The Annual Meeting Notice has been mailed to all TE members. We look forward to seeing you all at the Annual Meeting on Sunday, June 5 – Coffee and bagels at 9:30 am, meeting starts at 10:00 am in the Social Hall. Come and vote for TE Officers and Directors and the TE budget, hear reports on TE happenings, and voice your ideas. Absentee ballots will be provided by the TE Office upon request.
Category: Featured
STATELESS at Temple Emanuel
Please join us on Sunday, May 22nd at 2pm for a very special screening of “Stateless.”
This screening will be followed by Q&A session with director, Michael Drob, as well as members of TE who have lived through the experiences depicted in this documentary.
The event is free and open to the public, but we ask that you register ahead of time – thank you!
About the film:
In the late 1980’s, on the brink of the collapse of the Soviet Union, tens of thousands of Soviet Jews were finally allowed to leave the USSR. What these people did not expect was that their final destination, America, no longer welcomed them with open arms. In 1988, American policy suddenly changed and thousands of Soviet Jews were stranded in Italy.
Stateless.
This documentary captures that unique slice of history from the point of view of the émigrés as well as expert accounts of the situation from influential Jewish leaders including David Harris of the AJC, Mark Handelman of NYANA and Mark Hetfield of HIAS among others.
This project was originally created as part of COJECO BluePrint Fellowship generously funded by the UJA-Federation of New York and Genesis Philanthropy Group
Temple Emanuel is grateful to the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven for their support of this program.
See the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/
Construction-Demolition-Reconstruction
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.”
Goodbye, old house….
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. 
Goodbye old house. And thank you!
"MIXING RELIGION AND POLITICS: When Should Religious Leaders Speak out about Political Issues?” April 17th at 4pm
The Orange Clergy Association welcomes you to the 2016 Scholar in Residence program to take place at Orange Congregational Church on April 17th.A reception will begin at 4:00 pm, with the program beginning at 4:30 pm.
Our discussion this year will be:
“MIXING RELIGION AND POLITICS: When Should Religious Leaders Speak out about Political Issues?”
Are religious organizations best “seen but not heard” in the public sphere?
Is there a place for a religious voice in a presidential election?
Come, hear & discuss our religious leaders’ perceptions concerning religion’s role in the public sphere.
Biennial Chinese Banquet/Auction February 21, 2016 at 6pm!
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!
A Weekend of Jewish Learning MARCH 11-13, 2016 “Mediterranean Mosaic: Three Vignettes of Jewish Life and Culture”
Something new is coming this March…
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
TEMPLE EMANUEL PARTICIPATES IN REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT
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!
Musician in Residence Weekend at Temple Emanuel – February 5-7, 2016
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.
Refugees welcome
In the recent weeks there has been much talk about refugees coming into this country. There has been no shortage of opinions offered, including some pretty offensive statements from politicians running for the highest office in the land. Some very real fears were expressed by the American public in light of the Paris terror attacks, fears that need to be addressed and taken seriously. And while no one can guarantee an absolute protection from terror, foreign or domestic, we as a society need to continue to be vigilant and committed to the safety of our country and our streets, supporting our security forces and our military in the difficult work that they do every day to keep us safe.
The United States prides itself on being a country that has welcomed refugees, seeking safety and peace, and has helped them become fully accepted Americans. Every year thousands of families arrive in this country, some in more distress than others, often having waited for months, sometimes years, for all the appropriate clearances. They arrive into the country legally and have some (limited) financial and other support from the U.S. Some need medical treatment; some suffer psychological trauma, especially those who escaped war-torn places. They have children that need to go to school; they need to learn English and find jobs, all the while adjusting to a brand new reality – wonderful, yet foreign.
Here we have a chance to do something truly special: open our hearts and welcome the stranger, in the best spirit of Judaism and Jewish hospitality. We have a chance to become the human faces at the end of the very long road – and in the beginning of an even longer journey of a new life. As I write these words, I am honored to know that a great number of local synagogues have organized to help IRIS settle the newly arriving refugees – some have partnered up with local churches, and some (including TE) are coming together with other synagogues and the Jewish Federation as part of Jewish Community Alliance for Refugee Resettlement (J-CARR), combining our efforts for a chance of greater impact, with our very own Jean Silk acting as coordinator of this community-wide effort.
In the next few weeks and months, as we get ready for the arrival of the families we will help re-settle, we will learn more about them and their needs. All we know for now is that they will be arriving shortly. Take a look around your home – perhaps there’s furniture and appliances that you may no longer need, but will help us turn a rented apartment into a loving home for the new refugees. Perhaps you can support the effort by offering a financial donation. Most importantly, please let Pete Stolzman and Anna Zonderman know if you are able to dedicate time to help in person – driving to appointments, helping to register for school, offering medical and other help and advice, among many other things.
Let us remember that we have an opportunity of a lifetime to do something for others. While we never expect anything in return, I guarantee you that this experience will transform OUR lives in most powerful way.