The labor of raising funds for the building has been hard, but I can't say it has been painful. To motivate donations is an art. Some days ago, I accompanied Carla Nagel to visit a supplier of construction materials to ask him for a better price. Carla is a master at this and I received a lecture on how to induce those who can help to donate the most. We came out of our interview nervous, but happy with what we obtained.
Bonnie, Alicia, Sarita, Kathya, and the rest of the Damas Voluntarias have raised, slowly but surely, a considerable sum which has permitted them to donate cash to the building fund, plus the kitchen, the main bathroom, and the bannister for the second floor. The last cachivache sale was a huge success, not only because of the money raised but because more members of the Congregation participated than ever before, by donating articles. Moreover, those who helped in the sale had an inspirational awakening, when we realized that with our "cachivaches" we also help people to purchase clothing that they could never purchase in any other way.
The show of support from members and friends of the Congregation has been motivating. In August we published a Wish List and the response was very good. Thanks to Bill and to Bonnie we now have the doors, and thanks to many others we have almost all the bannisters. The School has also been benefited; the paint for the classrooms and the blackboards have been donated. In our next Bulletin our treasurer will acknowledge all those who have helped.
Even with all these efforts, we didn't have enough for the flooring, the illumination, the sound equipment, the air conditioning, etc., which are all very expensive. And that was when two individuals came forward to give their help, donations that will enable us to have our synagogue looking like a jewel in just a few months. Alvin Moss and Gordon Finwall are the angels that made our dream come true. To both of them, our deepest gratitude.
This year, the building has occupied most of our thoughts and efforts. But not even for a moment have we neglected our celebrations. Shabbat services, B'nei Mitzvah, festivities, lessons; all have continued as if nothing were happening thanks to Marvin Sossin's generosity, by permitting us to use the Torneca facilities as our headquarters. Without Marvin we would never had survived as a group, and there is nothing we can say to thank him for all he has done for B'nei Israel.
In a couple of months our Synagogue and School will be ready. Then will come a time when we will have to reorganize in order to offer more, and better, services to the community. We have to achieve a new goal: have B'nei Israel accomplish, to the fullest, its spiritual and educational mission.
In this month of Elul which anticipates the Iamim Noraim, we enter into a period of self examination of our acts and our personality. To meditate on what we failed before God, before our fellow men, and before ourselves, in this year that is ending. It is the introspection that will help us repair the damages we have inadvertently done, and indicate us a more healthy and productive way of life. As a community we have responded all too well in behalf of our physical needs. Now let's work so that the beautiful space that we will call home, will also lead us towards a satisfying spiritual level and a more intensive fulfillment of our obligation to letaken olam, bettering the world.
To all the members and friends of B'nei Israel my best wishes for a Shannah Tovah,
Hilda ten Brink
Is it possible that when Jewish immigration from the European continent began to spread to the "goldena medina" , as generations of immigrants referred to this" golden land", families resorted to the mails to express holiday greetings they could no longer offer face to face? Or is this possibly a new custom born on the shores of America ? But, my younger brother tells me he has a copy of a New Year's greeting letter hand written in the late 1920s by our great grandfather then living in Jerusalem. It was sent to our father who by then was living in America.
The thought which prompted me to write these words is the awareness that while many customs may reach back into antiquity, we do introduce new customs as circumstances demand. We are an "Am Olam", an eternal people because we continually renew ourselves through customs and ceremonies. This led me to think that as we behold all of Am Yisroel as an Eternal people, I feel like an "eternal rabbi". I retired from Temple Emanuel in Andover, MA ten years ago but during this past decade I have continued to function as a Rabbi, as a "teacher" to our people. As the title Rabbi is forever so is the responsibility to learn and to teach. This is a responsibility and a privilege which I continue to accept with pride and joy.
Whether the congregation is Temple Emanuel in Andover, MA where I served for almost three decades or the congregations I have served during my years of retirement: B'nei Israel in Costa Rica, or aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 sailing around the world, or in Hyde Park, MA, or the Nevada County Jewish Center in Grass Valley, CA,. or Or Midbar in Kingman, Arizona where I will be conducting High Holiday Services this Yom Tov or at Congregation Beth Torah, in China Lake, CA where I will be serving as the part time Rabbi next year, I will continue to do what I have been doing for the past half century, teaching, teaching, teaching and sharing my insight so that we the Jewish people will remain an Eternal People.
I pray with all my heart that Lillian and I may be granted good health and many more years to continue to share with our Jewish people the Jewish learning which has been my privilege to absorb and then disseminate.
Lillian and I extend our most heartfelt wishes to all the families of all our congregations, past, present and future for a Shannah Tovah, a Good Year, a Year of Health and may all at long last live in a world which may finally come to know the true meaning of the word "PEACE".
Yes! The custom of extending New Years greetings via the mails, while its origins at this moment remain unknown to me, is nevertheless a wonderful custom and surely deserves to be continued.
L'Shannah Tovah Tikateyvu and G'mar Chatimah Tovah!
Rabbi Harry A. Roth
IMPJ HOLDS 14TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE: Attorney Jonathan Livni, a former chairman of the Israel Movement, was re-elected IMPJ chairman at the Movement's 14th National Conference, held recently at Kibbutz Shefayim. Some 600 leaders of the IMPJ and affiliated organizations took part in the three-day session.... A highlight of the conference was a panel discussion on patrilineal descent; among those speaking in support was MK Roman Bronfman of the Democratic Choice Knesset faction... Bronfman noted that many recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union are members of mixed families, and that patrilineal descent would help ease widespread problems of identity in the Jewish state.
IMPJ REPEATS ITS BACK TO SCHOOL PROJECT FOR NEEDY KIDS: The IMPJ and Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) are once again seeking to help disadvantaged Israeli children return to school in September with the necessary study supplies. The "Back to School Supply Kit" includes a backpack, pocket calculator, pencil case and ruler, as well as notebooks, pens, pencils, scissors and other items. The kits are being distributed throughout Israel with the help of local welfare agencies. Last year, the project provided supplies to some 1,000 school children. This year the target is at least 4,000 students. Each kit is valued at about $40. For information on how you can help, contact Uri Ayalon, IRAC's Social Justice Coordinator, via ayalon@irac.org, or send your tax-deductible check to ARZA/World Union, North America, 633 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6778. Please earmark the donation for IRAC's Back to School Supply Kit project and e-mail Uri (see above) in order to give IRAC a head start for planning the kits' distribution.
BEIT MIDRASH TO OFFER SPECIAL WINTER PROGRAM: The Beit Midrash/A Liberal Yeshivah, an English language Jewish studies program in Israel sponsored by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in cooperation with the World Union, will offer an intensive seminar next January titled "God, Torah, Israel." Based on a highly successful 16 day program held last month - in which 38 students aged 22-65 from North America, Great Britain, Germany, and Hong Kong were in attendance - the seminar is designed for people seeking "immersion in text, prayer, and exploration in an egalitarian and pluralistic setting with Jerusalem as your classroom." Participants will study Chumash, Halachah, Midrash, Talmud, prayer, and contemporary Israel, with "plenty of time to explore Jerusalem." Tuition will be $610, with housing options at the World Union's Beit Shmuel community/education center, and at the nearby Eldan Hotel. See <http://huc.edu/bmaly/short.html> for further information. The Beit Midrash/A Liberal Yeshivah is sponsored in cooperation with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Leo Baeck College.
POLICE ARREST THREE FOR ARSON ATTACK ON JERUSALEM SYNAGOGUE: Jerusalem police are holding three men in connection with the recent firebombing of a Conservative synagogue in the Ramot neighborhood. All three are reportedly residents of Ramot, and are "chozrim b'tshuvah (newly religious)." According to press reports, one suspect confessed and said he did not regret his actions, explaining that he and the others did not want the synagogue in their neighborhood. The attack elicited widespread condemnation from most sectors of Israeli society, though Mayor Ehud Olmert was criticized for not having responded quickly or forcefully enough. There have yet to be any arrests made in connection with recent vandalism attacks on the HUC-JIR campus in Jerusalem (see International section below for reaction in Britain).
GALA SEND OFF FOR UKRAINE BOUND BRITISH TORAH: Members of North Western Reform Synagogue in Alyth Gardens, London, are donating one of their Torah scrolls to the Reform community in Kerch, in the Crimea. The scroll was scheduled to depart in mid August in the company of congregation members Peter Backman and David Baker, who will personally present it to its new owners. Congregants gave the Torah a joyous send-off at Friday night services on August 4....
GERMAN SPEAKING PROGRESSIVE JEWS ESTABLISH BEIT DIN: The Union of Progressive Jews in Germany, Austria and Switzerland has moved to establish a Bet Din that will operate under the auspices of the Movement's European Bet Din. The Beit Din that will serve the German speaking congregations will be based in Halberstadt, on the former premises of the city's Rabbinical Seminary. In a related matter, an agreement was recently signed between the Moses Mendelssohn Centre at the University of Potsdam, and Abraham Geiger College which will allow rabbinic students to work towards an M.A. in Jewish Studies. Geiger College will be opened on November 12 in Potsdam in the presence of Dr. Antje Vollmer, Vice President of the Bundestag (parliament). Jewish philosopher Susannah Heschel will be honored at the ceremony with the Abraham Geiger Award for her book, "Abraham Geiger and Jesus the Jew.
GERMAN CONGREGATION RECEIVES NEW FACILITY, CITY FUNDS FOR SEFER TORAH: The Progressive Jewish congregation of Hildesheim in Lower Saxony recently moved into permanent premises in a ceremony attended by Progressive Jewish leaders, members of the city council and guests representing various faiths. In a surprise move, city officials announced that the Municipality would cover the costs of a Sefer Torah for the congregation that is to be purchased in Great Britain.
Chag Sameach! As you prepare for the new year, please consider deepening your commitment to Progressive Judaism around the world. Here are some suggestions:
In honor of our thirteenth year, the congregation is celebrating its Bar Mitzvah with the public inauguration of our new synagogue on Saturday, November 11. We've all worked especially hard to bring the new building to reality and we've been blessed with friends and members who have helped us make this dream come true. What a joy we will all share at this birthday party! As we pass into adulthood it will be in a real grown-up synagogue as befits Jewish adults.
Now that we've achieved our dream, let us celebrate the dream come true and give tribute to the congregation, to our beloved founders, and to all of those members yet to come. To mark this occasion we will publish a Tribute Journal in connection with the Inauguration in November. Here's a chance for everyone and anyone to participate in this great happening. Please subscribe generously to the Journal. Ask your friends, and ask your families to subscribe.
The Jennifer Sossin School is a fine Hebrew school and will now have the fine facilities it deserves to help better educate our children and teach them to live spiritually rich Jewish lives. Our sanctuary will now truly be a sanctuary a place for us to worship and seek peace and a place for our ark and its Torahs to rest securely in splendor.
Yes, we've achieved our goal. We've raised sufficient funds to finish a proud and worthy synagogue. But what about the future? Let us now subscribe generously to the Tribute Journal and build a nest egg that will pay us a handsome annuity for years and years to come and by doing so, let us say Mazal Tov to the Congregation on its Bar Mitzvah!
The Bar or Bat Mitzvah preparation is a process of study and religious maturity. It is a preparation that must have the necessary time to guarantee that the young person not only learns the mechanics of the Hebrew language and the religious services, but also guarantees that he or she can taste the pleasure of studying Torah, of becoming an integral part of a religious group which the Jennifer Sossin School for Jewish Education offers, and to be able to make value judgments concerning his or her Jewish principles.
The Commission for Bar/Bat Mitzvah, Reaffirmations and Conversions considers that a period of four consecutive years of study prior to the date that the young person will become Bar or Bat Mitzvah is necessary in order to be able to inculcate in our youth the full dimension of knowledge that is necessary in order to become Bar or Bat Mitzvah. This four years of study is to be considered as a period of personal development and satisfaction, and should be seen as the opportunity that we offer our young people to achieve the best Jewish education possible.
Religion Committee:
Pilar Elkin, Chair - Gonzalo Vega
Education Committee:
Jody Steiger, Chair - Hilda ten Brink
Delegate from the Board:
Bill Fischer
There is a sequence to the studies of our young people in the Jennifer Sossin School for Jewish Education. The first, and over-all goal of our program, embraces our young people within the community and "peoplehood" of Judaism. Most of our students begin at three or four years of age. They play Jewish games, learn basic Hebrew and Yiddish vocabulary, sing Hebrew songs and prayers, and begin to understand that their "difference" is a wonderful one. Perhaps unlike their classmates in their secular schools they do not celebrate Christmas or first communion, but they have a rich and wonderful heritage that in the first years of Hebrew and religious studies becomes an integral part of their self-image, of their understanding of themselves. "To See The World Through jewish Eyes" is the name of our curriculum, and we strive to prepare our young people so that by the time they finish their studies, they can do just that: their Judaism becomes a tool, a way of life, an inherent value system that will accompany them throughout their lives. Not merely in the synagogue or during holiday celebrations, but while they are in school, with friends, and later on, as adults, we strive to give them the tools that will enable them to become complete, active, ethical adults, who continue to celebrate their Judaism in the way they face the world. We no longer live in "shtetle" or "ghettos"; we don't even have the Jewish neighborhoods that existed a generation ago. Contemporary Jews are part of the overall world -- indeed one is running for Vice President of the United States. We must accept this new challenge -- to not only maintain our Judaism in the face of a non-Jewish world, but, more importantly, to allow our Judaism to make us better citizens of that non-Jewish world. And so the first stage of education in our program is to begin to develop the young person's Judaism as an integral part of his or her self image; to set them on a path that will lead to an ethical self awareness.
The second stage, beginning when the young person is eight or nine years of age, is when we begin to give them the tools they will need along that path: they begin to read Hebrew fluently, to assimilate a working vocabulary that will allow them to understand the concepts behind the prayers in the Siddur. They learn about the holidays, both historically and conceptually allowing them to achieve the understanding behind the traditions, and to be able to better celebrate them. History, Torah, life cycle, ethical and value concepts complete the curriculum at this age, always together with music, prayer, and song.
The third stage begins from one to two years before the young person will become Bar or Bat Mitzvah. At this time they begin to hone their abilities. They learn the order of the Shabbat services, both Erev and Shabbat morning, and how to lead a service. They are reading Hebrew well enough at this point to open the siddur to any page and be able to read the prayers. Now they begin to perfect their reading and comprehension skills to make the prayers more personally significant. At one point during this period they will also begin to learn the parashah, or weekly portion, that they will be reading from the Torah, as well as their Haftarah.
Throughout these years, we also strive to incorporate the young person within a Jewish community. From an early age, he or she learns the importance of being part of a synagogue, the importance of expressing kinship with K'lal Yisrael. Memories are created; joys are shared; a Jewish memory is launched to guide the young person throughout his or her lifetime. And we share the hope that one day there will come that moment when a young person, a young adult, an adult, will stop before making a decision, before facing a crises, before issuing an order, and remember something from their Jewish studies that will enable them to truly act justly. "The world is sustained by three pillars: by Torah, by woship, and by loving deeds." It takes a lifetime to make this part of one's life. We, in the Jennifer Sossin School, hope to give our young people the tools to do so.
While on vacation to Costa Rica this past February I had the opportunity to attend Friday night services at a unique Reform hevurah in San Jose, Costa Rica. The taxi driver meandered about the hilly and winding San Jose streets at dusk. Myself, my Uncle and two cousins had decided to make a Shabbat at a local synagogue.
The hevurah is called B'nai Israel and is presently located in south Central San Jose at the building Oficinas de Torneca, Avenida 10, frente al Cementerio de Extranjeros. We had to tell the taxi driver several times the location of the shul. In Costa Rica the addressing system for public buildings is not as exact as in the United States, or even parts of Europe, and all travelers to Costa Rica should know that Ticos tell the location of a small business or home by its location to landmarks or distances in meters. Ticos and Ticas are generally handsome, polite, educated, and make an effort to learn English.
A security guard in white and navy slacks greeted us from our taxi. The building in front of us was a modest industrial office in a mixed neighborhood with pubs, small homes all in the trademark narrow San Jose avenues and very pleasant night air. We walked up a ramp and around, to a large industrial office that had been cleared and cleaned, and set with benches, a table for Shabbat food, a small library, and a bimah. Behind it was a Torah ark.
An elderly expat from Boston with a great tan and blue eyes greeted us. He had bought a house outside of town and was clearly enjoying his retirement. He pointed to a small model of a synagogue in the neo-modern, white style with classical sanctuary windows, indicating that the location for the new B'nai Israel was somewhere in town and would eventually be built. Soon people filed in including a tall, gregarious Hispanic fellow who introduced himself as Para-Rabbi Gonzalo Vega. He had invited my Uncle Sid Lissner to visit the shul; he explained that he was certified by the Hebrew Union College and due to the growing number of congregants, he was the only full-time rabbi.
Other congregants filled in and by the time Shabbat began, a veritable rainbow of Jews had filled in the sanctuary. One retiree introduced himself as a former Highland Park, Illinois resident, my hometown. Costa Rican Hispanic families with their children bustled beside Tico Polish Jews whose ancestors had likely arrived a century ago; the descendants of Chinese and Hispanic Costa Ricans who had adopted Judaism, Los Angeles expats, and a Caribbean African Costa Rican who arrived in a splendid blue kippah and suit.
An extra surprise was the co-rabbinate of the evening, the team of Para-Rabbi Vega and a Rabbi Rubin from Los Angeles who spoke in English, Spanish, and Hebrew. The Amidah and Shma were embellished wonderfully with Jewish folk songs sung from the printed and bound B'nai Israel prayer book by the Rabbi Rubin and his beautiful Rebbitzon. The emphasis of the evening was on Jewish unity and a feeling of beauty which transcended race, business, location, and religious orientation. The sermon was all-inclusive and both Rabbi and Para-Rabbi interpreted Parshat Tetzeh in spirited d'varim and asked questions of the congregants.
Services finished on a very positive note and oneg was served afterward.
We were enthralled with the successful history of Jews in Costa Rica, starting with Sephardim who by and large assimilated with the offer of anonymity and good trade promised by the Costa Rican and Central American Spanish colonies. I do not know of any record of the Inquisition ever reaching Costa Rica, a sort of hinterland of the Spanish main until the early 1800s.
Undoubtedly some pockets of anusim survived in Costa Rica; the Magen David is a popular symbol in Costa Rica. I saw it worn several times as an earring, by a hotel reservation girl with Polish Jewish features, and as a necklace for Costa Ricans (or Ticos/Ticas as they call themselves) of different ethnic backgrounds. While at a rain forest in south central Costa Rica I saw a female cook with short, round Sephardic and Indian features wearing a large gold magen david around her neck. I smiled and said "Shalom", pointing to her necklace. She smiled sheepishly and looked at the sky.
It is worth commenting on because I have rarely seen the Jewish star worn by apparent non-Jews in such frequency in such an apparently non-Jewish area as Costa Rica; yet the hidden Sephardic element to much of life in Latin America cannot be dismissed, as well as numerous Evangelical Protestant movements with Hebrew or Jewish emphasis. One need only look in the San Jose yellow pages and see a surprising profundity of Cohens, Levis, Goldberg, and Levitskys, some of which may be due to intermarriage with non-Jews. It is worth noting that the former Prime Minister of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias*, has a Jewish wife and children, and Costa Rica has always had a cordial relationship with Israel.
* Note from the
editor:
The former President
who had a Jewish wife was Luis Alberto Monge, not Oscar Arias.
Send your proposal to Inés Baum :
baumgut@sol.racsa.co.cr
fax 257-3308
tel. 215-1182
Jai/Chai/y
(the Hebrew letter)The following short quiz consists of 4 questions and tells whether you are qualified to be a "professional". Scroll down for each answer. The questions are not that difficult.
1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?The correct answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.
2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?Wrong answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator.
Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant, and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.
3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?Correct answer: The elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. This tests your memory. OK., even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your abilities.
4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?Correct answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.
According to Andersen
Consulting Worldwide, around 90% of the professionals they tested got all
questions wrong. But many preschoolers got several correct answers. Andersen
Consulting says this conclusively disproves the theory that most professionals
have the brains of a 4 year old.
Virtual Jerusalem, http://virtualjerusalem.com/messages/43/43.html
A heartfelt thank you toALVIN MOSS and GORDON FINWALL |
CULTURAL
NIGHT WITH THE RABBI
On Tuesday,
October 3, at 7:30 p.m., we will have the opportunity of meeting
with Rabbi Schaktman for a cultural evening.
The subject of the night will be "Mitzvot and their Fulfillment".
Although the meeting is organized by the Mixed
Marriages Group, it is open to everyone that wishes to attend. See you
there!
POSTPONED
EXTRAORDINARY
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Issue: CEMETERY
Dear Members:
The Extraordinary
General Assembly to be held for the purpose of voting on the new rules
and regulations of our Cemetery, had to be POSTPONED.
New Date: Tuesday, October 31Those of you who have not yet received the rules and regulations of the cemetery for consideration, or if you can not attend the meeting and would like your vote to count, please contact:
Time: First call - 7:00 p.m.
Second call - 7:30 p.m.
Place: our new Synagogue
Kathya Benzaquén, <lamejor@sol.racsa.co.cr>
Max Berman, <miliamax@hotmail.com>
FAX 290-4944
|
August 2000
|
