NEWSLETTER

Beth El - The Heights Synagogue builds vibrant Jewish community.We welcome all in participatory, traditional, egalitarian worship and learning.

Rabbi Moshe Adler s Saturday Morning Services at 9:15, 3246 Desota Ave., Cleveland Hts., OH 44118 s (216-320-9667

August 20165776 BA / ZWMT

The weekend of June 16-18, 2016 overwhelmed me with love: • Lecture by Rabba Rahel Berkovits at Siegal on Thursday night;• Kabbalat Shabbat at BE–THS, including Rahel’s teaching, on Friday night; • Shabbat morning service at BE–THS, Amitai giving the d’var Torah, Nurit reading from the weekly parashah, and Rahel teaching; • Informal learning and interacting with Rahel and friends Shabbat afternoon at Mia and Joe’s – the perfect finish for a very special experience.

Only Nili’s presence could have made it even better, yet I believe that somehow she was sharing in the love.

Having looked at the immediate past, I offer the following reminder for the future: “Beth El – The Heights Synagogue builds vibrant Jewish community. We welcome all in participatory, traditional, egalitarian worship and learning.” What do those terms mean?

• Vibrant – We maintain energy and enthusiasm.• Community – We act together, sharing the joyous times and the challenging times, supporting one another.• Welcoming all – Male and female, black and white, straight and LGBT, the more and the less observant, Jew and fellow pilgrim, member and guest – we greet all with warmth.• Participatory – Leading services; reading Torah; giving divrey torah; sharing ideas and insights; and managing the shul as a sacred task.• Traditional – Institutionally we walk the path of halakhah, while respecting each individual’s right to follow his/her conscience. In a world in which body and soul are inseparable, halakhah is Judaism’s body, and kavanah (intention, devotion) is its soul.• Egalitarian – Men and women have an equal right to do the things mentioned under “participatory.”• Worship – We pray together, each person relating to God in his/her own way while reciting and singing the liturgy along with one’s fellow worshippers.• Learning – We ask questions of the Torah and we seek answers, arguing without fighting, as our Sages teach us (Avot 5:7): “Any dispute that is for the sake of Heaven will in the end bear fruit, and any dispute that is not for the sake of Heaven will not in the end bear fruit.”

I thank the people of BE–THS for honoring me with a deeply moving (continued on page 5)

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Rabbi Moshe Adler

Fast of Tisha B'Av

Sunset, August 13

through

Sunset, August 14

BAB HE$T OWC

Beth El – The Heights Synagogue Newsletter, Vol. 18, No. 10, August 2016 © Beth El – The Heights Synagogue Carol Bruml, Editor – Telephone 216-932-9155, E-mail: news@bethelheights.org General submittal deadline is the 7th of each month. 3246 Desota Ave., Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 Published 11 times per year.http://www.bethelheights.org/ For address or mailing list change, call 216-320-9667

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A Board Member’s Perspective, August 2016

Come Do Your Share

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To volunteer means to perform or offer a service of your own free will. Whatever you can do – just a little, or a lot – is needed and greatly appreciated. A few examples are:

• If you know people who might like to join our congregation, bring them to services, to Kabbalat Shabbats, and to other events. Encourage them!• Help us advertise! Spread the word about our Lunch and Learns, special events, Mishnah Study Group, Shabbat Playdates, and more!• See that the prayer books are neatly shelved after services. • Tidy up the sanctuary. Be sure the chairs are in straight rows (within a week or two, we will no longer have the screwed-in-place seats we have now).• Help Marvin Palevsky prepare, set up for, or clean up after our weekly Shabbat Kiddush. Clean off the table and nearby floor where you sat during the meal. Help take the uneaten food back into the kitchen and repack the surplus into appropriate containers. • Help clean the shul: wiping down tables, vacuuming, etc.• Help Carol Bruml with the monthly newsletter by contributing articles (on time!), comments, and newsworthy items.• The monthly newsletter mailing is a really good time to work with and get to know other members.• Help Joe Buchwald Gelles and Marvin Palevsky prepare the food for our monthly Kabbalat Shabbat dinners. Help with setting up the Social Hall, serving, and cleaning up afterward (remember: there’s always Kiddush the next day, so we have to clean up really well).• Help with the organization and cooking for special events, such as holiday parties.• If you know someone who would be a potential Lunch and Learn speaker, share that information with Bruce Wilkenfeld (Adult Education).• Be quiet and respectful of those who are bentching after our Kiddush meal.• Help keep up our grounds: Pick up litter as you go by; weed the flower beds.

If our shul is to be successful, we need your help and your presence before, during, and after our religious and social events. Remember: Our synagogue is a team effort. Our tradition is that we aid and assist one another. It’s the BE-THS thing to do! Lenny Tracht

Questions? ConCerns?Comments? Complaints?

Please do not hesitate to contact the

Presidents by e-mail president

@bethelheights.orgor telephone

Eran (440) 223-9765Erica (216) 276-1029

Help usstay in touCH!

Please be sure we have your current

contact information.Send changes to

info@bethelheights.org

or call (216) 320-9667

Keep up witH tHe news!Join tHe

Be-tHs lists!Send an e-mail to

Mick Miller,mick@mickmill.com,if you need help with

signing up.

Co-presidents

eriCa new

eran sHiloH

Rabbi Search Committee UpdateThe Committee continues to reach out to the local and national community to find a suitable candidate to succeed Rabbi Adler. Individual letters were recently sent to all members of the Cleveland Board of Rabbis seeking further resources and candidate leads. Polly Wilkenfeld

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We look forward to seeing all of our newsletter readers at our High Holy Day Services. Everyone eighteen years old and over must have a ticket to attend Rosh Hasha-nah and Yom Kippur services. Members will be mailed tickets four to six weeks before Rosh Hashanah. Please be sure that you are current with your dues.

Complimentary tickets are available to anyone in the community. A form to request tickets is available on our website: http://www.bethelheights.org/ . You may also call the synagogue at 216-320-9667. Tickets will be mailed to your home. Tickets requested less than one week before Rosh Hashanah will be held for you at the synagogue.

Polly Wilkenfeld

High Holy Days Tickets

Our family picnic last year was a great success and will return by popular demand. It will be held on Sunday, August 28, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, at the Denison Park picnic shelter, off Quarry Drive in Cleveland Heights. Please bring a dairy/vegetarian dish to share, as well as all of your own plates, cutlery, cups, and beverages. Please label anything dairy, out of courtesy to the vegans in the congregation, and label anything you feel may contain significant allergens (sweet peppers, nuts…).

We encourage you to bring lawn games, such as corn hole, croquet, badminton, Frisbees, etc., as well.

Summer Potluck Family Picnic

Join us for the Totally Kosher Rib Burn Off on Sunday, September 5, 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Gross Schechter Day School parking lot, 27601 Fairmount Blvd., Pepper Pike.

Last year was the first year we participated in the rib burn off, and Marvin Palevsky’s delectable ribs took sec-ond prize! Let’s support Marvin, and Schechter, and get out and enjoy some ribs together!

Totally Kosher Rib Burn Off

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Photos by Carol Bruml, Mia Buchwald Gelles, Blanche Valancy

Social HallRenovationsin ProcessMay 2016

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Yahrzeits, August 2016Tammuz ~ ZWMT

Tillie Bertman 28 Tammuz 5740Morley Glin 28 Tammuz 5736Harry M. Newman 29 Tammuz 5726Harry Soliton 29 Tammuz 5721

Av ~ BAMichael Sidney Lampel 1 Av 5729Gutel Simon 2 Av 5723Hyman Morris Brudnick 3 Av 5769Helen Sonnenstein 3 Av Louis Sobel 3 Av 5710Dr. William Rosewater 4 Av 5763Joseph Meyer Dubin 5 Av Joseph Magden 5 Av 5726Fanny Wachter and Children 6 Av 5704Norman Slivka 6 Av 5733Louis Sobel 8 Av 5714Minna Sobel 8 Av 5714Joseph Oshuns 10 Av 5756

Lisa Kurzbauer 11 Av Joe Neuger 11 Av 5754Hanna Tepper 11 Av 5700Maurice B. Lavine 11 Av 5718Sarah Fried Weiss 12 Av 5723Marcia L. Jacobs 14 Av Harry Tinman 15 Av 5729Doreen Tavill Erstling 16 Av Norman Paul Glanz 16 Av 5723Sarah Blume Levine 16 Av 5737Ida Greenstein 18 Av 5728Lena Freed 19 Av 5726Morris Ginsberg 19 Av 5732Esther Ann Farachi 20 Av 5739Helen K. Weil 22 Av 5752Joseph D. Klein 23 Av 5718Samuel Messerman 24 Av 5748Vladimir Bonacic 26 Av 5759Sadie Landesman 27 Av Dr. David Russack 27 Av 5743

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Memorial Plaque

Space remains available on our memorial plaque.

Each bronze name plate has room for three lines of text; you will be able to preview the design before it is cast in bronze.

Donation for each name plate is $324 (Chai2, or $18 x $18).

If you have questions or need a copy of the form, contactKaren Kugelman, 216-932-5562.

Original Temple Beth ElOn a balmy July evening we were cruising up Lee Road and wondered how the build-ing on Chagrin Boulevard, the former home of Temple Beth El, was being used. We were pleased to see a well-kept credit union building with the original cornerstones in place, and thought you’d like to see it too! Blanche & Jack Valancy

Photos by Jack Valancy

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Calendar, august 2016 5776 BA / ZWMT

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Saturday, July 30 –11:00 to 11:45 am – Shabbat Playdate: Songs, stories, and games for children aged 7 and under.after ServiceS – Leon Gabinet is sponsoring Kiddush in memory of his wife, Laille Gabinet z”l, his mother, Sara Gabinet z”l, and his mother-in-law, Rose M. Schutz z”l. We will also have our Monthly Simcha Kiddush: Join with us as we celebrate many of the happy events that have occurred in our congregation during the month of July.

friday, auguSt 12 – TBw TLBQ6:30 pm – Kabbalat Shabbat services with learning, followed by a vegetarian dinner and singing. Pre-paid registration requested by Monday, August 8. See flyer for details.

Saturday, auguSt 13 – BAB HE$T OWC9:30 pm – Tisha B’Av: The service will begin with Havdalah (no wine) and includes Ma’ariv and the reading of Eicha (Lamentations). Bring your own flashlights, so we can hold the service by soft pseudo-candlelight.

Saturday, auguSt 20 –after ServiceS – Janice Carrick is sponsoring Kiddush in honor of Molly Brudnick’s milestone birthday.

Saturday, auguSt 27 –11:00 to 11:45 am – Shabbat Playdate: Songs, stories, and games for children aged 7 and under.after ServiceS – Monthly Simcha Kiddush: Join with us as we celebrate many of the happy events that have occurred in our congregation during the month of August.

Sunday, auguSt 28 – 1:00 to 4:00 pm – BE-THS Summer Potluck Family Picnic, to be held at the Denison Park Picnic Shelter, off Quarry Drive, Cleveland Heights 44121. Details on page 3.

Sunday, September 4 – 2:00 to 4:00 pm – Neighborhood Ice Cream Social on the lawn (in the Social Hall, in case of rain). Free. Bring your friends, encourage the shul’s neighbors to come! See flyer.

monday, September 5 – 1:00 to 4:00 pm – Totally Kosher Rib Burn Off, Gross Schechter Day School Parking Lot, 27601 Fairmount Blvd., Pepper Pike 44124. Details on page 3 and in flyer.

Saturday, September 10 – after ServiceS – First Lunch and Learn of the 2016-2017 season: Robin Dubin, Chair of the Economics Department of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, will speak on “Economic Issues in America Today.”

(Looking Back, Looking Forward, continued from page 1) weekend and a tribute book more beautiful than any I’ve ever seen. The greatest honor of all, however, has been the trust and respect they have accorded me over the years. May HaShem grant the BE–THS family health, happiness, and livelihood. Love, Moshe

ShabbatPlaydate

July 30 and

August 27

11:00-11:45 Am

in theBabysitting Room

Jewish-themed singing

and stories for children

7 and younger.

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TW$DXNews from Beth El

Condolences to: OYLBA OWXYNØ Cheryl Stone and Shaul Janes, on the recent death of Cheryl’s father, Stanley Donald Stone z”l.Ø Rabbi Alan and Jean Lettofsky, on the recent death of Alan’s brother, Jerome Lettofsky z”l.

Refuah Sh’lema to: ! HMYL$ HAWPRØ Bernie CantleberryØ Rabbi Michael HechtØ Miriam PalevskyØ Fronda Sobel, Nina Sobel’s mother.Ø Marvin WarshayØ Daniel Weisberg, Marsha Weisberg’s brother.Ø Miriam Weisberg, Marsha Weisberg’s sister.

Yasher Koah to: ! XWK R$YYØ Shulamit Magnus, whose book, Pauline Wengeroff’sMemoirs of a Grandmother, Volume 2, has been nominated for the Association of Jewish Studies’ Jordan Schnitzer Prize in Modern Jewish History, Europe and Israel.Ø Joshua Pepper, son of Stephen Pepper and Linda Tobin Pepper and a Lehigh University professor, who recently made the news because he and his crowdsourcing network of astronomers across four continents helped verify the discovery of Tatooine, officially called Kepler-1647b, a planet that orbits a double star, far far from earth. Tatooine is 3,700 light years distant from Earth; it is 4.4 billion years old, about the same as Earth; it takes 1,107 days to orbit its two stars, about three Earth years. http://tinyurl.com/j7t3l4xØ Adam Probst, who graduated from Indiana Univer-sity’s Kelley School of Business with an M.B.A.Ø Lenny Tracht, on the 50th anniversary of his gradua-tion from Wayne State University College of Pharmacy in Detroit.

Mazel Tov to: ! BWU LZMØ Menacham Shoham, whose granddaughter, Gali Arbel, will become Bat Mitzvah in August. Gali is the daughter of Menachem’s daughter, Raya; the family lives in Kidron, Israel. Photos by Mia Buchwald Gelles and Joel Genuth

S.I.R.Weekend

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Thanks for your Contributions to:Ø Sherry Ball and Marty Gelfand, in memory of Marty’s father, Ernest Gelfand z”l.Ø Betty Bloomfield, in memory of her father, Louis Mayzel z”l.Ø Bill and Carol Bruml, in memory of Cheryl Stone’s father, Stanley Stone z”l.Ø Bill and Carol Bruml, towards the Social Hall renovations.Ø Bill and Carol Bruml, towards the Sanctuary-level restroom renovations.Ø Frank and Jeanette BuchwaldØ Frank and Jeanette Buchwald, in memory of Jeanette’s parents, Sam and Sylvia Auerbach z”l.Ø Leon GabinetØ Joel GenuthØ Ilene GertmanØ Judith and Zigmund Hersh, in honor of Frank and Jeanette Buchwald’s 55th wedding anniversary.Ø Sharona Hoffman and Andy PodgurskiØ Ari Klein and Ditte WolinØ Harold and Lenore Koppel, in honor of Rabbi Moshe Adler.Ø Zachary LernerØ Gayle LewinØ Stephen Pepper and Linda Tobin, in memory of Minnie Russack z”l.Ø Nelson Pole, in honor of Rabbi Moshe Adler.Ø Adam ProbstØ Juliana Sadock Savino, to the Operating Fund Campaign.Ø Juliana Sadock SavinoØ Juliana Sadock Savino, to the Kiddush Fund.Ø Eran Shiloh, to the President’s Discretionary Fund.Ø Eran ShilohØ Leonard TrachtØ Beth and Scott WachterØ Beth and Scott Wachter, in memory of Scott’s father, Jerome Wachter z”l.Ø Anonymous – Thanks to all for cash donations made at the Annual Meeting

Thanks for Kiddush Sponsorships to:June 4: ! HDWTØ Henry Bloom, Marilyn Malkin, Sharona Hoffman, Karen Kugelman, and Andy Podgurski, in honor of the 76th anniversary of Leon Gabinet’s Bar Mitzvah, and in memory of Sharona’s mother, Aviva Hoffman z”l.

July 16: ! HDWTØ Robin Dubin and Richard Krueck, in honor of their 16th wedding anniversary.

July 30: ! HDWTØ Leon Gabinet, in memory of his wife, Laille Gabinet z”l, his mother, Sara Gabinet z”l, and his mother-in-law, Rose M. Schutz z”l.

Thanks for Simcha Kiddush Sponsorships to:May: ! HDWTØ Alan Lerner and Erica New, in honor of Erica’s birthday.

June: ! HDWTØ Frank and Jeanette Buchwald, in honor of Frank’s birthday.Ø Frank and Jeanette Buchwald, in honor of Joe and Mia Buchwald Gelles’ wedding anniversary.Ø Joe and Mia Buchwald Gelles, in honor of their wedding anniversary.Ø Adam Probst, in honor of the completion of his MBA degree.Ø The Wachter family, in honor of Anna’s, Maia’s, and Scott’s birthdays.

Thanks for help with the installation of the new ceiling tile in the Social Hall to: ! HDWTØ Brian AronsonØ Bill BrumlØ Carol BrumlØ Sarah BrumlØ Mia Buchwald GellesØ Noam GellesØ Dave KazdanØ Ari KleinØ Alan LernerØ Marvin Palevsky

Thanks for June-July newsletter mailing help to: ! HDWTØ Brian Aronson Ø Marty Gelfand Ø David Tomberg Ø Teri Tomberg

Correction: Bill Bruml’s article in the June-July newsletter erroneously stated that Fred and Joyce Tavill had donated professional interior design services for BE-THS. Actually, their friend, Roger Roman, of Roger Ro-man Interiors, donated his professional interior de-sign services to guide us in our decorating selections.

Ø Lenny TrachtØ Blanche Valancy Ø Beth WachterØ Scott Wachter

Ø Dave Robinson (Sarah Bruml’s fiancé)Ø Didi ShilohØ Eran ShilohØ Shlomo ShuckØ Dave TombergØ Lenny TrachtØ Jack ValancyØ Scott Wachter

Thanks to all who helped make the Scholar in Residence (S.I.R.) weekend a great success. We may have missed someone. Our apologies if your help is not acknowledged below.

Scholar-in-Residence WeekendAcknowledgements

Joe Buchwald GellesJoel GenuthJudith GerblichIlene GertmanHoney MasseyMarvin PalevskyDave RobinsonElijah Saunt

Julian SauntBud SternFred TavillJoyce TavillLenny TrachtJack ValancyScott Wachter

Thanks to all who contributed to the Tribute Book that accompanied the S.I.R. weekend:

Thanks to everyone whose help made the S.I.R. weekend possible:Sherry BallDavid BardensteinLisa BeruschCarol BrumlBill BrumlSarah BrumlFrank Buchwald

Lisa BeruschJoe Buchwald GellesMia Buchwald GellesJoel GenuthIlene GertmanStephanie GordonSharona HoffmanZach Lerner

The S.I.R. Committee:

Ron and Sylvia AbramsRachel AdlerBruce and Judie AmselGuy AustrianSherry Ball and Marty GelfandDavid and Karen BardensteinMoshe BergerBE-THS BoardCheryl Birkner Mack and Eric MackHenry Bloom and Marilyn MalkinMolly BrudnickBill and Carol BrumlJoe and Mia Buchwald GellesJanice CarrickLaura CoppersmithSusan David and Bernard SharfmanRobin Dubin and Richard KrueckGerry and Shulamit EhrenbergBarbara EpsteinJoel Falck and Julie Rabin

Mark FreimuthJackie FriedmanLeon GabinetJoel GenuthSaul GenuthAdi and Judith GerblichLaura Gooch and David KazdanStephanie GordonAmalia HaasRabbi Michael and Sheila HechtCraig and Janet HoffmanSharona Hoffman and Andy PodgurskiAri Klein and Ditte WolinSue KleinHarvey and Karen KugelmanEnid and Irving KushnerClaire and Matthew LeeMerianne LeffAlan Lerner and Erica NewRabbi Alan and Jean LettofskyHoney Massey and Bud Stern

Hedy and Mike MilgromSteve NeptunePark SynagogueStephen Pepper and Linda TobinChuck and Ilana RatnerJuliana Sadock SavinoJerry and Mina SaidelLifsa and Rabbi Stanley SchachterJoseph and Marla ShafranMenachem ShohamFred and Joyce TavillTemple Emanu El (Rabbi Steven Denker)Lenny TrachtBlanche and Jack ValancyBeth and Scott WachterMarsha WeisbergBruce and Polly WilkenfeldJosh WilkenfeldMary and Richard Zigmond

Marilyn MalkinHoney MasseyErica NewEran ShilohBud SternJoyce TavillLinda Tobin

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inviteS you to celebrate

shabbat with a Service and dinner.

Friday, August 12, 6:30 p.m.Kabbalat Shabbat 6:30, dinner at about 7:40.dinner includes fish, vegetarian-friendly menu.teacher tba.

Price: $10.00 per person.

RSVP: http://www.bethelheights.org/kabbalat-shabbat/or you can call Joe 321-6734.Prepaid reservations requested by Monday, August 8

Location: beth el–the heights Synagogue 3246 desota avenue cleveland hts., oh 44118

This is a membership event — a great time to introduce potential members to our community, a little less formal and a lot shorter than Shabbat morning. So bring a friend — don’t be shy about asking!

FRI

12AUG

MondaySeptember 5

12 noon to 4 p.m.Gross Schechter Day School

27601 Fairmount BoulevardPepper Pike, OH 44124

Marvin Palevsky will cook for BE-THS– He took the Burnoffʼs 2015 2nd prize!Itʼs sure to be great food, and great fun!

Your help is needed to staff the BE-THS booth.

Contact Sherry <ball.sherry@gmail.com>

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