h a n a h S L’ h a v o T 9 7 57 Supplement to Jewish News September 3, 2018
14 | Jewish News | Rosh Hashanah | September 3, 2018 | jewishnewsva.org
Rosh Hashanah
A spiritual drama Kee Tavo
(Deuteronomy 26:1-29:8) With the High Holy Days 5779 soon
upon us, how reflective of their grateful spirit and challenging thrust is this Parasha in the context of an increasingly precarious world where dangerous polarization abounds! The Israelites are taught that re-entering the Promised Land is more than a physical act. At the core of this great adventure is a spiritual drama calling for giving thanks through a heartfelt thanksgiving, to the God who led Israel from the diverse confines of Egypt’s House of Bondage to freedom’s open promise and the underlying premise of Sinai’s responsibility. The expected offering to the priest from the bounty of “a land flowing with milk and honey” and the consecrated field’s labor, is designed as an uplifting recognition of divine benevolence that should not go unnoticed, but be internalized for generations to come. It becomes a humbling act of acknowledging an individual’s along with a people’s limitations, particularly for a nation covenanted to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” However, given the human proclivity to take blessings for granted and put aside the true record of one’s accomplishments and failings for short-term self-aggrandizement, implicit in the Israelites’ approaching the priest with earthly goods is a remembrance of these gifts’ divine origin which assumes even
fuller significance while reciting the liberation saga of the Exodus. A liberation also from our own petty narrowness and pagan blindness to the larger scene of the human enterprise, in which God is a senior partner. It is precisely in the moment of peak rejoicing of the harvest’s fruitful yield, that the celebrating Israelites are commanded to recall trying beginnings of their people’s sojourn and the subsequent suffering in the crucible of Egyptian tyranny, lest a journey of forgetfulness and neglect ensues with disastrous consequences. It is difficult though to reconcile the lyrically tender words, so very relevant at this trying time, “Hashkifa mimon kodschecha min-hashamayim uvarech et-amcha et-Yisrael.” (“Behold from the heights of your holy abode, from heaven and bless Your people, Israel…”), to the extraordinarily harsh and indescribable punishments to befall us for straying from God’s Covenant. On the threshold of a New Year, may we pledge to pursue in tandem with the Most High the covenant’s loving yet demanding agenda for our sake as well as that of the Keeper of our lives. Shana Tova of shalom’s sweet blessings of healing, hope, and harmony! Dr. Israel Zoberman is the founding rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim
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Rosh Hashanah
The Jewish year in review #MeToo, the embassy move, and a growing gap between Israel and the Diaspora Ben Harris
(JTA)—For North American Jews, the Jewish year 5778 began with tensions between Israel and the Diaspora over egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall and ended with more tension over a controversial nationality law. In between, North American Jews grappled with the impact of the #MeToo movement, the Trump administration relocated the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and actress Natalie Portman made headlines for turning down a chance to collect a top prize in Israel.
September 2017 A survey finds that American Jews overwhelmingly disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance. The poll, conducted by the American Jewish Committee, shows that 77 percent view Trump’s performance unfavorably and 21 percent view it favorably – figures considerably worse than Trump’s performance in polls of the general population conducted at the same time. Edie Windsor, whose landmark Supreme Court case paved the way for gay marriage in the United States, dies at 88. Windsor’s 2013 lawsuit resulted in the court’s overturning part of the Defense of Marriage Act that had defined marriage for federal purposes as the union between a man and a woman. Disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner is sentenced to 21 months in prison for transferring obscene material to a teenage girl. The former House of Representatives member from New York had pleaded guilty in the case, which followed multiple instances of sharing sexually explicit material online. A French Jewish leader and his family are assaulted in their home near Paris amid a spate of violent break-ins, including deadly ones, targeting Jewish victims, according to authorities.
October 2017 The United States announces its intention to withdraw from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization over its anti-Israel bias. The decision, which will go into effect at the end of 2019, reflects concerns about the general need for reform of the organization as well as “continuing anti-Israel bias at UNESCO,” the State Department says. Harvey Weinstein is fired from the film production company he founded in the wake of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Weinstein, who co-founded Miramax (later The Weinstein Company) with his brother Bob, also is expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Oscars. The Weinstein revelations spur similar allegations against numerous powerful men, leading to the #MeToo movement. S.I. Newhouse Jr., the billionaire media mogul who ran dozens of magazines and newspapers, dies at 89 in New York. The grandson of Russian immigrants, whose initials stand for Samuel Irving, since 1975 had run the magazine division of Advance Publications, known as Conde Nast, which publishes Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. Monty Hall, host of the long-running television game show Let’s Make a Deal, dies at 96 in Los Angeles. Born Monte Halperin in Winnipeg, Canada, Hall hosted thousands of episodes of the show over more than two decades.
16 | Jewish News | Rosh Hashanah | September 3, 2018 | jewishnewsva.org
November 2017 Alex Bregman stars as his Houston Astros win their first World Series championship. The Jewish infielder hits two home runs and in Game 5 becomes the first Jewish player to win a Series game with a walk-off hit. On the losing side, outfielder Joc Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers breaks the record for most homers in a Series by a Jewish player with three, beating the mark of two set by Hall of Famer Hank Greenberg in 1934. Eight months later, Bregman is named the All-Star Game MVP for slugging the tie-breaking homer in the American League’s victory. The umbrella group of North American Jewish federations demands Israel reverse its “divisive and damaging” steps to freeze an agreement on egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall, warning that ignoring the concerns of non-Orthodox Jews could undermine the Zionist vision. A resolution slamming Israel’s moves on pluralism is adopted by the board of trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America at its annual General Assembly in Los Angeles. Israeli actress Gal Gadot is named GQ magazine’s 2017 Woman of the Year. Gadot soared to international celebrity as the star of the blockbuster film Wonder Woman. The U.S. Department of Justice begins distributing $772.5 million in recovered funds to some victims of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. The sum, which was returned eight years after the Jewish investment adviser
pleaded guilty to committing one of the largest fraud schemes in U.S. history, represents only a fraction of the more than $4 billion in assets that U.S. law enforcement is able to recover for Madoff’s victims. Actress Natalie Portman is named winner of the 2018 Genesis Prize. The award, dubbed the “Jewish Nobel,” honors individual Jews of outstanding professional achievement and commitment to Jewish values. The award comes with a $1 million prize. Canadian Jews take issue with a government report showing a decline of 56 percent in the country’s Jewish population between 2011 and 2016. Statistics Canada says the number of Canadian Jews dropped to 143,665 in 2016 from 329,500 in 2011.
December 2017 Sen. Al Franken announces he will resign from Congress following accusations of sexual misconduct by several women. The Minnesota Democrat had faced increasing calls to step down by leading members of his own party. Trump signs a proclamation recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and directing the State Department to begin planning for a U.S. Embassy in the city. Soon after, the president signs a waiver delaying the embassy move for another six months. A Brooklyn woman and three of her
Rosh Hashanah children are killed in a house fire sparked by a Hanukkah menorah. Aliza Azan, 39, and children Moshe, 11; Yitzah, 7; and Henrietta, 3, are buried in Israel. Yosi, three other children and a cousin sustain injuries in the blaze. A Syrian asylum seeker breaks into a kosher restaurant in Amsterdam while waving a Palestinian flag as police officers look on. His sentence of 52 days in jail and absence of hate crime charges in his indictment anger Dutch Jews.
January 2018 The Reconstructionist movement announces that its rabbinical school and congregational umbrella will change their names to Reconstructing Judaism and the College for Reconstructing Judaism, respectively.
A Pew Research Center poll finds that the split between Democrats and Republicans over Israel is the greatest since 1978. The survey reports that 79 percent of Republicans and 27 percent of Democrats sympathize with Israel over the Palestinians. Singer Neil Diamond announces he will cease touring following a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. The Jewish singer and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee has 10 No. 1 singles to his credit and starred in the 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer, in which he played a synagogue cantor who pursues a pop music career. A photograph of former President Barack Obama with the Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan surfaces, prompting the Anti-Defamation League to ask Obama to again denounce Farrakhan, who
has drawn regular criticism for anti-Semitic rhetoric. The photo was taken in 2005 during a Congressional Black Caucus meeting in Washington, D.C., when Obama was a senator representing Illinois. Poland’s parliament passes a controversial law that criminalizes blaming the Polish nation for Nazi crimes. The law triggers a diplomatic row with Israel, prompting the law’s amendment to remove criminal charges against would-be offenders. Anti-Semitic incidents reach a record high in Britain and Ukraine.
February 2018 Malcolm Hoenlein announces he will step aside as executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations after more than three decades at the helm.
The Anti-Defamation League reports a spike in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States in 2017. The 1,986 acts recorded in the U.S. that year represents a 57 percent increase over the 1,267 in 2016, representing the largest one-year rise ever. The ADL says the jump is due in part to an increase in people reporting incidents of anti-Semitism. Ten Jewish organizations urge the Trump administration not to reinstate a question about citizenship in the 2020 Census, saying it will raise fears among immigrants. Among the signers of a letter sent to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross are the Anti-Defamation League, the Union for Reform Judaism, Jewish Federations of North America, Hadassah and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. continued on page 18
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Rosh Hashanah continued from page 17
March 2018 Two senior Jewish members of the Trump administration—Gary Cohen and David Shulkin—leave their posts. Cohen resigns as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors. He reportedly had been considering leaving the previous year following President Trump’s equivocal response to the violence surrounding a white supremacist rally in Virginia. Shulkin is fired as Veterans Affairs secretary after becoming embroiled in scandals, including overspending on travel and infighting with senior White House officials. The president of the World Jewish Congress issues a rare rebuke of Israeli government policies. In an op-ed in the New York Times, Ronald Lauder excoriates Israeli actions that threaten the two-state solution and enshrine Orthodox control of various aspects of Israeli life, including marriage and organized prayer at the Western Wall.
The Canadian House of Commons unanimously passes legislation establishing the month of May as Canadian Jewish Heritage Month. The bill had previously passed the Senate. The heads of 139 Jewish day schools sign an open letter urging Trump and federal and state legislators to take action on gun violence following a deadly shooting at a Florida high school. The letter calls for “common sense legislation that addresses all factors contributing to a safe and secure educational community, including restrictions and safeguards related to guns.” Tens of thousands of Gaza demonstrators approach the Israeli border in the so-called March of Return, launching months of protests on successive Fridays that turn violent and result in the deaths of some 156 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier shot dead by a sniper. In one protest in May, 62 protesters are killed; Hamas claims 50 as members. Israel’s actions
prompt international outrage, with the U.N. General Assembly condemning Israel for an “excessive use of force.” Gaza Palestinians later turn to sending incendiary airborne objects into Israel, resulting in the destruction of thousands of acres of farmland and natural forest.
April 2018 B’nai Brith Canada reports a record number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2017. Its annual audit shows 1,752 incidents of harassment, vandalism and violence, which is a 1.4 percent increase over the 1,728 from the previous year. Natalie Portman says she won’t attend the Genesis Prize ceremony in Jerusalem because she does not want to appear to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In response, the Genesis Prize Foundation announces it is canceling the award ceremony and the Jewish actress will not get to distribute the prize money to charity, but the group declines to rescind
the honor outright. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, publicly advises Jews to avoid wearing kippahs in some urban settings following the assault of an Arab-Israeli man who is trying to prove to his friend that wearing a yarmulke is safe in Germany.
May 2018 In a speech he deems a “history lesson,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says that Jews caused the Holocaust with their “social behavior,” including money lending, prompting swift condemnation from both liberal and conservative groups in Israel and across the Diaspora. President Trump declares he will not waive sanctions on Iran, effectively pulling out of the 2015 nuclear deal reached by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Israel had been pressing Trump to withdraw from the agreement, which trades the removal of
L’Shanah Tovah
Wishing you and your family a year of sweet blessings filled with an abundance of good health, joy and peace. NANCY EVANS
18 | Jewish News | Rosh Hashanah | September 3, 2018 | jewishnewsva.org
HEATHER EVANS
Rosh Hashanah economic sanctions for a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program. Germany, France and the United Kingdom all urge Trump to remain in the deal. Philip Roth, the towering literary figure and legendary chronicler of the American Jewish experience, dies at 85 in New York. An immensely celebrated novelist, Roth won virtually every major literary accolade, including two National Book Awards, two National Book Critics Circle awards, three PEN/Faulkner Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Man Booker International Prize. Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens resigns after facing months of scandal stemming from an extramarital affair and other alleged misdeeds. A former Navy SEAL and the state’s first Jewish governor, Greitens had been considered a rising star in the Republican Party. Israel wins the Eurovision song contest, with the song Toy by Netta Barzilai securing the victory in the finals in Portugal. The United States dedicates its newly established embassy in Jerusalem in a high-profile ceremony attended by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trump’s daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. The embassy move, mandated by a 1995 law but delayed on national security grounds by successive presidential administrations, is widely condemned by other world leaders. Rabbi Aaron Panken, the president of the Reform movement’s rabbinical seminary, dies while piloting a small aircraft in upstate New York. Panken, a licensed commercial pilot, was 53 and had led the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion since 2014. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigns hours after the publication of a report detailing allegations of physical abuse by four women. In a statement, Schneiderman denies he had ever assaulted anyone or engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity.
Ken Livingstone, a former mayor of London and harsh critic of Israel, resigns from Britian’s Labour Party amid a review of his claims that Adolf Hitler supported Zionism. Livingstone’s membership exposed the party to allegations that it tolerates anti-Semitism under the leadership of its hard-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn.
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June 2018 Twenty-six Jewish groups sign a letter calling the U.S. policy of separating children from their migrant parents “unconscionable.” The signatories included three major Jewish religious movements— Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist—as well as the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, HIAS, Jewish Women’s International, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Uri L’Tzedek, an Orthodox social justice organization. The Band’s Visit, a musical based on an Israeli film about an Egyptian band stranded in a hardscrabble Negev town, dominates the 72nd annual Tony Awards, winning 10 awards, including best musical. The play also takes home trophies for best actor in a musical, best direction of a musical and best original score. An Israeli court convicts a 19-yearold American Israeli of making hundreds of bomb threats against Jewish community centers and schools across the United States. Michael Kadar is convicted on several counts, including extortion, conspiracy to commit a crime, money laundering and assaulting a police officer. Kadar’s threats in the first three months of 2017—along with eight made by a St. Louis man—had forced widespread evacuations of American Jewish institutions and sparked fear of resurgent anti-Semitism. The United States withdraws from the U.N. Human Rights Council, citing the body’s bias against Israel. Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, says the council is “not worthy of its name” and that the decision to withdraw had come after a “good faith” effort to reform the body had failed.
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Approved by all area Rabbis and Chevrah Kadisha Czech President Milos Zeman announces that he will work to move his country’s embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem—the first such public pledge by a European head of state.
July 2018 Continued incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza by Palestinian protesters ignite countless fires in Israel, with one of the largest burning in southern Israel’s Kibbutz Or Haner.
with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The leaders discuss Syria, Iran, Israel’s security needs—and the 2018 World Cup. The Knesset passes a controversial nationality law that cements Israel as the “nation-state of the Jewish people” and recognizes Hebrew as the sole official language, among other proclamations. The measure prompts anger from Jewish and Arab groups in Israel and Jewish groups in the Diaspora that view the bill as discriminatory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu travels to Moscow to meet
jewishnewsva.org | September 3, 2018 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish News | 19
Rosh Hashanah
Area High Holiday Services 5779 compiled by Carley Glickman for Shalom Tidewater*
B’nai Israel Congregation bnaiisrael.org • 757-627-7358 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Daf Yomi: 6 pm Slichos: 7 pm Michach: 7 pm Monday, September 10 Shachris: 8 am HaMelech 8:45 am Sermon and Shofar: 10:30am Community Tashlich: 5 pm Minchah: 6:45 pm Maariv 7:45 pm Tuesday, September 11 Shachris: 8 am HaMelech: 8:45 am Sermon and Shofar: 10:30 am
Minchah: 6:45 pm Maariv/Havdala: 7:57pm Fast of Gedaliah Wednesday, September 12 Fast Begins: 5:32 am Selichos: 6:15 am Shachris: 6:45 am Minchah/ Maariv: 6:45 pm Fast Ends: 7:56 pm Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Slichos: 6:30 am Shacharis: after Selichos Micha: 2:45 pm Kol Nidre: 6:45 pm Wednesday, September 19 Shacharis: 8 am HaMelech: 9:30 am Torah reading: 11:20 am Sermon: 11:50 am Yizkor (Approximately): 12:10 pm Minchah: 5 pm Neilah 6:15 pm Havdalah 7:46 pm Services at B’nai Israel are open to all Jews in Hampton Roads. Childcare is provided during all major services. To inquire about membership or seat reservations, contact the office at office@bnaiisrael.org. One year of free membership is offered to all new members.
Chabad of Tidewater
chabadoftidewater.com 757-616-0770 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Evening Services: 7:15 pm Community Dinner: 8 pm Monday, September 10 Morning Services: 10 am Shofar Sounding: 11:45 am Mincha and Tashlich Service: 5 pm Evening Services: 8 pm Community Dinner: 8:30 pm Tuesday, September 11 Morning Services: 10 am Shofar Sounding: 11:45 am Evening Services: 6:50 pm
20 | Jewish News | Rosh Hashanah | September 3, 2018 | jewishnewsva.org
Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Kaparot Morning Services: 8 am Afternoon Service: 3:30 pm Fast Begins: 7:04 pm Kol Nidrei Services: 6:55 pm Wednesday, September 19 Morning Service: 10 am Yizkor Memorial Service: 12:30 pm Mincha and Neilah Closing Service: 5 pm Fast Ends at 7:28 pm Followed by light dinner Sukkot To purchase a Sukkah or a Lulav and Etrog set, call 757-513-3663.
Chabad of Virginia Beach jewishvb.org/hh • 757-362-2710 Rosh Hashanah Monday, September 10 Morning Services: 9 am Shofar Sounding: 10:45 am Children’s Programming: 10 am Evening Services: 7:40 pm Kiddush: 12:30pm Tashlich: 5:45 pm Tuesday, September 11 Morning Services: 9 am Shofar Sounding: 10:45 am Children’s Programming: 10 am Kiddush: 12:30 pm Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Kol Nidrei Services: 6:45 pm Wednesday, September 19 Morning Service: 10 am Children’s Programming: 11:30 am -1:30pm Yizkor Memorial Service: 12 pm Mincha Service: 5:30 pm Ne’iela Closing Services: 6:15pm Fast Ends at 7:45pm Followed by light dinner
Congregation Beth Chaverim
bethchaverim.com • 757-463-3226 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Eve of Rosh Hashanah Service with guest Rabbi Dan Roberts: 8 pm Monday, September 10 Rosh Hashanah Service with guest Rabbi Dan Roberts: 10:30 am Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Kol Nidre Services with guest Rabbi Dan Roberts: 8 pm Wednesday, September 19 Yom Kippur Service with guest Rabbi Dan Roberts: 10:30 am Youth Services with guest singer Chuck Fink and Youth Group: 10:30 am Discussion with Rabbi Dan Roberts: 2 pm Vidui Service: 3 pm Torah Service: 4 pm Yizkor Memorial Service and Concluding Service: 4:30 pm Sisterhood Break-the-Fast immediately following in the social hall. $15 per adult, $6 per child 7-12, free for children under 3.
*ShalomTidewater.org is a one-stop-shop with information for the Jewish community.
Rosh Hashanah Congregation Beth El
bethelnorfolk.com • 757-627-4905 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Erev Rosh Hashanah Congregational Service: 5:45 pm Monday, September 10 Shacharit: 8:15 am Babysitting: 9:30 am Children’s programming: 10:30 am Tashlikh (at The Hague): 5 pm Mincha-Maariv (at Beth El): 7 pm Tuesday, September 11 Shacharit: 8:15 am Babysitting: 9:30 am Children’s programming: 10:30 am Mincha- Maariv: 7 pm Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Erev Yom Kippur Kol Nidre: 6:30 pm Babysitting: 6:30 pm Children’s activities: 6:30pm Youth Services: 6:30pm
Wednesday, September 19 Shacharit: 9 am Babysitting: 10 am Children’s programming: 10:30 am Yizkor: 12:45 pm Study session: 3:15 pm Mincha: 4:13 pm Neilah: 5:40 pm Maariv: 7:30 pm Blowing of Shofar/Havdalah: 7:45 pm Light Processional: 7:45 pm
Tuesday, September 11 Services, 9:30 am Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Candle Lighting at KBH: 6:50 pm Kol Nidre: 7 pm Wednesday, September 19 Services: 9:30 am Yizkor: approximately 12:00 pm Mincha and Neilah: 5:30 pm Shofar: 7:45 pm
Kempsville Conservative Synagogue Kehillat Bet Hamidrash
Ohef Shlolom Temple
kbhsynagogue.org 757-495-8510 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Ma’ariv: 7 pm Monday, September 10 Services: 9:30 am Meet at KBH to walk to Tashlich: 6:45 pm Tashlich services followed by Mincha and Ma’ariv at KBH: 7 pm
ohefsholom.org 757-625-4295 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Early Service Family-Friendly Worship and Child Care: 6:15 pm Late Service 8:15 pm Monday, September 10 Early Service, Family-Friendly Worship and Child Care: 9 am Late Service: 11:30 am
Monday, September 10 Tashlich at the Hague 11 am Kol Nidre Tuesday, September 18 Early Service Family-Friendly Worship and Child Care: 6:15 pm Late Service :8:15 pm Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Early Service, Family-Friendly Worship and Child Care: 6:15 pm Late Service: 8:15 pm Wednesday, September 19 Early Service, Family-Friendly Worship and Child Care: 9 am Late Service: 11:30 am Study Session (in Chapel): 1:30 pm Afternoon Service (in Chapel): 2:45 pm Interlude: 4 pm Memorial and Concluding Services: 4:15 pm Break the Fast & Havdalah: 6 pm
continued on page 22
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jewishnewsva.org | September 3, 2018 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish News | 21
Rosh Hashanah Rodef Sholom Temple
rodefsholomtemple.org 757-826-5894 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Evening Service: 8 pm Monday, September 10 Morning Service: 9 am Mincha–Maariv (followed by lite supper): 6:30 pm Tuesday September 11 Morning Service 9 am Sunday, September 16 Graveside Prayers (Jewish Cemetery of the Virginia Peninsula, Rosenbaum): 11 am Tashlikh at Huntington Park Beach: 4:30 pm Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Kol Nidre Service: 6:45 pm Wednesday, September 19 Morning Service: 9:30 am
Study Session: 4:15 pm Mincha/Neilah Service: 5:30 pm Shofar Blowing: 7:47 pm Maariv: 7:18 pm Break the Fast: 7:29 pm
Temple Emanuel
www.tevb.org 757-428-2591 Sunday, September 2 Forest Lawn Cemetery Visit Afternoon Services: 3 pm Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Evening Services: 6 pm Monday, September 10 Morning Service: 8:30 am Family Service 9:45 am Tuesday, September 11 Morning Services: 8:30 am Sunday, September 16 Family Beach Picnic 12:15 am Tashlich with Religious School
New for High Holidays 2018 Youth Programming:
Choose Your Own Adventure Check out our interactive, age appropriate services for ages 3 - teens, followed by your own personalized adventure! • Will
you do games in Hebrew? • A Mitzvah Project? • Relay races or 4 Square?
PLUS Shofar Idol on 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah, storytelling and a special presenter on Yom Kippur. All under the watchful eyes of our fabulous team of caregivers.
Want to check out Beth El for the first time? Come as our guests. Infant/toddler care available. Contact Pam Gladstone. 757.625.7821
www.bethelnorfolk.com
22 | Jewish News | Rosh Hashanah | September 3, 2018 | jewishnewsva.org
Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Kol Nidre Service: 7 pm Wednesday, September 19 Morning Services: 8:30 am Family Service: 9:45am Tora Services & Yizkor: 10:30 am Minha and Neilah: 5:30 pm Community Break the Fast: 7:40 pm *Babysitting available for infants–five years. RSVP to the Temple office.
Temple Israel
templeisraelva.org 757-489-4550 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Evening Services: 5:45 pm Monday, September 10 Morning Services: 8:45 am Tashlich at Nancy Tucker’s home: 5:45 pm Children Ages 3-6, Education Wing: 10:30 am Ages 7-12, Sandler Hall: 10:30 am Arts & Crafts, Sandler Hall, 12 pm Tuesday, September 11 Morning Services: 8:45 am Children, Sandler Hall 10:30 am Minch and Kabbalat Shabbat: 6:30 pm Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Minchah Services: 6:15 pm Lei Lei Berz—Cello Solo: 6:25 pm Kol Nidrei Services: 6:30 pm Wednesday, September 19 Morning Services: 8:45 am Mincha Service: 5 pm Ne’ilah: 6:15 pm Shofar and Break Fast: 7:30 pm Children, Ages 3–6 Education Wing: 10:30 am Ages 7–12 Sandler Hall: 10:30 am Arts & Crafts (Sandler Hall) 12 pm
Temple Sinai
www.templesinai-nn.org 757-596-8352 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9 Evening Services followed by Oneg Shabbat (Childcare available): 7:30 pm Monday, September 10 Morning Service (No childcare available): 10 am Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Yom Kippur Eve Service (childcare available): 7:30 pm Wednesday, September 19 Morning Service (childcare available): 10 am Afternoon Service: 2 pm Yizkor Service (childcare available): 3:45 pm Ne’lah Service followed by Break-the-Fast: 4:45 pm
Tidewater Chavurah
www.tidewaterchavurah.org Carol at 757-499-3660 Betsy at 757-495-0730 Rosh Hashanah Sunday, September 9: 7 pm Monday, September 10 Morning service: 10 am Tashlich afternoon service: 5 pm at the home of Bill and Mary in Virginia Beach Yom Kippur Tuesday, September 18 Kol Nidre: 7 pm Wednesday, September 19 Morning service: 10 am Neilah (final service): 6 pm at the home of Joe and Eileen in Virginia Beach
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Rosh Hashanah
Special gifts for Rosh Hashanah hosts MJL Staff
(My Jewish Learning via JTA)—Invited to someone’s house for a Rosh Hashanah meal and looking for an appropriate gift? In addition to the always appreciated flowers or bottle of wine, here are some other must-have (or must-give) items for the Jewish New Year. If you’re drawn to the edible items on this list, we recommend you check ahead of time whether your host keeps kosher or has other dietary restrictions.
Jewish calendars Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year after all, and every year needs a calendar. While many, if not most, people rely on digital calendars for day-to-day scheduling, a pretty wall calendar makes a nice decoration and can help keep the household organized. Most Jewish calendars sold in the United States list secular dates as well as Hebrew ones (including all the holidays, of course), and run through the end of the next Gregorian year. (So one that starts with Rosh Hashanah in 2018 will last you until December 2019.) You can find a wide selection online and in Judaica stores and bookstores. Someone with an artistic bent or who enjoys the stress relief that comes with coloring might enjoy a coloring-book calendar featuring intricate Judaic motifs such as Jewish stars and Hanukkah menorahs. And one from New York’s Jewish Museum showcases a variety of paintings, sculptures and ceremonial objects from its collection. Jewish cookbooks If your host invited you over for a homecooked meal, he or she probably likes to cook. The four books listed here were published within the last couple of years, so there’s a good chance your host doesn’t yet own them—and what better than a cookbook to subtly convey to your host that you’d love more holiday meal invitations? Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More is written by Shannon
Sarna, the editor of The Nosher food blog, part of the 70 Faces Media family that includes My Jewish Learning. In this gorgeous book, she pays homage to Jewish baking traditions while reinvigorating them with modern flavors and new ideas. The mother-daughter team of Gabrielle Rossmer Gropman and Sonya Gropman in The German-Jewish Cookbook: Recipes and History of a Cuisine features recipes for German-Jewish cuisine as it existed in Germany prior to World War II, and as refugees later adapted it in the United States and elsewhere. The dishes are a departure from better-known Eastern European Jewish fare and focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients. Israeli baker Uri Scheft’s Breaking Breads: A New World of Israeli Baking offers sweet and savory recipes for European, Israeli and Middle Eastern favorites. For vegan cooks—or those who often have a vegan family member or guest at their table—The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook: Entertaining for Absolutely Every Occasion by Isa Chandra Moskowitz offers meat- and dairy- and egg-free recipes for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (break-the-fast), as well as dishes for a variety of other Jewish and non-Jewish holidays.
Honey dishes It is traditional to dip apples in honey on Rosh Hashanah, and a special honey dish can add extra beauty to the practice. We like a stainless steel and glass one that says “shana tova umetuka” (a good and sweet new year) in Hebrew and a Rosh Hashanah apple plate and honey dish set with a pomegranate design available in red, blue and gray. Food Why dip good apples and challah in mediocre honey? The Savannah Bee Company, a gourmet honey purveyor, sells a variety of beautifully packaged artisanal honeys, including several variety packs. Or encourage your host to sample
some raw honeycomb. The company also sells numerous other honey-based products, like body lotions and soaps. All honey is KSA kosher-certified. For Rosh Hashanah, Zingerman’s, a Michigan deli and mail-order gourmet superstore, bakes its own honey cakes, round challahs, mandelbrot and rugelach, and sells an array of gourmet honeys from around the world. Love marzipan? Try Rosh Hashanah “Marzipops.” A gift set of these marzipan lollipops contains 10 lollipops: two each of a honeypot, a red apple, a challah, a pomegranate and a shofar. They are gluten-free and vegan, but are not certified kosher.
Assorted items Barbara’s Gifts is based in Israel but ships to the United States. Its Rosh Hashanah gift box contains a pomegranate hand towel, pomegranate challah cover, Jewish calendar tea towel, pomegranate-shaped trivet, pomegranate fabric placemats, a pomegranate notepad and set of Rosh Hashanah greeting cards. If your host likes scented candles, try this apples-and-honey one. Just make sure you don’t try to eat it after reading the description: “Brown sugar glazed apples blended with warm cinnamon, golden clove and grated nutmeg wrapped in sweet caramel honey drizzles and hints of pure maple syrup.” You can also find a variety of pomegranate-scented candles here. Off the beaten path Who doesn’t need a Rosh Hashanahthemed smartphone cover/case? Luxlady offers them in various sizes for popular iPhone and Android models. Children and adults alike will enjoy accessorizing with High Holiday-themed nail decals from Midrash Manicures. Nothing quite right? Try searching for Rosh Hashanah on Etsy or visit The Sabra Patch, an Etsy-like online store for Israeli artists. Whatever you buy, best wishes for a sweet and happy New Year!
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Rosh Hashanah
Must-know High Holidays words and phrases My Jewish Learning Staff
(MJL via JTA)—Here are some important Hebrew words and terms you may encounter over the High Holiday season. Akedah—Pronounced ah-keh-DAH. Literally “binding,” the Akedah refers to the biblical story of the binding of Isaac, which is traditionally read on the second day of Rosh Hashanah. Chag sameach—Pronounced KHAG sah-MAY-akh. Literally “happy holiday,” a common greeting on Rosh Hashanah and other Jewish holidays. Elul—Pronounced el-OOL (oo as in food). The final month of the Jewish calendar, it is designated as a time of reflection, introspection and repentance.
Het (also chet)—Pronounced KHET (short e). Sin, or wrongdoing. L’shana tovah u’metukah—Pronounced l’shah-NAH toe-VAH ooh-meh-too-KAH. A Hebrew greeting for the High Holidays season that means “For a good and sweet year.” Machzor—Pronounced MAHKH-zohr. Literally “cycle,” the machzor is the special prayer book for the High Holidays containing all the special liturgy. Selichot—Pronounced slee-KHOTE. Literally “forgivenesses,” selichot are prayers for forgiveness. Selichot refers to two related types of penitential prayers: the prayers that customarily are recited daily at morning services during the month of Elul, as well as the name of the service late at night on the Saturday
preceding Rosh Hashanah consisting of a longer series of these penitential prayers. Shofar—Pronounced shoh-FAR or SHOH-far (rhymes with “so far”). The ram’s horn that is sounded during the month of Elul, on Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. It is mentioned numerous times in the Bible in reference to its ceremonial use in the Temple and to its function as a signal horn of war.
of the High Holidays. Tishrei—Pronounced TISH-ray. The first month in the Hebrew calendar, during which Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot all occur. Unetaneh Tokef—Pronounced ooh-nuhTAH-neh TOH-keff. Literally “we shall ascribe,” a religious poem recited during the Musaf (additional service ) Amidah that is meant to strike fear in us.
Tashlich—Pronounced TAHSH-likh. Literally “cast away,” Tashlich is a ceremony observed on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah in which sins are symbolically cast away into a natural body of water. The term and custom are derived from a verse in the Book of Micah (7:19).
Yamim Noraim—Pronounced yahMEEM nohr-ah-EEM. Literally “Days of Awe,” a term that refers to the High Holidays season. Sometimes it is used to refer to the 10 days from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur, which are also known as the Aseret Yimei Teshuvah, or the 10 Days of Repentance.
Teshuvah—Pronounced tih-SHOO-vuh. Literally “return,” teshuvah is often translated as “repentance.” It is one of the central themes and spiritual components
Yom tov—Pronounced YOHM TOHV or YON-tiff. This is a general term for the major Jewish festivals.
F ri e n ds a s fa m ily
T
Staci Cohen
o me, the Jewish holidays give me time to focus on family and love. This has been
a very important part of my life especially as I moved across country and away from my family. These holidays have become about family I have created in my friends, and having them open up their homes and their hearts to me. This allowed me to feel at home even when I was so far away.
Staci Cohen.
As this holiday approaches, I remember how sweet it is to have friends like family and how lucky I am to have them!
24 | Jewish News | Rosh Hashanah | September 3, 2018 | jewishnewsva.org
R eco n n ec ting , r e m inisc ing
Rosh Hashanah
Rebecca Levitt
Israeli equestrian rider withdraws from world championships due to conflict with Yom Kippur JERUSALEM (JTA)—An Israeli equestrian rider has withdrawn from next month’s world championships because the competition will take place on Yom Kippur. The International Equestrian Federation event, which will take place this year in North Carolina, is a prelude to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where Israel’s equestrian federation hopes to compete for the first time. Israeli rider Dan Kramer sent a letter to the international federation saying that he would not compete due to the conflict with the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Ynet reported. “I decided not to join the other members of the Israeli national team and not to participate in the upcoming world championships in the United States, because
the competition is taking place on Yom Kippur and I want to honor this day as well as the Israeli public and Jewish Diaspora,” Kramer wrote in a letter to the Israel equestrian federation’s chairman Kenny Lalo, Ynet reported. Kramer, who is living in Belgium, grew up on Moshav Hayogev in northern Israel, where his family owned a horse and he dreamed of competing in the Olympics. He suffered a leg injury while serving in the Israel Defense Forces, and returned to riding as part of a physical therapy regimen. He qualified for the world championship last year. Other members of the team were divided over the decision by Kramer, whose absence could cost the Israeli team an Olympic berth.
O
ne of my favorite parts of Rosh Hashanah is seeing and reconnecting with family and friends. It is the one time of the
year that you can put all your troubles and stress aside and just focus on the excitement of a New Year, hearing the shofar, embracing Judaism, and starting fresh. The smell of Fall is in the air (in N.Y., that is). I remember as a little girl going to services at my grandparents’ temple (an older congregation) in my newest dress and the joy they would have in walking my brothers and I up and down the aisles,
Rebecca Levitt with her two daughters, Jessica and Isabelle.
introducing us to all—they were so proud. I also fondly remember as a child going to a local river down the road from our synagogue with the entire congregation for tashlich. My parents scrimmaging through the house for stale bread to throw, and having the geese chase after us. I continue to do this fun tradition. And, of course, what Jewish holiday would be complete without food? My grandmother’s (and now mom’s) brisket, pea and barely soap, round challah and honey, kugel, and apple crumb pies, are always reminiscent of this time of year.
L’Shanah Tovah!
לשנה טובה
Wishing you a year of health, happiness, and peace. May each of us strive to bring out the best in ourselves and others, and may we all be inscribed in the Book of Life. From your friends at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater and Simon Family JCC
jewishnewsva.org | September 3, 2018 | Rosh Hashanah | Jewish News | 25
Rosh Hashanah
A guide to the High Holidays prayers Rabbi Iscah Waldman
(My Jewish Learning via JTA)—The High Holidays prayer book, or machzor,
emphasizes the themes of the Days of Awe—introspection and repentance. Rosh Hashanah as the opening day of a court trial
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“The great shofar is sounded. A still small voice is heard. This day, even the angels are alarmed, seized with fear and trembling as they declare: ‘The day of judgment is here!’” In a loud and trumpeting voice, the cantor describes the shofar ’s blast, then softly and gently describes a “still, small voice.” This poignant line from the musaf (“additional”) service sets a tone for the High Holidays. It is a dichotomy that is played out over and over throughout the liturgy of the Days of Awe. On these days, we sing of the king, judge and awesome sovereign who sits in judgment over us, while at the same time we appeal to God’s mercy and longstanding tradition of forgiveness, likening God to a shepherd sheltering a flock. Rosh Hashanah is the first day of court. In the liturgy, we see this played out in the number of references to God as sovereign, ruler and a most judicious king. Additions and different emphases start as early as the beginning of the Shacharit (morning) service, with the word “Hamelekh,” the King). While these words also appear in the liturgy of Shabbat morning, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur they are highlighted in such a way that a new leader begins the service with a powerful note on the word “king” itself.
Ashamnu and Avinu Malkeinu The structure of the morning service on Rosh Hashanah is similar to weekday and Shabbat services. It is, however, additional piyyutim (liturgical poems) such as L’eyl Orekh Din (“to the God who sits in judgment”) or Adonai Melekh (“Adonai is King”) that evoke the seriousness with which we would approach a trial with the true judge.
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Torah readings on Rosh Hashanah The Torah reading on Rosh Hashanah is from the story of Isaac’s birth, describing God’s kindness in giving a child to Abraham and Sarah in their old age (Genesis 21). On the second day we read the story of the binding of Isaac, which ends with a ram as a substitute for Isaac (Genesis 22).
The shofar that is so prominent on Rosh Hashanah is considered to be symbolic of this ram.
U’netaneh Tokef: Who shall live and who shall die As the continuation of the piyyut U’netaneh Tokef quoted above tells us, on Rosh Hashanah we are inscribed into the book of life, while on Yom Kippur the book is sealed. These simple lines open us up to the possibility of teshuvah (repentance) and of reflection of our past deeds. U’netaneh Tokef is recited on both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as an introductory piyyut to the kedushah (literally, holiness) in the musaf Amidah. The key line of this prayer follows on the heels of a long rhetorical piece that demands to know who among this congregation will be here next year: How many will perish and how many will be brought high? But, the liturgist notes, even those who are fated for the worst can depend on the following precept: “penitence, prayer, and good deeds can annul the severity of the decree.” The shofar blasts The shofar is perhaps the best-known feature of Rosh Hashanah services. There are two sets of shofar blasts on each day of the holiday. The first follows the Torah service. The second is intertwined with three unique sections in the musaf known as Malkhuyot (verses relating to God’s Kingship), Zikhronot (verses relating to memory) and Shofarot (verses relating to shofar). Each of these sections contains 10 verses on each of the topics – Malkhuyot recalls that God is king, Zikhronot recalls God remembering us for the good and Shofarot gives quotes in which the shofar is sounded, in the past but mostly in the future, heralding future redemption. The sounding of the shofar is interspersed through each of these three prayer sections, showing itself to be a part of the prayer itself. In Reform and other liberal congregations that do not recite musaf, these sections—and the shofar sounding— are added to the morning Shacharit. Rabbi Michael Strassfeld has written in
Rosh Hashanah his book The Jewish Holidays that these three sections, unique to Rosh Hashanah, reflect three central principles of Judaism: • The acceptance of God as King of Universe. • The acknowledgement that God intervenes in the world to punish the wicked and reward the good. • The recognition that God was revealed in the giving of the Torah at Sinai and again will be revealed at the end of days. If we were to pick out one piyyut as an archetype of the theology of the Rosh Hashanah, we might choose L’eyl orekh din (“to God who sits in judgment”). The poem begins by declaring that God “probes all of our hearts” and therefore will always divine our most secret thoughts and fears. It moves on to say that God suppresses wrath in judgment, so that regardless of the dark nature of our secret sins, God will suppress anger in discovering them. It ends by announcing that God acts with compassion, accepts God’s subjects and guards those who love God. We may take from this that even while we call Rosh Hashanah “Yom ha Din” (Day of Judgment), we can look forward to the end of the process in which we will be loved, accepted and forgiven our sins. This is the overall theological message that the Rosh Hashanah liturgy wishes to portray: We still have hope.
Yom Kippur: The Day of Judgment If we view Rosh Hashanah as the first day of a court case, then we would see Yom Kippur as the day on which the verdict is handed down. The tension mounts as we near the Day of Judgment, and this can be seen in the liturgy as well. The evening of Yom Kippur begins with a once-controversial prayer, Kol Nidre, that has since become the symbol for the solemnity of the day. In this prayer, repeated three times, we pray that all vows and oaths that we have made throughout the year will be forgiven us, so that we might enter into this coming year with a clean slate, forgiven for any promises we might inadvertently have broken. Many rabbis viewed this as an unnecessary absolution that might lead people to sin by taking their vows too lightly in the future. However, this prayer had already proven to be so popular and powerful among the
people, it has become a centerpiece of the holiday. Forgiveness and confessions All five services on Yom Kippur include a section known as Selichot (forgiveness prayers) and another one called the Vidui (confessions). The Selichot include a basic confession of sins, an expression of our contrition and reflections on God’s forgiving nature. We recite the 13 attributes, which are taken from a prayer that Moses recited in Exodus 34. In it, we assert that God is compassionate, patient and righteous. Included in the Vidui is the Ashamnu, which is an alphabetical acrostic of different sins we have committed. It is said in first-person plural because while each individual may not have committed these specific sins, as a community we surely have, and on this day our fates are intertwined. We also read the Al Chet, a prayer that similarly lists transgressions we have made over the year. These two sections best reflect the theology of the day: We are in a state of self-reflection. We admit our sins fully, and even beat our breasts while doing so. We place our fates in God’s hands, for God is Tov V’Salah (good and forgiving). Yom Kippur musaf (Shaharit for Reform synagogues) is different from Rosh Hashanah in that we do not add Malkhuyot, Zikhronot and Shofarot, but instead include a section on the Avodah, a description of the sacrifices and rituals performed by the High Priest in the Temple on Yom Kippur. We also add a piece known as the martyrology, a solemn section where we recall 10 martyrs who were killed in most brutal ways, giving their lives while declaring their faith for the world to hear.
Neilah: The gates are locked It is the final service on Yom Kippur, Nei’lah—literally “locking” (of gates)— which paints an image of the gates of heaven closing, lending urgency to our prayers and our need for repentance and forgiveness. We begin the service with a piyyut that asks God to “open the gate” and let us enter so that we might have a final appeal before God’s decree is sealed. There is a silent Amidah prayer, like at all services, which is repeated by the cantor. Throughout Neilah, the language of being “written” in the book of life used thus far in High Holiday liturgy
shifts, as we instead speak of being “sealed” in that book. The final section of Neilah includes a recitation of the Shema (“Hear O Israel …”) and these lines: Baruch Shem K’vod (“Blessed be God’s name …”) three times, and Adonai Hu HaElohim (“Adonai is our God”) seven times. We conclude with a long
blast of the shofar. Thus ends the period of the High Holidays. We begin with contrition and awe as we enter the courtroom for our trial. We end with the acceptance of our verdict and the assertion that Adonai is our God—powerful, all knowing and of course, compassionate.
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