This
will be the final Shabbat-O-Gram before the annual summer hiatus. I'll be
writing to you from time to time, especially from Israel in August, and I'll
continue to communicate throughout via Facebook postings (you mean you haven't
friended me yet?) and Tweeting, as this promises to be a verrry interesting summer. Of course our
doors are open daily for services and schmoozing, so if you are in town, don't
be stranger!
Meanwhile,
a few thoughts with which to send you off....
-
Mazal tov
to Steve Lander and family on his grandson's bar mitzvah this week, and to Rachel
Leiterstein and Gadi Zohar, who will be celebrating their ufruf this Shabbat
morning at TBE.
-
You MUST
see this video of Gaby Baum, one of our TBE students, who as you can
see, turned her very serious health challenge into a mitzvah with this Allergy
Awareness Walkathon. I cannot be more proud of Gaby, having seen what
she has (begun to) overcome and the courageous way she's addressed it.
Also see Alexa Karp's recent Bat Mitzvah commentary
on Beha'alotcha.
-
This week has
been marked by strong reactions to an outrageous statement made about
Conservative and Reform Jews by Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi, following a
landmark Supreme Court decision peeling away at the terrible inequalities
afflicting non Orthodox movements in Israel. See the letter, written on Israeli government
stationery, and read the strong responses from national Federation leadership
and the Rabbinical Assembly. You can also read media reactions to the pluralism decision.
Also this week, adding insult to injury, another woman was arrested for wearing a tallit at
the Western Wall. Israel is the only democracy on earth where some
Jews of liberal denominations are not free to practice their faith as they
choose.
-
Along that line, you can read my latest featured
op-ed on the "Times of Israel" site discussing how both in Israel
and the Diaspora, we all need to focus on helping disaffiliated and disaffected
Jews to find their way home.
-
Israel
faces numerous other challenges as we head into the summer. First and
foremost is Iran. It looks like the clock is running out on a negotiated
solution, though there are faint hopes that when severe sanctions set in next
week, Iran might be nudged into greater concessions. Israel faces a
number of other serious threats, including the growth of Al Qaeda groups in the increasingly lawless Sinai;
an attack occurred on that border this week, along with a barrage of rockets from
Gaza. Plus there are the escalating uncertainties in Egypt and
Syria. These are matters of great concern, but we should have great
confidence in Israel's ability to keep its citizens safe. See AIPAC's latest "ACTION ALERT" to see what
you can do to confront the Iranian threat. We'll explore the topic of
Iran at tomorrow morning's service in our Torah discussion, "Korah and the
Limits of Dialogue."
-
In addition
to all of the above, this week another mosque was set aflame on the West Bank.
The arson appears to be one in a series of "Price Tag" attacks,
in which settler extremists (as opposed to the vast majority of Israelis living
in the territories, who are law-abiding and peaceful) use violence to try to
fight off policies they dislike. Observers are worried that violent
outbursts will increasingly be a part of the Israeli political
discourse. That risk is real: During the past two years, Price Tag attacks
have left ten mosques desecrated, Palestinian olive trees uprooted, shops
vandalized, senior IDF officers threatened and IDF bases attacked. The
potential for violence looms large in light of court orders requiring the
Israeli government to evict settlers from two locales in the West Bank this
summer. This violence is a threat to the moral fiber of Israel, to its
Jewish and democratic character, and to the security of its citizens. The
New Israel Fund gives us ways to respond constructively to this
threat.
-
Back to
Beth El, some noteworthy High Holidays news. Rosh Hashanah services will
now begin at 9 AM - on Yom Kippur morning we'll still begin 8:30.
Children's and family services will begin at 10:30 AM all three days. For
everyone, it is important to plan to get here by 10:30, as the prime section of
the service will begin around then. On Rosh Hashanah, the sermon will now
be delivered in the middle of Musaf, roughly at 11:15 AM, with the service's
conclusion to follow. The service will still end at 1 PM or shortly
after, but with the sermon now in the middle, we're hoping to reduce that mad
rush to the exits that used to occur at the conclusion on Rosh Hashanah.
Also note that a large number of our new Machzors have not yet been
dedicated. There is no better way to honor a loved one then to dedicate a
bookplate in that person's honor/memory.
-
Otherwise,
we move into the summer in a very good place. Shorashim registration is
proceeding apace - and have you seen our Shorashim preschool's new website? Our
membership is on the rise, and we've just announced major new incentives for
people to affiliate, including free membership for all unaffiliated Day School
families with a student entering K,1 or 2. We already have a similar offer for
new Hebrew School families. Tell your friends about all these things! The
buzz is out there about the exciting things happening here.
-
For the coming year we intend to upgrade (even more) our Shabbat
offerings. If you have suggestions regarding Friday night or Shabbat
morning services, let me know. Next year's schedule is already filling up
with great events here. Among them will be special Beth El Cares Shabbats
dedicated to various segments of our community, including a conversation on the
future of our local federations as well as a focus on education, featuring an
appearance by our newly elected Superintendent of Schools, Winifred Hamilton.
"Beth El Cares" about our community and we all should be grateful to
be living in such a fascinating, diverse place. I caught some of "Alive at
Five" downtown last night and was pleased to see the Kosh booth there. Now
you can get a kosher hot dog at "Alive at Five" while listening to
Matisyahu in a few weeks. What
a country!
As we go
off to our various summer escapes, it's always nice to know that the place
we're escaping from 'aint so bad. Stamford is a great place to live
and, in particular, to be Jewish. We have so much to be thankful for.
Shabbat
Shalom and enjoy the summer!
Rabbi
Joshua Hammerman
No comments:
Post a Comment