Adding meaning and purpose to modern lives
May 23, 2019 • Volume 15 No. 48
Dear chevrei (friends),

This week marks a confluence in both Jewish and American life that does not occur every year. Thursday marks the minor Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer (the 33rd day of the 49 days of counting which occurs between Passover and Shavuot). Then, on Friday, we begin Memorial Day weekend, an American tradition. The first 33 days of the Omer are considered by Jewish tradition to be a time of semi-mourning. This is due to the fact that this period memorializes the thousands of disciples of the great rabbis of old who were persecuted during this time by the Romans for having the audacity to continue to study and teach Torah. Then, on the 33rd day of this persecution, a plague overtook the Roman soldiers and they relented. That is why, on Lag B’Omer itself, it is tradition to burn bon fires into the night, signifying both the celebration of the end of this terrible time, but also to symbolize the guerilla warfare nature of the revolt against Rome nearly two thousand years ago. This was a time when our ancestors stood, fought back, and refused to relent in the living out of our values.

So too, it is (supposed to be) with Memorial Day. This day is set aside to be a day of semi-mourning as well, dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for American ideals. I say semi-mourning on Memorial Day because, in a way, the day is also about celebrating those very American values and our refusal to compromise on them. Of course, some of our celebrating seems to have lost the Memorial Day mooring onto which the day should always be tethered. It seems that this stems not only from the prospect of a long weekend in good weather (usually), but the distance we can often feel from those who served and died. In our community, the acute loss of family and friends in America’s wars has become, thankfully, a rare occurrence. Unfortunately, this can lead to us forgetting the importance of Memorial Day. As a reminder that Temple Israel has always done its part, I share with you the list of those we will be remembering this weekend – members of our congregation who died in American wars:  

Gerhard Buehler
Herman L. Falk, Jr.
Lt. Bernard Alfred Kroll
James S. Levi
Joseph F. Meyers
Emanuel Moyses
Martin Goldberger Rodgers
Richard H. Seligman
Robert Alan Shwitzer
I. Robert Whitelaw
I hope you will think of them this weekend as well as those whose names were erased long ago who fought to keep Jewish values alive in ancient times.

Y’hi zichram baruch (May their memories be a blessing),
Rabbi Scott Weiner
Services
Parashat Behar
Friday, May 24
6:00 pm Shabbat Evening Service
Saturday, May 25
9:00 am Shabbat Morning Service/Torah Study
Parashat Bechukotai
Friday, May 31
6:00 pm Kol Shabbat/Brotherhood & Sisterhood Led followed by dinner
Saturday, June 1
9:00 am Torah Study
10:30 am Shabbat Morning Service/Bar Mitzvah: Ben Patlis
In Memory
We offer condolences to the families and friends on their recent losses

Michael Bookchin , on the loss of his mother, Mollie Bookchin
Lauren Ferrucci , on the loss of her father, Mark Bass
Peter Fields , on the loss of his mother, Harriet Fields
Kali Weinstein , on the loss of her grandfather, Delos H. Mallette
Ellen Zomback , on the loss of her father, Michael Serber
Stephen Gutmann and Liz Weingast , on the loss of their sister and aunt, Judith Strohl
Jim Weingast , on the loss of his mother, Fran Weingast
Shavuot
Friday, June 7
5:30 pm Young Children’s Birthday Party for the Torah Families and kids are invited for songs and snacks.

6 pm Community Shabbat Services/Birthday Party for the Torah/Camp Blessing , followed by dinner. Share in a lively and engaging Shabbat worship followed by delicious Community dinner. After dinner kids of all ages are invited to celebrate the Torah with games and crafts. Cost for dinner is $25 per adult, $8 per child (6-12), Tots and Chavaya participants in K-6 are free. Pay early, the cost will increase to $30 on Wednesday, June 5th.  Click to join us.

Erev Shavuot • Saturday, June 8
6 pm Confirmation Service of Blessing . All are invited to join our Confirmation families for this special service. 

8-10:30 pm Tikkun Leil Shavuot at Westchester Reform Temple 255 Mamaroneck Road, Scarsdale, NY. Come together for an evening of study with clergy, lay teachers and community. This evening is in keeping with the Jewish tradition of studying Torah late into the night on Shavuot. We are so happy to be a part of a community-wide study this year.  

  • 8:30-10pm: Mulitple options for study with local and Temple Israel clergy
  • 10-10:30 pm: Erev Shavuot blessings and reading of the 10 Commandments

Shavuot • Sunday, June 9
10 am Shavuot Morning Service/Yizkor and Confirmation, followed by a Celebratory Congregational Lunch. Call the Temple Office at (914) 235-1800 to let us know that 
you will be attending the lunch.

Confirmation Class of 2019/5779
Caleb Alter 
Cary Brecher 
Noa Deutsch 
Zoe Gottesman 
Adam Kliegerman 
Daniel Long 
Sonia Morris 
Mia Redlener 
Brooke Rieger 
Carly Rieger 
Simone Rivel 
Hayden Roberge 
Sam Rosenberg 
Dani Saril
Events
Brotherhood/Sisterhood Kol Shabbat Service/Dinner
NEXT Friday, May 31, 2019 • 6:00 pm
This is Brotherhood and Sisterhood’s opportunity to give back to the BH/SH members for all the support throughout the year! BH/SH Members are FREE, children of BH/SH members are FREE. $25 per non BH/SH members (inc. spouse of members who are not BH/SH members), $8 per child (6-12), Tots FREE. Open Bar! Click to join us
Sunday, June 2, 2019
If you are interested in participating in the Celebrate Israel Parade please contact Michael Goldberg by email or call (917) 769-7049 with questions.
Community Shabbat Services/Birthday Party for the Torah/Camp Blessing
Friday, June 7, 2019 • 6:00 Service followed by dinner
Share in a lively and engaging Shabbat worship followed by delicious Community dinner. After dinner kids of all ages are invited to celebrate the Torah with games and crafts. Cost for dinner is $25 per adult, $8 per child (6-12), Tots and Chavaya participants in K-6 are free. Pay early, the cost will increase to $30 on Wednesday, June 5th.  Click to join us.
Food for Thought
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 • 11:30 am
Food Insecurity in Israel - How Does a Post-Holocaust Generation Rationalize People Going Hungry in the Jewish Homeland? Talk given by CEO of American Friends of Leket Israel, and Temple Member: Paul Warhit. Click for information Click to join us 
111th Annual Congregational Meeting
Wednesday, June 12, 2019 • 7:45 pm
This is your chance to have a voice in shaping Temple Israel's future.
Kehillah Seeyoom 
Friday, June 14, 2019 • 5:00 pm
Questions? Contact Laurie Thomas
On-going 
"Introduction to the Talmud"  is an Adult Education class with Rabbi Weiner which is scheduled for  EVERY Friday, 9 am  at Temple Israel of New Rochelle. No prior knowledge is required. All are welcome! No Talmud class TOMORROW Friday, May 24th

STARS (Seniors Together at Retirement)
Mondays, 10:45 am. Questions? Call the Temple Office at (914) 235-1800  
Check the Temple Calendar to see whether Zumba or Yoga will be offered.

Kol Sasson Adult Volunteer Choir Rehearsals
Like to sing? Join Kol Sasson, directed by Cantor Schloss! Kol Sasson sings for special services and events. Next service is Friday, May 31st, 6:00 pm , Kol Shabbat/Brotherhood-Sisterhood Shabbat. Click here to RSVP.

An upcoming rehearsal date is on Wednesday, May 29, 7 - 8 pm (May TT notes Tuesday, May 28 which has been changed). Contact Cantor Schloss or Beverly To to join/find out more information
Temple Israel’s Oral History Project - Tell Your Story!

One of the oldest human (and Jewish) traditions is story-telling. Now at Temple Israel, we are starting a project to collect our stories. Temple Israel is a congregation of hundreds of families, each with its own stories. We will be recording interviews with willing subjects, at the Temple or another convenient location. If you are interested in interviewing, being interviewed, or providing technical support, please contact Warren Agatston (914.933.0050) or Stan Konwiser (201.703.1122).  Click to see a list of interviewees and interviewers, so you can contribute to this project!
Camp Pinebrook
Only 35 days until camp and we can’t wait!
Partial Day Option Available ... click to find out more!
To Temple Israel Congregants! Temple Israel of New Rochelle is hosting Israelis for the summer. We have 2 young adults, Royie and Nir, who will be working at Camp Pinebrook this summer. They are incredibly kind and respectful young men who recently completed their military service. We are asking families to host them for 3 weeks. They will be in New York from Mid-June through late-August. Host families will not have transportation responsibilities, they will be bus counselors. If you are willing to host or would like to learn more, please contact Ilissa Warhit (914-433-4526).
Camp Pinebrook has been busy getting ready for our second summer. One thing we're working on right now is finding the best staff possible. 

We’re looking for: high school students aged 16 or older to be junior counselors or junior lifeguards; college students to be counselors, lifeguards, and in certain situations specialists (certifications for all lifeguards should be completed by the end of May); and adult counselors as specialists to run our fantastic programs. If you or anyone you know would be interested in working at Camp Pinebrook this summer, please visit the Camp Pinebrook website , and apply today. Questions? Contact Rabbi Jesse
Social Action
A NEW Family is Here!

Thanks to you, the Interfaith Council for New Americans Westchester (ICNAW), of which Temple Israel is a part, has been successful in giving the Ghafoor Family a head start here in Westchester. Visit www.tinyurl.com/TheGhafoorFamily to see how the Ghafoor Family is acclimating.

A new family has already arrived, and the ICNAW needs your help once again! 100% of all funds received go to our refugee/SIV families. We know you get requests for donations from many organizations, but the funds you donate to the ICNAW have an immediate positive impact in the form of rent, food, medical care and education. In addition to your humanitarian action there is also a positive economic benefit as family members quickly enter employment and begin to pay taxes on income, and pay into Medicare and Social Security. Long term the benefits are even greater as the funds contribute to the growth and well being of the country.

Please make all checks out to Beth EL Synagogue Center. 
Write “ICNAW” in the memo section. Mail to: Beth El Synagogue Center
1324 North Ave, New Rochelle 10804 OR visit www.tinyurl.com/SupportLocalRefugees to donate online

Howard Horowitz + Social Action Committee, 
ICNAW Executive Committee
NEW! There's a lot of Social Action going on ... click to read about what's happening at Temple Israel now, Temple Israel members visiting Albany to lobby the Statehouse on the Greenlight Initiative, The Ghafoor Family, and the upcoming Formal Wear Collection Drive for May.
The Edith H. Handelman Library
From the Front Page of the New York Times Review of Books
The Flight Portfolio , by Julie Orringer. Orringer, bestselling author of The Invisible Bridge , has brought us another gripping historical novel based on the true story of Varian Fry’s extraordinary attempt to save the work, and the lives, of Jewish artists fleeing the Holocaust. Fry, working with the Jewish Rescue Board, rescued more than 2,000 European dissidents and artists including Marc Chagall, Hannah Arendt, Max Ernst, and countless others. In addition to recounting his daring work, the novel delves into Fry’s inner life, giving him a back story that involves daring and elusion. Orringer also creates a fictionalized account of Fry’s homosexuality even though there is no real evidence of this beyond hunches and hints. NY Times reviewer and author, Cynthia Ozick, calls it a “sympathetic and prodigiously ambitions novel.” 

Also available in our library, Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe , by Rebecca Erbelding.
Please log on to our library website to reserve these, and other books from the library. The library is always open at Temple Israel. If you'd like to see our librarian Stephanie Krasner , she is available on Fridays from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. 
Community
AJC Global Forum in Washington D.C.
June 2 - 4, 2019

Join Rabbi Weiner and more than 140 people from Westchester and Fairfield at this year’s forum. This is a critical time for our leaders in Washington and around the world to hear directly from us. Over the course of three days, you will hear from world leaders, engage with diplomats and other dignitaries, and network with Jewish leaders from around the world – all around many of the most important issues on the minds of American Jews. First-timers pay half price. Click to Register
Contact Us
We are a community that adds meaning and purpose to modern lives through an inclusive approach to Judaism. We live our Jewish values in our worship, celebration, lifelong learning and Tikkun Olam -- the repair of the world.
Temple Israel of New Rochelle clergy and staff can be reached by phone at
(914) 235-1800, or by email.
Visit our website for more information