Friday, April 4, 2014

From Dr. King's Assassination to War & Occupation


Dear Haverim:

*TONIGHT, Friday April 4th, 5:30 p.m. Veggie Dairy Chametz-Removing Shabbat Potluck Dinner.  With less than two weeks to prep your home for Passover, this is an opportunity to open the freezer, take your favorite inappropriate-for-Passover meal, and share it with your friends, along with the blessings of children, candles, wine, and challah.  On a serious note, tonight also is our opportunity to mark the 46th anniversary of the yahrzteit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated on this date, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. I will mark this tragic moment by sharing Dr. King’s observations of Jews and African-Americans, along with Dr. King’s thoughts on Israel. We will also celebrate all April birthdays tonight.

*TOMORROW, Saturday, April 5th, 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Services.  Sheliach Adir ben Tovim will be our guest.  He will be chanting both Torah and Haftarah, using melodies unique to his family’s 2500-year Yemenite heritage. He will speak both during services and Israeli-themed lunch on the topic: My Jewish Journey: From Yemen to Israel, From Religious to Secular.  For those of us looking for an Israeli that is more thoughtful, deep, nuanced, beyond the headlines, Adir’s presentation is just the remedy. He comes to us courtesy of generous funding from our own Jewish Federation of Delaware. We will also be hosting a CBS Hebrew School Shabbaton, so NO Hebrew School on Sunday, therefore please redouble your efforts to attend Sunday’s 9 a.m. morning minyan.

*Sunday, April 6th, 7 p.m., FDR & the Jews. Join me for this wonderful program, rescheduled from our original snow-out date, for a thought-provoking reassessment of Roosevelt’s relationship with the Jews, with a noted scholar in the field.

Looking ahead…

Wednesday, April 9th, 9:15 – 11:30 a.m., JCC Board Room, DVLI Series: I-Engage Israel: WAR AND OCCUPATION.  This is the last-in-a-5 part-series of text and video lectures that I am presenting through the Shalom Hartman Institute, a pluralistic yeshiva in Jerusalem.  Each class is a stand-alone unit, $7 checks made payable to the Siegel JCC.  The program resumes after High Holy Days.

Stimulate your mind and heart. Join us at Congregation Beth Shalom this Shabbat, start your week with us, and continue the conversation midweek at the Siegel JCC.

Shabbat shalom!

Rabbi Michael

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