November 8, 2011
Halloween
has just passed. Thanksgiving is still a couple of weeks away. And the New
Year? Well, that depends which calendar you're looking at!
Visit any mall or big box store, however, and you'd swear, perhaps quite
literally, that it was Christmas eve. The garland is hanging. The glitter and
glitz is spangled. The sleigh awaits Santa's tufted tuchas. And, oh yes, the
Christmas music (I'd say "holiday," but I don't hear too many
Chanukah songs blaring over the speakers at Macy*s) plays 24/7, beckoning -- or
is it "annoying?" -- shoppers, who are moved to either buy their
stocking stuffers before the leaves have fallen off the trees or, better yet,
to shop online, from the comfort of their easy chairs, sans "Come All
Ye Faithful."
With
this, an ode to the season -- or next season, or the Independence Day Sale to
be held in March. Read on: Deck The Shuls With Loaves Of Challah
‘Twas the
night before Halloween
And all
through the malls
Visions
of Sugar Plums
festooned
the walls
Ghouls
and goblins
Were nary
in sight
Yet
holiday music
Blared
through the night
Christmas
is but one day
Chanukah
is eight
Where are
the dreydels?
Are we
too late?
Holiday shoppers
A
retailer’s dream
Still
listening to Jingle Bells
Is making
us scream
If we
celebrate Christmas
Nearly
two months away
Let’s at
least give a nod to Chanukah
Come
Valentine’s Day
On Jacob,
on Moses
On all
Maccabees
We’ll
light the Menorah
When they
put up those trees
Oh, we’re
not complaining
Who are
we to kvetch?
But face
it, October?
What’s
with the Creche?
The
season once kicked off
With the
Macy*s Parade
Santa Ho-Hoing
A sleigh
bell serenade
Now it is
Christmas
Just
South of July
Angst
among parents
A
collective, “Oh my!”
So here’s
to good tidings
A healthy
new year we pray
Happy
Chanukah to all
And to
all an Oy Vey!
Now, it is my
pleasure, if not distinct honor, to be among the first to wish you a Happy
Valentine's Day, a ziesen Pesach, and a reflective Memorial Day. And may you be
inscribed in the Book of Life -- as well as on Santa's List of who's been good
-- for 5773 and beyond!
See you in The Bulletin!
Seth D. Bykofsky, Editor, Webmaster,
Tweetmeister & Honorary Scrooge
Write to The
Bulletin editor at JCCeditor@aol.com
Posted by JCC West Hempstead. Posted In : From The Bulletin Editor's Desktop...
October 19, 2011
As delivered by Richie Selzer, President, Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead, September 29, 2011.
Rabbi, Cantor, Fellow congregants and those who join us for
prayers welcome to the JCC.
Taken right from SESAME
STREET the word for the day is ACTIVE.
A simple word yet so important.
Active is key.
We are THE most active synagogue in SOUTHWEST NASSAU.
We have programm... Continue reading...
Posted by JCC West Hempstead. Posted In : From the President
October 10, 2011
As
presented by Janna Gabel
Good
Shabbos and good yuntif, Rabbi Vernon, Cantor Rosner, everyone.
Each
year, when I first walk into services on the High Holidays, I’ve just come off
a hectic and harried week of cooking, cleaning, and clearing the calendar of
errands and appointments. The pressures
of everyday living are still upon me, and it has not yet ... Continue reading...
Posted by JCC West Hempstead.
October 6, 2011
Building
A Stronger Jewish Community and A More Beautiful, Better World
By Seth D. Bykofsky
A Shaynere, besere velt. Not just a
catchphrase or an ideology of Jewish thought. More than simply the refrain from
a folk tune harmonized by a chorus. Far
beyond the storied themes of traditional Jewish support for labor and social
justice, universal healthcare, human rights, and the Yiddish language.
For
generations, Jews have spoken the words and carried forth the banner, sometimes
in epic battl... Continue reading...
Posted by JCC West Hempstead. Posted In : From The Bulletin Editor's Desktop...
September 25, 2011
The High Holidays. Already?
Seems like just a tower of tayglach ago that we were breaking the fast, and
here we are, yet another opening (of the ark), another sho(far). [I’m here all
week folks. All you have to do is feed me!]
So, as the great circle game
begins anew (cue Harry Chapin or The Lion King), here are some ideas on
how we, as a congregation, and Jews worldwide (shou... Continue reading...
Posted by JCC West Hempstead. Posted In : From The Bulletin Editor's Desktop...
September 22, 2011
The Shoah and September 11, 2001-2011
Reflections of a Survivor
By Dr. Solomon Goldman
The enormous growth of the Holocaust
literature, its history, poetry, drama and theology is being augmented by many
feature films, documentaries and stage plays.
Serious attempts to treat it humorously, objectionable to some,
understandable to others, only prove how deeply affected se... Continue reading...
Posted by JCC West Hempstead. Posted In : From The Bulletin Editor's Desktop...
August 21, 2011
As Jews, we often hear the expression, “shver tzu zein a Yid.” Loosely, it’s tough to be a Jew. But what other people, with the exception, perhaps, of the Chinese, have the good fortune to celebrate the new year, not once, but twice.
Double the pleasure. Double the fun. [Where are those Doublemint twins?] A time for reflection, resolution, course correction and a fresh start. New year. New beginning.
Much the same is true for our JCC of West Hempstead, as we renew and reinvent ourselv...
Continue reading...
Posted by JCC West Hempstead. Posted In : From The Bulletin Editor's Desktop...
July 27, 2011
Check out this story on West Hempstead's/Franklin Square's declining population of Conservative Jews, and the impact of changing demographics on our Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead.Can the trend be reversed? What will be the role of the JCC in this new era? Can we change the dynamics and develop innovative strategies to adapt, survive and thrive?
What the article below fails to mention is that, notwithstanding decreasing numbers among our ranks, the JCC of West Hempstead continues to... Continue reading...
Posted by JCC West Hempstead. Posted In : From The Bulletin Editor's Desktop...
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The View from The Editor's Desktop
| Seth D. Bykofsky |
| West Hempstead, Long Island, New York |
Editor-in-Chief of The Bulletin, Webmaster, Tweetmeister, Grant Writer, strategic planner, and occasional provocateur (in a good way ;-) at The Jewish Community Center of West Hempstead, brings you highlights from the pages of Bulletins past, viewpoints and opinions on current issues, and the occasional Op-Ed from beyond the pale, all for your consideration, edification and enjoyment.
The views expressed in this column are solely those of this writer and the contributors to this blog. You are welcome to share them, and encouraged to express your own in these pages.
Chime in anytime at JCCeditor@aol.com.
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