ut bulletin november 2011
TRANSCRIPT
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Thursday,November 9th at
7:30 PM with
special guestspeaker
Essie Shor
See page 3 for details
The BulletinUnion Temple of Brooklyn
Affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism NOVEMBER, 2011 CHESHVAN KISLEV 5772 Vol. 163, No 3
SHABBAT SERVICES FOR NOVEMBER
SHABBAT LECH LECHA4 Friday Evening
4:00 PM - Friday at Four: Shabbat for KidsFirst Friday Family Shabbat6:00 PM - Snacks6:30 PM - Kabbalat Shabbat: Religious School Students will
participate.Pot Luck Dinner
5 Saturday Morning 10:30 AMShabbat Morning ServiceService of Conversion: Dennies Gajadhar
Torah: Genesis 12:1-17:27 Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27-41:16
SHABBAT VAYEIRA
11 Friday Evening4:00 PM - Friday at Four: Shabbat for Kids6:30 PM - Kabbalat Shabbat
12 Saturday Morning 10:30 AMShabbat Morning Service
Torah: Genesis 18:1-22:24 Haftarah: II Kings 4:1-37
SHABBAT CHAYEI SARAH
18 Friday Evening4:00 PM - Friday at Four: Shabbat for Kids6:30 PM - Kabbalat Shabbat
19 Saturday Morning 10:30 AMShabbat Morning Service
Torah: Genesis 23:1-25:18 Haftarah: I Kings 1:1-31
SHABBAT TOLEDOT
25 Friday Evening 6:30 PMKabbalat Shabbat
26 Saturday Morning 10:30 AMShabbat Morning Service
Torah: Genesis 25:19-28:9 Haftarah: Malachi 1:1-2:7
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Rabbis MessageJewish Partisans
Defiance. . . . Many of us have seen the movie Defiance, starring Daniel Craig
and Liev Schreiber as the Bielsky Brothers. It is the gripping true story of Tuvia
and Zus Bielsky, and their brothers, Asael and Aron, who shepherded some 1,200
Jews through the Bialowieza Forest along the border of Poland and Belarus, asthey hid from the Nazis during the Shoah. The Bielsksys helped their fellow Jews
to survive starvation, illness, and bitter cold of the Russian winters, by raiding lo-
cal farms for food and supplies, and by keeping their flock on the move when-
ever the threat of discovery by German troops became imminent. Ultimately Tu-
via and Zus survived the war, emigrated to America, and built a successful truck-
ing firm in New York. Neither of them sought any recognition for their heroism.
Only after they both had died did their families bring their remarkable story to light. Today, the descendants
of the people they saved number in the tens of thousands.
Jewish Partisans. . . . These were Jews in Europe, most of them teenagers, male and female, who foughtagainst the Nazis during World War II. The majority were ordinary people who escaped the ghettos and work
camps and joined organized resistance groups in the forests and urban underground. Non-Jewish partisans
could sneak back to their homes for security and safety. The Jews had no place to go and so were constantly
moving through the shadows on the edges of the cities and towns. Though it is difficult to know exactly how
numerous they were, because their activities were secret and records are few, it is estimated that between
Europe and the Mediterranean, some 30,000 - 40,000 Jews numbered among the approximately 1 million par-
tisans who operated in these areas.
Kristallnacht. . . . On the night of November 9, 1938, the German Reichstag unleashed a pogrom against the
Jews of Germany on a level of brutality previously unprecedented. Known as the Night of Broken Glass, onthis night the Hitler Youth and other thugs sent by the Reich shattered the shop windows of an estimated 7,500
Jewish-owned commercial establishments, and looted their wares. Jewish cemeteries were desecrated, and 267
synagogues throughout Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland were burned and destroyed. 91 Jews were
killed, and some 30,000 Jewish were men arrested and sent to Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, and other
concentration camps. In the aftermath, The German government made an immediate pronouncement that the
Jews themselves were to blame for the pogrom and imposed a punitive fine of one billion Reichsmark (some
400 million U.S. dollars at 1938 rates) on the German Jewish community. Most scholars assign Kristallnacht
as the real beginning of the Holocaust.
Our Guest. . . . This month, on Wednesday, November 9th, in observance of Kristallnacht, we will be hon-ored to welcome Essie Shor, a teenage fighter in the Bielsky Partisans during the War. We hope that you will
come to hear her personal account of the bravery and heroism of this group of people. Wednesday, Novem-
ber 9, 7:30 PM. Please join us.
-Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman
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Officers ColumnUT Education: Not Just for KidsAdult education is one of Union Temples great strengths. And I speak from experience about this: I was an
adult bar mitzvah student, went on to study Torah trope here, and took the ethical wills seminar last year.Ive also participated in Rabbi Goodmans Saturday morning study hevre, attended many films and lectures
here, and fun events like Zevas Taste of Yiddish. The Sisterhood has presented many fine programs. And
theres the Brotherhoods book discussion series Ive led a few!
Last months Rabbi Dreyfus Memorial Lecture featured HUCs Professor of Jewish History Rabbi Dr. MartinCohen speaking about Marketing Judaism for the Twenty-First Century. And we have some excellent pro-
grams for this month as well:
At the Kristallnacht commemoration on Thursday, November 9th, a member of the Jewish Partisan
Educational Foundation will speak about Jews who fought Nazism in partisan resistance movements.
The first three sessions of an eight-session series on Engaging Israel will be on Wednesday evenings,
November 16th and 30th and December 7th. They will combine videos by the Shalom Hartman
Institute with related text study and discussion led by Rabbi Goodman.
And I cant resist the opportunity to add that Ill be leading a Brotherhood book discussion on Sundaymorning, November 20th. Well be discussing 36 Arguments for the Existence ofGod, an alternately
funny and serious novel by Rebecca Goldstein. I hope that youll come to all of these events.
Yom Ha-Hodayah Sameach (Happy Thanksgiving) to all!
-Steven Segall, Secretary
Kristallnacht
The Night of Broken Glass
Join us as we mark the anniversary of what many scholarsidentify as a significant turning point in Hitlers war againstthe Jews.
Our guest speaker will be
Essie Shora member of the Bielsky Partisans
Wednesday, November 9th7:30 PM
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ENGAGING ISRAELEach of these eight sessions will combine video presentations by
scholars at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and text
study based on the videos, conducted by our Rabbi. This series
boldly confronts many of the challenges facing Israel at this time,
with the academic rigor and moral courage emblematic of the
Hartman Institute.From Crisis to Covenant Power and Powerlessness
War and Occupation Religious Pluralism and Human Rights
Religion and Peoplehood Morality on the Battlefield
and more.
Wednesday Evenings, 7:30-9:30 PM
First segment:
November 16, 30, December 7
Next 2 segments:
April 4, 11, 25 / May 23, 30
Because there are materials that will be distributed,please let us know if youd like to attend.
Union Temple of Brooklyn
17 Eastern Parkway at Grand Army Plaza
718-638-7600
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CLOTHING COLLECTION FOR
PROJECT HOPE:
HANGERS PLEASE!
The Social Action Committee of Union Temple plans to spon-
sor a clothing drive this coming Spring 2012, the proceeds of
which will be donated to Project Hope, an organization dedi-
cated to helping disadvantaged adults re-enter the work force.
As in the past, we are asking for donations of gently worn
clothing for men and women that is appropriate for the workplace, such as: suits, jackets, blaz-
ers, smart casual skirts and slacks, shirts, coats and shoes.
We have always had a wonderful response by our Temple members and the local community
and hope to continue with this worthwhile project; however, we need to ask for your help in
changing the method of collection.
ALL CLOTHING YOU PLAN TO DONATE NEEDS TO BE PLACED ON HANGERS
PRIOR TO COLLECTION SO THAT IT CAN BE HUNG IN THE TEMPLE CLOSET
UPON ARRIVAL. Although many of our contributors have done this already, many havenot, requiring that volunteers sort through heavy bags and hang the garments one by one--a
difficult and time consuming process.
So, please, save that suit! Hold on to that dress! It will become a most welcome contribution
to the Project Hope clothing drive. And if you no longer have room in your home and wish to
make a contribution of workplace clothing prior to this Spring, please bring it to Union Tem-
ple on a hanger and well hang it in our closet!
November is here, and its cool, crisp days and prepa-rations for Thanksgiving are a reminder that 2011 is
fast winding down. Sisterhood, however, never winds
down. As everyone who was with us for our firstRosh
Chodesh Seder last month can enthusiastically affirm,we got our new season off to an exciting start. More
warm and stimulating programs are on the way. There
will be Rosh Chodesh Seders, book discussions, evena trip that will tickle your taste buds. So be sure to
watch this column and your mail for details. You
won't want to miss a single program.
You will certainly want to be with us Saturday, De-
cember 3rd for our jointHavdalah with Brotherhood.
The special service will be followed by a visit to the
Brooklyn Museum to participate in its festive FirstNight activities. This exhilarating evening is fast be-
coming an eagerly anticipated Union Temple tradition.
Two weeks later, on Sunday, December 18th at 10
AM, Sisterhood will be holding its pre-Chanukah pro-gram. We'll be opening our popular Sisterhood Shop,
so, in addition to a stimulating book discussion and all
the latkes you can eat, you can buy all the tchotkes
you need to complete your Chanukah shopping. Now
that's an all-around one-stop treat!
Sisterhood wishes everyone a happy Thanksgiving.
May our homes and hearts be filled with blessings.
-Barbara Brett, Secretary
Sisterhood Warm Programs for Cool Days
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Religious SchoolChanging forthe Better
Shanah tovah!
The Religious School has been cele-brating many Jewish holidays in the
past weeks we blew the shofar for
Rosh Hashanah, discussed tshuvah(repentance) for Yom Kippur, and
decorated and the sukkah for Suk-
kot. Weve been engaged in study
about these holidays as well, andour year of learning has gotten some
strong momentum.
Im delighted to announce that a
new teacher has recently joined us!Sandy Fox will be teaching our 7th
and 8th grade students, and we hope
to encourage more post-Bar andBat Mitzvah students in the future
to stay on through at least 8th grade.
Additionally, we have restructured
our Hebrew education to bettermeet the needs of each individual
student. Rather than learning He-
brew in their age class, each stu-
dent will learn Hebrew with otherstudents at about the same readinglevel. This will allow students who
need extra help to receive that aid
and students who are more ad-vanced to continue to progress. I
thank you for your flexibility and
patience through this transition.
Im looking forward to 5772, a yearof change and renewal. Thank you
for your continuing support as wework together to make the new year
a bright one for our children.
As always, please send any ques-
tions, comments, or feedback to me
Shalom!
-Daniel Kirzane, Educator
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Saturday, December 3, 2011
Join us for a
HavdalahServiceat Union Temple
followed byFirst Night at the
Brooklyn Museum of Art
Havdalah 5 p.m. in the Temple Lobby
Refreshments will be served
Sisterhood and Brotherhood of Union Temple
Union Temple of Brooklyn17 Eastern ParkwayBrooklyn, N Y 11238
718-638-7600 uniontemple.org
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Last month the members of the Brotherhood participated inthe annual sukkah building event at the Temple. Faster than
you could shake a lulav the expert Brotherhood construction
workers had the sukkah up and ready for decoration by theUT Religious School. Many thanks to Abe Barnett, Steven
Segall, Mark
S i l v e r s t e i n ,Marvin Lieber-
man (and his
lovely wife Pur-
laine, who be-came an honorary
brother for the
day), Arnold Ko-likoff, Jeffrey
Stein and of
course TempleAd m i n i s t r a t o r
John Golomb
wh o a l wa y s
makes sure thateverything goes
as planned.
Next up on the Brotherhood calendar, Sunday, November 20th,
Steven Segall will be leading a book discussion about the novel 36
Arguments for the Existence of God, by Rebecca Goldstein. Thecentral character, Cass Seltzer, is a professor of the psychology of religion, and became unexpectedly rich and
famous by writing a book in which he refuted dozens of arguments for the existence of God. We read hilari-
ous accounts of his academic life and loves (the fun really begins
when an ex-girlfriend, Roz Margolis, breezes in) and a visit to theHasidic community that his mother had fled from. (She was related to
the rebbe, but said it was no big deal since everyone was related
there.) We hope that everyone will join us there for good discussion,and of course, bagels and
coffee.
On Saturday evening, De-
cember 3, Brotherhoodand Sisterhood will have a
Havdalah service at the
Temple, followed by avisit to the Brooklyn mu-
seum for its First Saturday
event of art and music.
-David Rapheal,
Secretary
BrotherhoodBuilding a Sukkah and the Mind
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Friday at FourShabbat for Kids
Pre-K and K
Every Friday at 4 PM
WithYOSHIEAt Union Temple
17 Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza
Preschool A Full and Happy PlaceThe state of the preschool is sound. We are at full enrollment with 81 students. Nine of our families are Tem-
ple members.
There is a great sense of community at the preschool. This year we have lots of parents who are excited to be
involved. One of the first events of the school year is a parent pot luck dinner, which takes place at the end of
October. We had a planning meeting for this event last week and about 15 parents attended.
We have an amazing teaching staff of life long learners. There is a real collaborative spirit at the school. At
our weekly staff meetings we have substantive educational conversations. Professional teacher education is
taken very seriously, and the opportunity for growth it affords is truly appreciated by my entire staff. Myteaching staff understands that preschool is a real family affair. If the parents are not comfortable and if they
don't feel taken care of, their children will not feel safe and they will not thrive. The teachers spend a lot of
time communicating with parents. Early in the school year, they email nearly daily updates and include lots of
photos taken during the school day. They are also always available to parents for a meeting or a conversation.
Our program is exceptional and we continue to add new and innovative classes. We have specialists come in
for yoga and music. Our kids have yoga every week and music to celebrate Shabbat on Fridays. We have a
school psychological consultant who visits the classrooms and is available via email to answer parents' ques-tions. Last year we added an after school French language immersion class on Fridays. We had to turn people
away from this program this fall. We also added a soccer class once a week to our afternoon explorations pro-
gram. This has also been a very popular class.
Our preschool is truly a special place. We have created a home for our professional staff, our 81 students, and
all of their families. It is an honor to be at the helm of this wonderful institution.
-Susan Sporer, Director
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Tzedakah
We express our deepest sympathy toUnion Temple Vice President Abe Barnett
on the death of his brotherBernard Barnett
on September 25th.We express our heartfelt sympathy to Abe and Anna (Schiavone) and Ariel Barnett, Bernard'swife Ruth, and his daughters: Nora and her husband Jeff Slatken, and children Stephani and
Randi, and Irene and her husband Joe Alibayof and children Justin, Alexa and Brandon.
May his memory be for a blessing
UNION TEMPLE MEMORIAL FUNDDonated by ....................................................................................... in memory ofAnna Budd and George Hausman .............................................................. Helen Machtinger
Joyce M. Charles ........................................................................................ Rabbi Menachem Schneerson
Connie Schiavone ....................................................................................... Bernard Barnett
Jeffrey G. Stein and Denise Waxman ......................................................... Alvin J. (Ted) Stein
SISTERHOOD MEMORIAL FUNDDonated by ....................................................................................... in memory ofHenry and Susanne Singer......................................................................... Ethel Singer
Join the Union Temple Brotherhood
For a book discussion on
36 Arguments for the
Existence of GodA novel by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
Sunday, November 20th at 10 AMCoffee, bagels and great conversation provided!
Union Temple of Brooklyn 17 Eastern Parkway at Grand Army Plaza
718-638-7600 [email protected]
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Union Temple suggests that its memberscontact our Funeral Director
Martin D. Kasdan of
Boulevard-Riverside Chapels1895 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
1-800-522-0588
Proudly maintaining morethan 50 years of Temple involvement
10
The BulletinUnion Temple of Brooklyn
17 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn NY 11238
(718) 638-7600
Fax (718) 783-9151E-mail [email protected]
Website Uniontemple.org
Dr. Linda Henry GoodmanRabbi
Lauren PhillipsStudent Cantor
Shinae KimTemple Musician
Daniel KirzaneEducator/Rabbinic Intern
Susan Sporer
Preschool DirectorBeatrice Hanks
President
Ellen KolikoffHenry Singer
Vice Presidents
Steven SegallSecretary
Jeffrey SteinTreasurer
Mike Baron
Hortense R. HurwitzDoris KluegerHonorary Presidents
David RaphealBulletin Editor
John GolombTemple Administrator
Martin KasdanFuneral Director(800) 522-0588
A memorial plaque is a lasting
tribute to a loved one.
If you wish more information regarding
obtaining a plaque in memory of a
loved one please e-mail the temple at
or leave a message with the temple office.
Memorial PlaquesMaurice H. Van Raalt ................................................... November 1, 1932Herman Weinberger ...................................................... November 2, 1956Edward Elman, Past President ..................................... November 3, 1976Rose Pollack ................................................................. November 4, 1957Esther Weinberger ........................................................ November 5, 1954Samuel Underberg ........................................................ November 6, 1985Hannah Lebowitz .......................................................... November 7, 1925William Krell ................................................................ November 7, 1959
Estelle Martha Silverman Sloan .................................... November 7, 1984Mendel Nevin ............................................................... November 8, 1950Olga Rosenson .............................................................. November 8, 1959Ray Beck ....................................................................... November 8, 1964George Wiener .............................................................. November 9, 1947Mathew Frank ............................................................... November 9, 1954Anne Silverberg ............................................................ November 9, 1973Gabriel Fried ................................................................ November 10, 1924Moses Bloom ............................................................... November 10, 1935Isaac M. Bermas .......................................................... November 11, 1931Annie Wolberg ............................................................. November 11, 1952Sarah Marienhoff ......................................................... November 11, 1958Hon. Emil N. Baar, Past President ............................... November 11, 1985Moses B. Schmidt, Past President ................................ November 12, 1954Estella Selig ................................................................. November 13, 1906
Hulda Lissner ............................................................... November 14, 1931Sidney Onkeles ............................................................ November 14, 1957Jerrold Feldman ........................................................... November 14, 1989Emile R. Brown May ................................................... November 15, 1964Rose Astro ................................................................... November 15, 1971Minerva Love ............................................................... November 16, 1971Rebecca Levinson ........................................................ November 17, 1942Joseph Ehrlich .............................................................. November 17, 1944Dora Raphaels .............................................................. November 17, 1947Felice D. Aaronson ...................................................... November 18, 1955Saul Dumey ................................................................. November 19, 1961Edward Charles Blum .................................................. November 20, 1946Ruth B Wolfort ............................................................ November 20, 1961Jack Felsenfeld ............................................................. November 20, 1961Pearl Elman .................................................................. November 20, 1980
Joseph Petchesky ......................................................... November 21, 1961Harold D. Silvey, Past President .................................. November 21, 1997Rosa Block ................................................................... November 23, 1943Samuel Frank ............................................................... November 24, 1955Irving R. Gerstman, Past President .............................. November 24, 1987Bernard B. Block ......................................................... November 25, 1962Anne Silverman ........................................................... November 25, 1959Laura L. Cohen ............................................................ November 26, 1959Sgt. Harold C. Ginsberg ............................................... November 27, 1944Bernard P. Weinstein ................................................... November 27, 1986Mamie Rosenson.......................................................... November 28, 1931Minnie Baum Needle ................................................... November 28, 1956Edith Helicher .............................................................. November 28, 1969Lazarus Rosenberg ....................................................... November 29, 1956Max Silverman ............................................................. November 30, 1944May Caplin .................................................................. November 30, 1994
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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2
7:00 PM
Union Temple
Singers
3
6:00 PM
Adult Ed
Committee
7:00 PM
Religious
Practices
Committee
4 4:00 PMTot Shabbat
First Friday
Family Shabbat
6:00 PM Snacks
6:30 PM
Religious School
Kabbalat Shabbat
& Pot Luck Dinner
59:00 AM
Shabbat Hevre
10:30 AM
Shabbat Morning
Service
Conversion:
Dennies Gajadhar
6 7
6:15 PM
Officers
8Election Day
96:30 PM
Union TempleSingers
7:30 PM
Kristallnacht
Commemoration
Essie Shor
10 11
4:00 PM
Tot Shabbat
6:30 PM
Kabbalat Shabbat
129:00 AM
Shabbat Hevre10:30 AM
Shabbat Morning
Service
139:30 AM
Religious School;
Interfaith Fami-
lies Breakfast
with the Rabbi11:30 AM
Membership
Committee
14
6:00 PM
Board of
Trustees
15 16
6:30 PM
Union TempleSingers
7:30-9:30 PM
Engaging Israel
17 18
4:00 PMTot Shabbat
6:30 PM
Kabbalat Shabbat
199:00 AM
Shabbat Hevre
10:30 AM
Shabbat Morning
Service
20 9:30 AMReligious School
10:00 AM
Brotherhood Book
Discussion
11 AM3 PM
Pre-Thanksgiving
Food Drive, at
Key Food, 7th Ave
21 22 23 24Thanksgiving Day
25
6:30 PM
Kabbalat Shabbat
2610:30 AM
Shabbat Morning
Service
27Rosh Chodesh
Kislev
Religious SchoolVacation
28
6:30 PM
Religious School
Committee
29 30
6:30 PM
Union Temple
Singers
7:30-9:30 PMEngaging Israel
November 2011
Cheshvan-Kislev 5772
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Union Temple of Brooklyn
17 Eastern ParkwayBrooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 638-7600
NOVEMBER 2011
UNION TEMPLE OF BROOKLYN BULLETIN
Prospect Park
Health and Racquet Association
In Union Temple Building at
17 Eastern Parkway
718-789-4600
Ask about Special discounts for
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Kristallnacht Commemoration November 9th
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