~ 1 ~

Inside this issue

Getting to Know You .... 2

BIYA News ................... 2

Kol HaRav .................... 3

Word Salad .................. 3

Announcements ........... 4

Tisha B'Av Schedule .... 4

Community News ......... 5

Kosher Eateries ........... 5

Committee Reports ...... 6

The Power of Speech .. 7

Look For ....................

Monthly Calendar and

Candle Times insert

for your fridge! ........... insert

NEW COLUMNS!

Reflections ......................... 4

Music Rainbow .................. 6

Maybe Not So Nu ..............8

27 Lloyd Street Baltimore MD 21202

410.732.5454 Est. 1873

July/August 2017 Av 5777 Issue No. 1.2

So, Nu?

www.jewishdowntown.org

bnai.news@gmail.com

BUILDING A DOWNTOWN BEIT MIDRASH

’NAI ISRAEL envisions a Beit Midrash in downtown Baltimore where Jews from

all walks of life gather to study and share ideas, to deepen our understanding of

the texts of our tradition, to explore the critical issues of the day affecting modern

Judaism, and to grapple with issues facing our world through a Torah lens. We envision

this Beit Midrash as a place where learners have access to nationally recognized

teachers as well as local leaders.

That goal got off to a great start on July 10, as eighteen dedicated people (Chai!)

studied Torah at B'nai Israel with Rabbi Yonah S. Berman of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah

(YCT), exploring the question of what is the most important line in Torah. This was the

first session in our new year-long Torah Cafe learning series featuring YCT's Torat

Chovevei curriculum. It was an inspiring kick-off for our new Beit Midrash, and B’nai

Israel is deeply grateful to Rabbi Berman.

Rabbi Berman’s wealth of knowledge, combined with his energetic, engaging style

of teaching, brought everyone into the conversation. The study focused around four

primary verses chosen by the Rishonim as the most important:

“Love your fellow as yourself" says Rabbi Akiva.

“This is the book of the generations of man,” according to Ben Azai.

Ben Zoma argues for the Shema.

For Shimon ben Pazi, it is the one describing the daily sacrifices. “The one lamb

you shall bring in the morning and the second lamb you shall bring in the evening”.

Why? Well, you should have been there! So start a conversation over Kiddush

lunch with a friend who attended . What's your answer? What is the most important

line in Torah?

You have another opportunity to experience this thought-provoking approach to

Torah learning. Our next shiur will be on Monday, 7 August at 7:00 pm when Rabbi

Haggai Resnikoff from YCT leads us in a study of Revolution and Restraint: Is

Gradualism a Jewish Value?

$5 donation requested. Food will be served.

The Monthly Nu’s-letter of

The Downtown Synagogue

B

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orn in Los Angeles, California and raised partially in Baltimore, Gerry Gilstrop

understood early in life that peoples, places and cultures differ from location to location.

Making sense of his bi-coastal experiences enabled him to think outside the box.

Gerry began his personal journey into halakhic Judaism at age 15, after failing to locate

resources at his local library which would allow him to fulfill his goal of reading the Bible in the

original Hebrew. Determined not to fail in his quest, by age 16 he located a resource called

the Baltimore Hebrew College (BHC), located in upper Park Heights, which would allow him

to take Biblical Hebrew classes. However, since he could not legally be truant from high school, as the Biblical Hebrew

courses were scheduled during the school day, he had to settle for Modern Hebrew Ulpan classes at BHC. This was b'shert,

as the following year he enrolled in a program which allowed him to take his first trip to Israel and live there in the summer

of 1983. This first trip was ultimately the beginning of many subsequent trips, so many that he has stopped counting.

Gerry continued along his Jewish spiritual pathway and growth after encountering B’nai Israel’s Rabbi Alan Yuter,

and is now culminating his Rabbinical studies by prepping for his Semikhah (ordination) exams with the internationally

acclaimed Rabbi David Weiss-HaLivni as his exam tester. His ultimate dream is to reside in Israel after making aliyah.

Gerry's spiritual philosophies are based upon the works and words of Rabbi Bentzion Chai Meir Uziel, the first

Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. It is a religious philosophy which centers on the mitzvot of the Written and oral Torahs, yet

also emphasizes a high degree of religious humanism, expressed in the form of love for one's fellow Jew; love for humanity;

and love for the State of Israel, the world and its fruits; all for the pursuit of the Ultimate Truth.

Gerry holds a B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in Spanish Language from University of Maryland Baltimore

County, and a Master of Science from Loyola University. His career has touched upon the areas of: American Express

Business Travel; Import-Export Brokerage; and Healthcare, specifically in the areas of Emergency Medicine/Medical

Laboratory/Pharmacy. He currently is an Epic Medication Analyst at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, when he is not

enjoying karaoke or taking long beach walks with his wife, Becky.

Gerry is a longstanding member of B'nai Israel and sits on the Board of Trustees.

-- Editor's Note: Think of this column as the covers of the storybook of our congregants. So nu, what's your story? What is your life journey all about? Where are you coming from, and where are you going?. If you would like your story to be featured in this column, please submit a brief bio and headshot of yourself for consideration to bnai.news@gmail.com

B GETTING TO KNOW YOU . . . Gerry Gilstrop

Shabbat Under the Stars - Friday, Sept 8 Sukkot Party: Tuesday, October 10 Shabbat Dinner: Friday, December 8 BIYA Sponsored Chanukah Kiddush: Sat, Dec 16

BNAI ISRAEL YOUNG ADULTS has announced the

BIYA Calendar for the remainder of 2017. At left are

the dates for BIYA Shabbat dinners, Sukkot Party, and

Chanukah Kiddush. We are also planning a Friday

Night Live Oneg after Kabbalat Shabbat, a Jewish

cocktail kiddush/event, and a reprise of the

Cholympics along with Egg Salad and Tuna Salad

competitions - dates TBD.

Contact:: Avi Sommer, avi.sommer@gmail.com

BNAI ISRAEL YOUNG ADULTS ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE THROUGH 2017

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WORD SALAD

Word of the Month for Menachem Av: LASHON HARA. Literally, it means "evil

tongue" or "evil speech", and is commonly used in conversation to mean gossip. The sages

have interpreted it widely, to include even speaking well of someone, lest hearing such praise

cause jealousy and resentment. The Sages teach that lashon hara is one expression of the

baseless hatred that caused the destruction of the Second Temple, which is but one of the many

tragedies to befall the Jewish people on this day which are commemorated on Tisha B'Av with

the reading of Eicha. (See related article on page 7.)

he pre-eminent couples therapist, Dr. John Gottman, has been researching

relationships and conflict for over 40 years. In his research, he looked into what

the number one thing that couples fight about is and found something really

surprising. It’s not money, it’s not division of household chores, or even physical intimacy.

The number one thing that couples fight about is actually-- nothing. Our fights and estrangements usually are

actually based in very little. Fights come out of nowhere and have more to do with the underlying feeling about

the relationship than any specific issue.

The other day, Tammy and I found ourselves squabbling over something trivial. Later in

the day when we were discussing it, we both realized that neither of us really cared one way or the other. It had

more to do with both of us feeling ignored by the other earlier in the day. Couples just want to feel a sense of

closeness and connection, and when they don’t feel that, they begin to squabble. It’s true for all relationships --

between parents and children, siblings, co-workers, and close friends. It’s even true for our relationship with

Hakadosh Baruch Hu.

In Kabalah and Hasidism, the ultimate goal, more than even Torah or mitzvot, is d’vekut—

a cleaving or closeness to God. More than the destruction of the Temples, every year when I come to the

reading of Eicha, it is the loss in relationship that feels most painful. How Jerusalem is left alone and

abandoned. How the Jewish people feel distant from God, and God from the Jewish people. All we want is to

be close again. We don’t even know what drew us apart.

I see it all the time in my pastoral work. Recently a father told me about his son who he

hadn’t spoken to in over thirty years. He hardly remembers why they stopped speaking, but he just felt

paralyzed to pick up the phone. Sadly, on the other end, his son also just couldn’t bring himself to reach out,

even though he wanted to. Eicha concludes with a plea from the Jewish people to Hashem – “Hashiveinu

Hashem Eilecha V’nashuva” – Hashem, return to us, and then we will return to you. When Hashem, though,

speaks to the Jewish people about their estrangement, God has a parallel plea - “Shuva eilay, v’ashuva

Aleichem” – return to me and I will return to you. Only this time, Hashem is asking the Jewish people to

initiate. And yet, we stay distant. Sometimes, so much time has passed that we don’t even know why

or how we became so distant to someone we once loved so much. Taking the first step is always the

hardest. But someone has to.

KOL HARAV The Rabbi's Voice

T

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Please send us your notices of

BIRTHDAYS, WEDDINGS, BIRTHS, BRIS, SIMCHAT BAT and other smachot, to be published in this space. For timely publication of your birthday, wedding, aufruf, etc., notices should be submitted two weeks in advance of the event.

YOM HULEDET SAMEACH

to the Birthday Lights of Av:

* Ilene Harris, 7.27

*

*

Due to space limitations, we

are unable to publish all of

the Yahrzeits of our

synagogue community

If you would like a notice to appear here, please send it

to bnai.news@gmail.com

We recite KADDISH this month for the following loved ones of blessed memory. May their neshamas have an aliya.

Our condolences to those in mourning.

* *

*

TISHA B'AV SERVICES AT BNAI ISRAEL:

Monday, August 1 (9 Av) at 8:15 pm

Reading of Eicha by Avi Weisberg

Fast begins at 8:19 pm Monday evening

and ends at 9:00 pm on Tuesday.

CHODESH AV AND BASELESS HATRED

By Rebecca Pepkowitz-Gilstrop

It's a tough month. With the sun beating down,

tempers can flare and bodies can chafe. Especially in

ancient days, relief from the heat was hard to come by.

Neighbors might turn against neighbors, and the

inclination to seek peace and compromise under

difficult conditions could simply evaporate. This is the

story of the senseless hatred that the Jews heaped

upon each other during the siege of Jerusalem, and

which, we are told, led to its downfall.

Paradoxically, here in Baltimore the discomfort of

the Dog Days of summer could actually serve to

lessen tensions between the entrenched and often

tumultuous ethnic enclaves on the East Side. Lack

of fans and no air conditioning left the row houses of

Baltimore filled with hot, humid, breathless air by the

end of a long hot day, and people just had to escape.

In 1976 when I moved to 2104 East Pratt Street, my

97- year old neighbor, Ms. Alice Pryzbyz, told me how

people survived the summer with social relations intact.

Entire families went to Patterson Park to sleep out

on the grass. Mamas packed picnic baskets, papas

toted children and rugs to lay out on the grass, and

everybody brought instruments. The adults stayed to

themselves, but the children ran freely from group to

group, following the music.

According to Ms. Agnes, you knew which group was

which from their music: Poles played accordions and

squeeze boxes, Jews played clarinets and violins,

African-Americans played harmonicas and banjos, the

Ukrainians played drums and bugles.

In East Baltimore, the heat brought a ceasefire, as

everyone put their disagreements aside and peacefully

shared the cool breezes coming up from the Harbor, as

another hot day drew to a close.

Offerings of a More

Personal Nature . . .

~ 5 ~

DR. PAUL MILLER IS HONORED

Longtime B'nai Israel member and Trustee Dr. Paul

Miller has been honored with the Top Doctor Award

from Top Doctor Awards magazine for his education,

experience, achievements and special expertise in

dentistry. He will be featured in

a forthcoming issue of the

magazine. Stay tuned! Mazal

Tov and Kol HaKavod, Paul!

AND FROM OUR ISRAEL BUREAU . . .

Our friend, B'nai member and Israel Correspondent

David Ben Moshe left for Eretz Yisrael early in July for

study at Pardes and a later hitch in the IDF. So that we

could eat our hearts out, he sent these fabulous photos

overlooking Ma'ale Adumim ים in the West מעלה אדמ

Bank. The photos were taken from the mirpesset of

Rabbi Elan and Rivka Lambert-Adler, David's hosts.

Photos courtesy David BenMoshe

EATING OUT KOSHER IN B'MORE

Now 4 Kosher Alternatives Downtown

Me Latte (2 locations)

Espresso bar with wide variety of'

breakfast and lunch options.

300 S. Ann St. Mon - Thurs 7 - 5

Fells Point Friday 7 - 3

Baltimore, MD 21231 Saturday Closed

410.558.1958 Sunday 8 - 6

Filicori Zecchini Nice variety of hot

and cold coffees, breakfast foods,

sandwiches, pastries, salads etc.

1550 Orleans St. 1st Fl. Baltimore, MD, 21231 (410) 502-2936

Mon - Thurs 7:00 - 5:00 Friday 7:00 - 4:00 Sat/Sun - Closed

One East Pratt Street Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 244-1292

Monday - Friday 6 - 8 Sat/Sun 8am - 8pm

Van Gough Cafe Gourmet coffee,

iced drinks and a wide array of

breakfast and lunch foods, including

falafel and knishes.

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For Tisha B'Av, a joyous song about rebuilding the Temple

Here is a list of our currently active committees.

Please contact any of the named committee members to assist.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

is forming and searching for volunteers to help the shul retain

and grow its membership. Please contact President Shelly

Mintz for information, exchange of ideas and signup.

Contact Shelly at shellyemintz@gmail.com.

CEMETERY COMMITTEE

This could be the most important mitzvah

of all. Please speak to Shelly Mintz about

your interest in either chairing the committee

or joining as a member of the Cemetery

team. shellyemintz@mail.com

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Monitors and reviews the congregation's business and

financial affairs. shellyemintz@mail.com

HOUSE COMMITTEE

ISO hardy volunteers to donate their time behind the scenes

to join Chair Fred Shoken in maintaining the synagogue

building at its Shabbos best. Please contact

bnai.news@gmail.com.

ADULT EDUCATION AND CULTURAL COMMITTEE

Lynne Farbman, chair; Karen Rubin, Shelly Mintz, Fred

Shoken and Ilene Harris. lynne.farbman@icloud.com

MECHITZA EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE

Rick Gwynallen, chair; Claudia Andorsky, Avi Sommer, Kyley

Sommer, and Maraji Gwynallen. For information, contact Rick at

richard.gwynallen@gmail.com

COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

Maraji Gwynallen, chair; Rebecca Pepkowitz-Gilstrop, Michele

Rosenberg, Rick Gwynallen, Shelly Mintz. Suggestions,

questions and newsletter submissions are welcome, addressed to

bnai.news@gmail.com.

KIDDUSH COMMITTEE

Kathleen Peterson, Chair. To volunteer, address Kathleen at

bnaiisraelkiddush@gmail.com .

B'NAI ISRAEL IS actively seeking new volunteers to assist the shul by serving on the following Committees:

~ 7 ~

Sponsor a Kiddush Lunch! Inquire at bnaiisraelkiddush@gmail.com OR

the Bnai Israel website, donations page, at

www.jewishdowntown.org

THE POWER OF SPEECH Excerpted from jewishvirtuallibrary.org

udaism is intensely aware of the power of

speech and of the harm that can be done

through speech. The rabbis note that the

universe itself was created through speech. Of

the 43 sins enumerated in the Al Chet confession

recited on Yom Kippur, 11 are sins committed through

speech. The Talmud tells that the tongue is an

instrument so dangerous that it must be kept hidden

from view, behind two protective walls (the mouth and

teeth) to prevent its misuse.

The harm done by speech is even worse than the

harm done by stealing or by cheating someone

financially, because amends can be made for

monetary harms, but the harm done by speech can

never be repaired. For this reason, some sources

indicate that there is no forgiveness for lashon ha-ra

(disparaging speech). A Chasidic tale illustrates this

point: A man went about the community telling

malicious lies about the rabbi. Later, he realized the

wrong he had done, and began to feel remorse. He

went to the rabbi and begged his forgiveness, saying

he would do anything he could to make amends. The

rabbi told the man, "Take a feather pillow, cut it open,

and scatter the feathers to the winds." The man

thought this was a strange request, but it was a simple

enough task, and he did it gladly. When he returned

to tell the rabbi that he had done it, the rabbi said,

"Now, go and gather the feathers. Because you can

no more make amends for the damage your words

have done than you can recollect the feathers."

he Gemara in Yoma 9b says that before the

destruction of the 2nd Temple, Torah learning

and mitzvah observance thrived. The Temple

was destroyed due to baseless hatred exhibited by

the Jewish people of the time. Rashi (ibid.) points out that

this baseless hatred was further aggravated by the

immense amount of lashon hara being spoken.

The Chofetz Chaim starts his sefer, Shemiras Halashon,

an excellent work devoted to laws of lashon hara, by

quoting the pasuk in Mishlei 21:23, “Guard your mouth

and your tongue, guard yourself from spiritual harm.” The

Chofetz Chaim explains that we can see the deleterious

impact that speaking lashon hara can have on the Jewish

people’s spiritually. Not only was it the cause of

destruction of the 2nd Temple, but the continuous slander

of others has also prevented the 3rd Temple from being

built. He therefore, emphasizes the importance of

learning the laws of lashon hara. With this in mind, over

the course of the next several days we will discuss

various aspects of lashon hara.

J T

ROAD SIGN

ON THE

DERECH ERETZ:

~ 8 ~

AND MAYBE NOT SO NU . . . By Fred Shoken

A Column on Baltimore Jewish Heritage and the History of B'nai Israel

THE SHIP THAT LAUNCHED A NATION

his year marks the 70th anniversary of the voyage

of Exodus 1947. Originally known as the

President Warfield, this former Chesapeake Bay

steamer made history when it was used by the

Haganah in an attempt to bring 4,500 Holocaust

survivors to the land of Israel.

Twenty years ago, Baltimore memorialized her

story by placing a historical marker at Baltimore’s

World Trade Center along the waterfront walkway

beneath the building. The marker’s text is as follows:

“Near this spot, the Baltimore steamer President

Warfield began her epic voyage into history. Built in

1928 as the flagship of the Old Bay Line, she ran

nightly cruises between

Baltimore and Norfolk. In 1943

she was given to Britain under

the wartime lend-lease

program, but joined the U.S.

Navy in 1944 as a harbor

control vessel off Omaha

Beach after the D-day landings.

Purchased as war surplus in

1946, she was outfitted in

Baltimore as part of a secret

fleet to transport Holocaust survivors through the

British blockade against Jewish immigration to the

Land of Israel. On July 18, 1947, manned mainly by

Americans and carrying over 4,500 refugees, she was

attacked by British warships and boarded in

international waters. Three men were killed, including

the American mate William Bernstein; dozens were

wounded. During the struggle the ship’s new name,

Exodus 1947, was proclaimed to the world.

The British returned the captured refugees by force

to detention camps in occupied Germany. The saga of

Exodus 1947 inspired the world to condemn British

policy, led to the UN resolution to partition Palestine,

and symbolized the birth of Israel. The ship itself,

battered and abandoned, burned and sank in the

Haifa harbor in 1952. Between 1946 and 1948,

volunteers from the United States and Canada

acquired, equipped and manned 10 ships, which

carried 30,000 refugees through the British blockade.

The four vessels outfitted in Baltimore: Exodus 1947

(originally President Warfield), Chaim Arlosoroff (Ulua),

Hatikva (Tradewinds), Jewish State (Northland). Outfitted

elsewhere: Josiah Wedgewood (Beauharnois), Haganah

(Norsyd), Ben Hecht (Abril), Geula (Paducah), Kibbutz

Galuyot (Pan York), Atzmaut (Pan Crescent).

Erected by the Jewish Museum of Maryland and the

Baltimore Zionist District on July 18, 1997. This marker

commemorates the fiftieth

anniversary of the voyage of

Exodus 1947. It is also a memorial

to Mose I. Speert who led

Baltimore’s efforts to equip refugee

transports. We salute the crewmen

for their valor and the refugees for

their courage. “

Another Baltimore connection to

the Exodus 1947, is that Baltimore-

born author, Leon Uris, wrote a best

selling novel, Exodus, based upon her story which was

adapted as a major motion picture in 1960 starring Paul

Newman.

It is appropriate that the date of the ship’s capture by

the British, July 18, 1947, corresponds to the 1st of Av

5707 – Rosh Chodesh Av – in the Jewish calendar. While

the month of Av is associated with sadness and

destruction, it ultimately promises redemption.

--- Fred Shoken is a longstanding member of B'nai

Israel, well versed in the history of our fair city and our

beautiful synagogue, and the unofficial Expert-in-

Residence on just about any subject, but especially the

Orioles and the Ravens.

T

View of the Exodus 1947 arriving in Haifa harbor under British command

AV 5777 JULY/AUGUST 2017

1 ROSH

CHODESH

AV

24 July

2

25 July

3

26 July

4

27 July

5

8:03

0 Services 6:30

28 July

6 Shabat Chazon Parshat Dvarim

Shacharit 9:30a

Kiddush for R. Mintz

Havdala 9:10p

29 July

7 Shacharit 8:30

30 July

8 EREV

TISHA B'AV

Fast Begins 8:19p

Services 8:15p

Reading of Eicha

31 July

9 TISHA B'AV

Fast Ends 9 pm

1 Aug

10

2 Aug

11

3 Aug

12

7:56

Services 6:30

4 Aug

13 Shabat Nachamu

Parshat Va'etchanan

Shacharit 9:30a

Havdala 9:03p

5 Aug

14 Shacharit 8:30

6 Aug

15

7 Aug

16

8 Aug

17

9 Aug

18

10 Aug

19

7:48

Services 6:30

11 Aug

20 Parshat Eikev

Shacharit 9:30a

Havdala 8:54p

12 Aug

21 Shacharit 8:30

13 Aug

22

14 Aug

23

15 Aug

24

16 Aug

25

17 Aug

26

7:38

Services 6:30

18 Aug

27 Parshat Re'eh

Shacharit 9:30a

Havdala 8:45p

19 Aug

28 Shacharit 8:30

20 Aug

29

21 Aug

30

22 Aug

1 ROSH

CHODESH

ELUL

23 Aug

2 ROSH

CHODESH

ELUL

24 Aug

3

7:28

Services 6:30

25 Aug

4 Parshat Shoftim

Shacharit 9:30a

Havdala 8:35p

26 Aug

Hebrew dates in black, Gregorian dates in red.

Please see SO NU? for details of events listed in blue italics.