Rabbi’s Corner 2Cantor’s Notes,Reflections3Lifelong Jewish Learning 4 July/August Calendars 5-6High Holy Day Schedule 7Women of Sinai, Affirmation andPresident’s Message8Personals 9Brotherhood News 10SDC Work Day 11Seniors Havurah,School News12 Annual Meeting Message 13B’nei Mitzvahs 14Workers of the Year,What’s Greening 15Donations 16 July/August Yahrzeits 17

Shabbat Schedule

SINAI NEWS

Rabbi David B. Cohen • Cantor Rebecca Robins • Rabbi Emeritus Jay R. BrickmanInterim Executive Director Stacy Schwab • Director of Lifelong Jewish Learning Sherry H. Blumberg, Ph.D., R.J.E.Sinai News - Nicole SetherCongregation Sinai • 8223 N. Port Washington Road• Fox Point, WI 53217414.352.2970• 414.352.0944 (fax)• www.congregationsinai.org

Shabbat

Chukat-Balak

Numbers 19:1-25:9

July 3 Outdoor Family ShabbatService 6 pmJuly 4 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 am

Shabbat

Pinchas

Numbers 25:10-30:1

July 10 Outdoor Shabbat Service 6 pmJuly 11 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 am

Shabbat

Matot-Masei

Numbers 30:2-36:13

July 17 Outdoor Shabbat Service 6 pmJuly 18 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 am

Shabbat

Devarim

Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22

July 24 Outdoor Shabbat Service 6 pmJuly 25 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 am

Shabbat

Vaetchanan

Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

July 31 Outdoor Shabbat Service 6 pmAugust 1 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 am

July/August 2009 • Tamuz-Elul 5769

Shabbat

Eikev

Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25

August 7 Outdoor Shabbat Service 6 pmAugust 8 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 am

Shabbat

Re’eh

Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

August 14 Softball & Prospective Member Shabbat Service 6 pmBrotherhood Hotdog Dinner 7 pmAugust 15 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 amKayla Kogod Bat Mitzvah 4:30 pm

Shabbat

Shoftim

Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

August 21 Outdoor Popsicle ShabbatService 6 pmAugust 22 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 amElissa Koppel Bat Mitzvah 10 am

Shabbat Ki Teitzei

Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19

August 28 Final Outdoor ShabbatService 6 pmAugust 29 Torah Study 8 amMorning Minyan 9:30 amAndrew Kaufmann Bar Mitzvah 10 am

In this issue

“I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree,” wrote poet Joyce Kilmer about a three hundred year oldoak. I recall that stanza as I look out my office window, onto abucolic scene of numerous shades of green. A mix of ash andwillow line the creek, beyond which sits a pond surrounded bya thick carpet of reeds. Summer may be short in Wisconsin,but nature makes up for its brevity with abundant and verdantbeauty.The transition from Spring to Summerbrings with it a change of lay leadership at Sinai.As I write, Judi Ketten has become the president of Sinai’s board of directors. Before I welcome her, Iwant to offer special thanks to Marlene Lauwasser,who has served as our president the past two years.Marlene and her husband Marvin have been Sinaimembers for the past nine years. During that short time, she has contributed a tremendous amount.Marlene came to Sinai having been a dedicatedvolunteer at the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. Shealso has been a long time member of the staff atCardinal Strich University. During her term as president,Marlene oversaw the transition to our expanded facility, aswell as several personnel changes. In addition, Marlene fo-cused the board on the current challenge of running the syna-gogue at a time when the board has had to attend to a chang-ing – and infinitely more challenging – financial world, even asshe oversaw the revitalization of our social action committee.Through it all, Marlene stood as “cheerleader-in-chief,” reminding the board that while the synagogue functionsin some respects as a small business, it serves a higher pur-pose in the lives of its members and the community. I amgrateful for her time and effort, as well as her continual re-minders that the synagogue’s work is “holy work.” Marlenecan now enjoy the most honored (and enjoyable) title in the

Rabbi’s Corner

Page 2 July/August 2009

world of synagogue leadership: “immediate past president!”Judi Ketten is a long time member of the congregation and has served in a variety of capacities as a leader atSinai, as well as in the community at large. She chaired theIsrael committee, served on Sinai’s board, and was a part of the rabbinic search committee that brought me to Sinai. Shecontinues to volunteer in a variety of ways in communityIsrael programs.A story I’ve told often: it was meeting Judiand her family that convinced me to come to Mil-waukee. An early morning get-together with thesearch committee at her home was a bit frenetic;her teenage daughters’ ride hadn’t shown up and they needed to get to school. This gave me achance to speak to them a little bit, which wasfortuitous. That evening, I called Julie (pregnantwith Michael and Sophie in California) and toldher how much I like the community at Sinai and that “if our kids could grown up half as nice as the teenagers I had just met” we would be doing quite well.I am thrilled that Judi has taken the reigns as mypartner in leading the congregation. She has inexhaustibleenergy, an unfailingly positive outlook, and the support of her wonderful husband, Michael – who, as far as I know, isour only congregant who is a bona fide car racer. You willfind Judi open to input, questions and concerns even as sheis committed to making the board, committees, and the ex-ecutive committee function in transparent and responsiveways. We are blessed many times over that Judi Ketten isserving as our board’s president. I know she will help us allgo, as the tradition says, “from strength to strength.”Rabbi David Cohen

“Thanks to Those who Lead”

A special thanks for those board memberswho completed their terms of service this year.

Karen Berk LancinaDick KahnAndy MuchinSheryl PrimakowRon ShapiroRandee ZitelmanMichael BernsteinMela Osburn

We appreciate their efforts and leadershipof the congregation!

Sinai Families--You are Invited to...

July 12, 2009,3:00-5:00 p.m. in Sinai’s Backyard

We’ll have sprinklers on the lawn and sprinkles on theice cream.We’ll have kiddies’ pools and pools of hot fudge.Bring your swimsuit and beach ball for fun in the sunand cool summer treats.See you there--Rain or Shine!

Our tradition identifies Jewishuniqueness with being endowed as apeople with eternal life. In the past, this continued existence was guaran- teed by the hostility of our surround-ings. An ancient folk tale concerned awager be- tween thesun and thewind as towhich couldcompel a traveler toremove hiscoat. Themore thewind blew, the tighter the man bound the cloakabout himself. With the soft rays of sunshine, he quickly removed hiscloak and left it behind. When, at the turn of the last century, Jews contem-plated fleeing Eastern Europe for theU.S., their rabbis attempted to dis-suade them. In the present circum-stance, they risked lost of life. The tolerance of the new land was such that we would be threatened by as-similation, and lose our souls. Therabbis were partly correct. The inci-dence of intermarriage for liberalJews in the U.S. exceeds 50%. Theconsequence is that many are lost tous. What the rabbis did not anticipatewas that, in the circumstance of inter-marriage, many non-Jews would de-cide to throw in their lot with the Jew-ish people. The result has been aprocess of pruning, in which we havelost the disinterested, but havegained new recruits with a thirst forJewish education and Jewish partici-pation. We are weaker in numbers asa consequence, but stronger in spirit. Rabbi Jay Brickman

It’s hard to believe as I sit andwrite this article that I have been in Mil-waukee and at Sinai for an entire year. Ithas truly been a wonderful joy to get toknow and to become a part of such awarm, creative and energeticcommunity. I am sopleased that in a month orso, Zerek, my significantother, will be in Milwaukee,and he will have the opportunity to experience and beembraced by our commu-nity just as I have been.Since last August,we have celebrated thirtychildren taking their placein our community as adults together – studying, learn-ing and teaching as they contemplatedand prepared for their b’nei mitzvah.Together, we have experienced the great joys of welcoming both new couples andnew children into our community, and thesimple and special joy of welcoming Shabbat together each week.We have also shared momentsof sadness – the painful loss of our lovedones, and the search for strength whenwe have watched those close to us suf-fer. We have talked, laughed, cried andhugged – and I am so honored you allhave given me the opportunity to becomea part of your lives.Our volunteer choir, Kolot Sinai,is filled with passionate and committedcongregants who enhance our serviceson the High Holy Days and throughout theyear with their beautiful and meaningfulsinging. Perhaps this year, you’ll consider joining! I love to see our children praying through singing every week at our Sundaymorning

t’fillah

, and hope to gather ourolder children together for a youth choirin the coming year. Is your child inter-

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July/August 2009

ested in singing in a choir at Sinai?Let me know!Our congregation’s commit-ment to social action and justice hasbeen an inspiration for me. It hasbeen simply awesome tosee our communitypaint, garden and playat the SDC, make pea-nut butter and jellysandwiches, studyabout social action, do-nate items for ourmonthly collections…thelist goes on and on. Ilook forward in theyears ahead to sharing these amazing mo-ments which truly define the prophetical vision of Judaism inour sacred texts, and connect us both to one another and to our larger hu-man family.Each week, as I finish return-ing phone calls, and emails and plan-ning and preparing, I am so glad that Ican welcome Shabbat in a few hourswith this wonderful and vibrant con-gregation. Singing together, withRabbi Cohen and Karen Horwitz, orwith the band on Music Shabbat, is the most wonderful joy of any week – thank you.Thank you so much, too, toour lay leadership for your vision andyour enthusiasm and your support in the work that we are doing every day.While it has truly been a wonderfulyear, I am already looking forward to the coming year with excitement, enthusiasm and anticipation for manymore wonderful memories!Cantor Rebecca Robins

Cantor’s Notes Reflections

Reflecting on One Year at Congregation Sinai

Softball Shabbat, August 14, 2009

Please come to the outdoor service and enjoy the "sermon from the mound" and help to celebrate another seasonof Sinai softball. Hot dogs, chips, Cracker Jacks, soda, peanuts and beer will be served following the service! Thisyear Cantor Robins has agreed to leave her Phillies cap at home and wear her Sinai softball cap in support of "herteam". We look forward to seeing another "sell out crowd" on the beautiful Sinai patio!