The TBI Bulletin February 2019

Rabbi Simone Schicker

rabbi@templebnaiisrael.com

269-350-1825

In This Issue of

The TBI Bulletin

Page

Rabbi’s Column 1

TBI Calendar 2

OKCJS News 3

TBI Staff, Board 8 and Committees

Temple B’nai Israel 4409 Grand Prairie

P.O. Box 19666 Kalamazoo, MI 49019

269-342-9170 admin@templebnaiisrael.com

www.templebnaiisrael.com

As I sit looking out my office window at the beautiful snow-covered ground, I recognize that we owe a great deal of thanks to our members, current and past, who have done so much for our Temple grounds. Keeping up a large piece of property, caring for the plants both that are longtime residents and those newly added, is a large job and often goes unacknowledged. Winter can be a difficult season, as it is hard to remember that spring will ultimately come, and with it, rebirth. We celebrate the new year of the trees (Tu B’shvat) in what appears to be the dead of winter, but what is hoped to be the start of spring in Israel. In the spirit of waiting for the earth to birth new growth, here are 10 things about the Jewish calendar you may not know: 1. The Jewish Calendar is a lunar calendar.

2. Being a lunar calendar, which we require to stick close to a solar calendar, the Jewish calendar adds days to balance a “loss” of 11 days every lunar year.

3. And every 3rd, 6th, 8th, 11th, 14th, 17th, and 19th year we add an entire month!

4. The name of the additional month is Adar II. 5. This year is a year with Adar II - which is why Purim is in March

on the Gregorian calendar. 6. The Jewish Calendar gets the current names of the months from

the Babylonians, around the time of the Babylonian exile in the 6th century BCE.

Temple B’nai Israel, the Reform Jewish Congregation of Kalamazoo

(continued on page 2)

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Rabbi’s Column (cont’d from pg. 1)

7. Yom Kippur is not allowed to fall next to Shabbat (meaning Friday or Sunday) because of the difficul-ties of both fasting and preparing for or celebrating Shabbat. A day is added to the month of Cheshvan or subtracted from the month of Kislev of the previous year to prevent these things from happening.

8. We have the sage Hillel II [4th century CE] to thank for the rules that govern the calendar. Prior to his rules, the Sanhedrin (rabbinic court) made the rulings on when months started or dates changed.

9. When a month has 29 days, there is one day of Rosh Chodesh (celebration of the new month). 10. When a month has 30 days, there are two days of Rosh Chodesh, the 30th of the month and the 1st of

the next month. The Jewish Calendar is complicated (and is the topic which my students have told me Rabbi Matt called “rabbi math” - something many of us are not good at!) and we are lucky that the guidelines have long been set for what the calendar looks like and how it behaves. The Jewish Calendar also has much to teach us about our connection to the earth and its seasons. A lunar calendar that forever rotates, as the calendar our Muslim neighbors follow, would not allow our festivals to happen in their correct seasons. A purely solar calendar would have lost us our connection to our ancestors who marked holidays by the cycle of the moon. To learn more about the calendar, check out the book Mishkan Moeid: A Guide to the Jewish Seasons, edited by Rabbi Peter S. Knobel. Or, join us for our six-week course, Introduction to Reform Judaism, where many of our readings are excerpts of this book. To register, please email admin@templebnaiisrael.com. The class will be filled on a first-come basis. $50 for TBI members, $65 for non-members. Cost covers materials, including two books you get to keep! L’shalom, Rabbi Schicker

Upcoming Temple and Worship Events

Friday, February 1 7:00 PM: Shabbat services Saturday, February 2 10:00 AM: Minyan Milamed Sunday, February 3 9:15 AM: Religious School at COM Monday, February 4 7:00 PM: Rosh Chodesh group-Adar Tuesday, February 5 12 Noon: Adult Hebrew Class Wednesday, February 6 4:30 PM: Religious School at TBI Friday, February 8 6:00 PM: Tot Shabbat 6:45 PM: Oneg for All 7:30 PM: Shabbat services Saturday, February 9 10:00 AM: Minyan Milamed

Sunday, February 10 9:15 AM: Religious School at COM 12:30 PM: Serve meal at Ministry With Community Tuesday, February 12 12 Noon: Adult Hebrew Class Wednesday, February 13 4:30 PM: Religious School at TBI Friday, February 15 7:00 PM: Musical Shabbat services Saturday, February 16 10:00 AM: Minyan Milamed Sunday, February 17 9:15 AM: Religious School at COM Tuesday, February 19 12 Noon: Adult Hebrew Class 6:00 PM: Intro to Reform Judaism

Wednesday, February 20 4:30 PM: Religious School at TBI Friday, February 22 7:00 PM: Shabbat services Saturday, February 23 10:00 AM: Minyan Milamed 6:00 PM: Havdalah and Torah Class Sunday, February 24 9:15 AM: Religious School at COM 3:00 PM: TBI Jewish Cooking series Tuesday, February 26 12 Noon: Adult Hebrew Class Wednesday, February 27 4:30 PM: Religious School at TBI 7:00 PM: TBI Monthly Board Meeting Thursday, February 28 7:00 PM: TBI Bookclub at This is a Bookstore

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This school year, our students lead four, all-school services. The first was last fall when they led a Friday night service at the Congregation of Moses, and the second was last month at Temple B’nai Israel. There will be two more all-school services this school year. On January 20, 2019, OKCJS students led their second all-school service with students from grades PreK through High School participating. They were confident in their newly learned skills and they brought joy into the service with their smiles and voices. Our Music Director, Naomi Morse, accompanied them on guitar for many of the songs and prayers. In place of a sermon, an awards ceremony was held. Each week during the school year, a Student of the Week is recognized for exemplary work or mensch-like behavior. The following students were recognized for the first semester: Nathan Strauss, Abby Strongin, Maisie Wasser, Asher Saltzman, Anna Saltzman, Abram Wasser, Isaac Rubin, Brenna Siskind, Olivia Scheinker, Miriam Verne, Nora DeBruler, Gabriel Feffer, Carter Hanson, Sabrina Snyder, and the entire 1st and 2nd grade classes. The week’s award for Student of the Week was given to Brayden Snyder for spending five minutes a day practicing Hebrew at home. (Something Rabbi Spivak tells all of us is a sure way to succeed in learning Hebrew!) Volunteers were also recognized. There are so many people who donate their time to make our school a success. Beth Grode teaches in our high school and inspires our young people to social action. Naomi Morse, our Music Director, brings the joy of music to our school and was the one who encouraged us to explore the Hebrew in Harmony curriculum. Brandt Lubratich keeps us safe by watching the door every Sunday, and Michelle Angel and Steve Feffer have helped with “door watcher” duties as well. A group of education professionals (Ellen Winter, Angie Saltzman, Ariel Berman, Sue Goldenberg, Amy Damashek and Rose Kirsch) have helped us develop our very successful classroom management program, Derech Eretz, and they continue to teach our teachers the skills they need to be effective in the classroom. Marlene Denenfeld and Tamara Norman are Bubbes to our youngest students. Several times this year, our students were exposed to very emotionally charged events. Jenn Odza, Paulette Thompson, Kyle Thompson, Sue Goldenberg, and Ariel Berman volunteered to be on hand to support our students as needed after those events. Jacob Weintraub, Susan Scheinker, and Joyce Camhi volunteered as substi-tute teachers. High School students Julia Strauss, Jackie Odza, Benjamin Whitsett, Mina Koffran, Nava Haus, and Katelyn Koss volunteer as teaching assistants. The time and commitment of these volunteers means so much to our school. The main event in the award ceremony was the Shana Winter Student of the Year Award. The award for the 2017-18 school year went to Brenna Siskind, who began her Jewish education last year when she was in the 5th grade with no knowledge of Hebrew. The teachers had never seen a student work so hard! She worked with a tutor and practiced faithfully. Before the end of the first semester she was learning prayers; it was hard, but she was determined. By the end of the year she had caught up with her peers. In addition to learning Hebrew, Brenna enjoys the friendships she has made at school, and she enjoys athletics; she is frequently observed turning cartwheels on the lawn. Previous winners of the award are Benjamin Whitsett, Jackie Odza, Noah Thompson, Max Berkowitz, Jacob Hurwitz, Jana and Jesse Pollens-Voight, Rob Manson, and Jonah Pilnick. The award that Brenna received is very special and honors a very special young woman. The Shana Winter Award for Jewish Education Student of the Year honors the life of Shana Winter, daughter of Ellen and Henry Winter, and is funded by the Shana Winter Jewish Religious Education Fund. This fund was created to honor the memory of Shana, who spent many years at TBI, first as a student, and then as a religious school teacher prior to her untimely death at age 25. Shana was deeply committed to Judaism and was a dedicated, loving teacher. Over the years, Shana’s Judaism was an important part of her life. It

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OKCJS (cont’d from pg. 3)

kept her grounded, and her Bat Mitzvah was a very special day for her. In addition to being a teacher in the school, Shana was elected to the Board of Trustees at Temple B’nai Israel as one the youngest members to sit on the board in TBI’s history. The Shana Winter Jewish Religious Education Fund is used to provide the Shana Winter Award and fund professional development training for religious school teachers, and to provide resources for family education events. In this way, Shana’s legacy will continue to be a blessing to Temple B’nai Israel and the Kalamazoo Jewish community. This year, the fund has provided education for our teachers and classroom materials to improve the quality of instruction in our younger grades. If you would like to contribute to the Shana Winter Jewish Religious Education Fund, a contribution can be made by check to Temple B’nai Israel, with Shana’s Fund designated in memo line. Or at http://templebnaiisrael.com. If you make a contribution online, send an email to abbyfmiller@gmail.com identifying the designation for the donation to Shana’s Fund. As always, thank you for the honor of teaching your children. Nora Chaus, Director Okun Kalamazoo Community Jewish School

OKCJS Pictures

Students of the Week

High School Volunteers

Education Consultants Shana Winter Award Family

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Our next book is The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant. It is a fictional retelling of the stories of Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah (from Genesis 34). It is written in the first person and is a lovely and haunting tale. By giving a voice to Dinah, one of the silent female characters in Genesis, the novel has struck a chord with women who may have felt left out of biblical history. It celebrates mothers and daughters and the mysteries of the life cycle. We will be discussing the book on February 28 (date change) at This is a Bookstore, 7:00 p.m. Here are some discussion questions (issued by publisher):

• Read Genesis 34 and discuss how The Red Tent changes your perspective on Dinah's story and also on the story of Joseph that follows. Does The Red Tent raise questions about other women in the Bible? Does it make you want to re-read the Bible and imagine other untold stories that lay hidden between the lines?

• Discuss the marital dynamics of Jacob's family. He has four wives; compare his relationship with each woman.

• What do you make of the relationships among the four wives?

• Dinah is rich in "mothers." Discuss the differences or similarities in her relationship with each woman.

• Childbearing and childbirth are central to The Red Tent. How do the fertility childbearing and birthing prac-tices differ from contemporary life? How are they similar? How do they compare with your own experiences as a mother or father?

• Discuss Jacob's role as a father. Does he treat Dinah differently from his sons? Does he feel differently about her? If so, how?

• Discuss Dinah's twelve brothers. Discuss their relationships with each other, with Dinah, and with Jacob and his four wives. Are they a close family?

• Female relationships figure largely in The Red Tent. Discuss the importance of Inna, Tabea, Werenro, and Meryt.

• In the novel, Rebecca is presented as an Oracle. Goddesses are venerated along with gods. What do you think of this culture, in which the Feminine has not yet been totally divorced from the Divine? How does El, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, fit into this?

• Dinah's point of view is often one of an outsider, an observer. What effect does this have on the narrative? What effect does this have on the reader?

• The book travels from Haran (contemporary Iraq/Syria), through Canaan and into Shechem (Israel), and into Egypt. What strikes you about the cultural differences Dinah encounters vis-a-vis food, clothing, work, and male-female relationships?

• In The Red Tent, we see Dinah grow from childhood to old age. Discuss how she changes and matures. What lessons does she learn from life? If you had to pick a single word to describe the sum of her life, what word would you choose? How would Dinah describe her own life experience?

TBI Bookclub

Temple B'nai Israel, the Reform Jewish community of greater Kalamazoo, is again offering its popular six-session "Introduction to Reform Judaism" series. Beginning on February 19, weekly sessions will cover a variety of topics, from history to holy books to holiday foods to hot topics, in a fun and friendly environ-ment. Enrollment is open to Temple members and non-members, and to individuals at every level of Jewish experience. The goal is to teach Jews the fundamentals of Reform (or liberal) Judaism, as well as to introduce those with no Jewish experience to the basic tenets of the religion. No prior knowledge of or affiliation with Judaism is required. This is a great opportunity to learn alongside others who share a curiosity about Reform Jewish traditions and beliefs. Classes will be held on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., February 19 through March 26, at TBI, 4409 Grand Prairie, Kalamazoo. There will be a small fee ($50 for TBI members, $65 for non-members), payable at the first class, to cover the cost of books and materials. (NOTE: The fee includes the cost of two books that will be given to students upon payment. No other books are required.) Please register by sending an email to Julie at admin@templebnaiisrael.com. Enrollment is limited and accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Intro to Reform Judaism Class is Back!

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Member Interview—Levin Family Aaron and Mari Levin (pronounced “Leveen”) joined TBI this past year, after one year of trial membership. Aaron and Mari both grew up in southern California (Anaheim and San Diego, respectively) and they met as undergraduate mathematics majors at UC San Diego. They married in 2001 and then moved up to the Bay area to do graduate work at Berkeley (in mathematics for Aaron and mathematics education for Mari). Mari is currently an assistant professor in the math department at WMU and Aaron is an associate professor in the math department at Michigan State. They live in Portage. Aaron and Mari have two children, Akiva (age 4.5) and Juliana (age 2.5), who are involved in many of the children’s activities in the Kalamazoo area Jewish community. Akiva and Juliana are Tot Shabbat regulars and Akiva is in the pre-K class at OKJCS (with Mari and Juliana regularly tagging along). Last year, they participated in the Jewish toddler group at COM on Sunday mornings organized by Shane Riley. This was actually the family’s gateway experience into the Kalamazoo area Jewish community, ultimately providing an inroad to participating in events at TBI, COM, and OKJCS. They initially found out about the toddler group through the family of Akiva’s best friend, Lev Koffron.

Aaron grew up in a Reform congregation, Temple Beth Tikvah, in Fullerton, CA, where he became a bar mitzvah. Mari is currently working with Rabbi Schicker to deepen her knowledge of Judaism and commit formally to Jewish life. She was raised as a Unitarian Universalist, but over the past 18 years that she and Aaron have been married, she’s developed an increasingly strong Jewish identity. Since the summer, Mari has been a regular member of the Shabbat music ensemble (playing violin). The entire family enjoys music, board games, and hiking. Akiva and Juliana have started taking violin lessons from Jacob Olbrot (director of the Kalamazoo Suzuki Academy), who they met through the Jewish toddler group. Mari and Aaron immediately felt welcomed by the warmth and openness of the TBI community, and have enjoyed participating in the full cycle of holidays and celebrations for the past several years. Mari especially has enjoyed the breadth and quality of adult education offerings, ranging from Hebrew for adults with Rabbi Schicker to Rabbi Matt’s courses on tikkun olam, Shabbat, and Israel: Past, Present, and Future. Aaron and Mari are excited to be members of TBI and to raise their kids in a loving community where they will develop strong Jewish identities. Warm welcome to the Levin family!

Rosh Chodesh feminine spirituality group Open and welcoming to all who seek to deepen their connection to the divine, indwelling presence of God (Shekinah). We will meet at the temple to celebrate the month of Adar I on Monday, February 4, from 7:00-8:30 p.m. Let’s discuss the story of Dinah and how to increase our joy through gratitude and laughter. For more information about Rosh Chodesh traditions for the month of Adar I, go to: https://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/essence-adar-i. Please email Terra at tmeash@gmail.com with questions or to RSVP.

Rosh Chodesh feminine spirituality group

TBI Jewish Cooking Series

Join us for our SECOND Jewish Cooking class to make delicious Hamantaschen, just in time for Purim. Questions: Brian Horvitz brian.horvitz@wmich.edu or Rhonda Messinger rhondamess@gmail.com When: Sunday, February 24, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Where: TBI’s newly remodeled kitchen area Who is teaching: Temple member Rhonda Messinger Who can participate: TBI members ages 18 and up, 12-17 if accompanied by an adult Cost: Suggested donation of $5 per person to cover cost of materials

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Donations made in December 2018

and early January 2019 Rabbi Salary Fund Marlene and Steve Denenfeld Judith and Alan Halperin Jennifer and Ken Odza Helene and Gary Pilnick Kate and Aaron Whitsett General Donation Naomi and Richard Morse Judith and Alan Silverman Sharon and Joel Wittenberg Endowment Nora Chaus Marlene and Steve Denenfeld Morry and Dawn Edwards Rose Hite Nancy Land Cary Mannaberg Jennifer and Ken Odza Kate and Aaron Whitsett

GENE C BEHRMAN

MILDRED BENEBACH

HELEN BIEL

LORRAINE DOVITZ

JOE SHALOM ELLIN

SARAH ERNST

FRANCIS R FLANNERY

IDA FONSTEIN

SYLVIA GEDEL

MAX GOLDMAN

MYRON HAUSER

ROSE HARRIS

LORETTA KLING

LOUIS LASON

TERRY LASON

WILLIAM LEDER

DAVID S LOWE

FRANK MILLER

BRADLEY MOISE

BARBARA COHEN NORDWIND

WALTER ORWIN

EDYTHE PALMER-LEDER

ROBERT PERSKY

LEONA M RALPH

NED H RUBINSTEIN

MICHELE ARKUSH SCHAFF

EDWARD R SCHWARTZ

DOROTHY BALIN SILVERMAN

HARRIET SISMAN

DAVID STEERE

TILLIE WAGENFELD

TERRY A WIENIR

SHANA WINTER

February 2019 Birthdays

Rachel Berg

Dawn Edwards

Stephanie Haft

Rebecca Hanson

Janis Leinwand

Julie Lewandowski

Timothy Lieverdink

Rhonda Messinger

Rachel Milner

Abigail Ohmart

Robin Pollens

Rabbi Simone

Schicker

Noah Thompson

Maisie Wasser

Paul Wienir

February & March Oneg Hosts

February 1 Chaus & Mannaberg February 8 Siskind & Saltzman February 15 Rodbard & Open February 22 Thebert & Brown March 1 Joint services at COM March 8 Agay & Ohmert March 15 Religious School March 22 Hemenway & Hawxhurst/Bertman March 29 Fifth Friday—no services Contact Sue at

dsgoldenberg@comcast.net if you can help

as an oneg host. Thank you.

February Perpetual Memorials (Yahrzeits)

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Temple B’nai Israel Staff, Board, and Committees Rabbi Caring Circle Simone Schicker Cochairs Ellen Winter & Morry Edwards Synagogue Associate Cemetery Committee Chair Dr. Michael A. Tanoff Kristi Arntzen Okun Kalamazoo Community Jewish School Communications Committee Chair Director Nora Chaus Cheryl Pesti Treasurer Brandt Lubratich Member Connections Committee Administrative Assistant & Newsletter Editor Cochairs Cary Mannaberg & Nora Chaus Julie Lewandowski Finance Committee Chair Rick Rodbard Temple Board of Trustees President Sharon Wittenberg Fundraising Committee Chair Open Vice President of Operations and Programs Rose Kirsch Vice President of Membership Randy Lubratich Religious Activities Committee Chair Mike Tanoff Recording Secretary Hayley Wasser Corresponding Secretary Steve Klein Joint Religious School Committee Treasurer Abby Miller Brandt Lubratich, Paulette Thompson, Eric Siskind Members at Large Marlene Denenfeld, Brian Horvitz, Jacob Hurwitz, Social Action Committee Jenn Odza, Raye Ziring Cochairs Sue Goldenberg & Robin Pollens Immediate Past President Joan Hawxhurst Webmaster Randy Lubratich Building Committee Chair Dave Goldenberg

Temple B’nai Israel, founded in 1866, is a thriving congregation that actively engages all its members in Reform Jewish cultural, spiritual, and educational growth, individually and as a

diverse and welcoming community.