Congregation B’nai Tikvah
www.bnaitikvah.org
HaKol: The Voice of CBT The JCC of North and South Brunswick
THE RABBI’S DESK
From Shushan to Gaza
Inside
BY RABBI ROBERT L. WOLKOFF
History never repeats, but it does echo. We should keep that thought in mind as we prepare to celebrate Purim. Purim, as we all know, is a time of great joy and frivolity. Garms and groggers, plays and pub crawls. The synagogue is filled with noise and laughter, we are brought ever closer as a community by the mishloach manot we share with each other (and if you haven’t yet become a Sisterhood Golden Grogger, there’s still time if you hurry), and Haman’s best/worst efforts notwithstanding, we all live happily ever after. Sort of. Sort of because when you look carefully at the story the Megillah tells, it is a lot darker, sinister even, than we let on for our kids. Because the reality is nisht fur die kinder. The reality is that we survived by a hair’s breadth, and the political situation--exile--that led to our malignant vulnerability has not changed. That is why the Megillah is filled with nasty role reversals where “we do to them what they thought to do to us.” But “they” never truly go away, [CONTINUED ON PAGE 4]
Index of Advertisers
2
Cantor’s Corner
3
JCFS
7
Presidents’ Podium
11
Shabbat Dinner
13
Northern Lights Gala
15
Note from the Exec. Dir.
19
Teacher Tidbits
20
Tot Shabbat
22
Men’s Club
23
Sisterhood
25
Advertise in Hakol
28
Bikur Cholim
29
Pickleball
30
Sponsor A Lunch
32
PJP
33
Birthdays
35
Israel Bonds
36
Member News
37
March Calendar
38
Donations
39
Schedule of Services
45
March 2025