Keeping Up with Mitzvot
Our Rabbi Yossi and Rebbetzin Carrie are out doing mitzvot today by helping to serve Christmas lunch to the homeless!
Jewish Life
State-wide Menorah Lighting
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From the Heart with Rabbi Liebowitz
Dear Friends,
In my Bellingham congregation there was a small number of members some of whom I didn’t even see on the High Holy Days. Maurice Schwartz, may he rest in peace, was one of them. A gentle but studious man, he struck me as curious as he had a deep affection for Chanukah, in particular menorahs. Were you one of the fortunate few who came to his home, you would see hundreds upon hundreds of menorahs situated in one room. It seemed to me that his affection for the holiday and their religious objects was in stark contrast to his non-observance. It did comport with his career as professor of geology. He dug deeply into the past be it the scientific past or in his own way the religious past. As a onetime digger up of dinosaur fossils I more than related to his curiosity. Even so, I could not fathom his agnosticism and lack of observance until one day when he told me he was married. He asked me to visit his wife whose Alzheimer’s had so progressed that she could not speak, let alone recognize her husband of decades. I cannot begin to describe the hurt he expressed hugging her and crying out “Oh God, why does she still suffer so?” His agnosticism became quite reasonable that day.
Maurice was not alone. He had developed a friendship with a nice lady. Was it platonic, I imagined so, in spite of the gossip? When his wife finally passed on, ever the gentleman he oddly asked me if it was ok for his lady friend come to the funeral. He was concerned about appearances and that some would be critical, wagging their tongue. I became quite angry for him and said something to the effect, “If anyone says anything hold me back I will knock their block off!” She came, I officiated, and all were respectful. In appreciation Maurice gave me a copy of Lyell’s geography, a prized gift. As I prepare to downsize my library (some books are now online when in my earlier rabbinate they were a great acquisition), I have come to see it as an archaeological endeavor. I hold a few books in my hand that I haven’t touched in years, and yet they are so difficult for me to part with. Among them is Maurice’s book which I just don’t know how to give away. It reminds me far too much of his gentle demeanor, his sensitivity, and his embrace of life. It’s only a book, I sometimes think, and then I remember Maurice, and I finally more fully understood his affection for his menorahs.
May the affection that you have for your loved ones and that which connects you to them touch you during this season of light!
Rabbi Yossi J. Liebowitz D.D
Message from our President
Dear Friends,
Your attendance at our annual congregational meeting is vital so that we can have a quorum and conduct Temple business. A quorum consists of “not less than twenty-five percent of the membership in good standing. A member in good standing shall be deemed one who is not more than six months in arrears of payment dues.” If you have any questions about your status, please contact Susan Abelkop, our Financial Secretary. Only members in good standing may vote or serve on the Board.
I would like to wish each of you a wonderful Hannukah and much happiness as you ring in 2023 on December 31st.
Thank you for your time and support of our congregation. I look forward to seeing you at the congregation meeting and at the Hanukkah Party on December 18.
Warmest regards,
Tina Lyon, President
Sisterhood News
Thank you to all those who helped make this year’s bake sale a success. We were able to clear over $5,000.
At our meeting on Sunday, we voted to support three charities with donations. We will be sending donations to Mobile Meals, The Soup Kitchen, and to Crystal for the dinners she provides on holidays to the homeless. The bake sale is our only fund raiser for the temple, and we are delighted that we earned these funds from our efforts.
Next year we will begin our baking at the temple in August and will do it on a Sunday and weekday so that some of our newer members can participate. We need to show others how the strudel and butterflies are done. As our congregation has aged, we have lost many of those who began this tradition. It is a fun way to get to know other members, in addition to the work.
You do not have to know how to bake, our experienced bakers will show you the steps and it also becomes a social event as we all work together on different parts of the baking.
As I am sure you know, the Temple needs to replace the roof. Sisterhood is able to donate $25,000.00 toward this major repair.
We will begin again providing for the oneg after services. Nancy Rosenberg will be contacting you for your help. We ask that two people help each of the three Friday’s a month that this is needed. This is not just a Sisterhood thing, but something the entire congregation should support.
The Sisterhood Room does not have an emergency exit. This has become very important for the safety of those using that room. We are going to find a contractor who can install a second way to exit the room in an emergency. It will be expensive, but everyone agreed it was necessary. Thanks to the hard work of current and previous Sisterhood members, we do have savings to use for this.
Again, thank you to all who helped this year, and previous years with our bake sale so that we can help with monies to support projects needed at our temple.
Peggy Buchman
December Yahrzeits
12/1 Ida Gelburd
12/1 Simon Hecklin
12/1 Harry Levine
12/1 Hannah E. Nabow
12/2 Sarah C. Margolis
12/5 Bernie Fleishman
12/5 Esther Minsky
12/6 Max N. Davidson
12/6 Rebecca Price
12/7 John Barbarash
12/8 Marvin Hyman
12/8 Helen Klausner
12/13 Seymour Feinstein
12/14 Clara Barbarash
12/20 Samuel Price
12/20 Rabbi Laurie Skopitz
12/22 Morris Siegel
12/23 Tiffany Greenfield
12/24 Frances Schwartz
12/27 Phil H. Singer
12/28 Sylvan M. Jack Cohen
12/30 Sondra Pincus
Congratulations to our Rabbi in his First Pod Cast
Listen to Rabbi Yossi’s first podcast. Below is the link directly to the conversation. Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz – Safe Conversations w/Kelvin Waites
From the Heart With Rabbi Liebowitz
Dear Friends,
Let me first express gratitude to those who were so helpful in making our High Holidays a full experience, foremost Dr. Packer for his ritual and security leadership. Along with our President Tina, his support was invaluable as was that of our little orchestra Courtney, Keith, and Stephen. Many others too numerous to identify by name were also instrumental in making the services happen.
As we begin our year with the Torah readings in Genesis, it gives us pause to consider the idea of direction and of the imperative to move forward in our lives. The sages note that the holy Torah begins with the letter Bet closed at the bottom, the top, and to the right. As such, it bids us to not dwell as much on heaven above (God’s abode) or the earth below (the afterlife) or any of the secrets of the universe. Moreover, we are to look less to the past but to focus on the future.
Some years ago, I read an article in the Wall Street journal which humorously reviewed an airline traveler headed for Oakland, CA. On the way to California, he fell asleep. Jarred by the landing he heard the announcement that they were going to head on to Auckland New Zealand which he mistakenly heard was Oakland. And so, he stayed put in his seat and fell back to sleep as the plane took off on the way to Asia. A few hours later he noticed they were flying over the water. We could imagine his surprise and of course the inconvenience it caused for it took him a day and a half and more to return to his original destination which was Oakland, California.
All of us look for direction in life, and we get confused sometimes because we’re literally asleep and at other times because we fail to hear one another offering us. We look forward to a year to which we understand well where we are heading as persons, as members of the family, and of a larger community which includes our synagogue.
Wishing all of you a wonderful year, one of new beginnings, and a journey that is both full and spiritual.
Shalom,
Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz
Sisterhood News
As you read this, the Sisterhood is busy finishing preparations for the drive-thru bake sale. So many members have helped in innumerable ways to make it possible to even have a bake sale this year. We appreciate all your help and thank you to all of you who placed orders to help make this fund raiser successful. It has been a very different experience this year only being able to take pre-orders and trying to be sure we had everything ordered. We appreciate your understanding changes. This was done to protect everyone’s health. Hopefully, we can return to the historic way of holding the bake sale next year. We do still have some items available. Please contact Jan in the office for a list.
Our Sisterhood general meeting is announced in Temple Topics. We will be discussing the bake sale and would love to have your input. We had very few people able to help with the baking this year, and one suggestion has been not to continue in the future. Please join us and make your comments and suggestions on how we can improve the experience next year.
Peggy Buchman
November Yahrzeits
11/1 Matthew Poliakoff
11/3 Samuel Miller
11/3 Sol Weinberger
11/7 William Schwartz
11/8 Samuel Morewitz
11/8 Rose Packer
11/9 Richard Acanfora
11/10 Louis D. Portnoy
11/11 Morris Gerber
11/11 Sylvia L. Margolis
11/11 D’vorah Price
11/12 Chava R. B. Kirshner
11/12 Arthur Lutsky
11/12 Sophia A. Pinsley
11/13 Minnie Hyman
11/14 Kate Shapiro
11/14 Saul Tanenbaum
11/15 Ruth K. Arenson
11/16 Cecilia Robinson
11/19 Gertrude List
11/19 Hy Packer
11/20 Newman Vogelstein
11/22 Ben Black
11/22 Joseph Wachter, Sr.
11/27 Max Cohen
11/29 Isadore Lazarowitz
11/29 Israel Massey
11/29 Abe Smith
11/30 David Falcon
11/30 David Nabow
