1 Dennington Park Road
1 Dennington Park Road | |
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As announced in shul on 19 July, these are the proposals for a "new deal" that were put to the main shul honorary officers, on behalf of WHAM, on 14 July.
The main shul to agree to the following formula for the splitting
of Rabbi Harris's time on Shabbat morning, using a four week cycle
(adjusted, where necessary for special occasions like barmitzvahs):-
Week 1 - As at present
Week 2 - Rabbi Harris joins WHAM for the entire duration of its Shabbat
morning service
Week 3 - As at present
Week 4 - Joint participatory non-choral service in Eli Chinn Hall
Under this arrangement WHAM would therefore benefit from Rabbi Harris's sermons for two out of four weeks.
In addition, Rabbi Harris to spend one day Rosh Hashanah and one day on each of the other two-day yomtovim (e.g. Pesach one day at the beginning and one day at the end) and two from the following YomKippur sevices: Kol Nidre, Shacharit, Musaf, Ne'ilah with WHAM for the entirety of its service. (Shavuot is not included here because of the Tikun Leil which has meant that WHAM tends not to have a service on the first day).
Further, we would have a joint Purim service (venue to be negotiated but under WHAM's aegis). WHAM members would also join the main shul weekday shacharit service rota in force and try to attend more regularly on Friday night service. WHAM would also try to deliver better attendance at Rabbi Harris's weekday shiurim.
The main shul are considering the "new deal" too, and some modifications are likely, especially in relation to week 4 which may have logistical difficulties and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur where we may instead have to have our own Rabbi for those days and swap him with the main shul like we did last year with Rabbi Boteach. In this event the main shul might well assist us financially with the cost.
The WHAM Committee would like to have a consultation period in respect of these proposals. Comments should be made to any member of the committee within the next two weeks.
Constructive criticisms or messages of support can be E-mailed to geoffrey.charin@which.net. All messages received will be printed out and brought to the attention of the committee at its next meeting. If you don't have e-mail, please post to any committee member's address.
J. Seitler |
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| Got nothing to do during the summer ? Then why not try your Yad (hand) at leyning. There are a number of short parshot (portions) appearing in sedrot in late September. From 4 verses upwards, they make an ideal opportunity for beginners to try out or old hands to reacquaint themselves. WHAM regulars have offered (free) tuition to all those interested. We reckon you'll be delighted with the results!! Go on have a go - it's your minyan. Just think how happy it would make your old Chedar teacher! You'll get a yad so you won't lose your place and a guarantee that the letters will be larger than this! Contact Jean-Marc Barsam 0181-444-2815 |
AnagWHAM corner:EARLIEST RICH COIN Last month's AnagWHAM ("A Rude Wine Hog") was quickly guessed by a few people as Andrew Hougie - not, we hasten to add, because the description was particularly apt! This month's choice won't be legal tender next year.... Answers to Geoff Charin. |
Shabbat Times
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NewsletterGot any ideas for the next edition? Anything you would like to write on any subject of interest to the community? Would you like to share any favourite recipes? Do NOT wait to be asked! Get in contact now. Or write your contribution and fax it to Geoff at 0181-357-4203. |
Ron Arad: Remember him?His plane developed a fault and he bailed out over Lebanon nearly
11 years ago. In all this time, he has been denied access to any
family or even to aid organisations. Now a petition to the UN is
being organised on the internet. |
Addresses & Mailing ListsIf you are reading someone else's copy and would like to be added to the mailing list, - or if you need to notify of a change in your address details please notify Nick Cosgrove, by writing to him care of:
WHAM Mailing List |
From 17th Tammuz
(22nd July this year) until 9th Av (12th August),
Jews the world over mourn the destruction of the two Temples of old
at Jerusalem. The first and last days of the Three Weeks are fast
days. No weddings are allowed at this season.
We don't eat meat during the last nine days of the Three Weeks, and there are other laws and customs limiting happy activities.
But why? What possible relevance can all this have today? After all, the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE - almost 2,000 years ago!
Moreover, why mourn the destruction of Jerusalem any more? We now have a beautiful, rebuilt Jerusalem and a flourishing, dynamic State of Israel. Hasn't the time come to put the sackcloth and ashes away?
I believe there are at least two responses to these questions.
First, people have to remember their history, both its happy and sad aspects. The significance of a major event is not necessarily neutralised by the passing of time. The Three Weeks and their tragic role in our history can never be forgotten. A people that forgets its history ultimately loses its identity.
A second answer is that mourning for the temple of old is appropriate because although we may now hold Jerusalem and our beloved Israel once again, we can never be completely happy as long as the world in which we live remains a troubled place. We may have Jerusalem, but we still lack our Temple. We may have Israel - but its security, and peace in the Middle East are goals not yet fully attained. Casualties - Jewish and non-Jewish - still occur with alarming regularity.
In the wider world we inhabit, everything is also far from rosy. Violence, suffering and cruelty are commonplace. So, just for three weeks in the year, Judaism still insists that happy activities are somewhat curtailed. In a world that is far from being a happy place, that is entirely proper.
Rabbi Michael Harris
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How YOU can make a difference to OUR community:If you don't feel that you can lead the service and Leyning isn't for you; if you're not the type to sit down and write something for the newsletter (yes, there are one or two!) - worry not! All is not lost... To maintain WHAM's reputation as a warm & welcoming place, please, if you are hosting a shabbat lunch, keep an eye out for any newcomers and invite them to join you. If you're Jewish then you're bound to have overcatered anyway! Plan for it in advance, cater for any eventuality! Feeling bad that this isn't for you either? Alright there is one more way you can contribute - Money: Sponsor a WHAM event. We'll accept any excuse be it a birthday, engagement, wedding anniversary, graduation, moving in, moving out. You could sponsor an Oneg , a kiddush or a breakfast. Alternatively, you could donate books to our library - we'll stick in a label saying whatever you want - subject to strict censorship! Please contact any member of the committee. |
More than one company in New England claims to offer the most flavors (sic) of ice-cream. Similarly, Boston seems to offer more flavours of Judaism than most US cities. There is no unifying United Synagogue or Chief Rabbinate. Indeed, the organisation of Boston's Jewish religious services appears to me to be very reminiscent of the 1960's phrase "doing your own thing" or the joke about two Jews on a desert island building three shuls.
Within orthodoxy, there are many communities with subtle variations in flavour: Some hold with the eruv, some don't. Some hold with this hechsher, others will only go with one type of shechita, etc., etc. And within any of the 'progessive' camps there is no less variety. This "egalitarian chavurah" is "totally indistinguishable from an Orthodox community except that there is no difference tolerated between the roles of men and women".
Meanwhile, that '"Temple" has abolished any mention of sacrifices. And that shul has three sections of seating: male, female, and mixed. The result of this variety is that, conversely, the range of people you meet on a Shabbat morning in anyone place is much narrower than in most British shuls. I have missed the fact that the United Synagogue in Britain is, as it were, a "broad church". For me, shul attendance is my primary communal activity outside the home, and I like knowing that there is a broad range of people sharing that experience with me. I dislike the straitjacket of choosing a narrow level of affiliation. Indeed, I know people here who have been unable to find a shul they felt comfortable with, because of each community's homogeneity. So the view from across the water is that while there are many things wrong with the United Synagogue, too seldom do we appreciate what is beneficial. And if it is really as beleagured as it has appeared in the JC, our telescope on the UK Jewish scene this past year, there is a serious risk of throwing the baby away with the bathwater.
I step down from my soapbox.
Anthony WarrensNotice BoardThe WHAM mailing list now reaches well over 150 households. If you would like to put a notice in this section of the Newsletter (it's free!) - contact Geoff Charin.
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Contemporary Jewish IssuesA series of discussions on topics of current interest at the home of Rabbi Michael and Sara Harris on occasional Monday evenings. The next series begins Autumn 1997 and includes subjects such as heaven and hell, the existence of God, medical ethics and other planets in the halachah. Further details to follow. If you would a schedule when prepared, please contact Rabbi Michael Harris 0171-431-2887 |
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