Flagler Jewish Community Gathers to Celebrate Purim on 75th Anniversary of the Completion of the Death Camp at Dachau!

Flagler Jewish Community Gathers to Celebrate Purim on 75th Anniversary of the Completion of the Death Camp at Dachau!

Flagler County’s Jews will gather at Temple Beth Shalom on Palm Coast’s Wellington Drive on Thursday evening, March 20th to celebrate the events described in the Biblical Book of Esther. On this day of the full moon in March, Jews the world over gather in synagogues to mark the salvation of the Jews from their annihilation planned by the wicked Haman in the fifth pre-Christian century in ancient Persia. An additional dimension comes into play this year as the synchronization of the Jewish lunar-solar calendar with the solar calendar now in more general use, brings Purim to fall on the 75th anniversary of the completion of the construction of the Nazi death camp at Dachau. As is the case some 24 centuries earlier, those who came to destroy Jews and Judaism have been defeated, but not without the payment of a terrible price.

Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination. The story of Purim is told in the Biblical Book of Esther. The heroes of the story are Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman living in Persia, and her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as if she were his daughter. Esther was taken to the house of Ahasuerus, King of Persia, to become part of his harem. King Ahasuerus loved Esther more than his other women and made Esther queen, but the king did not know that Esther was a Jew, because Mordecai told her not to reveal her identity.

The villain of the story is Haman, an arrogant, egotistical advisor to the king. Haman hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, so Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish People. In a speech that is all too familiar to Jews, Haman told the king, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your realm. Their laws are different from those of every other people's, and they do not observe the king's laws; therefore it is not befitting the king to tolerate them." Esther 3:8. The king gave the fate of the Jewish people to Haman, to do as he pleased to them. Haman planned to exterminate all of the Jews.

Mordecai persuaded Esther to speak to the king on behalf of the Jewish people. This was a dangerous thing for Esther to do, because anyone who came into the king's presence without being summoned could be put to death, and she had not been summoned. Esther fasted for three days to prepare herself, then went into the king. He welcomed her. Later, she told him of Haman's plot against her people. The Jewish people were saved, and Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai.

The book of Esther is unusual in that it is the only book of the Bible that does not contain the name of G-d. In fact, it includes virtually no reference to G-d. Mordecai makes a vague reference to the fact that the Jews will be saved by someone else, if not by Esther, but that is the closest the book comes to mentioning G-d. Thus, one important message that can be gained from the story is that G-d often works in ways that are not apparent, in ways that appear to be chance, coincidence or ordinary good luck.

Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of Adar, which is usually in March. The 13th of Adar is the day that Haman chose for the extermination of the Jews, and the day that the Jews battled their enemies for their lives. On the day afterwards, the 14th, they celebrated their survival. In cities that were walled in the time of Joshua, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month, because the book of Esther says that in Shushan (a walled city), deliverance from the massacre was not complete until the next day. The 15th is referred to as Shushan Purim.

The word "Purim" means "lots" and refers to the lottery that Haman used to choose the date for the massacre.

The Purim holiday is preceded by a minor fast, the Fast of Esther, which commemorates Esther's three days of fasting in preparation for her meeting with the king.

The primary commandment related to Purim is to hear the reading of the book of Esther. The book of Esther is commonly known as the Megillah, which means scroll. Although there are five books of Jewish scripture that are properly referred to as megillahs (Esther, Ruth, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), this is the one people usually mean when they speak of The Megillah. It is customary to boo, hiss, stamp feet and rattle gragers (noisemakers) whenever the name of Haman is mentioned in the service. The purpose of this custom is to "blot out the name of Haman."

Dachau was a Nazi German concentration camp, and the first one opened in Germany, located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the medieval town of Dachau, about 16 km (10 miles) northwest of Munich . Completed on March 20, 1933, the camp opened in June and became the first regular concentration camp established by the coalition government of National Socialist (Nazi) NSDAP party Heinrich Himmler, Chief of Police of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners."
Second of Three Pages


Dachau served as a prototype and model for the other Nazi concentration camps that followed. Its basic organization, camp layout as well as the plan for the buildings were developed by Kommandant Theodor Eicke and were applied to all later camps. He had a separate secure camp near the command center, which consisted of living quarters, administration, and army camps. Eicke himself became the chief inspector for all concentration camps, responsible for molding the others according to his model.

In total, over 200,000 prisoners from more than 30 countries were housed in Dachau of which nearly one-third were Jews.. Some 25,613 prisoners are believed to have died in the camp and almost another 10,000 in its subcamps, primarily from disease, malnutrition and suicide. In early 1945, there was a typhus epidemic in the camp followed by an evacuation, in which large numbers of the weaker prisoners died.

Together withthe much larger Auschwitz, Dachau has come to symbolize the Nazi concentration camps to many people. Konzentrationslager (KZ) Dachau holds a significant place in public memory because it was the second camp to be liberated by British or American forces. Therefore, it was one of the first places where the West was exposed to the reality of Nazi brutality through firsthand journalist accounts and through newsreels.

Among the goals of Nazism and the Holocaust that descended upon Europe from 1933 to 1945 was the destruction of the Jews and the event is foreshadowed by the story of Purim and the designs of the wicked Haman. Much is even made of the similarity between the names Hitler, Himmler and the biblical Haman.

But no matter the source of the destructive powers arrayed against the Jews, they remain and will gather in their synagogues, including Temple Beth Shalom of Palm Coast, on the eve of Purim, Thursday evening, March 20th. All are welcome to the celebration at Temple Beth Shalom on March 20th at 7 p.m. Costumes and noisemakers are a traditional part of the festivities. Noisemakers will be provided, costumes are optional. The hourlong service will be followed by traditional refreshements. There is no charge and no advance arrangements need be made.

Ancient Ritual Revived at Palm Coast Temple Beth Shalom

Four times in the Five Books of Moses, in Exodus, twice in the Book of Exodus and twice in the Book of Deuteronomy, the Children of Israel are commanded to bind the words of God “as a sign upon your arm, and they shall be a symbol between your eyes!” The ritual of binding and becoming tightly connected with God is also mentioned in the 23rd chapter of the Gospel According to Matthew.

In some quarters of Judaism, the ritual of binding oneself, each weekday morning, to the words of God through the use of Tefillin, sometimes called Phylacteries, is being lost as Jews assimilate into 21st century America. Tefillin, two black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with biblical verses the arm-tefillin, or shel yad, worn on the upper arm, while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh, is placed above the forehead, serve as a "sign" and "remembrance" that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Participating in an international program organized by the world-wide Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs, Palm Coast’s Temple Beth Shalom Men’s Club led the Flagler congregation in a practice session to encourage adherence to this Biblically-ordained ritual. More than 50 men, women and children assembled in the synagogue’s sanctuary and practice the wrapping and binding, some using Tefillin handed down from parent to child over the course of more than a century.

After viewing an instructional and motivational film, mentors helped each and every participant don the ancient boxes, straps and scrolls that were worn for a 20 minute prayer service. The event was followed by a breakfast for all participants, some as young as 5 years old, others approaching their 90s. All agreed, that beginning one’s day on a note of spirituality and sanctity was akin to having breakfast with God! “It really has had a remarkably positive impact on me, on my behavior and my outlook,” said one participant. His wife added, “This has been a traditionally male-oriented ritual that we have now liberated and taken as our own. What a wonderful way to educate and set an example for our own daughters and granddaughters!”

Tu B'Shvat Plantings Beautify Synagogue

During the discussion on the importance of Tu B'Shvat with the students of the Temple Beth Shalom Religious School, young people spoke of how painfully aware they are of the issues relating to global warming. In the next few years, the United States will make, or fail to make, critical decisions regarding global warming pollution and clean technology investments. These decisions will have far-reaching and irreversible impacts on the lives of today’s students and the lives of their children. At this moment in time.

Students were asked to calculate, by inspecting nearby vacant lots and counting the trees and shrubs, how many such plants were destroyed to create their homes and yards. Realizing that they had a lot of work to make up for the loss, the students, in honor of Tu B'Shvat, began a process of planting shrubs, bushes and trees around the Temple Beth Shalom synagogue both for beauty and to reduce the amount of carbon while increasing the oxygen in our atmosphere.

The effort is part of the hands on philosophy of Temple Beth Shalom's Religious school that takes learning from the classroom into the surrounding world, making ancient customs and traditions relevant and meaningful to young Americans in the 21st century.

Temple Beth Shalom’s Modern Tu Bishvat Seder Draws on Elements of its Mystical Predecessor.

There is no set liturgy for the modern Tu Bishvat seder such as that created at Temple Beth Shalom during the celebration of the New Year for Trees. This is a ritual that is still in flux. The ritual chosen by Education Director Robyn Shapiro focuses on ecology, Israel, family activities. The texts for the seder may quote from different Jewish books in addition to the Bible. The common elements are the drinking of four cups of wine and the eating of different fruits. While these customs go back to the mystical Tu Bishvat seder, the elements have been interpreted differently in the Temple Beth Shalom celebrations for teens, for middle schoolers and for primary students.

The seder presented was developed by the staff of Babaganooz, a newspaper magazine for young Jewish students, that is a model of a modern liberal seder, and different communities, especially traditionalist ones, use alternate versions. For example, other sedarim (the plural of seder) include the Shehecheyanu, a blessing that thanks God for the ability to celebrate the joyous occasion. This blessing would be done when eating a new fruit of the season. The Shehecheyanu at the beginning of the seder would link the ceremony to the kabbalist seder and its message of rebirth and time change. One could add a concluding reading, blessing, or a portion of the Hallel (Psalms of praise). Between the different sections of the seder, it is possible to include readings associated with Israel, fruit, and trees from both traditional and modern sources. Many sedarim include songs associated with these topics.

The table was set up as for Passover: white or other nice tablecloth, good dishes, flowers, wine, and juice. There is no requirement to light candles, but scented candles add a nice touch and a festive glow. One person led the seder, reciting each reading and making the blessings, while everyone took turns reading the interpretations. The directions concerning which fruit to locate and the mix of the wines were read aloud. As each piece of fruit and each cup of wine is being considered and blessed, that object is held by the reader. After each blessing, the participants tasted the fruit or sipped the wine

Temple Beth Shalom Adopts a Road

City of Palm Coast's John Harney Installs Sign Indicating

Temple Beth Shalom's Adopt A Road

The Palm Coast Adopt-A-Road program is a litter reduction campaign designed to remove liter and debris from city thoroughfares and improve the quality of the local and regional environments. The program has established a partnership between the City of Palm Coast and Temple Beth Shalom to keep a mile of Pine Lakes Parkway free of litter, attractive and environmentally sound. Temple Beth Shalom, representing the Jewish community of the area has welcomed the opportunity to contribute to community beautification and earn recognition for a job well done.

Beth Shalom has an important interest in saving taxpayer dollars, raising public awareness of the costs of littering, improving the environment, promoting civic responsibility and pride and providing assistance to the governmental agencies responsible for litter clean up. Every day, the City of Palm Coast strives to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of residents and business in our community while respecting and appreciating the environment. Keeping local roads free of garbage and debris is one of many ways a house of worship can contribute to the shared vision of creating a healthy community.

It is well understood that garbage and debris or roadside litter is unappealing to the eye for residents, motorists, guests, visitors and tourists as well as harmful to the environment, obscuring Palm Coast’s natural beauty. Roadside litter can be harmful to animals that consume it, plug or block water drainage systems and present safety concerns for both drivers and pedestrians.

Palm Coast Transitions Explained by Mayor Netts at February 10th Temple Breakfast

In just the past 90 days, five Palm Coast city officials have assumed new offices, Vice-Mayor Alan Peterson, re-elected City Council Member Mary DiStefano and two new Council Members, Holsey Moorman and Frank Meeker as well as Mayor Jon Netts who will be the guest speaker at a Temple Beth Shalom Men’s Club Breakfast open to the public on February 10^th at 10 a.m. at the congregation’s Wellington Drive synagogue. All are welcome, advance reservations are encouraged but not required. The event includes a sumptuous breakfast for $10 each adult while there is no charge forchildren under the age of 18.

Mayor Jon Netts serves as a Director of the Palm Coast Historical Society; as a Director of Enterprise Flagler, and on the Executive Board of Flagler Habitat for Humanity. He has served as Chairman of the Flagler County's "Citizen Advisory Committee on School Impact Fees" and on the "Flagler County Blue Ribbon Landfill Advisory Committee." He is a graduate of "Leadership Flagler." In November, 2006 Mr. Netts was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council.

The Men’s Club of Temple Beth Shalom has been established to serve the Palm Coast community, enrich the spiritual life of neighbors both near and far. The Men’s Club seeks to create a sense of fellowship and warmth among people of all ages. The Men’s Club of Temple Beth Shalom enjoys the fellowship and kinship that derive from a variety of activities such as celebrating holidays together, laughing together and studying together. Members have found a home away from home where friendly people are always eager and willing to help couples, single parent families, senior adults, interfaith marrieds and newcomers to our community. The Men’s Club makes Temple Beth Shalom, the center of Jewish life in Flagler County, a place where everyone counts!

Yad B'Yad Teens Celebrate Chanukah at Shapiro Home

As the move to use the synagogue as the setting for more and more Jewish rituals gains momentum, the People of the Book tend to loose sight of the fact that the equivalent of a church in Judaism, the main source of religious observance, is not the sanctuary but rather the Jewish home. Many Jews try to move their religious observances into the synagogue while the desired outcome that most strengthens Jewish identity and commitment is the move of rituals from the synagogue into the home.

With this in mind, Yad B'Yad teens of the Flagler County Jewish community gathered in a home, the home of Robyn and Rabbi Merrill Shapiro to celebrate Chanukah with traditional foods, games and rituals.

The students enjoyed a meal of potato latkes with applesauce and sour cream and some just old plain "down time" to sit and enjoy each other, to talk and strengthen their connections.