Simchot

High Holiday Services

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You may have heard by now that High Holiday services will be conducted this year by Shira Ginsburg, Cantor Emerita at East End Temple in Manhattan.

Cantor Ginsburg brings with her a powerful resume, consisting of 20 years of professional experience on the pulpit, five recorded albums, and extensive theatrical performances nationwide. You can see a promotional video of her work on YouTube CLICKHERE and can find a considerable amount of her work on Apple Music.

Working with our resident musicians, Cantor Ginsburg will be with us for Erev Rosh Hashanah, as well as the first day of Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, and Yom Kippur morning and afternoon services.

After consulting with the Cantor in my capacity as Ritual Committee chair, she and I are adapting our High Holiday services to the needs of a 21st century Reform synagogue. This year, we will be observing Rosh Hashanah on the first day of the holiday only, and all of the services will be streamlined to their essentials.

Moreover, in keeping with the traditions of Reform Judaism, we will be assigning the aliyot on an egalitarian basis this year, rather than reserving the first ones for Cohanim and Levis.

This is in keeping with the idea of the Jewish people as “a nation of priests,” as we are described in the Torah, rather than a hereditary hierarchy.

Other changes will be made as Cantor Ginsburg and I continue developing service scripts that we believe will be contemporary, spiritually satisfying and aesthetically engaging.

Instead of making cold calls to congregants this year to request participation in our services, we are asking for volunteers to help us with our readings (in English), ark openings, as well Torah liftings and dressings.

Please let me know at your earliest convenience if you would like to participate in this moment of change for our congregation by volunteering to become involved. I can be reached at my email address or cell phone (call or text).

I thank you in advance for your engagement and support. I’m looking forward with special enthusiasm to sharing the holidays with you.

Please see “Temple Topics” for a complete holiday schedule.

Mark Packer
Vice President and Ritual Committee Chair

Happy September Birthdays!

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9/1 Daniel Mayer

9/6 Irene White

9/10 Steve Smiley

9/12  Karen Lyon

9/13  Gary Smiley

9/17 Andrew Green

9/19 Eileen Acanfora

9/19 Sherry Fohr

9/19 Gary Poliakoff

9/20 Hannah Kate Frye

9/25 Junie White

9/26 Larry Abelkop

9/28 Marvin Siegel

9/28 Nancy Yoffe

9/29 Henry Barnet

9/29 Louis Smith

Reminder from Sisterhood

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A big thank you to everyone who came to help us make butterflies on June 4th. It was nice to have so many helping hands and to visit as we worked. We have over 500 butterflies in the freezer ready to package for our November 2nd sale.

Our next baking day will be on August 9th. Come help and learn how to make strudel.

This year, in addition to the usual things you help with, we will need lots of cookies and bars. We will be packaging them for our inside sale. It has been a long wait, but this year the sale will be open to the public in the social hall.

Pre-orders are due by October 20th. On October 27th we will be packaging everything. We will also fill the pre-orders and get them separated in the freezers. We will need any baking you can help us with before the 27th of October.

The freezers in the Sisterhood closet and the silver one off the kitchen have lists taped to the doors and a pen for you to mark what you have put into the freezer. This list will help us keep track of the pre-sales to ensure we can fill all the orders and have enough for the day of the sale. Please label the items so we know what they are.

August 31st we will put together pot pies at my home. They were so popular last year that we will need to make at least 50 this year. Please let me know if you would like to come help.

Again, thank you for all your help making the Sisterhood Bake Sale a success.

Peggy Ann Buchman

A Message From Our President

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Dear members,

On Friday, June 30, 2023, our Rabbi, Yossi Liebowitz, retired after 20 years of service at our Temple. This is an incredible accomplishment as

Rabbi Liebowitz has held numerous B’nai Mitzvahs, weddings, funerals,

Brown Bag Lunches, and over 1000 Friday evening services and Saturday Morning Services or Torah Talks. Wow, Rabbi, just wow! Thank you for all your time spent with us at Congregation B’nai Israel.

On Friday, June 23, 2023, our Rabbi led a wonderful service and expressed how grateful he is that he became a Rabbi. He told stories of how rewarding his career has been. If you did not attend the June 23rd service or watch it on our Temple Facebook page, I encourage you to take time to watch this service and listen to our Rabbi’s sermon. It is touching to hear the Rabbi talk of his reasons for being a Rabbi all these years.

At the end of the service, Rabbi Liebowitz was honored with a “stone” to be added to our Tree of Life at the end of our main social hall. This stone will represent how our Rabbi has been a rock for our Temple for two decades. Our Rabbi was also given a beautiful painting that will be placed in the Sunday School, along with a plaque honoring Rabbi Liebowitz. The artwork is created by Elena Kotliarker, born in Kiev, Ukraine. She studied at the Spiritual Art Academy in Ukraine. She specializes in spiritual representation through art. Elena currently lives in Israel. Kotliarker’s painting is called “Miram with Timbrel-Tanakh Story”.

Board members selected this painting because of the theme of Miriam being represented through art. As many of you are aware, our Rabbi sings the song “Miriam by the Sea” almost every Friday evening at services. It is an iconic song that will always remind our congregation of the time Rabbi Liebowitz spent with us.

The painting has many Hebrew words incorporated into the artwork. The Hebrew words include Success, Luck, Happiness, Love, and Health, all of which we wish our Rabbi as he embarks upon the next chapter of his life.

Kotliarker’s painting also includes Traditional Jewish Symbols that include a pair of birds for love and harmony, pomegranates for joy and fruitfulness, and five fishes for abundance.

Beginning July 1, this painting will be on display in the foyer of our Synagogue for the month of July. Please stop by to view it before it is added to the walls of our Sunday School Building.

If you have not had a moment to speak to our Rabbi and wish him well as he begins his retirement, please be sure to send him an email, text or even better, an old-fashioned phone call or hand-written note.

Please check our calendar for events and services throughout the summer. Even though our Rabbi has retired, there will still be fellowship and services at our Temple.

Many wishes to you for a happy and healthy summer!

Warmly,

Tina Lyon

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