Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on February 22, 2017

A view from the ground shows a more somber reality -- scores of granite and marble tombstones, toppled and damaged in a historic Jewish cemetery at a time tensions in the nation's Jewish communities are already high.

A vandal or vandals toppled and damaged more than 100 headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in the St. Louis suburb of University City within the past week, police said Monday. Workers spent part of Tuesday using crane trucks to upright some stones and documenting which memorials will need replacing altogether.

Police didn't release further details about when the vandalism happened at the cemetery, a burial ground since the late 1800s. But they said officers first responded to a report about the damage about 8:30 a.m. Monday.

Officials at the fenced and gated cemetery believe it happened over the weekend; it was closed between late Sunday afternoon and Monday morning.

The vandalism left families wondering whether their loved ones' tombstones were affected, what it will take to repair the damage and whether their heritage had anything to do with why it happened.

The vandalism drew dismay from people whose relatives are buried there, including Bravo's Andy Cohen, host of "Watch What Happens Live" and executive producer of The Real Housewives franchise.

Cohen devoted a few moments of Monday night's "Watch What Happens" show to the incident, calling the vandal or vandals the "Jackhole of the Day."

"This is extremely personal for me because my great grandparents and many other of my relatives are buried there in that cemetery," said Cohen, a St. Louis-area native. "I don't have to have a personal connection, though, to know that this is not who we are as Americans, and this certainly should not be where we are heading."

Emily Wasserman of Chesterfield, Missouri, told CNN that she learned about the vandalism Monday night as she was browsing Twitter. Her great-grandparents have graves there, but she didn't immediately know whether their tombstones were affected.

She planned on visiting the cemetery to learn more Tuesday or Wednesday.

"People in St. Louis are disheartened by the vandalism," she said. "I grew up in St. Louis but I also went to college here, and many of my former classmates from (Washington University in St. Louis) are speaking out against the vandalism on Facebook and other social media platforms.

"I think that the violence sent a shockwave through the St. Louis Jewish community."

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens tweeted Monday night that he was "disgusted to hear about the senseless act of desecration at the cemetery in University City."

"We must fight acts of intolerance and hate," the tweet reads.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Greitens called the damage a "cowardly" and "despicable act of what appears to be anti-Semitic vandalism."

Regardless of the motive for the vandalism, the cemetery is sacred ground, said Karen Aroesty of the Anti-Defamation League of St. Louis.

"The level of tension in the Jewish community is pretty high," she told the TV station.

The land where the cemetery is located was purchased in 1893 by a group of Jewish immigrants from Russia.

The investigation into the cemetery break-in comes as 11 phoned-in bomb threats were reported by various Jewish centers across the country Monday morning, according to the JCC Association of North America.

From the start of the year through Monday, 69 bomb threats have made to 54 Jewish centers in the United States and Canada, said David Posner, the association's director of strategic performance.

No bombs were found, and no one was injured in connection with the threats, according to the organization, which is working with law enforcement and the FBI to investigate the calls.

The Trump administration has faced criticism that it had not sufficiently rebuked acts of anti-Semitism that have occurred nationwide since the election.

On Tuesday, President Trump addressed the issue while visiting the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

"This tour was a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms," he said. "The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil."

CNN's David Williams, Dani Stewart, Artemis Moshtaghian and Elizabeth Landers contributed to this report.

More:
Vandals damage 100 headstones at Jewish cemetery, police say - CNN

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month | Comments Off on Vandals damage 100 headstones at Jewish cemetery, police say – CNN
Tags:

Posted By simmons on February 22, 2017

The New Yorker

Anti-Defamation League offers reward in cemetery vandalism case fox2now.com UNIVERSITY CITY, MO (KTVI) The job of putting the headstones back in place at Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery in University City could take days. Families crowded the cemetery Tuesday morning to see if their loved ones' graves had been vandalized. Generous Muslim fundraisers collect 44000 in donations in a matter of HOURS to help US Jewish community repair ...The Sun St. Louis Responds to a Rise in Anti-SemitismThe New Yorker Support pours in for damaged Jewish cemetery near St. LouisWPSD Local 6 The Times of Israel -LaunchGood all 411 news articles »

Read this article:
Anti-Defamation League offers reward in cemetery vandalism case - fox2now.com

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on Anti-Defamation League offers reward in cemetery vandalism case – fox2now.com
Tags:

Posted By richards on February 22, 2017

Bomb threats against JCCs throughout the U.S. are bringing many reactions, but none tastier than this tweet from The Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect in response to Presidential spokesman Sean Spicers bizarre insistence that Donald Trump has spoken out against anti-Semitism many times:

Thats a nice Jewish twist on let them eat cake, which is a frequently used translation of a sentence in Jean-Jacques Rousseaus autobiography, Confessions. But wait thats just the beginning of the story.

In French, the sentence actually reads: Quils mangent de la brioche and it is often mis-attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, who was nine years old in 1765, when Rousseau wrote those words in his multi-volume opus. (He finally published it in 1782.)

In the interest of facts, an endangered concept these days, in the previous sentence, Rousseau merely refers to a grande princesse, and he doesnt name names. Theres no record of Marie Antoinette saying anything about brioche.

What the let them eat cake saga does show is that fake news has a long history; the misattributed utterance was taken as a symbol of total disregard for the struggles of poor peasants; brioche was a luxury, and certainly not within the means of the poor.

Back to babka and the contemporary struggle for actual reality. Yes, the Anne Frank Center was suggesting that the current administration literally, at least should eat some yeast cake that in Jewish tradition usually includes lots of chocolate or cinnamon. Figuratively, of course, the Anne Frank Center was displaying its disdain for Spicers claim.

But language nerds had another pressing concern. Come to think of it, what does the word babka mean?

The Oxford English Dictionary says babka is the diminutive form of baba, which, via French from Polish, literally married peasant woman. (The shadow of Marie Antoinette and the peasants lives on.) The OED also points out that baba in Indian culture means father or respected older man, but thats not relevant to the European cake that has become a staple of Jewish-American cooking as well as Israeli bake shops.

If babka immediately makes you think grandmother, or the Yiddish word for grandmother, bubbe, its because, well, thats also what babka means.

Savta. Bubbe. Grandma.

The Polish and Belarusian noun babka and the Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Russian baba mean grandmother or little grandmother. And while this may sound a bit creepy, The Oxford Companion to Food points out that the babkas bottom part looks like the pleats of a skirt in other words, the kind of thing grandma might wear.

No matter what grandma is wearing, many of us would love it if a brigade of feisty Jewish grandmothers were responding to Spicer and Trump right now, perhaps while slinging babka.

So how did a word for grandmother become a pastry? According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, babka as a pastry name came to English from Polish, via French. But dont worry too much about grandmas disappearance from use: The Canadian Oxford assures us that babka is still sometimes used in its original meaning (grandmother), especially among those of Central and Eastern European descent. And of course, the word babushka can be heard in neighborhoods with Russian-Jewish grandmothers in abundance. Babushka means grandmother, and is the diminutive of baba, or older woman, according to Merriam-Webster.

If all this etymology just makes you want to snack, youre in luck. You can certainly make babka at home, no matter what your heritage, and a bonus is that making babka can keep you busy long enough to miss a news cycle and the accompanying rise in blood pressure.

Baking a chocolate babka is no casual undertaking, writes Melissa Clark of The New York Times in her introduction to her babka recipe.

The Eastern European yeast-risen coffee cake has 14 steps and takes all day to make, Clark writes. But the results are worth every sugarcoated second with a moist, deeply flavored brioche-like cake wrapped around a dark fudge filling, then topped with cocoa streusel crumbs.

Here is her recipe:

If fourteen steps seems too simple, and you want to stay busy and distracted from the Presidency for even longer, Bon Appetit offers a babka recipe featuring a double helix twist. Think of it as supporting science, another endangered entity right now.

Maybe babka will get a Trump bump, just like Nordstroms, Teen Vogue, and other unexpected members of the resistance. But for those who follow pastry, grandmothers favorite snack, babka, was getting kind of hot before the Anne Frank Center made it even hotter.

Bon Appetit magazine declared last month that babka is the new bagel, meaning it is finely making its way to the masses. We can only rejoice, Vered Guttman of Haaretz wrote about a year ago, when it seemed a bit easier to rejoice.

Not to be outdone, Haaretz offers a classic poppyseed babka recipe, an ideal treat to master with Purim only weeks away. Last but certainly not least, Haaretz even offers a ten-photo, step-by-step babka-making primer which makes babka-making seem totally doable, and even soothing.

Far less damaging to the heart rate than watching Sean Spicer, and a reminder that if our grandmothers survived what they survived and still managed to roll dough, spread chocolate, and enjoy the ensuing babka, perhaps we can best get through this with a little piece of elaborate yeast cake too.

Aviya Kushner is The Forwards language columnist and the author of The Grammar of God (Spiegel & Grau). Follow her on Twitter at @AviyaKushner

See the original post here:
How Marie Antoinette and Sean Spicer Are Making Babka Famous - Forward

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month | Comments Off on How Marie Antoinette and Sean Spicer Are Making Babka Famous – Forward
Tags:

Posted By richards on February 22, 2017

Fourteen U.S. Baptist leaders returned from Israel this week after learning about the Jewish state beyond the headlines and building Christian-Jewish bridges, in a mission, Feb. 13-20, organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship).

The Baptist leaders toured Christian and Jewish holy sites including the Western (Wailing) Wall and Old City of Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, Masada, Caesarea, Muhraka (Horn of Carmel) and Meggido. The group also made a special visit to Israels Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem.

Visiting the Holy Land of Israel is a great privilege. We are so grateful to have been given the opportunity to learn about the Jewish homeland and our Christian heritage and to strengthen our connection to the Israeli people and most importantly, to G-d, said Rev. Samuel Tolbert, a trip leader and president of the National Baptist Convention of America (NBCA).

The Baptist leaders were the most recent major Christian group to visit Israel with The Fellowship. In the summer of 2015, The Fellowship hosted 21 top ministers of the Detroit-based Pentecostal group the Church of God In Christ, while in in Jan. 2016, it brought 22 top clergy of the Washington, D.C.-based Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC), the movement of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to Israel. In May of last year, 26 leaders of the NBCA the second-largest African-American Baptist group also visited Israel with The Fellowship, and last Sept. The Fellowship brought 22 leaders from the Bahamas-based Global United Fellowship (GUF) to Israel.

We were honored to host these outstanding Baptist leaders in Israel, said Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of The Fellowship. By experiencing the spiritual power of the Holy Land, they deepened their own faith while strengthening the profound historic bonds between the Christian and Jewish people.

The Fellowship was formed in 1983 to promote better understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews, and build broad support for Israel. Today The Fellowship is the largest channel of Christian support for Israel and Jewish needs around the world.

Participants in this months mission included Tolbert, Rev. Derick Brennan of Philadelphia; Rev. Dr. Jason Coker of Jackson, Mich.; Rev. Earlene Coleman of McKeesport, Pa.; Rev. Gary Dollar of Glen Carbon, Ill.; Dr. Brian Ford of Columbia, Mo.; Dr. Jim Hill of Kirkwood, Mo.; Rev. Forestal Lawton, of Kansas City, Mo.; Rev. Steven T. Mack, of Camden, N.J.; Dr. Harry Rowland of Decatur, Ga.; Rev. Doyle Sager of Jefferson City, Mo.; Rev. Napoleon Smith of Albuquerque, N.M.; Rev. Julian K. Woods of Lake Charles, La.; and Rev. James E. Victor, of Arlington, Va.

See the article here:
Baptist Leaders 'Strengthen Connection to Israel' on Bridge-Building Mission - Breaking Israel News

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month | Comments Off on Baptist Leaders 'Strengthen Connection to Israel' on Bridge-Building Mission – Breaking Israel News
Tags:

Posted By simmons on February 21, 2017

Growing outcry against a recent spate of anti-Semitic acts and threats pushed President Trump to denunciate the rising violence, calling it "a sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil." (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

President Trump called anti-Semitic violence horrible and vowed Tuesday to take steps to counter extremism in comments that followed criticism that the White House had not clearly denounced vandalism and threats targeting Jewish institutions.

Hours before Trumps remarks, Hillary Clinton called on her former presidential rival to speak out against anti-Semitic acts aftermore than 170 Jewish graves were found toppled at a cemetery in Missouri.

The anti-Semitic threats targeting our Jewish community at community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil, Trump said following a visit to the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Trump called the tour a meaningful reminder of why we have to fight bigotry, intolerance and hatred in all of its very ugly forms. Earlier, he told NBC News that anti-Semitism is horrible, and its going to stop.

The remarks by Trump also appear aimed at easing pressure on his administration, which faces claims from opponents that it has failed to distance itself from extremist ideology and has emboldened right-wing groups through its populist, America-first themes.

The tweet from Clinton did not specifically mention the gravesite disturbances inUniversity City, Mo., but noted increasing reports of troubling threats against Jewish community centers, cemetery desecrations and online intimidation.

Clintons message to Trump came as the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder, also urged U.S. officials to recognize that anti-Semitism is alive and kicking.

American Jews are worried, Lauder said in a statement. It is shocking to see that Jewish sites are once again being targeted by criminals.

On Monday, the Anti-Defamation League reported a wave of bomb threats directed against Jewish community centers in multiple states, the fourth series of such threats since the beginning of the year, it said.The development elicited comments from a White House spokesman and Ivanka Trump, neither of which used the phrase anti-Semitism or mentioned Jews.

Glad to see this, the ADLs chief executive, Jonathan Greenblatt,tweeted of Ivanka Trumps comment. All Jews need to urge the president to step forward & share a plan. His words carry weight. His actions will speak even louder.

The exchanges were particularly noteworthy in part because of Trumps unusual response at a news conferenceWednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a question about the rise in anti-Semitic incidents around the country. Rather than condemning them, Trump responded by talking about his electoral college victory.

Trump has been criticized forrefusing to describe the threats toward Jews as anti-Semitism. An op-ed at the Forward, the New York-based newspaper written for a Jewish audience, described Trumps silence about anti-Semitism as deeply disturbing.

When asked again about the rise in anti-Semitic threats, during another news conference on Thursday, the president responded as ifhe were beingpersonally accused. Trumpsaidthat thequestion was very insulting and that he was the least anti-Semitic person that youve ever seen in your entire life.

The weekends events, coming in the wake of last weeks public exchanges with Trump, served to heat up a long-simmering tension between some leaders of the nations Jewish community and the Trump White House.

The perpetrators of the cemetery vandalism and their motives arenot yet established. Police in University City, an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, have launched an investigation. They are reviewing video surveillance at the cemetery, which is operated on a not-for-profit basis by the Chesed Shel Emeth Society,and calling on anyone with information to come forward.

Because of the Sabbath, the cemetery does not operate on Saturday, the director of the Chesed Shel Emeth Society, Anita Feigenbaum, told The Washington Post in a phone interview.

A groundskeeper arrived Monday morning to find gravestones overturned across a wide section of the cemetery, the oldest section, bearing the remains of Jews who died between the late 1800s and the mid-20th century.

She called it a horrific act of cowardice, beyond anything the cemetery had experienced in the past.

The cemetery was founded in 1888 by the Russian Jewish community in St. Louis to aid all Jews who needed burial whether they had the money or not. They started with the burial society and then extended to hospitals and houses that help the poor and the sick. To this day thats what we do. We are not for profit. We help in this horrible time in a persons life.

Feigenbaum had walked through the cemetery during the day and had not yet completed counting the number of damaged stones, most of them pushed over, off their bases. So far she said she had found more than 170. Feigenbaum said she was starting to hear from families of people buried there. We will reach out to the families that are affected, she said.

The cemetery holds the remains of more than 20,000, she estimated.

She said she was getting an outpouring of support from across the United States with people volunteering to help with repairs.

Separately on Monday, the Anti-Defamation League reported a wave of bomb threats directed against Jewish community centers in multiple states, the fourth series of such threats since the beginning of the year, it said.

While ADL does not have any information at this time to indicate the presence of any actual bombs at the institutions threatened, the threats themselves are alarming, disruptive and must always be taken seriously.

Bomb threats were called in at Jewish community centers in 11cities across the United States: Albuquerque, Amherst, Birmingham, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Milwaukee, Nashville, St. Paul, Tampa and Whitefish Bay, Wis.Since January, there have been 69 bomb threatcalls targeting 54 centers in 27 different states, according to the Jewish Community Center Association.

In Amherst and Buffalo, the community centers werebriefly closedafter a threat was phoned to the Amherst center. Disruption was the goal, saidRichard A. Zakalik, the local New York JCC executive director, to the Buffalo Newson Monday. They accomplished what they wanted, Zakalik said to the Buffalo News.The whole point was to scare and disrupt.

No devices or bombs were found in connection with thethreats; the Jewish Community Center Association described all of Mondays incidents ashoaxes. The FBI and the civil rights division of the Justice Department will probe the series of calls for federal violations, according tothe Star Tribune.

Paul Goldenberg, the director of Secure Community Network, the security affiliate of Jewish Federations of North America, told theJewish Telegraphic Agency that the bomb threats appeared to originate from the same serial caller. Noting that not every building that received a call decided to evacuate, he said that the community centers were very well-equipped to handle this. The centers also increased their security measures after the threats, the JCCA noted.

The weekend spate of anti-Semitic threats was not limited to the United States. In Canada, a 70-year-old Toronto woman named Helen Chaiton said that her mezuza, the case containing Hebrew verse traditionally affixed to a doorpost, had been vandalized twice over the weekend. Chaiton and her neighbors also found that the vandals had left behind sticky notes with swastikas, the CBC reported.

[Anti-Semitic jokes cause YouTube, Disney to distance themselves from PewDiePie]

Responding to an inquiry from NBC Newsabout the threats, the White House tweeted back: Hatred and hate-motivated violence of any kind have no place in a country founded on the promise of individual freedom. The President has made it abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable.

The tweet from Ivanka Trump, a convert to Judaism, appeared to be unsolicited and drew generally favorable reaction, but also questions about why her father, the president, seemed reluctant to speak out.

The ADLissued a statementon Feb. 16,characterizingTrumps news conference reaction as mind-boggling.

On two separate occasions over the past two days, President Trump has refused to say what he is going to do about rising anti-Semitism or to even condemn it, the ADL said in the statement. This is not a partisan issue. Its a potentially lethal problem and its growing.

And after the new rash of phoned-in threats Monday, theorganizations chief executivedrew a connection between the incidents and the presidential silence. A lack of attention to this from the president creates an environment in which the bigots feel empowered, Greenblatt, of the ADL, told Haaretz. They feel like their intolerance is being tolerated.

John Wagner contributed to this report.

More from Morning Mix:

After refusing to watch LGBT diversity video, Social Security judge sues to avoid being fired

Legalizing same-sex marriage was associated with fewer youth suicide attempts, new study finds

Michael Moore really wants to lead the Resistance

Read the original here:
Trump decries anti-Semitic acts as 'horrible' amid calls for stronger White House denunciations - Washington Post

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on Trump decries anti-Semitic acts as ‘horrible’ amid calls for stronger White House denunciations – Washington Post
Tags:

Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Ahavath Achim Synagogue
Tags:

Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

"A Christian should keep his body and mind pure and clean because he is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)"

"When a miracle happens, it takes the spiritual mind to conceive/ appreciate the force behind it (John 9:33)"

"As a Christian, when your mind becomes the watchman, you would do what Jesus expects you to do; you would see what Jesus is looking at; you would watch and pray (Matthew 26:41)"

T.B. Joshua

"Everyone sees through different eyes, feels with different hearts, hears through different ears (John 7:12)"

T.B. Joshua

"Great thoughts produce great decisions (Romans 12:2)"

"If you have the mind of Christ no one can influence you (Acts 21:12-14)"

"If your heart and mind are filled with God's Word, you will talk that Word (Luke 6:45)"

T.B. Joshua

"In the mind of God you are a successful person. For you to put that success into your life, you need to retrain your mind with the words of Joshua(Joshua 1:8)"

T.B. Joshua

"Jesus Christ never rejects anyone who asks for healing(Matthew 20:29-34)"

"Jesus Christ came down from heaven to give help to the helpless and hope to the hopeless (Luke 19:10)"

"Jesus Christ opened prison doors; He healed the sick; He delivered the oppressed. Jesus preached the Good News (Luke 4:17-19)"

T.B. Joshua

"When you listen to the Holy Spirit, you will be protected from the pitfall of every enemy (Isaiah 30: 21) "

T.B. Joshua

View post:
The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations SCOAN Prophet T.B ...

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on The Synagogue, Church Of All Nations SCOAN Prophet T.B …
Tags:

Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

Tips for the novice shul-goer. By Sharon Strassfeld

In addition to the tips listed below, it is important also to remember that in Orthodox synagogues, men and women sit separatelyand often enter the sanctuary through separate entrancesso visitors need to find the appropriate sections and entrances for each gender. Reprinted with permission from The Second Jewish Catalog, edited by Sharon Strassfeld and Michael Strassfeld (Jewish Publication Society).

1. When you enter a traditional synagogue, put on a kippah [yarmulke] if you are a male (supplies are kept in almost every shul), and keep it oneven during the Kiddush and/or meal that follows the service. [In some liberal congregations, women cover their hair as well, while Orthodox women generally cover their hair if they are married. See #6 below for more information.]

2. In traditional synagogues it is forbidden, even after the service, to smoke on Shabbat (ask if youre not aware of synagogue policy).

3. On some occasions, following the Kiddush there will be a lunch to which guests of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah are invited. [Kiddush is the blessing of sanctification of Shabbat over a cup of wine, but in this context, it used more broadly to include also the snacks or light meal provided after the blessing is said.] Dont automatically assume that if youve been to services, you are invited to the lunch. However, you are usually invited for Kiddush.

4. It is bad form to take a Bar/Bat Mitzvah gift with you when you go to a traditional synagogue on Shabbat. Carrying is prohibited on Shabbat, and most traditional synagogues treat this prohibition seriously. Taking a monetary gift with you even in envelopes is especially offensive, since this not only ignores the prohibition against carrying, it also ignores the prohibition against handling money (and things representing money, such as checks, bonds, etc.) on Shabbat.

5. The no-carry principle in a traditional synagogue on Shabbat is also, by extension the dont-bring-a-pocketbook (handbag, suitcase briefcase, etc.) dictum.

Did you like this article? MyJewishLearning is a not-for-profit organization.

Please consider making a donation today.

Sharon M. Strassfeld is co-author of the Jewish Catalog series.

In addition to the tips listed below, it is important also to remember that in Orthodox synagogues, men and women sit separatelyand often enter the sanctuary through separate entrancesso visitors need to find the appropriate sections and entrances for each gender. Reprinted with permission from The Second Jewish Catalog, edited by Sharon Strassfeld and Michael Strassfeld (Jewish Publication Society).

1. When you enter a traditional synagogue, put on a kippah [yarmulke] if you are a male (supplies are kept in almost every shul), and keep it oneven during the Kiddush and/or meal that follows the service. [In some liberal congregations, women cover their hair as well, while Orthodox women generally cover their hair if they are married. See #6 below for more information.]

2. In traditional synagogues it is forbidden, even after the service, to smoke on Shabbat (ask if youre not aware of synagogue policy).

3. On some occasions, following the Kiddush there will be a lunch to which guests of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah are invited. [Kiddush is the blessing of sanctification of Shabbat over a cup of wine, but in this context, it used more broadly to include also the snacks or light meal provided after the blessing is said.] Dont automatically assume that if youve been to services, you are invited to the lunch. However, you are usually invited for Kiddush.

4. It is bad form to take a Bar/Bat Mitzvah gift with you when you go to a traditional synagogue on Shabbat. Carrying is prohibited on Shabbat, and most traditional synagogues treat this prohibition seriously. Taking a monetary gift with you even in envelopes is especially offensive, since this not only ignores the prohibition against carrying, it also ignores the prohibition against handling money (and things representing money, such as checks, bonds, etc.) on Shabbat.

5. The no-carry principle in a traditional synagogue on Shabbat is also, by extension the dont-bring-a-pocketbook (handbag, suitcase briefcase, etc.) dictum.

6. An extension of the no-money principle is the dont jangle the change in your pocket if youre bored rule.

7. In traditional synagogues, women commonly cover their hair during the service. Frequently, lace nets are provided for women who forget to wear a hat or scarf.

8. In traditional Judaism, writing is prohibited on Shabbat and holidays, so needless to say, dont go to synagogue with your Bic sticking out of your breast pocket (or with cigars sticking out eithersee no. 2 above).

9. While there is no problem in the Reconstructionist, Conservative, and Reform movements about riding to synagogue in a car on Shabbat, Orthodox synagogues do not condone driving. Accordingly, try to be sensitive to such feelings when confronted with the situation. There is no reason to park your car in the synagogue parking lot or right in front of the building when you could park a block away and offend no one.

10. In many synagoguesmen [and women] wear tallitot [prayer shawls] during the morning service (both Shabbat and weekdays). On weekdays, men [and in some communities, women also] wear tefillin for the Morning Service. If you own these articles bring them to the appropriate services. If you dont own a tallit, almost any synagogue will provide you with one; if you dont own tefillin, some synagogues will be able to provide and some wont. In any case, in some shuls it is not a social solecism to pray without tefillin. Women should use their own sensitivity and discretion to guide them in the matter of wearing tefillin and tallitot. [In Orthodox synagogues, most women do not wear them, though some individual women choose to do so. In liberal synagogues, women and men generally follow the same customs.]

11. For all occasions when you enter a synagogue you should dress appropriately. Perhaps it is not fitting to approach God when you are not carefully attired; certainly it shows no respect to a community to ignore its standards of dress. In traditional synagogues women should wear dresses with sleeves and men should wear clean, pressed slacks and shirts Most synagoguesprefer jacket and tie. Some synagogues are tolerant of women in slack suits; others are not. Check the local policy before sallying forth.

12. Except for nos. 1, 3, 7, 10, and 11 above, these rules do not apply during a normal weekday service

As you enter the synagogue/sanctuary/prayer room, you should have the following (women are not required [by traditional Jewish law] to don the first three; some synagogues may even frown on a woman wearing these articles [while other synagogues actively encourage it], so let your own sensitivities decide):

kippah (except in many Reform temples)

tallit (ditto)

tefillin (ditto; you need them only on weekdays)

siddur [prayer book]

Humash [Bible] (only on Shabbat, holidays, Monday and Thursday)

The last two items can usually be found in bookcases either right before you enter the room or right after. In some shuls the siddurim (plural of siddur) are placed on each seat, and the Bibles are given out by the usher just before the Torah service begins. In some traditional
shuls you dont take a humash from the bookcase until the time for the Torah reading. In such shuls you simply amble over to the bookcase at that time (along with everyone else) and pick one up.

The tallit (and/or tefillin) can be put on either before entering the room or when you get to your seat (the latter is usually the case with tefillin).The kippah is put on before entering the room.

In most synagogues you can sit wherever you like. If you are there for a simhajoyous occasionsuch as a bar/bat mitzvah, an usher may show you to the area where the family and relations are sitting.

If it is an Orthodox synagogue, remember that men and women sit in separate areas.

In a few synagogues the regular members have customary seats. Sometimes there are seat plaques to indicate such seats; at other times you just have to step (sit) carefully. Often you will be told which areas are open territory The eastern wall (the wall with the ark) is a place of honor in old-style synagogues, and in general you shouldnt just wander over and sit down there.

More here:
Entering a Synagogue - My Jewish Learning

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on Entering a Synagogue – My Jewish Learning
Tags:

Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

The 1,800-year-old inscribed stone.. (photo credit:COURTESY OF BEIT ZINATI)

An 1,800-year-old limestone column capital engraved with two Hebrew inscriptions dating to the Roman period was discovered during a recent restoration and conservation project carried out in an ancient synagogue in Peqiin, located near the Western Galilee.

The Israel Antiquities Authority said the work is being conducted by the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel, as part of a project by the Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry.

The stone was found upside down in the buildings courtyard, and upon discovery of the inscriptions, archaeologists from the IAA arrived at the site in order to examine the special find, the Authority said in a statement on Tuesday.

A preliminary analysis of the engravings suggests that these are dedicatory inscriptions honoring donors to the synagogue.

According to Yoav Lerer, the IAAs inspector of the Western Galilee, the Talmudic and Midrashic sources tell of Galilean sages who lived in Peqiin, including Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who hid from the Romans in a cave.

However, he noted that there are scholars who disagree with the identification of the location of Peqiin.

I believe that these inscriptions will add an important tier to our knowledge about the Jewish settlement in the village of Peqiin during the Roman and Byzantine periods, said Lerer.

In the past year, restoration and conservation work was carried out in Peqiins ancient synagogue and nearby Beit Zinati to upgrade the visitor center located at the latter.

When completed, the visitor center will inform tourists of the 2,000-year-old history of the Jews inhabiting the village, and the unique story of the Zinati family, the villages oldest remaining Jewish residents.

Margalit Zinati, the last member of the clan, resides in a house next to the synagogue.

Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Zeev Elkin, described Peqiin as one of the most significant sites in the Galilee.

It is a place where there has always been a Jewish presence, said Elkin. Its a great honor for me that during my tenure in office such an important discovery has been made that tells this 2,000-year-old story of the Land of Israel.

Uriel Rosenboym, director of Beit Zinati, described the find as a historical discovery of unparalleled importance, that unequivocally confirms what the late president Yitzhak Ben Zvi long maintained in the early 20th century about the Jewish settlement at Peqiin.

No one can argue with a written artifact, said Rosenboym. There was an ancient synagogue here, and the synagogue was built in its current form in recent centuries. We thank the Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, which aims to preserve the heritage of Peqiins Jews.

Rosenboym continued: We are pleased to open the new museum, with a historic message about this ancient community. Although the stone itself was taken to be studied by the Israel Antiquities Authority, this unique story of the keepers of the flame in Peqiin is revealed in the renewed museum.

Relevant to your professional network? Please share on Linkedin

Prev Article

Israeli ministers call for Elor Azaria to be pardoned

We need to choke the haredim, says Jerusalem-area community head

Next Article

Link:
1800-year-old Hebrew stone inscriptions found in ancient Galilee synagogue - Jerusalem Post Israel News

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on 1800-year-old Hebrew stone inscriptions found in ancient Galilee synagogue – Jerusalem Post Israel News
Tags:

Posted By richards on February 21, 2017

A proposed real estate development in the historic center of Manchester is pitting two ex-Manchester United soccer stars and a Reform synagogue against Englands heritage lobby.

Former pros Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville are the public face a plan for two new skyscrapers in the St. Michaels area of Manchester, the heart of what has traditionally been a low-rise city, near the sight of the historic town hall and central library. Developers have called it a landmark development for Manchester.

Construction would necessitate the demolition of three older buildings, including Manchester Reform Synagogue, the citys centers only shul, founded in 1857. The current structure, an imposing red brick building with stained glass windows noteworthy for their depictions of full human figures and faces, was opened in 1953. Their previous synagogue was bombed and largely destroyed during the Blitz in 1941.

Though the St. Michaels project would involve the loss of their synagogue, its president Danny Savage said the demolition has unanimous support from membership. The present structure, he said, is dilapidated and poorly built, suffering from damp, failing electrical and heating systems, and is without parking, disabled access, and youth facilities.

With this in mind, Manchester Reform struck a deal with the developers. In return for their prime real estate, a new, purpose-built synagogue and cultural center will be built into the lower levels of one of the proposed skyscrapers. Along with a new, accessible sanctuary, they will gain parking spaces and multi-purpose meeting rooms. Some of the current structures original fixtures, such as the stained glass and Torah ark, will be retained. The developers argue this arrangement will enable the congregation to continue to enjoy its city center location and play an important role in the civic life of the city. Savage believes their plans offer Manchester Reform a chance to reinvigorate the membership and keep the congregation safe for future generations.

Standing in their way, however, are a coalition of heritage organizations who believe St. Michaels constitutes an architectural eyesore and aberration that would dominate its vicinity. The conservation group SAVE Britains Heritage argues: If the proposal gets the go-ahead it will be a town planning disaster of a magnitude not seen in decades. The Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns to safeguard architecture and design in Britain from 1914 on, saidthe design of the towers shows no consideration to Manchestersspecial sense of place.

These groups also oppose the demolition of Manchester Reform Synagogue itself and submitted an urgent application to save the buildingwhich the government rejected. Historic England, a public body that champions and protects Englands historic places, agreed, telling me in a statement that the building is not distinctive architecturally and has been subject to fairly extensive alterations over the years.

Still, Historic England believes the demolition of Manchester Reform Synagogue would harm the character and appearance of the center of town, so it would have to be very clearly justified.

The Twentieth Century Society and [Historic England] seem to be hell bent against the development and have never contacted the synagogue ever to see how it affects us, Savage told me. We as Jews welcome change, as most of Manchester does, in the hope that regeneration of the city center will create and secure jobs and prosperity.

Manchesters city council is expected to consider the planning application for St. Michaels in the next few months.

Liam Hoare is a freelance writer whose work on politics and literature has featured in publications including The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and The Forward. He is a graduate of University College Londons School of Slavonic and East European Studies.

Go here to read the rest:
A proposed real estate development in the historic center of Manchester is pitting two ex-Manchester United soccer ... - Tablet Magazine

Category: Synagogue | Comments Off on A proposed real estate development in the historic center of Manchester is pitting two ex-Manchester United soccer … – Tablet Magazine
Tags: