February 2016 ■ Shevat/Adar I 5776 Volume 1, Issue 6

koleynu our voice

Inside

Brotherhood News ............. 4 Calendar of Events .......... 12

Donations .......................... 5 President’s Circle .............. 6 President's Message ......... 3 Rabbi’s Message ............... 2 Religious School News ...... 6 Sisterhood News ............... 4 Social Action...................... 4 TI Learns ........................... 6 UF Scholar-in-Residence .. 4 Youth Group News ............ 6

The Next Person Rabbi Shapiro Wants You To Meet: Wajahat Ali

Friday, February 5 6:15 pm | President’s Circle Reception 7:00 pm | Proneg 7:30 pm | Shabbat Service

Save the Date

Wednesday, March 2 Kraft Cultural Endowment Guest: Ruth Katz International terrorism expert, director of the SITE Institute

“Terrorist Hunter: The Extraordinary Story of a Woman Who Went Underground to Infiltrate Radical Islamist Groups in America”

Photo Album

Interfaith Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Page 7

Attorney. Award-Winning Playwright. Humorist. U.S. State Department Consultant. American Citizen. Co-host of Al Jazeera America's “The Stream.” Muslim American. And part of an emerging generation of millennials poised for social change. Wajahat Ali is a Muslim American born and raised in Fremont, California. He has been writing, producing, and directing plays, films, and comedy sketches since childhood. In 2001, during his undergraduate studies at the University of California Berkeley, he began writing The Domestic Crusaders, a play which premiered in 2005 at the Berkeley Repertory Theater and San Jose University Theater. In 2009, The Domestic Crusaders premiered off-Broadway in New York at the famous Nuyorican Poets Café, breaking box office records. He was honored as a “Muslim Leader of Tomorrow” in 2009 for his work in journalism. Come hear how Jews and Muslims have more in common than you ever thought.

Mazel Tov!

...to Brett Golov on the release of his new web series on YouTube, “A Job. A Wife. And a Life.”

2 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation Koleynu

1901 North Flagler Drive West Palm Beach, FL 33407

(561) 833-8421 www.temple-israel.com

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Rabbi Cookie Lea Olshein

Cantor Michael Kruk

Rabbi Emeritus Howard Shapiro, DD

Administrator Jennifer Green Baer

Administrator Pro Tempore Linda Solomon

Religious School Director Iris Koller

Bookkeeper Clover Henry-Gilroy

Maintenance Technician Earnton Mosely

Accompanist David Block

Youth Group Advisor Lily Tysinger

President Michael Jonas

Vice Presidents Don Carter

Elaine Feldmesser Marty List David Sax

Judy Shuster

Secretary Tracy Simkowitz

Treasurer Mark Feldmesser

Board of Directors Rikki Bagatell Eunice Baros Ellen Flaum

Michael Gelfand Deborah Hirsch Barry Horowitz Sherry Jacobs

Amy Jonas Harry Kaufman

Carole Klein Roslyn Leopold Cynnie S. List

Karen List Scott Newman

Diana Nussbaum Pam Wiener

Larry Abramson Immediate Past President

Fred Weissman Penultimate Past President

Sisterhood President Lori Ackerman

Brotherhood co-Presidents Charlie Eaton Jim Eisenberg

From the Rabbi Rabbi Cookie Lea Olshein

’Tis the “Season”…For Great Jewish Opportunities at Temple Israel!

When I interviewed at Temple Israel, now four years ago, I don’t think I truly understood the concept of “season” here in the Palm Beaches…but now I do. While I believe we are a much less seasonal congregation than we were in the past, we do have several members of our community who come south for the winter, and many more who are year-rounders who do a lot of traveling in the summer. Therefore, we do find ourselves planning with “season” in mind and, more particularly, since we are known as the “People of the Book,” we are focusing on learning this winter season. This year, we are fortunate to have TWO Scholar-in-Residence programs, with our first Scholar-in-Residence being Hanan Harchol, a multimedia visual artist, born in Israel, who moved to the U.S. as a child. Mr. Harchol creates paintings, drawings, animations, videos, and multimedia installations that use family narratives to explore the human condition, particularly, the application of Jewish teachings to contemporary life. Temple Israel became familiar with Mr. Harchol’s work two years ago when we used two of his videos for our S’lichot discussion. They were so successful that congregants requested studying more of his work, resulting in us pursuing him as a Scholar-in-Residence. Mr. Harchol will be with us on Friday, Feb.19, and Saturday morning, Feb. 20. Friday night, he will present his creative process and work during services, with further discussion during our Shabbat dinner. (RSVP information for dinner will be coming soon.) On Saturday morning, Mr. Harchol will be leading our Torah study. We hope that you will consider learning with him. (For more information about Mr. Harchol, see: http://www.reformjudaism.org/lost-found-animators-tale.) Additionally, please save the dates of Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5, when we welcome our second Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Rebecca Thomas, the Director of the Price Library of Judaica at the University of Florida, who received her Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. Dr. Thomas is currently working to expand the Judaica Library’s southern, Florida, Latin American, and Caribbean collections. While at TI, she will be discussing the types of materials the Judaica Library is seeking and will help us determine what kinds of articles we might have that are appropriate for donation and then subsequent research. She will be speaking at services on Friday, March 4, and then again on Saturday night, March 5. See page 4 of this Koleynu for more info, and stay tuned for details regarding Saturday night’s program, which will include a complimentary catered dinner for those who respond by the deadline. Finally, don’t forget Rabbi Shapiro’s “Next Person I Want You to Meet,” Wajahat Ali, who will be speaking on Friday, February 5. Attending Mr. Ali’s presentation on what we have in common with our Muslim brothers and sisters is especially timely with all that is going on in the world today. As I leave you this month, I want to remind you that we have many opportunities to learn through “TI Learns,” our wonderful Adult Education program. (All of our classes can be found on our website and within our online calendar.) We have worked hard to provide a wide variety of classes at different times of the day to meet many people’s needs, but we always look forward to your input regarding our offerings. Please feel free to contact me if you have suggestions. My prayer for you this month is that you actively search for, and find, the intellectual and spiritual stimulation necessary to “grow your Judaism.” My door is always open to hear your feedback and suggestions…let me know how I can help you on your Jewish journey.

From the President Michael Jonas

February 1

Cynnie S. List

Eleanor Shiffman

Irv Silver

February 2

Lisa Caplan

Liam Fine

February 3

Bernard Cherry

Keren Eckstein

Adrianne Weissman

February 4

Doris Berman

Ella Preefer

February 6

Stan Althof

Adam Baer

Jeffrey Mullens

Bonnie Sax

Richard Shugarman

Gregg Weiss

Linda Yosinoff

February 7

Ted Leopold

February 9

Hanna Wildenberg

February 10

Judith Kanter

Barbara Levine

February 11

Robert Needle

February 12

Erica Maltz

February 14

Emily Roth

Celebrations

Wedding Anniversaries

This is my first article for the Koleynu as President of Temple Israel. Thank you for the opportunity to write it and to serve our congregation. Serving our synagogue is a privilege, an honor and a mitzvah. As we know, a mitzvah is defined in several ways: it is an obligation, a command, or, more commonly, it is known as a good deed. According to the Talmud, the Torah contains 613 mitzvot, several of which are found in the first Torah portion (parsha) for the month of February called Mishpatim [Exodus 21:1-24:18]. One of the mitzvah described in Mishpatim requires us to cease working on Shabbat. Coming to temple for services is a good way to observe this commandment. For a few hours during our proneg, service and oneg, we can unwind from the difficulties of the week, focus on our friends, find moments of peace, find beauty within the spaces of our synagogue and make new connections with guests and visitors to our synagogue. Welcoming guests and visitors to our Temple Israel community is another mitzvah commanded by this parsha. Mishpatim informs us that because we were strangers in the land of Egypt, we are commanded to wel-come and embrace the stranger and the sojourner. Of all the congregations in Palm Beach County, our congregation knows what it means to be sojourners. For a few years, not too long ago, we left 1901 North Flagler Drive and held our services in what was the Jewish Community Center on Military Trail in West Palm Beach. It never felt like our home and, for many reasons, it no longer exists as a Jewish Community Center. Because our congregation wanted to return home, a great and cohesive effort was made to rebuild our temple at 1901 North Flagler Drive. After years of phased-in construction, we now offer complete and beautiful facilities to share for worship, study, celebration and an increasing number of programs. The more we offer as a congregation, the more guests and visitors are and will be coming to Temple Israel and the more our congregation will grow. Following the principles of Mishpatim, we must make Temple Israel a home, not only for our congregants, but also for our visitors and guests. Let's all do these Mishpatim mitzvot; separate ourselves from the difficulties of the week by coming to services and, as members of Temple Israel, make our synagogue a place of welcome, connection, friendship and peace for all who may wish to enter it.

February 11

Bernard and Jacqueline Kandel

February 14

Mike and Ginger Feuer

Fred and Sandy Fine

February 18

Ray and Linda Golden

February 20

Michael and Cherri Alexander

February 23

Bob and Dottie Blank

Birthdays

Log on to Rabbi Howard Shapiro’s blog!

rabbiunplugged.wordpress.com

February 15

Jason Fisher

Donna Fishman

Ann Small

Barbara Stern

February 17

Mara Frederiksen

Julia Rothschild

February 18

Stuart Bagatell

Rachel Green

February 19

Carol Loreto-Maddox

February 20

Macyn Sacks

February 22

Nancy Berey

Carole Klein

February 23

Lauren Warshaw

February 24

Richard Baer

February 25

Marcie Gorman-Althof

February 26

Olivia Buhler-Lieberman

Alvin Jagoda

Paul Leopold

Irma Morris

February 28

Ron Browne

Martin List

Zelda Mason

Sarah Sax

Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation 3

Rabbi Olshein Receives First “Tikkun Olam Service Award” from the Jewish Federation

On Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (January 18), Rabbi Cookie Lea Olshein received the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County’s first “Tikkun Olam Service Award...for promoting tolerance, social justice, and the Jewish values of chesed (kindness) and tikkun olam (repairing the world).” The award was presented by the Jewish Federation’s Chief Executive

Officer, Michael Hoffman (below), at a ceremony held at Currie Park, the

location of West Palm Beach’s

Memorial to Dr. King. The

event included a barbecue and

distribution of items to those in

need, and is expected to

Become an annual

Federation tradition.

Reggie Dee of radio station

X102.3 FM also received an

award at the ceremony.

Brotherhood David Sax | President

I am so thankful that I was selected to serve as the Temple Israel Brotherhood President for almost the past two years. It was truly a wonderful experience for me — less trying to figure out how many people may actually show up for a Brotherhood sponsored meal at Temple Israel. I want to thank the Brotherhood Board for being so supportive - Brothers Stuart Bagatell, Bill Baker, Jim Baros, Charlie Eaton, Jim Eisenberg, Mark Feldmesser, Steve Fligman, Jeff Gingold, Mitchell Josephs, Robert Needle, Hugo Ottolenghi, and Ed Roos. You are the best — thank you! Please help me welcome new Brotherhood Co-Presidents — Brother Jim Eisenberg and Brother Charlie Eaton. Thank you for stepping up. We have quite a good group of brother volunteers. For the record, I will be at every meal.

Sisterhood Lori Ackerman | President

For those of you who don’t know me, please let me introduce myself. My name is Lori Ackerman and I’m a lifelong member of Temple Israel. My parents were married in the synagogue in 1958. I grew up attending religious school and youth group. In the 1990’s, Rabbi Shapiro gave me the honor of being the family life educator, a position I held full time and part time for many years. I have sat on the Temple Israel board on two separate occasions, and until the annual board meeting in January, I was the secretary of the board. Now, It is my honor and privilege to succeed Elaine as Sisterhood President. This is the second time that I have held this position. I had a strong support system at that time led by Ruth Rakoff. This time, Elaine Feldmesser has left me in the very capable hands of a board full of women who are willing and able to carry on with a calendar full of exciting programming that we can’t wait to present to the congregation. Elaine, we can’t thank you enough for the years of dedication you have put into the Sisterhood. You revitalized us. You pointed us in the right direction and we, the women of Temple Israel cannot thank you enough. So, when you see Elaine at Temple thank her but also wish her well in her new role, Vice President of the Board of Temple Israel.

4 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation Koleynu

Please join us for a special Scholar-In-Residence weekend, March 4-5, 2016, at Temple Israel to contribute to and support the University of Florida Library for Judaica Collections. Dr. Rebecca Jefferson, Head, Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica, Department of Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, will address the congregation during services at 7:30 p.m. on Shabbat, March 4 to explain about the collection. A complimentary dinner at is scheduled for Saturday, March 5, at 7:00 pm in the Carter Ballroom at Temple, followed by a program at 8:00 pm, where your donations of Judaica, representing the Southern United States, Caribbean, Latin America, and Mexico will gladly be accepted. This Judaica can include letters, commendations, photographs, books, as well as other original items for the special UF Judaica collection. Come to the Judaica Antiques "road show" and explain your donation to the congregation. Please join us for a stimulating and exciting weekend.

Scholar-in-Residence Weekend Eunice Baros and Aileen Josephs | Co-Chairs

TI Gator Committee Hope Baros Lisa Caplan Robyn Feibusch Sherri Gilbert Mitchell Josephs Karen & Marty List Georgia & Scott Newman Rabbi Howard & Eileen Shapiro Irv Silver Ann & Michael Small, proud parents of Gators Lisa, JD, and Jodi Small Other supporters of the UF Scholars weekend are welcome. Please contact Eunice Baros at eunicebaroslaw@gmail.com or (561) 855-4809 to participate.

General Operating Fund In memory of Rhoda Feinberg from Patti and Larry Abramson In memory of Michael Melnick from Kay and Richard Braun Floral Fund In memory of Marshall Levy from Susanne Jonas Levy In memory of Lillian Rosenblum from Susanne Jonas Levy In memory of Anna Monashefsky from Allen and Zelda Mason In memory of Rose and Morris Kraft from Allen and Zelda Mason Music Fund In memory of Rhoda Feinberg from Lisa Caplan and Irv Silver In memory of Helene Tull from Dianne and Ed Roos Barbara Levine Barbara Thrasher In memory of Scott Mason from Evelyn Lilienfeld Rabbi Emeritus Continuing Education Fund In memory of Dr. Bruce Fishbane from Neal and MJ Rothschild Leadership Development Fund In memory of Helene Tull from Michael Gelfand and Mary Arpe Harvey Goldberg Technology Fund In honor of Jennifer and Adam Baer's new son, Dylan, from Fred Apel Continuing Education for Adults Fund In honor of Richard Cohen's special birthday from Gary and Penny Shifrin Rabbi's Discretionary Fund In memory of Helene Tull from Irma Morris In honor of the marriage of Matthew and Kathryn Goldberger from Jack Goldberger The Spirit of T.I. (Capital Campaign) from William Fescenmeyer

Contributions

(Received December 15, 2015 - January 15, 2016)

We appreciate the thoughtfulness of those who support Temple Israel by remembering and honoring their friends and loved ones through their generous contributions. Thank you!

Yarzheit Fund

In memory of...

Jeannette Baum from Lora Baum Irvin Berman from Norman and Doris Berman May Blank from Robert Blank Jesse Fishbane from Stanley and Irene Fishbane Edna Rulen Ford from Norman and Doris Berman Arthur Koll from Allen and Zelda Mason Rose and Morris Kraft from Allen and Zelda Mason Marshall Levy from Susanne Jonas Levy Ann Lichlig from Richard and Rhoda Kleid Philip Livingstone from Livingstone Family Anna Monashefsky from Allen and Zelda Mason Leonard Morris from Irma Morris Mel Nevins from Roberta Stern Ethel Philbrook from Bobbie Stern Leon Raphael from Stephen and Sherry Jacobs Lillian Rosenblum from Susanne Jonas Levy Frances Talkowsky from Roberta Stern

Call the Temple office at (561) 833-8421 for more information.

Beautification Fund Continuing Jewish Education for Adults Fund Jewish Education for Youth Fund Judaica Fund Leadership Development Fund Library/Media Center Fund Mitzvah Fund Prayer Book/Torah Commentary Fund Programming Fund Rabbi Emeritus Continuing Education Fund Rabbi Howard Shapiro Youth Fund Social Action Fund Social Hall/Kitchen Fund Technology Fund Vineberg Floral Fund Warren Canfield Music Fund

List of Temple Israel’s Special Funds

PLEASE HELP OUR OFFICE HELP YOU!

Our members make generous donations to Temple Israel and often ask the Temple to allocate them to two or more purposes. Not all of our accounts are held at the same bank, and it would be a great help if donations going to different banks were written on different checks (this does not pertain to credit card donations). Payments for the following can all be on one check and will be allocated according to your instructions:

General Donations Fundraising Events High Holy Day Appeal Yarzheits Koleynu Ads Class Payments Annual Commitments Ad Journal Ads Religious School

Payments made to any "fund" (i.e. Social Action, Leader-ship Development, Youth Group, etc.), can all be on another check and will be allocated according to your instructions. All funds are listed each month in the Koleynu (see above).

Herbert and Phyllis Siegel Martin and Diane Trust Ira and Jane Warshaw Fred and Adrianne Weissman Morris Zabarkus and Rita Holz

Robert and Rachel Green Barry and Nancy Horowitz Stephen and Sherry Jacobs Michael and Amy Jonas Jules and Ann Lasnick Barbara Levine

Keepers of the Koleynu

Stan and Marcie Gorman Althof Howard Berman Don Carter Mark and Elaine Feldmesser Judy Goldblatt

February 2016 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation 5

Cynnie S. List Marty and Karen List Allen and Zelda Mason Pat Matson Neal and MJ Rothschild Alan, Judy and Jenny Shuster

6 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation Koleynu

Religious School News Iris Koller | Director

“And it’s One, Two, Three Strikes…”

Did you know that the music for Take Me Out to the Ball Game was written by Jewish composer Albert Von Tilzer? And, that there are verses to the song? These are just two of the many things one can learn from the exhibit currently at the Chasing Dreams traveling exhibit currently at the Palm Beach Historical Society. The exhibit is on loan from Philadelphia’s National Museum of American Jewish History and focuses on the Jewish players who made history through their gamesmanship and menschlekeit. Our third, fourth, and fifth grade students are currently exploring what made these players the role models of so many. On Saturday, February 27, we will culminate their learning with a presentation and family trip to the exhibit. The congregation is invited to attend. Watch for details via email and on our Facebook page as the date approaches. Speaking of acts of meschlekeit, many thanks to Harry and Maggie Kaufman for their gift of an art piece that depicts these same Jewish baseball players. If you are at the temple, stop in to see the piece, which is on the wall of the conference room in the administrative office area. Let’s “play ball” and learn together!

Youth Group News Lily Tysinger | Youth Group Advisor

Our Itty Bitty TIWPTY and Chaverim, elementary aged youth group, celebrated Tu B'Shevat with an Ice Cream Seder on January 24. We all enjoyed different ice cream, fruits, and nuts of the four season to learn

more about what the holiday represents. Please look out for announcements for our next Youth Group Event. Our Senior Youth Group will have the opportunity to attend Spring Kallah and the Liz Leadership Training Institute. We will also be planning our TIWPTY fundraiser for the year, Purim Upside Down Dinner. If you know of any middle or high school students interested in joining our TIWPTY program, feel free to contact me at Lily@Temple-Israel.com.

President’s Circle Update Nancy and Barry Horowitz | Chairs

The President’s Circle had a terrific year in 2015. Not only did we have an increase in our member-ship, but the beautiful new plaque was placed in the foyer of our magnificent new social hall. Zelda and Alan Mason hosted a wonderful cocktail party in the spring and the President’s Circle Shabbat was warm and inviting in the fall. As you may know, President’s Circle dues accounts for almost 25% of the yearly revenues in our budget and roughly 45% of the dues revenues. We literally could not do without the President’s Circle in balancing the temple’s budget! In addition to contributing significantly to the operating expenses of the synagogue, support from President’s Circle members allows the temple to continue to embrace members who cannot afford the annual financial commitment. We are truly grateful to all of the President’s Circle members for going the extra step in supporting the Temple.

TI Learns Charlie Eaton | Coordinator

After the mailing that went out in January, we would again like to take this opportunity to ask previous members to pledge their support for 2016 and also consider increasing their level of support. In addition, we want to invite other congregants who are interested in joining to become members. There are many blank spaces on the plaque that need to be filled! You can contact us directly or Linda at the temple office with any questions. We appreciate your support and consideration.

If you have ideas for classes that you would like to be taught, or have an idea for a class that you would like to teach, please contact me through the Temple office: (561) 833-8421. Check out your TI Learns catalog for complete info on upcoming classes

January 15, 2016 photos by Carol Porter

Interfaith Service Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.

February 2016 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation 7

Royal Palm Beach High School Choir Rabbi Olshein, Rev. Gerald Kisner

Gholam Rahman, American Muslim Alliance of Florida

West Palm Beach Mayor Jere Muoio

Larry Abramson, Rev. Kevin Jones and Rev. Gerald Kisner (Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church), Msgr. Alan Placa (St. Ann’s Catholic Parish)

Music was provided by choirs from the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, St. Ann Catholic School, Royal Palm Beach High School, and Temple Israel.

Thank you to our advertisers and Koleynu Keepers! Call the Temple office at (561) 833-8421 to reserve your space.

ALAN R. SHUSTER, M.D., F.A.C.S. Diplomate, American Board of Ophthalmology

Diseases and Surgery of the Eye

2220 SE Ocean Blvd.

Suite 101

Stuart, Florida 34996

(772) 210-7070

(561) 425-7070

Fax (772) 210-9080

8 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation Koleynu

SCHLUMPY TO SVELTE

by the New Year

Rick Luise (561) 622-2294

Head Personal Fitness Trainer JCC of the Palm Beaches for 20 years

Schedule a complimentary workout.

TI Clients:

Dr. Barry Horowitz, Dr. Mitchell Josephs, Marty List, and many more!

Annual

Dinner

Tuesday, February 23 | 6 pm | The Breakers Keynote Speaker | Jeffrey Goldberg 2016 Randolph Award Recipient | H. Irwin Levy

For information about tickets and tribute ads, call (561) 833-6150.

February 2016 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation 9

10 Inspiration | Celebration | Transformation Koleynu

1901 North Flagler Drive West Palm Beach, Florida 33407

NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID West Palm Bch, FL

Permit No. 92

February 2016

Visit www.Temple-Israel.com for more information about these events and programs and the latest calendar updates.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2 TI Learns: “The Mussar Journey Continues” 7:00 pm

3 TI Learns: “Today’s Jewish Artists in the News” 7:00 pm

4 5 First Friday

Shabbat 7:00 pm - Proneg 7:30 pm - Service

6

7 Religious School 9:30 am - 12:00 n

8

9

10 TI Learns: “Reform-ing Judaism: From the Past to the Future” 7:00 pm

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12

Shabbat Service 6:00 pm - Proneg 6:30 pm - Service

13

14 Valentine’s Day

15 Presidents’ Day TI Learns: “Mussar I” 7:00 pm (at Mandel JCC)

16

17 Business People’s Lunch and Learn 12:00 noon

18 TI Learns: “The Differences between Traditional and Reform Liturgy” 7:00 pm

19 Shabbat Service 6:00 pm - Proneg 6:30 pm - Service Scholar-in-Residence: Hanan Harchol

20

Scholar-in-Residence: Hanan Harchol

21 Religious School 9:30 am - 12:00 n

22 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

23

24

25

26 Shabbat Service 6:00 pm - Proneg 6:30 pm - Service

27 “Out of the Box” Shabbat 10:45 am

28

29

Every Wednesday TI Yoga 5:45 pm

Every Saturday Torah Study 9:30 am