Save The Date : April 17, Saturday
March 8, 2010
SOKOL HEISLER FAMILY LUNCHEON
Save the date for the Annual Sharon Sokol Heisler Family Luncheon Saturday, April 17th. Mort Klein, President of the ZOA will be the featured speaker.His topic will be “Lessons of the Holocaust Applied to Today’s Arab War Against Israel”
Details to follow.
Within Our Family: March 13, 2010
March 8, 2010
Mazal Tov to Ina & Isaac Greszes on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Bailey and the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter Emma. Mazal Tov also to grandparents Sarita & Ben Greszes and Sharon Frankel and to brother Charles.
Mazal Tov to Judy & Abe Soleimani on the birth of their granddaughter, born to their children Elana & David Aminoff.
Mazal Tov to Ruth & Mel Klapper on the birth of a great-granddaughter born to their grandchildren Amanda & Alon Waltuch.
Mazal Tov to Yaffa & Avraham Gabbaizadeh on the upcoming marriage of his son Ariel to Fabian Sameiach.
Mazal Tov to Sharon & Moti Ahdut on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter Laura.
Sponsorships: March 13, 2010
March 8, 2010
Kiddush & Bima Flowers in the Beit Midrash are sponsored by Grandparents Sarita & Ben Greszes and Sharon Frankel in honor of the Bar Mitzvah of Bailey Greszes and the Bat Mitzvah of Emma Greszes.
Seudah Shlishit is sponsored by Lisa & Alan Adler in memory of his parents Bella & Murray Adler and by Anida & Ed Rosman in memory of his mother Flora & his father Romy Rosman.
This week’s youth snacks are sponsored by Diane & David Rein in honor of their daughter Sophia’s 7th birthday.
Sunday Breakfast is sponsored by Joseph Farajian in memory of his mother Sara bat Yehuda.
Men’s Club: Sunday, March 21
March 8, 2010
GNS MEN’S CLUB
Sunday, March 21st, MK Tzippy Hotovely, Likud party, Israel’s youngest member of Knesset, head of Committee on the Status of Women is speaking at GNS on “The Need for Greater Zionist Education in Israel and the Diaspora” and giving an update on the current political situation in the Middle East with reference to President Obama’s policies. She will be accompanied by Ahron Pulver of the Israel Independence Fund.
Yom Hashoa:Saturday, April 10, 2010 9:15pm
March 4, 2010
SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE DATE! SAVE THE DATE!
YOM HASHOAH COMMEMORATION
Great Neck Synagogue Premier of
FOUR SEASONS LODGE
Award winning documentary that follows the lives of holocaust survivors each summer at their beloved bungalow colony as they celebrate their survival.
Two survivors featured in the movie will be on hand to answer questions after the screening.

Brief Synopsis
In an inspiring and startlingly funny documentary,
FOUR SEASONS LODGE follows a group of Holocaust
survivors during what might be their final summer
together at a bungalow colony in the Catskill Mountains.
Directed by New York Times journalist Andrew Jacobs,
with beautiful cinematography by a team of filmmakers
including Albert Maysles, the verite film explores the
power of friendship and the drive to find joy despite
painful memories. It is a counterintuitive Holocaust
documentary: a fusion of ribald humor, stories of
unimaginable loss, the last of the Borscht Belt crooners,
and a family made entirely of friends and lovers. The
characters dance, flirt, and fight as the fate of their
community hangs in the balance.
Parsha Ki Sisa : Dr. Laura Danoff
March 4, 2010
Peace of Parsha
In the beginning of this week’s parsha, Ki Sisa Hashem commands Moshe to count the Children of Israel. This was actually the third time a census was done. The first time was when the Jews traveled to Egypt (Ya’acov’s family numbered seventy), the second time was when they left Egypt (600,000 men) and the third time was the day after Yom Kippur since many Jews had died following the sin of the Golden Calf and the census was done to count the number of male survivors over the age of twenty. According to Rashi, Hashem repeatedly counted the Children of Israel because of his deep love for them.
When a census was done, each man was required to contribute a silver coin of a half -shekel. The words Ki Sisa does not actually mean, “counting”, but instead “the elevation of one’s head”. The method of counting by means of coins is significant to prove that every single person has his own individual worth and potential. By donating a half shekel and not a whole emphasizes that no one is complete without another. When we realize that we count, our heads are lifted up and we are elevated.
According to Rav Hirsch “the mission of Israel is dependent on the unity of the whole”. When a nation becomes one, it is elevated to a higher plane. The nation is judged more benevolently as a whole than on an individual basis. Kuzari says this is also one of the reasons why praying with a minyan is better than davening alone and is more effective. The union of prayer has a force and a power all its own.
Rabbi Zweig said that the half-shekel represented the soul of each person. Therefore by giving the half-shekel the Jews were giving themselves over to Hashem with the understanding that G-d held their other half. This is the reason each person had to give individually and everyone had to give equally and no one could give for another person.
The half shekel was not a one time mitzvah brought about because of the sin of the Golden Calf. It was a permanent contribution done one time a year and from this the animals for the communal sacrifices could be bought. These offerings were intended as an atonement for the people. Since the Mishkan was inaugurated on the 1st of Nissan, it became the practice to begin collecting the half-shekels from the 1st of Adar.
Today, we read the beginning of Parsha Ki Sisa called Parsha Shekalim after the torah reading on the Shabbat preceding Rosh Chodesh Adar to remind us of the contribution made yearly for the Bais Hamikdash.
In the opening of the parsha it says, “Every man shall give Hashem an atonement for his soul when counting them, so that there will not be a plague among them when counting them”. The Hebrew word v’nasnu meaning “and they shall give” can be read the same backward and forward. This
reminds us that when we give- it will come back to us and enrich us.
The phrase “when counting them ” is repeated twice to remind us that no one is allowed to count Jews like we count objects - not just during Moshe’s time but forever. Rashi explains that when people are counted ordinarily they become subject to an evil eye.
Hashem showed Moshe an image of a coin made of fire and said “this, they shall give”(Exodus 30:13). According to Rashi, this tells us that money is like fire. Both money and fire can be either beneficial or destructive, depending on how they are used. Giving tzedakah should always be done with enthusiasm and a good heart. Fourteen out of the fifteen materials used for the Mishkan’s construction were received “from every man whose heart impels him to give”. (Exodus 25:2). Silver was the only material according to Hashem that was to be contributed equally by each Jew -the rich were not to give more and the poor were not allowed to give less.
This parsha impresses upon us that each one of us can make a difference in our own families, in our communities, and in the world!
Our words, actions and our mitzvot have tremendous significance. It is our responsibility to grow and become better people. There is a unique strength in unity, which makes the Jewish people even greater and stronger. So, count and make a difference!
Shabbat Shalom! This d’var torah is in honor of the birthday of my husband, Scott whose actions and mitzvot serve as a role model for our family and shul.
Culinary Event for Miklat
March 2, 2010
Great Neck Friends of
Miklat
Cordially invites you to a Culinary Event
Featuring
Jamie Geller
Author of
Quick & Kosher
Recipes From The Bride Who Knew Nothing
Please join us for an evening of delicious food,
great wine and wonderful company.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
7:30 PM
At the home of
Davida Yehaskel
9 Willow Lane
Great Neck, New York
Shmurah Matzah
March 2, 2010
GREAT NECK SYNAGOGUE
is again pleased to serve its membership with
the sale of Hand Baked SHMURAH MATZAH
Pick-up for Matzah will be on
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010
Between 6:30 pm & 8:30 pm
All orders must be prepaid
Please make checks payable to
GREAT NECK SYNAGOGUE
All orders must be received before MARCH 23, 2010
Limited Supply. Please order early
—————————————————————————————— —————————————————————
Order Form
Name_________________________________________
Address_______________________________________
Telephone (Home)__________(Bus.)_______________
_____lb. Shmurah Matzah @ $18.50 per lb.________
Check Enclosed for Total Cost______
Send to Great Neck Synagogue
26 Old Mill Road
Great Neck, NY 11023
or Fax to 516-487-6149
Passover Food Collection
March 2, 2010
PASSOVER FOOD COLLECTION
Are you shopping for Passover? The GNS Hunger Initiative and Sisterhood request donations of canned and packaged Passover foods. Please bring them to the Sisterhood Passover Bazaar on March 10th or drop donations off at the GNS office. Thank you very much for your kindness and generosity to help those in need.

Thank You Purim Sponsors 2010
March 2, 2010
Great Neck Synagogue
Thanks the following for
sponsoring Purim 2010
Alan & Lisa Adler
Dan & Marcy Aharon
Nathaniel Aryeh
Bart & Emma Baum
Jeff & Pam Bilfeld
Hal & Debbie Chadow
Elie & Laura Cohen
Tom & Debbie Furst
Mark & Beth Goldman
Ben & Sarita Greszes
Isaac & Ina Greszes
Emanuel Haghighat
Joey & Donna Hecht
Eliot & Erica Heisler
Michael & Alisa Hoenig
Dan & Marcia Horowitz
Adam & Didi Hutt
Henry & Erein Justin
Ivan & Lisa Kaufman
Jeff & Carol Kaufman
Gregory & Tami Kramer
Jonathan & Ilana Kroll
Michael & Mindy Leventhal
Arthur & Randi Luxenberg
Myles & Rona Mittleman
Zachary & Yifat Mittleman
Avery & Ellen Modlin
Jonathan & Daniella Muller
Jon & Dina Ohebshalom
Jared & Liz Ort
Murray & Marci Rabinowitz
Nathan & Debbie Rosenblatt
Dov & Aliza Sassoon
Evan & Jessica Shusterman
Ron & Cheryl Silverman
Alan & Orly Steinberg
Baruch & Pam Toledano
Sam & Melissa Toledano
Nathaniel & Rebecca Weisel
Adam & Karen Zalta
Brett & Robin Zuckerman
Glenn & Heidi Zuckerman
Ross Zuckerman
Steven & Shellie Zuckerman
Special thanks to Lisa & Michael Aryeh for all of the candy and ice cream that was donated by them for our Purim Celebration.
Thanks also to all the readers of the Megillah:
Paul Brody, Ethan Heisler, Avi Goldberg, Richard Mayer, Craig Resmovits, Russel Mendelson and Eli Flatow.
Also thanks to our custodial staff for getting the building ready and then cleaned up for the next day.





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