SHABBAT SHALOM, GESHER SHALOM!


 
December 13th, 2019
 
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Shabbat Times: 
Candle Lighting
Evening service
Morning Service at CBIOTP
M inha 
4:11  pm
7:00 pm 
9:30 am
4:00 pm
 
  Forecast: 54/rain

IN THIS ISSUE...
Birthdays and Anniversaries 
Emma Schulman
Suzanne Alenick
Amy Rosen
Cheryl Karpman
Rochelle Carus
Myrna Block
 

   UPCOMING EVENTS
 
Saturday 12/14
Morning Service at CBIOTP 9:30am 
Minha , S'uda Shlishit (3rd Shabbat Meal), timely topic, Maariv and Havdalah 4:00pm at the new office building 301 Bridge Plaza North
Thursday 12/19
Rabbi's Class 10:30 am
Friday 12/20
Bible Study 11:30 am
Evening Service 7:00 pm
 
It promised to be quite a hectic week...With the anticipated move of my office to our new facility and the On the Road trip to Philadelphia, "it would have been enough for us"-Dayeinu!
And to add to those comparatively minor in-Shul turmoils: the horrific slayings in Jersey City (down the River), the murder of a Barnard student (across the River), the readying of Articles Impeachment in the House of Representatives, the British election, the 3rd Knessset election...and the list could go on!
How do we cope? I'm not really sure, except that almost all of us have all managed in the past to go on "despite", and we will do so this time, and the next...
I wish had more for you, but I, too, am reeling. I don't have any answers, but here are my thoughts: we should give thanks to God that we were spared-and hope that our lives and our nation will endure.
We have to be idealistic, but also realistic in our hopes: While hatred, however baseless, will never be eradicated, we have to hope  that the tipping point is not far off when enough elected officials will work to enact effective legislation to curb the violence that increasingly accompanies hatred. Our concerns must extend beyond ourselves and our borders: may other democratic countries also survive their trials; may the authoritarian regimes moderate their policies. We have to believe that eventually the world will come out better from having been battered.
The most beautiful and inspiring thing I read this week was from the New Jersey State Attorney General, Gurbir Grewal:
"We saw the very worst of humanity, but in the response... we also saw the very best."
"The city I was born, the city where so many people from so many corners of the globe first stepped foot into this extraordinary country..."Where a kosher supermarket stands proudly across the street from a Catholic school, down the block from Dominican bodega--on a street named after Martin Luther King."
It's a melting pot "city of Chinese grocers and Indian shopkeepers and recent college graduates all striving for a better life in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty."
We need to keep those kind of aspirations and values foremost in our lives and in our thoughts. Hold fast to them.
Shabbat Shalom.
kas
You may remember that some months ago there was a strange altercation at the Lincoln Memorial between a bunch of Catholic high school boys and a Native American. It turned out that some Black Hebrew Israelites were the ones who were actually verbally harassing both the Catholic boys and the Native American(s)  
Here is some more information about the Black Hebrew Israelites:
One of the Jersey City Shooters was a Black Hebrew Israelite.                                                                                     Here's What You Need to Know About the Movement.  
And 2 disturbing videos which I will not post: the first, of the killers emerging from their van and targeting the JC Kosher Supermarket, and the second, expressions of anger and Anti-Semitism from African American bystanders, practically blaming the Jews for what occurred. How do we eradicate this kind of prejudice and ignorance?
Jersey City Police Tee-Shirt                                                            100% of net proceeds will benefit the family of Detective Joseph Seals, who was tragically murdered in the line of duty responding to an incident in Jersey City on the afternoon of December 10.     





Re-Inventing the Bible
Thursdays at 10:30 am
Join Rabbi Stern as we discover the amazingly creative juices of  the classical rabbis! They were masters at spinning yarns, embellishing narrative, and inventing out of whole cloth to really make the Bible come alive through what they called Midrash Aggadah.
Using Louis Ginzberg's one-volume The Legends of the Bible (you can buy a used copy online for less than $10), we will contrast the biblical text with these rabbinically enhanced narratives.
 
Next classes: December 19, then January 9


For weeks, AIPAC has been asking its members to get senators to sponsor legislation that would extend sanctions to entities dealing with already sanctioned Palestinian groups, called the Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act of 2019. So far, they have 20 sponsors, but just one Democrat, Richard Blumenthal, D-Ct., who initiated the bill with Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
Bi-partisanship, which is the hallmark of AIPAC, is becoming more difficult...And that isn why your presence at AIPAC is even more important!

Torah Rea ding 198     Haftarah 222
VA-YISHLAH
Jacob prepares for the worst as he anticipates having to confront his brother Esau upon his return home. He divides his household into two groups so that if Esau and his troops set upon one, the other might escape. He also sends a succession of valuable gifts to Esau in the hope of appeasing him.
 
The night before their "reunion" Jacob wrestles with a man (actually an angel) and defeats him. This stranger blesses him with a new name, Israel, the meaning of which is "he who prevails with God".
Jacob's fears regarding his brother turn out to be unfounded. Esau embraces him with affection and offers to escort Jacob's family. Jacob declines the offer; Esau returns to Seir, and Jacob eventually settles in Shechem, a town named by its chieftain, Hamor, in honor of his son.
 
Jacob's only daughter, Dinah is seduced by Shechem. The only circumstance under which Dinah's brothers will allow them to marry is if all the Shechemite men undergo circumcision. Surprisingly, they agree. While they are recuperating, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, slay them all to avenge their sister's dishonor.
 
Jacob departs Shechem, journeying to Beth El, the site of his vision of the heavenly staircase. God's promise to him is reiterated and his name Israel is re-confirmed. Rachel dies near the city of Bethlehem while giving birth to Benjamin. Jacob reunites with his father, Isaac. Isaac dies at the age of 180, and is buried by his two sons in the Cave of Machpelah.
 
The sidra ends with a genealogical listing of the descendants of Esau.
 
PLEASE NOTE: ALL SERVICES, WITH THE EXCEPTION SHABBAT MORNING (held at CBIOTP, 1585 Center Avenue), WILL BE HELD IN OUR NEW OFFICES  
Tonight: Evening service at 7:00 p.m.
Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. at CBIOTP
Mazal Tov to Sydney Josif and her family. Sydney will celebrate her Bat Mitzvah ceremony offsite.
Minha, Seudah Shlishit, Ma'ariv & Havdalah at 4:00 p.m.
During Seudah Shlishit we will read:  A (2-page) History of American Anti-Semitism by Pamela S. Nadell                        

This Week's Yahrzeit Observances
We hope that our weekly listing of yahrzeit observances will serve 2 purposes:
1)     To remind those who have the yahrzeit for a second time, much closer to the date of the actual observance
2)     To alert friends and acquaintances that someone they know is observing a yahrzeit. We hope that you will show them your support by joining them at our minyanim, and helping to assure that Kaddish can be recited with a minyan 
        
Irwin & Karen Meyers will be observing yahrzeit for their son, Jonathan Meyers on Friday evening, December 13th
Renee Gruenspecht will be observing yahrzeit for her grandson, Jonathan Meyers on Friday evening, December 13th
Suzette Kolitch will be observing yahrzeit for her mother, Sylvia Ross on Saturday evening, December 14th
Selma Spielman will be observing yahrzeit for her mother, Mary Mundel on Sunday evening, December 15th
Edith Adler will be observing yahrzeit for her mother-in-law,  Sara Adler on Monday evening, December 16th
Reggie Feuerstein will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Max Katz on Monday evening, December 16th
Shifra Ruda will be observing yahrzeit for her daughter, Simi Ruda on Monday evening, December 16th
Heidi Skolnik will be observing yahrzeit for her grandfather, Maxie Weitzman on Monday evening, December 16th
 Heidi Skolnik will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Arthur Skolnik on Monday evening, December 16th
Jerome Goldfischer will be observing yahrzeit for his mother-in-law, Frances Goldfarb on Tuesday evening, December 17th
Mindy Goldfischer will be observing yahrzeit for her grandmother, Frances Goldfarb on Tuesday evening, December 17th
Alice Grodman will be observing yahrzeit for her mother, Celia Lowe on Tuesday evening, December 17th
Joseph Lempel will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Abraham Lempel on Tuesday evening, December 17th
              


Important/Interesting Reads      
"The Israel Police is a decent institution that opens doors before every citizen in the country, regardless of their background or religion."                                                                                       

100 Years of Ford and the Jews - From Antisemitism to Zionism                                         
If the elder Henry Ford's antisemitism is legendary, his grandson's Zionism and support of Jewish causes is certainly less well-known.                                                                                         
Family behind Krispy Kreme Donates Millions to Holocaust Survivors                                                                   Grappling with their company's history of Nazi support, the Reimanns, one of Germany's richest families, have pledged 5 million euros to Holocaust survivors and 5 million more to forced laborers.                                
Trump Addresses Israeli American Council in Bid for Jewish Votes                                                          

President Also introduces and Poses with Shalva Orchestra, Israeli Special-Needs Performers                         
What Is The Israeli-American Council?                                                                            
Lebanese-Born Donor of Hitler Items Welcomed in Israel    
Putting America's annual $3.8 billion of military assistance to Israel on the chopping block makes for good politics. But it makes no sense for U.S. national security.                                                          



Israel
Visiting UN Ambassadors Tour City of David in Jerusalem                                                              
Turkey Moves to Stop Israel from Building Undersea Gas Line to Europe                                                
Netanyahu Can Keep Prime Minister's Post Despite Indictments, Israel's Supreme Court Says   
Netanyahu to Resign From All Ministerial Positions While Remaining PM                                                     
Netanyahu, who was indicted in three criminal cases he is embroiled in, says he will relinquish his portfolios as health, welfare, agriculture and diaspora affairs minister    

Israel Faces Third Consecutive Vote After Parliament Deadline Passes
New election, which comes after no party was able to form a government, provides a lifeline for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel's Democracy Is Broken  
As the country heads for yet another divisive election, it's time to address the roots of our crisis: the lack of a constitution                                                                                                  

Natan Sharansky Receives Israel's Prestigious Genesis Prize   Israeli Missile Tests May Deter Iran       
Food Bank NGO: Quarter of Israelis Living in Poverty 
Half a million families, among them one million children, are below poverty line. Half of the elderly cannot heat their homes in winter or adapt them to medical needs; more than half of children receiving aid do not have enough to eat                                   


 
BDS / Anti-Semitism / anti-Zionism                     

False Claim: "Israeli Policeman Strangles Palestinian Child" 
Turns out it was from 2015 from Sweden
     
From The Atlantic Magazine:

Why British Jews Are Worried by Jeremy Corbyn
87 Percent of British Jews Believe that Jeremy Corbyn Is Anti-Semitic. Has denying the reality of anti-Semitism become a left-wing loyalty test?

 
The New Executive Order on Anti-Semitism on Campus
I don't know enough about this to weigh in, until I have a chance to read a lot more. Here is some of what I have been reading, starting with a concise, objective summary from The Focus Project: 
The president signed an executive order Wednesday evening intended to protect Americans from antisemitic discrimination across the country's college campuses and elsewhere. The order is largely based on the bipartisan Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, according to co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK). The Anti-Defamation League confirmed that the order adheres to guidelines first implemented by the Obama administration.
The order enforces "Title VI against prohibited forms of discrimination rooted in anti-Semitism as vigorously as against all other forms of discrimination prohibited by Title VI." 'Title VI' refers to a clause in the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin. As stated in the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act:
 "Both the Department of Justice and the Department of Education have properly concluded that title VI prohibits discrimination against Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and members of other religious groups when the discrimination is based on the group's actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics or when the discrimination is based on actual or perceived citizenship or residence in a country whose residents share a dominant religion or a distinct religious identity."
The executive order also instructs all U.S. executive departments and agencies to consider the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism when determining antisemitism. It specifically mentions the definition's "Contemporary Examples of Anti-Semitism," which include activity that demonizes, delegitimizes or applies double standards to Israel. An earlier report this week claimed the order included language defining Judaism as a "national origin." It does not. Most major Jewish groups welcomed the executive order, while others criticized its potential effect on free speech. Trump's Order to Combat Anti-Semitism Divides Its Audience: American Jews  Jewish communities across the country viewed the order, which is aimed at college campuses, in competing and discordant ways.   
Amid Criticism, Trump Signs Order Targeting Anti-Semitism at Universities  
Why Was the New Executive Order on Campus Anti-Semitism Necessary?     
NYT Editorial Board: Trump's Executive Order and the Rise of Anti-Semitism 
The president's campus intervention ignores the bigger threat of anti-Semitism and threatens speech                   
Here, in the words of John Podhoretz, is the crux of why we Jews are so hard to characterize:                             "Jews occupy a unique status. We are part of a faith tradition, part of an ethnicity, part of a tribe. We have unique genetic markers for disease we share almost exclusively with other Jews. That is nationhood without a nation."        
Mark Stern (no relation) was the legal director for the American Jewish Congress and the foremost Jewish expert on Church-State issues. I would take his words to the bank:
No, the Administration Is Not Redefining Judaism as a Nationality                                                        
Trump's Executive Order Has Firm Legal Grounding                                                                                                            Jews aren't a race. But anti-Semitism can be racism for legal purposes.                                                     
Jared Kushner: President Trump Is Defending Jewish Students                                                          
Written by (the other) Kenneth Stern. He was the lead author of the "Working Definition of Anti-Semitism" issued in 2005 by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia:

Will Campus Criticism of Israel Violate Federal Law?  
                                                         









The Palestinians
If Abbas Allows Elections, What If Hamas Wins?                                                                                    
The New European Initiative for Palestinian Statehood                                                                    

In Ramallah, Hundreds of Israelis Join Palestinians to "Unify Force" for Peace 
Hamas Obtains New Weaponry Anyway It Can                                         


Hi-Tech                                        

In Possible Climate Breakthrough, Israel Scientists Engineer Bacteria to Eat C02
The Rise of Anti-Drone Tech                                                                                      
  













Year-Round Offerings for Families, Teens, & Adults
November 2019 / Cheshvan 5780

There are many ways to enjoy Ramah experiences year-round, whether it's with your own Ramah camp or with the Ramah mishpacha at programs throughout North America, Israel, and the world. Use these links or scroll down to learn more!
No prior Ramah affiliation is needed to participate in these programs, so please invite friends and family to join you, or forward this email to anyone who might be interested in these terrific program offerings!
Travel with Ramah Israel Institute (RII) and Reshet Ramah
Poland Journey for Adults (two trips)  |  July 13-19, 2020 & Oct. 19-25, 2020
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Family Adventure in Israel  (two trips)| August 10-20, 2020 & Dec. 21-30, 2020
Ramah Morocco Experience  | Oct. 19-29, 2020 
Ramah Israel Bike Ride & Hiking Trip  | April 20-27, 2021
Custom  Family  and  Synagogue  Trips
Family Camps & Retreats
Ramah Darom Winter Break Family Camp   |  Dec. 27, 2019  -  Jan. 1, 2020
Camp Ramah at Limmud NY  (Ramah Nyack/Berkshires partnership) | Feb. 14-17, 2020
Ramah Darom "Book It to Shabbat with PJ Library"  (in partnership with with Jewish Federation of Atlanta PJ Library) | March 13-15, 2020
Ramah Darom Passover Retreat  | April 7-17, 2020
Ramah California Passover Camp  | April 8-17, 2020
Ramah New England Family Camp   | May 22-25, 2020
Ramah Darom Summer Family Camp  | June 24-28, 2020 and July 15-19, 2020
Ramah Wisconsin Family Camp | Aug. 12-16, 2020
Ramah Berkshires Outdoor Adventure Family Camp  | Summer 2020 dates to be announced
LimmudFest at Ramah Darom  (partnership with Limmud Atlanta and Southeast)  |  Sept. 4-7, 2020
Ramah Poconos - Sukkot | Oct. 2-5, 2020 (registration opens soon)
Adult Camps & Retreats
Ramah Shabbaton at Songleader Boot Camp (St. Louis, MO) | Feb. 14-16, 2020
Experiential Educator Course at BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy | March 8-15, 2020 and May 17-24, 2020
Singles Weekend at Ramah Berkshires (for singles in their 40s, 50s, and up) | May 22-25, 2020 (registration opens soon)
Ramah Darom/Pardes Shavuot Beit Midrash  | May 28-31, 2020 (partnership with the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies)
Ramah Poconos - Shabbat Plus | July 24-26, 2020 (registration opens soon)
Families with Children with Disabilities
Ramah New England Tikvah Family Shabbaton  | May 1-3, 2020 (registration opens soon)
Ramah Darom Camp Yofi   | Aug. 5-9, 2020
Ramah California Camp Ohr Lanu   | Aug. 13-17, 2020
Ramah Poconos Tikvah Family Camp   |  Aug. 19-23, 2020
Programs for Teens & Young Adults
Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim (TRY) | Jan. 27 - June 1, 2020
TRY, the Ramah Jerusalem High School, is a transformative program that offers 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students a fully accredited academic program within a Ramah setting based in Jerusalem. Students from day schools and public schools continue their required and elective courses, participate in an outstanding program in Jewish history and thought, and immerse themselves in Israeli life and culture.
MITF is Ramah's first-ever immersive Israel experience for college graduates ages 21-35. MITF fellows spend an exciting year teaching English in Israeli schools, making a meaningful impact on the lives of their students, learning Hebrew, and living in Jerusalem. This highly subsidized program provides extensive opportunities for personal and professional growth and enrichment. Ramah MITF is a partnership between Masa and the Israeli Ministry of Education.
BaMidbar Wilderness Therapy |  Dec. 22, 2019 - Jan. 12, 2020 (A program of Ramah in the Rockies)
BaMidbar's therapeutic expeditions  are immersive experiences that help Jewish young adults ages 18-28 overcome personal hurdles and get on their feet as confident and adjusted adults. Using wilderness and adventure-based experiences as a vehicle to promote self-reflection and community connection, students build a toolkit to face life's challenges. BaMidbar's program serves emerging adults who may or may not have a history of mental health challenges, but who are struggling to find their way forward as they transition from adolescence into adulthood.


Dance
Julliard Presents:
New Dances Edition 2019
December 11, 12, 13 | 7:30pm December 14 | 2pm + 7:30pm
December 15 | 3pm
Julliard- Peter Jay Sharp Theater
New Dances: Edition 2019 in December Features World Premiere Dances by Stephen Petronio, Andrea Miller, Jamar Roberts, and Amy Hall Garner. The cornerstone of the season is New Dances: Edition 2019, featuring four world-premiere dances by innovative choreographers: alumna Amy Hall Garner (first-year class); Jamar Roberts (second-year class); alumna Andrea Miller (third-year class); and Stephen Petronio (fourth-year class).


Music
David Broza & Friends
December 19 | 8 pm
Lowenstein Auditorium at Temle EmanuEl
In the summer of 2018 David Broza was joined by the NY based Cuban "Trio Havana" lead by flute virtuoso Itai Kriss. This union of musicians lead to the creation of his newest band under the label "David Broza & Friends". Together they bring a unique interpretation to the full spectrum of Broza's rich repertoire of hits.



Dance
Zvidance : MAIM
December 18 - 20 | 7:30 PM,
December 21 | 2 PM & 7:30 PM 
New York Live Arts
"One does not just watch a dance by Zvi Gotheiner. One enters a world with its own internal logic, a sensual, organic world of movement, language, and images where one is pulled along by currents unseen and inevitable." (Dance Magazine) MAIM sets out to raise awareness to issues related to the global diminishing water resources due to global warming.Israeli Zvi Gotheiner grew up in Kibbutz Messilot on the slopes of Mount Gilboa, where King David cursed the land with no rain or dew in his biblical mourning elegy to his beloved Jonathan. Droughts, water shortage and the need for water conservation were powerful tensions in Gotheiner's early years, epitomized by the government's slogan "Every Drop Counts." Later, Gotheiner would learn the significant role water, or lack thereof, played into the war politics of the region.

Music
Orli Shaham's Bach Yard
Saturdays at 8 am through December 21
WQXR
Orli Shaham's Bach Yard is where the whole family can listen to stories illustrated by extraordinary music. This four-part miniseries introduces children and their parents to classical music through stories about a family of trout and their new friend, a special trip through the zoo with Beethoven, Charlie and Belinda's big day, and a little boy named Henry.

Music
Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players: Warhorses
December 16 | 2 pm & 7:30 pm
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church
Roman Rabinovich, piano-
Winner of the Rubinstein, Animato and Arjil competitions, the Mezzo and Salon de Virtuosi awards, and the Vendome Prize ~ "admirable interpretations...performed with a rich, full-blooded sound, singing lines and witty dexterity." The New York Times

Theater
Last Tree in Jerusalem / A Page of Talmud
December 4th - December 15th
Monday-Thursday | 7:30pm
Saturday | 8pm
Sunday | 3pm
TheaterLab
LAST TREE IN JERUSALEM / A PAGE OF TALMUD
Two Plays by: Dani Horowitz
A Page of Talmud was written in collaboration with Yaakov Raz
Translated from the Hebrew by:
Yoni Oppenheim (Last Tree in Jerusalem)
Dr. Yael S. Feldman and Michael Posnick (A Page of Talmud)
Riven by internal strife, ecological disaster, and interference from foreign powers, can society survive? Set nearly two millennia ago but still resonant today, acclaimed Israeli playwright Dani Horowitz's interrelated plays Last Tree in Jerusalem (world premiere translation) and A Page of Talmud tell the seminal Talmudic stories "Kamtza and Bar Kamtza" and "The Oven of Achnai." These timely Jewish stories examine the cost of humiliation and explore what it means to be a member of a community, to be a leader, to have moral courage, and to resist.


Art
Oded Hirsch: At the Borders
PBS
Clip: Season 5 Episode 3 | 8m 18s
The Israeli conceptual artist Oded Hirsch lives on the periphery- both philosophically and geographically.


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