Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

(September 13, 2022 / JNS) Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh arrived in Moscow on Sept. 10 at the head of a senior delegation from the terror group for talks with Russian officials. Analysts speculate that Moscows invitation to Hamas, like an earlier one in May, is meant to send a message of dissatisfaction to Israel.

The Russians typically use meetings with Hamas to signal displeasure with Israel, perhaps in relation to Ukraine, Hillel Frisch, senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS), told JNS.

A noteworthy aspect of the May meeting is that it came a month after Israel Prime Minister Yair Lapid, then foreign minister, accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, specifically in relation to alleged atrocities committed outside Kyiv. Of the current meeting, Frisch said it was unclear what specifically Russia may have found objectionable about Israeli statements or actions.

Anna Geifman, senior researcher at Bar-Ilan Universitys department of political science, told JNS that it might be a general warning, a way for Russia to tell Israel that if it takes a wrong step it will strengthen relations with the regions hostile actors. The message may be: If you become our enemy, were going to deal with your enemies, she said.

For Geifman, the important point is that this isnt something new. The Russians have always played the anti-Israel, or anti-Western, card whenever it was convenient for them, from the Soviet days. Theyve always talked to terrorists. Its not even a question of talkingits collaborating, she said.

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Noting that the Soviet Union set up special schools to train terrorists, Geifman said not much has changed despite 25 years of supposed democracy. You can call them anything you like. Maybe theyre not Soviets, but if they act along the same old patterns, theyre the same old bad actors, she said.

Another reason for the Russian embrace of Hamas is that its options in terms of international diplomacy have shrunk, as Russia has become a pariah on the world stage with its invasion of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has no one who wants to play with him. So hes happy to invite anyone. And, not surprisingly, its going be someone with whom no one wants to play either, said Geifman.

Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president of research at the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), agreed that this partly explains Moscows actions. Youre looking at a government that wants to demonstrate its ability to engage diplomatically around the world, amid an ongoing battle in Ukraine, he told JNS.

Perhaps it is an act of desperation, an effort by Putin to try to seek some legitimacy, or to demonstrate that hes still a world leader whos in demand, but it certainly strikes me as an odd choice given that its not as if Hamas can provide legitimacy, he added.

Thats some of the context, but I would actually argue that this move is a very deliberate attempt to demonstrate that there is a growing alliance that is taking shape around the world, he said.

It appears that Putin is building an axis of like-minded governments and entities, Schanzer said. It really does look like he is working to create a new revisionist axis that already includes the Iranians, includes China potentially, and includes North Korea.

The question is whether this is an effort to legitimize and recruit Hamas to be part of that broader coalition. Or is this for show, or something else entirely? said Schanzer. The bottom line is that there is no clear, mutual interest between these two actors. Russia doesnt have very clear interests as it relates to the Gaza Strip.

It is a bit of a jolt that a Russian leader whos largely isolated on the world stage and looking for new ways to engage appears to be legitimizing and elevating Hamas with this meeting, he said.

Schanzer also agreed that Russia may intend the meeting as a disapproving signal to Israel. Perhaps theres an escalation ladder that Putin is climbing: If you continue to malign me diplomatically, this is what youre going to get in return.

In terms of an Israeli reaction, he expects that if there is one, it will be via private channels given how carefully the Israelis have been acting due to Russias presence in Syria. If Russia promises Hamas something in terms of weaponry, the Israeli reaction might change, he said, but he sees that as an unlikely scenario given that Russia is not in a position where it has weapons to spare.

Geifman agreed: Israel will have to be careful primarily because of the Russians in Syria. Israel must have a free hand there as much as possible because of Iran and Hezbollah. And I dont think Russia is going to invest in Hamas. And even if they give them weapons, they wont be good weapons.

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Moscow's invitation to Hamas could be meant as warning to Israel, analysts say - JNS.org

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

Michal Herzog, the first lady of Israel, was among dignitaries who attended a private viewing Monday night of Alber Elbaz: The Dream Factory at the Design Museum Holon.

Whats billed as the most extensive exhibition to date about the late Israeli designer and one of the most complex and costly ever mounted at the 12-year-old institution opens to the public on Thursday and runs through Feb. 25.

It will reprise the Love Brings Love showcase of 46 tribute looks by top designers, made in the wake of Elbazs death from COVID-19 in April 2021 and given a dedicated exhibition earlier this year at the Palais Galliera in Paris. Participating designers included Dior, Gucci, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Balmain and Versace.

The Design Museum Holon dreamed up a new, multimedia format for those dresses, but the scope of the overall exhibition is much broader: It blends sketches, archival materials, personal objets, video clips and never-before-seen photos to delve into Elbazs life story, tracing it from his birthplace in Morocco and his childhood home of Holon to the pinnacle of the Paris fashion firmament.

Its a celebration of Albers life and achievements, also his personality, curator Yaara Keydar said in an interview over Zoom. You get to experience this person and not only his designs.

More than 100 outfits are displayed amid bolts of colorful fabric, reams of ribbons, heart-shaped confetti, antique mirrors and racing-flag photo sets with flashbulbs popping.

Most designs by Elbaz are from AZ Factory, the new fashion brand he established as a joint venture with Compagnie Financiere Richemont, while the scope of his fashion career is represented in photos. Elbaz worked behind the scenes for Geoffrey Beene in New York, going on to design for Guy Laroche, Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Krizia Top and Lanvin.

Organizers took pains not to characterize the exhibition as a retrospective, pointing to an Elbaz quote: The only thing I do not do is summarize. I do not do retrospectives.

Still, the 180-foot peripheral corridor of the Ron Arad-designed museum recounts his life story through the main milestones and people in his life via some 300 photographs, fashion illustrations, quotes and personal accoutrements, including his signature bow tie, his bulky Maison Bonnet eyeglasses and his favorite pencil case.

Crowd pleasers are likely to include the draped gold Lanvin dress Meryl Streep wore in 2012 to pick up a Best Actress Oscar for The Iron Lady, and a white Lanvin peace dress accessorized with feathery wings.

Visitors can also park themselves at a dinner table and watch video snippets of the many lectures Elbaz gave around the world to fashion students during his four-year hiatus between Lanvin and AZ Factory. The section is called Food for Thought and Elbazs life lessons and dry, often self-deprecating humor are projected onto plates.

Roving spotlights, flashing lights, spinning carousels and spirited music lend the displays the upbeat, carnival-like atmosphere Elbaz summoned at his fashion shows for Lanvin, where his acclaimed 14-year tenure cemented his fashion legacy.

Likewise, mannequins sprawl on chairs, lounge on the ground reading magazines or are frozen mid-dance move echoing Elbazs whimsical window displays of yore.

Visitors say they feel like they met Alber in person, Keydar said. Alber was not afraid to dream and you can see this from the age of 6, when he began sketching fashion looks.

She noted that Elbaz shared not only the greatest moments of his life, but also the tragedies and the failures, alluding to him being edged out of YSL by Tom Ford in 2000, and his ouster from Lanvin in 2015. He was very open about how you can overcome crises and become even more powerful than you were before.

The exhibition is divided into different stations of his life, narratives constructed around key places like New York, Paris, Holon and Tangiers. For example, it was in New York where Elbaz married his passion for couture with the ease of American sportswear a combination that would seep through his entire career.

His Paris years are represented by a slew of Little Black Dresses and tuxedo references.

He really left us with so many important thoughts about the future of fashion, Keydar said, referring to his fascination with smart fabrics, sustainability, diverse sizing and other solutions at AZ Factory. And he was an incredible storyteller.

A fashion historian and curator, Keydar has a degree in fashion design from Shenkar College in Remat Gan, Israel, where Elbaz also studied. One of the designers Shenkar teachers and longtime collaborators, Shelly Verthime, served as a consultant on the Holon exhibition.

Among AZ Factory representatives who attended the opening festivities were Elbazs partner Alex Koo and Norman Ren Devera, AZ Factorys design director.

Design Museum Holon is the only design museum in Israel and a summer 2021 fashion exhibition titled The Ball, dedicated to evening and bridal gowns and curated by Keydar, attracted more than 150,000 visitors.

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Alber Elbaz Gets the Museum Treatment in Israel - WWD

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

OneRepublic lead singer Ryan Tedder recalled the American pop rock bands crazy performance in Israel seven years ago ahead of their upcoming concert on Nov. 8 at the Live Park amphitheater in Rishon LeZion.

We are so excited to be coming back to Israel, the Counting Stars singer said in a clip shared Monday on Instagram by Live Nation Israel. He also said, We had the absolute best time the last time we were there. I will never forget that show 22,000 people it was crazy. Were so pumped to do it again. Cant wait to see you there.

OneRepublic last performed in Israel in May 2015 in Tel Avivs Yarkon Park. According to their website, the Grammy-nominated bands November concert in Israel is their only stop in the Middle East as part of their world tour, though it was originally announced in June that they would also perform in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The band will also make stopsin Switzerland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

OneRepublics 2015 show in Yarkon Park was condemned by supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, but the criticism did not deter the band from performing for their Israeli fans. Tedder said during the concert in Yarkon Park, we dont take sides. Were here for the people. We just love people and youre great people, Ynet reported.

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OneRepublic Lead Singer Says They're 'Pumped' to Return to Israel for Concert in November - Algemeiner

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

The return of communal Saturday lunches at Bnai Jeshurun, an historic synagogue in New York City, was supposed to be a cheerful moment after years of the pandemic spent celebrating the weekly Shabbat holiday apart.

Rabbi Shuli Passow announced the return of Community Kiddush last week, along with a few changes to the event, like better seating for families and a less crowded buffet. Oh, and one slight change to that buffet: Lox will be eliminated from the menu so we can do our part to reduce the environmental impact of pollution and overfishing.

Though Passow acknowledged some would find it an heretical move, she could not have been prepared for the kvetching that ensued. The lack of lox quickly made news in New York Jewish Week, the Forward, and the local West Side Rag, where one representative commenter called the decision sanctimonious. Many questioned the link between lox and overfishing.

In the process, an otherwise very-local story revealed a lot how people think through complicated moral choices about food today.

The term lox, which has been around for eight millennia, is today used loosely to mean a variety of different cured salmons. In the 1950s, hundreds of appetizing shops cropped up in New York City selling lox and other cold accompaniments for bagels. Traditionally it was cured with salt, a process that has already gone out of style amid a broader decline in salty foods. Most Jews actually eat smoked salmon even if they call it lox.

Eating fish isa more complex affair these days, owing to concerns over climate change and the sustainability of the worlds food supply. Many species of salmon are endangered due to overfishing, logging, and electrical dams. Environmentalists often argue against eating fish at all.

Bnai Jeshurun, the second synagogue built in New York City, was founded in 1825 by young German- and Polish-American Jews who preferred less formal worship with time set aside for explanations and instruction, without a permanent leader, and with no distinctions made among the members. The congregation has maintained that progressive tradition in its current home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, one of the most liberal neighborhoods of New York.

So perhaps its no surprise that Bnai Jeshurun would be among the first synagogues to question the sanctity of lox. What we eat and how we eat it should intentionally express our values, Passow wrote in her original missive about the new Saturday lunches, sounding as much like an ag-tech entrepreneur as a religious leader.

Expressing values is as strong a Jewish tradition as bagels and lox, and congregants made their feelings known, forcing the synagogue to issue a follow-up titled, Statement on lox at community Kiddush.

Bnai Jeshurun did not bring back the synagogue-provided lox, but clarified the rules and changed its reasoning,citing higher costs and a desire to provide more vegetarian options at communal meals. We inaccurately stated that consuming lox contributes to the overfishing of salmon, read the statement. Most lox is, in fact, made from farmed Atlantic salmon.

There was no citation for that claim, and the synagogue didnt respond to an email seeking one. The majority of all salmon worldwide is farmed, according to an industry group, so it stands to reason that most salmon turned into lox is farmed, too. But seafood, especially salmon, is rampantly mislabeled, and in any event, you can hear a hundred rabbis asking in unison, what makes fish farming ethical? It still consumes resources and contributes to climate change. Vegetarianism is my religion, wrote the Polish-American and Jewish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer, who wasnt devout in most other respects.

Having clearly touched the third rail of Jewish food politics, the synagogue chose to back away from its salmon shonda slowly and Solomonically: Some felt that we implied that eating lox is immoral or that [Bnai Jeshurun] is boycotting lox or lox providers, the statement continued. This could not be farther from the truth. Moreover, should anyone sponsoring Kiddush wish to include lox in the menu, they are welcome to do so.

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Bnai Jeshurun synagogue takes lox off menu, citing "values" - Quartz

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

As we continue our walk with Jesus through the Mass, we move from His baptism in the river Jordan to His preaching. We experience this in the next part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word. Here we usually read first from the Old Testament prophets. Each week Jesus listened to and read these words in the synagogue with His discipleswe too accompany Him. Remember when He read and taught in the synagogue of Nazareth:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the sabbath day. And he stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.

And he began to say to them, Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, Is not this Josephs son?

And he said to them, Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own country.'

And he said, Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and put him out of the city, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. But passing through the midst of them he went away.

(Luke 4:16-30)

Jesus is not afraid to challenge His listeners with the Old Testament Word, so it should also challenge us. As you listen to the first reading, ask the Holy Spirit to challenge you.

After the first reading, we pray with the Psalms. Jesus also prayed with the Psalms, they were the vocal prayers that Jesus learned as a childlike the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Angel of God prayers are for us. As we pray with Jesus on how to better carry out the Fathers will.

After the Responsorial Psalm, we listen to the teachings of the Apostles in one or another of their various letters. Just as Jesus sent out the apostles (Matthew 10:1,5-11:1; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6) and the 72 disciples (Luke 10:1-20), prepare the way by preaching repentance and conversion so as to embrace the Gospel of the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Finally, we listen to Christ in the Gospel. The Church teaches us that the Liturgy of the Word makes Jesus Christ present to us: when the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God himself speaks to his people, and Christ, present in his own word, proclaims the Gospel (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 29, quoted in Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, 45). That is why the Church requires that an ordained deacon, priest, or bishop read the Gospel and give the Homily because they sacramentally re-present Christs own preaching to us.

At the end of the Gospel, the priest or deacon says, The Gospel of the Lord Gods good news to us! and we respond with a resounding, Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ! Praise the Lord for the good news He gives us. Then Christ, through the ordained ministers Homily, explains what His teaching means, why it really is good news, and how we can live it out in our lives.

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The Liturgy of the Word: Listening to Christ - Relevant Radio

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

MOUNT KISCO, NY A century-old synagogue in Mount Kisco has a new spiritual leader.

The Mount Kisco Hebrew Congregation (MKHC) has announced that Rabbi Pinchas Fink recently moved to Mount Kisco to serve as the new rabbi and spiritual leader. The congregation described him as a "talented Jewish educator." His wife, Rebbetzin Naomi Fink, and children will also become a part of the MKHC family.

MKHC is a modern orthodox synagogue founded in 1906 bringing a century of Jewish tradition, spirituality and joy to Northern Westchester County.

"Our small-but growing congregation offers members an opportunity to impact our community while immersing in the traditions of Judaism,"Synagogue President Steven Sokol said. "We are excited to have the Finks here in our community and look forward to others getting the chance to meet them."

Free tickets are available to new individuals or families who wish to attend for Rosh Hashanah and/or Yom Kippur. More information about High Holiday tickets or about MKHC can be obtained by emailing Rabbi Fink at this email address. More information can also be found on the website.

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Mount Kisco Hebrew Congregation Welcomes New Rabbi And Family - Chappaqua, NY Patch

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

When Susan Ribnick learned of the massacre at the Tree of Life building on Oct. 27, 2018, she felt compelled to act.

The mosaic artist and president of Austin Mosaic Guild in Austin, Texas, said she was horrified watching images of the tragedy on CNN.

You dont have to be Jewish; you just have to be human. I was walking around in a state like, What do you do with this feeling? Youre outraged. Im Jewish. I could be in a synagogue where this happened, she said.

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Hope by Linda Biggers. Image provided by Seton Hill University.

Ribnick made use of the resources at hand. She called a meeting of the guild and suggested the members create small memorials, 8x8 with a jewel tone theme. She envisioned a group of 10 artists working on the project From Darkness to Light: An exhibition of mosaics inspired by the Tree of Life Tragedy. That number jumped to 12 when artists in Denver and Philadelphia heard about the project. It soon increased to 18.

She eventually decided to include more than 40 pieces in the exhibition, which includes artists from Canada, Israel, Morocco, Scotland and Venezuela, in addition to the American artists.

Salaam by Heather Kruger. Image provided by Seton Hill University.

People would contact me through Facebook. I couldnt say no, she said. Those that reached out included Squirrel Hill artist Steve Sadvary, whose work Coming Together in Peace is included in the collection.

Coming Together in Peace by Squirrel Hill artist Steve Sadvary. Image provided by Seton Hill University.

Ribnick recounted the circuitous journey of the project at an exhibit reception and gallery talk on Sept. 11 at the Jodee Harris Gallery Seton Hill Arts Center in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where the mosaics will be on exhibit through Sept. 30.

Realizing she had no connection to the Tree of Life synagogue but sensing there was something special happening with the mosaics, Ribnick reached out to her rabbi, Neil Blumofe at Congregation Agudas Achim.

Blumofe agreed that there was something special afoot. He decided to show the pieces at Agudas Achim. He also reached out to Rabbi Jeffrey Myers at Tree of Life.

The Pittsburgh synagogue was deluged with not only requests for interviews and speakers and to join ceremonies and concerts but also with physical objects sent to the congregation.

Snowdrops by Rachel Davies. Image provided by Seton Hill University.

Laurie Zittrain Eisenberg was designated an unofficial ambassador, connecting requests with members.

As luck would have it, Tree of Life member David Kalla was going to Galveston, Texas, at the same time From Darkness to Light would be hanging at the Austin synagogue. Eisenberg asked him to pay a visit and see the exhibit.

Ribnick said it was fate that Kalla stopped by the congregation.

Amos 5:24 by Susan Ribnick. Image provided by Seton Hill University.

The rest is history, she said. If you put an idea in that guys mind, its going to happen. Its amazing.

During remarks to those in attendance, Kalla said that he was glad the exhibit was on a college campus. Its purpose, he posited, wasnt simply to commemorate the victims of Oct. 27 but to promote a wider discussion on education of antisemitism.Art, like these mosaics, have a way of moving audiences, he said. I hope you see these pieces and read the artists words and feel inspired to talk to your neighbors and take action to end antisemitism.

From left to right: Tree of Life member David Kalla, Seton Hill University President Mary Finger, Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Director Lauren Bairnsfather, artist Susan Ribnick and Director of the National Center for Holocaust Education James Paharik. Photo by David Rullo.

The exhibit was presented as part of the commemoration of the Seton Hill University National Catholic Center for Holocaust Educations 35th anniversary.

Center Director James Paharik opened the exhibition by recalling the day the mosaics arrived at the university.

I remember opening the large wooden crate. I was astounded by the vision of each of these little gems. Each is unique, each one is an inspiration for those of us who live in the area, he said. It gives us hope in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh Director Lauren Bairnsfather noted the significance of From Darkness to Light opening on Sept. 11, recalling the terrorist attacks on that day.

Its fitting on this day to be here in Greensburg where there is so much effort behind interfaith cooperation and bridge building, much of it taking place at Seton Hill University, she said.

The effects of Oct. 27, she said, continue to be felt, moving like ripples from Western Pennsylvania, crossing America and oceans.

Its a convergence of all these things happening on this day, she said.

Seton Hill President Mary Finger said the university was honored to be part of the exhibit.

Ribnick concluded her remarks by saying that its disheartening events like the Tree of Life shooting continue to occur.Art can be a powerful catalyst and can promote discussion to reach out to not-like-minded-people. Its very hard to affect change, but art is a powerful thing. If we get somebodys attention, then we will have done a good job, she said. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org

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From Darkness to Light seeks to battle antisemitism and hate with art - thejewishchronicle.net

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

Recipes for baked apples, an advertisement urging you to enjoy delicious, festive dining with kosher poultry, calendar listings in boldface type.

For readers of The Emanu-El, the Jewish Bulletin or even J. The Jewish News of Northern California, seeing those features in our publication signified only one thing that Rosh Hashanah was coming.

In the 19th century, like today, the High Holidays were among the secular society of San Francisco and the Bay Area the one time of year that people went to synagogue. Or, as the paper put it in 1896: The New Year is the mass meeting of Israel. None can be absent.

This was reflected in the paper. Synagogue sermons and listings are there from the very first year of the paper, all the way back in 5656 (its now 5782). And the citizens of San Francisco duly attended this traditional call: New Years services were celebrated in all the synagogues of San Francisco in the presence of crowded houses, we said in 1896.

The coming together of Jews for the New Year also meant it was a once-a-year opportunity to reach people, and the paper was also full of advertisements. Some were for services, like in 1898, when part of a column was given over to an advertisement for a Sephardic holiday service, a rare thing in the Ashkenazi-heavy society of San Francisco.

Divine Services will be held in Fraternity Hall, Bnai Brith Building, 121 Eddy street. Tickets for seats free to all those who cannot afford to pay for them can be secured from Rev. H. J. Abraham.

But most advertisements came from businesses, either for holiday-related goods or more commonly as a way for local shops to show their Jewish customers they cared.

From Adolph Hubners Peacock Confectionery on OFarrell Street (We still make those famous hazelnuttorten and brodtorten also fancy twists for the holidays) to holiday greetings from Sinaloa Mexican Cantina and from Louis Fashion Restaurant, local businesses made sure that Jews knew they were valuable customers.

The range of businesses offering greetings was huge, from J. B. Perry & Son (coal, wood, hay, grain, fertilizer, seeds, etc.) to the Emporium (offering a box of Lyons California Glace Fruits: figs, apricots, tangerines, cherries, prunes and pineapple with their fresh flavor sealed under a glace coating, plus a photo of Temple Emanu-El (Your friends will keep the photo as a permanent memento, and will remember with pleasure their enjoyment of the fruit).

While businesses advertised during the holiday season throughout the 20th century, it was only in the 1950s that synagogues themselves started using the paper heavily to promote their holiday services. And variations on spellings for Rosh Hashanah and High Holidays were ubiquitous.

A typical one from 1953: Congregation Beth Israel announces that a limited number of memberships and seats are available in the main sanctuary for the High Holyday Services and listed the times, as well as the rabbis and cantors officiating. This continued through the decades (and endures today). But they werent always traditional services that were advertised in our paper.

In 1981, we had an advertisement to Celebrate the Creation of the World. Rosh Hashona and Yom Kippur experience. It included: Egalitarian Services Singing Dancing Group Processes Traditional Liturgy and was held at the San Francisco Womens Center, founded in 1971.

The season also meant calls for charity, either by donation or by action.

In 1918, during World War I, the Jewish Welfare Board issued an appeal to the Jews of San Francisco. They wanted families to take Jewish soldiers into their home over the holiday season: We are desirous of securing for every Jewish boy near San Francisco an invitation to eat and sleep in a Jewish home during these days, they said. Services were available, as well:

All the congregations have issued a cordial invitation to these men to attend services and will reserve seats for them. We want to make our Jewish boys feel as much at home as possible this Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Almost the same appeal was made some four decades later, in 1966.

Jewish servicemen and women in the San Francisco Bay Area will be enabled to observe Rosh Hashonah in the traditional way through the efforts of the USO-United Jewish Community Centers and the Bay Area Armed Forces and Veteran Service Committee in cooperation with the National Jewish Welfare Board, the article said.

Again, seats were being arranged for those in the armed forces, while home hospitality for those wishing it will be provided through the efforts of a committee headed by Mrs. Eva Koblenz. She reports an excellent response from the community.

That community response holds the key to the holiday, and in turn the advertisement-stuffed pages of the early paper. The High Holidays are days that are set apart, and making sure all Jews feel included in the joyous, solemn ceremonies of the New Year has always been the aim.

And whether it was informing them of the Post Yom Kippur Ball in 1953 or running an ad in 1898 for an at-home Sabbath book that was elegantly bound with an embossed cover as a New Years gift, this paper was there for them as it is today.

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FROM OUR ARCHIVES: High Holiday ads from days days of yore J. - The Jewish News of Northern California

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

It all started with six Jewish families that wanted to build a community in Wilmington. 100 years later, Congregation Beth Shalom is celebrating.

"This synagogue has seen it all. Before the holocaust, before the state of Israel, the synagogue was here," Rabbi Michael Beals told WDEL. "In the face of rising anti-Semitism, celebrating things like this with pride and dignity are so important."

Anniversary committee chairman Michael Sigman says they have been preparing for the milestone for three years.

"This is truly a celebration of not only 100 years, but the community that it takes to put on this type of celebration," Sigman said.

Beals says the synagogue has welcomed all who follow the religion and even with those who don't.

"We work with our Muslim friends...our Christian friends...it's a real interfaith fabric. Everyone has a place here," Beals said.

The synagogue offers programs and activities throughout the week, including Shabbat for people of all ages.

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Congregation Beth Shalom celebrates 100th anniversary | The Latest from WDEL News | wdel.com - 1150AM/101.7FM WDEL

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Posted By admin on September 13, 2022

(RNS) I am really, really starting to dislike the word iconic, especially because I overuse it. One of my resolutions for the coming year is to break that habit.

But, sometimes, it fits. I would eagerly attach the adjective iconic to singer-songwriter Craig Taubman. He is a veteran composer and performer of Jewish music, and not just Jewish music.

He is also not just a musician. He is a seeker and producer of meaning, and a creator of community.

I spent a few minutes the other day catching up with Craig. We talked about the weather in Los Angeles (hot, really hot!), and the heat that his community, The Pico Union Project, has generated.

Craig: My wife and I bought the Pico property about 10 years ago. It was the first home of Sinai Temple. It was where I celebrated becoming Bar Mitzvah, got married and created Friday Night Live with Rabbi David Wolpe. It happened to be the oldest synagogue structure in Los Angeles.

We thought that we could turn it into a cool place, into a destination venue. We would bring in great music, great food, and even great scotch. My daughter told me: You should ask the people in that area what they need. Youre not just a musician; youre a community builder. She put it all together for me. For the last 10 years, weve been bringing people together people from all different backgrounds, all different classes, and it has been amazing. Our principle is: Love your neighbor as yourself.

Craig Taubman. Courtesy photo

There are three faith communities that meet here: a Black church, a Latino church and a Jewish group. We have brought in amazing music, like Idan Rachel, Jackson Browne, Rhiannon Giddens and the Klezmatics. During the week, we do a lot of social service programs. We distribute 20,000 pounds of produce a week.

It also happens to be in the poorest neighborhood in Los Angeles. We are in a food desert. The closest grocery store is 2 miles away. People cant get fresh produce, so they eat unhealthy foods. It reflected what happened during COVID; over 3,000 people in our district died of the disease. But, not in our immediate neighborhood because of the food distribution program.

We do health screenings, COVID screenings it has been an interesting journey. Fifteen hundred people a week cross our threshold.

Jeff: This is amazing stuff. It makes me wonder: Have other communities imitated your model?

Craig: In Helena, Montana, a group just bought the oldest synagogue in town back from the Catholic diocese. They call the initiative the Montana Project.

I told them: The odds of you creating a strong Jewish community in Helena are pretty slim. But, if you want to create a Jewish presence here that mirrors Jewish values, that might work, and you will serve the community with those values.

They liked that. It actually means you can have Jewish values without Jews!

Jeff: So, in a smaller community where there are few or no Jews, there can still be reverberations of Jewish values. Sort of like, Judaism without Jews. I really do need to think more about that.

Craig: So, I was talking with Ron Wolfson (the visionary Jewish educator and thought leader) the other day as we were driving to Orange County to honor Pastor Rick Warrenon the occasion of his retirement from Saddleback Church.

Ron was telling me about an idea that is intriguing him getting all the people in the world who have some Jewish DNA in them and getting them to become our allies.

So, thats millions upon millions of people, whom we hope will see themselves within the Jewish narrative. But, whats in it for them? Heres an idea: Create a party for all these people who have some Jewish stuff in them, and to invite them, with no agenda, to tell their stories.

How many millions of dollars has the Jewish community spent in battling BDS? Why not take that money and invite Christian and Muslim college kids to join Jewish kids on trips to Israel? Together they could learn the good, the bad and the ugly and let them come to their own conclusions and tell their own stories.

Jeff: So, youre looking to expand the Jewish palette. Very interesting and a very compelling idea. That brings me to Jewels of Elul, your pre-High Holy Day daily set of readings. It seems to me that this is precisely what you are doing.

Craig: Exactly. If youre going to publish inspirations for the 29 days of Elul, leading up to Rosh Hashanah, why limit it to one voice, when you can get 29 different voices?

In the first year, it was mostly rabbis and other Jewish leaders basically, friends of mine. But then, in the second year, I invited Pastor Cecil Chip Murray. Hes 93 years old now and a remarkable man, who single-handedly stopped the Rodney King riots. I put him in there because it was about the art of loving your neighbor. Someone wrote to me, and said: What can I possibly learn about the High Holy Days from a n?

Jeff: My God. I simply cannot get my mind around that that someone would actually say such a thing.

Craig: I said: Wow. That anyone could think that this is a Jewish way to think about Jewish ritual shocked me! So, I opened Jewels of Elul way up. Because the only way that I can choose to love my neighbor, or not to love my neighbor, is by knowing my neighbor. If I am only listening to the same voices mostly rabbis who are my age how can I expect me or anyone to grow?

So, yes, we broke it open, and we found many allies. Did I agree with all of them? No. I didnt need to. We need more voices now more than ever before. Stop telling people how you disagree with them; find places where you do agree.

Jeff: I have to tell you, I have loved Jewels. I like seeing the people I admire in there, and you have done an amazing job of bringing in unknown or less known voices. You also have this thing about finding celebrities and getting them to talk about their lives. Who have been your favorite teachers that you have included over the years?

Craig: Rabbi Harold Schulweis, of blessed memory. I love the way he taught us to go from is to ought. Its not about what Jews are; its about what they ought to be. Its not about what a synagogue is; its about what a synagogue ought to be. Not what Judaism is; what Judaism ought to be. Not what Israel is; what Israel ought to be. Ought strengthens is.

I love the diversity of people who have written for Jewels. Lady Gaga and the Dalai Lama have written for us. But the stuff that spoke to me the most were the people who simply told stories out of the depths of their own beings and experiences about the moments, memories and epiphanies that changed them.

Hey, Jeff, do you remember the jewel you wrote for us several years ago?

Jeff: No. You will have to remind me.

So here it is:

Sometimes, a Broadway show is not just a performance. It is a dream set to music.

That was my experience when I saw The Bands Visit, the multi-Tony Award-winning musical version of the Israeli film of the same name. The Bands Visit is the story of an Egyptian police band, booked to sing in the Israeli city of Petach Tikvah (with a p). Through a simple linguistic error, the band winds up in a small desert town Beit Hatikva (with a b). There, a caf owner, Dina, invites them to stay the night, as an unresolved romantic tension between her and the captain of the band grows.

The Bands Visit portrays Israeli Jews and Egyptian Muslims as dwelling together for a single night. Forty-five years ago, Israel and Egypt fought a war against each other. No one seems to remember. Their individual cultures flow imperceptibly between them. The music is enchanting in its blurring of Arab and Middle Eastern Jewish modes.

The Bands Visit is almost a messianic moment. Israeli Jews provide hachnasat orchim, hospitality, for Egyptian strangers just as our common father Abraham did for sojourners in the same desert that now houses Beit Hatikva. People see themselves as merely people with secrets, longings, and love.

Thanks, Craig.

I almost forgot.

Link:

We need a louder and broader Jewish voice - Religion News Service

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