Bath Jewish History

March/April 2024
Adar I / Adar II/ Nisan 5784

President’s Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

All of our Jewish holiday celebrations are based on the Hebrew calendar, and that can often be confusing. We have several “New Year” celebrations including the most observed Rosh Hashanah, the less observed Tu B’Shevat (new year of the trees) and the actual first month of the year (Nissan) which is always in the spring and the month we celebrate Passover.

Because the Hebrew calendar is lunar, we can get out of synch with our regular solar based calendar. Unlike our leap year this year, in which an extra day is added, the Jewish leap year has an entire extra month added. It’s amazingly complicated and creative how our ancestors managed this, but it happens seven times every 19 years. 

Our extra month is always Adar, the month in which we celebrate Purim. Purim is one of those holidays that is joyous. Its commandments are easy; Listen to the Megilla, make a lot of noise to blot out the dreaded name of Haman, and give gifts to the needy. We will be celebrating Purim this year on the 14th of Adar II. So, what happens on the 14th of Adar I?

It turns out there is a very minor celebration called Katan Purim that is only celebrated when there are two Adars (this year). To make it even better there are no mitzvot associated with this day, only the suggestion that one should be happy. That is my kind of a holiday.

It sometimes is difficult when we are inundated with negative news and the proliferation of Haman’s in the world. But take a little time and focus for a bit on the joys in your life. Our congregation is thriving as we find so many people coming forward to help while Rabbi Vinikoor is on sabbatical. Renovations are on schedule for our Minnie Brown Center and all of our committees are hard at work making our congregation safe, meaningful and connected to the wider community.

We can all use an extra dose of Adar every so often. The realistically difficult world that we constantly live in needs to be occasionally lightened by an additional dose of joy and optimism.

Shabbat with Sruli Dresdner

by Marilyn Weinberg

Friday, March 8
7:00 pm
Synagogue and on Zoom

March 8 and 9 will be the last Shabbat weekend before Rabbi Vinikoor returns from her sabbatical.

We are so fortunate to have Rabbi Sruli Dresdner and his wife Lisa Mayer return for another Shabbat evening service filled with joy and their beautiful music. Rabbi Dresdner is the Rabbi at Temple Shalom in Auburn.

In addition, Sruli and his wife Lisa are international Jewish performers and personalities and have been featured on PBS TV and National Public Radio. If you missed them last time, then you must come to share this experience. If you attended the previous service they led, then I know you will return.

Kulanu

by Joanne Rosenthal

Sunday, March 3
10:00–12:00

The extent of antisemitism really hit home recently when the Brunswick Town Council meeting was “zoom bombed” on February 20, with the most vile outbursts of antisemitism, racism, anti-immigrant and Islamophobic hatred. The chair of the meeting cut them off but not before they were able to disrupt the meeting. This was the latest in a series of incidents including two cases of antisemitic graffiti in Harpswell and Brunswick. We have since learned that graffiti was also found in Bath and Topsham.

Since February 20, neither the town council nor the media have commented or reported on this incident. We have drafted a letter to the council and local news outlets condemning this hate speech and have invited other faith communities and community organizations to join us in appealing for an unequivocal rejection of white nationalist ideology.

Prior to this incident the Kulanu committee had planned a workshop on March 3. Members of the Beth Israel community are invited to join in the creation of an anti-hate resolution that reflects our collective voices and values. This document will be presented for adoption at the annual meeting and used when standing up for ourselves and others impacted by bias, hate speech and violence. Preregistration is required for this workshop at kulanu@bethisraelbath.org. The location will be sent prior to the meeting.

Tea and Cookies with the Rabbi

by Marilyn Weinberg

Come and chat with Rabbi Vinikoor after she returns from her Sabbatical. Learn about what she was doing while she was gone and ideas she might have about future synagogue programs and services.  

I know she would love to see and hear from you.

Purim Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, March 24
4:00 pm - Megillah Reading
5:15 pm - Pizza & Hamantaschen
Synagogue

Prepare to laugh and clap your hands for our Beth Israel “players” who will be presenting our own Purim Spiel; a family-friendly retelling of the Purim story, Megillah reading and Purim singing.

Come in costume, bring a gragger to make lots of noise evey time we hear the name of that dratted villain Haman. Meet your favorite Purim characters! Prizes will be given out for the best costumes.

Community Passover Seder

by Marilyn Weinberg

It’s finally  time to be together again for Beth Israel’s Community Passover Seder. Since Minnie Brown will not be available in April we were worried that we would not have the space to gather. But with help from Teresa Gandler, we were able to find a space at the Maine Maritime Museum.

We will provide all the items you need for the seder including matzoh, charoset, eggs, horseradish, and parsley. Our seder meal will be pot luck.

Reservations required by April 1.
Sign up here.
Once you sign up we will be in touch with you to determine what you can bring to the pot luck.

To cover expenses:
$10 per person/$25 per family for members
$20 per person/$40 per family for non-members
You can pay online at bethisraelbath.org/take-action or in person.

Meet Lucy Flores

Starting soon our beloved Camille Kauffunger will be stepping back a little bit as she transitions to being full time at Maine Street Bath. We are so fortunate that we have found a very capable person to step into her shoes and begin sending out our weekly emails to all of you. She has written a little introduction below:

Hi everyone! My name is Lucy Flores (she/her) and I'm excited to begin sharing our congregation's weekly email! My family relocated—and in the case of my husband, returned—to Maine this past summer after ten years on the West Coast.

Our whole family, including our two young kiddos, have loved getting to know the Beth Israel community through special events and Hebrew School. Professionally, I'm a design strategist dedicated to advancing equity in the food system. Personally, I love all things food, exploring the great outdoors, and catching up on cinema (new and classic!). I can't wait to meet many of you!

 Warmly,
Lucy

Community Read

by Debbie Smyth

Sunday, April 28
2:00–4:00 pm
Synagogue

The Last Kings of Shanghai: The Rival Jewish Dynasties That Helped Create Modern China
by Jonathan Kaufman

The Last Kings of Shanghai sweeps through the 19th and 20th centuries, telling the fascinating story of two families of the Jewish diaspora, originally based in Baghdad, the Sassoons and the Kadoories, who end up in China accumulating astounding wealth through trade. For decades they rule the elegant waterfront of Shanghai, living in the opulent splendor of their own grand hotels and mansions, while the Chinese, whom they barely notice, struggle to survive. Through the improbable lens of these families, we glimpse the tumult of the great transitions that ended the centuries of dynastic empires in China—from the collapse of the Qing dynasty to Sun Yat-sen to Chaing Kai-Shek to Mao—all of which led to today’s People’s Republic.

Kaufman offers an absorbing and innovative angle on the story of East meets West as we learn of the intriguing lives and struggles of these families and the changing political and cultural environment they faced. 

Please register for the discussion by clicking here.

If you have questions, please contact Debbie Smyth at communityread@bethisraelbath.org.

We look forward to seeing you on April 28!

Hebrew School During January and February

by Anita Lichman

It’s been a busy start to the year as the Hebrew School settles into our temporary use of the synagogue for our weekly classes and adjusts to the changes while the Rabbi is on sabbatical. Being able to use the sanctuary for our beginning prayer services has turned out to be a meaningful addition to our Hebrew School experience.

Grades K–3 with Susan
We have been busy learning about the early Spring holidays. For Tu B’Shvat we read a book about why trees make great pets, which led to a discussion about why trees are so important. We then spent a couple of weeks creating a large tree that is decorated with leaves and some very interesting creatures that you might find living in that tree.  

The next holiday we learned about was Purim. Hooray for brave Esther and boo to evil Haman. The kids love hearing stories, so after a couple of books telling the tale of Purim, we started creating masks that can be used to celebrate, as well as finger puppets that can be used to act out the whole story.

Grades 4–6 with Alina, Marilyn and Anita
Students have been studying Hebrew letters and their corresponding sounds, building the foundations of reading Hebrew. It looks like by Spring all students in these groups will know the majority of Hebrew letters and vowel sounds allowing them to move on to more advanced Hebrew.

In addition, each week students meet in small groups to practice the traditional prayers in Tefilah. This practice has led to many students stepping into the role of prayer leader during the brief service we have at the start of each week. It’s exciting to see these students increase their comfort and competency with Jewish prayers.

The graduating class has begun their planning; they have chosen a theme and are working on their speeches. Spring will be here before we know it!

Special Events
In addition to the routine classes the Hebrew school hosted a Tu B’Shvat Seder and planting workshop in partnership with the synagogue’s Rabbinical Student Joe Blumberg and the Social Action Committee. The Seder was well attended and a special annual ritual for our community. During this event the students planted seeds for greens to be utilized at the community Passover Seder in a few weeks.

In conjunction with the Temple’s security committee the Hebrew school also had its first fire drill. The staff and students handled it like experts. We hope everyone is feeling more prepared in the steps to take in the case of an actual emergency.

As we move towards March, we are lucky enough to have parent and volunteer Lucy Flores, working with some of the students to practice and prepare to perform a special Purim spiel on March 24.

Thank you to the countless parents and community volunteers who have supported with greeting, security, contributions to our special events, and snack coordination. We could not do this without you. The Rabbi returns March 11, and we all look forward to welcoming the Rabbi back!

Second Founders’ Key Discovered - A Little Miracle

by Marilyn Weinberg

In searching through old newspaper clippings, we learned that at the opening of our synagogue in 1922 there were two ceremonial founders’ keys given to the highest bidders present: Sam Povich and Max Cohen. A number of years ago Hal Gershman, Sam Povich’s nephew, donated his uncle’s copy of the key to the synagogue. We proudly display it in our history exhibit at the synagogue.

On January 7, we got an email from a Maxwell Allain writing that he had found a strange key at a flea market in Mechanic Falls Maine with the name of Beth Israel Bath Maine, January 29, 1922, and the inscription Max Cohen on it with Hebrew letters on the back. He was able to locate us through our Bath Jewish History website since we displayed a key that was similar to the one he had discovered. We offered to come to him, but he was curious and wanted to visit the synagogue and learn more about his discovery.

When he arrived, he immediately sought out the Sam Povich key and lo and behold it was exactly the same except for a different name. He was amazed, as were we, and wanted to hear all about the key and some of our history. And as you know us well, we were thrilled to be able to share it with him.

Maxwell felt it was meant for him to find it since he shared the same name Max with the key holder. How it ended up in Mechanic Falls is a mystery. Even though we have done quite a bit of research and know most of the families who were here in 1922, we do not know a lot about Max Cohen who only lived in Bath for a few years. We offered to reimburse Maxwell, but he refused to take anything for it. He wanted to donate it to our congregation. What an amazing young man. We are so grateful. We are in the process of framing this new founders’ key to hang beside the Sam Povich key. 

Refugee Shabbat

by Michelle Lisi

On Saturday, February 10, Beth Israel celebrated our second Refugee Shabbat Service, a HIAS initiative that calls on congregations internationally to honor and celebrate immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.

New Mainer families and members of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine attended a service led by Irwin Brodsky, who invited guests to the bimah to see a Torah scroll.

One guest facilitated dialogue between English and Swahili speakers, and all parties shared a potluck meal after the service. We look forward to future Refugee Shabbat celebrations and hope to find you at our next one!

Renovation Update

by Marilyn Weinberg

Our renovation project at the Minnie Brown Center continues to be on schedule. We have all new wiring, and all mechanicals are being updated. Stairwells have been enclosed and bathrooms have been plumbed. The downstairs classrooms all have been walled in so you can get an idea of how it will all look.  Every week when I visit progress is being made. It is very exciting.

In these photos you can see the addition that will house our new lift and new bathrooms, all enclosed with new windows. Inside you can see the new entrance to our function room upstairs and inside that room you can see the new entrance to the bathrooms.

If you would like to see the progress, please contact me and I can take you in on a day the contractors are not working.

Social Action Committee

by Phyllis Wolfe

Our committee of four “mover & shaker” members, Kristin Propp, Phyllis Wolfe, Thyle Shartar and Jill Standish, with guidance from Anita Lichman, Susan Horowitz and Rabbinical Student Apprentice Joe Blumberg, spent the past months planning activities for the Hebrew School students.

Our focus has been and will continue to be on climate change. The climate crisis is a definite challenge to confront. It demands all of us working together to reimagine and build a different world. One that is just, equitable and will exist for generations to come.

With the Hebrew School students, we planted parsley to be used at our Community Passover Seder and issued a Climate Action Challenge to Hebrew School families. Moving forward we will have a Tree Identification and Bud Walk in the early spring with the students and feature locally grown food items for our Passover seder plates on April 23rd. And soon our Synagogue’s Facebook page will feature Climate Action tips.

Should any synagogue member care to join our efforts please email:
socialaction@bethisraelbath.org

Tu B’Shevat Seder

by Marilyn Weinberg

With the help of the social action committee and Rabbi intern, Joe Blumberg, the Hebrew School students celebrated Tu B’Shevat, the New Year of the Trees, with a special seder.

In addition to learning about the importance of trees in our world, the students were asked to take on a “Big Bold Climate Challenge.” They have a checklist of things they can do at home and anyone with the most items checked off will get a prize. Some of the things they were asked to do include:

• Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) as a family

• Research how to make my house more energy

• Walk/bike/once a month instead of driving

• Use zero disposable grocery bags

• Lower your thermostat by 1–2 degrees

Remembrances for March/April 2024

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.