Beth El Temple Center Bulletin
May
1998
TO BETH EL TEMPLE CENTER HOME PAGE.
To Bulletin Directory.
Table of Contents
May
Worship Schedule
Special Services
Saturday, May 30th-Sunday, May 31st
Erev Shavuot & Confirmation Service 8:00 PM
Shavuot Morning & Yizkor Service 10:00 AM
Shabbat Services
Friday, May 1st-Saturday, May 2nd
Family Service/Pot Luck 6:15 PM
{Please call Temple office to RSVP for Pot Luck}
Shabbat Evening Service 8:15 PM
Shabbat Morning Service 10:00 AM
Tazria/Metzora
Leviticus 12:1-15:33
Friday, May 8th-Saturday, May 9th
Sisterhood Shabbat Service 8:00 PM
Shabbat Morning Service 10:00 AM
Bar Mitzvah of Gregory Woodland,
son of Julie & Kenneth Woodland
Acharei Mot/Kedoshim
Leviticus 16:1-20:27
Friday, May 15th-Saturday, May 16th
Teacher Appreciation Shabbat 7:30 PM*
Tot Shabbat (downstairs) 10:15 AM
Shabbat Morning Service 10:00 AM
Emor
Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Friday, May 22nd-Saturday, May 23rd
Transforming Tefillah Service 8:00 PM
Shabbat Morning Service 10:00 AM
Bar Mitzvah of Benjamin Calvanio,
son of Minna Levine and Ronald Calvanio
B’har/B’chukotai
Leviticus 25:1-27:34
Friday, May 29th-Saturday, May 30th
Shabbat Service (May simchas) 8:00 PM
Shabbat Morning Service 10:00 AM
Bat Mitzvah of Leora Fridman,
daughter of Ann Silverman and Israel Fridman
Bemidbar
Numbers 1:1-4:20
(*PLEASE NOTE early starting time for this service)
(To Table of Contents)
From the Rabbi
On Friday, May 22nd, we’ll share another in our series of "Transforming Tefillah" services. That night, we welcome my friend and colleague, Rabbi Wesley Odell of Temple Israel in Dover, New Hampshire. Rabbi Odell is a gifted teacher of Jewish meditation and regularly builds his congregation’s Shabbat worship around the practice of Jewish meditation. With this service, Rabbi Odell will help our congregation consider the place of meditation as a spiritual discipline in our shared worship life.
I hope many of you will join us for this service. If you come with an open mind and a ready heart, I have no doubt that you will have a thought-provoking and even inspiring experience. However, as is probably obvious, the service will differ greatly from our usual Friday evening celebration. If you’d prefer a more traditional and familiar worship experience, you may want to join us for Shabbat morning worship instead. For my part, I am quite excited by the opportunity to learn with this wonderful teacher and I hope many of you will share my excitement.
Speaking of teachers, on the preceding Friday, May 15th, we will honor the teachers of our Religious School. Jewish learning always has been at the heart of our people’s life. Surely, Jewish learning is at the heart of our congregation’s life. As such, our Religious School and its faculty are among the proudest treasures we possess. We entrust these wonderful teachers with a sacred task—helping us to transmit our people’s legacy to our children (and they are all our children). Whether or not you have a student in the school, I hope you will join us to honor our teachers’ gifts to us and to celebrate their contribution to the life of our community.
Rabbi Jonathan Kraus
(To Table of Contents)
President's Message
Throughout the history of the Jewish People, the Temple has taken many symbolic and architectural forms. At Mt. Sinai, the covenant Moses made with G-d included the instruction to create a holy place, a tabernacle, where the community could come together to reconnect with one another and with G-d. Out of necessity, the first Tabernacle was a tent, de-mountable and portable to accommodate a nomadic people.
As our people became settled in communities, the Temple evolved both in function and in appearance. It became a more permanent structure, even fortress-like to withstand enemy attacks. Solomon’s Temple has been described as a "stone version of the sanctuary of the Tabernacle". Herod’s Temple was even larger than Solomon’s structure; enclosed by 4 enormous buttressed walls. Today, the Western Wall is a portion of this last Temple, and its physical presence is an important spiritual link to our heritage. When the last Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, the synagogue was already in existence, providing a religious focus and political identity for the scattered Jewish communities. The synagogue became the place where daily prayers were offered on a regular basis, where the Torah was read and discussed, and where elementary education was provided for all the children of the community. As important as the synagogue was to the community, the Jewish people did not believe that G-d dwelt in the Temple though his divine spirit, the shechinah may have rested there. As Solomon himself questioned, "Will G-d in very truth dwell on the earth? (I Kings viii27). "Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee: how much less this house that I have builded!"
From ancient times up to the present, the synagogue as the "house" for prayer, community and learning has drawn on an array of cultural and artistic influences. Romanesque arches, marble Corinthian columns, Cathedral-like barrel-vaulted ceilings, gold leaf ornamentation, Moorish tilework, Art Nouveau floral patterning has adorned synagogues through out France, Spain, the Netherlands, England and America. Regardless of the size and surface decoration, each synagogue as a place to come together is a link back to Mt. Sinai and a renewal of the covenant we made with G-d.
As we embark on our own Temple renewal building project, we need to reflect on what our Temple means to us, as a connection to our legacy and as a bridge to our future. We, the members of the Beth El Temple Center, have the opportunity to be one more link in this heritage. This building we call our Jewish home is where we come together to pray, to celebrate, to mourn. It is where we educate our children. Our Temple is the focus of our Jewish community, the symbol of our Jewish presence in Belmont. It also physically embodies our visions for the future of this Jewish community.
I have been closely involved in our renovation process from the inception of the Long-Range Planning Committee, as co-chair of the Building Committee with Jonathan Miller, and as an architect myself. The dream of a renewed Beth El Temple Center fills me with joy. Imagine our Temple with a beautiful new entry that is accessible to all members; a building we are proud to enter and have our guests enter. Imagine our Temple with lounges for Sunday morning shmoozing, a Rabbi’s office close to the action, a computerized library conducive to study, and meeting rooms to satisfy the Sunday morning schedule. We are privileged to have this wonderful opportunity before us.
Let me leave with you the words Dr. Stephen S. Kayser, curator of the Jewish Museum of New York, used to describe the synagogues of Eastern Europe. As you read these words, think of your own relationship to the Beth El Temple Center, your visions of our future, and your own commitment to rebuilding our holy place.
"If there ever was a truly close relationship between a house of worship and its populace, it lay in the affection which the inhabitants of [the Beth El Temple Center] felt for their synagogue, the house of their souls. Their love and devotion built it, embellished its interior, flocked around it and felt divine protection under its shadow."
Liz Karp
Co-President
(To Table of Contents)
From the Director of Education
As I write this article, granted, a month early, I can’t believe that another year is soon drawing to a close. There are many things yet to be done before we move into summer months. One of the most important things will occur on Friday, May 15. We will be honoring our teachers with an all school pot-luck dinner and service. This is our chance to thank the teaching staff for two things – what you see and what you don’t see. What you see is children engaged in learning, ideas being shared, questions raised and issues explored. You see the excitement of acquiring new skills and a sense of pride. What you don’t see is all the work, the planning, and the reviewing of materials and the meetings that make up putting together a lesson week after week. For all that time and effort we are grateful. Frequently, parents will tell me that their child is really enjoying and learning from a particular teacher. I thank them and then I call the teacher to pass along the compliment. The teacher is pleased and surprised. Surprised that someone thought to say something. In a consumer society such as ours, it is easy to make complaints but we do not remember that appreciation also has a place. I hope you will join me on Friday, May 15 to let our teachers know how much we appreciate them.
(To Table of Contents)
From the Preschool Director
When parents visit our Nursery School, they want to know what we mean when we say that we offer a Judaic program. This month, Passover, has been a great example. The preschoolers learned about Superhero Moses, the ten plagues, and the Exodus from Egypt. We acted out the hard and sad lives of the Jews as Pharoah's slaves and then packed up quickly to march to the parting of the Red Sea.
Each child was able to share in his or her family seder by bringing the essential items: seder plate, seder pillow, cup for Elijah, matzah cover, afikomen bag, etc. All of these contributions were of course, personally decorated!
Rabbi Kraus led us in a model seder. It was a wonderful experience in which parents participated with the children. We thank you Rabbi Kraus for helping us learn the traditions that link us to our heritage and make the preschoolers feel proud to be Jewish.
Every holiday is unique in our program. We read stories, sing appropriate songs, recite the blessings and include snacks and projects which make the holiday special.. Shabbat is also a very special time for us with candle lighting, challah, wine(JUICE!), and the giving of tzedakah.
From baking challah, spinning a dreidle, shaking Haman noisemakers, to making our own Commandments, we experience all of our special days in a very meningful way…
Rolene Karp
(To Table of Contents)
In the Beth El Family . . .
Look for Rachel Millstein in the cast of Belmont High School’s "Fiddler on the Roof" to be presented on May 14, 15 and 16.th. Sarah Klionsky is the stage manager and Beth Jackendoff is a member of the set crew .
Our condolences to the families of Dr. Joseph Factor and Mrs. Frances Seidman.
Please let the Temple office know by May 10th if anyone in your family has a graduation, award, or college acceptance. Next month this column will report on these joyous occasions.
(To Table of Contents)
Sisterhood Rosh Chodesh Group
The next meeting of the Rosh Hodesh study group will be Tuesday, May 26th at the home of a temple member.
We will be welcoming the month of Sivan, which includes the holiday of Shavuot. We will read selections from Judith Plaskow's "Standing Again at Sinai", which addresses the women's absence from the occasion at which the Torah was received by the Israelites.
We will also look at women's friendships. When you have parted from a friend or a sister as Ruth did from Orpah, did you part in anger understanding? We will look at the relationship of Ruth and Naomi, her mother in law, and see how their relationship can prove a worthy example to us.
Please join us on may 26th as we continue to explain the lives of these wonderful women!
RSVP… Sheila
-Sheila Doctoroff
(To Table of Contents)
Sisterhood Book Discussion Group
"An American Requiem"
by James Carroll
Wednesday, May 13th, at 7:30 PM
at the house of a member
(To Table of Contents)
Membership Committee
The Shabbat Across America dinner and service during March were a roaring success for our congregation. Over 100 people, mostly Beth El congregants, attended the dinner and participated in the service. Does this prove the addage, If you feed them they will come ? Many thanks go to Bryna Milkow for a terrific job of organizing the delicious dinner, and to Arlene Feinberg, Paula Lerner, Marsha Mattison, and Mike Wolfson for their help…and of course, to Rabbi Kraus and Cantor Fine for a meaningful and user friendly service.
During March and April, Rabbi Kraus led a series of introductory classes for new members. We were pleased to host David Borrus and Amy Bamforth, Shannon Bourke, Bob Brandfon and Barbara Feirer, Jeanne Century, Beth Kaplan, Liz Kornfield and Rob Faucher, and Drew Tenenholz for interesting and spirited discussions. Thanks to Arlene Feinberg, Arleen Hardiman and Marsha Mattison for providing delightful lunches, to Paula Lerner for arranging child care, and to Liz Karp and Jonathan Miller for participating in the discussions.
-Ed Mattison, Chair
(To Table of Contents)
Outreach Committee
(General information is available on-line about the
Reform outreach program, and
regional
outreach programs.)
(To Table of Contents)
Sisterhood
Why do women who already have full lives give their time and talents to this synagogue ? That's the question I asked myself on April 11th. Here were women from fourteen to retirement age putting together our Passover Sedar in the auditorium. We heard much laughter and discussion but not one complaint ! Our heartfelt thanks go to Leslie Lundberg,chair, along with her committee Robin Sagarin and Jane Klare.
The March Spirituality Retreat held special meaning for those who attended. Sheila Doctoroff writes, "The theme of the weekend was "Women of Genesis: Daughters, Mothers, Wives". It was facilitated by Paula Brody. Each woman chose to study one of the matriarchs and become that person for the weekend. As we participated in Torah study and wrote articles for the Cannanite News, the Torah became alive for us." Save the dates of October 23-25th, when our own Sisterhood will sponser a retreat for Jewish women in Gloucester,Ma. Questions??? call Sheila at 484-2523.
Our Sisterhood Shabbat will be on Friday May 8 at 8:00. Sharon Feinberg is heading up an all star cast but there is still room for you. Participants and congregants are all welcome and needed. We will end the evening with a special oneg . Please join us!
Paulette Black is this year's DONOR DINNER chairperson. This year we have the opportunity to honor Alice Melnikoff and Ellen Miller who do an outstanding job of running our gift shop. Merle Kummer and Abigail Fisher will be honored for their outstanding Cradle Roll program. New member Barb Lichtman will emcee the show featuring a comedian, for the first time at one of our events. You certainly don't want to hear about this event second hand. Send in your reply card today. Donor Dinner is a place to get to know people. We will be raising money for our school, our community,
and the greater Jewish world community.
-Myrna Robinson-Weiner, President
(To Table of Contents)
|