Newsletter - Congregation Beth Tikvah

January 2013
Dear Haverim,
Hatikvah
There exists a relatively new holiday in the American calendar
dedicated to community coexistence and harmony. It is
a day of inter-racial and inter-cultural cooperation and
sharing. No other day of the year brings so many peoples
from different cultural backgrounds together in such a vibrant
spirit of communal sharing. This year, U.S. Jews, like
other Americans, will mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by
remembering him as a powerful voice against racism and
for civil rights.
The role Jews played in King’s civil rights movement is well
known. Of all whites who participated, between half and
two-thirds were Jewish. Jews overwhelmingly sympathized
with King and the aims of the civil rights movement, even if
the majority did not participate. Practical issues — fear for
their own security, for instance, and an ambivalence toward
a tactic, civil disobedience that required people to
break laws they felt were unjust — made many people unwilling
to actually join his movement.
The Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday celebrates the life and
legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America.
We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us
through his example: the values of courage, truth, justice,
compassion, dignity, humility and service that defined Dr.
King’s character and empowered his leadership. On this
holiday, we commemorate the universal, unconditional
love and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary
spirit.
At CBT, we will also be acknowledging the multi-cultural
goals of the MLK holiday. On Monday morning, January
21, I will be hosting a group of 100 students representing
four local urban and suburban churches. My goal that day
will be to teach the values and traditions of Judaism as a
religion that is woven into the fabric of the American experience.
For many, this will be the first time they have
stepped into a synagogue and learned about our lives as a
minority in American culture.
19 Tevet—20 Sh’vat
As you may know, I represent CBT and the larger
Jewish community in several inter-faith community
organizations. This project is an outcome of our
joint effort to create mutual understanding and respect.
I encourage our congregation youth and
adults who may be free that day to join me in representing
our synagogue. You are welcome to come
to dialogue with our guests and be available for answering
their questions.
May our future be filled with understanding and
not violence, acceptance and not bigotry.
L’Shalom,
Gary M. Gans, D.Min.
Rabbi

PAGE 2 HA TIKVAH JANUARY 2013
Message from our President
The weather may be turning colder outside, but things here at CBT are staying warm this
month with lots of activities scheduled!
Many things continue as usual. On the ritual side, services and Monday and Thursday
minyanim are ongoing, and we have the annual Welcome Home from Israel Shabbat service.
Men’s Club and Sisterhood have their annual joint meeting, which is always well attended.
Bingo is doing business as usual (more volunteers are always welcome!). CBT Book
Club, Mature Adults Club, and Adult Learning Community have meetings scheduled. CBT
committees will conduct their regular meetings as well. USY has several events planned.
Story Time and Hol-i-tot will interest our youngest members.
Something exciting is the return of the joint Hebrew School to CBT late this month. Once
again the hallways and classrooms will be filled with kids on Sunday mornings and Tuesday
evenings. And with the return of the school comes the return of Sunday morning minyan.
A couple of new events are scheduled also. Rabbi Nathan’s Father & Son Program will begin
on the 13 th . Our winter fundraiser, the CBT Art Auction, will take place on the 27 th .
So don’t let the winter blues keep you home. Come on out and take advantage of all the
wonderful activities planned at CBT!
B’Shalom,
Mark Waltzer
Where’s Nathan???????
Looking for our wonderful Rabbinic Intern Nathan Weiner in January?
Friday January 11 — Rabbi Nathan will lead the evening Shabbat service.
Saturday January 12— Rabbi Nathan will lead the morning Shabbat service and will join us for the
Shabbaton.
Sunday January 13—Rabbi Nathan will lead the Father and Son program—the topic will be—
Sportsmanship (Ruach HaSport).
Sunday January 27 —Rabbi Nathan will join us for Hebrew School at CBT and at the Tu B'Shevat Seder.

PAGE 3 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Ritual
Shabbat in my life, at CBT, and “Across America”
Growing up, I was lucky to have a large extended family that hadn’t yet dispersed far from the
Tennessee community we emigrated to from Poland between 1900 and 1920. As we ever so
slowly drifted apart geographically, we stayed connected by being together with one another
whenever possible for dinner on Shabbat. This was the time when we put the distractions of
modern life aside and really got to know one another. (Yes, we had technological distractions
before the Internet!)
As we grew in numbers, we started having annual reunions on Thanksgiving weekend, including
that special Shabbat feeling the night after turkey. We celebrated the 70 th such annual
gathering this past year nearby in Philadelphia. Folks with that common link came from all
over the United States, Europe, and Israel. But not a one of us lives in Knoxville, TN anymore.
Those days are a memory, and ever harder to hold onto.
I live a good, blessed life here in New Jersey. A loving wife and two dynamic teenagers about
to burst out into the world themselves. No complaints about that. Family outside of our
household are rarely available or nearby for that together time on Friday nights though. Heck,
even within the household extracurricular or work activities often win out and there are
sometimes empty seats at the dinner table as Shabbat begins. So, how do I fill the void left by
the scattering of the ole southern shtetl?
Since I moved here in 1993, that void has been filled by the contagious warmth pulling me towards
my extended family at CBT. There I find easy-going folks who care about what’s going
on in my life and are a pleasure to have as company as we pray and learn about our history
and Judaism clashing with modern times. Sure, it’s tempting to go out to a show or stay at
home and watch TV or sleep in on Saturday. So I sign up for a lot of obligations to make the
pull even stronger. Well, that’s my way of seeing it, anyway.
There are forces in America trying to keep Shabbat alive and vibrant on a national level. The
National Jewish Outreach Program promotes its annual “Shabbat Across America” each year,
in which CBT often participates. This year, the 17 th such celebration will be on Friday, March 1.
CBT will be holding a dinner and special service that evening. (see accompanying article) I
hope to see all the regular faces there and maybe a few I haven’t seen in a while. These will
be good times.
--Joel Mosko, CBT Ritual

PAGE 4 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Ritual
CBT to Experience Shabbat Across America… with “Soupfest”
Friday evening March 1 marks this year’s annual “Shabbat Across America,” when Jews from the
United States and Canada from all denominations go out of their way to rejuvenate and reawaken
the experience of Shabbat. CBT will be participating with a Shabbat dinner and service featuring
good food, Shabbat songs and the opportunity to share the ups and downs of the week ended
within our community.
The menu for the dinner will be soup-based, prepared in-house featuring recipes from our community.
Why soup you may ask? Could it be that life is better experienced with soup than without?
Soup and Shabbat were linked together for me early on. My grandmother’s was without a doubt the
best. When I was at her house for Shabbat dinner, I knew I could get away with eating as much soup
and Challah as I wanted, even it meant ignoring the main course and yes, even dessert. I could
never get away with that in my own house. Other reasons for soup:
· Recipes are infinite
· A variety of tastes are covered
· Preparation and cooking can be done ahead of time
· It’s cheap
· It’s yummy
· It just feels good on a cold winter’s night
I’ll bet there are a lot of fabulous soup recipes in the kitchens and chronicles of CBT families. We will
be collecting and evaluating as many of these as we can learn about during the month of January. At
least three will be selected for the Shabbat Across America dinner. Before you run to the recipe box,
there are a few guidelines:
· All soups must be vegetarian or cream based as we will be serving them together.
· Recipes that have proven to hold up well when stored frozen are helpful as we cannot
prepare them all the day before
· Submitting a family recipe does not obligate you to help cook it, but those who pitch
in will certainly have their selections catapulted to the top of the list!
Cooking for Soupfest will take place at CBT during the month of February at times to be determined.
Please send all recipe submissions to Joel Mosko via email at jmosko@comcast.net, or slip a copy in
my pocket when you see me around CBT. Look for RSVP forms and more details about Shabbat
Across America dinner in the February issue of Hatikvah!
Did I say volunteer cooks needed? Always!
--Joel Mosko, “Go-to dude” for 2013 CBT Shabbat Across America

PAGE 5
Social Action Alert—
We would like to thank everyone who donated
items for our drive to support the Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia Child Life, Education
and Creative Arts Therapy Department. We collected
several bags of art supplies, cards, small
toys and scrapbooking items to donate, which
were very appreciated by the people at CHOP.
On Sunday, January 20, in honor of Martin Luther
King’s Birthday, we invite all interested CBT
congregants to join us at Temple Sinai to help
with their annual Mitzvah Day projects. Participants
should be at Temple Sinai at 8:30a.m. to
sign in and select the project you would like to
participate in. More information will be sent
out on the various projects to which you can
lend a hand, but please try to keep the date
open. The more hands the better.
Thank you
Elissa Geron, Social Action Chair
HATIKVA H
Father and Sons Together
Coming to CBT and TS!
JANUARY 2013
CBT is proud to announce “Fathers and Sons Together,” a
new and innovative program. Seventh- to 9th-grade boys
and their fathers (or other adult male figure) are invited to
join Rabbi Nathan and Rabbi Gans for a new and exciting
program for middle school boys and their adult male figures.
There is a lack of educational programming geared towards
the needs, desires, and developmental pace of middle
school aged boys, and even less geared to their parents,
especially their fathers. This program is designed to
meet those needs, and to open lines of communication in
three directions:
Among 7th-9th grade boys
Among fathers
Among fathers and sons.
This program takes part in three Sunday afternoon sessions
with distinct themes:
Sportsmanship (Ruach HaSport)
Conflict Resolution (Bein Adam L’Chaveiro)
Peace in the Home (Shalom Bayit)
Fathers will explore their key values, joys, and concerns,
and how best to transmit them to their sons. Break-out
sessions for fathers will be led by Rabbi Gans and breakout
sessions for sons will led by Rabbi Nathan. Each of the
three events will take place in a different location. We are
looking at parks, bowling alleys, laser tag courses, etc.
Cost: Free
Dates are:
Sunday, January 13
Sunday, March 17
Sunday, April 14
How to Register:
Who: CBT and TS 7th-9th
grade boys and their
adult male figures. You
do NOT need to be en
rolled in religious school
to participate.
Simply send an email to the Temple Sinai religious school
office at templesinaischool@verizon.net before January 1
to reserve your spot. Space is limited!

PAGE 6 HA TIKVAH JANUARY 2013

PAGE 7 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
USY and Kadima News
If you’ve been wondering, “Why doesn’t CBT youth offer…?” it’s because you haven’t suggested it yet! Bring
your ideas to our next Youth Committee meeting on Sunday January 27, at 9:30 a.m., at CBT.
At our November Youth Committee meeting, Yael Branscom generously offered to coordinate programming
for younger elementary-age kids to engage with their Jewish peers outside the religious school setting. If you
have kids in that age group, don’t wait for her to contact you! Let her know what kinds of activities would be
appealing to your child and family.
USY and Kadima celebrated Chanukah together with a very successful family dinner and youth-led Shabbat service.
Our next USY-Kadima event is a kids-only chocolate seder and Shabbat dinner on March 22. If you would
like to see more Kadima (grades 5-7) activities throughout the year, or a formal Kadima chapter affiliated with
the regional organization, all we need is someone to coordinate it. Let me know if you are interested and I will
be glad to give you all the support you need.
USY International Convention was held over winter break in Boston. We were represented by our chapter
president, Sarah Van Horn, continuing an impressive record of CBT attendance at conventions. Save the date
now so we can continue that winning streak with record high attendance at Spring Convention April 19-21.
USY has a full calendar of events in 2013. Watch your email for details, or contact me for more information.
Upcoming USY chapter events – open to Jewish teens in 8 th -12 th grades:
Saturday Jan. 12: ComedySportz improv show in Philly
Sunday Feb. 3: Social Action/Tikkun Olam Superbowl party
Friday March 22: USY/Kadima Chocolate Seder and Shabbat service
Hagesher (Delaware Valley/South Jersey) Regional Events – Open to USY members only
Debbie Van Horn
Youth Committee Chair
USY Advisor
Sunday, Jan. 13: 11th grade Philly Hillel tour
Sunday, Jan. 20: Martin Luther King day project
Sun/Mon Feb. 17-18: Area-wide shul-ins and ski trip
Sunday, March 17: USY/BBYO day of service
Saturday, March 23: Hagesher prom
Fri-Sun April 19-21: Spring Convention
Sunday May 19: Philly Israel Independence Day celebration
Sunday May 26: Day at the beach and seashore dance

PAGE 8 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013

PAGE 9 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Storytime at the CBT Library
A Free Program for children
younger than Hebrew school age
and their families
Sunday, January 13th
11:00—11:45
Each storytime will have a “hands on”
component
RSVP Appreciated
But not required
Phone 856-983-8090
Email office@btikvah.org
CBT Book Group

PAGE 10 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Judaica Shop
Don't let the winter months give you the blahs. Come take
a look at our items in the gift shop. Many items can be
used as hostess gifts which will delight anyone. The
Entertainment Books are gone and won't be back. For
those who purchased them, they make a great holiday gift,
giving the recipient a wide variety of choices.
If you see something that you like in the gift shop, contact
Melissa in the synagogue office (856-8090) who will be glad
to assist you.
If you’re looking for kippot, tallitot, invitations or
announcements, contact Maxine Kaminsky for further
assistance. All items are at a 20% discount.
Kosher Meals on Wheels
The winter months are upon us and you may not be able to
get out — so why not have your meals catered by Betty
the Caterer? Each meal is only $6 and delivery is free!
There are sixteen different varieties to choose from. Just
call Melissa In the office (856-983-8090) for further
information. Why not do something that makes you feel
good with your time? Help to deliver Kosher Meals on
Wheels—just contact Andi Lowe for further information—
856-424-1333.
January 15th Deadline
January 15 is the deadline for the February issue of Hatikvah.
Please send articles, photos, simcha news, etc. to the synagogue
office email: office@btikvah.org
Thank you!
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Article for Hatikvah
To include your child’s Bar/Bat Mitzvah announcement in
this newsletter, email article and jpg photo to the synagogue
office email: office@btikvah.org. A confirmation
email will be sent to you to confirm that your information
has been received. Thank you.
Deadline for the February issue is Jan. 15th.
Renee Nachbar, Hatikvah Editor
Bingo
Need an easy way to avoid the winter blahs? Come to CBT
Thursday night bingo. Doors open at 6:30, and the games
start at 7:15. Remember, you can't win any of our fabulous
prizes if you don't play.
If you're looking to volunteer your time even one hour a
month, call Melissa in the synagogue office (856-983-8090)
for details.
To Purchase
Adele Albert
Tributes
office@btikvah.org
Miriam Faktorow
office@btikvah.org
Ellyn Gans
office@btikvah.org
M.A.C.
The next meeting of The M.A.C. will be held Wednesday,
January 16th at 12:00 noon. We are meeting at
Lyons Gate, 1110 Laurel Oak Road,Voorhes, for lunch
and a tour of the facilities. Please respond to us so we
can let them know how many to prepare for. We look
forward to seeing you.
Elaine & Fred
Torah Fund Cards
To Purchase
Yahrzeit Memorial
Plaques:
Download forms at:
http://www.btikvah.org/forms/
MemorialForm,pdf
To Purchase
Tree of Life Plaques
Remember TORAH FUND cards. These cards support that Jewish
Theological Seminary in New York and other institutions perpetuating
Conservative/Masorti Judaism. They are easily available:
·At Sisterhood meetings. Cards are $4 each or 6 for $20
·By contacting Barbara Mirsky
*Via email-
office@btikvah.org. Cards mailed for you are $5 each
or 6 for $25
*Via phone- 856-983-8090
Look in the Gift Shop window for a color flyer showing the alloccasion
cards.
In addition, for a contribution of $180 (payment plan available)
you will receive a gift of a beautiful pin for yourself or someone
very special.

PAGE 11 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Save the Date:
The Sisterhood of Beth Tikvah
&
The Sisterhood of Adath Emanu-El
join together to present a
Women’s Seder
Sunday, March 10, 2013
For futher information contact:
856-983-8090

PAGE 12 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
SISTERHOOD NEWS
January, 2013
On November 18 th , six of our Sisterhood members attended the Mid-Atlantic Region Torah Fund
event held at Melrose B’nai Israel Emanu-El in Elkins Park, PA.
The 135 women who attended were from 24 Sisterhoods of the Mid-Atlantic Region.
The guest scholar for this event was Dr. Marjorie Lehman, of the Jewish Theological Seminary. Her
presentation was entitled “Emerging from Life’s Travails: The Lessons of the Biblical Hannah”.
CBT Sisterhood was very proud to again receive an Achievement Award for reaching our Torah Fund
goal for 2011-2012.
In addition to the Torah Fund award, our very own Eileen Hoffing was one of 25 women recognized
with the “Woman of Honor” for her continuing support of Sisterhood and Torah Fund. A very well
deserved honor, Eileen.
Our special guest for the evening was Women’s League of Conservative Judaism President Rita
Wertlieb, who brought greetings from Women’s League.
The event was lovely and to our Sisterhood’s credit, several women from CBT were responsible.
Rochelle Hirt was the committee chair of this event, and she had strong support from Donna
Finkelstein and Thelma Fox who were among the committee members. Great job, ladies.
We wish to thank all of you who participated in the CBT/Sisterhood joint effort to collect craft items
for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. This drive was held in conjunction with the annual Chanukah
concert on December 9. This year, the concert was enjoyed by our combined Temple Sinai and Beth
Tikvah Hebrew schools. The place was rocking with the CBT band and chorus led by Brian Baker,
and the kids really threw themselves into singing the Chanukah songs.
Upcoming Events
January 13 Sisterhood and Men’s Club Brunch at 10:30 a.m.
February 23 Free Congregational Purim Dinner sponsored by CBT Sisterhood
Bring the whole family and stay for the Megillah reading.
Come early for Purim celebration. Festivities begin at 5:30 p.m.
Flyers to follow
March 10 Women’s Seder with Adath Emanu-El at 3:30 p.m. at Adath Emanu-El
(See the “Save the Date” flyer in this issue of the Hatikvah)
April 14 Sisterhood book review at Medford Leas at 10:30 a.m.
May 10 Sisterhood Shabbat service at CBT at 8:00 p.m.

PAGE 13 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Men’s Club News
We celebrated our CBT Man of the Year in December, Alan Geron, CBT Men’s Club
kitchen chairman, at Adath Jeshurun. We showed a video tribute to Alan which will be
available online around the time of our Joint Men’s Club Sisterhood brunch in January.
We thank you, Alan, for all you do to keep our brunches going.
December’s Men’s Club Brunch featured the very green, very cool, Tesla Motors Model
S all-electric luxury sedan. Peter Spirgel, managing shareholder and COO of Flaster
Greenberg, spoke about his experience with his new car, Motor Trend’s first unanimously
voted Car of the Year. For show and tell, Peter brought the car for everyone to
see right outside our hall.
Imagine no engine, just a small motor on the rear axle, leaving the trunk and hood
open for storage. No belts, hoses, fluids (except wiper fluid) or other power train maintenance
required of most cars. No sound, with a battery range of about 300 miles
(longer range technology being developed, too). Brakes expect to last 85,000 miles
since slowing down re-powers the car with minimal brake use. Did I mention its one of
the fastest production cars on the road, perhaps only a Lamborghini can beat in this
category?
This is a green technology in several ways. With solar powered charging stations
planned, producing no carbon emissions, they represent completely renewable power.
While some stations will be free of charge, the cost of the electric charging is less than
4 cents per mile, so you can count on the savings without the need for gasoline either
way. When is the last time $4 took you 100 miles?
Peter is an early adopter of what you might think is the future of replacing traditional
gasoline-powered cars. Tesla is exporting these U.S.- made vehicles, selling its electric
motor to Toyota and building charging stations along major highways using its sister
company Solarcity.
Mark this time as the beginning of practical electric cars and the reduction of our dependency
on fossil fuels. Thank you, Peter, for your courage and sharing of this great
first step.
Finally, a reminder, that the Joint Men’s Club Sisterhood Brunch in January features
genealogy!
Byron Druss
Men’s Club President

PAGE 14 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Men’s Club News
Peter Spirgel’s New Electric Powered Tesla!!!
Men’s Club Members admire Peter’s brand new Tesla
Photo by Byron Druss
Photo by Byron Druss

PAGE 15 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Men’s Club News
Ryan Druss and Peter Spirgel taking a test drive
Men’s Club learning about the features of the Tesla
Photo by Byron Druss
Photo by Ryan Druss

Need gifts for Chanukah? Taking a Vacation? Celebrating a Birthday or Anniversary? Doing
work around the house?
How can I do one stop shopping and help CBT by purchasing gift cards?
1. You pay the face value of the card; CBT is provided with a percentage.
2. Yes! It’s that easy! There is no additional cost to you!
3. Simply fill out the current form by the listed due date.
4. Forms can be found in Hatikvah, at CBT, and on our website.
5. Are you looking for some other gift card? Simply go to www.glscrip.com to check out other choices and let us know your needs.
6. Mail the form and your check to: Arlene Lewis.
24 Abington Road
Mount Laurel, New Jersey 08054
7. For additional information, call Arlene Lewis at 856-727-1063 or e-mail at ARL0405@comcast.net

PAGE 17 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013
Donations
General Fund In Memory of
Michael and Arlene Lewis Beatrice Lewis, Mother and Grandmother
Rhoda Lichtenstadter Mark Lichtenstadter, Son
Rhoda Lichtenstadter Celia Peck, Mother
Dora Abramowitz Sarah Krell, Mother
Dora Abramowitz Adeline Feinmesser, Sister
Bruce and Marion Carroll Dr. Leonard Juros
Bruce and Marion Carroll Marcella Malamut, Herb Malamut’s Mother
Howard and Hollace Friedman John Wolfsohn, Grandfather
Boyd Freedman Martha Paroly, Mother-in-law
Boyd Freedman Clara Freedman, Mother
Jack and Susan Colton Sidney Colton, Father
Jack and Susan Colton Dora Abramowitz
Mitzvah Meals
Marvin Serota Meyer Serota, Father
Bill and Tami Kessler Louis Kessler, Father
Michael and Jill Common Rebecca Krook, Aunt
Gift of Israel
Barnard and Amy Kaplan Herbert Kaplan, Father
Ed and Maxine Kaminsky Jack Keller, Grandfather
Sheldon and Mimi Faktotow Lisa Rudnick, Mother
Rabbi Discretionary
Harris and Robin Blickman Jack Blickman, Father
Harris and Robin Blickman Anna Orgiefsky, Mother
Library
Elayne & Ernie Chernin Sarah Chenin, Mother
Martin and Carole Rosenberg Bessye Unger, Grandmother
Prayer Book
Jay and Anita Garber Arlene Goldberg, Jerry Goldberg’s Mother

PAGE 18 HATIKVA H JANUARY 2013

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