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Beyond the Shtetl: A Thousand Years of Distinctive Jewish Life in Eastern Europe – TE Scholar in Residence weekend March 20-22.

Friday March 20, 2015

6:00 pm Shabbat dinner (Register here).

*Services 7:30 pm (please note the earlier time!)

Presentation during services     Building a Museum: The Saga of Polish JewryMuseum_of_the_History_of_Polish_Jews_in_Warsaw_011

While many Jews see Poland as a place of tragedy, it was also the center of Ashkenazi Jewish life for 800 years. The newly opened Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw tells a rich story of cultural vitality and resilience. Why is the Museum important and how will it change the way Poles and Jews see their own history and their relations with each other?

Saturday,   March 21, 2015

11:30 Dairy LuncheonRingelblum-archive

12:30   Presentation: Cultural resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto: the Ringelblum  Archive

During World War II Jews resisted not only with guns, but also with pen and paper. Even in the face of death they left “time capsules” full of documents that they buried under the rubble of ghettos and death camps. The Ringelblum archive in the Warsaw Ghetto consists of thousands of buried documents. But of the sixty people who worked on this national mission, only three survived. This will be their story.

 Sunday, March 22, 2015

10:00   Bagels and coffee

10:30   Presentation:  Vilna: the Jerusalem of LithuaniaVilnius synagogue

Vilna, the “Jerusalem of Lithuania” was a very special city. No other Jewish community in Eastern Europe inspired so many poems and stories. Vilna was the home of the great Vilna Gaon, but it also was the birthplace of the Jewish Socialist Bund, as well as the world capital of an imaginary country called “Yiddishland.” Religion and worldliness, Hebrew and Yiddish, tradition and modernity, all came together in this lovely, Jewish city.

 

About our Scholar in Residence

Dr. KassowDr. Samuel Kassow, Charles H. Northam Professor of History at Trinity College, holds a Ph.D. from Princeton University and has lectured and taught in Mexico, Lithuania, Russia, Poland and Israel. He has been a Visiting Professor at Princeton, Harvard, the University of Toronto and the Hebrew University. Since 2008 he has been serving as a consultant to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews which recently opened in Warsaw, Poland.
Professor Kassow is the author of several books including: The Distinctive Life of East European Jewry (2004), Who will Write our History: Emanuel Ringelblum and the Secret Ghetto Archive (2007), which received the Orbis Prize, was a finalist for a National Jewish Book Award and has been translated into seven languages. A child of Holocaust survivors, Professor Kassow was born in a Displaced Persons camp in Germany.

Loving-Kindness

BessingerChesed

“Do justice, love loving-kindness, walk humbly with God”, Micah 6:8

This month’s trait of “loving kindness” describes TE so well that it probably doesn’t need to be improved, but only commented upon. Jewish tradition elevates deeds of loving-kindness to the highest possible rank among the soul traits. While only some problems have solutions, all problems are alleviated by the loving responses of those around us. These recent weeks have shown an out-pouring of chesed from the TE community as we have participated together in many Shivas, fed the hungry at Abraham’s Tent, made scarves for kids in need, and supported each other during the recent flood in the Sanctuary building. Chesed goes beyond merely being nice. It involves acts that sustain one another. In the Jewish view, it isn’t enough to hold warm thoughts in our heart or to wish each other well. We are meant to offer real sustenance to one another. At TE we can do that in innumerable ways: money (have you pledged to One Campus yet?), time (can you help run the Second night sedar dinner?), empathy, service (can you participate in the “Kenyan Make a Kit” for girls on March 1), an open ear (do you want to be on next year’s Board of Directors?), manual assistance (could you provide a ride to Friday services for someone who needs it?), a letter written (can you do some volunteer work in the office?), a call made, or even give blood (have you signed up for the TE Blood Drive on March 12th). For any of these opportunities please get in touch with me or the event leader.

This month remember to seek an opportunity each day to:

  • Show a smile to at least five people that you pass by.
  • Lend an ear to someone that you know could use some company.
  • Make it a point to ask someone how his/her day is going — whether you know that person or not.

Preparatory work has begun!

imageWelcome to the Temple Emanuel OneCampus Blog! We will give timely updates on progress toward creating our new building addition, renovating our current sanctuary building, and creating our new TE home.
As you may know, last week a pipe burst in the attic above the building entryway. Drywall, ceilings, electric and water will need to be rebuilt. Progress in the first few days: our contractor has completed initial clean up of the hallway, closets and bathrooms. We are down to studs (see picture). Temporary walls and ceilings and electric will be completed this week to allow us to use the building. More permanent changes will be coordinated with the new construction.

Construction plans for the new addition are complete. The construction contract is signed and work is progressing. A large maple tree on the site of new construction has been removed, with select portions saved for future furniture and keepsake slices. Temple Emanuel is nostalgic – – and we want to keep contact with our past!
Next the septic and grease trap will be relocated/replaced. Pat Panza of Panza Enterprises is coordinating the new work with the restoration made necessary by the damage due to water/freeze. Foundation work to IMG_4027follow.

Financial Picture
OneCampus is projected to cost between $525,000 and $550,000. Our plan is to raise sufficient funds to pay for this, without needing to take a mortgage. Our efforts have been encouraging.
To date, synagogue members have contributed $257,400. In addition,  members have pledged another $178,000. Thus if all pledges come in, we have secured $435,400 to date from our community. In addition, the New Haven Jewish Foundation has pledged a matching grant of $75,000, bringing that total to $510,400!!
Thus, if all pledges are honored, we need to raise an additional $14,600 – $39,600. To come across our finish line, we are hoping that every synagogue family will participate, and contribute what you can. So many of our community have been so generous – really a wonderful showing, so we do hope everybody will catch the excitement.
One other important effort: Rise Siegel and Rita Brieger are leading a drive to support the new Rabbi’s Study construction, to honor our former loved and respected Rabbi, Jerry Brieger. We are trying to find and contact more than 500 former students of Rabbi Brieger – – to make a contribution to the Rabbi Gerald Brieger Study. An anonymous donor has offered a matching grant of $3,600 toward this effort. Please help us – – if you have contact information for your children, grandchildren, friends who studied with Rabbi Brieger – – both children and adults – -please pass this contact information to Rise or Rita. We plan a special ceremony to open the study, and a plaque acknowledging all who contribute.
So please: if you have not made a pledge for OneCampus, please send a check or pledge to the Temple Emanuel office. Please send contact information for Rabbi Brieger’s former students (adults and children) to Rise or Rita. And Catch the Excitement – – OneCampus takes us to our future!

digging for septic

drying the rooms

CANCELLED: Purim is coming – and so it the legendary TE adult Purim party! See you March 7th!

 Due to the recent flood damage in our building we regret to have to cancel this year’s party. Please come to the TE megillah reading on Wednesday, March 4 at 4:30 pm, and don’t forget to wear your costume for our family service on Friday!

     Temple Emanuel’s MargaritaSpiel! An adults-only Purim party – a laid-back Purim tribute to the music of Jimmy Buffett.
Wear your Hawaiian shirts (and costumes). Register today!

 

TEMPLE EMANUEL HOSTS BLOOD DRIVE THURSDAY MARCH 12 • 1 – 6PM


blood driveTemple Emanuel will host a Red Cross Blood Drive on Thursday, March 12th from 1-6pm.
Donors are needed!
“Be one of the millions who help save lives!”
Please save the date and contact Adam Spiewak to be placed on the contact list to schedule a slot.
Volunteers are needed:
1. To make calls to encourage/solicit donor signups and then to remind the donors of their appointments.
2. To develop an interest sheet of names of people who would likely be donors.
3. For two hour shifts on the day of the drive: setup and breakdown (extending the hours to 11:30am -7:30pm on THURSDAY, March 12th).
4. To bake goods or other food / refreshments for the canteen
THERE ARE MANY EASY WAYS TO BE INVOLVED!
Contact Nancy Weber or Adam Spiewak, or e-mail TikkunOlam@TempleEmanuel-gnh.org for more information or to volunteer.

Walking in someone else’s shoes…

DSC_8607Last week together with a team of TE volunteers I participated in a poverty simulation organized by United Way and Jewish Federation as part of the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Lifeline campaign. I was assigned a role of a nine-year old boy, Roland, who lives with his father (who has a full time job and a paid off car), his 20-year old sister (who is in college and works part time) and her one-year old baby. We were given the details of the family income and expenses, as well as food stamps info and a little background. Having quickly added up the money, it was obvious that we were a little short but things looked pretty stable! And then the simulation began. Four weeks were squeezed into four 15 minute periods, and things began to unravel rather quickly. DSC_8453As our ‘family’ of three (plus a baby) – in reality, three grownups (plus a cute doll) trying to analyze the situation and act accordingly – desperately tried to keep afloat, we failed miserably. It wasn’t just money – it was life itself! I was ‘taken’ to a juvenile detention center, my ‘nephew’ was taken by CPS and we were almost evicted from our home. Oh, and we never managed to get any food.

I watched people of all ages in that room, picking up the pace as they went along, overwhelmed and bewildered as the evening progressed. And while I know that some of what happened to my ‘family’ that night was done to demonstrate the point, it was also shockingly clear that it was not so far-fetched at all! As we left that night, all of us knew that we had to renew our efforts – as individuals, as religious communities and as a society at large. The next simulation is scheduled on Feb. 22 at Mishkan Israel – I highly recommend you find time to participate, even if you feel you know all about the struggles and the challenges.

The third week of February this year is Temple Emanuel’s week at Abraham’s Tent, the remarkable program of collaboration between the faith communities all around New Haven and Columbus House, providing shelter, food and human interaction for 12 homeless men throughout the winter months. We cook, and we share the meal with the men. We listen to their stories, and we share ours. Every year I am humbled and inspired to do more. This year we are looking for additional volunteers (male) to spend the night as chaperones – so if you can stay up for one night, please get in touch with Ronda Stiekman. Remember, no matter what you do to make this world a little better, you will ALWAYS receive a lot more than you are able to give.

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Strength—Gevurah

IMG_9867-001“Hazak Hazak V’nit Hazek”

“Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened”

This is the phrase we say when we reach the end of each book in the Torah. It is also this month’s Mussar trait. What is strength? Some definitions include: endurance, resistance, capacity for exertion, power, force, might, vigor, potency, energy or fire power.

At this moment, the strength that concerns me is not the power to move mountains, but the strength one needs to overcome our greatest challenges. In Mussar thought, this would be an inward look at the self. But what does this mean for a congregation?  I believe this is the strength to overcome obstacles, to develop an awareness of what needs to be done and then to change things as a result of that understanding. We are in the midst of great change at TE. Adding new families and a new addition to the sanctuary building is a huge and exciting amount of change to take in. It means there will be times when everything doesn’t go as smoothly as it should or that things have to be adapted to the situation at hand. It means keeping track of all the details. It means that not everyone will agree on the details of where we go next.    I am confident that we have the strength to get through these changes if we do it as a community – together.

A form of the word gevurah – gibor – means “hero” in Hebrew. This next year at Temple Emanuel is going to challenge us all to be heroes who turn our obstacles into strengths. I will be looking for TE’s heroes to help me meet these challenges.

With apologies to Dwight D. Eisenhower:  “The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a congregation more than its wealth.”

Family Shabbat Dinner at TE – Friday, February 13 at 6 pm.

SHABBAT reception BEGINS AT 6:00PM, dinner will be served at 6:30 pm followed by Shabbat Service at 8. (Please note that there will be a Tot Shabbat Service for our youngest members and their families at 5:30, allowing all generations of TE families to have Shabbat dinner together!)

Please fill out the form below by February 9th.
No family will pay more than $45 to attend. Children 5 and under are free.