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Shabbat Kiddush
Join us for Kiddush on Shabbat. This is the perfect opportunity for us to experience community and get to know each other better.
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Ronald Schechter Paul Zim
Madelyn Danoff Barbara Margolin Rachel Taylor
Jeffrey Adler Irwin Meyers
Jill & James Rosenberg Rachelle & Michael Herzig Diane & Karl Sudakoff Vera & Yakov Kishinevsky
UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday 5/12
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Morning Service 9:30 am
Minha, Meal, Maariv & Havdalah 7:30 pm
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Tuesday 5/15
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Sisterhood Book Club 1:00 pm
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Wednesday 5/16
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On the Road with the Rabbi RSVP required 12:00pm
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Thursday 5/17
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Rabbi's Class 10:30 am
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Friday 5/18
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Bible study 11:30 am
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I was really intending/hoping to talk about Mothers' Day (and maybe the Yankees) tomorrow morning, but world events intervene: I feel compelled to talk about a combination of these interrelated topics: the low-scale war between Iran and Israel, the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Israeli Independence Day (the secular date, May 14), Yom Yerushalayim (the Hebrew date, this Sunday). Let's just hope that that's enough news between now and then...
Next (Extended) Weekend
Shabbat is immediately followed by 2 days of Shavuot...(a three-day religious weekend followed, the weekend after, by a three day secular weekend!)
On Shabbat morning, May 19, Casey Danoff, who just completed her semester at George Washington University, will speak to us about the charged atmosphere on campus and how she has been personally affected by it. You may recall that I sent you several articles about the situation at GW:
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And Shavuot begins that Saturday night, immediately after Shabbat ends, with what has become our "traditional" People of the Book program. If you have never attended before, why not break your streak and see what it is all about?
The S'uda Shlishit (third Shabbat meal) will be extended, and instead of my presentation of a current events topic, we will share some of the Jewish-themed books we have read in the past year. (I'm sharing Walter Isaacson's Einstein biography, and Together, the autobiography of our Yom HaShoah speaker, Mark Schonwetter). I hope other participants will broaden the genres.
Sunday morning, the first day of Shavuot, is highlighted by the dramatic reading of the Ten Commandments followed by the weirdest and most fascinating prophecy by the weirdest and most fascinating prophet, Ezekiel.
Monday is Yizkor.
We will duchen both mornings of SHAVUOT and gorge ourselves on cheesecake, beginning on Saturday night.
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Torah Rea
ding
744 Haftarah 763
B'HAR-
B'HUKKOTAI
The opening segment of our Torah portion deals with certain aspects of agricultural law that only apply to the land of Israel. The Sabbatical Year (
Sh'mittah
) regulations stipulate that every seventh year the farmer may not till the earth, and upon the completion of seven seven-year cycles, the fiftieth year, or Jubilee, is to be proclaimed. In the Jubilee year all land must revert to its original tribal ownership, and all Hebrew slaves are to be freed.
If ancestral land was sold because of financial hardship, the owner or another relative could buy back the property prior to the Jubilee. Only houses in walled cities were exempt from the Jubilee rules: they could be sold in perpetuity.
In keeping with one of the purposes of the Jubilee Year (economic protection of the impoverished), the Torah sets forth additional laws governing treatment of the poor: loans were to be made without charging interest; an Israelite slave (one who was sold or sold himself/herself into servitude due to indebtedness) was to be treated as hired help throughout his/her term of bondage.
The sidra ends with the admonition not to fashion idols, to observe the Shabbat and to revere the Sanctuary.
B'HUKKOTAI
This sidra brings us to the conclusion of the Book of Leviticus. The prominent feature of our portion is the tocheicha - a sevenfold series of warnings or reproofs, which are chanted in a subdued voice. After outlining the rewards for the observance of God's Torah (peace, prosperity, and agricultural overabundance), the consequences for disobedience (disease, famine, siege, conquest and exile) follow.
The rules regarding the valuation and redemption of voluntary pledges are found in this parasha. An individual could vow to donate the value of an animal, a plot of land, an edifice, himself/herself or another family member to the upkeep and maintenance of the Sanctuary. The procedure for doing so and for determining the value of the property or person are set forth.
Tonight at 6:30 p.m.
A very special musical shabbat service. In honor of Yom Yerushalayim, Cantor Zim and Sam (Shmulik) Ackerman will celebrate Jerusalem through music.
We will also be using our new Shabbat and holiday siddur, Lev Shalem. (It's format is very similar to our high holiday machzor, with more transliterations, alternative readings and accessible English translations).
Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m.
Please see the very first item in today's Shab Sha!
Tomorrow afternoon/evening at 7:30 p.m.
Depending on the reaction to tomorrow morning sermon, will either be reading Brett Stephens piece on why the US was correct in withdrawing from the JCPOA, or Prof. Dov Waxman's essay, As Israel Turns 70, Many Young American Jews Turn Away.
Sunday May 12th: Happy Mother's Day!
Yahrzeit List
Joseph Lempel will be observing yahrzeit for his Aunt Dora Fischer beginning on Saturday night May 12th
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Esther Eisdorfer will be observing yahrzeit for her Mother Renee' Katz beginning on Saturday night May 12th |
Mark Laufer will be observing yahrzeit for his Father Isack Laufer beginning on Saturday night May 12th |
Andrea Elrom will be observing yahrzeit for her Father Barry Levite sbeginning on Saturday night May 12th |
Israel Gerstein will be observing yahrzeit for his Sister Rose Shapses beginning on Saturday night May 12th |
Walter Strasfeld will be observing yahrzeit for his Brother Ronald Strasfeld beginning on Saturday night May 12th
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Rose Jakoby will be observing yahrzeit for her Brother Faivel Bendiger, her Brother Michael Bindiger, and her Sister Seril Bindiger beginning on Monday night May 14th
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Rita Berliner will be observing yahrzeit for her Father in law Aron Berliner, her Brother in law Martin Berliner, Mother-in-law Regina Berliner and beginning on Monday night May 14th
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Rhea Hess will be observing yahrzeit for her Father Charles Silberstein beginning on Tuesday night May 15th |
Mordechai Warshavsky will be observing yahrzeit for his Sister Bracha Ben-Zvi beginning on Wednesday night May 16th |
Solomon Arbeiter will be observing yahrzeit for his Father-in-law Daniel Sonkin beginning on Wednesday night May 16th |
Jerome Margolin will be observing yahrzeit for his Mother Molly Margolin beginning on Wednesday night May 16th |
Rose Jakoby will be observing yahrzeit for her Sister Helen Schnoll beginning on Thursday night May 17th
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Rhea Hess will be observing yahrzeit for her Brother-in-Law Herbert Hess beginning on Friday night May 18th |
Renee Gruenspecht will be observing yahrzeit for her Mother Johanna Scheuer beginning on Friday night May 18th
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UAE, Bahrain Send Cycling Teams to Race in Israel
The race is now continuing in Italy
(And there is a bonus at the end of the article: a no-holds-barred Al Jazeera video interview with Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel. I would escribe Indyk as a pro-Israel critic of Israel)
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Gaza
The assassination of an engineer in Kuala Lumpur last month is another sign that the terrorist group is getting cozy in Asia
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You might think it is too late to come to Jerusalem this summer to connect with Israel, improve your Hebrew, and/or wrestle with traditional Jewish texts, but I assure you that if you act fast, it's not. The special Early-Bird Prices for the Conservative Yeshiva Summer Program are in effect throughMay 22. Inexpensive flights can still be found. And new options for accommodations are being posted all the time.
Some basic information about our program:
There are two 3-week sessions, from June 17-July 5 and from July 8-26. They are not repetitive, so you can do either or both, for a full day or half. In the mornings, you can choose between meaningful volunteer work or one of 5 levels of Hebrew ulpan. In the afternoons, you can put together your own schedule of eye-opening walking tours and inspiring classes in Talmud, Bible, Jewish Thought, and Jewish Law.
All summer students are able to participate in special yeshiva programming, including morning prayers at the Egalitarian Kotel, community meals, and guest speakers.
The program takes place at the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center, which is ideally located close to downtown, the Machane Yehuda Market, the Old City, and more. You find your own short-term housing in the area (with our assistance, if needed), and get to experience all that Jerusalem has to offer - during the week and on Shabbat.
Summer in Jerusalem has a very special atmosphere, and a beautiful community develops each year among the student, who really do range in age from 18 to 80.
If you have specific questions, please reply to this email and I'll be happy to answer them.
We hope to see you in Jerusalem!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Andy Shapiro Katz
Director of North American Engagement
The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem
Israeli Culture in North America
Your Weekly Cultural Highlights
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May 10 - 13
Montclair State University
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Cellist Maya Beiser premieres SPINNING a new multimedia collaboration with composer Julia Wolfe and visual artist Laurie Olinder in Peak Performances at Montclair State University.
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May 11 - 12
New York Live Arts Studios
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A project by choreographer\dancer Netta Yerushamly involves deconstructions of landmark modernist choreographies, as well as contributions by writers, philosophers, and historians who situate these iconic works in modernity's larger context.
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Through November 21
Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum of Judaica
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This exhibition will take you to Israel's hidden and diverse communities from the ultramodern to the ancient, the religious to the secular and the new generation to the survivors of Jewish triumph and tragedy.
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Wednesday, May 16 | 8:00 PM
Cornelia Street Cafe
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Uru is the latest project of composer and pianist Daniel Sarid. The piano, bass, drum trio combines a myriad of different and at times seemingly contradicting influences into a unique sound that blends tradition with avant-garde.
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Sunday, May 20 | 11:30 AM
Blue Note New York
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Israeli vocalist-composer Tamuz Nissim has been living in NYC since 2015 performing and gaining the love of music lovers and Jazz aficionados alike. In this quartet: Tamuz Nissim - Vocals, George Nazos - Guitar, Mary Ann McSweeney - Bass, Tony Jefferson - Drums.
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Thursday, May 24 | 7:30 PM
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Acclaimed Israeli pianist Daniel Gortler returns to the Jewish Museum for a performance honoring American composer John Corigliano's 80th Birthday.
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