Rabbi Michael Farbman – Page 37 – Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven

Rabbi Professor Marc Saperstein – Scholar in Residence at TE, May 10-11, 2013

We are delighted to welcome Rabbi Marc Saperstein, a world-renowned scholar as Temple Emanuel’s Scholar in Residence on May 10-11, 2013.

On Friday, May 10 at Kabbalat Shabbat Service (8pm) Rabbi Saperstein will give us an overview on “Jews and Muslims: Contacts Through the Ages”

On Saturday, May 11 at 10:30 am Rabbi Saperstein will continue with “How Golden Was ‘The Golden Age’ in Spain”.

Professor Marc Saperstein is the Horace W. Goldsmith Visiting Professor at Yale University. Previously, he was Professor of Jewish History and Homiletics at Leo Baeck College in London, following a five-year period as Principal of the College.

Prior to his time in England, Marc Saperstein held prestigious positions at three American Universities: as Charles E. Smith Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Program in Judaic Studies at the George Washington University in Washington DC (1997–2006), Gloria M. Goldstein Professor of Jewish History and Thought at Washington University in St. Louis (1986–1997), and Lecturer, Assistant and Associate Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard Divinity School (1977–1986). He was also Vice President of the American Academy for Jewish Research.

Author of five books (most recently, Jewish Preaching in Times of War: 1800–2001) and more than 50 articles on various aspects of Jewish history literature, and thought, he is widely recognized as perhaps the pre-eminent authority on the history of Jewish preaching.

Tot Shabbat at Temple Emanuel, Saturday June 22 at 9:30 am.

Following a terrific Tots Shabbat service we had in May we invite everyone on June 22 at 9:30 am come celebrate Shabbat with Rabbi Michael in a beautiful

TE sanctuary with songs and stories! Get to know other TE families with little children – and invite your non-TE friends!

Perfect for children under 5 and families. Members and non-members welcome! Spread the word!

Thank you for supporting Temple Emanuel!

Dear TE supporter,

Thank you very much for your generosity. Your donation is greatly appreciated! The money you donated today will go into the fund you specified – or into TE general fund if no specific instructions were included. If you would like to learn more about the Temple Emanuel funds and how you can help, please contact TE office at 203 397 3000 or email office@templeemanuel-gnh.org

Ein li Eretz Acheret… Israel @ 65

Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day, marks the establishment of the modern state of Israel in 1948. It is observed on or near the 5th of Iyar in the Hebrew calendar, which usually falls in April. This year on April 15/16^th we shall be marking the 65^th anniversary of the creation of the modern State of Israel. A miracle. A promise. A challenge and a joy. A country that has captured the imagination of people all over the world with its amazing narrative of rebirth. A country that is deeply rooted in the past, boasting three millennia of rich history – but also the country that is very much at the cutting edge of modernity in technology, in art, in business and in medicine… A country where East truly meets West, where tradition meets modernity; a country full of contradictions that contribute to its richness and uniqueness. A Jewish homeland that is also home to the largest Jewish community in the world once again, after nearly two thousand years of expulsion…

A number of events in and around New Haven will be celebrating this wonderful milestone. I especially recommend seeing Israeli singer Noa (Achinoam Nini) who will be performing in New Haven on April 24^th, a rare treat outside of Israel. Temple Emanuel trip to Israel this summer will be our way of connecting to the land of Israel in this historic year, and I am very excited to be leading this tour! (If you are considering joining us, please do not delay – go to the TE website and register!)

Israel is not just a wonderful tourist destination – it is also a living, vibrant modern country. A democratic state, it has a multi-party political system that requires most of Israeli prime-ministers to build a coalition with other parties in order to govern. NOT an easy task J! As a result, despite multiple changes of governments and prime-ministers over the years, there are certain aspects of Israeli society that are consistently governed by ultra-religious political parties. This has presented multiple challenges over the years, to Israel as a country, to secular Israelis and indeed to non-orthodox religious movements, who have struggled without recognition and support of the state. Some of that is about to change. Many of you have followed the recent Israeli election which had two new parties, ‘Yesh Atid’ (there’s future) of Yair Lapid and ‘HaBayit haYehudi’ (the Jewish homeland) of Naftali Bennett win enough seats in the Knesset to be able to form a coalition government with the majority party led by Benjamin Netanyahu. This new coalition, for the first time in recent history, will not have any ultra-orthodox parties included, paving the way for some of the much-needed debate about the new civil society in Israel. As with any other political reality, the balance is fragile – but it is also an extremely interesting development for Israel, the one we all will be watching very closely.

It is hard to understand all of the nuances that take place thousands of miles away. We rely on journalists and media outlets, as well as on friends and family members, to keep us informed. This April we have a wonderful opportunity to learn a little more about the processes taking place in Israel today from Rabbi Meir Azari from Beit Daniel (flagship Reform synagogue in Tel Aviv) who will be coming to Temple Emanuel on Sunday, April 7 at 10:15 am. Rabbi Azari is a former teacher and a very dear friend and I am extremely excited to welcome him to Temple Emanuel for his talk “New Horizons: new civil society emerging in Israel”. I hope to see many of you there!

In the meantime, I wish ‘Yom huledet sameach’, a happy 65^th birthday to my beloved Israel and I look forward to sharing this joy with all of you over the coming month!

Rabbi Farbman.

President’s Column (This one may be long, but it demonstrates stability!) April, 2013 By Bruce Spiewak, Temple Emanuel President

As predicted last month, the TE Erev Purim and Adult Purim Party and the Purim for Kids of All Ages at the end of February were well attended events with lots of enjoyable performances and participation by TE members and friends. Thanks to all who helped organize, arrange and produce these activities. It was a humongous effort, and we are blessed with many talented members!

Our Family Shabbat Service in the beginning of March was heartwarming as we witnessed Rabbi Michael gathering the children around him on the floor while he read a story to them. For those of us who are grandparents, even if our own grandchildren were not in attendance, this Family Service enhanced the community family spirit that permeates TE. I urge you to bring your family, regardless of their ages, to share a Family Service in particular. They start at 6:30 usually the first Shabbat of each month, to encourage family participation.

On March 5, I participated in the Jewish Federation hosted Presidents’ Meeting for area synagogues, as noted in last month’s Shofar. We discussed such topics as Purchasing power for office supplies, custodial needs, landscaping / snowplowing, fuel purchase and health care benefits. Also we have a common interest in encouraging synagogue membership for unaffiliated families. The demographic information collected by the Federation is particularly relevant to some of the items discussed. There are synergies for physical facilities, administrative support, religious schools and youth groups. As a result of our meeting, Sydney Perry, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation will be organizing and facilitating some of the ideas and activities discussed and will be distributing contact information for the participants. Hopefully this is the beginning of a continuing effort to communicate, cooperate and creatively address common concerns. Sydney and Don Hendel, President of the Board of Directors of the Federation, have been invited to our TE Board meeting on March 21, to continue the dialogue.

TE hosted the Orange Interfaith Scholar in Residence program on March 10, which was well attended by the community and our Orange Clergy presented a “panel discussion” on the topic of Multiple Perspectives on Holiness. I was impressed by how much we all have in common! There was a potluck dinner before the presentation and everyone seemed to be impressed and enthusiastic.

Our Dues Task Force is continuing to formulate the proposal for reorganizing the way we structure our congregation membership obligations in a way that will simplify and clarify the system while at the same time enhancing the financial sustainability of our future. You will be getting more information shortly, if you have not already received it by the time you read this!

March will have ended with a great TE Second Night Seder for those who were around, and a new TE Bakes 4 You effort, to provide homemade Kosher for Passover desserts and challah.

Don’t forget to go to our website www.templeemanuel-gnh.org and see how it has been improved, with online registration and payment among other things. “Try it, you’ll like it.”

Traditional TE events and some new events and ideas have all benefited from our member volunteers as well as our Rabbinical and staff support. Your participation in both attending and in helping organize is a vital component to the successes. Keep up the great work, and think about what ideas and events best match your skills, knowledge, availability and interests. Shout “hineini!” Contact me directly at president@templeemanuel-gnh.org or contact any Board Member – perhaps your “Board Buddy!”

New Horizons: new civil society in Israel, with guest speaker Rabbi Meir Azari

On Sunday, April 7 at 10:15 am Rabbi Meir Azari from Congregation Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv will share his insights into the new civil society emerging in Israel. Rabbi Azari’s Beit Daniel is a flagship Reform synagogue in Israel and we are extremely fortunate to be able to welcome him to New Haven. Please share this info with family and friends, especially those interested in Israel and the balance between tradition and modernity in the Israeli society.

For more information about Beit Daniel, please visit the congregation’s website http://www.beit-daniel.org.il/

"Multiple Perspectives on Holiness” at Temple Emanuel

On Sunday, March 10, members of the Orange Clergy Association presented a panel discussion entitled “Multiple Perspectives on Holiness, ” hosted by Temple Emanuel of Greater New Haven.

Participating clergy included Rev. Suzanne Wagner and Rev. Lee Ireland of the Orange Congregational Church; Rev. Ann Ritonia of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus of Congregation Or Shalom, Father Gene Charman of Holy Infant Church, Rev. Peter Orfanakos of St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Pastor Timothy Boerger of Zion Lutheran Evangelical Church, and Rabbi Michael Farbman of Temple Emanuel.

Each participant presented his or her faith tradition’s concept of holiness to the audience of about 100 congregants from many of the houses of worship in Orange. By the end of the evening it was clear that our similarities outweigh our differences.

The potluck dinner that preceded the discussion was organized by Beth Lambert from the Orange Congregational Church, Sandy Bremer from the Church of the Good Shepherd, Debbie Farber from Congregation Or Shalom, Nancy Becque and Pat McCorkle from Holy Infant Church, and Barb Berkowitz and Barbara Goldhamer from Temple Emanuel.

President’s Column (This one’s fortified!) March, 2013 By Bruce Spiewak, Temple Emanuel President

February was a month fraught with fabulous functions and events that filled the foundations of Temple Emanuel with fun-filled fortifications! (Say that quickly three times.)

On February 4, I attended a Presidents’ Dinner in Fairfield CT, organized by Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell of the URJ. It was a networking meeting to get to know, face to face, other Reform Synagogue Presidents (and other officers) in the area. Including Rabbi Elwell, there were ten of us, representing Congregation B’Nai Israel (Bridgeport), Congregation Mishkan Israel (Hamden), Temple Shalom (Norwalk), and of course, Temple Emanuel. We have gotten each others’ contact information for follow up discussions, and will have another group dinner in April. This is an example of how we at TE are using the resources of the URJ to help us collect information about how to improve our synagogue.

On another front, as a direct result of our meeting in January with the New Haven Jewish Federation Leadership, as of February, TE will be participating in a Federation Synagogue Presidents’ meeting on March 5, to further pursue the concept of the Federation acting as a facilitator for a dialogue about resource sharing and symbiotic relationship building among congregations. Hopefully this will result in a strengthening of individual synagogues as well as the greater synagogue community.

Our Dues Task Force is formulating a proposal for reorganizing the way we structure our congregation membership obligations in a way that will simplify and clarify the system while at the same time enhancing the financial sustainability of our future. Hopefully the presentation of this proposal will also allow you to understand the basis for the decision to induce positive change.

Unfortunately, some of our February events had to be rearranged due to the blizzard which hit Connecticut the weekend of February 8-10. Our Shabbat Friday evening service and Saturday Torah Study had to be cancelled, as was Sunday School. The Divrei Laila program scheduled for Saturday evening was postponed. The inability to leave our homes due to the heavy snowfall and difficulty of clearing the roads gave us all a clarified perspective on some of the things we normally take for granted, as well as a respect for priorities. Luckily there was very little loss of power. The cooperative spirit that I became aware of in the greater community reminded me of the same spirit that we enjoy at TE even when there is no emergency situation. As one example, many neighbors reached out to others to either provide assistance or ask for assistance during and after the blizzard.

The Purim celebration, including the adult Purim Party and Purim Spiel, as well as the Purim for Kids of all Ages event planned for the end of February will happen after the writing of this column, and I anticipate that they will be great fun for all who participate and attend. As you read this column, think back on the events and relate them to the spirit of cooperation displayed during the blizzard! TempleEmanuel does not need a blizzard to develop a strong sense of community and caring – that’s part of our existence. Join the party! Shout “hineini!”