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The Connection

July 2019/Tammuz 5779

This is an abbreviated issue of The Connection.

Full-length issues of The Connection will resume in August.

Inside this issue: President’s Message, 2

Welcome Message from Rabbi Katz, 3

Contacting Rabbi Katz, 4

Registration for the Har Sinai-Oheb Shalom Joint Religious School, 4

Welcome Kim Brandwin, 4

July Birthdays and Anniversaries, 4

Joint Task Force July Update, 5-7

June Offerings, 8

July Permanent Memorials, 9-10

July-August Shabbat Service Schedule, 11

Contact Us: Har Sinai Congregation

2905 Walnut Avenue

Owings Mills, MD 21117

Phone: 410 654-9393

Web: harsinai-md.org

Email:

Valerie Thaler, Temple Administrator

vthaler@harsinai-md.org

Office Hours:

Mon, Tues, Thurs.: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Wed: Closed; Fri.: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Dear Congregants,

Please help me to welcome Rabbi David Katz,

who joined us as of July 1. Remember to

attend Erev Shabbat services on July 5 and

July 12 at 6:15 p.m. at Har Sinai. Plan to come

early on July 5 for a special Oneg sponsored

by HSC Brotherhood and Women of Har Sinai

Congregation in honor of Rabbi Katz’s first

Shabbat at Har Sinai.

The Joint Task Force continues to move ahead

on planning the merger with Temple Oheb

Shalom. This included a joint meeting of the

Boards of both temples with Amy Asin, URJ

Executive Vice President, Strengthening

Congregations. Amy provided guidance on

how we should start the visioning process for

the future of our new congregation. We will

be moving the date for the vote on the

merger from September 22 to September 8.

Please look for a notice for a special meeting

for this purpose. At that meeting you will also

be asked to approve the Interim Board for the

new congregation.

The Educators from both congregations, Nina

Pachino and Aviva Janus, along with newly

appointed education committee members,

continue to meet regularly. They have

developed an exciting schedule of planned

events for the students. All families with

children in the JEM program should have

already received registration materials and a

listing of the upcoming events.

The link for registration is also provided on

page 4 of this issue. If you have not been

receiving updates via email, please contact

Nina as soon as possible at

npachino@harsinai-md.org.

Soon you will be hearing about the formation

of additional working groups to start

addressing the many elements required to

merge our two historic congregations. We

will need the support of all congregants to

assist with these working groups. These will

include Visioning, Naming, Rabbi Search,

Community Home, By-laws, along with

several others.

We kicked off the joint summer services last

week with Rabbi Disick and Cantor Gerber,

which was a delightful experience for all

present. We will resume the joint services on

the weekends of July 19, July 26 and August 2

at Temple Oheb Shalom. On those dates,

Torah Study will be held from 8:45-9:45 a.m.

followed by services at 10:00 a.m. We will

then return to Har Sinai for the remainder of

the joint summer services that will run

through the end of August. The full schedule

is on page 11 of this issue.

You will shortly be receiving your annual

membership dues notice along with

information about the High Holy Days. We

look forward to your continued membership

during these historic and exciting times for

Har Sinai Congregation. As always, I so

greatly appreciate the support that I have

received from all of you.

Best regards,

Kenneth Bell, President

Har Sinai Congregation

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MESSAGE FROM RABBI KATZ

I am pleased to serve as your Interim Rabbi

this coming year. Though my wife Nancy and

I have never lived in Maryland, we are

familiar with the area as both our sisters lived

in Baltimore at one time. My sister lived in

Pikesville; Nancy’s sister actually lived in

Owings Mills.

You may wonder what an Interim Rabbi does.

An Interim Rabbi serves as the Rabbi of the

congregation in every respect: leading

services, performing life cycle events,

teaching, counseling, and working in

partnership with lay leaders to forward the

life of the synagogue. But an Interim Rabbi

does more. He or she has special training as a

transition specialist, and so there is the extra

task of setting the stage for a successful

relationship with the long-term rabbi who will

follow. In the case of Har Sinai, there will be

this goal: the successful merging with Temple

Oheb Shalom.

To facilitate making the future transition

successful, Interim Rabbis undergo special

training in Temple organization and dynamics.

Often, they are enlisted by a congregation

that has been served by one rabbi for many

years so that the congregation can take a

breath and re-envision its future. Or, an

Interim Rabbi might come to a congregation

that has suffered from negative politics. The

specialized coursework in Temple

organization, conflict resolution, political

analysis (power, personalities, cultural

history, money, factions, etc.) makes Interim

Rabbis experts in moving a congregation from

a state of tension to a state of enthusiasm

and hope for the future.

Har Sinai will be the 7th congregation I have

served as an Interim Rabbi. The tenure of an

Interim Rabbi is typically one year (and

sometimes two, if the Rabbi and lay

leadership think a longer period will be

useful). I served Congregation Beth Emek in

Pleasanton, CA for two years; for one year

north of Pittsburgh; one year in Armonk, NY;

two years in Johns Creek, GA (outside of

Atlanta); one year in Stony Brook, NY and one

year in Morristown, NJ. An Interim Rabbi is

not a candidate for the long-term position.

And yes, it is a bit crazy to move around the

country so much. Finding a new position and

then physically packing, traveling and

unpacking is stressful. What makes it worth it

all is meeting new people, new challenges,

being of help, and seeing the fruits of one’s

labor. It may be sad to leave a congregation

after joining in prayer and study and good

deeds for a year, but there is great joy

arriving somewhere new.

The new place I’ve arrived is Owings Mills and

it is lovely. The Temple is filled with light;

everyone I’ve met has been helpful and

encouraging. I expect the year will be filled

with challenges both great and small, and

that in the end we will have grown close and

our new community will thrive.

Let us look forward to the future as we travel

this path together.

L’shalom,

Rabbi David Katz

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CONTACTING RABBI KATZ

If you would like to reach Rabbi Katz and

have a pastoral emergency, please use his

cell phone, 443-681-9869. For routine

matters, please email him directly at

rabbikatz@harsinai-md.org, or leave a

message on voicemail, 410 654-9393, ext.

1002. To make an appointment with Rabbi

Katz, please call the office during office

hours (listed on the cover page of this

issue).

REGISTRATION FOR HAR SINAI-

OHEB SHALOM JOINT

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Our congregations are coming together this

fall for a new joint religious school, led by

co-directors Nina Pachino and Aviva Janus.

Registration is now open for the Har Sinai-

Oheb Shalom Joint Religious School!

To register, please visit

reformjewishbaltimore.org and fill

out the online form.

WELCOME KIM BRANDWIN

We are delighted to welcome part-time

Administrative Assistant Kim Brandwin to

Har Sinai Congregation. With her

background in event planning and

marketing, Kim will help us keep the office

running smoothly. She is also a lovely, warm

person who is a terrific new member of our

team. We thank Women of Har Sinai

Congregation for funding Kim’s position.

JULY MILESTONE BIRTHDAYS

AND ANNIVERSARIES

July 2 – Andrew Fried

July 7 – Joel & Karen Oppenheimer

July 16 Marc Goodman

July 20 – Robert Brookland

July 27 –Geri Savage

July 29 – Judy Morrison

.

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JOINT TASK FORCE JULY UPDATE

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7

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CONTRIBUTIONS – June 2019

ARZA FUND

In Memory Of Irene Kahn

Judy and Howard Kahn

Pauline Unger

Marilyn and David Carp

Judy and Howard Kahn

CANTOR’S DISCRETIONARY FUND

In Honor Of Babette Rosenberg’s Special Birthday

Dr. Michael Levin

BEVERLY D. DOPKIN FLORAL FUND

Yahrzeit Louis Dopkin

Albert and Roslyn Katz

GENERAL FUND

In Honor Of Cantor Gerber as Brotherhood Man of the Year

Joanne Goldsmith

Josie Koenig’s Bat Mitzvah

Joanne Goldsmith Maddie Koenig’s Confirmation

Joanne Goldsmith

Janet Schutzman’s Special Birthday

Sonia Obstler

Sabrina Thaler’s Bat Mitzvah

Phyllis and Henry Louis

Esta and Matt Rogosin

In Memory Of Cyvia Bardenstein

Sara Lee Jacobson

Leslie Gold

The Rogosin Family

Irene Kahn

Janice Babitt

Sam Dansicker

Joanne Goldsmith

Martin and Miriam Lavender

Yahrzeit Irene Fleischman

Martin and Miriam Lavender

Lawrence Hecht

Elizabeth Hecht Goodman

Ben Kaplan

Marcia Blacker

Joseph Mittelman

Jay and Andrea Perman

Lillian E. Shusterman

Sara Lee Jacobson

Hyman Walman

Bill and Sue Walman

Jack Wiseman

Carol and David Buchoff

HIGH HOLY DAY MUSIC FUND Elizabeth Hecht Goodman

LEGACY & ENDOWMENT FUND

In Memory Of Irene Kahn

Alan and Bobbie Orman

Pauline Unger

Alan and Bobbie Orman

Recovery Lois Elkin

Alan and Bobbie Orman

Yahrzeit Carolyn Schlenger

Harold Schlenger

ONEG SHABBAT FUND

In Memory Of Pauline Unger

Sherri and Ken Bell

PINTZUK SWERNOFF PRAYERBOOK FUND In Memory Of

Sylvia Moskovitz

David and Carol Buchoff

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PERMANENT MEMORIALS JULY 1-6

Anna E. Bank

Sara Blaustein

Abram Brill

Harry Lee Brill

Bessie W. Chessler

Robert S. Einstein

Lena Eisenberg

Paul A. Friedberg

Tamar B. Grabenstein

Charles Hollander

Margaret N. Hummel

Mildred Koplowitz

Aaron Maass

Arthur L. Maass

Addie F. Mayer

Jacob Moses

Henry Oppenheimer

Sarah F. Schapiro

Isaac Sinsky

Florence R. Straus

Max J. Summerfield

Kate Terrell

Morris Tumbler

David Wendell

JULY 7-13

I. Jesse Bekman

Pauline A. Blumenfeld

Isadore L. Caplan

Sidney Checket

Marion Cohen

Wilbur H. Dannenberg

Ruth Furman

Pauline H. Gordon

Leroy T. Gottlieb

Stanley I. Greenebaum

Bobbe Lipsitz

Betsy J. Littman

Mollie Mask

David H. Mermelstein

Reuben Oppenheimer

Harry Schwartz

Lawrence Richard Seidman

Miriam Sollod

Sean Sweeney

Gladys Wagner

Louis Michael Weissberg

JULY 14-20

Annette Allerhand

Nathan Blaik

Alexander Brash

Theodore Cassell

William Deiches, Jr.

Louis Dopkin

Mignon Folb

Charles Carroll Fox

Nancy Frenkil

William A. Goodhart

Rae S. Gottlieb

Marie R. Hammerman

Allen Kahn

Myles Katz

Sylvia M. Kohn

Irving Lionel Lehman

Joseph Mayer Lesnick

Edward Levy

Minna Lobe

Deane G. Newmeyer

Ellen Rizika

G. Bernard Rosenberg

Harry Shapiro

Louis Shear

Hannah Stofberg

Betty A. Strauss

Leo Wetzler

Jeanette O. Wolf

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JULY 21-27

Howard M. Bank Clara O. Bekman Helene Bell Jules Chodak Howard Dekan Bessie S. Diener Kate Rubinson Elkin Mina Fleischer Bernard Gamse Ida E. Hoffberger Simon Hornstein Lena Kroser

Mina N. Liss

Lewis Myers

Harry Oscheroff

Lewis I. Putzel

Carolyn Schlenger

Richard Stern

Gilda M. Togman

July 28-31

Harry Affedler

Jane H. Early

Jacob Einstein

Bernard L. Glazer

Freda “Fritzi” Hechter

Isadore I. Marcovitz

Alvin H. Hey

Isabel M. Robinson

Sidney Sommerfeld

Jonas Weil

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Shabbat and Holiday

Services, July-August 2019

Red: Joint Services meeting at Temple

Oheb Shalom, 7310 Park Heights Ave.,

Baltimore

July 5 6:15 p.m. Service

Welcome Interim Rabbi Katz

Oneg sponsored by WoHSC

and HSC Brotherhood

July 6 9:00 a.m. Torah Study

10:30 a.m. Service

Parashat Korach Torah: Numbers 16:1-18:32

Haftarah: I Samuel 11:14-12:22

July 12 6:15 p.m. Service

July 13 9:00 a.m. Torah Study

10:30 a.m. Service

Parashat Chukat Torah: Numbers 19:1-22:1;

Haftarah: Judges 11:1-33

July 19 6:15 p.m. Service (TOS)

July 20 8:45 a.m. Torah Study (TOS)

10:00 a.m. Service (TOS)

Parashat Balak Torah: Numbers 22:2-25:9

Haftarah: Micah 5:6-6:8

July 26 6:15 p.m. Service (TOS)

July 27 8:45 a.m. Torah Study (TOS)

10:00 a.m. Service (TOS)

Parashat Pinchas Torah: Numbers 25:10-30:1

Haftarah: I Kings 18:46-19:21

August 2 6:15 p.m. Service (TOS)

August 3 8:45 a.m. Torah Study (TOS)

10:00 a.m. Service

Parashat Matot/Mas’ei Torah: Numbers 3-:2-36:13

Haftarah: Jeremiah 2:4-28

August 9 6:15 p.m. Service

August 10 9:00 a.m. Torah Study

10:30 a.m. Service

Parashat D’varim Torah: Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22

Haftarah: Isaiah 1:1-1:27

August 16 6:15 pm. Service

August 17 9:00 a.m. Torah Study

10:30 a.m. Service

Parashat Va-et’chanan Torah: Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26

August 23 6:15 p.m. Service

August 24 9:00 a.m. Torah Study

10:30 a.m. Service

Parashat Eikev Torah: Deut. 7:12-11:25

Haftarah: Isaiah 49:14-51:3

August 30 6:15 p.m. Service

August 31 9:00 a.m. Torah Study

10:30 a.. Service

Parashat R’eih Torah: Deut. 11:26-16:17

Haftarah: Isaiah 54:11-55:5