The Shofar: October 2026
In this issue of The Shofar, we introduce two new columns: “Call & Response” and “Grappling with Text.” The replies of the five congregants who responded to our “Call & Response” question (which was published in the weekly Shabbat announcements and on Netivotniks) are included here. In future “Grappling with Text” columns, we may ask you for your take on a line of text or liturgy, but in this issue, Rabbi Judith Hauptman analyzes texts which require us to speak out against injustice.
This issue also showcases: a feature by Barry Kamil about the pluralistic origins of our Torah; profiles of congregants (Eugene Berg, Esther Kimelman-Block, Therese Becker and Rabbi Danny and Tamara Stein); a 2-for-1 column combining “Of Blessed Memory” with “Our Love Stories” honoring Milt, z”l and Marge, z”l Greenstein; Tobie Lurie’s beautiful artwork; Steve Resnik and Katherine Mapes-Resnikon their Legacy gift to Netivot Shalom; a notice by Barry Kamil of an upcoming event; and an update from our Executive Director, Ken Schnur.
You can access past and present articles of The Shofar by clicking the “Shofar” link in the horizontal navigation bar at the top of Netivot Shalom’s website.
by Barry Kamil Over my 36 years at Netivot Shalom, I have engaged in many conversations with fellow congregants and with rabbis, individually and collectively, in listening sessions and at Board meetings. We have discussed the nature of our ritual observances, the meaning of social justice for practicing Jews, and ways to bridge our differences so we can remain true to both our personal values and each other.
QUESTION: Who is someone you only crossed paths with for a single day or a brief moment, but whose words or actions have stayed with you years later? Please describe the encounter.
by Rabbi Judith Hauptman According to the Mishnah, a person may not “carry” an item on the Sabbath from the private to the public domain. This prohibition extends even to one’s animals: a cow may not go out on the Sabbath with a decorative band between its horns (Mishnah Shabbat 5:4).
Read profiles of new and longer-term members…
by Cathy Rosenfeld Milt and Marge Greenstein, beloved and early members of Netivot Shalom, met by chance and shared a lifelong union lasting 71 years.
I grew up in Baltimore and my family belonged to an Orthodox Synagogue, but by the time I came along, my mother no longer kept a kosher home. If anything, she was an early Beatnik and sent me to progressive camps and schools. I think this is where my social conscience developed. All my life…
by Steven Resnik and Katherine Mapes-Resnik Why does someone make a legacy commitment to Netivot Shalom?
Nov. 7 After-Kiddush Talk: Come Learn About a Singing Mitzvah! Please come to learn about Orchei Zemer (Singing Visitors), a rewarding new initiative of Netivot Shalom’s Gemilut Hasadim committee. What is Orchei Zemer (Singing Visitors)? Trained volunteers will visit our ill or home-bound members to sing Jewish and Hebrew songs to them. All are welcome…
by Ken Schnur What a Month! At this writing, we’re still catching our collective breath after an entire month of holidays. From Rosh Hashana through Simchat Torah, we had a meaningful and amazing…
The Community Action Working Group is only one of the many social action and social justice groups and activities blossoming at Netivot Shalom, including two new ones: an Immigrant Support Food Pod and the Netivot Social Justice Organizing Team. We are excited to share details of all of these initiatives…
Read profiles of new and longer-term members…
In each issue of the newsletter, we publish several memorials from our Book of Memories in a column called “Of Blessed Memory.” Rabbi Kelman, z”l, conceived of the Netivot Shalom Members Memorial Book in 2017 as a way to honor the memory of our deceased congregants…
“Nothing is more central to Netivot Shalom than the Torah—reading it, teaching it, studying it, learning it, and living it.” (Celia Concus, 1st Board President, from the 1990 fundraising campaign to purchase our first Torah.) Just as the Torah links us with the story of the Jewish people, the 6 sifrei Torah we have at Netivot Shalom connect us not only with our shul’s story, but also with older Jewish communities…
Celeste and Eliana met in March 2017 at an event for queer Jewish New Yorkers at Henrietta Hudson, a lesbian bar in Manhattan. They chatted at the bar, but the real connecting started on the subway ride home. Most of their crowd headed toward Brooklyn, but Celeste and Eliana boarded the uptown A, toward Harlem…
I grew up in Detroit, Michigan, the youngest child of a well-known sculptor. From an early age, I was surrounded by art. Some of my earliest memories are of spending time in my dad’s studio creating small pieces of art in wax, which my dad then cast into bronze. When I was thirteen years old,…
For me, it was a no brainer. When I drafted my will, I wanted to return the gifts Netivot Shalom had given me and contribute to growing our community’s strength, beauty and integrity in a way that would help our community continue growing and thriving in the future. So I simply divided my estate into…
It’s been several months since my sabbatical, but I haven’t had the chance to reflect with you on my Encounter trip sponsored by my rabbinical organization, the Rabbinical Assembly, called “Leading Across Difference: Equipping Rabbis for Nuanced Community Engagement on Israel.” The RA organized this program, which also included several pre- and post-trip Zoom sessions,…
Even in the lull of summer, we’re keeping busy. Here are a few things our administrative team is working on. The Netivot Shalom membership year comes to a close on June 30. So it’s time to renew your membership! Membership information is out there–we’ve sent emails, included it in our weekly announcements and put it on the CNS website…
Welcome to the third edition of The Shofar! I remain grateful to Cathy Rosenfeld, Carole Baden, Celeste Lavin, and all of the contributors for creating this newsletter and doing the ongoing work of collecting and editing the content.
This is my recipe for chocolate babka, which is loosely a merger of Adeena Sussman’s and Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes (the latter is via Michelle Lettrich and King Arthur Baking Company). I first made babka with a friend in high school–it was difficult, but we prevailed (while eating a ton of chocolate spread)! These days, I…
One pint of donated blood can save up to three lives. Every day, blood donors help patients of all ages with all kinds of health needs. In fact, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. This year, our 12th Annual Interfaith Blood Drive will be held in the Netivot Social Hall on Tuesday…
The upcoming Netivot Shalom May 15-17 retreat at Westminster Woods in Occidental will take place exactly 34 years after our very first retreat on May 15-17, 1992 at Valley of the Moon Camp in Glen Ellen. While the journey from Valley of the Moon Camp to Westminster Woods takes only 1 hour, the journey Netivot…
Read profiles of new and longer-term members…
In each issue of the newsletter, we will publish several memorials from our Book of Memories in a column called “Of Blessed Memory.” Rabbi Kelman conceived of the Netivot Shalom Members Memorial Book in 2017 as a way to honor the memory of our deceased congregants. Diane Bernbaum writes the stories and Lee Bearson designs…
We met at Netivot services in February 1999, when CNS was holding Shabbat morning services at the BRJCC. Lara arrived, looking for a place to sit, and sat down next to John. Lara says: “I thought I saw a wedding ring on John’s finger, and thought to myself, ‘I bet he’s a great husband!’ John was all…