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   Apr / May / June 2003                                                                                     5763    iux q rhht q ixhb                

On Sunday, May 4, 2003 we will be holding our annual Spring Picnic, this year at Tree Tops Park ion Davie.  We look forward to perfect weather, lots of good food and the enjoyment of our friends and family. 

Tree Tops Park is a beautiful naturally maintained park nestled in Davie on Nob Hill Road just north of Orange Drive. A wonderful place for picnics, Tree Tops Park offers horseback riding, paddle boating, canoeing, playgrounds, nature trails, duck ponds, fishing, and lots more.  And of course let’s not forget kite flying with Rabbi Winer. 

Bring your appetite and don’t miss out on the delicious homemade foods brought by our congregants, and the grills blazing delicious Hebrew National hot dogs. 

Lots of usual fun including balloon tosses, softball games and tugs-of-war will lend to the afternoons fun and frolic.

We will be having a raffle, offering the chance to win some great prizes, so get there early and get your raffle tickets. 

On Sunday, March 16^th we all joined together as Rabbi Cardonick read Esther’s Megillah, and everyone celebrated Purim.   The crowd was dressed in colorful and imaginative costumes, and everyone churned their grogs every time the name of Haman was mentioned.

The day was highlighted with delightful costumes as Rabbi Winer and Becky reversed roles and came as the Rebitzen and Rabbi, and even the cookie monster made his appearance.   Beggars, sea captains, princesses, ninjas and all the rest…lots of photos are posted on our webpage.

We all joined for song and dance and a bar-b-que afterwards, as we celebrated the wonderful Holiday of Purim.

Plans are already underway to make next year’s celebration better than ever!

What will the Rabbi be next year? 

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I’ve always thought it very telling that the name on our door is “Congregation Amchah”.  We don’t define ourselves as a “place”, but rather, as a “community”, and for many of us, the time we spend here is the only “community activity” in our lives.  We love to come here on Saturdays, not just to enjoy the services, but also to connect to one another.

Each week we hear our president, Alec, talks of our growth, not just in numbers but also in “breadth”, if you will.  It is nourishing to gather in prayer each week, but a synagogue can offer even more to its members, and we are striving to do just that, by offering classes, seminars, and social activities we can all share.

As a part of this “expansion”, we are excited to begin a new venture.  The Congregation Amchah Family Theater will offer all ages the opportunity to be a part of creating entertainment that we can present, for our families, friends and the community to enjoy.

We will also reach out into the community in several ways: by including them in the productions as participants, by inviting them in as audience members, and especially, by taking our act “on the road” to assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and other places where people are in need of some cheer.  The rewards of this type of activity are many – both for the participants and for the Shul.  It is a lot of fun to “put on a show”, and a great activity for family members to share.  It is emotionally rewarding to bring the gift of music and laughter to those who need it so much.  It is a privilege to be able to do all of these things in the name of our Congregations, to be “ambassadors of good will” to the community at large.

Although we are inviting the public to join us, this will be very much a “family business”. Any member or friend of our congregation who wishes to be involved will be included.  Besides performing, there are numerous other areas where help will be needed, from working “backstage” to helping with publicity, programs, bookings, tickets and other organizational aspects.  We will be starting modestly, but as the Shul grows, so can we.

The first performance is planned for Sunday June 8.  We look forward to working with all of you.

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When Rosh Hashanah Services concluded last September I drove to the Miami Airport to join my wife Olga, in Brazil. Little did I anticipate at that time, the Jewish flavor our trip would have.

In Brasilia, the Capital, Olga and I stopped at the Jewish bookstore. We purchased a Siddur for Shabbat and a Machzor for the High Holidays with prayers in Hebrew and Portuguese. Olga has also thoroughly enjoyed a book that explains all the Jewish Holidays in Portuguese, her native language. The store manager telephoned his father, a lawyer and Rabbi, who promptly stopped his work and met us at the bookstore.

We spoke for 30 minutes and then rode to the synagogue for a tour and more conversation- plus some delicious fruit juice. The synagogue was still decorated with dozens of large balloons- blue ones and white ones- that were provided for the New Year’s celebration. 

A few days later, September 11th, Olga and I left Brasilia. Imagine, we were flying on the 1st anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. Earlier in the day, the Brazilian television coverage of those events was intense. And the in-depth newspaper articles were voluminous. We arrived in Sao Paulo after an uneventful flight of 2 hours. Olga’s sister, Rosalina and her husband, Fernando, greeted us. 

The next day, Rosalina took us for a bus ride to the Metro where we transferred to a train for downtown. We wanted to take a tour of the Municipal Theatre but found it was an off day. However, there was an opera scheduled for that evening. All four of us were treated to a fantastic performance, concert style, of Samson and Delilah- based on the Old Testament story. Adding to the Jewish nature of the evening was the information in our program: the Maestro was Ira Levin, a Jewish American.

Friday night, we went to services at Congregation Israelita Paulista. There were more than 600 people present. I was moved to tears at the beauty of the services- songs sung in Hebrew to the accompaniment of an organist. Thousands of miles away from home we found a place just as “Heimisha” as Congregation Amchah. 

Olga, seated in the ladies’ section, later told me she had felt the same way. The President of the congregation presented me with the honor of opening the ark for the singing of Aleinu. Again, I was brought to tears with the emotionality of the moment, as I found myself surrounded by a flock of children who had come up to kiss and admire the Torahs in the open ark.

After Services, many individuals went up to the Bima to meet and compliment Rabbi Henry Sobel who greeted them with handshakes, hugs and kisses. Rabbi Sobel is one of Judaism’s greatest ambassadors- highly respected in Jewish circles and the community-at-large- a person who cares much about people and our world. He gave us a warm Brazilian-Jewish welcome and his total attention. 

It is a marvelous experience to connect with your fellow Jews around the world. The Torah tells us to welcome the stranger. How wonderful it is to feel at home while you share a meal and join in song with new friends!

Watching a house under construction can be a fascinating, learning experience. Each element builds on the next, working up from the foundation to the roof, until the building is safe from the elements. Constructing an estate plan is a similar process. If you "build" your estate on a solid foundation, according to a well-designed plan, it can securely "shelter" your loved ones for the future.

Just as all house styles do not suit all families neither do all estate plans. Many couples may be familiar with the unlimited marital deduction, which allows the spouse who passes away first to leave his or her estate to the surviving spouse free of estate taxes. However, some married couple with assets exceeding the applicable exclusion amount may face a sizable estate tax liability. Without a proper estate plan in place, the first spouse to pass away will be unable to use his or her respective applicable exclusion amount.

Funding Your Trust -
Once you’ve built a house, you would never live in it unfurnished. An unfunded trust is like an empty house. Although the structure is in place, it cannot fulfill its purpose. In order to fund a living trust, all the assets (such as your home, bank accounts, securities, and brokerage accounts) you wish to place in the trust must be re-titled.  The trust must also be designated as the beneficiary of any insurance policies.

While it is understandable that some people may balk when it comes to retitling assets and changing beneficiaries, remember that one of the objectives of a living trust is to maximize the use of both spouses’ applicable exclusion amounts, and to do so in the most efficient manner. Re-titling assets will assist you in accomplishing this objective.

A living trust is but one of a variety of estate planning options. Just as you would consult a contractor when building your house, it is important to consult with experienced legal and financial professionals to help determine if your estate plan is appropriate for your circumstances and consistent with your objectives. With a well-constructed estate plan, you can rest easier knowing you have done all you can to preserve your financial legacy. 

Charles M. Wilner is a Financial Advisor for New England Financial, an affiliate of Metropolitan Life.  He may be reached at (800) 273-0292 ext. 3020.

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From the Rabbi’s Desk…

While recently surfing the net, I came across the following:

Fact:- "People who attend religious services at least once a month live significantly longer than those who don't..." USA Today August 9, 1999.

And then it continues, according to a team of sociologists from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, attending religious services "extends the life span about as much as moderate exercise or not smoking".

like religious rituals and being part of a religious community promotes long life and health.

How about that, all of a sudden we have scientific studies that show what we Jews have known for centuries. Going to services is good for mind, body and spirit.  Communal worship offers stress relief, a sense of belonging and an opportunity to nourish one's Jewish identity and connection to G-d.

We have had record attendance at Congregation Amchah since the High Holidays.  Every week we are seeing new faces. Yet, there are still some members who are missing this life enhancing activity.