Library Minyan’s Rachel Green Dons Her Grandfather’s Tefillin With The Women of the Wall
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On Rosh Chodesh Iyar (April 11, 2013) Library Minyan member (and current Education Chair) Rachel Green joined several other women, known as the Women of the Wall, in donning a tallit and tefillin to daven Shacharit at the Kotel in Jerusalem. In an inspirational article in the May 10, 2013, issue of the Jewish Journal, Rachel not only describes the moving experience, but recounts her grandfather’s story, and the history of the set of tefillin that was handed down from her grandfather to her mother and to Rachel, ultimately to be worn in prayer in front of the last remnant of the Second Temple. To read the article, click here. And for more about tefilin, see this month's "Did You Know?" column by Rachel Green, below.
Yashar koach, Rachel!
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Barry Rosenblatt to Serve as Library Minyan's High Holidays Coordinator
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Barry Rosenblatt has been appointed to serve the Library Minyan as High Holidays Coordinator for 5774, following in the footsteps of our previous High Holidays Coordinator, Rabbi Mitch Malkus (who is leaving our community to serve as Head of School at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland). Barry has been a mainstay of the Library Minyan and Temple Beth Am for decades, serving as a davening shaliach tzibur, Torah and Haftarah reader, gabay, darshan, and very frequently leading Shabbat morning mishnah studies.
For many years, Barry created the beautiful kiddush cups and tzedakah boxes given as gifts to bnai mitzvah, and he and his wife Kathy Rosenblatt are both featured on Temple Beth Am's Wall of Honor. Barry also formulated the system used in the Library Minyan for coordinating ark openings on High Holidays. In his new role, Barry plans to work with others in the Minyan to bring fresh ideas to the High Holiday services, while preserving traditions. Barry eagerly seeks input from all regarding the upcoming Yomim Noraim, so if you have ideas or suggestions, please contact him. Read more about Barry in "Profile Of A Minyaner" below!
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Shalom and Nesiyah Tovah to Fred Landau
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He has been threatening to do it, and now it is really happening. Longtime Library Minyanite Fred Landau will soon be making aliyah to Israel.
Fred started coming to the Library Minyan in 1979, when he began studying Tanach at the UJ (now AJU). He served as Torah reader coordinator for a few years in the early 1980's. A Zionist since he was a child, Fred participated in the 1968 Bureau of Jewish Education's Summer Ulpan in Israel trip. While spending his "Junior Year Abroad" at the Hebrew University in 1972-3, Fred decided he wanted to live in Israel. Now, after 40 years, it's finally happening!
Fred will be leaving Los Angeles July 14 for the east coast, and his aliyah flight departs from JFK on July 22. He will be starting out in Afula (southeast of Haifa), where his cousins live, and hopes to enroll in a book-keeping course to learn the Hebrew terminology and Israeli software, get certified as a bookkeeper, and then work in the north of the country. Fred also hopes to spend time with his oldest son David, David’s wife Yael, and their new baby Nadav, and get more comfortable in the role of "saba" (grandpa).
“I have greatly enjoyed being part of the Library Minyan,"says Fred, "and thank you all for your friendship over the years. Of course, any visitors will be welcome and will get the deluxe tour of downtown Afula!”
Please join us in celebrating Fred's last Shabbat with the Minyan (at least for now; we hope he will be back to visit someday) on June 29, 2013. Rumor has it, there will be some extra treats at kiddush sponsored by his many friends.
Also, Fred will be selling all his furniture, which is especially appropriate for students, between June 24 and June 27. He has 2 couches, 2 armchairs, a fridge, a gas stove, 2-3 small tables, 2 TV stands, 5-6 bookcases (large and small), a bed and nightstand, as well as 2 fans, a room heater, a filing cabinet, an electronic keyboard and miscellaneous stuff! Anything not sold by June 27 will be donated to Beit Tshuva. Please contact Fred at ephraimalandau@gmail.com or his cell, 310-926-3691. |
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Profile of A Minyaner:
Barry Rosenblatt
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Barry grew up as a child at Olympic Jewish Temple & Center (known since the late 1950s as Temple Beth Am), and celebrated his bar mitzvah in the old building that was previously in the parking lot (before our current building existed). At the time, Barry says, he never felt a spiritual connection to this shul, but it was where his family belonged. After high school graduation, Barry moved away and mostly stayed away from Temple Beth Am, seeking spiritual connection.
Barry returned many years later in the late 1970s. By this time, Barry and his wife Kathy were married and had two young daughters. Kathy and Barry were seeking a young-people's kahal in which to daven. Joining the Library Minyan provided Barry and Kathy with the spiritual kahal they needed; the just-beginning Pressman Academy provided the educational home for their daughters Rivka and Linda; and with the Library Minyan "next door" to Temple Beth Am, the Rosenblatts were back in the same prayer institution where Barry's dad and mom (Norman and Mitzi Rosenblatt, of blessed memory) were still active members.
During their first years with the Library Minyan, Barry noticed the somewhat random way that ark openings were handled on the High Holidays. Therefore, at end of the High Holiday period, Barry wrote down all the ark opening page notes from memory and submitted this to core members of the kahal for correction. This e-file evolved and became the basis of how Library Minyan ark openings are coordinated today. Barry also served as gabbai for the Library Minyan for one or two years while we were still in the next-door building.
After passing his parents and having become accustomed to arriving early for kaddish, Barry joined the early Shabbat mishnah study group and has enjoyed learning from this chevrah and preparing to teach as well. When Barry joined the Library Minyan, his Hebrew and prayer skills were still where he left them in high school—rudimentary at best. He took upon himself to learn Haftorah with one of the Library Minyan's past members (Benzion Kogin) and has enjoyed presenting Haftorah over the years since then. Also over time, his comfort with Hebrew developed to where he is now comfortable leading Psukei D'Zimrah, and performing the position of gabbai sheni.
Many of you may have noticed that both Kathy and Barry are on the Hall of Honor—in the hallway just outside the chapel. Barry initiated and served many years as president of the Temple Beth Am Brotherhood, was vice president of Youth and also Facilities at Temple Beth Am, and thus served many years on the Temple Beth Am Board of Trustees and Executive Board.
One of Barry's fondest volunteer memories at Temple Beth Am was initiating the annual Purim parade which featured Rabbi Joel Rembaum and Fredya on white horses, our senior rabbi emeritus in a red Cadillac convertible donated by the mayor of Beverly Hills (a Temple Beth Am member), a Klezmer band led by David Ackerman, and followed by a large entourage of shul members in costume en route to our Purim carnival, where everyone had a great time.
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VISIT US ON SHABBAT
Mishna study 9:20
Tefillot begin 9:45
Temple Beth Am
Dorff-Nelson Chapel
1039 S. La Cienega Blvd, 90035
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Do you think you already received this issue of Minyan Monthly? Some of our mailing list received an accidentally-emailed, incomplete rough draft a few days ago. My apologies! This is the real June 2013 Minyan Monthly.
–Scott Taryle
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Todah Rabah for Diaspora Potluck Events
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The minyan Shabbat lunch at the Harris' house was not only a sell-out, but a wonderful success! Good food, good company, and good schmoozing! Thanks to Gail Labovitz for enriching us with a thoughtful drash (as always!). Every time we ask Abby and Larry for the use of their lovely house, they not only agree, but make us feel as if we are doing them a favor with the request! And a very special thanks to Mark Bodenstein for all his hard work in coordinating the lunch, setting up, cleaning up, etc., etc.!
We all enjoyed the Shavuot picnic! We shared new friends, blankets, and way too much dessert! Only a cardiologist would have been happier there than the attendees! Thank you to Sharon Grob and Dafna Taryle for their work in reserving the tables, reading a story, making sure the kinder were happy, and even supplying benchers. –Val Goldstein
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Tefilin and Shabbat/Yom Tov, by Rachel Green
Did you know why we do not wear Tefillin on Shabbat and Yom Tov? This question was raised by one of my Non-Jewish colleagues when she read my Jewish Journal article. I asked Rabbi Kligfeld, and this is a summary of what he said:
The tefillin are a sign - an "ot" - of the love and the covenant between God and Israel. The Shabbat and the Yomim Tovim are also signs of this relationship. The Shabbat and Yomim Tovim are such important signs of this love that the Talmud suggests that to wear Tefillin on those days would somehow diminish their own importance and power as signs.
Therefore, we wear Tefillin only on weekdays and Roshei Hodesh when the power of the day is not reduced by adding another sign of the covenant.
Did You Know? is a feature in the Minyan Monthly written by different contributors each month. If you would like to write a Did You Know? article, to suggest a future topic, or to comment about this month's article, please email rachelrubingreen@gmail.com and put Did You Know in the subject line.
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