Rabbi's Message

Temple Sisterhood Shalom Tifereth Israel,

     LOTS OF IMPORANT ANNCOUNCEMENTS, SO PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY, thank you:

It is absolutely astonishing to fathom how lucky we were only a few weeks ago, as we gathered to celebrate Purim. Today, our lives have changed completely, and perhaps forever. Covid-19 has no doubt upended our lives. The news can be sobering and terrifying, and while it’s vitally important to listen to good, credible news agencies, adhere to the public health warnings about strictly socially distancing ourselves and aintain good hand-washing hygiene, as well as to our local leaders who have brilliantly guided us so far through this crisis, I want to focus on the beautiful strength of our community. I find myself overwhelmed with tears of appreciation for all our health care workers, angels of G-d, who risk their lives every day in fighting this virus, in addition to the more common emergencies which we frequently overlook. Also, I want to thank other essential personnel that come to mind: our sanitation department (When was the last time we thought about our trash pickup crew!?!?) supermarket clerks, police officers, fire fighters, public transit operators, school teachers, the everyday VOLUNTEERS, and everyone else who is often over-worked, underpaid, and rarely appreciated. This is a time of sorrow, but it can also be a time of gratitude. I am thinking of and thankful for how good we have it in society where we might not always share the same values, but we definitely share the same sense of responsibility in taking care of one another.

As the festival of Passover approaches, The NSRCA (North Shore Rabbis and Cantors Association) would like to let you know about our community plans for holiday observances and resources in this difficult time. It is painful to have to alter our time-honored and beloved traditions, but the value of “Pikuach Nefesh” - preservation of human life -- is paramount in Judaism. The Talmudic dictum: “One who saves a single life is to be credited with saving the world”; supports the directive of the responsible authorities that we limit the size of our home gatherings and to protect all our dear ones and friends until the crisis has passed. Like our ancestors in Egypt, who shielded themselves from the plague by placing the blood of the sacrifice over their doors, so do we ward off infection by observing the Seder in our own homes with only our immediate families present. Passover is the ultimate festival of innovation in a time of turmoil. The first Passover in the time of the Exodus was planned and executed in haste. So, this year we follow that Biblical example by quickly adapting to new circumstances. This year our congregational seders will be held through the medium of online streaming.

This year, Temple Tifereth of Winthrop will host an online streaming seder on the second night of Passover; Thursday, April 9th at 6:30pm, which I will lead. We will provide a special Haggadah for you to follow as we conduct our seder. When the time comes for us to eat our Passover meal, we will pause the cameras, mute our audio, and continue our own private meal at our own tables. Then at the appointed time, (approximately 45 minutes after we take the break) we will then join back together on video to complete our seder. Please join us on Zoom: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/567270193 on April 9th, 2020 at 6:30. The online Haggadah we will be using is everyone’s instant favorite: The 30 Minute Haggadah: file:///C:/Users/Dewi/Downloads/30ms_Side_by_Side_Version%20(1).pdf and the password to open the Haggadah file is: w33e42.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT ORDERING A PREPARED KOSHER PASSOVER MEAL

     Several local Jewish restaurants and delis have indicated that they are able to supply a Passover meal to those who order in advance. Larry Levine’s Kosher Meats and Deli will prepare the meal for parking lot pickup on April 8th. Please note that if you are planning to order food for the second seder you would still need to pick it up on the 8th before the Yom Tov begins. For those who are unable to pick up the food themselves, we may have volunteers who can help if possible. THE DEADLINE for ordering your Passover meal at Larry Levine’s Kosher Meats and Deli has been extended to Wednesday April 1, 2020.

While I know that some of us don’t have access to a computer or smart phone, please feel free to reach out to me, and we can brainstorm some creative suggestions such as speaker phone or other potential solutions. My only concern is that we have an enjoyable, meaningful, and healthy/socially responsible seder. As always, I am available for zoom video chats, facetime, phone calls, and emails. I will continue reaching out to the best of my ability, but please, feel free to let me know as well. We are a strong people who are very lucky to live in such a loving and caring community. Together we will get through this!

Chag Samaech, and Next year in Jerusalem!!!

Student Rabbi David Joslin
benyisraeldavid@gmail.com



Places in Israel - The Haganah Museum

     The Haganah Museum is located in Tel-Aviv at 23 Rothschild Boulevard in the house once owned by Eliyahu Golomb, one of the founders of the Haganah. The museum is on the opposite side of Rothschild Boulevard from Independence Hall and less than a block away. The house served as the Haganah’s main headquarters, with secret meetings held there. Besides telling the history of the underground organization, the museum displays an impressive collection of weapons, documents and photographs from the Haganah archives.

     Golomb's residential room and office on the ground floor, as well as the exterior of the house, have been fully preserved. Around them were built 3 floors of exhibits that depict the story of the establishment of the Jewish Yishuv during the British Mandate and the story of the Haganah that defended the Jewish Yishuv. The Yishuv (Hebrew: literally "settlement") is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine, before the establishment of the State of Israel.

NOTE: Up until Arab propagandists usurped the term, all people living in what became the British mandate of Palestine were known as and identified as Palestinians. This included Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Christians and anyone else living there. The terms Palestine and Palestinians originated when the area was under the control of the Romans during the 1st century C.E. and have nothing to do with the Arabs who came to Palestine some 2,000 years later.

     The main exhibition in the Haganah Museum is arranged according to thirty subjects, tracing Israel’s defense history from 1878, when the first "shomrim" or watchmen were organized to protect the early settlers, through the Haganah’s establishment in June 1920, the quelling of disturbances in the 1920’s and 30’s, and the struggle against the British authorities up to the War of Independence in 1947-48.

     There is a 20-minute video on the history of the Haganah followed by a guided tour. The exhibits consisted of photos, audio-visual presentations, weapons, models, reconstructions and dioramas. The museum is not large and can be toured in an hour. A visit to the Haganah Museum can easily be combined with a visit to Israel’s Independence Hall across the street.

     The Haganah Museum is open Sunday through Thursday, from 8 AM to 4PM. The entrance fee for adults is about $4.

     Shown below are photos taken at the Haganah Museum.

Haganah Museum

Haganah Museum


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