Israeli Shlicha Letter to the Communities
November 18 , 2007
Shalom Benton, Belleville, Alton, Carbondale and Paducah!
I’m writing to you again after a long time of silence, mostly because of a conference I had to attend in White Plains near NY. A lot has happened since, and I’m glad to share it with you.
Three weeks ago I was happy to meet the members of the Paducah Temple Israel congregation and their Rabbi Jean Englinton for the first time. Not knowing quite how to get there, a one hour trip took me over two hours as I found myself in some unrecognized side roads in total darkness and with almost no gas left in my tank. Needless to say, by the time I finally found Temple Israel I was shaken, but it was good to be able to make it and get to know this wonderful congregation. I made it just in time to say shalom to everyone and talk with some of them over the Oneg, but unfortunately, I missed their Rabbi Englinton’s sermon, which I heard was very good. I hope to be able to make it without any problem on Dec. 7th and to have the chance to listen to Rabbi Englinton’s sermon. Toda raba to Beverly and Butch Bradley who invited me to spend the night at their house following services, I enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them.
Last Shabbat I met the Alton congregation for the first time – even though it was a first time trip for me to their temple, there were no particular problems and I managed to find the place and make it on time to hear their wonderful Rabbi Jay Goldburg lead a beautiful service and to learn a great deal from him about Albert Einstein’s life and personality. It was great to meet the members of that congregation (we actually had a minyan!) and to have three more guests and a baby (whose mother and grandmother, which were present, are students in my Hebrew class at SIU Edwardsville). Thanks to Nancy Gent for having me over that night and for showing me the area, I learned a great deal from her!
Last Shabbat the Beth Jacob congregation of Carbondale enjoyed a wonderful Tot Shabbat ceremony led by long-time campers Mike Schacter and Jay O’Brian. The two, with their guitars and joyful spirit, made both kids and adults (about 25 of them!) happy and content. Mike and Jay will lead other Tot Shabbat services at Beth Jacob later on. We will let you know the dates as soon as we set them, so make sure not to miss them!
We are going to start adult Hebrew classes in Carbondale on Thursdays, starting Nov. 29th (7 pm at Beth Jacob). This is an especially happy thing for me, as hopefully soon I’ll be able to speak Hebrew with people around here and enjoy the rare and happy feeling that for once my accent is just right!
The coming year, 2008, is going to be Israel’s 60th year and we are working on setting up a series of events to celebrate this happy occasion. We’re planning to have a series of Israeli movies in the different communities and to bring speakers that will introduce us to the different aspects of Israeli life and culture. We’re also going to start an Israeli book club in Alton and some cooking workshops in Paducah and will soon send an updated list of our Israel at 60 events.
In addition to this, the Federation’s internet site (www.simokyfed.com) is going to go through a massive change and in addition to giving it a new look, we hope to update it regularly with pictures (of you!), articles, music and other things related to Israel’s 60th anniversary. This is your last chance to see the site in its current version before our webmaster Bonnie will make the changes we asked for.
Mark your calendars:
Dec. 9th we’re going to have a big federation-wide Chanukah party in Carbondale with lots of games and fun activities for kids and adults alike. This year especially we’re going to have the party adult-oriented and not only kids-oriented. It is going to be a fun event for the whole family! Apart from good music, games and activities, we’re going to have our Federation president, Burton Zwick, indulge us all with his too-good-to-be-real latkes! Celebrations will start around 10:30 am followed by lunch. We will send out a separate invitation by snail mail and by email – please RSVP to us as soon as possible. We will be happy to have you all celebrate with us!
(Also, If you have pictures of Chanukah parties from past years, we’ll be happy to have them for our picture presentation at the beginning of the party.)
We’re also going to have an Interfaith Chanukah party at SIU Edwardsville, where we’ll have a presentation about the holiday, candle lighting ceremony, music and good Chanukah food at the Religious Center of SIUE on Dec. 5th at 6 pm. We will be happy to see you there for this first of its kind event at that campus!
And now to two announcements on Federation missions for 2008:
- A ten-day mission to Moldova will leave on July 10th, 2008 and visit the Jewish communities in that country. The purpose of the mission is to explore Jewish roots and history in that region and to see where our charity money goes to and where our money is needed. During the trip we’ll visit elderly people and synagogues so this is going to be a hands-on experience combining both social service and exploration of Jewish roots and history. Costs are $3300 per person, but we may get a $500 discount for those who give to our campaign. We can give low-interest loan on the sum of $2000. Please RSVP to silfed@simokyfed.com as soon as possible (at the latest by the end of the month) – the mission will go only if ten people or more would say they’re interested.
- The GA next year will take place in Israel (Nov. 16th-19th, 2008). We’re going to have a pre-mission (probably from Nov. 5th) that will travel around the country and explore the different facets of Israel. Those of you who are interested are encouraged to contact us ASAP (a deposit of $300 is required).
And now to a new feature in my email letters:
Long time ago I was privileged to meet a wonderful man called Leslie Brezaq who had instituted a weekly quiz for another community in a far away place. I’m happy to take on his legacy and continue it here. Leslie is no longer with us today, but his memory will always be cherished.
Quiz no. 1:
In last week’s Torah Portion, Va’yetze, Jacob dreams his famous dream of angels climbing up and down a ladder. What is the Hebrew word for an angel and what is its original meaning from the Bible?
The first to send me the right (and full!) answer will win a yummy prize delivered straight to his/her home.
I hope you’re all doing well and I’ll be happy to hear from you and see you soon,
Yours,
Revital
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Revital Yona
Israel Emissary to the Jewish federation of Southern Illinois, Southeastern Missouri and Western Kentucky
314-956-9247
revitalsimokyfed@gmail.com