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IN THIS ISSUE
  • S'Lichot
  • High Holy Days
  • Book Club
  • Challah Palooza
  • ICYMI: Amos GIl
  • SAC: MANNA & NCCF Need Help
  • Food for Thought: Youth Perspectives
  • Food to Eat
  • Nachas Notes
  • Refugee Family Update
  • Meet A Member
September 2020 Newsletter
Rabbi Elhanan "Sunny" Schnitzer
Elul 5780/ Tishrei 5781

CLICK for the Complete BJC September Events Calendar
Kriat HaRav—The Rabbi’s Call
Rabbi Elhanan “Sunny” Schnitzer
This is a story I have told before. This year it takes on new meaning.
 
In the 1960s, President Eisenhower received the gift of a rare, white tiger named Mohini. For years, Mohini lived in the Washington Zoo and spent her days pacing back and forth in a 12 x 12 foot cage. Finally, the zoo decided to build her a larger cage so Mohini could run, climb, and explore. But when Mohini arrived at her new home, she didn’t rush out, eagerly adapting to her new habitat. Rather, she marked off a 12 x 12 foot square for herself, and paced there until her death, never enjoying the new opportunities in front of her.
 
In this the “Time of Corona,” many of us may feel like Mohini. We feel constrained by the confinement of our homes and fearful when we have to venture out. Beset by habit, anxiety, and no small amount of worry, our cages feel real to us.
 
But Mohini teaches us that cages can often be a construct of the mind and heart.
 
Mohini exemplifies the classic conditioning most of us live within. Although she was a magnificent, powerful creature, Mohini was convinced her “place” was just a 12 x 12 foot square. We all have the propensity to behave exactly like Mohini. Based on our conditioning, we create invisible cages for ourselves, limiting our lives within their boundaries.
 
For the past 6 months, we have been subjected to a nonstop barrage of fear inducing news. Spending most of our times in our homes, it is easy to let the news channel of our choice run all day in the background. The words and images on the screen, as well as the articles and memes we read on social media, raise our level of anxiety. In this election season, much of what we are exposed to is designed to do just that. We adopt a bunker mentality and fret over what will happen next.
 
Conversely, our frustration with the limits of our boundaries may make some behave in ways that can be unsafe. Danger acclimation is a real threat according to psychologists. Over time, humans accommodate themselves to danger and can become sloppy or even defiant of the risks inherent in certain actions. Think back to the level of caution you brought to driving when you first received your license and how you behave now when on the road. The dangers and risks associated with moving down the highway remain the same. It is our behaviors that have changed.
 
But coming into our High Holy Days season, we are invited to turn away from all of this. To stop, examine our behaviors in a more tranquil environment and make T’shuvah.
 
T’shuvah means more than making amends. It is about turning from one set of behaviors towards another.
 
This year the idea of Shuv—To Turn, takes on new meaning.
 
Like Moses, who says when he first sees the Bush that Burned But Was Not Consumed, “I will turn aside to see this great sight,” we can turn aside and “see” with renewed vision the extent of our boundaries, both inside and out.
 
We are prompted by these Yamim Noraim—these Days of Awe, to turn from our current behaviors and consider new behaviors.
 
During even these most unusual and unprecedented High Holy Days, we will have the opportunity to hear the shofar blast. Historically, the shofar signaled the release of all slaves at the end of the Jubilee year. That sound invites us to ask, “What enslaves me? What weighs me down? What baggage do I hold onto?” Reflecting during this Season of Repentance, through our prayers and our presence in community, both virtual and immediate, we can begin the process of breaking free. Heartfelt peace awaits us if we do this holy work.
 
This season presents us with the opportunity to break free from our self-imposed cages, to find our route to freedom, and live life with renewed passion. The shofar inspires us to free the Mohini inside and move beyond.

Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer
President's Column—Sandra Walter
Heed the Clarion Call
It’s time to sound the shofar—for each of us and all of us to use the power of the shofar’s distinctive and disruptive clarion call to bring those we can influence to attention and action. It’s a time to underscore our beliefs in equity and justice for all, in human rights and dignity for all, for the energy and emotional intelligence each of us is gifted with to use our respective talents, and time to build a better world for us, our children and community, our neighbors—and especially for those we will never know or meet who are facing challenges to their rights for equity and justice, life, and liberty.
 
This year is already like no other—yes, because COVID-19 challenges us to lead our lives distant from those we love and the normality of so much of life, but because we as conscientious human beings are being given every opportunity to stand up and speak out with the emotional candor of the shofar for what we believe is right —and against what we know must end.
 
BJC, as a community of caring and a synagogue committed to social action, gives you easy and tangible ways to start this new year taking action to fulfill our values of tikkun olam. As simple as putting a yard sign out that we will be offering soon to express your belief in justice and that Black Lives Matter; as simple as sending some postcards to encourage people to exercise their civic right and responsibility to vote; as simple as joining BJC online to hear the Rabbi’s sermons as he teaches us lessons that inspire us to reflect on our own lives and motivate us to help the causes we care about gain traction—even if from the safe distance of your living room or home computer.
 
Rabbi Sunny, our volunteer choir, and so many members of the BJC community are working to make this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur memorable—not because we couldn’t be at 6601 Bradley Blvd in person, but to focus on what we can be. We will be together online with family and friends across the DMV and around the world in High Holy Days worship that we’ll be kvelling about for years to come. Much like our Kol Nidre experience where the power was out, which has inspired our recent tradition to start that service in the contemplative milieu of darkness, these High Holy Days will spark new traditions for our commemorations and celebrations of the coming of New Year and contemplation of the Day of Atonement.
 
As we begin our new year, we welcome a new professional staff team to BJC—Alicia DePaolo as Program and Worship Coordinator, and Billye Roberts as Synagogue Administrator. They join Rabbi Sunny, and our youth education and teaching staff, in bringing a love of Judaism and respective talents to enriching BJC for us all. All of our staff are part-time, and while our office remains closed except by appointment, please reach out to them by email and phone to welcome them and support them. Thanks to all the volunteers who continue to help cover our administrative needs as our staff focuses on the High Holy Days.
 
You, too, have talents to share—and we need more volunteer time and expertise in a number of areas. Here are the projects, right now, that we need help with….

  • Give us a few hours a week for the next few weeks to bring our new website online. We’ll get you trained on the tool, which is very user-friendly.
  • Contribute to the newsletter with your ideas, perspectives, recipes, and much-needed good news. 
  • Share your ideas for socially distant programs with our new Program Committee Co-chairs and with Alicia.
  • Get involved in our congregational-wide Social Justice activities when we roll them out in the coming weeks.
 
L’Shana Tova
Message from BJC's Program & Worship Coordinator — Alicia DePaulo
I am excited to join the staff of BJC as the Program and Worship Coordinator! Thank you for the warm welcome I have already received from the community. I recently moved from Boston to Alexandria with my partner, Katie, who is studying to become an Episcopal priest at Virginia Theological Seminary. My background is in classical music and Jewish education. I received a B.A. from Smith College, a Master’s of Music in Vocal Performance from Indiana University, and a Master of Jewish Education and Jewish Studies from Hebrew College.
 
Before coming to BJC, I taught at Temple Shir Tikvah in Winchester, MA; led Shabbat and holiday services for several communities in the Greater Boston Area; taught middle school Spanish; and maintained a studio of voice and piano students.
 
These are strange times for all of us, but I’m hoping to get to know all of you virtually, and I look forward to the day when we can meet in person. Please feel free to send me an email introducing yourself and your family (bonus points if you include pet/baby pictures!) or drop me a message in the Zoom chat window on Shabbat.
 
My metaphorical door is always open for questions, suggestions, and feedback about programming. One of the things that drew me to BJC is your warm community, commitment to social justice, and joyful, inclusive spirit. In our virtual landscape, it is more important than ever to keep the community strong; I want to hear from you about the programs you love and your ideas for types of programs that you would like to see. Click HERE to answer.
 
B’Shalom
From the BJC Administrator — Billye Tziporah Roberts
Dear BJC Community,

I can't wait to me you, But for now, a little bit about me.

I was born in Texas, grew up and attended college in Southern California, and lived in Colorado, Virginia, and Pennsylvania before settling in Maryland over a decade ago. My career has included international banking, project and event management, and managing a record store when there were still record stores.
 
I converted to Judaism in 2007, and driven by a love of learning, attend services and classes at synagogues across the Jewish spectrum in Maryland and DC. The first Jewish book I ever bought, Judaism for Dummies, has been joined over the years by several overstuffed bookcases.
 
Besides books, my home is overflowing with fabric for quilts for the charity I run that donates quilts to the Interfaith Works Women's Center. Over the years, I have organized and donated meals to that shelter, as well as Christmas lunches to the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless Men's Shelter. During the current lock down, piles of hand-dyed embroidery fabric have started appearing, and I’m in the midst of several cross stitch and blackwork embroidery projects.
 
After interviewing some of the women who live at the Women's Center, I am writing a book based on their experiences. I have articles published on hevria.com, and aish.com.
 
I have no husband, no pets, and no children of my body. My children are children of my heart, who currently live all over the world and who are, in different ways, making me extremely proud.
An Update on Our Youth Education Program
By Issie Resti
We are excited to welcome back our students for the 2020-2021/5781 Religious School year!
 
Due to the ongoing restrictions and recommendations regarding COVID, we have made the decision to begin the school year remotely. We will reassess this decision as conditions change, as it is our goal to come back together face-to-face as soon as possible. 

The first day of Religious School will be Saturday, October 3rd. We will be holding an online Q&A about the upcoming year on Wednesday, September 16 from 5:30-6:30 PM. At that time, we will share more information about the weekly schedule and the calendar for the year.
 
Also, watch your inboxes for the registration forms. Questions? Issie Resti, Education Committee Chair, can be reached at (240) 355-1501 or issieresti@gmail.com.
Rabbi's Message
Please be in touch with me in times of joy, sadness, or illness in your life or in the lives of a loved one or another member of the congregation. This is particularly necessary now that HIPAA regulations have made getting information from hospitals extremely difficult. I greatly appreciate your help keeping me informed of the health needs of our congregation. While we're forced apart, please call the BJC Office at 301-469-8636.
EVENTS
Click for the complete BJC September Calendar
 
NOTE: Please consult the September Calendar for our regular Shabbat and High Holy Days services. As a reminder, Friday Shabbat worship is at 7:30 PM and Saturday Shabbat worship starts at 10 AM.
 
Please continue to check BJCNow for links to Zoom and streaming services.  
Tikkun Leil S’lichot
Saturday, September 12, 8 PM
 
Join us online for a S’lichot service led by Rabbi Sunny and a special performance by Alicia DePaolo and MIRYAM Baroque Ensemble. MIRYAM is a Jewish chamber music ensemble dedicated to bringing baroque music into Jewish spaces and into conversation with Jewish texts and liturgy.
 
MIRYAM has spent the past several months collaborating virtually on a video recording of J.S. Bach’s Cantata 199. Alicia will be streaming this new recording as an offering for S’lichot, during which we are called to look inward and prepare for the spiritual work of the High Holy Days. The deeply moving text and music of Cantata 199 resonate with the Jewish concept of Teshuvah, which means return, or repentance.

It has been deeply comforting, challenging, and rejuvenating for the musicians of MIRYAM to make music together again, albeit from the safety of their own homes, scattered across the country. They hope that you, too, can find solace, strength, and renewal in their offering.

JOIN US FOR THE HIGH HOLY DAYS

BECOME A MEMBER
AND SUPPORT OUR WORK YEAR ROUND
OR
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
5781 HIGH HOLY DAY ONLY TICKETS
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High Holy Days Volunteers
By Jim Korelitz, High Holy Days Coordinator
We are still finalizing our volunteer needs for the High Holy Days. Services will be online only, so we won’t need volunteers for many of our usual tasks (e.g., ushers, parking attendants). However, we may need volunteers for some new tasks associated with all of the changes being made for this year’s services.
 
Look for further updates in your weekly BJCNow emails about service details and signing up for volunteer tasks.
EVENTS
ANNUAL INTERFAITH UNITY WALK
Sunday, September 13, 12:30-5:30 PM
 
Join us for the annual Interfaith Unity Walk. This year it will be a virtual one, with visits to the different places of worship, which line Massachusetts Avenue, that we usually experience in person. There will be interfaith dialogues you can participate in, discussions of race and faith, and climate change.
 
Unlike in prior years, we guarantee you will not feel tired from walking—or beat by the heat.
 
Save the date. We'll post the link on BJCNow once it becomes available.
SHANAH TOVA CHALLAH PALOOZA
Thursday, September 17, various times during the day

How do we come full circle and renew ourselves in the middle of a pandemic?
 
One way is to start 5781 by baking a round sweet apple and honey challah.
 
Please join us for a pre-Rosh HaShanah Challah bake-along on Thursday, September 17. The event will take place during the daytime on Zoom. You do not have to be an experienced baker to join in and all are welcome.
 
We will join together 3 times during the day, once to make the dough and let it rise. On our second segment, we will braid our dough and again let it rise. Our last gathering will be to put it in the oven. You will be making 2 loaves.
 
If you want to join us, please email Joan Kaufman. Once we hear from you, we will send you several challah recipes, a list of the ingredients we will be using that day, the times for each part of the class, and the Zoom link.
Book Club
Wednesday, September 23 & October 28, 8 PM

Due to the social distancing guidance, the BJC Open Book Club will meet virtually for the foreseeable future. We meet at 8 PM on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

On September 23, we will discuss Mama’s Last Hug by Frans de Waal. This book explores the fascinating world of animal and human emotions opening our hearts and minds to the many ways in which humans and other animals are connected. 
 
On October 28, we will discuss Apeirogon: A Novel by Colum McCann. The author uses the real-life stories of an Israeli and a Palestinian father—both of whom have lost their daughters to the ongoing conflict—as a starting point for a broader story that crosses centuries and continents, stitching together time, art, history, nature, and politics in a tale both heartbreaking and hopeful.

Evelyn Ganzglass eganzglass@gmail.com will send out the Zoom link prior to each meeting. If you are not already on the book club’s email list and would like to join us for any of these and/or other meetings, please let Evelyn know and she will add you to the list.
ONLINE HEBREW WITH MARAN GLUCKSTEIN
Use your time at home to learn or improve your Hebrew language skills. Study on Zoom in Chevrutah (small study groups) with students at your level. Weekly online meetings.
 
For more information or to register, please contact Maran at marangluckstein@gmail.com.  
In Case You Missed It: A Conversation with Amos Gil about Israel & Annexation
By Diane Horn
On Thursday, August 20, BJC was delighted to host Amos Gil, J Street's Capitol/South Regional Director, for a thoughtful presentation about Israel’s proposed Annexation Program in the West Bank and its recent deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that established relations with the UAE and at least temporarily took annexation off the table. Gil, who has many years of hands-on experience in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, enlightened us about this rapidly changing situation.
 
He showed us on a map the clusters of settlements and outposts that spread across the West Bank and the consequent impossibility of establishing a contiguous Palestinian state if Israel were to annex them. Interestingly, the Modern Orthodox community, and not the Haredi community, represents most of the settlers.
 
Gil also discussed what he viewed as the positive and negative aspects of the recent peace deal between Israel and the UAE. On the positive side, he noted that it is always a good thing for Israel to establish diplomatic relations with any country in the Middle East, and the temporary shelving of the proposed annexation plan put a stop to a potentially calamitous end to hopes for a two-state solution. On the negative side, the deal does nothing to stop the de facto annexation of increasing portions of the West Bank by the settlements, and was a major blow to the Palestinians because it cut into their leverage of withholding recognition from other Arab countries until Israel were to make territorial concessions.    
 
There are many business opportunities that will benefit both countries, and many business relationships have been quietly growing for some time leading up to the formal peace action. There is also an expectation for significant travel and cultural opportunities for the populations of both countries.

Gil noted one sweetener brought into the picture by the Trump Administration to help make the deal happen—the UAE will also be able to purchase advanced F-35 jets from the United States.
COMMITTEE NEWS

SOCIAL ACTION WANTS YOU TO KNOW: MANNA & NCCF NEED OUR HELP NOW
By Harri j. Kramer, Chair, Social Action Committee
MANNA

For as long as any of us can remember, each year on Rosh Hashanah, you have left the Sanctuary with a paper bag or two and a list—the beginning of our annual food drive for MANNA, whose focus is to end hunger in Montgomery County through food distribution, education, and advocacy. Our efforts have mattered: Last year, working with the Bradley Hills Presbyterian Nursery School, we collected about 2 tons of food.
 
The problem of food insecurity has only been exacerbated during the COVID pandemic. MANNA continues to serve our neighbors who are food insecure during these uncertain times. To account for social distancing needs and a surge in food requests related to COVID-19, MANNA has modified and scaled its services, offering food in different formats and locations.
 
As with so many other traditions, BJC has had to re-invent how we can support MANNA without bringing food to the BJC campus. We are strongly encouraging each BJC family to donate to MANNA. Here’s a link to make donating easy.
 
To learn more about how MANNA is operating during the pandemic and how you can help, click here.
NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHILDREN
AND FAMILIES
 
Another BJC tradition every fall is our Back-to-School support for the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF). BJC and Bradley Hills Presbyterian Church have been supporting NCCF in a variety of ways over many years. NCCF’s goal is to create total, healthy living environments for vulnerable children, youth and families, and the quality of life which empowers their ability to thrive and demonstrate responsibility.
 
Instead of dropping off backpacks and school supplies outside of the BJC office, we’re asking you to look at this flyer to learn what is needed and how to drop off the back packs at NCCF. 
 
Now, more than ever, these students need supplies and support. Please be as generous as you can.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Youth Perspectives
Gaining A New Insight into the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
By Sammy Peterson
In August, I wrapped up a fascinating two-week-program called the “Israel Engagement Fellowship (IEF).” Put on by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, the fellowship aimed to teach high school students about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, the historical context of the state, and rising antisemitism—all through the lens of our shared Jewish faith.
 
While it is hard for programs that are inherently political to remain unbiased, the IEF tried to do just that. We were encouraged to share any and all thoughts. In fact, the more controversial or unpopular an opinion was, the better the discussion. 
 
The program began with a history of Israel and Zionism, from the Roman expulsion of Jews from ancient Israel to the founding of the modern state. A later lesson, studying maps in the region, showed how Israel’s borders have changed over time.
 
I am by no means an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, so something as simple as looking at a regional map was very helpful for me to gain a better understanding of where the places we hear about on the news are actually located.
 
When I initially applied for the fellowship, I was nervous that I was going into a program that would try to force overwhelmingly pro-Israel views onto all of the students. Luckily, that didn’t happen. A central point discussed in my class was that criticism of the Israeli government is to be encouraged. After all, the country is a democracy. Problems arise when the very existence of the State of Israel is attacked. Therein lies the area where critics can slip into antisemitism. I found this to be a compelling point of view.
 
The culmination of the program was a Zoom call that we had with two students from the organization Kids for Peace. Both were 17-years-old. Both live in Jerusalem. One of the students was Israeli and lives in a Jewish neighborhood. The other student was Palestinian, living in a Muslim neighborhood.
 
Both of them said that there will not be peace in the region without open conversation and dialogue. That goal drives both of them to try and educate others about the conflict. The two students are friends, have similar points of view, and have even brought each other to their respective neighborhoods to dispel myths about Israelis and Palestinians. It surprised me when they said many of their peers have never met someone who is not of their same ethnicity.
 
When we got to speak to the two students, one of the most moving questions was asked to the Palestinian student: How would he react if he saw his Israeli friend in the street wearing a uniform for the Israel Defense Forces. The Palestinian student took a moment to think about the question before saying he would be nervous— not for himself, but for his friend. He would worry, he explained, that his friend might be stabbed or hurt during an attack. It was an emotional moment and reminder that while the two sides of this conflict may be bitterly at odds, it is important to recognize that oftentimes there are shades of grey everywhere, even within issues that are extremely polarizing.
FOOD TO EAT!
Editor’s Note:  Here’s where we share seasonal recipes. Please submit your favorites! Send to hjk.obx@verizon.net 
Mom's Honey Cake

This month's submission is from Alan Lichter, whose honey cake was the Blue Ribbon winner at last year's Rosh Hashana oneg.

Ingredients

½ cup shortening
1 ½ cups sugar
5 eggs
4 flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 lb honey (equal to ~1 1/3 cups)
½ cup Coffee (liquid, strong)
1 tsp nutmeg, ground
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cloves, ground
1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
1 orange, peeled, seeded, diced
¼ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp brandy (optional)
Directions

Preheat oven to 325° F. Grease 2 loaf pans and line with waxed paper.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and walnuts. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the sugar and shortening.

With the motor running, add the eggs, one at a time, apple, orange, honey, coffee, and brandy.

Add the sifted dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients.

Divide batter between the 2 pans. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
NACHAS NOTES
Editor’s Note: Now, more than ever, we all need some good news. Send to: hjk.obx@verizon.net

  • Mazel Tov to Annie Block on becoming a Bat Mitzvah, and to her parents Karen Amatangelo Block & Jon Block
  • Mazel Tov Josh Hananel on becoming a Bar Mitzvah, and his parents Amy DeDoux & Sam Hananel
  • Mazel Tov to Madeline Lion on becoming a Bat Mitzvah, and her parents Amy Rubenstein & Aaron Lion


  • Mazel Tov to Laurie Dubrow, who retired on July 31 after 33 years as an attorney with the National Labor Relations Board.
Update on Our Refugee Family

In September 2016, moved by the worldwide refugee crisis, members of BJC, BHPC, and the Idara e Jaferia Islamic Community committed to sponsor a newly arrived refugee family through Lutheran Social Services (LSS). We formed teams to carry out the various tasks associated with sponsorship and raised the necessary funds. Since March 2017, we have been supporting two related families and a young man from Afghanistan who are in the United States on Special Immigrant Visas available to individuals and their families who have worked with the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. And, while our level of support has tapered off, our connection has not.
 
The BJC/BHPC refugee family volunteers gathered on Sunday, July 19 with the Afghan refugee family, Mubarak, holding Farhat (born in the United States, who will be 2 in September), his wife Olfat, and the birthday girl, Gulan (dressed in white) for her 5th birthday. There was a drive by with horns honking, presents, and balloons. Everyone wore masks. Holding the birthday signs are Evelyn Ganzglass of BJC and Brigitte Burgett, BHPC.
MEET A MEMBER: Joan Kaufman
In her own words
I first discovered BJC in the early 1970s. Fresh out of college and newly transplanted from my hometown of Philadelphia, I attended High Holy Days Services at BJC for several years. BJC’s setting in the midst of a quiet and serene suburban area filled with trees was a welcome change to my overactive life in downtown Washington. However, I grew up in a conservative Jewish home and missed the familiarity of a conservative congregation, so I subsequently joined Adas Israel and actively participated in a Torah chavurah and other programs there.
 
I later joined Washington Hebrew Congregation because they had an excellent special education program where I enrolled my son David. At Washington Hebrew, I was very active in the Sisterhood, cooked regularly for a community soup kitchen, coordinated publishing a Sisterhood cookbook and distributing member recipes monthly with the Scrip program, and chaired the Sisterhood holiday boutiques for several years.
 
Growing up, my family’s core values were family, Judaism, and volunteering. We had a close relationship with our rabbi, and I was fortunate to be among the early wave of young girls to celebrate a Bat Mitzvah and later a confirmation. We were active celebrants of the early successes of Israel, and I attended many rallies in Washington with my father—one memorable event was to voice support for Israel during the 1967 war followed by meeting with our Congressional leaders. I spent a summer working on a kibbutz during college.
 
A key component of our Jewish home was Shabbat and holiday celebrations, and of course the attendant traditional foods. I’m filled with memories of making gefilte fish with my mom and aunt, the Passover seders with multiple folding tables lined up into the living room to accommodate our large family and of course, weekly Shabbat dinners. We went to services regularly. I attended Hebrew school through high school and taught Sunday School throughout my college years. I have happily brought many of those traditions and recipes to my own home, creating our own new traditions and memories.
 
College, law school, and living and working in Washington brought me into a much more secular world. Over the years, I have developed close relationships with people of all religions and cultures,which has enhanced my understanding of who I am and who I want to be in this world. As so many of us have been rocked by recent current events, I feel fortunate to draw back on my many years of election volunteering, social advocacy, and the moral compass that informs and directs so many of us Jews.
 
Within the past 10 years, I have had the opportunity to learn about Renewal Judaism and new prayer practices. My first reintroduction to BJC was through Rebbetzin Yaffah and her monthly chant circles (which I love!). My husband Louis and I had been looking for a new and smaller congregation and after getting to know Yaffah and other BJC chanters, we decided to try BJC for the High Holy Days. The rest, as they say, is history. It turned out that Louis and Rabbi Sunny grew up in the same Baltimore congregation, which certainly made him feel more at home. We joined Rabbi Sunny on one of his Cuba trips, which was exciting and sobering. We look forward to studying the Torah with Rabbi Sunny on Wednesday evenings, and prior to the COVID protocols, we also enjoyed Friday night services together. Last year I again traveled with Rabbi Sunny, this time to Prague and Budapest, and the small town that was the original home of BJC’s beloved Holocaust Torah.
 
This year I am co-chairing the BJC Program Committee with my dear friend Diane Horn. One aspect of our programs this year is family traditions and histories, both those from our original families and those we are creating as grown-ups and parents. We will be exploring these through cooking and baking sessions, holiday celebrations, and having members’ sharing past and current Jewish traditions. Let us know how you may want to participate with us!
 
I am looking forward to getting to know many of you better, through programs and otherwise. We are so fortunate to have this warm congregation and the opportunity to participate with greater closeness and support in our life cycle events and programs. As we approach the High Holy Days, I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a sweet, safe, and healthy new year.
REMEMBRANCES

We mourn the recent passing of:
 
Martin Borden, brother of Vicki Bailer
Kenneth Stein, father of Margo Stein & Kathie Stein
Leonard (Len) Bogorad, husband of Cynthia (Cindy) Bogorad, father of David & Sarah Bogorad

Yahrzeits

September 2020

Barbara Cahan, grandmother of Sandra Walter
Sydelle Cohen, mother of Donna Goldberg
Grace Rein Cohn, mother of Susan Kraut
Solomon Dwork, father of Barry Dwork 
Toba Farb, mother of Warren Farb
Isadore Frankford, father of Norma Stern
Frank Gold, father of Judy Scott
Allene Gordesky, mother of Joan Kaufman
Sherri Kost, mother of Amy Kost
Laura Ketcham, mother of Kathleen Spiro
Anne Pelter, mother of Lance Pelter
Hannah Pelter, grandmother of Lance Pelter
Shirley Poogach, mother of Robert Poogach
Julius Spiro, father of Dan Spiro
Fanny Stern, mother of Edward Stern
Nancy Cheng Yang, mother of Catherine Yang 
THANK YOUS
Editor’s Note: Because of the transition in office staff, the following may be an incomplete list of those who have contributed so generously. We will recognize other donors next month. 


GENERAL FUND/AS GOOD AS WE GIVE
Wynne & Bruce Busman
Hannah & Ed Elson, in support of BJC
Nancy Glassman
Susan Liebenhaut & Joseph Gootenberg, to honor Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer and Rebbetzin Yaffah Schnitzer
Ronnie & Miles Haber, in support of BJC
Harri Kramer & Russ Hogya, in memory of Vickie Bailer’s brother, Martin Borden
Harri Kramer & Russ Hogya, in memory of her father Bernard I.H. Kramer’s yahrzeit and her grandfather Aaron (Harry) Kramer’s yahrzeit
Julie & Mitch Kraus, in honor of the birth of their granddaughter, Millie Mae Kraus
Paul O’Connell, in appreciation of Harri Kramer’s assistance to his nephew
Ruth Salinger
Judith & David Scott, in support of BJC
Earl Silbert, in memory of Coleman & Earl S. Silbert
Lorrie Van Akkeren, in support of BJC
Emily & Antoine van Agtmael 
Ronald Waite
Shirley & Gerson Yalowitz, in support of BJC

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND
Lorrie Van Akkeren
 
And to all of our members who “round up” their synagogue support and donate their time.
Board of Trustees (as of 7/1/2020)
President Sandra Walter
Vice-President Jeremy Pelter
Treasurer Terri Reicher
Secretary Lorrie Van Akkeren

Trustees
Ken Fine
Karen Levi
Karen Levy
Alan Lichter
David Slacter
Steve Turow
Committee Chairs
Communication
Education Issie Resti
Financial Advisor
High Holy Days Jim Korelitz
Student Representative Sammy Peterson Intercongregational Partnership Liaison
Marty Ganzglass
Membership Diane Blumenthal
Past President Shoshanah Drake
Programs Diane Horn & Joan Kaufman
Social Action Harri j. Kramer

BJC Administration
Spiritual Leader Rabbi Sunny Schnitzer
Program & Worship Coordinator Alicia DePaulo
Synagogue Administrator Billye Roberts

BJC News
Newsletter Editor Harri j. Kramer hjk.obx@verizon.net

DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE: September 25, 2020

Bethesda Jewish Congregation
6601 Bradley Boulevard
Bethesda, MD 20817-3042
Tel: 301-469-8636
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