Temple Beth Sholom, New City, NY

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From the Desk of.......................................................................... Rabbi David E. Fass

Early or Late?

The High Holydays begin early this year, very early. A few years ago they occurred late, very late. Other years they start not so early and not so late. But are they ever on time? Of course. They’re exactly on time every single year. Rosh Hashanah is always the 1st of Tishrei. Then why do we speak of them as being early or late? Because as Jews we live with two calendars: a Jewish one and a secular one.

This year’s High Holyday sermons explore the consonances and dissonances between the two worlds we live in, the two calendars that mark our days. Can there be Torah with Twitter, blessing with blogging? Are there some things our secular culture permits, even promotes, that our Jewish values find anathema?
On some of these issues I attempt to provide answers, Jewish answers. You be the judges of whether I succeed or not. On others I hope to provide guidance, to point us in what I hope will be productive directions. On others all I will be able to do is provide questions that will lead to further, hopefully deeper, discussions.

Like everyone else, I live with both calendars. I wouldn’t dream of keeping our Religious School open during President’s week because that is not a Jewish holiday. But in terms of values and in terms of celebrating all the Jewish holidays not on the secular calendar, my first allegiance is to our people and our calendar.

Explore these issues with me over the High Holydays. I assure you they come, as they always have, exactly on time: on the 1st of Tishrei, according to the Jewish calendar.

As you may know, on May 22, a group from Temple Beth Sholom will depart on our second trip to Israel. I have no doubt that this trip will be as exciting as the first one. The itinerary is slightly different, however, we will still be visiting the most important Israel sites:

Old City Jerusalem and the Western wall
Tel Aviv and Jaffa
Caesarea
Safet and Golan Heights
Masada
Dead Sea

In addition, we will visit the Druze village and Biblical Meggiddo (Armageddon), taste wine in Carmel winery, ride a boat across Kinneret, visit Knesset where we will meet a chief political correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, enjoy a day in Eilat and we will travel to Jordan to visit a wonder of the world - the amazing site of Petra.

We already have a wonderful core group, but spaces are still available.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to travel to Israel, to explore our homeland, to learn about our incredible history and to spend time with the great company of your friends.

Please email me or call me with any questions!
Cantor Sergei Schwartz

This year we were able to produce our first ever Temple Beth Sholom CD. (Take a look/listen.)

This CD is the result of the hard work of the Temple Beth Sholom Junior Choir. I hope those of you who had an opportunity to listen to this CD enjoyed it, and those who didn’t receive the CD please contact the Temple. I would like to thank everybody involved in the creation of this CD, especially Nikolai Kachanov for producing this CD, and Gene Fryer for creating the wonderful design of the CD.

Rabbi David Fass has been the Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Sholom of New City for the past twenty-six years. In the local Jewish community, he is a Vice President of the United Jewish Federation, serves as a volunteer Chaplain with the Rockland County Sheriff’s Department and on the Clarkstown Board of Ethics. Rabbi Fass has established interfaith dialogues between Temple Beth Sholom and the First Baptist Church of Spring Valley and the Islamic Center of Rockland. Under the auspices of the Rockland Federation, the national Rabbinic Cabinet of the UJA, the American Reform Zionist Association, and the International Committee for Peace in the Middle East, he has visited Jewish communities in Israel, Cuba, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, Argentina and Brazil, and has met with officials in Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and the PLO on the West Bank.

A prolific writer, Rabbi Fass has published a children’s book (The Shofar that Lost Its Voice), numerous journal articles and book reviews, and many of his sermons have appeared in the major homiletic journals. His CD of 2,000 pages of sermon illustrations is used by Rabbis of all denominations. His story-telling, particularly the tales of the Wise Men of Chelm, is now delighting a second generation of children.

Ordained in 1973 from the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, Rabbi Fass has undergraduate degrees in Philosophy and in Hebrew Letters, and Masters degrees in Hebrew Letters and in the Sociology of American Religion. Married to the former Marian Kirtchik, they have three children, Melinda, Evan, and Pamela, a wonderful son-in-law, Eric, the best machatunim anywhere, and three extremely blond granddaughters, Mara, Sabrina, and Jadyn.

Cantor Sergei Schwartz was born in 1971 in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine and has been singing since the age of six. Despite religious prohibitions and restrictions, Jewish music was always heard in his home. After graduation from the College of Music with a major in Choral Conducting in 1990 he and his family emigrated to Israel. There he was immediately accepted to the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music. He graduated with a bachelor degree in 1995 with a major in Choral Conducting. Soon after coming to Jerusalem Cantor Schwartz joined the Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir where he absorbed an ever-deepening love of cantorial music.

In 1995 he started studying in the Jerusalem School of Cantorial Art under the direction of the famous conductor and cantor, Elli Jaffe. In Jerusalem, Cantor Schwartz studied with world renowned Cantor Naftali Herstik, Chief Cantor of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue. In 1996, Cantor Sergei Schwartz was accepted to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, from which he successfully graduated with a Master of Sacred Music Degree and Investiture as Cantor in May 2000. Cantor Sergei Schwartz has appeared at concert halls across Europe, Israel and the United States and has performed both as a Cantor and as a member and soloist of the Jerusalem Great Synagogue Choir. Since 2000 Sergei Schwartz has served as the Cantor of Temple Beth Sholom in New City, New York. Before coming to Temple Beth Sholom, Cantor Schwartz served as a cantor in Beer-Sheba Reform Congregation (Israel); Temple Emanuel, Baltimore, Maryland and Temple Beth-El, Jersey City, New Jersey.

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Complete High Holy Day sermons are available by clicking the "•" links below.

	Sermon Themes	Rosh Hashanah Evening	Rosh Hashanah Morning	Rosh Hashanah Day	Yom Kippur Evening	Yom Kippur Morning	Yom Kippur Yizkor	Shabbbat Shuvah
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Here is a sampling of some of Cantor Schwartz' beautiful musical renditions: