March 16, 2007– Adar 27, 5767
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.”
THIS SUNDAY!!!!!
JOIN US AS HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE MUSICAL TALENTS OF OUR LOCAL CANTORS, INCLUDING OUR OWN, CANTOR RACHAEL LITTMAN
Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:
(Click to scroll down)
Just the Facts (service schedule)
The (Occasionally) Ranting Rabbi
Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary (new)
Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)
Announcements (goings on in and around TBE)
TBE’s Teens
Puttin’ their Heads Together!
See more pics at our new USY website:
A special thank you to USY’s Communications VP,
Danielle Shapiro, for designing the lovely site!
And of course…
Check out www.tbe.org for Purim photos,
plus our extensive library of photo albums,
articles, sermons, info about the temple,
Shabbat-O-Grams and links to the Jewish world.
Quote for the Week
An Interfaith Prayer for this season
from the Interfaith Council of
Lord God,
I know that my life has consequences,
that the things I say and do and think have consequences,
that my actual sins have consequences,
even those things I wrongly suppose to be sin
have consequences.
And yet somehow I also know
that your love is unconditional,
and that only such love can empower us
to live together without violence.
When we know that God loves us deeply
and will always go on loving us,
whoever we are and whatever we have done,
it becomes possible
to expect no more of our fellow men and women
than they are able to give,
to forgive them generously
when they have offended us,
and to respond to their hostility with love.
By doing so we make visible a new way of being human
and and a new way of responding to our worlds problems.
Candle lighting: 6:44 pm on Friday, 16 March 2007. For candle lighting times, Havdalah 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/. The United Synagogue has updated its candlelighting information. To learn more, click here.
Friday Evening:
Kabbalat Shabbat: 6:30 PM – in the chapel
Tot Shabbat: 6:45 PM – in the lobby
Shabbat Morning:
Service begins at 9:30 AM
MAZAL TOV TO SPENCER EVANS, WHO BECOMES BAR MITZVAH THIS SHABBAT MORNING! MAZAL TOV ALSO TO JILL ROTHKOPF AND JONATHAN STEINBERG, WHOSE UFRUF WILL BE CELEBRATED THIS SHABBAT MORNING!
Children’s Services: 10:30 AM
Shabbat Mincha-Ma’ariv-Havdalah: 6:15 PM –
MAZAL TOV TO MELINDA (LINDY) FRUITHANDLER, WHO BECOMES BAT MITZVAH THIS SHABBAT AFTERNOON!
Our Torah Portion for Shabbat Morning
Parashat Vayakhel-Pekuday – Shabbat Hahodesh
פרשת ויקהל־פקודי
1: 39:22-26
2: 39:27-32
3: 39:33-43
4: 40:1-8
5: 40:9-16
6: 40:17-27
7: 40:28-38
Maftir: Exodus 12:1 - 12:20 (special maftir)
Haftarah (Shabbat ha-Hodesh): Ezekiel 45:16 - 46:18
If you liked Storahtelling, you’ll LOVE Storahtelling’s new weekly blog about the Torah portion Find it at http://storahtelling.blogspot.com/. ORT Navigating the Bible; Rashi in English; BibleGateway: Useful for comparing different translations: Note- this is a Christian site.
What’s Bothering Rashi (Bonchek) Each week, one example from the parashah is deconstructed. 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 http://www.mechon-mamre.org/
100 Blessings: Download information about the grace after meals (see Birkat Ha-mazon explained in Wikipedia and in the Jewish Virtual Library) The actual prayer can be downloaded at Birkat Hamazon [pdf]
Morning Minyan
7:30 Weekdays, 9:30 Sundays
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!
The
(occasionally)
Warm Thoughts for the Start of Spring
A late winter snow and ice storm are on our doorstep, but so is spring, which begins this coming Tuesday, on PRECISELY THE SAME DAY that the Jewish month of Spring begins. It is now called Nisan, but in the Torah it was “Hodesh ha’Aviv” literally, “the Month of Spring.” How odd the coincidence! This Shabbat is Shabbat-ha’Hodesh, which always precedes the beginning of Nisan, indicating to us that the festival of spring, Passover, is just a couple of weeks away.
This Shabbat we also read the portion Va’yakhel, which describes the construction of the tabernacle in the Wilderness. It was from this sacred work that the rabbis later defined the 39 categories of work prohibited on Shabbat. Find them here. (for more on the 39 categories and on Shabbat in general, see http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/About_Jewish_Holidays/Overview_Shabbat/Rest_and_renewal.htm, http://www.myjewishlearning.com/daily_life/Shabbat/Shabbat_Themes_and_Theology/Observing_Shabbat_GL.htm, http://www.ou.org/chagim/shabbat/thirtynine.htm)
And so, some springy thoughts….
The environmentalist Bill McKibben has said, “…the constant pauses of observance – to say blessings, to touch a mezuzah and especially to observe the Sabbath – are of profound importance in making people aware of the world around them. We waste the earth because we never stop to think or notice what we are doing.”
It is said that everyone should recite 100 blessings each day. To do that we have to be constantly on the lookout for things to be in awe about, or to be grateful for. Some are automatic --- but many are not. Some Jewish mystic traditions assert that when we make a blessing, changes actually occur in the object that we bless. For one thing, the object no longer is a thing to us – but a sacred encounter. And even if it doesn’t change the object, for certain, saying the blessing changes us.
So on this special Shabbat where we ponder the gift of spring and the gift of Shabbat itself, let us pause a little bit more, and sense the holiness around us.
Happy Aviv!
Thank You to Our Purim Volunteers
With Passover just a few weeks away, time for one last look back at Purim. Our carnival was once again a smash hit, thanks in large part to Eran Vaisben and Edoe Cohen, along with Youth Commission members Joan Katz, Mara Hammerman, Sharon Goldstein and co-chairs Carl Shapiro and Roz Rubin. Roz has put together a list of the adults and teens who volunteered to help make the night such a success. We want to thank them all (and see them in action in the photos on our website, www.tbe.org)! As always, there is risk of leaving someone out or spelling a name incorrectly, for which we apologize. Here is Roz’ list as of today:
Adult Volunteers:
Beth Finchler
Maureen Leffand
Susan Plotzky
Jeannie Kasindorf
Ellen Gordon
Mark Plotzky
Bruce Goldstein
Lisa Pomerance
Jill Knopoff
Barbara Cohen
Harvey Cohen
Linda Braun
Karen Resnick
Cathy Bernstein
Stacy Cooper
Kathy Freund
Renee Cannella
Larry Katz
Steve Katz
Stuart Nekritz
Stacye Nekritz
Kids:
Mitchell Shapiro
Allison Schechter
Harrison Shapiro
Adam Pollack
Ethan Hammerman
Randi Braun
Joelle Braun
Ali Pomerance
Arielle Poser
Alex Rosenberg
Dana Katz
Ian Cohen
David Katz
Matt Zielinsky
Jacob Cohen
Adam Satz
Peri Shapiro
Morgan Temple
Jackie Schechter
Aliya Boyer
Brandon Pomerance
Kyle Tuckman
Daniel Hammerman
Dana Gordon
Lauren Tuckman
Michael Sosnick
Alana Kasindorf
Oliver Sabloff
Amitan Rubin
Ben Rathman
Lauren Pollack
Emilie Pollack
Mollie Steinmetz
Ali Kruk
Skyler Ross
Billy Harris
Rachel Benjamin
Jesse Hirtenstein
Andrew Madwed
Mitch Weissman
Samantha Cooper
Dara Gold
Brenda Heyison
Sophie Koester,
Eloise Hyman
Nick Hyman
And now with Purim behind us, time for some….
Passover Resources
Download our TBE Sale of Hametz Form
My own Passover guide A Guide for the Perplexed
Keeping the Story Alive: Questions and Reflections for the Seder Table
COMMUNITY SEDER
Second Night of Passover
Tuesday, April 3 at 7PM
Click for more information
Those high school students wishing to attend services on Passover, April 3, 4, 9 and 10, may obtain an absentee letter for their school’s attendance office by contacting Ellen at 322-6901, ext. 308 or TempleSec@tbe.org.
Passover: Guided Learning from MyJewishLearning.com
Guided Learning presents the content for this section by level of depth, and offers you a specific order by which to read through the articles at each level. You can go directly to one of the four levels by clicking below, or take a quiz that will suggest the appropriate level for you based on your results. Or, you can opt to start at the Primer and work your way through all four levels of Guided Learning one by one. Quiz on Passover Level I: Primer Level II: Topical Overviews Level III: Deeper Explorations Level IV: Analysis & Interpretation
For a host of other Pesach links:
And finally…
Two nice links if you are interested in getting rid of the “hametz of the soul” http://hillel.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Passover/TO_Pesach_Home/Isaacs_Leaven_717/SpiritualHamezt_555.htm
http://www.rebgoldie.com/pesachrituals.htm
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 The Highest Level of Tzedakkah: Job Networking
Experienced MBA with solid background in Information Technology & Finance seeking position to use technical and analytical skills. Primarily interested in Finance and Investment industry. Skills and interests include Business Analysis, Business Process Re-engineering, Operations & Project Management, System Design and Enhancement and Business Modeling Concepts. I can vouch for this person being a real mensch. Contact me at rabbi@tbe.org if you can perform this great mitzvah of networking
Free Them Now
Ehud Goldwasser Eldad Regev Gilad Schalit
Kidnapped Israeli Soldiers
• Sign the petition at www.freethesoldiers.org
Pre-Passover Hametz Food Collection
As you clean your cupboards in preparation for Passover, please consider donating unopened boxes, bags and cans of hametz to a local food pantry. For your convenience, you can deposit those items in a box outside the Helen Golin Gift Shop, from March 22nd to 28th. We will then deliver the food to a local food pantry. Check your e-mail for more information.
Mitzvah Project – Dog-related Items LINDY FRUITHANDLER WILL BECOME BAT MITZVAH ON MARCH 17.
PLEASE READ THIS NOTE FROM HER REGARDING HER MITZVAH PROJECT:
For my mitzvah project I am helping Adopt-A-Dog, a volunteer organization in
I will have a collection box out in the
You can also help Adopt-A-Dog by saving "Weight Circles" from Purina Brand Dog Food. Adopt-A-Dog receives 8 cents for every pound of weight circles sent in to Purina. Adopt-A-Dog buys 1,000 pounds of dog food every month! Each label that you clip and donate from a 20 lb. bag gives them $1.60 towards their food bill. A 50 lb. bag label means $4.00 in meals for their pooches. Trust me, it adds up! Please clip the labels off the side of each bag you buy and place them in the envelope attached to the collection box.
On behalf of all the homeless dogs and cats at Adopt-A-Dog, thanks so much for your help!
Lindy Fruithandler
322-4712
To check out Adopt-A-Dog for yourself, please visit their website at www.adoptadog.org.
What is Shabbat Ha-Hodesh?
See http://www.ou.org/chagim/fourshabbatot/hachodesh.htm
Parshat HaChodesh
"This month shall be for you the beginning of the months, it shall be for you the first of the months of the year." (Shemot 12:2)
On the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh Nissan, or on Rosh Chodesh if it falls on the Shabbat, two Torah Scrolls are removed from the
The first day of Nissan was and always remains a historic day for the Jewish nation. It was the day when the people received their first commandment as a nation: Sanctify the New Moon.
This ritual has a profound spiritual and historic significance. It is noteworthy that it was one of three commandments that the Syrian Greeks, in the time before the Chanukah miracle, attempted to nullify by force. The other two were the Observance of Shabbat and Circumcision. Clearly, therefore,
Commentators explain that, by virtue of this Commandment, G-d gave the Jewish people mastery over time. From that moment onward, the calendar with its cycle of festivals could exist only when the Sages of Israel declared the New Month. This signifies more than control over the reckoning of time, the dating of legal documents, and all the banalities to which man is subject in his everyday life. It represents the potential for renewal.
The Jewish people is symbolized by the moon because, although the moon wanes, it waxes as well. It stands for hope, for the confidence that there is a future as well as a past. This vibrancy assures that any conquest of the Jewish people can never be more than temporary.
The moon returns - and
Should Jews Be So Obsessed with Food?
See: Virtual Talmud: The Jewish Obsession with Food
“What is Jewish food? It's a record of our civilization as it evolved down the ages and spread throughout the world. For Jews of Eastern European descent, the foods may be matzoh balls, or chopped liver, latkes, or gefilte fish. Jews from other parts of the world have carried their own distinctive and delicious recipes with them as well, such as Moroccan hamin or Indian tandoori chicken livers; in Israel, it’s hummus and falafel. Wherever Jews have lived, they took elements of local foods (as with so many other aspects of local practices and customs) and wedded them to the demands of Jewish dietary laws–separating milk and meat for example or avoiding leavened foods on Passover. The result is a blending of cuisines, one that is simultaneously worldly and authentically Jewish. (In
As an aspect of our civilization, Jewish food helps form and reinforce Jewish identity through shared memories and shared meals. It helps hold us together, and gives us something to nosh as it does so. Let's not sell it short.” – Rabbi Joshua Waxman
Also see the Beliefnet discussion: Is Kosher Food Healthier for You?
Prayer, Song and Poetry
Some Fascinating Websites…
Something I stumbled across – a site documenting the vast history of Jewish religious poetry and song (the piyyut). The home page is at http://www.piyut.org.il/search/english/. Let yourself wander from there to all corners of the Jewish world, to the vastness of our cultural folkloric heritage. A great way to prepare for Passover! There are seven Dayenus - play the mp3s at your Seder!
Passover is at http://www.piyut.org.il/cgi-bin/search.pl?lang=en&YearCicle=9&Tradition=&RulerComponents=yearcycles
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Purim and Adar materials are at
http://www.piyut.org.il/cgi-bin/fresh.pl?lang=en
And speaking of prayer and poetry…
For centuries, Kabbalists have been intrigued by the healing powers of the divine name. The Ana Bekoach - the 42-letter name of God - is a dynamic spiritual code buried in the pages of the Bible. The teachings of Kabbalah reveal that the Ana Bekoach encompasses the actual powers of creation. In traditional synagogues it is sometimes recited prior to Lecha Dodi on Friday nights.
See more about this fascinating acrostic at
http://www.hebrewsongs.com/song-anabkoach.htm
http://www.newthoughtkabbalah.com/anabekoachprayer.htm
Finally, a link received from several of you (thanks!)
It is the recording of an excerpt from a Friday night service conducted by Rabbi Leslie Hardman,
Senior Jewish Chaplain with the British Army, on April 20th 1945 at Bergen Belsen concentration camp.
http://www.israelreporter.com/files/radio/BergenBelsenHatikva.mp3
Jewish and Israeli Links:
A great resource on all things Jewish: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/news.html
The best Jewish site for Jewish learning: www.myjewishlearning.com
THE MOTHERLODE OF ISRAEL-RELATED LINKS: http://www.israel.org/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00kj0
Israel Defense Force, http://www.idf.il/
Israel Government Gateway, links to Government Ministries, www.info.gov.il/eng
Israel Knesset, http://www.knesset.gov.il/
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, http://www.mfa.gov.il/
Israel Prime Minister’s Office, http://www.pmo.gov.il/
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, www.cbs.gov.il/engindex.htm
Israel Tourism Ministry, North America, http://www.goisrael.com/
Buy Israeli Products, http://www.israelexport.org/, http://www.shopinisrael.com/,
http://www.finefoodsisrael.com/
Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, www.tau.ac.il/jcss
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, http://www.besacenter.org/
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, http://www.jcpa.org/
One Jerusalem, http://www.onejerusalem.org/
Twenty Facts about Israel
Myths & Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Jerusalem Archaeological Park, http://www.archpark.org.il/
Israel Info Center – Israel Activism Portal, www.israelinfocenter.com/
US White House, http://www.whitehouse.gov/
US State Department, http://www.state.gov/
US Senate, http://www.senate.gov/
US House of Representatives, http://www.house.gov/
THOMAS (search for US Legislation), thomas.loc.gov
United Nations Watch, http://www.unwatch.org/
Embassy of Israel – Washington, D.C., http://www.embassyofisrael.org/
Media-Related Links:
CAMERA, www.camera.org
Jerusalem Post, http://www.jpost.com/
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, http://www.jta.org/
Ha’aretz English Edition: www.haaretz.com
HonestReporting.com, http://www.honestreporting.com/
Independent Media Review and Analysis, http://www.imra.org.il/
Middle East Media Research Institue (MEMRI), http://www.memri.org/
Palestinian Media Watch, http://www.pmw.org.il/
Israel Insider, http://www.israelinsider.com/
Jewish World Review, http://www.jewishworldreview.com/
America’s Voices in Israel, http://www.americasvoices.net/
@The Source Israel, http://www.thesourceisrael.com/
Other Jewish Sites
Data JEM – an GEM for Jewish Education! Database for Jewish educational materials: http://www.datajem.com/visitor/IntroPage.asp
The best Jewish kids’ site on the Web is http://www.babaganewz.com/ , with games, virtual tours and “J-Pod” downloads, kids of all ages will LOVE it.
Another superb educational site is http://www.myjewishlearning.com/ -- you can be a self-taught “maven” on all things Jewish!
A Jewish Guide to the Internet: http://www.uscj.org/metny/bellmobj/jnet2.htm
On Jewish Vegetarianism and Animal Rights: http://jewishveg.com/schwartz/ (hey, you KNEW I’d put this one in)
How many Jewish hockey players are there? (None right now…there’s a lockout). Find out at http://www.jewishsports.com/
Glossary of Yiddish Expressions: http://www.ariga.com/yiddish.shtml )Please be patient, this page is farshtopt with information)
You can find an online Hebrew dictionary at http://milon.morfix.co.il/
Nice Jewish parenting site http://jewishfamily.com/
http://www.jewishgates.com/main.asp Jewish Gates is an amazing site, filled with material on Jewish history, ritual and culture.
Go straight to the linked index at http://www.jewishgates.com/fullindex.asp and go to town!
http://www.zipple.com/ The Jewish Super Site; a similar site is http://www.maven.co.il/ and my personal all-time favorite,
http://shamash.org/trb/judaism.html
The sourcebook for Jewish history (all periods) can be found at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/jewishsbook.html
Online Texts Related to Jewish History. All the primary sources “fit to print.”
Israel Campus Beat – to get all the latest information on
The Beth El Bar/Bat Mitzvah Commentary
Excerpts from Kira Smith’s Speech on Parashat Ki Tissa
Hello & Shabbat shalom!! If you haven’t noticed, I am a very bubbly person. In fact, it might not surprise you that I am a cheerleader. I have been cheerleading since the 6th grade, and I love it!
When I started cheering, I thought that it seemed like fun and was a good way to meet people. But during the past two years, I have discovered it is more then an after school or weekend activity, it’s a way of life. It is an attitude that changes you, as you help to change others. It is a way of always seeing the glass as being half full.
Many times, at the end of a game, when there is only time for one last play, and no hope, we are still out there cheering. We have faith that our team will be able to do whatever is necessary in order to win. Faith. That is what it is all about. Believing in something bigger than you. That by working hard and putting everything you’ve got into something at the end of the day you will have won.
In my Torah portion, the Jewish people lost their faith when Moses was on
When they finished building the calf, they began to dance around it and worship it. A little bit later, Moses came down from the mountain and discovered them worshipping an idol. He got so mad that he broke the tablets that contained the Ten Commandments that he had spent 40 days writing – just like they broke the laws that they were just given by God. After all of the miracles they had seen, they still did not have the faith to believe in God.
The last verse I read from this portion contained the law where we shouldn’t cook a goat in its mother’s milk. While we do
not know exactly why we are given this commandment, we have come up with many reasons to explain it. For example, one reason for that law is so that a mother goat won’t have the pain of seeing its baby being killed. From this law came the custom of not mixing meat and dairy together. It’s a good thing I don’t like cheese burgers! While we don’t always understand why, we still follow this and many other laws. Judaism takes hard work and with faith, we hope to be victorious in all that life has to offer.
With all the things that I have learned during my years of study, one idea stands out - that as Jews, we need to have faith that good comes out of hard work, and that we must be cheerful as we make the best of everything. The ancient rabbis taught us to treat everyone with a cheerful face. They were like the cheerleaders back then. I believe that by making people smile we can help to make the world a better place.
For my mitzvah project I am hoping to bring cheer and smiles to help people keep their faith. I will be giving books in the baskets on the bimah to children with cancer at
Some GOOD NEWS from
and other sources
Finding a common bond in Israel's environment
American college students visiting
Health | Israeli clinical trials help new breast cancer drug Tykerb win FDA approval
The success of GlaxoSmithKline's once-a-day breast cancer pill Tykerb - which this week won approval by the FDA for use by women with metastatic or advanced breast cancer - is thanks in part to clinical trials conducted by Israeli researchers. Dr. Bella Kaufmann, director of the breast cancer unit at the cancer research center at Tel Aviv's Sheba Medical Center, coordinated the trials on Israeli women with relapsing inflammatory breast cancer, and her findings were instrumental in educating the FDA about the benefits of the drug. Tykerb will be available in the
Culture | Israel's Mayumana lights up New York stage with nonstop motion
For the past decade, the multi-talented theater group, Mayumana has combined dance, music, rhythm, slapstick comedy and intricate storytelling to create a vibrant and exciting art form that is both international, and at the same time unmistakably Israeli. After performing for over four million people in more than 30 countries, the improvisational troupe is set to conquer the
Technology | Israeli sound technology makes waves in the music business
Frustration with the quality of tools for professional musicians and producers led two Israelis to develop a new audio mixing software for the music industry. Now, the company they founded, Waves, is employed by the world's top music and film producers for artists like Madonna, David Bowie, U2, and The Rolling Stones. You don't have to be a music mogul to enjoy the benefits of Waves technology, however. The company has also developed software that can improve the quality of even the tiniest of speakers - promising to revolutionize the way all of us hear sound. More...
Health | Enriched low-fat dairy products pouring out of Israeli lab
Israeli researcher Dr. Yoav Livney has active in Israel's dairy industry for years, developing some of the country's most popular milk products. Now in his lab at the Technion, he's perfecting a new method of delivering health-promoting nutrients to milk products via casein micelles, the protein particles naturally present in milk, as carriers. This breakthrough innovation may facilitate the production of low-fat or non-fat foods that contain important oil-soluble vitamins and antioxidants now present only in fat-containing foods. More...
Israel's Eurovision Song Contest Entry Accepted (STT-Finland)
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said in
The final of this year's contest is to take place in
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
Transcripts of Speeches from this Week’s AIPAC Conference:
(http://www.aipac.org/index.asp)
- Vice President Richard B. Cheney - AIPAC Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 47K)
- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi - AIPAC Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 34K)
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid - AIPAC Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 30K)
- House Republican Leader John Boehner - AIPAC Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 24K)
- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - AIPAC Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 32K)
- Israeli Minster of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni - Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 67K)
- Howard Friedman - AIPAC Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 37K)
- Author Michael Oren - AIPAC Policy Conference 2007 (PDF, 49K)
- Is Gaza War Inevitable? - Alex Fishman All the scenarios point to a war in
In parallel to upgrading its rockets against the Israeli home front, Hamas has established a well-equipped and trained, four-division army based on the Hizbullah model. Just like in - Overrated New Initiative - Hillel Halkin
Every couple of years, a much-ballyhooed new initiative has surfaced to solve the Israel-Arab problem. Will anyone remember the current "Saudi initiative" 40 or even five years from now? Not unless the Saudis are willing to go a lot further toward meeting minimal Israeli conditions for a peace agreement. There is no way that even the most dovish Israeli government can agree either to return all the way to the pre-1967 borders or to accept a massive influx of the descendants of the 1948 refugees.
And because the Saudis know this, they also know that their initiative in its current form is no more than a propaganda ploy. This is not to say that the Saudis would not like to see
See also The Saudi Mirage - Editorial (New York Sun)
See also See You Later,
One has to know and remember that the "Saudi plan" in its current form is a recipe for the destruction of - The Myth of Moderate Mullahs: It's Still Khomeini's Iran - Reuel Marc Gerecht
Are the clerical elite and their praetorians - the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the thuggish Basij, and the killers of the Ministry of Intelligence - still running a revolutionary enterprise within which they see themselves as the ideological vanguard of the nation and Islam? Yes, absolutely. To a striking degree, the ruling elite has maintained its sense of religious mission, while the Iranian people, especially the young who don't remember the charisma of Khomeini, have gone cold. For the vast majority of Iranians, an Islamic missionary spirit is no longer happily married to the national identity.
It is astonishing that some Western analysts of
What's Missing from the Saudi Initiative - Negotiations - Shlomo Avineri (
- One key element is missing from the Saudi initiative and from the March 2002
- The Beirut declaration "called upon Israel to affirm" three points: full and unequivocal withdrawal from all the occupied territories; achieving a "just solution" to the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194; and acceptance of an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem as its capital.
- The Arab League does not offer negotiations with
- What the declaration demands is that
The writer is former director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Avoid the "Grand Solution" Temptation - Gerald M. Steinberg
The rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the revival of the 2002 Saudi-Arab League initiative, is not the result of a sudden outbreak of mutual understanding or the dedicated work of special Middle East peace envoys. Rather, the cause is rational self-interest. The Saudi monarchy, in concert with
Palestinian Editor: Palestinian Factions Abusing Democracy
The editor-in-chief of the Palestinian daily Al Hayat, Hafiz Barghouthi, on Wednesday accused the Palestinian factions of abusing democracy. Barghouthi said that what is delaying the formation of the Palestinian unity government was not political differences but the absence of internal democracy within the factions. He accused the factions of "turning the national project into a project for employment and posts." (Maan News-PA)
America and Israel Are at War with a Common Enemy - Pastor John Hagee (
Pastor John Hagee, who founded Christians United for
- There are millions of evangelical Christians across
- Why do Christians support
Shin Bet: Palestinians Working to Improve Missile Capabilities - Gideon Alon (Ha'aretz)
The Palestinians are taking advantage of the restraint demonstrated by the Israel Defense Forces to bolster their arms and improve the range of their rocket fire, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) Director Yuval Diskin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday.
He said Hamas was sending hundreds of men to
Palestinian terror groups are attempting to increase their rocket range to strike Kiryat Gat and Ashkelon; Islamic Jihad succeeded in launching a Grad rocket some 16 kilometers last July.
In the West Bank, both the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades of Fatah and Islamic Jihad aspire to be the first to launch rockets into
Diskin said the Palestinians have employed improved roadside bombs, some capable of penetrating armored vehicles.
Hamas Facing Internal Split Over Mecca Accords - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
"Opposition in Hamas to the
The "rejectionist" camp in Hamas, led by Interior Minister Said Siam and Foreign Affairs Minister Mahmoud a-Zahar, is opposed to the
The two are expected to lose their jobs in the new Hamas-led coalition.
U.S., Israel Walk Out During Iran's Speech at Geneva Disarmament Conference - Alexander G. Higgins (AP/Guardian-UK)
The U.S. and Israeli delegations walked out during a speech Tuesday by Iran's foreign minister at the 65-nation Conference on Disarmament in Geneva after he accused Israel and the U.S. of posing the main threats to the security of the Middle East.
Japan Hosts Mideast Peace Meeting to Raise Profile - Elaine Lies (Reuters/Washington Post)
Japan on Wednesday kicked off four-way talks with Israel, the Palestinians, and Jordan aimed at economic cooperation in the Middle East, part of efforts to raise its political profile in the region and ensure a stable energy supply.
U.S. Students Volunteer in Battered North - Hagai Einav (Ynet News)
This year 120 Jewish students opted to help rehabilitate Israel's north after the war in Lebanon during their semester break, planting trees and fixing up bomb shelters in a volunteer program organized by the Jewish National Fund and the Alternative Spring Break project.
The group was joined by an MTV television crew producing a series on American youth spending their vacations volunteering around the world.
Russia Having Second Thoughts on Nuclear Aid to Iran - Yossi Melman (Ha'aretz)
The state-owned Russian company building the Iranian nuclear plant at Bushehr announced Monday that the plant would not be launched in September and nuclear fuel will not be delivered to the station this month as planned, due to unpaid bills.
However, American and Israeli experts see a strategic decision by
For the past five years,
Twice in the past two weeks,
Judge: Sudan Liable for USS Cole Bombing (AP/CBS News)
Four experts on terrorism, including R. James Woolsey, CIA director from early 1993 to early 1995, testified Tuesday to support the families' position that al-Qaeda needed
Experts testified that
How Many Jews Did Mama Kill? (MEMRI)
On March 8, 2007, Hamas TV broadcast an interview with the children of Palestinian suicide bomber Rim Al-Riyashi.
Interviewer: "Let's talk with the two children of the jihad-fighting martyrdom-seeker Rim Al-Riyashi, Dhoha and Muhammad. Dhoha, where did Mama go?" Dhoha: "To
Interviewer: "What did Mama do?" Dhoha: "She committed martyrdom."
Interviewer: "She killed Jews, right? How many did she kill, Muhammad?" Muhammad: "Five."
Monument to Ethiopians Who Died En Route to Israel Dedicated in Jerusalem - Ayanawo Farada Sanbetu (Ha'aretz)
A monument commemorating the more than 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who died in Sudan while attempting to reach Israel was dedicated at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
"This is a thank you to the Jews of
MYTH #256
"Palestinians are moderating their views toward
FACT
It is often suggested that the Palestinians have moderated their views toward Israel. When it is pointed out that groups such as Hamas (a partner in the Palestinian Authority government) openly advocate the destruction of Israel, as the group’s spokesman did on March 12, 2007*, their position is often dismissed as mere rhetoric. The Palestinian people, we are told, are prepared to live in peace with
Even more alarming are the signs that young Palestinians are more militant than their elders. On the question of whether Hamas should continue to seek the elimination of Israel, for example, 66% of Palestinians 18-21 agreed and an overwhelming majority of 90% said Israel has no right to exist.
Given the steady diet of anti-Israel propaganda in the Palestinian Authority media and educational system, these results are not surprising and reinforce Israel’s longstanding view that incitement through those channels is having a significant negative impact on Palestinian attitudes toward Jews and Israel and hurting the prospects for peace. These results are sobering for anyone who believes that Israeli concessions will end the conflict or that a new generation of Palestinian leaders will be any more willing to accept
*“We will not betray promises we made to God to continue the path of Jihad and resistance until the liberation of
This article can be found at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/myths2/exclusives.html#a71
SAVE THE DATE FOR OUR NEXT SYNAPLEX SHABBAT
APRIL 7
THE THEME OF THIS DAY-LONG PROGRAM WILL BE
“MATZAH AND MITZVAH”
FEATURING JEWISH JOURNEYS OF A LIFETIME …AND BEYOND
ADULT BAT MITZVAH
NO-HATE-BUT-HARMONY,
NESHAMA YOGA, MIND-BODY-SPIRIT BIKE RIDE, AND GOOD PASSOVER FOOD!
LEARNER’S, TRADITIONAL AND MEDITATIVE SERVICES;
SESSIONS ON
“THE ETHICS OF EATING,” NUTRITION, KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY,
RAISING YOUR ADULT CHILD;
COLLEGE-TALK FOR TEENS, CHESS, TOUCH FOOTBALL
A CHOCOLATE SEDER FOR THE KIDS!
AND MUCH, MUCH MORE!
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Second Night Community Seder
Tuesday, April 3 at 7:00 PM
(Doors open at 6:45 PM)
Led by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman and Cantor Rachael Littman
Includes traditional Kosher Seder meal
Entertainment and activities for children throughout the evening
Please complete the reservation form below and send it with your check, payable to Temple Beth El, to Temple Beth El,
Reservation deadline is March 22, 2007.
THIS FLYER CAN BE DOWNLOADED AT OUR WEBSITE, www.tbe.org
Prices: Adults: $55, Children (3-12) $25, Children 2 and under free
Maximum Price per Family $175, Parents & Kids
Please check off choice of Entrée. Children’s meal will be Chicken Fingers
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Name | Age | Chicken | Eggplant | Cost |
Total Cost |
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If you have a child who would like to help with the younger children’s activities, please provide their names and ages: _________________________, _________________________, _________________________.
If you are able to volunteer please check off your preferences:
Clean Up |
| Serve |
| Children’s Activities |
| Clean Up |
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For more information please contact Steven Mayer at 203-316-9195; e-mail steve_mayer@mayerbenefits.com or Mark Plotzky at 203-359-2290; e-mail mark.plotzky@snet.net.
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THIS WEEK!!!
Community Scholar-in-Residence Program
AVRAHAM INFELD
President Emeritus of National Hillel & Early Architect of “birthright
March 20, 2007
7:30 pm at Temple Beth El (opening session)
“Being Jewish in the iPod Age”
Maintaining and translating Jewish values into contemporary Jewish life
Infeld is known for his searing intellect, brilliant insights
into Jewish life and enthusiastic, dynamic speaking style,
Avraham Infeld is not to be missed.
For more information on the other events of the three-day program,
visit UJF website at www.ujf.org or contact
Dr. Ilana De Laney
203.321.1373 ext. 114 or ilana@ujf.org
This program made possible through the generosity
of the Herbert and Sarah M. Gibor Charitable Foundation
We PROMISE you won’t be disappointed!
1. For Parents of Young Children: Reinforcing the Beauty of Jewish Values at a Yong Age. – Tuesday, March 20th at 9:45 AM at the JCC
2. For All: Redefining Being Jewish in a World of Uncertainty. Tuesday, March 20th at 7:30 PM at
3. For Jewish Teens and Parents - Being Jewish in the iPod Age. Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00 PM at
For more information please go to www.ujf.org or email Ilana at ilana@ujf.org
SWEET ON YOU
Newest addition to the TBE catering panel
You may now use
your Kiddushes, for your baby namings and aufrufs at
Please call our Executive Director for more information
Learning and Latte at Borders
featuring
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 from 7:30-8:30 PM, October-May
Topics (subject to last-minute adjustment to keep up with the headlines)
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
ADULT ED
“The Many Demensions of Jewish Prayer”
with
meets select Sunday mornings 9:00-10:00 am
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
Modern Conversational Hebrew Ulpan
Instructor: Eran Vaisben, Education Director
Do you have good basic Hebrew reading skills? The primary goal of this class is to further your overall
understanding and use of the Hebrew language. This class emphasis is on communicative skills that
will enable you to communicate in simple Hebrew for everyday situations. This first level Ulpan class
is covering a variety of dialogue, articles, stories and songs.
Prerequisite: Hebrew reading
SENIORS – HAZAK RETREAT
We are planning to participate in a very exciting Hazak Retreat this June
13-20. Please see all details via the url:
http://www.uscj.org/ctvalley/Hazak%20Retreat%202007.pdf
Support our
Changes in Kosher at Stop & Shop Ridgeway
Approx. 16 months ago, in response to requests by the local kosher community, the SKAC has been in discussion with corp. management at Stop & Shop to consider both expanding store space, devoted to kosher, as well as consolidating all specific kosher products to one area at the Ridgway location.
Management informed the SKAC a few months ago, that they would accommodate this request.
In the next few weeks, during the store's overall remodeling, the temporary " Super Passover " section, traditionally situated in the center of the store, has been relocated to the right side of the produce section.
The permanent regular kosher section will soon be relocated to the rear of Aisle # 14. There will now be over 100 feet, devoted to kosher specific products, with grocery on one side of the aisle and refrigerated / frozen items, including dairy, meat / poultry and frozen, on the other side.
We hope this expansion and consolidation will be more of a convenience and an additional draw to the location for your local kosher needs.
The SKAC wishes to thank store management for their continued efforts to accommodate the shopping needs of their local kosher customers.
The SKAC continues to work, to provide more kosher choices to town. Stay Tuned !
Eat & Enjoy,
Avi Greif
Pointperson
Invites you to a fun-d-raiser:
FAMILY
ICE SKATING
PARTY
SUNDAY APRIL 8th 2007
1:00pm – 4:00pm
$5 per person / $15 per family
Skate rentals available for $4.50 each
In order to reserve your place please fill out attached form by April 1st and send to the
Laser tag, mini golf, bowling, batting cages available at additional cost.
Kosher for Passover refreshments will be provided.
Questions? Email: lpomerance@optonline.net
The Rinks at
Located off
USY
USY Goes BOWLING!
Saturday, March 24th
8:30 p.m. Meet at
Pizza will be served.
10:30 p.m. Pick Up
Price: $15
Please bring a signed waiver with you to the event.
RSVP by Wednesday, March 21st by emailing edoecohen@gmail.com
** All USY events are now open to 8th graders
8th grades are welcome to continue to attend Kadima events as well.
May 5th or 6th -
June 3rd - Pool Party
We hope to see you at these events.
If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to write me at edoecohen@gmail.com or call 917-348-9790.
All the best!
Edoe
Hey teens!
If you’re ready for a
new, hip, cool temple experience…
Come to
Teen Synaplex
Saturday, April 7th, 2007!
12:30–2:00 pm
Lunch with friends, with a performance by teen troupe
No Hate But Harmony
2:15–3:15 pm
Teen chat room on surviving high school and getting into the
college you want (hear from HS seniors)
3:20–4:30 pm
FOOTBALL (co-ed) or hear WWII survivors!
4:30 pm
Teen nosh (more food!)
Get ready to have an amazing time!
Bring all your Jewish friends!
No charge!
NO MORE AFIKOMAN CRUMBS!
THANKS TO ROZ RUBIN FOR FORWARDING THIS
JAPANESE MATZAH TIP
FROM YOUTUBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj_HzQSWKBQ
Previous Shabbat-O-Grams can be accessed directly from the archives on our web site (www.tbe.org)
To be removed from this mailing list, send an e-mail request to office@tbe.org
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