Rabbi Michael D. Howald

Cantor Suzanne Bernstein

Bryn Biren, Felicia Otto

Co-Presidents

JULY 2023

Tammuz-Av 5783

Shabbat Mornings in JULY**

Torah Study at 10:00 a.m.

Meeting ID: 851 2322 5022

Passcode: 311411

Shabbat Mornings in AUGUST**

Torah Study at 10:00 a.m. followed by Services at 11:00 a.m.

Meeting ID: 816 2485 7827

Passcode: 609375

**PLEASE CHECK NEWS & NOTES AND THE FRIDAY NIGHT PROGRAM E-MAILS FOR STREAMING LINKS FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS AND FOR ANY CHANGES REGARDING STREAMING AND/OR ZOOM LINKS.

AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OR COPY OF

MISHKAN T'FILAH

MAY BE PURCHASED FROM CCAR

AN ELECTRONIC VERSION OR COPY OF

MISHKAN T'FILAH FOR YOUTH

MAY BE PURCHASED FROM CCAR

      Last summer, I wrote about the concept of “wintering” as a time of rest and renewal. I contrasted that with the idea of “summering” which, at least in Jewish tradition, is a time to pick, savor and store the fruit that will carry us to the New Year, which typically occurs just as summer ends. This year, as I write on the cusp of the summer solstice, I return to the concept of “summering” but in a different sense than last year.  This year I want to focus on the American tradition of attending Jewish sleepaway camps in the summer, a tradition which many in our congregation participated in when they were younger, and which continues to attract thousands of Jewish campers every summer across all streams of Judaism. Many who attend these camps, either as campers or as counselors, find them transformative and a key factor in the formation of their Jewish identity. When they think about “summering,” they think about the friendships they developed and the experiences they had at Jewish sleepaway camp.

Over the past few decades, several authors have published books which focus on Jewish camping as a phenomenon that has significantly shaped American Jewish culture. The original Jewish camps, created in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, were designed to bring urban children into a more healthful and peaceful environment, often near lakes and surrounded by forests.  These early camps were not so much focused on teaching Jewish traditions and values (which were taken for granted) as they were on helping the children of recent Jewish immigrants assimilate into American society in a fun and informal environment.

In the middle of the 20^th century, however, Jewish summer camps began to focus more explicitly on teaching aspects of Jewish culture and beliefs. In 1952, the Reform movement founded its first summer camp, the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute (“OSRUI”) summer camp in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Five years earlier, the Conservative movement began its first summer camp, the original Camp Ramah, located in Conover, Wisconsin.  These denominational camps were designed to teach the values and traditions of their respective movements, along with an emphasis on Israel and Hebrew instruction, in a setting designed to encourage lasting friendships and instill Jewish identity. Over the decades, these camps have produced many future Jewish leaders and members of the clergy. Indeed, attendance at Jewish summer camp is one of the strongest predictors of future involvement in the Jewish community.

Today, the Reform movement has 14 Jewish summer camps in North America, one of the largest and most successful Jewish camping programs in the world. As part of a trend toward greater specialization in summer offerings for children, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) now has 3 specialty camps focusing on science, sports, or the creative arts. These camps are in addition to regional camps like Camp Harlem (with many alumni in our congregation) and, in the west, Camp Newman, with many alumni among my rabbinical and cantorial colleagues at Hebrew Union College. These camps engender strong alumni attachments into adulthood and loyal followings that extend to children and grandchildren. For them, “summering” is about the great times they had and the attachments they made, all while being steeped in Jewish culture and values. It’s only natural they want the same experience for the next generations as well.

If you want to know more about Jewish camping, I recommend A Place of Our Own: The Rise of Reform Jewish Camping (Judaic Studies Series), a series of essays edited by Michael M. Lorge and Gary Phillip Zola. Social psychologists Amy L. Sales and Leonard Saxe have also written about the important socialization aspects of Jewish camping in their “How Goodly Are Thy Tents”: Summer Camps as Jewish Socializing Experiences (Brandeis Series in American Jewish History, Culture, and Life).  For an academic perspective on the full range of Jewish camping, you might like Sandra Fox’s The Jews of Summer: Summer Camp and Jewish Culture in Postwar America (just be aware the author stirred up some controversy by openly discussing “hookup” culture at Jewish camps as part of her book).

If you want to know more about Reform Jewish camping, go to the URJ website located here: https://urj.org/what-we-do/engaging-youth-families-young-children/camp.  If you are thinking about how to help your child or grandchild “summer” in a Jewish way, I couldn’t imagine a better place to start!  Kayitz Sama’ach!  Have a happy and Jewish summer!   

LEARNING SESSION

WEDNESDAY, JULY 26. 7 PM

Bryn Biren

Felicia Otto

We welcome our newest Board members, thank you to our officers who are leaving their current jobs and thank those who are remaining in their current positions. Each one of you is to be thanked. You have stepped up to act as a leader for our synagogue. Your time is valuable, your knowledge is invaluable and you have chosen to donate them both to Temple Israel.

This past year has been filled with activity. Sandy Mazzucco, Linda Brill, Felicia Otto and I have worked together this past year planning how we can most effectively move our synagogue in to the future. We have signed contracts with Rabbi Howald, Cantor Bernstein, begun a new, wonderful relationship with our office manager,Nilaja Troy, and will begin a new relationship in 2024 with the JCC Nursery school.

We are so lucky to welcome new members Sarah Sarfati, Chad Rachman and Bob Zuckerberg to our Board of Trustees. They join other younger Board members - Felicia Otto, Russell Kaminsky, Jackie Rabinowitz,  Marni Blitt, Alina Shteynberg, and Remy Smith who are the future of Temple Israel. They have new ideas about efficiency and technology that we plan to incorporate.

This was a year of transition at Temple Israel. The vision that Dr. Ronald AVis had when he began his Foundation in 2017 was two fold- to enable young families to join Temple Israel and to develop future leaders. This is now happening.

Our 75th anniversary celebration looked back at what we were, where we have been. Welcome to the 2023-2024 Board of Trustees. You are now a part of our future!

Bryn Biren

Co-President

Hello Fellow Congregants,

I am honored to be assuming the role of Financial Secretary of Temple Israel. I’d like to recognize and thank Alan Siegel for his continued support and training during this transition. My family and I have been a part of the Temple Israel community since 2015 and I am excited to contribute my time and efforts to this endeavor. Thank you in all in advance for your patience and understanding as we navigate this exchange. 

Please be sure to review you records to ensure that your Annual Commitment is up to date.  Also, please be reminded that the Temple’s Building Fund of $1100 per member is scheduled to be honored during the first four years of membership. If there were to be a ‘life-cycle event’ prior to that timeframe, it is required that the submission of the Building Fund be completed before that event takes place.

You are welcome to contact me directly at 347-631-9802 should you wish to discuss any matter regarding your annual commitment or satisfaction of your family’s Building Fund. 

Thank you for this opportunity and for your on-going support of Temple Israel.

Jacqueline Rabinowitz 

Financial Secretary

Please consider becoming a member of our

KAVOD SOCIETY.

It helps to make membership available to all our families. Speak to our Financial Secretary to upgrade your membership.

Have a pleasant summer! 

Cantor Suzanne Bernstein 

SUMMER & FALL CHOIR SCHEDULE

Please note:

Senior Choir Rehearsals are moving to Tuesdays!

We start on August 15 and continue

August 15

August 22

August 29

September 5

(Sunday) September 10

September 12

September 19

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JULY 2023

TAMMUZ- AV 5783

For calendar updates please check the Temple website.

To print or download a copy of this calendar, click here.

MAZEL TOV TO:

ARNIE GROSSMAN on his milestone 90^th birthday;  

INEZ & STEPHEN SINGER & family as their granddaughter, SABRINA BELLE SINGER, is called to the Torah as Bat Mitzvah; Temple Co-Presidents BRYN BIREN AND FELICIA OTTO;

Sisterhood Co-Presidents  PAMELA CARLTON,  SUE FREEDMAN, JUDY LEE, & ANITA ZUCKERBERG; 

Confirmands JACOB CHASON, NATHANIEL LEE, SIM LENNER, GENEVIEVE LOPEZ and their families.

CONDOLENCES TO:

SANDRA FEUERSTEIN & family on the loss of her mother, DORIS SIEGLER.

GET WELL WISHES TO:

TERRY BAVER recovering from emergency eye surgery for glaucoma;  

Barbara Kinsey, KAREN GROSS' sister;

LINDA BRILL, PAMELA CARLTON, DEBORAH CHERNOFF, KAREN GROSS & JUDITH PESSAH recovering from COVID

THINKING OF YOU: 

DR. ALICIA BASKIN, JOE GAMORAN,

SILVIA GORNSTEIN.

July 7, 2023

Adele Mushnick *

George Curatola

Louis Katzman *

Samuel Greene *

Bernard Jablon *

Peter Prosaw *

Samuel Rubenstein *

Joseph Wolff

Herman Brouse *

Julius Holtz *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Seide Schieber

Imre Guttmann

Rivka Gingold

Maria Lewker

Hercka Bas

July 14, 2023

Gary Fried *

Charles Weissglass *

Leon Berkowicz

Sylvia Schwartz *

Max Davidson *

Harry Selznick *

Herman Sigmund

Sonia Dumont

Jerome Krant *

Leroy Tepper *

Jerome Berg *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Shlomo Gutman

Yokheved Penisevich

Dorit Kinsbrunner

Sally Hermann

Alfons Winkler

July 21, 2023

Lillian Feldman

Ruth Bodell

Muriel Schwartz

Miriam Blackman

Bill Greenfield

Hyman Snyder

Carl Orland *

Louis Blumenthal *

Lucille Chazanoff

Alice Rosen *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Ryszard Galazka

Richard Riffel

Mieczyslaw Obrebski

Efraim David Safier

Nakhman Zaydman

July 28, 2023

Jacob Drescher

Steven Martin Cohen

Michael Selig

John Vogelman

Joseph Schulter

William Silverberg *

Estelle Ballow

Bernard Freedman

Bessie Topel

Isidore Drucker

Matthew Kinsey

Joseph Markowitz

Sidney Morse *

Jean Goodman

Roslyn Mendelsohn

Alter Pisetzner

Betty S. Rothaus *

And we remember from the Holocaust:

Leibish Waldfogel

Paula Wolf

Istvan Weisz

Maurice Moral

Alphonsius Roolvink

The Advance Payment Program allows members to pay in advance for Friday night program ads. Members usually deposit $100 (or less in some cases) and when an ad is placed, $5 is deducted. When the balance gets low (usually to about $10) an e-mail is sent reminding the member that they should consider adding money to their account. 

You may, if you wish, pay in advance for Friday night program announcements. For more details contact the Temple office or contact Deanna Feder dfeder19@aol.com to set up an account. 

Most flyers in this bulletin

can be downloaded for printing

by clicking directly on the flyer.

Welcome to our new Sisterhood officers and thanks to those who are leaving their positions.  Thank you also to those members who will be remaining in their current positions.  You are all dedicated leaders, and we are grateful for your service. 

Sisterhood’s enjoyable End-of-Year Dinner at Nucci’s was held on June 13 and was planned by Jesse Siegel, Sandi Feuerstein and Claire Guttsman.  Special recognition was given at the dinner to several sisters for their service. They were Jodi Siegel, Blanche Ricci, Silvia Gornstein, Fern Barris, Claire Guttsman, Rian Silverman, and Polina Leibovich.  (See photos of the evening below.) 

Many of you have worked hard in support of Sisterhood and Temple Israel and we really appreciate your pitching in when necessary.  Thank you especially to those who responded this past year for Friday night onegs, set ups, and always volunteering your time and efforts at our events.  

For July and August, we will continue our tradition of having volunteers provide home-baked goods and store-bought dessert for our onegs.  Also, during the summer months we will offer only cold beverages.  Please contact Terry Baver (terryqbaver@gmail.com) or Judy Lee (aninformedsource@aol.com) to sign up.

We look forward to another year of exciting and enjoyable activities. Our VPs are already exploring some stimulating and educational programs for the coming year as well as entertaining and profitable fund raisers. Please let us know if you have any proposals for raising money for Sisterhood or for sponsoring a new type of event.  We are open to your ideas and want to hear them.   

May you and your family enjoy a pleasant and healthy summer!

Pamela Carlton, Sue Freedman, Judy Lee, Anita Zuckerberg

Sisterhood Co-Presidents 

Brotherhood at Temple Israel continues….

To All Current and Future Brotherhood Members,

We would like to wish you all a relaxed and safe summer season so that you can save your energies for your participation in our activities for the coming year.  We are grateful to all of you who have assisted throughout the past year.

We are looking forward to working with you again as we prepare to set up our Sukkah on the patio to be decorated and used by our Religious School children as well as the annual Sisterhood events of Pizza in the Hut and Sippin’ in the Sukkah.  Soon thereafter, we will also happily sponsor the Ice Cream Sundae Oneg in celebration of Simchat Torah following the spectacular dancing with the Torahs in our Sanctuary. 

In honor of Chanukah, we will again be sponsoring our Community Chanukah Greeting Card where all of our participating congregants may share their good wishes for the holiday with our entire community.

Moving ahead into the new year, we will gleefully prepare to provide games and prizes for our children as they take part in the annual Purim Carnival.

We will also address the somber commemoration of the Holocaust by again arranging for the purchase and distribution of the Yom Ha’Shoah Yellow Candles during the month of May.

Please be reminded that the previously itemized activities can only be successfully implemented with your assistance as a participating member of Temple Israel’s Brotherhood, an auxiliary organization that has been functioning for many years and is now looking forward to continued service to our Temple.

Please continue to check your email and refer to the monthly Bulletin for updates from us.  We look forward to sharing in these most worthwhile events with you.

Bob Zuckerberg and Alan Siegel 

Members present: Sandy Mazzucco, Claire Guttsman, Nina Rohan, Inez Singer, Joanna Meltzer, Maxine Cohen, Barbara Fried, Judy Scher, Fern Barris .

We discussed plans for the calendar for next year. We will continue to meet on the second Thursday of each month via zoom. In addition we have reserved two dates for membership events with topics yet to be determined. Those dates are Nov 19th  and March 24th. Both events will take place on Sundays at 5:00 PM.

The membership committee will take part in the Temple-wide open house scheduled for October 1 from 10-12 in the social hall. We will have representatives there to discuss the committee and our goals for member engagement and new member recruitment.

Topics we discussed at this meeting were to work with Temple Leadership to review Temple security and safety. We also discussed possible initiatives for current members to get new members to join Temple Israel.

We are happy to report that all current members of the committee will continue next year. Sandy and Claire will try to get additional members to join for next year. We will use the summer meetings to plan for the upcoming Open House and our two events.

Sandy Mazzucco

Claire Guttsman

This month we donated backpacks to the Head Start graduates filled with school supplies for next year that were given out at their graduation ceremony.  18 children graduated and will go on next year to their new school equipped with many of the things they will need including markers, colored pencils, composition notebooks, folders and much more.  



Thank you to all those who have donated to this important mitzvah.  If you would like to support the backpack project please donate to Social Action and specify that it is for the backpacks.  

Pamela L. Rogozin

Social Action

Sadly, one of our congregants, Sandy Feuerstein, lost her mother, Doris Siegler, this month.  She leaves behind a loving family and many friends.  May the family of Doris Siegler find comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. 

 If you are in need of help, please contact us and we will try to do whatever we can to make things easier for you.  Caring Community is here to help with any Mitzvah.  Please donate generously to honor a loved one or a special member of our congregation.

Pamela L. Rogozin

Caring Community Chair

Contact Blanche Ricci at branchtr.ricci@gmail.com

if you are interested in any Judaica Shop items.

The mission of the Dr. Ronald Avis Foundation for Temple Israel Reform Congregation is:

…. to provide financial support for young families seeking membership in Temple Israel, and to attract new young families by providing learning opportunities, family programming, and social justice initiatives.

************************************************************

Welcome to the summer!   We look forward to seeing you at our Family service on July 7. And there will also be a Family Service on August 4th.

We are having a “get together” for the moms on August 15th. We will reach out as the time gets closer and let you know where we will be. 

We hope you all continue to find ways to volunteer for our community. We are hoping you all consider joining a temple committee. Keep your eyes open as things come up where volunteers are needed. And also, if you have your own ideas about things you would like the children to be involved with, join the School committee! 

Please consider sending a check to the office so you can always have the opportunity to have your words written in the Sabbath program.  You can honor loved ones and also send care for families who have had a loss. Only $5.00 covers the cost of a program donation. You can send your wording to the office. 

Enjoy the summer! Reach out to Bryn or Terry with any questions!

Sincerely,

Bryn Biren and Terry Baver

Looking Forward to a New Year—

Book discussions will be held the third Thursday of October, December, February, April, and June.

We will begin in October with “Madam, The Biography, of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age”. By Debby Applegate. This story of a rather “infamous” lady will be an eye opener.

Let us know if you have any book suggestions for the following months.

We are excited to say that we will be working more in conjunction with the Avis Foundation next year . The programs will begin with “Cooking for the High Holidays” which will be on Zoom, on Wednesday, September 13, at 7:30.

Programs under consideration will be— 

Learning about the Roots of Judaism, understanding how we connect to the other religions of the world, and the significance of their practices.

Jewish Diversity, A new Zoom from Paris with our guide Karen Reb Rudman, A visit with a Jewish artist, and Jewelry making with Bryn.

Happy Learning Summer!

Judith Pessah

Adult Learning Committee Chairperson

Thank you to all who participated in our Jimmy Max FUNdraiser. We made $572. (See photos below)

Please save the following dates for our FUNdraisers for next year.  We look forward to sharing the details with you as soon as possible.  

  Saturday October 28th, 2023

  Saturday January 6th, 2024

  Saturday May 4, 2024.

Rhonda Trontz-Allen, Karen Frey-Gamoran, Lissa Winchel

Co-Chairs