New Light August 20205915 Beacon Street, Pittsburgh PA 15217 • 412-421-1017 • info@newlightcongregation.org

From the Desk of the RabbiIsaac Newton discovered the rules of calculus while in quarantine. But what interested me more was what I had learned about another insight achieved by Newton while in a period of solitude created by a plague: his conceptualization of gravity. A student described Newton’s eureka moment:“In the year he retired again from Cambridge on account of the plague to his mother’s in Lincolnshire & whilst he was musing in a garden it came into his thought that the same power of gravity (which made an apple fall from the tree to the ground) was not limited to a certain distance from the earth but must extend much farther than was usually thought – Why not as high as the Moon said he to himself & if so that must influence her motion & perhaps retain her in her orbit…”In his solitude, Newton conceived of a gravitational bond that could exert its power over long distances—that could even span heaven and earth. It is a spiritual form of just such a bond that we now must discover, one that binds us to others and indeed binds those in Heaven and those on Earth. The Hebrew term for synagogue is Beit Knesset, a house of gathering, and it is called so because, in the rabbinic tradition, the phrase Knesset Yisrael refers to the mysterious bonds that connect Jews to one another. A synagogue is not merely a physical gathering of individuals, but rather, Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik explained, it reflects “an invisible Knesset Yisrael which embraces not only contemporaries, but every Jew who has ever lived.”The synagogue is meant to embody this bond, this connection to all Jews past and present. But there are other ways to experience it, and those other ways can have a singular power of their own. Anatoly Sharansky concludes his prison memoir by reflecting that at times, in the solitude of his cell, he felt more connected to his people than in the prosaic bustle of his newfound freedoms outside of prison.“How to enjoy the vivid colors of freedom without losing the existential depth I felt in prison? How to absorb the many sounds of freedom without allowing them to jam the stirring call of the shofar that I heard so clearly in the punishment cell? And, most important, how, in all these thousands of meetings, handshakes, interviews, and speeches, to retain that unique feeling of the interconnection of human souls which I discovered in the Gulag?”Our challenge is to attempt a Newtonian insight, to find what Sharansky had felt: to ponder the meaning of relationships, and our bond as Jews with one another, until we are able to see each other in synagogue once again. I amazed that through our Zoom meetings people keep showing up and hold their siddurim next to their screens and pray physically alone while keeping in mind the faces before them. There is a special bond of Knesset Yisrael that keeps us together even while “sheltering in place.” It is harder for me, the spiritual leader, I think, because the leader gets his song energy from the congregation. The rabbi draws strength from his audience in

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giving the derasha. People generate electricity in the room even if there isn’t a microphone to speak into.I am praying and hoping that we will experience a hybrid of “in person” and Zoom broadcast for the rest of the year. Then we can slowly transition back to greeting each other body and soul. In the meantime, may we experience a combination of solitude and the blessings of the Zoom broadcast creating a virtual audience for wherever you go, there you are.Shalom,Rabbi

August Presidents’ ReportThe Hamilton song “The World Turned Upside Down” keeps running through my head. How do you maintain “community” in a world where gathering together is difficult if not impossible? Zoom helps; but it is far from being satisfying.We are now planning 2020 High Holiday services. This year Rosh Hashanah is Saturday, September 19th and Sunday September 20th; Kol Nidre is Sunday night, September 27th; Yom Kippur is Monday, September 28th. We will mail a letter with details after the August board meeting. Preliminary plans, subject to board approval, are:

• We are planning to have services BOTH on-site (in-person) in the Ballroom and on-line via Zoom.

• Everyone must register to attend! We need to get an estimate of the number of people who may wish to attend in-person and the number who wish to attend via Zoom. You are under no obligation to attend in-person. In fact, if you have any concerns about attending services in-person, please use Zoom.

• There will be no charge for non-members to attend services.• In order to accommodate Zoom participation, we will be abbreviating the service. We

expect Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur morning services to be about 2 ½ hours (the length of Shabbat services). Neilah will be one hour. There will be NO FOOD provided at the end of services.

• New Light has always had a participatory service. We encourage members to volunteer to read English prayers as part of the service. You do not have to be in-person to read a prayer. Please note, we may reach out to you prior to the services anyway!

• As with past years, our annual Appeal Letter for donations will be mailed in August.• We are gathering information for our 2020 Yom Kippur Memorial Book. The books will

be mailed (with a Jewish calendar) to each member and participating seat holder prior to Yom Kippur.

• We will lend our High Holiday Mazhorim to all. Books can be picked or we will drop one off at your residence.

• New Light Cemetery will be open for visitation on Sunday, September 6th & 13th, 10:00 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. Please note that there will be construction at the main entrance as we are in process of renovating the garage into a Chapel.

In other news:• New Light will consider at the next Board meeting whether to open Friday and Saturday

services for in-person attendance starting August 8th. • Construction of the new Chapel at the New Light Cemetery began the week of July 27th.

We thank everyone for helping us through this challenging time. Barbara & Stephen

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August Board MeetingThe August board meeting will be conducted via Zoom on Sunday, August 2nd at 10:30 A.M. We will use the same connection info as for weekend Shabbat services, see below.

Shabbat ServicesShabbat services will continue with Zoom. Please contact Janet at janet.cohen@gmail.com or call 412.512.0949 for connection information. Services are: Friday Night Services: 7:00 PM and Saturday Morning Services, 9:45 AMTo mute or unmute yourself on a telephone connection, press * 6 (star-six). To temporarily unmute yourself on a computer, press and hold the spacebar.

New Light Membership DirectoryThe directory will be printed and mailed in the fall. If you have an update to your contact info please contact Janet at janet.cohen@gmail.com or 412.512.0949.

Joyce Fienberg Book GroupThe next meeting of the book group is Wednesday, August 12th at 7:30 P.M. in the backyard of Patty Lemer, 150 Maple Heights Rd, Pittsburgh, 15232.The book is Normal People: A Novel, by Sally Rooney.

August Birthdays August Anniversaries Anne Caplan Barbara & Harold Caplan Jason Manne Janet & Stephen Cohen Marla Perlman Carol & Larry Kanterman Trudy Wachs Ethel & Howard Kubitz

Reminders ● To purchase Memorial Plaques, Simcha Tree Leaves or Stones contact Ileen Portnoy 412-683-7985 ● To purchase bricks for our “Garden of Freedom” contact Barbara Caplan 412-521-4332 ● To purchase Giant Eagle gift cards contact Marilyn Honigsberg at 412-521-7174 ● For information on our cemetery contact Stephen Cohen at 412-421-3999

NEW LIGHT CONGREGATION 5915 Beacon Street 412-421-1017 www.newlightcongregation.org

Rabbi Jonathan Perlman 412-904-3601Co-President/Social VP/ Barbara Caplan 412-521-4332 & YahrzeitCo-President Stephen Cohen 412-421-3999Membership Debbi Salvin 724-444-6324 Sisterhood Sharyn Stein 412-521-5231Men’s Club Harold Caplan 412-521-4332Onegs Hugh Casper 412-421-7619Treasurer Harold Caplan 412-521-4332

Simcha Tree & Ileen Portnoy 412-683-7985 Memorial Plaques Cemetery Stephen Cohen 412-421-3999Religious Committee Carl Solomon 412-421-2165 Recording Secretary Ileen Portnoy 412-683-7985Corresponding Secretary Janet Cohen 412-512-0949Calendar Janet Cohen 412-512-0949Yahrzeits Barbara Caplan 412-521-4332Website Stephen Cohen 412-421-3999

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Upcoming Event - New Light Comedy Hour “Making Light: A Zoom Comedy Hour,” scheduled for Thursday, August 27th at 8:00 P.M., is our second program in the SING A NEW LIGHT series. Making Light brings together five leading comedians to lighten our mood and celebrate the future. Watch your email for connection details. Performing together are:Ophira Eisenberg is a Canadian comedian, writer, and actress. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Eisenberg hosts the weekly NPR and WNYC trivia, puzzle, and game show Ask Me Another. She has appeared on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Comedy Central’s Premium Blend.Cory Kahaney, an American comedian, has competed in the first season of NBC’s reality television show Last Comic Standing as a grand finalist. After making five appearances on CBS’s The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, she finally made her debut on the Late Show with David Letterman. She has had her own comedy specials on both Comedy Central and HBO. Ray Ellin performs at top comedy clubs around the United States. He hosted and wrote for the syndicated shows The Movie Loft, Premium TV, New York Now, and BrainFuel TV. He also hosts the ground-breaking web-based talk show LateNet with Ray Ellin. Ellin produced and directed the film The Latin Legends Of Comedy, In 2011, Ellin became the host of the Gong Show Live, a resurrection of the iconic television show. In 2012, he became the host of the new television show Worth The Wait.Chuck Nice is an American stand-up comic and radio personality from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he started his career hosting a show atop a new-wave dance club The Bank. He is a frequent contributor to VH1’s Best Week Ever and truTV’s The Smoking Gun Presents: World’s Dumbest..., and performs regularly at the HA! Comedy Club, and Comic Strip Live in NYC. He often co-hosts the TV show and podcast StarTalk alongside astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, and has also been the most frequent co-host on the TV adaptation. He is also currently the host of the Top 10 Countdown that airs weekly on the Centric Network. He also hosts HGTV’s Buy Like a Mega-Millionaire.Avi Liberman is Israeli and does much comedy material with Israeli content. Having performed at synagogue, Federation, JCC, and Hadassah events throughout the US, and, as the creator of the Comedy for Koby sold-out performances in Israel, Avi is a perfect fit for any event relating to Israel. The documentary made about Liberman and Comedy for Koby has recently had its World Premiere and will soon be seen widely.

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