The Messenger

16 Pages·2014·5.82 MB·English

by  Yael Gevertzman

The Messenger
Saturday, March 15

Megillah Reading - 8pm
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Sunday, March 16

Megillah Reading - 9am

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Our Torah Members
These generous individuals have voluntarily chosen to support our Synagogue at a higher level of dues
than is required, in order to help other Jews who are less fortunate and in need of assistance.

ETERNAL LIGHT MEMBERS
These members provide financial assistance and synagogue membership for families who are enduring
financial hardship, as well as a full Religious School education for their children.
Irwin & Marilyn Brafman Steven Schwalbe &
Murray Feit “Offerings of the Heart” Annemarie Krim

Joseph & Tikva Ofeck The names of our Torah Members are Joni Rosen
inscribed on the sculpture in our lobby.
Ann Oster Marcia Sherman
Philip & Adrian Reisel Paul & Arlene Starr
Seligman & Phyllis Rosenberg Myrna Weissman
CHAI MEMBERS
These members provide financial assistance and membership for
families who are enduring financial hardship.
Anonymous Jerome Goldfischer & Lila Mordoh Stephen & Merilee Obstbaum
Joan Alter Seymour & Nancy Green Adam & Barri Plawker
Lore Benario Arnold & Alice Grodman Terry Plawker
Michael & Jodi Bergman Yakov & Vera Kishinevsky Abraham Ravid & Hanna Atlas
Gertrud Buchler David Korn Yetta Rosen
Martin & Rochelle Carus Bruce Lager Fred & Ann Rosenberg
Alvin & Nili Cohen Mark & Lucille Laufer Newton & Sheila Scherl
Henry Cummins Joseph Lempel David & Donna Schweid
Milt & Doryne Davis Harry & Rose Lenson Michael & Sally Seymour
Andrea Elrom Lillian Leshinsky Alfred & Rose Targovnik
Harvey & Barbara Fishman John & Tobey Lyden Jaime & Susan Weiss
Steven Fruchtman Irwin & Karen Meyers Marianne Wolff

The (edited) piece below, an named Naomi Dann, the president of the Vassar
by Lucette Lagnado, Jewish Union. She had penned a piece for
appeared recently in the the campus paper strongly supporting the recent
Wall Street Journal. It move by the American Studies Association (ASA)
describes her emotional to boycott Israeli academic exchanges – a decision
revulsion at the DBS denounced by college presidents across the country,
movement coming to her including Vassar's.
college alma mater and I
sympathize with her reac- Her piece strung together all the buzzwords and cli-
tion. But instead of offer- chés used by Israel's critics: "atrocities," oppres-
ing any refutation of the sive," "abuses," "colonial," and, of course, apart-
charges of racism, ethnic heid." Signed jointly with a co-president of Students
cleansing, apartheid and the like, all she does is vent. for Justice in Palestine, Ms. Dann even slammed
Vassar's president and dean of the faculty for daring
When college campuses first began holding Israel to oppose the boycott against the Jewish state.
Apartheid Weeks. I spent time on the phone,
emailing and visiting “my kids” at various universi- There was more to fuel my Vassar angoisse. The
ties to offer them not just emotional support (and I head of the Jewish Studies Program, a professor
do not belittle its importance in the least!) but to also named Joshua Schreier, had also expressed support
bring them resource material and to discuss how best for the boycott movement. Prof. Schreier was quoted
to counter this threat to their identities, sense of in the campus paper ruminating that while once
belonging/isolation, and to offer some concrete "instinctively against" the boycott, he had heard
evidence that exposed those malicious charges. more "substantiated, detailed" arguments on its
behalf, and as a result "I am currently leaning in
It seems that we are, once again, entering a period of favor of it."
increased and new targeting of Israel, this time with
greater faculty participation (a conference of the As for Vassar's rabbi, Rena Blumenthal, she was
ASA focusing on Israel is planned at NYU). MIA – on leave in Israel, no less – and emailed to
say she couldn't weigh in from afar.
If any of you, or your children or grandchildren, are
feeling marginalized on campus by anti-Israel senti- It has become chic to attack Israel even – especially
ments or activities, I am here to help, not just with – if you were Jewish. I heard from an alum who was
passion and emotion, and sympathy, but also with stopped by his own child, a Vassar student, from
the facts. taking a public stand against the BDS movement.
The student was fearful of being ostracized for
having a parent who supported Israel.
Anti-Israel Jews and the Vassar Blues
Suddenly the toxic essence of this movement to
Recently I was contacted by a fellow Vassar alumna make Israel and its supporters pariahs in the groves
through Facebook. She wanted to know if I was of academe and in the cocktail parties of polite side
aware that our genteel alma mater had become a hot- society hit home in a way it hadn't before. It also
bed of anti--Israel, pro-boycott sentiment. brought back painful memories about my own
Suddenly, my stomach was in knots – a feeling that Vassar experience, and the shattered illusions that
Vassar had managed to evoke in me ever since I had marked it.
went there in the 1970s. I fixated on this Seven
Sister school as my entryway to the American I had come to Vassar as a naïf. I had chosen Vassar
dream, the epitome of style and grace that also prid- from among the multitude of schools for the
ed itself on teaching "critical thinking." old-fashioned ideals its name evoked: Jackie
Kennedy's Vassar.
In this case the cause of my angst was a young wom- Instead, I found myself on a campus in the throes of
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a 1970s rebellion. There was a drug culture and a obliged to heed Hillel’s rules of banning speak-
drinking culture. Vassar prided itself on being ers who demonize Israel or believe the Jewish
edgy and embraced an open sexuality and every State shouldn't exist. The release was replete
other cause of that tumultuous era. with more clichés about needing a "diverse range
of personal and political opinions" that it argued
My disillusionment came fast. My first day I Hillel failed to provide.
wandered into the "ACDC" – the forbidding
central dining hall – and timidly asked the I am still waiting for the day a student or faculty
manager where I could find the kosher section. member stands up to these academic hooligans at
She looked at me as if I were from another planet. the Vassar Quad. Now that would show some
It never got easier. I could never take the train "critical thinking."
from Grand Central back to Poughkeepsie on
Sunday nights without the blues setting in. As for Vassar's Rabbi Blumenthal, she finally
agreed to speak to me from Israel over the
And now, so many years later, my Vassar blues weekend. She firmly opposes the boycott, she
were back. declared, and has been upset by the anti-Israel
sentiments on campus, noting: "I am here
The other night I received a press release from the because I love this country. I am a Zionist."
President of the Vassar Jewish Union, Ms. Dann –
yes, her again. This time, she was attacking Hillel, Bravo, rabbi. How nice to hear of one Israel
the campus organization that has offered a home to defender at Vassar. I can only pray that others on
two generations of Jewish students. Following in campus listen.
Swarthmore's footsteps, the Vassar Jewish Union
was becoming an "open Hillel" – no longer
Sale of Hametz
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provide provisions for the poor. Those wishing to do this should enclose a check in any amount made out to: Rab-
bi’s Discretionary Fund.

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The newly-formed Member Engagement Commit- We have updated the information package that
tee is charged with identifying and recruiting new is given to prospective members, and are
synagogue members, as well as reaching out to preparing a “Welcome Basket” for delivery to
our current members to let them know how val- new people in the area. We’re also making shi-
ued and appreciated they are. va visits and exploring other ways to connect
with our current members. This is only the
The Committee is comprised of the following beginning. Watch this space for news about
members (in alphabetical order): our activities.
Nancy Green, Alice Grodman,
Bill Lowe, Phyllis Lowe, Committee members can be reached by email
Tobey Lyden, Norman Schaer, at [email protected]. We also
Ivan Shore (advisory capacity),
have a voice mailbox on the synagogue’s
Laurie Smilovitz, Anne Sommer
phone, 201-947-1735 ext. 322. Please feel free
and Lynn Weksler.
to get in touch; we would love to hear from

you.
DONOR IN HONOR OF DONORS IN MEMORY OF
Ann & Peter Bloch Aliyah Mary & Leo Rettig Carolyn Ginsburg
Evelyn Baer Aliyah Nancy & Richard Schiff Carolyn Ginsburg
Harriet Leibowitz Sol Karpman June Kerman Tobias Weissman
Bea & Jeff Adler Lisa Tiedeman Cassie Hartman Tobias Weissman
Sharon & Fred Starr Tobias Weissman
Flo & Ronnie Schechter Susan Levy Berman
DONOR
Mary & Leo Rettig Joan Rose
Alice & Arnold Grodman
Carol Garvin Ruth Schiller

Mary & Leo Rettig The Perkals’ Neice
IN HONOR OF

Happy Birthday Happy Anniversary
Our Condolences to . . .
Audrey Altschul Rabbi Irving & Selma
Reggie Feuerstein Spielman
Karen Halpern Norm & Florence Sil-
CORY CHARGO
Justine Laufer verberg
On the loss of his beloved mother,
Brooke London Gary & Lisa Maier
Irving Morgenstern ROBERTA CHARGO
Gloria Salit Get Well Sol Borodkin

Nancy Schiff
Charles Shatz IN MEMORY OF EDNA BAR-NADAV
Charlene Stern Carolyn Ginsburg On the loss of her beloved father,
Reina Stern Tobias Weissman
HAIM NAHARY

All listed donations were made in January.
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PETE SEEGER WAS A LIVING LEGEND OF OUR TIME
Those of us who attended spiritually. You can make something out of
Shabbat services on the nothing.
weekend of January 31st and
February 1st witnessed Pete Seeger taught us how to sing and how to
something a little different. I think. He told a newspaper in 1980. “I know
incorporated some secular I’ve done a lot of different things in my life”...as
songs into our prayer service, he concluded he said…”and I like it best when
but for a special reason. It was people sing and participate.” His last comment is
to pay tribute to Pete Seeger and something I have been trying to do at Gesher
his music. Mr. Seeger had Shalom for the last 20 years.
passed away earlier that week at the age of 94. He
was a true humanitarian, a man who unified people May Pete’s music be a blessing for all mankind.
through music and song leading. I attended an event We will sing you forever, Pete Seeger.
when he was in his late 80’s, and even that night he
was treated like a “rock-star.”

“COME TOGETHER” FOR
Speaking of a true rock-star, New Jersey’s own Bruce

Springsteen once called Pete Seeger “the father of
American folk music,” to which Pete said he never
liked the term “folk music.” This is even after he
popularized songs like, “This Land is Your Land” and
“We Shall Overcome” and wrote “If I Had a MUSICAL SHABBAT
Hammer” and “Turn, Turn, Turn.” Regarding the
song “We Shall Overcome,” it is known that the FRIDAY NIGHT SERVICE
original phrase was “We Will Overcome,” and Pete
changed “will” to “shall” so the lyric would sound
March 7 - 7:00pm
better as a song.

Most of our popular singers and songwriters have been
influenced and moved by Pete Seeger. These include
Springsteen, Baez, Matthews, Mellencamp and
Guthrie. They all performed at Seeger’s 90th birthday
celebration at Madison Square Garden. It was a fund-
raiser for his favorite local cause: Cleaning up New
York’s Hudson River.

Pete Seeger’s repertoire is as vast as our country,
about which often he sang. His was a career that
produced more than 50 studio albums, 20 compilations Led by
and 10 “live” albums.
Rabbi Kenneth A. Stern &

Cantor Paul Zim
One of my favorite Seeger songs is “If I Had a

Hammer.” I have often thought about the words of

this song. It reminds me of certain things that fulfill
COME, ENJOY, PARTICIPATE
the requirements and the necessities of life. The
hammer is used as the instrument of peace, AND LIFT YOUR VOICES
togetherness and understanding. It uplifts us all
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Sisterhood General Membership Meeting
Thursday, March 20th - 1:00pm

Join us for dessert & a little education
with our guest speaker:

David Braun -
noted “language Maven”

David Braun is an academic who grew up in Leonia and whose work as a professor of Yiddish has
taken him to nearby places such as Columbia University through increasingly distant locations such
as Harvard University, the Yiddish Book Center on the Hampshire College campus in Amherst, the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the Jewish Historical Institute of Warsaw, Poland.
He will speak to us about his work with the Yiddish language.
Sisterhood’s Mishlo’ach Manot Project Our 100% Sisterhood membership goal has yet to
be reached. Have you forgotten to join us this
There’s still time to volunteer! year? If so mail your check for $36 in now and it
Join our packing crew!
will entitle you to membership for all of 2014.

Help deliver our wonderful gifts on
Members are our greatest assets
Purim - Sunday, March 16th
Membership has many facets

We will seek them, we will reach them
Call Debbie 201-947-1735 ext 312
or Ethel 201-224-7215 And most important we will teach them.

Members come in different guises
They also come in different sizes
Some are tall and some are small
Doesn’t matter we accept you all

By Helene Wecker Our members can be young or older
Some are shy and some are bolder
Some will follow and others will lead
Whichever your choice we have a need
By Philip Roth
And don’t forget the strong and steady
Refreshments will be served. Members we have got already

They are the ones who keep it going,
Chairpersons Kathy Grazian & Naomi Altschul
Join us so we can keep on growing
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Shari Bergman . . . March 8, 2014
Shari Ilana Bergman, daughter of Michael and Jodi Bergman and sister to Hailey will
become a Bat Mitzvah on March 8, 2014. She is the granddaughter of Philip (Poppie)
Bergman of Wayne, NJ and the late Irene (Grandma Renie) Bergman and Sandra (Gammy)
Ebinger of Fort Lee and the late David Ebinger. Shari is a 7th grade student at Demarest
Middle School. She plays tennis, enjoys yoga and takes computer art classes. She is an
excellent chef and often makes delicious dinners for the family. Shari loves to volunteer her
time in the kitchen at Gesher Shalom for fundraising events such as the applesauce and bake
sale. She has helped to raise money for IBD Kids and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as well as participate in
the Demarest Breast Cancer Awareness walks. Shari would like to volunteer at the Hebrew School after her
graduation. Her Torah portion is Vayikra which talks about having hope and faith in God. She has stated that her
Jewish heritage is rooted in her family ties. She loves continuing the traditions that her great-grandparents
passed down, especially spending time with her Mom and Gammy cooking and preparing for large holiday
celebrations at their home. Shari enjoys people and could possibly see herself in the field of psychology one day.
She also loves to cook and might want to follow that road in the future. Shari would like to thank her parents and
sister for always being there and encouraging her, Rabbi Stern for his guidance during her Bat Mitzvah studies,
Cantor Zim for teaching her songs and prayers throughout the years, Cory Chargo and her Hebrew School
teachers for enriching her Jewish education, Amichai Margolis for teaching her the Haftarah, and her entire
family and all her friends for all their love and support.
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