How did we manage to do all these? Although in every organization it is the individuals who are ultimately responsible for specific accomplishments, our Board of Directors and our Committees are the ones charged with the duty of making things work at B'nei Israel.
Every month we read in our Bulletin the names of the members of our Board of Directors, but perhaps many of you don't know what exactly the Board does. In essence, the Board sets the policies of the Congregation and votes on the recommendations of the committees. On one hand, our newness doesn't give us many precedents to rely upon when making decisions, and sometimes it's tough to break new ground, but on the other hand it is almost exhilarating to know that we are pioneers, and that by the coming together of our minds we can move forward and accomplish the goals we set for ourselves.
I have been a member of every Board of Directors of B'nei Israel since its inception, in one capacity or another. For ten years now I have tried not to miss the monthly meetings of our Board. On each and every Board, I have always felt that despite differences of opinion, all the members have had the best interest of B'nei Israel at heart. Our most recent meeting is an example. With the High Holidays not far away, we had to make a decision whether or not to have a rabbi. The arguments in favor of bringing a rabbi were : we have always had one for the Holidays and this has given credibility and stability to our religious life ; although we carry on Shabbat services with the help of lay leaders, we are not prepared to do so for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ; some life cycle events will be performed at the time anyway, and the presence of a Rabbi would be nice in the case of B'nei Mitzvah, and mandatory in the case of conversion.
Arguments against bringing a rabbi stated that it is an expensive proposition and right now, when we are faced with the remodeling of our Synagogue, all our economic resources should go towards this goal; it was also mentioned that, with time, we could organize a group of our own lay leaders to do all the services. The debate went on for hours, eased by the gracious hospitality that Anabel Davidovich extended to us.
Every voice was heard and at the end a vote was taken. By a majority, the Board chose to contract Rabbi Peter Schaktman to come to Costa Rica to officiate during the High Holidays. By voicing their differences, those against bringing a rabbi made those in favor aware of how the congregation at large feels, and gave a perspective of what to look for in a rabbi, to make his visit a worthwhile investment. I believe that pro or con, all those present expressed feelings and opinions based on their love for B'nei Israel, and it is this care, together with the depth of the discussions, that makes me respect each and every Board member and abide by their decisions.
On specific issues, the Board relies on the recommendations and the work of the various committees. The Committees of Ritual, Education, Fund Raising, Bulletin, Publications, Cemetery, Membership, Mixed Marriages, Cultural, and others do their best to solve the routine as well as the unusual situations involved in running a congregation. The members of these committeess give generously of their time and knowledge to carry out their duties. Without their work, we couldn't function or survive as a Congregation.
We are also lucky to count on the work of the Temple Sisterhood, and that of the Youth Group. The Sisterhood has always been a tremendous help. It not only functions as a fund raising body, but carries out educational and cultural activities that benefit not only the ladies themselves but the congregation at large. It also takes care of organizing the onegs every Friday evening, and the refreshments for some of the haggim. The Youth Group develops activities for our youngsters, providing them with a chance to experience the solidarity of joining together in non scholastic activities, which besides being entertaining, strengthen their Jewish identity.
In a congregation as small as ours, every member counts. The tasks we confront are the same as those of any large congregation; we just have fewer people to carry out the business of running our organization. In writing this article, I not only wanted to acknowledge the work of the dedicated people that form the Board of Directors and the various Committees. I also wanted to motivate all our members to be actively involved in the everyday tasks of maintaining the life of our Congregation.
To all those who are currently working for the welfare of B'nei Israel, thanks for your time, energy, and involvement. For those not yet on the boat with us, come aboard. Join us on any committee. Make your voice count, as you help our congregation grow. We need you.
Sincerely,
Hilda ten Brink
President
Just a hello - from Rachel ten Brink
Mon, 3 May 1999
Mami:
Te tengo que decir que por fin I checked out the congregation web page
- WOW!!! I am so impressed/ proud/ amazed/ wow!!! La verdad que me hace
sentir tan bien saber how far you've come. Y tu carta sobre el Shabbat
almost made me cry - it was beautiful.
Rachel
The Pages of Testimony (symbolic tombstones) are intended to serve as a lasting memorial for the victims of the Holocaust. The details, beyond names and place, provide an identity for the victim that would otherwise be lost in the coming generations.
For over 40 years, beginning in 1955, Yad Vashem has been actively collecting Pages of Testimony in Israel and around the world. On Yom Hashoah this year, Yad Vashem launched an international campaign to collect the names previously unrecorded, in order to rescue from oblivion the memory of the Jews who did not survive the Holocaust.
Subject: YAD VASHEM - PAGES OF TESTIMONY
Date: May 19, 1999
Yad Vashem has now embarked on a major project with a two-fold aim: first, to gather and preserve the missing names in the hopes of recording most of the six million and second... to collate and process the existing lists, using state-of-the-art technologies to identify those who died (and perhaps those who somehow survived).
All the Jewish Genealogy Societies are asked to help.
If you have Internet access, you may download the form from Yad Vashem's website: <www.yadvashem.org.il/pot>
Completed forms may be sent to:
American Society for Yad Vashem 500 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1600 New York, NY 10110-1699 U.S.A.If you do not have Internet access and would like a form, please contact Dorothy (dkohanski@juno.com) or by telephone (949-855-4692).
One can think of this mitzvah as placing a grave marker for those who died in the Shoah. They should not be forgotten.
Dorothy
|
Rabbi Mayer S. Kripke
(submitted by Aaron Liverant)
|
A New Jewish Mega Web Site
I would like to bring to your attention a new incredible Jewish web
site,
http://www.Jewish1000.com
Its main feature is that it provides links to about 1000 Jewish Web
Sites. The information is sorted by various catagories, which include Audio
and Video, sites that themselves are comprised of links to Jewish sites,
Ethics, History, Holidays, Holocaust, Libraries and Museums, Lifecycle,
Software, Torah. It also includes a list of the Top 50 sites.
This in an extremely important service to surfers who have an interest
in things Jewish, and is of great assistance. I hope you find it as engrossing
as I found it.
It is also possible to suggest additional sites for inclusion.
Yael Levine Katz
Rubber-stamping a move toward tradition that has become common at many synagogues nationwide, the governing body of Reform Judaism, the biggest and most liberal branch of American Jewry, is debating a plan that would support such practices as keeping kosher and praying in Hebrew.
The revisions, which represent a major change to the Principles of Reform Judaism, were discussed Tuesday by the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) at their meeting in Pittsburgh. A vote is expected today.
They are not enforceable regulations but more like suggestions or guidelines. There are an estimated 1.5 million Reform Jews in the United States....
Under the new platform, ancient rituals sometimes scoffed or ignored in Reform communities and usually associated with Conservative or Orthodox Jewry would once again be embraced, such as the wearing of yarmulkes and prayer shawls, the observance of Jewish dietary laws, and the use of Hebrew during prayer services.
Rabbi Terry Bookman of Temple Beth Am of Miami was among those planning to vote for the changes at the conference. "This is not a knee-jerk return toward tradition for tradition's sake," said Bookman from his hotel in Pittsburgh, where the meeting was held. "The move is to look at tradition to find what is of value there and what helps us to connect to the divine. If there are rituals that help, we shouldn't automatically accept them, but we don't automatically have to reject them."
Ellis Rivkin, professor emeritus of Jewish history at Reform Judaism's Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, said he has seen a strong shift toward tradition among students since he joined the faculty in 1949. In the past four to five years, he said, the trend has become more noticeable.
The shift follows the trend toward spirituality across American religion, experts say.
At Temple Solel in Hollywood, the wearing of head coverings is part of the bylaws. "In our congregation we have the tradition of celebrating two days of the Jewish New Year, and we have more Hebrew and chanting within our worship service, which a number of Reform congregations do not have," said Robert Frazin, head of the synagogue of 800 families. "It's all a part of the religious freedom that exists in America. The difference between our congregation and a traditional congregation is we do not require that 613 commandments of the Torah be followed."
By contrast, at Temple Israel of greater Miami, wearing head coverings and prayer shawls has not widely caught on. "We view those traditional practices as options our people may want to exercise," Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn said. "Some do. It's not reflective of the majority of our members."
The new Reform principles, which went through several drafts, bridge the gap between opposing viewpoints of those who favor adding more traditional practices and those who value the freedoms of choice the branch was based on.
Tuesday's meeting was only the fourth time since Reform Judaism was established in North America in the mid-19th century that the rabbi's group set forth comprehensive principles.
BRANCHES OF JUDAISM
There are three main branches Reform, Orthodox and Conservative which vary in the degree of religious observances and rituals practiced:
The following is a brief report on the situation, filed last week by Rabbi Kelemen.
20 April 1999
There are currently 160 Jewish refugees from the northern part of Serbia Subotica and Novi Sad, near the Hungarian border and from Belgrade. Two hundred arrived, but 40 left for Israel, and 50 more will do so. Most are unsure whether they want to go on aliya most want to go back to Serbia. A very small number went to Western Europe or the U.S. if they had relatives there. Fifty more are expected to arrive on Thursday (April 22).
The bombing in Serbia is continuing, so the situation is awful. Men aged 18-60 were allowed to leave only during the first week. Since then, men have not been allowed to leave, and the remaining members of the families are concerned about them.
The refugees live together in the Park Hostel, near the Kelety Eastern railway station, which is quite central. The Jewish Agency looks after them. The Hungarian Jewish umbrella organization helps. Originally, the refugees had to move their accommodations from one place to another every day.
They need more food, fruit, medicine, soap, and cleaning materials. The adults have nothing to do. They don't have money for bus travel. They need money for telephone cards to phone home. The children go every day to the Lauder kindergarten. The older children go to the Scheiber Sandor School.
Gyorgy Bollman, from Szim Shalom, visits on a daily basis. Gyorgy is
someone who makes things happen. Someone from Szim Shalom is going to run
programs for children. There are a lot of children. Some of the refugees
attended Szim Shalom's Yom Hashoah service. Other programs erev Shabbat
with a kiddush sponsored by Szim Shalom, for example are planned.
Szim Shalom will arrange a dinner in the Carmel restaurant for 50 refugees,
at cost.
The Beit Midrash/A Liberal Yeshivah is a joint project of the World
Union, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and the Union
of American Hebrew Congregations, in cooperation with the Reconstructionist
Rabbinical College and the Leo Baeck College.
Participants in both locations were trained to lead Pesach celebrations
in congregations, schools, pre-schools, and their own homes, studying the
haggadah and using various sources of Jewish literature, including the
Torah and Talmud, for guidance.
The second publication, "The Many Faces of Judaism," was authored by
Gilbert S. Rosenthal and Walter Homolka, and explains the history, development,
and practices of all streams of today's Judaism. It is intended for use
by both Jews and non-Jews....
Our upcoming participation in the First Youth Encounter of the Union of Jewish Liberal Congregations is just what we need to consolidate our young adults into feeling responsible for their group's success. Success, in this case, means, feeling proud of what their group accomplishes (community service) and feeling committed to accomplishing more.
But, as I've mentioned before, so much of the Youth Group's success depends on the importance their parents give to their participation. If it's not a priority for the parents, it won't be considered important to the youth. And our Youth Group in the making, will grind to a halt. Support us so that we can thrive!
From July 1-7 , we will have some kids visiting from other Central American Liberal Jewish Congregations. The support I'm asking from you all is the following:
Thank you!
Jenny Rodriguez
Very few documents are left about musical activity in concentration camps. Most of them disappeared in 1945, destroyed by the Nazi functionaries during the chaos that followed the end of the war. The only things rescued were some photographs, drawings, musical instruments, and fragments of music scores. We do not have any complete listing of the musicians that were part of the orchestras, either, but the testimonials of the few who survived is of great help.
In general terms, musical activity was varied, and, in some cases, of fine quality. An example of that was the Theresienstadt concentration camp (Terezin in Czech), which reflects the multi-faceted role music played in those years. Terezin was an ancient garrison city located 96 miles northwest from Prague. This was the confinement to a big part of the Jewish cultural elite of Europe. Even though, originally, playing music and even owning a musical instrument was a capital offense, Nazi officers ended up allowing an active cultural life, even comparable to that existing nowadays in big cities. The reason was calculated: to show the world an 'ideal' ghetto. So shows the Nazi propaganda film "The führer gives the Jews a city". The film is fraudulent and cynical: it shows a rich cultural life in order to deceive public opinion as to the real purpose of extermination camps. There were certainly no gas chambers at Terezin, but the sanitary conditions were extremely poor: scarcity of food and water, overpopulation, and massive death. In fact, out of the approximately 141.000 inhabitants of the ghetto, only some twenty thousand survived. Nevertheless, they counted on a professional Jazz Group (which was forbidden back then), daily theater performances, cabarets, and concerts. Rabbi Weiser retells in detail the activity in Terezin during December 1942: 9 theater programs with 46 performances, a poetry recital, 2 concerts, one opera with 5 performances and 92 gatherings, cabarets, and Chanukah celebration, which added up to a total of 36.500 spectators. Hard to believe? How do you explain such a big amount of cultural activity in the threshold of hell? And even more unbelievable: often some Nazi high officials appeared as patrons.
In regard to this, a former prisoner recalls: "During the concert we weren't allowed to openly talk: we were supposed to count all the time on the presence of spies and SS officers. Therefore, we found the way to express whatever had to be said, without being disclosed by SS'spies and officers." Hans Krasa composed the child opera "Brudinbar" in 1939, and it was played in Terezin some 55 times. Adolf Hoffmeister's text transmitted courage and strength to thousands of prisoners, who fiercely sung the words: "Beat the drums, we have won because we didn't bend, because we weren't afraid".
Notwithstanding, the Czeck-Austrian composer Viktor Ullman wrote: "I want to underline that in my musical work, through Terezin I have been encouraged and not curbed, and that we were in no way sitting down by the rivers of Babylon, merely weeping, and our will for culture was adequate to our will for life." Viktor Ullman studied composition with Arnold Schönberg and was a fervent follower of the anthroposophic movement. During his detention in Terezin (1941-1945) he developed a big creative activity (as did the young pianist and composer Gideon Klein), where the opera "The Atlantis Kaiser or Death Abdicates" stands out. This opera was censored and could not have its opening until December 1975. When, at the end of 1944, the transport that would take him to Auschwitz was waiting, Ullman wanted to take his works with him. The other prisoners prevented it and, thanks to them, we have the originals.
Could the Nazi mise-en-escene deceive even the prisoners? Did
they believe that a transport to other camp would bring them better life
conditions? We do not know. One thing is clear, though. Those hours of
spiritual nourishment accomplished the forgetfulness of hunger and misery.
Each one anxiously looked forward to the next concert, the next play. The
artist, on the other hand, in every work they created left imprinted a
cry of rebellion and a voice of hope. And we, as we rebuild their history,
we rescue from oblivion those beings who lived on the verge of the abyss.
We get close to their pain, their small joys and their desperate courage.
It is our duty to do so.
Four days before Passover the Washington Post reported that Yugoslav forces systematically marked the doors of Serbian homes in Pristina, the Kosovo capital, in order to identify the occupants as Serbs. Advancing Serbian paramilitary groups later "passed over" the Serbian households while their agents of death burned, looted and destroyed ethnic Albanian families.
For Jews, this moral depravity is unbearable. In the biblical Passover it was the slaves who, in the cause of freedom, marked their door-posts so that the angel of death would pass over the houses of the oppressed during the tenth and final plague on Egypt.
If there is one paramount lesson of Passover, if there is one fundamental Jewish experience, it is this: In every age, every person should regard himself as if he personally was redeemed from Egypt. For Jews, oppression of any kind is personal. We violate our heritage when we stand still in the face of persecution. "Silence is like agreement," warns the Talmud.
The crimes committed in Kosovo are all the more appalling in their similarity to our own experience in Europe during this century. To even attempt to describe them in words diminishes their horror.
How the Jewish heart weeps to see the images of people herded into cattle cars simply because they are of one ethnic background. How we are repulsed to read of mass killings; children murdered in front of their parents; parents murdered in front of their children; men and women, husbands and wives separated and lost to each other; refugees roaming the hills of Europe, desperate for food and water, warmth and human compassion.
One would expect that Jews would be relieved that Western powers, in using force to prevent further atrocities, are doing precisely what we Jews begged them to do during the Holocaust. At that time they refused to intervene until it was too late. They had all kinds of excuses then, ranging from internal politics to geopolitical interests. But they refused to use force when the use of force could have prevented catastrophe. Now, whether due to geopolitics, or perhaps because the West learned a lesson from the Holocaust, it is trying to prevent horrific atrocities while still possible.
One would expect strong vocal Jewish support for NATO's campaign. Sure there are legitimate concerns about military strategy. Perhaps some critics are correct in pointing out that we could have negotiated more effectively. Who really knows, especially without the benefit of hindsight. Some critics are even convinced that economic sanctions on Belgrade would have brought Slobodan Milosevic to his knees.
Skepticism is in order. We know from history that dictators of Milosevic's type rarely succumb to diplomatic niceties or economic sanctions. Cruelty comes naturally to the tyrant, and he will not cease oppressing until compelled to do so by force.
Jews remember that the first tyrant, Pharaoh, was initially faced only with economic pressure. The plagues limited his food and water. The purpose was to make life difficult for the population in the hopes that Pharaoh would be moved by pity for his own people. But Milosevic's type dictators rarely care about the sufferings of their countrymen, just about control and power. Only when Pharaoh's army was destroyed, did he cease his reckless pursuit of murder and slavery.
I strongly support NATO's campaign. If the political and military leadership were to make a credible argument that the only way to stop Milosevic would be to send in ground troops, I would support that as well. I am convinced by the geopolitical arguments that NATO's credibility is on the line and that to allow victory to a dictator committing ethnic cleansing in the heart of Europe would endanger millions of people.
I am also persuaded and moved by the moral argument. If Jews have a unique role to play in the world it is to stand for the proposition that murder, slavery, and oppression should be wiped out from the face of the earth. "You shall burn out evil from your midst," states the Bible.
Judaism abhors war. Conquests were rarely glorified in our tradition. ... Even the drowning of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea was a cause for mourning. One tradition recalls how God admonished the Israelites for rejoicing at Egypt's destruction. These, too, were God's children.
Judaism's understanding of the new world order is defined not in geopolitical terms but moral ones. The lion will lie down with the lamb, and none will be afraid.
However, our tradition also emphasizes that we must relate to the world as it is, not as we would like it to be. Judaism's response to evil is not turning the other cheek. The lives of the peaceful are no less worthy than those who love war. Therefore the Jewish response is "if one arises to kill you, get up earlier and kill him first."
A group calling itself "The Coalition for Peace in the Balkans," recently bought a full-page advertisement in The New York Times with the blaring headline: GOD WILL BLESS YOU, PRESIDENT CLINTON, IF YOU DROP FOOD, NOT BOMBS.
Peace in the Balkans cannot be brought about by dropping food on Milosevic.
There are times when confronted with a tyrant who shows no restraint or
human remorse, and who is unmoved by all other means, that force is the
only option. This is the path to peace in the Balkans. The use of force
to prevent wide-scale murder, torture, displacement, and ethnic cleansing
is a blow for peace. Jewish tradition states: "All that is recorded in
the Torah is written for the sake of peace; and although warfare is recorded
in the Torah, even warfare is recorded for the sake of peace."
....
1. a) Lox
b) Lacsa
c) Racsa
2. a) Menorah
b) Mezuzah
c) Mazuma
d) Montezuma
3. a) Goy
b) Guy
c) Gay
4. a) Bagel
b) Bay Gull
c) Beagle
5. a) Yarmulka
b) Yamaha
c) Yakima
6. a) Kiddish
b) Yiddish
c) Kaddish
d) Cod fish
II. True or False:
7. As a result of the current plan at B'nei Israel to add on to,
and eventually to rebuild our synagogue, we have now become known as a
Reconstructionist congregation.
III. Multiple Choice:
8. Sittin' Shiva is
a) A famous North American Indian chief
b) Not nearly as fun as sippin' Chivas
c) What you do at a pro football game in Green Bay,
Wisconsin
9. A Jewish fetus is not considered to be human until
a) the third month
b) the sixth month
c) it obtains a medical degree
IV. Identify the word or phrase which is out of place:
10. a) Franklyn Chang Díaz
b) Claudia Poll
c) Miguel Angel Rodríguez
d) Rabbi Jacob Goldstein
You have now completed the first half of your TOJES. So maybe
you'd like to take a little break ... a little chicken soup?Okay,
now you're ready to go on.
V. Multiple Choice:
11. According to Jewish tradition, a boy celebrates his Bat Mitzvah
a) at ten years of age
b) at thirteen years of age
c) No way, Joséyou're not going to fool me
with your trick questionsnone of the above
12. A Bar Mitzvah is
a) a Jewish celebration
b) a good deed performed in a bar
c) Hey, is this another one of those trick questions?
13. If your son is given the role of a Jewish husband in
the school play,
a) you're very proud of him
b) he'll probably go on to an acting career
c) he lucked out, because he doesn't have any lines to
learn
14. After JFK was shot, LBJ became President of the USA. His initials
stood for
a) Lyndon Baines Johnson
b) Lady Bird's Jerk
c) Little Bit Jewish
15. How many Jews does it take to screw in a light bulb?
a) one
b) two
c) ten is always better, but I'm not sure why
d) enough already with the cockamamy riddles
16. The Yiddish term "shagitz" refers to
a) a non-Jewish male
b) someone who thinks that a "shiksa" is a razor
c) both of the above
VI. True or False:
17. The Six-Day War ended so quickly because the Israeli army was fighting with rented tanks.
18. A Jewish person who speaks Spanish is called a "Spanyid".
VII. Complete the following:
19. Eloo Hotsi Hotsianu, Hotsianu Mi Mitzrayim, Mi Mitzrayim Hotsianu..
a) Chad Gadya
b) Dayenu
c) Day-0
Well, to paraphrase Yogi Berra, "It ain't over 'til the fat lady
sings Ein Kelohenu". One more item and you're done
VIII. Complete the following phrase:
20. Bow ray p'ree ha
a) gaffen
b) coughin'
c) goofin'
d) kaufman
A THANK YOU NOTE to Drew Irwin, who dedicated a complete Saturday morning to our Youth Group. Thanks to Drew, our kids will have a beautiful and funny video to show the other kids coming in July to our youth camp.
MAZEL TOV to Julian Nachtigal on behalf of his Bar Mitzvah. We are sure Dan and Liesl, Ariel and Mischa, and both of his grandmothers, who came for the occasion, feel very proud of you. Congratulations !
MAZEL TOV to Danny Lelchuk, son of our teacher Elena
Dybner, for his Bar Mitzvah on May 31. We are sure
that Elena, as well as all his family, feel very proud of you. Congratulations!