-SIVAN 5775 Hay m CONGREGATION AGUDATH …files.ctctcdn.com/f1a5804e001/98f2c1dd-41b7-4eaa-9fed...Hay m םויה Congregation Agudath Achim 9 LEE BLVD., • SAVANNAH, GA 31405 •

Hay m היום

Congregation Agudath Achim

9 LEE BLVD., • SAVANNAH, GA 31405 • 912-352-4737 • www.agudath-achim.com

MAY 2015• IYAR-SIVAN 5775

ISSUE #4

CONGREGATION AGUDATH ACHIM

A Glance at

what’s inside

A Message from

the Rabbi

Information from

the

President

Donor Program

Thank You

Backpack Buddies

Program

Shalom School

Happenings

Shavuot Schedule

Weekly Study

Opportunities

Yahrzeits

Contributions

Calendar for May

Your May

Birthdays

5:30 P.M. May 31, 2015

MAY 2015 IYAR-SIVAN 5775 Page 2

RABBI

Ruven Barkan

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Motti Locker

PRESIDENT

Steven Roth

VICE-PRESIDENT

Victor Shernoff

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

Elise Shernoff

TREASURER

Michael Bonder

IMMEDIATE

PAST PRESIDENT

Kenneth Sadler

BOARD MEMBERS

Liz Arkin

Doug Goldstein

AJ Haysman

David Hirsh

Nancy Isaacson

Barry Luskey

Debby Luskey

Morgan McGhie

Rick Meier

Scott Samuels

Barry Schlafstein

Harvey Shatz

Warren Zeger

MEN’S CLUB

Daniel Skidmore-Hess

CHEVRA KADISHA

David Reeves

ENDOWMENT COMMITTEE

Bert Tenenbaum

RITUAL COMMITTEE

David Hirsh

SHALOM SCHOOL

Eva Locker

HONORARY MEMBERS

Larry Lasky

Message From Rabbi Counting the Days...Making Every Day Count

The Torah directs us to count each day between Pesach and Shavuot:

And from the day on which you bring the sheaf of elevation offering -- the day after the

Sabbath -- you shall count off seven weeks. They must be complete: you must count until

the day after the seventh week -- fifty days; then you shall bring an offering of new grain

to the Lord (Leviticus 23:16-17).

The rabbis understand this section as the mitzvah of counting the omer. Each night we say

a blessing (since the Jewish day begins at night) and then count that day -- e.g., "Today is

the twenty-third day, that is three weeks and two days of the omer." We begin the count-

ing on the second night of Pesach and count fifty days, seven weeks and one day, to Sha-

vuot, which literally means “weeks”.

What is the purpose of this counting? Originally, according to biblical scholar, Jacob Mil-

grom z"l, this was a precarious season in terms of how the weather affected the first wheat

harvest. We counted a measurement each day of the crop, an omer, as a way of asking

God to protect its ultimate success.

The rabbis transformed this counting of grain into a counting of spiritual direction. The

rabbis view Shavuot as the day that God gave the Israelites the Torah. Thus, we are

counting the days and weeks from redemption of slavery to our life's ultimate purpose,

receiving Torah.

It is fitting that in modern times this period is close in proximity to other types of counting

-- counting the days until taxes are due, and counting down until the end of the school year

to summer vacation or perhaps to graduation. The transition from spring until summer is

full of excitement and anticipation and holds its own kind of precarious blessings for us.

As I prepare to leave as rabbi of the congregation, I feel my own kind of counting happen-

ing during this season. This is not simply a counting down of the days until I

leave. Rather, I am counting each day to cherish it. I am counting each minyan, each

class I teach, each Shabbat as an opportunity to pray, study, and socialize one more time

with people who I have come to care for in a very special way.

This experience makes me think of the preciousness of life. It is a blessing to live in such a

way that we cherish each moment of the limited time of our lives. This is the meaning of

the phrase in the blessing that we give to someone who comes for an aliyah on their birth-

day, "Many people count the days of their life, but a person of wisdom makes every day

count."

I hope that the way Adina and I count our last days will sanctify the remainder of our time

in the congregation and communicate how we hold dear our individual relationships

within it.

Rabbi Ruven Barkan


Information from the President:

During the Month of May we will be celebrating Shavout. Originally an agricultural festival, the holiday has

evolved to a celebration of the day God gave the Nation of Israel the Torah. It also marks the conclusion of the

counting of the omer.

For Conservative Jews in the diaspora it is a two day holiday with a Yizkor service on the second day of Shavout.

That will be on May 25th, the holiday beginning at sundown on May 23rd.

Separately I thought I would take this opportunity to update the congregation on other issues of importance.

We will be having a farewell Kiddush for Rabbi Barkan and Adina on July 11th. We are hoping and expecting

good congregational and community attendance. All interested in participating as a sponsor should contact me.

Our search committee for a permanent Rabbi has been formed and is being led by Lynn Reeves. The committee

will be seeking congregational input during this process. Our interim Rabbi Moshe Silberschein will begin work

in early September for a period of ten months.

Our major fundraiser will be Sunday May 31st and this year this will include a 90 minute "Beatles performance",

a New York deli meal with all the fixin’s , and two trips to the Big Apple as the grand prize (two winners).

On a separate note, I have been able to schedule a talk by Mary Ann Biel, a MMC VP and ethicist, on advanced

directives, living wills and common medical ethical dilemmas, on May 17th at 930 a.m.

A few weeks later on Sunday June 14th also at 9:30 a.m. we are fortunate to have attorney Russ Simpson to come

to speak to us on Estate Planning: what happens if you die in Georgia without a will and similar fun subjects.

Russ specializes in Estate Planning.

We are hoping to have Kosher Krispy Crème donuts at all of these Sunday events in case that is important to any

of you.

All of our Rabbi study groups are alive and well and we are hoping to continue and perhaps expand these in the

future.

Dan Skidmore-Hess is our newly appointed Men's Club chair and I expect he will be coming up with some inno-

vative ideas to reenergize our Men's Club.

Our annual Congregational meeting will be on June 7th at 3 p.m.

Lastly but importantly, regarding the Tikvah project that I previously communicated to you about, the commit-

tee that was looking into the possibility of selling our present building and building a new synagogue on the JEA

campus has for the present suspended activity on this project. We will continue, with your help, with our efforts

to maintain, modernize and beautify our present Agudath Achim synagogue on Lee Boulevard.

Steven Roth

President




BackPack Buddies Program (BPB)

We wanted to provide the congregation with an update of our very success-

ful sixth year of the BPB program.

We are now servicing four elementary schools ( White Bluff, Largo-Tibet,

Hess and Savannah Classical Academy) and providing weekend meals to

approximately 125 children each Friday.

This past November, we purchased 100 Thanksgiving meals for the families

of the children and really made their holiday season very special!

And in the next several weeks, we will be delivering more than 500 new

books for the children to read over the summer.

Most importantly, we want to thank our volunteers who help purchase, pick

up food from Second Harvest, pack and deliver the food each week. And a

special thank you for all those who donate to this great cause. We spend al-

most $18,000 each year on the entire program and rest assured that you are

making a significant difference in these children’s lives.

Thank you very much!

Samra and

Ronald Robbins


Shalom School Happenings

As Spring arrived and the azaleas around Savannah began to bloom, Passover also made a much

anticipated arrival at Shalom School.

Our “Parsley Contest”, which began in February when students planted seeds during Tu Be’shvat,

had multiple winners. Students who succeeded in keeping their plants alive (no mean feat), were

awarded 10 shekels to trade in for prizes later. Even though the contest closed out a few days be-

fore the first Seder, we held out hope that some of those parsley sprouts would still hang in make

it onto the Seder plate.

To keep the excitement going, we also held a “Ma Nishtana” contest for 1st – 6th graders. Stu-

dents who were able to sing the Four Questions received 3 shekels per question that they

sang. All the students who participated are to be congratulated. Special kudos to Catherine Maf-

cher and her 1st grade class for having so many especially well prepared students. No doubt they

were ready to shine at the Seder table!

Congratulations also go out to the top finishers in our Passover candy sale: Jonah Mafcher

(1st place), Jack McGhie (2ndplace) and Ellie Rich (3rd place). Thank you to all who sold and pur-

chased candy. Proceeds of the sale go to our Scholarship Fund to offer assistance to those stu-

dents in need of tuition support.

The school’s study and preparations for Passover culminated in a student Seder. Led ably by the

5th and 6thgraders (with assistance from teachers Ms. Amanda and Mr. Giver), the students hosted

the 1st-4th graders in two “shifts”. They led the reading of the Haggadah and even added in a skit

in the middle. The students all seemed to enjoy the morning, and many even tried the bitter

herbs. Lucky for them we substituted celery, a bit less harsh on the young palates!

With Passover behind us, we turn our attention to preparing for the next school year. Fundraising

to cover costs of capital improvements, scholarship support, curriculum updates, security up-

grades and teacher training continues in the form or our annual spring fundraiser. If you have re-

ceived a letter and have chosen to make a financial contribution, please know how sincerely we

appreciate your support.

Shalom School welcomes children from pre-K through grade 12. If you would like to enroll your

child or know someone who would, please visit our website at www.theshalomschool.com for more

information and an application.

http://www.theshalomschool.com/


Weekly Study Opportunities

1. Food for the Soul - Explore how themes in Jewish prayer are relevant to your life.

Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. following breakfast and minyan.

2. Midrash: The Rabbinic Imagination - Learn how the rabbinic mind works through traditional text study.

Thursdays at 8:00 a.m.

NEW

3. Happy Hebrew Help - Read Hebrew in a joyful setting. Classes taught by Davida Stockton.

Sundays at 4:00 p.m.

4. Parashat HaShavuah - Analyze the weekly Torah portion after the Shabbat Kiddush lunch at 12:45 p.m.

5. Havdallah and Ice Cream, Sing, eat, and study as we usher out Shabbat and welcome in the new week with

this beautiful ritual. Dusk on Saturday evenings.

6. Torah B’Chavurah - Organize a group of your friends to study Torah with the Rabbi Barkan or Motti “for

one session” or on an ongoing basis.

Shavuot: Blintzes and Study

Saturday Night, May 23rd at 9:00 pm

Yizkor

Monday, May 25th at 11:00 a.m.


MAY 01/12 IYAR

MAX EISENBERG

LEAH FARKOVITZ

JULIAN WEIL

MAY 02/13IYAR

CELIA KRISSMAN

MIRIAM LEVY

LOUIS PAZOL

ESTHER ROSENBERG

MAY 04/15 IYAR

JENNIE BODZINER

ABRAHAM BUCHSBAUM

EVA DAUB

MOLLIE SCHEER

MAY 05/16 IYAR SELMA DUNN

SHIRLEY WALDMAN

MAY 06/17 IYAR EUNICE STEINBERG

ABRAHAM STEIRN

MAY 07/18 IYAR

IDA KARESH

ERMANNO KREH

ANNA TISCHLER

MAY 08/19 IYAR

RITA GINSBERG

EVELYN GOODMAN

BRENT SHERNOFF

MAY 09/20 IYAR ABRAHAM RUDOWITZ

MAY 10/21 IYAR

IRENE BILOON

ROSA BOBROW

LOUIS LUSKEY

MAY 11/22 IYAR

SYDNEY GELMAN

BESS SIEGEL

JACK WALICK

MAY 12/23 IYAR

LIBBY COHEN HANNAH MILLER BRADLEY

MAY 13/24 IYAR MILTON JOSEPH BRADLEY

MAY 15/26 IYAR

ADOLPH KONTER

FAY SACKS

MAY 16/27 IYAR LEAH CHERNOFF

ABRAHAM KARP

MAY 17/28 IYAR

JULIUS SCHMIER

MAY 18/29 IYAR

NORMAN DOBBS

LUCILLE RAY

MAY 19/01 SIVAN LOUIS BAKER

SAMUEL BODZINER

ISADORE KARPF

MAY 20/02 SIVAN

CHARLES KAMINSKY

MAY 21/03 SIVAN HARRIET COHEN

MAY 22/04 SIVAN JULIUS GALIN

MAY 23/05 SIVAN

DAVID ARTIS

DAVID KRAMER

FRIEDA SCHWACK

MAY 24/06 SIVAN MOSES HAYSMAN

LARRY HIRSH

SIDNEY PADEREWSKY

JOY STEINBERG

MAY 25/07 SIVAN

SAMUEL TENENBAUM

MAY 27/09 SIVAN ELLIS CAHN

AIGISTA GELLINS

ROSE POTICHA

MAY 28/10 SIVAN ALBERT ULLMAN

MAY 29/11 SIVAN DINAH EICHLER

MAY 30/12 SIVAN JEANNE PALEFSKY

MIRIAM T. SHERMAN

MAY 31/13 SIVAN SAMUEL BERWITZ

SARA LOWE

JAKE ULLMAN

Yahrzeits May 2015


Shalom School

Thank You

Danny & Lisa Kaminsky

Reggie & Mel Goldstein

Sisterhood Mitzvah Commit-

tee

In Memory Of

Solomon Brill

Alan & Renie Weinstein

Bailee Tenenbaum Kronowitz

Kiddush Fund

In Honor Of

The Locker Family

Linda & Joe Cooper

Sandy & Marcus Seligman

Ralph & Pauline Tenenbaum

Chevra

Kadisha Fund

In Memory Of

Rachel Marcus

Helen Rosengart

Alex Epstein

Michael Dobbs

Sylvia Holstein

D.M.& J. F. Holstein

Lewis Danish Tzedakah

In Honor Of

The Locker Family

Julie & Buddy Metzger

Marsha & Chuck Bernstein

Building Fund

In Memory Of

Marsha Gould

Jerren Gould

In Honor Of

The Locker Family

Rene Lehrberger

Happy Birthday

Eric Meyerhoff

Elise & Victor Shernoff

Rene Lehrberger

Eric Nathan Karp Fund

Happy Birthday

Annette Karp

Rene Lehrberger

Harriet Ullman

Muriel Bono

Sylvia Yellin

Sylvia & Morris Cohen Israel

Travel

Endowment Fund

In Memory Of

Ella Miller & Janice Cohen

Alterman

Edward & Becky Cohen

Thank You

Edward & Becky Cohen

Reggie & Mel Goldstein

Backpack Buddies Fund

In Memory Of

Evelyn & Nathan Mann

Linda & Steve Sacks

Shirley Loundy

Jane Winter

Dorothy Bolden

AM Goldkrand

Helen Levington Spiers

Harriet Ullman

Thank You

Judy & Harvey Stephens

AM Goldkrand

Congratulations on the birth

of

Neely Lawson

Garrett & Ross Kaminsky

Harriet Ullman

In Honor Of

The Locker Family

Sandy & Lewis Schneider

Happy Passover Birthday

Merri Bodziner

AM Goldkrand

Happy Birthday

Carole Cohen & Jerald Cohen

Harriet Ullman

Happy Passover

AM Goldkrand

Judy & Harvey Stephens

Speedy Recovery Of

Joanne Hochman

Harriet & Eric Meyerhoff

Contributions


General Fund

In Memory Of

Anna Dana

Cary Shoob

Lea Sutker

Elizabeth & Thomas McAn-

drew

Ed Wexler

Kenneth & Linda Neidich

Hoffman

Jacob Sitrin & David Schoer

Jackie & Charles Sitrin

Joseph Milgram

Barbara & Ellis Abrams

Morton & Edith Metzger

Buddy & Julie Metzger

Ada Kramer

Michael & Linda Zoller

Aliza Sutton

Eliot & Rachel Israel

David Wiseman

Betty Ray Wiseman

Rueben Rosenberg

Barry & Barbara Rosenberg

Adolph Roth & David Gold

Steve & Beth Roth

Morris Vogel

Theodore Geffen

Flo Ladd

Julie & Buddy Metzger

Bette Hoffman & Morris

Neidich Kenneth & Linda Neidich

Hoffman

Evelyn Goodman

Allan & Suzanne Goodman

Esther Bergman Rosenberg

Barry & Barbara Rosenberg

In Honor Of

Opening the Ark

Kenneth & Linda Neidich

Hoffman

Happy Birthday

Adina Barkan

Eugene & Joan Bloom

Happy Birthday

Annette Karp

David & Gale Hirsh

Dr. & Mrs. Leon Aronson

Mazel Tov

For Citizenship

The Locker Family

Rachel & Eliot Israel

Bernice Luskey

Marilyn & Jim Farley

The Zoller’s Granddaughter

Adeline

Barbara & Randy Bart

Ross & Garrett Kaminsky

New Daughter Neely

Barbara & Randy Bart

Mazel Tov

Nathan Skidmore-Hess

Bar Mitzvah

Joanna & Morton Rich

Contributions


Congregation Agudath Achim Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Shabbat Services

followed by

Kiddush

Luncheons

1

7:00 a.m.

Shacharit

with breakfast to

follow

5:45 p.m.

Kabbalat Shabbat

7:47 p.m.

Candle Lighting

2

9:15 a.m.

Shabbat Services

7:35 p.m. Mincha

8:05 p.m. Seudah, Study & Song

8:45 p.m.

Maariv/Havdalah

3

9:00 a.m. Shacharit

4:00 p.m. Hebrew Class

6:00 p.m. Mincha/Maariv

4

7:00 a.m. Shacharit

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

5

7:30 a.m. Shacharit

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

6

8:00 a.m.

Shacharit with Breakfast

and Torah Study

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

7

7:00 a.m. Shacharit and

Torah Study

6:00 p.m.

Maariv L’Yom Tov

7:31 p.m.

Candle Lighting

Lag Ba’Omer

8 7:00 a.m.

Shacharit

with breakfast to

follow

5:45 p.m.

Kabbalat Shabbat

7:52 p.m.

Candle Lighting

9 9:15 a.m.

Shabbat Services

7:40 p.m. Mincha

8:10 p.m.

Seudah, Study & Song

8:51 p.m.

Maariv/Havdalah

10

9:00 a.m. Shacharit



Happy Mother’s Day

11

7:00 a.m. Shacharit

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

12

7:30 a.m. Shacharit

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

13

8:00 a.m.


and Torah Study

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

14


Torah Study


15

7:00 a.m.

Shacharit

with breakfast to

follow

5:45 p.m.

Kabbalat Shabbat

7:56 p.m.

Candle Lighting

16 9:15 a.m.

Shabbat Services

7:50 p.m. Mincha

8:20 p.m.


8:57 p.m.

Maariv/Havdalah

17

9:00 a.m. Shacharit



Yom Yerushalayim

18

7:00 a.m. Shacharit

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

19

7:30 a.m. Shacharit

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

Rosh Chodesh

20

8:00 a.m.


and Torah Study

6:00 p.m. Mincha &

Memorial service for

Fallen Israeli Soldiers

21


Torah Study


22

7:00 a.m.

Shacharit

with breakfast to

follow

5:45 p.m.

Kabbalat Shabbat

8:01 p.m.

Candle Lighting

23 9:15 a.m.

Shabbat Services

7:55 p.m. Mincha

8:10 p.m.


8:25 p.m. Shavuot Study

Session & Blintzes

9:02 p.m. Maariv/

Havdalah

Erev Shavuot

24

9:15 a.m. Shacharit


Shavuot

25

Office Closed

9:15 a.m. Shacharit

11:00 a.m. Yizkor

8:15 p.m. Mincha

9:02 p.m. Maariv/

Havdalah

Shavuot/Yizkor

26

7:30 a.m. Shacharit

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

27

8:00 a.m.


and Torah Study

6:00 p.m. Mincha/

Maariv

28


Torah Study


29

7:00 a.m.

Shacharit

with breakfast to

follow

5:45 p.m.

Kabbalat Shabbat

8:06 p.m.

Candle Lighting

30 9:15 a.m.

Shabbat Services

8:00 p.m. Mincha

8:30 p.m.


9:07 p.m.

Maariv/Havdalah

31

9:00 a.m. Shacharit



Come welcome the Shabbat by

celebrating with our friends at

Buckingham on Fridays at 11am.

Shavuot Study Session & Blintzes, Saturday, May 23rd at 9:00 p.m.

Yizkor , Monday, May 25th at 11:00 a.m.

Congregation Agudath Achim Gala 2015 Fundraiser

Sunday, May 31st at 5:30 p.m.


Yom Huledet

Same’ach!

We Extend Happy

Birthday Wishes

to the Following

Members

MESSAGE FROM THE

MINYAN CAPTAINS

If you are planning to come to

Shul for Kaddish, please

contact the minyan captain a

few days in advance.

Monday (7:00am) -

Kenneth Sadler

Tuesday (7:30am) -

Lynn Reeves

Wednesday (8:00am) -

Ron Ginsberg

Thursday (7:00am) -

Michael Konter

Friday (7:00am) -

Bobby Isaacson

Sunday (9:00am) -

David Hirsh

Bernice Elman

Judith Gruber

Beth Sadler

Edward Cohen

Douglas Goldstein

Samuel Skidmore-Hess

Aileen Miller

Morton Rich

Edward Wexler

Amanda Goldstein

Cari Shelkoff

Cary Shoob

Jared Samuels

Jessica Cohen

David Udinsky

Arthur Haysman

Harriet Kulbersh

Sophia Rich

Gail Robinson

Linda Sacks

Sandra Karlin

Lucille Smith

Richard Berkowitz

Jane Winter

Helen Cranman

Sharon Sand

Davida Stockton

Mark Cohen

Phillip Geffen

Nathan Luskey

Hadley Gordon

Nancy Tenenbaum

Walter Diamond

Marylin Poticha

Ross Kaminsky

Seth Kovensky

Lynn Reeves

Jami Goldstein

Joanna Rich

Sarah DeVaro

Samra Robbins

Solomon Zerden

Wendy Cohen

Marc Gordon

Jeanmare Holstein

Nancy Isaacson

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Congregation Agudath Achim

9 Lee Blvd

Savannah GA 31405

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

NON/PROFIT

ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 21

RABBI

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

FINANCIAL COORDINATOR

ADMINISTRATIVE ASST.

RUVEN BARKAN

MOTTI LOCKER

LAURA EVANS

JULIANA G. BLAND

PRESIDENT

VICE/PRESIDENT

FINANICAL SECRETARY

TREASURER

RECORDING SECRETARY

CHEVRA KADISHA PRESIDENT

PRESIDENT EMERITUS CHEVRA KADISHA

STEVEN ROTH

VICTOR SHERNOFF

ELISE SHERNOFF

MICHAEL BONDER

AJ HAYSMAN

DAVID REEVES

ABRAM RUBIN

OFFICE HOURS Monday/Thursday 8:30am / 5:00pm

Friday 8:30am / 3:00pm

Gift Shop Hours:

PLEASE CALL

Joanna Rich 912-228-0543

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Documents

-SIVAN 5775 Hay m CONGREGATION AGUDATH …files.ctctcdn.com/f1a5804e001/98f2c1dd-41b7-4eaa-9fed...Hay m םויה Congregation Agudath Achim 9 LEE BLVD., • SAVANNAH, GA 31405 •