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Message from our President

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Dear Congregation B’nai Israel Family,

Thank you for your outpouring of love, compassion, and sympathy for my family and me as we said our final good- byes to my dear mother, Loretta B. Holmes, in January.

A special thank you goes to our Temple Care Committee for the deli and fruit tray along with a selection of desserts that was delivered to my home. This bit of love was much

appreciated as we were nourished when preparing our own food seemed to be an insurmountable task.

Temple members sent donations in my mother’s memory, many texted or sent Face Book and hand-written messages, several called, food and flowers were delivered, and some even graciously attended my mother’s funeral. I am grateful for each heartfelt acknowledgement of my mother’s passing and her memory.

I am beyond lucky to be a member of our Temple. I have always known how blessed I am to be surrounded by such incredibly kind people within our Temple. January 2023 reminded me how so.

With much love, Tina Lyon

As we proceed into February 2023, please review our Temple calendar and make plans to fit Temple life into your schedule. Wishing you a wonderful February within our Temple Family.

February Yahrzeits

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2/1 Conley Cook

2/4  Mae B. Belowsky

2/5  Susan E. Portnoy

2/6  Miriam N. Sevy

2/7  Bess Blumenfeld

2/7 Mortimer Friedberg

2/9 Donald Haughay

2/9  Fannie Lichtenstein

2/10  Louis Himber

2/12  Ann D. Finkelstein

2/13  Jonas Bernanke

2/17 Charles Finke

2/17  Sheila R. Tanenbaum

2/18  Ben Abelkop

2/19  Harry Finkelstein

2/20 Harry Smiley

2/21 Sarah D. Cohen

2/21 Samuel Hecklin

2/22 Gussie Hecklin

2/23 Lenore Axelrod

2/24 Jeanne Hutchison

2/25 Daniel Koshak

2/25 Harry Stemberg

2/26 Alvin H. Levin

2/26 Sigmund Pickus

2/27 Samuel Cohen

2/27 Emil Mortge

2/28 Morris Cohen

2/28 Abraham C. Felsher

2/28 Alan Silverman

From the Heart with Rabbi Liebowitz

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“Brevity is the soul of wit!” Polonius Hamlet Act 2 Scene 2

Dear Friends,

One of the chief joys I have is our Saturday morning Torah study. I offer a series of wide-ranging discussions, some of which are wide-raging as they stir the attendees’ thoughts and feelings, while others are wide-soothing providing comfort and occasional inspiration. Rabbi Azzai once commented how he learned more from his students then they had learned from him. Such is often the case for I can’t always anticipate the perspectives of others, their questions, and their reactions. I am a student of language, in particular word plays, puns, and the like. This is in keeping not merely with the Talmud’s witticisms, but the playfulness to be found in the bible itself. One example among hundreds can so illustrate this. In one story about the future King David, he asks for help after fleeing from Saul. A local chieftain named Nabal married to the beautiful Abigail tries to put down David who has made a respectful request for provisions. In the end Nabal’s wife intervenes helping to avoid conflict between David and her husband.

Even so, things don’t work out well for her husband whose name means something like failure while her name means “the joy of my father!” Ever the wordsmith, she appeals to David with these appeasing words: Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

I Samuel 25

I often recall Elie Weisel’s response to an interviewer who asked what it is that the Jews gave to the world. His simple response was “Words!” To wit as I reviewed a more scholarly paper on the different and contradictory biblical accounts concerning Jerusalem’s destruction, a dizzying Latin phrase appeared. I sort of intuited what it meant, but a clearer meaning emerged through the benefit of the internet. It was this:

“lectio brevior praeferenda est.” (The shorter read- ing, if not wholly lacking the support of old and weighty witnesses, is to be preferred over the more verbose. For scribes were much more prone to add than to omit) In other words, this saying concludes that the wordier one gets, the less credence one’s words are to be given. This in keeping with the Polonius quote cited above from one who was him- self quite loquacious. This was Shakespeare’s humorous talent for exposing irony and hypocrisy. Tom Lehrer, the one-time Harvard Mathematician, and song parodist commented on those who complain endlessly about our inability to communicate. He said the least they can do is to just “shut up!” So, in keeping with his advice I shall soon conclude but with one revelry and invitation in the not too distant future.

My bookshelves are filled to the brim with words, some of which I must soon say farewell to. Downsizing, as I commented last time, is as liberating as it is frustrating. One book I shall not surrender is “Confessions of a Verbivore by Richard Lederer, a master punster whose other books included “Get thee to a punery!” (No doubt Shakespeare is doing a 360 in his grave with that one!) Richard suffers from the same malady of which I am afflicted. My wife has called it pun Tourette syndrome, an illness which I am happy to say isn’t contagious.

I am not much of a party guy, especially one in which I am its subject. So, when I make possible a drop in with coffee, cake and more in my study before my retirement date do come in and browse my books, take what you want and pass on some words to yourself or to your loved one. It’ll be my way of wishing you well! A chance to say a few words, but not that many, succinctly, without fanfare but with hopeful grace and gratitude from me to you.

Rabbi Yossi J. Liebowitz D.D.

A Message from our President

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Dear Friends,

Happy New Year!

My husband David and I recently traveled to California. One of our days in California was spent driving to the coast. On the way there we stopped at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve to see the Giant Redwoods within the reserve. There we saw The Colonel Armstrong Redwood. It is estimated to be 1400 years old and 308 feet tall. This Redwood is thought to be the oldest tree in the reserve, but not the tallest. The tallest tree there is The Parson’s Tree, which is 310 feet tall. I was awestruck by the tranquil majesty of the Redwood Trees in the Armstrong Redwoods State

Natural Reserve. Majestic and tranquil are the best ways I can find to describe this incredible forest reserve.

As our day progressed, we decided to continue driving another few miles to a beach on the California coast. Once at Wright’s Beach, we made our way to the parking lot. Before we even turned the engine of the car off, we could hear the crashing of the powerful waves. Out of the car and walking towards the beach the sound of the waves became louder and when viewed, the waves were large, intense, and simply incredible. There was signage in the parking lot that warned against sneaker waves, which could roll in, knock you down, and sweep you into the ocean. Standing close to the water was not recommended.

What amazed me, it was not a cloudy and stormy day. It was clear blue skies as far as the eye could see, but the ocean was raging. The sheer power, vastness, and beauty of this section of the North American Pacific Coast struck me just as majestic as the tranquil Redwoods I had visited a mere hour before. While standing on the beach, hopefully, a safe distance from the waves, I literally threw my arms in the air and said, “Wow, just wow!”

On the ride back to our lodging, I reflected upon my day’s experiences. On the one hand I saw majesty within a tranquil forest reserve, and on the other, I witnessed majesty along the coast of a raging ocean.

I enjoyed the feeling of awe from both experiences during my day of travel through California. It made me want to find majesty every day. Since then, I have found majesty is practically everywhere. The orchid beside my kitchen sink is majestic, especially when it blooms after being dormant for a few months. The breadth of the sky above us is majestic, and the small pebble shining with flecks of mica in my driveway is majestic. Practically everything is majestical when you seek it.

It is my New Year’s resolution to continue seeking majesty and awe each day. May we all find majesty in the large and small things and events we encounter in 2023. Cheers to the New Year!

Please be sure to check out the calendar in Temple Topics and join our Rabbi for services and special events throughout the month. See you in 2023!

Tina Lyon President

From the Family of Marcia Tobin

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We would like to thank the entire Temple B’nai Israel community in Spartanburg for your support and prayers during this difficult time. It means everything to us to know she was lovingly watched over and cared for.

Thank you, Rabbi Liebowitz, for your comfort from the time you were contacted through the funeral service and final minyan. Our mother thought the world of you. One of her last statements to us was to be sure to notify Rabbi Liebowitz and reminded us you were retiring soon. Throughout her time in Atlanta since February 2020, she was comforted by watching the services in Spartanburg on her computer.

Thank you to the following people for helping with Chevra Kadisha:

Cheryl August Alane Russell Marla Steinberg Lynn Strait

Thank you to the following people who contributed their time by sitting with our mother in the hours preceding the funeral:

Cheryl August
Ruth and Paul Friedberg Gary Smiley
David Blumenfeld
Hank Steinberg
Gary Poliakoff
Sheldon Lustgarten Keith Bell
Andy Poliakoff
Robert Nabow
Mark Packer
Alane Russell
Stan Hyman

Thank you to the following Sisterhood members who prepared the meal at the temple following the funeral service:

Susan Abelkop Peggy Buchman Karen Fuller Cheryl August Nancy Rosenberg Ruth Friedberg

Sincerely,

Steve and Abbe Tobin Ian and Pat Tobin Jessica Moody
Jamie Tobin

Carol and Marc Rose Martin Tobin

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