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Dear members, friends and supporters,
With summer upon us, we're sending out a double newsletter this month. Many of us are on vacation during the summer months—still congregational life goes on. Let's use the summer months to refresh and rejuvenate ourselves with newly charged energy for all that lies ahead.
June was a busy month in our congregation. Many new and fascinating events took place.
We thank Rabbi Irit Shillor for a fascinating Tikun Leyl Shavuot. Eighteen members joined us for this wonderful evening of Jewish study. Although our congregation is quite different from our pre-war congregational predecessors, it fills us with pride to know that we are carrying on the religious traditions of those who came before us. Sixty years later, the Jewish Congregation of Hameln once again celebrated Shavuot by studying Torah texts through the night.
Not only our traditions but also our history connects our congregation with the congregation that existed in Hameln until 1938. We were honored to have Mr. Gabriel Goldschmidt visit our community. He was a guest of the city of Hameln and the Society for Christians and Jews. Mr. Goldschmidt has visited his old hometown many times before and has always attended services with us. This time, besides attending Friday night services, he led the Sabbath morning Torah service and was our special guest during the week as community members and guests heard the story of his incredible life. Mr. Spangenberger led the discussion. Mr. Josef Speckmann visited our congregation on the same day. Mr. Speckmann also lived in Hameln during the war years and worked for a local gardener. He had carried a secret for many years, and he came to us to unburden his soul. When our congregation re-opened the old Jewish cemetery in 1997, we were aware that there had been secret burials during the war years, but we didn't know where these graves were. Mr. Speckmann, who is not Jewish, was the person who secretly buried the beloved Hameln doctor and last president of the Jewish congregation of Hameln, Dr. Sigmund Kratzenstein. It was this 80-year-old man's fervent wish to share this information with us. We are honored that he turned to us, and we have shared this information with the family. They intend to travel to Germany and at that point, we will do everything in our power to help them set a stone.
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Holidays in July and August
We remember the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem on the 9th of Av with special prayers as we pray for the future of the Jewish people. Tisha B' Av begins at sundown on Saturday, August 13, and continues through sundown on Sunday, August 14.
New board member
We are sorry to have to say goodbye to Mr. Dvortsis as our treasurer and board member but respect his wishes to spend more time with his family. We thank him for his excellent work, and are pleased that he will continue to be an active member of our congregation. At a membership meeting on June 19, the congregation thanked Mr. Dvortsis with a gift of appreciation. The congregation unanimously elected Mrs. Berta Fridmann to replace Mr. Dvortsis. We thank Mrs. Fridman for taking on this responsibility and look forward to working with her.
Music and Word
The summer series “Music and Word” will be presented at the Muenster Church on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 from June 29 until August 24. Our congregation has been asked once again to participate. Our evening will be on July 6 when Rabbi Shillor, Rachel and Rebekka Dohme will meet together with Mr. and Mrs. Spangenberger for an evening of spiritual texts and liturgy. The theme of our evening is “When your children ask you” (Deuteronomy 6, verse 20). Join us for this very special evening.
Rabbi Irit Shillor
Rabbi Shillor will lead services on Friday night, the 8th of July, for the last time this Jewish year. Further services in July and August will be led by congregational members.
Hameln Cultural Festival
“Meander,” Hameln's Cultural Festival will be held on July 9 in the Old City. Our congregation will have an information booth. We will use this opportunity to inform the public about our congregation, Reform Judaism and, of course, our synagogue-building project. Rebekka Dohme will represent our congregation and will perform a short program of Hebrew music.
Rachel in Moscow
Congregational president Rachel Dohme will take part in the 32nd International Conference of the World Union of Progressive Judaism to be held in Moscow, Russia, from June 29 to July 5. She will take part in a podium discussion and inform conference participants about leading a congregation in Germany with a majority of Russian-speaking members. She will share her experiences with members after Friday night services on July 8.
UPJ Conference
The 11th annual conference of the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany will be held in Berlin July 14–17. This year seven members will be attending. Those attending will give a short report after Friday night services on August 19.
Jewish Education
The children's religious class will meet for the last time before summer vacation on July 4. Class for the little ones will resume in September. Hebrew classes for adults and children will resume in August after a one-month break in July. Check the calendar of events.
Contributions
We thank all those who help and support our congregational work and our dream to build our own synagogue. Our sincere thanks to Mr. Dieter Vogelhuber for a contribution to the general fund, and to Mrs. Feana Engler and Mr. Robert Wander for generous contributions to the synagogue-building fund. May you be blessed for your generosity.
Tree of Life
Please help us raise funds for our beautiful new synagogue, designed by Arnold Oppler. Each leaf purchased brings us a little closer to our goal and beautifies our sanctuary. Use our safe server online. Just click Tree of Life.
The 135th leaf to grace our “tree” was donated by Dr. Jürgen Brosius. The inscription reads:
In memory of Herman Michaelis and Hana Michaelis, nee Goresmann. Berlin-Auschwitz January 12, 1943.
Todah Rabah — Thank You
Our beautiful, new synagogue fundraising brochure has been printed in both German and English, and we intend to begin fundraising on both sides of the Atlantic. We thank the graphic artist firm bme, Hannover and the synagogue task force members for all their hard work. We also thank CVN Press for printing the brochure. For more information, click “New Synagogue” on our Web site's homepage.
We also thank all our members who helped make all our June events so successful, especially Shavuot. Dieter's midnight Tikun leyl Shavuot soup was especially delicious.
Mazel Tov
Mazel Tov to the Weichselbaum family on the birth of their beautiful, healthy baby girl. May she grow in the light of Torah.
Birthdays in July and August
Happy birthday to all our members who have July and August birthdays. We'll celebrate with a birthday Kiddush on July 22 and August 19. See you there!
Refuah Schlama — Get Well Wishes
Get well wishes go out to all who are ill at home or in the hospital. Give Mrs. Eva Shkolnikova a call if you'd like a home visit.
Yahrzeit
We remember: Nataliya Zaychenko — July 1, 2003/ 1. Tammuz 5763
May her memory be for a blessing. Yahrzeit dates for your loved ones and Yahrzeit candles are available in the office.
Shalom,
—Your Synagogue Board
Program for July–August 2005; Sivan–Tamuz–Av 5765
July 4 3:00 p.m. Children's religious class
July 7 6:00 p.m. “Music and Word” in the Muenster Church
With Rabbi Shillor, Rachel and Rebekka Dohme
July 7 11:00 a.m. “Rabbi's Table”
3:00 p.m. B'nei Mitzvah class
July 8 3:00 p.m. Conversion class
5:00 p.m. Friday night services
July 9 11:30 a.m. Hameln's Cultural Festival
Congregational info booth and Jewish music (Rebekka
Dohme) booth: Old City/music, Muenster Church
July 14–17 Berlin: 11th Annual Conference of the
Union of Progressive Jews of Germany
July 17 2:00 p.m. Judaism class in Russian with V.Pesok
July 22 5:00 p.m. Friday night services with R. Dohme and V. Pesok
July 24 10:00 a.m. Conversion class with D. Vogelhuber
August 5 5:00 p.m. Friday night services with D.Vogelhuber and V. Pesok
August 11 3:00 p.m. Hebrew class for adults with O. Kenig
4:00 p.m. B'nei Mitzvah class with O. Kenig
August 14 10:00 a.m. Conversion class with D. Vogelhuber
August 16 4:00 p.m. Video : “Barak” in Russian
August 19 5:00 p.m. Friday night services with R.Dohme and V. Pesok
August 21 2:00 p.m. Judaism class in Russian with V. Pesok
August 25 3:00 p.m. Hebrew for adults with O.Kenig
4:00 p.m. B'nei Mitzvah class with O.Kenig
August 31 7:00 p.m. “Weser Talk” podium discussion about right-wing fascism,
with R. Dohme and other guests in the Sumpfblume
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