Dear Friends:
A few notes this morning on various topics:
1. Kehilat Shalom regrets to inform you of the death of a past President, Joel Verter, on Friday before Shabbat. Our congregation extends its condolences to Joel's wife, Judy Verter; his daughters, Hillary Riebman and Kristin Ikenson; his five grandchildren; and his sisters, Arlene Simms and Rose Greenbaum.
Just a week ago, on August 7, Joel and Judy celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary.
A funeral for Joel will take place:
on Wednesday, August 18, 2021, 1:00 PM
at Judean Memorial Gardens, 16225 Batchellors Forest Road Olney, MD 20832, beginning with a service in the Judean Chapel.
Shiva minyanim as follows:
• Wednesday, August 18th, 2021 at 7pm at the home of Hillary Riebman- 15101 Deer Valley Terrace, Silver Spring, MD
• Thursday, August 19th, 2021 at 7pm at the home of Judy Verter- 300 King Farm Blvd. Apartment 405, Rockville, MD
The above minyanim do not replace Kehilat Shalom’s regular 7:45 pm Zoom minyan.
2. Israel Bonds: An anonymous benefactor will match up to $100,000 of State of Israel Bonds purchased by Kehilat Shalom congregants. Simply call 301-654-6575 and mention Kehilat Shalom when you make the purchase.
3. Our hearts are heavy as we witness the tremendous suffering in Haiti in the wake of another terrible earthquake along the same fault line as the 2010 earthquake. One of our newest congregants, Delle Joseph, is board chair of the Haitian Development Institute and as they get a handle on the situation and how we can help, I hope to share with you some opportunities to help alleviate the suffering.
Our hearts are also heavy as we watch the tragic scenes at Kabul Airport as desperate people literally grab on to American planes seeking to leave the country. I first heard of Afghanistan when I was a youngster in the early 1970s and my father’s step brother returned from a tour of duty there on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development. He told us about buzkashi, the national sport of Afghanistan, and ever since then it was clear to me that no foreign military presence, whether Soviet or American or from anywhere else, would succeed in controlling that country on a permanent basis. I do hope and pray that we will find some way to help those Afghan nationals who risked their lives to serve the US military as translators and other staff.
As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org or 301-977-0768 rather than through the synagogue office. Although I am working primarily from home, I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Charles L. Arian