*Click on the Link & move the cursor over each Service or Event for more information, including time(s).

Tikvah Times Staff: Alene Schonhaut - Editor at Large, Madeleine Wolf - Assistant Editor, and

Jay Beber - Cover Design & Consultant

Photograph Credits: Narendra Bhalodkar, Sharon Kahn, Lisa Lupo, Meryl Root, Alene Schonhaut & Cheryl Stern

Rabbi Randy Sheinberg

When We Are United In Friendship And Mutual Support, We Can Overcome The Forces That Assail Us And Serve As A Beacon Of Hope For All The World

This past week (in early February), I went with Paola to watch the Herricks Middle School Play. Kudos to our own Temple members who participated in the show - Sasha Stern in the orchestra pit and Madilyn Silverman in a starring role. I know that they are not the only thespians among our members. Kudos to all the kids who are involved in their local theater productions.

It’s no secret that Jews are disproportionately represented in the performing arts. Some of us love the spotlight. Or we like dressing in costume, taking on a role and imagining ourselves into a different life circumstance. Or we just like having fun.

There is nothing like a theater production to create a sense of community…

Together, this month we will celebrate the most theatrical of Jewish holidays: Purim. As you know, Purim is a time of costumes and merriment, a time when we give thanks for the miracle of the survival of the Jewish people.

Although this holiday is filled with merriment, it also has a dark side. The story we read in Megilat Esther is one of persecution and anti-Semitism. The villain Haman hates the Jews, because they will not worship him; he is the consummate anti-Semite. King Achashverosh may not be anti-Semitic himself, but he is all too willing to follow Haman’s lead in hatching a decree to destroy the Jews. He plays to his constituency.

Sadly, these themes feel all too familiar to us today. The murder of eleven Jews at Temple Tree of Life last fall, the largest Jew-hating incident in our nation’s history, made it all too clear…there are people out there who do not wish us well.

How do we combat anti-Semitism today? What can we do to insure that Haman’s ancestors do not continue to plague us or worse, score a victory?

There is no one clear answer to anti-Semitism. We must continue to be vigilant, for one thing. Elsewhere in this Issue you will find an article from our Security Committee outlining our plans for keeping our Temple Community as safe as possible. In addition, we must educate and we must keep speaking out against the voices of hatred on all sides of the political spectrum.

Unfortunately, education and being vigilant alone are not enough. To combat anti-Semitism, we need to also strengthen our Jewish community. Purim can help.

There are four mitzvot we are supposed to fulfill on Purim, all essentially deriving from the same verse in the megilah: “They are to observe these as days of feasting and gladness, and for sending delicacies to one another, and giving gifts to the poor." (Esther 9:22.) The first three of these mitzvot are self-explanatory. We are to eat a celebratory festive meal to enable us to rejoice in the triumph of our ancestors and the continuity of Jewish life. We are to read or hear the megilah (the scroll of Esther), boo Haman, and cheer on Mordechai as we go. (I invite you to join us on March 20th at Temple Judea to fulfill this mitzvah. Do not forget to wear a costume and bring your groggers.) We are also to give gifts of money or food to the poor and needy (this mitzvah is known as matanot la'evyonim). By doing so we fulfill the obligation to repair the world, to take on the suffering of others and take responsibility for easing their burdens.

The fourth mitzvah however, might require a bit more explanation. We are commanded to give gift packages, called Mishloach Manot or Shalach Manos to friends and neighbors, whether they need them or not.

What purpose does this fourth mitzvah serve? If we are fulfilling the mitzvah of matanot la’evyonim, if we are helping to repair the world, why do we also need to worry about mishloach manot, about giving gifts to those who are NOT necessarily in need?

It may seem like giving a gift basket to a friend or neighbor is a trivial act, but it is not. Judaism teaches us to care about one another, not only in times of suffering or anguish, but all the time. Giving gifts to those in our lives helps strengthen the bonds between us. It helps us repair the relationships that may have been tense or severed, and it reminds us that the relationships that are intact need tending in order to stay that way. It helps forge a close community built on the foundation of kindness. It helps us see that we are all part of the same cast and crew.

A Thank You Note from Narendra Bhalodkar MD, FACC

"I am at a loss for words to express my gratitude and thanks for your wonderful, enthusiastic, and wholehearted support for this seminar...Your commitment and passion to make this seminar great and worthwhile for all the attendees was superb...A rough estimate is that there were 180 + attendees...Depth and philosophy made it easy to understand and touched almost every attendee...The outpouring of unsolicited phone calls and emails of compliments from attendees to me are testimonial for that...During this process, I came to know such wonderful spiritual personalities, such as you...It has enriched me many ways. I thank all of you for that."

Part 2: Will Salvation Come to the World?

My February article was dedicated to Amos Oz, the prolific Israeli author who passed away on December 28th. I wrote about Oz’s most fascinating 2014 novel Judas. Oz was probably inspired by an ancient script that was found in 2006 known as The Gospel of Judas. Composed in the second century CE, it consists of a conversation between Jesus and Judas, showing that Judas was rather following Jesus’ request to assist in his capturing and his crucifixion. The release of Jesus’ spirit imprisoned in his body was supposed to be the trigger which would bring salvation to the world.

However, according to the New Testament, Judas betrayed Jesus by exposing him and giving him away to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council; who in turn gave Jesus to the Roman authorities. The Gospels disagree about Judas’ inventive, whether it was for greed or whether the devil possessed him. Nevertheless, after internalizing the idea that Jesus was to be crucified, Judas gave back the thirty pieces of silver he received from the High Priest and hung himself.

The protagonist in Oz’s most fascinating novel is Shmuel Ash, a 24 years old second-degree student of history and religion. He is writing a thesis about Jesus and the Jews, and comes up with the idea that Judas was Jesus’ most fervent believer to be the son of God. Judas was actually convinced by Jesus, that giving Jesus away to the Council would propel the circumstances in such a way that Jesus’ divinity would be revealed to all; for Jesus would certainly survive his crucifixion, get down from the cross, and bring salvation to the world.

Judas Iscariot was a well-to-do man from Judea, unlike the other disciples, who were simple fishermen from remote villages in Galilee. The priests in Jerusalem had heard strange rumors about some eccentric wonderworker from Galilee who was attracting a following by means of all kinds of rustic miracles, just like dozens of other self-professed prophets, seers, and wonderworkers, most of whom were charlatans or madmen or both. This Galilean, however, was attracting a few more followers than the others, and his fame was spreading. Therefore the priests in Jerusalem decided to select Judas Iscariot, a well-to-do, sober, intelligent man, learned in the written and the oral law, and send him to infiltrate the group of believers who followed the young Galilean from village to village, to pretend to be one of them, and to report to the priests in Jerusalem on the character of the eccentric and on whether he presented any particular danger.

So Judas Iscariot dressed himself in shabby, threadbare clothes and then went to Galilee where he sought out and found Jesus and his band, and attached himself to them. He quickly succeeded in winning the affection of the members of the sect; the motley company of ragamuffins who followed the prophet from village to village. Judas also gained the affection of Jesus himself. By means of his sharp mind and by pretending to be a fervent believer - he swiftly became one of Jesus’ close companions, his confidant, one of the inner circle of his followers, the treasurer for this band of paupers, the twelfth apostle, the only one among them who was not a Galilean, and someone who was not a poor peasant or fisherman.

At this point, however the story takes a surprising turn. The man who had been sent by the priests in Jerusalem to spy on the Galilean visionary and his adherents and to unmask them, turned into a fervent believer. Jesus’ humanity, the warm infectious love that he radiated all around him, that mixture of simplicity, humility, endearing humor, and intimacy with everyone - together with the moral insight, the elevated vision, the poignant beauty of his parables, and the charm of his glorious gospel - converted the rational, sober, and skeptic visionary from the town of Kerioth into following him. He then committed himself with all of his being to the savior and to his teachings. Judas Iscariot became the outstanding and devoted disciple of the man from Nazareth. More than that, he was the first man who believed with total faith in Jesus’ divinity. He believed that Jesus was all-powerful. He believed that very soon the eyes of all men from sea to sea, would be open; and that they would see the light and that redemption would come to the world.

Yet for this to happen, Judas thought being a man of the world and understanding a great deal about public relations, it was necessary for Jesus to leave Galilee and go to Jerusalem. He had to perform in Jerusalem, in the presence of the whole nation and before the entire world, a miracle such as had never been seen since the day God created heaven and earth. He had to be crucified in the sight of all Jerusalem, and in the sight of all Jerusalem he would drag himself down from the cross and stand whole and healthy at the foot of the cross. The whole world: priests and simple people, Romans, Idumeans, Hellenizers, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Samaritans, the rich and poor, and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem from all over the land and from the neighboring countries for the feast of Passover - would fall to their knees to dust themselves with the dust of his feet and so the Kingdom of Heaven would begin…In Jerusalem…In the sight of the people and the world…And moreover, on the Friday before the Passover; the greatest of all the gatherings of the Jewish people.

What comes after is mesmerizing!

in the news!

Our Goal Is For Everyone To Feel Safe Whenever You Walk In To Our Building!

“They said it couldn’t happen here.” On October 27th 2018 a shooter went in to an unguarded Shabbat Service and killed 11 people and injured 7. All there to worship, celebrate, and be together. Sadly, these are the times we live in and now it is our job to protect our families and ourselves by being vigilant and proactive.

Prior to these events, we took it upon ourselves to institute security procedures during the High Holiday Services. Walkie-talkies were used, evacuation plans were drawn up, and armed security guards were present during all Services. In continuing with these steps we have developed more Internal Policies that will be used throughout the building. Included are:

We have been very fortunate that most of the items listed above have been donated. It has been recommended by our Homeland Security Consultant from the local police department that we also take some external measures. This involves adding armed security guards at our Friday Night Shabbat Services, as well as other highly attended events at the Temple. This is a very costly proposition that we feel is extremely important and necessary to continue in our efforts to keep our families safe. Sisterhood and Brotherhood, and an increase in B’nai Mitzvah Fees have absorbed some of these costs. However, in order to maintain the security of our Congregation we need $6500 per year. Instead of assessing each member unit a set amount we are asking for all of you to donate whatever you can to help offset these costs.

Unity, Camaraderie, and Perseverance!

barbara silberman

COMARADERIE

Sharon Fricano - Education Director

A Busy Month Is Ahead Of Us!

• March 3rd: 2nd & 3rd Grade Families will participate in a Family Kollel.

• March 8th: 2nd & 3rd Graders will lead us in prayer and song. Please also join us for a Family Shabbat Dinner hosted by the 2/3 Grades and the Membership Committee, which also welcomes our new members to Temple. The following students will participate: Gabriela Escobar, Abigail Horowitz, Asher Samuels, Hunter Stern, Lucas Baker, Ryan Rolandakhtari, Alexander DeZoretet, Emily Geller, Benjamin Golbig, Sarah Hersh, Leah McCorey, Zachary Silverman, Justin Strobel, and Aaron Weisser.

• March 10th: Reminder, it is Daylight Savings Time - Spring Ahead!

• March 17th: All students will participate in a school-wide art project and Purim Carnival.

• March 20th: Join us for Erev Purim and our Purim Celebration!

• March 22nd – 24th: Upper grades (fourth and above) Family Weekend Kollel at URJ Eisner in Great Barrington. We are looking forward to a wonderful weekend of community building and family fun!

Congratulations to the Horowitz & Comerchero Families on their upcoming B’nai Mitzvahs: Andrew will become a Bar Mitzvah on March 2nd and Isabel will become a Bat Mitzvah on March 16th

Shabbat Services with Our 4th Graders

Nuccia Hernan - Early Childhood

It Is Time for a Feast and Merrymaking!

March brings us the promise of spring and the celebration of Purim...

Purim is the celebration of the defeat of Haman’s plan to destroy the Jewish people and the bravery and courage of Queen Esther and Mordechai. During this holiday we read the Megillah (Book of Esther), people dress up in costume, have a festive meal, and send gifts. The gift is the Misloach Manot, a basket that is filled with Hamantaschen (a three cornered cookie) and food. This gift is given to friends, family and the poor. The giving of the misloach manot basket reinforces the obligation that we as Jews have in sharing our bounty with those who have less than we.

There will be a Friday Night Tot Shabbat Service on the March 29th which will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Please join us Saturday, March 30th at 10:15 a.m. for our Purim Workshop. Please come and listen to the festive songs that Cantor Bonné will sing and the great story that Rabbi Sheinberg will tell. We will then make our very own Misloach Manot Basket to give to our families.

Shalom

*Please note that all these programs are free of charge. However, to ensure that we have enough materials for all our guests, please registration is required for all our events. Register by emailing Shari Rotstein at ECP@templetikvah.org.

The Scholar in Residence Weekend, held in February with Lloyd Bachrach was a wonderful event!

They are now ready to go wherever Shabbat will take them!

Cheryl Stern - Director of Youth & Family Engagement

Camaraderie!

This month we celebrate Purim, a time to remember how we are a Jewish Nation that overcame great obstacles and learned how to have fun and party. We are all looking forward to a wonderful Purim Carnival on Sunday March 17th. We are looking for volunteers for our Purim Carnival. If you are able to donate your time on Sunday March 17th or the week leading up to the event please contact me at Cheryl@Templetikvah.org.

Our Kollel is coming up the weekend of March 22th -24th. I hope you will be able to join us. It will be a wonderful time for families to connect with other Temple members, as well as their own families and have an opportunity to disconnect from the world for a few hours.

Unity & Camaraderie

MAZEL TOv andrew Horowitz!

Bar Mitzvah - Saturday, March 2nd 2019

My name is Andrew Horowitz and I am becoming a Bar Mitzvah on March 2nd 2019. I live with my mom, my dad, and my sister. We live in Queens. I am in 7th grade at PS/MS 219. My favorite class is Band. I play the clarinet. I like drawing, Harry Potter, and video games - especially Minecraft.

I am so excited that my Bar Mitzvah is almost here! I have been working really hard with the Cantor, the Rabbi, and Michelle. I’ve also been practicing a lot at home.

My Mitzvah Project is very important to me. I have autism and for the past 3 summers I have gone to a one-week sleep away camp for kids with all kinds of disabilities. Mid Hudson Valley Camp - Special Kids 1 is a special place where we can go have the sleep away experience and with the specially trained staff, we can just be ourselves and have fun.

I am raising money for MHVC-Kids 1, because I think it is important for all kids to be treated like they can do anything.

There are two ways to donate: 1. Donate by writing a check made out to Mid Hudson Valley Camps (in the memo line write: For Kids 1- Horowitz Mitzvah Project); Mailing Address: Mid Hudson Valley Camps - PO Box 197 - Esopus, NY 12429 & 2. Use PayPal Account on the website: http://www.maristbrotherscenter.org/giving.html. - In the special instruction box, please type For Kids1- Horowitz Mitzvah Project.

Thank you and I hope to see you on March 2nd!

mazel tov to isabel Comerchero!

Bat Mitzvah - Saturday, March 16th 2019

My name is Isabel Comerchero and I going to become a Bat Mitzvah on March 16th. My family and I have been members of Temple Tikvah since 2008 and I have been going to religious school since kindergarten. My parents got married here, my sister Hannah and I both had our baby namings here, and Hannah also became a Bat Mitzvah two years ago. I’m excited to share another simcha with my family here at Temple Tikvah.

I go to Herricks Middle School where I’m in seventh grade and I play on the volleyball team. I have been to going Camp Eisner for 4 summers, where I have learned so much about my Jewish identity and how important it is to make Judaism part of my everyday life. For my Mitzvah Project I am going to be spending some time at the Cove Animal Shelter in Glen Cove. I will be collecting donations of used blankets and towels to bring to the shelter for them to be used. I will be setting up a bin in the Beber Auditorium if you would like to contribute.

UNITY

Brotherhood

President: Marc Gold

Hinei Mah Tov U’mah Na-im, Shevet Achim Gam Yachad

(How good and how pleasant it is that BROTHERS (and sisters) dwell together)

This is what is written on our Past Brotherhood Presidents Plaque in our Temple’s Lobby…

And this is what Brotherhood is all about. Men coming together, either once a month for dinner and a meeting, gathering during and after a Friday Night Shabbat Service, walking once a week for needed exercise or just communicating online, pertaining to Brotherhood business.

This is Brotherhood at its best…getting together and supporting Temple Tikvah any way it can. Why not join Brotherhood if you haven’t yet?

Be sure to join us for a Free Passover Wine Tasting Event in Temple on Saturday, March 9th at 7PM. Yummy wine and cheese, and fruit will be served, and maybe you’ll purchase a bottle or two. Please bring your friends.

In addition, please remember to put on your calendar: Saturday, June 1st for Brotherhood’s Annual Dinner, Auction, and Live Show. The Chementis will be back again by popular demand, singing their greatest hits! Maybe you have something to donate (goods or services). If you do, please let us know. Watch for our flyer as the date approaches.

Brotherhood Dinner and Auction

Saturday, June 1st at 6:30 pm

Meryl Root

Lunch & Learn:

We welcome new Congregant (from Temple Sholom) Murray Leff for our March 23rd Lunch & Learn Program: See WWII Combat Through the Eyes of a Rifleman. As a young man, Murray was an ordinary rifleman in WWII and a rogue photographer who acted against orders to shoot actual combat on the front lines. Only members of the Signal Corps were authorized to take photographs. Due to danger on the front lines, many of those photographs were staged. After the war, his career was in advertising, including owning his own agency for 20 years.

Please join us at 11:30 a.m. for Lunch and at Noon for the Program. Lunch is $10 for members & $15 for non-members. Kindly RSVP by Thursday, March 21st to lifelonglearning@templetikvah.org so that we can plan accordingly for lunch. We look forward to seeing you there! In addition, there will be a Learners’ Service at 10:15 a.m. in the Sanctuary prior to the Lunch and Learn Program. Please join us for an opportunity to pray and ask questions about how the service works. All are welcome.

Torah Study:

Friday Night Torah Study with Cantor Guy Bonné will meet on March 1st and 15th at 6:30 p.m. & Shabbat Morning Torah Study with Rabbi Randy Sheinberg continues every Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in the Loretta & George Cohen Library. We complete Sefer Shemot, The Book of Exodus, mid-month and continue on with Vayikra, The Book of Leviticus. We leave our journey through the wilderness to learn the word of G-d though Moses’ speeches. Join us as we continue journeying into 2019. We will read anew and learn all about the priests in Leviticus and see how this ancient book is still relevant today. No experience or prior knowledge is required. All are welcome.

Adult Hebrew Class:

Adult Hebrew is going strong. We meet on Thursday evenings from 7:00 - 8:15 p.m. with Cantor Guy Bonné. The Cantor is delighted that the class has grown and we welcome you to join us. If you are interested in having some fun while learning Hebrew and about Israel, then this is the class for you. We watch Israeli television and even bake! The atmosphere is relaxed and there is plenty of reviewing. Speak to Cantor Bonné for more details.

weekday cinema:

*On Wednesday, March 6th at 1:30 p.m. we will be screening Kadosh, an Israeli film in the Sanctuary. Kadosh is the story of two Hasidic sisters living in the Mea Shearim area of Jerusalem. Rivka and her husband are deeply in love, but he obeys his rabbi father and divorces her after 10 childless years of marriage. Rivka's sister, Malka loves a man who has left Hasidism after joining the army, but accepts the marriage her parents have arranged to the rabbi's assistant. The film is in Hebrew with English subtitles and runs for 117 minutes. Please RSVP to lifelonglearning@templetikvah to let us know to expect you. (*Please note: This screening has been rescheduled from February 6th.)

JEWISH A CAPPELLA

Click on the link below to see music videos by the group everyone is talking about!

Caring Community

Sharon Kahn & Helene Schonhaut

It has been noted in The Book of Esther that during the Festival of Purim gifts, should be given and we should remember the poor. When we give gifts on Purim, we are reminded in a larger larger sense, to pursue reaching out to others all year round. As a group, the CARING COMMUNITY adds that we must start with and not forget those in our Congregation who would appreciate a phone call, an email, a snail mail card, and/or a visit. With this in mind we present some thoughts made by others, which will hopefully remind us to reach out and touch others. We also hope these thoughts will inspire some additional Congregants to join us at our monthly meetings, THE THIRD MONDAY OF THE MONTH and for more volunteers to join us, so that we can further reach out to others who may need a "HUG".

THE MIRACLE IS THIS: THE MORE WE SHARE, THE MORE WE HAVE... LEONARD NIMOY

THEY DO NOT LOVE, THAT DO NOT SHOW LOVE...WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

THAT IS WHAT KINDNESS IS, IT NOT DOING SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE BECAUSE THEY CAN'T, BUT BECAUSE YOU CAN...ANDREW ISKANDER

With Love & Caring

CANTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND:

Nancy & Robert Kiss in memory Lila Mae Brown

CARING COMMUNITY FUND:

Sebastiana & Dean Hernan in memory of Frank Litrico, Sr.

PRAYERBOOK DEDICATION:

Barbara Silberman in honor of Melanie Rakitovan becoming a Bat Mitzvah

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND:

Sebastiana & Dean Hernan in honor of Rabbi Randy Sheinberg and Dr. Martin Cohen upon the birth of their granddaughter, Isadora Lilyann Cohen-Orren • David Herz & Janet Stahl in honor of their granddaughter Juliet Peron’s baby naming

SCHOLARSHIP FUND:

Sebastiana & Dean Hernan in memory of Ilene Roth

SPECIAL EDUCATION FUND:

Phyllis Richards in memory of Aliza Bechar

TEMPLE TIKVAH FUND:

Joan Schuster and Rabbi Randy Sheinberg in appreciation of Jack Zaffos’ poetry book • Muriel Gorochow in appreciation of theTemple Tikvah Community

TEMPLE TIKVAH MEMORIAL FUND:

Sharon Adler in memory of Jacob Adler • Deborah Abramowitz in memory of Harold Abramowitz • Brotherhood in memory of Rita Pomeranz • Helen & Robert Bader in memory of Joseph Bader and Samuel Bader • Helen & Robert Bader in memory of Lila Mae Brown • Lorraine & Lester Bertan in memory of Mike Appel • Cindy & Joe Bettelheim in memory Harry Rice • Michelle & Michael Bidner in memory of Harvey Bidner • Henry Bloch in memory of Hilde Bloch • Arline & Jack Cazes in memory of Malaka Stambouli • Lynn & Roy Cohen in memory of Sol Miller • Dr. Martin Cohen & Rabbi Randy Sheinberg in memory of Carol Cohen • Beth Curcio in memory of Marissa Feldman • Beth & Robert Daniels in memory of Dan Markewich •Mindy & Mark Daniels in memory of Gerard A. Daniels and Frances Fox • Jody & Artie Diamond in memory of Samuel Pugach • Gayle & Joel Feinstein in memory of Bernard Rubin • Sonia Fink in memory of Clara Fink • Merle Fishkin in memory of Samuel Pugach • Fran Fredrick in memory of Daniel Markewich • Phyllis Freeman in memory of Morris Weisman • Judy & Mitchell Friedman in memory of Lillian Herroit • Ruddy-Ann Friedman in memory of Louis, Martin, and Sarah Friedman, and Sadie and Joseph Fertik • Ruth Gelb in memory of Alfred Luebeck • Judith Gilbert in memory of Dr. Morton Klein • Lori & Mark Gordon in memory of Franklin Lustig and Rosalin Lustig • Muriel Gorochow in memory of Harold Gorochow • Gustave Greis in memory of Charles Greis • Cantor Kat Hastings in memory of Bea Halkiotrs • Sebastiana & Dean Hernan in memory of Frank Litrico Sr. and Marcia Lefkowitz • Andrew Hollander in memory of Ruth Hollander • Irene Horn in memory of Fannie Horn • Judy & Joe Kirschner in memory of Emil Rosenberg • Leslie Kizner in memory of Louis Kizner, Arthur Poselle, and Sol. S. Poselle •Gloria & Lawrence Konstan in memory of Edythe Konstan • Rachel, Karen & Roy Kupferberg in memory of Barbara Kupferberg • Sandra Lichtenstein & Family in memory of Sharon Lichtenstein • Lynn Moser in memory of Alla Okun • Lois Marcus in memory of Sadie Pepper • Karla & Orlando Osuna in memory Ethel Brooks • Phyllis Richard in memory of Aliza Bechar • Lorriane & Martin Ross in memory of Florence Rosenthal • Helene & Edward Schachter in memory of Lila Mae Brown • Susan & Burt Schall in memory of Harry Schall, Jean Wald and William Wald • June & Jack Schwarz in memory of Max Birenbaum • Janet & Barry Spool in memory of May Goldberg • Florence & Joseph Stoll in memory of Robert Stoll • Roslyn & Burton Tropp in memory of Gwendolyn Goldman •Gale & Howard Zeidman in memory of Elaine Mindlin

Poetry and the Arts

Marty Cohen

The Zionist Ideas: Camaraderie, Perseverance, and Dreams

On April 9th, nestled between Purim and Passover, Israel will hold elections for the Knesset. The Right-Wing Likud Party, despite Benjamin Netanyahu’s likely indictment on corruption charges, is favored to win the most seats, while the fortunes of Labor and other center-left parties are falling so sharply that they risk failing to meet the threshold for representation. Hosen Israel (Israel Resilience), a new party founded by former IDF Chief of Staff General Benny Gantz is moving up in the polls - even though as of this writing Gantz has not announced a party platform.

If you think you understand Israeli politics, you are either delusional or a savant. No party has ever held a majority of the Knesset’s 120 seats, so Israeli Governments are formed by coalitions of left, center, right, and religious right factions. Today’s Knesset features 17 different parties; over 90 other parties have held seats in the past. New parties come and go with each election, some with broad platforms and some representing special interests (pensioners, greens, bank reformers, Yemenite immigrants, Orthodox women. divorced fathers). Some, like the Pirate Party that have tried to merge the interests of Holocaust survivors and cannabis activists, seemed unlikely from the start.

It helps to recognize that today’s arguments and doctrinal schisms are direct descendants of the fervid conversation in which Jewry has been engaged since the 19th Century. To help translate that conversation and to clarify your own leanings, I cannot recommend a better guide than The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the Jewish Homeland - Then, Now, Tomorrow (Jewish Publication Society, 2018) edited by Gil Troy, Distinguished Scholar in North American History at McGill University and Columnist for the Jerusalem Post.

Troy divides the Zionist Project into three phases: Pioneers (through 1948), Builders (1948-2000), and Torchbearers (2000 -). For each phase he offers excerpts from writers representing six major schools of thought:

The Zionist Ideas renews and extends Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg’s classic anthology, The Zionist Idea (JPS, 1959), which helped thousands of Jews around the world understand their political heritage. Of the 37 major figures in Hertzberg, 29 are carried over into the new volume. Troy adds over 100 more writers, including 60 contemporary Torchbearers. If you are trying to catch up with the politicians whose changing party allegiances have made news recently, you will find selections from Ayelet Shaked and Caroline Glick. More familiar political figures including Michael Oren, Tal Becker, Natan Sharansky, Yair Lapid, and Netanyahu himself are also included.

In addition to his updates, Troy’s selections are more inclusive than Hertzberg’s. There are more women and Mizrahis (the 3.5 million Eastern Jewish people who sometimes feel like second class citizen vs. Ashkenazi Jewish people), and more scientists and artists, including Natan Alterman, Rachel (Bluwstein), Saul Tchernichovsky, Albert Einstein, Henrietta Szold, Golda Meir, Amos Oz, Yaakov Rotblit, Uri Zvi Greenberg, Esther Jungreis, Leon Uris, S.Y. Agnon, Naomi Shemer, Yehuda Amichai, Herman Wouk, David Mamet, Ruth Wisse, A.B. Yehoshua, and Erez Biton. Herzberg included one of Bialik’s essays. Troy includes one of his poems as well.

Although Troy’s rubrics are widely used, no list can be complete. You will find references to Aspirational, Practical, Progressive, Liberal, Pragmatic, Egalitarian, Queer, Feminist, Identity, New American, and “Real” Zionism. (“Real” means whatever program the writer favors.) Although Troy may become as indispensable as Hertzberg was fifty years ago, the next election (and your own choices) may represent Zionism’s further evolution.

One of Troy’s literary selections is from Saul Tchernichovsky (b. 1875 in Ukraine; d. 1943 in Tel Aviv) - a poet and a doctor, translator of Shakespeare into Hebrew, and a founding father of Jabotinsky’s Revisionist Zionism. The opening lines of Tchernichovsky’s “I Believe” (1892) were sung by many of his co-religionists as they entered the gas chambers:

With whatever faction you choose to align, you are part of the dream.

Elaine Brooks, Judy Kirschner & Elaine Weiss

SOCIAL ACTION

Like Esther, We Persevere!

Very soon our community will observe Purim, the story retold in the Book of Esther, which recounts how the Jews overcame the threat Haman posed to their existence. We are people who have been fortunate to persevere over time despite many obstacles and dangers. The Social Action Committee, as many other components of our Temple, also strives to overcome obstacles and even some potential dangers in our contemporary society through the work we do together.

During our most recent meeting on January 27th, Rabbi Sheinberg shared the exciting updates of work being done by the Religious Action Center of New York. She spoke about how Bail Reform could “confront and eliminate racial disparity, limit and reduce pretrial detention, stop practices that profit off of poor people, and ensure right to quality representation,” among other factors. In addition, the Green Light NY Campaign was discussed and how it can expand “access to driver’s licenses” through a new classification of license called a “standard license,” because it would not require a social security number. Find out more by visiting the NY RAC website.

As a follow up to our united communal efforts, we hope you have seen the updates Susan Louis provided about Bety and Vanessa, the Honduran refugees we committed to helping through Immigrant Families Together. They are now settled in an apartment in East Rockaway and if you are interested in more details, please reach out to Susan (thequiltquest@gmail.com). Bety is hoping to find work cleaning houses.

We received a lovely thank you note from the Book Fairies for the 9 bags of books our Congregation donated during the December holiday season. The books go directly to high need schools and community outreach programs across the NY metropolitan area, directly impacting literacy rates.

Our Committee is also continuing to support the INN and Island Harvest, but we are also considering new ways to help people during Passover (April 20th - 27th). One possibility is to work with Masbia, a Kosher Kitchen Network in Forest Hills. We hope to develop plans for Earth Day (April 22nd) and for our Lunch and Learn (June 1st) in collaboration with Lifelong Learning, so please attend our March 10th Meeting to share ideas for spring! Our camaraderie is increased and reinforced by your ideas and energy.