Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
To Rabbi Steven &
Bettina Schwarzman
Congregation Beth Shalom
11916 Jasper Ave. NW
Edmonton AB T5K 0N9
Phone: (780) 488-6333
Fax: (780) 488-6259
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.edmontonbethshalom.org
Office Hours
Monday-Thursday 9:00 AM — 4:30 PM
Friday 9:00 AM—2:30 PM
Board of Directors 2019-2020
Lana Black President
Michael Paull Past President
Laurence Abbott Vice President
Mitch Weinberg Ritual
Drew Hanson Secretary
Jeff Rabinovitch Treasurer
Sylvia Alpern Director
Boris Belkin Director
Sam Fialkow Director
Seth Glick Director
Jini Vogel Director
Shelley Weinstein Director
Colleen Paull Women’s League President
Synagogue Staff
Rabbi Steven Schwarzman-Spiritual Leader
[email protected], ext. 302
Cantor David Mannes — Ritual Assistant
[email protected], ext. 308
Helena Khazanovsky — Office Manager
[email protected], ext. 301
Dorothy Turner — Bookkeeper
[email protected], ext. 304
Bogumila Szopik & Vera Tkachuk
Caterers
Please contact Helena Khazanovsky
for catering inquiries.
Bikkur Cholim
If you would like to be visited by someone from the
Bikkur Cholim committee, please contact
Cantor David Mannes.
Scent Free Shul
Out of respect for your fellow congregants who may suffer
from allergies, please reduce your use of scented products
when you are in the synagogue. Thank You!
A Reminder from Beth Shalom Catering Committee
When making meal reservations or food orders
we ask that you pay by credit card or cash when
the reservation order is made.
Important Kehila Reminders
Accuracy of Information
We do our best to ensure the accuracy of all the infor-
mation in the Bulletin, but despite our best efforts,
sometimes an error appears. Please accept our sincere
apologies for any errors. Please let us know so that
we can correct them as soon as possible or update
our records where necessary.
Mishebeirah—prayer for the sick: If you would like us to
include the name of someone who is not well during the
Mishebeirach prayer on Shabbat morning, please either call
780.488-6333/301 or email [email protected], with their
Hebrew or English name/s. Traditionally we include the per-
son's Hebrew name(s) and their mother's Hebrew name(s), for
example, “Moshe ben D'vorah” or “D’vorah bat Miri-
am” (ben or bat means son or daughter of). If, however, you
do not have a Hebrew name for this person or they are not
Jewish then an English name will do. If a name on the list
should no longer be listed, can you kindly let us know so we
can remove the individual from our list?
Due to the Canadian privacy of information laws we
require that congregants get permission from the ill
person(s) to have their name(s) read aloud from the
Bimah on Shabbat. Thank You!
2 July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
Todah Raba to our Publishing Volunteers
Thank you to Sharon Abbott & Ruth-Ellen Shafir for
editing our Beth Shalom Publications.
It is with great excitement that we welcome Rabbi Steven Schwarzman, Bettina
Schwarzman, and their daughter Rachel to Edmonton. They completed their move to
Edmonton on July 27th and are busy settling into their home within walking distance of
Beth Shalom. The Rabbi’s office has been refurbished with new paint, new carpet, new
lighting, and new window coverings in anticipation of his arrival. The Rabbi officially
begins his work as our Rabbi on July 1st, 2019. May we go from strength to strength together.
The renovations to our lower chapel were completed at the end of May, 2019.
It is a beautiful intimate sanctuary that can be used for a variety of Shul ritu-
als and simchas. Thank you to Ruth-Ellen Shafir and Susan Baram for coordi-
nating a very successful synagogue renovation. Thank you to Katherine Ploit
of Ploit Design for her expert design advice and to Matthias Kroller of
Krollerbuilt construction for contributing his building expertise. Their time
and dedication to this project will benefit Beth Shalom for years to come!
On June 15th, 2019 we honoured Cantor David Mannes for his long-term service at Beth Shalom. David’s fam-
ily and over 100 congregants were in attendance. Thank you to David for his many years of service and dedi-
cation to Beth Shalom!
Our security committee headed by Seth Glick is focussed on improving the day to day security at Beth Sha-
lom. Two new security measures have been introduced. Visitors to the synagogue are asked not to bring large
bags or back packs into the synagogue. If doing so they can be asked to disclose the contents of their bags
when entering our building. As well, we are requesting that all visitors sign in at the main office when enter-
ing and leaving the building. Each of these measures is a step towards making our building more safe and
secure for everyone in the synagogue.
The work on the upgrading of our electrical infrastructure continues and is 60% completed. The interior work
on the project should be completed by the first week in August and EPCOR will complete the outside work as
their schedule permits.
I continue to complete the day to day administrative tasks associated with running the synagogue as well as
going to community events as the synagogue’s representative. It was a pleasure to represent the synagogue at
the Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebration and at the Negev Gala in honour of Freya and Lewis Wasel. Building rela-
tionships within our Jewish community is important work and is an ongoing process which I enjoy doing.
Happy Canada Day! Get out and celebrate our wonderful country with your family and friends and enjoy
our summer weather.
Respectfully,
Lana Black
A Message from your President, Lana Black
3 July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
Led by Dr. Jack Goldberg
RITUAL COMMITTEE
PROGRAM
Dr. Jack Goldberg
Professor Emeritus, U of A
Jack holds a Doctorate in Psychology
from L'Universite de Montreal
He acquired his Judaic education at
Yeshiva Merkaz Hatorah, Montreal
and Yeshiva University, New York
He has been the High Holiday Cantor at Beth Tzedek for 10 years and
before that, at Beth Israel Synagogue for two years. He has taken voice
training with Dr. Allan Ord, U. of A. and pursues cantorial studies
with Cantor Mitch Martin of Boca Raton
Jack has lectured on topics such as: Jewish Ethics, The Sinai
Revelation, Deborah the Prophetess, and Religion and Violence
Will be held on
Sunday, July 14th & 28th
following Sunday Minyan
Classes will run
between 60-90 minutes.
No prior knowledge /study
of Talmud is required
Cost: Free for Beth Shalom
Members
Photocopies of relevant text
with English translation
will be provided
Light Breakfast will be served
4 July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
Daily Minyan : Daily minyans are held Monday to
Friday at 7:30am and Sundays and
holidays at 9:00am. Please make a
commitment to attend at least one
minyan a month. Attendance at minyan allows individuals to say
Kaddish.
Thank you to the people who attend regularly!
Monthly Religious Services
Shabbat Services Shacharit 9:30 am
July 6th Korah
July 13th Chukat
July 20th Balak
July 27th Pinchas
A family friendly Friday Kabbalat Shabbat Service at Canterbury Court. Prayers are
led by Cantor David Mannes. Refreshments for the Oneg Shabbat are provided by
members of Na’amat and Beth Shalom Women’s League. Special thank you to Hil-
ton & Michelle Dinner of Bon Ton Bakery for the donation of challah. Date and
Time: Friday, July 12th & 26th, 2019 Location: Canterbury Court, 8403 142 St
Canterbury
Court
Shabbat
Services:
Miriam Sheckter
Leon Miller
Toban Shadlyn
Valda Levin
Jack Sorokin
Shira Spring
Ari Bernstein
Abigail Wright
Adelaine Martin
Sydney Bercov
Shelley Bobroff
Tevyn Shadlyn
Mira Campbell *denotes milestone Birthdays or Anniversaries
Happy Anniversary!
Steven & Talya Shafir
Robert & Krista Brick
Michael & Shelley Bobroff
Murray & Susan Lieberman
Benaron & Judy Gleiberman
Marvin & Marilyn Bercovich
George Abrams & Lana Black
Ron Sorokin & Lisa Redmond
Sam Fialkow & Marilyn Sheckter*
Sari Schiff & Abraham Peliowski
5
Cecil Paull*
Martin Grosh
Rosalie Shaw
Toni Gold
Joe Shafir
Jerome Yager
Miriam Grosh
Solly Lerner
Doug Wolch
Nikki Vogel
Jason Uretsky
Phyllis Nurgitz
Sarah Webster
Happy Birthday!
Paul Polushin
Michael Webster*
Ethan Zwaigenbaum
Chloe Soibelman
George Goldsand
Marilyn Sheckter*
Mona Rosenberg
Laura Rabinovitch
Tobey Freedman
Joshua Bensimon
Jonathan Scheinman
Debbie Sniderman
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
To B’nai Mitzvah Parents: Please make sure we receive the article and
photo of your child as soon as possible! This will help us to ensure their
information is available in the appropriate monthly bulletin. Thank You!
Shul Menschenings: If you have a special occasion or accomplishment to share with the congregation
please call the office at 780-488-6333 ext. 301 or write to info@e–bethshalom.org.
Mazal Tov to Anika Gee & Adam Zepp on their Wedding!
Mazal Tov to Karen Leibovici & Steven Zepp on the Wedding of their son Adam & Anika Gee!
Bar Mitzvah of Jonathan Scheinman-July 20th, 2020
Before moving to Edmonton in 2017, Jonathan grew up on Kibbutz Ginnosar, which
rests on the western shores of Lake Kinneret, In Israel.
Living on the kibbutz always involved large groups of friends spending time together
in school and after, enjoying the outdoors of the farming community. When not en-
gaged in mass NERF wars, he spent time horse riding and swimming.
Coming to Edmonton was a real significant change in his life, learning a new language, meeting new friends,
learning to adapt to winter sports (easy when you are blind to speed, as Jonathan is), and indoor soccer.
Now finishing his Grade 7 at Parkview school and looking forward to the summer holiday, spending a month
back in Israel, getting into trouble with his band of merry friends, he also is looking forward to, and working
hard towards his Bar Mitzvah in July.
June 1st – Special thank you for the donation to the Kiddush Fund by
Doreen Albert in memory of her brother, Sydney Davis & father, Daniel
Davis; & by Phyllis Solsberg in memory of her mother, Esther Solsberg.
June 8th– Special thank you for the donation to the Kiddush Fund by
Sharon Abbot in memory of her uncle, Major John M. Secter; by Shirley
Goldberg in memory of her grandfather, Rabbi Yosef Dovid Berkowitz;
& by Phil & Penny Hardin in memory of Phil’s mother, Rebecca Hardin;
& by John & Catherine DuBourt in honour of Abraham Cristall; & by Lana
Black & George Abrams; Shelley Weinstein & Bruce Bradley; Jeff &
Marianne Rabinovitch; Sam Fialkow & Marilyn Sheckter; & Howie &
Debbie Sniderman in honour of the Board Installation Shabbat.
June 15th – Special thank you for the donation to the Kiddush Fund by
Mila & Boris Plots & family in memory of Mila’s mother, Ester Leykina; by
Sylvia & Michael Alpern in memory of their mothers, Freda Hootman & Es-
ther Alpern; by Brandy & Robert Graesser in memory of Brandy’s mother, Da-
sha Goody; by Shirley Goldberg in honour of Bernie Frankel’s Birthday; by
Miriam & Jerry Katz in honour of Miriam’s father, Bernie Frankel’s Birthday; & by Rhoda Friedman in
honour of her granddaughter, Natzumi’s Birthday.
Special thank you for the donation to the special Kiddush Lunch in honour of Cantor David Mannes: Betty
Kagna; Doreen Albert; Sharon Abbott; Hank Deinum; Mila & Boris Plots; Carol & Ron Ritch; Toni & Phillip
Gold; Penny & Phil Hardin; Leon & Susan Kagan; Mitch & Amy Weinberg; Odette & Jacob Masliyah; Francie
& Jon Nobleman; Robert & Terrie Margolis; Laurence Abbott & family; Jini Vogel & Alex Krimberg; Clara
Kagan & Molly Kagan; Barbara & Reinhardt Kroller; Howie & Debbie Sniderman; Lana Black & George
Abrams; Shelley Weinstein & Bruce Bradley; Robert & Terrie Margolis; Shirley Goldberg; Ruth Nolan;
Josie Peters; Howard Davidow & Anita Sky; Tulane Rollingher; Shirley & Earl Ghitter; Rhoda Friedman;
Marla Miller; John & Catherine DuBourt; & Nellie Bass & Doug Haines & family.
June 22nd– Special thank you for the donation to the Kiddush Fund by Karen Leibovici & Steven Zepp in
honour of the Aufruf of their son, Adam Zepp & Anika Gee. Special Thank you for the donation to the
Kiddush Fund by Mel Wyne & Phyllis Nurgitz in honour of Cantor David Mannes; by Mara Ghitter in
honour of Cantor Mannes; by Shirley Goldberg in memory of her brother, Tzvi Hersh Goldberg; by Shelley
Weinstein & Bruce Bradley in honour of Anika Gee & Adam Zepp’s Aufruf; by David Rees in memory of his
mother, Margaret Ruth Veilleux; & by Tyler Smith in memory of Ella Elster.
June 29th – Special thank you for the donation to the Kiddush Fund by Ruth Pakes in honour of her Birthday;
by Phyllis Nurgitz & Mel Wyne in honour of Mel’s Birthday; by Doug Hughes in honour of the birth of his
granddaughter, Isla; by Lana Black & George Abrams in honour of their Wedding Anniversary: & by Barbara
& Reinhardt Kroller in honour of Lana Black & George Abrams’ Wedding Anniversary.
Hosting Kiddush Lunch.
It is customary to help sponsor
our Shabbat Kiddush Lunch to
honour the memory of loved
ones at the time of their
Yahrzeit or in honour of a
special occasion. Donations
to the Kiddush Lunch can be
made online on our website or
by contacting the office at
780.488.6333 ext. 301.
Tax receipts are provided.
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org 6
Tributes in support of one another
TRIBUTE FUNDS
(Charitable tax receipts are sent out every year in February).
Todah Rabah, Mazal Tov, Get Well, Condolences $18.00
Yedlin Library $18.00 & up
Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund $18.00 & up
Chai Fund $18.00 & up
Book of Remembrance $175.00
Tree of Life $250.00
B’Kol Echad Song Book $18.00
Sim Shalom Siddur Machzor/Lev Shalem Machzor $54.00
Etz Hayim Chumash 1/2 share $62.50
Etz Hayim Chumash $125.00
Building Improvement Fund $50.00 & multiples
Torah Restoration Fund $18.00 per letter/ $36.00 per word
Mazal Tov To Michael & Colleen Paull On their daughter, Samara’s Wedding From: Phil & Penny Hardin
To Cantor David Mannes On being honoured by Beth Shalom Congregation From: Susan & Murray Lieberman
Todah Rabah To Cantor David Mannes for his help with Ruth Samuels z”l unveiling From: Harold Samuels & family
Get Well To Murray Glick From: Mila & Boris Plots
Torah Restoration Fund
Condolences to Miriam &
Jerry Cooper A letter has been inscribed
In memory of Miriam’s
father, Ben Grotsky
From: Susan Baram
Mazal Tov to Rhonda Eidelman
A letter has been inscribed
In honour of the birth of her
grandson
From: Susan Baram
Condolences To Stephanie & Michael Hendin & family On the loss of Michael’s father, Donald Hendin From: Emily, Syd, Adrianna & Ellie Hanson Howie & Debbie Sniderman Sharon Marcus & Judah Bushenkin To Miriam & Jerry Cooper & family On the loss of Miriam’s father, Ben Grotsky From: Phillip & Toni Gold Brandy & Robert Graesser
To Jack Soroka & family On the loss of his wife, Lillian Soroka From: Clara & Molly Kagan
To Roni Sheps & family On the loss of her mother, Lillian Soroka From: Emily, Syd, Adrianna & Ellie Hanson Marilyn & Murray Glick Beverly & Stephen Shafran
To Howard & Esther Starkman On the loss of Howard’s sister, Lilian Soroka From: Emily, Syd, Adrianna & Ellie Hanson Brandy & Robert Graesser
Prayerbook Fund
A Sim Shalom has been
dedicated in memory of Ella Elster
From: Tyler Smith
7 July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
A Message from the Adult Education Committee
On June 8 Adult Education had its last presentation for the 2018-19 Year.
Last year we had started the Adult Education season in August, and 14
lectures were presented by volunteers from our community. They were
Dr. Jerry Katz, Dr. Moira Sacks, Justice Robert Graessor, Prosecutor Bert Malo, Lawyers Howie Sniderman
and Steven Shafir.
From the U of A community we had wonderful people like Dr. Andrew Gow, Dr. Josef Patrouch, & Professor
Emeritus, Dr. Jack Goldberg.
For the last lecture, “Judaic Ethics and the age of Trump” presented by Dr. Jack Goldberg, there were 42
people in attendance.
The Highlights of Dr. Goldberg’s talk covered questions such as:
1. How can we understand the misbehaviour of religious leaders?
2. Does religion need to focus more on ethics and less on ritual?
3. Why does a majority of the most observant among us support a president who has little interest in Torah
ethics?
4. Is Tikkun Olam a useful slogan for advancing ethical behaviour?
People were very enthusiastic; many questions were raised about ethics we have to follow.
We hope that 2019-20 Adult Education will be as interesting as the last year.
We invite more people to participate in the Adult Education. Bring your questions, help to find speakers.
Make our Adult Education more interesting with more attendants.
8
Beth Shalom wel-
comes advertising
from members of
our congregation
and the community.
Only business card
size ads are accept-
ed. The cost is $25.00 per issue or $250.00 for a full
year when paid for in advance. To arrange for an
ad in the next Bulletin, please call the office at
780-488-6333, ext. 301.
WITTEN LLP, Barristers & Solicitors
#2500, Canadian Western Bank Place
10303 Jasper Avenue, Edmonton, AB T5J 3N6
Tel: (780) 428-0501 / Fax: (780) 429-2559
Email: [email protected]; ww.wittenlaw.com
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
Herman Wouk, author and screenwriter, May 27, 1915, - May 17, 2019
(excerpt from The Guardian)
At the beach and poolside in the Catskills holiday resorts popular with
Jewish New Yorkers in the 1950s, along with the straw hats, suntan lotion
and one-piece bathing suits, the novels of Herman Wouk reigned supreme.
Saul Bellow and Bernard Malamud may have received lavish praise from
critics in the New York Times, but Wouk’s bestsellers easily outsold the
work of every other Jewish writer in the US.
Wouk, who has died aged 103, was an award-winning novelist whose
books were made into Hollywood movies, a playwright and an author of
screenplays. He wrote books about Judaism and modern belief. Throughout, he voiced a conservative view of
ethics and morality that remained largely unamended in the course of a writing career of more than six dec-
ades.
His conservative social and political attitudes and religious faith made him an atypical figure in American
Jewish life after the second world war. He was an orthodox Jew, a Republican, a patriot and a sharp critic of
assimilation. His novel Marjorie Morningstar (1955) ended with the renunciation of worldly ambition by a
New York Jewish girl, and with an affirmation of marriage, suburbia, family and duty. It was one of the last
moments when such a novel might have been written without apology, and published without embarrass-
ment.
Born in New York to Russian immigrants who had settled in the Bronx, Herman read Mark Twain as a boy
and went to Columbia University, where he edited the humorous Columbia Jester and studied comparative
literature and philosophy. After graduating he worked as a radio scriptwriter, and from 1936 until 1941,
wrote jokes and sketches for the radio comedian Fred Allen. When the US entered the second world war,
Wouk briefly produced radio programmes for the Treasury Department, selling war bonds. He enlisted in the
US naval reserve in 1942, and served in the Pacific aboard destroyer-minesweepers. In 1946 he was dis-
charged from the navy with the rank of lieutenant.
He married Sarah (nee Betty Brown), a convert to Judaism, in 1945, and became a full-time writer; she was his
literary agent from 1979. Two novels, the broadbrush satire Aurora Dawn (1947) and the sensitive boy from
the Bronx at summer camp story, The City Boy (1948), and a play, The Traitor (1949), were followed by The
Caine Mutiny.
Over the next two decades, Wouk was the very model of a commercially successful author. His plays were
produced on Broadway, and his novels were selected by the Book of the Month Club. A movie was made of
Marjorie Morningstar by Irving Rapper in 1958, starring Natalie Wood and Gene Kelly. Youngblood Hawke,
a lightly fictionalised 1962 novel based on the life of the novelist Thomas Wolfe, was turned into a forgettable
movie in 1964 starring James Franciscus. Wouk regarded the film version as “just awful”, and it was the last
of his books to be sold to Hollywood.
He wanted to explain the meaning of Judaism to a larger reading public, and with This Is My God:
continued on page #10
Beth Shalom M. Yedlin Memorial Library Our library is accessible to the
entire community, and beyond,
during synagogue office hours:
Monday to Thursday between
9am & 4:30pm; Fridays between
9am-2:30pm; Closed Saturdays
& Sundays. Please consult Netta
Phillet about the possibility of
donating to the library prior to
bringing books to the library.
Thank You !
9
The Jewish Way of Life (1959) he reached a strikingly large readership. While his contemporaries, such as
Norman Mailer and Bellow, struggled with existential complexities, Wouk explained the bar mitzvah, Purim
and Hanukah.
During the final period of the war in Vietnam and its aftermath, at a moment when the military tradition and
the virtues of patriotism were bitterly contested, Wouk looked back to the 1930s and 40s with The Winds of
War (1971) and its sequel War and Remembrance (1978), an epic historical romance of family and war. In the
two ABC miniseries based on the novels, broadcast in 1983 and 1988-89 (and not so mini, with a budget for
the first series of $33m for nearly 15 hours of primetime broadcasting),…Wouk wrote the screenplays. The
novels could have been an expansive bore… but Wouk devoted 13 years to his historical research, and the
outcome was much admired.
Wouk then moved to the terrain of Leon Uris with an epic and highly partisan novelisation of the history of
the state of Israel, The Hope (1993) and The Glory (1994). Inside, Outside (1985), a novel set in Washington
(where the Wouks then lived), reaffirmed the centrality of religion to Wouk’s sense of the American Jewish
experience.
He returned to this theme in The Will to Live On: This Is Our Heritage (2000). A Hole in Texas (2004) ex-
plored the dilemmas of a scientist searching for the Higgs boson. It was described as “a crackling yarn”,
written “with an enduring vigour that whippersnappers might envy” in the New York Times. The Lawgiver
(2012), an epistolary novel, offered a satirical picture of a Hollywood studio trying to make a movie about
Moses. Wouk appears in the novel as a script consultant.
Sarah died in 2011. Wouk is survived by his sons Nathaniel and Joseph, another son, Abraham, having died
as a child, and by three grandchildren.
The Beth Shalom library has the titles bolded above, as well as Don’t Stop the Carnival.
Beth Shalom M. Yedlin Memorial Library continued from page #9
Unveilings 2019
July 5, Friday 11:00 am James Hoch
July 7, Sunday 10:45 am Private
11:45 am Lori Sheckter
July 12, Friday 11:00 am Sidney Gurevitch
July 21, Sunday 1:00 pm Private
Sept. 1, Sunday 11:00 am Lou Milner
11:30 am Sparkie Milner
Sept. 15, Sunday 1:30 pm Eileen Cooper
Sept. 22nd, Sunday 11:00 pm Private
12:00 noon Norma Nozick
Sept. 29th, Sunday 11:00 am Harry Warhaft
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
The Board of
Directors and
Congregation offer
their deepest
condolences to the
following families:
To Michael & Stephanie Hendin &
family on the loss of Michael’s father,
Donald Hendin.
To the family of Ella Elster in memory
of Ella.
May the memory of the Righteous
remain for a blessing.
10
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
What We Do We strengthen kehillot*. We are the network that ensures there
are thriving centers of Jewish practice across North America,
Israel, and beyond that celebrate both tradition and contempo-
rary life. Together, we demonstrate what an authentic and dy-
namic Judaism looks like, inspire people to be a part of it, and
advance its critical role in the world.
(*We use the language of kehilla/kehillot to describe Jewish community(ies) inside and outside the walls of a
synagogue. Per USCJ's Strategic Plan, "it focuses on the raison d’être of a congregation or synagogue, i.e., that
it is a sacred community. Second, it signals a welcome to those who resonate with the ideas of Conservative
Judaism as expressed in the vision statement, but who do not necessarily belong to official Conservative con-
gregations or feel comfortable with the Conservative movement label.")
Our Values Our values define who we are and how we work. We hold ourselves accountable to these pursuits each and
every day as we demonstrate what an authentic and dynamic Judaism looks like.
We thrive in the tension of old and new.
Balancing tradition and modernity is a dance, which ignites innovative ideas—those that shape our work to
strengthen kehillot and those that influence how we live meaningfully as Jews today.
We find unity in diversity.
A range of viewpoints and backgrounds—religious, racial, ethnic, sexual, socio-political—strengthens us all.
We celebrate our differences and believe that those differences make our wholeness possible.
We are dedicated to lifelong Jewish growth.
It is our imperative to ensure that Jews at every age have meaningful opportunities to learn and grow—
through traditions, study, Torah, prayer, and mitzvot - and to feel inspired to take action, serve the world, and
connect to God and a higher purpose.
We act with integrity and strive for excellence. Our success is defined by the success of our partners. We are
accountable to each other, to our kehillot, and to the larger Jewish community, which means being responsive,
communicating honestly, and always doing our best work.
We are part of something larger than ourselves.
Our connections to the Jewish people in North America, Israel, and around the world strengthen us intellectu-
ally, emotionally, and spiritually, and active collaboration among sacred communities benefits eve-
ry kehilla and the larger world.
Where We Are.
Our network of nearly 600 congregations extends across North America and includes kehillot in the United
States, Canada, and Mexico. Congregations are divided into seven geographic districts, each led by a dedicat-
ed Kehilla Relationship Manager (KRM) who provides grassroots support and acts as your liaison with USCJ.
11
Women’s League Book Club wrapped up the year, as we traditionally do,
with a potluck lunch at Netta Phillet’s home. The celebration was Tuesday,
June 11th, and the book discussed was “The Last Watchman of Cairo” by
Michael David Lucas.
The Book Club is breaking for the summer and will resume on Tuesday, Sep-
tember 24th with the book “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris.
I would like to thank Netta Phillet, our Book Club Chair, for her tireless
volunteerism: she sends e-mails about upcoming meetings, sends updated
lists of books for future reads, checks book availability at the library, or-
ganizes the meetings, finds host homes and makes sure everyone knows
when the next meeting will be and what we will read. Netta is the heart and
soul of the Book Club and we are all grateful for her dedication. She does
the hard work and the rest of us reap the benefits. I think I speak for every-
one when I say THANK YOU NETTA!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful summer. Enjoy family and friends, go
to a Farmer Market, go for a walk or a bike ride in the River Valley,
celebrate all the festivals and summer events the “City of Festivals” has to
give, and fire up the BBQ!
July—Sivan/Tammuz 5779
BETH SHALOM SYNAGOGUE BULLETIN - www.edmontonbethshalom.org
Women’s
League
News
It you wish to join Women’s
League Book Club or want
to be put on the email notice
list for upcoming books,
please contact Netta Phillet.
Everyone is welcome!
12
Judaica Shop Open: Monday-Thursday between 9:30am & 4:00pm; Friday between 9:30am & 2:30pm
Gifts to RELLish Judaica Shop
Gifts for holidays, ritual and other occasions.
Gift Registry also available for Weddings
& Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.
Women’s League 2019-2020
Calendar Diaries now available
