Congregation Beth El “A Reform Congregation

with a warm approach to tradition”

Inside this issue

• Rabbi’s Message

• Birthdays, Anniversaries, Mazel Tovs,

Good Health Wishes

• Congregational Happenings

• Yartzeits and Condolences

• Contributions

• Community events

Congregation Beth El

2525 Mark Ave.

Windsor, Ontario N9E 2W2

519-969-2422

Fax: 519-969-2660

E-mail: bethelwindsor@cogeco.net

www.bethelwindsor.ca

Rabbi: Jeffrey Ableser

Cantorial Soloist: Tracey Atin

President : Lawrence Pazner

January, 2018

Vol. 57, No. 7

14 Tevet - 15 Shevat

5778

This month’s Bulletin is sponsored by:

Friday, January 26, 2018

7:00 pm Shabbat Service

Shabbat Shirah-

Sermon in Song

featuring Tracey Atin

performing

Happy Birthday Bernstein

A Salute to Leonard Bernstein on his (slightly

belated) 100th Birthday

JEWS AND “ISMS”

I seem to have painted myself into a corner.

A few years ago I was involved in creating the Jewish Studies minor at the University of Windsor. Part of my

assignment was to come up with a few more courses for the programme, and write up course descriptions for

those courses. One of those courses was a class in modern Jewish history, from 1750 to the present. To

make it sound more interesting, I added to the course description that the course would look at “isms” in

which Jews took a prominent, and sometimes, a leadership role, and how these “isms” affected the Jewish

people. I also said that the course would explore Jewish leadership in the social sciences, like psychology,

sociology and anthropology, as well as explore Jewish pre-eminence in the motion picture industry.

Now I’ve been asked to teach the course this winter.

The problem is, how do you fit all that into one 24 session course? In outlining the course, I came up with

twelve “isms,” including liberalism, neo-conservatism, feminism, Zionism, romanticism, rationalism,

capitalism, socialism, communism, and even journalism. One must also address multiple Judaisms,

including Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstructionist. And let’s not forget the impact of anti-

Semitism on Jewish life in modern times. Still, that doesn’t include a few geniuses like Einstein and Kafka,

who should get some mention in the course. And in the meantime, the course should also address the

struggle for rights in Europe, the German and Eastern European immigrations to North America, the

Holocaust, and the creation of the State of Israel, as well as current Jewish life in North America. It’s a

daunting challenge.

But it’s one I’m looking forward to! I am intensely proud to be a Jew, and particularly proud of our

accomplishments over the past few hundred years. For centuries, during the dark ages, we were consigned

to ghettoes, shtetls and juderias throughout the world. We were, for the most part, forbidden to mix with the

host culture, except to provide services that the majority either couldn’t or wouldn’t do. Yes, we produced

great rabbis, and when given half a chance, as in the Golden Age of Spain, we excelled in poetry, science,

philosophy and other disciplines. But when Jews were finally liberated from ghetto existence, we fairly

exploded with intellectual contributions to the world. Imagine the modern world without Freud and Marx and

Einstein, not to mention Kafka and Salk and Charlie Chaplin. Imagine a modern world without Jewish

contributions to science and medicine, motion pictures and television, the Broadway stage and Tin Pan Alley.

I hope to convey that sense of accomplishment during the course, even as we examine the perniciousness of

anti-Semitism, leading to the Holocaust, and the excitement involved in the founding of the State of Israel.

We Jews have much of which to be proud. We have made the world a smarter, better place with our creativity

and intellectual prowess.

I hope to be able to share some of my insights from the course in sermons during the next few months.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Jeffrey Ableser

From the Rabbi’s Corner By Rabbi Jeffrey Ableser

עבובהב ב ב

ק״קבויתבאל

TORAH STUDY

Join us for Torah Study at 10 AM Saturday. Discussion of the weekly portion is lively, informed, and well-researched. Participants

express a wide range of interpretations of the central text of our faith.

SPONSOR AN ONEG! The cost of sponsoring an oneg is $72.00 for a 5:45 pm service or $118.00 for a 7:00 pm service. Please consider sponsoring an

oneg in honour of or in memory of a loved one.

January 2018 Torah Study & Learning

10:00 am

Saturdays unless

otherwise noted

Saturday, January 6

No Torah Study

Sh’mot

Saturday, January 13

Va-eira

Saturday, January 20

Bo

Saturday, January 27

B’shalach

Shabbat Worship &

Candle lighting

Friday, January 5

Candle lighting 4:56 pm

Services 5:45 pm

Friday, January 12

Candle lighting 5:03 pm

Services 5:45 pm

Friday, January 19

Candle lighting 5:11 pm

Services 7:00 pm

Led by Rabbi Ableser

and our newest B’nai Mitzvah

Kylie & Marley Pazner

Oneg following

Friday, January 26

Candle lighting 5:20 pm

Services 7:00 pm

Shabbat Shirah-Sermon in Song

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The Food Bank of the Unemployed Help Centre needs

our contributions, now more than ever. You can bring

non-perishables to the shopping basket in our foyer for

the food bank. No one in our community should go

hungry at this or any other time of year.

Your gift of food will go a long way in helping our

community. A generous donation will help to feed local

families in time of crisis. Your willingness to share food

and household products will provide essential items to

maintain nutritional balance and personal hygiene.

Please take a shopping bag from the lobby and return it

to the Temple. Your donation will help to relieve the

hardships of families in Windsor and surrounding areas.

Mitzvah for Every Day

MACCABI GAMES 2018

Windsor will be sending a team of athletes to

Orange County, California Aug 5 to 10, 2018.

Any interested youth ages 13 to 16 are eligible.

Please contact

Ron Polsky

H -519-972-3379

C- 519-981-6689

Office Closures in

January

Monday, January 1, 2018

Board of Directors

Meeting Dates

2018

Tuesday, January 16th

Tuesday, February 20th

Tuesday, March 20th

Hosted by Ilan Einy

Airing Thursday mornings

8:30 am to 10:30 am

CJAM 99.1 FM

University of Windsor Radio

Tune In To

BOKER TOV An International Radio Show

Please note the e-mail address for Beth El:

bethelwindsor@cogeco.net

in order to receive correspondence, invoices,

yarzheit notices, newsletters and notifications.

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To Lawrence Pazner and

Jori Rosenberg on the B’nai

Mitzvah of their daughters

Kylie and Marley during

their recent cruise. They will

help lead Shabbat Services

here on January 19 at 7:00

pm and their parents will

sponsor an Oneg following

in their honour.

To Dr. Reuben Schnayer for leading “Torah Together” on Fri. Dec. 1

To Dr. Stuart Selby for leading the service on Dec. 29th.

To Charles and Karen Rosen for sponsoring the Oneg on Dec. 8 in memory of

Charles’ beloved mother, Dorothy Hume.

To our Latke making crew – Rabbi Ableser, Nels Katzman, Lorna Shulman, Yvonne Lavoie

Noreen Inting, and Sarah Shklov

To Pearls Produce for their generous donation of potatoes for the latkes!

ק״קב

ויתב

אל

Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordecai Richler

With Hanukkah and the New Year in December, we won’t get to our next book until the end of January, and rather than do another new book, we are reaching back to 1989 to one of the great classics of Canadian and Jewish novels. The menacing black raven that swoops in and out of Mordecai Richler's novel is the totem of Ephraim Gursky, 19th Century Jewish-Eskimo shaman, Minsk cantor, London pickpocket, bogus millenarian preacher and Klondike roustabout. Almost magically popping up all over the globe, working dozens of shadowy scams, Ephraim represents the first of the generations of Gurskys whose convoluted, endearingly manic saga propels

Solomon Gursky Was Here.

Richler's novels are exuberant, stew-like affairs, and this one has a special tang. Some fans and critics have cited this as Mordecai Richler's best book, and in terms of scope and style it is unmatched by his other works. Solomon Gursky is told in a non-linear fashion, jumping around through four generations of the legendary Gursky family. Though much of the story is told from the fictional author’s perspective, parts are also told from the perspectives of different members of the family and the people attached to them, creating a much more

ambiguous picture of the Gurskys.

An alcoholic Montreal writer named Moses Berger is writing a book about the Gursky (read Bronfman) family, founders and owners of the McTavish (read Seagram) Distillers. Mostly, the book tries to get a fix on the most shadowy of the original three Gursky brothers--Solomon, who seems to have been both the imp and the hero of the family. And what a family! Clever, greedy, funny, and in the oddest way very shtetl-like, totally interwoven into the Montreal Jewish community with its provincialism and generosity. Berger traces the family back to the patriarch, Ephraim, the crook thrown out of England and landing in the Arctic, where he assumed a Messianic position among the Eskimos who became crypto-Jews. This is funny stuff: no one can do a modern Jewish social function better than Richler, and there's a testimonial dinner here that's priceless, and the

comedy remains constant and effortless.

The novel is at once an extended joke about that amateur historian in every Jewish family who can prove Columbus was Jewish and who knows what Abraham Lincoln and F.D.R. were called before they changed their last names. So, as the black raven soars over the book's final paragraph, we discover that Mordecai Richler has shaped his clever plot in a perfect circle, a narrative design that restores order and brings a welcome

reassurance of closure.

We meet next on January 24th at the JCC at 7:00 PM

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If you wish to have your birthday or a family member's birthday or your anniversary listed in the bulletin, please contact the

Beth El office at 519-969-2422.. To ensure that you receive your bulletin, please call us if you have a change of address or if

you wish to receive your bulletin by e-mail.

We thank every member who makes a contribution to our many funds. A gift of $12 to the Temple is a very

appreciated way to congratulate a friend or family member on happy occasions, and a thoughtful way to

give condolences. Please remember Beth El with your donations. All donations are eligible for a tax receipt.

Mishpacha-Our Congregational Family ק״קבויתבאל

Mazel Tov and

Best Wishes

To those celebrating birthdays in

January 2018

1 Joyce Garber

3 Kevin Davis

4 Ian Greenspan

4 Miriam Zaltsman

5 Morgan Nicole Miller

6 Joseph B. Shanbaum

6 Karen Rosen

7 Marlene Gold

9 Dolores Burstyn

9 Andrew Tepperman

10 Michael Ellis

10 Sheldon Jarcaig

12 Mikie Freed

13 Michael Zaltsman

16 Fern Miller

17 Mike Malowitz

21 Joshua Goldstein

21 Samuel Katzman

22 Jerry Weingarden

28 Mildred Silver

31 Kelly-Lynn Abraham

If you wish to have your birthday or a family member's birthday or your anniversary listed in the bulletin, please contact the

Beth El office at 519-969-2422.. To ensure that you receive your bulletin, please call us if you have a change of address or if

you wish to receive your bulletin by e-mail.

Mishpacha-Our Congregational Family ק״קבויתבאל

Dorothy Buckhalter

Ed Levitt

Lou & Lil Lederman

Esther Goldstein

Valerie Horner

Annette Teich

Jackie Farrell

Robert Margolis

Rick Peterson

Louise Ziff

Deborah Gold

Sandi Malowitz

Hannah Levin

Morley Silver

Mildred Silver

Nel Chelsky

Rona Paquette

Judy Eskin

Miriam Schnayer

Neil Colman

Wayne Katz

Beth Horowitz

Avraham Labe

Nancy Barat

Marla Rivard

Jacquie Rosenblum

Suzanne Selby

Pat Routliffe

Nina Zlotnik

Sidney Chelsky

Rita Borden

Florence Cohen

Vicki Rashbaum Horowitz

Robin Martin Duttman

Dr. Jerry Lechner

Ashley Gow

Salomon Smeer

Harold Lewis

Tony Lee

Ruth Goldstein

Cindy Jeris

Mark Vruble

Dr. Milton Cohen

Patrick Leathorn

Clifford Waxman

Florence Lechner

Lester Fitzpatrick

Tracey Atin

Mona Horlick

Good Health Wishes - Refu’ah

Sheleimah

A complete healing to:

Bingo Helpers Needed

2 or 3 times per month

Congregation Beth El provides helpers at Breakaway Charity Bingo.

Each session is about 2 hours long

and requires 2 people

Our job is to greet people, keep the tables clean

and generally help out. EASY!

In return we are paid a significant amount.

We would like 2 or 3 more people in our roster

of those available to work

Please call the office @ 519-969-2422

Or contact us by email: bethelwindsor@cogeco.net

if you might be willing to help us!

YAHRZEITS

MAY THEIR MEMORIES ALWAYS BE FOR A BLESSING

:ZICHRONAM L’VRACHA -WE REMEMBER ז״לב

ק״קב

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אל

In Memoriam To David Shanbaum on the loss of his beloved mother, Barbara

Shanbaum.

To Joanne Polsky on the loss of her beloved mother, Catherine Remsing.

To Josh Polsky and family on the loss of his beloved grandmother and

great-grandmother Catherine Remsing.

To Mandi Chandler on the loss of her beloved grandmother and great-

grandmother Catherine Remsing.

January 2018

13 DAVID COREN

14 JENNY RUBIN

14 RACHEL RAE AZEFF

17 JEFFREY WEINER

17 ESTHER SILVER

18 PHILIP SCHOMBERGER

18 HYMAN TAUB

18 DAVID PEARL

19 HARRY RUBIN

20 MARTIN GOLDBERG

20 ABRAHAM BEN ZION LANTZMAN

20 MOISHE KLEINPLATZ

20 PIFFE KLEINPLATZ

20 DAVID GOLDSTEIN

21 EVA KAHN

21 LOUIS WAGNER

21 TOVA KIMY AGAROV

23 NORM KATZ

23 IRVING GOLDHAR

23 HANA GAMBERG

24 YITZHAK JONAS

January 2018

1 BETSY WOOLF

1 MARY ZOMBORI

1 MELVIN ROSENBERG

1 ROBERT ROSENBERG

3 MANIA JARCAIG

3 FREDA JOFFE

3 JOSEPH TENCER

6 DR. HENRY SHANFIELD

7 MILA RIPP

8 IDA KATZMAN

8 EVA GOLDBERG

9 IDA RESNICK

10 GERTRUDE WEINGARDEN

10 GEORGE WEINGARDEN

10 ORVILLE MARCOTTE

11 JACK WALD

11 DAVID DUNCAN

11 PAULINE ESTHER FINE

12 FANNY BRODSKY

13 MARTIN “BUDDY” WUNDER

13 SIDNEY KASPER

January 2018

25 PAULINE BOOKSPAN

26 LEE ABLESER

27 ARTHUR RASHBAUM

27 HARRY M. CHERNIAK

27 SYDNEY MORRIS

27 ALBERT JOSEPH LAURIE

27 ROSE PAYMAN

28 ABRAHAM ROSENTHAL

28 CHARLOTTE BURNSTEIN

29 DAVID WEINGARDEN

29 ESTHER ROSEN

29 ANNE ARBER

29 MORRIS NOVOMINSKY

29 RACHEL SHUMER

30 HARRY ESKIN

30 ALBERT SCHWARTZ

30 DR. BERNARD SPRING

31 SYDNEY ATIN

31 RABBI W. GUNTHER PLAUT

31 FAYE SPRING

31 MOLLY ROTHENBURG

31 MARK GOLDBERG

Thank you to those who have given generously to Congregation Beth El this month. Gifts are a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday, an

anniversary, the arrival of a child, or to remember the life of someone who has passed away. Your donations to these Temple funds are

greatly appreciated.

Arthur & Brian Barat Memorial Fund

Good health wishes to Nancy Barat by: Sandi & Michael Malowitz.

In memory of Barbara Shanbaum by: Nancy Barat.

The Building Fund

In memory of Barbara Shanbaum, beloved mother of David Shanbaum by: Audrey & Dan Bondy; Brenda & Philip Cohen; Marlene Taub,

Tanya & Aaron; Applied Systems Canada.

In memory of Rachel Eisenberg, beloved mother of Jack Eisenberg by: Congregation Beth El.

Camp George Scholarship Fund

In memory of Lillian Hart, beloved sister of Harold Taub by: Carol Plaut.

Honouring Madie & Art Weingarden on the birth of their great-granddaugher Lily by: Carol Plaut.

Friendship Circle Fund

In memory of Dr. Aubrey Goldstein by: Ellen Mossny; Sharon & Mort Kaplan.

In memory of Barbara Shanbaum by: Sarah Shklov; Sharon & Mort Kaplan.

In memory of Rachel Eisenberg, beloved mother of Jack Eisenberg by: Sharon & Mort Kaplan.

In memory of Arthur Rashbaum, beloved father of Sue Selby by: Stu & Sue Selby.

Aron Fink Endowment Fund

Honouring Norma Fink & Salomon Smeer on the bar mitzvah of Norma’s grandson Landon by:

Carol Plaut; Brenda & Philip Cohen.

In memory of Barbara Shanbaum by: Norma Fink & Salomon Smeer.

Maurice Goldstein Endowment Fund

In memory of Dr. Aubrey Goldstein by: Carol Plaut.

Ethel & Harry Hoffman Memorial Fund

Honouring Lanny Joffe & Stephen Kurtz on the marriage of Lanny’s son Mark to Anna by: Carol Plaut; Brenda & Philip Cohen; Mary & Sam

Zaltz.

Aaron & Fran Katzman Endowment Fund

In memory of Rachel Mandel, beloved daughter of Steve & Lynn Mandel by: Fred & Marcey Katzman.

In memory of Andrea Katzman, beloved wife of Val Katzman by: Sharon & Mort Kaplan.

Cantor Sidney Resnick Memorial Music Fund

In memory of Eva Selby, beloved step-mother of Stu Selby by: Stu & Sue Selby.

Joani Rosenthal Nursery School Fund

To Stu & Sue Selby celebrating their new home by: Bill & Rochelle Tepperman.

Sam & Sara Taub Scholastic Memorial Fund

In memory of Lillian Hart, beloved sister of Harold Taub by: Fred & Marcey Katzman; Brenda & Philip Cohen.

Contributions ק״קבויתבאל

Social Action

A SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM – LET’S DO IT AGAIN

The Social Action Committee selected meal preparation at the newly opened Ronald McDonald

House as a project that would bring congregants together and better the lives of others in our

community.

We are pleased to report that this project did both.

We originally selected 3 dates and put a call out for Beth El volunteers. Under the leadership of

Ronna Warsh, Mark Morrison, and Sandi Malowitz, our responsibilities were to plan, shop for,

prepare and serve dinner to the parents who had children in hospital, and were utilizing the services

of RMH. The response was wonderful. After our first dinner we realized that we needed fewer

volunteers each night than we had planned. Therefore, we added another meal to our schedule to

accommodate everyone.

The staff and volunteers of RMH were thrilled with our participation. Our meals were delicious and

plentiful, and our volunteers served the parents in a very caring manner. We were very pleased as

well. Eighteen different people, both men and women, volunteered. We all had a good time doing a

mitzvah for those in need. This was also a very affordable project. Each meal cost just over $100.00

which was covered by donations.

Reviewing the success of this project, we have decided to do it again. We will select 4 dates and

reach out for volunteers through our Beth El bulletin. We look forward to having returnees and new

volunteers for a feel-good experience. Good cooking skills are not required. If you want to support this

program, but do not want to cook, consider directing your donations to the Beth El Social Action Fund,

which funds this project.

We look forward to announcing our dates for 2018.

Warm regards,

Ronna, Mark and Sandi

Friendship Circle

For Hanukkah the Friendship Circle mailed cards hand-made by Mary Zaltz. The cards were beautiful

and very well received.

The next event will be "Dinner with Friends" planned for Friday, Jan. 5th, tentatively at Jose's

on Howard. Please contact the office to let us know if you wish to join the group.

The Friendship Circle is planning on meeting next sometime in February!

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SIMCHAS- Please notify the office by the 15th of each month, if you wish to have a special event in your life (simchas, life-cycle events, etc.) published in your bulletin.

UNVEILINGS- Rabbi Ableser is available to perform Unveilings. Please contact him to make arrangements. We kindly request

that you advise the Beth El office of any Unveiling dates to be announced in the Beth El bulletin (please advise us if you wish

the Unveiling to be private and unpublished). The office will contact the Cemetery Caretaker to make the necessary prepara-

tions at the Cemetery before the Unveiling.

SPECIAL NOTICE- Bar/Bat Mitzvah, weddings, sponsoring a Kiddush, please book with the Beth El office. When holding such

events please advise the office of catering details, deliveries, set-up of tables, number of guests expected, etc. so that we may

avoid any misunderstandings and your event will be a pleasant one for all. Thank you for your consideration.

SUPPORTING CONGREGATION BETH EL- A donation to Beth El is a wonderful way to congratulate friends and family on sim-

chas, as well as a thoughtful and meaningful way to extend condolences. A contribution card will be mailed to the recipient

(minimum donation $12). You can phone the office at 969-2422 or the office can take your requests for donations on-line (or

any other request, such as names to be included on our Myshebera list, yahrzeits to be read, reservations for events) through

our email address: bethelwindsor@cogeco.net.

NOTICE- If you have a child graduating from Secondary School, College or University, the office would like to publish this infor-

mation in the next bulletin. Please call us with the details. If you have a Simcha you wish published please call to let us know.

Thank you for your cooperation.

BAR/BAT MITZVAH- The office requests that you book your Bar/Bat Mitzvah date at least 2 years in advance. Please call us if

you are planning this special event. We will ensure it is on the community calendar.

LET US KNOW WHO IS IN THE

HOSPITAL

Over the years, we have tried to work with the hospitals

to develop an effective way of knowing which Jewish

patients are in hospital. For the most part, it has been a

losing battle and now privacy laws do not permit the

hospital to call and advise who is a patient in the

hospital.

The bottom line is, if you do not let us know when a

Jewish patient is in hospital, we will only know when

Rabbi Ableser visits the hospitals, once or twice a week.

The easiest way for you to help is to call us and let us

know who is in hospital. It’s even easier if you call after

hours, and leave a message on the answering machine.

“Visiting the sick” is a prime Jewish virtue. The best way

is to do it yourself. But, for thirty seconds of your time

on the telephone, you can help us perform this mitzvah.

Please keep it in the back of your mind.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

The Board of Directors’ meeting is scheduled for Tuesday,

January 16, 2018 at 7:00 pm. Please join us as we discuss the

monthly financial information and business.

CEMETERY NOTICE

The Beth El Cemetery gates are open on

Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday from

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., with the excep-

tion of Jewish Holidays. Please Note: even though the gates are

open on the days and hours stated above, you will notice that

there are chains wrapped around the gates and they appear to

be locked. In the past few years, due to youths in the area gath-

ering at the cemetery on occasion, the caretaker had closed the

gates with a chain to make it appear they were locked. Unfortu-

nately at times this chain and lock were difficult to remove by

our members, and has now been removed on the above men-

tioned days when the cemetery will be open.

Did you know that Our Combined Religious School has a great website and an email address?

Please visit OurCombinedSchool.com for monthly updates and the school year calendar.

You can email at the school address:

ourcombinedschool@outlook.com

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News and resources from January Holidays

January 30-31, 2018

Tu BiSh'vat

Tu BiSh'vat or the "New Year of the Trees" is Jewish Arbor Day. The holiday is observed on the 15th (tu) of the Hebrew month of

Sh'vat. Scholars believe that originally Tu BiSh'vat was an agricultural festival, marking the emergence of spring. In the 17th

century, Kabbalists created a ritual for Tu BiSh'vat that is similar to a Passover seder. Today, many Jews hold a modern version

of the Tu BiSh'vat seder each year. The holiday also has become a tree-planting festival in Israel, in which Israelis and Jews

around the world plant trees in honor or in memory of loved ones and friends.

History Tu BiSh’vat is first mentioned in the Mishnah, the code of Jewish law that dates back to around 200 C.E. There, in Rosh

Hashanah 1:1, the text speaks of four new years, all of which are connected to an ancient cycle of tithes. Each year, the

Israelites were expected to bring one-tenth of their fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem, where they were offered to God and also

helped sustain the priestly class and the poor. Since fruit from one year could not be used to tithe for another, the Rabbis had

to determine when a crop year would begin and end. They chose the month of Sh'vat as the cut-off date, for this is when, in

Israel, the sap begins to run and the trees start to awaken from their winter slumber, before beginning to bear fruit.

Like Hanukkah, Tu BiSh'vat is a post-biblical festival, instituted by the Rabbis. However, the holiday has biblical roots. The

tithing system upon which it is based dates back to the Torah and its deep concern with trees, harvests, and the natural world,

all of which are at the heart of Tu BiSh'vat. Beginning with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden all the

way through to Deuteronomy’s injunction against destroying fruit trees in times of war, our biblical text is replete with trees,

both literal and metaphorical. Indeed, the Torah itself often is referred to as an eitz chayim (tree of life), based on a passage in

the Book of Proverbs.

Although the celebration of Tu BiSh'vat has a long and varied history, the theme most commonly ascribed to the holiday today

is the environment. It is considered a festival of nature, full of wonder, joy, and thankfulness for God’s creation in anticipation

of the renewal of the natural world. During this festival, Jews recall the sacred obligation to care for God’s world, and the

responsibility to share the fruits of God’s earth with all.

Tu BiSh'vat falls at the beginning of spring in Israel, when the winter rains subside and the pink and white blossoms of the

almond trees begin to bud. It is for this reason that almonds and other fruits and nuts native to the Land of Israel - barley,

dates, figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives, and wheat - are commonly eaten during the Tu BiSh'vat seder.

In modern times, Tu BiSh'vat was nourished by the rise of the Zionist movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,

which re-emphasized the Jewish people’s connections to the land and the natural world. It was the Zionist pioneers who - with

strong financial support from Jews throughout the world who donated trees to mark smichot (special occasions) - re-forested

the land of Israel, largely under the auspices of the Jewish National Fund (Keren Kayemet l’Yisrael). As a result of this

emphasis on tree planting - on Tu BiSh'vat and all year long - Israel stands as the only country in the world with an almost

constant net growth of trees.

Source: The Jewish Home (Revised Edition) by Daniel B. Syme

ק״קבויתבאל

January 2018

Sh’mot [Names] Exodus 1:1 - 6:1

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each coming with his

household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali,

Gad and Asher. - Exodus 1:1-4

The new king of Egypt makes slaves of the Hebrews and orders their male children to be drowned in the Nile River. (1:1-22)

A Levite woman places her son, Moses, in a basket on the Nile, where he is found by the daughter of Pharaoh and raised in Pharaoh's house. (2:1-10)

Moses flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. (2:11-15)

Moses marries the priest of Midian's daughter, Zipporah. They have a son named Gershom. (2:16-22)

God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to free the Israelites from Egypt. (3:1-4:17)

Moses and Aaron request permission from Pharaoh for the Israelites to celebrate a festival in the wilderness. Pharaoh refuses and makes life even harder for

the Israelites. (5:1-23)

Va-eira I (God) Appeared [to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob] Exodus 6:2 - 9:35

God spoke to Moses and said to him, "I am the Eternal." - Exodus 6:2

Despite God's message that they will be redeemed from slavery, the Israelites' spirits remain crushed. God instructs Moses and

Aaron to deliver the Israelites from the land of Egypt. (6:2-13)

The genealogy of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and their descendants is recorded. (6:14-25)

Moses and Aaron perform a miracle with a snake and relate to Pharaoh God's message to let the Israelites leave Egypt. (7:8-13)

The first seven plagues occur. God hardens Pharaoh's heart, and Pharaoh rescinds each offer to let the Israelites go. (7:14-9:35)

Bo Go [to Pharaoh] Exodus 10:1 - 13:16

Then the Eternal One said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh. For I have hardened his heart and the hearts of

his courtiers, in order that I may display these My signs among them." - Exodus 10:1

God sends the plagues of locusts and darkness upon Egypt and forewarns Moses about the final plague, the death of every

Egyptian firstborn. Pharaoh still does not let the Israelites leave Egypt. (10:1-11:10)

God commands Moses and Aaron regarding the Passover festival. (12:1-27)

God enacts the final plague, striking down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt except those of the House of Israel. Pharaoh now allows the Israelites to leave.

(12:29-42)

Speaking to Moses and Aaron, God repeats the commandments about Passover. (12:43-13:16)

B’shalach Now When [Pharaoh] Let [the People] Go Exodus 13:17 - 17:16

Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines,

although it was nearer; for God said, "The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and

return to Egypt." - Exodus 13:17

The Children of Israel escape across the Sea of Reeds from Pharaoh and his army, who drown when God drives back the sea.

(13:17-14:31)

Moses and the Israelites sing a song praising Adonai. (15:1-21)

In the wilderness, God provides the grumbling Israelites with quails and manna. God instructs the Israelites to gather and prepare on the sixth day food

needed for Shabbat. (15:22-16:36)

The people complain about the lack of water. Moses hits a rock with his rod and brings forth water. (17:1-7)

Israel defeats Amalek, Israel's eternal enemy. God vows to blot out the memory of Amalek from the world. (17:8-16)

Community Events-K’hilah

Save the date, attend the event, support your community

April 23-26, 2018

Cineplex Odeon Theaters

Devonshire Mall

Enjoy the films and

become a 2018 Sponsor

The 16th Annual

Ruth & Bernard

Friedman

Windsor Jewish Film

Festival

April 23-26, 2018

Save the Date!

Executive

Directors

Trustees

2017-2018 Board of Directors

George and Rosanne Agree Endowment

Arthur and Brian Barat Memorial

Camp George Scholarship

Building Fund

Friendship Circle

Cheifetz Family Memorial

Beatrice Cherniak Memorial Flower

Charles and Ethel Cohen Endowment

Joseph M. and Florence Cohen Endowment

Sam M. and Celia Cohen Scholastic Endowment

Faye, Morris and Harvey Duke Memorial

Saul and Marion Fainstein Memorial

Aron Fink Endowment Fund

Jane and Sam Freed Memorial

Golden Book

Maurice Goldstein Endowment

Hochberg/Kaplan Memorial

Ted Hochberg Memorial

Ethel and Harry Hoffman Memorial

Cantor Sidney Resnick Memorial Music

Larry Kaiman Memorial

Fran and Aaron Katzman Endowment

Ronald Meretsky Memorial

Rabbi Dr. Jonathan V. Plaut Memorial

Rabbi W. Gunther and Elizabeth S. Plaut Memorial

Rabbi’s Discretionary

Religious School

Harry and Dora Rosen Memorial

Joani Rosenthal Nursery School

William Silver and Doreen Silver-Bricker Memorial

Social Action Projects

Sam and Sara Taub Scholastic Memorial

Torah Fund

Dorothy T. & Max Weingarden Endowment

Congregation Beth El Fund List

Donations can be made to any of the funds listed in support of Con-

gregation Beth El. Minimum donation is $12. Golden Book and Mitz-

vah Fund donations are $18.00. New prayer books are now availa-

ble for plating with the cost remaining $30.00.

Marlene Gold

Sharon Kaplan

Michael Blacher Stephen Lutvak

William Botton Michael H. Malowitz D.D.S.

Brenda S. Cohen Dr. Reuben Schnayer

Carl S. Cohen, Q.C., LL.D. Paula M. Taub

James L. Cohen Al Teshuba

William Goldstein Arthur B. Weingarden

Marc S. Katzman

Tree of Life

Inscribe your family “Simchas” on our synagogue’s Tree of Life. An inscription is a permanent dedication to the happy meaningful events that touch our lives. Leaf inscriptions are

$150.00 and stone inscriptions are $1000.00 Please call the Beth El office to order

Golden Book

The Golden Book in the Beth El lobby may be inscribed for Simchas for any occasion for a donation of $18.00.

Memorial Plaques

To honour your loved ones who have passed away, a memorial plaque shows a genuine sign of religious feeling. It bears the individual’s name with the Hebrew and secular dates of

death. A contribution of $450.00 to the Temple secures this memorial inscription. Please call the Beth El office 519-969-2422 to order.

President Lawrence Pazner

Vice President Karen Rosen

Vice President Andrew Tepperman

Vice President Marilee Marcotte

Secretary Dr. Michael Malowitz

Treasurer Maria Belenkova

Past-President Audrey Bondy

Building Chair-Karen Rosen

Membership Chairman-Ron Polsky