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Our Minyan Needs Your Help!
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KIDDUSH
Join us for Kiddush on Shabbat. This is the perfect opportunity for us to experience community and get to know each other better
Mazal Tov!
Birthdays & Anniversaries
July 1-7
Carol Franklin
Hennie Ostrower
Alan Stern
Rochelle Schneider
Fred Wolodiger & Susan Davis
Mark & Audrey Altschul
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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7/11
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Lecture Series feat. Scholar Clemens Reinke 12:30 pm
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7/14
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Bible Study 11:30 am
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Tomorrow morning services are at 9:30 AM
Special thanks to
Mike Seymour, who will provide the Congregation with Torah and Haftarah introductions, and to
Marvin Chertkoff, who will deliver the D'var Torah my absence. And of course, thanks to Cantor Zim and to everyone else who makes our services run so smoothly.
And lets' not forget our daily minyan and its stalwarts! Please help sustain the minyan over the especially challenging summer months: M-F 7:00 a.m.; S-Th 7:45 p.m.; Sundays at 9:00 a.m.
Tomorrow afternoon Minha begins at 8:00 P.M
During the S'uda Sh'lishit, we will be reading the first of a 2-parter:
Little Chance for Harmony in a Region of Perpetual Conflict
While this may seem like a no-brainer, the article does provide a few important insights that make it more than worthwhile!
Tuesday is the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz
It commemorates the breach in the walls of Jerusalem, and Tisha b'Av, which marks the destruction of both Temples (Solomon's and Herod's), follows three weeks later.
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Back to the 4th of July
Personally, I prefer the Hebrew National Jumbo hotdogs, but #2 in the NYT's taste test isn't too shabby!
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Last Shabbat Morning
Neil Dasgupta
, upon whom I heaped such praise (more when he wasn't present) did not disappoint! For those of you who missed his passionate and articulate remarks (or would like to be able to read and digest them, Neil sent me his text which you can read by
clicking here.
Last Shabbat at Mincha
I blew it: I promised we would read about the intersectionality/ anti-Semitic incident at the Chicago Lesbian march...but I couldn't locate the NYT op-ed about it. (We'll read that upon my return on Shabbat afternoon/evening July 22nd).
In its place we read the following Alan Dershowitz piece, but first a NYT op-ed that sets its context:
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And AIPAC's CEO, Howard Korr, is a regular attendee of his Conservative shul in Alexandria, Virginia!
I also received this comprehensive update from my classmate and Rabbinical Assembly President, Phil Scheim. The Julie to he refers is the RA's
Rabbi
Julie Schonfeld, our
Executive Vice President. JAFI is the Jewish Agency, headed by Natan Sharansky. JFNA is the Jewish Federations of North America. (Rabbi) Steve Wernick is the Chief Executive Officer of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism (USCJ).
The Wall
from the Schechter Institute, in Jerusalem:
In a sudden move on Sunday, June 25th, the Israeli government decided to freeze construction of the planned egalitarian plaza of the Western Wall, voiding a long-negotiated agreement with liberal religious groups in Israel. This move is contrary to the opinion of most of the Israeli public on the Western Wall,
as we have seen from Schechter's recently conducted survey.
Following are three opinions on this week's events that showcase faculty and graduates in a rich diversity of opinion.
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Legislative Updates from AIPAC
- $705 million for Israel's safety: Last Thursday, two key congressional committees approved $705 million to fund vital U.S.-Israel missile defense programs in the 2018 fiscal year, including Iron Dome, David's Sling and the Arrow system. This amount represents a $558 million increase above the president's budget request for these programs, and $105 million more than last year's funding level. More details about this development are in AIPAC's press release below my signature.
- Strengthening economic ties: A bipartisan House resolution moved through a key subcommittee this week "recognizing the importance of the United States-Israel economic relationship and encouraging new areas of cooperation." The measure encourages the president to expand existing areas of economic dialog and explore new agreements with Israel in energy, water, agriculture, medicine, neuro-technology and cybersecurity.
- Targeting Hezbollah: Bipartisan legislation passed through a House subcommittee urging the European Union to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in its entirety, and to increase pressure on the Iran-backed group.
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BDS
This might be Pop Culture, but it is, more importantly, combating BDS. And we have a special connection: Dr. Matt Fermaglich's son is the agent/promoter/producer for Guns N' Roses and significantly, he is spearheading
a national campaign in the music industry to counter the BDS movement!
One of the greatest performances to ever appear in Israel was sold out this morning. Guns N' Roses will end their European reunion tour in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Park with 61 thousand fans.
Oh, and Brittany Spears was also in Israel to perform (and visited the Kotel)
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The West Bank and Gaza
This article contains some interesting historical information about UNRWA of which I was previously unaware:
Israel to Treat Gaza Sewage
(update: and the situation has deteriorated so, that Israel had to close an Ashkelon beach for health reasons)
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Modi in Israel
10,000 members of the Indian community in Israel honor Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an event in Tel Aviv complete with traditional Indian dancing
Here is Everything You Need to Know About Indian Jews
Steeped in Jewish History: The Kerala Relics Modi Gifted Netanyahu
On Monday, Narendra Modi became the first ever Indian Prime Minister to set foot on Israeli soil. In his historic meeting with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi said that he was looking to forge a "strong and resilient partnership" with the country. As a symbol of its strong ties with Israel, Modi also gifted Netanyahu replicas of two sets of relics from Kerala. A set of copper plates with inscriptions and Torah scrolls - both key elements in India's Jewish history.
Click here to read more.
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Odds & Ends
I don't know how significant this analysis is, but it is written by Dennis Ross:
We have heard from Hunter Stuart before. He is a young journalist who came to Israel with a fixed mindset - but living in Israel changed his mind. He echoes many of the same themes that Matti Friedman, who used to work for the AP, exposed about journalists working in the Middle East:
And I just couldn't resist:
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TORAH Page 894 HAFTARAH Page 915
BALAK
In the wake of the Israelite victories over several of the nations/city states on the eastern side of the Jordan River, Balak, King of Moab, is justifiably panicked about the prospect of military confrontation. Knowing he cannot defeat Israel on the battlefield, he hires Balaam, a sorcerer, to curse the Israelites.
On three successive occasions, from different sites overlooking the Israelite encampment, Balaam, at God's behest, praises and blesses the nation. Furious at this betrayal, Balak dismisses Balaam, but not before Balaam delivers a prophecy in which he foretells the defeat of Moab and others at the hands of Israel.
At the next campsite, Shittim, a large number of the Israelite men have sexual liaisons with Moabite and Midianite women and participate in the worship of Baal-Pe'or. While efforts are under way to slay the ringleaders of this group, a plague breaks out in the camp. In the midst of this chaotic situation, one Israelite man commits the brazen act of bringing a Midianite woman into his tent. Pinhas, son of Elazar, the High Priest, follows them and kills them, bringing an end to the plague in which 24,000 people died.
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