Rabbi's Letter

February 13 2019
8 Adar I 5779
Dear Friends,

It was a wonderful few days that I spent in Washington DC lobbying with a group of very dedicated Rabbis and fellow Jews from all across the country. I sure hope that each and every one of you will one day have the opportunity to lobby for something that really matters to you in our Nation’s Capital. I do believe somehow that sharing your passions with the political process can shift the tides. It felt good to be a part of the system, or the hope that the system will take a stand for the weakest among us to protect, defend and uplift.
 
Democratic members of the Senate and House announced legislation last Thursday that seeks to make unlicensed detention facilities for unaccompanied migrant children illegal. Representatives, Merkley and Chu submitted a bill to Congress nicknamed the "Shut Down Child Prison Camps Act," specifically calling attention to the former Tornillo site in Texas and the Homestead facility outside of Miami.
 
Merkley stated, "It is horrific and unacceptable that migrant children are being locked up in child prison camps, and it is even more alarming that the for-profit company that runs the camp doesn't conduct background checks for child abuse on their staff,"
 
I was proud to be walking the halls of Congress to fight for those who have no voice. Let’s pray that this bill passes and Homestead will soon be closing as well.
Thank to our Men’s Club for a fabulous Super Bowl party. It was such great fun, (even though the LA Rams lost) Thank you Efraim for pulling together a great evening and thank you to Jerry and Debbie Smith for opening your home to all of us. What a great time to share together.
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The One Room Shul House has been having a great year of learning. This past Sunday we had a lesson on Tefillin, and it gave me such joy to teach our families about this ancient and powerful ritual. I’d like to share with you the letter from God that I shared with the children.

Hi Kids, good to see
You’re showing up for Religious school and to visit ME
Well I really am everywhere one could possibly be
but here in Synagogue, its easiest to see what I see
There are a few things I have asked over the years
That my Jewish families do, to show that they care.
 
Being Jewish is a mighty task
But like everything else in life, if you don’t LIVE it, it just won’t last.
These are the ways I’ve asked you to follow
So that my call to you isn’t something meaningless and hollow
The way you live the words I send out into your souls
Will guide you to Me and help navigate life’s tolls.
 
It’s one thing to hear and to think about the things I say
It’s a whole other matter when you choose to live that way.
I’ve given you some instruction but it’s not just a “to do” list
And although I believe these ways of living are best, I never insist.
It’s up to you to decide what is right for you to do
But I am pretty smart and I suggest you check out these ways of being a proactive Jew.
They are not punishments, they are merely My ways
To remind you who you are and to set your soul ablaze
With purpose and meaning, drive and moral core
Living in our Jewish ways makes life so much more.
 
I ask you first to watch what you eat
Just because it’s here on earth doesn’t mean you should believe
That you should eat anything you want despite the details that reign
Look first at the moral code and how it is framed
Not everything should be eaten, and no suffering should ensue
Not if you want to eat with your heart directing you.
Just because I created animals that entice your hunger
Doesn’t mean you should indulge every appetite, without respect for the wonder
of eating animals and food that are raised without love.
That is not what I want from my view from above.
 
Just because it can be eaten, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think
About all of the surrounding details and from them you should not shrink.
 
Be careful and thoughtful, know where your food derives
And if there is pain caused to anyone, avoid eating their cries.
 
I also give you Hebrew, it’s a very old language that is true
But all of my Jews know it, and its sounds carry me to you
It’s like a secret language that acts like a mantra to our souls
Just feel the power of the yearnings that have carried these sounds so bold.
 
This language binds us, one to the other
And it allows us to see our common heritage as sisters and brothers.
 
And then there’s the mezuzah, we hang it on our door. It’s got our prayers to God, powerfully secured
So, when we enter our homes or when we go out
We never forget who we are or what God shouts out
We are reminded that God is ever love and light
and we are asked to carry this brightness into every corner of night.
Don’t forget says the mezuzah, don’t forget who you are
A messenger of God’s love, My shining star.
 
You all know the kippah we wear on our heads
To remind us that God is above and that God’s truth is not dead
And of course, the tallit, you all wear them so fine
Creating that space for you and I to find
and sacred space where we can talk just you and Me
The tallit is a place to set your soul free.
 
And then there’s tefillin, I’ve asked rabbi Julie to share
What it’s about and how strange and wonderful its spiritual fruits bare
It does look funny being wrapped up in these ties
But it's breakfast with God, and it’s a true spiritual high
Tefillin is wrapping Me around your heart reminding you that there’s only one place to start,
here with me centered and true
Tefillin is a magical way to wrap you up as a Jew.
 
So now I’m going to ask Rabbi Julie to wrap up so you can see
Let her show you this ancient ritual that is a gift to you from me
I know it looks a little funny in these time that we live
But it’s quite beautiful to behold, all that it is
For thousands of years Jews have wrapped themselves in my dreams
One day each of you might want to see how it seems
To draw you close to Me, to your God, your friend
Tefillin is a special way to meet that end.
 
So, thanks for listening to my Torah today
Be safe be strong as you go on your way
and don’t forget to live these beautiful Jewish ways
They will strengthen your soul as you live out your days.
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It’s time to begin planning for Purim which will be here on March 20 th .  We always make this holiday a BIG event at B’nai Israel. Please begin to plan for your costume. This is a full-fledged Masquerade party and we want you to join in the fun!
 
We are also gearing up to prepare for our Shalach Manot gift bags to be given to all of our congregants. This is an age-old Purim tradition. Rena Goldwasser is going to be our Hamantashan Maven again this year - thank you Rena - heading up the baking and arranging of the kitchen baking schedule. Please contact Rena if you would like to participate in the baking of our delicious hamantashan which will fill up our Shalach Manot bags that we will share with each other for this joyous holiday.
 
This is how it works, we will be making a Shalach Manot bag for each family of B’nai Israel. We will ask for a $36 donation to help towards the making of the bags. Everyone who sent in the donation will have their name on the card that accompanies the Shalach Manot bags to be given to each and every family. My hope is that one of these years we will have a card with 100% participation from our congregation. It’s just a beautiful way to reach out and do something nice for our fellow congregants on a holiday that celebrates our survival and unity as a Jewish people. Please join in the fun and if you would like to join the team of bakers, call Rena at your earliest convenience.
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of our CIRCLE OF HONOR participants. The Circle of Honor is a way to join with a handful of people at B’nai Israel who have offered to pay up and above their required membership dues. This generosity makes it possible for us to reach out and welcome those who may not have enough funds to join our congregation. The honor is extended from these good souls to those who deserve to make B’nai Israel their spiritual home but may not have the finances at the moment to make it happen.
The Circle of Honor makes it HAPPEN.

I would ask of each of you who are able to please consider joining this circle of generosity.
We need your plastic bags
 
These rugs are being made of plastic bags and they are made into matts for the homeless.

The One Room Shul House is participating in a project to make one of these mats for a homeless person and we invite the entire congregation to join in. Each mat requires 1000 plastic bags.
 
Please bring your plastic bags to the Synagogue and leave them in the One Room Shul House, they will go to a very good and loving use.
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THANK YOU!
Friends,

One of the lessons of these times in which we live is that perhaps we Americans have become too complacent and confident in our freedoms. Yet, watch carefully because the corruption of justice always begins with the most vulnerable among us. We are not safe or free if everyone is not safe and free. Prisons for children tell us loud and clear that justice is on the time….Say NO!

Stand up tall and say NO because that would be, what I like to call, DOING GOOD RELIGION! And that is all that I am about because, frankly, that is all that life is about - DOING GOOD!
באהבה ושלום

Shabbat Shalom to all!
 
הרב אלישבע בת דוד ודבורה
 
Rabbi Julie Kozlow
(910) 762-1117 ~ B'nai Israel phone
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