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VOLUME 60 EDITION 8 1 April 2018
16 Nisan 5778
Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim Founded 1844
Springhill Avenue Temple
The Temple Bulletin
springhillavenuetemple.com
We are coming together as a caring, inclusive community united in a common commitment to Judaism and to
furthering our spiritual growth. We desire to do this recognizing that worship of God, study of Torah, caring for the
Jewish people and our community, are central to our being as a Reform Jewish congregation. With these principles
as our foundation and guided by a historic past, we anticipate our future, one of continual lifelong self-renewal.
RELIGIOUS SERVICES
Friday, April 6 6:00 p.m. Evening Shabbat Service
Saturday, April 7 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Breakfast - Matzo brei & eggs
10:30 a.m. Passover/Yizkor Service
Friday, April 13 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service
with the Congregational Choir
Guest Speaker: Allan Hall
Dinner following service
Friday, April 20 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service
Friday, April 27 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service
Torah Selection:
Deuteronomy 14:22–16:17
Numbers 28:19-25
Haftarah – Isaiah 10:32–12:6
ALL SHABBAT SERVICES ARE CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES.
PLEASE JOIN US IN WORSHIP
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FROM THE RABBI
Congregational Assessment & Benchmarking Project
We have been in touch
with Gila Hadani Ward,
the Director of Lay
Resources for the
Strengthening
Congregations
Department of the Union
of Reform Judaism. She
has suggested that we
consider the URJ
Congregational
Assessment Project. This
is a newer initiative of the URJ, which can enable
congregations to engage in self-reflection and self-
assessment. As part of the process, each
congregation is assigned a mentor who can help to
bring the leadership to actionable next steps. They
have a cohort of about 25 congregations beginning
in May, so we have time to consider becoming
involved in this program. If you have done any business or organizational
management courses, you may have come across
the Drucker Foundation self-assessment tool, which
was designed by Peter F. Drucker. Drucker was an
organizational genius who emphasized a holistic
approach to organizational development. He
explained that self-assessment is a discussion about
the future and how your organization will shape it.
He argues that it is an intellectual and emotional
adventure because hearts, as well as minds, are
involved. As a non-profit religious organization,
we want to forge relationships to build community
in a particular religious context that we call Reform
Judaism. We want to achieve high performance.
To do that, we have to be able to assess what we are
doing well and what we are doing not so well. The URJ has their own specific self-assessment
tools that have been designed specifically for
Reform temples. We are a proud member of the
URJ and this is one of the ways that the URJ can
help us. The goal of the URJ’s Congregational
Assessment and Benchmarking Project is to 1. Help us to learn more about ourselves.
2. Use the information that we acquire to assess our
strengths, as well as areas that need work.
3. Help to set the Temple’s agenda for the next five
or ten years. Part of any assessment is inevitably dealing with the
reality that different people want different things
from the same organization. Any Reform temple is
a pluralistic religious environment where people
believe different things and practice Judaism in
different ways. Because we live in a time of
changing demographics with rapidly evolving
cultural and social trends, what used to be a simple
task, three or four generations ago, is now more
complicated. We know that as a Reform temple we
want to have a positive impact on the lives of our
members and the broader community. The question
is how to make that happen. That is why the various strategic planning exercises
that we have and will engage in are only the
framework for the heartfelt discussions that need to
take place. We have all heard about the various
organizations that did an intensive workshop on
creating Mission and Vision Statements and came
up with wonderfully crafted statements, which were
then deposited in the archives never to be looked at
again. The point is, that it is sometimes the process
that is more important than the exact procedures or
even the final written result. Our Congregational President, Michael Pereira, and
I have been going around visiting congregants on
Wednesdays. We would like you to contact us and
we will be happy and eager to come visit you at
your home, place of work, or wherever is
convenient. We need for you to be proactive and to
show not only an interest in the Temple but a
commitment to study and practice the Jewish
religion. As Reform Jews, we embrace Judaism
with a scholarly perspective and a contemporary
spiritual approach. Together, we can build a vibrant congregation
devoted to the meaningful observance of
progressive Judaism now and for many years to
come.
Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan
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FROM OUR PRESIDENT As many of you know, the Temple’s organ
quit working during the Yom Kippur Service.
This organ, an Allen Organ, was donated by
Milton A. Eichold, and, being a fine musical
instrument, it had worked flawlessly for many
years. Per both Charmein and Clinton, they
cannot remember any maintenance being done
on the organ. The Allen Organ is now repaired due to a
generous grant from the Eichold Family
Foundation. This grant was advised and
approved by Ms. Beth Eichold Walmsley and
Dr. Bernard H.
Eichold, III. (Mrs.
Phyllis Feibelman
was of great
assistance in helping
to secure this
wonderful gift.) Both Stephen Prager
and Christopher
Powell have played
the organ and it
sounded great! In
fact, Christopher
played a little J.S. Bach for my friend Ralph
Holberg, and Ralph granted his immediate
approval. Rabbi Kaplan tells us there is a famous psalm
that mentions the sounds of the timbrel, harp,
and so forth, which implies that the Temple
had a lot of musical instrumentation. Now, the
Springhill Avenue Temple will once again
have much music in our beautiful sanctuary. As Past President Alan Goldberg once said in
a Board Meeting, our building has much
deferred maintenance. He may have also been
thinking of some needed repair work. Your
Board has worked on many issues: repairing
the refrigerator, the organ, the outside lighting,
and have had all the door hinges and locks
inspected and lubricated. (Some entrance
doors were not closing properly.)
Additionally, thanks to our cleaning firm
(Watkins Express), all HVAC filters are
changed on a timely schedule.
Jerry Silverstein’s workers repaired the
outdoor lighting for our stained glass windows
on the south side of the sanctuary and, Jerry
being Jerry, all this work was done at no
charge. Susie Broos’ phone call to the power
company got all our parking lot lights
working. Larry Miller’s close work with our lawn care
company has the overgrowth (jungle as I
called it) that was on the bank side of our
building cut back. Now
we can see the original
plantings from the
1950s. Much of the work
concerning our building
has been done under the
supervision of Harvey
Gandler. I just don’t
know what I would do
without Harvey; he’s
looking at a wiring issue
for me at this time. He
has the original drawings of our wonderful
facility. Another item (that has been an embarrassment
for me) has been the condition of the three-
person bench and the two chairs on the bema.
Thanks to a grant from Bobette and Lowell
Friedman, these much needed repairs are being
done. (Harvey has selected the leather, and we
are waiting our turn at the upholstery shop.) One more item; check out the new washer and
dryer the Sisterhood purchased and paid to
have installed. The ladies have been talking
about this need for ten years or so, and the day
arrived last year. The Temple will be buying
less paper goods and using real table cloths. There is still more work to be done and we are
working on it. Mike Pereira, President
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Gulf Coast Shoah Commemoration
A service of remembrance to honor the victims of the Holocaust
April 11, 2018 – 7:00 p.m.
Springhill Avenue Temple 1769 Spring Hill Avenue
Special Guests: Allan Hall and Lori Gold Allan will offer the Call to Remembrance. Allan J. Hall was born in Cracow, Poland, in 1935. His story of Holocaust survival begins there. He survived the Lvov ghetto and the Warsaw ghetto. He and his family hid for a while in the Warsaw building that housed the headquarters of the German Luftwaffe. His wife of 34 years, Lori Gold, is a psychologist who interviewed Allan’s family to learn how they were impacted by Allan’s wartime experience. Her interests are the inter-generational effect of the Holocaust and the resilience of survivors and families.
Awards presented to the winners of the Annual Writing and Art Competition. Middle School and High School compositions will be on display. This gathering is sponsored by the Mobile Christian-Jewish Dialogue and the Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education. The Gulf Coast Holocaust Center is supported by the Mobile Area Jewish Federation.
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FROM OUR ARCHIVES
By Susan Thomas, Archivist
The Archives has received a copy of the
recently published book, America’s Pioneer
Jewish Congregations:
Architecture, Community,
and History, by Julian H.
Preisler. Springhill
Avenue Temple is
included in the book’s
documenting of the oldest
Jewish congregations in
each of the fifty states.
The entry on the Temple
includes photographs of
the Jackson Street
Synagogue and the
Government Street
Temple, as well as of the
current facility, along with
a brief history of the
congregation. The author says that the book “is part history,
travel guide, and photograph collection” and
that the vintage photographs “help tell the
story of the beginnings of organized Jewish
religious life all over the country.”
In the book’s Foreword, Rabbi Elliot Gertel
states that Preisler uses “heartfelt words and
inviting pictures, to stir and inspire us to
familiarize ourselves with the beauty of
modernistic and classic synagogue facades and
interiors, and, above all, with
the dedication and faith of those
who built these synagogues and
remained devoted to them.” Julian Preisler is researcher,
archivist, and professional
genealogist who has written four
other books on Jewish
congregations. He is offering an
autographed copy of his current
book to the members of the
congregations featured in it at a
discounted cost of $19.99 plus
$3.50 postage and a bulk sale
price of a minimum of 5 or
more for $17. Anyone
interested in purchasing the
book may mail a check to him at 132 Harvard
Court, Falling Waters, West Virginia, 25419
or you can contact him at
jhp1963@yahoo.com. Unsigned copies can be
bought online. The book can also be reviewed
in the Temple Archives.
The Springhill Avenue Gift Shop has seder plates,
matzah plates, and Kiddush cups for Passover. Shop us for all your Judaica items. We have wedding, baby, and Bar and Bat Mitzvah gifts! Our prices are competitive and we are happy to special order items for you. Your purchases help support Sisterhood projects. During the week, Susie can open the gift shop and after services, Amy or Judy will open.
Amy and Judy
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MAZEL TOV! to Bettina & Steve Prager on the birth of their beautiful
new grandson, Daniel Elliot White, born Tuesday, March 6, 2018. The proud
parents are Bettina and Steve’s daughter, Elizabeth, and her husband, Jeremy
White. Baby Daniel is welcomed by his big brother, Charlie, and big sister, Sadie.
Western Shore Torah Study Group
“Jewish History of Mississippi”
by genealogist, Tom Wixon
On Thursday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m., the Western Shore Torah Study Group
with Rabbi Kaplan is scheduled to meet again at the Comfort Inn, 12009 Indian River Road, D’Iberville, MS 39540; 228-396-0036 (Exit 46c, Interstate 10). If attending, please bring an entrée. For members and those interested
in the Jewish faith. For questions and/or more information, please contact Dr. Cal Ennis at 228-623-0479. Rabbi Kaplan will also commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day.
ESILL – Eastern Shore Institute of Lifelong Learning
Primary Sources of Kabbalah
taught by Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan
Thursday, April 12, 2018 – 10:00 – Noon Fairhope Public Library, 2nd Floor Board Room
(intersection of Fairhope Avenue and Bancroft Avenue)
To register go the ESILL website (ESILL.org) for Registration Form
No computer access? Call the Temple and Susie can mail or email a form
Payment must accompany the Registration Form
(Friends of ESILL - $4; non-members - $9)
Mail to:
Susie Broos Springhill Avenue Temple
1769 Springhill Avenue, Mobile, AL 36607
251-478-0415
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FROM OUR RELIGIOUS SCHOOL
by Patricia Silverman, Th.M., Religious School Director Students, parents, teachers and community members, With Purim behind us, our Religious School celebrated Passover on Sunday, March 18, with a
Model Seder lunch. Rabbi Kaplan led the students in this special service and Seth Cherniak led
the music. The first night of Passover was on Friday, March 30. However, the purpose for our
early celebration was educational. The students learned why we celebrate Passover and why we
eat special foods served in a special order. Many thanks to Howard Silverman, Nate Ginsberg,
and Iris Ginsberg for preparing the special meal.
Looking forward to the month of April - a month that will be full of activities, education, and
celebrations at our Religious School. On Sunday, April 15, we will have a special guest during Religious School - Allan Hall, who is
a Holocaust survivor and his wife Lori. Allan was a young child when WWII started, he will be
sharing his life story with us, and we will be able to ask questions about the Holocaust. On Sunday, April 22, we will be celebrating Israel's Independence Day, “Yom Ha'atzmaut. On Sunday, April 29, we will bury old prayer books at our Jewish cemetery. This is an event
that only happens once every 150 years or more.
Religious School's Passover Seder - 2018
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April Birthdays and Anniversaries
Happy Birthday to ... Happy Anniversary to …
1 Jennifer Aronson 16 Jan Yellin 17 Ellie & Cole Appelman
1 David Schjott 19 Gary Rich 20 Ellen & Buzzy Zivitz
4 Jordan Holberg 20 Bettina Prager 22 Claris & Sam Feibelman
4 Cece Spain 20 Daniel Tolpin 24 Sheridan & Josh Briskman
5 Tom Kessler 20 Elizabeth Zimmerman 29 Pauline & Michael Brown
5 Sherry Mutchnick 22 Jonathan Hochhauser
6 Robert Holberg 24 Shari Green
7 Rose Brunson 25 Jack Friedlander
7 Warren Koffler 25 David Hochhauser
9 Paul Frenkel 25 Robin Mishkin
9 David Gardberg 25 Odette Sternberg
10 Cyndee Mayer 26 Debra Krulewicz
11 Mel Sternberg 27 JoAnne Fusco
11 Barry Silverman 27 Marc Miller
13 Meryl Harris 28 Alexis Goldberg
13 Steve Zimmerman 28 Shirley Silverman
15 Susan Friedman 29 Michael Friedlander
15 Michael Rosenbaum 29 Steve Johnson
16 Robert Kahn 29 Brian Mishkin
16 Lisa Van Beuren
May Birthdays and Anniversaries Happy Birthday to … 1 Donald Friedlander 13 Sarah Hochhauser 29 Aaron Denson
1 Ralph Holberg 14 Stephen Conrad 29 Richard Zimmerman
1 Robert Zimmerman 14 Joseph Fetterman 30 Shirley Boyd
2 Callie Bernstein 15 Heidi Kinsella 30 Gladys Cherniak
2 Jerry Schjott 16 Todd Lewis 30 Allen Levy Ross
2 Carrie Waldrop 17 Ira Frederick Cherniak 31 Corey Passman
2 Kimberly Zelnicker 19 Christine Norris 31 Elizabeth White
3 Alain Gamble 19 Mike Pereira
4 Becky Hoffman 21 John Webster Happy Anniversary to … 6 Ron Berman 22 Mark Brown 9 Christine Norris &
10 Nicole Appelman 22 Debbie Clolinger Daryn Glassbrook
10 Dana Handmacher 25 Alan Lewis 15 Ada & Sam Small
10 Elsa Simon 27 Diane Franco 17 Cindy & Benjamin Bloom
12 David Rose 27 Maure Sternberg 24 Yaffa & Mark Brown
12 Richard Rose 28 Lisa Emanuelli
12 Ryan Sophie Small 28 Irving Koffler
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CONTRIBUTIONS
Birthday Blessing to Stanley Bergman – 90 years young – Paul Bergman A speedy recovery for Robin Gotlieb – Harriet & Billy Kahn In memory of Sylvia Moore – Priscilla Gold-Darby In memory of Randy Kogon – Julie Kogon, Jessica & Brendon Weishaar, Joseph Kogon,
Matthew Kogon and Larry Kogon In memory of Isadore Barkin – Terry Barkin In memory of my beloved father, Max Zell – Bobby & Mitch Lawley In memory of Johana Larson – Paul Bergman In memory of Ludwig Bergman – Paul Bergman In memory of Sam Edelbaum – Frances Mutchnick In memory of Fannie Salmon Whitehead – Mark Gilberstadt
YAHRZEIT
It is a true Mitzvah to honor those whose memory we hold dear by
attending services on the Shabbat Yahrzeit (year’s time),
joining your congregation in reciting Kaddish,
and the giving of charity in their memory.
April 6 Melvin Bauer, Nan Altmayer, Susan Tema Gardberg, Louis Raymon,
Jacob Fuller, Ralph Holberg, Jr.
April 13 Pearline Ginsberg, Stephen Furst, Joseph Fetterman, Mark Mayer,
Saul Zimmerman, Bertram Vogel, A.B. Fleisher,
Reita Franco, Ethel Gold
April 20 Frances Holberg Lurie, A.E. Fingerhut, Cecile Mendelson,
Ruth Vogel, Toshia Wagman, Sidney Rosenbaum, J.W. Dittman,
Betty Levin, Mary Elizabeth Schear, Raymond Schear,
Sarah Schear, Herman Schear, Morris Hoffman,
Aaron Robinton, Carrie Rubel Scharff
April 27 Miriam Fratkin, Ryan Scott Small, John B. Emanuelli, Sr.,
Sam Millstein, Jr., Ralph G. Holberg, Sr., Rosalie Rosner, Alma Frank,
Camille Baer, Elia C. Rotella
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On Saturday, April 14, Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Center will
host a premier concert featuring violins played in the Holocaust. These instruments
were lovingly restored by Israeli violin-makers, Amnon and Avshi Weinstein, who will
also be present. Other unique events will be going on that week, as well. For more information
explore the website, www.violinsofhopebhm.org or call Sallie Downs at
205-612-6196.
From March 2 - July 1, the Mobile
Museum of Art will display an
exhibition from the American Society
for Yad Vashem – “No Child’s Play”. This exhibition opens a window into the world
of children during the Shoah. Unlike other
Holocaust exhibitions, it does not focus on
history, statistics or descriptions of physical
violence. Instead, the toys, games, artwork,
diaries, and poems displayed here highlight
some of the personal stories of the children,
providing a glimpse into their lives during the
Holocaust. Also, at the museum on April 22 from 3-5:00
pm, Dr. Marlene W. Yahalom will be on hand
for a discussion and Yom HaShoah. Marlene W. Yahalom, Ph.D., is the Director
of Education for the American Society for
Yad Vashem and a child and grandchild of
Holocaust survivors. Free for museum members, regular admission
for non-members. For more info contact the
Mobile Museum of Art, 251-208-5200.
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Sunday Lunch & Lecture Series
at Springhill Avenue Temple Sunday, April 29 – 12:30 p.m.
Guest Speaker: Harvey Joanning, Ph.D.
“The Brain in Love, The Neurology of Intimate
Behavior”
Dr. Harvey Joanning of Fairhope, Emeritus Professor of Human Development and the Family, Iowa State University, will join us on Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 12:30 p.m., for the second in our series, Sunday Lunch and Lecture at Springhill Temple. After our lunch of sandwiches, he will present his scientific study, “The Brain in Love, The Neurology of Intimate Behavior.’
Dr. Joseph Miller
to be honored posthumously
Murphy High School Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.
Dr. Joseph B. Miller will be posthumously inducted into the Murphy Alumni Association's
Hall of Fame during their annual induction ceremony on Sunday, April 29, 2018. The
event will be held on the campus of Murphy High School, in the Lois Jean Delaney
Auditorium at 3:00 p.m. Dr. Miller will be one of eight inductees.
All are cordially invited.
Religious School's Passover Seder - 2018
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CALENDAR
Wednesday Torah Study 5:30 p.m. April 4, 11, 18, and 25 Hebrew School Sundays 9:00 a.m. April 8, 15, 22, and 29
Sunday, April 22 Celebrating Yom Ha’atzma’ut/Israel Independence Day Religious School Sundays 10:00 a.m. April 8, 15, 22, and 29
Sunday, April 22 Celebrating Yom Ha’atzma’ut/Israel Independence Day ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖
Saturday, April 7 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Breakfast – Matzo brei & eggs
10:30 a.m. Passover/Yizkor Service Wednesday, April 11 7:00 p.m. Shoah Commemoration – Guest Speaker - Allan Hall
(details page 4) Thursday, April 12 10:00 a.m. ESILL – Eastern Shore Institute of Lifelong Learning
Primary Sources of Kabbalah taught by
Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan (details page 10) Friday, April 13 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service - Guest Speaker: Allan Hall
Dinner following service – Eggplant Parmesan –
For planning purposes, please RSVP if attending Sunday, April 15 2:30 p.m. Israel Independence Day Celebration
at Ahavas Chesed Synagogue Sunday, April 22 3:00 p.m. Dr. Marlene W. Yahalom – Discussion
Mobile Museum of Art (details page 10) Sunday, April 29 12:30 p.m. Guest Speaker: Dr. Harvey Joanning (details page 11)
THE TEMPLE BULLETIN
(USPS-966-900) is published
monthly by Springhill Avenue Temple,
1769 Springhill Avenue
Mobile, AL 36607. “Periodicals Postage Paid at Mobile,
Alabama.” POSTMASTER: Send address change to:
1769 Springhill Ave.
Mobile, AL 36607
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