February 2012 • Shavat/Adar 5771 Thoughts on Purim - Rabbi’s Message An early edition of the Reconstructionist magazine included the following poem by I.D. Minzberg: Masks, masks, masks for sale! Birds of prey, yes, indeed, Masks as cheap as words! To swoop upon all weakness, Guaranteed! They cannot fail And clothe the nakedness of your deed To make you free as birds: With robes of verbal meekness… Minzberg captures both the freedom the mask provides and the fear it can inspire. On Purim, tradition holds that we dress as the different characters in the story of Esther: the drunken King Achashverosh, the gallant Mordecai, the mysterious Vashti, the evil Haman and, of course, the courageous Queen Esther. In rabbinical school, classmates would choose create ways to ex- press the Purim spirit: there was the “Hey-Man” dressed in cool 60s garb, the requisite cross-dressing Queen Esther, and, of course, the “Re-Constructionist” dressed like a construction worker. My all-time favorite costume was actually not much of a costume at all: A classmate of mine, who had a long bushy white beard and was often mistaken for either Santa Claus or a Has- sidic Rebbe, shaved, leaving just a goatee, and dyed the remain- ing hair brown. He came to our celebration without speaking a word and was almost thrown out because no one knew who he was. The past few years, my family and I have chosen to dress in a collective theme. Two years ago, we chose Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, with me playing the Cat, Jarah as Thing One, and the as- yet-unborn Boaz playing Thing Two. Last year, we chose Little Red Riding Hood, with Jarah playing the little girl, Ashirah the wolf, Boaz the woodsman and I as the grandmother. Come to our joint Purim celebration with Temple Beth Am on Wednesday, March 7, to see how our family is dressed this year. Whether you are an adult or a child, I would encourage you to find your own costume. Visit a local Party City or local second- hand store and come up with something creative. It need not stick to the Purim story, but can be an expression of a popular TV show or movie or even make a political point. Part of the joy of the holiday is figuring out who is wearing which costume and picking the favorite costume of the night. And for all of you pro- crastinators out there, the good news is that we will have clown noses for sale and other masks available, if you do not have a chance to think of something on your own before the celebration. Here is the line-up for the night, and costumed or not, I hope you will join us in what truly should be a Purim Extravaganza: 6 pm – Pizza and Hamantashen 6:15 pm – The Magic of Bruce Baum 6:40 pm – Laughter Yoga with Nancy Weil 7 pm – Purim service and Megillah reading 8 pm – A Motown Megillah, a musical version of the story of Esther I look forward to seeing you at Temple Sinai. B’Shalom, Rabbi Alex Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein ANDREW W. GREEN, M.D. RITA R. SLOAN, M.D. LLP, ADULT AND PEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND ASTHMA www.allergydocswny.com 716-675-2660 Fax: 716-675-2663 3615 Seneca St., West Seneca, NY 14224 1 Esther Bates with children at Purim, Temple Sinai, 1960. Dialogue-March2012 :Layout 1 2/23/12 12:42 PM Page 1
Transcript
February 2012 • Shavat/Adar 5771
Thoughts on Purim - Rabbi’s Message
An early edition of the Reconstructionist magazine included the following poem by I.D. Minzberg:
Masks, masks, masks for sale!Birds of prey, yes, indeed,Masks as cheap as words!To swoop upon all weakness,Guaranteed! They cannot failAnd clothe the nakedness of your deedTo make you free as birds:With robes of verbal meekness…
Minzberg captures both the freedom the mask provides and thefear it can inspire. On Purim, tradition holds that we dress as thedifferent characters in the story of Esther: the drunken KingAchashverosh, the gallant Mordecai, the mysterious Vashti, theevil Haman and, of course, the courageous Queen Esther.
In rabbinical school, classmates would choose create ways to ex-press the Purim spirit: there was the “Hey-Man” dressed in cool60s garb, the requisite cross-dressing Queen Esther, and, ofcourse, the “Re-Constructionist” dressed like a constructionworker. My all-time favorite costume was actually not much of acostume at all: A classmate of mine, who had a long bushy whitebeard and was often mistaken for either Santa Claus or a Has-sidic Rebbe, shaved, leaving just a goatee, and dyed the remain-ing hair brown. He came to our celebration without speaking a wordand was almost thrown out because no one knew who he was.
The past few years, my family and I have chosen to dress in acollective theme. Two years ago, we chose Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in
the Hat, with me playing the Cat, Jarah as Thing One, and the as-yet-unborn Boaz playing Thing Two. Last year, we chose LittleRed Riding Hood, with Jarah playing the little girl, Ashirah thewolf, Boaz the woodsman and I as the grandmother. Come to ourjoint Purim celebration with Temple Beth Am on Wednesday,March 7, to see how our family is dressed this year.
Whether you are an adult or a child, I would encourage you tofind your own costume. Visit a local Party City or local second-hand store and come up with something creative. It need notstick to the Purim story, but can be an expression of a popularTV show or movie or even make a political point. Part of the joyof the holiday is figuring out who is wearing which costume andpicking the favorite costume of the night. And for all of you pro-crastinators out there, the good news is that we will have clownnoses for sale and other masks available, if you do not have achance to think of something on your own before the celebration.
Here is the line-up for the night, and costumed or not, I hope youwill join us in what truly should be a Purim Extravaganza:
6 pm – Pizza and Hamantashen6:15 pm – The Magic of Bruce Baum6:40 pm – Laughter Yoga with Nancy Weil7 pm – Purim service and Megillah reading8 pm – A Motown Megillah, a musical version of the story of Esther
I look forward to seeing you at Temple Sinai.
B’Shalom,Rabbi Alex
Rabbi AlexLazarus-Klein
ANDREW W. GREEN, M.D. RITA R. SLOAN, M.D.
LLP, ADULT AND PEDIATRIC ALLERGY AND ASTHMA
www.allergydocswny.com716-675-2660
Fax: 716-675-2663
3615 Seneca St.,
West Seneca, NY 14224
1
Esther Bates with children at Purim, Temple Sinai, 1960.
As has frequently been the case over the lastseveral months, the board has been busy re-viewing issues related to our proposed mergerwith Temple Beth Am. We are getting veryclose to finalizing the merger agreement, andhave developed a tentative timeline. I knowour congregants want to keep these datesopen, so here is the timeline:
• Mid-February – proposed merger agreementforwarded to both Temple Sinai and Temple Beth Am boards• February 27 – Temple Sinai board meets to review and discussthe merger agreement, and to develop a proxy voting policy• Early March – Board votes on merger agreement• Mid-March – Merger agreement is mailed to congregants ofboth Temple Sinai and Temple Beth Am• March 29 – congregational meeting to discuss the mergeragreement and answer questions• April 18 (shortly after Passover) – Congregational meeting tovote on the merger (both congregations will vote at the same time)
In addition to the typical legal terms that such an agreement mustcontain, the merger agreement will contain the specific terms thatwe have been negotiating over the last year. It will address thekey points relating to religious practice, finance, governance, andother areas that we want the “new” temple to adhere to. Whenyou receive it, please read it carefully, and make sure you under-stand it. In addition to the lawyers from both temples who will bereviewing the agreement, we plan to have an outside consultingagency advise us. However, it is very important that you, the tem-ple members, understand the agreement and feel able to cast aninformed vote. Please contact me with any questions, and be pre-pared to attend the meetings outlined above.
According to state law, the merger must be passed by bothcongregations, by 2/3 of the members voting “in present or byproxy.” This means several things. First of all, you must be amember in good standing in order to be permitted to vote on themerger agreement. The temple office and finance committee willbe reviewing the temple records, and anyone who is not currentwith their dues, will receive a letter notifying them that they arein danger of not being permitted to vote. If you have been puttingoff paying your temple dues, you may wish to make sure to bringthem up to date, so that you will be able to have a voice in thisimportant vote. The other thing you may have noticed in mystatement above is that the law requires we accept proxy votes.
Our current bylaws do not allow for proxy voting – when we revised our bylaws, we felt that it was important to be privy to the discussion that takes place before casting a vote. However,the state law requires we accept proxy votes in this situation.Since our bylaws do not allow for proxy voting, we never developed a procedure for proxy voting. The board is cur-rently working on such a procedure, and we are attempting tothink through how the entire voting process will work, so thatit will go smoothly. A proxy vote is not the same as an absenteeballot, so we are in the process of researching what is and isnot permitted. The good news for members who may be awayduring the time the vote takes place is that you will have anopportunity to assign a proxy to cast your vote for you.
It feels like things are moving very quickly now, and I know therewill be more questions, concerns, and heightened emotion for allof us as the time for the vote draws nearer. Please call, email, or stopme in the hall at temple any time with your questions and concerns.
Jill Hamilton,
Temple Sinai President
Jill Hamilton
FROM THE ARCHIVES..
Long time Dialogue editor Esther Bates contributed this article
that appeared 10 years ago, reflecting on the Temple’s 50th
anniversary. As we prepare to celebrate 60 years, we can look
back at how we arrived to this point in our history.
As we prepare to celebrate Temple Sinai’s Jubilee, it isinteresting to look back on just what happened fifty yearsago. On October 24, 1952, Temple Sinai held its first Fridayevening service at the Kenilworth Church on Lyndale Avenue inTonawanda. Rabbi Harold Weisberg, a director of the Recon-structionist Foundation in New York, was the guest speaker.There was an overflow crowd at this inaugural Friday eveningservice “along Reconstructionist lines... similar to the Liberal-Conservative movement... The novel feature of having members ofthe congregation lead some of the prayers was very well received.”
Temple Sinai bought the building when the church moved toits new quarters, but the two congregations shared it for somemonths. In fact, the sanctuary had to be switched around so thatit could be used for Temple Sinai committee meetings on Tues-day evenings and services on Friday evenings, and for thechurch on Sundays until January, 1953. The Sinai members be-came so proficient at this, that it took only 15 minutes to
convert the church to a synagogue. The Buffalo EveningNews of November 12, 1952, wrote “On Friday evenings,just before the Jewish services, Reuben Goldstein brings aTorah, borrowed from the Pine Street synagogue... the hymnals are put away and the Reconstructionist prayerbooks... are brought out.”
As soon as the building was available on Saturdays and Sundays, Hebrew school classes were begun and Shabbat morning services were instituted. The fledgling congregationdid not have a rabbi of its own until Rabbi Nathan Gaynorwas appointed in July, 1954, so services were conductedby members of the religious committee and occasionalguest speakers, including Rabbis Ira Eisenstein and EugeneKohn, and a visiting rabbi for the High Holidays. A budgetprepared in May, 1953, amounts to $3,975 for six months,including interest and amortization on the $8,500 mortgage.There is a footnote to the budget that states, “In the event of beingable to find a Rabbi, I am certain that our budget would rise to atleast $15,000 per year.”
1952 was an exciting year for Temple Sinai, and we can allbe justifiably proud of the growth and position in the community thatTemple Sinai has achieved in these fifty years. Please join us for allthe festivities of our Jubilee celebration on October 26, 2002.
“When the month of Adar comes weincrease our happiness,” accordingto the Talmud. So in the joyous spiritof Purim you may want to check outthe temple library’s humor section.In addition to old standbys such as William Novak’s andMoshe Waldoks’ The Big Book of Jewish Humor, the li-brary has two new acquisitions.
The concept of Old Jews Telling Jokes is simple and self-explanatory. Author Sam Hoffman decided to videotape hisfather and some of his friends “telling the same old jokesthey’ve been telling for forty years.” Arranged in categoriesfrom “The Jewish Mother” through “The Rabbi,” “Food,”and “Sex” and ending with “Death: The Last Laugh,” thiscompanion book to the website oldjewstellingjokes.comwill have you chuckling even if you’ve heard them amillion times.
On quite a different note, Ellis Weiner and Barbara Davilmanpresent Yiddish with Dick and Jane. Yes, our old friendsDick and Jane are all grown up now. Jane is married to amensch named Bob, Dick is married to Mary, and little sister Sally is teaching a course in “Transgressive Feminist Ceramics.” In the same inimitable style as the original“Dick and Jane” books (“Nosh, shnorrers, nosh, Nosh,nosh, nosh”), Weiner and Davilman tell a charming storyfull of adult (and Jewish) angst as well as love and familyfeeling. The helpful glossary in the back will assist you intranslating any terms with which you are not familiar andthe examples will provide you with another laugh.
3
Congratulations to our ChaiClub Winners!
Chai Club Week #12$18 for Elaine Kellick
$36 for Janette Dunlap$54 for Sandy Seide
Chai Club Week #13$18 for Nancy Holland$36 for Lilah Gartman
$54 for Alva Finkelstein
Chai Club Week #14$18 for William Regan
$36 for Suzanne Darrow$54 for Joyce Berg
Chai Club Week #15$18 for Sherri Darrow$36 for Kathy Gordon
$54 for A. Ferber
Chai Club Week #16 $18 for Diana Nashban
$36 for Steve Brody$54 for Chad Hockaday
Thanks to Chai Club top sellers:
First Prize of $54 goes toMichael Rosenberg
2nd Prize $36 & 3rd Prize$18: Jill Hamilton and
Sandy Seide tied for secondand third place prizes.
JAZZ, AUCTION NIGHTGet ready for a fabulous night of music and shopping!
On Saturday, April 28, Temple Sinai will once again welcome the“George Scott Big Band”, for our listening and dancing pleasure,as part of our popular “Jazz On Mount Sinai”.
While enjoying great music and great company, those who attendwill have the chance to bid on an exciting collection of donated
gifts, services, baskets and otheritems from local businesses, as wellas donations from individuals.
Please consider donating itemsfor this auction, which raisesmoney for Temple Sinai as wellas for a local charity. Popularitems include gift certificates
(restaurants, dry cleaners, salons, markets, etc.) or themed bas-kets such as fine chocolate, wine, lotions, kitchen tools, hair ac-cessories, and gourmet foods, as well as interesting items likeartwork, jewelry, handmade clothing or linens, or whatever yourcreative minds and hands can offer.
We are also seeking donations of big ticket items that can be bidon, including: vacation rentals, as well as legal, medical, educa-tional or other services. Ifyou can donate tax preparation, dentalwork, tutoring, catering, party planning or another service, pleaseconsider donating a gift certificate - it might lead to extra busi-ness for you as well as being a great way to help Temple Sinai.
To donate items, please contact Adrienne Crandall at 875-7061,
Please join us for our annual Tikkun Olam Shabbat service onFriday, March 23rd. Our Tikkun Olam committee will be leadingthe service that evening, and our guest speaker is a representativefrom Cornerstone Manor, a homeless shelter for women and chil-dren. Throughout the year we bring donations to CornerstoneManor, and now we will have a chance to hear more about theservices that they provide.
During the past few months we have collected school supplies,food, hats, mittens, and toys that helped residents at CornerstoneManor. In December, residents received Chanukkah cookiesbaked by members in our Temple kitchen. On February 5, Adrienne Crandall led a group of volunteers to make lunch forresidents at Cornerstone Manor.
In addition to donating to Cornerstone Manor, our TikkunOlam Committee partnered with the Gesher School to collectfood and money, with which we were able to donate ten com-plete Thanksgiving dinners that were distributed by JewishFamily Services to needy families in our community.
The annual pound auction at the Ruach Donor's Brunch was arousing success. Half of the money collected by the poundauction goes to charity, and our recipient this year is Gilda's Club.
Thank you to everyone who donated items for our Tikkun
Olam monthly collections or donated time by volunteering
at our various events.
Wanted: Piano in Good ConditionThe Jewish Community Center is seeking a piano in good condi-tion for its newly formed Community Choir, knownas "Kol Raina". If you have a piano to donate, please contactSandy Saada, at 688-4033, ext. 335 or email her at:[email protected]: This donation will make a great tax deduction!
Temple Sinai Gift Certificate
The Pampered Pooch9880 Main St.
Clarence, NY 14031Phone: 716-759-2144
Owner: Marjorie Newman
This certificate entitles the bearer to one completedog grooming for a small dog. Grooming includes:bath, nail clipping, teeth scaling, flea treatment, earcleaning, and expert styling. Please call ahead for
appointment and mention this certificate.
ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT TEMPLE SINAIA check to Temple Sinai for value of service
must be written at appointment time.
Value: $40-$45
4
Purim Spielers Maureen Seitz (sitting), Tina Ferber (front left) andLilly, rehearse in anticipation of a Motown Purim, a Temple Sinai,Temple Beth Am production, March 7 at Temple Sinai. See Rabbi’smessage for schedule of events and join the fun!
UPCOMING EVENTSPlease see weekly email updates and online calendar at
templesinaibuffalo.org
or call the office at 716-834-0708 for details.
Rabbi Alex’s office hours, Thursdays at 3pmShabbat Potluck Dinner, Friday, March 2, at 5:30 pm Tot Shabbat, Friday, March 2, at 6 pm, Family Shabbat Service at 7 pmFinance Meeting, Tuesday, March 6, at 6:45 pmBoard Meeting, Tuesday, March 6, at 7:30 pmPurim Spiel, Wednesday, March 7, Festivities begin at 6, Spiel at 8 pmCongrgational Meeting to Discuss Merger, Thursday, March 29, at 7 pm
Weekly Schedule of Services:
Shabbat Service, Fridays, 7:30 pm (Family Services on first Fridayof month at 7:00 pm; Tots at 6:00 pm)Shacharit Service, Saturdays, 10:00 am (unless noted above)Beit Midrash Torah Study, Saturdays, 11:00 am (at 9:30 am on day ofB’nei Mitzvah)
Temple Sinai50 Alberta Dr.Amherst, NY 14226www.templesinaibuffalo.orgphone:716-834-0708
