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Rabbi Carl M. Perkins |
Stephen Baum, President Gil Brodsky, Editor |
August 2020, 2009, Thursday, , 5769 |
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In This Issue
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Our condolences go out to Alan and Lauren Packer and to former members Susan and Richard Shemin and their families on the passing away Monday night of Alan and Susan’s mother Rhoda Packer. The funeral will be graveside at Sharon Memorial Park on Friday, August 21 at 9:45 am. The family will be sitting shiva at the Packer home, 45 Church Street in Westwood, on Friday afternoon until 4 pm, and on Saturday night following Shabbat, wih ma’ariv/havdalah minyan at 8:15 p.m.
Hamakom yinachem otam... May the Divine Presence comfort them, among all the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
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Back-to-Shul Picnic — Sunday, September 13
The annual “Back to Shul” picnic is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, September 13, at Defazio Field. This is a wonderful family get-together for all ages. For more information, contact Julie Berger.
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Rosh Hodesh Group — Monday, September 14
Our Rosh Hodesh group will begin the New Year with a meeting at the home of Lynn Dennis on September 14 at 7:15 pm. Rosh Hodesh is a monthly gathering of women for study, friendship and celebration. Women of all ages and levels of knowledge are welcome. We meet monthly, generally on Monday evenings, at members' homes. Study topics are chosen by concensus. This fall our study will be guided by Judith Plaskow’s book, Standing Again at Sinai. If you are interested in participating, please contact Lynn Dennis.
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High Holidays
The High Holiday booklet is already available online, as a pdf file.
Selichot: On the Saturday evening before Rosh Hashanah (this year, on September 12th), it’s traditional to recite selichot (penitential prayers). This year, in lieu of our usual service, Cantor Bogomolni will lead, along with the congregation, an “American-Jewish” Selichot service. The Cantor will bring together an ensemble of singers and musicians from the congregation. This creative service will, in the Cantor’s words, intersperse speaking, teaching, davening, participation, and performance. Renditions will vary from traditional Selichot chanting and melodies, congregational singing, nigunnim, spoken and sung English poetry, narration, contemporary and soulful renditions, as well as meditative time for all. The service starts at 7:00 pm.
The Nashir chorus will participate this year within the High Holiday services by singing one of the repetitions of the Kol Nidre prayer with Cantor Bogomolni. Anyone interested in joining the chorus for this and future musical events should contact the Cantor.
Meditation shabbat dates
Our Shabbat Meditation programs will take place this fall on September 13, October 3, November 14, and December 5. Newcomers are encouraged. For more information, contact Naomi Litrownik.
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Sign up for USY Basketball
The Senior USY boys basketball team is looking to go “back to back” with another successful season in 09/10. We are looking for new players to fill out the rosters for two Senior teams (grades 10-12) this year, as well as one Junior team (grades 7-9). All Temple Aliyah members in these grades are eligible, as are other Jewish teens in these grades who live in Needham. Priority will be given to Temple Aliyah members. All players must be members of Temple Aliyah USY, and payment in full of USY dues and basketball fees will be required before the season begins. Practices and games begin in November and continue through February, usually on Sunday evenings and an occasional weekday. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Bruce Berns.
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Save the Dates
Rabbi Manes Kogan, author of a book on Jewish legends, will be coming to TA on Tuesday, October 13th and will speak after minyan at 7:45. In addition to being a learned rabbi and a thoughtful, respected rabbi, he happens to be the brother-in-law of Rabbi Gustavo Surazki, the scribe who wrote our Sefer Torah.
Our Shabbaton weekend this year will be on December 11-12. The program this year will honor Rabbi Perkins, on his 18th (chai) year of being our spiritual leader. Our scholar-in-residence for Shabbat will be Rabbi Harold Kushner. There will be a special entertaining tribute program on Saturday night, with a special tribute-ad booklet. Many more details to follow. Anyone interested in participating in any way should contact Nancy Finn.
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In the Community
The 114th Annual Meeting of Combined Jewish Philanthropies will take place on Wednesday, September 9, at 7:15 pm, at
Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward Street, Newton. Celebrate with CJP as we introduce the 2010 Campaign Chairs and present our annual Rabbinic and Young Leadership awards. Dessert reception to follow the program. The cost of the evening is $18 per person. You can register online.
Join the Synagogue Council of Massachusetts’ annual Historic Bus Tour on Sunday, September 13th from 12:30 - 6:30 pm, as we travel through Boston’s Jewish history by exploring its past and present synagogues. “Time Travel” will be led by Ellen Smith, a distinguished scholar, curator, author and teacher. A faculty member at Brandeis University, Ellen is co-editor of “The Jews of Boston” and the curator of three award-winning exhibitions on Jewish Boston.The tour, which costs $36 per person, is scheduled to include four present and former Boston synagogues from the Eastern European immigrant era, from Roxbury, and from the modern era. For more information, check out the SCM web site.
The Synagogue Council is also delighted to welcome the spiritual leader of Chicago’s Beth Shalom B’nai Zaken Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation, Rabbi Capers Funnye, on Wednesday, October 28th, at 7:30 pm at Congregation Mishkan Tefila in Chestnut Hill. The jubilant sounds of the nationally acclaimed Boston Children’s Chorus will jumpstart this celebration of the spirit. The always-inspiring Rabbi Capers Funnye will share the remarkable story of his personal inner quest, entitled “Path of the Spirit: An African-American Rabbi’s Spiritual Journey.”
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Editor’s Rant: “Back to the Garden”
Forty years is an important length of time in Jewish history. As we have been reading this summer in the books of Bemidbar and Dvarim, in 40 years the nascent Jewish people were transformed from a group of wayward whiners into a strong nation on the verge of entering their Homeland. This week we read parashat Shoftim, which establishes principles of justice and fairness.
Forty years ago on the weekend of shabbat Shoftim a very different multitude gathered, not in a desert but on a farm. I can’t say I was at Woodstock. Actually, I might have been. The “Mador” group of counselors-in-training at Camp Ramah in New England had made plans to travel the hour or so down the Mass Pike and the NY Thruway to join the festivities, but we never made it.
Surprisingly—or maybe not so—many of the people responsible for making Woodstock happen were Jewish, and some of them, including host farmer Max Yasgur, held strong Jewish convictions of justice and fairness that allowed the event to go on. Nate Bloom, columnist for interfaithfamily.com, has written an essay with the details.
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