VOLUME 60 EDITION 2

1 October 2017

11 Tishri 5778

Congregation Sha’arai Shomayim Founded 1844

Springhill Avenue Temple

The Temple Bulletin

springhillavenuetemple.com

We are coming together as a caring, inclusive community united in a common commitment to Judaism and to

furthering our spiritual growth. We desire to do this recognizing that worship of God, study of Torah, caring for the

Jewish people and our community, are central to our being as a Reform Jewish congregation. With these principles

as our foundation and guided by a historic past, we anticipate our future, one of continual lifelong self-renewal.

RELIGIOUS SERVICES

Friday, October 6 6:00 p.m. Sukkot Service

Dinner to follow

Saturday, October 7 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Breakfast

10:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service

Friday, October 13 6:00 p.m. Simchat Torah Service

Consecration of Alice Handmacher

Dinner to follow

Friday, October 20 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

with the Congregational Choir

Friday, October 27 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

Torah Selection:

Exodus 33:12–34:26;

Numbers 29:17-25

Haftarah – Ezekiel 38:18-39:16

ALL SHABBAT SERVICES ARE CONGREGATIONAL SERVICES.

PLEASE JOIN US IN WORSHIP

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FROM THE RABBI

Rosh Hashanah

Midrash teaches us that the holiday of Simchat

Torah is derived from the celebration of

Solomon. In the Midrash, God asks Solomon

for one desire that is more important to

Solomon than anything else. Solomon, of

course, was known for his wisdom. So,

naturally, he asks for wisdom and God, being

in a benevolent mood, grants him his wish.

Solomon was thrilled and was able to utilize

this wisdom for all

sorts of good things.

So, what does a

king do when he is

celebrating?

Solomon called for

a holiday and made

a feast. That was

the origin of

Simchat Torah,

where we celebrate

the wisdom that we

have, as well as the

wisdom that we

might come to

acquire. Since Simchat

Torah is a joyful

affirmation of the

mitzvah of Torah

study, Reform

congregations

perform a special ceremony for children in the

early stages of Religious School. This

ceremony is called Consecration, not to be

confused with Confirmation. The Consecration

emphasizes the joy of Talmud Torah for our

youngest members. It is therefore a custom at

Consecration to give our children something

sugary to symbolize Torah wisdom as sweet.

We also give our children miniature Torah

scrolls, which they can keep as their own

physical possession, as well as a spiritual

possession. This year, Alice Handmacher, will

be making her Consecration. She will receive

her Consecration certificate on Friday, October

13th. We invite everyone to come and

celebrate with the Handmacher family. On Simchat Torah, all of our Torah scrolls are

taken from the ark. We dance around with

them through seven cycles called Hakafot

(which is in the plural

form). We read from

the very end of one

Torah scroll to

symbolize the

completion of the

reading of the five books

of Moses and then we

read from the very

beginning of another

Torah scroll to

symbolize that we begin

the process over again

from the beginning. Simchat Torah is an

extension of the Sukkot

holiday, which in turn is

one of the three

pilgrimage festivals,

which is Sukkot,

Passover, and Shavuot.

Simchat Torah

developed out of the end of Sukkot because of

its proximity to the end of the Torah cycle as a

way to further show the organic nature of

Jewish ceremonial practices in the context of

the Hebrew calendar year. We celebrate with great joy. We look forward

to welcoming everyone to join with us as we

dance and sing and read the Torah anew.

Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan

Susan Rosenbaum and Rabbi Kaplan at the Sisterhood/Men’s

Club Brunch, September 9, 2017

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FROM OUR PRESIDENT

171-Year Old Shofar Although our Congregation was organized on

January 25, 1844, we did not have a formal

house of worship until 1846. On December 27,

1846, the St. Emanuel Street Temple was

dedicated. This was our first house of worship. To quote the book entitled, The Gates Of

Heaven, our first rabbi was a man of

Portuguese descent named Benjamin da Silva.

Da Silva came to Mobile

from Holland by way of New

York. He dedicated the St.

Emanuel Street Synagogue. The shofar shown in the

photo accompanying this

article may have been in that

synagogue. If so, it is very

probable that Benjamin da

Silva used this shofar during

the High Holy Days. This shofar is a direct and tangible link to those

who had the dedication and determination to

start our Temple. In fact, the October 13, 1968

edition of the Mobile Press Register had a

picture of the then 122-year-old shofar. The

Press Register was writing of our upcoming

125th Anniversary.

As I write, Mr. Rick Hirsch is studying how to

make a repair to this shofar, as it has an air leak

near the mouthpiece. He also reports that it

also appears to have a small amount of insect

damage. I had hoped that Rick could sound

this shofar this New Year. But in due course,

he will make the repairs and we will hear its

sound in the High Holy Days going forward. I think that it is appropriate for

Rick to sound this shofar, as he

is of Sephardic decent; as was

Benjamin da Silva. I must thank Mrs. Phyllis

Feibelman and Mr. Rick Hirsch

for their help in the research for

this article. And photo credit is

given to Mr. Hirsch.

It would be very nice if we had a display case for

the shofar similar to the one for the portrait of

Mr. Ben May. Our membership, our children,

and our visitors could then view the tangible

evidence of how long we have been part of the

fabric of the city of Mobile. This historic shofar

would be removed from this display case for the

High Holy Days each year.

Mike Pereira, President

The Western Shore Torah Study Group

“Festival of Booths – Why Celebrate

3000 Years Later?”

On Thursday, October 5th at 6:30 p.m., the Western Shore Torah Study Group with Rabbi Kaplan is scheduled to meet again at the Wingate by

Wyndham, 12009 Indian River Road, D’Iberville, MS 39540; 228-396-0036. For members and those interested in the Jewish faith. For questions and/or more information, please contact Dr. Cal Ennis at 228-623-0479.

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The beautiful flowers on the pulpit for Rosh Hashanah were provided

by LeNae & Bill Denson

in loving memory of Mazie Cleveland, Ulysses T. Cleveland,

Alan Denson, and Ida & Abe Sugarman

The beautiful flowers on the pulpit for Yom Kippur were provided

by Phyllis Feibelman

in loving memory of Bert and Petey Feibelman

High Holy Day Tribute Fund We thank those members and friends who have made special commitments to our Temple by contributing to our High

Holy Day Tribute Fund. This list was compiled as of our bulletin printing on September 25, 2017.

Chai (Life) – $1,000 and above Tzedakah (Righteousness) - $500 - $999 Bobette & Lowell Friedman

Iris & Albert Klein

Kavod (Honor) - $200 - $499 Shalom (Peace) – up to $199

Penny & Joseph Adamo Debbie Clolinger

Aimee Walsh & Michael Holberg Nancy & Richard Hill

Elizabeth & Frederick Miller Elaine & Bobby Holberg

YAHRZEIT

It is a true Mitzvah to honor those whose memory we hold dear by attending services on

the Shabbat Yahrzeit (year’s time), joining your congregation in reciting Kaddish,

and the giving of charity in their memory.

October 6 John C. Lemay, Rose Zulofsky, Faye Ennis, Mrs. Ray Werner, Susan Perlman

October 13 Sol Mayer, Kurt Muhlfelder, Clarence Frenkel, Jr.,

Todd Alan Levine, Beatrice Silverman, Paul Paper, Boris Resnick

October 20 Nancy Goldberg, Yetta Schoichet, Myer Weinstein, Carolyn Brown, Sherrell Hoffman Grean,

Sue Magnes, Alice Toubiana, Arthur Heinrich, Sally Zell

October 27 Malvine Goldstein, Edith Zelnicker, Barbara Levine, Annice Miller, Ruth Monheit

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2017 - 5778 New Year’s Greetings

Frances Mutchnick

Eileen Susman

Joyce and Gerard Toubiana

FROM OUR ARCHIVES

By Susan Thomas, Archivist During the past year the Temple Archives has

been utilized by a variety of researchers for

different projects. Below is an update on some

of these endeavors. One year ago, producers of

the PBS broadcast “Finding

Your Roots” contacted the

Archives for information on

the Bernstein family. The

Archives, along with

congregant Barbara Paper, a

direct descendant of the

Bernsteins, was able to

provide them with some

basic family history and

photographs of the

family’s gravesites. It was recently revealed

that the celebrity whose lineage the show was

tracing is comedian Larry David, whose great-

grandmother was Henrietta Bernstein. She was

born in Mobile to a family actively involved

with the Temple. The episode of “Finding

Your Roots” that features Larry David’s

ancestors will air on October 3rd at 7:00 p.m. A few months ago, researchers from the

University of South Alabama began compiling

information on Joseph Bloch, an early

congregant who was very active in Mobile’s

music scene in the mid-to late-1800s.

Recently, the researchers — Deborah Gurt,

archivist; Paula Webb, research librarian; and

David Meola, history professor of Jewish

studies — obtained a grant from the Southern

Jewish Historical Society to complete the

exhibit. They are currently utilizing items from

the Archives’ Bloch collection to supplement

their own research on the Bloch family. They

hope to complete the exhibit early next year.

Last spring, the Archives was

able to provide an internship

for Emily Amos, a history

student from the University of

Mobile. Emily helped with a

variety of tasks and projects

related to the Archives. She

found the work rewarding

enough that she has requested

to return to the Archives this

spring to do an

independent, directed study

of the Archives’ Frenkel

collection. The Archives has six boxes of

correspondence and other documentation

related to Louis Frenkel, a successful Mobile

cotton merchant in the 1890s. Emily hopes to

study the documents to learn more about

business and commerce during that time period. The Archives has always had an active

relationship with The Southern Jewish

Historical Society, with many Society members

conducting research in the Archives’ holdings

over the past years. Recently, the Archives has

learned that the 2018 Annual Conference of the

Southern Jewish Historical Society will be held

in Mobile. This will be an excellent

opportunity for the Temple to showcase its

history and for congregants to learn more about

Southern Jewish history, in general. The

conference is typically held the first weekend in

November; more information on this event will

be shared as it comes in.

Larry David on PBS broadcast

“Finding Your Roots”

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October Birthdays and Anniversaries

Happy Birthday To ... 1 Flo Kessler 17 Harryl Friedlander

1 Susan Passman 18 Gregory Borak

2 Connor Furman 19 Harvey Switzkey

4 Nancy Brown 20 Michael Brown

4 Randy Fink 20 Tonia Silverstein

4 Katie Frank 21 Ellie Appelman

4 Nancy Hoffman 23 Megan Denson

4 Michael Monheit 23 Debbie Frank

5 Gary Fishbein 24 Ellen Fishbein

6 Jeffrey Friedman 24 Ceresa Frenkel

6 Sandy Holberg 25 Elaine Berman

9 Daniel Fetterman 27 Phyllis Feibelman

9 Robin Mayer 27 Jenny Rich

10 Patti Grandquest 30 Jason Berman

12 Nell Ennis 30 Jonathan Friedlander

13 Jenny Berman 30 Nancy Hill

13 Sam Brown 30 Murray Mutchnick

14 Andrew Kahn 31 Marc Loeb

16 Christine Clolinger 31 Sandler Passman

Happy Anniversary To …

8 Karen & Hari Singh

10 Carrie & Marc Friduss

12 Bonnie & George Kidd

16 Elizabeth & Fred Miller

26 Liz & Randy Fry

26 Nancy Pierce & Barry Silverman

27 Christine & Jeff Conrad

27 Gaela Youngblood & Jeff Lawley

28 Michelle & Jerry Dobbins

- 7 -

November Birthdays and Anniversaries

1 Dianna Kubat 15 Margaret Brown 26 Jessica Kogon

1 Martin Lewis 15 Suzy Ginsberg 26 Jeff Lawley

3 Seth Cherniak 15 Scott Silverman 27 David Altmayer

3 Max Lawley 15 Cheryl Spain 27 Reed Feldman Magnes

3 Rachel Metzger 16 Michelle Appelman 28 Phyllis Stern

3 Isabelle Seiken 16 Liz Fry 29 Claris Feibelman

4 Jamie McGinnis 18 Cal Ennis 29 Jordon Elliott Ross

4 Gerard Toubiana 19 Brandon Rose 30 Rabbi Irving Bloom

6 Lee Metzger 19 James Spain 30 Michael Holberg

6 Ellen Shulman 20 Maring Eberlein 30 Sheldon Mutchnick

7 Laurie Berkin 21 Steve Muhlfelder

9 Mark Melamut 21 Marisa Nadas

11 Beth Vorwaller 21 Jonathan Passman

11 Nate Ginsberg 21 Himath Singh

11 Linda Marx 22 Steve Gandler

12 Emily Feibelman 23 Melanie Susman

12 Marissa Gamble 24 Nathan Handmacher

13 Larry Kogon 25 Leslie Berkin Page

15 Terry Barkin 26 Jill Gottlieb

Happy Anniversary To …

10 Enid & Gil Laden

19 Linda & Ed Blassingame

28 Pam & Don Friedlander

29 Gail Chadwick & Jonathan Fratkin

29 Meryl & Terry Harris

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The Oneg Committee: A Journey of Togetherness by Susie Fox, VP, Onegs

As the Year 5777 slipped away and the New Year arrived, I reflected on my first experience with

the Oneg Shabbat Program at Temple. It all started last autumn with Priscilla Gold-Darby and

Jamie Novetsky and their tasty salmon canapés and sweet ice cream creations. But that was just

the beginning of the Oneg Committee as our congregation enjoyed Margaret’s spicy chicken

dish; Dianna’s velvety chocolate fondue; Violet’s poached pear dessert; and, Gail’s

incomparable eggplant dip. We also delighted in Alicia’s creamy chicken salad and assortment

of wines; Jonathan’s aromatic baba ganoush; Larry’s sumptuous cheesecakes; and, Sandra’s

cookie creations. Linda made a fragrant apple torte; Barry added his homemade challah; and,

Mel was there to expertly slice it. Each week Ellen prepared the oneg tables and Patricia

decorated.

What I realized, in looking back, is that it

was not only a year of culinary joy, it was

a time of togetherness where I got to

know the Committee members and our

Temple family. I invite you to become

part of this incredible Oneg Committee

and take part in the Friday kitchen fun. It

only costs a recipe or two and an hour

before Services, so join us in oneg

togetherness!

Oneg Committee: Ellen Carter, Gail Chadwick, Larry Conaway, Barry Fox, Jonathan Fratkin,

Sandra Gandler, Priscilla Gold-Darby, Dianna Kubat, Christine Norris, Jamie Novetsky, Alicia

Lucas Pereira, Patricia Silverman, Margaret Segal, and Maure Sternberg, Mel Sternberg, and

Charlie and Linda Wainwright

- 9 -

MAZEL TOV! to the proud first-time grandparents, Ellie and Cole Appelman, on

the birth of Charlotte Eliza-Jane Green, daughter of Danielle Appelman and Tom Green of

Raleigh, N.C.

AND

MAZEL TOV! to Leah Brown, daughter of Yaffa and Mark Brown, for being a

semifinalist in the 63rd Annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The students will now

move on into the competition for 7,500 National Merit scholarships worth more than $32 million

that will be offered next spring.

CONTRIBUTIONS

In honor of Amy & Jack Friedlander’s anniversary – Gina Hyman & Tim Hansen Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund – Hope & Alan Goldin Religious School Fund – Susie & Barry Fox In memory of Jean Fry – Betty & Steve Silverman Family Fund of the Dallas Jewish

Community Foundation In memory of Carroll Dixon “Dix” Darby – Iris & Nate Ginsberg A speedy recovery for Shirley Boyd – Iris & Albert Klein A speedy recovery for Steven Gandler – Harriet and William Kahn A speedy recovery for G.B. Kahn – Iris & Albert Klein In memory of George Wagenheim – Iris & Albert Klein In memory of Joe B. Friedlander – Emily & Harold Fink In memory of Ann Aratchofsky – Emily & Harold Fink In memory of Ruby Kamil – Emily & Harold Fink In memory of Carol Bergman – Paul Bergman In memory of Eleanor Ruth Frenkel – Ceresa & Paul Frenkel In memory of Annice Miller – Joan & Gordon McCraken In memory of Isabelle Kossenick – Paul Bergman In memory of Nell and Aris Schoonderbeek – Nell & Cal Ennis In memory of Herbert Scheuer, Sr. and Matilde Endel Scheuer – Harriet Scheuer Kahn In memory of Henry D. Gaggstatter – Ellen & Bill Shulman In memory of Sam Shulman – Ellen & Bill Shulman

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FROM OUR RELIGIOUS SCHOOL

by Patricia Silverman, Th.M., Religious School Director

I can’t believe the High Holy Days are over. Our Religious School students learned the meaning

of these special days which are the most religious and holy days of the year. Seth Cherniak and

Michael Friedlander did a wonderful Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur children’s service. They

would like some new people to step-up and assist with these services next year. Gabe Sternberg

and Sam Hochhauser did a great job sounding the shofar during the services.

We are getting ready for our special Sukkot Service,

Consecration for Alice Rose Handmacher, and Simchat

Torah Service on Friday, October 13th. We hope our entire

congregation will come to share this special event with

Alice and her entire family. I hope that during the High Holiday Days you were able to

stop by the Religious School and see our new Abraham’s

Tent. It has been a huge success among the students. The teens from our Religious School joined with the teens

from the shul to participate in a Mobile Area Jewish

Federation community service project led by Susan Sass.

Their first joint service was relocating school books from

the Dauphin Island Visitors Center to the newly renovated

Dauphin Island “The Red School House”. Thank you, Leah

Brown, David Brown, Will Kinsella, Sarah Sternberg, and

Sam Sternberg for representing our Religious school so

well.

My warm wishes for happiness, good health, and peace throughout the New Year 5778 - Shana

Tova.

The Mobile Area Jewish Federation (MAJF) allocates annual contributions to

Hillel at the University of Alabama and Auburn for Jewish students.

These funds are used to continue the growth of Hillel and expanding activities

to the increasing number of Jewish students on campus. Please email Kathy

at kathymajf@gmail.com or call the MAJF office 343-7197 and give them

the names of your children entering or already attending the University of

Alabama and/or the University of Auburn. Help them stay connected to their

Jewish faith community while away from home.

MAJF Also Needs your help for the 2017 International Festival, November 15 – 18. Please

let them know your schedule preference: Wednesday. November 15 - Setup - Noon to 3 or later;

Thursday, November 16 - 8 to 10, 10 to Noon, or 12 to 3;

Friday November 17 - 8 to 10, 10 to Noon, 12 to 3, take down 3 until.

Abraham’s Tent

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FROM YOUR SISTERHOOD

by Priscilla Gold-Darby, Sisterhood President

TRADITION – A SWEET NEW YEAR

We enter the New Year with a fresh outlook and

new goals. But we also remember the past and

value what others have built. Our Opening

Brunch did just that in honoring the past

presidents of the Temple's Sisterhood and Men's

Club. Present leaders perpetuate our Temple's strength

and beauty, which past leaders created. We

continue to look at our history as we move

forward. We make changes as we honor the past

and understand decisions that were made. One past president who is doing that is Phyllis

Feibelman. To enhance our worship and honor

Judaism, she is developing a history of our

Temple by annotating her collection of

documents about the artists, architects, and

leaders who designed and constructed our

building. Do you know who developed the

concept behind the chapel windows? When you

learn about the origins of our edifice, you will

understand that it is a Temple we dwell in! You may notice that our building is getting

creaky, needs constant caretaking, and from time

to time needs updating. By learning what the

planners and builders conceived, we can make

these needed corrections in sync with their

concepts and maintain the historical perimeters

that they set. Another tradition that Phyllis started over forty

years ago is bringing her lace cookies to the

Rosh Hashanah oneg. This year, I had the honor

of baking them with her and learning the secrets

of her wonderful cookies, which she serves in

two silver bowls. Phyllis calls them “the easiest

cookies on the planet!!” and she advised, “Make

a lot; people like them!” Here is the recipe so you can keep the tradition

of a sweet new year all year!

LACE COOKIES - Yield: 6 dozen 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats 2 sticks melted butter or margarine

1 Tb. flour 2 eggs, beaten

2 cups sugar 1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt Put the oats, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Pour the hot butter over the mixture and

stir until the sugar has melted. Add the eggs and vanilla, stir well. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with ungreased aluminum foil. Drop 1/2 level

tsp. of the mixture on the foil, 2 inches apart. Cooking time is about 10-12 minutes. Color should

be very golden brown. Watch carefully for over-browning. When cookies are completely cooled,

peel off the foil. Store in airtight container. From The Plantation Cookbook by the Junior League of New Orleans. 1972 Doubleday

This is what I learned when making the cookies: Let the butter-sugar mixture cool a bit so that the

eggs won't cook when they are added. Before continuing with the cookies, let the completed batter

rest for 4 hours or overnight to allow the oatmeal to absorb some liquid. What I changed: Use parchment baking paper or non-stick foil. These are new products and the

cookies lifted right off. A perfect example of merging history with the present!

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CALENDAR

Wednesday Torah Study 5:30 p.m. October 4, 11, 18, and 25

Hebrew School Sundays 9:00 a.m. October 11 and 29

(No Hebrew School October 1, 8, or 15)

Religious School Sundays 10:00 a.m. October 22 and 29

Fridays 6:00 p.m. October 6 and 13

(No Religious School October 1, 8, or 15) ❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖❖

Thursday, October 5 6:30 p.m. Western Shore Torah Study

(details page 3) Friday, October 6 6:00 p.m. Sukkot Service Saturday, October 7 9:30 a.m. Shabbat Breakfast

10:30 a.m. Shabbat Morning Service Friday, October 13 6:00 p.m. Simchat Torah Service

Consecration of Alice Handmacher Monday, October 16 6:00 p.m. Congregational Choir rehearsal Friday, October 20 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service

with the Congregational Choir Friday, October 27 6:00 p.m. Shabbat Evening Service Sunday, October 22 12:00 p.m. Pet Blessing

Dana Evan Kaplan, Rabbi Aaron Solomon, Second Vice-President Michael Pereira, President Liz Fry, Treasurer

Alan Goldberg, First Vice-President Maure Sternberg, Secretary

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Mobile, AL 36607.

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