Chronicle May04 - Temple Israel
Chronicle May04 - Temple Israel
Chronicle May04 - Temple Israel
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
TEMPLE ISRAEL<br />
CHRONICLE<br />
“Dor L’Dor — Generation to Generation”<br />
Volume 4, Issue 5 May, 2004 ✡ Nisan/Iyar 5764<br />
Law Day Shabbat - Saturday, May 8<br />
ALIYOT<br />
Kohen: Jerome Cohen<br />
Levi: Sandor Yelen<br />
3rd Aliyah: Allan Kluger<br />
4th Aliyah: Albert Danoff<br />
5th Aliyah: Martin Meyer<br />
6th Aliyah: David Harris<br />
Maftir: Joseph Savitz<br />
HAFTARAH<br />
Joseph Savitz<br />
TORAH READERS<br />
David Schwager<br />
Richard Goldberg<br />
Elliot Edley<br />
Steven Greenwald<br />
HAGBEH<br />
Barry Dyller<br />
G’LILAH<br />
Lesa Gelb<br />
PRAYER FOR OUR<br />
COUNTRY<br />
Elizabeth Bartolai<br />
PRAYER FOR PEACE<br />
Gregg Spath<br />
KIDDUSH<br />
Hon. Max Rosenn<br />
HAMOTZI<br />
Harold Rosenn<br />
TEMPLE ISRAEL:<br />
Staff:<br />
Larry G. Kaplan, Rabbi<br />
Ahron Abraham, Cantor<br />
Gerri Kaplan, Principal<br />
Debra Schonfeld, Administrator<br />
Naomi Meyer, <strong>Chronicle</strong> Editor<br />
Officers:<br />
David E. Schwager, Esq., President<br />
Richard M. Goldberg, Esq.,<br />
Chairman of the Board<br />
Lisa Klee, School Board Chair<br />
Sisterhood President:<br />
Donna Kornfeld<br />
Men’s Club President:<br />
Dr. Richard Grossman<br />
SCHEDULE OF SERVICES<br />
Daily Minyan:<br />
Weekday Mornings, 7:15 AM<br />
Sunday Mornings, 8 AM<br />
Afternoons, 5:15 PM<br />
Shabbat Services:<br />
Kabbalat Service, 5:15 PM<br />
Saturday Morning, 9:30 AM<br />
See Detailed Shabbat Schedule Inside<br />
Phone: (570) 824-8927<br />
Fax: (570) 824-0904<br />
Layout Design courtesy of<br />
Bedwick & Jones Printing.<br />
Winners of the Yom<br />
Hashoah Essay Contest<br />
Five of the six<br />
winners of this year's<br />
community Yom<br />
Hashoah Essay<br />
Contest are <strong>Temple</strong><br />
<strong>Israel</strong> School of<br />
Excellence students.<br />
Shown above are<br />
Katherine Finkelstein,<br />
2nd place; Danielle<br />
Ghingold, 1st place;<br />
Sarah Klee, 1st place;<br />
Steven Finkelstein,<br />
1st place; Scott<br />
Nachlis, 1st place.<br />
The contest is open<br />
to all students at<br />
UHI, B’nai B’rith and<br />
<strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong><br />
religious schools. The winners received prizes and read their winning essays at the Yom<br />
Hashoah commemoration on Sunday, April 18th at the JCC.<br />
Mazal tov to all of the winners!<br />
visit our website at: http://www.templewb.com<br />
e-mail us at: office@templewb.com
Rabbi Kaplan Writes...<br />
Dear Friends,<br />
Now that<br />
Passover is only a<br />
memory, you’re<br />
undoubtedly<br />
having the same<br />
problem that I<br />
have, one that<br />
might<br />
appropriately be called the 11th Plague.<br />
Worse than darkness, worse than frogs,<br />
worse than boils- it’s the terrible plague<br />
of still having boxes and boxes of<br />
Matzah left over. Especially in my<br />
family, with literally eleven mouths to<br />
feed, almost every pre-Pesach trip to<br />
Price Chopper meant a free five pound<br />
box of Matzah. It may be called<br />
Lechem Oni- A Poor Person’s Bread- at<br />
the Seder table, but try giving your<br />
leftover boxes to a food pantry after the<br />
holiday has ended! If I save it for<br />
Tashlich in September I’ll have enough<br />
for all the ducks in North America.<br />
I’d save it for next year (how much<br />
worse could it taste?) but it actually<br />
becomes “Chametz” after Pesach ends.<br />
Judaism is usually pretty good about<br />
recycling things we use for rituals, but I<br />
haven’t heard any good ideas about<br />
Matzah. The Lulav we use on Sukkot we<br />
can save for...No- not Palm Sunday- but<br />
for searching for the Chametz before<br />
Pesach and then burning it with the<br />
Chametz. The Etrog we use on Sukkot<br />
we can use for jelly or we can put<br />
cloves in it to use as Besamim- spices to<br />
bid farewell to the weekly Shabbat at<br />
Havdalah. I wonder if Matzah would<br />
make good mulch for the garden. I’ve<br />
considered calling Sears and seeing if<br />
they want to buy a few pounds to use at<br />
their vacuum cleaner display. I knowit’s<br />
a crummy idea.<br />
The reason there is no tradition<br />
about recycling Matzah is that until our<br />
day, there was probably little left over.<br />
Most Jews were far from wealthy, and<br />
they were lucky if they had enough<br />
Matzah for everyone in their household<br />
to fulfill the Mitzvah of eating it at the<br />
Seder. From our earliest days on earth<br />
providing food for our families has been<br />
a difficult task. Ever since Adam was<br />
kicked out of the Garden of Eden we<br />
have had to till and tend the soil to<br />
hopefully produce enough food to keep<br />
our families from starving.<br />
Our ancient ancestors knew how<br />
important the grain was that grew in<br />
their fields. It was so valuable that it<br />
could actually be brought as a sacrifice<br />
to the ancient <strong>Temple</strong> in Jerusalem. It<br />
was known as a Mincha offering, made<br />
of cereal grain from wheat or oats or<br />
barley. And it was just as acceptable on<br />
God’s altar as a lamb or ram was.<br />
Because to the farmer who could only<br />
afford grain, it was truly a sacrifice.<br />
When the spring came, and the<br />
rains ended, the harvest of wheat and<br />
barley began. It took a few months to<br />
complete, and between Passover and<br />
Shavuot most of the work was done.<br />
During this time those ancient farmers<br />
brought a measure of grain, called an<br />
Omer, to wave before God at the<br />
<strong>Temple</strong> each day of the harvest. By<br />
showing gratitude at every step of the<br />
process, they hoped that God would<br />
continue to bless them with sustenance.<br />
They literally counted off the days<br />
between Passover and Shavuot, 49 days<br />
of appreciation for their yield. 49 days<br />
of counting their blessings.<br />
I’d say this period of the Counting<br />
of the Omer is possibly the most<br />
important time of the year for us. It<br />
gives us the opportunity to look at what<br />
we’ve got right this minute, and to<br />
express our gratitude to God for it. It<br />
reminds us how short our time on earth<br />
is, and in between the Yizkor of<br />
Passover and the Yizkor of Shavu’ot, we<br />
remember how lucky we are every<br />
single day.<br />
How many of your blessings have<br />
you counted recently? Could you think<br />
of 49 blessings you’ve got to be<br />
thankful for? Do you always think of at<br />
least one each day?<br />
I invite you to our daily service<br />
during these weeks leading up to<br />
Shavu’ot (you’re invited all year round,<br />
but this is special). Every evening at our<br />
5:15 Minyan we spend a minute<br />
reflecting on how we can make our<br />
lives a little better for the next day, and<br />
we count a new blessing in the process.<br />
Rabbi Kaplan<br />
Dessert & Learn<br />
Erev Shavuot<br />
Tikkun Study Session<br />
Tuesday, May 25, 2004<br />
7 p.m. in the School Building<br />
Rabbi Kaplan’s Topic:<br />
“Taking the Bible Literally”<br />
Page 2
Cantor’s Notes<br />
All of us are familiar with the<br />
all too frequent image of a<br />
beautiful child, who, because of<br />
various circumstances, is neglected<br />
by family and community. In the<br />
“family” of Jewish Holidays,<br />
Shavuot is that neglected child.<br />
Shavuot, which celebrates the<br />
giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai,<br />
Cantor Ahron Abraham<br />
was quite popular in ancient times.<br />
As one of the Pilgrimage Festivals, it was a time when our<br />
ancestors brought first fruits to the <strong>Temple</strong>, a period of<br />
great celebration and joy. As we are no longer a primarily<br />
agricultural people, the significance of Shavuot to many<br />
has diminished over the years, becoming overshadowed by<br />
“big brother” Pesach. But even without its agricultural<br />
aspects, Shavuot has many wonderful and important<br />
observances for all of us. Most importantly, the Ten<br />
SHABBAT<br />
SCHEDULE<br />
ACHEREI MOT/KEDOSHIM<br />
Friday, April 30<br />
Candlelighting time ..............................7:41 p.m.<br />
Saturday, May 1.................................................9:30 a.m.<br />
Bar Mitzvah of Jonathan Abraham<br />
Minchah................................................8:00 p.m<br />
✡ ✡ ✡ ✡<br />
EMOR<br />
Friday, May 7<br />
Candlelighting time ..............................7:49 p.m.<br />
Saturday, May 8.................................................9:30 a.m.<br />
Law Day Shabbat: Haftarah will be recited by<br />
Joseph Savitz.<br />
Minchah...............................................8:15 p.m.<br />
✡ ✡ ✡ ✡<br />
BEHAR/BECHUKOTAI<br />
Friday, May 14<br />
Candlelighting time ..............................7:56 p.m.<br />
Saturday, May 15<br />
Morning Service ...................................9:30 a.m.<br />
Baby-naming of Hayley Claire, daughter of<br />
Allison & Rob Friedman.<br />
Allison & Rob will sponsor the Kiddush.<br />
Minchah...............................................8:15 p.m.<br />
Commandments are read on the first day of the Festival. It<br />
is a special Mitzvah for every Jew to hear the Ten<br />
Commandments on Shavuot. The Ten Commandments are<br />
a simple guideline for civilized society and have been<br />
adopted by many world cultures. They are the very essence<br />
of our sacred teachings. The reading of the Ten<br />
Commandments is inspiring. Parents, please come to<br />
<strong>Temple</strong> on Wednesday, May 26 and Thursday, May 27<br />
(also Yizkor), and bring your children!<br />
On Shavuot, we read the Book of Ruth, one of the<br />
most beautiful stories in the entire Bible and of great<br />
significance to all of us. We also study Torah. This year our<br />
Tikkun Study Session with Rabbi Kaplan will be held erev<br />
Shavuot, Tuesday evening, May 25, at 7 o’ clock in the<br />
school building. It is also a tradition to eat dairy, and a<br />
dairy dessert will be served.<br />
Let’s embrace Shavuot and make it “part of the<br />
family” again.<br />
✡ ✡ ✡ ✡<br />
BEMIDBAR<br />
Friday, May 21<br />
Candlelighting time ..............................8:02 p.m.<br />
Saturday, May 22...............................................9:30 a.m.<br />
Pulpit Exchange; Rev. Robert Zanicky is guest<br />
speaker.<br />
Minchah...............................................8:30 p.m.<br />
✡ ✡ ✡ ✡<br />
EREV SHAVUOT<br />
Tuesday, May 25<br />
Minchah...............................................5:15 p.m.<br />
Candlelighting time ..............................8:06 p.m.<br />
✡ ✡ ✡ ✡<br />
SHAVUOT<br />
Wednesday, May 26<br />
Festival Morning Service.......................9:30 a.m.<br />
Minchah...............................................5:15 p.m.<br />
Candlelighting time ..............................8:07 p.m.<br />
Thursday, May 27<br />
Festival Morning Service/Yizkor ...........9:30 a.m.<br />
Minchah...............................................5:15 p.m.<br />
✡ ✡ ✡ ✡<br />
NASO<br />
Friday, May 28<br />
Candlelighting time ..............................8:09 p.m.<br />
Saturday, May 29..................................9:30 a.m.<br />
Minchah...............................................8:30 p.m.<br />
✡ ✡ ✡ ✡<br />
Page 3
Gerri Kaplan<br />
School Notes<br />
What a great year we had. We<br />
did so many exciting things and<br />
learned more than we ever have.<br />
We had an intense Hebrew<br />
curriculum along with studying<br />
Torah, Parasha, holidays, and<br />
blessings with a special emphasis on<br />
comprehension. This year we added<br />
a pre-school program that was<br />
fabulous. The children learned their Alef-bet, read stories,<br />
learned a few prayers, made some beautiful projects and<br />
mastered many new songs. Our first and second graders also<br />
accomplished new things. Our first graders attended two days<br />
a week which gave us more time for them to get a head start.<br />
They were able to study the weekly Parasha, begin learning to<br />
read from the Siddur, work out of a second grade Hebrew<br />
primer, learn Bible stories and then transfer what they learned<br />
onto a beautiful poster and made some beautiful projects.<br />
Our second grade class learned new prayers out of their new<br />
Siddur that they decorated with their parents and then<br />
received at a Friday Night Service that the students<br />
participated in. They are very knowledgeable with Parasha at<br />
Shabbat School. They know most of the answers when asked.<br />
They accomplished Hebrew, history, prayers, songs and loved<br />
stories that were told to them. Fourth grade mastered Ashrei<br />
this year. That is a major accomplishment. They learned<br />
many new prayers as well as learning what they mean. They<br />
are pros at Parasha as well as a huge Hebrew library that they<br />
achieved. Fifth grade is an amazing group. With having<br />
fewer students in this class, the students were able to get lots<br />
of attention. They are amazing when the Hebrew teacher<br />
speaks to them in Hebrew and they answer back in Hebrew.<br />
They also have learned many new prayers and are way ahead<br />
when ready to begin their Bar/Bat Mitzvah training. Our sixth<br />
graders showed their teachers how much can be<br />
accomplished in one year. They were so eager to learn, that<br />
they were able to move at a quicker pace. They can also<br />
speak conversational Hebrew with their teacher. They along<br />
with fifth grade learned over 300 vocabulary words that they<br />
can not only say but understand. The Holocaust was a big<br />
part of our curriculum this year. They studied out of<br />
workbooks, read articles that their teacher brought in as well<br />
as watching a video. You could hear a pin drop in the room<br />
as they watched. Our seventh grade learned with Rabbi<br />
Kaplan. They studied Torah, Megillat Esther and the<br />
Haggadah. They also learned about the Holocaust and<br />
studied various Mitzvot including Tzedakah and Honoring<br />
one’s Parents.<br />
I want to thank my wonderful staff. They did a fabulous<br />
job teaching our children this year. They went above and<br />
beyond to make this a great year. Our students learned so<br />
much and it makes me proud to have each and every one.<br />
Thanks again to Lynette Kislin, Carole Abraham, Debbie Troy,<br />
Rabbi Pearlman, Karen Marcus, Einat Davidowitz, Cantor<br />
Abraham and Rabbi Kaplan. Yasher Koach to all of you!!!!!<br />
Gerri Kaplan<br />
School Pictures<br />
Page 4
Our Model Seder<br />
School Closing Services<br />
We are looking forward to our closing Hebrew School<br />
services on Friday, May 7. Our students will participate by<br />
class as follows: PreKindergarten to Second Grade: Bim Bam<br />
& Shabbat Shalom; 2nd Grade: Shabbat Candles; 4th grade:<br />
L’cha Dodi & v’Shamru; 5th Grade: Tzadik Katamar & Mi<br />
Chamocha; 6th & 7th Grade: Kiddush & Hatzi Kaddish.<br />
The service will be our musical Friday Night Live, which<br />
welcomes in Shabbat. A dairy Oneg Shabbat will follow.<br />
HAPPY MAY BIRTHDAYS<br />
TO OUR STUDENTS<br />
May 1<br />
Russel Michelson<br />
Andrew Nakkache<br />
Stefanie Davidowitz<br />
May 3 Michael Finkelstein<br />
May 4 Rachel Kislin<br />
May 5 Lily Fierman<br />
May 7 Jesse Lipfert<br />
May 8 Raina Connor<br />
May 17 Jacob Berger<br />
May 23 Adam Siegel<br />
May 25 Nora Fierman<br />
May 26 Rose Fierman<br />
May 30 Emily Alinikoff<br />
Jamie Clearfield<br />
May 31 Sara Williams<br />
MAY SCHOOL EVENTS:<br />
May 1<br />
May 7<br />
May 11<br />
Jonathan Abraham Bar Mitzvah<br />
Friday Night Live & Closing Hebrew School Service<br />
School Board, 7 p.m.<br />
HEBREW SCHOOL DAYS<br />
May 2, 4, 6<br />
Yasher Koach to Our<br />
Youth Leaders<br />
Two members of <strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong>'s confirmation class,<br />
Ross Feinstein and Hillary Smith, have been selected to<br />
serve as their high schools' representatives to the Hugh<br />
O'Brien Youth Leadership Seminar (HOBY), to be held in<br />
May at Millersville University. HOBY Leadership Seminars<br />
are designed to prepare our country's high school<br />
sophomores to become effective, ethical leaders in their<br />
home, schools, workplace and community.<br />
Ross is a dean's list student at Wyoming Seminary,<br />
where he serves as an officer in the student government and<br />
as opinions editor of the student newspaper. He is also a<br />
member of the Mock Trial team, the Science Research<br />
Group, Blue Key, Peer Group, and the school orchestra, and<br />
was named to the district orchestra. Ross also plays on<br />
Sem's varsity tennis and soccer teams.<br />
Hillary is an honors student at Dallas High School<br />
where she serves as treasurer of Key Club and will be its<br />
President next year. She is also involved in Shakespeare<br />
Club, the Newspaper Club, Science Olympiad, and is a Peer<br />
Helper. Hillary also competes on the varsity swim team,<br />
where she earned a District medal this year.<br />
Page 5
Page 6<br />
✡ May Yahrzeits ✡<br />
Week of May 1 – May 8: Sidney Baldinger, A.W.<br />
Berman, Arthur Briskin, Samuel P. Cohen, Sarah Cohen,<br />
Maxwell Crames, Leah Cutler, Franklyn Davis, Arthur<br />
Dorf, Esther Gelb,Sadie Goldstein, Hannah Hacker,<br />
Wolfe Harris, Anna G. Hyman, Dora Jordan, Robert<br />
Klein, Mania Kornblau, Harold Meyer, Edith Miller, Abe<br />
Morris, Rebecca Nudelman, Kate Osband, Jacob<br />
Rabinowitz, Isadore Robins, Gerald Savitz, Joel Schwarz,<br />
Miriam Sims, Isadore Smulowitz, Harry Sulkes, Hanne<br />
Tischler, Frances Wasserstrom, Yettie Wisoker, Morris<br />
Yelen<br />
Week of May 9 – May 15: Isaac Antokolitz, Ruth<br />
Berman, Jack Breslaw, Annie Burnat, Harrison Coplan,<br />
Joseph Dorf, Yolanda Engel, Mary Fierman, Anne<br />
Finkelstein, Maynard Finkelstein, Ruth Greenwald,<br />
Arthur S. Hymen, Samuel Jacobs, Manny Judd, Morton<br />
Kaufman, Flora Kohn, Zelda Kurlansky, Dora Levy,<br />
Edward Popky, Dr. L. Saidman, Jeanne Sherman, Harry Y.<br />
Smulyan, Elsa Stern, Lillian Sullum, Tillie Sullum, Faye<br />
Weinstock, Herbert Winkler<br />
Week of May 16 – May 22: Emil Alinikoff, Harold<br />
Baldinger, Jerome Bleyer, Benjamin Chafetz, David<br />
Charnow, Morris Cohen, Rose Dorf, Morris Feldman,<br />
Samuel Feldman, Allen Gilbert, Ethel Groh, Louis Haber,<br />
Leroy Hurwitz, Roslyn Hurwitz, Marvin Judd, Sarah<br />
Kanner, Hyman Kaplan, Rachel Kissel, Sol Lubin, Sarah<br />
Luka, Edward Morris, I. L. Robbins, Evelyn Rosen,<br />
Samuel J.Sagenkahn, Abe Savitz, Solomon Senior, Jacob<br />
Slomowitz, Sylvia Steiner, Isadore Thalenfeld, Alan<br />
Trompetter, Jacob Webber, Harold Weber, Esther Wohl,,<br />
Esther Wolfe.<br />
Week of May 23 – May 31: Ruth Block, Leah Bravman,<br />
Katherine Cohen, Ruth Cohen, Harry Dickstein, Sam<br />
Fainberg, Eva Freed, Mrs. A. Gallow, Isidore Goldstein,<br />
David Goodman, Simy Halioua, Lena Holtzman, Hazel<br />
Jaffie, Louis Kluger, Frank Lurie, Herman Marcus, Ida<br />
Meirowitz, Helen Mermelstein, David Miller, Morris<br />
Nachlis, Irving Pezzner, Roslyn Picker, Tillie Rosenn,<br />
Grace Rosenthal, Mary M. Schnair, Harry Silverstein,<br />
Maurice Sirkin, Naomi Soble, Herbert Trompetter, Louis<br />
Weiner, Gussie Wendum.<br />
JA to Honor<br />
Robert A. Fortinsky<br />
Junior Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania has<br />
helped make our area a better place to live and work by<br />
building partnerships between business and education for 35<br />
years. This year they are honoring four local businessmen at<br />
the 17th annual Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame<br />
dinner on Tuesday, May 18, at the Woodlands Inn and<br />
Resort, Wilkes-Barre. Our Past President and dedicated<br />
<strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong> member, Robert A. Fortinsky, is one of those<br />
being elected to the Business Hall of Fame.<br />
Mazal Tov to:<br />
•Marion Isaacs on the birth of a great-granddaughter, Eve<br />
Abigail, born to Daniel & Lisa Isaacs.<br />
•Nona & Bob Libenson on the Bat Mitzvah of their<br />
granddaughter, Lauren, daughter of Margo & Rob Reiss.<br />
•Darlene & Doug Kranson on the marriage of their son,<br />
Kirk.<br />
•Lillian Teitelbaum on the marriage of her granddaughter.<br />
•Karen & Steve Schwarz on the marriage of their son, David<br />
Zager.<br />
•Marion & Harold Frank on the marriage of their daughter,<br />
Judy.<br />
Condolences to:<br />
•The family of Morris Hacker on his passing.<br />
•Barbara Levy on the passing her mother, Dr. Gladys Ball.<br />
•Sheldon Nelson on the passing of his mother, Rose Nelson.<br />
JTS Invites the Public<br />
to Explores Ethics,<br />
Judaism and Medicine<br />
The Finkelstein Institute of Social and Religious Studies,<br />
an affiliate of The Jewish Theological Seminary, recently<br />
held the first in an ongoing series of bioethics conferences.<br />
The subject, which attracted more than eighty attendees,<br />
was the ethical dilemma of cochlear implantation for deaf<br />
children. The series is held at JTS.<br />
The discussion centered on whether deafness is<br />
considered a disability under Jewish law and therefore open<br />
to surgical correction. Other themes that were explored<br />
included the difference in perspective and belief systems<br />
between the hearing and non-hearing; who should be<br />
empowered to make such surgical decisions for children;<br />
and decoding halakhic commentary and application for<br />
issues such as this one, in which ethics and medical<br />
progress coalesce,<br />
According to Marla Berkowitz, who holds a MA from<br />
the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education<br />
at JTS and as such, is the first and only deaf graduate of JTS<br />
and the first deaf recipient of a Wexner Fellowship, "pride in<br />
being a functioning member of the Jewish deaf community<br />
and its rich and enabling culture" is often overlooked in<br />
making such surgical decisions.<br />
Learning sign language was a turning point for Marla<br />
who has gone on to become an articulate spokesperson for<br />
the rights of the Jewish deaf as President and Co-founder of<br />
The Jewish Deaf Resource Center, Inc. Further illustrating<br />
the ability of the deaf to be able to lead full and satisfying<br />
lives without medical treatment for hearing; she is also a<br />
well-respected Jewish educator in the deaf community and a<br />
talented teacher and interpreter of Jewish liturgy for the deaf.
From Our President. . .<br />
Our School<br />
of Excellence<br />
continues to<br />
impress with its<br />
successful<br />
education of our<br />
children and<br />
grandchildren.<br />
The community<br />
David E. Schwager, Esq. Yom Hashoah<br />
Essay Contest<br />
was open to students at each<br />
synagogue and the United Hebrew<br />
Institute. Five <strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong> students<br />
were among the six winners of the<br />
contest and each read his or her essay<br />
and received an award at the Yom<br />
Hashoah commemoration at the Jewish<br />
Community Center. Congratulations to<br />
Katherine Finkelstein, Steven<br />
Finkelstein, Scott Nachlis, Danielle<br />
Ghingold, and Sarah Klee, as well as<br />
Principal Gerri Kaplan and the religious<br />
school teachers, in particular Einat<br />
Davidowitz, who taught the Holocaust<br />
curriculum this year.<br />
Contest winners with Einat Davidowitz<br />
Help Our Troops<br />
Through the JCC<br />
The Wilkes-Barre Jewish community will be sending<br />
individual care packages to those battalions with which JCC<br />
members are affiliated, including our local 109th. A<br />
committee representing <strong>Temple</strong> B’nai B’rith,<strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong>,<br />
Congregation Ohav Zedek, Bais Menachim, United Hebrew<br />
Institute, Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Federation,<br />
Jewish War Veterans and the JCC is working hard to ensure<br />
that we can do this small mitzvah to help our troops.<br />
The care packages will include basic staples such as<br />
Chapstick, toothbrushes, hand wipes, gum and a few “treats”<br />
such as tuna fish, crackers and power bars. Center members<br />
will decorate and write cards which will be included in each<br />
Under the leadership of Ida Miller<br />
and Larry Keiser, our Ruach<br />
Subcommittee is again sponsoring Law<br />
Day Shabbat on May 8th. We will be<br />
joined by our own Judge Max Rosenn,<br />
Senior Judge of the U.S. Third Circuit<br />
Court of Appeals; former Luzerne<br />
County President Judge Joseph Augello;<br />
and Michael Butera, President of the<br />
Luzerne County Bar Association.<br />
Please join the congregation as it<br />
salutes the rule of law and those who<br />
work in the legal system. Many of our<br />
lawyer members will be having aliyot,<br />
reading Torah, doing readings, and<br />
other honors. The Haftarah will be<br />
chanted by our past president, Joseph<br />
Savitz.<br />
A fabulous salute to medical<br />
practitioners was held on Health Care<br />
Professional Shabbat last month. The<br />
event, chaired by Dr. Loren Grossman,<br />
a member of the Board of Trustees,<br />
featured insightful remarks by Dr.<br />
Steven Rothstein, Medical Director for<br />
Blue Cross of Northeastern<br />
Pennsylvania.<br />
Many thanks to the Seligman<br />
J. Strauss Lodge of B’nai B’rith for<br />
its grant of $2,500.00 to help<br />
enable needy children to attend<br />
Camp Ramah this summer. The<br />
Lodge, led by its President,<br />
Stephen Rosenthal, and its<br />
Board, do wonderful things in<br />
the community and throughout<br />
the nation and world through<br />
B’nai B’rith.<br />
Our chairman of the board<br />
of trustees, Richard Goldberg,<br />
has appointed a school board<br />
nominating committee composed of<br />
past president Ann Smith, as chair, and<br />
Barry Dyller and Laurie Schwager,<br />
members of the school board. Anyone<br />
interested in serving on the school<br />
board should contact one of these<br />
individuals or Lisa Klee, school board<br />
chair.<br />
Despite the tremendous success to<br />
date of “The Next Generation”<br />
campaign to insure the future of our<br />
<strong>Temple</strong>, we still are facing significant<br />
annual deficits. As of the writing of this<br />
column, we have received the support<br />
and participation of 93 <strong>Temple</strong> families<br />
who have pledged on an annual goingforward<br />
basis beginning with the<br />
current fiscal year more than<br />
$113,000.00 in new annual funding for<br />
the <strong>Temple</strong>. But to stop the continued<br />
draining of <strong>Temple</strong>’s funds, we need<br />
everyone to participate at one of the<br />
membership levels to the extent of their<br />
own capabilities. Please contact me to<br />
make your pledge today!<br />
Also, before you know it, the end<br />
of July will be here and the current<br />
fiscal year will be over. So please fulfill<br />
your financial commitments (Dues,<br />
TNG, etc.) to <strong>Temple</strong> as soon as<br />
possible to help us avoid significant<br />
cash flow problems of the past.<br />
As always, we need your help to<br />
keep our daily minyan going<br />
throughout the week!<br />
See you at <strong>Temple</strong>,<br />
David<br />
president@templewb.com<br />
package. We hope to send 500 individual packages and to<br />
have the care packages in Iraq by July 4. Considering there<br />
are over 100,000 troops serving in Iraq, this is a very small<br />
gesture on our part, but will mean so much to the<br />
courageous men and women protecting our freedom.<br />
Please help our committee meet our goal by sending a<br />
monetary donation so we can purchase the needed items.<br />
Make your check payable to the JCC Mitzvah Care Packages<br />
by Monday, May 17 and send it to JCC, 60 South River Street,<br />
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702. We also need help with shopping,<br />
packing and shipping. If you can give of your time, please<br />
contact Rick Evans or Paula Chaiken at 824-4646.<br />
The Wilkes-Barre Jewish community is coming together<br />
for the sake of our troops. Please help any way that you are<br />
able. You will be getting a letter asking for your help in the<br />
next few weeks. Give generously. Thank you in advance.<br />
Let’s all pray for peace.<br />
Page 7
<strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong><br />
236 S. River St.<br />
Wilkes-Barre PA 18702<br />
Non-Profit<br />
Organization<br />
U.S. Postage<br />
PAID<br />
Wilkes-Barre, PA<br />
Permit No. 105<br />
May 2004<br />
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday<br />
Bar Mitzvah of<br />
Jonathan Abraham<br />
1<br />
Sisterhood<br />
Closing Meeting,<br />
Noon<br />
Book Club,<br />
7 p.m. at Ann &<br />
Marvin Smith’s<br />
home<br />
Lag Ba’Omer<br />
Board of Trustees<br />
Friday Night Live Law Day Shabbat<br />
2 3 4 5 6 7 8<br />
meeting, 7:30 p.m.<br />
& Hebrew School<br />
Closing Service<br />
School Board<br />
Friedman<br />
9 10 11 12 13 14 15<br />
Meeting, 7 p.m.<br />
Baby-Naming<br />
Executive<br />
Guest speaker at<br />
16 17 18 19 20 21 22<br />
Committee<br />
services, Rev.<br />
Meeting,<br />
7:30 p.m.<br />
Robert Zanicky<br />
Rabbi speaks at<br />
First Presbyterian<br />
Church-<br />
23<br />
Tikkun Shavuot Shavuot<br />
Shavuot Yizkor<br />
24 25 26 27 7 p.m.<br />
28 29<br />
30 31<br />
<strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong> Funds<br />
The following is a listing of <strong>Temple</strong> <strong>Israel</strong> funds to which donors may contribute for memorials, simchas, recoveries,<br />
etc. Minimum contribution is $5.00 unless otherwise noted.<br />
BUILDING FUND<br />
BIBLE FUND ($10)<br />
CHAI CONTRIBUTIONS ($18)<br />
SALLY & RALPH CONNOR<br />
HIDDUR MITZVAH FUND<br />
JOSEPH N. COPLAN PRAYER BOOK FUND<br />
CHARLOTTE & JOE CUTLER FUND<br />
ETZ CHAIM BIBLE ($118)<br />
FRIEDMAN INTERFAITH ENDOWMENT<br />
ROBERT FRIEDMAN LITURGICAL MUSIC FUND<br />
HAPPY DAY FUND<br />
ENID HERSHEY KIDDUSH CUP FUND<br />
HIGH HOLIDAY PRAYER BOOK FUND<br />
LAWRENCE HOLLANDER B'NAI MITZVAH<br />
PRAYER BOOK FUND<br />
FEED THE HOMELESS FUND<br />
DORIS & SIDNEY KEISER KERUV FUND<br />
ESTHER & NATHAN KLEIN<br />
PASSOVER ENDOWMENT<br />
HANNAH & WILLIAM S. KLINE LIBRARY FUND<br />
LANDAU PAVILION FUND<br />
LEVY CHAPEL FUND<br />
BEN LIBENSON MEMORIAL ART FUND<br />
FRANK & HILDA LUBIN<br />
FEED THE HOMELESS FUND<br />
LYONS EDUCATION FUND<br />
MINNIE MORRELL MUSIC FUND<br />
MINYAN FUND<br />
BARBARA NEWSBAUM MILLER<br />
PRAYER BOOK FUND<br />
SAM NELSON CARE PACKAGE FUND<br />
DORIS & JEROME NEWMAN<br />
EDUCATIONAL ENRICHMENT FUND<br />
PRAYER BOOK FUND<br />
RABINOWITZ TALLIT FUND<br />
JOAN F. & HERBERT L. RITTENBERG FAMILY<br />
ENDOWMENT<br />
SAIDMAN-GREENWALD TORAH FUND<br />
($18 minimum)<br />
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND<br />
SANCTUARY FUND ($25)<br />
SHAFFER SHABBAT KIDDUSH FUND<br />
SHAFFER SUKKAH ENDOWMENT<br />
SIDDUR HADASH ($20)<br />
SILBERMAN MEZUZZAH FUND<br />
MIRIAM K. SIMS ENDOWMENT<br />
USY/KADIMA FUND