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January 2017 Tevet 5777 - Shevat 5777 Vol. 67 No. 48

Inside HaRuach

Rabbi’s Desk .............................. 2

President’s Article ....................... 3

Men’s Club ................................. 4

Sisterhood ................................ 5

Religious School ......................... 7

Preschool & Kindergarten ............. 8

Calendar ............................. 10/11

January Celebrations ................. 16

Yahrzeits ................................. 17

Todah Rabah ............................ 19

Highlights .................... Back cover

The SPIRIT of Beth Israel Congregation - Chester County, PA

HaRuach

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From the Rabbi’s Desk

Rabbi Cutler

Shalom

As we enter the secular new year it gives us pause to look back over the past year, 2016. As in so many years past, 2016 was no exception with the horrific events that took place worldwide and nationally and the tens of thousands of people who were killed needlessly because of human cruelty. There were terrorist acts in Paris and Brussels; continuing war in Syria where 400,000 people have been killed to date; ISIS; over 400 people have been killed by gun violence in Chicago this year; killing of black youth and ambushing law enforcement officers; the vitriolic presidential candidate rhetoric among Cruz, Rubio, Trump, Sanders and Clinton, and the empowering of white supremacist hate groups with the rise of anti-Semitism, misogyny, homophobia, etc. There is no end to human meanness, hate, cruelty and suffering. The world feels a bit scarier. With all the things that take place in our individual daily lives– going to work, chores around the house, doing er-rands, taking children from one event to the next, being a care giver for a sick family member --- and then include all the events that happen nationally and worldwide, what can we do without feeling paralyzed? Sometimes when we become overwhelmed, we forget how we need to pull together to support and help each other. Rebbe Nahum stated, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it is those little bits of good put all together that overwhelm the world.” This past December 4th, we did just that with the Empty Bowl program. Over 125 people (from Beth Israel, Kesher Israel, B’nai Jacob, Kehillah, various churches, etc.) did their little bit of good. With the leadership of Adri-anne Leibman, Vicki Stone, and Michelle Harbold and dozens of others helping, we brought awareness about food insecurities in Chester County to so many people. The highlights of the program were many: the speaker from Chester County Food Bank, the Beth Israel Choir, the fellowship, the feeling we made a difference and, of course, the soup. At the end of the event, each person went home with an empty soup bowl. The idea is that the empty bowl will be displayed in one’s home as a reminder that over 50,000 people in Chester County go hungry every day and that we have the power to make a difference by supporting the Chester County Food Bank, which we did by raising over $2,000. After the expenses are calculated, we will be giving a check of anywhere from $1,400 to $1,500 to the Chester County Food Bank. We should feel proud of what we were able to accomplish. This should be only the beginning of what we do as a community. With the various changes that are happening in our Beth Israel community such as trying to figure out who we are as a community and what the future of our community will look like, we can never, never lose sight on why we exist as Beth Israel as so aptly stated by Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for me, who is for me; and if I am only for myself, what am I; and if not now, when? (Pirkei Avot, 1:14)” Within the social hall that December afternoon there were those who felt that one presidential candidate should have been elected and others that were pleased that a different one was, some felt that we need to change practices at Beth Israel and others who want to keep the same practices, etc. The group represented a variety of worldviews and even opinions on how and what Beth Israel is and should be. But for those couple of hours, we came togeth-er as one community to focus on what and who we really are as a true community – ‘if not now, when,’ we did the when and we have a lot more to do. Because ultimately what are we if Beth Israel only exists for the sake of exist-ing – ‘if only for myself, what am I?” As we face challenges in the next year we must respect differences, transcend any pettiness and constantly remind

ourselves that we have a lot of work to do to transform our community and the greater world. With hundreds of

thousands of people suffering daily, we are compelled to make a difference as we did this past December. Just

knowing that we helped to alleviate some suffering in Chester County, we started to put together the little bits of

good to eventually overwhelm the world. What we do is who we are!

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President’s Article

Mark B. Segal

We have begun our long term planning process. Under the leadership of Rabbi Jon, a group of members representing a cross-section of the congregation met on November 14, 2016 and November 20, 2016. During the two sessions, we tried to formulate our vision statement and mission statement, discussed Beth Israel’s strengths and weaknesses, and developed an action plan to address our challenges.

The action plan focuses on our challenge of a lack of resources: people, time and money, needed to grow a caring community pursuing Jewish values from generation to generation….l’dor va’dor. To address this challenge we established teams to focus on re-modeling our religious school, membership and dues structure, and fundraising. In addition, we considered whether our continued affiliation with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ) raises barriers to our ability to attract new members and requires a substantial expense for their annual membership fee which provides insufficient value. It was the consensus of the group that we should disaffiliate from USCJ. Over the next few months, the action teams will be formulating specific plans to ad-dress their areas and reporting to the board for consideration of appropriate action.

At the board meeting on December 13, 2016, a motion was passed to disaffiliate from USCJ. Much of the discussion by board members and the non-board members who attended concerned the meaning and consequences of disaffiliation with USCJ. This does not mean that we are no longer a conservative congregation. Rather, it allows us to examine our religious school model, ritual practices, and requirements for congregation membership, in accordance with our determination of what best enables us to move forward to adapt to the challenges of attracting and serving the Jewish community of Chester County in today’s world. We must do this in a man-ner which is consistent with our vision and purpose.

The board also received an initial report from the religious school team which set forth ide-as for re-modeling the school to accomplish the goals of attracting more students and proving a more experiential, family engaged educational process. Joanie Sharp, our religious school director, and Rabbi Jon will develop a new religious school model with the assistance of a professional from the Jewish Learning Venture of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. The new model will be presented to the board for its consideration.

Please remember that all board meetings are open to all members of the congregation, and you are encouraged to participate as we move forward in establishing and implementing our long term plan.

Na’aseh v’ nishma…..we will do and we will hear.

L’shalom, Mark

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Join us as part of the Beth Israel Men’s Club, a hands-on auxiliary for the congregation. Beth Israel Men’s Club sponsors social and religious pro-grams year round, as well as supports other congregational programs in many ways. Programs include: Serving as ushers for High Holiday Services Poker Nights Guest speakers Providing cooks and servers for community events Sports events and field trips Spring Clean up Sukkah construction

All men affiliated with Beth Israel are welcome. See the congregational calendar or visit the Beth Israel web site for infor-mation about our activities. Please review the online Beth Israel calendar for the Men’s Club meeting schedule which began in September. We will often be meeting on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. followed by a discussion group open to all. We will also have our usual Monday evening socials . Events beginning this Fall will include a sports night and a Men’s night out. Join us for a “Brews with Jews” social. Join in, pitch in and have a good time. For additional information, contact Neal Stone or Kirk Reinbold at biccmensclub@gmail.com.

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Beth Israel Sisterhood

SISTERHOOD SNIPPETS

Estate Planning: An Expression of Caring By Rochelle Rabin Sisterhood members care for their loved ones, their communities and the synagogue. Having your estate plan in order is a great way to make sure that the people you love and the institutions you value are cared for. Be-low is a guide to help you plan. (Note that this article is for general informational purposes only and is not meant to be legal or financial/tax advice. For individual advice, consult with an attorney or accountant of your choosing.) 1. Keep Your Will and Trusts Updated: A will is the fundamental document that directs how your assets will pass at your death. It can also designate guardians for your minor children. Your will should be created by someone who has detailed knowledge of your assets, goals, financial situation and family history. You can use trusts in your will so assets can be held and distributed to your beneficiaries over time and under specific condi-tions, e.g. for living expenses, college tuition or a down payment on a house, or at certain intervals or ages. The trust can also provide for a spouse during his or her lifetime, with the balance going to your children or grandchil-dren. A trust can give money to a disabled beneficiary in such a way as to not jeopardize his or her government assistance. Some trusts may be separate from the will. Update your documents as life changes. 2. Make a Durable Financial Power of Attorney: By designating a person (“agent”) to take care of your finances, you can assure a seamless transition should you become incompetent or disabled. Without this document, a guardianship proceeding must be brought in court to have someone appointed to take care of your affairs. A power of attorney is also useful if you travel and need to appoint someone to take care of business while you’re away. 3. Have a Medical Power of Attorney/Advance Health Care Directive. This enables you to designate someone to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to express your wishes. You can direct in advance what type of care you would want if you aren’t able to speak for yourself. 4. Review Beneficiary Designations. Look at your insurance policies, retirement assets, and anything else that goes to a beneficiary at your death. Make sure you understand how these assets figure into your overall estate plan, as assets with named beneficiaries do not ordinarily pass under your will. 5. Make a List of Your Assets and Creditors. Keep the list with your important papers for the persons who will be responsible for taking over your financial affairs. Let them know which bills and bank statements you re-ceive electronically. (See 6.) 6. Provide User Names and Passwords. Decide, also, if your designee should check your email and access social media accounts.

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LACHALL, COHEN & SAGNOR

H. MICHAEL COHEN Attorney at Law

Tel. (610) 436-9300 144 West Market Street Fax (610) 696-7962 West Chester, PA 19382-2985 Email: mcohen@lcslaw.com

7. Remember Beth Israel. We can support Beth Israel and other charitable institutions in the following ways: a. Leave a bequest in your will. b. Give a gift of appreciated securities. You will be able to donate more this way than if you’d sold the security yourself and paid capital gains tax. c. Put assets in a charitable remainder trust. You’ll receive a set amount of income for life from the trust. At your death, the remaining assets go to the charity. As always, ask your attorney or accountant about the possible tax deductions. 8. Finally, have a sit-down with your family members to discuss your wishes and let them know where your important documents are located. Be well! Rochelle Rabin has a law practice in Malvern.

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Religious School Chai-lights Joan Sharp

It is unfortunately most likely inevitable that if your children haven’t already experienced anti-Semitism, they will in the future. If they do, we’d like them to process it in an empowering way. I came across this list of tips that a mom created to share with her children, and thought it might be useful to share with you….

1. Be a mensch. Lead with compassion and openness. Treat others as you wish to be treated.

2. Differences are OK. You can learn a lot from someone who doesn’t think like you do, even if what you learn is how not to be.

3. There is strength in numbers. For all of the haters, detractors, and fear mongers, there are good people like you. Stick with them and speak up.

4. Your voice matters. Use it and choose your words carefully.

5. No matter how familiar it becomes, don’t accept hatred or prejudice as even remotely acceptable. Be repelled by it and called to action.

6. Except for Native Americans, everyone in the US has immigrant roots. The freedom we enjoy in this country is because of the sacrifices of our ancestors. You are exceptionally lucky to be born here, and never take that for granted.

7. As Jews and as human beings, we have endured a lot in history, and we have prevailed. We will get through this, too.

8. Be creative and powerful. In the words of visionary composer/playwright Jonathan Larson: “The opposite of war isn’t peace, it’s creation.” Create something that matters.

9. Being passionate is good, but when passion is channeled into hate, it is hurtful and destructive. Use your powers for good.

10. I am here for you. Our children need to know that their parents and teachers are always here for them and we have their backs.

With an increased surge in anti-Semitism and anti- a lot of other things recently, let us all be in tuned with our chil-dren’s experiences, and encourage them to talk to us if they ever experience any kind of anti-Semitism or bullying.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Sunday, Jan. 1 – No Classes: Winter Break

Friday, Jan. 6 – Shabbat Yeladim – 6:30 pm / Family Service – 7:30 pm / Consecration ceremony

Sunday, Jan. 8 – Pre-K Parent Workshop session- 10:00 – 11:00 am / B.I. High – 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Sunday, Jan. 15 – No Classes: MLK holiday break

Saturday, Jan. 21 – Saturday Shabbat School – 9:30 – 11:30 am. Luncheon following

Sunday, Jan. 22 – No Classes (because of Shabbat School the day before)

Wednesday, Jan. 25 – Enrichment Day

Friday, Jan. 27 – 6th grade Induction Service during Friday evening service

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Preschool & Kindergarten News

Adrianne Liebman

Herve Tullet is a children’s book author known in France as “the prince of preschool books.” His books provide an opportunity to learn through play and express creativity and lots of imaginative play. Perhaps you are familiar with his book Press Here. Here are some of his books and fun activities that you can do with them. Let’s Play You can’t even begin to imagine the fun that a yellow dot can provide as you go on a journey through each page. Play along with color and motion and emotion!! Try this: Let’s Play Scavenger Hunt. Cut out multiple dots like the ones in the book (blue, yellow and red) and hide them around the room. Have children search for dots until they find all colors. Perhaps give them a number of dots that they should find. From Chronicle Books; Let’s Play activity kit, available-free at www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/lets_play_activity_kit.pdf Art Workshops for Children- Phaidon Press A great way to spark children’s imaginations. Each workshop includes a list of materials, a step by step guide to facilitation, illustrated examples and photos of workshops in progress. No artistic ability required. Try this: Try the first one, A field of Flowers—start with a dot and circles and see the mural come alive by adding to it. Mix it up Follow the adventure as colors mix, appear, splatter,vanish and spark your imagination. Try this: Have a dress-up party! Encourage children to dress in their favorite mix of colors. Invite children to mix colors in a mural. From Chronicle books; Mix It Up activity kit, available-free- at http://www.chroniclebooks.com/landing-pages/pdfs/mixitup_activitykit.pdf These books are fabulous because they inspire children to learn the way that they do best---- through storybook listening, imaginative play and movement. jh

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Beth Israel Congregation Super Bowl Squares

are here!

Buy a square on our Beth Israel Super Bowl grid And win cash prizes for matching the game score!

$25.00 per square $90.00 for four (4) squares

Payout: $200 to match the score at the end of the first quarter

$200 to match the score at half time $200 to match the score at the end of the third quarter

$500 to match the final score

You may stop in or call the synagogue to purchase your squares. All squares must be paid for by cash or check (we will not bill you or accept credit cards).

Reserved squares will be assigned at random by the office staff and only held for four (4) days, After which if payment is not received the squares will be released.

Rules Each square will be assigned two numbers representing a possible score at the end of each quar-

ter. The score of the National Conference team will be listed vertically (on the left) and the score

of the American Conference team will be listed horizontally (across the top). The numbers as-

signed to each square will be randomly chosen with a deck of cards and distributed on the Friday

before the game to everyone who purchased a square. Numbers will not appear more than once

horizontally or vertically but may appear both horizontally and vertically. The numbers will be

chosen after all squares have been purchased or no later than the Thursday before the Super

Bowl game. To win you must match the last digit of each score; i.e. if the score is 21 to 14 the

winning combination is 1 – 4.

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BIC5: EMPTY BOWL LUNCHEON As part of its focus on hunger awareness, Beth Israel’s BIC5 team presented its first Empty Bowl Lunch on Sun-day December 4. We had approximately 140 participants attend, from Beth Israel as well as area synagogues and churches. We enjoyed fresh and delicious homemade soups, bread, salad and desserts, in our effort to raise funds to donate to the Chester County Food Bank. During the lunch the Beth Israel Choir performed several beautiful songs. Each participant also received a ceramic bowl to take home, as a reminder of those who go hungry every day, and were encouraged to use it as a place to hold their tzedakah, and donate it to alleviating hunger. Two beautifully made handcrafted bowls were donated to the event by the Chester County Art Association. Par-ticipants were able to buy raffle tickets in order to win one of the bowls, with the proceeds again going to the CCFB. Our own Barb Hendel was the lucky winner! The other bowl will be permanently displayed at Beth Israel as a reminder of people who are hungry in Chester County. During the luncheon, Ann Shuniak, a representative from the CCFB, gave a very engaging talk regarding how the food bank is structured and operates, the different types of people and agencies that they provide food to, and described the numerous ways that people in Chester County can help the Food Bank in its mission to help those finding themselves food insufficient. We learned that our monetary donation will be used to purchase fresh foods for the food bank, which supplements the dried and canned goods which are donated and then distributed to area food cupboards and shelters. Through the efforts of many, many people we were able to raise over $1500 to donate to the Food Bank. Some of the instrumental people who helped in this effort were Michelle Harbold, Adrianne Liebman, Drew Weinstein, the ladies of BI Sisterhood, the gentlemen of BI Men’s Club, the Beth Israel Choir, the Moms and kids of Beth Israel’s Preschool, members of BI High, and many others. We extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every per-son who helped in presenting this wonderfully successful event at Beth Israel! The Empty Bowl Lunch was one event organized by Beth Israel Congregations’ BIC5 team, whose motto is “Caring Through Action”. BIC5 provides food, grocery cards, clothing, help with transportation and other ser-vices to three “adopted” families it has adopted in the community, as well as members of our congregation. BIC5 has more events planned for the winter and spring which will continue to focus on hunger and food insecu-rity in Chester County, and in which all members of the congregation are encouraged to participate! Vicki Stone, For BIC5

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Sisterhood Booklist 2016-17 We meet at Beth Israel Congregation of Chester County, unless otherwise noted

7:30pm

There will be no Sisterhood board meeting in January. Please plan on attending the February 7th board meeting at 7:30 pm.

Book Club: January 26th, to be held at Roz Goldstein’s house, at 7:30 pm. The book selection is The Nightingale,

by Kristin Hannah. Thu, Feb 16 Golinkin , Lev, A Backpack, a Bear, and Eight Crates of Vodka: A Memoir , November 4, 2014, Hardcover: 320 pag-

es, One Book, One Jewish Philadelphia 2016 selection Mon, March 13 Book group makeup, if needed Thu, April 20 Brooks, Geraldine, The Secret Chord: an original novel of King David, 320 pages Tues, May 23, at the home of Deborah Kaplan Hoffman, Alice, The Marriage of Opposites, Paperback: 400 pages TBA, August Book selection and Dairy Potluck , at the home of Anne Suss

We want to inform you about how you can potentially save money twice on your Federal taxes and also donate to Beth Israel. We have opened a brokerage account at Scottrade where you can donate stock. By transferring your stock that has appreciat-ed over time, to our brokerage account, you do not have to pay any capital gains tax on the amount of the appreciation and if you itemize deductions, you can also take the total value of the transfer as a charitable donation. Depending on what tax bracket you are in, this could be a substantial tax savings. One caveat is that the stock must be held for more than one year. We hope that you will consider Beth Is-rael, since it is a win-win for you and us. Please contact the office for details.

Dear Fellow Congregants: The Beth Israel Choir is appealing for donations so that we may sing at High Holiday, Friday night and other ser-vices throughout the year. The choir takes great joy in participating in services and while the members of the choir are strictly volunteers we still incur expenses such as our piano player, the purchase of sheet music and other material during the year. Although the Synagogue budget includes funds for the choir the amount won’t cover our expenses for the entire year. As such, we are appealing to your generosity so that we may bring music for your soul and for your enjoy-ment throughout the year. You can contribute to the Choir “In Memory Of”; “In Honor Of”; “In Appreciation For”; etc. All contributions will be so greatly appreciated and can be mailed to the Synagogue office payable to Beth Israel with a notation that it is for the choir fund. Thank You and Shalom! Your Beth Israel Choir

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January Celebrations

Birthday Wishes

Best Wishes to All of Our January Celebrants!

3 Christina Drucker 5 Roselyn Cadoff 5 Jacqueline Walker 7 Elaine Bran 9 Amy Honig 11 Samuel Barnett 13 Jennifer Stein 14 Presley Parker 8th 14 Melinda Suss 15 Arthur Hodess 15 Addison Schonherz 9th 16 Adam Kauffman 21 Hannah Scott 14th 22 Allan Endy 24 Evelyn Klein-Franczuszki 24 Rebecca Weintraub 25 Andrew Shapanka 26 Allen Jacowitz 26 Kira Young 16th 27 John Harrison 27 Vicki Stone 28 Claudia Pickholtz 29 Isaac Weintraub 16th 30 Hannah Schifter 10th 31 David Fickler

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Yahrzeits

The following will be remembered on Jan. 6th & Jan. 7th: 7 Tevet 9 Morris Cutler 7 9 Walter Grossman 7 9 Frank Klein 7 9 Joseph Kronish 8 10 Betty Altman 8 10 Sase Gershonzon 8 10 Robert Goldstein 8 10 Clara Israelson 8 10 Robert Kramer 8 Vincent Sheller 9 11 David Cener 9 11 Bella Halpern 9 11 N. Travis Levin 10 12 Aaron Goldberg 10 12 Leah Harnish 10 12 William Liebman 10 12 Emanuel Schwartz 10 12 Albert Suckle 11 13 Shirley Gerstenfeld 11 13 Sonne Greenberg 11 13 George Miller 12 14 Joseph Goldfine 12 14 Lillian Green 12 14 Joel Jacoby 12 14 Kate Kauffman 12 14 Martha Margolies 13 15 Mae Steinberg 13 15 Claire Tishfield The following will be remembered on January 13th & January 14th: 14 16 Howard Grill 14 16 Margaret Lehman 14 16 Pauline Silver 15 17 Mary Gelb 15 17 Joseph Goodman 15 17 Ruth Greene 15 17 William Kauffman 15 17 Fannie Sofer 16 Muriel Bishop 16 18 Benjamin Firestone 17 19 David Corbett 17 19 Phyllis Katz 17 19 Fannie Rosenblum 19 21 Evelyn Grossman 19 21 Anna Kramer 19 21 Mary Mobley 20 22 Richard Domesek 20 22 Irving Goldstein 20 22 Estelle Minus

20 22 Martin Stone 20 22 David Winicur The following will be remembered on January 20th & January 21st: 21 23 Jacob Lopatin 21 23 Dora Milberg 21 23 Shirley Seftel 21 23 Frank Stefanick 22 24 Rachel Buch 22 24 Abraham Endy 22 24 Doris Gilbert 22 24 Steven Kahn 22 24 Fred Lenox 22 24 Marilyn Suss 23 25 Harold Halpren 23 25 Shirley Kornfield 24 26 Ralph Gerstenfeld 24 26 Cecelia Greenberg 25 27 Jenny Kernerman 25 27 Herbert Solash 26 28 Sam Betesh 26 28 Sam Clark 26 28 Newton Duitch 26 28 Mae Stein 26 28 Ted Wallace 26 28 P. Benjamin Weiss 27 29 Jay Leblang The following will be remembered on January 27th & January 28th: 28 Shevat 1 Honey Magid 28 1 Stewart Schadoff 28 1 Barry Zeichner 29 2 Abraham Margolies 29 2 Ida Margolies 30 3 Louis Cohen 30 3 Sigmund Suss 30 3 Frances Wexler 31 4 Morris Gordon 31 4 Lillian Knable 31 4 Chester Rapkin 31 4 Julius Rockmuller 1 February 5 Rachel Levin 1 5 Fred Resnick 1 5 Gail Winawer 2 6 Mildred Lederman 2 6 Samuel Riebman 2 6 Ida Segal 3 7 Irvin Becker 3 7 Simcha Margolis 3 7 Jesse Riebman

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TO CHANGE OR NOT TO CHANGE…..THAT IS THE QUESTION Albert Einstein once said “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep mov-ing.” Moving forward sometimes means change, and our Ritual Committee is looking at various possi-bilities for change in the structure of our services, our prayer book and/or ritual. One might say ‘why fix something that isn’t broken’, and my answer to that is if something doesn’t work for us as congregants; if it doesn’t have personal meaning or doesn’t help transform ourselves and our lives, then it is “broken” and does need fixing. The low attendance at most Shabbat and Festival services is an indicator that the current structure of the services is not meeting the needs of some of our congregants. In addition, the Ritual Committee has received feedback from congre-gants about changes they would like to see. Prayer and ritual must have personal meaning to be effective. Prayer, when it speaks to us per-sonally has the power to change us. The shared prayer experience provides us with a sense of wholeness, of belonging, and allows us to acknowledge common hopes, fears and values with our ancestors, fellow Jews, and all of humanity. Prayer through music enhances the spiritual experi-ence and rituals provide framework through which we experience our religion. We turn to specif-ic rituals especially during points of transition in our lives (birth, death, etc.) to help us deal with anxiety and the unknown and also to bind us together despite our varying beliefs and concepts of God. The Ritual Committee members and interested congregants are therefore looking for ways to enhance your synagogue experience and would appreciate input from you. Although not a Jewish quote, the words of Prince Philip of England are appropriate here: “Change does not change tradition. It strengthens it. Change is a challenge and an opportunity. Not a threat.” Your input is needed as we begin to discuss change. You can direct your comments to Rabbi Jon, Robin Kerollis Napiecek, Ritual chair, or Mark Segal would be glad to accept them. Submitted by: Ann Greenstein, Ritual Committee Member

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Todah Rabah Tzedakah is a mitzvah, a unique privilege granted to every Jew. Remembering friends and family in this manner is an appropriate way to show our feelings towards both our loved ones and our community. We

want to thank the following for their contributions.

Building Fund To Jean Wesley, In memory of your brother, Julian “Butch” Aistowitz Eva and Martin Skolnik Thanks to all who wished us a happy anniversary Maxine and Allan Endy To Esther and Drew, In memory of Joe Tracey Don and Anne Suss To Elaine Bran, Wishes for a speedy recovery Margie and Rick Estrin To Joanie Sharp, Wishing you a speedy recovery Nancy and Steve Goldberg To Robbie Sharp, Wishing you a speedy recovery Nancy and Steve Goldberg To Sandy and Barry Milberg, In memory of your brother, Fred Strauss Susan and Gary Levin Nancy and Steve Goldberg Eva and Martin Skolnik In honor of Barry and Sandy Milberg David Milberg Choir Fund To Elain Bran, Best wishes for a speedy recovery Roz and Allan Cohen To Hannah Scott, Congratulations on your Nutcracker perfance Roz and Allan Cohen To Bernard Goldman, Get well wishes Roz and Allan Cohen To Sandy and Barry Milberg, In memory of your brother, Fred Linda and Harold Glazer Shelly Kramer and Family To the Choir, Because they make services special Deborah Kaplan and Erik Anderson To Joanie and Robbie Sharp, Get well wishes Roz and Allan Cohen Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund In memory of Rebecca Abramoff Susan and Jack Cazes Sisterhood’s Yahrzeit Floral Fund

Herb and Roselyn Cadoff in memory of Herb's mother, Sarah Cadoff

Mike and Sherry Richman in memory of Sherry's great grandmother, Sara Abromowitz, Sherry's great grandfather,

Louis Abromowitz, Sherry's friend, William Simon, and Sherry's grandmother, Blanche Kassoff

Gary and Susan Levin in memory of Gary's father, Travis Levin

Yarzheits In memory of my sister, Anna Atlas Doris Goldring In memory of Lester and Pearl Zalesne Carol and Mark Segal

20 HaRuach

Rabbi ................................................. Jon Cutler

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President ....................................... Mark B. Segal

Executive Vice President ............... Halle Schonherz

Vice President, Finance .............. Nadine Dinerman

Vice President, Program .....................................

Treasurer ........................................ Stuart Miller

Secretary ...................................... Roz Goldstein

Immediate Past Presidents ...... Robert Greer and

Andrew Weintraub

Cindy Blair-Miller, Evelyne Blair-Miller, Larry Faden,

Linda Glazer, Michelle Harbold, Barb Hendel, Debo-

rah Kaplan, Morris Kauffman, Robin Kerollis-

Napiecek, Gary Levin, Mandy Scott, Martin Skolnik,

Neal Stone and Paul Zislis

TRUSTEES

Ed Margolis, Jeff Pickholtz, Don Suss

Pre-School Director ................... Adrianne Liebman

Religious School Director ..................... Joan Sharp Office Manager/HaRuach Editor ....... Debbie Barbato

Music Director .................. Robin Kerollis-Napiecek

__________________________________ BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION

of CHESTER COUNTY

385 Pottstown Pike (Rte. 100) Eagle, PA

P.O. Box 678 Uwchland, PA 19480

(610) 458-8550

biccsyn@verizon.net

www.bethisraelpa.org

January Highlights

Ritual Committee Meeting .................. 5

Shabbat Yeladim ............................... 6

Synagogue Board Meeting ................ 10

RS Committee Meeting ..................... 19

Congregational Luncheon ................. 21

Membership Committee Meeting ....... 24

Sisterhood Book Group .................... 26

Cutler Chat & Chew .......................... 29

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