~emple APR l l 2006 I ~ NISAN i IYAR 5766

Topics THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER OF TEMPLE NER TAMID

STEVEN KUSHNER Rabbi

THERE USED TO BE A TIME when the thought of an impending birthday would grasp me in its claws of smothering anticipation. I would see it on the hori­zon, set it as a point of focus around which all other events would pale in comparison. Nothing could challenge its supremacy (save maybe Opening Day for the Tigers). It was a day devoted to me. Just me.

Of course, that was a long time ago. With age came perspective. Birthdays are no longer such a big deal, and not because there are fewer of them in the future than in the past. It's just that I now am able to see more of the whole picture. The span of life. And the reali­

, I

THEY SA Y ITS YOUR BIRTHDAY

zation that there are more important things in the world than me.

I wonder if children living in Darfur ever celebrate birthdays?

This is the month of our freedom. This is the month we sit down with our loved ones and proclaim "Let all who are hungry come and eat .. . This year we are slaves, next year we will be free." Even more, we believe it. Pesach has that kind of magic. It reminds us of who we are and why we exist as a people. Passover is the birthday of the Jewish people.

But no sooner than the last guests have gone home and the dessert plates are put into the dishwasher, we somehow slip back into our mundane lives of self-absorption. The problems of the world-so easily identified in our seder talk-are put away with the haggadahs into the basements of our souls. "Next Year In Jerusalem" sadly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Because we know that next year will be no different than last. And we will have no one to blame but ourselves.

You see our ancestors put in that phrase at the end of the seder because they could not control their fates. Their lives were invariably at the mercy of oth­ers. But we no longer need a messiah to bring us to the promised land. Gone are the days when self-determination was nothing more than a dream. We can do-as Jews-anything we want. We can go to Jerusalem anytime we want. We can walk down the street with kippot on our heads. We can throw birthday parties for our kids in the country clubs from which our grandpar­ents were forbidden. Because now we are free. Alas we are also slaves to our­selves.

I wonder if we use our freedom for the reasons God intended it?

These thoughts have filled my mind as I turned 56 this past month. This

(Rabbi continued on page 5)

Mark Your Calendars

Sunday, April 2/10:45 a.m. Adult Education: The Art of Jewish Prayer

Sunday, April 2 1 2:00 p.m. Deborah Gussoff to Speak

Sunday, April 9 1 2:00 p.m. Montclair Rally on Darfur in Watchung Plaza

Wednesday, April 12 1st Seder

Thursday, April 13 110:00 a.m. Pesacn Services

Thursday, April 13 1 6:00 p.m. Second Night Passover Seder at TNT

Thursday, April 20/10:00 a.m. Yizkor Service

Tuesday, April 25 18:00 p.m. Yom HaShoah Program at St. Lukes Church

Wednesday, April 26 1 7:00 p.m. Yom HaShoah Program: Paper Clips Film

Sunday, April 30 Washington rally on Darfur

Shabbat Services

Erev Shabbat services every Friday at 8:00 p.m. except the last Friday of the month when ser­vices will be at 6:30 p.m.

Shabbat services every Saturday at 10 a.m.

April 7 1 7:00 p.m. Tot Shabbat

April 21 18:00 p.m. Anniversary Shabbat / Choir Sings

April 221 10:00 a.m. Casual Minyan

April 29 / 6:30 p.m. Kabbalat Shabbat

TEMPLE NER TAMID

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RABBI Steven Kushner

RABBINC INTERN Stephanie Kolin

ARTIST -IN-RESIDENCE Peri Smilow

PART TIME CANTOR Shoshana Lash

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Iris Schwartz

PRESCHOOL DIRECTOR Joan Goodman

B'NAI MJTZVAH COORDINATOR Ronni Pressman

YOUTH DIRECTOR Sharon Rappaport

ACCOMPANIST / CHOIR DIRECTOR Sandor Szabo

PRESIDENT Stephanie Lurie

VP PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT Sarah Segal

VPFlNANCE Miriam Chilton

VP MEMBERSHIP Rochelle Sandler

VP REUGIOUS UViNG Stanley Keyles

VP HOUSE & ADMINISTRATION David Abramson

VPEDUCATION Jodi Nussbaum

TREASURER Robert Rich

SECRETARY / DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION Nina Tucker

BROTHERHOOD PRESIDENT Stephen Rosen

SISTERHOOD VP of PROGRAMS Anne-Marie Nolin

TEMPLE TOPICS EDrrORS Laurie Schifano Gail Polin

STEPHANIE LURIE Pres ident

If We Build It, God Will Come Seven years ago around this time, I was privileged to celebrate my bat mitzvah at Ner Tamid, along with six other adult students. My Torah portion, P'kudei, was about Moses building the mishkan, the tent of meeting in the desert. After Moses completed his hard work, a cloud covered the mishkan and Moses could not enter, because it was filled with the Presence of Adonai.

I chose to have an adult bat mitzvah because the conversion I had undergone thir­teen years earlier hadn't involved any Torah study or chanting. I wanted to do it before my oldest son Matthew was bar mitzvah, to learn what he was learning and, hopefully, to serve as an inspiration to him. The experience of studying with Rabbi Kushner and fellow congregants not only enriched me as a Jew, but also enabled me to be a full participant in Matt's coming-of-age ceremony.

About when this issue of Topics comes out, Mark and I will be celebrating our younger son Jordan's bar mitzvah. It is amazing to reflect on how much I have learned about Judaism and synagogue life since his brother's bar mitzvah four years ago. Jordan's ceremony will be all the more meaningful because our family has be­come so much more involved in the Temple. He will palpably sense the commu­nity's welcome.

I can't help but feel a little wistful when I attend b 'nai mitzvah ceremonies for kids who have no connection to the Temple beyond a few years of religious school atten­dance. The families are missing out on so much-like Moses standing outside of the beautiful Tabernacle he built. Moses must have felt the disappointment far more keenly. Acting out of pure religious devotion he put his blood, sweat, tears into building a place where God would dwell-and yet he was refused access. As I said in my d'var many years ago, "What a bummer!"

Over the past few months the clergy, professional staff and lay leaders have been involved in discussions about how we can improve and coordinate our educational pro­gramming for people of all ages, from Shoresh through religious school to Confirmation and beyond. The evaluation is only just beginning. Modifying or expanding our offerings won't be enough-we also have to do a better job of pulling in parents and educating them about what we are doing and why it is important Our priority is not getting kids through b'nai mitzvah, it is creating a community of lifelong Jewish learners.

I see this as the mishkan we are building. It is going to be a huge job, but it is sacred work. The process will be just as rewarding as the end result, and in fact there may never even be an end, because we are always trying to make the Temple better. Like Moses, we will have to take our satisfaction not from building something concrete or from coming face to face with Adonai, but from working together for Heaven's sake.

Ideas for Adult Ed for next year?

Contact Susan Weinberg at

susanlweinberg@aol.com

TEMPLE TOPICS I PAGE 2

Learning and Jewish Growth i1"n ,.,n?n IRIS SCHWARTZ Director of Education

2 et's face it. Most of us have secretly wanted to be part of the "in" crowd at some time in our lives. From time to time, in

order to become part of the "in" crowd you are sometimes called upon to do things that you normally wouldn't do. When the peo­ple you want to be friendly with say "Everyone is doing it," (no matter what the "it" is) walking away may be hard

Being popular is usually not worth the price that we pay. A need to be loved by everyone often results in being loved by no one. The rabbis teach us in Pirke Avot 5:16 that there are two kinds of love; the kind that lasts and the kind that doesn't. "When love depends on some material reason, with the passing away of that reason the love too passes away; but if it is not dependent on such a reason, it will last forever. "

Since friendship is based on love we might extend the teaching to say that there are also two kinds of friendship. A friendship based on the need to be popu­lar doesn't generally survive. Friendship built on mutual trust and love is more likely to last. This kind of friendship is an expression of care and concern of one soul for another, a bond between one person and another that seems to need no explanation.

Communities formed for material reasons, like friendships formed for the sake of being popular, also don't seem to survive. However, when mutual help and concern form the basis for a group of people, that community can seemingly go on forever. We Jews for example are the only community that has lasted from biblical times to the present. For sure, one reason for our longevity is the set of values by which we live. For instance, whenever a Jew is in trollble he or she can tum to the Jewish community to get help. Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh LaZeh; Every Jew is responsible for one another. Jews care for each other and also take care of each other because of our com­mon faith in One God and our belief in God's laws. When a fellow Jew is in trou­ble we act in the spirit of God and pro­vide the help that is needed.

Given the crowded lives that each of us leads it is easy to sometimes forget not only our own needs but also the needs of our community. How can we have time to love and help our neighbor when often it seems like don't have time to love and help our­selves? A story by Reb Urele of StreJisk teaches an important lesson:

When I was a little boy and the teacher had just begun to teach me reading, he once showed me two small letters, like square dots in the prayer book and said, "Urele, you see these letters side by side? That stands for the name of God. Whenever you see these two dots side by side, you must pronounce the name of God at that spot, even though it is not written out in full."

I continued reading with my teacher until we came to a colon at the end of the line. The colon, too, was made up of two square dots, but instead of being side by side, they were written one above the other. I imagined that this too must be the name of God and I pronounced it at this spot. But my teacher told me:

"No, no, Urele, that does not mean the name of God. Only where there are two sitting nicely side by side, where the one looks on the other as an equal - only there is the name of God; where one is under the other and the other is raised above his fellow - there the word of God cannot be." (Nine Gates, Jiri Langer)

We begin to bring peace and whole­ness to this incredibly fractured world in which we live when we work toward building a stronger Jewish community based upon mutual help and concern. We feel God's presence in our lives when we involve ourselves in our community, when we act toward others with respect, treat everyone as equals, and offer help to those in need.

From one generation to the next Jews have been there for each other. It is now our tum to assist those in our com­munity in need. Each of us can choose to be part of an "in" crowd that is based on mutual care and concern for each other. The time is now. The choice is yours. Can we count on you?

Mitzvah Day is May 7'h. Help those in need. Be there!

TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 3

Important Dates to Remember

Sunday. April 2 Sip and Schmooze for grades 3/4 parents

Monday. April 3 Grade 7 guest speaker - Gina Lanceter, Holocaust survivor

Wednesday. April 5 Model Seder - grade 6

Sunday. April 9 Passover program for K through grade 5

Monday. April 10 through Sunday. April 23 No School - Passover break

Wednesday. April 26 Yom Ha Shoah program

Sunday. April 30 Grade 3 trip - Jewish Museum

Sunday. April 30 Grades Kl112 Souper Sunday

Sunday. April 30 Open House for parents of tots and new members

Friday. April 28 - Saturday, April 29 Grade 4 trip to the Philadelphia Zoo

Friday, May 5 Shabbat Morim, honoring our faculty

Sunday, May 7 Mitzvah Day

Sunday, May 14 5th through 7th grade famil ies - Arts Power performance

Wednesday, May 17 Last day of school for grades 6 through 8

Sunday, May 21 Last day of school for grades K through 5

Sunday, May 21 Ten Minutes of Torah celebration

""""""""", ; Tot Shabbat Services are at : ; 7:00 p.m. on the : , 1st Friday of each month , , , , The upcoming Tot Shabbat , : Schedule is as follows: : , , : e April 7 : , eMay5 , , , , , , Join us for light refreshments , : following services ;

""""""""",

TIKKUMOLAM TARBUT

TIKKUM OLAM TARGETS THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR, SUDAN The Feb 11 New Orleans Jazz

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR TWO KEY EVENTS

• Local Save Darfur Rally: Watchung Plaza. Montclair Sunday, April 9/2:00-3:30 pm

Come hear speakers and learn how you can join the international demand to end the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan and in neighboring Chad, where Darfurian refugees are fighting to survive. TNT is a member of the newly formed Essex County Interfaith Coalition for Darfur, which is sponsoring this important event. See the full-page flyer on page 6.

• Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide: Washington. DC Sunday, April 30

Crowd assembly begins at 1 :30 pm on the National Mall. Register for the bus chartered by TNT and other members of the Essex County Interfaith for Darfur.

The Rally to Stop Genocide will feature leading voices in the effort to stop the genocide in Darfur, including a broad spectrum of prominent faith leaders, pol it ical figures, human rights activists, celebrities, survivors of the Holocaust and genocides in Cambodia, Kosovo, Srebrenica, Rwanda, South Sudan and Darfur. The bus(es), chartered by the Interfaith Coalition for Darfur, w ill leave at 8:00am from Bnai Keshet, 99 S. Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, and w ill return approximately 9:00 that evening. Bus fare: $35 prepaid. Contact the TNT of­fice to register. Space is limited .

For more information about either of these events, contact Jeff Plaut: iplaut@globalstrategygroup.com or Sandy Weber: rkswfish@comcast.net

r--------------------------------~

How Do You Measure a Year In Temple lifeil

Attend Ner Tamid's Congregational Meeting! Sunday, May 21 at 12:00 p.m.

• Vote on next year's budget • Elect a new slate of Officers and Trustees

• Learn about new initiatives • Celebrate and remember a year in the life of friends

The first 100 adults to sign in will receive a gift

"You have the power!" - Student Rabbi Stephanie Kolin

TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 4

I I I I I I

Havdalah Cafe: A Huge Success!

Our event, held on February 11 . the eve of a blizzard. drew more than 250 hardy and happy attendees. After a havdalah service we enjoyed New Orleans style jazz and. later. desserts donated by local restaurants. Chickory coffee and Mardi Gras decorations completed the Big Easy experience. It was the most diverse audi­ence we have ever had for one of our "Havdalah Cafes." and everyone had a great time.

More important, we raised money for fellow Jews. Thanks to a few generous underwriters, 100% of the ticket sales could be donated to the Fund. Some extra dollars were stuffed into special tzedakah boxes crafted for the occasion by our Shoresh preschoolers. The Gotham Jazzmen donated some of their proceeds too.

(Rabbl continued from page 1)

year's birthday came and went with little fanfare. I was sick with my annual late-winter cold, so we stayed home and ordered in. My family gave me a gift certificate. They know me well. Yet our subdued observance also awakened memories of what it used to be like when March 21 51 would roll around. How I would labor through a whole day of school, then have to wait until Dad got home, before I could open my long-awaited presents. I now know that what I found so captivating about those anxiously expected presents was that they represented a delightful albeit temporal)' reprieve from my juvenile state of powerlessness. But over the years the idea of gifts-all good intentions not­withstanding-has lost much of its appeal; after all, if I really want it I can just go out and buy it.

I wonder if the grown-ups of Darfur-that is those who live long enough to be grown-ups-will ever know this kind of freedom and power?

What possible reasons can we find for not demanding that the world put a stop to the genocide in Darfur? How do we justify standing qUietly, silently by? And what's the point of marking birthdays without the understanding that "growing up" is a lesson in learning what I'm supposed to do with my life in the service of others (and not the other way around)?

I wonder if, by the time I celebrate my last birthday, I will have shared all the gifts I have to give?

What RELIGIOUS SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE

Where TEMPLE NER TAMID

When SUNDA Y, APRIL 30 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Who PROSPECTIVE MEMBERS AND MEMBERS WHOSE CHILDREN

ARE NOT ENROLLED IN RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Why COME TOUR OUR AWARD-WINNING RELIGIOUS SCHOOL. MEET OUR PRINCI­

PAL, FACULTY AND OTHER PARENTS. LEARN ABOUT OUR CURRICULUM. HAVE

A NOSH AND SOME COFFEE. SEE JEWISH EDUCATION IN ACTION!

RSVP to Maribel Leon, Religious School Office

973/338-1500 or email:

mleon@nertamid.org

TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 5

SNOTTY YOUTH GROUP

Come out for Youth Group's annual Chocolate Seder directly after Shab­bat services on Friday April 7. Chil­dren of all ages are welcome to take part in this (other) very special mitzvah and commemorate our oppression un­der the Egyptians by dipping strawber­ries in chocolate and drinking four cups of chocolate milk. Children under ten should be accompanied by adults. Don't worry: it's really fun!

And thanks to the Temple community for making our annual Purim Carnival a roaring success. Congratulations to all the winners, and a special thanks to all the adults who helped out as well.

TNT Brotherhood Pre­sents the Documentary

Film

PAPERCLIPS

On Wednesday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m., Brotherhood will be presenting the documentary film, PAPER alPS.

The documentary chronicles a high school Holocaust Studies dass learning about the human impact of the Holocaust and tak­ing action to honor the victims.

The multiyear project starts off with collecting paper clips to represent each person lost in the death camps, gaining inter­national attention from celebri­ties to children in foreign schools and ending with a dedication of a Living Holo­caust Memorial.

Please join us for this spedal viewing.

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TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 6

and more African Drumming

tJ1he Nodhstar 'Navigators

Btl Reggie Workman, Maya MlkInovic

and Kevk1 Jones

April 2006 Apri 2006 May 2006 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S

1 1 2 3 4 5 • 2 3 4 5 • 7 I 7 • • 10 11 12 13 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 14 15 1. 17 1. 19 20

16 17 11 19 20 21 22 21 22 23 24 25 21 27 23 24 25 21 27 21 29 28 29 30 31 30

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Satll'day Notes APril 5 6

8:00am Frieanan Book Sale 9:00am Shofesh No Seniors 8:30am Weichert 9:00am Shofesh 9:00am Shofesh 10:00am Lurie / Friedman B'nai 8:30am RS: K-2 4:15pm RS: G6-7 9:00am Shofesh 9:00am Shofesh 8:00pm Frieananllurie 8M 7:00pm Tot Shabbat Mi\zvah[Tzav/ 9:30am Intennediate 7:30pm Sisterhood Bd. Mig. 12:00pm LWTR: NYC 1 0:00am Sisterhood Study Reheasal 8:00pm Erev Shabbat Service HaGadoI) 9:45am Beginning Hebrew 8:00pm Dafur Meeting 1:00pm Ballroom Cleaning 4:00pm RS: GJ.5 9:30pm YG: Chocolate Seder 12:3Opm Jordan Lurie 8M I

10:ooam 10 Min. Torah 8:00pm Executive Bd. Mig. 6:30pm RS: G6-9 Luncheon 1 0:45am RS: GJ.5 7:00pm RS: G10-12 1 0:45am Sip N' Schmooze GJ.4 7:30pm Choir Reheasal 1 0:45am AE: The Altol Jewish 11:00am AE: Finding Our 11:00am Chased Meeting More~ems ...

1 11 1 1 1 1 8:30am RS: K-2 9:00am Shofesh 9:00am Shofesh 1st Seder OFFICE ClOSED OFFICE ClOSED Pesach Day 3 9:30am Intenmediate 8:00pm Brolhertlood Bd. MIg. II :ooam Seniors Kitchen beina Koshered Pesach Day 1 PesachDay 2 1 0:00am Casual Minyan

Prayerbook Hebrew 12:00pm LWTR: NJ No Weichert 10:00am Pesach SeMoes 8:00pm Erev Shabbat Service 9:45am Beginning Hebrew 8:00pm Bd. of Trustees 6:00pm COMMUNITY SEDER

10:ooam 10 Min. Torah 10:45am RS: GJ.5 2:00pm Montclair Raily on

D.tur

1 1 1 19 211 21 2: Pesach Day 4 Pesach Day 5 Pesach Day 6 No Weichert 0tIice Closed 8:00pm Anniversary Shabbat 10:00am Novack Bar t.i1zvah

11 :ooam Seniors Pesach Day 7 Pesach Day 8 (Choir Sings) (Sheminij 8:00pm Religious U~ng 1 0:00am Ylzl<Dr Service 12:00pm Novack Luncheoo

2 2 2 2E 2 21 2! 9:00am Shofesh Yom Hashoah 8:30am Weichert 9:00am Shofesh Spring Kalah ~Hartam 4:15pm RS: G6-7 9:00am Shofesh 9:00am Shofesh 8:00pm 8M Task Forte Meeting 9:00am Shofesh 10:ooam PuIman / Papa B'nai

11 :ooam Seniors 1 0:00am Sisterhood Study 10:3Oam 8imah Tine t.i1zvah [Tazria -2:00pm Hadassah Meeting 4:00pm RS: GJ.5 6:00pm Nosh Metzora) 8:00pm Yom HaShoah I'rogfMl 6:30pm RS: G6-9 6:30pm Kabbaat Shabbat 12:3Opm Pubnan Extended

7:00pm Yom HaShoah Program KIddush 7:00pm RS: G10-12 7:30pm Choir Reheasal

3(

_Spring Kallah (Camp Hartam SYG Habitat lor Humanities Washington Rally on Darfur

8:30am RS: K-2 9:30am Inlermediate

Prayerbook Hebrew 9:45am Beginning Hebrew

10:45am RS: GJ.5

'------

May 2006 May 2006 JlIl8 2006 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 • 1 2 3 7 8 • 10 11 12 13 4 5 • 7 8 • 10

14 15 18 17 18 18 20 11 12 13 14 15 18 17 21 22 23 24 25 21 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 28 29 30 31 25 26 27 28 29 30

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday_ Friday Simday Noles May 1

9:00am Shoresh 9:00am Shoresh Yom Ha'a1zmaut 9:00am Shoresh 9:00am Shoresh 1 0:00am leichman e... '-itzyah 4:15pm RS: G6-7 II:ooam Senio!s 8:30am Weichert 8:00pm Caendar Meeting 7:00pm Tot Shabbat (Acha-ei 7:30pm Sisterhood Bd. Mig. 12:00pm l WTR: NYC 9:00am Sholesh 8:00pm Shabbat Morim Mot-Kedoshim)

8:00pm Executive Bd. Mig. 10:ooam Sislerhood Study 4:00pm RS: G3-5 6:30pm RS: G6-9 7:00pm RS: Gl()'12 7:30pm Choi' Rehea'sal

1 11 1 1 MITZVAH DAY 9:00am Shoresh 9:00am Shoresh 8:30am Weichert 9:00am Sholesh 9:00am Sholesh 10000am Powel Bat '-itzyah

8:30am RS: K-2 4:15pm RS: G6-7 11 :ooam Seniors 9:00am ShoIesh 7:30pm 5th Grade Parents 8:00pm Sis1erhood Shabbat (Emor) 9:30am Intermediate 8:00pm Brotherhood Bd. Mig. 8:00pm Bd. olTrustees 1 0:00am Mom's MornIng Meeting Meeting

Prayert>ook Hebrew 4:00pm RS: G3-5 9:45am Beginning Hebrew 6:30pm RS: G6-9

10:45am RS: G3-5 7:00pm RS: Gl()'12 7:30pm Choi"Rehea'sal

1 I! 16 1 1 1 2(

Mother'sDav 9:00am Sholesh lao B'OIl1Bf 8:30am Weichert 9:00am Shoresh 9:00am Shoresh 10:00am Borchert I Katz e... 8:30am RS: K-2 4:15pm RS: G6-7 9:00am Sholesh 9:00am Shoresh 2:00pm Open Door Open Minds 1 0:30am Bimah Tome '-itzyah 9:30am Intermediate 11 :ooam Seniors 10:00am Sisl!!lhood Study 1:00pm Katz Photography (Behar-Bechukotai)

Prayert>ook Hebrew 12:00pm lWTR: NJ 4:00pm RS: G3-5 8:00pm Anniversary Shabbat 10:00am Casual Minyan 9:45am Beginning Hebrew 8:00pm Religious LMng 6:30pm RS: G6-9 (Choir Sings) 6:30pm Borchert BM

1 0:30am ArtsPower Pelformaoce 7:00pm RS: Gl()'12 Celebration 10:45am RS: G3-5 7:30pm Choi" Rehea'sal

21 2 2 2 2 2E 2 12:ooam Borchert BM 9:00am Sholesh 9:00am Shoresh 8:30am Weichert 9:00am Shoresh om YerushaiaYim - Jerusalem d8'l 1 0:00am Fraioli Bat '-itzyah

Celebration 10000am Spring Kallah 9:00am Shoresh 9:00am Shoresh (Barridbar) 8:30am RS: K-2 11 :00am Seniors 10:ooam SisI!!Ihood Study 6:00pm Nosh 12:3Opm Fraioli luncheon 9:30am Intermediate 6:30pm ConfimaIion aass 6:30pm Kabbalat Shabbat

Prayert>ook Hebrew 9:45am Beginning Hebrew

10:45am RS: G3-5 12:00pm Congregational

Meeting 5:00pm TMOT Dinner

2 29 31 Memorial Day 9:00am Shoresh 8:30am Weichert

11 :ooam Seniors 9:00am Shoresh 6:30pm Confinnation aass 7:30pm Choir Rehearsai

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••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •

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JUDAIC GLASS ART

DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL

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TEMPLE TOPICS I PAGE 7

WZO Election Results: REFORM WONI I want to thank all of you who participated in the World Zionist Organization Election. The Association of Reform Zionists of America, which easily won the elections, received just over 38 percent of the 75,686 votes cast. That gives ARZA 55 delegates to the June congress in Israel.

Of the 145 delegates up for grabs in balloting for the U.S. slate to the WZO's 35th Con­gress of the Jewish People, 89 went to parties representing progressive religious move­ments - Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist.

The second-biggest vote-getter was the Religious Zionist Slate, which won 24 percent of the votes and 35 delegates. It was followed by Mercaz U.S.A. , the Zionist organization of the Conservative Movement, which won 22 percent and 32 delegates.

This was the third straight election that ARZA won, though its number of delegates has dropped from 70 in 1997 to 61 in 2002 to 55 this year. In the past ARZA ran on a slate with the Reconstructionist group, which ran on its own for the first time this year. Even taking this into account, this year's results represent a net loss of four seats for ARZA.

Founded at the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland, in 1897, the WZO - whose original goal was establishing a Jewish homeland - has convened more than 30 times to debate issues facing the Jewish people. The WZO provides roughly half of the decision­making power of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Half of the agency's board of governors are from the WZO, as are many members of its committees.

Thank you again! Marge Grayson

ISRAEL SUMMER PROGRAMS Don't forget there are two options for summer trips to Israel this summer!

For High School students, NF1Y IN ISRAEL offers the summer of their dreams with NF1Y L'dor V'dor Exodus:

Five Weeks in Israel and Europe!

3 Days in Prague, Czech Republic 3 Days Exodus Cruise

28 Days in Israel

For details visit http://www.nftyisrael.orglsummerlisrael.html. Registrations are due by May 1.

And if you're 18-26 and have never been to Israel on an educational peer group experience take a lO-day trip to Israel for FREE: Taglit birthright Israel:

KESHER Israel Connection

Registration at www.keshernet.comlbirthright. The trip will be MaylJune.

Wendy L. Grossman, DPM Podiatric Medicine and Surgery

Board Certified, ABPOPPM

SENIORS

Louis R. Druian Fellowship Circle Co­Sponsored by Temple Ner Tamid, The Weiss Family Endowment Fund and Dorothy Druian, in Cooperation with the JCC Metropolitan NJ and the Na­tional Council Jevvish Women, Essex County Division. Meetings are held at Temple Ner Tamid, 936 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ on Tuesdays, from 11 :00 am -2:00 pm. Current events discussions and/or video aerobics start at 11: 15 am, followed by lunch (bring your own dairy) and then our feature presentation. All are welcome.

APRIL MEETINGS AND TRIPS

Monday, April 3 JCC Senior Adult Passover Seder at B'nai Abraham. Cost is $6 and in­cludes bus and Lunch. Bus will de­part Temple Ner Tamid at 10:00 am

Tuesday, April 4 No meeting

Tuesday, April 11 Meeting - Presentation from Author and Holocaust Survivor Klara Samuels

Tuesday, April 18 No meeting - Happy Passover

Tuesday, April 25 Meeting - Program to be announced

UPCOMING TRIPS

Wednesday, May 3 UJA Benefit Concert at NJPAC. Cost including bus is $9 for members and $14 for non members. Ticket are $5 for members and $11 for non members.

905 Broad St. (Fairway Gardens) Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003

Tel. (973) 566-0811 Fax (973)566-0833

TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 8

Discover. Explore. Connect. JCC MetroWest summer day camps

Something for every body. We've got It!

OiscowrQllClOltlrifiesto lIIIJaIIt in IIIHIiIIgIW JewIsh aperIences IIId Ifaia9. IlI*ncu~ Jewish heIbcJe. Connect \0 i drinI canaIIy.

Tb@re are so many ways to _

Live Generously.-

United Jewish CommunIties We're Here with you!

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Ct., Deety Rlblc:k(3r,-ISy", ° 35l1OC1ChO ICI'tS III f'-lm, MJ ° Door 10 door Irtnsoorlliion ° KoIhtr IIndt dilly ° NEW thisslllme~ J/2 Illy Presthool

PIOO"11, SOol1$lNtnbl temp and re.n T,..,.. options

° 8elore IIId liter-care ".ilable

Ex~tloll C._fJSttJ'lldesl-6) ° F10II Stltace to tledronics, art 10

_tics, Nth one __ camp expIoIM I cllfmnt ~D topic

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Trlplt1'llrtlt TbQter {QrldlS-4-12l ° illdy tilt Iripit Ihreat of Ittif19, sill9in9,

and dlntino under lilt O.idanc~ 01 proftaionll actors and IeIcllers

° IncIIdts swinmlng Ind trips to Mlnhlllan weeldy 10 '" sIIows

° lAInttd In We$! Oranoe, IIJ

snn c.., (lOIS 7·17) ° SRI cIIaIIpions IIIIde dilly • Foell on eotnpeIltiw swimming $lllis

and tectmiQues oloclltd in Whippany. MJ

Pnlc)rus for s,.clailleeds (Hlyn) 'tolr tampet' wlIh speclJl netds can ~ I",elf Olr JeC flletroWest camps

CONSIDER A DONATION TO TNT TO CELEBRATE A SIMCHA OR REMEMBER A LOVED ONE

Date: Donor Name: _________________ _

Donor Address: _____________________ _

DONATION 1YPE: _General Donation (any amount) _High Holy Day Appeal (any amount) _Prayer Book Dedication ($36) _Endowment ($1,800 minimum)

_Memorial Plaque ($360) _Tree of Life Leaf ($180) _Tree of Life Stone ($1,000)

_Other: please specify:. ________ _

PLEASE SPECIFY (if applicable): In Memory of: In Honor of: ________ _ In Appreciation of: Special Occasion: ______ _

Please make check payable to Temple Ner Tamid and send to 936 Broad Street, Bloomfield, NJ 07003. Your donation (without the amount) will be listed in Temple Topics. Our hope is that our growing list of donors will inspire others to give. However, please indicate if you prefer your donation to be anonymous.

~ _____________________________________________________ -------------- ______ 1

TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 9

Ner Tamid is About People April Anniversaries

MAZAL Tov TO THE FOUOWlNG COUPLES WHO W1U CELEBRATE THEIR ANNIVERSARIES IN APRIL AND W1U BE HONORm AT EREV SHABBAT SERVICES ON APRIL 21.

Sheldon & Dorothy Ann Altwarg Gideon & Catherine Asher Cary & Beth Chevat Stephen & Dianna Chipkin Charles & Judith Cohen Mark & Stasha Cohen Ron Epstein & Paula Kaufmann Thomas Fraioli & Eve Robinson James Friedman & Janet Boltax Stephen & Deborah Friedman Robert & Stacey Hammeriing Alan & Susan Hecht David Jasinski & Allison Field Jack & Anita Kassel Arthur Katz & Nan Silver Gordon & Arlene Kraus Eric & Susan Levin Jerome & Marisabel Raymond Stuart & Susan Rosen Joshua Rosenblatt & Laura Schwartz Irving & Evelyn Shakin Tobin Unger & Enid Shapiro

B'nai Mitzvah

April 1

April 8

April 22

April 29

Jonathan Epstein

Jordan Lurie Casey Friedman

Warren Novack

Jacob Putnam Claudia Pepe

Contributions to the Synagogue WE GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR MEMBERS,

RELATIVES AND FRIENDS

Rabbi Kushner Discretionary Fund • Gary & Lisa Kauffman in honor of Jill Johnson • George & Lois Davis in memory of Helen Green • Dana & Deborah Jennings in honor of Ira

Wagner's 50th Birthday • Roberta Zeff in honor of her daughter Julia's

Bat Mitzvah • Gussoff Family in memory of Dr. Alvin Kosak

Temple General Fund • Phillip Cooper in memory of Sue Cooper • Bernice Colie in memory of Sidney Gershon • Stan & Claire Keyles in memory of Leonard

Katowitz, Dr. Alvin Kosak & Barry Abrams • Rochelle Sandler in memory of Harry Sandler • Betty Ward in memory of Mae & Morris Rubin • Shirley Cooper in memory of Hannah Lief • Karen Gross Straim in memory of Elaine Gross • Stuart Lefkowitz in memory of Harry Lefkowitz • Debbie Kravitz in memory of Mark Rosenberg • Deborah-Anne Gent ile in memory of

Chris Restaino • The Westreich Family in honor of the Bar

Mitzvah of Adam Rice • The Westreich Family in memory of Leonard

Katowitz, Barry Abrams, Alvin Kosak • Florence Grossman in memory of Anna Appel • Ruth Josephson in memory of Mollie Koppel • Lisa Reid in memory of Alexander Schwartz • Hedi Molnar in memory of Ruth L. Molnar • Deborah Friedman in memory of Louis Silber • Ruth K. Cohen in memory of Lorraine Rappeport • Raymond J. Aisner in memory of Ethel Aisner

• Michele Grodner in memory of Ben Glassman • David Koster in memory of Louis Koster • Marjorie & Paul Grayson in memory of

Alvin Kosak • Marjorie & Paul Grayson in honor of the B'nai

Mitzvahs of Halle Beitler and Brian LaGrua • Yvette Quraishi in memory of Tiber Klein • Rosalind Haut Gohr - Donation to purchase

food for mourning Families • Anne Katz in memory of Morris Katz • Bette Galen Goldstein in memory of

Fayette Galen • Herb Bilus in memory of Harry Masin • Florence Heilbronner in memory of

Walter Heilbronner • Emil & Tamar Weiss in memory of Louis L.

Weiss and Edith Ellis • Joan Sutton in memory of Sam Sherman • Robert I. Levine in memory of Solomon Levine • Barbara Brooks in memory of Marilyn Sandler • Marilyn Hilowitz in memory of Abraham Hendler • Dorothy Druian in memory of Louis Druian • Raymond Aisner in memory of Morton Polster • Diane Horowitz in memory of Alfred Ascione • Gladys Green in memory of Abraham Kaplan • Mitchell A. Frank in memory of Seymour Frank • Diane K. Church in memory of Sylvia Grossman • Janis R. Brownstein in memory of Estelle &

Philip Roffman • Helen Mackler in memory of Abraham &

Harold Alexander • Shirley M. Cobert in memory of Morris Mar­

golius & David Wolf • George Spiegel in memory of Rose Pollack • Lisa & Harold Rabinowitz - Donation to Pur­

chase Food for Mourning Families and for Shoresh PreSchool

• Rose Kron in memory of Saul Kron

Curious About Conversion? Are you thinking of converting to Judaism? Mildly interested in the topic? Or do you simply wonder what it's all about?

If so, contact Dana Jennings, dana@nytimes.com or (973) 744-2582 .

If enough people are interested, we will organize a low-key meeting (coffee, bagels, honest talk) to dis­cuss becoming a Jew-by-Choice. By the way, Dana converted in 2004, after being married to a Jew for more than 20 years and raising two Jewish sons.

TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 10

ro':J7 m":Jl THEIR MEMORIES ARE A BLESSING

In Loving Memory Lloyd Earl Belford-Father of Kyle Platnico Harold Leeds-Father of Steven Leeds

Shabbat-April 7 Rebecca Katz

Henry H. Abrams Milton Keyles Leon Levoff

Lillian Abramson Samuel E. Myers Max Adelman Samuel Paur Bella Bussin Fred W. Phelps Ruth Cohen (Ruche I) Israel Richmond Sani H. Daniels Esther Rochlin Lake Epstein Erwin Rosenow Sam Feingold Sylvia Schlager Thomas Fitzgerald Leo Schneider Yetta Freedman Frances Simkowsky Herman Gutman Sadie Katz

Joseph Sing man

Leo Kolinski Sarah Spiller Rose Stelzer

Morris Korn Max Vogel Selma Kowal Helen Weinstein Herbert Kramer Samuel Weisstein Harry Lawrence Kermit Wellner Martha Lazar Sandra R. Zeff William Marks Samuel Zelikman Razel Mishonek Blanche Ziman Martha Newman Erna Reisner Shabbat-April 21 Saul Ring Dora Sax Morris Becker Antonia Schubert Lee Bolker Mary Stolzberg Herman Brown Samson Wiener Abraham Clayman Isaac Zimerspitz Louis Cole

Arthur Eisenberg Shabbat-April14 Marge Furst

Louis Abramson Fanchon Gattel Martha Henley

Hjalmer Anderson Louis Hershkowitz Rosa Cohen Martha Heumann Elizabeth Dicks Sydney Horowitz Abraham Duboff Norman Eatroff

Joseph Jacobs

Moishe Ehrlich Samuel W. Kaplan Herz Ketzlach

Meyer Goldstein Samuel Kosak Clara Gross Leonard Lessing Jack Guest Abraham Gussoff

Louis Liebling June Linn

Rose Halpern David Marion Harry Kahaner Benjamin J. Meyer Max A. Kahn

Louise Nazare Anne Polin Harry Rabinowitz Charles Reisner Benjamin Rich Allen Rosenstein Albert Rothfeld Samuel Solomon Carol Spencer Moritz Spitz Helen Tucker Barbara Weiser Morris W. Wien Aaron Ziv

Shabbat-April 28

Rita Applebaum Samuel Berger Samuel Cohn Gedaliah Convissor Perry Goldstein Elinor Kaplan Mollie Kaplan Sara L. Keyles Sylvia Lang Anita R. Lanzo Milton Lee Albert Mandelkern Yetta Mandelkern Alex Neuman Heinz B. Ostheimer Zelig Rapaport Joseph J. Ruffalo, Sr. Terry Samuels Hazel Satin Fannie B. Shapiro Harry Shapiro Shirley Sherman Hyman Small Jonah Spiller Benjamin Stadtmauer Alexander Sterne Edward J. Uchrin Deborah K. Weidenbaum Fanny Wilenchik

TEMPLE TOPICS / PAGE 11

Remember Temple Ner Tamid in Your Will

Would you like to make a gift to the Temple that provides you or your loved ones with income for life while giving you an immediate tax deduction?

Temple Ner Tamid has established a Planned Giving subcommittee.

For information on planned giving, or to help with this important ef­fort, please call Mark Perwien at (973) 783-0142.

Prayerbook Fund Dedicate one of our new

prayer books in honor of a simcha or in memory of a loved one. The cost per

dedication is $36.

------ --

Please see donation form on page 9

TREE OF LIFE

Leaves on the Tree of Life in the Temple lobby can be purchased to celebrate any simcha.

Commemorate any life­affirming event such as Birth,

Blnai Mitzvah, Confirmation, Marriage

or Anniversary.

Leaves cost $180 Stones cost $1000

Please see donation form on page 9

Candle Ughting April 7 7:09

April 14 7:1 6

April 21

April 28

7:24

7:31

Upcoming Kabbalat ShabbatServices

• April 28 at 6:30 p.m.

• A nosh & schmooze will precede the service at 6:00 p.m.

• Please note that there will be no 8:00 p.m. service on these evenings.

TEMPLE NER TAMID 936 Broad Street Bloomfield, New Jersey 07003

page SHORESH FRESGHOOU

why Shoresh?

• 2 yen, 3 year and Pre·K Classes • Mommy and Me • Full and. Half Day

Programs • Enrlcbed Jewisb

Curriculum • Class Trips • Music • Computers • Holiday Celebrations • Summer Play Camp

Director Joan Goodman 1':l::::!:~~'7

Klau Librarx College

Heb~ehwlUnstiOl'~~e of Religion Jewls 3101 Clifton AVenue Cincinnati, OH 45220