HATIKVAH
Beth Tikvah Synagogue Newsletter         
June 30, 2016


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Greetings! 
           
     There are many things I love about Beth Tikvah. At the top that list is that we are a family and are there for each other. This was most recently seen at our evening minyan this past Tuesday night. On a beautiful Tuesday evening at 8 PM, we easily made a minyan so that one of our own could recite kaddish for her mother. 
     Our next service will be on Friday July 15 at 7:30 PM. This joyful participatory service will be led by Jacob Robins.  
     We are doing very well with our Terumah (pledges) so far for the new fiscal year. We have received Terumah from more than half of you! If you have not submitted your Terumah (pledge) yet for the new year, now is the time. You can fill out the form here, or you can fill it out electronically on our website here. Our hope is that everyone gives at least as much as they did this past year. However, if you can give a little more, that would be great.
     Registration packets for our religious school are available on our website. If you haven't sent in your deposit yet, please do so as soon as possible so that Cindy Avergon can properly plan next year's program.  Please remember to read the new handbook and submit the signed last page with your registration paperwork. 
     Finally, now is the time to sign up for your kiddush and lobby greeter slots for the coming year. More information and links to Sign-Up Genius are in the newsletter below.
     
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In This Issue
From the Rabbi - Living in a Bubble?

      I was heading out of town last week when the news broke about an anti-Semitic incident at Gibbons Middle School in Westborough.  I was dismayed, as I'm sure all of us were, but I can't say that I was totally surprised.
 
     I have to commend Amber Bock and the Westborough educational leadership for what appears to be a textbook response to the incident.  They contacted the police, notified parents and the community and got in touch with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).  Even though this incident was likely perpetrated by students who thought they were committing a harmless prank and had no idea of the symbolism and the history behind the swastikas they drew, the school system reacted swiftly and appropriately.  Such was not the case, unfortunately, in a few similar incidents earlier this year at a middle school in Newton.
 
     I wasn't surprised because we are witnessing a rising number of such incidents locally and nationally.  Incidents directed not only to Jews, but to other minorities as well. A few days ago the Globe reported that middle school students in Arlington had directed racist texts to a child of Indian origin at their school.  The article mentioned an incident in March with anti-Semitic graffiti in bathrooms at the same school.  Such expressions are, of course, not limited to school students.  The same article referred to another incident in March in which an 84-year-old Arlington woman received a Ku Klux Klan badge in the mail after she published a letter in the Globe criticizing Donald Trump's initial reluctance to disavow David Duke, a former Klan leader.
 
     The ADL, which monitors anti-Semitic incidents, documented an increase in reported incidents from 2014 to 2015.  Recently they revealed that the number of reported incidents so far this year has almost matched the total number for 2015, at the half-way point of the year! 
 
     I have been thinking a lot recently about anti-Semitism, as I recently finished one of the most comprehensive books on the subject that I have ever read.  Entitled The Devil that Never Dies, it was written by Daniel Goldhagen, who has penned a number of books on anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and genocide.  I had the privilege of meeting Daniel recently when the Jewish Student Union at the Phillips Academy in Andover, where I am the Jewish Chaplain, brought Daniel to speak for our annual Yom Hashoah program. 
 
     The Devil that Never Dies is about the rise of global anti-Semitism.  It is a hard book to read, as it paints a very bleak picture of the ubiquity and the increase of anti-Semitic attitudes and actions throughout the world due to, among other things,  globalization and the advent of social media and the internet. 
 
     Daniel describes an unofficial moratorium on anti-Semitism in the Western world in the post-Holocaust era.  It has been unacceptable, and in some European countries illegal, to express anti-Semitic views and sentiments, in the wake of the Holocaust.  He argues that that moratorium has more or less come to an end, hence the significant rise of such expressions by public officials in many European countries on the political left and the right. He also argues, convincingly, that the lines between anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist and anti-Israel expressions are quite blurred, and that they often overlap.
 
    I believe the increase in anti-Semitic expression and events should be seen in the context of an increasing fear of the Other-any who are different from ourselves-in Europe and in the U.S.  The recent vote in the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union is a manifestation of this as well.  I am also of the opinion that repeated statements against Mexicans and Muslims, among others, by a presumptive presidential nominee has helped to create an atmosphere in our own country in which people with views against any racial, religious and/or ethnic groups feel that the public expression of these views, which they may have harbored and previously expressed behind closed doors, is now permissible. I wonder if this atmosphere has trickled down to our middle schools, hence the drawing of swastikas in notebooks and on bathroom walls.
 
     I read and hear about increasing anti-Jewish incidents and expression in other places-France (http://www.timesofisrael.com/natan-sharansky-there-is-no-future-for-jews-in-france/), Sweden, elsewhere.  American Jews have been relatively sheltered in this regard; it feels like we are living in a bubble-hence the title of this column.  I hope this is not changing, but I am concerned-hence the question mark.
 
Rabbi Mike


 


 
Honorable Menschen

 This month Marylin Queen made a donation to the Rabbi's Discretionary fund in memory of Sumner Queen and George Siegel.
 
Women's Interfaith Book Group

     A local chapter is forming of Daughters of Abraham, a national movement of Jewish, Christian and Muslim women who meet monthly and discuss books.  Information can be found at http://www.daughtersofabraham.com   

Most of us are from Shrewsbury, Worcester and Westborough.  The first meeting will be held Wednesday, July 20th at 7:00 pm.  Call  Molly Secrest (508) 366-6984 or write her at [email protected] for the location.  We are in need of a few more Jews!"


 
Join the Beth Tikvah Mishpacha (Family)

  Joining a synagogue is an important decision. Beth Tikvah Synagogue is a growing congregation that enjoys the sharing of Jewish rituals and customs, a superior Religious School, and of course, fun and socializing.  If you are not currently part of the mishpacha (family), and would like to be, please contact Abbe Allexenberg.


You may submit your membership form and pledge form via our website. Or, you may use the forms below (please note the pdf instructions in the side bar)



Membership Form



 

Terumah (Pledge) Form 

  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

 



 

2016-2017 Kiddush and Lobby Greeter Sign-ups

  Every Beth Tikvah family is requested to host one Friday Night oneg or Shabbat morning kiddush.  We request that all Beth Tikvah board members usher at least one service.  
 
  You can choose the service you'd like to host by clicking here:


Sign Up Now!



    We are also asking everyone to volunteer to be a greeter in our lobby on Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoons when school is in session.  Beth Tikvah takes pride in being warm and welcoming. Having greeters in the lobby when school is in session helps foster that ideal.  Please use the sign-up genius link to pick your preferred date(s).



Sign Up Now!



    Please sign up by the beginning of September. After that, we will assign the open slots.


 
Boroughs JCC Summer Programs




     
Looking for Host Families for Young Emissaries


     
Kvell and Tell
If you have a kvell (good news, milestone, etc.) to share, please email me by Thursday night for the weekly newsletter. 





L'hitraot,

EJ Dotts

President

Beth Tikvah Synagogue

[email protected] 

About Beth Tikvah
Beth Tikvah provides a warm and relaxing place to worship, study and share with other Jewish families.  It is an inviting and spiritual place which provides a unique opportunity for families to grow together under a Jewish umbrella.  We encourage each individual to contribute his or her skills and ideas to maintain our Jewish heritage and history so that our children appreciate their Jewish roots.
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Events
Yahrzeits
his month we remember:


Peter Lindenberg, father of Dennis Linderburg.


May his memory be for a blessing.




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Jewish Federation of Central Mass 
Young Adult Division
Are you a Young Jewish Adult 22-45 looking to connect with your peers living in and around the Central Massachusetts area?Then join YAD on facebook and find out what's happening in our area.
Volunteers Needed

Torah Reading (contact Rabbi Mike)

 

Leading Wednesday Evening Minyan (contact Michael Smith)

 

 

 

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Beth Tikvah Synagogue | 45 Oak Street | Westborough | MA | 01581