 blichter@chizukamuno.org

Garrison Forest Cemetery Garrison Forest Road at Crondall Lane Marsha Yoffe 410/486-6400, ext. 309 myoffe@chizukamuno.org

• PA Council • Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center

Poster art by Jonathan Frier

(In Hebrew)

Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center • Krieger Schechter Day School • Rosenbloom Religious School • PA Council • Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center

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• Krieger Schechter Day School • Rosenbloom Religious School • Brotherhood • Sisterhood • Young Families of Chizuk • PA Council •

O F

• Brotherhood • Sisterhood • Young Families of Chizuk • PA Council • Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center •

Krieger Schechter Day School • Rosenbloom Religious

Krieger Schechter Middle School

The “Art” Of Torah How The Arts Bring God’s Presence Into Our Midst Friday – Tuesday, March 12 – 16, 2010

Rabbi Matthew L. Berkowitz, Artist-in-Residence Director of Israel Programs, JTS and Co-founder, Kol Ha-Ot, Jerusalem Creator of artwork on Birkon Kol HaMesubim, All Who Are Gathered, Chizuk Amuno’s Birkat HaMazon bencher This very special program will explore the role of the visual and exegetical arts in creating sacred community.

Our artist-in-residence, Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz, will spend five days at Chizuk Amuno, working with students, faculty, and learners in all of our schools.

The artist-in-residence program is funded by the Zaiman Educational Alliance.

Rembrandt and the Rabbis: Jacob Wrestling Friday, March 12, 7 p.m.

Glassgold Kallah Shabbat Dinner Who is the mystery figure who wrestled with Jacob? An exploration of this fascinating and compelling episode that speaks volumes about who we are as a Jewish people.

Please return the response form below by Friday, March 5.

The Drama of Passover: From Ritual to Revolution Shabbat morning, March 13 The Four Children Unmasked Sunday, March 14, 2 p.m.

The Harold and Sybil Effron Memorial Lecture How have the Four Children been represented in the Haggadah throughout the generations, and how might they be represented today?

We will begin to answer these questions and think creatively about addressing the Four Children at our seder.

Dessert Reception ~ RSVP to 410/824-2055 or 2058

Shabbat Dinner – Friday, March 12, 7 p.m.

RSVP by Friday, March 5, to Chizuk Amuno Congregation,

8100 Stevenson Road, Baltimore, MD 21208 Name(s) Child(ren) Phone Total Enclosed $

E-mail No. of Meals No. of Vegetarian Meals $25 per adult; $13 per child ages 3-13.

For more information, please call 410/824-2055.

C hi z u k A m u n o C o n g re g a tio n 8 1 0 0 St e ve n so n R d , Ba l tim ore , Md 2 1 2 0 8

Non Profit Org. us postage Paid Baltimore, MD Permit No. 544

time sensitive m aterial please deliver promptly

Pre-Pesah Shabbat Dinner Friday, March 26

6:00 p.m. Oneg Shabbat / Minhah 6:15 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat 7 p.m. Dinner Your kitchen is already pesadik. What do you do?

Join us for a Pre-Pesah Shabbat dinner!

Your RSVP must be received by Wednesday, March 17.

Name

Number of adults, $25/person, CAC members; $28/person, CAC non-members­­

Number of children (5-12yrs), $15/child, CAC members; $16 non-members

Phone

­

Number of children (0-5yrs), free­­

$ Amount Enclosed

Please return this form and check to Chizuk Amuno Congregation, 8100 Stevenson Road, Baltimore, MD 21208

Hol HaMoed Pesah Presenting: A Serious Man – A Serious Mandate The film, A Serious Man, makes us think about our lives; about the role God plays in our lives; what we learn about Jewish values from rabbis and teachers; what Jewish lessons we carry with us from our childhood; and what ideas we impart to our children.

Join us as we screen A Serious Man, the Oscar nominated film by Ethan and Joel Coen. We’ll view the movie on Saturday evening. No popcorn–instead we’ll enjoy Passover movie snacks. Sunday morning, everyone is invited to return for conversation and coffee and a discussion on the themes presented in the movie.

CHIZUK AMUNO CONGREGATION

PRE-PASSOVER TO BENEFIT COMMUNITY AGENCIES

.oFvx¨ ig© l¨k¨ l§ ri« r© A«¦ U§ nE © ,,LLc¨ «¤¨i z`¤ g« © zFR zF «¥ You open Your hand, and Your favor sustains all the living.

—Psalm 145

Even if you’ve seen the film, see it again in a new way through a Jewish lens.

Saturday, April 3, 8 p.m.

Havdalah, followed by the film A Serious Man Sunday, April 4, 10:15 - 11:30 a.m.

Conversation with Rabbi Shulman about the movie’s themes, including a brief study of the Biblical Book of Job

sunday, March March rcch 14 r 14 - Wednesday Wednesday March We Marc rch 24 24 F OOD W ISH L IST :

Beeff ste Beef Bee sst stew, ttew w canned w, canne annnedd fruits, f uits fr itts, canned cann nned nedd meats/tuna, mea meats/t ts/ ts/tuna, canned vegetables, vegetabl vege ta es, dish soap, soaapp, disposable dispo isposabl isp abbl abl b e salt saalt and andd pepper peeppe pper shakers, shakerrss,, sh ketchup and mayonnaise, laundry detergent, macaroni and cheese, metal forks, napkins, paper lunch bags, pasta and sauce, peanut butter and jelly, plastic baggies, plastic ware, rice, stove top stuffing, sugar, tea bags, toilet paper

Monetary option: In lieu of food, monetary donations will be accepted and donated to kosher funds.

Make checks payable to Chizuk Amuno, Attn. Food Drive.

For more information, call Miriam Foss, 410/486-6400, ext. 281 Please drop off your sealed, not-for-Passover food in bins located in the Louis A. Cohen Family Chapel Lobby and the Administrative Lobby.

Please check expiration dates.

A service initiative made possible by the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Gemilut Hasadim Endowment Fund