Author: Rabbi Michael Farbman

JCARR JOYFULLY WELCOMES NEW SYRIAN FAMILY

2On Thursday, April 26, JCARR welcomed a new refugee family from Syria, our third refugee family in a year. The normal anticipation and anxiety we feel in awaiting their arrival was heightened by the announcement of a proposed Executive Order that was rumored might be signed that very day that would halt refugee entry into the U.S. for 120 days and would cease the admittance of nationals of Syria.

We knew that morning that the family had boarded the plane in Istanbul.  We knew they would land in JFK around noon.  We didn’t know if they would be met in immigration and prevented from entering the United States. So, we waited, with heavy apprehension added to the normal anxiety.

When I received the phone call from the International Migration officer telling me they were leaving JFK for New Haven, I couldn’t wait to share the good news.  The family of five arrived at 3:30 pm.  Although they seemed happy when we settled them into their new home, the truth is they looked very tired.  The mother explained they hadn’t slept in a bed for 50 hours.  The three young children seemed anxious, needy, and the parents were doing everything possible to calm them, to reassure them, to give them what they needed to feel at peace.

Over the next weeks, JCARR volunteers provided needed clothing in the right sizes for each member of the family, familiar foods, toys and games for the children, and other household necessities.  Our Cultural Orientation task force began the process of orienting them to their neighborhood and their new community; volunteers took them to a park, the library and the grocery store; we helped them apply for Social Security Cards, Cash Assistance and food stamps; we helped enroll the children in school and the adults in ESL classes.  Medical appointments were made and transportation provided.  We introduced them to the other Syrian family we welcomed on November 8, Election night.  Little by little, our new family is settling in in their home in Hamden (see the pictures below).

The concept of Tikkun Olam tells us to search for a tiny spark of divine light, one small thing we can do to make the world better.  In this time when we might feel overwhelmed by chaos, the folks involved with JCARR find that divine light in the eyes of the refugee children and the love their parents show for them.  Doing what we can to help them build a new life here helps to soothe our fears and offers us hope for repair of the world.

13 3a 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

 

Temple Emanuel Ark Doors

TE ArkThe beautiful doors to the Temple Emanuel ark were created in 1988.  The artist, Candy Knapp, collaborated with Rabbi Jerry Brieger to create the meaningful and interesting design.  The project was brought together by Rise Siegel.

On the upper left corner of the doors is the tablet of the 10 Commandments.  In the lower right corner is the Burning Bush.  According to the artist the waves and swirls are meant to represent the “dynamic power of the moment.”

Looking at the 10 Commandments one may see rays.  This was used by the sculptor to symbolize the light of G-d.  Across the middle of the doors is a blue band.  The sculptor suggests that it may be the parting of the Red Sea or a generalized barrier that must be crossed.  As this barrier is between the tablets and the burning bush, it suggests that the presence of G-d is everywhere and that barriers are just something that we must overcome in life.  All the wavy lines are the dynamic energy swirling around this interaction with the earthly and the divine.

The doors are not carved out of one piece of wood but rather are built up by adding strips to create depth and texture.

The letters on the door were suggested by Rabbi Brieger.  There are ten letters signifying the ten commandments.  The Alef and Bet on the tablet represents the 10 commandments.  Starting with the Bet and reading left we have bet, resh, alef, shin and tav or Bereshit, the first word of the Torah (in the beginning.)  If we stop at bet, resh, alef we have G-d created.

Starting with the Alef and moving to the right we have alef, nun, kof and yud, Anochi, the first word of the 10 Commandments (I am).  If you pair the yud with the next letter, yud you have Adonai or G-d, hence I am G-d.

Look at the tablet, the highest letter is alef.  The lowest letter on the door is tav.  The two letters paired together are A to Z, symbolizing the whole alphabet, the entire Torah – everything.

There has been some speculation as to the meaning and placement of the letters on the door.  As mentioned above the letters probably represent individual commandments.  The top five would be the commands that deal with G-d (I am the Lord, you shall have no other G-ds, do not take the Lord’s name in vain, remember the Sabbath and honor father and mother.)  The bottom five would be directed at man and how to live in a community (do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness and do not covet.)

It has been suggested that perhaps there is fish or a whale on the door.  Another suggestion is the arm of G-d.  While I don’t see the areas in that light it adds another interesting dimension to the symbolism and the message of our doors.

Interpretation of the message of the doors can take on deeper meanings “the colors on the doors – blue on the upper half, red on the lower may tell a story.  On the 2nd day of creation G-d made an expanse of water, separating the expanse into an upper level and a lower level.  He called the expanse ‘shamayim’ – sky or heavens.  On the 3rd day G-d created land – the waters beneath the sky were collected so that dry ground could be revealed.  The blue on the ark doors are sharply defined (divisions of the heavens and the waters beneath) with streaks of red running through the lower part of the doors.  The Hebrew word for earth is Adamah.  The Hebrew word for clay (which man was constructed from) is Adahm.  The Hebrew word for blood is Dahm.  The first man was Adam and the word for red is Adom.”  Thus the words man, Adam, clay, earth, blood and red all are related through the same root.  This could mean that the top of the ark is representative of the heavens and the source of the divine.  The red of the lower portion can be representative of our earthly origin as man was essentially created when he was formed from the clay of the earth and then had life breathed into his being by G-d.

Rabbi Brieger once said that the doors called to him, that they moved and changed meanings at different times.  There is so much in them that each of us can find meaning for ourselves.

Change, Commitment, & Continuity

Melissa portraitA Tale in Three Parts

Part 1

CHANGE: Remember, the first 7:30pm service at TE will be on January 20, 2017.  The Family Service remains at 6:30pm on the first Friday of each month, and on January 13th we have a special Martin Luther King Service at Mishkan Israel at 7:30pm.  At the end of June, we will again send out a Survey Monkey to see what people thought of the change to see if we plan to continue it or to make other changes. The other possible change brewing is a switch to a new prayerbook for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (see the Rabbi’s Summer Shofar column for more on the mahzor).  The Ritual Committee will be leading several focus groups for people to interact with Mishkan HaNafesh. Please call Barbara Berkowitz or Barbara Goldhamer to be involved in one of them.

COMMITMENT: Our members’ commitment to our community is so fabulous.  I can only look on, cheer, and be thankful for their hard work. The last few months have seen some wonderful projects completed: the High Holy food drive collected 3.500 pounds of food under Will Sherman’s leadership, dozens of turkeys were donated to Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen at Thanksgiving under the watchful eye of Peter Stolzman, and 146 baskets were created by the school and some adult volunteers under the organizational skills of Julia Katsovich – one of our madrichim.  Julia is the first teen to head such an ambitious project, and it was a smashing success.  During this time Laurel Shader, the band, and the choir got together to perform, and Risé Siegel and friends helped to organize our first Annual Shir Magic concert in memory of Jerry Brieger z’l; thus, I believe we have solidified our reputation as the “sing-agogue” in the area!  Put in your calendars now the Debbie Friedman concert by our band and choirs at the Towers on February 12th and Yale Whiffenpoofs in concert at TE on February 26th.

CONTINUITY: It with great pleasure that I can announce that Rabbi Farbman has agreed to lead the congregation for another five years and that he and the Board have agreed on his contract.  Rabbi Farbman has been essential to the growth and renewed vitality of our community, and we can look forward to continuing to go from strength to strength in the coming years.

A Strong Community

Community is an interesting word. I encounter it in many different places, and often I find myself feeling that the word is overused, if not misused. A quick search provides the following two main descriptions for community: 1) a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common, and 2) a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals. The Talmud (Sanhedrin 17b) provides a list of 10 things it considers essential for the proper Jewish life to happen: a court empowered to punish the guilty; a communal tzedakah fund, monies for which are collected by two people and distributed by three; a synagogue; a mikveh (ritual bath); sufficient bathroom facilities; a doctor; a blood letter [i.e. a popular healer]; a scribe; a butcher; and a Torah teacher for children. Luckily for us, sufficient bathroom facilities are not really much of an issue in the developed world – although it is easy to see why this was an important item on the list, since it directly relates to public safety and health! Most of the elements required for a healthy Jewish community remain very much true to this day, even though some of the elements (such as courts) are really in the hands of the State.

Synagogue is at the heart of our Temple Emanuel community, as is our Hebrew school. Tzedakah is crucially important, and we teach our children from a very young age to care about the world at large and about our local community through regular acts of tzedakah. On a wider scale, we support Jewish Family Services and the incredibly important work they do every day in our local community. And then, of course, there’s the JCC which offers not only multiple opportunities to look after one’s body, but also numerous cultural and educational programs all throughout the year. It is a place where we often meet and intersect with other groups in our New Haven Jewish community, where we come together to mark Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha’atzmaut, to celebrate Israel – this list can go on for quite some time.

As many of you know, the JCC suffered a serious fire in December. Luckily, no one in the building at the time was hurt, and the two firefighters who suffered some smoke inhalation have since fully recovered. The great many JCC and Jewish Federation programs have been displaced, and we have stepped up, together with other local synagogues and agencies, to open our doors to various programs, classes, meetings, a weekly bridge game, and even a Zumba class! People often say that at the time of crisis you can learn a thing or two about individuals, and the same is true about communities. I must say, watching the Greater New Haven Jewish community come together to support the JCC has been remarkable. I was also very moved to learn that great number of non-Jewish local agencies and organizations reached out and offered help, something that cannot be underestimated.

It will take months for the aftermath of the fire to be sorted – sadly, big parts of the building sustained serious smoke and water damage. Anyone who has experienced a fire or a flood knows just how devastating it can be. But knowing that you have a widespread community ready to offer help and support can make a huge difference. I sure am proud of our community every day, and I am glad that the crisis only reinforced my feelings of pride.

Whiffenpoofs at Temple Emanuel – February 26 at 3:00pm!

whiffs-2016-17Come out for an incredible afternoon of A Cappella Music!

Every year, 14 senior Yale men are selected to be in the Whiffenpoofs, the world’s oldest and best-known collegiate a cappella group. Founded in 1909, the “Whiffs” began as a senior quartet that met for weekly concerts at Mory’s Temple Bar, the famous Yale tavern. Today, the group has become one of Yale’s most celebrated traditions.
And now, the Whiffenpoofs are adding Temple Emanuel to their list of performance venues! Meet the entire group, ask questions, and have your picture taken with them!
Don’t miss the chance of a lifetime to see this incredibly talented group locally at Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven! Seating is limited, so buy your tickets early! See you there!

Get your tickets here!

COMING UP: Book Discussion Co-sponsored by Sisterhood and Men's Club, Feb 8th at 7pm

people_group_studyTo kick off the 15th year of the TE Sisterhood Book Discussion Group, we are doing something a little different: a book discussion Co-Sponsored by Sisterhood and the Men’s Club!

te-sisterhood-logoOn Wed., Feb. 8th, at 7:00pm, Prof. Rachel Ranis of Quinnipiac University will lead a discussion on the book “Hillbilly Elegy – a Memoir of a Family & Culture in Crisis” by J.D. Vance. Due to the timeliness of this book & its reflection of the current political climate in this country, this will be open to all TE congregants. There will be no cost to paid up Sisterhood and Men’s Club members. All other guests are welcome to join us with a $5.00 donation. Maybe we will start an annual  “1 Temple, 1 Read”  !!!
It’s not too late to join either Sisterhood or the Men’s Club. Just send your $36 check, payable to TE SISTERHOOD or TE MEN’S CLUB to: Susan and/or Tom Bleeks (address in directory). We’d love to have you join us!
If you would like to have us order you a copy of the book ($17 – hard cover only at the point), just let Susan Pinsky-Bleeks know.  Looking forward to seeing you on February 8th!

TE annual food drive – and a huge thank you.

food-drive-2016 food-drive-2016-2My dear friends, I am amazed, impressed, thankful, and absolutely blown away by your response to this year’s Yom Kippur Food Drive!  Twenty-three years ago, on our first attempt to collect food for the hungry in our community, “little” Aaron Webber, then only an adolescent, helped me weigh the food we collected.  Repeatedly stepping on and off my bathroom scale, we calculated that we collected nearly a ton (just under 2000 pounds) of  food.  We were thrilled with the results and thanked you all for your generosity.  Fast forward and skip ahead to this year.  As you all know, the food we collected was divided into two piles and donated to the food pantries of both the Jewish Family Service and the Town of Orange.  JFS continues to weigh the food donated by local congregations and recently informed us that we gave them 1,752 pounds of food that translated into 1,348 meals for the needy.  They further told us that we donated more food than any other participating congregation!  How about that!  But that’s only half the story.  Knowing that we donated an equivalent amount of food to Orange means that this year you donated more than 3,500 pounds.  That ‘s 1,500 pounds more than our first year.  Almost double.  Did I say I’m blown away by your overwhelming generosity?  Now while that’s a pretty high bar to jump over next year, I have every confidence.  Thank you so very much for your response to this important  tzedakah project.

Will Sherman

 

 

 

The Times They Are A-changin’

7-30-clockIn 1963, songwriter Bob Dylan wrote, “the times they are a-changin.” For Temple Emanuel this is true in more ways than one! Daylight Savings will soon end; we will have a new President in the White House; and the results of the TE Service time survey are in and are being acted upon. Whether or not Bob Dylan decides to accept the Nobel Laurette in literature I think he got it right when he said, “If your time to you is worth savin’, Then you better start swimmin’, Or you’ll sink like a stone, For the times they are a-changin’.” And I believe TE has the ability to change with the tides of our growing congregation (165 member units strong now!).

For many years the time for the start of services has been the subject of animated discussion for the Ritual Committee and for the community. Three years ago the Ritual Committee charged the Board with the task of looking at the issue and seeing if we needed to change. Our first explorations into this task involved discussions with individuals and small groups and a paper survey. This gave us good information but didn’t represent a majority of the congregation (only about 71 responses). So the Survey Monkey was created and was answered by 135 members.

Briefly, when asked, 57% of the responders preferred a late service with 55% preferring the 7:30pm start time. Of the 43% of the responders who preferred an earlier service, 58% preferred the 6:30pm time. In both groups there were about 20% with no preference. While this is not a scientifically validated survey, it does give us a feel of where we are as a congregation. The Board feels they have enough information to act upon and begin a small test of change for 6 months.

Beginning January 1, 2017 we will begin our usual service at 7:30pm instead of 8:00pm. The Family Service will remain at 6:30pm on the first Friday of the month. At the end of June, we will again send out a survey to see what people thought of the change and if we plan to continue it or make other changes. I believe we still need to provide a few more 6:30pm opportunities for our congregants, but we don’t want to create a confusing, unwieldy schedule.

Thank you to all of you who provided this valuable input. Thank you to Robin Levine-Ritterman for spearheading the effort, creating the Survey Monkey, and presenting the results to the Board. Thank you to the Board for voting on a change. I am looking forward to hearing from many of you over the next few months.

 

New this year: Monthly Shabbat Morning Minyan – January 7 at 10:00 am

HagbahahReady to try something new? Join our informal monthly Shabbat morning minyan to enjoy the majesty of the full Torah service with the haftarah reading! Come experience Shabbat in a different light.

Future dates: 

February 4

March 4

We are exploring the possibility of organizing childcare at the time of this service, please let the office (office@templeemanuel-gnh.org) know if you are interested!