Everyone needs a “bucket list.” Most of the lists I write focus on short-term needs, such as grocery lists or work to-do lists. Making a bucket list is to set your sights on a more expansive scale. This irreverent term, popularized by the movie of the same name, refers to creating a list of things you want to do before you “kick the bucket.”

We have constant reminders that life is fragile. Since we must live with these uncertainties, let’s choose to embrace life each day. One way to do that is to make your own bucket list. Your list might include places to visit (the Maldives be-fore they totally submerge or a micro-brewery in Haifa), people to meet (a sitting president or an Olympian), skills to develop (how to fuse glass or play the guitar), or feats to accomplish (run a marathon or skydive).

You can have a Jewish bucket list, too. (Do havdalah under the midnight sun in the Arctic Circle, learn to chant Torah, or feel comfortable in a service.) You might be able to fulfill some of the skills or experi-ences on your list right here at Beth El.

A bucket list can be a tool to pre-vent regrets in life. By taking the time to think deeply about our life, we can identify relationships we want to nurture, experiences we want to have, or personal goals we hope to achieve.

When the great Rabbi Hillel said, “If not now, when?” I doubt he was talking about a bucket list. Hillel was correct, though. We should not wait to celebrate life. We can set our sights on grander things. A bucket list opens our perspec-tive beyond our daily tasks.

Pull out a pencil now and start mak-ing your list. I pray that we all have a long time to cross many things off our lists.

(FYI: Many of the things listed here are on my own bucket list.) n

S c r o l lCongregation Beth El

The Scroll is a recipient of three Solomon Schech-ter Gold Awards from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

Theme Jewish Bucket List • 1, 8-9

From the Clergy • 1

Yom Ha’Atzmaut • 2

Youth • 5

JSSA Liaison • 6

Shavuot • 6

Library Corner • 7

Israeli Hockey Team • 10

Rabbi Elyssa Auster • 11

Tzedek 4U • 12

Departments

Sisterhood • 3

Men’s Club • 4

Contributions • 13

Bulletin Board • 16

May 2014 • Iyar–Sivan 5774 Vol. 63 No. 9

From the Clergy

CreaTingBy Rabbi Greg Harrisa Jewish Bucket List

Rabbi Harris skydiving in a “heavenly” moment

2

YOM HA’ATZMAUT CONGREGATIONAL SHABBAT DINNER

Friday, May 9Coordinated by Beth El Empty Nesters

Everyone is invited to this special evening celebrating Israel’s Independence Day, commencing with our musical Kol

Haneshama service at 6:30 pm followed by Shabbat dinner at 7:30 pm. There will also be a traditional service at 6:30 pm.

Paid dinner reservations must be received by Tuesday morning, May 6. Please make checks payable to Beth El and return to

Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Family Name(s) ______________________________________________

Phone ___________________ Email ____________________________

Dinner Reservations _____ # Member Adults/Teens @ $22 each ____ Total ________

_____ # Non-member Adults @ $27 each ______ Total ________

_____ # Children 6 - 12 @ $10 ______________ Total ________

_____ # Children 2 - 5 @ $5 each _____________ Total ________

Total Due (Household dinner maximum $64): _________________

Please provide ________ vegan meals.

Please list any food allergies __________________________________

I would like to sit with _______________________________________

S c r o l l8215 Old Georgetown RoadBethesda, Maryland 20814-1451Phone 301-652-2606 Fax 301-907-8559Web www.bethelmc.orgAffiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative JudaismSenior Rabbi William D. Rudolph wrudolph@bethelmc.orgRabbi Gregory Harris gharris@bethelmc.orgHazzan Matthew Klein mklein@bethelmc.org Executive Director Sheila H. Bellack sbellack@bethelmc.orgEducation DirectorRabbi Mark Levine mlevine@bethelmc.orgAssociate Education DirectorElisha Frumkin efrumkin@bethelmc.orgDirector of Community Engagement Geryl Baer gbaer@bethelmc.org Preschool Director Kim Lausin klausin@bethelmc.orgYouth Director Adam Zeren azeren@bethelmc.orgRabbi Emeritus Samuel Scolnic, z”lHazzan Emeritus Abraham Lubin alubin@bethelmc.orgPresidentDavid MillsExecutive Vice PresidentJerry SorkinAdministrative Vice PresidentLarisa Avner TrainorCommunications and Tikkun Olam Vice PresidentLarry SidmanCommunity Building Vice President Ivy FieldsDevelopment and Finance Vice PresidentMark C. BronfmanEducation and Lifelong Learning Vice PresidentAmy Kaufman GoottWorship and Spirituality Vice PresidentRebecca Musher GrossTreasurerJoseph B. HoffmanSecretarySharon D. ZissmanScroll Committee scroll@bethelmc.org Janet Meyers, Chair, Sharon Apfel, Judy Futterman, Mara Greengrass, Susan Jerison, Davida Kales, Marci Kanstoroom, Helen Popper, Marsha Rehns, Walter Schimmerling, Larry Sidman, and Jerry Sorkin 4U editor: Jennifer KatzScroll, USPS Number 009813, is published monthly by Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814. Periodical postage rate paid at Bethesda, Maryland and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Scroll, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

Beth El Annual Congregational Meeting

Wednesday, May 28, 8:15 pmAgenda and related materials were mailed in April.

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Don’t Bore Your audienceBy Marsha RehnsIn a single hour, Christine Jahnke proved herself the perfect example of her subject, “The Well-Spoken Woman.” Founder of Positive Communications, Ms. Jahnke has helped many women, including Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton, become media savvy. The 70 or so women and handful of men who attended the Sisterhood/Zhava program in March came away with a portfolio’s worth of speaking tips. Susan Winarsky and Naomi Greenwood, Sisterhood Education Committee chairs, arranged for Ms. Jahnke’s talk.

The three characteristics of a good speaker, Ms. Jahnke said, are a signature style, a synchronized message, and self-assuredness. “See each speech as a performance,” she ad-vised. “Style comes from preparation, rehearsing, and being yourself.” For every minute of talk, she noted, you need one hour of preparation. A synchronized message means asking yourself what your audience needs to hear as opposed to what you want to talk about. Your message is at the intersec-tion of those demands, she said.

Self-assuredness is bolstered by style and message, but it can be battered by insufficient preparation and such unpre-dictables as a meeting room that’s too warm, a lectern that’s

too high, or an audience that’s hostile. Focus on the VisualMs. Jahnke described the three “Vs” of communication – vocal, visual, and verbal. Of those three qualities, “What creates the strongest impression?” she asked. Verbal content accounts for seven percent. Voice accounts for 38 percent. So more than half the force of your message (55 percent) comes from what you look like to your audience, she said.

Ms. Jahnke divided vocal qualities into pace, pitch, pauses, and projection. Conversational pace is about 140 words per minute. Lower, slower speech carries weight. Pauses let an audience absorb what was just said and allow the speaker to take a breath. Content should, of course, be clear. Compel-ling and flowing writing helps, too, she said.

To illustrate her point about the importance of visual quality, Ms. Jahnke showed clips of Carla Hills and Ann Richards at Republican and Democratic nominating con-ventions. Ms. Hills, the former U.S. trade representative, relayed relevant information about international trade agree-ments, but her monotone and wooden stance made her, in a word, boring. Reading from a teleprompter, she moved her head from right to left and back like a motorized sweeper.

The late Gov. Richards (Texas) was gripping as she talked about her childhood. Yes, she spoke with a charming Texas

continued on page 4

Sisterhood UpcoMINg SISterhood/ZhaVa eVeNtSThursday, May 1, 7:30 pm Rosh Hodesh program on “Downsizing Our Stuff”

Sunday, May 4, 10:00 am Zhava Wellness Talk with Lori Bard

Tuesdays, May 6, 13, 20, 27 6:30 pm Mah JonggTuesday, May 20, 7:30 pm Book Chat: Apples from the Desert by Savyon Liebrecht

Thursday, May 22, 6:30 pm Sisterhood meeting

New items arriving daily.

Come visit us:Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 4:00-6:15 pm

Sundays, 9:30 am-12:30 pm

Or by appointment. Contact Michelle Gips at or Debbie Olchyk at info@bethelmc.org, 301-652-2606

Volunteer in the shop and get 10 percent off.

Beth El Judaica & Gifts is a project of Beth El Sisterhood.

Beth El Judaica & Gifts

Filling Miriam’s Cup with water at the sold-out Women’s Seder in late March.

Christine Jahnke shows the right way to stand at a podium.

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Men’s Club

UpcoMINg MeN’S clUb eVeNtSThursday, May 1, 8:30 pm Congregant Herb Tanenbaum will lead the discussion for Hearing Men’s Voices on the topic, “Informed Consent/Assisted Suicide.” All men are welcome. For further information, please email info@bethelmc.org.

Sunday, May 4, 10:00 am Eric Colby, accelerator stewardship program manager at the U.S. Department of Energy, will speak about the promises and the challenges of proton and carbon cancer therapy.

Sunday, May 11, 10:00 am Rabbi Yehuda Bohrer, a founder of the Beit El religious community in Israel and an archaeologist and tour guide, will discuss his book, The Geographic Codes of the Bible, which explores the relationship between the geography of Israel and the Torah.

Sunday, May 18, 10:00 am Kavod Awards will honor three awardees (see ad this page).

Sunday, May 25, 10:00 am Following breakfast, there will be an open microphone session to provide an opportunity to attendees to speak about any topic of interest as we begin winding down for summer.

Men’s Club of Congregation Beth El

presents

42nd Annual Kavod Awards

Sunday, May 18, 9:45 am Honoring

Reservations are required ($15 per adult). Please detach and return the portion below to

Hattie Goodman at Beth El. ------------------Reservation for Beth El Men’s Club Kavod Award Breakfast

Name: ____________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________

Number of attendees: _________________________ Please enclose check for $15 for each adult, payable to Beth El Men’s Club.

Return RSVP form with payment to Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, no later than Friday, May 9.

Brad Winefor service to the greater Jewish community

Michael Kayfor service to the community at large

Walter Arnheimfor service to Beth El

twang, but she moved her whole body as she spoke to dif-ferent parts of her audience, she used her hands, and her voice rose and fell with emotion underscored by her facial expressions. “Look like you care about what you’re saying,” Ms. Jahnke admonished. “Be authentic.” do power posing before You SpeakBefore any presentation, do two minutes of “power posing,” Ms. Jahnke advised, referencing a TED talk by Amy Cuddy, a Harvard Business School professor. Power posing includes raising and stretching your arms before you speak. The ex-ercises raises your testosterone, lowers your cortisol (stress hormone), and makes you look and feel larger. Other visual tips included:• At a lectern, stand either behind the lectern or completely away from it. Don’t lean on the lectern with straight arms or grasp the sides. Instead, place your fingertips on the edge of the lectern closest to you and stand slightly back from it.• Eye contact. Divide your room into four quadrants (left back, left front, right back, right front). Move from quadrant to quadrant in that order and speak to one person in each quadrant. Never speak to the same person twice. n

CHRiSTiNE JAHNKE continued from page 3

5

Every year around this time, I get a little choked up because our high school seniors are moving on to a more grown-up world. This is a year when it is especially difficult to say goodbye.

I am so grateful to have had teens like Maddy Bucher, Janie Klein, Molly Stone, Julia Maman, and Maya Weiss in my life for the last five years. I met them when they started Upper School as eighth graders. They were pretty silly 13 and 14 year olds who would dress up in a different theme every Tuesday night. We’d hang out downstairs in the multipurpose room and Youth Lounge before class and eat pizza and talk. USY regularsAs the years progressed, they became more mature and were regulars at USY events. Maddy, our outgoing USY chapter president, also served as vice president of membership when our chapter had its largest number of members. Her ability to convince teens to attend events is legendary.

Janie’s heart is dedicated to helping kids with special needs. She served as the vice president for social action and tikkun olam and this year held the same position on the Seaboard Region General Board. Janie also has a great passion for Israel and has attended the AIPAC policy conference. Julia also showed her leadership skills when she

represented Beth El USY as a co-chair of the 2012 Kadima/USY Encampment. We could always count on Molly and Maya to be at our activities and show the other teens how much fun our activities can be.

This special group of teens has provided some of the best memories I’ve had in my seven years as Beth El youth direc-

tor. The Youth Department is stronger because they’ve been a significant part of it. The wisdom and skills they have learned through Beth El’s youth groups and Religious School will serve them well at whatever colleges they attend this fall.May activitiesThis is our last month of youth group events for the school year. Bonim will have a wildly fun music-

circle activity on Sunday, May 18. On May 4 and May 18, Machar will get closer to the sharks than they ever imagined in a behind-the-scenes tour at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Kadima heads to Nationals Park on May 18 to watch the Washington Nationals take on the Mets. Also on May 18, USY will ride a boat down the Potomac River to learn about our area’s ecosystem and what we can to maintain it for generations to come. Memorial Day weekend is also USY Spring Convention at Camp Louise. Keep an eye on your inboxes for more information about our activities. n

Youth activities

Farewell to a great Team By Adam Zeren

The Kadima basketball team with coach Michael Gaba. Aryeh Portnoy was also a Kadima coach.

The USY basketball team with coach Steve Strauss

USY high school seniors

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The Synagogue Liaison Program, a partnership between Beth El and the Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA), offers congregants an opportunity for a free and confidential consultation with an experienced JSSA clinician. At Beth El, Orly Zimmerman-Leizerov, a licensed JSSA clinician who works with children and families, is available to talk with members. Orly can provide guidance or referrals on a wide range of issues including parenting challenges such as limit setting, tantrums, sibling relationships, discipline, and power struggles, as well as issues concerning aging parents, relationships, and marriage.

She is at Beth El Preschool on the first Thursday and third Monday of each month from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm to meet privately with parents. In addition, Orly is available to all members, either by telephone or through an office visit, to discuss any issues that individual congregants may be facing. While this service is not meant to be ongoing therapy, Orly can offer guidance and provide referrals to JSSA and other community resources. For a confidential appointment, please contact Orly at 301-610-8339 or oleizerov@jssa.org. n

JSSa Offers Free guidance

Tikkun Leil ShavuotA Traditional Shavuot Eve Nighttime Study Session

Tuesday, June 36 Sivan 5774

Programming for all ages will begin with a light dairy dinner

Name(s) of Adult(s) ________________________________

Name(s) and Grades of Child(ren) ____________________

________________________________________________

There will be an $8.00 fee per person to cover the cost of dinner.

Make checks payable to Congregation Beth El.For more information, please contact Tali Moscowitz at 301-652-8569, ext. 309 or tmoscowitz@bethelmc.org.

ADULTSClergy and many learned congregants will lead the adult

program:6:30 pm Mincha6:45 pm Dairy dinner7:15–8:00 pm Teaching Session I8:00 pm Ma’ariv8:15 pm–1:00 am Multiple Teaching Sessions

ChiLDrEnDon’t miss out on educational and fun Shavuot programs for

kindergarten through high school:

6:30–7:00 pm Dinner 7:00–8:00 pm Program 8:00 pm Ma’ariv

RSVP foir dinner to the Beth El synagogue office by Wednesday, May 28

Lag B’Omer Bonfire Celebration

Sunday, May 18, 3:00-5:00 pmLocust Grove Park

7777 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD 20817

We will celebrate Lag B’Omer with a bon-fire and activities for families with kids up to

age 10. Join in the fun as we go on a nature scavenger hunt, work on crafts projects, eat s’mores, and sing songs around the bonfire.

Contact Geryl Baer for more information at gbaer@bethelmc.org or 301-652-8569, ext. 352.

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On a cold January morning in Paris in 1895, thousands turned out to watch the public humili-ation and military “degrada-tion” of a Jewish officer, Cap-tain Alfred Dreyfus. Wrongly convicted of treason, Dreyfus was dramatically stripped of the epaulettes, gold braid, and red stripes on his uniform, and his sword was broken. The mob screamed, “Death to the Jew” as

Dreyfus was marched away, condemned to perpetual, solitary confinement on Devil’s Island, a remote rocky landmass off the coast of South America. Only after years of a relentless campaign that roiled and divided France did Dreyfus’s family, joined by a band of liberal intellectuals (called the Dreyfu-sards), win exoneration for Dreyfus.

British author Robert Harris masterfully retells the story of the Dreyfus Affair in his new historical thriller, An Of-ficer and a Spy, available in our library. Cast as an espionage, cover-up, and whistle-blowing tale, the novel builds sus-pense while staying close to the facts. As one reviewer wrote, “Harris keeps us breathless and wondering, even though we know how the story ends.” real traitor Harris chose as his narrator one of the less famous heroes of the Dreyfus Affair, Lieutenant Colonel Marie-Georges Pic-quart. Months after Dreyfus was condemned, Picquart ac-cidentally identified the real traitor and stubbornly pursued justice, even when the army resorted to sinister measures – dangerous postings, arrest, and imprisonment – to silence and discredit Picquart.

Georges Picquart was an unlikely champion for Alfred Dreyfus. Devoted to the French army, Picquart was an ambi-tious officer; at age 40 he was the army’s youngest lieutenant colonel. Moreover, Picquart personally knew and disliked Dreyfus – he had been one of his instructors at the military academy – and distrusted Jews generally. Initially, he readily accepted the army’s determination that Dreyfus had secretly passed French military secrets to Germany; Picquart even helped facilitate Dreyfus’s arrest.

Picquart’s conversion to Dreyfus’s cause came about be-cause of a job promotion. In July 1895, the army appointed

Picquart chief of the Statistical Section (a euphemistic name for the army’s counter-espionage unit), which had furnished the evidence that led to Dreyfus’s conviction. As the new chief, Pic-quart learned how flimsy and insubstantial that evidence was. Filched NoteThe primary incriminating document was a torn-up note filched from a wastepaper basket in the German embassy in Paris by a charwoman recruited to spy for the Statistical Sec-tion. The reassembled memorandum (called the bordereau) revealed that a French officer was sharing military intel-ligence with the Germans. The army high command leapt to the conclusion that the Jewish Dreyfus, who had family ties to Alsace, a once-French region then under German control, must be a German spy. Even when experts disagreed whether the handwriting in the bordereau matched that of Dreyfus, the army forged ahead with its prosecution. “This is a race entirely without patriotism,” one army official in Har-ris’s book proclaimed.

In March 1896, Picquart was wading through a bulky de-livery of wastepaper basket litter purloined from the German embassy when he came upon documents revealing that the spy within the French army was still at large. To his astonishment, his army superiors refused to reopen the Dreyfus case, insisting that preserving the reputation of the army was far more impor-tant to the nation than the fate of “one Jew on a rock.”

Many startling twists and turns follow, all true to the facts. Harris, a former political journalist, made good use of the secret Dreyfus files recently de-classified by the French Min-istry of Defense. Now Harris is working on the film version of An Officer and A Spy. But don’t wait for the movie. Read this terrific book. n

Library Corner

Talented novelist Tackles Dreyfus affairBy Robin Jacobson

beth el book chatTuesday, May 20, 7:30 pmJoin us to discuss the short story collection, Apples from the Desert by Israeli author Savyon Liebrecht. For more information, contact Margery London or Robin Jacobson at info@bethelmc.org.

8

JewishThe ListA Jewish bucket list is, of course, filled with things that you simply must do - in this case, places to visit, books to read, people to meet, foods to eat, and skills to master. How did the Scroll come up with the selections? First, we polled Scroll Committee members. Then, Tiarra Joslyn compiled the choices for a congrega-tional survey. More than 80 of you took the survey, and many threw in sugges-tions. The following are some alternative picks for a Jewish bucket list.• Travel: the Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas (a synagogue with sand-

covered floors), Amsterdam’s Portuguese Synagogue, Berlin’s Jewish Museum, Mt. Moriah cemetery in Deadwood, South Dakota, synagogues in Charles-ton and Savannah, the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, Italy, Jewish Heritage tour of Spain, and Kaifeng, China (site of a once-thriving Jewish community).

• Books: Exodus by Leon Uris, the Diary of Anne Frank, Jews, God and History by Max Diamant, The Jewish Holidays - A Guide & Commentary by Michael Strass-feld, Jewish Literacy by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, any Jewish cookbook by Joan Nathan, If This Is A Man by Primo Levi, Night by Elie Wiesel, and The Big Book of Jewish Humor by William Novak and Moishe Waldoks, ed.

• Celebrities: Jon Stewart, Sandy Koufax, Gerte Weissman Klein, Charles Kraut-hammer, Joe Lieberman, Jerry Seinfeld, Elie Weisel, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Itzhak Perlman, Yehoram Gaon, Barney Frank, Al Franken, and Gene Wilder.

• Foods: Matzah ball soup, vegetarian chopped liver, brisket, challah, kugel, ada-fina (Moroccan cholent), tzimmes, latkes, blintzes, shakshouka (Middle Eastern egg dish), matzah brei, cheese borekas, huevos haminados (Pesach eggs), and kasha knishes.

• Skills: Learn Ladino, improve Hebrew and Torah reading skills.

What is one must-visit place that has a Jewish connection?

The Western Wall/HaKotel, Jerusalem 69%

The Holocaust Museum in Sydney, Australia 12%

Anne Frank House, Amsterdam 8%

The Yitzhak Rabin Center, Tel Aviv 6%

Touro Synagogue, Newport, R.I.4%

What is one must-read book or series of books that every Jewish person should read?

The Torah 67%

The Jewish Book of Why, vol. I and II by Alfred J. Kolatch

25%

Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed 3%

Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally 3%

All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor 1%

9

BuCkeT LiSTJewish

Which famous (and currently living) Jewish person would you like to meet or have you met?Shimon Peres (ninth and current President of the State of Israel)

40%Elena Kagan (Supreme Court associate justice) 21%Woody Allen (actor and director)

17%Leonard Nimoy (actor)

14%Phillip Roth (author)

8%

What is one must-visit place that has a Jewish connection?

The Western Wall/HaKotel, Jerusalem 69%

The Holocaust Museum in Sydney, Australia 12%

Anne Frank House, Amsterdam 8%

The Yitzhak Rabin Center, Tel Aviv 6%

Touro Synagogue, Newport, R.I.4%

What is one classic Jewish food every Jewish person should try?

Shwarma or falafel from a food stall in Israel 45%Corned-beef sandwich at 2nd Avenue Deli in New York 36%

The perfect blintz 9%

Homemade rugelach 7%

Chopped liver 3%

What Jewish-related skills or Jewish-related studies would you like to master?

Learn to speak Hebrew and/or Yiddish 55%

Learn to chant Torah and Haftarah 24%

Attend one of the rabbis’ classes 11%

Learn to blow the shofar 5%

Work on a kibbutz 4%

What is one must-read book or series of books that every Jewish person should read?

The Torah 67%

The Jewish Book of Why, vol. I and II by Alfred J. Kolatch

25%

Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed 3%

Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally 3%

All-of-a-Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor 1%

10

The 24 hockey kids from Israel who visited Washington in March and were featured in a Washington Post write-up had multiple connections to Beth El. They toured the Smithsonian Natural His-tory Museum with me, and two of the girls stayed with the family of congregants Michael and Michelle Gips. Michael and their daughter Lauren – who raised $1,000 toward the team’s expenses as part of her bat mitzvah project – were instrumental in bringing the team and their three coaches to the United States. Their younger daughter, Ellie, especially bonded with the Israelis and ac-companied them on several of their activities.

Having heard about the team from friend and Beth El member Ted Hammerman, Michael formed a host com-mittee from the Washington Jewish community to arrange everything for the players from meals to ice time. The com-mittee member in charge of fundraising was Jonathan Brick-man, also a Beth El member. exemplifying diversityThe Israeli team includes four girls and 20 boys, ages 10 to 15, who are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or Druze. Two of their coaches are Israeli (one Arab and one Jewish), and one is Canadian. Their hockey rink is near the Lebanese border in Metula, Israel’s northernmost town. The rink – the only Olympic-sized hockey rink in Israel – is part of a sports and cultural complex built to spark tourism in the area, one of the coaches told me.

While they were here, the players practiced hockey ev-ery morning, played hockey games, and toured museums, the Canadian Embassy, the White House, and the Capitol. They had a behind-the-scenes Verizon Center tour and watched the Capitals practice and play a game. Two 2010 Olympic medal winners, Tessa Bonhomme (gold, Canada) and Lisa Chesson (silver, U.S.) “spent a few days coaching the kids,” Michael said. “We Want to See Mummies”I had about an hour to show them the Natural History museum. “We want to see mummies. We don’t have mummies in Israel,” one of the boys explained. So off we went to the second floor and through the bones hall to

the small Egyptian collection that includes the wrapped mummies of a young boy and a bull.

“The 10 days were ex-hausting but fun,” Michael recalled. “Except for cousins Noy and Oz, who stayed with us, I had no idea who was Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or Druze.” I felt the same way in the museum. They were simply energetic, enthusiastic kids, each in a white hockey jersey with a stylized Jewish star wrapping around it.

While supplies last, you can get a t-shirt celebrating

the hockey team’s visit by making a contribution at www.jccgw.org/hockey. If you donate online, email info@bethelmc.org to arrange for a shirt. You may also bring a check payable to JCCGW to Beth El Judaica & Gifts and pick up a shirt there. n

israel Hockey kids Take D.C.By Marsha Rehns

Rabbi Elisha WolfinSoulful education: a Voice of Masorti Judaism from IsraelMonday, May 19, 7:30 pmRabbi Elisha Wolfin was born and raised on a largely English-speaking secular kibbutz in Israel and spent part of his youth in South Africa. After five years as a shaliach for Hillel at UC Berkeley and San Francisco State, he became in-spired by Conservative Judaism and began his rabbinical training at the University of Judaism (now the Ameri-can Jewish University) in Los Angeles. Since receiving his ordination from the Shechter Insti-tute in Israel in December 2001, Rabbi Wolfin has taken on the post of Conservative rabbi for the Lower Galilee region between Hadera and Zichron Ya’akov. He has continued to develop both the holistic Beit Hamidrash and the havurah that he helped establish in Zichron Ya’akov. In the area of Diaspora-Israel relations, he has been working on how to teach Israel in North American congregational schools, a program run by Project Oren at the Oranim Teacher Training College in Israel and sup-ported by the Jewish Agency for Israel. n

Israeli hockey students with Marsha Rehns at the Natural History Museum

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The following is Scroll reporter Susan Jerison’s exchange with Rabbi Auster, who will marry Hazzan Matthew Klein this summer. Q: Tell us about your childhood and your family.A: I have loved God from the time I was a little girl. One of my favorite childhood memories is opening the door for Elijah on Passover. My parents created an atmosphere that really encour-aged my sense of awe and wonder and taught me to talk with God. I began my schooling at the Orthodox, black-hat Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, while my parents, my older sister, Anitra, and I, belonged to a Reform synagogue. I then went to a Solo-mon Schechter school and a Conservative synagogue and final-ly became a bat mitzvah at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple, where my parents are still members, and where Hazzan Klein and I will be married this summer.Q: Where did you go to college?A: I attended Brandeis University, where I majored in European and Latin American studies. In college, I was part of an a cappella group, was involved with women’s issues, and served as president of the Women’s Resource Center. I immediately went to graduate school and received a master’s degree in theology from the Boston University School of Theology. I studied alongside those entering the Methodist Ministry, as I wanted to learn more about Christianity, the majority religion of our country, before becoming a rabbi. While there, I also took courses in the BU religion department, where I was deeply impacted by the two courses I took with Professor Elie Wiesel. Q: What made you decide to become a rabbi? A: I first thought about becoming a rabbi when I became a bat mitzvah. In chanting Torah and writing a d’var Torah which shared my experience of God in the world, I found great meaning and purpose. Over time, I considered other work, since I believe that people can serve God in any pro-fession through the lives they live, but I was continually called back to God and bringing people spiritual expression. My first experience of pluralism was through an Israel trip I took with the Nesiya Institute when I was 15. It showed the beauty and Jewishness of holding different opinions (after all, many of our traditional texts model respectful disagree-ment). For this reason, as well as desiring the space and op-portunity to have an evolving spiritual journey, I chose the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, Mass. While in school, I served some fantastic synagogue commu-nities, including Congregation Or HaTzafon in Fairbanks,

Alaska, and Congregation Beth El of Sudbury, Mass.Q: What are you doing now?A: For the past two years, I was the full-time rabbi of a 120-family Conservative congregation in southwest Florida. I established several ongoing programs, including the creation of a monthly chanting service, yoga, and a reinvigorated monthly Tot Shabbat program. Since the fall, I have been serving as a freelance rabbi in the area (including Beth El). My calendar and Web site can be found at www.elyssajoyauster.com. I com-pleted my yoga teacher certification in December and teach Jewish yoga classes that incorporate Jewish prayers, practices, and Torah. I am co-leader of Minyan Oneg Shabbat, a new

monthly service in the area, and I am also a current fellow with CLAL’s Rabbis Without Borders program,

where we discuss how the Jewish com-munity is moving forward and the best

ways to support its vibrancy.Q: How did you meet Hazzan Klein?A: By God’s great delight, we met at the Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Connecticut

on February 15, 2013. I was there on a Torah yoga retreat and Haz-

zan Klein was there for the Davennen Leadership Training Institute. Late Friday

night, while we sipped whiskey and sang for Shabbat, a mutual friend introduced us. We chat-

ted a bit, and as the weekend progressed, we talked more and deeply. When I was leaving on Sunday, it was difficult to part. We both knew there was something special between us. Our first “date” was studying the commentator Tzedah l’Derech on the prayer Ahavah Rabbah over Skype. We talked every day, learning more about each other and our unique perspectives on the world, and visited each other in Florida and Maryland. Hazzan Klein formally proposed on October 29 (my birthday) in New York City.Q: Where and when is the wedding? A: We are getting married in Ohio on the 4th of July, a Friday afternoon. Since Hazzan Klein and I will be abiding by the tradition that we not see each other for a period of time before the wedding, we wanted to be married first, and then celebrate a Shabbat with our guests. About 40 clergy are invited to our wedding, and we are asking many of them to participate, so we will not have one officiant. After the wedding weekend, we will go on our honeymoon to a place where we will be able to appreciate nature and landscape, engage in local culture, find Jews, and choose each other over and over again each day. n

Meet rabbi elyssa auster

Hazzan Klein and Rabbi Auster

12

Tzedek

4UWorD SEArCh AnSWErSleft columncharity, justice, honesty, faithfulright columnrighteous. legal, impartial, fairness

This month’s 4U page is created by Beth el’s ninth-grade Religious School class with the help of their teacher elizabeth Chipkin.

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ContributionsPlease remember that contributions can be made easily, quickly, and securely via our Web page – www.bethelmc.org

Donations made from February 15 to March 25Beth El ForestIn Memory Of: Barry Weisberg by Stuart and Beth WeisbergBob Horowitz by Julia P. Coppermanbuilding Fund/capital campaignIn Memory Of: Harold Salwin by Arthur Salwincantor’s FundIn Honor Of: Hazzan Matthew Klein and Rabbi Elyssa Auster by Brenda and Doug Bregman

Hazzan Lubin, for receiving the Blue Yarmulke Award, by Brenda and Doug Bregman

Hazzan Klein, for his leadership at Emma’s bat mitzvah, by Lisa and Doug Davison

Engagement of Hazzan Matthew Klein and Rabbi Elyssa Auster by Margie and Joe Hoffman and Larry Sidman and Jana Singer

In Memory Of: Beloved father, Morris Amchan, by Sonja and David SchultzAlison Levy Caffin by Linda OrensteinHershel Kanovsky by Helen KanovskyShirley Gross by Larry Sidman and Jana Singerchevra Kadisha FundIn Memory Of: Jean Alk Biller by Ruth Biller BloomEdward Freedman by Marilyn and Jeff GlickWilliam Goldfine by Marilyn and Jeff GlickLarry Lesser, with thanks to Rabbi Rudolph and Robert Litman for their support by Sonya Braverman

Julius Schiffman, my father, by Carolyn ShapiroBlanche Cohen, beloved mother of Barbara Lerman, by Sarah Kalser

disabled access FundIn Memory Of: Evelyn Appleton, and with thanks to everyone who supported Jewelry for Jewish Disability Month, by Andrea Appleton Golden

Jennie Ash by Anita AshSarah Spero, my grandmother, by Stephanie VenturaFine Arts FundIn Honor Of: Evyan and Bob Koenig’s new grandson by Brenda and Doug Bregman

In Memory Of: Irv Nurik by Danielle and Evan Sultangeneral FundIn Honor Of: Abe Lubin receiving the Blue Yarmulke Award by Jose and Tutti Sokol

Baby naming of Sadie Rosenthal, granddaughter of Paul Rosenthal, by Margie and Joe Hoffman

Bat mitzvah of Sarah Clement by Cheryl and Herbert BarafA full and speedy recovery to Marty Rosensky by Diane and Howard Slaughter

Riva Weinstein’s 100th birthday by Reina Lerner

Peter Novick by Jordan and Rahel RosnerAri Rosner’s Haftarah reading by Jordan and Rahel RosnerSpecial birthday of David Friedlander by Michael and Jessica Friedlander

Sarah Clement becoming a bat mitzvah by Phyllis, Aaron, Vivianna, Jessica, and Mira Arnold

Benjamin Harris’s bar mitzvah by Brenda and Doug BregmanBirth of Amalya Josephine Liu Simowitz, granddaughter of Amy and Lee Simowitz and daughter of Aaron Simowitz and Emmeline Liu, by Beth El Opera Havurah

In Memory Of: Blanche Cohen, mother of Barbara Lerman, by Roberta and David Benor

Eleanor Meyerhoff Katz, mother of Laura Cutler, by Larry Sidman and Jana Singer and Ellen and Jonathan Kessler

Edward Freedman, father of Rhonda Zahler, by Gale and Ron Dutcher, Larry Sidman and Jana Singer, and Karyl Barron and Jeffrey Moak

Edward Shandell, my grandfather, by Andrea ShandellPearl Segal, mother of Debbie Olchyk, by Larry Sidman and Jana Singer

Curt Sloan, father of Karen Lebovich, by Larry Sidman and Jana Singer

Louis Ellenbogen by Audrey BergerEdith Gamble, aunt of Pat Danoff, by Gail Ross and Roy Niedermayer, Tutti and Jose Sokol, and Beth El Opera Havurah

Maurice Greenstein by Dora WeinsteinIsak Dvorkina and Tatyana Glickman by Etia DvorkinaMax Kivitz by Murray KivitzPhyllis Margolius, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and my friend, by Rita and Irwin Kopin

Ruth Merber by Marilyn RipinJacob Burman, my brother, by Bea BergerMarvin J. Klass by Kay Klass and Mark LevittBernard Gutman, father of Donald Gutman, by Margie and Joe Hoffman

Phyllis Margolius by Ellen and Jonathan Kessler, Gail Ross and Roy Niedermayer, and John and Sue Rosenthal

Rita Trauberman, loving mother and grandmother, by Jeffrey Trauberman

Howard E. Helf by Thomas E. Helf and Michelle BrafmanMaurice Greenstein, father of Judy Futterman, by Judy and Craig Futterman

Harlene Cohen by Tamara and Ivan SnyderJoseph Prepsler by Sabina ShalomFrances Bebchick by Leonard BebchickWilliam A. Dembo, Sr. by Dorothy P. DemboBeloved father, Zvi Scharfstein, by Tutti and Jose SokolNehama Lerner by Reina LernerElinor Palchick, mother of Mark Palchick and aunt of Karyl Barron, by Larry Sidman and Jana Singer

Gilda Neustein by Sharon SchulmanReiko Wantz, my grandmother, by Tiarra JoslynHarlene Cohen by Brian and Judy Lissgroner ramah Scholarship FundIn Honor Of: Bo Rider becoming a bar mitzvah by Brian, Judy, Kayla, and Ian Liss

Tzedek

4

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Sarah Clement becoming a bat mitzvah by Brian, Judy, Kayla, and Ian Liss

Israel experience teen FundIn Memory Of: Deana Bodner, mother of Jonathan Bodner and grandmother of Jack and Liam Bodner, by Jonathan and Laura Bodner

Anne Goode by Esther and Elliot WilnerKimball Nursery School FundIn Memory Of: Leonard Neumann by Scott and Hillary Bermanlibrary FundIn Memory Of: Libby Tabak by Larry and Robin TabakFrances Becker, mother of Arthur Becker, by Arthur and Sandra Becker

Bernice Rosen by Ed Rosen and Stacey BermanHarry Weiss by Karen Satin, Mitchell Weiss, and Michael WeissMazonIn Honor Of: Mark Grove and his friendship by Eric SchlesingerIn Memory Of: My mother, Adrienne M. Friede Krausz, by Mariette KleinJoseph G. Resnick by Bernard T. ResnickElliot Morris by Jim and Leslie DellonMintz landscaping FundIn Memory Of: Bernard Turteltaub, my beloved father, by Helena KoenigMorning Minyan FundIn Honor Of: Special birthday of Estelle Wiser by Sarah KalserBaby naming of Rebecca Miller, daughter of Abby and Ben Miller, by Adina, Max, and Miriam Barkinskiy

In Memory Of: Edward Strauss by Bruce StraussBlanche Cohen by Seymour GrossHarry Brody, my father, by Gerald BrodyFannye Levin, our beloved mother, by Julian Levin and Sondra Brody

Sanford Kay by Larry Sidman and Jana SingerHarry Burkom by Ruth Lee GreenbergAbraham Hochberg by Marilyn HammermanMy brother, Milton Dolnansky, by Rosalyn BassNitzanim FundIn Honor Of: Birth of Rebecca Miller, daughter of Abby and Ben Miller, by Tamara and Ivan Snyder

perspectives FundIn Honor Of: Rabbi William Rudolph by Craig YokumPhilip Borish by Craig YokumHerbert Tanenbaum by Craig YokumHerb Wiser by Craig YokumDavid H. Margulies by Craig YokumBorys Gendelman by Craig YokumElliot Wilner’s discussion of the Mourners’ Kaddish by Walter Arnheim and Marsha Rehns

In Memory Of: Irvin Hamburger by Lori and Steve Ross

Vince prada technology FundIn Memory Of: Gloria Orin by Rhonda EisensteinElinor Cohodas Palchick, mother of Mark Palchick and aunt of Karyl Barron, by Marvin Yudkovitz

prayerbook FundIn Memory Of: Our loving grandmother, Harlene Cohen, by Geoffrey, Ryan, and Daniella Kulp

rabbi’s FundIn Honor Of: Rabbi Rudolph and Gail Fribush by Eric and Sharyn Schlesinger

My aliyah in celebration of my 90th birthday by Thelma Malkin

Benjamin Harris on his bar mitzvah by Rhonda KleinerEngagement of Marc Rudolph and Karen Terry by Larry Sidman and Jana Singer

Rabbi Rudolph’s caring and support at the time of my wife Phyllis’ sickness and after her death by Philip Margolius

Amy and Gene Goott for becoming grandparents by Liz Schrayer and Jeff Schwaber

Rabbi Harris, for leading Emma Davison’s bat mitzvah, by Lisa and Doug Davison

In Memory Of: Mindy Lieberman by George and Jackie Goldstone Sol Kleiner by Rhonda KleinerCarol Carlisle by Jeffrey CarlisleSimon and Frieda Schwartz by Laura BouvierSylvan Askin, my brother, by Sara LiebermanMy brother, Avrom Howard Fine, by Leesa FineRoslyn Marlin, mother of June Falb, by Bobby and Fran Watson

George Birnbach by Sarah BirnbachDavid and Raye Pollack by Linda OrensteinJack Amster by Jayson AmsterHelen Wilder, mother of Mitzi Goldman, by Mitzi and Max Goldman

Helen Hirsch by Hans HirschSara Silver, loving grandmother, by Patricia SilverEvelyn Shevin by Marilyn, Frans, and Michelle Shevin-CoetzeDorothy Bender by Howard BenderBlanche Cohen, mother of Barbara Lerman, by Barbara and David Eisenstein

Harry Asen by Henrietta Asen.Scolnic adult Institute FundBy: Nancy WolfIn Honor Of: Irv Kopin’s special birthday by Ilene and David JacobowitzIn Memory Of: Beloved mother, Lillian M. Schultz, by David SchultzCarley Broder, sister of Michael Broder, by Eugene Meyer and Sandra Pearlman

Dick Belferman by Rosalie SpornSenior caucusIn Memory Of: My husband, Arnold Bass, by Rosalyn D. BassEva and Morris Povich by Doris L. PovichIrene Shapiro by Joan and Seth Goldberg

Contributions Continued

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My beloved daughter, Dale Sue Allen, by Annette Goldberg.dr. elaine l. Shalowitz education FundIn Memory Of: Mildred Wasserman, grandmother of Rachel Hillman, by Religious School faculty

My beloved wife, Elaine Shalowitz, by Erwin ShalowitzSimos Music FundIn Honor Of: Hazzan Abe Lubin, recipient of the Men’s Club Blue Yarmulke Award, by Julia P. Copperman and Gail Ross and Roy Niedermayer

In Memory Of: Shirley Gross, beloved wife of Seymour Gross, by Debbie and Scott Glick

Sylvia Kammerman by Lisa KammermanSisterhood Kiddush FundIn Memory Of: Mary Suplee, sister of Tom Dahl, by Margy NurikEdward Freedman, father of Rhonda Zahler, by Pat and Jerry Danoff and Joan and Joel Simon

Sisterhood Shiva Meal FundIn Memory Of: Blanche Cohen, mother of Barbara Lerman, by Esther and Elliot Wilner

My mother, Adrienne M. Friede Krausz, by Mariette KleinRuth Levine, mother of Jason Levine and mother-in-law of Carin Levine, by Nancy and Herb Rosenthal

Edith Gamble, aunt of Pat Danoff, by Esther and Elliot WilnerSisterhood torah FundIn Memory Of: Edward Freedman, beloved father of Rhonda Zahler, by Jerome and Ina Wernick and Debbie Leibowitz

Social action FundIn Honor Of: Hannah Handloff ’s 17th birthday by Sharon and Jeremy Zissman

Sophie Handloff ’s youth volunteer award from Sunflower Bakery by Sharon and Jeremy Zissman

In Memory Of: Sadye Moshman by Annette and Jack MoshmanSuls Youth activities FundIn Memory Of: Max Liss by George Lisselaine tanenbaum religious School enrichment FundIn Honor Of: Special birthday of Irwin Kopin by Herbert TanenbaumIn Memory Of: Samuel Tanenbaum, my father, by Herbert Tanenbaumtransportation FundIn Honor Of: Audrey Berger, for her work with the Dor L’Dor program, by Ricardo Munster

Ricardo Munster by Martha StraussIn Memory Of: Albert Berger, my beloved husband, by Audrey BergerWeker Family program FundIn Memory Of: My parents, Gertrude and Simon Weker, by Laurie Weker Lipton

Werner liturgical Music FundIn Memory Of: Leah Heffter, my mother, by Jerome Heffterbarbara Wolf “Israel Quest” FundIn Memory Of: Sy Wolf by Fay WolfYoung equality FundIn Memory Of: Leila Rosen Young and Harry I. Young by Joe and Ina Young

Contributions Continued

Thursday, May 29Bus will leave Beth El at 8:30 am

and return at 7:00 pm.

$80 per person includes museum admission, guided tour, kosher lunch at nearby restaurant, round-trip luxury bus transportation to Philadelphia, gratuity, and snacks. Rabbi Rudolph will accompany the group. Tour includes the special exhibit.

For questions, contact Geryl Baer at 301-652-8569, ext. 352.

REGiSTRaTion FoRMName: ____________________________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________________________

Lunch sandwich selection: q chicken with pita q shwarma in pita q falafel in pita

Enclosed is a check made out to Congregation Beth El for $__________ for _____ attendees.Send form and check to Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814. Cancellations will be accepted until May 19. After this date, refunds will be processed only if someone takes your place.

Join Beth El to visit the naTional MuSEuM oF aMERiCan JEWiSh hiSToRy

Mazal tov toAbbie and Bill Eckland on the engagement of their daughter, Emily Tovah Eckland, to Michael Gartell.

Ken and Carolyn Feigenbaum on the birth of their twin granddaughters, Liel Bar and Elorie Hannah. Parents are Aaron Feigenbaum and Natalia Nedel, and proud big brother is Byron.

Joshua and Melissa Hausfeld on the birth of their daughter, Jacqueline Zara Hausfeld, and to grandparents, Jeffrey and Susan Hausfeld. Proud big sisters are Julia and Gabrielle.

Bert and Susan King on the birth of their grandson, Zachary Joel Gerstein. Proud parents are Jonathan and Rachel Gerstein, and proud big brother is Ari.

Kathy and Bob Matty on the engagement of their son, Jeffrey Matty, to Allison Laycob.

Art and Myra Smith on the engagement of their daughter, Suzanne, to Brett Eisen.

Condolences to The family of Richard Belferman on his deathMichael Broder and Rita Rubin on the death of Michael’s sister, Carley Broder

June and Robert Falb on the death of June’s mother, Roslyn Marlin

Jason and Carin Levine on the death of Jason’s mother, Ruth Kuper Levine

Mark and Rina Palchick on the death of Mark’s mother, Elinor Cohodas Palchick

Lori and Bruce Simon on the death of Lori’s father, Max Freiman

Linda and Steve Strauss on the death of Linda’s father, Jerry Hyman

Rhonda and Bob Zahler on the death of Rhonda’s father, Edward Freeman

NoteworthyDor L’Dor, Thursday, May 1, noon. Join the Beth El Pre-school 4’s Class, Vatikkim, and Senior Caucus for this intergen-erational program connecting kids with seniors. To participate and share pizza with the preschoolers for this last program until classes resume in the fall, RSVP to Susan Bruckheim at 301-652-2606, or info@bethelmc.org, or to Ricardo Munster at 301-652-2606, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org.Shabbat Early Morning Service: 30th Anniversary Shabbat, May 3, 7:30 am. The Shabbat Early Morning Service, which began in 1984 on the first Shabbat following Passover, will hold its 30th anniversary service in the Swoff Chapel. The anniversary celebration is always an enjoyable time. Everyone is encouraged to join us for this festive occa-sion. A kiddush follows the service. Roundtable with the Rabbi, Wednesday, May 7, 2:00 pm. Join us to celebrate May birthdays (yours and those of others) with desserts, coffee, and a lively discussion led by Rabbi Rudolph. Birthday celebrants receive a special invita-tion, but all are welcome.Senior Caucus, Thursdays, May 8, 22, and 29, noon. Brown bag lunch. Come and socialize with your friends and enjoy refreshments and dessert. Senior Caucus–Vatikkim Luncheon Program, Thurs-day, May 15. Starts with lunch at noon. After lunch, thanks to the sponsorship of the Washington Performing Arts So-ciety Women’s Committee, we will enjoy the music of Mi-chael Grasso and the Not 2 Cool Jazz Trio. They will play a mixture of standards and classic jazz. Lunch costs $8. To RSVP for lunch, contact Ricardo Munster at 301-652-2606, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org, by Tuesday, May 13. The program is free and begins around 1:00 pm. Bridge – the greatest game ever. Join us every Monday (except May 26, Memorial Day) and Thursday (except the third Thursday) from 12:30 to 4:00 pm. Drop in and join a game; no partner necessary. For information or transporta-tion, contact Ricardo Munster at 301-652-2606, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org.

While we know you’ll want to read every word in this issue of the Scroll, when you’re finished, please recycle it.

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Send submissions to the Scroll to scroll@bethelmc.org

Descriptions of ServicesMinyan Chaverim offers the ruach of the Shabbat services in USY, BBYO, and Hillel. We have a lay-led, tradi-tional, participatory, spirit-filled service, including full repetition of the Shacha-rit and Musaf amidah, as well as the full Torah reading with an interactive Torah discussion. A pot-luck lunch fol-lows the service at a nearby home. For information, contact Debbie Feinstein or Sheryl Rosensky Miller at info@bethelmc.org.

The Worship and Study Minyan is conducted by members of the congregation and combines evocative Torah study with ample singing and ruach. Children are welcome, although the service is oriented toward adults. For information, contact Dan Hirsch, Sid Getz, or Mark Levitt at 301-652-2606, info@bethelmc.org.

Teen Service is a cool service without parents, conducted by and for post-b’nai mitzvah teens, with a great kiddush. To volunteer to read Torah, conduct part of the service, or help with a discussion, contact Aviva Solkowitz at 301-652-2606, info@bethelmc.org

Other Youth /Family Services, for information, contact Elisha Frumkin, 301-652-8573, ext. 319, efrumkin@bethelmc.org.

B e t h E l C a l e n d a r& W e e k l y P a r a s h i o t

Daily Services M-F 7:30 am Sun-Th 8:00 pm Fri 6:30 pm Sun 9:00 am

Shabbat Services (all services are weekly, except as noted) Early Morning Service 7:30 am Main Service 9:30 am Babysitting (2-6 years old) 9:15 am Minyan Chaverim (3rd Shabbat) 9:30 am Worship and Study Minyan (1st Shabbat) 9:45 am

Youth Shabbat Services Teen Service (1st Shabbat) 10:00 am Junior Congregation (5th grade +; Library) 10:00 am Shitufim 10:30-11:30 am (2nd– 4th grades; 2nd & 4th Shabbat; Zahler Social Hall)

Gan Shabbat (kindergarten-2nd grade; 1st & 3rd Shabbat; MP 1&2) 10:30-11:30 am Nitzanim (birth - kindergarten; 2nd, 4th, 5th Shabbat; MP 1&2) 10:30-11:30 am

Weekly ParashiotSource: Siddur Sim Shalom

EmorMay 3, 3 IyarGod sets laws for the priesthood. The sacred days are ordained. Shabbat and the Festivals - Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot - along with Rosh Hoshanah and Yom Kippur are prescribed for all generations.

B’harMay 10, 10 IyarGod tells Moses that after Israel reaches Canaan, the land shall observe a seventh year of rest, a Shabbat, and lie fallow. After seven sabbatical cycles, every fiftieth year, a Jubilee shall be declared. In this hallowed year, Israel will “proclaim liberty throughout the land, unto all its inhabitants.” Property will revert to its original owner and slaves will be free.

B’chukotaiMay 17, 17 Iyar“Observe My commandments,” says God, and be rewarded; “reject My statutes,” and suffer consequences. Yet despite this Tokhehah - this litany of dire warnings - God will not utterly reject Israel. God vows to remember the covenant made with Israel’s ancestors.

B’midbarMay 24, 24 IyarIn the second year after leaving Egypt, in the Sinai wilderness, God orders Moses to take a census of the people. God also determines the positioning of each tribe around the Tabernacle. The tribe of Levi is appointed to attend to the Mishkan and to aid the Kohanim.

NasoMay 31, 2 SivanThe Levites are to dismantle the Tabernacle when Israel sets forth and to set it up again when Israel encamps. God forbids unclean persons to dwell in the camp. Priestly intervention is required in cases of marital infidelity or the breaking of a Nazirite vow of consecration to God. God trains Aaron to deliver Birkat Kohanim, the three-fold priestly blessing. The Mishkan is then dedicated.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1 Hanukkah 4th Day 2 Hanukkah 5th Day 1 Rosh Hodesh Nisan 2 1 Rosh Hodesh Iyar 2 Candles 7:43 pm 3

4 5 Yom Hazikaron 6 Yom Ha’Atzmaut 7 8 9 Candles 7:50 pm 10

11 Mother’s Day 12 13 14 15 16 Candles 7:57 pm 17

18 Lag B’Omer 19 20 21 22 23 Candles 8:03 pm 24

25 26 Memorial Day 27 28 Yom Yerushalayim 29 30 Candles 8:08 pm 31

C o n g r e g a t i o n B e t h E lMonthly Calendar

9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast10:00 am Rising 4th Grade Parents

Meeting10:00 am Men’s Club Program 10:00 am Zhava Wellness Talk with Lori

Bard7:00 pm Talmud Class

12:30 pm Bridge7:30 pm Boy Scouts7:30 pm Religious School Committee

8:15 am A Taste of Talmud10:00 am Scolnic Institute6:30 pm Mah Jongg7:00 pm Bridge Class - Beginner

9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class9:30 am M. Fine Class2:00 pm Roundtable with the Rabbi7:30 pm Scolnic Institute

Noon Senior Caucus Brown Bag Lunch1:00 pm Bridge7:00 pm Executive Committee Meeting

6:30 pm Friday Evening Service6:30 pm Kol Haneshama7:30 pm Congregational Yom Ha’Atzmaut

Shabbat Dinner

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Abigail Gillman Bat Mitzvah9:30 am Emily Schweitzer Bat

Mitzvah10:00 am Jr. Congregation10:30 am Learners Service10:30 am Nitzanim10:30 am Shitufim

9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast7:00 pm Talmud Class

12:30 pm Bridge7:30 pm Boy Scouts

8:15 am A Taste of Talmud10:00 am Scolnic Institute6:30 pm Mah Jongg7:00 pm Confirmation Rehearsal &

Pictures7:00 pm Bridge Class - Beginner7:30 pm BEPS Board Meeting

9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class9:30 am M. Fine Class9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class7:30 pm Scolnic Institute

Religious School - Last Thursday Classes

Noon Senior Caucus Luncheon

5:30 pm BEPS Shabbat Dinner6:30 pm Friday Evening Service

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Maxwell Portnoy Bar Mitzvah10:00 am 6th Grade Family Shabbat

Service10:30 am Gan Shabbat

9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Kavod AwardsNoon Bonim Drum Circle2:30 pm Lag B’Omer Celebration (off-

site)7:00 pm Talmud Class

Religious School - Last Monday Classes

12:30 pm Bridge7:30 pm Boy Scouts7:30 pm Rabbi Elisha Wolfin - speaker

Religious School - Last Tuesday Classes

8:15 am A Taste of Talmud6:30 pm Mah Jongg7:00 pm Bridge Class - Beginner7:30 pm Religious School 10th Grade

Confirmation7:30 pm Book Club

Religious School - Last Wednesday Classes

9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class9:30 am M. Fine Class9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class7:00 pm BEST Parent Meeting

Noon Senior Caucus Brown Bag Lunch1:00 pm Bridge6:30 pm Sisterhood Meeting

6:30 pm Friday Evening Service 7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Isaac Gelb Bar Mitzvah9:30 am Macie Gelb Bat Mitzvah10:30 am Nitzanim

9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast10:00 am Men’s Club Program7:00 pm Talmud Class

Schools and Offices Closed9:00 am Morning Minyan

8:15 am A Taste of Talmud6:30 pm Mah Jongg7:00 pm Bridge Class - Beginner

9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class9:30 am M. Fine Class9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class7:30 pm Green Tikkun Meeting8:15 pm Annual Congregational Meeting

& Reception

8:30 am Beth El Trip to National Museum of American Jewish History

Noon Senior Caucus Brown Bag Lunch1:00 pm Bridge

Rosh Hodesh Sivan6:30 pm Friday Evening Service

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Molly Herson Bat Mitzvah10:30 am Nitzanim

6:30 pm Friday Evening Service7:15 pm Day School Shabbat Dinner

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Lauren Gips Bat Mitzvah9:30 am Rebecca Redlich Bat Mitzvah9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan10:00 am Jr. Congregation10:00 am Teen Service10:30 am Gan Shabbat

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Adult B’nai Mitzvah9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan10:00 am Jr. Congregation10:00 am Teen Service10:30 am Gan Shabbat5:00 pm Matthew Kroskin Bar Mitzvah

9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast10:00 am Men’s Club Program10:00 am Zhava Workshop: Friendship

and Bullying

Noon Senior Caucus Dor L’ Dor Lunch1:00 pm Bridge7:30 pm Sisterhood Rosh Hodesh Green

Program8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices

May 2014Iyar–Sivan 5774