The truth is time does accelerate. It moves faster with each succeeding year. Already it is February, and in shul we have already read of the exodus from Egypt, months   before anyone has even purchased a matzah or thought about charoses. But that is the cycle of Jewish life. It is through that cycle of renewal that we find ourselves   always returning to our roots, our home, and constantly searching for our Jewish identity.

What is Judaism in the 21st century? If it is not the black-hat variety, and if it is not the merely cultural variety, what is it, and how do we hold onto it? These and related critical questions are being asked by those of us who contemplate East Midwood Jewish Center's place in the Brooklyn of now, rather than in the Brooklyn of the last hundred years.

It is the task of our schools and Room J to address these questions, and to lead our young people to confront the reality that Judaism ignored is Judaism forgotten. It is the task of lay leadership and our clergy to not rest on the usual or the comfortable, but to reach out to the greater community with programs that make Shabbat and festival observance more and more accessible.

It is the task of our affiliated groups, committees, and our friends, our Men's Club, our Sisterhood, and even our Institute for Living Judaism, to remind us that we are here for a purpose, and to live the "examined life."

It is with our brains, our brawn and our faith, our music, art, and sculpture, our friends and family and our resources that we can find meaning in our Jewish community.

Yet that is our task as well. Not to live in the past␣but to remember it. Not to avoid the present but to live in it. Not to ignore the future but to plan and aspire to it.

We at East Midwood Jewish Center have had a remarkable past. Equally important, day after day, we are having amazing "present," with daily and Shabbat minyans, classes, activities, events, and music and art!

As time inexorably moves forward, we reach for our future. EMJC is grounded in the past, living in the present, and always planning for the future. Join us on this remarkable journey. The best is yet to come.

Michael Sucher and Larry Isaacson, EMJC Presidents

This Shabbat is one of the few throughout the year that is given a special name.

The day we read Parshat Beshalach is called Shabbat Shira (the Shabbat of Song), commemorating the glorious and awe-inspiring event when, after the miraculous deliverance from the Egyptians at the Red Sea, the Children of Israel simultaneously burst forth into a song of praise to God.

However, beyond giving praise to God for miraculously saving us, the concept of shira (song) has a far deeper significance in life.

If you have not been to Synagogue for a while, this Shabbat is a great time to get reacquainted.

Cantor Sam Levine has a remarkable line-up of musical treats for our collective enjoyment during and after the service, involving children of all ages and special guests.

Join us for a morning of community, worship and song.

Shabbat shalom,

Michael Sucher
President

EMJC is collecting...

emergency supplies, such as
• bandages
• alcohol swabs
• candles
• flashlights w/batteries
• blankets
• tarps
• sleeping bags
• tents
• insect repellent
• detergent
• soap
• can openers
• over-the-counter medications (Tylenol, Imodium, antibiotic creams, &c)

foodstuffs, such as
• powdered milk
• canned meat
• tuna, sardines
• canned vegetables
• canned water
• rice
• beans
• pasta
• peanut butter

clothing
• new & used clothing for children, men & women
• any underwear & socks -- must be new (in packaging) and unused

money to support the relief effort is also needed.

There are many efforts in the US to aid victims of the terrible earthquake in Haiti. United Synagogue has created a Disaster Relief Fund for those who wish to help earthquake victims. To donate online, go to www.uscj.org/donate/relief. Other Jewish-based relief organizations include American Jewish World Service (www.ajws.org) and American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (www.jdc.org). Another way to help is to text "HAITI” to 90999. An instant $10 donation goes to the Red Cross. It is charged to your cell phone bill but your cell carrier keeps nothing -- 100% of your donation will go to the Red Cross.

Please bring your items to EMJC no later than Sunday, January 17.

A donations box will be in the main office. Friday office hours are 9-3; Sunday from 9-noon. We’ll also collect items at Saturday evening’s 7:30 pm Club Oasis concert.

Donations will go to Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church to support their earthquake assistance efforts. OLR is working with large and well-known relief agencies. Checks for Haitian relief can also be made out to Our Lady of Refuge Church. Be aware they will not be able to give receipts.

We plan to deliver EMJC contributions to Our Lady of Refuge on Monday, Jan. 18

The companion photographs to Dr. Berkowitz's article about his experiences in India, featured in the January Bulletin, are now available here.

It may not be a new year in the classically Jewish sense, but a new year it is, and it leads us to ask the question we often ask at this time, which is “Where do we go from here?” The East Midwood Jewish Center has been hard at work, in case you haven’t realized it, and we would like to share with you what form we expect it to take in the coming months and years.

Take the issue of our daily minyanim. Outstanding religious institutions, like families, become great not because of one or more stupendous events that may or not take place within its premises. It is more the accumulation of the quotidian efforts of our members and staff on a daily and weekly basis, the kindnesses and rituals repeated several times a day, that cement us emotionally to each other and to our shul. Rabbi Pomerantz, of blessed memory, understood this to his very core, and set the table by his example for what we are attempting to do today. This is really why our daily minyanim, culminating in our Shabbat services, are so important. How many times in a service do we say yasher koach for a job well done, or shake the hand of a fellow congregant, or engage one another in a conversation of seeming little import? Judaism reminds us on a daily basis that we are social creatures with a humane agenda, and though we practice this ritually with our fellow Jews, the strength and compassion it generates in ourselves overflows to nurture the wider community. So we invite you formally, if you still need such formality, to join us every morning and/or evening and get a re-charge daily at no additional cost.

Moving beyond the spiritual to the physical aspects of our shul, we see the need for major infrastructural repairs, including the front side- walk area, the south side of the building and the courtyard. The grand stairs that highlight our building also need to be water-proofed, and the front doors need to be repaired and reinforced as well. Our beautiful stained glass windows also need extensive repair. All our fund- raising efforts need to be directed in these critical directions. For example, thanks to Toby Sanchez and Joe Rothstein, we have a grant for the windows that repays us $.50 for every $1.00 we spend. This grant (originally a 5 year grant) expires in approximately three years. No time to lose, because the work must be completed within that time frame. But even before that major project starts, the waterproofing project will commence this spring and should be substantially completed by Rosh Hashanah, 2010. You should know that between these two major capital costs, we are looking at as much as $750,000 in expenses in the next two to three years. Our fundraising committee, dinner dance committee, planned giving committee and special events committee are currently addressing these issues, and we count on your participation in body and deed to help resolve them.

We are moving ahead culturally and educationally as well. We continue to work in cooperation with the East Midwood Jewish Day School, and are currently investigating enlarging our after-school program centered in Room J to offer more gym, swim and educational opportunities to a wider group of young people. We are also moving towards further utilization of our "Center" by Brooklyn Jewish artists, musicians and scholars as we continue to evolve into a Brooklyn cultural and arts haven. So many exciting possibilities require devoted people to manage and support them, and we are looking at you, our dearly engaged and dedicated members, for your input and help.

We aim to ensure that the East Midwood Jewish Center remains viable and receptive to all who are ready to receive what she has to offer. This is a multigenerational endeavor which takes advantage of our rich and diverse congregation, clergy and staff, and with all your support, will allow us to construct that metaphorical bridge to uncounted generations yet to come. We wish all a Happy New Year.

Michael Sucher and Larry Isaacson, EMJC Presidents