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MESSAGE FROM THE RABBI:
Rabbi Stuart Altshuler
Friday, November 18, 2022
24 Heshvan 5783
Shalom haverim,
Last Shabbat was one incredible experience—I am humbled by the installation, my formal induction as the rabbi of Temple Beth Sholom. Each day I thank God for the privilege of being with you all—we have an incredibly talented congregation, and committed to the best of our Jewish tradition and past. My goal is to add to the greatness that is our congregation—all we need to do now is spread the word and watch our proud community grow, learn and do Jewish.
Life moves on and we look forward now to our next Shabbat. Something a bit different this week: on Friday night, Ronnie Riceberg will be sharing some thoughts about her recent trip to Jewish Cuba, followed up on Shabbat morning, with words and thoughts from Rabbi Anat Bain-Moskowitz, again about their recent trip to Cuba. In addition to those reports from them both, Sig Tobias, our ba’al maftir/haftarah will be sharing some thoughts about his experience as a youth in Jewish Shanghai during the course of World War II—it’s an incredible story.
We are at last all ready to take deposits for our incredible May 14-24, 2023 trip to Vilnius/Warsaw/Krakow and have 24 out of the 30 slots for the trip already accounted for. If you have interest in joining us—the price for this kind of excursion is beyond reasonable---please let me know as soon as possible so that you can secure one of the last 6 places.
What makes our trip unique—and I have taken this trip before with a group of 30 from London—is that there are no extra costs for agents’ fees, there is no other trip that has with it the leading scholar/expert of Polish and Russian Jewish history with us the entire 10 day trip, Dr. Antony Polonsky, professor emeritus of Brandeis University. He turns down multiple requests for his expertise, but because of our personal relationship we are committed to sharing our teamwork with those closest to me, my congregants. Antony will be joined by his wife, Arlene, as well.
For those of you who would like to be reminded where we are going in May, here is a sketch of our itinerary:
VILNA –May 14-16-Opening night dinner; with our guide, Regina, we will explore Jewish Vilna, the “Jerusalem of the west”, walk the steps of our people in the Vilna Jewish ghetto, relive the glories, see the synagogue where the great Vilna Gaon resideded, go to the Ponary Forest where in 1941 most of Vilna’s Jews were murdered as we will recount their story and also their heroism; visit the famous Karaite synagogue; visit Trakai Island, the best preserved medieval town in all of Europe, and where Jews lived for centuries.
MAY 17—Via comfortable coach we leave Vilnius, travel through the Lithuanian countryside and eastern Poland, stop in Bialystok at the border between Lithuania and Poland on the Bug River, and met by the leading expert in Bialystok Jewry who will share the story of Bialystok, Tomas Wisniewski; then to Treblinka, take the walk where almost 900,000 Jews were murdered, pay tribute to our Jewish brothers and sisters with El Malei and Kaddish, and visit the stirring museum at Treblinka.
MAY 17-21—WARSAW: Staying in a beautiful hotel(as in Vilnius and Krakow!), visit the Warsaw Ghetto with Dr. Polonsky, a detailed account as to how our brothers and sisters survived that horror and where the most important events took place—you will be stirred by the heroism, the attempts to hold services, leave memories, make sure the young were educated, and where the study of Talmud and Torah continued; The Ringlebaum Museum where we will see the underground efforts of our people to leave an account of what was happening in the Warsaw Ghetto called the Oneg Shabbes Letters; visit with Konstanty Gebert, Polish Jewry’s leading expert, spokesperson and scholar; Kabbalat Shabbat service at the famous and beautiful Nozyk Synagogue, followed by Shabbat dinner with the chief rabbi of Poland, my friend Rabbi Michael Shudrich. Our dinner will be hosted by Pinchas Etzioni, who owns the leading Kosher restaurant in Warsaw, a 2 minute walk from the synagogue. Also the Jewish Museum which was founded by Dr. Polonsky a few years ago.
MAY 21—Coach to Krakow, with stops at Kielce, site of the pogrom against Jews who returned to their homes after the war; a stop at a beautiful historic town that Dr. Polonsky wants to share with us its story, called Kazimierz Dolny.
MAY 21-24, KRAKOW: Kazimierz Quarter(the preserved Jewish Quarter) where our hotel is located; visit the well known medieval cemetery right there in the Kazmierz where the great Rabbi Moses Isserles, the Bach, Rabbi Joel Sirkes and many other luminaries are bured. At night we will be visiting the Jewish community center which now hosts hundreds of Ukrainian refugees and we’ll hear their story along with an evening presentation, led by Rabbi Tanya Segal, the Reform rabbi of Krakow and my wife, Ella’s closest and oldest friend. We will go to Oswiecim, outside of the horrors of Auschwitz to visit the Jewish museum there before going to Auschwitz/Birkenau hosted by the leading authority and guide at Auschwitz. Finally, a closing night dinner and return home.
While everyone will be responsible for their own air flights and schedules, we are working on leaving a couple days early to meet in London, spend Shabbat together, rest up from the time change, and then fly together to Vilnius from London, a short 2 hour trip.
I cannot tell you that those coming on this trip will remember this for the rest of their lives and it will leave a deep imprint in our hearts and memories.
I will send you the registration for the trip as soon as you let me know you’re interested. Sign up before it’s too late.
Again, I want to thank Dr. Eric Faerber and Susan Weintraub for all the planning for the Installation week. You are both the gifts of my life. Stan Mitchell for Kabbalat Shabbat, Cantors Austerklein, Weisberg, Newman and Simon (away in Israel) for your support and participation in our Shabbat services. The Torah readers, our Board of Governors, David and Edith Chaifetz for the magnificent Shabbat morning Kiddush, all my dear friends—thank you thank you thank you! And a special thanks to my friend and colleague who brought his unique spirit and brilliance , Rabbi Dr Joel Rembaum. I am blessed.
On that note, my wishes for a Shabbat of repose, blessing and peace.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Altshuler
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