lawrence jewish community newslawrence jewish community … · 10/5/2012 · sunday, may 19 3:30pm...

During this month falls what may be the most ignored holiday (at least by non-Orthodox Jews) on the Jewish calendar. But Shavuot, which begins at nightfall on May 14, does not deserve this unfortunate fate, and here I'm going to tell you why. First of all, tradition holds that Shavuot is the anniversary of reve-lation at Sinai, when (our stories tell us) the entire people of Israel, 600,000 strong – women, children and men – had a direct per-sonal revelation of Godhood which has

reverberated through-out time, from that day to this. Whether you look at the event with the tra-ditional frame – as the story of the formative interaction between God and the Jewish people, where God began to set forth the laws by which we are to live; or from a less lit-eral perspective - as the model of opening one-self (and one's commu-nity) to wisdom and interaction with the Divine Source, the idea of Revelation is a pow-erful one, a goal for spiritual practice and a necessary corrective in a world where humans so often seem to be without purpose or control. Second, Shavuot is strongly focused on learning, particularly of

Ruth as a Role Model for Our Time Rabbi Moti RieberRuth as a Role Model for Our Time Rabbi Moti RieberRuth as a Role Model for Our Time Rabbi Moti RieberRuth as a Role Model for Our Time Rabbi Moti Rieber

Lawrence Jewish Community NewsLawrence Jewish Community NewsLawrence Jewish Community NewsLawrence Jewish Community News

Lawrence Jewish Lawrence Jewish Lawrence Jewish Lawrence Jewish

Community Community Community Community

CongregationCongregationCongregationCongregation

www.LawrenceJCC.orgwww.LawrenceJCC.orgwww.LawrenceJCC.orgwww.LawrenceJCC.org

917 Highland Drive Lawrence, KS 66044

(785) 841-7636 [email protected]

Office Hours: Office Hours: Office Hours: Office Hours:

10am-4pm M-F

Rabbi Rabbi Rabbi Rabbi Office Hours Office Hours Office Hours Office Hours

Thursday 1-5pm

Rabbi:Rabbi:Rabbi:Rabbi: Moti Rieber Moti Rieber Moti Rieber Moti Rieber

[email protected]

(316) 680-7381

Board President:Board President:Board President:Board President:

Jonathan Paretsky

Office Manager:Office Manager:Office Manager:Office Manager:

Marty Stemmerman

MAY 2013MAY 2013MAY 2013MAY 2013 LAWRENCE JEWISH COMMLAWRENCE JEWISH COMMLAWRENCE JEWISH COMMLAWRENCE JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWSUNITY NEWSUNITY NEWSUNITY NEWS

“To be an inclusive and thriving center of Jewish spiritual, cultural and social life for the Lawrence area.”

Shabbat Shabbat Shabbat Shabbat

Service Times Service Times Service Times Service Times

Friday, May 3Friday, May 3Friday, May 3Friday, May 3

7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm

with Rabbi Moti Rieber


7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm

With Shiray Shabbat


7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm

with Susan Elkins & Jack Winerock 8:00pm Speaker: 8:00pm Speaker: 8:00pm Speaker: 8:00pm Speaker:

Jacob Dorman, PhD


7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm

with Rachel Black, Cantorial Soloist


7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm7:00pm

with Rachel Black, Cantorial Soloist

our classical, source texts. The evening of Shavuot is called “leil tikkun” (night of learn-ing), and it is a wonder-ful practice to stay up late studying Torah and other Jewish sources. It so happens that the Kansas City Jewish community has a com-munity-wide leil tikkun that will take place that night, information on which is found within this newsletter. I strongly encourage you to take part in this in-spiring practice. And the third point is, I think, of particular interest to our com-munity, with its rela-tively large number of interfaith families. It is the story contained in the Book of Ruth, which is traditionally

Cont. on page 5...

The LJCC

extends our gratitude

to Michael & Rita

York Hennecke

for the Lovely

Seder dinner

they prepared for us

on March 26.

Todah Raba!

LJCC Community SederLJCC Community SederLJCC Community SederLJCC Community Seder

March 26, 2013March 26, 2013March 26, 2013March 26, 2013

Cont. on page 4...

CALENDAR

LAWRENCE JEWISH COMMUNITY NEWS

2 Emily Winerock 16 David Eichler

3 Charyse Herman 22 Harold Herman

4 Lauren Hoopes 24 Josie Naron

5 Pat Bates 24 Evan Mielke

5 Frances Horowitz

25 Daphne Fautin

9 Forest Lassman 28 Clara Kundin

10 Micah Salkind 30 Jeremy Shawl

12 Sarah Shapiro 30 Caden Merz

Yahrzeit May Calendar

Mi Schebeirach

Stanley Elkins Regina Rothenberg

Judith Bleicher Karen Heintzen

Blanche Rombach Malca Bat’ Sarah

We are currently taking names of those in need of healing for Mi Schebeirach. Names will be read during Friday’s Shabbat services, and will stay on the list for 4 weeks unless otherwise requested. Please let the office know by Friday at noon if you know of someone you would like to be included on the Mi Schebeirach list.

Thursday, May 2 6:15pm Zumba

Friday, May 3 7:00pm Shabbat Service with Rabbi Moti Rieber

8:00pm Oneg, TBD

Sunday, May 5 9:30am-12:30pm

LJCC Religious School (last day before summer break)

Monday, May 6 7:30pm Table Tennis Club

Tuesday, May 7 6:15pm Zumba

Wed., May 8 6:00pm JCW Annual Dinner, Oriental Bis-tro

Thursday, May 9 3:00pm Study Group with Rabbi Moti

6:15pm Zumba

Friday, May 10 7:00pm Shabbat Service with Shiray Shabbat

8:00pm Oneg, TBD




7:00pm LJCC Board Meeting

Friday, May 17 7:00pm Shabbat Service led by Susan Elkins & Jack Winerock Oneg, TBD

8:00pm Talk by Jacob Dorman

Saturday, May 18 10:00am Max Gottschamer Bar Mitzvah

Sunday, May 19 3:30pm JCW Membership Meeting



Thursday, May 23 11:30am LJCC serves LINK

3:00pm Study Group with Rabbi Moti

6:15pm Zumba

7:30pm Adult Ed with Rabbi Moti

Friday, May 24 7:00pm Shabbat Service with Rachel Black, Cantorial Soloist

8:00pm Oneg, TBD




Friday, May 31 7:00pm Shabbat Service led by Rachel Black, Cantorial Soloist

8:00pm Oneg, TBD

Saturday, June 1 12:30pm Women’s Luncheon at Marisco’s

May Birthdays

28 Arlene & Terry Slocum

May Anniversaries

Natalie Frost May 5, 1988 Hal Ettinger May 7, 2009

Ethel Esther Roitman May 8, 1989

Timothy Kliewer May 12, 2011

Dorothy Rosenthal May 14, 2006

Lillian Bear Klotz May 21, 1934

Samuel R. Raffelock May 26, 1967

Mollie Leban May 26, 1979

Alex Frost May 28, 2005

Why Table Tennis? Why the LJCC? Jonathan Paretsky


PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The LJCC is not the only major Lawrence cul-

tural institution of which I serve as president; I also

moonlight as president of the Lawrence Table Tennis

Association, which meets Monday evenings in the JCC

social hall.

Some of you may wonder what table tennis has

to do with Jews. In American society, the impression

is that table tennis is mostly an Asian sport. While this

impression ignores the great Swedish players who

dominated world singles and team play in the 1990's,

or the Byellorussian Samsanov, who was ranked first

in the world just a few years ago, or the 2003 Austrian

world champion Werner Schlager, it also ignores the

history of American table tennis and the Jewish play-

ers who built the game into the second-largest profes-

sional sport in the world.

In 1898, Max Nordau coined the term

"muscular Judaism" at the Second Zionist Con-

gress, calling for a regeneration of the Jewish people

through physical fitness. Jews increasingly turned to

sports as a means of self-assertion and cultural pride.

Table tennis was just becoming popular in the 1920's

and 30's, and there were no established rules to sys-

tematically exclude Jews as there were in other sports.

Jews flocked to the game and became its dominant

figures.

Half of the table tennis clubs in Poland during

the interwar period were affiliated with organized

Jewish sporting movements. Hungary's eight-time

world champion Laszlo Bellak traveled the globe put-

ting on exhibitions to popularize the game. Richard

Bergmann won seven world championships, first

representing Austria, and then after the 1938 An-

schluss to Germany, representing England. Five-time

world champion Viktor Barna also fled the Nazis,

returning to the continent as a parachutist for the

British army. Angelica Rozeanu of Romania won a

never-equaled six consecutive world singles champi-

onships before retiring and moving to Israel. The Pol-

ish champion Alojzy Ehrlich spent four years in

Auschwitz and survived because a Nazi guard recog-

nized him and pulled him from a group assigned to

the death chambers.

In the United States, Leah Neuberger, Sol

Schiff, Bernie Bukiet, and Ruth Aarons were among

the players who took the national team to both

men's and women's world championships. Dick

Miles was the U.S. champion ten times from 1945 to

1962. I had the good fortune of getting to know

Marty Reisman, a world-championship finalist in

the 1950's, towards the end of his life. He proudly

told me that a linguist had consulted with him

about Yiddish colloquial usage for a book on Yiddish

slang.

And the Jewish contribution to the American

sport is not just a thing of the past. At the age of 15,

in 2009 Michael Landers became the youngest

player to win the men's national singles title.

Eleven-year-old Estee Ackerman was disqualified

from her championship round at the 2012 national

tournament because the event fell on a Saturday. "I

practiced and trained for six months for this," she

said. "Ping pong is important to me, but my religion

of Judaism is also very important to me."

While Asia represents a powerful force in

modern table tennis, Jews have played at least as

important a role in turning the parlor game of the

late Nineteenth Century into the world sport of to-

day. And I would even include the great Korean

player Joo Se Hyuk, but that's probably cheating.

LJCC Pledge Forms

In the past few weeks, you should have received a

pledge form for the LJCC 2013-14 Fiscal Year. If you

have not yet done so, please return this form as soon as

possible. This pledge information helps us to make

budgetary decisions for the fiscal year we have just

entered. We are also asking for your current contact

information, which will be included in an updated LJCC

Directory. Contact the office with any questions.

APRIL CONTRIBUTIONS


General Fund

Hilda Enoch

In honor of those who helped with our Com-

munity Seder; Rabbi Moti, our cooks extra-

ordinaire, Rita & Michael, all those who

helped in the kitchen, before and after. It

was a wonderful evening, bringing us all to-

gether!

Heather Frost

With thanks to Michael & Rita and all who

made our Community Seder a success

Lois Schneider

In honor of Blanche Rombach

Einstein’s Stores

In memory of Bob & Melda Einstein

Sally Lieberman

Dinah & Fred Lovitch

In honor of Bob Buddemeier and the

extraordinary job he did as Treasurer

Rabbi & Cantorial Fund

Dinah & Fred Lovitch

In memory of Hadassah Singer

Suzanne Lange

Rabbi Discretionary Fund

Leni & Neil Salkind

read on this holiday. The Book of Ruth is the story of a young woman, Ruth, who upon the death of her husband decides to accom-pany her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Naomi's native Israel. I par-ticularly like this book because it gives narrative confirmation of cer-tain practices that we otherwise would only know from legal material, such as levirite marriage and the gleaning of the corners of the field. But it's also interesting for what it doesn't include – a lengthy con-version process. Ruth essentially joins the Jewish people by commit-ting her life to Naomi and with these words: “For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my peo-ple, and your God my God.” She then lives just like everyone else, taking care of her mother-in-law and eventually marrying the wealthy landowner, Boaz. Ruth's path is considered so righteous that at the end of the story the Biblical author posits her as the ancestor of King David, and thus of messianic redemption itself. I have a great deal of admiration for the non-Jewish partners of our Jewish members who choose to take part in our activities and to be part of the community. I always try to include them fully in all the activities I lead. I know it can be uncomfortable and foreign (heck, it is to many of us!), but I also know that - especially for those who are, as the term goes, “unchurched” - the community support, intellectual curiosity, and spiritual development that we are trying to encourage here are available to everyone who chooses them, whatever their eth-nicity or spiritual background. After all, the heroines of our story didn't keep reminding everyone – or more importantly, reminding themselves – that Ruth wasn't Jew-ish by birth. Once she had committed, she was just like everyone else. We too should be less concerned about the boundaries that divide us, and more open to the opportunities we all can share. In that way will redemption come.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Ruth as a Role Model… cont. from page 1

Registration for the All Night Shavuot Program is due by May 8.

To access the registration information for this event, go here: http://lawrencejcc.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/2013-flyer-shavuot.pdf

Board Resolution Recommending Extending the Employment

Relationship with Rabbi Moti Rieber

At the Annual Meeting in June, 2012, the con-

gregation gave the LJCC Board of Directors au-

thority to enter into a one-year contract of up to

25% employment with Rabbi Moti Rieber. Exten-

sion of that contract will require the approval of

two-thirds of the voting members.

The Board of Directors has worked extensively

with Rabbi Moti. In addition, individual Board

members and officers have worked with the

Rabbi, and the Board has received both written

and informal spoken comments about the

Rabbi’s relationship with the congregation.

The Board recommends offering Rabbi Moti

Rieber an additional year of employment. The

Board further recommends that the congrega-

tion approve giving the Board the flexibility of

offering Rabbi Moti an increase in salaried time

from the current 25% appointment, up to 33%

appointment.

Treasurer’s Island Bob Buddemeier

Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of Manischewitz. I think there, in a nutshell, you have the explanation

for the paucity of famous (or even any) Jewish pirates. We have a news-laden issue this time

around (sometimes we tend to forget that this is a NEWSletter), so I will make an effort to cut

short my usual ramblings. So, on to today's pithy theme (don't bother, I've heard that joke before),

which is organizational maturation. LJCC has been stuck in the middle phase for so long that it

seems like adolescence is merging directly into senescence. We are far past the era of the found-

ing fathers and mothers, when a small and tightly-knit community operated in extended-family

mode. The organization now contains mostly second cousins and step-children, with quite a bit

less intensity of bonding. At the same time, we are not numerous enough to constitute a clan or even a tribe (idiom not-

withstanding), and certainly not an effective non-familial alliance.

An example in point is the office – we have moved over the years from volunteers through paid volunteers through

part-time employees hired on a fairly ad-hoc basis to the point where our office personpower is professional, full time or

nearly so, and hired on an objective search-and-interview basis. And things are working a lot better for it. A recent and

still ongoing experiment suggests strongly that an arguably qualified administrator or executive director would make a big

difference in many ways – but we can't afford one, even though we have gotten past the office manager barrier. The or-

ganization is of a size and membership where volunteerism is still vital, but is by itself inadequate for overall success.

The latest (and recurring) focal point of these issues is once again the Blintz Brunch. The common cries of who will do

it, why not, what if nobody does, and so on, reverberate through the building and the larger community. People talk about

maybe we won't have one, how hard they worked last year, etc. Folks, listen to your treasurer: we must have a blintz

brunch. Does the narrowly defined blintz brunch itself make us a lot of money, especially in view of the work involved?

Not really, but --- the silent auction does make a lot of money, the bake sale sells out every year, the gift shop makes

money – and none of those could happen without the draw of the customer base of the Blintz Brunch. This is a bit of an

arm-wave because of the complexity of LJCC-JCW financial interactions, but I reckon that the extended BB accounts,

brings in $10,000, which is maybe 8% of our $120,000 annual budget. Is that all, you say? It seems like an undesirable but

bearable loss. Well, you will get all this in detail next month, but salaries and wages and allied services currently account for

probably (waving the other arm) maybe 60% of the annual budget. Essential maintenance, utilities, supplies, etc. eat up

another chunk. So out of that original 120,000, we are left with perhaps $30K uncommitted to apply to all of our wishes

and dreams. The $10K loss is now more like a 30-40% cut in what we have laid the base for doing with our other expendi-

tures. Now it’s a big number, right? Damn right – context is everything.

So I will not entertain questions on the detailed arithmetic at this time, but trust me, the options are these: we do a rea-

sonably successful Blintz Brunch, or we accept a very big cut in our discretionary spending (= standard of living). QED?


TREASURER’S REPORT

Annual Meeting June 9, 2013 10am-noon The LJCC annual meeting will be held on Sunday, June 9, 10-12 in the LJCC social hall. Refreshments and child

care will be provided. All members of the larger community are welcome to attend, but only members of LJCC may

vote. Membership for this purpose is established by making a payment or pledge toward 2013-2014 dues. Pay-

ments and pledges will be accepted at the meeting.

A draft agenda with explanatory material and any positions taken or recommended by the Board will be mailed

and e-mailed to all members in late April or early May. The official meeting packet with agenda, reports, and sup-

porting information will be mailed in late May. At any time before the meeting, members are invited to ask ques-

tions or offer opinions to any of the Board members. We urge all members to inform themselves on the issues in

advance so that the meeting can run smoothly and efficiently.


NEWS

� JCW Annual Membership Dinner WEDNESDAY, MAY 8th, 6:00pm The end of the year JCW Membership

Dinner will be held at Oriental Bistro on 23rd Street. We will order from the menu. Our speaker will be

Rebecca Rovit, assistant Prof. in theatre at KU. Topic "Cultural Dislocation and the Jewish Kulturbund

Theatre in Nazi Berlin". Feel free to invite a friend. Reservations are requested for all attending dinner,

call Loraine Lindenbaum 843-4308.

� Talk by Jacob Dorman, PhD, Friday, May 17 8:00pm Join us after services on Friday, May 17, as Jacob

Dorman presents information from his book, Chosen People: African Americans and the Rise of Black

Judaism, which chronicles religions that teach that ancient Israelites were black and that today’s African-

Americans are their descendents.

� Adult Education: Jewish Views of the Afterlife. Thursday, May 23 at 7:30 pm. Rabbi Moti's three-part

series on death from the Jewish perspective concludes with an exploration of Jewish ideas about the

afterlife. Some intriguing and surprising findings await you as we explore texts and concepts of this little

known area of the Jewish psyche.

� The LJCC congratulates Free State junior, Josie Naron, who was chosen by the Lawrence-Douglas County

Health Department as the inaugural Douglas County Youth Health Champion. Josie is the daughter of

Marilyn & Greg Naron. Read about Josie here: http://wellcommons.com/news/2013/apr/09/lawrence-teen-named-inaugural-douglas-county-youth/

LJCC AnnouncementsLJCC AnnouncementsLJCC AnnouncementsLJCC Announcements

RSVP

IS REQUESTED

BY MAY 30.

SUZY RIEBER

[email protected]

Maxwell GottschamerMaxwell GottschamerMaxwell GottschamerMaxwell Gottschamer

Abigail Shira RieberAbigail Shira RieberAbigail Shira RieberAbigail Shira Rieber


NEWS

Don’t Forget Don’t Forget Don’t Forget Don’t Forget

Grocery Grocery Grocery Grocery

Certificates!Certificates!Certificates!Certificates! Grocery Certificates make your Food

& Gas budgeting easy while also bene-

fiting the LJCC! Certificates are

available for Dillons, HyVee, Check-

ers & The Merc, and spend just like

cash, not only for groceries and gift

items at these stores, but also for

gas at HyVee, Dillons, & Kwik Shop.

LJCC Board President Jonathan Paretsky 785-832-8993 [email protected]

Vice-President Terri Rosen 785-843-3224 [email protected]

Treasurer Bob Buddemeier 785-842-6263 [email protected]

Recording Secretary Anne Schulman 785-749-4544 [email protected]

Past President Steve Hurst 785-766-0029 [email protected]

Members-at-Large Rachel Black [email protected]

Ivy Briggs 785-832-0243 [email protected]

Judy Green 785-842-8473 [email protected]

John Hoopes 785-331-7473 [email protected]

Artie Shaw 785-843-9272 [email protected]

JCW Board Representative Heather Frost 785-312-0507 [email protected]

JCW Board President Loraine Lindenbaum 785-843-4308 [email protected]

Vice Pres. & Programming Jill Kleinberg 785-749-2120 [email protected]

Past President Martha Taylor 785-841-3328

Treasurer Susan Elkins 785-842-9948 [email protected]

Recording Secretary Shelley Skie 785-760-3448

Corresponding Secretary Beth Bey 785-843-0569 [email protected]

JCW Gift Shop Herb Friedson 785-841-3328

Assistant Treasurer Heather Frost 785-312-0507 [email protected]

Lawrence Jewish Community Vegetable Garden

Jen Geller, LJCC Religious School Teacher

A new and exciting community project is under construction! This week, the

Board approved a proposal for the beginnings of a community vegetable garden

on the south side of the building. This project will provide a fun opportunity for

all ages in the community to work and learn together, while working towards

the larger vision of providing fresh produce to community members in need.

We will begin this spring with a series of pots and small raised and elevated

beds, growing tomatoes, herbs, and a few other summer harvest plants. The

religious school will be assisting with some of the initial planting as part of a

lesson on Judaism's relationship with the land.

Our goal is to get as many people involved as possible and make this a multi-

generational, community-wide effort that everyone can be proud of. We hope

to garner interest from all ages, including college students, the middle school/

high school age group, and any interested members who want to share their

time and experience with the community.

We will be gathering and transporting materials to the LJCC this week, and

working on construction of the garden this weekend. Your help is

needed! Whether you only have an hour to spare, or you are inspired to help

take charge in this communal vision, we want you to be involved.

♦ Have a green thumb?

♦ Have old pots, soil, gardening tools, etc. that you would like to donate?

♦ Would you be willing to help water the garden once a week?

♦ Do you know anyone who would be interested in being involved?

♦ Do you have great ideas and positive energy?

If you are interested in helping get this project off the ground, please contact

Jennifer Geller at [email protected].

Interested in Membership at the Lawrence Jewish Community Congregation? Members’ dues support Jewish life in Lawrence. We want to continue to offer religious services, including High Holiday services; religious school; adult education; holiday celebrations; and lectures and social activities sought by our membership. Our dues are established by each member on the basis of his/her financial situation. For those able to conform to them, we offer suggested guidelines, which are 1.5% of gross income. Single-parent families and new members for the first year are 1%. Associate Membership for those who live outside of Lawrence or pay dues to another congregation is $216 per year. Contact the Treasurer, Bob Buddemeier. if you have questions or wish to explore alternative arrangements. To become a member, please print the following information and send with your check to: LJCC, 917 Highland Drive, Lawrence, KS 66044. NAME ADDRESS

CITY STATE ZIP

PHONE E-MAIL

Lawrence Jewish

Community Congregation

917 Highland Drive

Lawrence, KS 66044

Return Service Requested

Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Lawrence, KS 66044 Permit No. 79

lawrence jewish community newslawrence jewish community … · 10/5/2012 · sunday, may 19 3:30pm...

Documents