Kehilot V'Kolot קהילות וקולות July/August 2023

HOW TO REACH US

MAIN CONTACT INFO

info@cbinorthampton.org www.cbinorthampton.org

(413) 584-3593

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CO-PRESIDENTS:

Barbara Black

barbarablack413@gmail.com

Stan Schapiro schapirostan@gmail.com

VICE PRESIDENTS:

Rachel Currie-Rubin

Ruthie Oland-Stuckey

SECRETARY:

John Todd

TREASURER

Lewis Rosenthal

AT-LARGE DIRECTORS:

Shemariah Blum-Evitts, David Cohen, Joel Feldman, Isaac Fleisher, Eva Gerstle, Miryam Kabakov, Ben Levin, Meredith Lewis, Max Page, Joshua Roth, James Sagalyn, Rebekah Steinfeld, Matthew Wool

COMMITTEE CHAIRS & LEADERS

Avodat Lev: Jen Wenz, Rose Cherneff

Simcha Halpert-Hanson

Bikkur Holim: Norbert Goldfield

Building Committee: John Todd

Capital Campaign:

Rachel Currie-Rubin, Penina Glazer, Pamela Schwartz

Cemetery:

Scott Barton and Ron Ackerman

Chevra Kadisha (women):

Susan Mosler

Chevra Kadisha (men): Scott Barton and Ron Ackerman

Chesed Committee: Susan Mosler and Maxine Stein

Development: Carol Katz

Endowment Management: John Todd

Preschool Education: Barbara Black

House and Properties/Aesthetics: Ben Lewis

Task Force for Israel Democracy: Tamar Fields

Landscape: Mark Brumberg

Library: Irene Rosenthal

Personnel: Stan Schapiro

Rabbinic Transition: Joel Feldman jhfeldman@gmail.com Ellen Gertzog egertzog@gmail.com

Security: Gregg Schwartz

Tikkun Olam: Pamela Schwartz

Valley Jewish Seniors: Henia Lewin – Program Coordinator

Deborah Epstein – Volunteer Coordinator

Welcoming/Membership: Bonnie Diamond and Dan Price

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

(alphabetical by first name)

Aaron Kagan Teen Engagement Coordinator aaron@cbinorthampton.org

Amy Stein Engagement Coordinator amy@cbinorthampton.org

Aram Rubenstein-Gillis Music Director aram@cbinorthampton.org

Rabbi Ariella Rosen

Co-Interim Rabbi and Director of Youth & Family Education and Engagement rabbiariella@cbinorthampton.org

Elijah Burger Youth & Family Administrative Assistant eli@cbinorthampton.org

Emily Kieval Executive Director emily@cbinorthampton.org

Ezra Tumbleson Gan Keshet Preschool Administrator ezra@cbinorthampton.org

Rabbi Jacob Fine

Co-Interim Rabbi and Senior Director of Jewish Life and Abundance Farm rabbijacob@abundancefarm.org

Kate Holdsworth

Director of Gan Keshet Preschool gan.keshet@cbinorthampton.org

Miriam Kudler-Flam Communications & Marketing miriam@abundancefarm.org

Matti Weisberg

Abundance Farm Educator, matti@abundancefarm.org

Naomi Fleisher Office and Volunteer Coordinator naomi@cbinorthampton.org

Nili Simhai

Director of Environmental and Agricultural Education nili@abundancefarm.org

Sid Silverman

Abundance Farm Manager sid@abundancefarm.org

Thomas Bradbury Facilities and Events Coordinator tom@cbinorthampton.org

To contact the rabbis in case of pastoral emergency, call (413) 584-3593 and leave a voice message at extension 210 or email interim@cbinorthampton.org

(This voicemail extension and email are checked regularly even when the office is closed.)

Dear Friends,

Happy Summer! Whether you are a new member, long-time member, or a visitor to CBI, I’m thrilled that you’re here and are reading our rebranded Kehilot v’Kolot (communities and voices) newsletter. The name Kehilot v’Kolot was chosen because CBI is comprised of so many micro-communities and diverse entryways to Jewish life on our campus. A huge thank you goes out to Amy Stein, Miriam Kudler-Flam, and Julie Milliken, whose vision and hard work can be seen in these pages. We hope you enjoy reading about some of the people and programs that make up CBI.

In this moment of transition, as Rabbi David leaves his role as our Senior Rabbi and we begin our interim year, many familiar and new faces will be stepping into leadership roles to support our community’s transition. We are so grateful that Rabbi Jacob Fine and Rabbi Ariella Rosen are serving as our co-interim rabbis. If you read about something in this newsletter that interests you, please reach out – this is a great time to get involved. Please refer to the list of volunteers and staff on the inside cover and call the main office line if you’re not sure where to begin. We would love to help you connect to community in new and meaningful ways.

And finally, as we shared in a recent blog post, CBI has grown tremendously over the last few years—in membership, physical footprint, educational programming for adults, preschoolers, students, and teens, and farm initiatives. We’ve hired additional staff and met other increased expenses to support this growth, increasing our budget by 50% in four years. This summer we are shifting our focus away from program growth and instead we will be stabilizing our foundation, in order to assure long-term financial health and community stability. If you have been thinking about becoming a member, now is the right time to join us and help us build the foundation for our future.

Wishing you a wonderful summer,

Emily Kieval

Kehilot is published every 3 months. Submissions for the next month are due October 1, 2023

NOTE FROM THE CO-PRESIDENTS

Dear Members,

We hope you are enjoying some relaxed time during the mid-summer heat. As we look forward to a busy September and a new year, we are thankful for each one of our 489 member families. We are so grateful for your participation, whether giving of your time as a volunteer, your financial support, your involvement in one of our youth or adult programs, in our ritual services, serving on a committee, and for all the other ways in which your family takes part in our CBI community.

A time of great change means new opportunities and challenges for our community in this coming year. We look forward to completing our “Vision Statement.” Our search for a new Rabbi will commence. At the same time, we face a challenging budget environment. To pay for all the amazing programming at CBI, we need to rely on each member family to support CBI as best as you are able.

We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting those we have not yet met during the coming High Holy Days. Warmly,

Stan Schapiro and Barbara Black

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

The capital campaign committee has been busy at work We have been collaborating with the Building Committee to prepare a proposal to raise money that will enable us to create a Jewish campus for our dynamic and growing community. Our vision is one of a beautiful, flexible and integrated campus that will address the spiritual, educational, and social needs of multiple groups. Presently, with the help of the co-presidents and the staff, we are refining the plan and building the infrastructure to raise the funds in phases so that we can move as efficiently and effectively as our funding allows. For further information, please contact Emily Kieval at emily@cbinorthampton.org.

CBI CONTEMPORARY HOLOCAUST ENDOWMENT FUND

CBI Contemporary Holocaust Topics Endowment Fund

In recognition of the education and community outreach of CBI, the CBI Contemporary Holocaust Topics Endowment Fund will be established at the University of Massachusetts by an anonymous donation of $50,000 by a CBI member. The funds will be for the use of the UMASS Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies (the Department). The Fund will receive a 50% match from UMass bringing its initial amount to $75,000.

The purpose of the Fund is to provide support for an annual event that examines the legacy of the World War II Holocaust and Its impact upon modern, topical issues. This event could include, but is not limited to, single speakers or panels of experts, and will be open to all University community members as well as members of the public. The Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies (or its successor department) at the University will be responsible for the planning and implementation of the annual event and will work with CBI to schedule and choose the event. Our Yom Hashoah Committee will be the contact with the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies.

Update from Co-Chairs Rachel Currie-Rubin, Penina Glazer, and Pamela Schwartz:

RECENT EVENTS

Shavuot

Shavuot at CBI felt like a community joining together for a multi-day revelation party at Mount Sinai. In the leadup, all of our schools learned about wheat, flour, and how to bake bread in our wood-fired oven with Abundance Farm staff. The arrival of the holiday began with learning hosted by our CHALLAH teen program. As we baked and ate pita together, the teens shared their insights about fire, wheat, and Torah.

From there, we gathered for our “Torah from the Ground Up” Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, a night of learning. Connecting receiving of Torah to bringing our own creative spirit into living our Jewish lives, we rotated around to community members who shared their creative practices. We are so grateful to Emmett Leader (ceramic art), Robbie Friedman and Jonathan Dubinsky (shechita, ritual slaughter), Molly Moses (poetry), Jay Smith (digital art), and Helen Bennett and Matthew Goldfield (music and song) for sharing their practices and stories. Much like the revelation at Sinai, the building buzzed with excitement as we all reflected on what we had just experienced. Following a bread, cheesecake, and cereal break, we continued late into the night with learning sessions with master educators Amy Meltzer, Rabbi Becca Walker, and Rabbi David Seidenberg. Following a spirited first day of Shavuot services, campus was once again buzzing on the second day of Shavuot and Shabbat. Ohel Minyan leadership organized songful, energizing services in the Sanctuary, while young children and family members gathered on the farm for Shavuot Shabloom. After playground time and a rockin’ fun service led by Aram Rubenstein-Gillis, we transitioned into a ceremony celebrating “first fruits,” new children. Families stood under a tallit and announced the name of their child, which we echoed along with the words “bruchim haba’im”- welcome! After blessing these new children and their families, the entire community gathered for Herrell’s ice cream and a kiddush lunch. It was a (literally) sweet end to a beautiful holiday!

Avodat Lev: Tuesdays from 6:15-7:15 pm on Abundance Farm

Avodat Lev (Heart Work) is a contemplative chant-based practice based on one of the three Jewish services to honor the passing of the day. We follow the core structure of the mincha/afternoon service. Our avodah/service will however look different liturgically and will include Hebrew and English chanting, movement if desired, guided meditation and meditative silence. The practice is meant to guide us in greeting the afternoon, acknowledge our own holiness and our connection to the holiness of the Creation and allow us to express gratitude. Avodat haLev was initially crafted by Shamu Sadeh and Adam Berman at the Adamah Farming Fellowship housed at Isabella Freedman Retreat Center. We are looking for leaders! It’s an easy, flexible and creative format. Contact Jen Wenz (jwenz12@gmail.com), Rose Cherneff (rosecherneff@gmail.com) or Simcha Halpert-Hanson (yetta.simcha@gmail.com) for more information.

“L’Chaim! Our gratitude, Our love, Our blessing” a party celebrating Rabbi David’s 21 years of leadership at CBI

Mehlaqa Samdani, Executive Director of Critical Connections, speaking to Rabbi Justin David at a community-wide party at the end of June to honor his 21 years of dedicated leadership to CBI as he transitions out of his role as Senior Rabbi, and begins a position as Dean of the Rabbinical School at Hebrew College.

HAVURAH HAPPENINGS

A havurah is a micro-community of 7-15 people who meet monthly around a shared interest or experience. Havurot are homegrown and peer-led, with a Jewish focus. They are made up of CBI members and those outside our community. Some meet in person, and others meet on Zoom. The initiative is funded by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation which provides money for workshops, food, field trips, books, and more. Currently, CBI has 16 active havurot and many have room for more people. Check out this list and read the full descriptions on the CBI havurah webpage:

Caregivers, Creative Writing, Documentary Films (65+),

ALL ABOUT ALMA

An update from Rabbi Ariella Rosen, Director of Youth and Family Education

We had an incredible year at ALMA! With over 80 students enrolled from ages Pre-K through 7th grade, we filled nearly every available space on campus with learning, play, music, and exploration. Led by Rabbi Ariella Rosen and Aram Rubenstein-Gillis, alongside our new(ish) and beloved admin assistant, Elijah Burger, ALMA could also not happen without the wildly creative, dedicated, and loving teaching staff who showed up each week ready to make magic happen.

Thanks to the Abundance Farm and ALMA teams, our program truly ended on a high note with a deep dive into the holiday of Shavuot. On our final Shabbat, everyone enjoyed cheesecake made by Ozzy Gold-Shapiro and the Arazim (5th grade) class and sang their hearts out in our family services and Shabbat Shabloom with Aram. Our Thursday students spent two weeks learning about the link between wheat, bread, and the holiday of Shavuot. They ground wheat into flour and created a

Exploring Aging (65+), Family Havdalah and Holidays (full), Healing Circle, Hearing Our Voices, Hilltowns, Israeli Politics and Culture, Jewish History Text Study, Life Legacy Writing, Mah Jongg, Men’s Group (full), Ohel Minyan, Shabbat Dinner (full), Shoah Community Education, South Street Neighborhood Shabbat Dinner, Ukulele, Veg Pod.

All of the groups were started by someone with an idea and a willingness to bring people together. To learn more about current groups, or to discuss ideas for starting a new group, reach out to Amy Stein amy@ cbinorthampton.org.

wild sourdough starter. They then baked pita, some of which was served at our community Shavuot celebration.

Connecting to the Shavuot theme of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, each student was presented with a Torah verse chosen especially for them at a closing ceremony during which we cheered and celebrated each member of the community.

This past year truly lived up to this beautiful line from the Talmud: “Much have I learned from my teachers, even more from my friends, but from my students I have learned the most.”

Learn more and register for the 2023-2024 year with ALMA at tinyurl.com/alma-reg

GAN KESHET PRESCHOOL

The children at Gan Keshet have been enjoying the fresh spinach, oregano, and other greens growing in the greenhouse of Abundance Farm. We are excited for the many colors to come in summer! As part of our social-emotional curriculum, inspired by the teachings of Lesley Koplow, the children in each classroom have been caring for a family of stuffed animals (fox kits in Kitah Garin pictured here). These stuffed animals serve as vehicles for communication and provide the opportunity for valuable practice; helping children to scaffold their emotional literacy, establish friendships, experience responsibility, and reinforce the feeling of community they are helping to build.

The Kitah Garin class gathered in the sanctuary with Rabbi Ariella for a baby naming ceremony for their fox kits.

Gan Keshet is proud to live up to our name, Rainbow Garden, in every sense- cultivating confidence, creativity, love, inclusion, advocacy, and kindness in the hearts of all those whose lives we touch. We here at Gan Keshet want to affirm our pride, sharing in community with all of you and our continued commitment to creating a safe, inspiring, and celebratory space for everyone—children, teachers, and families—to learn and grow together. Interested in learning more about Gan Keshet? Check out our website: www.gankeshetpreschool.org

TEEN LIFE

Reflections from Aaron Kagan, Teen Engagement Coordinator

The 2022 - 2023 school year marked the launch of a new teen program called CHALLAH, which stands for “Community Having A Lotta Learning and Happiness” (clearly a very serious acronym and not just that we wanted to call it “challah”).

CHALLAH is a weekly, ongoing series of classes for teens in grades 8th to 12th, and apparently it had been some time since CBI had something of this nature. Two of the main goals of CHALLAH include fostering Jewish joy, and deepening Jewish learning through building a range of real-world skills. In the inaugural first three trimesters of CHALLAH, participants took classes in food history with Ozzy Gold-Shapiro, music led by Aram Rubenstein-Gillis, theater with Aaron Kagan, and a wilderness and firemaking class created by Rose Cherneff. In that last class, the students started off by tapping a maple tree on our campus and boiling the sap for a warm drink of spring. They went on to celebrate Lag B’Omer around the bonfire, and Shavuot by baking pita in the Abundance Farm clay oven. We are thrilled that this program ran successfully through its first year, and CHALLAH will resume in the fall with an exciting lineup of new classes. Here’s to more CHALLAH!

Updates from our Campus Partners

NORTHAMPTON SURVIVAL CENTER

Members of the community might notice a small group gathering in the Survival Center driveway on Thursday afternoons at 2 pm and heading over to the farm together. Curious what that’s about? It’s a collaboration across the campus to help newcomers to Abundance Farm feel welcome to explore the space together. Survival Center clients, staff, and volunteers, neighbors, and all other community members are warmly invited to meet up and walk over to the farm together to

ease newcomers into the warm embrace of farm staffers, ready to welcome and orient everyone to the Pick-Your-Own experience. Whether you’ve been curious to explore the farm but didn’t know how to get started, or you’re a farm regular who is happy to share your enthusiasm for all it offers, this walk-around is for you! No reservations needed – just show up and be part of the fun!

LANDER-GRINSPOON ACADEMY

LGA: A vibrant year end for LGA May and June at LGA were amazing.

On May 6 dozens marched in our Northampton Pride contingent. Before we could catch our breath, the entire school participated in Stamp Out Hunger on May 8, delivering bags and flyers to remind neighbors to donate food to the Northampton Survival Center. The very next day we observed Lag B’Omer, with games and a campfire. Two days later we had one of our largest M’Dor L’Dor celebrations. Grandparents and friends enjoyed learning from students in the classroom, and were serenaded in a school-wide choral performance. And holy wow, the video starring students shot to the music of 9 to 5! May came to an awesome close with our first chess tournament, a Tui Sutherland book reading, and deep Torah learning for Shavuot.

With only 6 and ½ days in June, things did not slow down! The year ended with another stunning Gan Opera, seven remarkable students graduating on June 7, and an incredible arcade with games created by Kitah Dalet and Kitah Hey.

If your child would flourish by having these kinds of experiences, contact LGA at: dkolodny@landergrinspoon.org to schedule a tour!

Last Kabbalat Shabbat of the year

4th and 5th grade arcade

ABUNDANCE FARM

Highlights from Rabbi Jacob Fine, Senior Director of Jewish Life and Abundance Farm

It has been a busy and beautiful spring on Abundance Farm. After the big May push, the Farm is now fully planted for the season ahead. The newest members of our team, Sid (Farm Manager) and Matti (Farm Educator) have jumped right in and are already making a big impact through their incredible talents and passion for the work.

The Farm has been buzzing with the sweet sounds of students from all three campus schools who have been enjoying a lot of time learning and playing out in the fields. In the weeks leading up to Shavuot, every student had the opportunity to experience the entire process of bread baking—from observing the growing wheat, to threshing and milling the grain, and then finally baking pita in our wood fired oven.

Our community gathered together, as it does each year, for a spectacular Spring Community Work Party. Volunteers of all ages helped us weed, mulch, plant, stack wood, and beautify the Farm in so many ways! Our free, bi-weekly, Pick-Your-Own program has begun and will continue on Mondays and Thursdays through October. For the fourth year in a row, we are helping over 100 households in the region grow and share food through our Shared Abundance Gardens program. We kicked off the Shared Abundance Gardens season with a joyful and abundant plant distribution day where participants picked up veggie starts as well as a wonderful diversity of native perennials to help attract and support pollinator friends. Please come see us on the Farm!

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Emet Marwell is a campus chapter program manager for the nonprofit Athlete Ally which works towards equality in sports for LGBTQIA+ athletes. He also serves on the NCAA Common Ground leadership team which brings communities of faith and members of the LGBTQIA+ community together, with collegiate athletics as common ground.

Emet grew up in the DC area, he went to Mount Holyoke (recruited for field hockey!) and then to Smith for a Master’s in Exercise and Sports Studies.

We hope you will join us in welcoming Emet to the CBI community. You have a good chance of finding him at Shiru Shabbat services and playing on the CBI Shluggers softball team!

Legislative Team

We are pleased to announce this new Legislative Team as part of our Tikkun Olam Committee! You may be familiar with our annual Legislative Gathering in February, when we meet with our region’s legislators to share our Tikkun Olam legislative priorities and get to know our legislators better. Whether on Zoom (these last 3 years) or in person (for many years before then), this event includes well over 100 Jewish community members and a great inspiration from our legislators. This new team is designed to build continuity around this signature gathering so that we can increase our presence and impact with legislators all year long. That continuity may take the form of a lobby day in Boston (a pre-covid ritual) or meetings in home district offices to advocate for our priorities or a host of other creative possibilities. Our goal is to build our own community’s engagement and our legislators’ accountability to our social justice agenda. Please join us! Email Pamela Schwartz at pschwartz77@gmail.com if you want to learn more and get connected. We would love to hear from you!

Tikkun Olam Grants Fund

The generosity of the CBI community to the Tikkun Olam Grants Fund made possible this year the distribution of $3600, in four $900 donations, to the following organizations:

1) Transhealth Northampton, an independent and comprehensive healthcare center that supports and empowers trans and gender-diverse individuals and families.

2) Manna Community Kitchen, providing nutritious meals and community to those in need in the greater Northampton area.

3) Healing Across the Divides, funding life-changing initiatives that measurably improve health for marginalized Israelis & Palestinians.

4) Team Zamzam, responding to victims of sexual violence in Darfur, Sudan.

Please consider a donation to the Tikkun Olam Grants

ADULT LEARNING

This past spring we had a great adult learning series about prayer. The 6-session class titled “Let’s Talk About Prayer” was taught by Rabbi Becca Walker and delved into the structure and meaning of the Jewish prayer service. This class attracted a wide variety of participants, from all different age and experience levels, which enriched our discussions. We had over 25 participants registered for the series, most of whom

Fund to help us make the most generous contributions possible. Mail a check to CBI with “T.O. Grants Fund” in the memo, or donate online and select Tikkun Olam Grants in the “Type” of payment dropdown.

CBI and Reparations

Since the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020, the Reparations Working Group has been studying reparations and engaging with community members about the possibility of CBI making reparations to the Black community here in Western MA. In December 2022, the RWG presented a proposal to the CBI Board after a year of deeply discussing the various elements of the Reparations Proposal: clarifying rationale, assessing how CBI can pay reparations as an institution, identifying criteria for potential partner organizations, and meeting with nearly every Board member. In the first half of 2023, we engaged over 200 community members in open community meetings and smaller house gatherings, as well as continuing conversations with the Board. As of this summer, we’re still hard at work building support for the Board to commit to institutional reparations to Black community. Contact Judi Wisch at reparationscbi@ gmail.com to ask questions, learn more, and get involved!

Dayenu Climate Action

Members of the Climate Action working group have met with CBI leadership to ensure that all new infrastructure plans are made with our impact on the climate crisis in mind, and in April participated in a march to and vigils in front of the new Chase Bank branch in Northampton in national Dayenu’s ‘All Our Might’ campaign to push the major banks to move their funds from fossil fuels to renewable energy. In May we joined the march against the natural gas pipeline in Springfield organized by local climate allies Springfield Climate Justice Coalition and MA Power Forward. We also shared multiple action alerts to push key state climate legislation throughout the spring, and continue to meet and take action monthly as part of the Dayenu Circle of Western MA that we helped launch last year. All are welcome. For more information, contact sametjoyce@gmail.com

learned in person and a few joined via the livestream. Participants came away with a deeper understanding of parts of the liturgy, opportunities to think about their own spiritual practice, and as a bonus some new connections at CBI.

Thanks to the success of this series, we look forward to designing and offering more adult learning of this sort at CBI in the year ahead!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Our growing community relies on the support of many volunteers, and we hope you will join us. With volunteers, our services and events run more smoothly, our kiddushes are more delicious, and we increase our capacity to repair the world. We have opportunities for a few hours or longer-term commitments including:

Join us in the CBI kitchen on Fridays or Saturdays to prepare kiddush lunch for the community.

Welcome congregants as they arrive at synagogue on Shabbat.

Set up and clean up chairs, tables, food, and sound equipment for services, holidays and events.

Deliver welcome bags and plan new member gatherings as part of the membership committee.

Add your name to the list of Chesed volunteers who provide care to our community by calling someone who is sick, driving people to appointments, running errands, cooking meals, and more.

Visit Jewish patients at Cooley Dickinson Hospital or CBI Seniors who would welcome a visit as part of the Bikkur

Holim committee.

Invite a community member who is alone to your holiday or Shabbat table.

Find out more and sign up on our website: cbinorthampton.org/act, or reach out to naomi@cbinorthampton.org

UPCOMING B’NAI MITZVAH

Nathan and Steven Thompson

B’nai Mitzvah Date: August 19, 2023

Hello, I’m Steven Thompson. I am going into ninth grade at Northampton High School. Some of my favorite subjects in school are English and Civics. I like to play Ultimate Frisbee after school and also play video games with my friends. I’m excited for my Bar Mitzvah because during the last two years at JFK, after spending 7 years at LGA, and having to deal with Covid, I’ve spent less time thinking about my religion. Preparing for my Bar Mitzvah has given me a chance to practice some of the skills that have been rusty since graduating LGA.

Hi! My name is Nathan Thompson. I’m going into ninth grade at Northampton High School. I have a twin brother and younger sister, as well as 2 Siberian cats. My favorite sport is Ultimate Frisbee. I’m excited for my Bar Mitzvah because it will be a good way to learn more about Jewish rituals.

Susan Adelson

B’nai Mitzvah Date: August 26, 2023

I’m a lifelong member of CBI, as were my mother and grandparents. I went to Sunday and Hebrew School here, and although I was a top student in regular school, I didn’t understand anything in Sunday School. Nothing made sense to me, so I became a behavior problem. I convinced my mother to let me drop out. Fast forward about 60 years to 2020 when COVID changed everyone’s lives. Thoughts about life and survival led me to think more about the concept of faith. I immersed myself into the study of Torah. Prayer took on a new meaning for me. My Bat Mitzvah in August won’t be a transition into adulthood; rather, it will mark a transition from being a Jew by birth to a Jew by choice.

DONATIONS – APRIL/MAY 2023

Abundance Farm

William & Margo Cooley

Jo David & Neil Yerman

John Joelson & Joanne Levin

Annual Fund

Jane Allen

The family of Daniel Levy appreciates immensely the responsive services of Justin David on the occasion of Dan’s death in April 2023

Rita Chernoff & Bari Graber

In honor of the bar mitzvah of great-grandson Lev David Duryea

Brin Solomon

Thank you for letting us use your chuppah poles for our wedding!

Cot Shelter Fund

Jo David & Neil Yerman

Jeffrey Korff & Shelley Steuer

Rachel Graber & Ian Duryea

Kitchen Repair Fund

Eleanor & Frederick Alexander

Nancy August

Lisa Barondes

Scott Barton & Randi Klein

In honor of Jane Fleishman’s birthday

Karen Goldstein Bell & Michael Bell

Alan Berkenwald & Joan Schaffer

Barbara Black

Benjamin Braude & Lois Dubin

In honor of Susan Mosler, with gratitude for her kindness (hesed)

Caryn Brause & Steven Breslow

Emily & Rebecca Brocks

Bruce & Deborah Bromberg Seltzer

Jeff Caplan

Joseph & Cathy Cohen

Shirley Cohen

William & Margo Cooley

Rachel Currie-Rubin & Mark Esposito

In memory of Richard Rubin

Louis & Jennifer Davis

Renee Denenfel

Sandra Dennis & Martha Knieriem

Josee & Barbara Diamond Goldin

Bonnie Diamond & Daniel Price

Lori Divine-Hudson

In honor of Rabbi David

Barry Feingold & Marci Yoss

Joel Feldman & Pamela Schwartz

Rob & Tamar Fields

David & Joan Fradkin

Robert Friedman & Shemariah

Blum-Evitts

Bill & Ellen Gertzog

Penina Glazer

Bruce & Nancy Goldstein

Kathy Goos & Barry Werth

Rachel and Nathan Green

Kevin Hale & Ruth Ever

Sabrina Herman & Darren Port

Amy Horowitz & Shana Sureck

Amy Jacobson & Lynn Zashin

Luke Jaeger & Shoshana Marchand

Ricki Kantrowitz & Alex Cohen

Peter Kassis & Liz Friedman

Jacqueline & Erica Kates

In honor of Rabbi Justin David

James Katz & Geri Kleinman

Judith Katz

David & Jodi Kaufman

Emily & David Kieval

Rena & Shalom Kieval

Jeffrey Korff & Shelley Steuer

Neil Kudler & Nancy Flam

Emmett Leader & Rebecca Schachter

Barbara & Richard Lerner

Amy Mitrani

Lisa Newman & Dang Huynh

Max Page & Eve Weinbaum

Celeste Palladino & John Flajnik

Henry Rosenberg & Katherine Hicks

Lewis & Irene Rosenthal

In honor of Judy Katz

Eric Roth & Anne Werry

Eileen Rutman

James Sagalyn & Jane Herzenberg

In honor of the birth of our granddaughter Rosa Aviva Rivoli

Inda Schaenen

Stan Schapiro & Joan Weiner

John & Shelley Schieffelin

Jeff Schrenzel & Beth Rosen

Joshua Schulman & Nili Simhai

Tiertzaleah Schwartz & Donna Sarro

Wayne Schweitzer & Debra Novitch

Andrew & Lois Siegel

In memory of Mildred and Doris Wolfe

Robert Steinberg

Abbie Steiner & Myles Jacobson

Nancy Sternbach

John Todd & Dorothy Nemetz

Simone Topal

David Whitehill & Marissa

Hoechstetter

Noah Winer & Sarah Zlotnik

Steve and Jodi Wolfe

In memory of Doris Wolfe

In Honor of Rabbi David

Scott Barton & Randi Klein

Rose Cabrera

Joseph & Cathy Cohen

Rachel Currie-Rubin & Mark Esposito

Bonnie Diamond & Daniel Price

Nancy Felton

Penina Glazer

Brad & Carol Katz

Stephanie Schamess

Ilana Schmitt

Rachel & Robert Vigderman

Gail Zweigenthal

Rabbi Justin David Discretionary Fund

William & Margo Cooley

In honor of Rabbi David

Allan Hershfield

Sam & Mildred Wolfe B’nei Mitzvah Fund

Stephen Alport & Susan Adelson

Congratulations to Eric Roth on Nat’s graduation from college!

Sue Kurian Kiddush Fund

James Sagalyn & Jane Herzenberg

In honor of the birth of our granddaughter Rosa Aviva Rivoli

Joshua Schulman & Nili Simhai

Tikkun Olam Grants Fund

William & Margo Cooley Frances

We thank the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Jewish Federation for their support of CBI.

Donations received after May 31, 2023 will be listed in the next issue.

MEMBER BIRTHDAYS

July 1

Jessica Bond

Lillie Akiva

Alex Garcia

July 2 Alan Alpert

Sally Edelstein

Sophie Herman-Slaghekke

Shani Ofrat

Diane Palladino

July 3 Caleb Staples

Gavriel Hannah

Frances Welson

Rosalind Torrey

Marlene Rachelle

Maya Staples

Lev Siegel

July 4 Kenneth Neiman

Marilyn Levine

Zachary Kamel

July 5 Jenny Goldstone

July 6 Isaac Davis

Brian Grant

Gail Seefeldt

Leo Wahl-Roseman

Shifra Kabakov

Leslie Fraidstern

July 7 Robert Shycon

July 8 Isaac Kornblatt-Stier

Isla Roth

Jennifer Davis

July 9 Stephanie Schamess

Milo Bruml

Leora Greenburg

Benjamin Lerner

Jonas Divine

July 10 Sarah Diehl

Tom Arnold

Debra Sheiner

July 11 Matthew Goldfarb

Lauren Shatz

Joyce Samet

July 12 Henry Rogovin

July 13 Laura Wetzler

July 14 Marla Allisan

Steven Retchin

Levi Schmitt

Elan Fields

Louis Davis

July 16 Cynthia Lawton-Singer

Benjamin Duprey

Zachary Young

Reed Young

Sarah Rosenblum

Jacob Mitrani Marmor

Luma Koonz Arpe

July 17 Forest Reid

Steven Weinsier

Noe Arboleda-Rulf

Robert Astor

Pamela Schwartz

July 20 Ariella Rosen

Janet Bowdan

Eli Stonberg

July 21 Alex Silverman

Kate Holdsworth

July 22 Eliya Duryea

Faith Oland

Zachary Charren-Diehl

Peter Wan

Richard Conner

Alan Goodman

July 23 Rob Fields

Anna Levine

July 24 RoseMary Mok

Max Weiss

Chaia Heller

Amanda Minoff

July 25 Julie Stultz Fine

Gil Weinsier

Samuel Nigrosh

July 26 Talia Sachs

Ari Benjamin

July 27 Rachel Hannah

Leon Grossman

July 28 Janet Fraidstern

Thomas Divine

Lawrence Grossman

Rebekah Steinfeld

July 29 Michael Petegorsky

Ian Fishman

July 30 Lynn Zashin

Doris Cohen

Yonatan Kieval

July 31 Kevin Hale

Zoe Silverman

August 1 Karen Goldstein Bell

Moses Lieberman-Bachman

Molly Moses

Molly Finch

Trisha Thompson-Levine

August 2 Elijah Phelps

August 3 Craig Kaufman

Ezra Allen-Oleet

Tadea Klein

Marci Yoss

August 4 Stephen Bean

August 8 Sayde Perry

Isabella Forman

Benjamin Lewis

William Newman

Sheena Reiter

August 9 Liana Heath

Matthew Goldfield

August 10 Wendy Soref

Jennifer Luddy

Lior David

August 11 Robin Cossin

Irene Rosenthal

August 12 David Perry

Molly Wilder

Lihuan Meyer

Jed Wilder

Evan Cwass

Gabriel Feingold

August 13 Paul Koss

Sasha Batz Stern

August 14 Peter Laband

Gertrude Kurs Morse

Hannah Donnelly

August 15 David Stein

Ezra David

August 16 Sabrina Herman

Kate Shaffar

David Kaufman

August 18 Jakob Berzoff-Cohen

Shirley Colodny

Mina Bond

August 19 Donna Sarro

Oliver Nigrosh

August 20 Aura Ganz

Thomas Randall

Allie Zashin-Jacobson

August 21 Bill Gertzog

Sophia Sadinsky

August 22 Jacob Fine

Alex Bither

Miriam Slater

Jan Hackman

Theo Hull

Jaime Rozenfeld

Barry Werth

August 23 Raine Leue

August 25 Gabriel Schmitt

Owen Siege

August 26 Samuel Lev

Sky Vanderlinde

Huimin Wan

Miriam Kudler-Flam

August 27 Arthur Hyman

Matthew Steinberg

August 28 Corrie Trattner

Mara Benjamin

Erica Kates

August 29 Mariel Norris

David A. Tarshus

August 30 Sara Reid

Jeff Schrenzel

Edythe Ellin

Susan Donnelly

Dani Faytell

Aaron Kagan

July 18

July 19

Dawn Cordeiro

Jendi Reiter

Nathaniel Lewis-Kulin

Shalev Cammy

Eli Sachs

Emily Kieval

August 31

Jane Goldfield

Rina Goldfield

YAHRZEITS

July 1/12 Tammuz

Dr. Raghunath P. Misra

Anne Neugeboren

Ann Caplan

July 2/13 Tammuz

Julian P. Steuer *

Edwina “Cookie” Levin

July 3/14 Tammuz

Joann Lind

July 4/15 Tammuz

Joan Gitlitz Marmor

July 6/17 Tammuz

Ruth Blau

Farrell Shar

Harry Rothenberg

July 7/18 Tammuz

Yetta Perlmutter Lenz

Florence Yoss

July 8/19 Tammuz

Beatrice Reshes

H.J. Weisman

Ida Gelfer

July 10/21 Tammuz

George Solomon

Herbert R. August *

Sarah Chevan *

Allan Zashin

Benjamin Cohen

Saul Eisenberg

July 12/23 Tammuz

Anne Kesner

July 13/24 Tammuz

Warren Klein

July Yahrzeits

July 15/26 Tammuz

Michael Myers

Bernice Alberts

July 16/27 Tammuz

Adeline Shar

July 17/28 Tammuz

Blanch Joelson

July 18/29 Tammuz

Anna Kreag

Bertha Taylor

July 19/1 Av

Abraham Perlman

Raymond Cohen

July 20/2 Av

William Miliefsky

July 21/3 Av

Lawrence Goldstein

Herman Fox

July 22/4 Av

Max Tushman *

Zarah Ainbinder

Beatrice Richmond

Joan Pennenwell

July 23/5 Av

Karl Meyer

Saul Leo Cooper

July 24/6 Av

Joseph Mahay

July 25/7 Av

Anna Zonderman *

Rae Feld

Eunice Kantrowitz *

July 27/9 Av

Boyce Schaffer

Bernice Tarshus *

Carol Seeger Kendall

July 28/10 Av

Lena Cohen *

July 29/11 Av

Robert Goldstein

July 30/12 Av

Rhoda Michelman

Estelle Baustin

July 31/13 Av

David Belgray

Lawrence Jaeger

Harriet Weinroth

Leslie Goodman

Sam Kesner

* Denotes a memorial plaque at CBI

Would you like to purchase a memorial plaque to remember your loved one?

Please contact the CBI office at info@cbinorthampton.org

August 1/14 Av

Irving Fishman

Eleanor Tabor *

Helen Cohen

Daniel Giber

August 2/15 Av

Irving Kessler

Sylvia Emmerich

Dorothy Tannen

August 3/16 Av

Phil Ellin

Jerome Hahn

Milton Weinroth *

Benjamin Migdal

August 4/17 Av

Albert B. Landis *

August 6/19 Av

Bill Jolly

Liliana Goldfield

Max Stricker

Morris Bean

Jonathan Klein

August 7/20 Av

Leah Goldwater

Fay R. Bodner *

Bernard Edelstain

Eugene Yoss

Berta Reif Kranz

August 9/22 Av

Marion Jean Hammond

Lara Sobel

August 10/23 Av

Michael B. Sidell

Morris Weiss

Moses Kamel

August Yahrzeits

August 11/24 Av

Michael Hillel Rothman *

Leon Tunkel

August 13/26 Av

Herbert Eckstein

August 14/27 Av

Esther Perlmutter

Irving Kaplan

Laura Rosenthal Eisenstein

August 15/28 Av

Victor D’lugin

Betty Oppenheim *

Daniel Josef Kulin

Adolf Emmerich

August 17/30 Av

Lydia Meyer

August 18/1 Elul

Dolores Staudt

Dora Bloom

Jonathan Kieval

Simon Seewald

August 20/3 Elul

Tony Prater

Ruth Cohen

August 21/4 Elul

Simon Geilich

Gayla Louzin

Scott Bacherman

Katye Kluger

August 22/5 Elul

Howard Kaufman

Florence Newman

August 23/6 Elul

Phyllis Luddy

Harman Nettler

August 24/7 Elul

Leonard Siegel *

Joyce Stein

August 25/8 Elul

Morris Black

Harry Haffer

Harry Schachter

August 26/9 Elul

Sarah Futer

August 27/10 Elul

Jerry Dahlmann

August 28/11 Elul

Sanford Stewart

Steven Kraft

Sheldon Sternbach

Gustav Piermont

August 29/12 Elul

Alan Stark

Maurice Galaski

August 30/13 Elul

Harry Schulman

August 31/14 Elul

Herb Robbins

Stanley Barondes

Phillip Minoff

Ernestine Rosenberg

Phillip Bauver *

* Denotes a memorial plaque at CBI

Did

we get it wrong? Did we miss a yahrzeit? Tell us. Email miriam@abundancefarm.org

LIST OF DONOR FUNDS

Abundance Farm Fund

Supports the ongoing maintenance of our innovative food justice farm and outdoor classroom on Abundance Farm. We produce healthy, fresh produce for donation to the Northampton Survival Center while serving as an outdoor classroom and community-building space for the broader community.

Adult Education Fund

Supports educational activities and programs for adults at CBI.

Aesthetics Fund

Funds are used to beautify the synagogue campus.

Annual Fund

Funds are used for the synagogue’s most pressing needs. Enhanced dues are a part of this fund.

Benjamin Goldsmith Fund

Supports children with learning disabilities in the Religious School.

Bikkur Cholim Fund

Funds are used for gifts from the whole congregation for members of the congregation who are ill.

Cemetery Fund

Funds are used for cemetery maintenance and related activities.

Daniel & Shirley Levin Education Fund

Money will assist qualified families with Religious School tuition.

Divine Fund

An endowment used to attract and retain outstanding religious school educators for our Religious School.

Education Fund

Supports educational activities and programs for children and teens at CBI.

Endowment Fund

Minimum contribution is $10. A $600 contribution or more is necessary for an acknowledgment plaque to be affixed in the main lobby. The principal stays intact; interest earned is used to defray general operations of the synagogue.

Israel Fund

Supports CBI events and learning related to Israel.

Kitchen Fund

Funds are used for purchases and maintenance of CBI’s kosher kitchen.

Landscape Fund

Funds are used to beautify and maintain synagogue grounds.

Leonard & Bernice Alberts Preschool Scholarship Fund

Fund assists qualified families with preschool tuition.

Library Fund

Money in this fund goes towards the upkeep of the library.

Preschool Education Fund

Money from this fund goes to the preschool for equipment and teaching materials.

Pulpit Fund

Funds used to procure necessary items that are not covered by the operating budget. These funds are used to enhance our services.

Rabbi Ariella Rosen’s Discretionary Fund

Rabbi Jacob Fine’s Discretionary Fund

Sandra Goldsmith Endowment Fund

Donations are used to endow activities for Tikkun Olam.

Sam & Mildred Wolfe B’nei Mitzvah Fund

All students studying for B’nei Mitzvah require a private tutor. This fund offsets tutoring costs for families. We encourage all families, friends, and relatives to contribute. The minimum contribution is $10.00.

Sue Kurian Kiddush Fund

Donations will be used to enhance our Shabbat services with festive Kiddushes.

LIST OF DONOR FUNDS

Sustainer Program

An important source of support for our shul is our Sustainer Program. Sustainers are members who commit to make an ongoing annual contribution of $500 or more above standard dues, providing a reliable source of funding for CBI’s operations and program. Regular membership dues cover only about 50% of CBI’s annual expenses. Most of the rest of our budget must be covered by fundraising efforts.

A strong Sustainer Program creates a more stable financial foundation for our growing congregation, allows us to attract and keep talented staff who are committed to our community for the long term, gives us the resources to assist and welcome full membership to those with financial needs, and allows us to focus our other fundraising efforts on programs and projects that invest in our community and the future of the synagogue.

To learn more about the benefits of the Sustainer Program or become a Sustainer, contact Emily@cbinorthampton. org or (413) 584-3593.

Tikkun Olam Fund

The Tikkun Olam Grants Fund is used to benefit programs that help people in need in the Northampton-Amherst area and, if catastrophes strike, in other parts of the world.

The Tikkun Olam Activities Fund sponsors speakers and special programs to help members study important

BOARD MINUTES

SUMMARY, CBI BOARD MEETING MAY 18, 2023

issues and be mindful of Jewish ethics. These funds also promote social justice and advocates for a peaceful, sustainable world.

Tzedakah Chesed Fund

Supports acts of tzedakah (charity and generosity) for the benefit of CBI members.

Valley Jewish Seniors

Fund to help support seniors’ activities through CBI.

Women’s Fund

A $5.00 minimum contribution. Funds are directed to women in need in our community..

Youth Fund

Helps fund activities for our youth programs.

Yahrzeit Memorial Plaque

$600 donation for each name.

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Visit our sponsorship page for details: cbinorthampton.org/sponsorship

1. Executive Director Emily Kieval reviewed our cash flow which has been challenged by recent significant unplanned expenditures including repair and upgrading of the CBI kitchen to meet current code, and the need to front funds for the Water Building commercial kitchen project. Staff is more stringently monitoring expenditures and we are exploring sources of temporary funding. We voted to authorize pursuing an interest free loan from the Hebrew Free Loan Association should there be a need.

2. Co-president Meredith Lewis reviewed the draft Vision Statement prepared by the Capital Campaign Committee with our development consultants.

3. We discussed and approved several policies for managing our endowment and other specific purpose funds, and to govern the creation and management of gift funds.

4. We discussed and approved the proposal by an anonymous donor to create the CBI Contemporary Holocaust Topics Endowment Fund to be used by the UMASS Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies.

— Submitted by John Todd, Secretary

If you have questions, feel free to contact one of our co-presidents; Barbara Black or Stan Schapiro

COMMUNITIES AND VOICES

July / August לולא/בא/זומת

Dates may change and new events may be added. Stay tuned and check the CBI calendar or weekly email for most up-to-date times and information.

July 1

9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services and Kiddush sponsored by Judy Katz

July 2

4:00 pm Jewish Spirituality Group

July 7

6:00 pm Shiru Shabbat

July 8 9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services

July 14 6:00 pm Shiru Shabbat

July 15 9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services

July 19

8:00 am Rosh Chodesh Av Minyan

JULY / AUGUST CALENDAR

Weekly Recurring events: Morning Minyan at 8:15 am with the Ohel Minyan. Check their website for daily locations: ohelminyan.org Every Tuesday: Avodat Lev at 6:15 pm on Abundance Farm. Every Wednesday: Mincha at 5:30pm on Zoom. Every Thursday: Morning Meditation at 8am on Zoom, first Thursday of the month in person Kabbalat Shabbat and Saturday Morning Services are always in-person at CBI with livestream option available. Our livestream can be accessed at www. cbinorthampton.org/livestream. For Zoom links, please see the CBI Weekly Email or contact the CBI Office.

July 21

6:00 pm Shiru Shabbat

July 22

9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services

July 27 Tisha B’Av

July 28

6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat

July 29

9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services

August 2

6:00 pm Tu B’Av Love Kirtan Live on the Farm

August 4

6:00 pm Shiru Shabbat

August 5

9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services

August 11 6:00 pm Shiru Shabbat

August 12

9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services

August 17

8:00 am Rosh Chodesh Elul Minyan

August 18

8:00 am Rosh Chodesh Elul Minyan

6:00 pm Kirtan Shabbat

August 19

9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services and B’nai Mitzvah of Nathan and Steven Thompson

August 25

6:00 pm Kabbalat Shabbat

August 26

9:30 am Shabbat Morning Services and Adult Bat Mitzvah of Susan Adelson

KEHILOT V’KOLOT תולוקו תוליהק

SAVE THE DATE:

Saturday, September 9th:

Upper Valley Community Slichot Service

Saturday, Sept 16th:

Rosh Hashanah Services Day 1

Sunday, Sept 17th:

Rosh Hashanah Services Day 2

Sunday, Sept 24th:

Kol Nidre

Monday, Sept 25th:

Yom Kippur Services and Yizkor

Volunteers in the kitchen preparing for Rabbi David’s goodbye-and-gratitude party