tba november/december 09 bulletin

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THE VOICE TEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM, 1301 WASHINGTON STREET, CANTON, MA 02021 PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY CHESHVAN-TEVET 5770 / NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ISSUE NO. 2 Minyans are Sunday-Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Minyan calendars are enclosed. If you can’t go on your scheduled night, please find someone to cover for you. The synagogue would like to be informed about all important events and occasions, including births, weddings, etc., as well as illnesses and deaths. Please notify the office at (781) 828-5250. Susan Slavet, Lesley and Michael Shain Honored on Simchat Torah On Simchat Torah, Temple Beth Abraham honored Susan Slavet as Kallat Bereshit, in honor of her religious growth and deepening connection to our faith. Lesley and Michael Shain were honored as Hatan Torah in appreciation of their leadership and long-term dedication to our congregation. Here are their speeches upon receiving their awards. Susan Slavet Kallat Bereshit For many years I was involved with a professional organization that related to my work. I served on the Board and had two terms as the president. When my second term ended, a colleague asked me what I was going to do with my extra time. My response was that I wanted to get involved in my synagogue. So I tried, but nothing seemed to help me make a connection. When Michael Shain asked me to be part of the Adult Ed committee, I actually had things to do that were my responsibility; I had ownership, and the connec- tion was starting. The committee has had some ups and downs, but I am still committed. During a difficult period at work, I became a Friday night regular. Shabbat is the break from the week, and I needed a way to get the week out of my mind. Coming to shul, concentrating on the prayers, working on my Hebrew, and meeting the other “regulars” gave me another connection. Then in April 2008, my father died and I knew I wanted to say Kaddish as often as I could. So now I became a daily minyan regular and Shabbat regular. The connections continued. When (continued on page 5) Lesley Shain Hatan Torah Thank you all for this very special recognition. I truly feel honored that the Temple Beth Abraham community has recognized both my devotion and contributions to the temple. But I have to tell you that I do this for selfish reasons, because I like what I do. I like helping people, and I like being the conduit for others to also help. I love being Jewish. I grew up in Mattapan where the world was Jewish. Today I work in a Jewish environment, a temple, teaching nursery school. I made my first friends in Canton when I joined Hadassah. We sent the kids to Solomon Schechter. And Michael persuaded me to live in Israel for a year. I love traditional Jewish food, and I enjoy and appreciate my temple friends and community. However, it has taken me years to understand why feeling Jewish is not enough. In 1974, I was living in San Francisco and looking for my Jewish roots, because I could not find any grandmothers with a Yiddish accent. So I took an introductory class in Judaism. During the class, the rabbi said that every Jew must support his/her temple. I did not know what he was talking about. I had never belonged to a temple, and I was Jewish. But now I do understand the (continued on page 7)

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Page 1: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

THE VOICETEMPLE BETH ABRAHAM, 1301 WASHINGTON STREET, CANTON, MA 02021

PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY CHESHVAN-TEVET 5770 / NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ISSUE NO. 2

Minyans are Sunday-Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Minyan calendars are enclosed.If you can’t go on your scheduled night, please find someone to cover foryou.

The synagogue would like to be informed about all important events andoccasions, including births, weddings, etc., as well as illnesses and deaths.Please notify the office at (781) 828-5250.

Susan Slavet, Lesley and Michael Shain Honoredon Simchat Torah

On Simchat Torah, Temple BethAbraham honored Susan Slavet as KallatBereshit, in honor of her religiousgrowth and deepening connection to ourfaith. Lesley and Michael Shain werehonored as Hatan Torah in appreciationof their leadership and long-termdedication to our congregation. Hereare their speeches upon receiving theirawards.

Susan SlavetKallat Bereshit

For many years I wasinvolved with a professionalorganization that related to mywork. I served on the Board andhad two terms as the president.When my second term ended, acolleague asked me what I wasgoing to do with my extra time.My response was that I wantedto get involved in my synagogue.So I tried, but nothing seemed tohelp me make a connection. When Michael Shain askedme to be part of the Adult Edcommittee, I actually had thingsto do that were my responsibility;

I had ownership, and the connec-tion was starting. The committeehas had some ups and downs, but Iam still committed.

During a difficult period atwork, Ibecamea Fridaynightregular.Shabbatis thebreakfrom theweek,and Ineeded away toget the

week out of my mind. Coming toshul, concentrating on the prayers,working on my Hebrew, andmeeting the other “regulars” gaveme another connection.

Then in April 2008, my fatherdied and I knew I wanted to sayKaddish as often as I could. Sonow I became a daily minyanregular and Shabbat regular. Theconnections continued. When

(continued on page 5)

Lesley ShainHatan Torah

Thank you all for this veryspecial recognition. I truly feelhonored that the Temple BethAbraham community has recognizedboth my devotion and contributionsto the temple. But I have to tell youthat I do this for selfish reasons,because I like what I do. I likehelping people, and I like being theconduit for others to also help.

I love being Jewish. I grew up inMattapan where the world wasJewish. Today I work in a Jewishenvironment, a temple, teachingnursery school. I made my firstfriends in Canton when I joinedHadassah. We sent the kids toSolomon Schechter. And Michaelpersuaded me to live in Israel for ayear. I love traditional Jewish food,and I enjoy and appreciate mytemple friends and community. However, it has taken me yearsto understand why feeling Jewish isnot enough. In 1974, I was living inSan Francisco and looking for myJewish roots, because I could notfind any grandmothers with aYiddish accent. So I took anintroductory class in Judaism.During the class, the rabbi said thatevery Jew must support his/hertemple. I did not know what he wastalking about. I had never belongedto a temple, and I was Jewish.

But now I do understand the (continued on page 7)

Page 2: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

Temple Beth Abraham willpresent Laurie B. Miller, author ofMy Body, Their Baby, on Monday,November 16th, 8:00 p.m. Thebook group will be hosted by BethRosenblatt at TBA.

Here’s a synopsis of the book:Can anything compare to thefriendship between teenage girls?When Laurie and Meg met atcamp in the summer of 1974, animmediate bond was formed.

Even though they lived thou-sands of miles apart from oneanother, their friendship continued.As years went by, Laurie gotmarried and had two children.Meg also got married, but shecontinued to live with a lifelongillness, which made conceiving andcarrying a child very risky. Laurie’sidea to carry Meg’s child for her

Book Group featuring author Nov. 16

2

Rabbi David’s Message: High Holy What?

So Nu? What have you donefor God lately? Don’t look at thepage sheepishly, as if you don’tknow what I’m talking about. OnYom Kippur you all assured methat I had made my case that Godneedsyou.Youwere allfeelingthatDivinetug then– whataboutnow?Has thepowerand the message of the High HolyDay season worn off already?We’re a month into the newJewish year: How are you doingwith your resolutions? What haveyou done for God lately?

More than four shabbatot havecome and gone. How did youcelebrate the seventh day of eachweek? How did you praise God forCreation?

The Torah is read on Mondays,Thursdays, Saturday mornings andSaturday afternoons in addition tospecial holidays. That means thatJews around the world have heard,read and studied Torah more than40 times since singing Kol Nidrei.How often did you make time forTorah – either in shul, in the office,at home or online?

More than 100 meals andcountless snacks have been eatensince we asked God to forgive usfor our sins – how much thoughthave you given to the food that youput in your body? How have yousanctified the act of eating?

Every hour of every day offersus the opportunity to do acts ofloving kindness, g’milut chasadim.

That’s more than 720 chancessince the blast of the shofar tomake a difference in someone’slife. How many of theseopportunities have you embracedand how many have you avoided?

With the Talmud teaching us tosay 100 blessings each day andmore than 30 days since thebirthday of the world – we’ve hadmore than 3,000 opportunities tothank God for the bounty ofblessings in our lives. How manyof these blessings have you saidout loud? How many have beenwhispered in your heart?

In this month of Thanksgiving,I hope you feel that Divine tugagain – not as a burdensome,obligatory yanking but as a lovingand encouraging yearning for youto do your part in being God’spartner – whatever that part maybe.

led them down an amazing andmagical path together, but triumphturned to tragedy in this powerful,engrossing account of friendshippushed to the limit. This is morethan just a story about a womanwho becomes a surrogate mother;it is a story with a number ofthemes: friendship, love, unselfish-ness, family, health, sickness, andloss.

On Monday, December 21, theTBA book group will discuss TheBook of Lies by Brad Meltzer.This program will be hosted atTBA by Dena Kaufman.

Next bulletin is January-February. Deadline is December 1. Emailarticles and photos to [email protected].

TBA KoreanWar Veterans

Honored

On Veterans Day, the town ofCanton will honor all veterans whoserved at least one day of activeduty between June 25, 1950 andJanuary 31, 1955, the periodcovering the Korean War.

TBA members Korean WarEra veterans are: BensonDiamond, Warren Foreman,Theodore Liftman, Harvey Malin,Leonard Segal, Nathan Slawby,and Frank Weiner. We honor theirservice to their country.

Page 3: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

President’s Message

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Because it is being made into amovie, one of my favorite books –“Eat, Pray, Love” – has been inthe news a lot lately. I hadn’tthought about this book in a while(I think I read it more than twoyears ago), but with the holidaysjust ending the themes that thisbook brings up are ones that I’macutely aware of right now.

Tome,thesethreewordsarethees-senceoflife.With-outfoodwe cannot live. Without spiritualityof some sort our lives are notwhole. Without love, what are weliving for? The order of the wordsin the title, to me, reflects theimportance of each activity. I’msure most of you would agree thatfueling our bodies makes the othertwo activities possible. Rememberhow hard it was to concentrate onYom Kippur? And I’m sure one ortwo of you were not exactly in aloving mood by the end of the day(I know I was a bit grouchy andtired). When we’re notconcentrating on how hungry weare, we can engage in otheractivities and be more open andgenerous.

Next, the word Pray. Aconnection with G-d and theknowledge that, although you maynot always get the answers youseek, you feel in your heart thatsomeone is listening to you. That isthe reason I think we pray. The actof praying with others enhances

our connection with G-d. If I prayalone, it’s one small voice. When Ipray with others and our voicesco-mingle, and I can almostvisualize the sounds lifting up,entwined like the Havdala candle,towards G-d. When I pray, I’mfilled with the certainty that thereis a higher power who offers methe opportunity to make this abetter world.

And how do we make theworld better? Through love. Bygiving of ourselves without thethought of “What’s in it for me?”I’m a firm believer that every actof kindness is returned at somepoint. Do you let someone go infront of you in traffic? Spendsome time with a sick friend?Volunteer to help out at thetemple? Some day, you won’tknow when an act of kindness willcome back to you.

When we spend our daysgiving love, time and energy, evenwhen our lives are so busy that wesurely don’t have an extra minuteto spare, we are building up thelove that will come back to us inkind. That’s what makes our livesworth living. The warmth and lovethat I felt from all of you over theholidays made all the extra workand sleepless nights worthwhile.Even though I wasn’t looking forit, the love I have for TBA and myTBA family really did come backto me during those days of awe.

Thank you for allowing me toEat, Pray and Love with all of youthis year.

Kol TuvMarci BernotasPresident

I can say that I haveactually seen Susan Slavet’sspiritual growth over the pastyear and a half. The KallatBereshit award is sometimes ahard one to bestow. How doyou know how much a personhas grown spiritually over thecourse of time? With Susan,what started out as a minyancommitment to honor her fathergrew into an embrace ofJudiasm and a connection withall of us at TBA. When theRabbi and I were discussingwho should receive this award,and I told him that I thoughtSusan was the obvious choice,he thought for a moment andsaid, “You’re right. When she’snot at services it’s as if some-thing very special is missing.”Susan’s embrace of prayer, herinsightful questions and answersduring the Rabbi’s D’var andher willingness to share herlearning with others at Nosh &Drosh are what make her sovery deserving of this award. Iam so looking forward to herfurther involvement with us atTBA and hope she is lookingforward to it as well.

It is my great honor topresent Susan with this yearsKallat Bereshit award for herspiritual growth and her com-mitment to sharing her experi-ence with others.

I’ve been told that some-times it’s hard to find enoughwords to create a five-minutespeech about someone. Well,this time, it will be hard to fiteverything I have to say intoonly five minutes. If there was

(continued on page 4)

President’sremarks:

Hatan Torah

Kallat Bereshit

Page 4: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

Congregational Education

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During the High Holy Days wespend a lot of time reflecting onthe past year. We make promisesto ourselves that we will speakmore kindly, be more patient, andnot repeat the mistakes from lastyear. Well now a month or morehas passed. The back-to-backholidays are behind us, and wehave returned to our busy andhectic schedules. How many of ushave thought about the Tshuvah(repentance) we did? Does it countif we meant it at the time but havedone nothing about it?

We teach our children thatwhen they do something wrong,they need to say, “I am sorry.” Butis that really enough? Are wordsall we need to make things betteror do choices and actions count? Iffaced with the same situation,would you handle thingsdifferently?

This year during SynaplexShabbat, we will once again beoffering Starbucks Shabbat. Forthose of you who have not had theopportunity to join us, it is aninformal time to explore yourspirituality, and yes I do provide

refreshments. Over the course ofthe year, we are going to be talkingabout Tshuvah and exploring if one

canbe atpeacespir-ituallywhenfilledwithangeror re-sent-ment.Wewill

begin this journey on November14th.

If you have any questions,please contact me [email protected] in the words of HenryDavid Thoreau: “Things do notchange; we change.” So don’t beafraid to discover your truespiritual self.

B’Shalom,Melissa RudmanCongregational Educator

(continued from page 3)ever a couple who embodied thespirit of Hatan Torah, Lesleyand Michael Shain are it. It’s notjust that they volunteer to doanything and everything that weask of them, but that they do itgladly and with an enthusiasmthat is infectious. I don’t thinkthat there is a committee thatwe have here that they have noteither chaired or been a part of,from Adult Ed to Social Actionto Youth Committee to Passportto Israel, and on and on. I don’tremember them ever saying“no” when asked to help out. But aside from their willing-ness to volunteer, they also bringan incredible curiosity to every-thing they do. They don’t justask how to do something; theytry to figure out a way to do itbetter. Michael, Lesley and Ihave had so many discussionsabout ways to look at problemsfrom another angle. I’m not sureif that’s because they have somany ideas, or if they just enjoyplaying devil’s advocate. None-theless, Michael and Lesleyforce us to think outside the boxon so many levels. And I wouldbe remiss if I didn’t mentiontheir deep commitment to Israeland to Judiasm itself. They areregular Shabbat goers and likenothing better than to engageothers in discussions about thatday’s Parsha or Judiasm ingeneral. I have learned so muchfrom our discussions and I knowthat others have as well.

And so, it is with greatpleasure and appreciation that Ipresent Lesley and MichaelShain with this year’s HatanTorah award for outstandingcommitment to Temple BethAbraham.

President’sRemarks

Extreme Makeover…LibraryEdition. Thanks to the LustbaderFamily and with the expertise ofDean and Joanne Howard(Joanne’s Dad, Robert Babcoclk,was our Shabbat Helper), ourlibrary will be undergoing aremake.

We will have new cabinets,carpet, our walls will be painted,and we will have new furniture. Itwill become a multipurpose roomwith an area for Melissa Rudman,a classroom, a place to hold

meetingsand a placejust to takea book andread orschmoozewith yourfriends.

Therewill be a special section designatedfor Holocaust material. DavidLustbader’s father is a survivor,and this project was originally

(continued on page 8)

Lustbader Family Gift:TBA Library to have “Makeover”

Page 5: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

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(continued from page 1)Dena asked me to join the RitualCommittee since I was here all thetime anyway, I said yes. Ofcourse, when I signed up to beminyan captain for the week ofMarch 30 (my father’s firstyartzeit), no one told me that thefifth week of the month was one toavoid. I guess being the newbie,that was my initiation. However,since I met so many people duringthe year, when I asked forvolunteers, you were there. I hadmore connections!

So, ironically the sadness ofmy father’s death is what it took toget me connected. But it was alsothe wonderful, warm people whomI have met that will help me stayconnected.

I would ask that all the priorrecipients of the Hatan Bereshitaward who are here today toplease stand. Thank you for beingsuch good role models for all of us.

Some special thanks to ourFriday night group: Brenda, Joel,Margie, Kim, Peter, Alex, Emma,Sy, Judy, Harvey, AJ, Lynn andnow Lena. You really makewelcoming Shabbat special.

Thanks to Marci and Dena forbringing me into the Shabbatmorning service. And a giant thankyou to Rabbi David; your GoodShabbat kiss and hug is so uniqueand so special to me.

Finally, my request of all ofyou is to look for people like meand find a way to bring them in. Ithink there are many memberswho would like the connection, butthey don’t know how to do it. Minecame through education andprayer, and that is our foundation.That is what TBA stands for.

Susan SlavetHonored

Acclaimed singer/songwriterLisa Yves (our own Lisa Winner)headlines a cabaret showcase onSaturday, November 7, 7:00 p.m. –10:00 p.m. at TBA.

Yves, an award winning vocal-ist, pianist, and musician interpretsthe songs: Wind Beneath My Wings,Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Whena Man Needs a Woman, The Rose...and more!

She’s been featured on theToday Show with her all-womenrock band “HRT”, performed atBoston Symphony Hall, and withHarry Connick Jr. Yves’s talent,described by the Today Show’sHoda Kotb as “inspirational”, isillustrated in her tribute in song andword to that versatile brash belter,The Divine Miss M, in a powerfullive musical performance.

Musical Showcase to featureLisa Yves performing

“A Tribute to Bette Midler”

The evening begins with showtunes and standards performed byJulie Beckham of the RiversideTheatreWorks and Mixed Emo-tions, the traveling cabaret troupe.Bring a friend (or several) and joinus for a nightclub-style eveningright here in the neighborhood, withcabaret seating and beer, wine andrefreshments available for pur-chase. Admission to enjoy theBroadway-caliber talent is $35 perperson. This event WILL sell out,so get your tickets early! Yourpayment is your reservation. For reservations, visithttp://tbacanton.ning.com orwww.lisayves.com. Or mail acheck for $35 per person toCabaret to the temple, 1301Washington St., Canton. Informa-tion at (781) 828-5250.

Page 6: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

Religious School Happenings

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Good & Welfare

The Religious school is off toan amazing start. We began byimmersing ourselves in the Tishreiholidays. It was wonderful seeingthe children doing everything fromdavening to blowing bubbles fortashlich. There was a true spirit ofKehillah when the Religious schooland the temple community joinedtogether to celebrate Sukkot.Students and their parentsgathered together to learn aboutSukkot by creating group Sukkahswith themes that ranged fromcandy, veggies, legos, Hawaiian,and natural supplies found outside.

We hope you had a chance tosee them. It was wonderful to seeour families enjoying time withfriends, and learning about Sukkotin this upbeat environment. Manythanks to Shelley Keimach whoprepared a delicious kiddish lunchfor all to enjoy.

We are looking forward to manyexciting events in the upcomingmonths. On November 8th, KitahDalet will be partici-pating in ourannual Jewish Boston trip. Kitah Ganwill celebrate its milestone with aShabbat dinner on December 11th.The momentum continues with aFamily Learning opportunity onDecember 13th and the 3rd-5thgrade Shabbaton on December 18thand 19th.

The Ruth L. Diamond ReligiousSchool would like to extend a heartymazel tov to our upcoming B’naiMitzvot and their families. We areproud of their hard work.

· Jamie Pozner - November 7th

· Matthew Gilmore - November 21st

B’Shalom,Vaad LimudMelissa RudmanRabbi David

MILESTONESNancy Mark was honored by

Norfolk County and received theSupport Person for Canton Award.

Ami and Ellen Kollangi on theengagement of their son Ari toJanel Rabinowitz

Margie and Rich Zides on theengagement of their daughter,Pamela, to John Gentile.

Brenda and Joel Kessel on theengagement of their son, Barney,to Nava Cretu

Lois and Andrew Jaynes onthe engagement of their son,Daniel, to Alyssa Goode

Herb and Sherri Lewis on themarriage of their daughter,Rebecca, to Justin Rakitin

Jane Moscow and DickShmishkiss on the recent marriageof Jane’s son, Scott Cohen, toPatricia Cohen

Barbara and Elliot Grupp onthe birth of their grandson, Eli MoeBerkley

CONDOLENCES:Elaine Matisoff on the loss of

her husband, Macey.

Our Membership Drive thisyear was very successful. Wewant to welcome back into ourTBA family, Harvey & AndreaKatz with Rebecca & Michael;Greg & Michelle Palter withSophie; and Mark & Elyse Levin-Russman with Hayley & Adam.

We want to welcome thefollowing new families into ourextended family community: Steve& Lori Novick-Carson with Daniel& Olivia; Jim & Karen Glick withMichael & Bryan; Gene & IreneLeon with Edward; David & JillLinsenberg with Joshua; WendyLobel with Rachel & Jacob;Melissa Brindley-Oksman &Michelle Oksman with Makenna;Scott & Amy Osband; Avital Rech& Liat Hoffman with David, Yosef

& Elianna; along with Steven &Jennifer Wolfe with Jayna &Jordan.

Remember to mark yourcalendar for our New MemberDinner, Friday, November 20th.This is being held in conjunctionwith Shabbat Unplugged. We hopeto see you there.

Our 5th Annual MembershipBBQ was terrific. As in previousyears, it brought out many membersnot seen all the time, as well asmany prospective members. I wantto thank all our wonderfulvolunteers without whom this nightwould not have taken place. Aspecial thank you to our head Chefand my Co-Chair, Ruthy Gomolkaalong with her daughter Faith; toour Congregational Educator,

Membership Update

Melissa Rudman, who is ouroverall wonderful ReservationTaker, Shopper, Kitchen Helper,and anything else we need her todo. Thank you to Phyllis and KeithMoore for their donation of ourCenterpieces and to Phyllis formanning our welcoming table.Thanks to our Brotherhoodvolunteers, Alan Goldberg, RickGomolka, Paul Gorsky, SolSandpearl and last but not least,my husband, Neil. I would alsolike to thank Judy Steinberg andJohn Adams for all their help.

Phyllis LernerMembership Co-Chair

Page 7: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

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Michael Shain

(continued from page 1)importance of supporting asynagogue, especially oursynagogue.

I feel that the temple, just likethe world, is made up of manyintertwining threads. And it takesmany different threads to makesomething work. I am just one ofthe threads that make up ourtemple.

My involvement and com-mitment in the many differentactivities could not have beensuccessful without the involve-ment of others. So as you honorme with this award, I would liketo honor you and say thank youfor all your time, effort andfinancial investments.

The most recent examplewas your response to our drivefor the Canton Food Pantry. Youhave made what I do not a job buta commitment to do more. And Ireally believe that the more we doin our temple, the stronger thecommunity we will be.

A special thank you toMichael, my husband. He is mypartner and my mentor. Heinspires me to do more. Thank youto John Adams and Judy Steinberg.They are two of my greatesthelpers and never say no. Thankyou to Melissa Rudman for alwayssaying yes to passing out flyersand therefore, as I see it, creatinga stronger thread between thegeneral community and theHebrew School. I thank the Rabbifor his encouragement andsuggestions.

And I thank my Templecommunity for responding as theydo. May we continue to grow andbe a stronger community. Thank you, from the bottom ofour hearts.

Lesley and Michael Shain Honored as Hatan Torah

Lesley Shain

Lesley, my better half, myanchor, the one who keeps megrounded, and I are truly honored,and were totally shocked, by thisaward. I, for one was so surprisedthat I told Marci, “Don’t do thisagain without a warning. I’m not a

kid any longer. I don’t know if myheart could take another shock likethis.”

We are being honored for doingwork. My definition of work hasalways been doing something underduress to accomplish a given goal,i.e. homework to prepare for anexam, or going to work on a coldand snowy day, to get a paycheck.

Now work and I have anagreement. I don’t want anything todo with it, and it doesn’t wantanything to do with me. So Lesleyand I are being honored forsomething else. What could it be? Let me tell you my vision ofwork. Every time I go to the officeand see people klupping andbanging, typing and copying, makingout budgets and going over lists, andthey are doing this year in and yearout, this is Work! When I seepeople shlepping old junk out of thestorage room and loading it into atrash removal truck, this is Work!When I see fifteen young and not

so young men cutting and raking,clearing and removing five tons ofdebris from the parking lot on a90-degree day in May, this isWork! The Road Race, this isWork! Writing, directing andacting in the Purim Spiel formonths, this is Work! Arranging allthe High Holiday seats, sales andhonors, this is work! So why are we worthy? Thequestion is worth asking foreveryone who is involved orthinking of getting involved withmaking this synagogue work. I started looking around andasking myself why are so manypeople working so hard? Could itbe the pay? No. Could it be thekudos? Maybe, but probably not.So what could it be? Maybe it isthis: it’s not really work but a laborof love. My father, of blessedmemory, once told me that if youdo what you enjoy, you won’twork a day in your life. We mustenjoy it. To quote The Fiddler onthe Roof , “Sounds crazy, no?” Cheryl Okun, in her MinyanAppeal, said it well when she saidbeing involved allows you to putfaces to the names and brings themeaning of community to life. Anold-time neighbor of mine told mewhen I first moved into town, “Ifyou want to get along in this town,join the temple, go to shul andDON’T GO ON THE BOARD.”But he was wrong. Going on theboard and becoming involved hasled me to many fine friendshipsand a far greater appreciation ofwhat this shul stands for and whatit can become in the future. Thework has morphed into a labor oflove. So I guess we are sharing thisaward for doing something wetruly enjoy. Not bad! We hope ourexamples will help others to getinvolved so that they, too, can feelwhat we are feeling now.

Page 8: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

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Temple Beth Abraham AdultEducation presents a Specialthree-Session Course with BobBaseman on Sunday, November1, 8 and 22, 9:30-11:00 a.m.

Does the Jewish worship

service seem like an amorphousblob of “Baruch Ata Adonoys”and “Yiskadal v’yiskadashes”without any underlying logic?

Does not reading Hebrew

make you feel like an outsider?

Adult Ed: Making Sense of the Temple Worship Service

Do you wonder why other

congregants bob and dip at certaintimes and stick their baby fingersinto the air at others?

Are you apprehensive about

being called to the alter, becauseyou feel you simply don’t knowenough yet?

Are you afraid of making a fool

of yourself by asking questionswhose answers you assumeeveryone else knows?

Do you think the above are all

unalterable barriers to gettingsomething out of the service?

If the answer to any of thesequestions is yes, do I have acourse for you! We will examinethe simple and beautiful underlyingorder and form to Jewish worship.I am confident that your time atthe temple will be more meaningfuland rewarding as a result of thisstudy.

For further details, e-mail meat [email protected] or call(781) 784-6053. This course isbased on “The Synagogue SurvivalGuide” by Jordan Lee Wagner and“To Pray as a Jew” by HayimHalevy Donin”.

Bob Baseman Program Chair

(continued from page 4)started to honor the people of theHolocaust. We will even have anonline catalog so you will be ableto see if we have a book youwant. Due to generous donations,it was able to grow into an entirerenovation.

The renovations will beginsometime in November with thecleaning out of the library. If youwould like to help, please contactme at [email protected] orcontact Wendy Lustbader [email protected].

Your donations to our libraryfund will help purchase new booksand media. With Chanukahapproaching, perhaps you wouldlike to donate in honor of a lovedone, or for an anniversary orbirthday or just because. Adonation of $18 purchases a book.A nameplate is placed in the book,and your donation inacknowledged to the honoree.

Thank you in advance forthose who will help and for thosewho will donate to make our newlibrary….SPECTACULAR!

Harriet LavineLibrary Chair

TBA Library tohave “Makeover”

Please join Temple BethAbraham’s Sisterhood for teaand cookies as we welcomeLaurie Miller, an excellentspeaker and talented author,who will share her first novel“My Body, Their Baby” with us.

In her novel, Laurie tells of herexperience of being a surro-gate mother. This promises tobe an inspiring afternoon, asher book has been enjoyed bymany.

When: Sunday, December 6 at 3:00 p.m.Where: Temple Beth AbrahamCost: $10

RSVP: Susan Lipsitt at [email protected] or 617-364-0008

Whether you have read the book or not, please join us.Laurie will have copies of her book available for sale thatafternoon and will be happy to sign them. The cost of herbook is $22.95.

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Social Action in Action

Social Action is alive and wellat Temple Beth Abraham. OurTemple Community responded toour appeal with 85 bags ofgroceries and toiletries for theCanton Food Pantry. You alsocontributed financially. The FoodPantry said that TBA is the largestfood drive that they have.Congratulations: a job well done.

Through the month ofNovember we are collectingclothing and shoes of all sizes.These are for adults and childrenin rural areas in Uganda. HealthyVillage Networks, a non- profitorganization, is shipping thesethings to Uganda. The mission ofHealthy Village Networks is toimprove the quality of life in ruralcommunities of Uganda. Pleasebring clothing to Temple as soon aspossible. Tax receipts are availableupon request. More information at

HealthyVillageNetworks.org.Our commitment to Jewish

Family and Children’s Services,Family Table program is ongoing.We are collecting 20 cans ofKosher soup and 20 cans ofvegetables each month. OnSunday, November 15, we arecommitted to providing drivers todeliver to families receiving thisfood. This is something special todo with children of all ages.

Chanukah willbe here before weknow it. JewishFamily and Child-ren’s Services willbe collecting giftsand gift cards forHanukah for fami-lies experiencingfinancial diffi-culties.

Project Ezra

will again take place on ChristmasDay. This is the United SynagogueCouncil’s outreach program forvolunteers to deliver meals tohomebound elders.

Any questions, please call theoffice or me at (781) 828-0531 oremail me at [email protected].

I thank you for helping to makea difference in the lives of others.

Lesley Shain

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Entertainment Books

Entertainment Books for 2010 are nowavailable for $25.

Please call Sheryl at (781) 828-5006after 7:00 p.m., or email her at

[email protected]

Page 12: TBA November/December 09 Bulletin

Temple Beth Abraham Staff

Spiritual Leader..............Rabbi David PaskinCongregational Educator.....Melissa RudmanPresident..............................Marci BernotasOffice Manager......................Judy SteinbergRabbinic Intern............................Eric CohenThe Voice Editor......................Sherry Alpert

Temple Beth Abraham1301 Washington StreetCanton, MA 02021(781) [email protected]