March 12, 2009

Dear friends,

 

This past week marked the surprising and sudden turn of the seasons in Israel from cold winter, to pleasant spring. With the change came one of the Spring’s most exciting Jewish holidays, Purim. Purim is one of the holidays that I enjoy most at Or Hadash for its light heartedness, and its appeal to everyone young and old. Tonight we will read Megillat Esther, in a packed synagogue filled with costumes, cheers, and laughter. It is at this moment each year that I feel the strong connection that our community has with each other, and with all Jews worldwide. This is a holiday when everyone, no matter who they are in real life, can be a clown, a Persian King, or even Pharaoh.

 

The children in the preschools also look forward to Purim each year, as they dress up and put on a show for the parents and community. However, Purim at Or Hadash is not just for fun. Here we bring special meaning to the holiday by giving back to those around us during this time of celebration. An example of this is the Or Hadash sisterhood’s work in assembling and delivering 100 mishloah manot packages to children at risk in the poor Haifa neighborhood of Hadar, yesterday evening.

 

I hope that you and your family have a great Purim filled with happiness and cheer! I hope that you will all send pictures of your costumes and experience, and that you will enjoy hearing more about ours here in Haifa.

 

 

Chag Purim Sameach!

 

Rabbi Dr. Edgar Nof, and Congregation Or Hadash

 

 

 

This past Monday and Tuesday, the Or Hadash preschools celebrated Purim with festivities inside and outside the classroom for parents, and community members. Children, and staff were dressed in costume, some of which were made in the preschools, as seen in the picture, and the excitement could not be contained. As I described above, Purim is a favorite holiday at Or Hadash, and one that everyone anticipates very much. This could definitely be seen in the effort and care put into the children’s Purim activities, as they were run by the staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last week women from all over the North of Israel came to celebrate a “Shabbat Nashim” (women’s Shabbat) with us at Or Hadash. The gathering was very successful, and highlighted the strong Reform Jewish value of egalitarianism within the synagogue. Aside from just showing gender equality, our women’s Shabbat gatherings serve as a place and time for women to feel supported and empowered amongst themselves. It is always an uplifting experience, and one filled with friendship and prayer.

 

 

It was my pleasure on Tuesday evening to read Megillat Esther in our community. Participating in the reading of the Megillah is an extraordinary part of the tradition of Purim, and with it our community came alive with the sound of the noisemakers and cheers. Reading the Megillah is a yearly tradition that always makes me proud to be a Reform Jew in Israel, and is something that I treasure very much.

 

After the service, we held an adult learning class, so that we could delve into the deeper issues behind the holiday. Purim is not only about fun and laughter, but also about a great lesson that the Jewish people learned in ancient Persia. It was very nice to step back and take a look at why Purim exists as a Jewish celebration in the first place, and how these lessons fit into our everyday lives.

 

This weekend we are once again blessed with many visitors from the United States and abroad. Among them are: Reuven Zeidler and Lois Horn- Zeidler, secretary of the WUJP North regional council; Harald Juttner of the Jewish community in Gottingen, Germany; Rabbis and friends from the Boston-Haifa Partnership;  Steve and Carol Doppelt of Framingham, MA; Debbie KurinskyBoston-Haifa Steering Committee member; Zilla Barone; Sy Friedland CEO ofJewish Family & Children’s Services CEO; Marc Jacobs, executive director of Jewish Family Service of Metrowest; Harvey Lowell, Executive Director of Jewish Big Brother & Big Sister Association; Phil and Kathy Millstein, Professor of Social Work, at Simmons College; Don Wertlieb, Professor of Child Development, Tufts University; Rina Gaffin, member of Temple Emanuel, Newton Center, MA; Ruth Aronsonfrom CJP, Boston; Peter Barrer, chair of the Ethiopian Jewry Committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Boston; Jerry Rubinpresident of Jewish Vocational Service in Boston; Judy Sacks Director of Career Moves at Jewish Vocational Service, Boston; and Rabbi Jim Morgan of CJP, Boston.

 

Services will be lead by student Rabbi Gadi Raviv, in my place.

 

 

 

 

 

 Harald Juttner of the Jewish community in Göttingen, Germany;