Shabbat Services will be held

IN THE VESTRY

Friday Evening 5:15 pm Services:

IN THE CHAPEL

Shabbat Zachor/Tetzaveh

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Message from Rabbi:

PLEASE SEE INFORMATION BELOW

ABOUT THE DEVASTATING NEWS ABOUT THE

KNESSET VOTE TO CANCEL NON-ORTHODOX WORSHIP

AT THE SOUTHERN WESTERN WALL (KOTEL)

(I shared a picture of Josh Greenberg being Bar Mitzvah at that very spot in last week's blast)

Bob Greenwald, who serves on the Board of the United Synagogue will share updated information at services this Shabbat Morning.

If that's not enough to get you to join us, we're also serving Hamantaschen!!

Purim in Candy Land!

THIS Sunday, March 1st from 11am-1pm

Step into a world of sweetness and celebration 🍬✨

WITH AN INTRODUCTION TO THE MEGILLAH BY OUR MIDRASHA STUDENTS! 

Join us at the Friedman JCC for Purim in Candy Land —

a joyful community Purim celebration filled with music, hamantaschen making, games, pizza, karaoke, bingo, and fun for all ages. Come in costume, bring your friends, and celebrate together in the sweetest way possible.

Free and open to all! No registration required

Purim

Megillah Reading

at Temple Israel

Monday, 5:15 PM

in our Chapel

A Bat Mitzvah held at the southern area of the Kotel known as Ezrat Yisrael, where egalitarian worship and celebrations have been held for over a decade.



Last week I shared the great news that the area of the Western Wall (the Kotel) at the southern end, to the south of the main area we are used to seeing, was mandated by Israel's Supreme Court to be upgraded after stones that fell from the wall have been shored up.

Today we heard grave news:

The Orthodox leadership in the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) voted in favor of extending religious control of the entire Western Wall, including the Southern area, under the rulings of the chief Rabbis of Israel.

This puts into jeopardy all non-Orthodox prayer and services that have taken place for the last 10 years. The Knesset voted in favor of a first draft of the law which would forbid egalitarian prayer in this area.

This is the Ezrat Yisrael- the holy place for all Jews. On the right side is the continuation of the Western Wall, the Kotel. Same ancient stones, just a half a block south. In the main part of the picture is the divider in between the two sections of the Kotel. It supports the ramp that leads up to the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque.

The irony is that for decades Jews were forbidden BY ISRAEL from worshiping up on the Temple Mount where our ancestors prayed from the actual Temple. Jewish prayer would incite the Muslim worshippers and thus the injunction against the Jews from davvening at their holiest site.

And now the Knesset has voted to keep non-Orthodox and egalitarian Jews from worshiping as they wish down below at the southern part of the Kotel. This should be a time for the Jewish People to unite together, not to be mean to each other. If I can respect the minority of Israeli Jews (the Orthodox) having the entire Western Wall plaza under their authority, why can't they respect our desire to have an alternate place to worship in egalitarian fashion.

For a genuinely beautiful reaction to all of this from an Orthodox rabbi, click below to read from Rabbi Kenneth Brander, who is the Rosh Yeshiva (Director) of the Or Torah Stone Yeshiva in Israel, which was founded by Rabbi Shlomo Riskin.

Another view of a Bat Mitzvah ceremony held at the Ezrat Yisrael portion of the Kotel. Standing here, you don't need to pull out a compass to tell which direction to face to direct your heart to the ancient Temple!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN- THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR FUNDS, JUST FOR YOUR SUPPORT

Join us in the Holy Land in 5787!

Sunday, November 1st thru

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

$5785 for double occupancy

We can help pair you with a roommate!

Single Supplement cost: TBD

Includes bus to and from Newark,

EL AL Airfare, 8 nights in Premier Hotels,

Breakfast and Dinner every day,

8 days of touring all over Israel

Almost EVERYTHING except souvenirs!

TENTATIVE ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE

• Sun, Nov 1 Bus from Kingston to El AL Flight from Newark
• Mon, Nov 2 Arrive TEL AVIV. Hour drive north to Mediterranean resort in Hadera
• Tue, Nov 3 Visit ancient Caesarea, Mystical Tzfat (Safed), Tiberius
• Wed, Nov 4 Golan Heights: Syrian border, Boat ride on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) DeKarina Chocolate factory, dinner on the Sea, down the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem
• Thu, Nov 5 Jerusalem Jaffa Gate, Old City Roof Tops, Cardo, Western Wall Tunnels, Kotel, Southern Steps (pictured above), Newly unearthed steps down to the Pool of Siloam
• Fri, Nov 6 Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, Israel Museum, Mt. Hertzl IDF cemetery, Machaneh Yehudah open air market, Shabbat Dinner
• Shabbat, Nov. 7 Services (optional) Great Synagogue, Tour of Christian section of Old City and Via Delarosa (optional)
• Sun, Nov 8 Masada, Dead Sea mud bath and Swim (float) 
• Mon, Nov 9 Tree Planting, Elah Valley, Gaza Memorial, Beit Guvrin dig.
• Tue, Nov 10 Machal Monument, 1948 Underground Bullet Factory, Jaffa. Final Dinner, FLY BACK 1 AM
• Wed, Nov 11 Return Back in the U.S. Bus back to Kingston
• 
  

Something you want to see or do that's not on the itinerary? Let us know!

Please let us know as soon as possible

of your interest even if undecided

so we can tentatively reserve flights and hotels.

Respond to this email

or contact Sally at the office: (570)-824-8927

Space is limited

Register below with a deposit of $300

($250 refundable with cancellation by April, 1, 2026

~Limited scholarships may be available~

Starting again on Wednesday!

Torah Study

with

Rabbi Larry Kaplan

and Dr. Jeff Lubin

We are on hiatus during February

Will return Wednesday, March 4th

Wednesdays

2:00 pm at the JCC

Donation

Acknowledgement Lists

NOVEMBER 2025 DECEMBER 2025

JANUARY 2026

This week's Yahrzeits

(Light candle the evening before)

Friday, February 27, 2026---10 Adar 5786

Carol Baltimore, Philip Cutler, Lila Farber, Ted Fischer, Phillip Gelb

Elaine Levey, Goldie Pollock, Jan Prashker, Anne Sussman

Saturday, February 28, 2026----11 Adar 5786

Ceil Freed, Jean Gonchar, Hilda Man Hertz, Richard May

Bess Michelstein, Lawrence Miller, Doris Newman

Isadore Rome, J. Malcolm Ross, Joseph J. Savitz

Harold Schonfeld, Pearl Wolfe

Sunday, March 1, 2026----12 Adar 5786

Rosalie F. Cohen, Bessie Frank, Howard Klein, Ben Libenson

Helen Nachlis, Zach Newirth, Edith Rome

Alan Shuman, Sandra Warshal

Monday, March 2 , 2026---- 13 Adar 5786

Morris Brand, Seymour Fendler, Bernice Fierman, Sara Goldstein

Jacob Isaacs, Dr. Isadore Krasno, Clara Mittleman

Karen Smulowitz

Tuesday, March 3, 2026----14 Adar 5786

Reichel Dunner, Lois Finkelstein, Marcella Iscovitz

Fannie Karnofsky, Sadie Kaufer, Jacob Schiffman

Wednesday, March 4, 2026----15 Adar 5786

Albert Frank, Sylvia Barras Moskowitz, Steven Wolfe

Thursday, March 5, 2026----16 Adar 5786

Zelda Charnow, Milton Friedman, Morris Moskow

Bernard Thalenfeld

Friday, March 6, 2026---17 Adar 5786

Harold Birnbaum, Eleanor Cohen, Bessie Lantz, Anne Lebenson

Jack Lesavoy, Raymond Levey, Joan Rittenberg

~May their memory be for a blessing~