The first of our nightly lightings of the Diane Kaplan Memorial Civic Center Menorah will be 5:30 pm on Saturday, December 8. See you there!
Author Archives: Aaron Weissman
MAJCO Communities to Light Menorot Together at Capitol, 12 Noon, Monday, Dec 10, 2012
From: Joshua Burnim
Date: December 3, 2012, 4:41:53 PM MST
Dear Montana Jews:
For the fourth year in a row, the Montana Association of Jewish Communities (MAJCO) is sponsoring a Chanukah Menorot Lighting event with Lt. Governor Bohlinger. We hope to again have all nine communities of MAJCO light a Menorah (one each). This will be our last year lighting the candles with Lt. Governor Bohlinger as a new administration takes over in January. Let’s use this opportunity to come together as Montana Jews and celebrate the light that we all share.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Monday, December 10
12:00 p.m. Lighting Ceremony with Lt. Governor Bohlinger; Please arrive at 11:30 a.m. to set up.
The State Capitol in Helena; the Rotunda Room which is below the Large Dome of the Capitol
Photo of State Capitol: http://www.panoramio.com/photo/205168
Parking: Park in the lot that is on the north side of the capitol or park on the streets all around the capitol. There should be plenty of parking, but please allow time to find a space and walk to the Rotunda. 1301 East 6th Avenue, Helena, MT
The nine communities of MAJCO, listed from East to West based on town/city of location, are:
- Congregation Beth Aaron, Billings
- Chabad Lubavitch of Montana
- Congregation Beth Shalom, Bozeman
- Congregation Aitz Chaim, Great Falls
- The Jewish Community of Helena
- Congregation B’nei Israel, Butte
- Congregation Har Shalom, Missoula
- Congregation Bet Harim, Kalispell
- Synagogue of the Northern Rockies, Whitefish
At 11:30 a.m., we will meet to setup tables, tablecloths, Menorot, signs, and any info you bring about your community. Each community should bring their own Menorah and candles. MAJCO will provide extra candles and Menorot if needed, small signs for each community, and a program that includes contact information for each community. Communities are welcome to bring Chanukah foods to share.
MAJCO President, Josh Burnim, will welcome the crowd and introduce the Lt. Governor and the Rabbis. Rabbis Barbara Block, Chaim Bruk and Ed Stafman will speak on Chanukah. (Rabbi Allen Secher is not able to attend.) Lt. Governor Bohlinger will address the crowd. Then, we will all light our Menorot together and sing the blessings and Maoz Tzur. After the ceremony, we will share Sufganiyot and other Chanukah treats. The ceremony should only take 30 minutes, but we encourage all to spend some time before and afterwards with each other.
At 1:00 p.m., MAJCO Officers and Delegates will meet upstairs for a business meeting. All are welcome to attend.
I hope many of you, and at least one representative from each MAJCO community, will make the trip to Helena to share in this statewide Jewish event, building ties with Jews from across the state. Please share this email with other members of your Congregations and Communities.
Shalom,
Josh Burnim
MAJCO President
Yom Kippur Food Donation Results
Helen Cherry led us in a great program this Yom Kippur; to make a donation of the food we did not eat while fasting.
Well, the results are in. Over Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur, our congregants donated 65 pounds of food, which was all delivered to the Great Falls Food Bank.
Todah Robah to all for your generosity!
Cemetery Needs Assessment Visit
In 1916, the newly-formed Great Falls Hebrew Association purchased a plot of land South of Great Falls on Eaton Road from the Butte Land and Investment Co. for use as a cemetery. Today, about a dozen graves are on-site, with the most recent burial there this past Spring. A prairie cemetery for a prairie town, this property is rugged and surrounded by natural grasses.
Unfortunately, a 1980s era fence our congregation erected at the cemetery is now falling down, many of the gravestones are crumbling and the entrance to the cemetery is inaccessible, especially in inclement weather.
Can you join us for a “Needs Assessment” visit at the cemetery on Saturday afternoon, September 15? For those of you that have never been there, we plan on meeting at the parking lot at 1015 1st Ave North just after noon and caravanning up to the cemetery. Please bring your own lunch.
A map to the cemetery follows, courtesy of Google. If you cannot access this map, please click on “View Larger Map”.
Congratulations to Bridge Club Members
Today’s Great Falls Tribune (page M1, August 7) reports on the recent Big Sky Duplicate Bridge Club tournament. Congratulations to congregants Don and Helen Cherry and Arleen Heintzelman and Henry Nemec for their results in this tournament!
Montana Celebrates Hadassah’s 100th Birthday
Would love to have you join us for our Hadassah Centennial Celebration on Aug. 12. Please pass this invitation on to anyone you think might be interested. We have a wonderful evening planned with food, fun, friends and a stimulating presentation by Bruce Barrett, Northwest Regional AIPAC Director and former Law Professor, about Henrietta Szold, the founding of Hadassah, and its place in Israel’s history. For more information feel free to contact Kay Gersh at gershkmt@gmail.com.
100 YEARS AND STILL GOING STRONG
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A GALA CELEBRATION
AT THE RISING SUN BISTRO
KALISPELL
SUNDAY, AUG 12, 6:30 P.M.
PLEASE R.S.V.P. BY AUG. 1
PATTY SCHNALL forbesave@gmail.com
837-7214
MINIMUM DONATION $36 PER PERSON
PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE NEW HOSPITAL TOWER
IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND BUT WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A
DONATION OF ANY AMOUNT PLEASE SEND CHECKS MADE OUT TO “HADASSAH” TO:
KAY GERSH
PO BOX 487
WHITEFISH MT. 59937
SCHEDULE CHANGE: Adult Discussion and Milchig Potluck Dinner Saturday, 5/5, 5:30 P.M. at the Bethel
The best laid plans …
Ah well. We had planned for a Lag B’Omer bonfire and celebration this weekend. However, if you take a look at the weather forecast, it just wasn’t to be. Saturday’s weather is supposed to be a high of about 50 with lots and lots of rain.
Therefore, we are going to go back to our original plans for Adult Discussion on Saturday evening. We will have a milchig potluck dinner, 5:30 p.m. at the Bethel. Hope to see you there!
