Articles in Spanish without translation: (see:
KOLEINU - Diciembre 2001)
- Discurso de Apertura pronunciado por nuestro Presidente Eduardo Keibel
- Discurso pronunciado por Eduardo Keibel en el Seminario de B'nai B'rith Distrito XXIII
BOARD OF DIRECTORSPeriod 2002
Elections held on Thursday, November 29, 2001
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The significance of Chanukah for the Jewish people has varied throughout the vicissitudes of Jewish history. The story of the Judeans’ military victory over the Greco-Syrians in the second century B.C.E., as recorded in the Books of the Maccabees, makes no mention of the miracle of the oil. This miracle is first mentioned centuries later in the Talmud.
The rabbis of the Talmud were living in the aftermath of two failed rebellions: the revolt against the Romans in 68-70 C.E., which led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the Bar Kochba rebellion (132-135 C.E.), which led to the further decimation of the Jewish nation. Hence the rabbis shifted the emphasis from military triumph to a spiritual victory, focusing on the miraculous. The Haftarah portion chosen to be read on Shabbat Chanukah includes the passage: “not by might, not by power, but by My spirit, says the Eternal One.” (Zechariah 4:6)
In the modern era, first in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's, with the emergence of the State of Israel and the enthusiasm following the six-day war, the theme of the few against the many and the triumph of arms became predominant again for many Jews. And now in our times, new factors come into consideration: the frustrating consequences both of the use of force and the search for peace, and the complex relationship of Jews to the surrounding cultures in which we find ourselves.
In Costa Rica as well as in the United States, we Jews find ourselves both a part of, and somewhat out of sync with, the large, mostly Christian culture - especially at this season. Chanukah has become, not the Jewish Christmas, but certainly much more significant than in the past. A holiday characterized by a simple home ceremony has developed into an important symbol of the distinctiveness of Jewish identity. And this, of course, fits well with the original themes of Chanukah: the challenge of asserting and affirming a particular identity in the face of overwhelming societal forces that encourage us to conform. Chanukah asserts the importance of our efforts to sustain our religious and cultural practices as a minority in a majority culture. And these efforts, conducted authentically, proudly, and, when appropriate, publicly, also help to bring to the majority culture the consciousness that its society is multi-faceted and multi-cultural.
Congregation B’nei Israel can take great pride in the way it provides its members with the resources and the opportunity to learn and practice Judaism, as well as in the way it represents Judaism to the larger culture. We are privileged to have been able to participate in your superb endeavors.
Happy Chanukah!
Rabbi Linda and Rabbi Jonathan
Eduardo Keibel
The Sisterhood held it’s Annual Meeting on Nov. 12th at my home.
It saddened me at that time that no new slate was presented for voting. The outgoing Sisterhood Board voted to temporarily suspend the B’nei Israel Sisterhood. We set up a temporary Executive Committee to help out when and where needed.
As women we play a very important role in our community. We are responsible for Shabbat Oneg’s, the fun Holidays of Tu B’Shvat, Purim, and last but not least the High Holidays. We also have our Garage Sales, Bingo Nights, and of course our Social Dinner Dances. This is what the sisterhood is about. Are we ready to give this up?
Today, I am very pleased to announce that Flor Keibel came forward to meet this challenge. And thankfully, we have many women who will support and work with her as Board members.
Fondly,
Bonnie Fischer
- by Flor Keibel
I am Flor C.Keibel and your new Sisterhood President. I will do my best to keep up the good work of the presidents before me. I know I count with wonderful “sisters”, which work very hard to accomplish the goals we’ve set.
The next Board meeting will be held at the synagogue, on December 15th, at 10:30 a.m. It is very important for the women of our Congregation to attend; we make a difference in the life of our people. We are counting on you.
Also on December 15th, at 7:00 p.m., we will enjoy a wonderful Dance and Dinner Party at Alvin Moss’ house. Every adult (in the Jewish sense, that is, older than 13 years of age), is invited. Please confirm your assistance with: On Sunday, December 9, at 2:00 p.m., we will have a Chanukah party for all our members, at the Ziegler’s home in Heredia. Be sure to bring your chanukiyot so we can kindle the first candle together. Also, you can bring latkes and participate in our "Latke Contest".
We thank Alvin Moss, Paul and Sonia Ziegler for their hospitality.
Bonnie Fischer - thebees@racsa.co.cr - tel. 296-3334
Marvin Sossin - msossin@torneca.com - tel. 207-7777
Citizens of Israel, first of all I would like to send from here, in my name and on behalf of the Israeli Government, my condolences to the families of the murdered victims. May God avenge their deaths, and wishes for a speedy recovery to the many wounded who are still in various hospitals throughout the country.
I returned today from the United States after holding talks with President George Bush. The president asked me to convey to the people in Israel his deep sorrow and sincere condolences.
The president told me that the United States is a true partner and friend of the State of Israel. In times of peace as well as today, in times of war against terror, the United States and Israel stand together.
Citizens of Israel, we have fought many wars and we have won them all. We bested our enemies and we made peace. We held the sword and we made the wilderness and desert bloom. We built cities, we built industry and we developed agriculture.
We turned the state of Israel into an example and a symbol to many countries in the world. We continue this endeavor every day. This endeavor will never stop.
A war has been imposed on us, a war of terror, a war that claims victims in our midst every day; a war of terror, which is being waged systematically, in an organized fashion, and with orderly guidance from above.
If you ask what is the purpose of this war, I will tell you. The purpose of this war of terror, the purpose of the terrorists, their assistants and dispatchers, the purpose of he who allows them to operate quietly and without disruption, is to kick us out of here.
Their purpose is to bring us to total despair, to the loss of hope, to the loss of the national vision which leads us to be a free nation in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.
Citizens of Israel, this will not happen. There is no other people in the world that would have shown such maturity and resilience. I am proud to be a part of this people. I am aware of the fact that in other aspects of our life we are also facing difficulties, and there too, we are showing fortitude and strength.
They have already realized that they won't succeed. They have already realized that the people here are stronger and that our spirit of resistance is more steadfast than anything they ever imagined.
Therefore, they continue to slaughter children, teenagers, women and men - citizens of Israel and citizens of other nationalities, human beings - only for the sake of killing, only for the sake of murdering.
I tell you from here, from Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the State of Israel, united Jerusalem, I tell you and all those who hear me today in the whole world: whoever rises to kill us, his blood will be upon his head.
Just as the United States, under the courageous leadership of President Bush, has been acting in its war against world terrorism, using all its might against terror, so will we act, with full force and determination, with all the means we used to date and with new means at our disposal.
Don't be taken in by false prophecies and don't be deluded by promises of immediate results. This struggle won't be easy, this struggle won't be short, but we will win.
Israel doesn't start wars. This war of terror, just like wars in the past, was forced on us. We know who forced it on us, we know who is responsible - Arafat is responsible for everything that is happening here.
Arafat made his strategic choice when he chose a strategy of terror. When he chose to attempt to attain political achievements by means of murder, when he chose to allow the merciless slaughter of innocent civilians, Arafat chose the path of terror.
For a long time the world didn't catch on to Arafat's nature, but a significant change has occurred in recent times. There is more understanding towards our position, and the true Arafat is being discovered by all.
Arafat is the biggest obstacle to peace and to stability in the Middle East. That was the case in the past, and we also see it today, at present, and I am sorry to say it, probably in the future as well.
However, Arafat won't succeed in fooling the government I head. This time Arafat won't manage to fool us.
The Palestinians must know that the current situation, to which Arafat brought us, harms them first and foremost.
I tell you now, we will hunt down those responsible for terror, the perpetrators and their assistants. We will hunt them down until we catch them, and they will pay the price.
Today, immediately upon my return, I summoned an urgent security consultation of all the heads of the defense establishment. In a few minutes the cabinet will hold a special meeting.
The cabinet will meet in order to make decisions on expanding the ways to deal with terrorism. This is not the place to mention the ways we will discuss. I just believe that the decisions we must make today require a special meeting of the cabinet plenum.
The government I head is a unity government. We are in a time of emergency, and the importance of the unity government - which represents almost the entire Israeli public - is supreme at this time. Together we will stand up to all the challenges ahead of us.
Thank you very much.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/monitoring/media_reports/newsid_1690000/1690673.stm
On America Online, there is a popular feature called Judaism Today: Where Do I Fit? (keywords: Judaism Today - Non-AOL members: http://www.jewish.com/news/gilemail.shtml People anonymously send in E-Mail to the author of the feature, Gil Mann and he selects one for a public response in his Jewish E-Mail column. This column is now syndicated internationally in Jewish papers and websites. Here is this week's edited E-Mail and Gil’s response:
Dear Gil:
We have 3 daughters & consider ourselves of Conservative observance in a kosher home. The idea of a Chanukah bush appeals to all of us, although one has never been brought into our home. Is there such a thing? Would it really send the wrong message to our girls?
We've instilled in our girls the importance of being a good Jew, as well as observing every holiday. We want to celebrate Chanukah 'to the nines'; decorating our home as much as possible, inviting family for the whole tradition. (Any decorating ideas/tips would be greatly appreciated!) Maybe this is where the 'yearning' for a Chanukah bush came in. If however, it is totally unorthodox (no pun intended), we'd settle for a lot of decorative Chanukah glitter.
Where did the concept of a Chanukah bush come from and is it permissible according to Halacha? Your thoughts & decorating suggestions would be most welcomed!
P
Dear P:
If you are looking for guidance from Halacha or Jewish law, Dr. Mandell Ganchrow of the Orthodox Union says that Halacha "is about erecting walls around us to keep us close to our tradition. On the one hand we create these walls to help us differentiate from aspects of the national culture. Yet, on the other hand, we seek to integrate into many elements of society. And therein lies the challenge: To be able to distinguish when to make a distinction - knowing when we need to differentiate ourselves from the melting pot."
Specifically, you won't find a Chanukah bush in Halacha because as far as I know it is a relatively recent American invention. However, Halacha does prohibit practicing religious rituals from other religions.
Now there are some who argue that having a Christmas tree is not practicing a religious ritual because they don't see the tree representing anything Christian. For some folks this may be true, but in general I don't agree. We don't call them "winter holiday trees!"
But even if you feel the tree is not religious, the idea of a Chanukah bush is purely a copy of a Christmas tree. Jewish law aside, I find the idea of a Chanukah bush distasteful for that very reason. Chanukah is not a celebration of the winter holiday season nor the Jewish Christmas. By the way, I like Christmas -- but I understand it is not my holiday.
In fact, my holiday Chanukah, celebrates that the Jews did not assimilate and adopt the majority religion that surrounded them. A Chanukah bush is exactly the kind of thing the Maccabees fought against in order to preserve Judaism and therefore is especially inappropriate in my view.
To further explore this issue, you might like Sandy Goldstein's Emmy award winning video called There's No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, based on the award winning book of that title by Susan Sussman. The video has received rave reviews as being sensitive, thoughtful and helpful to Jewish children at Christmas time. (You can order it through Amazon.com )
As for decorating the house, the sky is the limit, minus the bush. Of course, the tradition is to put the Menorah in the window and you can put other Jewish decorations or lights before the window. Personally, I don't care for lights hanging outside the house because again that feels like a copy of Christmas. I don't feel as strongly about lights as a Chanukah bush though, since Chanukah is called the holiday of lights and also for some, displaying Jewish lights are a way to proudly proclaim their Judaism to the outside world.
For more decorations go to any Jewish gift or book store. I'd also look around online at the many Judaica shops now on the Internet. Here are a two to try: www.jewishstore.com or www.judaica.ca
To further celebrate Chanukah "to the nines," here's a suggestion my wife started in our home: we pick a few nights to give to those less fortunate. For example, one night we've together bought groceries and brought them to a food shelf or we've passed out Chanukah gelt at a Jewish nursing home etc. I think my kids appreciate these nights of Chanukah as much as receiving gifts... I know I do.
Hope this is helpful. I wish you, your family and all my readers a Happy Chanukah!
Gil
Gil Mann is the Author of: How to Get More Out of Being Jewish Even If: A. You are not sure you believe in God, B. You think going to synagogue is a waste of time, C. You think keeping kosher is stupid, D. You hated Hebrew School, or E. All of the above!
Gil's work on this book, on America Online and this column are all done pro-bono. He welcomes your E-Mail comments and questions about this column or any subject. Write to DearGil@aol.com or send your letters to this paper. To order the book ($17.95) call: 800-304-9925.
Written by KOLEINU’s best correspondent in the country: Marvin Sossin
Tommy Nagel was operated on for the fourth time to remove a long steel screw in his left that was causing him unbearable pain. He has been suffering with this problem for almost 3 years, since he came back from the 3rd conference of UJCL in Panama. He will be on his way to full recovery.
Ernest Familier had the same operation as Tommy six weeks ago and is looking better every day. Imagine how difficult it must be to be unable to walk or do anything for yourself for 3 months. Luckily for him, he has Alicia, who is dedicated and able to make life as pleasant as possible for Ernie.
We wish Frida Tarcica well after her operation at CIMA hospital.
The Kaufman's, David and Anita, have both had their share of health quakes this month and we are thankful that they are now well.
Paul Ziegler and Sonya had a great Hanukkah party on the first night of candle lighting. There was an official latke competition between 5 latkeros, the prize was a beautiful Menorah selected by Jenny Rodriguez.
There were 3 judges who tasted 5 latke's without knowing who made them. The winner, by unanimous decision: Jenny Rodriguez. Hers was the best combination of taste, consistency, color, and least amount of grease. Congrats Jenny!
Jenny announced it will become a yearly tradition. So all of you latke makers have a whole year to practice.
Marvin was in Boston for the UAHC Bi-annual and a meeting of the Governors of World Union. While there, he interviewed a wonderful young man named Michael Holzman who is in his fourth year of the Rabbinical course. He will graduated in 2003. His wife Nicole is a Spanish speaker, born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Colombia. We are making arrangements for him to meet the community, possibly at Passover.
While in Boston, Marvin also met with Gerry Voight, one year original member who now lives in San Diego, California with Steven. She never fails to keep up to date with the congregation and pay her full years dues.
Samantha Bien, daughter of B'nei Israel founding member Amos, became a new member of our community in a magnificent Bat Mitzvah ceremony, led by her teacher, Hilda Ten Brink on Saturday, December 8th. It was an emotional and unforgettable service and Samantha delivered her maftir with mastery and sincerity. Her mother, Damaris, was there even though she had just come out of the hospital after a serious spinal operation. And so was Aunt Miriam Schneider, from the USA, who never fails to give a substantial money gift to the Jennifer Sossin School of Hebrew Education, so that no Jewish child will be deprived of a Hebrew school for lack of resources.
And Mazel Tov to Sam Neiman who took Sandra in a beautiful civil ceremony conducted by Amanda Sossin, the beautiful and pregnant wife of David. We all share in your happiness, Sam.
And to come - December 15th - a party for the congregation at the home of Alvin Moss, who has given and made possible so much for B'nei Israel. We are looking forward to a wonderful evening and hoping that newcomers will come and join us - in every way.
Enjoy the holidays !
