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Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation
Bethlehem, NH 03574
July 1-12, 2024 - Sivan - Tamuz 5784
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FROM THE CO-PRESIDENT
Greetings to everyone, near and far!
So… June 28th marked the end of our off-season winter schedule with Zoom-only services and Torah studies. Many thanks go to Margaret Cugini for composing and emailing our weekly email announcements and to Judith Felsen, who, in her D’Var Torahs, never fails to share the deeper meaning of each parsha, which brings us together spiritually as a community, even though many of us are far distant from one another.
Huge thanks to Dave Goldstone, who organizes the prayers and leads us so joyously. Also, thank you to Dorothy Goldstone, Aliza Holtz, and Regina Graddes, who shared their lovely voices in prayer. And … I’m almost done with the thanks… thanks to Leslie Drier for requesting volunteers to light candles and say kiddush and to everyone who participated in our weekly gatherings. As you can see, there is a lot involved! We had a minyan every Friday night which allows people to say mourner’s Kaddish and keeps us connected. It also marks the end of our bi-weekly zoom-only Torah study sessions, led by Rabbi Kirshbaum.
So now, we move to our summer season, beginning July 5. Talk about being connected! We have concerts, movies, book discussions, hikes, and did I mention in-person services and Torah study, our mainstay? Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum, with her lovely voice, will be leading our religious services on Fridays, Saturdays and holidays in-between.Torah study will follow services on Saturday mornings.
We also have some special events like the visiting rabbis with whom we can all join in challah baking and helping the scribe who is creating a new Torah. Also, a very special Dinner-Dance to honor Dave and Dorothy Goldstone. Should be a lot of fun! See below and future Shul News issue for all the details. And it goes without saying that noshes are provided at every gathering.
Don’t despair if you can’t make it to Bethlehem, because services, Torah study, and book discussions will be available on Zoom. Unfortunately, you have to join us in person to taste our treats, including my homemade challah.
Those of us on the board and those who serve on committees are all very enthusiastic about the upcoming season. If you’d like to serve on a committee, please reach out. We can always use more help.
Now I’ll put on my security hat and mention that we will have security measures in place for everyone's peace of mind: Only one entry door will be used (ramp door), door locked after events begin, a greeter who can see who’s approaching through our security cameras, panic buttons to summon police should an emergency arise, and an AED (automated external defibrillator) should we need it.
Looking forward to a fabulous summer season!
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Melissa
Co-president Melissa Potter
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FROM THE RABBI
Shalom everyone,
The last day on which we met in person, for services, in BHC's beautiful clapboard-covered shul, was what we now know to be a fateful one in Jewish history. Just the night before, October 6, we had heard Martin Kessel speak about his experience as a young soldier fifty years before in the Yom Kippur War. On Shabbat/Simchat Torah –– October 7, 2023 in the civilc calendar –– we knew enough about what had happened in Israel that day to cancel the music intended to accompany the hakafot, the seven parade-like processions around the sanctuary. (Marcia O., I assume you’ll offer us a make-up date this year.)
And here we are, ready to meet in-person again, eight months later almost to the day, for an in-person season from July through October that, as you can already see elsewhere in this newsletter, is packed with Jewish learning and doing. As it should be. Our ancestors entrusted a noble heritage to us, one that lives on despite deep pain, uncertainty, and sometimes, radical and abrupt change. To misquote Shakespeare a little, we are made of sterner stuff. As Jews, we will surely meet this moment of anguish. Doing so together is key.
In addition to the start of rabbinic-led in-person Friday night services this Friday at 6 pm, please note that we begin weekly in-person Shabbat morning services with a Torah service this coming Saturday, July 6, at 10 am. By the way, have you ever wondered why we reach out to kiss the sefer Torah, the scroll, as it's carried around the sanctuary? Or for that matter, why it’s carried among us and doesn’t remain on the bimah with an expectation that we all come up to meet it? Some of the best answers to these questions, I think, are deeply connected to this week’s Torah portion, Korach.
I’ve happily been relieved of technical duties related to hybrid services, so I will no longer be sending an email toward the end of the week with Zoom instructions. Instead BHC’s co-president Dave Goldstone has offered to send out a link for those unable to attend in-person. Please watch for an email from him.
As usual, Shabbat morning services will be followed by an hour of study during which I intend to push boundaries and lead a blatantly political discussion. Well, not exactly: our interest will be biblical politics, as exemplified by the Torah portion mentioned above, parshat Korach, with its many opportunities to use the word blatant. But there should be plenty of reason –– thanks to several wildly imaginative midrashim, our sages’ gap-filling stories, about Korach –– for us to go home and think a little differently, I hope, about our own strange politics.
until Friday,
Rabbi Kirshbaum
Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum
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THURSDAY MORNINGS AT 8 AM:
A FEW MINUTES OF COMFORT AND COMMUNITY
Join BHC on Thursday, July 4 at 8:00 am ET on Zoom as we resume offering a psalm – a text to which we Jews turn to confront sorrow – then hear a brief teaching to fortify us.
We will meet Thursdays only for the entire month of July. We will not meet on any Monday this month.
A reminder email goes out the night before each session.
Newcomers always welcome. Please refer those outside of the BHC community to request the registration link here.
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WEEKLY SHABBAT SERVICES IN THE SANCTUARY BEGIN JULY 5
Weekly in-sanctuary services and Torah Study with Rabbi Kirshbaum begin on Friday, July 5, with Kabbalat Shabbat at 6:00 pm. On Shabbat morning July 6, the Torah service beings at 10:00 am, with Torah study at 11:00 am.
Moving forward, weekly Erev Shabbat services begin at 6:00 pm. Weekly Torah Study meets Shabbat morning at 11:00. Monthly, we celebrate Rosh Chodesh with a torah service beginning at 10:00 am.
Erev Shabbat services begin at 6:30 on the nights BHC hosts Sounds in the Sanctuary concerts, WITH THE EXCEPTION of July 12, when services will begin at 7:00 pm..
Services will be broadcast by Zoom; links will be emailed weekly.
Request to join the Zoom link mailing list here
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DOUBLE YOUR MITZVOT, DOUBLE YOUR FUN
Challah Baking and Torah Construction Friday, July 19, 2:00 pm at BHC
BHC welcomes back Rabbis Linda Motzkin and Jonathan Rubenstein founders of the “Bread and Torah Project”, who will offer a “hands-on” activity: all participants will prepare the challah dough with Rabbi Rubenstein. And, as the dough rises, Rabbi Motzkin will demonstrate sewing together new parchment sections of the Torah she is creating.
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This program is fully supported by BHC and JFNH and is free for all members and friends.
Learn more here.
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SPONSOR AN ONEG OR KIDDUSH
Honor a loved one. Show your appreciation to the BHC community. Just for the joy of it - sponsor an oneg or kiddush. Dates available later in the season.
It's easy: BHC provides non-perishable snacks, paper goods, cups, a challah and the Manischewitz. You bring a little extra - maybe some herring, fruit, a bit of bakery nosh. There's even a little guidebook to help you if you are new to hosting.
Talk to Lucy to find available dates here
Download the host guidebook here
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BETHLEHEM HERITAGE TOUR JULY 5
LED BY FORMER HOTEL LIFEGUARD AND BETHLEHEM RACONTEUR DAVE GOLDSTONE
Everyone is welcome. We’re looking forward to seeing both old and new faces!!!
First Walk - July 5: 9:30 am - Heritage Tour of Bethlehem
For the first walk, we will explore Bethlehem. This will include reading the many memorial markers in town, including the new brass plaque in front of the Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation. Dave Goldstone will point out the sights and of course, embellish the tour with personal anecdotes! This walk will be an easy, amusing way to begin the season.
Meet at Maia Papaya, 2161 Main Street, Bethlehem, NH 03574.
Friday Walkers leader Sharon Heyman and Barry Zitser invite everyone to their house for after hike refreshments.
See the detailed list of planned walks here
Sharon Heyman leads the walks. Contact her here.
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BOOKS OF JEWISH INTEREST JULY 10, 4:00 PM LIVE AND BY ZOOM
NANCY FAGES LEADS DISCUSSION OF "SICK IN THE HEAD" BY JUDD APATOW
We’re off to another exciting and funny summer of reading. On Wednesday, July 10 at 4:00 pm EDT, we will be discussing Sick in the Head by Judd Apatow, the first 2024 Books of Jewish Interest selection. We meet in person at the Bethlehem Public Library and by Zoom.
Nancy Fages will lead a fast-paced discussion on five great Jewish comedians featured in the book (page numbers for interviews noted):
· Jerry Seinfeld (3-10 / 185-198)
· Adam Sandler (13-26)
· Jon Stewart (226-223)
· Roseanne Barr (382-400)
· Sarah Silverman (409-416)
Learn more about this year's selections here
Learn more about the "Sick in the Head" discussion here.
If you can’t be at the library in person, you can also join Zoom at 3:45 . Register here
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SOUNDS IN THE SANCTUARY TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH CATAMOUNT ARTS - FIRST CONCERT JULY 12
On Friday, July 12, at 5:00 pm, pianist Bernard Rose, among Sounds in the Sanctuary's most popular artists, will perform the Goldberg Variations by J. S. Bach on BHC's Harris Family Piano.
Tickets are now available through our partner Catamount Arts. Concert goers can buy four-concert series tickets or tickets to individual performances. Four-concert season tickets are $65 for BHC members, $75 general public. Tickets are also available, cash or check only, at the door: $20 members, $25 General Admission
Purchase tickets through Catamount Arts here.
Learn about the 2024 season here
Become a sponsor: Donate Online
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2024 WHITE MOUNTAIN JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL'S SUMMER OF HUMOR LINEUP LAUNCHES JULY 18
6:00 pm Patio Party | 6:30 pm Guest Speaker | 7:00 pm Film
July 18 | Yaniv | Guest Speakers Amnon Cardi (Director) Ben Ducoff (Actor)
The show must go on, even if it means bending the law a little bit. When a Bronx high school axes the budget Little Shop of Horrors, Bernstein, the devoted high school teacher, tries to right the situation at an underground Hasidic gambling community. Recruiting his friend and fellow teacher (and gambling addict) Jonah, they show up, disguised, get immediately in over their heads.
Guest speakers Amnon Cardi and Ben Ducoff will teach the Yaniv gambling game. Will you be the winner? (Yaniv card decks, specially created for the film will be available for purchase at the event.)
See the trailer. Learn more.
And a reminder: Flout your creativity. Host a patio party: a few dates still available!
Contact the hospitality team here.
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PLEASE JOIN US FOR BHC'S FIRST ANNUAL GALA DINNER DANCE
THIS YEAR HONORS DAVE AND
DOROTHY GOLDSTONE
July 28, 2024 | 6:00 pm Cocktails | 7:00 pm Dinner
Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation | 39 Strawberry Hill Road, Bethlehem, NH
$36 per person
Sponsorships available (All sponsorships include two gala tickets):
Silver $180 | Gold $360 | Platinum $1,000 | Diamond $1,800
Sponsorship funds will go into the Dorothy and Dave Goldstone Fund to benefit BHC at their direction.
Please use this link to RSVP
Dinner committee: Alice & Leslie Dreier, Nancy & Geoffrey Fages, Lucy Goodhart & Gordon Bennett, Debra Simon & Jay Johnson
For more information, contact Nancy: email or call (718)309-7806.
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MARTIN KESSEL ON HIS RECENT VISIT TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS IN ISRAEL
AN EXCERPT FROM MARTIN'S RECENT LETTER
The general mood in Israel, from our perspective, was one of sadness and frustration at the apparent foot dragging of the Netanyahu government unable or unwilling to bring the present conflict to an end. We are confronted almost daily with the news of soldiers who have fallen or have been severely injured in the war in the South.
Our immediate family currently has one member serving in the IDF reserves, two grandnephews who are on active duty. and two of our younger members who are on standby to be called back to their reserve units should the need arise. Being a small country it is inevitable that almost everyone knows of someone who has died in the fighting or who has been wounded since the war began on Oct. 7 last year...
Martin describes attending protests, civic celebrations, family celebrations and more.
Read the full letter here
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"SCREAMS BEFORE SILENCE" DOCUMENTARY BEARS WITNESS TO HAMAS SEXUAL ABUSE
Rabbi David Edelson and Martin Kessel recommend "Screams before Silence," a difficult documentary which bears witness to the abuse of Israeli women by Hamas men. Cheryl Sandberg, formerly of FaceBook, interviews victims of Hamas sexual violence, gently helping each woman tell of her horrific experiences.
Rabbi Edelson: We are still wrestling with the question of why so many women's organizations and activists against sexual violence found it hard to speak up about the abuse of women on October 7. Many remained silent for months, or only issued tepid acknowledgements. I want to remind you to be thoughtful about how - and if - you view it. Some will want to view it alone while others will need others around them for such difficult images. Be sure to have people you can call to speak to after watching it.
Rabbi Edelson advises that if you have any qualms about being exposed to the brutal facts head on, that is totally respected, but the main message is for as many people as possible is to "bear witness"....
View the film here
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JULIE ZUCKERMAN'S LETTERS FROM ISRAEL
Julie Zuckerman continues her practice of sharing reports on the 'big ups and more downs" of life in Israel today. Her letters can be found on her Substack page. From her July 1 letter:
In my mid-month update on June 14, I celebrated the June 8th rescue of four hostages - Andrey Kozlov, Noa Argamani, Shlomi Ziv and Almog Meir Jan. Readers may remember that Andrey and I worked together at my last company, so ... it was terrific, last week, to see a picture of Andrey... “He was very happy and excited to hear that we were all thinking about him...
Little did I expect, the following day, to see Andrey in person [at an Ishay Ribo concert]... Andrey had kept singing an Ishay Ribo song in his head during his captivity - הבוקר יעלה - the morning will rise (here’s a YouTube version of it with the translations), and that helped keep his hope alive.
Julie mentions a project sponsored by Asif, a non-profit organization and culinary center in Tel Aviv dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture. She has volunteered to work with contributors for A Place at the Table, a book which “commemorates those lost on October 7 and in the war by sharing their stories and preserving their favorite recipes.
Read her July letter on Substack here
Join Julie's mailing list here. Photos of picking oranges from /juliezuckerman.substack.com/
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GUEST RABBIS AND BAGELPALOOZA GET THE SHABBAT SEASON ROLLING
Rabbinic student David Kaplinsky led a thoughtful and musical service as BHC's guest rabbi for the June 21 in-person (and Zoom) Kabbalat Shabbat service. Also joining us was our first student Rabbi, Eli Herb , who misses us as much as we miss him.
Thanks to the hospitality team of Nancy Fages, Debbi Simon and Jay Johnson, the service was capped off by another bagelpalooza feast. We are ready for a summer of classic BHC noshing, and prayer.
See bagelpalooza pictures here
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FOR THOSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT US
IT'S AS EASY AS CLICKING HERE
Or send your (tax-deductible) contribution to: Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation,
P. O. Box 395, Bethlehem, NH 03574
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JOIN OUR CONGREGATION...
BHC comes to you through the support of the many, many people who appreciate what we do and who want to ensure a home for Jewish life and community in the White Mountains. We are already 103 years old and going strong!
Join us as a member or a friend. The BHC Board emphasizes the importance of inclusion, regardless of anyone's ability to pay.
Our fiscal year runs from November 1 to October 31. The additional building assessment is placed in a restricted account to pay for capital building expenses. The security fee, also restricted, pays for High Holiday police protection and other security expenses.
Learn more about membership and support
Join our mailing list
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