From the Jewish Angel on the Ukraine-Crimea Crisis to Guarding Your Tongue

Dear Haverim:

*Today, Friday March 28^th

-11:30 a.m., Memorial Service for Molly Cohen, z”l, Congregation Beth Shalom. For many of us, including myself, 99-year old Molly was a surrogate Bubby/Nanna.  Recognized as Volunteer of the Year by DE Governor Jack Markell, Molly’s impact reached far beyond our congregation.  She will be sorely missed.

-6:30 p.m., Kabbalat Shabbat services (6 p.m. happy hour).  Come celebrate the upcoming wedding of our first CBS Teacher of the Year, Ileene Bloom and her upcoming marriage to Eran Cohen, with a champagne toast during Kiddush.  Sermon topic: The Jewish Angle on the Ukraine-Crimea-Russian Crisis: THEN & NOW (complete with maps, historical perspective, be prepared to be surprised).

*Saturday, March 29^th, 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Services (10:15 a.m. Torah Service).  Sermon topic: Parshat Tazria: Shmirat Lashon – GUARD YOUR TONGUE!

-3 p.m., Shabbat Mincha Shiva Minyan, Siegel Auditorium JCC, Celebrating the Life of Molly Cohen.  Come with your own stories and memories of this remarkable woman, who touched Wilmingtonians of ALL ages for nine decades.

NOTE: Next Saturday, April 5^th, we have rescheduled Israeli shaliach Adir Ben Tovim to share his Personal Journey, from Yemen to Israel and from Religious to Secular.  He will also chant Torah using the unique taamim/trope of the Yemenite community.

 

Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Michael

From Youth to Music

Dear Haverim:

*Tonight, Friday March 21, 6:30 pm Kabbalat Shabbat Services   (6 pm Happy Hour).  Guest darshanit: Aliyah Cohen.  She will speak on her Summer experiences in Israel through Pinemere Jewish Summer Camp.  Aliyah’s talk is part of an effort of clergy to more fully include our teens in the ritual life of our synagogue.  Please support our efforts by coming out to listen to Aliyah.

*Tomorrow, Saturday, March 22, 9:30 a.m., Shabbat Services (10:15 am Torah Service).  Theme: Honoring our Choir and Torah Readers.  Cantor Elisa has prepared a special dvar Torah to honor these vital contributors to our weekly and High Holy Day worship experiences.  Come out and say thank you for these members’ extraordinary service to our synagogue.

 

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Michael

ADULT ED ISRAEL PROGRAM This Morning@Siegel JCC

Dear Haverim:

THIS MORNING, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18^th, 9:15-11:30 am, JCC

Board Room, I am offering a four-week program, called I-Engage Israel.

This is a series of classes, each independent of the other, combining text and video, about values surrounding the State of Israel. It is ABOVE politics. You can be to the “right” or the “left,” or not even have a label, or even a lot of background knowledge.

The program is produced by the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and was sponsored by the Rabbi Jacob Kraft Education Committee. I first introduced the series at High Holy Days two years ago, and I have been searching for a venue and time to present it as an Adult Education Offering.

Each class costs $7, is offered through DVLI –the Delaware Valley Learning Institute, and checks are made payable to the Siegel JCC. We meet in the JCC Board Room. Please contact our own Katie Glazier for more details, at the JCC.

Note: We will be continuing the series this Fall, after High Holy Days. Again each class is a unit unto itself, so you can attend as many or little of these classes as you wish. Last week’s class was well received so I wanted to reach out to you this morning with this personal invite.

Sen. Coons as Uncle Mordecai to Purim Fest 5774

Dear Haverim:

*TONIGHT, Friday March 14^th, 8 pm, Kabbalat Shabbat Services. Long before services begin, our shul will be abuzz with youth – Pre/post B’not Mitzvah meal and talk with Cindy Goldstein on the main level, Scouting Shabbat Potluck and Services with Meri Weiss and Seth Walter on the lower level.

(Note: Adir Ben Tovim was called unexpectedly back to Israel on personal business. His talk will be rescheduled ASAP for an upcoming Saturday Shabbat Service).

I will be giving a Special Report from My Recent AIPAC National Policy Conference in Washington, DC, where I joined 14,000 delegates. Highlights included speeches by both US Secretary of State of John Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. But I want to highlight remarks by our own Senator Chris Coons, who opened the conference. He was the toast of the conference and he caused many delegates to run to their atlases and I-Phone apps to look up where Delaware is on a map. I will link Sen. Coons’ concerns about current nuclear talks with Iran and similar policies pursued by Haman and the Persian Empire during the Purim Story. Don’t be surprised if, by the end of my talk, you might be tempted to address Sen. Coons as “Uncle Mordecai, our hero.” Services will be followed by a dessert oneg.

*TOMORROW, Saturday March 15^th, 9: 30 am, Shabbat Services. We will be joined by the Upper Class of the Hebrew School, as they help lead services. My drash will be “Esther vs. Hadassah: When Do We Hide our Judaism?” There will be opportunities to share our own Jewish identity stories, as we prepare for Purim and the donning of costumes.

6 pm FAMILY FRIENDLY PURIM. We will begin with hamentashen, multi-colored adult drinks, noshing, songs, costume parade and contest for ALL ages, Havdalah, Best of the Megillah, and our much anticipated Purim schpeil, “The Sound of Sushan,” with an all-star, multi-generational cast. This program has a shorter running time than last year, so as to be appealing to both our younger and more mature CBS congregants.

*SUNDAY, MARCH 16^th, PURIM CONTINUES!!

-9 am CBS Morning Minyan followed by nosherai.

-9 am Hebrew School meets at AKSE for class and carnival

-10 am CBS FULL Megillah reading

-11:30 am CBS Purim Seudah featuring the Annual Alan Schoenberg Memorial Joke-a-than – price of admission to this deli meal – one (synagogue-appropriate) joke.

Clearly, if you join us, we will have it ALL at CBS this weekend! See you soon!

Shabbat shalom and Hag Purim Sameach!

Rabbi Michael

From Reaching Out to Good Deeds Day

Dear Haverim:

*TONIGHT, 6:30 pm, Friday, March 7, Kabbalat Shabbat, (6 pm Happy Hour). Inspired by the Torah portion, my Drash topic is KERUV: Reaching Out. I am particularly concerned about what we can do to better welcome Interfaith Families as well as Unaffiliated Jews who make up more than 70% of our population. I also welcome your thoughts on how we can be more inviting to Jews living on the periphery, just outside our community. We begin Meredith Friedland’s bat mitzvah celebration.

*TOMORROW, 9:30 am, Saturday, March 8^th, Shabbat services,

(10:15 am Torah Service). Meredith Friedland’s bat mitzvah continues. She will deliver the sermon. Her topic: Parshat Vayikra & Sacrifices: Bringing us Closer to God and to Each Other.

** Set your clocks one hour forward before going to sleep tonight**

*SUNDAY, March 9^th

9:00 am, Morning Minyan

9:05 am, The Rabbi Speaks w/Rabbi Michael on Purim and the Iranian Threat. WDEL 1150 AM.

10:00 am Men’s Club Membership Breakfast

10:00 am JFD Good Deeds Day at CBS

11:00 am JFD Good Deeds Day at Forwood Manor, 1912 March Rd., Jewish Music Sing-a-long, w/Rabbi Michael accompanying you on the guitar.

7:00 pm, Nashira Concert, brought to you by the Rabbi Jacob Kraft Education Committee. Free!

Please join us for all our celebrations this Shabbat. And please save-the-date for our Purim festivities, beginning next Saturday night, March 15^th,

at 6 pm. Fun for the entire family.

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Michael