Sisterhood Scene and meet people face to face once again. Counting as I see it means hope. Hope that things in the future will return to normal, that faces we love will be with us in person, and that the calendar will proceed along its normal path. May hope be your byword this Passover. Sandy Gruenberg, Sisterhood President
By the time you are reading this article, the Seders will be over and we will be into the counting of the Omer. The Omer is counted from the second night of Passover until the first day of Shavuot—50 days hence. The Omer was a sheaf of the new wheat or barley brought to the Temple along with a sacrifice to signify the start of the period from Peach to Shavuot in the calendar. It also signified the beginning of the new wheat harvest that would end agriculturally around Shavuot, when the first fruits would be harvested. That got me thinking about counting. Why do we as humans count things? Counting makes things seem more special like when we count our marble collection or our dolls as children to make them seem larger than they might be. Counting is a way of leading up to an important event that helps us pass the time and prepare ourselves for the celebration or important day to come. During the Omer, we are counting from freedom of Passover to the acceptance of the Torah on Shavuot, a very weighty time in our people’s history. We are also counting the days till spring as the air warms and the flowers begin to bloom. This year in particular we are counting to the end of the Pandemic with the ability to hug our loved ones
What’s Growing in Sisterhood’s Garden This Spring • Bulbs, Bulbs, Bulbs! See the box below about how you can order bulbs directly from the supplier to beautify your gardens and to also help Sisterhood raise funds for the shul. • April 8th: Join our clergy as Sisterhood sponsors a Yom HaShoah program for the entire congregation on Thursday, April 8th. Our own Sandy Speier Klein will tell her mother’s moving story. • May 2nd: Come and hear a conversation between Rabbi Sitkin and Rabbi Fisher and the author of a new book, Unstoppable, about how an immigrant from Nazi Europe came to New York and changed his life story completely. Each participant family will receive the book free. • June: Watch for our installation of officers and a surprise program that is sure to delight all.
UNSTOPPABLE: Legacy for the Post-pandemic World Lessons from the life of Siggi Wilzig Please join the Beth El clergy for a special Zoom program sponsored by Sisterhood
Sunday, May 2nd, at 7:30 pm A conversation between Joshua M. Greene, author of Unstoppable, the unbelievable true story of Siggi Wilzig's journey from Auschwitz to Wall Street, and Rabbi Sitkin, about overcoming trauma and adversity. A Zoom link will be available on Beth El's Livestream page (www. bethelnr.org/livestream). All registrants will receive a complimentary copy of the book.
EVENING BOOK CLUB
SISTERHOOD PRESENTS BAGELS & BOOKS
invites you to discuss its next book
Monday, April 26th • 9:30 am
The Jews Should Keep Quiet, by Rafael Medoff
For those who want to read ahead, our May 24th book is Lioness: Golda Meir, by Francine Klagsbrun
April 21st • 7:30 pm
We will discuss The World We Knew, by Alice Hoffman
Questions? Contact Erica at mmleepstein@gmail.com or Cynthia at cynglickman@gmail.com.
Questions? Call Arlene Salman 914-235-2485, aesalman@aol.com. 9
