Bath Jewish History

January/February 2025
Tevet /Shevat 5785

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

In 2024 our congregation celebrated nine teenagers becoming B’nai mitzvah. In preparation for this milestone, I asked each teen to prepare a question that was on their mind about being a Jew to which I would offer a response at their B’nai mitzvah ceremony. By doing so, these youths took part in the millennia old Jewish conversation about how to live a life of meaning and purpose.

Below you’ll find one of these questions along with my brief response. You can read all of the questions and responses here. I hope reading these diverse exchanges will give you a sense of the thoughtful and passionate teens who are part of our community. With them, our future is bright! 

L’shalom,
Rabbi Vinikoor

Question: Can people spend a lot of money on something, like a Bar Mitzvah party, when there are others who don't have enough food to eat or a place to live? 

Response: According to Jewish law Jews are obligated to give tzedakah­—that is money to help feed, clothe and shelter people in need. We are required to give in order to help those in among us who struggle. It is a key Jewish value to care for the most vulnerable. By giving tzedakah we take step towards shifting the inequalities so prevalent in our world.

Interestingly this obligation to give tzedakah extends to every Jew, wealthy or poor. Everyone is required to give something. Regardless of circumstance everyone is seen as capable of contributing towards making the world better.

And yet, this sacred obligation doesn’t prohibit us from enjoying life. In fact, Judaism also obligates us to be joyous and add beauty to our world.

Think about a ceramicist who creates a beautiful kiddush cup for shabbat, a Hebrew school student designing a colorful seder plate, the many creative artists who compose music to enliven our ancient prayers, or the joyous dancing at a Jewish celebration. These Jewish acts of adding beauty delight us all and make our lives brighter.

So, on the one hand as Jews we each have a responsibility to carry out the ongoing and difficult task of healing our broken world. And at the same time, we have the obligation to bring beauty to all we do. 

These two key Jewish values give us purpose as we each strive to craft a life of goodness and meaning.

President’s Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

The Hanukkah lights remind us of the importance of warmth and light in our lives as well as the joy of being together. With the cold and darkness surrounding us this time of year it is so tempting to just stay home wrapped in a blanket with a good book.

Yet the rewards for venturing out to one of our services or events will bring its own fulfillment. Our goal is to provide many opportunities to engage. We hope you will consider finding something that will help you connect on some level with our wonderful community.

The board is beginning the process of reviewing our strategic plan. Our Mission Statement is:

Beth Israel Congregation of Midcoast Maine provides a progressive, inclusive center for worship, learning, culture and engagement that connects us to Judaism, social justice, Tikkun Olam and to one another.

Every now and then we receive a letter that confirms that we are on the right track.

Dear Beth Israel

Enclosed is our contribution of $1,500. While we have not been members of the synagogue for many years, we truly appreciate Beth Israel's impact on the Jewish community in the Midcoast area. In short, the synagogue is a beacon of Jewish faith and culture in our area.

We admire your steadfast leadership of Beth Israel for so many years and during so many challenging times, especially the present. We send warm regards.

Wine Tasting

by Rebekah Polster Hansen

Wednesday, January 15
5:30 pm

To kick off 2025, Beth Israel members are invited to a wine and appetizer tasting at Minnie Brown. We are hoping this is the start of a monthly cooking experience for members in our brand new, state of the art kitchen.

This month, we’re trying our hand at some wine pairings with a selection of appetizers. Cost is $18 per person, and we will have a cutoff at 20 members. Sign up and bring your tasting curiosity! More to come and hope to see you there!

Gentle Yoga Class

by Sheila Cohen

Sundays, January 12 and 26
10:00–11:00 am
Minnie Brown Center

Bring a yoga mat and wear loose clothing.
No fee, but a donation to Beth Israel Congregation appreciated.
RSVP to sign up for a class.

Join Sheila Cohen for gentle yoga. In this class you will experience a modified form of Hatha Yoga. The gentle pace is a flowing sequence of standing, sitting and breathing techniques. While some benefits are immediate, other benefits such as stress reduction, resilience and strength occur gradually, Sheila is an accomplished yoga teacher, registered with 500 hours of teacher training. She has attended workshops on Yoga for healthy aging.

You don’t have to be flexible to practice yoga, nor are you expected to move beyond your physical, mental or emotional boundaries. Most importantly, you should feel better after class; a little calmer and more flexible.

Refugee Shabbat

by Marilyn Weinberg

Friday, February 28

Over the past few years Beth Israel has joined with synagogues across the country to celebrate what is called Refugee Shabbat. It is a program sponsored by HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. It is an invitation for congregations, organizations, and individuals to express their solidarity with the global Jewish movement for refugee protection and welcome.

As we go to press, we are in the planning stages of what our program will be at Beth Israel. We will be sharing details for this program in our weekly email.

HIAS Donations

by Marilyn Weinberg

The Portland JCA has committed to bringing in more immigrants through HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) over the next month with worries that funding might soon be lost.

With their additional workload, the JCA staff asked for help and our Beth Israel members came to the rescue.

On December 30 we delivered warm hats, gloves and mittens, scarves and socks in four different sizes to accommodate all the refugee families who will be arriving in Maine to face our cold winter weather.

I want to thank so many of our members who have stepped up and went shopping, knitted or made a donation to purchase items. The JCA was so impressed with how fast we were able to gather these items and how many of you participated. I wasn’t surprised because I know how wonderful all of you are.

Thank You. You really have made a difference in our small Maine community.

Hanukkah at the Blaine House

by Marilyn Weinberg

Beth Israel was well represented at the Hanukkah celebration at the Blaine house with Governor Janet Mills, sponsored by the Center for Small Town Jewish Life.

Jacob Lichtman Paul was honored to light one of the Hanukkah candles and our sixth-grade students helped lead all the joyful singing. There were people from all over the state representing most of the congregations. It was fun to meet new people and connect with others we had not seen in a while. We were proud to be part of this celebration and had a great time checking out all of the interesting spaces in the Blaine house and enjoying some delicious refreshments, including latkes.

Community Hanukkah Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

A good time was had by all at the Beth Israel Hanukkah Celebration on December 29. We had our own Hanukkah corn hole game, fun crafts, and our favorite dreidel spinning competition with our Spinagogue.

We had so much light inside as we lit our menorah candles and raised our voices chanting the blessings and singing lots of joyful Hanukkah songs. Special thanks to our amazing latke cooks, and all the people who contributed food and drinks to share.

Making Maine a Place Without Hate

by Joanne Rosenthal

In December I was pleased to learn about and join The Maine Task Force Against Hate Crimes. The group is comprised of community leaders, organizations, law enforcement (federal and local) and other advocates for communities impacted by hate crimes in Maine.

There are over 60 members of this coalition which is funded by the Department of Justice to provide funding, training and technical assistance to state and local governments, to deepen their understanding of, and prevent hate crimes, and improve the criminal justice system. The task force is presently addressing bias and harassment in schools, due to a rise in hate incidents with insufficient action. I look forward to continued networking with this group, to form connections and engage collectively when bias incidents and hate crimes impact our communities.

The Kulanu working group met recently and discussed how to support school age families grappling with the Christmas centric school environment. To follow up, a listening session was offered to parents while their children were in Hebrew School. A few of the parents shared about their children’s experiences and how they were impacted by school policies.

Please contact the Kulanu committee with any questions or comments at kulanu@bethisraelbath.org.

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. 

REMEMBRANCES FOR january–february 2025

May their memories be for a blessing.

DONATIONS

Memorial Gifts

• Joan and Jeremy Fields in loving memory of her mother, Selma Shapiro Blatt

• Stephen and Marina Singer in loving memory of his father, Isadore Singer

• Jay and Lenore Friedland in loving memory of his mother, Nettie Friedland and her mother, Esther Itzkowitz

• Richard Smith in loving memory of his mother, Sara Smith

• Joe and Merna Guttentag in loving memory of his mother, Sarah Guttentag

• The Blatt Family in loving memory of Irwin Metviner

• Andy and Chris Schoenberg in loving memory of his father, George Schoenberg

• Barbara Baseman in loving memory of her husband, Stephen Baseman

• Benedikt Shohan Family Charitable Fund in loving memory of Ed and Ruth Benedikt

• Stephen Sinclair Jr and Jenna Golub in loving memory of his father, Stephen Sinclair

• Barbara and Barrett Silver in loving memory of her father, Samuel Becker

For the Benefit of the Synagogue

• Leora Rabin

• Shelia Cohen

• Linda Silberstein and Larry Loeb

• Robert Kofman

• Ornest Family Foundation

• Stephanie Hutson

• Barrett and Barbara Silver for High Holiday Aliyah

• Jamie Kaplan and Suzanne Meeker

• Margaret Curley in honor of the Finn-Vinikoor Family

• Dawn Fecteau

• Roberta Lipsman

• Karen Totman for Warm Clothing for New Mainers

• Deb Smyth for Warm Clothing for New Mainers

Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund

• B’nai B’rith Food Industry Lodge Foundation

• Susan Horowitz

Building Fund/Centennial Campaign

• Ira Singer

• Howard and Cheryl Singer

• Donna Rubin in loving memory of her parents, Morris and Mary Petlock

• Lise Pincus Clark and Ashna Pincus and Family

• Marty Fox and Thyle Sharter

• Michelle Lisi-D’Alauro

Technology for the Hebrew School

• Virginia Fish

back to top