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VOLUME 61 EDITION 2 1 October 2018

22 Tishri 5779

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, October 5 6:00 p.m. Evening Shabbat Service

Saturday, October 6 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Breakfast

10:30 a.m. Morning Shabbat Service

Friday, October 12 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

Friday, October 19 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

Friday, October 26 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

Torah Selection:

Genesis 1:1–6:8

Haftarah – I Samuel 20:18-42

ALL SHABBAT SERVICES ARE CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES.

PLEASE JOIN US IN WORSHIP

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From Our President Music, music, and more music is what many

members of our congregation seem to enjoy.

And, it’s also that way with me. A friend of blessed memory, once said that he

never used a prayer book during the High Holy

Days. His idea was to sit back and absorb the

music and prayer; not being distracted by page

numbers and paragraphs. He may have been

right; I will try the same next year. Now back to our music. I have been

associated with four different congregations in

my lifetime and our Temple has the strongest

music program of the four. We are so

fortunate to have both Charmein Moser and

Christopher Powell in music leadership

positions. Christopher Powell is a Juilliard trained

musician and is the Alma and Tony Fisher

Director of Music for our Temple. You just

don’t see many Juilliard trained musicians in

our area. Charmein Moser is a musician familiar with

the music of Sigmund Schlesinger and has the

ability to merge his music into our services.

No matter what prayer book we choose to use,

she knows what music will work. Our Music and Choir Committee, under the

leadership of Barry Silverman, is very active.

The Music and Choir Committee knows that

we love music and they never let us down.

During the recent High Holy Days, you were

able to see the depth of our music program:

Visiting Choir Members

Vaughan Luker, Charlotte Naylor, Brenda

Ogburn, Sandy Wingate,

Toby Gurley, and Brian Naylor

Congregational Choir Members

Emily Fink, Odette Sternberg, Anne Zelnicker,

Bruce Moser, Steve Prager, Barry Silverman,

and Leonard Wells

Temple Quartet

Joyce Sylvester, Beth Windsor,

Jimmy Jones, and David Quittmeyer

During the High Holy Days, Charmein Moser

was both Congregational Choir Director and

accompanist; Christopher Powell was Director

of Music and organist; and our shofar master

this year was Gabe Sternberg. From Pensacola to New Orleans, we may be

the only synagogue to have a grand piano and

because of this, our Temple is becoming a

music venue in the Greater Mobile Area.

We even have a guitarist, Seth Cherniak, who

is the musician for our Religious School. Our music program is growing. Joseph Block

and Sigmund Schlesinger gave us a wonderful

start. May it continue to grow from strength to

strength. J. Michael Pereira

President

The beautiful flowers on the pulpit for Rosh Hashanah were provided by

Priscilla Gold-Darby in loving memory of

the Gold and Darby families by Priscilla Gold-Darby

The beautiful flowers on the pulpit for Yom Kippur flowers were provided by

Phyllis Feibelman in loving memory of Bert and Petey Feibelman

(Herbert P. Feibelman, Jr. and Herbert P. Feibelman, III).

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From a Rabbi’s Massachusetts Study… The High Holy Days that we experienced in Mobile are now but a memory, but the inspiration of the two weeks we were together linger on as a warm feeling in our hearts… My wife, Janet, and I both are so incredibly grateful to you for welcoming us so warmly and graciously into your midst. It is not an exaggeration to say that every moment of the time we were with you felt like we were “home.” More than once we both referred to Springhill Avenue Temple as “our Temple.” The reality is that you fully let that be as you allowed us to be a part of you. As a student of history, never for a moment did I not feel the power of being in a congregation stretching back 174 years. That’s nothing to take lightly. Much has happened in Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim during that time, and the legacy of the people who have been part of the congregation remain as an echo resounding through the sanctuary even now. I could not help but think as I was reading from your Torah scrolls, how many generations of people have recited the same blessings before and after the reading from those very same scrolls? And I heard the voices of all of them continuing to speak to all of you even now. While I know that over the years, their discussions contained disagreements from time to time (that’s what we Jews have always been about; in fact we treasure the disagreements because they have prodded us to grow), one thing characterized all of them. While they were going on, we always remained am echad, one people, united in dedication to keeping this Jewish thing of ours alive as something we would pass on from one generation to the next. That remains true today. If I were to issue a charge, it would simply be this: no matter what, Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim must survive. And that will happen only if you make it survive. And for that to happen you, its members, no matter whether you agree with one another or not, need never forget that what you have received from those before you will be passed on to those who yet will come and be a part of you. And in that you will pledge yourselves to unite to keep this wonderful congregation alive. Continue to flourish, and know that Janet and I will treasure always everything you have let us share in, indeed every moment of it. L’hitra’ot, as we say in Hebrew, until we meet again, and warmly, Howard A.Kosovske Rabbi

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From Our Archives

By Susan Thomas, Archivist In the middle of the Hebrew Rest section of

Magnolia Cemetery stands a tall, imposing

monument, erected to honor the memory of

Abraham Laser, the eighth rabbi of

Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim. Laser

served the congregation as rabbi from 1868-

1870. Laser was known as “The Martyr Rabbi” due

to his insistence to stay in the City during a

yellow fever epidemic in 1870, so that he

could minister to the sick and dying. Many of

his congregants had left the city and settled in

summer homes in the western area of the

county where the cooler air was considered a

deterrent to the disease. Laser was given

permission by the board officers to leave also,

but he refused to do so. Laser’s daughter,

Rose Laser Lazarus, years later recalled of her

father: “He had refused to leave the city to its

fate but had remained on during the dreadful

pestilence and heat, working day and night

among the stricken.” Laser himself fell to the

disease and died on November 12, 1870, at age

36. Laser was good friends with Father Abram

Ryan, the parish priest for St. Mary’s church,

who was known as the Poet-Priest of the

Confederacy. Father Ryan worked side-by-

side with Laser in administering to the many

Mobilians who were ill with yellow fever.

Laser’s daughter recalled that Ryan was

always close by Laser’s side and that the two

“became great chums; in fact, they were

almost inseparable throughout the epidemic.

When the plague added my father to its toll of

victims, Father Ryan’s grief was as deep as

any of the members of his congregation who

had known and loved him.” Laser was survived by his wife, Lizetta

Ackerman Laser, and five children: Emily,

David, Jacob, Sam, and Rose. In 1909, a portrait of Laser was presented to

the Temple’s Sabbath School to commemorate

his bravery. During the ceremony, he was

memorialized as having risked his life “at the

call of duty as he conceived it. . .he knew he

was taking his life in his own hands, yet he did

this rather than shirk what he thought was

right.” Unfortunately, the portrait has been

missing from the Temple for many years; it is

thought that it is now in the possession of one

of Laser’s great-grandchildren.

Congratulations to Sherry and Glen Mutchnick would like to

announce the birth of their first grandchild. Archer Mendel Lerch was born May 13, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. Archer is the son of Celia and Aaron Lerch and is the great grandson of Frances Mutchnick.

And

Congratulations to Jay Ross, Ellen Ross, and Isabelle Seiken on the

birth of their grandson, Reid Edward, son of Allen and Claire Ross, who was born on July 7, 2018.

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From Our Religious School

by Patricia Silverman, Th.M., Religious School Director

Shana Tova! May this New Year bring

health, peace, and love for each one of us,

Israel, and the whole world! This is so exciting! Our High Holy Days

Cantor Janet Pape worked with our shofar

sounding student, Gabe Sternberg, and was

amazed. Keep up the great job, Gabe. Maimonides said that the Shofar was to awaken

the consciousness of the Israelites and to

communicate with people, warning them of a

possible attack. Shofars come in a variety of

sizes and shapes, depending on the choice of

animal and level of finish. The High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah and

Yom Kippur) are times of reflection, where

we make a promise with ourselves to be better

a person and help to heal the world. Rosh

Hashanah is a time of family gatherings,

special meals, and sweet foods (challah bread

and apples dipped in honey). It is the New

Year, which is then followed by Yom Kippur,

the holiest day of the year. Yom Kippur is a

day of atonement, where we ask God for

forgiveness for our sins, hoping that He hears

our prayers, and that he will inscribe our names

in the Book of Life. During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur,

Rabbi Howard Kosovske conducted a beautiful

healing service given us hope and the tools for

a great future. Wow! What an inspiration.

Thank you, Rabbi Kosovske.

Sukkot also called Z’man Simchateinu, means

the time of our joy. There is a difference

between joy and happiness. Happiness is

taking pleasure in what you have, while joy is

the pleasure of anticipating a future good. If

we trust in God and know that everything the

He does for us and will do for us is for our

good, then we will know great joy in our lives! On Sunday, September 23, 2018, we celebrated

Sukkot with our entire Jewish community at

Ahavas Chesed Synagogue. Our students

connected and made new friends. The

festivities started at 4:30 p.m., with a petting

zoo, a jumpy house for toddlers, and belly

dancing. Dinner began with a 'Ha'motzi'

prayer, led by Rabbi Silberman. It was a great

celebration. On Sunday, September 30, 2018, Religious

School had a wonderful Sukkot celebration.

The students, teachers, and parents made

beautiful decorations and enjoyed decorating

the Sukkot. Later, we had a wonderful service

with Glen Mutchnick and Seth leading the

music, the students had a wonderful time

waving and shaking the lulav and etrog

according to the blessing and tradition, after

which everyone enjoyed a delicious hot dog

dinner prepared by the Men's Club. We had a busy month and now we are ready to

work hard to have a great year at the Religious

School!

Yizkor List/Memorial Book

Apologies – Unfortunately and inadvertently some of the names on the Yizkor list were not read

and in the Memorial Book they were also omitted. They are included here:

In memory of Edith Maisel Laden, Phillip Laden, Ruth Prince Lamensdorf, Dr. Milton Leigh,

Annie Friedlander Maisel, and Joseph Maisel – Remembered by Enid & Gil Laden and

Ellen & Maury Zivitiz

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October Birthdays and Anniversaries

Happy Birthday to ... Happy Anniversary to … 1 Florence Kessler 18 Gregory Borak 8 Karen & Hari Singh

1 SusanPassman 19 Harvey Switzky 10 Carrie & Marc Friduss

2 Connor Jack Furman 20 Michael Brown 12 Bonnie & George Kidd

4 Nancy Brown 20 Tonia Silverstein 16 Elizabeth & Fred Miller

4 Randy Fink 21 Ellie Appelman 26 Liz & Randy Fry

4 Katie Frank 23 Megan Denson 26 Nancy Pierce & Barry Silverman

4 Nancy Hoffman 23 Debbie Frank 27 Christine & Jeff Conrad

4 Michael Monheit 24 Ellen Fishbein 27 Gaela Youngblood & Jeff Lawley

5 Gary Fishbein 24 Ceresa Frenkel 28 Michelle & Jerry Dobbins

6 Jeffrey Friedman 25 Elaine Berman

6 Sandy Holberg 27 Phyllis Feibelman

9 Daniel Fetterman 27 Jenny Rich

9 Robin Mayer 30 Jason Berman

10 Patti Grandquest 30 Jonathan Friedlander

12 Nell Ennis 30 Nancy Hill

13 Jenny Berman 30 Murry Mutchnick

13 Sam Brown 31 Marc Loeb

16 Christine Clolinger 31 Sandler Passman

November Birthdays and Anniversaries

Happy Birthday to ... 1 Dianna Kubat 15 Scott Silverman 28 Phyllis Stern

1 Martin Lewis 15 Cheryl Spain 29 Claris Feibelman

3 Seth Cherniak 16 Michell Appelman 29 Jordon Elliott Ross

3 Max Lawley 16 Liz Fry 30 Rabbi Irving Bloom

3 Rachel Metzger Gomel 18 Cal Ennis 30 Zachary Fusco

3 Isabelle Seiken 19 Brandon Rose 30 Michael Holberg

4 Jamie McGinnis 19 James Spain 30 Sheldon Mutchnick

4 Gerard Toubiana 20 Maring Eberlein

6 Lee Metzger 21 Steve Muhlfelder Happy Anniversary to …

6 Ellen Shulman 21 Marisa Nadas 10 Enid & Gil Laden

7 Laurie Berkin 21 Jonathan Passman 12 JoAnne & Jon Fusco

9 Mark Melamut 21 Hari Singh 19 Linda & Ed Blassingame

11 Beth Friedlander Vorwaller 22 Steve Gandler 28 Pam & Donald Friedlander

11 Nate Ginsberg 23 Melanie Susman 29 Gail Chadwick & Jonathan Fratkin

11 Linda Marx 24 Nathan Handmacher 29 Meryl & Terry Harris

12 Emily Feibelman 25 Leslie Berkin Page

12 Marissa Gamble 26 Jill Gottlieb

13 Larry Kogon 26 Jeff Lawley

15 Terry (Theresa) Barkin 27 David Altmayer

15 Margaret Brown 27 Reed Feldman Magnes

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Shana Tova! New Year’s Greetings

Apologies – Some of the New Year's Greetings in the September Bulletin were inadvertently and

unfortunately, omitted. They are included here. Rabbi Irving & Pat Bloom

Ceresa & Paul Frenkel

Sandy, Ralph, David, Sam, and Conner Holberg

Perrye Lewis

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Miller

Frances E. Mutchnick

Barbara V. Paper & family

Fran, Michael & Karen Passero

Maud Patterson

The Pereira Family

J. Richard Rose

Jay & Shelia Ross

Ellen & Bill Shulman

Barry Silverman & Nancy Pierce

Dr. Mel & Odette Sternberg

Joyce & Gerard Toubiana, Dan & Alicia, Lysa, Greg, Ellie & Brooke Van Beuren

Lucy & Steve Weinstein

High Holy Day Tribute Fund

We recognize with appreciation those members and friends who have made special commitments to our

Temple by contributing to our High Holy Day Tribute Fund. This list was compiled as of our bulletin

printing on September 21, 2018. We thank you for your generous donations.

Chai (Life) – $1,000 and above Tzedakah (Righteousness) $500 - $999

Mr. & Mrs. Lowell Friedman Norma Conrad

Mrs. Iris Fetterman Klein Mimi & Steve Johnson

Kavod (Honor) $200 - $499 Shalom (Peace) – up to $199

Margaret & Milton Brown Rabbi Irving & Pat Bloom

Phyllis Feibelman Christine & Jeff Conrad

Liz & Randy Fry Emily & Harold Fink

Sandra & Harvey Gandler Jill Gottlieb

Priscilla Gold-Darby Elaine & Bobby Holberg

Alan Goldberg Beth & Frederick Miller

Nancy & Richard Hill Maud Patterson

Dianna Kubat Alicia Lucas & Mike Pereira

Ellen Shulman Barry Silverman

Odette & Mel Sternberg

Barbara Adamo

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The Southern Jewish Historical Society Conference (SJHS) is all set and will take place from October 26-28, 2018. Out-of-town guests will stay at the Admiral Hotel. Events will take place at Spring Hill College, the University of South Alabama (USA), and at the hotel. Friday morning, there will be a bus tour. Friday lunch will have a keynote with Roy Hoffman. Friday evening will have a short Shabbat Service at Springhill Avenue Temple, followed by dinner in the social hall, and then a lecture by Jeff Rosen, head of the National Constitution Center and Prof. of Law at George Washington University. He will be speaking about Louis Brandeis, the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, who was from Louisville, Kentucky. We will also be inaugurating USA's new Jewish & Holocaust Studies program. On Saturday, at USA, we will have academic sessions, lunch, and then a Lecture/Performance from the combined efforts of Prof. Judah Cohen (Indiana Univ.) and Prof. Laura Moore (Piano) and Prof. Thomas Rowell (Tenor). They will speak/perform music from Jewish Mobilians - Joseph Bloch and the Schlesinger Brothers. Afterward, in the Marx Library, there will be a reception and a "Meet the Authors" session, for those scholars who have recently published works. For those interested in attending the entire conference, you need to register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2018-sjhs-conference-mobile-alabama-tickets-45481719046. You will also need to register for membership in the SJHS, as only members can attend (it is $36 for the year). This can be paid directly to the SJHS before registration or there is a selection on the Eventbrite page for those who want to pay that way. If you are only interested in attending the Friday night dinner at the Temple, you can register directly with the Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education by contacting Don Berry (donaldb@mail.umobile.edu). The cost is $40 per person and you can pay directly by check. FYI, the only way to guarantee a spot for dinner on Friday night is by registering for the entire conference. Conference attendees automatically get preference for dinner, as we will have a cap on total guests (approx. 170-180) due to space issues.

For more about this year's conference, see: https://www.jewishsouth.org/upcoming-conference

To go directly to the Conference Program, see: https://www.jewishsouth.org/conference-program-0

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Become a Part of the Cause!

You can make a difference and it is EASY to become a part of the Sisterhood and Men’s Club.

Temple membership is not required and your time commitment is up to you.

Ways We Make a Difference Support of the Religious School & Youth Group Projects

Encourage interfaith communication by donating to the Mobile Jewish/Christian Dialogue

Annual donation to the Mobile Area Jewish Federation

We have THE BEST Friday Night Oneg’s

Holiday Celebrations & Dinners

Shabbat Breakfast

Temple Tree Project

Volunteer and donations to help Feeding the Gulf Coast

Building Upgrades & Sustainable Garden

Going green in conjunction with Keep Mobile Beautiful

Join us for another exciting year of celebrating Judaism and strengthening our Temple.

Membership covers July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019.

Join online today by visiting

https://squareup.com/store/springhill-avenue-temple-sisterhood-slash-mens-club

OR

Make Checks Payable to: Springhill Avenue Temple Sisterhood

Mail Checks and Form Below to: Springhill Avenue Temple,

1769 Springhill Ave, Mobile, AL 36607

Check All That Apply ____ Dues & Oneg Saver $55 (Per Person) ______ Dues & Oneg Saver $110 (Per Couple)

OR Pay Each Individually

____ Sisterhood Dues $35 ____ Men’s Club Dues $35 ___ Oneg Contribution $30 (Each) Each Member Name: ___________________________________________________________ Phone Number: _____________Email Address for Each Member: _______________________

__________________________________________________________________

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From the Men’s Club

By Larry Miller, President

It seemed appropriate that at this new year we consider.

Taken from a FaceBook article

Save the Date!

Friday, February 1

Saturday, February 2

2019

Formal Invitation to Follow

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CONTRIBUTIONS

Religious School Fund in honor of Jonathan Gardberg’s 70th birthday and in memory of

Abraham Gardberg, G.B. Kahn, and Ruth Lamensdorf - Naomi Gardberg In memory of Albert Klein – The Hochman-van Oosten families, Elkan & Laurie Scheidt In memory of G.B. Kahn – Enid & Gil Laden, Ellen & Buzzy Zivitz In memory of Gail Bergman - Paul Bergman In memory of Heather Marie Pereira – Alicia Lucas & Mike Pereira In memory of Joe B. Friedlander – Emily & Harold Fink In memory of Ann Aratchofsky – Emily & Harold Fink In memory of Reuben Kamil – Emily & Harold Fink In memory of George Wagenheim – Iris Klein In memory of Samuel Brown – Margaret & Milton Brown In memory of Henry Gaggstatter – Shirley Gaggstatter, Ellen & Bill Shulman

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.

October 5 Marie Silberstein Herman, John C. LeMay,

Rose Zulofsky, Faye Ennis, Mrs. Ray Werner

October 12 Sol Mayer, Kurt Muhlfelder, Clarence Frenkel, Jr.,

Beatrice Silverman, Paul Paper, Boris Resnick

October 19 Nancy Goldberg, Yetta Schoichet, Myer Weinstein, Carolyn Brown,

Sherrel Hoffman Grean, Sue Magnes, Alice Toubiana,

Arthur Heinrich, Sally Zell

October 26 `Malvine Goldstein, Edith Zelnicker, Annice Miller

November 2 Mollie Olshansky Boyd, Edith Conrad, Joseph Maisel

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Calendar

Hebrew School & Religious School

Sundays 9:45 a.m. October 7, 14, 21, and 28

Torah Study

Wednesdays 5:30 p.m. October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31

❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Friday, October 5 6:00 p.m. Evening Shabbat Service

Saturday, October 6 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Breakfast

10:30 a.m. Morning Shabbat Service

Friday, October 12 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

Friday, October 19 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

Thursday, October 25 - Saturday, October 27 Southern Jewish Historic Society

Conference in Mobile, AL

(more info on page 7)

Friday, October 26 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

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:

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