ut bulletin may 2013

7/30/2019 UT Bulletin May 2013

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The BulletinUnion Temple of Brooklyn

Affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism MAY, 2013 IYARSIVAN 5773 Vol. 164, No 9

SHABBAT SERVICES FOR MAY

SHABBAT B'HAR/B'CHUKOTAI

3 Friday EveningFirst Friday Shabbat4:00 PM- Friday at Four: Shabbat for Tots

6:00 PM- Snacks

6:30 PM- Kabbalat Shabbat

7:30 PM -Pot Luck Dinner

4 Saturday Morning10:30 AM - Shabbat Morning Service

Torah: Leviticus 25:1-27:34 Haftarah: Jeremiah 16:19-17:14

SHABBAT B'MIDBAR

10 Friday Evening4:00 PM- Friday at Four: Shabbat for Tots


11 Saturday Morning10:30 AM - Brotherhood Service and Luncheon

Torah: Numbers 1:1-4:20 Haftarah: Hosea 2:1-22

SHABBAT NASO17 Friday Evening

4:00 PM- Friday at Four: Shabbat for Tots


Pizza Dinner to follow

18 Saturday Morning10:30 AM- Shabbat Morning Service

Torah: Numbers 4:21-7:89 Haftarah: Judges 13:2-25

SHABBAT B'HAALOT'CHA

24 Friday EveningFourth Friday Shabbat

4:00 PM- Friday at Four: Shabbat for Tots7:00 PM- Shabbat Dinner

8:00 PM- Shabbat Service

9:00 PM- Oneg/Program:

25 Saturday Morning10:30 AM- Shabbat Morning Service

Conversion Ceremony for Maggie Green Mortali

Kiddush Luncheon to follow

Torah: Numbers 8:1-12:16 Haftarah: Zechariah 2:14-4:7See details in the Rabbis

Message on page 2

May 14th at 8 PM until

May 15th at 7 AM

Shavuot Across BrooklynSave the date as a host of Brooklyn's min-

yanim and synagogues come together for

an all-night celebration for the holiday of

Shavuot commemorating the giving of the

Ten Commandments.

Starting at 8 PM with services and

cheesecake and ending with Sunrise Ser-

vices at 5:30 am, come for all or part ofthe night and enjoy a program of learning,

singing, and dancing as some of Brooklyn's

finest teachers gather in one place for one

of the most diverse Tikkun Leil Shavuot

celebrations around.

This year Tikkun Leil Shavuot will take place at

Beth Elohim sponsored by numerous Brooklyn

congregations including Union Temple.


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2

Rabbis MessageJoin in Advocacy Day

I hope that you will consider joining me, and our fellow Reform Jews from all over New York

State, for ADVOCACY DAY of the REFORM JEWISH VOICE OF NEW YORK STATE, as

we lobby our legislators in Albany on MONDAY, MAY 6th.TO REGISTER ONLINE, GO TORJV ADVOCACY DAY 2013. The two issues on our agenda are outlined below. They areCampaign Finance Reform and the Reproductive Health Act.

The Reform Jewish Movement supports public financing of political campaigns including

support for state clean money initiatives.

There is a perception that elected officials in New York State are beholden to special interest groups

and the campaign contributions these groups make undermine the publics confidence in the expected

impartiality and integrity of the decisions being made by state government officials.

The amount of money raised and spent on campaigns increases with each election cycle.

Campaign finance reform should include:

Reduced allowable campaign contributions that can be accepted by any candidate

A limitation on total campaign spending by any candidate who accepts public financing

A system of partial public funding, similar to the New York City system A limitation on the amount of personal wealth any candidate who accepts public financing could

spend in his/her campaign

Strong disclosure provisions

Penalties for violations sufficient to deter prohibited behavior and ensure compliance

An enforcement body sufficiently empowered and nonpartisan to punish violators efficiently and

effectively

The Reproductive Health Act:

Guarantees a woman's ability to make her own personal and private health care decisions to control her

own reproductive health in a manner that is best for herself, her family, and her future.

Ensures that a woman will have the right to abortion care if her health is endangered at any time during

her pregnancy. Treats regulation of abortion as an issue of public health and medical practice rather than as a potential

crime, by taking abortion out of the New York State penal code.

Provides that abortion care can only be provided by qualified, trained and licensed medical providers

acting within their scope of practice.

Guarantees everyone the right to use or refuse contraception.

Updates New York State law by codifying constitutional requirements and removing outdated provi-

sions, in order to ensure that women's rights are protected in the future.

All other health care services are regulated through health laws.

Maintains existing "conscience clause" protections.

Seven in ten New York voters, including 70% who identify as Catholic support passage of the Repro-ductive Health Act.

The Reform Jewish movement has an unwavering commitment to the protection and preservation of

women's reproductive rights and urges the passage of the Reproductive Health Act.

Every one of us has a personal stake as New Yorkers in these issues. Our legislators need to hear the liberal

voice of the faith community. If you are interested in participating, please call me immediately at the temple,

718-638-7600 Ext 2, or E-mail me at [email protected] . This is our right and responsibility

as American citizens. Each one of us can make a difference. I hope you will join me.

-Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman


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4/12

Its May, time for the spring we have

all been yearning for, and time to look

back on the great programs Sisterhood

had to warm up our long, cold winter.

We had an exciting guest speaker,

stimulating book discussions, a Crea-

tive Action Workshop where we got to

know ourselves and one another better,

and an inspiring visit to the Tenement

Museum. We hope that you were with

us for all of them. Now its time to

mark your calendar so that youll be

sure to join us for our last program of

the season on Sunday, June 2, 2013, at

10 AM. Well be winding up the year

with a flourisha mouth-watering

brunch and an exciting mystery raffle!

Bring your ideas as well as your appe-

Sisterhood

Out With a Flourish

tite, because well be plan-

ning programs for next year

and were eager to hear your

thoughts. Well also be

holding our annual election,

and we hope that youll

want to submit your name

or nominate someone as an

officer or member of the

board. Please e-mail your

suggestions to one of our

current co-presidents, Su-

s a n n e S i n g e r ,

[email protected], orLinda Simka, lester-

[email protected]. Youll

find that working with Sis-

terhood and helping us to

fulfill our goal of tikkun

olam is both satisfying and

fulfilling.

Its also satisfying and ful-

filling to contribute to the

Sisterhood Memorial Fund,Happy Day Fund, or Rose

Keit Flower Fund. We thank

everyone who has done so

throughout the year. It is a

beautiful way to remember

or honor friends and loved

ones and to help us do our

part in supporting the good

works of Women of Reform

Judaism throughout our na-tion, Israel, and the world.

Sisterhood wishes everyone

a happy Mothers Day. Jew-

ish motherswhat would

the world (and comedians)

do without us?

-Barbara Brett, Secretary

4


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5

On Sunday, March 17th, moments be-

fore the model seder was to begin,

smoke billowed out of the 3rd-floor

kitchen into the ballroom as the Reli-

gious School children strived enthusias-tically to master the art of baking mat-

zohs. At about the same time, members

of the youth group and one of our 7th

grade students, accompanied by a few

parents, set out in the blustery chill for

the Upper West Side, to participate in

Dorots Passover Package Delivery.

This program pairs volunteer visitors

with the Jewish elderly in upper Man-

hattan. A bag of Passover staples -- ge-

filte fish, horseradish, macaroons, etc. -

is delivered, but the visit itself is just as

eagerly anticipated by these often-isolated seniors.

After a brief orientation, Dorot* matched two or three

of us with one or two people to visit, for about an

hour. Some of the seniors we visited were completely

homebound; others were more mobile. But all experi-

enced, to greater or lesser degrees, the loneliness that

often accompanies growing old in the city. All werepleased to share their stories and ask questions of their

young visitors.

One senior in her 80s was originally involved with

Head Starts implementation and is now an active ad-

vocate for the elderly. Ben C., her youth group visi-

tor, was able to help her with some tech issues before

he departed.

Ben S. visited an apparent veteran of the program: she

helped Ben and his mom, Beatrice, by framing how

the conversation would go. "First I will ask you about

yourselves, and then I will tell you all about

me." Interestingly, one of her oldest friends is an ac-

tive Union Temple member. (Sorry, we are forbidden

to reveal the names of those we visit.)

At 101, legally blind and with a mic connected to her

hearing aid for communicating with visitors, one of

the seniors we saw has survived her friends and most

of her relatives. Initially shy, Sarah and Amanda lis-

tened to her stories of growing up on the Upper West

Side, where her father had a candy store. Over cook-

ies, she told us about her great grandchildren out west,

and she recalled a trip to Europe in the late 1970s that

she took with one of her grandchildren. For the girls,the visit was an exercise in listening waiting, learning

where to jump in and contribute, stepping outside

themselves.

Dan and his daughter, Ilana, our bnei mitzvah stu-

dent, visited a pianist who had graduated from the

Manhattan School of Music. A pianist herself, Ilana

was able to chat about music.

The seniors seemed happy for the visits and look for-

ward to more in the future, and the children got to ex-

perience something they dont get much of sitting

down for a focused hour or so, just to spend time with

an older person. We hope to take part in Dorots Suk-

kot package delivery in September.

*Dorot (http:\\dorotusa.org) provides more than just holiday

visits. They assist the elderly year round in many ways

getting people to appointments, providing social outlets,

helping with chores, providing meals and more.

Not Just Another (Gefilte) Fish Tale
http://dorotusa.org/http://dorotusa.org/http://dorotusa.org/


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6

Preschool Abuzz with SpringSpring is in the air and the preschool is abuzz. All ofour classes are busy talking about the spring, exploringthe area around the school and enjoying the friendships

that they have forged over the long winter months.

The Chickadees, Montana Vasquez-Grinnell's twoclass, have enjoyed learning about the seasons, andnow that we're entering spring they have been talkinga lot about what is happening around us! The childrenare discussing the trees, the flowers, and the fact thatthey get to be outside more. They have a lot of booksout about spring coming, and they are going to do pro-jects to celebrate the cherry blossoms, and create abudding tree for their bulletin board. The Chickadeesrecently watercolor painted the number 3, since somany children have/or will turn 3 this year in school.They have a lot of counting books out as well, andwill do some cooking projects along with art projects

to practice their counting skills!

The Robins, Tomomi Iwamoto's three class have beenmaking pictures and writing messages for Jax, one ofthe Robins. Jax who is away with his family will becelebrating his birthday next week. After discussingwhat they might draw for him, the class launched intoa discussion about how letters are sent. They read abook called The Jolly Postman and saw

how letters are often enclosed in anenvelope with the address of the persongetting the mail and a stamp on the cor-ner. They told the kids that the teacherswill go to the post office where thereare people who will deliver Jax's mail.They discussed how mail is transportedby vehicle and that mail carriers bringour letters safely to the right person.The Robins worked hard and madebeautiful drawings for Jax. They were

pretty excited about it and many ofthem thought that Jax would be happyor surprised when he gets the mail. Theclass discussion on mail led to an ideaof making their own blue mailbox touse in their classroom. Whenever thechildren make a picture for Jax or eachother, they can put it into the blue mail

box to be "delivered."

The Sparrows, Natalie Roth's threes class, have sprunginto spring demonstrating amazing growth as individu-als and as a group. They have become a tight knit groupwho are eager to help one another with advice or a

helping hand. We see new friendships forming everyday and are thrilled at the empathy displayed in theclassroom. The Sparrows were engrossed in our Pass-over unit and are continuing to incorporate the storyinto their play. They continue to set "traps" for Pharaohwith blocks and building material and have come upwith elaborate plans to help the Jewish people escapeslavery in Egypt. Their imaginations and creativity istruly remarkable. Recently, the Sparrows have beengrabbed by the idea that March "comes in like a lionand out like a lamb", despite the cold March we had.

They have been craving more complex stories and haveloved the doctor Seuss books (especially Yertle the Tur-tle) and spin off fairy tales like The Gingerbread Girl.They have been borrowing many books from the 4s to

satisfy the growing Sparrows thirst for literature.

The Puffin class, Catie Vignona's four class, has just be-gun a unit on transportation. They started by brainstorm-ing a list together of different forms of transportation andthen the children each took a turn rewriting at least one

(Continued on page 7)

The SHALOMMeditation Circle

Find thePEACEWITHIN

A one hour sessionwill be held onWednesdays, May8 and June 12There is no cost forthe programNo previousexperiencerequired.

Sessions start at5:30 P.M and end at6:30 P.M.The group meets onthe 4th floor of theTemple.Sessions are open tonon-members aswell as Temple mem-bers.

Please arrive on time and wear comfortable clothing.


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7

Religious SchoolHighlighting Our Heritage for Our StudentsKeeping with our practice of highlighting ways in which individual remarkable Jewish Americans have left their

mark on the world, we have focused our daily themes in the following ways over the past few weeks:

March 3 In honor of the 101st birthday of Hadassah, The Womens Zionist Organization of America, we

celebrated the life and accomplishments of Baltimore native, Henrietta Szold.March 10 -- Paying homage to Brooklyns Neil Sedaka, after introducing the students to his iconic music in

recognition of his 74th birthday , we honored his ethnic background by focusing our lessons on Sephardic tra-

dition and history.

March 17 During our last session before Passover, we saluted the liberating force that was Golda Meir

(immigrated to Pre-State Israel from Milwaukee in 1921) on the 44th anniversary of her becoming Prime Min-

ister of Israel.. Then we retreated 3200 years to get a taste of what our ancestors experienced on their road to

liberation by baking matzah with the traditional time limit of 18 minutes.

April 7-- For Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Me-

morial Day), we learned about the inspirational

Holocaust memorial imagined and accom-

plished by the 8th Grade classes of Whitwell,

Tennessee. If you havent seen the story in

film, Paper Clips, can be found free of charge

at Hulu.com (http://www.hulu.com/#!

watch/422211). We then looked at a variety of

9/11 memorials and talked about ways remem-

bering can help make a better world.

April 14For Yom HaAtzmaut (Israeli In-

dependence Day), we learned about the people

and culture of Israel, and also the concept and

success of Political Zionism. We celebrated by

singing Yom Holedet Sameach (Happy Birth-

day to You) and the blowing out the candles

that spelled out 65 before eating the yummy

cake.

Whats Left Its a bit mind-boggling that we

have just a few weeks left. During this time we

have a major culminating project before us. Hav-

ing collected tzedaka on a weekly basis, the stu-

dents will be deciding where to allocate theirfunds. I look forward to reporting back to this

congregation about the decisions they will make.

What a wonderful way to cap a fantastic year!

LShalom,

-Dr. Andy Dubin, Religious School Principal

and Rabbinic Intern

form of transportation in their own writing. They are continu-ing to practice their letters and handwriting. Their growth andenthusiasm around this activity clearly exemplifies how muchprogress has been made from the beginning of the year! ThePuffins also made traffic lights- and talked about what eachcolor means. Another exciting project last week was paintingwith the wheels of their toy cars, which was very exciting andenjoyed by all. The class is planning to make life size vehiclethat the kids can fit in from donated pieces of cardboard and

cardboard boxes.

The Hummingbirds, Pam Apple's four class, are working ona firefighter unit. Two big upcoming events are a trip to thelocal fire house and a visit by a firefighter. The firefighter isthe husband of Caitlin Mullin, Pam's assistant teacher. Fire-fighter Chris, will be visiting the Hummingbird and Puffinclassrooms complete with his bunker gear, to talk to the chil-dren about fire safety. The Hummingbirds have been dis-cussing Stop, Drop, and Roll and the importance of nevertouching a fire. They will be conducting a science experi-ment involving a glass bottle placed over a flame, demon-strating how a fire can be extinguished when there is no oxy-gen (air) to feed it. They will use the demonstration to illus-trate that if you come in contact with fire by dropping to thefloor, you take the air out of the fire. The Hummingbirdshave also been singing "I am a firefighter" and readingbooks Daisy the Fire Dog, Firefighter, and Firefighting Ma-chines. The children will also be creating their own class-

room fire truck that they will be painting and decorating.

-Susan Sporer, Director

(Continued from page 6)


8/12


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10/12

Union Temple suggests that its memberscontact our Funeral Director

Martin D. Kasdan of

Boulevard-Riverside Chapels1895 Flatbush Avenue

Brooklyn, NY1-800-522-0588

Proudly maintaining morethan 50 years of Temple involvement

The BulletinUnion Temple of Brooklyn

17 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11238

(718) 638-7600Fax (718) 783-9151

E-mail [email protected]

Website Uniontemple.orgDr. Linda Henry Goodman

Rabbi

Lauren PhillipsStudent Cantor

Shinae KimTemple Musician

Dr. Andy DubinEducator/Rabbinic Intern

Susan SporerPreschool Director

Beatrice HanksPresident

Abe BarnettEllen KolikoffHenry Singer

Vice Presidents

Steven SegallSecretary

Jeffrey SteinTreasurer

Mike Baron

Hortense R. HurwitzDoris Klueger

Honorary Presidents

David RaphealBulletin Editor

John GolombTemple Administrator

Martin KasdanFuneral Director

(800) 522-0588

Memorial Plaques

10

A memorial plaque is a lasting tribute to a loved one.

If you wish more information regarding obtaining a plaque in

memory of a loved one please e-mail the temple at

[email protected]

or leave a message with the temple office.

Margo Schuster ....................................................... Yom HashoahRose Schuster ......................................................... Yom HashoahLena Nachman .......................................................... May 1, 1934Jacob Manne ............................................................. May 2, 1954Gail Cohen Edelman ................................................. May 2, 2000Samuel Eis ................................................................ May 4, 1942Robert B. Hutton................................... May 4, 2003

Benjamin Spitzer ....................................................... May 4, 1949Bernard Schmidt ....................................................... May 5, 1914Jacob Himmelreich .................................................... May 5, 1951Alexander Klupt ....................................................... May 5, 1972Silas Besthoff ............................................................. May 5, 1996Col. Arthur Levitt, Past President ............................. May 6, 1980Alfred Glassheim ...................................................... May 6, 1967Abraham Nachman ................................................... May 7, 1936Bertha Rosenstock Baar ............................................ May 8, 1933Jessie Olga Rosen ..................................................... May 8, 1948Stella Bloom ............................................................. May 8, 1988Abraham Schuster..................................................... May 9, 1935Max Kamins ............................................................. May 9, 1946Matilda Mason .......................................................... May 9, 1974

Harry Levy .............................................................. May 10, 1941Arthur Kahn ............................................................ May 10, 1968Hyman Kirsch ......................................................... May 11, 1976Carrie G. Goldsmith ............................................... May 14, 1909Anna Aberson ......................................................... May 14, 1940Anna Ray ................................................................ May 14, 1968Abraham Levy ........................................................ May 15, 1943Mollye Baron .......................................................... May 15, 1994F. Whitlock Newman .............................................. May 16, 1937Florence E. Van Raalte ........................................... May 17, 1966Rabbi Sidney S. Tedesche ...................................... May 18, 1962Rose F. Feinstein .................................................... May 19, 1982Abraham Kodziesen ............................................... May 20, 1947

Grace George Baar ................................................. May 20, 1984Samuel N. Weisstein ............................................... May 21, 1986Lester J. Mason ....................................................... May 23, 1963Frederick May ........................................................ May 23, 1979Mina Sacher ............................................................ May 23, 1984Dorothy Waxman ................................................... May 23, 1995Sylvia Shaffer ......................................................... May 23, 1997Sol London ............................................................. May 24, 1961Moses Katz ............................................................. May 25, 1923Edmund David ........................................................ May 25, 1911Dena Fogel.............................................................. May 26, 1965Dr. Harry Mandelbaum ........................................... May 27, 1955Betty Jane Iason ...................................................... May 27, 1926

Seymour Lansner... ....................... May 27, 1992Ilene Kaufman ........................................................ May 29, 1976Walter Honig .......................................................... May 30, 1992Mary Lorence ......................................................... May 30, 1938Millie R. Dorf ......................................................... May 31, 1917
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.uniontemple.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.uniontemple.org/mailto:[email protected]


11/12

11

Conversion Ceremony

Maggie Green

Kiddush Luncheon

to follow

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

7:00 PM

UT Singers8:00 PM

Anshei Mitzvah

2 34:00 PM

Friday at Four

First FridayFamily Shabbat6:00 PM Snacks

6:30 PM

Kabbalat ShabbatPot Luck Dinner

4 9:00 AMShabbat Hevre

9:30 AM

Out of theShabbox10:30 AM

Shabbat MorningService

59:30 AM

Religious SchoolMembershipCommittee

6

Advocacy Day

RJV (in Albany)

6:15 PM

Officers

7 8

7:00 PMUT Singers8:00 PM

Anshei Mitzvah

9 10Rosh Chodesh

Sivan

4:00 PM

Friday at Four

6:30 PM

Kabbalat Shabbat

119:00 AM

Shabbat Hevre9:30 AM

Out of the

Shabbox10:30 AM

BrotherhoodShabbat

Service & Kiddush

129:30 AM

Religious School

13

6:00 PM

Board ofTrustees

14

8:30 PM-dawn

Shavuot Acrossthe Slope

Joint Tikkun Leil

Shavuot, at CBE(Service at 8:00)

1510:30 AM

Festival Morning

Service, UTYizkor

16 17

4:00 PM

Friday at Four6:30 PM

Kabbalat ShabbatUT Singers

Pizza to follow

189:00 AM

Shabbat Hevre

Siyyum9:30 AM

Out of the

Shabbox10:30 AM

Shabbat MorningService

199:30 AM

Religious School

Siyyum

4:00 PM

Cocktail Party &Annual Meeting ofthe Congregation

20

6:30 PM

Religious SchoolCommittee

21 22

7:00 PM

UT Singers8:00 PM

Anshei Mitzvah

23

6:00 PM

Calendar Meeting(All committeechairs and reps

please)

24

4:00 PM

Friday at Four6:30 PM

Kabbalat Shabbat

2510:30 AM

Shabbat Morning

Service

26 27 28 29

7:00 PM

UT Singers8:00 PM

Anshei Mitzvah

30 31

4:00 PM

Friday at Four

6:30 PM

Kabbalat Shabbat

May 2013Iyar-Sivan 5773

Conversion Ceremony

Maggie Green

Kiddush Luncheon

to follow


12/12

Union Temple of Brooklyn

17 Eastern ParkwayBrooklyn, NY 11238

(718) 638-7600

[email protected]

MAY 2013

UNION TEMPLE OF BROOKLYN BULLETIN

Prospect ParkHealth and Racquet Association

In Union Temple Building at

17 Eastern Parkway

718-789-4600

Ask about Special discounts forUnion Temple Members

Out of the ShabboxSee Page 4
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

ut bulletin may 2013

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