SHOFAR - MAY 2011 by Otir

Shofar Nisan/Iyar 5771

Jewish Family Congregation www.jewishfamilycongregation.org

May 2011

From the Rabbi‟s Desk On March 4, 1959, the Knesset in Israel passed a law which designated the 27th day of the month of Nisan as Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The date chosen was between the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (which was on the first day of Passover) and Israel Independence Day, which is the fifth of Iyar (May 14 in 1948). It is interesting to note that until 1959...14 years after the end of World War II...there was no official date for remembering the Holocaust. And it is also interesting to note that the events which bracket the chosen date are distinguished by their recognition of Jews as assertive of their own rights: the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was one of the major acts of defiance against the Nazis, and Israel Independence Day was the triumphal realization of the ageold dream of Zionism. Before the law was passed in 1959, there were those who advocated that the Holocaust should be remembered, along with many other tragedies in Jewish history, on Tisha b’Av, the ninth day of Av. That date saw the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem twice...once 586 BCE and again in 70 CE; also, the expulsion from Spain in 1492 was on or about that date, and many events during the Holocaust coincided with it as well. But the designation of a separate and specific occasion for Holocaust remembrance took place as survivors were just beginning to make known their experiences. The capture and trial of Adolph Eichmann was beyond the horizon. And the subject of the Holocaust was neither an academic discipline nor a prominent part of the literary and motion picture production of the western world. From today’s vantage point, it seems clear that providing a separate date for Holocaust remembrance was a wise choice though it was not universally accepted for a while afterward. In fact, the observance of Yom HaShoah is undoubtedly more widespread than the observance of Tisha b’Av now.

This may be due to the remoteness of the two destructions of the Temple, and it may also derive from the fact that, aside from some subsets of the Orthodox, most Jews do not seek or even pray for the rebuilding of the Temple. Certainly the Reform Movement’s most recently published prayerbook, Mishkan T’filah , omits any reference to such a possibility, as Reform has been doing since its beginnings, just 200 years ago. But, as the Holocaust recedes in time, and as the number of living witnesses inevitably diminishes, the obligation to remember the unspeakable events of 1933-45 intensifies, and every coming generation will need to work actively to keep fresh those horrors, as both a memorial to its victims and as a lesson to the world about what humans can do to each other when the rest of the world abdicates its moral responsibilities. Sadly, that lesson must be taught over and over again. Since the Allied Forces brought down the Nazis, there have been numerous instances of genocide in the world. And in that passage of time, our communications capacities have grown and changed enormously, so that we can no longer excuse our moral failures by claiming ignorance of what is going on. We know today all too clearly what Qaddafi has done to his own people in Libya, we know about the genocide in Darfur., we knew about Rwanda, we knew about the Balkans..we know. As Jews we have the urgent obligation to call attention to these modern-day atrocities, and to call for intervention to protect innocent people. Had more righteous voices been raised while the Nazis flourished, the death toll might never have reached its sickening peak. Had those voices been raised in protest, and had politicians everywhere been courageous enough to confront what Hitler was doing to the Jews, the people whose names we read from the data base would have gone on with their lives, and the Torah scroll we cherish would have (Continued on page 23)

From the Rabbi’s Desk Service Schedule Next Month’s Oneg Hosts Donations to JFC Early Childhood Center The Religious School Social Action Committee ECC pictures Religious School pictures

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JiFTY Kids Ask the Rabbi JFCAdults Summer Fun form Yahrzeit/Annivs/Birthdays Ask the Rabbi Donations Form JFC Calendar

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

SERVICE SCHEDULE

Jewish Family Congregation 111 Smith Ridge Road P.O. Box 249 South Salem, NY 10590 Phone: (914) 763-3028 Fax: (914) 763-3069 e-mail: jfc@bestweb.net

MAY Friday, May 6/ Iyar 3

6:00

Shabbat & Me pizza dinner/service

7:30 pm

Yom HaShoah service

Saturday, May 7

10:00 am

Parshat Emor Marc Waldman chants Torah Bat Mitzvah of Zayla Waldman

Friday, May 13/ Iyar 10

7:30 pm

Yom Ha-Atzma-ut service

jewishfamilycongregation.org

Rabbi Carla Freedman jfc@bestweb.net Cantor Kerry Ben-David cantorbd@aol.com

School Director Leslie Gottlieb lesliejo0312@gmail.com Early Childhood Center Director Fern Tannenbaum jfceccenter@gmail.com Temple Administrator Jolie Levy jfcoffc@gmail.com

May 2011

Parshat B’har Bar Mitzvah of Evan Dodes

Saturday, May 14

10:00 am

Friday, May 20/ Iyar 17

7:30 pm

Saturday, May 21

10:00 am

Parshat B’hukotai Laurence Furic chants Torah Bar Mitzvah of Evan Dash

Friday, May 27/ Iyar 24 Saturday, May 28

7:30 pm 10:00 am

Parshat BaMidbar Bat Mitzvah of Julia Simon

MAY ONEG HOSTS BOARD HOST: Debra Verbeke (914) 248-5254

Board Of Trustees Richard Mishkin, Co-President 914-764-8305; Jeanette Sanders, Co-President 914-763-0311; Mark Lavin, Vice President; Polly Schnell, Vice President; Bill Pink, Secretary; Andrew Serby, Treasurer; Carrie Kane David Marceau Beth Tessler Debra Verbeke Elisa Zuckerberg and Johanna Perlman, Past President

Shofar Editor Jolie Levy Shofar Printer EnterMarket

May 6 Lisa Katz Glenn & Deborah Kurlander May 13 Alex & Bonnie Wattles Tammi Jacobs Shulman

Please find a substitute if you cannot host your assigned Oneg. Please contact the JFC Office with the names of the new hosts.

May 20 Matthew & Julie Portnoy Alan & Denise Simon

Please contact your Board Host if you have any questions.

May 27 David & Jennifer Ceisler David & Sally Firestein

NEXT MIDNIGHT RUN: SATURDAY, JUNE 11 CHOIR If you would like to join the choir, or for more information, please contact Kathy Storfer at kstorfer@aol.com We welcome all adults -- 13 or older!

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May 2011

Donations to JFC Last Month BRNO Plaque Fund David & Jennifer Ceisler Michael & Rona Salpeter Stephen & Roberta Margolis Eugene Kahn Lawrence & Leslie Gottlieb

General Fund Jane Peter Stephen & Roberta Margolis

In Memory of Lila Gordon In Memory of Arthur Margolis

Rabbi‟s Discretionary Fund Martin & Tracey Weisberg

In Loving Memory of Fay Goodman Weisberg

IF ANY DONATIONS MADE LAST MONTH ARE NOT LISTED, KINDLY CONTACT THE JFC OFFICE AND LET US KNOW.

ROADSIDE CLEANUP Our Roadside Cleanup on April 10 was a big success!

Bedford Bagel & Bakery 720 Bedford Rd. (Route 177) Bedford Hills, NY 10507

(914) 242-0641

Owned & Operated by Gary & Paula Levine (JFC Members) Kerry & Kathy Levine

Many thanks to: Ted Bloch Mark Lavin Alan Simon Taylor Simon Beth Sklarin Julia Sklarin Josh Strongin Rob Strongin Ed Verbeke We really appreciate your help!

ShopWithScrip! And help support JFC at no cost to you while shopping at the same stores you already visit! If you have not yet created an account with ShopWithScrip, please contact the JFC Office and we‟ll get you started! It‟s easy! It‟s free! And there are many exciting offers!

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JFC WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS

MATTHEW DUCKETT and ELISABETH RICH of South Salem, NY and their children, IKE and SANDRA RADIN

EMILY and MICHAEL WEIN of South Salem, NY and their children, ELIZA, MIRANDA, PENELOPE and CALVIN

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May 2011

Early Childhood Center By Fern Tannenbaum

Last week, we finished our remaining box of matzo and put our Seder plates away. Passover is finally over until next year. As much as I love the holiday, I am relieved to not have to eat another piece of matzo. Nevertheless, what was learned during Passover in the ECC will not be stored away to be used in twelve months’ time. The Passover lessons have not only given the children the necessary knowledge to celebrate the holiday, but also helped them to grow in ways that continue beyond the Seder. Each classroom used the holiday of Passover as an opportunity to explore different domains of learning. The Green Room learned about opposites as our twos explored the varying textures of bumpy matzo and smooth tables. They learned adjectives like crunchy, flat, square, round, wet and dry as they explored the many Passover ritual items. In the Blue Room, our threes learned about frogs (one of the plagues) and even practiced jumping like them. Our Yellow Room fours learned about the story of the Exodus which contains the rich language used to describe the distress of slavery, the steadfastness of Moses and the miraculous parting of the Sea of Reeds. All of these activities developed language, vocabulary, sequencing and knowledge. However, one thing all of the rooms shared was they each offered many opportunities to use Passover as a basis for their play. A famous Early Childhood researcher, Sara Smilansky, discovered that children learn through play and that play has a positive effect on future academic success. She identifies four kinds of play: functional, constructive, dramatic and games with rules. Play is an important learning tool here at the ECC, and we provide our children with opportunities to learn all four kinds of play. Each of our classrooms offers functional play, which encourages children to use their senses and muscles to experiment with materials and learn how these materials work together. This was evident as the children created their own matzo by mixing, pounding and pricking the dough. They compared this activity to the challah they made the week before and noticed that, unlike the challah, this time they used no yeast in making the matzo. Therefore, the children learned why the matzo remains flat. All of the three classes also offered constructive play where children learned the uses of materials and how to create and organize them. By building with blocks, like slaves built structures in Egypt, the children learned to plan, organize and sustain focus while creating interesting architectural designs. Of course, dramatic play is an obvious part of the curriculum since each classroom has a dramatic play area. This is where the children created imaginary Passover Seders and ate pretend matzot. Each child in that center took on a critical role in making the scene a success; whether they were the mother, father, child or storekeeper. To do this, the children needed to remember the appropriate social rules and the functional vo-

cabulary needed to maintain these roles. According to Smilansky, studies show a connection between high levels of dramatic play in preschool and cognitive, social and verbal success. Finally, our classes offer games that require rules and teach self-control. These games work well with our children when they are physically engaged. Such activities include singing songs to specific hand movements, as when they sang “Bang, bang, bang hold your hammers low” to imitate the Jewish slaves in action. The four year olds use many games to create rhymes, sequence a story or match a number to a quantity. They often play a simplified version of “Hang Man” to which they each take turns guessing a letter. For Passover, the secret word might have been “Egg” or “Matzo.” All of these activities that helped teach the holiday of Passover did more than teach the story, rituals and facts. These forms of play helped our children develop concentration, planning, creativity, social skills, vocabulary, language and self-control. Yes, Passover taught our children many skills, but it actually did even more. The research done on the brain and how learning takes place confirms much that we know about teaching young children. All we do to nurture our young children really does have an impact, not only on our children’s emotional development, but on their learning as well. The Passover traditions and the inclusion of our families in celebrating them have a profound effect on our children. Secure relationships with family members and teachers create connections in the brain that encourage learning. With feelings of warmth, happiness and security, children are confident and content and their brains are prepared to take on new challenges. In Judaism, children are always included in our rituals, especially during Passover. At our children’s seders in school and the family seders at home, the children sang songs, ate the wonderful foods, helped find the afikomen and enjoyed attention from everyone who attended. They felt secure and included as part of our Jewish community. The ECC has already packed away our Passover teaching materials. We have moved on to learn about the animals and plants we notice in the spring. In another week the classes will learn about Israel and about its Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut. Even though Passover is behind us, the children have gained many skills cognitively, socially, physically and verbally. These skills will build on those that were learned before and will also become a foundation for new skills yet to come. Passover has given our children the opportunity to be successful, and has given our children feelings of self-worth, security and a sense of belonging. The emotional and cognitive connections that were created will remain with the children beyond the holiday of Passover. These connections will last a lifetime.

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Jewish Family Congregation Early Childhood Center Where Family is our middle name

WE ARE CURRENTLY REGISTERING FOR 2011-12! Please visit our website at www.jewishfamilycongregation.org OR call (914) 763-3028

MARK YOUR CALENDARS --

JUNE 4 “A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC”    

TOP-NOTCH PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS FOOD DRINKS RAFFLES

WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS!

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The Religious School by Leslie Gottlieb

On a Sunday morning last month, Jamie Kaplan—who teaches grade 5 culture at JFC—taught her students about many things and one of the topics for this day was to relate the Jewish rituals and practices surrounding death. This may seem like a powerful lesson for children who are mostly ten or eleven years old. The fact of the matter is that the instruction came just in time for one of her students whose grandmother died only a few days later. Having read her lesson plan before it was presented-- and knowing what fate befell this one student, I felt gratified in knowing that our teachers are presenting material that has a direct application to our students’ young lives as Jews and as citizens of the world. I felt pleased knowing that this child had a greater understanding of her heritage and proud that it was one of our wonderful teachers who was the one to have initiated that important discussion in the lives of her students. I started to think that I may be the only one who reads these weekly lesson plans and that sharing some of them would be a window for our parents into what really goes on around here on any given day we meet. So here goes….

• Discuss why it is important to remember those who came before us and how we preserve memories as Jews (through celebrating holidays, etc). Pass out home activity and extra credit activity and discuss. • If time, pass out play and perform. You may wonder why I have gone to the trouble of printing out her lesson plan. I will explain. In just one morning at Religious School in just one classroom, this is the only way to properly share the kind of learning that is taking place—other than having you sit in the class. Our teachers put so much effort into their lesson plans and presentations. For grade 7, Linda and Ruth work very hard to make their curriculum come to life albeit some of it must center around teaching the liturgy for Saturday mornings. The rest is of the time is packed with Holocaust and Israel education. Take a look at one day in Linda’s grade 7 class: LESSON PLAN FORM Teacher’s Name:_Linda Paulding___Grade_7L_ Date_FEB. Hebrew Prayer to be studied___ YOTSER OR and READER’S KADDISH ___

CULTURE TOPIC: *A+. Gentiles who rescued Jews *One or two students’ Main Objective: reports still remaining] Learn and perform two traditions, done whenever a group [a]. Michael [on Irena Gut Opdyke] completes a book of the Torah. [b]. Maggie [on Jan Karski] Understand Jewish rituals, traditions and customs and [c]. Evan Dash [on Col. Arturo Castellanos] how they help us deal with death, burial and the mourning [1]. Questions to consider: process. [a]. Did this rescuer possess unique qualities Understand Gemilut Hasadim and opportunities to peror character traits that made it likely for this person form these mitzvot when someone dies. to become a rescuer? Or was this rescuer merely Prep: responding more or less spontaneously to the critical Copies of home activities, “Oy, May Your Memory Be a urgency of the moment, to the emergency nature of the Blessing,” and “Remembrance – extra credit.” situation?? Jamie’s lesson for that day read:

Procedure: • Have assigned students discuss extra credit articles. • Perform tradition after completion of book of Genesis (done last week at the end of class) by announcing “Chazak, Chazak, Venitchazak,” and its tradition. • Discuss and perform tradition borrowed from Simchat Torah of hakafah (march), around room (or JFC) with mini Torah scroll. Sing “David Melech Yisrael.” • Discuss how although death of loved ones can be a difficult and frightening subject, Jewish tradition teaches that death is part of life and that there are various rituals and customs practiced to help both comfort the living as well as honor the dead. • Read and discuss “The Funeral” and “Rituals of Mourning” in Journey of a Lifetime. • Discuss Gemilut Hasadim, acts of loving kindness, and of how we perform these mitzvot with no expectation of a reward. Discuss various opps to perform these acts with the burial process.

MAIN CULTURE TOPIC: A Consideration of the Question of FORGIVENESS posed by SIMON WIESENTHAL’s memoir THE SUNFLOWER. *1+ briefly outline Wiesenthal’s encounter with the dying SS officer: His remorse appears genuine; does that make forgiveness desirable or possible? Recall Wiesenthal’s circumstances: He was a prisoner in a Nazi camp [and would remain so for 2 more years]; liable to be murdered at any time [in fact, neither of his two closest friends Arthur and Josek, with whom he discussed the incident, survived the camps+ ; coerced into hearing the dying SS soldier’s deathbed confession, he could have been summarily shot or having been absent from his work detail for several hours that day. Catch phrases: *a+. ‘WRONG’ or ‘MISDEED’ used by Wiesenthal’s fellow prisoner, a young Polish priest-in-training contributes to (Continued on page 9)

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TO CELEBRATE ISRAEL’S BIRTHDAY This year, on May 9, which corresponds to Iyar 5 on the Jewish calendar, Israel will celebrate its 63rd birthday. We will observe the occasion on the next Friday evening. In those 63 years there have been many things to celebrate and many to mourn, not the least of which being the many men and women who have died in wars to preserve the existence of the tiny Jewish homeland. And support of the State of Israel, which was widespread and deep for many decades, has really dwindled since the euphoria of the victory in the Six Day War (June, 1967) has worn off. That great joy has dissipated as Israel has contended with the Palestinian refugee problem created by the outcome of that same war, as well as the rising tide of terrorism it spawned. Israel has been severely criticized by many countries, by many world leaders, and by many Jews for its handling of these matters. So now we find ourselves at a time when support of Israel - by Jews – is much diminished, even though we continue to take pride in her scientific and commercial accomplishments. How do YOU feel about the State of Israel? Please join us on Friday, May 13 at 7:30 pm, for our observance of Yom Ha-Atzma-ut, Israel Independence Day. We will have an open discussion about how we feel about Israel as we mark her 63rd birthday. We want to hear from YOU on this interesting and important topic.

The Religious School (cont‟d) (Continued from page 8)

the ‘disappearing criminal’ phenomenon that eventually results in something like ‘blaming the innocent victim.’ *LANGER, p. 188-9] *b+. Idea of God being ‘ON LEAVE” *or hiding God’s face+ during the Holocaust. Elicit their comments as to mng. of this metaphor. Basically that for the Holocaust to have happened, God must have been falling down on the job, derelict of duty, gone AWOL. It is reminiscent of Abraham’s challenge to God in the Sodom & Gomorrah story: “SHALL NOT The JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH ACT JUSTLY? THE HOLOCAUST CHALLENGES THE VERY CONCEPT OF A JUST GOD: If God stood by and didn’t stop the slaughter, then God becomes an accomplice in the crime like the passive populations of Europe that stood by and made no protest; only God is more guilty. The bystanders, you could argue, had to fear the Nazi reprisals for any efforts to help the Jews. But an ALL-POWERFUL GOD?? Hard to

escape the conclusion that God is maybe not the champion of JUSTICE –either that or lacks the POWER. Saying GOD was ABSENT or ON LEAVE begs the question: Where was God during the Holocaust? Why didn’t God do something to stop it? This also reflects a very simplistic early biblical view of a God who intervenes in history. For many centuries now, we no longer expect God to break through into human history. Human beings, acting of their own free will, can choose to behave in unspeakable ways, and God is not like some ever-watchful parent standing over them to punish them. Unlike the God of the Exodus, who heard the enslaved Israelites cry out and took on PHARAOH and rescued them. So God, in effect, abdicated responsibility. Does God then even retain the moral authority to grant forgiveness to the dying SS soldier— as some of the respondents, suggested. REPENTANCE, ATONEMENT, PUNISHMENT, FORGIVENESS. Many, not all, of the Christian respondents urge forgive(Continued on page 27)

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JFC Social Action Committee

by Lee Goldstein

Next Year in the Bronx! SAC members and friends had a memorable experience on April 10 when we participated in the BJCC Project Hope delivering Passover food to homebound Jewish seniors. The seniors were almost as happy to see us as we were to see them. It’s a rich and rewarding mitzvah to be able to share food, company, and smiles. And watch this space – we’ll be doing it again for Chanukah! Morning event, children welcome!

Did Someone Say Midnight Run? Our next Midnight Run is scheduled for Saturday, June 11th at, well, midnight. Are you looking for contact and interaction? We need volunteers to attend the run. Is preparing food more your bag? We need volunteers to make bag dinners, or better yet, volunteers to coordinate the making of all 60-90 dinners. How about donating cases of water, men’s spring clothing, or offering direct financial support? We need that, too (see list below).

Thanks to the following: Debbie Lavin Curt Shulman Robyn Cohen Amy Fischer Jan Sanders Reyna Cohen Jeremy Fischer Sierra Shafer

Get Involved! Contact Debbie Lavin (debbielav@aol.com) or Jeanette Sanders (crotonjan@aol.com) with any questions or to sign up.

Airing Out Clean Laundry! The SAC sponsored a Clothesline for Giving at the March Purim Carnival and raised $119 for Midnight Run supplies (new underwear and toiletries).

Midnight Run Donation Wish List Men’s only spring/summer clothing Belts Backpacks Sneakers Blankets Toiletries: deodorant, toothbrushes, mini toothpastes, disposable razors Cases of water

The Tzedakah of the Month For MAY Is

F.E.C.A.

(Foundation for Educating Chidren with Autism)

Thank you! to the generous (and gorgeous!) doll dressers of the religious school students who helped us.

Selected by the

JFC Social Action Committee

Todah Rabbah from the Religious School to…  Karen Blum (RS Committee chairperson) for being… great!  The RS Committee for all of its ongoing support (Karen, Cindy, Michele, Carrie, Nicole, Bobbie, Elise, Jodi & Ellen)  Rabbi Carla for her friendship and leadership in the school and congregation  Jolie and Kathleen in the office for their help all year  Renna Gottlieb for delivering the seder goods to Shaaray Tefiila for the charity event  Rabbi Carla for the signed copy for the RS of “300 Ways to Ask the Four Questions”  Class parents for their help all year long and for those volunteers who helped with the model seders  All of the Tag Sale volunteers

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- - - Lots of new vendors! - - Check website for details.

May 2011

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The Early Childhood Center Celebrates Passover

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The Religious School Celebrates Passover

…and the Shekel Shop BLOWOUT...

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R CO

T EC

May 2011

JiFTY

CONGRATULATIONS TO JiFTY's 2011-12 OFFICERS: Andrew Blum - President Philip Levens - Programing Vice President Matthew Tessler - Religious and Cultural Vice President Jackie Kalter/Sierra Shafer - Social Action Vice Presidents Jessica Sheptin - Communications Vice President Jeremy Fischer - Membership Vice President Samuel Blum - Freshman Representative Last Meeting: May 5 End-Year Party: Thurs., May 12, 6:15-7:30 p.m. (Grade 7 students invited; must RSVP to Leslie Gottlieb)

NFTY SPRING KALLAH

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BEFORE YOM HASHOAH Recently, Rabbi Freedman acquired some DVDs with “never before seen” footage from the Holocaust and you are invited to see them with her. The films were made by the Nazis, and it is possible that some of them will be hard to watch. Nonetheless, if you feel the responsibility to be well informed about the Holocaust, and to be a knowledgeable witness, especially as the eyewitnesses themselves grow ever fewer in number, you will want to see at least some of this material. We will watch and discuss the DVDs, and perhaps agree to meet a second time to go through more of them. The rabbi will show these recordings at JFC on Tuesday, May 3, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Please call Rabbi Freedman and let her know that you will attend the showing.

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Still haven‟t checked out the JFC Gift Shop? Stop in and take a look! The items really do change frequently! If you are interested in purchasing anything, please let the JFC Office know.

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Every decade, a comprehensive study of the New York Jewish community is conducted to assess emerging needs in New York, Long Island, and Westchester and inform planning for years to come. The information gathered will help leaders from Jewish agencies, synagogues, schools, and other communal organizations target services, strengthen Jewish connections, identify and address changing needs, and develop resources. The Jewish Community Study of New York: 2011 will be the largest study of its kind ever conducted in North America, with a telephone survey of more than 6,000 households. Interviewing will continue through the end of June. It is important to participate if you receive a call from the survey The responses will help UJA-Federation, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations determine how to best meet the needs of all kinds of Jewish New Yorkers, including seniors, children at risk, the unemployed, and people in need of healing. Maybe even you. For more information, you can visit www.jewish-community-study-new-york.org, call 1.212.836.1476, or email communitystudy@ujafedny.org.

The Jewish Community Study of New York: Talk to us.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x;t forget to stop in and check out the JFC Gift Shop!

Have you checked out the JFC Blog recently? Go to www.jfc.rjblogs.org

The items change do frequently! If you are interested in purchasing anything, please let us know in the JFC Office.

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Kids Ask the Rabbi Question: I saw on the calendar we got for the Jewish year, that on May 8 there is something called “Israel Memorial Day”. What is that?

Answer: Israel, like many countries, America included, has a special day set aside to remember people who have served in its military forces, and especially to remember those in the military who died serving their country.

In this country, that event comes at the end of May. Communities across the country have parades and ceremonies to honour their own citizens who died in various wars. Local elected officials and retired military personnel may march in the parade, and sometimes local clergy, including rabbis, are asked to offer special prayers in remembrance of the people from the town who fought and/or died to preserve the values of our country. In Israel, Memorial Day (Yom haZikaron) is held on the day before Israel Independence Day. Israel has, unfortunately, fought many wars since it was established 63 years ago, and many people have died in those wars. Most families in Israel have lost someone in war. Those people make it a point to visit these graves on Memorial Day. Also, there are special ceremonies at Mt Herzl, Israel’s national cemetery, where many of the heroes and leaders of the young nation have been buried.

The next day, Israel Independence Day, is a day off school and work. Because the weather is so beautiful, many Israelis take advantage of the break and go to a beach or to a park for a picnic. There are band concerts in the middle of what are otherwise usually busy streets, and people gather to stand and watch, and sometimes to dance. The museums offer special celebratory displays and discounted ticket fees. Israelis like to party on Yom Ha-Atsma-ut. There are formal ceremonies involving elected officials, and famous leaders, who give what they hope will be inspiring speeches about the fulfillment of the Jewish dream of returning to our ancient homeland. It is interesting to note that Israel Independence Day is celebrated on the fifth of Iyar on the Jewish calendar, and so its date on the regular calendar changes every year, just like the dates of all our traditional holy days. But when the fifth of Iyar falls on Shabbat, the celebration is deferred to the next day, because the totally secular nature of the holiday is not appropriate to the observance of Shabbat. When that happens, Yom haZikaron, Israel Remembrance Day, is held on Friday, because the observance of it does not interfere with preparing for Shabbat.

Outside of Israel, Israel Memorial Day is not observed by most Jews. But Israelis who live outside In Israel, Memorial Day is not a day off school or Israel often get together to mark the occasion, work, as it is in the United States. But everyone because they too probably had relatives who died in Israel’s wars. And even if they did not have is expected to stop whatever s/he is doing, when, such relatives, all Israelis feel profoundly grateful at 11:00 am, sirens sound all over the country. Everyone simply stops and stands at attention for to the military personnel who fought for their 2 minutes of silence, as the sirens sound. Cars and country. trucks on the streets stop and drivers get out and And we, as Jews, should also pay tribute to those stand beside their vehicles. Kids in school stand who fought for, and sadly died for, the preservabeside their desks. Farmers and shop keepers and tion of our young scientists and musicians and accountants...everyone Jewish homeland. stops to remember those who died in Israel’s many wars. Radio and television programs are interrupted. Phone calls stop. The whole country stops at the same time to honour the war dead. And then everybody goes back to what s/he was doing before the siren sounded.

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Dear Rabbis, Temple Presidents, Education Directors and Key Temple Staff, It is with tremendous excitement that I announce the partnership of URJ Eisner Camp with Retreat Central, a company dedicated to helping summer camps better serve their congregations and increase their off-season business. They have already been working with the following URJ camps; Henry S. Jacobs Camp, Greene Family Camp, Olin-Sang Ruby Union Institute and Camp Newman. Retreat Central is owned and operated by Jaynie Schultz and Debra Williams, two seasoned hospitality professionals and Jewish camp parents. They, along with their staff of ten people, will be managing the retreat bookings for Eisner Camp so we can better serve your congregation. Of course our staff will continue to work with you directly on the program details and specific logistical needs of every group. Deb Williams and Michael Alarcon, the Regional Director for Retreat Central, will be reaching out to all of the congregations in our community to introduce themselves and learn more about your retreat needs. Deb is also a URJ temple member, and URJ camp parent. Michael is the Director in this region and will be your contact for booking retreats. Eisner Camp is the ideal space for group retreats. Eisner has seen a great deal of facility development in recent years and boasts many new buildings and facility upgrades. The spirit of Reform Judaism is infused throughout the camp, so that your program goals are supported and brought to life through experiential learning opportunities. The beautiful setting in the Berkshire Mountains evokes a sense of spirituality difficult to find in our urban communities. We want the Eisner Retreat Center to become your second home! The retreat center is available for rentals from September 1st until June 1st. There are accommodations for 540 people in various settings, 300 in winterized rooms. I have attached a fact sheet about our facilities with more details, but a few highlights are listed below. We have recently winterized 10 cabins providing 200 cabin guest beds. These accommodations will allow Eisner to serve more groups requesting the same dates. Each group will be assigned a meeting and program space based on the programmatic needs and size of their group. The Manor House is the centerpiece of the retreat center. This beautiful turn of the century Berkshire manor, formerly the “Brookside” estate, contains more than 20 rooms of various sizes that allow for 70 people overnight and five unique spaces to gather together. In the near future we will be renovating the manor and restoring it back to its original WJCS Offers „Genetics for Life‟ beauty. Kaplan is a modern building, named after Workshop civil rights activist Kivie Kaplan. It offers a great retreat space to both sleep and meet. The building inThe WJCS Breast Cancer Navigator Program will cludes 12 guest rooms each with two twin beds, a host a free community workshop -- Genetics for bunk bed and private bath. Kaplan has 3 large common/meeting rooms (one on each floor of the build- Life – on May 11 from 1:00 –3:00 PM at WJCS Headquarters, 845 North Broadway, White Plains, ing). At capacity it sleeps 48 people. Feel free to contact Deb Williams deb@retreatcentral.com or Michael Alarcon michael@retreatcentral.com 877-364-2323. Warmly, Louis Bordman

NY. Sharsheret experts will address frequently asked questions about hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and their impact on Jewish families. To registration, contact Jessica Cigale, MSW, Breast Cancer Navigator Coordinator, at 914-761-0600 ext. 144 or jcigale@wjcs.com. Breast Cancer Navigator is a program of Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS) supported by funding from UJA-Federation of New York.

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JFC  Adults

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

May 2011

By Jeanne Shanin, Adult Program Coordinator

Last month’s presentation by Dr. Murray Spiegel and his co-author, Rickey Stein went far beyond our expectations. The two men mesmerized us with their story of how they accidently discovered that for years each of them separately had been collecting translations of the Four Questions. Together they painstakingly compiled a book, “300 Ways to Ask The Four Questions,” consisting of hundreds of translations, some from dying languages only spoken by a few people. On that level alone the book is triumphant in having captured languages that in another decade will be unknown. They told profoundly personal life stories of some of the individuals who worked on providing the translations. One language took a scholar six years of meticulous research, letter by letter, to bring it back to life from ancient history. The resulting book is rich in personalities, places and languages from around the globe. Thank you Emily Kingsley for introducing us to the authors and the book. It was an evening we will long remember.

JFC CLASSIFIED ALL ADS ARE A FLAT $18 AND MAY NOT EXCEED 50 WORDS. THEY WILL RUN FOR ONE MONTH ONLY. To place an ad, submit the text and your payment to the JFC Office. You may email the text to jfcoffc@gmail.com and either drop off or mail your check (payable to JFC). Credit card payments are also accepted.

Nisan/Iyar 5771

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

From the Rabbi‟s Desk

Page 23

(cont‟d)

Shabbat, mark the 30th anniversary of JFC’s acquisition of continued to serve the community that commissioned it. our Czechoslovakian Torah scroll, as the Westminster Had European Jewry not been decimated, the Jewish Scrolls Trust has asked us to do. We will display some of world of today would be very different. the photos and the books we have about the Jews of And of course, there would be no need for a separate Czechoslovakia. Our cantor and choir will offer special day on which to remember the Holocaust. music for the occasion. We will light six yahrzeit candles, But that is not the world we live in, and so we, as the for the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust, and we heirs of those who died in the Holocaust, must both rewill all say Mourners’ Kaddish in remembrance of them. member them and work to bring humanity’s inhumanity We will read names from the data base of Brno’s Holoto an end. caust victims, as we have been doing since Yom Kippur. There are many reasons why few Jews outside the Or- And we will honour the memory of the 11,000 Jews, marthodox community observe Tisha b’Av, and one of them tyrs of the Holocaust, from Brno, the original home of our may be that the events observed are so ancient that they scroll, by unveiling a plaque on our Memorial Board (you have no human face anymore. can still donate to the Brno plaque by sending a contribuWe are working hard to make sure that this does not tion earmarked for that fund to our business office). happen to the victims of the Holocaust. By reading names The light beside the new plaque will be kept on all the every week from the data base of the Jews of Brno, we are time, because, while we have set aside one day as a metrying to remember that these were individuals, real peo- morial to the victims of the Holocaust, we know that durple, not just numbers on a list. We have photos from ing the Nazi reign, Jews died every day of the year, every Brno, and books about the Jews of Czechoslovakia, to re- year. Moreover, though we have some information about mind us of this, too. We have made this our congregathe martyrs from Brno, for most of them, we do not know tion’s task with respect to the Holocaust. the date of their death. It is surely true that every day is a This year, we will observe Holocaust Remembrance yahrzeit for these people, and it is our solemn duty to obDay, Yom HaShoah, on Friday, May 6. We will, on that serve it. (Continued from page 1)

JFC ANNOUNCEMENTS If you would like to “announce” a Simcha in your family, please send the text (pictures are welcome too!) to Jolie Levy at jfcoffc@gmail.com. Announcements must be received by the 15th of the month to appear in the next month’s Shofar. Please feel free to acknowledge your Simcha with an $18 donation to any JFC Fund or with a leaf on our Simcha Tree. Donation forms appear in every Shofar.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL READERS Ruth Ossher is DANGEROUSLY ALLERGIC to many flowers. Accordingly, we CANNOT have the following flowers in the building at any time: Lillies Tropical flowers Jasmine scent Any highly scented flowers Artificial flowers that have been sprayed Ruth is NOT allergic to: Tulips Daffodils Hydrangeas Mums Sunflowers Potted flowers that we plant outdoors If you are using a florist, PLEASE have them call us even if they are sure. Dangerous mistakes have already been made. Many thanks for your cooperation!

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

May 2011

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

May 2011

Please call the JFC Office when any relevant information arises or changes so all Birthday, Anniversary and Yahrzeit listings are accurate and up to date. JFC can only list names/dates that have been reported to us.

ANNIVERSARIES Peter & Gila Acker Christopher & Barbara Boies John & Karen Conti Matthew Duckett & Elisabeth Rich David & Amy Fischer Sam & Amy Friedlander Bryon & Victoria Friedman Kenneth Kurzweil & Suzanne Sunday Stephen & Robi Margolis Russell & Debra Monaco Ken Okamoto & Nita Weissman Andrew & Diane Richman Mitchell & Jodi Waxman

BIRTHDAYS Tyler Alexander Daniella Amerling Phyllis Amerling Theodore Bloch Isaiah Blum Samuel Blum Robert Bolgar Jacob Breslin Jonathan Clott John Conti Abigail Dodes Alix Drawec Hayes Firestein Sydney Fried Molly Friedlander Laurence Furic Allison Glass Lowell Haims Micah Hansonbrook

Harris Henshaw Jackie Kalter Nathaniel Kaplan Matthew Kaufman Marc Kutscher Jake Landau Lynne Landau Philip Levens Georgia Marceau Debra Paget Aaron Paulding Diane Richman Julia Simon Katelyn Sobel Alana Valente Steven Vandervelden Alex Wattles Alexander Wattles Lauren Zeltzer

YAHRZEITS Milton Fayne Abraham Goldfield Shirley Grossman Bella Koven Saul Koven Hattie Leff Claire Levens Shirley Monaco Abbott Morris

Josephine Rothman Fuchs William Rubenstein Martin Simon Sadie Stein Ludwig Sternberger Arthur Sturm Esther Weber

A very special belated Happy Birthday to Lauren Fried -- so sorry we missed it in April.

Have you considered celebrating significant birthdays and anniversaries with a leaf on our Simcha Tree of Life? Call the JFC Office for details.

Please Support Our Advertisers

Nisan/Iyar 5771

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

Page 27

The Religious School (cont‟d) (Continued from page 9)

ness. Some even suggest that Wiesenthal missed an opportunity to forgive and that’s why this whole episode is bothering him so much. Others, awed by the horrific circumstances under which Wiesenthal was approached, decline to pass judgment, or even answer his question *basically saying they can’t even begin to imagine themselves in his place and don’t presume to know how they might have acted]. Many point out that the SS man was ill -advised to approach Wiesenthal to ask for forgiveness. [a]. Wiesenthal was not the one who was wronged in this particular situation;he has no authority to grant forgiveness; the SS soldier must ask those he wronged to forgive him *impossible since they’re all dead+. Would Wiesenthal have made a mockery of the suffering of the SS man’s victims to have acceded to his request for forgiveness??? He had no right to do so. Also Wiesenthal was approached not in his particularity as a unique individual, but as “Jew”—any member of the Jewish people would do. In this way he demeans Wiesenthal by not recognizing him as an individual, but rather typecasts him as a generic ‘Jew -type’, depriving him of the uniqueness and validity of his own experience and memory. [b]. He might have applied to a priest who would have absolved him; but this would have been ‘CHEAP GRACE’. [c]. He could have sought forgiveness from God [in Christian doctrine {also Buddhist}, forgiveness would be granted to someone who is sincerely repentant]. WHAT IS THE JEWISH ATTITUDE HERE?? THINK OF YOM KIPPUR. What do you have to do to be forgiven for sins against a friend or sibling or neighbor? Where do you apply first??? TO THE PERSON YOU’VE HURT!!! What is good and desirable about FORGIVENESS is the idea of moving forward away from hatred and vengeance toward RECONCILIATION. But certain steps necessary first.

and at death’s door, he never would have rethought his crimes and expressed remorse for them; he’d still be embracing Nazi philosophy and murdering Jews. HEBREW PRAYERS: Matt will present background and meaning of Readers’ Kaddish OR I will present historical background on AMIDAH [SHMONEH ESRE], including light shed by Cairo Genizah fragments on historical development of various paragraphs of the prayer. Practice both Readers’ Kaddish and Avot/Gevurot. Divide into groups with Matt. This is just one lesson plan for one grade! Linda teaches grade 3 each week, as well. Ruth teaches three grades each week! The dedication our teachers have to your children to your children could not be any better anywhere. One more to share…. Here is a lesson Renna taught several months ago with assistance from her mentor, Jackie: Renna Gottlieb and Jackie Kalter Lesson Plan for12/12/10: Shabbat 1. How do you celebrate Shabbat at home? What are the common customs that American Reform Jews follow? 2. How is Shabbat celebrated in Israel? Read about how Shabbat affects Israel: How Shabbat Affects Israel Read about seven ways Shabbat affects Israel, including how Israel's first astronaut celebrated in space!

1. In Israel, Saturday is called "Yom Shabbat"--the Sabbath day. 2. On Fridays in Jerusalem and other places in Israel, a citywide siren signals the start of Shabbat. 3. An Israeli radio station remains silent on Shabbat unless there is an emergency. 4. There is no public bus service on Shabbat in Jerusalem and other places in Israel. REFER TO BIBLICAL STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BROTHERS. 5. Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon (z"l), asked a rabbi to determine the proper time for him to celebrate Shabbat in Before Joseph could forgive his brothers for selling him space. into slavery in Egypt, he had to determine whether their nice guy manner and solicitude for their elderly father was 6. When Israel Independence Day falls on a Friday or Saturday, Israel moves the date to Thursday, to avoid conflictgenuine. He did this by setting up his younger brother ing with Shabbat. Israeli schools open every day except Benjamin as the thief who stole his divining cup [which helped him interpret dreams] in order to see whether his Shabbat. This year, 17 schools are trying a new five-day brothers would behave differently toward Benjamin now week--Sunday through Thursday. than they did towards him 20 years prior---or would they 3. Split class into pairs (or groups of 3). Each pair will be sell out and let Benjamin remain a prisoner in Egypt? Only responsible to teach a section from the textbook to the by constructing this test could Joseph know it their TESHU- rest of the class (they’ll need a while to do this – about 40 VAH was real. No such opportunity to prove his remorse minutes) genuine existed for the SS soldier, even if he could have Pages: 15-17, 18-20, 21-24 applied to his dead victims for forgiveness. Being at Groups must each: death’s door, it was impossible to see whether he would now behave differently in a similar situation. In fact, some Take notes for each section from every page they are re(Continued on page 28) of the respondents speculated that, were he not wounded

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Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

May 2011

ASK THE RABBI Question: Recently, I have noticed that the Temple Board member “on duty” during our Shabbat service stands at the door, and won’t let people in or out of the sanctuary at times. Why? What’s going on? Answer: I’m glad you noticed this! What’s going on is that the Board members are doing what the Ritual Committee and I have asked them to do, in the interest of preserving the dignity of the service. A number of years ago, we implemented these practices in the tent during the High Holy Days, but until the sanctuary was remodelled, we could not do the same in our building because the main entry door opened directly into the back of the sanctuary. Now that the entry is reconfigured, we have asked the Board members to shut the doors to the sanctuary during services, and to keep people from coming and going during the times that the congregation is standing. Jewish custom is to stand whenever the ark, the repository of the Torah scrolls, is open. The notion is that the scrolls, which are the holiest items in our heritage, should be treated with great respect, and certainly in the western world, we stand to demonstrate respect. The ark is opened at very specific times in our services: for the barkhu, for the amidah, for the removal from and return of the Torah to the ark, and for the aleynu. Obviously, the ark has to be open when we are beginning or ending the Torah service. The other three occasions when the ark is open represent the beginning (the barkhu) the ending (the aleynu) and the heart of the encounter with God that a Jewish worship service is understood to be. For these parts of the service, we face toward Jerusalem, and open the curtain of the ark, the parokhet, to remove any obstacle between us and God. (The Torah and the rest of the Jewish Bible tell us that the Temple in Jerusalem was God’s physical place on earth, and the ark in most synagogues is placed on the wall that aligns with the Temple’s location, so that when we open the ark’s curtain, we are oriented toward God’s “home”).

The amidah is understood to be the central prayer of our liturgy, and is conceived of as a one-sided conversation between each worshipper and God. Therefore we again stand and open the curtain to make the conversation unimpeded. While the ark is open, the level of intimate contact with the Divine is understood to be heightened, and so people should stay wherever they are until the curtain is closed again; it is disruptive of the solemnity of these moments when people move in and out of the sanctuary, and walk in front of others. In other settings, it is probably acceptable to move around while people are standing. That may well be the case at a sports event, or a concert, where, once the event has begun, it is awkward and rude to come and go while the audience is seated. But according to Jewish worship etiquette, the opposite is true in the sanctuary. Similarly, it is considered rude to turn your back on the Torah scroll. So when the scroll is being carried around the sanctuary, you are supposed to turn and watch it make the circuit around the room. When you are asked to lift or dress the Torah scroll after the reading, you are supposed to stay in the vicinity of the ark until the curtain is closed; returning to your own seat will require you to turn your back on the scroll. An additional time that people should avoid moving around is during the reading of Mourners’ Kaddish. Though the ark is not opened for that prayer, there are always some people standing to recite Kaddish, and as a courtesy to them, we should not be wandering about at that time. So if you get restless during a service, or need to get a drink or use the washroom, you should time your exit and entry to accommodate Jewish worship etiquette; if that means that you have to stand in the hallway for a few minutes, please be patient and respectful, and help the Board member to do his/her job.

The Religious School (cont‟d) (Continued from page 27)

sponsible for (bullet points!) – show example on board Create a presentation on posterboard of what they learned (and what they want to teach the class) Have at least one interesting fact about how Israelis celebrate Shabbat AND how they do at home! HOMEWORK: • Find pictures on the Internet that go along with your project, and print them out! Make sure to ask your parents before going on!!

So while others around the world celebrate and commemorate seminal events in their lives their way, Jews have our own special ways of looking at life and the world. Our kids on any given day at Religious School will learn about praying and Shabbat and death and the Holocaust and—so many other things. We hope this has been a really great year for your kids at Religious School. It has been for all of us (the staff) and we look forward to seeing everyone back in the fall. Until then, be safe and happy. And… thanks for sharing your family with us all year long.

Nisan/Iyar 5771

Jewish Family Congregation Shofar

First-Year Dues Are FREE!

FREE!

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May 2011

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May 2011 Sun

Mon

Gr. 4-6 (9-12) ECC STARS Party 10-11:00 RS/JFC Tag Sale 11-2:00

ECC ECC Comm. Gr. 4-6 9-12 Mtg. 7:30 STARS Party 10-11:00 RS/JFC Tag Sale 11-2:00

Thu

Fri

ECC

K-3/CC/SMP Shekel Shop Blowout Sale Israel Birthday Celebration

ECC

Gr. 7 9-9:45

Children’s Shabbat for Me” 6:00

Yom Hashoah Creation Station

Bd Mtg

Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat

ECC Trip to Israel

ECC

YG Party 6:15-7:30

ECC

10-PK Dinner OUT

ECC

BOOK SWAP: 5:30-7:00 p.m. RS Staff Dinner 6:30

ECC

ECC Trip to Muscoot Farm

Evan Dodes

Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat

NO ECC Gr. 7 9-9:45 BJE Prof. Day Bar Mitzvah Of Evan Dash

ECC

Gr. 7 9-9:45

[K/L Weather Reserve Day]

NO ECC

Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat

Bat Mitzvah Of Zayla Waldman

Gr. 7 9-9:45 Yom NFTY Installa(Dinner Served) Ha’atzma’ut tions (NYC) RS Comm Mtg 12:15 Creation Bar Mitzvah Station Of

Service 7:30 Tot Shabbat

Sat

JFC Adults: On The Lake - On The Town 5:00 p.m.

Wed

Gr. 7 last Holocaust Monday class footage DVD’s 7:30-9:00 p,m.

RAIN DATE FOR MAY 1:

Tue

[K/L CLOSED] MEMORIAL DAY OFFICE CLOSED

JEWISH FAMILY CONGREGATION

Bat Mitzvah Of Julia Simon

Jewish Family Congregation 111 Smith Ridge Rd/Rte. 123 P.O. Box 249 South Salem, NY 10590

CURRENT RESIDENT OR

Non Profit Organization Postage PAID White Plains, NY Permit No. 9022