THE SHOFAR Mark Your Calendar!

Trivia Night

Tuesday Apr 9 at 7 PM

Service/Study Session

for the First Born

Friday April 19 9:30-10:30 AM

Community Passover Seder

Friday April 19 at 6 PM

Yizkor

Saturday Apr 27 at 9:30 AM

Yom HaShoah Event

Sunday April 28 at 2 PM

Greetings to all from:

Ro Kerchner & Ed Altchek

Diane & Alan Apfelbaum

Bunny Benstock

Sherry & Manny Bloch

Carol & Bill Cohen

Miriam Fagan

Leslie R. Leavitt

Lucille Poch

Irene & Harvey Roberts

Ilene & Ed Simnowitz

Marcie & Chuck Tuegel

Sherry Wilson

CONGREGATION BETH SHOLOM APRIL 2019 ⚫ ADAR 2/NISAN 2 5779

Songs of the Seder Deeper meanings of Seder songs

Cantor Forman’s class

Monday, April 1, 2019 at 7 p.m.

What are the most popular songs sung at

a Passover Seder? You probably never

thought that these songs, which might

even seem a bit juvenile and simple in

content and melody, have deep unex-

pected messages. This month’s class

looks at some different midrashic, histori-

cal, political, musical, and spiritual interpre-

tations of some classic Seder songs such

as Dayeinu, Chad Gadya, and Echad Mi

Yodea (Who knows One?). And, of course,

we will sing the melodies that are familiar

(bring your favorites to sing), and hear a

few that aren’t. These various interpreta-

tions of deceivingly simple song texts may

give added meaning to your entire

Passover experience.

Candle Lighting Times

Shabbat Friday, Apr 5

Light Candles 7:32 PM

Saturday, Apr 6

Shabbat Ends 8:26 PM

Shabbat Friday, Apr 12

Light Candles 7:36 PM

Saturday, Apr 13

Shabbat Ends 8:31 PM

Shabbat/Holiday

Friday, Apr 19

Light Candles 7:40 PM

Saturday, Apr 20

Shabbat Ends 8:35 PM

Holiday Sunday, Apr 21

Holiday Ends 8:18 PM

Holiday Thursday, Apr 25

Light Candles 7:44 PM

Shabbat/Holiday

Friday, Apr 26

Light Candles 7:44 PM

Saturday, Apr 27

Shabbat Ends 8:40 PM W

T he traditional Seder plate contains an egg, shank bone, karpas, charoset and maror. Some also make room for the hazeret, another kind of bitter green. But recently other fruits and vegetables have shown up on the plate, repre-

senting a variety of causes from solidarity with oppressed Jewish communities to sup-porting our troops in Iraq. Some of these objects remind us of the unfairness of life; some have an element of humor. Oranges, cashews, olives, artichokes, bananas are just a few of the new foods that some have added. Some add objects besides food to spark conversation.

The Orange

The most common new item on the seder plate is an orange, which honors the role of women and/or gays and lesbians in Jewish life. The orange symbolizes the fruitfulness that these previously marginalized communities bring to Jewish life. The tradition of the orange goes back to the 1980s, when an early feminist Haggadah suggested the radical act of placing a crust of bread on a seder plate in solidarity with Jewish lesbians. Unfortunately the message was that gay Jews were made to feel as if they violated Judaism, like eating bread at Passover. So Susannah Heschel came up with the idea to replace the bread with an orange. In an essay she wrote a few years ago for the Forward, she explained:

“When we eat that orange segment, we spit out the seeds to repudiate homophobia and we recognize that in a whole orange, each segment sticks together. Oranges are sweet and juicy and remind us of the fruitfulness of gay and lesbian Jews and of the homosociality that has been such an important part of Jewish experience, whether of men in yeshivas or of women in the Ezrat Nashim.”

The Olive

A few years ago, olives started appearing as a call for peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Cashews

A relatively new item on some seder plates is the inclusion of cashews. This is the brain-child of Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz, senior rabbi of Temple Emanuel in Newton. A few years ago, Rabbi Gardenswartz saw a sign in CVS asking customers to buy bags of cashews for our troops in Iraq. A CVS employee, whose son was on his second tour of duty there, spearheaded the idea. She explained that salted cashews kept the men and women serving in a desert climate hydrated. The next Shabbat, Rabbi Gardenswartz urged his congregation to honor our troops by including cashews on their seder plates.

The Artichoke or The Kiwi

How about an artichoke? In an essay on interfaithfamily.com, Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael suggests this prickly vegetable with the soft heart for the interfaith-friendly Seder plate.

CANTOR ALISA FORMAN

Seder Plate Innovations: New Symbols To Include on Your Seder Plate

She writes: "Like the artichoke, which has thistles protecting its heart, the Jewish people have been thorny about this question of inter-faith marriage. Let this artichoke on the seder plate tonight stand for the wisdom of God's creation in making the Jewish people a population able to absorb many elements and cultures throughout the centuries--yet still remain Jewish." Also on interfaithfamily.com, Jim Keen proposed a kiwi instead of an artichoke, but that doesn’t seem to have caught on.

The Banana

Now comes the year of the banana which represents a story of a Syrian migrant father who succeeded in acquiring a diffi-cult-to-find fruit for his sons in war-torn Syria. Did the Israelites make life a little sweeter for their children on their traumatic journey with bits of hard-to-come-by fruits?

Other Items

Some use more unique objects to spark discussion at the Passover Seder. Rabbi Paul Kipnes, leader of Congregation Or Ami in Calabasas, has been known to include a football, history book and corkscrew. The football, his guests usually say, meta-phorically refers to the angel of the Lord passing over the Jewish homes and sparing their first-born sons. The history book often incites debate about whether the Exodus is the literal history of the Jewish people or a mythical story. And the cork-screw, well, some say it represents the work required to release the joy of life; others the treatment Pharaoh gave the Jews. "It's the story of the Jews throughout history," Kipnes said. "My kids are pretty comfortable and well off, and they need to learn from our history and our traditions that their responsibility is not to sit back and enjoy it but to bring others to the ta-ble, into freedom." One way to encourage participation in the seder is to ask each guest to bring one item that, for him or her, represents liberation. Participants might bring family heirlooms that remind them of their family’s immigration story, newspaper stories about current liberation struggles, or other symbolic objects. Each guest should place this item near the seder plate and, at an appropriate time in the seder, explain its significance.

There will be no Shabbat dinner in April. But mark your calendars. The Annual Beth Sholom Community Seder is being held on the first night of Passover, Friday, April 19.

From the President

I sincerely hope that everyone had a great time at the Purim S’udah. Those of you who were dressed in costume looked absolutely great. The S’udah Feast was held on Thursday, March 21st at 5:00 p.m. We followed our tradition featuring the talented and excellent cooking

skills of our many members of our congregation. Believe me, we have many very excellent cooks amongst us. The food was simply delicious and we sincerely hope that everyone enjoyed them-selves. I would like to remind all the ladies in our congregation that Hadassah is having a Women’s Seder on Monday, April 8th. Cantor Forman will be conducting the Seder. The purpose of this program is to discuss the women’s role in the Passover Seder. I would like to see as many ladies from our congregation attend and support Hadassah. It should be very interesting especially with our own Cantor Forman officiating. The next item I would like to discuss with everyone is our Friday evening services. We have established a calling list to ask members to be sure to come so we can guarantee a minyan. If you are cele-brating a Yahrzeit and you would like to make sure that we have a minyan in place call me and I will make sure that we have the required number of congregants for a minyan. Please don’t wait until the last minute as I may not be able to get enough people. If you can, please let me know at least three to four weeks ahead of time. Our new Patron Program seems to be taking off well thus far. If you know anyone who would like to become a Patron please call Bill Cohen at (352) 513-2075. He will explain the program to any-one who might be interested. Our goal here is to generate more support for the synagogue and give non-members a way to support the Jewish community here in Citrus County. I am going to make this President’s Message short this month as we have many activities going on that need my attention. I will return next month with a lot more activities and information. Hope you all had a very Happy Purim and are looking forward to our Community Passover Seder, Friday, April 19, 2019 at 6:00 P.M. Hope to see everyone there. Sharon R. Weber President, Congregation Beth Sholom

Our annual Holocaust Remembrance Program will be held on Sunday, April 28th at 2:00 PM in Kellner Auditorium. We will remember the six million Jews and the many non-Jews who per-ished in the Shoah (annihilation), honor those who survived, and say never again. There is no charge and everyone is invited. In the past, we have hosted nearly 100 people in attendance including County dignitaries. The featured program will be a documentary film ti-tled The Lady In Number 6. This interesting film is about Alice Herz Sommer, who was the oldest survi-vor of the Holocaust along with her son, who held on-to life by performing music with an orchestra at the concentration camp in Theresienstadt. The Nazis used this camp for propaganda to show good things the Germans were doing at this time. This helped them hide the atrocities taking place at other concentra-tion camps where over six

million Jews, as well as many non-Jews, were murdered. Also, our own Cantor Alisa Forman will per-form music relating to the Holocaust. There will be other musical guests as well. We will have an exhibit titled G.I. Jews Remem-bered, which describes the liberation of death camps by Jewish soldiers. There also will be

literature to examine. We will again sell yellow memori-al candles. In exchange for a do-nation of $5, you can take home this special yahrzeit memorial candle and light it in memory of all those who per-ished in the Holocaust. Net pro-ceeds will be donated to Yad

Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel. Refreshments will be served at the end of the program. For more information or questions, call Barbara Hamerling at 352-513-5169.

Yom HaShoah Event to be Held April 28 at 2

CONGREGATION BETH SHOLOM

Of Citrus County

102 Civic Circle, Beverly Hills

Passover Seder In Kellner Auditorium

Friday evening, April 19, 2019 @ 6:00 pm

Join us for a traditional kosher Passover Seder

with lively participation and singing.

Dinner Menu:

Wine - Matzah * Home-made Haroset

Gefilte Fish

Matzah Ball Soup

Roast Chicken (or vegetarian option)

Vegetables

Dessert and Beverages

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Please detach this form and send it along with your payment to: Marcie Tuegel 1210 W Skyview Landings Dr Hernando, FL 34442

Name____________________________________________________________________________

Address__________________________________________________________________________

Town__________________________ State_____ Zip__________ Tel #______________________

E-mail___________________________________________________________________________

Names of all persons attending _______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

# of persons___________ @ $30. # of children____________@ $15.

Total enclosed: $_____________ # of vegetarian meals__________

Make checks payable to Congregation Beth Sholom. DEADLINE: April 10, 2019.

Contact Marcie Tuegel, 352-513-4629 or marciejoy@outlook.com for additional information or questions.

Classic Hamentaschen (as baked by our volunteers)

4 eggs 1 cup oil 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 tsp/ vanilla 1 TBS. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 4 1/2-5 C flour

In a large bowl beat eggs. Beat in oil and sugar, vanilla baking powder and salt.

Add flour gradually: mix thoroughly. Knead until smooth enough to roll on floured board. (Chill, if desired.) Roll dough out in 4 portions about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 to 4 inch rounds with a glass edge.

Place desired filling by teaspoonfuls in each round.

Pinch together or fold over sides of circle to form triangle. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet.

Bake about 20-25 minutes in a 375 degree oven or until done.

Yields approx. 6 dozen.

March Madness at Congregation Beth Sholom

Holiday Services Schedule

Friday, April 19, 9:30 – 10:30 am

SIYYUM HA-B'KHORIM SERVICE/STUDY SESSION

FOR THE FIRST BORN

We will have a brief weekday morning service including a study

session and a light breakfast. Service, study and meal will last

one hour. This will give everyone enough time to get home

and dispose of those last crumbs of hametz! You don’t have to

be a first-born to attend this service

Friday, April 26 6:00 PM

PASSOVER – YOM TOV – SEVENTH DAY

Evening Service - no morning service this year; Song of Songs

will be read

Saturday, April 27 9:30 – 11:45 AM

PASSOVER – YOM TOV – EIGHTH DAY

Shaharit – Morning Service Yizkor (Memorial) prayers will be

recited

by Bill Cohen

Here is a story that is circulating online.

This tale, probably more true than not, is about a gentleman of

significant means in a certain community. In his will he made

financial arrangements for all of the community institutions

that he had supported throughout his lifetime. He left $1 mil-

lion each to the Jewish Federation, the Jewish Home for The

Aged, the community hospital, and the local art museum.

And he left his synagogue $100,000.

The rabbi asked the attorney handling the estate if he had any

insight as to why this gentleman named Fred – who had been a

member of the synagogue for 30 years – had left $1 million to

all of the other institutions on the distribution list all beneficiar-

ies receive when the will is probated, and only $100,000 to the

synagogue. The attorney shared with the rabbi that he, too had

asked Fred that same question two years ago when he revised

this latest will.

Fred responded, “Because the synagogue never asked me.”

In our 51st year serving the Nature Coast community it is time

for Congregation Beth Sholom to ask. Starting with this issue,

each month The Shofar will publish a request reminding our

congregants and friends that they can make a planned donation

that lets them live forward by giving forward.

Keep Congregation Beth Sholom in mind

By creating a bequest for Congregation Beth Sholom, you can

help make the difference to ensure and shape the future

of Conservative Judaism in Citrus County and Florida's Nature

Make Congregation Beth Sholom Part of Your Legacy

Coast. Bequests are gifts by Will from thoughtful people who

wish to help carry on the good works and services of Congre-

gation Beth Sholom. You may make a bequest using a Will,

Trust, Retirement Assets, or Life Insurance.

M’KHIRAT HAMETZ – SELLING OF HAMETZ

The Torah commands us to not possess any leavened products (hametz) during the entire week of Pesah. In order to alleviate any financial hardship, our sages instituted a procedure whereby a person may sell his/her hametz to a non-Jew prior to the beginning of the holiday and then pur-chase it back from that person when the holiday is over (or receive the actual compensation for the hametz).

To streamline this process, the Ritual Committee will act as your agent and sell all of our hametz together prior to the holiday.

————————————————————————————————————————————

M’KHIRAT HAMETZ – SELLING OF HAMETZ

Please return this form to the synagogue by Monday, April 15.

NAME__________________________________________________________

ADDRESS_______________________________________________________

TOWN________________________________ FL ZIP____________________

OPTIONAL DONATION ENCLOSED TO CONGREGATION BETH SHOLOM $_______________

Checks payable to: Congregation Beth Sholom P.O. Box 640024 Beverly Hills, FL 34464-0024

For questions, please contact Harvey Hamerling 513-5169 or Les Leavitt 527-0698.

OTHER SPRING CLEANING IDEAS — DONATE YOUR CARD TABLES

We need more card tables and folding chairs. They are so old and many were falling apart and discarded. If

you would like to make a donation, please contact Barbara Hamerling 352-513-5169 or barb4949@gmail.com

Yahrzeits 07 - Hedwig Loeb Goldenberg 07 - Herman Passman 07 - Evelyn Ager

APRIL 12/13 8-14 Nisan

08 - Lester Rushefsky 08 - Lorraine Jeanette 09 - Leah Neilbloom 10 - David Schlesinger 10 - Hinda Schlesinger 11 - Ruth Brooks 13 - Max Friedman 13 - Danny Levine

APRIL 19/20 15-21 Nisan

16 - Regina Gutterman 17 - Benjamin J. Gordon 18 - Jay J. Ossen 20 - Herman Goldenberg 20 - Henry Helkin 20 - Esther Rushefsky 20 - Gordon Govatos 20 - Herbert Solkoff

APRIL 26/27 22-28 Nisan

March 29/30 23-29 Adar 2 23 - Dorothy Salwen Rabinoff 26 - David Selig APRIL 5/6 1-7 Nisan 01 - Esther N. Tomkiel 01 - Jess Janoff 01 - Rona Lee Kohler 01 - Minnie Dinerstein 02 - Diane Silver 02 - Nathan Janoff 02 - Ann Polak 02 - Edward J. White 03 - Solomon Schlesinger 03 - Joseph Seewald 04 - Oscar Krebs 04 - Aaron Scher 05 - Marvin Weissman 06 - Isidore Madoff 07 - Harris Heim

23 - Fanny Neff 24 - George Zimmerman 25 - George Taylor 26 - William Cubert 26 - Helen Gelsky 26 - Miriam Lamus Smooha 27 - Jean Morse 28 - May Fagan Miller

MAY 3/4 29-30 Nisan, 1-5 Iyar 29 - Anna Passman 29 - Abraham Cohen 30 - Melvin Tobias

1-5 Iyar 01 - Moses Miller 02 - Ann Saslow 05 - Alfred Morgenthau

Honoring a birthday or a special event ~ Remembering a loved one

Make a donation to Congregation Beth Sholom

To facilitate the proper acknowledgement and recording of your donations, please provide the

following information with your check.

A donation made by: ___________________________________________________________

In Honor of/ Memory of: _________________________________________________________

Other notes: __________________________________________________________________

Send to: Congregation Beth Sholom, PO Box 640024. Beverly Hills, FL 34464-0024

From Hadassah

Dear members and friends of Hadassah, Beverly Hills Chapter;

Time just flies when you are getting older; Here I am writing the April 2019 letter to the Shofar.

On our March 19 Purim meeting, we celebrated with hand made and baked Hamantachen,

made by some of the women of Congregation Beth Sholom. Barbara Hamerling donated her

Hamantaschen.. It was delicious.

Our speaker was the wonderful and fascinating Judi Siegal. She read some of her articles that

appeared in the Citrus County Chronicle in past years. Wisdom from the Garden, Irish Jews, the

touching Kinder Transport and the charm-

ing The Dining Table. Judi has a talent for

writing and lecturing whether about Jewish

subjects or on every day living. We would

love to have her back again.

After the tremendous success of our game

and card luncheon, we are looking forward

to the WOMEN’S SEDER on Monday, April

8, 2019 at 1PM at Kellner. Since the Seder

will be taking place before the Passover Holiday it will be a mock seder with symbolic foods and

not a real feast. The Seder will be conducted by Cantor Alisa Forman. She will accompany our

meal with Pesach songs. The Seder will honor Jewish women thru the generation. There will be

NO CHARGE for this exciting and memorable event!

Our end of the year luncheon has been taken over from Ellen Reuter by Louise Katz. She will

make the arrangement with the restaurant. The date is TUESDAY, MAY 14, 2019 at 12 NOON.

We have many greeting cards and Trees for Israel. Call Carole Delizia at 352-270-8458.

Happy Kosher Pesach!

Miriam Fagan

That is a Jasmine — Yasmin in Hebrew

or in Thailand MaLee. It is also the

sweet name of Miriam’s first precious

grand-baby! Congratulations to the Safta

(Miriam) and the mom and dad!

AND THE ANSWER IS ...

There’s a new trivia game in town. Congregation Beth Sholom has its very own version of trivia, open to the entire community. Trivia will be held on the second Tuesday of every month starting at 7:00 PM, doors open at 6:30. We’ll be playing in Kellner Auditorium. For a cost of $10 per person, you can play trivia and enjoy some snacks. Water and iced tea will be served.

Organize your own team (4-player minimum/8-player maximum) or play at a mixer table with new friends. Advance reservations are strongly suggested, especially if you’re hoping to play at a mixer table. Pay at the door. Monetary prizes will be rewarded to the teams coming in first and second place and a 50/50 raffle will be held. Please check our Facebook page (Congregation Beth Sholom of Citrus County) or our website (bethsholomcitrus.org) for updated information.

Many hands made delicious

Hamantaschen! Special thanks to Sue

and Lu Pellegrino along with Marcie

Tuegel, and Sherry Wilson for making

it happen.

PLEASE NOTE:

All deceased whose names

are mounted on plaques on

the Memorial Boards in our

sanctuary will have the me-

morial lights lit during the He-

brew month of their yahrzeit

and on all holidays when Yiz-

kor is recited. Please contact

Les Leavitt at 352-527-

0698.

Thank You For Your Heartfelt Donations

General Fund

In memory of Dorothy Salwen Rabinoff

From Sue Pellegrino

In loving memory of Rona Lee Kohler

From Jesse Kohler

In memory of Herman Passman From Steve Passman

In memory of Soloman Schlesinger

From Rachel Lamus

Think about something YOU could do and let Sharon Weber know!

She and all of Congregation Beth Sholom will be most grateful.

Honor birthdays and anniversaries

of friends and family with a

small donation to

Congregation Beth Sholom.

A gift of $18 (Chai — to life!) goes a long way!

Send your donation with a notation about your gift to:

Congregation Beth Sholom PO Box 640024

Beverly Hills Florida, 34464

Checks should be made payable to

Congregation Beth Sholom

In memory of Irving Topol From Murray Topol

In honor of Manny’s 85th Birthday

From Sherry & Manny Bloch

n honor of Barbara Hamerling for her genealogy work

From Miriam Fagan

For Sherry Bloch, the sweetest hard-working woman in honor of

her birthday

From Miriam Fagan

In memory of Dr. David Miller From Andrea Snyder

In memory of Jack Walker From Dennis J. Walker

In memory of George Kaufer From Audrey Guss

In memory of Jerry Charkes From Leonard Galehoff

In memory of Jack Zaenchik From Bunny Benstock

Birthdays 4/1 Dr. Leonard Calodney

4/7 Manny Bloch

4/9 Barbara Hamerling

4/11 Stephen Weitz

4/11 Joelle Dinerstein

Anniversaries

4/6 Michelle & Yosef Fouks

4/9 Barbara & Harvey Hamerling

4/24 David Kurtz

4/28 Gail Calodney

4/30 Elyse Topol

CBS Board Establishes Patron Platform In a move to gain support from the greater community, the CBS Board voted, at the monthly meeting on Feb-ruary 10th, to establish a new giving platform. This action now enables recognition of nonmembers who want to donate through the auspices of the Beverly Hills Jewish Center in order to sustain the vibrancy and continui-ty of Judaism in Citrus County. The suggested annual donation per Patron is $180; which is Chai (life), in nu-merical terms, at a magnitude of 10. The Board has discussed such a move for over the past 18 months understanding that there most likely are many residents in the regional area who, while they may not want to assume the commitment of membership, nonetheless, feel personally supported knowing that there is an active Jewish congregation in Citrus County. Our weekly Shabbat services, both Friday nights and Saturday mornings, as well as services for all Jewish holi-days, our educational events and the many social and cultural activities hosted by our congregation are open to all community members. Now, with the Patron platform, there is a defined way for everyone in the region to express their support in a very meaningful way. With the exception of those who wish to remain anonymous, all new Patrons will be rec-ognized monthly in this publication (The Shofar), which will also be emailed every month to Patrons - the same as members. Patrons will also be listed in the Book of Remembrance which we publish annually at Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Please encourage non-members to become a Patron and mail their contribution (indicating "Patron") to the: Beverly Hills Jewish Center, PO Box 640024, Beverly Hills, FL 34465.

Contact Us

Phone: 352-746-5303

Congregation Beth Sholom

102 Civic Circle

Cantor Alisa Forman, Spiritual Leader

Mailing Address

PO Box 640024 Beverly Hills, FL

34464-0024

www.bethsholomcitrus.org

Like us on Facebook

www.facebook.com/bethsholomcitrus/

Send comments and submissions for the

Shofar to Carol Cohen at clc5747@gmail.com

Board of Directors

President— Sharon Weber

Vice President— Bill Cohen

Treasurer— Rochelle Kerchner

Secretary— Barbara Hamerling

At-Large Board Members

Expires Feb 2020

Susan Johnson

Sherry Wilson

Open Seat

Expires Feb 2021

Ed Altchek

Harvey Hamerling

Les Leavitt

By creating a bequest for

Congregation Beth Sholom, you

can help make the difference to

ensure and shape the future

of Conservative Judaism in

Citrus County and Florida's

Nature Coast. Bequests are gifts

by Will from thoughtful people

who wish to help carry on the

good works and services of

Congregation Beth Sholom. You

may make a bequest using a

Will, Trust, Retirement Assets,

or Life Insurance.

REMEMBER

Patron

Glenda Barnes