June 1998
Sivan/Tammuz 5758
| WHAM'98 | Volume VIII, Issue 2 June 1998 Sivan/Tammuz 5758 |
WHAMWest Hampstead Alternative Minyanis a Modern Orthodox Jewish community based at The Hampstead Synagogue, 1 Dennington Park Road, London NW6. | In this issue of WHAM'98... | ||
| Mechitzah Trial Launched | Page 2 | ||
| Friday Night Dinner / Anna Joss | Page 3 | ||
| Cover Story | Page 4 | ||
| Detailed contents | WHAM "10 for 10" Campaign | Page 4 | |
| Graphical version | Weekend supplement | Page 5 | |
[Sorry - hyperlinks not all yet in place]
As indicated in the last issue of WHAM '98, the new committee has been investigating more inclusive mechitzah arrangements.
We are now in a position to launch a trial of one possible mechitzah arrangement. The mechitzah will shortly be moved from its current position to be placed vertically down the shul, in line with the bimah and the ark, and just to the left of the bimah. This configuration will incorporate into the women's section the two rows of sideways facing seats next to the men's entrance. [It was originally planned to include a diagram of this plan at this point, but, on second thoughts, why not just come along on a Shabbat morning and see for yourself - Ed.] The new configuration has been designed with the cooperation and support of Rabbi Harris and is fully consistent with Halachah.
We highlight that, initially, the new mechitzah will be installed for a trial period. This is one of a number of possible configurations and, depending on the feedback received, further trials may also take place in the future. As well as considering the position of the mechitzah, we are also looking into alternative materials which could be used, although no decision has yet been reached in this area.
The committee would be particularly interested to hear any comments you may have on either of these issues, in order to assist them in reaching a final decision.
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This year's Tikun Leil Shavuot took place in the early hours of Sunday 31 May.
The first speaker was Henry Grunwald, whose talk in support of the Board of Deputies convinced many to re-examine their preconceptions. He was followed by Rabbi Michael Harris, whose talk on the issues surrounding Temple sacrifices in Judaism led to a highly stimulating debate. Finally, Andrew White rounded off the evening with a text-based shiur on the centrality of human dignity in Halachah.
The turnout was excellent, with the room full to overflowing and many people staying until Shacharit, which began at the crack of dawn at 3:30am.
Thank you to all three speakers and also to Deborah Frieze, who kindly hosted the event and kept the cheesecake flowing through the night.
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| The whole committee | committee@wham.org.uk |
| Geoff Charin | gcharin@wham.org.uk |
| Lyall Cresswell |
lcresswell@wham.org.uk events@wham.org.uk |
| Mike Davis |
mdavis@wham.org.uk chairman@wham.org.uk |
| Steven Fisher |
sfisher@wham.org.uk newsletter@wham.org.uk |
| Steven Mendel |
smendel@wham.org.uk treasurer@wham.org.uk |
| Julia Schneider |
jschneider@wham.org.uk catering@wham.org.uk |
| Robert Shaw |
rshaw@wham.org.uk membership@wham.org.uk |
| Louise Sylvester |
lsylvester@wham.org.uk security@wham.org.uk |
| Deborah Frieze |
dfrieze@wham.org.uk leyning@wham.org.uk |
| Andrew Hougie |
ahougie@wham.org.uk webmaster@wham.org.uk |
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Mazal tov to Aviva Goldschmidt and Andy Kaufman on their recent engagement.
Mazal tov also to Sally and Geoffrey Charin on the birth of a daughter, Yehudit, on Tuesday 9 July.
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We are holding a Friday Night Dinner, with guest speaker Anna Joss of the New Israel Fund, on Friday 17 July.
The dinner will commence at 7:30pm in the Garage, Hampstead Synagogue, 1 Dennington Park Road, London NW6.
Tickets, priced at £15 for adults and £7 for children, are only available in advance and can be obtained from Julia Schneider (e-mail catering@wham.org.uk), Mike Davis (e-mail chairman@wham.org.uk) or any member of the committee.
(See also page 6).
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WHAM has relaunched the traditional Shabbat morning breakfasts each Shabbat Mevorachim HaChodesh. The next three breakfasts, which will take place during a break in the service before the leining, are scheduled for 20 June, 18 July and 22 August.
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WHAM holds a Shabbat morning service every week in the Beit HaMedrash, commencing at 9:45am.
Other regular services are held by The Hampstead Synagogue, as follows:
| Kabbalat Shabbat | 7:30pm (summer months) |
| Sunday morning | 8:30am |
| Mon/Thurs morning | 7:30am |
| Rosh Chodesh morning | 7:15am |
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The discussion series continues, with a further session led by Rabbi Michael Harris taking a relaxed but in-depth look at the Jewish view on a subject of contemporary interest. All are very welcome.
The discussion commences at 8:15pm in the Mezzanine Room, Community Centre, The Hampstead Synagogue, 1 Dennington Park Road, London NW6. (Note change from regular venue.)
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The WHAM cricket team will be re-forming this summer. If you would like to join, please contact any member of the committee.
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The ongoing success of WHAM is due to the commitment of its members. In order to ensure that WHAM's future remains healthy, we require your support.
On this page, we have set out a number of ways which, we hope, will enable everyone at WHAM to play their part in guaranteeing WHAM's future and supporting the wider Hampstead and London communities of which WHAM is a part.
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At WHAM, we are always looking for ways to involve all of our members in the services. One part of the service, which can be read by women as well as men, is the Prayer for the Royal Family and the Prayer for the State of Israel. We would encourage all of our members to take the opportunity to get involved in this way. To volunteer, please speak to any committee member.
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One lapsed WHAM tradition, which we hope to resurrect, is the sedra synopsis at the start of each week's leining. This is another way for those who might not otherwise get involved in the service still to play a role. No prior knowledge is required to give a synopsis, which simply consists of a one or two minute summary of the sedra without any additional commentary. If you would like to help to enhance the service by giving a synopsis, please get in touch with a member of the committee.
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One of the most appealing aspects of WHAM is that its services are run by its members. We are keen to ensure that this does not become too great a burden on a small number of individuals, so:
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In the last edition of WHAM'98, we launched the WHAM "10 for 10" campaign. The target of the campaign was to find sufficient volunteers to join a monthly 10:00am Shabbat minyan rota.
The response to our appeal has been very pleasing, with three of the four rota weeks now full, (see table below). To those of you whose names appear on the list: thank you, your help is truly appreciated. To everyone else: please consider volunteering to fill the fourth week, as a prompt minyan will enable us to strengthen the character of our service, with more singing, guest speakers and breakfasts.
If you are interested in joining "10 for 10", please speak to Robert Shaw, (e-mail rshaw@wham.org.uk), or Mike Davis, (e-mail mdavis@wham.org.uk).
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robert Shaw Steven Fisher Tony Metzer S Brownstone Nick Cosgrove Johnny Seitler Andrew Hougie David Brodtman Tony Schneider D Sinclair/L Davis |
Mike Davis Robert Shaw Miles Herz Dan Cohen Geoff Zelin Nick Clemence David Miller Jeremy Cooper Gideon Smith Paul Turner |
? |
David Smith Geoffrey Charin Lyall Cresswell David Barnet Keith Malkinson Dov Schtekl Leo Dee Steven Mendel Anthony Warrens Mike Davis |
| 6 June 4 July 1 August 29 August |
13 June 11 July 8 August 5 September |
20 June 18 July 15 August 12 September |
27 June 25 July 22 August 19 September |
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Heat the chopped tomatoes with a little salt and pepper. Put in the chopped onion and potato. In a separate pan, dry fry the cumin, then pound in a mortar and pestle. Add the seasoning - powdered coriander, some chopped coriander leaves and the pounded cumin. Leave to cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the chickpeas and add to the stew. Add the sultanas to the stew. Leave on a low heat, covered, for another 20 minutes. Check the seasoning to your own taste - more salt, pepper, cumin or coriander.
Whilst it is cooking, make the couscous. Mix the vegetable stock with hot water. Put half a small bag of couscous into a bowl. Cover with twice as much water, fork, and leave to soak up the liquid.
Back to the stew: drain it through a colander. Return the stew to the pan. Put the liquid from the stew into a separate pan and add chilli powder to taste.
Serve on a large dish; a bed of couscous, with the stew on top, in the centre. Serve the spicy sauce separately!!
Deborah FriezeReturn to Contents
| Start | End | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelach Lecha | 19/20 June | 9:06 | 10:30 |
| Korach | 26/27 June | 9:07 | 10:30 |
| Chukat | 3/4 July | 9:05 | 10:30 |
| Balak | 10/11 July | 9:01 | 10:27 |
| Shiva Asar B'Tammuz | 12 July (daytime) | 10:15 | |
| Pinchas | 17/18 July | 8:54 | 10:17 |
| Matot/Masei | 24/25 July | 8:46 | 10:05 |
| Devarim | 31 July/1 Aug | 8:35 | 9:52 |
| Tisha B'Av | 1/2 August | 8:49 | 9:40 |
| Va'etchanan | 7/8 August | 8:23 | 9:37 |
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The new WHAM security rota is shown below. It is your responsibility to ensure that your slot is filled. If you cannot make your allotted time then please arrange a swap. Failing that, please call Louise Sylvester and she will arrange cover for you.
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9.15-10.00 | Robert Shaw | Geoffrey Zelin | Nick Cosgrove | David Smith |
| 10.00-10.30 | Andrew Hougie | Marguerite Brodtman | Julia Schneider | Geoffrey Charin |
| 10.30-11.00 | Steven Fisher | Caroline Bogush | Charles Coleman | Lyall Cresswell |
| 11.00-11.30 | Louise Sylvester | Francine Barsam | Jean-Marc Barsam | Sarah Patchik |
| 11.30-end | David Sinclair | Mike Davis | Hope Samuel | Steven Mendel |
| 6 June | 13 June | 20 June | 27 June | |
| 4 July | 11 July | 18 July | 25 July | |
| 1 August | 8 August | 15 August | 22 August | |
| 29 August | 5 Sept | 12 Sept | 19 Sept |
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If you have any announcements for the next issue of WHAM'98, (due late July / early August), or would be willing to conribute an article, please contact Steven Fisher: e-mail sfisher@wham.org.uk.
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To add your, or anyone else's, name to the WHAM mailing list, please notify Steven Mendel (Email: smendel@wham.org.uk).
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