November 2023 Bulletin

December 2023 CEI Bulletin

Congregation Emanu-El Israel

222 North Main Street, Greensburg, PA. 15601          

                Kislev – Tevet      5784                 

December 2023

 724-834-0560    

office@cei-greensburg.org     rabbi@cei-greensburg.org     www.ceigreensburg.org

 The Mission of Congregation Emanu-El Israel is: To support Judaism and the welfare of our community.

—————————————————–

From the desk of Rabbi Leonard Sarko

December marks a time in our calendar for us to celebrate Chanukah.  It has always sparked my interest as I approach this holiday of how we balance the celebration of Chanukah with the celebration of Shabbat, which will always coincide at least one time in the span of that holiday.  In both we light candles, in both we find significant themes to be remembered.  Yet when I think of Chanukah the light is one of war; for Shabbat the light is one of peace.  How do we balance these opposite ideals?

Maimonides writes that it is very important to kindle Chanukah candles. So much so that one who lacks money to buy candles should sell something, or if necessary borrow, so as to be able to fulfil the mitzvah.

The question arises, what if, on Friday afternoon, you find yourself with only one candle? Do you light it as a Shabbat candle or a Chanukah one? It can’t be both. Logic suggests that you should light it as a Chanukah candle. After all, there is no law that you have to sell or borrow to light Shabbat candles. Yet the halacha is that, if faced with such a choice, you light it as a Shabbat light. Why?

We can turn again to Maimonides. The Shabbat light takes priority because it symbolizes shalom bayit, peace of the home. The rabbis believe that the entire Torah was given in order to make peace in the world.  Chanukah commemorates one of the greatest military victories in Jewish history. The lighted candle is in some way a light of war.  Shabbat light takes precedence, because in Judaism the greatest military victory takes second place to peace in the home. Peace takes precedence over war.

I once read an article that claimed that Judaism, alone among the civilizations of the ancient world, survived because it valued the home more than the battlefield, marriage more than military grandeur, and children more than generals. Peace in the home mattered to our ancestors more than the greatest military victory.

It is possible to celebrate Chanukah not as a military but spiritual victory, certainly the stress used by the earliest practitioners of this holiday.  The military victory allowed for our continued existence as Jews.  Even in our modern world, as we face continued anti-Semitism, we fight for the right to exist.  To lose this battle is to become extinct.  So in some ways it is difficult to disentwine the light of war and the light of peace.  Perhaps we might better find a way to honor both, as we do at our synagogue’s Friday night service during that week.  We find time to light and remember both Chanukah and Shabbat.  Both important lights in our religious life.


Hag Sameach, Rabbi Lenny

—————————————————–

PRESIDENT:  Irene C. Rothschild

Reprinted with permission.

HEARTACHE
By Danni Blum Rudov

We switch on the noon news
this golden autumn day,
then gasp with shock –

Pogroms erupt and blaze in Israel.
Our eyes recoil at the deaths
there, elsewhere, anywhere.

We turn off the TV, rejecting
the barbarous scenes. Surely
they are replays of old film clips.

Denial doesn’t last long when
media bulletins blitz while actual
bullets are boldly fired by Hamas.

We glare at our hand-shaped wall
Hamsa, meant to ward off the evil
eye. Ashamed, it claims blindness.

Regardless, we stroke our Hamsa
necklaces, certain that Israel will
survive this Biblical battle.

We do our best to comfort those
sinking into emotional quicksand
here, elsewhere, anywhere.

Even so we feel helpless and tense
going about our usual lives amidst
terrifying new realities everywhere.

Seeking an impossible calm, we bed
down our gardens for the winter,

—————————————————–

CEI LINK Program – a video conference experience.  CEI continues to video conference the Shabbat Services on Friday at 7:30 pm.  So you can now attend services from home.  Please go to our website www.ceigreensburg.org for instructions on how to log into the meeting and for the meeting code (which should be the same each week).  If you have any questions, please call and talk with Rabbi Lenny and he will walk you through the process.  Songs for the service will be available on the website.  The Mishkan T’filah (prayer books) used in the service are available digitally on the website or may be borrowed from CEI for use online.  To borrow a Mishkan T’filah, please call the office for pick up arrangements.  These must be signed out through the office.  The “chat” room is usually open by 7:15 pm for a socialization time before service.

CHATTER

Happy Birthday to:  Karen Chobirko, Julie Goldstein, Susan Hoffman, Michael Liptak, Yolanda Pavloff, Sinde Snitger, Anna Spor and Brendan Winters.

Happy Anniversary to:  Shirley & Herb Ratner and Sydney & Ryan Hovis.

Thank you to Gary Moidel, Richard Virshup and Jack Wilder for their help on the CEI Memorial Boards.

We offer condolences to member Jeff Abramowitz & Family on the death of his brother Joe Abramowitz.

—————————————————–

SISTERHOOD NOTES by Terri Katzman, President

Fifteen Sisterhood members enjoyed a brunch at The Lamplighter, Delmont on Sunday November 12.  Following the tasty buffet discussion ensued regarding the upcoming project, Food2Go4Kids, later in November; additional discussion regarding the December 10 Chanukah Dinner and the January meeting.

On January 7 we will visit the Museum of American Art following a pizza lunch at CEI beginning at noon.  It should be a fascinating exhibition, and it is hoped many of our members will attend.  Reservations can be made at terriandstan@comcast.net, or call me at 724-837-8275.

It was also decided that Sisterhood would supply the funds necessary to purchase 75 Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur prayer books.  The books will be ordered in time to use at our High Holiday Services.  As in the past when we have supplied funds to purchase books, it is hoped that congregants will purchase these books in honor, in memory, or in sympathy of family members, friends, and occasions.  More information regarding the price of the books will be in a future newsletter.

Our outlook for 2024 is bright, and I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone (another) Happy New Year.

—————————————————–

ALFRED RATNER LIBRARY NEWS by Shirley Shpargel, Librarian

Book purchased with the Alfred Ratner Library Fund:
Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbrum (Fiction).

Book gift from P J Library:
A Beautiful World by Yael Gover (Holiday-Rosh Hashana Grades K-4).

The Woman Beyond the Sea by Sarit Yishai-Levi is a novel that traces the lives of a daughter, mother, and grandmother; three Jewish women born in Israel who led separate lives until they finally are joined together.  The Woman Beyond the Sea centers around the daughter, Eliya, who drops out from Tel Aviv University to marry an emotionally abusive husband.  When he ends their marriage Eliya returns to her parents’ house in Tel Aviv and attempts suicide.    Eliya survives, and as part of her healing regimen, her psychiatrist recommends she try to repair her relationship with her mother, Lily who is a harsh woman.  She has never had a good relationship with her mother but begins to help Lily search for the identity of her mother, who left Lily as a newborn at the door of a Jerusalem convent in 1927.  Eliya’s father is Shaul Zoref, a jeweler, whose Sephardi parents had emigrated from Monastir, once home to the largest Jewish community in Macedonia.  Chapters alternate with characters and take readers deep into the family’s secrets and truths, its history and strained relationships.

Yishai-Levi crafts rich historic settings -Paris’s Latin Quarter, Tel Aviv after the Yom Kippur War, pre-WWII Yugoslavia and Jerusalem under the British Mandate.  Eliya’s journey leads her to love again, renewed family ties, and a reconciliation with her orphaned mother, Lily.  Together the two women discover the truth about themselves and lily’s own origins and the unknown woman who was Lily’s mother.  Sarit Yishai-Levi is a renowned Israeli journalist and author.  She was born in Jerusalem to a Sephardic family that has lived in the city for eight generations.  The Woman Beyond the Sea is translated by Gilah Kahn-Hoffman who moved from Montreal to Jerusalem and is a freelance journalist, translator, writer, and editor.  The Woman Beyond the Sea is available in the Alfred Ratner Library.

Reminder:  Books make wonderful Hanukkah gifts!

—————————————————–

Do you know of someone who is Jewish and currently unaffiliated?

Do you know of someone who would like to worship with us as a member?

If so, please give info to Anna Spor.  

—————————————————–

If you are planning to initiate or change your will or estate plan, please remember to include Congregation Emanu-El Israel (CEI) as part of your legacy.  The monies can be used for a specific purpose as designated by you, or added to an Endowment Fund already set up to assure the ability to continue providing a full-service Congregation to serve the Jewish people of the area.

This legacy can be accomplished by a simple bequest in your will, by one of the allowable charitable trusts where you get an immediate tax advantage, or through life insurance.

PLEASE DO IT NOW!  Please check with your attorney or insurance agent.  If you have any questions or need additional information, contact Robert Slone (724-836-5468) or Gary Moidel (724-468-0005).

—————————————————–

Tree of Life Share your joy!

Inscribe a leaf our Tree of Life. Leaf — $180 ea.

(Price includes engraving)

The golden leaves may be inscribed to commemorate joyous events such as births, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, etc.  Share your joy by inscribing simchas on our
Tree of Life… an everlasting remembrance of the meaningful happy events that touch us.

Memorial Plaques are for remembering a loved one.  You may purchase a plaque for the sanctuary Memorial Boards by contacting the CEI office (724-834-0560).  Cost per plaque $300.00.

Memorial Boards.  For more details, please contact the CEI office at 724-834-0560.

—————————————————–

WHEN MAKING A DONATION:  When making a donation, whether to a CEI Fund or the Remembrance Fund, please provide complete information.  This will make it easier and faster to process.

1    The name and address of where to send the response to let them know you made a donation.

2    The reason for the donation (in memory of, in honor of, speedy recovery, etc) and the full name of the honoree.

3    Name and address of donor.

Example:  Please send a card (or accept this donation) to Jane Doe, XXX Main St, Greensburg, PA 156XX.  In Honor of the Birthday of Jane Doe!  From Jack Jones, XXX Broadway Dr, Greensburg, PA  156XX.

—————————————————–

We gratefully acknowledge the following gifts:

November 17: Stevan Gold by Marilyn & Jim Davis.  Abe Berman by Marion & Robert Slone.

—————————————————–

CEI Funds

PULPIT FLOWERS PROVIDED BY DONATIONS TO THE PULPIT FLOWER FUND.

ALFRED RATNER LIBRARY FUND:  Supports library facilities, books, & equipment.

ARCHIVE FUND:  Helps to defray the cost of archiving the CEI material sent to the Rauh Jewish archives.

BOB & PHYLLIS DAVIS FAMILY FUND:  Youth scholarships & enrichment.

CARING FUND: Supports congregants who are experiencing sickness, bereavement & other personal difficulties.

CEI ENDOWMENT FUND: Provides for the continuity of the congregation by subsidizing future operating expenses.  High Holy Day Appeal: Esther & Stuart Glasser.

COMPUTER FUND: Provides a means to continually upgrade & maintain CEI’s computer system / software.

CONGREGATION GENERAL FUND: CEI operating expenses.  High Holy Day Appeal:  Myriam & Francois Gau, Yolanda & Gerald Pavloff.  In Memory of: Phyllis Davis by Linda & Alan Berk, The Pomerantz Family.

CONGREGATION YAHRZEIT FUND: In Memory of:  Meyer VeShancey & Nancy VeShancey by William VeShancey. Phyllis Ackerman by Yolanda & Gerald Pavloff.  Billy Jean Ayers by Joel Last.  Ruth S. Roth by Shirley Ratner & Family. Helene Geier by Suzy & Jon Geier. Nathan Metz by Shirley Shpargel. Goldie Stein by Sissy & Gary Stein.

IVAN B. YOUNG EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT FUND: Supports the advancement of Jewish education.

LIBRARY BOOK FUND: Provides for the purchase of books and other resource material for the library.

NEW SHABBAT PRAYER BOOKS: Provides for the purchase of new Stone Edition of The Chumash.

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND: Helps individuals and/or org. in need.

REMEMBRANCE FUND: A special donation to Sisterhood to honor or celebrate an event or person.  Virginia Lieberman (724-668-2442) or Yvonne Bureau (724-837-8072.   In Honor of: Wishing the best to David Rothschild by Irene Rothschild. Happy 70th Birthday to Rabbi Lenny Sarko by Irene Rothschild. Wishing the best to Jim Boerio by Irene Rothschild.  In Memory of: Alan Sarko by Irene Rothschild.  Ben Nemeth by Shoshana & Bob Halden.

SOCIAL ACTION FUND:  Supports projects that benefit our community.

TEMPLE EMANU-EL CEMETERY FUND: For beautification and upkeep of the Temple Emanu-El Cemetery.  In Memory of: Phyllis Davis by Carol & Dennis Leshock, Ted & Carol Goldberg.

TORAH REPAIR FUND: To provide funds to repair the Torah scrolls.

TREE OF LIFE:  A personalized leaf commemorating a happy lifecycle event to be added to the Tree of Life in lobby.

—————————————————–

SAVE THE DATE:

Please Note:  All times & events subject to change.

Mon., Jan. 1: CEI is Closed. Happy New Year 2024!

Thurs., Jan. 25: Tu BiShevat

—————————————————–

Thursday, Dec. 7: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 5:00 PM, Kaufer Family.  Talmud Study @ 7:30 PM.

Friday, Dec. 8: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 7:30 PM, The Congregation.  Shabbat Service following menorah lighting.

Saturday, Dec. 9: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 5:00 PM.

Sunday, Dec. 10: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 5:00 PM, Chanukah Dinner Guests.  Chanukah Dinner following menorah lighting.

Monday, Dec. 11: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 5:00 PM

Tuesday, Dec. 12: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 5:00 PM

Wednesday, Dec. 13: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 5:00 PM

Thursday, Dec. 14: Light the giant menorah on the front lawn @ 5:00 PM, Chris DeMarco.

If you and/or your family would like to light the giant menorah on one of the open nights, please let the office know ASAP.  Any family is welcome to attend any night of Chanukah to support the “lighting” family.

—————————————————–

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

CEI SISTERHOOD CHANUKAH DINNER
Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 5:00 PM

Come celebrate with our CEI family.  We will… light the giant menorah outside… sing songs… Go for the Gelt… and EAT, EAT, EAT!

Menu: Cold cuts (corned beef, turkey), Tuna, Chicken salad, Latkes, Applesauce, Salads, Desserts & Drinks.

Bring your family hanukkiya, and 4 candles and we will display them.

Please join us for this fun evening!

Cost for the Chanukah Dinner is:
$18.00 per adult (age 13 & up), $6.00 per child (under 13)
Children age 4 and under Free

Complete the reservation in the monthly bulletin and mail or drop it off, with payment, to the Congregation Office by Friday, December 1.

If you have any questions, please call:  Shoshana Halden (724-744-0037), Terri Katzman (724-837-8275) or the CEI office (724-834-0560).

BYOB of wine.

—————————————————–

THE HANUKKAH NEWS

Hanukkah is observed for eight days, beginning on the evening of the Twenty-fourth day of the month of Kislev.  This year Hanukkah starts at sundown, Thursday, December 7 and lasts for eight days through Thursday, December 14, 2022.

Alexander the Great of Greece conquered Judea, the home of the Jews, in 333 B.C.E.  At that time, Alexander allowed the Jews to maintain their beliefs and traditions.  With Alexander’s death, the lands he ruled were divided between the Ptolemies, who ruled in Egypt, and the Seleucids, who ruled in Syria.  The Ptolemies and the Seleucids fought for control over Judea.  Under the Seleucids, Syrians had adopted Greek culture and habits; in other words, they were Hellenized.  In 198 B.C.E. Antiochus III, king of Syria, conquered Judea.  Like Alexander, he allowed the Jews to practice Judaism.  But all that changed in 175 B.C.E. when Antiochus IV, also known as Antiochus Epiphanes, came to power.  He wanted to bring Greek (Hellenistic) culture and religion to Judea.  Antiochus Epiphanes wanted to make Jerusalem a Greek city.  He issued laws against the Jewish religion, banning Sabbath observance, circumcision and Torah study.  He desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem by building a pagan altar in it and forcing the Jews to sacrifice to the Greek gods.

The Jews resented what Antiochus was doing, and in 167 B.C.E. a revolt against Greek rule began.  The revolt was led by a priestly family known as the Hasmoneans or Maccabees.  The leader of the family was Matityahu.  He and his five sons – Judah, Yonatan, Eliezer, Yochanan and Simeon – were from the village of Modi’in.  Matityahu was so angry when the Syrian soldiers came to his village to set up an altar to the Greek gods that he slew one of them.  Led by Judah, a son of Matityahu, the Jews formed a rebel army to fight the Syrians.  The Maccabees defeated Antiochus’ army and recaptured the Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.E.  The Jews cleaned the Temple and on the 25th of Kislev the Temple was rededicated.

There are certain central themes which run through our celebration of Hanukkah which are important to acknowledge.

*  Hanukkah was a struggle for freedom of religious practice, the first in recorded history.  That a group of people chose to put their lives on the line and battle a much stronger foe in pursuit of freedom is the real miracle of Hanukkah.

*  The events leading up to the Maccabean revolt put in jeopardy the continued religious identity of the Jewish people which, if continued, would have meant an end to Jewish people-hood.  The battle therefore, was a battle for Jewish survival.

*  Hanukkah symbolizes the fight against totalitarianism in all forms.  Hanukkah celebrates more than the independence of one people; it points toward the right to freedom for all.

*  Hanukkah affirms the universal truth that the only effective answer to oppression is to fight for and defend the values and principles that oppression threatens.

How do we prepare the Hanukkah menorah?

The unique mitzvah of Hanukkah is to publicize the miracle of the Maccabees’ defeat of the Syrian-Greeks and the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days.  We do this by lighting the hanukiah and displaying it in a window so that people who pass by may see it.  The hanukiah is a special nine-branched candelabrum we use for Hanukkah.  Eight of the branches represent the eight nights of Hanukkah.  The ninth branch is called the shamash – the servant candle – and is used to light all the others.  The first night of Hanukkah we begin with one candle, plus the shamash; on the second night two candles plus the shamash, increasing the number of candles with each day of the holiday.  On Friday evening, the Hanukkah candles are lit before the Shabbat candles.

What do we actually do when we light them?

Tradition has us say the blessing first, then light the candles (perhaps while singing Ma’oz Tzur).  Some families find it meaningful to recite the blessings while the candles are being lit.  The first two blessings are read (or sung) each night of Hanukkah.  The third blessing (Shehecheyanu) is used on the first night only.  The Hanukkah lights should be kindled after dark, except on Shabbat.

How do we light them?

We place the candles in the menorah starting at the right; but we light starting at the left or with the newest candle each night.

What if Hanukkah falls on Shabbat?

Light your hanukiyah first, followed by the Shabbat candles.

—————————————————–

THE GAME OF DREIDEL

Dreidel is the traditional game played on Hanukkah.  Any number of people can play!  Each player contributes nuts, raisins, or candies to a central “pot” and spins the dreidel (top) in turn.  The Hebrew letters on the four sides of the dreidel represent the first letter of the phrase

נס גדול היה שם 

“Nes Gadol Haya Sham” – a great miracle happened there, in reference to the story of Hanukkah.

If the dreidel ends “nun” נ, you neither win nor lose.
If the driedel lands on “gimmel” ג, you win the pot.
If the dreidel falls on “hey” ה, you win 1/2 the pot.
If it falls on “shin” ש, or a “pey” פ, you add two to the pot.

KINDLING THE LIGHTS

To light the chanukiyah, place the candles in from right to left and light them from left to right. Begin with the one candle on the first night, increasing by one each night until all eight are lit on the eighth night.  The candle used to light the other candles is the shmash.

ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר של חנכה

BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHEINU MELECH HA’OLAM, ASHER KID’SHANU B’MITZVOTAV V’TZIVANU L’HADLIK NER SHEL CHANUKAH.

Blessed are you, Adonai out God, ruler of the universe, who hallows us with mitzvot and commands us to kindle the lights of Chanukah.

ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שעשה נסים לאבותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה

BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHEINU MELECH HA’OLAM, SHE’ASAH NISSIM LA’AVOTEINU BAYAMIM HAHEM BAZ’MAN HAZEH.

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, ruler of the universe, who performed wondeous deeds for our ancestors in days of old, at this season.

On the first night only, add the following blessing:

ברוך אתה יי אלהינו מלך העולם שהחינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה

BARUCH ATAH ADONAI ELOHEINU MELECH HA’OLAM, SHEHECHEYANU V’KIY’MANU V’HIGI’ANU LAZ’MAN HAZEH.

Blessed are you, Adonai our God, ruler of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enabling us to reach this season.

—————————————————–

“GO FOR THE GELT RAFFLE” –For each of the 8 nights of Chanukah, we will draw a winner who will win $36.00 of “Gelt”.  The cost is $2.50 per ticket or 10 for $20.  A winner will be picked from the stubs returned, no need to watch the lottery for winning numbers!  Tickets will be mailed to members and will be available for purchase at the Chanukah dinner (Dec. 10 @ 5 PM).

All proceeds benefit CEI and your generosity is greatly appreciated.

—————————————————–

CHANUKAH MENORAH LIGHTERS NEEDED!

Volunteers are needed to be responsible for lighting the giant Chanukah Menorah on the front lawn from 12/7-12/15.  Lighters are needed for 12/9 @ 5 pm, 12/11 @ 5:00 PM, 12/12 @ 5:00 PM, 12/13 @ 5:00 PM and 12/14 @ 5:00 PM.  Please call the CEI office (724-834-0560) or sign up on the flyer in the office, if you and/or your family would like to help us celebrate this holiday with the community.  Also, any evenings you would be available and would like to join with the “lighting family”, feel free to attend.

—————————————————–

 

—————————————————–

 

OFFICE HOURS:  

The CEI Office is open Monday, Tuesday & Friday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  Wednesday & Thursday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

Rabbi Lenny, generally, has office hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM.  Making an appointment is highly recommended, since emergencies and meetings outside the office do occur.  The Rabbi can also be available at other times, for your convenience.  Please call 724-834-0560 or Rabbi directly at 724-963-0789.

—————————————————–

Rabbi Leonard Sarko

CEI Officers:

President: Irene C. Rothschild.  Vice President: Jamie Kaufer.  Treasurer: Julie Goldstein.  Recording Secretary: Virginia Lieberman.  Sisterhood President: Terri Katzman.  Men’s Club President: Gary Moidel.  Bulletin Editors: Mary Ellen Kane, Karen Sarko & Bea Harrison.

—————————————————–

Honoring Their Memory