My Argentine Wedding By Ricardo MünsterJewish weddings are basically similar, but there usually are some cultural differences. In Argentina, most are held in synagogues on Saturday night. Some congregations might perform three on the same night, as they are major sources of funding.

Irene and I got married in August 1978 at Bet El, a Conservative syna-gogue in Buenos Aires. The ceremo-ny was performed by Rabbi Marshall Meyer (z”l), an American rabbi, who

The Jewish religion has a pretty good pro-gram for marking life-cycle events. Baby boys might not quite agree, but the rest of the cycle is so well conceived and thought-ful, thanks to thousands of years of experi-ence, and helps us feel the transition and the joy or (at the end) manage the loss.

When two people decide to throw their lot together and get married (or have a commitment ceremony), they can choose to do so under the roof of the county courthouse or under a chuppah. Most Jews choose the latter. This Scroll issue is devoted to the stories of those who have stood or will stand under such a canopy.Time for EmotionsAs I often say in my remarks under the chuppah, a wedding is a time for many emotions – joy that the bridegroom and bride have grown up so nicely and found each other, maybe relief that they finally

are getting married, almost always sad-ness about those who cannot be there to take it all in. And then there is the guest list, the weather, the flowers, the music, the hair, the flower girls and ring bearers, the photographer. And it can cost a lot of money, and it goes by very quickly. Ra-tionally, elopement makes some sense.

But when a couple is together under that chuppah, it becomes like the very first wed-ding, where God braided Eve’s hair and the angels shouted, “Mazal tov.” The power of the tradition and of all the love concentrated in that space gives the bride and groom a fantastic send-off on their life journey and create for them and for all who are there feelings of warmth and joy and connected-ness that are almost impossible to replicate.

Join us in reliving the memories shared in this Scroll issue. If they provoke memories of your own, by all means enjoy them. n

S c r o l lCongregation Beth El

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

Theme Jewish Weddings • 1, 10-14

From the Clergy • 1

Tikkun Leil Shavuot • 2

Youth Basketball • 6

Flatbush Shabbat • 7

Board Splinters • 8

Parashah Study Group • 8

AIPAC • 8

Library Corner • 9

Ask the Clergy • 12

Weddings 4U • 15

Departments

Sisterhood • 3

Men’s Club • 4-5

Contributions • 17-19

Bulletin Board • 19-20

May 2012 • Iyar–Sivan 5772 Vol. 61 No. 9From the Clergy

UnDerThe Chuppah

continued on page 13

By Rabbi Bill Rudolph             

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S c r o l l8215 Old Georgetown RoadBethesda, Maryland 20814-1451Phone 301-652-2606 Fax 301-907-8559Web www.bethelmc.orgAffiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative JudaismRabbi William D. Rudolph wrudolph@bethelmc.orgAssociate Rabbi Gregory Harris gharris@bethelmc.orgRabbi Emeritus Samuel ScolnicHazzan Matthew Klein mklein@bethelmc.org Hazzan Emeritus Abraham Lubin alubin@bethelmc.orgExecutive Director Sheila H. Bellack sbellack@bethelmc.orgEducation Director Louis A. Nagel lnagel@bethelmc.orgFamily Education Director/ Assistant Education Director Elisha Frumkin efrumkin@bethelmc.org Director of Community Engagement Geryl Baer gbaer@bethelmc.org Preschool Director Elaine Auerbach eauerbach@bethelmc.orgYouth Director Adam Zeren azeren@bethelmc.orgPresident Dale RosenthalExecutive Vice President David MillsCommunications and Tikkun Olam Vice President Jerome SorkinEducation and Lifelong Learning Vice President Amy Kaufman GoottWorship and Spirituality Vice President Mitchell Solkowitz Administrative Vice President Larisa Avner TrainorCommunity Vice President Carolyn WeinbergDevelopment and Finance Vice President Bradley WineTreasurer Robert RubinSecretary Sharon ZissmanScroll Committee Janet Meyers, Chair, Sharon Apfel, Judy Futter-man, Davida Kales, Marci Kanstoroom, Judy Liberson, Helen Popper, Kim Redlich, Marsha Rehns, and Jerry Sorkin. 4U editors: Jennifer Katz and Jan MaxwellScroll Design and Layout Adina Moses adinagraphica@verizon.netScroll, USPS Number 009813, is published monthly by Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County, 8215 Old Georgetown Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814. Periodical postage rate paid at Bethesda, Maryland and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Scroll, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD 20814.

FROM THE CLERGY continued from page 1

Tikkun Leil Shavuot: Traditional Nighttime Study Session

Saturday, May 26 6 Sivan 5772

Programming for all ages will begin with a light dairy dinner

Name(s) of Adult(s) __________________________________________

Name(s) and grades of Child(ren) _______________________________

__________________________________________________________

Email address/Phone Number __________________________________

There will be an $8.00 fee per person to cover the cost of a dairy dinner. Make checks payable to Congregation Beth El.Questions or concerns - please contact Elisha Frumkin at

301-652-8569, ext. 319, or efrumkin@bethelmc.org.

ADULTSClergy and many learned congregants

will lead the adult program:

7:00 pm Mincha7:30 pm Dairy dinner8:00–8:45 pm Teaching Session I8:45 pm Havdalah/Ma’ariv8:15 pm–1:00 am Multiple Teaching Sessions

ChiLDrenAll school-age children

are encouraged to attend the fun and educational

program:

7:00–7:30 pm Dinner 7:30–8:30 pm Program 8:30 pm Havdalah

R.S.V.P. to the Beth El synagogue office by Wednesday, May 23

BETH EL ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 8:15 pmIncluded on the agenda will be the proposed

2012-13 budget and election of at-large directors.

The Budget Committee and Nominating Committee reports have been mailed to all congregants.

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Annual Women’s Seder From the camaraderie of preparing the Women’s Seder (above, left) under the guidance of Barbara Friedman (in pink) to the joyful sounds of Calliope (above, center), the 16th annual Women’s Seder was exceptionally meaningful. Barbara Friedman led a standing ovation for Lucy Ozarin (above, right) for helping to prepare the seder every year. Cups of wine were dedicated to women who represented “firsts” at Beth El: Bea Berger (first woman synagogue president), Pat Danoff (first woman shofar blower), Edith Weiss (z”l) and Elaine Tanenbaum (z”l) (the first women to be counted in a minyan and given an aliyah, respectively), and Gail Fribush, Gail Ross, and Joan Simon (originators of the Women’s Seder). Michelle Gips fills Miriam’s Cup (below, left). Recipes for the seder dishes, including the salmon main course (below, right) are on the Sisterhood page of the Beth El Web site.

Sisterhood

UpcoMINg SISterhood/ZhaVa eVeNtSTuesdays, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 6:30 pm Mah JonggWednesday, May 2, 7:30 pm Robin Wright speaking about the Arab Spring one year later, co-sponsored with HadassahSunday, May 6, 8:30 am Trip to National Museum of American Jewish History in PhiladelphiaTuesday, May 8, 7:30 pm Kesher NashimSaturday, May 12, 10:30-11:30 am Zhava Learners’ Service with Rabbi RudolphSaturday, May 19, evening Zhava End-of-Year Couples’ EventSunday, May 20, 11:00 am Book Club: The DovekeepersSunday, June 3, 10:00 am General Meeting and Election of Officers. Faith Roessel will speak about her journey to Beth El.

Jews and Chocolate Among the first Europeans to learn the Aztec secret of farming cacao beans were Jewish traders, Sheilah Kaufman, a cookbook author, told a group of Sisterhood and Zhava members in March. Fearful of most Europeans, the Aztecs taught the secret to Jews because they were not trying to conquer Aztec lands. From there, the history rambles along to the inventor of the Sacher torte and to Barton’s and Barricini. After the talk, the audience sampled Ms. Kaufman’s chocolate mousse and other desserts. Photo by Mitchell Solkowitz

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Men’s Club

Men’s Club of Congregation Beth el

Presents

40th Annual Kavod AwardsSunday, May 6, 9:45 am

Honoring

Jerry Sorkin for service to the community at large

Harvey Gershman for service to the Jewish community

Sid Getz for service to Congregation Beth El

Reservations are required for this event.

---------------------Reservation for Beth El Men’s Club

Kavod Award Breakfast ($15 per adult)

Name ____________________________________________________

Phone ______________________ Number attending ___________

Please enclose a check for $15 for each adult, payable to Beth El Men’s Club. Return form with payment to Congregation Beth El, 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda,

MD 20814, no later than Tuesday, May 1.

Liliane Willens, author of Stateless in Shanghai, a memoir of a turbulent era in China, will speak to Men’s Club on Sunday, May 13, at 10:00 am.

Dr. Willens will discuss “Three Waves of Jewish Migration to China – 1845-1940.” Those migrations were composed of the arrival in China of three distinctive Jewish communities: in the mid-19th century, the Sephardic traders from British India; in the first half of the 20th century, Russian Jews fleeing from the Bolshevik Revolution; and, later, the Jewish refugees escaping from Nazi-occupied Europe.

Born of Russian Jewish parents, Dr. Willens was raised in the former French Concession of Shanghai. She, her parents, and siblings experienced World

War II under the Japanese military occupation of the city and then the civil war between the Nationalist and Com-

munist armies. Because of difficulties in immigrating to the U.S., she lived for two years under the newly estab-lished People’s Republic of China. When she was finally able to leave for the U.S., she studied at Boston Uni-versity, where she received a Ph.D. in French language and literature. She later taught these subjects at Boston College and the Massachusetts Insti-tute of Technology. Since retirement Dr. Willens has given talks on China

and on her book in Washington and across the country. She will be available to sign copies of her book after the talk. n

World Book nightRequest a Free Copy of

The History of LoveOn World Book Night, April 23, the Beth El Library Committee was awarded 10 copies of the international bestsell-ing novel, The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss, to distribute free-of-charge. (A review of The History of Love, which traces the interrelated lives and loves of quirky Jewish characters across time and distance, appears on page 9.)

World Book Night originated in the United Kingdom in 2011 and expanded this year to the United States in order to spread more widely a love of reading and books. In thousands of communities on both sides of the Atlantic, individuals and institutions will be distributing tens of thousands of books. The Library Com-mittee is proud to have been selected for participation.

To request a copy of The History of Love, please contact Hattie Goodman in the main office. n

Jewish Migration to China, 1845-1940by Liliane Willens

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Nearly 500 people came to Ohr Kodesh Congregation in Chevy Chase on March 25 for a special event initiated and cosponsored by the Beth El Men’s Club.

Titled “Israel Under Siege: Combating the Use of the UN to Delegitimize Israel,” the evening brought together diverse segments of the community, representing more than 30 local synagogues that had cosponsored the event along with several major Jewish and Christian organizations.

They had come to learn what the American Jewish International Relations Institute (AJIRI), the program’s main sponsor, is doing to defend Israel’s position at the United Nations. In summary, those attending learned the following:• The UN is not hopeless when it

comes to Israel. The situation can be changed, and people can work to eradicate the “anti-Israel mechanism” responsible for all the delegitimization attacks.

• The key lies in convincing smaller, friendly, independent nations to change their votes in favor of the U.S. or, at least, not to vote against American interests, especially given the fact that in the UN General Assembly even the smallest country’s vote carries the same weight as those of large nations such as China.

• Ways people can get involved include educating them-selves and others about the UN situation. Form-ing small groups within their respective synagogues, churches, or organizations could also assist AJIRI’s ef-forts. AJIRI seeks those who could help by sharing their professional expertise to help AJIRI build closer rela-

tionships with the governments of friendly nations.• People could also support AJIRI’s efforts with tax-

deductible donations. Additional financial support will allow the organization to perform UN-related research required to combat upcoming anti-Israel initiatives.

The evening’s panel included Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD); Richard Schifter, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN and AJIRI founder and chairman; Ambassador Marlene Moses of the South Pacific island nation of Nauru, its Permanent Representative to the UN, and Ambassador to Israel; Israeli Embassy Political Counselor Eliav Benjamin; and journalist Marvin Kalb, who also served as the program moderator. Each speaker presented his or her perspective on the UN situation and the importance of defending Israel. Rabbi Bill Rudolph and Ohr Kodesh Rabbi Lyle Fishman gave opening remarks, and Hazzan Emeritus Abe Lubin led the group in the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah.

Men's Club Continued

Men’s Club, AJIrI Program to Support IsraelBy Jonathan Simon

continued on page 16

Top, Jon Simon (left) and Harvey Gershman (far right) greet the Honorable Hubert John Charles (center), current Ambassador of Dominica to the United States and the Organization of American States. At lower left, Harvey Gershman (left) and Marvin Kalb; at right, Rabbi Bill Rudolph with Senator Ben Cardin (right) Photos by Mitchell Solkowitz

UpcoMINg MeN’S clUb eVeNtSThursday, May 3, 8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices. Dave Richman will lead a discussion on “Human Intelligence - What is it? Can it be measured?”Sunday, May 6, 9:30 am Kavod Awards Breakfast Sunday, May 13, 10:00 am Liliane Willens, author of Stateless in Shanghai, will speak on her experience.Sunday, May 20, 10:00 am Rabbi Lee Lowenstein will speak about the Gemara.Sunday, May 27 Shavuot. No breakfast or program

6

Rabbi Greg Harris in Pharoah headdress at the Beth El Preschool’s model seder

Beth El’s Kadima and USY basketball teams closed out their seasons showing amazing effort and spirited playing. In an exciting playoff game in March, our Kadima team even came within one point of winning the Seaboard Region Championship.

It has been an amazing turnaround for the Kadima team. Up until this year, Beth El had combined with another local synagogue to form a squad and had found little success. Beth El’s own Bill Kapner agreed to coach this new middle school team, which is composed of 10 Beth El players. They had a great regular season and defeated Adas Israel in the semi-finals, before coming up just short for the championship title against B’nai Shalom of Olney.Working as a TeamThe basketball court is a great opportunity for our middle and high schoolers to connect with Congregation Beth El, especially for students who may not participate in other youth group and Religious School programming. The league, assisted by Coach Kapner, teaches the players invaluable lessons that reflect the values they are taught at Beth El Religious School: respect for fellow players and coaches, the importance of following up on commitments, the advantages of working hard together as a team, and the value of not letting teammates down, both mentally and physically.

Bill also coaches our USY team, made up of 12 teens. While they did not make the playoffs this year, they competed with a lot of heart and determination and made Beth El proud.

Both our USY and Kadima teams look forward to much

continued success and leadership under Coach Kapner. He loves the game of basketball and brings an unusual passion and intensity for the game and a commitment to the values of sportsmanship. Even more than the physical challenges of basketball, Bill believes that sports provide kids with lifelong lessons and values. Thanks go out to the students who gave their Sunday afternoons to Beth El. And the players and families express a heartfelt thanks to Bill for coaching our students this year. n

Basketball Teams’ Great SeasonsBy Judith Brazen

Siddur WorkshopFourth-grader David Jacobstein works on his siddur cover with his mother, Jody Rabhan, during the Religious School's Family Education Siddur Workshop on March 11. At right are Max Klein and his father, Richard Klein. Fourth-graders and their parents spent the morning decorating the covers that would adorn the books they received at a Hagigat HaSiddur ceremony the following Shabbat. Photo by Mitchell Solkowitz

Youth Activities

Kadima Basketball team with Coach Bill Kapner

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On a Friday morning in March, Beth El sixth graders gathered at the synagogue to board buses bound for Brooklyn. It was the 16th time that Beth El students have traveled to Flatbush to spend Shabbat with Orthodox families. The program is coordinated through the Jewish Education Program and Rabbi Moti Katz.

We had spent months in class preparing for the trip, and we even received several last-minute emails from our teacher Cheryl Kreiser reminding us one last time about the appropriate way to dress and to make her proud.

We still didn’t know quite what to expect. We knew that by spending Shabbat with Orthodox families, we would be exposed to traditions and customs unlike our own. We also knew that we were going to stay in a distinctly Jewish community and that we were going to have a great group experience with our classmates. But what was it actually going to be like?

In a word, it was amazing!

It’s different in FlatbushWe noticed some differences immediately. We saw that many of the storefront signs in Flatbush were in Hebrew as well as in English. We passed a huge costume outlet (like the ones we see locally at Halloween) that had been temporarily set up for Purim.

We met our host family and instantly felt welcome at their home with their eight children. We got ready for Shabbat and played games with our new friends, especially Shua, their 12-year-old son. We attended services at the corner synagogue and enjoyed a wonderful Shabbat dinner. After dinner, we joined the boys from Beth El and played games and heard stories from the Yeshiva students who were our “counselors” for the weekend.

The next morning, we attended services at Young Israel Jewish Center. The rabbi greeted us, and in his dvar Torah he mentioned how welcome the group from Beth El in Bethesda, Maryland, was in the shul. During the service, noticing that we were chanting parts of the Aleinu after v’anachnu koreem that the congregation doesn’t do, the rabbi

explained traditions surrounding that part of the prayer.As we walked to and from the shul throughout the day,

we noticed that traffic was minimal. There were so many services going on all around we could not immediately find the service we were looking for (we eventually saw the girls in our class behind the mechitza and knew we were at the right place.) During Shabbat, we enjoyed lunch with our host family and then were busy with games, stories, Havdalah, dancing, and a pizza party organized by the counselors.

Sunday comes too SoonAll too soon it was Sunday, and we were saying goodbye to our hosts and new friends. We spent the morning at

Ellis Island – 33 students in Maryland Terps hats (courtesy of Dr. Louis Nagel) exploring exhibits describing our ancestors’ experience as immigrants. After a quick lunch at Ben’s Deli, we headed back to Bethesda.

We want to say, “todah rabah,” to Dr. Louis Nagel, who initiated the trip at Beth El and makes it happen every year. Dr. Nagel told us that he hoped students will see that there is a diversity of ways to live

a Jewish life. “There are people who do nothing to recognize Shabbat as anything more than a day off from work or school, others who build their week around Shabbat, and others at various steps in between,” he explains. “This is an opportunity to experience a traditional Shabbat and an opportunity for students to check where they are on that continuum. It is also the chance to see that a person can be observant and still be a part of the modern world…. I also want them to see that there are many levels of making Shabbat a holy day and that they can strive to make Shabbat special.”

Cheryl Kreiser says that after Flatbush, she never has to explain Shabbat to her sixth-grade classes again. We think there is more to the trip than that. We will always remember the uniqueness of our weekend in Flatbush and the warm welcome we received. Even though we have different ways of practicing Judaism, as Jews we are all connected. n

Finding Shabbat in FlatbushBy Max and Sam Powers

Sixth-grade students at Ellis Island

8

2012-13 budget – rob rubin, treasurer• Budget is based on no increase in membership dues or

the number of membership units. Religious School tu-ition is increased by five percent, keeping it competitive with other area congregational schools.

• Budget was difficult to balance and highlighted the need for increased fundraising. Most other large, local congre-gations raise about 15-20 percent of their income from fundraising; ours is only about 10 percent.

• Mortgage is being refinanced, which will save approxi-mately $36,000 annually and pushes the maturity to 2022.

• The budget was unanimously approved to be voted on at the Annual Meeting on May 8.

Nominating committee report – pat danoffThe six nominees for a two-year term as at-large directors on the Board are Mark Bronfman, Rick Claxton, Judy Fut-

terman, Joe Hoffman, Robin Jacobson, and Larry Kirsch. Elections will take place at the Annual Meeting.auxiliary reportsZhava – Dana Nestel: Started six years ago, Zhava now has about 100 members. Zhava offers about 12 programs during the year, with a combination of social, educational, religious, and tikkun olam activities, including a Learners’ Service (open to the congregation), and Shabbat dinners.Men’s Club – Bernie Rod: This year, Men’s Club has 120-130 members. Highlights include the Sunday morning speak-er series, two softball teams that play in a synagogue league, annual Kavod Awards breakfast, and programs run jointly with American Jewish International Relations Institute (AJIRI), which aims to support Israel at the United Nations.Sisterhood – Marsha Rehns: Sisterhood has about 300 members. A major achievement during her two-year tenure as president was the reopening of the Judaica shop, which is now operating in the black. The annual tallit workshop, membership dinner, Women’s Seder, and Sisterhood Shab-bat are always well attended. Other highlights include mah jongg, CPR classes, a book club, and guest speakers. Other Business• Nanci Sundel reported that on Good Deeds Day, March 25, 556 snack bags were made for the Capital Area Food Bank, and 1,783 pounds of electronics were collected for recycling. • The tenant in Beth El’s rental house is moving at the end of March and a new tenant will move in mid-April.• Carolyn Weinberg is looking for young families to buddy up with new members. n

Splinters from the BoardMarch 28 Meeting

large beth el delegation attends aIpac convention

From left: Suzanne Mazer, Jeremy Rider, David Gillette, Hilary Kapner, and Ester Kurz

Along with Rabbi Rudolph and Rabbi Harris, nearly 40 Beth El members attended the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference March 4-6 at the Washington Convention Center. The conference began with talks by Israeli President Shi-mon Peres and U.S. President Barack Obama.

Hundreds of international speakers and sessions high-lighted AIPAC’s commitment to help make Israel more secure by ensuring strong American support for Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked the President, Members of Congress, and the 13,000 par-ticipants for their support for a safe and secure Israel in a constantly changing region of instability. The biparti-san AIPAC leadership and delegates met with hundreds of representatives on both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill to convey the importance of a healthy U.S.-Israel relationship.

New parashah Study group FormingBeginning September 5, 2012, Rabbi Bill Rudolph will invite a new group of Torah students to join with him in a three-year journey through our most precious Jew-ish text. We follow the weekly cycle as read at Beth El, completing one-third of the parashah each year. We study the peshat (simple meaning of the text) and the drash (the more clever, fanciful, and metaphorical understandings) and apply both to our world and our daily lives. And we grow together as a group. And we have a lot of laughs.

This study group is open to any congregant who can commit to regular attendance on Wednesday mornings, 9:00-10:30 am, from September to June. There are no prerequisites. There are also no fees for the 175 hours of study with Rabbi Rudolph and your peers.

If interested, please contact Rabbi Rudolph directly at wrudolph@bethelmc.org. First come, first served, up to the limit of 15 students. n

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In springtime, it is said, “love is carried on the breeze.” Spring brings weddings (this month’s Scroll theme) and the beautiful, many-faceted love story of the Book of Ruth, read on Shavuot. What better time to enjoy one of the award-winning love stories in our library? As an extra enticement, we are offering 10 free copies of The History of Love (reviewed below), awarded to the Library Committee on World Book Night (for details and to request a free copy of the book, see page 4). The History of Loveby Nicole KraussRomantics will relish this ingenious book – part love story, part mystery – which pays tribute to the force of love and literature down through generations and across continents.

When the book opens, Leo Gursky, an elderly Holocaust survivor, is nearing the end of a long, lonely, and difficult life. Sadly, his main concern is to not die unnoticed. Consequently, Leo deliberately drops coins and behaves eccentrically on his regular visits to the shops near his New York City apartment. He even volunteers to pose nude for an art class.

Leo’s youth promised better. In Poland, Leo loved a girl named Alma and wrote for her a beautiful book called The History of Love. Before the couple could be married, World War II separated them. Alma discovered that she was pregnant. Believing that Leo was dead, she married another man who offered protection for the child. When Leo resurfaced after the war, Alma turned him away.

Like Leo’s lost love, the manuscript of The History of Love seems also to have disappeared in the fog of war. But in fact, the man who was supposed to safeguard Leo’s Yiddish masterpiece translates it into Spanish and publishes the book under his own name in Chile. A traveling Israeli, David Singer, buys a copy. Entranced by the book, David and his wife, Charlotte, name their daughter, Alma, for the book’s heroine. After David’s death, a mysterious patron commissions Charlotte to translate The History of Love

from Spanish into English. Alma Singer, now a precocious teenager, begins to unravel the book’s history and to seek the identity of the patron. Eventually, the many separate strands of the story are satisfyingly tied together. A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True by Brigid PasulkaLike The History of Love, this charming novel is rooted in Poland, but the World War II characters are righteous Gentiles, rather than Polish Jews. The book opens in the spring of 1939, with a chance, love-at-first-sight meeting between a young man nicknamed Pigeon and a beautiful girl, Anielica, in a tiny mountain community with a

picturesque name, Half-Village. A man of few words, Pigeon courts Anielica by volunteering to renovate her family’s hut. With some suspicion, Anielica’s father accepts the unusual offer and watches in astonishment as Pigeon transforms the crude hut with the addition of glass windows, extra rooms, and indoor plumbing. After the German invasion in September 1939, the renovated hut becomes the headquarters of the

Half-Village resistance fighters, led by Pigeon, and a hiding place for Jews. At war’s end, the Soviets liberate Poland from the Germans and enslave it to Communism. Pigeon, suspected of anti-Soviet activity, becomes a hunted man.

The book alternates chapters about Pigeon and Anielica with chapters from a later time period narrated by their granddaughter, Beata. Beata lives with two female cousins in Krakow in the 1990s. The legacies of Nazism and Communism linger in the dreary “New Poland,” and the three women struggle to gain education, professional advancement, and love. n

Library Corner

Love is in the AirBy Robin Jacobson

beth el book club Upcoming discussionsSunday, May 20, 11:15 am –12:15 pmJoin us for a discussion of The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, a historical novel set at Masada in 70-73 CE. All are welcome. Copies of the book are available in our library, public libraries, and through online and local booksellers. The club is co-sponsored

by Sisterhood and the Library Committee. For more information, contact library@bethelmc.org.

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WeDDInGSExcept for one aspect, Elaine’s and my wedding was quite ordinary. Coming from Cincinnati, I was surprised to learn that in the Bronx one’s wedding did not necessarily take place at one’s own synagogue. Instead, my future mother-in-law went shopping up and down the Grand Concourse for the most desir-able location - another synagogue that was only mid-level in the hierarchy of Orthodox sanctuaries, the denomination with which just about everyone was nominally affiliated. But the service, the kosher food, and the band were quite standard – with one exception.

Elaine and I met in the 1950s as young-adult leaders of the Labor Zionist youth movement Habonim (now known as Habonim Dror North America). Both of us had already experienced the very young state of Israel on a post-high school program that was the first of its kind in Jewish life and continues to this

day. By the time we got married, I was Mazkir (general secretary) of the organi-zation, and Elaine was on the secretariat. So there I was, in front of all our friends who were accustomed to the totally in-formal dress code of a youth movement (particularly one identified with the kib-butz), wearing a tux, as was my best man, who had been with me in Israel. Because Elaine’s father and uncle were successful entrepreneurs in New York’s garment in-dustry, she wore a beautiful wedding dress sewn by the veteran seamstresses at what was known in Seventh Avenue jargon as “the place.” dancing all NightOne of our close friends was involved in the newly emerging field of Israeli dance groups and festivals created by the legendary Fred Berk in New York, even before most of the comparable dance movements developed in Israel itself. At our wedding, our friend led the group

in all the dances we already knew and taught us new ones as well. The dancing seemed to go on all night. Decades later, some of our relatives still recalled that group-generated entertainment.

We must have done something right. We recently celebrated our 55th anniversary. Our son David (Beth El’s 1976 Confirmation Class) went to Israel on the JCC summer program as his high-school graduation gift. And for all I know, the Israeli dancing is still going on at that wedding parlor in the Bronx. n

Kibbutz-Style Wedding Transported to the BronxBy Daniel Mann

continued on page 13

Craig Dreilinger and Amanda Ford were married in a com-munity center in Columbia, Maryland, on Saturday night, August 16, 1975, attended by about 50 of their relatives and friends. Because it was August and sundown came late, the wedding party started with a dinner catered by a local Chi-nese takeout restaurant. (It was low budget with disposable plates because the bride and groom were paying).

Rabbi Martin Siegel came after sundown and performed the ceremony as Amanda and Craig sat on the carpeted floor of a large conversation pit with their friends and fam-ily surrounding them. It was a warm and intimate wedding that suited the couple and the 1970s. The party finished with cakes from a local bakery. A guitarist provided mellow music. The happy couple flew to Jamaica for a week-long honeymoon before they returned home for Craig to finish his doctoral program in clinical psychology and Amanda to finish her nursing program. The only problem was that the wedding wasn’t truly Jewish; while Amanda was Jewish in her heart, she wasn’t officially Jewish and wouldn’t be for another eight years. officially Jewish and remarriedYears passed. Craig and Amanda had two children, Aaron and Rebecca, and Amanda formally converted to Judaism. The family became active in the life and culture of Beth El, but it always bothered them that they hadn’t had a Jewish marriage. Rabbi Bill Rudolph assured them that that could

Our Two WeddingsBy Amanda Ford

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I met my husband, Irwin Kopin, in organic chemistry class at McGill University. He had transferred to McGill from New York’s City College because he wanted to go into medicine (almost no students were accepted from City College to medical schools) and because his Aunt Dora, Uncle Teddy, and cousin Lucy, Holocaust survivors, lived in Montreal.

I thought he was very smart and didn’t object when he asked to walk me home. There he met my mother, who asked him about his last name. When he told her that his father had come from Poland and changed it from Kopinsky to Kopin, she invited him for Friday night dinner. My mother’s fabulous cooking sealed our friendship. Although it was not “love at first sight,” we both liked walking, bike riding, poetry, puzzles, Shakespeare, opera, and Gilbert and Sullivan. Over the next few years, our friendship blossomed into love. Irv proposed to me two months before the end of his first year of medical school. We were married two days after his last freshman-year exam on June 8, 1952. that american ForeignerI was in graduate school studying neuropsychology, so I

entrusted all the arrangements to my mother. She chose the synagogue, found someone to prepare invitations, hired a caterer, a band, etc. Irv and I met the rabbi, who did not know our family, only once. It seemed that he needed to

be certain that we (particularly Irv, that “American foreigner”) were Jewish. The ceremony was typical of Montreal, except that we had a cake for Irv’s parents’ 30th anniversary. My brother was best man, and Lucy, Irv’s cousin, was my matron of honor. The rabbi gave me a simple ketubah. For our 30th anniversary, we asked Tamar Fishman to make us a paper-cut ketubah, which hangs in our foyer and is the most beautiful reminder of our wedding.

We went to Europe and Israel for a three-week honeymoon. In 1952, Israel was not a tourist attraction! Before we left, Irv’s father gave us four pages of names and addresses of relatives who had survived the Holocaust. We flew Air France on a four-propeller

plane, with a refueling stop in Gander, Newfoundland, where there was a four-hour delay because of damage to the landing gear. The same thing happened in Iceland on our way home. Then we knew why the airline was nicknamed “Air Chance.”

WeDDInGSJewish

continued on page 14

My husband Mark and I were married 61 years ago on August 1, 1950. It was an auspicious occasion, as three rabbis officiated at the ceremony. There was an Ashkenazi rabbi for my family, a Sephardi rabbi from Mark’s synagogue in Manchester, England, and the Chief Sephardi rabbi of London, Haham (a Sephardi Hebrew term of reverence used to address a chief rabbi) Dr. Solomon Gaon, a friend of Mark’s family. As I lived in London, the groom lived in Manchester, and my parents, who lived in

Leeds, were formerly from Sheffield, the guests came from several cities.

It was the custom then that the bride’s parents bore the entire cost of the wedding reception, but my parents had not counted on an invitation being extended to the entire Sephardi community in which Mark’s family was well known and much loved. Mark’s father and uncle alternated as their synagogue’s president at each election - no one else wanted the job.

Wedding in Montreal, Honeymoon in Paris and IsraelBy Rita Kopin, with Irv Kopin

continued on page 14

British Extravaganza: Three Rabbis, 500 Guests By Sabina Shalom

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Jewish Weddings Continued

Dear Friend,Good to hear from you. I also attended the fourth-grade wedding. While bringing a smile on my face as we re-celebrated the union of our own Carolyn and Brent Berger, the event reminded me of an important lesson about religious ceremony: All ritual is theater. The bride, the groom, the officiant, and the attendees are parts in a greater drama. For the Jewish Wedding, that drama is a one-act play about the Garden of Eden.

The first three wedding blessings set the scene. They all begin, “You are blessed, Adonai our God, King of the Universe” and conclude:

1...who has created everything for his glory.

2...who created man.

3...who created man in His image, in the image of His likeness, and prepared for him - from himself - a building for eternity. Blessed are you, Adonai, who created man.

The first thing we notice is the major motif of creation, which shows up in all three blessings and sets the stage in the Garden of Eden. We also find that with each blessing, the camera lens zooms in: First on the creation of all things, then on the creation of human beings, then on the creation of the first couple. This is the apex of creation. We celebrate our creation in God’s image, and that in creating Eve, God provided for the perpetual re-creation of human life. This is “a building for eternity” - that through the vocation of marriage, we imitate God’s eternity and creative powers by having children and caring for new generations.

But who are the actors in this drama? The bride

and the groom, most obviously, are Adam and Eve. Rashi explains that even we, as guests, have a role: “The assembled guests are blessed, for they emulate God who was a member of the wedding party of Adam and Eve.” And the medieval commentator Rokeach points out that the officiant also imitates God, blessing the couple as God blessed Adam and Eve, as it is written, “God blessed them and said to them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply...’”(Gen. 1:28).

If the Garden of Eden is scene one, the next three blessings are scene two. We move from the Genesis story to the present day, asking God to bring redemption to the Jewish people and to offer the couple a life of “joy and gladness..mirth, song, pleasure, delight, love, brotherhood, peace, and companionship.”

By the end of the sheva berachot (seven blessings) - this Jewish wedding “play” - we have cast the couple as the first couple of humanity and

blessed their new union with its potential for creation, joy, and

godliness. We have inducted them into the Jewish people as a couple, and we have blessed them on their future together. And we close with the seventh blessing over an overflowing cup of wine, symbolizing our joy and devotion to God.

Finishing this letter to you, I’m thinking back to the fourth-grade wedding. Its earthiness and humor are refreshing, if a far cry from the heightened drama of the wedding blessings. Perhaps we need both – enough drama to teach us the beauty of our roles in life as Jews and enough humor to keep us down to earth.

Sincerely,Hazzan Matthew Klein n

Ask the ClergyI just saw my child participate in the fourth-grade model wedding (a really fun time), and all of the kids came up to do the seven wedding blessings. I still don’t think I know what those blessings are about. I feel kind of silly, because I know they said the blessings at my wedding. Can you fill me in?

Brent Berger breaks the glass as bride Carolyn Berger and fourth-graders look on. Photo by David Abramowitz

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always be fixed. So on August 16, 1994, their 19th wedding anniversary, Amanda and Craig had their Jewish wedding. The Hebrew date of their wed-ding coincided with the secular date. The day was even more special because it was a Tuesday, a lucky day in the Jewish week, because in the Creation story God blessed that day twice.

In a side room of La Miche, a lovely little French restaurant in Bethesda, Amanda and Craig were married by not one but two rabbis, Rabbi Rudolph and Rabbi Sam Fishman. Friends held the chuppah, which was a tallit that Amanda had made for Craig. It was her first handmade tallit, and it began the tal-lit-making tradition at Beth El. Tamar Fishman cre-ated a special ketubah for Amanda that incorporated symbols showing important events in the family’s life.

This summer Amanda and Craig will celebrate their 37th

wedding anniversary, or their 18th, depending on which cal-endar you choose. How many people can say they had two weddings and were married by three rabbis? n

empowered the Conservative movement in Argentina and throughout Latin America. He was Irene’s boss and mentor at the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano (Latin American Rabbinical Seminary), a JTS branch he founded in 1962. He was also one of the founders of the human rights movement during the “Dirty War” (1976-1982). In 1984, upon return-ing to the U.S., he was appointed rabbi at B’nai Jeshurun in New York City and turned it into a thriving liberal commu-nity that attracted thousands of Jewish people. We feel hon-ored that he married us.Second thoughts?A unique trait of Argentine weddings is the ceremony’s start-ing time. In the U.S., they start at the time announced in the invitations; in Argentina, it’s usually an hour later. I ar-rived to my wedding on time, but nobody knew where the bride was. The “Shammes” was trying to calm me down by repeatedly teasing me,“I’m sure Irene must have had second thoughts.” I was not amused.

The shul was packed. I walked towards the chupah with my mom; my father followed with my mother-in-law, and Irene was escorted by her dad. She looked beautiful!

Once everyone was under the chuppah, Rabbi Meyer left the bimah and headed towards the guests. My grandmother, who adored me, was sitting in the front row. The rabbi in-vited her to witness the wedding under the chuppah; she delightfully accepted and was escorted by him. Her smiling face is something I still cherish and hold among my fondest memories.Breaking the PlateThe kiddushin and the sheva berachot were recited by Rabbi

Meyer. When the time came to break the glass to recall the de-struction of the Temple, I broke a porcelain plate, as is custom-ary among some German Jewish families (the symbolism is the same). It is relatively easy to crush a thin piece of glass, but not so with porcelain. I brought all my soccer skills and tricks to my right foot that night, and I felt that I could have punched a hole in the stage when I stamped on it. The plate broke into many pieces, which we still keep. Each of our parents received a piece as a “souvenir” of our wedding. My mother-in-law took the ketubah which was sent to us by my brother-in-law, who was already living in Israel.

When the ceremony ended, we were greeted by family and friends. While most American celebrations end around midnight, ours had just begun around 11:30 pm. We ate, danced, and listened to several speeches from almost mid-night through the morning. Our guests included family, friends, seven rabbis, two priests, a nun, and some dignitaries. Missing dessertMy mother-in-law is an animal lover whose house is known as “the Lubasch Zoo.” We left the party around 4:30 am while the partying carried on. I still can’t forgive Irene for dragging me out of the party without having dessert. We missed the chocolate desserts table that symbolized my in-laws’ zoo. We had a flight at 8:00 am for our very short hon-eymoon, and Irene wanted to change and take a short nap. The celebration continued until around 6:00 am. This is very early by Argentine standards. Usually parties go on until after a breakfast of hot chocolate, coffee, croissants, and pastries. Some parties even include pizza for breakfast, but that is an-other story… n

ARGENTINE WEDDING continued from page 1

OUR TWO WEDDINGS continued from page 10

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BRITISH WEDDING continued from page 11

The number of guests increased daily when it was known that the Haham and Mrs. Regina Gaon, and Lord and Lady Morris of Kenwood, Sheffield, would be present.top hat and tailsThe groom customarily paid for the flowers, but I carried only a tiny spray of white stephanotis adorning a small white siddur. My gown conformed to strict Orthodox lines and covered my arms and had a high neck. The groom was in formal morning suit, pinstriped trousers, grey vest, top hat, and, of course, a buttonhole flower.

Invitations had to be printed twice and ultimately the num-ber mushroomed into an excess of 500 guests. What we had hoped might be a reasonably modest family affair became an enormous undertaking. Mark was one of nine siblings; on his mother’s side was an uncle with 13 children. On his father’s side, there were three aunts, two uncles, and 26 cousins. Guests were transported from Manchester to Leeds by a fleet of mo-tor coaches. It had become a production of major proportions. One small consolation was the abundance of some very lavish wedding gifts, many of which are still in my cupboards.

Our lifetime journey together started with a honeymoon boat-train from London to Paris and from there a sleeper-coach via Rome and across the Messina Straits all the way to Taormi-na, Sicily. On arrival at our hotel, Mark announced in his much practiced Italian, “We are Signor and Signora Shalom.” It was a crushing blow when the manager replied in perfect English, “We are most happy to welcome you to Taormina.” n

MONTREAL WEDDING continued from page 11

In Paris, we were met by Rosa, a cousin. The next day, the French relatives were invited to Herman Kopinsky’s home to meet us. The best part of Paris was Rosa’s taking us to the opera. We still enjoy simchas with Herman’s son, Serge, and his family.Meeting the Entire FamilyIrv’s cousin, Tamar, and her husband, Tanchum Grizim, met us on our arrival in Israel. They had served in the British army and then in the Haganah. They lived in a two-room house set in a copper-colored sand lot in a community set aside for army officers. They were growing vegetables in the sand. That com-munity is Tsahalah, now one of the most beautiful near Tel Aviv. It is green with trees and flowers, and the houses have all been expanded. Tamar, now 90, is one of the community’s founders.

The next relative we met was Yetche, a Holocaust survi-vor. When she saw the list of relatives we were to meet, she told us to see the country and come back on Tuesday. We could not go to the Kotel then because old Jerusalem was held by Jordan. When we returned, we found that she had invited all the relatives, Orthodox and secular, from Jerusa-lem, Haifa, and Tel Aviv. She had a photographer take a pho-tograph of the group and told us, “Now your father will see that you met the whole family!”

We have returned to Israel many times for scientific meetings, educational conferences, and family simchas. We always have two Shabbat dinners – one with Tamar and her family and one with Yetcha’s daughter, Rachel, and her family.

Next fall we plan to return, this time with my son, Alan, and his wife, Liz. In June, we hope to celebrate our 60th anniversary and their 25th with an aliyah and kiddush at Beth El. n

* Difficult Conversations * How to talk to Your Aging Parents Elinor Ginzler, director of the Cahnmann Center for Supportive Services at the Jewish Council for the Aging, will lead sessions on how to approach challenging topics with our parents with sensitivity and concern. Some of the discussion topics are concerns with elderly parents driving and living alone. You may attend one or both sessions.

Thursday, May 3, 7:30 pm and Thursday, May 17, 7:30 pm

_____________________________________

Sessions are at Congregation Beth El. If you are interested in attending any session, RSVP to Geryl Baer at gbaer@bethelmc.org.

CE21 Workshops

Special Service: Prayers and Songs of Comfort, Healing,

and Renewal

Sunday, June 3, 7:30 pmMusic-suffused traditions have long served to comfort us in the face of life’s challenges and to help us find renewal

when we, or others we know, are confronted by emotional, physical, or spiritual pain. A new service has been created to engage the Beth El community in an exploration of faith, comfort, and healing through the liturgies, melodies, and

poetry of Jewish music.

The service will take place on Sunday, June 3, at Beth El at 7:30 pm, and will incorporate traditional as well as contemporary prayers and melodies. Songs will include

several by the legendary Debbie Friedman (z”l).

The regular Ma’ariv service will take place immediately afterwards at 8:00 pm.

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Wedding ContraCtYou will sign many kinds of contracts in your lifetime. Contracts that bind you to something agreed upon between you and another person or business or school or…your husband or wife!

The contract between a husband and wife is

called a ketubah, and each one is a unique agreement, typically stating what financial and emotional goods and services the groom is promising the bride before and during their marriage, and also upon his death.If the wife, or in ancient times the wife’s family, agrees, the ketubah will be signed before the couple become husband and wife.

Traditionally, ketubot are written in Aramaic because, when the ketubah became a standardized Jewish practice, that is the language the Jewish people spoke. Many Conservative ketubot are written in Hebrew or English, or a combination of the two.

A ketubah can be simple or richly ornate. Many are beautiful enough to display as art. Whether painted, drawn, or cut from paper, the decorated document is celebrating the new union and often is a reflection of prayers or symbols that the bride and groom find meaningful.

do your parents have a ketubah? If so, it might be fun to read what promises were made before they were married.

some Common Words assoCiated With JeWish Weddings:Bride: KallahGroom: ChatanBetrothal:The couple is betrothed when the groom slips an unadorned gold band on the index finger of the bride’s right hand. It is at this point that the couple is considered married.Chuppah: This is the canopy over the bride and groom that symbolizes the home they will build together.Sheva Berachot: These are the seven wedding blessings given to the bride and groom.

4Uif you Were getting married, what terms would you put in your ketubah (contract)? Would the contract include only the groom’s promises to the bride? What would you want your spouse to promise?

Try writing your own ketubah in the frame. Decide what symbols to include when decorating your ketubah to make it special to you. You could use Jewish symbols, like lions, stars, or pomegranates.

Wedding musiCYou will rarely hear the "Here Comes the Bride" wedding march at a Jewish wedding. The march was written by anti-Semitic composer Richard Wagner. One of the most frequently used wedding marches at Jewish weddings is FelixMendelssohn's "Wedding March "in C major written in 1842. This can also be heard in Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

WeddingsPapercut ketubah by Tamar Fishman

Giclee ketubah by Clair Carter

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SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm

NORWOOD PARK4700 Norwood Drive, Bethesda

(South of Bradley Blvd. and west of Wisconsin Ave.)

Bring your own lunch. Beth El supplies drinks, ice cream,

and sno-cones.

RSVPs requested but not essential: 301-652-2606

BETH EL CONGREGATIONAL

PICNIC!

Gaga, face painting, moonbounce,

ice cream, and more!

MEN'S CLUB, AJIRI PROGRAM continued from page 5

award to Nauru ambassadorThe highlight of the evening was the presentation of an award to Ambassador Moses in recognition of her unwaver-ing support of Israel in the UN.

In expressing appreciation for the honor, Ambassador Moses also spoke of her love for Israel and its people and the need to defend the Jewish state. She also introduced the audience to her nation – a South Pacific island with a population of 10,000 and a land mass roughly twice the size of Rock Creek Park. Nauru is the smallest republic to be a UN member.

Moses was singled out to receive this award because she has been exemplary in her consistent pro-Israel stance. She continues to support Israel despite significant pressure from Arab states to change her vote. In fact, Moses remarked that there might be other larger nations who are unable to resist

these same enticements to vote against Israel. Moses added that there was also no U.S. influence affecting her vote. Supporting aJIrIThe event closed with a brief recap by Beth El Committee Outreach/PR chair and AJIRI board member Jon Simon, who appealed to attendees to continue supporting AJIRI’s efforts.

Harvey Gershman, who launched Beth El’s involvement with AJIRI and was instrumental in organizing the March 25 evening, noted, “We did the three things we set out to do – educate the community about the UN’s continued attempts to delegitimize Israel, share AJIRI’s success and what others can do to help defend Israel, and raise additional funds to keep AJIRI’s wonderful work on track.”To view the March 25 event, visit the AJIRI Web site at www.ajiri.us. n

Empty-NEstEr missioN to israEl

octobEr/NovEmbEr 2012

led by rabbi bill rudolph and Gail Fribush

This trip, geared to those who have already been to Israel, will focus on developing a deeper connection with the country, its

history, food, politics, and people. We will visit Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, and new

museums and meet with political, academic, and Conservative movement leaders.

For more information, contact Geryl baer, 301-652-8569,

ext. 352, or gbaer@bethelmc.org

This trip is a program of CE21 Age & Stage

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

donations made from February 28 to March 23bendit adult Institute FundBy: Linda OrensteinIn Memory Of: David Lubin, with deepest sympathy, by Albert FoxMaita Bezner, mother of Steven Bezner, by Steven BeznerFay Eiskowitz, sister of David Jacobowitz, by Rita and Irv Kopin

Jack Amster by Jayson Amsterbeth el assistance programBy: Harris and Marla JayBeth El ForestIn Memory Of: Barry Weisberg by Stuart and Beth WeisbergRuth Goldman, mother of Hedy Nash, by Simcha ChavurahJulius Weisberg by Stuart WeisbergDavid Lubin, brother of Hazzan Abe Lubin, by Julia P. Copperman

beth el Israel FundIn Memory Of: My parents, Thomas and Suzanne Kapner, by Bill and Hilary Kapner

Sondra Bender by Michael and Debbie Finkdorothy beverly Kitchen FundIn Memory Of: Irene Ross Glick by Jeff and Marilyn Glickbuilding Fund/capital campaignIn Memory Of: Maurice William Greenstein by Dora WeinsteinHoward E. Helf by Thomas E. Helfcantor’s FundIn Honor Of: Hazzan Klein for his presentation to the Senior Caucus-Vatikkim and for his Shabbat sermon by Rita and Irv Kopin

Ricardo Munster for coordinating programs for the Senior Caucus-Vatikkim by Rita and Irv Kopin

Natalie Adams, who with her late husband donated their CD collection to Beth El, by Rita and Irv Kopin

In Memory Of: Beloved father, Morris Amchan, by Sonja SchultzDavid Lubin, brother of Cantor Abe Lubin, by Sheri Brown of Gan HaYeled at Adas Israel, Margi and Mark Kramer, Rosalie Sporn, Jose and Tutti Sokol, Deborah G. Leibowitz, Linda and Jerry Herman, Bob and Rosine Nussenblatt, and Rhoda and Milt Nichaman

Barney Barr by Solomon and Rita BarrHershel Kanovsky by Helen KanovskyEsther Nusinovich by Gregory NusinovichMy dear father, Julius Kaplan, by Rosalie SpornBenson Adams by Rita and Irv Kopinchevra Kadisha FundIn Memory Of: Glen Samet by Janice RaffelJean Alk Biller by Ruth BloomDavid Lubin, brother of Hazzan Abe Lubin, by Esther and Elliot Wilner and Sandy and Norton Elson

Ruth Horwitz by Ellen DarrBeloved father, Harry H. Kahn, by Marcia and Paul MerlinHarry Berman by Kenneth M. BermanOur father and grandfather, Lucien Leon Rossignelly, by the Nussenblatts

William Goldfine by Marilyn Glick

disabled access FundIn Memory Of: Jack Zuckerman, beloved father of Lois Zuckerman, by Andrea Golden

Edward Ian Henry, beloved father of Tricia Sachs, by Andrea Golden

Fine arts FundIn Memory Of: Diane Kay by Bob and Evyan Koeniggeneral FundIn Honor Of: Bat mitzvah of Sophie Lavine by Deborah Miller and Adam Strickberger

Barbara Klein, in honor of her special birthday, by Andrea and Lou Marmon, Linda and Jerry Herman, and Sid and Janet Getz

Sondra Brody’s adult bat mitzvah by Mr. and Mrs. Mel TabachJake Niebler’s bar mitzvah by the Powers family and the Simon family

Jason Grill’s bar mitzvah by Tammy, Jonathan, Matthew, Alex, and Emma Landy

Bnot mitzvah of Lisa Lerner and Sharona Sapoznikow by families of Rick Lerner and Sylvia Freund

Rahel Rosner on the occasion of her recent bat mitzvah by Michael Gottdenker

Susan Levine receiving the Golda Meir Award by Rosalie Sporn

Beth El’s welcome to the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes residents by Bob and Joy Cohen

Hilda Getz on the occasion of her bat mitzvah by Sabina Shalom

Tamar Jacobsohn’s bat mitzvah by the Redlich familyIn Memory Of: Eleanor Mintzer, mother of Jodi Krame, by Geri and Gil Lewis, the Marmon family, Amy Freedland, Leesa Fields and Jonathan Band, and Linda and Jerry Herman

Ruvan Zusin by Michael and Bela Shmirkin and Donna Vogel and David Margulies

Ralph Futterman, father of Craig Futterman, by the Pupkin familyLouise Cassouto Wagman by Susan and Rob LoewyWilliam Kanter’s father, David C. Kanter, by William, Sue, and David Kanter

Sam Bayliss by Susan StrombergMy grandfather, Edward Shandell, by Andrea ShandellHarry Widom by Bart WidomDiane Kay by Rita and Irv Kopin and Irma H. BiermanBernard Popick, father of Barbara Rosing, by Donna Vogel and David Margulies

Shirley Topper by Leonard TopperShirley Rehr, aunt of Rhoda Barish, sister of Gladys Barish, by Sheryl and Ira Fishman

David Lubin by Leesa Fields and Jonathan Band and Donna Vogel and David Margulies

Sondra Bender by Sandra Pearlman and Mindy P. RudolphDora Scheer by Iris KivitzDave Herman by Jerry HermanRobert Silverman by Linda HermanClara Rosen, mother of Arthur Rosen, by Marianne and Arthur Rosen

Leon Polis by Sheryl and Ira FishmanMarvin London, brother of Sheldon London, by the Pupkin family

Edward Deutsch by Myra and Stewart Deutsch

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green tikkun FundIn Memory Of: Celia Lurensky and Jennie Goldman by Harriet Kuhngroner ramah Scholarship FundIn Memory Of: Eleanor Mintzer, mother of Jodi Krame, by Erwin and Leesa Groner

Interreligious learning InstituteBy: Stewart and Myra Deutsch, Sandy and Norton Elson, Elizabeth Goldman, Judy and Stanley Baldinger, Susan and Lawrence Bruser, Susan and Howard Feibus, Daniel Mann, and Frances E. Pensler

In Honor Of: His Excellency Ambassador of Turkey, Namik Tan, by Craig D. Yokum

In Memory Of: My mother, Lillian M. Schultz, by David J. SchultzKimball Nursery School FundIn Honor Of: Louis Kimball’s 50th birthday by Laurie, Sammy, and Jordan Kimball

In Memory Of: In fond memory of Sondra Bender by Ruth and Lester LeeIn loving memory of Leonard Neumann by Scott, Hillary, Sammy, and Jack Berman

Larry Eisner by the Eisner familylibrary FundIn Honor Of: Birthday of Rachel Abraham by Annette MoshmanGraduation of Alex Halpern by Boxerman familyIn Memory Of: Sondra Bender by Andrea S. LenkinBessie Ozarin by Lucy OzarinJack Zuckerman by Sam and Evelyn Margolis, Daniel Geselowitz and Sandra Cohen, Howie and Holly Stein, and Annette Moshman

Eleanor Mintzer, mother of Jodi Krame, by Boxerman familyMazonIn Honor Of: Cheryl Kreiser by Janet MeyersBirth of a baby girl, Leah, to Josh and Illissa Manes by Beth and Ken Berman

In Memory Of: Rose Cohan by Rita BarrHelen Wilder, mother of Mitzi Goldman, by Mitzi and Max Goldman

Helen Snyder by Beth and Ken BermanArthur Gang by Florence GangEleanor Mintzer, mother of Jodi Krame, by Robert Watson and Fran Katz Watson

Mamie Copperman, my mother-in-law, by Julia P. CoppermanElliott Morris by Jim and Leslie DellonDavid Lubin, brother of Hazzan Abe Lubin, by Mitzi and Max Goldman

Harry Broder by John BroderRuth Merber by Marilyn RipinMen’s club perspectives in dialogue FundIn Honor Of: Sid Getz receiving the Men’s Club Kavod Award by Rosalie Sporn

Harvey Gershman receiving the Men’s Club Kavod Award by Rosalie Sporn

Jerry Sorkin receiving the Men’s Club Kavod Award by Rosalie Sporn

Mintz landscaping FundIn Memory Of: Anna Turteltaub, mother of Helena Koenig, by Helena KoenigWilliam A. Dembo by Dorothy P. DemboMorning Minyan FundIn Honor Of: The anniversary of the Shabbat Early Morning Minyan by Joseph S. and Evalyn G. Basloe

Sondra Brody’s bat mitzvah by Corinne SwoffIn Memory Of: Brother, Milton Dolnansky, and husband, Arnold M. Bass, by Rosalyn Bass

Ruben Kaplovsky by Lillian and Jay MillerRuvan Zusin by Esther and Elliot WilnerFannye Levin, beloved mother of Julian Levin and Sondra Brody and beloved grandmother and great-grandmother, by Julian Levin and Sondra Brody

Sally Goldberg, mother-in-law of Jack Minker, by Jack MinkerAbraham Levinson by Herbert LevinsonSondra Bender by Caryl and Gerald BrodyNettie Edenbaum by Bob and Sandy EdenbaumSara Burkom by Ruth WeinbergNitzanim FundIn Honor Of: Aviva Solkowitz becoming a bat mitzvah by Esther and Elliot Wilner

Babynaming of Gillian Sidel, daughter of Robin and Adam Sidel, and sister of Garrett, by David and Ellen Epstein

In Memory Of: Leonard Neumann by Beverly BermanVince prada technology FundIn Memory Of: Gloria Rosenberg Whitsett, mother of Fancine Lanar, by Fancine Lanar

Prayerbook FundIn Memory Of: Ida Lample and Israel Castle Bloom by Carole Kaminsky and family

Gertrude Leff and Louis Jack Kaminsky by Carole Kaminsky and family

rabbi’s FundIn Honor Of: Our granddaughter, Aviva Solkowitz, on her bat mitzvah by Jordan and Dorothy Solkowitz

Mike Getz, on the 70th anniversary of his bar mitzvah, by Bob and Margie Litman

Rabbi Harris for officiating and his help for Daniel’s bar mitzvah by Jackie and Martin Berman-Gorvine

Rabbi Rudolph for performing the ceremony at the marriage of our daughter, Leora Gabry, to Jeremy Semble by Mona and Jerry Gabry

Rabbi Greg Harris for his help with Sofia becoming a bat mitzvah by Marty and Vanessa Friedman

In appreciation of the Cole Porter version of Megillah Madness by Anne Spiwak

Rabbi David Abramson for receiving his Pastoral Counseling certificate by Rita and Irv Kopin

Rabbi Harris, on the occasion of Jordan’s bar mitzvah, by Hallie and Evan Werbel

Hilda Getz’s bat mitzvah by Bob and Margie Litman and Sara Lieberman

Gerald Friedman’s 85th birthday by Beryl FishmanRita Liebowitz on her bat mitzvah by her Wednesday Morning Torah Study buddies

Contributions Continued

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My aliyah, joined by my son, on the occasion of my reaching G’vurot, by Daniel Mann

Sam Kapner’s bar mitzvah by Margie and Joe HoffmanIn recognition of my special birthday by Ruth ShapiroRabbi Rudolph and Gail Fribush for their support by Reina Lerner

In Memory Of: Rosara Sundell by Susan HanleyEleanor Mintzer by Brenda Gruss and Daniel O. Hirsch and Ellen and David Epstein

Judith Newman, friend of Michael Mandel, by Rita and Irv Kopin

Harry Goldberg, father of Irving Goldberg, by Annette Goldberg

Beverly Werbel by the Werbel familyRita Trauberman, loving mother and grandmother, by Jeffrey Trauberman, Patricia Silver, Jacob, and Joshua

Daniel Goott by Eugene GoottHilda de Sapoznikow by Jorge and Sharona SapoznikowSol Kleiner by Rhonda KleinerSondra Bender by Rita and Irv Kopin and Margie and Joe Hoffman

Aleen Schaer by Hallie, Evan, Jordan, and Bennett WerbelMartin Mermelstein by Hallie, Evan, Jordan, and Bennett Werbel

Dr. Ben Papirmeister by the Papirmeister and Dauerman familyMorris Elzufon and Bessie Holtzman by Gene and Eleanor Elzufon

Frances Bebchick by Leonard BebchickJudy Newman by Anne and Murray FossDiane Kay by Margie and Joe HoffmanDora D. Prag and Morris D. Lerner by Herb and Dianne LernerJill Herscot’s uncle by the Werbel familySimon Margolis, grandfather, by Dov and Sharon Margolis Apfel

Joseph Silvermintz by Rene ZitterNehama Lerner by Reina LernerFaye Amster by Jayson AmsterLawrence Gordon by Merle ShonemanHarry Asen by Henrietta AsenLouise Wagman and in appreciation of Rabbi Harris’s support at the time of my mother’s passing by Bonnie Wagman

dr. elaine l. Shalowitz education FundIn Memory Of: My dear mother, Helen Cohen, by Henrietta AsenFaina Nagel by Religious School Facultyelaine Silverman gessow college activities FundIn Memory Of: My beloved daughter, Dale Sue Allen, by Annette GoldbergEleanor Mintzer, mother of Jodi Krame, by Brenda and Jim Schmand

Simos Music FundIn Memory Of: Gertrude Weiss by Karen Satin, Mitchell Weiss, and Michael Weiss

David Lubin, brother of Hazzan Abraham Lubin, by Sharon Apfel, Howie and Holly Stein, and Mark Pollak and Janet Meyers

Sisterhood Kiddush FundIn Honor Of: Janice Liebowitz, for her work for the Sisterhood Challah Baking Workshop, by Ruth Shapiro

Sisterhood Shiva Meal FundIn Memory Of: Pearl Belferman by Herman BelfermanFrances Becker, mother of Arthur Becker, by Sandra and Arthur Becker

Social action FundIn Memory Of: Helene Wallace, mother of Karolyn Wallace, by the Eckland family

Sara Spero, grandmother of Stephanie Ventura, by Stephanie Ventura

Sondra Bender by Loretta FeldmanSuls Youth activities FundIn Memory Of: Diane Kay by Dena and Robert WekerMax Liss by Dr. George Lisselaine tanenbaum religious School enrichment FundIn Honor Of: Beth El Religious School by the Zebrak familyVatikkimIn Memory Of: Melvin Epstein, brother of Charlotte Shifrin, by Lucy OzarinMy father, Morris Krueger, by Annette GoldbergJoshua Brown, dear father, by Josephine HornLucille Rosenblum by Annette K. GoldbergEleanor Mintzer, mother of Jodi Krame, by Zelda SegalMy beloved Herb’s 90th birthday on April 3rd by Lee HarveyWeker Family Program FundBy: Laurie Weker LiptonIn Memory Of: Jack Meyer, father of Dena Weker, by Nancy and Michael KayWerner liturgical Music FundIn Memory Of: Bess Cohn, mother-in-law, by Jerome HeffterLeah Heffter, mother, by Jerome Heffterbarbara Wolf “Israel Quest” FundIn Memory Of: Sy Wolf by Faye Rosen WolfYoung equality FundIn Memory Of: Leila Rosen Young and Harry I. Young by Joe and Ina Young n

Contributions Continued

Condolences toJodi Krame on the death of her mother, Eleanor Mintzer

Hazzan Emeritus Abraham Lubin on the death of his brother, David Lubin

Hedy Nash on the death of her mother, Ruth Goldman

The family of long-time congregant Gerald Sherman on his death

Charlotte Shifrin on the death of her brother, Melvin Epstein

The family of long-time congregant Louise Wagman on her death

Ida Zusin on the death of her husband, Ruvan Zusin

Mazal tov to Amy Rose Freedland on the birth of her son, Ryan Harrison Freedland, on August 10, 2011.

Avi Friedman and Amy Goldstein on the birth of their son, Nathan Benjamin Friedman, in November 2011. Proud big sister is Noa.

Benjamin Katz, eighth-grader in the Beth El Upper School, one of 10 winners (out of more than 700) in the Bethesda Literary Festival’s Youth Writing Contest. His essay will be published in an upcoming issue of Washington Parent Magazine. This is Benjamin’s second time winning this contest.

Donna Vogel for being elected President of the American Society of Andrology for 2012-2013.

NoteworthyRoundtable with the Rabbi, Wednesday, May 2, 2:00 pm. Join us to celebrate May birthdays (yours and those of others) with desserts, coffee, and a lively discussion led by Rabbi Rudolph. Birthday celebrants receive a special invitation, but all are welcome.

DOR L’DOR, Thursday, May 3, noon (last one until classes resume in the fall). Join the Beth El Preschool (BEPS) 4s Class, Vatikkim, and Senior Caucus for this intergenerational program connecting children with seniors. To participate and share delicious pizza with the preschoolers, RSVP to Audrey Berger at 301-652-2606 or Ricardo Munster at 301-652-8569, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org.

Vatikkim, Thursdays, May 10, 24, and 31, noon. Brown bag lunch. Come and socialize with your friends and enjoy refreshments and dessert. One of our clergy members will join the group and lead a discussion on May 10.

Senior Caucus – Vatikkim Luncheon/Program, Thursday, May 17, noon. Following lunch, we will have a speaker TBA. Lunch costs $8. To RSVP for lunch, call Ricardo Munster at 301-652-2606, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org, by Tuesday, May 15. The program is free and begins around 1:00 pm.

Bridge – the greatest game ever! Join us every Monday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Drop in and join a game; no partner necessary. Because of Shavuot, there will be no bridge on May 28. For information or transportation, contact Ricardo Munster 301-652-2606, ext. 316, or rmunster@bethelmc.org.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shabbat Services (all services are weekly, except as noted) Early Morning Service 7:30 am Main Service 9:30 am Babysitting (2-6 years old) 9:15 am Minyan Chaverim (3rd Shabbat) 9:30 am Worship and Study Minyan (1st Shabbat) 9:45 am Mincha, Seudah Shlishit, Ma’ariv and Havdalah Service (1st Shabbat) 7:15 pm (5th Shabbat) 7:45 pm

Youth Shabbat Services Teen Service (1st Shabbat) 10:00 am Junior Congregation (5th grade +; Library) 10:00 am Shitufim 10:30-11:30 am (3rd and 4th grades; 2nd & 4th Shabbat; Zahler Social Hall)

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

Weekly ParashiotSource: Siddur Sim Shalom

Acharei Mot-KedoshimMay 5, 13 IyarGod instructs Aaron to purify the altar, the priests, and the people. To purify the people, two goats are chosen: one as a sacrifice, the other as a scapegoat to be sent off bearing Israel’s sins. This ceremony on the Day of Atonement, the 10th day of the seventh month, is to be “an eternal statute.” Other statutes concerning animal slaughter and prohibited sexual relations follow.

“You shall be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy.” God urges Israel to attain holiness by emulating God’s holiness. The people of Israel are asked to show respect for parents and for Shabbat, refrain from idolatry, have concern for the poor and the stranger, and avoid gossip, anger, and improper sexual behavior.

EmorMay 12, 20 IyarGod sets laws for the priesthood. The sacred days are ordained. Shabbat and the Festivals—Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot—along with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are prescribed for all generations.

B’har-B’hukotaiMay 19, 27 IyarGod tells Moses that after Israel reaches Canaan, the land shall observe a seventh year of rest, a Shabbat, and lie fallow. After seven sabbatical cycles, every 50th year, a Jubilee shall be declared. In the hallowed year, Israel will “proclaim lib-erty throughout the land, unto all its inhabitants.” Property will revert to its original owner, and slaves will be set free.

“Observe My commandments,” says God, and be rewarded; “reject My statutes” and suffer the consequences. Yet despite His Tokhehah (this litany of dire warnings), God will not utterly reject Israel. God vows to remember the Covenant made with Israel’s ancestors.

B’midbarMay 26, 5 SivanIn the second year after the Exodus from Egypt, in the Sinai wilderness, God orders Moses to take a census of the people. God also determines the positioning of each tribe around the Tabernacle. The tribe of Levi is appointed to attend to the Mishkan and to aid the Kohanim.

Shavuot, Day 1Exodus 19:1 – 20:26; Numbers 28:26-31May 27, 6 SivanThe Torah reading describes the covenant at Sinai, the final stage in the process of forging Israel’s national identity and spiritual destiny, and includes the reading of the Ten Commandments.

Shavuot, Day 2Deuteronomy 15:19 – 16:17; Numbers 28:26-31May 28, 7 SivanThe Torah reading begins with a discussion on tithing and how the proceeds are to be used to help those less fortunate. The portion concludes with a description of the shalosh regalim, the three pilgrimage festivals – Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

NasoJune 2, 12 SivanThe Levites are to dismantle the Tabernacle when Israel sets forth and to set it up again when Israel encamps. God forbids unclean persons to dwell in the camp. Priestly intervention is required in cases of marital infidelity or the breaking of a Nazirite vow of consecration to God. God trains Aaron to deliver Birkat Kohanim, the three-fold priestly blessing. The Mishkan is then dedicated.

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday1 2 1 2 3 4 Candles 7:46 pm 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 Candles 7:53 pm 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 Candles 7:59 pm 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 Candles 8:05 pm 26

27 28 29 30 31 1 Candles 8:10 pm 2

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

8:30 am Trip to National Museum of American Jewish History (Philadelphia)

9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Kavod Awards

Breakfast9:30 am Nitzanim Playdate - Playground10:30 am Prospective Member Open

House6:30 pm Yoga7:00 pm Talmud Class

1:00 pm Bridge7:30 pm Boy Scouts

8:30 am A Taste of Talmud6:30 pm Mah Jongg7:30 pm Kesher Nashim8:15 pm Congregational Annual Meeting

9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class9:30 am M. Fine Class9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class

Lag B’OmerNoon Vatikkim7:30 pm BEPS Board Meeting

9:45 am Dialogues with Darci10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service6:30 pm Traditional Friday Evening

Service6:30 pm Kol Haneshama

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Noah Clement Bar Mitzvah9:30 am Sara Miller Bat Mitzvah10:00 am Junior Congregation10:30 am Shitufim10:30 am Nitzanim

Mother’s Day9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast10:00 am Men’s Club Program

1:00 pm Bridge7:30 pm Boy Scouts7:30 pm RS Committee Meeting

8:30 am A Taste of Talmud6:30 pm Mah Jongg

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

Noon Vatikkim Luncheon7:00 pm Sisterhood Planning Meeting7:30 pm Age & Stage: Empty Nesters

10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service6:30 pm Friday Evening Service6:30 pm Nitzanim Kabbalat Shabbat

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Samantha Redlich Bat Mitzvah9:30 am Jeannie Spiegel Bat Mitzvah9:30 am Minyan Chaverim10:00 am 6th Grade Family Service10:30 am Gan Shabbat

Yom Yerushalayim9:00 am Minyan9:30 am Men’s Club Breakfast10:00 am Men’s Club Program10:30 am Prospective Member Open

House11:00 am Beth El Book Club

1:00 pm Bridge7:30 pm Boy Scouts

Rosh Hodesh Sivan8:30 am A Taste of Talmud9:30 am BEST Parent Meeting6:30 pm Mah Jongg7:00 pm Confirmation Rehearsal

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

Noon Vatikkim 10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service6:30 pm Friday Evening Service

Erev Shavuot7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Emma Waldman Bat

Mitzvah9:30 am Manya Aronin Bat Mitzvah10:30 am Nitzanim11:15 am Kantillation for Kids7:00 pm Tikkun Layl Shavuot

Shavuot - 1st DayOffices & Schools Closed9:30 am Festival Morning Service/

Bikkurim Ceremony10:30 am Nitzanim Service6:30 pm Festival Service

Shavuot - 2nd DayMemorial DayOffices & Schools Closed9:30 am Festival/Confirmation Service

(Yizkor)

8:30 am A Taste of Talmud6:30 pm Mah Jongg

9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class9:30 am M. Fine Class9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class

Noon Vatikkim 10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service6:30 pm Friday Evening Service

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Natalie Kravitz Bat Mitzvah9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan10:00 am Teen Service10:30 am Gan Shabbat12:40 pm Hazzan’s Shabbat Melodies

Class7:45 pm Shabbat Mincha, Seudah

Shlishit, Ma’ariv, Havdalah

9:30 am BEPS Coffee House w/Rabbi Harris

10:30 am BEPS Shabbat Service6:30 pm Friday Evening Service

7:30 am Early Shabbat Service9:30 am Main Shabbat Service9:30 am Amit Koppel Bar Mitzvah9:30 am Hannah Lenkin Bat Mitzvah9:45 am Worship & Study Minyan10:00 am Jr. Congregation10:00 am Teen Service10:30 am Gan Shabbat12:40 pm Hazzan’s Shabbat Melodies

Class7:15 pm Shabbat Mincha, Seudah

Shlishit, Ma’ariv, Havdalah

8:30 am A Taste of Talmud6:30 pm Mah Jongg

9:00 am Rabbi’s Torah Class9:00 am BEPS Hearing and Vision

Testing9:30 am M. Fine Class9:30 am Rabbi’s Haftarah Class2:00 pm Roundtable with the Rabbi7:30 pm Hadassah Lecture Series - Robin

Wright

9:00 am BEPS Hearing and Vision Testing

Noon Vatikkim7:30 pm Age & Stage: Empty Nesters8:30 pm Hearing Men’s Voices

May 2012Iyar–Sivan 5772