Per the King of Persia’s Royal Decree, all congregants, young and old are required to attend Temple Emanuel’s Purim Festivities beginning on the 14th of Adar, which is Wednesday, March 23rd. Further, you are instructed to wear your most splendid costumes, partake in the creation and consumption of Hamantaschen and listen to a Western-themed version of how brave Esther and wise Mordecai saved the Jews from certain death. Bring only merriment and humor- leave all seriousness at the door! WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23RD 4:30-6:00- Purim at school: Get ready for Hamantaschen workshop! Then a crazy Purim spiel with audience participation! Followed by our Purim parade! Dazzle our judges with your costumes and win a prize in the following categories: MOST CREATIVE, MOST BIBLICAL, BEST CELEBRITY, CUTEST, SILLIEST and JUDGES’ CHOICE. ALL who wear a costume receive a small treat. Enjoy games and nosh on the Hamantaschen warm from the oven! 6:00- Community-wide Megillah reading. Noise makers provided! THURSDAY, MARCH 24TH
5:15- Communal Purim Seudah (festive meal) with megillah readings and entertainment at the JCC! Check this link for more info! SATURDAY, MARCH 26TH 7:00 pm- Adult Purim Party at TE! (Because even grownups deserve fun!)
Margaritaspiel – a laid-back Purim tribute to the music of Jimmy Buffett. Wear your Hawaiian shirts (and costumes)! RSVP in advance – $15.00 per person, $25.00 per couple. Tickets at the door will be available for $18.00 per person, so click here to register today!
Judaism is wonderful at celebrating life cycle events and marking the passage of time. By the time you are reading this column, the House will have finally been taken down and the area filled in and graded. Yes, this project ran into a few road-bumps but it is finally done. So, (drumroll) this officially ends the “One Campus” campaign!! First, a huge thank-you to all the individuals who worked so hard to make it happen. This was no small task: from thinkers to donors to doers, the entire community pulled together to make it happen. But now where do we go from here?
Why, back to construction again. No, not a building project (yet) but the reconstruction of who we want to be and where we want to be going. There is so much we offer to so many groups: school-age education, adult education, life-cycle celebrations, holy day celebrations, tikkun olam projects, and social events. Can we do it all? Can we afford to do it all? Do we need to add something new: day care, preschool, more family events, elder care, openness to the LGBT community, interfaith programming to name a few? We are going to talk about it over the next several months. Hopefully we will be doing some workshops on leadership (if we get chosen by the URJ to be in their pilot program) or at least talking about leadership. TE Board elections are coming up in June, and I would love to have some new faces involved in the joys of running their community.
This is where you come in. Please volunteer to work on a project, sit on a committee, be on the Board, or hold an Office. Let me or the Rabbi or Jodi or the Office or Lew Shaffer (head of the nominating committee) or any of the Committee Chairs know how you would like to be involved. I wish I could tap each of you on the shoulder and ask you personally, but I just can’t. Consider this your “tap on the shoulder.”
And so the time has come to say goodbye to the old house. For many of us this is a moment tinged with sadness. For over 40 years this house has been the center of Temple Emanuel’s universe – religious school classes, the office, committee meetings, book clubs, meals, parties, learning, and praying – it has been a witness to over 40 years of TE history…
But it was also an old house that had all the challenges of an aging structure that has been added to throughout the years – the wet basement, summer humidity, the ice damming, the furnace that would suddenly not work in the middle of the winter – the list of challenges was long, and every TE president has had a surprise or two prepared for his/her budget by the old house 🙂
Back in December we had a wonderful ceremony in front of the empty house. It was an opportunity for us to celebrate the amazing history that we have enjoyed together. It was an opportunity to thank the house for the wonderful service it offered our community over the years. It was an opportunity to look at for how far we have come in the last 45 years.
This house gave our community a chance to grow, a chance to develop its identity, its spirit, and its character. We made do with what we had. We made it ours, and we made it work. It is incredible to know that in a series of meetings inside this house we were able to conceive what our community would look like, what our Sanctuary would look like, what our school and library and offices would look like in the 21st century. The future is full of excitement. But as we celebrate the future, let us acknowledge and honor the past that has enabled us to get here. The house was an integral part of that past, and we shall forever be thankful for its many years of faithful service.
In the end, the house was once again a place for important learning and practice. Both the FBI and the local fire department found the house offered them an opportunity for invaluable training of their staff. We were honored to share the house with them. It was the most fitting way to end a career of the house of learning and the house of gathering. The physical structure of the house may be gone now, but the spirit of the house that has been the spirit of Temple Emanuel community lives on in all of us, in all those who have come through its doors over the decades, and it lives in the hallways of the One Campus of Temple Emanuel – and what a joy it is to know that.
Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven invites you to the Biennial Chinese Banquet/Auction at the Royal Palace
32 Orange Street, New Haven Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 6pm
(Snow date – Sunday, February 28, 2016 )
Enjoy an evening of delicious food, good company and a great auction!
Please RSVP online by February 14th – Thank you!
Instead of a single scholar in residence, the Jewish Education and Enlightenment Program will feature three stimulating speakers exploring the worlds of modern Israel; medieval Spain, Egypt and Palestine; and twentieth century Italy.
SIGN UP FOR SHABBAT DINNER AND/OR LUNCH ON SATURDAY HERE.
Friday night, March 11 begins with Shabbat dinner at 6:00 pm, followed by a Shabbat service with presentation by Olga Markus. “My Israel: A Land of Miracles, Inspiration and Complexity”.
Ms. Markus holds a M.A. in Russian Language and Literature, from Kiev State Pedagogical University, an advanced diploma in Jewish Education and an M.A. in Religious Education from the University of London,and currently works at the Council of Jewish Emigre Community Organizations (COJECO) the central hub for the Russian-speaking Jewish community of New York.
Saturday morning, March 12, 2016, a presentation by Liran Yadgar at 10:30, followed by a dairy luncheon at noon.
“The Jewish Game of Hearts” Judah HaLevi’s Voyage from Spain to the Holy Land
Liran Yadgar received his BA and MA from Tel Aviv University, and is a post graduate teaching fellow in the Judaic Studies Program at Yale University, and a Ph.D. Candidate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago. He will discuss, through a study of the poet’s letters and verse, the decision of the great poet and philosopher, Judah HaLevi to leave the Islamic west and emigrate to Palestine during the twelfth century. Following the route of Judah HaLevi’s travels in the Mediterranean will allow us to learn of Jewish life between the Islamic rule in Spain and Egypt and the Crusader holdings in Palestine.
Sunday morning, March 13, 2016, bagel brunch at 10:00, followed by Dr. Philip Balma’s presentation at 10:30.
Hiding in Plain Sight: Italian Jews in Mussolini’s Film Industry (and Beyond)
Dr. Balma received his MA and Ph.D. at Indiana University, Bloomington, and serves as Chair of Italian Studies and Associate Professor of Italian Literary and Cultural Studies, Co-chair of Film Studies and is an affiliated member of the Judaic Studies faculty at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. He is the author of Edith Bruck in the Mirror: Fictional Transitions and Cinematic Narratives (Purdue University Press, 2014), a study of the novelist and director considered to be the most important Jewish writer addressing the Holocaust in contemporary Italy. Dr. Balma will address the complex, troubled, and seldom studied history of Jewish artists in the Italian film industry, from the Fascist period and the Anti-Semitic Race Laws up to and including current day Italy.
Join us for what is always an enjoyable and educational weekend of learning, food and fellowship at TE
In December 2015, Temple Emanuel helped to form the Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (JCARR), a collaboration of four synagogues working together to co-sponsor refugee families arriving in our area. Welcoming refugees is intricately connected to our Jewish tradition, our heritage, and to our recent history of being refugees and wishing there had been more people reaching out to help us. JCARR co-sponsors refugees who come through IRIS, the Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services. Refugees may come from Iraq, Afghanistan, Congo, Eritrea, Sudan, even Syria. We will sponsor families from any country and any religion. TE member Jean Silk serves as the Coordinator of JCARR, which is supported by the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and the Jewish Community Relations Council.
Anna Zonderman and Peter Stolzman are the leaders of TE’s refugee resettlement team. Our team works with teams from Congregation Mishkan Israel, Congregation Beth-El-Keser Israel, and Congregation B’nai Jacob in task forces that deal with Housing, Transportation, Education and Cultural Orientation, Healthcare, Employment, Legal Services, Fund Raising and Finances.
For each refugee family we sponsor, we need to raise at least $ 5,000 to help subsidize rent and other necessities for half a year, after which families are expected to be independent. Volunteers start working before a new family arrives. They find affordable housing, furnish and supply the home, and collect clothing. JCARR volunteers meet the new families at the airport, offer them a warm welcome, and provide a culturally appropriate, meal upon their arrival. They help them enroll in English classes, register children for school, learn to use public transportation, navigate the American health care system, and find jobs. In some cases, sponsors obtain a donated car for refugees who know how to drive and are able to get a license. Our congregations help refugees adjust to day-to-day life in our culture by providing cultural orientation and organizing social events that help us get to know each other. As we work through challenges in cross-cultural communication, as we resolve problems that arise, as we share social experiences together, we come to understand and appreciate our differences and to recognize our commonalities, and long-lasting friendships are often the result!
Join Temple Emanuel for a special weekend filled with music and joy! We are delighted to welcome Jacob “Spike” Kraus as TE’s Musician in Residence this year – here’s the full schedule of events.
Friday, February 5th at 6:30 pm – Family Shabbat Service
Saturday, Feb 6th at 7pm – Havdalah and Concert, with participation from Temple Emanuel Band.
Sunday, Feb 7th, 11:30 am – mini concert with students of TE religious school.
All events are free and open to public! Spike’s first full-length studio album ‘Shake off the Dust’ will be available for sale at the concert.
About the artist
Jacob “Spike” Kraus is an up and coming singer/songwriter. He is currently touring his first full-length studio album, “Shake Off The Dust,” which dropped in April 2015. Twenty-four years old and currently based out of Astoria, NY, Jacob is in his third year as the Assistant Director of Youth Engagement at Temple Sinai of Roslyn, where he also serves as the Music Director. Jacob has been song leading for over a decade at synagogues, day schools, and summer camps. He was the Head Songleader at URJ Eisner Camp for several summers and currently serves as Head Songleader at the URJ Kutz Camp.
Jacob graduated from Muhlenberg College in the spring of 2013 with a degree in Music Performance. A member of the Jewish A Cappella group Six13, JSK believes in music’s power as a community-builder. He travels the country singing with communities and using Jewish music as a tool to educate and engage the next generation of Jews.
Find out more about Jacob and his music at www.jacobspikekraus.com.
One of my favorite jobs as President is to work with our Board and encourage conversations that help TE move forward. The Board’s responsibility is to oversee TE’s strategic and financial policy, develop funds for the organization, and advocate for the organization. I thought I would share many of the significant issues that have been discussed and the decisions that have been made by the Board over the last year. Please use this as a springboard to ask me or the Board questions.
It seems amazing that it was only December 2014 that the Board listened to the bids of many contractors and chose Pat Panza’s company to complete our building project. Over the year, the Board made numerous decisions picking an alarm company, an HVAC system, a solar company, a demolition company, as well as working on the other details of getting through a huge project. I am grateful for the extraordinary vision of Alan Kliger with fundraising, Dave Pokras for building design, Bruce Spiewak for project management, Len Farber for money management, Rise Siegel for interior design, and Anne Eisner for landscaping. Their leadership has helped us accomplish a really miraculous feat!
On the fiscal side, the Board approved a budget, hired a bookkeeper, changed banks (we are now at Webster), and resolved to pay our URJ dues that were in arrears. They also unanimously passed two important Finance Committee motions regarding our very successful Legacy Program. These are:
A Policy for Allocation of Leave a Legacy Gifts into Temple Emanuel Accounts:
Leave a Legacy donors shall be offered the option of having their unrestricted gifts deposited into the Temple Emanuel Investment Account at the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, the Temple Emanuel Capital Reserve Account, and/or the Temple Emanuel Operating Account in the percentages they designate, or, when there is no donor designation, the gift shall be deposited by “default allocation” 50 percent in the Investment Account and 50 percent in the Capital Reserve Account.
A Policy for Disbursing Funds from the Temple Emanuel Investment Account at the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven:
The Temple Emanuel Investment Account shall be allowed to grow until the value reaches $100,000 before any disbursement of funds is made. At that time, for each year that the value of fund on December 31 is $100,000 or greater, for every $100,000 in the fund, Temple Emanuel will disburse $2,500. The disbursement shall occur in July and be incorporated into the fiscal year budget as “investment income” when the budget is presented for approval by the congregation.
Both policies will remain in place until 2020, at which time the Board may renew the policies or change them.
Come celebrate our Legacy Donor program with dinner and Shabbat services on Friday, January 22. Our Legacy Donor Program has been the most successful program in the Greater New Haven area under the steady guidance of Ed Cantor, Phil Pivawer, Rise Siegel, and Jean Silk.
Finally, the Board has helped with or led many of our programs in Adult Education, fund and friend raising, and a renewed committed to Tikkun Olam projects. From the Blood Drive to the Chanukah basket program to support for our newly established TE Refugee Resettlement Team, the Board has moved us forward in our resolve to repair the world. We have many challenges to take up in the coming years: our engagement with Israel, our ability to attract teens and young families with innovative programs that matter, and our ability to be more inclusive to our transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. I am confident that the TE community and the TE Board are up to the challenge.
4:30-6:00- Purim at school: Get ready for Hamantaschen workshop! Then a crazy Purim spiel with audience participation! Followed by our Purim parade! Dazzle our judges with your costumes and win a prize in the following categories: MOST CREATIVE, MOST BIBLICAL, BEST CELEBRITY, CUTEST, SILLIEST and JUDGES’ CHOICE. ALL who wear a costume receive a small treat. Enjoy games and nosh on the Hamantaschen warm from the oven!
SATURDAY, MARCH 26TH 
Temple Emanuel’s MargaritaSpiel! Live music with the Reefers band!
Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven invites you to the Biennial Chinese Banquet/Auction at the Royal Palace
