issue: - Congregation Beth Ahabah

’yachadVolume 78 No. 05 APRIL 2013 | nisan–Iyyar 5773Congregation beth Ahabahbethahabah.orgRosmy to honor Beth ahabah April 20thROSMY, a support agency for LGBTQteens, will honor Beth Ahabah as one ofits 2013 Catalyst Award winners at itsannual Springtime celebration on April20. For over 20 years, ROSMY hasbeen committed to supporting LGBTQ(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, andquestioning) teens and to providinginformation and training for parents andcounselors.The Catalyst Award to Beth Ahabah isin recognition and appreciation for thecongregation’s inclusive culture and itsteaching of acceptance and respect forsexual minorities. Other award winnersthis year will be The Valentine RichmondHistory Center and VCU Professor DorothyFillmore.Springtime this year is titled a “JazzyAffair” and will be held at the historicHippodrome Theater on April 20, 7:00-11:00 p.m. Cocktails, hors d’oeuvres,a silent auction, and lots of jazz will befeatured, along with presentation of theCatalyst awards. Tickets are $125 each($100 if purchased before March 17),with proceeds supporting ROSMY’sprogramming for LGBTQ youth.Purim GreetingsStudents from pre-school throughsecond grade sent Purim SamechGreetings to students in Hadera, Israel.Read more about the Religious SchoolPurim festivities on page 6.In thisissue:Nominations p 2The Israeli Elections p 3Donations p 8Mitzvah Day p 9Community Calendar p 11

2Leadership Development Committee:2013-2014 NominationsDear Congregants:Pursuant to our Bylaws and at the request of Ron Kasoff,President of Congregation Beth Ahabah, the LeadershipDevelopment Committee has developed a slate ofnominees for the 2013-14 year. We are pleased to submitthe following for consideration at our Annual Meeting onFriday, May 3, 2013.NOMINEESfor 2013 - 2014President: Chuck RothenbergFirst Vice President: Katie RoeperSecond Vice President: Larry SalzmanTreasurer: Rob DavidsonPast President: Ron KasoffFor a three year term ending in 2016:Board of Managers:Lisa KaplanBrian MeyerLarry SalomonCharley ScherJames WeinbergFor a one year term ending in 2014 (to fill a vacancy):Board of Managers: Heather Dinkin, Dan RosenthalFor a two year term ending in 2015 (to fill a vacancy):Board of Managers: Joel SilvermanFor a four year term ending in 2017:Trustee: Earl FergusonOur Bylaws provide that nominations for Officers,Managers and Trustees may also be made by writtenpetition of at least 75 members in good standing,accompanied by a written statement that the candidateso nominated is willing to serve. Such petition must bereceived at the Temple office no later than thirty days priorto the Annual Meeting.I thank Carol Ann Callahan, Rob Davidson, Linda Ferguson,Daniela Jacobs, Adam Nelson and Chuck Rothenberg fortheir service on the Leadership Development Committee.who’s who: Elise ScherrHonored by the Jewish Community Federation of RichmondCongratulations to Elise Scherr,a longtime member of Beth Ahabah,who was honored by theJewish Community Federation ofRichmond (JCFR) as the 2012L’Dor V’Dor Woman of Valor inNovember.Elise has been an active communityvolunteer for almost 40 years,serving Beth Sholom, Hadassah,the Jewish Woman’s Club, theElise Scherr Beth Ahabah Sisterhood and theTemple Board of Managers. Shehas been honored with the JCFRSchwarzschild Outstanding Campaign Work Award –Women’s Division, in 2004 and 2011, and the Beth SholomDistinguished Service Award in 2001.Elise has been married to Irving for 56 years. They havethree children: Melissa and her husband, Andy Brownstein;Jay and his wife, Audrey; and 3 granddaughters, Ellen,Alexandra and Olivia.Did you know?Astronaut Judith ResnikJudith Resnik, the daughter of RussianJewish immigrants, was the firstJewish woman in space.She was recruited by “Star Trek”star Nichell Nichols to enter intoNASA’s space program while workingon her PhD in engineering. Sixyears later she became the first Judith ResnikJewish woman in space (and onlythe second Jew in space) on the maiden voyage of theDiscovery in 1984.Tragically, Judith was one of the astronauts aboard thedoomed Challenger, which exploded shortly after launch,killing all on board, on January 28, 1986.From the First Jewess in Space by Tamar Fox onhttp://thejewniverse.com/2013/first-jewess-in-space.Respectfully Submitted,Nancy Belleman, Chair

7b’not mitzvahEllie MastApril 6, 2013Ellie Mast will be called to the Torah asa Bat Mitzvah on April 6, 2013. She isthe daughter of Elissa and Chris Mastand the older sister to Samuel. Hergrandparents are Lois and Harry Gellisof Midlothian and Jake and Kay Mast ofMidlothian.Ellie is a 7th grade honors student atMillwood School. She is a member ofthe Interact Club, plays on a tennisteam and is an avid reader. She enjoysforensics, drama and cooking.For her Mitzvah Project, she organizedand executed a food drive to benefitBainbridge Ministry, a non-profit organizationin Petersburg serving food toinsecure Virginians. She hopes her fooddrive helps all of the children in our citythat are food insecure.Lyndsay NelsonApril 13, 2013Lyndsay will be called to the Torah asa Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, April 13,2013. She is the daughter of Adamand Laurie Nelson, and the youngersister of Melissa Nelson.Lyndsay is a seventh grade honor rollstudent at Oak Knoll Middle School.Lyndsay loves to read, play cello andspend time with family and friends.Lyndsay’s Bat Mitzvah is on the sameday as the Monument Avenue 10K,during which the Virginia HolocaustMuseum is doing a walkathon “insidethe 10K” to raise funds for the Museum.For her Mitzvah Project, Lyndsay helpedthe Virginia Holocaust Museum getpeople either to walk in the MonumentAvenue 10K with our family and raisemoney for the Museum, or to sponsorher or another walker to raise money forthe Museum. Lyndsay also has donatedher hair three times to Locks of Lovesince the 1st grade.We are very proud of Lyndsay and herfocus on community. We look forwardto celebrating this special occasionwith Lyndsay’s classmates, friendsand family.Briana SchwamApril 20, 2013Briana Schwam will be called to the Torahas a Bat Mitzvah on April 20, 2013.Briana is the daughter of Gary andLimor-Glazer Schwam, younger sisterof Carly, granddaughter of Jay and FeliciaGlazer of NYC, now in Richmond,and granddaughter of Sandy and thelate Harvey Schwam of Philadelphia,now of Jacksonville, FL.Briana is a 7th grade honor student atPocahontas Middle School. She is onthe school’s tennis team and selectedchorus, Lyrical Ladies. Briana alsoenjoys swimming, cooking, theater,travel, and is in her eighth year beinga girl scout. Briana’s Mitzvah Projectis helping a nonprofit group calledGuiding Eyes for the Blind. Briana hasraised money at fundraisers, showeredall the dogs being raised in the RichmondRegion with home made treats,is conducting a towel drive collection,and most importantly, has raised aware-ness in our community about this groupand the need for more puppy raisers,transporters, trainers and donations.Her family is very proud of her and weall look forward to celebrating withBriana and all her friends, family andcongregation members who will helpmake this a wonderful occasion.Thomas GreenApril 27, 2013Thomas Green will be called to theTorah as a Bat Mitzvah on April 27,2013. Thomas is the daughter ofCarolyn Dean and Lonny Green, andsister to Galen, Stenzler, Knaide, Quinnand Mannix. She is the granddaughterof Janet O’Connor and the late Dr.Philip Dean, and the late Shirley Greenand the late David Green.Thomas is a 7 th grade student in theInternational Baccalaureate program atMoody Middle School. She is on thetrack and tennis team at Moody, andplays in a volleyball league at RichmondVolleyball Club. Thomas loves musicand has been playing piano for 7 years.She also plays the stand up bass in theschool orchestra. She enjoys school,sports, family time and playing with herdogs Oscar, Max and especially Milo.For her Mitzvah project, she hasorganized a team to participate in arelay to raise funds for the AmericanCancer Society.Thomas’ family is very proud of her,and looks forward to celebrating thissimcha with her family, friends and thecongregation.

9Your mission, should you decide to accept it, occurs this yearon May 5th, during our annual Mitzvah Day. This will be awonderful opportunity for all of us to perform acts of servicefor our Temple, our community, and, with the addition of the“Stop Hunger Now” program, the world!We will have many wonderful and worthwhile projects available,from feeding the hungry, to beautification of our templeand cemetery, to giving blood through the Blood Bank, andeven donating hair through “Locks of Love.” There will be opportunitiesto plant, to paint, to cook, to bake, to build, and todonate! It should be a very busy, exciting and productive day!Registration for Mitzvah Day is open on the temple website.All of the activities that you can choose from are listed. Therewill be projects that are appropriate for all ages and interests,and you can decide which projects work best for you and yourfamily. So be on the lookout!We are very grateful to our project leaders who are helping usto organize a variety of ways to perform Mitzvot, but we needall of you to help make this a successful day. Please, please,please tell all of your friends, your family and your fellow congregantsto participate in this special day, a day that gives allof us the time to perform one of the most important honors inlife, acts of service.While we have many opportunities to perform Mitzvot, this isa special day, a time when there is power in numbers, whenthe acts of a few can combine to be the acts of many. A daywhere we, in sharing with each other, can have a great impacton our spirits, our children and our lives; while at the sametime, impacting the lives of many others. So please join us inour mission and help us to make this Mitzvah Day a success!We cannot do it without you, so please accept this mission,mark your calendars and join us on Sunday, May 5th.Please join us forThe 7th AnnualThe Religious School year is nearingthe end. Mitzvah Day will be held onMay 5th. Brotherhood will be workingwith Sisterhood to prepare lunchesfor all participants. We will assemblein the kitchen that morning. Pleasejoin us to help out by contacting meat martinjmiller@comcast.netYours in Brotherhood,Martin J. Miller, PresidentReform Judaism MagazineOnlineThe Spring 2013 issue of ReformJudaism magazine is now live atwww.Reformjudaismmag.org.It is also available as a digital edition foriPads and smartphones.Lewis I. HeldAwardFriday evening, May 3, 2013The Lewis I. Held award recognizes anoutstanding High School Student.The award will be presentedat services during Installation Shabbat

10Pistol Packing Matron Foils Robberytimidity and hardly any sensibility left.”David Farris, DirectorConcealed Handgun Inspires Thievesto Reconsider Their PlanA distinguished lady of the RichmondJewish Community found herself tobe one of those persons who couldbring her talents to bear on any greatneed, even those that require dramaticchanges in personality. This quietSouthern lady found herself assistingin the running of a large Richmondhospital, bringing her into contact withsituations quite alien to her genteelupbringing. In a letter to her sister,she wrote “I sometimes wonder if Iam the same person who was afraidto look at a dead person, for I have noCurrently on Exhibit in the Galleries:• That You’ll Remember Me: Jewish Voices of the Civil War• Jewish Women in the Arts• Commonwealth & CommunityMuseum Hours:10 am to 3 pm Sunday - ThursdayHer new strengths came to theforefront one night when she heardsomeone trying to break into thestoreroom where the hospital’svaluable supplies of whiskey werestored. This versatile liquid servedas antiseptic and anesthetic, and wasnot meant as refreshment for socialoccasions. Slipping a revolver intothe pocket of her dress, she enteredthe room and confronted the would-bethieves. Undaunted by her diminutivesize, they laughed at her demand thatthey leave. All she had to do was tocock the revolver in her pocket, thesound of which made them pause andlisten. She then explained that one ofher five shots would certainly find itsmark, and once again ordered themto leave. They chose the wiser path,and retreated.Come and see her picture at theMuseum & Archives, and read herdiary if you wish. Even though thesethings happened in the Civil Waryears, they are still relevant to ourown times.The Museum & Archives is located next door to the temple office at1109 W. Franklin Street.treasures fromthe collectionThis Mortar & Pestle from LakesidePharmacy was a part of the Museum &Archives’ 2006 exhibit “Minding the Store,”that celebrated the growth and economicdevelopment of Richmond and the role thatJews played.Those persons above a certain age willremember when every pharmacist in everydrugstore had one or more of these. Theywere used to grind and mix chemicalsinto powder form so that they could beincorporated into various medicines. Informer times, pharmacists had to createmany of the prescriptions they filled fromvarious ingredients much like the way cookscreate recipes in the kitchen.This particular example of a Mortar & Pestlemay have been more ornamental thanutilitarian. The ones used to actually grindand mix powders were generally smaller,and were made of china or ceramic.The Mortar & Pestle were lent to theexhibition by Gerald Grossman.For more information about the archives, to make an appointment to researchin the archives or set up a group tour, please contact 804.353.2668.

11Beth Ahabah Community CalendarApril 2013*5 Shabbat service w/ Adult Choir 7:30 PM6 BAT mitzvah: 10:30 AMEllie Mast21SundayReligious SchoolEtz Chayim RehearsalRuach Hadash Rehearsal9:15 AM11:30 AM11:45 AM7SundayNo Religious School22 Midrasha Monday 6:30 PM10th grade only24 midweek Hebrew 5:30 PM8 Midrasha Monday 6:30 PM9th and 10th grade only10 midweek Hebrew 5:30 PM12 8th & 9th grade shabbat Dinner6:00 pmFamily Shabbat servicew/Etz Chayim Choir & Ruach Chadash7:30 PM13 BAT mitzvah: 10:30 AMLyndsay Nelson26 Jewish Music shabbatw/ Adult Choir 7:30 PM27 BAT mitzvah: 10:30 AMThomas Green28SundayReligious School7th Grade GesherEtz Chayim RehearsalRuach Hadash Rehearsal9:15 AM11:30 AM11:45 AM14SundayReligious School7th Grade Field TripEtz Chayim RehearsalRuach Hadash Rehearsal9:15 AM11:30 AM11:45 AM29 Midrasha Monday 6:30 PM10th grade only15 Midrasha Monday 6:30 PM9th and 10th grade only*Please check the Community Calendar atwww.bethahabah.org for updates.17 midweek Hebrew 5:30 PM19 Shabbat service 7:30 PM20 BAT mitzvah: 10:30 AMBrianna SchwamEditorial submissions and ad materials forthe May/June issue of B’yachadare due no later than April 1st.

Successor to K.K. Beth Shalome...1789Dated MaterialTemple StaffMartin P. Beifield Jr. Sophia andNathan Gumenick Senior Rabbi*Jesse Gallop Associate Rabbi*Russell M. Finer Executive Director*Ramona Brand Education Director*Dr. Jack D. Spiro Rabbi EmeritusFrances T. Goldman Cantor EmeritaNatan Berenshteyn Choral DirectorSarah Beck-Berman Cantorial SoloistTemple OfficersRon Kasoff President*Charles Rothenberg 1st VicePresident*Katie Roeper 2nd Vice President*Michael Mendelson Treasurer*Nancy Belleman Past President*Temple AuxiliariesHarlan Loebman Museum & ArchivesPresidentDavid B. Farris Museum & ArchivesDirectorWilliam B. Thalhimer III HebrewCemetery ChairMeg Marshak Sisterhood PresidentMartin Miller Brotherhood PresidentBoard of ManagersKaryn AndersenCarol Ann Callahan*Robert Davidson*Melissa DemleinLinda FergusonDana IsaacoffBrian MeyerAdam NelsonLawrence Salzman*Laura SavageJim SchuylerLori SkilesDemis StewartJohn SternlichtMark Wolfsheimer* Executive Committee Memberon April 12, 1951.Yom HaShoahCongregation Beth Ahabah1111 West Franklin StreetRichmond, Virginia 23220Telephone: (804) 358-6757Yom HaShoah is the day when we rememberthe victims of the Holocaust. It is the day ofremembrance and is observed on the 27 th dayof the Hebrew month of Nisan, a week afterthe seventh day of Passover and a week beforeYom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for Israel’sfallen soldiers)The commemoration was selectedby the Israeli Parliament (the Knesset)American Jews observe Yom HaShoah in various ways includingsynagogue services. We generally recite the Kaddish (prayer forthe dead) and often survivors themselves speak to us of theirexperiences. The overwhelming theme is remembering…recallingthe victims and remembering so that this tragic atrocitycan never happen again.Please join us for Shabbat Serviceson April 5, 2013The printing of all Bulletin publications has beenendowed by the generosity of Anne and Mark Sternheimer