Bath Jewish History

September/October 2023

Elul 5783 - Tishri/Heshvan 5784

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

We are entering a season of change, the days grow shorter, the nights cooler, school has begun, and the leaves turn from green to yellow, then orange and red. Despite these changes, here in Maine, well into the fall, we still enjoy a day at the beach, delight in the harvest from our gardens, and savor the dwindling light of a late summer evening.

 This season of transition from summer to fall coincides with the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe and our Jewish New Year. These days summon us to look both outward to the natural world and to our community while also focusing inward to examine our lives, consider the past and decide what legacy we’ll leave behind.

Below you’ll find a poem written by Marge Piercy that I love to read. It honors the changing of summer into fall while reminding us that just as the seasons change, so do we when we focus on teshuva—turning and returning to our better selves. I hope you enjoy it too.

What a privilege and blessing it is to have taken another trip around the sun with you all this year. May you and your families be blessed with good health, happiness and shleimut/wholeness in the new year of 5784!

L’Shalom,

Rabbi Vinikoor

Coming Up on September, Marge Piercy

White butterflies, with single
black fingerpaint eyes on their wings,
dart and settle, eddy and mate
over the green tangle of vines
in Labor Day morning steam.

The year grinds into ripeness
and rot, grapes darkening,
pears yellowing, the first
Virginia creeper twining crimson,
the grasses, dry straw to burn.

The New Year rises, beckoning
across the umbrellas on the sand.
I begin to reconsider my life.
What is the yield of my impatience?
What is the fruit of my resolve?

Now is the time to let the mind
search backwards like the raven loosed
to see what can feed us. Now,
the time to cast the mind forward
to chart an aerial map of the months.

The New Year is a great door
that stands across the evening and Yom
Kippur is the second door.
Between them are song and silence,
stone and clay pot to be filled from within myself.

I will find there both ripeness and rot,
what I have done and undone,
what I must let go with the waning days
and what I must take in. With the last tomatoes,
we harvest the fruit of our lives.

President’s Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

By the time you receive this newsletter, our summer vacation, with time filled with visitors and visits, will be over and we will be back into a more regular routine. As the days get shorter and the nights cooler, we are very aware of the changing seasons. What a perfect time for the High Holidays, with such an obvious awareness of change in the air.

As the days before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur draw near, I always feel blessed that we are given an opportunity to “take stock” of where we are and decide on those things we want to change. Personally, I value the instructions we are given to make peace with our friends and neighbors and apologize for any “wrongdoing” whether intentional or unintentional. I am especially thankful that Rabbi Lisa Vinikoor is here and is helping us navigate this journey.

It is also a time to come together as a community and think about our focus and commitment. We have undergone quite a bit of change over the last few years, and it has been wonderful to have so many different opportunities to connect to Beth Israel, our services and events and our Jewish values. There is dinner club, community read, adult education, Torah study, multiple social action initiatives and of course Shabbat and holiday services, always with some delicious food. It’s amazing what our little synagogue is doing. If you are still searching for a way to connect, consider volunteering for the building committee, the care committee, or the security team. (OK, maybe I am being too optimistic).

I hope to see you at some of the traditional and some non-traditional services and events coming up during the high holiday season of September and October.

May this year bring you and your family only the best.

L’Shana Tova

Flowers and Music for the High Holidays

by Marilyn Weinberg

In addition to beautifying the synagogue with flowers for the holidays we are adding a musical component to our services. In order to make that happen we need your financial support. To help sponsor, contact Marilyn Weinberg at info@bethisraelbath.org. Please include the names of the people you would like to honor or remember.

To make your donation for flowers and music go to:
www.bethisraelbath.org/take-action

Or mail to:
Treasurer
Beth Israel Congregation
PO Box 244
Bath, ME 04530

Selichot by the Sea

by Rabbi Vinikoor

September 10
10:00 am
Popham Beach

Join us at the water's edge for a contemplative service to help prepare for the Jewish New Year. Through song and study, shofar and a little nosh we’ll ready our souls for 5784 and the High Holidays.

Bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Meet in the Popham Beach State Park parking lot.

Rosh Hashanah Community Luncheon

by Marilyn Weinberg

Saturday, September 16
12:30 pm (following services)
Synagogue

Rosh Hashanah is the time when we all come together as a community. Our High Holiday potluck community luncheons have been a great opportunity to renew acquaintances.

We will begin our Rosh Hashanah luncheon at the synagogue immediately following morning services, at approximately 12:30 pm. It will be a great opportunity to catch up with each other and share some delicious food, for which our members are known.

We will supply some sandwich fixings if you can bring some salad or dessert.

Progressive Sukkot Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, October 1
11:00 am–1:00 pm

Let us join together as we share food and bless the sukkah at three different homes. This year the homes are fairly close to each other, so the driving times won't take away from our celebration.

11:00–11:30 Appetizers
Vinikoor-Finn family
Families whose last name begins with A-G should bring appetizers.

11:45–12:20 Soup, Bread & Salad
Horowitz-Gersh family
Soup will be provided.
Families whose last name begins with H-M should bring bread or salad.

12:30–1:00 Dessert
At the synagogue 862 Washington St. in Bath
Families whose last name begins with N–Z should bring desserts.

A Time for Every Experience: A Week of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes

by Rabbi Vinikoor and Rabbi Michael Birnholz

I will be participating in a collaboration with my colleagues during Sukkot to study 2 chapters from the book of Ecclesiastes (kohelet) each day during the week of Sukkot (Oct. 2-6).

During the week-long fall festival of Sukkot traditionally we read and engage with the book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes). This year we have the unique opportunity to journey through the entire book over the festival of Sukkot as pairs of Rabbis from small congregations from across North America collaborate to offer a daily lesson from Kohelet. Each day, (Sunday October 1 to Friday October 6) at different times, a different partnership of Rabbis will lead a discussion on pieces of this book of Wisdom. Join us on Zoom for one or all sessions. Register here:
https://urj.tfaforms.net/901?id=7014u000001dyKn

Chapters 1/2
Sunday 10/1
Rabbi Michael Birnholz and Rabbi Gidon Isaacs (12:00 pm)

Chapters 3/4
Monday 10/2
Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar and Rabbi Lisa Vinikoor (12:00 pm)

Chapters 5/6
Tuesday 10/3
Rabbi Rebecca Epstein and Rabbi Faith Joy Dantowitz (2:00 pm)

Chapters 7/8
Wednesday 10/4
Rabbi Neal Katz and Rabbi Cookie Lea Olshein (12:00 pm)

Chapters 9/10
Thursday 10/5
Rabbi Sarah Smiley and Rabbi Barbara Goldman Wartell (1:00 pm)

Chapters 11/12
Friday 10/6
Rabbi Julia Margolis and Rabbi Howie Stein (12:00 pm)

Simchat Torah

by Marilyn Weinberg

Saturday, October 7
5:00 pm
Synagogue

At the end of the fall High Holiday cycle comes the joyous holiday of Simchat Torah where we take all of the Torah scrolls out of the ark, sing traditional songs and say the blessings as we dance with them, round and round!

This year, as a special treat, we will unwrap a part of the Torah scroll, and the Rabbi will read from different sections as we all hold up this sacred manuscript. All hands needed to make this happen.

After our celebration we will say the Havdalah blessings and share a meal of pizza and salad.

Yahad

by Rachel Connelly

The nights are cooler; the days are shorter; it must be time to return to our regular rhythms of daily life. And that includes Beth Israel’s monthly program for young children (2- to 5-year-olds plus siblings) and their families: Yahad. Our Yahad program meets at 10:00 am on Sunday (usually the first Sunday of the month). It is an hour or so of playtime, story time, a craft project, and snack. The themes are often holiday based and the stakes are low. No need to pre-register. Come every month or come occasionally. We will begin this year’s cycle on September 10 (not the first Sunday) with a Rosh Hashana themed program. This year, given the construction plans for Minnie Brown, our meeting location will most likely be in the community room of the synagogue building, but check Facebook or our email communication before heading out.

Our tentative dates for the year are:

Sept 10, Oct 1, Nov 5, Dec 3, Jan 7, Feb 4, March 3, April 7, April 21 (extra Passover get ready)

Looking forward to being Yahad (Hebrew for together). To have your name added to our Yahad list please email Rachel Connelly at connelly@bowdoin.edu.

Kulanu: All of Us

by Joanne Rosenthal

We are pleased to announce that Beth Israel was once again chosen to participate in ADL’s Kulanu: Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism program. Throughout the next eight months there will once again be numerous opportunities to learn and network with congregations around the country. Our focus will include interfaith dialogue to collectively stand up to antisemitism and hate, as well as the climate for Jewish students on college campuses. If you would like to consider joining the Kulanu committee, join us on Zoom on October 3 (time T.B.D.). Contact kulanu@bethisraelbath.org with questions or for more information.

Beth Israel Congregation and Sacred Ground Present
Facing Antisemitism
3-Session Program (please commit to all 3)
Tuesdays 11/7, 12/21, 12/5
5:00–6:30pm at Patten Free Library, Bath, ME

During this program, small groups of participants will discuss videos, readings and other materials exploring antisemitism in American society. We hope to gain a deeper knowledge of the history of this persistent prejudice, better understand where we find ourselves today, and work together to imagine a different future.

For registration and more information contact SacredGroundME@gmail.com

Social Action Committee

by Phyllis Wolfe

This October the Synagogue’s Social Action Committee is participating in Bath’s Window Dressers event. Window Dressers brings community volunteers together to improve the warmth and comfort of interior spaces, lower heating costs, and reduce carbon dioxide pollution by producing low-cost insulating window inserts that function as custom, interior-mounted storm windows.

Window Dresser specifically chooses to hold their event in communities in which neighbors know their neighbors and know actions to lower heating costs. The volunteer groups are committed to an environmentally and socially conscious way of life.

The dates for Bath’s event are Tuesday, October 17, through Saturday, October 21. Volunteers are needed to wrap, tape and finish inserts. No expertise is needed. Training will be given on site with most tasks being quite simple and some can be done seated. Other volunteers are needed to help with making / bringing food such as soup, biscuits, muffins and/ or fruit to feed volunteers who are finishing the morning volunteer shift.

If you are interested in lending a hand for a great cause and representing Beth Israel Congregation in this effort, please email: socialaction@bethisraelbath.org

Community Read

by Janet Marstine

Date: October 29
Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Synagogue
Book: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

James McBride is the stellar award-winning author of novels as diverse as The Good Lord Bird and Deacon King Kong and the autobiographical The Color of Water. Those of you who have read his memoir will know that McBride was born to a Black father who was a minister and a Jewish mother who immigrated from Poland and whose own father had been an orthodox rabbi. In his ingenious way, McBride leverages these experiences to create the narrative for The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.  

Set in the 1970s in a neighborhood on the margins of society where immigrant Jews and Black people live together but apart, the book shows how the two groups unite to prevent a deaf child from state institutionalization. At this moment of political, social and culture schism, McBride’s voice reminds us of the importance of respect, compassion and love for one another, despite—and perhaps also because of—our differences.

Joe Blumberg – Rabbinic Intern

I am a musician, organizer, and second-year rabbinical student at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Before beginning at JTS I served on the engagement team at Brown RISD Hillel in Providence, RI, where I worked with hundreds of diverse students to bring innovative projects to life in the Jewish community.

After graduating from Yale with a B.A. in American History, I spent a year learning Torah at the Pardes Institute in Jerusalem, where I also held a Fulbright research fellowship. I recently concluded a fellowship at Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, where I taught about Jewish approaches to the climate crisis and worked with Jewish organizations across the country as they joined Dayenu's organizing and advocacy work. This year, I am also a rabbinic intern at Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas, and I am proud member of Tirdof: New York Jewish Clergy for Justice.

I come to Beth Israel with a deep love for intergenerational Jewish community and a passion for exploring how Jewish text and ritual can better connect us with each other and with the Divine. I live in New York, where I can often be found playing bluegrass and pickleball.

Funtensive

by Jenna Golub

Leo and Sol loved getting to participate in this summer’s Funtensive camp in Augusta, joined by other Beth Israel friends. From learning Hebrew words, talking about what arriving in America as an immigrant must have been like to hiking and singing, it was a wonderful experience. They enjoyed the week and cannot wait to get to attend again next year.

Elul and Beginning Preparations for the Holidays

by Anita Lichman

On a beautiful, sunshine filled summer Sunday families came together at Beth El Temple in Augusta to celebrate Elul, honor Marcia Susan Salmon (an avid animal and children’s rights advocate and engaged Jewish citizen) and begin preparations for the Jewish holidays to come this fall. Elul is a Hebrew month dedicated to spiritual preparation for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simcha Torah. A time of inner reflection and connection, the Elul festival was set with the intention to carve out time to slow down, pay attention, and be in community as we transition to the Jewish rituals of fall.

Beth Israel Congregation in Waterville, Beth El Temple in Augusta, Beth Israel Congregation in Bath, and the Peter Alfond Foundation collaborated to host sessions such as challah making and yoga for the new year with our own Susan Horowitz and Sara Helman respectively. There were also Judaic vendors, a Torah scribe session that was incredibly eye opening to many of us who have never seen this process (you wouldn’t believe where the kosher ink that a Torah scribe uses comes from!), and delicious lunch from complimentary food and ice cream trucks to the backdrop of a spectacular music ensemble playing melodic Jewish songs. Jewish families from all of the congregations attended, allowing for connections in the Jewish community to widen and deepen across the state of Maine.

Swan’s Honey, Center for Small Town Jewish Life, Maine Middle Eastern Ensemble, and Colby College Graphics Department sponsored and many volunteers worked to put the event together-including Jennifer Kanwit and Anita Lichman from our own Beth Israel Congregation.

Looking forward to more time together as we enter the threshold of these fall holidays in community.

Dinner Club

by Peggy Brown

Beth Israel Dinner Club is alive and well and meets monthly. All are welcome! Getting together for a meal is a wonderful way to get to know the other members of our congregation, solidify friendships and have a few laughs. Come alone or bring a friend. We meet at a local area restaurant on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:00 pm. So far this season we’ve had lovely meals at Bath Brewing Company, Flight Deck, Five Islands and Brickyard Hollow. Where should we go next?

Interested in being on the Dinner Club mailing list to receive our monthly invitation?

Email Peggy to get your name added to the list: dinnerclub@bethisraelbath.org

Summer Social

by Marilyn Weinberg

Although the weather threatened more rain, we were able to find a little sunshine amid the drops to gather together at the Bath waterfront park, share some food, and connect with new Beth Israel members and those that were interested in learning more about us.

REMEMBRANCES FOR september–october 2023

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.