An Encore for Double- Services High Holy Days for Temple Micah

FROM RABBI ZEMEL

JEWISH LIFE IS

GUIDED BY CYCLES

AND ASKING

QUESTIONS

DEAR FRIENDS,

My undergraduate teacher and adviser,

Professor Jacob Neusner

taught me that religious lives

must be rooted in one’s own

experience. I ﬁnd that I think

increasingly of that simple

yet profound idea and never

more so than as the Holy Days

approach and the beginning

of our Jewish year.

With the new year we likewise begin

the cycle of Jewish holidays, the bibli-

cal agricultural festival trio of Sukkot,

Passover, and Shavuot. These three

holidays celebrate the fall harvest, the

coming of spring and the early summer

harvest. Our liturgy makes a subtle

yet signiﬁcant change with Sukkot and

Passover as on Sukkot we insert the

line praying for rain into the daily and

Shabbat service. With Passover, that

prayer changes to a plea for dew to fall.

The rainy season and the dry season are

thus incorporated into our prayer lives.

The Israelite farmers of antiquity lived

a religious life that was rooted in their

real life experience.

We, in America, have yet to fully

achieve that. I have written before that

for many years Jewish life in America

has been held aloft by the twin pil-

lars of remembering the Holocaust

and supporting the State of Israel.

Neither of these, not the murder of

European Jewry or the building of

Israel are parts of the daily life experi-

ences of American Jews. That does not

mean that these should not inform our

Judaism but I don’t believe that our

future can be rooted solely in these two

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 ;

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

ELUL 5777 • TISHREI/CHESHVAN 5778

An Encore for Double-

Services High Holy Days

for Temple Micah

By Shelley Grossman

For the second year, Temple Micah

will hold two simultaneous services on

Rosh Hashanah morning, Kol Nidre

evening, and Yom Kippur morning at

the Metropolitan Memorial United

Methodist Church, for one good reason.

Last year’s trial run was a great success.

Years of overcrowding in the 1,100-

seat sanctuary of the Metropolitan

Memorial United Methodist Church

— Micah’s High Holy Days home away

from home — finally triggered the 2016

experiment to hold a second service in

the church’s Great Hall.

“Last year went beyond my wildest

expectations,” Rabbi Zemel said. “The

Great Hall service was so well received

that we’re making this year’s schedule

virtually identical.”

“Last year there was a lot of anxiety

about the second service because for the

first time the whole congregation would

not be praying together,” added Rabbi

Beraha, who again this year will lead

most of the worship in the Great Hall.

What temple leaders initially antici-

pated with trepidation has become a

crucial part of High Holy Days plan-

ning. Their earlier anxiety was natural.

Micah has always been identified as a

close-knit, egalitarian community. Many

feared that the Great Hall services

would not only divide the congregation

A PASSION FOR MUSIC

AND JUDAISM CAME

TOGETHER

By Shelley Grossman

Ilana K. Goldman, Temple Micah’s

first cantorial student intern, is a ris-

ing second year student at the Hebrew

Union College’s Debbie Friedman

School of Sacred Music. Her first ser-

vice with the congregation is scheduled

for Kabbalat Shabbat service on Friday,

Sept. 15, but her primary role is to lead

the musical portion of High Holy Day

worship in the Great Hall.

She says she is especially look-

ing forward to Yom Kippur at Micah

when she will

chant Kol

Nidre accom-

panied by

her mother,

cellist Amy Garland Goldman. “It is

particularly exciting because this will

be the first time we will do Kol Nidre

together in public,” she said in a recent

telephone interview from New York.

During the 2017-18 school year,

CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 ;

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 ;

ELUL 5777 • TISHREI/CHESHVAN 5778

Vol. 54 No.1

TEMPLE MICAH—

A REFORM JEWISH CONGREGATION

2829 Wisconsin Ave, NW

Washington, D.C. 20007

Voice: 202-342-9175

Fax: 202-342-9179

Email: info@templemicah.org

[email protected]g

Web: templemicah.org

Daniel G. Zemel

RABBI

Josh Beraha

ASSISTANT RABBI, DIRECTOR OF

CONGREGATIONAL LEARNING

Susan Landau

ASSISTANT RABBI

Rachel Gross

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Meryl Weiner

CANTOR

Teddy Klaus

MUSIC DIRECTOR

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ed Lazere

PRESIDENT

Marcia Silcox

VICE PRESIDENT

Harriet Tritell

SECRETARY

Je Davis

TREASURER

Martha Adler

Joshua Berman

Shellie Bressler

Marina Fanning

Helene Granof

Jim Hamos

Alison Harwood

Todd Jasper

Heather Moran

Sonia Pearson White

Josh Seidman

VINE STAFF

Fran Dauth

CO-EDITOR

Kate Kiggins

CO-EDITOR

AURAS Design

PRODUCTION

“ Every person shall sit under

his grapevine or ﬁg tree with

no one to make him afraid.”

MICAH, CHAPTER 4, VERSE 4

Vine

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

UNEXPECTED JOYS OF SUMMER AND

TEMPLE MICAH

By Ed Lazere

It’s something we hear — and say — a

lot at this time of year: “Where did the

summer go?” Unlike other oft-repeated

phrases, this one feels fresh and real

to me every year. Seriously: where did

the summer go? The

Temple annual meeting,

and our determined

but ultimately unfruit-

ful eort to buy the

house next door seem

like not that long ago,

but it’s been more than

two months.

I hope you all found

some ways to enjoy

the beauty and bounty of summer, and

perhaps got a break from the state of

national aairs that are troubling for

so many of us at Temple Micah. And I

hope you made it to Temple Micah this

summer, or at least found time to con-

nect with fellow congregants. I also hope

you made your dues pledge and ﬁrst

payment. Sorry. Board president’s job.

I frequently write about how spe-

cial it is for me to be at Temple Micah,

often in unexpected ways. This summer

was no dierent. My wife Suzanne

oered to chant Torah at one of the

lay-led services, and I then got asked

to do the D’var Torah. I said yes with-

out thinking. In the weeks leading up

to that Shabbat, I read the portion over

and over to ponder its meaning, tried to

cheat by searching for sermons online,

and ultimately resigned myself to just

start writing something. It was my ﬁrst

Torah commentary in 40 years, so I was

rusty. I ended up really enjoying think-

ing about what lessons the writers were

trying to convey and seeing that much

of the story still feels relevant today. To

top o the day, my sons were there and

did an aliyah.

When you get this, Rosh Hashanah

will be just around the corner. If that’s

not a sign that summer is over, what is?

I look forward to re-connecting with

Micah members around the High Holy

Days. This will be our second year of

holding services in both the main sanctu-

ary at the Metropolitan Memorial United

Methodist Church and in its Great Hall. If

you didn’t try the Great Hall last year, it’s

worth checking out this year.

As we look to 5778, I look forward

to many special moments and events at

Temple Micah. We will have our larg-

est b’nai mitzvah class ever. We hope to

soon start supporting a refugee family

through a program we’re calling Sukkat

Shalom. We’ll have a cantorial intern

coming once a month. And the board

and sta leadership will continue to

explore options to help Temple Micah

as it grows, with the goal of creating

new spaces to not only accommodate

our size but also deepen our American

Jewish experience.

See you soon!

Temple Micah wishes

you a happy and

healthy new year in a

world at peace.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

New Micah Librarian Has First Book She

Ever Read and Years of Experience

By Fran Dauth

The new Temple Micah librarian,

Rebecca Mazur, comes to the job with a

background as, well, as a librarian, most

recently at the Library of Congress.

Mazur replaces Barbara Diskin,

who has been the temple librarian

since January of 2012. “Rebecca is a

librarian with credentials, I was just

an imposter with a love of books,”

Diskin said, modestly, about Mazur’s

appointment.

Unaware of Diskin’s comment,

Temple Micah President Ed Lazere

noted: “Barbara brought her love of

books and of Temple Micah together

as our librarian, and we’ve all been the

better for it. I’m grateful for Barbara’s

many commitments to the vitality of

Temple Micah.”

Mazur, who has an undergraduate

degree in botany from Ohio University,

earned a master’s degree in library sci-

ence from Kent State University. She

went on to work at libraries at the State

University of New York at Oswego

and then George Mason University in

Fairfax. At the Library of Congress

Mazur worked in the Congressional

Research Service as a bibliographer,

mostly on scientific topics.

Mazur said her love of books

began as a child with the first of the

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books by Betty

MacDonald published in 1947. She still

has the book, and occasionally re-reads

it. Today, however, she mostly reads

novels, although earlier this summer

she read Last Things: A Graphic Memoir

of Love and Loss, by Marissa Moss, and

is currently reading Cutting for Stone, a

novel by Abraham Verghese.

Mazur said she consults a lot of

sources, such as the Jewish Book

Council and the Jewish Review of

Books to determine what books to add

to the library. Currently her focus is

on acquiring recently published books,

which is reflected in the number of new

books on Micah shelves.

Mazur said one of the most popu-

lar books in the Micah library, based

on how many times it is checked out,

is “The Yiddish Policemen’s Union” by

Michael Chabon. She said circulation

of books, however, is “not robust.”

There are, however, books on an

amazing number of topics in the Micah

library, among them: biography, Israeli

history, Middle East history, Hebrew

literature, Yiddish, literature, Jewish

life, folklore, immigration, geography,

Jews in America, theology and ethics,

Reform Judaism, and even cookbooks.

Currently, the Temple Micah catalogue

contains about 3,600 books.

Mazur praised the “wonderful”

digital catalogue of Micah’s library

books. It was begun several years ago

by Carol Sweig but then updated and

modernized by Diskin and a team of

volunteers.

“What I inherited was a good start,

but lacked a usable call number system

that would allow uniquely identifying

each book’s location,”

Diskin said. “With the help of sev-

eral long-time Micah members over a

period of several months we did a com-

plete inventory of the library.”

The library database of books can be

viewed on the Micah website, and on an

iPad located in the upstairs library.

Diskin said she enjoyed learning

more about Jewish books, and about

who actually checked out books on

a regular basis. She added that she is

amazed at how many Micah members

are authors.

For her part, Mazur says she is learn-

ing as she goes along. u

BOOKS NEW TO MICAH LIBRARY

Here is a list of newly-acquired books. The ones

with Micah call numbers (in parentheses) are on the

shelves now.

King Solomon’s Table by Joan Nathan. Knopf, 2017.

(641.5676)

The Bible Doesn’t Say That: 40 Biblical

Mistranslations, Misconceptions, and Other

Misunderstandings by Joel Homan. Thomas Dunne

Books/St. Martin’s Press, 2016. (220.6)

The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the

Rabbinate edited by Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr,

Rabbi Alysa Mendelson Graf. CCAR Press, 2016. (n/a)

The Six-Day War: The Breaking of the Middle East by

Guy Laron. Yale University Press, 2016. (956.046)

My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays and One Wondering Jew

by Abigail Pogrebin. Fig Tree Books, 2017. (296.43)

Gates of Shabbat (Revised Edition) edited by Mark

Dov Shapiro. CCAR Press, 2016. (n/a)

The Book of Job: When Bad Things Happen to a

Good Person by Harold Kushner. Schocken Nextbook,

2012. (223.106)

Last Things: A Graphic Memoir of Loss and Love by

Marissa Moss. Conari Books 2017. (741.56)

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish. Houghton Miin

Harcourt, 2017. (n/a)

You Are the Book: A Spiritual Memoir by Micah

member Rabbi Tamara Miller. Three Gems Publishing,

2017. (n/a)

ELUL 5777 • TISHREI/CHESHVAN 5778

INTERESTING SPEAKERS!

Temple Micah features two monthly lecture series—on Sundays and Wednesdays. For more

details, go to www.templemicah.org.

SUNDAY SPEAKER SERIES

Oct. 22 at 5 pm – Panel Discussion:

The Jewish Voice in the Public Square

Lawrence Homan, professor, Hebrew Union College –

Jewish Institute of Religion

Riv-Ellen Prell, professor, University of Minnesota

Rich Harwood, president, The Harwood Institute

Valerie Strauss, moderator, The Washington Post

See story on page 7 about this special event

LUNCH & LEARN

Wednesdays from noon to 2 pm

A monthly program sponsored by the Aging Together Team. Reserve online at templemicah.org.

Contact Cecelia Weinheimer via email, lunchandlearn@templemicah.org, or call the temple oce,

202-342-9175, for details.

Oct. 11 – Stuart Schwartz will speak on Behind the Scenes of Broadcast

News. In a time of “fake news” and “media bias” allegations, Micah member

Schwartz will discuss how television newscasts are produced, and what consti-

tutes honest and objective reporting. During his 35-year career as a producer

for ABC News he garnered nearly 20 national news awards.

HELP THE HOMELESS START NEW YEAR WITH

NEW UNDERWEAR

Help Temple Micah reach the goal of 15,000 pieces of new

underwear for the homeless. Our annual Fall drive to collect

new underwear for the homeless, in connection with Friendship

Place, begins at Rosh Hashanah services. Our 6th graders will be

handing out bags for congregants to ﬁll with new underwear for the homeless. The

bags will be collected on Yom Kippur or can be dropped o in the box in Temple Micah’s

lobby through Nov. 3, 2017.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

LESSONS FROM LANDAU

WHEN THE MAGIC OF THE TEXT COMES ALIVE

By Rabbi Susan Landau

“Ten points to Gryndor!” I

remember my father exclaim-

ing periodically when my sister

or I did something admira-

ble. When one of my close

friends had a baby I got him

a Onesie that says, “Snuggle

this Muggle.” I have taken both

my sister and my signiﬁcant

other to the Wizarding World

of Harry Potter theme park in

Orlando. In short, Harry Potter

has been a topic I have shared

with everyone who is most

important to me. For twenty

years it has meant family time,

togetherness, and rich discus-

sion. And for the past year

and a half it has also meant a

source of spiritual inspiration.

Over the summer I had

the opportunity to go to a

live show recording of the

relatively new podcast, “Harry

Potter and the Sacred Text.”

This podcast is the project

of two alumni of the Harvard

Divinity School, Vanessa Zoltan

and Casper ter Kuile, who

utilize techniques of sacred

text study from various faith

traditions to read more deeply

into the beloved Harry Potter

series, and their own lives. The

show has a robust following

of like-minded fans, and even

teachers who have adopted

some of the techniques into

their classroom teaching.

All this begs the question,

of course, of what makes a text

sacred in the ﬁrst place. Which

pieces of literature merit to

be read through the lens of

Lectio Divina, for example, or

chevruta study? Zoltan and ter

Kuile operate with the under-

standing that believing a text is

sacred means having faith that

its most profound meaning is

not always on the surface, but

that if you dig deep enough,

the text will always have a gem

of wisdom to oer.

And they are after more

than simply partaking of the

gifts that the text has to oer.

If engagement with any sacred

text is truly eective, then

it also inﬂuences a person’s

behavior in the world, pushing

us to do better. In an inter-

view with the Jewish Exponent,

Zoltan recently explained: “In

a perfect world what the pod-

cast is doing is giving people

the opportunity to train them-

selves to be kinder and braver,

so that is the goal; and then

the other thing is any solace it

oers to people through tough

times.” In Judaism, our relent-

less study of Torah resonates

in a similar way. I would add a

detail I think is implied within

the podcast’s deﬁnition, but

not necessarily explicit: we

believe that a sacred text holds

us accountable to this sort of

reﬂective behavior and inspired

ethical action that we study.

Harry Potter and the

Sacred Text is not the ﬁrst or

only oering of its kind. My

Passover experience this past

spring was enriched by the

publication of The Unocial

Hogwarts Haggadah. Rabbi

Moshe Rosenberg, author of

the work, explains in its intro-

duction that he is guided by

a philosophy of “reciprocal

resonance,” which he explains

in the haggadah “mean[s]

that each will create asso-

ciations in our minds that will

help us better appreciate the

other.” How much more can

I understand and appreciate

the Jewish concept of Korban

(sacriﬁce), when I place it in

the context of self-sacriﬁce in

Harry Potter’s life? Would you

also gain a new appreciation

for the relationship between

Moses and God, symbol-

ized by Moses’ sta, when it

is contrasted to the relation-

ship between a wizard and his

wand?

The podcast, Zoltan and

ter Kulie conﬁrm, is not an

attempt to make space for

Harry Potter to replace reli-

gion. Rather, they have created

a magical outlet for fans to

honor the spiritual signiﬁcance

the books have in their lives.

For me, using hermeneutics

like the PaRDeS structure (our

rabbis’ technique of extrapo-

lating progressively deeper

layers of meaning from the

text) as a tool for my Potter

reading only helps me connect

more deeply to the books

I love and the religious lens

through which I always strive

to see the world.

Which texts have been

beacons of the sacred in your

life? I would be happy to

hear about the sources that

add meaning for you. And,

of course, if you ever have a

yen for discussing the loyalty,

trust, love, fear, hope, or ethics

taught in Harry Potter, I’m

always game.

events. In other words, they

can neither deﬁne nor create

our own Jewish lives.

As noted above, Jewish life

is guided by cycles. For the

ancients the cycle of the sea-

sons yielded the agricultural

festivals that anchored the

year. Our modern Judaism is

to a great extent centered on

the life cycle. We celebrate

Jewishly over baby namings,

bar\bat mitzvah, and wed-

dings. We mourn at funerals.

For some of us, yartzeit and

wedding anniversaries are of

special signiﬁcance. The ques-

tion we might ask is whether

these steps of the life cycle

alone are enough to deﬁne our

Jewish lives. They are infre-

quent. Yet, I believe that a

full American Judaism can be

built with the life cycle as a

base. The next level we might

add is Rosh Hashanah and Yom

Kippur. These too are part of

our life cycle.

The Holy Days are the time

of ﬁerce introspection, poten-

tial renewal and even change

of direction or change of pace.

This is why we take the time

to take the prayerbook o of

the shelf. At this season of

the year, we confront the most

awesome of Human Projects--

our individual selves--our own

very lives. We are challenged

in the most supportive yet

direct way to ask ourselves the

simplest questions:

How have I spent my time?

In what ways have I been a

good friend, family member,

neighbor, worker, citizen?

What door would I like to

open in the coming year?

What door would I like to

close?

How can I be better?

How do I think about a life

lived in covenant with others?

With God?

How can I make the coming

year dierent?

This year has been a gruel-

ing year for America and the

world, both of which seem

loosened from their moor-

ing. This year, it seems espe-

cially, we want to ask about

the Human Project that is

our lives and how we create

covenantal lives of purpose,

meaning and action. How do

we engage with each other to

reach greater understanding of

our world?

Rabbi’s Message FROM PAGE 1

;

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 ;

ELUL 5777 • TISHREI/CHESHVAN 5778

MOMENT OF MUSICAL MAJESTY ENRICHES NEW SERVICE

By Rabbi Susan Landau

5777 was a year of change at Temple Micah. The con-

gregation whose High Holy Day attendance had out-

grown its own sanctuary had also become too numer-

ous for its home away from home in the sanctuary of

the Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church.

For the ﬁrst time in its history, Temple Micah oered

two concurrent worship options. The new service in

the church’s Great Hall would ensure that every con-

gregant had enough space for a comfortable High

Holy Day worship experience, but it also presented

challenges and opportunities. One such opportunity

was the innovation of the Pop-Up Choir.

Micah’s leaders believed that each new experiment

in the Great Hall should also bear the hallmark and

comforts of a Micah service, and be grounded in some

sort of continuity. The Great Hall was meant to be an

evolution of a new worship option, rather than a revo-

lution of an entirely new creation. One of the most

notable dierences in this new service would be a lack

of choir. Where our Temple Micah High Holy Day choir

is such a hallmark of the Sanctuary service, this new

service would have no such sound.

Enter, the Great Hall Pop-Up Choir: one rehearsal,

one piece of music, one moment during the service

for these singers to “pop up” from their seats and

be heard.

The Pop-Up Choir provided a perfect chance

to imbue the new service with a moment of choral

sound, while also providing an opportunity for con-

gregants who like to sing but were not members of

the choir. Congregants who relished the opportunity

to sit with their families during the services joined

the Pop-Up Choir. Congregants who didn’t have the

time to commit to countless rehearsals for the regu-

lar Micah choir joined. And congregants who might

have felt anxious about a brand new worship experi-

ence were able to take ownership and make a contri-

bution in a special way.

But what should the Pop-Up choir sing? Cantor

Benjie Ellen Schiller, professor of cantorial arts at the

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion,

dierentiates between the many dierent faces of

Jewish sacred music: momentum, meditation, meet-

ing, memory, and majesty. Momentum, the musical

“connective tissue” of the worship would create too

much work for the pop-up choir singers, and would

likely not showcase their vocal talents. The service

leaders decided last year that the new musicians and

their instruments (additions included an upright bass

and shruti box harmonium) would contribute to the

service’s meditative moments. And so many of the

simple, congregational melodies of the High Holy

Days provide moments for meeting, and anchor the

service in memory of High Holy Days of the past.

The answer was clear: the Pop-Up Choir would add

a moment of majesty to the service, elevating the

entire experience to a height it would not otherwise

be able to reach. Cantor Schiller describes music of

majesty as that which evokes within us a sense of

awe and grandeur. Temple Micah services are not usu-

ally full of choral “listening moments” that create this

space, but the High Holy Days are reserved for this

kind of special sound, setting them apart. Last year

the Pop-Up Choir sang Robbie Solomon’s composi-

tion “Eitz Chayim Hi” at the close of the Torah ser-

vice, and their voices lifted the congregation’s prayers

as the beautiful new ark doors were closed.

The Pop-Up Choir debut last year was a smashing

success, and the congregation is eager for a repeat

“performance” to welcome 5778.

physically, but institute the appearance

of a two-tiered, first class-second class

dichotomy. Instead, the two services

were designed and promoted as differ-

ent spiritual experiences with the choice

of which to attend up to the individual

members. Although worshipers have to

select which services they want to attend

when they sign up for tickets, they are

encouraged to mix and match seats in

the Great Hall and the sanctuary.

“Last year, we couldn’t really picture

how everything would work out,” Rabbi

Beraha said. “They say that the second

time is supposed to be easier. We found

that to be true.”

The separate Next Dor services for

the 20s/30s cohort will again be led by

Rabbi Landau at the temple on Erev

Rosh Hashanah and Kol Nidre.

While the simultaneous services

are a repeat from last year, there are a

number of innovations, including the

addition of a cantorial intern, more

musicians, and more instruments.

A variety of changes are planned

for both services, particularly on Yom

Kippur. Ilana Goldman, the student

cantor, is one of them. (See story on

page 1.) Most of the time, she will lead

the music portion of the Great Hall ser-

vices similar to the way that rabbinical

student Danny Moss, now Rabbi Moss,

did last year. The Great Hall service

will again feature a Pop-Up choir. (See

story above.)

Additional professional musicians

will play new and different music. “The

professional ensemble adds so much to

Friday night services, we’re hoping they

High Holy Days FROM PAGE 1

;

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 ;

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

Goldman will return to

Micah once a month. “To be

the first cantorial intern is

really an honor,” she said. “I

am very excited to be com-

ing back to Washington and

Temple Micah.” Goldman

got to know Micah and

Washington several years

ago when she interned at

the Religious Action Center

with Micah member Emily

Aronson. The two spent

last year together in Israel.

Aronson is now a second-

year rabbinical student at

HUC.

In early August, Goldman

spent some time at Micah to

begin going over the High

Holy Days material. “Already

I felt welcome,” she said.

“I’ve been looking for-

ward to working with and

mentoring Ilana since find-

ing out that she would be

our cantorial intern,” Cantor

Meryl Weiner said. “Her

love of Judaism and music

was so evident during the

interview process and was

even more so as we began

preparing for our first

Shabbat together and the

High Holy Day services.”

Goldman’s home life

in Asbury Park, NJ, has

been steeped in music. Her

mother is a professional cel-

list. Her father, who plays

the accordion, and her

tuba-playing brother are

avid amateurs. She stud-

ied voice and, at Lawrence

University in Appleton, WI,

double-majored in music

and religious studies. Early

on Goldman was interested

in becoming a psychologist.

“But my passion for music

and Judaism were much

stronger,” she said.

After graduation, she

returned to Washington

as a development associ-

ate at Hillel International,

while she decided on her

next career move. “But I

missed the music,” she said.

“I really like being in front

of people and working with

people. Worship was always

central along with music. I

first started singing at the

temple.” So, becoming a

cantor seemed the perfect

combination.

Initially, Micah was only

looking for someone to

lead the music in the Great

Hall, but that search was

broadened to find a canto-

rial intern. “We decided that

having a monthly student

would enrich the Micah

experience,” said Rabbi

Zemel. “We have had such

positive success with the rab-

binical summer interns, why

not try a cantorial monthly

program?”

Meanwhile, Goldman

saw Micah’s name on the

list of congregations look-

ing for an intern. She loved

DC and “remembered going

to Micah. I had never seen

a service accompanied by a

grand piano before.” So she

signed up. “I think it was

bashert,” she said. u

Passion FROM PAGE 1

;

Oct. 22 Panel to Weigh Jewish Voice in the Public Square

By Fran Dauth

What roles do Jews—and

Judaism—play in shaping

public policy, or even dissent,

in this, one of the most trou-

bling times in American life

in recent years?

That is the topic that a

panel of distinguished schol-

ars will take up Oct. 22 at 5

p.m. at Temple Micah in the

second program financed by

the Innovation Fund.

The Jewish Voice in the

Public Square, as the event

is called, will feature Prof.

Lawrence Hoffman of the

Hebrew Union College-Jewish

Institute of Religion, Prof. Riv-

Ellen Prell of the University of

Minnesota, and Rich Harwood

of the Harwood Institute.

Valerie Strauss, a reporter for

The Washington Post, will be the

moderator.

Rabbi Hoffman, a promi-

nent scholar of Jewish lit-

urgy and the author of more

than 40 books, has been

called “One of contempo-

rary Judaism’s most percep-

tive and creative teachers.”

Among other things, he writes

a blog called “Life and a Little

Liturgy.” In a posting on Aug.

24 he compared the concept

of separation of powers laid

out in the U.S. Constitution to

checks and balances in ancient

Israel. “…(a)nticipating histo-

ry’s need for independent con-

science, the Rabbis gave us an

alternative to prophets: every

single citizen, you and me.”

Prell, who has a Ph.D in

anthropology, specializes in

gender and ethnicity, and

is the author of “Women

Remaking American Judaism.”

Harwood, a member of

Temple Micah, is the founder

of The Harwood Institute,

which works with commu-

nities and organizations to

propel change. The institute

most notably known for hav-

ing worked with residents of

Newtown, Conn., to decide

the fate of Sandy Hook

Elementary School, where

26 children and adults were

killed in December 2012.

Strauss, also a member of

Temple Micah, writes about

education for The Washington

Post and is the author of the

Post’s Answer Sheet blog.

The Micah board of direc-

tors began the Innovation

Fund two years ago as a

way to pay for outstanding

speakers and creative ways to

address new ideas.

The first event was a panel

of journalists that earlier this

year examined “Reporting

the Truth in a Post-Truth

Era.” The standing-room only

session featured Elisabeth

Bumiller, Washington bureau

chief of the New York Times,

Dana Millbank, Washington

Post columnist, and Naftali

Ben David, an editor in

the Wall Street Journal’s

Washington bureau. Jodi

Enda, assistant managing

editor for special projects at

CNN, was the moderator.

A video of that discussion

can be found on the Temple

Micah website by going to

the education tab, and then

Innovation Fund, Spring 2017.

Enda, a past president

of Temple Micah, said the

Innovation Fund was cre-

ated to enable the temple

“to more nimbly do the key

thing that makes Micah dif-

ferent and special: innovate.”

She added that while Micah

has been a trailblazer among

synagogues nationwide, until

the fund was launched “every

time Rabbi Zemel had one of

his visionary ideas, we had to

scrape month money together

to turn them into reality.” u

ELUL 5777 • TISHREI/CHESHVAN 5778

TZEDAKAH

BUILDING IMPROVEMENT FUND

IN MEMORY OF

Marvin Broder, by Shellie and Andy

Bressler, Beverly and Harlan Sherwat,

Robert Weinstein and Judith Capen

ENDOWMENT FUND

IN HONOR OF

Sid Booth on his 80th birthday,

by Melissa Naomi Booth

IN MEMORY OF

Marvin Broder, by Catherine Lynch, Gail Povar

and Larry Bachorik, Harriet and Randy Tritell

Ruth Gruber, by Harriet and Randy Tritell

GENERAL FUND

The Ehrman Family

Claudia Trezza and Jason Horowitz

Jeremy Weinberg and Sophia Coudenhove-Kalergi

IN HONOR OF

Everett Seifert, by Jed and Nichole Seifert

IN MEMORY OF

Robert Berner, by Diana and Robert Seasonwein;

Adolph Blumenfeld, by Norman Blumenfeld;

Marvin Broder, by Rabbi Lynne Landsberg and

Dennis Ward; Sarah Ehrman, by Henri Barkey

and Ellen Laipson, Nadine Cohodas, Rabbi Lynne

Landsberg and Dennis Ward, Jane O’Grady;

Berenice Futterman, by Marlene Futterman;

Dorothy Haber, by Mary Haber; Simon Jacob, by

Walter Jacob; Samuel Levine, by Philip and Barbara

Levine; Cecil Levinson, by Stephanie Baker; Bee

Schwartz, by Herbert and Sharon Schwartz

Benjamin Sterenfeld, by Greer

and Gerald Goldman

INNOVATION FUND

IN HONOR OF

Zev Natan Goldstein, by Beverly

and Harlan Sherwat

Helene and Gene Granof, by anonymous

Rabbi Zemel and Cantor Weiner, by

Betsy Broder and David Wentworth

IN MEMORY OF

Marvin Broder, by Martha and David Adler,

Roberta and Morton Goren; Sara Ehrman, by

Barbara Green, Ed and Bobbie Wendel; Peter

Feuer, Doris Brown, and Lucette Cohen, by Ed

and Bobbie Wendel; Ruth Gruenberg, by Morton

and Roberta Goren; Olga Lehmann, by Richard

Lehmann; Margarett DeWitt Newman, by Lynn

Rothberg; Diane Sager, by Nancy Raskin

Brian Stonehill, by Harriett Stonehill

LEARNING FUND

IN HONOR OF

Sid Booth’s special birthday, by

Beverly and Harlan Sherwat

IN MEMORY OF

Dora Bender, by Carole and John Hirschmann

Ruth Gruenberg and Malcolm Sherwat,

by Beverly and Harlan Sherwat

MICAH HOUSE

Jeremy Weinberg and Sophia Coudenhove-Kalergi

IN MEMORY OF

Marvin Broder, by Lydia and Sandy

Parnes, Celia Shapiro and Bob Dorfman,

Stan and Paulette Shulman

MUSIC AND WORSHIP FUND

IN HONOR OF

Teddy Klaus, by Beth Hess

Teddy Klaus, for teaching us

Hebrew, by Geri Nielsen

Cantor Meryl Weiner, by Laurie and Dan Brumberg

Cantor Meryl Weiner and the Adult

B’nai Torah Class, by Jodi and Dan

Anderson, Jan W. Greenberg, Debra

Knopman, Elizabeth (Libby) Pearson

IN MEMORY OF

Jerome Hahn, by Norman Blumenfeld

Evelyn and Seymour Stern, by

Evelyn Sahr and Marty Stern

Robert Sugarman, by Carole

Sugarman and Mark Pelesh

THE RABBI DANIEL GOLDMAN ZEMEL

FUND FOR ISRAEL

Peg Blechman and Paul Shapiro

David Kobrin and Diane Berreth

IN HONOR OF

Zev Natan Goldstein, by Maxine Schiman

Rabbi Zemel and his contribution to the

wedding of David Mantell and Elie Lauter,

by Michael and Maxine Mantell

IN MEMORY OF

Marvin Broder, by Roberta Aronson and

Paul Goldberg, Ann Sablosky and Stephen

Rockower; Lucette Cohen, by Martha and

David Adler; Sara Ehrman, by Martha and David

Adler, Susie Blumenthal, David and Barbara

Diskin, Jodi Enda, Carole and Dave Wilson

Mandy Ourisman, by anonymous

RABBI BERAHA’S DISCRETIONARY

FUND

IN MEMORY OF

Harry J. Luterman, by Ronna and Stan Foster

RABBI LANDAU’S DISCRETIONARY

FUND

Dana Milbank

RABBI’S DISCRETIONARY FUND

Paul Goldberg

IN MEMORY OF

Harold Berman, by Lew and Ricki Karp

Marvin Broder, by Gwen and Marc Pearl

Evelyn Goldberg, by Susie Blumenthal

T. Hartley Hall, IV, by Aurie Hall

SOCIAL JUSTICE FUND

Milton and Marlyn Socolar

IN HONOR OF

David Wentworth, by Ann Sablosky

and Stephen Rockower

IN MEMORY OF

Marvin Broder, by Sid and Elka Booth, Roberta

and Peter Gluck, Susan Goda, Carolyn Shano

Sara Ehrman, by Gwen and Marc Pearl; Ethel

Fargotstein and David Micah Booth, by

Sid and Elka Booth; Leon David Freedman,

by Jean Freedman and Jonathan Pollock;

Ruth Gruenberg, by Mark and Myra Kovey;

Jan Townend, by Sid and Elka Booth

SUKKAT SHALOM

Patty Abramson and Lester Silverman; The

Aron Family Foundation; Florence and Morton

Bahr; Susan Bandler and Joel Korn; Peggy Banks;

Valerie Barton and Sean Schoﬁeld; Sue Baum; Jill

and Howard Berman; Jerey Blattner; Norman

Blumenfeld; Sid and Elka Booth; Michelle and

Robert Brotzman; Stuart Brown and Margaret

Siebel; Arlene Brown and Eugene Bialek; Rochelle

and Thomas Brunner; Paul and Kathryn Ceja; Nani

Coloretti, David Goldstein, and Kaleo Goldstein-

Coloretti; Nancy and Don Elisburg; Helen Epps;

Rachael Feldman and Christian Dorsey; Lora

Ferguson; Dr. Barbara Finkelstein; Stan and Ronna

Foster; Dorian Friedman and Alexander Lurie;

Morton Friedman; Jamie Gardner and Jonathan

Stern; Jim and Aliza Gerstein; Elisa and Kenneth

Glaser; Elizabeth and Eric Goldberg; Sarah Gordon

and Martin Saad; Roberta and Morton Goren;

Gene and Helene Granof; Suzanne Grith and

Ed Lazere; Miriam and Sean Grogan; Margaret

and Jerey Grotte; Barbara and Samuel Halpern;

James and Andrea Hamos; Mary Hollis and

William Page; Thomas Hyde and Paul Meyers;

Thomas M. Hyde; Todd Jasper and Emma

Spaulding; Sunny Kaplan and Peter Kristensen;

Jane and Chaz Kerschner; Leesa Klepper and

Mario Mancuso; Adam Klinger and Patty Brink;

Harriette Kinberg; Lee Knefelkamp and Evelyn

Beck; Debra Knopman; Mark and Myra Kovey;

Stephen Kurzman and Patricia Goldman; Rabbi

Susan Landau; Susan Landﬁeld; Rabbi Lynne

Landsberg and Dennis Ward; Mimi Laver; Richard

Lehmann; Mark Levine and Amy McLaughlin;

Donna Lloyd-Jones; Paul London; David Lowenstein

and Kathleen Collins; Lorri Manasse and Russell

Mishelo; Karen Mark and AM Tucker; Peter and

Ruth Matt; Hannah and Michael Matthews; Barbara

and Al McConagha; Harlan Messinger; Elizabeth

Miller; Seth and Rielle Miller Gabriel; Vanessa

Mitchell and Jonathan Tarlin; Michael Murray and

Kerry Susser Murray; Ellen Nakashima and Alan

Sipress; Marian and Michael Newman; Geri Nielsen;

Susan and William Nussbaum; William Page and

Mary Hollis; Marilyn Paul; Aaron Pollon; Reva Price;

Ed and Clem Rastatter; Molly Rauch and Benjamin

Longstreth; Larry Rothman and Margery Doppelt;

Lynn Rothberg; Lisa Saks and Lawrence Lynn;

Karen and Wayne Saxe; Mary Beth Schiman and

David Tochen; Sarah Schooler; Wendy Schumaker;

Frances and Stuart Schwartz; Helen Schwartz;

Mary and Herman Schwartz; Nancy and Kenneth

Schwartz; Learita Scott and Bob Friedman;

Michelle Sender; Robin Shaert and Dean Brenner;

Calder Silcox; Jessica and Harry Silver; Doug and

Melinda Soer; Iris and Philip Sokolow Barnett;

Daniel and Mimi Steinberg; Tom Trendl and

Jennifer Kaplan; Bruce and Susan Turnbull; Jonathan

and Carrie Ustun; David Waldner and Elizabeth

Thompson; Ryan Walker; Harriet and Louis Weiner;

Mark and Cecelia Weinheimer; Elise and Steven

Weinstein; Grace and Jonathan Westreich; Burton

and Louise Wides; Mary Wunnenberg; Robert and

Stephanie Zarate; Rabbi Daniel and Louise Zemel;

Shira Zemel and Adam Goldstein; Martin Zoltick

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE ;

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

SARAH EMMA PENN THAU

SEPTEMBER 2 / 11 ELUL

PARENTS: Anna Penn and Stephen Thau

TORAH PORTION: Ki Tetze

INDEPENDENT PROJECT: Sarah is sharing her

love of music with toddlers at the Mazique

Early Childhood Center by raising funds

and donating new musical instruments.

AYLA KEYNES-LEVINSON

SEPTEMBER 9 / 18 ELUL

PARENTS: Renana Keynes and John Levinson

TORAH PORTION: Ki Tavo

INDEPENDENT PROJECT: Ayla is having her

Bat Mitzvah on behalf of Ana Levinson,

a 12-year-old girl from Pskov, Russia,

who was murdered in the Holocaust. In

preparation, she has read books, watched

movies, visited the Holocaust Museum

and heard stories of survivors to learn

as much as she can. She also plans to

make a donation to Yad Vashem to help

ensure that everyone who died in the

Holocaust is remembered and further the

mission of education and remembrance.

EVAN GERSTENBLITH

OCTOBER 14 / 24 TISHREI

PARENTS: Bart and Stephanie Gerstenblith

TORAH PORTION: Bereshit

INDEPENDENT PROJECT: Evan is planning to

contribute 10% of the money he receives in

bar mitzvah gifts to support SpaceIL. The

Israeli non-proﬁt organization’s vision is to

“inspire children in Israel to be scientists

and engineers, and to engage Jewish

children around the world to connect

with Israel in new and exciting ways.”

ADAM EZIEL LEDERMAN

OCTOBER 21 / 1 CHESHVAN

PARENTS: Laura and Robert Lederman

TORAH PORTION: Noach

INDEPENDENT PROJECT: Adam is learning how

his grandparents survived the Holocaust

in Poland as well as about the family that

saved them. He plans to host a book

group with some fellow temple classmates

to read and discuss his grandparents’

book describing their experience.

SAM BLUMENTHAL

OCTOBER 28 / 8 CHESHVAN

PARENTS: Mark Blumenthal and Helen Burstin

TORAH PORTION: Lech-Lecha

INDEPENDENT PROJECT: Sam is learning about

the U.S. military unit that liberated his

grandfather from a concentration camp at

Mauthhausen-Gusen during World War II.

B’NAI MITZVAH

CONDOLENCES

MAZAL TOV!

Mace Broide and Beverly and Stan Frye, on

the birth of Mace’s great-granddaughter and

Beverly and Stan’s granddaughter, Pacey June

Frye, born to Mitchell and Nikki Frye

Amanda Nover and Alex Barbag, on

the blessing of their wedding

Judy and Doug Warshof, on the naming of

their granddaughter, Leah Abigail Warshof

Sarah Feuer, on making aliyah to Israel

Laura, Ron, and Shoshana Ferguson are delighted

to welcome Matan JiNuo Ferguson to their family

WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS

Craig and Sheryl Aaron

Bjorn Beam

Rose Berman

David Burstein and Lindsay Gordon

Rebecca DeSantis

Michael Froman and Nancy Goodman

Whitney Mulhauser and Eamonn Donnelly

Joseph and Karen Sandler

Ariel and Sam Vorhees

The Temple Micah community extends its

deepest condolences to:

Rose and Howard Berman, on the passing of Rose’s

husband and Howard’s father, Harold Berman

Janet Hahn, on the passing of her father, Jerome

Hahn

Ruth and Margaret Henoch, on the passing of

Ruth’s husband and Margaret’s father, William

Henoch

Richard Townend, on the passing of his mother,

Jan Tow nend

May their memories be for a blessing.

IN HONOR OF

Susan Bandler and Joel Korn, by the

Gordon-Mallory Collaborative; Debra

Knopman and the 2017 Adult B’nai

Mitzvah Class, by Marcia and Clark

Silcox; Esther Moring, by Robert

Rackle; Meryl and George Weiner,

by Marina Fanning and Larry Cooley;

Martin Zatz, by Marcia Bordman

Ilan and Isabella Ziv, by

Gil and Blanche Ziv

IN MEMORY OF

Sakhidad Afghan, by Kate Kiggins

and Jared Blum; Eva Benda, by Susan

Benda; Harold Berman, by Martha

and David Adler; Morton Bobowick,

by Marla Bobowick; Marvin Broder,

by Debra Knopman, Marcia and

Clark Silcox; Lucette Cohen, by

Debra Knopman; Judy Cohen, by

the Alexander family; Peter Feuer,

by Debra Knopman; David Green, by

Barbara Green; Miriam Kalter, Sarah

Remes and Seelig Sinton; Edward

I. Klein, by Marsha Semmel; Sally

Schumacher, Olivia Wagenheim and

Joseph Wagenheim, by Peg Blechman

and Paul Shapiro; Jan Townend, by

Martha and David Adler; Maurice

Weiner, by Gil and Blanche Ziv

Maurice Yodido and Boris

Schwarz, by Joseph Schwarz

This list reﬂects donations

received as of August 29, 2017.

Every eort has been made to

ensure its accuracy, but if there

are any errors or omissions

please accept our apologies.

For corrections or clariﬁcations,

please contact Rhiannon Walsh

in the temple oce. Thank you.

Tzedakah FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

;

ELUL 5777 • TISHREI/CHESHVAN 5778

Micah Gets Musical on a Thursday Morning

By Karen Rosenbaum

On the first Thursday morning of

every month at Temple Micah the

sanctuary is filled with music made by

a small band of serious amateurs. The

brainstorm of Barbara Diskin, who

chairs the Aging Together commit-

tee, Micah Musical Morning offers a

chance for retirees and others available

on a weekday morning to perform for an

eager and sympathetic audience of fel-

low amateurs and friends.

The group first played together in

July of 2016 and often presents solos

and duets. Among the musicians:

Barbara Diskin, Martha Adler, Karen

Rosenbaum, Jack Hadley, and Teddy

Klaus (piano); David Adler and Nancy

Lang (violin); Stuart Brown (flute);

Deborah Edge (bass violin); Robert

Seasonwein (guitar); Maurice Singer

(recorder); and Sonia White (nyck-

elharpa, a Swedish fiddle). Mostly

classical pieces are featured, but we

have had ragtime, bluegrass, folk, and

Beatles music.

These performances are not the

polished perfection of professionals,

but done for the love of doing. Some

performers have years of playing for

pleasure under their belts, but others

are beginners, taking up an instrument

for the first time or perhaps returning

to one not played for 30 to 40 years.

The discipline of preparing for per-

formance is valuable stimulus to their

practice, and the audience is always

enthusiastic, even if there are occa-

sional wrong notes.

We were thrilled to have the New

Horizons Band present a concert at

Micah for our monthly program in May.

New Horizons is associated with Levine

Music and its members are adults who

enjoy making music together. Bob

Dorfman, a Micah member, plays trom-

bone in the band.

Micah Musical Mornings always wel-

comes new performers and audiences. u

will add variety and make these services

livelier, too,” Rabbi Zemel said.

“In the main sanctuary we’ll be add-

ing Pepe Gonzalez, the upright bassist

from the Friday evening service ensem-

ble, along with Adam Mason, a percus-

sionist, Dan Mack who plays both guitar

and mandolin, and a cellist, Dorotea

Racz,” Cantor Meryl Weiner explained.

“Another cellist, Amy Garland

Goldman, is the mother of Ilana, the

cantorial student. They will pray Kol

Nidre together” in the Great Hall.

Pianist Madezda Mijatovic-Sekicki,

new this year, will accompany the choir

in the main sanctuary. Micah’s own

musicians, flautists Liz Poliner and

Ruth Simon, clarinetist Lora Ferguson,

and cellist Eli Blum will be at their usual

stations next to the piano in the sanctu-

ary. Eighth-grader Natalie Sipress will

play the violin. “She is a great violinist,”

Rabbi Beraha said.

In addition to the players, the ser-

vices will feature new music. The

editors of Mishkan Hanefesh, the new

two-volume High Holy Day prayer

book, commissioned an anthology of

original music as a companion to the

Mishkan Hanefesh text. Cantor Weiner

and Music Director Teddy Klaus have

chosen several pieces for the choir to

sing at the services. Also, singer-song-

writer Elana Arian, daughter of Micah’s

most recent scholar-in-residence, Merri

Arian, has composed several new melo-

dies that Cantor Weiner and the choir

will introduce. Goldman, the cantorial

intern, has brought some of her favorite

High Holy Days music.

The Yom Kippur afternoon

Haftarah chanting of Jonah also will

get a fresh take. Instead of Machon

Micah students taking turns chanting

the whole book, they will chant selec-

tions in Hebrew while a rabbi relates the

Jonah story in English.

Meanwhile, the rabbis are work-

ing to enliven the service later on Yom

Kippur afternoon before Yiskor. “None

of us loved the afternoon service,” Rabbi

Zemel said. “We’re all tired by then and

there are so many pages of words. We’re

looking to inject more energy into it,

make it more participatory, less formal

and more conversational.”

The 25-Year Club’s long-established

poetry reading following the Ask the

Rabbis session will become more inter-

active. Instead of simply reading a long

list of poems, members of the Hebrew

Poetry Group will read a few poems

from the Yom Kippur prayerbook and

engage the congregation in conversation

about them in an effort to pull greater

meaning from the poetry.

However, most of the distinctive

components that make Micah services

so special will remain. “The things we

do well — like Yiskor — I don’t want to

tamper with,” Zemel said. He also men-

tioned two particularly Micah traditions

that won’t change: first, the practice

on Rosh Hashanah morning of group

aliyot honoring new members, people

who enjoyed a simcha, those who were

ill and their caregivers and those who

suffered a death, and on Yom Kippur

morning Micah groups that provide

service to the temple like Micah Cooks,

Hineni and the choir; second, the cus-

tom to keep the ark open during the

concluding (N’illa) service so individuals

can pray privately in front of it. And of

course, the Ask the Rabbis session will

continue its 50-plus year stretch.

The long-running creative “Liz

Lerman” movement service will also

continue, but without Lerman, who

moved to Arizona last year. Rabbinic

Intern Samantha Frank, who created

this fall’s Elul readings, which form the

basis for the dance created each year by

temple members, will participate in that

service.

“We’re feeling more freedom this

year to let the second service evolve in

its own way,” Rabbi Zemel said. “But

both services will still be distinctively

Micah services.” u

High Holy Days FROM PAGE 6

;

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

BERAHA’S BLACKBOARD

MAKING A WAGER ON JEWISH EDUCATION

By Rabbi Josh Beraha

Dear Parents,

Summertime oers ample

time and headspace for deep

thinking. Here are some of my

thoughts on Jewish education

as we prepare to enter the

new year.

A question I ask myself

often is: What counts for suc-

cess in Jewish education? The

question is a dicult one

for several reasons. For one,

learning is notoriously hard

to measure, and all the more

so for religious and cultural

learning. A student of Judaism

might know the Shema prayer,

for example, but fail to

understand its translation, its

deeper textual meaning and

its context in Jewish learning

and living.

Second, success is subjec-

tive. What one might consider

a fruitful result, another might

deem a ﬂop.

And lastly, certain successes

are only realized later in life.

I ask myself what counts

for success in Jewish educa-

tion because the answer—if I

knew it, deﬁnitively—would

help shape Jewish education at

Temple Micah, and the answer,

if we knew it, would transform

Jewish education for every

synagogue and school across

North America.

But without a clear answer,

we persist—as we must—but

therefore make involuntary

decisions as to what consti-

tutes success by focusing on

the B’nai Mitzvah ceremony

as a goal, all the while know-

ing that B’nai Mitzvah usually

signiﬁes an end, even if just

temporarily, to serious Jewish

study.

While we at Temple Micah

may not be on our way, at

least quickly, to an answer

to what counts for success

in Jewish education, we have

made three wagers in the past

three years on what might lead

us to some version of what

one might deem a successful

Jewish learning institution. The

wagers are as follows:

1) Jewish education should

be formative more than

informative, that is, it should

attempt to shape one’s hearts

and desires rather than attempt

to disseminate trivial facts.

2) Jewish learning is sus-

tained, in the younger grades

especially, through the cre-

ation and health of an emo-

tional matrix in which cogni-

tive learning can be lodged

later in life. Without a rich,

thick connection to, and deep

love of Jewish life, there can

be no true absorption of

Jewish learning. Judaism is

about the lived-life, outside a

classroom.

3) Jewish education is cre-

ated and sustained, ﬁrst and

foremost, in the home. Only

when the synagogue works in

conjunction with the home,

and the home in conjunction

with the synagogue, can true

Jewish living blossom.

These three ideas have

shaped my thinking and

therefore shaped Machon

Micah over the past three

years and over that time we

have built an engaging, lively

and warm setting for Jewish

education to take place

within. The emotional matrix

is strong. Parents are tuned in.

All eyes look up at Boker Tov

with glee and admiration and

mouths sing out “Modeh Ani”

as together we create and

uphold sacred space.

But.

There is still work to be

done, lots of work, for within

the secure and inviting context

that provides for the forma-

tion of hearts and desires,

there is something missing.

Thank you to God, I do

not do my work alone. I am

in a community of invested,

learned individuals who are in

healthy communication with

me about how to continually

improve what we do at Temple

Micah in order to bring us

closer to ﬁnding what might

constitute success in Jewish

education.

Thank you to everyone who

over the past three years has

given me feedback, expressed

frustration or simply engaged

me in a conversation about

Jewish life in America. Through

you, I now see that the next

step for Machon Micah is to

marry the positive atmosphere

that exists on your average

Machon Sunday, with a greater

depth of learning.

But please do explain,

Rabbi, what you mean by a

greater depth of learning!

To be sure, I do not know

what I mean, exactly, but I

have a new wager I’m ready to

make, that is, I have a slightly

new direction forward I’d like

to take the Machon, and it

begins with a revamped cur-

riculum.

Starting in the fall of

5778, we have six new gates

of learning—all with a spe-

ciﬁc Jewish focus. While the

emphasis of the old gates

(Unity, Wisdom, Honor,

Compassion, Faith and Vision)

was more universal, the new

gates (Kehilah, Torah, Teﬁlah,

Tzedek, Zicharon and Tzion)

are more particular, zeroed in

on the Jewish experience.

Within each gate, students

will study speciﬁc vocabulary

words related to the theme

of the gate along with three

Torah or rabbinic texts that

also relate to the theme of

the gate. In addition, in an

attempt to link the Micah

experience with a family’s

home — the true center of

Jewish education — we will

be creating take-home discus-

sion guides for families for

each gate. Finally, although

we still emphasize experien-

tial learning especially when

it comes to understanding

Jewish holidays, I plan to pro-

vide students with a greater

understanding of some of the

fundamentals of Jewish holi-

days as they occur throughout

the year.

I value our community’s

ongoing commitment to

Jewish education and look

forward to another great year

as we attempt to make Jewish

learning and living as success-

ful as we can!

B’shalom,

Josh

These are the questions I ﬁnd myself thinking about this year.

As a way to discover some answers, I want to take this oppor-

tunity to call your attention to a singularly special event that we

will be holding at Micah on Oct. 22. (Details at top of page 7.)

How do we engage the world as Jews holding the strength,

durability, and insights of Jewish wisdom with us as we live

through these hectic days? Let this year be a year of exploration

and renewal.

Shanah Tovah,

Rabbi Daniel G. Zemel

Rabbi’s Message FROM PAGE 5

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INTRODUCING MAZON MICAH

Our teacher, Hillel, urges us not to separate our-

selves from the community (Avot 2:5), and Temple

Micah’s newest program will help us heed his

advice on multiple levels. Introducing: Mazon

Micah.

Once a month volunteers from Temple Micah

will gather on Sunday afternoon to break bread

together, and then assemble mazon, food, for our

neighbors in need at Friendship Place. This sand-

wich-making and donating initiative will help us

deepen relationships within the Micah community,

and simultaneously remind us to turn our aware-

ness outwards.

We who congregate at 2829 Wisconsin Ave. can

always count on having mazon to sustain our-

selves, but not everyone in our greater community

is so lucky. We can truly fulﬁll Hillel’s injunction

when we work together to take care of others.

Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria taught, “Without Torah

there is no social order; without social order there

is no Torah.” (Avot 3:17) In other words, Torah

teaches us how to care for each other and what

is demanded of us as human beings, on the most

primal level. Like food, Torah sustains us. And it

guides us one step further, into the social network

and proper way of conduct to which we aspire.

Join us!

The ﬁrst Mazon Micah is Sunday, Sept. 17. All

were are welcome to volunteer. Eventually, we

hope to target speciﬁc cohorts within the com-

munity that would not normally have contact with

one another to work together in Mazon Micah.

Mazon Micah co-chairs, Rielle Miller Gabriel and

Beverly Frye, volunteer Martha Adler, and Rabbi

Susan Landau look forward to continuing to

develop the program and deepen our bonds as

a community. It can only happen with all of your

help. The details are below:

Who: Temple Micah

What: Lunch time, text study, and sandwich

making

When: 12 p.m. on a Sunday, approximately once a

month. Check the calendar each month.

— Rabbi Susan Landau