The Centre CallG E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E
Volume 20, Issue No. 5 IYAR 5772 MAY 2012
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org
Germantown Jewish Centre • 400 West Ellet Street • Philadelphia, PA 19119 • tel 215.844.1507 • fax 215.844.8309
By Rabbi Adam Zeff
Each year at our Pesach seders we
make two seeminglyincompatible pronouncements. Wesay, “Once we were slaves; now weare free,” and we say, “Now we areslaves; next year may we be free.” Ihave always been perplexed by thiscontradiction. Pesach is the Feast ofFreedom, celebrating our releasefrom Egyptian slavery and our(re)birth as a free people. It is ourtouchstone. So many times in theTorah we are taught that we are obli-gated to do right because God freedus from slavery in Egypt. In whatsense could we still be slaves aftergoing through all of that?
This year, my family’s discussion atour seder table turned to the manyvarieties of slavery that existed in theancient world. There was theenslavement of an entire people aftertheir conquest by another nation, per-haps the closest analog to the situa-tion of the Israelites in Egypt. Andthere was chattel slavery, the odiousinstitution in which one person,dehumanized and reduced to anobject, was owned by another, whichflourished in the U.S. in the 18th and19th centuries. But there was a thirdtype of slavery in the ancient world,one that the Torah tried to regulateand bring under control but neverimagined outlawing. That was debtslavery, in which one person sold hisor her freedom to another in order toget out from under the burden ofmoney owed.
The Torah had good reason for try-
ing to impose constraints on debt slav-ery, including limiting its duration andrequiring good treatment of such slaves.Although in theory this institutionallowed those crushed by debt a wayout, in practice it often resulted in permanent enslavement as the slaveowners kept adding to the debt owed,never allowing the slaves to catch up.All the power was concentrated in theowners’ hands, and the slaves ended upcaught in a trap, at the owners’ mercy,powerless.
The shock for me this year was torealize how persistent debt slavery hasbeen throughout history, from theancient slaves spoken of in the Torah tolaborers in medieval Europe to share-croppers in the American South. Anddespite efforts to control and eliminateit, this practice has not abated in ourown time, in our own country andabroad. Plantation owners in Africa usedebt slaves to harvest and process thecacao that ends up in our hands aschocolate. Human traffickers in Europelure men and women with the hope ofgood jobs only to entrap them in hardlabor or in prostitution to “pay off theirdebt.” And in the United States,migrant workers mired in debt areforced to work in the fields to repaythose who brought them here.
These and other forms of economicoppression continue to flourish in ourown country, in our own times. Andthat is why we acknowledge at ourseder tables that we are not yet free.We are not at the end of our story; weare not at the end of the march fromslavery to freedom. We are only partway down the path. We have madeprogress, but there is still so far to go.
This time between Pesach andShavuot marks the progression of theJewish people. We begin the journeyas a people freed from Egypt, thinkingwe are now “free” to do whatever wewant. So we say, “Once we wereslaves; now we are free.” We contin-ue the journey as a people who cometo stand at Mt. Sinai, knowing wehave an obligation to push not justourselves but our world from slaveryto freedom. So we say, “Now we areslaves; next year may we be free.”May the work that we do in this time,individually and as a community,move us all a little closer to that goal.
Not slaves, but not yet free
Program HighlightsInstallation Shabbat honoring
Rabbi ZeffMay 4-5
Women’s Club Torah Fund Brunchhonoring Mindelle Goldstein
May 6
Blood DriveSponsored by Men’s Club
May 6
GJC’s 2nd Annual Family RetreatMay 11-13
Hazak ShabbatFeaturing Professor Naphtali Meshel
May 12
Kol HaNoarMay 18
Confirmation & 6th Grade ReadsTorah in the Charry Service
May 19
Spring Concert honoring Carol & Marty Kaplan
May 20
Tikkun Leyl ShavuotMay 26
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This is mylast Centre
Call article asPresident ofGermantown
Jewish Centre. I will confess thatwriting these columns has not beenmy favorite part of the job. I do liketo write but I don’t consider myself tobe a deep thinker and have limitedmyself in this space to fairly simplecheerleading.
But my message this time is sim-ple. It is one of gratitude on manydifferent levels. I accepted this posi-tion with no particular game plan,no grand agenda—just a few things Ihoped to accomplish and otherwiseto work with the professional staff tohelp implement their visions. I wasof course warned by a number ofPast Presidents that “every Presidenthas his or her crisis” and I wanted toleave some room to deal with what-ever time might toss my way. As itturns out, my lack of a game planwas a fortunate thing since any planswould have rapidly been consignedto the dust bin as we faced signifi-cant transitional issues. I think we allknow what I mean.
For most of us, change is rarelyeasy. It often brings with it anunknown quantity that leaves usfeeling uncertain and uneasy. It is somuch easier to remain comfortablewith the familiar. And so my first bitof gratitude is for the graceful way inwhich this congregation hasembraced those changes and foundthe good in them. What could havebeen a crisis (or actually a series ofcrises) in fact turned into positivecommunity-wide experiences. Itdoesn’t always work that way.
And my second bit of gratitudeextends to the large number of you –our community – who have given sofreely of your time and skills to helpus navigate those changes. This con-gregation is blessed with a large
A President’s GratitudeBy Chris Levin, GJC President
President’s Message
number of members with a diversearray of talents and a great willingnessto share those talents with the com-munity. I won’t name names becausethere are too many but they extendfrom those of you who have helpedout with our professional staff changesto those who have worked on replac-ing the Charry sanctuary roof, to thosewho have helped to envision anexpansion of the ECP playground, tothose who have helped to envision acampaign to expand our endowmentand secure our financial future. Andof course, I have the utmost gratitudeto the Executive Committee, the Boardof Directors and all the CommitteeChairs and members who put in somuch time on a daily basis to makethis community a better place. One ofthe best parts of the last two years hasbeen getting to know so many of youbetter and for that I am grateful.
Then there are those at the centerof the change and with whom I haveworked most closely – Rabbi Zeff,Nina Peskin and Gloria Geissler. Inaddition to the strong collaborativeteam Rabbi Zeff and Nina make, they
have brought new musical offeringsthat have enriched the Centre. Welook forward to Annie Lewis joiningus and adding to the chorus. Manyof you do not know Gloria well, butas Finance Director, she does a con-summate job of managing the budg-et (which requires knowledge ofinsurance options, heating fuel con-tracts, employment law and a host ofother matters). It has been such apleasure to work with them all. Ihave learned so much from each ofthem. I am also grateful to my suc-cessor Mitch Marcus for acceptingthe responsibility of becoming thenext President and who I am surewill do a magnificent job leading usforward.
Finally, I am grateful to each ofyou. During my term, while navigat-ing these changes and making diffi-cult decisions, I have had the benefitof doing so with the support of thiscommunity. I am grateful you foryour energy, your dedication, andyour investment in GermantownJewish Centre. It has been a privilegeto serve you as President.
HoursSunday 9:30 - 12:30
Monday Closed
Tuesday 12:00 - 5:00
Wednesday 12:00 - 8:30
Thursday 12:00 - 6:00
Friday 12:00 - 5:00
So much to remember:
Our wonderful 10 % specials
continue with the
May Special: Seder Plates
June is 10% off All
Merchandise
(with the usual excep-tions) so think of the
Little Shop for Mother’sDay, birthdays and
graduations.
We are introducing a monthlywine special at 10% off. EverySunday there will be a samplingof the wine that is on special forthe month. The month of Mayfeatures Binyamina ReserveCabernet Sauvignon whichretails at $23.00.
Come see our newjewelry. We havenecklaces, made inSouth Africa; the profits are used fororphans of aids.
We have braceletsfrom Mali; the profitssupport the familieswho make them.
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org 3
IN cElEBRATIoN…Marcy & Dan Bacine, on the
engagement of their son Matthew Bacine to Alyse Levy, daughter of Lynn & Bob Levy
Isador Kranzel, on his special birthday
Sandy Marks & Adam Zissman, on the birth of their baby boy, Emmet
Lauren & Andy Ufberg, on the birth of their baby girl, Gabrielle
Chana Bonn, is “schepping nachas” from the bar mitzvah of her grandson Eliyah Hai David Bonn-Yavneh in Jerusalem, Parashat B’shalach
Marcy & David Fish, on their 18th wedding anniversary
David Barcan & Maribel Beas, on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Rafael Barcan
Aley Murtaugh, on the birth of her daughter, Claire
Sandy & Mike Rodin, on the birth of their granddaughter Claire to Aley Murtaugh
Louie and Steve Asher, on the birth of their first granddaughter
Cheryl Bettigole, on her appointment as Chief Medical Officer of CompleteCare Health Network
Nina Israel, on the birth of her first granddaughter, Yemima Chen Israel
David Ferleger & Dayle Friedman, on the B’nei Mitzvah of their children, Anat & Avram Ferleger
David Kanthor, on the marriage of his sister Jennifer Kanthor to Joe Schwartz
Sonia Dishler, on her special birthday
Stan Diamond, on his special birthday
Wendy Weingarten and Jerry Kutnick, on the engagement of Uri Weingarten (son of Marty Weingarten, z‘l’) to Gali Porat, daughter of Moshe and Rachel Porat
Wendy Weingarten and Jerry Kutnick, the engagement of Meira Weingarten (daughter of Marty Weingarten, z‘l’) to Eric Selkowitz, son of Diane and Scott Selkowitz.
(February, 2012 – March, 2012)
Shabbat chai-litesMay 4 & 5
• Installation Shabbat honoring Rabbi Zeff
• 6 PM - Tot Shabbat
• 6:30 PM - Community Dinner
• 7 PM - Kol Zimrah
• 12:15 PM - Community Kiddush
• 1:15 PM - Installation Ceremony
May 11 & 12• Family Retreat (offsite)
• Hazak Shabbat featuring Professor Naphtali Meshel
• Kol D’mamah
May 18 & 19• Kol HaNoar
• Confirmation & 6th Grade Reads Torah in the Charry Service
June 1 & 2• Carlebach Kabbalat Shabbat
• Charry Service – Mazel tov to Noah Griffith-Rosenberger
on becoming Bar Mitzvah
June 9• Kol D’mamah
June 16• Charry Service – Mazel tov to Yamit Netter-Sweet on
becoming Bat Mitzvah
June 22• Kol Zimrah
June 29• Tot Shabbat
Kabbalat ShabbatFridays at 6 PM (unless otherwise noted above)
Shabbat MorningTorah Study at 9 AM
Services at 10 AM
Pirke Avot at 4 PM (offsite through May 26)
T h e C e n t r e C a l l G E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E
IN MEMoRIAMNewlin Booth, husband of and step-father of Lila Booth & Beth Rosenbaum
George Shore, husband of and father of Joy Shore & Jackie and Ava
Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie GorenJay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy BacineSamuel Brockman, father of Andi Brockman
Sundays at 10 AM$5 per session
For more info call Tamar Magdovitz at 215-247-9614
ISRAElI
dANcINGNEW MEMBERS• Melanie Berman• Sheila Weinberg• Meryl Bonderow & Togo Travalia & family
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sor of Artificial Intelligence - and afull professorship when he was 35.Two years later he accepted the postat 37.
Susie, meanwhile, began her postcollege life focused on motherhood.“I always wanted kids,” Susie says.“I didn’t have professional goalswhen I was younger. I just wanted tobe a mother. Right after Josh wasborn I got interested in biostatisticsand ever since then I’ve had at leasta part time job.”
They have three children: Josh,36, who lives in West Philly with hiswife Hannah and their daughter,Sara Bela; Rachel, 36, who lives 3blocks away and Ben, 30, who livesin Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
Susie was born in Newark, NJ in1950 and grew up in Meadville PA,a small town in the northwest part ofthe state. She accumulated two mas-ters degrees and a doctorate before,during and after her childbearingyears. She received a Masters inMathematics from Clark Universitybefore she had children; a Masters inBiostatistics from the Harvard Schoolof Public Health when Rachel wasborn and Josh was 3 ½; and a PhD instatistics from the Wharton Schoolwhen Josh was in high school. She isan associate professor of Psychiatryand Biostatistics at ColumbiaUniversity and holds an appoint-ment at the Columbia College ofPhysicians and Surgeons in psychia-try and biostatistics.
Among the studies she participat-ed in was one that questioned thewarning on labels of antidepressantssaying that the medications wouldlead to suicide if given to teenagers.Her studies are mostly funded by theNational Institutes of Mental Health.
Mitch and Susie’s spiritual livesbecame particularly rich when theylived in the Boston area. They hadtraveled to Israel and the followingyear, Susie’s sister gave them an arti-cle talking about a havurah called
realized I needed to be in a place thatdidn’t ask if I was one or the other butwould understand what the combina-tion meant. My thesis was a computa-tional interpretation of NoamChomsky’s theories and a really spec-ulative model of what might be goingon linguistically in people’s heads.”
Mitch turned down a teaching jobat MIT, in part because “nobody hadkids on the MIT faculty until they weretenured and we had our first childwhile I was in grad school. We wantedchildren as soon as we possiblycould.”
Mitch and Susie met their sopho-more year of college at a fall mixer.She was at Wellesley. They quicklybecame deeply involved and marriedsix weeks after college graduation.This summer, they will be married 40years.
Mitch took a job at Bell Labs inNorth Jersey, where he remained foreight years. "Bell Labs at the time wasthe most amazing pure research envi-ronment you’ve ever seen,” Mitchrecalls. “They were interested in fun-damental scientific questions that mat-tered to them. If you want to build amachine that can read your email ortalk to you over the phone, you needto understand linguistics very deeply.There was no direct, ‘Tell us whatproduct you’re going to build.’ But thegroup I was working with was workingon speech synthesis - what happens toyour mouth when you talked.”
Another reason Mitch left MIT andwent to Bell was, he said, because,“the research I do is kind of risky. Mythesis was well received and I wantedto walk away from it and be able torisk failing. If you need to constantlyprove you’re the best in the world youcan’t take risks and my work has beenabout taking big intellectual risks.”
After living in Westfield NJ, andbeing active in a large Reform syna-gogue, Mitch and Susie came toPhiladelphia in 1987. The Universityof Pennsylvania offered Mitch anendowed chair – he’s the RCA profes-
Mitch Marcus, slated to be thenext President of the
Germantown Jewish Centre, hashad a rich and expansive profes-sional, personal and spiritual life,including a position as co-chair ofGJC’s Religious Committee for sevenyears.
Mitch was born in 1950 inSouthwest Philadelphia on the sameblock where his mother grew upand where his daughter Rachel, 32,and her partner Eileen, now live.After a year and a half, Mitch's fam-ily moved to Yeadon, across thestreet from Beth Tefillah, a conserva-tive synagogue, where Mitch foundhimself almost every day of theweek until sixth grade.
His family then moved to EastonPA, where his father grew up andwhere Mitch went to junior highand high school. Mitch's father wasborn in South Dakota in a tiny townat the edge of a Rosebud Siouxreservation. He carried a rifle fromthe age of four, Mitch says, andwhen drafted into the Korean War,Mitch's father, a Jewish orthodontist,was the best shot at Wright PattersonAir Force Base. He moved to Eastonto establish an orthodontic practicethere.
Mitch went to Harvard, thengraduate school at MIT. He was aresearch scientist in artificial intelli-gence and linguistics at MIT, wherehe worked closely with linguist andpolitical activist Noam Chomsky.
“I do a funny combination ofcomputer science and linguistics,”Mitch explains (as best he can). “I
Susie and Mitch Marcus
continued on page 6
Member Spotlight by Linda Kriger
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Member Spotlight Continued from page 5
Havurat Shalom in Somerville. “ArtGreen had just left it and moved toPhiladelphia and I responded to thearticle, which was written by BillKavesh (now a member of MinyanMasorti) and within a couple ofweeks we joined. We went to talk toBill about how to keep kosher, eventhough we were vegetarian,” Mitchrecalls. “It was a tiny, intensive com-munity,” he says. “We started keep-ing kosher overnight, and were verystrictly shomer shabbas for a coupleof years. It was like going from 0-60in 10 minutes, studying Zohar inAramaic with Danny Matt (author ofGod and the Big Bang), studying SfatEmes, and it was just amazing. Susiewas really into it.” They also attend-ed the National Havurah Instituteevery summer, where they met anumber of people from GJC.
When they prepared to move toPhiladelphia, they received adviceabout living either in Mt. Airy orElkins Park. “The Elkins Park peoplesaid Mt. Airy was too funky. Funkysounded great to us. We were invit-ed to visit by the Teutsch’s and came
down in January in the middle of ablizzard. Dorshei was 6 months old.”
Mitch and Susie thought theirdream was to go back to Boston. “I’dpulled Susie from Boston where shewas a graduate student with some ofthe best people in biostatistics. Shesaid ‘I’d rather move to Philadelphia’”and they’ve lived here for 25 years.
Mitch delineated four initial goalsfor his GJC presidency: The first goal,he said, “is that I really want tostrengthen a deep sense of collabora-tion between the professional and layleaderships in the synagogue. Therereally needs to be a widely sharedunderstanding of what the roles are. I’dlike to work with Rabbi Zeff and therest of both the lay and professionalleadership to reach a stable under-standing and to codify it.”
The second goal is that “Our com-munity of communities model is reallyvery strong but it’s still the case thatmany members of the shul feel them-selves to be a member of one sub-community and not a member of thesynagogue as a whole. I want to workwith the professional leadership toincrease the opportunities for mem-bers of the shul to be involved in activ-ities with other shul members and get
to know people across the entireshul.”
Third, Mitch also wants to reor-ganize the planning and budgetaryprocess, shifting from creating a newbudget every year to a three yearmodel for planning and budgets, inwhich financial goals would be setout three years in advance based onGJC’s values and priorities.
Finally, Mitch wants to insure that“the synagogue continues to changeto meet the needs and the style of thenext generation of shul members.”For example, GJC has long used themodel of standing committees to getmost jobs done, whereas leaders inthe younger generation often viewad hoc groups as a better model forgetting particular jobs done.
Mitch looks forward to taking onthe presidency of GJC in June.
“I like serving communities,”Mitch said. “I owe a tremendousamount to the Germantown JewishCentre. It’s been very important tomy life for a long time. So whenasked to serve I felt an obligation todo so. The opportunity to be president with Rabbi Zeff and ournew professional team is really veryspecial.”
grateful to our tzedakah partners, towhom we disbursed $2,193.53, thebalance of donations after paying thecost of the baskets. Each of themdoes wonderful work feeding thehungry, as close as our neighborChurch of the Annunciation’s foodpantry, and as far as the Sikh KenyaFoodbank feeding famine victims inthe Horn of Africa. And as you cansee from their notes of thanks, theseorganizations are grateful for thedonations from our community.
The five programs are:• Weavers Way CommunityPrograms: Stenton Family ManorCommunity garden. (Stenton is ahomeless shelter.)• Hazon, supporting sustainable,local farming• The Female Hebrew Benevolent
Many thanks are in order for thewonderful results of our first syn-
agogue-wide Purim TzedakahCollective. We were able to distributeover 175 Mishloah Manot baskets toattendees, members and guests alike,our maintenance staff, office staff, andfaculty. That was a lot of baskets toassemble but our energetic crew gotthe job done in just over an hour! Wehad fun, actually, and enjoyed YossiRavital’s cre-ative assis-tance, actual-ly climbinginto the binof donatedclement ineboxes whichwas too deepfor us toreach.
We are so
Purim Tzedakah Update
Dear GJC Community,
Thank you so much for support-ing the Sri Guru Nanak Food Bankin Kenya. I can think of no betterway of celebrating Purim than byhelping those who are in dire needas a result of the drought andfamine currently taking place inEast Africa. Your generous gifts willgo a long way to support theKenyan Sikh community's efforts todistribute food as this crisis contin-ues. It means so much to me as aGJC kid to have our community'ssupport for this important work!
For more information or to getinvolved please be in touch with meat [email protected] orgo to www.unitedsikhs.org/solidarity!
Warm regards,
Nomi Teutsch on behalf of UNITEDSIKHS continued on page 7
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Society, helping provide Passoverfood to 8 clients• The Church of the AnnunciationFood Pantry• The Sikh Food Pantry in Kenya,via Nomi Teutsch, a Tony BlairInterfaith Fellow at United Sikhs.
More details are available atwww.GJCMishloachManot.word-press.com
Kudos to co-chairs, Betsy Teutschand Elana Shaw and thanks tohelpers Mikael Elsila, Doug Lerner,Phill Goldberg, Nina Israel and allthe assemblers. As well as to all ofour donors . . .Adina Abramowitz & NaomiKlaymanDiane Ajl & Neil KitrosserAlex & Sheila AvelinMarta & Chip BeckerJulia Bell & Jeff SultarPeninah & Albert BerdugoLila & Dan BermanCheryl Bettigole & Adam ZeffMichael BlackmanEmily Blake & Karen DunnBarbara BloomMeryl Bonderow & Togo TravaliaSarah Braun & Shai GluskinBobbi Breitman & Avruhm AddisonEleanor BrownsteinReba Carmel & Eric FranklinAmy Cohen & Mark SpillerTamara Cohen & Gwynn KesslerDebrah CohenKen Cohen & Doug LernerFredi & Heshie CooperLeah Corsover & Jonathan RossosLynne & Art EllisSheila ErlbaumRachel Falkove & Michael MaschHelen & Michael FeinbergDayle Friedman & David FerlegerAudrey FingerhoodDana & Jacob GoldbergElisa Goldberg & Steve WeinbergPhill GoldbergShelly GoldmanHaviva Goldman & Greg LattanziAnna Herman & Robert DudnickDina Pinsky & Mikael ElsilaHila Rimon-Greenspan & Itay GreenspanPeninah Kelberg & Mike GrossNina Israel & Beto Duec
Lynne Jacobs & Alan SilverblattBarbara Jaffe & Howard LangerHarriet & Don JosephMelissa Klein & Nesya NevinsHillary Kruger & Judd LevingstonSarit & Ken KunzJacob LiebermanRuth Loew & Bob TabakAmy LoewenthalGena & Rob LopataArnie LurieTamar & Sam MagdovitzAlice & Richard MandelSue & Mitch MarcusKate & Geoff MargoGina Michaels & John Phillips
Lyndall & Chuck MillerNahariyah & David MosenkisAdina & Norman NewbergSteve NewmanJoyce & Carl NordenAllan OsterBarb PearsonRona PietrzakRayzel & Simcha RaphaelNeely & Leon RosenJoseph RotenbergMelissa Schiffman & Tom McLaughlinAmy Schrager & Craig BarkanMindy Shapiro & Allan Mendelsohn
Purim Tzedakah Update Continued from page 6
continued on page 8
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Early childhood Program (EcP)
In March ECP students celebratedPurim with Rabbi Kevin and Tigger!They also put together 88 MishloahManot bags that were distributedto seniors at the Klein JCC.
Education departmentGenerously supported by the
GJC Women’s Club
IMPORTANT FUTURE PROGRAM DATES
MaySHABBAT, MAY 19THCHARRY SANCTUARY
• Confirmation Class 5772Ceremony
• Kitah Vav (6th grade) reads Torah
BBMM (Bar Bat Mitzvah Mehina)• Shabbat Dates (students only):
May 5th and June 2nd
• For parents an Students, May 20th
ATID (4th and 5th graders)• May 6th, Bowling
KADIMA (6th and 7th graders) • May 20th, Bowling
Our pre-school students had alot of fun in a family programcalled “PJ Prepares for Shabbat.”Here they are singing withmusic teacher Miss Amy Jo.
Purim Tzedakah Update Continued from page 7
Hideko SecrestStefanie & Alex SeldinCarolyn SeplowElana & Brian ShawWendy Smith & Michael PosnerEllyn Specker & Lawrence CharapReena Spicehandler & Jeremy BrochinJacob Staub & Michael SpitkoBeth Stearman & Mitchell BerkAmanda SteinbergDebbie & George SternDanielle Stillman & MattUtterbackBetsy & David TeutschCarol TinklemanBeulah Trey & Steve MastersSonia Voynow & Brett BoyerSylvia VoynowMaani Waldor & Mark FallonRivkah WaltonEllen WeaverSheila WeinbergAbby Weinberg & Nathan MartinLeah Weisman & Eric BrunnerSusan & Ken WeissEsther Wiesner & Toby KesslerRachel Zibbell
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How can it be? Is it possible? Noway is it the beginning of May.
Where has the time gone? Yesterdayit was January - cold, wet, and drea-ry and today it is warm, sunny, andthe trees and gardens are filled withgreenery and the year is almost halfover.
Since we last “spoke” much hasbeen going on, all of it quite fabu-lous. Just to highlight a few of ourprograms, there was the Purim Bashwith great music for dancing, deli-cious food for eating, laughter galoredue to the Purim Spiel, an auctionfilled with wonderful things to bidon, and of course the company of allof our family of Centre friends. Oneof the highlights of the evening wasthe costume parade where one couldmeet all sorts of characters from highchurch people to Hollywood stars.The evening was a hoot!
What else went on these last fewmonths: There was Thinking TogetherAbout The Un-Thinkable, an inter-
Women’s club News
generational community discussionprogram that focused on end-of-lifeplanning. We had a light breakfast andthen panel presentations and facilitateddiscussions led by a Rabbi, doctor,nurse, and lawyer. It was an importantdiscussion and we were very pleasedthat so many people decided to partic-ipate. Thank you especially to RivkahWalton for coordinating the program,as well all of the facilitators and pan-elists that volunteered their time.
Another highlight was Women’sShabbat and Scholar-in-Residence withDr. Lori Hope Lefkovitz, who holds theRuderrman Chair in Jewish Studies atNortheastern University, where she is aProfessor of English and Director of theJewish Studies Program. The theme ofthe weekend was “Wake-Up Call:Themes of Journey and Renewal”andthe discussion ranged fromMaimonides through Dante, Tennyson,Shir Hashirim to Yehuda Amichai andthe conclusion was a poem found inthe Hagaddah. It was a very exhilarat-
ing and stimulating experience. Ourown Centre women led Services onSaturday and it was a joy and pleas-ure to see and hear them. Theirdegree of comfort and expertise onthe bimah always makes me feelproud. It is a worn and hackneyedphrase, but we have indeed “come along way.”
This is just a brief summary ofsome of our programs and eventsthese past months. We hope that yousupport Women’s Club by payingyour yearly dues ($40.00), but even ifyou aren’t a member, you are wel-come to attend all of our programs.So we hope to see you at our verynext event: It is our Torah FundBrunch where we will honorMindelle Goldstein on Sunday, May6th at 11 a.m. Call Maxine Feldmanor Connie Katz for further informa-tion and to make a reservation.
Shalom V’lihitraotJudy Schwartz and Bev SomersonCo-Presidents of Women’s Club
From the desk of Women’s Club
Hazak
Hazak is the United Synagogue ofConservative Judaism’s organization forJewish men and women, 55 years andolder. The name HAZAK is an acronym.The het stands for Hokhma (wisdom),that zayan for Ziknah (maturity) and thekuph for Kadima (looking ahead). TheRhea Shils Chapter of Hazak atGermantown Jewish Centre has offeredprograms that appeal to a wide audi-ence since 2003.
Programming for Adults 55+By Hazak Co-Chairs, Cherie Goren & Sonia Dishler
On March 18, Hazak sponsored“Not JUST Your Grandmother’s
Yiddish Concert” featuring thePhiladelphia Workmen’s CircleChorus. Nearly 100 people attend-
ed, all smiling, clapping and singingalong. It was a real happening. Forthose of you who missed it, pleasejoin us next year, as we intend tomake this an annual event!
We are looking forward to HazakShabbat on May 12 as members of
the community 55 and older will helpto lead the Charry Service. We willalso welcome special guest NaphtaliMeshel, Assistant Professor of Religionand Judaic Studies at Princeton. Andplease join us for a special kiddushfollowing the service.
The Hazak Book Club will contin-ue our discussion of TheMisunderstood Jew on May 9th at 10AM. And our June 13 selection willbe announced soon.
Join us on Wednesday, June 27 at 1PM for a gem of a program, both inter-esting and educational, with GJC’sown Sam Feinberg on SherlockHolmes Baker Street. We will kick ofour new season in August with ourannual Opera Under the Stars pro-gram, stay tuned for a date and moredetails.
As you cansee, if you arenot a memberyet a memberof Hazak,there is a lotyou are miss-ing. Dues arejust $10 annually and it’s never too late to join. Pleasecontact us.
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New opera Aims to ‘Slay’ Intolerance
World premiere by GJC member Ellen Frankel opens at Prince June 7
Anew opera, Slaying the Dragon,with libretto by long-time GJC
member Ellen Frankel and music bycomposer by Michael Ching, willhave its world premiere on June 7and 9 at the Prince Music Theater.Presented by Philadelphia’s CenterCity Opera Theater, it will haveadditional performances at theAcademy of Vocal Arts on June 14,16, and 17, during the nationalOpera America Conference. OnThursday night, May 3, Women’sClub will sponsor an hour-long program about the opera here atGJC, during which Ellen will talkabout the two-year evolution of theopera and show video clips ofstaged workshops. Additionally dis-count performance tickets will bemade available through Women’sClub.
Based on a true story depicted inNot by the Sword by KathrynWatterson, which was discussed byGJC’s book group back in 1996,Slaying the Dragon is about a GrandDragon of the Ku Klux Klan, whorenounces violence and hatredbecause of his unlikely friendshipwith a rabbi and his wife. The operais a powerful vehicle for confrontingcontemporary themes of tolerance,the dangers of inflammatory rhetoricand stereotyping, and the possibili-ties of atonement, forgiveness, andpersonal redemption.
In writing the music for Slayingthe Dragon, Asian-American com-poser Michael Ching counters intol-erance through the joy of music,
bringing together a range of lively,eclectic, and wide-ranging styles. Forhis score, Ching drew from a variety ofmusical genres and sources—Yiddishfolk songs, Vietnamese children’ssongs, sacred music from the mahzor,Aryan rock, Broadway, and pop tunes.Slaying the Dragon is Ching’s third fulllength opera.
Although Slaying the Dragon isEllen Frankel’s first opera, she has beenwriting libretti for choral works for thepast twelve years, working primarilywith Philadelphia composer, AndreaClearfield. In May 2000, the LosAngeles Jewish Symphony premieredClearfield’s cantata, Women of Valor,which included two pieces by Frankel,“Sarah” and “Hannah.” In 2011, theWomen’s Sacred Music Project com-missioned Clearfield and Frankel towrite a new movement, “Hagar,” foran adapted version of Women ofValor, which was performed inSeptember 2011 at GJC’s Selichotservice as well as at a Catholic abbeyin Paoli.
In May 2006, Philadelphia’s presti-gious Mendelssohn Club Choir andthe Philadelphia Chamber Orchestrapresented Clearfield and Frankel’s ora-torio, The Golem Psalms, inspired bythe ancient Jewish legend of theGolem, at the University ofPennsylvania. It has also been per-formed at Haverford College, IndianaUniversity, and at Verizon Hall in theKimmel Center. Frankel and Clearfieldhave signed agreements with CenterCity Opera Theater to develop a full-length opera based on the Golem, as
part of CCOT’s CreativeDevelopment Projects.
Dr. Frankel is the author of tenpublished books, including TheClassic Tales, The Encyclopedia ofJewish Symbols, The Five Books ofMiriam, and The JPS IllustratedChildren’s Bible, which is given byGJC each year to Religious Schoolsecond graders. She served for eight-een years as the Editor in Chief andCEO of The Jewish PublicationSociety, and was named its firstEditor Emerita upon her retirement in2009.
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
GJC’s Jewish Book Reading Group
We meet at GermantownJewish Centre in the Quitman
Library. We read fiction and nonfic-tion books of Jewish interest writtenmostly, but not solely, by Jewishwriters and chosen by the group.Volunteer group members lead thediscussion.
For more information, contactDena Lake at 215-233-1414 oremail [email protected].
Tuesday, May 8We will be viewing the film,Constantine’s Sword, thestory of James Carroll
Tuesday, June 12Day after Night by Anita Diamant
Special Thanks to
the Wolfe Family Foundation for
generously supporting programming at GJC.
T h e C e n t r e C a l l G E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org 11
Social Action Update
GJC’s Social Action Committeeinvites you to learn more about the
new Pennsylvania Voter ID law and whyit deserves your concern and action.
Many Pennsylvanians consider thenew Voter ID law a serious challenge toeveryone's right to vote. Very briefly, thenew law requires that registered votersshow an approved picture ID at the pollsduring a primary or a general election.The law’s supporters claim that this leg-islation will reduce fraud at the polls.
Opponents, however, feel that thecost of implementing the law is veryhigh. Not only the cost to theCommonwealth but the cost to individ-ual voters is substantial. Lost time and
lost wages and the complications of get-ting a valid ID are remarkably burden-some. All of which will actually deterlegitimate voters from exercising theirright to vote. Many detractors have com-pared the law to the poll taxes of the oldSouth. Another problem with the new lawis that it appears to unfairly impact certaingroups: the poor, minorities, the young,disabled and seniors. Finally, manybelieve that the law will have very littleeffect on voter fraud or, more to the point,that fraud is not even a problem.
If you have not been following the VoterID issue closely please see the explanationcreated by the non-partisan good government Committee of Seventy at
www.seventy.org/voterid.Try to keep in mind how it applies to
you and also to your kids in college,young friends or older folks and manypoorer citizens.
Would you like to learn more?Would you like to learn more about
how this will impact you and how tocomply with the new law?
Would you like to learn more abouthow you can help and join the GJC'sSocial Action Committee?
Contact the GJC’s Social ActionCommittee (SAC) just send an email to [email protected] feel free to contact Howard Bilofsky [email protected]
By Howard Bilofsky
Thank you to GJc and the Kids Stuff GiveAway & Electronics Recycling organizers!
By Rachel Falkove, Executive Director of NW Phila Interfaith Hospitality Network and a proud GJC Member!
Northwest Philadelphia InterfaithHospitality Network (NPIHN), an
emergency shelter, supportive services,housing andadvocacy pro-gram for home-less families ofour community,sends a BIGthank you toGermantown Jewish Centre and to theamazing organizers of the Kids StuffGiveAway & Electronics RecyclingEvent. Together these events, both heldon March 26th raised about $4,700 forNPIHN’s summer activities fund, pro-viding scholarships and campershipsfor homeless and formerly homelesschildren who have lived in our pro-gram. NPIHN's goal is to link 75 chil-dren and teens with meaningful sum-mer activities, first jobs and opportuni-ties that will open new interests, worldsand experiences, building each child'sresume from kindergarten on up. AsNPIHN proudly sends many highschool seniors off to college, we knowthat our children's programs are making
a difference, ending the cycle of home-lessness for the families we serve.
The Kids Stuff GiveAway is a creativehouse cleaning and sharing project anda brilliant idea. The first weekend ofspring was a perfect time to start springcleaning, emptying closets and reor-ganizing before Passover. The commit-tee of the 3rd annual Kids stuffGiveAway has created a wonderfulvenue for teaching our children to sharewhat they no longer need, recycle, andreduce landfill waste, and raise fundsfor a tzedakah project that helps needychildren. The event was very wellattended, and welcomed many atten-dees who were needy in a warm andrespectful manner. It was a true exam-ple of a “win..win...win” for allinvolved. Many thanks to Amy Schragerand the committee members - LeahCorsover, Haviva Goldman, MelissaKlein, Martha Millison and WendySmith for organizing this event andopening it to our broader community.Thanks also to the many parents andvolunteers who assisted with the event.
Meanwhile the Electronics Recycling
event was being held at GJC for the sec-ond time and saw a constant flow offolks for nearly four hours dropping offtheir old computers, toaster ovens, cal-culators, batteries, bulbs and virtuallyanything with a plug! A huge thanks toSharon Weber and Coleman Poses fororganizing the event, as well as othervolunteers for helping out.
And finally, thanks also to the GJCInterfaith Hospitality Network
Committee,under theleadershipof MiltCohen andthe manywonder fulGJC volun-
teers who cook delicious meals andprovide encouragement and compan-ionship to NPIHN families during ourstays at GJC.
As a member of GJC, I feel veryproud to be part of our wonderful syna-gogue community that offers so manygreat opportunities to work towardstikkun olam, repair of our world.
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org12
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FUND BY OCCASION
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Fund Ellen Ufberg in memory of Pearl Axelrod, mother
Beck Scholar-in-Residence Fund Rose Beck in memory of Joseph Mahon, father
Bess Schick Memorial Fund Jeanette Dudnick in honor of David Ferleger & Dayle Friedman, on the B'nei
Mitzvah of their children, Anat & Avram
Judah Labovitz & Ellen Ufberg in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Hershel & Betsy Richman in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
Mariann E. Schick in memory of Becky Soloff, friend
in memory of Patricia Neighbors Schick, sister-in-law
Helen Schneeberg in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
Ellen Ufberg in memory of William H. Axelrod, father
Camp Scholarships Fund Harry Kissileff in memory of Julia R. Kissileff, mother
Chesed/Kesher Fund Fredi & Heshie Cooper in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Howard & Yona
Diamond Dansky in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Judah Labovitz in memory of Jerome Labovitz, father
Marcy Landesburg in appreciation of the Chesed Committee
Dan & Melissa Livney in honor of the first birthday of Boaz Livney
Melissa Gartenberg Livney in memory of Beatrice Gartenberg, grandmother
in memory of Pearl Rosenbaum, grandmother
Beth Stearman in memory of Lillian Stearman, grandmother
Deborah Stern in memory of Myron Schoen, father
Jane Tausig in memory of Ted Hans Tausig, father
Dorshei Derekh Carol & Marty Kaplan in honor of David Ferleger & Dayle Friedman, on the B'nei
Mitzvah of their children, Anat & Avram
Early Childhood Programs Fund Joyce & Sheldon Eveloff in honor of Marcy & Dan Bacine, on the engagement of their
son Matthew to Alyse Levy
Phyllis Kauffman in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Linda Kugler in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Jeffrey & Linda Needleman in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Elizabeth Richman in memory of Mae Rosner, mother
Martha & Chuck Schleifer in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Judy Schwartz in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Joan Silver in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Bev & Ira Somerson in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Susan & Berel Sternthal in honor of Kathy Amrom, and her wonderful Purim puppet
show
Shelley Weber in memory of Benjamin Marged, father
Women's Club in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Fanny Seligman Fund Gisha Berkowitz in memory of David J. Berkowitz, son
Herb & Elinor Finkelstein in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
Floral Fund Elise Bromberg in memory of Fortunee Bromberg, mother
General Fund Anthony Arce in memory of Malvene Arce, wife
Emanuel H. Burd in memory of Louis A. & Kathryn M. Burd, parents
Peter Kuriloff in memory of Nancy Kuriloff, sister
Peter & Peshe Kuriloff in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
Ed Lake in memory of Morris Lakernick, father
Ed & Dena Lake in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
Contributions For the period of February, 2012 through March, 2012
Todah Rabbah!Sincere thanks and appreciation to those who remember to honor their friends and loved ones through their generous contributions.
The fastest way for your contribution to be processed is for you to fill out a Contribution Form (available in the office or on our website) and returnit to the office along with a check. Or just send in a check with a note.
T h e C e n t r e C a l l G E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org 13
Contributions ContinuedJim & Sandy Meyer in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
in honor of Marcy & David Fish, on their 18th wedding
anniversary
in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
David Picker in memory of Morris Picker, father
Sharon Prizant & David Kotok in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
Joan W. Stern in memory of Frances Winderman, aunt
Bernice Weiner in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Gloria Weiss in honor of David Hahn & Barbara Weiss, on the Bar Mitzvah
of their son, Zachary
Hazak Fund Eileen Brown in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Shirley Cohn in honor of Sonia Dishler, on her special birthday
Sonia Dishler in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Jeanette Dudnick & Family in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Art & Lynne Ellis in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Joyce & Sheldon Eveloff in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Sam Feinberg in memory of Gitel Feinberg, mother
Sam & Helene Feinberg in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Maxine & Maurice Feldman in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Irene Frank in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Donald & Julie Friedman in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Mindelle Goldstein in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Cherie Goren in memory of Leo Fleischman, father
Nessa Graub in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Ethel Harrison in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Vivian Hoffman in honor of Sonia Dishler, on her special birthday
Stanley Isenberg in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Lynne Jacobs in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Carol & Marty Kaplan in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Phyllis Kauffman in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Leon & Diane King in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Rebecca Ladenheim in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Harriet B. Lam in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Leah Mandelblatt in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Erika, Jo, Lisa, Jon &
Fran Neiman in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Joan Ochroch in honor of Sonia Dishler, on her special birthday
Pearl Raz in memory of Estelle Admonit, mother
Cyrilla Rosen in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Lee Rosenbloom in honor of Sonia Dishler, on her special birthday
Bernice Schildhorn in honor of Sonia Dishler, on her special birthday
Norman Schwartz in memory of Hannah Garnick Good, mother
Judy Schwartz in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Marvin Sclan &
Esther Braunstein in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Joan Silver in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Bev & Ira Somerson in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Stephen & Elayne Stamm in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Joan W. Stern in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Berel & Susan Sternthal in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Susan Vitale in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Lucille & Aaron Weber in memory of Bessie Nussbaum, sister of Diane King
in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
Aaron Weber in memory of Samuel Weber, brother
in memory of Ida Weber, mother
Lucille & Aaron Weber in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org14
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Interfaith Hospitality Network Alexandra Volin Avelin in memory of Ben H. Nash, grandfather
Gisha Berkowitz in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
in memory of Frieda Eisen, mother of Ambassador Norm
Eisen
Frieda Sanders in memory of Ray Wasserberg, aunt
in memory of Abraham Goldenberg, brother
Hyman Zelkowitz in memory of David Zelkowitz, father
Israel Affairs Fund Carol & Marty Kaplan in memory of George Shore, husband of Joy Shore & father of
Jackie & Ava
in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
in honor of Leah & Norman Schwartz, on the marriage of their
granddaughter Elisheva
Marcy Landesburg in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
in memory of Harold Landesberg, husband
Cyrilla Rosen in memory of Faye Weiss, mother of Susan Sternthal
in honor of Jeanette Dudnick, on her special birthday
in honor of Carol & Marty Kaplan, on their grandson's
becoming Bar Mitzvah
in honor of Rabbi Adam Zeff & Cheryl Bettigole, on the Bar
Mitzvah of their son, Avi
Cyrilla Rosen & Family in memory of Irving Rosen, husband & father
Leah & Norman Schwartz in honor of Tanya & Raphael Schwartz, on the marriage of
their daughter Elisheva to Ishiah Asher Waitzberg in Beit
Shemesh, Israel
Israel Garden Fund Marilyn Barr in memory of Edward I. Greenstone, father
Arnold Barr in memory of his loved one
Deborah Marine in memory of Walter Marine, husband
in memory of Henry Siegel, father
Kiddush Fund Saul & Kathy Axelrod in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Sonia Dishler in memory of Henry Feinberg, brother
Ms. Joyce Eveloff in memory of Miriam Blumenthal, mother
Dena & Ed Lake in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
Dick Menin in memory of Irvin Menin, uncle
Michael Rodin in memory of Sherwin A. Rodin, father
Leah & Norman Schwartz in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
Joan W. Stern in memory of Sarah Winderman, grandmother
in memory of Lillian Winderman, aunt
Library Fund Melanie Berman in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
Linda Dzuba in memory of Rose Pinkenson, mother
Sam & Helene Feinberg in memory of Jeffrey Zaslow
Maura Sostack in memory of Edward Sostack, father
Men's Club Carol & Marty Kaplan in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
in honor of Carol & Michael Robinson, on the birth of their
grandson
Minyan Masorti Carol & Marty Kaplan in honor of Louie & Steve Asher, on the birth of their first
Memorial Shabbat Fund granddaughter
Leah & Norman Schwartz in honor of David Hahn & Barbara Weiss, on the Bar Mitzvah
of their son, Zachary
Wendy Weingarten in memory of Ernest Weingarten, father-in-law
in memory of Rose Weingarten, mother-in-law
in memory of Robert M. Traub, father
Contributions Continued
T h e C e n t r e C a l l G E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org 15
Music Fund Gisha Berkowitz in memory of Lily Berkowitz, mother-in-law
Ruth Rosenthal in memory of Robert Rosenthal, son
Charles Schleifer in memory of Betty Schleifer, mother
Playground Fund Sally Shenker in memory of Bertha Segal, mother
Rabbi's Discretionary Fund Daniel Bacine in memory of Jeanette Bacine, mother
Richard Bazelon in memory of David Bazelon, father
Lonnie Beer in memory of Harry Lore, father
Lila Booth in memory of Newlin Booth, husband
Nan Daniels in memory of Timothy Daniels, husband
Lyn Davis in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
in memory of Peter Rock, brother of Ed Rock
Vincent DiLorenzo in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father
Tara Feiner in memory of Irene Kogut Laster, mother
Deborah Franklin in memory of Edward C. Franklin, father
Reena & Aryeh Friedman in memory of Peter Rock, brother of Ed Rock
Lynne Furman in memory of Nathan Klieman, father
Donald Joseph in memory of Charles Joseph, father
in memory of Sylvia King Joseph Levinson, mother
in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
Edith Klausner in memory of Gilbert Klausner, husband
in memory of Sidney L. Quitman, father
in memory of Belle F. Quitman, mother
Joyce Lieberman in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Dick & Barb Menin in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Jeffrey Needleman in memory of Alan Needleman, brother
Norman & Adina Newberg in memory of Joshua Newberg, son
Sid & Roselle Numerof in memory of the mother of Dr. Michael A. Greenberg
Barbara Pearson in memory of Morris Balis, grandfather
Ellyn Phillips in memory of Morton Charlestein, father
in honor of the Sunday Morning Minyan
Ruth Seltzer in memory of Ed Seltzer, husband
refuah shleimah to Carol Seltzer
Ruthanne & George Singal in honor of Jessica & Mathieu Shapiro and Jacob &
Alexandra, our children & grandchildren
Bev & Ira Somerson in honor of Marcy & Dan Bacine, on the engagement of their
son Matthew to Alyse Levy
Jacob Staub in memory of Frieda Staub Cohen, mother
Judith & Barry Swartz in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
Ken Weiss in memory of Bernice Weiss, mother
Religious School Fund Nancy Fredland in memory of Samuel Berkowitz, father
Mathieu & Jessica Shapiro in memory of George Shore, husband of Joy Shore & father of
Jackie & Ava
Social Action Fund Alexandra Volin Avelin in memory of Rose Moskowitz, great-grandmother
Maxine & Maurice Feldman in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth &
stepfather of Beth Rosenbaum
refuah shleimah to Joyce Kutler
Judah Labovitz & Ellen Ufberg in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
Judy Schwartz in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
Leah & Norman Schwartz in honor of Isador Kranzel, on his special birthday
Joan Silver in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
in honor of Stan Diamond, on his special birthday
Bev & Ira Somerson in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
Contributions Continued
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org16
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Special Education Fund Joyce Videlock in memory of Matthew Wainer, father
Torah Restoration Fund Kathy & George Amrom in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
in memory of Peter Rock, brother of Ed Rock
George Amrom in memory of Leon & Ida Amrom, parents
in memory of Lou Amrom, brother
Mitchell Berk in memory of Mollie Needleman, grandmother
Chana Bonn in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of her grandson Eliyah Hai David
Bonn-Yavne in Jerusalem, Parashat B'shalach
Maxine & Maurice Feldman refuah shleimah to Bud Kutler
Yale Pinkenson in memory of Anne Pinkenson, mother
Martha & Chuck Schleifer in memory of Jay Dushoff, brother of Lee Dushoff
Stephen Tobias in memory of Rebecca Tobias, wife
Women's Club Bonnie Buyum in memory of Sylvia Buyum, grandmother
Frances Gold in memory of Gertrude Meloff, sister
Nina Gordon & Lou Walinsky in memory of Klara Furman, mother of Martha Schleifer and
Alan Furman
in memory of Miriam Blitzstein, mother of Ilene Blitzstein
Poses
in memory of Joseph Goren, husband of Cherie Goren
in memory of Gabriel DiLorenzo, father of Vincent DiLorenzo
in memory of Annette Dansky, mother of Howard Dansky
Carol & Marty Kaplan in honor of Marcy & Dan Bacine, on the engagement of their
son Matthew to Alyse Levy
in memory of Samuel Z. Kobran, father of Marcy Bacine
Marcy Landesburg in honor of her aliyah at Women's Shabbat
Women's Club - Torah Fund Susan & Randy Klueger in honor of Mindelle Goldstein, on being honored at the Torah
Fund Brunch
Racine Murdock in honor of Mindelle Goldstein, on being honored at the Torah
Fund Brunch
Youth Activities Fund Curt & Leslie Pontz in memory of Newlin Booth, husband of Lila Booth & step-
father of Beth Rosenbaum
in memory of George Shore, husband of Joy Shore & father of
Jackie & Ava
Curt Pontz in memory of Selma Goodman, aunt
Joan W. Stern in memory of Charles B. Stern, husband
Contributions Continued
Don’t forget to check out our NEW website!
www.germantownjewishcentre.orgMembers can now
make donations online
GJC has cemetery
plots for sale at King
David Cemetery in the
Northeast.
Questions? Contact the Office.
T h e C e n t r e C a l l G E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org 17
William A. Sickel, F.D., Supervisor, R.R. Bringhurst & Co., Inc.
225 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
www.forever-care.com
WEST LAUREL HILL CEMETERYBRINGHURST FUNERAL HOME
One Call To One Place - For Everything
Cemetery • Crematory • Funeral Services Service & Reception Areas • Monuments • Jewish & Green Services
Introducing Chesed Shel Emet,
West Laurel Hill’ s Jewish Cemetery,
conceived to meet the needs of
families who observe the traditional
requirement of interment in an
area dedicated to members of the
Jewish faith.
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org18
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Nestled in the Pocono Mountains, Golden SlipperCamp is an outstanding overnight camping facility that offers a full range of programmingwhile embracing Jewish traditions and values.
Call 610-660-0520 with any questions.Applications are available online or by request.
www.goldenslippercamp.org
Full Camp FeeScholarships Available!
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• Generous Scholarships Available - up to Full Tuition! • Special Events, Sports & Activities Galore • Exciting New Jewish Programming• New for 2012: Laser Tag Park!
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Contact Elana Shaw at215.844.1507 x19
T h e C e n t r e C a l l G E r m A n t o W n J E W i S h C E n t r E
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org 19
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Please consider making a planned gift to the
Germantown Jewish Centre’s endowment fund.
Planned gifts come in many forms, including
for example – charitable gift annuities,
life insurance, trusts, or even a
bequest in your will.
For more information about how you can join
the Ner Tamid Society please contact the office.
Join the Ner Tamid Society
by Making a PlannedGift to GJc
www.GermantownJewishCentre.org
First Class Pre-Sort
U.S. Postage
P A I D Horsham, PA
Permit No. 179
400 West Ellet Street
Philadelphia, PA 19119
Chris LevinP R E S I D E N T
Rabbi Adam ZeffR A B B I
Rabbi Leonard D. GordonR A B B I E M E R I T U S
Nina PeskinE x E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R
Gloria Geissler F I N A N C E D I R E C T O R
Rabbi Kevin Bernstein E D U C AT I O N D I R E C T O R
Mindy PitkofskyECP D I R E C T O R
Elana ShawP R O G R A M D I R E C T O R
Alanna SkloverS T U D E N T R A B B I
Rod GriffithM E N ’ S C L U B P R E S I D E N T
Bev Somerson & Judy Schwartz W O M E N ’ S C L U B C O -P R E S I D E N T S
Affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Please submit all articles via email to [email protected].
Deadline for the summer issue (online only) is June 1.
(215) 844-1507 fax: (215) 844-8309Web: www.GermantownJewishCentre.org
Save the DatesWomen’s Club & Men’s Club Installation
June 6
Annual MeetingJune 13
ECP Camp Keshet BeginsJune 20
Inside centre call
Rabbi’s Message . . . . . . . . . . .Page 1
President’s Message . . . . . . . . .Page 2
Little Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 2
Shabbat Chai-Lites . . . . . . . . . .Page 3
What’s New in the Mishpoche . .Page 3
Spring Concert . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4
Member Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5
Purim Tzedakah Update . . . . . .Page 6
ECP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 8
Education Department . . . . . . .Page 8
Hazak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 9
Women’s Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9
Social Action . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 11
Contributions (begin on) . . . . .Page 12