BEHIND THE HEADLINES - December 2016

BY SELMA  ALPERT

 

THE  ELECTION.  After a hard-fought, historic election, Donald Trump is the 45th President of the United States.   One Rabbi’s advice to all partisans is to try to see the opposite side’s point of view or concerns and move on.  The candidates and outgoing President were gracious and united in wanting the same peaceful transition of power that marks our democracy.  Protests and disappointments should wane with time.  We are a very special country.

 

MISSING  HEIRS.  Over 2600 people have Swiss bank accounts that have been dormant more than 60 years, containing nearly $45 million.  The Swiss banks have published the names on the accounts giving owners or their heirs a last chance to claim their money.  Unclaimed funds will go to the state.  There are also 80 unclaimed safety deposit boxes that may hold real treasure. You could be an heir.  Find out more  

 

EU  EXODUS.  The European Union is alarmed that productive Jewish citizens are leaving, while the needy Muslim population has exploded.  In 2015 alone, 30,000 Jews emigrated to Israel, most from Europe, because of rising anti-Semitism from the left and right.  Italy has passed a law making Holocaust Denial a crime.  EUs Court of Human Rights ruled anti-Semitism and Holocaust Denial are not protected Human Rights. The Danish Prime Minister expressed support and ensured security for Jews after terrorists attacked Copenhagen’s main synagogue.  Still the hate and exodus go on.

 

JEWISH  SPOUSES.  President’s children may have heard the adage that “Jewish men make the best husbands.”  At any rate, Ivanka Trump is wed to an Orthodox Jew, Jared Kushner, and their children are brought up Jewish.  Chelsea Clinton is also married to a Jewish man.  Even Caroline Kennedy married a Jewish fellow.  Interesting coincidence, don’t you think?

 

GOOD  RELATIONS?  Prime Minister Netanyahu, as others did, called to congratulate President-elect Trump on his victory.  Our President invited Netanyahu to visit the White House soon.  During the election, President Trump promised to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital. Other presidents have made that promise but it hasn’t happened…yet!! 

Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Celebrations

Valley Beth Israel
has designated the first Friday of each month as a special time to celebrate Birthdays and Anniversaries.
 

This month we had the rare opportunity and privilege of celebrating Bea Gelfand's 97th BIRTHDAY as a part of our Sunday morning Minyan. Bonnie MacDougall came with her grandmother and brought a huge delicious chocolate birthday cake!!!  The Hebrew school children enjoyed the celebration (and cake) as much as Bea and her family. 

The choir sings at this Choral Shabbat as the congregation celebrates birthdays and anniversaries.  Join us Friday evening December 2nd 2016, as we celebrate together.  Services begin at 7:30pm

Please let Judy Knigin know if you will be celebrating a birthday in the coming month, or if you would like to sponsor an Oneg Shabbat or Kiddush Luncheon. (818) 782-2281.

We love to honor our congregants as they celebrate. If December is your birthday month, or if you will be enjoying an anniversary in December, please let us know! 

Or better yet, let us know your birthdays and anniversaries by adding that information as you sign up for our newsletter.

Yahrzeit - December 2016

VBI - President's Message

Shalom everyone and Happy Hanukkah,

Lots to report on so hold onto your seats. As many of you know we celebrate an interfaith service on the Monday before Thanksgiving. This year was the 22nd annual edition and I am so pleased with the turnout from Valley Beth Israel. We were well represented by both members and their friends. A joint choir composed of Valley Beth Israel, Panorama Presbyterian Church and embellished by a large group of students from the Mission College chorus provided some rich melodies to the program. The clergy from the three religious institutions were the highlight of the evening. Next year we will be the host for the service.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with either family and/or friends or maybe both. Mona and I had been in Big Bear the week before (unchaperoned) and had a fantastically relaxing time. Thanks to all of you for not calling while we were away.

Once we returned I would like to report that everything was back to normal; but that was far from the case as I was awakened on the morning of November 22nd at approximately 5 a.m. informing me that there was no water pressure at the synagogue. In fact there was no water period. During the night somebody was able to turn off the main water line from the street and then cut/remove (steal) ten feet of 2½-inch copper pipe along with a 75-pound valve and other associated hardware. $4500 later we were in operation again. Insurance may cover some of the loss but with the holidays we haven’t been able to check it all out. Never a dull moment.

Let’s talk about some positive things as we continue to forge ahead. You should have received a billing for your High Holiday pledges and we appreciate your rapid response in paying them. If you did not receive yours please let the office know. We can correct the amount by either raising or lowering what you were billed. If you have discretionary income that you don’t know what to do with think of your synagogue, Valley Beth Israel. Billings for your membership dues are being prepared as I am writing this message so expect to see them soon.

We are working hard to get the yahrzeit information into each newsletter. As I’ve reported more than once before the computer that contains all the family information does not spit it out in printed form including the yahrzeit letters you have received in the past. Until we get a new program and input all the data we have, probably at a cost of $3000 - $4000, Judy in the office has to painstakingly go through pages of names to generate the yahrzeit list you find in each newsletter. Since you’re not getting the notice by mail with the pink envelope the synagogue loses out on the donations that you used to make. Help us by sending in contributions in memory of your loved ones.

Remember the religious school program and Men’s club “latke feast” on December 18th. Hanukkah begins on the night of December 24th. Happy holidays from Mona and I and our family. See you at the temple.                      

Ron
Ron Trachtenberg
VBI President

History of Chanukkah

‎‫חֲנֻכָּה‬   - Hanuka, Hannuka, Hanukka, Channukkah: however you spell it, it is the Jewish Winter Festival of Lights or the Feast of Dedication. Until the middle of the 20th century, Hanukah was the only Jewish holiday that is post Biblical with a definite historical date. The story of Hanukah is told in the Books of the Maccabees I-II which are in the Apocrypha. The First Book of the Maccabees covers the whole of the Maccabean Revolt in 175-134 BCE against the Greek ruler, Antiochus IV who suppressed the practice of Jewish Law. The Revolt was lead by Judah Maccabee and his sons, Simon, John, Jonathan, and Judas; Maccabee means hammer in Hebrew and is an anagram for the Hebrew words that mean, "Who is like You from amongst the mighty, the L-rd?"

Practice
Hanukah is a minor Jewish holiday compared to Passover, Purim, and the High Holydays. With the rise of the ethnically diverse neighborhoods in the post WWII period in the US, Jewish babyboomers became quite aware of the Winter holiday celebrations of their neighbors and wanted to celebrate similarly, so Hanukah became more important as a symbol of Jewish identity in North America. In 1951, President Harry S Truman received a menorah from Israeli Prime Minister David Ben Gurion;  in 1965, LBJ hosted the first Hanukah celebration in the White House. Long before that, General George Washington is said to have attended a Hanukah celebration at the home of Mr. Michael Hart in Easton, PA in 1777 - this account of the story is from the diary of Michael's daughter, Louisa.

Hanukah is celebrated on the 25 of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar; on the English calendar the holiday can begin as early as November 26 and as late as December 28.  The dreidel or sivivon is a top with four sides with Hebrew letters as an anagram for "A great miracle happened THERE", שהנג or, in Israel, "A great miracle happened HERE" - נגפה

The "great miracle" of Hanukah was the flame in the Temple that was still burning even after eight days. Since the "great miracle" that happened involved oil, we eat foods that are made in oil as latkes, potato pancakes, or sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts. And what was dedicated? The Great Temple of Jerusalem was re-dedicated to G-d for the practice of Judaism.

At your home
There is no obligation to refrain from work during the Hanukah festival as there is during the Sabbat or the High Holydays. The festival is seven days, eight nights with a candle lit each night beginning on the first night with just the shumash candle and one candle added each night, adding candles from right to left, but lighting them each night left to right. Generally, the Sepharim have one menorah to a household and the Ashkenazi have a menorah for each member of the household. At the beginning of the Sabbath during Hanukah, the menorah candles are kindled first and then the Shabbat candles - on Saturday at the end of the Sabbath, the havdalah candle is lit first and then extinguished, and then the menorah candles are lit. Traditionally, three brachot, blessings are said the first night and two are said each night for the remainder of this festival when lighting the candles.

The first night, the shehecheyanu blessing is said. This blessing is said whenever something pleasant that has not happened for a while is encountered -

‫ברוך אתה ה' א‑לוהינו, מלך העולם, שהחינו וקימנו והגענו לזמן הזה.‬
Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'heheyanu v'kiy'manu v'higi'anu la'z'man ha'ze.
Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season."

The remaining nights, the blessing for lighting the candles is said:

‫ברוך אתה ה' א‑לוהינו, מלך העולם, אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר של חנוכה.‬
Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light[s]."

Then the blessing for miracles of Hanukah is said:

‎‫ברוך אתה ה' א‑לוהינו, מלך העולם, שעשה נסים לאבותינו בימים ההם בזמן הזה.‬
Transliteration: Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam, she'asa nisim la'avoteinu ba'yamim ha'heim ba'z'man ha'ze.
Translation: "Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe, Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time..."

Happy Hanukah! Hag Samech!

Sisterhood, Education liaison,
Mrs. Maureen Gradvohl

Torah Fund - December 2016

Which comes first, the ‘seed’ or the ‘fruit’? The Torah.

“It is a tree of life to those who grasp it, and all who uphold it are blessed.”

Proverbs (3:18).

This is a favorite prayer – the living, growing, nourishing torah . So too, the Torah Fund Campaign of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism has been living, growing and nourishing Conservative/Masorti Judaism for the past 75 years.

In 1942, W. L. established its first scholarship fund for the students of the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Since 1963, the Torah Fund Campaign has consisted of raising funds for our institutions of Conservative/Masorti Jewish education:  

 Jewish Theological Seminary, New York

 Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, Los Angeles

 Schechter Institutes of Judaic Studies, Jerusalem

 Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano, Buenos Aires

This year, as we celebrate “the fruit of her hands” we are extremely proud to extend our support to our newest ‘tree branch’ the Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam Germany, training a new generation of rabbis to address the spiritual needs of a growing European Jewry.

Please write your check to V. B. I. Sisterhood, Torah Fund to help plant a seed, nourish it, and enjoy it’s sweet and juicy fruit.

Again thank you for your continued support of Torah Fund.

Bobbie Cohen

Torah Fund V. P.

Chanukah Latke Feast