Bath Jewish History

May/June 2026
Iyyar/Sivan/Tammuz 5786

Rabbi’s Message

Dear Beth Israel Members and Friends,

In our cycle of Torah, the spring brings us the Torah’s third and fourth books, Vayikra, Leviticus in English and BaMidbar, Numbers in English. While Vayikra focuses largely on the ancient priests, their duties, privileges and responsibilities, BaMidbar tells the stories of our ancestors' journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. One common thread amongst these two books is the ways in which they provide an opportunity to think about what it means to build a sacred community or kehillah in Hebrew.

As your rabbi I think a lot about our community. In my reflection, I wonder: Who is part of our kehillah but feels like an outsider? Who isn’t a part of our community but would like to be? Who feels separate from the Jewish community at this moment? Who wonders if they will fit in?

I don’t know the answers to all of these questions, but they do weigh on my mind. Here is what I do know: When we challenge our own assumptions about a person’s Jewish background, gender, political beliefs and so much more we create space for more and more people to take part in our sacred community. In doing so, we help others and ourselves feel a little less alone in the world, and more a part of something bigger than ourselves. Together, we create our Jewish communal home here in Bath.

In an age of deep polarization and false binaries, it is truly a gift to strive to create a community that is diverse in so many ways. Let’s keep building and being together.

Kein Yehi Ratzon / May it be so
Rabbi Vinikoor

President’s Message

by Marilyn Weinberg

As I sit at my computer to write my article for the newsletter, I am still feeling the joy of participating in our Beth Israel Community Seder. The interest in attending and the involvement of so many people was overwhelming. People who came early happily joined the many volunteers who had come to set up. So many stayed for the cleanup it felt like another celebration. And of course, the sound of 100 people singing Dayenu was pretty impressive.

I think our Seder is a perfect example illustrating the best elements of our congregation. Members of our congregation joined with interested members of the greater Bath community to share food and common ideals. All felt welcome and included. I thought, once again, how our community has worked together and thrived through the contributions of its members and friends. This congregation isn’t about one or two people; it’s about all of you volunteering and working together.

This activity is a reminder of the busy synagogue life we are developing at our little congregation and of all the new and exciting programs and services that have occurred and are coming up in the months ahead. Each one of them involves so many of you who help set up, create and sustain our synagogue community with your attendance, willingness to volunteer and financial support. Thank you.

As we continue our forward momentum there are many decisions to make about our direction and focus. The Annual Meeting is approaching. On June 7 we ask that you come to not only hear about some of our successes, but to clearly state your wishes for our future.

The board has been working very hard in making decisions and listening to your opinions. So, the next set of questions and options need your input as well.

We can’t do it without you. Each one of you counts. I hope you will be able to set aside the time to come. It’s important.

Kabbalat Shabbat Service with our Interfaith Partners

by Rabbi Vinikoor

At this special Shabbat service, we will welcome our Interfaith partners from various congregations through the Brunswick Area Interfaith Organization.

Let's give our allies a warm welcome as we gather together to share our mutual solidarity, and shared values and welcome them to our synagogue space.

Stay for the oneg to meet and share stories. We will lift our voices in prayer and song. Please join us!

May and June Torah Study

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Join members of our community to study the weekly Torah portion. Through questions and conversations, we’ll make meaning from our sacred texts. All texts are in English. All are welcome.

May 11, 12:00 pm at the Minnie Brown Center led by Rabbi Vinikoor
May 18, 12:00 pm at the Minnie Brown Center led by Rabbi Vinikoor
June 1, 12:00 pm at the Minnie Brown Center led by Peggy Brown
June 15, 12:00 pm at the Minnie Brown Center led by Peggy Brown

Israel-Palestine Speaker Series

by Rabbi Vinikoor

SESSION 3: The View from Ramallah: Governance, Legitimacy, and Palestinian Aspirations
Sunday, May 17, 1:00 pm
Minnie Brown Center
Childcare available on-site

Hear directly from a leading Palestinian analyst based in Ramallah on public opinion in the West Bank, the internal condition of the Palestinian Authority, and how Palestinians view Israel, Hamas, and the international community in this pivotal moment.

SESSION 4: A House Divided: Israeli Politics, Protest, and the Struggle Over Democracy
Sunday, May 31, 1:00 pm
Minnie Brown Center
Childcare available on-site

An inside look at Israel’s fractured political and societal landscape. At the intersection of national security and social cohesion, we will explore the profound questions Israelis are asking about their country’s moral direction and democratic future. This conversation analyzes the internal drivers that will ultimately determine Israel’s future.

Diners’ Club­—Save the Dates!

by Anne Rankin

Everyone had such a great time at OneSixtyFive in Brunswick for dinner on April 16. You always find out something new and interesting while talking to whoever you sit next to. Hope you’ll join us for our next culinary adventure, or two!

Tuesday, May 19, 8:00 am
Breakfast at OneSixtyFive in Brunswick (for their breakfast menu, see onesixtyfivemaine.com). I’ve been told their morning food is just as scrumptious!

Monday, June 15, 11:30 am
Lunch at J.R. Maxwell & Company in Bath (for their menu, see jrmaxwells.com).

Please RSVP by May 15/June 11 to Anne Rankin at dinnerclub@bethisraelbath.org.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Thursday, May 21
7:00–9:00 pm
Minnie Brown Center

Come celebrate the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai at Beth Israel’s Tikkun Leil Shavuot!

Join us for learning and song sessions from lay leaders, Rabbi Vinikoor, and rabbinical apprentice Alexina Haefner; and a cheesecake and bread-baking competition.

While famously a dairy holiday, Shavuot was also one of the few times bread was offered as a Temple sacrifice, so this year we’re inviting you to bring your best breads and most creative cheesecakes and get psyched for Torah!

Schedule:
7:00 - 7:45 pm - Learning Session 1
7:45 - 8:00 pm - Cheesecake and Bread Tasting + Voting
8:00 - 8:45 pm - Learning Session 2
8:45 - 9:00 pm - Winners Announced

Annual Meeting and Celebration

by Marilyn Weinberg

Sunday, June 7
9:30 am
Minnie Brown Center

Whether it is your yearly tradition or your first time, we hope you will participate in our upcoming 2026 Annual Meeting.

We will take a little time to connect with each other and enjoy a yummy brunch sponsored by our Beth Israel board members. But big decisions must be made. We will be asking you to weigh in on going forward with our plan to make the synagogue accessible and safe. Will our security grants continue? What are our options? What are the issues with our upcoming budget?

Meet and vote on new board members and more. Mark your calendar and watch for more details as we finalize the upcoming agenda.

We look forward to seeing you there. Your presence makes a difference.

Sabbatical

by Rabbi Vinikoor

Rabbi Vinikoor will be on sabbatical from June 8-July 5. The sabbatical is part of the rabbi’s contract with our congregation and is a time for her to rest from her duties as our rabbi. She plans to relax, read, connect with family and friends and run an international half-marathon in Lubec and Canada! She will return refreshed and ready for the summer and the year ahead.

Rabbi Vinikoor will not be responding to her email during the sabbatical. If you would like to speak or meet with Rabbi Vinikoor before she leaves, please reach out and schedule a time to connect. She would love to hear from you! If you need to reach someone for pastoral reasons during the sabbatical, reach out to Marilyn Weinberg at info@bethisraelbath.org and she will connect you with a Jewish clergy on call.

When Rabbi Vinikoor returns from sabbatical she will not be reading through any emails that came into her email inbox during the sabbatical period. If something comes up during the sabbatical that you’d like to speak with her about, please mark July 6 and beyond as the date to email or call.

The sabbatical is also a great opportunity for lay leaders to take on various leadership roles and to bring in new voices. A sabbatical committee will take care of additional tasks that the rabbi usually carries out.

Finally, you are invited to a Welcome Back from Sabbatical Potluck Community Picnic on Thursday, July 9, 5:30 pm at Bath’s Waterfront Park.

Maine Conference for Jewish Life

by Rabbi Vinikoor

June 12-14
Thomas College, Waterville

The conference turns 13 this year and you’ve got to be there! Join Rabbi Vinikoor and Jews across our state and beyond for a pluralistic opportunity for superior Jewish learning and joyous celebration in central Maine. This conference brings Jews from across the region together in order to gain familiarity with the jewels of Jewish civilization, convene with other Jews from around the state, exchange best practices for crafting successful rural Jewish lives, experience the benefits and challenges of celebrating in a pluralistic environment, and revel in Torah learning. Let’s bring a minyan from Beth Israel!

Click here to see the schedule.
And you can click here to register!

Please be in touch with Rabbi Vinikoor if you would like financial support to attend.

Social Action Committee

by Joanne Rosenthal

The Social Action Committee congratulates Michelle D’Lauro-Lisi for organizing a hilarious comedy night to benefit the Maine Immigrant Rights Coalition. It was a wonderful way to cap off No Kings 3 Day where the new banner was unfurled with positive feedback from march attendees.

Looking forward, the Social Action Committee has applied to have a table at the Brunswick Pride Festival on June 13, 12:00-5:00 pm. With LBTQIA2S+ rights under attack, we want to demonstrate our love and solidarity at this joyous community celebration. Anyone from the congregation is welcome to sit at the table and chat with passersby about the Beth Israel community.

Throughout the spring and summer, watch for information about protecting voting rights and other important legislative issues. Contact socialaction@bethisraelbath.org with any questions. The committee meets on the first Monday of each month at 1:00 pm at the Minnie Brown Center.

Visiting the Hallers Brings Hebrew School Book Club Themes to Life

by Laura McCandlish

Congregants Erich and Pauline Haller warmly welcomed our 4th –6th grade Hebrew School students to their home for a l'dor vador visit promoting intergenerational friendship.

Erich, 90, riveted the students with stories from his boyhood in Vienna, where he was born in 1935. During the war years Erich was moved to many farming communities throughout Austria. The Jewish Underground was responsible for saving hundreds of Austrian Jewish children with that endeavor.

Erich's father was able to emigrate to America in 1938 through the generosity of relatives in New York. While there, he was inducted into the US Army. He fought in all of the major campaigns in North Africa and Europe. Erich's grandparents were deported to the town of Modliborzyce, Poland, where they were murdered there shortly after arriving with countless others.

The American Red Cross was able to locate his mother in Vienna, (she had false papers) and they spent time in a Displaced Persons Camp in Austria. While there, his mother received word that her husband had survived the war. Erich and his mother traveled to the US by ship, arriving in New York on August 8, 1946, and were once again united with his father. He never speaks of the sorrow and bewilderment that he felt as a child. There is a lot of his story that is too sad to recall.

Our visit with Erich and Pauline was a fitting coda to our Hebrew School book club discussing Tree. Table. Book. (2024) by Maine author Lois Lowry, 89, of Number the Stars fame. Lowry again depicts an inspiring Holocaust survivor's story in this unique friendship between an 88-year-old Polish-Jewish refugee Sophie Gershowitz and her 11-year-old New Hampshire cul-de-sac neighbor Sophia Winslow. In recounting his own similar survivor story, Erich inspired our youth to "never give up."

Community Passover Seder

by Marilyn Weinberg

What a joy it was to gather together at our Minnie Brown Center to celebrate our community Passover Seder. Tables were set with seder plates filled with ritual items, candles to light and plenty of matzoh. This ancient ritual was made relatable by an outstanding slide show that everyone could see and join in with readings, songs and prayers. And it was so much fun to create the story together with some arts and crafts and great imaginations.

And thanks to all of our Beth Israel cooks and helpers to make it all come together.

B'Mitzvah Cohort

by Anita Lichman

In March four Beth Israel students studying for their B’Mitzvah met up for dinner, Torah study, games, and discussion. It was an evening filled with cheer as this group reunited and, along with their families, started to explore the preparations being made to become a B’Mitzvah.

The first part of the night focused on a shared meal of pizza, salad, and Thai food. There was something for everyone! Conversation was flowing as students and families caught up and enjoyed being back together again.

As the meal wrapped up the group read and discussed a portion of the Torah that discussed developmental milestones by age. One part of the text could be interpreted that once children reach the age of 13 a parent’s/caregiver’s role comes to an end. That concept initially got a good laugh from many in the group! But, after some discussion and examining the complexities of raising teens it was highlighted how there is a start to increased independence by young people and a change in the intensity of parental guidance around the age of 13. So, while we aren’t washing our hands of parental duties just yet, we all recognized that times are changing!

After the Torah study the students joined in games and parents met as a small group to provide mutual support to one another as we move through these preparations for their B’Mitzvah. We are lucky enough to have parents of recent B’Mitzvah students join us to share resources and provide perspective.

Keep an eye out as the summer approaches and the first of these student’s step into the role of a B’Mitzvah!

Caring Committee­—Help Us Help Each Other!

by Anne Rankin

The Caring Committee is updating its Volunteer List. We'd like to hear from all our members as to what you would/could help with. It doesn't have to be a long-time commitment; it could be just the occasional lending a hand. Do you have an interest in any of these:

• being part of a meal train

• visiting the sick

• welcoming new members (involves meeting someone for coffee, and/or delivering a challah)

• comforting the mourning by attending a shiva minyan or funeral (bringing food is also welcome)

• providing rides to members for various synagogue services or events

Even if you've been a volunteer in the past, we're creating a completely new Volunteer List (and will update such periodically). So, please send us your name, phone number, street and email address, along with any items you could help with, so that when someone reaches out to the committee, we can call upon others as needed. 

NOTE: This list will be kept private; your contact information will not be shared elsewhere, with the exception of those willing to provide rides, when we will at that time share your name and email address (if you live nearby) with the person needing a ride so that this person can reach out directly to you.

Please help us help each other in making our synagogue an even more connected community! Send your contact info to caring@bethisraelbath.org. 

Donations

Memorial Gifts

• Robert Gersh and Susan Horowitz in loving memory of his father, Fred Gersh

• Erich and Pauline Haller in loving memory of his grandparents, Josef and Marie Haller

• Erich and Pauline Haller in loving memory of his father, Edward Haller

• Karen and Matthew Filler in loving memory of her father, Gerald Feldman

• Matthew and Karen Filler in loving memory of his parents, Morris and Gladys Filler

• Gary Torow and Denise Linet in loving memory of his mother, Ann Torow

• Norma Dreyfus and Stan Lane in loving memory of their brothers, Nathaniel Goldberg and Michael Lane

• Paul Linet in loving memory of Susan Linet

• Mary and Bud Samiljan in loving memory of her father, John Ramsey and his mother, Bernice Samiljan

• Linda Silberstein and Larry Loeb in loving memory of her father, Dr. Joseph Silberstein

• Barbara and Robert Lenox in loving memory of her father, Mishael Selig and her brother, Edward Selig

• Robert and Barbara Lenox in loving memory of his mother, Mildred Lenox

• Sheldon and Denise Tepler in loving memory of Moshe ben Gedalyah

• Shelia Cohen in loving memory of her mother, Helen Freedman Cohen

• Steve and Marina Singer in loving memory of his father, Isadore Singer

• Stan Lane and Norma Dreyfus in loving memory of his father, Jesse Lane

• Andy and Chris Schoenberg in loving memory of his mother, Elayne Schoenberg

• Benedikt Shohan Family in loving memory of Ed and Ruth Benedikt

For the Benefit of the Synagogue

• Temple Emanuel in Providence, Rhode Island in honor of David Kertzer

Building Fund

• Ellen Bard

REMEMBRANCES FOR MONTH–MONTH YEAR

May their memories be for a blessing.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Listing the birthdays and anniversaries of those in our immediate family creates a wonderful opportunity for our community/shul family to have an excuse to celebrate with each other. 

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