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B’nai Israel Synagogue
We are a small but strong congregation with members from various Jewish traditions and
backgrounds. Our members come from Grand Forks, the Grand Forks Air Base, the University of
North Dakota, and surrounding communities.
Every Jewish denomination is welcome to attend our services, as are non-Jewish visitors. Please
introduce yourself so we can answer any questions you may have.
HELP NEEDED:
SYNAGOGUE CLEAN-UP:
Saturday, April 15th 10am
B’NAI ISRAEL SYNAGOGUE
Spring 2017, Adar-Iyar 5777
Upcoming
Student Rabbi
Visits
March 10-11
April 7-8
April 28-29
May 12-13
Purim & Passover
Schedule P.1
For Discussion P.2
Torah Portions & Yartzeit P.3
Annual Meeting & Picnic P.4
Please join us to clean out our office
space, mark our old Siddurs for release
to the public, and release materials
not needed anymore.
Important Happenings
ANNUAL FULL
MEMBERSHIP
MEETING & SUPER-FUN
PICNIC:
Sunday, June 11th, 2017
Location and Details to
be Announced
Rabbi Weekends
Fridays
Services: 7pm
Saturdays
Torah Study: 10am
Adult Education: 11am
Children’s & Bat
Mitzvah Education:
scheduled individually
Contact Student Rabbi
Zachary Goodman:
zacharygoodman92
@gmail.com or
Mark Your Calendar for these Big Events:
Purim Dairy Potluck
Saturday, March 11th-5pm
Please wear costumes and bring a dairy dish to share and!
Participants are encouraged to bring wine and non-alcoholic beverages.
Passover Seder
Monday, April 10th-5:30pm
Please RSVP for meal planning, no later than March 27th
Members: Adults $30 & $15 for children
Non-Members, Adults $40 & $20 for children
Children under 3 are free
RSVP (reserve tickets) on-line at: http://tinyurl.com/bi-seder17
Please bring cash or check to the event or at Friday services in March.
For Discussion: Jewish
The Torah does not just
command us to give to
the poor but to advocate
on their behalf. We are
told in Proverbs 31:9 to
“speak up, judge
righteously, champion the
poor and the needy.” We
learn that tzedakah,
helping fellow human
beings in need, is not
simply a matter of charity
but of responsibility,
righteousness, and
justice. As Jews, we see a
moral obligation to
advocate for children, the
elderly, the poor, the
disenfranchised, the sick,
the disabled, and the
“stranger among us.”
Hebrew scripture details
for us one of the world’s
earliest social welfare
systems, teaching us to
leave the corners of our
fields and the gleanings of
our harvest to the poor
(Leviticus 19:9) and to
open our hands and lend
to people whatever they
need (Deuteronomy 711). Jewish history also
provides us with an
example for helping the
needy.
Views on Economic Justice
Taken from http://www.reformjudaism.org/node/2457
Housing & Homelessness
Hunger
The Torah and Jewish tradition
explicitly command us to feed the
hungry. The Talmud explains that
each Jewish community must
establish a public fund to provide
food for the hungry, and our sages
explain that feeding the hungry is
one of our most important
responsibilities on earth: “When you
are asked in the world to come,
‘What was your work?’ and you
answer: ‘I fed the hungry,’ you will
be told: ‘This is the gate of the Lord,
enter into it, you who have fed the
hungry’” (Midrash to Psalm 118:17).
In Isaiah 58:7, God commands us to
“share [our] bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless into [our]
house.”
Guided by these values, Reform
Jewish views lend support to a
variety of anti-hunger programs in
the United States, including
emergency assistance programs,
food banks, food stamps, and child
nutrition programs.
The prophets exhorted us to follow
a tradition of hospitality among the
Jewish people. According to one
midrash, Abraham is judged to be
greater than Job because while the
latter “opened his doors to the
road” (Job 31:32), Abraham left his
tent to seek guests among the
passersby (Genesis 18:1-8). More
recent Jewish history, with its exiles
and expulsions, is a powerful
reminder of our special obligation
to provide for those with no
protection. Reform Judaism, then,
supports public policies in that will
address and answer the grievous
need for low-cost housing among
people in low-income categories
and improve the quality and
availability of housing for
impoverished families.
Labor Issues
The Torah emphasizes the
importance of fairness to workers.
“You shall not abuse a needy and
destitute laborer,” but you must
pay him his wages on the same
day, for he is needy and urgently
depends on it (Deuteronomy
24:14-15).” Since the advent of
labor unions, many American
workers have had a voice in the
terms of their own employment.
Unions are models of selfsufficiency, allowing workers to
stand up to demand their own
rights. Unionization has brought
real benefits to hard-working
Americans in addition to the dignity
that comes with workers
negotiating as equals with their
employers….
We have a responsibility to
reaffirm our deep Jewish
commitment to the achievement
of a just society in which all
people can live in dignity and
respect. Such a commitment
leads us to support and actively
advocate for employment
programs, family planning, social
welfare entitlements for public
housing, health and legal
services, and income
maintenance assistance
programs. In the same vein, we
oppose efforts to cut funding to
education, job training, food
subsidies, and many other social
programs that are in danger of
losing some, if not all, of their
funding. Though we recognize the
importance of prudent fiscal
reforms and welfare reform,
tradition compels us to speak out
to ensure that these reforms not
be made at the expense of
helping the [neediest].
What do you think?
Do you agree with the Religious
Action Center of Reform Judaism?
Yartzheit
Torah Portions
March 11: Tetzaveh, ‫תּ ְ צ ַוּ ֶה‬
March 18: Ki Tisa, ‫ת ִ שּׂ ָא כִּי‬
March 25: Vayak’heil-Pekudei,
‫פ ְקוּד ֵ י‬
April 1: Vayikra, ‫ו ַיִּקְר ָ א‬
April 8: Tzav, ‫צ ַו‬
April 15: Pesach Readings
April 22: Shemini, ‫שּׁ ְ מ ִינ ִי‬
April 29: Tazria, ַ‫ת ַ ז ְר ִ יﬠ‬
Metzora, ‫מּ ְצ ֹר ָ ע‬
May 6: Acharei Mot, ‫מוֹתא ַ ח ֲר ֵ י‬
Kedoshim, ‫קְדֹשׁ ִים‬
May 13: Emor, ‫א ֱמ ֹר‬
May 20: Behar, ‫בּ ְ ה ַ ר‬
Bechukotai, ‫בּ ְ ח ֻקּ ֹת ַ י‬
May 27: Bamidbar, ‫בּ ְ מ ִד ְ בּ ַר‬
You shall command
When you elevate
Accountings
Exodus: 27:20-30:10
Exodus: 30:11-34:35
Exodus: 38:21-40:38
And he called
Command!
Leviticus: 1:1-5:26
Leviticus: 6:1-8:36
Eighth
She bears seed
Infected one
After the death
Holy ones
Say gently
On the Mount
In My statutes
In the wilderness
Leviticus: 9:1-11:47
Leviticus: 12:1-13:59
Leviticus: 14:1-15:33
Leviticus: 16:1-18:30
Leviticus: 19:1-20:27
Leviticus: 21:1-24:23
Leviticus: 25:1-26:2
Leviticus: 26:3-27:34
Numbers: 1:1-4:20
B’nai Israel Board News:
We welcome Travis Dillon
as Member-at-Large