Mazel Tov to Grandma Merle Fishkin on the birth of her Granddaughter...Brooke Ryleigh Levine! On August 30th, her parents Sherry & Jason and her big brother Ethan celebrated her joyous arrival!

&

Mazel Tov to Joan Wiener on the birth of her 1st Great Grandson...Elizer Zisya Steinberg, son of Lavi & Nechamah Abrams Steinberg and Grandson of Yaakov & Cindy Wiener Abrams!

chesvan 5781 is arriving!

our schedule

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

our leadership

TIKVAH TIMES STAFF

• Alene Schonhaut - * Editor at Large, Madeleine Wolf - Assistant Editor, and Jay Beber - Cover Design & Consultant
• * EDITORIAL NOTE - You can click on any picture or article to enlarge it.

photograph credits

Marc Gold, Nuccia Hernan, Sharon & Victor Kahn, and Meryl Root

Rabbi Randy Sheinberg

What a Whirlwind Time of Year This Is!

• As I write this, I am anticipating a busy weekend here at Temple, as we officially begin the High Holy Days with our Selichot Program and Service. And by the time you read this, we will have heralded in the New Jewish Year 5780 together and we will be just days away from hearing the familiar strains of Kol Nidre that open the Yom Kippur Service.
• After such a busy, exciting few weeks - you, like me, may be looking forward to the chance to catch your breath and settle into the quieter, more routine schedule of the New Year.
• However, has the New Year really begun? Although it may feel like we are well into the established routines of a new semester and that the New Year is fully up and running, the Jewish calendar tells us otherwise. For although Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the ‘stars’ of the High Holy Day Season, as they get much of the attention and the press - the holidays are not over yet. Following on the heels of Yom Kippur is the weeklong Festival of Sukkot. Sukkot is a time for us to come together, to appreciate the blessings of shelter and food, and to give thanks for the gift of community and family. This year we will have several opportunities to enjoy the Temple’s sukkah. Come help decorate it on Friday, October 11th and enjoy a Congregational Dinner and Family Service while you are at it; bring your young child to our PJ Library Sukkot Event on Sunday, October 13th; and please join us for Shabbat Sukkot on Friday, October 18th, sponsored by our Social Action Committee. We will welcome immigrant neighbors and partners into our sukkah as part of a nationwide program sponsored by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and further open our hearts and strengthen community ties.
• Yet…there is more! The holiday season does not end with Sukkot. On Sunday, October 20th we ‘seal’ the New Year holiday cycle by consecrating fourteen students new to our Religious School and celebrating Simchat Torah. We will read the very end of our Torah Scroll, the story of Moses’s death, and then…almost without taking a breath, we will read the very beginning of the scroll, the story of creation found in Genesis - Chapter One.
• It is a small moment perhaps. Maybe it does not have the same drama as Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur; but to me, Simchat Torah is one of the most moving and instructive holidays in the year. For it reminds us that the story of Judaism, our story…is never-ending. There may be a beginning to our new year and an end to our old one; but Jewish life, Jewish history, and Jewish values are timeless and everlasting.
• Our Torah is our greatest symbol of this fact. “Turn it and turn it again, for everything is in it,” the Rabbis teach of the Torah. Every time any one of us - young or old reads or studies Torah, we are participating in the Great Jewish Story. By adding our opinions, our questions, and our interpretations to the study of Torah, we keep it fresh and alive and we ensure that our proud heritage will continue for a long time to come.
• This fall, I invite you to engage with Torah…be part of the story yourself. Come study Torah with the clergy, on Friday evenings or Saturday mornings. Participate in any of the array of other wonderful learning opportunities - monthly Shabbat learning programs, workshops for families, panel discussions, Temple outings, and much more. Check the Calendar for upcoming new courses.

Hazak, hazak, v’nithazek! May Torah continue to strengthen and guide us, and may we be blessed to learn and teach it for generations to come.

Is This the Beginning of the Year, the End or A Season?

• The name Rosh Hashanah, which means the beginning of the year, was given by our sages. It does not appear in the Torah among other holidays, which the Israelites were commanded to celebrate. In the Torah the day is simply called Yom T’ruah, a day of blasting (the shofar). Not only is the fact that Rosh Hashanah is on the seventh month, there are actually Torah verses that contradict Rosh Hashanah as the beginning of the year. It is written in Exodus 23.16: “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.” The festival referred to in this verse as the end of the year, is Sukkot. That means that the beginning of the year is right after.
• Like other ancient civilizations, the Israelites sustained themselves on agriculture. Therefore it is most reasonable to assume that their year started when the fields were sowed, anticipating the first rain; for example - the yearly order of human agriculture in the story of Noah. When Noah and his family start a new life after the flood, God promises there will not be another flood: “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:23)
• The Israeli author, Yigal Bin Nun suggests that Rosh Hashanah is not a day, a specific day, but a period of time. It is a season that celebrates a few holidays together. This season starts with the blowing of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and ends on Sh’mini Atzeret, the end of Sukkot. And only then, a new year begins.

Shanah Tovah to All!

Temple President - shari rotstein

Gut Yontif, Everyone!

• That was the greeting of choice last week at Rosh Hashanah Services.
• That is typically how Ashkenazi Jews outside of Israel (as well as Yiddish speakers in Israel) greet each other on such holidays and it literally means "Good Holiday." In Hebrew the standard greeting is "Hag Sameach " meaning "Happy Holiday." While I did not hear the Hebrew version as much as the Ashkenazi version, the message is the same. I wish you…we wish you…I hope you have a good holiday; and indeed, we are a special Kehilah, a wonderful community that really looks out for and truly supports each other, always wishing each other all the best!
• My wish for you is that you can reflect on the year that just passed and think about how to make the year to come, a better one. Perhaps you would like to be more involved at Temple; there are plenty of programs, events, and committees to join and to help out with. There is something for everyone and there is always room for more of you. I would love it!
• We are currently in the ten days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur, commonly known as the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim) or the Days of Repentance which is a time for serious introspection, a time to consider the sins of the previous year and repent before Yom Kippur.
• For myself, I am also spending these days reflecting. I am working on listening better… REALLY listening and hearing people, as well as being "present" when I am present with the people that mean the most to me.

From my house to yours…have a happy and healthy New Year... Shana Tova to all of you!!

TIME CHANGE - THE DINNER WILL BE AT 5:30PM AND THE SIMCHAT TORAH & CONSECRATION WILL BE AT 6:30PM

also planned at 6:15PM

• November 8th - Grades 6/7 Service • December 13th - Grades 4/5 Service • January 10th - Family Service • February 7th - Grades 2/3 Service • March 13th - Kindergarten & Grade 1 Service • April 3rd - New Member Dinner • May 1st - Sisterhood Shabbat • June 12th - High School Graduation

Co-Presidents - Terry Cutler & Terry Lepzelter

“Turn the Torah, and turn it again, for everything you want to know is found within it.” (Avot 5:25)

• October brings us crisp Autumn air; beautiful colors everywhere and a time to wonder as we come to the end of the Torah only to immediately start it again. Simchat Torah is a time for rejoicing in the stories and lessons the Torah teaches us. It is the tree of life and all who choose to support it find happiness and peace. It is interesting to note that for “most of history women’s voices were absent from the interpretation of Torah. However, for the past generation, women have been contributing to the wonderful process and have added another unique and much needed understanding of our sacred text.” (reformjudaism.org)
• We look forward to seeing the Torah Scroll unfurled before us as we watch the amazement in the eyes of the young and old alike. It is always long enough to include everyone and you can feel the excitement when the Rabbi reads the last and first words. The whole community celebrates with dancing and singing and fills our Temple with love.
• October also brings us a time to get busy. Sisterhood gears up and is in full swing this month. Please see all the attached flyers and remember to “click” to open information in the Weekly Updates. We are looking forward to our Paid-Up Brunch on October 27th. It is our big thank you for joining Sisterhood. Remember. You must R.S.V.P. even if you have paid your dues!
• On November 2nd we are excited to bring you the First Tikvah’s Got Talent Showcase and Pot Luck! You do not want to miss the fun. Our Talent Showcase is shaping up to be fantastic and the Pot Luck Dinner is sure to be delicious. We also have a special guest with a great presentation to add to the laughs. See all details in flyer below. Call Debbie Hochrad with questions or to participate in the showcase.
• Our Annual Rummage Sale is on Veteran’s Day Weekend this year, November 10th and 11th. Start collecting your donations now to make room for winter things in your closet. Questions? Volunteers? Call Sharon Kahn and see information below.

We wish you a fabulous Autumn and time to enjoy the sights and smells of the season!

Meryl Root

Lunch & Learn

• Yossi Klein Halevi: Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor - Yossi Klein Halevi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. He is the author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor, a heartfelt plea for peace and new dialogue based on common ground in faith, published by HarperCollins in May 2018. This coincides with the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel. On July 11, 2018 Yossi Klein Halevi was in conversation with Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer, president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America at the annual Bronfman Family Foundation Lecture, at the Shalom Hartman Institute during the 2018 Rabbinic Torah Study Seminar in Jerusalem, Israel. We will watch this conversation and have a chance to discuss the themes presented as they discuss Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor. Please join us for the First Session of Lunch & Learn on October 26th at 11:30am in the Harris Beber Auditorium. Please RSVP to lifelonglearning@templetikvah.org by Wednesday, October 23rd or to the Office.
• There will also be a Contemplative Shabbat Service at 10:15am in the Sanctuary prior to Lunch & Learn. Join Rabbi Sheinberg and Cantor Bonné for a meditative take on the Shabbat morning service.
• Lunch & Learn Subscription Returns: I am happy to announce that there will be 9 Lunch and Learn Shabbat Sessions held this year. The cost for each Lunch and Learn session for 2019 - 2020 will be $10 for Temple Members and $15 for Non-Members. This year we are offering all members an opportunity to purchase a Subscription to All 9 Lunch & Learn Sessions for the total cost of $80 to be paid in advance by October 25th. If a subscription does not work for you, you can still pay as you go - $10 a session or $15 for a guest, preferably in advance to the Temple Office. RSVPs to lifelonglearning@templetikvah.org or to the Office by the Wednesday before a session are still imperative, so that we can be sure to order a sufficient amount of food to accommodate everyone.

Torah Study

• Friday Night Torah Study - ”Torah Without Skipping” with Cantor Guy Bonné will meet on October 4th at 7:00pm and October 18th at 6:30pm (please note: time change). See below for an explanation of the new format.
• Shabbat Morning Torah Study - Continues every Saturday at 9:00am in the Loretta & George Cohen Library with Rabbi Randy Sheinberg. We are currently reading Devarim - The Book of Deuteronomy and are scheduled to finish later this month on Simchat Torah/Shmini Atzeret. It is then that we will immediately begin reading B’reshit - The Book of Genesis, once again. Join us and see how this ancient book is still relevant today. No experience or prior knowledge is required. All are welcome.
• Torah Without Skipping - A Message from Cantor Bonné: The Torah tells us that each of us should seek to understand Torah with our own hearts and minds. Join me on this journey to appreciate the teachings of the Torah and their implications in our daily lives. This is a wonderful opportunity to really follow the study of the Torah as it is revealed word by word. We are going to elaborate on the beauty of the Hebrew text, linger on important stories, analyze them, and aspire to convey and understand the messages in them. This will be unique in that we will take our time doing it, without rushing, to really allow the words and the stories to sink in without any jumps between weekly portions. I ask you to commit to this course, because the real understanding of the Torah is a task that requires close attention to each and every word as the stories unfold. Refreshments will be served.

Adult Hebrew Class

• Adult Hebrew Class is now in its tenth year! The first class this year will begin on October 24th from 7:00 - 8:15pm with Cantor Guy Bonné. The Cantor is delighted that the class has grown and we also 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 even watch Israeli television! The atmosphere is relaxed and there is plenty of reviewing. Speak to Cantor Bonné for more details.

In Addition

• From the 92nd Street Y - On September 19th, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was at the 92nd Street Y for a wide-ranging discussion with Carlyle Group CO-CEO and philanthropist, David Rubenstein on her career and the state of the nation. Due to a Livestream failure they took the broadcast off the air. Below is a link to that conversation for those who would like to see it.

Sharon Kahn & Helene Schonhaut

A Time for Meaning and Joy

Thinking ahead to the celebration of Simchat Torah, we would like to share a portion of a prayer by Rabbi David Wirtschafter from Temple Adath in Lexington, KY:

Rejoicing in the Torah is found in the freedom to study it when, where, and with whom we wish • We experience happiness with it when we wrestle with its conflicts and struggle with its challenges • It becomes a source of gladness when even its most disturbing passages increase our desire to do good • “It is a tree of life” when we treat all life with care, a “light to the eyes” when we look where we are going, a “path of peace” when it inspires us to work for a better world • As we restart the process of reading it, let our renewed study bring newfound hope, meaning, and joy...May this be our blessing and let us say, AMEN

Regarding the coming New Year and rejoicing in the lessons learned in the study of Torah, we are going to restate the Mission Statement of the Caring Community, which certainly is in sync with doing more with meaning and joy - To bring comfort to those in need…To be a liaison with the Rabbi and Cantor to foster keeping the lines of information/communication open…To be supportive to all and to be visible to the Temple Community...To provide a compassionate environment by providing food support, telephoning, sending cards, flowers or plants; all with an emphasis on respectful attention to the Congregants' wishes.

SOME REMINDERS: There will not be an October Caring Community Meeting & at our Evening Book Club Meeting on October 16th at 7:30pm, we will be reviewing Saturday by Ian McEwan and for the next Afternoon Book Club Meeting on October 17th at 1pm, we will be reviewing Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah…everyone is welcome.

We Wish Everyone A Good Yom Tov!

BROTHERHOOD FUND:

Alene & Helene Schonhaut in honor of the birth of Marc & Michele Gold’s Granddaughter, Seyla Raine

CANTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND:

Joyce & Joel Mensoff in honor of the birth of Michele & Marc Gold’s new Granddaughter, Seyla Raine

CARING COMMUNITY FUND:

Phyllis & Joe Horne in memory of David Spector

SHMIRA (Security Fund):

Joan Wiener in honor of the birth of her Great Grandchild, Elizer Zisya Steinberg

SIMCHA FUND:

• Marlene & Marc Bergman, Ruth Pearlman, Joan Robinson, and Margie & Steve Shoenholz in honor of Bob Bader’s 95th Birthday • Elaine Farber Mazel Tov to Sandy Portnoy and Michele & Marc Gold on becoming Grandparents • Judith & Joseph Kirschner, Barbara Rosenthal, Barbara Silberman, and Stuart & Judy Weinstock in honor of the birth of Seyla Raine, Granddaughter of Michele & Marc Gold

TEMPLE TIKVAH MEMORIAL FUND:

Deborah Abramowitz in memory of Bessie and Emil Abramowitz • Sharon Adler in memory of Hyman Adler • Carolyn Alexander in memory of Florence Williams • Florence Baravarian in memory of Joseph Rosenberg and Hortense Herlitsckek • Lorraine & Lester Bertan in memory of Bernard Bertan • Betsy Biviano in memory of Jacob Noll • Bernice Bloch in memory of Charles Margolis • Sheila & Martin Bokser in memory of Lillian Lehrman Bokser • Brotherhood in memory of George Geller • Doris Brown in memory of Leo Brown and Sarah Brown • Michael & Talia Cohen in memory of Loretta and George Cohen • Mindy & Mark Daniels in memory of Kay Jedlin •Jody & Arthur Diamond in memory of Ethel Pugach •Elaine Farber in memory of David Spector, Sigmond Roth, Joseph and Shirley M. Roth, Abraham Farber, and Sadye Farber • Susan Feinstein in memory of Louis Mehler • Sonia Fink in memory of Manfred Fink and Henry Fink • Merle Fishkin in memory of Ethel Pugach and Brian Fishkin • Lynn Frank in memory of Gary Frank • Sharon Fricano in memory of Manfred Fink and Henry Fink • Judy & Mitchell Friedman in memory David Rubin • Sue & Bob Gelfand in memory of Ann Ader and Frank Gelfand • Vivien Biss Goldbaum in memory of Egon J. Biss • Selma Goldberg in memory of Alvin Goldberg, Sol Seifer, and Benn Goldberg • Susan & Martin Goldschmidt in memory of Herbert Goldschmidt • Deborah & Michael Golob in memory of Joseph Golob • Debra & Herb Hochrad in memory of Estelle Rothman • Gail & Steve Hollander in memory of Abraham Roth • Roberta Hoffer in memory of Henry Hoffer • Irene Horn in memory of Shirley Stein and Hettie Freitag • Robin & Robert Jacobson in memory of Jacob Jacobson • Carole Kaplan in memory of Dora Kaplan • Andrea & Doug King in memory of Joseph Barach, Mort Denson, and Jack Siegel • Nancy & Robert Kiss in memory of Rene Herlitschek • Judy & Joe Kirschner in memory of Bella Kirschner and Rebecca Rosenberg • Leslie Kizner in memory of Abraham Kizner • Gloria & Lawrence Konstan in memory of Estelle Walters • Sadie & Joel Kramer in memory of Alice Kramer • Terry & Ira Lepzelter in memory of Frances Lepzelter • Cheryle & Steve Levine in memory of Lewis Levine • Marilyn & Jerome Markowitz in memory of Arthur and Frances Rothkopf • Lee Newman in memory of Ira (Bob) Newman • Michael Newman in memory of Irving Newman and Manuel Gutierrez • Beverly Osrow in memory of Louis Kerbel • Suzanne Plastrik in memory of Rhea Markus • Susan & George Prinz in memory Kurt Prinz • Phyllis Richards in memory of Robert Richards • Lorraine & Martin Ross in memory of Sarah Ross • Shari & Rony Rotstein in memory of Ilene Roth • Jaynie Rudick in memory of Ervin Rudick • Robin Savitt & Toby Kemelor in memory of Max William Rubler and Audrey Kemelor • Helaine & Ed Schachter in memory of Fred Schachter • Susan & Burt Schall in memory of Harvey Wald • Susan & Irwin Schneider in memory of Arthur Rosen, Louis Green, and Anna Green • The Schonhaut Family in memory of David Dresner, Dora Dresner, Harold Schonhaut, and Tillie Schonhaut • June & Jack Schwarz in memory of Molly Birenbaum Weiner • Marilyn Schwartz in memory of Max Newman • Rosalyn Schwartz in memory of Mary and Joseph Weber, Gussie Berger, Louis Berger, and Gertrude Schwartz • Doris & Irving Silberman in memory of Dorothy Feldman • Claire Shapiro in memory of Charles Shapiro • Janet & Barry Spool in memory of Abraham Goldberg • Felice Tarter in memory of Morris Mandel • Burton & Roslyn Tropp in memory of Renee Rosenthal Tropp • Joan Wiener in memory of Helen Kolman and Charles Wiener • Isaac Yavetz & Carol Fenves in memory of Zalman Yavetz • Irene & Stanley Zorn in memory of Martha Zorn

Elaine Brooks, Judy Kirschner & Elaine Weiss

The Jewish High Holidays Are a Time of Introspection and Reflection

• As individuals and as a community, we consider the impact of our actions. We seek to improve our community and ourselves in the year to come. The Religious Action Center’s history can inspire us to the highest level of morally based social action. Both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were drafted in the conference room of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism in Washington D.C. The RAC thus earned the Reform Jewish Community a strong voice on contemporary social justice issues.
• RAC/NY was established last year. We were involved this past spring in their first legislative effort - The Green Light Initiative to allow non-citizen New Yorkers to get drivers licenses. We will inform the Congregation of their 2020 initiative as soon as the information is available.
• The Social Action Shabbat is on Friday, October 18th. We are planning a wonderful Sukkot Celebration to “welcome the stranger” to our home. Please put it on your calendar. It will be an inspiring evening and may include an Oneg Celebration of Community in our Sukkah.
• Please bring your donations of non-perishable food to Temple during the High Holidays. We will continue our support of the INN – An organization that sets out to transform lives by addressing hunger, homelessness, and profound poverty through awareness, action, and generosity. There are special events to raise funds to help the needy on their website. If you choose to sign up for an event, part of the cost of your enjoyment will go to a good cause. We will also continue to participate in & support - The Book Fairies - A non-profit organization that collects reading materials for people in need throughout metropolitan New York. The materials foster literacy and academic success; Island Harvest – A hunger relief organization that provides food and services for people who are hungry, and a voice for people who are in need; and For Our Veterans, collect gifts on Veteran’s Day.
• Please plan to join us on Sunday, November 3rd at 10:30am to plan future efforts and our holiday tzedakah.
• Elaine Brooks: 718.217.6065, ebrooks@brooklyn.cuny.edu • Judy Kirschner: 917.270.2705, kirschnj@gmail.com • Elaine Weiss: 917.658.4955, lainjoy@aol.com

L’Shana Tova to All!

in loving memory

*OCTOBER CALENDAR