SHABBAT-O-GRAM for
November 21, 2003 and Heshvan 20, 5764
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut
Shabbat Shalom
We now have over 900 on our e-mail list – send your friends and relatives the gift of Jewish awareness – a Shabbat-O-Gram each week, by signing them up at www.tbe.org
Temple Beth El Congregational Shabbaton – Jan. 16 – 18
At the Nevele Grand Resort
Space is Limited, and it’s filling up FAST
Theme – Dreams: The Spiritual Quest
Guest Scholar: Rabbi Seymour Rossel
Get your reservations in TODAY!!!
Take your kids, your friends, and your friends’ kids to
Tot Shabbat this Friday (tonight) at 6:45
JUST THE FACTS…
Healing Service at Stamford Hospital (every 1st and 3rd Friday): 2:30 PM – at the second floor chapel, or on the hospital’s channel 46. The next one will be today, Friday, November 7. If you know of anyone in Stamford Hospital, please let him or her know.
Friday Evening – Shabbat
Candles: 4:14 PM (for candlelighting times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/)
Services: 6:30 PM, in the lobby –
“Theme” service focusing on the legacy of JFK, 40 years after that fateful day
Tot Shabbat: 6:45 PM, in the small part of the social hall
Family dinner after services for the 7th graders
Shabbat Morning
Service: 9:30 AM
Mazal Tov to Ben Leibowitz, who becomes Bar Mitzvah this Shabbat morning.
A report will be given on the recent Israel Mission
Children’s services: 10:30 AM
Torah Portion – Haye Sarah (Sarah dies, Abraham seeks ot bury her and buys the Cave of Machpela I Hebron. Then Abraham sends out his servant Eliezer to find a wife for Isaac) -- Genesis 23:1 - 25:18
Haftarah: I Kings 1:1 - 1:31
Our reading is from the third triennial cycle (with slight adjustments). Click on these to see the text in the original and translation and to hear it chanted.
1: 24:53-58
2: 24:59-61
3: 24:62-67
4: 25:1-6
5: 25:7-11
6: 25:12-15
7: 25:16-18
maf: 25:16-18
See a new weekly commentary now available from the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet, at www.ujc.org/mekorchaim.
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/. World Zionist Organization Education page, including Nehama Liebowitz archives of parsha commentaries: http://www.moreshet.net/web/index.asp?f=1 For a more Kabbalistic/Zionist/Orthodox perspective from Rav Kook, first Chief Rabbi of Israel, go to http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/index.html. For some probing questions and meditations on key verses of the portion, with a liberal kabbalistic bent, go to http://www.jewishealing.com/learning.html. To see the weekly commentary from Hillel, geared to college students and others, go to http://www.hillel.org/hillel/NewHille.nsf/FCB8259CA861AE57852567D30043BA26/DF7D129F15B3DF0885256AB80058E9C3?OpenDocument. For a Jewish Renewal and feminist approach go to http://rabbishefagold.hypermart.net/Torah1.html or to http://www.reclaimingjudaism.org/TakingTorahPersonally.htm
Morning Minyan: Daily at 7:30 AM IN THE CHAPEL, Sundays at 9:00 AM IN THE SANCTUARY
THANKSGIVING MORNING AT 9:00 AM
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR MINYAN!
Spiritual Journey on the Web
“A Virtual Mission to Israel”
The just-completed Stamford-Greenwich mission to Israel included visits to many fascinating places. You can download the full text of the four letters I sent back from the trip at http://www.tbe.org/2003/sog/Israelletters.htm. Chuck Donen took some great pictures of our group’s departure and memorable march to downtown Jerusalem, which are now up on our Website (at www.tbe.org). I’ll have more to say about the trip at services on Shabbat morning.
Now you can also come along with me, via the Web, to many of the places that we saw. For instance:
We visited the security fence (even prayed at it!) See the latest maps (recently updated) on the Seam Zone, at http://www.seamzone.mod.gov.il/Pages/ENG/route.htm.
We toured Afula, our sister city, which can be seen at http://www.partner.org.il/afula/. There we also visited the Merchavia Absorption Center where immigrant children from Ethiopia welcomed us with open arms. Merchavia is the Kibbutz where Golda Meir lived.
We visited a number of learning institutions, learning Torah in pluralistic fashion at Ma’ale Gilboa at http://www.maalegilboa.org/american4.html and at the Shalom Hartman Institute http://www.hartmaninstitute.com/home.html. We also saw kids who have recently immigrated at Yemin Orde youth village http://www.yeminorde.org/village.htm, and saw the future of Israel first-hand at the Weizmann Institute of Science http://www.weizmann.ac.il/. Finally, we received a briefing on the current situation from Colonel Jonathan Davis of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzlia (http://www.idc.ac.il/). He spoke about some of the effective tools being made available over there to educators so that children might better be able to cope with the impact of terrorism. I’ve been in contact with him about possibly introducing some of those tools here as well. Read about his efforts to fight the impact of terror at http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2003/11/05/news/local/fight1107.txt.
We toured Independence Hall in Tel Aviv (http://www.jafi.org.il/education/noar/sites/independ.htm) and the beautiful village of Zichron Ya’akov http://www.zichron-yaacov.co.il/, as well as http://www.jafi.org.il/agenda/2001/english/wk4-11/14.asp and the Aharonson House museum recalling the heroic members of NILI, the spy ring that brought down Ottoman rule in early 20th century Palestine. Read about Aaron Aharonson at http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/people/BIOS/aron.html.
We went to the mystical town of Safed http://www.safed.co.il/, where my trip this coming summer will spend a Shabbat, and rode jeeps up to the Golan Heights (http://english.golan.org.il/).
While I visited my sister in Mitzpeh Yericho on the West Bank (http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/), the group visited the Kotel Tunnels (http://www.thirdtemple.com/KotelTunnels/gallery.htm) and the new Davidson Archaeological Center in Jerusalem (a great site – go there, at http://www.archpark.org.il/index.asp).
We traveled the old Burma Road to learn about the 1948 struggle for Jerusalem (http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/vie/vieroad.html), and then went to see the clandestine ammunitions factory near Rehovot (http://www.shimur.co.il/english/The%20Ayalon%20Institute.html), which must be seen to be believed.
An unforgettable theater event: Nalaga’at, the only theater troupe of deaf-blind people in the world, in “Light is Heard in Zig Zag.” Find out more about them at http://www.nalagaat.org.il/baseEn.html
Finally, to read about the G.A itself, including photo and transcripts of major addresses, go to the UJC Website at http://www.ujc.org/ga_home.html.
Now, hopefully your virtual tour has left you wanting more, like, say, to actually BE there! Please give some thought to coming with us next August – or going at another time in the near future. The risks are indeed minimal and the benefits immeasurable. Please put it high on the agenda of your family’s Thanksgiving discussions.
This Thanksgiving Day, talk with your family about joining us next summer on our Beth El Israel Tour – Next Aug. 1-16
DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE ITINERARY AT http://www.tbe.org/2003/sog/Israelitinerary2004.htm
This unforgettable journey has something for everyone:
n Bar/Bat Mitzvah affirmation service and celebration (with Klezmer music)
n Wilderness experience in the Negev
n Exploring Tel Aviv and the mystical city of Safed
n Visit to an army base
n Kayaking on the Jordan River, climbing Masada and floating in the Dead Sea
n Bedouin dinner in the middle of the Ramon Crater
n Tree-planting ceremony near the home of the Maccabees
n Visit to our sister city of Afula
n Visit with Ethiopian families near Jerusalem
n Briefings from journalists on the current situation
n Archeological dig in the Judean Hills
n Tzedakkah project at the children's ward of Hadassah Hospital
n A glorious Shabbat in Jerusalem
Required Reading and Action Items
IDF Cautiously Optimistic about Truce - Matthew Gutman
The IDF cautiously supports a new hudna (temporary cease-fire) and is confident of Hamas's and Islamic Jihad's interest in maintaining quiet for up to six months, a senior security source said Wednesday. The key to a cease-fire is compliance of Fatah/Tanzim-related terrorist groups like the Aksa Martyrs Brigades. Hizballah and Iran have taken up "a massive role" among local terrorist cells, greasing the logistical wheels of terrorist operations and even providing operational support for most Fatah/Tanzim-related groups. Any attempt at a cease-fire hinges on Arafat's success at leading Fatah away from Iran. The source said Arafat has managed to consolidate power and retain his hold on the PLO's finances. He noted that one of the great faults of former PA prime minister Mahmoud Abbas's hudna was that "it smelled of the West, and of the U.S.'s dictate." The new ceasefire plan is considered a grassroots initiative arising from the Palestinians. (Jerusalem Post)
PA Gives Israel Information on Bethlehem Assailant - Arnon Regular and Amos Harel
A Palestinian security committee appointed by Arafat and headed by Haj Ismael Jaber has told Israeli officials that Jabbar al-Ahmad, 21, now in PA custody, was the gunman who killed two Israeli soldiers Tuesday on the Jerusalem-Gush Etzion Tunnel Road. On Wednesday about 100 Palestinians, some of them armed members of the Palestinian security forces in which Al-Ahmad served, staged a rally in front of Bethlehem's security compound, demanding that al-Ahmad be freed. (Ha'aretz)
U.S.-Israel Understanding on Outposts Possible - Aluf Benn
Israel believes it is possible to reach an understanding with the U.S. over a list of illegal outposts in the West Bank that will serve as a basis for discussions on the issue, sources in the prime minister's entourage said Wednesday. The sources said that U.S. complaints about outposts were a result of differences in information between what Israel and the U.S. know about the number of outposts and their status. Sharon rejects any charges that relations with the U.S. are deteriorating over the issue, describing the outpost dispute as "a non-existent conflict" and saying there is no American pressure on Israel whatsoever. (Ha'aretz)
Anti-Semitism: Our Dulled Nerve - Editorial
A new anti-Semitism is on the march across the globe. Where once, which was bad enough, terrorists concentrated their attacks on targets with clear ties to Israel - its embassies, airline or shipping offices - they are now wider in scope. All Jews are now seen by some extremists as legitimate targets. There are few forms of prejudice with deeper roots than anti-Semitism. Yet until recently it appeared to be in retreat. (Guardian-UK)
The Jewish People Will Never Be Broken, Sharon Tells GA - Jenny Hazan
"Despite repeated attempts to eradicate the Jewish people from the face of the earth, we have succeeded at realizing the dream of reestablishing an independent and democratic Jewish state," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the 72nd UJC General Assembly's opening ceremony on Sunday evening. The ceremony opened with a moment of silence for the victims of Saturday's attacks in Istanbul. (Jerusalem Post)
See also Text of Prime Minister's Speech at the General Assembly (Prime Minister's Office)
The Inextricable Link between Anti-Semitism and Anti-Americanism - Natan Sharansky (Wall Street Journal)
PA PM a Puppet on a String - Khaled Abu Toameh
According to announcements published in the official PA daily Al-Hayat al-Jadeeda, the cabinet ministers of the new government were directly appointed by Arafat, reducing Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei to a puppet of the PA chairman in the eyes of the Palestinian public. Arafat also made sure that control over the security forces would be placed under the National Security Council, which he heads.
Said a former PA cabinet minister: "Abu Ala [Qurei] is not an independent prime minister. By succumbing to Arafat, he has tied his own hands by himself. The situation today is that Qurei needs Arafat's approval for every single step. He is spending more time in the Mukata [Arafat's compound] than he is at the prime minister's office....Some of Arafat's low-ranking aides have more power and influence than the prime minister." "It's time for everyone to admit that this is Arafat's government," says political analyst Hani al-Masri. "Arafat has succeeded in scuttling all attempts to sideline him. Today he is back at the center of Palestinian decision-making." (Jerusalem Post)
Cairo Hudna Talks in Two Weeks - Khaled Abu Toameh
Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced on Thursday that they would send representatives to Cairo on December 2 for talks aimed at reaching a new hudna (temporary cease-fire) with Israel. (Jerusalem Post)
Israelis Skeptical of New Hudna
A poll of Israelis conducted for Israel Radio on Wednesday asked: Do you believe that a new hudna between Israel and the Palestinians would last longer than the previous hudna? Yes 12%, No 67%. (IMRA)
Syria's "Invisible Occupation" of Lebanon - Mitch Potter
"Although we have all the formal, apparent aspects of independence...our army is controlled by Syria; our politicians must go to Damascus to receive their benediction. In every measurable way, we are under invisible occupation by Syria," said Joseph Maila, a prominent Lebanese academic. Syria's hand in Lebanese politics was codified in the 1990 Taif Agreement, which called for Syrian military withdrawal from Lebanon within two years. More than a decade later, Syrian troops remain. (Toronto Star)
Arafat Pockets $14 Million in 60 Days - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Arafat continues to directly receive as much as 10% of the official PA budget.
According to a report released Monday by the PA Finance Ministry, Arafat's office received more than NIS 62 million ($14 million) during the past two months.
NIS 2m. went for the salaries of officials and employees in Arafat's office, but there is no accounting for the remaining NIS 60m.
Arafat's office received an amount roughly equal to the funds allocated in the same period to the PA Health Ministry, which oversees dozens of ill-equipped and understaffed hospitals and clinics.
See also A Short History of PA Corruption - Bret Stephens (Jerusalem Post)
Ford Foundation Announces New Funding Guidelines as It Admits to Aiding Anti-Israel Groups - Edwin Black
The Ford Foundation has admitted it erred in funding anti-Israeli Palestinian groups and has vowed to establish tough new guidelines to stop its funds from being used for anti-Semitic action anywhere in the world. The foundation said it was "disgusted" by anti-Israel and anti-Semitic agitation at the 2001 UN Conference Against Racism at Durban, South Africa, which it helped finance. "We now recognize that we did not have a clear picture of the activities, organizations, and people involved," conceded Ford president Susan Berresford in a Nov. 17 letter to U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). In addition to establishing new funding guidelines, the foundation said it promises to cease financing pivotal anti-Israel groups and even recover funds where the grant's intent was violated. (JTA)
Israel to Make Offer to Palestinians
Prime Minister Sharon's adviser Raanan Gissin said Thursday at Georgetown University that Israel's government would make a "decent respectful offer" of statehood to the Palestinians. "We are willing to make painful concessions. We are willing to give away part of our ancestral home so the Palestinians" can have a state. However, "we are fighting for our right to exist as a Jewish democracy." Israel's critics, he said, "deny us the right of self-defense. They present us the right to die peacefully." Gissin reaffirmed Israel's commitment to a U.S.-backed roadmap for peacemaking, although he said there were some reservations. (AP/Washington Post)
Source: Al-Qaeda Behind Eilat Border Attack - Margot Dudkevitch and Matthew Gutman (Jerusalem Post)
A senior security source said the attack on Wednesday at the border crossing terminal north of Eilat has the markings of an al-Qaeda strike.
Al-Qaeda is increasing its activity in Arab countries perceived to be pro-Western - such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan - the source said.
Hitting tourists is also a well-established al-Qaeda tactic, he noted.
He also doubted that the attacks were engineered by Hamas or elements of other terrorist groups tolerated in Jordan s capital Amman.
"[Hamas] would not want to risk their position in Jordan by angering and humiliating the Jordanians in such a way," said the source.
A tourist from Ecuador was killed and four others wounded by a Jordanian who opened fire in the terminal.
"The last time there was an act of terror in Eilat was in 1969 when a Katyusha was fired at the city from Aqaba," said Eilat mayor David Kadosh.
Waking Up to the Age of Terror - Editorial
Many Europeans have been astonishingly slow to understand the impact of what happened on September 11. Thursday's atrocities in Istanbul are yet another reminder that the West and its allies, and moderate Muslims throughout the world, are up against a foe, who, blasphemously, given that God is the creator of life, glorify their deaths and the innocent people they kill as a passport to Paradise. They represent a radically new and ever-present danger. And the sooner we wake up to it, the better. (Telegraph-UK)
Terrorism Inc. - Douglas Farah and Peter Finn
Leaders of the al-Qaeda terrorist network have franchised their organization's brand of synchronized, devastating violence to homegrown terrorist groups across the world, posing a formidable new challenge to counterterrorism forces, according to intelligence analysts and experts in the U.S., Europe, and the Arab world. The recent attacks in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Chechnya, and Iraq show that the smaller organizations, most of whose leaders were trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, have fanned out, imbued with radical ideology and the means to create or revitalize local terrorist groups. (Washington Post)
It Takes Two to Partition - Yossi Klein Halevi (Jerusalem Post)
Terror and Anti-Semitism - Editorial
For all the Muslim world's accusations against the U.S. and Israel, no one has done more to debase and defame the religion of Muhammad than the murderers who blow themselves up in its name. In South Asia and the Middle East, Muslim schools teach the vilification of Jews the way Canadian schools teach the multiplication tables. As Middle East expert Martin Kramer wrote, Islam's fundamentalists "de-emphasize the long history of Islamic tolerance of the Jews across centuries...fixating instead upon the early conflict between Muhammad and the Jewish tribes of 7th-century Arabia. The Jews who clashed with Muhammad are presented as archetypes of a universal Jew, treacherous by nature, whose perfidy threatens not only Islam but all humanity." Muslim immigrants in France, especially, have imported the bigotry taught overseas. (National Post-Canada)
PA Could Lose an Armed Confrontation with Hamas - Matthew Gutman (Jerusalem Post)
Learning from the last hudna (cease-fire), the Israeli security establishment believes that it will enable terrorist groups to rest, rearm, and upgrade.
"We've seen that movie," said one IDF source, who recalled that Hamas used the last hudna to smuggle an unprecedented number of arms into Gaza.
IDF commanders in Gaza who have witnessed the influx of weapons into the area believe that Hamas's weapons now outnumber those in the hands of the PA.
They have warned for months that the PA could lose an armed confrontation with Hamas.
Understanding the Istanbul Synagogue Bombings - Christopher Hitchens
Why would the jihadists be so careless to have also killed a fair number of non-Jewish Turkish passersby? Those who think this even semiconsciously have already forgotten what jihadists were doing in Algeria, Egypt, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, long before the assault on the World Trade Center (which also killed a substantial number of Muslims). It's pretty safe to say that the large majority of those murdered by Islamic holy warriors have not been Europeans or Americans. The worshippers at Neve Shalom were members of a very old and honorable community who were murdered for being Jews. Their Turkish neighbors were casually murdered as "collateral damage." This is in the nature and essence of the foe that we face. (Slate)
Erasing Phase One of the Road Map - Ehud Ya'ari
Abu Ala's government is not a revamped version of Abu Mazen's. It represents a worrying step backwards, to a format dictated and directed by Arafat. What we are left with is a cabinet that in many respects is just another of the chairman's executive branches. Arafat has managed to turn the tables and lock the "reform government" into his service.
Arafat and Abu Ala, two veteran comrades, have prepared a two-stage plan. The first is a cease-fire brokered by the PA, that does not include any promises regarding the dismantling of Hamas or Islamic Jihad, despite the fact that Phase One of the Road Map, at its core, calls for the elimination of the Palestinian terror infrastructure. Abu Ala intends to tell Sharon soon that this is the best he can offer, and that he doesn't have the power to take on Hamas. That the choice is to take quiet without a dismantling of the terrorist infrastructure, or to expect the terror attacks to go on. The Palestinian assumption is that under these circumstances, Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz will prefer calm. Then it will be time for the second act, to hold elections for the PA institutions in June 2004, which according to the Road Map should take place only after the terror infrastructure has been dismantled. What this means is the effective erasure of Phase One of the Road Map, skipping over the war on terror. (Jerusalem Report)
Also in the Jerusalem Report:
David Horovitz Just Anti-Semitism
Hirsh Goodman A Look in the Mirror
Stuart Schoffman Uncomfortable Positions
Balancing IDF Checkpoints and International Law: Teaching the IDF Code of Conduct - Lt. Col. Amos Guiora, Commander of the IDF School of Military Law (Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
Israeli GDP Grows 2.7% - Moti Bassok (Ha'aretz)
"The recession is over," Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday after the Central Bureau of Statistics reported that the economy grew by 2.7% in the third quarter of 2003.
Israel's exports in the quarter leapt by 24.2%.
FROM CLAL:
God, Man and Growth
"The most striking conclusion, though, is that belief in the afterlife, heaven and hell are good for economic growth. Of these, fear of hell is by far the most powerful, but all three indicators have a bigger impact on economic performance than merely turning up for church. The authors surmise, therefore, that religion works via belief, not practice. A parish priest might tell you that simply going through the motions will bring you little benefit in the next world. If Mr Barro and Ms McCleary are right, it does you little good in this one either...."
November 21, 2003
The Role of Religion in Oppression and Terrorism
"At its best, religion provides theological support for the most vulnerable elements of our culture and argues against the violence done in God's name to all victims of terror, whether their cause is given global recognition or buried on the back pages of history. In fact, for those who suffer the latter fate, it is even more reason to link their oppression to a suffering we readily understand and with which we completely empathize...."
November 21, 2003
'Terror in the Name of God': Everybody Hates Somebody Somewhere
"A feeling of complete certainty, let alone absolute purity, is hard to come by in the examined life. To foster the conviction that God supports the murder of innocents requires a tight knit group and a settled hatred of the Other: in these circles, whites hate blacks and Jews; Jews and Christians hate Muslims and vice versa; anti-abortion crusaders hate gynecologists. All of them seem to have it in for homosexuals and most, even the Americans, hate contemporary America. Tolerance and women's rights, as Stern observes, are irritating to those left behind by modernity...."
November 21, 2003
Can Science Prove the Existence of God?
November 14, 2003
Continent Wrings Its Hands Over Proclaiming Its Faith
November 14, 2003
ANNOUNCEMENTS
FAMILY FUN & PASTA NIGHT
Saturday, December 13, 2003 at 6:15 p.m.
Join us for Havdalah, a delicious pasta dinner, Israeli dancing and a night out with your friends!
GREAT FOR ALL AGES!
RSVP by November 29th
Call Joy Katz, 329-3359 to reserve and for information.
Sponsored by Temple Beth El Sisterhood
SECOND ANNUAL HANUKKAH CONCERT
Sunday, December 21st at 4:00 p.m.
Led by Cantor Deborah Jacobson
featuring our TBE Adult & Jr. Choirs and YOU!
Potato latkes, sufganiyot, candle lighting, dreidel tournament, raffles, prizes, A SPECIAL GIFT FOR EVERY CHILD TO TAKE HOME, special guest appearances, FUN FOR ALL AGES!
Helen Golin Judaica Gift Shop
Hannukah is December 19-26, 2003!
Visit the gift shop for all of your Hanukkah needs:
Dreidels, menorahs, candles, gelt (chocolate, of course!).
For those of you traveling during the winter break, we have electric menorahs, too, plus lots of gift ideas for all ages:
Games, puzzles, books and music, jewelry, keepsake boxes, Judaica items
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
As always, all of our merchandise is discounted 20% off of retail prices!!!
The Gift Shop is open Monday and Thursday 4:00-6:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. For added convenience, during the month of December only (until Hanukkah) it will be open on Wednesday mornings from 9:30-11:00 a.m.
If you have any questions, please call Mia Weinstein at 595-0528. Happy Hanukkah!
TBE PAYS TRIBUTE TO HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
Presenting the Dramatic Cantata “Cry of the Children”
Performed by award winning vocal chamber ensemble
Musica Plenti!
Wednesday, December 10th at 7:30 p.m.
Please join our TBE community, come hear this “call to all humanity” and share with these talented musicians (including our own Jodi Maxner!) as we celebrate Human Rights Day. (Reception to meet the composer and artists will follow the 40 minute presentation.) all proceeds will go to MAZON, which helps feed hungry children everywhere.
Tickets: $15/Temple Member and $20/Non-Member
Special Student Price: $10
SEE THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AT http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/
Lunch and Learn Series
Led by Rabbi Joshua Hammerman
Judaism, Business and Ethics for Our Time –
Using rabbinic sources, the group will explore the ethics of the marketplace, including deceptive advertising, employer-employee relations, consumer rights (and wrongs) and insider trading.
Meets Monthly, next THIS COMING Wednesday, Dec. 3, 12:30 -1:30
At Benjamin and Gold, P.C., 350 Bedford Street 4th floor
Parking in rear of building (at corner of Pedigree Ski Shop), or metered parking on the street in front of building and also behind Baby and Toy Superstore, across the street.
(many thanks to Dan Benjamin for providing the space)
LEARNING AND LATTE AT BORDERS
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 17, @ 7:30
FEATURING A THREE-WAY INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
MOSLEM, CHRISTIAN AND JEW
DISCUSSING
"Sacred Passages: A Multicultural Exploration of the Peak Moments of Our Lives."
Participants:
Rabbi Joshua Hammerman -- Temple Beth El
Rev. Douglas McArthur - First UNited Methodist Church
Dr. Behjat Sayed -- Dr Sayed is a lay representative of the Islamic Center of Stamford and a chiropractor, who has spoken in Islam before many groups locally.
TOPICS:
Dec 17-- Celebating the Season: How are the sacred days of December linked? How do they differ? How can we all celebrate so that no one feels left out?
Jan 21 -- Celebrating Relationships: Courtship and Marriage in different faith traditions. How do different faith groups respond to homosexuality?
Feb 11 -- (2nd Wed.) Celebrating Family: What are the responsibilities of parenthood and the role of family in various traditions? How do we handle divorce, domestic violence, etc., as well as the proliferation of non-traditional family units? Where do singles fit into all of this?
Mar 17-- Celebrating Diversity: How do we coexist despite our differences? How do we approach dual faith families? What are the limits of missionary activity? How to we handle conversion?
April 21 -- Celebrating Healing: How do we confront illness in our various traditions and how do we define "wellness?" How do we approach the patient? Where do spirituality and medicine intersect? Special focus on AIDS.
May 19 -- Approaches to the End of Life: Death, Dying and Life Eternal in different faith traditions.
WE HAVE STARTED ANOTHER ADULT BAR/BAT MITZVAH CLASS!!!!
There is still time to sign up!
THE CLASS IS TAUGHT BY RABBI HAMMERMAN, CANTOR JACOBSON AND BARB MOSKOW,
COVERING ALL THE BASICS: SYNAGOGUE SKILLS AND PRAYER, JEWISH TRADITIONS, LITERATURE AND HISTORY.
THE CLASS WILL CULMINATE IN
A B’NAI MITZVAH SERVICE ON NOVEMBER 13, 2004.
PEOPLE WITH DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS ARE WELCOME
PLEASE RSVP IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, TO OUR EDUCATION OFFICE, 322-6901 X306
Starting a Marriage
A good marriage takes work. Even with the best intentions and fullest dedication, there are always bumps in the road. To better handle the issues faced by every couple, Jewish Family Services of Stamford is beginning a new group for couples who are soon to be married or who are newlyweds. In our sessions, we’ll cover topics such as:
· Who am I? Who are we? Definitions of self, couple and family.
· Where did I come from? Exploration of past, life stories, and families of origins.
· Do you want what I want? Understanding one another’s expectations regarding partnership roles, future home, finances, children, religion, etc.
· You just don’t understand! Development of effective communication skills.
· How can we fight fair? The art of negotiation and conflict resolution.
· Do you really love me? Show me the ways. Expressing emotion, the good stuff, and being intimate.
This is a good opportunity to learn skills that will serve you a lifetime. You may also develop a better understanding of you and of your significant other. And it will provide a forum for you to discuss important issues that will come up throughout your marriage in a constructive, safe environment.
Once we have 4-6 couples we will begin our 6-week journey. Sessions will be held on Thursday evenings and will last 1 ½ hours. The fee for this group will be $15 per couple/session (total of $90). Session location will be determined based on group membership. For more information or to sign up, call Aimee Horowitz: 203-921-4161.
TGIS (Thank God it’s Shabbat)
A rotating series of Friday night experiences
For all tastes and all ages
At 6:30 PM
Week 1 --- in the chapel, a traditional Beth El Service
Week 2 --- in the Sanctuary, Family Friday
Week 3 --- in the lobby: a creative Theme services
(on October 17, we will be welcoming Young Couples and the theme will be nature)
Week 4 --- a Carlebach-style service, featuring Hasidic nigunim and joyous meditation.
Plus our ongoing Tot Shabbat series (weeks 1 and 3 at 6:45, and Tiny Tot Shabbat on week 2 at 4)
United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien
2004 Annual Community Campaign
SUPER SUNDAY
December 7, 2003
On December 7, 2003, United Jewish Federation is holding its annual
SUPER SUNDAY phone-a-thon at the Stamford JCC.
Please answer your phone and make a generous gift to the 2004 Annual Community Campaign.
If you would like to volunteer to assist with phone calls or other critical tasks on SUPER SUNDAY,
please fill out the attached Sign-up Sheet and send to: laura@ujf.org
BETH EL CARES
2003 Christmas Dinners at Pacific House & St. Luke’s Lifeworks
It’s time to begin planning for our annual dinners at local residences! If you would like to help, please email Sue Greenwald- sgreenwa@optonline.net or call 329-1662.
TIME FOR A JOKE
Religion as Baseball
Calvinists believe the game is fixed.
Lutherans believe they can't win, but trust the Scorekeeper.
Quakers won't swing.
Unitarians can catch anything.
Amish walk a lot.
Pagans sacrifice.
Jehovah's Witnesses are thrown out often.
Televangelists get caught stealing.
Episcopalians pass the plate.
Evangelicals make effective pitches.
Fundamentalists balk.
Adventists have a seventh-inning stretch.
Atheists refuse to have an Umpire.
Baptists want to play hardball.
Premillenialists expect the game to be called soon on account of darkness.
The Pope claims never to have committed an error.
So nu, what about Jews? – A free Shabbat-O-Gram subscription to anyone who comes up with a good answer.
(What? It’s free anyway? Never mind!)
Previous Shabbat-O-Grams can be accessed directly from our web site (www.tbe.org).
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