Jacob Berman Community Center

מרכז קהילתי ע"ש יעקב ברמן    

Weekly Bulletin: Parshat ‫Shemot 5772

פרשת שמות תשע"ב‬‬

• Mazal tov to Melodie & Sherman Rosenfeld on the bat mitzvah of their grand-daughter, Liora Lalou, daughter of Adi & Moti Lalou. Mazal tov to Liora's uncles, Eli, Shai and Ashi Rosenfeld.
   
• Mazal tov to Gabriela & Sidney Cohen on the birth of a grandson. Mazal tov to the parents, Elisheva & Yoni Goldman, grandfather Avraham Goldman and great-grandparents Aaron & Helen Cohen. There will be a Shalom Zachar at the Cohen residence, Chish 24A, on Friday night from 20:15.
   
• The azkarah for Leslie Mound ז"ל, father of Ruth Rechtschaffen, will take place, god willing, on Friday 20th January at 10:30 AM at the Gan Yavneh cemetery .
   
• Board announcements:
  • The minutes of the Board meeting held on Thursday 5th January 2012 have been posted here.
     
  • The recent SGM released many negative emotions and behaviors that have disturbed the Berman Community. The Board regrets its part in creating this situation and is committed to maintaining the unity of the community as a whole. As a result of the SGM, the present Board will not be pursuing any issue relating to the building of a new facility.
     
    
• In response to some of the unpleasant communications that have been circulating, Rav Yechezkel Babkoff wrote a letter the Board; the letter is reproduced below with his permission:

  Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board,

   I believe the time has come for everyone to sit back, breathe deeply and realize that we may have inadvertently crossed the "red line" from community cohesion and unity to communal dissolution. I am sure that at least 90% of our membership would be aghast at such an outcome to what began as legitimate differences of opinion regarding the future development of the Berman community.

  The exchange of electronic mail replete with ad hominem statements, irrelevant to the issues under discussion, only adds fuel to the fire and makes me recall the words of the Rubait regarding the written word:

  "The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it." (The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam, translated by Edward Fitzgerald, 1859).

   If we respect one another sufficiently to recognize that both sides to the discussion regarding the future development of the Berman community have legitimacy and that all of us have an interest in the future of our community, then we must immediately stop all ad hominem attacks. Discuss, argue, reason with others but do not attack your adversarial colleagues ad hominem.

  To those who have been hurt and feel the need to continue to respond in kind, we should say:

   ..."שוב מחרון אפך והנחם על הרעה לעמך..."

  Yechezkel Babkoff

   
• The on-line forum that was opened just before the SGM is still available at http://forum.bermanshul.org. Please use this forum for ongoing discussions about the SGM topics and anything else related.
   
• Membership Directory: This is the last call for revisions before we plan to print and distribute a new version. The latest electronic (.pdf) version of the directory is available at http://bermanshul.org/restricted/membership.pdf. File access requires a username and password. Members are requested to review their listing in the current version (not the version printed over 2 years ago). Details may be updated online (preferred) or by sending e-mail to directory@bermanshul.org.
   

• There is a new volunteer from NYC (possibly aliya) who would love Shabbat invitations. He lives on Tzanchanim Alex 0526042664 is 24, nice guy, athletic, volunteers with the handicapped. Chaya Tannor will be happy also to introduce him on Shabbat 

• Please send in names (3 maximum) to gabbai@bermanshul.org, (preferably by Thursday) or write them out and to give to the Gabbaim before kria. Names must be resubmitted anew every week. 
   
• If you are convalescing at home and would like visitors, please write in to bermanshul@gmail.com. 
   

• A PDF calendar of davening times and shiurim is available for download (http://bermanshul.org/calendar.pdf  now updated till end of February 2012).
• The "live" calendar below gives a full schedule of official Berman events and other happenings. You can avoid missing events by taking a minute to scroll through the listing. Click on any event to display the details.
  Colour codes: Berman Events  / Outreach-קהילה /  Other events* /  Localised Hebrew Calendar
  *The Berman Community is not responsible for the propriety of the "Other events". 

  Click on any event to display the details.

• A number of other Rehovot events are published at www.pirsuma.com 
• Chugim and activities for all ages at Havayot Schweitz: Including 50+ coffee evenings, מועדון חצ"ב, Bridge for beginners, Tiyulim, etc.. For details and schedules see the Havayot Website (http://havayot.org.il).
• Members organizing private events (e.g. wedding, bar/bat mitzva celebrations etc.) are advised to use the shul calendar as follows:
  1. You can check for a date that does not clash with another event in the community.
  2. You may have your event listed as an anonymous "private event" so that others can avoid scheduling another event at the same time. Please let any board member know or send your request by e-mail to bermanshul@gmail.com.

PERSONAL & BASEMENT
Please note that the Berman Community is not responsible for the Halachic propriety or kashrut of items listed.

• Metapelet P / T -- for the old or for the young. Call Vera 08-9457861
   
• Giveaway: Bunk bed, wood, includes under bed storage drawer.
  Rochelle Pomerantz - 08-9453546 , 052-7201603 nathan.pomerantz@gmail.com
   
• January 14, Motzei Shabbat, 8:15 pm. Don't miss: MKTzipi Hotovely, Chair Knesset Committee on the Status of Women, speaking in English. AMIT Girls' High School. Details on Calendar.