Welcome to the first edition of our monthly magazine ChaiTimes at CBI.This is a truly special time of year. It is a time for reflection, for consideration, for spiritual growth. We have passedTisha B'Av and the saddest day of the Jewish year. We now look forward to Rosh Hashanah,Yom Kippur, Sukkot and SimchatTorah. Joy comes in the morning and it is coming our way!
What a blessing it is to live in St Petersburg. We have access to culture, beautiful beaches, art, and Jewish life. We need not sacrifice one for the other, but celebrate all of our identities. Judaism is the core of our beingAND the blessings of our area are all around us. We need only look around.
As we prepare for the High Holidays, we reflect not only on where we fell short, but on where we succeeded this year. CBI celebrated its 100th anniversary. We had a beautiful celebration honoring not only the leadership, but all who have made a difference in the last century. That blessing is one we must hold onto as we prepare for the next decade and beyond. In the last century, CBI has blessed the lives of thousands of families, thousands of Jews and the entire city. I feel blessed to have been a part of the last five years and cannot wait for all that is coming.
CBI is a light for our community. SharingTorah through its auspices I am privileged to be part of the lives of so many. We have been blessed with many new members in the last few years. If I do not know you well, yet, let's get together soon. If I do know you well, let's also get together soon! Join me for Coffee with the Rabbi, Jews and Brews, Lunch and Learn at CBI, or some not yet cleverly-namedTorah study at Jo-El's. Join US to inspire your soul and light up your life, side by side at CBI.
With love and blessings, Rabbi Philip Weintraub
Three weeks ago, I observed my mother’s yahrzeit. In honor of her memory, I offer the following words about yahrzeits.
Yahrzeit is aYiddish word meaning “year time.” It refers to marking the anniversary of a death, particularly the death of a loved one. The origin of the tradition extends back over 1000 years as a ceremony reserved for remembering great personalities. Over time, it extended to the remembrance of one’s parents and then to other loved ones.
Today, yahrzeit includes a number of important and meaningful observances. As the day begins at sunset, we light a yahrzeit candle in our homes. This candle will burn for 24 hours. (If the yahrzeit falls on Friday evening, the candle is lit before the Shabbat candles.) The biblical book of Proverbs teaches us that “the soul of man is the candle of God.” From that verse we understand the candle to be an appropriate symbol of the soul.
We also say Kaddish on the yahrzeit. Beginning with the evening and continuing to the next day, we make every effort to pray with the minyan and recite Kaddish at each service. The Kaddish prayer, a great praise of God (even in the face of sadness of death) is considered in Jewish tradition to be one of the highest forms of respect for parents and love for our relatives. Our sages have taught us that the words of the Kaddish bring comfort to the living, honor to our loved ones, and an elevation of their souls in the presence of God.
The day of the yahrzeit should be a day of reflection not only about the lives of those who came before us, but about our own lives as well. Even as we look back into the past, the day becomes a special opportunity to look forward to personal spiritual growth.
We have a minyan at our shul every morning and evening. Even if one is not entirely familiar with these services, we welcome you and we are honored to help you say Kaddish and observe the yahrzeit.
B’shalom, Cantor Jonathan SchultzThe month of Elul beginsThursday,August 17, and we’ll get a chance to hear the shofar announce a season of returning. We hope that on SundayAugust 20 you return to CBI! We are planning an event for our members and for curious members of our extended Jewish community to share a fun morning of food and activities together. CBI is many things to many people, and indeed a synagogue or shul can be described in three different ways. It can be a BeitTefillah: a “House of Prayer,” a Beit Midrash: a “House of Study,” and a Beit Knesset: a “House of Gathering.” We experience these different ways singularly or sometimes all at once but all ways achieve the destination of community.
Aprofessor of mine once told this story in class: Frustrated and helpless, he sat in traffic ‘ as it inched along toward the airport. Suddenly his Uber driver took an unexpected '’ ‘ ‘ detour.Alittle panicked, he met his driver’s eyes in the rear view mirror, and the driver said “Don’t worry. Many ways.” I love that story, and I use it to highlight the wonderful opportunities that our Jewish communal life here at CBI has to support the ways we want to build our community and explore our Jewish identity.As we continue our new members initiative, I hope to hear the ways that you’d like to explore in order to enjoy and add meaning to your journey.Are you interested in Torah reading? Don’t worry: our readings during the afternoon service on Shabbat are much shorter and manageable for new readers, and we can create a class and training for you. Hebrew reading? Don’t worry, we’ve got that! Movies and lectures? Same!Torah study?Yes! Activities for families and young children?Yes! Fun, relevant and meaningful events through Sisterhood and Mitzvah Men’s Club?Yes and yes! Don’t see what you’re looking for in our programming guide? Grab a few friends, and we’ll try to create the class or opportunity that fills your needs.
There are many ways to support our journeys and sometimes those unique ways can spark individual interest. Whether it’s volunteer groups, new friendships, or new learning, I’m confident you’ll find our focus at CBI is community. It can be very energizing to change directions. Like the wise driver, we also say, “Don’t worry, many ways!”
As we approach the month of Elul there is no better time than now as we look to the high holidays and the start of the Jewish New Year to re-energize and revitalize. I am particularly reflective as this will be the start of my term as CBI’s President. I am thankful for the accomplishments of our previous CBI Board whose dedication and hard work has left our shul in good financial standing for our future. I am thankful going forward to have wonderful officers dedicated to working collaboratively: 1st Vice President Eileen Richman, 2nd Vice President Dr. Larry Feinman, Treasurer Dr. Marc Reiskind, Secretary Jill Weisberg, Parliamentarian Lauren Salit and Past President Joel Shane. In addition, we have our hardworking board members: Louisa Benjamin, Mali Feld, Bonnie Halprin, Harry Heuman, Dr. Steve LeVine, Judy Ludin and Liz Sembler as well as Stephanie Stein representing Sisterhood and Jay Kauffman representing the Mitzvah Men’s Club. These are dedicated individuals whom I am proud to say are ready to roll up their sleeves and work tirelessly to support our wonderful synagogue.
As we enter our new year, I hope you will join us. If you are already involved, thank you. If you have not yet committed, I urge you to join just one of our committees. Together our community grows stronger and more connected, and our momentum will help grow our synagogue to flourish for the next 100 years. I wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy new year.
Our tradition teaches us to honor the memory of our departed loved ones duringYizkor services on the holiest day of the year,Yom Kippur, as well as on SheminiAtzeret, Pesach and Shavuot.At Congregation B’nai Israel, we embrace this tradition. Each year, we invite our congregants to submit the names of their loved ones for inclusion in our annual Book of Remembrance. It is customary to honor their memory with a charitable donation.
Donations support CBI.
If you would like to include the names of your loved ones in the 2023 Book of Remembrance, please complete the form here. Submissions/payments must be received by Sunday,August 20, 2023.
The 2023 Book of Remembrance will be printed and will also be available digitally.
Click here to view listings from last year’s Book of Remembrance
If you have any questions about the Book of Remembrance, or prefer to pay by check, please contact Lorri Helfand at herim1@msn.com or (727) 347-2300. If you pay by check, please mail your donation before theAug. 20 deadline to ensure inclusion in the Book of Remembrance.
Now that we can “gather” once again, Congregation B’nai Israel, St. Petersburg is ready to promote our program called, Guess Who’s Coming to Shabbas. This program was, of course, put on hold when Covid hit, but we are ready to begin again. Members of our congregation are encouraged to invite friends and family to Shabbat dinner, but to also include at least one person, one couple, or one family who have never been to their home for Shabbat Dinner before.
The program has two goals, to strengthen the synagogue community, and to help families create meaningful memories for themselves and others. The program was developed and started by DebbieAlbert of Pennsylvania in tribute to her father BernieAlbert, and was purchased as a gift for our synagogue by our dear friend of Blessed Memory, Leslie Weiss.
We will be promoting this throughout the coming year, but no time like the present to get started. Yes many people are traveling, but there are also many here in town that would love to be invited. In my view, now is a wonderful time to start, because Shabbat starts later. It is easier to assemble all of your guests before candle lighting time so don’t wait.
We are keeping a spread sheet, and want all hostesses to keep us informed of their dates and guests. Kathleen Buns ( KathleenBuns124@gmail.com ) and Lauren Salit are available to assist. We want to include as many members of our congregation and the community as possible. At the end of our lives, “stuff” just doesn’t matter. It’s all about creating sacred times with those we love, fulfilling the mitzvah of welcoming guests, and celebrating Shabbat!
ClickHereforCBIONLINEBunsFamilyLibrary–BrowseourLibrary!(virtuallyorinthe synagogue).Foranyquestionsaboutthesite,login,orbookcheckout,contactJillWeisberg atbellallure1@aol.comor717-917-3748(Jillisalsohappytocheckoutbooksforyou).
LibraryHours:9:00am-4:00pmM-F. Browsetheshelves.Tocheckoutabook,please completethe"CheckOutABook"sheetbythelibrarycomputer.PleasecontactJill Weisbergatbellallure1@aol.comwithquestions.ThelibraryisopenduringFridaynightand Saturdaymorning. BookscannotbecheckedoutduringtheseShabbathours.
First printed edition of the Zohar, 1558.This popularized the study of Kabbala, mysticism and messianism.
Introduction to the Book of Zohar: the Spiritual Secret of Kabbalahby Ashlag,Yehuda Lev
Call Number 283ASH
In 1889, 120 Jewish families birthed theArgentinean Jewish community, explored in a century-spanning book.
Losers and Keepers in Argentina by Barragan, Nina
TheTurkish government renounced its sovereignty over EretzYisrael and recognized the British mandate, 1920.
One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate by Segev, Tom
Call number 950.15 SEG
500 Jews were taken by the Nazis from the Kovno ghetto to be killed, 1941.
Hidden History of the Kovno Ghetto by United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Call Number F BAR
Call number 940.42 US HOL
Help in reshelving and moving around books is needed. Contact Jill Weisberg at bellallure1@aol.com
We happily accept donations that are intact and do not have tears or yellowing.
LeonardAdelson
Esta Blaxberg
Jeremy Douglass
Arline Dresdner
Carol Einstein
Michelle Gershon
Moshe Gershuny
Andrew Giskin
Michael Gross
Andrea Haak Lucero
Wendy Haber
Sherry Keenan
Ted Knupp
Harry Lev
Lynda LippmanLockhart
Diana Litt
Karen Maeby
RuthAnn Mizrahi
Alberta Rapport
BethAnn Redisch
Cary Reich
Diana Rosin
Fred Sechan
Maureen Sechan
LynnAmy Levenson
Rochelle Lewis
Jenna Lindie
Betty Sue Shane
Elaine Stupp
Noelle Walters
Linda Weiss
Michael Worman
Mary Wygodski
Charlene Wygodski & Steven Boom
Mark & Judith Gordon
Alan &Araceli Gross
Robert & Deborah Jacobs
Jay & Karen Kauffman
David & Janice LeVine
Jeffrey & Janie Pincus
Cary & Karen Reich
Marc & Laurie Reiskind
Alan & Susan Schwartz
Dennis & Martha Vorob
Robert & Cynthia Weisberg
Jeffrey & Marissa Miller
John & Gail Weitz