SHABBAT SHALOM, GESHER SHALOM!


 
June 14th, 2019
 
  [  HOME ] [ MESSENGER ]  [  CONTACT RABBI STERN]
Shabbat Times: 
Candle Lighting
Sisterhood Shabbat service
Morning Service
Bat Mitzvah of Ava Ciardiello
8:10 pm
7:00 pm 
9:30am
7:45pm
 
  Forecast: 84/partly cloudy

IN THIS ISSUE...
Shabbat Kiddush
Today's kiddush has been enhanced by Alice & Arnold Grodman in honor of what would have been Martha Grodman's 107th birthday
 

Birthdays and Anniversaries 
Marvin Josif
Norman Silverberg
Gilad Gensler
Sharon Starr
   
Cheryl & Marc Karpman
 
   UPCOMING EVENTS
 
Saturday 6/15
Morning Service 9:30 am
Bat Mitzvah of Ava Ciardiello 7:45 pm
Tuesday 6/18
Sisterhood Book Club " Russian Tattoo" by Elena Gorokhova 1:00 pm
Thursday 6/20
Visiting Scholar Rabbi David J. Fine 12:45 pm " American Jewish History"
Friday 6/21
Bible Class 11:30 am

 
Yesterday at the Jewish Museum
Adding Our Voices to All Those in the World Listening to Leonard's Cohen's Halleluyah Online at Exactly That Moment! (The number varied between 317 and 331)


Torah Reading 805                Haftarah 813
NASO
 
Our portion begins with additional information about the role of the Levitical families in the transport of the Sanctuary, under the supervision of Aaron's son, Itamar.
 The Torah then cites three instances where matters of a private nature come under the supervision of the priest. One who retains a neighbor's property must return it, add 20% to its value, and bring a guilt offering in atonement. A wife suspected of adultery was to be brought before the priest and asked to swear an oath. The wording of this oath was written down and its ink was mixed in water, which the wife was then compelled to drink. If she suffered no ill effects from this potion, she was innocent of the charge; if she became ill, she was deemed guilty. A Nazirite was one who took a special oath of dedication to God. Upon the expiration of this vow, his/her head was shaven and the hair burnt under the sacrifice that marked the conclusion of this consecrated period.

The priests were commanded to bless the people with a specific threefold formula consisting of verses of three, five and seven words, concluding with shalom (peace, wholeness).

 The sidra concludes with the prince of each tribe presenting an identical dedicatory gift of silver, gold, sacrificial animals and meal offerings to the Sanctuary.
 
True to its name in English, the fourth book of the Torah, Numbers, begins with a census of all Israelite males over the age of twenty who would be eligible for military service. The total came to 605,550.
 
Because of their consecrated role in the Sanctuary, the Levites were exempt from military service and were not a part of this population tally.
               
Tonight: Evening service at 7:00 p.m.
Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.
Minha, Seudah Shlishit, Ma'ariv & Havdalah at 7:45 p.m.
Mazal Tov to Ava Ciardiello, who will be celebrating becoming Bat Mitzvah at this service- and to her family!




This Week's Yahrzeit Observances
We hope that our weekly listing of yahrzeit observances will serve 2 purposes:
1)     To remind those who have the yahrzeit for a second time, much closer to the date of the actual observance
2)     To alert friends and acquaintances that someone they know is observing a yahrzeit. We hope that you will show them your support by joining them at our minyanim, and helping to assure that Kaddish can be recited with a minyan 
     
   
Gloria Singer will be observing yahrzeit for her father, David Pickholz on Friday evening, June 14th
Marvin Chertkoff will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Celia Chertkoff on Saturday evening, June 15th
Matis Fermaglich will be observing yahrzeit for his son, Donald Fermaglich on Saturday evening, June 15th
Peter Bloch will be observing yahrzeit for his sister, Francine Fishman on Saturday evening, June 15th
Alex Jakoby will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Ignatz Jakoby on Sunday evening, June 16th
Alex Jakoby will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Rachel Jakoby on Sunday evening, June 16th
Leo Rettig will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Charles Rettig on Sunday evening, June 16th
Janet Chertkoff will be observing yahrzeit for her mother, Edith Rosen on Sunday evening, June 16th
Gloria Salit will be observing yahrzeit for her brother, Abraham Ackerman on Monday evening, June 17th
Iris Fox will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Solomon Bichler on Monday evening, June 17th
Seymour Green will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Sol Green on Monday evening, June 17th
Marjorie Berger will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Herman Fuchs on Tuesday evening, June 18th
Norman Schaer will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Sadie Schaer on Tuesday evening, June 18th
Jerome Margolin will be observing yahrzeit for his nephew, Scott Margolin on Thursday evening, June 20th 




Important Reads
Important/Interesting Reads
Hizbullah Planned Game-Changing Attacks on Israeli Targets Globally                                       
It's the NYT...this is overblown and sensationalized:
Birthright Trips, A Rite of Passage for Many Jews, Are Now a Target of Protests                      
I would actually support such legislation, depending on the exact language. Flame away at me...
Sanders, Warren Push Against Israel Annexing West Bank                                                         
The new exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage gets everything right-and fixes nothing. 

No Animals Were Harmed in the Making of This Steak
 Lab-grown meat has the potential to address issues from climate change to animal welfare. But is it kosher?      
Here's What We Know About Orthodox Vaccination Rates
They may be higher than most people think, but several factors are helping measles spread in New York Orthodox communities.
This is the shul that holocaust scholar Deborah Lipstadt quit because of its affiliation with Young Israel:
Orthodox Synagogue in Atlanta Breaks from National Young Israel Movement After Political Spat                            The exit comes months after its rabbi protested the movement's defense of Netanyahu's political deal with the Israeli far right.            
Maybe I should have saved these 2 for Purim...except that they are true!
Israeli Man Wielding An Avocado Robs Two Banks                         
Israeli Waitresses Flash Bras to Fight Hareidi Protest                                                                                                              

Israel                    
                                       
Israeli 8-Year-Old Wins 2nd Place in European Chess Championship                                                  
In Israel's New Election Campaign, Right Battles Right                                                                                                          
ARCHAEOLOGISTS IDENTIFY CITY GATE FROM TIME OF KING DAVID       
                           
Caesarea National Park                                                                                                  




BDS / anti-Semitism / anti-Zionism                   
And this from a colleague who I thought might support some form of BDS:
Roger Waters Claims Israeli Fans Nixed Peace. It's a Lie.     Waters often tells of 60,000 concert goers pivoting from ecstatic cheers to sullen silence. A recording tells a very different story  
Roman Abramovich Gives Record $5 Million to Jewish Agency to Combat Anti-Semitism                                  
FIFA to Probe Rajoub for Glorifying Terror, Inciting Hatred                                                          
Jewish Pride Flags Allowed into DC Dyke March After Standoff                                                              
What I Learned at the D.C. Dyke March   Listen to those directly affected. Show up. And never lose sight of the bigger picture.     
Why the"Pinkwashing" Debate is So Exhausting as a Queer Jew  "I want to be able to spend this month being prou dly Jewish and proudly queer, but pinkwashing debates make me have to choose between the two."                                                              
My College's BDS Fight Backfired. Pro-Israel Stronger.              
Well, this is okay, as far as it goes, but there is much, much more to it, especially demonstrating its false premises and how to challenge it...
Confused about BDS? Let's break It Down...                                                                                                                       Please watch the video above
                                                
International New York Times to End All Daily Political Cartoons 
Israel Shutters 30 BDS Fundraising Accounts by Revealing Terror Ties                                                      
Years ago the Southern Poverty Law Center won a huge case against the United Klans of America for their lynching of a young, African American man. They effectively put them out of business as all their assets-monetary, real estate, etc.-came into the possession of, Beulah Mae Donald, mother of Michael Donald, their teenage victim. This case has a similar potential...except in the digital age, you can almost always find a vehicle to spew your hate online:
Neo-Nazi Website to Pay Paramus Comic $4.1M After Ariana Grande Bombing, ISIS Smear 
France Smashes Neo-Nazi Cell over Plot Against Jews, Muslims                                                           
 A Famed French-Jewish Philosopher is Afraid to Leave His Home
Alain Finkielkraut's support for Israel and opposition to political Islam have made him a target for street thuggery.       



The Palestinians
PA Creates an Ancient Village that Never Existed                                                                    
Jordan: Abbas Rejects Solution to Financial Crisis                                                                          
Palestinian Arson Balloons Spark Seven Fires near Gaza Border                                                           
IDF Strikes Hamas Target after Rocket Fire at Israel                                                                                               




Iran / Syria / Hezbollah
Trump's Iran Crackdown Isn't Enough to Stop Hezbollah                                                                  
Syrian Opposition Uncovers Maps of Iranian Missiles Caches                                                         
IAEA Should Inspect, Possibly Destroy Iran's Nuclear Archive, Ex-Deputy Says                                                    
Ex-Top IAEA Official Warns of Clandestine Iranian Nuclear Sites                                                          
Mysterious Blazes on Iranian Ships in Iranian Ports                                                                    
U.S. Sanctions Syrian Businessman with Ties to Assad                                                                    
Hizbullah Positions Hit in Israeli Missile Strike on Syria                                                                  
Strike on Syria Observation Post Was a Long Time Coming                                                    



Hi-Tech
Video: New Israeli Technology Freezes Cancer Cells                                                              
Israel's High-Tech Facelift Takes the Sting Out of Checkpoints                                                         





Toronto Raptors Jewish co-owner says team will visit Israel if it wins NBA championship
Billionaire Larry Tanenbaum made the pledge while visiting the Jewish state in April, a TV station there reported.        

Photo of Barbra Streisand's Cloned Dogs   
Mastermind Maria Konnikova On What Poker Can Teach Us About Life Decisions                        
 
                       
AND SPEAKING OF MAH JONGG...
WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY?
PLEASE EMAIL ME:[email protected]
(THIS OFFER IS OPEN ONLY TO GESHER SHALOM MEMBERS)

                                                                             






     
 
Register Now & Join the Ride to Fight Hunger!
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Early-Bird Pricing Ends on May 31!
Memorial Day is almost here, and we hope you have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather to start training for the  9th Annual Wheels-for-Meals Ride to Fight Hunger .  We are excited for an amazing morning in June. Come out for Friends, Family, Sun, Community, and Raising funds for an important cause!

Things to remember:
  • This year's Ride will take place on Sunday morning, June 23, 2019
  • Start/Finish at Temple Emanu-El in Closter, NJ
  • The ride benefits the JFCS Food Assistance Programs, including Meals-on Wheels and the Food Pantries
  • As a loyal supporter of JFCS, we would like to offer you  30%  off the standard registration fees. Please use   Promo Code  NEWBLAST .   A nd make sure to register by  May 31  to take advantage of Early Bird pricing. Registration fees go up June 1.
     REGISTER NOW
  •  











 
 

Year-Round Offerings: Families, Teens, & Adults

New for 2019!
The Ramah Sports Academy Family Experience
From August 5-7, 2019,  Ramah Sports Academy, located on the beautiful campus of Fairfield University in Connecticut, will hold its first  RSA Family Experience, a sports program for families. This is a great opportunity for families to enjoy camp together. Open to families from any Ramah community and their friends! For more information,  click here, or contact  Dave Levy, camp director.
Travel with Ramah Israel Institute (RII) and Reshet Ramah
Poland Journey for Adults  | July 22-28, 2019

Summer Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Adventure in Israel  | Aug. 13-22, 2019  (New trip!)

Ramah Morocco Experience  | Sept. 8-19, 2019

Ramah Nyack Chanukah Family Trip to IsraelDec. 23, 2019 - Jan. 1, 2020  (all camps welcome)

Winter Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Adventure in Israel  | Dec. 23, 2019 - Jan. 1, 2020
Adult Camps & Retreats
Singles Weekend at Ramah Berkshires  (for singles in their 40s, 50s, and up) | May 24-27, 2019

Shabbat Plus at Ramah Poconos |  July 19-21, 2019

Ramah Darom Jewish Women's Getaway  | Nov. 10-13, 2019
Family Camps & Retreats
Ramah New England Family Camp  | May 24-27, 2019

Ramah Darom Summer Family Camp  | June 26-30 , 2019 and July 17-21, 2019



LimmudFest at Ramah Darom  (partnership with Limmud Atlanta and Southeast)  | Aug. 30  -   Sept. 2, 2019

Sukkot at Ramah Poconos  | Oct. 18-20, 2019

Ramah Darom Winter Break Family Camp  |  Dec. 27, 2019  -  Jan. 1, 2020
Families with Children with Disabilities

Ramah Darom Camp Yofi   | Aug. 7-11, 2019

Ramah Poconos Tikvah Family Camp  | Aug. 14-18, 2019

Ramah California Camp Ohr Lanu   | Aug. 15-19, 2019
Programs for Teens & Young Adults


Joyce Theater
Pilobolus
June 11-29
In an isolated community of broken dreams, Jacques Tati meets Gogol in a breakthrough performance that tests Pilobolus's continually morphing aesthetic. The first of our collaborating partners projects, Rushes pairs Pilobolus creativity with global dance mavericks Israeli choreographers Inbal Pinto and Avshalom Pollak.
Rushes was co-commissioned by the American Dance Festival with support from the Doris Duke Awards for New Work and additional funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; by the Joyce Theater's Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for New Work; and by Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Florida.
It was also made possible in part by generous contributions from the Office of Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Israel in New York and from Jonathan M. Nadler. Rushes was created through Pilobolus's International Collaborators Project.


Dance
Lumberyard
Ephrat Asherie Dance
June 13 | 8pm
Summer at Lumberyard kicks off with Israeli-born Ephrat Asherie Dance's work-in-progress showing of UnderScored (working title), a dance theater piece created and performed by members of the company with special guest artists from New York City's underground scene. Inspired by the intergenerational memories of club dancers, UnderScored explores the ever-changing physical landscape of New York City's underground dance community.


Film
Uptown Jewish Film Festival
Omanut
June 23 | 12pm-9pm
Campbell Sports Center
Uptown Jewish Film 2019 is a one day film event held in Columbia University's Campbell Sports center on Sunday, June 23rd from 12pm-9pm. Three films and speakers will be presented. Light refreshments will be served between films.


Art
Lili Almog Studio
Watersheds Moments- selection from the Jerusalem Bienale thru August 14
The Laurie M. Tisch Gallery

ART
Soviet Childhood
FORT GANSEVOORT Gallery
Artist, Zoya Cherkassky
Opening May 2 |6:00 - 8:00 pm
Through June, 15 | 2019
Zoya Cherkassky was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1976. In 1991, she immigrated to Israel. She earned her BFA from HaMidrasha School of Art at Biet Berl College. Her work has been shown internationally at institutions including; Rosenfeld Gallery Tel Aviv, Henrich Böll Foundation Gallery Tel Aviv, Circle1 Gallery Berlin, Kuenstlerhaus Bethanien Berlin, Guelman Gallery Moscow, and The Tel Aviv Museum of Art. In 2018, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem held a mid-career survey of her work. Cherkassky's work is included in the permanent collections of The Jewish Museum New York, Jewish Museum Berlin, Jewish Museum Vienna, The Israel Museum Jerusalem, Tel Aviv Museum of Art Tel Aviv, and The Doron Sebbag Art Collection Tel Aviv. Cherkassky currently lives and works in Tel Aviv, Israel.


Theater
Fiddler On The Roof (A Fidler Afn Dakh)
Translator Shraga Friedman
February 21, 2019 thru June 2019
Stage 42 @ The Little Shubert Theatre
Don't miss the beloved story of a community and its struggle to balance traditions and desires in a changing world. The little town of Anatevka will bustle with the sounds of mame-loshn in the Yiddish language adaptation of Fiddler.
With direction by Oscar and Tony Award®-winner Joel Grey and the Yiddish translation by Shraga Friedman, this production has been hailed as "a richer, deeper interpretation" by The Wall Street Journal, "a mitzvah" by Time Out New York, and AM New York gives it four stars, calling Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish "perfect."
Performed in Yiddish with English and Russian subtitles.


Exhibition
ZAZ10TS presents:
Nature of Wonder
Artist Shony Rivnay
June 13- September 2
10 Times Square
Titled "Nature of Wonder" by Shony Rivnay provides a glimpse into obscurity, freedom, and a natural curiosity that we all experience in our creative lives. It is an opportunity to think, but also to let go of thinking. It is a pathway into joyous viewing and a simple understanding of how things work.
OPENING RECEPTION
June 13, 6-8PM

Theater
Shakespeare Downtown
HAMLET
June 13-23 | 6:30pm
Castle Clinton
Featuring the talented Israeli actor- Eyal Bukobza!
Performances are free. Audience will be able to get tickets the day of the performance starting at 6:00pm.
facebook event page


Theater
Dirty Laundry Theatre Presents:
BORDERS by Nimrod Danishman
June 25/26 | 9:00pm
June 29 | 6:30pm
Hudson Guild Theater
  • What divides or connect two people who meet online? The virtual fantasy, the distance, the foreignness? Boaz and George meet on Grindr. There's immediate attraction and they want to meet but realize they cant. One lives in Israel, one in Lebanon. Is it just the physical border that keeps them apart? Could their virtual relationship live in the real world?

    Music
    SummerStage
    A-WA
    June 30 | 6pm
    SummerStage Central Park
    A-WA, an Israeli band with an Arabic name featuring three sisters of Yemeni Jewish, Ukranian, and Moroccan Jewish heritage. With a mix of traditional Yemenite, hip-hop, and electronic music, the sisters' hit "Habib Galbi", a traditional melody sung in the Yemenite dialect of Judeo-Arabic, was the first song in Arabic to go #1 in Israel. Joined by BUIKA / BLICK BASSY / DJ TARA!
    This is a free event- don't miss this!