Bath Jewish History

May/June 2020
Iyyar / Sivan / Tammuz 5780

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel members and friends, When a small ad hoc committee met on Zoom in mid-March to decide if and when we should suspend in-person gatherings, we had no idea what to expect or what the future might hold. Despite the many unknowns we had at that time, we heeded the call of medical experts to begin to practice physical distancing as a means to slow the spread of the Cornavirus. Since that time we have gathered solely online. What a strange month it has been.

Not only has this past month been different for us as a congregation, but it’s also been challenging in so many different ways. Many of us have been separated from our loved ones with long awaited visits postponed indefinitely. Others who are away from Maine don’t know when they will be able to return. Many of us live alone and haven’t hugged another person in a month. Others have postponed important life cycle events. Still others have been unable to travel to a loved one’s funeral. Our professional gatherings have been postponed. We’ve been furloughed from our jobs. We’ve become full time teachers while also working full time. We’ve turned our bedroom into our office. Despite all of these hardships and many more, we, thankfully, are persevering and doing our best to stay connected, to teach and to learn, to pray and to sing and to find moments of joy and even perhaps laughter. In many ways our experience over the past month has been a remarkable show of commitment to this congregation, to each other and the Jewish life. Thank you.

We will need each other more than ever in the coming months as we navigate unchartered territory. We will need each other’s energy, good will, compassion, creativity and kindness. And while our being together may look different, our mutual support and efforts to reach out will be critical. On an immediate note, as I have mentioned before but if you are in need of financial support please contact me as I have funds through my rabbi’s discretionary fund to help community members in need at this time. All inquiries are confidential.

Wishing you all good health and strength,

Rabbi Vinikoor

President’s Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

We discussed the merits of putting together a newsletter during these times of virtual Jewish life. As we gave it more thought there was a realization that our Beth Israel Jewish Community is as vibrant and strong as ever.

This lesson was brought home so strongly to me during the sudden loss of my sister in mid- March. When it happened so unexpectedly, all I could think about was getting to Philadelphia to be with my nephews and brother-in-law. We were only allowed a graveside service with no more than 10 people. When we returned to my sister’s home, friends and additional family were not able to visit. The traditional Jewish way of mourning, which makes such a difference for the mourners, was missing.

When we returned home to Maine, Rabbi Vinikoor provided me with support and understanding. When she offered a “Virtual Minyan” through Zoom, I had my doubts. The service was meaningful, but seeing the faces of all of the people who “attended” touched my heart. My children were able to participate and have an opportunity to share stories of their Aunt and be part of the experience. I felt virtually embraced from the love that flowed from the service and it felt just as meaningful as an in place Shiva service would be.

We continue with determination to keep our community together during these challenging times. The days do seem to blend together as we live through the seclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our weekly Shabbat services have provided an opportunity for regular contact with people and a break from the routines of our isolation. We have had an opportunity to share a Passover Seder and participate in a Bar Mitzvah, thanks to Judah Greenwald. A large group of Maine Rabbis worked together to provide a state wide Shabbat service that would never have happened if not for our health emergency. New links and connections, that we hope will continue, have been created from this crisis. We might find a silver lining to all of this.

We hope that we will slowly return to some sense of normalcy; a chance to give real hugs as opposed to virtual ones; a chance to share meals together at a common table and a chance to gather together in the synagogue. Meanwhile lets continue to talk to each other through a phone or on line and connect to each other as much as possible. I want to say a special thank you to our Rabbi Vinikoor who has provided so much kindness, energy and determination to keep this amazing congregation thriving.

Sheltering in Place

May it be Your will,
G-d of our fathers and mothers,
That our sheltering in place
Be for health and healing,
Longevity and life,
Sustenance, renewal and love.
Let our best selves shine forth
In these moments of uncertainty,
These moments of unfamiliar distances,
These moments that may yield stress or conflict,
Confusion or despair.
Let peace arise inside us.
Let kindness flow between us.
Let deliverance rise up from heaven, And let health and goodwill radiate throughout the world
As a river of blessings.

Upcoming Virtual Services and Classes

May 1
5:00 pm
Shabbat Experience (lay-led)

May 8
5:00 pm
Kabbalat Shabbat Service led by Rabbi

May 9
9:00 am
Torah study led by Rabbi

May 13
8:00-8:30 am
Mid-week morning service led by Rabbi

May 14
12:00 pm
Lunch break Adult Learning Sessions
Jewish Poetry and Song for These Times: Part I

Our Jewish tradition offers a plethora of poetry and song to inspire us at this moment. Join Rabbi Vinikoor for an opportunity to study the language and hear the melodies for some of these beautiful ancient and contemporary works.

In this two-part class we’ll engage with studying texts, listening to music and reflecting through conversation in the service of uncovering how Jewish poetry and song move and inspire us. All sources will be in English. Feel free to bring your lunch or mug of coffee/tea. All are welcome.

May 15
5:00 pm
Shabbat Experience (lay-led)

May 21
12:00 pm
Lunch break Adult Learning Sessions
Jewish Poetry and Song for these times: Part II. (Even if you missed part one, join us!)

May 22
5:00 pm
Contemplative Kabbalat Shabbat service with Rabbi and student rabbi Rachel Putterman

May 23
9:00 am
Torah study with Rabbi

May 27
8:00-8:30 am
Mid-week morning service led by Rabbi

May 28
Shavuot- stay tuned for details

May 29
5:00 pm
Shabbat Experience (lay-led)

June 5
5:00 pm
Hebrew School graduation Kabbalat Shabbat service led by Rabbi and 6th graders

June 6
9:00 am
Shabbat morning Torah study led by Rabbi

Community Read

by Debbie Smyth

Quarantine and Covid-19 have provided an opportunity for many of us to read more than usual. Beth Israel is excited to capitalize on this opportunity and hold its first community read.

Please join us in reading Dara Horn’s A Guide for the Perplexed: A Novel (not to be confused with The Guide for the Perplexed by the 12th century philosopher Moses Maimonides). In mid-June you will be able to discuss the many themes it presents with other Beth Israel readers, likely via Zoom.

The book is available in multiple formats, e.g., hardcover, paperback, Kindle, audiobook, through Amazon and other online vendors. For those who would prefer to support a local business, Mustard Seed Bookstore, 74 Front St., Bath can order one for you.

Stay tuned for more information. Feel free to contact Debbie Smyth with questions.

Hamantaschen Baking

by Marilyn Weinberg

On Saturday, February 29, we gathered with families and our Hillel friends to get ready for Purim. We prepared the dough and baked hundreds of hamantaschen. Meanwhile the children decorated and filled Mishloach Manot bags to deliver to members. And finally we sat down together and shared a most delicious meal catered by Nura Hummus and Falafel Bar. It was a wonderful experience.

Purim Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Our last time to gather together in the synagogue was for a memorable Community Purim celebration. Rabbi Vinikoor and her fellow Megilla readers of Robert Gersh, Camilllie Kaufunger, Laura McCandlish and Michelle Lisi-D'Alauro led us in a rollicking reading followed by a costume parade, delicious pizza dinner and homemade hamantaschen.

A Silver Lining Zoom Seder

by Laura McCandlish and Theo Stone

How many of us felt Zoomed-out on too many virtual meetings for work and school? And perhaps worried the Beth Israel "virtual" community seder wouldn't deliver the intimacy we all crave in this strange, distanced time. But when Marilyn called to ask if our family might participate in the Beth Israel Community Seder, I signed our boys Theo, 8.5, and Emmet, 4.5, up for "The Four Questions." They relish any authentic opportunity for learning (and performance) in these less structured, homeschooled days. And I knew seeing our youth participate, master the ritual language of our ancestors, might impart a l'dor vador kind of hope.

We frantically assembled our seder plate, combed our unwashed, overgrown hair and logged into the Zoom gathering just in time. There 30-some familiar, friendly faces joined us. Theo and Emmet sang their part in poised, perfect chant pitch. (We cheated: they memorized the part by watching "The Maccabeats" perform Ma Nishtana in an endless loop on YouTube earlier that day.) Technology-loving Theo often presents his truest self on the Zoom platform he loves. This crisis allows our kids to step up and embrace new leadership roles. I hope he did his wise and loving Beth Israel Hebrew School teachers proud.

As Theo himself wrote: The seder with Beth Israel I guess was pretty different. But we still had most of the same foods on Passover. Like matzah, charoset, horseradish, and matzah ball soup. I knew the Four Questions and they were easy because we could see the words and they were very clear. “Ma nishtana haliah haseh mi kohl haleilot Mi kohl haleilot.”

We then especially enjoyed the surprising intimacy of our breakout room discussion with Joanne Rosenthal and Josh Katz. It's unlikely we would have connected one-on-one at the big in- person seder. We learned Josh most missed playing golf during COVID, and made tentative plans for him to play with my golf-loving Dad in Belgrade Lakes or Brunswick if the courses ever re-open this summer.

Our family attended more Zoom seders with family on both sides and old friends than we ever would have in person. We even Zoomed into a seder hosted by friends in Corvallis, Oregon, where Theo was born before we relocated to Maine when he was one. And we got to avoid the stress of cooking and cleaning up for a crowd. So Dayenu! The virtual opportunities were many, and our family is grateful for the memories.

Shabbat Together

by Marilyn Weinberg

On Friday, April 3, Over 250 people across the state of Maine and beyond joined together for a virtual Shabbat service led by many of the Rabbis in the state. It was a wonderful experience and the good news is that there will be another one coming up sometime in May. Stay tuned for more information.

What I’ve Been Doing During My “Stay at Home”

by Peggy Brown

In 1970, my mother, Lucille Wernick Brown, recorded a conversation with her parents in an attempt to get the story of their lives before it was too late. They had left their shtetl, Novaya Priluki, Ukraine after pogroms in 1919, arriving in New York in 1920. Their story, like that of so many of their generation, continues to serve as a reminder of what can happen to make it necessary to leave the land of your birth for a better life far away.

What began with the interview of her own parents, grew into a bigger project. My mom interviewed her parents’ friends and then friends of those friends. Eventually, she joined forces with Dr. Stephen Berk, a colleague and professor of Russian and Jewish History at Union College. Together they collected the stories to get a clearer picture of life in the Pale of Settlement at the turbulent time following World War I. My mom received funding for her project from Union College and from the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. She wrote several papers and gave talks on her work. Her collection of tapes and transcripts are held at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.

My mother died in 2005. When I retired a few years ago, I began the project of digitizing these amazing stories. The completed ones can be found on the website I created <https://oralhistorylwh.weebly.com>. The Covid-19 outbreak has had the unintended effect of giving me the gift of time to continue work on this project.

I hope you will explore some of the stories contained in this collection. Maybe you'll find a name or a place that you recognize. I’ve included an excerpt from one interview below.

We had a house with two rooms. Three children slept with the mother and father in one bed and three children slept in a different room. My grandfather gave the house to us, so we didn’t have to pay rent. But the three rubles wasn’t enough to sustain a family of eight people. So meat we had only once on Shabbos and chicken we had only for Pesach, only for the seder. So that’s how we lived. In the morning the breakfast was tea with bread and that was the breakfast. And dinner was a piece of bread and something, but never cooked meals because my mother couldn’t afford to on three rubles a week. Milk I never saw in my life. Eggs I never saw in my life until I fled from Russia to Romania; there I saw milk. Butter, we never had any butter, never. That’s the way we lived in that small town. Morris Fisher, Bershad, Ukraine.

Challah Recipe

by Marilyn Weinberg

I have been trying different challah recipes during this time of isolation. It helps put me in a Shabbat mood and it makes the house smell wonderful. I found this one to be fairly easy. It’s sweet and light. There is enough dough to make two loaves if you want.

I used a food processor to make it easier. Just start with the yeast mixture, add the butter and egg mixture and then flour mixture. Just process the dough for one minute and the kneading is done.

Challah from “Roots of the Deli,” David Sax, Saveur, December 2010 Ingredients

3/4 cup+2 Tbspmilk, heated to115°F 
1/4cup+1 tsp sugar
2 tsp or 1 packet of active dry yeast
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten 4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk

1. Stir together milk, 1 tsp sugar and yeast in large bowl. Let sit until foamy for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in small bowl, whisk together butter and eggs. Add to yeast mixture; stir to combine. Add flour, remaining sugar, and salt; stir with wooden spoon until dough forms. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth, 6–8 minutes (or knead for 1 minute in food processor.) Transfer to lightly oiled large bowl. Cover and let sit until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Uncover, punch down, re-cover; let sit until slightly puffed, 30 minutes.

2. Uncover dough; divide into 3 equal portions. Roll each into 16" long ropes. Align ropes side-by-side, perpendicular to you. Pinch together ends farthest from you to form one end of loaf. Braid ropes. Pinch ends together to seal. Transfer braided loaf to parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover loosely and let proof 1 hour.

3. Heat oven to 375° F. Stir together egg yolk and 1 Tbsp water in small bowl. Brush all over surface of loaf. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds if you want. Bake until loaf is dark golden brown, 25–30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack. Let cool 30 minutes before serving.

Judah Greenwald's Bar Mitzvah

by Liza Greenwald

For over a year, our family had prepared for, and planned Judah’s April 4th Bar Mitzvah. Judah diligently studied nightly, and met with Rabbi Vinikoor on a weekly basis. We were expecting over 150 family members and friends to join us from across the country for our celebration. Of course, our plans changed about three weeks prior, as it became very clear that we were unable to proceed as planned due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While disappointed, Judah understood immediately and was ready to embrace the change. On the morning of April 4th, Judah led our congregation’s Shabbat morning service, along with Rabbi Vinikoor and 35 households from the Beth Israel congregation, family members, and dear friends. As parents, it was one of our proudest moments: Sitting across our dining room table from him while he shone, full of confidence and smiles, leading us in prayer and chanting Torah and Haftorah. What we never anticipated, and was all the sweeter, was the connection we felt for those who shared Judah’s moment with us.

While we hope to fulfill Judah’s wishes to reschedule a Bar Mitzvah service at Beth Israel in November, we know that Judah has already fulfilled his mission to become a Bar Mitzvah, through his year of study, volunteering at Hebrew School, and dedication to preparation. We are so grateful to our community and to Rabbi Vinikoor who helped facilitate the best possible celebration we could hope during these unprecedented times.

My Virtual Hebrew School Experience

by Jacob Lichman-Paul

My mom told me that we aren't going back to school this year. I really wanted to go back to school because I like having time at my desk in my classroom and I was going to miss my teacher and friends. My mom also told me we aren't going to have sports or Hebrew school in- person this spring. This made me sad because I felt like I was going to miss out on things I like.

So, about a month ago we started schooling online. We also started to use technology for Hebrew school. It was hard to adjust at first, it didn't feel like real lessons and it felt awkward. One upside is it goes by faster when I'm at home and it's more flexible because I can choose the order in which it goes. We were at Hebrew School recently, online, to learn the 4 questions and get ready for Passover. I was glad I could see my friends from Hebrew school. I was also so glad to keep learning Jewish culture. I miss doing the in-person interactive activities like gardening with Susan, stealing the afikomen at the temple’s seder, and learning the Hebrew alphabet with Gila. But, I like Hebrew school so it's fun to do online versus not doing it all.

Hopefully by next year COVID-19 will pass and we will all be together again.

REMEMBRANCES FOR MONTH–MONTH YEAR

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.