Shabbat and Pesach-O-Gram for March 22-24-- Nisan 10, 5762
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut
Shabbat Shalom and Hag Kasher V'Sameach
The Shabbat-O-Gram is being e-mailed out in plain text, but if you wish to see it in all its html splendor, you can click to it on the Web, at http://www.tbe.org/sog/020322.htm. If you wish to unsubscribe, contact office@tbe.org.
This O'Gram covers the next two weeks -- with plenty of material to get you through the holiday. Enjoy!
ISRAEL ANNOUNCEMENTS
UPDATE ON JERUSALEM SUICIDE BOMBING
For the latest: http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/Flash1.html
Thursday, March 21, 2002
(GPO 2) UPDATE: ISRAEL TV CHANNEL 2 REPORTING TWO DEAD AND AT LEAST 41 WOUNDED (7 SERIOUSLY) IN THIS AFTERNOON’S SUICIDE-BOMBING IN JLEM (KING GEORGE ST, BETWEEN CORNERS OF HAHISTADRUT & AGRIPPAS). ISRAEL TV CHANNEL 2 ALSO REPORTS THAT FATAH "AL AQSA MARTYR BRIGADES" HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR ATTACK. (COMM BY GPO)
IMRA: Israel Radio reported that PA security chief Jibril Rajoub and other Palestinian officials reiterated that the PA would not take action to control Arafat’s Fatah "AL Aqsa Martyr Brigades" or any other illegal militias.
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
HEALING PRAYERS
With Israelis continuing to suffer so horribly, take a few moments this Shabbat to pray for those who are wounded, whose Hebrew names can be found at the "cholim" Web site, at http://www.torah.org/services/cholim/cholim.php3.
UJC NEW YORK RALLY SUNDAY
The United Jewish Communities, in partnership with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, is organizing a Gathering on Sunday, March 24 to demonstrate that We Stand With Israel. The program, scheduled to last from noon to 2 PM, will be headlined by Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, and there will be a live feed from Israel. Prime Minister Sharon, Foreign Minister Peres and a number of other Israelis will be part of the broadcast, which will be delivered by satellite feed to scores of communities across North America.
You can join them from the comfort of your own home, via webcast at www.ujc.org . It is recommended that you log on half an hour ahead of time to make sure that you can access the program.
JUST THE FACTS: Services and Such… (scroll down to the bottom for other Beth El announcements)
Friday Night: Candles: 5:50 PM
Kabbalat Shabbat: 8:00 PM, in the chapel
SPECIAL ADDITIONAL SERVICE: TALKING AT THE BORDERS: Interfaith Families and Extended Families Walking the Line: 7:30 P.M. Join Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener for an engaging service and a thought provoking discussion on the challenges and joys encountered by interfaith families and their extended families
MEDITATIVE MINCHA Shabbat afternoon, March 23rd at 4:00p.m. All those in a meditative mood are invited to join Rabbi Cohen-Kiener. Featuring niggunim, chant and contemplation to enjoy the day of rest. RSVP to 322-6901, extension 306.
Shabbat Morning:
P'sukey d'zimra (psalms and meditations) 9:15 and Shacharit: 9:30
MAZAL TOV to Daniel Madwed, who becomes Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat morning;
MAZAL TOV to Richard and Tara Shapiro, on the naming of their daughter Ashley Lauren
Torah Portion: Tzav -- Shabbat Ha-Gadol: A look at the sacrificial system, and a special haftorah for the Shabbat before Pesach. Read the Masorti commentary at http://www.masorti.org/mason/torah/index.asp. JTS commentary is at: http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/parashah/. USCJ Torah Sparks can be found at http://uscj.org/item20_467.html. UAHC Shabbat Table Talk discussions are at http://uahc.org/torah/exodus.shtml. Other divrei Torah via the Torahnet home page: http://uahcweb.org/torahnet/. Test your Parasha I.Q.: http://www.ou.org/jewishiq/parsha/default.htm. CLAL's Torah commentary archive: http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvQhbV2AtLb/
CONTEMPLATIVE LEARNER’S MINYAN: 10:00 A.M., led by Rabbi Cohen-Kiener:
Children's Services: 10:30, in the chapel (grades 3 - 6) and downstairs in the Kindergarten room for younger grades. This week, the chapel service will be "hosted" by grade 4.
Morning Minyan: Daily at 7:30, Sundays at 9:00 (N.B. THERE IS NO EARLY MORNING MINYAN ON THE FIRST TWO AND LAST TWO DAYS OF PASSOVER).
PASSOVER SERVICE SCHEDULE
N.B. CHILDREN'S SERVICES WILL BE HELD ON THE FIRST TWO AND LAST TWO DAYS OF PASSOVER
ALL HAMETZ SALE FORMS MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON (I will be selling our hametz to Alberto Eyzaguirre early on Wednesday morning. Should he choose to, Alberto will sell it back to us following Passover. So -- BE ESPECIALLY NICE TO HIM THIS WEEK!)
Wed. March 27: FAST OF THE FIRST BORN… Siyum for the first born (quick study session following the tradition that will enable first born to end their fast on that morning) -- to be held immediately following morning minyan.
Wed.: Candles at 5:56 PM
Thurs. March 28 and Friday March 29: Morning service at 9:30 AM (9:15 for Psukey d'Zimra). Please note that Stamford Schools are not in session on the second day of Passover (Something about it being a very Good Friday, I hear). Take this opportunity to join with us here -- and bring the extended family!
Friday, March 29: Candles at 5:58. Shabbat Hol Ha-Moed service: 8:00 PM
Saturday, March 30: Psukey d'Zimra at 9:15 AM, Shacharit at 9:30. Family Service. We read Song of Songs on the Intermediate Shabbat of Passover. The lunch will be co-sponsored by the Braun's and Greenmans in honor of the upcoming Bat Mitzvahs of Jennifer Greenman and Joelle Braun.
MAZAL TOV to Robin and Greg Druckman on the naming of their daughter Shayna Druckman at this service, and a special welcome back to Shayna's grandparents, Ron and Belle Agronin.
Spiritual Journey on the Web: Call Me Ashke-sephard
This week's journey begins with my own article in the week's Jewish Week, at http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editletcontent.php3?artid=1862, which in turn was based on a sermon I gave here a couple of weeks ago. I make the claim to being a Jewish mutt, and that all the old lines of division between Jews are dissolving. Unfortunately, some are not going down without a fight, and, as you can see from the below material on a new Conversion Crisis, even in wartime, "Who is a Jew" is rearing its ugly head once again in Israel. What I thought I'd do was to transform that article into a web journey, complete with hyperlinks and annotation, to encourage you to explore more fully the shifting sands of Jewish identity. For what is Passover but an annual Jewish Identity Booster Shot? Let's prepare to once again sit around the Seder table with family and friends by gaining a better understanding of what it means to be a Jew in this crazy, complex world.
My Boston-bred sister Lisa, who is Orthodox and now living in Israel, recently married a Jew by choice originally from Texas, whom she met on their settlement on the West Bank (see where at http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/). In the scheme of the Jewish world today, that match comes as no shock.
But now she tells me that she has decided to become Sephardi. (for lots of this subject, see the Sephardi Connection at http://www.sephardiconnect.com/, and also check out the American Sephardi Federation at http://www.amsephfed.org/)
Please understand, no one in this world looks less Sephardi than my red-haired, freckle-faced, fair-skinned, dimple-cheeked sister. If I were in the Israeli rabbinate, I would surely investigate this — except that they’re the ones who authorized it.
It seems that when her husband, Asher, converted, an Ashkenazi and a Sephardi rabbi were both present. Asher asked them which tradition he should adopt, Ashkenazi (European-based, see http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/Ashkenazim.html) or Sephardi (primarily Middle Eastern, Spanish based) and was told to take neither but to wait for the time when a new indigenous Israeli tradition is established. So for the time being, he took on Sephardi ways, and when my sister married him she went along for the ride. (What are the differences between the two? Go to http://www.landfield.com/faqs/judaism/FAQ/07-Jews-As-Nation/section-3.html, also http://www.escape.com/~elyaqim/ashk/)
And a nice ride it is, thank you very much. For now, with Pesach approaching, Lisa will be able to get away with things that would make most American Jews turn karpas-green with envy. She gets to eat the rice and legumes ("kitniyot") that Sephardi Jews have always eaten, foods that their more stringent Ashkenazi cousins have avoided. Cleanup is also not as difficult as in an Ashkenazi kitchen. (For Sephardi customs on Pesach, and lots more, go to http://www.midrash.org/)
All of this, and the only drawback is having to do "hagba" (lifting the Torah) with those heavy, encased Torah scrolls. So where do I sign up to become Sephardi?
A few years ago, the Masorti (Conservative) movement in Israel came out with a rabbinic ruling indicating that it was OK for Ashkenazi Israelis to adapt a Sephardi posture with regard to kitniyot on Pesach (see the ruling at http://www.tifereth-israel.org/legumes.html). The feeling was it would make sense to relax the practice in order to allow all Jews in Israel to "break bread" together on the holiday, so to speak.
But Israel is Israel, with a majority Sephardi population, and America is America, where the European legacy prevails. So when I offered my congregants the Masorti ruling as a valid Passover option, and when I told them that, as a vegetarian, I would be adopting it myself, people went ballistic. It was as if I had just sanctioned the eating of pork, except that a number of certified pepperoni pizza eaters were among those who scoffed at the impudence of my OK to eat kitniyot.
Despite the resistance of these inveterate Ashkenazim, it’s clear the distinctions are dissolving, almost as fast as you can say "Sadducee." (Read about Josephus' views on this 1st century sect at http://www.jewishgates.org/history/eyewitness/josects.stm, or, in simplified version at http://religion.rutgers.edu/iho/pharisee.html) For the pattern of the past several centuries of Jewish life has been to create acute cultural divisions, pump lots of anger into these feuds, and then to see them run out of gas within a few generations. We Jews divide like amoebas, but our internal conflicts tend to dissipate quickly. The Litvaks (http://litvakai.mch.mii.lt/religious_tradition/) and the Galicianers (http://www.geocities.com/turkel.geo/Galicia.htm), bitter enemies in the Old Country, now lie down like the lion and the lamb (if they even know what they are); the Zionist Revisionists (http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/j/jabotins.asp, http://www.odessit.com/namegal/english/jabotins.htm) and Laborites now share a unity government (for the whole shebang on Zionist history, go to http://www.hum.huji.ac.il/dinur/Internetresources/zionism.htm#leaders and go to town!); and today’s chasidim act more like their former arch enemies, the Mitnagdim (http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/363_Transp/Orthodoxy/Misnagdim.html), than did the original Mitnagdim two centuries ago, who defined themselves by the fact that they hated chasidim.
As for the religious denominations, growing numbers of Jews shun the old labels, choosing to identify themselves as "post-denominational," "Reformstrucative" or "Renewal-Orthoprax." Rarely do the labels matter anymore because the sands of Jewish identity are shifting too quickly. (All the movements of Judaism are described on a basic level at http://www.jewfaq.org/movement.htm)
That’s a good thing, for just as Israel needs to maintain its unity government, the rest of the Jewish world is also aching for unity.
A few weeks ago, the Israeli Supreme Court issued a landmark decision granting unprecedented recognition to non-Orthodox conversions that occur in Israel. While the Orthodox authorities haven’t been happy, the response on all sides has been amazingly muted. We’ve all come to realize that it’s ludicrous for Jews to haggle over questions of "Who is a Jew" when terrorists are answering that question loud and clear. We all seem to be intuiting that this is not the time to emphasize our differences — those that haven’t already dissolved. (Unfortunately, see below for an update on this issue)
So call me Sephardi this year when Pesach rolls around.
Call me Sephardi when I say the Kaddish ("YIT-gadal") (What is the Mourner's Kaddish? See http://www.tifereth-israel.org/dvarlav.html) but Ashkenazi when I say "Good Shabbos." I like to combine a Sephardi diet with an Ashkenazi soul; my blood churns Ladino hot (http://www.hareshima.com/Study/Ladino.asp, http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0798/ladino1.asp) and my humor spouts Yiddish (http://www.yiddishbookcenter.org/) irony. I daven Orthodox (http://www.godaven.com/), hum chasidic (http://www.bethelsudbury.org/prayer/nigdesc.htm), philosophize Conservative (http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/rl/jcu-belief.html, http://www.crosscurrents.org/heschel.htm), innovate Reconstructionist (http://www.rrc.edu/reconstructionism/), meditate kabbalist (http://www.elatchayyim.org/) and do social action Reform (http://www.rac.org/). I’m Likud (http://www.likud.org.il/) on terrorism and Labor (http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Politics/labor.html) on human rights. I’m Meretz (http://www.meretz.org.il/) meets Yesha (http://www.moetzetyesha.co.il/); and they do meet — in me. I’d have been a Zealot on Masada (http://www.jewishmag.com/26mag/masada/masada.htm) yet a Pharisee in Yavneh (http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/biography/ben_zakkai.html), a Saul supporter on Gilboa (http://www.imakenews.com/gems/e_article000002700.cfm) and a Davidite in Jerusalem. I’ve got the Gaon of Vilna (http://members.aol.com/LazerA/VilnaGaon.htm) in my mind and the Baal Shem Tov (http://members.aol.com/LazerA/baalshemtov.html) in my heart. Dig deep enough and you may even find that I’ve got a little Karaite in me, too (http://www.karaite-korner.org/)
In short, I’m a Jewish mutt.
All of Jewish history culminates in each of us. We all are the synthesis of Torah and time. Seemingly irreconcilable opposites are reconciled in the intractable, complex matrix of the individual Jewish soul.
So good Shabbos to you, a zisen Pesach … and please pass the legumes.
Quote of the Week: (this week, a full editorial)
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NO EQUIVALENCE
The reason for the Administration's sudden re-engagement on the issue is no secret. Vice President Dick Cheney is in the region trying to build support for regime change in Iraq, and the deteriorating Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a sore spot in our relations with the Arab world. The trouble is, this activity comes just as Israel has started to win some important victories in its war on terror. And worse, it threatens to undermine the moral case for our own war--a case President Bush couldn't have put any better than he did Monday, declaring: "There can be no peace in a world where differences and grievances become an excuse to target the innocent for murder." A couple of years ago, perhaps, it was still possible to argue that Palestinian violence was the work of a few Islamic extremists, and that punishing Yasser Arafat only made it harder for him to rein them in. But in the summer of 2000 Israel offered Mr. Arafat a state, and Mr. Arafat launched a war. The lion's share of recent attacks have been carried out not by Hamas or Islamic Jihad, but by the military wing of Mr. Arafat's own Fatah movement. And after Saturday night's deadly suicide bombing at the Moment cafe in Jerusalem, Mr. Arafat's state radio praised the bomber as a "heroic martyr." In short, the targeting of innocents is Mr. Arafat's explicit strategy to address the "grievance" of Israeli occupation. Israel, on the other hand, has pursued a policy of carefully targeting militants, and has been risking its soldiers over the past week to arrest suspects and confiscate weapons in Palestinian towns and refugee camps. Some non-combatants have been killed, but there is no moral equivalence here--certainly not the kind implied by U.S. proposals for monitors to keep peace between the two sides, or by Colin Powell's declaration last week that "if you declare war on the Palestinians and think you can solve the problem by seeing how many Palestinians can be killed, I don't know if that leads us anywhere." The message all this sends Mr. Arafat is unmistakable: Ratchet up suicidal bombings of Israeli civilians, induce a military response, and the U.S. will heavily pressure Israel for concessions. The Saudi peace "plan," meanwhile, seems to be going nowhere fast. [I]f Crown Prince Abdullah were serious, he might have presented it to Ariel Sharon as Israel's elected leader, not to a New York Times columnist. He might also have presented it two years ago, when it could have made a difference, instead of urging Mr. Arafat to reject the hugely concessionary offer made by former Israeli Prime Minister Barak at Camp David. Now there's even talk among the Arab League of removing any reference to "normalization" at all. Without that, it amounts to nothing but a demand for unconditional surrender. We understand the Bush Administration's concerns as it makes the case in foreign capitals for an expansion of the war on terror. But the White House should understand that both strategic and moral consistency means sometimes telling people what they don't want to hear. To wit: The U.S. has already spent more than a decade sponsoring talks for Israel to return to something like the 1967 borders, and the Palestinian grievance over Israeli occupation must be addressed by a return to the negotiating table, not violence aimed explicitly at innocent civilians. The definition of such violence is terrorism. It is the very kind of anti-civilian terror as an instrument of politics that President Bush so eloquently condemned on Monday. Until such time as the Arab world is ready to seek solutions by civilized means, the U.S. has no moral alternative to standing firmly behind Prime Minister Sharon's war against such terror. |
REQUIRED READING AND ACTION ITEMS
ON ISRAEL AND TERRORISM
At the suggestion of our own Jami Shapiro, who is studying in Israel this year, look at the article on how Israelis are coping at the new web site Israel 21c (an excellent site) , home page : http://www.israel21c.org:7001/ISRAEL21c/bin/en.jsp?enPage=HomePage. The article itself is at http://www.israel21c.org:7001/ISRAEL21c/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enDispWho=Articles%5El103&enZone=democracy&enVersion=0&. And one more thing: HAPPY PESACH JAMI!
This week's Jerusalem Report also has an article on how Israelis cope (not online) and interesting columns by former Beth El Scholar in residence Hirsh Goodman, at http://www.jrep.com/Columnists/Article-1.html, and editor David Horovitz, at http://www.jrep.com/Columnists/Article-0.html
The events of September 11th and continuing strife in the Middle East have brought Islamic culture and beliefs into the American consciousness, and, for many Jews, have deepened questions about the relationships between Judaism and Islam in historical and contemporary times. For those who are confronting these issues, Dr. Raymond Scheindlin, a noted scholar of Jewish and Arabic culture and literature, offers a guided reading list, which is found below. He lead an on-line discussion of these issues the week of April 15th. To learn more, click on http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/reading/islam
http://www.senate.gov/~inhofe/fl030402.html -- for a stirring defense on Israel given on the Senate floor.
http://www.themedialine.org/news/index.asp
http://www.walk4israel.com/ Writing to Israeli terror victims
THE CONVERSION CRISIS (SEE BELOW FOR BACKGROUND)
http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.03.22/oped1.html -- Rabbi David Hartman, "Indifference, not Conversion, Is the Real Crisis"
Passover:
USCJ Passover Guide and Seder Supplement, by Rabbi Barry Dov Lerner: http://www.uscj.org/perekyomi/passover_guide.htm
From CLAL:
Steve Greenberg: Passover -- http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvPXbV2AtLb/
David Kraemer: Pesach - To Ask Questions -- http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvPYbV2AtLb/
Dianne Kohler Esses: To Tell the Exodus Story http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvPZbV2AtLb/
An Interactive Passover Holiday Card -- http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvP0bV2AtLb/
New Israel Fund’s new 20 page Haggadah Supplement is now available for downloading at http://www.newisraelfund.org/content.cfm?id=1597&currbody=1.
The Forward: Finding Personal Meaning in Passover Rituals: http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.03.22/fast7.html
http://www.rabassembly.org/info/pesahguide/ Rabbinical Assembly guide to Passover practice
http://www.thejewishweek.com/bottom/special.php3 Jewish Week Passover supplement
Kashrut.Com - The Premier Kosher Information Source on the Internet http://www.kashrut.com/Passover/;
http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach/default.htm;
http://www.kosherquest.org/html/passover.htm
http://www.kosher.com/?ad=11 -- Order Passover food online
http://all-worldtravel.links2go.com/more/www.kosher.co.il/ An extensive array of Kosher links
www.iabolish.com/passover/ a valuable new web site that provides materials and activities about modern day slavery; are appropriate for Passover.
CRISIS IN ARGENTINA:
Approximately 220,000 Jews live in Argentina, more than 50,000 below the poverty line -- and the number is rapidly accelerating. The current financial crisis has had a devastating impact on all institutions of Jewish life there. Included in this are many Masorti institutions. Contributions to the Argentina Masorti Social Assistance Fund can be made payable to the "World Council of Synagogues, Inc." and sent to World Council of Synagogues, 155 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010. All contributions are tax deductible.
EMERGENCY PRE-PASSOVER FOOD DRIVE FOR PERSON TO PERSON
This past year Temple Beth El’s High Holy Day Food Drive exceeded all previous years. Because of present economic conditions more families are coming to the Person-To-Person Food Pantry for help. This is particularly true at the end of each month.
In 2001 Person-To-Person’s pantry provided over 112,000 meals to over 906 different families. In January 2002, 517 families requested food supplies totaling 7,000 meals. Other emergency providers are also reporting increased demand and reduced supply.
During this month, in which we celebrate Passover, we remember the commandment in the Haggadah, "Let all who are hungry come and eat." Person-To-Person is not looking for matzos or gefilte fish, but is in need of cereal, pasta, rice, soups and canned fruits and vegetables.
Please do your part by bringing one or two bags of food to the Temple by Friday, March 22nd. If you prefer, take the food bags directly to the Person-To-Person Food Pantry behind St. Luke’s Church at 1864 Post Road in Darien, CT. Empty bags are available in our lobby.
Your holiday is always sweeter if it’s shared!
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK INTO THE MIKVA………. (At the worst possible time, the conversion crisis hits again)
As expected, the Orthodox establishment is trying to circumvent a recent Israeli Supreme Court ruling that gave unprecedented recognition to non-Orthodox conversions performed in Israel. Below is the text of a letter I hope that you will send (cut and paste or change as you see fit) by e-mail, or by fax, to your local Israeli consulate and to the Israeli embassy. Please send a copy to the Masorti office by e-mail masorti@masorti.org or by Fax: 972-2-6246869) and they will pass it on to the relevant authorities in Israel. You may also wish to contact Rabbi Danny Allen at the Foundation for Masorti Judaism in Israel for more ways to help. For a fuller explanation of the matter, scroll down and read the letter sent by our Conservative leadership to Prime Minister Sharon.
Dear Prime Minister Sharon,
As a Zionist, and as a Conservative Jew, I turn to you out of my deep concern for Jewish unity and out of a desire to avoid a schism between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. I am concerned that a law (The Law of Conversion) intended to circumvent the recent ruling of Israel's Supreme Court mandating the recognition of Masorti/Conservative and Reform conversions would be contrary to democratic values and show contempt for the Israeli judicial system.
During these troubled times we stand together with Israel. The passage of this legislation, at this time, would be a disastrous blow to the unity of the Jewish people.
Respectfully,
Send to:
New York, U.N. Consulate1-212-499 5510 israel.un@israelfm.org
Washington, Embassy of Israel1-202-364 5500, ask@israelemb.org
The original letter…
To:
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
Office of the Prime Minister
HaKirya
Jerusalem
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
Out of a deep feeling of concern regarding the unity of the Jewish people, and a desire to prevent an erosion in the relationship between the State of Israel and the Jews of the Diaspora, we are turning to you concerning the matter of "The Law on Conversion." The Israeli Supreme Court decision on conversion, of February 20, 2002, was welcomed by an overwhelming majority of world Jewry. The decision of the court was an historic milestone toward official recognition, by the State of Israel, of the religious movements that make up the majority of Diaspora Jewry.
For this reason, we would presume that the acceptance of this court decision and its immediate and full implementation would not only be the logical step of a democratic government, bound to uphold the law, but it would also serve as a concrete contribution toward the unity of our People and the strengthening of Israel-Diaspora relations.
Sadly, it turns out that there are those who refuse to accept this Supreme Court verdict and who seek to overturn it. Once they failed to achieve this aim by way of the elimination of the "nationality" clause from the national identity card -Teudat Zehut - (causing damage to the security of the State) they sought to enact legislation that would circumvent the decision of the Supreme Court. An ultimatum has been issued to the government to pass legislation that would broaden the powers of the Chief Rabbinate and extend to it a monopoly over conversion. We urge you to reject this demand. Any law seeking to overturn the Supreme Court decision, be it "The Law on Conversion," or an attempt to impose that which was never agreed upon by the Ne'eman Commission, or any other version that would seek to prevent the implementation of the Supreme Court decision, could lead, heaven forbid, to a deep schism and an open confrontation, between Diaspora Jewry and the State of Israel, and to the erosion of freedom of religion and conscience of Israeli citizens and residents.
Sadly, today the State of Israel is in one of its most difficult hours. Those of us who live and work in the Diaspora, stand with you in the brave fight against terror and violence. Especially in these difficult times we all must strive for Jewish solidarity and unity.
We call upon you not to surrender to the demands of Shas, and not to lend a hand to the prospective legislation that would be so harmful to this unity. A vote for "The Conversion Bill" would be, in our view, a deep insult and a rejection of our entire movement, as well as a hard blow to the unity of the Jewish people. A vote for "The Law on Conversion" could, heaven forbid, create open confrontation between Israel and the Diaspora. Surrender to the demands of Shas would be, in our view, an undermining of the Jewish and the democratic nature of the State of Israel.
Mr. Prime Minister, please, to not allow such a thing to happen.
"For the sake of my brothers and my friends I say: May peace reside within you. For the sake of the House of the Lord I shall seek your welfare. May the Lord grant His people strength, May the Lord bless His people with peace."(Psalms 29:11)
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor, Mr. Gershon Kekst, Chairman of the Board of Governors
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Rabbi Jerome Epstein, Director Ms. Judy Yudoff, President
The International Rabbinical Assembly
Rabbi Joel Meyers, Director Rabbi Reuven Hammer, President
The Foundation for Masorti Judaism in Israel
Rabbi Daniel Allen, President Rabbi Gordon Tucker,Chairman of the Board
The Woman's League for Conservative Judaism
Ms. Bernice Balter, Director Ms. Janet Tobin, president
The Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs
Rabbi Charles Simon, Director Mr. Robert Levine, President
The Cantors Assembly
Cantor Steven Stein, Director Cantor Sheldon Levin, President
Merkaz USA
Rabbi Robert Golub, Director Ms. Evelyn Selig, President
Masorti Olami-The World Council of Conservative Synagogues
Rabbi Joseph Wernick, Director Rabbi Allen Silverstein, President
The Masorti Movement in Israel
Rabbi Ehud Bandel, President Dr. David Brakestone, Chairman of Board
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
MAZAL TOV to: Alice Jaffe on the birth of a grandson, Elias Leo, born to Tatiana & Stephen Jaffe
UPCOMING YOUTH EVENTS
ALL YOUTH, GRADES K-8: Baseball League registration closes Friday, March 22nd. For more information, contact Marcie youth@tbe.org or call 322-6901, ext. 324.
KADIMA (Grades 6-8): CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE, CHOCOLATE & PIZZA!! Chocolate Seder will be this Sunday, March 24th, 5-7 pm, $10. Please e-mail Marcie youth@tbe.org or call 322-6901, ext. 324 to sign-up.
ATID (Grades K-2) & KESHER (Grades 3-5): Bridgeport Sound Tigers Hockey Game trip, Sunday, April 7th, $30 - includes Center Club Seating, transportation by bus and snacks. For more information, contact Marcie youth@tbe.org or call 322-6901, ext. 324.
USY (Grades 9-12) Spring Convention is coming!!!! April 12-14, North Haven Holiday Inn. For application/information, contact Marcie youth@tbe.org or call 322-6901, ext. 324. REGISTRATION DEADLINE is April 1st - no exceptions!
8TH GRADERS: 8th Grade Overnight at USY's Spring Convention. April 13-14, North Haven Holiday Inn. For application/information, contact Marcie youth@tbe.org or call 322-6901, ext. 324. REGISTRATION DEADLINE is April 1st - no exceptions!
MORE UPCOMING PROGRAMS WITH RABBI ANDREA COHEN-KEINER!!
Friday evening March, 22nd at 7:30 pm
TALKING AT THE BORDERS
Interfaith Families and Extended Families Walking the Line
Join Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener for engaging service and a thought provoking discussion on the challenges and joys encountered by interfaith families and their extended families
TELL YOUR FRIENDS (INCLUDING THOSE WHO ARE UNAFFILIATED)!!!
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Shabbat, March 23rd at 10:00 a.m.
Spend Shabbat morning with Rabbi Cohen-Kiener
CONTEMPLATIVE LEARNER’S MINYAN
A spirited, spiritual service filled with stories, song and meaningful prayer
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Shabbat afternoon, March 23rd at 4:00p.m.
All those in a meditative mood are invited to join Rabbi Cohen-Kiener for a
MEDITATIVE MINCHA
Featuring niggunim, chant and contemplation to enjoy the day of rest
RSVP to 322-6901 extension 306
Coming soon….
Trip to the Museum of Jewish Heritage
Date: April 28, 2002- Sunday
Time: Bus departs TBE at 10:30, return late afternoon.
Cost: $36- includes transportation, museum fees, and guided tour of the museum, plus kosher lunch at the Museum.
Send checks to TBE, write on check "seniors trip". Anyone wanting more information can call me at home. Phone 203-329-9516.
All checks must be in by April 4th, as the Museum requires payment in full by April 7, 2002. There are no refunds and the date will be not be held after April 7th, 2002 if they don't have the full payment.
Annual Cantor's Concert, featuring the Klezmer Conservatory band of Boston:
April 21 @ 3 PM
Temple Beth El To Honor Hazzan Rabinowitz
The Committee to Honor Hazzan & Sandy is looking for former Junior Choir singers to participate in the upcoming festivities! If your son or daughter ever participated in the Beth El Junior Choir, please call Roz Perlson (323-7328), Kathy Paseltiner (356-9735) or Carol Kalter (968-1075) to give his/her name, address and phone number. Thank you.
May 4 - Dinner Dance at Temple Beth El
May 19 - Community Event to Honor Sidney and Sandy Rabinowitz
Send us any memories, history, personal observations, programs, photos or other memorabilia. Those wishing to honor the Hazzan with a gift to the temple can do so with an entry in a journal being prepared for the May 4 event. Watch your mail for details or contact Roberta Aronovitch (for information) at 203-322-6901 ext 304 or by e-mail at execdir@tbe.org
Junior Choir Reunion! Friday, June 14, 2002
The Committee to Honor Hazzan & Sandy is looking for former Junior Choir singers to participate in the upcoming festivities! If your son or daughter ever participated in the Beth El Junior Choir, please call Roz Perlson (323-7328), Kathy Paseltiner (356-9735) or Carol Kalter (968-1075) to give his/her name, address and phone number.
Beth El Cares
BETH EL CARES and AMERICARES HOME FRONT NEED YOU!
SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2001 (FLEXIBLE HOURS)
Please volunteer to help us refurbish and repair the home of an elderly Stamford resident. No experience needed, though we are also looking for people with painting and home repair experience to assist the group.
TO SIGN UP OR TO GET MORE INFORMATION CALL:
Art and Sue Greenwald at (203) 329-1662 or e-mail adg521@optonline.net
JOIN THE MAY MITZVAH TEAM!
SHABBAT SHALOM and HAG SAMEACH V'KASHER!
The Shabbat-O-Gram goes out weekly to hundreds of Beth El congregants and others. Feel free to forward it to your friends, and if you know of anyone who might wish to be included, please have them sign up at www.tbe.org. You can unsubscribe by contacting our office at office@tbe.org.
For more information on my synagogue, check out Beth El's Web site at www.tbe.org. To check out some previous spiritual cyber-journeys I have taken, see my book's site at www.thelordismyshepherd.com.
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