adas chronicleisrael congregation

January 2012 • ChroniCle • 1

Clergy Corner

Clergy Corner Page 2

SisterhoodPage 3

Youth@AIPage 4

YP@AIPage 4

Life Cycle Page 6

CalendarPage 8

Education 0

Men’s Club Page 11

Contributions Page 13

Tikkun Olam Page 16

Celebrating Our 142nd Year the ChroniCle is suPPOrted in

Part bY the ethel and nat POPiCk endOwment Fund

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VOl. 74, nO. 7 FebrurarY 2012 sheVat–adar 5772

AdAs isrAel CongregAtion

Chronicle

AssiMilAtion or sePArAtionAs I write these lines, the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers is fresh in my mind. One facet of the story that has relevance for us today is how Joseph settled his family in Egypt, in particular in the land of Goshen. You may recall that the Torah (in Genesis 46 and 47) emphasizes that Jo-seph’s brothers were shepherds and cattle men. The Torah also teaches that shepherds and cat-tle men were an abomination to ordinary Egyptians. Joseph could have employed his brothers as administrators in the Egyptian hierarchy, but chooses not to. Instead, they are allowed to live separately in the land of Goshen while the rest of Egypt suffers under the burden of famine and Joseph’s land policies.

One interpretation of the brothers’ living in Goshen is that this was the only way to insulate the family from the deleterious effects of Egyptian society. Al-

Tu B’Shevat, the New Year for Trees, is a time when trees start drinking the New Year’s rainwater and the sun renews itself. As the Jewish Arbor Day, Tu B’Shevat embod-ies the strong dedication to ecology, environmentalism, and conservation that the Jewish National Fund (JNF) has cham-pioned since its inception in 1901. This year, Tu B’Shevat (the 15th of Shevat) falls on Wednes-day, February 8.

On the third day of creation, God created “seed-bearing plants, fruit trees after their

kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it” (Genesis 1:11). God then put Adam in the gar-den to “till it and tend it” (2:15), making humans stewards of the earth.

According to the Mishna, where it is first mentioned, Tu B’Shevat—the 15th day of the month of Shevat—is the date farmers used to calculate the year’s crop yield and determine the tithe the Bible requires. It

also marks the end of the first three years of a

Get ready to rock the house—again. Kol HaOlam II is right around the corner.

The national Jewish collegiate a cappella competition, which premiered last April before a paid audience of 800 in our very own big house—the Charles E. Smith Sanctuary—is returning to Adas Israel on Saturday night, February 25, and you don’t want to miss the sequel.

“A cappella”—which in Italian means “in the manner of the chapel”—is singing without instrumental accompaniment; all sounds are produced by mouth. There are close to 50

collegiate Jewish a cappella groups—mostly co-ed—on campuses around the United States and Canada. Mike Boxer, director of the professional Jewish a cappella group Six13 and once again Kol HaOlam’s master of ceremonies, was quick to remind us in April that “Jewish people are the original a cappella group; we’ve been doing it on Shabbat for the better part of six thousand years.”

This year, there was a competition to get into the February event. Seventeen groups submitted audition videos, which were screened by three experienced a cappella singers: Alison Lynn, a recent Kenyon College graduate and longtime Adas attendee; Giorgio Kulp, a Beth Shalom member and local pediatrician; and the author of this article, an

Tu B’Shevat 5772, February 8

hearing voices? if not, it’s time to get started.By Jeff Knishkowy

by Rabbi Charles Feinberg

[Use photos of Galit Baram, Peter Beinert, Rabbi Yoav Ende and insert their names underneath as captions.]

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2 • ChroniCle • JAnuAry 2012

though the family was quite large—70 souls—it was a drop in the bucket in the hundreds of thousands if not millions who lived in Egypt. While the Egyptians regarded shepherds as abhorrent, our tradition regarded Egypt and Egyptian values as abhorrent as well. By settling his family in Goshen, Joseph allowed it to maintain its faith in God and the belief that all human beings are created in God’s image. By arranging for his family to re-main cattle men and shepherds, Joseph maintained the values that shepherds hold dear. Shepherds care for their flocks, take an interest in individual members of the flock, and protect them from danger. It is for this reason that the Torah thinks of leadership by using the metaphor of a shepherd guiding his flock. Separa-tion (living in Goshen) then becomes the means to preserve the identity of Jacob’s family and to prevent its members from assimilating into Egyptian society.

Yet there is another way to think about Jacob’s family settling in the land of Goshen. According to the Torah, Jo-seph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt. When people demanded grain, Joseph demanded they give up all their livestock in exchange for the grain. When the grain ran out, and they needed more, the people were will-ing to sell themselves and their land to Pharaoh. Only the priests were allowed to keep their land.

Where was Joseph’s family? Were they affected by the famine? Did they sell their land to Pharaoh and become his slaves? No they did not. The brothers received land that became theirs, an ahuza in He-brew. At the end of this story, after we learn how everybody in Egypt has become a slave except the priest, the Torah teaches, “Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen; they settled in it, they multi-plied, and they became very numerous.”

We don’t have to read very much be-tween the lines to realize that Joseph pro-tected his family while enslaving the rest of Egypt. Joseph’s family got the best land

in Egypt. Its members were fruitful and multiplied in this land. Starving people usually are not fruitful, and they usually don’t multiply. On the contrary, they de-crease in numbers because of high infant mortality rates. Is it moral for a ruler to protect his own family while oppressing everyone else? Joseph protected his own family and his wife’s family, for Asnat bat Potiphera, Joseph’s wife, was a daughter of an Egyptian priest.

Perhaps we should not be surprised that when a new Pharaoh came to power he found this situation intolerable. Nor should we be surprised that a new king would rise to power who did not know Joseph. It is easy to imagine that this new king would exploit the resentment many Egyptians must have felt over the descen-dents of Jacob receiving favored treat-ment. Is it not possible that the slavery of the Israelites in Egypt was a punishment for Joseph enslaving Egypt itself? By sepa-rating his family from Egyptian society, Joseph may have laid the groundwork for its eventual enslavement.

These competing interpretations of Joseph’s family living in Goshen are not just Torah for its own sake. These interpretations express a fundamental tension within Jew-ish life today. Rabbis and other leaders of the Jewish community have often decried the high rate of intermarriage in North America. We fear that fewer and fewer Jews will identify with the Jewish community or Judaism. Yet, in many ways Jewish life is flourishing in North America possibly be-cause there is so much movement between the periphery and the core. There may be fewer born Jews today in North America but there are many more Jews by choice. In many intermarried families, the children are being raised with a Jewish identity. Indeed, the Jewish community has become highly successful and is widely admired by people from most sectors of American society. Most Jews don’t live in a “Goshen” in America. We have become assimilated in many ways without sacrificing the vitality of the Jewish community. While anti-Semitism certainly

exists in many corners in the United States, there can be no comparison to how Jews were perceived in the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s. Most of us believe that rigid separation doesn’t serve our interests.

In Israel, we see many examples of peo-ple favoring separation over assimilation. There is now a struggle over how much influence the ultra-Orthodox community should wield in the public sector. Israeli society is rife with tension on issues such as separate seating for men and women on public transportation, the amount of public money spent on yeshivot and other ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, and the standards for conversion to Juda-ism. In what ways are the different ultra-Orthodox communities acting like Joseph, trying to protect themselves from what they think are the deleterious effects of Israeli society? And in what ways are these communities adopting the values of other non-Jewish fundamentalists?

Moreover, while the religious–secular tensions are real and serious, the tensions between Arabs and Jews are even more serious. For generations, Israeli Arabs have been discriminated against and have not had the same access to public resources that Israeli Jews have had. Should this con-tinue? Do we act like Joseph protecting his family when we ignore this discrimination? In the West Bank, Israeli Jews have been conducting a low level of warfare against Palestinian Arabs. Palestinian olive groves are burned or cut down, Palestinian prop-erty is encroached upon, and sometimes Palestinians are not allowed access to their own water. For the sake of separation, do we not undermine the Jewish value of the dignity of each human being? Or do we say that separation is necessary for the sur-vival of our people in our land?

The story of Joseph’s family living in Goshen and its competing interpretations offer us a way to reflect on Jewish life to-day. May this story and other stories help us develop insight into our own situation. May they help us summon compassion for all who struggle with these tensions. ¢

rAbbi Feinberg continued from page 1

Clergy Corner


Sisterhood

Adas member who currently sings with Kulp in a Jewish a cappella group known as Jew vox. Ultimately, 10 groups were selected to compete. Tizmoret will return to defend its title. Other returning groups include runner-up Kol Sasson from the University of Maryland, Kaskeset, Staam, Rak Shalom (University of Maryland), and Mezumenet. Four new groups will compete this year as well: three from the Midwest (Hooshir, Jewop, and Kol HaKavod), and the fourth, Kolot, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. With the exception of Mezumenet (female), all the groups are co-ed, and each has its own unique and entertaining style and sound.

Once again, first, second, and third place prizes will be awarded based on scores given by the judges. In addition, there will be prizes for the Best Original Arrangement and the Audience Favorite—the latter selected by members of the audience. One change this year will be a prize for Best Beatboxing—the art of vocal percussion. If you’ve never before heard human voices mimicking percussion instruments, or even if you have, you’re in for quite a treat.

Adas Israel members will provide home hospitality to 100 or so

out-of-town group members as well as shomer Shabbos members of local groups. The Shabbat leading up to “The Event” will be filled with lots of great singing. Proceeds from the event will go to our summer scholarship fund and a college outreach effort.

If you would like to be a host family, please contact [email protected]. Tickets may be purchased at kolhaolam.org. Excerpts from last year’s event can be heard at that website under “Listen.” Videos of last year’s competition are at gatherthejews.com/2011/04/first-report-from-the-jewish-a-cappella-competition.

Note: Jeff Knishkowy is chair of this year’s Kol HaOlam. ¢

Kol hAolAM continued from page 1

Mezumenet, the University of Maryland’s all-female a cappella group.

Kaskeset, Binghamton University’s Jewish a cappella group.

Ruth & Simon Albert Sisterhood Gift Shop

hours

sun–Mon & Wed–Fri, 9:30 am–12:30 pm tues, 9:30 am–3:00 pm & 6:30–8:00 pm

[email protected]

every purchase benefits Adas israel Congregation.

it’s not early to start thinking about Passover—seder plates, Miriam and Elijah cups, matzah covers, all of the

things that make the holiday so special. And how about all of those upcoming b’nai

mitzvah? Does your son or daughter have a tallit from Israel? Choose from our vast array of styles, most of

which are handmade!

Membership Celebrating Sisterhood at Adas Israel for over 100 years! Join Us! If you haven’t sent in your dues yet, time is running out for join-ing for 5772, which will be over before you know it. You can call Carol Ansell at the synagogue (202-362-4433) or use the form on our website, adasisrael.org/sisterhood. Send in your dues today! Deadline: March 31.

n street Village yarn ProjectThe women at N Street Village love to knit and crochet. The Well-ness Center offers a number of knitting and crochet classes as part of its recovery program—it has even begun an advanced knitting class—and there is a constant need for yarn. N Street Village, with which Adas Israel has had a long relationship, has asked the congre-gation to collect yarn from its members for this program. Sisterhood has assumed responsibility for this mitzvah and is collecting yarn for the N Street Village’s popular knitting and crocheting classes.

If you have any yarn of any amount, please deposit it into the coat room bin marked, “N-STREET VILLAGE YARN COLLECTION.” Sisterhood would greatly appreciate your donations. For more information, contact Marcia Feuerstein, [email protected].

taste of Tanach—ongoingEvery month, usually (but not always) on the second Tuesday, Rabbi Steinlauf meets with Sisterhood members (and anyone else who drops by at 10 am in the Sisterhood Library) to discuss our Jewish foundation texts—from the Torah to the prophets, to Hassidic writings, to modern commentary.

The theme this year is mitzvot. Remaining meeting dates for 5772 are February 14, March 13, April 24, May 15, and June 12. Contact Beryl Saltman, 202-362-4433, for an advance copy of the current reading.

Preparing for PurimWe are looking for Sisterhood volunteers to join with other orga-nizations in the synagogue to help make a difference in some-one’s Purim! All types of skills needed. For more information, call

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A community for young adults between the ages of 21 and 35. Singles can meet singles, young couples can meet young couples, newcomers can connect with other newcomers.‘Shir Delight,’ February 3

“Shir Delight” is Adas Israel’s Kabba-lat Shabbat experience for young Jewish professionals between the ages of 21 and 35. Our evening begins at 6:30 with a happy hour

oneg, followed by a lay-led Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv ser-vice and $8 Shabbat dinner. While everyone is welcome to join us for our happy hour oneg and services, we can only accommodate a limited number of people for dinner. Please register today at adasisrael.org/yp by January 31 to reserve your spot. ¢

YP @ AI

December was a fantastic month for Adas Israel’s youth! Chaverim made some beautiful hanukiot at All Fired Up! It was great to walk to such a fun place together! Kadima had a blast ice skating in the Sculpture Garden. We had wonderful weather for the event and, of course, enjoyed some hot chocolate! USY had a memorable Hanukkah party where we ate latkes, spun dreidels, and made blankets to donate to babies in a nearby hospital. Everyone enjoyed the dreidel competition, yummy food, good friends, and fun!

Coming up this month:Kadima: February 26—Come out and help cheer on your friends at Adas’s basketball game against Beth El Bethesda!usy: February 12—Mystery event . . . stay tuned; February 19–20—Regional Great Wolf Lodge Overnight; February 25—Help us sell merchandise at Kol HaOlam for tikkun olam! ¢

Youth @ AI

tree’s growth and the beginning of the fourth, during which one is forbidden to eat its fruit.

Since its founding, JNF has planted more than 240 million trees in Israel to pro-tect the land, prevent soil erosion, green the landscape, and preserve vital ecosys-tems. The trees maintain forest health, combat desertification, protect water-

sheds, and manage water flow. Addition-ally, they create a “green lung” to combat carbon dioxide emissions in the region.

JNF’s success at planting trees in Israel has resulted in naturally expanded forests and reclaimed deserts.

Go to the Jewish National Fund’s web-site, www.jnf.org, for more information or to make a donation.

Celebrating Tu B’Shevat with a seder

has become traditional for families and congregations around the world. During a Tu B’Shevat seder, seven species of fruits and grains from Israel are blessed and eaten. The seven species are wheat, bar-ley, grapes, fig, pomegranate, olive, and dates (Deuteronomy 8:8). It is also custom-ary to dance the Mayim, the Jewish dance for water, during a Tu B’Shevat seder. ¢

Tu B'ShevaT continued from page 1

Please note this office ClosingPresidents’ day, Monday, February 20

Schools/Offices ClosedMorning Minyan at 8:30 am & Evening Minyan at 6:00 pm

Supported by the Marilyn & Stefan Tucker Program Fund

Friday, April 6, 2012

7:00 p.m.

First Night


Ma Tovuhonoring our leAders & Volunteers

Michael and Maria lasa sloan: A Journey from students to teachersby Ed KopfThe purpose of the Ma Tovu column is to honor and acknowledge congregants who work tirelessly behind the scenes to enrich our Adas Israel experience.

A synagogue, at its best, can have the power to change, deepen, and enrich lives. The experience of Michael and Maria Lasa Sloan at Adas Israel superbly illustrates how this can happen.

When Michael and Maria joined Adas Israel in 1997, Jewish community and religion were peripheral to their lives. Maria was not Jewish. Michael, though Jewish, had not become a bar mitzvah, didn’t know the alef-bet, and saw little room for God and religion in his life. A decade-and-a-half later, the Sloans (Maria, Michael, and daughters Sarah and Soledad) live a life suffused with Jewish practice, learning, community, and faith.

It all started to change in the Adas Israel Gan HaYeled Nursery School. Maria and Michael were searching for a pre-school program without particular regard to religious affiliation. On the advice of a friend, they decided to send their girls to the Gan for the general quality of its programs. But the Jewish atmosphere quickly caught hold of them. By 2000, the girls had been halakhically converted. Maria became co-president of the Gan Parents Association and—with the encouragement of Rabbi Jeffrey Wohlberg and Rabbi Avis Miller—had converted as well. Conversion classes with Maria sparked an interest in learning in Michael. He finally learned his alef-bet and much, much more. Before long, Michael had his first aliyah, regularly read Torah (as did Maria), and chanted Haftarah. In time, he became a gabbai in the Havurah. Their life has been transformed—and the synagogue community is at its center.

The Sloans quickly started to give back to the Adas Israel community to a remarkable degree. Maria has served as a member of the Adas Israel Board of Directors for most of the last decade. She has been vice president of the synagogue and a perennial leader on educational issues. In addition, Michael has served on a lengthy list of key synagogue committees, and both participated in the adult bar/bat mitzvah program. Coming full circle, Maria also served as coordinator of the Community Mikvah where she was converted, and Michael—who found Jewish learning at Adas Israel—has taught Hebrew language and other classes.

But these synagogue resumes can’t capture the richness of the change in the Sloans’ lives. At least as important as any synagogue role has been the Jewish life they have built in their own home. As they say, “every Friday is a party” as they welcome dinner guests to their Western Avenue home or visit the homes of other members of their Shabbat havurah

and other friends. Learning is honored as Sarah and Soledad have become Camp Ramah “lifers” and continue to study enthusiastically at Adas Israel (even after being told they don’t have to!). Michael regularly learns hasidut, Talmud, and more at home with his study partners.

Beyond all of this activity and commitment, there is yet another level at which the Sloans’ lives have changed. Michael describes this deeper level by saying, “When I’m at Adas, I feel the presence of God.” From a life without religion or Jewish knowledge 15 years ago, he now savors a spiritual aspect in his life he had not known was possible. And Maria points to her experience as the “mikvah lady”—sharing and supporting profound moments of life transition with so many families restored to health, converting to Judaism, beginning a married life, preparing for sacred holy days, and more. Michael and Maria’s lives have truly been changed and enriched at the deepest levels.

What made this all possible? No doubt, the strength and depth we all can see in Maria and Michael’s characters. The richness of community life at Adas Israel also contributed, but, ultimately, they say it was special people who guided them on this journey. They were touched at critical times by people like our rabbis, Michael Stern, the members of their Shabbat havurah, and others. And now, they touch and guide others who are deepening their relationship with the living and growing sacred communities that are Adas Israel and the Jewish people. ¢


B’nai Mitzvahruby schwat, February 4Ruby, daughter of Lisa and Steven Schwat, is a seventh grader at Westland Middle School. Ruby, who began her religious education at Gan HaYeled, is excited to share her simcha with siblings, Herbie and Eli and her grandparents: Libby and Nate Weiss of Livingston, NJ, and Lynn and Martin Schwat of Great Neck, NY. She will

also remember her grandfather, Herbert Yampolsky (z”l).

nicole davies, February 18 Nicole, daughter of Rachel Laser and Mark Davies, is a seventh grader at Alice Deal Middle School. She began her Jewish education at Gan HaYeled and attends the Melvin Gelman Religious School. For her tzedakah project, Nicole has been reading with children at Stanton Elementary School in Southeast DC . She

is the granddaughter of Naomi Davies of New York City, Dr. Terry Davies of Clifton, NJ, and Gary and Joan Laser of Chicago. Nicole shares her simcha with her sister, Emily; her brother, Alexander; and many other family members and good friends.

Aaron brooks, February 18 Aaron, son of David and Sarah Brooks, is a graduate of the Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital. He is a seventh grader at Georgetown Day School. He will share his simcha with his older siblings, Joshua and Naomi, family, and friends.

Jessica Kamen, February 25 Jessica, daughter of Andrea and Hershel Kamen, is a seventh grader at the Sheridan School. Jessica is a graduate of Beth Yeshurun Day School in Houston, TX, and attends the Ma’alot DC high school program at Adas Israel. For her tzedakah project, Jessica is creating and distributing Mishloach Manot Purim baskets to area senior citizens. She is the granddaughter of Rochelle and Jerrold Epstein of Langhorne, PA, and the late Marilyn (z”l) and Paul Kamen (z”l). She celebrates this simcha with her brother, Marcus, family members, and friends.

Members in the newsFlora & Maury Atkin, long-term members of Adas Israel

celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on December 25.yoni Kalin, one of eight young people selected from across the

country, will represent the Seaboard region at USY International Convention.

new MembersJonathan etter & erin davis and their son, Elliott Etter, live

in Honolulu, HI, and will be moving to Washington in June. Jonathan is a physician at Eyesight Hawaii, and Erin is an attorney at Davis, Levin and Livingston.

Ari strauss lives in Washington where he is a lobbyist/consultant at Artemis Strategies, LLC.

in MemoriamWe mourn the loss of synagogue members:Shirley AbramsHerbert BrownMildred HofbergWe note with sorrow and mourn the passing of:Eugenia BlechmanMarian Flagg, mother of Ronald FlaggDora Gross, mother of Mark GrossElyse Maas, grandmother of Josh Wachs Ruth Marenus, mother of Barbara Marenus Eugene Munves, brother of Judie LinowesHerbert Schulman, father of Ted SchulmanCarol Sue Zacks, mother of Cathy Gildenhorn

life Cycle informationWhen death occursWhen death occurs, please call the synagogue office, 202-362-4433, so that we may inform the clergy and be of assistance. During business hours, ask for Glenn Easton. After business hours, a staff member on call may be reached by calling the synagogue office at the number above and pressing “2” to be connected automatically, or by calling the answering service, 301-421-5271, which will page the staff member on call.

On Yom Tov and Shabbat, even though detailed funeral arrangements should not be made, a staff member on call can still be reached at 301-421-5271.bereavement CommitteeThe Bereavement Committee assists families with all of the arrangements surrounding the funeral and subsequent burial of loved ones. We welcome your interest and encourage your participation and assistance. We need you; please join us. If you have questions, or know of someone whom you think might be interested in participating in this important work, please feel free to call either Jane Beller (301-986-1133) or Edie Hessel (202-244-7189) or contact Toni Bickart (202-244-2747) regarding the Tahara Committee.Cemetery hoursVisitation at the Adas Israel Cemetery is by appointment only. Contact Glenn Easton or Laura Bloomberg at the synagogue office (202-362-4433) to schedule a visit. ¢

Life Cycle

Follow us on FacebookYou don’t have to join Facebook to follow us on Facebook. Visit our Adas Israel Facebook Fan Page at facebook.com/adasisraeldc to learn up-to-the-minute information about the synagogue.


Masthead Material for January 2011 Chronicle

VOL. 73, NO. 6 │ JANUARY 2011 │ TEVET–SHEVAT 5711

Each morning and evening, every day but Saturday, fellow con-gregants gather in the Miller Chapel for morning or evening ser-vices. Twice weekly this daily minyan service includes Torah read-ing. Every day, if we have a minyan (ten), services include Kaddish for mourners. Daily minyan services always include warmth, welcoming, friendship, joking, learning, and more.

I will not induce you to attend services or pray. Service atten-dance and, certainly, prayer are personal, often depending on how or whether we perceive God. I’ll not ask you to come to minyan, but I will tell you why I attend when I can (for me in the morning). Four reasons with a wrap up. It should be an easy read.

First, humility. Washington is one heady town. Some maintain Texas-size egos just to make it through the day. Minyan points me toward humility—in my marriage, my friendships, with co-workers, with strangers I pass on the street, with the infirm. Hu-mility I can use! I find it central in each reading and prayer—re-minders to acknowledge our departure from Mitzrayim, gift the bride, come to shul “punctually.” However we may define God or the infinite, allusion to greatness, awesomeness, and timeless-ness puts our local strivings in welcome perspective.

Second, learning, in two ways. Prayer, for so long a dry mys-tery to me, became comprehensible and rich when I prayed frequently. Formal petitioning and medieval phrases took on meaning, but not because I developed comfort for scripted supplications or praise. Rather, frequent prayer refocused me, changing me in small ways. After decades of dismissing any no-tion that the Almighty would care about my praise (let alone benefit from it), I recognized that these prayers are for me! I see that prayers are not so much to change the Almighty’s prefer-ences, but to help me change my own events (and maybe those changes have impact beyond me). So I grow and learn from prayer—to be less subject to my own stilted logic, and to think about the connected, harmonious Oneness of everyone and everything. You don’t want to think about it that way? Great! Have it your way! Whatever you may derive from it, frequent and focused recitation of the Shema and the prayers that frame it challenges us to define Oneness. One God to be sure (Abraham having won that battle), but also a unified, loving, harmonious everything else. Say these prayers often and you can’t help but feel more warmly and affectionately toward everyone and every-thing around you. Such a coincidence that the Torah tells us to say the Shema twice daily!

I also learn as others stand up and teach: d’var Torah, Pirkei Avot commentary, discussion of Talmud or a Psalm. Sometimes lay, sometimes a Rabbi, always insightful and entertaining.

Third, Torah. Twice weekly, read within a small group. If you want you’ll have an aliyah. Or lehn, or magbiah, or dress the Torah. Torah reading at minyan is physically intimate, informal, unintimidating, and quick. In fact, minyan moves with alacrity start to finish.

Fourth, giving back. I learned of minyan when my father died. Until then, the thought of showing up for prayer at 7:30 in the morning was less than a nonstarter. But I came to say Kaddish for Dad, because, as they say, the merit of the son reflects on the father (he didn’t need that, but I did). I learned from others to mourn and end my mourning after eleven months with a smoked fish breakfast. I learned to wear tefillin (an entire subject itself ), began restudying Hebrew, and, sensing the depth of Kad-dish itself, read Leon Wieseltier’s wonderful book of that same name. Now I am there for others, to add another hand to the welcome. We will all mourn and mourn again. Minyan helped me learn parameters for grief. I saw how our customs and traditions establish a warm commonality within a mourning community. And then, after Kaddish, every morning, there are bagels, coffee, and kibitzing.

Finally, the wrap up. Nothing new here but a different per-spective on what I’ve already said. Some mornings I wake up and hit the road for the office. I listen to CNBC, worry the about stock market, think about issues for my workday, make calls from the car. I am working before I arrive downtown and get on the elevator. Other mornings I awaken and go to Adas Israel, listen to the considered teachings of others, and devote an hour to humility, love, harmony, Torah, connectedness, coffee, and kibitz. The minyan visit makes for a more centered, happier, and more peaceful day.

The Daily Minyan meets Monday through Friday, at 7:30 am and 6:00 pm and on Sundays at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm.

Note: Arnold Podgorsky is treasurer of Adas Israel Congregation. ¢

daily MinyanA Portal to Warm, harmonious Judaismby Arnold Podgorsky

Learnersʼ Minyan Join us for a service for those who wishto become better acquainted with the structure and ritual of Shabbat worship.

Meets in the Adas Israel Library.Led by Rabbi Feinberg. Begins at 10 am.

February 11

March 17

Join us on the following dates:

8 • ChroniCle • January 2012 January 2012 • ChroniCle • 9

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

29 30 31 1 2 3 4 Parshat Beshallach/shaBBat shirah

5 6 7 8 Tu B’Shvat 9 10 11 Parshat Yitro

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Parshat MishPatiM/shaBBat shekaliM

19 20 21 22 23 Rosh Chodesh Adar 24 Rosh Chodesh Adar 25 Parshat teruMah

26 27 28 29 1 2 3 Parshat tetzaveh/shaBBat zachor

February 2012Shevat–Adar 5772

8:30 am Morning Minyan9:30 am Gan Winter Concert6:00 pm Evening Minyan

7:30 am Morning Minyan6:00 pm Evening Minyan

7:30 am Morning Minyan6:00 pm Evening Minyan6:30 pm Torah Club6:30 pm Executive Committee Meeting7:00 pm Introduction to Judaism


7th & 8th Grade Shabbaton BeginsSpring Kadima Kallah Begins7:30 am Morning Minyan6:00 pm L’Dor VaDor Shabbat Service with Rabbis Steinlauf

and Feinberg6:30 pm YP Shir Delight: Oneg at 6:30 pm; Service with

Rabbi Steinlauf at 7:30 pm; Dinner at 8:30 pm7:00 pm L’Dor VaDor Shabbat Dinner

8:30 am Morning Minyan8:30 am World Wide Wrap and Breakfast9:30 am An Introduction to the Talmud12:15 pm Hesed Committee Meeting6:00 pm Evening Minyan


8:30 am Morning Minyan9:30 am An Introduction to the Talmud3:30 pm Gan-sponsored Community

Tzedakah Project6:00 pm Evening Minyan7:00 pm Exploration of Torah through Food


7:30 am Morning Minyan9:00 am Gan School Pictures10:00 am Sisterhood “Taste of Tanach”6:00 pm Evening Minyan6:30 pm Torah Club7:00 pm Introduction to Judaism


Presidents’ Day Gan HaYeled–No Classes8:30 am Morning Minyan (Federal Holiday)6:00 pm Evening Minyan

7:30 am Morning Minyan1:00 pm JSSA Job Search Group6:00 pm Evening Minyan6:30 pm Torah Club7:00 pm Introduction to Judaism

8:30 am Morning Minyan9:30 am An Introduction to the Talmud4:00 pm GPA Tzingo Tzedakah Event6:00 pm Evening Minyan

7:30 am Morning Minyan9:00 am Rabbi/Parent/Child Program–

“Talking to Children about God”6:00 pm Evening Minyan6:30 pm Torah Club7:00 pm Introduction to Judaism

7:30 am Morning Minyan9:00 am Gan School Pictures6:00 pm Evening Minyan6:30 pm Board of Directors Meeting

7:30 am Morning Minyan12:00 pm Downtown Study Group1:00 pm JSSA Job Search Group6:00 pm Evening Minyan6:30 pm Torah Club7:00 pm Introduction to Judaism

7:30 am Morning Minyan6:00 pm Evening Minyan6:30 pm Religious Practices Committee Meetings7:00 pm GPA Silent Auction




SHABBAT MorninG SerViCeS: Please turn off cell phones and pagers before entering services. in the Charles e. Smith Sanctuary: Interim Ritual Director, Naomi Malka will read Torah. Congregational kiddushim co-sponsored by the Paul Goldstein–Lillian Goldstein-Lande Shabbat Kiddush Fund and members of Adas Israel. Traditional egalitarian Minyan (TeM): Every Shabbat morning at 9:30 am, with the Torah service around 10:30 am. Led by laypeople with the occasional assistance of Adas clergy, the TEM is a participatory service with a full P’sukei D’Zimrah (introductory Psalms), Shacharit, and Musaf, a complete reading of the weekly Torah portion, and a d’var Torah. For more information, e-mail [email protected]. Havurah Service: Lay-led, participatory service at 9:45 am. Rotating volunteers lead services, read Torah, and conduct an in-depth discussion of the weekly Torah portion. A kiddush follows the service. For additional information and to participate, e-mail [email protected]. youth Shabbat Services: Starting with Tot Shabbat for children ages 5 and under led by Menuhah Peters. Shorashim,

for students in grades K–1 is led by Allison Redisch and/or Linda Yitzchak. Netivot, for students in grades 2–3 is led by Naomi Michaelis and/or Aviva Weinstein. Junior Congregation, for grades 4–6 is led by David Smolar, Josh Bender, and/or Elie Greenberg.Shabbat unplugged: A new musical family service for families with young children on Saturday mornings at 10:45 am. The service is designed for elementary school families and above, though older children are welcome and encouraged take on leadership roles. Led by Josh Bender and Elie Greenberg.‘Dial-in’ for Programs & Services: If you are unable to attend programs, lectures, or services, dial in to hear them. Call 202-686-8405.library open on Shabbat: The Adas Israel Library is open on Saturdays from 12:30–1:30 pm. Our Shabbat volunteers will help you find just the right book to bring home. For assistance during the week, contact our librarian, Robin Jacobson ([email protected]).

12 Shevat 13 Shevat 14 Shevat 15 Shevat 16 Shevat 17 Shevat 18 Shevat

8:00 am Boker Ohr Parashat Hashavuah Class9:30 am Smith Sanctuary Shabbat Service;

Bat Mitzvah: Ruby Schwat; Sermon by Rabbi Steinlauf

9:30 am Traditional Egalitarian Minyan; D’var Torah by Brian Weinstein

9:45 am Havurah Shabbat Service; D’var Torah by Rabbi Feinberg

10:00 am Shabbat Spot

8:00 am Boker Ohr Parashat Hashavuah Class Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School

Graduates Aliyah9:30 am Smith Sanctuary Shabbat Service;

Sermon by Rabbi Steinlauf9:30 am Traditional Egalitarian Minyan10:00 am Learners’ Minyan with Rabbi Feinberg10:00 am Shabbat Spot10:45 am Religious School Shabbat Unplugged

Congregational Kiddush sponsored by the congregation5:15 pm Shabbat Mincha/Maariv Services5:45 pm GPA Havdalah Dinner at 5:45 pm followed

by Havdalah Service w/Rabbi Steinlauf & Robyn Helzner

6:21 pm Havdalah


Bat Mitzvah: Nicole Davies; Sermon by Rabbi Feinberg

9:30 am Traditional Egalitarian Minyan (in the Library)

9:45 am Havurah Service (in Kogod); Bar Mitzvah: Aaron Brooks; with Rabbi Steinlauf

10:00 am Shabbat Spot

Congregational Kiddush sponsored by the Davies Family12:30 pm Havurah Shabbat Kiddush5:30 pm Shabbat Mincha/Maariv Services6:29 pm Havdalah

8:00 am Boker Ohr Parashat Hashavuah Class9:30 am Smith Sanctuary Shabbat Service

(in Kogod); Sermon by Rabbi Feinberg9:30 am Traditional Egalitarian Minyan

(in Gewirz); Bat Mitzvah: Jessica Kamen; with Rabbi Steinlauf

10:00 am Shabbat Spot Congregational Kiddush sponsored

by the Kamen Family

5:30 pm Shabbat Mincha/Maariv Services6:36 pm Havdalah 8:00 pm Kol HaOlam Collegiate A Cappella

Competition


Bat Mitzvah: Zita Moghadam; Sermon by Rabbi Feinberg

9:30 am Traditional Egalitarian Minyan9:45 am Havurah Shabbat Service;

D’var Torah by Linda Yitzchak10:00 am Shabbat Spot12:30 pm Havurah Shabbat Kiddush

Congregational Kiddush sponsored by Rachel Hall & Reza Moghadam5:45 pm Shabbat Mincha/Maariv Services6:44 pm Havdalah



26 Shevat 27 Shevat 28 Shevat 29 Shevat 30 Shevat 1 Adar 2 Adar

3 Adar 4 Adar 5 Adar 6 Adar 7 Adar 8 Adar 9 Adar

7:30 am Morning Minyan6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv

7:30 am Morning Minyan12:00 pm Jewish Federation of Greater

Washington Board Meeting6:00 pm Evening Minyan

7:30 am Morning Minyan9:00 am Gan School Pictures6:00 pm Evening Minyan

7:30 am Morning Minyan8:00 am Rosh Chodesh Adar Breakfast

sponsored by the Goldstein Rosh Chodesh Minyan Breakfast Fund

9:00 am Gan GPA Bagels & Coffee6:00 pm Evening Minyan

5:29 pm

7:30 am Morning Minyan8:00 am Rosh Chodesh Adar Breakfast

sponsored by the Goldstein Rosh Chodesh Minyan Breakfast Fund

9:00 am Gan GPA Bagels & Coffee6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat/Maariv6:30 pm Ruach Minyan Service8:00 pm Ruach Minyan Dinner

5:36 pm

5:44 pm

Congregational Kiddush sponsored by the Schwat Family12:30 pm Havurah Shabbat Kiddush5:15 pm Shabbat Mincha/Maariv Services6:13 pm Havdalah

7:30 am Morning Minyan11:20 am Shabbat Sing–Children Only6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat6:30 pm Ruach Minyan Service



7:30 am Morning Minyan6:00 pm L’Dor VaDor Shabbat Service with

Rabbis Steinlauf and Feinberg6:30 pm YP Shir Delight: Oneg at 6:30 pm; Service with

Rabbi Steinlauf at 7:30 pm; Dinner at 8:30 pm7:00 pm L’Dor VaDor Shabbat Dinner

5:13 pm

5:21 pm


gan hayeledgoing once, going twiceThe GPA Silent Auction takes place Wednesday evening, February 22, 6:30–9:30 in the Kay Auditorium. Come shop, mingle, and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres. Remember, all proceeds go to support the Gan.sweet summertime registrationAlong with summer comes Sweet Summertime, the Gan’s summer camp. This year Sweet Summertime begins June 18 and runs through July 27. Throughout the six weeks of Sweet Summertime you’ll see smiles and hear laughter from our campers and staff alike.

Our many activities range from cooling off in wading pools to creating special art projects to going on field trips to places such as the Puppet Company at Glen Echo and the National Aquarium.

Most important, Sweet Summertime is a time to connect with former classmates, meet new people, and form new friendships. Our very special Gan teachers work in the summer and make Sweet Summertime a wonderful experience. We are very fortunate to have a number of terrific teenagers as well, many of whom are Adas Israel members, join our summer staff and add energy and excitement to the camp. Sweet Summertime registration has begun.

For more information call the Gan office, 202-362-4491. Registration forms will be on the Gan’s website, adasisrael.org/gan, in early February.

religious schoolMa Tovu Momentsdan Kaufman Memorial Latke Party a success

Over 400 children and adults gathered for the 2011 Dan Kaufman Memorial Latke Party, which included Israeli dancing by our students, tasty food, and a performance from Kol Sasson, a Jewish a capella group from the University of Maryland. We thank all of our families who donated gifts to the Homeless

Children’s Playtime Project and give a big thanks to everyone who supported our Yad LaKashish sale in support of the elderly in Israel. Also, we appreciate the Men’s Club for co-sponsoring the event and sending volunteers to help serve and clean up. Adas israel Families help homeless Children in dC and the elderly in israel

Families in the religious school fulfilled all of the gift requests from homeless children at the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project (playtimeproject.net). HCPP is a DC-based nonprofit organization that nurtures healthy

child development and helps reduce the effects of trauma among children by providing weekly activities, healthy snacks, and play-based learning opportunities to children at emergency shelters and transition housing sites in DC.

By purchasing Judaica, jewelry, and other gifts at the Dan Kaufman Latke Party on December 11, Adas Israel families helped to raise close to $1,000 for Yad LaKashish, the Lifeline for the Old (www.lifeline.org.il/). This nonprofit organization in Jerusalem provides a community, a creative work environment, a sense of purpose, financial assistance, and invaluable support services to the elderly and disabled throughout Israel.

This project was connected to our November-December Jewish value of Hiddur P’nai Zaken. Literally, to “enhance the face of the elderly,” this Jewish value reminds us to show respect and to care for the elderly in our community and beyond. We read in the book of Psalms, “Do not forsake me when I grow old. When my strength fails me, do not abandon me.”8th grade Family Tikkun Olam Project at A Wider Circle, Feb. 26 On February 26, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm, eighth-grade families are returning to A Wider Circle (http://www.awidercircle.org/), a Silver Spring, MD, organization that provides needed items to families transitioning out of shelters or simply living without life’s necessities. Participants will begin with learning led by

EducationFebruary Calendar for school, youth, and

Families3: L’Dor VaDor Service & Dinner5: Tu B’Shevat Celebration; World Wide Wrap; 6th Grade NY Trip meeting6: Mid-year Progress Reports Sent7: Ma’alot TeenChat #38: Tu B’Shevat11: Shabbat Unplugged12: Chugim for 3rd–6th Grades, Faculty Meeting 19: No school, Presidents’ Weekend25: Kol HaOlam A Cappella Competition26: 5th Grade Trip to Sunrise Senior Center; Chugim for 3rd–6th Grade; Parents’ Corner


Director of Education Josh Bender, and then proceed to help at the facility by sorting donations (linens, baby clothes, kitchen items, toys, books, etc.) and maintaining the warehouse.

Upcoming dates for eighth-grade families to participate: March 18, 1:00–3:00 pm, and May 13, 1:00–3:00 pmevery Person Counts at L’Dor vaDor: T’filah and Tikkun Olam Be part of our growing Friday night intergenerational service and dinner community and support Hope for Henry at the same time. An anonymous donor has stepped forward to help our community bring tikkun olam to the next level. For every person who attends L’Dor VaDor on February 3 and stays for our Shabbat meal experience, a $5 donation will be made to Hope for Henry Foundation toward its efforts to improve the lives of children around the DC region with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Hope for Henry epitomizes the Jewish value of bikkur cholim, caring for the sick. Help us reach our goal of 150 participants so we can make a donation of $750 to this important cause. For more details about Hope for Henry, please visit hopeforhenry.org.

The February 3 Shabbat service, which begins at 6:00 pm, will be led by our clergy with help from our students. Dinner following the service ($18.75 for adults, $12.50 for kids ages 3–12, FREE for ages 2 and under) requires an RSVP. Feel free to bring your own kosher wine! Ga-Ga tournament for children following the dinner! (What is Ga-Ga? It is a dodge ball-like sport that is very popular in Israel and in Jewish camps throughout the United States.)

Reserve online at adasisrael.org/ldorvador or contact Carol Ansell ([email protected] or 202-362-4433) by Wednesday, February 1, at 11:00 am. No refunds after RSVP deadline. After the February 1 deadline, cost for dinner will increase to $23.50 for adults and $16 for children. Jewish Value for January–February: Bal Taschit Do not destroy or waste, this law in Deuteronomy originally prohibited the senseless destruction of trees during wartime. The rabbis later expanded it to refer to other forms of senseless destruction or damage, including the senseless killing of animals. In a contemporary Jewish ecological context, bal taschit refers to our obligation to protect and preserve the environment. Bal taschit will culminate with a mitzvah project in February connected to Tu B’Shevat, the New Year for the Trees.

shabbat unplugged Musical Family service, Feb. 11, 10:45 amShabbat Unplugged, a musical family service for families with children in elementary school, meets Saturday, Feb. 11, at 10:45 am. Older children are welcome and are encouraged take on leadership roles. Shabbat Unplugged is led by Josh Bender, director of education, and Elie Greenberg, director of informal programming.

Modeled on Shacharit Live, a Sunday morning musical service for K–2 students in the religious school, the service seeks to build a fun, interactive, and spirited prayer experience. This is also an opportunity for families to explore some of the key concepts and themes in Jewish prayer. Guitars and other instruments are used to enhance the experience and to teach Jewish and Israeli songs. In addition, the Torah portion comes alive through the art of Jewish storytelling with Jennifer Rudick Zunikoff. Families are invited to join the congregational kiddush following the service. ¢

education Continued

Charles e. smith Jewish day school graduates to be honored Feb. 11On Saturday, February 11, we will honor the graduating Adas Israel seniors of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School. Mazal Tov to Samuel Matheson, Amanda Mendelson, and Aviva Weinstein!

They will be honored with an aliyah and a gift from the congregation. We are happy to participate in their celebration in this way and extend our sincere good wishes to them, their parents, and their families.

World Wide WrapThe Adas Israel Men’s Club will participate again this year in the FJMC-sponsored international focus on tefillin on Sunday, February 5, at 8:30 am in the Kogod Chapel. Rabbi Feinberg will provide some insight into laws and customs surrounding the use of tefillin over time and some of the

historical facts associated with their use. Men’s Club will also sponsor a calligrapher to come and

create individual artwork for participants using Hebrew letters. A catered breakfast will be provided for all, a nice touch to add sustenance and sweetness to our tefillin recognition efforts. Men, women and children are welcome.

No RSVP required, simply come for morning minyan at 8:30 am. For more information contact the Men’s Club, [email protected]. ¢

Men's Club


Bestselling author Alice Hoffman says that the inspiration for her latest novel, The Dovekeepers, came to her suddenly, surprisingly, and irresistibly on her first visit to Masada. Standing atop the mountain fortress, where nearly 1,000 Jews committed mass sui-cide in 73 CE, rather than become prisoners of Rome, Hoffman had an eerie sensation that untold stories from this lost commu-nity still lingered in the air. Returning home, she dove into the historical works of Flavius Josephus (37 CE– c. 100 CE, a Jewish general regarded with both disdain (he defected to Rome) and gratitude (he wrote the only de-tailed contemporaneous account of Masada). Learning from Josephus that a few Masada women and children survived the bloodbath by hiding in a cistern, Hoffman began to imagine and write these survivors’ stories. Re-views of Dovekeepers have been mixed (great research, but somewhat portentous writing); nonetheless, fans of historical fiction at Adas Israel have loved it.the Jewish revoltDovekeepers takes place during the Jews’ Great Revolt against Rome, ruler of Judea and mas-ter of the ancient world. In 66 CE, Jewish anger at Roman looting of the Temple treasury, fol-lowing other Roman offenses, erupted into violence. The revolt, led by bands of Jewish freedom fighters, had little chance of success even before violent in-fighting among Jews doomed the cause. One Jewish rebel faction, the Sicarii (“dag-ger-men”), was notorious for stealthily knifing Jews suspected of being Roman sympathizers. According to rabbinic legend, even the great scholar-hero, Yochanan ben Zakkai, who saved Juda-ism by establishing a center for Jewish learning in Yavneh, had to sneak out of Jerusalem hidden in a coffin to avoid being killed by Jewish revolutionaries. Finally, in the summer of 70 CE, the Romans brutally sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple.

South of Jerusalem, however, Masada remained unconquered. This seemingly impregnable fortress encompassed massive de-

fense walls, an armory, storehous-es of food, and a sophisticated water system. After Jerusalem fell, surviving Jewish warriors and their families crossed the desert to join the Jewish forces already

at Masada (this dangerous trek forms part of the storyline of Dovekeepers). Three years later, the Romans, determined to stamp out the last vestiges of Jewish resistance, stormed Masada after a several-month siege. With defeat imminent, Masada’s commander, Eleazar ben Yair, called on the defenders to take their own lives rather than be captured by the Romans.the Women of MasadaIn Dovekeepers, four women who live at Masada sequentially narrate their stories: Yael, the daugh-ter of a Sicarii assassin who irrationally blames Yael for his wife’s death in childbirth; Revka, who is raising two small grandsons so traumatized by the Romans’ murder of their mother that they no longer speak; Shira, a medicine woman with a mysterious past that compelled her to come to Masada; and Shira’s daughter, Aziza, who disguises herself as a male warrior to take her brother’s place in battle. These four women are drawn together by their common work assign-

ment in the Masada dovecotes. Tirelessly, they tend thousands of birds, gathering the doves’ droppings to use as essential fertilizer in the community’s vegetable gardens and fields.

History tells little of the story of Masada before the devastat-ing ending. Like a biblical midrash, Dovekeepers fills in the white space around the tragic tale with characters, events, and emo-tion. Hoffman compellingly invites readers to imagine the hopes and fears of those long-ago Jews who sought refuge atop a des-ert mountain, never intending to set an example of courage and defiance that would echo down through the centuries. ¢

library CornerMasada: the novelby Robin Jacobson

booK ChAtsunday, March 11,

10:30–11:30 am in the library.

Meet other Adas readers and discuss My Russian Grand-mother and Her American Vacuum Cleaner, a funny and poignant memoir by Israeli author Meir Shalev (see review in the January

Chronicle). Copies of the book are available in our library, the D.C. and Montgomery County

Public Libraries, at Amazon.com, and at Politics & Prose. For more information, con-

tact [email protected]. Co-sponsored by the Library Committee and Sisterhood.

bereavement Committee—Adas israel’s Chevra KadishaThe Adas Israel Bereavement Committee is comprised of remarkably dedicated individuals involved in one of Judaism’s most important mitzvot. These special volunteers quietly perform a mitzvah for which they cannot be thanked. Fol-lowing the tradition of honoring the Chevra Kadisha on 7 Adar—occurring this year on Thursday, March 1—marking the yahrzeit of Moses, we thank our be-reavement committee chaverim, taharah group, and shomrim for their extraor-dinary work on behalf of their fellow members. Members of the Bereavement Committee are invited to a Zayin Adar dinner on March 1, details forthcoming.

For Information about joining the Bereavement Committee, please leave a message for Jane Beller or Edie Hessel at the synagogue. ¢

times Are toughSometimes a little help can make a very big difference. If you’re in a financial bind and are having trouble paying rent or tuition, or meet-ing other worthwhile expenses, an interest-free personal and/or student loan from the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington for up to $10,000, might be the help you need.

To find out if you qualify or for more in-formation, contact [email protected], or call 301-770-4836. ¢


Abe, Belle, & ivan Shefferman Scholar Series FundIn Memory Of: harry schmidt by Amy Schmidt. Abraham shefferman by Glenn & Cindy Easton.Adult Bat Mitzvah Scholar FundIn Honor Of: susan stiles by Ron Schwarz & Marcy Feuerstein.Anna & Joseph Blumenthal Video FundIn Honor Of: Maury and Flora Atkin’s 70th anniversary by Glenn & Cindy Easton, Allen & Annette Wolpe.Anne Frank house FundBy: Eye-to Eye Video LLC, Howard Jerome Shatz, Jo Anne & Barry Burka, Mr. & Mrs. E. W. Goldstein, Jodi & Rod Macklin, Bonnie Lewin, Sydney Polakoff, Alan Strasser, Tzvia Schweitzer, Judith Melamed, Edward & Ruth Cogen, Jutta Hicks, Shelley Klein & Catherine Bendor, Helen Sirkin, Harold Singer, Daryl Edelstein, Diana Zurer, David Almassian, Irwin Lebow, June Kreiss, Creative Laundry Systems, Inc., Urbanturf LLC, Frances Goldscheider, Michael & Jessica Kasten, Ira Polon, Robin Berman, Debra Rubin, Jonathan Meyer, Sanford Ungar, Gerald Levine, Gary & Glenda Buff, Claire Engers, Barbara Baiamonte, Linda Lucatorto, Joyce & Michael Stern.In Honor Of: susan Klein’s bat mitzvah by Ron & Rise Schlesinger, Hazel & Bob Keimowitz, David & Gail Schwartz, Janet Kolodner, Rosalie Bomzer, Marcia Feuerstein, Rae Grad, Barbara & Mel Gelman, Paula & Eliot Sommer, Laura & Larry Rothenberg, Karen & Herb Levitan, Dava Berkman, David & Louise Kahaner, Diane & Arthur Nevins, Jim & Phyllis Frank, Grace Dobrer, Michael Waxman & Elizabeth Dufort, Ken Heitner & Rhoda Ritzenberg, Terry Walton, Terri & Irwin Binder, Sheldon Kimmel, Sigrid Washington. sue ducat & stan Cohen by Sandy & Ted Schulman. hazel Keimowitz, sue ducat, Alice burton, all by Judith Herr. Kathy belmont by Caron Dale Zaleznick. In Memory Of: Marilyn horowitz by Andrea Handel. shirley Abrams by Ken & Roz Doggett. Paul hayes by Michael & Joyce Stern. Adele Kleiman, thelma tepper by Thelma Becker. Jordan baruch by Arthur &Harriet Isack, Adina & Sandy Mendelson. Annette rayman, edith Krohn by Arthur & Harriet Isack. estelle Markowitz by Adina & Sandy Mendelson. Morris berman by Miriam Schlesinger. Bereavement FundIn Gratitude For: bereavement Committee’s support by Eliot & Sandra Kalter.In Memory Of: Annette rayman by Steve & Sybil Wolin. eva danziger by Arnold Danziger. ida goldberg by Rita Nicholls.

B’Yahad Special needs FundIn Honor Of: ethan sorcher’s bar mitzvah by Stewart & Shelley Remer.Cantor Max Wohlberg Memorial FundFor The Speedy Recovery Of: Judy Wohlberg by Glenn & Cindy Easton.Charles Pilzer Computer CenterIn Memory Of: Charles Pilzer by Geraldine Pilzer.Congregational Kiddush FundBy: Susan Stiles, MB Lewis Foundation.In Honor Of: rachel Wainer’s bat mitzvah by Seth & Rachel Wainer. Our 40th wedding anniversary by Arthur & Harriet Isack. nicolas’s bar mitzvah by Samuel & Carola Berlinski. In Memory Of: irwin Ansher by Bill Levenson.Daily Minyan FundIn Honor Of: bernie Meyer by Richard & Susan Ugelow, Dena Bauman, and many other friends. norman shore by Laurence Jarvik. Manny schiffres’s Simchat Torah honor by Michael & Joyce Stern.In Memory Of: betty Kline, samuel Kline by David Kline. Frances Knie by Richard & Susan Ugelow.Dan Kaufman Children’s Program FundIn Honor Of: susan stiles becoming a bat mitzvah, Josh bender, Marion and Murray Mohl, all by Dale Kaufman. dale & stephen for Hanukkah by Juliet Mellow, Barry Molar, Sam & Gabriel. In Memory Of: david h. Kaufman by Minna Kaufman.Daryl reich rubenstein Staff Development FundIn Memory Of: Joseph rubenstein by Lee Rubenstein.Dial in Program FundBy: Fred & Felisa Siegel, Sherry Kaiman.In Honor Of: rep. henry Waxman receiving the Shem Tov Award by Michael & Joyce Stern.In Memory Of: edith Krone by Stuart & Jamie Butler.Dr. louis & Althea Jacobs Camp ramah Scholarship FundIn Honor Of: noah steinlauf’s bar mitzvah by David & Stephanie Lynn.Dr. William & Vivienne Stark Wedding & Anniversary FundIn Honor Of: Our 63rd anniversary by Bill & Vivienne Stark.estelle Gelman endowment FundIn Memory Of: steve Kolker by Irv & Estelle Jacobs.ethel & nat Popick Chronicle FundIn Memory Of: robert blumenthal by Richard & Dorothy Block, David & Harriet Bubes.executive Director Discretionary FundBy: Rob & Rachel Rubin.In Memory Of: Annette rayman by Robyn Helzner, Eliot & Sandra Kalter.ezra PantryIn Honor Of: linda douglass & John Phillips by Henry & Janet Waxman.

Frances & leonard Burka Social Action endowmentIn Memory Of: Fay burka & gerald gelman Kossow by Leonard & Frances Burka. gerald gelman Kossow by John Kossow. beatrice and leonard toiv by Helene Toiv.Fund for the FutureIn Memory Of: Faye loeffler by Robert Loeffler. rae levy by Rosalyn Jonas. ida Cohen by Shirley Cohen.Garden of the righteous FundIn Honor Of: Jean bernard’s Simchat Torah honor by Howard Streicher & Veneeta Acson. tamar Wohlberg’s bat mitzvah by Alan & Beryl Saltman.In Memory Of: Julie schapire by Robert Schapire.Goldstein rosh hodesh Minyan FundIn Memory Of: Paul goldstein by Joseph Goldstein.Goldstein-lande Shabbat Kiddush FundIn Honor Of: noah steinlauf’s bar mitzvah by Edward Kean & Nancy Worth.harry & Judie linowes Youth endowment FundIn Memory Of: Joseph linowitz, Jules Coler, evelyn bernstein bishoff, dr. stanley Cohen, r. robert linowes, all by Harry & Judie Linowes.havurah Kiddush FundBy: Ronald Slotkin & Cheryl Wasserman, David Rubashkin & Pamela Karasik, Rey & Susan Tejada, Judith Morenoff, Alan Davidson & Melissa Goldman Davidson.In Honor Of: Aaron brooks’s bar mitzvah by Arnie & Mary Hammer. shelley remer by Sandra Eskin. My birthday by Pearl Kruger. My birthday and all those who have helped her during her recovery by Gail Schwartz. In Memory Of: bella briansky Kalter by Nancy, Dan, & Jory Weiss.Julius & Anna Wolpe Auditorium FundIn Memory Of: eleanor Wolpe, Anna t. Wolpe by Allen Wolpe. evelyn bischoff by Allen & Annette Wolpe. Anna Cooper Wolpe by Donald & Paula Wolpe.Kullen Family FundIn Honor Of: Flora & Maury Atkin’s 70th anniversary by Shirley Kullen.Melvin Gelman religious School FundIn Memory Of: Milton himmelfarb by Dan Himmelfarb.Men’s Club Amuday Torah FundFor the Complete Recovery Of: Judy Wohlberg by Irv & Estelle Jacobs.Thank you: by Dr. Irving Jacobs.In Memory Of: Frances Knie by Irv & Estelle Jacobs. ida goldberg by Glenn & Cindy Easton. Abraham greene, Freda Weisbach by Sam Weisbach.Morris hariton Senior Programming FundIn Memory Of: tsippora & Joseph Masliansky by Nechama Masliansky.offerings FundBy: Jed Franco Nussdorf.

Contributions the congregation gratefully acknowledges the following contributions:

21st Century renewal Building ProjectBy: Herlene & Yaacov Nagler, Ruth & Steve Kleinrock, Cindy & Glenn Easton.


For The Speedy Recovery Of: gary gise by Glenn Easton and your friends at Adas Israel.Refuah Shlemah To: Judy Wohlberg by Judy & Don Kaye. In Memory Of: bella briansky Kalter by Monaya Krause. Frances Knie by Larry & Melanie Nussdorf. sydney ross by Joan and Elmer Walston.rabbi Avis Miller lifelong learning FundIn Memory Of: Malcolm rivkin by Connie Bowers.rabbi Feinberg Discretionary FundBy: Sheldon Kimmel.In Honor Of: Boker Ohr program by Warren Clark Jr. susan Klein’s bat mitzvah by Nancy, Dan & Jory Weiss, Stuart & Jamie Butler. susan stiles & rachel Wainer becoming b’not mitzvah, Alex Preker becoming a bar mitzvah by Stuart & Jamie Butler. rabbi Feinberg by David & Stephanie Lynn.In Memory Of: harold Kass by Jane Baldinger, Sheri Brown, Stuart & Jamie Butler. Marilyn horowitz by Andrea Handel.rabbi Jeffrey A. Wohlberg Masorti FundBy: Fred & Felisa Siegel.In Honor Of: tamar Wohlberg by Howard Streicher & Veneeta Acson.For The Speedy Recovery Of: Judy Wohlberg by Jane Baldinger, Ricki Gerger.rabbi Stanley rabinowitz history FundIn Memory Of: samuel berman, Melissa J. berman, & iris J. berman, all by Jerry Berman & Bonnie Politz. beverly groner by Bob & Robin Berman.rabbi Steinlauf Discretionary FundBy: Sheldon Kimmel.In Honor Of: Frances & hyman Kornberg’s anniversary by Hyman & Frances Kornberg. noah steinlauf’s bar mitzvah by Herb & Sharon Schwartz, Don & Gail Roache, Pam Ehrenberg, Bill & Vivienne Stark, Steven & Kim Aftergood, Michael & Joyce Stern, Ron & Rise Schlesinger, Sheri Brown, Alvin & Lisa Dunn. rabbi steinlauf by Eliot & Sandra Kalter, Ian Cohen & Michelle Kanter. Ayla Fox’s conversion by Clara and Marc Fox.In Memory Of: Marilyn horowitz by Andrea Handel.rhoda & Jordan Baruch endowment FundIn Memory Of: Jordan baruch by Lorna Jaffe, Stuart & Jamie Butler, Michael & Joyce Stern.

rhoda Goldman Memorial religious School endowmentIn Memory Of: richard goldman & Marcelle shacks by Michael & Susie Gelman.rise & ronald Schlesinger Music FundIn Honor Of: Aaron brooks’s bar mitzvah, eric schlesinger by Ron & Rise Schlesinger.For the Continuing Recovery Of: shari schlesinger by Ron & Rise Schlesinger.In Memory Of: Fridl schlesinger by Ron & Rise Schlesinger.rose r. Freudberg Sisterhood Memorial library FundIn Memory Of: trudy Wilensky by Robert Wilensky. bertha Kiviat by Lillian K. Rubin, Susan & Julie Rubin, Victor & Glenda Kiviat. Jack A. sender by Sydell Sandy. esther Freudberg by Jane Baldinger. Alfred Jacobs by Mildred Jacobs. dr. herbert shapiro by Madelyn Shapiro. Paul hackel, ruth Zirin, sonya hackel, by Irv & Grace Lebow. Malcolm rivkin by Michael & Joyce Stern. Michael greenberg, roslyn greenberg Michelson by Susan Liss. rothstein Family israel College Scholarship FundIn Memory Of: ralph b. rothstein by Bud & Lorain Rothstein.ruach Minyan FundBy: Ethan Starr, Nechama Masliansky, Bill Levenson.Sandra & Clement Alpert Fund for Family educationIn Memory Of: helen Alpert Cobin by Dr. Clement Alpert. Ann Colman by Glenn & Cindy Easton.Shelley remer Gan hayeled enrichment FundIn Honor Of: B’nai mitzvah of yoni Weiner-tobin, sandy Koenig, Adam deutchman, rachel geltman, sophia godin, all by Stewart & Shelley Remer.In Memory Of: Frances Knie by Glenn & Cindy Easton. Julie schapire, shirley Abrams by Stewart & Shelley Remer.Sisterhood Bima & Synagogue Adornment FundIn Honor Of: harriet and Art isack’s Simchat Torah honors by Michael & Joyce Stern.In Memory Of: edith Krohn, bella Kalter by Michael & Joyce Stern.Social Action FundIn Memory Of: leonard rudolph by Wendy Rudolph. Milton ritzenberg by Toni Ritzenberg.

Solar CookersBy: Mr. Carl Tuvin, Alisa Kramer, Mildred Jacobs, Sherry Kaiman, Debra Rubin, Andrew & Sandy Eskin, David & Gail Schwartz.In Honor Of: Aaron & noah Knishkowy by Jeffrey Knishkowy & Patti Lieberman. stefano & Jordan Fendrich by Roger & Renée Fendrich. Judy Morenoff, Joanna newton by Lisa Morenoff. rachel butler, Fiona butler by Stuart & Jamie Butler. genice & ronald simenauer by David & Stephanie Lynn. B’nai mitzvah of Max Fidler & noah steinlauf by Steve Meyerson & Jodi Remer. Michael hoffman by Joshua & Lauren Kolko. Maryse horblitt by Stephen Horblitt. Abby & Jack Meyer, elana Meyer & sam dunn by Flo & Larry Meyer. rabbi Feinberg and his social action efforts by Sheri Brown. the women of darfur by Benjamin Herzberg & Debbie Isser. Ana, eva & Arden baldinger, by Jane Baldinger. Jordyn, lauren & Austin lemer; darian, tyler & layla Winston; Justin & Jillian Max; eli & talia Moraru; Alexandra & Vanessa lemer; yosef, Miriam, tahila & Adina Cohen; Alexis, Jeremy, Kayla & Kade Friedlander; danny, Jack, nicolas & ethan Copeland; William, Michael & bradley ellick, by Lenny & Beth Sloan. benjamin Kean by Edward Kean & Nancy Worth. laura Cutler, eliot & lucy eisenberg, rabbi Feinberg, Ana Zuniga, James Kostick, Will Kostick, hope & ben Jackson, sam Zuniga, by Robert Samuelson & Judith Herr.In Memory Of: Carol J. bolotin by Jeffrey Bolotin. rose epstein by Charles & Krayna Feinberg. Jeanne Feuerstein by Marcia Feuerstein.Sophie Silfen Shalom Tinok FundIn Honor Of: yoni Weiner-tobin’s bar mitzvah by Nechama Masliansky.Staff holiday Gift FundBy: Nechama Masliansky, Rabbi Gil & Rabbi Batya Steinlauf, David Schorr & Judith Krones, Richard & Carol Margolis, Sheldon Kimmel, Rabbi Charles & Krayna Feinberg, Michael & Joyce Stern, David & Stephanie Lynn.

Contributions Continued

Bar/Bat Mitzvahs

Social & Corporate Events

Weddings

Holiday Celebrations

703.752.9402 www.catering.com


With Thanks For: The staff’s dedicated service to Adas Israel and its congregation by Sydell Sandy.Susan linowes Allen Memorial Music FundIn Memory Of: Jeanne Feuerstein by Marcia Feuerstein.Sylvia Feldman Shapiro Memorial endowment FundIn Memory Of: david Feldman by Rose Burka.Traditional Minyan Kiddush FundIn Honor Of: B’nai mitzvah of susan Klein, susan stiles, Alexander Preker, rachel Wainer, by Bill Levenson.Tzedakah FundBy: Harry & Judie Linowes, Ellen & David Winter, David Connick, Shelley Klein & Cathy Bendor.In Honor Of: Flora and Maury Atkin’s 70th anniversary by Fae BrodieRefuah Sleyma To: lillian Abensohn by Glenn & Cindy Easton. In Memory Of: Albert roggin by Gail Wilensky. lois Wilkins by Jill Wilkins. oscar gildenhorn by Amb. Joseph Gildenhorn. dr. steven steinberg by Glenn & Cindy Easton. Anne Karp by Herb & Sharon Schwartz. samuel Chafets by Betty Miller. Arthur rose by Hannah Aurbach. harry lasky by Fae Brodie. h. robert gilbert by Sally Moskowitz. Captain Charles rease by Sally Moskowitz, Richard & Carol Margolis, David & Gail Schwartz. eleanor bernstein bishoff by Geraldine Pilzer. Muriel Moin by Carol Aaronson. rita natanson lupovich by Penn Lupovich. nathan Kahn by Stephen Kahn.Yizkor/Yahrzeit FundIn Memory Of: reuben Fram by Faye Cohen. Charles tauber, selma Vigderhouse by Dolores Kay. M. Jerry Winnick by Ellen Sinel. helen Politz banyas, sylvia M. berman, and lawrence Politz, by Jerry Berman & Bonnie Politz. irving Koenig by Bob & Jane Loeffler. rosjza Makowski-Wolf by Armand Makowski. eleanor Wolpe by Flora Atkin.

louise burka by Robert Burka. yetta Krupsaw Cohen, samuel P. Cohen, betty Funger & Moses Funger, by Morton & Norma Lee Funger. samuel b. block by Edith Block. oscar gildenhorn by Blanche Speisman. herman ritter by Loren Kantor. eva gordon bortin by Leonora Abrams. gertrude Meyerson by Steve Meyerson. bernard buckhantz & Freda buckhantz by Robert & Adele Buckhantz. henry s. levinson by Molly Levinson, Joshua, Henry, Lulu, & Livvy Wachs. Fay burka by Edward Burka. ruth bell by Marilyn Austern. Julius bernstein by Phillip Epstein. bernard Mills by Joe & Sonia Herson. george rosenburg by Charlotte Teicher. samuel h. Cohen by Marshall Cohen.Youth Department Activities FundIn Honor Of: ethan sorcher’s bar mitzvah by Herb & Sharon Schwartz.In Memory Of: Annette rayman by Shoshana & Aaron Marcus. gerald burton Merenstein by Stacy Merenstein. lee M. sackett by Stanley Scherr. ¢

sisterhood continued from page 3

Contributions Continued

Professional Career Coaching and Supportive Consultations

MD & DC: 301.610.8413 NoVA: 703.896.7917 [email protected] • www.jssa.org/jlink

Just Call or Click JLink Today!

JLink is your connection to JSSA’s career coaching and supportive consultation services as well as an array of social services including counseling, referrals to community resources and financial assistance (based on need). JLink Services are Provided at No Charge.

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JLink offers six convenient, confidential consultation sites in Maryland, Virginia & DC.

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Strengthening Lives During Economic Uncertainty

or e-mail Sisterhood President Lisa Kleine, 202-667-7916 or [email protected].

in Memoriam: shirley AbramsSisterhood joins the Adas Israel community in mourning the loss of one of our most memo-rable and active leaders, shirley Abrams, who passed away in December. Shirley served as Sis-terhood president from 2001 to 2003.

During her presidency and beyond, as lead manager, she transformed the Ruth & Simon Albert Sisterhood Gift & Judaica Shop into what it is today—a source of high-quality Judaica, a vehicle for fund-raising, and a place for fostering volunteerism. Recognizing her vision and leadership skills, in 2008, she received the first Eshet Chail award given by Women’s League of Conservative Juda-ism. Shirley’s memory will be for a blessing.

Donations to Sisterhood in Shirley’s memory may be sent to: Sisterhood, c/o Dava Berkman, Adas Israel Congregation, 2850 Quebec Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008-5296.

torah Fund 5772 Campaign Continues The Torah Fund Campaign of Women’s League for Conserva-tive Judaism helps to underwrite Conservative/Masorti Juda-ism, training future leaders at its seminaries in New York City, California, South America, and Israel. Adas Israel Sisterhood has been an integral part of the campaign throughout the years. We need everyone to join in helping us to meet our goal of $12,000 for this year’s campaign. Contributions at any level are welcome. A donation of $180 or more will designate you as a Benefactor, and you will receive this year’s beautiful Torah Fund pin. Please send your checks, made out to “Torah Fund,” to Torah Fund Chair, Mrs. Gerry Lezell, c/o Sisterhood, Adas Israel Congre-gation, 2850 Quebec St., NW, Washington, DC 20008-5296.

As an expression of gratitude, everyone donating $36 or more is invited to the seaboard region torah Fund dessert reception March 4 at Chizuk Amuno Congregation, 8100 Steven-son Rd., Baltimore, MD, 21208. Rabbi Marc Wolf, JTS vice chan-cellor, is the featured speaker. RSVP via adasisrael.org/sisterhood by February 21. send check payable to seaboard region/WlCJ to toby holtzman, VP seaboard torah Fund, 8507 Wil-kesboro Lane, Potomac MD, 20854 ¢


Tikkun Olam

W W W . A D A S I S R A E L . O R G 202.362.4433

Rabbi Gil Steinlauf, Senior RabbiRabbi Charles Feinberg, Rabbi

Hazzan Abe Lubin, Interim CantorMark Novak, Sheliach Tzibur

Naomi Malka, Interim Ritual DirectorRabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, Director of Lifelong Learning

Rabbi Stanley Rabinowitz, EmeritusRabbi Jeffrey A. Wohlberg, Emeritus

Rabbi Avis Miller, EmeritaCantor Arnold Saltzman, Emeritus

Johanna Chanin, PresidentLisa Kleine, Sisterhood President

Robert Rubin, Men’s Club PresidentRachel Strong and Alexandra Wisotsky,Co-Presidents, Gan Parents Association

Gaby Joseph and Lily Moghadam, USY Co-Presidents

Glenn S. Easton, Executive DirectorJosh Bender, Director of Education

Sheri Brown, Interim Director, Gan HaYeledElie Greenberg, Director of Informal Programming

Lesley Brinton, ControllerBeth Ann Spector, Program/Membership Coordinator

Kate Bailey, Communications Director

CHRONICLE (USPS 005-280) Jean Brodsky Bernard, EditorAdina Moses, Graphic Design

Published monthly by The Adas Israel Congregation, 2850 Quebec Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20008-5296. Telephone 202-362-4433; Hearing Impaired Relay Services 711; Fax 202-362-4961; Religious School 202-362-4449; Gan HaYeled Nursery School 202-362-4491;

e-mail: [email protected]. Affiliated with The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Supported in part by The Ethel and Nat Popick Endowment Fund. Subscription $25 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC, and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster send address changes to Chronicle, 2850 Quebec Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20008.

18 • ChroniCle • July–August 2010

AdAs isrAel CongregAtion2850 QuebeC street, nWWaShington, DC 20008-5296

ChronicleVOl 74, nO.7 FebruarY 2012 sheVat–adar 5772

PeriodiCAls PostAge PAid

WAshington, dC And At AdditionAl

MAiling oFFiCes

upcoming Chronicle deadlines— March issue: Wednesday, February 1, noon; April issue: thursday, March 1, noon

buy one More!Thanks to everyone who has donat-ed to the Ezra Pantry. In partnership with So Others Might Eat (SOME), the Ezra Pantry collects nonperish-able food for distribution in shelters, soup kitchens, day care centers, and elder care facilities. Please buy one more item than you need when you shop for food and bring it to the Ezra Pantry shelves in the synagogue cloakroom. Feeding the hungry is a mitzvah. Thank you again for your continued support.¢

Alan gross VigilJoin other Adas members and the Jewish Com-munity Relations Council (JCRC) for a vigil to free Alan Gross on Monday, February 13, noon–1:00 pm. The vigil will take place in front of the Cuban Interests Section (2630 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC). Alan Gross, a Potomac, MD, resident, has been held by the Cuban govern-ment since December 2009. Charged with “acts to undermine the integrity and independence” of Cuba, he went to Cuba to do humanitarian work on behalf of USAID with the peaceful, non-dissident, Jewish community.

solar Cookers for darfurThanks to generous donations from Adas members, more than 100 solar cookers will be sent to Darfuris. The cookers will enable Darfuri women to cook family meals safely without risking their lives to collect firewood and encounter violence when leaving the refugee and resettlement camps.

Continue to support darfur Join members of Adas and Peoples Congregational Church for a vigil to bear witness against the genocide in Sudan. We protest every third Sunday of the month in front of the Sudanese Embassy, 1:30–2:30 pm, 2210 Massachusetts Avenue, NW. This month’s vigil is Sunday, February 19.

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