Sharing Faith & Friendship in St. Charles County, Missouri
Sharing Faith & Friendship In St. Charles County
1701 St. Peters-Howell Road
St. Peters, Missouri 63376
Ph: (636) 279-6524
בני תורה
B’nai Torah Monthly Newsletter
NOVEMBER, 2010
Letter from Our President
Rabbi Daniel Schwartz describes the magnificent Sequoia trees in California, some of which are as tall as a skyscraper. The rabbi tells us that these trees have roots that remain practically at surface level.
If there was only a single Sequoia, a strong breeze could blow it over. But Sequoia trees grow in groves, and their roots intertwine. In other words, they hold each other up – they give each other strength, together they can withstand the angriest wind.
It is my prayer that our members and friends of B’nai Torah join together, that we stand as tall as the Sequoias, and that we give one another strength.
May our roots be intertwined!
(The Sequoia story is taken from “Yom Kippur Readings” edited by Rabbi Dov Elkins)
Next Service: Shabbat and Veterans Celebration. Friday, November 12th at 7:30 PM.
Chanukah Celebration: December 3rd at 7:30 PM. (Note date change).
Note to our members: Our next Board meeting is at 6:30 pm on 10/27/10.
Message from our Director of Education
The study of Torah should be a lifetime pursuit. The only way to make this happen is to plant that seed in the minds of our students. To accomplish this at B’nai Torah, our emphasis is not just the preparation of our students to become a Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Most synagogues that do so, lose their students after the Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony.
During our student led service each Sunday morning, in our beautiful sanctuary, each student has an opportunity to come to the Bima and lead a portion of the service. The procession by our students with our lightweight Torah replica, that even our youngest student can carry, is always a joy for the students, teachers, and parents.
Our student led service each Sunday morning teaches our students about the ethics of being a Jew, the history of our prayers, and the love of Torah, as well as the recitation of prayers and the singing of our beautiful Hebrew melodies.
When we open our ark, the spirituality that emanates from our Torah that survived the Holocaust, and which has recently been restored, is felt by all those present.
In the classroom, our teachers do not lecture. They discuss each topic with our students and encourage them to ask questions. All students are encouraged to answer the questions, and to offer their thoughts. The measure of success at B’nai Torah is the number of good questions we receive from our students.
We ask our students to invite their friends to our student led service and our classrooms because that fosters their pride in being Jewish, and helps them discuss Judaism with their friends.
Because of our small class sizes, each student receives individual attention.
Sunday School begins at 9 AM and continues until 11:30 AM. The student led service is followed by Hebrew classes, prayers and a snack, and then, Religion classes.
Have you looked at www.bnaitorahstchas.com lately?
Tributes
To: Shelby Cohen, “Deepest sympathy on the passing of your grandmother Toby Broderson.” From: Harvey, Carol, Todd and Jenny Derfeld.
To: Larry Comensky, “Sent with our prayers for a full and speedy recovery from your knee surgery.” From: Harvey, Carol, Todd and Jenny Derfeld.
To: Marlene & Sanford Palans and family, “In loving memory of Toby Broderson.” From: Hal & Shirley Roth, Janis Comensky, Mark Comensky, and Larry & Faith Comensky.
To: Shelby Cohen, “In memory of your beloved grandmother, Toby Broderson.” From: Larry & Faith Comensky.
To: Larry Comensky, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you for your quick recovery. G-d Bless you. Love,” From: Paul & Rina Kenkel and family.
To: Dorores Kenkel, “For your continued progress in your health improvement. Our prayers and love are with you. G-d Bless.” From: Paul & Rina and family.
To: Stephen Newman and his Bride, Stephanie “B’nai Torah extends our love and best wishes that the joy and spirituality you experienced together under the Chupah are with you forever and ever.”
To: Dan and Tracy Bain and family, “ Tracy, we extend our loving heartfelt condolence on the loss of your dear father. We will add his name, of blessed memory, to our Yahrtzeit List and to our Book of Remembrance.”
To: Steve Cohen and Shelby Cohen, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Love, Paul & Rina and Family.”
During our October 1st and October 2nd Services, B’nai Torah fondly remembered our friendship with Tony Broderson when we said the Kaddish Prayer.
Please send your messages with a donation to B’nai Torah. Include the recipients mailing address. Your message will be printed in this newsletter and sent to the recipient on a beautiful Tribute Card with your name and address.
Tributes may be sent for happy occasions, remembrances, memorials, Jewish Holidays, or just to say “Thank You.” Please send your Tributes and donation made out to B’nai Torah to: Laura Cohen, 202 Goldeneye Court, St. Peters, MO 63376.
Q: When is Chanukah this year? (See answer on page 4).
Bat Mitzvah Talk
Wouldn’t it be nice, when we each wanted something very much, if all we had to do was say “Let there be?” That’s the way G-d did it.
When we want something very much, we have to work for it and sometimes very hard. I wanted this Bat Mitzvah very much, and therefore, I did work very hard for it. Not only did I work very hard, my B’nai Torah tutor, Mark Karp worked very hard. All of our tutors and teachers at B’nai Torah are volunteers.
Thank you, Mark. You were a wonderful tutor and friend. I also want to thank my family. Your support helped, and your love made it all worthwhile to me. I also want to thank Jack Cohen for his support and friendship. I want to thank Larry Comensky, our Spiritual Leader of B’nai Torah, who is recuperating from illness and surgery and therefore, could not be with us today.
I want to thank Rabbi Goldburg, who helped found B’nai Torah over 25 years ago, for the blessings he has asked Hashem to bestow on all of us today.
“Let there be” might be nice, but so is working hard for something we want, especially when we work with friends and loved ones.
Michelle
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Answer: (to Question on page 3): The same as always, on the 25th of Kislev.
Please mark your calendars to attend the annual B’nai Torah Chanukah Celebration on December 3rd at 7:30 PM. We will continue with our tradition of providing a Chanukah present to each child present. (Note that our old calendars have this date as 10 December – the date has been changed to the night of the third candle, December 3rd.)
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Have you looked at www.bnaitorahstchas.com lately?
Student Judaica Librarian Grant
B’nai Torah has received a Grant from the Milford and Lee Bohm Fund for Jewish Education. This Fund is administered by the St. Louis Jewish Federation.
B’nai Torah proposed that we establish a Students’ Judaica Library by having each of our students receive a portion of the Bohm Grant to purchase books written by Jewish authors for Jewish children in their age group. Each student will be identified as a “B’nai Torah Student Judaica Librarian” on a poster in our newly created Student Library.
In addition to ownership of this Student Library, each student will select one book to discuss with our other students, and encourage them to read that book.
As we discuss on page 2, we will work to have our students look forward to a lifetime of Torah study. This Judaica Librarian Program helps us plant the seed to achieve that goal.
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Teacher’s Professional Improvement Grant
B’nai Torah has received a Grant from the Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE), an agency of the St. Louis Jewish Federation, to provide a monetary incentive to our volunteer teachers to attend formal classes and workshops approved by CAJE, and the Annual Education Fair.
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B’nai Torah Hosts Directors of Education
The Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE) holds a monthly meeting for the Directors of Education. The meeting is hosted by a different synagogue each month. On October 12th B’nai Torah was the host organization.
This was the first visit to B’nai Torah by the 6 Directors who attended. All commented favorably on our classroom facilities, our replica of the Western Wall, our beautiful sanctuary, our murals, and our art galleries.
We plan on making this meeting an annual event at B’nai Torah.
During our November 12th Service
Yahrtzeits will be said for our following loved ones
Name Memorial Yahrtzeit Date Remembered By Marvin Kenkel11/09/1980 Kislev 1: 11/08/10 Paul Kenkel & Family
11/09/1980 Kislev 1: 11/08/10 Paul Kenkel & FamilyNathan Seigel 11/06/1945 Kislev 1: 11/08/10 Norman J. Sabblut Marion Cohen12/10/1973 Kislev 15:11/22/10 Ken Cohen and family
12/10/1973 Kislev 15:11/22/10 Ken Cohen and family Rose Levy 12/10/1987 Kislev 19: 11/26/10 Stan Levy & Fran Karp
12/10/1987 Kislev 19: 11/26/10 Stan Levy & Fran Karp Moe Gaynor 12/15/1992 Kislev 20: 11/27/10 Beverly Moll and family
Kislev 20: 11/27/10 Beverly Moll and family Fay Cohen 12/23/1997 Kislev 24: 12/01/10 Sylvan ,Steve, Andrea
Kislev 24: 12/01/10 Sylvan ,Steve, Andrea Cohen familiesMy mother, Fannie Cohen Always Said,
“It Doesn’t Cost Anything to Say Thank You”
Thank you, Rabbi Jay Goldburg for leading our Simchas Torah Service and the Bat Mitzvah the next morning while our Spiritual Leader, Larry Comensky, was recuperating from knee surgery. Thank you for your kind words about B’nai Torah and our members. Your special relationship with B’nai Torah for the past 26 years is one that we will always treasure.
Thank you, Tony Moseley, for mowing our lawn after Sunday School. And thank you, Cyndil, Siri, Ida, and Xenna, for being so patient and helpful while daddy was working.
Thank you Arthur and Zina Kaplun for the wonderful Oneg after our Friday Service, and for the delicious Kiddush after Michelle became a Bat Mitzvah. We thank G-d for the emigration of your lovely family to Israel, and we are glad that you are now members of B’nai Torah.
Thank you Mark Karp. I know that Michelle thanked you, as did Rabbi Goldburg. Not only did my mother say, It doesn’t Cost Anything to Say Thank You.” She also said, “It doesn’t Hurt to Say Thank You More Than Once.” No synagogue, anywhere, has a more devoted, more caring, or more talented tutor --- and you’re a volunteer!
Thank you Laura Cohen for baking delicious cookies for all six performances of The Sunshine Boys.
