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Dear members, friends and supporters,
Looking back at the last month of March, colorful scenes of happy and light-hearted Purim fun come to mind. Our sanctuary was filled with fantastic costumes as we joined together with our rabbi Irit Shillor to hear the recall the biblical story of Esther. Thanks to the tri-lingual Megilla Esther (Book of Esther) prepared by our rabbi, we read and heard the Megilla in Hebrew, German and Russian. Everyone had a turn to read in their mother tongue. Applause filled the room each time Esther’s name was heard and noise-makers, whistles and foot stomping drowned out evil Haman’s name each time it was read. The jovial atmosphere was enjoyed by young and the young at heart.
Polina Pelts’ German class once again treated the congregation to homemade Hamentaschen. The delicious triangular cookies were filled with poppy seeds or plum. The ladies outdid themselves baking hundreds of Purim cookies. Everyone had their fill and there were plenty left over for Schlachmones baskets for the homebound.
The children of our Netzer group, “Young and Jewish Hameln” performed a delightful Purim theater piece. Director and Producer were their teachers, Faina Pelts and Lior Blase.
A day before Purim, our community was filled again for the observance of International Women’s Day. Matvej Dvortsis and his committee had spent many hours of planning and practice preparing for this afternoon in honor of the women of our congregation. The result was a resounding success. The women of our synagogue’s choir, “Shalom,” Faina Pelts, Nadja Pesik, Genrietta Bachmachnikova and Larissa Dvortsis, entertained us with Yiddish and Russian melodies. Matvej Dvortsis, Nadja Pesok and Felix Peres performed sketches, stand-up comedy and quizzes. The program was offered in Russian and even for those who couldn’t understand a word, music and laughter truly are universal. Each woman was presented with a red carnation and the afternoon was rounded off with recitations from Swetlana Banschukova, Wladimir Pesok and Arkadij Zyranov. Thanks to one and all for a lovely afternoon.
The day after Purim was also cause to fill our rooms. We kicked off the second year of programming for an interreligious women’s group. Jewish, Christian and Moslem women meet three times a year in our synagogue, the Lutheran church and the city’s Mosque to get to know each other better and discuss topics of interest. Our rabbi offered a Bible study session on the Book of Esther, examining the text from a feminist point of view. The discussion was lively and interesting, reflecting our similarities and differences over cups of steaming tea and sweet Hamentaschen.
Your Synagogue Board
The newly re-elected synagogue board, Rachel Dohme, president; Polina Pelts, vice-president; Dieter Vogelhuber, treasurer; Matvej Dvortsis, responsible for cultural activities; and Aron Kaplan, responsible for technical organization, are pleased to represent the community. Board members are available every Wednesday morning from 10:00 until 12:00 noon and welcome the opportunity to meet and discuss issues members may have.
We respectfully remind all members to pay their 2009 membership dues.
Please note that Faina Pelts will take a week’s vacation from April 13th to 17th. The office will be open as usual.
Our Internet Presence
Those of you reading this newsletter in English are reading the Internet version. The newsletter is also available in print form in German and Russian for members and supporters here in Germany, and as a PDF you may download here (see the PDF links in the German and Russian versions). Many hours and many hands and heads go into producing this monthly informational newsletter. Keeping us “online” is no small expense for our small community of 90 percent Russian-Jewish immigrants. We recognize the importance of this media tool in connecting and informing others to our congregational efforts and developments. This newsletter has been the most efficient and successful outreach tool in our attempts to network internationally. Many new relationships have been established and built as a result of this newsletter and we are grateful to all involved.
If you would care to help insure that we can stay online, please contact Rachel Dohme. We appreciate any and all support.
Jewish April
Pesach begins this year with sundown on April 8th, the 14th of Nisan, and ends with sundown on Wednesday, April 15th, the 21st of Nisan. Orthodox communities in the Diaspora celebrate the festival one day longer.
Our congregational Seder will be held on Wednesday, April 8th, beginning at 5:00 p.m. Rabbi Irit Shillor will lead with Wladimir Pesok assisting with Russian translation. We will participate in the age-old tradition, set down in our Hagaddot. Using the symbolic items on the Seder plate; the roasted egg, parsley, roasted bone, bitter herbs, sweet charoset, salt water and lots of Matzah, we will retell the story of our ancestors’ exodus from Egyptian slavery to freedom. We never tire of hearing the words of Exodus, chapters 5–15, which recount the more than 3,000-year history of our people. The children will chant “Ma Nishtana,” the Four Questions and search for the Afikomen, the hidden piece of Matzah, which they will ransom off for a gift. Our voices will raise as one as we sing “Dayenu,” a song that praises God’s gifts to us, noting that any one of them would have been enough.
Certainly we are one of the few congregations that doesn’t charge it’s members for religious events. Since our inception in 1997, we have never charged our members for any religious holiday service. We are proud of this tradition and hope to be able to continue it. Please be advised that non-members will be asked to pay a 10 Euro fee for our Seder.
We will untertake a Chametz Putz in our synagogue on Wednesday morning, April 8th, cleansing the kitchen and rooms of anything with leavening for the week of Pesach. Please be aware that only Pesach foods will be allowed in the synagogue during the week.
We wish everyone a sweet Pesach!
We will observe Yom haShoa on Tuesday, April 21st with a short memorial service. The Israeli parlament named the 27th of Nisan the official day of Holocaust remembrance in 1951. Rachel Dohme and Wladimir Pesok will lead the memorial service.
On April 29th we will proudly observe Yom haAtzma’ut, Israeli Independence Day. Dieter Vogelhuber will give a lecture on Israel’s Prime Ministers from 1948 until the present day. Let’s celebrate together.
Pesach
Once again, we are pleased to offer our members Matzah and wine for Pesach at cost. Israeli Matzah costs 4 Euros for a one kilogram package and Manischewitz wine costs 6 Euros per bottle.
Foundation for a Synagogue in Hamelin
We have taken another important step toward realizing our dream of the first newly constructed Reform synagogue in post-war Germany by submitting the building permission forms to the state of Lower Saxony.
Wanted
Our synagogue choir, “Shalom,” needs a pianist. If you know anyone or are interested in the position, please contact the office. Thank you!
Donations — Tzedaka
We are grateful to the many people who continually support our work and our plans to build a new synagogue.
We thank all those individuals, who gave so generously. We thank Mrs. Heidi Braun, Mrs. Irene grach, the Arnovitz, Khan and Dohme families, Mr. Lior Blase, Dr. Gabriele Mertens, Mrs. E. Schlagmann, Mrs. G. Lango, Mr. Benno Simoni and Mr. T. Mavrudis.
We acknowledge the following people, who have made contributions in honor of others:
- In honor of Gertrud Lind, Rachel and Rebekka Dohme for bringing our congregations together, contributed by Temple Brith Kodesh Sisterhood, Rochester, NY.
- In honor of the Catering Committee, contributed by Eva Skholnikova
- In memory of David Saks, contributed by his family.
May all donors be blessed for their generosity.
 Tree of Life — Etz Chayim
Who will contribute the next leaf? Each leaf not only adorns our sanctuary but also helps us raise funds for our synagogue. Order leaves through our office, by contacting Rachel Dohme, or on this Web site. Each leaf costs a minimum of $100 (quadruple chai plus expenses). Please contribute a leaf and help us to build our synagogue!
- Mazel Tov on JGH’s Bat Mitzvah, contributed by the Dohme family
- In memory of Samuel J. Melinkoff, contributed by the Arnovitz, Khan and Dohme families
Mazel Tov — Congratulations
Do you have news which we could include and share in this section? Please let us know.
Thank you —Toda Raba
- We wish to thank our members, Heidi Braun and Peter Wendt, who offered excellent lectures and workshops for our members this past month.
- We are grateful to each and every person and every organization, in Germany and America, for their support of our community.
- We appreciate and thank all community members who helped in making the holidays special.
- We thank Julian Dohme who donated a television set to our congregation.
 April Yahrzeit — We remember:
- Tetjana Khodos — April 4, 1998/ 8 Nisan 5768
- Anna Potzkaja — April 11, 2000 / 6. Nisan 5760
- Evgenia Borischanskaja — April 26, 2004 / 5. Iyar 5764
May their memory be for a blessing. Please join family members during Sabbath services as we recite Kaddish. Yahrzeit candles are available in the office.
Shalom,
—Your Synagogue Board
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