Shalom Congregants and Friends.....
 
Rabbi's Ramblings...... 
     
Beth Hillel Synagogue hosted the Conservative Synagogues' Community Tisha B'av afternoon service last Tuesday. A number of congregants attended both this service and the evening service at Emanuel the night before. For some of us, mincha ended fasting as a sign of remembrance and sadness for the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem millenia ago. Tisha B'av is a significant milepost. Now we chant seven "haftorot of consolation" on Shabbat as we keep in mind each week that we are drawing closer to the High Holy Days. We are finalizing the flow of our services, using the new Mahzor Lev Shalem, and are working on the various activities that are part of the High Holy Day preparation. You already should have received, for example, an invitation to remember loved ones in the annual Yizkor book.
 
This week Iris and I are celebrating being "bubbe and zaydee" (or grandma or grandpa) as we watch grandson Jacob for a few days. Hopefully he'll be with his "saba and savta" at Shabbat services - you all can say shalom to him! I will be taking vacation days Thursday and Monday to both share time with him as well as return him to his parents in New Hampshire.
 
Friday night I will be sharing a book review on "The Holocaust by Bullets," a fascinating book by Father Patrick Desbois, who writes on researching the killing done by the Nazis in the small towns of the Ukraine -- not in concentration camps but in all the little villages and shtetls were Jews had lived. A family member being sent to a work camp in the Ukraine perhaps started him off on this mission -- but he has pursued it since from a concern based on both faith and justice -- and it is a most compelling read. Father Desbois will actually be speaking in Hartford on September 27 in an event co-sponsored by the Jewish community. I do not remember who originally shared the book with me (let me know if you read this!) but I have purchased two copies of the book for our library for congegants to read before September! 
 
The Jewish Ledger has solicited rabbinic responses to the proposed law that would "disenfranchise" conversions done by the Conservative and Reform movements. I submitted my response Monday morning; The massive response from the diaspora has averted the continued discussion of the bill for now - but we will need continued vigilance.  We'll see whether the Ledger will print my submission.  I include an update on the situatiom in the Israel section of the E-shul. 
 
Wednesday I did something most special and meaningful to me. I  arranged for the hatafat dam brit (token drawing of blood when there has been a medical circumcision) and then the conversion of the grandson of a ciongregant. It is a meaningful and important way to deal with the question of intermarriage today.... and a wonderful feeling that there is one more "member of the covenant. If you know of any similar situation where I can facilitate the formalization of Jewish identity, please let me know.
 
Last call to sign up for the Shabbat Under the Stars dinner, coming up a week from Friday! It will be a most enjoyable evening. Also, remember the Rock Cats Kosher Day on August 8 and RSVP by the weekend as well!
 
Shabbat Shalom -- look forward to coming to shul and being with your "synagogue family" here at Beth Hillel Synagogue!
 
 Rabbi Gary and Iris Atkins
"No one should leave services unmoved or unchanged...
 This Week  Shabbat Services & Candle Lighting
 CANDLE LIGHTING   
 
 Friday, July  23.... 7:58pm
 
SHABBAT  SERVICE TIMES:                               
Friday, July 23 - 8:00pm
Saturday, July 24 - Shaharit 9:30am, Mincha/ Maariv/Havdalah 8:00pm  
 
Come enjoy the beautiful Havdalah ceremony that ends Shabbat...
Congregational Announcements 
Synagogue Bulletin Board
There is a new bulletin board by the door to the rabbi's office. Take a look when you're in the building to read notices of community events and contemporary news articles!  See photos of my grandchildren!!
 
And there are also good handouts on the racks by both the chapel and sanctuary.....
 
 Traveling in the weeks ahead?????
Ask Rabbi Atkins for "shaliach kesef" - messenger money - along with a prayer for a safe journey, it will "guarantee" you a safe trip.
It's one of my favorite  mitzvot!!
 
 Library Reminders
Lots of good new books in the Library - and interesting periodicals like Consumer Reports, The Jewish Week, and The Forward!.......  
 
 Music and videos, too!   Our subscription to the Jerusalem Post newspaper has resumed!  
 
Beautify The Synagogue Grounds
 
Call Tobie Neuwirth at 242-7084 to volunteer ...... 
 Upcoming  Special Events   - For more info see  Chai-lites!!    
 
July 26 -  Emanuel Synagogue Brotherhood - Friends of the IDF program - 7:30pm
 
July 27 - JCRC program "Visions and Challenges for Israel,"  noon, Federation
 
July 30 - Shabbat Under the Stars - BBQ and Services - 6:00pm / 7:15 services
 
August 8 - Kosher Day at the Rock Cats Baseball Game
 
August 20 - Shabbat Under the Stars - Fish Fest - 6:00pm / 7:15 services
 Social Action Updates    
 
Help with Darfur ..... Help in Hartford... our food bins are almost empty.
Please donate to the Kosher of general  Food Pantry!!
 
The 2010 Handbook of Volunteer Opportunities is now available for your perusal in the library!
 
Be aware of those less fortunate than we are!! Carry out the mitzvah of tikkun olam!

  
Photo of a new mall that opened today, July 17, 2010. If there "are no building materials allowed into Gaza" how did they build this shopping center, or the new Olympic-size swimming pool pictured below?)

Two days ago the EU pledged tens of millions of EU taxpayers' euros to add to the hundreds of millions already donated to Gaza this year, much of which has been misused to procure arms.

 UPDATE, Sunday July 18, 2010:

"On a day when (because EU Foreign Policy Chief Baroness Ashton is in Gaza) the BBC and other media have featured extensive reports all day long on what they term the dire economic situation in Gaza, why are they not mentioning the new shopping mall that opened there yesterday?

"When leading news outlets mention the so-called humanitarian flotillas from Turkey, why do they omit the fact that life expectancy and literacy rates are higher, and infant mortality rates are lower in Gaza than corresponding rates in Turkey? Have they considered that perhaps the humanitarian flotillas ought to be going in the other direction, towards Turkey?"

WHAT HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE?

Last year, this website revealed to a Western audience pictures of the bustling, crowded food markets of Gaza that the Western media refuse to show you. Earlier this year, I reported the new Olympic-size swimming pool of Gaza (no shortage of building materials or water here) and the luxury restaurants, where you can "dine on steak au poivre and chicken cordon bleu". (Over 300,000 people have viewed photos on that webpage since May, according to my website monitor.)

Now I want to draw attention to the fact that this morning, on the day that the EU again criticized Israel (but not Egypt) for supposedly oppressing Gazans, on a day when the BBC TV world news headlines again lead with a report about how "devastated the economy in Gaza is," an impressive new shopping mall opened in Gaza (photos below, followed by a selection of other photos from Gaza).

Will those Western journalists who write stories about "starvation" in Gaza and compare it to a "concentration camp" report this?

Instead of reporting on the mall opening, the British-based international satellite broadcaster Sky News reported today "The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire."

 NEW GAZA SHOPPING MALL

Photos from Saturday, July 17, 2010:

Israel in the News    
 THE ROTEM CONVERSION BILL... a e-mail from the United Synagogue

An update on the Rotem conversion bill

by Rabbi Steven Wernick

    CEO, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

 Jerusalem | July 22, 2010

 Late last night the Knesset session concluded without a reading of MK David Rotem's proposed conversion law.

 When the law first came before the committee we could not be sure that that would be the case. In fact, the general feeling was that this law had enough support not only to make its way to the Knesset floor, but to become law. That it did not is a significant accomplishment of the North American and worldwide Jewish community.

 I was in Israel when it happened, and took my place as part of the leadership group that opposed it.

 We, the liberal Jewish community around the world, sent more than 60,000 emails to Prime Minister Netanyahu, we mobilized Israel's friends at home and our friends in Israel to reach out to him personally, we hit the airwaves and newspapers and with our partners in the Masorti movement in Israel, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Reform movement and the Jewish Federations of North America we lobbied the Knesset vigorously, explaining what we objected to in this bill, why those clauses not only would not solve the problem they were meant to solve - the need to help large number of people, particularly Russian immigrants to Israel, who have become Israeli citizens, are not halachically Jewish, but wish to convert - but also threatened to drive a wedge between the Diaspora and Israeli Jewish communities. We met with virtually every member of the Likkud, Labor, Kadima and Meretz parties, probably 75 percent of the Knesset. And we were heard.

 We thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for demonstrating leadership in opposing this legislation and in following through on his original suggestion to work together in addressing the issues of conversion in Israel. We know that there were complicated political circumstances surrounding this whole situation. One government minister told us how impressed he was with our community's response to the crisis and how awed he was by our effectiveness. Others said they were glad that we were able to explain to them elements of the bill they had not considered, while still others said how relieved they were that we came to ensure that this bill, as it was written, would be defeated.....

 Though we have succeeded in freezing this legislation for the moment, there is still much to do before the Knesset resumes October 11. Since the bill passed its first reading in committee it could be brought to the Knesset at any time. That's one of the reasons our contingent spent most of Wednesday at the Knesset thanking our friends and discussing what comes next with them. We have already begun to consider the possibilities. Dialogue is already underway with the government and the Jewish Agency about what process we might need to reach consensus in easing the process of conversion while not relinquishing our rights to convert non-Jews to Judaism in Israel according to a Masorti understanding of halachah. We also know that we must continue to educate the Israeli public, public opinion makers and political leaders about the divisions this bill would cause and the possibilities that true religious pluralism provides for enriching the Israeli Jewish experience. And we know that we must keep the North American Jewish community informed, updated, and prepared to act should consensus not be reached and the bill put forward in the future.

 A joint statement from our partnership in this effort will be issued before Shabbat.

 We will continue to meet in the next two weeks to plan our strategy and timeline to make maximum use of the Knesset break before it resumes October 11. And we will continue to update you on our progress.

Thank you,

 Rabbi Steven Wernick 

 

A nice new shopping mall opened today in Gaza: Will the media report on it?

Will the Western media show these images?
All notes below by Tom Gross

Please scroll down below for photos of the new shopping mall that opened today in Gaza. I have also attached new photos and film of Gaza's hotels, beauty spas, swimming pools, beaches and street markets -- images the BBC, New York Times and others refuse to show you.

Meanwhile, Hamas are deliberately leaving some Gazans in plastic tents, in order to fool gullible Western journalists and politicians who are brought to Gaza to witness a staged "humanitarian crisis."

 

 

Torah Portion -- Commentary of the Week 
 
This week written by Rabbi Cheryl Peretz of the Ziegler Rabbinical School... 
 

More than any other book of Jewish text or literature, we jews read the siddur, the prayer book. As we imagine and re-imagine our relationship to our people and to God, we engage our heart, mind, and soul in the words of the siddur, sifting through generations of Jewish theology, belief, practice and history. No prayer is more central to daily liturgy than the Shema, the quintessential statement of faith that reminds us of the totality of the covenant we share with God.

Each morning, each evening, when we lay down, when we rise, in the waters of the mikvah as one converts, at the end of the day, on the deathbed - we pray the words of the Shema in unity asserting God's uniqueness and testifying to the covenantal relationship that exists between God and the Jewish people. Yet, the three paragraphs of the Shema in our prayerbooks are not consecutive verses in the Torah. They are actually a collection of three different selections from different books in the Torah. In this week's Torah portion, V'etchanan, we read the first of those paragraphs - the Shema and V'ahavta components.

In the context of the Torah portion, however, these words do not seem to be a prayer at all; Rather, they are part of Moses' sermon to the people on the first of the Ten Commandments: "I am the Lord your God..." Using the typical opening to Deuteronomic speeches, Moses calls for attention amongst the people with the words used in four other places in this book of the Torah: " Shema Yisael - Hear O' Israel." (see also Deuteronomy 5:1, 9:1, 20:3 and 27:9) Like an ancient announcer, Moses summons the people to listen to what he is about to say for it is important. In each case, he proceeds to deliver his speech... So, what makes this Shema line so unique that the rabbis placed it as central to Jewish worship?

Within the words of the Shema and V'ahavta are the most poignant and basic tenants of Jewish theology that are well worth a reminder on this Shabbat V'etchanan. Let's consider them briefly:

There is one God. As monotheists, we affirm our belief in one God, our God. In the Torah, the final letters of both the first and last words of the Shema - the ayin of the word Shema, and the dalet of the word Echad - are larger than the rest of the letters. Together, they spell ayd, the Hebrew word for "witness." As Jews, we are responsible for being witnesses to God's oneness, unity and power by observing God's commandments in ritual and in behavior one to another.

God is unique. The word echad is understood to mean one as in there is only one God; not two, or three, or any more. But, Adonai Echad can also mean God alone, as in singular, without comparison - unique. There can be no other like God nor will there ever be.

The Jewish people have a special relationship with God. Just as two lovers are wholly devoted to one another in totality, so too, we are devoted to God. B'chol levavcha, b'chol nafshecha, u-v'chol me'odecha.... With all that we are, with all that we have, and with all that is within us, our heart, mind, and soul are engaged with and for God. Furthermore, this relationship is with us always, no matter where we are or what we are doing. As Rabbi Elliot Dorff has taught me, "when you lie down or when you rise up" is a merism, a literary device through which the Torah refers to two ends of a spectrum and everything in between. The words of Torah, the relationship with God, therefore, are what we speak of and live when we lie down, when we rise up, and every moment in between - during every waking moment.

Relationship with God brings with it obligations and duties. We affirm our commitment to the covenant. We demonstrate our love of God through the fulfillment of the mitzvot and the study of Torah. So, we indeed 'bind them as a sign upon the hand and a reminder between the eyes' and we 'inscribe them upon the doorposts of the home and on the gates'.

Shema Yisrael - Hear O' Israel, we remind and challenge ourselves to recognize in words of prayer that there is one God, that God is unique, that we hold a special connection to God, and that Torah and mitzvot are fundamental characteristics of that relationship. Still, we are left to consider "V'shenantam levanecha - you shall teach them to your children." We could certainly read these two words as one of the ways that we demonstrate our collective fulfillment of the promise and duty to study Torah and observe mitzvot. But, I think there is in these two words a message of the Shema that is all its own that is equally as important and meaningful as each of the theological reminders already discussed.

Every parent dreams of the legacy s/he will leave behind for the children and grandchildren. Wanting the best for our children, we pray that their lives will be full of meaning and connection, success and growth. There is a wonderful midrash on the Shema which beautifully demonstrates this point. In a poignant domestic scene between the dying Jacob and his children, Jacob calls his sons together. Worrying that after his death his sons will abandon their tradition, anxious about the future of his faith and what we will happen when he dies, Jacob attempts to remind them of from where they come, whispering to them: "Shema Yisrael - Hear O (my sons) Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one." Imagine what it must have been like for Jacob and sons when they in kind, respond "Just as you believe, so too do we, Adonai is our God, Adonai is one!"

As we recite the Shema, we too are like Jacob, hoping that the connection of our tradition will link us one to another, surpassing physical boundaries of life and death. In that moment, we are as one with our parents and grandparents and the generations who came before us, with the children and grandchildren and many generations that will follow who will say to us Adonai is our God. And, in those brief moments, we are indeed witnesses to something unique and transcendent.

May we ever be able to utter the words of the Shema knowing that Adonai is indeed our God.