Shabbat shalom and Herb Kadish z’l Obituary

Hope you all had a great week and will join us TONIGHT Friday April 7, at the regular time of 7:00 PM for Kabalat Shabbat.

Shabbat morning services this Saturday April 8th at 9 AM, with the Torah service at 9:45 AM. There is always a lovely and interactive children’s story time at 10:30 AM with Shereen Ben-Moshe and a kidish lunch immediately following services.

Sunday Funday this Sunday April 9 at 10 AM. Lots of learning and research in collaborative groups this week. Their work will be on display during Passover.

Only a few days till Passover! We would like to wish you all a Chag Sameach and Kasher. As you know, we are hosting a second night seder at Beth El Tuesday April 11 at 6:30 PM. Not too late to reserve your spot. It’s truly a beautiful and momentous event.

Please join us Wednesday April 12 at 8:15 PM at shul to mark the yahrtzeit of Cantor Ben-Moshe’s late father, Milton Mann of blessed memory.

We are doing a class on leading Mussaf. The first class will start on Wednesday May 3 at Beth El at 7:00 PM and be taught by Cantor Ben-Moshe. The class is open to all so please let us know if you are interested.

And on a very sad note, this week we mourn the loss of our beloved friend and long time congregant Herb Kadish of blessed memory. Herb passed away last shabbas in Chicago at the age of 94 surrounded by his loving family. Please see below for Herb’s (z’l) obituary.

Candle lighting in Austin is at 7:36 PM

Friday January 6, Rabbi Daniel Septimus CEO of the Austin JCC will likewise be our guest speaker at Beth El.

Cantor Ben Moshe’s Message
This week we read Parshat Tzav, continuing the description of how sacrifices were to be offered in the Mishkan, and following with the ordination ceremony for Aharon and his sons as priests. The rituals seem foreign to us-we are perhaps taken aback by the descriptions of blood being thrown on the altar or smeared on the bodies of the Kohanim. Similarly, we today might balk at the idea of personally overseeing the slaughter, flaying and evisceration of a lamb or a kid as essential preparation for Passover. What we need to look at though is the spirit behind these rituals-the desire to draw close to God and to express gratitude for our freedom from bondage. We are not our ancestors. We do things very differently than they did millennia ago. However, we should pray that our rituals and practices enhance our own relationship with the Divine. May our Passover Seders this year, and every year, express our own gratitude for liberty, just as the original Paschal Sacrifice expressed the gratitude of slave who were about to be liberated. Shabbat Shalom and Hag Sameah.
Hazzan Yitzhak Ben-Moshe

HAPPY APRIL BIRTHDAYS:

Jakob U and Andy, Jaia Sara M, Bam, Betsy M, Iris K, Sasi A, Larry B, Yosef and Sofia A, David H, David W, You all are fabulous! Mazal tov and until 120!

Thank you to Rabbi Cantor Marie Betcher who came to Beth El last week and gave such a deeply moving and inspiring talk about the critical work she does as a Police Chaplain for Cedar Park and Austin. We were deeply moved by the stories she shared and inspired by the chesed she does. We hope to share more such beautiful shabbats with Rabbi Betcher.

Passover Learning and Preparation at Beth El’s Religious School this Sunday April 9.

This coming Sunday we will continue what we started last Sunday with our BERS kids. We will take a deeper look into Pesach and its traditions. The children will be divided into mixed-aged groups and each team will research an aspect of Passover, create a project, and then present it. These projects will be on display for our Annual Congregational Seder.
We hope all our BERS families will join other BE families and friends for an interactive, meaningful, and fun seder led by Cantor Ben-Moshe on the evening of April 11.

Passover cleaning at Beth El this Sunday April 9 right after Hebrew school. Every pair of hands will be put to good use!

** Huge thank yous so far to Lori and Dave, Michelle, Claudia, Yesenia and Joakin, Doris and Herschel, Elaine, Iris, Javis.

In Loving memory of Herb Kadish z’l:
It is with a heavy heart that we let you know of the passing of our beloved friend and congregant Herb Kadish this past shabbas in Chicago. Herb (may his memory be for a blessing) was a long time and treasured congregant of Beth El, attending every Friday service with his late wife and our dear friend Phyllis (of blessed memory). Herb had just celebrated his 94th birthday.

Below is the obituary for Herb, but we wanted to let you all know that even up till a couple of months ago we were in regular contact with Herb. Herb would always ask about the shul, our Cantor and our congregants and then tell lovely stories of his family. Herb (z’l) was surrounded by family and for the past few years has had the blessing of being with several of his children and grandchildren in Chicago. We will always remember Herb as a true mentsch, who had a kind and generous heart, a deep love for Israel and his family, a good word and a hug for all of us。 Herb loved to study throughout his life and we even have two handmade bookshelves dedicated to his and Phyllis’s honor, filled with Jewish books. He was truly a fascinating man and Beth El will always treasure the time we had with him and Phyllis.

May Herb’s family be comforted among all the mourner’s of Zion and Jerusalem.

Herbert Kadish, age 94. Beloved husband of the late Phyllis, nee Noskin. He had four sons, Sanford (Susan) of Phoenix, AZ, Glenn (Jenny) of Everett, WA, Barry (Kathyrn) of Chicago and Benjamin (Julie) of Chicago. Devoted grandfather of Michael, Sharona (Ben Hassan), Samuel (Malka), Max and Ella Kadish. Proud great-grandfather of great grandchildren, Cohava Esther, Gabriella Rivka, Ruth Leah, and Tova Sarah Hassan, Yoseph Chaim and Mayer Simcha Kadish. Service Sunday, 12 noon, Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd (at Niles Center Road), Skokie. Interment Zion Gardens. Dad grew up on the North Side of Chicago, graduated from Crane Tech, attended Wright Junior College, served in the U.S. Army during World War II, graduated from the University of Chicago, where he met Phyllis, our mother, moved to Dallas, Texas in 1948 with Mom, had four sons, and they then moved back to Chicago in 1960. Our family lived and grew up in Evanston. In 1983 they moved to Austin, Texas, and he earned two masters degrees in Vocational Rehabilitation and Jewish Studies at the age of 63 from the University of Texas and, after retiring for a second time, audited classes for 25 years. In his later years, Dad was a very active member of the Jewish War Veterans. Dad was most proud of his family, which included his grandchildren and great grandchildren in Chicago, Seattle and Israel. He was a good guy. Donations should be made to your favorite Hillel at the college of your choice or the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (www.macular.org). Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com.

Published in a Chicago Tribune Media Group Publication on Apr. 2, 2017