HaZ'man Summer 2013

HaZ’man

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 In This Issue: • What Inspires You? • Shavuot • 2013 Graduates

Voices & Visions: Learning through Art and Text Tikkun Leil Shavuot Tuesday, May 14, 2013 | 5 Sivan 5773

7:45 p.m. Minhah 8 p.m.

Erev Shavuot Service followed by

Kol Rinah a capella singing group 8:30 p.m. Study Sessions (descriptions below) On Shavuot, the beautiful posters that grace our

administrative hallway will come to life through the

teachings of our presenters.

Please come see them.

9:30 p.m. Dairy Dessert Reception 10 p.m.

Late Night Learning with Rabbi Shulman

Visions in Torah The Torah’s words portray visions of God,

humanity, and the world. During this session

we’ll read and interpret some of these Torah texts

and visualize the values we see in Torah for our

own lives.

Rabbi Deborah Wechsler

Rabbi Paul Schneider

The heroic voices of life do not announce their presence by drum and trumpet.

When I marched in Selma, I felt my legs were praying.

Dr. Rosann Catalano Roman Catholic Staff Scholar, ICJS

—Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

There is nothing more whole than a broken heart.

—Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

—Benjamin Cordoza Dr. Moshe Shualy Hazzan Emanuel Perlman

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.

If I am not for myself, who will be for me?

But if I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?

—Martin Buber

—Hillel, Pirke Avot 1:14

Rahel Lerner KSDS Faculty

Man’s life depends on the trees of the field.

—Deuteronomy 20:19

Dr. Barry M. Gittlen

Towson University Faculty

Rev. Jason Poling Senior Pastor New Hope Community Church

Love is stronger than death. ­—Song of Songs 8:6

Who is wise? One who learns from all people.

Who is honored? One who honors everyone.

—Ben-Zoma, Pirke Avot 4:1

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 Michelle Malis, pres@chizukamuno.org First Vice President Samuel E. Moskowitz, 1stvp@chizukamuno.org Vice President Dr. Andrew Miller Vice President Jason A. Blavatt Secretary Michelle Hettleman Treasure Sandra Moffet Assistant Treasurer Louis E. Sapperstein

SYNAGOGUE STAFF

Rabbi Ronald J. Shulman | x230

rshulman@chizukamuno.org Rabbi Deborah Wechsler | x231 dwechsler@chizukamuno.org Rabbi Paul D. Schneider | x226 Director of Congregational Life pschneider@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 Director of Congregational Education

Rabbi Stuart Seltzer | x234 | sseltzer@chizukamuno.org Head of School, Krieger Schechter Day School

Bil Zarch | x226 | bzarch@ksds.edu

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 Service Initiative

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

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Contents 2

LaZ’man HaZeh ~ At This Season 9 Gemilut Hasadim You Inspire Me

Transportation Service • by Rabbi Ron Shulman Builds Community

Inspired By My Community • by Shelly Malis

Inspired Moments • by Rabbi Debi Wechsler

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What Inspires You? • by Rabbi Stuart Seltzer • by Rabbi Paul Schneider • by Jonathan Willis

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Torah Buddy Study 2013 Chizuk Amuno Graduates

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Avodah Shavuot Service Schedule Shavuot Morning Study Sessions Memorial Plaque Dedications

10 What’s Nu?

• New Shabbat

• Mosaic Dedication

• Goldsmith Museum Makeover

• RRS: Celebrating through Video

• Todot… A Celebration of Leadership

• GECEC Grandparents / Special Friends Day

• USY and Kadima

• Sisterhood Update

• Melton Reunion

• New Members



Debby Hellman | x290 | dhellman@chizukamuno.org Curator, Goldsmith Museum

Dr. Susan Vick | x291 | svick@chizukamuno.org Choir Director, T. Herbert Dimmock

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

On the Cover and Opposite: Please stop by our administrative hallway to view the depicted posters in full size.

Plan to join us Tuesday evening, May 14 at our Tikkun Leil Shavuot when we will study the quotes on each poster.

Cemetery Director

Marsha Yoffe | x309 | myoffe@chizukamuno.org Director of Communication and Member Services

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 You Inspire Me

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ou inspire me. You, the members of Chizuk Amuno Congregation, inspire me. Your affiliation and dedication motivate me. Your steadfast generosity and commitment impress me. Your involvement and participation in this setting move me. At a time when all of us are incredibly busy, in a world where so much captures our attention and so many interests engage and entertain us, your Jewish expression and exploration here truly inspire me.

I see it everyday at minyan, in carpool and hallways, in classrooms and so many committee meetings, in Sanctuary celebrations and community service. I delight in the questions you ask, the values you demonstrate, and the caring you provide to one another.

Many years ago following up on a conversation we had, a synagogue member came to me with an incredibly generous, transformative gift. I asked him what public recognition he would like for his significant contribution. He wanted nothing for himself, no plaque or public pronouncement. All he asked for was an aisle seat for his elderly mother when she came to visit for the High Holy Days.

Such humility inspires me, as does the ability to do for others without seeking credit or recognition.

In our era of over sharing and celebrity, I admire modesty and the personal satisfaction that comes from quietly, sometimes privately, doing good things.

You also inspire me when you’re not on our synagogue and school campus. You are creative and devoted to the professional and personal work that you do and the difference you try to make in so many fields and endeavors. Your skills and achievements, your insights and wisdom all of it inspires me.

One Hebrew term for inspiration is “ruah haKodesh - sacred spirit.” Each of us is blessed with such holiness, with the ingenious spirit of our minds and the gracious spirit of our hearts.

2 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

People like you who challenge themselves, who rise above and overcome, who reach out to others, who live by their principles, who do what is right, and who accept responsibility for what they did wrong inspire me. I meet you all of the time. Right here at Chizuk Amuno. Your goodness and kindness compel my own.

One Hebrew term for inspiration is “ruah haKodesh - sacred spirit.” Each of us is blessed with such holiness, with the ingenious spirit of our minds and the gracious spirit of our hearts. True inspiration directs us to the holy, to that which elevates our lives and keeps us decent. Sharing our sacred spirits as members of a sacred community does the same, raising us up and keeping us whole.

In this issue of HaZ’man ~ This Season, Jonathan Willis shares his sacred spirit describing what inspires him. As spring gives way to summer, in the warmth and renewal of the season, I hope you’ll do the same. Consider what inspires you and share it with us.

B’Shalom Rav,

Rabbi Ron Shulman

is Season ~ dfd onfl Inspired By My Community

by Shelly Malis President, Chizuk Amuno Congregation

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wake up every morning with a “to do” list that is so long that I know that I will never get through it. Some of the “to dos” included on that list are tasks that I want to accomplish like going to the grocery store, picking up the dry cleaning – the usual household related jobs. But the truth is that most of that list contains tasks that have to do with things that I want to do in, around, and for our community.

I know that there are lots of people like me. Our Baltimore Jewish community is comprised of some of the most dedicated, hardworking, and inspiring people that I have ever met. They are involved in organizations that are devoted to helping others, to supporting our vital institutions, and to creating a better world for us to live in. Members of our community spend time in addition to their “real” jobs cooking meals, giving rides, providing legal counsel, raising money – all for the benefit of others. They are the personification of tikkun olam and are my Jewish inspiration.

At Chizuk Amuno, our Gemilut Hasadim program provides a variety of projects for your involvement – all for the benefit of others. I encourage you to check them out and sign on to participate in a project that is meaningful to you. You can welcome soldiers home from overseas, assist adults with special needs, or serve meals to the homeless – there are so many activities from which to choose. And I assure you, once you have volunteered your time, you will feel inspired.

Inspired Moments

by Rabbi Deborah Wechsler

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here are these moments. These sweet, seemingly innocuous, but incredibly powerful moments when I think, “This is it! “This is why I do all this!” One Jewish inspiration? That’s hard to pinpoint.

Moments of inspiration? Absolutely. They feed my soul and nurture my spirit. Here are three of them: In mid-April we celebrated Yom Ha’Atzmaut. In the late afternoon I visited the Krieger Auditorium where our Schechter students were celebrating together. The entire school from kindergarten through 8th grade, including teachers and administrators, was dressed in blue and white, doing Israeli dancing, waving the Israeli flag. The room was filled with joy and sweat and heat and so many smiles. I stood with Rabbi Schneider and said, “This is it! This is why it’s so important to give our kids a strong Jewish education.” I am inspired

by Israel and by another generation of Jews feeling bound up with the land and the people of Israel.

For as many years as I’ve been at Chizuk Amuno, I’ve been teaching adults. The subject matter varies from year to year and some of the faces change as well but the experience is much the same – an hour of serious learning, discussion and challenge, laughter and arguments. This year has been no different as a group

of us have spent Wednesday midday engaged in studying Great Jewish Books. My students are simply amazing – they do the assigned homework (often upwards of 20 pages of reading) and then they go beyond the assigned work to further explore on their own. I am inspired by my students who love to learn Jewish texts and who inspire me to learn more so than I can teach more.

Some of us are born knowing that we are Jewish. Others of us come to Judaism at a later point in life. Each has something to teach the other. In any given year I teach between one and four students for conversion. In concordance with a formal Introduction to Judaism class, we learn privately in preparation for them to join the Jewish people. At the end of the period of study comes, what are for me, the most inspirational moments of the journey. That is when they sit with the Beit Din (a group of three rabbis) and discuss what brought them to Judaism and what they’ve learned along the way. No matter, the age, the gender, or the life circumstance of the candidate for conversion, I am always inspired by their desire to join the Jewish people and by their first tentative forays into mitzvot that become lifelong commitments.

Luckily, my Jewish inspiration comes from not just one place. My Jewish inspiration comes from many different corners of my life and I am blessed to be a part of a community that sees Jewish inspiration at the heart of its sacred work. nn Shavuot 5773 | 3

What Inspire What Inspires Me, Great and Small

by Rabbi Stuart Seltzer

1. A great lesson by a great teacher 2. A middle school student who stands up for a kid being bullied 3. A person who isn’t held back by their wheelchair or their walker 4. God’s challenge to the Jewish people: You shall be holy and love your neighbor as yourself 5. The young students of Chizuk Amuno who make reading Torah seem so easy 6. The teen who will sometimes miss sports or leave play rehearsal early to attend Netivon 7. God’s command to Abraham: “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you” 8. A great Broadway musical that I leave singing 9. My parent’s golden wedding anniversary, 50 years together

10. The Vav students who continue their Jewish education after becoming a Bar Mitzvah 11. My former students who pursue their own unique passions and dreams and take unusual paths in life 12. The art work created by kids in Morah Katz and Mrs. Pintzuk’s classes 13. The middle school athlete who encourages the athletically challenged students to participate 14. Keeping the Sabbath Holy and honoring my mother and father 15. Man’s first question and challenge to God in the Torah: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

16. The challenge of the rabbis to recite 100 blessings a day

19. The adults at Chizuk Amuno who, like Rabbi Akiba, started studying Torah at a late age, especially those who take classes here after a long day at work 20. My father’s loving care for my mother as she recovers from her stroke 21. The student who keeps tzedakah in his backpack all day to bring to Religious School 22. The philanthropist who pays for education programs at Chizuk Amuno anonymously 23. The 80 year old woman playing tennis, swimming laps, and dancing the hora at a bar mitzvah 24. The Torah’s challenge to “Choose Life” especially in the face of the death, tragedy, and suffering all around us n

17. My parents’ love for me 18. The voices of singing children

Let the Torah Lift You Up

by Rabbi Paul Schneider

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abbi Harold Kushner was introducing a lecture at the Jewish Theological Seminary some years ago, and he wanted to thank the sponsoring family of that major event.

He used the well-known verse from the service when the Torah is returned to the ark: Etz Hayim he lamahazikim bah, vetomkheha me-ushar. The Torah is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it, and all of its supporters are happy.

Said Rabbi Kushner, “There are happy times when Torah lifts us up, like a babynaming, a bar/bat mitzvah or an aufruf. And 4 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

there are difficult times as well when we are lifted up by Torah, such as a time of illness, or a time of loss. And then there are times when we lift the Torah, such as today, when generous donors support Torah study.”

There are two things that inspire me Jewishly. First, I am inspired when I personally am lifted through Talmud Torah.

It is particularly wonderful and enriching when I learn a new perspective on a passage that I have already studied.

I am also inspired Jewishly when I see the mitzvot in action, particularly those mitzvot that move the world towards

perfection. For example, the hesed, the acts of loving kindness, in our community, at the congregation and at its schools, should bring all of us pride and joy.

If you are not already engaged in Torah study and gemilut hasadim at Chizuk Amuno, why not make that commitment today? Call any of the rabbis, or speak to Judy Meltzer, Director of the Stulman Center for Adult Learning, or to Miriam Foss, the Director of Gemilut Hasadim.

Now is the time to choose to let the Torah lift you up. n

es You? Tradition and Inquiry

by Jonathan Willis

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y Jewish inspirations began out west, where as a fifth generation California Jew, I felt that I was part of something special. Since I grew up in Congregation B’nai Israel, (the oldest shul west of the Mississippi), sent to Camp Swig in Saratoga, CA (a Reform camp for bad kids like me) and even gave the idea of becoming a Reform rabbi serious thought, energy and time, I start the inspirational journey by looking back to my sources. The summer I was 17, I first read Eugene Borowitz, a prominent Reform Jewish philosopher of the late 20th century. Though he acknowledged the Reform teaching that no authority is empowered to tell individual Jews what they must do as Jews, there is an implicit understanding that Jews must know more, care more, and do more. He stressed that “a messianically-oriented religion should not have a lesser goal. But … individual Jews, utilizing their minds and hearts and consciences should decide for themselves, which Jewish duties devolve upon them.1” Exhilarating theology for the younger me - Jews learning and doing Jewish are engaging in the messianic process.

This first exposure to a Jewish big idea became a source for my on-going Jewish inspirations.

Years pass and I continue to wrestle and question what I encountered when first reading Dr. Borowitz (which would probably have made him pleased that his ideas were being challenged seriously).

Though he emphatically espouses that Jews are a learning people, what constitutes Jewish authenticity? How can I describe a

framework of knowledge to build a growing Jewish self? Though intellectually pleasing to believe that no individual or group can determine what is correct, and that Jews must determine as to “which Jewish duties devolve upon them,” I found it lacking inspiration. But could this deficit lead to inspiration?

So I continued to learn and think and search for authentic Jewish voices, ones based upon Jewish traditions of inquiry.

I first spent time with teachers who introduced me to the usual suspects on the more progressive side of the spectrum – Abraham Joshua Heschel, Martin Buber, Franz Rosenzweig, and Hermann Cohen. Later I began finding my way into more traditional text (often under heavy supervision) – Maimonides, Rashi, and Talmud. But through it all, I find inspiration in knowing that when we engage with Torah and tradition, we must question our current understandings – that our cyclical encounter with our tradition and teachings mean that the person I will be next year will have a growing conception of reality, often one very different from the one I possess today. There lies the possibility of my individual choices being wrong even after, in Dr. Borowitz’s words, I was “using (my) mind and (my) conscience” to determine what is right and just. Though something may feel or appear good does not make it an authentic Jewish expression or experience.

But this tears the nature of my Jewish understanding. Can we define what it means to be a Jew, and whether there are minimal requirements to being an involved and

knowledgeable Jew? (Though to paraphrase another 20th Century Jewish philosopher, “Would I want to belong to a religion that would have me as a member?”)

I find inspiration in arguing with myself whether authenticity requires Jews to continually study to determine which “Jewish duties should devolve upon” themselves. I find inspiration knowing an authentic Jewish voice is one that is based upon tradition and inquiry.

Ultimately, my inspiration comes from being around people who like to do and learn and engage Jewishly – people who take Jewish seriously, even when they are being funny. I find inspiration from those who have made it their life’s work to bring Jews to a fuller understanding of Jewish existence. I find my inspiration when I see my children engage in new Jewish practices thousands of years in the making, and in the knowledge that I have the obligation to raise them in a tradition that requires them to find their own inspiration within it. n Spouse of Deborah, father to Madeline and Julia, Jonathan Willis is a Social Studies Literacy Specialist at the Maryland State Department of Education. Jonathan taught in the Baltimore City Schools for 6 years as a high school English teacher, and preceded this as Family Programs Director at Beth El Schools in Baltimore. He is currently exploring ways to engage text in aquatic community theatre.

1

Eugene Borowitz, Liberal Judaism p. 345

Shavuot 5773 | 5

T o r a h Buddy Study

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irke Avot instructs us to “acquire a friend” that we may eat and drink with him and, most especially, study Tanakh and Mishnah with him. If we were to picture this friend, he or she is probably a person much like ourselves. Fair enough. It seems natural, almost unquestioned, to seek out those with whom we have a lot in common.

Modern society has a strong tendency to divide people into distinct groups; sorting by class, by education, by race and ethnicity, by religion, etc. One of the most important ways we sort ourselves is by age. It’s amazing, compared to earlier times, how little different generations have to do with each other. All ages are taught to value independence and individualism. We are parents and teachers, students and children, but not friends.

This segregation by age comes at a price. The natural cross-fertilization and potential spark between people in different stages of life is lost. The Talmud, a living changing document, bringing together text and commentary from vastly separated generations, encourages differing viewpoints and debate.

Welcome to Buddy Study, a new program of Netivon and the Stulman Center for

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Adult Learning supported by the Zaiman Educational Alliance. Buddy Study has been designed to address age-segregation by creating a new cross generational model of learning. On Tuesday evenings, Netivon teens study with adult members of Chizuk Amuno in havruta (as study partners).

The adults include people from various professions and backgrounds, people who have welcomed the opportunity to study with teenagers. As Forrest Foss said, “I welcome this chance because my point of view has never been challenged by the perspective of a younger person.” Leon Bergs says “There is something universal about how the world is viewed at a younger age.” The teenagers agree. Abby Suldan says, “Many teenagers tend to have a very modern perspective on texts, but I enjoy hearing the opinions of someone who has more life experience and is a parent.”

After a brief group discussion and guiding questions prepared by Rabbi Jason Rubenstein of Mechon Hadar (a progressive Yeshiva in New York City), the study buddies study, interpret, and debate Jewish texts together on various themes such as fairness, family relationships, and faith. Over the course of seven weeks,

the teenagers have developed complete confidence in disagreeing with someone older. They have grown comfortable with digression, with forcefully stating their opinions, and with listening with new ears. Micah Saltzberg comments, “I was surprised at how well I connected with my buddy, Forrest, and the amount we had in common. It made talking about the text easy because there were no awkward personal barriers between us. I have had a fantastic time and it has been a great learning opportunity.” As Judy Meltzer observed, “the rapidity of the connection between the study partners really surprised me. It was almost as though they had known each other for years.”

After studying in pairs, everyone gathers together as a large group again, for a lively discussion of what happened in havruta. It’s clear, Buddy Study, is continuing the long tradition of the Talmud and re-enacting the receiving of Torah at Sinai, where both young and old stood to receive God’s holy words. Study buddies stand before the text together as we stood before Sinai as partners, as equals. n

Mazal Tov to Our 2013 Graduates!

Each year, we are privileged to have over a thousand students enter our doors, ranging in age from only two years old to over 80 years.

We offer educational programming for every age in between.

We take pride in the accomplishments of our students and wish them Mazal Tov. Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center | Wednesday, June 5 Four Year Olds Benjamin Abrams Meital Asher Eli Baum Micah Berger-Sollod Gil Boker Noah Caplan Hailey Cohen Kayla Davidov Ethan Derman Joseph Dunn

Summer Friedman Madilyn Frieman Samara Gaither Aviv Glazer Mattthew Gordon Samuel Hanna Trevor Hartman

Nicolette Kazin Emma Kessler Shelby Kirk Alex Koman Isaac Kornbluth Jace Krupitsky Callie LaTesta

Mackenzie Hoffman Joseph Hutzler Zoe Jackson Alyssa Kalisch

Emerson Lenet Austin Levine Maya Levine Rachel Levy

Amiel Mandell-Balough Tylor Massouda Talia Paz-Priel Abigail Rosen Bennett Rosenblatt Logan Roth

Naama Simhi Evan Smokler Jillian Snyder Sydney Tucker Ben Wahlberg

Leeam Shabi Alon Shamay Shaked Shamay Samara Silverman

Five Year Olds

Jordan Klatsky Hannah Levy Owen Nathanson Jessica Needleman Brenden Pokov Jack Rubenstein Sloane Silverstein

Ruben Finkel Ethan Fruman Noah Gettleman Colbi Goldstein

Dylan Sopher Reid Swirnow Lennon Wielechowski

Krieger Schechter Day School | Thursday, June 6 Benjamin Balfanz Mira Baum Daniel Ben-Or Sophia Berkman Rayut Berkowitz Melanie Block Hunter Bloomfield Rachel Bogin

Jake Brooks Allie Cohen Jordan Cohen Gabrielle Corrigan Allison Davis Matthew Davis Emanuel Epstein Molly Feldman

Derek Gold Jessica Green Miriam Greenberg Matthew Greenspan Maya Hettleman Ethan Heyman Naomi Hoch Benjamin Lapidus

Rosenbloom Religious School Sunday, May 19 Sam Bloomberg Jacob Fine Katelyn Flaks Leanne Garten Jonathan Haroun Ethan Harrison Alexandria Hellman

Matthew Hudes Brett Kaplan Sara Karmiol Madison Levine Lauren Losin Sophie Mogol Cali Platt

Anna Levin Bradley Levin Naomi Lichtenstein Ethan Litofsky Rebecca Margolis Alyssa Miller Danielle Neschis Jamie Neumann

Marcelle Philosophe Megan Reznik Elana Rubin Allison Rybalnik Sydney Schuster Merav Schwartz Alanna Sereboff Rebecca Sereboff

Aaron Slutkin Noah Sopher Keren Stearns Teva Vogelstein Hannah Weiss Avishai Wilcox

Florence Melton School for Adult Jewish Learning Tuesday, May 28

Abigail Reibman Lilly Saiontz Blair Schnitzer Max Sobkov Ethan Swartz Mackenzie Wachs

Diane Abeloff Michael Adess Carol Buchoff Etta S. Clay Lynn R. Davidov Sandy Dettelbach Nannette Sline Flax

Edward Frieman Susan Frieman Leah Helman Linda S. Napora Janet L. Steinberg Marvin Steingart Sandra K. Steingart

Reva L. Suffel Annette Sussman Richard B. Udell Helene H. Waranch Fred R. Zimmerman Judith G. Zimmerman

Netivon | Thursday, May 9 Tyler Lerner

Harrison Linker

Coby Sklar Shavuot 5773 | 7

Av o d a h

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Shavuot Services

Adults and Children of All Ages Celebrate Torah on Shavuot

Tuesday, May 14 | Erev Shavuot

On Shavuot we imagine ourselves at Mt. Sinai and rejoice in the gift of Torah. To honor our holiday’s spirit, our Shavuot Festival Morning Service on Tuesday, May 15 will include opportunities for everyone, from our youngest to our oldest, to sit with each other and study the Ten Commandments.

At 10 a.m., after Shaharit – our morning service – we’ll leave the Sanctuary and sit together around Torah study tables in the Krieger Auditorium. Over coffee and nosh, our rabbis will guide us as we dialogue with study partners and explore the Ten Commandments.

While we study, our children will gather for their own holiday program and prepare to join us in the Sanctuary for a special ceremony.

At 10: 30 a.m., following our learning we’ll return to the Sanctuary to receive and read Torah. Our children will join us when we read the Ten Commandments from the Torah scroll celebrating their growth and freshness by bringing bikkurim – greens and fruits – to decorate the bimah.

Minhah 7:45 p.m.

Candle Lighting Erev Shavuot Service …followed by Kol Rinah, our a cappella singers Tikkun Leil Shavuot – Shavuot Evening of Study

7:54 p.m.

8:00 p.m.

8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 15 | First Day of Shavuot

Shaharit: Festival Morning Service Torah Study Sessions Children’s Holiday Program Torah Service ...followed by Musaf: Holiday Prayers Congregational Kiddush, following services Minhah/Ma’ariv Candle Lighting

9:15 a.m.

10:00 a.m.

10:30 a.m.

6:00 p.m.

8:40 p.m.

Thursday, May 16 | Second Day of Shavuot

Shaharit: Festival Morning Service Yizkor Memorial Prayers and dedication of Memorial Plaques Chizuk Amuno Choir joins Hazzan Perlman Family Service Congregational Kiddush Luncheon, following services Minhah/Ma’ariv Havdalah

8 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

9:15 a.m.

10:45 a.m.

Dedication of Memorial Plaques 10:45 a.m.

8:15 p.m.

8:41 p.m.

On Shavuot, Thursday, May 16, during the Yizkor service, the following memorial plaques will be dedicated: Hortense Mervis Amernick Leon Amernick Myra L. Anbinder Mildred Attman Ruth Rebecca Bierer Leon M. Brooks Dorothy Bulmash Florence David Irene S. Deitchman Sam Gensler Louis Barry Gershen Phyllis Hendler Glassman Rose K. Goldner

Edwin Levy Barbara Leibowitz Lichter Esther “Penny” Love Alfred J. Okum Ruth Orlin Murray Orlin Anna Pateka Ruth Polakoff Mitchell Radinsky Moshe Sachs Julius Sapperstein Ruth Solomon Elyce Geller Stern

Edith Goldstein William R. (Billy) Goodman Leonard Goodman Lynn Beth Kotz Donald Levy Beverly Levy

Shirley Talles Jesse S. Weinberg Regina Weinberg Mae Wiener Olga Yusufov Dr. Norman I. Zipper

Irma Gamson Finds Inspiration and Community at Shabbat Services

by Miriam Foss

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t 9 a.m. each Shabbat morning, Irma Gamson is on her way to shul. Irma likes to arrive right at the beginning of services and values the boost services give her spiritually and personally. “I don’t want to miss any part of it,” she says. “I feel good

Dr. Richard Kolker, Debby Hellman, Jennifer Arndt Robinson, and Wendy Davis (once her gabbai duties are completed and Musaf has begun). More recently they have been joined by Ruthanne Kaufman and Jane Kahn and are surrounded by Bob Anbinder

Thanksgiving, and Passover. Sometimes Wendy Davis just stops by to say hello and drop off some soup. Irma was at Jennifer Arndt and Scott Robinson’s wedding and now baby Rose Robinson sits in Irma’s lap during shul before the Torah for Tots

every time I go.” Irma especially enjoys the music and her favorite prayer is the Amidah, a prayer she recites in its entirety in English.

She says she has a wonderful feeling looking at the Sifrei Torah when the ark is first opened.

The predictability and order of the services is another feature that draws her in. “It’s too long – but can’t be any shorter,” she comments, philosophically. The peace she finds at services is with her all day. She returns home contented and ready for a Shabbat nap.

Irma Gamson grew up at Chizuk Amuno Congregation and was confirmed in 1942.

Her certificate of confirmation graces the wall in the den of her beautiful apartment. When Irma’s husband Stanley z”l retired, they became Shabbat regulars and sat across the aisle from where Irma now sits. When the Torah was carried through the Sanctuary during the Torah service, both sides of aisle would come together and talk.

When Stanley died in 2004, Rich Kolker and Debby Hellman reached out and invited Irma to move across the aisle to sit with them.

Irma sits close to the front on the right hand side of the Sanctuary, aligning with

and Norris Brodsky, whose harmony they enjoy from a few rows back. Irma welcomes others to join in their warm and friendly

service begins. Irma acknowledges that with her own family living far away (Oregon, Arizona, and Pennsylvania) having a community of close friends and being part of an extended family is doubly important.

Irma appreciates her rides to and from Chizuk Amuno with the Transportation Service provided through the Gemilut Hasadim program. She finds the drivers friendly, smiling, safe, and punctual and enjoys the company of fellow riders and Shabbat regulars Lorraine Pugatch and Harriet Feinglass.

When she reserves a ride earlier in the week she feels committed to her decision to attend services and looks forward to Shabbat morning, her row of friends, and being surrounded by the caring community that is Chizuk Amuno Congregation. n

9 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

row and offers her famous ginger Altoids to everyone. Debby Hellman feels that Irma is the heart of their row, the person who binds them together.

Reflecting on the values of attending services weekly, Irma says it is primarily the community of friends that make her experience so meaningful. She appreciates the concern of fellow worshipers who notice when she is not there and the warm family feeling that has made her part of the Davis, Hellman, and Robinson families.

Irma is with them for Rosh HaShanah,

Transportation Service on Shabbat

Need a ride to shul on Shabbat mornings? Rides for members who no longer drive can be arranged on a week-by-week basis. Just call Miriam Foss, ext. 281,

by Monday or Tuesday of the week you want to attend services.

We express special gratitude for funding from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Gemilut Hasadim Endowment Fund of the Chizuk Amuno Foundation, Inc. Shavuot 5773 | 9

What’s Nu? New Shabbat “And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit into you…”

—Ezekiel 36:26 Friday, May 17 • 7:15 p.m.

New at Chizuk Amuno, a contemporary Friday night service with guitar music. Come and enjoy an upbeat Shabbat celebration of prayer, song, and insight. Using a special prayer book that includes Hebrew transliteration and English reflection, everyone is welcome to join in New Shabbat with Rabbi Shulman, Hazzan Perlman, and Leslie Pomerantz.

Partners in Creation

Over 300 people from all over Baltimore and friends from Israel joined us on March 17 to dedicate the seven panel mosaic – 10 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

New Shabbat meets again June 14 After studying the question of playing instruments on Shabbat with Rabbi Shulman, last fall our congregation’s Ritual Committee recommended, and our Board of Trustees approved, playing instrumental music on Shabbat in prayer services created for this purpose. For those of us who wish to participate, New Shabbat is the first setting in which a musical instrument will enrich our prayer experience at Chizuk Amuno.

Museum Makeover Ma’aseh Bereishit – that is beautifying the walls of the Matz / Goldstone Biblical Garden. The mosaic, designed by artist Tova Shafran from Ashkelon and supported by a generous grant from the Baltimore Ashkelon Partnership, was created over a nine month period by volunteers from Chizuk Amuno, Baltimore, and our friends and partners in Ashkelon, Israel. The process of creating this piece of collaborative art promoted a sense of pride and ownership amongst all who participated and will serve as a continual reminder of our friendship and shared heritage. Many thanks to project chairs Jill Max and Randi Pupkin for lending their time and talent to this venture.

Beginning this summer, the Goldsmith Museum will undergo some changes to its permanent displays. When the Museum was founded in 2000, the exhibit was meant to stay in place for approximately ten years in order to protect the fine artifacts on view from over-exposure to light. The projected changes will focus both on the items made of textiles and parchment and those made of metals, with re-fabrication of cases as needed.

The changes to the Goldsmith Museum exhibits will require the acquisition of new artifacts to replace those that must be moved into storage. We hope you will consider gifting to Chizuk Amuno pieces of fine Judaica from your own collections. It’s possible that your contribution will become part of the new Goldsmith Museum display. If you would like to discuss making a donation, please contact Dr. Susan Vick, ext. 291 or svick@chizukamuno.org.

Bible Raps – Celebrating Israel’s Birthday Some people celebrate birthdays with cake. Others prefer balloons. This year, Rosenbloom Religious School tried a new kind of celebration: writing a birthday rap! Led

by Matt Bar, the Executive Director of Bible Raps, the

students celebrated Israel’s 65th birthday by researching, writing, and performing what has now become known across YouTube as “The Israel Shake.” The verses of The Israel Shake, which were based on the students’ study of relevant texts, speak about the history of Israel from Abraham to modern times, and the intense emotional connection of the Jewish people to the land of Israel.

Inspired by the Harlem Shake phenomenon, Matt Bar and his musical producer, Ori Salzberg, helped the students to base their music video on the Harlem Shake’s use of contrast. The video moves from shots that feature the student rappers pouring out the serious and emotional lyrics of the rap to huge crowd scenes of RRS students waving flags and crazily dancing their love for Israel. The result is, in short, spectacular!

The Israel Shake has become one of the highlights of this year’s curriculum and we are grateful to the Ben and Esther Rosenbloom Foundation for its generosity and support of this project. Check out the full video of our rap by searching “Rosenbloom Israel Shake” on YouTube. Be forewarned—it’s hard to watch just once!

Honoring Senator Ben Cardin and Myrna Cardin On the evening of Saturday, March 2, the community gathered at Krieger Schechter Day School’s spring gala, Todot…A Celebration of Leadership, to honor Senator Ben Cardin and Myrna Cardin. Over two-hundred people attended the festive evening, which included great music and dancing, hors d’oeuvres, and a dessert buffet.

The primary goals behind the annual Todot celebration are to recognize outstanding leadership and to raise dollars for the KSDS Annual and Scholarship Fund. This fund provides need-based tuition assistance to almost 40% of current KSDS students and funds myriad educational opportunities at KSDS. This year, Todot raised almost $60,000!

The school’s mission is to provide an unparalleled Jewish and general studies education, enabling our students to become confident, successful and valued members of society as committed and knowledgeable Jews. An important emphasis is placed on leadership – recognizing and valuing what that looks like in each of our students. Myrna and Ben Cardin serve as continuing role models for the KSDS community with their dedication and commitment to local, national, and

international interest. To see the online journal of the evening please visit http://www.ksds. edu/giving/special-events/ todot/

Shavuot 5773 | 11

Connecting Generations In April, the Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center hosted its annual Grandparents / Special Friends Day. Almost 400 visitors shared in a Shabbat celebration.

The preschool children sang We Sing Shabbat, We Sing Shalom to the delight of our guests as they captured these precious moments on their smartphone cameras.

Together, the children and their grandparent or special friend recited the b’rakhot over the candles, “wine,” and challah. We cemented the bonds between generations

as we infused family values and religious beliefs. What a fabulous morning!

Keeping Your Kids Busy In the wee hours of the last Sunday morning in April, a sixty-seater bus pulled out of the Chizuk Amuno parking lot. It was packed with students from Chizuk Amuno and the surrounding Conservative synagogues, all geared for a full day at Kings Dominion Amusement Park. Led by the Seaboard Region United Synagogue Youth (USY) office, this was one of many programs our students engaged in this year during the revitalization of Chizuk Amuno’s youth department.

Kadima, the middle school branch of the United Synagogue youth group system, hit the ground running with programming that included meals, services, and

activities inside and outside of the synagogue. We built community among Chizuk Amuno’s middle school students through Shabbat lunches, scavenger hunts, outings to Red Zone and Pump It Up, and pizza planning parties. We also connected with kids in the greater Conservative Jewish community during regional events such as the winter Shabbaton at Capital Camps, a huge regional Saturday night party, and, of course, our Kings Dominion trip.

Kadima aims to strengthen students’ connection to each other, the Jewish community and the State of Israel through innovative, student-designed programming.

Looking Forward with Sisterhood

Tea and Text Study: A Melton Reunion

Sisterhood is pleased to present our new slate of Officers and Board for 2013-2015.

President Lynne Lichtig

President Elect Dixie Leikach Membership Co-Vice Presidents Joy Katz, Amy Blavatt

Financial Secretary Joy Katz Programming Vice President Ruth Silber

Treasurer Marcia Scherr

Assistant Treasurer Diane Dansicker

Recording Secretary Margie Simon

Corresponding Secretary Karen Zale Please contact any of the officers listed above to learn more about Sisterhood programming and involvement for next year.

There is still time to RSVP for the Sisterhood Closing Dinner and Installation, which will be held on Tuesday, May 21 at 6:30 p.m. Carrie Engel, the “Gardening Guru” from Valley View Farms, will demonstrate how to make container gardens. RSVP to Sheila Sandbank at 410/4845016 or grandmasheilax2@hotmail.com. The cost is $20 per person, which should be returned to the synagogue office marked Attention: “Sisterhood Installation.”

12 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

On Sunday, April 14, Melton alumni renewed friendships, enjoyed delicious food, and did what Meltonians do best: studied!

Our teacher was Ariel Ilan Roth, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Israel Institute, a new non-profit based in Washington D.C. Dr. Roth presented “A Talmudic Perspective on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict” in which we studied the first mishnah from Tractate Baba Metzia, which poses the question “What happens when two litigants both claim full ownership of a single object?” We

If you or your child is interested in contributing ideas or joining our Kadima leadership team, please contact our Kadima advisor, Zack Kaye at zkaye@chizukamuno.org.

Please also contact Zack if you are interested in Kadima’s high school counterpart, United Synagogue Youth (USY).

While Kadima is exclusively for sixth through eighth graders, we look forward to continuing to give our younger students a taste of the fun through our CAC-wide shabbatons. We received rave reviews last winter and look forward to our now annual third-fourth grade day Shabbaton and fifth grade overnight Shabbaton during the upcoming school year!

then spent almost two hours exploring the ways in which the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians follow the Talmudic model, a powerful example of the wisdom and influence that our ancient texts continue to be applicable in the 21st century.

It was wonderful to renew acquaintances with graduates from our first classes in the 1990’s, and to meet new students who joined us. If you have not as yet taken Melton, please join us this year. Call Judy Meltzer at 410/824-2055.

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B’rukhim Habaim Welcome to Our New Members

Sandra Asch

Dorothy Hellman

Deborah Schwaber

Lauren and Hal Blatt

Arlene and Robert Nusbaum

Wendy and Marc Wolff

Janet Rogers 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 Director of Communication and Member Services, Cheryl Snyderman, 410/486-6400, ext. 300.

Leave A Lifelong Legacy at Chizuk Amuno… …purchase an inscribed tribute brick on Chizuk Amuno’s new Pathway to Faith.

As we reconstruct the pathway at the Hoffberger Chapel entrance, over 300 bricks are available for dedication at the cost of $200 per brick for up to four lines of text.

Chizuk Amuno Congregation 142nd Annual Meeting Sunday, June 9, 2013 • 4 p.m.

The membership will be asked to approve a change in the bylaws, the Slate of Officers, and nominations to the Board of Trustees.

Members will have the opportunity

To purchase a brick, contact Judy Schwartz, curlyfour@gmail.com, or the Chizuk Amuno Advancement Office, lfreedman@chizukamuno.org, 410/824-2054.

Derekh Amuno

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to ask questions and participate in “Good and Welfare.”

We will also welcome Chizuk Amuno’s new Executive Director, Glenn Easton.

Pathway to Faith

Music and Art That Startled the Modern World Chizuk Amuno’s Sixth Annual Summer Camp for Adults June 17-June 21 | 9:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

Featuring: Music that Shook the World with Ken Meltzer

A Musical Evening with Seth Kibel and Vladimir Fridman Tuesday, June 18, 7 p.m.

Tuition: $140 Chizuk Amuno members $150 non-members

Collision with Tradition: The New York Armory Show and the Impact of Modernism with Dr. Susan Vick

Red, A Theatrical Production at the JCC Park Heights Thursday, June 20, 7 p.m.

Please call the Stulman Center for Adult Learning to reserve your space: 410/824-2055/8.

Shavuot 5773 | 13

Non Profit Org. US Postage Paid Baltimore, MD Permit No. 544

8100 Stevenson Rd. • Baltimore, Md 21208 www.chizukamuno.org TIME SENSITIVE M ATERIAL please deliver promptly

Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center of Chizuk Amuno Congregation

Schechter on the Move 5K Race and One Mile Fun Run/Walk

Summer of a Thousand Smiles Camp Session: June 17 - August 9, 2013

We are still accepting applications for Summer Camp and Fall Preschool enrollment.

410/486-8642 • mgold@chizukamuno.org

Sunday, June 9, 8 a.m.

ac e

Schechter o

Mark your calendar and plan to join us! The Race and Run/Walk begin and end at Chizuk Amuno Congregation.

Afterward, we’ll enjoy breakfast and festivities that are he Move fun for the whole family! Register nt now at www.ksds.edu. Questions?

Contact Alison Wielechowski at alisonw@ksds.edu.

Proceeds from this event will 5k R support tuition assistance.

Hanukkah 5773 | 1