Bath Jewish History

September/October 2022
Elul 5782/ Tishri / Heshvan 5783

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

Elul 5782/ Tishri / Heshvan 5783

On Friday nights at Beth Israel we frequently read this blessing written by Rabbi Sydney Greenberg, z”l:

May the door of this synagogue be wide enough to receive all who hunger for love, all who are lonely for fellowship.
May it welcome all who have cares to unburden, thanks to express, hopes to nurture.
May the door of this synagogue be narrow enough to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.

May its threshold be no stumbling block to young or straying feet.
May it be too high to admit complacency, selfishness, and harshness.
May this synagogue be, for all who enter, the doorway to a richer and more meaningful life.

If you’ve joined us at the synagogue and Minnie Brown Center over these past few months, I hope Rabbi Greenberg’s poem rings true for at least some aspect of your experience of our shul community. If you haven’t had the opportunity to walk through our doors recently, please join us again. There is nothing like seeing the face of another person, in person, to feel connected to community and God. What better opportunity than the start of the new Jewish year to come back through our doors, to share gratitude, joy or grief, and pray as one for peace in the New Year.

Speaking of 5783 in person, please save the Shabbat of November 4-5 to
join Beth Israel at the Center for Small Town Jewish Life’s Fall Shabbaton
at Colby College. Beth Israel members will be traveling up to Colby for this
special opportunity to pray, sing, eat and study with Jews from across the
state. This fantastic opportunity for a musical shabbat will be led by singer/songwriter and activist Batya Levine. Find out more about the Shabbaton here and stay tuned for registration details coming soon.

May the year 5783 be a year of joy, good health, community and solidarity. May you and your families enjoy all the sweetness of the New Year to come. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life.

L’shana tova tikatevu,
Rabbi Vinikoor

President’s Message

by Anne Schlitt

Joining a Board or taking a volunteer leadership role in an organization might look pretty dull from the outside. You attend a lot of meetings...there are rules for how to run those meetings...there are projects to do...you have to squeeze it in around the other things in your life. It's a big responsibility! All of the moving parts of the synagogue--from services and the buildings themselves to social action and learning opportunities and everything in between--are supported by the Board in partnership with synagogue staff (Rabbi Vinikoor and Camille) and other volunteers or performed entirely by the Board members themselves.

The thing is, Board service is like agreeing to be one of the foundational rocks holding up the structure of an organization. It takes a lot of rocks, and they have to fit together somehow, and every so often new rocks are brought in so the foundation continues to be strong, because one rock can't hold it all up on its own. (I just can't resist a metaphor.)

One thing some of you may know: I am a Talmud groupie. So you'll have to bear with me as I share a little something from Tractate Rosh Hashanah (Rosh Hashanah 29a, to be specific) in honor of the approaching High Holidays. (And get used to it. There will be a lot of Talmud references in my president letters!)

The rabbis are debating who is obligated to sound the shofar and, more broadly, the nature of obligation itself. Ahava, son of Rabbi Zeira, teaches: "With regard to all the blessings, even if one already recited a blessing for himself and has consequently fulfilled his own obligation, he can still recite a blessing for others and thereby discharge their obligation, as all Jews are responsible for one another."

As we move into this season of contemplation and renewal, I want to thank everyone in the Beth Israel community who shows up and takes responsibility for one another in so many ways, both big and small. And in particular, props to my Board colleagues (past and present), who are those metaphorical rocks creating the underlying stability for the synagogue's operations.

Updated COVID Guidelines

by Beth Israel COVID Committee

As we navigate the complex challenges of meeting in person and balancing people’s safety, the Beth Israel COVID committee has met and clarified the guidelines for the upcoming holidays.

Our COVID safety protocols require all event attendees to be vaccinated and boosted if eligible and provide us with proof of their vaccinations and boosters.

Masks are required for attendees at all indoor events, including children 2 years or older. Masks are optional at outdoor gatherings. If you test positive within 5 days after an event, please let us know by sending an email to office@bethisraelbath.org. If you are not feeling well or have any COVID symptoms, please join us on Zoom.

Speak Up! Workshop

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Sunday, September 11
10:00 am
Minnie Brown Center 

Speak Up! Workshop with Holocaust and Human Rights Center hosted by Beth Israel Congregation,

 Have you heard someone say something biased or offensive and been caught off guard? Have you struggled with what to do or how to respond effectively and done nothing? Hurtful, racist and antisemitic speech is all around us, sometimes in obvious ways and oftentimes in less obvious ones.

This workshop is based on work by one of HHRC partners, Learning for Justice, and is designed to give you tools to address everyday bigotry, whether at work, at home, or in your community. After a brief introduction to bias and how it operates, we will focus on learning practical strategies and techniques that will prepare you to speak up in response to bias, prejudice and antisemitism. You will then use these new skills to brainstorm responses to bias-related scenarios. There will be time at the end to discuss additional ways to carry this work forward. Babysitting is available.

RSVP required

Poetry and Prose of our New Makzhor

by Rabbi Vinikoor

September 18
10:00 am
Synagogue 

Join Rabbi Vinikoor as we prepare for the High Holidays and explore our new holiday prayer books (makzhor), Mishkan HaNefesh. All are welcome.

Community Read

by Janet Marstine

Monday, September 12
7:00-8:30 pm 

Our next Community Read, is, as promised, a movie, the new critically acclaimed Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. We will gather by Zoom on Monday, September 12 from 7:00-8:30 pm to discuss this fascinating documentary.

A glamorous star of Hollywood’s golden age, Lamarr was also a Jewish refugee from Austria with the gifts of a great scientist and inventor, as the film deftly reveals. The movie depicts a woman consistently stymied, however, by the pressures of society from developing these talents which meant a loss not only to her own self-actualization but to the history of technology.

Bombshell is a compelling documentary at the intersection of Jewish studies, feminism, film studies and the history of 20th century science and technology. Please join us to talk it through!

Some of you may have read the book about Hedy Lamarr: The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel by Marie Benedict. It would be interesting to also watch the movie, which is a documentary, and compare notes at our gathering. Either way, she was an amazing woman.     

 If you have a library card from either Patten Free Library in Bath or Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick, you are eligible for a free kanopy account. Once you have registered you can stream from a large collection of movies including Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. This movie is also available through a number of other streaming services.

 Please RSVP to receive the Zoom link for the discussion.

Hebrew School

by Rabbi Vinikoor

While it’s still summer, the Hebrew School teachers are busy planning for a fantastic year ahead. We will celebrate Jewish holidays, study Jewish history and learn the stories of our ancient and more recent ancestors. Students will study Jewish prayers—how to read them, sing them and what they mean. As a Hebrew School community, we will be proud Jews while working to make our community a better place. We can’t wait to greet our students both new and old on September 15.

Chloe Zelkha

Meet Chloe Zelkha, Beth Israel’s Rabbinical student fellow for the coming year. She will be coming to Bath for the weekend of September 9-11.

 Chloe is a third-year rabbinical student at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. After growing up in the Bay Area, she set off for Carleton College in small town Minnesota, where she majored in Religion. She worked as a community organizer after graduation, training at JOIN for Justice and organizing at The Food Project, both social justice organizations in Boston. She also served for several years as the Fellowship Director at Urban Adamah, a Jewish farm in Berkeley, where she led semester-long residential programs for young adults.

 After a season of personal loss, she felt called to grief work, serving as a chaplain at a pediatric hospital in San Francisco, and starting the COVID Grief Network, an organization that offers free emotional support to young adults who've lost someone to Covid-19. Chloe also holds a Master’s in Education from Harvard University. She is thrilled to be working this year with Beth Israel in Bath!

Shabbat Under the Stars

by Marilyn Weinberg

We have been so fortunate to be able to gather in person outside for our Friday Shabbat services this summer. In July we gathered at the home of Rabbi Vinikoor and Alyssa Finn and enjoyed a delicious potluck meal as well as a lovely service. In August we met at the Dreyfus-Lane home where we had the pleasure of hearing from Betty Welt who shared the stories of her family who were able to escape Germany, stay in Switzerland and then emigrate to the United Sates. Thank you to all who shared their homes, help lead services and brought delicious food to share.

We will have one last outdoor Shabbat evening service on Friday, September 9.

Get Out the Vote (GOTV) Campaign

by Peggy Brown

In July, members and friends of Beth Israel Congregation collectively mailed over 1,000 postcards in an effort to get out the vote in communities with low voter turnout in Florida. This non-partisan “postcarding” effort, led by Reclaim Our Vote in conjunction with The Center for Common Ground and the URJ’s Religious Action Center (RAC) has been proven effective at increasing the rate of voter turnout among underrepresented voters in communities within states which have legislated obstacles to voting. The postcarding campaign will continue throughout the pre-November 8 election season. At the end of August we focused on postcards to Virginia. We’ll continue into September and October with postcards to North Carolina and Georgia. Interested in getting involved? Click here to get a postcard kit. 

Want to join a Beth Israel Postcarding Party on September 19 at the Minnie Brown Center?
Register here.

You can also get involved with other GOTV efforts through a weekly Zoom with RAC organizer Jacob Kraus Preminger who leads the Every Voice, Every Vote campaign. These weekly meetings provide a regular space for volunteers working on the campaign to gather with others from across the Reform Movement. Each week from now until November 2, they will focus on a particular skill, resource, or action, with plenty of time for Q+A. Some weeks focus on an action opportunity during which they will phone or text bank or write postcards alongside members of partner organizations. Here’s the link to sign up.

Tashlich

by Marilyn Weinberg

Monday, September 26
2:00 pm
Bath Waterfront

Tashlich comes from the Hebrew word meaning, "to cast," referring to the intent to cast away our sins via this meaningful and ancient Jewish custom common to both Ashkenazi and Sephardic communities.

 Rabbi Vinikoor will be at the Bath Waterfront to lead a brief Tashlich ceremony. All are welcome, as we spread out over the river’s edge and say the Tashlich prayers. Bring along bread or any organic substance to throw into the river.

Sukkot Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, October 9                           
11:00 am                                           
Location T.B.D.

Friday, October 14
time and location T.B.D.

Sukkot is one of the most joyful festivals on the Jewish calendar. “Sukkot,” a Hebrew word meaning "booths" or "huts," refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the fall harvest.

Our first task is to build our community Sukkah. We will gather on Sunday, October 9, at 10:00 am, share some bagels and sweets, and then build the Sukkah behind the synagogue. With a lot of helpful hands, it will be fun and fairly quick.

On Friday evening, October 14, we will gather in the sukkah and share a meal followed by a brief Shabbat evening service. You will each have an opportunity to say the blessings and shake the etrog and lulav in the Sukkah.

Look out for more details about the time location of our Sukkot Shabbat event.

Simchat Torah

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, October 16
3:30 pm
Bath Library Park

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 and dance with them, round and round!

This year we will take the Torahs outside to the gazebo in the Bath library park. As we listen to music and say the blessings we will dance and enjoy our lovely traditions.

Feel free to bring a blanket and chairs and pack a snack or meal to enjoy.

ALICE Security Training

by Peggy Brown

On Thursday, August 18, twenty-six Beth Israel Congregation members met at the synagogue to participate in an ALICE training led by Chuck Reece of the Bath Police Department. Chuck serves as the School Resource Officer at Morse High School and is also the boys’ varsity soccer coach. He came to us straight from soccer practice and provided down to earth, common-sense strategies for how to respond in the event of an active threat by someone intending to do harm. While many of us have had this or similar training in the past, it’s been two years since we have been in the synagogue together and we needed to be reminded of some of the simple steps we can take to make us safer.

For example:

• If you feel like something or someone’s wrong, believe your feelings.

• Call 911. The dispatcher will send the police even if you say nothing but keep the line open.

• Block the entrance(s). We all practiced putting the wood slab in the door handles of the sanctuary.

• Distract the intruder with a loud noise (slamming a book shut can be surprisingly effective) or by throwing something at their face.

• Get out of the building. If the front entrance is blocked, go out a window.

We plan to have more training in the future and will work with our Hebrew School teachers on best practices for keeping our students safe.

Greeters Needed

by Peggy Brown

The Security Committee could use your help! We are looking for members interested in serving as greeters for services and other congregational events. Our greeters are essential for providing a welcoming presence at our door, serving as the eyes and ears of the congregation and aiding the Rabbi when she needs a hand setting up or closing down. No previous experience is necessary! We’ll show you the ropes. If you’re a new member, this is a wonderful way to meet others and get to know your Jewish community.

Interested in learning more? Click here.

Members of the Tribe

by Peggy Brown

The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning engages adult learners in a life-enhancing study of Jewish texts and ideas that nurtures and deepens Jewish community. Melton learners find Jewish texts and ideas accessible and relevant to their lives. The Melton instruction style is not “sit and get” but involves reading, discussing and active learning. Each class becomes a community of learners. Many parents who study with Melton find that it helps them in supporting their children with their Jewish learning. Others enjoy continuing a Jewish education that may have broken off at age 13 or 14. And others still are in the class to enrich an already deep understanding of Jewish history, culture and tradition. Whatever your background or level of previous Jewish learning, you will find an entry point and a rich discussion to move your learning forward.

The course “Members of the Tribe” grapples with six questions:

• What does it mean to live Jewishly and why should I choose to do so?

• What do symbols such as a mezuzah, tallit, or tefillin represent?

• Why do we continuously speak about the Exodus when it happened so long ago?

• “Chosen People” sounds elitist! How can one relate to this concept?

• Does keeping kosher have any benefit for contemporary Jews?

• Why is Israel important for those who do not live there?

6 class meetings: October 17, 31, November 7, 14, 21, 28

6:15 to 7:45 pm (in person and on Zoom)

Instructor: Rabbi Lisa Vinikoor

Register for the Course here

Financial assistance available - contact Rabbi Vinikoor.

Hebrew School

by Jenna Golub and Rachel Bouttenot

About 30 people gathered to kick off the new year of Hebrew school. We enjoyed a delicious spread, especially Susan Horowitz’s rainbow cupcakes! It was so nice to be able to gather and meet some new families.

HIAS Refugee Resettlement Program

by Adam Seigal

The HIAS Refugee Resettlement Program operating through the JCA in Portland is in need of volunteers to help client refugee families establish themselves in their new Maine homes. Although many of the refugees are settled in the greater Portland area, due to the housing crisis, geographical range has been extended and the JCA is finding housing for families in areas including Brunswick, Lewiston and even Waterville.

Volunteers are considered a vital part of the services the JCA provides. Successful integration includes refugee families meeting and interacting with as many community members as possible to expose them to their new surroundings and culture.

 The JCA relies on volunteers to help client families with many aspects of the resettlement process. Several of the tasks involve working with staff to obtain resources for clients while others involve direct contact with client families. Schedules are flexible based on volunteer availability.

The following positions/tasks are needed:

Pre-Arrival Tasks:

• Housing Task Force: Work with HIAS staff and landlords to identify housing resources

• Household Item Sourcing: Assist with finding household items to stage client homes

• Furniture Sourcing: Assist with locating key furniture items to be set up in client homes

• Pre-Arrival Set-Up: Bring supplies & groceries to temporary housing and stage for arrival

• House-Raising Team: Prepare permanent housing for client arrival by unpacking household items, light cleaning, staging furniture and more

• Moving Team: Support HIAS staff by picking up and unloading furniture at client home

Direct Contact Positions:

• Grocery Shopping Consultant: Take a new family grocery shopping on a weekly basis

• Financial Literacy: Teach clients important skills such as spending, saving, borrowing, budgeting, earning & taxes

• Public Transportation Education: Teach clients how to navigate public transportation

• Mentorship: Support clients by helping them acclimate to life in Maine

• English Tutoring & Support: Help clients learn & practice conversational English

• HIAS Food Pantry: Help supply and stock the food pantry with culturally appropriate food 

If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact Adam Seigal at aseigal@mainejewish.org or 207-772-1959.

Welcome New Members

Rebekah Polster and Family

Donations

Memorial Gifts

• Marilyn and Fred Weinberg in loving memory of her father, Max Isacoff and her brother-in-law, Richard Gelles

• Daniel Morgenstern and Moriah Moser in loving memory of his father, Frederic Morganstern

• Marina and Stephen Singer in loving memory of her mother, Henrietta Shapiro

• Erich and Pauline Haller in loving memory of his aunt, Rose Pepper Roman

• Howard Shaw and Gila Cohen Shaw in loving memory of his father, Joseph Shaw

• Ben Crystal and Susan Kamin in loving memory of his parents, David and Harriet Crystal

• Doris Weinberg in loving memory of her husband, Miles Weinberg

• Norma Dreyfus and Stan Lane in loving memory of her father, Dr. Morris Goldberg

• Mary and George Samiljan in loving memory of her mother, Rita Ramsey

• Gordon and Monica Blatt in loving memory of his father, Arthur Blatt

• Stephen and Marina Singer in loving memory of his mother, Bessie Singer

• Ansel Schiffer in loving memory of his wife, Zira Schiffer

• Denise Linet in loving memory of her father, Abraham Linet

• Elaine Kaufman in loving memory of her mother, Roslyn Goldstein Teiger

• David Michelson and Yeonmi Ahn in loving memory of his father, Max Michelson

• Erich and Pauline Haller in loving memory of his mother, Margareta Haller

• Ellen Hagler in loving memory of her father, David Goldman

• Marilyn and Fred Weinberg in loving memory of Marilyn Kaplan

In Memory of Ahuva Woll Soifer

• Ben Crystal and Susan Kamin

• Karen and Matt Filler

• Peggy Brown and John Martell

• Marilyn and Fred Weinberg

For the Benefit of the Synagogue

• Margaret Curley

• Marilyn and John Darack

• Jane Martell

• Marty Fox and Thyle Shartar

• Rebecca and Jonathan Dunham

• David Michelson and Yeonmi Ahn

• Virginia Fish

• Diane Moyer

• Fred and Marilyn Weinberg

• Robert Vinikoor

• Nathan Cogan

• Pauline Hannaford

• Howard and Gila Cohen Shaw

• Merna and Joe Guttentag

• Richard and Debbie Finn in honor of Rabbi and Alyssa and family

• Henry Goldberg and Kim Hetherington

• Norma Dreyfus and Stan Lane

• Kathy-Ann and Harry Reissman

• Bruce and Irina Rosenblum

• Sheldon and Denise Tepler

• Greg and Carolyn Friedel

• Irwin and Lori Brodsky

• The Sickle Family

• Lauren and Marc Silberman in honor of the Wedding of Emily (Povich) and Trevor Sheade

For the Hebrew School

• Marcia and Leonard Klompus in loving memory of Jeffrey Robert Cherner

Centennial Campaign

• Richard Smith

• Micki Gersh in loving memory of her husband, Fred Gersh

• Ezer Smith and Eliya Smith in honor of Andrew Orkin Smith

Rabbi's Discretionary Fund

• Ben Crystal and Susan Kamin

• Nancy Deskins

• Jill Standish

• Caroline and Lewis Robinson in honor of Hannah, Aleah and Ari

• Hannah DeAngelis and Aleah Starr in honor of their son Ari’s naming

• Howard Waxman and Lisa Schinhofen

• Bram and Janet Starr

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.