December 2012 Bet Shira Bulletin

strategic planJoin us at our last task force meeting. Details on Page 6

lOOKing BacK Smiling faces of Bet Shira congregants at our November events!Page 2

December 2012 Kislev/Tevet 5773 Volume 28 No. 6

HanuKKaHJoin us in lighting the Hanukkiah. Schedule of lighting on Page 8

LookiNg Back

B E T S H I R A C O N G R E G AT I O N w w w . b e t s h i r a . o r g

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Professional staff

rabbiBriaN ScHuLDeNfrei

rabbi emeritusDaViD H. auerBacH

Cantor Mark H. kuLa

eXeCutiVe DireCtorLori SoLoMoN

eCC DireCtorJuDiTH gaMPeL, eD. D

eDuCation DireCtorMariLYN WoLfSoN

YoutH DireCtoraLeX ZareMBa

LaY LeaDerSHiP

PresiDentJoSePH H. SeroTa

PresiDent-eleCtLori BLuM

sisterHooD PresiDentSuZaNNe roBerTS

SuPPorT STaff

ritual assistantaVroN SMoLeNSkY

finanCe DireCtoraiLeeN LafoNT

eXeCutiVe assistantDoNNa LeigH-Tucker

member serViCes/bulletin BeckY cHoSeD

eCC assistant DireCtorarieL koBeTZ

eCC aDmin. assistantgLaDYS MarTiNeZ

eCC Pta liaisonSHirLeY WiLLiaMS

jeC aDmin. assistantiLeNe freiDeL

cantor kula and Haley Timmons at ecc Little farm, November 14.

avron Smolensky, Martha Backer, and Michael Backer at flag dedication, November 12.

Velma and Paul Papier, Barry and Valerie gubernick, and carol Stein at the irving glicken Bet Shira golf Tournament, November 8.

Barbara glicken and gretchen Tunkey at the irving glicken Bet Shira golf Tourna-ment, November 8. ross gampel, Sharon Presby, and Josh

rodstein at the irving glicken Bet Shira golf Tournament, November 8.

The glicken family at the irving glicken Bet Shira golf Tournament, November 8.

LookiNg forWarD

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3

Join us for Mega ShabbatJanuary 12, 2013

Shabbat Beyachad for one and all. Creative Shabbat morning prayers, life cycle

highlights, learning, lunch and Shabbat celebration for everyone!

Farm Fresh Miami at Bet ShiraComing January 2013

coNTeNTS

CLERGY’S CORNER4 rabbi brian schuldenfrei Benediction Highlighting Hanukkah5 Cantor mark H. Kula The Ultimate in Optimism

froM our PreSiDeNT6 joseph H. serota: Strategic Plan Update

SiSTerHooD7 suzanne roberts

riTuaL8 religious services, Candle lighting times, and b’nai mitzvahs

SYNagogue eVeNTS & NeWS9 tikkun olam, mazel tovs, and news

eDucaTioN10-11 bet shira: Perfect for the Young ones in Your family

YouTH PrograM12 Youth Calendar and events

PrograMS/aDuLT eDucaTioN13 Programs for all ages!

coNTriBuTioNS14-15

m r. maYor, CountY Commissioners, Distinguished servants of our County, friends

of and residents of miami-

We are at a most spectacular time of the year. in just two days time, we will all gather around the tables of family and friends and thank God for the enormous blessing of our great country. and following thanksgiving, many of us will celebrate holidays in our respective faiths. in the jewish tradition we will celebrate Hanukkah, the festival, of light.

and this mayor, is a Hanukkiah, the candelabra that we light on each of the eight nights of the holiday which i would like to present to you as a gift from my congregation.

now, how to light it. according to the story the jewish maccabees freed the city of jerusalem from Greek oppressors and liberated the Holy temple. When they got to the temple, they found one small container of sacred oil, barely enough for one day of worship. but the oil miraculously lasted eight days.

if our ritual was to mirror the history of the event, we would fill this candelabra with eight lights on first night and each night take away a candle, like the oil the maccabees found which gradually diminished.

But, that’s not what we do. Instead, on the first night of the holiday we light one candle, and each subsequent night we add another until the Hanukkiah is filled. The reason for this is given in the Talmud: wherever we are, whatever we do, we should always maalin bkodesh— we should always add holiness.

the light of Hanukkah, the light of Christmas trees, and Kwanza candles, are all reminders of this idea—maalin bkodesh—add holiness. and on this day, the day of your installation, may these holy lights serve as a reminder to you, our government officials, to always add holiness. maalin bkodesh. add holiness through your hard work and dedication our community. maalin bkodesh. add holiness by assuming the good intentions of one another. maalin bkodesh. add holiness through sorely needed cooperation. and most importantly, add holiness to the lives of each of the citizens of this great county. like the light of the Hanukkah candles, may you each be blessed to maalin bkodesh—to add holiness. and may the light of your service illuminate a path of prosperity and peace for our county.

Rabbi Schuldenfrei was honored to be selected to deliver the benediction at the installation of

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Below is his benediction highlighting Hanukkah


4 C L E R G Y ’ S C O R N E R

from The Pulpit: Rabbi Brian [email protected]

t He maCCabee’s of ancient israel battled and persevered in rekindling the life and spirit of the

jewish people. things were bad with a destroyed Temple and a downtrodden people, that the first Hanukkah was a delayed celebration of the festival of Sukkot. What a party that first Hanukkah must have been! there was so much joy that the energy of the community and the blessing of faith kept a limited amount of oil last, making it feel like an eternity. More specifically, a measure of oil to last one day remained lit for eight days. the generative story of spirit and energy is told, year after year, inspiring us to feel the power of miracle, and the strength of layers of goodness and hope. When the days darken the spiritual light shines.

looking backward and looking forward is a fundamental jewish quality. bet shira’s surviving and thriving was such a program and hundreds of us came together, shed a tear and laughed whole heartedly, as we looked back at the harsh reality of the painful Holocaust and at the same time honored the strength of character and blessing of thriving. What is true of the first Hanukkah is also true of the Holocaust. We the jewish people live on no matter what evil challenge comes our way.

all of us at bet shira have been gathering for strategic planning meetings formulating a vision and plans for the future. With the gleam of Hanukkah around us, we are lighting the way for a better future by stating what we want our synagogue to be like, including the ritual, programmatic, financial, social, educational celebratory, healing and spiritual aspects. We are like the glowing Hannukiah with all eight branches shining bright. Stay tuned for the final strategic planning report.

January 12 is Bet Shira’s Mega Shabbat. We will focus attention on personal milestones such as birthdays and anniversaries in the context of a refined consolidation of prayer, with singing, learning and sharing in the sacred space of our arin stacey applebaum sanctuary. We expect every seat filled for this hour and a half service followed by a Kiddush lunch. mega shabbat will be on par with the energy of High Holy Days with january 11 being an ishabbat and community shabbat dinner. later in the day on january 12 we host the annual Camp out on the Bet Shira field. Join us at 4:00 pm for snacks, tent set ups, Havdalah and camping activities on saturday night. this will be our bet shira way of starting off 2013.

On January 26 Broadway comes to Bet Shira with our 21st tu bishevat musical event. our cabaret setting, with music of Great broadway jewish composers, will be the place to be. bet shira nightclub will be open! let’s celebrate the new year of trees and the blessing of our planet.

the Hanukkah legend is an ultimate story of optimism. When we feel the most challenged, we believe we can raise our voices in song together creating exquisite harmony. the culminating message of Hanukkah is the ever-increasing light of the Hanukkiah, the enduring image is one of luminescence.

[email protected]

The Ultimate In Optimism

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5C L E R G Y ’ S C O R N E R

The Voice of Bet Shira:Cantor Mark H. Kula

MEETINGS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

all are invited to attend.Thursday, December 19 at 7:30 P.M.

STRATEGIC PLAN TASK FORCE DATES

Sunday, December 9 at 4:00 P.M.all task forces will meet again.

all are welcome.We conclude with a congregational

candle lighting.

MILDRED SEROTA MEMORIAL

LUNCH AND LEARN

Wednesday, December 12 at Noon

Speaker: rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei

Topic: “The good, The Bad, The ugly: The Maccabees”

$10 a person, includes lunch

rSVP by Monday, December 10to 305-238-2601


6 F R O M O U R P R E S I D E N T

Strategic Plan Update

Joseph H. [email protected]

the strategic Plan process has been going full steam for the last 6 weeks. We have had many congregants involved and there is still time for anyone else who wants to participate. We will be having second meetings for most of the task forces on December 9, 2012. Keep in mind that you don’t have to attend meetings to give us your input. You can always give us your thoughts through emails or phone calls directed to me, lori blum or lori solomon. We began the process with an on line survey prepared by Paul Papier and steve spann. more than 200 responses were received and processed. survey results will be included in the final Strategic Plan. The surveys have provided us with important information which will help determine the future direction of the synagogue. Congregants have told us what services and programs are important to them and how well we are doing with regard to our current offerings. The first meetings of all seven Task Forces are now complete. We had excellent attendance and leadership at the meetings. i’d like to thank the following chairs and co-chairs for their hard work and efforts: robert stone (finance), michael novak/lee mesnekoff (membership), jerry Greenberg (leadership), riva steinman/janine stone (jeC/Youth), amy jellson (eCC), martin applebaum (adult Programming) and David edelman (ritual). While some of the comments and suggestions made at these meetings were expected, we also heard many new insights and perspectives. We will have one more round of Task Force meetings before the final phase of the process will begin; the creation and writing of the plan itself. i’d like to thank Lisa Rosen and Carol Berk who are serving as the principal authors of the final document. We have a lot of work still ahead of us, but it is already clear that the process has been a success. many thanks to all of you who have participated in the planning of bet shira’s future.

In Memoriam

Ruth Bernstein, mother of David (Patty) roth.Peter Byron Garvett, husband of Phylis garvett, father of gaylen (Steven) Neiditch and grandfather of Harris.Hy Parness, uncle of Sheila (ron) gaby and Marc (roberta) Parness. Matthew Shane Goldberg, nephew of David and Stacey goldweitz. Matthew was the son of Maureen Sperling (David’s sister) and brother of alison goldberg. Rose Steiger, mother of Shelley (Mark) ginsburg, Sister of Barbara capigatti, grandmother of Meredith Wilensky, keith ginsburg, Joelle ginsburg and arianna Halpern.

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7S I S T E R H O O D N E W S

DaY TiMe

Book cLuBDecember finds delight in the beauty of the lights of Hanukkah, beauty in the wonderment from small children, and reassurance from those many who number in our lives with an anchoring certitude. Hanukkah reminds us to dedicate ourselves to the high values of freedom and to stand for our convictions despite perilous odds.echoing nachum braverman, “We light candles in testament that faith makes miracles possible.”sisterhood looks forward to the sisterhood book Club’s annual Hanukkah party at the home of iane Deutsch on tuesday, December 11th at 7:30 p.m. We will discuss Hush by eishes Chayil (aka judy brown), a testimony to the hidden secrets of despair within an orthodox community, a way to the dignity of freedom. Daytime book Club meets on Wednesday, December 19th at 10 a.m. to discuss a great american classic, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. a movie outing is in the planning for Gatsby’s December release so stay tuned for further details. Craft Corner took up the needle arts in a series of knitting classes and we have a core group that comes to knit mondays under the instruction of Harriet rudoff. Come learn technique, make garments, gain confidence in a new or long-lost skill and enjoy being an “artisan”. Games take skill, too, and Game Day under the organizing care of bobbi Kaufman happens at bet shira every thursday morning and is open to all. mah jonng cards for 2013 from national will be soon available for order, loree feiler advises, so please stay posted.sisterhood took care of shopping early. We hosted our annual Holiday bazaar to steady traffic from the general community that made the day a success. From dazzle to practical from pricey to prudent from Krispy Kreme donuts to latkes and raffles it a good afternoon. Don’t forget the gorgeous Gift shop run by sisterhood – it’s always there for you.looking ahead to january there is our tu b’shevat seder, led by Dr. robin schaffer, on thursday, january 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the home of Caryn boren; Women’s league sisterhood shabbat on saturday, january 26 for regular morning services; Cooking academy Class on Wednesday, january 16 at 6:30 (sushi); sisterhood book Club on january 22nd at 7:30 at the home of Phyllis ehrlich (the elegance of the Hedgehog); Daytime book Club all tba; movie Club in the home of linda james on thursday, january 31 at 7:00 p.m. (“ruth Gruber”); Craft Corner on mondays; Game Day on thursdays.a half-year report on sisterhood reveals big sales in shira baskets, a well-attended and beautiful membership luncheon with memberships still coming in, a successful bazaar, participating sponsorship of two events: surviving and thriving and the irving Glicken Golf tournament; greater connections with both the eCC and jeC; and friends at every turn in our Sisterhood. We each find how the geometry of connectedness helps fashion personal space.Wishing you and yours a bright and beautiful Hanukkah.

Wednesday, December 19 at 10:00 A.M..at Bet Shira.The Great Gatsbyby: F. Scott FitzgeraldFacilitator: Sharon Glick - [email protected]

SiSTerHooD Book

cLuBTuesday, December 11 at 7:30 P.M. at the home of Iane DeutschHushby: Eishes ChayilFacilitator: Suzanne Roberts

gaMe DaYThursdays 10-Noon at Bet ShiraOpen to men and women of the synagogue. Come play a hand of canasta, take a post at the mahjong table, become a wordsmith over Scrabble tiles, or play cards. You may bring a meatless lunch and ‘picnic and play’. gifT SHoP Don’t forget to stop by the Sisterhood Gift Shop for all your Hanukkah needs! We are stocked with candles, menorahs, gelt, and gifts. The gift shop is open during regular synagogue office hours. SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO BEAUTIFY THE BIMAH!

If you would like to sponsor flowers (or food baskets) to adorn the Bimah, please contact Diane Pinchuk by email: [email protected] or phone: 305-458-9834

Suzanne RobertsSisterhood President

[email protected]

BAR MITZVAHMax Andrew Lehman

Sunday, December 9, 2012 at 9:30 a.M.

Son of Scott and Pamela Lehman, grandson of irene and Larry z”l Lehman, Beatrice fibus-Davis z”l and Morton fibus z”l. Brother of Jesse. Max attends Palmetto Middle School, where he plays baseball, football, and basketball, he is also involved with the music program. Max’s Mitzvah project is raising money for the

Sderot indoor recreation center located in Sderot, israel which is located on the border with gaza and has been hardest hit by rocket attacks. The money will go toward purchasing new

equipment and keep the center running for children.

B’NAI MITZVAHJosh and Jacob Stotzky

Saturday, December 22, 2012 at 9:30 a.M.

Sons of audrey goldman and irwin Stotzky, grandsons of Micki green of Jacksonville, florida, Joel goldman z”l of Jacksonville,

florida, and Sally z”l and Max Stotzky of Detroit, Michigan. Joshua attends riviera Preparatory School and loves

tennis, basketball, math, desserts, and the university of Miami Hurricanes. Jacob

attends riviera Preparatory School and loves basketball, tennis, traveling, eating, and the university of Miami Hurricanes. The Stotzky Mitzvah project involves donating and

raising money for a human rights organization called the institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.

BAT MITZVAH Jessica Ally Smith

Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 9:30 a.M.

Daughter of Joey and Lori Smith, granddaughter of Harry and Joan Smith of coconut grove, and Melvin z”l and ruth z”l Shapiro. Sister

of Matthew. Jessica attends the Miami arts charter School for voice and creative writing. Jessica sings in the advanced chorus of Miami children’s chorus and her school’s chorus, and she is in the creative writing program at her school. Jessica performs (sings)

every chance that she gets for the senior citizens at the Mae Volen Senior center in Boca raton. for her Mitzvah project, she is purchasing and collecting middle school and high school age-

appropriate Holocaust books for school Language arts libraries, to encourage Holocaust education.


8 R I T UA L & R E L I G I O U S S E R V I C E S

DaiLY WorSHiP robert tenDriCH CHaPel

Sundays 9:30 a.M. Weekdays 7:30 a.M.

*Please note the offices will be closed December 24, 25, 31 and January 1. Minyan on the 24 will be at 7:30 a.M.Minyan on the 25 will be at 9:30 a.M.Minyan on the 31 will be at 7:30 a.M.Minyan on Jan. 1 will be at 9:30 a.M.

SHaBBaT WorSHiP arin staCeY aPPlebaum sanCtuarYfriday Nights 6:30 P.M.Saturday Mornings 9:30 a.M.

SHaBBaT TiMeS November 30 at 5:13 P.M.

Havdalah December 1 at 6:19 P.M.

December 7 at 5:13 P.M.








HaNukkaH caNDLe LigHTiNg Saturday, December 8 (1 candle)

Sunday, December 9 (2 candles)

Monday, December 10 (3 candles)

Tuesday, December 11 (4 candles)

Wednesday, December 12 (5 candles)

Thursday, December 13 (6 candles)

friday, December 14 (7 candles)

Saturday, December 15 (8 candles)

iShabbat & Community Dinnerfriday, December 146:30 P.M. instrumental Service in Sanctuarycongregants participate in service!7:30 P.M. community Shabbat Dinnerchildren under 5: free, children 5-12: $15, children 13-adult: $20Please rSVP to 305-238-2601BYoW: Bring Your own Wine!

Jammies and Jeans

friday, December 76:00 P.M. family Service6:30 P.M. Pizza Dinner

Please rSVP to [email protected]

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9S Y N A G O G U E E V E N T S & N E W SMaZeL ToV • To Cantor Mark H. Kula on singing at the New World Symphony concert Hall on November 13, 2012. • To Jessica Smith on being chosen for the florida all State chorus.

• To Eric R. Nierenberg on being named senior investment officer by The Massachusetts state pension board. Proud father is andrew Nierenberg. • To Dan and Aliza Torbati on the birth of their third grandson. The mother (rinat) and the baby are doing well.

• To Fernando Iznaga (pictured below) on being named officer of the month.

ToDaH roBaH • To Martha and Michael Backer and Priscilla Adler for donating flags for our chapel.

• To Michael Stone and Josh rodstein - chairs, elayne Tendrich, kenny glick, Martin katz, Val and Barry gubernick, Bernie and carol Stein, Jackie koptowsky, Sharon Presby, aileen Lafont, eilene farr, Linda Truppman, Velma and Paul Papier for help with the irving glicken Bet Shira golf Tournament.

• To Linda Truppman and Josh Harris - chairs, Susan g. Lichtman, eileen farr, abe Benyunes, carol Berk, Jonathan Harris, Brandon Harris, Josh rodstein, kim foster cosner, Mel Mann, Philis edelman, Bobbi kaufman, caryn Tanis Boren, randy B. Lichtman, and irv reinhard for help with Surviving and Thriving.

as the year comes to an end, we are looking to start a new tradition with our CHristmas DaY mitZVaH ProjeCt, which will offer a chance to do a service project and help some of our friends and neighbors enjoy their Christmas Day. as the name implies, this event is scheduled for December 25. Please look for more details or reach out to us if you are interested or have any ideas for projects.

once 2013 begins, we will have a sports/family Day at inn transition soutH on january 13. Please contact betsy Yegelwel or any of us if you are interested.

as with all of our projects, we can’t do these events without your help, so please volunteer. our committee members and project leaders work hard and do an amazing job, but they can’t do it alone. People of all ages are encouraged to participate.

if any of these projects don’t appeal to you or fit in your schedules – or if you have service projects of your own that need volunteers – please share your ideas and let us know how bet shira can help.

meanwhile, mitZVaH DaY is on marCH 3, 2013. Please HolD tHe Date. more details to follow.

looking back on our recent events, thanks to everyone who donated items or otherwise assisted with the Chanukah basket Project. special thanks to edy Cannon, who did a wonderful job running the project. thank you also to everyone who

volunteered for Habitat for Humanity’s synagogue sunday, especially our event chair, Carol berk. Your work makes bet shira proud.

as always, we continue with ColleCtions for a number of local agencies. for the KosHer fooD banK, bring your non-perishable food products to the donation bin located outside the synagogue office. We are also collecting books and magazines for the food bank and the CHaPman PartnersHiP, and we also welcome donations of hygiene products and unused, unexpired medical products for the oPen Door CliniC and other agencies. We are also collecting feminine hygiene products for women at inn transition. there is a real need for all of these items, so all donations are greatly appreciated.

upcOming events:Habitat for Humanity, December 2Hanukkah basket assembly, December 2 Christmas Day mitzvah Project, December 25

upcOming meetings:tuesday, january 8 at 7:30 P.m.all are welcome!

Jerry Greenberg, Karen Siegel, and Steve Spann

co-chairs Tikkun olam [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Tikkun Olam


1 0Judith Gampel, Ed. D

Wednesday, December 5 Kindergarten Open House 7:00 P.m.

thursday, December 6 P.T.A. Meeting 9:15 a.m. Holiday Showcase 9 a.m.-12 noon(both in Kiddush Court)are you a closet crafter? bring your wares to share at our December meeting!!Purchase a table for $18.00Call shirley at (305) 238-2606 for details.

Friday, December 7 Bet Shira ECC Hanukkah Celebrationerev shabbat Practice Hanukkah Program 11:15-11:45 a.m.Class Parties: latkes, sofgonyot and some healthy food! 11:45 a.m.-12:30 P.m.

Friday, December 7 Jammies & Jeans 6:00 P.m. serviceComplimentary Pizza Dinner 6:30 P.m.Please rsVP for Dinner

saturday, December 8 Light the Hanukkiah! First Night of Hanukkah!!

thursday, December 13 Pre-N Family Holiday Bridge-Hanukkahround robin shabbat Preparation activities for Pre n Parents and students. 10:00 a.m.-12 noon (leo and Gloria martin social Hall)

Friday, December 14 Pre-N Family Holiday Bridge-Hanukkah Dinner and service 5:30 P.m. -7:30 P.m. Graciously sponsored by our sisterhood and P.t.a.

thursday, December 20 School Committee Meeting 11:15 a.m.(Kiddish Court)

Friday December 21 12:00 noon Dismissal

monday December 24- Friday January 4 NO SESSIONS Winter Break

ecc [email protected]

E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N

1. Plan an evening for a family home celebration. each family member is responsible for looking through the cookbooks to select a recipe for the meal. Go to the store together to purchase the supplies. Prepare the meal together. then dine together. really!2. make a family Hanukkiah. Have a family meeting to decide what materials you would like to use to make the Hanukkiah. Go to the store together to purchase the materials. build the Hanukkiah. each year your family can add a new Hanukkiah to your collection!3. Plan a Pizza and Dreidel night. invite friends and family to come over and bring their favorite dreidel from their dreidel collection. each guest can tell the story of where they got their dreidel and who purchased it for them. Provide all different size plastic dreidels for everyone invited. teach everyone how to play dreidel. Give your guests 18 pieces of chocolate gelt or 18 pennies for the families to play dreidel with. Have spinning contests! Purchase little prizes for the winners. 4. Have a family mitzvah night. each family member is to go into their room and fill a grocery bag with “gently used items.” Then the family can drive together to “Goodwill” , jafCo, or a “salvation army” site to deliver the goods. an alternative would be to go together on a family trip to the grocery store. each family member could select two non-perishable, kosher items that he or she would like to eat at a family celebration. the family could purchase one for their family and one for the mitzvah family. then the family can deliver the bag of groceries to the Kosher food bank.5. enjoy a family craft night. Go together to an art supply store to purchase materials for the evening. some may choose crayons, or water colors. others may want to do scrapping or knitting. maybe your family would like to make cards for relatives that live far away. You don’t need to be talented. Purchase a paint by number set!6. Dine alfresco! Pack up a picnic dinner. Go to matheson Hammock, Key biscayne or even south beach. enjoy your meal outside. make some s’mores with marshmallows and chocolate gelt!7. every child likes to play games with their parents! Purchase a new Jewish game for the family.(JINGO) When you finish the new games you may also want to play more traditional games like checkers, chess or even pick-up-sticks.8. finally, purchase a new jewish book for every family member. bring in dinner (Chinese? italian? sushi?) after dinner everyone can curl up on the couch and read his/her book.

imagine eight nights without turning on your cell phones, notebooks, laptops, televisions or computers!!

That would be another Hanukkah Miracle!!!

Turn Out The Lights!Eight Ways to Celebrate Hanukkah

Without Technology!

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Jec MeeTiNgS

Tuesday, January 8• 7:30 P.M.

Tuesday, March 12 • 7:30 P.M.

Sunday, april 14 • 10:30 A.M.

J E W I S H E D U C AT I O N C E N T E R N E W S

Marilyn Wolfson

As Tevye said: A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no?

But here, in “our” little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof… trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. it isn’t easy. You may ask ,“Why do we stay up there if it’s so dangerous?” Well, we stay because anatevka is our home. and how do we keep our balance? that i can tell you in one word… traDition! like tevye, who sums up his life in the word traDition, that is why the bet shira religious school teachers remain committed year after year and generation after generation to teach jewish children the love, devotion, beauty and at times the hardships of being jewish. We do aleph bet, shabbat, rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, sukkot, simchat torah, Hanukkah, Passover, Purim, tu”shevat, Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha’atzmaut every year. sometimes we use a different spelling, sometimes a different venue but always with jewish hearts, souls and traDition.

now i would like to tell you about our little village called the jeC and how, this year we have done more than “just” scratch a simple tune of education; how we are going to keep our balance for the future and what our tradition will always be. it will never be easy but like Tevye said, “it is our home.” So as We listen to a fiddler on the roof we ask you to recap 2012 with us!!

• JEC weekly constant contacts with updates including scheduling and events.• Parent involvement including “room mothers”.• Working one on one with our Hebrew Specialist. (enrichment & remedial)• New On-line Hebrew Program.• Physical movement classes. (the children love it)• Enriching “Hands on Holiday Programs.”• Certified faculty. • Pizza Parlor. (socialization to the max)• Snack time on Sundays. (relaxed intermingling of the children)• Art & Music class. (specialty teachers)• Participation in BSC worship services.• Miles of smiles on the carpool lines.• Open door policy.• Enrollment at an all time high. (MANY CLASSES FILLED TO CAPACITY)

motel: times are changing, reb tevye. the thing is, over a year ago, your daughter, tzeitel, and i gave each other our pledge that we would marry. tevye: You gave each other a... pledge? tzeitel: Yes, Papa. We gave each other our pledge.

Well, times are changing and we continue to give you “our pledge” as we have since the inception of the bet shira religious school. We will educate and teach a love of judaism to our children and their children’s children… and let us all say, amen.

Happy Hanukkah!

Jec [email protected]

“The Words We Say”

A Fiddler On The Roof

Jec eVeNTS

Sunday, December 2 Hanukkah Happening

Jec students (pictured below) in the Holocaust Memorial garden during

Surviving and Thriving, November 18

Check out these upcoming events for all Youth:

Future Leader’s Night Friday, December, 7

Jr. Congregation

Saturday, December 8

Lox Box Night Assembly Saturday, December 8

Lox Box Deliveries

Sunday, December 9

Youth Group Movie Night at the Falls TheatreMonday, December 24 at 7:00 P.M.

“The Hobbit”


1 2

uSY (grades 9-12)Wednesdays 7:00-9:00 P.M. •Board Game Night (5th) Hanukkah Party/ December Dilemma (12th) Hanukkah car Wash fundraiser (16th)

Master Thief game Night (19th)

kadima (grades 6-8)Thursdays 6:30-8:30 P.M. •Movie Night (6th) Hanukkah Party

(13th) Master Thief game Night (20th)

Yachad (grades 3-5)• Time Warp (2nd) Maccabees vs. greeks (9th)

important announcement• important Youth update: from now on, pizza will be sold at all Youth group events for $1.50 a slice. if you want pizza, you must bring money.

kiddush club

•friday, December 7 at 4:00 P.M.Join the rabbi for pizza & conversation

rosh Hodesh• Thursday, December 6 at 7:00 P.M. all high school females welcome

December’s riddle*:The more of them you take, the more of them you leave behind. What are they? (Last month’s answer: The Sun)

December fun facts:famous Birthdays: Woody allen -1; Teri Hatcher -8; flo rida -16; ryan Seacrest -24; Mary Tyler Moore -29 *December’s riddle answer: footsteps

Alex Zaremba

B E T S H I R A YO U T H N E W S

“We are closer to God when we are asking questions than when we think we have the answers.” –Abraham Joshua Heschel

Youth [email protected]

Jec students in Holocaust Memorial garden for Surviving and Thriving, November 18

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2

1 3A D U LT E D U C AT I O N / E V E N T S

TORAH AT THE TABLE

an interactive study with rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei

Wednesday Mornings from 8:00-9:00 a.M.

TALMUD IN THE GABLES

Led by rabbi Brian SchuldenfreiTuesday, December 18

at 12:30 P.M.2525 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

Suite 700coral gables, fL 33134rSVP to 305-238-2601

PIANO RECITAL

Sunday, December 16 at 4:00 P.M.

avron Smolensky piano recital featuring music of Beethoven.

all are welcome, in the arin Stacey applebaum Sanctuary. Donations accepted.

ZUMBA

Monday & Wednesday Mornings

at 9:15 in the Simcha court. $10/class

Stacey Harris, Certified Personal Trainer/fitness instructor 305.389.3037 [email protected]

MONTHLY MOVIE

Monday, December 10 at 7:00 P.M.

We will screen,“Footnote,” an Israeli film and an academy award nominee for 2011 best foreign

language film. All are welcome!


1 4raBBi scHulDenFrei’s DiscretiOnarY FunD

in appreciation of rabbi brian schuldenfrei’s comfort during our difficult time steven and gaylen neiditch in honor of jesse elijah schuldenfrei’s birth William and carol Berk, David and philis edelman, geoffrey and linda James, paul and velma papier, gloria rosen, Jonathan and Jill rubin, alvin and maxine Weinstein, albert, Jan, Brad and courtney cohen, robin Forman, marion gold, Brent and netiva Kolitz, neil and madelyn messinger, michel and connie nahmad, eliot and Deborah rosenkranz, Jeffrey and Faye roth, sammi siegel, moises and esther simpser, robert and linda spiegelman, richard and audrey stone, Jack and phyllis Yaffa in honor of rabbi brian schuldenfrei allen and mary eagle in honor of rabbi brian schuldenfrei for Zoey’s baby naming David and tammy Brin in honor of rabbi brian schuldenfrei’s three sons norman and Diana elson in honor of rabbi schuldenfrei and Cantor mark H. Kula’s kindness allen and mary eagle in honor of and in memory of our parents James and cheryl Fishman in memory of Hank rodstein Josh rodstein in memory of Harold neiditch steven and gaylen neiditch in memory of i. jack messinger neil and madelyn messinger in memory of lillian rothman laurence and amy rose in memory of marguerite Durlacher Bernard and liliane eckstein, Beno and rosa schechter in memory of ruth bernstein steven and iane Deutsch

raBBi auerBacH’s DiscretiOnarY FunD

in honor of max fox and the st. louis Cardinals going to the series against the tigers allen and mary eagle in memory of Hannah margulies leonard and Diane pinchuk

cantOr’s DiscretiOnarY FunD

a General Donation stanley and shelley rosenberg in appreciation of Cantor Kula, Sisterhood & Rabbi Auerbach for the beautiful baby naming of our grandchildroberto and ilona Fridman and the gillette Family in appreciation of Cantor mark H. Kula malvin and irene Weinberger in appreciation of linda truppman’s hard Work and for being nice to her mother moises and esther simpser in honor of ben farkas and lisa mansdorf’s marriage David and philis edelman & neil and madelyn messinger in honor of Cantor mark H. Kula glen & Joan rozansky in honor of Cantor mark H. Kula and Coreen Duffy’s marriage ira and myndell Baum, seth and Jill Diamond, paul and suzanne Fisher, marion gold, Daniel and elaine Katz, Howard and Diane Kuker, scott and pamela lehman, richard and Joyce newman, Jeffrey and Faye roth in honor of Cantor mark H. Kula and Coreen Duffy’s marriage and High Holy Days Honors Jonathan and stacey Harris in honor of High Holy Day Honors David and philis edelman in honor of jessica’s wedding ross and Judith gampel in honor of john schwebel’s birthday gail tescher & robert and linda spiegelman in honor of matthew’s wedding ross and Judith gampel

in honor of sara edelman and josh truppman High Holy Day Honors David and philis edelman in honor of steven and susan Eisenberg & Family rita eisenberg in honor of Zee levin’s birthday albert and Jan cohen in memory of anita rosenblum, cousin robert and linda spiegelman in memory of anne black paul and carla Black in memory of benjamin leiken Donald and suann tescher in memory of Dr. David taylor abraham and Helene Benyunes in memory of esther Hanover len and randi rothenberg in memory of f. robert brooks nancy levitan in memory of fay anshell rachel appelrouth in memory of Hannah Kalfus peter and suzanne Ballen in memory of marguerite Durlacher Bernard and liliane eckstein in memory of martin farkas Jeremy and Fran Farkas in memory of martin Young Kenneth and lisa Young in memory of mitchell lehman scott and pamela lehman in memory of norman reuven lisa Harlow in memory of Peter Garvett and thank you to Cantor Kula for his support, singing and kindness steven and gaylen neiditch in memory of rose baum ira and myndell Baum in memory of sidney Pepper and larry marks and thank you to Cantor mark H. Kula carol turner speedy recovery of naomi Honig abraham and Helene Benyunes

earlY cHilDHOOD FunD

in honor of alexandra julia’s birth steven and susan Kobetz in honor of jesse elijah schuldenfrei’s birth

coNTriBuTioNS

D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 2

1 5coNTriBuTioNSBet shira early ecc pta, murray and phyllis greenberg, richard and sheila Wagner, ray and Fredrica applebaum in memory of anna Hoffman allen lubitz in memory of judith lubitz allen lubitz

JeWisH eDucatiOn FunD

in honor of the birth of jesse elijah schuldenfrei Bet shira Jewish education center Faculty & staff in memory of matthew shane Goldberg robert and linda spiegelman in memory of rebecca epstein Joseph and marilyn Wolfson

ritual FunD

in honor of the birth of jesse elijah schuldenfrei michael and martha Backer tiKKun Olam FunD

Complete and speedy recovery of lawrence roberts Kenneth and sharon glick Complete and speedy recovery of naomi Honig Kenneth and sharon glick in honor of Cantor mark H. Kula and Coreen Duffy’s marriage richard and sheila Wagner in honor of john schwebel’s birthday ira and estelle segal in honor of november morning minyan Bet shira minyannaires in honor of sydney and rachael alexander’s bat mitzvah granddaughter’s of Paul and Velma Papier phineas and ilene Hyams in honor of the birth of jesse elijah schuldenfrei Fred and Judy schild in memory of annette blum paul and renee gershen in memory of barbara urett Beverly Fisher

in memory of beatrice finn Bruce and Betsy Yegelwel in memory of bernard roth Jeffrey and Faye roth in memory of bradley Plotkin robert and linda spiegelman in memory of Cindy bergen sidney and nadine pertnoy in memory of emanuel Weinberger malvin and irene Weinberger in memory of Hyman Parness richard and audrey stone & Family in memory of lester shapiro Jerome and lois shapiro in memory of our parents Barry and valerie gubernick in memory of Peter Garvett paul and velma papier speedy recovery of Karen ben rubi Fred and Judy schild WHere neeDeD mOst FunD

in appreciation of Cantor Kula, Sisterhood & Rabbi Auerbach for the beautiful baby naming of our grandchildroberto and ilona Fridman in appreciation of rabbi schuldenfrei and Cantor Kula for the beautiful High Holy Days richard and sheila Wagner in honor of High Holy Day Honor Paul and renee Gershen in honor of jesse elijah schuldenfrei’s birth lisa Harlow in honor of John schwebel’s birthday Daniel and elaine Katz in honor of marilyn cohen’s special birthday Daniel and elaine Katz in honor of rabbi brian schuldenfrei cyril and Helene Kesten in memory of aaron rosenthal Howard and lynn Zusman in memory of bernard tytell, donation made for torah in israel in his name by son, daughter and widowadeline tytell in memory of Danny Gross Daniel and elaine Katz, scott and

sherry mittleman in memory of edith ross michael and Zaida ross in memory of joel frankel michel & midge sztanski in memory of joshua manson Fred and rosalind edelman in memory of leo martin scott and sherry mittleman in memory of oscar lowenstein Dorothy raphaely in memory of Peter Garvett William and carol Berk, elayne tendrich, Barry and cookie Wright in memory of raya Krauthamer Dan and rina Krauthamer in memory of William forman robin Forman YaHrZeit FunD

in memory of bess aibel and mary elson norman and Diana elson in memory of bessie applebaum, beloved mother and grandmother ray and Fredrica applebaum in memory of faith sirota David and shelley sokol in memory of Gussie rosenberg patrice levy and arlene rosenberg in memory of Paul blum paul and renee gershen

YOutH FunD

in honor of november morning minyan Bet shira minyannaires in honor of november morning minyannaires Bet shira minyannaires in honor of october morning minyan Bet shira minyannaires in honor of september/october morning minyan Bet shira minyannaires speedy recovery of Kenny Glick richard and sheila Wagner

Grab two wheels and your friends, and join the fun at our Annual Hanukkah Bicycle Ride with Cantor Kula!

Sunday, December 16 at 10:00 a.m.

Meet us at Bet Shira at 10:00 a.m. or Meet us at Shark Alley at 11:00 a.m.

BeT SHira coNgregaTioN(uSPS 004-727)

7500 SW 120th Street, Miami, fL 33156Office: 305.238.2601

School Office: 305.238.2306Published monthly

except July/august combinedPoSTMaSTer:

Send returns to7500 SW 120th Street, Miami, fL 33156

Affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

PeriodicalsPoSTage

PaiDMiami, fL

December 2012 Bet Shira Bulletin

Documents

Transcript of December 2012 Bet Shira Bulletin