Weekly E-News 5783
March 4 - March 10, 2023
Ever wonder what Turophile, Oenophile or Caseophile mean?
Join us for a night of wine and cheese and you'll find out!

Learn about the history of cheese, taste some delicious cheeses and wines and how they work together to enhance flavor.

Register today! There will be prizes for the first 30 registrants plus door prizes for a lucky few!
Kiddush for the Week:
Tuna Salad, Bev’s Noodle Kugel, Hard Boiled Eggs, Bagels and Lox, Plus Pastries and Cookies for Dessert,
prepared by Naima & Rabbi Gelman.

This week's Kiddush is sponsored by Amy & David Rosenthal in memory of Amy's sister, Karen Friedenberg.

Interested in preparing or sponsoring a Kiddush, in whole or in part? Please contact Motti by calling the synagogue at 912-352-4737.
Rabbi's Message

This coming week we celebrate the holiday of Purim! Many of us know the story: Esther becomes Queen of Persia and hides her Jewish identity; Mordechai refuses to bow to Haman, who plots to have all the Jews killed in revenge; and in a reversal of fortune, Esther reveals her identity and the Jews are saved. But wait, back up. Why does Mordechai refuse to bow to Haman? We teach our kids that “Jews only bow to God” but that is not entirely true, isn’t it? We have examples of Jews bowing to non-Jews out of respect all the time in the Torah. Genesis 23:7 “And Avraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, to the children of Ḥet.” Exodus 18:7 “Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed low and kissed him.” And in Genesis 33, Ya’akov and his family bow before his brother Esau, traditionally considered to be a wicked man. So why did Mordechai refuse to bow to Haman? Was he just being stubborn?

The midrash on Esther gives us its explanation. “כְּשֶׁצִּוָּה אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לְהָמָן, חָקַק עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים עַל לִבּוֹ, וְנִתְכַּוֵּן כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים” “when Aḥashverosh commanded [everyone] to prostrate themselves to Haman, he [Haman] carved an idol [and set it] over his heart, intending that they prostrate themselves to the idol.” In other words, Haman set out to prove a point. He knew what would happen by placing the idol over his heart: it would force people bowing to him to bow to the idol. And if anyone complained about bowing to the idol, he could say “but you’re not bowing to the idol! You’re simply bowing to me.” This was a trap for the Jews. They could not say they were refusing to bow to the idol, because the order was to bow to Haman. It just so happened he attached an idol to himself. So the Jews could choose integrity and risk punishment, or violate their ideals and bow to an idol. Mordechai chose integrity.

Haman was descended from the tribe of Amalek, the tribe known for attacking the Jews in the desert upon escaping Egypt, the most uncharitable tribe that preys on the vulnerable. The attitude of Haman, and Amalek, is to feign ignorance and righteous fury. “You refused to bow to me? You have no reason to!” roars Haman, even though he knows very well he has set Mordechai up in this position. Nowadays, this attitude of Haman rears its head whenever we refuse to listen to the concerns and worries of others, especially the vulnerable. “Why are you offended/angry/upset?” we say. “You have no reason to be!” Yet when we say that, we are uncharitably ignoring the reasons we may already know, consciously or subconsciously, that the other party is hurt. This Purim, as we celebrate Mordechai’s integrity and boo Haman’s put-upon indignation, let us strive to be more like Mordechai and less like Haman.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Gelman
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
Friday Night Services
The upcoming themes:

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. 

3/10 - Classic Shabbat Description: Join us for our classic Kabbalat Shabbat service! Featuring timeless melodies, ageless prayers, and a little bit of learning. Come be a part of our heimish community as we welcome in Shabbat together.

 3/17 - Nosh 'n' Knowledge Learner's Shabbat - Come whet your appetite for Shabbat with a pre-dinner snack sponsored by the Sisterhood, and learn something new. What will you learn? You'll have to come to find out!

Please add these to your calendars!
In Person Service Times:
Tuesday: 7:30 AM
Wednesday: 8:00 AM
Friday: 8:00 AM (followed by breakfast) & 6:00 PM
Shabbat: 9:45 AM

This Shabbat:

2023 | 5783 
Parashat Tetsavveh/Shabbat Zachor
Candle Lighting: 6:05 pm
Havdalah: 7:01 pm
(all times are for Savannah)
 
Annual Torah reading: Exodus 27:20-30:10, Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (Etz Hayim pp 503-518, 1135-1136)
Triennial Torah reading: Exodus 27:20-28:30, Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (Etz Hayim pp 503-508, 1135-1136)
Haftarah: 1 Samuel 15:2-34 (Etz Hayim pp 1282-1285)

Classes Offered at the Synagogue
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.
Daf Shevui/Talmud Page of the Week:
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...
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. Please contact Motti for class link or email mottilocker@gmail.com

FUNDRAISERS
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!
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!
Birthdays and Anniversaries

March 4
Brenda Rosenberg

March 5
Jonathan Cohen

March 6
Virginia Caplan

March 9
Susan Slotin

March 10
Linda Hoffman
Eva Locker
Happy Anniversary!
March 5
Lynn & Richard Berkowitz

March 9
Lisa & Douglas Goldstein
Jeanmare & Douglas Holstein
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.
Yahrzeits For:

March 4 - March 10

Friday night/ Saturday, March 4 - 11 Adar
Karen Friedenberg - sister of Amy Rosenthal
Kopel Helfand - grandfather of Robin Rackoff
Ruth Kaplan Miller - mother of Paula Fisher
Laurette Sussman - mother of Harvey Sussman
& aunt of Richard Bodziner
Mayer Tanenbaum - grandfather of Karen Cranman

Saturday night/ Sunday, March 5 - 12 Adar
Aaron Haysman - father of Melvin Haysman
Jennie Stein - grandmother of Martin Melaver

Sunday night/ Monday, March 6 - 13 Adar
Abraham Feiler - father of Preston Feiler
Herbert F. Ray - father of Elizabeth Arkin
Faye Schwartz - mother of Sandra Schneider
Mose Simmons - father of Dorothy Stock
Rose Zeger - mother of Warren Zeger

Monday night/ Tuesday, March 7 - 14 Adar
Joyce Bonder - wife of Michael Bonder
Donna Buckner - daughter of Joan Pam
Ronald Buckner - son-in-law of Joan Pam
Russell Buckner - grandson of Joan Pam
Pesil Sherman - grandmother of Bunny Montag

Tuesday night/ Wednesday, March 8 - 15 Adar
Helen Isaacson - grandmother of Bobby Isaacson
Patricia Reed - mother of Brenda Salter
Sophia Samorodin - grandmother of Barry Luskey

Wednesday night/ Thursday, March 9 - 16 Adar
Marshall Bernard - father of Ed Bernard
David Bueno - father of Josepha DeVaro
Susan Glazer - sister of AM Goldkrand
Rosalie Matis - aunt of Buddy Metzger
Gladys Schildt - grandmother of Daniel Skidmore-Hess

Thursday night/ Friday, March 10 - 17 Adar
Zelda Cranman - mother of Harriet Meyerhoff
Rose Goldstein - mother of Melvin Goldstein
Bessie Tanenbaum - grandmother of Karen Cranman
Bella Miriam Tenenbaum - grandmother of Cookie Gale,
Barbara Hacken, Marsha Kessler,
Sheldon Tenenbaum, & Bert Tenenbaum
Stelma Towbin - mother of Carol Greenberg

Commemoration of the Yahrzeit begins the evening of the first noted date.
Lauren Fins Receives
Official U.S. Senate Commendation
Agudath Achim member Lauren Fins received an official U.S. Senate Commendation from Senator Jon Ossoff for her commitment to Georgia's veterans.  Click here to see the official record.

“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.”

Do you have your own great story to share? 
Please email the office so we can let everybody know!

Request for support of Georgia legislation
to define antisemitism
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:
Donor Dues Program