Tevet/Shevat 5782 / January 2022
Volume V
No. 41
Voice of Truth
Rabbi's Message: Here We Go Again Here we go again. How many times have I already said how tired I am of talking about COVID, of the pandemic going on and on and on? Now, as the Omicron variant seems to be taking hold, events are being cancelled and we are once again facing the uncertainty of figuring out the characteristics of this new variant and what the new rules will be. I feel like Al Pacino’s character in The Godfather 3—“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.” Many of us experience a very human need to feel in control. There are times when we manage it. We tell ourselves that if we work hard, follow the rules, do the right things, that everything will be okay—that we will make everything be okay. Then something happens that reminds us that we are not in control: a car accident, a diagnosis of a serious or fatal disease, a heart attack, a job lay-off, a tornado, or something else. The pandemic is just such an event, but it is telling all of us all at once—you are not in control. It keeps changing, too, and with each new development that is beyond our control and, at first, beyond our knowledge, we find ourselves again trying to regain a feeling of control. This is wearing us down. For many of us, our patience is thin, we are tired, we don’t want to be positive or upbeat or strong anymore. On Facebook, someone who I know to be a kind person who wants to do the right thing said, basically, “I don’t care anymore.” That impulse, after all we’ve been through, can be strong. It’s hard to keep caring, to keep following the guidelines that might keep us and others safer (although it seems like they don’t always do that). It’s hard to see people ignoring mask mandates and refusing to get vaccinated. As a Jew, I turn to our tradition to find reasons to care, reasons not to give up. My friend and colleague Rabbi David Cavill wrote this recently: The primary, most important, value of Judaism is that human life is sacred. The Torah commands us ושמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם, “You shall be exceedingly careful with your lives” (Deuteronomy 4:15). We are also commanded לא תעמוד על זם רעך, “Do not stand idly by the blood of your fellows” (Leviticus 19:16). We are compelled to put aside every other mitzvah in the pursuit of human life. Human life is sacred because human beings are created, so the Torah tells us, בצלם אלקים, in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). When we die, the part of us taken from the earth returns to the earth and the part of us that does not decompose returns to our Creator. We are elevated beings, if only we would behave accordingly. When it’s easy to do the right thing, we don’t need commandments, we don’t need moral responsibility. It’s when it becomes difficult to do the right thing that we need the help of moral directives. Our tradition, our Torah, reminds us that we are to place human life at the center of our morality. That means that even if we can’t bring ourselves to care, we can return to our tradition’s core teachings and remember that part of our purpose is to recognize the importance of human life and protect it. At this time that means getting vaccinated and boosted, wearing N95 or KN95 masks when we are around others, following the best information we can get about how to stay safe and keep others safe. We might not be able to bring ourselves to care but we can bring ourselves to do what is right because it is what is right. It’s not our fault that we are in this position. None of us wants there to be new variants; none of us wants to be pulled back to quarantine, fear, lockdown. But this is not over, and we don’t know when it will end. As we enter the new secular year, let us recommit ourselves to doing everything we can to preserve life. Let us make the most of the opportunities we have for community, whether in person or online. On January 2, I will begin the second half of my sabbatical. I will return on March 3. I was hoping to travel to Germany and Israel, but there’s a very good chance that will not be possible. Nevertheless, I hope to rest, rejuvenate, and return in March with energy. I look forward to seeing you then. Rabbi Hoover Special Note We are returning to online-only services and religious school from now through the end of January due to the Omicron variant of Covid-19.
President’s Message Two Steps Forward, One Step Back When you read this month’s Voice of Truth, one thing you’ll notice is that there are more photos in this issue than in any Voice of Truth in recent memory. You may also notice that most, if not all the photos are of actual three-dimensional people and not screenshots from Zoom. That this is noteworthy at all shows just how accustomed we’ve gotten to experiencing face-to-face interaction one step removed from the real thing. Most of us have gotten to the point where we don’t even find the artificial barrier of technology awkward anymore. If you’ve been privy to the mini-schmooze sessions that precede our Shabbat services, you’ll hear people chatting as though they’re occupying the same physical space. (Since Zoom doesn’t allow more than one person to speak at a time, the chatting seems somehow more polite. I’ve decided that this is not entirely a bad thing.) For me, it’s spending time with people without a screen in front of me that has taken some getting used to. In person, you don’t have the luxury of turning off the camera and lurking (or, more often, multitasking) in the background. After 21 months of communing primarily with my family, my dog, and Alexa, I’ve discovered there’s a learning curve involved in being present again in a way that aligns with commonly held social expectations. (Bonus points for actually being nice!) Fortunately, December offered a number of opportunities at B’ShERT to dust off the social engagement cobwebs. These opportunities included our first annual community menorah lighting, a joyous and well-attended multi-access event covered by News12. A few days before that, Rabbi Heidi Hoover and the B’ShERT choralers appeared at the Marine Park Alliance’s Hanukkah event at the Carmine Carro Center in Marine Park. (Much appreciation to member Karen Eichel for forging the connection.) Thanks to the initiative of the Membership Committee and its chairs, Ellyn Rothstein and Joanie Holland Schaffer, the B’ShERT choralers spent two weekends entertaining neighborhood residents on Cortelyou Road. And then there was our Hanukkah Shabbat service, where we got to experience once again the beauty of seeing family menorahs lined up on the bima and hearing the B’ShERT Community Choir raising their voices in song under the direction of cantorial soloist Nonie Schuster Donato (with James Donato on trumpet and Michael Tornick on piano). This service also marked a formal welcome for those new members who joined B’ShERT during the last couple of years — several during the pandemic. With a large (for us) crowd watching both in person and on Zoom, we were reminded of one positive that came out of the pandemic, and that was the expansion of our community’s geographic boundaries. Thanks to Zoom, you don’t have to live within driving distance to participate in B’ShERT activities. As I write this, the Omicron variant has caused the COVID infection rate to skyrocket in Brooklyn and across the city and state. This has been a discouraging development, and it’s not unreasonable to expect that we may need to hunker down and spend more time at home this winter as we wait for the current danger to pass. And let’s remember: it WILL pass, probably not permanently, but at least for a while. By now, we’ve learned through both patience and painful experience that the pandemic will likely wax and wane. The best we can do is to learn to coexist with it and make the necessary modifications to keep ourselves safe. It should not dictate our lives. As we prepare to ring in 2022, I’m already looking back at our December Hanukkah gatherings with a sense of nostalgia, but mostly with a feeling of hope for the Temple’s future. No matter how we congregate, in person or on Zoom or both, I know we shall prevail as a community. A healthy and happy New Year to all! Adrienne Knoll
The Membership Committee is happy to report that all of our Hanukkah events went off without a hitch. We Hanukkah Choraled on Sundays, November 28 and December 5. It was such a cool experience to take our show on the road to the Cortelyou Greenmarket (in the space in front of the library) and to the Flatbush Food Co-Op, where we were greeted with a mix of smiles, bemusement, and some audience participation. As a bonus, we also joined Rabbi Hoover to sing at the Marine Park Festival of Lights Hanukkah Celebration on November 29. A total of 17 of our amazing congregants sang with us at one or more of these events, and I think we all agree that we look forward to doing it again next year. On Friday, December 3, we were able to honor our new members from 2020 and 2021 at the Hanukkah Shabbat service. Since one of the themes of Hanukkah is dedication, it feels like an appropriate time to celebrate the choice each one of us has made to be part of our community, with all of the rights and responsibilities that accompany membership. Many of our new members were able to participate in the service through readings and other honors during the service, some with us in person and others on Zoom, and it made us proud and happy to be part of our Temple family. On the evening of Sunday, December 5, we held our inaugural Outdoor Community Menorah Lighting, led by Rabbi Hoover. We were overjoyed to see so many of you join us at this event, along with some neighbors from the local community. Overall, there were about 50 people with us in person, and several more watched our livestream of the event on Facebook. Thanks to the B’ShERT Publicity Committee, News 12 came to film and we were featured in a short video clip. We look forward to continuing this tradition for many years to come. We are very much looking forward to our upcoming program “The Crow Nation and the Jewish People: Our Shared Connection to the Earth and to Each Other,” which is scheduled for Sunday, January 23 at 4 p.m. on Zoom. This is a unique experience to listen and learn from our guest speaker Heywood “Third” Big Day III, who will speak about his identity and culture as a member of the Crow Nation, the importance of trees and nature in his tradition, and other themes. Rabbi Pinsky will moderate and help to discuss parallels between our own Jewish tradition. Register at https://thirdatbshert.eventbrite.com. Looking ahead, please save the date of Sunday, February 13 around 7-ish for a Zoom wine-tasting event led by Emma Tattenbaum-Fine. She’ll be curating a list of delicious and locally available wines, and we promise this will be a worthy and COVID-safe way to celebrate Valentine’s or Galentine’s day. Stay tuned for more information soon. On a related note (you’ll see why soon), we’re still working on our Small Groups project, which we anticipate will begin at some point in early 2022. If you’re a long-time VoT reader, you’ll know we’ve been talking about Small Groups for a long time now. In case you’re new to the concept, the idea of small groups is for them to be small (around a max of 10 people), lay-led, and centered around a common interest so that we can form stronger connections with each other. As the pandemic waxes and wanes, it’s been hard to find the right time to get started and to do so safely. The groups currently in the works are Wine Tasting, Beading and Portable Crafts (think beading, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, etc.), and Dungeons & Dragons. At this point, we expect that some of these groups will be virtual and some will be in person with masks, distancing, and vaccination protocols. If you have ideas for other groups you’re willing to lead, please absolutely connect with us and we can speak with you more about the concept. Lastly, we’re excited to be reviving the “B’ShERT Bio” feature of the VoT. Beginning with January 2022, each month we’ll share a short biography or interview with a member (or member family) so that we can all get to know each other better. We’ll be starting off with our 2020-2021 members, and this month we’ll be hearing from Myra Tattenbaum. If you joined during 2020-2021 and want to volunteer to be featured in an upcoming edition, let us know! Our first committee meeting of the new year will be on Tuesday, January 4 at 7 p.m., and we would love for you to join us. Please email Ellyn (pr@bshert.org) or Joanie (jmhschaffer@gmail.com) for the Zoom link. Wishing you a Happy 2022, Ellyn Rothstein and Joanie Holland Schaffer Co-Chairs of the Membership Committee
The group sings near the Cortelyou Greenmarket.
Choraler photos by Joanie Schaffer
Photo by Mike Rose
A group of Hanukkah choralers sing in front of the Flatbush Food Co-op.
Membership Committee
Rabbi Hoover sings Hanukkah-themed songs with a gathered crowd.
I spent most of Friday, December 10, in a panic about what our Brotherhood Shabbat that evening would be like. After all, we had never done it with some people in person, some on Zoom, and some on the telephone, and I had not been in the sanctuary in almost 21 months. I should have known there was nothing to worry about. It takes a community working together to create a successful event and we saw no better example than that at the Brotherhood Shabbat. From the time Rabbi Heidi very generously gave me her headset to use until the end of the service, everyone present worked together to make this a real success. We must thank Sam Silverman for creating a wonderful outline and distributing the parts for our service and Rabbi Heidi, Cantor Nonie Schuster Donato, and our musical accompanist for their participation. Heidi, I never could have figured out how to find the people on Zoom without you. Thanks also to Mike Rose for his fantastic technical skills; all the members of the Brotherhood who participated in the service; the people in our wonderful congregation who watched our service in person, on Zoom, and on YouTube; and Angel and Gene for keeping the place clean and safe for all of us. Brotherhood greatly appreciates everyone's efforts. We are far from done! Everyone is invited to join us on Zoom on Sunday morning, January 9, at 10:30 a.m. as Temple and Brotherhood member Jonathan Schachter leads us through a discussion about the life of Brooklyn-born Janet Yellen, who went Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn to the post of Treasury Secretary in the Biden Administration. Our speakers work hard to inform and entertain, and we hope for a large turnout to support them. A brief Brotherhood meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. on January 9. Brotherhood never rests. We still have plans for your enjoyment: a virtual tour of West Point on Zoom by temple member Alan Zarrow, a trivia night with Mike Rose, a relaxation and stress management workshop with Gail and Bob, breakfast at the Mirage for all Brotherhood members, a trip to see the Brooklyn Cyclones, and other possible surprises. Check your e-mail, the Temple Facebook page, the Voice of Truth and Voice e-mails for more information about upcoming Brotherhood events. We wish everyone a happy, and especially healthy New Year. Stay well and stay safe, Joel Moss and the members of your Brotherhood Affiliate of B'ShERT
The Women of B’ShERT held their third event on Tuesday, December 7, featuring guest speaker congregant Gail Levine Fried, who took us on a virtual tour of her artwork through the decades. It was entitled “Becoming And Transformation: An Ever Expanding Circle.” The emcee was Doreen Aronow, who expressed her hope that everyone had a lovely and happy Hanukkah before turning the program over to Charlotte Russell. Charlotte read one of her wonderful prayers, which always sets the tone of our events: “Our lives are like a mosaic—a rainbow of colors. When we look at the mosaic of our lives, we thank God. We are truly blessed in the richness of our lives.” Amen! Charlotte then gave us some background into Gail’s artwork, describing that she works in a wide variety of media, including watercolor, collage, etc., and discussing Gail’s studies at the Brooklyn Museum Art School and the Art Students League, and her career as an Associate Professor of Therapeutic Recreation at Kingsborough Community College. Charlotte then introduced Gail, who appropriately wore a headband of bright colors, a harbinger of things to follow. “The best of times and the worst of times,” is how Gail referred to the turbulent 1960s, citing the sit-ins in Montgomery, Alabama, assassinations, violence, and rioting, but also the idealism of the Civil Rights and Peace movements. Neighborhoods also changed, with white families fleeing New York City. Because she felt lost from all these events, Gail found grounding in her Jewish roots and the Jewish bible, where she found stability in the “Semitic Signs and Symbols” that she felt spoke to her during those chaotic times. In 1967, she created a series of twelve posters based on biblical themes. Her first was titled In the beginning, there was the Word, which is based on the words that were passed down to us that tell us who we are, which Gail incorporated in her collage. Her second poster was And the Lord rained fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, done in tempera and ink. This piece took in the images of anguish that Gail saw in Pablo Picasso’s painting Guernica as well as the hands reaching out in supplication. She mentioned that each of these posters came out of her intense emotions. The third poster was I will make your descendants as the stars in Heaven and numerous as the seashore. This was God’s promise to Abraham, and it carried a message of hope; that we, as a people, will thrive. The fourth work, a linoleum print from 1970, was the story of Noah and the Flood. Gail pointed out the tidal wave carrying people away and again, the image of hands. Her next piece was a tempera and ink painting Moses and the Burning Bush, which she said was “my sense of The Sacred.” This work has very intense emotions, which she described as part of her creative process. Another work was inspired by The Diary of Anne Frank and meeting Holocaust survivors, both of which deeply affected Gail. In 1974, she created a woodcut titled One Man Suffers, inspired by the suffering of those affected by the Holocaust. She felt that to be able to feel deeply the suffering of one person, one could be able to feel the suffering of all. Describing a series of ten faces of suffering, she added that, “the outer world comes into her inner world, and the transformation takes place.” In the 1970s, the Women’s Liberation Movement became a tidal wave sweeping across the country. In 1978 she created a woodcut, Female Anatomy, and an etching, In Utero, depicting the controversy over abortions, as well as addressing the question over “who controls a woman’s body?” Gail came to use the term “women gladiators” to describe the women’s libbers Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem at this time. Other works have been inspired by nature. She refers to the Salt Marsh Nature Center in Marine Park as her “Garden of Eden,” a place of serenity. In 2013, Twilight at the Salt Marsh was born from watercolor. The reflection of the sun and the water, as well as “soft” borders and gradations of soft brown, were created by decomposing a steel-wool pad in water. In 2019, Gail studied Chinese brush painting. She was impressed with bamboo in Chinese artwork, and her Five Bamboos in the Wind evolved. Bamboo is a very slim tree that bends in the wind but is also strong and resilient and doesn’t fall over. At this point in her life, Gail likens herself to bamboo. Gail’s masterpiece is an assemblage called Branching Out, a picture of a very large tree. A tree for Gail is an image, a symbol of human life—what she calls “my Hineni, who I am, my integrity.” The tree is rooted in the ground in the earth. It is stable. Gail twisted paper and sculpted the branches. She used for the earth actual sand, gravel, and tree bark. The branches are three-dimensional because they extend beyond the frame and Gail “wanted to express that feeling of branching out and expanding beyond the limits.” This is how Gail felt when she retired—that she could branch out, teach yoga, create art, and feel free. Gail ended her talk with telling us that “what creativity you have is a gift and you should let it out and share it. Art has been for me a way of transforming ideas with others. Let the Light in and out. Allow your unique Light to shine.” Bravo!! The evening ended with the showing of a few childhood photos, where everyone had to guess who these cuties were, and they were all cute! Stevie Wonder’s song, “Isn’t She Lovely?” was playing in the background, which was quite appropriate. We all had fun guessing! Thank you to Charlotte Russell, Mona Goldberg, and Doreen Aronow for coordinating this wonderful event. A big thanks to Bob Fried, Gail’s husband, her “right hand man and left hand man,” who she says makes it possible for everything she does. And a special thanks to our audience. Our next event will be on Tuesday, January 11, at 7:30 p.m., when Congregant Candi Friedman will speak on Zoom. Hope to see you there! Mona Goldberg, Charlotte Russell, Sara Meyer West, Co-Presidents (Submitted by Jane Gleiberman) Women of B’ShERT, A Sisterhood Organization
Women of B'ShERT: A Sisterhood Organization
Brotherhood Affiliate at B'ShERT
A special thanks to all Brotherhood members who woke upon an early Sunday morning in November to share ideas and plans for the next few months. I am happy to report that all men who were members of Brotherhood the last few years have all joined again. We welcome new member Paul Dann and hope he enjoys his time with our affiliate. Of course, you do not have to be a member to join our meetings or participate in our events, although some new blood is always welcome. On Sunday December 5, at 9:30 a.m. on Zoom, all members and any male who would like to see what we are all about are invited to our Brotherhood meeting. At this meeting we will finalize plans for our Brotherhood Shabbat on Friday night December 10, at 8 p.m. Friday December 10 at 8 p.m. everyone is invited to our annual Brotherhood Retro Shabbat. You are welcome to attend this service in person, masks and proof of vaccine required, or you can watch and participate on Zoom, no mask required on Zoom. Hopefully next year things will be back to a more normal state and we will be able to have the Brotherhood Shabbos dinner before the service as we had in pre-pandemic years. We hope to see many of our fellow Temple members at this service. Brotherhood has many events planned for 2022 including a lecture on Brooklyn-born and Brooklyn-educated Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, an interactive workshop on stress management, another fantastic trivia contest hosted by Mike Rose, a virtual tour of West Point on Zoom by the always-interesting Alan Zarrow, the annual Brotherhood membership breakfast at the Mirage Diner, and a trip to a Cyclones game sometime this Summer. At this time we are not sure about an outdoor picnic in June. Stay tuned for updates! Please check the Voice of Truth, emails, and phone tree messages for more information about upcoming events. We hope everyone is having a wonderful Hanukkah and we wish those celebrating a wonderful Christmas and or/ Kwanzaa. Stay safe and stay well everyone! Joel and the members of your Brotherhood Affiliate at B'ShERT
Jewish Cultural Committee
If you’re interested in Jewish film, there is plenty to watch this winter. The New York Jewish Film Festival is taking place from January 12 through January 25, 2022, both virtually and in-person, and will feature Shtetlers, a documentary about the shtetls of Eastern Europe; Tiger Within, starring the late Ed Asner as a Holocaust survivor who befriends a teenager who wears a swastika; and Neighbors, about a 6-year-old Kurdish child who becomes attached to his Jewish neighbors. The Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, which is virtual, also starts in January. In addition, check out the following well-acted and thought-provoking movies: Leona (about a Jewish girl in Mexico and her relationship with a non-Jewish man); 1945 (how a town faces its past when two Jews arrive); and Those Who Remained (about bonds people form when their loved ones are gone). Other noteworthy virtual events include programs presented by the Center for Jewish History on Monday, January 10, at noon (a virtual tour of the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center in Israel), and on Sunday, January 30, at 2:00 p.m. (the 5th Annual Ladino Day). The Yiddish Book Center will have a talk about Shakespeare and Yiddish on Thursday, January 27, at 7:00 p.m. (the always inspiring Ilan Stevans will discuss how Yiddish actors, playwrights, and translators put their own spin on the Bard’s work). We continue to enjoy the lectures provided by the Cork Jewish Center. On December 13, Josie Spiegel discussed the significant influence of Yiddish on Dutch language. Very interesting! Are you ready to leave your house? If so, why not attend a brand-new opera, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, produced by the Folksbiene and New York City Opera, which will be shown from January 19 through January 30 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage at Battery Park. Tickets start at $25. Have a warm winter with some Jewish culture! Yvette Pomeranz and Helene Smith Co-Chairs, Jewish Cultural Committee
Please read the URJ's response to the donation on behalf of B'ShERT. Tamara Kerner, ARZA Committee Chair Thank you for Beth Shalom V’Emeth Reform Temple’s generous donation to ARZA. Especially during this most challenging of moments, we are deeply grateful for your support. Attached is an acknowledgment letter for your recent gift. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the URJ is taking adaptive measures in order to maintain the well-being of our staff, constituents, and communities. At this time, we are only sending out digital acknowledgment letters.If you would like a hard copy of the attached letter, we will send you one as soon as we are able. Together, we pray for a full recovery of those who are sick and for a swift end to the spread of the virus. Now, more than ever, thank you for being our partner in building a more whole, just, and compassionate world. With deepest gratitude, Rabbi Josh Weinberg
The Fundraising Committee wishes to thank everyone who donated to B’ShERT during the Giving Tuesday campaign. We raised $4,268 through Facebook fundraising and donations via check sent directly to Temple. There is a possibility of some matching donations from Facebook. We look forward to receiving additional information about that in the month of January. The Fundraising Committee wishes everyone a new and improved 2022. Pam Glantzman and Yvette Pomeranz Co-Chairs, Fundraising Committee
We completed our annual Holiday Toy Drive and delivered the toys to the pediatric oncology department of Maimonides Hospital. It was so greatly appreciated! Thanks to the Temple Family, as always, for generosity and support. Thanks also to Alice, Angel, and Jean, who handled so much of this project, so that things ran smoothly, and to Charlotte Russell, our special “extra” shopper. The Interfaith Coalition of Brooklyn continues with its book discussion group. We had a lively and engaging meeting on “One Thousand Splendid Suns” on December 13. Our next session will take place on Monday, January 31, at 7:00 p.m. on Zoom. We will talk about The World That We Knew: A Novel by Alice Hoffman. The Zoom link will be sent out closer to the date. Please join us! Yvette Pomeranz and Lori Silverman Co-Chairs, Social Action Committee
Fundraising Committee
ARZA Committee
Social Action Committee
B'ShERT Bio: New Member Edition
Do you enjoy doing hobbies in a group setting? Do you prefer a place with no teachers and no classes, just people coming together and enjoying their common interest? Small Groups will soon be forming around the following topics: Wine Tasting Rhythm and Music Dungeons & Dragons Beading and Portable Crafts (Embroidery, Jewelry Crafting, Knitting) Email pr@bshert.org for details.
Myra Tattenbaum Myra is the mother of four children and five grandchildren, with a number of dogs and cats along the way. After moving to Brooklyn from Newton, Mass. in 2010, Myra joined B'ShERT where her daughter Jennifer and her grandson Devin are members in the Fall of 2019. Myra has since joined the Membership Committee and gotten to know the talented, active and involved people on that committee. She is enjoying the Temple. She also enjoys reading, traveling, knitting, and swimming. Previously a member of Boston's Temple Israel for thirty years, Myra served on the board where she learned almost everything she knows about Judaism. Myra graduated from Cornell University and worked in retail for Macy's where she met her husband Donald. They moved to New Haven, Conn. where she and Donald were part of the staff that opened the Macy's store there. When the family moved to Newton, Mass., she worked for Brandeis raising funds for the University. Prior to living in Newton, Myra lived in Westfield, N.J. where she formed a committee of temple members to resettle a family from Vietnam. She joined the League of Women Voters in the 1960s, served as chapter President in Yonkers, N.Y., and served on the board of the LWV in every community in which she lived and where there was a chapter. A few years after her husband died in 1995, Myra ran for office on the board of Aldermen, where she served on the Land Use Committee.
We welcome your Voice of Truth news. Let the B'ShERT community know of events in your community, family or your own life. Send your news to news@bshert.org.
The Brotherhood of B’ShERT Invites you to a presentation by our own Dr. Jonathan Schachter titled: Janet Yellen: A US Treasury Secretary’s Life Shaped By Brooklyn Sunday, January 9, 10:30 a.m. on ZOOM (Codes will be sent out in a later mailing) Temple and Brotherhood member Dr. Jonathan Schachter will be leading a discussion on the background and public service of Brooklyn native and U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Jon will show us how Yellen’s Bay Ridge upbringing by Hungarian Jewish immigrant parents strongly influenced her academic research in labor economics. Since 1977, her work in U.S. government service has led her to be recognized as the most accomplished public economist of all time. Indeed, this should be a lively presentation on how one of Kings County’s own “done good.” With graduate degrees in physics and math, Dr. Jonathan Schachter is a financial engineer. Jon has been on Wall Street since 2000 working at investment banks, with asset managers, and with finance practices of Big Four firms. His interest in economics began as a Princeton undergraduate in a class taught by future Federal Reserve Vice Chair Alan Blinder (another Brooklyn Jew) who served under Fed Chair Alan Greenspan (a lantzman from Manhattan). In his spare time, Jon, a current Park Slope resident, is in the process of renovating a house in Ditmas Park. Let’s join Jon for what should be an interesting and stimulating discussion centering around one of the more famous United States Cabinet officers of our time.
Offerings of the Heart Contributions Gratefully Acknowledged
For the Caring Committee Happy Birthday Joel Moss ~Debbie Belsky & Frema Schneier The Accessibility Fund In memory of Emily Seff ~Lori Pandolfo Dr. Janet Hayes Social Action Fund In memory of Frances Herman ~Yvette Pomeranz For the General Fund Happy Birthday Gail Levine Fried ~Charlotte Russell In memory of Lorraine Bennett ~Frema Schneier Dora Bronz ~Sandra & Paul Dann Charlotte Brown ~Adrienne Knoll & Kenneth Brown John Carfizzi ~Charlotte Russell Rose Dann ~Sandra & Paul Dann Max and Hilda K. Girshick ~Dr. & Mrs. Fred W. Girshick ~Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. McCallum Andy Glantzman ~Charlotte Russell ~Jane & Harold Gleiberman Herbert Gross ~Roz Bialor Tanya Knoll ~Adrienne Knoll & Kenneth Brown Philip Knoll ~Adrienne Knoll & Kenneth Brown Felice R. Lerner ~Dorothy & David Goldberg Thomas G. & Elizabeth G. McCallum ~Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. McCallum Barry Peretz ~Ellen & Mike Loforte Evelyn Pincus ~Roz Bialor Sondra Platt ~Eric Platt Emily Seff ~Marcia Kaplan-Mann & Gabriel Wiesenthal Harry Senesh ~Roz Bialor Rose Savlov ~Sandra & Paul Dann Lester Spivack ~Roz Bialor Ethel Walfish ~Sandra & Paul Dann
Laurie Bassi, Social Action Co-Chair and liaison to the Interfaith Coalition, has resigned from this position. She and Herb will be moving out of New York in the near future. Thank you, Laurie, for your commitment, hard work and inspiration. Yvette Pomeranz from the Social Action Committee has been appointed liaison to the Interfaith Coalition. On Saturday, April 18, at 1 pm (after services), please attend a Social Action Lunch and Learn in the Community Room. The topic is Climate Change: Response to Urgency. The discussion will be moderated by Yvette Pomeranz and the two resource books will be We Are The Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer and Let There Be Water by Seth Segal. The discussion will center around concrete actions we can take as individuals, as a temple entity and as society and what is needed to galvanize us to take action. Our annual Passover Food Drive will take place in March. Please bring your UNOPENED, UNEXPIRED food to Temple by Friday, March 27. We will be donating this food to Our Lady of Refuge Church Food Pantry (OLRC), which is part of our Interfaith Coalition, and our Little Pantry. We are also happy to once again be able to support seniors in need at this time of year at the Marks JCH. Your donation to our Dr. Janet L. Haynes Social Action Fund will allow us to provide individuals and couples with funds to purchase food for their seder tables. See the flyer in this Voice of Truth with date and other details. We’re pleased that the children of the Religious School will also participate by helping to sort items. Please save the dates for the following Interfaith Coalition program and watch for flyers with complete details: • Abraham’s Table: Sunday, March 29, 3:30 - 5:30 pm at the Amity School on Knapp Street. Topic: The Environment in the Light of Our Three Traditions. • Interfaith Iftar dinner combined with Abraham’s Table: Sunday, April 26 at OLRC. Theme: What Is Your Most Important Religious Holiday? • Movie Night: Thursday, August 6 in the parking lot of the Amity School. Time, movie and other details will be announced at a later date. The next meeting of the Social Action Committee will take place on Thursday, April 30 at 7 pm in the Community Room. Susan Sysler Co-Chair, Social Action Committee
Photo by Adrienne Knoll
Celebrating Hanukkah
Mazel Tov!
On the evening of December 3, 2021, B'ShERT members and visitors celebrated a Hanukkah and New Member Shabbat service. Visitors were able to light their hanukkiyot and listen to Cantorial Soloist Nonie Schuster Donato along with the choir sing some Hannukah-related songs. New temple members read passages and prayers and were formally introduced to the congregation. The following evening on Sunday December 5, more than 50 congregants and their families gathered outside B'ShERT on Marlborough Road for the final night of Hanukkah to watch as Rabbi Hoover offered a few words, lit the hanukkiah, and lead the gathered group in singing traditional and contemporary Hanukkah songs. The event was featured that night on News 12 Brooklyn.
(Upper Left) Members light their candles on the bimah for the New Member Shabbat/Hanukkah service.
Photo by Matt Holland
(Mid Right) People wore festive clothing and attire to celebrate the holiday.
(Lower Right) More than 50 people gathered outside to watch the candles being lit for the final night of Hanukkah.
(Upper Right) Cantorial Soloist Nonie Schuster Donato and the choir sing Hanukkah songs during the service.
Around Town
Photos by Alan Zarrow
On December 16, Temple Historian, Official Brooklyn Historian, and Brooklyn Dodger “reminiscencer” Ron Schweiger (along with his cemetery guide Alan Zarrow) paid a visit to the grave of Brooklyn Dodger Gil Hodges to mark the occasion of Hodges' enshrinement into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Hodges is buried in Brooklyn's Holy Cross Cemetery - the same cemetery as the McKeever brothers who, in the early part of the 20th century, were co-owners of the Dodgers along with Charlie Ebbets. Ebbets, himself, is buried in Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery, not far from Leonard Bernstein and the Ebinger family. It's a sure bet that all B’ShERT baseball fans are thrilled at this long-overdue honor to not only a classy ball player but to the manager who piloted the 1969 “Miracle Mets” to their most unexpected World Series championship victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Tom Anderson Manny Arnowitz Jerry Aronow Lorne Behrman Amanda Berk Warren Bloom Scott Chappell Janice Essa Daniel Froehlich Hannalina Hoover Miriam Hurwitz Philip Kaplan Lorne Lieb Dahlia Lieb Emmett Lieb Elaine Sarfati Joshua Schachter Aowyn Schneider Adam Schwartz Elexi Schwartz Lillian Schwartz Sam Silverman Joel Tishcoff Leo Wang David Westbrook Leo Winawer-Stein Chiara Winawer-Stein
...and Happy Anniversary to... Karine Cohen Dicker & Ron Dicker and Fran & Sam Silverman
Torah Portions - January 2022
Date
Torah Reading
Reference
January 1
Va-eira
Exodus 6:2-9:35
January 8
Bo
Exodus 10:1-13:16
January 15
B'shalach
Exodus 13:17-17:16
January 22
Yitro
Exodus 18:1-20:23
January 29
Mishpatim
Exodus 21:1-24:18
Simcha Corner Happy Birthday, January Babies!
Mazel Tov!!
Ken Brown Photography The best for Your Mitzvah! (or any other event, personal or professional) Longtime established pro; temple member; references available. editman1000@gmail.com • 718-670-3256.
JESSICA SCHULMAN • TECHNOLOGY RESOURCE SPECIALIST COMPUTER SERVICES & GRAPHICS ARTS SERVICES 718 338-2043 • fax 718 377-7919 jstech@optonline.net
Maxine Feldman Teaches… Piano, Voice, Guitar, Sight-Singing Ms. Feldman has 35 years of experience teaching all ages. She has served on the music faculties of NYU, Brooklyn College, The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and Hebrew Union College. She has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, the United Nations, at PTBAS and now at the new consolidated congregation! For further information, please call Maxine at 718-490-7556
You Are Invited to Join THE HANNAH SENESH SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA, INC. The Hannah Senesh Society honors the memory of one of the greatest heroines in modern Jewish history during World War II. Membership: Family —$20 Individual —$10 Lifetime—$100 Contact: Jacqueline Mizrahi, Co-President (718) 666-7418
B'ShERT's Caring Chesed Committee: We're Here to Help Volunteers are needed to make phone calls and/or visits to those who are ill or have suffered a loss. It is especially important to keep in touch with those who are grieving after the initial mourning period. If you know that someone is in need of a visit or a call, please contact one of our co-chairs. We are always looking for new members and would appreciate any ideas to make the committee more effective. "It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it…" Pirke Avot Gene Guskin (917) 533-6231 Ruth Bile (646) 732-2650 Frema Schneier (917) 459-0904 Debbie Belsky (718) 252-8030 B'ShERT Caring Chesed Committee
Wolf's Appliance Repair Prompt, Friendly Service in Brooklyn Fridges, Stoves, Ovens, Gas Ranges, Washers, Dryers and So Much More Call us! 718 998 3238
Are you looking to advertise?? The Voice of Truth would love to hear from you! Please call the Office at 718-282-1596 or email Office@bshert.org for details!
JANUARY CALENDAR