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Dear Friends,
Our synagogue has served as a warm haven through the freezing months. With the thaw that should arrive any day now, we look forward to Purim, the Annual Membership Meeting (March 24th at 10 AM), and Pesach, each approaching in the blink of an eye.
Going back to fall, I thank board member Michael Roland for representing us at the Town of Nassau's Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration. His words, grounded in Torah, were a well-received reminder of our shul's spiritual presence in this rural community.
Within the shul community - or family, as it feels like to me - we have had a winter of celebrating together -Shabbatot, Chanukah, long anniversaries, children's weddings - and comforting each other. I was moved beyond words when several minyans worth of congregants came out for my father's yahrzeit.
What makes us family? Showing up for each other. For instance, our Chesed Committee works diligently to comfort and assist members. If you know a member who may be feeling isolated, unwell, or otherwise in need, please let me know ([email protected]).
Our board and committees have much to share at this year's annual meeting. We've worked to improve the building, increase security, raise interest in the shul, and offer stimulating programs and uplifting services. Conversation at the annual meeting will guide the board in planning next steps, and we very much look forward to your input.
I am thrilled to say that we've acquired a set of the new Siddur Lev Shalem. With its readable layout, liturgical options, transliterations, lovely translations, and many commentaries, Shabbat services have gotten a fresh jolt of meaning. We've got enough to offer members (and hopefully, friends) an opportunity to dedicate volumes to the honor/memory of their loved ones, which you'll read more about soon. We have one large-print volume for anyone's enjoyment.
Read on for details about the Annual Meeting and Purim services with Megillah reading, costumes, hamentaschen, Esther bells, and groggers. Members, watch for an invitation to join us for Pesach Seder at the shul. If you can help kasher the kitchen, April 14-17, please email me!
Talmud tells us that in the month of Adar, joy increases. I wish for us all a joyful and peaceful season.
Pam Tatar
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ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Our
Annual Membership Meeting
will be held on
Sunday, March 24th at 10:00 am
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We always begin with a delicious brunch then start the meeting at 10:30am.
We will update our members on matters that the board has been addressing this past year, including shul security, building improvements, and plans to secure our legacy. Our committees will present reports, and we will discuss both the 2018 financial report and the proposed budget for 2019.
As always, we seek input from our membership. Your presence at our annual meeting is requested and your participation is always appreciated.
There are three board seats that are up this year, and their holders, Pamela Tatar, Faith Schottenfeld and Norma Phillips, are seeking re-election. If you are interested in serving on the board, you may let a board member know in advance of the meeting. However, nominations can be taken from the floor on that day.
Your 2019 dues must be paid in order to vote and/or to be nominated.
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In Memory of Joseph Adelman
It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Dr. Joseph Adelman,
z"l, who passed away on October 16, 2018, in Florida, where he and his wife Sandra have lived following his retirement as a psychologist at the Veteran's Hospital in Albany.
When I became a member of the Nassau Synagogue in the mid-1990s, Joe was one of the first people I got to know. His quick wit, natural warmth and easy-going personality made him the perfect "greeter" for a rural shul at its best when it is most personal.
Joe recruited me to service on the Board of Trustees. At the time, he was the Board's President; and when he asked me to run for a vacant seat on the Board, it was hard to say no. Joe had a gentleness of spirit that made accepting his offer easy. I wanted to help out any way I could, and I was happy to serve on a Board of Trustees where Joe was the President.
It was during those years that the first rumblings about a plan to move the shul to Malden Bridge began to be heard. During those crucial first couple of years, Joe provided a stability and grace of leadership that provided space for everyone's views yet never failed to remind us of how important our community was and how central the "place" was to our community.
Although Joe spoke little to me about his past, I've learned that he was a World War II veteran, and an active member of the Albany Chapter of the Jewish War Veterans. When Joe moved away, his absence was keenly felt. I remained in touch with him through social media, and was glad to see that he seemed happy in the southern Jewish Borscht Belt!
All our thoughts and prayers go out to Joe's family, and to his wife, Sandra. May the memory of this gentle, compassionate man be a blessing to us all
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Yahrzeits April 6 - August 1, 2019
You may easily convert your loved one's date to the Gregorian calendar at
www.hebcal.com
.
Nissan
- Grace S. Fisher 1
- Morris Cohen 2
- Minnie Pollack 2
- Lois Blomberg Seamon 2
- David Schwartz 3
- Fannie Paley 12
- Jacob Foise 14
- Fannie Brownstein 14
- Donald Berl Lewanda 17
- Sidney E. Levy 19
- Edella Spiegel 22
- Rose Cohen 27
- Adele Gross 29
- Lilyan L. Srulowitz 29
Iyar
- Morris Mermelstein 1
- Charles Becher 5
- Edward Wilen 8
- Manuel Berger 9
- Morton Schips 9
- Samuel Pollack 10
- Harry Zweig 10
- Leah S. Levy 15
- Anna Koppel 22
- Irving Huttner 23
- Samuel Neiman 23
- Max Miller 27
- Harry Froim 28
Sivan
- Mildred Hochberg 6
- Max Honig 6
- Isadore Paley 14
- Edward E. Honig 15
- George Berger 16
- Theodore Seamon 17
- Harry Pollack 19
- Jennie Schips 20
- Ella Berger 22
- Thelma Huttner 24
Tammuz
- Isaac Epstein 6
- Maurice Murray Weisman 9
- Philip Waldman 10
- Isadore Miller 11
- Florence Kahn Foise 13
- Clement Paris 14
- Samuel Zweig 18
- Glenn David Schips 20
- Anna Prussack 22
- Elsie Epstein 23
- William Ashkenas 25
- Morris Leserowitz 25
- Nathan Goldman 26
- Max Goldman 29
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JEWISH PHILOSOPHY BOOK CLUB
Book Group: Authority & Revelation
By Bruce Huttner
The Nassau Synagogue Jewish Philosophy Book Group is trying something different this time around; we're actually reading a book directly related to Judaism! The book group has been chugging happily along for over ten years. We spent most of that time studying Jewish philosophy, but over the past few years, we have moved into many other areas of inquiry; from physics, theory of consciousness, and philosophy of science.
Currently, we have taken up a book recommended by Derek Fields. The book is Authority & Revelation, by Benjamin Sommer. This book addresses issues raised by modern biblical scholarship. Specifically, the book tackles a very specific problem: if we accept modern findings related to the origin of the Bible, findings that make it clear that the Bible is, at least to some extent, an historical artifact; how do we relate to the Bible as an act of divine revelation and commandment? If we acknowledge that the Bible is a work of man, then how does that affect our understanding of mitzvah?
Sommer is a great writer, and has obviously thought deeply on this perplexing problem. He accepts modern Biblical scholarship, and acknowledges that the Bible does seem to be mostly, if not entirely, the work of a variety of authors. So, he asks, where does revelation come into the picture? Without revelation, what authority does the Bible carry, as a divine work that demands some degree of obedience?
It's a fascinating work, and we have just begun. If you are interested in joining us, we meet every Monday at 7:30, usually at the shul.
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April 13, May 11, June 1, July 6, August 3, September 7
On the first or second Shabbat of each (Gregorian) month, all are invited to study Mishnah following Kiddush. Drop in or become a regular; no preparation is required. Study style resembles how we study the weekly Torah portion. We're working our way through Masechet Berachot.
The Mishnah, a compilation of concise legal debates, was drawn together by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi (Judah the Prince) in 200 CE.
For links to our
Safaria.org source sheets, or with any other questions, please contact Rhonda at 917-656-4835 or at
[email protected].
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Membership / Donation Form
The Nassau Synagogue tradition is that one need not be a member to attend Shabbat services or to participate in our events and programs. We do not sell seats for the High Holidays, nor do we auction aliyot. How have we been able to do this over the years and still keep membership dues so very low? It is through your continued support that is essential to keeping us strong. The Nassau Synagogue relies almost exclusively on the contributions of its supporters and on our membership dues. So please, help us with a donation, and/or consider becoming a member.
NAME________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS_____________________________________________________________
PHONE NO._______________________E-MAIL______________________________
MEMBERSHIP
Please note that at least one adult member of a membership unit must be Jewish by matrilineal descent.
Family Membership $300
Individual Membership $200
________I would like to renew membership in the Nassau Synagogue
________I would like to join the Nassau Synagogue
_____ If you are joining or renewing your synagogue membership, please check here if you would like your personal information included in the Membership directory.
By checking here you are agreeing to the terms and conditions as follows: that the main purpose of the directory is to make personal contact with other members to encourage social interactions, acknowledgement of celebrations and other meaningful events, and to encourage the promotion of shul related activities among those on the list. The list may not be shared with anyone who is not on the list, given to any organization without the prior consent of the Board, or used to promote political ideas or platforms.
CONTRIBUTIONS
To the General Fund: $_______________ To the Hebrew School: $ _____________
To the Kiddush Fund: $ ______________
Or contact Barbara Neiman, at 518-477-9580 or
[email protected],
if you would like to sponsor a full Shabbat Kiddush
In Honor of_____________________________________________________________
In Memory of___________________________________________________________
PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO THE NASSAU SYNAGOGUE and mail with a printout of this form to: Nassau Synagogue,
PO Box 670, Nassau, New York 12123.
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The marriage of member Tiara Jaron to Robert Borysewicz, December 11, 2018.
The marriage of member Jonah Kimmelstiel, son of Laurie & Fred Kimmelstiel, to Julie Brooke Dorfman on December 23, 2018.
Ruth Wigand, mother of Janet Strock, celebrated her 102nd birthday on January 28, 2018.
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CONDOLENCES
To Sandra Adelman, on the passing of her husband and former board president, Joseph Adelman.
To Larry Fader, on the passing of his uncle, Arthur "Abie" Feder, formerly of East Nassau.
May HaMakom comfort you among all the
mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
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We pray for all who are in need of healing, including:
Argentina's Chief Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich.
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MANY THANKS FOR THE DONATIONS
-
Rita Marokko
in honor of her sister Theodora Haber's 100th birthday
- Monte Wasch
- Maida Bogoslofsky in memory of parents Isidore and Gertrude Bogoslofsky; grandparents Nathan and Katie Elenzweig and Selma Elenzweig Gold
- Inna Erlikh
- Elaine Rubenstein
- Judith Vener
- Charlotte Ginsburg
- David Neubauer in memory of his mother, Dorothy Neubauer
- Fran and Robert Godgart in memory of Michael Sassaman
- Richard and Carol Altwerger in memory of Rick Emanuel
- Sharon & Ben Cohen
- Irving & Myrna Paris
- Roberta Berko in memory of Sid Schottenfeld
- Sidney & Anne Richter in memory of their son and parents
- Ann Blaustein in honor of Rose Ann Roth
- Faith Schottenfeld in memory of Sid Schottenfeld and Alan Markowitz
- Judy Ehrlich
- Brian & Karen Daniels
- Rosalie Blum in memory of Arthur Feder
- Seymour & Bernice Blum in memory of Arthur Feder
- Robin Dropkin
- Danny Nerenberg
- Norma Phillips
- Irving & Myrna Paris in memory of Morris Paris
- Geoffrey D. Berman - Hebrew School fund in memory of the Berman family
- Paul & Linda Krouner
- Rachel & Clinton Lauber
- Sandra Adelman in memory of Joseph Adelman
- Charles & Nancy Noland - Kiddush fund
- Cheryl & Danny Smith in memory of Pamela (Selt) Burnes, "Pesal Bayla"
- Charles and Nancy Noland - Kiddush fund in honor of Tiara Jaron's marriage
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Laurie Kimmelstiel 914-260-8860
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Rhonda Rosenheck 917-656-4835
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Faith Schottenfeld 518-732-2191
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Norma Phillips 518-758-7549
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Nassau Synagogue and Community Center
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12 Albany Avenue,
Nassau, NY 12123
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