Yom Ha’atzmaut Edition

April 29, 2006 – Iyar 1, 5766

Happy 58^th, Israel!

Rabbi Joshua Hammerman, Temple Beth El, Stamford, Connecticut

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TEMPLE BETH EL BLOOD DRIVE

350 Roxbury Rd. Stamford CT

SUNDAY APRIL 30^TH 8:45AM- 12:45PM

“Give the ‘Gift of Life”. Get involved in a short term mitzvah project that will save lives.

Call Cheryl Wolff today at 203-968-6361 to schedule a donation time.

2006 Dinner Dance Honoring Past Presidents

Photos are now up at

www.tbe.org

Contents of the Shabbat O Gram:

(Click to scroll down)

Just the Facts (service schedule)

The Rabid Rabbi

Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunities

Ask the Rabbi

Spiritual Journey on the Web

Required Reading and Action Items (links to key articles on Israel and Jewish life)

Announcements (goings on in and around TBE)

Joke for the Week

Quote for the Week

Last week at Dan’s Bar Mitzvah, I recited a poem written by my cousin Jeff Avick, a Stamford resident who died of AIDS several years ago. It was read just before the mourners Kaddish and helped to reinforce some of the themes that Dan and I had developed throughout the service. Several people asked me for that poem, so I am reprinting it here:

As people and as men

We inhabit our lives

For but a speck –

The eye of a needle’s space

Of time

Seeking, as we do –

Each in our own way –

Some greater speck,

Some greater space,

Some way to live beyond ourselves,

We live our lives.

Of all the acts seeking extension,

The giving of love is greatest:

Love does not crumble as marble,

Change as language,

Fall as empires;

It is absolute and breeds itself

And thus survives the giver.

This is the true road to immortality,

You have taken – and shared it.

Jeffrey Avick z’l

1976

JUST THE FACTS

Shabbat Rosh Hodesh Iyar

We welcome Cantor Littman back this Shabbat

Friday Evening

Candle lighting: 7:29pm on Friday, 28 April 2006 - Havdalah is at 8:32 pm on Saturday evening. For candle lighting times, other Jewish calendar information, and to download a Jewish calendar to your PDA, click on http://www.hebcal.com/. To see the festivals of other faiths as well, go to http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/

Kabbalat Shabbat: 6:30 PM – in the sanctuary

Tot Shabbat featuring - 6:45, in the chapel

Tot Shabbat will be hosted this week by Karen and Howie Schwartz in honor of their children, Alexa and Jason. Thank you to the Schwartz family!

Shabbat Morning: 9:30 AM – Mazal tov to Billie Katz and Ross Neugeboren, who will become B’nai Mitzvah this Shabbat morning!

Children’s services: 10:30

Torah Portion: Tazria – Metzora - Leviticus 12:1 - 15:33

1: 13:40-46
2: 13:47-54
3: 13:55-59
4: 14:1-5
5: 14:6-12
6: 14:13-20
7: 14:21-32
maf: for Rosh Hodesh - Numbers 28:9-15

Haftarah - Isaiah 66:1 - 66:24

See a weekly commentary from the UJC Rabbinic Cabinet, at www.ujc.org/mekorchaim. Read the Masorti commentary at http://www.masorti.org/mason/torah/index.asp. University of Judaism, JTS commentary is at: http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/parashah/. USCJ Torah Sparks can be found at http://uscj.org/item20_467.html. UAHC Shabbat Table Talk discussions are at http://uahc.org/torah/exodus.shtml. Other divrei Torah via the Torahnet home page: http://uahcweb.org/torahnet/. Test your Parasha I.Q.: http://www.ou.org/jewishiq/parsha/default.htm. CLAL’s Torah commentary archive: http://click.topica.com/maaaiRtaaRvQhbV2AtLb/. World Zionist Organization Education page, including Nehama Liebowitz archives of parsha commentaries: http://www.moreshet.net/web/index.asp?f=1 For a more Kabbalistic/Zionist/Orthodox perspective from Rav Kook, first Chief Rabbi of Israel, go to http://www.geocities.com/m_yericho/ravkook/index.html. For some probing questions and meditations on key verses of the portion, with a liberal kabbalistic bent, go to http://www.jewishealing.com/learning.html or, for Kabbalistic commentaries from the Zohar itself, go to http://www.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=zohar/weekly/intro. To see the weekly commentary from Hillel, geared to college students and others, go to http://www.hillel.org/hillel/NewHille.nsf/FCB8259CA861AE57852567D30043BA26/DF7D129F15B3DF0885256AB80058E9C3?OpenDocument. For a Jewish Renewal and feminist approach go to http://rabbishefagold.hypermart.net/Torah1.html . For a comprehensive Orthodox viewpoint from the Israeli rabbi, Yaakov Fogelman, go to the Torah Outreach Program at http://israelvisit.co.il/top/previous.shtml. Guided meditations for each portion by Judith Abrams at http://www.maqom.com/kavannah.pdf

For online Parsha quizzes from Pardes in Israel, go to http://www.pardes.org.il/online_learning/parsha_quizzes/ Torah for Kids: http://www.torah4kids.net/ Weekly Lesson of Popular Israeli Rabbi Mordechai Elon: http://www.elon.org/archives/archives.htm - and his parsha sheets: http://www.mibereshit.org/special/download_eng_pdf.htm From Bar Ilan University: http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/; http://www.torahproductions.com/weekly_article.jsp

THE ENTIRE HEBREW BIBLE (AS WELL AS OTHER JEWISH SOURCES) CAN BE FOUND WITH SIDE-BY-SIDE TRANSLATION AT

http://www.mechon-mamre.org/

Morning Minyan: Weekdays at 7:30, Sundays at 9:30 AM

TO ENSURE A “GUARANTEED MINYAN” FOR THE DAY OF YOUR YAHRZEIT – GO TO THE ROSNER MINYAN MAKER AT WWW.TBE.ORG AND ALSO CONTACT ME AT RABBI@TBE.ORG.

A special thank you from my family to all who helped make Dan’s Bar Mitzvah last Shabbat such a special day, for us, for our family and for the community.

Yom HaShoah Meets Earth Day

The following Jewish Week article is an adapted version of my sermon given last weekend. It can also be found online at

http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editletcontent.php3?artid=4986

This year, Earth Day (April 22) and Holocaust Remembrance Day (April 24-25) fall just a couple of days apart, giving us an opportunity to explore some connections between the two.

In Jewish tradition, respect for the health of the environment and concern for the dignity of human beings go hand in hand. The Nazis were notorious for their pillage of both the land and its inhabitants, and Eastern Europe is paying the price for that to this day. Judaism is so concerned about the earth that we have our own annual Earth Day, Tu b’Shevat, not to mention a weekly one, Shabbat.

Several years ago I visited the site of Dachau, the concentration camp just outside Munich. I say that I visited the “site” of Dachau, because it wasn’t Dachau. Yes, the name was there, right next to the infamous inscription, “Arbeit Macht Frei.” Yes, the barbed wire was there, and the barracks, remarkably well preserved, and the ovens. Yes, there were memorials to the dead, marking mass graves of nameless victims. But it wasn’t Dachau.

Dachau was hell and this wasn’t it. There were flowers at this place, surrounded by fresh-cut grass. I could hear birds. I even saw a butterfly, which confirmed for me that this was not Dachau, for the famous Holocaust poem tells us that there were no butterflies in the death camps.

If this was not hell, then what was it, and why did it suddenly look so lovely, so natural? Was this a cruel trick by God, a vain attempt to reclaim that which God had ceded to the beast in humanity in 1933? Or was this God’s apology, this smattering of forget-me-nots and daisies embedded in cemetery sod, a plea for forgiveness, too little and too late?

Or maybe God was hoping, beyond hope, to give Jews one last chance to regain the illusion of an attainable paradise on earth, a thin veneer of April hope covering the reality of August hell.

“Here,” God is telling us, “I can’t give you redemption. All I can give you is this spring-like illusion. Let it ease the pain of your wanderings. Take it.”

On Yom HaShoah we say to God that this plan, however comforting and kind, can’t possibly work. We reject the illusion. We have seen hell first-hand; it won’t be forgotten. Time will not heal this wound. If renewal is possible following the Holocaust, a God who was absent during it cannot bring it about. God, who could not save the Jews, will also not redeem the earth. If renewal and hope are at all possible, only human beings can facilitate it.

Anyone can grow a few forget-me-nots.

There are two seemingly contradictory verses in Psalms: Psalm 24 tells us, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,” while we read in Psalm 115, “The heavens are the Lord’s heavens, but the earth has been given to humankind.” This discrepancy can be resolved by drawing from it this lesson: Once upon a time, the earth was the Lord’s, but since the Holocaust, it is ours and ours alone.

Before the Shoah, when the earth still belonged to God, we, who had once experienced Paradise first-hand, could only imagine Eden’s opposite. As David Grossman wrote in his masterful novel, “See Under: Love,” “We always pictured hell with boiling lava and pitch bubbling in barrels,” until the Nazis came along, “showing us how paltry our pictures were.”

Now, nothing is left to the imagination. The earth is ours and we are utterly responsible for all that happens to it; all of it, the people, and the flowers, too. Those flowers at Dachau have become a symbol of God’s ultimate helplessness and our ultimate responsibility. We still pray, though no longer for divine intervention, but in gratitude for the basic tools provided us: warm summer days, rain in its season, the miraculous ecosystem. We look to heaven for resolve but little else, for “the earth has been given to humankind.”

And the blood of our brother Abel is screaming from that very earth. We must care for the earth because our ancestors and martyrs are buried within it. The earth is not only their legacy to us; it is them — their bones, their blood, their illusions, their dreams, and their follies. Their cries seep through the ozone layer. Their tears fall as acid rain. Defoliated rainforests uncover their nakedness. We cannot go anywhere without walking on their bones. We must tend to their graves.

The earth is not only ours, it is us. Chief Seattle, a Native American leader of the last century, wrote, “This we know, the earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth.” And in time our bones will rest there too, serving as a firm platform upon which our grandchildren will walk.

In caring for our planet, we sanctify the names of those who died and affirm life for those not yet born. We do it not out of the illusory hope that the world can be as it was, for we shall never return to Eden. We do it because we have to, because it is our responsibility. No one else will do it for us. And if we succeed, if the world becomes a better place for our grandchildren, then we’ll have taken a small step toward resuscitating a measure of hope. This is the best we can hope to accomplish in the aged of scorched flesh and earth.

So this year, I’ll mark Earth Day and Yom HaShoah with sadness and grim determination. Because as a Jew, a human being and a guardian of the planet, I have no other choice.

The New Chancellor of JTS – Arnold Eisen

Since I’ve last O-grammed, the Jewish Theological Seminary announced a surprise choice as its new chancellor, Arnold Eisen, a professor at Stamford. He professes liberal views on such hot button issues as gays in the rabbinate, but more significantly he is not a rabbi – and he will now be the chancellor of a school that trains rabbis and titular head of a movement with hundreds of them. Here’s what the Jewish Week said:

Unlike the other candidates for chancellor -- who in addition to Rabbi [Gordon] Tucker have included JTS Provost Jack Wertheimer; Rabbi David Wolpe, a Los Angeles pulpit rabbi; and Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, who is dean of the rabbinical school at Los Angeles’ University of Judaism -- Eisen has no publicly entrenched ideological views on the issues currently occupying the Conservative movement.
“Arnie is a personality who can transcend many of the intra-Conservative boundaries and transcend Conservative and non-Conservative boundaries,” said Steven M. Cohen, a fellow academic who co-authored the book with Eisen, “The Jew Within: Self, Family and Continuity in America."

. . .
Eisen said he had done some fundraising for the Stanford Hillel, and that professionals had told him it “involves getting people excited about a vision, and matching their passions and your excitement. I am looking forward to this responsibility.” One goal will be to “re-energize the synagogues,” which Eisen noted “have nowhere to go but up,” in part because “we are wasting our laity and there is no [sense of] community.” . . . Another is “to inspire Jewish leadership.”

The Conservative movement has seen a steep drop in its numbers over the past decade, although there are many synagogues, including ours, that have found new ways to reenergize themselves. Here’s hoping this out-of-the-box can help reverse the movement wide decline.

From the Masorti Movement: Kotel in Court - Editor's Note

The Masorti Movement in Israel filed suit in the Supreme Court this week against the Government of Israel, citing discrimination and violation of freedom of worship at the Western Wall.  You may remember that this story began following a series of violent attacks by ultra-Orthodox Jews on Masorti worshippers several years ago.  An agreement was then reached between the Masorti Movement and the Israeli government, which gave permission to Masorti Jews to hold religious services at the "Robinson's Arch".  The area is at the southern end of the Western Wall, separate from the traditional site of Jewish prayer at the Wall and the large plaza behind it.

For several years after the agreement, Masorti Jews were able to worship at the "Kotel Masorti" during most hours of the day without having to pay.  However, in the last year and half they have they been forced to pay the 30 NIS per adult tourist entrance fee to the Davidson Center and Archeological Garden, just for the privilege of praying.  Exceptions were made for services that began before 8:00AM on non-holiday weekdays, however, the cost and time restrictions prevented many groups from using the site.

The Masorti Movement intends to show that the present restrictions and cost constitute a serious infringement on our religious freedom.  This is especially true since there is nowhere else to go -- the government's current policy prohibits Masorti Jews from having egalitarian services even at the back of the Western Wall Plaza.

Rabbi Paul Arberman
Editor, e-masorti

COMING THIS FALL!!

For more information, go to www.starsynagogue.org

If you are interested in participating in our steering committee or would like an info packet, contact me at rabbi@tbe.org

Mitzvah/Tzedakkah Opportunties

Beth El Cares
Cathy Satz (968-9191; csscounsel@yahoo.com)
Cheryl Wolff (968-6361; cwolff@optonline.net)
BETH EL CARES co-chairs
 
 
Blood Drive – this weekend!!!!
Give the Gift of Life! Get involved in a short term mitzvah project that will save lives. 
Who benefits from these blood donations? 
People who are born prematurely, people with auto-immune and other blood disorders, people involved in accidents… 
Many people, including temple members, have received blood transfusions in the past and some people need regular blood transfusions. 
 
On Sunday, April 30th between 8:30 am and 1:30 pm we need 125 healthy adults who are at least 17 years old, 
weigh at least 110 pounds and have not given blood since the beginning of March. 
The Red Cross will provide the “beds”; we need to put “arms in the beds”. 
Contact Cheryl Wolff to schedule your donation time or to volunteer to help. 

Lock of Love

Todah Rabah to Rebecca Satz, the latest Temple Beth El Locks of Love Donor!

Rebecca just couldn’t wait until Sunday May 7 when Beth El Cares will be hosting another group donation

for children and teens to cut their hair for “Locks of Love”.  If your hair is 10” or longer (in a ponytail),

join us on Sunday May 7.

Guy Sasson & Company will be coming to Temple Beth El to start haircuts at 12:00 noon (right after Religious School).

Advance sign-up is required.  Mother and daughter teams will be accepted-Cathy will volunteer to “adopt a daughter” for her team!

Contact Cathy Satz to schedule your appointment.

Cathy Satz 968-9191 (csscounsel@yahoo.com)

Cheryl Wolff 968-6361 (cwolff@optonline.net)

Sunday, June 4, 2006

The Bennett Cancer Center Walk and Run

The Walk/Run will be on June 4, 2006 in the morning at Shippan.  Each year TBE members walk together to raise money for cancer patients and their families.  In 2005, we had 51 walkers and our team raised over $5,200!!  This year our goal is to raise $6,000. 

We welcome all new and past walkers to come together to form the Sisterhood’s TBE Walk Team.  We always have a great time for a good cause.  You can walk at your own pace and you will have other TBE members to walk with!  The course is either 3 or 5 miles (your choice).

See the special TBE Walk and Run webpage at http://shf.convio.net/site/TR/819699896?pg=team&fr_id=1030&team_id=1110. You can pre-register there as well as read a message from Beth Silver – she can also be reached at 967-8852, beth@silverconsulting.net.

Looking forward to having YOU on the team!

In Need of a New Kidney

This plea comes via Marcia and Michael Zlotnick, who know this family:

My 14 year old daughter Sophia has end stage renal disease (kidney disease). She was first diagnosed when she was six years old. Slowly, over the last eight years, this disease has destroyed her kidneys. Recently, her kidneys failed. She is now on dialysis every day and in need of a kidney transplant.

Unfortunately, neither my wife and I, nor any of our close relatives, extended family or friends are a “match”. The first hurdle to being a donor match is blood type. Possible donors must be in good health and have either blood type “O” or a subset of “A” referred to as A2. Whether or not a person’s blood type is classified as “negative” or “positive” is not relevant. Adults are able to donate a kidney to children and sex is not an issue. Males can donate to females and visa versa. I know it is a lot to ask, and really more than should be expected, but she is my daughter and she needs help. If anybody is interested in possibly donating a kidney (the first step being a simple blood test) or if you simply want to learn more about the process, the contact to call at Yale is:

Ms. Joyce Albert

Transplant Coordinator

Yale New Haven Hospital

Phone: 203-688-8373

albertjj@ynhh.org

(emails should indicate subject “Corsaro”)

All communication with the Transplant Coordinator is confidential. Yale will not contact us in any way, unless specifically instructed to do so by the donor candidate. There is no cost for a donor or donor candidate. If you or anyone else would like more information on the topic of organ donation / transplantation, please note the following internet web links:

The www.unos.org web site is very informative. The PDF booklet “What Every Patient Needs to Know”, found in the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) web site is particularly good. It takes a long time to download, but it has a good deal of information for both the patient and potential donor. It can be found as follows:

www.unos.org

Resources

Publications

Patient Brochures

PDF “What Every Patient Needs to Know”

Other relevant web links include:

www.kidney.org

www.organdonor.gov.

www.unos.org/resources/FactSheets.asp

Sincerely

Francis and Irene Corsaro

Yom Ha’atzmaut

Here are some sites that will help us all to usher in Israel’s 58^th year this coming Wednesday:

http://www.jafi.org.il/education/festivls/zkatz/atz/ -- from the Jewish Agency

http://www.jafi.org.il/education/festivls/zkatz/ZK/index.html - On Yom Ha-Zikaron (Memorial Day - Tuesday)

http://learn.jtsa.edu/yomhaatzmaut/ -- includes Israel’s Declaration of Independence and other links

http://www.jrf.org/israel/independence-day-main.html -- a Reconstructionist slant

The highlight for me is the annual Bible Quiz. Jewish youth from around the world gather for the finals, featuring questions about some of the most obscure and difficult passages of the Bible. It is the ultimate test of biblical knowledge. Each year I tape it from Israeli television and last year my kids and I managed to get a couple of right answers! We were so proud.

Did I mention Israeli TV? If you haven’t discovered the Israeli Network, head on over to http://www.theisraelinetwork.com/. All of the programming is in Hebrew, but for those who are Hebraically-impaired, (and this is a great way to improve your Hebrew) there often are subtitles and lots and lots of music and sports. Today, Maccabee Tel Aviv, Israel’s best basketball team, will be competing in the European Final Four in Prague. That game is also being broadcast live on the NBA network this afternoon! I might even pre-empt the Red Sox to watch that. The Israeli Network is seen on satellite through the Dish Network. On its own it costs about $20 a month and it’s worth it – if you’re like me and want to feel like you’re in Israel, just a little bit every day.

From Eretz Magazine, the National Geographic of Israel:

ERETZ Download Library

Temple of Jerusalem

Guide to Masada

Ancient Synagogues

Guide to Jerusalem FREE

Guide to Safed  FREE

Guide to Galilee  FREE