In Memory of 11 Israeli Olympic Athletes

Dear Friends,

I imagine many, if not most, of you will be watching the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games when NBC begins airing it (on tape delay) at 7:30 tomorrow evening. Beginning with Queen Elizabeth II being received at the entrance of the Olympic Stadium by Jacques Rogge, the President of the International Olympic Committee, and followed by the famed parade of athletes from all over the world, this ceremony, put together by British Film Director Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), promises to be quite a spectacle.

What I am writing to you about, however, is something quite different: a much quieter, much smaller ceremony that will take place at the same time that this giant spectacle is commencing in London - and I am asking you to participate in it. The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey has established 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, Friday July 27 th , as the time for each of us to take a minute to observe a personal moment of silence to remember the 11 Israeli athletes, coaches, and referees murdered at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

The 2012 Summer Olympics, which begin in London on July 27, marks 40 years since that horrific moment. Since then, the bereaved families have repeatedly asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to observe a minute of silence in memory of the Munich 11. Although a petition has been signed by nearly 110,000 individuals, the IOC has refused to undertake this action. While it does not surprise me that IOC would disrespect the State of Israel and the feelings of the world Jewish community, it is sad and disturbing that they would ignore tragic death of Olympic athletes on this, the 40 th anniversary of the Munich massacre. If you would like to sign the petition click here.

We will also be reciting the names of the 11 victims of this tragedy at Shabbat services this Friday evening and next (July 27th and August 3 rd ), which begin at 6:30 p.m. (oneg at 6:00 p.m. before services). I hope you can join us.

The names of the 11 Israeli Olympic Team members are:

Mark Slavin, 18, Wrestler Eliezer Halfin, 24, Wrestler David Berger, 28, Weightlifter Ze'ev Friedman, 28, Weightlifter Yossef Romano, 31, Weightlifter Andre Spitzer, 27, Fencing coach Moshe Weinberg, 33, Wrestling coach Amitzur Shapira, 40, Track coach Yossef Gutfreund, age 40, Wrestling referee Yakov Springer, 51, Weightlifting judge Kehat Shorr, 53, Shooting coach

Even if you cannot make it to services, perhaps you would like to say kaddish for them yourselves.

I would like to thank Rabbi Neal Borovitz, the chairman of our Jewish Community Relation's Council (JCRC) and Joy Kurland, the director, for sending out this notice and making sure that we remember those who perished because they were Jews and represented our beloved State of Israel.

All the best and an early Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Jordan Millstein

P.S. I would also like to remind you that the joint local Reform Temple observance of Tisha B'Av takes place Saturday evening, July 28 th at 7:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Or, 56 Ridgewood Road, Washington Township. See below for other service information.

Terror and Terror

Dear Friends,
Iran is getting desperate so we shouldn't be surprised. The U.S. has orchestrated serious sanctions against Iran and due to a world boycott oil is piling up on Iranian vessels in the Persian gulf with nowhere to go. Israeli agents have, according to most analysts, managed to assassinate a number of key Iranian nuclear scientists and officials, as well as slow the Iranian nuclear program through cyber warfare. One would expect, then, for Iran to counter attack in the way they know how: through a terror attack against Israeli civilians carried out by their proxy, the Hezbollah. Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Barak, and by some reports, sources at the U.S. Pentagon, all agree that yesterday’s attack against Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria was the work of a member of a Hezbollah terror cell, acting under a broad directive of the Iranian government to attack Israelis. (Moreover, it cannot be a coincidence that the explosion occurred on the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires that left 85 people dead.) The death of 5 innocent Israeli tourists and the wounding of dozens more is a terrible tragedy. We will say kaddish for those murdered and pray for the healing of those injured at our services at 6:30 this evening. But, let us recognize that they did not die in vain. They are casualties in a necessary war being fought to stop a dangerous enemy from getting nuclear weapons.
Sadly, we will also be saying kaddish this evening for 12 Americans who were murdered and praying for the healing of scores of others who were injured in an attack last night by a heavily armed shooter at a showing of the latest Batman movie at a cinema multiplex in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver. While this incident is awful and shocking, should we really be surprised? As Chemi Shalev put it in today’s, Haaretz, the Israeli paper, “Mass, random shooting sprees are as American as baseball and apple pie. America’s ridiculous gun laws won’t change, but the ‘Batman Murderer,’ as he will come to be known, is sure to secure a multimillion dollar book and movie deal.” I don’t know about the book deal but Shalev is surely right about our gun laws. How ridiculous we must look to the rest of the world, especially to Israelis, who do everything they can to protect their citizens from terror, while we let any bozo who can walk and chew gum at the same time (or not) get their hands on semi-automatic weapons! The diabolical planning of the 24 year old shooter gives lie to the NRA claim that letting people carry concealed weapons would allow them to protect themselves from such madmen. No one was going to stop that man after he released smoke bombs and began shooting in the dark. Stopping these kinds of terror attacks means stopping the flow of weapons, both those currently legal and illegal, from being purchased by those who don’t have a special need for protection or desire a basic rifle for hunting. It is well known that our tradition teaches that to save one life is to save the entire world (Talmud). When will we find the personal commitment and political will to overcome our corrupt political process and end this madness? Let us not, as we have in the past, allow the victims of this terrible terror attack die in vain.
One final note: Those of a fatalistic, traditional spiritual bent might say that it is not surprising that these tragedies occurred at this time of year. We are currently in a period of semi-mourning on the Jewish calendar, the three weeks leading up to the fast day known as, “Tisha B’Av”. On Tisha B’Av we remember and mourn the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, both the First Temple, destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E. and the Second Temple, destroyed by the Romans, in 70 C.E. This year Tisha B’Av will take place a week from this Saturday evening, on July 28 th . As we have for the past few years, Temple Sinai will join with several other Reform Temples in the area to observe this day with a special program and the traditional reading of the Book of Lamentations. On July 28 th at 7:30 p.m. we will meet at Temple Beth Or in Washington Township (56 Ridgewood Road, Washington Township, NJ). Hope you can join us.
Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan

Services Inside Tonight

Dear Friends,

Our ancestors endured 40 years in the desert where they braved the searing heat and other elements in order to worship God.  But, something tells me if they had an indoor sanctuary with air conditioning they would have used it. 

Due to the heat, services this evening and tomorrow morning will be held in our lovely, indoor, air conditioned sanctuary instead of outdoors in the Dustin Drapkin Sanctuary, as we had hoped.  Our oneg and candle lighting this evening will be held before services in the lobby at 6:00 pm followed by services at 6:30.  Tomorrow morning we have Torah Study at 9:00 am followed by worship at 10:15 in Founders Hall.

We will try again next week to hold services outdoors in the new Dustin Drapkin sanctuary.

Shabbat Shalom,

Jordan

Midnight Ride of Francis Salvador

Dear Friends,
Had Henry Wadsworth Longfellow been Jewish he might have written, “Listen, my children, and you shall hear, of the midnight ride of Francis Salvador.” Longfellow, of course, was not Jewish, nor does the name, “Francis Salvador,” fit the rhyming scheme or meter of his famous poem, “Paul Revere’s Ride.” But, Salvador, a Jew from South Carolina, would certainly have been an apt subject for a Longfellow poem.
Born in England into a wealthy Sephardic family, Salvador came to South Carolina after his family’s wealth declined with the failure of the British East India Company. (His great grandfather was its first Jewish director.) In Charleston, Salvador was attracted to and quickly became involved in the patriot cause. Within a year, at the age of 27, Salvador was elected to the General Assembly of South Carolina, the first Jewish to hold that high an elective office in the English colonies. In 1774 he was also elected as a delegate to South Carolina’s revolutionary Provincial Congress, which framed a bill of rights and set forth the colonists’ grievances against the Royal Governor of South Carolina. He strongly pushed the Provincial Congress to vote for American independence.
Along with his political service, Salvador fought in the South Carolina Militia. It was there where he earned the nickname, “the Southern Paul Revere.” Urged on by the British, Cherokee Indians attacked colonial settlements along the frontier on July 1, 1776. Salvador jumped on his horse and rode 30 miles to sound the alarm. Later, he returned to the frontier to fight on the front lines. Sadly, on August 1 st he was shot and scalped. Francis Salvador thus became the first Jew to perish in the fight for American independence.
If you had never heard of Francis Salvador before you read this, let alone heard of his not so famous ride, do not feel bad. Most of us were never taught American Jewish history in any depth. Fortunately, there is an easy, fun way to vastly improve your knowledge. If you have not done so already, I urge you to take a day trip this summer to Philadelphia to the National Museum of American Jewish History. Watch future email blasts and the Sentry for information regarding both an adult and youth trip this fall to this museum.
In the meantime, I share Francis Salvador’s story with you on this July 4 th to remind us of the original meaning of this day and our special Jewish connection to it. Barbeques and the beach are a great American tradition. But, even greater is our tradition and commitment to the cause of liberty and equality of all people, whatever their faith, race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. As Jews we should be proud of the role the small Jewish community of that time played in the American Revolution; most Jews in the colonies supported the revolution and we were instrumental to its success. And let us be grateful to those, Jews and non-Jews, who fought – and continue to fight - for our freedom to live as Jews without repression, discrimination or fear. God bless America.
Happy Fourth of July!
Rabbi Jordan Millstein

Off and Flying!

Dear Friends,
I’m excited to tell you about the great response we’ve had for this December’s congregational trip to Israel. To date 54 people have put deposits down to join us on our journey, which will take place from December 20, 2012 – January 1, 2013! I could not be more excited or more proud of our congregation for the enthusiastic response to my call last Rosh Hashanah to deepen our commitment to Israel, to one another and our own Jewish n’shamot (souls), by making this trip together.
The response has been so overwhelming that we actually sold out all the tickets we were able to reserve on the flight out of Newark Airport on Thursday evening, December 20 th . Fortunately, we have now been able to secure additional seats that evening on a different flight to Israel out of Philadelphia. If you join our trip now, we will include free motor coach transportation from the Temple Sinai parking lot to Philadelphia International Airport for your nonstop flight to Tel Aviv. While the ride is about 1.5 hours longer than going to Newark, the free transportation eliminates the need for you to pay your way to the airport. For comparison, it’s about $150 round trip to Newark for a car service so this is a good deal! What’s more the flights arrive/depart at similar times so it all works out well.
We are also extending the reservation deadline to August 15th. So, while you are enjoying your summer vacations, why not discuss with your family making your winter vacation a trip to Israel with Temple Sinai? Our current group of 50+ is a very diverse, multi-generational group, ranging from pre-teens to seniors. We have individuals, couples and entire family clans journeying with us, including family members from outside of the congregation. Many participants have never been to Israel before but many others have been several times or even lived in Israel at some point in their lives. We have Temple leaders and worship “regulars” and those who rarely set foot inside our building. So, what are you waiting for? Join us on this trip of a lifetime!
Attached please find the registration form, which also contains information about how to register on-line. Also attached is our current itinerary. (If you have trouble opening the attachments, they are also included in this week’s Shavua Tov “Israel Trip” section.) It is worth noting that due to the larger turnout we are likely to go to a two bus format while in Israel which will allow us to provide multiple choices of activities on certain days. For example, we may be able to create special experiences tailored to those interested in more physically rigorous/adventurous activities, as well as other activities of a less rigorous, more intellectual variety.
Last but not least, we will be celebrating the bar/bat mitzvah together of several young people in our group. For a couple of them, this will be their only bar/bat mitzvah celebration while others will also be celebrating a bar/bat mitzvah at Temple Sinai. Let me know if you would like your child to have his or her bar/bat mitzvah in Jerusalem with us.
All this is open to you but I highly suggest registering now. While we now have additional seats, the numbers are limited. It’s time to say, “This year in Jerusalem!”
Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan
p.s. I am also pleased to inform you that tonight I will be giving a special blessing to Olivia Taub, daughter of Temple members, Arden and Amy Taub, who is about to depart on her own journey to Israel with the Reform Movement’s “NFTY In Israel” summer program. Join us at 7:30 pm for our Shabbat evening service to wish Olivia a wonderful journey to Eretz Yisrael.

What Are You Up to This Summer?

Dear Friends,

It is the question that is on everyone’s lips right as school lets out, graduations are celebrated, kids go off to camp and the summer season begins in earnest: “What are you up to this summer?” I will be around for a couple of weeks, then away with my family for a week, then back again before I head off for a couple of weeks at Camp Harlam in August. In case you don’t know, Camp Harlam is the Union for Reform Judaism summer camp in the Poconos, where many Temple Sinai kids have gone over the year. My kids will be campers during the second four week session. My wife and I will be camp faculty for two of those weeks. If you have kids that are not yet going to a summer camp I highly recommend Camp Harlam. It has all the sports and other activities of a regular summer camp with the added bonus that your child will get to experience Reform Jewish living in a truly fun and kid-friendly way.

What about us grown-ups? My hope and prayer for you is that you will get some genuine down time. For those who are working this is hard to come by nowadays. My other hope is that you will take advantage of some of that time to engage in some Jewish activities here at Temple Sinai that you might otherwise not do.

1. Shabbat Worship – In case you missed all the hoopla, in addition to the new playground for our young children we have a brand new outdoor sanctuary near the religious school entrance to the building. Starting on July 6th and continuing through the end of August we will hold our Friday evening/Kabbalat Shabbat services in the Dustin Drapkin Outdoor Sanctuary. Services are early and relatively brief. We will have our Oneg before services, at 6 pm, with services beginning at 6:30 pm. Join us then or join us on Saturday morning at 10:15 a.m. when we will also hold our services outside in the Dustin Drapkin sanctuary, weather permitting.
2. Torah Study – I can’t tell you how often people say to me, “I hear you have a great Torah study session on Shabbat mornings; I’d really like to try that.” But, sometimes it’s hard finding the time or energy during the year to join us on Saturdays at 9:00 a.m. If you are one of those people, now is the time to give it a try. We are there every week in Founders Hall (20-30 of us). You need never have opened a Bible before to participate. Come join us!
3. Gemilut Chasadim/Deeds of Kindness – Many of the activities that the Temple offers during the year stop during the summer. But, the organizers of Family Promise, our program to shelter homeless families, are in high gear. This week we are providing shelter in our social hall at Temple Sinai to four families, including 4 Moms and 7 kids. They are wonderful families and very appreciative of our help. There are dozens of volunteers involved and we are supported as well by volunteers from St. John's Catholic Church of Leonia, Christ Church in Teaneck and Kehilat Kesher, across the street from us. We don’t need any more volunteers for this week but we do need volunteers when we host homeless families again, from August 12 - 19. We need people to cook dinner, people who will interact with the families, and people to sleep over in the Temple. Other than sleeping over you can bring your kids to play with the children in the program. It can be a very meaningful experience for them! Contact Stan Laser at 201-446-7313 orstanjean@optonline.net; or Ilene Wechter at 201871-4885 orIlenewechter@yahoo.com.

Our rabbis of old taught, “The world stands on three things: On Torah; on worship; on deeds of kindness.” Make your down time meaningful this summer by joining us at Temple Sinai.

Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan

Teens on the Cutting Edge

Dear Friends,

So, what would you say is the biggest challenge facing the Jewish community today? Anti-Semitism? Threats to Israel’s security? The economy and lack of resources? How about the sky-high number of Jews who disappear from Jewish life after they become a bar/bat mitzvah or their children become a bar/bat mitzvah?

This is one of our greatest challenges and a primary reason the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) launched its “Campaign for Youth Engagement.” I am proud to say that before the new President of the URJ, Rabbi Rick Jacobs announced this campaign as his first major initiative, Temple Sinai launched its own campaign for youth engagement. We applied for and became one of eight congregations to be part of a Reform Movement pilot project to involve young people in what is now referred to as “teen philanthropy.” Jonah Zinn, our rabbinic intern, and I designed a unique teen philanthropy program specifically for our most “endangered” group of young people here at Temple Sinai, our 8th graders.

I say “endangered” because after a year of intensive Jewish learning in preparation to lead Shabbat services as bar/bat mitzvah, 8th graders are the most in danger of becoming disengaged from Jewish life. Our High School program at Temple Sinai is excellent and many 8th graders attend those Monday night sessions during the school year. In fact, tonight we are celebrating the graduation from our high school program of eight students who have participated all the way through their senior year! Be that as it may, we know that there are many students who do not continue in our high school program after bar/bat mitzvah and others who do but can benefit from a different kind of Jewish engagement.

Our new program for 8th graders is called, “Teen Foundation.” Neither a class nor a youth group program, the Teen Foundation combines the passion young people naturally have for making a difference in the world (Tikkun Olam/social justice) with their desire to socialize with peers, and an age-appropriate informal Jewish educational component to create a year of fun, provocative and Jewishly inspiring activity. Meeting twice a month from 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, the ten students in this year’s Teen Foundation spent the year learning about local non-profit organizations and the importance of philanthropy through site visits to local organizations, hands-on service and group discussions. After learning about the issues facing our community, the teens selected a need they wanted to address and solicited grant proposals from organizations which work on their issues of their choice. They then reviewed the grant proposals and awarded grants both from a philanthropic pool comprised of personal contribution from the teens and additional money they raised together through a fundraising event.

The fundraising event they put together, “Party 2Fight Poverty,” raised over $2,600. Combining that money with their family’s contributions, the teens made grants of $1,500 each to three different local organizations which address poverty among children. These teens truly made a difference!

If you have a child who will be in 8th grade next year, I urge you to encourage him or her to be a member of our Teen Foundation. Email me atrabbimillstein@templesinaibc.org to let me know your son/daughter is interested.

We will meet primarily on Sundays from 5:00 – 6:15 p.m. about twice a month starting in October, after the High Holy Days. In lieu of a registration fee each student is asked to contribute $250 to the Teen Foundation philanthropic pool (i.e. a “tzedakah collective”). Teens who may need assistance with the financial commitment please speak with me. Special funds are available for this program; no one will be excluded because of an inability to make this contribution. If you find this program as inspiring as I do and want to make a contribution to help us provide these funds, please send your check made out to Temple Sinai with the words “Teen Foundation Contribution” in the memo line.

There are a limited number of spaces in this year’s Foundation class, which will be filled in order of when registrations are received. We will send you a registration form shortly after you contact us. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or Jonah Zinn at jonahzinn@gmail.org.

Shabbat Shalom,
Jordan