May 30, 2013
21 Sivan 5773
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In This Issue
Parshat B'haalotecha
SHABBAT SHALOM
Learning Opportunities
Caring Community Information
Parshat Sh'lach 
Rabbi Lisa Gelber, JTS

When I close my eyes to picture my grandfather, he is standing beside a long olive green bookcase, swaying and shokeling [swaying in prayer], his slight frame enfolded within his tallit, tefillin protruding from his forehead and wrapped about his arm, deeply engaged in conversation with God. At those moments, it always seemed that he had been transported to a different place and time. Perhaps it was that magic cape, I thought, the one with the strings attached.

 

As a little girl, I yearned to wear a tallit, and so it is no surprise that some of my fondest childhood memories are of sitting with my grandfather in shul on Shabbat and sharing his tallit. Throughout the service, I would play with the tzitzit, enjoying the feel of the fringes as they slipped between my fingers, methodically adding new knots and removing them again before the conclusion of the service, each knot a blessing for myself or my family. My grandfather was a humble man, dedicated to his store, his family, and his God. He embodied a love for education and humanity. I knew that those cornerstones of his existence were somehow bound up within those carefully constructed knots.

 

It was not until some years after my grandfather's death that I learned the third paragraph of the Shema, recited twice each day, morning and evening, and found in this week's parashah, Shlah, commanding us to wear the tzitzit.

"Adonai said to Moses as follows: Speak to the people of Israel and  tell them to make for themselves fringes, tzitzit, on the corners of their garments throughout their generations; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner. That shall be your fringe; look at it and recall all of Adonai's commandments and observe them so that you do not follow your heart and eyes and be seduced or led astray. 

 

Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God. I, Adonai, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I, Adonai your God" (Numbers 15:37-41).

God is clear, the tzitzit are not an adornment set aside for special occasions. They are a necessary part of our daily existence throughout time. Designed to help us remember, to keep us connected, the tzitzit challenge us to actively engage in our story as Jews so that we might become holy. One of the first steps towards that sense of kedushah, holiness, is a willingness to set ourselves apart, to distinguish ourselves as Jews. 

 

In the most obvious way, the tallit is an external sign of our place within a larger history. It is a marker of our commitment as individuals to the needs of our community. Each morning, as we recite the


Rabbi Lisa Gelber is the associate dean of The Rabbinical School at The Jewish Theological Seminary 


May Their Memories Be For a Blessing 

June Yahrtzeits

6/2/2013 (24 Sivan)            

Mary Avadenka

6/4/2013 (26 Sivan)            

Evelyn Wolock Eisman

Deborah Phyllis Vernick

6/6/2013 (28 Sivan)            

Irving Koren

6/8/2013 (30 Sivan)            

Milton Schloss

6/10/2013 (2 Tammuz)         

Rose Arbit Magy

6/11/2013 (3 Tammuz)         

Arlene Gorbaty

Judy Rogoff

Alvin Winkelman

6/12/2013 (4 Tammuz)         

Donald Lewis

6/13/2013 (5 Tammuz)         

Joseph Jacobson

James Pappas

6/14/2013 (6 Tammuz)         

Ehud Reiter

6/18/2013 (10 Tammuz)       

Jacob Kurland

6/19/2013 (11 Tammuz)       

Harry Baer

6/21/2013 (13 Tammuz)       

Beverly Weingarden

6/22/2013 (14 Tammuz)       

Jules Doneson,

Edward Feibus

Anita Sonenshein

6/23/2013 (15 Tammuz)       

Irv Belsky

Isadore Hamburger

6/25/2013 (17 Tammuz)       

Pearl Nusbaum

6/27/2013 (19 Tammuz)       

Bella Lieberman

6/29/2013 (21 Tammuz)       

Max Kleinbard

Saul Togal

6/30/2013 (22 Tammuz)       

Nathan Wonboy

To make a donation to commemorate a yahrtzeit, please click here.  If you are a member of the synagogue and a yahrtzeit for your loved one is not on the list, please contact the synagogue office so we can update our records.

 

Please click here if you wish to permanently memorialize a loved one by purchasing a yahrtzeit plaque.  

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To make a donation to the synagogue, 
click here 
phone:  248-432-2729
SHABBAT SHALOM
Shabbat Services: Sh'lach Lecha

Friday, May 31st

6 p.m. Services, SANCTUARY
Shabbat Table

Saturday, June 1st

9 a.m. Services, Sanctuary
Kiddush Lunch is sponosred by Fran and Ed Chudnow in honor of the aufruf of their son, David and the upcoming marriage of David to Dr. Heather Goldstein.

Kiddush Lunch is available through the generosity of weekly sponsors.  Please e-mail or call the synagogue office if you would like to sponsor a kiddush lunch.  You may also make a donation to the synagogue specifically for the Kiddush Lunch Fund by clicking here.  

 

Condolences:  

  To Adam (Meredith) Weingarden, Noah and Emilie on the death of their father and grandfather, Stanley M. Weingarden.
  To Chuck (Marcia) Seigerman on the death of Chuck's mother, Victoria Esther Seigerman.

   

Todah Rabbah

  To Hilda Hamburger for sponsoring minyan breakfast in honor of her 80th birthday.

 

Mazel Tov 

  To Fran and Ed Chudnow on the upcoming marriage of their son, David, to Dr. Heather Goldstein, daughter of Sally and Howard Goldstein. 

 

Honey

ORDER "HONEY FROM THE HEART" once again this year.   Please help support the synagogue and order (or re-order) honey for your friends and family.   Click here and follow the simple instructions.  ORDER DEADLINE IS JULY 9TH Honey from the Heart logo

 

SAVE THE DATE:   

Youth Shabbat, Saturday June 8th.

The Youth of our congregation will participate in and lead services.  We will honor our graduating high school seniors.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Frank
Shabbat in the Park 2013

Fridays at 6 p.m.,  

Bloomer Park, West Bloomfield

June 7th, July 5th, August 2nd

Upcoming Youth and Family Activities
Upcoming Youth Services  

Supervised Youth Activities,  Room 3, lower level 

May 25 supervised youth activities, lower level.

To stay current on all youth and family activities, contact Ilana Glazier  to join the B'nai Israel Families Facebook Group.

 

  MInute to win it

IMPORTANT MEETING
USY logo REGARDING USY
(MCUSY-Motor City USY in the Detroit area, 
UNITED SYNAGOGUE YOUTH, 9TH-12TH GRADERS)

THIS SUNDAY, June 2, 10-11:30 a.m.

Congregation Shaarey Zedek

This meeting is for parents from all Detroit-area conservative synagogues.  Please plan to attend if you have a high school age child.  Please e-mail Susan Knoppow with questions.

 

Youth Shabbat:  Saturday, June 8th.
Children of all ages will be participating in the service. If your child would like to participate and has not yet been assigned a part, please contact Karen Rosenberg.
Learning Opportunities   
Siddur Appreciation/Learnin
with Dr. Mitch Parker 
June 15, 10 a.m.  Final Class until the fall
Upcoming Community Events
and TKA/BI Joint Opportunities

Save the Date:   Road Rally
Road Rally with TKA and BI 
Sunday, July 28th, 5:30 p.m.
Fun!  Food!  Prizes!  For further information contact Sallyjo Levine.

KNITTING 
All stitchers are welcome.  Bring yourKnitting1 
needlepoint, crochet hook or cross stitch and join the group. There is no charge to attend.  

7 PM at the TKA/BI building.  

FUTURE DATES:  6/10 Just drop-in! No registration required.  For more information, e-mail Gail Raben.

Attention BI Families with high school seniors 
Please send us your child's full name, Hebrew and English, and post-high school plans.  We plan to honor our high school graduates during Youth Shabbat, Saturday, June 8th. click here to send your student's information.

Caring Community Information

Refuah Sh'leimah/Wishing a Speedy Recovery

Please email Michael Golob or call the synagogue:  248-432-2729 if you wish to add a name to our communal list.  Our caring community reaches out to one another in a variety of ways.  We welcome our new members warmly with a special visit and gift.  We provide shiva minyan leaders.  We call/visit/provide meals for members who are ill or home-bound, bring a home-cooked shiva meal to mourners in our community, and help to drive members who need a ride to synagogue services and events.  If you would like to help in any way, please call or 
Mazel Tov 
May Birthdays
Happy Birthday!

Birthday Cake31 Irvin Kappy

June Birthdays 

2 Rachael Hoffenblum          

3 Paula Balkin

4 Sidney Kaye

Naomi Lupovitch

 5  Joshua Saperstein

 7  Melanie Soverinsky

 9  Robert Breitman

 9  Lowell Schmeltz

12 Laura Berger

13 Bess Glazier

14 Marla Schloss

16 Ilana Glazier

20 Davida Robinson                                       

21 Carol Golob    

21 Marni Jacobson     

22 Jonathan Lowe      

23 Daniel Kuhn   

24 Jessica Singer

25 Max Feber      

26 Herb Lantor     

26 Karen Rosenberg   

28 Madeline Kaufman

28 Ruth Webber

 

May Anniversaries
Jewish Wedding

30 Ed & Fran Chudnow

30 Steve & Linda Jacobson 

June Anniversaries

 5 Jonathan & Beth Lowe

10 Murray & Linda Baruch

10 Mark & Ruth Webber

12 Dan & Miry Serlin

13 Andy & Libby Beider

13 Rabbi Mark and Amy Robbins

20 John Marcotte & Vicki Freedman

22 Steve & Joan Freedman

22 Leonard & Sharon Rosen

24 Belmont & Gertrude Kershenbaum

25 Lowell Schmeltz & Ilana Glazier

26 Ron & Sharon Gadoth-Goodman

27 Ken & Shula Brown

27 Lenny & Robin Jacobson

28 Robert & Laurie Kimmel

28 Noel & Judy Lawson

29 Mark & Loraine Kuhn

30 Alan & Barbara Funk

If your birthday or anniversary information is not listed, please email the synagogue so we can update our records.
BI running
Join us at this year's Detroit Free Press Marathon as part of our team, Sunday, October 20, 2013!

Several spots on our two teams are still available.  Once the spots fill up, they are gone. The marathon length of 26.2 miles is divided into five legs.  The length of each relay leg is as follows: 6.2 miles, 6.0 miles, 6.7 miles, 2.9 miles, and 4.4 miles.  Full details are available at: 

For more details and costs to participate, please contact David Saperstein directly:  dsaperstein@maddinhauser.com
USCJ logo
Quick Links

B'nai Israel Synagogue is affiliated with USCJ, 
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.