Letter from our President:
Spring Is in the Air
I can feel it. Can you? During the winter I was feeling very down about the future of Bet Israel. But as they say, it is darkest just before dawn. One of the things that started my upward turn of feeling is our commitment to Kabbalat Shabbat once a month which began in May. It is designed to be a community worship and gathering for conversation, food and a light activity after prayer. It is also designed to be community participatory. Those of you who want to take a portion of the service are welcome. I think that enhances our sense of community. Next Kabbalat Shabbat will be 17 June and will have the participation of Chazan Yoel Levin. Yoel will have the lead role in our High Holiday services. Come and share Kabbalat Shabbat with him, meet and greet him. Kabbalat Shabbat after that will be 15 July in honor of one of our members. Look for more information as it develops. It will be another engaging Kabbalat Shabbat. Once a month will become the standard for all of us to gather for Kabbalat Shabbat as a community. There are more things that I am feeling positive about. But that is for another time. Upcoming Events!
Lecture Series:
“From Ashes to Rebirth”
“DP Camps in Europe After the Holocaust”
The second lecture in the series:
Shoshana Bellen, is a second generation Holocaust survivor. Her parents, like most of the other survivors searched for a way to leave the blood soaked countries they came from and to build new lives in freedom and dignity. Shoshana will tell their story and discuss the role and impact these camps had on the survivors. She will specifically speak about DP Camp Foehrenwald where she was born and lived with her family until August 1949. Foehrenwald was unique because it was the longest operating DP Camp, it closed only in 1957. In 2013 a group of German residents created the Badehaus Society with the purpose of renovating the former Bath House / Mikveh of Foehrenwald into a Place of Rememberance / Museum . In October 2018, Ms. Bellen was guest speaker at the official opening of the Museum which honors her parents and the thousands of Jews who passed through the DP Camp on their way to a renewed life after the horrors of the Holocaust."
Documentary Movie Series on Zoom:
We have an ongoing program screening historical documentaries on a wide variety of interesting topics. Please check our website for details
Trivial Pursuits:
One Tuesday a month we play Trivial Pursuit on zoom. It is a lot of fun. We welcome everyone to join. Check the website for details.
Bnei Mitzvah:
Debbi Shaltiel Saturday June 4,
We will be celebrating the Bat Mitzvah of Debbi Shaltiel on Saturday June 4th. After services, the congregation is invited to a lunch sponsored by Debbi.
Lior Fridman
Saturday July 2:
Lior will celebrate his Bar Mitzvah and there will be a Kiddush sponsored in his honor.
Shavuot: Sunday June 5,
Morning services, Cheesecake and Torah
Shavuot is almost here! We celebrate the receiving of the Torah and the end of the grain harvest, traditionally Jews study the Torah and enjoy eating cheesecake on this holiday and we at Bet Israel will not be disappointed. We will be eating cheesecake and have a short entertaining Torah session, which I promise will leave you with new information and food for thought.
Friday June 17:
Mr. Yoel Levin will be joining us June 17 for Kabbalat Shabbat and a light meal.
Yoel is studying at Schechter’s Rabbinical Program. In addition to speaking several languages and having a wealth of experience an
d knowledge, he is currently working as a Rabbinical Intern at Congregation Magen Avraham in Omer, near Beersheba. Yoel and his family are planning to move to Netanya in the near future. He will be joining us for Shabbat, participating in the Friday night services, and joining us for our festive spread. Yoel will be running the High Holyday services this Year. We are looking into the possibility that Yoel might work with our congregation more in the future.
After the Kabbalat and Ma’ariv services, we will have a Kiddush and light meal. We are asking those who come to contribute 40 shekels each to help offset the cost of the food. We will not be able to accept payment on Shabbat so please register and pre-pay online.
Saturday June 25,
Kiddush to celebrate all our summer Birthdays.
Anyone with a summer birthday who wishes to contribute should contact Naomi or Sara.
Saturday, July 9:
We will be honoring Aron Krieser: On July 9, we will have a Kiddush in honor of Aron Krieser. Aron keeps our synagogue in one piece and physically functioning. Every time I walk into the building,
he's fixing something. The little things that nobody notices but without which we would be in deep trouble. Those things that go unnoticed when they work but without which we would really be in trouble! He's changed the light-fittings to low energy bulbs, saving the synagogue thousands of shekels. He's got the Wi-Fi working throughout the building. Whenever I come into the building, he is fixing something. One time it is the drawer in the kitchen, the next time a loose tile on the wall or a broken facet. You name it he fixed it! He not only fixes things, he a
lso does a million other chores. He's probably the one who's going to set up the tables for this very event. And he and his wife Irit stick around after services until the end every single person is finished talking to make sure that nobody is locked into the synagogue and that the doors are correctly closed. There is no end to the wonderful things that Aron does. For all these things, we are truly grateful.
Friday, July 15:
Friday, July 15
We will be honoring Larry Hepner:
we will be honoring Larry Hepner, the ever ready leader of out ship has been with us as president for more than three years. During this time, Larry has done boldly what no man, or woman has done before: He has managed to organize our congregation and delegate jobs, getting us all involved and moving, working together. He organized fundraising to fix the roof and replace the A/C. And he has blessed us with his cheery personality. He also managed to steer us through the COVID Storm. For all of these things, we are very grateful. Please join us and show your appreciation as well as taking this opportunity to have fun and blossom in the company of friends. After the Kabbalat and Ma’ariv services, we will have a Kiddush and light meal. We are asking those who come to contribute 40 shekels each to help offset the cost of the food. We will not be able to accept payment on Shabbat so please register and pre-pay online.
Articles and Letters:
My accessible Shul!
Debbi and Honey Shaltiel
It was Purim and as usual, Honey and I were going to Shul! Honey is my guide dog. She accompanies me to majority of places and events. Honey is a well trained and socialized service dog for the blind. She remembers the places we frequent.
What is it like in Shul with a guide dog?
Well events such as Bnei Mitzvots and Haggim are exciting and easy to navigate.
When Honey and I arrive to Shul we have a choice of using the handrail to walk up the maybe three steps or use the ramp located just to the right of the stairs. The door handle is conveniently located for an easy grasp. I sometimes hear when the door opens and closes. As we enter members and friends extend a verbal greeting including their name. This helps me to put a name to the voice.
I’m often asked if I need assistance reaching my destination. I really appreciate that because sometimes I feel less than 100 percent.
I then give her the command to locate the elevator.
The elevator serves as an important accessible equipment for persons with mobility problems. It is beneficial for both Honey and me.
Honey guides me through the door and to my seat in the sanctuary. I sometimes remove her harness. She lays quietly next to my feet.
Honey is easily spotted if you’re expecting her. If you are not expecting her you’ll never know she’s in your midst.
She is allowed in food establishments due to her extensive obedience training, health and vaccine requirements.
When we make our way to the Social Hall after Kabbalat or Shabbat Service people will approach, greet us with their name and ask if it’s ok to pet Honey. I sometimes ask for a second to release the handle of her harness while holding her lead. This let’s Honey know that she can relax and socialize. When I grab the handle she knows it is time to work and attention is needed.
My personal thoughts and feelings are that providing accessibility is a great Mitzvah! Bet Israel is also making the statement that “Differently Abled are welcomed and accepted”.
Every differently Abled person manages their lives according to ability and strength.
Bet Israel Masorti Synagogue has provided an opportunity for Honey and me to Daven and contribute to our community. Thank you Bet Israel Congregation for being a great supporter of Persons With Disabilities.
Debbi and Honey Shaltiel
Woman’s Circle Events:
Dear Friends
It's Spring time and we're heading into Shavuot with some great news on several fronts!
We seem to be stepping out finally from the COVID pandemic that restricted our lives so much over the past 2 years and we've already made plans on how to celebrate getting back to normal with renewed energies.
First of all, we want to thank the bastions of our community for all their hard work and devotion with a series of Kiddushim in their honor. I'm sure you'll all want to join us. You can see in this bulletin the dates we have set so far. Mark them down and stay tuned for more. Next, we have many members celebrating their birthdays in summer and this is another reason to celebrate. We even have some new members whom we warmly welcome and are looking forward to adding more new members as the year progresses.
Cantor and Rabbinical student Yoel Levin and family are coming on June 17 for the weekend and we will have a get-to-know-you Kabbalat Shabbat with them. We are excited to report that they plan to settle in Netanya and look forward bringing them on board by joining our community.
Debbie Efron
GENERAL FUND
Donation by To/In honor of
Helen Brawer - Jan Gaines 90th birthday
Rita Green - Jan Gaines 90th birthday
Rita Green - In loving memory of Millie Kaporovsky ז"ל
Larry & Shirley Hepner - Rachel Krupnik, in appreciation of all her work for Bet Israel
Larry & Shirley Hepner - In loving memory of Millie Kaporovsky ז"ל
Philip Margolis - In honor of Bet Israel
Myrna & Don Silverberg - Jan Gaines 90th birthday
Marsha & Alan Stein - Jan Gaines 90th birthday
YAHRZEITS
Donation by In memory of
Helen Brawer - Father, Peter Spewak ז"ל
Stephen - Father, Hyman חיים נתן בן שלמה ז"ל
Richard - In honor of Bet Israel
Marsha Stein - Father, Abraham Polonsky ז"ל
Esti Yardeni - Elimelech Neuman ז"ל
KIDDUSHIM
Jan Gaines – celebrating my 90th birthday (lunch)
MAHJONGG GROUP DONATIONS
HADASSA’S HEBREW CLASS DONATIONS
EXTRA VOLUNTARY DONATION (above Dues)
Marsha & Alan Stein Mo Harvey Edith & Baruch Maor Bob & Beth Footlik Debbie Efron Jan Gaines
Women's circle events committee:
Past events:
Yom Haatzmaut
Since Yom Haatzmaut fell on a Friday this year, we decided to extend the celebration through Shabbat. We began on Friday night with a festive spread in honor of Rachel, who has managed the ritual committee single handedly and gotten us through two years of COVID. She did this with unending energy an always had a smile on her face. Her spirit and dedication are an example of the kind of dedication the founders of Israel put into establishing the state. We are lucky to have her in our community.
On Friday night, we had Jackie potatoes, otherwise known as baked potatoes with topping and salad bar. After dinner, Rachel entertained us with a Quiz of Knowledge of Israeli trivia. We had a wonderful time, laughing and enjoying ourselves in a relaxed friendly atmosphere that truly reflected Rachel’s spirit, and sense of humor.
Everyone had such a wonderful time that we have decided to try to run similar events on a regular basis. You will note in this Bulletin that the next Kabbalat Shabbat with a festive spread will be on June 17. I am looking forward to seeing everyone there and meeting Yoel Levin. Please save the date.
Craft Fair
In April, we had our second craft fair. The first one w
as a lot of fun and the second one was
even more fun.
We had more buyers. I think this was due to better publicity and hanging more flyers. We had several jewelry vendors, one of whom sold me a beautiful pair of earrings. A lovely lady who makes all sorts of knickknacks, and a woman who makes handcrafted cards that are really stunning. I am sure we will have more craft fairs in the future.
Mediterranean and Blue Zone Diets
In May, we had a lovely joint program with our Florida sisters. We discussed the Mediterranean diet and the blue zones, which are the areas in the world where people live the longest. After the joint program, which included a video about the Mediterranean and some recipes as well as a discussion of the Mediterranean Dirt and the blue Zone Diet.
After the joint presentation, the Florida sisters made Hummus. The Zoom participants joined a new link where we had an open discussion with Daniel Soorkowitz, who lived in one of the blue zones for eight years. He had many interesting insights. Everybody in the conversation had thoughts, ideas, and really interesting comments to contribute to the conversation. The whole conversation was truly enjoyable. We hope to explore how to run similar events in the future.
Virtual tour of Caesarea:
In March, our Women's Circle and the Florida Women's League produced a really interesting virtual tour of Caesarea. This was a unique opportunity for people to see the city without actually having to travel there. The video was made by Beverly Goodman-Tchernov, who is Suzie and Howie Goodman's daughter. Beverly is a top notch scientist specializing in underwater archeology. She also has a scintillating personality and a lovely sense of humor which came through on the video. We can clearly see she inherited more than just physical height from her parents. During the tour we learned a lot about the history and archaeology of Caesarea. In addition, we were able to see beautiful landscapes and archaeological sites that were photographed for us. We received lots of positive feedback from participants of this event.
Searching for intelligent life in the Universe:
Last month Sara, our resident astronomer, addressed the question, “is there intelligent life in outer space?” This begs the question, “is life on earth intelligent” Besides it was a fascinating lecture on a fascinating topic. While no definitive answer was given, I can vouch for the fact that those who attended left more intelligent then they arrived.