Temple Israel of the Poconos - A Sound Strategy

Page TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS Edition 609

Temple Israel of the Poconos Drawing by Marilyn Margolies

Inside this Issue

Rabbi’s Message 1 President’s Message 3 Norman Gelber 4 Concert 6 Ad Form 7 Hebrew School 8 Slate of Officers 9 Ask the Rabbi 10/11 Save the Date 12 Donations 14 Birthdays/ Anniversaries 16 Yahrzeit Lists 17/18 Calendar 19 Advertising 23

FINANCE MEETING (CLOSED COMMITTEE) June 3 6:00 p.m.

BOARD MEETING WEDNESDAY June 3 7:00 p.m.

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING FOR THE PURPOSE OF ELECTIONS June 10 7:00 p.m.

INSTALLATION OF OFFICERS June 27 9:30 a.m. (during Shabbat services)

Edition 609 June2015 Sivan/Tammuz 5775 A monthly publication of Temple Israel of the Poconos

THE OTHER PEW REPORT by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman

Last month there was a new Pew Report issued on the topic of religion in America. As the Ger-man Jewish philosopher Heinrich Heine once quipped, "the Jews are just like everyone else, only more so." It turns out that over the last decade, the percentage of Americans who identify as "Christians" fell from about 80% to about 70%. This cannot be explained merely by immigration. While millions of Muslims and Hindus have immigrated to these shores in recent years, surely this is offset by the millions of devout Catholic immigrants from South America over roughly the same time period. The inroads of agnosticism, cynicism, skepticism and doubt have taken its toll on the American soul. More Americans than ever are enrolling in college, and more and more the experience has left them alienated and distant from the roots of their faith. So it is not only Jews in America whose numbers and rates of identification and affiliation are dropping. As Heine said, "the Jews are just like everyone else, only more so." The dirty secret is that for every new convert to Christianity entering the front door, four others drop out and exit through the back door. This mirrors the Orthodox outreach movement, called "kiruv." Millions are spent on trying to make American Jews "Orthodox." Anecdotally speaking, for each new recruit, at least four "native born" Orthodox become disillusioned, alienated and disappear into the gloaming. The yeshiva system robs the youth of any market-able skills. They can barely read English, do math or understand science. Fear and loathing of the gentile world is taught to the youth to keep them from straying from the fold. Only their larger than life birth rates maintain their critical mass and allow them their triumphalist conceit. It is time that the moderate middle of the "Golden Mean," the secular traditionalists among us, reassert ourselves into the consciousness of Jewish America. The spiritual seekers of the secular world, as well as the secular seekers of the Haredi Orthodox world, need to know that there is no contradiction between religion and science, where religion addresses the "why" and science addresses the "how." When these lines become blurred disenchantment, disillusion and aliena-tion creep in. The Torah of yore has an eternal message that speaks to us today. We tradition-alists of the middle ground, unpopular as the middle ground may be today, have a duty to be there to receive with love the alienated among us. The expression, "derekh eretz kadmah laTorah" has never been more relevant or more urgent - "science, morality and ethics are preconditions for Torah." With the Torah in one hand and science in the other, let us march hand in hand as we bravely face the future. Ahad Ha-Am, the famous Jewish philosopher once famously said, "More than Israel has kept the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept Israel." And who knows, many "unaffiliated Americans" may yet find their way to Judaism, as their souls command them on a spiritual journey. We must be there to welcome them!

Page 2 TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS Edition 609

Temple office: (570) 421-8781 Rabbi Baruch Melman [email protected] (570) 730-4799 www.templeisraelofthepoconos.org [email protected]

711 WALLACE STREET, STROUDSBURG, PA 18360

3 yr Trustee: Art Glantz 424-7876 [email protected]

2 yr Trustee: Esther Graves Mark Entenberg Merle Turitz

426-7020 223-1131

[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

1 yr Trustee: Ed Krawitz Mitchell Marcus

421-3139 588-0991

[email protected] [email protected]

Cemetery: 209/ Eliezer Gardens

Barry Tremper Charlie Cahn

588-6148 424-7955


Hebrew School Debbie Smith 610-751-7692 [email protected]

Ritual Bernie Driller Art Glantz

421-6103 424-7876


Finance Dave Rosenberg 894-4537 [email protected]

Membership Sandra Alfonsi 223-7062 [email protected]

Kitchen Lois LaBarca Sandra Alfonsi

421-6103 223-7062


House Herb Rosen Barry Tremper

424-1161 588-6148


Chesed & Wishograms Suzanne Tremper 588-6148 [email protected]

Newsletter Barbara Rosenberg 894-4537 [email protected]

Gift Shop Debbie Smith 610-751-7692 [email protected]

Programming Barry Tremper Barbara Rosenberg

588-6148 894-4537


Temple Publicity Hebrew School Publicity

Marci Rabinowitz Rebecca Bear


Rabbi Melman’s Office Hours: Tuesday/Thursday 10:30 — 12:00

Wednesday 6:00—7:00 By appointment ONLY

Please provide Barbara with any information that is missing for you in the above grid. Thank you.

President Sandra Alfonsi 223-7062 [email protected]

1st Vice President Bernie Driller 421-6103 [email protected]

2nd Vice President Lois LaBarca 421-6103 [email protected]

Secretary Barbara Rosenberg 894-4537 [email protected]

Treasurer Norman Rabinowitz [email protected]

Asst. Treasurer Herb Rosen 424-1161 [email protected]

Sitting Past President Suzanne Tremper 588-6148 [email protected]


A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT …… Dr. Sandra Alfonsi

On August 9, 2015 I will have the honor and pleasure of directing a concert which will be held at the Theater at Stroudsburg High School. It is a concert which embodies my passion for Judaism and for Israel. This is not the first time that I have designed and directed a concert. But it is beyond any doubt my most important concert. The original name for the concert was “From Shtetl to Broadway to Israel - A Festival of Jewish Music”. It was to be a pleasant afternoon of Jewish music with no greater mission than to fill the theater with music both familiar to and enjoyed by the Jewish community. Then Charlie Hebdo happened, followed by countless vicious attacks on Jews and cries for the destruction of Israel and Jewish communities worldwide. As a result of everything that was taking place – in Europe, South America, Australia, Israel and the United States, my anger rose as did my need to respond. I am a fighter by nature and have always been so. My world and my life revolve around Judaism and Israel. Hadassah became and remains the home for most of my efforts on behalf of Israel, Judaism and the Jewish people. But there are two Jewish organizations up here which allow me to fight for my people and my Israel – The Jewish Federation of NEPA and Temple Israel of the Poconos. And so I decided to respond to these attacks, to this increase in anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism through an overt celebration of our Peoplehood and of our survival as a People. I changed the concert’s title and thrust to: “From Shtetl to Broadway to Israel - A Celebration of Jewish Peoplehood”. The concert has three musical acts designed to document the voyage of the Jewish people from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to America and finally to Israel, where the voyage actually began with the creation of the Diaspora. The Klezmer segment represents the survival of communities destroyed by pogroms and the Shoah; the Broadway segment represents the rebirth of the soul of these vanished communities on the American stage in one particular musical; and finally the Israel segment celebrates our Peoplehood from biblical times to the present. And I also redesigned its outreach to include not only the Jewish community but also the Christian community. I believe that the Jewish community needs to celebrate what it means to be a Jew, to follow our religion, to be part of our Peoplehood and to have a homeland which dates from the time of the Bible. I also believe that the Christian community needs to understand all of this as well. We are linked to this community in many ways: we work with them, we socialize with them and yes, we are intermarried with them. If we do not stand proud and strong how do we expect others to do so for us? A few words about the performers: The Hester Street Troupe is composed of Jay Sweifach on keyboards; Alan Sweifach on clarinet; Jim Bazewicz on drums. They specialize in Klezmer Music and have been entertaining and electrifying audiences for over thirty years. I chose them for this concert because their Klezmer Music is a living testimony to the existence of vanished Eastern European Jewish communities. Their instruments, i.e. the violin and the clarinet can evoke laughter and sobs and therefore embody the essence of the Jewish soul. Jewish immigrants to America brought with them the Klezmer Music of Eastern Europe. Because of such musicians as the Hester Street Troupe these immigrants and their Jewish communities have not disappeared from Jewish history and remain a viable link in our Peoplehood. Yoel Sharabi is a Sabra who is known nationally and internationally. He performs extensively throughout the US, Europe, Latin America, South Africa, Israel and the Former Soviet Union. He is a master of Modern Israeli, Classic Yemenite and popular Chassidic music and notable Jewish Broadway melodies, including those from Fiddler on the Roof. Yoel performs in a variety of languages and styles. He is an accomplished musician, recognized as a skilled guitarist and known for his ability to play intricate tunes on the Dumbek (Israeli hand drum) and on the Halil (Israeli flute). His charisma brings an excitement to his performances and reaches his audiences regardless of their age and background. I chose Yoel Sharabi because he is a magnificent representative of Israel and its people and his lyric tenor voice captures the soul of Judaism. On August 9, 2015 we will respond to these horrific attempts to silence us, to eliminate the Jews worldwide and to destroy Israel. We will raise our voices through the sounds of music which chart our existence from biblical times to the present. Music which proves that the Jewish People has survived the destruction of our Temples, the Shoah and numerous other catastrophes. (continued on page 5)


THE NORMAL MYSTICS by Norman Gelber

The rabbis who wrote the Talmud have been described as “normal mystics.” The normal mystic is described as God-intoxicated, so drunk with his nearness to God that he sees the divine presence in everyday life: a beautiful sight in nature, a storm, a rainbow, birth, and growth. He perceives the created universe, with all its various forms of life, as the work of a divine Artist. And he interprets righteous behavior as a human aspect of divine art. Rabbi Akiba said to his disciples: “Just as the existence of a house testifies to the builder, the garment to the weaver, and the door to a carpenter, so does the world testify to the Holy One, blessed be He, who created it.” Normal mysticism is implicit in the words of the Psalmist: “The heavens declare the glory of God,” which means that the stars, the planets, the sun, and the moon provide silent testimony to God as their Creator. Though the story of Purim doesn’t mention God, yet the miraculous deliverance of the Persian Jews from Haman’s intention to destroy them reveals God’s protective care. In ancient Egypt, Joseph, who was the victim of his brothers’ envy and hostility, reassured them that they need not fear his vengeance because God had directed the scenario: “Now do not blame yourselves or be angry that you sold me here - for God sent me to save lives.” The unseen but protective role of God in the survival of the state of Israel also supports the beliefs of the normal mystics. Despite the many wars that the Arab nations, with superior numbers, have launched against Israel, that small nation had survived. It’s no coincidence that when Israel needed the reinforcement of more Jews to counterbalance the increasing Palestinian population in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, several thousands of Soviet Jews immigrated to Israel. Their timely arrival enriched Israel with a wave of engineers, teachers, doctors, and scientists who also strengthened Israel’s military position. We usually think of mystics as strange people who profess to have hallucinations or visions of God, heaven, and the angels, according to many incidences in the Bible. In Exodus (29:9-10) such a mystical vision is described: "Then went up Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone, and the like of the the very heaven for clearness." But those who believe that the Lord “works in mysterious ways,” those who see in nature and in human life ample evidence of God’s handiwork, and those who discern in historical events His influence are, after all, normal mystics. And I guess that includes most of us.


Did you know…. Did you know that it is forbidden to enter the sanctuary during the Kedusha? The Kedusha is the holiest part of the service. In fact, the word itself means "holiness." For two reasons! One, because it is forbidden to move or to walk during the holiest peak moment of prayer. And two, because if you try to navigate to your seat during the Kedusha you will necessarily be causing others to move and even likely causing others to speak to you and exchange pleasantries, precisely when we are supposed to be talking to G*d!

(continued from page 3) President’s Message

This concert is not a fundraiser. It is our response to the madness which surrounds us. It is our statement which says “We are here.” We thank the Jewish Federation of NEPA, Temple Israel of the Poconos, Hadassah and the Jewish Agency for Israel for understanding and backing this effort. We need Patrons; we need Supporters. We need to sell tickets and to sell ads in our Playbill. Most important we need to be a presence in our communities. The flier and Playbill Ad Form are in our Newsletter. You will receive mailings with all of the information from me. This concert is about all of us. I ask you to support it and help its message ring loud and clear. Sandra


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From Shtetl to Broadway to Israel A Celebration of Jewish Peoplehood

Sunday, August 9, 2015

CONCERT PLAYBILL ADVERTISING ORDER FORM

INSIDE FRONT/BACK COVER……… $ 1,000 FULL PAGE…………...$ 250 HALF PAGE……..$ 150 QUARTER PAGE……..$ 100 GREETINGS………$ 50 Thank you for your tax deductible contribution of $ ________ for the size ad circled. All profits to benefit the Holocaust Survivors in Israel. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please follow these instructions carefully!

1. Return this form with your check, made out to Temple Israel of the Poconos, with “CONCERT” in the memo

2. Enclose a copy of your advertisement which is typed and camera ready. DO NOT STAPLE OR TAPE your ad.

If you are supplying an ad with a business logo, it must be camera ready.

Name _________________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

Phone __________________________________________________________

Amount Enclosed: $ _______

Authorized Signature: _____________________________________


HEBREW SCHOOL NEWS

Rabbi Baruch Melman, Principal Mrs. Debbie Smith, Administrative Director We had our moving up ceremony last month. The end of year BBQ was lovely indeed. The volunteers helped a great deal and the weather was extraordinary! We finished our first year of the new Benchmarks of Learning in place. Our graduated curriculum program was a huge success. Our students completed their assigned books and curriculum, even down to the wire! Anyone who wishes to see the curriculum, with its subjects, its curricular goals and its textbooks, all with a month by month and grade by grade breakdown, is free to contact the Principal. Do you know any child of Jewish descent who deserves a basic Jewish education - Hebrew reading, Jewish history, Jewish ethics and values, concepts in Jewish prayer, creating a connection with Israel, and learning about Jewish holidays and customs and ceremonies and rituals? Please contact our Administrative Director and enroll him or her today! Have a safe and enjoyable summer!


SLATE OF OFFICERS 2015 - 2016

If you have any questions concerning the proposed slate please contact:

Charlie Cahn: 570-236-5875 Irv Effross: 570-421-6802

Wednesday, June 10, 2015 7:00 p.m. Election of Officers

Congregational Meeting

Saturday, June 27, 2015 9:30 a.m. Installation of Officers

Kiddush Luncheon to follow

President Sandra Alfonsi 1st Vice President Bernie Driller 2nd Vice President Lois LaBarca Secretary Barbara Rosenberg Treasurer David Rosenberg Asst. Treasurer Barry Tremper Sitting Past President Suzanne Tremper 3 yr. Trustee Art Glantz 2 yr. Trustee Esther Graves

Mark Entenberg Herb Rosen

1 yr. Trustee Ivan Margolies Mitchell Marcus

Board Member Emeritus Ed Krawitz


ASK THE RABBI by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman Dear Rabbi Melman, When I went to the DMV to renew my license, I was asked if I wanted to donate my organs if I met an untoward event (death). I said no, because I am Jewish. Isn't that correct? ~Wondering Dear Wondering, This is another Jewish Urban Myth, that has taken hold, along with tattooed Jews being unable to be buried in Jewish cemeteries. There is a midrash that says that when the mashiach (Messiah) comes all the bones of the body will reattach themselves, along with the organs and the flesh, and then burrow underground to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, where they will then reemerge from the earth and be fully reborn, based on Ezekiel's vision of the Valley of the Dry Bones. This is only a metaphor - a beautiful metaphor - for the future rebirth of the Nation of Israel on its ancestral soil, a vision which came true in our very own day with the rebirth of the state of Israel from the ashes of the Holocaust. This why over the millennia, many diaspora based Jews have elected to be buried on the Mount of Olives, so as to avoid extensive tunneling. There would be no tunneling at all! One would be reborn and immediately greet the Messiah in Jerusalem! But this is a metaphor. When Midrash (legends and moral aphorisms) is taken literally, it insults human intelligence and does a disservice to the Midrash and to the intelligence of the great rabbis who composed it. Having said that, it is forbidden to do anything which is disrespectful to the body of the deceased. It is a holy vessel which contained a human neshama (soul) and which performed many mitzvoth (commandments), bringing G*d's Light into the world. For that reason it is generally forbidden to perform autopsies and has been thus (mis)understood to be forbidden to perform organ transplants. A routine autopsy cuts up the body and is forbidden according to Jewish Law. However, if a specific situation arises where performing an autopsy can help to save lives "in the moment," and not just in a theoretical sense, then an otherwise forbidden autopsy is obligatory! This analogy is instructive for our discussion. There are three basic categories which describe any and all actions in the light of Torah: The first is "Assur." Assur means "forbidden," from the root "sur" which means "turn away." If something is outright forbidden, then you should turn away from it. Is it forbidden to donate one's organs? No. It is not assur. It is not forbidden. In olden days when there was no technology to successfully perform a transplant then it was akin to a general autopsy - a needless desecration of the holy human body. But we are not living in the olden days. We are living in the 21st century. The second category describing behavior is the opposite of assur. "Chayav" means "obligated." Some things in the Torah are out and out forbidden. And some things are obligatory. Something that is obligatory is called "Chayav." Donating one's organs is certainly praiseworthy, if not actually obligatory. If a life may immediately be saved by the act of organ donation, then it is chayav - obligatory. The third category describing human action is "mutar," meaning "permitted," from the root meaning to "untie." In the morning blessings we say "matir assurim," meaning "frees (unties) those who are bound up. G*d frees the captives (and we make permissible that which is forbidden!). (continued on page 10)


(continued from page 9) Today we have the technology to save lives with organ transplants. In the past we did not. In the past there were no organ recipient waiting lists. Today there are. So even if you do not see any recipients in need directly in front of you, we know that they can receive a new organ in a matter of hours, precisely because of these waiting lists. Not all organ transplants are about saving lives. Many serve to improve the quality of life. But in a sense we are giving life to someone who may be so depressed that we are indeed "saving a life" - metaphorically, if not literally. Restoring vision to the blind is deeply transformative and life-changing. So in light of the above, being an organ donor is not assur. It is not forbidden. In cases where it can literally save a life which lies directly before you, similar to performing an autopsy which can lead directly to saving lives, it is chayav - obligatory. And in view of today's technology where the recipient may indeed benefit even if he does not lie directly before you, one can argue that in general, even if not literally saving a life, it is mutar, aval lo assur - permitted , but not forbidden. Where the question becomes a source of contention is in how one defines 'the moment of death." Historically, and according to the rabbis of the Talmud, based on the science of two thousand years ago, death was defined by the cessation of the heartbeat. Until very recent times, this was the accepted definition. Science has recently redefined death as the cessation of brainstem activity. In light of that redefinition, Conservative and Modern Orthodox rabbinical bodies have allowed organ transplants where brainstem activity has ceased, even when the heart is still beating. Once the heart has stopped beating, it makes it that much harder to perform a transplant, as tissue begins to rapidly break down. A group of Modern Orthodox rabbis have even formed the Halachic Organ Donors Society. One can join and receive a wallet sized card to that effect to keep on one's person. But over the last few years there has been a backlash against organ transplants even in the Modern Orthodox rabbinical group (RCA), as the anti-science Haredi influence has been driving the argument among even many so-called Modern Orthodox rabbis who are afraid to stand up for halachic principles. The Haredim hold fast to the traditional definition of death as the cessation of a heartbeat, even against modern science. One could reasonably argue that they hold that position davka - just because- they oppose modern science. Classical Jewish procedural law has always sought to integrate scientific understanding of the day in the developmental formulation of halacha - Jewish law. If Jews may only receive organs from others but may not donate their organs to others, what revulsion against Jews and against the Torah, would ensue! What a Chilul Hashem - what a desecration of the Ho-ly Name! The Haredim and their Orthodox allies do not seem to care. But we care. As well we should. We see scientific knowledge as helping us to understand Hashem's world. And we see the principles of Torah as helping us to understand Hashem's word. So the answer is yes. It is permissible in all cases to donate one's organs, and even obligatory in others! © 2015 by Rabbi Baruch Binyamin Hakohen Melman


June 10, 2015

Congregational Meeting to Elect Officers for 2015-2016

(see slate on page 9)

June 27, 2015 Installation of Officers

(during Shabbat Services) Kiddush/Luncheon to follow

August 9, 2015 “From Shtetl to Broadway to Israel - A Celebration of Jewish Peoplehood” Concert at Stroudsburg High School

(see flyer on page 6)

SAVE THE DATES


Would you like to chant the haftarah every now and then?

In honor of your Bar or Bat Mitzvah anniversary?

Or for any reason?

No problem!

Just pick up the phone and call Bernie Driller, head of

our Ritual Committee, and let him know what date

you would like to have the maftir aliyah and chant the haftarah.

He will mark it on his special Haftarah calendar.

Just call Bernie at 570-421-6103

If you need a brush up or a recording, just call Rabbi Melman.

And if you've never done one before and you'd like to learn,

just call Rabbi Melman, at 570-730-4799.


THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR GENEROUS DONATIONS TO TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS

YAHRZEIT DONATIONS Irv Effross in memory of Max Effross

Dolores Cohen in memory of Caroline Rosenzweig Dolores Cohen in memory of Robert Cohen

Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund

Marlyn Clarke Leigh Steltzer


HESSED FUND Hessed is a Hebrew word meaning kindness and a reaching out to other people.

It is the way you can express sympathy, warm wishes or celebrate simchas for any one within or outside the Jewish community. If you would like something included here:

Call Suzanne Tremper at 588-6148. Please leave all the information on the machine so Suzanne doesn’t need to call you back.

OR Better than telephone, is contacting Suzanne by e-mail at [email protected]. That's the best!

If you would like us to send a card to a person who is not a Temple Israel person, you must include the recipient’s address when giving Suzanne the information. Cards are usually sent within three days of the request.

Acknowledge the accomplishments of your favorite

graduate with a Hessed Card.

Wish a friend a happy birthday on that special day.

Send get well greetings to someone who has not been feeling well.

Call Suzanne


If you are celebrating a milestone year, whether it be birthday or anniversary, please let me know so others may celebrate with you. Contact: Suzanne Tremper 588-6148 or [email protected]

June Anniversaries June 01 Michael & Cindy Blake

June 06 Mike & Janina Nissel

June 14 Irving & Eda Effross

June 16 Bruce & Erica Stein

June 20 Bruce & Rosa Brownstein

June 23 Arnold & Marilyn Goldman

June Birthdays June 01 Christopher Brockman

June 02 Lance Goldberg

June 03 Mike Nissel Larissa Rosenberg

June 07 Charles August

June 08 Harriet Feitelberg Elizabeth Kosmerl

June 09 Adam Ruben

June 16 Daryl Tornberg Pines

June 18 Jack Bernbaum

June 19 Michael Blake

June 24 P.Jason King

June 28 Diane Goldberg

June 29 Evan Bear


June Yahrzeit List

June 1 Sivan 14 Irene Mandel June 2 Sivan 15 Norman D. Cohen

June 4 Sivan 17 Susan Carol Glass

June 5 Sivan 18 Ida Newman

June 6 Sivan 19 Hilda Garaventi Ethel Silverwater Haiman Greenberg

June 7 Sivan 20 Joseph Farber Charles Taxerman

June 8 Sivan 21 Minnie Dortort

June 13 Sivan 26 Abraham Levine

June 14 Sivan 27 Richard Alan Goldman Meyer Solomon

June 15 Sivan 28 Jack Joseph

June 17 Sivan 30 Mollie Gelber Irving Shevrin Irving Karpe

June 18 Tammuz 01 Bessie Yudelson

June 20 Tammuz 03 Ada Block Eli Getz Jules Goldberg Samuel Caplan Eugene Irving Iskowitz

June 21 Tammuz 04 Brenda Howitt Tucker

June 24 Tammuz 07 Max Eisemann Leo Yudelson Pearl Weinberg

June 26 Tammuz 09 Esther Martin Richard Podhajny

June 27 Tammuz 10 Beatrice Rosenberg Ethel Krumper Noah D. Lambert Nathan Goldstein

June 28 Tammuz 11 Marvin Schwartz Jacob Silverman Esther Melman Jay Effross

June 29 Tammuz 12 Anna Hurwitz Louis Sperling

June 30 Tammuz 13 Benjamin Chamock


July 16 Tammuz 29 Samuel Barton July 17 Av 01 Ida Binder

Manus Rabinowitz

July 18 Av 02 Ann Odzer Weisbrot Charles Manley

July 19 Av 03 Rebecca Sommer Raphel Max Reader

July 20 Av 04 Abraham Klein Dorothy Helman

July 21 Av 05 Louis Zubow Mary Goldstein Freida Soloman Robert Levokove

July 23 Av 07 Rubin Binder

July 25 Av 09 Samuel Rubin Lester Abeloff

July 26 Av 10 Rebecca Soler

July 28 Av 12 Rose Wilkins Frederick Starr Louis Silverman

July 29 Av 13 Dr. Seymour Pollan Louis Cohen

July 1 Tammuz 14 Sophie Rosenston July 2 Tammuz 15 George Binder

Robert Goldman

July 3 Tammuz 16 Jack Cahn

July 5 Tammuz 18 Nathan Ptashkin Ben Rosenblum

July 6 Tammuz 19 Bessie Greenberg

July 7 Tammuz 20 Abe Rosenston Michael Schecter Anna Katz

July 9 Tammuz 22 Jack Brody Joseph Blassberg Leo Goldberg

July 11 Tammuz 24 Bessie Pollack

July 12 Tammuz 25 Elizabeth Malbin Harry Edelstein

July 14 Tammuz 27 Irene Rothstein Dora Hertz Israel Melman Irving Parnes

July 15 Tammuz 28 Yetta Elisweig Larry Schneider

July Yahrzeit List

Yahrzeit candles are lit the evening before the date listed above. If the candle is to be lit on Friday night, remember to light the candle prior to lighting

Shabbos candles.


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NOW IT’S EASIER THAN EVER BEFORE TO SPONSOR AN ONEG OR A KIDDUSH LUNCHEON

YOU CAN CELEBRATE A BIRTHDAY, ANNIVERSARY, LIFE CYCLE EVENT OR JUST BECAUSE.....

TEMPLE ISRAEL OF THE POCONOS KOSHER KITCHEN ANNOUNCES

SHABBAT ONEG AND KIDDUSH LUNCHEONS

Friday Night Oneg: $75 Package includes cakes, cookies, fresh fruit in season, hot coffee, milk, sweeteners, seltzer and cold beverages. Shabbat Kiddush-Luncheon: $125 Package includes 4 different salads, veggie platter, fresh fruits of the season, assorted cakes and/or cookies, hot coffee, milk, sweeteners, seltzer/cold beverages.

Each package is priced for 25 people.

Other special request items (including lox) are available upon request and for an additional fee; please contact me to design your own special event. For scheduling, availability and more

information contact: Lois LaBarca at 421-6103


WE ALL HAVE SIMCHAS AND NACHES IN OUR LIFE CELEBRATE AND COMMEMORATE WITH ANY OF THE FOLLOWING...

SEND WARM THOUGHTS Give Suzanne Tremper a call at 588-6148 or e-mail her at [email protected] and let

someone know you’re thinking of them. For a small contribution to the Hessed Fund, Suzanne will send a card wishing a Happy Birthday, Congratulations, Mazel Tov, Get Well or

Condolences. A notice will appear in this bulletin, as well. When you call, please leave all the information needed.

TREE OF LIFE AND MEMORIALS Add a leaf to the Tree of Life to celebrate births, birthdays, marriages, bar and bat mitzvahs, or

any other special event for a minimum contribution of $150. Remember loved ones with a Memorial Plaque at a minimum contribution of $600 for members, $850 for non-members.

Contact Suzanne Tremper at 588-6148.

ENDOWMENT FUND It’s always a great time to make a contribution. Make your check out to “Temple Israel.”

Another thought to consider, remember Temple Israel in your will. Call the Temple office at 570-421-8781 or [email protected]

Honor or Remember Someone Special with a Bookplate

A bookplate can be placed in a Siddur, the weekly prayer book we use every Friday evening and Shabbat morning, or in a machzor, the prayer book which is used on the High Holidays. Remember a special occasion such as a birthday, anniversary, bnei mitzvah or any other occasion you want to note for a relative or friend. You can also place a dedication in someone’s memory. A nameplate with the donor, recipient, and occasion will be inserted. The minimum donation is $50.

Contact Herb Rosen, 424-1161, or at [email protected].

Do you need a Mi Sheberach Recited?

When you can’t make services, but would like a prayer said on behalf of someone important to you, please don’t hesitate to call the synagogue and leave a message

on the Temple answering machine for Rabbi Melman so that your prayers will be included in our services.


FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE…..

we offer you a challenge!

We need everyone to help with this. Surely you know individuals and families who have no affiliation with a Synagogue.

Encourage them to become members of our Temple Israel Family!

If every family brings in one individual or family,

think of the possibilities!

At Temple events, be they regular Shabbat Services or a social occasion, introduce yourself to anyone you don’t recognize. You’ll make new friends

and assist us in enlarging our family.

YOU CAN BE PART OF OUR SUCCESS!!

For information please contact:

Dr. Sandra Alfonsi 223-7062

[email protected]

or Temple Israel 421-8781

Please leave a phone number so that we may return your call.


Please tell our advertisers you saw their ad here.

All submissions are subject to review by the editorial committee.

Please submit all articles for consideration to:

Barbara Rosenberg

570-894-4537 or [email protected]

PLEASE NOTE THE DEADLINE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE OF YOUR NEWSLETTER:

JULY NEWSLETTER: JUNE 7

Temple Israel of the Poconos is located at 711 Wallace Street in Stroudsburg. Friday evening services begin at 7:00 p.m. and

Saturday Shabbat Services begin at 9:30 a.m. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Temple Israel Newsletter, Edition 609/June 2015 published monthly at Temple Israel of the Poconos, 711 Wallace Street, Stroudsburg, PA 18360. (570) 421-8781/[email protected]. For information concerning this publication contact Barbara Rosenberg, Editor, (570) 894-4537/[email protected]. Now on the web at: www.templeisraelofthepoconos.org

Documents

Temple Israel of the Poconos - A Sound Strategy