Dear members, friends and supporters,
We welcome everyone back after a long and hot summer. Our congregation remained open all summer long and many enjoyed a variety activities and services with us. In this month, we look back before we look ahead and so, wish to recap a few highlights of the summer months.
Our congregation was invited for the third year to participate in the Lutheran church’s series, “Music and Words.” Our young cantor, Rebekka Dohme, sang liturgy from Louis Lewandowski, and Christa Bruns read passages from Lessing’s Nathan the Wise to a full and appreciative church. It is important that our community is a visible and viable element in our city’s social and religious landscape. A few weeks later, a contingency of nine members took part in this year’s annual conference of the Union of Progressive Jews of Germany in Berlin. It was the best-attended conference to date with over 180 Reform Jews from Germany, USA and Israel, meeting for four days of learning, prayer and socializing. As July drew to a close, the congregation had to say goodbye to our cantor, Rebekka. At a final service, Rebekka was showered with gifts and love in recognition of her years of service to the community. Everyone wished her well as she goes off to New York to study. We look forward to her visits home, perhaps for our Chanukka service! August’s heat found many of our children enjoying ten days of Jewish fun and learning at this year’s Summer Machene (camp) in Italy. These camp experiences are so important for strengthening
their Jewish identity. Finally, we remember that many members collected money to send to Israeli families suffering from the terror attacks there. We will continue to do our best to support our fellow Jews in need.
The new Jewish year 5767 begins in September. Rosh HaShana and the High Holy Days are the most important days of the year for Jews everywhere in the world. We join with them in observing these “Days of Awe” in our synagogue. We hope that everyone will join us for services. As this newsletter goes to print, it is still unclear whether we will have outside rabbinical assistance for the holidays. Members Rachel, Faina and Susanne have worked hard on preparing the services and our thanks go out to them.
We wish all our members and friends a happy, healthy, prosperous and peaceful 5767! “Leschana Towa Tikatewu”
High Holy Days in Hamelin
We are pleased to announce that HUC rabbinical student Joseph Skloot will lead High Holy Day services in our congregation. We wish to thank Rabbi Joel Oseran from the Jerusalem office of the WUPJ who helped make the connections for us. Joseph has led High Holy Day services in the past and spent last Pesach in Russia leading Seder for Reform congregations there. Music is a special interest and he plans to offer evening seminar sessions in High Holy Day music while with us. Service schedules are in our program, but here’s a quick overview:
September 22 5 p.m. Erev Rosh Hashanah services
September 23 10 a.m Rosh Hashanah services
September 29 5 p.m. Friday night services
September 30 10 a.m. Saturday morning services
October 1 6 p.m. Kol Nidre services
October 2 10 a.m. Yom Kippur services
5 p.m. Yiskor and Ne’ila services
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JTA
Our community has been fortunate to have been highlighted in a JTA cover story entitled “The Yanks are Coming: Expatriates cultivate progressive Judaism in E.U.” Our thanks go out to JTA correspondent Dinah Spritzer, who penned this positive article about our congregation. Ms. Spritzer visited our congregation last March as part of a delegation of the WUPJ Biennial conference in Hanover. This article will be available to read online and will be distributed to our members. To read this and other articles by Dinah Spritzer, go to this page at the JTA Web site. We are grateful to Ms. Spritzer and JTA for their interest in our congregation and hope that such publicity will help us raise funds necessary for our synagogue project.
Rabbi Shillor’s September Visit
We happily begin the New Year with a visit from our rabbi. We are grateful that her work with and for us can continue. We thank the European Region of the WUPJ for the grant that helps make her visits possible.
Rabbi Shillor’s visit encompasses September 7 and 8, and we’ve filled these two days with as much as possible. Members have the possibility of exchanging ideas with her at “Rabbi’s Table” and a schiur (lecture) dealing with the High Holy Days.
The children will enjoy a lesson with her, and we will all celebrate Friday night services together. Rabbi Shillor will lead us in a special welcoming ceremony for the Wendt family. The Wendts completed their Gijur and are now members of our community and the Jewish People.
Dr. Jeremy Wasser
Thanks to the wonders of Internet, Rachel “met“ Dr. Jeremy Wasser, who had weekends free on a study abroad program through Texas A&M University. Being a cantorial soloist back home came in handy during his visit to our community on three occasions. His beautiful voice enhanced our services and we thank him for his generosity. It was our pleasure to “share” him with two other UPJ communities. We all look forward to his next visit!
Arzenu Germany
As many of you know, our congregation and many of our members are members of Arzenu Germany. Arzenu is the association of Reform Zionists. In Germany there are local chapters in Berlin and Munich as well as the national office. We are pleased to report that Arzenu Germany took part in the World Congress of Zionism in Jerusalem recently and helped represent the Reform point of view. For more information, visit www.arzenu.de.
Mazel Tov
Our mazel tov wishes go out to the first graduating class of Abraham Geiger College in Potsdam. The three new rabbis all have pulpits, and we are proud of them. The Abraham Geiger College is the first post-war rabbinical seminary in Germany. The historic ordination will take place in Dresden on September 13th and 14th. National and international representatives from the Jewish world will join together for this joyous occasion. Our president will represent us there. Our very best wishes to all the rabbis!
We say Mazel Tov to the six Wendts on their Gijur and will celebrate with them on September 8th when Rabbi Shillor welcomes them officially into our congregation. Such a young and active family is a real plus for our community. We look forward to the Malin’s Bat Mitzvah!
We congratulate our sister congregations in Bielefeld and Hanover for the steps they are taking to secure buildings for their future synagogues.
Congratulations to the new national officers of “Young and Jewish Germany,” our UPJ national youth organization. The new officers are Michelle Picirillo (Berlin), Jewgenij Basin (Stuttgart) and Shira Walbe (Hanover).
Contributions for our Congregation and our Synagogue Building Fund
We wish to thank the following people for their generosity: Mrs. Bomhüter, Mr. Krahl, Mrs. Gibas, Patrick Ploschnitski, Rebekka Dohme, I. Rojer, Mrs. Grabowski-Hötscher, Mrs. Deutelmoser and Norbert Baum. A special thank you to Dr. Oleg Rubanov for his contribution.
Tree of Life
Although it’s beginning to look like fall, our tree is still sprouting new leaves. We thank the Women’s Club of the Liberal Jewish Community of Hanover for contributing a leaf. Leaves can be purchased through the safe server online. See “Tree of Life.” Leaves cost a minimum of triple chai—$54. Help us help ourselves with the purchase of leaves!
Thank You — Todah Rabah
We wish to thank the Schuropova family and Mrs.Bomhüter for books for our library. Special thanks to Evgenij Yevdokimov and our board member Aron Kaplan for handiwork in our synagogue. The flooring and new bookcases are a welcome and lovely addition to our rooms. Our congregation has been actively involved in the Hamelin City Museum’s exhibit “Migration.” Our vice president, Polina Pelts, has been instrumental in organizing our members’ personal items for this very important exhibit, and we hope everyone will take time to visit it.
September Birthdays
All those celebrating a September birthday will be recognized after Erev Rosh HaShana services on Friday. September 22, at Kiddush. Celebrate with us.
Refuah Schlama — Get well wishes
Anyone who is ill at home or in the hospital and wishing a visit should please notify the office or Mrs.Berta Friedmann (05151-13204). It is a Mitzvah, “Bikur Cholim,” to visit the ill and comfort them.
Yahrzeit in September — We remember:
Simon Avrus, September 3, 1999/ 22. Elul 5759
May his memory be for a blessing. Please join his family during services as we say Kaddish for him. Yahrzeit candles are available in the office.
Shalom, and to all a Happy New Year 5767!
—Your synagogue board
Program for September 2006 Newsletter • Elul–Tischrei 5766
September 4 12 noon “Judaism — a course in Russian” with V. Pesok
September 7 4:00 p.m. “Young and Jewish Hamelin Jr.”
7:00 p.m. Schiur: “The High Holy Days”
September 8 11:00 a.m. Rabbiner Tisch
5:00 p.m. Friday night services; celebration of new
members’ ceremony, followed by a festive Kiddush
September 11 4:00–6:00 p.m. In cooperation with the Society for Christians
and Jews: “Christians and Jews Speak with each
other“ — an open question and answer session
September 14 2:30 p.m. Citizenship class with D. Vogelhuber
September 21 11.00 a.m. Lecture: “Israel” with D. Vogelhuber
3:00 p.m. “Young and Jewish Ha.m.lin Jr.”
4:00 p.m. B’nei Mitzvah class
5:00 p.m. Hebrew class
High Holy Day Services
September 22 5:00 p.m. Erev Rosh HaShana services
Please bring a vegetarian dish to share!
September 23 10:00 a.m. Rosh HaShana services
September 29 5:00 p.m. Friday night services
September 30 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning services
October 1 6:00 p.m. Erev Yom Kippur Kol Nidre services
October 2 10:00 a.m. Yom Kippur services
5:00 p.m. Yiskor and Ne’ila services
followed by a “Break-the-fast” snack
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