Congrega(onBethElohim133ProspectStreet

Acton,MA01720

MichaelRothbaum,Rabbi

SarraSpierer,Cantor

BethR.Goldstein,RJE,DirectorofEducaEon

SusanC.Perry,Director,EarlyLearningCenter

EzraHabif,Administrator

LewisMintz,RabbiEmeritus

TheStarApril 2020 • Volume 42, Number 9

Contents

50Wordsfor50YearsRequest 5...................

Acton-BoxboroughUnitedWayLaunchesCOVID-19ImpactFund 9................................

Calendar 11....................................................

CBEScholarships 8.........................................

DonaEonAcknowledgements 10...................

D’varTorahforVayikra 2,7............................

HowtoReachUs 4.........................................

PeopleofChelmWanttoKnow,Answers 6...

PeopleofChelmWanttoKnow,QuesEons5

President’sMessage 6,7................................

Rabbi’sPage 4................................................

ReligiousSchoolNews 3................................

ScheduleofServices 3...................................

SolarProjectUpdate 9...................................

Congregation Beth Elohim THE STAR April 2020

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Copyright © 2020 by Congregation Beth Elohim. All Rights Reserved.

The Star is generally published monthly by Congregation Beth Elohim and is mailed at Acton, MA. To request a subscription call Congregation Beth Elohim at 978-263-3061 or write to 133 Prospect Street, Acton, MA 01720.

The deadline posted in the previous month’s issue, is generally the 15th of the

previous month, slightly earlier in case of holidays. Material for inclusion in The Star may be submitted: via email: bob@BeckerSweetMusic.US (receipt acknowledged);as camera ready or handwritten copy; orby FAX: call Congregation Beth Elohim or the editor.

Receipt of material can be verified by calling the editor after the deadline. Editor: Bob Becker 978-263-8097.

D’varTorahforVayikraBeatrice Maxwell

PayingA<en(onShabbat Shalom everyone! My Torah portion, Vayikra, is about the rules of sacrifices. When I first read my Torah portion I thought God was extremely controlling and selective about the rules for sacrificing. I also wondered about the meaning of all these rules.

I personally don’t appreciate it when people tell me exactly what to do and how to do it. Were the Israelites frustrated by these rules? Or did they recognize the purpose of them? In my meetings with Rabbi Mike, we discussed the intention behind the rules.

In one of our first meetings, Rabbi Mike told me to think of a powerful ceremony. I recalled Nosara’s Bat Mitzvah as powerful because I loved seeing her go through such a special time. Rabbi Mike also asked if there was anything I could have changed about that day. If possible, I would have chosen to make the process leading up to the event less stressful. Perhaps if we had more structure while planning the Bat Mitzvah it would have made the day easier. I began to think that rules can have a positive impact by reducing stress, because they tell you what to do. Having rules in place lessens stress and increases one's ability to be more present.

In this Torah portion it is written that making a sacrifice meant a person did something wrong and they must right their wrong in God's eyes. During this process, there is a lot of pressure to make everything right by slaughtering an animal in exactly the way the Torah dictates. In this case, it might be nice to know the expectations beforehand. God sounds controlling but he definitely had good reason for the control. The rules exist so that the Jews knew what to do without feeling as stressed or anxious.

When you are studying for a test in school it is similar to preparing for a sacrifice. Just like reading the rules to sacrifice, studying for a test prepares you. There is always an opportunity to make a mistake and because they are both important one might feel some stress. In school you get a grade,

but when you make a sacrifice the only way you know you have passed is if you become more aware of your actions and overall a better person.

I thought of a time when I upset someone else and I wanted their forgiveness. I realized that recognizing I did something wrong and saying sorry is different than changing my actions. I was playing Basketball and I was not playing my best so my coach told me that. I apologized to him and continued playing but now I was aware of my actions. I also tried to change the way I was playing which made a big difference to my team. When you make a sacrifice it means you did something wrong and the whole point of making a sacrifice is making you aware of your actions and telling you to change them, similar to what my coach did to me.

Thinking about the set of rules that the Jews had to follow is very similar to the rules we have been following regarding Coronavirus. During these times you have to be very intentional about what you are doing. Around the world, people are implementing very important new rules that everyone has to follow which can be scary and strange. When the Jews were following the rules for a sacrifice although it can be challenging the rules are listed and available to understand. If everyone is following the same set of rules it forms a connection between them and helps create a society. Currently we have a fully formed society but if we don't follow this new set of rules, our society could fall apart.

In another one of our meetings the Rabbi asked, “If doing something right is the most important way to make up for doing something wrong, why do you think there are all these rules for sacrificing?” At first, I did not understand the question. However, now I realize it means that when you do something wrong you have to do something that makes your actions forgiven or lessens the harm of them. In Ancient times sacrifices were a part of saying I'm sorry. But now we only have saying I'm sorry.

This shows up in my Torah portion in chapter 5 verse 5. It says, “He shall confess that wherein he has sinned.” This means that whoever committed a sin has to confess or apologize; only then can they make

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April 2020 THE STAR Congregation Beth Elohim

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ScheduleofServicesApril 1, 2 4:00 PM Mincha Service (Wednesday, Thursday) Friday, April 3 5:30 PM Tot Shabbat Service Friday, April 3 6:00 PM Candle Lighting Friday, April 3 6:15 PM Ruach Shabbat Service Saturday, April 4 9:30 AM Shacharit Service Saturday, April 4 10:30 AM Torah Study April 7, 8 4:00 PM Mincha Service (Tuesday, Wednesday) Thursday, April 9 9:30 AM Pesach Morning Service Thursday, April 9 4:00 PM Mincha Service Friday, April 10 7:30 PM Shabbat Service Saturday, April 11 9:30 AM Shacharit Service Saturday, April 11 10:30 AM Torah Study Tuesday, April 14 4:00 PM Mincha Service Wednesday, April 15 9:30 AM Pesach Morning Service w/Yizkor April 15, 16 4:00 PM Mincha Service (Wednesday, Thursday) Friday, April 17 7:30 PM Shabbat Service Saturday, April 18 9:30 AM Shacharit Service Saturday, April 18 10:30 AM Torah Study Monday, April 20 7:00 PM Yom Hashoah Service April 21, 22, 23 4:00 PM Mincha Service (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Friday, April 24 6:15 PM Shabbat Power Hour Service Saturday, April 25 9:30 AM Shacharit Service Saturday, April 25 10:30 AM Torah Study April 28, 29, 30 4:00 PM Mincha Service (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

ReligiousSchoolNewsBeth Goldstein bethg@bethelohim.org

ה0א הָיָה א5מֵר, אִם אֵין אֲנִי לִי, מִי לִי. 0כְ.ֶאֲנִי לְעַצְמִי, מָה אֲנִי. וְאִם >א עַכְ.ָיו, אֵימָתַי

Rabbi Hillel said, “If I am not for myself who will be for me? If only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”

In response to the current situation in the world, these words ring true for all of us. We must take care of ourselves, we must take care of others and we must do it now! It is with this in mind that the CBE Religious School has adapted our offerings and moved all of the classes and programming online. Starting the week of March 15th ,we began creating programming that allows us to stay home and, at the same time, create community and learning together. I want to thank the CBE Religious School Teachers immensely for their care and hard work during this

time. They have reimagined how we can continue to learn at home, learned new technology and created a beautiful community!

Over the last few weeks we have continued to hold classes by grade using zoom technology. Teachers have checked in with the students, taught them new Hebrew lessons, had discussions about Passover, Yiddush folktales, the US Election, the WZO election, and so much more!

In addition, we have created community events and have been holding at least one each day of the week. One new tradition is #CBEbedtimeonline. During these online gatherings, Morah Naomi or Morah Waky read a story and then I lead the online community in singing. We conclude our gathering by singing Shema and Hashkeivineu together. This prayer asks for us to be sheltered and safe at night. It is beautiful to see younger students and their family snuggled up and sharing bedtime together.

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Congregation Beth Elohim THE STAR April 2020

Rabbi’sPageRabbi Mike 978-263-3061 / rabbimike@bethelohim.org Moses never went to a Seder. You probably knew that, but it’s worth mentioning. There’s nothing in the Torah about a Passover Seder. In the Torah, the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy instruct us to slaughter the Passover lamb, eat it with matzah and maror, and to sprinkle blood on the lintel and the two doorposts of our houses. I trust nobody in CBE is sprinkling any lamb’s blood. And while there is an instruction for parents to teach children about the Exodus, there’s nothing so elaborate as our current-day fifteen-step Seder.

In Temple times, Passover was commemorated by sacrifices by the priests on the sacred altar. But the altar is gone, destroyed by the Romans along with the rest of the Temple.

After that catastrophe, like so many others in our history, the Jews regrouped. As such, we reinvented Passover, focusing it on a home ritual we now call a Seder. The basic outline can be found in the Mishnah. A lot of what we know is there: matzah, maror, four cups, four questions, the afikomen. It’s remarkable how much of what we do stems from that text, crafted in the shadow of the catastrophe of the Temple’s destruction.

But in a time of modern crisis, it tells us a lot about who we are as Jews. This year, Passover will feel very different than it has in the past. But, in a sense, Jews are born for moments like this. We have survived catastrophe in the past. And not just survived—ultimately, we thrived.

How? By refusing to accept the loss of our customs. By reimagining old traditions in new ways. By recommitting to special communities like the one we have here at Congregation Beth Elohim. And by regrouping in the face of crisis, recreating our rituals to adapt to the needs of the moment.

We’ve already done that at CBE, holding services online, moving religious school to Zoom, and celebrating the Bat Mitzvah of Beatrice Maxwell in her backyard—Torah and all.

So, given our history, it makes perfect sense that we will be reimagining our trusty old Seder, transforming it into a virtual Seder that everyone can share. Rabbi Louis Polisson from Congregation Or Atid in Wayland will be joining me to lead a second-night online Seder on April 9, at 7 PM. We'll be using the new Tablet magazine Haggadah, purchasing it from Unicorn Bookshop, here in Acton, to support a local business. Everyone is welcome. You don't have to be a member of either synagogue to participate, but please contact Ezra in the office as soon as possible if you’d like to purchase copies of the Haggadah.

The Mishnah instructs us (Pesachim 10:4) how to tell the story of Passover at the Seder. Mat’chilah b’gnut, um’sayeim b’shevach. “Begin in degradation and end in praise.”

This has been a time that has left many of us feeling downcast and degraded. To be sure, as a people, we have felt this before. And, just as assuredly, we have emerged even stronger. May our Passover celebration this year lead us to uplift, joy, and heartfelt praise. ✡

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HowtoReachUsTelephone

The congregation office telephone number is 978-263-3061. Dial these extensions for:

Ezra Habif 1 Rabbi Rothbaum 2 Cantor Spierer 3 Beth Goldstein 4 Susan C. Perry & ELC 5 Lori Lafayette 7

Web Site Our congregation web site, www.bethelohim.org, includes the online edition of The Star as well as a variety of other information including a bookstore link (Amazon.com) and a donation form.

Yiddish&ContemporaryIsraeliMusic

WERS, 88.9 FM, broadcasts Chagigah,

Sunday mornings 8:00–11:00.

April 2020 THE STAR Congregation Beth Elohim

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During our first Friday at home, Morah Cindy led us in challah baking. One of the most amazing parts of this day was that many of the families who baked challah with Morah Cindy in the afternoon came back for candle lighting later that evening with Rabbi Mike and me. They showed off the now baked challah from earlier and used it to say the blessing for their Shabbat dinner.

The 4th Grade students spent this past Sunday on a huge Zoom call with our partner school in Israel. Each child (all 32 of them!) had a chance to introduce themselves and share what they are grateful for and what they are hopeful for. Then in groups of two or three, they created new questions for the Passover Seder. As the Israeli students are also out of school and home, there were a lot of questions raised about the Coronavirus and when they will be allowed to see their friends again. It was amazing to see two sets of students from around the world dealing with the same questions.

Each week Rabbi Mike and I have also led a Parent Check-in to gather parents and share what is on their minds right now. It has been a great way to continue creating community!

There are so many other events that I could share with you and I encourage you to check out the CBE

calendar to see what is going on each week (it is updated by Monday of each week for the week ahead) and please feel free to join us in any of the programs that are for the community! Please contact me with any questions about the religious school. ✡

Reviving the column devoted to questions about Jewish history called

ThePeopleofChelmWantToKnow…After a decade of dormancy, this column was revived several months ago in The Star. Each month there are now two fairly difficult questions, and you should be congratulated for trying to wrestle with them. If you don’t know an answer, you will find it on the next page. This month’s questions center on Passover, the most widely celebrated of all Jewish holidays. Please share your new knowledge with your neighbors, fellow congregants, and especially the people of Chelm. In Jewish folklore, the people of Chelm were famed for coming up with bizarre and incorrect answers to even the simplest questions.

1. This April we celebrate Pesach and the Passover Seder. This holiday is a celebration of so many things: of liberty; of freedom from oppression; of the natural God-given rights of all people; and of the making of the Jewish people into a nation. In the twenty-third chapter of Exodus, Pesach was decreed to be one of the three pilgrimage festivals when

many Jews made the journey to Jerusalem to give offerings and celebrate. But its origins go back further than that. Do you recall when and where the first Passover occurred?.

2. These times of quarantine and isolation due to the COVID-19 virus are unprecedented for almost all of us. But there have been even more trying times in the three millennia since that first Passover. Here is one. The first night of Pesach in 1943 marked the beginning of the Warsaw Ghetto Revolt. The Nazis picked that date to begin the final deportation of Jews in Poland’s capital city of Warsaw. Though largely defenseless and starving, those remaining in the Warsaw ghetto began a heroic if futile rebellion against fully armed German troops. It took the Germans longer to suppress this rebellion than to annex all of Poland in the 1939 Blitzkrieg that began World War II. At its peak, the Warsaw ghetto had a huge Jewish population of close to half a million. It is difficult to think about such things. Can you guess what percent of Warsaw’s original Jews were left when the uprising began in 1943 and how many days do you think they resisted?

50Years,50WordsFor 50 years, Congregation Beth Elohim has been here for us in times of joy, sorrow and every moment in between. We will be celebrating this exciting Congregational milestone all year, so we ask that you share, in 50 words or less, your reflections of your time at Congregation Beth Elohim or how you hope CBE will support you and the Jewish community in the future.

We look forward to hearing from all of you, new and old members, to help archive the first 50 years of this vibrant community. Thanks!

Questions: Contact Ellen Valade at ellenvalade@yahoo.com or Beth Schrager at bschrager@comcast.net.

Congregation Beth Elohim THE STAR April 2020

President’sMessageDavid Leers president@bethelohim.org

I expected my April article for The Star to be about the successful Purim Shpiel and Carnival and Shabbat Shirah to name a few. The Shpiel and Carnaval luckily took place and were once again a great event, one of the highlights of the year. But after that everything changed.

On Sunday March 1, we established the CBE COVID-19 Task Force, which consists of our professional staff, VP Operations (George Morton), Board member responsible for Building and Grounds (Bob Ferrara), medical experts (Jaymi Formaggio and Neal Silverman) and Public Health professional (David Naparstek). Thank you all!

I thought we had some time to prepare, to analyze the various possible impact scenarios on CBE and what our responses should be for each. Well, that thinking had to be thrown out of the window very quickly. The situation developed very rapidly, resulting in cancellation of religious school, ELC, services and all face-to-face meetings. A scenario that none of us had prepared for.

I am very proud of Rabbi Mike, Beth Goldstein, Susan Perry (ELC) and the rest of the professional staff and educators (in religious school and ELC) as

to how quickly they reacted to transition all programs and services to online delivery—to ensure that our congregation continues to meet your spiritual, educational, and social needs. Within just a couple of days we figured out the technology we would use, which still allows the so needed and desired personal interaction. We didn’t miss a beat, our programing continues, with only a change in venue; now from the comfort of your own home:

• our minyan, Shabbat, and Shacharit / Torah study services;

• this past weekend, we had our first ever and very successful virtual Bat Mitzvah co-led by Rabbi Mike and Cantor Sarra (mazel tov Beatrice Maxwell!);

• the religious school (teachers) continue to provide a variety of programs to our children;

• ELC teachers continue to connect with their students;

• Adult Education classes continue—join them; and

• on the second night of Pesach, Thursday April 9, Rabbi Mike and Rabbi Louis Polisson from Congregation Or Atid, will host a community seder.

It is clear, now more than ever, that so many in our community are seeking to connect, even if only

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AnswersforthepeopleofChelmandanyothercurioussouls.

1. Passover is indeed a wonderful holiday. It captures a timeless message of liberty for all of us. Each year we ourselves, not some remote ancestor, are the ones escaping from Egypt and slavery. So when was the first Passover celebrated? After a little reflection, you may remember that day got its name when the avenging hand of the Lord passed over the homes of the Israelites. As instructed, they had smeared their doorposts with lamb’s blood to avoid the consequences of the tenth plague, the death of the first-born. Chapter twelve of Exodus recounts all this and also includes the details of how the Passover lamb is to be selected and prepared. Then in verse eleven, the community is commanded to “eat it hurriedly: it is a Passover offering to the Lord”. So the first Passover occurred in Egypt, on the night before the Israelites fled from Egypt. If we accept the historicity of this event and the scholars’ best guesses on dates, this first Pesach occurred sometime before the end of the reign Pharaoh Rameses II in 1225

BCE, over thirty-two centuries ago. The second one was a while in coming; it was celebrated forty years later when the Israelites entered the promised land, as recounted in Joshua 5:10.

2. Since their takeover in 1939, the Nazis had been systematically shipping off most of the Warsaw’s half million Jews to concentrations camps and starving those who were left. Their numbers had been reduced to about 60,000, or less than an eighth of the pre-war population, when the revolt began in a response to a 3AM invasion on Passover night of 1943. The Germans retreated, but soon their deadly counterattack began. Despite being completely outgunned, facing tanks and machine guns, the Warsaw Jews managed somehow to resist for almost an entire month. Until this time, no civilian urban population had offered any resistance to the mighty Nazi war machine. The tenacity and heroism of these starving people was quickly reported throughout Europe and the world, no doubt inspiring further resistance.

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April 2020 THE STAR Congregation Beth Elohim

electronically through our new best friend, Zoom. It is in these times that the presence of CBE is even more important than ever. In 2017 in our financial report we wrote, “Membership in CBE is about more than attending High Holy Day services, B’nai Mitzvah services, and other life-cycle events; It is about sustaining a Jewish community. We cannot exist if we are comprised of fee-for-service consumers. We must see ourselves as a community committed to each other and bound by our values, beliefs, and traditions. In times of stress, pain, and uncertainty, we are dependent on our community for support which is in turn dependent on our members to remain strong and viable.”

Even if I say so myself, the current situation confirms this view.

As with many in our community, the crisis has a big impact on CBE. Not only operationally, but also financially. The (mandated) closure of the ELC results in significant loss of much needed income. I also expect further strain on our other sources of income. While we are fortunate that over the past six years we built up a reserve fund of $90,000, the financial impact of this crisis will be greater. The leadership is reviewing all options to manage this situation as best as possible. We are also closely reviewing the details of the “The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act,” to determine what programs and financial aid may be available to us.

It is clear to me that the solution will not come from one source. It will not be easy, but I am confident that with the support of everyone (staff, Board, members and our federal government) we will come out of the crisis stronger as a congregation and more importantly, stronger as a community.

While this is a time that calls for isolation, we want you to know you are not alone. Your congregation is committed to doing everything we can to help during these difficult times, and to maintain your connection to Judaism and this vital community. If you have any suggestions or thoughts about how we can make our programming better during this extraordinary time, please do not hesitate to reach out to the professional staff or myself. None of us have experience with this or have all the answers—all your help is needed and appreciated.

Stay healthy, stay safe and stay connected!

B’shalom ✡

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a sacrifice. There is a word in Hebrew for this whole process, teshuva. It means to apologize and repent. If you have done something wrong you have to apologize to the transgresee and make a sacrifice apologizing to God.

As an assignment for my Bat Mitzvah, I made a list of the three most important things I was going to do that day. I had a few throughout the items like taking a Spanish test or reading, but this exercise mostly brought my attention to the items like “have fun” or “be kind to my family.” Throughout the day I realized when I wasn’t having fun or not being kind to my family and I tried to change what I was doing. For example, if I was mad at one of my sisters I thought about my goals for the day and tried to forgive. This makes me think of sacrifices and what they are really doing. They are making sure you are aware of what you are doing in life. The Romans destroyed the Temple so we can’t sacrifice anymore and we no longer have sacrifices to bring our attention to our actions, so what can we do today? Despite the Temple being destroyed, we still need to apologize. In order to apologize we need to be aware of our actions and if we change our actions we become better people.

Some things can get in the way of doing the right thing. Sometimes people don’t think about the consequences of what they are about to do. Sometimes people don’t realize that what they are about to do could hurt someone else. The Rabbis of the talmud gave us Torah study instead of a sacrifice but in my opinion this does not apply to all of us. Sometimes, instead of sacrificing or studying Torah, you just need to take a moment and think before you act or reflect on what you have done that day. Overall it does not matter how you make yourself aware of your actions, it just matters that you do. ✡

D’varTorahforVayikra(con(nued)President’sMessage(con(nued)

Congregation Beth Elohim THE STAR April 2020

CBEScholarshipsBeth Goldstein bethg@bethelohim.org

We are so fortunate at CBE to have three scholarship opportunities for our students. These scholarships help students travel to Israel, go to camp, or pursue additional Jewish learning opportunities. We are so thankful to the families and groups that continue to support our students!

Any teen who is interested in applying should check out the scholarship page on the CBE website. The 2020-2021 online applications will be open in the beginning of April and all applications will be due on May 3, 2020!

The Amy Sara Naparstek Israel Scholarship assists deserving young adults in our congregation to participate in recognized teen programs in Israel. This fund was established for two major reasons: First, to maintain an ongoing, living memorial within our community to a truly outstanding young woman and second, to encourage in our young people, a commitment to Israel, Jewish life, Jewish study, and social action—values which Amy exemplified so well. In 2019, the two winners of the Amy Sara Naparstek Israel Scholarship were Ben Tadmor and Brian Borghesani. Both students spent time in Israel this past year, one with a camp trip and one with HiBuR. Ben organized a drive to bring stuffed animals to kids in Israel as he was preparing for his trip in February and Brian volunteered with Seeds of Peace the summer prior to his trip to Israel. Both students share a commitment to the Jewish community, a desire to do social action and also a love of Israel.

The Stuart Markowitz Annual Scholarship for Summer Camp and Prozdor is open to teenagers who are least 12 years old by June 30, 2020, and no older than 17 years old on June 30, 2021, and whose family is a member of CBE at the time of the award. Stuart’s wife Cindy and their two children hope that through the annual scholarship awards, other teenagers will be encouraged to study and enjoy Jewish learning and camping opportunities as Stu did during his teenage years. Stuart Markowitz grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts, where he attended public schools and was a Hebrew school student at Temple Israel. While in high school, Stu completed Hebrew College's high school program, Prozdor, now located in Newton. He was a committed student and would spend long hours after

school to take public transportation from Sharon to attend Prozdor, then located in Brookline. He also enjoyed his summers at Camp Yavneh, Hebrew College's summer camp in New Hampshire. The 2019 recipients were Seth Rosenman, Maia Tadmor and Ben Tadmor who all attended camp this past summer! In their application each student spoke about the impact that camp has made on them and how much camp increases their own personal understanding of Judaism.

The third scholarship is the Judaic Enrichment Grant. The CBE Brotherhood and Sisterhood established the Judaic Enrichment Grant Program for the cultural enhancement of the CBE community. The purpose of these grants is to provide financial aid for members of the CBE community to achieve the goals of enriching Judaic knowledge and understanding within the CBE community, promoting understanding and a deeper sense of our Jewish culture and heritage, fostering Jewish culture, learning and living and promoting cultural exchange with other Jewish communities (e.g. travel, studies and community involvement). The 2019 recipient was Alexa Kushner who spent this past summer in Israel and as a CIT at Camp Kingswood.

The school community, and the CBE community as a whole, are so appreciative to the Naparstek family, the Markowitz family and the Brotherhood and Sisterhood for supporting our teens in pursuing exciting ways to continue their Jewish education. We look forward to awarding the 2020 scholarships in May! For more information or with any questions, please contact me. ✡

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April 2020 THE STAR Congregation Beth Elohim

Acton-BoxboroughUnitedWayLaunchesCOVID-19ImpactFundDavid Naparstek jdnaparstek@gmail.com

The Acton-Boxborough United Way has launched the “COVID-19 Impact Fund” to channel the community’s generosity to residents and local service agencies that are most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Help to obtain food, pay rent, pay essential bills, and secure basic necessities will be provided to struggling families, seniors, laid-off workers, owners of closed businesses, and quarantined or isolated residents. All funds raised will go directly to those in need and to the local agencies that serve them.

A-B United Way’s role is to bring local organizations together, help streamline vital community resources and communications, as well as rally the community to support those in need. It has been closely collaborating with town and state officials, the A-B School District, local direct service agencies, community and faith groups, and volunteers.

The campaign’s first priority is food security. It also will match residents with needs to appropriate volunteers. For more information on how you can get help, assist someone who needs help, donate and/or volunteer, see: https://www.abuw.org/index.php/en/.✡

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SolarProjectUpdateAs mentioned previously in the Star-Lite, CBE’s COVID-19 Task Force had decided, in the interest of everyone’s safety, that we cancel the April 5 Brotherhood Solar Canopy event and groundbreaking ceremony. Since then, in preparation for the canopies, twelve white pines were removed between the upper and lower parking lots. The plan is for their stumps to be ground down and eventually new landscaping (bushes, small trees, etc.) will be planted in their place.

We anticipate the construction will begin in the next few weeks. If the pandemic situation improves, we hope to find a way to celebrate when the system goes live later this summer. Meanwhile, the CBE solar project web page and blog is now available to the public, so no need to login to see all the progress that's been made since the start of the project.

Below is a rendition of how the completed project will appear. This coming week, an enlarged version of this image will be placed on a 4 x 8 ft. poster near the construction site to the left of CBE’s front entrance.

Israel's Escape from Egypt, an illustration from a Bible card published 1907 by the Providence Lithograph Company

Congregation Beth Elohim THE STAR April 2020

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TotheGeneralFundfrom:

Rabbi Michael Rothbaum in appreciation of our CBE President, David Leers.

Lauren Solomon in honor of David Leers, and his amazing work as President.

Michelle & Chris Siegert in honor of our past presidents and the one currently at the helm, David Leers. Thank you for all the work you do on our behalf.

Ronny Almog & Emil Ray in memory of Savta Zilpa and Savta Nitza.

Lauren Solomon in memory of Elaine Epstein, mother of Marcy Epstein Hoban.

Michelle & Chris Siegert in memory of Elaine Epstein, mother of Marcy Epstein Hoban.

Doris & Fred Goldstein in memory of Elaine Epstein, mother of Marcy Epstein Hoban.

Lauren Solomon in memory of Elinor Goldblatt, mother of Maida Fund.

Doris & Fred Goldstein in memory of Elinor Goldblatt, mother of Maida Fund.

Bob & Kathie Becker in memory of Elinor Goldblatt, mother of Maida Fund.

Bob & Kathie Becker in memory of Stan Rubin, father of Eddie Rubin.

Robert Brown & Hope Davis in memory of Stan Rubin, father of Eddie Rubin.

TotheAdultEduca(onFundfrom:

Matia Angelou: “Thank you for your great programs.”

Chips & David Naparstek

Rabbi’sDiscre(onaryFundfrom:

Maida & Glenn Fund: in honor of Rabbi Mike with gratitude for his support during the time of my mother’s death.

AlexYoungSocialAc(onFundfrom:

Lori & Bryan Siegal to Deena & Bob, in memory of your beloved son, Michael.

Lori & Bryan Siegal: to Marcy, in memory of your beloved mother, Elaine Epstein.

Lori & Bryan Siegal: to Lori, in memory of your beloved father, Richard Lotterman.

ChesedFundfrom:

Maida & Glenn Fund: in memory of my mother, Elinor Goldblatt.

Dan & Shelley Klein: in memory of Elinor Goldblatt, mother of Maida Fund.

CBE50thAnniversaryCampaignfrom:

Susan & Andrew Gruskay

Lori Lotterman & Gary Kushner

HungerRelieffrom:

Risa & Chuck Brooks: to the Hoban Family with loving thoughts and sympathies on the loss of your mother and grandmother.

AmyNaparstekFundfrom:

Lori & Bryan Siegal to Deena & Bob, in memory of your beloved son, Michael.

Lori & Bryan Siegal to Marcy, in memory of your beloved mother, Elaine Epstein.

Lori & Bryan Siegal to Lori, in memory of your beloved father, Richard Lotterman.

Chips & David Naparstek in memory of Elaine Epstein, mother of Marcy Hoban, with deepest sympathy to Marcy, Don and their family.

Chips & David Naparstek: in memory of Elinor Goldblatt, mother of Maida Fund, with deepest sympathy to Maida, Glenn and their family.

Chips & David Naparstek: in honor of the retirement of our dentist and cousin, Dr. Jerry Berenson, with love.

Dona(ons

The congregation thanks our members, their relatives and friends, and the larger community for donations recently received…

April 2020 THE STAR Congregation Beth Elohim

The congregation calendar is also online at http://www.bethelohim.org/calendar

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Congregation Beth Elohim 133 Prospect Street Acton, MA 01720

April 2020

Articles submitted to The Star must include a contact name

in case of questions.

The deadline for the May issue of

The Star is April 15

Congregant email addresses listed in the CBE Directory

are to be used solely for CBE matters.