Weekly E-News 5783
February 18 - February 24, 2023
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On February 17-19th, Agudath Achim will be joining hundreds of other communities in honoring the National Council of Jewish Women's Repro Shabbat! Repro Shabbat takes place yearly when we read Parshat Mishpatim, which is the original source text for why Jewish law permits and sometimes requires abortion, as well as other reproductive rights.
NCJW rabbinic fellow Naima Gelman will share words of Torah about reproductive freedom on Saturday the 18th during morning services, and lead a text study on the Jewish approach to abortion on Sunday the 19th at 7:30pm.
We invite you to join us in exploring Jewish approaches to reproductive freedom and look forward to learning with and from each other.
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This week's Kiddush lunch will be prepared by Eva Locker. The menu will be quiche, bagels, salad, and more!
This week's lunch is sponsored in part by Adam Fins, in honor of Lauren's achievements! (See below for more information.)
Interested in preparing or sponsoring a Kiddush, in whole or in part? Please contact Motti by calling the synagogue at 912-352-4737.
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Saturday, 2/18 - Invitation - The Gelmans will be opening their home for seudah shlishit (the third meal of Shabbat), havdallah, and conversation at 5:30pm on Saturday the 18th.
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From the Tzedek Committee:
Wednesday, 2/22, Fight Antisemitism - The Israeli American Council for Action (IAC) is encouraging the Jewish community of Georgia to participate in a meeting with Georgia state legislators in support of bipartisan legislation to fight antisemitism. The meeting will take place February 22 from 10:00-12:00 at the State Capitol, 206 Washington St., Atlanta, Room 230. IAC will provide assistance with transportation and an advance briefing via Zoom for participants.
The link to register for participation is here.
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Stay tuned for more details on upcoming events.
If you are interested in joining the Board or a Committee, please let us know!
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Important Security Training
Please join us Tuesday, 2/21, at 6:30pm as members of the Savannah SWAT team provide us with training and best practices on how to handle active threats.
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Purim 2023 is around the corner, and we need your help to make it the best one yet!
We will read Megillat Esther, the Scroll of Esther, Monday March 6 at 7pm during our Purim Extravaganza, and again Tuesday March 7 during morning minyan.
We are looking for community members (that's you!) to read a few (or more!) verses - sign up here and let Naima and Rabbi Gelman know if you have any questions or would like some help.
(Recordings courtesy of Shalhevet Cahana and the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance)
Purim Schedule:
Monday, 3/6 - 6pm - Dinner and Purim Extravaganza (scavenger hunt, carnival games, and raffles)
6:45pm - Costume parade for children AND adults
7pm - Megillah reading
Tuesday, 3/7 - 7:30am - morning minyan
8am - Megillah reading
11am - History of Jewish Humor class with Rabbi Gelman
12pm - Deli lunch
Both events are $10/person, $20/family. Interested in helping? Please contact Shellie Jensen or Motti Locker. Interested in sponsoring? Please speak with Motti.
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Rabbi's Message
This week, we read parashat Mishpatim, Laws, and boy, are there are a lot of laws. There are laws on relating to injury, holidays, theft, idolatry, the shemitta year, money lending, and more. It also includes one of the most famous, and misunderstood, laws of the Torah. The setup is more obscure than the payoff: we are told that if two men fight, and one of the men pushes a pregnant woman and causes her to miscarry, he has to pay her a fine. Join us for Shabbat services this week and we’ll learn more about this law. But if the woman is harmed beyond a miscarriage, well, then the penalty is “עַ֚יִן תַּ֣חַת עַ֔יִן שֵׁ֖ן תַּ֣חַת שֵׁ֑ן יָ֚ד תַּ֣חַת יָ֔ד רֶ֖גֶל תַּ֥חַת רָֽגֶל” “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.” This is the lex talionis, the law of retaliation. What you do to me, I will do to you.
It is common to see this law as a vast overreach of justice. Consider the quote often attributed to Gandhi: “An eye for an eye and the world goes blind.” Or the injunction in the Christian Bible, to respond not by taking an eye but by turning the other cheek. In the modern era, we much prefer pacifism and non-violence to retribution. How could the Torah command us to retaliate so severely for an injury?
As the rabbis of the Talmud and the classic commentators have explained, it doesn’t. As Ibn Ezra explains, if taken literal, there is no way for the commandment to be fairly applied. If you injure me in such a way that causes me the loss of a limb, how can I strike you back in the exact same way, ensuring just as much damage and no more? Because if I did more damage to you in retaliation, then I would be liable for the damage done to you, and so and so forth, until absurdity. Rather, the Talmud explains the law is talking about monetary value. If you knock out my tooth, you need to pay me the value of the tooth: my medical bills, any dental work, the associated costs. You owe me what you cost me.
In that sense, the law is a pushback against the prevailing law codes of the time, such as the Code of Hammurabi, that applied different measures of payment and judgement depending on social class. The Torah teaches us: you wrong someone, and you right that wrong. Regardless of social class or rank. All human beings are equal. We are reminded in this parsha “וְגֵ֥ר לֹא־תוֹנֶ֖ה וְלֹ֣א תִלְחָצֶ֑נּוּ כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם” “You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” And indeed, the Torah will remind us “You shall have one law for the stranger and citizen alike.” Rather than be a barbaric law, the lex talionis reminds us that we are all equal. And we must strive to treat each other equally, with all the care and concern for each other’s dignity and respect.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Gelman
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Service Leader Sign Up
Are you interested in leading services? Reading Torah? You can sign up on our service leader sign up sheet! We now have 2 sheets-one through the end of October, and the other from November to February. If you are interested in learning how to read Torah or lead services, contact Rabbi Gelman at rabbishgelman@gmail.com
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The upcoming themes:
2/17 - Learner's Shabbat - come learn about different parts of the Friday night service and more!
2/24 - Musical Shabbat - Join us as we sing together old classics, learn new tunes, and explore the varieties of Jewish music at our musical Shabbats! If you are the kind of person who loves to sing along, this service is for you!
3/3 - PJ Shabbat: Come join us for an intergenerational PJ Shabbat! We invite everyone to come in their comfiest PJs and get cozy with us, as we sing songs to welcome in Shabbat, read a book all about Purim, and pray together as a community. The person in the best set of PJs wins a prize! This slightly abbreviated service is for people of all ages.
Please add these to your calendars!
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Tuesday: 7:30 AM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM
Friday: 8:00 AM (followed by breakfast) & 6:00 PM
Shabbat: 9:45 AM
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This Shabbat:
2023 | 5783
Parashat Mishpatim/Shabbat Shekalim
Candle Lighting: 5:54 pm
Havdalah: 6:51 pm
(all times are for Savannah)
Annual Torah reading: Exodus 21:1-24:18, 30:11-16 (Etz Hayim pp 456-480, 523-524)
Triennial Torah reading: Exodus 21:1-22:3, 30:11-16 (Etz Hayim pp 456-465, 523-529)
Haftarah: 2 King 12:1-17 (Etz Hayim pp 1277-1278)
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Classes Offered at the Synagogue |
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New Class Offering: Learn How to Lead!
Have you ever wanted to read Torah? Chant Haftarah? Sing Shacharit? Serenade Musaf? Now is your chance to learn! Join Rabbi Gelman as he will teach you all the basics of Nusach (service melodies), Torah Trop, and Haftarah Trop. Class will meet Thursdays at 1 PM. Hebrew reading knowledge is required.
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Daf Shevui/Talmud Page of the Week: |
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Always wanted a chance to learn a bit of Talmud? In this class we will be going through the first tractate of the Talmud, Berachot (Blessings). We will get a good variety of rabbinic legends, Jewish law, wit, and arguments. Lots and lots of arguments. Class will be held Wednesdays at 7 PM on Zoom. The ZOOM link can be found below... |
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Rabbis of the Mishnah: This class will take a deep look into the Rabbis of the Mishnah; who they were and what they were thinking. Our next class will be when Motti returns from Israel. Please contact Motti for class link or email mottilocker@gmail.com
Women in the Talmud: Women in Talmud and Jewish Law: Join Naima in discussing halachic (Jewish legal) questions about women. Updated Schedule: We will meet Sunday February 19th, and Sunday February 26th at 7:30 for Women in Talmud. Our last sessions will focus on how Jewish law addresses modesty, abortion, and menstruation. Reach out to Naima with questions at naima.hirsch@gmail.com
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Please come out on Sunday, March 12th to watch Savannah’s new hockey team the Ghost Pirates. The Ghost Pirates will give the Shalom School $5 back for each ticket sold. The goal is to sell 200 tickets. Please follow the link below to purchase your tickets.
We had a fun time at the last game, but we were all spread out as additional tickets got released. While the section is sold out, there are still tickets available for the game which can benefit Shalom School. We encourage you to join us!
Hope to see you there!
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Come on out Thursday, June 8th, to watch the Savannah Bananas game! The Bananas will give back to the Shalom School a percentage of each ticket sold. Be sure to get your tickets early because they sell out fast! |
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Birthdays and Anniversaries |
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Birthdays
February 19
Andrea Mathews
February 21
Ellen Winters
Anniversaries
The are no anniversaries to celebrate this week.
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If we have missed your birthday or anniversary, please email the office with the information so we can update your account. We apologize for the omission. |
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Yahrzeits For:
February 18 - February 24
Friday night/ Saturday, February 18 - 27 Shevat
Max Mally - grandfather of Steven Scheer
Elsie Shusterman - mother of Helen Cranman
Rose Weiss - grandmother of Jeffrey Laskey & Jodi Sadler
Saturday night/ Sunday, February 19 - 28 Shevat
Helen Feldman - mother-in-law of Nancy Feldman
Richard Arthur Heck - father of Jennifer Tillinger
Irene Kratzer - mother of Janet Benjamin
Chamke Tenenbaum - mother of Harriet Ulman &
grandmother of Susan Slotin
Sunday night/ Monday, February 20 - 29 Shevat
Muriel Bonder - mother of Michael Bonder
Stanley Sadowsky - father of Elaine Weinberger
Monday night/ Tuesday, February 21 - 30 Shevat
Harold Benjamin - father of Robert Benjamin
Mary Friedman - mother of Stephen Friedman
Samuel Rubin - grandfather of Elise Shernoff
Joseph Schwartz - father of Mark Schwartz
Charles Sussman - brother of Harvey Sussman
Tuesday night/ Wednesday, February 22 - 1 Adar
Abraham Davidson - father of Aaron & Julius Davidson
Thursday night/ Friday, February 24 - 3 Adar
Erwin Friedman - father of Stephen Friedman
Commemoration of the Yahrzeit begins the evening of the first noted date.
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Lauren Fins Receives
Official U.S. Senate Commendation
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“Ms. Lauren Fins has dedicated her time to assisting veterans and other members of her community who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and other trauma-related illnesses through her organization Fins Animal Training — fondly earning her the title of “hometown heroine” across Coastal Georgia.
“Over the last 10 years, Ms. Fins has committed more than 1,000 hours of her personal time to training service dogs that uplift people in need across Savannah, and she was recognized with the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2022 for her commitment to this feat.
“In addition to her work with Fins Animal Training, she also trains dogs for SD Gunner Fund, a local non-profit that provides service dogs to people who need them.
“In many cases, Ms. Fins has helped dogs grow from young pups to loyal companions who can help support individuals’ everyday quality of life, including by helping a person off the floor, pulling a wheelchair, or by picking up a prosthetic limb.
“Mr. President, as Georgia’s U.S. Senator, I recognize and commend Lauren Fins for her commitment and dedication to Georgia’s veterans.”
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Do you have your own great story to share?
Please email the office so we can let everybody know!
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Request for support of Georgia legislation
to define antisemitism
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AA member Simone Wilker recently testified before a committee of the Georgia House of Representatives in support of H.B. 30, which proposes that Georgia adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism. Simone is working with Hadassah and wishes to draw the attention of the AA community to the following statement from Hadassah:
Hadassah is deeply committed to combating antisemitism in all forms. As such, we are profoundly troubled by the rise in threats and attacks targeting Jewish institutions, synagogues and individuals both nationally and internationally. Keeping communities safe and building a healthier and more tolerant future requires us to stop antisemitism from taking root in new generations.
Legislators in Georgia have introduced H.B. 30 to adopt the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. Urge your state legislators to take action so Georgia can be a leader in combating antisemitism.
AA members wishing to voice their support for H.B. 30 can do so by clicking on the following link:
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Thank you to all attendees at the Shernoff's home for the Rabbi's class, Judaism and Vegetarianism. Thank you to Elise and Victor for hosting!
Stay tuned for more class dates. If you are interested in hosting a Homestyle Judaism class, or have a particular topic in mind, please reach out to Rabbi Gelman.
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Eyal Sherman
Eyal’s Flowers: Hope In Art
Eyal Sherman, z”l was a quadriplegic for 32 of his 36 years. Through his physical challenges, Eyal became an artist, achieving a bachelor of fine arts from Syracuse University.
Through his life, Eyal inspired others to do their best and to use their hope to do good things in the world.
Eyal’s Flowers is a collection of his works and generously loaned by Eyal’s Flowers - The Eyal Sherman Foundation, created by his family. The foundation raises funds to support the physically disabled, in both medical and non-medical causes.
Eyal’s Flowers: Hope in Art - artwork will be available for viewing from
February 1 through February 28, 2023, at the JEA (5111 Abercorn Street).
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Kids Night Out
Saturday, February 25 – 6 PM
Children PreK-5th Grade
JEA Members - $30, JEA Guests $36
Kids enjoy a night of fun from 6-10 pm. Parents enjoy a night out!
Savannah Jewish
Cultural Arts Festival
March 1-16, 2023
Opening Reception March 1 – 6 PM
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