Think it's scary to lead a Friday night service? I do, but I'm willing to learn. Maybe you are too. Tomorrow, Sue Mintzes and Anita Liebeskind, two long-time members of Bnai Israel, will lead our Friday Shabbat service, and it's not the first time they have done so. They are part of a group of our members that have 'stepped up to the plate' since we have been without a permanent rabbi. Steve Stein, Alan Gerberg, Ira Padva, Barry Weiss and Rabbi Waxman have all helped to keep our Friday evening services on time and on track. It's time we offered them some help. Steve Stein is offering a session on the basics of leading the service. What qualifications are needed? If you can read English, you can lead a Friday night service. There's no need to read Hebrew or to have a professional singing voice. Nervous about standing on the bimah alone? You can lead the service with a friend or one of our regulars. Please call or email me, if you want to be part of this brief training. (mdbannon@yahoo.com/706-832-3048)

In two weeks, we will celebrate Tu b'Shevat, a holiday I honestly have not thought much about. Actually, this minor holiday holds much significance for us today. At a time of climate change, deforestation due to excessive harvesting of trees and widespread fires in California and Australia, it's important to think about how we respect and conserve our planet since our very lives depend on it. Tu b'Shevat celebrates the fruits which we are blessed to have and are reminded that, at a time of drought or severe weather, we may lose the opportunity to taste the sweetness of these gifts. This year at Bnai Israel, we are celebrating a Tu b'Shevat seder on Saturday, February 8th immediately after services. It is a unique and interesting way to mark this holiday. Plus, there will be delicious fruit and wines to sample! There is no charge, but please RSVP. See the article below for more information.

Did you know that you are eligible to vote? I'm referring to the election for the World Zionist Congress, which began on January 21 and continues until March 11th. The Conservative movement is recommending that American Jews vote for Mercaz, which supports democracy, pluralism and equality in Israel. The decisions of the Congress influence funding critical to the existence of Conservative/Masorti Judaism in Israel. For more information and to vote, please go to https://mercaz2020.org

On a sad note, this week we lost a much-loved member of Bnai Israel: Howard Neuwirth. Howard was a lifelong member of Wilmington and our congregation. He was an active member for many years, serving on the Board of Directors, as Vice President and then as President of the congregation for two years. He was a successful businessman and well liked by all who knew him. Our condolences to his children Debbie and Ryan, his sister Lisa, brother Larry and the rest of his extended family. May his memory be a blessing.

Shabbat Shalom,

Michelle

 

Tu b'Shevat at Congregation Bnai Israel 5780/2020

 

  The 15th day of the 11th month of Hebrew calendar year is Tu b'Shevat. Most of us know Tu b'Shevat as the New Year for Trees. Many of us planted trees in Israel as a way of connecting to the natural world and to Israel. You may have heard of a Passover Seder but did you know that many people celebrate Tu b'Shevat with seders also?

 

Jewish kabbalists (mystics) in the 16th and 17th centuries created a special ritual, modeled after the Passover seder, which celebrated God's presence in the natural world. As the rituals and readings for the Tu b'Shevat seder developed, they were eventually collected into a book, Pri Eitz Hadar, (The Fruit of the Goodly Tree), which was published in 1753.

 

A Tu b'Shevat seder, full of imagery and symbolism, is often divided into four sections that represent the four seasons. As with the Passover seder, the Tu b'Shevat seder evolved to include four cups of wine or grape juice, but in varying shades of red, which represent the seasons: white for the bleak time of winter, white with a bit of red to represent the earth's awakening in early spring, red with a bit of white representing the blossoming of late spring, and dark red to represent the fullness of all the growing plants and vegetation along with the heat of summer.

 

We will be celebrating Tu b'Shevat at Bnai Israel on February 8 after Shabbat morning services, during kiddush. 

M ark Alper Sharon & Terry Dresbach Judith Malman Joanna Puritz Debbie & Jerry Smith Rose & Alan Zimmer Barbara & Stanley Prushik Martha & Steve Stein

Michelle Bannon & Rich Weisman Roberta & Harold Eichenholz Sharon & Stephen Mechum Deb and Martin Meyerson Dee & Murray Sherman Leigh & Walter Winter Dottie & Irv Freedland Pam & Barry Weiss

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