Here’s the installment for this week, click here.
Shabbat Shalom.
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Turn my mourning into dancing
You turn my mourning into dancing
You undid my sackcloth and girded me with joy,
that [my] whole being might sing hymns to you endlessly;
O Adonai my God, I will praise You forever.
Psalm 31:12-13
I am so sad. The massacre at Pulse is devastating. 49 innocent LGBT people lost their lives dancing.
I am so sad. An attack on the Los Angeles Pride parade was thwarted, thank God, when police stopped a vehicle with guns, ammunition, and chemicals to make an improvised explosive device.
I am so sad. Orlando hospitals overwhelmed with injuries after the shooting at Pulse. At least 40 remain in hospitals, some having more than one surgery.
We remember;
Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old
Amanda Alvear, 25 years old
Oscar A Aracena-Montero, 26 years old
Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala, 33 years old
Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old
Angel L. Candelario-Padro, 28 years old
Juan Chevez-Martinez, 25 years old
Luis Daniel Conde, 39 years old
Cory James Connell, 21 years old
Tevin Eugene Crosby, 25 years old
Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years old
Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old
Leroy Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old
Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26 years old
Peter O. Gonzalez-Cruz, 22 years old
Juan Ramon Guerrero, 22 years old
Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old
Miguel Angel Honorato, 30 years old
Javier Jorge-Reyes, 40 years old
Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19 years old
Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old
Anthony Luis Laureanodisla, 25 years old
Christopher Andrew Leinonen, 32 years old
Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years old
Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49 years old
Gilberto Ramon Silva Menendez, 25 years old
Kimberly Morris, 37 years old
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old
Luis Omar Ocasio-Capo, 20 years old
Geraldo A. Ortiz-Jimenez, 25 years old
Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old
Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years old
Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old
Enrique L. Rios, Jr., 25 years old
Jean C. Nives Rodriguez, 27 years old
Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35 years old
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old
Yilmary Rodriguez Solivan, 24 years old
Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old
Martin Benitez Torres, 33 years old
Jonathan Antonio Camuy Vega, 24 years old
Juan P. Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old
Luis S. Vielma, 22 years old
Franky Jimmy Dejesus Velazquez, 50 years old
Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old
Jerald Arthur Wright, 31 years old
I am not yet ready to dance, the tears well to quickly in my eyes.
But soon it will be time. To dance, to organize, to advocate, to sing.
May the souls of those that died be at peace. Their memories will forever be a blessing, because our mourning will turn into dancing.
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Parshat Behukotai
This week’s two minutes of Torah can be viewed here.
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Two Minutes of Torah: Parshat Emor
Two minutes of Torah for this week can be found here.
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Two Minutes of Torah: Achrei Mot
This week’s two minutes of Torah can be viewed here.
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Humanitarian mission to Cuba
Today’s blog post is cross-posted on RavBlog. Click here.
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Cuba 2016
22 members of our mission in front of the Patronato Synagogue in Havana, Cuba.
In every generation each person is obligated to see him/herself as if s/he went out from Egypt…
Tomorrow night Jews around the world will gather around the Seder table and read the verse above as part of the story of the Exodus from Egypt. When we say, “in every generation each person is obligated to see him/herself as if s/he went out from Egypt,” we call to mind the experience of redemption and the sacred narrative of the Jewish people. Wherever in the world Jews live in whatever language the Jewish community speaks they will recite these words and tell the story.
Tomorrow night I will be thinking about my new friends in Cuba who will recite these words in Hebrew and Spanish. I’ve just returned from an amazing 7-day humanitarian mission to Cuba with 21 members and friends of Temple Beth Hillel and Congregation Kol Ami. Each person made a financial contribution and carried a minimum of 10 pounds of donation items to gift to two synagogues in Havana, the Jewish community in Cienfuegos, and a maternity clinic in Trinidad.
TBH member, Paul Wunsch presents our tzedakah to the president of the Sephardic synagogue in Havana.
There are approximately 1,500 Jews in Cuba today, 3 synagogues in Havana and scattered communities throughout the country. There is no rabbi in Cuba.
Me, Rabbi Denise L. Eger, and the president of the Jewish community of Cuba, Adela Dworin.
Before the revolution (1959 for those who need a reminder) there were approximately 15,000 Jews, 6-7 Jewish day schools and a Jewish high school. Fidelism (the mixture of communism and socialism that exists today) forbade the practice of religion officially (the Jewish community still met as did other faiths, however if a person wanted to be involved in the government in anyway or attend university s/he could not participate) until 1990. In the 60s, 70s, and 80s there were not enough people to make a minyan for the High Holy Days. After 1990 and the collapse of socialist countries the Joint Distribution Committee helped to revive the Cuban Jewish community. Today 95% of Cuban Jews are intermarried. Most of the youth are making aliyah to Israel and there are serious concerns for the future of this community.
The Canadian Jewish community sent a shipment of Passover supplies to the Jewish community that gets evenly distributed to all of the communities throughout the country.
While we were in Cuba, we celebrated Shabbat at the Patronato synagogue and were hosted for Shabbat dinner. It was amazing to recite the familiar words to tunes that were familiar and unfamiliar and I don’t think there was a dry eye in our group when we recited the words of the Shema together. These words truly unite our people.
TBH member Tobi Schneider presents tzedakah to Rebekah, the leader of the Jewish community of Cienfuegos.
We traveled outside of Havana to the city of Cienfuegos. There the Jewish community meets in the leader’s home. There are approximately 18 community members and for Seder they are traveling to another community to celebrate Passover together. There is power in numbers!
There is so much more to say and describe about Cuba, the amazing people and places that we saw. Another post for another time, perhaps. In the meantime, may you have a liberating Passover.
Posted in holidays, Politics, Temple Beth Hillel, tzedakah
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Parshat Tazria
Two-minutes of Torah for this week, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5CJyGbk4N0&feature=youtu.be
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Parshat Tzav
Two minutes of Torah are back this week. Click here.
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Rabbi Eleanor Steinman 