Bath Jewish History

May/June 2016
Nisan/Iyyar/Sivan 5776

President's Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

After getting home from setting up for Beth Israel's community Seder, I was so pleased that eight people volunteered to help with setting up. After the Seder more than twelve people stayed to clean up; all without being asked. I thought, once again, how our community has worked and thrived through the contributions of its members and friends. This is a real community. This congregation isn't about one or two people; it's about all of you.

It is a reminder of the busy synagogue life we are developing at our little congregation and of all the new and exciting programs and services that are coming up in the months ahead. It took up an entire page just to list them all. Each one of them involves so many of you who help set up, create and sustain our synagogue community with your attendance and financial support. Thank you.

As we continue our forward momentum there are many decisions to make about our direction and focus. The Annual Meeting is approaching. On May 22 we ask that you come to not only hear about some our successes, but to clearly state your wishes for our future.

The board has been working very hard in making decisions and listening to your opinions. We have been careful in our selection to join the Reform Movement and have made sure we had your support every step of the way. We also have building issues that need to be addressed. So the next set of questions and options need your input as well. Hiring a Rabbi, overseeing building concerns, managing finances all decide our future.

We can't do it without you. Each one of you counts. I hope you will be able to set aside the time to come. It's important.

Dine Around

by Crissy Swartz

Join us for a night out with a delicious dinner and good company!

Date: May 4, Wednesday
Place: Best Thai II in Bath
Time: 6:30 pm

Please RSVP to Crissy Swartz

Holocaust Remembrance Service

by Marilyn Weinberg

Friday, May 6
7:00 p.m.
Synagogue

Holocaust Remembrance Day is Thursday, May 5. To honor those who perished and suffered during the Holocaust we will have a special Holocaust Remembrance service on Friday, evening, May 6.

The sad news is that the story doesn't end. The suffering continues. We will have a speaker from the Maine refugee community sharing experiences of those who are still trying to escape persecution and suffering in their countries of origin.

Join us for these stories, candle lighting and special prayers.

Hebrew School Shabbat Service

by Teresa Gandler

Friday, May 20
6:30 p.m.
Synagogue

The 5776/2015-2016 Hebrew School students will be leading one last Shabbat Service featuring two graduating students, Isaac Daniel Ensel and Aviva Feinberg. We want to celebrate the accomplishments of these students. It has been a year of dedication, discovery and commitment. Watching these students lead a service shows just how hard they have worked and how much they have learned. Please join us!

Annual Meeting

Please join us on Sunday, May 22 at the Synagogue

9:30 a.m. - Brunch
10:00 a.m. - Meeting

Don't miss this opportunity to express your point of view about the direction our synagogue will be taking.

Learn the latest about the Rabbi search process, the building needs and the challenges and decisions we face.

Your voice and votes are needed!

A Klezmer Shabbat Service

by Marilyn Weinberg

Friday, June 3
7:00 p.m.
Synagogue

We are so pleased to have Rabbi Sruli Dresdner and his wife Lisa Mayer join us again in leading an upcoming Shabbat evening service.

Rabbi Sruli and Lisa are well-known Klezmer musicians as well as very spiritual service leaders. Although the prayers are familiar, their fiddle, clarinet, accordion and lovely voices bring these familiar blessings to a different level.

A Klezmer Shabbat welcomes the Sabbath with music, singing and joy! It is truly a warm and wonderful way for the entire family to celebrate Shabbat!

Bar Mitzvah Invitation

by the Schoenberg Family

Saturaday, June 4
10:00 a.m.
Synagogue

Dear Members and Friends of the Beth Israel Community,

The Schoenberg family would like to invite you to join us and share our joy as Eli is called to the Torah for his Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, June 4 at 10:00 a.m.

It will be a shortened ceremony with a simple Kiddush lunch immediately following downstairs.

All are welcome, please let us know if you will be attending the Kiddush lunch, so that we can plan accordingly.

Special Shavuot Service

by Marilyn Weinberg

Saturday, June 11
6:00 p.m. - Dairy Potluck Dinner
7:00 p.m. - Service
Synagogue

Shavuot is the Hebrew word for "weeks" and refers to the Jewish festival marking the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Traditionally, the Book of Ruth, part of the section of the Bible known as Writings, is read during services on Shavuot.

We are so fortunate to have Rabbi Simeon Maslin lead our Shavuot service this year.

It is customary to eat dairy foods on Shavuot because Jewish tradition compares the words of Torah to the sweetness of milk and honey. So we will begin our celebration with a potluck dairy meal at the synagogue at 5:30 p.m.

Following our meal we will have Rabbi Maslin lead us in our special Shavuot service including the reading of the Book of Ruth.

Upcoming Services and Programs at Beth Israel

by Marilyn Weinberg

MAY

Friday, May 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Yom HaShoah Service
Synagogue

Saturday, May 7 at 9:30 a.m.
Shabbat Morning Service
Synagogue

Saturday, May 14 at 9:30 a.m.
Shabbat Morning Service
Synagogue

Saturday, May 14
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Tot Shabbat Service
led by Rachel Connelly
Minnie Brown Center

Friday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m.
Shabbat Evening Service
led by Hebrew School students
Synagogue

Saturday, May 21 at 9:30 a.m.
Shabbat Morning Service
Synagogue

Sunday, May 22
9:30 a.m. - Brunch
10:00 a.m. - Annual Meeting
Synagogue

Saturday, May 28 at 9:30 a.m.
Shabbat Morning Service
Synagogue

JUNE

Friday, June 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Shabbat Evening Service
led by Rabbi Sruli Dresdner and Lisa Mayer
Synagogue

Saturday, June 4 at 10:00 a.m.
Shabbat Morning Service
Eli Schoenberg Bar Mitzvah
Synagogue

Saturday, June 11
6:00 pm Dairy Potluck Dinner
7:00 pm Shavuot Service
led by Rabbi Simeon Maslin
Synagogue

June 17-19
The Maine Conference for Jewish Life
Colby College

Friday, June 24 at 6:30 a.m.
Shabbat Under the Stars
location T.B.D.

Saturday, June 25 at 10:00 a.m.
Shabbat Morning Service and Torah Discussion
led by Rabbi Simeon Maslin
Synagogue

Saturday Morning Services

by Marilyn Weinberg

Saturdays, beginning June 11
10:00-11:30 a.m.
Synagogue

Throughout this year Maurie Libner and Irwin Brodsky have been keeping a Shabbat Morning Prayer and study group alive. For many years, during the summer months, Rabbi Simeon Maslin has been leading a Torah study group in Brunswick. He has invited members of his Brunswick group to come to Bath and join our loyal group starting on June 11.

Services will begin with an approximately 15-20 minute service, leading into a Torah reading, and then a study discussion.

Rabbi Maslin will be attending The Maine Conference for Jewish Life at Colby College in Waterville on June 17-19 so he will not be available that weekend

Shabbat Under The Stars

by Marilyn Weinberg

Friday, June 24
6:30 p.m.
location T.B.D.

By popular request we will be resuming our Shabbat Under the Stars program this summer. We are still looking for our "homes" for these services, but wanted you to mark your calendars for the first one of the season.

As soon as we finalize locations, we will send out an email reminder and directions to each home.

Unfortunately, rain might cancel these events. Let's hope for good weather.

Purim

by Marilyn Weinberg

Our Purim celebran began with a Hamentaschen Bake at the synagogue. Under the leadership of our dessert maven, Susan Horowitz, we tried out different recipes and fillings and made many dozen of the delectable treats to be served at our large Purim celebration later in the week.

We began our final Purim festivities with a pizza dinner and lots of delicious Hamentaschen. Our able head teacher Abby Halpern read the Megilla beautifully and had slides of our Hebrew School children projected on a screen acting out the different parts. With over 40 people in attendance, we made a lot of noise with our groggers.

Finally, to cap off the evening, our adults, with support from the children, acted out a scene from the Purim story, which was written by Howard Waxman. Women dressed as men and men dressed as women. So you can imagine the lovely female characters with beards and low voices. It was great.

Thank you to all who participated and helped to make it a successful evening.

Passover Seder

by Marilyn Weinberg

Over 50 people attended our annual Community Seder. Robert Gersh led us through the Hagaddah with everybody taking a turn doing the readings. There is something special about so many people singing Dayenu and Go Down Moses together. Alva and Sam Gandler led us in the four questions and "stole" our Afikomen that we had to later ransom back. Even though the story is old, the themes still resonate in today's world.

Thanks to all of you who contributed your time and brought wonderful food to share. Who knew there were so many delicious Passover dishes to make. Special thanks go to Susan Horowitz who again baked the most amazing Passover desserts.

Thank you, George Krasner

by Lynn Frank

George Krasner, a member of our congregation and a recognized pioneer in the American space program dazzled us with stories, artifacts and humorous anecdotes at a Sunday brunch on April 10. We saw the first book on space communications and heard an original tape with President Eisenhower's message of peace to the world from the first communication satellite. George shared insider stories, secrets, and goofs in the infant years of the space program, and displayed souvenirs and photos. There was a lot of curiosity and many questions. We could have gone on for hours! Thank you, George, for sharing a remarkable part of your life with us.

Mazel Tov, Rachel

by Andy Schoenberg

Rachel Schoenberg will be graduating from the University of Maine Farmington, Saturday, May 14, with a degree in Elementary Education. She also has a concentration in language arts.

During her four years at UMF, she was the only woman on the ice hockey club team which won the Central Maine Collegiate Conference in 2013! She is also a loyal and avid Bruins fan!

After her two trips living aboard our sailboat with her family, she continues her love of travel and sailing. She was able to travel to New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity her sophomore year, and was fortunate to travel to Israel through Birthright her junior year. She also served as treasurer of her class junior year and president this past year.

In addition to her jobs as a waitress during college, she also worked two summers as a camp counselor at Camp Eisenberg, a Jewish camp in the Berkshires. She plans to work as counselor this summer at Camp Interloken, a JCC camp in Wisconsin.

She will be looking forward to starting her teaching career in the fall.

Goldie Singer turns 100!

by Marina Singer

Steve Singer's Aunt Goldie from Brunswick turned 100 on April 6. The family had a great party for her on Saturday, April 2 at Thornton Hall. Goldie has lived in Brunswick since birth and is the youngest and sole surviving Singer child of Bessie (Greenblatt) and Max Singer. She was Isadore Singer's little sister. She made the front page of the April 1 Forecaster because she was sent a Patriot's T-shirt with the number 100 on it and her name (she's wearing it in the photo). She was also sent an autographed photo of Tom Brady (who she adores) with a handwritten note. She's a huge Pat's fan, never missing a game!

Goldie regularly came to Beth Israel for High Holiday services until just a few years ago.

Synagogue Gift Shop

by Crissy Swartz

Purchases from the gift shop help to support our synagogue!
We had lovely things available for Passover, but few shoppers.

Please put the Temple Gift Shop on your list for summer Bar/Bat Mitzvah "Gift" shopping. Many items can be processed within 3-5 business days after ordering. It takes 2-3 weeks delivery, once an order is placed. Please call ahead for an appointment, so we can look at the variety of possibilities.

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. 

DONATIONS

• Barbara and Barrett Sliver in memory of Michael Lane
• Marc and Chrissy Swartz in honor of Passover
• Shelia Lucente in support of Beth Israel
• Marilyn and Fred Weinberg in loving memory of his mother, Frances Weinberg
• Barbara and Barrett Silver in loving memory of his mother, Rose Horowitz Silver
• Gary Torow in loving memory of his mother Ann Torow
• Barbara and Robert Lenox in loving memory of her father, Mishael Selig
• Barbara and Robert Lenox in loving memory of her brother, Edward Selig
• Andy and Deborah Hagler in honor of Stan Lane and Norms Dreyfus
• Marilyn and Fred Weinberg in memory of Harry Sharter, father of Thyle Sharter and father-in-law of Marty Fox
• Karen and Matt Filler in memory of Harry Sharter, father of Thyle Sharter and father-in-law of Marty Fox
• Margaret Brann in loving memory of her mother, Helen Ruth Charney
• Shelia Cohen in loving memory of her mother, Helen Freedman Cohen, her father, Henry Cohen and her sister Deborah Cohen
• Deborah and Kermit Smyth in honor of Passover

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