A board meeting of the Great Falls Hebrew Association (Aitz Chaim) was held at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday, June 1, at the Washington School. Following are some highlights of the meeting.
So the tentative calendar for upcoming events looks like this:
EDITOR’S NOTE: These are a few highlights from the Treasurer’s report we will be discussing at the GFHA board meeting, to be held this Sunday, June 1, at 2:00 P.M. at Washington School. Any interested members are welcome to attend. Click on “Donate” to see how you can help.
* Thus far this year, I have only made 2 of our 3 scheduled payments to HUC for the Student Rabbi program. Even if we do not schedule the third shabbos visit for the year, we likely still owe HUC some of those funds (as we have scheduled 4 of 5 services, including the High Holy Days). The third payment we owe would be in the amount of 1,175. I request board guidance on how much of that to pay (of course, some of that would depend on whether or not we schedule a June service …)
* Thus far this year, we have received dues and other contributions (excluding seder) from 16 family units, totaling 4,844.50. If asked, I believe that some regular contributors to the congregation will give again this year. If all of those individuals give, we could achieve another 2,025 in donations. Receipt of those funds would allow us to have a break even year, even if we have to pay the full amount we owe to HUC.
* We had a fun and well attended Pesach seder this year. The seder provided net support to the congregation in the amount of 281.65. Much of this was due to a number of very last minute reservations from non-members.
Please feel free to contact me at treasurer@aitzchaim.com with any questions you might have regarding this report.
Submitted by Aaron Weissman
EDITOR’S NOTE: Adapted from an e-mail.
I am thrilled to be serving as the student rabbi in Great Falls next year. I want to introduce myself to the Great Falls Hebrew Association community.
Immediately below you will find a brief introductory paragraph.
Bess Wohlner, a rabbinic education student in the Rhea Hirsch School of Education at Hebrew Union College on the Los Angeles campus, is currently in pursuit of her Masters in Jewish Education and will be ordained as a rabbi in May 2015. She grew up in Shawnee, Kansas and earned her BA in Judaic Studies from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Before beginning her studies at HUC, Bess worked as the Assistant Educator and Youth Director at Temple B’nai Shalom in Fairfax Station, Virginia. Since being at HUC she has served as a student rabbi at Congregation Havurim in Temecula, California (2010 – 2012), an education intern at University Synagogue in Los Angeles (2012 – 2013). Next year, in addition to the time she’ll spend in Great Falls, she is also the rabbinic intern at Temple Akiba in Culver City, California. When not studying or working, Bess can be found playing her guitar, traveling, and video chatting with her six-year-old niece.
I am very excited to be joining your community next year. Looking forward to meeting you in person in September.
L’shalom,
Bes
Jun 24
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As part of a conservation project for the camping merit badge, Aitz Chaim congregant Max Weissman and his father spent some time at our historic Eaton Road cemetery this weekend. Sometime last year, unknown vandals knocked down several of the gravestones at the cemetery. We have contacted Montana Granite to perform repairs and reset the […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: Cpt. Rabbi Sarah Schecter is featured in Ynet News in Israel. Of course she has strong Great Falls roots. Submitted by Jerry Weissman.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Submitted by Jerry Weissman, since this week’s Torah portion is about Baalam.
Some donkeys are smart…
Movies:
A man in a movie theater notices what looks like a donkey sitting next to him.
“Are you a donkey?” asked the man, surprised.
“Yes.”
“What are you doing at the movies?”
The donkey replied, “Well, I liked the book.”
Front Seat:
A policeman in the big city stops a man in a car with a donkey in the front seat.
“What are you doing with that donkey?” He exclaimed, “You should take it to the zoo.”
The following week, the same policeman sees the same man with the donkey again in the front seat, with both of them wearing sunglasses. The policeman pulls him over.
“I thought you were going to take that donkey to the zoo!”
The man replied, “I did. We had such a good time we are going to the beach this weekend!”
Rabbi Alex Goldhamer does circumcisions and to increase business he has decided to put a notice for his services on the Internet. He is calling his new service “e-moil”.
From the Jewish Bulletin of northern California. Helen
EDITOR’S NOTE: Two of my favorite Jewish father jokes, and then some commentary.
A Jewish boy walks up to his father and says “Papa, I need fifty dollars.” The father says “forty dollars?! I don’t have thirty dollars! What do you need twenty dollars for? Here’s ten dollars.” He hands the boy a five and says “split it with your brothers…and bring back the change.”
A Jewish father was concerned about his son who was about a year away from his Bar Mitzvah but was sorely lacking in his knowledge of the Jewish faith.
To remedy this he sent his son to Israel to experience his heritage. A year later the young man returned home. “Father, thank you for sending me to the land of our Fathers, ” the son said. “It was wonderful and enlightening, however, I must confess that while in Israel I converted to Christianity.”
“Oi vey,” replied the father, “what have I done?”
So in the tradition of the patriarchs he went to his best friend and sought his advice and solace. “It is amazing that you should come to me,” stated his friend, “I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian.”
So in the tradition of the Patriarchs they went to the Rabbi. “It is amazing that you should come to me,” stated the Rabbi, “I too sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian. What is happening to our sons?” Brothers, we must take this to God,” said the Rabbi. They fell to their knees and began to wail and pour out their hearts to the Almighty.
As they prayed the clouds above opened and a mighty voice stated, “Amazing that you should come to Me. I, too, sent My Son to Israel.”
Let’s have some jokes for the Jewish father, nu? | j. the Jewish news …
The May, 2013 issue of the Boston Magazine has an article in it called Dedicated to the Shoes We Wore. Many of the Boston Marathon runners donated their shoes to a memorial to honor those who could not finish the race. They were placed in a heart shape on Boylston Street where the race should have ended. An aerial photo of the many-colored shoes in a heart shape is on the cover of the magazine. On her trip to New England in May, Meriam Nagel took a photo of the original picture that was used for the magazine cover, autographed by the photographer. As a fund-raiser for Aitz Chaim, she is offering to sell 8 x 10 framed prints of the picture for $20.00 each, with the proceeds going half to the Boston 1 Fund and half to Aitz Chaim. If interested, please contact Meriam Nagel by phone, or email editor@aitzchaim.com.
The Aitz Chaim Ram's Horn 