Coming Up

Monday, December 16 – 10 AM to 4 PM – See’s Candy Sale.  

Tuesday, December 17 – 10 AM to 4 PM – See’s Candy Sale. 

Wednesday, December 18 – 10 AM to 4 PM – See’s Candy Sale. 

Thursday, December 19 – 10 AM to 4 PM – See’s Candy Sale. 

Thursday, December 19 – Noon – 1 PM – Torah Thursday. Join us on Thursdays at noon as we look at the growth of Jacob’s family with the help of Rashi, Sforno and Steinsaltz.  Feel free to bring your lunch!

Thursday, December 19 – Noon to 2 PM – Library Open. Other times by request. Call Tim Solon, 632-4105.

Friday, December 20 – 7 PM – Shabbat services led by Rabbi Moldo followed by Oneg sponsored by the Sisterhood.

Sunday, December 22 – 10 AM to 12 noon – Religious School. 

Sunday, December 22 – 10 AM to 4 PM – See’s Candy Sale  

Sunday, December 22 – Noon to 2 PM – Library Open. Other times by request. Call Tim Solon, 632-4105. 

Sunday, December 22 – 1:30 to 3 PM – Jewish & Israeli dancing – new dancers are welcome! For more information contact Mary Weinstein

Monday, December 23 – 10 AM to 4 PM – See’s Candy Sale.  

Tuesday, December 24 – 10 AM to 4 PM – See’s Candy Sale. 

Tuesday, December 24 – 6:30 PM – Our December Shalom Dinner – Christmas Eve at a Chinese restaurant –  China Buffet on Dell Range.

Thursday, December 26 – Noon – 1 PM – Torah Thursday. Join us on Thursdays at noon as we look at the growth of Jacob’s family with the help of Rashi, Sforno and Steinsaltz.  Feel free to bring your lunch!

Thursday, December 26 – Noon to 2 PM – Library Open. Other times by request. Call Tim Solon, 632-4105.

Friday, December 27 – 7 PM – Shabbat services followed by Oneg sponsored by the Sisterhood.

Sunday, December 29 – Noon to 2 PM – Library Open. Other times by request. Call Tim Solon, 632-4105. 

Sunday, December 29 – 1:30 to 3 PM – Jewish & Israeli dancing – new dancers are welcome! For more information contact Mary Weinstein

Sunday, December 29 – 5 PM –  Annual Chanukah Party.

SAVE THE DATE:

Wednesday, January 1 – Noon – Birthday party for Agnes Weinstein.  Social Hall of the Synagogue

Weekly Message from our Board President

We have a long standing Jewish tradition coming up.  Okay, it’s only been 7 or 8 years, but traditions have to start somewhere.  And there’s nothing particularly Jewish about it, either.  So it’s not Jewish and it’s not an official tradition.  But let’s do it anyway.

Our next Shalom Dinner will be at China Buffet on Dell Range Blvd., on Tuesday, December 24.  Yes, that’s Christmas Eve.  We have had a lot of fun in past years all getting together for Chinese food on Christmas Eve.  We probably should thank Hollywood movies for the idea.  Let’s meet at 6:30 PM on the 24^th.

We are celebrating and honoring Marv Wolf this month.  The Endowment Board would like to raise $250 and place a plaque with Marv’s name on it on one of the seats in the large Sanctuary.  The seats normally cost $500, but an anonymous donor has offered to cover the cost if we use the donor’s wording on the seats (the donor’s wording is on other seats in the Sanctuary).  Marv has done a lot for Mt. Sinai and continues to work hard on behalf of the Synagogue, even as he approaches his 90^th birthday.  We’ve already received some donations, but need more – we’re not at $250 yet.  So help us honor and thank Marv with a plaque on a seat in the Sanctuary.

Agnes Weinstein has a big birthday coming up and you’re all invited to the party.  It will take place at noon on New Year’s Day.  Help us celebrate this wonderful lady and join us for singing and birthday cake.

At our annual congregation meeting a couple of weeks ago, we talked about some of the financial challenges facing the Synagogue. 

When we prepared our budget, we looked back at the actual income and expenses for the past several years.  The numbers are shocking.  In 2017, and 2018, and what we are seeing for 2019, the Synagogue is coming in about $30,000 dollars under budget.  That means our income is $30,000 lower than we need it to be.  Our expenses have stayed pretty constant – we spend a little over $100,000 dollars a year.  That includes insurance, keeping the lights and heat on in the building, paying for office supplies, the janitor who cleans the building once a week, the Rabbi and other expenses.

Our main source of income is our dues, but we also get donations from Sisterhood, the Mt. Sinai Trust, and donations.  The Yiddish Food Festival raises close to $10,000 and we hold other fundraisers.  So why are we under budget every year?

The answer, unfortunately, is apparently dues.  At last count, we had about 45 members of our Synagogue.  Yet the dues we collect are $15,000, or the equivalent of 15 people paying dues.  The dues have not gone up in a long time.  They are and have been, $600 a year.  Several years ago, we added $400 a year so that we could afford to have a Rabbi serve our congregation.  It works out to $1,000 a year – $600 for the Synagogue and $400 for the Rabbi. 

If you have been paying your dues, thank you.  We appreciate it and we appreciate you.  But we need more members to pay dues so we can avoid these deficits.  If you have not been paying dues, please consider doing so.  Roughly 30 members are not paying dues and we are in the hole by about $30,000.  At $1,000 a year, well, you can do the math.

There are some congregations that aggressively pursue members to get them to pay dues.  We don’t do that at Mt. Sinai, because we want everyone to feel welcome.  But if more of the members could pay their dues, we would not be in rough financial straits.

We have been dipping into savings, but that can’t go on for long.  So please, if you have not been paying dues, we ask that you do so, or at least give what you can.  As you can see, it will make all of the difference.

Our Synagogue Library is getting some new donations this week.  They are:  “Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story” by Fran Manushkin, and a Hebrew book – “Sefer Ha-Avot” by Max Raiskin.

Here’s our Yiddish Phrase of the Week:

Di zun sheint lichtiker noch a regen.
The sun shines brighter after a shower.

Shalom!

Dave Lerner
President
Mt. Sinai Board of Directors

Rabbi’s Column

Today will be a political day. Feel free to skip the whole thing if you feel uncomfortable reading about realities.

1. America – The Jersey City Kosher Deli shootings were perpetrated by Black Supremacists who were part of the Black Hebrew Israelite splinter sect. Only a small proportion of that group is violent, and those who are believe firmly that any whites who might think they are Jewish are only pretending to be Jews.
2. America again – The text of the Executive Order which has brought up some distress in the past couple of days can be found here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-combating-anti-semitism/

It was difficult to know what all the commotion was about, as the wording of Executive Orders is not fully made public until after they are signed, according to the Federal Register. The biggest change is including the IHRA document https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitism

Feel free to read the Order and the document and come to your own conclusions.

3. Great Britain – As I write this, the polls have not yet closed and official tallies are not available. Post voting polls are found here – https://www.cnn.com/uk/live-news/uk-election-day-2019-dle-ge19-gbr-intl/index.html

Actual results will be found here https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2019/12/uk-election-results-2019-ge-19/

4. Israel – The current attempt at forming a government has gone to the wayside. The next elections will be March 2. They should have been March 10, but that would be Purim, and beyond the normal celebrational aura of Purim, imagine being in charge of the government that was voted in on Purim.

That is it for most Jewishly relevant politics as far as I know at this moment. We all know other things are happening all the time.

In the midst of this crazy world, let us all hope to find or create some moments of sanity, peace and kindness.

Community Partner with Family Promise of Cheyenne

December Birthdays

6              Rabbi Larry Moldo          

9              Rabbi Harley Karz-Wagman

13           Harlan Ribnik

19           Andi Coelho

21           Steve Borin

28           Heather McLoud

28           Joe Golden

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.