Bath Jewish History

November/December 2022
Heshvan / Kislev / Tevet 5783

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

Consider that Rosh Hashanah kicks off the birthday of the world followed by a month-long celebration. And as Simchat Torah ends, we shut down the party. The organizers kick off their shoes and relax, tired party goers rest and bask in the glow of a good time. Some are glad the party is over. Others wish an after-party had been organized.

This metaphor describes the transitional time we are in from the month of Tishrei to the new Jewish month of Cheshvan, which we entered in late October. Cheshvan is traditionally considered a bitter month, as it contains within it no special holidays or festivals.

How should we view this time of year?
For those who love planning events, engaging with the community in our homes and beyond, a whole month without a special extraordinary day can feel bitter and perhaps like a letdown.

For those who find the fall to be a bit too busy the “down time” afforded by Cheshvan can be necessary and even enjoyable.

Whether you embrace the quiet or long for festivities, may you harness the collective joy of being part of our community. For, thanks to your efforts and energy, the month-long celebration that is going out, was brimming with song, prayer, laughter, building, dancing, learning, and community. We shared tears, and remembrances, we showed up, we were counted upon and we enacted our sacred purpose.

May we head into this quieter time with gratitude for our ability to share Jewish life in our corner of the world and to care for each other and our community through the bitter and the sweet.

L’Shalom (in peace),

Rabbi Vinikoor

President’s Message

by Gila Cohen-Shaw, Co-President

Rituals are actions that symbolically connect us to something that is meaningful. They can be comforting, can help us express feelings, bring about a sense of closure, or keep an important part of the past alive. Rituals are one of my favorite parts of Judaism- lighting candles on Shabbat with the candlesticks my grandmother brought as she escaped Nazi Poland; Passover seders where I use the matzah cover that belonged to my great grandmother, stepping on glass at a wedding. Rituals mark time as well as create time. The ritual of reciting Kaddish, during a period of bereavement and to mark the anniversary of a death of a loved one, has been the single most comforting Jewish ritual I have practiced.

As of this month, I will have said Kaddish for nearly two years; once for my beloved stepmother who died of Covid in April 2020 and who specifically stated, in her ethical will, that we say Kaddish for her. Ask five siblings to say Kaddish and they will all interpret it differently. I think to her, she was purposefully vague so each of us could honor her request as we felt comfortable. With a brief reprise, I said Kaddish for my mother who died after suffering from Alzheimer's for 16 years.

Kaddish was not originally intended to be a mourner’s prayer, does not actually dwell on the theme of death, does not use the expected words of comfort and is not in Hebrew, but rather Aramaic. As mourners traditionally stand when reciting Kaddish, we have visibility and a sense of comradery and compassion, knowing we are not alone. As the mourners recite the prayer “Yitgadal v’yitkadash, sh’mei rabah,” the congregation responds, “Amen.” For me, reciting Kaddish is like a comforting “mantra” as we remember loved ones. Whether Kaddish was via Zoom or in the sanctuary, I felt the sense of community and the comfort of the ritual with those in our synagogue who have been saying Kaddish alongside me for the past two years, and that other Jews before me and for generations stood to say this prayer in times of grief, as will generations after me.

Upcoming Programs and Services for November and December

by Marilyn Weinberg

November 4-5
Join Rabbi Vinikoor at the Center for Small Town Life’s Fall Shabbaton

November 6
Yahad gathering led by Rachel Connelly

November 17
Facing Antisemitism sponsored by Beth Israel and Sacred Spaces

November 18
Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Vinikoor

November 19
Shabbat Morning Service and Torah Study led by Rabbi Vinikoor

November 20
Grand Opening of History Exhibit

November 30
Holocaust and Music presentation with Dr. Kathryn Huether

December 1
Facing Antisemitism sponsored by Beth Israel and Sacred Spaces

December 2
Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Vinikoor and Chloe Zelkha

December 3
Shabbat Morning Service and Torah Study led by Rabbi Vinikoor and Chloe Zelkha

December 11
Yahad gathering led by Rachel Connelly

December 15
Facing Antisemitism sponsored by Beth Israel and Sacred Spaces

December 16
Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Vinikoor

December 17
Shabbat Morning Service led by Hebrew School students

December 18
Community Hanukkah Celebration

Facing Antisemitism

by Joanne Rosenthal

November 17
December 1, 15
4:15-5:15

A 3-Session Program (please commit to all 3)
Beth Israel Congregation

During this program, small groups of participants will discuss videos, readings and other materials exploring antisemitism in American society. We hope to gain a deeper knowledge of the history of this persistent prejudice, better understand where we find ourselves today, and work together to imagine a different future.

For registration and more information:
SacredGroundME@gmail.com 

Beth Israel History Exhibit Grand Opening

by Marilyn Weinberg

November 20
11:00 am

A year ago, Rachel Connelly and I met with descendants of Joe Solovich and Jennie Povich Solovich, who were some of the synagogue founders in 1922. We talked about the synagogue, its history and how we are entering the next 100 years of its life as a growing and thriving Jewish community.

Two wonderful things came out of that conversation. They agreed to making a very generous donation to our Centennial Campaign, and they asked that we use a small part of that gift to create a permanent Beth Israel history exhibit at the synagogue.

It has taken almost a year of preparation, but that history exhibit is ready to go up. We have two people to thank who have made this exhibit possible. Amy Waterman, who you might remember as curator for the Maine State Museum exhibition “Maine + Jewish: Two Centuries,” and Fred Weinberg, whose deep research into our local Bath Jewish community is now part of the Judaica Collection at the University of Southern Maine.

Our grand opening will be Sunday, November 20 at 11:00 am. We have an amazing display for you to see. I hope you will come.

Sounding Trauma, Mediating Memory:
Holocaust Economy and the Politics of Sound

by Janet Marstine

Wednesday Nov 30
7:00-8:30 pm
Bowdoin College

As we continue to struggle with the horrors that comprise the Holocaust, a new generation of research is providing insight into how the Holocaust is represented through museums, memorials and film. Musicologist and Holocaust studies scholar Dr. Kathryn Huether, Visiting Assistant Professor at Bowdoin College, is on the leading edge of this research. Her innovative cross-disciplinary approach is to examine the ways that sound impacts our understanding of the Holocaust. Her study of sound includes but is not limited to music, such as that that composed for or chosen for Holocaust films, survivor testimony and Holocaust museum audio guides. It also comprises ambient noise, such as the wind, the wildlife and the traffic around Holocaust memorials; the effect of diverse video soundtracks in a Holocaust museum gallery space; and the sound of the narrator on an audio guide.

Dr. Huether comes to Bowdoin directly from the United Stattes Holocaust Memorial Museum where she was a post-doctoral fellow. We are fortunate to share Dr. Huether with our friends at the Jewish Community Alliance and Bowdoin College for a talk to be held at Bowdoin on Wednesday Nov 30, 7:00-8:30 pm, Moulton Union Lounge. The presentation will be multi-sensory with a key audio component and there will be ample time for discussion afterwards. This event promises to inspire new insights on a very difficult topic.

Hebrew School Shabbat Service

by Marilyn Weinberg

Join together with our Hebrew School students and families as they lead a Shabbat morning service on Saturday morning, December 17. Students have been leading Friday night Shabbat services for many years. They look forward to experiencing Shabbat morning rituals and prayers to have a fuller Shabbat experience. We will share a potluck lunch immediately following the service.

Come and support our Hebrew School and our wonderful students.

Calling All Volunteers! Get Involved! Build a Caring Beth Israel Community!

by Debbie Smyth

Are you interested in getting to know other members? Would you like to perform a mitzvah to help members in need?

Our mission is to support the Beth Israel community by welcoming new members, celebrating joyful occasions and providing support in times of transition and need, consistent with Beth Israel’s mission and the Jewish value of gemilut hasadim, acts of loving kindness.

You can help in a number of the ways listed below. Please indicate your interest in participating in one, some, or all of the activities described below.

•  Meal train

• Welcome new members

• Welcome new babies

• Visit the sick or lonely

• Participate in Shiva Minyan

Thank you in advance for considering how you can help make Beth Israel a supportive, loving, and compassionate community.

If you have any questions about these activities or suggestions for additional ways of supporting our members, please contact Jill Standish or Debbie Smyth.

Community Hanukkah Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, December 18

Save the date for our annual Community Hanukkah Celebration.

Get your menorah ready as we celebrate the first night of Hanukkah together. We are still working out the details so stay tuned and watch for more information in your weekly synagogue emails.

If you would like to be on the planning committee please contact Marilyn Weinberg.

Beth Israel Selected for the First Cohort of Kulanu Synagogues

by Joanne Rosenthal

“Synagogues representing 27 states chosen for first Kulanu: Synagogues in Action New York, NY, October 3, 2022 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today announced the first cohort of 113 synagogues participating in its inaugural Kulanu: Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism program. Representing 27 states and all of the major strains of organized Judaism, the synagogues will have exclusive access to experts and webinars over the next eight months as they work to address antisemitism in their local communities and nationwide.

“Fighting antisemitism takes a whole of society approach, and we are committed to working with Jewish congregations from all denominations as we expand our work in response to the historically high level of antisemitic incidents we’ve witnessed in the past few years,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “Our Kulanu network brings together congregations across the nation to engage in critical conversations about antisemitism and hate, as well as implement initiatives engaging audiences beyond the Jewish community.”

Kulanu, meaning “all of us” in Hebrew, is a new congregational engagement program from ADL that is dedicated to empowering congregations to address antisemitism and hate in their communities through education, community engagement and advocacy. Selected synagogues will have exclusive access to expert insight and webinars. Some may also work to build meaningful connections between synagogues and the communities they’re in to address antisemitism, or pilot new programs or initiatives aimed at engaging an external audience beyond the synagogue community.”

Watch for news in the coming months pertaining to new initiatives to fight antisemitism in our Maine communities.

Reflections on our High Holiday Services

by Janet Marstine

It made me hugely proud to be a member of Beth Israel Congregation when I heard Rabbi Vinikoor’s Yom Kippur morning sermon. I found the Rabbi’s innovative connecting of Moses’ call for the Israelites to choose life with the human right to have an abortion timely, moving and empowering.

In this feminist and ultimately humanist exhortation, Rabbi Vinikoor explained that, in Jewish tradition, the life of the mother is prioritized over the life of the fetus; moreover, she asserted that maintaining the quality of the life of women and families, through the right to exercise abortion, makes for a fuller, healthier, more thriving Jewish—and wider—community. She stressed the need for a stronger Jewish voice to emerge in the discourse on abortion rights and noted the communal responsibility for ensuring that abortion rights in Maine are not undermined.

In my estimate, we should be grateful to have such insightful rabbinical leadership. Rabbi Vinikoor has inspired me to let go of my own pressures to self-censor and to more assertively voice my opinion that the right to an abortion is a human right. With her Yom Kippur morning sermon, Rabbi Vinikoor made a significant impact.

High Holiday Family Services

by Marilyn Weinberg

We were able to gather inside this year for our high holiday family services. Rabbi Vinikoor led us with songs and prayer as well as discussions of each holiday’s meaning and importance.

Rosh Hashanah involved challah baking and apple tasting and Yom Kippur discussions involved a listing of actions that we feel good about and those that we would like to improve upon. It was a very meaningful experience.

Shabbat Under the Stars

by Marilyn Weinberg

A good crowd gathered together on September 9th for the concluding Shabbat Under the Stars service at Rabbi Vinikoor’s home. We began in May and continued throughout the summer with only one Friday with rain. Our final outside Shabbat service allowed us to meet Chloe Zelkha, our Rabbinical Student Apprentice for this year. We look forward to seeing her again in December as we transition to our indoor services for the coming year.

Rosh Hashanah

by Marilyn Weinberg

Our Holiday celebrations were extra special this year as we were able to gather in person. Yet we learned from previous years that outside activities were still appreciated.

When services ended inside, we gathered at the library park to share a meal and chat. We then walked to the waterfront park to hear the sound of the shofar and participate in the Tashlicht service. May the New Year bring peace and health for all.

Sukkot

by Marilyn Weinberg

We had rain now and then, but that didn’t stop us from celebrating our wonderful Sukkot holiday. We had four loyal members (Robert Gersh, Marty Fox, Rachel Connelly and Josh Sherz) who arrived at 9:00 am to erect our community Sukkah just in time for our Yachad families to come to decorate and play. Our Hebrew School children continued that decoration and blessed it with the Lulav and Etrog. Rabbi Vinikoor even hosted the regular meeting of the Brunswick Area Interfaith Council inside the Sukkah. Our final event was a luncheon following a Shabbat morning service. Having the sukkah erected in front of Minnie Brown turned out to be a wonderful location.

Simchat Torah

by Marilyn Weinberg

What could be more perfect than a beautiful fall day to celebrate our Torah, our traditions and our community. Thanks to Earth Jams with Matt Loosigan, who provided the music that was so appropriate and made it difficult to stand still. Just about everyone was dancing or clapping their hands and often singing along.

And thanks to all the members who turned out to help carry the Torahs and assist in the recitation of the blessings. Joyous is the perfect word to describe the evening.

Beth Israel Hebrew School

by Rabbi Vinikoor

There is an ancient Jewish tradition wherein a child first practices the letters of the Hebrew alphabet by writing them in honey symbolizing the sweetness of Torah. We carried on this tradition this year and took it up a notch by inviting Beth Israel member and local beekeeper, Ted Wolfe to our school to help him extract honey from his honeycombs. Since then our school has been buzzing with song, learning, laughter, and gratitude for being together again fully in person as a Jewish community. Here's to a year of continued sweetness!

Remembrances for November–December 2022

May their memories be for a blessing.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Listing the birthdays and anniversaries of those in our immediate family creates a wonderful opportunity for our community/shul family to have an excuse to celebrate with each other.