VOLUME 3, ISSUE 2 SPR ING/SUMMER 1999

The Orthodox UnionMember Boca RatonSynagogue inSouthern Florida insti-tuted a kollel throughYeshiva University andYeshivat Shaalavim.The kollel is its ownentity, and has itsown Board ofDirectors - whichincludes members ofother synagogues inthe community - but the kollel andthe synagogue are deeplyenmeshed. The kollel’s VisionStatement as presented at its intro-ductory board meeting explained:

“Our purpose is to create a kollelwhich will include fellows, alreadyhaving attained semichah, who intellectually represent and cancommunicate intelligently

(continued on page 2)

Mandell I. Ganchrow, M.D.President, Orthodox Union

Marcel WeberChairman, Board of Directors

Dr. Marcos KatzChairman, Board of Governors

Rabbi Raphael B. ButlerExecutive Vice President

Stephen J. SavitskyChairman, Synagogue Services Commission

Michael C. WimpfheimerChairman, Synagogue Membership Committee

Rabbi Moshe D. KrupkaNational Director, Synagogue Services

Dr. David J. SchnallChairman, Editorial Committee

Frank BuchweitzDirector, Special Projects

Rabbi Mayer WaxmanProgram Coordinator

Synagogue TrendsPublished by the Orthodox Union

Department of Synagogue Services.333 Seventh AvenueNew York, NY 10001

(212) 613-8225 • Fax (212) 564-9058

TRENDSSYNAGOGUE

A NEWSLETTER FOR THE LEADERSH IP OF OR THODOX UNION MEMBER SYNAGOGUES

For more information about OUONLINE and what it can mean foryou and your community, pleasevisit our website

http://www.ou.orgor E-mail: membership@ou.org

Shimon the Righteous is quotedin the second Mishnah in PirkeiAvot as saying: “The worldstands on three things: Torah,Avodah (the service to God)and G’milut Chasadim (acts ofkindness)”. This issue of SynagogueTrends is intended to represent amicrocosm of these three things asthey provide the legs on which thesynagogue stands. For Torah weprovide the models of two successfulsynagogue-based kollel programs.In a future issue we will furtherdescribe details of establishing akollel to strengthen your synagogue.For Avodah we have enlisted theexpertise of chazanim from the BelzSchool of Jewish Music who have

provided their views onsynagogue Services and waysto improve them. And twosynagogues have contributedinsightful articles regardingtheir innovative, effective

chesed programs.

As always we hope the articles inSynagogue Trends will provide ideasto help your synagogue andcommunity grow and excel. Yourfeedback, suggestions, and articlesare important to assure thatSynagogue Trends continues tomeet the needs and interests ofOrthodox Union synagogues.

Rabbi Mayer Waxman

Editor

Editor’s Message

Come for the Sunshine,Stay for the Torah

a commitment to Torat Yisrael.These kollel fellows must also becommitted to Eretz Yisrael withinthe framework of Medinat Yisraeland view their affiliation with thiskollel as not only an opportunity forself-growth, but as an opportunityto influence the condition of AmYisrael, in Palm Beach County,through active positive involve-ment.”

The Board presentation included asection outlining the goals of theBoca Raton Judaic FellowsProgram. This section includedsome goals specifically regardingthe Boca Raton Synagogue: “Tocontinue to create an atmosphereof spirituality within the synagogue.This will be greatly enhanced bythe Fellows Program studying andbeing affiliated with the syna-gogue”

“To strengthen Boca RatonSynagogue’s reputation as the cen-ter of Jewish learning in [Browardand] Palm Beach County.”

The kollel, has met and far exceed-ed these goals. The program nowreaches some five hundred peoplea week. The kollel members offershiurim in Daf Yomi and in depthGemara, Halachah, Parshah, Nach,Jewish philosophy and history, andintroductions to Judaism. Many ofthe kollel’s activities are based in thesynagogue; they use the BocaRaton Synagogue’s Beit Midrash fortheir study hall and classroom. Butthis kollel is unique in its goal of

FROM THE DESK OFRABBI MOSHE D.KRUPKANational Director, Synagogue Services

Welcome to another edition ofSynagogue Trends. With thisissue, Synagogue Trends trulyenters the realm that thispublication was envisioned tooccupy. Every article in thisedition is written by synagogueleaders - lay and professional.These leaders are using thesepages to share their proven-effective synagogue programs,their experiences, and theirvisions with their peers acrossthe continent. This sharing ofideas, networking ofsynagogues and communities,this show of unity, epitomizesthe role and importance of ourOrthodox Union.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, the leadership of OUsynagogues, for your continued trust in the OU Department ofSynagogue Services. The three years since the inception of SynagogueTrends have been marked by the proactive nature that SynagogueServices has adopted. We have upgraded our repertoire ofprogramming and continuously offer our membership new andinnovative initiatives.

A great deal of the success of Synagogue Trends is due to our editorRabbi Mayer Waxman. As a program coordinator, Rabbi Waxman has,along with his colleagues in the Department of Synagogue services,both fielded your synagogue-concern calls, and proactively reached outto synagogues and synagogue leadership through mailings, phonecalls, and personal visitations. This direct interaction with synagogueleadership has helped to focus this publication on relevant and practicalsynagogue interests and needs.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge our Chairmanof the Synagogue Trends Editorial Committee. Rabbi Dr. David Schnall’sscholarship has served as the core of Synagogue Trends for two and ahalf years. Dr. Schnall’s erudition has been affirmed by his recent receiptof a prestigious Fulbright Foreign Scholarship to Israel, where he will bespending a year as Professor and Senior Scholar at Hebrew University’sBaerwald School of Social Work. We wish Dr. Schnall a Mazal-Tov andcontinued success in this and future endeavors. We look forward topresenting more of his wisdom in the future.

Enjoy Synagogue Trends, success to your synagogues, and we lookforward to hearing from you soon. Perhaps next issue will highlightyour synagogue’s trends.

The previous edition ofSynagogue Trends focused on

grant proposal writing.

The featured authors werestudents of Dr. David Schnall

at the LEAD RabbinicFellowship program.

The LEAD Fellowship issponsored by the Rabbinical

Council of America, the RabbiIsaac Elchonon Theological

Seminary, the OrthodoxCaucus, and the New York

Jewish Federation.

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outreach. One day a week the kollel uses the local JewishFederation building as a BeitMidrash. There the kollel membersteach, and study with theFederation staff. Throughout theweek the kollel members holdlunch-’n-learn programs at local lawfirms, hospitals, banks and officebuildings. The kollel membersteach at the local Conservative andReform Temples. The Rabbis in thekollel were specifically selected fortheir worldliness and their ability tocommunicate with unaffiliated Jewswho have little or no backgroundsin Judaica.

This is a model from which everycommunity can learn. For a com-munity to imitate theprogram, however,the communitywould require cer-tain prerequisites.The success of thisprogram is based onthe large amount ofJews — affiliatedand unaffiliated —who are in the neighborhood.Much of the synagogue’s erstwhilesuccess has been due to the exem-plar positive rapport the synagoguefostered with the community atlarge. This had been cultivatedthrough years of public servicework, including the kashering ofthe 100 acre Federation campus byRabbi Brander, the Rabbinicfounder of the kollel; suffice it tosay, the Boca grounds were fertilefor a successful outreach mindedkollel.

The Boca Raton community hasbuilt a reputation within the lastdecade as an outstanding environ-ment in which to live as anOrthodox family. The Boca Ratoncommunity is an ever expandingJewish epicenter. Boca’s burgeon-ing vitality practically called out fora kollel. Counter-intuitively, theremarkable growth and expansionof the local Jewish community - thebuilding of the Hillel Day School,the starting of the Yeshiva HighSchool, the building of the BocaRaton Synagogue and Mikva andthe fact that the community contin-

ues to growwith youngfamilies - hascomplicatedmatters.Growth andexpansiontakes its tollon the coffersof a commu-nity.Furthermore,young fami-lies with chil-dren havelimited funds.Of course allthe growth isa wonderful thing, however it

means that wemust be creative infinding sources tofund the kollel.

The kollel was ini-tially partially fund-ed by grants fromMike and PaulineSender’s Off-Campus Lecture

Series Fund of the Rabbi IssacElchanan Theological Seminary ofYeshiva University, from the JewishFederation of South Palm BeachCounty, and from the Daniel S.Abraham and Dr. Edward SteinbergEndowment of a Kollel FellowChair. The success of this kollel willonly be maintained if the Bocacommunity realizes that the kollelempowers all the other local Jewishinstitutions. The kollel achieves thisby teaching in the local syna-gogue, being a resource for theRabbeim/teachers inthe yeshiva highschool and the localday school andthrough regular in-services for the com-munity’s educationalstaff. Also, thewives of the kollelfamilies have playedstrong roles within the community.And kollel families will perhapsmove into this community aftertheir time as kollel members to takeother leadership roles. For examplethe assistant Rabbi of the Boca

Raton Synagogue, Rabbi JoshuaFass originally joined the Boca com-munity as a member of the kollel.

Now, between the kollel’s provensuccess, Boca Raton’s influx ofJewish young professionals andbusinessmen, and the retirementcommunity with money to invest ina strong Jewish future, Boca hasbeen able to support an excellent

kollel. In turn, thiskollel has addedimmeasurably tothe general facadeand spirit of theBoca Raton com-munity.

Rabbi KennethBrander is the Rabbi

of the Boca Raton Synagogue. He co-founded the kollel with Mr. AharonUnger. The synagogue and kollel canbe reached at (561) 394-5732, or see<www.kollel.org> about the kollel, andto learn more about the synagogue seetheir web-page on <www.ou.org>.

The Rabbis in the kollelwere specifically selectedfor their worldliness and

their ability to communicatewith unaffiliated Jews who

have little or nobackgrounds in Judaica.

Much of the synagogue’ssuccess has been due

to the positive rapport the synagogue has

fostered withthe community at large.

Rabbi Kenneth Brander

A year and a half ago, they didn’t know how to pronounceit; now it has become the greathope for Torah education inKansas City.

The Kansas City Community Kollelhas successfully multiplied the num-ber of Jewish educational resourcesin the Kansas City community. ARabbi and his wife, and six youngmen who are motivated to learnand teach Torah make up thisgroup of highly motivated, tolerant,Zionistic teachers who come to usfrom Eretz Yisrael through the aus-pices of the Torah Mitzion Kollelim.Their affiliation with our communitythis past year has had a palatableimpact on the way Jews here valuelearning Torah.

Kansas City has one Orthodox syna-gogue, and although the kollel isofficially its own entity, it is a verita-ble limb of the synagogue. Whilethe goal of the kollel is to strength-en the entire Jewish community,the synagogue especially has bothserved and benefited from the kol-lel. I serve as Coordinator for thekollel, the kollel is housed in thesynagogue, and many of the kollel’s

program’s run out of the syna-gogue. The Officers of the kollelview the kollel as a fulfillment of thegoals of the synagogue. And thesynagogue has served as the cen-ter for instituting, and for fundrais-ing for the kollel.

It all began as a dream. I realizedthat we needed more educators.The people were thirsting for Torah.Actually, Julius Berman,Honorary President of theOU and cousin of one ourcongregants inCongregation Beth IsraelAbraham and Voliner wasin Kansas City for a simchaha couple of years ago.Inspired by what he saw –Jews from across the com-munity taking a seriousinterest in Torah and mitz-vah observance – he madethe first contribution toopen the kollel here. I toldmyself, “if someone fromthe outside can see fit to supportTorah in Kansas City, then the localcommunity should be willing to dothe same.” A little over a year later,the kollel had taken root.

Rabbi Gideon Weitzman and hiswife Rivki came to Kansas City inSeptember 1997 to initiate the kol-lel project. In the course of theyear, they advanced Torah study onmany levels. Individualized learn-ing, shiurim, a monthly chabura forall of the Rabbis of the community,a Women’s Rosh Chodesh gather-ing, community lectures, and so

much more make up their work. Inaddition, afternoons provide severalhours of personal learning time.This year the kollel has increased itsnumbers and reached out to even

The Kansas City Community Kollel

Your synagogue can helpcountless synagogues for

just the cost of photocopies and stamps!!!

Please send us a copy of your synagogue constitution and by-laws, anda description of your dues structure.

The Department of Synagogue services receives many requests for updat-ed modern constitutions, by-laws and dues structures. The bigger ourarchives, the more helpful we can be.

(This information will be shared in confidence - the name of your syna-gogue will not be included.)

Synagogue elections

coming up?

Please e-mail, fax, or mail your updated

leadership/membership lists to the

Orthodox Union Department of Synagogue Services.

Free Synagogue Services Posters Available:

Call Shira Rapp: (212) 613-8285

4

5

■ Types and degrees of hearing loss

■ How hearing aids work

■ Classroom acoustics

■ Inclusion of the hearing-impaired child in themainstream classroom

■ Language delays

■ Methods for helping the student

■ Modes of communication

■ Interpreters

■ Amplification systems

This handbook features strategies to provide Torah education to the deaf andhearing-impaired - particularly regarding challenges that the student may facein a Hebrew/Judaic curriculum. The handbook also highlights the benefits toother students when a child with special needs is in the classroom.

Includes:

■ Classroom posters on hearing aid troubleshooting

■ Dos and don’ts guidelines in English and Hebrew

■ Brachot illustrated in American Sign Language

Geared towards classroom teachers, the handbook can also be used as aguide for inclusion in synagogue activities, youth activities, and summerprograms.

Order your copy(/ies) of “The Hearing-Impaired Child in the Jewish Classroom” for $5.00 from the OU Our Way Department by e-mailing Batya at arielib@ou.org or by calling 212-613-8127.

Our Way, a division of the National Jewish Council for the Disabled, the Orthodox Union’s agency for special needsand special education, proudly announces an important handbook for schools, synagogues, camps, and individuals.

The handbook discusses such issues as:

THE HEARING-IMPARED CHILDIN THE JEWISH CLASSROOM

more of the community.

The local Hebrew Academy, a non-denominational institution with 350students grades K-12, has wel-comed the kollel with open arms.Their success on the high schooland elementary school levels haveled the school to see the kollel as itsanswer to its Judaic studies chal-lenge. Although some 20,000Jews make their home in thegreater Kansas City area, whichboasts of an eruv, kosher market,bagelry, and kosher Chinese restau-rant, still, the high level of Toraheducators who can really impact onthe lives of these youngsters are

just not interested, by and large, inmaking their home in the Midwest.The kollel’s presence has stirred thesouls of the students and their par-ents. As a result, the Academy –the local Jewish day school – willlaunch a two-tiered Torah track onthe middle and upper school levels.The kollel Rabbis and their wiveswill be instrumental in presentinghigher level Judaic studies.

Using funds donated by privateindividuals from across the denomi-national lines and a generous grantfrom the local Jewish CommunityFoundation the kollel benefits froma wide following. Men, women,

and teens from all walks of thecommunity continue to sing thepraises of the kollel. At present thekollel is seeking funds to continueto support its impactful work rally-ing a Jewish community around allthat is Jewish: Torah.

Rabbi Morey Schwartz is the SpiritualLeader of Congregation Beth IsraelAbraham and Voliner in Overland Park,KS and the Kollel Coordinator. Formore information on the Kansas CityKollel or how you can help renewTorah living in the lives of thousands,contact Rabbi Morey Schwartz at: (913)341-2444, and visit the B.I.A.V. web-siteat <www.ou.org>

6

Improving theQuality of OurSynagogue Services

It may take a little courage to publi-cize this viewpoint, but it voices aconcern that has been addressedfrom pulpits, in newspapers and inpublications among professionalSHLICHEI TZIBUR, congregationalRabbis, GABBAIM as well as seriousMITPALLELIM. We find that some ofour synagogues no longer seem tobe a source of inspiration to theircongregants. Not enough of ourcongregants seem fully involved inrewarding participation in daven-ing. The attraction of some syna-gogues appears tobe social interactioninstead of spiritualfulfillment. Do ourshuls have to con-vert to a form ofcharismatic experi-entialism qua neo-chassidism tobecome an effective force onceagain? If so, what has happenedto our tefillah that has deprived itof the power to hold the attentionof the congregation? What ele-ment is missing that has allowedtoo many congregants to slide intothe issur of speaking during daven-ing [see Shulchan Aruch OrechChaim 124:7, 151:1 MishnahB’rurah 2, and Rambam HilchotTefillah 11:6]; conversing in loud orsoft voices oblivious to the tefillahof the shaliach tzibur?

It is my opinion, and the consensusof many of my co-professionals,that this is a direct result of the loos-ening and lowering of the stan-dards used in choosing a shaliachtzibbur in many of our Orthodoxsynagogues today. Our view isthat this has resulted all too often incacophonous, unpleasant orinaudible voices davening in anincorrect, inappropriate or “nusachnon-existent” manner. Shlichei tzib-bur are too often selected out ofconvenience; or worse. There is no

sweetness, traditional nusach, musi-cality and especially no KAVANNAH

heard from too many of these indi-viduals, most of whom areunaware that there may be short-comings in their davening. Thisresults in too many congregantsbeing “turned off”, disinterestedand uninspired.

Kavannah

At the Belz School of Jewish Musicat Yeshiva University, most of our150 students are non-music majorand semichah students. They aretaking a class or two for credit or“just to learn.” I always tell themthat when they daven as the shali-ach tzibbur, they have a very seri-ous responsibility. That responsibili-

ty is the Kavannah[Rambam HilchotTefillah 9:15] - theintense concentra-tion and efficacy ofthe prayers of thecongregation, cou-pled with the trans-mission of the time-

honored and halachically-mandat-ed musical nusach ha’tefillah hand-ed down to us from generation togeneration. Each individual sittingin shul is a direct responsibility ofthe shaliach tzibur(sha’tz)/chazan.“The way you daven”, I tell them,“is the way the tzibur will daven. If you daven with proper kavan-nah, and as correctly and beautiful-ly as you are capable, the congre-gation will mirror your enthusiasmand daven with equal kavannah.If, God forbid, you daven with dis-interest, with mumbling, with a lackof beauty and melody and a lack ofnusach ha’tefillah, you will beresponsible for the repercussions tothe tzibur - their disinterest, theirtalking during davening (except forthe incorrigible few) and their lackof kavannah.” Admittedly, this is aheavy burden to place on my stu-dents, but they must know thatserving as a shaliach tzibbur is avery serious responsibility, and onewhich they dare not take lightly.

When we enter the shul on RoshKol T

zoph

ayich

- The

Voice

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ur L

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sKo

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phay

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he Vo

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uts

The following article is the firstinstallment of a new column, “Kol Tzophayich -the Voice of YourLookouts”.Synagogue Trends is published tohighlightsynagogues, as wellas to providesynagogueprofessionals andlay-leaders anopportunity toshare theirsynagogue relatedopinions,experience, andexpertise. Thiscolumn will be aplace to expressthese viewpoints.Synagogue Trendswelcomes yourarticles.

This issue’scontributor isChazan Sherwood Goffin:

What has happened toour tefillah that has

deprived it of the power to hold the attention of

the congregation?

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Hashanah eve, we anticipate thebeautiful, majestic melody of theancient “Bor’chu”. If the chazanwould mistakenly begin theBor’chu in the melody of Fridaynight Maariv, we would beextremely upset, our kavannahwould be devastated! Should wenot be equally upset when thechazzan uses improper nusach forRosh Chodesh or weekday“Yishtabach”? Is not improper dav-ening – errors in pronouncing orcombining words or inflection – asegregious an error as saying anunnecessary Tachanun? Peopletend to get upset about the latter,why not the former? We have toask if we can utilize any “nigun” wewish to sing, anywhere we wish inthe davening. Are there not stan-dards? Based on the mesorah oftime-honored guidelines handeddown to us since the time of theMaharam and the Maharil, it is mypractice and the academic policy ofthe Belz School that the nigunshould match with, not clash withthe “nusach” in three areas: a) Thenigun melody should not comefrom a secular source. b) Thenigun should provide a musicalmatch with the mode of the givennusach (major, minor, etc.). c) Andthe nigun should be a “singing-friendly”, effective melody thatmatches the mood of the words inthe siddur... I can’t comprehendwhy synagogues have persisted insinging the secular Israeli love song“Erev Shel Shoshanim” for Kedusha,ad-nauseum, for the past 35 years.

A Suggested Solution

We spend so much energy on thechoice of “Chasan Torah” and“Maftir Yonah”. I believe we shouldspend a few minutes to ponderand decide who is the most worthycandidate to daven on Shabbat,Yom Tov and even weekdays aswell [see Shulchan Aruch OrechChaim, 53:4, Mishnah B’rurah 12].I would like to suggest that syna-gogues take one qualified individ-ual (or 5 to 10 men in a large shul)and make him (them) the

“Designated Baal(ei) Tefillah” of theshul. If he is really excellent (andyou can afford it) pay him a nomi-nal stipend, make him “official”.(The Shulchan Aruch, [OrechChaim 53:22] prefers a salariedsha’tz to one who pays for thehonor [i.e. volunteers]). The advan-tage of such an appointment –paid or voluntary – is that Rabbisand lay leaders can thereby haveinput into the tefillah of the shul, byconsultation with this new memberof the clergy “staff”. Perhaps theproblem of talking during tefillahwould diminish by discussing nigu-nim and planning “strategy” - suchas signals on which to wait fordecorum - with a sweet, effective,musical shaliach tzibur who is com-mitted to the sametefillah goals as youare.

With such a desig-nated baal-tefillah inplace you can feelfree to call me orCantor Beer(Director) at the Belz School ofJewish Music, (212) 960-5353. Wewill be glad to have a telephonerelationship with your baal-tefillahto discuss any tefillah question andto invite him to our yearly confer-ence of baalei-tefillah.

A synagogue that carefully selects agroup of worthy baalei-tefillah canrest assured that no unqualifiedsha’tz will represent the congrega-tion to the Ribono Shel Olam forShabbat Mussaf etc. There areother opportunities for those withyahrzeit and general congregantsto daven at the amud such asPesukei D’zimrah, Minchah etc. Weshould not settle for less than ourbest when it comes to our majortefillot!

Please read the accompanying arti-cle on the Halachic sources ofNusach Ha’tefillah by Cantor Beer.When the Shulchan Aruch refers to“nigunim”, it is not talking aboutModzitz or Carlebach, but aboutthe nusach minhag of a communi-ty that cannot be changed. Of

course, we can add beautiful“dveykut” nigunim where appropri-ate, but we must be careful toleave room for and to not trampleupon the nusach. In America weare the inheritors of the EastEuropean Ashkenazic tradition -except for those with German andSefardic tradition. The Ashkenazicnusach has been handed down tous orally with only incidentalchanges since the Maharil stan-dardized our nusach ha’tefillah over500 years ago. Is not one Halachahin Shulchan Aruch just as preciousand compelling as any other?

Final Thought

In each tefillah that we daven, wehave the right and the responsibility

to ask if the individ-ual going to theamud is a properchoice to representus before theAlmighty. Certainly,there are timeswhen this is notpossible or practi-

cal. However, if we do not evenbegin to attempt a change, wehave no one else to blame but our-selves if the quality of our communaldavening does not improve or, Godforbid, deteriorates even further.

In the “Heye im Pifiyot” of the YomimNoraim Mussaf, the congregationprays that the shaliach tzibburwhom they have chosen will beenabled to fulfill his sacred task prop-erly. I ask that you do the same forme and all of our baalei tefillah aswe ascend to the bima as your rep-resentatives before Hashem. Maythe Kadosh Baruch Hu accept ourtefillot as we offer them: “HASHEM

S’FATEI TIFTACH U’FI YAGID TEHILATECHA -God open my lips, and my mouthwill speak your praises”.

Sherwood Goffin is the Chazan at theLincoln Square Synagogue in NewYork, and a member of faculty andCoordinator of Outreach at the BelzSchool of Jewish Music, an affiliate ofYeshiva University.

Perhaps the problem oftalking during tefillahwould diminish with a

sweet, effective, musicalshaliach tzibur

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The melody chants of our liturgyhave been transmitted orally fromgeneration to generation, andwere designed with the intentionof infusing our prayers with aweand devotion. This idea was con-ceived within Ashkenazic Jewry inorder to express the significance ofreligious occasions by consecratingspecial tunes which set the moodand unique atmosphere of eachparticular service.

Rabbi Jacob Molin (1356-1427)known as the MAHARIL, was thelast prominent Rabbinic authoritywho rendered great service to ourNusachot. Born in Mayence,Germany, the MAHARIL lived dur-ing the Hussite wars, when turmoiland disorganization existed amongJewry. He became known as theleading Rabbinic authority of histime, and his word was acceptedas law throughout the Ashkenazicworld. When decay set in on the

spiritual life of German Jewry, theMAHARIL traveled to numerouscommunities serving as a shaliachtzibur. Through his exalted person-ality he was able to codify the syna-gogue ritual and sanction the oldexisting prayer chants. His rulingwas that communities may notchange their local custom especiallyin regard to universal traditionalmelodies; “AL Y’SHANE B’MINHAG HAIR

AFILU B’NIGUNIM” (“Do not alter thetraditions of the city, even amongtunes”; Orah Hayyim: 619). Theelaborate musical settings of YamimNoraim associated with the texts ofAlenu, Avot, Bor’chu, Hamelech,Kaddish before Mussaf and Neilah,Kol Nidre and V’haKohanim wereregarded as so sacred that theywere referred to as MISSINAI TUNES

(as if they came from Mt. Sinai).Eastern European Jews called thesetunes SKARBOVE NIGGUNIM, meaning“tunes of antiquity”. Literally, the

term Skarbove means“official” from the Polish“Skarb”. The MAHARILsanctioned these tunes forthe purpose of unifyingAshkenazic synagoguechants. It is for this reasonperhaps, that these melodieshave often been referred toas ‘Nigunnei MAHARIL’.

An interesting story is told of RabbiIsrael Meir Kagan Hakohen - theChofetz Chaim. One RoshHashanah upon being accordedthe honor of an Aliyah, the ChofetzChaim quickly approached theBimah to recite the blessings, but tothe amazement of the congrega-tion, he stood motionless and insilence before the Sefer Torah. Afterseveral long moments, he finallycommenced to intone the benedic-tion. At the conclusion of the ser-vices several of his disciples whonoticed what took place earlier

Nusah Hatefilah and Its Significance

sg ush ,t ezjk hsf vftkn uk thmnn///ktak ,uhrck lr,mh tka

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For more information, please call, Sara Ringer, Coordinator, Vocational Resources& Job Placement at 212-613-8336.

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approached the Chofetz Chaim andasked, “Rebbe, what was the causefor your delay before reciting theberachot?” “For several moments Icould not recall the Yamim Noraimnusach”, answered the ChofetzChaim. “I would not begin to recitethe berachah until I was remindedof the special nigun”.

In his article entitled “Halachah andMinhag in Nusah Hatefilah”,(Journal of Jewish Music andLiturgy, Cantorial Council ofAmerica, vol. XIII), Rabbi GedaliaDov Schwartz expresses his opinionthat congregations should seekshlichei tzibur who combine pietyand a mastering of traditionalnusach – particularly on the YamimNoraim. “The absence of these hal-lowed nigunim during the daven-ing would be unthinkable to anyworshiper who has an inbred affini-ty for the feelings and stirrings ofthe heart, rendered by the propernusach. Just as the Avodah in theBet Hamikdash was accompaniedby a certain order of Shir or music,primarily vocal, so must our Avodahin the synagogue maintain a prop-er contact and order of shir, of nig-

gun and nusach as we, in our way,make our offerings of prayer”.

With the rendering of our nusachotin a proper and dignified manner,may we all pray that our tefillotthroughout the entire year be wor

thy, acceptable and favorablebefore Hashem.

Cantor Bernard Beer is the Director ofthe Philip and Sarah Belz School ofJewish Music, an affiliate of YeshivaUniversity, (212) 960-5353.

9

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Kashruth Questions?ASK IVanswers.

If you are a Congregational Rabbi, Semicha student, Chaver Hakollelor member of a Vaad HaKashruth,

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10

Being a young OrthodoxSynagogue can sometimes be alonely, uncomfortable experience.Young Orthodox Synagogues facemany unique challenges.Challenges include finding a build-ing, dealing with zoning issues, bor-rowing Sifrei Torah, creating an iden-tity and credibility, establishing policyfor ritual (even within Orthodoxythere are choices to make), finding aRabbi and attracting members. I amthe President of Rinat Yisrael ofPlainview, a two-year-old OrthodoxSynagogue. In these two years wehave faced and continue to dealwith most of these challenges. Ourexperiences of the last two yearshave taught us that although begin-nings are not comfortable, they aretimes of enormous potential for per-sonal and community growth. Bysharing Rinat Yisrael’s experience andmethodology of initiating an effec-tive chesed program, we hope toprovide some support and someideas for other young synagoguesfacing the challenges of newness.

Rinat Yisrael is located in a renovat-ed house in Plainview, New York(on Long Island). The communityhas several thousand Jewish house-holds although the Orthodox com-munity is only 150 families.Plainview has an eruv, severalkosher food establishments and anOrthodox Hebrew day school. Thelocal Mikvah Association will soonbegin construction of a mikvah.For a variety of reasons, Plainview’sOrthodox community worships inthree synagogues. With eighteenmember families, Rinat Yisrael is theyoungest and smallest of the three.We are a synagoguethat is rich in hopeand poor inresources.

Even before webegan to worship asa synagogue, wecontacted theDepartment ofSynagogue Servicesof the Orthodox Union. After con-sidering our goals and our reasons

for existing, The Departmentof Synagogue Serviceshelped us to borrow a SeferTorah and supported oursearch for a Rabbi.Moreover, the Department ofSynagogue Services provided criti-cal support to our Ritual Committeeas they considered and decidedmany issues in the absence of aRabbi. Although the OrthodoxUnion did not act as POSKIM, theyprovided us with access toRabbinical authorities and withexamples of how other young syn-agogues had handled similarissues. The Department ofSynagogue Services of theOrthodox Union gave us the criticalsupport and credibility we neededto get our feet planted.

During our first year, we estab-

lished our organizational and ritualintegrity and began to consider ourfuture in the community. We envi-sioned ourselves as an institutionthat mattered. A modern Orthodoxsynagogue with a growing mem-

bership and aRabbi who wouldboth lead andeducate us. Inconsidering howto reach this goal,we reflected onour strengths.The atmospherewithin our syna-

gogue was one of inclusivenessand AHAVAT YISRAEL. Several people

who worshipped with us reg-ularly were not from obser-vant backgrounds.Nevertheless, we welcomed

their involvement and encour-aged their participation. We recog-nized that the atmosphere in oursynagogue together with thedemographics of the communityfavored growth through KIRUV.

Once we had established an identi-ty for ourselves, we faced the chal-lenge of causing ourselves to mat-ter and grow. To grow throughkiruv, we would have to publicizeour existence and our values andthen follow-up with an educationalprogram that would appeal to thevisitors we attracted. We recog-nized that the centerpiece of a pro-gram for growth through kiruv is aRabbi with both interest and experi-

ence in the work of kiruv. This pre-sented a problem. Without moremembers, we would not be able toafford to enlist an appropriate Rabbito anchor our kiruv program.Without a Rabbi, we would have adifficult time attracting membersthrough kiruv. We were missing acritical ingredient for success. Aftermuch contemplation, we recog-nized that we were not yet readyto initiate our plan for growth. Wewould have to begin by causingourselves to matter.

To cause ourselves to matter to thecommunity, we decided upon a pro-ject. During our first two years,Rinat Yisrael had organized a small

By sharing Rinat Yisrael’sexperience we hope to

provide some support andsome ideas for other young

synagogues facing thechallenges of newness.

FOODDRIVE

Chesed in Plain View

11

post-Passover food drive to collectunused Passover food for distribu-tion by a local charity. While thecharity was grateful for our smallcontribution, we recognized thatobtaining a larger amount of foodbefore Passover was a greater needand a greater chesed. Rinat Yisraelcould not make a difference alone.We decided to use one of ourstrengths, ahavat Yisrael, to unite theentire Jewish community in a pre-Passover food drive. As a minusculeOrthodox synagogue, we did notmatter to the community. As thecommitment and coordinationbehind an enormous act of chesed,however, we became indispensable.

The initial work for the food driveinvolved identifying and enrollingthe organizations within the com-munity who would benefit byeither conducting a food drive orby uniting the community. Webegan by approaching the Jewish

owner of the two largest supermar-kets in Plainview. He was happy tomake his stores one focus of thefood drive by placing collectionbins near the exits. Shoppers couldpurchase an extra food item andcontribute it to the food drive asthey left the store. With public rela-tions savvy he recognized that thepublicity generated around thefood drive would identify his storeswith philanthropy and with theJewish community. We alsoapproached the administration ofthe local Orthodox andConservative day schools. Bothwere eager to have their studentsparticipate in MAOT CHITIM and

agreed to collect food as part of acommunity project. When thestoreowner learned of the dayschools’ involvement he invitedtheir students to decorate his win-dows for Passover. In return, hemade a contribution to the fooddrive in their honor. In this way,we established the framework for asuccessful community food drive.

With the frameworkestablished, weapproached theExecutive Director ofthe Mid- Island Y-JCC. For severalyears he had beentrying, (with limitedsuccess), tostrengthen theJewish community by organizingthe many synagogues in the areainto a KEHILLA (a Jewish communitycouncil). Although he wasunaware of our synagogue’s exis-

tence, he was impressedby the progress we hadalready made. He quick-ly recognized that havingthe community cooper-ate in the food drivewould further his goal ofestablishing a kehila. Heagreed to be a co-leaderof the food drive and toinvolve his organizationaland clerical staff in theeffort. He also invited allof the synagogues in thecommunity to a meetingto discuss the food drive

and their participation. Rinat Yisraelwas invited to the next kehila meeting.

The largest task for Rinat Yisrael wasrecruiting the many synagoguesand Jewish social organizations(Hadassah, Bnai Brith, Jewish WarVeterans etc.) within the community.Although most of the organizationshad never heard of our synagogue,our association with the Y and ournoble objective gave us credibility.Nevertheless, organizing a group of Jewish organizations into acooperative effort is challenging.Most Jewish organizations focus ontheir own initiatives and are waryto work in a cooperative way with

other organizations. Our job wasto find a contact person in eachorganization with an interest in theproject and to convince him or herto lead the food drive withinhis/her organization. This portionof the project required much timeon the telephone and a real demon-stration of patience and ahavatYisrael. By gladly allowing each

organization to participate in a waythat it was willing,we produced thefirst cooperativeeffort of 17 diverseJewish organiza-tions within the Mid-Island Jewishcommunity.

With the food drive planning complete, we began to work onpublicity. Our goal was to get coverage of the food drive in themost widely read Jewish and secular newspapers. A friend withpublishing experience advised usthat while food drives are not news,mice that roar are big news.Therefore, we sent letters to the editors of our target publicationstelling them about the 18 familysynagogue that united an entireJewish community. Within days,we received a request for an inter-view from the Long Island edition ofthe “Jewish Week”, a major NewYork Jewish weekly. As Passoverapproached, we were contacted byLong Island’s secular newspaper,Newsday, to feature our synagogueand the food drive in a story. Inaddition, a local Jewish politicianattended one of our organizationalmeetings and was photographedwith the organizers of the fooddrive for coverage in a communitynewspaper. The resulting articlespublicized the food drive, gavecredit to the Mid-Island Jewish community for its willingness tocooperate, and provided enormouspublicity to Rinat Yisrael and ourcommitment to ahavat Yisrael.

The Mid-Island Community FoodDrive produced two importantresults. First, it raised over $10,000in Passover food for needy Jewishfamilies. Second, it publicized the

The Jewish owner of thetwo largest supermarkets in

Plainview was happy tomake his stores one focus

of the food drive by placingcollection binsnear the exits.

existence of Rinat Yisrael as anorganization that matters to theJewish community. This secondresult has given our synagoguenew tools and confidence withwhich to proceed to the businessof growth.

Rinat Yisrael is now consideringother projects that will continue toestablish our importance to the com-

munity. We hope to use our new connection with theMid-Island Y-JCC tojointly sponsor a‘Turn Friday Nightinto Shabbos’ program. By continuing to matter, we hope toattract additional members to oursynagogue. We also want to make

ourselves known toyoung Rabbis withan interest in doingkiruv work in theNew York area, andto establish a track

record that we can cite when weseek grant support for a Rabbi’s initial salary.

The Mid-Island Community PassoverFood Drive demonstrates that all ittakes for a synagogue to matter, isa willingness to act for the good ofthe community. For a synagoguethat is seeking growth, but isunable to proceed because of alack of resources, mattering to thecommunity can make the differ-ence. Establishing contacts with avariety of people and organizationscan give a synagogue access tonew resources. At the very least, it can reduce the discomfort andloneliness of being new. We hopeto be able to share our progress aswe continue our search for synagogue growth.

Dr. Avram Gold is the President of RinatYisrael. For more information aboutRinat Yisrael or their food drive pleasecall him at (516) 932-8673, or e-maildebbieave@juno.com. Rabbis interestedin sending resumes can communicatewith Dr. Ben Kirshenbaum at<bzk613@aol.com>, or contact RabbiWaxman at the Orthodox Union. Youcan also see their weblisting on<www.ou.org>

12

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Some of the topics exploredon this video

(which follows the order of the Tisha B’Av Kinos service) include:

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DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE •

• HUNGER AND HEROISM •

While food drives are notnews, mice that roar

are big news.

The Department ofSynagogue Services

extends a great

THANK YOUto Orthodox Union

member synagogues forefficacy in paying synagogue dues.

Your loyal membershipstrengthens our Orthodox

Union and helps us toserve your synagogue

more effectively.

TA

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13

SYNAGOGUES,Do you know that

yOU r Department of Synagogue Services works with synagogues in multi-faceted ways?

Here are just a few examples:

■ Discounts on Siddurim, Chumashim and sefarim

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■ Kashruth consultation

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■ Shabbat youth group programs

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■ Speakers programs

■ Synagogue consultation

■ Torah Seminars for Women

■ Torah tape libraries

■ Weekly Torah sheets

■ And assistance in the placement of Rabbis, chazanim, executive directors & youth leaders.

How can Synagogue Services service yOU r synagogue?

Let us know:Orthodox Union Department of Synagogue Services

333 Seventh Avenue 18th floor, New York, NY 10001Phone: (212) 613-8226 Fax: (212) 564-9058 E-mail: shuls@ou.org

WITH ROSH HASHANA AROUND THE CORNER.....DOES YOUR SHUL NEED SIDDURIM, CHUMASHIM, SHIVASIDDURIM, TRANSLITERATED OR RUSSIAN SIDDURIM...?

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14

Even a Torah in the Aron Needs Mazal

The Zohar states: “Everythingdepends on MAZAL (loosely translatedas fortune), even a Torah in theHEICHAL (ARON KODESH).” There is nomazal in something which goesunused; the true honor to a Torahis to use it. In fact, a Torah, like ahuman being, thrives when its pur-pose is called upon and engaged.A Torah untouched, unused, slowlydecays...

Shaare Torah Congregation is locatedat the entrance of the PittsburghJewish community in the SquirrelHill section of the city. The congre-gation has had many brightmoments in its long history. ShaareTorah has, at times, been at theforefront of efforts by the AmericanJewish community, such as thelong struggle to free Soviet Jewry.A new era for the congregationbegan in 1996 when Rabbi BaruchA. Poupko, the shul’s Rabbi for overhalf a century, retiredand Rabbi DanielWasserman, was chosen as its newspiritual leader.

It was when Rabbi Wasserman firstsaw the Congregation’s twenty-twosifrei Torah, that he recognizedShaare Torah’s rich, 119 year histo-ry. He also noted that many ofthese scrolls from both Eastern andWestern Europe, some 80 to 250years old, had not been used orunrolled in ages. Most wereremoved from the aron only once ayear, on Simchat Torah.

Inspection revealed that eight couldno longer be used and the remain-ing fourteen required extensiverepair or maintenance. Reflectingon that discovery, Rabbi Wassermanthought about the Gemara in BavaMetziah (29b) which states thatresponsible care for a Torah includesreading from it every 30 days orrolling it front to back once a year(depending on the situation). RabbiWasserman realized that the less asefer Torah was used, the more itwould deteriorate. Kavod ha-Torahindicates that a scroll should beused. It is a tree of life when we

hold it! The shul had to find a wayto save these scrolls.

Repairing a Torah scroll is a signifi-cant undertaking, costing as muchas $4000 a scroll. While repairing aTorah is only a fraction of the cost of

buying a new sefer Torah, repairingfourteen scrolls is prohibitively expen-sive. Furthermore, even if the Torahswere to be repaired they would still

go unused. RabbiWasserman forgedan idea and contacted ZerachGreenfield, a scribe

with an organization called MachonOt.

Machon Ot, a Jerusalem basedorganization under the direction ofRabbi Yitzchak Shteiner and Rabbi

Yitzchak Goldstein, is recognized asan authority on the restoration ofsifrei Torah. Both Rabbis are superi-or technicians in the art of Torahrestoration, and are honest, trust-worthy and dedicated individuals.They came highly recommended by

both Chief Rabbis of Israel and bymany other leading Rabbinicauthorities. Zerach Greenfield andMachon Ot could help facilitate asolution. A method was devised bywhich the Torahs could be repaired,their use could be increased, theneeds for sifrei Torah that communi-ties have – especially communitiesin Israel – could be addressed, andall expenses would be paid.Machon Ot was enthusiastic aboutthe project and the Board ofDirectors of Shaare Torah gave theirunanimous approval and support.

This is how the program works:

Shaare Torah sends its sifrei Torahto the scribes of Machon Ot forrepair. The repaired scrolls are thenloaned to congregations in Israeland elsewhere which need sifreiTorah. The length of the loan canbe substantial – with a clause in thecontract assuring that the borrowerwill not attain legal title, (chazaka).In exchange for use of the Torah,these synagogues pay the cost ofthe repair plus an additional sur-charge. The surcharge is used topay for the repair of the scrolls thatremain to serve the rapidly growingShaare Torah Congregation. Todate, the first four scrolls have beensent for repair; three are for loan to

communities in Israel and one hasbeen returned to Pittsburgh for useat Shaare Torah.

“Everybody wins,” Rabbi Wassermansays with a smile. “The aron kodeshat Shaare Torah will once again be

The true honor to a Torahis to use it.

15

filled with kosher scrolls.Congregations needing a Torah willhave kosher scrolls loaned fromShaare Torah. Most importantly,these scrolls will be used for the holypurpose they were intended. This,to me, represents a nexus of Torah,Avodah, and G’milut Chasadim.This is the epitome of Torat Chesed(the Torah of Kindness). It is myhope that other shuls will consideradopting this kind of a program. Ican’t bear to think of sifrei Torah sit-ting in an aron unused.”

If even a Torah in an aron kodeshneeds mazal, perhaps Shaare TorahCongregation and Machon Othave found a way to ensure it.

For more information on Shaarei Torahand its innovative Torah lending/repairprogram call Rabbi Wasserman at (412)422-8327, fax: (412) 521-9938, e-mail:<shaaretora@aol.com>, and look attheir web-page on <www.ou.org>

To reach Machon Ot call ZerechGreenfield at (800, [718 in New York])263-6445, fax: (718) 263-6447, e-mail:<74640.2111@compuserve.com>,webpage: <www.zerach.com>.

TORAH SEMINARS FOR

W OMENIn response to numerous requests, the OrthodoxUnion is expanding its new and highly successfulTorah Seminars For Women to synagoguesthroughout the country. We would be pleased toschedule a Yom Iyun (day of learning) in yourcommunity.

C LASSESSign Up Today!Call Frank Buchweitz at (212) 613-8188to schedule a program in your synagogue.

Sponsored in part by The Avi Chai Foundation

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This style juk isavailable for anylocation in theworld. Synagoguescan order it well inadvance and use itto prepare their own calendars orbulletins.We also supplycustom designed“Luchos”, to yourspecifications.Call(718) 851-1314 or (888) 451-1314to place your order

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