March Anniversaries!
3/11 Libby & Jack Steinberg
3/17 Lynn & Ben Stauber
3/2 Meyer Bernstein
3/3 Ann Weintraub
3/4 Esther Bromley
3/4 Emma P. Rattner
3/5 Mary G. Barnet
3/7 Samuel Hecklin
3/7 Bryan Ostrower
3/8 Mimi Gelband
3/8 Gussie Hecklin
3/8 Ada M. Robin
3/9 Lenore Axelrod
3/9 Avraham Weisz
3/10 Jeanne Hutchinson
3/10 Abraham Koshak
3/11 Moises Retelny
3/12 Jim Ely
3/12 Alvin H. Levin
3/12 Israel Shinberg
3/12 John S. Steel
3/13 Samuel Cohen
3/13 Emil Mortge
3/14 Morris Cohen
3/14 Abraham C. Felsher
3/14 Alan Silverman
3/15 Haya S. Gilpin
3/15 Allen Haughay
3/15 Ethel Mortsein
3/19 Iman H. Bornstein
3/20 Kathleen Bruck
3/20 Anne P. Gray
3/20 Sam Kassler
3/20 Louis Levy
3/21 Mollie Shimkin
3/22 Lillian Bernstein
3/22 Ted Briggs
3/22 Esther Garrell
3/22 Herbert M. Stier
3/23 Mary K. Shenay
3/26 Sidney August
3/27 Molly Black
3/27 Rose L. Katz
3/29 Maurice Shenay
3/29 Earl B. Yoffe
3/30 Samuel Davidson
3/30 Irwin Leader
3/30 Pearl Liebowitz
3/31 Michael Koslen
“Seek His/Her presences!” Psalm 104:5
Dear Friends,
The mystical Jewish tradition favors a feminine word for the Divine –
Shechinah, meaning the divine presence. In both the biblical and rabbinical tradition, the notion of God as transcendent, unknowable and far off is pervasive. Unlike the immanent deities who have a physical manifestation on earth walking and talking with mortals, our tradition preferred to see the divine as indefinable. Such is reflected in another mystical expression Ein Sof, the “One who is beyond definition.” For those who want to know the “face of God,” such a view is frustrating. A tradition that abides by God being present physically may find that kind of belief inviting, but from the Jewish point of view it is unacceptable because God is not to be limited physically. In fact, many of our forebears condemned it as idolatrous. In some ways I find our posture, though frustrating as well it does comport with my Jewish sensibility to seek and grow and discover. The following anecdote by Rabbi Dov Baer, a Hasid of great merit gives voice to this view, but in addition compassionately provides a touching idea that God can have hurt feelings.
“Once as the Rabbi was walking on the street he saw a little girl hiding in the alcove, weeping: “Why are you crying, little girl?” asked the learned sage. “I was playing Hide and Seek with my friends, but no one came to look for me!” The Rabbi sighed and said to his students later that day, “In the answer and the tears of that little girl, I heard the weeping of the Shechinah, ‘and I will surely hide My face’ (Deuteronomy 31:18). I, God, have hidden Myself too, as it were, but no one comes to look for Me!”
(Dov Baer of Mezritch , Maggid Derav Le-Yaakov, ed. Rivka ShatzUfenheimer (Jersusalem: Magness Press, 1976). (P198 -199)
In our post Holocaust age and in an era in which secularism prevails, we tend to strongly favor culture over faith; not that culture cannot contain spiritual elements. As I find myself getting closer (hopefully not too soon) to “meeting my Maker,” the idea of God makes more and more sense. In our tradition which is characterized by the Mitzvah System (613 commandments) that draws us closer to the divine, the reasons that are celebrated seem to be more sentimental than spiritual. Over my forty years as a Rabbi, I have heard a fair number of parents say to their children over the years “Just have the Bar or Bat Mitzvah and then you don’t have to go to Temple anymore!” What should be an entry passport to Judaism becomes an exit, hypocritically so. Just call it a Bar and jettison the Mitzvah part! In leading up to the same, some parents who seldom set an example by going to services and showing the reason for Hebrew school confuse their children. They would no sooner force them to learn Swahili for no purpose whatsoever.
In our tradition, a word in Hebrew sums up what could and should be our sense of spirituality – Metsuveh, a feeling of being commanded, of ending the despair of God who has felt abandoned.
Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz D.D.
A M
A glimpse into the past and planning for the future….my thoughts for today. I’m excited to announce that we have accepted the South Carolina Jewish Historical Society’s invitation to host its fall meeting. It will be held the weekend of October 18th. This will be a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the Spartanburg Jewish merchants who have had such an important influence in the community.
In planning for the event, several of us visited the old Temple located downtown. For me it was a first time experience. For others it was an opportunity to reminisce about the past. Dot Frank shared her memories of the day she was converted and married in the Temple. She remembers frying chicken in the basement. Ben Stauber reflected on his life as a Rabbi’s son, spending many days and nights in the Temple. He remembered with fondness some of the sermons his father delivered from the pulpit. Andy Poliakoff smiled and chuckled about his childhood memories. He pointed to the pew his family would often occupy. They told me the building “feels” and smells the same. The beautiful pews are adorned with a star of David.
Yes, there are some changes. It has aged and shows signs of the aging process. The building is currently occupied by an African American Protestant congregation. We met with the Minister who shared many beau- tiful stories about his congregation. He told us he feels “the grace of G-d upon entering the building”.
For me, it was truly an enjoyable and uplifting experience.
When the Historical Society convenes in Spartanburg this fall, they hope to have one of the events in the old building. They also look forward to meeting with us at our current location. I’m proud to share our beautiful building with other Jews from throughout South Caroli- na who will be visiting. More importantly, I’m happy others will experience the warm and welcoming con- gregation of Temple B’nai Israel whom I have come to love.
It will be a time to celebrate the past and make new memories!
By the way, Abner, my basset hound, is on the road to recovery. He can get up on all fours and the veterinarian expects him to be walking unassisted within the next couple of weeks!
Warmest regards, Sandy
2/4 Lisa Frye
2/7 Michael Gelburd
2/9 Judy Golub
2/9 Kathy Vess
2/10 Beth Levine
2/17 Shirley Koshak
2/18 Helen Feldman
2/19 Maxwell Goldman
2/20 Susan Price
2/21 Sidney Brough
2/24 Pam Kaplan
2/24 Ann Kelly
2/27 Christopher Brough
2/27 Arden Levy
2/27 Helga Moglin
2/1 Conley Cook
2/1 Charles Finke
2/1 Sheila R. Tanenbaum
2/2 Ben Abelkop
2/3 Harry Finkelstein
2/3 Otto Teszler
2/4 Harry Smiley
2/5 Sarah D. Cohen
2/6 Josephine Usiskin
2/8 Jacob Finke
2/9 Harry Stemberg
2/12 Efim A. Minevich
2/14 Ludvik Weiss
2/16 Aaron Tanenbaum
2/18 Ruth Crosby
2/19 Joseph Adelman
2/20 Bernard A. Katz
2/23 Jacob Cohen
2/24 Sarah B. S. Fleeman
2/26 Mary Cooper
2/26 Sigmund Pickus
“Turn it over and over again.” Ecclesiastes
Dear Friends,
As I was flipping through My Farmer’s Almanac (a gift from the Boy’s Club and Boys Town, a most worthy charity I support personally), I was pleased that among the many worldwide New Year traditions was included Apples dipped in Honey. Yes, slipped in among other foods that promised prosperity in the coming secular New Year were others: India – rice, Switzerland – dollops of whipped cream, Holland – fritters called olie bollen, and last but not least below the Mason Dixon line are black eyed peas and pork, the latter one of which we have boycotted for some 3000 years.
As a student of religion and culture, I am interested in all the different ways of celebrating the New Year, be it Moslem, Persian, Thai, Hindu, or Chinese, this last culture for which we can give thanks for firecrackers. I am of course biased for our fall observances which are now more than 9 months away. Ours is a more sobering effort to ward off bad fortunes in the year to come. The citizens of Thailand who shoot off guns do so, it is argued, to ward off demons. As for me I am, knock on wood, not superstitious. I work hard to add to my knowledge of other traditions in an effort to walk a mile in their moccasins.
Still, one hurdle I on occasion fail to surmount is superstitions. I find myself in sympathy with Bill Maher, (but only on occasion) who disses religion at every turn. He never misses an opportunity to paint a wide brush noting how there are immoral excesses championed by almost every faith community; from abuse of children, to hedonistic conspicuous consumption of Lamborghini’s by one minister in the midst of poverty, from ultra-religious Jews who trafficked in body parts, oh the list goes on. In truth every endeavor of human kind can disappoint. I love science, but many a scientist is responsible for the hideous effects of napalm. Art, as Hitler proved, can be misused in degenerative ways to champion the idea of Aryanism.
Yet, religion is particularly prone to charges of hypocrisy for it does as the Hebrew national commercial celebrates “hold us to a higher standard.” In one of Chaucer’s acclaimed works, The Priory, one corrupt cleric is reprimanded by a denizen for his greed: “If gold rusts, what ought iron to do?” This of course brings me to Israel, a flawed state as is any state. Ben-Gurion once quipped somewhat crudely, “We will have state when a Jewish Judge sentences a lady of the evening (He was more descriptive) who was arrested by a Jewish policeman.” Well we certainly attained that with news of corruption, fanaticism, and more than that which comes from the Promised Land. Still, I am mindful of all that Israel is; building a thriving city by a hundred daring pioneers on a sandy beach 100 plus years ago, now called Tel Aviv where millions of Jews reside, an economic powerhouse fueled by great innovation in medicine and chemistry and more, and not to minimize a sanctuary for Jews when none existed is the 1930’s. All this while fighting some 7 existential wars in its defense.
There is a site I favor Israel 21C on the web. Get it! It balances some of the dire concerns that many rightly have. Just a week ago came this jewel of information: Israel ranks as world’s third most educated country Israel outranks US and South Korea for percentage of citizens aged 25 higher education, whether academic or vocational .64 holding a degree in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) calculated the percentage of each country ’ and 64 who have completed a twoor fours population between the ages of 25 year degree beyond high school including both academic and vocational programs. 50.9 percent of Israelis in the target age bracket have a higher education degree.
The United States came in at No. 5, with only 46.4 percent (Ouch!). The most educated country in the world is Canada at 56.7 percent.I am buoyed by such news. It levels the negativity that mostly gets the attention of the press. (No, I am not saying such is fake news.) On the good front as well statistics reveal (Pew report) that the most educated group about religions of America are Jews, with atheists, believe it or not coming in a close second. (I guess they wish to “ know their enemy! ”) This of course leads to my closing New Year wish. Cultural Judaism is fine. But after 3,000 years of achievement and struggle I hate to think that we are best known for Bagels and Lox, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Let ’ s make the New Year a more informed one. We have a wonderful library. Use it! Read a Jewish book from time to time!
Happy New Year!
Rabbi Yossi Liebowitz
A Message from Our President
Happy New Year to everyone!
My new year is starting out to be interesting, to say the least. I’ve been dog sitting Abner, my basset hound, who recently had spinal surgery. If you know anything about bassets, you know they don’t move around quickly, they aren’t highly motivated dogs, and they like to sit around and eat. The veterinarian told us that it may take Abner several weeks before he can walk again, due in part to his breed, so he is requiring a lot of attention. Abner is a sweet and loving dog and I enjoy his company; however, I’ve been starving for some people interaction!
Fortunately, Steve’s cousin and his wife have been visiting us for a few days. It’s been fun having family around to bring in the new year. We’ve been watching football, sharing stories, and of course eating good food. Family gatherings are the best! What’s even more exciting about Ron and Syd’s visit, is knowing that they plan to relocate from Charleston to the upstate in 2019!
As I stare into Abner’s big brown eyes, my mind wanders. I’m reminded that the new year brings cheer and gratitude. A very special thank you goes to Rabbi Liebowitz for his spiritual and educational guidance. I’m especially thankful to our Board members who give much time and effort to the Temple. Behind the scenes, they work diligently on behalf of Temple B’nai Israel. Board members are David Lyon, David Blumenfeld, Jon Lewson, Tina Lyon, Susan Abelkop, Mauro Wilk, Lisa Frye, Andrew Greene, Mark Packer, Rex Russell, Stan Hyman and Ira Greenfield. Elaine Hyman serves as the Sisterhood representative. Many thanks to outgoing Board member, Bob Britanisky, who served as the Ritual Committee Chair for many years and Jack Schoer, outgoing past President. There are others who support the Temple in so many ways whether in the kitchen, helping with maintenance issues, teaching Sunday School, serving on Temple committees, maintaining social media platforms, or assuming leadership roles with Hadassah and Sisterhood. Thanks again to all of you!
I encourage you to get involved if you aren’t already. Your ideas for educational and social programming are always welcomed and encouraged. Please reach out to any Board member or me with your suggestions and to volunteer your services.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year. Stay tuned for an update on Abner next month!
Warmest regards, Sandy