HaZ'man Winter 2009

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   Chizuk Amuno  C o n g r e g at i o n

In this issue: • Different Families, Different Rituals • Hannukah Happenings and B’rakhot • Revised Minyan Schedule 1 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

Hanukk ah Study Musclejews, Wimps, and the Soldiers in Between

Friday Evening, December 18, 6 p.m.

Pray, Play, and Shabbat Dinner, Too

Adults

Adults: $14 Children 5-12: $7 Children under 5: free

RSVP by Wednesday, December 9 to Chizuk Amuno Congregation, c/o Congregational Life Committee, 8100 Stevenson Road, Baltimore, MD 21208 with your check enclosed.

After Kabbalat Shabbat services and dinner – over wine and drinks – enjoy Hanukkah fun with your friends.

Compete in the ultimate game show challenge. Are you smarter than a Chizuk Amuno clergy member? Compete in the “History of Chizuk Amuno” showdown.

Families

Join us for a family service, Shabbat dinner, and participate in a Hanukkah game show. Appropriate for all ages – grandparents are invited too!

Games • Dreidel • Latkes

For more information, please contact Alex Weinberg, Director of Congregational Education at 410/486-6400.

Tweens (Grades 5-8)

Sunday, December 6, 3 p.m.

Professor Mark Epstein, Director of Jewish Studies, Vassar College What is a just war, who is an ethical soldier?

And what kind of job is soldiering for a nice Jewish girl or boy?

This program is co-sponsored by the Goldsmith Museum and the Stulman Center for Adult Learning.

Hanukkah, You, and Israel

Thursday, December 10, 1 p.m.

Haim Aronovitz, Director of Israel Seminars of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Institute Join us for an informative and very enjoyable talk, followed by sufganiyot, jelly-filled doughnuts.

Shabbat Yahad Songs, dreidels, latkes and lunch December 12 • 10 a.m. Family Service with Alex Weinberg.

Join us for a fun, family-friendly interactive family service. Geared for families with students in grades K-4.

• 10 a.m. Simhat Shabbat: Join Abby Kogen and Isaac Woloff for an interactive service geared towards 5-7 grade students. Parents are invited.

• 11 a.m. Torah For Tots: Join Michelle Gold and Alex Weinberg for an engaging, interactive, fun service. Geared for families with children birth - 5 years old.

After dinner, play the ultimate Maccabee All-Star game show battle against your friends. Get your game on and compete in this winner take all competition!

• Lighting Up Hanukkah Learning with Rabbi Shulman after lunch.

Shabbat Dinner, Friday evening, December 18 Please RSVP to Congregational Life Committee by Wednesday, December 9 Name

Address

Phone

No. of Adults@$14

No. of Children@$7

No. of Children@no charge

Vegetarian option

Amount enclosed $

Seating requests

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

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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

administrative staff

Executive Director

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

Laurel Freedman | x275 | lfreedman@chizukamuno.org

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Contents 2 LaZ’man HaZeh ~ At This Season Giving Meaningful Gifts

by Rabbi Ron Shulman

7 Different Families, Different Rituals Thoughts on Family Traditions

by Lee Hendler, Gerri Baum,

Leslie and Steve Pomerantz,

Wesley Wilson, and Mickey Simon

10 What’s Nu?

• Opening Day for Adult Education

• CAUSY News

• Sonia Levitin Visits KSDS as Author-in-Residence 4 Torah

• GECEC Serves up “Sundaes in the

Adult Bat Mitzvah Sukkah,” and Much More Class Continues Studies • Sisterhood Happenings

and Friendship

• KSDS Alumni and Purple Passion

by Anna Davis

• What’s Cooking in the CAC Kitchens?

5 Avodah

• Welcome New Members

Kicking Off the School

• Revised Minyan Schedule Year at Rosenbloom 15 Profiles in Generosity Religious School The Blavatt Family

by Alex Weinberg 16 Hanukkah B’rakhot

Keeping Busy with

Creating Significant Memories

by Dr. Anne L. Young

Brotherhood

by Eric Beser

6 Gemilut Hasadim In All Seasons

by Miriam Foss

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

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 Giving Meaningful Gifts

by Rabbi Ron Shulman

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efore Hanukkah begins, some of us may be doing some shopping to get ready. Though gift giving plays no part in Hanukkah’s lore and meaning, Hanukkah presents became a new Jewish custom in post-World War II America. This practice derives from the tradition of giving Hanukkah gelt which is a medieval custom honoring the memory of Hasmonean coins from the First Jewish Commonwealth.

In medieval Europe, the gelt, money or coins, was used to play games during the holiday. Today, of course, gelt is more commonly enjoyed as candy coins. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the tradition of giving Hanukkah gelt grew into a method for parents to reinforce their children’s Jewish identities by giving Hanukkah presents while friends and neighbors were exchanging Christmas gifts.

In truth, it may be a good strategy.

Though Hanukkah and Christmas have only the winter season in common, Americans of all faiths and backgrounds do share the desire to preserve distinctive values and respect diverse practices within our society. For we who are in the minority, this season of the year is when the majority’s commercial celebration can be overwhelming. So we work more creatively to affirm our particular identity.

But this isn’t a normal year. In this time 2 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

of tremendous economic stress, our gift giving requires deeper sensitivities. When, and if, we are comfortable shopping for our loved ones and the choice to give a gift is a reflection of our affection and appreciation, what we give should reflect genuine consideration.

A meaningful gift is one that demonstrates something of me, the person giving the gift.

It expresses my consideration of you, the person to whom I am presenting the gift. It’s a present uniquely from me. It isn’t the easy or ordinary thing anyone else can give.

We notice in Torah that Jacob offers his brother Esau gifts. Jacob is nervous that he is about to meet his older twin Esau who is coming to revenge the birthright and blessing which their father Isaac bestowed upon younger Jacob. Perhaps Jacob can calm Esau, appease him, and welcome him warmly with special presents.

“But Jacob said, ‘No, I pray you; if you would do me this favor, accept from me this gift- minhati; for to see your face is like seeing the face of God, and you have received me favorably.’” Gift in this verse is “minhati” which literally means, my offering—a tangible item or product.

When Esau graciously refuses Jacob’s gesture, Jacob appeals a second time. “Please accept my present–birkhati–which has been brought to you, for God has favored me and I have plenty.” This time Jacob’s language

reflects a gift of another sort. He says “birkhati,” my blessing.

Jacob seeks to give his brother something of himself, something our tradition understands as less tangible, something of more personal quality and care. As the medieval Spanish commentator Nahmanides describes it, “They called a gift which a person sends of his own free will “a blessing” because he sends it from that with which God had blessed him.”

God has blessed us all with so much.

Let’s remember this, especially during these difficult times. We need to share the gifts contained in each of our lives.

Imagine a Hanukkah night sitting in the candles’ glow discussing what you believe, what you hope for, what you want your children and grandchildren to know more about. What more valuable gift could you possibly give? What better way is there to bless your loved ones?

We can each give such gifts of meaning.

Offer to spend time with someone you miss, to spend time with someone on your shopping list who is alone too often.

Dedicate one or more of Hanukkah’s nights to family fun and a special activity together instead of opening presents.

Join with others in the hesed of so many gestures you and your children, you and your friends, you and our community can do for others. Draw upon your life’s blessings. We can give of our talents. We can give of our time. We can give of our

God has blessed us all with so much. Let’s remember this, expecially during these difficult times. We need to share the gifts contained in each of our lives.

is Season ~ dfd onfl hobbies. We can give of our knowledge. We can give of our memories.

This season, and every next year, these can be our Hanukkah presents. Drawing from our lives’ blessings, the most meaningful gifts we can offer will reflect something of ourselves and our imaginations, taking the risk to be different on occasion.

This issue of HaZ’man ~ This Season, our periodic synagogue publication, explores family rituals. On Thanksgiving we feast and give thanks because we are blessed by the bounties and gifts that sustain our lives and our nation. On Hanukkah we commemorate the public, external fight for Jewish survival and sovereignty as well as the private, internal struggle for Jewish spiritual wisdom and values. The prayers we recite each Hanukkah night when kindling our lights praise God for both the victory of the Maccabees and the ritual practices of Jewish tradition.

Rituals are gifts we give ourselves. Ritual behaviors present us with reminders of what we hope for, live for, and care about most deeply. The daily, weekly, and seasonal ritual celebrations of Judaism, and the ritual customs unique to our own families, affirm the meaning of our lives over the busy-ness of our lives.

Gerri Baum, Lee Hendler, Leslie and Steve Pomerantz, Mickey Simon, and Wesley Wilson share with us something about their different family ritual practices.

We hope their stories inspire your own ritual reflections and expressions at this season of the year. For in truth, the best presents we’ll give aren’t for sale in a store.

Creating Significant Memories

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

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n this issue of HaZ’man ~ This Season, congregants share stories about family traditions. The first year that

David and I were married, my mother and his parents visited us for Thanksgiving. That became one of our family traditions, which lasted for many years. Since none of our parents lived in Baltimore, they were with us for the entire weekend. In addition to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, we always planned a Baltimore outing for Friday; over the years we took in the National Aquarium, the Museum of Industry, and the Baltimore Museum of Art. And, of course, we had Shabbat dinner on Friday evening. At some point my sister and nieces began joining us. Often we invited friends for Thanksgiving dinner. Over the years things gradually changed. With the deaths of our parents, there were empty places at the table. There were additions as well. My younger niece married and had two children; three years ago her Chinese mother-in-law experienced Thanksgiving for the first time.

When my niece and her family moved to China, our routine changed again. What is constant is that my sister, David, and I will be together this year for Thanksgiving. We will eat turkey, challah stuffing, and pumpkin pie; watch football; share memories of past years; and above all else be grateful for one another and all that we have.

Holiday times, like anniversaries, are times when we often reflect on how our lives have changed and evolved. This is true not only for individuals and families, but also for institutions. Next year will be Chizuk Amuno’s 140th anniversary. Additionally, it will be the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Sanctuary, the 30th anniversary of the founding of Krieger Schechter Day School, and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Goldsmith Museum. The last time the Congregation observed such milestones was in 1995 when we celebrated the Congregation’s 125th anniversary. The visioning and planning that was part of the 125th led to lasting accomplishments that have helped to make Chizuk Amuno the unique synagogue that it is today. As part of the 125th observance we adopted our mission statement. While our mission and core values remain the same, the last 15 years have seen growth in our programs and other areas of synagogue life.

Last month at our annual board-staff retreat, we began thinking about how we can use the 140th as an occasion for celebrating our accomplishments, particularly those of the last 15 years, as well as for planning for the next decade, as we look toward the 150th. If you have suggestions, I invite you to share them with us. Feel free to send your ideas to my new Chizuk Amuno e-mail address, pres@chizukamuno.org.

Hanukkah 5770 | 3

by Anna Davis

Torah v r u ,

T

he Adult Bat Mitzvah class of 2004 gathered in early November to honor our teacher and friend, Rabbi Deborah Wechsler, for her 10 years of service to Chizuk Amuno. Our class, which consists of Teresa Alpert-Liebman, Janice Brodsky, Lisa Cohen, Arlene Dalcin, Anna Davis, Phyllis Friedman, Deena Lowenberg, Vivian Manekin, Anita Raynes, Bev Sagal, Ina Singer, Monica Talor, and Estelle Weinberg has continued to meet on a regular basis since we became adult b’not mitzvah five years ago.

We are a diverse group of women and so it was, perhaps, unlikely that we would have become so close. From youngest to oldest, the difference in our ages span nearly 40 years.

Accomplished, headstrong women all, we are teachers, scientists, health care professionals, lawyers, business executives, wives, and mothers. Our Jewish roots reflect the diversity of the world in which we live—some of us having been

raised Orthodox, others being Jewish by choice. But for two years we came together every Tuesday evening under the guidance of Rabbi Wechsler, Hazzan Perlman, and others to study Jewish tradition and practice, wrestle with fundamental questions of morality and the human condition, and to learn from one another. It was difficult at times, but we drew strength from one another and cheered each other’s accomplishments. As our formal studies drew to a close, the class had come to occupy such an important space in each of our lives that none of us wanted the group to disperse.

Originally conceived of somewhat jokingly as a Jewish Women’s Wine and Book Club, we began to meet every other month to continue our studies and maintain our connection. Since then, we have had the privilege of learning from Rabbis Shulman and Wechsler, Hazzan Perlman, and Dr. Shualy, to name just a

It was difficult at times, but we drew strength from one another and cheered each other’s accomplishments.

4 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

few of the dedicated synagogue staff who have so graciously given of their time and wisdom. We have also enjoyed many evenings of study and reflection on our own.

And, of course, we always take the time to talk and catch up. We have been there for one another through all the challenges life has thrown our way, big and small, joyous and sad. Over the years, what has emerged is nothing short of an extended family—a community of “sisters” founded upon the profound experience of becoming a bat mitzvah, and connected now by a rich and multi-layered friendship that strengthens and enriches our lives more than we can say.

In addition to the Adult Bat Mitzvah class, Anna is a Melton graduate and has enjoyed several of the adult education classes offered at the Stulman Center. Anna is a lawyer and she and her husband, Richard Gordon, have been members of Chizuk Amuno for eight years. They have two children, Aaron and Rachel.

Avodah

v s u c g

Kicking Off the School Year at Rosenbloom Religious School and Netivon

by Alex Weinberg

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he excitement has begun in the Rosenbloom Religious School.

Our classes have been immersed in preparations for the holidays, celebrations of learning and engagement in our Chizuk Amuno community.

Our school year began with a Selihot opening program for our upper-school, featuring a Selihot service full of song.

We had ice cream and, of course, an American Gladiator scooter challenge. We welcomed almost 70 kindergarten and first grade students to our religious school program the following morning with an interactive “Shabbat Chef ” experience. Our kindergarten students, together with their families, discovered the many ingredients of Shabbat while our first graders enjoyed our rocking slide show with the second through fourth grade students and parents.

The month of Tishrei was a great time in the RRS with shofar making, sukkah decorating and visits, lulav assembly with the Chizuk Amuno Brotherhood and Rabbi Menachem Youlus, Simhat Torah dancing, and many other activities to get us into a Tishrei state of mind.

Our upper school has been hard at work with our fabulous faculty, learning to lead new services, Torah reading, Mishnah, Gemara and conversational Hebrew, and other subjects. This year we are very excited that Dr. Susan Vick, our Goldsmith Museum curator is teaching our sixth grade

students Jewish history using the timeline in the Hendler Learning Center. Our students have participated in searches, touched thousand year-old pottery and other objects to make our Jewish history come alive!

Netivon has begun the year with our annual Booths and Burgers BBQ in the sukkah. We had a great time playing frisbee and football, eating burgers (veggie burgers too) as well as catching up with new and old friends.

We are so excited to welcome back almost 100 students and a fabulous faculty to Netivon. A sample of the courses that we are offering this year include: NETA Hebrew, The Devil’s Advocate, Mission: Responding to Campus Missionaries, War and Violence in the Hebrew Bible, and Victims and Aggressors and Israel Advocacy. Netivon offers over 25 different Judaica and Hebrew courses each semester!

Alex is Chizuk Amuno’s Director of Congregational Education. He directs the Religious School and Netivon programs, congregational family and holiday programs, and leads the Torah for Tots and the weekly GECEC Friday morning Shabbat prep service. Alex’s favorite activity at Chizuk Amuno is leading our weekly Shabbat Family Services, while holding his six month old daughter, Yona, as older daughters, Sami and Izzy, help with the service.

Chizuk Amuno Brotherhood managed the lulav and etrog orders from members of the congregation for Sukkot. Brotherhood representatives worked alongside students from the Rosenbloom Religious School assembling the lulavim before creating sets with etrogim and distributing them to congregants.

Keeping Busy with Brotherhood

by Eric Beser In September, Brotherhood’s new board was installed.

Board members include: Jeff Snyder, President; Larry Amsterdam, First VP; Gary Brager, Second VP; Dan Meyers and Marvin Spector, Co-Treasurers; Marty Kinstler, Recording Secretary; and Eric Beser, Communications Secretary. There are plenty of opportunities for involvement and we encourage you to call Jeff Snyder, 410/977-6212, if you’d like to volunteer.

This year we are continuing our highly popular Brotherhood Monday Night programs. Please check the HaHodesh ~ This Month for future dates and plan to join us for good food and good fellowship.

Brotherhood asks that you remember to take part in our ongoing cooperative initiative with DiWine Spirits. When buying wine, please mention that you are supporting Chizuk Amuno Brotherhood. You will receive a discount and a portion of the proceeds from the purchase will be donated to the Brotherhood, which in turn helps to underwrite programs at Chizuk Amuno. Thanks in advance for your support.

Eric volunteers on the synagogue Mitzvah Corps and he is the Managing Partner of E-ISG Asset Intelligence. Eric and his wife, Kay, have been members of Chizuk Amuno for 20 years. Their children, Erin and Ari, are both RRS graduates.

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Gemilut Hasadim In All Seasons

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n Ethics of the Fathers it is written “It is not your duty to complete the task but neither are you free to desist from it” (Pirke Avot 2:21) Even though the repair of the world may be daunting, each act of personal service can make a difference in the lives of others. As a community, each of our contributions through volunteering comprise a whole greater than the sum of its parts and make us a community of action.

Acts of personal service take place all year round at Chizuk Amuno.

The summer is a time when many congregants have the freedom to fit volunteering into their very busy schedules. The Jared Scott Levy Memorial Garden was in bloom all summer and served as an outdoor oasis for reflection, prayer, and celebration. Extensive replanting, weeding, and watering were directed by the project leader with the assistance of teen volunteers and their parents.

Over the summer Chizuk Amuno sponsored a Teddy Bear Tea Party at St. Vincent’s Center, an institution for children who have been abused and/or neglected.

Congregants built houses with Habitat for Humanity of the Chesapeake, cooked and served meals at Ronald McDonald House, and served guests at Our Daily Bread.

Fall signaled the beginning of the Jewish New Year with the strongly supported Yom Kippur Food Drive.

We were able to contribute much needed nonperishable food to C.A.R.E.S., the Community Assistance Network of Baltimore County, Manna House, and Our Daily Bread. Efforts continued this fall with the CHAI Weatherization Day, the I.O.U. Clothing Drive, and the Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure.

Participants in the Knit One, Learn Too Knitting 6 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

By Miriam Foss

group knit and crochet blankets to be sent to hospitals in Israel and Baltimore throughout the year. Each blanket is labeled; “Made with Tender Loving Care by Chizuk Amuno Congregation.”

Congregants living in Israel and here in Baltimore transport and deliver the blankets personally.

Listed to the right are the members of the congregation who lead these projects. Our program is built from the ideas and passions of congregants who are interested in leading a specific project. When a project is proposed it is discussed in a subcommittee of the Gemilut Hasadim committee and is then piloted on an experimental basis to see if the project is conducive and supported by a sufficient number of volunteers.

Partnerships are established with strong agencies that can use volunteers in structured and specific ways in order to maximize the use of the volunteers’ time and talents.

Our theme for the coming year is B’Tzelem Elohim (in the image of God). This central concept in Judaism is that each person is created in God’s image and therefore each person in need is worthy of help and attention.

Should you have a project or idea that you would like to discuss with the committee please contact Miriam Foss at 410/486-6400, ext. 281 or mfoss@chizukamuno.org.

This project is made possible by the Harry and Jeannette Weinberg Gemilut Hasadim Endowment Fund.

Miriam Foss, LCSW-C is the Director of the Gemilut Hasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness) Service Initiative at Chizuk Amuno Congregation. Miriam loves her work facilitating personal service through group projects and community partnerships. She and her husband, Forrest, are the parents of four Krieger Schechter Day School graduates.

Weinberg Gemilut Hasadim Service Initiative Dr. Andrew Miller, Chair Committee Members Jennifer Arndt Robinson Jenny Baker Kelly Keegan Blavatt Hillary Crystal Dr. Karen Ezrine Arlene Friedman Connie Friedman Ricky Gratz Barbara Grochal Lee M. Hendler Margi Hoffman Rena Lapidus Teresa Alpert-Leibman Neil Leikach Linda Levy Nadia Massuda A.J. Piltch Dr. Bobbi Schulman Dr. Susan Straus Rabbi Deborah Wechsler Dr. Jim Wolf Marsha Yoffe Project Chairs Adopt-A-Road Irwin Golob CHAI Housing Liaison Neil Leikach

Chesapeake Habitat for Humanity Jennifer Arndt Robinson Dr. Bobbi Schulman Hackerman Patz House Frada Wall International Outreach Dr. Jim Wolf Jared Scott Levy Memorial Garden Allen Brown My Sister’s Place Barbara Grochal Our Daily Bread Jenny Baker Wendy Davis Race for the Cure Rena Lapidus Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Miriam Foss Sisterhood Liason/Senior Outreach Linda Levy St. Vincent’s Center Dr. Susan Straus Synagogue Social Action Committee Connie Friedman

Different Families, Different Rituals America the Beautiful, as Ritual

by Lee Hendler

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hanksgiving has always been an important time for our family to gather, reconnect, and celebrate. To this day, it remains so, with a difference.

We’ve discovered that Thanskgiving is a great time to pass on our American Story and America’s story to the next generation of citizens: our children and grandchildren.

Having been raised by a Midwesternbred, diehard patriot, my commitment to the USA was inspired by my mother’s convictions and behavior. After 9/11, I, like so many other Americans,was hurting for our country and felt a need to respond and make a positive contribution. With the support and input of educators and scholars, I created the first version of Freedom’s Feast, a flexible ceremony with songs, historical readings, discussion, and commentaries based on America’s core documents and early history.

In 2001, at our Thanksgiving table, I introduced this new ceremony to my family. A 90 minute experience, it was both exhausting and affirming. Over the years, as

Freedom’s Feast has evolved, we have shortened the time frame, and introduced something new each year, so that the experience remains fresh and reflects our family’s changing needs and interests. We own it; it doesn’t own us. It has become the catalyst we want it to be for a treasured family conversation about our American experience.

My children say that this is one of the few times in the year that they stop to really think about their American inheritance: “What am I grateful for as an American?

What are my responsibilities? What is important to me as a citizen? What do I want to pass on to my children?” The universal response from guests is “I never knew Thanksgiving could be like this!”

Similar in some ways to our Pesah experience, joining together as a family and telling the American story has become a meaningful family tradition, with rituals that we look forward to each year. (Parcel paper tablecloths with crayons for self expression next to the sterling silver and crystal are standard practice). I encourage other families to share in the celebration, to explore our American journey together, and rediscover the joy of transmitting our passions for America to the next generation. For downloadable versions of Freedom’s Feast: Thanksgiving, please visit www.freedomsfeast.us.

Lee Meyerhoff Hendler is currently Project Director of Freedom’s Feast and consultant to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan on their joint year round public program, “Raising Citizens,” inspiring civic responsibility through the celebration of major American holidays. She is a Johns Hopkins University trustee, President of the Harvey and Lyn P. Meyerhoff Fund, Lead Co-Chair of the board of the Institute of Christian and Jewish Studies, and a past president of Chizuk Amuno. Most importantly, she has four great kids, two delightful daughters-in-law and a granddaughter who is just about as perfect as a two year old granddaughter can be.

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Gotcha Day

by Gerri Baum

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t was 11 years ago that I learned the fate of thousands of Chinese babies abandoned by their parents. Wherein parents prize male babies, little girls were not so valued, literally being left for the picking like a basket of fruit in a market place. That is how my soon-to-be daughter, Mira, was found at three-days-old, discovered in the corridors of a produce market, wrapped in blankets inside a cardboard box.

On November 2, 1999, I received a call from my adoption counselor, notifying me of a little girl in the Hunan Province of China who was identified for me to adopt.

I visited the agency to learn about the child who would eventually change the course of my life. My counselor told me that I had 48 hours to decide if I would accept or reject the child whose photo I now had in front of me. I looked at the colored snapshot of

Words of Wisdom for Our Children

by Leslie and Steve Pomerantz

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ur family rituals provide an opportunity to bond with each other, to create a sense of order and sometimes even to 8 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

the plump little bundle sitting quite carefree in what appeared to be a large red mixing bowl. At five-months, this porcelain-like china doll brandished a smile that would cause the sun to rise on a rainy day. In an instant I knew that she was mine. This little girl would become my family and I would become hers. I was, in essence, being given a privilege to nurture a flower which the Chinese government forced a loving couple to desert; and it was incumbent upon me to give her the best possible life.

I met my daughter Yuan Bei, who I named Mira Bei Rose, on December 7.

Every year Mira and I remember that special day. Together, we ritualize December 7 as the birth of our family, or as others who have adopted from China so playfully call it “Gotcha Day.” We take part in our own personal ritual of celebration. There is have fun as we share something unique together.

While some family rituals may be more serious and elaborate, others are simple, but still quite meaningful.

A line from an otherwise forgettable movie is the source of one of our favorite rituals. As we drop the kids off at school each day, we have always had the urge to convey some words of wisdom to carry them through the day.

“Have a great day” or “Good luck on that test” just didn’t do it for us. So, a number of years ago, we started cheerfully imparting the words: “Make good choices!” as they step out onto the curb.

Is it corny? Yes. Do our kids cringe if

food – Chinese of course – and there is cake, but most significant, there is reflection as we recount the story of how two souls, living cultures apart and separated by a great ocean, found each other and began a life filled with love, tradition, and holiness.

Gerri has been a member at Chizuk Amuno for five years.

Her daughter, Mira, is in 5th grade at KSDS. Gerri works as a marketing and public relations consultant and participates in a variety of volunteer work throughout the Jewish community.

they think someone else hears us say it?

Definitely Yes. The reaction we get each morning is different. Sometimes the phrase is met with a smile and a response, “Will do!” or “Okay!” or “I’ll try!” On other mornings, the responses range from a grunt, to “stop saying that already!”

“Make good choices!” is a great message.

Sometimes we wish we could make all the choices for our kids. However, as they mature, the choices become increasingly important and increasingly theirs to make.

We hope that, thanks to our daily morning ritual, they will always hear a voice in their head that asks, “Am I making good choices?”

Leslie and Stephen Pomerantz have three children, Miriam, Aaron, and Shira. Miriam is a freshman at Beth Tfiloh Dahan High School, Aaron and Shira attend Krieger Schechter Day School. Leslie is Executive Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Leadership at the Associated Jewish Charities. Stephen is a physician at Advanced Radiology.

Embracing Ritual, Creating Family

by Wesley Wilson

A

s a single adult, my earliest memories of Jewish ritual are those I learned about as a child from my mostly secular grandfather.

The memory and the importance of Jewish ritual was very much a part of my life growing up. Jewish ritual and religious observance is grounded in Jewish law,

From Generation to Generation

by Mickey Simon

M

y husband, Joe, was a traditional man—someone who loyally followed the rituals that were important to him.

One of those rituals was honoring the dead with a yearly cemetery visit. This ritual was so important to him that when he knew he was terminally ill he took the time and effort to draw for his children a diagram of the four cemeteries where family members were buried. He expected that we would carry on the annual ritual. So every year on Labor Day, my children, Margie and Steven, and I dutifully make our rounds of the different cemeteries, visiting those who came before us. It has come to be a

halakhah, literally “the path one walks.”

Incorporating the strength of ritual, making this the path I walk is very much the center of my life as a Jew by Choice.

There are many rituals that are part of my daily life from the time I begin the day until the day closes. Whether ritual hand washing upon awakening or reciting the Shema before turning out the light, the cadence of my daily life includes Jewish ritual.

Today in our electronic world where the days seem to evaporate with weeks and years seeming like days and months, it is far too easy to lose sight of our path. Finding a way to frame the day, to place it into some perspective or path, living Jewishly is always my goal. Attending weekly Shabbat services had been part of my ritual for a number of years, yet daily prayer in community, minyan, had not. The first visit to evening minyan three years ago quickly reframed my daily ritual.

Minyan has become an essential daily

tradition that is very meaningful to us. At first, the visits were to family members— great-grandparents, grandparents, cousins, and extended family. As the years passed, others have come to be included in the annual visit— parents of friends who lived out of town and could not themselves come to cemetery, co-workers and others who had touched our lives. Each grave visit includes the recitation of prayers and/or psalms and the leaving of a stone. After all four cemeteries have been visited and all of our people have been properly honored, the final step is another of my husband’s rituals—lunch.

ritual; the day is not complete without it. This personal yet communal time with God is a way to refine, if not focus, “the path one walks.”

Whether the personal connection is that private space in the morning when wrapping tefillin or the communal space davenen Ma’ariv, for me minyan frames the fullness and focus of daily life. Here, too, the richness of community is the warmth of family.

I arrived at Chizuk Amuno in search of a deeper personal connection to Judaism.

Thanks to the encouragement, support, and opportunity shared so genuinely by the Chizuk Amuno community, I have been given so much more.

Wesley is the Chief of the Central Library, Enoch Pratt Free Library. He has an undergraduate degree in Education and Art History with a graduate degree in Library Science. Wes is a long time supporter of community involvement and served on the Board of the Citizens Planning and Housing Association for 10 years. His current volunteer activity includes Our Daily Bread with Chizuk Amuno. He enjoys studying/lifelong learning and is enrolled in his fourth year of Melton graduate courses.

Mickey has stayed involved at Chizuk Amuno for many decades. She has participated in gemilut hasadim projects and volunteered as a librarian in the Munitz Library, cataloguing books. Mickey served as a mentor for four years in the NCAA program (Northwestern Chizuk Amuno Alliance), and has remained connected to her student.

Currently she is a hard working, dedicated member of the Goldsmith Museum Committee, and can always be counted on for polishing the museum and Torah silver.

Hanukkah 5770 | 9

What’s Nu? Opening Day for Adult Education

by Judy Meltzer Baseball season may have ended, but Opening Day at Melton took place on Tuesday, September 22, when 28 players descended on the field with their coaches. Coach (Rabbi) Amy Scheinerman said she expects a great season, with each player establishing an excellent learning record. Coaches Sally Fink and Beryl Gottesman are looking forward to hits and runs, and absolutely no errors.

Graduates of Melton are learning about Exodus with Rabbis Ron Shulman, Gila Ruskin, and Yaakov Chaitovsky. More recent additions to our learning team are “Finding God” in their study sessions on Wednesday mornings, while others continue in the popular Friday morning study group with Rabbi Shulman.

Two new opportunities are available this year. Have you ever wondered what Hindus or Buddhists believe about God? How Christians think about the hereafter?

We’re finding out in a Comparative Religions course on Thursday mornings with Rabbi Amy Scheinerman. One Monday evening a month we have an opportunity to engage in One Conversation, Two Traditions, led by Rabbi Ilyse Kramer and Dr. Roseann Catalano, educators from the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies.

CAUSY News

by Isaac Woloff

Congratulations Chizuk Amuno United Synagogue Youth (CAUSY)! This past year our chapter was awarded a number of distinctions including “largest USY chapter in the Seaboard Region!” Our chapter offers a number of different social venues for our teens including monthly lounge nights, High Holy Day and Shabbat services, a monthly Shabbat basketball league, and numerous Tikkun Olam opportunities. We are so lucky to have such an outstanding group of young leaders on our CAUSY board. The members of this year’s Executive Board are President, Kate Ziegelstein; Executive/Israel Affairs Vice President, Sarah Hoffman; Religious/Education Vice President, Zevi Lowenberg; Social Action/Tikkun Olam Vice President, Erika Wohl; Membership/Kadima 10 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

Don’t miss these exciting programs coming up this winter.

On Sunday, January 10, at 1 p.m., David Kraemer, Ph.D., will introduce the Phyllis and Louis Friedman Scholar-in Residence program. Dr. Kraemer will teach us about Life, Death, and the Hereafter: the Mysteries of Judaism. Please join us for the luncheon and lecture, which are free and open to the public. During his four days in residence, Dr. Kraemer will teach congregants and the students and faculty of our schools. We are very grateful to Phyllis and Louis Friedman for making this Scholar-inResidence program possible.

On Wednesday, January 20, at 7:30 p.m., Dr. Ruth Faden, Director of the Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, will deliver the Paul J. Fineman Jewish Ethics Lecture entitled The Ethical Challenges in Vice President, Adrian Rabin; and Communication Vice President, Jason Kornblatt.

This upcoming year we are going to be stronger than ever with new programs, such as our Friday Shabbaton and amazing annual programs, including our pre-Passover “Inside out Car Wash.”

We are extremely proud to have such an amazing and dynamic group of young leaders in our community who give so much of their time and energy to help others.

Yasher koah to Jason Kornblatt on a great job as USY Encampment Tri-Chair–encampment is a week long camp experience held at Capital Camps. During this time Jason helped plan and implement programming for more than 170 students from all over Seaboard Region. We are also thrilled that CAUSY member Ben Greenberg was elected Seaboard Region Religious/Education Vice President for 2009-2010.

Health Care Reform. The lecture will be followed by a conversation with Rabbi Ron Shulman and a question and answer session. Join us to learn more about this very timely topic. We thank the Fineman and Cohen families for funding this wonderful program. The lecture is free and open to the community.

A dessert reception will follow.

This is only a glimpse of the many ways in which you can become a member of the learning team at Chizuk Amuno. To sign up, call Judy Meltzer at 410/824-2058.

Judy Meltzer is Chizuk Amuno’s Director of the Stulman Center for Adult Learning and the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School.

She loves everything about Adult Jewish Learning. As an adult, Judy earned a masters degree in Jewish Studies, taught adults in many settings, and always continued to study. When it comes to Jewish learning, you’re never too young or too old.

Ninth through Twelfth graders: we invite you to join us for another year of great CAUSY activities! If you have any questions about CAUSY or other Chizuk Amuno youth groups please, contact Isaac Woloff, Youth Educator at iwoloff@chizukamuno.org or 410/486-8641, ext. 305.

You will find Isaac playing music for GECEC, teaching a new tefilah in the Religious School, singing with Schechter, or teaching in Netivon. Isaac Woloff, Youth Educator at Chizuk Amuno Congregation, creates and implements experiential educational programming for students in grades K-12.

Sonia Levitin Visits KSDS as Author-inResidence

by Sonia Kozlovsky and Laurie Margolies KSDS students had the privilege of hearing from Sonia Levitin, a nationally recognized author. Over two days, Mrs. Levitin spoke about the importance of commitment to goals, actions, and decision making in connection with writing. The author tailored her comments to each group with which she met, describing her own experiences and memories as the basis for many of her stories. Mrs. Levitin has written many books about immigration, travel, the human condition, and social action. Mrs. Levitin’s writing and life speak to the Jewish and humanistic values that we hold dear. Her own family immigrated to America from Germany when she was young.

Mrs. Levitin was most impressed with the school’s commitment to teaching values, as evidenced by the Lower School kiosk type display of “The Road to Derekh Eretz” in the Rosenbloom lobby which was inspired by her picture books. Middle School students read and reflected on several of Mrs. Levitin’s works and were well prepared for her visit.

GECEC Serves Up “Sundaes in the Sukkah,” and Much More

by Michelle Gold and Elise Harrison

In October, over 200 children, their parents, and their grandparents celebrated Sukkot with Elmo, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Blue, Bob the Builder, Cinderella, and Snow White in Chizuk Amuno’s numerous sukkot. The children garnered autographs and were photographed with their favorite characters. The families socialized over pizza and salad and everyone had the chance to build their own ice cream sundaes.

In November, Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center students and teachers came together for an interactive Shabbat program. Rabbi Shulman, Rabbi Wechsler, and Dr. Schneider hid Shabbat ritual items in their offices. The children sang “Who took Shabbat from Shabbat at school?” The children were great detectives and found the candles,

Teachers also had the opportunity to hear from Mrs. Levitin about the importance of writing, and the connections she makes between the creation of a fictional hero character and Biblical Avraham, who took the ultimate challenge of leaving his comfort zone to make a decision of vital importance.

Mrs. Levitin’s visit provided a wonderful opportunity to integrate several aspects of General and Judaic studies curriculum, such as teaching Rambam’s levels of tzedakah, inspired by her book, Boomtown.

Lianna Reisman, a KSDS 7th grader, initiated contact with Mrs. Levitin when writing to her about the book Journey to America. This educational program was made possible by the Silverman/Brown Author-in-Residence Fund.

Sonia Kozlovsky and Laurie Margolies love being the librarians at the Ezrine Library/Glazer Media Center of Krieger Schechter Day School. Combined, they have over 55 years of service at Chizuk Amuno schools.

wine, and challah, followed by Shabbat celebrations in their classrooms.

This year’s Open House for prospective families had record attendance. Over 25 families attended the Open House to check out all the fun and excitement at GECEC as they make their decisions for enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year. For a personal tour and application, contact Michelle Gold, Director, or Elise Harrison, Assistant Director, at 410/486-8642.

Michelle Gold is Director of the Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center. Elise Harrison is the Assistant Director and Director of the GECEC Summer Camp.

Michelle and Elise have been members of Chizuk Amuno Congregation since the age of five. They have shared several s’mahot together including their own b’not mitzvah. Michelle is the mother of Brett and Derek, both Krieger Schechter Day School students. Elise’s children, Emma and Ethan, attend Rosenbloom Religious School.

Hanukkah 5770 | 11

Happenings with Sisterhood this Fall Sisterhood’s opening event was attended by approximately 25 women.

We came to exchange greetings with friends and new members as well as exchange books and CDs. It was a great ice-breaker since it gave those who did not know each other a chance to meet.

It was also an opportunity to clean off shelves in our homes and make room for new additions.

We decorated the bimah for Sukkot with a beautiful variety of potted mums–dark red, orange, and yellow–accompanied by giant ferns.

When the holiday was over, we sold the plants and raised $254. Those plants not sold were donated to the Hackerman-Patz House.

On October 25, Sisterhood sponsored its semiannual shredding event. Assisted by “Torn 2 Shredz,” an on-site shredding service, Sisterhood volunteers collected boxes and bags of paper documents.

Those who participated made a $10 donation and could

New York City’s KSDS Alumni and Purple Passion Our very own KSDS alum were found cheering for their hometown team, the Baltimore Ravens, at New York City’s Wharf Grill on Sunday, October 18. Catching up with old friends, talking about life in the big apple and recalling in which eighth grade play they had performed, there was one thing that was made perfectly clear...the logic problems that Mrs. Kiner had them do in middle school paid off for them when taking their entrance exams for law school and graduate school.

Go KSDS!

What’s Cooking in the CAC Kitchens?

This year our in-house catering service has developed due to the hard work and wonderful talents of our chef, Annie Hood. We have had the pleasure of helping congregants with their s’mahot – b’nei mitzvah, britot milah, baby namings, aufruf parties, birthdays, as well as

12 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

all of our Shabbat and haggim kiddushim. We have also had some wonderful community Friday night dinners­— Annie makes a killer brisket! Using our in-house catering services saves our members the cost of the room rental.

If you have an upcoming simhah, please call Jenny Baker, Synagogue Administrator, ext. 227, and she will be glad to help you with your menu and arrangements.

watch on camera as their documents and other papers were safely and securely shredded. All shredded paper was later recycled, and was estimated to have saved 51 trees.

The concept of providing this service was born of the desire to “repair the world.” In addition to saving trees, this is way for participants to rid clutter from their homes (and lives). Our next shredding event is scheduled to take place in April of 2010.

In November, Sisterhood gathered for “Grandma’s Candlesticks,” a presentation by the Jewish Indiana Jones, Rabbi Menachem Youlus, scribe, Torah rescuer, and antique expert. While reviewing various artifacts, we learned how he goes about authenticating items.

Markings on an object can tell us about when it was created, the country of origin, and even the artist’s name.

We discovered many interesting tidbits, for example, do you have a kiddush cup lined with gold? If so, it was probably made after 1950, when it came to be known that gold is the only precious metal that does not affect the taste of wine. Books, Haggadot, tefillin are all items that we should keep in our family. Sometimes they have a large monetary value and sometimes they do not. But, more importantly, these objects tell our Jewish story, our family story, and should be treasured and handed down from generation to generation.

ohtcv ohfurc

Barukhim Habaim! Welcome to Our New Members Stacie and David Abrahams Deirdre and Joseph Bernstein Allison and Adam Baumwald Holly and Tyler Cymet Alissa and Lee Densky Julia David Lea and Mechel Frydman

Lisa and Joshua Goldberg Shelley and Sheldon Goldseker Shari and Alan Grabush Anna Dreyer and Richard Hanna Marni and Dan Kahn Wendi and Derek Kaplan Jennifer and Brian Mekiliesky

Deya and Ira Rainess Linda Fuller and Chaika Rosenthal Mindy and J.M. Schapiro Jen Fairman and Ron Schmelzer Libby and Adam Smoler Lisa Einhorn and Jeremy Thibodaux

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.

Revised Schedule of Shabbat services and Daily Minyan Jewish tradition encourages us to pray “at a favorable time – et ratzon.” Asking when such a time is, the Talmud answers, “at the time the congregation prays.” In other words, establishing a convenient and proper time for individuals to gather together for prayer services is a congregational responsibility and a requirement for prayer.

Please note the following changes to our weekly schedule of Shabbat services and Daily Minyan.

Beginning Friday, January 1, 2010 Minhah/ Ma’ariv services will begin at 6:15 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. (The change here is on Sundays, moving from 6 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., keeping the time consistent throughout the week.)

On Friday afternoons, we introduce an Oneg Shabbat and Minhah at 6 p.m. This will provide us a brief chance to nosh and visit together before welcoming Shabbat as a synagogue community. Minhah prayers will be recited before Kabbalat Shabbat Services, which will begin at 6:15 p.m. and conclude at 7 p.m. Of course, we gather for Shabbat afternoon Minhah at the time appropriate before each week’s sunset.

(This change is designed to assist those of us who need a bit more time on Friday afternoon to arrive for services, but still enable all of us to enjoy a timely Shabbat dinner with family and friends following our prayer.)

At Chizuk Amuno we gather in sacred community for prayer, observance, and celebration at our Daily Minyan services and weekly Shabbat or seasonal Festival services.

We trust that these adjustments to our Schedule of Services will help more of us to join our community at “favorable times” for prayer and gathering.

Schedule of Services, beginning Friday, January 1, 2010 Daily Services Daily: 7:30 a.m. and 6:15 p.m.

Sunday: 9:15 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. (previously 6 p.m.)

Shabbat Services Fridays Oneg Shabbat/Minhah Kabbalat Shabbat

6:00 p.m. (previously 5:50 p.m.)

6:15 p.m. (previously 6:00 p.m.)

Saturdays Shabbat Morning Service 9:15 a.m.

Minhah/Ma’ariv varies weekly

Keeping in Touch h Avoda

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This fall, Chizuk Amuno published our first Membership Directory. If you have not yet received yours in the mail, please contact our office, 410/486-6400 or e-mail info@chizukamuno.org.

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We are increasingly relying on electronic communication to provide detailed information about our upcoming events. If you have access to e-mail, it is of utmost importance that we have your address so that we are able to reach you.

Please help us save money (paper, printing, postage) and save the environment (paper, paper, paper) by subscribing to our electronic communication.

You may visit our website, www.chizukamuno.org, and register your e-mail address (lower left-hand corner) or send your e-mail address to info@chizukamuno.org, indicating you would like to join our weekly e-update distribution list.

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Hanukkah 5770 | 13

Sisterhood

Judaica Shop Currently Featuring Our Huge Selection of Hanukkah Items Menorahs • Candles • Dreidels Lots of Popular Gift Items for the Youngsters and Young-At-Heart on your List Books • Toys • Kitchenware Collections (aprons, cookbooks, serving pieces)

Plus! The Woman of Valor collection has arrived!

This popular ceramic grouping never stays long on shelves so take advantage of its availability now.

Shop Hours: Sunday: 9:15-11:30 a.m.

Monday: 10 a.m.-noon, 2-7 p.m.

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: 10 a.m.-noon, 2-6 p.m.

Friday: 10 a.m.-noon

Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center

Krieger Schechter Day School

18 months - 5 years 410/486-8642 Call for a personal tour— registration for the 2010-11 school year in progress.

Kindergarten - 8th Grade 410/824-2066

Michelle Gold, Director Elise Harrison, Assistant Director

OPEN HOUSE

Kindergarten - 7th Grade 410/486-8641 OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, January 10 2 p.m.

Sunday, January 31 9:15 a.m.

Dr. Paul Schneider, Headmaster Ilene Wise, Director of Admission

Alex Weinberg, Director Abby Kogen, Assistant Director

www.ksds.edu

www.chizukamuno.org/rrs

Please call to inquire about our high school and adult education programs.

14 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

Rosenbloom Religious School

Getting To Know You … Profiles in Generosity

A

s we tell Chizuk Amuno’s story throughout the pages of HaZ’man ~ This Season, we recognize that our story is also made up of hundreds of individual “stories” about families that make Chizuk

Amuno a philanthropic priority. Below are the thoughts of the Blavatt family on why they choose to support Chizuk Amuno, above and beyond their membership dues.

The Blavatt Family— Ronald, Susan, Jeffrey, Kelly, Jason, Amy, Jared, and Rachel

Whether it be in services on Shabbat, a Membership Committee meeting, a Gemilut Hasadim project, or a Rosenbloom Religious school program, turn around on any day of the week and you are likely to find at least one member of the Blavatt family at Chizuk Amuno.

There are currently three generations of the Blavatt family involved at Chizuk Amuno. “There is something here for all of us,” said Jason. “The synagogue is

always changing to meet the needs of its congregants.”

Family is a core value of every member of the Blavatt family and the synagogue plays an important role in supporting that value.

“Chizuk Amuno provides the grounding for us as a family,” said Susan. “It is a place where we can connect with the heritage of our people while impacting our hopes for the future.”

“I love that Chizuk Amuno is a place that brings my family together, parents, children, and grandparents. Whether it is in the building or in one of our homes, CAC helps us to celebrate holidays together,” she said.

As long-time donors to Chizuk Amuno, the Blavatts feel strongly about supporting an organization that means so much to their family. “This is not a one shot deal,” said Susan. “Since we benefit so much from the community, we want to support it.”

Volunteering and giving back to others is another long-standing value in the Blavatt family. “Giving back to Chizuk Amuno gives me so much satisfaction,” said Jason. “At Chizuk, the work I do has a material impact on my own family as well as my community.”

The people to people connections that they share through Chizuk Amuno are especially notable to the Blavatts. “The synagogue is the Jewish hub that brings us together,” said Jason. “At Chizuk, I see people who I have met in other contexts but our experiences are all integrated here.” “The synagogue is where we find meaningful connections with people in our lives,” Susan added.

For the Blavatts, ongoing support and involvement of Chizuk is a given. “Chizuk Amuno is my past and future. I plan to live and age in this community. I want my children to always have a place to come home to,” commented Jason.

Hanukkah 5770 | 15

Celebrating the meaning of Hanukkah’s Light B’rakhot for Hanukkah’s Lights

¨v     T       ²,  J ¤J Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh haOlam asher kid-sha’nu b’mitz-votav v’tzi-vanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who sanctified us as a people through God’s commandments, and commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.

¨v    T  /v®Z©v i©n±z³C o¥v¨v oh¦n²HC Ubh ¯,Ic£t³k oh¦X°b v¨G²g¤J Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh haOlam, sh’a-sah nisim la’avo-tei-nu ba-yamim ha-hem baz’man ha-zeh.

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the Universe, who performed miracles for our ancestors during those days at this season.

On the first night only:

¨v    T  /v®Z©v i©n±Z³k Ub ²gh°D¦v±u Ub ²n±H¦e±u Ub ²h¡j¤v¤J Barukh Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melekh haOlam, sh’he-he-ya-nu v’ki-y’ma-nu v’hi-gi-a-nu laZ’man haZeh. Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the Universe, for the gift of our lives, for all that sustains us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

 ohrut 

On Hanukkah we remember the miracles of faith, of our people’s perseverance, and of life’s daily wonders. We remember the Maccabees and the conflict of ancient days while we honor the victory of faith, and of Judaism’s ideals. Hanukkah’s light represents spiritual strength, not only physical prowess. Our Hanukkiyot represent God’s light, a path of peace and goodness that must endure for all time

oh¦X°b©v k©g oh¦eh°k§s©n Ub§j³b£t Uk²K©v ,Ir¯B©v ,In¨j§k¦N©v k©g±u ,IgUJ§T©v k gu ,It k±p°B©v k©g±u v®Z©v i©n±Z©C o¥v¨v oh¦n²H©C Ubh ¥,Ic£t³k ¨,h ¦Gg¤J v²Fb£j h¥n±h ,³bIn§J k²f±u /oh¦JIs§E©v Wh ¤b£v«F h¥s±h k©g ,UJ§r Ub ²k ih¥t±u o¥v J¤s «e Uk²K©v ,Ir¯B©v s²c§k°C o¨,It§r°k t²K¤t o¤v²C J¥N©T§J¦v§k kIs²D©v W§n¦J±k k¯K©v±kU ,IsIvk h¥s±F /W ®,²gUJ±h k©g±u Wh ®,It±k±p°b k©g±u Wh ®X°b k³g HaNerot Hallalu anahnu madlikim, al ha-nisim, v’al ha-nif-laot, v’al ha-t’shuot, v’al-ha milhamot, she-a’sita-la’avoteinu ba-ya-mim ha-hem, bazman ha-zeh al y’dei kohanekha hak’doshim. V’khol sh-mo-nat y’mei Hanukkah haNerot hallalu kodesh hem, v’ein la-nu r’shut l’hish-ta-mesh ba-hem, eleh li’rotom bilvad, k’day l’hodot u’l’halel l’Shimkha ha-Gadol al nisekha v’al niflotekha v’al y’shuatekha.

How the lights are kindled: One candle is lit in the Hanukkah menorah for each night. For the first night, one candle, the second night, two candles, and so on until eight candles are kindled on the eighth night. The candle for the first night is placed on the right side of your Hanukkiyah. On each subsequent night an additional candle is placed to the left of the preceding night’s candle. The lighting proceeds from left to right so that the new candle is kindled first

16 | HaZ’man ~ This Season

each night. No practical use may be made of the Hanukkah lights such as illuminating the room. Therefore, according to Jewish tradition, a special extra candle known as the Shamash is used to light the others and to provide light. On Friday night the Hanukkah lights are lit before the Shabbat candles, prior to sunset. On Saturday night, be sure the sun has set before lighting the Hanukkah candles.

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Gemilut Hasadim Comfort Justice Celebration

Chizuk Amuno’s Annual Campaign ensures the depth and diversity of offerings that make our synagogue a community.

Thank you for your generous support of this year’s campaign.

We are grateful to the over 500 congregants who have already made a pledge. At this Hanukkah season, if you would like to do so, please e-mail development@chizukamuno.org or call 410/824-2057.

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

Give the gift of a professional look ...

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

INTERVIEW OUTFITS UNLIMITED (I.O.U.) ((I I CLOTHING DRIVE SUUNDAY, DEECEMBER 6, 2009 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 Gemilut Hasadim Endowment Fund Gem

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

time sensitive m aterial please deliver promptly