Weekly E-News 5785

November 1 - November 7, 2024

Menu

Niçoise Salad

Hummus and Pita

Cookies

Thank you to Libby Waldman-Strugatch & Bruce Strugatch for preparing kiddush!

Make your reservation now for the Shabbat services & dinner,

Friday, November 15th, 6pm, at the synagogue!

Dear Fellow Agudath Achim Congregant:

As we have in years past, your Agudath Achim Backpack Buddies team will be providing much needed food to families of children that we support throughout the school year.

What we have found is that food insecurity is a more prevalent issue than ever. We currently serve 135 students each week. Rather than offering these families a cooked turkey dinner, we have opted to provide each family with a large box (30 pounds) of nonperishable healthy food items, in quantity that will meaningfully help them through the entire Thanksgiving period. This is a much more cost-effective way to deliver a substantial quantity of food to each family in need.

I am writing to ask for your support. The food in each box costs us between $32-$34. We’d like to ask you to round that up to $36, which is a gift of “double chai”. You can contribute for 1 box or any number greater than that. Your donation literally provides food for a needy family at this Thanksgiving season.

To support this program, send your check to Congregation Agudath Achim and note that it is for Backpack Buddies Thanksgiving Food. If you prefer, call Tricia at the synagogue (912-352-4737) and ask her to bill you for your donation.

Thank you on behalf of all your Backpack Buddies Volunteers. We wish you a happy, healthy, and joyful Thanksgiving Holiday!

Warmest regards,

Annette and Stephen Friedman

Join Sisterhood Today!

If you have already joined, thank you!

If you haven't, please send your membership form and payment to the synagogue today. Make checks payable to Agudath Achim Sisterhood.

$36.00 Annual Dues

$54.00 Donor: Annual Dues plus Chai ($18.00)

$72.00 Sweetheart: Annual Dues Plus Double Chai ($36.00)

Motti's new class will focus on the Days of Awe.

Classes are held Wednesday at 10:30 at the synagogue.

Origins of Antisemitism: Anti-Judaism in the New Testament and Early Christianity

Where does antisemitism come from? What separates out anti-Jewish stereotypes and hatreds in antiquity from more modern forms of anti-Judaism? In this class, we will be looking at how early Christian texts and teachers paved the way, intentionally or not, for modern antisemitism. We will look at the pre-Christian context of Roman Judea and Judaism, at the rise of Christianity, at the earliest Christian writings of Paul of Tarsus, at the Gospels and the New Testament, and at the writings of the early Church Fathers. We will discover how a religion that started as a messianic sect of Judaism ended up birthing some of the philosophical underpinnings of modern antisemitism.

Classes will resume the week of October 28th, and will be every Tuesday at 4 PM on Zoom, and Thursday at 10 AM in person.  Please email rabbi@agudath-achim.com for more information!

Calling all parents! It doesn’t just have to be your kid that learns during Shalom School. Every other week of Shalom School, when Rabbi Gelman is not teaching 7^th grade, he will be walking over from Congregation Mickve Israel at 9:45 to the Sentient Bean south of Forsyth Park, to grab some coffee and have an open conversation with anyone who wants to join! Topics will include Jewish parenting, Torah portion of the week, ethics, and more! The study group will begin this Sunday, and will also meet 9/8, 9/22, 10/6, and 10/20. Future dates to be announced! For more information, please email Rabbi Gelman at rabbi@agudath-achim.com

Rabbi's Message

The Torah is full of people turning against God. Complaining about God, yelling at God, disobeying God, worshipping other gods, and so forth. But only in this week’s parsha do we see an attempt to actually overthrow God. The story of the Tower of Babel is so famous that sometimes we forget how unique it is in the Torah. All of humanity sharing one language and working together to reach the heavens? God obstructing their project and mixing up their language to prevent its fruition? This sort of attempt to reach God never happens again. No one else entertains the notion that they could somehow physically reach and take over from God. It is the only such story in the Torah, and also the only story to feature such a creative punishment as the scrambling of language.

Seeing as the story of the Tower of Babel and the story of the Flood occur in the same parsha, so close to one another, the Sages asked: which sin was worse? The sin of the generation of the Flood or the Tower? Those who lived in the time of Noah did not attempt to rise up against God; indeed, we hear almost nothing of their relationship to God. While those in the time of the Tower tried to rebel explicitly against God! And yet, the punishment for the generation of the Flood was death, while the punishment for the generation of the Tower was much milder. Why? Because, say the Rabbis, those who lived in the time of the Flood were cruel and wicked toward one another, while those who worked on the Tower were kind toward one another, and worked together toward a common goal, even if that goal was against God. From this, the Rabbis teach, we learn that God cares much more about how we treat one another then how we treat God, and שֶׁשָּׂנְאוּי הַמַּחֲלֹקֶת וְגָדוֹל הַשָּׁלֹום “how much He hates strife, and how great is peace.”

Especially this time of year, with election season upon us and all the division that it entails, it is important to remember that crucial point: that God cares most of all how we treat each other, and how much God hates strife and loves peace. Even people who rebelled against God the Rabbis admired for how they treated one another! At the very least, we can do the same for each other. We can strive to treat one another with love, to see everyone as worthy as respect. If the generation of the Tower could do it, so can we.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Gelman

This Shabbat: 

2024 | 5785

Noach/Shabbat Rosh Chodesh

Candle Lighting: 6:16 pm

Havdalah: 7:11 pm

(all times are for Savannah)

Annual Torah reading: Genesis 6:9-11:32, Numbers 28:9-15

(Etz Hayim pp 41-63, 930-1)

Triennial Torah reading: Genesis 11:1-11:32, Numbers 28:9-15

(Etz Hayim pp 58-63, 930-1)

Haftarah: Isaiah 66:1-24

(Etz Hayim pp 1220-1223)

Week-at-a-Glance

SHABBAT PRAYER STUDY @ 10 AM SATURDAYS

Ever wanted to learn a little bit more about what we say and do during our prayers? Wanted to know what prayer is in Judaism, or why we say the Mourner’s Kaddish at the end of the service, or why we stand during the Amidah? Do you have questions about our prayers, but never wanted to take a full class? Rabbi Gelman is here to help! Starting this week, after our normal Psukei Dzimrei at 9:45, every Shabbat service from 10-10:10 will be dedicated to going over a little piece of prayer knowledge. Learn the meaning of the prayers, the order of the service, and more! The Shacharit morning service will always start at 10:10 to make sure we end on time, so make sure you get to services by 10 AM to learn a little more about our prayers!

Service Leader Sign Up

Are you interested in leading services? Reading Torah? You can sign up on our service leader sign up sheet! If you are interested in learning how to read Torah or lead services, contact Rabbi Gelman at rabbi@agudath-achim.com.

In Person Service Times

Tuesday: 7:30 AM

Wednesday: 8:00 AM

Friday: 8:00 AM

Shabbat: 9:45 AM

Birthdays

November 2nd

Daniel Skidmore-Hess

November 3rd

Kenneth Aaron

Annette Friedman

November 5th

Charna Cweibel

Paul Kulbersh

Cathy Skidmore-Hess

November 7th

Bernardo Warman

Yahrzeits

November 1 – November 8, 2024

Thursday night/Friday, November 1 - 30 Tishrei

Phillip Abrams – brother of Ellis Abrams

Ivan Kulbersh – father of Paul Kulbersh

Friday night/Saturday, November 2 – 1 Heshvan

Abraham Harris – grandfather of Sidney Karp & Sheryl Kreh

Naomi Hyman – mother of Bruce Hyman

Abraham Sand – father of Bill Sand

Sunday night/Monday, November 4 – 3 Heshvan

Rebecca Daitch – grandmother of Michael Zoller

Bernice Weitz – mother of Julian Weitz

Monday night/Tuesday, November 5 – 4 Heshvan

Luba Antopolsky – aunt of Bunny Montag

Jesse Berkowitz – uncle-in-law of Lynn Berkowitz

Tuesday night/Wednesday, November 6 – 5 Heshvan

Rebecca Joselove – mother-in-law of Ellin Joselove

Wednesday night/Thursday, November 7 – 6 Heshvan

Matthew Cranman – son of Karen & Paul Cranman,

cousin of Kasey Berman & Morgan McGhie, nephew of Lynn Reeves

Pauline Tenenbaum – mother of Marsha Kessler, Barbara Hacken,

Bert Tenenbaum, Sheldon Tenenbaum

Thursday night/Friday, November 8 – 7 Heshvan

Pearl Berwitz – grandmother of Steven Berwitz

Milton Towbin – father of Carol Greenberg

Commemoration of the Yahrzeit begins the evening of the first noted date.

Community Events

November 1-30, 2024 - Liza Crowley Judson

Opening Reception: November 14, 6-8pm

Liza earned her bachelor's degree in studio art with a concentration in photography from the University of California, Santa Cruz. (Yes, she is a banana slug!) Teaching became her creative passion. Her teaching career has spanned from Japan, China, Northern California and Savannah, GA where she settled with her husband and daughter in 2006. Liza also earned a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and is now the director of SCADextra, the University’s academic resource hub at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). She loves to travel and take photographs of her adventures.

Of her show she says: "These days I enjoy taking photographs with my phone versus my digital Nikon camera. I find that I can afford to upgrade my phone more frequently than I can my camera, and the ease of transport is much more convenient with a phone than a heavy camera bag. My photography most often focuses on the landscape or cityscape; they hold still, unlike humans. With each image, I make many decisions; questioning what the individual image is calling for. Does it need to be cropped for the best composition? Would the image be stronger in black and white, sepia toned or some other treatment of the color? This is where the experimentation comes in. I use Adobe Photoshop and the Snapseed app to edit my photographs. I feel the images speaking to me, and I mold them to be the best that they can be, versus bending them to one unique vision. Photographing while traveling is my greatest passion, because then I see everything with fresh eyes. I love the democracy of sharing my photographs via social media. More people can enjoy them this way, and I can receive immediate feedback. It has been over seven years since I have shown my photographs in a public setting. I hope you enjoy the show."

Congregation Agudath Achim

Donor Dues Program

                                           Benefactor                                            

 $9,999 - $5000

Melvyn & Eleanor Galin

Leader

$3,599 - $1,800

Stephen & Annette Friedman

Patron

$1,799 - $720

Aaron & Dayle Levy

Allan & Arlene Ratner

Sherwin & Sara Robin

Sol & Stephanie Zerden

Chai Member

$719 - $360

Michelle & Matthew Allan

AM Goldkrand

Paul & Harriet Kulbersh

Andrew & Leslie Walcoff

Michael & Linda Zoller

Supporters

 $359 - $100 

Richard & Lynn Berkowitz

Adam & Lauren Fins

Ted & Adelle Geffen

Doug & Lisa Goldstein

Lynn Goodman

Seth Grenald

Steve Herman

David & Gale Hirsh

Jonathan & Tova Javetz

Harriet Karlin

Michael & Suzanne Konter

Larry & Betsy Lehner

Rene Lehrberger

Steve & Linda Sacks

Victor & Elise Shernoff

Judy Todtfeld

Ed Wexler

Thanks to these donors for going above and beyond by participating in the Donor Dues Program this 2024-2025 fiscal year.

If you would like to participate by making this additional commitment, please contact the office. 

Rabbi Samuel Gelman

Morgan McGhie, President

Motti Locker, Executive Director

Congregation Agudath Achim | office@agudath-achim.com | 912-352-4737 | www.agudath-achim.com