Congraduations

From the pages of Kadima, the Adas Emuno newsletter:

Mazel Tov to our Recent Grads! Congratulations to our recent high school grads: Charlie Chalkin, Andrew Chartoff, Charlie Fisher, Audrey Marquardt and Jordanna Kozyreff; and our new college grads: Max Chalkin, Melissa Chartoff and Brianna Cohen. We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
 

Cantor Shapiro Selected for Vatican Concert in November

Congregation Adas Emuno is very proud to share the following announcement from the American Conference of Cantors concerning our Spiritual Leader, Cantor Kerith Spencer-Shapiro.  And we are very pleased to share Cantor Shapiro with the ACC, Rome, and the world!

ACC Members Selected for Vatican Concert in November

It is our pleasure to announce those Cantors who will proudly represent the ACC in Rome this November in a concert promoting Catholic-Jewish dialogue. The concert will be held at the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. This group of Cantors was chosen from among the many submissions from our talented colleagues. The Cantors on this list represent the great diversity of our organization. In addition to those who are performing, Cantor Erik Contzius has graciously volunteered to compose a piece for this occasion.  

Sopranos: Roslyn Barak, Susan Caro, Lori Corrsin, Gail Hirschenfang, Sally Neff, and Kerith Spencer-Shapiro

Altos: Lauren Bandman, Rosalie Boxt, Claire Franco, Tracey Scher, and Nancy Kassel 

Tenors: David Berger, Mark Goldman, Peter Halpern, and David Margules

Baritones/Bass: Richard Cohn, David Frommer, Jonathan Grant, Todd Kipnis, and Leigh Korn

Accompanists: Alan Mason and Vladimir Polezhayev

Congratulations to Cantor Shapiro, and in bocca al lupo!

Volunteers Needed to Help Pack Backpacks for Underserved Children

As a Reform Congregation committed to social action, Adas Emuno is happy to help spread the word about this important effort being undertaken by the UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey:

Volunteers needed to help pack school backpacks!

Help pack backpacks for under-served children so they can start the school year off right!

Supplies for Success, (www.supplies4success.info), a charitable organization that gives out new backpacks to children who cannot afford to purchase them is looking for volunteers to help pack 3000 backpacks. 

Here are the details:

August 3, 4, & 5   ~  9 AM – 3 PM

Storageasy Inc., 160 Johnson Ave., Hackensack, 07601

For ages 13+ (Note: work can be physically challenging) 

Volunteers are welcome to come on any or all 3 days

SPACE IS LIMITED!

Please RSVP to Ellen Silberman at epekes87@aol.com to reserve a place. 

Be sure to include “packing backpacks” in the subject line. 

Volunteers should bring their own snacks.

Thank you!

(PS – if you’ve already RSVP’d, no need to respond again!)

Alice Blass

Coordinator

Get Connected & Mitzvah Day

 

UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey

50 Eisenhower Drive

Paramus, New Jersey 07652

 

Direct Line: (201) 820 3948

Main:  (201) 820 3900 x209

www.ujannj.org 

New Leadership and Trustees for Adas Emuno

Adas Emuno held its annual Congregational Meeting on June 16, during which elections were held to fill vacancies among our Officers and Trustees.  The elections were held in accordance with the By-Laws of our Temple, which was found in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1871, and moved to its present location in Leonia in Bergen County in 1974.

Stepping down from her position as Adas Emuno President was Beth Ziff, and we are all very grateful for her years of service to our Congregation.  Beth remains a member of the Executive Committee as Immediate Past President, while Vice-President Alan Spector has succeeded Beth as the new President of Adas Emuno.  Trustee Lance Strate was elected Vice-President to take Alan's place.


Financial Secretary Beth Ravit has also stepped down, having earned a well-deserved respite, and has been replaced by Trustee Doris White.  And Trustee Robyn Labombarda has been elected Recording Secretary, replacing Jill Novak, who has also left the Board of Trustees.  Rounding off the Executive Committee, Michael Fishbein was re-elected to the post of Treasurer.


We are also pleased to welcome three new Trustees elected to the Board:  Amy Chartoff, Howard Goldstein, and Muriel Reid.  Virginia Gitter has also been elected to the Board, having completed her term as Immediate Past President.   We are grateful for the service of outgoing Trustee Wendy Klein, and for the ongoing support of continuing Board Members Eric Fisher, Kim Merlino, Michael Raskin, Norman Rosen, and Julie Segal.  


In an effort to help the Congregation to get to know more about its leadership, we will provide profiles of our officers and board members in future posts.  In the meantime, a heartfelt todah rabbah to our Temple leaders, past and present!  May you go from strength to strength!

More Views from the 2010 Cantor's Concert

Here are some more photographs from the 2010 Cantor's Concert, these taken by Doris White:

Sam Shapiro and Alan Alda.

Arleen and Leon Taub









Ed and Robin Cramer

Cantor Shapiro and Robin Cramer

Earle and Beth Ziff

and once more for a bit of Sam Shapiro and Alan Alda!

Fourth Annual Cantors' Concert

The Fourth Annual Adas Emuno Cantors’ Concert on Saturday, June 12 was a rousing success!  Held at the Old ‘76 House in Tappan, New York, the event featured a wonderful musical program under the direction of Cantor Kerith Spencer-Shapiro, with Cantor Morris Glazman, accompanied by pianist Beth Robin and cellist Fran Rowell. 


In addition to being a very important fundraiser for our congregation, this year's Concert was also an opportunity to honor longtime Adas Emuno members and supporters, Robin and Ed Cramer, and Dr. Sam Shapiro.  Here are some photographs of the festivities, taken by Adas Emuno member Kurt Roberg:

  

Cantor Shapiro performs Broadway hits above, and seen below singing with Cantor Morris Glazman.

Special guest Alan Alda pays tribute to his friend, Dr. Sam Shapiro (and that's no MASH-up!):

And here's Ed Cramer with his friend Sheldon Harnick on the right.  

Sheldon wrote the lyrics for numerous musicals, notably Fiddler on the Roof,  but here he is raising the roof with his tribute to Ed:

And here's Robin Cramer, too:

And with her family:

And a few more:

And Adas Emuno President Beth Ziff also had a few words to share:

And finally, some scenes of the happy audience, and diners!

Thank you to chairperson, Beth Ravit and her committee, who made it all possible:  Richard and Cheryl Alicchio, Hillary Chalkin, David Weinstein, Fanny Fishbein, Robyn Labombarda, Gail Levy, Dr. Alan Spector, Virginia Gitter, Kim Merlino,  Doris White and Beth Ziff.  A special thank you to Lauren Rowland for creating the souvenir journal, and to Cantor Shapiro, for her tremendous talent and vision. Robin Cramer 

Reform Cantors Condemn Arrest of Women of the Wall Leader During Rosh Chodesh Celebration for Holding a Sefer Torah

A statement by the American Conference of Cantors, courtesy of Cantor Shapiro:

 

Reform Cantors Condemn Arrest of Women of the Wall Leader During Rosh Chodesh Celebration for Holding a Sefer Torah 

 

Chicago, IL (July 15, 2010) 

The American Conference of Cantors (ACC), representing over 450 Reform Jewish Cantors, strongly condemns the arrest of Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center and chairperson of “Women of the Wall” on July 12, 2010, for the “crime” of holding a sefer Torah in the women’s section of the Western Wall during a celebration of Rosh Chodesh. Her arrest and subsequent ban from visiting the Western Wall for a month is an embarrassment to those responsible for her arrest.

Jewish women throughout the centuries have faced harsh repercussions when expressing their desire to “conduct prayer services, read from a Torah while wearing prayer shawls, and sing out loud at the women’s section of the Western Wall.” 1  The Talmudic dictum “ Kol isha erva ” has been invoked time and again to deny women the same religious rights as men, especially in  Eretz Yisrael  and even more so at the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s most holy sites. The American Conference of Cantors, pioneers in embracing women into the role of clergy, began welcoming women into membership as early as 1975, when Barbara Ostfeld became the first woman to be invested as a cantor. 

 

The arrest of Hoffman for allegedly defying the Israel High Court ruling that outlaws women from holding and reading from a  sefer  Torah at the Western Wall is an act of “ hillul hashem ,” a desecration of God’s name, for the public shame and ridicule brought upon those who purport to defend Judaism. The ACC stands with other arms of the Reform Movement who have also expressed shock and revulsion regarding Hoffman’s arrest.

Created as a result of the First International Jewish Feminist Conference in Jerusalem in 1988, the members of the Women of the Wall have been gathering for prayer services and Torah readings on Rosh Chodesh at the Kotel. Having faced countless physical and verbal abuse, and in spite of a lack of protection from the police and ongoing legal battles in Israel, they continue to gather each month in public prayer. They seek the right for Jewish women to conduct prayer services, read from a Torah scroll while wearing prayer shawls, and sing out loud at the Western Wall–Judaism’s most sacred holy site and the principal symbol of Jewish people-hood and sovereignty. 

 

We praise and affirm the sacred work of the Women of the Wall, offering our deepest respect and solidarity to Anat Hoffman, a timeless model of Jews laboring on behalf of religious and cultural freedom everywhere.

We pray for a State of Israel that embraces both our ancient traditions while granting equal rights to all its citizens in their religious practice, urging our Israeli sisters and brothers who long for true religious freedom to stand up and speak out for religious pluralism in our spiritual homeland. 

 

We declare our continued support for Israel, representing the highest ideals of Judaism and democracy, whose best actions have the power to inspire Jews around the world to acts of righteousness and kindness in God’s name.

About the American Conference of Cantors

Founded in 1953, the American Conference of Cantors is the pre-eminent professional organization of Cantors in North America, currently representing over 450 cantors in North America and around the world. As clergy committed to Judaism and Jewish Music, the membership of the ACC serves the diverse needs of the Jewish people. As an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the ACC supports its members in their sacred calling as emissaries for Judaism and for Jewish music, providing a unique and dynamic vision of programs and initiatives that respond to the needs of the greater Reform community. For more information, please visit the ACC’s website at  www.accantors.org .

Reform Cantors Urge Netanyahu to Intervene against the Passage of the ‘Rotem’ Conversion Bill

A statement by the American Conference of Cantors, courtesy of Cantor Shapiro:

Reform Cantors Urge Netanyahu to Intervene against the Passage of the ‘Rotem’ Conversion Bill 

Chicago, IL (July 15, 2010) The American Conference of Cantors (ACC), representing over 450 Reform Jewish Cantors, wishes to express our extreme sadness and distress at the legislation being brought forward by MK David Rotem which seeks to redefine “who is a Jew” in Israel by moving authority over conversions from the State to the Orthodox Rabbinate.

The new conversion bill is overwhelmingly opposed by the majority of Jews living outside of Israel. Should this bill pass the Knesset, the power to perform conversions would rest solely with the Chief Rabbinate—which only recognizes Ultra-Orthodox conversions—and would remove the recognition in Israel of Reform and Conservative conversions. 

We are deeply concerned about the intention to grant the Chief Rabbinate sole control over conversion in Israel. Such legislation would be an open attack on the legitimacy of non-Orthodox Jewry, which composes the majority of world Jewry. “We represent a pluralistic Judaism, where we embrace those who have studied deeply and seriously for conversion, and for whom living active, engaged Jewish lives brings great blessing to the future of Judaism. As Jews, having lived through countless ages of persecution, let us not become the persecutor or judge of those who, with sincerity and integrity, desire to become a part of our people,” said Cantor Susan Caro, President of the American Conference of Cantors. ACC members are strongly connected to the Jewish psyche in Israel; we live and teach the critical importance of Israel through the countless melodies of our people through the generations.

Therefore, we call upon the Honorable Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, who we believe cares deeply about the well-being of  Klal Yisrael , to intervene and urge immediate withdrawal of this bill. May this action be one that inspires and ushers in for Israel an era of righteous democracy rooted in Jewish values.

About the American Conference of Cantors

Founded in 1953, the American Conference of Cantors is the pre-eminent professional organization of Cantors in North America, currently representing over 450 cantors in North America and around the world. As clergy committed to Judaism and Jewish Music, the membership of the ACC serves the diverse needs of the Jewish people. As an affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, the ACC supports its members in their sacred calling as emissaries for Judaism and for Jewish music, providing a unique and dynamic vision of programs and initiatives that respond to the needs of the greater Reform community. For more information, please visit the ACC’s website at  www.accantors.org . 

Benjamin Strate's Confirmation Speech

Benjamin Strate was another of our four religious school students who participated in the Confirmation ceremony this past Shavuot Festival, which took place on May 18th (see our previous posts, Preparing for Shavuot and Confirmation 2010).

Benjamin has also been good enough to share with us his confirmation speech:

Confirmation Speech

Benjamin Strate

    Good evening friends, family and fellow congregants. My fellow Confirmands and I have been asked to say a few words to the Jewish community. I would like to talk about us as a community being the chosen people.
    When you first hear chosen people, many think God chose us. I personally thought the same until, I started going to confirmation class. I have learned many things there, but none as interesting as the truth behind "the Jews as a chosen people."
    The statement itself is a little misleading. The story goes that, God went around among the many nations of the ancient world, offering the Torah and its 613 laws. No nation wanted to accept the responsibility that came with those laws until God met Moses on Mount Sinai, and at that time we accepted all 613 laws and commandments. We are not called the chosen people because God chose us to receive the commandments, but because WE CHOSE to receive the commandments. 
By choosing the commandments we chose to accept responsibility. As a people, we chose to be responsible for keeping a safe and civilized community, for upholding justice and mercy, compassion and respect. Without laws we might live in chaos and anarchy.  With laws, we also understand that everyone will be judged equally, that every person is equally important, that we believe in equality.  We also accepted the responsibility for interpreting the laws, for studying their meaning and interpretation, and for reinterpreting them for each new situation and era.
And by accepting responsibility for all 613 laws, we  did not promise perfect obedience.  We accepted that we are not perfect, that we are human and make mistakes.  Accepting responsibility means that we should know right from wrong, and that we should strive to better ourselves at all times.
    Today my fellow Confirmands and I have been confirmed into the Jewish community. We are adults now, and must accept responsibility for ourselves and for each other, we must strive to be better individuals and to make a better world for all to live in, much as we as a people did, when we accepted God's 613 commandments.

And here we seem Benjamin again, as he prepares for his Torah reading prior to the beginning of the Shavuot service:

  

Mazel Tov to Benjamin and the Strate Family from the entire Adas Emuno Community!

Seasons Greetings Courtesy of Elena Kagan

Elena Kagan's Senate Confirmation Hearings for her nomination as a Supreme Court Justice have been especially noteworthy for her good humor, as well as her exceptional intelligence.  And what could be more priceless than her response to Senator Lindsay Graham's question about where she was on Christmas Day?

And who would argue the case against Graham's remark that family is what Hannukah and Christmas are all about! That's a resolution that people of all different faiths and political persuasions can confirm!