2024 April Newsletter

Temple 

Adas 

Shalom 

M O N T H L Y 

N E W S L E T T E R 

4 

5 

6-7 

8 

9 

10 

12 

22 

24 

President's Message 

RPC Message 

Kehillah MAGNET 

Adult Education 

Sisterhood News 

Safety & Security 

April 2024 

Calendar of Events 

February 2024 - 

Donors 

Contents 

Mi Sheberakh 

Recently Passed 

April 2024 Yahrzeits 

Observed 

A P R I L 2 0 2 4 | 2 2 N D O F A D A R I I 5 7 8 4 - 2 2 N D O F N I S A N 5 7 8 4 

Rabbi Meeka’s Musings 

Shalom TAS’s Mishpacha משפחה (Family) 

The holiday of Passover has four different names in Hebrew, but in this article, I will 

mainly focus on the last one mentioned below. 

‏.חג הפסח Pesach) First and most common name is Chag Ha’Pesach (Pilgrimage Festival of 

The word pesach shares a root with the word “lifsoach” ‏,לפסוח which means to “skip,” or 

“pass over”. In connotation with the Holiday, as was written in the Torah, God “Passed Over” 

all homes on which the doorpost was marked during the last and most painful plague God 

inflicted on the Egyptians: Death of the First Born. 

‏.חג המצות Matzahs) Another popular name for this holiday is Chag Ha’matzot (Festival of 

Matzah מצה is the unleavened bread our ancestors prepared as they rushed out to escape 

the tyrannical King Pharoah. Matzah is considered both the bread of freedom, as well as 

the bread of poverty. 

Passover, a Holiday of Freedom: Set Our Captives Free! 

Another, lighter in nature and more environmentally connected title for this holiday is 

Chag Ha’aviv (Festival of Spring) חג האביב The Torah links Pesach with the season of 

spring, which is when Passover is celebrated in the land of Israel. The awakening of earth 

after winter’s hibernation is nature’s indication that “life” overcomes “death.” Spring is 

nature’s equivalence to redemption and celebration of life. 

But the one name I will dedicate this article to is Chag Ha’cheirut (Season of our Freedom), 

The narrative about Israel’s yetziat Mitzrayim (leaving Egypt, Mitzrayim which is ‏.חג החירות 

a narrow, constrictive place) is the cornerstone of Judaism. Yetziat Mitzrayim is at the core 

of Jewish ritual, observance, ethics, and spirituality. 

8 N . E A R L T O N R D . E X T . H A V R E D E G R A C E , M D 2 1 0 7 8 

410-939-3170 | ADMIN@TEMPLEADASSHALOM.ORG

Rabbi Meeka's Musings 

Continued 

The Torah says: “In each generation every person is to feel as though he or she personally came out of Egypt 

(Deuteronomy 16:14). And to that, Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, (18th century Chasidic leader) said: “The Exodus from 

Egypt occurs in every human being, in every era, in every year, and even every day.” 

Passover is a holiday when we are encouraged to ask, and answer questions around our Seder tables (like the Ma 

Nishtana that we sing every year when we read through the Haggadah). 

And these are my own questions for this season: 

When we say "we are God's chosen people" - what exactly do we mean by that? God chose us for what, to be the 

Moving Target for every terrorist organization on the face of this earth? Being hated by people I have never even 

heard of like the Houthis from Yemen?! 

My personal pain is obvious. As Rabbi Levi Kalman wrote: "I am so angry with Hamas for making my heart harden." 

And as for me, Rabbi Meeka, the "I should know and think better" is looming over my own head like a sword. 

I really believed in a world where Palestinians and Israelis can live side by side, help each other grow and prosper in a 

Two-State solution. I REALLY wanted to believe it was possible in my lifetime. And now I am not sure anymore. And I 

am angry. Angry at a handful of radicals (on both sides) who have been wrecking this dream for all of us. 

The great Black American author Maya Angelou was quoted saying: “The truth is, no one of us can be free until 

everybody is free.” And Chag Ha'Cheirut, our holiday of Freedom is coming soon, and our hostages are not yet free. 

How can we celebrate The Holiday of Freedom, when so many of our People, cannot? 

What will it be like for those beat-down families to have a Passover Seder without their loved ones, whose fate is 

unknown as I am writing these lines? 

Are they alive? Are they dead? Are they suffering? Are they in pain? 

And based on our tradition of asking the Four Questions, here are my own Four Questions, all addressed to God: 

1) God - Where are You? 

2) God - Please let us know: Where are our Hostages? 

3) God - Where is the rest of the world right now, when our hostages, and their families need every bit of help and 

support? 

4) God - Will You please send some sort of a Siman (sign) to our Hostages, and their families? 



Rabbi Meeka's Musings 

Continued 

This was written with pain and despair. Because the Holiday of Passover is supposed to be a celebration of freedom. Yet our 

captives are not yet free. Therefore, this year, I will add my disk to the Seder Plate, and I will invite you all to do the same: add 

that disk which declares in both languages: Ha’lev shelanu sha’vui be’Azah (Our heart is captive in Gaza), Bring Them 

‏.הלב שלנו שבוי בעזה Home Now 

This year, let us not forget about our own. 

With a broken heart, Rabbi Meeka 



President's Message 

Mark Wolkow 

Best Purim Ever! 

And if not the best, for sure in the top 5. Rabbi Meeka led off with an inspiring Megillah reading, 

getting students and parents revved up with loud “Haaaamaaans”, and chanting at speeds at, or 

maybe even faster, than our all time speed-demon, the venerable Sig Gast (z”l). 

The sanctuary was packed as we went from the Megillah to the choir’s Purim Schpiel, which 

featured melodies from Fiddler on the Roof. Originally written by Stu Needel the cleverly written 

schpiel featured wonderful singing, comical acting, and appeal for both adults and children. 

Directly following the schpiel was our Purim Carnival. Sarah O’Donnell and her staff and students 

put on a great event, which was very well attended. The parking lot looked like it might have 

been Yom Kippur! This year featured brand new games for the children, thanks to funds made 

available from the Stanley Getz bequest. It was a great success for kids of all ages, and the 

Religious School earned over $500. 

Finally, the Sisterhood Purim Basket fundraiser was very successful, with great participation and 

very tasty hamantaschen and rugulah. 

Thanks to everyone who made this a great holiday! 

April Service Multi 

Access Information 

and Links 

Please note that streaming will be 

done via YouTube. 

YouTube links for all of our services 

can be found on our calendar. No 

passcodes are required. Past and 

present services and other events 

can also be found on our YouTube 

channel. 

Friday, April 5th 

Shabbat Evening Service 

Live Streaming starts at 6:45pm- 

7:00pm 

In-Person service starts at 7:00pm 


Scout Shabbat Torah Service 


7:00pm 



Family Shabbat 


6:15pm 



Shabbat Evening Service 


7:00pm 


Shalom, 

Mark Wolkow 

YOUTUBE LINK FOR 

SERVICES 

https://www.youtube.com/@ 

templeadasshalom/streams 



RPC Message 

Melissa Immel & Mike Mullis 

Happy Spring From The Religious Practices Committee! 

Spring is upon us! The time change and march toward summer brings longer 

sunshine and the blooming of our flora and fauna! And much like the bloom in 

Springtime, Temple Adas Shalom continues to bloom as well with an entire 

month of wonderful and spiritual Services and activities, and that's no April 

Fools! 

On Saturday, April 6th in the evening, join Deb Temple at her home for a 

Regional Havdallah. 

Friday, April 12th we honor our local Boy/Girl Scouts of America with a Scout 

Shabbat. This Shabbat will include Scouts from Temple Adas Shalom as well 

as Troops and Packs from around the county. If your child is a Scout and 

would like to participate in the service, please reach out to Mike Mullis at 

musicdirector@templeadasshalom.org! 

Friday, April 19th is a Family Shabbat Service, which will include our 

Religious School Grades 7-9. This service begins at 6:15, and is always a 

wonderful chance for our Temple Yeladim to shine! 

Tuesday, April 23rd is our yearly Pesach Second Night Seder, led by Rabbi 

Meeka Simerly! More information will be on the Temple Adas Shalom 

Website Calendar. Sign up and be part of a wonderful tradition here at 

Temple Adas Shalom! 

Thursday, April 25th is our Monthly RPC Meeting, preceded by Yizkor. 

Would you like to make a difference here at Temple? Join the RPC and help 

shape the future of our growing Synagogue! 

There is something for everyone here at Temple Adas Shalom! Happy Spring! 

B'Shalom, 

Melissa Immel & Mike Mullis, RPC Co-Chairs 




Sarah O’Donnell & Joel Yoffee 

Shalom Temple Adas Shalom Community! 

Kehillah MAGNET is already gearing up for our 2024- 

2025 school year! If you know of families with 

children in Grades Pre-K through ten who want 

their children to learn about their Jewish culture, 

history, and traditions, please send them our way! 

Our Early Bird Registration is currently up and 

running until May 19, 2024. Sign up today! 

We are currently looking to expand the number of 

educators that we have on staff, as well as move to 

an individualized model of teaching Mid-Week 

Hebrew. If you are interested in learning more about 

teaching or tutoring for the 2024-2025 school year, 

please email Sarah O’Donnell at 

principal@templeadasshalom.org today! 

Purim Carnival 2024: Thank you to everyone who helped to organize, run, 

and come to our Purim Carnival. It was a BLAST! 




Continued 

Passover is coming! 

Please reach out to Sarah if you would like to 

volunteer your time or help to prepare food for the 

Religious School’s Mock Seder on Sunday, April 14th. 

REGULAR PROGRAMMING: 

TOT SHIRA: Each month during the school year Kehillah s MAGNET welcomes 

families with children ages 5 and under to attend the Pre-K/K music class at 

our religious school. “Tot Shira” is a wonderful way to introduce little ones to 

our dedicated teachers and fantastic students. Our next Tot Shira of the year 

will be on Sunday, April 7, 2024. 

FAMILY SHABBAT SERVICE 

Each month during the school 

year Kehillah s MAGNET 

welcomes families with 

children ages 5 and under to 

attend the Pre-K/K music class 

at our religious school. “Tot 

Shira” is a wonderful way to 

introduce little ones to our 

dedicated teachers and 

fantastic students. Our next 

Tot Shira of the year will be on 

Sunday, April 7, 2024. 



Upcoming 

Adult 

Educational 

Events 

Adult Ed. Movie Night 

Saturday, April 20th 

7:00pm - 9:00pm 

Adult Ed. Book Discussion 

Saturday, May 11th 

10:00am to 11:30am 

Adult Education 

Brian Folus 

Dear Congregants, 

On April 20 we are looking to show the Movie “Golda” in person at the Temple. Please see the 

calendar and Weekly Bulletin for more info. 

On May 11 at 10:00am, we will be having on Zoom our next Book Discussion. We are reading the 

book “The Red Tent” by Anita Diamant. 

In this modern classic interpretation of the biblical story of Dinah, Anita Diamant imagines 

the traditions and turmoil's of ancient womanhood--the world of The Red Tent, a New York 

Times bestseller and the basis of the A&E/Lifetime mini-series. In the Bible, Dinah's life is only 

hinted at in a brief and violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis 

that tell of her father, Jacob, and his twelve sons. The Red Tent begins with the story of the 

mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They love Dinah and give 

her gifts that sustain her through childhood, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a 

foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out from a remarkable period of early history and creates 

an intimate connection with the past. Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich storytelling 

and the valuable achievement of presenting a new view of biblical women's lives. 

On March 10 we had a wonderful presentation “The Wonders of Gilchrist”. This was a great 

opportunity to learn more about Gilchrist’s services. If you missed this in-person presentation, 

please see the Power-point on the Adult Ed page. 

Rabbi Meeka is continuing her new class “Tea & Torah” This is being held in the Temple Library. 

This is a very informative and interactive Torah Study class. The class is free, but Rabbi is asking 

people to register. A link is on the calendar. Even if you missed the first class feel free to register 

and join the class. 

2024 

Apr 7 10:00-11:00 Apr 28 10:00 - 11:00 

Apr 21 10:00-11:00 May 5 10:00 - 11:00 

May 19 9:30-10:30 

We truly hope you will join us for these upcoming events and send us suggestions and request 

for topics or movies or programs you would like the Adult Ed. Committee to provide for you. 

As always feel free to sit in on a meeting, just click on the link in the Calendar. 

Looking forward to hearing from you! 

Shalom, 

Brian Folus 



Sisterhood News 

Deborah Temple 

Shalom Friends, 

Our International Women’s Month Brunch was held last month. Many thanks to those who 

planned it, to those who attended it, and to those who donated items for Tabitha’s House 

and SARC. The food was wonderful, the presentations were fascinating, and the offerings 

were informative. Our event chairs transported an entire carload of donations to Tabitha’s 

House, and a second carload to SARC. Way to go team! 

Sisterhood 

Events 

All our Sisterhood dates are 

posted on the Temple Calendar 

and appear in bright pink. 

Sisterhood Havdalah 


5:30pm - 7:30pm 

General Membership Meeting 


5:00pm - 8:00pm 

General Membership Meeting & Officer Elections 

With only two months left in the Sisterhood’s annual calendar, we are preparing for our 

2024-2025 impact on Temple Adas Shalom and the community. Please join us on Saturday, 

April 13th when we hold our General Membership Meeting & Officer Elections. While that 

may sound dry, we promise it will be fun, delicious, and eventful. There will be no resting on 

our laurels at this interactive meeting where you will help guide our activities and 

community commitments for the upcoming year. 

We will be providing a light dinner and drinks. Please bring along your favorite Passover 

(dairy) appetizer or dessert to share and send the recipe to 

sisterhood@templeadasshalom.org. We will compile the recipes to share with members; 

this will ensure that everyone’s holiday table has something new. Please tell us that you will 

join us and submit your recipes by April 9th. 

We will close out our evening with Julie Sang’s introduction to Tangle Art. This relaxing and 

meditative art therapy requires no previous art experience. It is all about relaxing and 

refocusing. It will be a soothing and meditative activity for those who wish to partake. 

Upcoming Events 

May 11th - Mark your calendars now for the TAS Sisterhood Havdalah! Everyone is welcome to 

this beautiful service when we mark the end of Shabbat and usher in a good week. 

June 2nd – Hold this date for our Sisterhood End of Year Event. We will unveil this fun 

afternoon at the General Membership Meeting! 

Wishing each of you a happy, healthy, and meaningful Passover, 

TAS Sisterhood Board 



Safety & Security 

Pat Wolkow 

ALERT 

Admin as well as other key players have created an “Event” form 

that must be completed and submitted for any future events. 

It helps the event organizer to address many checkpoints that might 

be overlooked . It helps to accurately plan for security, update 

calendar, and arrange postings in the newsletter and more. 

CLICK HERE TO 

CHECK OUT THE 

NEW EVENT FORM! 

If you already have an event on the calendar, it might be 

advantageous to review the form and submit for both you the 

organizer, admin, and Security, to double check that all is lined up! 

Also, if any changes in your event happen between form submissions 

and the actual event day, they should be reported to admin and 

security. 

In other news: Your Security Team hopes to secure one more grant to 

help us with a few more items to help keep us safe. If you have 

noticed anything that might need our attention, or be helpful, give us 

a shout! 

Thankfully, all has been peaceful at our Temple Campus! 

If you see something …Say something! 

security@templeadasshalom.org 

-Pat Wolkow 



Temple Adas Shalom’s April 2024 Calendar of Events

February 2024 – Donors 

BUILDING FUND (L'dor V'dor) 

Rob & Charna Kinneberg (L’dor V’dor) 

Rayna & David Richardson (L’dor V’dor) 

Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund 

H Carol Mohr & David Brown - In memory of Hilda Mohr 

Eric Griesinger - In memory of Hilda Mohr 

HJC General Fund 

Richard & Rhonda August 

Denise & Arthur Gordon - In memory of Elaine & Jonny Graff 

Henry Hoffman 

Mark & Patricia Wolkow - In memory of Jim Baker & Marsha Robinson 

Randi & Frank Chancey 

Debbie Delaney 

Elise & Michael Woods 

Art Elsner 

RELIGIOUS PRATICE DONATION 

ELC Donation & Kehillah MAGNET RS Fund 

Denise & Arthur Gordon - (ELC Donation) In memory of “Jim” Baker Jr. 

Burt & Gerri Bronk - (Kehillah MAGNET RS FUND) 



February 2024 – Donors 

ONEG Fund / Garden Fund/MT’filah Siddur Fund 

Eric Griesinger (ONEG) 

Jean & Jessica Piwovar (Garden Fund) 

Denise & Arthur Gordon (MT’filah Siddur Fund) In memory of 

Shelley Feinman 



Mi Sheberakh * We Pray for Healing 

Amelia Parsons 

Anita Rosenzweig 

Burt Bronk 

Fred Belkin 

Harvey Malin 

Heather Mullis 

Justin Orellana Garcia 

Nancy Lever 

Natalie Litofsky 

Orin Zwik 

Shari Morris 

Steve Nohowel 

April 2024 - Yahrzeits Observed 

Lester Arotsky 

1st 

Harry Belkin 

19th 

Frederick Goldstein 

3rd 

Patricia Pollack 

19th 

Samuel Zipkin 

4th 

Sheila Fang 

19th 

Stanley Cohen 

4th 

Harriet Appel 

20th 

Sidney Calvin 

6th 

Howard Litofsky 

20th 

Joanne Hurtwitz 

9th 

Charles Bunkin 

21st 

Michael Schneck 

9th 

Edwin Starr 

21st 

Dr. Joseph Portnoy 

12th 

Eve Snyder 

21st 

Sidney Hoffman 

12th 

Mark Paster 

21st 

Eva Sirkis 

12th 

Wally Lyons 

21st 

Morton Getz 

14th 

Abraham Singer 

22nd 

Jules Counts 

14th 

Charles Immel 

23rd 

Harry Shuman 

15th 

Minnie Roseman 

23rd 

Isaac Korenfeld 

16th 

Irv Altman 

24th 

Judy Malin 

16th 

Gertrude Selby 

26th 

Sam Arotsky 

16th 

Rose Goodman 

26th 

Daniel McConnell 

16th 

Bess Belkin 

27th 

Abraham Vogelhut 

17th 

David Pollack 

27th 

Barbara Latman 

18th 

Joseph Snyderman 

27th 

Benson Sacks 

18th 

Lena ipman 

27th 

Ethel Starr 

18th 

Amalie Diamant 

28th 

Thomas Merriken 

18th 

Paul Lynch Sr. 

28th 

Walter Miller 

18th 

Raymond Paster 

29th 

Gladys Krongel 

19th 

Stanford Folus 

29th 

Caring Note 

Caring is about both the simchas and healing through support and community. 

Is there a moment you would like to share, privately or publicly? 

We want to be there for you so please let us know. 

Email the Caring Committee at caring@templeadasshalom.org

2024 April Newsletter

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