DATZ IT! - Temple B'rith Sholom

August 2020 Av—Elul 5780

Rabbi Michael Datz President Mark Rabin

I had reason to go to St. Louis earlier this week and a friend joined me. Whenever I go on such errands, I usually look for something else to do so long as I’m down there and this time it was a visit to the St. Louis zoo. It’s been decades since I’ve been to the St. Louis zoo, or any zoo for that matter. For one thing – having visited game parks in Kenya, South Africa, and Namibia – I admit I’m a little spoiled. For another – at least since I was old enough to be aware of such issues – I’m also a little ambivalent about the very concept of zoos: of locking up wild animals for our own selfish pleasure in observing them.

This most recent visit, however, began to change some of that ambivalence. The St. Louis zoo is a particularly fine example of what a zoo can be and how much they’ve changed since I was a child and animals would languish in cages and pace restlessly. The old joke used to be whether it was the animals which were on display for study and learning; or whether it was we humans who should be the ones in pens and cages and on display for study. And I admit that my first thought was “maybe we should rather release all the animals and replace them with rioters, looters, and arsonists. Which ones are the more dangerous?”

DATZ IT!

DATES TO REMEMBER

July 31 — Shabbat Service

August 7 — Shabbat Family Service

August 9 — Zoom TBS Executive Board Meeting

August 14 — Shabbat Service


August 25 —Zoom TBS Board Meeting


To judge from the explanatory sign boards, however, the zoo engages in a great many conservation efforts to the benefit of wildlife. Many of the zoo animals were born and bred in captivity (apparently cheetahs are very particular about the partners with whom they mate, so it’s not such an easy endeavor) so they’ve never really known any other life. Many others are endangered species and, therefore, have the best chances of survival only in captivity. And, while it may seem cruel on one level, and against nature to keep a wild animal captive; while it may be we humans who make it necessary because we hunt and poach them or rob these animals of their natural habitat; it’s still worth asking the question “how many of these animals have the intelligence or curiosity or dedication to care about their fellow creatures when they are endangered?” Human beings, then, are in the contradictory position of being both enemy and friend, adversary and savior, of natural wildlife.

There’s no doubt, too, that modern zoos are very educational. The hippo, for example, is one component of an ecological chain. When they emerge from the river to graze, they create pathways for other wildlife. They also consume a huge amount of grass in one eating, making way for new tender shoots to grow which provide food for antelope and gazelle. When they return to the river, they expel their waste (their tails slap their dung around in the water) providing nutrients for fish which, in turn, provides food for humans. I didn’t know all that; did you? And don’t you wish we humans could function so cooperatively with our environment?

Gorillas, too, are fascinating. We humans share over 90% of our DNA with them. As it turns out, there are 2 species of gorillas and 4 subspecies. Evidently, there were once multiple species of humans, as well. Remember the question you had as a child: if Adam and Eve were the first humans, then whom did their children marry? Well, if there were actually different species of humans, that would go a long way to offering an explanation: different species of humans cross-married and cross-bred, eventually merging into a single species. So maybe the Torah isn’t so wide of the mark in describing our origins!

Anyway, I just wanted to share all this with you. No real Jewish message in this month’s column. Hope everyone is having a good summer, even with the pandemic.

Respectfully,

Rabbi Michael Datz

DATZ IT!

Your new temple board has started up with a full agenda, getting organized, and setting priorities. Bob Silverman once again chairs the Endowment & Investment committee. Our representatives to the Jewish Community Relations Council are Ralph Loewenstein and Lisa Stone, while Bob Roth serves on the council appointed by B’nai B’rith and Dr. Steve Stone will be a member at large. Joni Abramowitz will chair our membership committee, Dr. Stuart Frank will chair adult education, Grady Holley and Remi Benichou will co-chair social action, and Brad Zeiger will take over building and grounds from Ben Shultz, who did a fantastic job for us during the fix the temple fund raising drive and improvement phase. Thank you, Ben.

We have been live streaming Shabbat services every Friday evening. The live stream has been improving as we become more proficient and skilled, thanks to the talent of our new custodian, Traveion “Tray” Wyatt. Tray started working for us the second week of June as a part time building custodian. I was very pleasantly surprised when he told me he had experience with live streaming, something that I know very little about. He looked over the equipment I had assembled, but not yet been able to successfully operate, and within minutes it was up and running. We are upgrading the system with advice and guidance from Nathan Parienti who is in town for a few weeks. Coupled with our new high-speed internet, we will be better able to bring Shabbat and High Holiday services into your homes during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The most important assets the temple has are you, the members. Your generosity allowed us to present Kenny Elliot with a retirement gift of $3,700.00, for which he was very appreciative. Kenny continues to provide advice and information to us about the building on an as needed basis. Thank you, Kenny. That was followed up with your generous donations by which we were able to purchase two leaves on the Temple Israel Tree of Life in honor of Rabbi Marks on the occasion of his retirement, and present Rabbi Marks with a gift card. Thank you, Lisa Stone, who

Spearheaded the event.

We are already planning for the High Holiday services and how to program and conduct them in the age of Covid. It is anticipated that there will be some modifications as to how the services will be conducted, but they will take place and they will be live streamed. I remind everyone that you are encouraged to attend Shabbat and High Holiday services in person if you are able. Be assured that we are following guidelines to protect you from exposure to the Covid virus including disinfecting the sanctuary and all common areas after each use, social distancing, and wearing masks.

I sent out an email asking each of you to let me know if you were interested in serving the temple on any committee. There is always a need for more people to lend a hand, and a need for new ideas and new talent. Don’t be shy. You never know what you have to contribute until you get involved.

Save the date: Rabbinical search focus group meetings will take place via Zoom on July 23 at 7pm, and on August 2 at 10am. Check your email for the link to join in and express your preferences, and tell us what characteristics and skills you are looking for in our new Rabbi.

PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS

FROM THE TREASURER

Anyone interested in seeing the final 2019-2020 Treasurer’s Report, please contact the temple for a copy to be emailed or mailed. Thanks.

Kathleen Parienti

Own Your Own Prayer Book!

The Judaica Shop is selling

MISHKAN T’FILAH

Shabbat with Transliteration Edition

AN ARTISANS’ FAIR UPDATE

It is with great regret that we announce that the Artisans’ Fair will be canceled due to the pandemic,

and expectations that the Fall may bring us an uptick in exposure and cases.

We have every expectation that in October,2021, we will be showcasing the Fair once again. If you did

want to bring any artwork, treasures, silver, etc., to sell at the upscale market at the Fair, you could

still bring that to the Temple to store for next year’s Fair.

Thank you for your interest. Let’s plan on a wonderful Fair in 2021!!

Regards, Kathleen Parienti,Chair

The Sisterhood Scoop

Despite the pandemic, Sisterhood continues to make plans for the upcoming year. We have a full line-up of virtual gatherings that we hope you will attend in the comfort and safety of your homes. Thanks to Zoom and our hard working board for making this possible.

Our opening meeting will be on Sunday, September 13. We are looking forward to hearing Bernie Schoenburg give us his analysis of the upcoming election in November. Be sure to watch for the Zoom invite to attend this informative presentation.

Rhona Kelley will be sending out the birthday card forms soon. This is a major fundraiser for us so be sure to wish all your family and friends a happy birthday. It’s only $2.00/name. Feel free to add names that are not on the list.

At this time, we will not have onegs after Shabbat services. Thank you to those who have sent in donations to cover oneg costs. We are working on possibly doing more curbside onegs, and working on the logistics of an oneg book. Your donations will help cover those costs.

Membership dues are filling Debbie Weiner’s mailbox! Thank you to everyone who has already renewed their membership and have given above and beyond the base dues. Fundraising is more difficult now so your contribution is appreciated more than ever.

The gift shop is open by appointment. A new selection of Kiddush cups just arrived!

Stay safe and be well.

L’Shalom,

Joni & Kathleen

Sisterhood Birthday Wishes Fundraiser

Thank you to all who have participated in the annual Birthday Wishes fundraiser. It continues to be a very

successful fundraiser that supports both our Sisterhood and the Temple. Please watch for the mailing

coming in August for the 2020-2021 birthdays. All forms will need to be returned to Rhona Kelley by

September 1. Once again, thank you.

B’rit Yisrael News

I hope everyone is staying safe and well during this prolonged crisis. In the last couple of months, The

Springfield Board of Jewish Education has been in discussion on how we are going to proceed beginning

in September with Hebrew and Religious School. We are waiting to hear from the Illinois State Board of

Education how the school district is going to proceed before making any final decisions. Each day we hear

new or different news about the virus, and we are waiting to get more guidance.

We did decide, however, to hold Hebrew classes remotely for the foreseeable future. Our plan is to hold

two sessions of 45 minutes each during the week as determined by the schedules of the students in each

class. We plan to hold it on Zoom allowing the teacher to record the lesson for anyone who might have

missed one. Behrman House publications is working on enhancing several texts with on-line materials.

We have known for some time now, that one cannot learn a language with only one session a week. Two

45-minute sessions should help with retention and attention spans. The classes will be held at a mutually

convenient time for each class in conference with the instructor.

We will probably start out the year on Zoom for Religious School as well and then see where we go. We

will continue to have class on Sundays for Religious School from 10:15 till noon. The teaching staff, Rabbi

Datz and Temple Israel’s recently hired new Rabbi, Rabbi Stern, have started the process of developing

classes for the virtual platform. Our topic for the year is Community: Values and Meaning in Judaism. If

and where we can gather outside, we will do so maintaining social distancing and other protocols. When

and if we return to in-classroom teaching, we will be returning to Temple Israel where we are already set

up to teach. We believe we can come up with some creative ways to hold classes on Zoom and will give it

our best shot. Parental assistance may be needed to complete craft projects at home on the topic.

Our First class will be September 13th. We are still working on whether it will be outside somewhere or on a virtual platform. I will send out the calendar shortly and update it as need be. If you have any questions in the meantime please don’t hesitate to call me at 217 698 9727 or on my mobile at 217 414 9727. You can email me at [email protected] In the meantime, I hope everyone stays safe and well. We are looking forward to a new year that will be

challenging in many ways but hopefully for the good.

Lisa

mailto:[email protected]

Sisterhood Challah Fundraiser Sisterhood is taking orders now for Holiday Challahs

Fresh from Max and Benny’s – Northbrook

Pick up at Temple B’rith Sholom

Tuesday, September 15 & Wednesday, September 16

9:00 - Noon

Special arrangement can be made if these times will not fit your schedule

(But who’s going anywhere these days?)

Challahs may be frozen, but remain fresh for 1 week

The cost for a delicious round 1.5 LB Challah is $10.00 with or without raisins

Please make your checks to Temple B’rith Sholom Sisterhood and mail to:

Sharon Green

2533 Soleil Ave.

Springfield IL 6274

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Orders are due by September 1

Name__________________________________ Phone______________________________

Address_______________________________________________________________________

_______without raisins _______ with raisins

Quantities may be limited to 2 per family.

If you want more than 2 Challahs

you will be contacted later if your request can be met

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT

Temple B’rith Sholom has been awarded grant funding by the Federal emergency Management Agency Non-Profit Security Grant Program in the amount of $46,001. This money will be used to install and monitor a camera security system in the Memorial building with 24 hour monitoring and remote alarms, install protective glass film in the front entrance to the Memorial building, and reinforce doors to two locations within the temple for creation of “safe” rooms in the event of a threat. Additionally, the funding will be used to offset the cost of security guards for the three years of the grant period. Let’s

give a big shout out to the Jewish Federation of Springfield and Nancy Sage for all of the information, advice, and encouragement, without which this would not have happened. Thank you also to Karen Westbrook and Sonia Gerson for their assistance.

BOOK OF REMEMBERANCE

Temple B’rith Sholom will be publishing its “Book of Remembrance” to memorialize family

members and friends who have been dear to us. The book will be distributed on Yom Kippur.A

minimum contribution of $10 per name will defray publication expenses and further the work of the

congregation. Please turn in the forms by August 15, 2020 to the Temple. Thank you.

Barb Spiro

A Thank You Note from Kenny:

Unfortunately, we could not show our appreciation to Kenny Elliott on the event of his retirement, but we did collect in excess of $3,700

and gave him a nice card recognizing all his accomplishments and efforts given to the Temple We will be forever grateful for his amazing

service to us for almost 30 years.

Ken sent a card with the following message “For you’re among the nicest people I have ever known, and you’ll never be forgotten for the

thoughtfulness you’ve shown. Thanks for the memories and the gift.”

Ken

We will miss him!

Friday, July 31

5:30 pm-Shabbat Service

Friday, August 7

5:30 pm-Shabbat Family Service

Sunday, August 9

4:00 pm-Zoom TBS Executive Board Meeting

Friday, August 14


Friday, August 21

5:30 pm—Shabbat Service

- Sunday, September 13

Tuesday, August 25 12:30pm Sisterhood Opening Mtg Zoom

7:00 pm-Zoom TBS Board Meeting

Sunday, September 13

Wednesday, August 26 4:00 pm-TBS Exec Board Meeting

9:30 am - Knosh & Knowledge

Tuesday & Wednesday, Sept15-16

Friday, August 28 Pick up Challahs 9:00am-12:00pm


High Holiday

Friday, September 4 Dates & Times To Be Announced

5:30 pm—Shabbat Family Service

Tuesday, September 22

Monday, September 8 7:00 pm - TBS Board Meeting

Labor Day-Office Closed

Wednesday, September 23

Friday, September 11 9:30 am - Knosh & Knowledge

5:30-Shabbat Service

Friday, September 25

5:30 pm - Shabbat Service

Help us keep our records up-to-date.

Please send us your anniversary and/

or birthday dates so we can all share

in the celebration of your special day!

Happy Anniversary

August

9– Ralph & Carol Loewenstein

11—Robert & Arlene Barewin

15—Scott & Amber Sabin

16—Fred & Terri Benson

18—Sam & Carol Gorden

20—Bob & Natalie Silverman

21—Randy & Robert Carey-Walden

28—Grady & Kathi Holley

2 Leika Myers 18 Rachel Frank

4 Rebecca Trieger 22 Stephen Stone

5 Sarah Summers 25 Myla Shannon

6 Sonia Gerson 30 Ed Green

6 Teena Myers 30 Anna Hurwitz

11 Piper Lehl 31 David Bloomberg

17 Les Eastep

August 2020 Yahrzeits

August 7

Adolph Ackerman, Alexander Bear, Dorothy Bloomberg, Irving B. Browne, Sam

Dorman, Adolph Friedman, Rose Golding, L. Sarel Herman, Gleneth Hurwitz,

Sidney Josephson, Ralph B. Kohn, Dwight McCormack, Robert J. Myers, Arturo

O'Byrne, Hilda Y. Picker, Lily Robinson, Irving Schonbrun, Robert Seidman, Anne

Shapiro, Freida Smith, Anna Stein, Catherine Worker

August 14

Hilda K. Ballin, Catherine Broida, Hennie Burgheim, Harvey E. Cayne, Robert

Feldstein, Caroline M. Flesch, Robert Goodwin, Irwin H. Grant, Henrietta

Hammerslough, Miriam Hess, Henrietta LIlienstein, Jack Metnick, Julius M. Myers,

Louis M. Myers, Ann D. Oppleman, Jerome Robinson, Rose Dogan Wald, M. Byron

Weisbaum, Illya Zavelsky

August 21

Jacob Bamberger, Max Bank, Charles Barker, David Broida, Herbert "Hy"

Burland, Fannie Cohen, Jean D. Cohn, Tessie Friedman, Sara Edith Gardiner,

Joseph M. Greenberg, Katherine Isaacson, Yetta Marantz, Leon W. Morse, Rachel

Pinazar, Robert H. Pittman, Bryon Salzman, Dr. J. Marvin Salzman, Birdie S.

Samuels

August 28

Doris Abramowitz, Towfig Arjmand, Max Barewin, Richard S. Cohen, Lester A.

Fishman, Helen A. Friedman, Sarah Seidler Gordon, L. Frank Herman, Rebecca

Hess, Ezra Stanet Hurwich, Sidney Kobrin, Charles S. Lange, Stephen Lewis Sr.,

Samuel Litvak, Jessie Long, Jerome Routman, Carol Lavine Rubenstein, Emanuel

Salzenstein, Louis J. Samuels, Sadie Seidman, Fay W. Silver, Bonnie Wabner,

Maxine W. Weiner

September 4

Elliott Berlin, Simon Cohn, Maurice Davis, Henry Frank, Anna Guralnik, Walter F.

Herzog, Fred Hexter Jr., Mary Jean Hurwitz, Michael Katzenstein, Lena Koratsky,

Dr. Tobias Lang, Anna Mae Levine, Leo Listick, Frieda S. Ludin, Harry

Marblestone, James Neubauer, Myer D. Seligman, Jean Snyder, Ida Pearl Spector,

Harry Spiro, Christine Weisbaum, William Wertheim, Donnah Ellen Winger

Thoughtful Gifts Given in July/August

General Fund

Mr. Douglas Turner

TBS Sisterhood

Memorial Fund

In Memory of Josephine Sage from Nancy Sage & Rabbi Marks

Fix The Temple

In Memory of Dr. Arturo O’Byrne Gonzalez from Ed & Sonia Gerson

In Honor of Joni Abramowitz from Cary & Mary Lang

Daniel Seligman Building Fund

In Memory of Alvin Spiro from Mark & Barbara Spiro

In Memory of Donald Grass, Ilyue Karlin, Betty Silverman Stetson from Bob & Natalie Silverman

Aziz & Hanini Arjmand Memorial Adult Education Fund

In Honor of departed family from Beryl Arjmand

Please consider remembering Temple B’rith Sholom in your will, through a life insurance policy, stock or

other method of charitable giving. Your gift will keep the Temple strong for your children,

grandchildren and generations to come.

Newsletter Delivery

If you know of someone that would like to receive our newsletter, please let us know by

forwarding their email address to the temple at [email protected]

TEMPLE B'RITH SHOLOM

1 004 1008 SOUTH FOURTH STREET SPRINGFIELD, ILLIN01S 62703 (217) 525-1360

June 24, 2020

Rabbi Barry Marks

1908 Grist Mill

Springfield, IL 62711-6610

Dear Rabbi Marks:

On behalf of the Board and membership of Temple B'rith Sholom, greetings and best wishes on your

retirement. It is widely recognized among our members how much we value your communal leadership,

your chairmanship of JCRC and 4 decade+ participation on the Federation and Brit Yisroel Boards, your

newspaper articles on Jewish thought and practice and your work in the broader Springfield community.

We also value your assistance to us directly in covering for our rabbis in their absences from town,

teaching our children, co-teaching Adult Education, visiting our members when sick, and coofficiating at

our life cycle events.

In appreciation for your many kindnesses, and in recognition of the dedication of your adult life to Temple Israel, the members of TBS are pleased and happy to tell you that we are creating two leaves on the Temple Israel Tree of Life in your honor. In addition, we will send you a gift card covering the balance of the amount we raised in record time, which we hope you will use for a nice dinner with Nancy and/or a wonderful Jewish scholarly book for your library.

We join Temple Israel, the entire Jewish community and the Springfield community in warm wishes that

you enjoy the next stage of your life and say Shehecheynu.

Mark Rabin

President

Did You Know? - from the urj.org Website

More than 1 million Americans and Canadians are affiliated with Reform congregations, making Reform Judaism the

largest Jewish denomination in North America.

Since its founding in 19th-century Germany, the Reform Movement has embraced modernity, incorporating innovation into

all facets of Jewish tradition, education, and life. Reform Judaism’s commitment to social justice for all – women, people

with disabilities, and, indeed, people from all faiths and backgrounds who lack civil and human rights – is a key pillar of the

movement, contributing to its popularity among North America’s Jews.

The Reform Jewish Movement comprises nearly 850 congregations in the U.S. and Canada, more than 1,200 congregations

worldwide, and the organizations and institutions that support the lay leaders, clergy, and Jewish professionals among its

ranks. Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, the Reform Movement’s North American seminary, is the first

and largest Jewish seminary on the continent, with four campuses in the United States and Israel. In addition to ordaining

rabbis and cantors, HUC-JIR and its Reform counterparts in Germany and the U.K. also train Jewish educators, nonprofit

professionals, and pastoral counselors.

The Reform Jewish Movement in North America offers:

Membership in professional associations and employee pension programs for its clergy, educators, and other

professionals;

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (“the RAC”), a 501(c)3 non-profit advocacy center in Washington, D.C., that

educates and mobilizes American Jewry on legislative and social concerns;

A vast summer camp system, including 11 regional overnight camps, as well as a science/technology specialty camp,

two sports camps, a teen leadership camp, and a day camp;

A network of temple youth groups for Jewish teenagers in grades six through 12;

Travel, study, and work programs in Israel for Jewish teenagers and young adults; and

National, regional, and local leadership development conferences and events for teens and adults;

Centralized fundraising for specialized Israel initiatives and worldwide disaster relief efforts,

Congregational membership in the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the umbrella organization for North American Reform

Judaism, provides access to these and other offerings available from the larger, global Reform Movement… go to urj.org

for information on these organizations.

http://www.urj.org/who-we-are/joining-union

Temple B’rith Sholom

1004-1008 South Fourth Street

Springfield, IL 62703

Please visit Temple B’rith’s Sholom website: www.templebrithsholom.net

Temple E-MAIL ADDRESSES are:

[email protected] and/or [email protected]

Deadline to submit material & photos for the September newsletter is August 15

TEMPLE B’RITH SHOLOM OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS 2020/2021

President, Mark Rabin; 1st Vice President, Alan Blitstein; 2nd Vice-President, Sam Gorden;

Treasurer, Kathleen Parienti; Secretary, Lorraine Robinson; Sisterhood President,

Kathleen Parienti; Sisterhood Representative, Sharon StarRabbi Michael Datz, Remi Benichou, Fred Benson, Alan Cherrick,

Sharon Green, Howard Hammel, Robert Rabin, Harvey Rothschild, Ben Schultz

Judaica Shop

Ro left the shop stocked!

Special orders accepted.

Open only by Appointment

Call Joni (217) 494-4098 or Kathleen (217) 652-1945

DATZ IT! - Temple B'rith Sholom

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