SOCIAL JUSTICE OPPORTUNITY
News You Can Use
SOCIAL JUSTICE OPPORTUNITY
News You Can Use
Lunch ‘n Learn with Rabbi Lader & Friends
News You Can Use
Lunch ‘n Learn with Rabbi Lader & Friends
Casino Night! February 22
News You Can Use
Casino Night!
BI-TWT’s Casino Night Fundraiser
Casino Night, February 22, 2020 from 6:30-10:00 p.m.BI-TWT’s new fundraiser for the General Fund. This is a great event to invite friends, families, and neighbors. Lots of fun… Over 30 different raffle prizes – from membership at the Maltz Museum, to tickets to the Beck Center, and many, many more. PLEASE purchase your tickets sooner rather than later. Thank you,Casino Night Committee Tickets, $45.00 each, can be purchased on line at https://bitwtcasinonight2020.eventbrite.com,Venmo@BITWT, or through the temple office (216-941-8882). Sponsorships are also available by contacting Evan Fleisher at Evanfleisher@gmail.com
Rabbinic insights into the timing of our Casino Night Fundraiser
Our Casino Night Fundraiser will take place on the evening after Shabbat Shekalim… So what exactly does this mean? Shekalim is the plural of the Hebrew word shekel, the currency used by the ancient Israelites as well as the currency of modern day Israel. In biblical times, every male Israelite, age 20 years and older, had to contribute a half-shekel annually to the maintenance of the Temple in Jerusalem. This is parallel to our modern day concept of maintaining our house of worship with dues. This practice comes from Exodus 30:14-16: “Everyone who is entered in the records, from the age of twenty years up, shall give Adonai’s offering…” The half-shekel was to be paid before the month of Nisan — the month of Passover, so that all the upkeep and day to day temple expenses could be ready in time for the big pilgrimage to the Temple for Passover. The Mishna, codified around 200 C.E. also speaks about this practice. It says: “On the first day of Adar they give warning of the Shekel dues. On the 15th thereof, they read the Megilla (meaning the scroll of Esther) in walled cities; and repair the paths and roads and pools of water.” (Shekalim 1:1) The paths and roads needed to be repaired after the winter rains in readiness for the Passover pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and the pools of water, or mikvahs, needed to be equipped in a fashion that would make them kosher, or valid. So again, even though the dues technically needed to be paid by the first of Nisan, the announcement began the month before. Temple dues is our way of supporting the financial health of our congregation… AND our Casino Night Fundraiser is our (much needed) additional way of supporting the financial health of our congregation. Everyone is encouraged to “shekel-up” – even if you cannot attend, please consider purchasing tickets or sending in a donation to help support our Beth Israel – The West Temple.
Antisemitism – A Congregational Dialogue
News You Can Use
Antisemitism – A Congregational Dialogue
Our Antisemitism Conversation Continues – here at BI-TWTTuesday, February 25th at 7:00 p.m. If you cannot join us in person, you can join us through Zoom — follow this link: Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/801443049 Please join us as we continue to share in open conversationin response to the alarming rise of antisemitism in the U.S and around the world. We will discuss our many shared questions, challenges and fears: * What are our own experiences and concerns?
* What real dangers do we face? How should our congregation react to this growing threat?
* What should we do when confronted with antisemitism individually?
* What should we tell our children and how can we help them to be prepared when they encounter antisemitism? Plans are also being made to offer future opportunities for learning about:* The scope and presence of antisemitism locally, nationally, and around the world * How we can take actions individually and/or as a congregation to respond to and reduce antisemitism
Julian Ross, ChairLifelong Learning Committeejross@bw.edu
Fund Raiser
Chai There!
Education Updates from Debbie Chessin
Dear Beth Israel-The West Temple Religious School Families,
We hope you and your children are having an engaging, productive year in religious school so far. It is exciting, week after week, to see the students coming into the temple all smiles, ready to connect with their Jewish friends and further engage in Jewish learning and living. It gives our teachers, staff and education committee encouragement to continue providing exciting programming and broad learning in Hebrew and Judaics for all our grade levels.
Providing a comprehensive Jewish education takes strategic planning in curriculum development, and it also requires financial resources. The education committee works very hard to offer outstanding Jewish curriculum while maintaining cost effectiveness. The religious school is mostly funded through tuition from our student enrollment. This current school year, there was no increase in tuition. Any programming we offer beyond our tuition funding is usually supported through grants from the Cleveland Jewish Education Center. Also, at the present time, we do not rely on the Temple’s general fund money to support our needs. This is a very good thing. Our hope is to continue to stay self-supported in order to alleviate any pressure on the already stressed Temple general fund.
To sustain financial security of the religious school, the education committee agreed to engage our religious school families in a small fundraiser.
It is simple and easy. All the fundraiser asks is each religious school family make a monetary donation of Chai, $18. It is as simple as that! No buying or selling products. No time commitment. Just a simple, one-time donation of Chai, $18. A donation of Chai, $18 per family, would not only further secure our financial independence, it would also help offset the cost of programming we are planning for Winter University in January.
We are running the fundraiser in the month of December through Hanukkah. Our goal is 100% participation from every religious school family. Please consider your involvement. We also encourage you to involve your extended family too. Many grandparents, aunts and uncles love supporting what their students do. A donation of Chai, $18 from them as well would further strengthen the religious school financially.
We appreciate all you do for the religious school already! Our teachers are volunteers and we have many parents who volunteer as well. We couldn’t do any of this without you! Please help us in this way to allow our religious school to be financially sustainable.
~ The Education Committee, Beth Israel-The West Temple
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THIS Saturday, December 7- Kinder Krafts and Kooking- 3-4:30 pm-“Baking Chanukah Cookies and Pizza Party” at Young Chefs Academy in Strongsville. This program is free to all families with children in PS-Grade 2. Please RSVP to Debbie Chessin at bitwteducator@gmail.com. NO HEAT – NO RELIGIOUS SCHOOL THIS Sunday, December 8th Monday, December 9th – Hebrew School – 6:30 pm Monday, December 9th – 6:30 pm – Zikaron Ba’Salon – Conversation with Second Generation Holocaust Survivor Josh Kramer will share his grandparents’ story with HS students and their parents at Beth Israel-The West Temple NEXT Sunday, December 15- Religious School, Pre- Chanukah Assembly and… Lifelong Learning with Judge Francine Goldberg 9:45-10:30-Period One
10:30-11:30 – Lifelong Learning – Conversation with Judge Francine Goldbergas she shares her insights on our justice system – its challenges and benefits – and how her Jewish values inform her work
10:40-11:30- Period Two11:30-12:15 All School Pre-Chanukah Assembly and Class Presentations- Parents are invited to attend, and this will be followed by a special Chanukah treat in Ratner Hall Monday, December 16- Hebrew- 6:30 pm