Bath Jewish History

July/August 2022
Tammuz / Av / Elul 5782

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

The following are the words I spoke at the 2022 annual meeting. May we all be blessed with a peaceful summer, time for rest, connection and community. 

Rabbi Vinikoor

In Pirke Avot 2:4 we learn that Rabbi Hillel taught “do not separate yourself from the community,” and later in this same section of text he taught “Do not say ‘i will study when I have the time, for you may never have the time." These two brief teachings offer a partial glimpse into the minds of the ancient rabbis as to what they considered essentials for living a good life- engaging in community and seizing the moment to learn. For us these teachings provide a prescription for living Jewishly today—dive into community and dig into Torah. 

This past year, as your rabbi I’ve witnessed the interplay of action and study, of engagement and learning, carried out by so many of you in the service of nourishing our community and the individuals who make it up.

אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר Do not seperate yourself from the community. This teaching is often interpreted to mean- be part of the community in good times as well as in times of trouble. Yet it can be easy to separate from the community, especially when we are scared, feel isolated, not seen by others or when we disagree. And yet, as Hillel implores and as we know from our own lives, we need each other to live and learn and we are stronger together. 

Here is a short list of how I’ve witnessed community members strengthening our community this year: 

• joining in Shabbat services on zoom and in person

• cooking meals for congregants who are ill or in mourning 

• signing the ketubah for a local couple who didn’t have other Jewish witnesses

• purchasing necessary home goods for recently arrived refugees

• showing up to celebrate the centennial of the shul

•  sharing their family’s holocaust story with our 5th and 6th grade students 

• shepherding the Minnie Brown renovations to its next stages

• welcoming new members and visitors

• donating funds to support our centennial campaign and ongoing work

My prayer is that in this next year we’ll have more opportunities to be together, in person, to support each other, and to act proudly as Jews to make our community stronger, more just and more whole. 

The second part of the Pirke Avot text says Do not, say I will study when I have time, for you may never have the time.Remember, for the ancient rabbis, study was not a solitary act, instead in its essence, study was a communal activity. 

This past year I had the privilege of studying and learning alongside the diversity that is our congregation. Thanks to Rachel Connelly our littlest ones gathered monthly with their parents for songs, crafts, stories and community building- mostly in person at the gazebo. At Hebrew school our students and teachers met each week to learn, laugh and engage proudly as Jews. I am so grateful to our teachers for their flexibility and dedication and to the cadre of volunteers who set up tables and chairs every Thursday in the fall enabling us to teach and learn outside in the library park gazebo. 

This past year six b’nai mitzvah students were called to the Torah as Jewish adults. These young people exemplified the idea of both engaging in community and studying. In addition to learning to chant Torah from the scroll, lead services and wrestle with our ancient texts, collectively they volunteered at our Hebrew school, taught swimming lessons through the Special Olympics, played music outside a senior living center to bring joy to isolated elders during the pandemic, cleaned up trash from the local middle school yard, raised money for peace, and built a picnic table on a popular hiking trail for all to use. In addition, our adult learners dug into Torah and Talmud this year through bi-monthly parsha focused Torah study, lay-led Talmud study with Anne Schlitt, weekly prayer book Hebrew classes, and engaging study sessions with our student rabbinical fellow, Joey Glick. 

This coming fall, we’ll add a new offering to the adult education line up through the Melton program. The first six-session course, called Members of the Tribe, begins just after Sukkot in mid-October and will gather at the Curtis Library in Brunswick for six Monday evenings in a row. Tuition for the class is $180 but thanks to the newly established Reg Hannaford Education scholarship fund, we can offer tuition support to enable all who would like to take the class to join. 

Tonight, we looked at two essentials for living a Jewish life—being an active participant in community and studying. The Members of the tribe course this fall will continue to engage this question of “What is the overarching purpose of living Jewishly?” Join us for discussion, study and perhaps a nosh too!

Finally, this fall, we’ll welcome our new student rabbinic fellow through the Center for Small Town Jewish Life, Chloe Zehlka. Stay tuned for her first visit so that you too can join in welcoming her warmly to our community.

When Hillel reminds us: “Do not say ‘I will study when I have the time, for you may never have the time” he agitates us to remember that life is precious and fleeting. May we heed his words and strive to be grateful for the opportunities we have and to employ our energy and passion to create new ones. May it be so. 

Co-President’s Annual Meeting Message

by Anne Schlitt & Gila Cohen-Shaw

It is an honor and privilege to have been elected to serve as co-presidents of Beth Israel Congregation. We look forward to a productive term with our dedicated Board members. It will be impossible to fill the shoes of our outgoing President, Peggy Brown and we offer her our extreme gratitude and appreciation for all she has done, and continues to do, for our congregation.          

A brief introduction from each of us. Anne Schlitt grew up in West Bloomfield, Michigan, but left the state for college (William and Mary in Virginia) and spent the better part of 10 years living overseas (Japan, England) and in the big city (Chicago, New York) before finding her way to Maine in 2004. She’s been here ever since and loves the way that everyone in Maine seems to have at least one friend or acquaintance in common, no matter where in the state they may live. It’s just one giant small town of a state, and it’s a wonderful place to raise a family (daughter Willow, 13, goes to Bath Middle School) and enjoy the ocean, the mountains, and the lakes and rivers too.                

Gila Cohen-Shaw grew up in New York (Queens and Long Island) where she raised her family. She and her husband Howard had both visited Maine in their youth and then every summer as a family, visiting friends from grad school who live in Georgetown. Those visits became more frequent over the years and as she and her husband became empty nesters and were both working from home, they decided to try Maine on for size as a permanent move in 2018 and have never looked back. The beauty of every season, the sense of community and the slower paced life has not disappointed.

In spite of continued challenges from the pandemic over the past year, our congregation continues to thrive.                                                     

Our community, whether in person or remotely, remained strong and vibrant as we continued to worship, study, and celebrate together. Here are some of the past year’s highlights:

• The Board continues to use the Strategic Plan as a guide for goal setting. In the coming months we will be reviewing which goals need to be prioritized, which have been accomplished, and which need revision. The Governance Committee is also nearly finished with a revision of the bylaws (last revised in 2009).                                                  

• With the help of the Design Team, led by the multiple hat-wearing Marilyn Weinberg and Marty Fox, and the incredible Centennial fundraising organized by Rachel Connelly, we will be embarking on renovations on the Minnie Brown Center.

• Completed improvements include paving the driveway and, thanks to Peggy Brown’s amazing grant writing skills, a library upgrade funded by the Povich family and the Samuel L. Cohen Foundation and dedicated to the memory of Janice Povich. This is now a wonderful location for learning and community.

• The Melton program will be starting in October at the Curtis Library in Brunswick.

• Much gratitude to Tinker Hannaford for her generosity in creating the Reg Hannaford Education Fund, established to honor Reg’s memory and commitment in pursuing Jewish learning.

• Twenty-one children learned in our Hebrew School this past year, with four amazing sixth graders graduating in May and six B'nai Mitzvot! Our teachers (Rabbi Vinikoor, Alina Shumsky, Gila Cohen-Shaw, Michelle Lisi, Susan Horowitz, and Anita Lichman), students, parents, and volunteers showed tremendous resilience as we schlepped tables and chairs to the Gazebo in the fall, pivoted to Zoom in the winter, and returned to the Minnie Brown Center for Hebrew school in the spring.

• Thanks to our Social Action Committee and those who gave generously, we were able to assist the resettling of three refugee families, totaling 19 people.

• Our courage and strength this past year was exemplified by our joyous Centennial celebration, conceived and deployed by Marilyn Weinberg and shared not only with our Beth Israel families but our local community as well. May we continue to grow and thrive for another 100 (at least) more years!  

Thank you to our committed leaders, volunteers, teachers, donors, our Rabbi, Camille Kauffunger, students, parents, lay leaders, and the many committees at work behind the scenes including: Adult Education, Board Members, Building Committee, Chai Committee, Community Read, COVID Response Team, Design Committee, Dinner Club, Fundraising Committee, Meal Train volunteers, newsletter writers, service attendees, Shabbat hosts, Social Action Committee, story contributors, Strategic Plan Steering Committee, Sunshine Committee, Torah students, Treasurer, Yahrzeit reminders. A special thanks to Fred Weinberg and the tech team for supporting high quality hybrid services. (Whew! We have a lot going on!)

A special thank you to Marilyn Weinberg and the generous donors Jay and Lenore Friedland, Sharon Drake, and the Greenwald family for our new High Holiday Prayer Books, which we look forward to using for the first time this fall. We will also welcome a new rabbinical student, Chloe Zelkha, and look forward to learning and sharing together.

We say a hearty thank you to our retiring Board Members (Lou Ensel, Margaret Boyle, Peggy Brown, and Stan Lane) and welcome our new Board members (Shira Gersh, Norma Dreyfus, Michelle Lisi, and Thyle Sharter). Our Board has much work ahead of them, including:  

• Addressing safety and security for our members by obtaining federal grant money.

• Resuming ALICE training.

• Adding video cameras and monitors to Minnie Brown.

• Continuing to discuss how to best add a second exit from the Synagogue sanctuary for continued safety.

To that end, we are always in need of greeters for services and events. Please connect with us if you are interested.  

A final reflection: Anne attended the Center for Small Town Jewish Life’s Annual Conference at Colby College in Waterville, the first in-person conference since 2019. This inspiring opportunity to make friends and learn together filled her with a sense of hope for the vibrancy, creativity, and warmth of Jewish life in Maine. We all play a part in keeping the spirit of community alive–thank you for everything all of you do for ours.

We look forward to continued collaboration as we embark on serving the community as Co-Presidents.

Shabbat Under the Stars and More

by Marilyn Weinberg

July and August will bring more outside Friday night Shabbat services. Please note the times of upcoming services might change so check the website for updated information.

July 8
We will have a brief Shabbat evening service followed by a potluck dinner
5:15 pm - outside service at Rabbi Vinikoor’s home (bring a folding chair)
5:45 pm - potluck salads, breads, desserts (eaten outside)

July 22
7:00 pm - service inside the Synagogue

August 5
6:30 pm - outside service at the Dreyfus-Lane home (bring a folding chair) 

This will be a brief service followed by a presentation from Betty Welt. In 1939 her family escaped from Germany to Switzerland where Betty was born. They made it to the United States in 1948. Come, hear her story. 

August 19
7:00 pm - service inside the Synagogue

Social Action News

by Joanne Rosenthal

The Social Action organizing committee is excited to announce two upcoming opportunities. The first is a workshop with the Holocaust Human Rights Center called Speak Up. It will cover how to recognize both explicit and implicit bias and how to engage in uncomfortable conversations when encountering antisemitism, racism and any expressions of intolerance. The tentative date for this workshop is September 11 at 10:00 am.

The second offering will be the opportunity to join a Sacred Ground, Conversations about Race, study circle. This curriculum, developed by the Episcopal church has been expanded to include non-Christian faith communities. Laura McCandlish and Joanne Rosenthal will be training to facilitate these conversations in the fall. Stay tuned for more information!

If you wish to have your name added to the social action email list, and/or become involved with social action at Beth Israel, please contact Joanne Rosenthal.

Talking Talmud

by Anne Schlitt

I've been participating in Daf Yomi (reading a page a day of the Talmud) since the current cycle began in January 2020. In that time, I've fallen head over heels for what has been dubbed "Judaism's operating manual." Would you believe that the Talmud is full of jokes, colorful characters, slice-of-life vignettes, and totally insane folk remedies? That there is epic wordplay and heroic intellectual feats and deep philosophical contemplation? Sure, there's also long passages of arcane debate about things like Temple rituals or the intricacies of genealogy, but even there, if you stick with it, you'll get a sense of how to read and interpret a text, prove a point, and get comfortable with competing opinions.

No matter what your interest, the Talmud will, at one point or another, tackle it.

I've been learning alone these past couple of years, and I'm eager to form a casual havruta. Join me for a monthly learning session—I'll pick a page of Talmud, share some resources and interpretations ahead of time, and we can learn together and enjoy a nosh while we're at it. Because as we learn in Tractate Moed Katan 9a, "There is no complete rejoicing without eating and drinking."  

We'll meet on the last Sunday of every month, starting August 28, at 9:30 at Café Crème. If you're interested, please email me directly. I look forward to learning together!

New High Holiday Prayer Books

by Marilyn Weinberg

Thanks to the generosity of Aaron and Liza Greenwald, Jay and Lenore Friedland and Sharon Drake, we will be using brand new High Holiday prayerbooks for this coming Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays.

The books we have been using for the last 20 years are no longer in print and the number of books we have available do not meet our needs. A committee was set up to look at what options we had. We created a list of criteria that we felt were essential for our community. The list included fully transliterated Hebrew prayers as well as clear and accurate English translations. We added additional meaningful English readings to the list as well as including all of the traditional Hebrew prayers we regularly use.  

Our committee carefully went through the Reform movement’s book Mishkan HaNefesh and found that it met all our needs. If you would like to learn more about these books you can go to:

https://www.ccarpress.org/content.asp?tid=349

We haven yet decided what to do with our older books. If you would like a copy for your personal use, let us know and we can get one to you.

Hebrew School enrollment

by Marilyn Weinberg

Beth Israel Hebrew School will resume classes on September 15, 2022. If you are new to Beth Israel and interested in enrolling your child, go to our website to get more information and access the enrollment forms. We charge only a $50 activity fee per child for Beth Israel members.

For more information:
https://www.bethisraelbath.org/religious-school

Members of the Tribe

by Peggy Brown

Melton is coming to Beth Israel in October! 

Beth Israel is partnering with the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning to present several courses taught by Rabbi Lisa Vinikoor throughout the coming year. 

Our first course, described below, will begin on October 17 and run for six weeks (no class on October 24). The class will be accessible in-person at the Curtis Memorial Library (space limited to 12) or via Zoom (limited to 8). Cost is $179. Some financial help is available through the Reg Hannaford Education Fund. 

Need more information? 
Contact Peggy at Meltondirector@Bethisraelbath.org or rabbivinikoor@gmail.com
Ready to Register? meltonschool.org/maine

Members of the Tribe
Course Description
n this short six-session quest, we’ll dive deep into a fundamental, challenging question: “What is the overarching purpose of living Jewishly?” We’ll discuss the responsibilities, pressures, and misconceptions that come with being called “the Chosen People.” Together, we’ll learn the meanings behind rituals like kashrut, symbols like mezuzah, and why Israel matters so much. A deeper understanding of “the Tribe” informs and enriches both the nation’s collective actions as well as individual responses to life’s big questions.

New Board Members

by Peggy Brown

Thyle Shartar
Thyle (pronounced Teal) is a deep ecologist with a passion for social justice. She is a retired Elementary School librarian. Thyle lives with her husband Marty Fox in Wiscasset on Buckwheat Blossom Farm next to her children and grandchildren. Her hobbies include gardening, reading and knitting. She volunteers at Skidompha library and Spindleworks.

Michelle Lisi-D’Alauro
A writing center administrator and faculty member of the University of Maine at Augusta, Michelle Lisi-D'Alauro supports ELL resources, LGBTQI+ and BIPOC Safe Zones, Equity and Inclusion scholarships, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality book awards. She also works with Maine Literacy Volunteers and the Maine Humanities Council to facilitate discussions of diverse identities. In her spare time, Michelle volunteers for the Portland JCA and co-leads the Coastal Area Women's Writing Group. She serves as a Hebrew School teacher at Beth Israel where her son celebrated his bar mitzvah this summer.

Shira Gersh
Shira Gersh has been involved in the Beth Israel Congregation in one way or another since she was 8 years old. After attending the Hebrew school and becoming a Bat Mitzvah here in Bath, Shira attended Brandeis University where she studied Music and Environmental Studies. Since graduating in 2019, Shira has worked full time at Goranson Farm in Dresden, growing organic vegetables year-round. When not farming, Shira enjoys singing in Una Voce Chamber Choir and jogging with her parents’ dog. Shira is excited to be joining the synagogue board!

Norma Dreyfus
Norma had a long and successful career practicing Pediatric and Adolescent medicine in Mamaroneck, NY. while raising two children and teaching at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She developed training programs for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners in the NY metro area and organized regional pediatric emergency care in Westchester County. Norma began her training in medicine at a time when there was a 10% quota for women entering the program and an absence of women in leadership. Norma worked to make changes and saw more and more women in leadership roles throughout her time in medicine.

Retiring to Maine, Norma kept active, making good trouble by organizing the Friends of Coastal Preservation, serving on the Board of CHANS and the Elder and Home Care Services Committee of Midcoast Parkview. She is also active with Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights. She and her husband, Stan Lane, live in Arrowsic and feel very grateful to be connected to the Beth Israel community.

Tikkun Olam

by Anita Lichman

This Spring the Tikkun Olam club, an elective at the Beth Israel Hebrew School, chose to put its attention towards Midcoast Humane. Laura Devins, art instructor from RSU1, volunteered to conduct a drawing class with the students to learn how to draw pets from photos. A number of students participated in the class and learned about using light, shapes, perspective, and shad­ing to make drawings from photos. After weeks of practice the group was ready to start their fundraiser! 

 Stella Kauffunger, Ren Kauffunger, Jacob Lichman-Paul, Max Lichman-Paul, Ethan Stern-Hayes, Noah Stern-Hayes, Ian Friedel and Noah Van Allen created drawings from photos donors submitted. The student’s creations raised almost $300 in two weeks using their talents—motivated by their love of animals! 

This final project for the Tikkun Olam club was such a heart project. We heard from families who wanted to memorialize, celebrate, and adore their sweet pets through drawings and donations to an organization doing so much for animals in our area. What hope these students give the world! Tikkun Olam!

Synagogue Remains in Portugal

by Gila Cohen-Shaw

We were packed and ready to go to Portugal in March 2020, but like many folks, our plans were thwarted by COVID. While it was two years in the making, we finally made it in May 2022. 

We traveled all around the country visiting 13th and 14th century castles, beautiful ancient cities and ruins, eating delicious food and enjoying the “other” (warmer!) side of the Atlantic Ocean. Typically, we enjoy attending services and visiting places of Jewish life in other countries, but we were cautious about going to museums and wanted to keep the trip simple. 

While visiting Tomar, our AirBnB host messaged to say he had Covid and was too fatigued to “flip” the home (I feel you AirBnB host!)we had reserved but graciously said he would find us another one. True to his word, he did- at the “Casa Di Sinagoga!”

We were acutely aware, although there was no mention of it at the actual castle, that King Mauel established the Portuguese Inquisition “proclaimed by edict that all the Jews remaining within the territory of Portugal would be, after a short period, considered Christians, although simultaneously he forbade them to leave, fearing that the exodus of Jewish men of knowledge and capital would harm Portugal's burgeoning commercial empire. Jews were largely undisturbed as nominal Christians for several decades, until the establishment of a Tribunal of the Portuguese Inquisition by the initiative of the clergy in the town. Under persecution, wealthier Jews fled, while most others were forced to convert. Hundreds of both Jews and New Christians were arrested, tortured and about 1,000 were executed in autos da fé. Many others (c. 38,000) were expropriated of their property or penance. Jewish ascendancy, more than Jewish religion, together with personal wealth determined whom would be persecuted, since the expropriations reverted to the institution of the Inquisition itself. 

In a case of you can’t make this up…our AirBNB was on top of what was the synagogue! A curator opened it up for us and you can see headstones, a mikvah and some other items. The synagogue was hidden underground as the Jews either converted to Christianity or were forced to do so but practiced their Judaism in secrecy (and underground) as “Marrano” Jews. 

I was struck by the view of the castle where the edict was proclaimed from the synagogue taking me back in my mind's eye to the 1400s and felt with great pride that no matter how hard others try—we as Jews continue to stand strong.

REMEMBRANCES FOR july–august YEAR 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.