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Agudas Achim Congregation 401 E. Oakdale Blvd., Coralville. IA
52241
Phone: (319) 337-3813 www.agudasachimic.org
March 2015 Adar —Nisan 5775
Schedule of Services
Purim Thursday, March 4 7pm Children’s Service (At Agudas Achim)
Friday, March 5 8:30 am & 5:00 pm(At Chabad House)
Shabbat Ki Tisa (Exodus 30:11-34:35) Friday, March 6 Shabbat
Across Iowa 6:00 pm dinner RSVPs requested 7:45 pm Services Mishkan
Tefillah Saturday, March 7 9:30 am Siddur Mishkan Tefillah Shabbat
Vayakhel-Pekude/Shabbat Parah (Exodus 35:1-40:38, Numbers 19:1-22)
This is the third of four special Shabbatot before Passover. The
maftir section from Numbers details the matter of the red heifer.
In Temple days the priest would use the ashes of the red heifer to
purify people who were ritually impure which would have prevented
them from eating of the Passover sacrifice. Friday, March 13 7:45
pm Siddur Sim Shalom Musical Service with Rabbi Rebecca Kushner
Saturday, March 14 9:30 am Siddur Sim Shalom Shabbat Vayikra/Rosh
Hodesh/Shabbat Hachodesh (Leviticus 1:1-5:26, Numbers 28:9-15,
Exodus 12:1-20) ) This is the last of the four special Shabbatot
before Passover. It falls on the Shabbat before Nisan unless Nisan
begins on Shabbat as it does this year. In this case Shabbat
Hachodesh coincides with Rosh Hodesh. That’s why there are three
Torahs: One for the regular from Leviticus, the second one from
Numbers for Rosh Hodesh and the third one from Exodus which states
that the month in which Passover occurs is the first month of the
year. Friday, March 20 7:45 pm Mishkan Tefillah Saturday, March 21
9:30 am Siddur Sim Shalom Shabbat Tzav/Shabbat Hagadol (Leviticus
6:1-8:36) The name of the Shabbat before Passover is called Shabbat
Hagadol. It takes its name from the end of the haftarah which ends
“I will send you the prophet Eliyahu to your before the coming of
the great (hagadol) fearful day of the Lord.” Friday, March 27 7:45
pm Siddur Mishkan Tefillah Oneg Shabbat Program: Prof. Robert
Cargill on “Song of Songs.” Saturday, March 28 9:30 am Siddur Sim
Shalom
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LIFE MILESTONES
The congregation extends its condolences to Su Groff-VanArendonk
on the loss of her husband Wayne VanArendonk. The congregation
extends its condolences to Janie and Jody Braverman on the loss of
Janie’s father, Arnie Breggin. May they be comforted among the
mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Schedule of Services
Shabbat Pesach (Exodus 12:21-51, Numbers 28:16-25) Friday, April
3 NO Services – First Seder Saturday, April 4 9:30 am Siddur
Mishkan Tefillah Michael Flatté will be leading music Schedule of
Services on Passover Saturday, April 4 (Shabbat and the first day
of Passover) 9:30 am Sunday, April 5 (Second day of Passover) 9:30
am Friday, April 10 (Seventh Day of Passover) 9:30 am Saturday,
April 11 (Eighth Day of Passoverver and Yizkor) 9:30 am
THANK YOU
A special thanks to Doug Ginsberg at MC Ginsberg’s for repairing
the Torah rimonim and engraving the Kiddush cups given to B’nai
Mitzvah.
MARCH BOOK NEWS-Braverman Library and Becker Learning Center
How about brushing up on Purim’s story, traditions, and recipes
this month? Whether among the adult or children’s books, you’re
sure to find something to pique your curiosity- check it out! Fun
fact: Did you know that our Becker Adult Learning Center is home to
scholarly books which belonged to Dr. Jonathan A. Goldstein z"l,
Maccabean scholar and Agudas Achim congregant?
Kippah Survey
Are you a woman who wears a kippah/ yarmulke? Email
[email protected] with the subject line “kippah” to
participate in the first ever large-scale survey into the meanings
associated with this symbol, as reported by the women who wear it.
And please help spread the word!
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]
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SEARCH COMMITTEE-Michael Flaum
The search committee has been very busy this month. After a long
period of waiting, we finally received several applications for our
interim rabbi position. We’ve conducted Skype interviews with 3 of
these candidates over the past few weeks, and, after doing so, and
conducting some preliminary reference checking, we have invited our
top candidate for an onsite visit. His name is Rabbi Barry Diamond;
he has been serving as an “intentional interim” over the last
several years in multiple congregations. He is currently serving as
the senior (interim) rabbi at a 600 family congregation in LA.
Phone interviews with the board president and the cantor of that
synagogue were overwhelmingly positive (as were other references).
We really hope we can recruit him. He will be visiting us on the
weekend of March 6-8. That means he will be here for our “Shabbat
Across Iowa City” dinner on Friday March 6th. We hope to have a big
turnout that night so he can meet as many congregants as possible.
He will be participating in services both Friday night and Saturday
morning, and will join us for lunch after Saturday services. He
will then meet with members of the board with Rabbi Portman on
Saturday afternoon, and with the search committee on Sunday
morning. If anyone is specifically interested in meeting with him,
Saturday afternoon is probably the most flexible time in his
schedule. Once again, I have been really impressed by the
dedication that the search committee members continue to show –
we’ve basically been meeting every week of late, and almost
everyone shows up to every meeting. It’s really quite something –
Relational Judaism in action.
SISTERHOOD –Jorie Slodki
Winter Tea a Success! Our Winter Tea on 15 was a resounding
success. Over twenty women gathered to eat, schmooze, and bid on
our Silent Auction--which raised $500 for our campaign to honor
Rabbi Jeff! Thank you to . . . Teresa Weiner for hosting Michelle
Edwards for her fascinating talk on knitting and writing All those
who donated items or bid for our Silent Auction Sisterhood Shabbat
We will be hosting Sisterhood Shabbat on April 24 at the synagogue.
We will need participants for leading parts of the service in
English and/or Hebrew, and volunteers to bring food for the Oneg.
If you are interested in helping, please e-mail
[email protected] Watch Your Inboxes We will be sending
out an electronic survey to collect information on your hobbies and
interests. We plan to use this information to give us ideas on what
events to have in the future, and to connect Sisterhood members
with similar interests. Whether you are interested in gardening,
dancing, or underwater basketweaving, we hope to serve you
better.
GIFT SHOP-Joanne Margolin
Passover will be here soon -- the first seder is Friday, April
3rd! As always, we have a variety of seder plates, plastic liners,
haggadot, cards, beautiful matza covers, wash cups, kiddush cups,
as well as stickers and the game of Passover Slides and Ladders for
the children. If you think of something you’d like and can’t find
it in the Gift Shop, please call and let me try to get it for you –
no shipping and no tax!
Wishing you an early Happy Pesach ~ Joanne Margolin
351-2181 or [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]
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RABBI’S COLUMN—Rabbi Jeff Portman
Each day the Iowa Senate and House meets there is an opening
prayer delivered by a member of the clergy. I was invited by State
Senator Bob Dvorsky to deliver the prayer a few days ago. The
instructions that were given by the Senate was for the invocator to
keep in mind the diverse religions that legislators have and not be
exclusive. In my quick perusal of past invocations I was struck how
what I would consider exclusive was apparently not the case with
some of other clergy. Here is the text of my invocation. Lord,
Master of the universe – You have bequeathed to all mankind the
gifts of discernment and wisdom. We thank You for those gifts and
we ask You to help and guide our elected representatives and their
staffs as they work diligently to fulfill their challenging task of
tackling our problems, while expanding opportunities for all of us
in this great State of Iowa. O Sovereign, be with them as all those
who labor for a better world. Help them to work in a spirit of
cooperation to support all of the citizens of Iowa. We ask you to
keep in mind the families and friends of these dedicated men and
women who live all over Iowa. Be with them as their loved ones work
in this capital city. We may individually have different
perspectives on the ultimate questions religions speak to but here
in these United States these differences are affirmed and
celebrated. We are truly blessed to live in a county and state that
allows each of us to come before You in our own way. Lord, we ask
Your blessings on the President of the United Sates and the
Governor of Iowa and all elected offi-cials in our State. Guide
them as they contemplate legislation that will affect all the
citizens of our state. The challenges are daunting but we are
confident that Your guidance will be with these men and women as
they
study, debate and ultimately pass legislation that will benefit
all Iowans. Amen.
YOUTH DIRECTOR OPENING
We are accepting applications for the part time position of
Youth Director at Agudas Achim Congregation in Coralville.
For about 3 hours per week, the Youth Director will provide a
welcoming environment for our teens to meet, and guide our high
school age students to become community leaders. The Youth Director
supervises our teens while they hang out at the synagogue or plan
events, such as a camping trip, ice skating, a Hanukkah party or
assisting the religious school with the Purim carnival.
Communicating news and activities with parents and teens through
the synagogue bulletin, and through social media is also expected.
For more information contact Vickie Ginsberg, at
[email protected], by Friday March 27, 2015.
mailto:[email protected]
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FROM THE PRESIDENT—Vickie Ginsberg
Many congregants and friends have asked how best to honor Rabbi
Jeff on his retirement. This is truly a unique occasion. The Board
of Directors believes it is of great importance to meaningfully
honor Rabbi Jeff in a coordinated effort. You have recently
received the brochure laying out Our Campaign to Honor Rabbi Jeff
Portman. This campaign will provide our congregation an opportunity
to honor Rabbi Jeff and to fund our transition activities. To fully
honor Rabbi Jeff, we are committed to making a successful
transition. We will officially announce our progress at Rabbi
Jeff’s retirement Gala Dinner on June 13. Please join us in
honoring Rabbi Jeff with your gift to Our Campaign, and hope to see
you at the Gala!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Rabbi Search
Committee for their ongoing hard work. Members include Michael
Flaum (chair), Jeff Braverman, Jody Braverman, Ellen Caplan, Lea
Haravon-Collins, Leslie Schnoll Fitzpatrick, Mark Ginsberg, Phil
Horwitz, Mike Margolin, Rita Marcus, Sally Scott, Susan Simon,
Jerry Sorokin, Sue Weinberg and Kineret Zabner. This is a cohesive
and very dedicated group. They have spent a great deal of time and
energy to benefit of our entire congregation. Their task will not
be complete until we have not only an interim Rabbi, but a settled
Rabbi. Please join me in thanking this committee for their time
spent, and work ethic. During this search process a great deal of
information about our congregation has been brought forward. The
process will continue to evaluate who we are and what we want. We
feel the process is working. I am happy to say that while we are a
very diverse and unique congregation (with our few issues!!), we
are also a healthy congregation!
Now that this cold month of February is behind us, March brings
us Purim, one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish
calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in
Persia were saved from a plot of extermination. This year Purim is
celebrated on March 4-5. We read the Megillah (Book of Esther) and
boo, hiss, and rattle gregers to blot out the name of Haman. We are
commanded to eat, drink and be merry! It is also customary to hold
a Purim carnival. Our religious school will hold their Purim
carnival on March 1st during Sunday school. Children may come in
costume, win prizes and enjoy the celebration with homemade
hamentaschen. On March 4th at 7PM, come for the Megillah reading,
celebrate together and enjoy hamentaschen. Let’s see what costume
Rabbi Jeff wears this year!
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As you know, we are in the process of recruiting an interim
rabbi for next year. We have a top candidate that we are hoping to
recruit and he is coming for a visit the weekend of March 6-8. It
would be wonderful if he could meet as many people as possible, so
please consider joining for the "Shabbat Across Iowa City" - Dinner
- 6 PM on Fridday March 6, as well as services on Friday night
and/or Satruday morning. He will also be available to meet with
interested congregants after services on Saturday, and on Sunday at
around noon.
"Satiric, surreal, unexpected and at times wildly funny. A
savage black comedy that eviscerates an unexpected target: the
Israeli army, officially known as the IDF. Whatever your image of
the Israel Defense Forces is, heroic or otherwise, it's not
what you're going to see here." – Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles
Times "An engaging, desert-dry, feminist-minded comedy" - Globe and
Mail
A smash hit in Israel and winner of the Best Narrative Feature
Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, Zero Motivation is a unique,
sharply observed, sometimes dark and often hilarious portrait of
everyday life for a unit of young, female soldiers in a remote
Israeli desert outpost. Playing out like M*A*S*H meets Orange is
the New Black, Talya Lavie's brilliant debut details the power
struggles of three women with different agendas and very little to
do. Pencil-pushers in the Human Resources Office, best friends
Zohar (Dana Ivgy) and Daffi (Nelly Tagar) spend their time playing
video games, singing pop songs, jousting with stationery and
dreaming of Tel Aviv. The indolent twosome are watched over by
their aspiring senior officer, Rama (Shani Klein), who dreams of a
higher position and a significant military career, but with a
platoon of unskilled, idle, female soldiers without any drive under
her charge, her ambitions for promotion are constantly thwarted.
With shifts of tone that go from slapstick to satiric to horrifying
with fluid ease, and with a superb supporting cast of characters,
Zero Motivation is destined to be one of the most talked about
films of the year.
AT FILM SCENE MARCH 2ND — Zero Motivation
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ADULT EDUCATION — Kathy Jacobs
Adult Education Programs Discussion Groups:
Talmud 8:30 am (Tractate Brachot from the Jerusalem Talmud)
Sundays 8:30 am Jewish-Christian Dialogue Group (Book being
discussed: “God: A Biography” by Jack Miles) Saturdays 12:30 pm
Jewish Fiction Book Group (The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael
Chabon) Thursdays 8:30 am Hebrew (Sundays 12:30 am)
Robert Cargill Series on Biblical books read on the holidays and
Yom Yerushalyim:
Friday, March 27 Song of Songs (read on Passover) 8:30 pm
Friday, April 17 Ruth (read on Shavuot) 8:30 pm Sunday, May 17
“From Shalem to Jerusalem: The Etymology and Historiography of the
Name Jerusalem’” 2 pm Friday, June 26 Lamentations (read on Tisha
B’av) 8:30 pm
Musar Sunday – March29 10:30 am
Please read part 1 (pgs. 1-42) and the section on Gratitude
(pgs. 63-74) from Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis.
Concerts Oleg Timofeyev , Thursday, March 12 Free Music of
Remembrance, Sunday, May 3 3 pm
ONEG COMMITTEE— Andy Frank
Warm up some of those chilly March and April spring evenings by
hosting an Oneg! Food, friends, and improving weather what could be
better than that? There are many ways to help out with synagogue
Onegs. Thanks so much in advance! 1. Use the Signupgenius website
(which shows open dates and upcoming events; the current calendar
extends through August):
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4AAFAA2DA57-oneg
2. Email
3. Call Andy Frank (319) 512-0899.
4. No time for shopping? That's okay, there is an Oneg Fund, and
others will shop for you! Please send your check to the synagogue,
marked "Oneg Fund" on the envelope and the check memo.
The 9th Annual Russian Guitar Festival
IARGUS 2015
Special edition: UKRAINE!
March 12, 7:00 p.m., Agudas Achim Congregation, 401 Oakdale
Boulevard, Coralville, IA
The centerpiece of this celebration of klezmer music and
yiddishkeit will be the
phenomenal Duo Controverso from Chicago—
This is the duo’s second
appearance at IARGUS, last time they were with us 5 years
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0B4AAFAA2DA57-onegmailto:[email protected]:%28319%29%20512-0899
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CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS— Sarah Frank
Purim - every child's favorite Jewish holiday - starts on the
evening of Wednesday, March 4. Come for the megillah reading at 7
PM. Lots of fun will be had by all! A costume contest for the kids,
singing and Purim treats. On Friday, March 27 6at PM, join us for a
vegetarian potluck Shabbat dinner. Challah and grape juice will be
provided, bring a dish to share. Please RSVP to Sarah at
[email protected]
HEBREW & SUNDAY SCHOOL— Sonja Spear
Musical Shabbat! Kids eight and older will lead a short and
sweet Shabbat service this Friday, February 27th at 6:30, followed
by a potluck dinner. The charming and talented Karen Charney taught
them a sweet niggun (wordless chant), a lively Lecha Dodi, and a
spritely version of Hineh Ma Tov. The kids have been practicing
these prayers and more in Hebrew School as well as in Sunday
School. It has been a lot of work, and I’m sure they are looking
forward to standing on the bimah in front of their friends and
family. I invite everyone to join the service, including people who
don’t have children at home. Everyone is welcome. Purim! The Purim
Carnival is Sunday, March 1st from 11:00-12:00. Sunday School
starts as usual at 10:00. Do you have to be in the school to go to
the carnival? Of course not! Everyone is welcome. The Jewth Group
is organizing games. There will also be a bounce house, a clown,
and a children’s costume parade. Camp Herzl! A representative of
Camp Herzl will be presenting information March 1st from
10:30-11:00. Parents are warmly invited to come to the talk and to
stay for the carnival. February It has been a cold, cold winter. I
think we got nearly a foot of snow around Tu B’shvat, when the
school closed for the second week in a row. So February got off to
slow start. Here are the highlights: The Three-Year-Old class made
birdfeeders for Tu B’Shvat. The birds will appreciate the peanut
butter. I know the kids did! The three-year-olds will meet again on
March 1st to celebrate Purim. Bring a costume! The Kindergarten
learned about Havdallah, the service for saying goodbye to Shabbat.
They made filled little bags with mulling spice and rose petals for
Havdallah besamim (spices). The Kindergarten explored the
synagogue. They found the rabbi, the ner tamid (eternal light), the
aron kodesh (holy ark), the bimah (stage), and a tallit (prayer
shawl). The rabbi showed them the Torah. The kids learned some
really hard words. (Aron Kodesh, in particular, was a mouthful!) So
they will review these words in a synagogue treasure hunt in March.
But first, Purim! The kids made pink, blue, and green Hamentashen
out of Play-Doh for Purim. Next week they will hear the Purim
story, act it out in costumes, and then attend the carnival. Lea
Collins did a workshop on Dramatic Midrash. Since the Kindergarten
was getting acquainted with the Torah, she had them pretend to be
the Torah. She wrapped each kid in a tallit for a Torah procession.
“It’s fun to be the Torah,” the class agreed.
mailto:[email protected]
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HEBREW & SUNDAY SCHOOL— Sonja Spear
The First Grade reviewed the Hebrew letters and sang Debbie
Friedman’s Aleph Bet Song. A few of them have noticed that Hebrew
seems to have a couple letters that make a sound like sort of like
an H, only stronger. Most of them enjoy making this noise, but some
of them find it a little weird. They reviewed Jewish holidays and
symbols. In fact, they have covered one wall with a calendar of
Jewish celebrations. For Purim, students learned about the custom
of mishloach manot (sending portions), sending treats to friends
and to the poor. They made colorful baskets for the goodies that
they will pass out at home on Purim. They also explored the Purim
story, wondering what they would have done if they were Esther or
Mordecai. The Second Grade has been learning about Israeli cities.
They turned the entire classroom into a map of Israel, with each
student representing a city and reciting its major features. (There
was some competition for Jerusalem.) They also made crowns for
Purim and practiced booing Haman’s name! The second graders enjoyed
Dramatic Midrash of the Cain and Abel story with Lea Collins. They
acted out what it would be like to be Cain, Able, Adam or Eve in
this story. They imaged what Adam and Eve would have said if they
could have had a little talk with Cain about Abel. In turns out
that the Second Grade has a lot to say about sibling rivalry! I
want to thank Lea again for the energy and imagination that she
brings to Dramatic Midrash. It is a brilliant way to engage the
kids in the study of the Torah. The Third/Fourth Grade reviewed the
terms b’rit (covenant) and tshuvah (repentance) as they discussed
the story of Joseph and his brothers. They drew pictures of the
Jacobs’ children on their way to Egypt and discussed the story.
Were Joseph’s brothers happy? Scared? Should Joseph have forgiven
them? With Passover just around the corner, the students are
wrapping up Genesis and turning to Exodus. Looking back on their
pictures of the Children of Israel entering Egypt. They will
compare the hopes and fears of the Children of Israel leaving Egypt
to the attitudes with which they entered Egypt. But first, they
will learn more about Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, and the plagues. The
Fifth Grade was immersed in the Roman occupation of Judea. They
spent a day learning about Herod and his building projects,
especially the expansion of the Second Temple, Caesarea, and
Masada. Their teacher, who is majoring in archeology, showed them
pictures of the digs he has done in Israel. He talked about how we
know what happened so long ago. The kids seem fascinated. The Sixth
Grade explored Jewish immigration to America. After learning about
the pogroms, WWI, and the Russian Revolution (push factors), they
discussed the draw of jobs and freedom in American (pull factors).
This is an important history for American Jews, so their teacher
wanted to make it personal. The kids wrote their own highly
imaginative stories about what it was like to leave Russia for
America. They spent two days on this project. The Eighth Grade is
learning to understand various Jewish perspectives on death, dying,
afterlife, and resurrection. They will be learning from a variety
of guest speakers over the course of the semester. Prof. Cargill,
from the Religious Studies Department at the University, started
them off with a history of split between Judaism and Christianity.
He emphasized the flexibility of Judaism around these issues. Then
our own Rabbi Jeff Portman introduced the Reform perspective on the
messiah and the afterlife. In March they will get a different
perspective from the rabbi at Chabad. Purim Play The Eighth Grade
is practicing a short and silly Purim play, which they will perform
for the school on March 1st. It is really important for the entire
Eighth Grade to be there. Otherwise, we may have to drag actors in
off the street. The play must go on!
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HEBREW & SUNDAY SCHOOL— Sonja Spear
Hebrew School We’ve been making some changes! The kids lead a
brief Shabbat service at the end of every day. To prepare the
students to lead the Musical Shabbat on February 27th, we added
Lecha Dodi, V’Shamru, Oseh Shalom, and Hineh Ma Tov to this
service. We invited the students to sign up in advance to lead
certain prayers so that everyone gets a chance to stand on the
bimah. Some of the kids were nervous at first, but after a couple
of weeks even the shyest student gained confidence. We will
continue to add less familiar prayers throughout the semester. By
the end of the year, students should have gained the confidence to
participate in any service. We added the Kiddush for Friday night
to the prayers after snack. This is a fairly long prayer with some
very difficult words. But the kids are beginning to feel
comfortable with it. Chloe’s Class has been working hard on
learning to read and write in cursive. We are introducing cursive
because it is the most common way Hebrew is written. Just as
importantly, cursive is easier to write and to read than block
print. But, of course, the kids continue to practice reading block
print when they read the siddur. They have been practicing Shalom
Aleichem and the blessings over the bread, candles, and wine, which
they will lead during the Musical Shabbat on February 27th. Alex’s
Class visits Chloe’s class once a week to help the younger students
learn to read. In addition, they have been focusing on the prayers
Mi Khamokha and Ahavat Olam. Most recently, the students took flash
cards with all the words to Mi Khamokha and figured out how to put
them in the correct order. They have been working hard on reading
more fluently and more loudly. David and Al’s Class has been
learning the nuts and bolts of Hebrew grammar, including the simple
present and adjective-noun agreement. The students have been
translating English sentences into Hebrew, relying largely on
vocabulary in the prayer book. (Ask them how to say, “I want
peace in the world.”) They have also worked on reading and
understanding the Amidah, connecting the prayer to the biblical
story of the patriarchs and matriarchs. During the month of March,
the Hebrew School will focus on getting ready for Passover! We will
read the Haggadah, discuss its structure, and learn some of it by
heart, including the Four Questions and Halakhma Anya (“This is the
bread of affliction”). In honor of the season, we will learn some
of the psalms recited for Hallel, starting with B’Tzet Yisrael
(Psalm 114). We will also learn Shir Hama’alot (Psalm 126), which
we will practice in the short service at the end of the day. Anyone
is welcome to drop in for this service, which usually starts at
5:40.
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PASSOVER
Passover begins Friday evening April 3. There will be no Friday
night services. Shabbat and the first day of Passover is on
Saturday, April 4 and there will be services. A full list of
services is listed below. Agudas Achim will be hosting a second
seder on Saturday, April 4. There is a registration form below.
Hillel will be holding seders for both nights as well as lunch
and dinner during Passover. Call Hillel at 338-0778 for more
information.
Sellling Chametz A person who owns a quantity of chametz
(leaven) which he or she is reluctant to dispose of, because doing
so may cause him or her considerable financial loss, may sell their
chametz to a non-Jew. Then one can leave the chametz in his/her
home without transgressing the prohibitions of not seeing or having
chametz, since the chametz no longer belongs to him or her.
Those who wish to sell their chametz can call the office and ask
that their name(s) be placed on the list. Please call the office by
April 2 or email the rabbi (jrportman@agudasachimic) if you would
like to sell your chametz. There is no charge for this.
Where to get Passover Items The Co-op (yes, the Co-op) has
agreed to bring in kosher for Passover items. This is the result of
a letter written by Esther Retish, Jerry Sorokin and I several
months ago. Also HyVee met with Jerry and I and showed us what they
are bringing in. We hope that between the two grocery stores we
will all be able to find what we want.
Maot Hitim The synagogue is again collecting funds to be used
locally and nationally to help people participate in a Seder and
buy
matzah products. Checks may be made out to the Rabbis
Discretionary Fund and sent to the synagogue. Please note Maot
Hitim in the memo.
Taanit Bekhorim (Fast of the first born) A first born male
observes this fast on the eve of Passover commemorating the saving
of the firstborn of Israel who
were saved, while the first born Egyptians died in the tenth
plague. A siyyum (completion of study of a tractate of rabbinic
literature) removes that obligation as all who participate in the
siyyum are invited to a seudat mitzvah (a festive meal celebrating
the performance of a mitzvah, in this case the siyyum). We will
hold a siyyum on Friday, April 3 at Hillel at 8:30 am. This is open
to males and females, firstborn or not. Schedule of Services on
Passover Saturday, April 4 (Shabbat and the first day of Passover)
9:30 am Sunday, April 5 (Second day of Passover) 9:30 am Friday,
April 10 (Seventh Day of Passover) 9:30 am Saturday, April 11
(Eighth Day of Passoverver and Yizkor) 9:30 am
House of David Softball
Will be meeting on Sunday, March 15th
at 12:30 pm.
Anyone interested in playing
Please come to the meeting!
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FEBRUARY YAHRZEITS
Edith London
Erna Luwisch
Evelyn Madison
Anna Markovitz
Dinah Leah Markovitz
Andrew Marks
Marcella Mekies
William Melton
Amanda Miller
Bess Millstein
Lucille Myers
Elijah “Zeke” Palnick
Dorothy Pliner
Lucile Potter
Louis Elliot Price
Herman Robin
Louis Rosenbaum
Mark Rosenthal
Sanford G. Rossen
Marcia Williams Toston
Mark Rothstein
Joseph Rubenstein
Jeanette D. Russ
Osher Saltzman
Rev. Noah Saltzman
Gary Sanders
Gertrude Sandler
Jay Sandler
Reuben Savin
Leo Schapira
Hy Schumeister
Jessica Schwartz
Sari Sprince
Sara Strauss
Warren Stroh
Eileen Wallace
Stanley Weinberg
Ralph Wingo
Daniel Wolf
Rebecca Ziskind
Sarah Makiesky Abrams
Celia Balch
Asher Bar-Lev
Max Berkowitz
Eleanor Blauner
David Braverman
Joseph Braverman
Corrine Chapman
Nellie Cohen
Morris Dicker
Hyman Dubin
Andrea Kirshnitz Einhorn
Donna Farber
Jennie Fischer
Sadie Friedman
Miriam Glassman
Abraham Goldberg
Sarah Goldberg
Samuel Goldman
Bertha Graber
Harriet Blaeslee Hall
Thelma Hartgrove
William Herman
Benjamin B. Hertz
Ida B. Horshman
Dora Joseph
George Kalnitsky
Marcia Lee Kapenstein
Shirley Kaplan
Gerald Klein
Ida Kleinman
Dorothy W. Krain
Betty Krantz
Sadie Krivel
Donia Kuperman
Joseph Landweber
Mae Landweber
Mauricio Lasnasky
Jean Lieberman Lennertt
Rae Lieberman
Benjamin London
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DONATIONS
RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND Sue Blackwell: In memory of Ethel
Rothstein Tom & Becky Gelman: In memory of Web Gelman Joy Ann
Keener Ruscha Sam & Marj Kuperman: In memory of Arnie Breggin
Peter Landweber: In memory of Louis & Mar Landweber Nathan
Eugene Savin & Susan Enzle: In memory of Lucille Potter &
Reuben Savin David Skorton & Robin Davisson: In memory of
Bessie Millstein Janet Whitebook: In memory of Moe Whitebook
GENERAL GIFTS Jody & Janie Braverman: In memory of LaVerene
Siebuhr Richard & Ellen Caplan: For Oneg Fund Michael &
Joanne Margolin: In memory of Arthur Margolin Dorothy Paul
SISTERHOOD MITZVAH & MEMORIAL FUND Micki Soldofsky: In memory
of Thelma Hartgrove BUILDING FUND David & Martha Lubaroff: In
memory of Albert Lubaroff
CEMETERY FUND Lorraine Dorfman: In memory of Sara Dorfman Jack
L. Snider: In memory of Betty Snider LIBRARY FUND Arthur &
Miriam Canter: In memory of Louis Rosenbaum Richard & Ellen
Caplan: In memory of Sidney Kripke David & Tamara Schoenbaum:
In memory of Leah Hertz Schoenbaum Stan & Jane Zukin: In memory
of Lama Shetzer FINE ARTS FUND Richard & Nancee Blum: In memory
of David Blum & Joseph Rose Tom & Becky Gelman: For Ketubah
frame TALMUD TORAH FUND Jeff & Sara Braverman: In memory of
David Braverman TIKUN OLAM FUND Doug & Beverly Jones: In memory
of Goldie Solganick SIM & SARA STRAUSS FUND Richard Strauss
& Ellen Herman: In memory of Samuel Markovitz Stephen &
Susan Strauss: In memory of Samuel Markovitz, Anna Markovitz, Sara
Strauss & Dinah L. Markovitz
Donations to Our Campaign to Honor Rabbi Jeff will be announced
in subsequent bulletins
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“As tiny scales join to form a strong coat of armor, so little
donations combine
to form a large total of good.” From the Talmud
Should you desire to make a contribution, may we suggest any of
the following synagogue funds: ____ Braverman Talmud Torah ____
Marcus Scholarship Fund ____ PJ Library ____ Building Fund ____
Prayer Book Fund ____ Cemetery Fund ____ Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund
____ Fine Arts Fund ____ School Fund ____ Garden & Landscaping
Fund ____ Sim & Sara Strauss Memorial Fund ____ General Fund
____ Sisterhood Mitzvah & Memorial fund ____ High
Holiday/Cantor Fund ____ Synagogue Assistance Fund ____ Lauren
Reece Flaum Terrace Fund ____ Tikun Olam Fund ____ Library Fund
____ Torah Enhancement Fund ____ Louis Ginsberg Youth Fund
Contribution in memory
of__________________________________________
Contribution in honor
of____________________________________________
Jeffrey R. Portman Rabbi Nina Weinstein Administrator Sonja
Spear Principal Chloe Goodman Youth Director Sarah Frank Children’s
Program Director Em Petersen Office Secretary Amos Kiche Custodian
Board of Trustees Vickie Ginsberg President Michael Flaum President
Elect Carrie Z. Norton Vice-President Tom Gelman Treasurer Sara
Braverman Secretary Teresa Weiner School David Lubaroff Ritual
Karen Charney Membership Kathy Jacobs Adult Education Michelle
Stalkfleet Tikun Olam Karen Lipman Youth Teresa Weiner Past
President Kineret Zabner Social Jorie Slodki Sisterhood Renee Zukin
Trustee Jody Braverman Trustee