A message from Rabbi Klein Dear Friends, Our Festival season concludes with Shemeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah which fall on Thursday and Friday of this week. During our Shemini Atzeret service on Thursday we will devote a portion of our time together to our Yiskor Memorial Service. Later that day the mood changes as we gather for Simchat Torah. Our Simchat Torah services are scheduled to begin at 7pm. We invite you to rejoice with us as we dance with the Torah on both Thursday evening and Friday morning. Simchat Torah is the day on which we read the concluding portion of the Torah. However, right after concluding we begin again and we turn to the very first reading in the Torah. It is a very special honor to be given the last Aliya for the Torah reading and the first Aliya as we begin the Torah all over again. Each year we honor two or more very wonderful people in our congregation with these Aliyot. This year our honorees are Phyllis Goldberg as our KALLAH TORAH, and Susan Guttman as our KALLAH BERESHITH. We invite you to participate in the joy of Simchat Torah and to be with us as we honor Phyllis and Susan. Next week post-Holiday Season life begins in our synagogue and in the Jewish world. I want to call your attention to a very important rally which will take place at Lincoln Center on Monday, October 20th at 6pm. This rally has been called by those opposed to the Metropolitan Operas presentation of, The Death of Klinghoffer. I spoke about the deeply troubling issues concerning this opera in a sermon a few weeks ago. Leon Klinghoffer was a Jew who was shot and killed by Arab terrorists who took over the cruise ship, the Achille Lauro in 1985. Klinghoffer was wheelchair bound when he was killed by these terrorists who then threw him in his wheelchair into the sea. Klinghoffer was selected by them because he was a Jew. Some years later an opera was written called, The Death (not the murder) of Klinghoffer. The opera was a great injustice to Leon Klinghoffer. In the name of artistic freedom the creators of this opera have portrayed the terrorists as aggrieved men of ideals. It was their intention to offer the opera goer an opportunity to encounter the humanity of the terrorists. The composer wanted people to understand the hijackers, their motivations and their grievances. The very best critique of this opera was offered by Judea Pearl, father of the late Daniel Pearl, who also was murdered by terrorists. Judea Pearl wrote, Civilized society has learned to protect itself by codifying right from wrong, separating the holy from the profane, distinguishing that which deserves the sound of orchestras from that which deserves our unconditional revulsion. The MET has smeared this distinction and thus their contract with society. The New York Metropolitan Opera has squandered humanitys greatest treasure, our moral compass, our sense from right and wrong, and most sadly, our reverence for music as a noble expression of the human spirit. We can never forgive the MET for turning our iconic concert world into a megaphone for excusing people. Many of us will be gathering at Lincoln Center on Monday, October 20th to let the executive leadership of the Metropolitan Opera know how deeply outraged we are about an opera that seeks to humanize the inhuman and give terrorists an opportunity to claim the moral high ground. We all have to be concerned when one of the great cultural institutions of America becomes so open-minded as to offer terrorists a platform for justifying their violence. I hope that there will be a large contingent from the MJC meeting at Lincoln Center on Monday evening. You have heard me mention AIPAC many times in my sermons over the last few years. AIPAC - the American Israel Public Affairs Committee plays an absolutely indispensable role in strengthening the American Israel relationship. AIPAC is an organization which deserves the fullest possible support of the American Jewish community. AIPAC is holding its annual Long Island dinner on Monday, November 17th at the Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation. Id like to invite you to join me and other AIPAC supporters at this event. This years key note speaker will be Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. Since his election in 2010 he has led the charge against Iran and sponsored key legislative efforts at stemming Irans progress towards becoming a nuclear state. As a religious Christian, his commitment to the State of Israel has motivated and inspired pro-Israel audiences across the country. The cost to attend the dinner is $150 per person. Those interested should contact Rachel Kozupski at 917-210-6312. Finally, a reminder that I begin teaching The David Story: A Study of the Bibles Most Complex and Colorful Character on October 29th at 8:15pm. Im so proud that this class and future classes, have been dedicated by Susan Guttman in memory of her husband Leslie Guttman. King David was an extraordinary biblical figure. In this class well be delving into the narrative of his life in an effort to piece together the mosaic that was David. With my best wishes to you and yours, Faithfully yours, Rabbi Charles Klein
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 19:27:26 +0000
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