NJC planning active season

Charles Flum, President

Summer is the slow time of the year here at NJC. We have a couple of social events, such as Flamingle meeting once a month or so. Flamingle is our social group where we engage in different activities, from telling funny stories about ourselves to visiting the Holocaust Museum in Naples. Services are held once a month until September. Once September rolls around, we will be back in full swing.

Services will resume every Friday night in September at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist church off Pine Ridge. Once a month, we have a Torah service at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. See naplesjewishcongregation.org for the schedule.

We invite you to join us for Rosh Hashonah and Yom Kippur. If you have never worshipped with us on the high holidays, there is no charge. Otherwise, the charge is very modest. Go to naplesjewishcongregation.org to get more information. Our worship is led by Rabbi Howard Herman who is joined by Jane Galler, cantorial soloist, Alla Gorelick, our music director and the Naples Jewish Congregation’s choir who create sublime music.

Sisterhood will be gearing up for another busy year. Book discussions, dining, visits to various places and Tai Chi will be scheduled. Men are invited to attend as well. Once again, go to naples jewishcongregation.org for the details.

Later this year, we will have a Chanukah party and a Passover Seder, both are open to the public. We are actively exploring other activities which we can share with everyone.

This 26th year of NJC will be very busy. Come join us. Check naplesjewishcongregation.org for all our activities.

Some Jewish trivia

Lag BaOmer will take place in May. It is the 33rd day of the counting of the Omer, dealing with the grain sacrifice in the Temple which counted the 49 days from Pesach to Shavuot.

ReformJudaism.org says “Lag BaOmer commemorates a variety of historical events, including the end of a plague that killed many students of Rabbi Akiva (c. 50-135 C.E.), the yahrzeit of second century mystical scholar Shimon bar Yochai, and a Jewish military victory over Roman forces in 66 C.E. In remembrance of these events, some people celebrate with picnics and bonfires. Many couples in Israel choose to get married on Lag BaOmer, and many people also choose to wait until that day to get a haircut or beard trim.”

BC, AD, BCE, CE? Jews do not use BC (before Christ) or AD (Anno Domini, year of our Lord), because this would be a tacit acceptance of Jesus. Instead, we use BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) for the Gregorian calendar. Interestingly, many non-Jewish scholars use BCE and CE in their scholarly works.

Many countries have a chief rabbi. Those countries have a state religion. Therefore, they have a chief rabbi, approved by the state, to speak for the Jews of that country. As there is no establishment religion in the U.S., there is no chief rabbi.

Biblical questions:

1. Who danced when the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem?

2. Who laughed when she heard she would have a son in her old age?

3. What prophetess led Israel in a victory dance?

4. Whose ill-fated daughter came out dancing after his victory over the Ammonites?

5. Who came out dancing when David killed Goliath?

Answers:

1. King David

2. Sarah

3. Miriam, after crossing the Sea of Reeds

4. Jephthah; he had vowed to God he would sacrifice the first thing he saw when he came home if God granted him victory.

5. The women of Israel