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BHBIRochester.org Published Monthly Vol. 50/No 11 Tammuz-Av 5776 August 2016 Editor: Stan Schaffer |
Congregation Beth Hamedresh – Beth Israel B U L L E T I N |
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President: Leon Metlay
First Vice-President: Paula Bobb
Second Vice-President: Stan Schaffer Treasurer: Ira Cohen
Financial Secretary: Harris Honickman
Recording Secretary: Nina Klionsky |
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August PresidentŐs
Message Friends, I want to start this
month by thanking you all for the condolences that you expressed to my wife
on the death of her mother. Nina and I are comforted to have so many friends. I have been reading two
biographies, one fictional and one non-fictional. They are interesting to
contrast, both being about men who are perceived, by at least some people, as
the saviors of our people. The fictional biography
is The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks. It is a novelization of the
life of King David, as seen through the eyes of the prophet Nathan. There are
people who claim that King David was a figure of myth, but, as Ms. Brooks
says in the afterward of the book ŇDavid must have actually existed, for no
people could invent such a flawed figure for a national hero.Ó David is
portrayed as a flesh-and-blood man with both baser and higher passions, his
own physical desires and his joy and exuberance in serving his G-d. The Book
of Samuel and the start of Kings in the Bible show DavidŐs life in its messy
complexity and the novel makes the events understandable. David united the
tribes, defeated our enemies, and built his kingdom, while at the same time
spoiling his sons, failing to discipline them, and condoning acts of violence
and treachery. The narrator, as a prophet, can foresee both the ugly events
and the eventual glory of the ascendance of King Solomon. The non-fictional
biography is Rebbe by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, the life of the 7th
Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. His life is told largely
in a set of anecdotes told to dozens of people who met with him over the
decades. It outlines how he took Lubavitcher chasidism from a small sect to a
great and influential power in the Jewish world, which has continued to grow
since his death. Telushkin emphasizes the RebbeŐs love for all Jews and his
desire to see all Jews learning more Torah and performing more mitzvot. He
addresses the RebbeŐs mixed relationship with secular education and modern
science, and the messianic hopes of the RebbeŐs followers. The episodes of
misfortune and intrigue which are, in some cases, as dramatic as episodes in
the life of King David, are treated more matter-of-factly, often with little
insight into the RebbeŐs emotions. Whether or not we agree with him, the
Rebbe has changed the landscape of our world. I wholeheartedly
recommend both of these books to you. Our Board has voted to
discontinue having regular Friday night services, except for our joint
services with Temple Beth Am on the 2nd and 5th Fridays
of the month. Please support our joint services. Two big events are
coming up in August. Tisha BŐAv will be observed on Saturday night August 13th,
in conjunction with Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David, at Temple Beth
David. Please join us. Our picnic will take
place on Sunday August 21st in the Brighton Town Park. The reason
for the change in venue is that we are picnicking jointly with the Turkish
Cultural Center. This will allow us to have grills both for Kosher and for
Halal food. This should be a lot of fun. Please see the additional
information about the picnic on page 2 and join us. Leon Metlay |
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BHBI
CALENDAR OF EVENTS – AUGUST 2016
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Saturday |
Aug 6 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Matot-Massei Blessing of the New Month |
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Sunday |
Aug 7 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
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Monday |
Aug 8 |
7:30 PM |
BHBI Board of Trustees Meeting |
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Friday |
Aug 12 |
7:00 PM |
Joint Shabbat Evening Service with Temple Beth Am (at TBK Room 103) Light candles at 7:58 PM |
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Saturday |
Aug 13 |
9:30 AM 7:15 PM |
Joint Shabbat Morning Service with Temple Beth Am at BHBI Torah: Devarim Shabbat Mincha followed by Light Meal before the fast, Tisha bŐAv Study Session and MaŐariv Service with a Reading of the Book of Lamentations at TBD/TBA (located at Temple BŐrith Kodesh) Fast begins at 8:10 PM |
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Sunday |
Aug 14 |
9:00 AM |
Service and Discussion |
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Wednesday |
Aug 17 |
7:30 PM |
Small Conservative Synagogue Collaborative Torah Study at BHBI |
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Saturday |
Aug 20 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: VaŐetchanan |
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Sunday |
Aug 21 |
9:00 AM 2:00 PM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion BHBI Interfaith Picnic with the Turkish Cultural Center at Brighton Town Park (adjacent to the Islamic Center on Westfall Road) |
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Saturday |
Aug 27 |
9:30 AM |
Shabbat Morning Service Torah: Eikev |
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Sunday |
Aug 28 |
9:00 AM |
Service, Breakfast and Discussion |
BHBI Interfaith
Picnic with the Turkish Cultural Center
This year we have decided
to have our annual picnic in conjunction with our interfaith partners from the
Turkish Cultural Center and we have also invited our friends from Temple Beth
Am and Temple Beth David to join us. The picnic will take place at Brighton
Town Park, adjacent to the Islamic Center on Westfall Road, on Sunday, August
21st starting at 2 pm. Food will probably be served around 4 pm. It
will be a great opportunity for us to get to know folks from the Turkish
community better. BHBI will provide kosher food and the Turks will provide
halal food. Of course, the food is all you can eat! You may want to bring along
a lawn chair. Please join us and bring your friends! Cost - $10 for adults, $6
for kids ages 12 and under. RSVPs are
required by August 16th (so
that we know how much food to purchase) – please either e-mail the RSVP
to BHBIRochester@gmail.com
or call in your RSVP to 244-2060 to let us know how many people to expect. We
will collect the money at the picnic.
DONATIONS
THANK
YOU FOR YOUR GENEROSITY!
GENERAL FUND
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THANK YOU TO OUR KIDDUSH SPONSORS
FOR
THE MONTH OF JULY
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July 2 |
The Congregation |
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July 9 |
The Congregation |
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July 16 |
The Congregation |
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July 23 |
Nina Klionsky and Leon Metlay in memory of their
daughter, Nelli Ahuva Metlay and in memory of NinaŐs mother, Esther Klionsky |
GOODSEARCH.COM
Goodsearch.com is an on-line internet
search program that pays non-profit organizations like BHBI a fee every time
someone uses their search service.
Go to www.goodsearch.com, enter the search term that you want and put in
BHBI on the line where it says Who Do You Goodsearch For? BHBI will benefit from each search you
make!
SMALL CONSERVATIVE SHUL
COLLABORATIVE TORAH STUDY
This monthŐs Small Conservative Shul Collaborative
Torah Study session will be held at BHBI on Wednesday, August 17th
at 7:30 p.m. at BHBI. Come and bring your friends. Everyone is welcome! If you
havenŐt attended before, give it a try – you will definitely enjoy the
lively discussion.
MAKE
YOUR PURCHASES AT AMAZON.COM
AND
SUPPORT BHBI AT THE SAME TIME!
Why not contribute to BHBI while making on-line
purchases? ItŐs easy to make purchases on-line at Amazon.com and support BHBI
financially at the same time. Just go to the BHBI web page at www.BHBIRochester.org and click
on the Amazon.com link. Each time
you make a purchase after linking to Amazon.com from our web page, BHBI gets a
percentage of the purchase price. The more you buy in this way, the more BHBI
makes!
TISHA BŐAV
Tisha bŐAv, the 9th
day of the Hebrew month of Av is commemorated as a fast day in memory of the
many tragedies that befell the Jewish people on that date including: the
destruction of both the First and Second Temples, the end of the Bar Kochba
revolt in 70 CE which resulted in the slaughter of half a million Jews in the
Holy Land, the beginning of the 1st Crusade in 1096, the expulsion
of the Jews from England in 1290 and from France in 1306, the beginning of the
Spanish Inquisition and the Jewish expulsion from Spain in 1492, the beginning
of the First World War in 1916, and the date that the Nazis approved the Final
Solution in 1941. For the 3 week period from the 17th day of the
Hebrew month of Tammuz until Tisha bŐAv, we do not have weddings or parties as
we mourn the period of time from when the walls of Jerusalem were breached
until the First Temple was destroyed. On Tisha bŐ Av itself we fast and read
the Book of Lamentations (Eicha) during MaŐariv services while sitting on the
floor or on a low stool. In Jerusalem, thousands of people go to the Western
Wall to pray on Tisha bŐAv. This year, Tisha bŐAv falls on Saturday, August 13th,
but since it is Shabbat, we are not allowed to fast on that day. Instead we
commemorate Tisha bŐAv and fast the following day (actually starting after
nightfall on Saturday evening, August 13th). Please join us and our
friends from Temple Beth Am and Temple Beth David as we mark Tisha bŐ Av that
evening at TBK.
YAHRZEITS
At the following Shabbat Services, we will read
the names of our late loved ones whose Yahrzeits will occur on that Shabbat or
during the following week.
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August 5-6 |
Av |
August 12-13 |
Av |
August 19-20 |
Av |
August 26-17 |
Av |
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Moses Berkowitz* Kathy Shur* Julian Sugarman Anna Berman* George Cohen* *Denotes name memorialized
on BHBI Memorial Plaque |
3 5 7 8 8 |
William Aaron Bernstein* David Titof Haim Menachem Levy Hyman Silverman* Frank Carper* Sarah R. Spector* Morris Shimberg* |
9 9 12 12 13 13 15 |
Abraham Heyman* Phillip Boyarsky* Jennie Braime Abraham I. Spector* Maurice Ohl* Sarah Applebaum Gastel* Israel Osband* |
17 18 20 20 21 22 22 |
Bessie Gastel* Samuel Immanuel Wechsler* Abraham Alkus* Rose T. Cohen Jacob Osband* Joseph Teitel Reuben Klein* Esther Marker* Sarah Weisenberg* |
25 25 26 26 26 26 27 27 28 |
We pray that our mourners will be comforted among all
the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem and that the memory of the deceased
continues to be a blessing to all who knew them.
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MEMORIAL PLAQUES You can also
memorialize a friend or loved one on a BHBI memorial plaque. Our memorial plaques are very
reasonably priced. For more
information, contact Stan Schaffer at 473-8072 or stanschaffer@frontiernet.net |
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So far our TOPS Gift Card fundraiser
has been quite successful.
Remember, TOPS Gift Cards are now
available through BHBI in $50 denominations. To purchase TOPS
Gift Cards, contact Stan Schaffer at 473-8072 or by e-mail at stanschaffer@frontiernet.net |
AD SPONSORS
We are always looking
for additional businesses that are interested in placing an ad in the BHBI
Bulletin. If you know of someone
whose business or company may be interested, contact Stan Schaffer at 473-8072
or by e-mail at stanschaffer@frontiernet.net
CEMETERY PLOTS
Did
you know that BHBI has designated sections at Stone Road, Britten Road and Mt.
Hope Cemeteries and that we sell cemetery plots? If you would like more
information, contact Steve Teitel.
BHBI WEBSITE
Have you checked out the BHBI web site
lately? If you havenŐt there is a
lot that youŐre missing. The web
site at www.BHBIRochester.org
provides information about many aspects of our congregation, lists the BHBI
calendar, has electronic versions of this and previous bulletins going back
several years, has an extensive history of our congregation along with historic
photos, includes photos from several BHBI dinners, picnics and other special
events, and has the unique Adon Olam Songbook with information on over 100
melodies for Adon Olam.
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The Jews of India consist of 3 distinct groups: |
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The Cochin Jews:
These Jews originated by settling in Cranganore
and around in Malabar. They lived there for centuries. In the 15th Century,
they took shelter in Cochin which is further south after being attacked by the
Moors and later by the Portuguese. They never numbered more than 2,500
individuals. Today there are no more than 17 Jews left in Cochin, mainly
elderly men and women.
The Baghdadis:
This sect consists of Jews from West Asia,
mainly from Baghdad and Syria who came in the 19th century as traders and
refugees. They settled in Mumbai, Kolkata and Pune. They first arrived in Surat
which was the most important port on the West Coast. They spoke Arabic or
Persian and English. At one time, there were about 5,000 of them, but today there
are less than 200, most of them having emigrated to the U.K., Australia and
Canada.
The Bene Israel:
At the present time, the Bene Israel are the largest Jewish group living in India. Their story is
an old one. How old? It is disputable. Some say that they came from the ancient
kingdom of Israel after they were defeated by the Assyrian king in 722 B.C.E.
Some believe that when the kingdom of Judah was destroyed and Jerusalem was
overrun by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., some of the exiled Jews reached the
West Coast of India. Oral tradition and probably the most favored theory is
that they descended from the Jews who fled in 175 B.C.E. from the Syrian-Greek
ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, were ship-wrecked at Navgaon
near the port of Cheul on the Konkan Coast, 30 miles South of Mumbai. 7 men and
7 women survived and their descendants spread to many of the surrounding
villages in the Konkan. Most of the Bene Israel have surnames ending with ŇkarÓ
identifying the villages where they resided. There are 142 such surnames. One, David Rahabi
of Cochin is credited with the revival of Judaism among the Bene Israel. Fully
convinced that the Bene Israel were Jews, he re-taught them Hebrew and the
details of the Jewish religion. He appointed 3 Kazis
from prominent families who then became the teachers and religious leaders of
the community. When Mumbai became an important port of British India, the Bene
Israel were encouraged to move there where opportunities were better for
employment. Many Bene Israel have moved to Israel since 1948.
The Bene Menashe:
The Bene Menashe are a
small group of indigenous people from northeastern India (near Burma) who
adopted Jewish practices in the late 20th century. Their ancestors
migrated there from Burma in the 17th and 18th centuries
and they believe that they are descended from the lost tribe of Menashe. The
Chief Rabbi of Israel has ruled that they should be recognized as part of a
lost tribe and that after formal conversion they can be considered Jews. Some
who have converted have made aliyah.
Each of the 3 groups maintained its
separate identity with little mixture. In India, Jews have dwelt in security
and have been accorded an honorable place in the social structure of the nation.
India is predominantly a Hindu country of more than a billion people which also
has approximately 130 million Muslims, 25 million Christians and less than 5,000
Jews. The pull of Israel and economic factors prompted many Jews to emigrate.
However with 14 synagogues and 2 Jewish schools still functioning in India, there
is presently no fear of the community disappearing.
OFFICE: The synagogue office is checked
regularly for mail and messages.
The synagogue phone is 244-2060.
For urgent issues, call Leon Metlay at 271-2945 or Stan Schaffer at
473-8072. You can also e-mail us at
BHBIRochester@gmail.com
WANT
TO REMEMBER OR HONOR SOMEONE OR A SPECIAL OCCASION? Consider
sponsoring a kiddush or making a donation to any one of our funds
(General Fund, Kiddush Fund, Harry Rogachefsky BHBI Building Fund, Torah Fund,
Rabbi Aaron Solomon Scholarship Fund, Special Events Fund or the Sam Malina
Memorial Fund). Please indicate
which fund you would like your donation to go to and we will send out an
acknowledgement card as you indicate and print an announcement in this
bulletin. A standard sponsored
kiddush at BHBI costs just $40 while a larger enhanced kiddush is just $50.
BULLETIN CONTENT What do you enjoy reading in the
BHBI Bulletin? Is there something
that you would like added (or taken out)?
If so, please let Stan Schaffer know. We always appreciate feedback.
DID YOU MISPLACE YOUR BULLETIN? DonŐt worry. BHBI Bulletins going back several years
can now be found on our web page: www.BHBIRochester.org
WANT TO GET YOUR BULLETIN HOT-OFF-THE-PRESS? Consider having us e-mail it to you! Contact Stan Schaffer at: stanschaffer@frontiernet.net
Congregation Beth Hamedresh-Beth
Israel
1369 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14610