E-KI

In This Issue

Worship and Study Activities

Preschool and Religious School Activities

Cultural Opportunities

Social Action Opportunities

Announcements

Support KI

Blue Bell Family Reception, Dinner and Shabbat Service

KI Blue Bell Campus

1802 Skippack Pike

Blue Bell, PA 19422

August 26, 2005

5:45 PM

August 18, 2005

Volume II No. 33

TORAH TIME ONLINE

Shabbat Va'etchanan – Deuteronomy 3:23
Isaiah 40:1
Israel Defense Forces: Heroes of the Jewish People

As I write this column, the disengagement from Gaza is in full swing with a little more than half of the settlers evacuated from their homes. The clearest, most important message coming out of Gaza right now is that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are doing a spectacular job. For more than a year, everyone in the Jewish world has been worried about this moment and its impact on the soldiers. Would they break rank and refuse their orders? Could they effectively remove the settlers without violence? Would the control and command chain hold in the IDF?

We have our answer and it is spectacular. More than 40,000 unarmed Israeli soldiers and police marched into Gaza, kept to their game plan, remained firm, were not incited and removed the settlers one by one. They were taunted, spit at, even hit, but they did not flinch. Young recruits and seasoned officers alike held their ground, stayed at their posts and did their jobs. If you ever had any doubt about the IDF, go back and look at the media pictures from this last week: tough, strong, disciplined, sensitive, caring, respectful. Was there ever a military operation like the Gaza Disengagement where the military might of a nation under siege was employed with gentle hands and broken hearts?

Many of the settlers and their radical supporters did things to provoke, to intimidate and to break the soldiers’ will. They did themselves, Israel and the Jewish people a great disservice. They are entitled to protest in a democracy. Unfortunately they overstepped the boundaries of loyal dissent on too many occasions in the attempt to create inflammatory images and engage in political theater of the most calculated kind. In the end, they only made the IDF look better.

The IDF carried out the will of the majority in the State of Israel with great dignity. Wherever you are in the political spectrum on Israel, you should feel very proud of the young people in IDF uniform. Once again, they are the heroes of the Jewish people.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Ph.D., D.D.

Worship and Study Activities

THIS SHABBAT- Friday, August 19 – Evening Service at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, August 20- Torah Study Havurah at 9:00 a.m.; Shabbat Havurah Service at 10:30 a.m., when we will celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of Jaclyn Jenna Sterman Soroko, daughter of Paulette Sterman-Soroko and Skits Soroko; Rydal Park Service at 2:00 p.m.

IN THE WEEK AHEAD – Friday, August 26– Shabbat in Blue Bell – Light dinner and Tot Shabbat at 5:45 p.m Guitar-led service at 7:15 pm. RSVP if you plan to come to dinner (215) 887- 8700. Extended oneg to follow. Shabbat in Elkins Park – Evening service at 8:00 p.m., led by Michael Winheld. Saturday, August 27 – Torah Study Havurah at 9:00 a.m.; Shabbat Havurah Service at 10:30 a.m.

COMING UP – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 – Tot Shabbat at 6:00 p.m. – welcome Beth Berman and dedication of new playground; New Member Shabbat at 8:00 p.m.

Listen to most recent Shabbat evening sermon

Preschool and Religious School Activities

HELP OUR DISCOVERY GARDEN GROW - Our Playground is nearly complete - Sponsorship opportunities for our new playground from pavers to Noah's Ark Playhouse. Contact Sharon Sood at (215) 782-8188 or via e-mail for 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.

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.

FIRST DAY OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOL – Elkins Park: Sunday, September 11. First weekday session and first Confirmation Academy in Elkins Park is Tuesday, September 13. Blue Bell: Thursday, September 15.

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).

Find out more about our Religious School

Cultural Opportunities

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.

THEATER PARTY IN NEW YORK – Tony Award winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Sunday, September 11, 2005. Round trip motorcoach leaves KI at 8:30 a.m. sharp. Free time for shopping. Lunch on your own before the theater. Price $105 per person. Respond by August 22 to Ann at 610-660-0510, ext. 1115, or ahilferty@goldenslipper.org, or mail to Golden Slipper Club & Charities, 215 N. Presidential Blvd, 1st Fl, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. Sponsored by Golden Slipper Club & Charities and KI Sisterhood.

CULTURAL COUNCIL 60+ - “The Vintage Harmony Singers, A Barbershop Chorus Sings the Oldies” on Thursday, September 8. Lunch at 11:30 a.m. KI member luncheon fee is $8.00 with a reservation by September 1, $10.00 for guests and for member reservations after September 1. Send checks to KI, Attn: Cultural Council. Information: Doris Parker, 215-886-9267. Program sponsored by the Rosenau Fund. First meeting of the season.

JEWS IN CUBA – Jewish Cuban scholar and author Maritza Corrales speaks on Tuesday, September 13, at 5:30 p.m. at the law offices of Eisenberg Rothweiler Schleifer Weinstein & Winkler, 1634 Spruce Street, Philadelphia. Talk is free but space is limited. RSVP by September 9 to Steven Malamud (215) 832-0900 or smalamud@hiaspa.org. Sponsored by Hias and Council migration Service.

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_1 8_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.

JEWISH GENEALOGY SEMINAR – Jewish Family Heritage: Connecting to Our Past on Sunday, September 18, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., at Adath Jeshurun. Registration: JGSGP members - $15; nonmembers - $20 Sponsored by Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia and Kehllah of Old York Road. Registration/Information: Mark Halpern JGSGP@comcast.net.

WRJ/SISTERHOOD OPENING PROGRAM—on Tuesday, September 20, at 7:00 p.m. Ethel Hofman, food columnist at the Jewish Exponent, cookbook author and past president of the International Association to Culinary Professionals, will discuss her book Mackerel at Midnight: Growing Up Jewish on a Remote Scottish Island. Discount copies available at $13, signed by the author. Admission free for Sisterhood members, $4 for all guests. Special dessert reception. RSVP to Joan Kamen at (215) 947-5926 by Monday, September 12 .

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT, Bids, Bites and a Bit of Jazz – on December 10, 2005, from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m., KI will host a goods & services auction to raise funds for KI’s scholarship programs. We hope you will come and bring your friends! We hope you will also consider donating a good or service. How about a weekend at your home in Aspen (or the Jersey shore) or that mint condition Dhurri rug? If you are a decorator, designer or other professional, consider offering a one-hour consultation. Let your creative juices flow and call Sharon Buckingham at (215) 885- 9429 to discuss donations. This event at KI in Elkins Park will include good food, good music and good fun.

Find out more about cultural opportunities at KI

Social Action Opportunities

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.

SHARING IS CARING HANUKKAH DINNER for residents of Federation subsidized housing – on Wednesday evening, December 7, 2005, in the Krauskopf-Ginsburg Auditorium. Volunteers are needed to cook, set up, host/hostess or serve. Sign- up information will be available shortly in the Administrative Office and on-line at the KI website. Send contributions to help defray the cost of the event (payable to KI – Sharing Is Caring) to KI. Information: Debbie Zlotnick (215) 782-8684 (dzlotnick@comcast.net) or Ellen Edelman Grossman (215) 576-0160 (edelgross@aol.com). This is a wonderful event. We hope you will be part of this mitzvah.

Announcements

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.

KEEP KI ON THE AIR - For more than 40 years, a single fund at KI has supported our weekly Shabbat and annual High Holiday 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 thousands 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 can help please call Rabbi Sussman at (215) 887-8702.

NEW 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: Daniel Silva, A Death in Venice; Kurt F. Stone, The Congressional Minyan. For Children: Carol Racklin-Siegel, retold and illustrator, Rebecca, in Hebrew and English; Anne E. Neimark, One Man's Valor : Leo Baeck and the Holocaust.

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ELKINS PARK CAMPUS
8339 OLD YORK ROAD • ELKINS PARK, PA 19027

BLUE BELL CAMPUS
1802 SKIPPACK PIKE • BLUE BELL, PA 19422

(215)887-8700 • FAX: (215) 887-1070

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