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Rabbi Carl M. Perkins |
Peter Seresky, President Gil Brodsky, Editor |
April 5, 2009, Sunday, 12 Nissan, 5769 |
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Our condolences go out to Margot Strauss and to Evie Weinstein-Park and Dan Weinstein and their family on the loss of Margot’s husband and Evie’s father, Lewis Strauss. The funeral and interment took place today (Sunday) in New Jersey. The family will sit shiva in New Jersey and return in time for Passover, when shiva comes to a close.
Our condolences also go out to Carla and Alexis Kopikis on the loss this morning of Carla’s mother, Jennifer Miller. (Carla and Alexis are new members of our community, who graciously hosted the post-concert Rick Recht reception last week.)
Jennifer was a respected member of the greater community, having served as the first principal at the Rashi School. The funeral is scheduled to take place Monday afternoon at 2 pm at Sugarman Sinai Memorial Chapel in Providence, RI, with interment at the Swan Point Cemetery in Providence. Carla and her family hope to return to their home at 7 Birchwood Road in Needham thereafter and to sit shiva through Tuesday evening, with minyans Monday and Tuesday night at 7:30 pm.
Hamakom yinacheim otam... May the Divine Presence comfort them, among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Yasher Koach
Mazal Tov and Yasher Koach to Corine Milgram, on being the recipient of this year’s Light of the Torah Award. The award was presented by the Sisterhood at last Friday’s Torah Fund Dinner.
...and also to Harvey Greenberg, who will begin his term in a few weeks as the new President of Jewish Family and Children’s Services. JF&CS has a brand new web site, and they have also just created a magnificent new site that is important to all of us, Your Elder Experts, dealing with all aspects of caring for the elderly.
Blessing of the Sun — April 8 (only once every 28 years!)
Please join us on the morning of Wednesday, April 8, for minyan, siyyum hab’chorim (see below), special breakfast, and a real treat, a once-every-28-year ceremony blessing the Sun. Rabbi Perkins has sent out a recent email inviting everyone in the community to this special program.
We apologize that the link to the New York Times
article in Rabbi Perkins’s email did not work. Here is the correct link to read that article.
Pesach
Passover this year begins on the evening of Wednesday, April 8 and continues through Thursday, April 16, with the sedarim held Wednesday and Thursday evenings, April 8 and 9. Services begin at 9:00 am on the 1st, 2nd, 7th, and 8th days of Passover. Yizkor will be recited on the 8th day, April 16.
Mechirat Hametz: This year, hametz may be sold by returning the online hametz sale form to the synagogue office by 9:30am on Wednesday, April 8th.
Siyyum Ha B’chorim — April 8: Generally, the first born of our people fast on the morning before Pesach to commemorate their being spared the fate of the first-born Egyptians. First-borns may eat, however, if they are participating in a Seudat Mitzvah, the festive repast that accompanies the performance of certain mitzvot. One such mitzvah is Talmud Torah (study). Thus, when the study of a significant portion of material is completed, it is customary for all present to celebrate with a meal. All first-borns who participate in the ceremony may eat. This is known as the Siyyum Ha B'chorim. The Siyyum Ha B’chorim will take place this year on Wednesday, April 8th, at 7:00am. We will also be celebrating Birkat HaHamah, blessing of the Sun, a ceremony that occurs only once every 28 years, that morning (see Rabbi Perkins’ recent letter about this).
Of course, Hallel will be recited on every day of the Holiday, but on the first day, April 9, Nashir, the newly named Temple Aliyah choir, under the direction of Cantor Bogomolni, will help lead the singing of this highly musical part of the service.
Shabbat Hol HaMoed Pesach, on April 11th, will be quite a special day: First of all, in addition to chanting Hallel and reading from two sifrei torah, we will read one of the most moving haftarot, Ezekiel’s parable of the Valley of the Dry Bones. The haftarah will be chanted by Emily Farbman, a member of our congregation who celebrated becoming a bat mitzvah a few months ago at KI (since that is where her parents have been members for many years), and this will be a lovely occasion to welcome her as an adult within our community. Third, April 11th marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the city of Tel Aviv, so we will celebrate that anniversary by, among other things, singing a song in honor of Tel Aviv which Cantor Bogomolni will be teaching us. Finally, a number of congregants will also be chanting part of Shir HaSirim, the poetry of the Song of Songs, with its special, lyrical trope. Please join us for this special Shabbat and kiddush after services.
And of course, what would Pesach be without some good yuntiff schtick? Nextbook has this irreverent animation. You-Tube has, among others, 20 things you can do with matzah, the Jib-Jab Matzah hip-hop, and the Barry Sisters Seder medley.
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Zimriyah — Sunday, April 12
Come and hear our Daled students when they perform at the annual Regional Zimriyah (song festival) here at Temple Aliyah on Sunday, April 12, 2009 from 9:30-10:30 am. They will be joined by parents and students from four other Conservative congregations in the area, with each student group singing different songs on the theme of Peace.
Durban II
On Passover, Rabbi Perkins asks that you think about and take to heart the suffering of people all over the world who are not yet fully free. The cause of international human rights is a noble one and particularly appropriate for Jews to pursue. All of us should be doing whatever we can to further it. Rabbi Perkins spoke about this in synagogue on March 28th. (The sermon, entitled, “Durban II” is available here.)
Unfortunately, there are those who are prepared to hijack this cause to delegitimize and demonize the state of Israel . At the end of April, there will be an international conference in Geneva, Switzerland (dubbed “Durban II”) to evaluate progress made since a previous conference in Durban, South Africa in 2001 (“Durban I”) which was the scene of vicious anti-Israel and anti-Semitic demonstrations. Sadly, the upcoming conference promises to set back the cause of human rights. All of us should be aware of this upcoming conference and do whatever we can to respond to the abuses that will take place there. The local New England regional office of the American Jewish Committee has created an initiative called “BostonFreeedomForum.org” to respond to this. On its website you will find a statement suitable for sharing at the Passover seder (drafted with the assistance of Rabbi Perkins) as well as other materials.
Israeli Consul to speak at TA — Friday, May 1
Celebrate Israel Independence Day with a distinguished guest. On Friday May 1, Nadav Tamir, the Israeli Consul General of New England will address Temple Aliyah. Consul General Tamir will deliver a talk entitled “What's so great about Israel,” going beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict to celebrate what he loves most about the vibrant and dynamic Jewish state. The evening will start with a Tot Shabbat service at 5:30 and Minyan Shirah at 6:15, followed by an Israeli dinner ($10 for adults, $6 for children) and Consul General Tamir's talk at 8:00 pm. To register for dinner email Bonnie Gold.
Mitzvah Day — Sunday, May 17
Please join Temple Aliyah members of all ages on Sunday May 17th, 2009, with kickoff at 9 am. We will have many social action projects to choose from. Here is a sample…
- Go bowling with residents of a local group home
- Make dolls to be given to hospitalized children
- Prepare meals for residents of Ronald McDonald House
- Serve dinner at a food shelter
- Sing songs to residents of a local nursing home
There will be a number of projects suitable for families and temple members of all ages. Sign-up information will be mailed to all Temple members. Remember to sign-up early because many of the projects will have limited space availability (there will be sign up forms the morning of the 4th). Also, we still have opportunities for people who may be interested in leading a Mitzvah Day Project.
Questions or interested in being a Mitzvah Day Team Leader? Please email Don Lassman.
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TA Annual Family Retreat — May 22-24
Looking for some quality time with your family in a beautiful spot? Want to spend time with long-time Temple Aliyah friends and/or make new connections? Then save Memorial Day weekend (Friday May 22-Sunday May 24) for the annual Temple Aliyah retreat at Camp Yavneh in New Hampshire. The weekend will include opportunities for singing, praying, learning, boating, tennis, softball, conversation, supervised babysitting for younger kids, plenty of leisure time for adults and kids, and much more. More details and a sign-up form with housing choices are posted on the web site. Please note the April 1 deadline for the lottery for the staff housing.
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Laymen’s Institute
The New England Region of the FJMC's The 63rd Annual Laymen's Institute will be held at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires from June 11 - 14, 2009 (the weekend before Father's Day).
Laymen's Institute is of a wonderful mix of relaxation, sports, eating, learning, prayer, spirited singing and camaraderie. The schedule is centered on our two Scholars in Residence, each of whom will deliver multiple presentations.
This year, we are pleased to be taught by two wonderful scolars: Rabbi Mayer E Rabinowitz, associate professor of Talmud at The Jewish Theological Seminary, on The Internet and Jewish Law, the Kaddish (Ancient ritual and the Modern Jew), and
Getting along with people different than you; and Rabbi Daniel Liben, spiritual leader of Temple Israel of Natick, on Conservative Keruv and on Hasidic Texts on Prayer and Spirituality (Can the insights of Hassidic teaching speak to the prayer lives of Conservative Jews?).
Other activities include our famed “Minyan in the Grove,” a learner’s minyan, softball, a tennis competition, swimming, boating, bike rides and our Hearing Men’s Voices programs, where men have the opportunity to talk about many key personal issues facing us today.
The weekend begins on Thursday afternoon and ends Sunday morning before noon. Men may arrive and leave to their own schedules, though we discourage traveling on Shabbat. Camp Ramah is in Palmer, MA, just a 75 minute drive west from Boston. Carpools are available.
For more information, you can watch a short video highlighting the Laymen’s Institute experience, check out the album of pictures from last year, or contact Stephen Baum.
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On the web site
Two of Rabbi Perkins’s recent sermons have been posted:
The Mitzvah to Contribute (Terumah, February 28)
The Ongoing Struggle for Freedom (Vayikra, March 28). See comments above.
In the Community
Those of us who live in Needham should be sure to remember to vote in the local election on Tuesday, April 14. For those of you who will be out of town for all of Pesach, there is still a chance to obtain an absentee ballot before you leave for yuntiff.
Are American Jews spiritual? A new survey commissioned by Synagogue 3000 has some surprising and insightful findings. You can read the entire survey results online. S3K is chaired by Ron Wolfson, who was our Shabbaton speaker a year ago.
‘Vocal Support’ A Cappella Benefit Concert, Saturday, April 11th, 2009, in the Needham High School Auditorium, at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm). Proceeds from this concert will benefit the Spinal Cord Injury Foundation, in honor of NHS alumni Zack Weinstein, class of 2004 and Anderson Wise, class of 2002, both wheel chair users and Concert Guests of Honor. In addition to the Rebels and Dwarves, a newly formed third NHS A Cappella group, ‘Fermata Nowhere’, will be introduced, also with performances by the Skidmore Dynamics, the Boston group Firedrill! and the 2008 ICCA third place winners NYU N’Harmonics. Come lend your ‘vocal support’ to a great family show and an important cause. Tickets are $17, special $13 for seniors and students. This is expected to be a sold out event. For questions, please contact Sannie Rejndrup. To purchase tickets, fill out and send form with check and self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Gabrielle Gelinas, 12 Oakland Ave, Needham, MA 02492.
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