Dear members, friends and supporters,
     Our congregation experienced many exciting moments last month. We continue to grow through our member’s active participation in cultural and religious activities, and we develop a feeling of spiritual pride in seeing a future for what we, in Hameln, have established with our congregation.
     The month of June glittered with special moments, and it does us good to name a few: Our Tikkun haLeila (Night of learning) with Rabbi Shillor was fascinating. We pored over Pirke Avot until Schacharit services the next morning. Our congregational choir “Shalom” treated us all to a beautiful concert in the House of Religion, and the young women of the community had their first meeting with promise of many more to come.

With young and old

     But certainly, the most important event was the establishment of the Foundation Liberal Synagogue Hameln on June 10. (Read the article “Liberal Synagogue Hameln Foundation established” in English in In the News.) The Foundation will aid us in raising money to build and maintain the synagogue building and pay for our spiritual leader.
     Summer has definitely arrived and so we plan to take a little break. Please notice that this newsletter is for both July and August. That being said, there’s still plenty offered outside our normal weekly activities. We’d like to thank our members who provide for each other by offering the following events: Yoga by Emma, German class by Dieter and Polina, Art History by Maya and Larissa, Dance class by Boris, Video evening by Valerij, Judaism class by Volodymr, Torah Study by Rachel, and Religious class by Rebecca. We thank you all — YOU are the congregation!

On August 31 our congregation will host the Southern Moravian Choir in a benefit concert for our synagogue building fund. Dr. Wolfgang Hader will lead the choir in a program of traditional Jewish music from Bohemia. The evening is sure to be a musical highlight and we hope a successful fundraiser! Bring your family and friends!

A rabbi’s work is never done!

Festivals and Holidays
     July 27 is Tisch B’Av. We remember the 1st and 2nd Temple’s destruction on this day. It is traditional to fast as we do on Yom Kippur. In some communities the 9th of Av is also a memorial day for those lost in the Holocaust.

Foundation
     Thursday, the 10th of June was a historic evening. The Foundation Liberal Synagogue Hameln was established with 22 founders, comprised of congregants and local Hameln citizens. The by-laws were read and signed, and a new chapter of Hameln Jewish history was written. The congregation voted unanimously to give the land in the Buerenstrasse to the Foundation. The congregation is aware of the awesome symbolism that the building of the synagogue will represent. The German Jewish Liberal tradition, represented in two-thirds of all German synagogues before the war, will be re-established with this new synagogue.

We thank the Founders: Mrs.Rachel Dohme Dr. Ferdinand Dohme Mr. Max Dohme Mrs. Helene Dohme “Netzwerk Bünde” Christina Whitelaw Mr. Späth Mr. and Mrs. Scheunpflug Mr. and Mrs. Spangenberger Mr. Lippold von Klenke Dr. Jürgen Lohmann Mr. Werner Stapp		Mrs. Monika Cramer Mrs. Renate Cramer Mr. Heinz Schmidt Mr. Hans-Peter Thul Mr. Volker Brockmann Mr. Eike Kerstein, Dr. med. Friedrich Lücke Mrs. Christa Bruns Mrs. Gabriele Lösekrug-Möller Mrs. Brigitte Schulte Mr. Volodymr Pesok
Board of Directors: Mrs. Rachel Dohme, Mr. Dieter Vogelhuber and Dr. Felix Peres. MAZEL TOV!

We’re on TV and on the Radio
     Our congregation was highlighted in the film Storybook Germany: The City of Hameln on June 23 on German Channel 1. Thank you to filmmaker Anne Worst. A video cassette is available in our library. Radio station FFN reported about the local high school students’ model synagogue project on June 6 (see June 2004 newsletter). A cassette is available in our library.

At the House of Religion: Rabbi Shillor and Pastor Neumann

Young Women’s Group
     The first of hopefully many meetings of the young women of our congregation was organized by Rebecca Brückner and Claudia Fischer. It was a great kick-off, and we look forward to the women’s next meeting. The future of the community lies in the hands of the young generation!

Annual Conference of the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany
     The annual conference of the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany will be held once again in our nation’s capitol. It’s always an exciting event, and we lookn forward to fpur days of learning, socializing, and spirituality. Eleven members are attending this year — a record! A full report in our September newsletter will follow.

UPJ Summer Camp
     The Union of Progressive Jews of Germany is hosting it’s annual summer camp for children and youth from ages of 8 to 17 between July 29 and August 8. Camp will be held in Denmark this year, and we wish all our congregation’s youngsters a fantastic time.

Talks between the Central Council of Jews of Germany and the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany
     There have been constant and intense talks between the two organizations, and a breakthrough is in sight. We expect the Central Council to include our organization and congregations in projects, programs, and funding provided by the German government for all Jewish communities in Germany, regardless of their affiliation. Keep informed by referring to the UPJ Web site at www.liberale-juden.de.

Rabbi Shillor
     Thanks to the generousity of the European Region of the WUPJ, Rabbi Shillor will be able to continue serving our congregation next year. She will spend two days a month with us as of October. We are grateful to the ER/WUPJ for this support. We look forward to the continued spiritual growth Rabbi Shillor provides our congregation with.

After services

Goodbye Yuri…hello Alina
     In June we had to say goodbye to rabbinical student Yuri Kadnikov. We wish him all the best in his future studies. Starting in October rabbinical student Alina Tregher will spend one weekend a month with us. We look forward to a joint learning experience.

Todah Rabah — Thank You
     Thank you to all our members and friends who use the Tzedaka boxes Rabbi Jo David from the “Jewish Appleseed Foundation” (jewishappleseed.org) created to collect money for our synagogue building fund.

Mazel Tov — Congratulations

• Mazel Tov to our sister congregation in Göttingen on the opening of their new Community Center on July 4. Kol HaKavod!
  
• Mazel Tov to Julian David Dohme on his Bar Mitzvah on August 14.
  
• Congratulations to our long-time friend, Bernd Gelderblom, on his newest book, The Hunger was the Worst, ISBN 3-931656-66-7, Jörg Mitzkat Publishers.

Contributions
     We wish to thank the following for their generous contributions to the community and/or the synagogue building fund:

• Mrs. Myrta Sparkes, California
• Congregation Beth Tikvah, Pennsylvania
• “Netzwerk Bünde”
• Rebekka Dohme, who donated money earned at Beth Tikvah Congregation

May you all be blessed for your generousity.

Tree of Life
     Two new “leaves” grace our Tree of Life and our sanctuary. They were donated by: “Boston Stammtisch,” In Memory of Minna and Heinrich Hundertpfund; and by Mark Schwartz, In Honor of Rabbi Fitzermann’s 50th birthday
     Do you have a special event or person you’d like to honor? The High Holy Days are the perfect time to remember someone with a leaf on our tree of Life. Each leaf costs $50, and you can use our secure server and order online. Just click Tree of Life. Remember, the money raised goes to our synagogue building fund.

Birthdays in July and August
     Happy birthday to all our members enjoying July and August birthdays. A birthday Kiddush will be held on July 23 after services. Please join us.

Refuah Schlama — Get Well Wishes
     Get well wishes to all those ill at home or in the hospital. Please call the office if you would like a visit or if you are interested in visiting someone. Remember, it is a Mitzvah — “Bikur Cholim” to visit the ill and cheer them up.

Jahrzeit
     In July we remember Nataliya Zaychenko — July 1, 2003/ 1. Tammuz 5763. We will remember her in our prayers.

Shalom!
     — Your board

Program for July and August 2004; Tammus–Av–Elul

July 2     Congregational outing to Jewish Congregation of Bielefeld
July 7     “Rabbi’s Table”
           Bnei Mitzvah class
July 9     Friday night services
July 13    Video evening
July 23    Friday night services
July 24    Torah Study class
July 25    Basic Judaism in Russian
July 26    History lecture in Russian
July 15–July 18
           National conference of the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany
July 29–August 8
           UPJ Summer camp 
August 14  Julian David Dohme’s Bar Mitzvah
August 15  Basic Judaism in Russian
August 31  Benefit concert for our Synagogue:  “Southern Moravian Choir” 
           sings traditional music from Bohemia  

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