Coming Up

Thursday, April 25 – 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM – Library Open. Other times by request. Call Tim Solon, 632-4105

Thursday, April 25 – 12 noon to 1 PM – Torah Thursday – canceled this week.

Friday, April 26 – 7 to 8 PM – Shabbat services led by Rabbi Moldo followed by Oneg sponsored by the Sisterhood..

Saturday, April 27 -10:30 AM to 11:30 AM – Pesach Day 8,  services led by Rabbi Moldo include selections from Song of Songs and Yizkor.    Oneg sponsored by the Sisterhood..

Sunday, April 28 – 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM – Library Open.  Other times by request.  Call Tim Solon, 632-4105..

Sunday, April 28 – 1:30 PM to 3 PM – Israeli & Jewish Dancing!!

Thursday, May 2 – 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM – Library Open. Other times by request. Call Tim Solon, 632-4105

Thursday, May 2 – 12 noon to 1 PM – Torah Thursday. Join us on Thursdays at noon as we look at Isaac’s adult life with the help of Rashi, Sforno and Steinsaltz. Feel free to bring your lunch!

Thursday, May 2 – 2 PM – Yom HaShoah Commemoration  

Friday, May 3 – 7 to 8 PM – Shabbat services led by Rabbi Moldo followed by Oneg sponsored by the Sisterhood..

Saturday, May 4 -10:30 AM to 11:30 AM – Shabbat services and Torah study led by Rabbi Moldo followed by Oneg sponsored by the Sisterhood.

Sunday, May 5 – 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM – Library Open.  Other times by request.  Call Tim Solon, 632-4105..

Sunday, May 5 – 12 noon to 1 PM – Sisterhood Meeting

Sunday, May 5 – 1:30 PM to 3 PM – Israeli & Jewish Dancing!!

SAVE THE DATE!!

Sunday, May 19th at 3 PM – Flydragon Fundraiser Paint Party!!   You can  sign up here    if you’d like to join us for a fun afternoon.  You’ll paint a portrait under the guidance of a professional artist and enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres.

Weekly Message from our Board President

We’re saving money!  We recently asked Black Hills Energy to conduct an energy audit of the Synagogue.  The Synagogue is a large building, and our utility bill is pretty high.  It’s one of the reasons our lobby is always so cold.  We keep the heat turned down low in that area, because we figure people will be walking through it fairly quickly to get to the rest of the building.  (and keeping it cold means they do walk fast!)

Black Hills, through a subcontractor, came and did an analysis of the building.  One of their recommendations was to change out many of the light bulbs.  Last week, the subcontractor came and replaced 31 bulbs in the bathrooms, hallway, and basement, with more energy efficient ones.  Black Hills estimates that replacing those bulbs will lower the Synagogue’s energy bill by $616 a year.  And there was no charge to get the new bulbs!

We’re not done yet.  We’re waiting on bids from electrical contractors on replacing the lights in the Social Hall, and Black Hills is going to get us an estimate on a rebate for replacing the bulbs on the Memorial Plaques.  So more savings may be ahead.

We would like to offer our sympathies and deepest condolences to Andrea Moldo.  Her father passed away on Thursday in California.  Because of the Passover holiday, Shiva will not take place until Sunday, April 28.  Here’s what the Rabbi says about it:

“When a funeral takes place during the intermediate days of a festival, public mourning is delayed until after the festival. Shiva services for Jack Gorelick will be held beginning Sunday, April 28 at 6:00 P.M. at the synagogue. Shiva services will continue on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the same time. Shiva calls to the apartment may be made Sunday through Wednesday between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. Friday night’s Shabbat service will be led by Andrea in the style she is most comfortable with.”

Here’s a link to the obituary. The Synagogue is having a tree planted in Israel in honor of Andrea’s father.

The Passover Seder was wonderful.  We had a full house – about 90 people came to celebrate, worship, and enjoy the food and each other’s company.  The Rabbi did a great job (as usual) taking us through the service.

Next up, our Flydragon Painting Class.  It takes place Sunday, May 9, at 3 PM, at the Flydragon Studio.  We’ll be learning how to paint, and creating a painting, under the watchful eye of an artist and instructor.  You can sign up here.  

Here’s our Yiddish Phrase of the Week:

An alter friend iz besser vi a nei’eh tsvai.
An old friend is better than two new ones.

Shalom!

Dave Lerner
President
Mt. Sinai Board of Directors

Rabbi’s Column

I am not sure that the best metaphor for this week preceding the Seder is a plane taxiing on the runway to the take-off moment or the crew preparing the plane and loading the luggage during their 15 minute [number chosen completely at random] window between one set of passengers departing and the next set entering. Either way, it is busy for a lot of us.

Torah portion wise, the next two Shabbatot are holiday related and then we pick up with portions that are a bit easier to talk about than the past few weeks have been.

The Israeli election process is almost over. President Rivlin still needs to decide which Minister #1 (Prime Minister) he will ask to try and form a coalition in order to govern. Based on the seats received, and where the parties are on the conservative vs. liberal continuum, the presumption is that Netanyahu will be asked again. There will be a lot of horse-trading going on during the next week or so, as the smaller parties often have prices for joining or staying with a coalition.

The Israeli spacecraft, Breishit, landed on the moon. It was an uncontrolled landing, as at about 100 kilometers or so the communication ceased between the control room and the spacecraft. So there is an Israeli flag on the moon – it just is not placed in the normal fashion. There are indications that the second attempt is beginning even now. Unless somebody else succeeds in the meantime, Israel will be the fourth country to land a craft on the moon.

As we begin the process of imagining what is was like to be a slave to Pharaoh in Egypt, perhaps we can think a bit about what we voluntarily submit to these days. As a slave to Pharaoh, the choice was stark – do what is commanded, or die. Today our choices are generally not so either/or, unless we choose to limit our choices in that fashion. So, what do we do “religiously?” Which TV shows, radio programs, or other regularly scheduled events do we consider sacrosanct? Under which circumstances are we going to choose to avoid even thinking we have a choice? [Please note – sometimes this is a good thing. The tradition tells us to choose death over being idolatrous, cheating on our romantic and sexual relationships, and murdering somebody else. We choose not to exercise any choice in those cases, to maintain God’s reputation as well as our own.]

May this week go well for us all.

Community Partner with Family Promise of Cheyenne

April Birthdays

1            Nathan Weinstein

6            Sally Nolan

12           Pat Wolf

24           Carol Fischer

24           Cheryl Hite

24           Tori Rosenthal

29           Barbara Karz-Wagman

Mt. Sinai Movie Nights

All movies are shown at Mt. Sinai on the “big screen” and with surround sound. Refreshments and drinks provided. Come join us for any or all of our upcoming movies.