Monthly newsletter from
Congregation Beth Elohim
in Acton, Massachusetts
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One of my favorite prayers in the Shabbat morning liturgy is Psalm 30, which describes the journey from sickness to health. Two lines in particular mark a powerful moment of turning. The first is "Tears may linger for the night, but joy comes with the dawn." At the end of the psalm, we read "You turned my mourning into dancing." The long night of illness and the possibility of death has transformed into the dawn of healing and renewed life.
Debbie Friedman, the musician and liturgist who was only 59 when she died in 2011, took inspiration from these lines for her last song, called "Mourning into Dancing."
You turned my mourning into dancing,
So that my soul might sing to you,
So that my soul sing to you – and it not be still.
Debbie Friedman also developed healing services, and arranged the Mi Shebeirach prayer for healing that we, and many other synagogues, use at our services. As I spoke about on the high holidays, when we pray for healing, we tend to focus on the refuat ha'guf – the healing of the body, as opposed to the refuat ha'nefesh – the healing of the spirit.
I feel that we are in a post-Covid "mourning into dancing moment." We are largely "back to normal." We are back to gathering for b'nai mitzvah and other simchas, traveling, eating in restaurants, going to concerts, and doing other things that bring us joy. That said, we know that Covid remains with us, but we are aware of the need for continued precautions, like boosters and occasional masking, that are required to take care of our physical health. But what about our mental health, which has been under particularly high stress and trauma over these past few years? What should we be doing to take care of our mental health?
CBE is a member of the Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project, which advocates for lowering the stigma around mental health that causes many not to seek treatment. According to the CDC, half of us will experience a mental health issue in our lifetime. What is scary is that 80% of people experiencing symptoms of clinical depression are not receiving treatment. These include teens and young adults.
So, let's talk openly about mental health. For parents, let's share experiences on finding providers and other supports, as the mental health system for children can be daunting to navigate. If you are a parent reading this and have a child in need of care, reach out, as you are not alone. Let's pray for and support those with mental health issues as we do for those with physical ailments. Let our Chesed Committee know if you need support.
In a moving story from the Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion project, a woman hospitalized for depression agreed to let her husband tell their rabbi. “When he came, I told him it’s not right for people to be so afraid about getting help. Mental illness happens to Jewish people, too.” Please let me know if you or a loved one is battling a mental illness and needs support. Just as I will visit patients at Emerson or Mass General, I will also visit patients at facilities that cater to mental health, such as McLean and Franciscan Children's Hospital.
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Kosher Chinese Shabbat Dinner: A New CBE Chanukah Tradition? | |
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By Jess Rosenblatt, chair of CBE's Ritual Committee
It was a dark and stormy night. But at CBE it was also a warm and joyous night. The Kosher Chinese Shabbat Dinner on Friday, December 23rd was the first event that I have helped organize at CBE, and it was a very fulfilling and positive experience for me - not to mention delicious! It was also very successful, with over 50 congregants of all ages attending the dinner, and more joining the Friday Evening Service afterwards, which was infused with Chanukah spirit by Rabbi David, Cantor Sarra, Judy Kramer, Mike Stark, and some of our young CBE members. It was very special to share this event with my husband and our children as well.
I helped to organize this event, but I can’t take credit for the idea or for the time and effort put in by many other folks at CBE as well, who deserve recognition and thanks for their roles in this wonderful evening. Here is a peek behind the scenes…
Back in November, as we were figuring out details for services towards the end of the year, Rabbi David brought up the idea of having a Kosher Chinese Dinner before Friday Evening services on December 23rd. He talked about it with congregants to see if there was interest, and recruited some initial volunteers (including myself). Rabbi David also handled placing the order with The Kosher Wok in Brookline, and successfully applied for a $180 grant from the Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project to help with the costs of the event. Since this was a meat meal, Rabbi David also helped out by transitioning the CBE kitchen from dairy to meat and back again afterwards.
Maida Fund was amazing as always, quickly getting our event page and sign-up form up and running on the CBE website, with lots of great insights and suggestions for how to make things better and clearer.
Social Chair Linda Minkoff brought her energy and expertise to the planning process, making sure we had beverages, paper goods, and decorations, and then overseeing the kitchen and volunteers during the event. Thanks also to Linda’s daughter Sarah Minkoff for volunteering!
Our wonderful CBE staff supported the event as well. Shoshana Zuckerman handled logistics in the office and answered inquiries from congregants. Stan McMiller made sure the Social Hall was configured as we needed it.
One of the earliest volunteers Rabbi David recruited was Ethan Sokol, who – along with Kristine Fong – drove to Brookline and back in the wild weather of the 23rd to deliver our Chinese feast from The Kosher Wok. Ethan and Kristine also helped with setting up for the event.
We had terrific guidance from Programming VP Leslie Knight, who supported our planning with advice and recommendations. Kitchen Supervisor Stacey Briggs was also instrumental in providing clear guidance on CBE kashrut procedures and helped to prep meat serving utensils in the week leading up to the event.
In an effort to make sure our event was accessible to as many folks as possible, the Chesed Committee was standing by to coordinate rides for anyone who needed them.
When organizing an event, you never know if you’re going to need to do a lot of outreach to find volunteers – and the CBE community came through! Enough people volunteered through the sign-up form that we were all set from the start. Thanks so much to Susanna Wood, Linda & Denis Friedman, Shelley Green, Sue Wachter, Judith Salant, Chips Naparstek, and everyone who came a little early and stayed a little late to help take care of everything.
Adding good cheer and humor to the meal, Michael Biales performed a very apropos original song and Rabbi Mintz shared entertaining stories.
When the weather left us scrambling for a greeter and Zoom host, Shelley Green and Andrew Gruskay stepped up to make sure our services would be welcoming and accessible to our whole community.
Thank you to everyone who made this wonderful evening possible. It was a highlight of this holiday season for me.
Same time next year?
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Rabbi Mintz chats with Sue and Stuart Wachter in the buffet line. | | | |
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Rabbi Mintz shares entertaining stories.
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Michael Biales serenades the crowd with an original (and very funny) song, | | | |
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No Chinese dinner is complete without fortune cookies! | | | |
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The crowd schmoozes in the lobby. | | | |
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CBE kids light the menorah to start off services. | | | |
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Judy Kramer and Cantor Sarra sing together during services. | | | |
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Andrew Gruskay at the controls as Zoom host. | | | |
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Shelley Green and Jess Rosenblatt welcome everyone for the oneg.
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The author:
Jess Rosenblatt joined CBE in September 2021 and lives in Littleton with her husband Taylor Curtis and sons Aaron (Grade 1) and Solomon (Grade 4). Jess has already jumped into CBE life with both feet, including leading Saturday morning services, reading Torah, singing in the choir, participating on the Rabbi Search Committee, and assuming the huge job of Ritual Chair. We don’t know how she does it, but we are so grateful that she found time to write this wonderful article!
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Kulanu: How “All of Us” Can Combat Antisemitism | |
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By Sarah Coletti, chair of CBE's Na’aseh social justice group
For over 100 years, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has been actively combatting antisemitism and hate. In response to the recent increase in reported antisemitic incidents, the ADL launched an initiative, called Kulanu. Kulanu’s purpose is to engage and equip congregations across the country to fight antisemitism in their own communities. Kulanu, meaning “all of us”, recognizes that it will take all of us working together to address the issue. “All of us” includes not only everyone in the Jewish community, but also people in our towns who are not Jewish.
Because of concern about several recent local incidents, the CBE board endorsed our application to the Kulanu program. Once we were accepted into the program, our first task was to form a working group. We were fortunate that so many people from across CBE stepped up to be involved. Our group is now Bob Ferrara (co-captain), Matt Liebman (co-captain), Sarah Coletti (co-captain), Shelley Green, Sue Abrams, Doris Goldstein, Rachel Gwaltney, Cindi Silverman, Rachelle Horwitz-Martin, Linda Friedman, Terrie Winograd Block, and Sue Wachter. Rabbi David is our clergy representative. In our first meeting, we were joined by members of Kerem Shalom in Concord, and by Martin Bauer from Temple Beth El in Sudbury. Temple Beth El was involved in the ADL’s pilot program for Kulanu, so Martin has valuable experience to share. Some non-Jewish community members have also expressed interest in being involved.
Our first program was to co-host a talk by Rabbi Ron Fish with CBE’s Brotherhood. Rabbi Fish is ADL New England’s Northeast Division Director of Antisemitism Advocacy and Education. He provided some background on the ADL, from its beginnings in the aftermath of the lynching of a Jewish man, Leo Frank, in Georgia, through today. It was a well-attended breakfast. Rabbi Fish educated the room about antisemitism, its history and various manifestations. Special emphasis was given to incidents that have happened on college campuses which have alienated and isolated Jewish college students.
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Above: Ron Fish lectures to a packed CBE social hall. At left: Rabbi David with Ron Fish after his talk. | | |
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Going forward, the Kulanu group will collaborate with partners to: encourage reporting of incidents, educate the community, and equip ourselves to respond to incidents. It is important that we recognize that antisemitism, racism, anti-LGBTQ+, and anti-Islamic activities are related. While each has its distinct histories and expression, we must stand up against hate against any group.
How you can help
We invite all members (and friends) of CBE to help us in our mission by:
- Contacting kulanu@bethelohim.org or any member of the working group if you experience or hear of an incident. We can offer support and assistance in determining an appropriate response.
- Reaching out to any of member the Kulanu working group to learn about what they are currently working on.
- Visiting the Kulanu page on CBE’s website for more background, links and ADL meetings.
- Checking Star-Lite and Na’aseh News for notices of our upcoming programs.
- Contacting kulanu@bethelohim.org with questions, suggestions, or to become involved.
Lastly, we are delighted to share a video by journalist Mark Oppenheimer on “How to Talk with Your Preteen and Teen Grandchildren about Antisemitism”, hosted by the Jewish Grandparents’ Network. We hope you find it as useful as we did.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Check out the social action bulletin board in the Community Court. | | |
The People of Chelm Want to Know... | |
Illustration by Maurice Sendak. | |
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For years the “People of Chelm” column has challenged The Star readers with questions drawn from the long and rich history of Jews and Judaism. We are delighted to continue this tradition, with abundant thanks to Bob Ferrara and Waky.
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QUESTION: Despite the divisiveness of recent history, we should also remember that at a more fundamental level there is much in common in between Judaism and Islam. Like all the world’s great religions, these faiths profess respect and wonder for all God’s creations, a concern for social justice, and commitment to help the needy and oppressed. With common Middle Eastern origins, they also share a Semitic heritage. Both Arabic, in which the Qur’an was first recorded, and Hebrew, the language of the Torah, are Semitic languages. In these tongues, the basic meaning of most words is derived from a particular arrangement of a few consonants. For example, the group ShLM in Hebrew (Shin, Lamed, Mem) carries the meaning of peace as in the Hebrew “shalom”. Can you think of some common Arabic-derived words where this same group, ShLM, appear? Going in the other direction, can you think of any Hebrew words which share a common origin with the Arabic name for God, Allah? | |
Ponder your response – and find the answer further along in this email. | |
Lifecycle and milestone events in our community | | |
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Mazel tov to Jeff and Mindy Fishman on the Bat Mitzvah of daughter Alexa on November 19, 2022. Thank you for sharing these lovely photos of Alexa with us! | | |
Mazel tov to Danielle Adler and Reid Fitzgerald who welcomed new baby Logan Wesley Fitzgerald to the family on January 13th! Logan joins older brother Devon and older sister, Jordan. | |
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Has your family celebrated a recent simcha or milestone? Send us a photo along with a caption (limited to 80 words) so we can include your simcha in our next newsletter. Email communications@bethelohim.org. | |
What's happening at CBE this month? | |
The congregation thanks our members, their relatives and friends, and the larger community for donations received during the month of January. If you do not see your donation, please look for it in our next newsletter, or contact communications@bethelohim.org. | |
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Amy Naparstek Israel Scholarship Fund
Chips & David Naparstek / In honor of Fred Goldstein's special birthday, with love from Chips and David
Chips & David Naparstek / In honor of Linda Friedman's birthday, with love from Chips and David
Chips & David Naparstek / In memory of Mark Sagor's mother, Norma Zimmer. From Chips and David Naparstek with deepest sympathy.
Robert & Meryl Widman / For the occasion of Amy's Yahrzeit
Bill and Marcia Harris / In memory of Amy Naparstek and Ben and Rosalie Harris
Rita & Larry Grossman / In memory of Norma Zimmer, beloved mother and mother-in-law of Mark and Linda Sagor
Jessie & Ken Klein / In memory of Norma Zimmer
Steven Levitsky / In memory of Norma Zimmer
Cantoral Fund
Judith Lilenfield / In honor of Cantor Sarra and Elan
General Fund
Jessica Rosenblatt & Taylor Curtis
Randi & Roger Taylor / In memory of Leo Kelmar, father of Dan Kelmar and father-in-law of Laura Kelmar
Marcy Epstein Hoban & Donald Hoban / In appreciation of Amy Michelson and Matt Liebman. Giving back to our community, in appreciation for their business.
Jeffrey & Marlene Bergart / In memory of Sister Celia Laliberte, on the occasion of her yahrzeit
Barry and Grace Weitzner / Thank you for honoring my father, Morton Weitzner, on his Yahrzeit.
Ed and Nancy Kleiman / In memory of the Yahrzeit of mother, mother-in-law and Nana, Regina Kleiman
David & Gena Manalan / In appreciation of the outstanding work and communications from the Co-presidents in Rabbinical Selection
Robert Brown & Hope Davis / Where it's needed most
Alan Berko & Peggy Flaherty Berko / In memory of Paul Berko's Yahrzeit
Kathy & Bob Becker / In memory of Leo Kelmar
Esther Bachrach / In memory of David & Florence Bachrach
High Holiday Appeal
Peter & Debbie Berson
Steven & Sara Levine
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Event (Na'aseh Social Justice Fund)
Christine Brown
Stella Ko
Geoff Mamlet
Cynthia Worthington-Berry
Kathleen Neville
Janet K Adachi
Lindsay & Erik Rosenman
Karen Root Watkins
Marilynn Kaplan
Laurie Burnett
Janis Raguin
Nola Sheffer
Joseph Oliveri
Robert Drisko
Gary & Judy Budiansky
Mary Amato
Carol Buysse
Ellen Valade
Daniel & Courtney Carp
Bob Van Meter
Amy Osenar
Cyrus Comninos
Ira Benowitz
Lisa Winner
Joan Rosania
Linda Blanco
Laurie Burnett
Peter Dabos
Tara Zantow
Zhuo Rui Peng
Ethan & Kristine Sokol
Chuck & Lauren Pollak
Marcy Epstein Hoban & Donald Hoban
Monique Mansoura
Gary Goldman
Na'aseh Social Justice Fund
Sean Witty / In memory of Michael Ferrara
Kathleen Borofsky / Congratulations on the 21st successful MLK breakfast
Rabbi Lewis Mintz Fund
Esther Bachrach / In memory of David & Florence Bachrach
Religious School Fund
Robin & Meghan Seidman
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The People of Chelm Want to Know... | |
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ANSWER TO QUESTION POSED ABOVE: Today’s fundamentalists often ignore the long common history of Judaism and Islam. There have been periods of tension as today, but also there have been times of great mutual prosperity and tolerance, as in the flourishing Muslim-dominated societies of medieval Spain or the hundreds of years when the Ottoman Empire was ascendant. However the history is interpreted, the common Semitic origin of the Qu’ran’s Arabic and the Bible’s Hebrew is indisputable.
Mary LaHaj, an American Muslim woman who spoke at a Beth Elohim brotherhood breakfast years ago, pointed out two very striking examples of this common linguistic heritage. The consonant group ShLM (Shin, Lamed, Mem) appears as the greeting “shalom”, or peace in Hebrew and also forms the core of the Arabic words “salaam” (peace) and “Islam”, the religion of peace or surrender to God’s will, and of the word “Muslim”, one who surrenders. You can also recognize the same root in the Arabic name for God, Allah, and our own “Elohim”. El is the generic Semitic name for God. Even before the periods of Abraham and Moses, back to the very early second millennium BCE, there are references in the Akkadian language to “Ilu” (God), once again the same root.
And please note Beth Elohim’s Na’aseh group has been involved with the resettlement of a wonderful Afghan Muslim family, the Mohammads. They escaped just as Kabul fell to the Taliban and had to leave everything behind. Na’aseh has teamed with the United Church of Christ in Boxborough in working with the six members of the family for over a year now.
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Feedback/get in touch with us! | |
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Let us know what you think!
Do you like the new format? What about the content? If there is an individual or effort you’d like to see featured, please let us know!
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For all of the above, please write to communications@bethelohim.org.
Until next time,
The Star editorial and design team —
Gary Budiansky, Maida Fund, Rick Green, Beth Schrager, Lauren Solomon, Shoshana Zuckerman
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