HaKol
The Voice of the
Pelham Jewish Center
May 2023/Iyar-Sivan 5783
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Leadership Messages
Rabbi Benjamin Resnick
Education Director
Ana Turkienicz
HaKol Editor
Barbara Saunders-Adams
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Congregant News
& Donations
Israel Speaker Series
Daniel Sokatch
Mikey Goldstein
Book Notes
Barbara Saunders-Adams
Food For Thought
Share a Simcha
Tributes & Donations
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Dear Friends,
It has now been almost a year and half since I first met with Kathie O’Callaghan of Hearts and Homes For Refugees, a local non-profit organization that helps support and resettle refugee families in and around Westchester. Since then, under the steady leadership of Hearts and Homes, several members of our community have been actively engaged in helping two Afghan families find their footing in New Rochelle. Yasher koach to everyone who has already been involved in this important effort.
Now, thanks in large part to the marvelous leadership of our refugee resettlement committee chairs, Matt Marcus and Rhonda Singer, it’s time to do more. In the coming weeks and months–with the continued support of Hearts and Homes–the PJC will take steps to participate in Welcome Corps, a new government initiative that aims to pair incoming refugees with private sponsor organizations. If we’re successful, we will be among the first groups in the country to participate in the program, with the ultimate goal of helping to support a new family through the resettlement process.
As those who are already involved know, this work will be rewarding but it will not be easy. We have already formed a committee of eleven dedicated PJCers, but we’ll need more. We’ll need people to donate time, expertise, and resources to the effort. Please stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks and, in the meantime, please reach out to
I’ll close this brief note by sharing something that I know I’ve already said several times but which bears repeating once again: There are a dizzying number of causes that compete for our attention. The forms of injustice demanding redress are diverse and, seemingly, endless. And as Jews we are commanded to engage with all or most of them. But advocating on behalf of the stranger–the one who seeks refuge among us–is, as far as I can tell, the most authentic and urgent Jewish cause that there is.
It is not for nothing that Avraham Avinu is called “ha’ivri,” “the Hebrew,” “the one who crosses over into a new land.” To be the descendants and the inheritors of our great ancestor means that we must extend a hand to those who, like him, walk the arduous roads towards freedom and find themselves as strangers in a land they do not know. There are at least 25 million refugees in the world today and the Torah commands us to welcome them thirty-six times over, far and away more than any other mitzvah. I hope you’ll join us as we try to heed the call.
Brachot,
R. Benjamin Resnick
Ben
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Education Director
Ana Turkienicz
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“The end is always the beginning of something else”
״סוף זה תמיד התחלה של משהו אחר״
As we approach the final weeks of the LC’s academic year 2022-2023, I would like to spotlight the volunteer work of our madrichim, our teachers’ helpers.
This year, eight teens volunteered and donated their time to support the Learning Center: 8th through 12th graders. Their time commitment varied from 4 hours a week to 2 hours per month.
We are deeply grateful for their commitment and generosity, and cannot express in words how much their presence impacts the lives of our young students. Starting with our 8th graders, Madison Glick, Josie Kagan, Daniela Haberman and Brody Fleischer, then our 10th graders Sasha Herzog and Ben Sasson, 11th grader Hannah Steinberg and finally 12th grader Becca Ploski, our veteran madrichah, who’ll be graduating New Rochelle High School and leaving us to attend college at SUNY Binghamton.
Becca started as a madrichah with the Nitzanim-Gan class in 2018 as Morah Jerusha’s helper before, throughout the pandemic and beyond. Being a madrichah means prioritizing your time in order to volunteer every week with the Learning Center. You become indispensable, as the teacher you work with counts on you to be there supporting the students in their learning. It means sometimes helping the youngest students get to the bathroom, bringing them snacks, looking out for them when they are outdoors and supporting struggling students as they make their first steps towards Hebrew reading or any other learning activities. It means saying no to other social opportunities and not hanging out with your friends on those afternoons. It means doing your homework later into the night, making sure you show up on Tuesdays/Thursdays at 4:00 PM at the Learning Center. I must say that I also deeply enjoy writing their recommendation letters for college, graduate school and special honors programs - even for job interviews after graduate school! True naches!
Becca Ploski started at the PJC as a young toddler, running around during services and reading children’s books during the Rabbi’s sermons. Becca used to attend services weekly with her parents David and Liz, and it seems that becoming a madrichah was the most natural developmental step for her.
She joined Morah Jerusha’s class first as our youngest student, when she was 4 years old, and then again as a teen helper following her Bat-Mitzvah. Since then, we have seen her grow into an inquisitive, committed and devoted member of our Learning Center team. Becca even subbed for Morah Jerusha! Becca’s young students were so happy to see her as they arrived every week for their Nitzanim class as she looked after them with love and dedication. Becca's determination, generosity and kindness set up a good foundation for our future madrichim to follow in her steps, as she followed those who came before her.
Not surprisingly, Becca chose to major in Jewish Education at Binghamton University. We are so excited about her future adventures! We hope the learning experiences she had both as a student and as a madrichah at the Learning Center nurture her as she pursues her future career. We are sure she will be a wonderful Jewish educator for future generations! We can’t wait to hear about her college life as she finishes this period to start the greatest adventure of all.
Becca we are so proud of you!
May you continue to be the unique person you are today, and may you continue to shine your special light, with much love and wisdom, wherever your life takes you.
We are so grateful that you chose to volunteer with us during all your Middle and High School years! Please remember you will always have a home here at the PJC and the seeds you sowed into our students’ hearts will grow into love of Judaism, love of Israel and humankind.
Yasher Koach and B'hatzlacha (success)! We’ll miss you here!
And to our continuing amazing madrichim team, Ben Sasson, Sasha Herzog, Madison Glick, Josie Kagan, Daniela Haberman, Hannah Steinberg, and Brody Fleischer, who’ve been with us since 8th grade, and to those who will start anew in September, Aviv Eliezer and Naomi Birutti, we would like to wish a great and well deserved summer vacation. We love you and we are deeply grateful for the contributions you make as you chose to devote your time to be a madrich/ah with the Learning Center. Enjoy your summer! We can’t wait to hear back from you about your adventures!
With much gratitude
Ana
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HaKol Editor
Barbara Saunders-Adams
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Dear Friends,
This year we celebrate Chag Shavuot (Shavuos in Yiddish) on the evening of Thursday, May 25th. Shavuot is one of three holidays in which the Israelites made a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer the first fruits of their labor - the two other holidays are Pesach (Passover) and Succot (Sukkos). Shavuot occurs in the month of Sivan, fifty days after the second day of Passover. It was originally a harvest festival, but today it also commemorates the giving of the Law (Torah) at Sinai.
Shavuot is the holiday of Jewish paper-cutting
Shavuot is a springtime festival, a period when the earth is coming into full bloom (in the northern hemisphere anyway). One Jewish legend recounts that Mount Sinai burst into flower with the giving of the Torah. In ancient times, Shavuot was also the time of bikkurim, when Jewish farmers would bring the first fruits of their crops as an offering to God in the Temple. For these reasons, many synagogues have the custom of decorating their sanctuaries with flowers and greenery. But some rabbis were uncomfortable with this, fearing that it too closely resembled Christian traditions, which in turn led to the custom of using a papercut instead called a shavuosl.
Shavuot is Judaism’s only all-nighter
The main ritual associated with Shavuot is known as Tikkun Leil Shavuot. The custom originated among the mystics of Safed as compensation for the fact that, according to the Midrash, the ancient Israelites slept in on the day of the giving of the Torah. To make up for that ancient mistake and to show our eagerness to receive the Torah, the custom emerged of staying up all night to study. In many synagogues the study session is capped by a sunrise worship service at daybreak.
Shavuot is the only holiday where dairy foods are encouraged
Eating meat and fish are signs of celebration in Jewish tradition, which is why many people eat beef or chicken on Shabbat and other Jewish holidays. Shavuot is the one Jewish observance where the opposite is true — dairy foods like cheesecake and blintzes are customary. Various reasons for this tradition have been offered, but many link it to the fact that the kosher laws were handed down on Shavuot, and the ancient Israelites, finding that their meat was no longer kosher, ate dairy foods instead.
The figure most associated with the holiday wasn’t born Jewish
Traditionally the biblical Book of Ruth is read in synagogue on Shavuot. The book tells the story of Ruth, a Moabite woman who returns to Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, after the death of her husband. Though Ruth is encouraged to stay with her own people, Ruth refuses, speaking the lines for which she would become known: “For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” Ruth’s embrace of Judaism took place around the time of Shavuot and her acceptance of the Jewish faith is seen as analogous to the Jewish acceptance of God’s Torah.
Remembering those less fortunate
According to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the sense of kinship, fraternity and the family bond, is at the heart of the idea of Kol Yisrael arevin zeh bazeh, meaning “All Jews are responsible for one another". In the Book of Ruth, what fascinates me is the custom of leaving gleanings in the fields so the poor can have a share in the produce of the land. Ruth collected the gleanings in Boaz's field (a wealthy cousin of Naomi). Ruth is instructed by Naomi to "lie at the feet of Boaz" (seduce him) thus becoming his wife, financially stable and mother to their son, Obed, who became the father of Jesse, an heir to the legacy of King David.
Barbara
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Can We Talk About Israel & the U.S.?
Daniel Sokatch &
Rabbi Mikie Goldstein
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New Israel Fund (NIF) CEO Daniel Sokatch had a Q & A session on Zoom with Rabbi Resnick. Rabbi Resnick asked about the viability of a Jewish and democratic Israel given the present government and the number of settlers now living in the West Bank. Sokatch replied that although prospects look bleak today, the fight for both a Jewish and democratic Israel is worth the effort.
NIF supports a Jewish democracy by funding organizations like Eretz L'culam that advocate that there is room for both Israelis and Palestinians in Israel if the desire is there on both sides. Today the West Bank of the Jordan River is divided into thirds -- all administered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Supposedly, Area A is under the purview of the Palestinian Authority, Area B is an IDF installation and Area C is jointly administered. According to Sokatch, in reality, Palestinians have been disenfranchised. As the possibility of a two state solution diminishes, options close down. Sokatch enumerates three options: an apartheid state, a pluralistic state or a commonwealth.
When asked about the need for an Israeli constitution, Sokatch noted that Israel has a Declaration of Independence which is not legally bound to protect minority rights. Ben Gurion advocated against drafting a constitution because his priority was unification of the nascent state.
Sokatch's book, Can We Talk About Israel? was written with young diaspora Jews in mind as well as Jews who don't already hold a firm fixed position on the Jewish state. He hoped to convince readers to stand by Israel. Given the extremist nature of the current right wing, ultra-Orthodox Netanyahu-led government, Sokatch's publishers requested that he write a follow-up book.
Daniel Sokatch is hopeful that positive change will come. Current polls show Gantz's opposition party ahead of the Netanyahu coalition. Sokatch notes that if elections were held today, Netanyahu's coalition would fall.
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Scholar-in-Residence
Rabbi Mikie Goldstein
Rabbi Mikie Goldstein, a long time friend of Rabbi Resnick from Rabbinical School at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), was our Scholar in Residence. Rabbi Mikie Goldstein is the chief fundraiser for the Masorti movement in Israel. He spoke about the merits of inclusive Judaism (Conservative or Masorti Judaism) as opposed to the exclusive Judaism of the Orthodox world view. In Israel those who feel constrained by Orthodoxy have few alternatives. Rabbi Goldstein, a leader in the Masorti movement advocates for compassion and a welcoming hand to bring those who have been excluded back into the fold of the Jewish people.
Rabbi Goldstein noted that Masorti Rabbis cannot perform marriages or conversions in Israel which are under the purview of the Orthodox Rabbinate. Couples are told to marry outside of Israel. Under the auspices of Masorti Judaism, 70 students will travel to the US to spend time at Camp Ramah. This exchange will help build relationships between Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora.
Barbara
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The Woman Beyond The Sea
by Sarit Yishai-Levi
In The Woman From Beyond The Sea,
Sarit Yishai-Levi returns to her study of dysfunctional family dynamics and the affect on personal identity described in her first book, The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem". Yishai-Levi’s difficult characters demand empathy from readers.
The book delves into the permutations of mother-daughter-grand-daughter relationships and the havoc they can wreak on one's life. As Lily and Eliya, a Jewish Israeli mother and daughter, try to solve the mystery of their frayed relationship, they make discoveries that unlock older family secrets.
The setting is contemporary Israel, but the story begins in Paris and meanders from Mandate Palestine to modern day Tel Aviv and culminates in a fishing village in England, as it follows Eliya and her mother Lily's paths to self-discovery.
When her marriage to aspiring novelist Ari comes undone, so does Eliya. The abject misery she experiences prompts her suicide attempt that's thwarted, at least in part, by the efforts of Lily, her usually remote and critical mother. Eliya’s path back to mental health and a sense of belonging is, initially, taken under the guidance of gruff and plain spoken psychiatrist Dr. Kaminsky. Part of Kaminsky’s tough-love approach to healing Eliya’s fractured psyche involves unraveling the complicated and tortured relationship between her and her mother.
Secretive, critical, and mercurial, Lily came of age during the emergence of the State of Israel and was raised in a convent orphanage and a boarding school. Lily’s sense of isolation and deracination became even more pronounced after a family tragedy, and Eliya is frustrated in her attempts to reach a point of conversation with her mother. Burdened with an almost complete lack of knowledge about her heritage and family of birth, Lily has succeeded in isolating herself almost completely from her in-laws and local community but, intriguingly, frequently seeks advice from a bishara, a Muslim fortuneteller.
Yishai-Levi delivers a multilayered narrative of generations suffering from loss and family destruction against the backdrops of pre–World War II Macedonia, British-managed Israel, and Yom Kippur War–era Tel Aviv.
Barbara
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"Whenever the language of Judaism aspires to the spiritual, it modulates into song, as if the words themselves sought to escape from the gravitational pull of finite meanings"
"Music speaks to something deeper than the mind"
-Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
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"Share a Simcha" allows congregants to share their news with our PJC community. Please submit news about family members -- engagements, births, job updates, kid achievements, community acknowledgements and any other milestones -- to the HaKol Editor, Barbara Saunders-Adams.
. Mazal Tov to Becca Ploski on her acceptance to SUNY Binghamton
. Mazal Tov to Isaac Lief and Julia Myerson for their 3rd Place Category Science Award sponsored by Boehreinger Ingelheim Cares Foundation
.Mazal Tov to Isaac Lief for receiving the Today's Students, Tomorrow's Engineers Award presented to students who exhibit the enthusiasm, desire and intellect to engineer a a better tomorrow!
. Mazal Tov to Ginny Herron-Lanoil on her grandson, Jake Pauley's recent graduation from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Jake is the son of Ginny's step daughter, Kim & Travis Pauley.
Simcha is a regular HaKol feature, so keep your news and updates coming!
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Donations to the PJC from...
- Marshall and Naomi Jaffe
- David and Jeanne Radvany IHO the Krulak & Levene Families
Donations to the Rabbi's Discretionary Fund from...
- Barbara Saunders-Adams
- Adam & Maria Abeshouse
- Gary & Evelyn Trachten
Billing statements are emailed monthly.
Checks made out to the Pelham Jewish Center can be mailed to Pelham Jewish Center, P.O. Box 418, Montvale, NJ 07645. Credit card payment instructions are on your monthly emailed billing statement, or go to https://thepjc.shulcloud.com/member.
If you are interested in paying via appreciated securities or IRA distributions, please email Mitch Cepler.
It is the policy of the Pelham Jewish Center to make every effort to assist members experiencing financial challenges. Financial challenges should never be a barrier to being an active member of the PJC community. You can reach out to President Steve Martin, Treasurer Mitchell Cepler or Rabbi Benjamin Resnick to speak confidentially concerning your ability to pay PJC dues and Learning Center tuition.
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