SHABBAT SHALOM, GESHER SHALOM!


 
July 17, 2020
 
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Shabbat Times: 
Candle Lighting
Virtual services see below

8:01pm
 
  Forecast: 93
/partly cloudy





IMPORTANT NOTICE
Our Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur services will be held online and over the phone. The best way for you to feel comfortable at these services is to familiarize yourself with ZOOM in advance. So please consider joining us for any of our services or other online programming. And in the process you might just discover how sustaining online contact can be and how enjoyable it is!
Here's another good reason why we are on Zoom and not particularly eager to "re-zoom" in person anytime "zoon":  Churches Were Eager to Reopen. Now They Are Confronting Coronavirus Cases.
IMPORTANT QUESTION
Would you be interested in attending a live, in-person, socially-distanced, outdoor SHOFAR SERVICE on Sunday afternoon, the second day of Rosh HaShannah? Please let me know.
How Are You? I really want to know.
Please reach out to me as I cannot possibly reach out to each of you. I welcome the opportunity for a quick check-in, for casual conversation or for something more serious.
Please call me or email me so we can arrange it. kas
In the Talmud, wisdom and skills to survive a plague     







Mi SheBayrach 
We make special prayers for those who are ill at every Shabbat Morning service and during our Monday & Thursday Minyanim. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have been adding a special Mi SheBayrach for those who have contracted the coronavirus.  
You can add a name (traditionally: Hebrew/Yiddish name and mother's Hebrew/Yiddish name, but we'll take English names and the names of those who are not Members of our Tribe) by calling or emailing me.
Or better yet: why not join us for the 9:00am weekday morning minyan, and read the Psalm (in English) just before we include the name of your family member, friend or acquaintance in the Mi SheBayrach?







On HIATUS
FYI: I will be on "semi-vacation" for the next 2 weeks. I'm calling it a "semi-vacation" because I haven't figured out how to take a real vacation in the midst of a pandemic. As I try to step back a bit, you will notice that the Shab Sha! will be considerably shorter.

Torah Reading  

MATTOT
Our double Torah portion begins with rules regarding the binding nature of - and the nullification of - vows, particularly those made by women.
 
The Israelites successfully defeat and slay the Midianites, including the five kings of the region and Balaam, the sorcerer. Nevertheless, the warriors are chastised by Moses for sparing the Midianite women with whom the Israelites had recently engaged in idolatry and promiscuity. The army is sent out again to complete the mission. The spoils of war are divided.
 
The tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of Menasseh possessed large herds and were desirous of settling on the conquered lands on the eastern side of the Jordan River. Permission is granted to them - provided they participate in the efforts to wrest the territory on the western side of the Jordan from the Canaanites. They agree and take a vow to this effect.
 
 
MAS'EI
The various locales in which the Israelites encamped from the time of the Exodus until their arrival at the plains of Moab are enumerated.
 
Following an admonition to root out idolatry in Canaan upon its conquest, the land is divided by lot under the supervision of Joshua, Elazar and the leaders of the ten tribes whose peoples will occupy the territory west of the Jordan River.
 
Six Cities of Refuge are established - three on each side of the Jordan. These cities are to be given to the Levites and will serve as a place of sanctuary for anyone who has committed murder accidentally. Vengeful relatives of the deceased may not pursue these individuals into the Cities of Refuge.
 
One additional refinement is made to the laws of inheritance in order to maintain the tribal integrity of real property; in cases where daughters inherit their fathers' property, the heiresses may not marry men from other tribes.











SHABBAT SCHEDULE
ALL our Synagogue Prayer Services and Programs are conducted over ZOOM


 
Here is a screenshot (taken before Shabbat) of some of our participants at last Friday night's Zoom service


You can participate in one of two ways 
          • Dialing in - or - 
          • Using internet access and a smartphone, tablet or computer
 
Do You Need to Obtain a Siddur? Please call or email me for details. kas
 
Do you need a CROSS-REFERENCE GUIDE to pages in the old Sim Shalom (Blue cover) for Shabbat and Holidays (when we are using Lev Shalem)?...
Or
to the Weekday Services in Lev Shalem (when we are using the burgundy weekday Sim Shalom)?
Call me or e mail me for the GUIDE
 
 



Shabbat Services
Friday evening at 7:00 pm   CLICK HERE TO ATTEND                                               
Dial in by phone:   929-205-6099   Meeting ID: 869 8266 6380  

Shabbat Morning at 10:30am  CLICK HERE TO ATTEND                                          
Dial in by phone:   929 205 6099      Meeting ID: 874 8132 0020 
 
Havdalah at  9:15pm      CLICK HERE TO ATTEND
Dial in by phone:   929 205 6099     Meeting ID: 729-396-135

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 (virtual) minyanim, and helping to assure that Kaddish can be recited with a minyan 


Ann Oster will be observing yahrzeit for her husband, Abe Oster on Friday evening, July 17th
Larry Lesh will be observing yahrzeit for his father, Paul Lesh on Saturday evening, July 18th
Jeffrey Adler will be observing yahrzeit for his mother-in-law,  Mimi Lustig on Saturday evening, July 18th
Larry Lesh will be observing yahrzeit for his mother, Goldie Lesh on Sunday evening, July 19th
Rochelle Carus will be observing yahrzeit for her mother, Selma Edelman on Tuesday evening, July 21st
Regina Friedman will be observing yahrzeit for her husband, Sidney Friedman on Tuesday evening, July 21st
Hyla Epstein will be observing yahrzeit for her mother, Carrie Abrams on Wednesday evening, July 22nd
Ilene Cohen will be observing yahrzeit for her grandfather, Benjamin Hirsch on Wednesday evening, July 22nd
Nancy Green will be observing yahrzeit for her father, Isador Levitt on Wednesday evening, July 22nd


Birthdays & Anniversaries
Seymour Green
Gregory Vorbach
Justin Fasman
Karina Jivotovsky
Suzanne Warshavsky
Ilene Cohen
Shirley Kochansky
 



 
OUR WEEKDAY MINYANIM
  
Sunday - Friday Mornings at 9:00 am CLICK HERE TO ATTEND
Dial in by phone:  929 205 6099     Meeting ID: 110 379 215
 
Sunday - Thursday Evenings at 7:00 pm CLICK HERE TO ATTEND
Dial in by phone:  929 205 6099       Meeting ID: 338 747 559
 
Special Request: if you purchased or downloaded Siddur Lev Shalem (Shabbat and Holidays) and/or Siddur Sim Shalom (Weekdays), please let Rabbi Stern know. (Please call him or email him).
 
 
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
 
Our Weekly Programming  
 
GPS is on HIATUS
Guided Prayer Service
Please join Rabbi Stern for a series of explanatory talks that will reveal the structure, choreography, and varied functions of the prayers we say. 
 
No, not really. Linda Richman will not be joining us...but join us for schmooze anyway!
 
Every Wednesday, 12 Noon with Rabbi Stern
BYO coffee, lunch, etc.
CLICK HERE TO ATTEND
Dial in by phone: 929 205 6099           Meeting ID: 814 6433 7599
 
Next Wednesday, July 22Live from Jerusalem
  • Devora Greenberg will tell us a little something about the Masorti Movement's Jewish Pluralism Watch (JPW)
  • We will experience a Virtual Tour of the Kotel (Western Wall), looking at all its sections and who can pray where
  • Tammy Gottlieb, vice-chair of Women of the Wall (WOW) (who will have attended that morning's WOW Rosh Hodesh service) will share her perspective
 
Our thanks to Dr. Avi Yacobi for sharing more of his life experiences with us this past Wednesday.

"Talk Amongst Yourselves; I'll give you a topic: Discuss..."         
 
LINDA RICHMAN is looking for VOLUNTEERS to share their passion or expertise with the COFFEE TALK crowd....
Your profession
Your avocation
Your hobby
Your expertise
Your life experiences
Your travels
Please be in touch with the Rabbi

Rabbi's Weekly Class 
TAKING A BREAK
Below please see information about the class, we will let you know when it resumes
 
Dial in by phone:  929-205-6099      Meeting ID: 886 1779 2509
 
 
Tisha B'Av Services-Marking the Destruction of
Solomon's Temple by the Babylonians 586 BCE
Herod's Temple by the Romans 70 CE

Wednesday, July 29 at 8:00pm (there will be no 7:00pm service)
Thursday morning, July 30 at 9:00am                    
Thursday evening, July 30 at 8:45pm for the Conclusion of the Fast





Important/Interesting Reads
Does this situation sound familiar?
 
Windows Without a Home           
When synagogues close or congregations merge, what happens to the stained-glass windows that once graced their sanctuaries? 
 
'Training and Sweating and Bleeding': American Jews Learn How to Shoot Back at Synagogue Terrorists 
 
After Digitizing the Talmud, Sefaria Seeks to do the Same for American Democracy and Its Foundational Texts
Anshel Pfeffer writing in Haaretz:
Peter Beinart's One State Solution Sounds So Perfect It's Practically Utopian         
I'd love to live in Beinart's peaceful hyphenated state of 'Israel-Palestine.' But I can't vote for it. No one actually living here is proposing it. And that's exactly where his thesis unravels.                                             
The Jews of Privilege
  Peter Beinart thinks Jews don't need Zionism. That's because he's never needed it himself.                            
Memory Malpractice    
Peter Beinart, the future of Israel, and the meaning of Yavne                                        
Booker: Blacks and Jews Must Work Together to Fight Prejudice                                   

Israel
Naval elite unit commander Mohammed Omar Abu Ajwa reportedly fled by boat to Israel, for which he had been spying for a decade 
Despite Pressure from Progressives, No Major Changes in Democratic Platform on Israel  
News Outlets Covering Israel Found, Again, to Have Run 'Deepfake' Op-Eds         Archaeologists Discover 2,000-Year-Old Unique Complex by the Western Wall
  The structure was sealed later in the Byzantine period under the floors of a large building about 1,400 years ago and was left untouched for centuries.  

BDS / Anti-Semitism / anti-Zionism
Background: an anti-Black student senate president was removed, only to be replaced by an anti-Israel/anti-Zionist president. The attempt to remove him failed. Now the FSU Student Senate has passed a standard which its president may have difficulty adhering to:
FSU Student Senate Adopts IHRA Definition of Anti-Semitism                                    
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Where Is the Outrage Over Anti-Semitism in Sports and Hollywood?                
Ice Cube Slams Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for Calling Out Anti-Semitism                                 
  "Shame on the Hollywood Reporter who obviously gave my brother Kareem 30 pieces of silver to cut us down without even a phone call." 
 
"Day of Rage" Rallies in U.S. Demonize Jews, Israel
Mitch Albom: Anti-Semitic Posts - and Tepid Reactions - Should Enrage We must consider why DeSean Jackson's anti-Semitic comments drew less outrage than other types of hateful language.    
 
Re: Farakhan: Hate Wins When Leaders Stay Silent                  
The Myth of "Jewish Privilege"                     
 
How Jewish Twitter Users Took On a Virtual Anti-Semitic Mob 
Is #JewishPrivilege a Thing? Not So Much, Say Jews on Twitter                                   
 
Missouri Enacts Anti-Israel Boycott Law 
Over 120 Neo-Nazi Band Pages Found Active on Facebook                            
Viacom CBS Ends Decades-Long Relationship with Nick Cannon Over Anti-Semitic Statements        
 
Emmy Rossum Blows Whistle on Jew-Hatred in Entertainment Industry 




Pop Culture
Zoominar: What Makes Yiddish Humor So Jewish? 
 
Lynn Cohen (Magda from Sex in the City, Golda from Munich), who died recently, plays Mrs. Litwak:
The Mostly-in-Yiddish Trailer for a New Horror Movie Depicts a Jewish Burial Ritual Gone Terribly Wrong          
 
A Trader Joe's Hack: Falafel Schnitzel 
 
LadyEfron Is the Jewish Queen of TikTok
Brooke Averick, a 24-year-old preschool teacher better known as @LadyEfron on TikTok, chats with Alma about anxiety, her newfound fame, and her dream Zac Efron fanfiction.            
 
In a Polish Netflix Thriller, Undercurrents of The Holocaust                                  




 
 
Presented by JTS's Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice
Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 3:00-4:00 p.m. ET
 
Our country currently faces a reckoning with structural racism. As Jews, we have faith that our tradition represents a moral voice for justice and equality. Yet we also recognize that we have often failed to fully heed that voice and so must confront the enduring influence of racial discrimination and white privilege in our community. Join the Hendel Center for this timely discussion with two leading thinkers on the issue. 
 
Speakers
 
Rabbi Sandra Lawson , associate chaplain for Jewish life, Elon University
Dr. Eric L. Goldstein, associate professor of history, Emory University
Rabbi Stephanie Ruskay, moderator, associate dean of The Rabbinical School and executive director of JTS's Hendel Center for Ethics and Justice



Sunday July 26th at 1:00pm
Bird Conservation in the Negev
 
Sunday August 9th at 1:00pm
Israel's Bats

Israeli Culture in North America
Dance
Lake Of RED | July 18, 7pm EDT
Former Batsheva member Shamel Pitts dives deep into disturbed solitude, mixed with the internal monologue of mania through an emergence of euphoric movement with his new video art short, directed by Itai Zwecker.

Film
Watermarks | July 23, 1pm EDT
In this online film presentation and discussion, director Yaron Zilberman (Incitement) will be joined by Prof. Raanan Rein of Tel Aviv University for a conversation about the 2004 documentary, telling the story of the women swimmers of the legendary Jewish sports club Hakoah Vienna. | Co-hosted by The Museum of Jewish Heritage and The Office of Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Israel in New York.

Music
Guy Mintus Trio + Special guest artists: Gershwin for Jazz Foundation of America | July 19, 2pm EDT
The award winning pianist, vocalist and composer will host a Gershwin themed special live stream featuring his trio + a cast of special guest artists in solidarity and support of the Jazz Foundation of America. Photographer: Karine Mahiout | In collaboration with The Office of Cultural Affairs, Consulate General of Israel in New York.

Film
Tribeca Drive-In: Wonder Woman | July 19, 8:30pm EDT
Gal Gadot is the title character in the epic action adventure based on the DC Super Hero.
Locations: Orchard Beach, Bronx, NY | Nickerson Beach, Nassau County, NY

Dance
DANCE Cleveland Virtual Dance Festival 2020 featuring Vertigo Dance Company | July 25 - August 8
Take classes, watch performances, listen to discussions, and take part in the #DanceOnOhio dance day video all from the best seat in the house - your house! Photo credit: Vertigo Dance Company, Gadi Dagon.

Literature
Outside by Etgar Keret
A short story from The New York Times Magazine's Decameron Project. Translated by Jessica Cohen from Hebrew.

Music
Opening Concert in memory of Ida Haendel | July 26, 12pm EDT
The 2020 Keshet Eilon Music Center String Master course will start on July 26, 2020, with an Alumni Concert in memory of the legendary violinist Ida Haendel, who had joined the Keshet Eilon Faculty as a distinguished guest-artist from 1999 to 2010.

Film
Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy
What do Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis and Alex Sharp have in common? They all studied under the renowned acting teacher Moni Yakim at Juilliard, America's greatest performing arts school. This film explores his extraordinary life and takes us inside the drama classes.

Music
The Perlman Music Program Virtual Summer Gala | July 24, 5pm EDT
The Perlman Music Program re-imagines its signature summer event as an online experience. Photo: Red Sweatshirt Photography.

Theatre
Off Broadway! On HaMaser! Theatre Shorts | July 19, 12pm EDT
Enjoy Israel's first and only professional English theatre, Center Stage, along with a Brooklyn, New York based cast, including a member of Netflix's "Unorthodox". Join AIFL for a presentation of this selection of three, short performances. Photo credit: Andreas Glockner.

Music
Inon Barnatan, piano | July 23, 7:30pm EDT
In this program, pianist Inon Barnatan merges Baroque dance suites by Bach, Handel and Rameau with movements from more modern works by Ravel, Barber and Thomas Adès into a seamless whole, removing the entire notion of time/genre/place to arrive at a musical experience that is totally and thrillingly new.