May 2019 Shofar - ShulCloud · SHOFAR Torah Portions May 2019 May 4—29 Nisan ... This means being...
Transcript of May 2019 Shofar - ShulCloud · SHOFAR Torah Portions May 2019 May 4—29 Nisan ... This means being...
SHOFAR
Torah Portions May 2019 May 4—29 Nisan
Acharei Mot II (After Death) Leviticus 18:1—30
Moses condemns the sexual practices of some neighboring peoples.
Certain forms of sexual relations are prohibited.
May 11—6 Iyyar Kedoshim (Holy Ones)
Leviticus 19:1—20-27 G‐d describes to Moses many ethical and ritual laws aimed at helping
people live lives of holiness
May 18—13 Iyyar Emor (Say)
Leviticus 21:1—24:23 G‐d describes a variety of holidays, and outlines the omer period, ask‐
ing the Israelites to bring food offerings to the priests for seven weeks
May 25—20 Iyyar
B’har (On the Mountain) Leviticus 25:1—26:2
G‐d describes the laws surrounding resting the land and crops every
seven years, as well as the Jubilee year every 50 years. G‐d permits
the use of slaves, but provides stipulations, including the obligation to
FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICES
Terry & Harold Nash
Sanctuary
May 2019 - Nisan-Iyyar, 5779
5:30 PM
5:30 PM
5:30 PM
5:30 PM
5:30 PM
SATURDAY MORNINGS
Torah Study Every Saturday 8:45 am
Samson Social hall
Saturday Shabbat Services 10:00 am in the Chapel
May 4 May 11 May 18 May 25
May 3
May 10
May 17
May 24
May 31
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Temple Leadership Bob Glast President
Beatrice Eslamboly Past President
& Education chair
Sanford Friedman 1st VP
Gordon Poster 2nd VP
Rosanne Ezer Treasurer
Judy Monetathchi Ritual Chair
Bobbie Rosenberg Corporate Secretary
Terrie Turner Chavurah Chair
Ann Miller Membership Chair
Micki Greenspan Ambassador
Michelle Hoffman Women of Sinai
Gary Kreger Brotherhood
Marvin Paul Social Action Chair
Lily Mazet PTO
Brian Harnik Member at Large
President’s Circle
Picce & Bob Glast
Leslie & Joel Hirschberg
Vernon Kozlen
Mitzie & Jack Olshansky
Patron
Marion & Dale Cowle
Jessica & James Greene
Patron Mitzvah
Ruth & Morris Beschloss
Arline Greenblatt
Sharon & Rod Hill
Ann & Glynne Miller
Ruth & Jerry Newman
Nancy & Arthur Shorr
Marcia & Rick Stein
Single Patron
Lucia Balbini
Sandy Eichberg
Fred Fabricant
Lillian Fox
Sally Frank
Shirley Greenwall
Michelle Hoffman
Kathy Kapler
Gladys Layne
Reesa Manning
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Dear Congregants,
Change is often difficult. However, it can bring new possibilities and clarity. Due to financial concerns and in the best interest of our youth, the Board of Trustees has decided to restructure the religious school.
We have eliminated the Director of Education position and created two new positions that will be filled by in house staff. Arava Talve will be the Principal of the religious school in charge of curriculum, programming, communication and staffing. Leslie Pepper has agreed to serve as vice principal and will continue overseeing the religious school during school hours and assist in communication with parents. Toni Robinson will take on more of the administrative responsibilities in helping the school function within its budget. Rabbi Bentley will continue to be involved by teaching music and sharing his wisdom with our students.
We believe this team approach will strengthen the school and help it grow. Arava brings a wealth of knowl‐edge in curriculum design and has been our Melamedet for the past ten years. We are thrilled Leslie has agreed to continue working with us to make the school better than ever. Toni has years of administrative ex‐perience and will help keep the school running smoothly.
The philosophy of the religious school is to give our students the tools they need to feel at home in any shul they travel to. This means being literate in Jewish liturgy, worship, lifecycle events and having a good under‐standing of observance and holidays.
A meeting will be scheduled in the near future with religious school parents to review the curriculum and answer any questions you have. We will also be working with a consultant to find meaningful ways to promote our religious school and hopefully increase our numbers.
Sincerely,
Bob Glast
President
From the President
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All too often, when things go wrong, the blame is easily shifted to a “scapegoat.” Un-fortunately, the Jewish people have been blamed, throughout history, as a way to de-tract people from those really responsible. Most recently, we have the Nazis, who based their entire philosophy on singling out the Jews as the cause for Germany’s de-mise in World War I. Even today, society is not immune to finger pointing, as dem-onstrated by recent debates about various minority and immigrant groups. This notion of a “scapegoat” actually has its origins in this week’s Torah portion, which centers around the perplexing and dramatic ritual on Yom Kippur, where two goats were picked out and “…Aaron would cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for God, and the other lot for Azazel.” (Leviticus 16:7.) Here, the goat for God would be offered as a sacrifice, while the High Priest would confess the sins of the people on the other goat, before it was taken “to a desolate area” (Leviticus 16.22) in the hills of Jerusalem and thrown over a steep ravine. This place where the second goat was taken is referred to as “Azazel” and has been the source of much scholarly debate. Some even say it refers to spirits or demons. However, the most common translation comes from William Tyndale’s 1530 English translation of the Hebrew Bible, who saw “Azazel” as a compound noun meaning “the goat (ez) that was sent away (azal).” This became known as the “escapegoat,” which has morphed into our modern “scapegoat.” But, what is the real purpose of this ritual? The objective of this ritual, on Yom Kippur, is to psychologically heal the collective shame and guilt that often manifests itself on a nation or a community during difficult times. By symbolically taking this animal and verbalizing the mistakes and transgres-sions of the past, and then sending it away, we are given a powerful cathartic tool with which we can cleanse ourselves of shame and find hope in adversity. More im-portantly, it prevents us from looking to our fellow human beings to blame. So, as we navigate our daily lives, try to avoid finding a scapegoat to explain away guilt or misfortune. Instead, remember the Yom Kippur ritual, and take positive steps toward releasing negativity and overcoming difficulties. Rabbi Andrew Bentley
Escaping the Blame Game
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BIRTHDAYS
5/1 Zellah Arrow
5/2 Rosanne Ezer
Todd Lond
Martin Sherman
5/3 Shirley Greenwall
5/4 Sondra Reitman
5/5 Lynn Hannan
5/8 Barbara Jacobs
Roz Roniss
Phyllis Siegel
5/9 Michael Horne
5/10 Harris Weinstein
5/11 Anne Kaplan
Norma Stempler
5/12 Marion Cowle
Robert Livingston
5/13 Terry Blitz
Eric Freedman
5/14 Carol Woodward
5/15 Lynne Livingston
Lorraine Pregozen
5/16 Micki Greenspan
5/17 Philip Becker
5/18 Andrew Kaplan
Mitzie Olshansky
5/19 Steven Alden
William Ferstenfeld
Sally Frank
Andrea Rosenblatt
5/22 Ayala Marks
ANNIVERSARIES
5/1 Howard & Patricia Levy
5/9 Robert & Bonnie Guss
5/13 Eric & Marie Sontz
5/17 Larry & Edward Sogolow
5/19 Dale & Marion Cowle
5/21 Sanford & Sharon Kaplan
5/23 Michelle Hoffman
Ellen Sachs
5/24 Melvin Cohn
Sydelle Kramer
Daniel Levine
5/26 Norman Schweitzer
5/27 Bonnie Guss
Nancy Levine
5/29 Bernard Zemmol
5/31 Nicole Cherlin
Lindsay Goldstein
Reesa Manning
Sam Weiss
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I hope you have all had a wonderful Spring/Passover break. We return to school on Sunday, April 28th and will focus on Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) and Tom Ha Zikaron ( Israeli Remembrance Day) in addition to our regular studies. Welcome back to school after a long break! Leslie
Planning and preparing for the Religious
School Model Seder
Leslie Pepper
Director of Education
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
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DINNER And A
MOVIE Temple Sinai Brotherhood presents:
“YENTL” starring Barbra Streisand
Join us on Thursday, May 9.
Deli dinner from Sherman’s Deli at 5:30, Movie at 6:00
$15.00 Per Person
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I've been gratified to see so many Women of Sinai members turn out for the two focus meet‐ings we've had recently to discuss possible programs for next year. Your ideas will certainly help guide the Board in planning for the 2019‐2020 year. And I have certainly appreciated your support this year that has helped us give $7,500 so far to the Rabbi Avi Levine Religious School, with another $2,500 planned to be donated in June. Please join us on Friday, May 17, at Shabbat services as the 2018‐2019 Board is relieved of of‐fice and the 2019‐2020 Board is installed by Rabbi Bentley. Then join us at the Zimra dinner following services that evening. Elsewhere in this Shofar, you will find the flyer for that eve‐ning, along with a tear‐off to make your reservation with the Temple office. We hope to see many of you. (Please note that the installation luncheon previously scheduled for May 14 will not be held, as installation will be during Shabbat services on May 17.) As I mentioned, we are in the throes of planning for next year. If you have ideas that you'd like to share with our Board, please don't hesitate to send them to me at [email protected].
WOMEN OF SINAI by Reesa Manning, President
BOOK CLUB
The Temple Sinai Book Club will be meeting through the month of July on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 10:30 am.
Join us on Wednesday May 15th to discuss The Hare With Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal
Please contact Sharyn McKee if you have any questions. [email protected]
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GENEROUS DONATIONS
General Fund
ANNIVERSARY
Bob & Picce Glast
By: Bobbie and Shelly Rosenberg
BIRTHDAY
In honor of Jack’s Special Birthday
By: Michele and Alan Krapf
Sheila Cohen
Stephanie Ross
By: Bobbie and Shelly Rosenberg
Rosanne and Steve Ezer
Elaine Kravitz
By: Alicia Rodriguez
YAHRZEIT
Goldie Paul
Linda Sue Paul
By: Marv Paul
Tybie Proman
By: Richard Proman
Father’s Yahrzeit
By: Marvin Siegel
Nancy Rothberg
By: Dr. Melvin Glick
Pauline Schreiber
Henry Smolinsky
Miller Drucker
By: Jackie Drucker
Robert Greig
By: Trudi Greig
TZEDAKAH
Kevin Giser
Bobbie and Shelly Rosenberg
Renee and David Zeimer
IN HONOR OF
Bob Glast
By: Marv Paul
MEMORIAL
Barbara Keller
By: David Goldberg
Michael Sachs
By: Kathryn White
Bobbie and Shelly Rosenberg
Howard Hirschfeld
By: Betty and Neil Colt
Mitzie & Jack Olshansky
Betty Lewis Wilson
By: Bobbie and Shelly Rosenberg
ONEG SPONSOR
Stephanie and Paul Ross
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
IN HONOR OF
Eli and Mitch Gordon (grandchildren)
By: Karol and Myron Gordon
YAHRZEIT
Sally Phillips
By: Phillipa Wagner
RABBI AVI LEVINE RELIGIOUS
SCHOOL FUND MEMORIAL
In memory of Betty Lewis Wilson, mother
of Betty Denebeim
By: Nancy Singer
Stephanie and Paul Ross
Mitzie and Jack Olshansky
Barbara Rosenberg
Fred Fabricant
Stephanie and Marvin Anzel
In memory of Michael Sachs, brother of
Rosanne Ezer
By: Fred Fabricant
Mitzie and Jack Olshansky
In memory of Melissa Kane
By: Fred Fabricant
In memory of Norman Cohen
By: Adrienne Hirschfeld
Birthday
Jack Olshansky’s 90th Birthday
By: Fred Fabricant
Nancy Singer
YAHRZEIT
Mrs. Miriam Ross
By: Stephanie and Paul Ross
CRUVANT LIBRARY FUND BIRTHDAY
Elaine Kravitz
By: Leah and Norman Schweitzer
MITZVAH FOOD BANK FUND TZEDAKAH
Tony Garlock
Robert Schwartz
YAHRZEIT
Ida Sachs
By: Irving Sachs
DOROSHOW RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
FUND YAHRZEIT
Pearl Amdor
By: Judy Egendorf
TZEDAKAH
Gary Levin
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The children did a fantastic job performing their Passover Play for their families. We want to
thank the Jewish Federation for the funds that allow us to have the amazing Mr. David who
accompanied us as we sang songs about the Israelites and how they were able to leave
slavery. One of their favorite songs was about the plagues and being able to throw plastic flies
and frogs on the Pharaoh. On Friday, each class enjoyed a special Seder. They especially en‐
joyed eating the charoset they made with Ms. Dina and finding the afikoman. Be sure to
check out our Facebook page for more pictures.
Jackie Leaney
Director of Tikvah Preschool
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TEMPLE SINAI JUDAICA SHOP
HOURS:
TUESDAY 11—1 & 3—6 WHEN THERE IS
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
FRIDAY 4:30—5:30
AND BY APPOINTMENT 760– 568‐9699
Cards, Gifts, and Judaica for all Seasons
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From the Melamedet
During this past season Nesa Bland and I had the pleasure to facilitate Perkei Imahot;
The Wisdom of Women gatherings, sponsored by the Women of Sinai. The program was
loosely based on the book written by Rabbi Eve Posner and Lois Sussman Shenker. Once
a month we gathered to study the Perkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) and explore what
this beautiful body of writings means to us as women. We kept a written herstory of our
time together, and the following represents one of the topics we addressed.
On Leadership.
Rabbi Shimon taught:
“There are three crowns: The crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood, and the crown of royalty. The crown
of a good name surpasses them all.”
We discussed: What makes a good leader? What is leadership? Is it something big or is it simply a “lollipop
moment?” That is, a moment of reaching out through a simple act of kindness.
We spoke about everyday holiness. Leadership doesn’t have to be anything huge. It could be driving a friend
to the doctor, showing up to help with a task, smiling at someone having a tough day or picking up a piece of
trash.
Although we had more questions than answers, we posed the following questions to each other in exploring
ethical leadership.
1. What kind of qualities does a person need to have the crown of a good name?
2. How do we acquire these qualities?
3. Who in your world, or our world, would you nominate for the crown of a good name?
4. What is the best way to know and teach practical leadership to contemporaries and to adult children?
How do you teach the values you care about most?
5. What is the one leadership quality lesson you value most?
We all agreed on the following qualities: A good leader must care about the people she leads; she must be
judged by the same rules; she must listen to all, she must not lead from too far out front lest she turn around
to discover no one is following; she must have empathy; she must lead by example and have a clear vision
about the direction she wants to take.
Many thanks to all the women who attended and shared their stories and wisdom.
Arava
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CONFIRMATION SERVICE
EREV SHABBAT
MAY 31st, 2019
Rabbi
Avi Levine Leading the service:
Marti Lond
and
Seth Curtin
Mediterranean
feast from Luna
Grill following
the service
$20.00 Adults
$10.00 Children
Please RSVP by Tuesday,
May 28 so that we can order
the correct amount of food
Temple Sinai * 73251 Hovley Lane W. * Palm Desert, CA * 92260 * 760‐568‐9699
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ZIMRA Shabbat
May 17 Join us for a fabulous dinner in the Samson Social Hall at 6:45 P.M.,
immediately following services at 5:30 p.m.
RSVP BY TUESDAY, May 14 SO THAT WE HAVE A GOOD HEAD COUNT
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Another Perk
Of
Membership
Learn how to use your smart devices!
Pair up with a teen teacher to increase your
ability to use your phones and tablets
Call Bobbie Rosenberg for Details
760-345-6277
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