First of all I want to wish you all Happy Purim.
1. Last Friday, March 14th Emir Muchamad Sherif, the spiritual leader of the Achmadi Muslim community in Haifa, visited us to deliver a message of Peace and Understanding during our annual Kabalat Shabbat against racism. This is the third consecutive year that we pray together with the achmadi leader. In his speech, Emir Sherif explained that the Koran is against racism. He mentioned that all people are equal, no matter what their religious denomination is. As you know, since 2007 together with the Achmadi Muslims and with members of the Catholic Focolare church we are creating an interfaith children's soccer league supported by Temple Israel of Boston in honor of the 60th birthday of Rabbi Ronne Friedman. In this framework, soccer games are held between children of our synagogue, Christian Muslim Arabs in Haifa. It is my prayer that our children will grow up in a world of Peace and cooperation and not of violence and retaliation.
2. On a different matter, we say shehecheyanu! On Tuesday, March 11th, 27 members of Temple Kol Ami in Ontario, Canada with their spiritual leader, Rabbi Gottlieb, visited Or Hadash. In 2007 Or Hadash and Temple Kol Ami officially became sister congregations. Temple Kol Ami is our first sister congregation from Canada. To commemorate this event we dedicated a plaque hanging on our wall in honor of special donors and sister congregations.
3. Our good friend, Rabbi Eric Gurvis from Temple Shalom, arrived last Tuesday, March 11th to Or Hadash as part of the Boston-Haifa Partnership meetings held on March 12th-16th. We had the privilege of spending quality time with him. Rabbi Gurvis spoke with our youth leaders and met with a Muslim woman who is converting to Judaism through our conversion program. Since Temple Shalom is helping us to support Dagmawit, a three year old girl from Darfur who is in our preschool, Rabbi Gurvis got acquainted with her.
Rabbi Gurvis has visited Or Hadash bringing with him hundreds of his congregants over the past seven years, yet still he was impressed with our new Tikun Olam projects. We were delighted to listen to his profound sermon during Kabalat Shabbat, Parashat "Vayikra".
Many of our dear friends also came with this CJP Mission, among them Jeff and Naomi Stonberg, Al and Judy Bernstein and Rika and Ralph Zimmerman, all from Temple Beth Elohim, Wellesley, MA; Deena Bloomstone, Chester and Diane Black from Temple Shir Tikva in Wayland, MA; Stan Shindler from Temple Israel in Boston- all from our sister congregations in the Greater Boston Area, as well as many friends from the CJP: Rabbi Lisa Eiduson from Temple Beth Avodah in Newton Centre, MA; Danny Margolis, Alan, and Suzanne Teperow, Nancy Kaufman, Geoff and Debbie Kurinsky, Ruth Aronson and Cheryl Aronson. Thank you all for coming and helping us! We appreciate your loyal support very much and we cherish your visit.
4. We mentioned in our last update the big event that our sisterhood has planned to raise money for Tikun Olam projects. It was held on Monday, March 17th and turned out to be a great success. The Or Hadash Sisterhood (WRJ in Haifa) is the first and currently only sisterhood in any Reform congregation in Israel and we are very proud of the important work they are doing on behalf of underprivileged children and at risk children in Haifa. The fundraiser opened with an excellent performance by the Three Altos led by our friend Rabbi Amy Bernstein visiting from Temple Israel in Duluth, MN. Proceeds from this concert benefit two projects: Gan Cherniavski (a preschool for new immigrants from Ethiopia) and the Ahuzat Yeladim Boarding School (a facility which cares for wards of state). The event was attended by 150 persons.
5. I told you last week that a refugee from Darfur named Dagmawit joined our preschools. Sixteen refugees from Darfur and Sudan currently live in Haifa, 15 adults and one 2.5 year old child. Biniam, the father, has an unrestricted working permit from the State of Israel since February 13th, 2008 but he still does not have a job. Fortunately for us, he speaks English, so we can communicate. Dagmawit has already learned many Hebrew words at our preschool. I believe that we can keep Dagmawit in our gan for at least two years (and I hope she will stay here for 15 years- until she enlists in the army). This will be similar to the project we undertook for five Ethiopian orphans (the Gaveru brothers). Dagmawit received a warm welcome by our preschool staff and the children in our preschool are also very friendly towards her. One may say she is just like any other child in our preschools. On Monday the preschool children planted trees so Dagwamit planted her first tree in Israel. She particularly enjoyed celebrating Purim today (see picture).
6. On a different note we are saying Baruch Dayan HaEmet. Or Hadash is mourning the death of a young teen. As you know many bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies are held at Or Hadash every year. A week ago Aviv Greenberg, who had his bar mitzvah at Or Hadash 2.5 years ago, smacked his head on a doorknob in a tragic school accident. He was hospitalized in critical condition for ten days. I am sad to tell you that on Monday, March 15, Aviv passed away. It was a shock to all of us since it is not conceivable to us that a teenager could die from hitting a doorknob. On Tuesday, Yifat Dagan (our Overseas Coordinator) and I went to give our condolences to the family. There was very little we could say since no one really understood how a terrible tragedy like this could happen. Please say kaddish in his memory.
We are also sad to inform you that this week, Betty Tzeizler, Rabbi Moti Rotem's mother passed away at the age of 92. Rabbi Moti Rotem was my teacher and predecessor as the spiritual leader of congregation Or Hadash. We attended the funeral with Rabbi Eric Gurvis who has been friends with Rabbi Rotem as well for 25 years. The good news is that on Tuesday while we went to the Shiva we met Rabbi Rotem's young son who is going to be a father in two more weeks. Mazel Tov.
7. In less than an hour we will celebrate Purim. We expect around 500 Jews to join us for the reading of Megilat Esther, among them 250 children, ages 2-10. As every year, we are sure it will be a colorful and happy event.
We wish you all Happy Purim and Shabbat Shalom.
From Haifa,
Edgar
