Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm. The next session is February 27, 2013

Torah Lishma – Jewish learning for its own sake:

Congregation Etz Chaim and Temple Beth Torah will jointly sponsor a program of monthly classes on Wednesday evenings with Dr. Murray H. Lichtenstein. Murray’s topic will be the Book of Genesis, and his plan is to study the text much as we did in the classes that he taught at Etz Chaim.

The classes will meet at 7:30pm in the library at Temple Beth Torah. The Dec. 26 and Jan. 30 classes were big successes, so make sure to catch the next sessions on Feb. 27, 2013, Mar. 20, 2013, and Apr. 24, 2013. There will be no charge for these classes.

You can view the holiday schedule, purchase tickets and memberships on Our Special High Holiday Page. You can also access all the following forms to print out and send in or deliver in person. HIGH HOLIDAY INFORMATION  will show you the Holiday Schedule and a form to order tickets.

ROSH HASHANAH LUNCH and YOM KIPPUR BREAK-THE-FAST tells you about our Holiday meals and how to sign up for one or both of them.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION  -  Please note that the cost of High Holiday tickets in included in your membership dues.

YIZKOR BOOK of REMEMBRANCE 5773 FORM  – Our tradition teaches that there is not a wall a between the living and the dead, but a window that allows us to continue to see the impact our loved ones have had on us. The Yizkor service, especially as it is experienced on the afternoon of Yom Kippur, creates a sacred time and space that encourages the opening of our hearts and minds to the memories of loved ones who have passed over to a place beyond our world.

This year as part of our Yizkor service, we will continue our special practice of reciting out loud all of the names that have been placed in our Book of Remembrance.  We believe that hearing the names of those now departed from our lives can revive and refresh our memories of them, a source of blessing for us.

We invite you to include the name or names of your loved ones in this special service.  Click Here to include names online, or on the link above, Yizkor Book of Remembrance 5773 form.  Please return this form by Tuesday, September 4, 2012.  Please call the office at (954) 564-9232 if you have any questions or concerns about the deadline for inclusion.

Please click the link below to view our Weekly Bulletin distributed at the Friday evening service:
Weekly Bulletin 2012 05 25_WEB

Not a subscriber to the newsletter?  To receive our weekly e-schmooze newsletter please email  info@etzchaimflorida.org or swardlea@gmail.com
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  TORAH Service 8:00 PM

Service Leader:   Rabbi Noah Kitty
Hazzan:   Jerry Berkowitz
Torah Leyner:  Charlie Rube
Darshanit:   Rabbi Noah Kitty

Friday, April 27, 2012 – 6 Iyyar, 5772

 This week’s Torah portion:
Tazria/Metzora:  Leviticus 12:1-15:33
Haftarah:  2 Kings 7:3-20

TWILIGHT  PEOPLE
As the sun sinks and the colors of the day turn,
we offer a blessing for the twilight, for twilight is
neither day nor night, but in-between.  We are
all twilight people.  We can never be fully labeled or
defined.  We are many identities and loves, many
genders and none.  We are in between roles, at the
intersection of histories, or between place and
place.  We are crisscrossed paths of memory and
destination, streaks of light swirled together.
We are neither day nor night.  We are both, neither,
and all.

May the sacred in-between of this evening suspend
our certainties, soften our judgments, and widen
our vision. May this in-between light illuminate our
way to the God who transcends all categories and
definitions.  May the in-between people who have
come to pray be lifted up into this twilight.  We
cannot always define; we can always say a blessing.
Blessed are You, God of all, who brings on the
twilight.                             Siddur Sha’ar Zahav – p. 149

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Sunday, May 20, 2012
5:00 PM
at the Synagogue

It’s important for all members to attend this annual Congregational Meeting, at which we will vote for next year’s Board of Directors, and for our affiliation with another synagogue.  Please plan to attend.  Refreshments will be served.
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Telling the Tale: Tuesday, May 1st, 7:30pm
Holocaust survivor and author
Jacques Weisel to speak

Jacques Weisel escaped to Casablanca with his family when the Nazis entered their Belgium homeland, only to be interred there. On Tuesday, May 1st he will speak of his life as a child, and how he was able to overcome the brutality with which he was treated to become a world-renowned motivational speaker and author. His most important message is not only that the Holocaust happened, but how he refused to allow it to define his future. The event is free and open to the public.
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Tonight’s Oneg Shabbat is sponsored by David Yalen, in honor of all CEC volunteers, past and present.  Volunteers are always needed and appreciated.

Our Mission:  To provide a nurturing environment for Gay and Lesbian Jews, inclusive of Bi-sexual, Transgender, and Heterosexuals in South Florida, We are dedicated to the spiritual, social, educational and emotional support that empowers and enhances the quality of members’ lives and the community as a whole.
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The Board of Directors welcomes any member who wishes to address the Board.  You must call the office at least two days prior to the meeting so your name can be put on the Agenda.  Board Meetings will be the 2nd Tuesday of each month. The next is May 8, at 6:30pm, at the synagogue.
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Bikkur Cholim:  Our Bikkur Cholim committee wants to know when our members and friends are sick – either in hospital or at home – so we may call or visit.  Please call the office and let us know.
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KADDISH  LIST
Shiela T. Goldman                                 05/04/11
Eric Kreisler                                            05/29/11
Ruth Joan Tenzer                                   07/05/11
Edith Hirshhorn                                     07/08/11
Dorothy Belinsky                                    07/18/11
Sandra Pasternak                                   09/28/11
Paul (Gregory) Harris                            12/31/11
Frieda Weisberg Greenberg                 01/10/12
Hillard Shurdut                                      02/08/12
Felicia Mintzer                                        02/29/12
Melvin Singer                                          02/04/12
Toby R. Goldstein                                   03/07/12
Stephen Jerome                                      03/08/12
Jeph Epstein                                             03/31/12
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Office/Mailing Address:
1881 NE 26th St Suite 100  Wilton Manors, FL 33305
Tel: (954) 564-9232     e-mail: congregation@etz-chaim.com or info@etzchaimflorida.org
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Men’s Club: – Volunteers needed to serve on the Board!  The Men’s Club can’t offer its current services and activities without willing Board members.
May 4:  First Friday resumes!
Dinner at Zuckerello’s     6:15 PM
3017 East Commercial Boulevard, Ft Lauderdale 33308 Contact Ken at ktewel@aol.com
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AIDS Walk 2012
Congregation Etz Chaim is again sponsoring a team in this year’s awareness and fundraising event.  Visit the following link for more info, or contact Team Captain, Alex Rosenberg, for more details.
http://takeaction.aidshealth.org/site/TR/Events/General/1380823844?pg=team&fr_id=1120&team_id=10140
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Interested in being a singer in a choir group at our Shabbat services?  —   Jerry will teach you all you need to know, so if you have an urge or talent to sing, just show up at the synagogue by 7 pm on Fridays.
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Scrip Program is Here!
Here is the opportunity to support Etz Chaim at no  additional cost to you.  Joining the Scrip program provides additional funds to the Congregation, and all you need to do is sign up!
For more  information contact Scrip Coordinator Alan Hait at 954-568-5585, or scrip@etzchaimflorida.org.

Click for the full essay Orange on the Seder Plate

Led by Rabbi Noah Kitty, we will read the Haggadah, sing familiar songs of freedom and redemption, and share a delicious meal catered by Toojays.

We will gather at the synagogue at 6:30pm for appetizers. Our Seder will begin at 7pm, and we will serve dinner at 8pm. Everyone is Welcome. Even those not Jewish often find attending a seder an enriching and enjoyable experience.

Our Journey from Bondage to Freedom Will be More Special With You Here

The deadline for reservations has passed, please call 954-564-9232 for more information.

We Wish the entire community A Happy and Healthy Passover!

This is a lovely and tasty way to bring in Shabbat – a delicious Shabbat dinner with friends, followed by a joyful Shabbat service, followed by a sweet dessert oneg. You do not have to be a member to attend, and everyone is encouraged to bring your friends.

Make your reservation today!

Facing increasing criticism for their efforts to separate men and women in public spaces, thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered last Saturday night in Jerusalem to protest what they say is a nationwide campaign directed against their lifestyle. The protesters called Israeli policemen Nazis, and dressed their children up as concentration camp inmates. Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial denounced the use of Nazi imagery as “disgraceful,” and several other survivors’ groups and politicians, and individuals such as Nobel Peace laureate, Elie Wiesel, condemned the acts.

Put on your dancing shoes, dress up your dogs (meat or veggie), and have some fun!

Purchase your advanced tickets by clicking below:

The Torah portion associated with this Shabbat is packed with famous stories.  We have Jacob wrestling with the mysterious apparition; the reconciliation of Jacob and his brother Esau; the rape of Dinah and her brothers’ revenge on the attackers; and the birth of Benjamin which resulted in the death of his mother, Rachel, Jacob’s beloved wife.

Torah Portion: Toldot: Genesis 25:19-28:9
Haftarah: Malachi 1:1-2:7

While this week’s Torah portion, Toldot, is best known for Jacob craftily obtaining the older-son-birthright from his brother by bribing him with a tasty stew, the reading also contains a passage appropriate to our American Thanksgiving:  Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you

The early Massachusetts settlers to whom we look back as the originators of our Thanksgiving holiday believed themselves to be a New Israel in a New Promised Land, transplanting the convenant made with our Jewish Patriarchs in hopes of making it prosper through piety and perserverence in a New World.

Join the Men’s Club when they go to:

Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival
Saturday, Dec. 17th, 8:45pm
Regal Delray in Delray Beach.
Dinner will be in a local restaurant, TBA prior to the movie:
Mary Lou : If you like Glee, you’ll love this Israeli musical that tells the story of Meir, who is searching for his mom who left when he was 10 years old. Singing! Locations in Israel! Film will be introduced by Rabbi Greg Cantor.

Please contact
Michael for more information.

Join us for refreshments at 6:45pm; the film will start at 7:30pm. Please RSVP to Michael Childers or call 954-463-9011 x305.

The Pride Center is located at 2040 Dixie Hwy., Wilton Manors.

This is a lovely and tasty way to bring in Shabbat – a delicious Shabbat dinner with friends, followed by a joyful Shabbat service, followed by a sweet dessert oneg. You do not have to be a member to attend, and everyone is encouraged to bring your friends.

Make your reservation today!

The myth that the Bible forbids homosexuality — the myth of “God versus Gay” — is behind the most divisive and painful conflicts of our time. In his new book God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality, scholar and activist Jay Michaelson shows that not only does the Bible not prohibit same-sex intimacy, it honors the values of love, justice, diversity, and compassion that equality for sexual minorities brings about. Michaelson says that religious people should support equality for gays and lesbians not despite their religion — but because of it.

Jay’s reading at 7:30pm is free and all are welcome. His book, God vs. Gay will be available for purchase.

A special “Conversation with Jay” reception at 6:30 pm has been arranged for a contribution of $50. Please call the office at 954-564-9232, to make your reservation.

TORAH SERVICE -  8:00 PM
Friday, October 28, 2011 -  30 Tishrei, 5772

Torah Portion: Noach  Genesis 6:9—11:32
Haftorah: Isaiah 54:1—55:5

Hiding
and Seeking

Menachem Daum, the son of holocaust survivors, worries that both of his sons are becoming seduced to intolerance by their religious studies. “All religions today are in danger of being hijacked by extremists.” To open their perspectives he brings the entire family to visit the Polish towns to find the Catholic farmers who hid
his father-in-law from the Germans.

British painter, draughtsman, printmaker, photographer, and designer. After a brilliant prize-winning career as a student at the Royal College of Art, David Hockney had achieved international success by the time he was in his mid-20s, and has since consolidated his position as by far the best-known British artist of his generation. Tells the story of Hockney’s breakup with his lover Peter Schlesinger, this film made a big splash in 1974 when it was released, originally banned for a scene of homosexual intimacy.

All films are screened at 7:30 pm at the Synagogue and open to all. Call 954-564-9232 for more information.

• The best tunes from the 70′s to today
• Food & Drink from the The Manor
• Buy a Greek coffee and get your grounds read by The Amazing Helena
• Flashy blinkies for sale
• 50/50 Raffle benefits The Pet Project

Buy your tickets here now:

or call the Synagogue at 954-564-9232. $18 in advance, $20 at the door. Your ticket stub will get you a discount to our next dance in January!

The service will be held on Monday, October 3, at 7:30am, at Beth David Memorial Gardens, located at 3201 NW 72nd Ave, Hollywood, FL. Please note this new time.

Merciful One, grant healing, comfort, and strength to those who mourn the loss of Sandra Pasternak. May her memory be a source of blessing in their lives. May they find consolation and peace with each other, and turn to doing deeds that strengthen the bonds of the living.

Of course we’re also on Facebook as CongregationEtzChaim

If you have any link suggestions to put on the web site please e-mail us.

They are safe for the moment, thanks to Jean’s plan to pass her off as a Christian employee of his laundromat. However, a bad decision made by Jean’s troublesome brother, Jacques, causes Jean to be wrongly accused of being the lover of a German officer. Jean is then forced into a Nazi labor camp.

A Love To Hide is one of those rare films that depict homosexual deportation during World War II.

We will be screening the film Tuesday, September 20th, at 7:30 PM at the Synagogue. Admission is free for all.

Remember your membership includes High Holiday tickets. Click Here for all the information and to get your tickets in plenty of time.

Read the Article Here

Join us! -  at our Friday evening Shabbat service, June 17, at 8:00 PM, at the Synagogue: 1881 NE 26th St., Suite 100, Wilton Manors, FL 33305 (954 564-9232).  Rabbi Noah Kitty will lead the service and present the derasha, with Jerry Berkowitz as our hazzan.

More and more these days, opinions vary as to the necessity and relevance of maintaining a distinctly LGBT synagogue presence.  Proponents of both sides sometimes vociferously air their views:  When Etz Chaim was first established, LGBT members were not welcomed in synagogues and a separate organization was the only way to openly participate and celebrate one’s Judaism.  Today, many years later, attitudes have changed and many synagogues either welcome and/or seek out LGBT members.  It is thus no longer necessary to keep our distance from the mainstream, and separation keeps us from realizing full integration and acceptance in society.  The contrary opinion asserts that while times have changed, and attitudes toward LGBT individuals have improved to varying degrees, the ideal of full acceptance is still a fantasy.  Individual and regional hatred of gays is still very much present, and in environments of resurgent ultra conservatism and religious fundamentalism, at home and abroad, homophobia and related bigotries may actually be on the rise again.

The WLRN radio series, Under the Sun, recently featured one individual’s tale of shattered perceptions of LGBT acceptance in daily life in South Florida. The story is lighthearted yet poignant and serious. Read it here:

http://wlrnunderthesun.org/2011/05/welcome-to-miami/

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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

The story of America’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community is the story of our fathers and sons, our mothers and daughters, and our friends and neighbors who continue the task of making our country a more perfect Union. It is a story about the struggle to realize the great American promise that all people can live with dignity and fairness under the law. Each June, we commemorate the courageous individuals who have fought to achieve this promise for LGBT Americans, and we rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Since taking office, my Administration has made significant progress towards achieving equality for LGBT Americans. Last December, I was proud to sign the repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. With this repeal, gay and lesbian Americans will be able to serve openly in our Armed Forces for the first time in our Nation’s history. Our national security will be strengthened and the heroic contributions these Americans make to our military, and have made throughout our history, will be fully recognized.

My Administration has also taken steps to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans in Federal housing programs and to give LGBT Americans the right to visit their loved ones in the hospital. We have made clear through executive branch nondiscrimination policies that discrimination on the basis of gender identity in the Federal workplace will not be tolerated. I have continued to nominate and appoint highly qualified, openly LGBT individuals to executive branch and judicial positions. Because we recognize that LGBT rights are human rights, my Administration stands with advocates of equality around the world in leading the fight against pernicious laws targeting LGBT persons and malicious attempts to exclude LGBT organizations from full participation in the international system. We led a global campaign to ensure “sexual orientation” was included in the United Nations resolution on extrajudicial execution — the only United Nations resolution that specifically mentions LGBT people — to send the unequivocal message that no matter where it occurs, state-sanctioned killing of gays and lesbians is indefensible. No one should be harmed because of who they are or who they love, and my Administration has mobilized unprecedented public commitments from countries around the world to join in the fight against hate and homophobia.

At home, we are working to address and eliminate violence against LGBT individuals through our enforcement and implementation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We are also working to reduce the threat of bullying against young people, including LGBT youth. My Administration is actively engaged with educators and community leaders across America to reduce violence and discrimination in schools. To help dispel the myth that bullying is a harmless or inevitable part of growing up, the First Lady and I hosted the first White House Conference on Bullying Prevention in March. Many senior Administration officials have also joined me in reaching out to LGBT youth who have been bullied by recording “It Gets Better” video messages to assure them they are not alone.

This month also marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which has had a profound impact on the LGBT community. Though we have made strides in combating this devastating disease, more work remains to be done, and I am committed to expanding access to HIV/AIDS prevention and care. Last year, I announced the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. This strategy focuses on combinations of evidence-based approaches to decrease new HIV infections in high risk communities, improve care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce health disparities. My Administration also increased domestic HIV/AIDS funding to support the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and HIV prevention, and to invest in HIV/AIDS-related research. However, government cannot take on this disease alone. This landmark anniversary is an opportunity for the LGBT community and allies to recommit to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS and continuing the fight against this deadly pandemic.

Every generation of Americans has brought our Nation closer to fulfilling its promise of equality. While progress has taken time, our achievements in advancing the rights of LGBT Americans remind us that history is on our side, and that the American people will never stop striving toward liberty and justice for all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2011 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to eliminate prejudice everywhere it exists, and to celebrate the great diversity of the American people.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

Wed., July 27, 7:30 – 8:30 PM, at the Synagogue. Led by Naomi Siegel, an experienced meditator. You’ll come, you’ll sit, you’ll feel better! … and, it’s FREE!  If you attended earlier sessions, join us for this one.  If you have yet to attend, here’s another chance for you to do so.

At the time we first joined the Union, membership to any other branch of Judaism was closed to us because of our LGBT status. It was a different time and a different place. We are honored to have been trailblazers in the movement and we are appreciative that the leadership of the Reform movement let us join. I am sure some of their members at the time were not happy with openly gay and lesbian Jews being part of their movement.

But at CEC, many members were not really connected to Reform Judaism. Many grew up in Conservative or even Orthodox
households and went to a very traditional type of Hebrew and religious schools. For them joining a Reform synagogue was foreign and not their first choice. But because CEC was (and is) primarily an LGBT “family” it felt right for them regardless of which denomination the synagogue as a whole belonged.

Over the years CEC outgrew the attachment and need to belong to any one national Jewish movement. Also the annual cost of dues to the Union were quite high, about $10,000 per year. As our finances dipped over the last 3 to 4 years it became clear that
regardless of our past  history with the Union, we could not afford to continue. Additionally many people on our Board of
Directors felt that we were short changing ourselves by belonging to any one movement, as the Jewish LGBTQ members came from so many “stripes” of the Jewish rainbow. In 2007, your elected Board told the URJ that we could not pay our bills anymore and they could take us off their list of members if they wanted. They kept us on their membership list, and they continued to charge us the membership fee; as of today they claim we owe them over $33,000.

As our restructuring phase at CEC continues, your Board will continue to discuss this issue
internally, and bring up for a vote with our entire membership what the final outcome should be going forward. Of course the outcome involves a
financial as well as a spiritual discussion. As a congregation, we are an amalgam of religious
backgrounds and as such we need to welcome everyone into our tent, not just those whoidentify as members of one denomination over another.
In closing, we are proud of our long relationship with Reform
Judaism, and our past affiliation with the BART Shabbat program (Broward Area Reform Temples). While in the past several of our members attended this special service, we always held our own regular Shabbat service on that night for those who did not care to attend BART. As a sign of our members’ interest, less than a handful of us attended the BART service this past year. I invite feedback on this issue. Please email your thoughts to: congregation@etz-chaim.com and use the subject line: Reform Judaism.  Thank you!
- David Yalen, President of Congregation Etz Chaim