For those who missed it, my High Holy Days speech is reproduced here .....

Shana Tova. May it be a sweet and healthy New Year for each of you and your family and friends.

It is hard to believe that a whole year has flown by. We have celebrated births, B’nei Mitzvot, weddings and funerals; all full of love and tears. We have welcomed several visiting Rabbis and a new Shlicha. We have welcomed new members to our family and farewelled those who have left our shores. The constant in all of this has been Beth Shalom - the link that binds us together. 

As I hope most of you know, the board participated in a strategic planning session last May, and then asked for community input in the form of a survey. We received over 60 responses, which was a fantastic return. The specifics are being collated and as promised, focus groups will be organised in the next few weeks. I just wanted to share a few of the responses that came back for the question: What do you like most about being a member at Beth Shalom? 

 -   A feeling of family and connection

 -   The sense of community

 -   Friendship and feeling welcome

 -   Sense of identity and belonging

 -   Warmth and friendliness of our congregation

We are obviously doing something right.

Of course, there were also suggestions of what we can do better and what would increase your engagement with the shul. All of that will be closely examined and acted on as appropriate as well. Although the rabbinic candidate who came to visit was not the fit we were looking for, we have not abandoned the search. It will be revised and revisited. We are still very aware that the board needs to call a special general meeting as soon as the financials are professionally audited. It is still a work in progress. I know that is unacceptable to some of you, but I can’t do more than apologise again and push forward in hopes of getting it to you soon.

There are a few people that I would like to single out for their contributions over the past year. First, although our torah scrolls are currently dressed in their holiday finery, I would like to thank Helen Schamroth and Lilach Cohen for their beautiful designs for the new mantles we use the rest of the year. I would also like to thank Aunty Rachel and Sue Kranz who generously donated the mantles and to Olga Bernstein and Chris Shiller for driving the project from the start.

I would also like to thank Naomi Johnson and the entire ritual committee for their tireless work in making sure everything runs smoothly whenever a service is involved. This goes far beyond the time spent in shul during t’fillah. It is hours of prep, oversight and organization.  You are all a blessing to our community. Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has come to Beth Shalom. be it for a special mitzvot, a pot luck, or to volunteer in the garden or the Hebrew school. Whether you were here for prayer, for study, for a social event…. Thank you. You are all why we do what we do and why Beth Shalom continues to be a vibrant community. 

Finally, I want to end with a poem that I read recently and believe is particularly appropriate for the New Year. It was written by a Native American poet from the Muscogee (Creek) tribe named Joy Harjo and it reminds us that there is much to be thankful for and that we can find the beauty in anything if we stop to look.

Praise the Rain by Joy Harjo 

Praise the rain; the seagull dive

The curl of plant, the raven talk—

Praise the hurt, the house slack

The stand of trees, the dignity—

Praise the dark, the moon cradle

The sky fall, the bear sleep—

Praise the mist, the warrior name

The earth eclipse, the fired leap—

Praise the backwards, upward sky

The baby cry, the spirit food—

Praise canoe, the fish rush

The hole for frog, the upside-down—

Praise the day, the cloud cup

The mind flat, forget it all— 

Praise crazy. Praise sad.

Praise the path on which we're led.

Praise the roads on earth and water.

Praise the eater and the eaten.

Praise beginnings; praise the end.

Praise the song and praise the singer.

Praise the rain; it brings more rain.

Praise the rain; it brings more rain.

Shana Tova,

Debbie

Recycled Succa

What a great start to a new year.  Our Sunday school had lots of fun making pots to decorate our succa. We used recycled materials and planted them with herbs, veggies and flowers to decorate our lovely succa. You are all welcome to purchase a hanging plant at the end of succot and the funds will go to the shul.

Community Effort

 Thanks to Terry Haffern, and Shirley Fiddell for our lulavim and sach as well as putting together the succa. Thanks to Carmit and Shai Aharon for making up our lulav, willow and myrtle bunches. Thanks to Naomi Johnson for the sach and Lenny Bloksberg for the delivery. And thanks to all the adults who helped oversee our decoration process with hot glue guns, and lots of industrious students.  Thanks Ivor Gerber, Ray and Helen Whitworth, Tamar Liebman- McGrath, Hannah Moritz, Alana and Asher, Trudy Sawyer.  It is such a great feeling when our Sunday school teachers Carol McCracken and Ted and Tami Harris get all of your support.

We need three more teachers:    It has come to my attention that our Sunday school will be in need of 3 new teachers this coming year.  I would like all our members and especially parents to please think seriously about teaching in our Sunday school.  Our school is run with volunteers and we need your help.  Our youth are the future of the Jewish people. I am willing to work together with you to plan classes.

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Introduction to Judaism

We have had some great guest speakers recently. It has been great to see our wonderful students engage with these great thinkers.

Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman

We opened up the class to the whole community when Rabbi Levi led us in an amazing lecture on the Spirit and Meaning of Prayer in preparation for Yom Kippur.   We practiced some meditative techniques and Jewish sources. It was very inspiring. We were so lucky to have Rabbi Levi here with us again this year.  He also led a very interesting torah study class on September 8^th and great study session on Yom Kippur and of course, wonderful tefillot and niggunim. 

• Chris Milton, The historic sources on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
• Dane Giraud – The conversion process is the beginning of the  community involvement journey.
• David Cumin- Modern Zionism and being pro-Israel.
• Rabbi Aharon Hacohen – Olam Haba
• Rabbi Friedler – Laws and customs on death and dying

 It is really special how many people have come together to help contribute to the Introduction to Judaism course.

We are planning to invite Rabbi Keren Black to the Beit Din in March 2019 and start another course in February.

Dates to note

• 13^th October shared Lunch Torah Study after Tefillot.
• 20^th October Joe Szusterman’s Bar Mitzvah.
• 21^st October Sunday school Term 4.
• 28^th October Bnei Mishnah. 
• 2^nd November, Kita Bet will lead the service followed by pot luck dinner.
• 17^th November Johnnie Flint’s Bar Mitvah.
• 1^st December Tyla Grauman’s Bat Mitzvah.
• 7-9 December in-house Shabbaton at Beth Shalom “Chanuka Fest with Max and Shannyn”.
• 8^th December Bnei Mishnah Graduation and Havadalah
• 9^th December Chanukah in the Park.

B & B BITES​

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THE COST OF DYING  by Ian Morrison

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Most of us, these days, are conscious of rising prices.  So, it should come as no surprise that the cost of being laid to rest has also increased.

With this in mind, we asked the B&B’s accredited and highly expert funeral directors, Davis Funeral Services, to provide us with a run- down of current costs.  Here are some of the figures, they provided:           

Fee for professional services                                  $ 3,199-00

Transfer costs (starting at)                                         $290-00

Mortuary Care                                                             $819-00

Hearse Hire.                                                                 $465-00

Classic Flat-lid Funeral Casket                                 $1,199-00

Death Certificate (plus copies)                                     $33-00

Burial (Plot) cost                                                          $4,500-00

Interment Fee (digging)                                             $1,200-00

Cremation Fee                                                             $775-00

Dr’s Cremation Authorisation.                                   $180-00 

This list is not comprehensive.  Nor, however, will every item on the list apply in all cases.  For example, standard burials do not incur a Cremation Fee. Conversely, cremations don’t require a full-sized burial plot.   Some standard items not included on the list include placing a death notice in a newspaper, printing service sheets and hiring a chapel for the funeral service.

 When a large turnout is expected, we normally recommend holding the service at Davis’s own funeral chapel, which can currently be hired for $499.00. For smaller gatherings, we characteristically recommend a non-denominational chapel at Waikumete, within walking distance of our burial ground.  A further alternative is to avoid chapel hireage altogether, by holding the entire service at the graveside.

Some bereaved families also chose to use Davis’s facilities for holding a post-funeral reception.  Costs for this currently include $315.00 for hiring a reception lounge and a minimum catering charge of $10 per head.

Of course, there are some cost items that simply don’t apply in the case of Jewish funerals.  You won’t need to pay for flowers. Nor will you need to hire an organist.  Moreover, if the deceased has been a member of the B&B in good standing for five or more years, a competent, empathetic  and experienced funeral officiant will be provided free of charge.

 A fee of just $200 is charged when a member of less than five years good standing passes away.  However, the cost to non-members currently stands at $1,200 for the B&B’s services, with a further $800 for those of Beth Shalom’s rabbi, should there be one available.

One thing to remember is that these prices are all likely to rise over the coming months and years.   So, membership of the B&B makes financial sense, even where it doesn’t remove some substantial cost items.  

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Missing Hertz 2nd edition

 Rachel Dennyss is still trying to locate her father's Hertz 2nd edition which he acquired in 1938.   Searches of Beth Shalom have failed to find it.  The book has been rebound and had Rachel's father's name in it (Julius Rich).  Please contact the office if you can help.