Flagler League of Women Voters Candidate Forum, October 6th at Temple Beth Shalom

The Flagler Chapter of the League of Women Voters, in its continuing efforts to create an informed and educated electorate, invites all of the county’s voters to a Candidate Forum on Monday evening, October 6th from 6:30 until 8:00 p.m. at Temple Beth Shalom, 40 Wellington Drive, one-fourth mile north of Pine Lakes Parkway in Palm Coast. All are welcome, there is no charge and no advance reservations are necessary. A variety of local and regional candidates for office, whose names will appear on the Flagler County’s November 4th ballots, have agreed to appear.  

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, has fought since 1920 to improve our systems of government and impact public policies through citizen education and advocacy. The League’s enduring vitality and resonance comes from its unique decentralized structure. The League is a grassroots organization, working at the national, state and local levels.
 
There are Leagues in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong, in addition to the hundreds of local Leagues nationwide. The League of Women Voters of the United States and the League of Women Voters Education Fund operate at the national level with grassroots support from state and local Leagues.
 
The League of Women Voters is strictly nonpartisan; it neither supports nor opposes candidates for office at any level of government. At the same time, the League is wholeheartedly political and works to influence policy through advocacy. It is the original grassroots citizen network, directed by the consensus of its members nationwide. 

Weary of negative, partisan politics that widen gaps between Americans, rather than bridge them, the League notes that people are looking to engage in conversations that foster consensus and unity. With a respected and trusted reputation for being unbiased and nonpartisan, the League is uniquely able to address specific community concerns and bridge political and ideological divides to find common ground. In doing so, the League of Women Voters is giving citizens a stronger voice on the most important issues of the day. 

Common wisdom says that candidate forums are a great way for constituents to hear how candidates running for a particular office feel about issues they, the constituents, care about. For the candidate, they are an opportunity to address the concerns of a particular interest group in a fair and open setting.  

Many people do not vote because they don’t feel connected to the candidates or issues at stake in an election. The planned October 6th forums will help open up the communication between candidates and their constituents and get people interested in the November 4th election. This forum hopes to improve and redirect the public and the political dialogue that has become increasingly shallow and mean-spirited. The citizens of Flagler County are all invited to help set the tone of the debate and demand a higher standard of discourse.

Bunnell Church and Palm Coast Synagogue team to assure Israel’s Environment

When Reverend Gerald Campetella of Bunnell’s Apostolic Church of God called Rabbi Merrill Shapiro of Palm Coast to arrange a meeting, the synagogue leader was a bit unsure of the Pastor’s intent. When Campetella handed Shapiro a Jewish National Fund “Blue Box” full of coins, donations from members of the church and asked for seven more boxes, the Rabbi was a bit startled.

“Back in the 1980’s, my wife and I visited Israel expecting to find a desert, barren and arid, what the Bible calls a ‘wasteland.’” How surprised and delighted we were to find the hand of God and the People Israel, together, had created a garden, lush, green, beautiful and inviting. We so much wanted to be part of the effort.”

Campetella met Shapiro through the Flagler Area Ministerial Association and joined with Temple Beth Shalom to read the names of Holocaust Victims at a special commemoration in the synagogue sanctuary. It was there that the Pastor took a “Blue Box” and the members of The Apostolic Church of God, A United Pentecostal Church began to do their part in maintaining the garden Israel.

The donations of synagogue members and church members in Jewish National Fund contribution containers, known for more than a century as “Blue Boxes,” are being combined and sent to support the efforts of the Fund. JNF has planted more than 240 million trees since 1901 to protect the land, green the landscape and preserve vital ecosystems. Through the generosity of donors like those The Apostolic Church of God and Temple Beth Shalom, JNF continues this effort, planting seedlings, maintaining forest health, combating desertification, protecting watersheds and managing water flow.

Thanks to the dedication of leaders like Campatella, Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in numbers of trees. JNF has planted over 240 million saplings, providing luscious belts of green covering more than 250,000 acres. JNF national forest development work balances population needs with limited forest 'supply.' While the forests of Israel belong to the people, JNF ensures their environmental soundness while promoting optimal use.

Many more such “Blue Boxes” are available through Temple Beth Shalom of Palm Coast free of charge. The synagogue is proud to be part of a community that values trees to the point that tree removal requires a city permit. “As trees are so important to us in Palm Coast, so they are equally important in Israel, a land neglected for more than 2000 years!”

“Blue Boxes” are available at no charge to anyone wishing to donate pocket change to the cause of the Jewish National Fund through Temple Beth Shalom and can be obtained by calling the synagogue office at 386-445-3006.

Hamas Hostage Gilad Shalit's 22nd Birthday to be Marked at Temple Beth Shalom

Staff Sergeant Gilad Shalit the Israeli soldier who was captured in a cross border raid on the crossing Kerem Shalom from the Gaza Strip by Palestinian militants on June 25, 2006 has been held hostage by Hamas since will turn 22 years old on August 28th. All are welcome to mark his birthday at Temple Beth Shalom, 40 Wellington Drive in Palm Coast on Friday evening, August 22nd at 8 p.m. There is no charge. No advance reservations are necessary. Oneg Shabbat refreshments follow services. Beth Shalom has recently received a great deal of attention as many of its members have been wearing dog tags imprinted with the name of Gilad Shalit as well as the names Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. The bodies of Goldwasser and Regev, abducted by Hezbollah and held in southern Lebanon, were returned to Israel for proper burial in a prisoner exchange a month ago. Members of Temple Beth Shalom of Palm Coast continue to call upon Hamas for a “sign of life” from Shalit and some modicum of compliance with the Geneva Conventions that permit such contact, usually through the International Red Cross.

Shalit was born on August 28, 1986 in Nahariya Israel and was raised from the age of two in Mitzpe Hila in the western Galilee. He graduated with distinction from Manor Kabri High School. Shalit began military service in the Israel Defense Forces in July 2005, and “despite a low medical profile, he preferred to serve in a combat unit, following his elder brother Yoel into the armored corps.” He holds dual Israeli and French citizenship.

Early on Sunday morning, June 25, 2006, Shalit was captured by Palestinians who attacked an Israeli army post on the Israeli side of the southern Gaza Strip border after having crossed through an underground tunnel near the Kerem Shalom border crossing. During the morning attack, two Palestinian militants as well as two IDF soldiers were killed and three others wounded, aside from Shalit, who himself suffered a broken left hand and a light shoulder wound after his tank was hit with an RPG.
Shalit’s captors issued a statement on Monday, June 26, 2006, offering information on Shalit if Israel agreed to release all female Palestinian prisoners and all Palestinian prisoners under the age of 18. The statement came from the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the Popular Resistance Committees (which includes members of Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas), and a previously unknown group calling itself the Army of Islam.
After Shalit’s capture, the Papal Nuncio to Israel, Archbishop Antonio Franco, made an unsuccessful attempt to secure the release of Shalit via the Catholic Church’s Gaza-based parish.

In September 2006, Egyptian mediators received a letter written by Gilad in which he stated that he was alive and well. The handwriting was confirmed to be that of Cpl. Shalit. In October, Egypt was also reported to be negotiating with Hamas on behalf of Israel for Shalit’s release.

On October 28, 2006 the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) said in a statement that all three parties had agreed to a proposal by Egyptian mediators regarding the release of corporal Gilad Shalit. The PRC did not provide details, but said that the Egyptian proposal would include the release of Palestinians held by Israel. It was the first time since Shalit’s capture that any of the factions indicated that his release might be imminent.

In November 2006, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal indicated that Shalit was alive and in good health.

On January 4, 2006, Hamas offered to give Israel a videotape proving that Shalit is still alive if Israel released all Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rejected Hamas’s proposal. Shalit’s father, Noam Shalit, seemed to agree with the government’s response, stating on 7 January, “I want my son back, not a video or a letter.”

Five days later, on January 9, 2007 Abu Mujahed, a spokesman for the captors, asserted that Shalit “has not been harmed at all,” going on to say, “He is being treated in accordance with Islamic values regulating the treatment of prisoners of war.” However, he threatened, “We have managed to keep the soldier in captivity for six months and we have no problem keeping him for years.”

On January 17, 2007, one of the captor groups, the Army of Islam headed by Mumtaz Dormush, claimed that Shalit is held exclusively by Hamas.

On March 8, 2007, The Jerusalem Post reported that an agreement has been reached with Hamas over the number of prisoners Israel will release in return for Shalit. Israel and Hamas are still negotiating specific prisoners that Hamas wants freed in return for Shalit.

On April 7, 2007, It was reported that the captors of Gilad Shalit have transferred to Israel, via Egyptian mediators, a list of Palestinian prisoners they want freed. The list includes approximately 1300 names some of which are high ranking Fatah members.

On February 4, 2008, it was reported that Hamas had sent Gilad's family a second letter written by him. The handwriting was confirmed to be that of Shalit.

Gilad's father Noam Shalit met with former U.S. president Jimmy Carter during the latter's April 2008 visit to Israel. Carter plans to later visit Khaled Meshal of Hamas in Damascus. Noam Shalit said that the fact that Carter is not considered pro-Israel could be beneficial in securing his son's release.

On June 9, 2008, it was reported that Hamas sent Gilad's family a third letter. The group had promised to send them a third letter after mediation from former U.S. president Jimmy Carter. The handwriting was confirmed to be that of Shalit.

On August 12th, Hamas noted that they are suspending talks on Shalit's release demanding a complete lifting of the Israeli siege. The decision has angered Egypt, a mediator for the release of Shalit. Hamas has criticized the Egyptians for linking the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Shalit's release, a condition to which Hamas refuses to agree.

On the human rights front, June 25, 2007 was the date the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem issued a statement that "international humanitarian law absolutely prohibits taking and holding a person by force in order to compel the enemy to meet certain demands, while threatening to harm or kill the person if the demands are not met," and thus Hamas holding Gilad Shalit as a hostage to their demands is a war crime. Shalit's denied rights to Red Cross(ICRC) visitation was noted as a blatant violation of international law as well.

Temple Beth Shalom members hope to keep Shalit’s captivity in the public eye. According to Rabbi Merrill Shapiro, “ The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and now the Republic of Georgia, the Olympics, even the weather, keep our attention elsewhere. This is a fundamental human question and, were any of us in Palm Coast, held hostage in violation of International Law, we would certainly want the rest of us to shout out long and loud on behalf of that which is just and right!”



The Fourth of Four Pages

Palm Coast Hadassah Announces 5769 Calendar

Phyllis Meinsen, President of Palm Coast Hadassah, has released the chapter's calendar for the year 5768.  "We've a busy and active year ahead and need the support of each and every member of the Jewish Community of Flagler County," said Meinsen.  

The Palm Coast Chapter is part of Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, a volunteer women's organization, whose members are motivated and inspired to strengthen their partnership with Israel, ensure Jewish continuity, and realize their potential as a dynamic force in American society.

Founded in 1912, Hadassah retains the passion and timeless values of its founder, Henrietta Szold, Jewish scholar and activist, who was dedicated to Judaism, Zionism, and the American ideal.

Committed to the centrality of Israel based on the renaissance of the Jewish people in its historic homeland, Hadassah promotes the unity of the Jewish people. In Israel, Hadassah initiates and supports pace-setting health care, education and youth institutions, and land development to meet the country's changing needs.

In the United States, Hadassah enhances the quality of American and Jewish life through its education and Zionist youth programs, promotes health awareness, and provides personal enrichment and growth for its members.

The schedule the Hadassah calendar for the coming year includes:

August 12, 2008 Hadassah Board Meeting 10:00am at Temple

Sept. 9, 2008 Hadassah General Meeting 12:30pm at Temple

Oct. 6, 2008 Hadassah Board Meeting 10:00am at Temple

Oct. 29, 2008 Mah Jongg/Card Party Pine Lakes

Nov. 6, 2008 New member orientation.

Nov. 11, 2008 Hadassah General Meeting 12:30pm at Temple. Program will be in honor of WWII veterans and will feature Dr. Ralph Lowenstein who joined the Israeli army in 1948 when Israel became a nation.

Dec. 9, 2008 Hadassah Board Meeting 10:00am at Temple

Jan. 13, 2009 Hadassah General Meeting 12:30pm Paid up membership luncheon at Temple.

Feb. 10, 2009 Hadassah Board Meeting 10:00am at Temple

Mar. 10, 2009 Purim, Hadassah General Meeting 12:30pm Hamantashen
included.

Mar. 12, 2009 Fashion show and luncheon at Pine Lakes

April ? Donor luncheon date to be determined


May ? Installation date to be determined

Local Jewish War Veterans Install Don Song as Commander, June 22nd

PalmCoast’s Donald S. Song will become the next commander of the Penny Whitman Volusia/Flagler Post 300 at a formal installation ceremony at the Palm Coast Yacht Club on June 22nd. Song replaces retiring Commander Seymour Karns. The installation will see Jack Resnick of Daytona Beach and George Gold of Palm Coast become Senior Vice-Commanders, while Irving Hoffman and Stan Kates become Judge Advocate and Quartermaster, respectively.

Jewish War Veterans are citizens of the United States of America, of the Jewish faith, who served in the Wars of the United States of America, who associate themselves together to be of greater service to country and to each other. Fundamental to the work of JWV is to have its members maintain true allegiance to the United States of America and to foster and perpetuate true Americanism. Also important are efforts to combat whatever tends to impair the efficiency and permanency of America’s free institutions; to uphold the fair name of the Jew; to encourage the doctrine of universal liberty, equal rights, and full justice to all.

Jewish War Veterans around the United States combine their energies to combat the powers of bigotry and darkness wherever originating and whatever the target and to preserve the spirit of comradeship by mutual helpfulness to comrades and families. Members also agree to cooperate with and support existing educational institutions and establish educational institutions, and to foster the education of ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen, and members in the ideals and principles of Americanism. Around the country, JWV Posts join hands to instill love of country and flag, and to promote sound minds and bodies in members and in the youth of America, to preserve the memories and records of patriotic service performed by Jewish men and women and to honor their memory and shield from neglect the graves of our heroic dead.

Jewish War Veterans locally are especially mindful of returning veterans from current conflicts wounded in both mind and body. JWV stands ready, as it has since 1896, to ensure that those who have fought our nation’s battles receive the treatment and the respect that they deserve from a grateful nation through JWV’s access to VA and government officials.

As anti-Semitism rises around the globe, the JWV also stands ready, as it has since 1896, to support the state of Israel, the bastion of democracy in the Middle East, and to fight bigotry and prejudice wherever it is found.

Flagler Jewish Community To Gather for Shavuot Celebrations, June 8th through 10th

The Jewish Community of Flagler County will gather at the area’s largest synagogue to mark Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks beginning at sundown on Sunday, June 8th. The two day festival, continuing through dark on Tuesday, June 10th fulfills the obligations placed upon the Jewish people by the twenty-first chapter of the Biblical Book of Leviticus:

You shall count for yourselves -- from the day after the Shabbat, from the day when you bring the Omer of the waving -- seven Shabbats, they shall be complete. Until the day after the seventh sabbath you shall count, fifty days... You shall convoke on this very day -- there shall be a holy convocation for yourselves -- you shall do no laborious work; it is an eternal decree in your dwelling places for your generations. -Leviticus 21:15-16, 21

Shavu'ot, the Festival of Weeks, is the second of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Passover and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it commemorates the time when the first fruits were harvested and brought to the Temple, and is known as Hag ha-Bikkurim (the Festival of the First Fruits). Historically, it celebrates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, and is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).

The period from Passover to Shavu'ot is a time of great anticipation. Jewish communities around the world count each of the days from the second day of Passover to the day before Shavu'ot, 49 days or 7 full weeks, hence the name of the festival. The counting reminds us of the important connection between Passover and Shavu'ot: Passover freed the ancestors of today’s Jews physically from bondage, but the giving of the Torah on Shavu'ot redeemed the ancient Hebrews spiritually from our bondage to idolatry and immorality. Shavu'ot is also known as Pentecost, because it falls on the 50th day; however, Shavu'ot has no particular similarity to the Christian holiday of Pentecost, which occurs 50 days after their spring holiday.

It is noteworthy that the holiday is called the time of the giving of the Torah, rather than the time of the receiving of the Torah. The sages point out that Jews are constantly in the process of receiving the Torah, that it is received every day, but it was first given at this time. Thus it is the giving, not the receiving, that makes this holiday significant.

Shavu'ot is not tied to a particular calendar date, but to a counting from Passover. Because the length of the months used to be variable, determined by observation, and there are two new moons between Passover and Shavu'ot, Shavu'ot could occur on the 5th or 6th of Sivan. However, now that we have a mathematically determined calendar, and the months between Passover and Shavu'ot do not change length on the mathematical calendar, Shavu'ot is always on the 6th of Sivan.

Work is not permitted during Shavu'ot. It is customary to stay up the entire first night of Shavu'ot and study Torah, then pray as early as possible in the morning.

It is customary to eat a dairy meal at least once during Shavu'ot. There are varying opinions as to why this is done. Some say it is a reminder of the promise regarding the land of Israel, a land flowing with "milk and honey." According to another view, it is because our ancestors had just received the Torah (and the dietary laws therein), and did not have both meat and dairy dishes available.

Worship at Temple Beth Shalom includes gatherings on Sunday evening, June 8th at 8 p.m. and Monday and Tuesday mornings, June 9th and 10th at 9:15 a.m. During the 9:15 a.m. worship service on Tuesday, Yizkor Memorial prayers will be recited. All are welcome to attend. There is no charge and no advance arrangements need be made. Kiddush refreshments follow each service.
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Temple Beth Shalom Celebrates Confirmation on Eve of Shavuot Sunday, June 8th at 8 p.m.

The Jewish Confirmation ritual is one whose popularity has waxed and waned since its inception in the 19th century. Though it is today overshadowed for most Jews by the bar or bat mitzvah ceremony at age 13, many liberal communities value and emphasize confirmation, which is most often associated with Shavuot celebrations.

Temple Beth Shalom will mark the Confirmation of Boris Berliand and Emily Feinberg at its regular Shavuot eve services, 8 p.m. at Temple Beth Shalom on Sunday, June 8th. All are welcome to celebrate these fine young people who are dedicated to the principle that Jewish learning is a lifelong endeavor, not something to complete by age 13.

The custom most commonly associated with Shavuot is the ceremony of Confirmation. The festival of Shavuot, because of its association with giving of Torah, has been linked with the study Torah. The ceremony of Confirmation was introduced by Reform Judaism in the early part of 19th century in Europe and was brought the United States about mid-century.

In the Confirmation ceremony, the now-maturing student "confirms" a commitment to Judaism and to Jewish life. While boys and girls are considered to be spiritual adults by age 13, they are better prepared at age 16 or 17 to make the kind of emotional and intellectual commitment to Judaism that Confirmation implies. Earliest Confirmations.

Some regard the ceremony as a solemn form of initiation of the Jewish youth into their ancestral faith. The rite is mentioned officially for the first time in an ordinance issued by the Jewish consistory of the kingdom of Westphalia at Cassel in 1810. There it was made the duty of the rabbi "to prepare the young for confirmation, and personally to conduct the ceremony." At first only boys were confirmed, on the Sabbath of their Bar Mitzvah, and the ceremony was performed at the home or in the schoolroom. In Berlin girls were confirmed for the first time in 1817, in Hamburg in 1818. The rite was at first rigidly excluded from the synagogue, because, like every innovation, it met with violent opposition. Gradually, however, it found more favor; classes were confirmed together, and confirmation became a solemn and impressive celebration at the synagogue. In 1822 the first class of boys and girls was confirmed by Dr. Kley at the Hamburg Temple, and in 1831 Rabbi Samuel Egers, one of the most prominent rabbis of his timeand a man of unquestioned orthodoxy, began to confirm boys and girls regularly at the synagogue of Brunswick.

While in the beginning some Sabbath, frequently Sabbath Ḥanukkah or Passover, was selected for confirmation, it became more and more customary, following the example of Egers, to perform the ceremony at the synagogue on Shebu'ot, because this festival is peculiarly adapted for the rite. As it celebrated the occasion when the Israelites on Sinai, of their own free will, declared their intention to accept the obligation of God's Law, so those of every new generation should follow the ancient example and declare their willingness to be faithful to the religion transmitted by the Fathers.

Confirmation was introduced in Denmark as early as 1817, in Hamburg 1818, and in Hessen and Saxony in 1835. The Prussian government, which showed itself hostile to the Reform movement, prohibited it as late as 1836, as did Bavaria as late as 1838. It soon made its way, however, into all progressive congregations of Germany. In 1841 it was introduced in France, first in Bordeaux and Marseilles, then in Strasburg and Paris, under the name "initiation religieuse." The first Israelitish synod in 1869 at Leipsic adopted a report by Dr. Herxheimer on religious education, the thirteenth section of which contains an elaborate opinion on confirmation, recommending the same to all Jewish congregations.

In America the annual confirmation of boys and girls was first resolved upon by the congregation of Temple Emanu-El of New York on Oct. 11, 1847; and the first confirmation at that temple took place on Shebu'ot, 1848. A confirmation had been held two years before at the Anshe Chesed Synagogue of New York. The ceremony has since gained so firm a foothold in America that there is now no progressive Jewish congregation in which the annual confirmation on Shebu'ot is not a regular feature of congregational life and one of the most inspiring ceremonies of the whole year.

Objections to the Rite.

Grätz ("Gesch." xi. 374) blames Israel Jacobsohn for having introduced, among many other synagogue reforms, the confirmation of boys and girls, which, he says, "has no root in Judaism." In the opinion of reform Jews confirmation, like the organ and other innovations traceable to non-Jewish associations, lends an impressiveness to the initiation of the young into their ancestral religion which the bar miẓwah institution had lost, owing to the unfamiliarity of the children with Hebrew. Besides, there was no provision for a solemn consecration of the Jewish maiden to her religious duties. Confirmation was the first step toward the official recognition of woman as a member of the Synagogue.

In Harmony with Judaism.

While many Orthodox leaders object to confirmation on the ground that it has been borrowed from the Protestant Church, where also it is but a recent development and not at all characteristically or typically Christian (see "Confirmation," in Herzog-Hauck, "Real-Encyc."), or because it contradicts the principle that the Israelite is pledged by the covenant of Sinai by his birth Shebu, 22b), there is nothing in the rite which is not thoroughly in harmony with the spirit of Judaism. It does not mean initiation into the faith, or admission into the Jewish community, but is a solemn declaration of the candidates, after having been sufficiently instructed in their duties as Jews, and being imbued with enthusiasm for their religion, to be resolved to live as Jews and Jewesses. For this purpose, after their religious sentiment has been awakened and strengthened, and their minds have been prepared for their becoming faithful members of the Jewish congregation, of society, and of the state, confirmation comes as the solemn graduation from the school of religious and ethical instruction, and is intended to consecrate the young to their duties as Jews. It appeals not only to those confirmed, but to the entire congregation, and thereby becomes for all a renewal of the Sinai covenant. In order to produce this lasting effect it is becoming customary to delay the rite until the sixteenth or seventeenth year.

Essential Features.

With the freedom and self-government universally prevailing in Jewish congregations, it is natural that the confirmation services should differ according to the subjective views and to the tastes of the rabbis. Thus some introduce a formal confession of faith, while others prefer a statement of principles. But the essential features are everywhere about the same, and may be stated as follows: The act is preceded by a public examination in the history, doctrines, and duties of the Jewish religion, held either in connection with the celebration or on some day during the preceding week. The sermon preached at the exercises refers to the importance of the epoch which the young people have reached, and closes with an impressive address to them. Thereupon follows a prayer, either a profession of faith or a statement of principles by members of the class, and in conclusion is invoked the blessing of the candidates by the rabbi.