A Special Month of Holidays
1) Dear Friends,
Shalom! I should be starting by wishing you a good month, but instead I must say baruch dayan haemet. I would like to say that all of us at Or Hadash were shocked and saddened to hear about the horribly brutal terrorist attacks that took place in Mumbai India this past week. These attacks reminded us of 9/11 and the Second Intifada, and left us with a horrible feeling in our souls.
Or Hadash as a community said the Mourner’s Kaddish for the deaths of the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks, 9 of whom who were the Israelis and Americans that were killed in the Chabad house. Of these victims were: Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, and his wife Rivka; Yocheved Orpaz; Bentzion Chroman; and Rabbi Leibish Teitelbaum. May their memories be blessed.
On a different note, I would like to tell you about the recent activities going on here at Or Hadash.
2) Thanks to So Many Rabbis!
In the previous letter I wrote about our youth delegation to the States during October 11th-25th, where we visited 14 sister congregations. I wanted to add that I had the pleasure to march in the streets of Brookline, MA with Rabbi Ronne Friedman of Temple Israel in Boston, walk in the streets of Manhattan with Rabbi Jonathan Stein from Temple Shaaray Tefila in New York, and to tour the streets of Richmond, VA with Rabbi Buzzy Beifield of Temple Beth Ahabah who are all my life long friends.
I had the opportunity to visit a very American country fair with my friend Rabbi Eric Gurvis of Temple Shalom in Newton, and Rabbi Howard Jaffe from Temple Isaiah in Lexington, and their families. It was a very unusual and wonderful experience.
I saw and spent time with Rabbi David Posner in the magnificent Temple Emanu-El in New York. And I had such a good time with my friends Rabbi Andy Busch from Baltimore Hebrew congregation and Rabbi Bradd Boxman of Har Sinai in Baltimore, where we prayed together and had a lovely lunch.
I spent an enjoyable day picking pumpkins with Rabbi Joseph Meszler of
Temple Sinai in Sharon, MA, who kindly gave me copies of his excellent books, and walked in the streets of Harvard with Rabbi Jonathan Kraus of Beth El Temple Center in Belmont, MA (With whom I enjoyed a beautiful children’s service).
Of course I can not forget to mention the lovely time that I spent
with Rabbi Danny Zemel and his wife Louise both in Temple Micah and in their home in Washington, D.C., and the tasty dinner that I had with Rabbi Jim Egolf of Beth David Reform Congregation in Gladwyne, PA.
And Finally, right after my return to Israel, I had the pleasure of seeing and spending time with my teacher and former rabbi of Or Hadash for 26 years, Moti Rotem, who came to see us on October 28th with 12 members of his synagogue, Temple Rodef Sholom, in Waco, Texas.
To conclude, I had a wonderful month of October with so many colleagues and friends. To all of the Rabbis and the many members of our sister congregations who made the trip special, for me and for the Or Hadash teens, I would like again to say thank you very much!
3) World Union of Progressive Judaism and Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism Visit
Rabbi Gary Bretton-Granatoor, vice president of philanthropies at the Word Union of Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), and Michal Yaniv of the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), visited Or Hadash on November 16th. The visit was one of many that have helped us to remain in close contact with the greater Reform Jewish movement in Israel and in the world, and was one of great importance for the community as a whole.
4) German Dialogue Institute Exchange Group Visit
On November 18th Or Hadash was visited by a group of German Christian tourists. The group was organized through the Dialogue Institute with whom we have cooperated for the past ten years to bring groups such as this one to Israel. The group came to Or Hadash to learn about Reform Judaism in Israel, and took a special informative tour of our Temple to learn about the origin of the many Torah scrolls we have here at Or Hadash, and their significance to German Jewry.
5) Harald Juettner and Father in-Law share the struggles of Germany Jewry
This past week we had a surprise visit (the best kind) from a very inspirational man, Harald Juettner, from the Forderverein Judisches Zentrum Gottingen, in Gottingen, Germany. Harald along with his Father in-law brought to us many stories regarding the life of a synagogue lost in the chaos of World War II era Germany and the Holocaust. However gloomy it may sound, this story has a happy ending, as Harald and other members of his community have recently worked diligently to restore the old synagogue of Gottingen to become a place where Jewish prayer can once again take place.
Harold and his colleagues completed the synagogue’s renovations just in time for a symbolic Chanukah celebration which took place early in the month of November. Their miracle bears resemblance to that of the Chanukah miracle, where despite destruction, worship could once again take place. Although the miracle of Gottingen has happened many years after the war, it is no less amazing. We wish Harald and his community a yashar koach in all that they do and for what they have already accomplished in this endeavor.
6) Asaf Gur Memorial
On Friday November 28th, many members of Or Hadash joined the family of Asaf Gur (z’l) in an emotional memorial service that marked the third year anniversary of our honored congregant’s passing. Asaf Gur was not only a beloved member of our community, and dedicated Or Hadash board member, but he was also a special person who gave those around him strength and happiness.
Asaf’s Grave is made up of a beautiful combination of rock that symbolizes his professional passion for geology. The words engraved read “He loved people and the earth”, to which his family and friends agree.
Asaf died suddenly at the young age of 50. The service was a heartfelt combination of poetry and song that expressed just how much he is dearly missed by those he left behind.
7) Visit of The Leo Baeck Youth Group
On Saturday, November 29th, a delegation of 12 students from the Leo Baeck Jewish day school in Haifa joined Or Hadash for Shabbat services.
We wish the Leo Baeck students the best in all of their coming projects and events, including a trip to the States to visit with students from the Rashi Jewish day School in Newton, Massachusetts. We hope that they will continue to grow into upstanding young members of the Reform Jewish Community.
We are now at the beginning of the Gregorian month of December, and the Hebrew month of Kislev which ask us to think about others. Together with Chanukah, there are many secular holidays on the calendar that can help us to think of how we can take part in making this world a better place. To name a few: December 1st is world AIDS day; December 10th is human rights day; and December 14th is International Children’s day.
I hope that you will continue to think of us at Or Hadash in your daily lives, as we think of you during this special month of holidays. Shalom and Good Month!
In Friendship,
Edgar