THE VOICETEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM, 1301 WASHINGTON STREET, CANTON, MA 02021

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY TEVET-ADAR I 5775 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2015 ISSUE 3

Inside:

Canton Fall Classic raises $20,000+ for TBA

Holocaust Program Feb. 8...2President’s message, noting those we lost in 2014........3Special Gifts: two new funds and items TBA needs........5Save the Date for TBA’s 100th Anniversary..............9

By Melissa Mayer and Harvey Blonder

The 26th annual Canton FallClassic rarised more than $20,000for Temple Beth Abraham.

After a week of rain, localrunners were ready to rid them-selves of cabin fever on October26th. It provided many an oppor-tunity to do just that. On a beauti-ful Sunday morning ideally suitedfor racing, about 700 runnersparticipated in the 5K, 10K andFun Run, sponsored by TempleBeth Abraham.

Both of the longer racesserved as ideal celebrations for thetown. In the 10K, CatherineSong, a Canton High Schooljunior, became the first high schoolstudent to win overall in 43:21.Catherine had a spectacularweekend, since she had just

finished second in the HockomockLeague Championship meet.

Second place on the women’sside went to another Cantonresident, Andrea Widberg, whowas only 12 seconds back.

Louis Raffetto laid claim tobeing the best distance runner intown by winning the Men’sDivision by almost two minuteswith a time of 33:30.

The men’s winner of the 5Kwas Canton resident ChristopherKlucznik, who ran the course at a5:14 pace, clocking 16:15 andwinning by a minute and a half.

Women’s champion MollyMaxbauer of Michigan ran justunder a 7:00 minute pace to finishin 21:42.

In the Fun Run, CardinCostello was first to cross thefinish for the girls and Matt Chafinfor the boys..

We would like to thank ourmajor sponsors: MS Walker,Bank of Canton, Dedham SavingsBank, Harbor One Bank, KramerJewelers, American Auto Trans-porters, Sheila Donovan Pilates,Norwood Hospital, RodmanFord, Blue Hill Press, CantonPolice Association, Blue HillsBrewery, Liberty Mutual, Blue HillMontessori School, Republic

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Message from Rabbi Levine: Tu b’Shevat

Minyans are Sunday,Tuesday and Thursday,7:30 p.m. If you cannotattend, please arrange forsomeone to go in your place.Congregants who aremourning count on you.

Good and Welfare

The holiday of Tu b’Shevat,the 15th day of the month ofShevat (which falls this year onWednesday, February4), is known as the“New Year for theTree.” In its origins,Tu b’Shevat is asimple agriculturalmarker – It is consid-ered the start of anew year for thepurpose of tithingproduce. Through thecourse of Jewishhistory, the day hastaken on new meanings.

With the exile of Jews fromthe land of Israel, Tu b’Shevatbecame a day to affirm ourconnection to that land. Celebra-tion focused on eating special fruitassociated with Israel, such aspomegranates, almonds, dates andcarob. The latter (also known asbokser) became especiallypopular for its transportability andshelf life, if not for its taste.

The kabbalists developedmystical practices for the day,finding spiritual symbolism in the

eating of various fruitsand wines as a pathtoward self improvement.In the 16th century, themystics of Safed bor-rowed elements fromthe Passover seder tocreate a special ‘seder’for Tu b’Shevat.

With the rise of theZionist movement at theturn of the (last) century,in Israel Tu b’Shevat

became a day for planting trees.The Jewish National Fund turnedthis practice into a major engage-ment opportunity for Jews in theDiaspora, a practice that, althoughsubdued from its previous level,has continued to this day.

In recent years, environmentalconcerns have become an growingfocus of the holiday, both here andin Israel. More and more, Tub’Shevat is becoming the Jewish

Environmentalism holiday – theday on which we both celebratethe natural world and renew ourcommitments to protecting it.

There is an often-quotedmidrash, discussing our responsi-bilities as stewards of this world:

When the Holy Onecreated the human being, Godtook the human and led itaround all the trees of theGarden of Eden and said to it:Behold my works, howbeautiful they are! All that Ihave created is within yourdomain. Take care, therefore,that you do not destroy Myworld, for if you do, there willbe no one else to set it rightafter you. (from KoheletRabba)

At Temple Beth Abraham, wewill use the holiday to considerhow we might involve ourselvesmore fully with the environmentalquestions we as a global commu-nity face. How might our syna-gogue community engage withthese urgent concerns?

On Tuesday evening, Febru-ary 3rd(the eve of Tu b’Shevat),we will hold a Tu b’Shvat seder.Think of it as a birthday party forthe trees, and come ready to thinkabout the gift you would like us togive them.

Marilyn Geller wishes to thankthe congregation for all its well wish-es for her recovery from surgery.

CONDOLENCES:Judy Steinberg on the loss of her husband, Ben

SPEEDY RECOVERY:Ellen KollangiSusan SlavetToby Kreiger (second surgery)

NEW MEMBER:Carole Mikelson of Quincy

MILESTONES:Mazel tov to George Chism and Rose Ann Berwald on the birth of their grandson, Max Henry Axelrod

Save the Date:

Izzy Geller Holocaust Education Series

Sunday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.

Film: “The Lady in #6”The story of Alice Herz-Summer,

Terezin survivor

President’s Message

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Dear Friends,

Time passes so quickly. Werecently completed our High HolyDays and brought a sense ofcompletion to last year’s endeav-ors. We contemplated what we didwell, where we may have fallenbelow our expectations, how weinteracted with people and im-pacted their lives, knowingly orunknowingly. It was a time forlooking back, but also a time togain energy to move forward.Learning from our mistakes,misjudgments and misfortunes is achallenging skill. Many times wefocus on our successes, but do welearn from them? Actions withoutan element of risk likely do not gainus experience or wisdom.

The Festival of Lights broughtus stories of bravery, faith, andtragedy — all the elements in thestory of life. The New Year quicklyfollows with hopes and dreams,goals and resolutions, plans andprojects. Where will we be at thistime next year? I have always beentaught that without a clear destina-tion, any path will get you there.One plans their work and thenworks their plan. What are yourplans for this year? Have you takensome time to step back, breathe,and think about yourself and yourloved ones? How can you helpthem, be present for them and helpachieve your goals and theirs?

When Adam sinned his greatsin with Eve, Adam hid from G-d.G-d called out to Adam and said,“Adam, where are you?” G-d,being omnipotent, would haveknown where Adam was, andAdam could not have hidden fromHim. The Rabbis teach that G-dwas actually posing a question to

Adam. Where are you in yourjourney? How much time is left inyour bank to accomplish yourgoals?

Each person has a timetableto accomplish things in their lives.What they are able and willing todo is an individual matter basedon faith, courage, determination,and many other factors. What doyou need to do to be complete?

This year TBA lost many dearfriends and congregation mem-bers. These individuals accom-plished much in their lives, andwill be remembered fondly andmissed. We have also welcomedmany new members and havemany families that are growingwith new spouses, children, andgrandchildren. We mourn for ourlosses, smile with sweet memo-ries, and kvell with delight at thechildren. Such is the cycle of life.

TBA will continue to evolveduring the next year. We havestabilized our spiritual needs withRabbi Levine onboard andcontracted through June 2016.We have brought Temple ShaareTefilah (TST) into our chapel andare delighted to share events andservices with them. We will startour discussions about who we areand what we want to be thiswinter. Also, in May TBA will

celebrate its 100th year as anincorporated synagogue in Massa-chusetts.

My message, as President andas a member, is to take a fewmoments during this holidayseason to determine where youare in your journey. What thingsare important to you? What goals(large or small) do you have foryourself or others? How can youstart to determine a direction toreach those goals? How can TBAhelp you in this journey? How canI help you?

During the next six months(and beyond), I hope to be abetter President, TBA member,husband, father, son, and worker.I will take some time and thinkabout my personal goals and howI can be impactful in my life and inthat of others. We do not knowwhat life and God has in store forus, but we can cherish our timeand make the days and hoursmeaningful. This is my hope for allof you.

Best wishes for a wonderfulholiday season and New Year.

Mike Bakerman

TBA BARUCH DAYAN HA EMET – 2014

Ruth Pearlmutter 1/8/14Sumner Baker 2/4/14 (TBA Groundbreaker)Marvin Dronzek 2/23/14 (Father of Ellen Orkin)Phyllis Kierstead 3/4/14 (Sister of Philip Delaney)Milton Russman 3/17/14 (Father of Marc Russman)Maxwell Peel 4/18/14Stuart Sindell 4/27/14 (Father of Marci Sindell) (continued on page 4)

The next issue of THEVOICE is March-April2015. Deadline isFebruary 1, 2015.

Please email articles andany photos to:

Sherry Alpert, Editorsherry@alpert-publicrelations.com.

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(continued from page 1)Plumbing, Stanetsky Memorial Chapels, Dunkin Donuts (CarlosAndrade, franchisee), BernotasRealty, Independent Pipe, Wood-ward and Curran, and CombinedJewish Philanthropies - JewishOvernight Camp.

We would also like to thankour donors: Ameriprise (BruceTobin), CAF Pension, CharlesRiver Running, Universal Powerand Yoga, Triad Advertising, HubCity Cycle, Marathon Sports,Elite Health and Fitness, Bay StatePhysical Therapy, Welsh andParker, Kaplansky Insurance, andReebok.

Merchandise donors included:United Liquors, MS Walker,

Paula’s Package, Tri-TownLiquors, Pete’s Place, Maxie’sDelicatessen, Mandarin Taste,Shaw’s Supermarket, Frank andVinnie’s, Anton’s Cleaners,Canton Cleaners, Chinatown,Mya Nails and Spa, ElementsMassage, Alluna Skin Care, Salon401, Kramer Jewelers, Foley’sBackstreet Grille, Denneno’sPizza, Main Course, CantonVillage Wine and Liquor, OrangeLeaf, Halfway Café, GourmetGarden, BJ’s, Costco, OneBistro, Big Y Supermarket,Betsy’s Barber Shop, Pastene,and other personal donations byLeslie Kramer, Phyllis Moore andPeter Lurie.

Canton Fall Classic raises$20,000+ for TBA

Ken Gordon (left) stopped by Bank of Canton’s table at the CantonFall Classic. (L-R) Bank of Canton staff Geri Ryan, Customer Infor-mation Center Manager, Steve Bruus, Maintenance Department, andPaula Burke, Vice President, Business Development.

(continued from page 3)Phyllis Cadoff 5/19/14 (Sister of Harvey Blonder)Haskell Rapoport 5/21/14 (Past President)Nathan Slawsby 6/1/14 (TBA Groundbreaker)Edward Lidz 6/14/14Helene Weiner 6/27/14 (Former member and TBA Goundbreaker)Arlene Davidson 7/3/14 (Sister of the late Phyllis Seresky)Margot Gutmann 7/4/14Pearl Shmishkiss 7/10/14 (Mother of Richard Shmishkiss)Vivian Snyder 8/4/14 (Former member)Edna Lewis 8/22/14 (Mother of Herbert Lewis)Peter Miller 9/12/14 (Husband of Sue Miller)Phyllis Seresky 10/3/14 (TBA Groundbreaker)Howard Rosenkranz 10/6/14 (Father of Linda Silverstein)Lou Snapper 10/30/14 (TBA Groundbreaker)Ben Steinberg 12/7/14 (Husband of Judy Steinberg)

President’sMessage

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Special Gifts:Will you help make a difference this year?

I appreciate the continuedcontributions each of you make,be they financial, contributions toexisting funds, or gifts in-kind.

This year there will be oppor-tunity to contribute to two newdesignated funds.

The Phyllis Seresky Fund hasbeen established. This fund willenhance Temple Beth Abraham byproviding educational programs,musical opportunities and otheropportunities to engage thecongregation and community inlearning and socialization.

The Faith Greenberg HasinFund has been established toprovide a Hebrew School schol-arship.

Although the TBA budgetincludes funds for infrastructureand programs, additional infusionof support is always needed forspecial projects. Please considersupport for the following:

Computer for congregationaleducator

Chairlift for bema

Funding special educator forRuth L. Diamond ReligiousSchool

Event signage for front oftemple

Mounted projector screen

As we consider the future, it isimportant to keep the temple inmind as you plan your futurecontributions, will or bequests. For all your thoughtfulness, Ithank you. As time goes on,please continue to rememberTemple Beth Abraham. If you have questions aboutany of the information you receive,please contact me at(781) 828-8258 orpmoore@4967@aol.com.

Phyllis MooreSpecial Gifts

Religious School

During the month of Decem-ber, there was no doubt what theReligious School students werefocusing on. The lessons andstories of Hanukkah could beheard in all the classrooms. OnDecember 19th, we held a school-wide Hanukkah celebration at thehome of Marcy and Craig Hersh.Thank you to the Hersh family foropening up your home to us andguaranteeing the students and theirfamilies a fabulous Hanukkahcelebration.

Our “Eight Crazy Nights ofHanukkah” raffle was a hugesuccess, as we had an over-whelming response. Each rafflewas sold for $5.00, which in-cluded one entry into the raffle.Every night of Hanukkah a winner

was randomly chosen; prizesranged from $18-$36 cash, giftcards to Orange Leaf, Starbucks,and Dunkin Donuts, and the grandprize of $144 cash. More than180 raffles were sold. a HUGEsuccess for our school. Stay tunedfor future fundraising events.

The children continue to enjoy“slunch”, a snack (or lunch forsome) every Shabbat morning.Thank you to all of the parentswho have generously donatedtheir time to arrange this snack forthe children. We appreciateeveryone’s time and support andlook forward to a very happy andhealthy 2015.

Elissa Gordon & Mary Leder Co-Chairs, Board of Education

The Temple Beth AbrahamBook Group meets on the thirdMonday of the month at 7:30p.m. Upcoming meetings are: January 19 – Dena Kaufmanto discuss The Collini Case byFerdinand Von Schirach at TBA February 16 – Susan Lipsittto discuss Love and Treasure byAyelet Waldman at TBA March 16 – at the home ofJanis Monat April 20 – at the home ofPaula Atkins May 18 – at the home ofEllen Kollangi June 15 – Laina Levine,dinner at a local restaurant andbook discussion of The GoodLife by Susan Keitzman Anyone is welcome to join.For more information, pleasecontact Harriet Lavine,harrietlavine@yahoo.com.

Book Group

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Congregational Learning

Over the years that I haveworked at TBA, I have writtenand talked about different ways tocelebrate Shabbat.

By now, most ofyou know my owntradition that started14 years ago when Imoved to Sharon. Nothaving any family inthe area, my neighborsbecame my family.Each week we tookturns with one familyhosting while theothers brought variousside dishes and dessert.

Believe it or not, this becamethe highlight of the week for all.When the children were small,they would take turns helping withthe blessings, diving into thechallah and eating as fast as theycould so tthat hey could beexcused to go play while the adultslingered around the table.

As the children turned intoteenagers, our numbers grew,because their friends, both Jewish

and non-Jewish, wantedto be part of thesemagical evenings. Howstrange to have 16 yearolds wanting to hang outaround the dinner table?Even today when thekids come home fromcollege, they lookforward to ourneighborhood Shabbatdinners.

I would like tocreate a way to share my joy incelebrating Shabbat with my otherfamily here at TBA. On Friday,January 9th I would like to en-courage you to share Shabbat withsome TBA friends. Invite one, two,or as many famlies as you like fordinner. Remember, it does not haveto be a fancy dinner. It is not aboutthe food; it is about being together.

It is a great way to end the weekand catch up with each other.

On Friday, January 30th wewill have a community Shabbatdinner at the temple. The only catchto this night will be that everyonejoining us will have to help out insome way: setting the tables,shopping, cooking. More informa-tion will go out in mid-Januaryabout the dinner.

If anyone is interested in aShabbat 101, please let me know.We had this class several yearsago, and I would be happy toshare it again. If you need any helpwith preparing for Shabbat, pleaselet me know. Looking forward tohearing about who got together onthe 9th and hoping all will join uson the 30th.

B’Shalom,MelissaCongregational Learningfamed@templebethabraham.org

An open thank you to ourcongregation for all your supportof Family Table, sponsored byJewish Family and Children’sServices.

As site coordinators, we wantto once again thank all of our TBAfamily for your continued dona-tions and support of the FamilyTable program. All of your effortsas so important and valued.JF&CS nutritional programs assistand empower more than 500families each year.

JF&CS has asked us tocollect 25 jars of kosher peanut

butter and 50 cans of koshersoup. We are sure that we canstep up to the additional donationsneeded with the same dedicationthat we have had in the past.

Here is the distribution sched-ule for 2015: January 25, Febru-ary 22 (Purim distribution), March22 (Passover distribution), April26, May 17 (Shavuot distribution),June 14, July 19, no Augustdistribution. To volunteer, call (781) 693-5593 orfamlytable@jfcsboston.orgat least two weeks in advance toarrange for an assignment. Please

provide your name, telephonenumber, email, and hometown.As always, your generosity isappreciated.

Adrienne and JerryFleishman

Family Table Needs Volunteers, Food Donations

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The synagogue would like to be informed about all importantoccasions, including births, engagements, weddings, bar/batmitzvahs, graduations, awards, etc., as well as illnesses anddeaths. Please notify the office at (781) 828-5250.

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FundraisingFrom the Library

Thank you for your donationsto purchase the following booksthis month:

The Angel of Losses byStephanie Feldman – The Tiger’sWife meets The History of Love inthis inventive, lushly imagineddebut novel that explores theintersections of family secrets,Jewish myths, the legacy of warand history, and the bonds be-tween sisters.

When Eli Burke dies, heleaves behind a mysteriousnotebook full of stories about amiracle worker named the WhiteRebbe and the enigmatic Angel ofLosses, both protectors of thingsgone astray and guardians of thelost letter of the alphabet, whichcompletes the secret name ofGod.Years later, when Eli’sgranddaughter Marjorie stumblesupon his notebook, everything shethought she knew about hergrandfather — and her family —comes undone. To learn the truthabout Eli’s origins and unlock thesecrets he kept, Marjorie embarkson an odyssey that takes her deepinto the past, from the medievalHoly Land to eighteenth-centuryVenice and Nazi-occupiedLithuania. What she finds leadsher back to present-day NewYork City and her estranged sister,Holly, whom she must save fromthe consequences of Eli’s past.

Orphan Train by ChristinaBaker Kline, the bestseller thathas swept the nation, with morethan one million copies sold.

Between 1854 and 1929, so-called orphan trains ran regularlyfrom the cities of the East Coast tothe farmlands of the Midwest,

carrying thousands of abandonedchildren whose fates would bedetermined by luck andchance.This is the story of onesuch child.

More book reviews will be inthe March-April 2015 issue.

Save the date!

Sunday, May 3

100-Year Gala

Celebration

of TBA

The 2015 TBA MembershipDirectory is nearly complete. Wehave more than a dozen advertisersand expect to raise $5,000+.

The Membership Directory isan important fundraiser for TBA.

Planning for the TBA 100-YearCelebration Gala on Sunday,May 3 is underway.

Ken Gordon is chairing theevent. The gala will be an exciting,unique moment in our TBA history.We need volunteers to help tomake it a big success.

To volunteer, please contacteither Ken Gordon,ken_gordon73@hotmail. com orLarry@ savvysolutions.us.

Larry Finklestone Fundraising Chair

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Temple Beth Abraham Staff

Spiritual Leader...... .......Rabbi Navah LevineCongregational Educator......Melissa RudmanPresident..........................Michael BakermanOffice Manager...................Kathleen CorbeilThe Voice Editor.......................Sherry Alpert

Temple Beth Abraham1301 Washington StreetCanton, MA 02021(781) 828-5250www.tbacanton.ning.comtheoffice@templebethabraham.org