Temple Beth Ami News

Shaliach / חילש
May – June – July – August 2018 / Iyar – Sivan – Tammuz – Av – Elul 5778

9201 Old Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19115
Phone: 215-673-2511

E-mail: templebethami2@gmail.com Web Site: www.tbaphilly.org

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Services / שירותים

Monday morning: 7:30 am with Breakfast to follow

Monday evening: 8:00 pm

Thursday morning: 7:30 am with Breakfast to follow

Thursday evening: 8:00 pm

Friday evening: 8:00 pm with Oneg Shabbat

Saturday morning: 9:00 am with Kiddush

Sunday morning: 9:00 am with Breakfast to follow

Complimentary coffee, tea, soda and cake are served after the service on Friday and there is a Kiddush with cake, juice and wine after Saturday Shabbat service. On Sunday, Monday and Thursday morning, for those who would like to stay, we have breakfast after the morning Minyan for a $3.00 donation.

A MESSAGE FROM RABBI NOVITSKY

Acting properly towards our fellow man

During the summer months it is customary to study “Pirkei Avot--Ethics of the Fathers”, a compilation of ethical teachings and maxims passed down to the Rabbis, beginning with Moses and onwards. I would like to take this opportunity at this time to share with you a thought that is outlined in Chapter 3, paragraph #1.

“Akavia the son of Mahalalel would say: Reflect upon three things and you will not come to the hands of transgression. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give a judgement and accounting. From where you came—from a putrid drop; where you are going—to a place of dust, maggots and worms; and before whom you are destined to give a judgement and accounting—before the supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He”

Too many of us take these three items for granted! We often forget where we came from, and choose to ignore our history! We choose to be “americanized”, and wish to be like everybody else. While this choice might provide short term satisfaction and acceptance, in the long run, giving up on our religious values and our special heritage will create assimilation and transgression, and often not the better life which we mistakenly assumed would occur.

A second item mentioned above is that we should never forget where we are going. Giving up on our Jewish lifestyle will not take us in a better direction. It may seem so initially, but ultimately, the new lifestyle which is devoid of the torah and religious beliefs could cause us to lose certain basic values which we grew up with as children. We should also never get to a point where we think that we are better than others. In the end, everyone has the same fate. We must always steer ourselves in the proper direction.

Finally, we must always remember that whatever we do, G-d sees, and we will ultimately have to account for our actions. G-d will never excuse inappropriate behavior towards other human beings. During the summer we begin a period of repentance, where we can begin to move forward and get closer towards G-d and our fellow man, assuming that we truly repent for our sins. Let’s all seize the opportunity over the next few months to move in the right direction, and begin acting towards our fellow man with kindness and sincerity, so that when the holidays arrive, we will feel good about ourselves.

Rabbi David Novitsky, Rabbi at Temple Beth Ami

NOTES FROM PRESIDENT,
KENNETH G. HARRISON, ESQ

This is my last message as President of Temple Beth Ami. I would like to thank all the other board members and all the congregants for their help during my terms as President. My goal as President was to improve TBA. I am very happy to report that the synagogue is financially stable. We have a Rabbi who is excited to be our Rabbi and is well liked and respected by our members and the community. Most importantly, we have members who are willing to help the synagogue and other members which is probably the essence of a good and caring synagogue.

And Now a bit of Jewish American History

Any revolution needs money to be successful. This included the American Revolution. Throughout the American Revolution, the army and government were either low on funds or had none at all. Helping to solve this problem was Haym Salomon.

Haym Salomon was born in Poland and, after traveling through Europe for many years, he found himself in New York in 1772. He started a successful brokerage company but believed in the cause of American freedom so he joined the “Sons of Liberty”. This belief resulted with the British arresting him and placing him on a prison ship. After becoming seriously ill, he was released and became a spy for General George Washington. Salomon was arrested for a second time, sentenced to death, but escaped to Philadelphia in 1778.

In Philadelphia, he re-established his business. He raised money for the government and loaned money from his own funds to many leading patriots. These personal loans allowed the patriot leaders to remain in Philadelphia.

In August of 1781, General Washington saw an opportunity to strike the final blow to the British army after they became trapped in Yorktown, VA. However, Washington was out of money and therefore unable to move his army from New York to Yorktown. After learning there was not any funds and/or credit available to him, the General gave a very direct order “Send for Haym Salomon”. Haym Salomon was able to quickly raise the money needed to allow the American army to move to Yorktown, win the battle and American independence.

After the war, Haym Salomon was owed over $300,000 from the government and his fellow patriots. The health issues he contracted from the time he spent imprisoned during the War of Independence are what lead to his death on January 6, 1785, at the age of 44. For all that Haym Salomon did for the revolution, there is no record of him ever being paid back. In fact, at the time of

Haym Salomon’s death he was living in poverty. Haym Salomon is buried in the Mikveh Israel Cemetery. In 1975, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp recognizing him as a "Contributors to the Cause" of American Independence.

We look forward to seeing you in shul – Kenneth G. Harrison, Esq., President

JEWRY DUTY / הבוח

We have decided to bring back a revised version of Jewry Duty and are calling on all male congregants to PLEASE let us know what days/nights during the week you are available to come to services. By providing us with your availability you are not committing to being here at all those times. This is strictly an “on call” list we are compiling for when additional people are needed for a minyan. Please call the office 215 673-2511, email us at templebethami2@gmail.com or let us know the next time you visit the synagogue. Your assistance with this is greatly appreciated.

SPECIAL EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS / הכרזות אירועים מיוחדות

Wednesday, June 13th Rosh Chodesh Tamuz / ראש חודש תמוז :

New Hebrew month of Tamuz/Tammuz the 4th month of the Hebrew year. Corresponds to June or July on the Gregorian calendar. Begins at sundown on June 12th.

Sunday, June 17th:

Father’s Day

Sunday, June 24th:

ANNUAL CONGREGATION MEETING & ELECTION at 10:30 AM

Saturday, June 30th:

Rabbi Mitchell Novitsky will be officiating Services starting at 9:00 AM

Sunday, July 1st Tzom Tammuz / צום תמוז :

The Seventeenth of Tammuz (Hebrew: שבעה עשר בתמוז , Shiv'ah Asar b'Tammuz) is a Jewish fast day commemorating the breach of the walls of Jerusalem before the destruction of the Second Temple. It falls on the 17th day of the Hebrew month of Tammuz and marks the beginning of the three-week mourning period leading up to Tisha B'Av. Like other minor fasts, Tzom Tammuz begins at dawn and ends at nightfall. Wednesday, July 4th: Independence Day

Saturday, July 21st Shabbat Chazon / שבת חזון :

"Sabbath of vision" takes its name from the Haftarah read on the Shabbat prior to the mournful fast of Tisha B'Av, words of rebuke and doom from the Book of Isaiah 1:1-27. Referred to as Black Sabbath due to its status as saddest Shabbat of the year. Begins at sundown on July 20th.

Sunday, July 22nd Tish'a B'Av / ט׳ באב / תשעה באב :

Annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth day (Tisha) of the month of Av. The fast commemorates the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date. Since this year the 9th of Av falls on Shabbat when the fast can never be observed it is postponed until the 10th of Av. Begins at sundown on July 21st.

Friday, July 27th Tu B'Av / טו באב :

Celebrated in Israel as a holiday of love on the 15th of Av (Hebrew: ,חג האהבה Hag HaAhava), similar to Valentine's Day and some say "great day for weddings". Begins at sundown on July 26th.

Saturday, July 28th Shabbat Nachamu / שבת נחמו :

"Sabbath of comfort/ing takes its name from the haftarah from Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah 40:1-26 that speaks of "comforting" the Jewish people for their suffering. It is the first of seven haftarahs of consolation leading up to Rosh Hashanah. Begins at sundown on July 27th.

Sunday, July 29th:

Possible TBA Event – A night of food & entertainment… anyone interested in attending should contact the office for more information.

Saturday, August 11th Rosh Chodesh Elul / ראש חודש אלול :

New Hebrew month of Elul the 6th month of the Hebrew year. Corresponds to August or September on the Gregorian calendar. Begins at sundown August 10th.

If there is a topic/speaker you believe would be beneficial for us to have, please let the office staff know & we will work with you to schedule a Brunch & Learn or a similar type of event.

EXTENDED SHABBAT KIDDUSH / שודיק תבש בחרומ

A great way to honor a loved one’s special event, birthday, graduation, baby naming, anniversary, Bar/Bat Mitzvah or to remember a loved one's Yahrzeit. There are 3 different levels of sponsorships available.

Option 1: Standard Temple Beth Ami Shabbat Kiddush: Assorted cakes and cookies, wine, and juice

Option 2: Lox cream cheese, tuna salad, mini challah rolls and/or bagels, assorted cake, wine, coffee, tea, soda Option

3: Lox, whitefish salad, herring salad, tuna salad, cream cheese, American cheese, onion, tomato, cucumber, black olives, bagels, pumpernickel bread, assorted cake, wine, coffee, tea, soda

*Contact the office for pricing information and please let us know the number of guests you expect to attend so we can ensure the appropriate amount of food is ordered.

NOTES FROM THE OFFICE

sell your information. The only emails you will receive will be from Temple Beth Ami. If at any time you would like to stop receiving emails from us let us know and we will remove you immediately from the list. All invoices for membership, tickets for the High Holidays, etc. will be still be sent to you via USPS even if we have your email. All materials sent via email are also printed and copies will be available for you to take with you on the display cases as soon as you walk into the synagogue and before you enter the Sanctuary.

We are always looking for exciting innovative ways to bring new people to the synagogue. Contact Jill if you have an interesting speaker and/or topic for a Brunch & Learn or an idea for another type of fundraising event. Please keep in mind we need a minimum of eight weeks to properly plan the event.

Custom cards are available for any occasion, birthday, anniversary, congratulations, get well, condolence and/or just to wish someone well. For a small donation you can let someone know that you are thinking about them.

The office is open Monday – Thursday 9:00 AM-4:00 PM & Friday 9:00 AM-2:00 PM. Please feel free to stop by the office or call us at 215 673-2511 with any questions or for information regarding upcoming events, yahrzeit, donations, etc. If we are not in the office leave a message and either Jill or Tamara will get back to you. You can also reach us via email templebethami2@gmail.com.

Thank you – Jill & Tamara

*Thomas K. James chairs the PSA2 meeting which is an event to discuss what is happening throughout our community. This is your chance to voice any concerns about your neighborhood and speak with a Police Officer from the 7th District. The event is 7:00 PM the 2nd Monday of every month at Randi’s Restaurant & Bar located in Grant Plaza II, 1619 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19115. If you have any questions or would more information call 215 919-3430 or email junie412@hotmail.com.

PROPOSED DATES AND EVENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE