Bath Jewish History

may/june 2024
Nisan/Iyyar/Sivan 5784

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

I shared these remarks at our congregational seder and want to share them with you here as well. I look forward to seeing you all this spring.

The ancient rabbis who dreamed up our seder ritual gave us the following charge:
B’chol dor va dor chayav adam l’irot et etzmo ki-ilu hu yatza mi mitzrayim
In every generation each person must see themselves as if they themselves had come out of Egypt.

Indeed, the entire seder itself is designed to help us fulfill this task—to see ourselves as having lived the story. This year, it doesn’t feel that hard to do. Indeed, with antisemitism on the rise in the United States and around the world, the brutal attacks of October 7, the horrific ongoing war in Gaza, the violence and loss of human life, the vengeance, anger, hatred and grief.

So many of us have felt the sting of maror, the bitter herbs, on our tongues for months now. We have shed so many tears long before dipping parsley into salt water. So here is my challenge to us tonight to let the symbols of the seder plate, our prayers and rituals, both ancient and contemporary, move us. Move us from the isolation of fear into the embrace of community, shift us from hardheartedness to openness, from the depths of grief into joy. I ask us tonight to allow our seder ritual to transform us from the heat of anger to the softness of gratitude. I challenge us to be moved not because our reasons for despair no longer exist. Sadly, they still do. But because any situation is always more complex than it appears on the surface. All human beings, all of us hold multiple opinions and feelings. And while sometimes it’s hard to realize, this complexity is a good thing. Our seder reflects the diversity of our lived experience as well.

Seder means order but after the wine and festivities, this intended order can feel a bit dis-orderly. Our neatly stacked pieces of matza will soon be broken making crumbs all over the floor. Tonight, we’ll enjoy the sweetness of wine and grape juice yet remove some of it to remind us of the real challenges facing humanity and our world. Indeed, the prayers and poetry of our ritual recall moments of sadness and shame while at the same time they are replete with immense gratitude, and joy. Tonight, we’ll spread sweet charoset on matzah but top it with spicy horseradish; literally ingesting the bitter with the sweet. While at times it can feel untenable, we can hold multiple feelings at once. Tonight is a chance to try that out if you haven’t already done so.

 May our experience this seder eve transform us even just a little bit. For in the midst of a truly challenging and exhausting year. It is so good to sit together as one.

L’Shalom,
Rabbi Vinikoor

Hebrew School Graduation

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Saturday, May 11
10:00 am – Shabbat morning service
11:30 am – Potluck Kiddush Lunch

We hope you will join us for our Hebrew School graduation and Shabbat morning service at the synagogue. All of our Hebrew school students will help lead the service and our seven amazing 6th grade students will offer commentaries on the prayers and their reflections on being Jewish.

You are sure to be inspired by these thoughtful and joyful young people. They have accomplished so much. Your participation will reinforce the feelings of community and connection that are possible when studying and celebrating Judaism together. Let's fill the sanctuary! Join us! 

Yom HaZikaron and Yom Haaztmaut

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Sunday, May 12
4:30–6:30 pm
Temple Beth El
Augusta

Join Beth Israel Congregation and Jewish communities from across the state for a Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) observance and Yom Haaztmaut (Israel Independence Day) celebration.

Shavuot Celebration

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Tuesday, June 11
7:00 pm
Synagogue

Shavuot, one of our three pilgrimage festivals, celebrates the receiving of Torah at Mount Sinai. Jews observe the holiday by eating dairy-based foods and studying Torah, often throughout the entire night. We’ll gather to celebrate this festive holiday together with our Beth Israel community, enjoy good conversation, community and cheesecake. Join us!

Ian Friedel Bar Mitzvah

Saturday, May 25
10:00 am

My name is Ian Friedel, I am 13 years old and a 7th grader at Harrison Middle School in Yarmouth.  My favorite subjects are ELA and STEAM. When not at school I love 3D printing, and design, wood working, skiing, biking, fishing and playing video games with my friends. My bar mitzvah project was to help engage and instruct the 3rd–6th grade Nordic ski team this past winter. I also spent time in the boat shop at the Maine Maritime Museum and hope to continue learning with the volunteers well past my Bar Mitzvah. A special thanks to my tutors Norma, Shoshi and Rabbi Vinikoor. We hope you will join me and my family on May 25 as I become a Bar Mitzvah.

Ethan and Noah Stern-Hayes B’Mitzvah

by Katy Stern

Noah and Ethan are 13-year-old twins who are 7th graders at Brunswick Junior High School. They love playing sports with friends and their big brother Zach, snowboarding with their mom, and tubing on the back of Auntie Sharon’s boat.

For their community service project, they will be volunteering to help out at the Midcoast Hunger Prevention Project, as they know from their Bubbe and Zayde the importance of making sure people are fed - l’dor v’dor.

We look forward to celebrating Ethan and Noah’s B’Mitzvah on June 1 with family, friends, and our synagogue community.

Theo Stone Bar Mitzvah

by Laura McCandlish

Saturday, June 22
10:00 am

Theo turns 13 on June 19 just after he'll complete 7th grade at Brunswick Junior High School. He was born in Oregon but has lived most of his life in Maine, where his family has been in the Belgrade Lakes region since the 1950s. Theo loves playing trumpet in band and practices before school every morning of the week: jazz band, wind ensemble, District III Honor's band. He is known for his ebullient performances. Theo is a super-friendly, honest and hard-working student who loves school. He is particularly passionate about all things cars (and their technology) and an avid reader of Car & Driver Magazine. Theo is also sporty and loves playing baseball on the 7th grade team his dad is coaching! He is also playing Cal Ripken baseball for his last year before aging up. For Theo's community service project, he volunteered as a student mentor "partner" playing on BJHS's "Unified" basketball team supporting student athletes with development disabilities. He also is volunteering to help his dad run the Lishness Field snack shack to raise money for the non-profit Cal Ripken League and doing KELT trail maintenance with Shoshi and the B'nai Mitzvah cohort. Theo is super-responsible and loves to help, including at Hebrew School.

We look forward to celebrating Theo's Bar Mitzvah on June 21–22 with many family members traveling in from out of town, our local community and our synagogue community, especially those who know Theo and are eager to cheer him on. Feel free to email Laura and Dan if you'd like to attend so they can keep track of their headcount.

Dine Around

by Elaine Koufman

Lunch has been a preference in the winter months. in June we will return to dinner. I met the nicest people by joining this group. Please join us. Bring a friend.

Wednesday, May 22 at 12:30 pm
The Great Impasta
Brunswick

Thursday, June 20 at 5:30 pm
Pepper’s Landing
Brunswick

Please RSVP if you plan to attend.
dinnerclub@bethisraelbath.org

Shabbat Under the Stars

by Marilyn Weinberg

By popular request we will be resuming our Shabbat Under the Stars program this spring and summer. We will alternate services inside and outside. Please note the times of upcoming services might change so check the website for updated information.

May 24
Bath Waterfront Park
Picnic at 5:30 pm, Shabbat service at 6:30 pm

June 2
Bath Waterfront Park
Picnic at 5:30 pm, Shabbat service at 6:30 pm

July 26
Bath Waterfront Park
Picnic at 5:30 pm, Shabbat service at 6:30 pm

August 16
Vinikoor-Finn home
Picnic at 5:30 pm, Shabbat service at 6:30 pm

Lag B’Omer

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Sunday, May 26
5:00–6:30 pm
Bath Library Park

Music, Crafts, Lawn games and Jewish Community! What a fun holiday.

Join Beth Israel Congregation and Temple Beth-El in Augusta for our Lag B’Omer celebration. We’ll begin the festivities with an all-ages and abilities Jewish Jam Session led by our rabbinical student apprentice, Joe Blumberg, (bring your instruments and your voice!), followed by lawn games, crafts and a vegetarian potluck meal!

Annual Meeting and Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, June 9
6:00 pm
Synagogue

Whether it is a yearly tradition or your first time, we hope you will participate in our upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting.

We will take a little time to connect with each other and enjoy some yummy appetizers and desserts and then take a few minutes to honor some members who have really made a difference this year.

You will get the latest update on our Minnie Brown renovation project and then review the budget, vote on new board members and more. Mark your calendar and watch for more details as we finalize the upcoming agenda. We look forward to seeing you there.

Manli Ho Coming to Speak

by Marilyn Weinberg

In 2004 Manli Ho, a resident of Arrowsic, spoke to our congregation and later spoke twice to our Hebrew School students on Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Manli Ho is a journalist and biographer for her late father, Dr. Feng Shan Ho who was the Consul-General of China in Vienna 1938-40. He issued thousands of Shanghai visas to citizens of Vienna to help them emigrate. And in doing so he saved thousands of lives. He has been hailed as “the Chinese Schindler.”

Our latest community read was about Shanghai and Dr Feng Shan Ho was mentioned several times. I shared that we knew this story thanks to Manli’s talk. We decided to reach out to her and see if she would like to join us (virtually) as we discussed the book. Since she was in California, she was not able to attend, but shared that she was returning to Maine in June and offered to give a talk about her father as well as the rising antisemitism and racism in our country.

We are still finalizing the date and time so stay tuned for more information. You will not want to miss this talk.

Bath Pride

by Susan Horowitz

Friday, June 14
4:00–7:00 pm
Bath Waterfront Park

Join us for this awesome family-friendly celebration. Performances, artists, raffle prizes, resources, and more!

Follow us at Bath Maine Pride on Instagram.

Kulanu Update

by Joanne Rosenthal

On March 3, ten members of the congregation met at Susan Kamin and Ben Crystal’s home for a workshop to write an antisemitism resolution. The collaborative exercise was the culmination of several months of research and discussion about how to respond to the escalation of antisemitic incidents locally and globally. With approval from the Board of Trustees the resolution will be adopted at the annual meeting. The resolution will serve as a roadmap for taking action via community partnerships, education, relationship building and legislative advocacy. Speaking out against antisemitism is challenging in the current partisan climate of the war with Hamas; nevertheless, we must confront hatred of Jews in all its guises.

Clynk

by Steven Paul

Did you know that Beth Israel has a Clynk account? Clynk is the facilitator that returns clean, recyclable material back to the manufacturers, who are required by law to recycle them.

Hannaford’s is where we drop the cans to be recycled. This is an easy way to help our community and environment—Tikkun Olam!—plus, Beth Israel receives five cents for each redeemable can or bottle returned. This can add up to $100 or more over the course of a year.

So, let’s make sure our redeemable recyclables are placed in the green Clynk bags at our synagogue and soon-to-be-reopened Minnie Brown Center.

Message from Joe Blumberg

If you love Indiana Jones movies as much as I do, you know that as soon as he escapes a seemingly inescapable situation, he is often met with another insurmountable obstacle. After the snakes come the boulder, and after the boulder comes the car chases, etc etc. It makes for a timeless drama that never gets old.

This is how I imagine the Israelites must have felt when they escaped Egypt and came to the Sea of Reeds, their hopefulness upon escaping into the desert immediately dashed when the sea came into view. How would they possibly cross such an expanse? With Pharaoh's army coming down the hill behind them, was their freedom to be that short-lived?

There’s a beautiful story in the Midrash about how our ancestors felt at that moment. The text tells us that the Israelites had four responses to seeing the sea: one group said, “let’s throw ourselves into the sea” (i.e. try to swim to freedom). Another group said, “let’s return to Egypt.” A third group said, “let’s fight Pharaoh's army.” And a fourth group said, “let’s cry out to God.”

At this moment of crisis, when the Israelites are trapped between Pharaoh’s sword and the water, the people could not agree on a proper course of action. There were so many different reactions to this first pivotal moment of their freedom. Should they bravely venture forward? Cut their losses? Turn to God?

Three thousand years later, the Jewish people are once again grappling with how to move forward into the unknown. As an American Jewish community, we are experiencing a moment in our history full of unprecedented challenges. We disagree about how to respond to anti-Semitism, we are divided about what has been done in response to the events of October 7th, and we can’t find a unifying narrative about what this moment in Jewish history means. Surely, some of us are also divided internally.

But perhaps we’re not supposed to agree. This midrash is reflective of the reality that each of us approaches the unknown from a unique perspective. Each of us has a different conception of how we should live into our freedom. And at the end of the day, all of us are standing shoulder to shoulder on the shores of the Red Sea as we grapple with what our future should look like.

As we move out of Passover and turn towards spring in full bloom, let us remember that uncertainty and division in the face of the unknown is not our downfall, but perhaps a key component of our liberation. We are a people with multiple perspectives. Our future is inextricably linked to that of Jews who may disagree with us profoundly, and this difference of opinion makes us stronger. It keeps us in humble conversation with each other as we approach our biggest challenges. May we recognize this blessing of our diversity as we face the unknown, together. Wishing everyone a very happy spring!

Purim

by Marilyn Weinberg

We are supposed to be joyous on Purim and we certainly were at Beth Israel. Both at our Hebrew School and our community celebrations masks were made and worn with some great costumes led by our intrepid leader, Rabbi Vinikoor. Games, singing and drowning out that evil name Haman with noisemakers, made for laughter and joy for all.

Passover Community Seder

by Marilyn Weinberg

What a joy it was to gather together at the Maine Maritime Museum to celebrate our community Passover seder. Tables were set with seder plates filled with ritual items, candles to light and plenty of matzoh. This ancient ritual was made relatable by an outstanding slide show that everyone could see and join in with readings, songs and prayers. It was wonderful to have so many children ask the four questions and act out the story of Passover. And hearing more than 100 people sing “Dayenu” was a joy.

Thanks to JR Jorgensen and Anne Schlitt for putting this amazing program together. And thanks to all of our Beth Israel cooks and helpers to make it all come together.

Jewish Jam

by Marilyn Weinberg

It was a warm sunny Sunday morning and as you approached the synagogue doors you could hear the rousing voices and instruments from our dedicated group musicians. Rabbinic Intern Joe Blumberg organized and led our first “Jewish Jam session” and when it was over, everyone said let’s do it again.  So, stay tuned for the next one and plan to come.

Hebrew School

by Rabbi Vinikoor

As the Hebrew School year comes to an end, I want to express my tremendous gratitude to the fantastic teachers and parents who make our Hebrew School a success each week. In particular, I want to highlight Anita Lichman who served as our Hebrew School principal while I was on sabbatical and brought her love of Jewish learning to our students. This year our long-time teachers Alina Shumsky and Susan Horowitz continued to engage our students in the joy of Jewish life and learning including learning to read Hebrew and a yearly favorite, Jewish cooking.

Also, this year we had an incredible cadre of parent and community volunteers who helped to make our Hebrew school run: Anna Krueger and Lucy Flores ensured our students had a healthy snack to share and that we kept the synagogue space clean and organized. Camille Kauffunger and Carolyn Friedel employed their attention to detail and care of our students in managing the flow of students in and out of our building. Finally, Bowdoin College senior, Shoshi Gordon, with the help of Emma Mazlish (Bowdoin sophomore), designed and taught our first ever B Mitzvah cohort which enabled our 7th grader students to continue learning as a community post-graduation. Thank you all!

REMEMBRANCES FOR may–june 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. 

DONATIONS

Memorial Gifts

• Paul Linet in memory of his wife, Susan Linet

• Matthew and Karen Filler in memory of his parents, Morris and Gladys Filler

• Karen and Matthew Filler in memory of her father, Gerald Feldman

• Erich and Pauline Haller in memory of his grandparents, Josef and Marie Haller

• Erich and Pauline Haller in memory of his father, Edward Haller

• Bud and Mary Samiljan in memory of his mother, Bernice Samiljan

• Mary and Bud Samiljan in memory of her father, John Ramsey

• Diane Gilman in memory of her mother, Selma Gilman

• Barrett and Barbara Silver in memory of his mother, Rose Hurwitz Sliver

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

• Shelia Cohen in memory of her mother, Helen Freedman Cohen

• Barbara and Robert Lenox in memory of her father, Mishael Selig and her brother Edward Selig

• Ellen Hagler in memory of her mother, Sarah Goldman

• Sheldon and Denise Tepler in memory of his father, Moshe ben Gedalyah and his mother, Feiga Tepler

• Linda Silberstein and Larry Loeb in memory of her father, Dr. Joseph Silberstein

• Andy and Chris Schoenberg in memory of his mother, Elayne Schoenberg

• Stan Lane and Norma Dreyfus in memory of his father, Jesse Lane

• Oscar Starobin in memory of his wife, Susan Starobin

• Donald and Mara Giulianti in memory of his mother, Elaine Giulianti

For the Benefit of the Synagogue

• Elliot Rosen in honor of Marilyn Weinberg

• Ralph and Joanna Jacobs

• Jennifer and Matthew Kanwit

• Bill Racine

• Deb and Richard Finn

• Marina and Stephen Singer

Centennial Campaign

• Virginia Fish

Rabbi Discretionary Fund

• Joe and Merna Guttentag

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