November 10, 2006 – Heshvan 20, 5767
Join your fellow community members and volunteer on Super Sunday,
(UJF's community phone-a-thon)
on December 3, 2006.
22nd ANNUAL
HAROLD E. HOFFMAN MEMORIAL LECTURE
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 8:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Peter Bergen
Best-selling author and terrorism analyst for CNN
Topic: Osama bin Laden,
History’s Most Successful Terrorist, and Al Qaeda
Check our website at www.tbe.org for super photos of our spectacular TBE Sukkah
and mp3 and text files of the High Holidays sermons.
Send your friends and relatives the gift of Jewish awareness -- a Shabbat-O-Gram each week, by signing them up at www.tbe.org. To be removed from this mailing list, sent e-mail request to office@tbe.org. If you have signed up and are not receiving our e-mails, check your spam filter to make sure that TBE is not being “spammed out.”
Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:
(Click to scroll down)
Just the Facts (service schedule)
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary (new)
The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)
Announcements (goings on in and around TBE)
Quote for the Week
"Perhaps the most striking feature of the story of Ishamael and Issac is its balance:
Neither son is a pure victor, or a pure loser."
Bruce Feiler, from his best-selling book “Abraham”
Sat. Night at 8:00 – The Best of Israeli Cinema
“THE SYRIAN BRIDE”
This Sunday Morning: 7th Grade family program
Friday Evening
Candle lighting: 4:30 pm pm on Friday, 4 November 2006. For candle lighting times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/
Shabbat Evening service: 7:30 PM– in the sanctuary (note later time on second week of the month).
Shabbat Morning: 9:30 AM– on Shabbat, we celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Ilana Springer. Mazal tov to her and to her parents Fred and Eileen Springer!
Children’s services: 10:30 AM – (jr. congregation service in the chapel, Tot Shabbat morning downstairs. 6th and 7th graders are expected to be in the main sanctuary)
As part of Ilana Springer’s Mitzvah Project, during this week’s service we will be privileged to have a presentation during the service called “No Hate But Harmony.”
Here is some background information on the program from its director, Jimmy Locust:
No Hate But Harmony, Working To Make Honor An Epidemic
Jimmy Locust
Founding Director
Our Torah Reading for Shabbat Morning
Genesis 18:1 - 22:24 – The Abraham Saga Continues…
1: 21:1-4
2: 21:5-13
3: 21:14-21
4: 21:22-34
5: 22:1-8
6: 22:9-19
7: 22:20-24
maf: 22:20-24
Haftarah II Kings 4:1 - 4:37
See a weekly commentary from the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet, at www.ujc.org/mekorchaim. Read the Masorti commentary at http://www.masorti.org/mason/torah/index.asp. University of Judaism, JTS commentary is at: http://www.jtsa.edu/community/parashah/. USCJ Torah
THE ENTIRE HEBREW BIBLE (AS WELL AS OTHER JEWISH SOURCES) CAN BE FOUND WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE TRANSLATION AT
Morning Minyan: Weekdays at 7:30, Sundays at 9:30 AM
TO ENSURE A “GUARANTEED MINYAN” FOR THE DAY OF YOUR YAHRZEIT – GO TO THE ROSNER MINYAN MAKER AT WWW.TBE.ORG AND ALSO CONTACT ME AT RABBI@TBE.ORG.
We’ve had several people coming lately who are saying kaddish following recent deaths in the family. We want to make sure we have a minyan each day. Your presence any morning is greatly appreciated!
A guaranteed minyan request has been made for this Sunday, Nov. 12.
Please sign up at the Rosner Minyan Maker at www.tbe.org
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
This week we introduce a new feature to the Shabbat-O-Gram: the weekly portion as interpreted by our own resident Torah scholars, our B’nai Mitzvah. This feature carries over my High Holidays theme of including some of the best speeches heard on our pulpit over the years. If you would like to have your d’var Torah considered for this space, please send it along (even if it was delivered many years ago – Torah is timeless). Check any Jewish calendar (or http://www.hebcal.com) to find out when your portion is coming up.
This week’s d’var Torah for the portion Vayera was delivered not long ago – in fact, just last Shabbat afternoon (when we read the upcoming week’s portion), by Jake Levensohn. Enjoy!
Parashat Vayera – Jake Levensohn (2006)
Those of you who know me know that I have a very loud hobby. I play the drums. I’ve loved the drums for the past six years or so. It all started when my Nana Linda got me a junior drum set for my birthday. I immediately started just banging on it and realized quickly just how much I love playing the drums. As the years progressed, I realized that I have a natural talent and saw that I could use this talent in many different ways.
Currently, I have my own rock band with my friends and I play the drums in my school band.. I have a drum set at home and I play it every day and occasionally give my family a real headache.
I’ve come to appreciate some of the finer points of my chosen instrument. I feel that drums are underestimated in terms of their importance to a band or orchestra. Without the drums, the 1812 Overture would sound like the music on a merry go round. And imagine the Beatles without Ringo.
Also, people don’t appreciate how much goes into learning how to play the drums. It takes a lot of work and practice. It’s not a matter of hitting something with a stick. In a band, my responsibility as a drummer is to keep the beat, while playing 5 to different variations of beats in a single song. If I don’t do my job right, the song falls apart.
Another thing is that each element of the drum set, from the bass drum all the way to the symbols, makes a different sound. They all blend together in some unique way. Some people might not think of it as “music,” but without drums, music just wouldn’t be the same.
I’ve discovered that in many ways, playing drums is just like being Jewish. For one thing, for a group that makes up such a tiny percentage of the population, we Jews make a lot of noise. Like the drum, Jews have been underestimated. There are only 13 million Jews in the world, but we’ve earned more than our fair share of Nobel prizes, and Jews have always been among the world’s most famous journalists, filmmakers, scientists, and government leaders.
And of course, not only have we made a mark on the arts and sciences most importantly, baseball! Among the most famous Jewish baseball players have been Shawn Green, Sandy Koufax, Moe Berg, and most importantly for any Red Sox fan like myself, Kevin Youkilis.
It’s not easy being a Jew. Like the drums, it takes a lot of work and practice to be a Jew and especially preparing for my Bar Mitzvah. And finally, just as there are all different kinds of drums, there are all different kinds of Jews.
My portion teaches us about the first Jew, Abraham, who was a drumbeat of conscience in his day. When the cities of
If only they had found a turkey caught in the bushes. Then they would have sacrificed it, and since a turkey has drumsticks, we would play the drums on Rosh Hashanah instead of the shofar.
Another way we can make noise in the world is to give support to those in need. For my mitzvah project, through an organization called AMIT, I am donating money to help an underprivileged Israeli boy to celebrate his Bar Mitzvah. His name is Maxim. I wrote to him recently.
And so I hope you can now see that my very loud hobby has given me special training on how, as I become a Bar Mitzvah, I might make a very loud impact on the world.
The
(occasionally)
The Elections
We’ve been at the eye of a national storm here in
This is to say nothing against their opponents. I had the privilege of having breakfast with Diane Farrell a few months ago, at her invitation, and I was very impressed. I know that she would also have represented us with integrity, and possibly with more clout in a Democratic congress. But I have seen the growth in Chris Shays over the years, have always admired his passion, humility and humanity and I know that he of all people is suited to play a central role as a centrist in reaching across the aisle.
Ultimately, with all the issues at stake this year, no candidate offered solutions to our greatest concerns regarding security and the instability of our world. The prospect of Iranian nukes is not just an existential threat to
Some articles to check re. Jewish perspectives on the elections:
Dems: Aipac Needs To Mend Fences (the Forward) As Democrats prepare to take control of Congress, they are quietly saying that the pro-Israel lobby needs to “do some work” to improve relations with their party. Read more
- Polls: Democrats Score Big Win With Jewish Voters (the Forward)
- Democrats, Jewish Candidates Score Big Victories (the Forward)
Letting The Bidding War For Joe Begin - http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=13250
(The Jewish Week) After being written off, the independent-minded
For all you movie buffs,
here is an interesting piece that came out of Beliefnet this past week.
Virtual Talmud: Borat & the Politics of Jewish Humor
Synaplex: What You Had to Say
Two weeks ago, our congregation entered a new era – and people seem to like it. Our wildly successful first Synaplex Shabbat elicited wildly enthusiastic responses. The idea of Synaplex was to change the paradigm of how we do things – to re-imagine Shabbat,” as our logo said, but beyond that, to re-imagine lots of other things as well: community building, volunteer development, marketing, membership, spiritual and intellectual growth, individual choice, and appealing to the specific needs of each of our demographic groups.
For the first time ever, we conducted an online survey. Over 100 responses gave us a good indication of how the 600 + people who attended on Friday and Saturday felt about the weekend. In what must be a first for any synagogue anywhere, no one marked either of the two “dissatisfied” options in filling out the form. In fact, 95% chose either “very satisfied” or “satisfied” (with 66% being “very satisfied.”) The results for each individual activity were equally positive, and our variety of services attracted large followings, ranging from the family learner’s service (well over 100 people) to the meditative service (40+ people) and yoga (also 40) to our tot and teen services (when’s the last time we had over a dozen teens leading their own service on a Shabbat morning?) and to our traditional service as well (a packed chapel). This followed Friday night’s Shabbat Unplugged that was filled with positive energy and the sit-down oneg that was filled with warmth, all with nearly 300 in attendance.
Some other survey results worth noting: it is no surprise that, even with our variety of religious options, a number of people came for reasons that were more social or intellectual than spiritual in nature. So hundreds of people were in synagogue on a Shabbat who would clearly have been elsewhere had it not been for Synaplex. Nearly half the respondents indicated that they attend services very infrequently. So we’ve reached well beyond the “core” of active congregants to engage those less involved, which was a major goal. We reached a number of non-members as well, though that could not be accurately measured since the survey only went out to our congregant e-mail list. And dozens signed up to volunteer at future Synaplex Shabbats – this after we sent out a hundred thank-you letters to those who volunteered at the last one. Indeed, the paradigm has been changed.
I’ve thanked our committee and co-chairs and donors already. Now I want to thank you the congregants of TBE, who have started something here that won’t just change our congregation for the better, it will have a significant impact on the Jewish future everywhere. The ripple effect is already being felt. I hope you will mark all our future Synaplex Shabbats on your calendar, with the next one being Friday night, Dec. 8.
Here are some of the comments that were shared by respondents to the survey:
Yes, the reviews are in. Synaplex is
“My entire family was impressed with the entire weekend. There was not only programming that was of interest to all of us, there were events that brought us closer together as a family as well as to other congregants.”
“I was especially pleased to see the smiles of the attendees, and the enthusiasm of the kids. This "mood" appeared throughout the day. As for me personally, as a TBE elder I really loved Dan's Meditation session. He brings a special dimension of Judaism to us which we don't really have "in house." And Matt, even tho we couldn't do the bike ride, I very much liked your special handout.”
“Extremely stimulating-Very content laden and, at times, inspirational. Great feeling of community.”
“WONDERFUL! IT WAS AN UPLIFTING AND AWESOME WEEKEND! THE VARIETY OF INTERESTING ACTIVITIES WAS A HUGE SUCCESS!”
“Lovely environment, great to see so many children participate, nice variety of learning and programming”
“Synaplex was a spiritually uplifting, and exciting experience. It was a wonderful way to spend Shabbat with family and friends”
“It was a sensational weekend!”
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunties
Beth El Cares
Cathy Satz (968-9191; csscounsel@yahoo.com)Cheryl Wolff (968-6361; cwolff@optonline.net)BETH EL CARES co-chairs
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Habitat for Humanity is recruiting volunteers to assist with the planning and building of 6 to 9 housing units on West Main Street in Stamford (near the Kentucky Fried Chicken). The actual timing of the building depends on site plan and other approvals, but the ceremonial ground breaking should take place in October 2006. Please contact bknebal@habitatcfc.org if you want to help in any way. Assistance is needed now in the formation stages, as well as later with the building. Bob Knebel, CEO, can tell you what jobs are available.
LOCKS OF LOVE HAIR DONATIONS CONTINUED
Any one wishing to donate 10 or more inches of hair to Locks of Love can contact Cathy or Cheryl for more information on how to donate and how to get your before and after photo on the TBE web sit
Cheryl Wolff
Cathy Satz
Why is this month called “Bitter Heshvan?”
This is the month of Heshvan, the second month in the Jewish calendar. It is also called “mar-Heshvan,” or bitter Heshvan, because, according to tradition, it is the only month without holidays or fast days. I guess the rabbis didn’t count Veterans Day, Election Day or Thanksgiving. In fact, now, this month does have two sad Jewish commemorations, including Krystallnacht (today and yesterday) and the anniversary of the Rabin assassination.
Now a movement is afoot to transform the meaning of this month entirely. See http://www.socialaction.com/education_resources/weekly_torah/bereshit_genesis/noah/Noah_Jerusalem_SAM.shtml for a d’var Torah by Yossi Abramowitz on the portion of Noah, from I take this excerpt:
In the month of Tishrei, which begins with Rosh Hashana, we pursue tikkim pnimi, internal fixing, aligning our values and intensions. If we are lucky, we emerge as clean and righteous as Noah, with renewed life in an uncertain age. But is that really good enough?
This year Heshvan, Noah and a global effort to step up social justice are destined for each other. According to tradition, the rain began on the 17th day of Heshvan, and the door to the arc finally sprung open a year later, on the 27th of Heshvan. Heshvan is the month recently endorsed by the Knesset as Jewish Social Action Month, and Deputy Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior, on behalf of the Government and people of Israel, has been amplifying the call for Jews everywhere to jump-start our pro-active, post-Noah activity and go out to heal the world, linking our tikkum pnimi with tikkun olam. Let’s just say endorsements are flooding in. (see SocialAction.com and Cheshvan.org
)
Having the call to social action begin in
Also see this article on the subject from the
So now, we need to join the push of Social Activism to turn this month of bitterness into a month of world-repair. Maybe a day is in sight when Heshvan – and the world – will be bitter no more.
The Akeda
The Akeda, the Binding of Isaac, which is read in this week’s portion (and o Rosh Hashanah as well), has fascinated people of all faiths for centuries. From a historical perspective, it’s significance has shifted over the generations. Within the Bible itself, this incident receives surprisingly little play. While the story is told quite dramatically in Gen. 22, it is not repeated anywhere else in the entire Bible. Other elements of Abraham’s life are, but not this. Yet by the time we get to the rabbinic period, the Akeda has taken on new significance, for Jews and early Christians as well, and then for Moslems, who debated whether it was Isaac or Ishmael who was brought up to the mountain.
Here is an annotated list of Web sites looking at the Akeda from a variety of perspectives:
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2004/09/09_abraham/ “Speaking of Faith” public radio program – on Abraham.
http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/VAYERA58.htm from Rav Kook – Abraham as a champion of faith.
http://www.shma.com/livingwords/sermons/spatz.html -- The Akeda as an existential, rather than a moral tale. Excellent
http://www.textweek.com/art/abraham_and_isaac.htm -- links to images of Abraham and Isaac (see http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~rs002/Images/Christian/abraham.jpg for a 6th centuty mosaic that is particularly striking)
http://www.israel.org/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0k470 -- Akeda image from the ancient Bet Alpha synagogue in
http://www.templemount.org/moriah2.html -- topographical look at Mount Moriah, site of the Akeda
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/020906_BindingDisagreement.html did it really happen?
Abraham - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/abraham1.asp - for Bruce Feiler’s book, “Abraham”
http://www.shma.com/livingwords/sermons/spatz.html - Worm-Hole Aliens, the Mikveh, and the Akeda - a superb analysis by Virginia Spatz, based on Avivah Zornberg’s commentary.
Let’s begin with GOOD NEWS from
With Jewish Roots Now Prized, Spain Starts Digging - Renwick McLean
Now, 500 years after expelling its Jews and moving to hide if not eradicate all traces of their existence, Spain has begun rediscovering the Jewish culture that thrived there for centuries and that scholars say functioned as a second Jerusalem during the Middle Ages. Still, despite the new enthusiasm for
Israeli Arts and Entertainment Breaks Through to the Big Time - Viva Press
Israeli musicians, filmmakers, actors, dancers, and artists have been shaking up the international scene in growing numbers over the last five years. The proliferation of Israeli culture throughout North America has succeeded in exposing an overlooked side of
Israel Sees Shale Replacing Oil - Leah Krauss
An Israeli process for producing energy from oil shale will cut its oil imports by one-third, and will serve as a guide for other countries with oil shale deposits, according to the Hom Tov company, which presented its oil shale processing method on Tuesday outside
Israel's Economy Back on Track - Neal Sandler (Business Week)
Less than three months after a costly war in Lebanon, investors have quickly regained confidence in the Israeli economy, driving the Tel Aviv stock market to all-time highs.
"We're not only witnessing a recovery but an across the board strengthening in nearly every sector of the economy," says Gil Bufman, chief economist at Bank Leumi. The sole exception is the tourism industry.
Economists are now predicting growth of 4.5% for 2006, down from pre-war estimates of 5%.
Capital continues to flow into
China-Israel Trade Tops $3 Billion (Xinhua-China)
Zhang Xiao'an, charge d'affaires at the Chinese Embassy in Israel, said Wednesday that China-Israel economic cooperation has enjoyed a high growth rate since 1992.
"The average annual growth rate of bilateral trade in the past 14 years is 40%. Last year, bilateral trade volume reached $3 billion...[and] we expect the volume to reach $5 billion by 2008."
Zhang said that Israel had set up more than 200 companies in China by the end of 2005, while 800 Israeli companies are currently doing business in
Cruise Lines Return to Israel (JTA)
The Tourism Ministry in
AOL Purchases Israeli Start-Up - Eli Shimoni (Ynet News)
American Internet giant America On Line announced Wednesday that it has acquired Israeli start-up company Relegence for an amount estimated at $55-65 million.
Relegence has developed a real-time financial services news engine, serving mainly the financial and business markets.
Permanent Artificial Heart Transplanted in Israel - Judy Siegel-Itzkovich (Jerusalem Post)
An artificial heart that serves as a permanent pump was inserted successfully into an Israeli patient at
The pump is designed to keep elderly people who are unsuited for organ transplant alive and functioning.
Israeli Makes Scientific American's Top 50 - Judy Siegel-Itzkovich (Jerusalem Post)
Dr. Shulamit Levenberg, 37, a Technion biomedical engineer and tissue engineering researcher whose work aims toward the creation of lab-manufactured tissues and organs for transplant, has been included in the Scientific American 50 listing, honoring 50 people whose accomplishments demonstrate technological leadership.
We Are Family: King David’s Descendants Gather for ‘Reunion’ (Forward)
now for the rest
Prime source: Daily Alert of the
See also http://www.theisraelproject.org/site/c.hsJPK0PIJpH/b.672581/k.CB99/Home.htm
When rabbis' gay-hate turns murderous - If words can kill, 'pulsa danura' is a weapon of mass destruction. (Ha’aretz)
Riots Rock Jerusalem Before Gay Pride Parade (Forward)
Israel to Pursue Action Against Gaza Rocket Fire - Jonathan Ferziger and Gwen Ackerman
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel will pursue military operations to stop rocket fire from Gaza, even as he expressed regret for the accidental killing of 18 Palestinians. The shell that hit a Palestinian home in the northern Gazan town of Beit Hanoun was "a tragic mistake'' and meant to strike militants in a nearby orange grove who had fired a Kassam rocket into Israel, Olmert said. "Military operations will continue as long as there will be firing of rockets,'' he said. (Bloomberg)
Top Hamas Officials: We Want All of Palestine, from the River to the Sea
In the nine months since it came to power, Hamas has not changed its views. Hamas Political Bureau head Khaled Mash'al told the London-based daily Al-Hayat on Oct. 12: "Why am I required to [recognize] the legitimacy of an occupying [entity]?...It is true that there is an entity called
Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar stated on Oct. 20 that "
IDF Inquiry: Radar Malfunction Caused Botched Shelling - Amos Harel
Maj.-Gen. Meir Kalifi, who headed the IDF inquiry into the Beit Hanoun incident, presented the inquiry's findings Thursday. The inquiry found that a malfunctioning electronic card in the artillery battery's guidance system, which was replaced five days ago, was the cause of the errant fire. The card fed the battery's guidance system with wrong coordinates. The Israeli-developed "Shilem" guidance system has been in use by the IDF for roughly 30 years. It is considered reliable, and IDF inquiries found that this is the first time this particular malfunction has occurred in the system or similar systems used abroad. (Ha'aretz)
Security Council Meets on Beit Hanoun Incident - Yitzhak Benhorin
Danny Carmon, the deputy head of the Israeli delegation to the UN, said during a Security Council meeting Thursday that the escalation in Gaza stems from Palestinian rocket fire on Israel, which is acting "in self-defense." Carmon said that
He spoke about the need to release the Israeli soldiers while Karnit Goldwasser, the wife of kidnapped soldier Ehud Goldwasser, was present. "She is here to remind members of the Council who voted on Resolution 1701 that they are obliged to fulfill what they voted for and act for the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers." (Ynet News)
Palestinian Rocket Attacks Injure Three Israelis - Shmulik Hadad
Three people sustained injuries from shrapnel and several others suffered from shock Thursday evening when a rocket fired by Palestinians in Gaza landed just a few meters from a store in a crowded Sderot shopping center. Earlier Thursday, two rockets landed in the western
Israel, U.S. Ponder New Ways to Collect Intelligence in Lebanon - Aluf Benn
See also French Forces Almost Fired on Israeli Jets in Lebanon - Molly Moore
French peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon came within seconds of firing missiles at Israeli F-15 fighter jets that repeatedly dived on their positions last week, according to French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie. (
Murderous Strategies - Marty Peretz
I am not indifferent to the death of Palestinians. I am especially not indifferent to the death of Palestinians caused by Israeli fire. But I think I do know who is indifferent to the death of Palestinians, and especially ecstatic if they are killed by Israeli fire. And it is Palestinians themselves.
The 18 killed in
Have pity on the Palestinians. But aim your criticism at those who think killing Jews is a solution to the Palestinian problem. (New Republic)
Stopping Palestinian Rockets - Anshel Pfeffer
Both the efficiency and morality of using "preventative" artillery fire against Palestinian rocket launchers have been debated at length over the last few years. Artillery is still the quickest and cheapest method to harass the rocket teams and minimize their threat. It is also the safest for IDF soldiers. Artillery batteries on a 24-hour alert, well within Israeli territory, are still the fastest and safest rapid-reaction tactic available.
The Palestinian rocket teams are constantly being hunted down, by all the military and intelligence elements at
When Bush Meets Olmert - David Makovsky
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert will meet President Bush at the White House on November 13 as part of a prescheduled visit to address the United Jewish Communities General Assembly in Los Angeles. Neither Bush, nor Olmert, has any firm political initiative in mind. Olmert is not coming to
Human Rights NGOs Neglect Hamas' Use of Human Shields
The Palestinian use of human shields to protect armed gunmen and rocket launching crews from Israeli responses is widespread but largely unreported. On Nov. 2, amidst the ongoing warfare in
See also Fact, Fiction, and Fabrication Among NGOs - Ruthie Blum
NGO Monitor provides "raw facts about what the non-governmental organizations are doing," says associate editor Sarah Mandel. And what many of them are doing, according to Mandel, is using the mandate of their funding - championing international human rights - to pursue political agendas that seek to delegitimize
A Liberal Brother at Odds with the Muslim Brotherhood - Michael Slackman
Gamal al-Banna is 85, and for much of his life he has been overshadowed by his famous brother, Sheik Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist political party and antecedent of a host of militant Islamist organizations, from al-Qaeda to Hamas. He is a liberal thinker, a man who would like to see Islamic values and practices interpreted in the context of modern times. Banna says the radicals are guilty of imposing what amounts to their interpretation of the Koran onto other Muslims. (New York Times)
Diary of an Arab Woman for a Humanistic Islam - Elham Manea
We live in a time where a version of Islam, Wahhabi Islam exported from
Expert Views U.S. Middle East Policy Following Elections - Meredith Buel (VOA News)
- Joshua Muravchik, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, argues that even with a new Congress, the chances for an Arab-Israeli peace agreement are slim.
- He says there is a rising sense among some Arabs that armed resistance is a successful way to change the status quo.
- Muravchik argues that because the Palestinians have witnessed the insurgency in Iraq, what he calls the perceived defeat of the Israelis by Hizballah in Lebanon, the perception that Israel was forced to withdraw from Gaza, the rise of Iranian influence, and the election of Hamas in the Palestinian territories, the chances for a peaceful solution with Israel have gotten worse.
- "The sense that resistance, jihad, is triumphant and on the upswing is absolutely a killer to any evolution of sentiment among the Palestinians toward being willing to accept the reality of Israel as a permanent reality and to go on and make peace."
22nd ANNUAL
HAROLD E. HOFFMAN MEMORIAL LECTURE
Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 8:00 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Peter Bergen
Best-selling author and terrorism analyst for CNN
Topic: Osama bin Laden,
History’s Most Successful Terrorist, and Al Qaeda
One of the few Western journalists to personally interview Osama, Peter Bergen is also one of the leading experts on the subject of global terrorism. He is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., Adjunct Professor at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and author of Holy War, Inc. (Free Press, 2001), a N.Y. Times bestseller that has been translated into 18 languages.
His latest book (Free Press, 2006) The Osama bin Laden I Know is the subject of a recent two-hour CNN documentary commemorating the fifth anniversary of 9/11. The “Washington Post” review of the book wrote in part: “What made [bin Laden] into history’s most successful terrorist?
The Hoffman Memorial Lecture is sponsored by the family of the late Harold E. Hoffman, a former member of the
As with all the Hoffman lectures, the public is invited to attend without charge. Peter Bergen’s stimulating remarks will be followed by a question-and-answer period and reception.
ISRAELI MOVIE NIGHT at TBE
Sat. NOV. 11 @ 8 PM -
In
"The Syrian Bride" (2005)
delves into the fascinating culture of the Druse in
Refreshments and popcorn will be served:
TBE Progressive Dinner and
“Murder in the
We are proud to present the first fundraising event of the season: The
Choose from of a wide selection of congregants' homes and delectable cuisines for dinner, and then join us for coffee and dessert at the
All adults are welcome! Dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. and the
This year we are trying something new: we've gone electronic! Please note that because we are trying to conserve paper and costs, you will not be receiving an invitation in the mail for this event. Instead, it is very important to open all the attachments by following the links below:
For the Invitation, please click here:
http://www.tbe.org/site/docs/ProgressiveDinnerInvite.pdf
For the Brochure of Dinner Venues, please click here:
http://www.tbe.org/site/docs/ProgressiveDinnerBrochure.pdf
For the Preference Form, please click here:
http://www.tbe.org/site/docs/ProgressiveDinnerRequestForm.pdf
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Scott Allen <mailto:AllenS@nypbt.com> or <mailto:scottallen008@yahoo.com> ; Elissa Hyman <mailto:ehyman@optonline.net>.
ADULT ED CLASSES
THIS SUNDAY AT 9:00 AM!!!!!
a six-session series presented by
The
United Jewish Federation (UJF) of Greater
In today’s fast-paced, information-driven world, many people are confused by media reports and unclear about the issues confronting modern
Each session begins with a presentation followed by a discussion, and includes participant folders with maps, resources list, historical background, and more.
REMAINING SESSIONS:
November 12: Session Two: 1914-1947: Building the Jewish Homeland
December 10: Session Three: 1948-1966: War & Peace: Survival and
January 7: Session Four: 1967-1979: War & Peace: Territories and Settlements
January 21: Session Five: 1980-Present: Terrorism and
“The Many Demensions of Jewish Prayer”
with
meets select Sunday mornings 9:00-10:00 am
Next meets on Nov. 5
Bimah 101:
Prepatory course for Adult Bar/ Bat Mitzvah
With Cantor
Meets weekly Sunday mornings 10:00-11:00 am
Judaism for Everyone
An Introductory Class for Dummies, Smarties…
and Those Who Don’t Know How to Ask
With
Meets weekly on select Sundays 11:00 am-12:00 pm
(A prerequisite for those who wish to join
the Beth El Adult Bar/ Bat Mitzvah Class.)
Fee: $50 for materials
This week: What is the Torah – What is the Bible?
Beginners’ Hebrew class
Instructor:
Take advantage of this beginner/ class to:
Become familiar with the Hebrew alphabet
Improve your Hebrew reading fluency
Delve into a bit of modern Hebrew
Come explore the Hebrew language in a relaxed group setting!
Meets weekly on Tuesday evenings at 7:30– 8:30 p.m.
SYNAPLEX at TBE 5767
Please Join Us
Synaplex & Sisterhood Family Shabbat Dinner,
Services and Program
To Honor Our New Members!!
§ Meet new friends and share time with those you already know.
§ Share a dinner of delicious cookbook recipes and the fun stories about the creation of this treasured keepsake.
§ Hear the wisdom of Elise Klein, Bridges Director of UJF, as she helps each of us to understand how we can create a welcoming community for TBE.
Services:
Dinner:
Speaker:
“Creating a Welcoming Community”
Elise Klein, BRIDGES Director of UJF
Please complete and return with payment by November 29th to:
Sisterhood of
Make Checks Payable to: Sisterhood of
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Full Names of Adults Attending
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Names of Children Attending Ages
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Synaplex & Sisterhood Family Shabbat Dinner,
Services and Program
Honoring New Members
Services
Please join us in the main sanctuary as we welcome Shabbat together and honor our new members. There will be a Tot Shabbat for our children starting at the same time with Nurit.
Dinner
Share in the Sisterhood’s celebration of the all new (first ever!) TBE cookbook. Enjoy a dinner made from cookbook recipes that were contributed by our own TBE family. Hear about the beautiful two year journey of over 120 Sisterhood members who contributed their hearts and kitchens to create this beautiful keepsake for all to enjoy.
If you are interested in purchasing the cookbook, please order using the RSVP (on the opposite side of this page). The proceeds will be donated to TBE’s kitchen renovation project.
Program
We are honored to have Elise Klein, UJF BRIDGES Program Director, join us to share with us how each of us can become part of our TBE community and what we can do to make it stronger.
Working together, we will discuss ways in which to create a community that all want to be part of and which all can share in – respecting our differences and celebrating our commonalities. By strengthening bonds we create a strengthened, enriched community: opening and welcoming to all who wish to be part of TBE’s wonderful congregation.
There will be children’s programming at this time.
United Jewish Federation of Greater
Super Sunday
December 3 at the
Learning and Latte at Borders
featuring Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Rev. Douglas McArthur and Dr. Behjat Syed
This year’s topic:
“Moral Dilemmas for a World in Crisis”
Join us as we engage in friendly dialogue about some of the hot-button issues of the day.
Meets on the second Tuesday of each month (except November), from 7:30-8:30 PM, October-May
Topics (subject to last-minute adjustment to keep up with the headlines)
Nov. 21 – Can an enemy become a friend? When is forgiveness possible? To what ends must we go to achieve peace? What does it mean to love your neighbor?
Dec. 12 – What comes first, loyalty to one’s country, or loyalty to one’s faith?
Jan. 9 – When does life begin and what happens to the soul after life ends?
Feb. 13 - Can other religions be “true?” How can pluralism work for the believer?
March 13 – Is sexuality good, evil or neither? What are the worst “sins” for our traditions?
April 10 – What are different ways of imagining God in our traditions? How does God show love?
May 8 – What is the future of religion in
World AIDS Day Interfaith Service 2006
(Ninth Annual)
A Service of Remembrance, Awareness, Hope, and Healing
Thursday, November 30
7:00 p.m.
 |
First United Methodist Church
(Next to Lord & Taylor)
203-324-1323
Project NAMES Quilt Panels
made by
The Service
The service is open to all faiths and will include testimonies, reading of scriptures, candlelighting, special music by the Madrigals of Stamford High School, the Chamber Singers of Westhill High School, local choirs and cantors. Prayers of healing and laying on of hands by clergy from at least 15 local congregations.
The Invitation
We invite into our presence the memory of those who cannot be with us, we invite into our presence the awareness that HIV and AIDS continues to have a devastating impact globally, nationally and right here in Stamford, we invite into our presence the hope that has sustained us on this journey.
Refreshments Served by
The Westhill High School
Support our
Our featured item:
The Sisterhood Cookbook
Delicious Recipes! Kosher! Family Favorites!
Already a TBE Best Seller!
Are you going to a party? Some suggestions for hostess gifts: Wine bottle or wine glass coasters, small jeweled boxes, pretty serving dishes, decorative dreidels...
REMEMBER, EVERYTHING IS DISCOUNTED 20% OFF RETAIL PRICES!!!
Shopping hours: Sunday mornings, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Weekday shopping by appointment.
To schedule an appointment, please call
Attention all TBE Members!
The 2006-07 Torah Fund Pin Has Arrived!
Do your part for Jewish Continuity! Click here to view the beautiful pin and for more information:
http://www.tbe.org/site/docs/TorahFundPinFlyer2006-07.pdf
The Torah Fund Pin makes a great gift for every Jewish woman. Your donation helps support The Jewish Theological Seminary, the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, which train Conservative Jewish rabbis, cantors, educators and leaders.
Call 322-8842 to order now, and receive your pin in time for Hanukkah!
Thank you for your generosity!
Karen Hainbach
Vice President of Torah Fund, TBE Sisterhood
Life Force
A Shoah Love Story
Written by Tamar Gershberg, Mary Lee Grisanti and
Michael Limone
This compelling new drama- based on the true story of a Holocaust Survivor and member of a local family,
is sure to remind all audiences of the value of a life well lived –
and the honor in choices made in the name not only of survival but love.
An epic love story of hope and longing- with a twist that will break even the hardest of hearts.
November 9, 10, 11, 17 and 18 at 8pm, 12 at 2pm
Strawberry Hill Players
For Tickets or Information, call 977-5483
WEDNESDAY -NOVEMBER 15 – 7:00 – 9:00 PM: ‘The ABC’s of Geriatric Case Management: What Is a Geriatric Care Manager and What Can One Do for Me?, Carol Edelman, Director of Care Management and Geriatric Evaluation. At the
COLLEGE STUDENTS!
Sunday, November 19th
Come join Jewish teens for an exciting adventure into
Go to www.jewtopiaplay.com for more details on the play.
Time: Meet at the
We will arrive back to
Cost: $60 per person, this includes the show, train, and subway. Bring extra cash for food or you can bring a bag lunch.
Space is limited so send your checks in ASAP
All checks are due by November 10th
Please make all checks payable to Temple Beth El
Email Edoe Cohen edoecohen@gmail.com to RSVP
Make Your Own Pizza
and
Play Yiddish Bingo
Who:
3rd, 4th, and 5th graders (Kesher Youth Group)
When:
December 3rd,
Where:
Social Hall
Teens – from the JCC
Join us at an info session on Thursday, November 16 at 7p.m. at the JCC For more info or to RSVP contact Kari Pollak at (203) 487-0948 or kpollak@stamfordjcc.org |
A Pious Old Man
A pious man, who had reached the age of 105, suddenly stopped going to synagogue.
Alarmed by the old fellow's absence after so many years of faithful attendance, the Rabbi went to see him. He found him in excellent health, so the Rabbi asked, "How come after all these years we don't see you at services anymore?"The old man lowered his voice. "I'll tell you, Rabbi," he whispered. "When I got to be 90, I expected God to take me any day. But then I got to be 95, then 100, then 105. So, I figured that God is very busy and must've forgotten about me, and I don't want to remind Him!"
Previous Shabbat-O-Grams can be accessed directly from our web site (www.tbe.org)
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