November - December 2020 Scribe

CHESHVAN/KISLEV/TEVET 5781 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 Volume 77 • Number 2

special quarantine edition

“Small lights have a way of being seen in a dark world.”

Mon

TEMPLE SINAI ADULT ENGAGEMENT

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED SEE YOUR EMAIL FOR DETAILS

Monday, November 9 at 7:00pm OR Tuesday, November 10 at 10:30am (special time) Monday, December 14 at 7:00pm OR Tuesday, December 15 at 9:30am

Wellness Webinar: Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder with Steven Chassman and the team from LICADD Thursday, November 19 at 7:30pm VIA ZOOM

The Role of Art and the Artist: Fighting Antisemitism, Racism, and Social Inequality with Nancy Traeger (a two-part series) Part 1: Sunday, November 15 at 4:00pm Part 2: Sunday, December 6 at 4:00pm In times of crisis, artists become activists and art becomes a vehicle for promoting change.

Art and the artist take on the struggle for tolerance and equality for all people. Nancy Traeger returns for this two-part presentation that underscores art’s relevance in addressing today’s challenging issues.

Questions? Contact Adrianne Rubin at arubin@mysinai.org

KRISTALLNACHT

the night of broken glass Friday, November 6 6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service

A German Life: Against All Odds Change is Possible Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger is the author of A German Life: Against All Odds Change is Possible, which describes his struggle growing up in Germany in the shadow of his father, a highlydecorated WWII tank commander and Nazi officer. He eventually converted to Judaism, emigrated to Israel and served in the Israel Defense Forces as a Medical Office. He will share his incredible story with us during our Kristallnacht Shabbat Service.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 AT 7:30PM The Lasting Legacy of

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Nadine Strossen

Former President of the ACLU and

Rabbi David Saperstein

Director Emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism All services, events, and programs are via ZOOM (unless otherwise indicated). Details can be found in our weekly emails or by contacting Adrianne Rubin at arubin@mysinai.org SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020 3

HIGH HOLY DAYS 5781

SE R M ON S It’s the End of the World As We Know It and I Feel Fine - Rabbi Ilana Schachter Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon, September 18, 2020 “It looks like the city is missing her front teeth,” my mother would say to me. In the weeks and months following 9/11, after the smoke started to clear, the gap in lower Manhattan served as a glaring, physical reminder of all that we had lost.

My family was some of the luckiest affected by the destruction of 9/11, losing only our apartment but not any loved ones. I remember how devastated I was in the aftermath of such a tragedy, wondering what could ever fill that gaping hole in our skyline or our hearts again and how we could ever recover from such an enormous shift in our reality.

In the months that followed, I felt the absence of local comforts: the little Italian restaurant whose hosts would always greet us, the playground my sister would spend hours in, and the bakery on my corner - a small family business called The Little Place. They were a neighborhood favorite for coffee and the most delicious blueberry muffins. After 9/11, as the neighborhood was boarded up and wrapped in caution tape, among so many other things, I mourned these places.

When I walk around lower Manhattan today: when I go to Battery Park or TriBeca, when I look at the skyline now with the Freedom Tower seamlessly filling in the gap that once existed, those moments of despair feel distant. Today, lower Manhattan is transformed, with new buildings blending in with its older neighbors; there is a new vibrancy. In neighborhoods where it used to be a struggle to find a grocery store, today there are competing organic markets. Streets that were once falling apart and in need of repair are now well-paved and well-lit. Even The Little Place is back, having now expanded its size and menu - (they call it “the bigger little place” now). Out of a place of tragedy and brokenness, these neighborhoods were able to reimagine themselves, and somehow, out of despair and destruction, we were able to find strength and creative vision to rebuild.

This past March, the Harvard Business Review published an article entitled, “The Discomfort you are Feeling is Grief.” It featured an interview with grief expert David Kessler, and described how people were experiencing multiple kinds of grief in light of the pandemic and the ensuing social isolation. It was the first time I found meaningful language to express the disorientation I felt in the past several months, and come to think of it, after 9/11, too. We have been mourning the way of life we had, and we are mourning, in anticipation, the very different life to come.

For now as then, in an instant the world as we knew it came to a crashing halt and we found ourselves in the midst of something unknown and frightening. With a pandemic raging, our lives have been forever changed. In these earthshattering moments, these moments of loss and utter bewilderment, we can question how we can possibly keep going.

With a landscape so profoundly altered, we wonder how we can live in a world that we can’t visualize, let alone imagine?

As Jews, however, we are a people who rise up from destruction. As hard as it is, we are living proof that in the wake of the destruction of the world we once knew, we are capable of powerful reinvention. The most profound example of this occurred in 70 CE, when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in Jerusalem and subsequently the way of life it represented. Contemporary Jewish scholar Shaye Cohen describes the impact of the destruction, explaining that “...the Temple was more than a building and more than the home of the sacrificial cult. It was the sacred center of the cosmos, the place where heaven and earth meet, the visible symbol of God’s love for Israel. The loss of this symbol meant disorientation and despair...” In other words, it was not just the destruction of a building. It was the end of the world.

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The Temple and its rituals were all we knew, and more than that, it represented everything meaningful in our lives. Without it, we were untethered, with no roadmap. However, in an attempt to save a remnant, to fill the gaping hole of their skyline, some of the Jewish leaders of the time escaped to Yavneh. Together, they reimagined a path forward, a new Judaism, unrecognizable to the generation before them. Moreover, it was due to the immensity of the destruction that such profound reimaging could take place.

Contemporary Rabbi and spiritual leader Alan Lew, of blessed memory, describes it this way: “If the Temple had never been destroyed, the renewal Judaism needed so badly could never have taken place. If the walls of the Temple had never fallen down, the fundamental spiritual impulse of Judaism - the powerful emptiness at its core- may very well have been smothered.”

While destruction is never ideal, sometimes it ignites sparks of innovation that were waiting for a moment just like this one. The summer after 9/11, designers, city planners, and architects all began to imagine not only a new building but a new vision for the city. Part of experiencing destruction is that we are forced to see things another way - to notice some of the opportunities for change around us even though they might have always been there.

As human beings, we experience our own worlds ending several times over, in large and small ways. As our liturgy reminds us, our lives are fragile, and throughout them, we are confronted with moments when our reality shifts when things that we once thought were our core truths break and cease to be. We lose a loved one, suddenly, and find ourselves in what Sheryl Sandberg called “the void,” as she wrote about in her book Option B, following the sudden death of her husband.

She describes the void as “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” We feel untethered when we lose a job, or at the abrupt end of a relationship. We feel the world ending in the doctor’s office, when we are delivered the news of an unviable pregnancy or an unexpected illness. As anyone who has experienced one of these moments can attest, the void is very hard to see beyond. However, because these moments call upon us to rebuild, they can be places of profound strength and growth. As Brene Brown, research professor and vulnerability expert, writes, “Without reckoning, you can’t chart a future course...We can’t chart a brave new course until we recognize exactly where we are, get curious about how we got there, and decide where we want to go.”

This year may have brought with it unprecedented changes, unprecedented loss, and unprecedented pain. We need not look to the destruction of the Temple, 9/11, or the new realities of COVID-19 to understand the power of imagining a new world. Indeed, this is our task every Rosh Hashanah. As we hear the call of the shofar, we recite the words, Hayom Harat Olam: today the world stands as at birth. We arrive at the New Year filled only with the knowledge of what once was; what our world was like, and what we were like within it. We spent the weeks preceding tonight reflecting on the year that has passed, and, faced with our own brokenness, are forced to imagine a new reality, a new version of self, and strive to build that for ourselves. While our losses and our struggles can devastate us, we reflect on them for the express purpose of getting back up again, in a New Year, with a chance to start over. We know that breaking away from what is familiar to us is painful, even terrifying. And yet, our tradition reminds us again and again that we are strong enough, brave enough, compassionate enough and creative enough to meet the challenge of the unknown and thrive in a new normal.

In the midst of this pandemic, we have planted the seeds to rebuild the world this year. Our grief has given way to a Great Reimagining: We are emerging from the void with ideas of how to gather differently: virtually, in tents, through windows and masks. We have embraced our most creative and nimble selves, we have become teachers and bakers, philanthropists, technology experts, gardeners, we have become more organized and more sanitary, more sensitive to the needs of our neighbors and our family members. We have seen, too, the environmental impact of the pandemic, and have had to come face to face with climate change, not merely our complicity in it but our power to change its course with our own actions.

As our world continues to change, we continue to pivot, invent and imagine. And we are not merely being reactive, but proactive- the profound shift in our lives has pushed us to consider what wasn’t working before and how we can take this opportunity to improve. How can we communicate better with our loved ones, how can we be present for our friends, how can we better integrate our physical and virtual spaces to maximize being connected to one another? How can we reevaluate what is truly important in our lives and work toward making that a reality?

It may be the end of the world as we know it, but tonight, we create the world anew, as we enter 5781. Together, may we build it with imagination, vision, compassion, and love.

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Swimming in the Arteries of the Same Human Body - Rabbi Michael White Yom Kippur Sermon, September 28, 2020 There have been so many funerals since this pandemic began. Many from Covid, elderly matriarchs and patriarchs of their families. So much grief and sorrow, but also some gratitude for beautiful lives. When I talk to families to plan the funeral, I often ask the surviving spouse the question: What did you first notice when you first met? And the answers can tickle me.

Recently, a wife of over 60 years said, “He kept proposing, and I kept saying no. Then, after the fifth time, I said yes. And I really don’t know why.” Another said, “Well, he was cuter than the other guy I was dating at the time.”

I imagine we can all empathize, because while grief is very personal, there is something universal about it, too. Like love, the pain of loss is a shared human condition. In this pandemic, we are all mourners. Each day we read: 1000 died yesterday, 1200 the day before. 980 the next day. Before Covid, bromides like “one human family” and “global community” meant little to us. But now we know that we all swim in the arteries of the same world human body. How the people in California or Florida respond to this pandemic, ricochets across horizons, and can determine whether kids in Roslyn can go to school.

The Torah teaches that one of the most majestic Yom Kippur rituals took place in the Holy Temple. The High Priest would ask God for forgiveness for the entire community. He would prepare for days, and don priestly vestments reserved only for that moment. Then, he would enter the Holy of Holies, the most sacred place in the temple. In fact, no one but the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and he could enter only on Yom Kippur. He would perform an elaborate sacrament, asking forgiveness for himself, for his family and the priestly class, and then, for the entire people. The rabbis taught that if the high priest entertained a single impure thought during this ritual, he would die instantly and the people would not receive divine forgiveness. Some say that the Levites would tie a rope to the high priest’s ankle, so if he died, they could pull him out before the entire temple burst into flames in the fury of divine anger.

Until Covid, I confess I had little sympathy for this ritual. It’s obviously antiquated, but more than that, I was troubled by this notion that the well-being of the entire community was conditioned on one brief moment and one person. But now, I recognize its deeper significance. These past six months has taught us that our individual decisions, at every moment, can have a powerful impact on everyone. One person’s heartless, selfish decision can bring so much pain. If an opera house in Rome opens and becomes a super-spreader event, or a political rally, or a church service.. or if a frat house at a university in North Carolina holds a party and some of the attendees return to Long Island. Covid has taught us that in life and death, we are all intimately linked.

Judaism’s dream for us is unity in humanity. The Aleinu prayer speaks of a time when Letaken olam b’malchut shadai: The world is healed in Divine governance. V’chol bnei vasar yi’kre’u v’shimcha: All human beings are united in God’s name.

Judaism’s aspiration is the collapse of the barriers that divide us, and maybe the revelation of this Covid-Yom Kippur is how destructive and how lethal those barriers are.

The rise of Antisemitism and racial strife, and the pain---truly the agony---we have seen, are not new. But seen through the prism of this pandemic has made it particularly excruciating. The lethal attacks on Jewish institutions are well known. And now, on the right and the left, elected officials bring their bigotry into the halls of power. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, two members of Congress who have trafficked in the most ancient and filthy anti-Semitic canards, were both just reelected in landslides. And on the far right, five adherents of QAnon ran for Congress, and Georgia’s 14th congressional district will be filled by a QAnon adherent, Marjorie Taylor Greene. In case you don’t know about QAnon, its followers believe that Zionist supremacists are conspiring to enslave humanity and destroy civilization. College campuses all over the US are populated by professors and student organizations that equate support for Israel with support for racism. And today, we are often told to just get over it. We are told—there you go again with the Holocaust. But these are not irrational fears. Pittsburgh and Poway, and just recently, swastikas on synagogue doors and signs over highways, they bring us right back to images of the Holocaust, and suicide bombers. We Jews have no choice but to be vigilant and on guard. History is 6 SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020

the Jewish people’s most gruesome teacher.

And as perennial objects of such abuse, we are hardly alone. Some of you were present when our neighbor and my friend, Pastor Victor Lewis spoke to us. I have known Victor for over 20 years and until this past June, there was much I didn’t know. I didn’t know that each of his children has been stopped by the police because of their clothes or the cars they drive. That Victor, this brilliant former Wall Street genius and military veteran, walked into a Target and was suddenly being followed by security.

My friend Tracey Edwards of the local NAACP met with us recently and shared similar stories. Heartbreaking stories. And not just of injustice, but also inequality. Of how some kids, depending on their school district, receive Chromebooks from their schools, while others, living just one neighborhood over, often have to log in to school on a parent’s iPhone until the data runs out. Most recently, we welcomed Ian Solomon back to Temple Sinai to speak with us. Ian was Bar Mitzvah, Confirmed, and a teen leader here at temple, and he went on to great things.

He is now Professor and Dean of the School of Public Service at the University of Virginia. Ian is also African American. His good friend and our Temple trustee Adam Weinschel interviewed Ian and asked him if, as a kid, he felt at home at Temple Sinai. And Ian said he mostly did, except on the High Holy Days. He spoke of the glares he would get in our sanctuary, and their message was unmistakable: “What is he doing here?” It was hard to hear this. We think of ourselves as a welcoming community. Ian’s comment made me realize how much work we still have to do. I have learned so much by just listening.

Just by hearing their stories, I have been subdued, humbled, horrified, too.

Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, a fascinating ultra-Orthodox teacher, writes about a famous moment in our father Abraham’s life.

In the Torah portion called Va’era, Abraham is seated at the entrance of his tent at the height of the desert sun. He saw three men walking nearby, and he rushed to greet them, to welcome them into his tent, to feed them, and to care for them. Turned out, they were angels with a divine message, that Abraham and Sarah would become parents. Rabbi Moskowitz asks: what was Abraham really accomplishing by taking care of angels that didn’t actually need his help at all?

And he continues: “It’s not coincidental that the word va’era, means to see, and is also the word for fear. Because it is so easy to be afraid of the things that we’ve never experienced and the people we have never met…. “ He wrote: “We have a responsibility and a holy charge to shift the climate of fear of experiences beyond our own…to a posture of radical inclusivity; to create space for people to be seen for who they are….What Abraham was trying to teach to people of all faiths is that you don’t need to know someone to see them, and to feel their pain.”

A common sin, in this era, is to judge and dismiss another person’s story, to diminish another person’s pain. To attach ill-will and ulterior motives to cries of pain and injustice. We Jews are victims of it all. Like Abraham, we need to leave our tent to greet them. Listening without defensiveness. Listening without giving into the impulse to tell them what to do.

Listening and seeing them as they are, as they live, hoping to gain their trust, so they will see us, and hear our fears, our history, our needs, as neighbors who want the best for each other. And this is what we will do at Temple Sinai. Joining with our neighbors in deep, meaningful conversation, and then working together to lift each other up, and to bring greater dignity, equity, and justice to us all. Because we are all God’s handiwork, and because suffering children, no matter the color of their skin, are an indictment of us all.

We have not yet even remotely achieved the dream of the Aleinu prayer. Our world is not repaired. All children are not united. But faith, genuine Yom Kippur faith, is about taking small steps forward. Looking someone in the eye, even when you can’t solve all their problems. Looking another person in the eye and beyond skin color or language or income, seeing a reflection of the divine and knowing that they see the spark of God inside you. Looking each other in the eye and knowing that we are all one human family, all swimming in the arteries of the same world human body. Amen.

WITH RABBI MICHAEL WHITE

MONTHLY • THURSDAYS AT 5:30PM NOVEMBER 5 • DECEMBER 3 VIA ZOOM

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As we reflect on our 2020 High Holy Days Services, we would like to thank all the professional and volunteer musicians who helped to make this year’s Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur so successful!

First of all, we want to thank our primary donors who made our Zoom Choir projects possible!

Thank you, Linda and Mitch Singer! Thank you, Jane and John Shalam!

Many of you asked about our musicians: • Robert Wilson (piano) came to record our services all the way from Vermont. Robert has been our High Holy Days accompanist for the last nine years.

• Pavel Vinnitsky (clarinet) is a musician with New York Philharmonic, who has performed as a soloist all around the world.

• Dave Solomon (guitar) has played with us for seven years at both Shabbat LaNeshama and Shabbat Hallelu services.

• Kevin Charlestream (cello) has played at our Kol Nidre services for the last four years.

Our 2020 Professional Quartet: Hanna Golodinskii (soprano) & Vasil Golodinskii (bass), Jenniffer Glier (alto), Cantor Vadim Yucht (tenor).

Special thank you to our Temple Sinai Community Choir Sopranos: Lisa Berman, Cecile Saretsky, Lisbeth Wolgel, Cheryl Korsen, Stella Acher, Estelle Rappaport Altos: Jane Shalam, Leslie Wollin, Chelsea Wolgel Tenors: Chuck Weiss, David Neiderbach, Larry Milner, Norman Hollander Bass: David Wollin, Mike Groothuis, Mitchel York Soloists: Lisa Berman, Lior Schwartz Thank you to our Junior Choir, who recorded Asher Yatzar with us: Logan Roberts, Sabrina Fabricant, Julia Manevitz, Anna Falcone, and Amelia and Micah Weinstock.

We also would like to thank our Zoom Choir Sound and Video Engineers who worked for us from three different countries:

Heal Us Now - David Gerson and EnsemblesOnline.com (Canada)

Adon Olam, B’Rosh Hashanah, and Ashamnu - Pavel Vinnitsky (USA)

Asher Yatzar - Olga Tabunschikova and Salo Studio (Ukraine) Once again thank you to all who made this year’s High Holy Days possible!

Cantors Sergei and Elena Schwartz

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We welcome your submissions for this section of The Scribe!

Feel free to share with us any special accomplishments, trips, simchas, fun tidbits, or anything that would be of interest to your Temple Sinai community.

Rosh Hashanah in the Garage

by Marilyn (Lynn) Levine

Why was this night different from all other nights? It wasn’t Passover. Then why? Because it was Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, 5781. It was also Covid-19, 2020 and we had to figure out where our family could be together for holiday dinner while maintaining our social distance.

The initial plan was to eat outside on the patio at my house surrounded by the changing colors of the Dogwood tree, the bright pink clusters of sedum flowers, and the potted coleus still in full bloom since early summer. Although it wasn’t raining on this special day in September, it was windy and the temperature was dropping. Waving my hand through the air from time to time, I confirmed that by evening it would be much too cool to eat outside. The round kitchen table, nestled in a corner between two large sliding glass doors, which when opened gave the feeling of sitting in a screenedin porch, would be convenience for serving and perfect for the four of us, Rob, Meryl, Sami, me, and Babka, the family dog. A look of concern. “Indoors?” Rob exclaimed, concerned for my well being. “How about the garage? Agreed.

Sami, my granddaughter, arrived early to help set the table. The wine-colored tablecloth provided the background for the flowered cloth napkins, white porcelain candlesticks, white china, crystal, and silver flatware. Light from a tall torch lamp, borrowed from the living room, bounced off the low painted ceiling.

Although seated in the midst of typically stored garage paraphernalia, the warmth of tradition filled the night air and created the ambiance of the holy day as our voices joined in harmony for the blessings over the flickering flames of the candles, the wine, and round challah, apples and honey for a sweet new year, and Shehecheyanu, thankfulness to God for giving us life, sustaining us, and bringing us to this time.

Could this have been the first time Rosh Hashanah dinner was observed in a garage? Thoughts of Rosh Hashanah during other difficult times in Jewish history drifted through my

mind. Everyone helped carry the food from the kitchen to the table - all five

courses. Somewhere between devouring the main course and dessert came the

announcement from Sami, staring at her cellphone, panic in her voice, “RBG,

Ruth Bader Ginsberg, died.”

My journal records this was day #191 of quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. It was the day RBG died. It was also the first night of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5781, and in which a time and space, a garage, was converted into a holy place.

And it was beautiful.

Marilyn (Lynn) Levine - September 18, 2020 SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020 9

Rabbi Ilana Schachter rabbischachter@mysinai.org

You Are Not Alone In so many ways, the Hebrew month that just passed, Tishrei, is about starting over. We begin a new year on Rosh Hashanah, we spiritually purify ourselves on Yom Kippur, and we begin a new cycle of Torah on Simchat Torah. In addition, there is a beautiful alignment between our spiritual journey and the narrative cycle of our sacred text; as we stand determined to change for the better in the new year, we listen with fresh ears to the history of our ancestors, hopefully able to hear and understand its wisdom in new ways.

The Torah, as we know, begins with the creation of the world, and though the creation stories are quite familiar to most of us, this year, one vignette stood out to me and resonated with me in a new and profound way. We read that God creates a single human out of dust from the earth and surrounds this human with beauty and bounty but no other living creatures. God immediately realizes that something is wrong with this world and utters the words: “It is not good for a person to be alone - I will make a partner opposite him.” Unsure of who or what this partner ought to be, God then populates the earth with all kinds of creatures of land and sea. Alas, none of them offers what this human needs: companionship. Finally, God places the human in a deep sleep, and crafts a second person with material from the first. The two humans wake up to discover each other, and are for the first time able to experience a sense of connection and belonging.

It is not good for a person to be alone. The words of our ancient text are so prescient for us today, in the midst of this pandemic. In the past several months, each of us has experienced loneliness and social isolation in a variety of ways and to varying degrees. While some of us are isolated from others by living alone, others of us live in homes that are full of people: children, grandchildren, caregivers, and adopted family members, and we still feel alone, struggling to reconcile the world’s chaos and the senseless tragedies around us.

In 2016, Dr. Dhruv Khullar wrote about the growing trends of social isolation in our community. Claiming that loneliness was as important a risk factor for early death as obesity or smoking, he wrote that “individuals with less social connection have disrupted sleep patterns, altered immune systems, more inflammation, and higher levels of stress hormones…” Long before the pandemic, Khullar wrote that “loneliness can accelerate cognitive decline in older adults, and isolated individuals are twice as likely to die prematurely as those with more robust social interactions.” While loneliness has long been an issue in our society, the pandemic has intensified its impact, exposing not only challenges but physical dangers as well.

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Thanks to Abbie Laskey, Temple Sinai is working to combat this epidemic within our community. When she discovered in July, that several congregants over the age of 75 were living alone and were completely isolated as a result of the pandemic, she quickly organized a team of volunteers to reach out in an initiative she calls Sinai Family Circle. Of the project, she said, “I felt a responsibility to reach out to them, as a TSR member and as a Jew.” Because of her efforts, Temple Sinai now brings isolated individuals together with volunteers for a phone call or socially-distanced visit. Both participants and volunteers have described this program as mutually gratifying and rewarding, a valuable reminder that just as social isolation can be harmful and destructive, human connection can be deeply restorative. Going forward into the winter, we know that more people will need a connection to a friendly face and voice. We hope to continue to expand our efforts with your help.

Temple Sinai has a mission to make sure that every heart has a home, that no person should be alone, and that everyone feels that sense of belonging through human connection. Wherever you find yourself in this moment, we are here for you, we see you and we love you. If you would like a visit or would like to get involved in this growing effort, please contact Adrianne Rubin at arubin@mysinai.org.

Sincerely,

Rabbi Ilana Schachter

The Sacred Book of Psalms

Monday Morning Meditation

Adult Education with Rabbi Ilana Schachter

at 9:00am

with Rabbi Ilana Schachter

PRAY. EAT. LOVE. Saturday Mornings - 9:00-11:30am The biblical book of Psalms reflects the range of the human experience, encompassing gratitude, fear, longing, regret, and praise. Join Rabbi Schachter in learning about these sacred poems, their meanings and their ritual purpose, as we consider how we might still incorporate the words of the psalmist in our lives today.

Every other Wednesday at 7:00pm November 18 December 2 • December 16 December 30

led by Rabbi Ilana Schachter and special guests Shabbat is a time for reflection, gratitude, and enrichment. All are welcome on Saturday mornings as we blend ancient practice and modern interpretation and immerse ourselves in meaningful opportunities for reflection, worship, and engaging learning.

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from the

PRESIDENT’S

red minivan

Michelle Golden mgolden@mysinai.org

Gratitude {grat-i-tood, -tyood} -the quality of being thankful: readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness to someone.

In my mind, November is synonymous with being grateful. Thanksgiving and the retail opportunities we see at every shop and in every email remind us that it is the season for appreciation. We may wish to take the opportunities afforded by this time of year and our limited social engagements, to think about all we are grateful for.

I read somewhere that gratitude is the healthiest of human emotions, and who among us couldn’t use a little extra support in being healthy these days? My role at Temple Sinai allows me to see and experience first-hand, where thanks and appreciation are due: Our staff, while managing personal stresses and challenges, have “shown up” for work with their best selves and positive attitudes: working, reframing, and creating on behalf of us all, and for the community, we share and love.

Our lay leaders, who volunteer their time, participate in often back-to-back Zoom meetings, prepared to make tough decisions, think about the future, and open their hearts in ways they did not anticipate before saying “yes” to this leadership responsibility.

Our beloved Rabbis and Cantors, who have thoughtfully recreated temple life for us as we navigate the pandemic. We learn, sing, meditate, comfort, celebrate, and pray together as a community in meaningful ways. Their continuous outreach through drive-thru worship experiences, Zoom Shabbat, phone calls, and virtual milestones leave us all feeling their love and devotion.

Our volunteers, who make calls and visits to our super seniors, organize and manage food and clothing drives for those who need our help and kindness, and the brigade of volunteers who, through non-partisan methods, encouraged us to participate in the census and our upcoming election. …and finally, our Temple Sinai family. Your unwavering commitment to Temple Sinai, especially during these very challenging times, through participation, membership, and donations are what allow our clergy, staff, lay leaders, and volunteers to do what they do, making Temple Sinai a home to us all. You, too, deserve our deepest appreciation and gratitude. Thank You.

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Our staff, lay leaders, clergy team, and volunteers have all made sacrifices on behalf of our synagogue. They work tirelessly to see that our community has the care it needs. They deserve our utmost thankfulness and gratitude. It is my honor to represent our beautiful congregation and offer appreciation and love on behalf of all our members.

There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark - Helen Keller With love and appreciation,

Michelle Golden

A Special Thank You to the Members of the A premium category of membership Ellen & Howard Brecher Michelle & Dr. Seth Golden Esther Fortunoff Greene & Joshua Greene Dr. Janet Serle & Ira Malin VERONICA NASARY

Randy & Hank Ratner Jodi & Robert Rosenthal Kelly Grunther & Jeffrey Sklar Dr. Barbara & Alan Weinschel Lori & RIchard Yaspan

To learn more about becoming a member of The Lev Society, please contact Alison Stamm at 516.621.6800 or astamm@mysinai.org SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020 13

What is Kabbalah?

Kabbalah (also spelled Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala)— sometimes translated as “mysticism” or “occult knowledge”—is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God. Whether it entails a sacred text, an experience, or the way things work, Kabbalists believe that God moves in mysterious ways.

The Zohar, a collection of written, mystical commentaries on the Torah, is considered to be the underpinning of Kabbalah. Written in medieval Aramaic and medieval Hebrew, the Zohar is intended to guide Kabbalists in their spiritual journey, helping them attain the greater levels of connectedness with God that they desire.

Kabbalistic thought is often considered Jewish mysticism. Its practitioners tend to view the Creator and the Creation as a continuum, rather than as discrete entities, and they desire to experience intimacy with God. This desire is especially intense because of the powerful mystical sense of kinship that Kabbalists believe exists between God and humanity. Within the soul of every individual is a hidden part of God that is wait­ing to be revealed. As Kabbalist Moses Cordovero writes, “The essence of divin­ity is found in every single thing, nothing but It exists….It exists in each existent.”

There are three dimensions to almost all forms of Jewish mysticism, which are likely to be understood by only small numbers of people who possess specialized knowledge: • The investigative • The experiential • The practical The investigative aspect of Kabbalah in­volves searching the hidden reality of the universe for secret knowledge about its origins and its organization—a quest that is more esoteric than mystical. In Jewish tradition, there are three ways esoteric knowledge can be obtained:

1. By interpreting sacred texts to uncover nistar (“hidden” meaning)

2. By oral transmission of tradition from a Kab­balistic master

3. By direct reve­lation, which might include visitation by an angel or Elijah, spirit possession,

or other supra-rational experience Although it is primarily interested in metaphysics, things “beyond” the physical universe, investigative Kabbalah is not anti-rational. All Jewish mystical/esoteric traditions adopt the language of, and expand upon, the philosophic and even scientific ideas of their time.

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The experiential dimension of Kabbalah involves the actual quest for mystical experience: a direct, intuitive, unmediated encounter with a close but concealed Deity. As Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, mystics “...want to taste the whole wheat of spirit before it is ground by the millstones of reason.” Mystics specifically seek the ec­static experience of God, not merely knowledge about God. In their quest to encounter God, Jewish mystics live spiritually disciplined lives. Although neither formal nor informal monasticism is sanctioned by Jewish mysticism, experiential Kabbalists tend to be ascetics. Nonetheless, Juda­ism keeps its mystics grounded, and they are expected to marry, raise a family, and fulfill all customary communal religious obligations. Therefore, many willfully expand the sphere of their religious practice beyond what tradition requires, creating hanganot, personal daily devo­tional practices. In his will, one Kabbalist recommended this regime to his sons: peri­ods of morning, afternoon, evening, and midnight prayer, two hours devoted to the Bible, four and a half to Talmud, two to ethical and mystical texts, and two to other Jewish texts, as well as one and a half hours to daily care, time to make a living – and five hours to sleep!

The practical dimension of Kabbalah involves rituals for gaining and exercising power to effect change in our world and in the celestial worlds beyond ours. This power is generated by performing commandments, summon­ing and controlling angelic and demonic forces, and otherwise tapping into the supernatural energies present in Creation. The practical aspect of Kabbalah furthers God’s intention in the world, advancing good, healing, mending, and subduing evil. The true master of this art fulfills the human potential to be a co-creator with God. Historians of Judaism identify many schools of Jewish esotericism across time, each with its own unique interests and beliefs. Technically, the term “Kabbalah” applies only to writings that emerged in medieval Spain and southern France beginning in the 13th century. Beyond academia, however, the term “Kabbalah” is a catchall for all forms of Jewish esotericism.

As noted above, Jewish mystics are not like monks or hermits. Kabbalists tend to be part of social circles rather than lone seekers. With few exceptions, such as the wandering mystic Abraham Abulafia, esoterically inclined Jews tend to congregate in mystical as­sociations, and it is not unusual for a single master to bring forth a new and innovative mystical school, which yields multiple generations of a particular mystical practice.

Although until today Kabbalah has been the practice of select Jewish “circles,” most of what we know about it comes from the many literary works that have been recognized as “mystical” or “esoteric.”

From these mystical works, scholars have identified many distinctive mystical schools, including the Hechalot mystics, the German Pietists, the Zoharic Kabbalah, the ecstatic school of Abraham Abulafia, the teachings of Isaac Luria, and Chasidism. These schools can be categorized further based on individual masters and their disciples. Most mystical movements are deeply indebted to the writings of earlier schools, even as they add innovative interpretations and new systems of thought to the existing teachings. In contemporary Reform congregations, the observances of Kabbalat Shabbat, havdallah, and the Tu B’Shevat seder derive from Kabbalistic traditions.

Adapted from ReformJudaism.org.

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(2,00 For more information, contact Social Action at socialaction@mysinai.org

The Social Action committee keeps tikkun olam, repairing the world, at the heart of all our actions. Life today requires us to make many choices, but the choice to help one another is an easy one. Choose to join us, choose mitzvot, choose to repair the world.

Thank you to everyone who gave so generously to our High Holy Day food drive. It was a big success! Long Island Cares filled a truck with our contributions (over 2,000 pounds!), and once again, we are proud to be part of their mission of providing food and nutrition to those in need. Sadly, the need is increasing. As a result, we plan on holding another food drive early next year. The more people we help, the less hunger is felt in the community.

How to Help Now During November, we will be holding our Give Warmth Coat Drive. Thank you in advance for your donations. The more people we can help today, the fewer people will need to face the cold this winter.

• Please start to go through your homes and collect gently used and new coats,

hats, gloves, and scarves.

• PLEASE NOTE: due to COVID-19, when you drop your donations in the bins,

they must be in large SEALED BAGS.

Looking Ahead As the Social Action Committee, our eyes, ears, and hearts are always open to “what more can we do?” Currently, we are exploring options to help those suffering from depression, anxiety, or other feelings of emotional distress. We will update you with details as we have them. We also welcome your suggestions of where we can help.

Tzedakah We very much appreciate your continued support. With your donations, the more people we can help, the fewer people will struggle and suffer. To donate to the Social Action Fund, please visit mysinai.org/donate.html The Lubavitcher Rebbe teaches, If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world God has left for you to complete. Let’s honor these words with our actions. Email Social Action at socialaction@mysinai.org to find out more.

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in partnership with

nursery school notes from

MISS LINDSAY

Lindsay Dayan lindsay.dayan@brighthorizons.com

Fun Facts About Our Teachers JAMIE SMITH

Miss Jamie was captain of her high school cheerleading team and is also a certified Zumba instructor.

HEER AHLUWALIA

Miss Heer was voted “Most Shy” in high school.

JILL FEINGOLD

Miss Jill was voted homecoming queen but was too shy to go to prom.

AUDRA NEEDLE

Miss Audra graduated from high school in 3 years.

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JESSICA MINUNNI Miss Jess played the violin for 8 years.

RACHEL HO

Miss Rachel is double jointed and can bend her pinky backwards.

MARLEY GUNTER

Miss Marley has a huge household plant collection and prides herself in growing a lemon tree from planting a lemon seed.

ROBIN GOSSETT

Miss Robin was a professional Jazz/ Modern Dancer performing across the United States.

LINDAY DAYAN

ASHLEY MILANA

Miss Lindsay’s dad invented the first Mickey Mouse silhouette hook hangers for Disney.

Miss Ashley plays the guitar and ukulele.

CONSTANCE D’ANGELO Miss Connie used to ride owners’ horses in shows to win ribbons.

NILASHA GUPTA

Miss Nilasha wanted to become a doctor and majored in Pre-Med classes. She changed her major to Early Education when she realized that her passion was teaching.

TIFFANY MELENDEZ

CLARA MILANA

Miss Clara loves how everyone is so nice and makes her feel like home when she’s at Temple Sinai.

DIANE ROTHSTEIN

Miss Diane has an Art Degree from Syracuse University and on the weekends she teaches art classes from home.

Miss Tiffany has an MLB bucket list. She has been to 6 out of 30 major league baseball stadiums in North America.

EBRU PEKGULEC

MICHELLE SMITHSON

SARA HANAMY

Miss Michelle is certified in Crisis Prevention Intervention.

Led by Cantors Sergei and Elena Schwartz

SAVE THE DATES!

Miss Ebru loves to go fishing and play golf.

Miss Sara was the captain and MVP of her high school volleyball team.

Friday, November 6, 2020 • Gobble, Gobble Shabbat Toddle rs 2nd tGora de

Saturday, December 12, 2020 • Latkes in the Lot Friday, January 8, 2021 • Hug a Tree Shabbat Friday, February 26, 2021 • Purim Party Shabbat Friday, March 19, 2021 • Matzah Balls & Miracles Shabbat Friday, April 16, 2021 • Blue & White Shabbat

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Caring Committee

of Temple Sinai

The Caring Committee sends its Best Wishes to the congregation, our devoted clergy and our wonderful staff for a Sweet, Healthy, Happy and Peaceful New Year.

The Temple Sinai Gift Shop will remain closed until further notice.

Please call the Temple office at 516.621.6800 for more information about the rewards of participating on this Committee.

Warmly, Burnette and Cecile, Co-Chairs

MOVING? contact the temple office at 516.621.6800 or templeoffice@mysinai.org to update your information

great books...great insights...great fun

Our next meeting: Monday, November 16 7:30pm

Sinai Reads Presents Two Jews = Three Shuls

by Temple Sinai’s Own, Sandra Tankoos

Sandy Tankoos, a past president of Temple

Sinai, will join us to discuss her book, a

murder mystery set in a synagogue on Long Island. The book takes place in 1992 when the rabbi of a synagogue located in a wealthy suburb on Long Island, N.Y., is found murdered there. A main character is Deborah Katzman, a child survivor of the Holocaust and the first woman to become president of the synagogue. Congregational lay leaders had hoped that a woman with her background would be able to reduce a growing friction taking place there as the rabbi was becoming more and more traditional at the same time his congregants were becoming more liberal. Sandy’s hope is that by reading her book, “people can understand the sincerity of people who get involved in religious life and why it’s important to them.”

Questions? Contact Leslie Lewit Milner at llmmotivate@aol.com.

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our children, our future

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

Cantor-Educator Elena Schwartz cantorelenaschwartz@mysinai.org

I hope you all had a wonderful Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Although we could not celebrate in our usual ways, I hope you found sweetness and joy, in old and new ways, in the holiday.

Our Religious School students learned about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah and teshuvah using our new ShalomLearning Values Curriculum. Teshuvah means “return.” It also means learning how to correct our mistakes and how to return to the right path.

Our First and Second Graders focused on recognizing our mistakes, apologizing, and then taking clear steps to make things better. We learned that it is important to take responsibility for our actions. If we have been unkind or disrespectful to someone, we need to make things better by apologizing and trying to fix the situation. Also, it takes courage to admit when we are wrong.

Our Third Graders explored how apologizing and making peace with one another helps to make us complete.

According to Jewish tradition, apologizing is one of the most important Jewish values. We focused on our ability to move on from mistakes and how we can learn to make better choices in the future.

Our Fourth Graders focused on taking responsibility for one’s actions through repentance. People will sometimes Cantor-Educator Elena Schwartz make mistakes even as they try to do what is right. (Chet means missing the mark.) We learned some of the ways that Judaism attempts to keep us “aiming straight and hitting the target” of positive behavior instead of “missing the mark.”

Our Fifth Graders focused on reflecting on the potential that a new beginning has to offer. Teshuvah translates to repentance and introspection. We learned that being a member of a group gives you the responsibility to recognize and speak up when the group’s behavior has gone astray, and this requires reflection and change.

Our Sixth Graders learned about the importance of taking responsibility for our actions and self-analysis as a step in the teshuvah process. We learned that often in life we are challenged to stand up and take responsibility for our communities and ourselves.

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Our next unit in our new ShalomLearning Values Curriculum is b’tzelem Elohim (in the image of God). Humans are all created b’tzelem Elohim, and that endows each of us with an inherent value and makes us worthy of respect.

We generally understand this as the idea that every human, regardless of what we look like, what we do, how we walk, how we think, how we talk, we are all holy because we are created in God’s image. and should be treated well.

Our First and Second Graders will learn about kavod b’tzelem Elohim – we respect every person simply because they are a human being. Kavod means respect or honor. They will discuss some of the ways people are different from one another and ways to honor the people who have those differences. Students will also focus on how we act holy and will learn ways that we imitate God in our daily lives.

Our Third Graders will learn that b’tzelem Elohim is a guide for how we treat others and that it is a Jewish value to respect all people. They will discuss the relationship between b’tzelem Elohim and the way our actions affect others. They will explore differences in others and learn that although we are created differently, we treat each person with the same kindness and respect.

Our Fourth Graders will learn that being created in God’s image leads us to treat ourselves and others with care, dignity, and respect. They will discover ways they can practically apply the concept of b’tzelem Elohim positively in their own lives and will help summon the courage to act when needed. They will concentrate on the value of shemirat ha’guf, caring for one’s body/health, and relating it to the belief that the body represents the image of God. They will discuss how they can help others in their schools and communities.

Our Fifth Graders will explore how we can honor the image of God in ourselves and others by how we act and behave and how the concept of b’tzelem Elohim influences our behavior and enhances our self-image and dignity.

The students will appreciate that each person has worth and dignity and can help them navigate social situations.

They will assess their home, synagogue or institutions and make recommendations for greater accessibility.

Our Sixth Graders will explore the idea that God created us in God’s image out of love for us. They will learn about what it means to act b’tzelem Elohim as partners with God. They will discuss the differences between mitzvah (commandment) and acts of g’milut chassadim (good deeds). They will be introduced to Jewish text that guides us as we encounter people with disabilities and empowers them to be inclusive.

I wish you a wonderful year ahead filled with health, joy, safety, and meaningful Jewish learning!

Warmly, Cantor Elena

H Nen

At our Hineni students had their first two mitzvah education program on Sukkot and Simchat Torah. The students discovered traditions and customs they never knew. For instance, the children did not know that the four species that make up the lulav can represent, not only the human body, but also the four types of Jewish people. Just as all parts of the body must work as a whole to sustain us, all of the Jewish people must work together to bring unity and peace to the world. The children learned also about all five of the books in the Torah. They then challenged themselves by learning both the Hebrew and English names of all five books along with the meanings of each name.

They created their own mnemonic phrase to remember the names and order of the books! They had fun thinking outside the box and came up with some super creative and original phrases that also gave us some good giggles. To conclude our session the children then learned to how to look up verses in the Torah and completely mastered it.

They really are a brilliant group! Stay tuned for our next session, it’s sure to be an exciting one!

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teachers are an important Our Hineni students worked with Our Sunriseamazing Day Camp to make hundreds of projects for children undergoing reasontreatments we areforthe Religious School cancer. We can all be very proud of our students for children not only LOVE. learning about, but participating in acts of tikkun olam!

Meet Our Teachers

In our ongoing series of profiles, meet Shana Fruchter and Dafna Zlatin !

Shana Fruchter

Shana has 15 years of religious school experience. She has taught students from Pre-K through 6th grade. Shana values the warm and welcoming Temple Sinai community and enjoys teaching Hebrew reading, writing, prayers, and Jewish culture. Learning is one of the most important Jewish values and she is very passionate abaout sharing her knowledge with her students in a fun and engaging way. Shana is also a music therapist and loves to bring music as a tool into her teaching to help students develop and increase their skills, even in Hebrew! Shana lives in Brooklyn and during her free time, she enjoys traveling the world (pre-Covid!), visiting her family in Israel, Broadway shows, visiting art galleries, and taking long walks with her doggy!

Dafna Zlatin

Dafna was born in Jerusalem Israel and became an American citizen in 1976. Dafna has two wonderful sons - one newly married and the other, currently teaching in Thailand. She has the cutest twelve-year-old puggle in the world. She studied Early Childhood Education and Art at NCU and Queens College. She loves teaching and tutoring children with special needs, mainstream and those preparing to become B’nei Mitzvah. She has been coming up with new styles and teaching ideas for over 35 years. Dafna loves education and always keeps her heart open to new methods of teaching and learning. She is very excited for this new year ahead and looks forward to working with all of her amazing students.

RELIGIOUS SCHOOL CALENDAR NOVEMBER 2020

1 Hineni 10:00-11:00am 11 Hineni 9:30-10:30 am 2 Mitzvah Makers Hebrew Prayer Boot 11 NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL/Veterans Day OnCamp January 24, we shared a beautiful evening celebrating our fifth 6:30-7:00pm 16 Mitzvah Makers Hebrew Prayer Boot and sixth grade students beginning with a festive Shabbat dinner, 2 Mitzvah Makers 7:00-8:00pm Camp 6:30-7:00pm thanks to our wonderful partners, V&Z followed by7:00-8:00pm a service 3 NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL/Election Day Caterers, 16 Mitzvah Makers 6 Sharing Thanksgiving – Gobble, Gobble 18 Hineni 4:30-5:30pm led by the students, their teachers, Rabbi Schachter, and Cantors Elena 9-10 Kristallnacht 18-29 NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL/ and Sergei Schwartz.

9 Mitzvah Makers Hebrew Prayer Boot THANKSGIVING RECESS Camp 6:30-7:00pm 30 RELIGIOUS SCHOOL RESUMES We look forward the K-2 Milestone Purim on Hebrew Prayer Boot 9 Mitzvah Makersto7:00-8:00pm 30Celebration Mitzvah Makers Monday, March 9.SCHOOL 10 NO RELIGIOUS Camp 6:30-7:00pm 30 Mitzvah Makers 7:00-8:00pm

DECEMBER 2020

7 Mitzvah Makers Hebrew Prayer Boot Camp 6:30-7:00pm 7 Mitzvah Makers 7:00-8:00pm 10 Erev Chanukah 12 Sharing Chanukah – “Latkes in the Lot” 13 Family Education – Chanukah 14 Mitzvah Makers Hebrew Prayer Boot Camp 6:30-7:00pm 14 Mitzvah Makers 7:00-8:00pm 16 – Jan. 3 – NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL/WINTER RECESS

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EMILY GUILLON NOVEMBER 7

Parents: Stefanie & François Guillon Siblings: Luca - 16, Sarah - 12 Grandparents: Gail & Richard Land, Françoise & Jean-Pierre Guillon School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 5 Favorite Holiday: Purim is my favorite Jewish holiday, because everyone can dress up and have a great time. I have so many fond memories as a child going to Purim carnivals with my family and friends.

Describe Yourself: My favorite subjects in school are math and English. I enjoy playing the violin in my school orchestra and string ensemble, as well as my private lessons. I love playing tennis and hope to play on the Roslyn Middle School team. I also enjoy drawing and painting.

Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? Becoming a Bat Mitzvah means to me that I am moving on to the next chapter of my life. I am looking forward to helping others in need by volunteering at Temple Sinai. I am very interested in helping out at food drives in our community.

SARAH GUILLON NOVEMBER 7

Parents: Stefanie & François Guillon Siblings: Luca - 16, Emily - 12 Grandparents: Gail & Richard Land, Françoise & Jean-Pierre Guillon School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 5 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Chanukah. It is my favorite holiday because I love lighting the candles on the menorah with my family and playing a game with my siblings about the candles on the menorah.

Describe Yourself: I love playing basketball and tennis with my family and friends. My favorite subject in school is math and I love being on the math team with my sister for the past few years.

I also enjoy playing the viola and being part of my school’s orchestra.

Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? As I become a Bat Mitzvah, what I am most looking forward to is that, on the day when I officially become a Bat Mitzvah, I will officially, for the first time, become an adult.

MARLI JACOBSON NOVEMBER 14

Parents: Shari & Jeff Jacobson Siblings: Sam - 16, Olivia - 12 Grandparents: Ann & Irwin Kellner, Susan Jacobson, Donald Jacobson School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 6 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Chanukah because I love to give and receive gifts. It makes me so happy to see my family members appreciate and enjoy their gifts. I like eating traditional foods such as potato latkes. I also enjoy lighting the menorah, playing dreidel games, and watching the candles burn.

Describe Yourself: My favorite school subjects are Spanish and art. I love learning to communicate in another language. Outside of school I love to play basketball, both competitively and with my friends. I also like to swim, draw, cook, and spend time with my family and friends. I love my summers at Camp Lokanda, a sleepaway camp in upstate New York.

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Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? To me, becoming a Bat Mitzvah means becoming an adult in the Jewish community. Preparing for my Bat Mitzvah has given me the chance to learn a lot about Judaism. It also commemorates a very special accomplishment. I am looking forward to participating in Jewish traditions, such as fasting on Yom Kippur and reading from the Torah. I am also looking forward to celebrating with my family and friends. I will remember this amazing milestone in my life forever.

OLIVIA JACOBSON NOVEMBER 14

Parents: Shari & Jeff Jacobson Siblings: Sam - 16, Marli - 12 Grandparents: Ann & Irwin Kellner, Susan Jacobson, Donald Jacobson School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 6 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Rosh Hashanah because it is the New Year. I reflect on the previous year and think about how to make the next year better. I look forward to celebrating with my family and spending time together on this special occasion.

Describe Yourself: I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I love to play basketball competitively and play tennis. I also like playing the electric bass in the jazz band and the upright bass in the orchestra. During the pandemic, I started to learn how to sew and also started my own mask chain business. My favorite school subject is social studies because I find it very interesting. During the summer, I attend Camp Lokanda, a sleepaway camp in Glen Spey, New York. I have gone there for the past three summers and I love it.

Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? To me, becoming a Bat Mitzvah is very important because it means I am becoming a Jewish adult. I will have new responsibilities such as fasting with my family on Yom Kippur. I am looking forward to celebrating this special milestone with my family and friends.

ZACHARY KUPPERSMITH NOVEMBER 19

Parents: Alyssa & Rob Kuppersmith Siblings: Reese - 10 Grandparents: Gale & Sandy Salz, Barry & Kate Stadlin, Barbara & Joel Kuppersmith School: Roslyn Middle School - 8th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 5 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Chanukah because I love the tradition of lighting the menorah together for eight nights and celebrating gift-giving with my family.

Describe Yourself: I enjoy playing sports especially basketball, football, and hockey. I look forward every year to spending my summers at Trails End Camp. In my free time, I like hanging out with my friends, skiing, and watching football. My favorite subject in school is social studies.

Why is Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Important? Becoming a Bar Mitzvah is important to me because I am now recognized as a Jewish man. This has been a difficult year for everyone during COVID-19. and I am thankful to be able to share my Bar Mitzvah with my family.

SYDNEY HASSENBEIN NOVEMBER 21

Parents: Jaime & Mitchell Hassenbein Siblings: Drew - 11 Grandparents: Arlene & Melvin Feuerstein, Sheilah & Jack Hassenbein School: Roslyn Middle School - 8th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 6 Favorite Holiday: Chanukah is my favorite Jewish holiday because it lasts for eight nights.

The holiday is celebrated in my house each night with my family attending a candle lighting ceremony, which is highlighted by the lighting of the menorah. It is also fun and exciting to receive gifts from family and friends.

Describe Yourself: To start off, I really enjoy most subjects in school. I’m grateful that I go to a nice school with great teachers. My favorite subject is Spanish. I enjoy this subject because it’s fun to learn a new language/culture and it could be useful at times. Sometimes when I am free, I enjoy playing tennis with my dad. Otherwise, I like to go on walks with friends.

Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? Becoming a Bat Mitzvah means I am a Jewish adult. This is a very meaningful milestone in my life and Jewish tradition. I look forward to making a difference and celebrating this special day with all of the meaningful people in my life.

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DANIEL LEVINE NOVEMBER 28

Parents: Kim Levine Siblings: Samuel - 19, Eric - 16 Grandparents: Judi & the late Edward Siegel, Gale & Lawrence Levine School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 4 Favorite Holiday: Chanukah, because I get to spend eight nights with my family, including my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Oh, and the presents!

Describe Yourself: I love sports. I play soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis. My favorite subject in school is social studies.

Why is Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Important? Becoming a Bar Mitzvah means becoming a man and having more responsibility.

BENJAMIN RUBIN DECEMBER 5

Parents: Samantha & Edward Rubin Siblings: Alex -14 Grandparents: Stephanie & Paul Goldberg, Susan & Ned Fenton School: Roslyn Middle School - 6th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 5 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Passover because I enjoy sitting around the table and hanging out with family.

Describe Yourself: I love playing and watching lots of sports like football, basketball, and tennis.

I am a big Knicks and Jets fan. My favorite subject in school is math.

Why is Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Important? Becoming a Bat Mitzvah means more responsibility and more maturity to become an adult.

RILEY GREEN DECEMBER 5

Parents: Karin & Howard Green Siblings: Tyler - 14 Grandparents: Selma & Joel Cohen, the late Paul Green, the late Margaret & the late Mel Gitlitz School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 5 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Passover because I find the story behind the holiday very interesting.

Describe Yourself: My favorite subject in school is social studies. I played the flute for three years up until this year. I am a Level 8 competitive gymnast at Hotshots. I also play softball and basketball and I dance.

Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? To me, becoming a Bat Mitzvah means that you are entering a new chapter in your life. You are becoming a Jewish adult. When I become a Bat Mitzvah, I will take the lessons I have learned throughout my life and I will use them in my next chapters.

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MAXWELL GOLD DECEMBER 10

Parents: Rachel & Todd Gold Siblings: Oliver - 13, Lila - 9 Grandparents: Gerald Lederer, Susan Gold, Alan Gold School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 4 Favorite Holiday: I like Chanukah the most because I have so many nice memories lighting the candles and saying the blessings each night. Of course, I like getting so many presents, too.

Describe Yourself: I enjoy playing almost every sport - some of my favorites are basketball, football, baseball, and hockey. I also love watching sports on tv and rooting for my favorite teams. When I have free time, I like to hang out with my close friends and family.

Why is Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Important? It means so much to me to become a Bar Mitzvah.

I have thought about this day for a long time because as I get older, I know it comes with a lot of new responsibilities. I take a lot of pride in being part of the Jewish community.

OLIVER GOLD DECEMBER 10

Parents: Rachel & Todd Gold Siblings: Maxwell - 13, Lila - 9 Grandparents: Gerald Lederer, Susan Gold, Alan Gold School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 4 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Passover. I like Passover because I enjoy being a part of seders with my family and honoring the people who struggled for us.

Describe Yourself: I enjoy playing many different types of sports. Some of my favorites are basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, and baseball. During my free time, I like hanging out with all of my friends and family.

Why is Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Important? It means so much to me to become a Bar Mitzvah because I have been learning Hebrew to prepare for this special day. I’m looking forward to contributing more as a member of the Jewish community and helping those around me.

MICHAELA MALLIN DECEMBER 12

Parents: Stacey & David Mallin Siblings: Reese - 12 Grandparents: Emma & Joseph Marchetti, the late Michael Sperling, Faye & the late Seymour Mallin School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 5 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Rosh Hashanah. I have a lot of memories celebrating the new year with my family. We spend time together and eat a good meal.

Describe Yourself: The subject I like most in school is social studies. I find it very interesting. It is fun to learn lessons about people and the past. I am also on the swim team and I like to draw.

Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? Becoming a Bat Mitzvah is important to me because it means I am a full member of the Jewish community. I am excited to take on this role and am looking forward to celebrating with my family and friends.

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REESE MALLIN DECEMBER 12

Parents: Stacey & David Mallin Siblings: Michaela - 12 Grandparents: Emma & Joseph Marchetti, the late Michael Sperling, Faye & the late Seymour Mallin School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 5 Favorite Holiday: Rosh Hashanah is my favorite holiday. It marks the beginning of a new year; we always celebrate with my cousins. It is a very happy and memorable time for our family.

Describe Yourself: My favorite subject in school is English. I love to read books and write about them. Some of my hobbies are skateboarding and ice skating. I also like to swim in the pool, ocean, and lake.

Why is Becoming a Bat Mitzvah Important? My grandmother, Faye Mallin, was a holocaust survivor. Since she can’t be with us for this event, I am looking forward to making her proud by becoming a Bat Mitzvah. I am also excited to celebrate with my family and friends.

ETHAN YEDVAB DECEMBER 19

Parents: Lauren & Josh Yedvab Siblings: Emma - 14 Grandparents: Marilyn and Shelly Katz, Donna Ganzer, Jay Yedvab School: Roslyn Middle School - 8th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 6 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Chanukah because I enjoy giving and receiving presents.

Describe Yourself: My favorite subject in school is math. I don’t currently play any instruments, but I have taken music lessons over the years. Now, I prefer to listen to music when I’m not playing sports or playing video games. My favorite sports are basketball and football. I look forward to being able to travel again and take vacations with my friends and family and also hope that I will be able to go back to camp next summer and spend time with my camp friends.

Why is Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Important? Becoming a Bar Mitzvah means taking on more responsibility and having more freedom. In the past seven months, I have had to develop better time management skills, adjust my day- to-day activities to prioritize school work with so many distractions around me, and be much more independent. I have learned a lot about myself and have grown from this experience. I am still hoping to be surrounded by my friends and family at my Bar Mitzvah but understand that not everything is in our control these days. I look forward to continuing to grow and be the best person I can be.

JONATHAN FARBER DECEMBER 19

Parents: Lori & Craig Farber Siblings: Zoe - 18, Sasha - 16 Grandparents: Sharyn & Richard Geller, Irene & Sheldon Farber School: Roslyn Middle School - 7th Grade Years in Our Religious School: 4 Favorite Holiday: My favorite Jewish holiday is Passover. I get to spend it with my family, which extends to all my cousins, so we all say the Four Questions together.

Describe Yourself: My favorite subjects are math, science, and art because math is my easiest subject and I enjoy sketching and drawing, which I only do in school. I enjoy almost every sport - basketball, baseball, lacrosse, and flag football - but I think my future will be in track because I am really fast.

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Why is Becoming a Bar Mitzvah Important? As I become a Bar Mitzvah, I am excited to practice Jewish traditions with friends and family and I will give back to the Jewish community by participating in charitable events.

TEMPLE SINAI TEEN PROGRAMS lulu’s lulu’s

TEEN TALK TEEN TALK

Lulu Belferder Lulu Belferder lbelferder@mysinai.org lbelferder@mysinai.org This year is off to a busy start and I couldn’t be happier. Seeing the teens (with masks) in person has been so uplifting for us all. We have been gathering together since the end of September in a safe way: to learn, connect withyear their and and givethat backbrings to ouradded community.

The school is peers, underway stress and anxiety for all children especially teens.

Teen stress is an important health issue that more and more teens are experiencing each year. The early Iteen haveyears the pleasure of working our SORTY Teen Leadership Board* to plan andalso organize are marked by rapiddirectly changeswith — physical, cognitive, and emotional.

Young people face activities and events.

This year, we have 28 intelligent, dedicated, and kind students on our Board. changing relationships with peers, new demands at school, family tensions, and safety issues in theirI wanted to highlight someinofwhich their teens wordscope and thoughts our teencan programs and what short-and Judaism means to communities.

The ways with theseonstressors have significant long-term them. consequences on their physical and emotional health. It is often hard for teens to ask for help, and put words to the stress or anxiety they are feeling. Below are some strategies to help teens get through these “Being Jewish has an impact on our everyday lives. Our decision to be on SORTY Board was a decision experiences. to “step up.” to be a leader, to help others in need, and to give back to our synagogue and community.

Being a leaderfor is acoping job that needs to be carried Strategies with stress: out at all times, whether we’re in the temple or not. On holidays, we choose to uphold the traditions, such as observing the dietary laws of Passover and attending Highproblems Holy Daywith services annually. This helps to show our active participation and the important • Talk about others. role Judaism in ouraccompanied lives.”

• Take deephas breaths, by thinking or saying aloud, “I can handle this.”

• Perform progressive muscle relaxation, which involves repeatedly tensing and relaxing large muscles Haikus of theabout body.the interactions and Sulam teen programs: • Set small goals and break tasks into smaller, manageable chunks.

Community help Giving Tzedakah The Confirmation • Exercise and eat regular meals.

Leading kids tosleep.

Mitzvot Donating extra to others Teen Programs are great (on zoom) • Get proper Having lots of fun.

Spending lots of time.

Helping others out.

• Practice consistent, positive discipline.

• Visualize and practice feared situations.

I•am excited continue with these I know this to bring Focus on to what you canlearning control from (yourand reactions, yourteens. actions) andthat let go ofyear whatwill youcontinue cannot (other joypeople’s and laughter into my because I am surrounded by some of the most inspiring young people. opinions andworld expectations).

• Work through worst-case scenarios until they seem amusing or absurd.

• Lower unrealistic expectations.

• Schedule breaks and enjoyable activities.

• Accept yourself as you are; identify your unique strengths and build on them.

Lauren Belferder • Give “Lulu” up on the idea of perfection, both in yourself and in others. Give yourself permission and cultivate the ability to learn from mistakes *Applications for the 2021-2022 SORTY Board will go out in April of 2021.

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TODAH RABAH FROM TEMPLE SINAI Brotherhood Raises Its Voices One of the basic tenets of the Brotherhood of Temple Sinai is to work with other groups of the temple. We lend an ear when another group needs to be heard, we lend a hand when another group needs support, and we lend our presence when another group needs to be seen. It is no wonder that the Brotherhood also lends its voices as singers in the Temple Sinai Community Choir.

Led by Cantors Sergei and Elena Schwartz, members of Brotherhood add their voices during various performances in different roles: As members of the Community Choir, they provide their wonderful voices to the High Holy Day services as recently seen during the computer-assembled performance of several Rosh Hashanah songs. They have appeared in several venues including the Islamic Center of Long Island, the Roslyn Baptist Church and the Community Church of East Williston.

As members of the Purim Shpielers, they perform in the annual spoof of the story of Purim as interpreted by Chuck Weiss and David Neiderbach.

We take this opportunity to recognize and express our appreciation to the continuing efforts of our active Brotherhood members to make our collective voices heard:

• • • • • •

Michael Groothius Norman Hollander Larry Milner David Neiderbach Chuck Weiss David Wollin

Warmly, Larry Krasnoff

Our Next VIRTUAL Brotherhood Meetings via ZOOM: Wednesday, November 4 at 7:30pm Wednesday.December 2 at 7:30pm

Join us for the next Virtual Scotch & Sacred Text with Rabbi White Tuesday, December 15 at 7:30pm Check your email for details!

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Calling all women of Temple Sinai! Friend of a Friend has been busy with in-person, socially distant events as well as a variety of interactive, virtual events:

• We “masked-up” and decorated the sukkah outdoors

• We made caramel apples for Sukkot and Simchat Torah, with Kim Levine and

Vanessa Goldstein via Zoom

• Our virtual Sukkot Service and Celebration was a huge hit, thanks to Rabbi Ilana,

Cantor Elena and our special Ushpizin, Barbara Blatte! Thank you very much for

the thoughtful donations to FOF in honor of Barbara.

• Everyone had such a blast making apple strudel via Zoom with Lainie Krasnoff,

that we have her coming back in December to demo how to make babka!

• We enjoyed an amazing morning together for the “socially distant” walking tour

and picnic at the Nassau Museum Sculpture Garden with museum docent

Nancy Traeger.

If you haven’t joined us yet, this is the season for us to welcome you and for you to enjoy participating in all that’s going on.

Here’s what’s coming up:

Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00pm on Zoom Join us for a lively discussion about the Torah & women in our heritage, & learn how the Torah’s teachings relate to our modern lives. Led by Cantor-Educator Elena Schwartz. No fee.

Check your email for Zoom information

Friend of a Friend Monthly Planning Meetings

Fridays, November 6 and December 4 at 9:30am via Zoom Catch up with everyone after summer, meet some new friends, & help us plan future events & activities. We welcome newcomers to keep our ideas fresh & appealing to all women of Temple Sinai. Our meetings are short & always start with a joke!

It’s an easy way to get involved. Give it a try!

ZOOM Information for November - Meeting ID: 469 608 1934 ZOOM Information for December - check your email for details

Friend of a Friend/Chaverot Shabbat Service - Intimate, Inviting, and Inspiring!

Friday, November 13 at 6:45pm

Welcome Shabbat via Zoom at this unique service where we’ll be celebrating friendship between women. If you haven’t yet attended a Shabbat service at Sinai or if you are a regular, come enjoy this memorable and participatory evening with the women of Temple Sinai. See friends old and new, and celebrate the bonds of female friendships we all treasure!

Check the weekly Shabbat email for Zoom details.

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From The Jewish Food Society: Preserving Your Family’s Culinary Heritage (An Adult Engagement Event, Co-Sponsored by FOF) Wednesday, November 18 at 11:00am Registration details to come

Family recipes can carry with them the quintessence of who we are as individuals and as a people, revealing where we’ve been, how we celebrate, mourn, endure, and love. This virtual workshop will help you document your family’s treasured recipes and the history behind them, offering guidance on interviewing family members, and translating recipes that say “a pinch of this, and a bissel of that” into a polished keepsake recipe for generations to come.

For more information, contact Adrianne Rubin at arubin@mysinai.org or 516.621.6800 x114.

Babka Making with Lainie

Tuesday, December 8 at 7:00pm Just in time for Chanukah, log on for a fabulous Zoom demo where you’ll learn how to make chocolate babka, with Sinai’s baker extraordinaire, Lainie Krasnoff. She’ll give step-by-step instructions for making the yeasted dough from scratch, and shaping and folding the beautiful layers that make chocolate babka so scrumptious and gorgeous. No charge.

Email fof@mysinai.org to register. Zoom information to follow.

To join Friend of a Friend, or renew your membership, please send your check payable to Temple Sinai for $36 with “FOF” in the memo line: Temple Sinai, 425 Roslyn Road, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577.

FOF dues and donations allow us to contribute to Sinai’s youth and adult programs, the clergy’s discretionary funds, community social service organizations, and more. Your thoughtful donations are always appreciated; checks may be made out to Friend of a Friend, with “donation” in the memo line, and mailed to the temple office. Thank you.

We are proud and happy to have made recent donations to the following causes and Temple Sinai funds:

Monter Center/ Northwell Health - Meals for Frontline Workers South Nassau Hospital - Meals for Frontline Workers Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) Temple Sinai’s Youth Engagement Fund

Rabbi White’s Discretionary Fund Rabbi Schachter’s Discretionary Fund Cantor Elena Schwartz’s Discretionary Fund Cantor Sergei Schwartz’s Discretionary Fund Temple Sinai Kol Nidre Among many others, we have also gladly donated to: Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ) • Temple Sina’s Choir Fund • Temple Sinai Chazak Temple Sinai Religious School • Matzo Factory (for the Nursery School) Sunrise on Wheels • Helping Hearts and Handbags • TANS

SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020 32

mazel tov Alice Chamow-Bader & Marvin Bader on the birth of their granddaughter Penelope Drew Bader Robert Chamow on the birth of his great granddaughter Penelope Drew Bader Stacey & Todd Breen upon their marriage Lisa & Robert Seader on the marriage of their son Andrew to Renee Tomic Burnette Groveman on the marriage of her daughter Audra to Malcolm Needle Audra & Malcolm Needle on their marriage Lisa & Mark Lundy on the marriage of their son Ian to Alyssa Davidson Lisa & Steven Birbach on the birth of their granddaughter Remy Elle Meltsner Lisa & Steven Birbach on the birth of their grandson Chase Evan Resnick Karen & Peter Ruben on the birth of their granddaughter Olivia Shelley Rispler Karin & Richard Tanenbaum on the marriage of their son Gregory to Kelly McGarrity Paula & Robert Appel on the engagement of their daughter Remi to Justin Kelman Sherri Marx-Eisenstadt & Dr. Jay Eisenstadt on the engagement of their son Corey Marx to Rachel Amper Ilene & James Robbins on the birth of their granddaughter Marlowe Harper Mintz Donna & Dan Levine on the marriage of their son Zachary to Nicole Kronfeld Our temple family shares both simchas and sorrows. Please let us know if you would like to receive members’ life cycle information via email by contacting the temple office at templeoffice@mysinai.org

with deepest sympathy Shari Frey on the loss of her mother Madeline Rubin Dr. Wendy Eisner on the loss of her mother Frances Linick Eisner Paige Charles on the loss of her father Daniel Garrett Doris Cohen on the loss of her husband Julian Cohen Fern Manor on the loss of her father Eugene Toback Leslie Entin Fabiani on the loss of her mother Lenore Entin Danielle Lenson on the loss of her cousin Stefani Fishler Stuart Cohen on the loss of his father Dr. Eugene I. Cohen Robyn Corbin on the loss of her mother Marcia Hirsch Alan Wasserman on the loss of his mother Eleanor de Aguirre Bradley Gerstman on the loss of his father Harvey Gerstman

We record with sorrow the death of Temple Members

Julian Cohen Barbara Weisenfeld With deepest sympathy to their families, May their memories be for a blessing.

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DONATIONS ARE ONLY INCLUDED IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE SCRIBE

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DONATIONS ARE ONLY INCLUDED IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE SCRIBE

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DONATIONS ARE ONLY INCLUDED IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE SCRIBE

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DONATIONS ARE ONLY INCLUDED IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE SCRIBE

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DONATIONS ARE ONLY INCLUDED IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE SCRIBE

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39 SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020

Support Merchants Who Support Temple Sinai

Jeff Sanderoff Lead Account Executive jeff@mmprint.com 1.877.MMPRINT

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Advertise your business while supporting Temple Sinai.

For information contact Kathy Diamond at kdiamond@mysinai.org

…At long last, New York City chic and sophistication comes to Long Island…

Call the event specialists, Mary Venier-Zwirn & Vincent D’Elia to view our beautifully decorated space for your next special occasion

516.484.4300 danielgale.com

If you are interested in buying or selling a home, please contact Eva for a personal and confidential home consultation as well as a free market analysis.

Eva Garfinkel Drabkin

Associate Real Estate Broker 516.626.7600 ext.27 c.516.978.1050 evadrabkin@danielgale.com Wheatley Plaza Office • 516.626.7600 • 342 Wheatley Plaza, Greenvale, NY Each office is independently owned and operated.

SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020 41

42 SCRIBE Nov-Dec 2020

9

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter 7:30pm Sinai Reads: Sandy Tankoos

23

22

30

29

24

17

11

25

27

Building Closed

Building Closed 6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service

NO NURSERY SCHOOL

THANKSGIVING DAY

26

20

6:45pm Virtual Shabbat 10:30am Bar Mitzvah Zachary Kuppersmith Service 7:30pm LICADD Wellness Webinar

9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan 10:30am Bar Mitzvah Daniel Levine

28

9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan 10:30am Bat Mitzvah Sydney Hassenbein

21

14 9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan 10:30am B’not Mitzvah Marli and Olivia Jacobson

6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service/Friend of a Friend Shabbat Service

19

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

7 9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan 10:30am B’not Mitzvah Emily and Sarah Guillon

Sat

13

11:00am FOF/Adult Engagment Program: with the Jewish Food Society 7:00pm Adult Education with Rabbi Schachter

7:30pm New Member Zoom Event

12

9:30am Friend of a Friend Virtual Monthly Meeting 4:30pm Sharing Shabbat 6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service/Kristallnacht Shabbat Service

6

Fri

18

VETERANS DAY

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

10:30am Adult Education with Rabbi White 7:30pm The Lasting Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

10

12:30pm AFTAU Program: Living in a Virtual World with Tal Soffer 5:30pm Happy Hour with Rabbi White

5

Thur

Religious School 516.621.8016

Nursery School 516.621.8708

Main Office 516.621.6800

If you have any questions, please call the phone numbers listed below:

Dates and times are current as of October 20, 2020 and are subject to change. Online calendars will be updated on a regular basis; please visit our website at mysinai.org for all other program and event information.

Meditation with Rabbi Schachter

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL 9:00am Monday Morning

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter

5:00pm Adult & Teen Program: BDS on College Campuses with the AJC’s Zev Hurwitz

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

16

4:00pm The Role of Art and the Artist with Nancy Traeger (Part 1)

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter 7:00pm Adult Education with Rabbi White

Wisdom 7:30pm Brotherhood Virtual Monthly Meeting

7:00pm Friend of a Friend

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL Virtual Wine, Women, &

4

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter

ELECTION DAY

Wed

3

Tue

2

Mon

15

8

1

Sun

November 2020

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27

20

29

22

23

7:00pm Adult Education with Rabbi Schachter

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

30

EREV CHANUKAH

17

CHANUKAH

10:30pm B’nei Mitzvah Maxwell & Oliver Gold

10

Building Closes at 1:00pm 7:00am Nursery School Dismisses at 3:00pm

NEW YEAR’S EVE

31

Building Closes at 1:00pm 7:00am Nursery School Dismisses at 3:00pm

CHRISTMAS EVE

24

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

CHANUKAH

7:00pm Adult Education with Rabbi Schachter

16

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

9:30am Adult Education with Rabbi White 7:30pm Brotherhood Scotch & Sacred Text

CHANUKAH

9

CHANUKAH

CHANUKAH

NO NURSERY SCHOOL

1

Building Closed 6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service

NO NURSERY SCHOOL

CHRISTMAS DAY

25

6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service

18

6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service

11

CHANUKAH

9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan

26

9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan 10:30am Bar Mitzvah Ethan Yedvab 10:30pm Bar Mitzvah Jonathan Farber

19

9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan 10:30am B’not Mitzvah Michaela & Reese Mallin 5:00pm Latkes in the Lot

12

5 9:00am Pray. Eat. Love.

Virtual Morning Minyan 10:30am Bar Mitzvah Benjamin Rubin 7:00pm Havdallah Service Bat Mitzvah Riley Green

4

Sat

6:45pm Virtual Shabbat Service

Fri

Religious School 516.621.8016

Nursery School 516.621.8708

Main Office 516.621.6800

If you have any questions, please call the phone numbers listed below:

Dates and times are current as of October 20, 2020 and are subject to change. Online calendars will be updated on a regular basis; please visit our website at mysinai.org for all other program and event information.

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

28

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter

NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

21

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter 7:00pm Adult Education with Rabbi White

15

14

13

CHANUKAH

7:00pm FOF Babka Baking with Lainie Krasnoff

CHANUKAH

8

7

9:00am Monday Morning Meditation with Rabbi Schachter

3 5:30pm Happy Hour with Rabbi White

2 7:00pm Adult Education with Rabbi Schachter 7:30pm Brotherhood Virtual Monthly Meeting

Thur

6:30pm Adult/Teen Conversation on Privilege

Wed

1

Tue

4:00pm The Role of Art and the Artist with Nancy Traeger (Part 2)

Mon

6

1

Sun

December 2020

Temple Sinai of Roslyn

425 Roslyn Road Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 516.621.6800 mysinai.org Affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER VIRTUAL SERVICE SCHEDULE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7

4:30pm 6:45pm 9:00am 10:30am

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13

6:45pm

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14

9:00am 10:30am

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19

10:30pm

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21

6:45pm 9:00am 10:30am

FRIDAY. NOVEMBER 27 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28

6:45pm 9:00am 10:30am

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5

6:45pm 9:00am 10:30am 7:00pm

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10

10:30am

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12

6:45pm 9:00am 10:30am

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19

5:00pm 6:45pm 9:00am 10:30am 12:30pn

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26

6:45pm 9:00am

Sharing Shabbat Virtual Shabbat Service/Kristallnacht Shabbat Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan B’not Mitzvah Service B’not Mitzvah - Emily & Sarah Guillon Virtual Shabbat Service/Friend of a Friend/ Chaverot Shabbat Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan B’not Mitzvah Service B’not Mitzvah - Marli & Olivia Jacobson Bar Mitzvah Service Bar Mitzvah - Zachary Kuppersmith Virtual Shabbat Service Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan Bat Mitzvah Service Bat Mitzvah - Sydney Hassenbein Virtual Shabbat Service Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan Bar Mitzvah Service Bar Mitzvah - Daniel Levine Virtual Shabbat Service Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan Bar Mitzvah Service Bar Mitzvah - Benjamin Rubin Havdallah Service Bat Mitzvah - Riley Green B’nei Mitzvah Service B’nei Mitzvah - Maxwell & Oliver Gold Virtual Shabbat Service Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan B’not Mitzvah Service B’not Mitzvah - Michaela & Reese Mallin Latkes in the Lot - Chanukah Happenings Virtual Shabbat Service Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan Bar Mitzvah Service Bar Mitzvah - Ethan Yedvab Bar Mitzvah Service Bar Mitzvah - Jonathan Farber Virtual Shabbat Service Pray. Eat. Love. Morning Minyan Virtual Shabbat Service

TEMPLE SINAI

CHESHVAN/KISLEV/TEVET 5781 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 Volume 77 • No. 2

Main Office: 516.621.6800 Nursery School: 516.621.8708 Religious School: 516.621.8016 Rabbi Michael White rabbiwhite@mysinai.org Cantor Sergei Schwartz cantorsergeischwartz@mysinai.org

VISIT OUR WEBSITE: mysinai.org

Executive Director Alison Stamm astamm@mysinai.org

Nursery School Director Lindsay Dayan

Cantor-Educator Elena Schwartz cantorelenaschwartz@mysinai.org

lindsay.dayan@brighthorizons.com

Rabbi Ilana Schachter rabbischachter@mysinai.org

Director of Youth Engagement Lauren “Lulu” Belferder

Cantor Emeritus Cantor Andrew H. Edison President Michelle Golden Executive Vice President Amy Braunstein Vice Presidents Robyn Corbin Andrew Kraus Philip Rabinovich Treasurer Michael Shaffet Secretary Seth Golden Brotherhood President Richard Blatt Friend of a Friend/Chaverot President Jacqueline Covey V&Z Caterers 516.484.4300

lbelferder@mysinai.org

Director of Adult Engagement Adrianne Rubin, PhD arubin@mysinai.org

Marketing & Communications Manager Kathy Diamond kdiamond@mysinai.org

Financial Manager Mara Rosenwasser mrosenwasser@mysinai.org

Accounting Specialist Michael Gamba mgamba@mysinai.org

Office Manager Jane Hallberg jhallberg@mysinai.org

Member Services Manager Betty Brandel bbrandel@mysinai.org

Religious School Coordinator and Assistant to the Cantors Debra Hollander dhollander@mysinai.org