E-KI
July 28, 2005 Vol. II No. 30
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel
8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027 215.887.8700
Torah Time Online
Shabbat Matot– Numbers 30:2
Jeremiah 1:1
Mr. Livingston(e) I Presume?
This week we begin to read a series of three special Haftarot in anticipation of the holiday of Tisha B’Av, the Ninth of Av, which will be observed this year on Sunday, August 14. Tisha B’Av commemorates the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem and other calamities in Jewish history. Tisha B’Av is a day of fasting and the occasion for reciting the Book of Lamentations, traditionally ascribed to the prophet Jeremiah, c. 586 BCE. “Alas!” Lamentations begins, “lonely sits the city once great with people; she that was great among the nations is become like a widow; the princess among states is become a thrall.”
Unfortunately, we live an age of terrorism and, in particular, an age of urban terrorism, wherein organized murderers seek to turn our greatest cities into empty places filled with the cries of widows and grieving children. Witness the bombings of New York, London and every city in the State of Israel. There is no end to grief and outrage in our time. We live in an age of lamentation.
Against this backdrop of horror, it is uncanny that one of the mayors of the world’s greatest cities, a city now subject to the viciousness of organized terror, repeatedly makes a spectacle of himself by baiting the Jewish community of London and attacking the State of Israel. This March, Ken Livingstone, the Labor Party Mayor of London, accused Israel of ethnic cleansing, called Ariel Sharon a war criminal, equated the Israeli Prime Minister with Hamas and compared a Jewish English journalist to a Nazi concentration camp guard.
This Mr. Livingstone is not the lost missionary found by Henry Morton Stanley in East Africa in 1871. Rather, in the words of the British press, he is a reptilian creature who delights in sensationalism and is eager to share his moral confusion with the world. Indeed, in condemning the bombing of the London transportation, Mr. Livingstone was quick to add that “I don’t just denounce the suicide bombers, I denounce those governments that use indiscriminate slaughter to advance their foreign policy,” by which he clearly meant the State of Israel, and one would presume, the United States.
Mr. Livingstone is a dangerous man. He panders to the most extreme anti-Israel elements in London and the UK. Giving the changing face of Europe and what we know about anti-Semitism on the continent today, he is not to be taken lightly. On this coming Tisha B’Av we have much to lament and worry about.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Ph.D., D.D.
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT KI
Worship & Study Opportunities
This Shabbat - Friday, July 29 – Evening Service at 8:00 p.m. Liz Sussman will be our guest guitarist/accompanist. Saturday, July 30 – Torah Study Havurah at 9:00 a.m.; Shabbat Havurah Service at 10:30 a.m.
In the Week Ahead – Friday, August 5 – Family Service at 7:15 p.m. Saturday, August 6 - Torah Study Havurah at 9:00 a.m.; Shabbat Havurah Service at 10:30 a.m.
Coming Up – Saturday, August 13 – Havdalah at the Jersey Shore – 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the home of Karen and Rob Sirota. Members, prospective members and shore friends are invited for wine and hors d’oeuvres. Call KI (215) 887-8700 by Friday, August 5 to RSVP and to get directions.
Friday, August 26 – Shabbat in Blue Bell – Dinner at 5:45 p.m. Family Service at 7:15 p.m.
Listen to Most recent Shabbat evening sermon – click on this link! http://www.kenesethisrael.org/Sermons/ShabbatService.htm .
KEEP KI ON THE AIR! For more than 40 years, a single fund at KI has supported our weekly Shabbat and annual High Holy Day broadcasts. With increasing broadcast costs, the Tyson Fund no longer has sufficient money to keep us on the air for long. We need your personal financial help to continue this vital service to thousand of area residents, many of whom are senior citizens and shut-ins! Send your donation to KI and note "KI Radio" on the memo line. If you want to learn more about how you could help, please call Rabbi Sussman at 215-887-8702. Many thanks for KEEPING KI ON THE AIR!
Preschool and Religious School
Help Our Discovery Garden Grow - Sponsorship opportunities for our new playground from pavers to Noah’s Ark Playhouse. Contact Sharon Sood (215) 782-8188 or via e-mail at soodlempert@cavtel.net information on how you can donate to this exciting project. A brochure was mailed to KI members and is available in the Administrative Office at KI.
Help Wanted – The Religious School is looking for someone 15 or over with computer expertise (knowledge of Windows Update, Internet, Windows XP Professional, Networking) to work with students aged 8-16 and KI teachers in the KI Computer Lab on Sundays from 9:15 a.m. to noon and Tuesdays, 4:15 to 6:00 p.m. and 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. $10/hour. Call or e-mail Rabbi Stacy Eskovitz Rigler (215) 887-8704 or educator@kenesethisrael.org.
KI Puppets at Pajamarama II – “Stories and Songs from the Zoo!” at Barnes & Noble from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Join Torah Turtle, Mitzvah Monkey, Bracha Bear and Shira Salamander in song along with help from their friends from KI. Program is free and no registration is necessary. Black tie not required; P.J.s optional and fun!
Last Summer Story Hour – on Wednesday, August 17, at 6:30 p.m. in KI’s Meyers Library. There will be stories and arts & crafts for children preschool to 3rd grade. Milk and cookies, too!
Register Now - Sunday Soccer League - sponsored by the JCC Klein Branch/Kehillah - All boys and girls, pre-K through 7th grade as of September, 2005, are invited to join our intramural instructional soccer program held on the Mandell Campus in Elkins Park for ten consecutive Sundays beginning September 11, 2005. Registration is $85.00. Information and registration forms: (215) 635-0557 (Kehillah of Old York Road).
Be an Advocate for KI! There are still limited spaces available for Religious School and Preschool for next year. If you know people who might be interested in KI, please give the name to Rabbi Stacy Rigler at (215) 887-8704.
Cultural Opportunities
KI Men’s Softball –Mazal tov to our softball team on a great season! We beat Beth Am by one run on July 25! Playoff game against Beth Am on Monday, August 1, at 6:00 p.m. at Mondauk 3. If we win, we’ll play in the West Semifinal game on Wednesday, August 3, at 6:00 p.m. at Mondauk 5. The division finals are on Monday, August 8, at 6:00 p.m., and the championship game is on Wednesday, August 10. (http://www.jeffjet.com/Fields.htm for directions) Come support our team!
The Beauty of Holiness: Judaic Treasures – Exhibition of Judaica and Jewish art from The Leon and Julia Obermayer Collection (The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art, Congregation Rodeph Shalom) and the Temple Judea Museum (Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel) from June 17 through August 12, 2005 at the Temple Judea Museum.
The Israeli Scout Friendship Caravan – Appearing at Rodeph Shalom Suburban, on Tuesday, August 9, at 7:30 p.m.; Tiferet Bet Israel in Blue Bell on Friday, August 12, at 7:30 p.m.; Temple Sinai (Dresher) on Monday, August 15, at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Seating limited. Meet the Scouts after the show! Funding provided by The Center for Israel and Overseas, through NACIE, of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
Monthly Lunch and Learn Program for Seniors who want to continue to live vital and independent lives. Meets 4th Thursday of each month at KI. Sponsored by Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ STAR Program. Next meeting is Thursday, August 25, from noon to 2:00 p.m. Program: “Sleepless in Elkins Park.” For more information, reservations and transportation, contact Michele Kramer (267) 808-6264 and leave a message including your name, phone number and mailing address.
Kesher: Jewish Americans & Israel – Making the Connection – on Sunday, September 18, at 9:45 a.m. Speakers: Dr. Mitchell Bard, Executive Director of the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, leading authority on U.S. Middle East policy, and author of Myths and Facts; and Roz Rothstein, National Director of StandWithUs, prominent pro-Israel advocacy organization.Free community-wide program presented jointly by The Israel Action Committees of KI and Old York Road Temple – Beth Am. Optional breakfast at 8:45 a.m. - $5/person prepaid. Send checks (payable to OYRT-Beth Am) to Old York Road Temple – Beth Am, 971 Old York Road, Abington, PA 19001. Advance registration required by Monday, September 12. Information – http://www.kenesethisrael.org/Happening/Kesher_9_18_05-1.pdf or call Selma Dafilou (215) 887-2832. Program made possible by a grant from the Kehillah of Old York Road, a project of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia in cooperation with the Jewish Outreach Partnership.
Social Action Opportunities
Emergency Liver Donation Needed – Family of 31-year-old woman asks for your help in finding a liver transplant designated specifically for her. For more information (877) 223-3386 or www.liverforalife.com.
Sharing Is Caring Hanukkah Dinner – Please join us on Tuesday, August 2, at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room for an organizational meeting to plan for the Sharing is Caring Hanukkah Dinner to benefit area seniors in Federation and local housing. Our last dinner was a huge success and we are looking forward to continuing this wonderful tradition. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting. For information contact Debbie Zlotnick at DZlotnick@comcast.net or Ellen Edelman Grossman at Edelgross@aol.com .
Cook for Sharing Is Caring –Help assemble meals in the K/G kitchen for clients at Newman Senior Center (Klein Branch JCC) from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 27. [No session in August.] Information: Gladys Segal (215) 635-5815.
Kesher: Volunteer Para-Chaplaincy Training Program on Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., beginning on October 6, at KI (room 110). This program is run by the Joan Grossman Center for Chaplaincy and Healing of the Jewish Family and Children's Service Information about registration will be available soon.
Announcements
News from the Meyers Library— Library hours are: Tuesday 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Friday before 8:00 p.m. services. (You can also visit the bookcarts at the Oneg.) For Adults: I.B.Singer, In My Father's Court, a memoir; Lawrence A. Hoffman, The Way into Jewish Prayer. For Children: Nancy Sohn Swarz, In Our Image: God's First Creatures; Doug Lambier and Robert Stevenson, Genesis for Kids: Science Experiments that Show God's Power in Creation.