Rabbi's Message

Temple Sisterhood Happy June everyone,

As we enter the beautiful summertime season at Winthrop’s gorgeous beaches, our Jewish lives have settled into a more predictable routine; in-person Shabbat services have returned (occasionally with food!), there are no Jewish holidays on the horizon, vaccines have made masks less and less relevant, and thankfully peace and quiet are being maintained between Israel and Palestine.

Later this month, as we cross into the Hebrew month of Tammuz, we begin a three-week period of mourning that starts on the 17th of Tammuz/June26th. The three weeks of mourning commemorate many historical tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people, most noticeably the destruction of the First and Second Temples. We initiate this period with a minor fast on the 17th of Tammuz and end it with a major fast on Tisha B’Av.

Once again, I would like to take one last opportunity and thank the entire community for all their loving-kindness, words of encouragement, and unwavering support over these last two years. While my internship officially ends at the beginning of June, please know that I live locally and look forward to maintain friendly communication with the community.

Wishing everyone a healthy, happy, and safe summer,

Student Rabbi David Joslin



A Bit of Israel – MadaTech

     Located between Shmaryahu Levin Street and Balfour Street, in the historic Hadar HaCarmel neighborhood of Haifa, is the MadaTech - the Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space. It is Israel’s largest science museum.

     Established in 1983, MadaTech is housed in the historic landmark, "Technion building", located at the heart of a 7 acres green campus. The campus features the Northern Garden, where the palm tree planted by Albert Einstein in 1923 still stands. The Noble Energy Science Park is located on the campus yard and not far from it is the Cinematrix Theater and the laboratory department of MadaTech’s education wing.

     Designed at the turn of the 20th century, by renowned German Jewish architect, Alexander Baerwald, MadaTech was originally home to the country's first academic institution, The Technion, the MIT of Israel.

     Over 400,000 visitors come to MadaTech annually where they can look, feel, explore and enjoy over 20 exhibitions featuring more than 600 hands-on exhibits, and watch 7 Cinematrix multi-sense 3-D movies 362 days a year.

     I visited the Museum in 2010 and enjoyed it immensely The exhibits were totally hands-on. An Israeli-designed and -built Kfir jet fighter aircraft sat in the museum’s courtyard, complete with air-to-air missiles. MadaTech reminded me of a smaller scale, less high-tech Boston Museum of Science, but without much of the crowds.

     An interesting part of my visit to MadaTech was a 30-minute 3-D movie in its Cinematrix Theater. The movie I saw, Odyssey into the Universe focused on the evolution of the solar system, beginning with the Big Bang and culminating in the sun's demise five billion years from now. Cinematrix was the first of its kind in the world - an extraordinary, innovative SMART Theater which engages all senses simultaneously.

     The Cinematrix Theatre provides an amazing experience, engaging four dimensions: Seeing, Hearing, Feeling and Riding; and using Multi-Interactive systems boasting the latest techniques: 3-D film, multi-channel sound system, and smart seats, with built-in ticklers and dual-motion capability - complemented by scent, air flow and water effects. While experiencing the Odyssey into the Universe movie I was subjected me to bouncing seats, flashes of light, bursts of smoke, and even a short spray of water.

     MadaTech is open Monday through Thursday and Saturday.

The Haifa Zoo


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